News
Esther Rantzen joins assisted dying clinic after terminal lung cancer diagnosis
The presenter was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer earlier this year
TV legend Dame Esther Rantzen says she has joined assisted dying clinic Dignitas in Switzerland.
The 83-year-old television presenter was told she had stage four terminal lung cancer earlier this year.
Speaking to the BBC’s Today Podcast, Dame Esther said she does not know how much longer she has left to live.
She said: “I have joined Dignitas. I have in my brain thought, ‘well if the next scan says nothing’s working I might buzz off to Zurich’, but you know, it puts my family and friends in a difficult position because they would want to go with me.
“And that means the police might prosecute them. So, we’ve got to do something. At the moment it’s not really working, is it?”
Assisted dying is banned in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and carries a maximum prison sentence of up to 14 years.
While Scotland has no specific offence of assisted suicide, euthanasia is illegal and can be prosecuted as murder or manslaughter.
It has long been a topic of debate whether assisted dying should be made legal in the UK and Dame Esther’s comments are likely to renew this discussion back into the public sphere again.
The Health and Social Care Committee is due to publish its report into assisted dying and assisted suicide in England and Wales after it launched an inquiry back in December 2022, where it examined the different perspectives surrounding the topic.
Opening up on the podcast as she spoke to Nick Robinson and Amol Rajan, Dame Esther said: “My family say it’s my decision and my choice.
“I explained to them that actually I don’t want their last memories of me to be painful because if you watch someone you love having a bad death, that memory obliterates all the happy times and I don’t want that to happen.
“I don’t want to be that sort of victim in their lives.”
Dame Esther is best known for presenting the BBC show That’s Life! For 21 years until 1994. She also launched ChildLine in 1986, a British counselling service and charity set up to help children and young people. It was also the first national helpline for children in danger or distress.
In 2013, she also launched the Silver Line, which is a charity that helps elderly people suffering from isolation and loneliness.
The legendary TV presenter said she was waiting for the results to come back from one of her scans to make up her mind about whether she will go to Dignitas.
Speaking candidly about her mortality, she said: “I didn’t think I would make it to my birthday (June 22nd). I definitely didn’t think I would make it until Christmas, which I am, it appears.
“Though anything can happen; I live in a forest, a tree can fall on me.
“I’ve got to drop off my perch for some reason, and I’m 83 damn it, so I should be jolly grateful and indeed am.”
At the time of her diagnosis, Dame Esther said it had prompted her to express ‘profound thanks to everyone who has made my life so joyful’.
Dignitas is a nonprofit organisation which provides physician-assisted suicide to members with terminal illness or severe mental or physical illness, supported by independent Swiss doctors.
News
Oasis announce huge reunion tour as Liam and Noel Gallagher ‘make peace’
The news we’ve all been waiting for!
After years of will-they-won’t-they speculation, Oasis are officially BACK together for a reunion tour.
The Gallagher brothers have put aside their differences in the name of music, making thousands of fans extremely happy in the process.
The band teased the news on their socials over the weekend, posting a video on Sunday morning with today’s date (Tuesday, August 27th) and the time 8am.
And now shows have been announced for multiple dates in the UK and Ireland, with tickets going live this Saturday, August 31st.
The legendary Mancunian rockers will take to the stage next summer, with gigs in Cardiff, London, Edinburgh, Dublin and, of course, Manchester.
15 years after splitting, the band confirmed they would be back for 14 shows, saying: “The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised”.
The gigs will be Oasis’s ‘only shows in Europe next year’, with tickets on sale this Saturday at 8am in Ireland and 9am in the UK.
The Oasis 2025 tour dates in full:
July
4th – Cardiff, Principality Stadium
5th – Cardiff, Principality Stadium
11th – Manchester, Heaton Park
12th – Manchester, Heaton Park
19th – Manchester, Heaton Park
20th – Manchester, Heaton Park
25th – London, Wembley Stadium
26th – London, Wembley Stadium
August
2nd – London, Wembley Stadium
3rd – London, Wembley Stadium
8th – Edinburgh, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium
9th – Edinburgh, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium
16th – Dublin, Croke Park
17th – Dublin, Croke Park
You can grab your tickets HERE.
News
Stagecoach hiring over 100 new bus drivers for Bee Network with £31k salaries
Fancy a career change?
Stagecoach Manchester is hiring over 100 new bus drivers to work from its Oldham depot, following the second phase of the Bee Network launch in March.
You can apply for a range of roles, from positions with no experience required to fully qualified bus drivers.
Successful applicants will receive full training as part of the job, and trainees will get paid to train. Then after only 12 months’ service at Stagecoach, drivers can expect to earn up to £16 per hour, which equates to £31.6K per year, before overtime.
As well as that, drivers that already hold a PCV licence may be eligible to receive a £1,200 joining bonus.
Stagecoach
There’s also a host of other benefits available to all Stagecoach employees, like 28 days paid holiday, generous pension and free Stagecoach bus travel for successful applicants and a companion.
Rob Jones, Managing Director at Stagecoach Manchester said: “Expanding our offering in Oldham means we’ll be investing more in the economy and supporting our local community, as well as strengthening our workforce.
“Whether you’re looking for a career change or you’re a fully qualified, experienced bus driver, there’s a role for everyone here in Oldham.
“We’re looking for personable and dedicated drivers who are ready to help us build on the success of the Bee Network and connect the people of Oldham and Greater Manchester with the places and people that are important to them.”
Stagecoach
Phil Cornwall, bus driver at Stagecoach Manchester, said: “I’ve been a driver at Stagecoach for 25 years and I couldn’t recommend it more.
“From the perks to the people to the passengers, it really is a great place to work.”
To apply, head to the Stagecoach website HERE.
Two men have now been charged with murder, following the discovery of a human torso in Kersal Dale.
As well as that, more suspected human remains were also discovered this morning, Monday April 29th, in an alleyway close to the railway lines off Worsley Road, Eccles.
This follows earlier discoveries of human remains over the past three weeks, at Kersal Dale, Blackleach Reservoir and Colliery Wood, all in Salford.
Greater Manchester Police
Michal Jaroslaw Polchowski (25/04/1956) and Marcin Majerkiewicz (10/04/1982) both of Worsley Road, Eccles, have been charged with murder.
They are set to appear at Tameside Magistrates Court this afternoon.
While formal identification is still ongoing, the remains found at Kersal Dale are believed to be of a local man in his 60s. The remains found at the other three locations are still to be tested, but police are confident they belong to the same victim.
ACC Sarah Jackson said: “We have had large numbers of officers, staff and specialists working diligently on this investigation over the last three weeks. It has been very much a large, collective effort, with the victim and family at the heart of it from the outset.
“We have specially trained officers deployed to support the family as they come to terms with this tragic news. They are aware of this morning’s further discovery and will continue to be kept up to date with how we are progressing.
“Despite the charges brought today, our work is far from over.
“The scenes we already have established in Bury and Salford will remain in place for much of this week whilst our searches and enquiries continue. Local officers will continue to patrol the impacted areas to provide reassurance.
“We will continue following every line of enquiry to recover and reunite the victim with his family, bringing a dignified end to this terrible scenario.
“I’d like to thank the communities of Salford and beyond for their cooperation throughout this investigation. I know this incident has come as a shock, and the support we’ve had from those in the area is very much appreciated.”
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