It started off as a way of getting kids off the streets – now they’re heading for one of the biggest stages in the world

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In a village too often defined by stereotypes, a burst of rhythm is starting to change perceptions. Caerau in Bridgend borough may have made headlines as one of Wales’ most deprived communities but inside the doors of UDC Dance the story is entirely different.

Led by Tracey Newman, the school’s dancers are proving that talent and determination can thrive anywhere – even across the Atlantic. “Caerau is just known for crime, violence – it is such a deprived area,” Tracey told WalesOnline. “But I always say the kids at UDC put Caerau on the map for the right reasons.”

That belief was brought into sharp focus earlier this year when the group took a chance on entering the National Entertainment Awards – after initially dismissing it as a scam. “They’d messaged me a couple of years in a row and I genuinely didn’t believe it,” Tracey laughed. “But then I saw other dance schools we know had been involved and I thought: ‘If this comes up again we’re going for it.’”

What followed exceeded all expectations. UDC won best newcomer, progressed through to perform at the O2 in London after a golden buzzer, and then came the biggest surprise of all.

“They said, ‘Your journey doesn’t stop here…you’re going to New York,’” Tracey recalled. “We were screaming, the kids were crying, parents were crying – it was incredible.

“We have proud moments at every competition, just watching them dance is enough. Then when they win, that’s another level. But to see these kids get the chance to dance on Broadway… there will be nothing like it. I’ve been teaching for around 26 years now and this is the biggest thing we’ve ever experienced.”

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To understand the scale of such an achievement you have to go back to 2009. UDC grew from Tracey’s original school, Noddfa Dance, which she ran alone for ten years. “Towards the end I was going through a difficult period. My father passed away and I couldn’t fully commit to running the school on my own anymore,” she said.

At that point Karl, one of her students, stepped up and opened UDC, allowing the dancers to stay together and continue their training. “I was still involved, and within a few weeks I was back coaching, but it wasn’t all on me anymore. It was shared between me and Karl. Over the years we worked together to build something really special. The kids have always been brilliant.”

After the pandemic Karl stepped back but Tracey continued. “Dance is part of who I am. I’ll never be done,” she said. Now the school is led by Tracey, Shannel Mort, and Finley Quinn, with older dancers beginning to take on coaching roles themselves.

It has since grown into a close-knit community. “We’ve got about 120 dancers on our books at the moment, ranging from two years old up to adults,” Tracey said. “I think the oldest is in their late 50s or 60 now. We’ve got a wide variety of ages and they just love it.”

Although the school is based in Caerau the dancers are reshaping perceptions of the area. “I always say these kids put Caerau on the map for the right reasons,” she said. “They are just incredible.”

The school’s reputation has spread far beyond the village. Dancers travel in from Maesteg, Garth, and further along the valleys into Port Talbot and Cymmer. Some come from even further afield, with one student making the journey from Llanharan.

For Tracey, who grew up in Caerau, creating UDC was always about more than choreography – it was about offering young people an alternative.

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“It was massive,” she said. “When I was a teenager I didn’t start dancing until I was 14. Before that I was just hanging about on the streets – not causing trouble, but doing nothing with my time. Dance got me off the streets and on the right path. I thought if I could get more kids into this it could make a real difference.”

Parents of children going to the classes said they began noticing real changes in their children, from increased confidence to stronger friendships. “Some children came in painfully shy and they wouldn’t even speak to us,” Tracey said. “But as soon as they started dancing, everything changed.

“They came out of themselves, made friends, and discovered a side of themselves they didn’t know was there. They went from avoiding us to running to us and telling us about their day in school. It’s been a lovely thing to see.”

For Tracey those changes are what matter most. “They’re off the streets, they’ve got a hobby, they’re not just sat behind a screen. They’re living a healthy lifestyle, making friends, building confidence, and learning teamwork and structure. It’s so much more than just dance.”

UDC is rooted in street dance, though Tracey explained they occasionally branch out. “When I was younger my mainstream was more disco, so we do a little bit of that now and again. But mainly we’re street. And street is like an umbrella, under it you’ve got whacking, voguing, hip hop, light feet, lock, house… all these different styles.”

The school runs open classes on Mondays for all ages and team classes on Wednesdays. “The dancers do team auditions once a year and that’s their team for the season. Seasons run like school terms, from September through to the following August,” she said.

Extra sessions are added when needed – particularly in the lead-up to competitions. “For the British Championships we were in the studio more or less every day; after work, before work, weekends, we’re just there on the clock. And it’s all voluntary – we do this because we want to do it.”

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All of the people behind the scenes at UDC have full-time jobs. “We all work full-time in other jobs,” Tracey said. “I’m in support care, working with adults with learning difficulties. Finley works in McDonald’s, Shannel in a nursery… It feels like we have two full-time jobs. But dance is a hobby, a passion. We love it so we make it work.”

Parents have also shown the same level of dedication despite financial challenges. “As I’ve said, where we are from is very deprived and some parents can’t afford to take their children to national championships,” Tracey said.

“Some parents have three children in the school. Tickets for the British Championships are £105, kit T-shirts are £20 each, plus travel costs. We fundraise as much as we can to make sure the children can compete for Wales.”

The effort has been extraordinary. “We recently raised £20,000 within four months,” she said. “We’ve done fundraising nights for the children, sponsored walks at Pen y Fan, and events for adults like a Mr and Mrs Valentine’s night. Parents organise their own raffles too, including Christmas hampers – it’s all the little things that add up.”

That same community spirit is now driving the next challenge – getting as many dancers as possible to New York. The school is set to perform on Broadway in June 2028 with 95 dancers currently planning to go.

“For some of the kids and even for myself it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Tracey said. “It’s every dancer’s dream to dance on Broadway. You see it in films and big shows – it’s the place to be. Some of the little ones don’t fully understand, but even they’re saying, ‘New York – I’ve seen that on TV.’ It’s really special.

“I was upfront and said I know it’s expensive and it’s optional – you don’t have to go. But the response has been incredible. A lot of parents are saving up and turning it into a family holiday. They’re thinking, ‘They’re going to Broadway, let’s make the most of it.’

“We’ll be there for four days but many want to stay longer and see everything they can. You never hear of it – coming from such a small area and getting the chance to go to New York, even for one dance performance. It’s just amazing. We can’t wait.”

While Broadway is still over two years away UDC shows no signs of slowing down, maintaining a jam-packed schedule. Their most recent competition, the British Championships, saw them walk away with 16 titles including four first place finishes.

“It was insane,” Tracey added. “I’ve never seen standards like this in my life… every team that came on, I kept thinking, ‘Oh my god, the talent is incredible.’

“But when our names were being called in first place positions? My god, the kids were crying, we were crying, everyone was crying. It was just unbelievable. Hopefully 2026 will continue to be our year.”

The 24-year-old from Atherton in Wigan took gold in one minute 55.30 seconds

Keely Hodgkinson stormed to 800m gold in a championship record time on a stellar evening for Great Britain at the World Indoor Championships in Poland.

The 24-year-old from Atherton in Wigan, who set a new world indoor 800m record last month, took gold in one minute 55.30 seconds and then returned to the track to run the anchor leg in the women’s 4x400m relay final – part of an experimental quartet which also featured surprise addition Dina Asher-Smith.

It capped off an astonishing half-an-hour for Britain in Torun, where Hodgkinson’s training partner Georgia Hunter Bell also secured her own first global gold in the 1500m, moments before Molly Caudery reclaimed the pole vault title she won two years ago in Glasgow.

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“I think my word this year has been domination,” Hodgkinson, who led the 800m final from the start, told the BBC after the fifth-place relay finish. “I think when I’m in the shape of my life, why leave it to chance, you know? If you’re going to beat me, I’ll make you work hard for it.”

Hodgkinson beat Swiss silver medallist Audrey Werro in the 800m final by 1.34secs, while American Addison Wiley rounded out the podium.

It was a full-circle moment for the 24-year-old, who claimed her first senior title at the same venue at the 2021 European Indoors and has bounced back from an injury-plagued 2025 to start off her season with a bang.

Having secured gold at the 2024 Olympic Games, her triumph in Paris propelled her career to new heights following an initial silver medal win as a teenager at Tokyo 2021. She was previously named BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

The 24-year-old graduated from Fred Longworth High School in Tyldesley. Aged 16, she became the European under-18 champion, while at 17 she won her first national senior title at the British Indoor Championships.

She first broke two minutes for the first time to set an under-20 world record, the first by a British woman in 36 years, before becoming European indoor champion. Hodgkinson was the youngest ever winner of the 800m at the event in Poland, which marked her senior international debut.

Manchester City have secured the first silverware of the season after Arsenal failed to deliver at Wembley.

The quadruple dream is over and the Gunners must now pick up the pieces after a sobering setback.

For City, it has breathed life into their campaign after a dismal Champions League exit this week.

Kepa gamble backfires spectacularly

Mikel Arteta decided to keep faith in Kepa Arrizabalaga after starting the Spaniard in each round of the competition leading up to the final at Wembley today.

Pep Guardiola did likewise with James Trafford, but it was Arsenal who paid the price for dropping one of their best players. From the moment the second-half kicked off, Kepa dallied on the ball, inviting the pressure that would inevitably swarm all over the Gunners and trigger their downfall.

Raya has been spectacular this season, the best goalkeeper in the Premier League by some margin and in sublime form. Had he started, Sunday may have been a very different story.

Old Arsenal fears reignited

We have seen Arsenal collapse in the past. Past failures have so often been used as a stick to beat them with but things have felt different this season.

Victory today would have gone some way in erasing the lingering fears over another derailment . But defeat at Wembley could serve as a catalyst for something much bleaker.

Arsenal are still fighting on three fronts, in control of the Premier League title race and well-placed to continue marching on in Europe. But the effects of today could be season-altering. The woeful second-half showing was as bad as anything served up by them this term on the stage where they needed to be their best.

O’Reilly steps up

City needed a hero at Wembley and they found a home-grown one. With Phil Foden only coming on as an injury time substitute, left-back O’Reilly stepped up as City’s savour with two headers to save their season.

City were fantastic in the second period to a man and fed off Arsenal’s apprehension but it was the 21-year-old set the standard when they needed inspiration.  

Tony Mogan, live sports editor

Cometh the hour, cometh the man – with the ‘0161’ phone code inked on his body, O’Reilly came calling on the big stage when City needed a hero to step up.

His first finish was the easiest goal he is likely to score in his career, stooping close to the goalline to head in after Kepa Arrizabalaga fumbled the ball into his path.

The second just four minutes later was a brilliantly-placed header from Matheus Nunes’ cross, effectively sealing victory for a jubilant Guardiola who performed a jig of delight on the touchline.

O’Reilly took the adulation of the City fans after his goals and it will be a double celebration this weekend after turning 21 on Saturday.

The only players younger than O’Reilly to score twice in the final of this competition were 20-year-olds Wayne Rooney for Manchester United in 2006 and Liverpool’s Ronnie Whelan back in 1982.

The Englishman took his goalscoring tally to eight for the season and said: “Bit of disbelief seeing all the fans cheering like that when I scored those goals. Really a good feeling and a great birthday weekend.

“My whole family came down today. They are all in the stand and I know they will be buzzing. I can’t wait to celebrate with them.”

This was O’Reilly’s second match-winning double of the season as well, after scoring twice in the 2-1 Premier League win over Newcastle a month ago.

Former England defender Matt Upson said on BBC Radio 5 Live: “Nico O’Reilly is fast becoming one of the key members in this Manchester City side. He gets the goals, he gets the headlines. He is a player in top form.

“Physically, he is a machine. He’s got height, he can run, he has got the strength and physicality.”

Sean McGrotty drowned along with his sons Mark and Evan, his wife Louise James’ 14-year-old sister Jodie-Lee Daniels and his wife’s mother Ruth when their car slid off a pier and sank in Lough Swilly

A mother who lost five members of her family in a pier tragedy 10 years ago has said it “feels like it was yesterday” as hundreds came out for a memorial walk.

Louise James’ partner Sean McGrotty, their two sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight, her mother Ruth and her 14-year-old sister Jodie died when their SUV sank after sliding off a slipway in Buncrana, Co Donegal, in March 2016.

The only survivor was the four-month-old Rioghnach-Ann, daughter of Mr McGrotty and Ms James.

Mr McGrotty handed his baby daughter through the broken driver’s side window just moments before the vehicle sank to former footballer Davitt Walsh, who swam out into the harbour in an effort to save the six occupants.

Approaching the 10-year anniversary of their death, hundreds attended a memorial walk in Buncrana wearing red and white.

Prior to setting off a minute’s silence was held and a family friend sang Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher and Higher.

Ms James said she felt “overwhelmed” at the support and love from the community.

“Very overwhelmed. It was a fantastic success, it was amazing, the sun came out it was beautiful,” she said. “Very, very, very overwhelmed.”

She added: “It went exactly how I wanted it to go, with laughter and fun and everyone smiling and remembering them, that’s what I wanted.”

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It is understood the vehicle lost grip on a thick blanket of algae coating the structure and slid into the waters of Lough Swilly.

There were no signs at the slipway warning of the dangers of slipping and a gate designed to control crowds using a summer ferry service in the popular tourist spot was left open.

It was used by people watching the sun going down despite dangers that were highlighted during the inquest in 2017.

Ms James said Rioghnach frequently come down to the pier to remember their family.

“We come down and we’ll do the walk,” she said.

“This is the walk along the shoreline, so it’s beautiful, you know, it’s a very peaceful walk and Rioghnach will play in the play park, so it’s really nice where her brothers played as well.”

Ten years on, Ms James said the tragedy “feels like it happened yesterday”.

“Still feels like it was only yesterday so it’s very overwhelming but a sadness too,” she said.

Donations for the walk were collected for the RNLI, and the walk finished at Lough Swilly RNLI lifeboat station.

Ms James said “it was lovely” to see the people of “Derry and Donegal” pulling together.

“But not just Derry and Donegal it was the whole of Ireland, because there was people here from Cork and Wicklow, and so lovely to see them all and just to be here supporting us in what we wanted to do,” she said.

She added: “It was great just to support the RNLI and the good work that they really do. And this is all for them, too.”

Before the walk, those gathered heard a prayer: “We pray for all who grieve, for every broken heart in the community that still remembers.

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“Help us to stand together in compassion, to support one another, to support one another and to never forget the precious lives that were lost.

“May we honour them and how we live with kindness, with care and love for one another, may their memory always be a blessing.”

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — At war with Iran, President Donald Trump is cycling through an increasingly desperate list of options as he searches for a solution to the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. He is jumping from calls to secure the waterway through diplomatic means to lifting sanctions and now escalating to a direct threat against civilian infrastructure in the Islamic Republic.

Trump and his allies insist they were always prepared for Iran to block the strait, yet the Republican president’s erratic strategy has fueled criticism that he is grasping for answers after going to war without a clear exit plan. On Saturday came his latest attempt, via an ultimatum to Iran: Open the strait within 48 hours or the United States will “obliterate” the country’s power plants.

Trump’s aides defended the threat as a hard-edged tactic to press Iran into submission. Opponents framed it as the failings of a president who miscalculated what it would take to get out of a geopolitical mire.

“Trump has no plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, so he is threatening to attack Iran’s civil power plants,” said Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass, adding: “This would be a war crime.”

“He’s lost control of the war and he is panicking,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., responding to Trump’s post.

Over the course of roughly a week, Trump has repeatedly shifted his approach on the crucial waterway for global oil and gas transport. There is growing urgency for Trump as soaring oil prices rattle global markets and pinch American consumers months before pivotal midterm elections.

Trump and diplomacy

Trump tried his hand at a diplomatic solution last weekend when he called for a new international coalition to send warships to the strait.

Allies turned him down. Trump then said the U.S. could manage on its own. On Friday he suggested other countries would have to take over as the U.S. eyes an exit. Hours later he indicated the waterway would somehow “open itself.”

“You can’t all of a sudden walk away after you’ve kind of created the event and expect other people to pick it up,” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. told ABC’s “This Week.”

Trump’s Treasury Department on Friday made its latest attempt to get a handle on the soaring gas prices, by lifting sanctions on some Iranian oil for the first time in decades. That relieved some of the pressure that Washington traditionally has used as leverage against Tehran.

The goal was to send millions more barrels of oil into the global market. It is not clear, however, how much of a dent that would make in lowering pump prices or how the administration could prevent Iran from cashing in on the renewed sales.

The administration earlier temporarily lifted sanctions on some Russian oil.

An ultimatum to Iran

Trump’s ultimatum, conveyed while he spent the weekend in Florida, carries a threat of remarkable aggression. His previous messaging has mostly focused on U.S. success in hitting Iran’s air force, navy and missile production. This time, the threatened target is the energy infrastructure that powers hospitals, homes and more.

His social media post — 51 words, much of them in capital letters — did not have the appearance of a message that underwent the careful legal scrutiny needed to justify an attack on civilian infrastructure, said Geoffrey Corn, a military law professor at Texas Tech University and a retired lieutenant colonel in the Army who served as a military lawyer.

“It certainly has a feeling of ready, fire, aim,” Corn said of the Trump’s moving strategy.

“He overestimated his ability to control the events once he unleashed this torrent of violence.”

That type of widespread attack would probably be a war crime, Corn said. For military leaders, it could force a choice between obeying an order to carry out a war crime or refusing and facing criminal sanction for willful disobedience, he said.

Laws governing warfare do not explicitly forbid attacks on power plants, but the tactic is allowed only if an analysis finds that the military advantages outweigh the civilian harm, legal scholars say. It is seen as a high bar to clear because the rules of war are, at their core, designed to separate civilian and military targets.

Iran’s U.N. ambassador, in a letter to the Security Council, warned that the deliberate targeting of power plants would be inherently indiscriminate and a war crime, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

The White House has already faced intense backlash after the U.S. was blamed for a missile strike on an Iranian elementary school that killed more than 165 people.

Trump aides justify latest attempt to rein in the crisis

Trump provided scant detail on which plants might be targeted and how. He gave Iran until Monday to reopen the strait or else the U.S. will strike “various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!”

Trump’s team came to his defense Sunday, offering justification for striking Iran’s energy grid..

Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said Iran’s Revolutionary Guard controls much of the country’s infrastructure and is using it to power the war effort. He said potential targets include “gas-fired thermal power plants and other types of plants.”

Speaking on Fox News, Waltz said he wanted to get ahead of “hand-wringing” from the global community, calling the Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization. “The president is not messing around,” he said.

NATO’s secretary-general, Mark Rutte, who has allied himself closely to Trump, tried to calm tensions. He said he understood Trump’s anger and stressed that more than 20 countries are “coming together to implement his vision” of making the strait navigable as soon as possible.

Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, cautioned against an all-out attack like the one Trump threatened. “We want to leave everything in the country intact, so that the people who come after this regime are going to be able to rebuild and reconstitute,” he told CNN’s ”State of the Union.”

Trump’s threat could prove counterproductive: If it’s carried out, Iranian leaders said they would completely close the strait and retaliate against U.S. and Israeli infrastructure.

___

Associated Press writer Seung Min Kim in Washington contributed to this report.

A 700 mile-wide French heat plume is set to bring sunny skies and temperatures pushing 20C to the UK over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, with families expected to flock to coastal resorts

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Brits are in for a cracking Easter with blue skies and temperatures climbing towards 20C. A 700-mile-wide French heat plume will see the nation basking in sunshine from Good Friday through to Easter Monday.

Families are expected to descend on coastal resorts, tucking into ice creams on packed beaches. BBC Weather is predicting temperatures in the mid to high teens in the days leading up to Easter, reports the Daily Star.

The BBC said: “After changeable conditions in coming days and a chance of wintry showers from midweek, the following two weeks look milder. High pressure will return, with below-average rainfall. An increased southerly flow could lead to warmer conditions.”

The Met Office said: “Many areas will see more settled conditions again in early April. Plenty of dry weather is likely, with the wind direction seeing temperature differences day by day.”

It comes after temperatures reached 17C in the South at the weekend. However, temperatures are set to nosedive into single figures from midweek with a risk of blustery winds, showers and even snow flurries in the North.

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READ MORE: Brits warned ‘stay indoors’ as Storm Therese hits holiday hotspotREAD MORE: Met Office warns of ‘big weather change’ as hail and thunder forecast

Met Office meteorologist Alex Deakin said Wednesday will signal a “cold plunge” and Scotland could see the white stuff.

He said: “If we look at the temperature profile for the next few days, then we really notice that difference by the time we get to Wednesday.

“Temperatures by Wednesday [will be] single digits for many, and that’s the max, so it’s going to get cold at night.

“Probably the peak of that cold will be on Wednesday night, that’s when the cold plunge really comes in.”

The rain and wind are expected to lessen later in the week but temperatures are likely to stay chilly with the possibility of overnight frost in some areas.

After walking his mum down the aisle, Oliver bravely addressed the entire wedding and had everyone in tears.

A schoolboy asked his stepdad to adopt him during a tear-jerking speech at his mum’s wedding. Leigh Gardiner, 31, married her husband Arron, 32, at the Brig o’ Doon House Hotel in Ayr earlier this year.

But it was the blushing bride’s 12-year-old son Oliver that stole the show when he stood up to deliver a speech after walking his mum down the aisle. Sitting at the top table alongside his brothers Alfie, 5, and Leo, 3, the brave boy took the microphone and addressed the guests.

Oliver started off with traditional gags and warmed the crowd up before the emotional moment. He thanked Arron for making him feel special from the moment he came into his life and for being someone who he looked up to and admired.

As his stepdad – and others at the top table – looked on weeping, Oliver said: “Arron, you have been my dad pretty much all of my life.

“You have shown up for me in ways you didn’t have to and I have never once felt like anything less than your own. You said ‘I do’ to my mum so will you say ‘I do’ to me too? Will you adopt me and make our family official?”

Arron broke down and held his face in his hands before standing up and embracing Oliver.

The clip ends as Oliver continues: “So please everyone please raise your glasses to my dad, my mum, and the best family a boy could ever ask for.”

Speaking to the Record, Leigh said her son’s speech was one of the most emotional and proud moments of her life.

She said: “As his mum, I’ve always known how special he is, but standing there and hearing him speak with such confidence, warmth and sincerity completely took my breath away.

“In that moment, I didn’t just see my little boy — I saw the young man he is becoming, and it filled me with an overwhelming sense of pride. Every word he said came straight from the heart.

“What touched me most was the way he spoke to Arron. His words were full of love, respect and honesty, and when he asked him to adopt him, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room — including mine.

“It was such a brave and beautiful thing to do, and it showed just how big his heart is. In that moment, I felt an overwhelming mix of emotions — pride, love, gratitude and, if I’m honest, a little bit of disbelief that my 12-year-old son could stand up and speak so powerfully in front of a room full of people.

“It was more than just a speech — it was a reflection of the kind, strong and thoughtful person Oliver is. I have never been prouder to be his mum, and it’s a moment I will treasure for the rest of my life.”

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A woman from Northern Ireland is calling for commitment to employ a specialist for endometriosis after having to travel to London for a diagnosis.

Laura Moore, 35, from Newtownabbey, has gone through a harrowing ordeal over 14 years and multiple surgeries.

Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the uterus grows outside it, causing debilitating pain.

This month is endometriosis awareness month, and Laura spoke to Belfast Live about the lengthy process of getting her diagnosis and how this condition impacts her life.

She said: “It goes right back to when I first started getting my period, though I didn’t realise it at the time.

“When I was 17 I had emergency surgery for a ruptured ovarian cyst. From then on I was in the gynae system, and from there the pain got a lot worse as well.

“It actually took 14 years and 4 surgeries to diagnose my endometriosis. I had 3 laparoscopies at home in Northern Ireland and those consultants said I did not have endometriosis, and then said that I did but they were very small lesions.”

Laura highlighted the fact that, in Northern Ireland, there is currently no medical professional who specialises in endometriosis. This in turn affects waiting times and diagnoses.

She said: “I was diagnosed in 2021, the diagnosis wait itself in general is ridiculous. It is between 8-10 years. The issue we have is not just with waiting times, it is with the fact that we do not have a specialist for endometriosis.”

“I had to travel to London to get my diagnosis. I got that in June 2021, had an emergency surgery in October 2021 for an ovarian cyst and then in March 2022 I needed another emergency surgery.

“There are a lot of other people like me, I’m not the only one. I’m awaiting surgery again, there is a chance I might need a bowel resection as well this time.”

For Laura and other sufferers of endometriosis, the level of care provided in Northern Ireland is just not good enough.

Laura said: “I think there is not enough training, gynaecologists cover a wide range of things. Any gynaecologist will cover anything from endometriosis fibroids to delivering babies.

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“We don’t have anyone who focuses just on endometriosis. I think the services just aren’t adequate. The Trust will say it is down to funding, which I do think is part of it. But if you look at how many women need multiple surgeries and care due to later diagnosis, the money going into a specialist they would save in people only needing one surgery if it’s caught early.

“Many people think endometriosis is just a women’s health issue or a menstrual issue when it is a whole body disease. It can be found on your diaphragm and your lungs, it is bordering on my bowels, it can impact your kidneys.

“It impacts every aspect of my life. I had to cut my working hours after my last surgery, that then has a financial effect, especially as I have to travel to London for treatment.

“It impacts my energy levels and what I’m able to do in a day, it affects my friendships, relationships, everything. You learn to live in a certain degree of pain and mask it, which isn’t right either.”

Laura remarked on how awareness is growing around endometriosis and that this is an important development for those who have the condition or are seeking a diagnosis.

She said: “I think it is hugely important that awareness is growing. There are a lot of pages with fact-based, science led information out there that can help people recognise symptoms and recognise what is going on. The people can then go to appointments armed with more information and can hopefully get a better or quicker diagnosis.

“One thing that people may not be aware of is that the stages of endometriosis do not directly correlate with the pain levels someone is experiencing.

“In articles it’s mainly stage four endometriosis that gets discussed, which means that those with stage one or two might feel like their pain is inadequate or they aren’t deserving of follow up treatment if they feel they need it.

“I would be classed as stage four deep infiltrating endometriosis. Other people may have stage one or two endometriosis which is on the surface, but it doesn’t mean it’s any less of an issue.

“The staging system is really out of date, I think it focused on fertility rather than the severity of people’s symptoms.”

Laura raises awareness of endometriosis on her Instagram page, which can be found here.

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Tom Hayward is a key love interest in The Other Bennet Sister.

The Other Bennet Sister fans are only just realising where they have seen the poetry-loving lawyer.

The Other Bennet Sister is back on BBC One and the delightful period drama stars Call the Midwife’s Ella Bruccoleri as Mary Bennet.

The series, which stars plenty of familiar faces, follows on from the events of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and it tracks the overlooked Bennet sister as she travels to London following a tragic death in the family.

One of the characters she comes across is Tom Hayward, a friend of the Gardiners, with whom Mary is staying as she works as a governess. Mr Hayward is played by Dónal Finn, a 30-year-old Irish actor who was raised in Dromina, County Cork, and is one of eight children from a farming family.

Opening up about what drew him to the role, he said: “I come from a big family with lots of sisters. Many people watch Pride and Prejudice and want to be Elizabeth, but I identify much more with Mary.

“She represents how people often feel internally constrained by expectations and circumstance. The story shows how someone can change when they’re removed from an environment where they can’t flourish.”

Finn graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in acting from LAMDA in 2018 and his first notable role was in an episode of The Witcher as a peasant named Nettly.

In 2022, he was cast as the soldier Eoin McGonigal in the first series of the BBC drama SAS: Rogue Heroes. Fans may also recognise him as Mat Cauthon in the second season of The Wheel of Time.

Named one of the ‘Rising Stars of Ireland’ by Screen Ireland, he played Orpheus in the West End production of Hadestown.

Most recently, fans will see him in the Prime Video series Young Sherlock, in which he plays James Moriarty.

When it comes to film, he played Karl Boden in How to Build a Girl, Albert in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore and Sean Gore in Four Letters of Love.

He does not only appear on screen, as the star has just leant his voice to a new historical audio drama, Turpin.

He plays the lead role of Richard Turpin, who abandons his stable life as a butcher to become a violent outlaw.

The Irish actor is also a talented singer and as he was raised around music, he took up singing himself when he was a boy.

Speaking to The Rake magazine, he said: “For family gatherings, as the night rolls on, people do start to sing. So the notion of singing in front of other people, I always saw as a kid.”

The Other Bennet sister airs on BBC One on Sundays, the series is also available on BBC iPlayer