Pub Manager Conquers Fear of Heights for Children’s Hospice

A South Manchester pub manager has overcome his fear of heights by completing an amazing 15,000-foot skydive and raising an impressive £4,568 for Francis House Children’s Hospice.

Martin Devlin, manager of the Hydes Brewery-owned Fletcher Moss in Didsbury, took the plunge above Lancaster after deciding he wanted to undertake a fresh fundraising challenge for the hospice.

Middlesbrough-born Martin has lived in Didsbury for more than 30 years and managed the popular community pub for the past 14. Fundraising is firmly embedded in life at the Fletcher Moss, where quiz nights, acoustic evenings and festive parties regularly support Francis House.

The hospice provides respite care and support for children and young people with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions, as well as their families.

Martin’s support has previously taken him down the side of the Trafford Palazzo Tower in an abseiling challenge. However, despite describing himself as frightened of heights, he decided that his next adventure should involve jumping from an aeroplane.

“I was on holiday, lying on a beach and thinking I need to do something this year for Francis House,” Martin explained to That's Health. “I looked to the sky and I thought: skydive.”

Although he was particularly worried about the freefall, it unexpectedly became his favourite part of the experience.

“The adrenaline took over from the nerves and the weather was lovely,” he said. “I was most scared about the freefall, but that’s the bit I enjoyed the most.”

Once the parachute opened, Martin was able to enjoy spectacular views stretching towards Blackpool Tower and the Lake District. He admitted that the nerves returned as the ground grew closer, but said he would happily repeat the experience for charity.

Customers, friends, relatives and local businesses rallied behind him. A fundraising raffle alone generated more than £700, with prizes donated by businesses including Gail’s Bakery, Little Pigs Butchers, The Cheese Hamlet and Rudy’s Pizza. Hydes Brewery, suppliers and customers also contributed prizes and generous sponsorship.

Over the years, Martin and the Fletcher Moss community have raised approximately £30,000 for Francis House. Having visited the hospice himself, he has seen the comforting, home-from-home environment it provides.

With the hospice costing around £5.8 million annually to operate, every fundraiser matters. Martin is therefore already considering his next challenge, possibly a wing walk?

“It’s about trying to push yourself all of the time,” he said.

To learn more about supporting Francis House through a skydive, visit Francis House Children’s Hospice https://www.francishouse.org.uk/get-involved/events/skydive

https://www.hydesbrewery.com/venue/fletcher-moss/

School Games National Finals Celebrates 20 Years of Inspiring Young Athletes

The School Games National Finals returns from 3–6 September 2026, marking 20 years of giving talented young athletes the opportunity to experience a major multi-sport competition.

First staged in Glasgow in 2006, the event has become an important launchpad for emerging sporting talent. 

Its anniversary feels especially significant following Glasgow’s recent hosting of the Commonwealth Games, bringing elite competition back to the city where the School Games story began.

Over two decades, thousands of young people have participated in the finals. Notable former competitors include Olympic and Paralympic champions Dina Asher-Smith, Adam Peaty, Ellie Simmonds, Alex Yee and Hannah Cockroft.

However, the 2026 event will emphasise that sporting success is not measured solely by medals. Competitors will be encouraged to recognise progress towards their own goals and appreciate the confidence, resilience, friendships and life skills that sport can provide.

Taking place at Loughborough University and delivered by the Youth Sport Trust, the four-day event will feature 3x3 basketball, athletics, BMX freestyle, BMX racing, cricket, hockey, modern pentathlon, netball, triathlon, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis.

Every competitor will also experience the obstacle course discipline being introduced into modern pentathlon for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

This year’s approach draws upon findings from the Wired to Win report, which examined athletes’ experiences at the 2024 finals and identified barriers affecting participation, access and enjoyment.

A major addition is Elevate, a programme co-designed by Sport England, the Youth Sport Trust and Greenhouse Sports. It will welcome 45 promising athletes from under-resourced communities who currently sit outside traditional talent pathways.

During the three-day programme, participants will receive an inclusive development experience supported by leading coaches and athlete mentors. The initiative aims to reach young people who may otherwise miss opportunities because of financial pressures, limited networks, geographical barriers or their background.

Phil Smith, executive director of sporting systems at Sport England, said that while competition remains important, enjoyable experiences which do not necessarily end with a podium place can help young people develop a lifelong love of physical activity.

Youth Sport Trust chief executive Ali Oliver MBE added that supportive sporting environments can help create mentally stronger and more resilient athletes.

As it celebrates its remarkable alumni, the School Games National Finals is also looking forward. Its greatest achievement may be helping every participant leave Loughborough proud of their progress, inspired by the experience and ready to pursue their own sporting ambitions.

Further information is available from the School Games National Finals website https://www.youthsporttrust.org

Noctiva Health Launches Supplement Designed for Britain’s Night-Shift Workers

While most of Britain sleeps, more than three million people are still at work.

Nurses, carers, drivers, security officers, factory workers, cleaners, warehouse employees, bakers and emergency call handlers are among those keeping essential services and businesses running through the night. 

Yet products intended to support everyday wellbeing are rarely designed with their unusual routines in mind.

Noctiva Health hopes to address that oversight with Noctiva Reset, a new UK-made, once-daily food supplement formulated specifically for people who work nights.

“If you finish a shift at 7am, the whole world is telling you to wake up just as you are trying to switch off,” explained company founder Adi Jani, to That's Health. Adi (PICTURED) spent 16 years presenting live overnight television.

“We built Noctiva Reset for those hours, and we built it without the tricks.”

Transparency rather than extravagant promises

The company is making openness central to the new brand. Every active ingredient is disclosed to the milligram, with no proprietary blends or promises that go beyond the available evidence.

Noctiva Reset does not contain melatonin, which is a prescription-only medicine in the UK. It is also not promoted as a medicine, treatment or instant solution.

Instead, each tub provides a consistent 30-day supply.

A daily serving of three capsules contains 490mg of KSM-66® ashwagandha root extract, 175mg of magnesium as bisglycinate, 333mg of Griffonia simplicifolia seed extract providing 100mg of 5-HTP, and 102mg of green tea leaf extract providing 100mg of L-theanine.

Magnesium contributes to a reduction in tiredness and fatigue and supports the normal functioning of the nervous system.

The capsules are manufactured at a GMP-certified facility in the UK and use plant-derived HPMC shells. Each tub contains 90 capsules.

Night workers deserve recognition

No supplement can remove all the pressures associated with night work. It cannot replace adequate rest, proper breaks, nourishing food, supportive employers or access to healthcare. However, it is encouraging to see a company acknowledging people whose routines often receive too little consideration.

Night workers can miss family occasions, struggle to arrange appointments and find themselves trying to sleep while the rest of their household and neighbourhood are beginning their days. Their contribution deserves both respect and practical support.

“Nobody reads a supplement label and feels respected,” said Jani. “Our entire brand is the opposite bet. Name every ingredient, name every dose, say plainly what it is not, and treat the people who keep the country running at night like adults.”

Noctiva Reset costs £39.99 for one 90-capsule tub or £99.99 for a three-tub pack, with free UK delivery. It is available from noctivahealth.com and TikTok Shop UK.

Noctiva Reset is a food supplement and not a medicine. Supplements should not replace a varied, balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. The product is not suitable during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Anyone taking medication, living with a health condition or receiving medical supervision should consult a doctor before using it.

https://noctivahealth.com/

World Physiotherapy Day 2026: Helping Hearts and Rebuilding Lives

Every year on 8 September, World Physiotherapy Day celebrates the skilled professionals who help people restore movement, manage pain, recover from illness and remain as independent as possible.

The date marks the founding of World Physiotherapy in 1951. 

The theme for 2026 focuses on the role of physiotherapy and physical activity in preventing, managing and rehabilitating cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Although physiotherapy is often associated with sports injuries, back pain or recovery after an operation, its contribution to heart and circulatory health is equally important.

Movement as prevention

Regular physical activity can help protect the heart, improve circulation, maintain a healthy weight and reduce the risk of several long-term health conditions. However, becoming more active is not always as simple as being told to “exercise more”.

Pain, disability, breathlessness, poor balance, fatigue or anxiety may all make movement difficult. A physiotherapist can assess a person’s individual circumstances and help them find safe, realistic ways to become more active.

That might begin with gentle movements while seated, short supported walks or exercises designed to improve balance and confidence. Progress can then be adjusted according to the person’s health, abilities and goals.

The emphasis should be on appropriate movement rather than competition. Even small, sustainable changes can be valuable.

Recovering after a heart problem

Physiotherapists can also be part of cardiac rehabilitation teams supporting people after a heart attack, heart surgery or a diagnosis such as heart failure.

It is entirely understandable for someone to feel nervous about exercising following a heart problem. Carefully supervised rehabilitation can provide reassurance while helping people rebuild strength, stamina and confidence.

According to the NHS, cardiac rehabilitation is an important part of recovery. Programmes may include individualised exercise, health education and emotional support, delivered through group sessions, online classes or home-based programmes.

These programmes are not about pushing people beyond their limits. They are about helping each person return to everyday activities as safely and confidently as possible.

Physiotherapy after a stroke

A stroke can affect strength, sensation, coordination, balance and mobility. Some survivors may have difficulty walking or using an arm, while others experience fatigue, stiffness or a loss of confidence in their movement.

Physiotherapy can help a stroke survivor practise movements, improve balance, strengthen affected muscles and learn alternative ways of completing everyday activities. Rehabilitation may involve repeated exercises, mobility aids, positioning advice and support for family members or carers.

Recovery is different for everyone. It may continue for months or years, and progress is not always a straight line. The NHS guide to stroke recovery explains that rehabilitation plans can include physiotherapy and exercises to help with movement and physical difficulties.

Just as importantly, physiotherapists can help people recognise and celebrate improvements that might appear small to others but represent enormous personal achievements.

Celebrating the profession

World Physiotherapy Day is an opportunity to thank the physiotherapists working in hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation centres, care homes, community services and patients’ own homes.

Their work can help a person climb the stairs again, return to work, regain movement after a stroke or feel confident enough to take that first walk following heart surgery.

The official World Physiotherapy Day 2026 campaign reminds us that movement can be part of prevention, treatment and recovery. It also highlights an important message: physical activity should be accessible, adaptable and centred on the individual.

If you have a heart condition, are recovering from a stroke or have not exercised for some time, seek advice from an appropriate healthcare professional before beginning a new exercise programme.

And on 8 September, let us recognise the physiotherapists who help people move more freely, live more independently and rediscover confidence in their own bodies.

Your local GP should be able to refer you for physiotherapy appointments. Some GP practices have their own physiotherapy departments. 

Emergency Services Day: Saying Thank You to the People Behind 999

Every year on 9th September, Emergency Services Day, also known as 999 Day, gives us an opportunity to recognise the extraordinary contribution made by the people who respond when the rest of us are facing some of the worst moments of our lives.

The choice of date is particularly appropriate: the ninth day of the ninth month, 9/9, representing 999, the telephone number that has connected people in Britain with emergency help since 1937.

For most of us, dialling 999 is something we hope we will never need to do. But when illness, injury, fire, crime or another emergency strikes, knowing somebody will answer that call is enormously reassuring.

Emergency Services Day celebrates the work of the NHS ambulance service, police, fire and rescue services, coastguard and other emergency responders, including the many volunteers and charities working alongside them.

It is also a chance to remember that behind every uniform is a human being.

Paramedics and ambulance crews regularly encounter people who are frightened, seriously ill or badly injured. Police officers can find themselves dealing with dangerous and distressing situations with very little warning. Firefighters enter environments the rest of us are desperately trying to escape from, while coastguard and rescue teams may head out in dreadful conditions because somebody needs their help.

Then there are the people we don't necessarily see.

Emergency call handlers have the demanding job of remaining calm while speaking to people who may be panicking, injured or witnessing something traumatic. Dispatchers and control-room staff must make rapid decisions about where limited resources are needed most.

These jobs can take a considerable physical and emotional toll.

For That's Health, 999 Day is therefore not only an opportunity to thank emergency workers for looking after our health and safety. It is also a reminder that their own health and wellbeing matter, too.

Long shifts, interrupted sleep, traumatic incidents and the pressure of making potentially life-changing decisions can all have consequences. Emergency workers deserve access to good physical and mental health support without stigma or embarrassment.

There is another way we can show our appreciation: use the emergency services responsibly.

999 should always be available for genuine emergencies. Using NHS 111 and other appropriate services for urgent but non-life-threatening health concerns helps ensure ambulances and emergency departments can concentrate resources where they are most urgently required.

So, this Emergency Services Day on 9 September, That's Health would simply like to say:

Thank you.

Thank you to the people answering the phones, driving the ambulances, treating patients, fighting fires, keeping people safe, carrying out rescues and responding to emergencies at every hour of the day and night.

We hope we never need you.

But we're extremely grateful that you're there when we do.

Incidentally my sister spent several years working as a 999 operator. 

International Overdose Awareness Day: Behind Every Overdose Is a Human Being

31 August is International Overdose Awareness Day, a time to remember those whose lives have been lost to overdose, acknowledge the grief of families and friends, and remind ourselves that people experiencing an overdose need compassion, urgent medical help and support, not judgement.

Overdose is sometimes associated solely with illegal drugs, but the reality is much broader. Prescription medicines and everyday medicines available from pharmacies and supermarkets can also cause serious and potentially fatal poisoning when taken in excessive quantities.

My wife and I were reminded of this in particularly stark circumstances when we came across a man in a park who had taken a large overdose of paracetamol.

He was conscious, and one of the most disturbing aspects of the encounter was his surprise that the tablets hadn't killed him instantly.

My wife is a retired nurse, and while an ambulance was being called she was able to check him over and establish, as accurately as possible, how many tablets he had taken. That information was important for the medical professionals who would subsequently care for him.

Thankfully, the ambulance crew arrived quickly and took him to hospital for urgent treatment.

The incident has stayed with us, not least because it illustrates something dangerously deceptive about paracetamol overdose. Someone who has taken too much paracetamol may initially feel relatively well. Serious liver damage can develop later, however, which is why a suspected overdose requires urgent medical assessment even when the person appears perfectly conscious and says they feel all right.

It is also why nobody should wait for symptoms to appear before seeking help.

But International Overdose Awareness Day is about more than understanding the medical facts. It is also about recognising the person behind the emergency.

We didn't know what circumstances had brought that man to the park or what had happened in his life beforehand. At that moment, none of that mattered. What mattered was that there was a human being who needed help.

That principle applies to every overdose.

Whether an overdose is accidental or intentional, involves an illegal substance, prescribed medication or something bought over the counter, the appropriate response is compassion and urgent medical assistance.

If you believe someone has taken an overdose in the UK, call 999 or 112 immediately. Don't assume that because somebody is awake, talking or apparently feeling well that they are safe. Tell the emergency services what you believe has been taken, approximately how much, and when, if that information is available. Keep any packaging or remaining medication for the ambulance crew.

And if someone tells you that they have deliberately taken an overdose, believe them and get help.

International Overdose Awareness Day also asks us to remember those who didn't survive, the people who continue to live with the consequences of overdose, and the families, friends, paramedics, nurses, doctors and others whose lives are touched by these emergencies.

Sometimes saving a life begins with something remarkably simple: noticing another human being in trouble, staying with them and making that call.

There should be no shame in needing help, and no hesitation in giving it.

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Restoring Confidence: Growing Interest in Hair Transplant Treatments

Hair loss is extremely common, but that does not mean it is always easy to accept. 

For some people, thinning hair or a receding hairline is simply part of getting older. 

For others, it can have a profound effect on confidence, self-esteem and emotional wellbeing.

Chase Lodge Hospital, a private hospital in North London, says it is seeing increasing interest in hair transplant procedures as more people explore the treatments available to them.

Modern hair restoration techniques are designed to achieve subtle, natural-looking results tailored to each patient. Chase Lodge Hospital offers procedures including Follicular Unit Extraction, commonly known as FUE, and Direct Hair Implantation, or DHI.

Both techniques involve transferring healthy hair follicles from a donor area, usually at the back or sides of the head, to places where the hair has become thin or has been lost. The most suitable approach will depend on the individual’s pattern of hair loss, the condition of the donor area and their expectations.

The hospital believes growing awareness, advances in technology and improvements in results are helping more people feel comfortable discussing hair restoration.

Having carried out more than 1,500 hair transplant procedures, Chase Lodge Hospital provides personalised treatment plans as well as support before and after treatment.

A hospital spokesperson said: “We understand that hair loss can affect much more than appearance. It can also have an impact on confidence and wellbeing. Our aim is to provide patients with clear information, professional advice and personalised treatment in a safe and supportive environment.”

It is important to remember a hair transplant is a medical procedure and should never be entered into lightly. Results can vary, and treatment will not be suitable for everyone. Anyone considering surgery should first have a proper consultation with a suitably qualified medical professional.

During this consultation, the practitioner should examine the cause and extent of the hair loss, assess the available donor hair, discuss realistic outcomes and explain possible risks, recovery and aftercare. Patients should also be given enough time to consider their decision without feeling pressured.

At Chase Lodge Hospital, treatment is priced from £3,000 for one session, which the hospital says is usually sufficient. Pricing is calculated at £1 per follicle, meaning the starting price would cover approximately 3,000 transplanted follicles.

For further information, contact Chase Lodge Hospital on 020 8358 7100 or email info@chaselodgehospital.com.

https://chaselodgehospital.com