The family of a 27-year-old man who took his own life have claimed he was let down by mental health services.An inquest heard yesterday how Joshua Smith, from The Crossings, Stone, had been researching suicide methods in the weeks before his death and was desperate for help to tackle his severe depression and anxiety.But his mother Sarah Buckley said that instead of receiving treatment, he faced a series of triage assessments, where he was asked to answer the same questions for different...
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Family of Joshua Smith claim he was let down by mental health...
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Normacot cyclist Jacob Paton, 17, died 2 days after being hit by...
A teenage cyclist did not have any lights or reflectors fitted to his bike when he was hit by a car in a late-night 'tragic accident'.Apprentice chef Jacob Paton was riding home from a shift at The Spotgate Inn, near Hilderstone, when he was in collision with a silver Ford Fiesta last summer.The 17-year-old suffered serious injuries following the crash on the 60mph Hilderstone Road, in Spot Acre, and died two days later in hospital.The driver of the car, Emma Ashton, was returning home from work...
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Tunstall dad-of-two, 27, jailed for grooming girls, 14, on the...
Pervert Matthew Charlesworth has been jailed after grooming a 14-year-old girl on the internet before sexually touching her.The 27-year-old also arranged for another schoolgirl to travel from Cornwall to meet him.But police intercepted the teenager at a Birmingham bus station and the dad-of-two was arrestedNow Charlesworth has been jailed for three years at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.The court heard the defendant contacted his first victim on a dating site for teenagers - and pretended to be a...
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Former St Teresa's Catholic Primary headteacher escapes ban after...
An 'exceptional' headteacher who fiddled her school's SATs results has escaped a teaching ban after a disciplinary panel heard she was 'wracked with guilt and remorse'.Sarah Cumbo was sacked from St Teresa's Catholic Primary School, in Trent Vale, following the results of an investigation into maladministration of the 2015 mental maths test.It emerged she altered up to five children's answers after they completed the paper. The affected pupils had their test results annulled and the school's...
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Parking charges at Royal Stoke University and County Hospital in...
Parking charges are going up at Staffordshire's biggest hospital from tomorrow.Patients and visitors will be hit with the increased fees at the Royal Stoke University Hospital from Saturday – with hospital's 9,000 staff also facing the five per cent price hike.The parking fees will rise by 10p for up to one hour, by 20p for between one and three hours, by 30p for between three and four hours, and by 40p to park for even longer.Health campaigners, unions and patients condemned the increase...
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'How much blood came out my face was unreal' - Big Interview:...
Eddie Hall bids to become Europe's strongest man this weekend. But his ambitions don't end there, as he tells John Woodhouse."I woke up with a big puddle of blood on the floor. How much blood came out my face was unreal. It was coming out my eyes, nose, ears, the lot."
Eddie Hall is recalling the moment when everything changed, when he recorded the strongman equivalent of the four minute mile.
"Deadlifting half a tonne," he reflects, "that was something special. I...
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Big Issue: 'Mental health has been underfunded for too long with...
Mental health issues are still not receiving the proper care or funding, say campaigners. John Woodhouse asks how come vulnerable people's lives are still valued in pounds and pence"Suicide is preventable," says Dr Sarah Wollaston, head of the House of Commons Health Select Committee, "and much more can and should be done to support those at risk." Mental health charity MIND is in agreement. "Suicides are not inevitable," says the charity, "they can be...
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Popular Craig Beverley's band to play charity gig at The Glebe in...
Band mates of a talented musician and much-loved teacher will take to the stage in a memorial fund-raiser to support the hospice where he died. Members of Elvis Fontenot say they still miss their charismatic guitarist Craig Beverley, who lost his battle with cancer at the end of last year. Craig, a well-respected senior assistant principal at The Cheadle Academy, passed away at Douglas Macmillan Hospice after the disease had previously spread to his liver, lungs and lymph nodes.Tonight, the band...
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Nursery becomes one of Stoke-on-Trent's first 'clay' schools
Children have been studying their curriculum through pottery after becoming one of the city's first 'clay' schools.Sixty nursery pupils at Belgrave St Bartholomew's Academy, in Longton, have spent the last four weeks learning with their hands after being joined by a professional artist and experts from the British Ceramics Biennial.Now they have celebrated their new-found creative skills by inviting their parents into class for a 'clay feast'.Yesterday's event saw families gather round...
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Personally Speaking (Fred Hughes): Artists paint a picture of...
How deep does art and culture reach into the history of Stoke-on-Trent? Who are our respected locally born artists?Berry, Cope, Currall, Sheldon, Simcock, Lovatt, Melbourne, Stanway, Mallelieu, Haggar, Kirkham, Steve Shaw, Rachel Grant, Rob Pointon and many more who will generously forgive me if I have unintentionally missed them from the list to be appraised by art's future historians.First let's ask, 'what is art?' How do we audit the values of classical and abstract creation in order to...
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VIDEO: New £1m radiology facility launched at Royal Stoke...
Hospital bosses have unveiled a dedicated £1 million radiology unit to help reduce the number of cancelled procedures and tackle bed blocking. The day case facility at Royal Stoke University Hospital will be used to treat a whole raft of conditions, from patients requiring a stent to someone suffering a brain aneurysm. The unit – described by a leading radiologist as a 'beacon' for other hospitals to aspire to – was officially launched yesterday.Read more: Revealed: All 64...
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Mother of brave baby Connor McCue speaks of her heartbreak as her...
The mother of Connor McCue today spoke of her heartbreak after her baby boy passed away in her arms.Nine-month-old Connor, who was born with the rare disease biliary atresia, had a successful liver transplant in January before being diagnosed with cerebral palsy last month. But his condition began rapidly deteriorating after Mother's Day.Fearing the worst, parents Jessica McDonagh and Paul McCue had him baptised on Thursday morning. Then at 10.09pm, his family and staff at Birmingham Children's...
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VIDEO: Oxhey First School lunchtime supervisor Jo Perry retires...
Children have given popular dinner lady Jo Perry a musical send-off to mark her retirement after 28 years in post.The grandmother-of-four spent her final day as a lunchtime supervisor at Oxhey First School, in Biddulph, yesterday.But she won't be waving goodbye completely as she plans to continue helping five and six-year-olds with their reading on Wednesday afternoons. To celebrate her long service, staff and pupils staged a special assembly, with youngsters reading out poems and singing...
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Roadworks in Porthill finish a year later than planned
Traders can see light at the end of the water pipe after Severn Trent finally finished roadworks – a year after they were due to be completed.Shopkeepers in Watlands View, Porthill, have suffered a slump in trade since the road closed in January 2016. Severn Trent, which has been replacing sewers in the area, endeavoured to have the road back open again by the end of yesterday. The original time-scale for the work was that it would be all done and dusted by March last year, meaning that...
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Dogs can now travel for free on buses in Stoke-on-Trent
Animal lovers will be able to take their pets on buses free of charge as First Potteries is scrapping its doggy day fares.The travel firm has been charging bus users 30p a day extra if they are accompanied by a dog.But following complaints, pooches will get to ride for free in Stoke-on-Trent from this Sunday. Dog owners say it is a 'paw in the right direction' and they can now take a ride to further afield without worrying about leaving their companions at home.Read more: WATCH: Why would anyone...
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Court round up: The latest cases at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court
Here are the latest defendants to appear at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court:ABBEY HULTONMotorist Richard Sims admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving in Town Road, Hanley, on July 15. The 31-year-old, of Elmsmere Road, Abbey Hulton, also pleaded guilty to failing to provide a specimen; driving without a licence; and driving without insurance. He will be sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court after a report is prepared on him by a probation officer. The defendant was granted bail.Read...
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Traders: 'We need action to save Stone High Street'
Traders are calling for action to revitalise a 'struggling' town centre following the closure of several businesses.They held an emergency meeting to come up with ideas on how to attract more footfall to Stone's High Street.It comes after both Greggs and Chatwins bakeries closed recently and other stores including the Co-op supermarket and Flavours of Flora are set to cease trading later this year.Issues raised included the town's market, the cost of parking, poor signage and the proliferation...
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Driver clocked doing 83mph on 30mph road close to Royal Stoke...
Volunteers caught 50 motorists flouting the speed limit on roads surrounding Stoke-on-Trent's main hospital – including one driver travelling at a staggering 83mph.They were undergoing training on how to use the equipment when a car hurtled past so fast on Princes Road, Hartshill, they were unable to make a note of the number plate.But dozens of other drivers have been sent letters warning them to slow down over the last two months after a Community Speed Watch was set up covering seven...
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The Great Pottery Throw Down's Keith Brymer Jones eyes up...
TV star and ceramic designer Keith Brymer Jones is in talks over manufacturing pottery in Stoke-on-Trent.The Great Pottery Throw Down judge and business partner Make International are interested in establishing a base at the former Spode site in Stoke. It comes as they are looking to bring their China-based business 'on shore'.Now the site is being eyed up for manufacturing, office and retail space.Read more: The Great Pottery Throw Down presenter Sara Cox: 'I love Stoke-on-Trent'Keith said:...
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Family pay tribute to 'kind, caring and loving' Joshua Smith
The family of Joshua Smith have paid tribute to his 'kind, caring and loving' nature and have urged mental health services to learn lessons from his death.Their comments came after an inquest found the 27-year-old took his own life following a battle with depression.His body was discovered in woodland at Meaford on November 19, almost a month after he was reported missing. He had left his home in The Crossings, Stone, but failed to turn up for work at nearby Aston Marina.Now Joshua's family...
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