A terminally-ill Northern girl has achieved one of the dreams on her bucket list this week by getting to present a BBC Weather forecast.
22-year-old Laura Nuttall, from Barrowford in Lancashire, was diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme – an aggressive and incurable form of brain cancer – following a routine eye test back in 2018, and was told she only had around 12 months to live after she was found to have eight tumours.
Since her diagnosis, Laura has bravely endured a craniotomy to remove the largest tumour, been through a gruelling programme of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and has regularly travelled to Germany for innovative new immunotherapy treatment.
Laura’s shock diagnosis initially led to her leaving university in London to concentrate on treatment and ticking items off her bucket list.
After responding so well to the immunotherapy treatment, Laura was able to restart her studies, this time a little closer to home at The University of Manchester, and grabbed headlines last week as she graduated with a 2:1 degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics, and was able to celebrate with her mum Nicola, dad Mark, and sister Grace proudly watching on.
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But despite all these achievements, she wasn’t done with her bucket list just yet.
Meeting former First Lady Michelle Obama, commanding a Royal Navy ship, and taking legendary Bolton Peter Kay to the pub for drinks are some of the things Laura has been able to tick off her bucket list over the last few years, but she still had her sights set on her weather presenter dreams.
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This week, those dreams came true, as she was invited to the BBC studios in Salford to present a weather forecast on BBC North West Tonight alongside resident weatherman, Owain Wyn Evans.
In 2018, Laura was told she may only have a year to live but she's been defying the odds and ticking off her bucket list. She wanted to present the weather so @owainwynevans welcomed her to BBC North West Tonight. Click the video to see what happened: https://t.co/u30OvZTCYYpic.twitter.com/weH034yQCT
In a clip shared by the broadcaster to Twitter, which has since been racking up thousands of views, Owain spoke to Laura backstage as she was having her makeup done in preparation for the broadcast, asking her: “How are you feeling about doing your first weather forecast?”
Laura replied that she “can’t wait” and was “looking forward to it”.
Owain then revealed that he had a surprise for Laura, and told her that they would be sharing the weather-presenting slot and would swap places so that she could speak about the pressure chart and what the public can expect on Wednesday.
Laura’s name also appeared on the monitor set to air on TV underneath ‘BBC Weather’.
While she looked a little nervous in one of her first takes, Laura then calmly-read off the teleprompter while rehearsing for the final go – and went on to deliver her live report like a true professional.
Laura, you’re amazing ❤️ So wonderful to have Laura on @BBCNWT yesterday doing our weather! ☀️ Currently most watched on the BBC News website, which is just fabulous xhttps://t.co/oFCXftfvAP
She then signed off with a huge smile on her face, telling viewers: “That’s the weather from me.”
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Owain later praised Laura’s performance, and took to Twitter to say: “Laura, you’re amazing. So wonderful to have Laura on BBCNWT yesterday doing our weather [and it’s] currently most watched on the BBC News website, which is just fabulous.”
How brilliant is this?
As well as making her way down her bucket list, Laura is also working as an ambassador for The Brain Tumour Charity, continues to help out in her community, raise awareness of brain conditions and the work being done at the University of Manchester.
She has also recently joined the board of OurBrainBank – a charity that’s working to make glioblastoma change from being terminal to treatable.
Featured Image – BBC North West Tonight
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One in 10 Brits are fired or disciplined after their work’s Christmas party, new survey finds
Emily Sergeant
We’re in peak office Christmas party season right about now.
With just under two weeks to go until the big day itself is here, many businesses across the UK are treating their staff to night out to celebrate both the festive season and all of the hard work they have been putting in throughout the year… and as you can expect, these are usually quite eventful gatherings, shall we say.
But now, a survey by has shed light on just how ‘eventful’ they actually are, as a new survey has revealed that, apparently, one in ten Brits face some sort of disciplinary action or dismissal due to their behaviour at Christmas parties.
The study was conducted by After Drink, and included more than 2,000 participants.
During the research, it was highlighted that 89% of employees admitted to drinking alcohol at these events, Lad Bible reports – with 65% of these confessing that they drank “excessively”.
One in 10 Brits get fired or disciplined after their work’s Christmas party / Credit: Kraken Images | Mimi Thian (via Unsplash)
There are a multitude of incidents which could lead to disciplinary action in the workplace nowadays, but according to the survey, some of the common reasons following festive celebrations with colleagues included inappropriate comments (23%) and even getting into fights (21%).
16% of these incidents were because of drug use during the event, while inappropriate interactions with colleagues accounted for 14%.
Some of the legal reasons you can be fired from your place of work after a Christmas party include gross misconduct, drunken behaviour, and fighting of any kind.
Despite all these risks, however, Christmas parties still remain as popular as always, and a whopping 79% of respondents said they are planning to attend theirs this year.
Clearly, the moral of the story here is , enjoy yourself… but just not too much.
Featured Image – The OurWhiskey Company (via Pexels)
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Half of Mancs don’t know how to cook Christmas dinner, new survey reveals
Emily Sergeant
Christmas dinner is one of the key parts of any festive celebration.
No matter whether you choose to tuck into a traditional roast with all the trimmings and lashings of gravy, or you prefer to go for something a little different like a curry or a Chinese instead, your Christmas dinner is a chance to gather round with your loved ones and enjoy one of the heartiest meals you’ll likely have all year.
However, some shocking new figures have revealed that half of Manchester residents have no clue how to even cook a Christmas dinner.
Through a major study by the UK’s leading electrical retailer, AO.com, it was revealed that the majority of our city’s residents are “losing confidence” in preparing even the simplest of British dishes – with a traditional roast or Christmas dinner being one of them.
A new survey has revealed that half of Mancs don’t know how to cook Christmas dinner / Credit: Freepik | GoodFon
As part of its new campaign to get Brits back into the kitchen, AO found that just 57% of respondents reckon they would be able to make a roast dinner, 52% could whip up a classic shepherd’s pie, 58% could cook bangers and mash, merely 61% could prepare a full English breakfast, and again, only 57% could tackle fish and chips.
Classic desserts are clearly a struggle for us Mancs too, according to the survey, as only 19% of respondents said they’d feel confident cooking a Christmas pudding.
The survey also found that nationwide, it was Gen Z – those between the age of 16 and 27 – that are the least confident in their ability to cook great British classics, while on the other end of the spectrum, Baby Boomers are the most capable, proving that culinary confidence increases with age.
Our region’s residents are apparently ‘losing confidence’ at cooking simple British classics / Credit: Freepik
Commenting on the results, Jay Lockton, oven expert at AO.com, said: “Kitchens should be a place of creativity and joy, but our data shows that a lot of people in Manchester are losing confidence in preparing even the simplest of British dishes.
“Based on our findings, many younger people may be opting for convenience foods or takeaways due to their busy schedules and the perception that cooking from scratch is time-consuming or difficult.
Emily Sergeant -
27th July 2022 
