The parents of twins boys who have spent their entire lives in hospital have been delighted with the news they will be allowed home in time for Christmas.
Brothers Carter and Deacon Farnworth have finally been discharged from hospital.
The two-year-old twins – from Leigh in the Greater Manchester borough of Wigan – have sadly been unable to live at home since birth due to their various complex health conditions.
They were born prematurely in September 2018 and suffer from congenital myopathy – a rare muscle disease which causes the muscles to weaken and waste away – meaning the boys are fed through tubes, need 24/7 support from ventilators, and require constant care to manage their posture and positioning.
But now, thanks to ground-breaking specialist equipment, the twins will get to spend Christmas at home for the first time ever.
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Parents Melissa Anderton and Dean Farnworth said their homecoming had “saved Christmas”.
It’s all thanks to Newlife – a charity supporting disabled and terminally-ill children across the UK that delivers loan equipment within just 72 hours and can approve “fast-track” equipment grant applications within 24 hours when an emergency situation has been identified – which has provided the family with an emergency loan of specialist cots.
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The boys’ mother, Melissa Anderton, said: “It’s just amazing, it means everything – it’s our best Christmas and that’s all I can explain it as. The specialist cots from Newlife have allowed us to be one as a family, we don’t know what we would have done without them.
“Carter and Deacon being able to come out of hospital meant so much, it saved our Christmas.
“The P Pod chairs have been a godsend. Now the twins can move around the house and be included and take part in things altogether as a family, we can all sit together and relax and spend quality time together knowing that Carter and Deacon are comfortable and happy.
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“It’s been very stressful and there has been a lot of strain on the relationship, but it’s been good to experience the things we have because that’s made us who we are now.”
Now, the family are looking to give back ahead of the festive season.
After it was revealed that Newlife has lost more than £3 million in income due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Farnworth’s are urging others to donate to change another child’s life this Christmas by backing the charity’s The Big Give Christmas Challenge campaign.
Any money raised through the challenge will provide essential equipment to disabled and terminally ill children who are in desperate need of support through the charity’s Emergency Equipment Loan service, and what’s more is that between 1st – 8th December, all donations will be doubled too.
Newlife is determined to help those families in need.
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Sheila Brown OBE – co-founder and CEO of Newlife – said: “It’s been a really difficult six months for Newlife after the coronavirus forced us to shut all of our shops in March and again in October. We lost more than £3m in income but our promise of supporting disabled children across the UK has not been compromised and we’ve been there for families when they need us most.
“A lot of the disabled children who need our help are at most risk of the effects of COVID-19 and right now they need us more than ever.
“Newlife wants to be there for future families who need specialist equipment and we can’t thank Carter and Deacon and family enough for backing our Big Give Christmas Challenge this year. It’s a fantastic way to make your donation have double the impact and we’re hoping our wonderful supporters will be able to dig deep this year.
“Regardless of the size of the donation, your generosity will be directly changing the lives of disabled children and their families across the UK who are in urgent need of our support.”
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You can make donations to The Big Give Christmas Challenge via the Newlife website here.
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Britain’s least favourite chores have been revealed according to new survey
Emily Sergeant
Washing up, dusting, taking the bins out – we’re really not short of household chores to dislike, let’s be honest.
Doing the chores is, well, a chore… or is it? Surprisingly though, a new YouGov poll says different, as it’s been revealed that there are only a few household tasks that large numbers of Britons actively loathe, with many more liked that disliked, in fact.
While it probably has to be said that most chores and household tasks are not exactly what we’d choose to spend our time doing, the reality is they have to be done whether we like it or not.
The new survey, however, has revealed the some of us do actually ‘like’ it though.
YouGov asked a total of 2287 British adults for their opinions on a selection of chores in a bid to find out what the best and worst household task is.
/ Credit: Pixahive | Haberdoedas II (via Unsplash)
Cooking came out on top as the most popular chore of those polled, with a clear majority of Brits (57%) saying they like rustling up a meal, alongside a further 21% who neither like nor dislike it, and only 18% saying it’s a task they openly dislike.
Nearly half of Brits (46%) say they enjoy decluttering or clearing out their house, alongside 24% who are not bothered either way. Similarly, 40% say they like tidying up, with nearly as many (35%) neither liking nor disliking it.
In both cases, only roughly a quarter (22-27%) actively dislike making things neat and tidy.
On the other end of the spectrum, the chore that takes the top spot for being the most disliked across the board is ironing.
Taking the bins out is the chore that most divides men and women, with women nearly twice as likely to dislike doing it
Cleaning bathroom: 49% women vs 42% men Ironing: 48% vs 37% Dusting: 43% vs 38% Taking bins out: 42% vs 22% Washing up: 38% vs 24% Cleaning kitchen: 32% vs 28%… pic.twitter.com/Obfk89yhqp
Four housework staples stand out as having the fewest outright fans – ironing, cleaning the bathroom, dusting, and taking the bins out, with just one in six Brits (16-18%) claiming to like doing any of them.
Although similar numbers of survey respondents dislike dusting, ironing, or cleaning the bathroom (41-45%), it’s ironing that has the strongest claim to being the most-hated chore overall, as not only do a higher proportion say they dislike it a lot (25% vs 16-18% for the other two chores), roughly three times as many Brits avoid doing the ironing altogether (20% vs 7%).
This makes it the only chore where the number of dislikers (43%) outnumber the combined total of those with a positive or neutral opinion of the chore (37%).
How does gender come into the conversation? Well, taking the bins out is the chore polled with the biggest gender divide.
According to YouGov, while men are equally likely to say they like (24%) and dislike taking the bins out (22%), only 9% of women say they relish the task, which is relative to 42% of them who dislike having to do it.
Featured Image – Pexels (@cottonbro studio)
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Salford Red Devils have been dropped from the Super League
Danny Jones
Salford Red Devils RLFC have been officially relegated and dropped from the next Betfred Super League season following months of uncertainty both on and off the field.
It’s a nightmare scenario for supporters, but not entirely surprising given their struggles of late.
Revealing the decision this week, the Super League announced that Salford Red Devils will not be competing in the top tier next term, with the upcoming adjusted campaign getting underway in 2026.
Confirming that their IMG grading had been reduced as expected in the wake of recent events, the Greater Manchester side shared an official statement with the fans on Thursday morning, 16 October.
The reaction has obviously been one of deep frustration from a fan base that has been put through the ringer over the past year or so.
Die-hard Red Devil, Andy Roberts, commented in the numerous replies underneath Salford’s post on X: “I’m sorry, but this statement is a complete disgrace. Patronising fans, ignoring the huge elephant in the room. RELEGATION!”
Even neutrals got involved, with one person writing: “I hope someone comes in and saves you. No gloating here, we’re all part of the RL [rugby league] family, and I’ve lost my club before – wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Best of luck getting sorted.”
Another added that he believes this “Has to be the worst piece of comms from any club ever. Might have been better to start with a ‘really sorry we won’t be part of Super League next season’ line.”
Most notably, their dismissal from the division for now has also made way for the return of Bradford Bulls, who haven’t featured in the tournament since 2014, ultimately limping towards liquidation and eventual relegation themselves. Safe to say Salfordians fear the same.
It’s also worth noting that Salford Red Devils’ relegation also comes in tandem with the Super League actually expanding in terms of participants, with 14 teams set to face off in 2026; a dozen are automatically included via the aforementioned gradings system.
The Bulls were restored to the ranks after finishing 10th in the overall IMG rankings, while SRDLFC’s 0.25 point reduction to their total score proved enough to see the Yorkshiremen take their place after more than a decade.
Another two of clubs are still waiting to be named in the roster for next year, with an independent selection panel scheduled to verify their picks this Friday, 17 October.
You can see the club’s ‘divisive’ (to say the least) statement in full HERE and, in the meantime, find out more on the latest twist in this unfortunate tale that went on somewhat behind the scenes down below.
Emily Sergeant -
2nd December 2020 
