Tag: bbc news

  • Carlisle Memorial’s defiant spire points towards bright long run

    Carlisle Memorial Methodist Church Symbol copyright Belfast Buildings Trust Image caption Carlisle Memorial Methodist Church after finishing touch of section one in all building works in 2015

    For 143 years, the exclamation element of Carlisle Memorial Methodist Church’s spire has punctuated the skyline between the communities of north Belfast and the town centre.

    Its enduring, defiant appeal might be on full show while the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall visit as a part of a two-time out to Northern Ireland.

    But, beyond the hanging gothic revival arches, is a narrative of a church introduced back from the brink of overall break, a outstanding renaissance that has been 10 years in the making.

    “There May Be mild at the end of the tunnel,” says Shane Quinn, from Belfast Homes Believe, which received the church in 2011 after launching a big campaign in 2008 to advertise its regeneration.

    Just six years ago, he said, an engineer said that the church was once dangerous, its roof ready to cave in.

    Symbol copyright Belfast Buildings Agree With Image caption Carlisle Memorial Methodist Church in its heyday

    However, in 2015, phase one among the church’s regeneration allowed it to be reopened to the group.

    It has on the grounds that performed host to occasions similar to beer festivals, live shows or even performances of a especially-written musical history of the city – The Belfast Opera.

    Now, the accept as true with is calling to the longer term – the declaration of a protracted-time period tenant to take on the building have to be made through the top of this 12 months.

    “The development has already been stored,” said Shane. “Massive historical development projects all the time take time. So we’re very pleased to be actually exploring what is going to happen within the long run.”

    Like so much of Belfast’s architectural heritage, the increase-and-bust fortunes of Carlisle Memorial match the ones of the city.

    Symbol copyright Belfast Buildings Agree With

    The church was opened in 1875 and was once designed by WH Lynn, a one-time partner of well known architect Charles Lanyon who built Queen’s University’s Lanyon Building and is answerable for much of Belfast’s constructed historical past.

    WH Lynn used to be no slouch himself even though, having designed and created not just Carlisle Memorial but also the Bank Buildings and Campbell College.

    The church was once paid for through James Carlisle, who, in line with Shane, got here from “humble origins” but made his money in linen.

    It was designed to be a memorial to Carlisle’s kids who died as youngsters.

    Image caption The building fell into disrepair within the 1990s after last its doors to worshippers in 1982

    “Both he and his wife Mary wanted to make it a present to town,” mentioned Shane.

    “It was once an overly untypical Methodist church,” he brought. “It was known as the Methodist cathedral, people from far and wide the Larger Belfast area would go back and forth to worship there.”

    However, the church’s fortunes waned along with town, which slid from industrial powerhouse to sectarian tinderbox.

    It used to be the troubles, and Carlisle Memorial’s area on the one in all the most conflict’s most infamous interfaces between Catholic and Protestant communities, that cemented its descent into dereliction.

    Symbol copyright Belfast Homes Accept As True With Image caption The church suffered all through the concerns in tandem with its neighbouring communities in north Belfast

    The church’s congregation faded such a lot that through 1982 it shut its doorways as a spot of worship.

    Shortly afterwards, it used to be bought via the Ulster Provident Housing Affiliation and used in short as an artists workspace however by way of the mid-nineteen nineties the development fell out of use and into general disrepair.

    “Carlisle Memorial is an excessively vital story of civic decline,” stated Shane.

    ‘Core function’

    “it’s a gateway to north Belfast and groups that suffered very significantly. But it is usually a symbol of the confidence and ambition that Belfast as soon as had – that it has always had but is rediscovering.”

    The construction endured to rot till the Belfast Homes Trust got inquisitive about 2008.

    On The Other Hand, it was Carlisle Memorial’s inclusion at the World Monuments Fund’s checklist of the global’s 100 most endangered historic buildings that really driven its regeneration into complete gear.

    Symbol copyright Belfast Homes Agree With Symbol caption the world foremost of Long Tale Short: The Belfast Opera took place at Carlisle Memorial in June 2016

    Now, the trust is construction towards a new long term in order to soak up Carlisle Memorial’s a hundred and fiftieth anniversary and past.

    While the development has been open for one-off events, there will likely be a “center tenant” to take the development ahead.

    “Over the last 10 years, 3 key topics have emerged in speaking with the group – tune, food and normal health and wellness,” stated Shane.

    “Possibly one day you might want to see weddings and every kind of community occasions happening, so there will be a combined use. However there will even be a core tenant and a middle objective.

    “What occurs to the construction in the longer term shall be decided via the community.

    “it’s been a large undertaking and prefer all large tasks it’s two steps forward and one step again. But it is wonderful to get to this element.

    “The church was once a gift to north Belfast and we wish it to fit that function.”

  • Yorkshire pensioner carried up to summit through rescue staff

    Symbol copyright Cleveland Search and Rescue Crew

    The syndrome is an auto-immune disease which attacks nerve endings where they hook up with muscle groups, stopping them from operating.

    Mr Stubbs, who was identified with the illness six years in the past, has previously fundraised for the search and rescue group.

    He stated: “it is the first time that i have been and i was once relatively stunned with the view that you just get there, it’s completely marvellous.”

    a press release from the workforce stated: “The success was ‘toasted’ at the best before we adopted our much more acquainted practice of carrying him again downhill.”

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  • Tens of hundreds of thousands of pharmaceuticals on the black marketplace

    Pharmacy shelves piled with prescription drugs.

    Prison gangs have smuggled tens of hundreds of thousands of prescription-simplest medicine out of the UK’s protected supply chain, a BBC Document on FOUR programme has discovered.

    They tricked or bribed pharmacists and drug wholesalers to get admission to virtually A HUNDRED AND SIXTY million drugs with a boulevard value of up to £200m over a three-12 months period.

    Misuse of these anxiousness and insomnia medication is a serious public health concern, the medicines regulator says.

    The Home Place Of Work says it is running with partners to help the ones addicted.

    “Tricky enforcement is a basic part of the strategy and we are taking coordinated action to tackle unlawful drug use alongside different illegal activity,” an legit introduced.

    Diazepam, Nitrazepam, Temazepam, Zolpidem and Zoplicone:

    These medication have to be bought best by way of the ones authorized and controlled to achieve this, inside the official supply chain they may be able to be addictive if taken for a few weeks Withdrawal symptoms, together with anxiety, panic attacks, nausea and palpitations, frequently remaining as much as six weeks and often longer Other imaginable hostile effects from extended use are reminiscence loss and confusion, low temper and insomnia A Few patients really feel drowsy throughout the daylight hours and, particularly for older people, this may occasionally put them at greater risk of having a fall and injury

    In some instances, the criminals used faux documents to pose as authentic sellers. But in others pharmacists had been approached instantly and presented fee to order and supply the drugs.

    Prescription drug pregabalin linked to dying upward thrust NHS pharmaceuticals being bought illegally by means of sufferers

    An investigation by the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) led to 41 arrests together with 5 pharmacists, who’ve been suspended from practice

    Twelve wholesale broker licences have additionally been handed in or terminated.

    An intelligence record observed by means of the BBC describes an illicit distribution community focused in the north west of britain, operating throughout the Potteries, to the Midlands and directly to London.

    It says there are additional investigations linked to organised crime teams in Scotland, Northern Eire and the Republic of Ireland.

    Vast quantities

    Just three of the internet sites the gangs set as much as promote the medicine had sales of £55m over a 12-15-month period.

    And, the MHRA document says: “one in all the internet operations bought 15,000 packs of Zopiclone a day, indicating an everyday web benefit of £505,950.”

    The MHRA says it recovered greater than two million tablets in one raid alone.

    And Police Scotland found 750,000 drugs within the back of a van.

    Legal profit

    MHRA enforcement head Alastair Jeffrey said: “A Normal instance could be a wholesaler broker or a pharmacist ordering huge amounts of these certain types of medications on behalf of the felony who may then sell them normally on the internet.

    “they have a gross sales staff, a distribution crew – that is an enormous industry and there is an important amount of legal profit to be made.

    “we have responsibility for regulating the availability chain, and it’s our absolute priority to be certain that provide chain is protected.”

    Mr Jeffrey said some of the folk who had bought drugs from the websites “are just common participants of the public, keeping down excellent jobs, getting on with their lives who’ve unfortunately fallen into this kind of drug use”.

    “We’re speaking approximately heaps and hundreds of individuals probably that want a few assistance,” he introduced.

    Last week, it used to be introduced Public Health England might adopt an independent inquiry into the dimensions and harms because of addiction to prescription medicines.

    Document on FOUR – A Deadly Prescription is on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday 23 January at 20:00 GMT. IN CASE YOU neglected it, you’ll be able to seize up on BBC iPlayer.

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