Emergency services were working at the scene
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The incident happened on the M4 between Miskin and Pencoed and led to the closure of the motorway in both directions.
Both carriageways were closed for around an hour, with south and northbound lanes reopening later that morning after the lorry was cleared.
Emergency services attended the scene to deal with the vehicle and manage traffic.
The road was cleared and reopened following the incident at 7.30am this morning.
The cause of the incident has not been confirmed and is under investigation.
11am
Our first stop of the day was Age UK Barnet’s annual Silver Sunday celebration, where residents of the Barnet area were once again congregating at Middlesex University for a lively day of activities. Remarkably, this year’s event proved to be even bigger and more popular than last year, with some 800 people coming together to enjoy an afternoon of live music, health checks, talks and much more.
Fresh from his recent appearance on the red carpet interviewing the stars of The Thursday Murder Club, Age UK’s Chief Executive Paul Farmer reflected on what the film, and the books that inspired it, are reminding the general public about older people in our society.
“They tell us a story about older people not being invisible and contributing to our society,” explained Paul in his opening remarks. “That’s what today is all about as well – bringing older people out into the community.”
There was plenty for older community members to explore at Age UK Barnet’s event, with stands featuring information on the local Age UK’s many services, as well as stalls celebrating the area’s diversity. These stands acknowledged the contributions of the African Caribbean and South Asian communities, illustrated with clothing, food, musical instruments and more. Plus, the nearby Disco Room provided a space for people to cut loose – especially during a freestyle dancing session.
One of the day’s dancers was particularly recognisable. Strictly Come Dancing’s Katya Jones made a special appearance, getting everyone to their feet for a spot of salsa, including the Mayor of Barnet, Councillor Danny Rich, who enthusiastically threw himself into proceedings.
Katya explains that she’s witnessed her mother benefitting from embracing new things – in her late fifties, after decades supporting Katya’s dancing, her mum decided she wanted to give it a go herself.
“She’d brought her children and helped bring her grandchildren up, and decided it was her time now,” explained Katya, proudly. “So she took up Argentinian Tango.” Now aged 62, Katya’s mum now travels the world to dance at a competitive level. Inspirational stuff!
I’ve suffered for about 20 years with internal haemorrhoids. I’ve had surgery, but the bleeding has become more frequent and can start even after too much standing or bending over while gardening. I’ve been prescribed ointment and suppositories on and off for eight years. Needless to say I’m suffering – and spend a lot of time horizontal in bed.
Name and address supplied.
Dr Martin Scurr replies: Haemorrhoids are essentially varicose veins of the lining of the rectum. The membrane covering these veins is fragile and so they are easily damaged, causing bleeding.
Much later, as the swelling worsens, the veins can prolapse out through the anal canal – in less severe cases they can pop out as you strain for a bowel movement or passage of wind, for instance, but return to their original internal position.
But they can also protrude past the anal opening without any straining – fortunately, you have never reached this stage.
Haemorrhoids occur when the blood vessels in the ‘cushions’ of tissue that help seal the anal canal (so you don’t leak gas or stools) become enlarged, as a result of pressure. This can be triggered by a range of factors, primarily constipation (causing straining), pregnancy, chronic cough and heavy lifting.
Surgery such as banding – essentially, where a surgical elastic band is placed around the haemorrhoid, cutting off the blood supply so it falls off – can help in milder cases. As can haemorrhoidectomy, where the veins are surgically removed.
While these procedures work for most people, sadly they have not worked long-term for you.
Haemorrhoids can be triggered by a range of factors, primarily constipation (causing straining), pregnancy, chronic cough and heavy lifting
And the treatments you’ve been prescribed only address the symptoms, calming the swelling and inflammation, and easing the discomfort and itch.
There is another option – ligation of the inferior haemorrhoidal arteries. This, like the other procedures, is aimed at cutting the blood flow to the haemorrhoidal cushions, reducing the swelling. This is done by placing a tiny stitch around each blood vessel – and is a less painful option than attempting to completely remove them.
My advice is to speak to your GP about being referred to a specialist to discuss this operation, which offers the best hope of a long-term solution for you.
I suffer with pain from arthritis in my hip, pain in my lower back and night-time cramps. I also have no feeling in one thigh. Would a full-body MRI scan get to the root of my problems?
Kristina White, Dorset.
Dr Martin Scurr replies: Making an accurate diagnosis usually starts with listening to a full description of the symptoms, forming a hypothesis on what might be the problem and then seeking to prove this by relevant tests.
Scans such as MRIs are, to some extent, putting the cart before the horse – and I would strongly advise against a full-body scan without first investigating your symptoms in detail.
Lower back pain, the cramps in one or both legs at night – and the lack of feeling in one thigh – suggest you might have a problem in the lower spine. (I wonder if the arthritis in your hip was confirmed in an X-ray – if not, it may be that pain in the region of the hip is actually referred pain from the spine, rather than from the joint itself.)
The symptoms you describe can be triggered by a number of conditions, such as disc degeneration (where discs between the bones in the spine become worn); osteoporosis (a bone-thinning disease that’s common in women your age, you’re 77) – leading to bones in the spine crumbling; and spinal stenosis, where there is narrowing of the spinal canal, which may put pressure on nerves that control sensation in the legs.
My suggestion is that the symptoms need full evaluation by physical examination from your GP – to include checking the tendon reflexes (such as tapping the knee and ankle with a tendon hammer) to check if there is a problem with the nerve function which might be due to pressure in the spine.
Any abnormalities would suggest the need for an MRI but just of your lower spine.
In my view… Statin side-effect risks should be toned down
There aren’t many good news stories at the moment, but the recent report that statins have fewer side-effects than some patients fear is one of them.
New research has shown most of the side-effects listed on the leaflets in packs are not backed by evidence, and there’s a call for warnings to be toned down.
While it’s good that patients read them, the problem is knowing what’s a genuine risk for you – and what’s been included because this is a legal requirement. For instance, muscle pain is a known side-effect, but it’s easy to interpret aching limbs after a game of tennis as due to your statin when it’s just a sign of being older.
As I so often warn my patients, if there was a leaflet when you bought a car stating these steel boxes on wheels kill people, you’d never get in – every time we do so, we’re balancing the benefits against the risks. It’s much the same with statins – and these drugs are life savers.
Part 1- physical health and keeping active by Morag, a dietician
Allied health professionals (AHPs) are uniquely placed to meet the rehabilitation needs of people with dementia. In this next series of blogs we will showcase the contributions that different AHPs in Lothian are making to help individuals with dementia meet their rehabilitation goals in a way that is personalised, goal orientated and collaborative (Alzheimer Disease International 2025). As you will see from the examples sometimes seemingly small changes can make a huge difference to people’s lives, enabling people with dementia to continue to engage with and enjoy the activities that are important to them. Ultimately, this can also reduce the need for care and support and can increase the time the person can remain living independently at home.
In our first blog series, Jackie, a physiotherapist, Lynsey, a podiatrist and Morag, a dietician, discuss their approaches to promoting physical health, including mobility and falls prevention, foot health and nutrition. They give some examples of how their interventions make a real impact for the people they work with.
You can read their posts over the next three weeks.
- Jackie, a physiotherapist on the 15th Janaury 2026
- Lynsey, a podiatrist on the 22nd Janaury 2026
- Morag, a dietician on the 29th Janaury 2026
Part 1- physical health and keeping active by Morag, a dietician
Hello, I’m Morag Wright and I work as a dietician. Working in mental health, our team supports many people with moderate to advanced dementia, primarily at an inpatient mental health hospital (the Royal Edinburgh Hospital) and at several of our outlying community hospitals across Edinburgh too. We often follow the patients journey from their assessment period following admission from the community, through to supporting them to return home or move to long term care. Our aim as dietitians is to enable the people we work with to optimise their nutrition to support the achievement of their treatment goals. These treatment goals are patient focused and require a multi-disciplinary approach, but using a nutritional lens will typically include improving nutritional status, managing refeeding risk, and correcting malnutrition, alongside managing feeding habits and challenges that arise.
What does rehabilitation and dementia mean to you?
The central pillars of rehabilitation require focusing on optimising a patient’s functioning and reducing disabilities. As dietitians, we know rehabilitation can be detrimentally impacted by poor diet and malnutrition, so one of our first focuses are to help people improve their nutrition through overall calories, protein, and fluids. For people with dementia, due to symptoms of memory loss and confusion, it is quite common for patients to either forget to eat and drink, believe they have already eaten and thus not eat, or to overeat as they forget they have already eaten. Alongside this, people can develop chewing and swallowing difficulties and may have changes to their eating preferences. Due to this, no one person is the same, and many different strategies are needed to help people optimise their nutrition.
Can you tell us about a time you provided rehabilitation for someone with dementia? What difference did that make to them or their carers?
As we are working in an inpatient service, we are fortunate that one of the first barriers to optimising nutrition is removed with the provision of three meals a day from the catering team. The nursing teams on the wards help patients with prompting, encouragement, and assistance as needed during meal times, much as friends, family members, and carers would for those living with dementia at home.
However, before people arrive on one of our wards, it is unfortunately common for people to have experienced a long period of forgetting to eat meals due to cognitive decline alongside unintentional weight loss, and thus we need to step in and optimise their nutrition. For some people, this may be fortifying their food during which we prioritise high energy, high protein options regularly throughout the day, aiming to eat or have a nourishing drink every 2-3 hours. Dementia may result in some people having changing food preferences and choosing what may appear to be peculiar food combinations. As long as the food is safe to eat and the person is not distressed by their food choices, we encourage all options to support people being well nourished. For others, we may need to temporarily recommend supplement drinks like Complan or Ensure to optimise nutrition while the patient is supported to adopt a regular eating pattern again while maintaining their weight. In some cases, for malnourished patients we need to ensure their vitamin and mineral levels are supplemented, and their electrolytes monitored in their blood if they have had minimal food intake for some time to look after them while they start slowly eating food again.
All in all, our dietetic service aims to support people with dementia throughout their journey to optimise their nutrition as well nourished people are better able to function well and support their rehabilitation goals.
Contributor – Morag Wright, Dietician, NHS Lothian
Next month in Part 2 of this series of blogs we will have contributions from Speech and Language Therapy and the Arts Psychotherapies who discuss communication strategies and also the idea of re-connection.
References:
World Health Organisation, Package of Interventions for Rehabilitation for Dementia (2023) content
World Alzheimer Report 2025 | Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI)
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Long-term UNISON activist Sharon Foster (pictured) has won the 2025 Nelson Mandela Award. The award is given to those who exemplify Nelson Mandela’s values of ‘determination, a desire for unity, and strength in the face of injustice’.
Sharon has worked in public services for almost four decades. Throughout this time, she has been an active champion of equality, inclusion and diversity and played a leading role in fighting domestic abuse.
Sharon has held several roles within UNISON, which most recently included chairing the national women’s committee and the Black members’ standing orders committee. She is an active steward in the Bristol branch and the South West regional women’s and Black members’ committees, where she champions equality, inclusion and diversity causes and has also played a leading role in the fight against domestic abuse and race discrimination.
Her unwavering passion, leadership, and dedication to equality have made a significant impact on countless lives, exemplifying the core values of the union.
Sharon has also helped bring historical changes to the union, including helping to develop UNISON’s leadership training programme, which is being rolled out to all members. She also helped develop the national Black members motion, which saw recruitment of Black officers become union policy.
Her campaigning hasn’t stopped within the union though. Sharon has also campaigned tirelessly for changes to universal credit and visited 11 Downing Street. She has also represented UNISON at parliamentary lobbies demanding accountability for the Windrush scandal.
On top of her dedication to the union, Sharon has also been a magistrate in Bristol, spent time as a school governor and is the single parent of an adult child.
In 2023, Sharon was appointed as High Sheriff of Bristol – the first Black Caribbean woman to hold the position. Sharon’s main priority was raising awareness of children’s exclusions from school, an issue which sees Black boys disproportionately affected.
Sharon also launched The Shining Stars, an event that celebrated the achievements and resilience of previously excluded children from school and promoted future opportunities for them.
She is currently a board member of Learning Partnership West, which exists to ensure no child or young person is left without support with their education, and is also a trustee of Beira Mozambique Trust, a project of the Southern African Resources Centre which emerged in the UK during the historic campaign to free Nelson Mandela during his imprisonment.
HOWLING BELLS
Strange Life (Nude)
The problem with putting out a stunning debut is that the pressure is ratcheted up on bettering it second time around. After their self-titled 2006 LP seduced hearts and minds with its dusky, cinematic melodrama, Howling Bells dropped two duds before coming closer to recapturing the magic with 2014’s Heartstrings. Another decade on and the UK-based Aussies are back with a fourth attempt to ditch the albatross – and once again it falls short.
Sure, the watery guitar washes and fuzzy rumble of lead track and first single Unbroken hint at former glories; Sacred Land bristles with the anger of prime PJ Harvey; The Looking Glass offers a flattering reflection of Marissa Nadler before boldly opening out; and Chimera’s sweetly shimmering chorus is a showstopper. But ultimately there’s too much forgettable fluff, too many tossed-off lyrics and a swagger-rock stinker (Sweet Relief, which is anything but).
According to Melbourne, everybody there’s “in a band / That sounds a bit like Dirty Three”. If true, (1) life is indeed strange, and (2) I’m moving.
words BEN WOOLHEAD
The vans will be deployed to six new areas
Nine Jobcentre vans will help “break down the barriers that stop people finding good work”, the Work and Pensions Secretary has said. Unveiling plans to expand the service after a pilot, Pat McFadden said the Jobcentre on Wheels was designed around “meeting people where they are”, including outside leisure centres and in municipal parks.
The Jobcentre on Wheels service is part of the Government’s drive to reform employment support, to meet a manifesto pledge, as it grapples with a rising unemployment rate. “We want to break down the barriers that stop people from finding good work, and that means meeting people where they are,” Mr McFadden said.
“Jobcentres on Wheels are doing exactly that – bringing employment support into the heart of communities. That’s why we’re building on the success we’ve already seen, expanding the service so we can unlock opportunities for even more people across the country.”
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has trialled Jobcentre on Wheels vans in the Scottish Highlands, North and Mid Wales and Greater Manchester. More vehicles will join the fleet across six areas – in Barrow-in-Furness, Blackpool, Wakefield, North Nottinghamshire, Bridgend and Rhondda Cynon Taf, and North Somerset.
According to DWP data, more than half of the visitors to the Jobcentre on Wheels service were not in receipt of benefits. The Office for National Statistics estimated the unemployment rate for people aged 16 and over was at 5.1% between September and November last year, up from 4.4% during the same period in 2024.
Emergency services are at the scene
A year on from the loss of her partner Sheila, Sue Strachan, who has vascular dementia, reveals how she is coping with grief and talks about her recent house move and managing daily life.
Sue Strachan is 69 and was diagnosed with vascular dementia at the age of 56. A year ago, she tragically lost her life partner of 32 years, Sheila, with whom she lived in Herefordshire. Sue has recently moved to be closer to family.
It’s been a year since you lost your partner, Sheila. How have you been coping?
Very up and down. I’ve discovered how very physical grief can be. I went to the doctor a few months ago because I couldn’t believe how ill I felt. No stamina, no energy. They ran blood tests – it was grief.
How are you managing the grief?
I’m doing the best I can. Somebody once said to me, You don’t realise how strong you are until that’s all you can do. I talk to Sheila a lot when I’m dog walking. It’s been a roller coaster. I had grief counselling almost straight after she passed, and it was really helpful. I learned a lot about emotional truth.
Now, when people say, ‘I know how you feel,’ I say, ‘I know you’re trying to empathise, but your relationship isn’t the same as my 32-year partnership.’ Only a couple have been offended. Most people don’t know what to say. And my response is – then don’t say anything.
I understand you recently went to Bali to commemorate Sheila’s life.
We took Sheila’s ashes to Bali. I went with two very close friends. Sheila and I had been going to Bali every other year for 20 years. We became very close to a family there. They wanted to do something to mark Sheila’s passing. We went to the family’s village, and what they hadn’t prepared me for was a beautiful altar, with a massive photo of Sheila, which I hadn’t expected. The ashes go out to sea, and symbolically, when the rain clouds pick up water from the sea and it rains, that’s the person returning. There was a real sense of calm.
What kind of support are you getting now?
I’ve signed up with a counsellor in Lewes. I’m being frank with friends and family. I’ve given myself permission to be this way. Some people message, “Thinking of you – how are you?” And when I reply, I never hear back. It felt like a tick-box thing. So, I stopped replying. I’d rather they didn’t say anything than come out with something unhelpful. Several friends have been amazingly supportive. Scott Mitchell (widower of the late Dame Barbara Windsor) has been particularly attentive. He checks in every week.
And your dog Saffy has helped too?
Absolutely. She’s the reason I’ve got out of bed some mornings. I owe it to Sheila and the dog to treat her properly.
Who else has supported you?
There’s a private Facebook running group linked to Alzheimer’s Research UK. They’ve been amazing. And my family.
What made you decide to move?
At first, I thought I’d stay. But I realised I was becoming isolated. We lived rurally, and Sheila had been part of everything in the village. I was lonely, and the place needed maintenance. I put my house on the market in January and came down to Lewes. It has a lovely vibe.
How did you find moving?
Moving is incredibly stressful. I do worry that once the dust settles, my dementia might dip. I’ve got an appointment with a new GP to see what support is available.
I hope I continue as I am. Yes, I’ve deteriorated, but I’m still functioning well. One reason I left the village was the painful reminders – Sheila was everywhere. I still find it hard to picture her. That’s possibly dementia, but also a coping mechanism. On good days, I think, ‘We had 32 amazing years. ’ On bad days, I still can’t believe she’s gone.
How are you finding the new environment?
It’s refreshing to have people around me. I don’t have the countryside on my doorstep anymore, but I’m not lonely. In Hereford, I’d walk the dog for an hour and not see anyone. Here, I step out, and there are people. Lewes is a lovely town.
What’s helping you adjust?
Taking it slowly. I’m usually harsh on myself, but my grief counsellor said: ‘Prioritise and pace’. That’s been really helpful. Sheila used to do so much for me. Now I’m learning to do things myself, and it’s tiring.
You mentioned you’ve lost weight.
I lost three stone. Sheila was a really brilliant cook and very good at making sure I ate properly. But the grief became overwhelming, and eating was, and still is, really difficult. I have no interest in preparing food. I’ve started relying on ready meals, and I am trying to choose ones that have good nutrients in them. So, if people have said, ‘Oh, you look really well’, I’ve said to them, Thank you. But grief is not a good diet, I don’t recommend it. Hopefully, if I can get back into my running, having lost weight will help.
Do you take any supplements?
I take a multi-vitamin. Early on, I bought myself Complan, which is a good way of getting goodness into my system. My dear nephew, Gareth, told me about an app called Yuka. Scanning the barcode on food items gives you a rating, and anything over 50 out of 100 is considered good. Many of the ready meals I’ve added to this app are packed with nutrients.
Who’s supporting you now?
My nephew Gareth, my niece Lara, my dear friend Angie and the rest of my family. They’ve gone above and beyond.
Do you have happier days?
I have what my grief counsellor called ‘glimmers’. I haven’t had absolute joy since Sheila passed, but I strive for it. I’ve had moments of ‘This is okay,’ and moments of ‘I can’t take any more.’ But I’ve got people I can reach out to. I think Sheila would be proud.
You’re an ambassador for Alzheimer’s Research UK. How important is that work?
Sheila and I became ambassadors together. She never got to do anything in the role. I carry on in tribute to her. It’s not just about fundraising – it’s about awareness. The Perfume Shop has supported Alzheimer’s Research UK for 11 years. They had a campaign called “Be More Sue,” which initially embarrassed me, but I now accept that it helps others. I’ve given talks to their managers and visited their head office.
What advice do you have for anyone just diagnosed?
Ask for help and take it whenever it’s offered, if it’s appropriate.
More Information
Sue is an ambassador for Alzheimer’s Research UK and previously completed the London Marathon to raise funds. She is working with the charity to raise awareness of the need for early diagnosis. Visit https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/
