My Recent Work

Global women-only travel group celebrates 40th anniversary

Women Welcome Women World Wide (5W), an organisation aiming to build connections among women through travel and cultural exchanges, is celebrating its 40th anniversary. 5W was founded in the UK in 1984 by Dr Frances Alexander. It connects women globally by providing the opportunity for members to travel and be hosted by other members in their homes. It started with women welcoming women across the UK and Europe, but it quickly expanded to include members from around the globe, reaching countries

I grew up in China - here's how healthcare there is different to the UK's NHS

Zhaona Li was born in China and is now a journalism student in the UK. Here she looks at the two countries’ healthcare systems - including Chinese “appointment touts”

Moreover, about 3.16 million patients have been waiting over 18 weeks. The 18-week commitment in the NHS Constitution aims to ensure timely treatment for every patient, but this target hasn't been met since 2015. Shockingly, over 302,600 patients have been waiting more than a year for treatment.

Meanwhile, World Health Organizati

Avoidable deaths among children and young people on the rise, according to ONS

Avoidable deaths among children and young people are on the rise, despite avoidable deaths overall decreasing, according to the ONS.

The latest report from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that the rate of avoidable deaths among children and young people in England has been increasing since 2020, while the overall number of avoidable deaths has been decreasing.

Avoidable deaths, defined as either preventable or treatable for those under 75 years old, have dropped in England from

He waited 7 years for a diagnosis. Now he says NHS discriminated against him

A Derbyshire man is fighting to make changes to the system after his GP allegedly told him others needed help before him. Joan Pons Laplana went to Ashgate Medical Practice in Chesterfield in 2016 for an autism diagnosis after his son was diagnosed with autism.

The 49-year-old, who is the manager of Choices College for South Yorkshire, has since branded his local GP as "disgraceful". He added: “The GP said it would be a waste of money and resources for me to be referred because there were other

'The government doesn't take it seriously' says student waiting 660 days for autism diagnosis

A university student who asked his GP for an autism diagnosis two years ago is still waiting for a reply – despite an official target of people being seen by a specialist within 13 weeks.

Tony, 20, a second-year undergraduate animation student at Falmouth University, who asked Sheffield Wire not to use his surname, called his doctor in June 2022 but has not heard anything back.

He said: “I phoned them up, and explained why I thought that I should get done. But they just said we’ll put you on t

Women less likely to be diagnosed due to 'male bias' of autism screening

Women with autism are finding it harder to get a diagnosis due to a male bias in the methods used, according to a psychology expert.

The ratio of autistic males to females is estimated at 3:1, but a “big gender disparity” and “disproportionate research funding” is causing problems with female diagnosis, says Dr Gray Atherton, a psychology researcher at the University of Plymouth.

There are 50 questions or statements in the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) for adults which is used in screening and

Women's Aid marks 50 years of battling Domestic Abuse

This year marks 50 years since Women’s Aid was founded but 2.4 million people in the UK still experience domestic abuse every year.

The latest data from the National Centre for Domestic Abuse revealed three women take their own lives every week and a further 30 women attempt suicide every day as a direct result of what they have endued.

As part of Women’s Aid’s golden anniversary the charity has launched their Come Together to End Domestic Abuse campaign which aims to dispel myths, challenge s

China's three-child policy impact at home and ‘abroad’

The Chinese government has been encouraging people to have three children since 2021, but the birthrate in 2023 has reached the lowest level since the establishment of the Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

Chinese family planning policies were devised in an attempt to stem the country’s rapid population growth. When China implemented its historic one-child per family policy its stated aims were to increase industrial and agricultural output, put a brake on t

TEDx arrives in Sheffield to discuss "boundaries"

TEDx, an initiative that involves organising TED-style talks across the world, came to the University of Sheffield yesterday.

The theme of the event was “boundaries”, and involved three speakers from diverse fields covering their experiences with overcoming boundaries in family, nature and work.

Hailin Wei, the event’s organiser, said they’ve prepared for this talk for a year.

She said: “What we want to convey is the importance of being aware of overthrowing and reinventing boundaries. People

Sheffield Children's Hospital sets up work placements for disabled young people

Sheffield Children’s hospital has set up the first partnership with Choices College which specialises offering supported internship courses for 16-24 years old adults.

The partnership aims to provide a variety of 12-week placements tailored for individuals with autism, learning difficulties and disabilities.

According NHS data, only 4.8% of adults with a learning disability known to adult social care in England were in paid work in 2023, a decrease from five years before.

Nearly one in four o

Actor Holly Matthews' poignant hospice fundraising campaign

Holly said: “He was essentially brain damaged because of the tumours in his brain, which meant that his behaviour was erratic, which would mean I couldn't settle and I couldn't rest. When I was at home, I was constantly in a state of panic and fight or flight. I was worrying about what was going to happen next.

“When it's 11 o'clock at night and you've got a baby crying and a little one coming out to cry. You've got your husband who's wetting himself. You're trying to do all of that on your own

Waterloo Road actress takes on Coventry Cathedral abseil in memory of husband

A Coventry-born actress took on new heights by abseiling down Coventry Cathedral in memory of her husband who died aged just 32. Holly Matthews, who starred in Waterloo Road, raised more than £2,500 for Myton Hospice as the organisation said it is facing huge financial challenges.

Holly, 39, lost her husband Ross after he was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2014. The couple's daughters were aged just one and four at the time. He died in 2017, in the care of Myton Hospice, whose support Holly sai

MPs calling for public inquiry into miners’ strike

Parliament has moved a step closer to calling a public inquiry into the 1984-1985 miners’ strike after 28 MPs backed the campaign this month.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the strike, which was the largest ever industrial dispute in the UK. In the dispute, miners in Rotherham fought the attempts of Margaret Thatcher’s government to break up the miners’ union and the labour movement, close down the coal mines, and make the way to a free market economy. Thousands of miners were sacked,

International book-hiding campaign celebrates seven year anniversary this March

Nearly 18,000 readers have hidden their favourite books in more than 100 countries as a worldwide book-hiding campaign celebrates its seventh anniversary.

The Book Fairies, launched in March 2017, is a volunteer-led international campaign which aims to share books with other people by hiding them in public for others to find and keep.

Cordelia Oxley, the founder of the project, said: “There are people who like to read, and to share the books they’ve read. And guess what – everyone loves a nice

32 films to be screened in Sheffield over two days as part of popular festival

There will be 32 films screened in Sheffield over two days as the Sheffield Adventure Film Festival (ShAFF) returns to the city.

The films, showcasing the best in adventure cinema, will be screened at Sheffield Cathedral over seven sessions across March 15 and 16.

There will be climbing and mountain films, adventure bites (short films), and Sheffield-made films. Participants can also mingle with adventure sports athletes and filmmakers, attend a series of panel talks, experience live choral mu

Fargate to become 'cultural hub' as council look to convert Sheffield city centre

Up to 20,000 new homes are set to be built in an effort to convert Sheffield city centre into a residential neighbourhood and a ‘cultural hub’.

The City Council announced in a meeting last week (14 February) Fargate and the traditional shopping areas will home schools, GP surgeries and outdoor spaces.

The work set out by the City Centre Strategic Vision is set to begin in January 2025. The hub would then open in early 2026, two years later than initially planned.

Councillor Ben Miskell, chair

Stocksbridge Town Deal under backlash

A petition has been launched for the Stocksbridge Town Deal, accusing the Town Deal Board as a ‘runaway Board’.

The petition is calling the Council to act quickly by using its powers to “instigate a thorough review of the decisions taken by this runaway board before it is too late.”

The Stocksbridge Town Deal is part of the wider Towns Fund, a funding scheme launched by the Government in September 2019 to help towns across the UK. Sheffield City Council is the accountable body for the fund, wi

Sheffield charity say demand has doubled for their services

Sunday Centre are now partnering with Wicker Pharmacy to give out COVID and flu jabs to vulnerable people as demand for their services increases.

The charity aim to help the people of Sheffield by providing free hot meals, drinks and clothes.

Michael Burston, volunteer co-ordinator and trustee of the Sunday Centre has worked there for 10 years.

He said: “I think the financial crisis in Britain at the moment is causing more people to come out and want free food, warmth and clothing.”

Mr Burst

Five fire engines tackle blaze in Sheffield students flat

The shared kitchen in a students flat caught fire in the early hours of Tuesday morning, leaving students “worried and scared” for their safety.

The fire began in a shared kitchen in Sharman Court at 12.15am Tuesday, and was dealt with by 2.45am.

Peixu Du, 23 who lives in the flat, waited outside of the building for three hours, and he couldn’t fall asleep until after 4am because his room smelled of smoke.

He said: “I thought the fire alarm would only last a few minutes and then stop, but it