Savings tips cost of living

Published 4 hours ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing The mother of a six-year-old boy from Londonderry has thanked a stranger for saving her son's life at a County Donegal beach. David Moore was playing with friends on Culdaff Beach last week when their football rolled into the water. David, unaware of the dangers, tried to retrieve the ball himself before he was taken out to sea by a rip current. "I ran down to the water and just couldn't see him, that's when my hero came to the rescue," Sarah Moore said. Riptides, or rip currents , are powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving water that can quickly quickly drag people out to deeper water. The mother-of-two said that she and her children go to Culdaff beach regularly during the summer months and decided that morning to spend the day there. "Wee David was down near the water playing football with his … [Read more...] about Mother thanks stranger for saving her son from riptide

By John Campbell Published 2 hours ago comments Comments Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Northern Ireland's energy regulator has warned that households will face further gas prices rises in the coming weeks. The region's two suppliers, SSE and Firmus, last increased their prices at the start of July. The price of gas on global markets has surged in the last two months. Russia has reduced its supplies of gas to Europe, increasing competition for gas produced in other countries. Next week the UK is expected to take delivery of a shipment of gas from Australia. The regulator, John French, warned that households will face further gas price rises of up to 30% in the coming weeks. "Just as a rule of thumb, we have seen prices more than double, 60% of the final bill is wholesale prices," he told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster. … [Read more...] about Cost of Living: NI households to face further gas price rises

Published 3 minutes ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics Tory leadership The Green Party is calling for the UK's big five energy suppliers to be nationalised and for prices to be returned to October 2021 levels. This would cut average household costs by more than £2,000 a year, it says. Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the SNP want energy prices to be frozen, but the Greens argue the current level is already unaffordable. Former Labour PM Gordon Brown has suggested some firms should be brought into temporary public ownership. The average energy bill - set by the regulator Ofgem - is expected to increase from £1,971 a year to £3,582 in October, and to £4,266 in January 2023. Tory rivals dismiss plan to freeze energy costs Not just hardest up that need bill help - Starmer How high will my energy bill go? Green Party of … [Read more...] about Nationalise big five energy firms to cut bills, say Greens

Published 29 minutes ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing It is the "absolute nightmare" that keeps Glasgow food manufacturer Jason Stevenson awake at night. His firm PK Foods has been supplying Indian snacks to the retail and restaurant trade since 1997. But Mr Stevenson said the last year had been the toughest of his career. UK inflation has gone into double digits for the first time since 1982 and the Bank of England warned it could peak at more than 13% this year. As a result virtually everything needed to run Mr Stevenson's business has soared in price with the war in Ukraine, Brexit and the Covid pandemic to blame. Contending with the cost of some raw materials jumping by up to 70% means for PK Foods, "it is about survival, it is not about profit any more". How much are prices rising for you? Why price rises are worse for some people than … [Read more...] about UK inflation: The pakora firm facing a nightmare

Published 1 hour ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing A bus company has announced more cuts to routes but has increased fares. On Tuesday, Reading Buses said some services would no longer run and ticket prices would increase. The company said plans were being introduced due to changing travel patterns, the end of government pandemic funding in October and the ongoing high cost of living. Buses in Reading are not the only ones to be affected after concerns that hundreds of UK routes could be cut . Reading Buses reduced five services in April but said at the time it hoped to increase use as people returned to work "onsite" and leisure activities. The company has seen passenger numbers decrease by 23% since the pandemic, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service . New changes, in place from 5 September, will see the end of some journeys on pink 22, … [Read more...] about Further cuts to Reading bus services announced as fares increase

Roman Kemp is set to open up about how he once contemplated suicide and his battle with depression since childhood in a new book. The Capital DJ will discuss the impact on his life after losing his best friend, Joe Lyons, the radio producer who launched his career, to suicide. ‘Are You Really OK?’ promises to lift the lid on Roman’s personal life in a bid to “smash the stigma still surrounding medication and mental health”. “I never intended to write a book at this age, I thought it was something I could perhaps do later in life,” said Roman. Are You Really Ok? is available to pre-order and will be released in October ( Image: Amazon) “But then, in the pandemic, my best mate Joe took his own life and it turned my whole world upside down. “Losing Joe made me start researching how many young men take their own lives every year.” Speaking of his research, he added: “And the answers shocked me. Suicide is the single biggest killer of men under the age of 40 … [Read more...] about Roman Kemp shares harrowing struggle with depression as he contemplated suicide

By Lisa Summers Published 1 hour ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics UK contaminated blood inquiry As a young boy in the 1970s Myles Hutchison was treated at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for haemophilia, with blood products that he later discovered were contaminated. At the age of 12, Myles, who grew up in Leith, was told he had developed hepatitis. Now 50, he is one of about 4,000 people who will receive compensation as a victim of the blood scandal which saw thousands of people contract HIV or hepatitis C in the 1970s and 1980s through NHS treatments. Patients with haemophilia and other bleeding disorders were unaware that the Factor VIII blood clotting products they were given were contaminated. Some died after developing AIDS and others developed serious chronic conditions. "There was a stigma attached to it," Myles says, "and I … [Read more...] about Contaminated blood: If I was paid in tears I’d be a billionaire

Published 13 minutes ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics Tory leadership Nicola Sturgeon has described the abuse of a BBC journalist by independence supporters as "disgraceful". Protesters outside the Conservative leadership hustings in Perth shouted insults including "you're a traitor" and "scumbag rat" at James Cook. There were also reports of eggs being thrown and people being spat at as they arrived at the event. The first minister said abusing journalists was never acceptable, and described Mr Cook as a "total pro". Ms Sturgeon tweeted : "Their job is vital to our democracy and it is important to report and scrutinise, not support any viewpoint. "James Cook is a journalist of the highest quality and a total pro - the behaviour he was subjected to last night was disgraceful." Calls for reckoning over online abuse in … [Read more...] about Abuse of BBC journalist was disgraceful, says Nicola Sturgeon

By John Campbell Published 44 minutes ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing House prices in Northern Ireland continued to rise sharply in the second quarter of 2022, official figures show. Prices rose by 3.2% from the first quarter and were up 9.6% compared to the same period a year ago. There were quarterly increases in all council areas, ranging from 0.6% in Fermanagh and Omagh to 5.2% in Ards and North Down. The average price across all property types was £169,063, 20% higher compared to the average pre-pandemic price. The figures are from the Northern Ireland Residential Property Price Index, which analyses almost all sales, including cash deals. All property types saw increases over the quarter: detached by 4.2%, semi-detached properties by 3.4%, terraces by 2.0% and apartments by 2.5%. In cash terms, average prices are now roughly where they were … [Read more...] about NI house prices ‘up 9.6% on same period last year’