Express & Star

Catahy Dobbs: Don't let Lucy Letby taint the work of millions of good nurses

Lucy Letby is a woman who looks so ordinary, someone you could easily be friends with.

Published
Baby killer, Lucy Letby

However, she preyed on the most vulnerable people in our society – newborn babies. My son was in a neonatal unit for a month after he was born, and each evening we left him in the care of nurses who did an excellent job. One sick individual won’t be allowed to taint the reputation of millions of excellent nurses, who we will continue to trust with our lives.

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On Sunday the sun was finally out, the sky was blue but millions stayed indoors to watch the women’s 2023 World Cup final. Interest in women’s football has increased and their popularity is definitely having a knock-on effect with girls. A neighbour’s daughter plays for a League One club and has dreams of being on the England team one day. She has watched women’s football for years and seen the half-empty stands – but no more.

Now when she watches her heroes, the stands are packed and the viewing figures are high as equality is finally seeping into sports. WPay is still way behind though, but when it comes to equality the Lionesses are already making huge leaps as the Football Association (FA) now pays players on both England teams equally – something that has been in place since 2020. It’s a new era for the Lionesses and there are definitely no cute little pussy cats to see here.

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I’m terrified of spiders, and last year it felt like they were out to get me. The big, scary ones were on my favourite chair, in my bed and even in my suitcase when I went away for the weekend. The worst incident though, was when I was driving along a country lane at night and one scuttled across my dashboard.

Immediately I stopped and wondered what to do. I wasn’t going to grab it and chuck it out of the car with my hands, but at the same time I wasn’t going to knock on anyone’s door at 11pm asking for their help. So I bravely carried on, biting back the scream, until I got home and could find an old birthday card and a glass to scoop it up and put it outside.

A I’m not alone in this fear of spiders – a recent poll by the International Drivers Association (IDA) shows that 67 per cent of Brits are petrified of them. They’ve said that the jolt of surprise or frantic slapping can divert a driver’s attention – and lead to fines or even prison.

So, how can we keep spiders out of our cars? According to the IDA keep your car clean, inspect the visor and dashboard area before setting off and consider natural repellents like eucalyptus oil and lavender. So far this year I’ve already had a large spider scuttle out of my handbag – I don’t want a repeat of the last spider season so from now on my car isn’t just going to be clean and tidy, it’s also going to smell heavenly too, and hopefully stay spider-free.