Located in Sunderland, the centre will close permanently on July 31, but not before one final showcase.

Titled ‘Conclusion’, the exhibition will feature work by MA Glass and Ceramics students from the University of Sunderland.

We Were Once Strangers Too, by Kerry Roffe. (Image: National Glass Centre)

Since opening in 1998, the National Glass Centre has played a key role in placing the UK on the global stage of studio glass and contemporary craft.

It has also supported academic excellence through its partnership with the University of Sunderland.

Conclusion will reflect the centre’s legacy by showcasing the calibre of artists it has nurtured over the years.

A spokesperson for the MA cohort said: “Exhibiting during the National Glass Centre’s final week is a profoundly bittersweet privilege.

“Our work represents the culmination of intense research and physical mastery, developed within a space that has inspired some of the world’s greatest glass artists.

“While we mourn the loss of this remarkable building, our exhibition is a testament to the enduring strength and future of the medium.”

The exhibition will be the centre’s final public event before it closes at 3pm on Friday, July 31.

The exhibition will also highlight urgent themes of identity, memory, displacement, and contemporary material innovation through the mediums of glass and ceramics.

The centre’s closure marks the end of nearly three decades of artistic and educational influence in the glass sector.

Andy Burnham has no mandate for his ‘back-to-the-1970s’ Left-wing policies – with voters demanding he call a general election, an exclusive Mail on Sunday poll has found.

Mr Burnham will walk into Downing Street on Monday pledging to drag Britain back to the pre-Thatcher era with ‘distinctively Labour‘ policies such as wealth taxes to hammer middle-class families. 

But, according to the MoS survey, 47 per cent of people think that Mr Burnham – who was anointed as Labour leader without a contest – should call an election to legitimise his agenda. A total of 31 per cent disagree.

The polling by Find Out Now also shows that only 18 per cent of voters think Mr Burnham should repair the public finances by increasing taxes, while 55 per cent say he should cut public spending instead. 

The results come as Mr Burnham’s embryonic administration is already descending into chaos and in-fighting over his first Cabinet appointments.

In other developments: 

• Mr Burnham was preparing to order new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea in response to the energy pressures caused by the Iran War – despite the previous Net Zero objections from Energy Secretary Ed Miliband. 
• Tory leader Kemi Badenoch branded Mr Burnham a ‘people pleaser’ who did not want to face proper scrutiny, telling the BBC: ‘The job is not a popularity contest, it is making the lives of all of the people outside this building better’.
• A new analysis of Mr Burnham’s proposed mansion tax on homes worth more than £1.5 million would leave families in the South of England facing a bill of £800 million, with 60 per cent of the total tax burden falling on properties in London and just 1 per cent on Mr Burnham’s beloved Manchester. 
• Mr Burnham’s allies accused Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood of trying to ‘brief herself into the job’ of Chancellor ahead of the previous favourite, Mr Miliband.
• The MoS was told that security experts had warned Mr Burnham could not live in his family home when working from the proposed No 10 North without extensive safety enhancements. 
• Mr Burnham pledged to scrap the Starmer government’s Digital ID programme.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch branded Mr Burnham a ‘people pleaser’ who did not want to face proper scrutiny

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A poll for the Mail on Sunday has revealed that 47 per cent of people think that Mr Burnham – who was anointed as Labour leader without a contest – should call an election to legitimise his agenda

The expected announcement on North Sea drilling would be part of a raft of new policy measures, including public control of water and energy companies, a fresh council house-building programme, cuts to energy bills and bus fares and reform of social care – which would have to be paid for through wealth or death taxes.

Mr Burnham vowed in his coronation speech on Friday to build a ‘new politics’ and ‘take back power from Westminster’ on the grounds that Britain had taken a series of ‘wrong turns in the 1980s’ under Margaret Thatcher.

But Labour MPs worry that he will struggle to force through reforms without getting the explicit backing of voters.

One said: ‘He hasn’t got a mandate. The pressure will come on him to go for an early election – not straight away, but next year.

‘He will have to make some pretty tough decisions, and he hasn’t got a mandate. You can’t promise the biggest change in history and not have a mandate.’

The Conservatives dubbed Mr Burnham a ‘coronation chicken’ for dodging Parliamentary scrutiny until the Commons returns in September. Mrs Badenoch said: ‘He has not said what he’s going to do – it’s all airy-fairy stuff.’

Mr Burnham’s apparent refusal to let even key allies know who would be given Cabinet jobs was blamed for sowing increasing confusion in the party.

Mr Miliband was originally said to be ‘nailed on’ to become Chancellor, but subsequent reports have indicated Ms Mahmood would get that job instead. In that scenario, Mr Miliband would – according to some predictions – be compensated by getting Yvette Cooper’s current job of Foreign Secretary.

Sources close to the former Deputy PM Angela Rayner have stressed that she would need ‘some persuading’ to become Health Secretary 

Wes Streeting, Mr Burnham’s one-time rival for the party leadership, has been variously linked to a return to his old job as Health Secretary, a new one as Defence Secretary, or even Chancellor

However, the Foreign Office position has also been linked to Mr Miliband’s brother David, which would mark an unexpected return to British politics, and also involve him becoming a Labour peer.

Wes Streeting, Mr Burnham’s one-time rival for the party leadership, has been variously linked to a return to his old job as Health Secretary, a new one as Defence Secretary, or even Chancellor. 

To add to the confusion, former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner was on Saturday also said to be in line to be Health Secretary – partly because her former experience as a care worker could help Mr Burnham’s radical plans for a national care service.

The move would represent a dramatic comeback for Ms Rayner, who quit the Cabinet last year in a row over her tax affairs. 

But, sources close to Ms Rayner – who has been more strongly linked with a return to her former housing and local government brief – stressed that she would need ‘some persuading’ to become Health Secretary. They also insisted that she had not been offered such a job.

On Friday, Mr Burnham said he was still finalising his Cabinet choices. No senior politician has apparently yet been given a firm job offer.

One veteran Labour MP said: ‘Everyone’s so much in the dark that they keep bumping into each other!’

Senior Labour MP and former minister Graham Stringer told The Mail on Sunday: ‘If Andy Burnham is serious about making the scale of changes he promised on Friday, he will have to think about going to the country and getting his own mandate.’

He added: ‘Unifying the party is a noble aim but you cannot unify the party on a blank cheque.

‘You cannot take people with you if you do not tell them where they are going.’

In The Mixer’s World Cup special

Everything you need to know about the World Cup – England updates, the games to watch and stories you missed – in five minutes, at 1pm, every day.

Is the sugar in fruit the same as added sugar?

You will no doubt have heard that fruit is “full of sugar” and that it’s the same sugar that you find in cakes, chocolate and soft drinks. You may also have seen so-called health influencers claiming you should stay away from fruit, or at least limit your intake, for this reason.

But what is the reality? Is fruit sugar the same as added sugar and do they have the same impact on your body and your weight? A well-known heart surgeon is among those to have addressed the issue recently. Dr Jeremy London was asked if the two sugars are the same.

Dr London, who holds board certification in general surgery, vascular surgery and thoracic surgery, and frequently shares advice through social media and interviews, said: “Chemically, the sugar is identical. An apple has sugar, a glazed doughnut has sugar, but the way we metabolise those two things is completely different. An apple has fibre, it has water, polyphenols, antioxidants. These things slow the digestive process and affect how your body is processing the sugar.

“Now, when I say whole fruits, I do mean whole fruits, because with fruit juices and dried fruits you lose these components. Whole fruit is more satiating, calorie for calorie, than sugary drinks or processed sugar. In the end, sugar is sugar but what it comes with makes a tremendous difference.”

What is sugar?

Sugar is a type of carbohydrate that provides energy (as calories) from foods and drinks we consume. Without getting too technical, there are two subtypes of sugar: monosaccharides and disaccharides. The former include glucose, fructose and galactose, which are found naturally in fruit. The latter include lactose, which is found in dairy.

What’s the difference between fruit sugar and added sugar?

Harvard Medical School agrees with Dr London that “an increasingly important distinction among sugars as they pertain to health is whether they occur naturally in foods such as fruit, vegetables, and dairy, or whether they are added sugars (added to foods and beverages during manufacturing, processing, or preparation)”.

The biggest sources of added sugars in our diet are sugary (or soft) drinks (which have previously been labelled “liquid death” because of their impact on health), sweets and breakfast cereals. Many of these foods will fall into the category of ultra-processed foods, many of which come with little nutritional benefit alongside the added sugar. However, fruit comes with many different nutrients which have multiple positive health impacts and help guard against your risk of serious illnesses including heart disease and cancer.

Harvard Medical School explains: “Natural and added sugars are metabolised the same way in our bodies. But for most people, consuming natural sugars in foods such as fruit is not linked to negative health effects, since the amount of sugar tends to be modest and is ‘packaged’ with fibre and other healthful nutrients. On the other hand, our bodies do not need, or benefit from, eating added sugar.”

Why is added sugar bad for you?

Intake of added sugar has been associated with weight gain, which in turn is associated with higher risk of type 2 diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. It also causes tooth decay. This does not mean you should avoid added sugar at all costs. It is fine in moderation. The NHS says added sugars “should not make up more than 5% of the energy (calories) you get from food and drink each day.” This means, for example, that adults should have no more than 30g of free sugars a day (roughly equivalent to seven sugar cubes).

What counts as added sugar?

The NHS does not count sugar found naturally in milk, fruit and vegetables as added sugars (which it calls “free” sugars). Added sugar includes the obvious, like white and brown sugar granules; sugar added during the processing of foods; honey and syrups; and fruit juices and smoothies. While people have long consumed fruit juice and smoothies believing them to be healthy, experts say the act of juicing reduces the fruit’s nutritional value and means the sugars are released into the blood quicker, causing blood spikes and inflammation. Some say drinking lots of fruit juice can harm the liver.

Does sugar cause cancer?

Another common health myth is that sugar causes cancer. But nutritionist Nichole Andrews explains that is not the case: “As a cancer dietician, let me clarify: sugar all on its own will not cause cancer [or] have your cancer grow quicker. If you have a diet high in sugar, you’re probably going to have excess calories… and then you’re going to gain weight, gain fat tissue and it’s the fat tissue that increases cancer risk.”

Only two foods are known to directly cause cancer and they are very common — you can read what they are here.

Man Utd played Wrexham in pre-season on Saturday afternoon and the club’s youngsters played in the second half.

Manchester United boss Michael Carrick was impressed by youngster Jacob Devaney in the defeat to Wrexham on Saturday. United began their pre-season schedule against the Welsh club and Carrick made wholesale changes at half-time.

The senior players were replaced by an academy XI for the second half. Devaney played at centre-back and emerged with his reputation enhanced considering his natural position is midfield.

The 19-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan with St Mirren. First loans can be challenging for young players, but Devaney excelled during his time in Scotland.

St Mirren maintained their Scottish top-flight status and Devaney started in both relegation play-off matches. That meant his time in Scotland ended with him having not started just two games.

Carrick liked what he saw from United’s youngsters against Wrexham, but he singled out Devaney for praise. “I was really pleased with the second-half team,” he told MUTV.

“I thought they controlled the game really well against a team that’s not easy to play against, and makes you work for it, and they can play long into.

“I thought that, in general, the boys took responsibility and showed their quality. Again, that final bit of trying to break down a lot of bodies behind the ball, at this stage of pre-season it’s not easy to find that sharpness. I think they can really be proud of themselves.

“JD playing centre-half, it’s not natural to him, he’s played there a little bit, but not a lot and I thought he did ever so well.

“He had a really successful few months up there [in Scotland] and it was good to see him kind of take that next step. And you could see today the confidence and the assurance in his game, even though he was playing a slightly different position.

“He was vocal, he was commanding and, yeah, I liked a lot of what he did there.”

Tyler Fletcher captained the youthful United team in the second half. The young midfielder received a late call-up to Scotland’s squad for the World Cup, but he has already reported back to Carrington for pre-season.

“He’s had an eventful three or four months, really,” said Carrick. “He had a couple of weeks off [after the World Cup]. He didn’t want long off. He wanted to get back into it, and again, I think he stepped into the game and took that responsibility. He led the team in the second half really well.”

Glasgow Airport has issued guidance for travelling parents

Glasgow Airport has provided guidance for travellers who require breastfeeding facilities prior to departure or after they have landed.

The official Glasgow Airport website emphasises that breastfeeding is permitted throughout the premises. It states: “Breastfeeding is welcome throughout the terminal, but if you’d prefer a private space, there’s a dedicated breastfeeding area in the Baby Room.”

The airport notes that further breastfeeding facilities can be found at gates 1-3. Should you require a peaceful environment for yourself and your child, a Baby Room is located next to Gate 16.

These facilities feature:

• Bottle warmers
• Changing stations
• Comfy seating

Remember the 100ml rule

Outlining various security procedures and reiterating the 100ml restriction, the airport acknowledges that navigating security “can be daunting” and stressful, particularly when travelling with youngsters.

To assist passengers, it has compiled “tips to make the experience as seamless as possible”.

The airport recommends:

• Make sure liquids are under 100ml before reaching the scanner, however it is no longer required to place them in a clear plastic. There are no limits for powder formula and oversized liquids (more than 100ml) such as food pouches/specialist baby milk etc are allowed through security
• Do not bring formula or water in flasks that are plastic or metal. Nuby RapidCool flasks are permitted to be carried through security, but must be empty.
• Only carry what you need for the journey. You may be asked to open containers and taste the contents of infant or baby food that you bring with you.

• Keep baby wipes, dummies and teethers handy.
• Pushchairs can remain fully built (but empty) and can be pushed through the other side of the security gate as directed by the guard.
• Use the Priority Security lane for a faster and easier experience. Prices start at £6.99. Passengers under 3 can go through Priority Security free of charge when accompanied by a paying adult.

Enquiries are continuing

A man allegedly indecently exposed himself to another man in a wooded area near Cambridgeshire, according to North Herts Police. On Friday, July 10, just before 8pm, it was reported that a man exposed himself to another man in a wooded area by a bridleway which leads to Old North Road in Royston.

An arrest was made on Thursday, July 16. The man, aged in his 20s, who was arrested in connection with the incident, remains in police custody.

Enquiries are continuing into the incident and anyone with information, who has not already contacted police, is urged to do so.

A spokesperson for North Herts Police said: “You can report information online at https://orlo.uk/31O16, speak to an operator in our Force Communications Room via our online web chat at https://orlo.uk/xSIml or call the non-emergency number 101, quoting crime reference 41/65193/26.

“Alternatively, you can stay 100% anonymous by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their untraceable online form at https://orlo.uk/Kt74j.”