Paula Vasco-Knight was chief executive at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust and had previously enjoyed the prestige of being appointed NHS England’s national lead for equality.
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Skipping meals to fight cancer sounds radical, but new research suggests fasting may revolutionise treatment.
Money expert explained many people start up the accounts for children – but don’t realise it’s locked in for 18 years – and also there are better options
Financial expert Martin Lewis has issued a warning regarding a particular type of ISA — and advised prospective investors to place their funds elsewhere. Mr Lewis, in a recent video on YouTube, explained the concern relates to Junior ISAs and holds particular significance for parents and grandparents.
Numerous people establish these accounts at birth or during early childhood to accumulate savings for youngsters — yet he highlighted there are drawbacks — not least the fact that the funds remain inaccessible until their 18th birthday. A Junior Cash ISA is a long-term, tax-free savings account established for a child in the UK.
It is available for children under 18 residing in the UK. Parents or guardians with parental responsibility are able to open one, while 16- and 17-year-olds can establish their own.
The advantage lies in the ability to save an additional £9,000 for the 2026/27 tax year. This allowance is separate from an individual’s adult ISA limit.
Parents, grandparents, family members and friends are all able to contribute funds into the account, provided the annual limit isn’t surpassed. Mr Lewis explained: “I would suggest most people opening a junior ISA should be looking at investing, not saving. And the reason I say that is because the golden rule about investing is that it should be money that you’re locking away for a long time, and it should be money that you don’t need. Well, with a junior ISA, the money is locked away until they are 18. So if you have a new grandchild, you’re locking it away for 18 years-so that’s tick one: investing, and not needing the money. Since they can’t access it, they don’t need it.”
The ITV and BBC star suggested it would be ‘massively’ surpassed by an alternative investment approach. He explained: “On the balance of probabilities, if you put it in a broad spread of investments-something like a global tracker fund that tracks 1,400 or so big companies across the world for their performance-it will massively outperform savings. So you might want to have a look, especially as a grandparent, because investment over the long run will generally outperform savings, and you are putting this in for at least 18 years for their future. While you could put it in a cash ISA, I would look at investing it for them; you never know, they might end up with a really big windfall.”
Mr Lewis also revealed that he had been approached by members of the public while out asking about investments and where to place their money.
He said: “I actually got stopped in the street by someone who said, ‘My dad’s been putting money in the S&P 500-which is the American stock market index-for the last 10 years, and he’s been making me put some of my money there too. He says it’s good for the future, and to remember it when I’m 50. Is he right?’ I told him to look at his balance, and his balance was just massively more than they had put in. Yes, his dad got it right.
“We are too risk-averse in this country. If you can lock it away and you don’t need it-and you’ve generally got your own cash emergency fund saved up elsewhere-then you should be looking at investing. Also, when they’re 17, they’re going to need it to go to Zante, mate, if you know what I mean! Well, they can’t get it until they are 18, thankfully, so it is protected. But remember, when it comes to investing, I’m not talking about putting it into a single share; I’m talking about a big basket, spreading your risk across thousands of shares so you get the average performance of all of them.”
Research from the Investment Association and Opinium found that adults holding Cash ISAs are almost twice as likely to open a Junior Cash ISA than a Junior Stocks and Shares ISA (17% vs. 9%) for their children which is said meansmany are missing out on the long-term growth a Junior Stocks & Shares ISA could offer.
It said: “Whilst money in a Junior ISA belongs to the child, they can’t withdraw it until they turn 18 except under exceptional circumstances. Cash ISAs can be helpful for those saving for immediate needs but investing on behalf of your child into a Junior Stocks & Shares ISA can offer stronger returns over this long-term period, helping to grow their wealth and protecting future savings from the detrimental impact of inflation.”
Chris Cummings, CEO of the Investment Association and Chair of the Just Finance Foundation, said: “Making use of the tax-free savings available through a Junior ISA is a great way to set your child up for later life, whether that’s funding education or training, getting a foot on the property ladder or starting a family of their own.
“Many parents are already taking advantage of Junior ISAs, but we would like to see more benefit from long-term investment through the Junior Stocks and Shares ISA. That’s why we’re calling on the government to introduce more effective financial education throughout life so that concepts including the power of compound growth and inflation risk are better understood, and families are set up to make informed financial decisions that benefit their futures.”
Action for Children’s Vale Family Support service delivered a summer programme of activities, funded by Nationwide through its Fairer Futures social impact strategy, to bring families together, build confidence, and provide valuable life experiences.
Emma Melvin, family support practitioner at Action for Children’s Vale Family Support service, said: “This summer we’ve been able to offer families a wonderful range of activities that combined fun with learning.
“From discovering important water safety messages with the RNLI to meeting the Coastguard and seeing first-hand how they respond to emergencies, the children gained some amazing experiences while also learning valuable life skills.”
Highlights included a visit to the RNLI Visitor Centre at Barry Island, where families took part in an interactive session about seaside safety.
They learned about the beach flag system, how to identify hazards, and what to do in an emergency.
The group also spent a day with HM Coastguard at Barry Island, gaining insight into the vital role of the emergency service.
During the visit, the team was called out to a real emergency, offering families a glimpse into the realities of coastal rescue work.
The programme ended with a classic day at the beach, complete with fish and chips, sandcastle building, and time to relax by the sea.
Ms Melvin said: “These activities give children the chance to make happy memories, try new things and simply enjoy being children, while helping families spend quality time together without worrying about the cost.”
Action for Children said the summer clubs help to address financial pressures faced by families during the school holidays.
The charity’s research shows that many parents struggle with the rising costs of food, childcare, and activities during the six-week break, while also missing the support and routine provided by schools.
It involves different walking speeds (Image: Alamy/PA)
The fitness world is no stranger to viral crazes and passing fads, from exercise snacking to vibration plates to the 75 Hard Challenge, with something fresh seemingly emerging every week. One trend that fitness influencers have been championing is the Japanese walking method. But what exactly does it entail, and is it worth giving a go?
We spoke to Steve Chambers, a certified personal trainer and gym manager at Ultimate Performance, who broke down how this method works, along with its potential benefits and possible drawbacks.
What is the Japanese walking method?
“It’s a cardiovascular training method, but it’s a little bit more focused than just going out and trying to do more steps because there’s a bit of a protocol to it,” says Chambers. The Japanese walking method is also referred to as Interval Walking Training (IWT).
“It involves alternating between three minutes of walking at a slower, more relaxed pace, followed by three minutes of faster, more purposeful walking, repeated in cycles for around 30 minutes,” the personal trainer explains. “So, the effectiveness of this workout come from the changes in intensity over this half an hour period, rather than the number of steps.”
Chambers recommends completing a warm-up beforehand, and notes that this method utilises the RPE (Rating of Perceived Exertion) scale from one to 10 to assist people in measuring and regulating their pace. “For the slower three-minute periods, you want to be on the lower end of the scale, so I would recommend nothing more than a five out of 10,” advises Chambers. “If you do this with someone else, you should be able to hold a conversation during this three-minute window.
“However, for the faster three-minute periods, you want to try and push that up to a seven or an eight out of 10. So, you’re not quite maxing it because you want to be able to repeat this multiple times over the half-hour period, but your heart rate should go up quite a lot.”
Influencers have been praising the method (Image: Alamy/PA)
What are the advantages?
Needs minimal kit
“You can do it either on a treadmill or outdoors on foot,” says Chambers. “All you need is a stopwatch or a phone to help time the three-minute cycles.”
“This training method is accessible to lots of different types of people, including those who are brand new to training and don’t know where to start,” says Chambers. “The entry level for it is really low because your seven out of 10 versus somebody else’s will be completely different, so it’s accessible for different fitness levels.”
“Running has a high impact on your joints when your feet hit the floor. However, the surface impact of walking is a lot lower, so this walking method of training is much more friendly on the joints,” says Chambers. “Therefore, from a longevity perspective and an injury prevention perspective, this is a massive win.”
The benefits and drawbacks have been discussed (Image: Alamy/PA)
Works numerous different muscles
“All the lower body muscles – such as your glute muscles, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calf muscles – are engaged during this interval walking method,” the personal trainer explains. “Even the smaller muscles, ligaments and tendons in and around the feet will all be working while you walk.”
He notes that walking also naturally activates both your core and your arms.
Boosts cardiovascular fitness
“During the faster intervals, you heart will be working a little bit harder and will be pumping more blood around the body, which will improve your cardiovascular fitness,” Chambers states.
“I would recommend asking a friend or family member to join you, as it can be a great opportunity to catch up with somebody,” Chambers suggests. “Sharing this journey can help boost enjoyment and motivation, which makes people more likely to keep going and do it more regularly.”
“Everyone is so busy these days, so if you haven’t got a lot of time in your diary for training, you can just do this in a half an hour slot that you have spare,” Chambers explains. “So, this is a really time-efficient training method which is another big win.”
Are there any limitations of this method to consider?
“One drawback is that there’s a limit of how much muscle growth, definition and strength that somebody could get out of following this walking training method,” Chambers warns. “This is because although the muscles are working whilst you are walking, there isn’t that external load that needs to be there to further increase strength levels and improve muscle definition. Therefore, I would recommend doing it in conjunction with other forms of training such as resistance training.”
He also stresses the importance of approaching every fitness trend circulating on social media with a healthy degree of scepticism.
“I’ve seen many fitness trends come and go over the years, and while some are gems, some have no research to back them,” says Chambers. “So, if you see a fitness trend on social media I would recommend doing your own research and it might be worth consulting a personal trainer too to see if they know anything about it.”
Emergency services were called to the A40 between Bwlch and Brecon on Saturday afternoon
The road was closed for around 12 hours to allow for collision investigation to take place and reopened at around 2am on Sunday.(Image: Google)
A motorcyclist died at the scene of a crash police have said. Emergency teams including police, fire crews and paramedics were called to a crash on the A40 between Bwlch and Brecon at around 2.30pm on Saturday.
The crash involved two vehicles; a White Ford C-Max and a KTM 1290 Duke motorcycle.
The man riding the motorcycle died at the scene. His next of kin have been informed.
The road was closed for collision investigation to take place and reopened at around 2am on Sunday.
Anyone who was travelling along the A40 between Bwlch and Brecon at the relevant time, is asked to contact police.
A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesperson said: “Investigating officers would particularly like to speak to any motorists who were in the area at that time who have dash cam in their vehicles.”
A spokesman for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service added: “At 2.42pm on Saturday, September 5, the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service crew from Brecon Fire Station was mobilised to an incident along the A40 near Llansantffraed.
“The crew responded to a road traffic collision involving one private motor vehicle, one motorcycle and four casualties.
“Sadly, the motorcyclist died at the scene. His next of kin have been informed.”
Contact Dyfed-Powys Police by any of the usual means quoting reference DP-20260905-207.
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A man has died after an incident in the sea off the coast of Wales.
Police, paramedics, an air ambulance and the RNLI, were called to an incident near Saundersfoot Harbour, Pembrokeshire. at around 1.15pm on Saturday, following concerns for the welfare of a 64-year-old man. The man died before the arrival of emergency services.
A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesperson said: “His family have been informed, and our thoughts remain with them at this difficult time.”
The death is not being treated as suspicious.
Tanya Gleed, 60, who lives in south Wales, was just 12 when she sailed 6,000 miles to Brazil with her parents
A family from Wales sailed across the world on this catamaran
A family embarked on a 6,000-mile voyage to Brazil with four children, a dog and minimal navigation equipment – aboard a 46ft boat their father constructed in the back garden.
Tanya Gleed was merely 12 when she boarded the remarkable catamaran alongside her parents, Christopher and Antonia Wheller, and three brothers, aged eight, nine and 14.
They departed from Bideford in Devon in September 1978 and eventually arrived in Brazil in January 1979 after covering approximately 6,000 miles. Read the biggest stories in Wales first by signing up to our daily newsletter here.
Without GPS, modern navigation systems or a seasoned sailing crew, Mr Wheller, an electrical engineer, charted their course using only a plastic sextant, paper charts and the sun and moon.
During their journey, the family encountered numerous challenges, including severe weather, military inspections, and close encounters with whales and sharks in open waters.
They called at various ports across Europe, including Spain and Portugal, and Cape Verde in Africa, before arriving at their final destination in Brazil.
Upon reaching Mrs Wheller’s hometown of Porto Alegre and docking at a yacht club, journalists and locals flocked to hear about their expedition, offering food and hospitality.
However, reflecting on the voyage nearly 50 years later, Mrs Wheller and daughter Tanya, who lives in south Wales, believed they were “protected by something”, acknowledging it was a “dangerous” undertaking.
Tanya, 60, from south Wales, recalled: “It was an adventure that I’d never forget and I used to love stopping at every port because I’d make friends.
“But I would never put my children through that if I had to.
“I wouldn’t do that again myself in the conditions that we went – on a DIY boat, second-hand motor and no experience of navigation whatsoever.
“I look back on it as if we were protected by something because, for a family of six, it was a dangerous thing to do.”
Mrs Wheller, 81, from Twyford, disclosed that she continues to have “nightmares” about the voyage.
Speaking with Sell Us Your Story, she recalled: “I wanted a bigger kitchen and my husband said, ‘Well, I want a boat’.
“I didn’t think much of it, but he said, ‘I will make a big one, and then we all go back to Brazil ‘, and I said, ‘all right’.
“Next thing I see is the lorry full of wood, and they started building it. I ended up working on the boat as well.
“I did all the painting, and so I was a great help to them.”
She encountered her husband while he was employed in Porto Alegre for Standard Cables. They wed in England, though travelled extensively afterwards.
For several years during the 1960s, they returned to Brazil where Tanya and one of her brothers were born.
However, in 1971 they came back to the UK and established their home in Cosham, Wiltshire.
It was in 1975 that Mr Wheller conceived the idea to construct the boat so they could visit their family in Brazil.
Following two years of building the vessel, they ensured they had plenty of food, plasters and medicine to sustain them throughout their adventure. Shortly after departing England, they faced a ferocious storm near Ilfracombe and barely escaped colliding with rocks.
Additional storms pursued them at Barry Island and France, while at one stage a massive vessel seemed to be bearing straight towards them.
The family possessed minimal modern navigation equipment. Their father relied on a rudimentary plastic sextant to determine their location by taking measurements from the sun and moon.
Tanya said: “Dad would look through the sextant, which would locate the horizon and the sun.
“He would align the horizon and the sun, and then he would ask the time, we would write down the time and the position of the sun and the horizon.
“He had his charts, and he would put those details on the chart – I don’t know how he did that part – and that’s how he managed to find out where we were.
“But I always helped him with the navigation side of things.”
She added: “In the beginning, I felt really sick, and you just had to keep looking at the horizon.
“My brothers would always feel sick. If you stayed outside of the boat, you could see more of the horizon and the sea doesn’t affect you.”
The family journeyed through Portugal, passing Lisbon, Porto and Leixões.
They navigated beneath the imposing bridge spanning the River Douro and received an invitation from local fishermen to tour a fish yard, where they were treated to caldeirada, a traditional Portuguese fish stew.
At each port of call, Antonia faced the practical responsibility of maintaining the family’s provisions. She was responsible for purchasing provisions, laundering garments and organising water supplies for the journey.
The engine, meanwhile, proved troublesome throughout.
In Spain, the vessel’s engine would fail upon entering harbour, forcing the family to depend on local fishermen to tow them in.
Despite these setbacks, Tanya recalls finding the adventure enjoyable.
She said: “Everywhere that we went, people were curious.
“Some kids in Spain were shouting ‘come here ‘, and I didn’t know what they were going on about.
“I just went on the dinghy and met these kids. I didn’t understand them, but I really enjoyed my stay in Spain.”
The family pressed on southwards to Tenerife, Madeira and Cape Verde, where locals presented them with food and bananas.
One person even attempted to gift Mrs Wheller a live chicken.
The Atlantic crossing presented fresh obstacles.
On one occasion, the catamaran became stranded near the equator and stayed there for nearly a week, with insufficient wind to propel it onwards.
The family also came across whales during the passage. After dark, they could hear the creatures breathing near the vessel in the blackness.
Mrs Wheller grew so anxious about the whales that she tested using a strong lamp on the deck.
Following its activation at night, the whales ceased appearing around the craft.
Mrs Wheller said: “During the night they were still following us, and so I was petrified – those big heads – then they disappeared and we didn’t know where they were.”
The family eventually arrived in Recife, where they were welcomed by a family of 15 who provided them with food and clothing and supported them throughout their stay.
Departing from Recife, the family made their way down the Brazilian coastline towards Espírito Santo and ultimately Rio Grande do Sul. Throughout the journey, they encountered dolphins, whales and sharks.
However, food supplies began to dwindle.
Tanya recalls surviving on stock cubes for their salt content, acutely conscious that their provisions were running dangerously low.
Eventually, they arrived in Porto Alegre, where their appearance drew the attention of journalists and curious onlookers.
A local resident offered the family the use of a spare property, which they subsequently rented. Their father secured employment, and the family ultimately settled in Gravataí.
The handcrafted catamaran, which had carried them thousands of miles across the ocean, was transported from Porto Alegre to Gravataí in Rio Grande do Sul with the assistance of two government lorries.
The family eventually moored the vessel on a plot of land and made it their home.
For Tanya, the recollections remain those of an extraordinary childhood.
“I look back on it as if we were protected by something,” she said.
“For a family of six with no experience of navigation – dad didn’t have any navigation experience – I see it as an adventure.
“My mum was not afraid, she dealt with everything as it came.”
Yet her mother recalls the experience in an entirely different light.
“For me it’s a nightmare,” Mrs Wheler said. While her husband focused on navigation, she took charge of four children, preparing meals, laundry and securing provisions.
She was also required to handle officials and bargain for what the family required, occasionally because she possessed greater fluency in the languages.
“I had to teach them to behave,” she said.
She also ensured her children grasped the perils of life at sea.
If one of them tumbled overboard, she explained to them, they could simply vanish into the current.
Decades on, Antonia still finds the journey challenging to reflect upon.
“I have nightmares about the voyage. I don’t like talking much about it.”
Tanya revealed she would be keen to pen a book about the adventure and also pay tribute to her father, Mr Wheller, who died in September 2023 aged 83.
The house in Rutland Close, Barry, is being listed for offers over £300,000.
According to the estate agent, the property is situated in a peaceful cul-de-sac in Highlight Park and has countryside views of the Dyffryn Valley.
The house has an entrance porch, open-plan living room, kitchen/dining room, and stairs leading up to three bedrooms.
There are two double bedrooms and a single bedroom, as well as a family bathroom.
The property also has “off road parking” at the front and a private rear garden.
The estate agent says that this property offers an “excellent opportunity” for potential buyers.
The living room has a picture window to the front elevation.
It includes a chimney breast with an inset electric fire set into a faux fireplace, and internal double doors with an oak finish.
The kitchen/dining room has a modern fitted shaker style kitchen in varnished oak with a granite effect work surface and a peninsular breakfast bar.
It comes with a five-ring gas hob and overhead chrome chimney extractor, a 1.5 sink and drainer with chrome mixer tap, and a separate filtered boiling hot water tap.
The kitchen also has an integrated washing machine and tumble dryer, a built-in Samsung fridge/freezer, an electric fan oven, and an overhead combi microwave.
The master bedroom is a double bedroom with views across the Dyffryn Valley.
The bathroom has a four-piece suite in white, including a corner quadrant shower cubicle with wall mounted shower and jets, a wash hand basin with vanity unit under, a low level dual flush WC and a white panelled bath with chrome integrated mixer tap and electric shower overhead.
The property also has a garden with a patio and a decked area with a shed and greenhouse.
Experts are warning that, for most people, the habit is unnecessary, and may even be doing more harm than good.
