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Builder blinded and left claiming Universal Credit after being hit in face by golf ball during charity match

An image collage containing 1 images, Image 1 shows Man with eye patch

A GOLFER was blinded in one eye when another player’s wild shot sent a ball smashing into his face.

Leigh Powell, 44, was knocked out cold by the shot from just 20 yards away — and others on the course feared he was dead.

Close-up of a man's severely bruised eye.
SWNS
Leigh was told his vision in the eye could not be restored[/caption]
Portrait of Leigh Powell before a golfing accident.
SWNS
Builder Leigh, 44, before his eye was shattered in the accident[/caption]

His right eye was shattered from the lens to the retina and it took five months for the swelling to go down before doctors could operate.

But the builder was told his vision in the eye could not be restored.

He said: “It hit me plumb in the eye. When I came round, there was blood everywhere. I could feel a huge pressure in my eye, I knew it was shattered.”

The incident happened on the tenth hole during a charity day at Leigh’s local course in Lydbrook, Gloucs, in June last year.

He said he had been unable to find any similar cases.

He has been unable to work since and during months of treatment has lost £32,000 in earnings.

“It’s really hard,” Leigh went on. “I’m having to sell my home because of this.

“I get £360 a month in universal credit which just doesn’t cover my expenses.

“I feel let down: I’ve always paid my taxes and I feel the system should support you at times like this.

“It’s really tough not working, having nothing to do. It destroys your mental health.”

Man with eye patch.
SWNS
Leigh Powell was blinded in one eye when another player’s wild shot sent a ball smashing into his face[/caption]

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From George Clooney’s ‘clompy lace ups’ to Beckham’s £850 h-tops – the new tribe of celeb Middle Aged Men In Trainers

SILVER fox George Clooney revealed a dramatic new look this week, ditching his salt and pepper hair for box-dye brown.

But aside from the Just For Men botch job – which we’re assured is just for his role in Broadway show Good Night, And Good Luck – the 63-year-old actor was sporting £90 Adidas Forum Classic trainers.

Lenny Henry at the British Academy Television Awards.
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George Clooney stepped out this week in £90 Adidas Forum Classic trainers[/caption]

Clooney usually opts for inconspicuous white plimsolls, but instead went for these clompy lace-ups with what looks like his golf kit.

I’m all for a supportive sole and being comfortable, but A-listers with bulging bank balances can afford both style and substance.

Poor old George isn’t alone.

In fact, in celeb land there’s a growing army of MAMITS – that’s Middle Aged Men In Trainers.

From the red carpet to the Cabinet, MAMITS are hiding in plain sight.

But like the showbiz crowd, men of a certain age should not be seduced by the latest fad, especially when it comes to trainer trends that change faster than the weather.

As a rule, If you’re in a suit, never slip on a pair of runners.

Not only do you look like you’re on work experience (despite having years of experience), it’s just not a good image.

Cast your mind back to past generations of men who would have shoes immaculately shined, trousers with pin-sharp centre creases and a perfectly ironed shirt. Swoony, yes?

Now think about shuffling along in your two-piece with a garish pair of trainers on your feet. It just doesn’t have the same effect.

If you are intent on wearing them past a certain age, it’s important to stick to the classics and the simplest forms, so you don’t look like a mid-life crisis on legs.

Here, Fashion Editor Clemmie Fieldsend brings us the stars whose footwear gave them a hip vibe – and those who looked more like they were ready for a hip replacement.

DAVID BECKHAM – HIT

David Beckham at a Dior photocall.
Getty
Beck’s looks great in these monogrammed Dior high-tops that retail for £850[/caption]

WHEN it comes to looking good, Becks rarely puts a foot wrong.

And as a sportsman turned model, he didn’t get his trainers wrong, either.

The 49-year-old wore a sleek suit to Dior’s autumn fashion show in 2019, and finished off the look with a pair of the brand’s monogrammed high-tops costing £850, which are less trainer and more fashion shoe.

KIER STARMER – MISS

Keir Starmer and David Skaith walking down a street.
The PM looks like a wannabe trendy, pitch side Dad in his Adidas Gazelles
PA

THE Prime Minister did his best impression of a footie dad by wearing Adidas Gazelles, £90, much to the horror of millennials.

But his dark jeans and jacket blurred into his dark trainers and made him look like a wannabe trendy, pitchside dad who is likely to be talking gibberish about the offside rule.

IDRIS ELBA – HIT

Idris Elba at the Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw special screening.
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Elba’s plain white, inoffensive trainers are spot on for the occasion and the outfit[/caption]

ACTOR Idris Elba, 52, wore box-fresh white trainers to the premiere of Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw in 2019.

I’m willing to let the fact that he’s wearing skinny jeans go as his plain white, inoffensive trainers are spot on for the occasion – and the outfit.

PRINCE WILLIAM – HIT

Prince William throwing an American football at an NFL Foundation event.
Prince William’s £95 trainers from Russell & Bromley were a touchdown
Getty

Last year Prince William tried his hand at American football at the NFL Foundation in London.

Wills, 42, wore a casual suit and pair of pristine £95 trainers from Russell & Bromley that made him the reigning champion of Mamit style.

BARACK OBAMA – MISS

Barack Obama smiling while attending a side event.
Obama’s Adidas Stan Smiths are ruined by his drainpipe trousers
Getty

Whilst former President Barack Obama, 63, sticks to the simple style of trainer with Adidas Stan Smiths, his drainpipe trousers ruin his attempt.

Hunky Obama could pretty much pull off anything with his laid back and cool appearance but if you want to look cool then skip the Love Island skinnies.

JASON ISAACS – HIT

Jason Isaacs at the 2023 BAFTA Television Awards.
Getty
Jason’s black trainers are stylish and discreet[/caption]

Actor Jason Isaacs attended the TV BAFTAs in 2023 in a head to toe black look that didn’t turn any heads.

But the 61-year-old Harry Potter star’s discreet look is exactly what you want to be aiming for when wearing trainers, you can barely tell he’s wearing black kicks – magic.

RISHI SUNAK – MISS

Rishi Sunak in conversation with a woman.
Rishi Sunak was accused by fashion lovers of killing off 2024’s hit trainer, the Adidas Samba, £90
Refer to Caption

Last year, Rishi Sunak was accused by fashion lovers of killing off 2024’s hit trainer, the Adidas Samba, £90.

The Samba community were outraged when the former PM wore them with his ankle swinging suit trousers and tight shirt in No.10, but on this occasion it wasn’t the trainer that was the problem, more the Tory trotters that wore them.

NIGEL FARAGE – MISS

Nigel Farage sitting on a blue couch wearing a suit and Adidas Gazelle trainers.
Instagram/nigel_farage
Nigel has boasted about his preference for Adidas Gazelles over Rishi’s Sambas but it’s still a fashion miss[/caption]

TikTok star, I mean MP, Nigel Farage took to the social media platform in 2024 to boast to his 1.2million followers about his preference for Adidas Gazelles, and challenging Rishi’s Sambas.

Breaking the number one style rule when it comes to wearing sneakers he wore a suit, shirt and tie in an attempt to look down with the kids but failed miserably.

DANIEL CRAIG – MISS

Daniel Craig at the Knives Out post-screening event.
Bond’s glittery Converse are more teen girl than suave spy
Getty Images - Getty

AS James Bond, you’d think Daniel could pinch a pair of black shoes from the wardrobe department before hitting the red carpet.

But no, the 57-year-old attended the premiere of film Knives Out in 2019 wearing glittery Converse, which made him look more like an 11-year-old Swiftie than 007.

Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme – Sun Club.

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Fury as iconic West End musical slapped with 15 trigger warnings because it includes ‘violence and death’

WEST End theatre chiefs have slapped 15 trigger warnings on a The Phantom of the Opera show — because it features violence and death.

His Majesty’s Theatre posted a guide giving timings for alerts, such as “loud sounds” and “haze”, despite the musical being deemed suitable for children as young as eight.

Cast members of The Phantom of the Opera performing on stage.
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Iconic West End musical Phantom of the Opera was slapped with 15 trigger warnings because it includes ‘violence and death’[/caption]
Andrew Lloyd Webber at the David Hockney exhibition.
PA
The Andrew Lloyd Webber show — one of the best known and highest-grossing of all time — runs for 2½ hours at the theatre[/caption]

Its decision, which follows similar over-the-top moves by other theatres, was branded “beyond parody”.

The Andrew Lloyd Webber show — one of the best known and highest-grossing of all time — runs for 2½ hours at the theatre.

The production is already in full swing until September, with tickets starting at £25.

It tells the tragic love story of beautiful singer Christine Daaé, who becomes the obsession of a disfigured musical genius living beneath the Paris Opera House.

The theatre’s guide warns that those who are watching can expect “smoke” and “bangs”.

It adds: “This show contains loud sounds, gun shots, flashing lights, haze, fire, pyrotechnics and depictions of violence and death at certain points.”

But Toby Young, founder of the Free Speech Union, said: “This is beyond parody. It won’t be long before theatres ask audiences not to applaud at the end in case they trigger people who are sensitive to noise.”

The Phantom of the Opera is the latest show accused of patronising its audience by warning of obvious content.

Earlier this week, ticket-holders for Murder on the Orient Express were told to expect depictions of murder.

Matt Newbury, creative director of the Agatha Christie Festival, said: “Plot spoiler . . . the clue is definitely in the title.”

Meanwhile, the Chichester Festival Theatre was mocked after stating the Three Little Pigs fairy tale included “a passing reference to Father Pig being gobbled by the Big Bad Wolf”.

And The English National Opera warned its comic work The Pirates of Penzance at the London Coliseum included “alcohol misuse and mild violence”.

Among stars who reckon the practice has gone too far is Dame Judi Dench, who asked: “Isn’t the whole business of going to the theatre about seeing something that you can be excited, surprised or stimulated by?”

LW Theatres, which owns His Majesty’s Theatre, has been approached for comment.

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Jew-hating Islamist savage arrives in UK on a small boat & is rightly arrested – but guess what happens next?

SOME good news, then. A bloke called Abu Wadee has been arrested for attempting to enter the country illegally. Abu is a Jew-hating Islamist savage from Palestine.

He has posted videos of himself praying for the deaths of “all Jews”. He has posed with an AK-47.

A man in a crowded migrant boat makes a selfie.
Tiktok
Jew-hating Islamist savage from Gaza Abu Wadee has been arrested for attempting to enter the country illegally[/caption]
A man sits holding two rifles, a Palestinian flag behind him.
Wadee has posted videos of himself praying for the deaths of ‘all Jews’
Sir Keir Starmer leaving 10 Downing Street.
Getty
Sir Keir Starmer, and all of our political parties, know the law needs to be changed[/caption]

He referred to himself as being part of the “Tyre Burning Unit”. That’s a group of extremist Palestinians who launch unprovoked attacks upon Israel.

Anyway, we know all this because, luckily, Abu isn’t just a Jew-hating Islamist savage — he’s also thick as mince.

He has taken great care to film himself howling abuse about Jews and posted all the evidence on Youtube.

Gotcha, as a great newspaper once memorably put it. He was spotted by a group of activists who specialise in identifying Jew-hating Islamist savages. Old Abu made it nice and easy for them.

He came here last Thursday with 234 other migrants. I don’t know how many of the others are Jew-hating Islamists, and how many are charming, would-be brain surgeons and rocket scientists. 

My suspicion is that the number in one of those categories greatly outweighs the number in the other, if you catch my drift.

The refugee charities may well argue that some of those arriving can play a vibrant part in our economy. If so, triffic, trebles all round, bring it on. 

But my worry is that we are importing  a rather large number of Jew-hating Islamist savages into the country right now. Not all of whom are brain surgeons and rocket scientists.

People we would much prefer stayed in the country from which they’ve fled. But sadly, we don’t get a say in the matter.

So what’s going to happen to Mr Wadee now, then?

And it is here things get even stranger. More bizarre and more surreal.

Because, we may all want him gone, but I will bet my bottom dollar that Wadee is still here come Christmas.

All the cards

And that’s because it is Mr Wadee who holds all the cards — not the rest of us.

Because it doesn’t matter how mental Mr Wadee might be, or how much he hates Jewish people.

It wouldn’t make much difference if he was caught with explosives, a bunch of machetes used for a spot of head-chopping and a selection of nooses for hanging gay people. He still holds all the cards.

The thing is that we can’t seemingly deport ­anyone, no matter how foul they might be. Nor how criminal they might be. Because to do so would infract upon their human rights.

Because to do so would infract upon their human rights. Because the country to which we would be deporting them isn’t very nice.

And we’re not allowed to send anyone to places which aren’t very nice.

Mr Wadee and his weaselly lawyers will be able to argue that he cannot possibly be sent back to his home in Gaza because it’s an absolutely awful place and his safety ­cannot be ­guaranteed.

Wadee and the thousands like him do not deserve to be settled in any civilised democratic country

And the fact that Gaza is an absolutely awful place precisely because of people like Abu Wadee doesn’t come into it.

He has his rights. And they must never be denied.

We, meanwhile, don’t have any rights to be protected from savages like Wadee.

Nor do the members of our Jewish community who have faced more and more attacks in recent years. Almost entirely as a consequence of us importing people like Abu Wadee into the country.

The plan was to try to deport him to one of the European countries he travelled through to get to the UK.

But that idea is dead in the water because those countries all said, “um, thank you very much, but we’d rather not have you here, Abu”.

And in any case it’s not really the point. Because Wadee and the thousands like him do not deserve to be settled in any civilised democratic country.

So here’s my prediction: we’re stuck with him.

And his presence here will be a constant reminder — as if we needed one — that the current laws on who we can and cannot deport are an utter absurdity, and must be changed.

And all of our political parties know that the law needs to be changed.

But nobody ever does anything meaningful about it. And so the charade continues.

And more people like Abu Wadee arrive each day.

SYRIA A NO-WIN FOR US

Ahmed al-Sharaa with Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart.
YouTube/@restispolitics
Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart with Ahmed al-Sharaa[/caption]

AT the end of last year, the Assad regime was overthrown in Syria.

The country’s new leadership is a group of deranged jihadis called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

Its leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has worked with both al-Qaeda and Islamic State.

But never mind those little inconveniences – the liberal British media fell in love with him.

The BBC proclaimed him a “moderate”.

Those two halfwits, Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart – Huey and Dewey to their friends – went out to Damascus to fawn over the bloke.

Now we’ve seen what the new era of freedom and democracy really means in Syria.

Last week 1,000 people were murdered by armed forces loyal to the new government. Dragged out of their homes, beaten and executed.

Largely the Alawite minorities, Christians and Druze. Heard much about it on the BBC?

Nope, didn’t think so.

RUSSIAN ATTACK?

AH, so now we know.

The captain of that Portuguese cargo ship which rammed the oil tanker near Hull was a Russki. He has now been arrested.

That tanker was carrying jet fuel for the US Navy. The authorities are still saying that there is no evidence of foul play.

But given that Putin’s merchant ships have deliberately cut underwater cables before, what do you think the likelihood is that this crash was deliberate?

And if it was deliberate, what are we going to do about it?

SNOW WHITE? NO, YER ALRIGHT

Snow White with seven dwarfs in their home.
Alamy
As a result of wokeness, nobody, anywhere, wants to see Disney’s stupid Snow White[/caption]

DISNEY has decided not to roll out the red carpet for the premiere of its film Snow White.

Celebrations have been put on hold. An event in London has been cancelled.

That’s because nobody anywhere wants to see the stupid film.
The company was still in its woke phase when Snow White was commissioned.

Instead of seven dwarfs, there are seven diverse “magical creatures”.

Snow White’s love affair with Prince Charming has been downplayed.

Instead, it’s a story about a Strong Vibrant Female, in a very real sense. And as a result nobody, anywhere, wants to see it.

MASTERMIND DUMBS DOWN

A BLOKE has won ­Mastermind having chosen as his specialist subject the TV comedy Friday Night Dinner.

This once venerable quiz show has dumbed down to such an extent that it is scarcely worth watching. I think I may go on it with the specialist subject: The Life And Works Of Myself.

It’s hardly more laughable than Friday Night Dinner, is it?

WEIRDO LABOUR

THERE’S some weird buggers in the Labour Party. Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s aide has just been sacked.

And indeed Sam Gould is now due to be sentenced next month after he was seen in his car. With his trousers around his ankles. Having a Sherman.

He admitted exposing himself to a 13-year-old girl and a second count of indecent exposure related to a 25-year-old woman.

With the Tories you get financial greed.

With Labour you get a bit of financial greed, but also a bunch of perverts.

I’VE AD IT WITH SLOGAN

Screengrab of a man yelling.
Dominos
‘Domino hoo hoo’ is awful  Domino’s pizza catchphrase[/caption]

WATCHING TV, I sometimes have this daydream. I’ve tied the creative director of an advertising company to the barrel of a howitzer.

I’m just about to pull the trigger, or whatever you do with howitzers, when I ask him: “Do you have any last words?”

And he says, “Yes, could you tell my wife . . .”

But I interrupt him.

“No, not those words. Say the words you have been inflicting on me every bloody day of the week and which make me want to tie an advertising exec to a howitzer.

“Come on, you know what they are.”

And just before he’s blasted into the ether, he looks ashamed and whispers: ­“Domino hoo hoo.”

VOTER STORM

WESTERN Europe’s poorest nation is heading to the polls – again.

The Portuguese just can’t get enough of elections. They’ve been having them almost every year.

And that’s because, just as with the rest of Europe, voters are sick of the mainstream parties.

The country is caught up in exactly the same whirlwind of populism we’ve seen recently in Germany.

So keep an eye out for the performance of Chega! – a new populist party whose name means Enough! Don’t be surprised if they form part of a new Portuguese government.

One by one the countries of Europe are ditching their liberals.

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