News

Bowled over

swns chinese_bowlA traditional chinese ‘Phoenix’ marriage bowl has sold for a whopping £260,000 at auction.

The jade bowl, thought to be around 270 years old, is a type which was popular at the Imperial Qing court, the last imperial dynasty of China.

It has ring handles, suspended from auspicious phoenix masks and the jade if of a pale celadon colour prized by carvers of that era.

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Knock, knock, knockin’ on Evan’s door

knocking on_evans_doorA 91-year-old Bristol woman was hailed a heroine after she called on her wartime Army experience and bravely rescued a neighbour from his burning flat. Fire chiefs praised fearless Jessamine Skuse, known as Jess, claiming she had saved the life of frail Evan Davis, 97, when deadly smoke filled his home.

Plucky Jess banged on Evan’s door and then dragged him out to safety before going back into the property to raise the alarm.

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Older web users say life online is great

David Williams_64_June_Whitfield_James_Perry_92_Chris_Scruton_70__Janet_Tchamani_55New online research from Age UK shows that nearly four out of five (78%) older people who use the internet believe their lives have improved by being online, with nearly one in four (23%) saying they feel closer to friends and family as a result and 42% declaring that they now cannot imagine life without the internet.

Carried out by YouGov on behalf of Age UK, the online poll also revealed just how the lives of web users aged 55+ have been transformed: 44% have made savings online, nearly one in three (32%) pursue hobbies and one in five (19%) feel like they are more independent as a result of being online.

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Mental Maths

Calculator casioStudies have shown that one in five adults struggle to do basic addition or subtraction in their heads. Also, a BAE poll found that thirty five percent of adults resort to using a calculator when adding past 100.

One in 50 people were stumped by adding or subtracting in their head if the total was more than ten. And one in three parents believed their children’s ability exceeded their own.

However, only ten percent of 55 five year olds and over say they find maths difficult.

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400th care home joins end of life care Gold club

end of_life_careThe National Gold Standards Framework Centre (GSF) today presented its 400th Quality Hallmark Award to a care home in recognition of the quality End of Life Care it provides.

Sixty care homes were being recognised at the awards ceremony at the Irish Centre in London, bringing the total number to have been accredited to 400, helping residents and families experience dignified care at the end of their life in the place of their choice as well as delivering significant cost savings for the NHS. More than 2,000 homes across England and Wales have completed the GSF in Care Homes Training Programme.

The awards were presented by Dr Nick Bishop, Senior Medical Adviser at the Care Quality Commission, which recently acknowledged GSF accreditation as a key factor in its Quality and Risk Profile of homes.

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Unfare cop

Swns busCoach boss John Henderson was driven mad when one of his buses was fined - for travelling in a bus lane.

A bungling council sent a £60 penalty charge notice to John's firm accusing his 329 service of breaking the law.

John, 57, said: "I was completely dumbfounded when this letter came in - they'd fined a bus for driving in a bus lane.

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Clean slate

swns cleaner_theftA cleaner who stole cash and valuables worth thousands from elderly clients walked free from court yesterday (Mon) to the fury of her victims.

Callous Claire Stevens, 49, looted money, jewellery, ornaments and alcohol totalling £27,000 after being trusted by her clients and their families.

She even took toilet rolls and cleaning supplies and is believed to have sold some of the items on eBay.

Self-employed Stevens, who admitted four charges of theft and asked for 14 further offences to be considered, committed her crimes over a 12-year period.

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Clasp war

Bomber clasp_4A WWII hero who campaigned for a special medal for survivors of Bomber Command slammed the Government as "cheap" after it unveiled the new honour - a metal CLASP.

Grandfather-of-three Ivor Foster, 87, was one of 125,000 men who took to the skies of occupied Europe during World War II.

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Salford PhD student develops revolutionary elderly care robot

care robotA University of Salford researcher has come up with a novel way of dealing with stretched resources caused by us all living longer – an interactive care robot for elderly people.

Antonio Espingardeiro, who is studying inSalford Business School and the School of Computing, Science & Engineering, has created the P37 S65 robot which has the ability to remind elderly people to take their medication and exercise, and can even tell jokes. It can also provide 24-hour emergency notifications and will directly connect to carers or GPs through video conference or SMS.

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