Police officers were called to reports of violence
08:11, 09 Jun 2026Updated 08:18, 09 Jun 2026
A man has been taken to hospital after a stabbing in Peterborough on Monday, June 8. Cambridgeshire Police officers were called with reports of violence in Windmill Street in Millfield just before 11am.
Emergency services attended and found a man with stab wounds, who was taken to hospital for treatment. Police said they believe his injuries were serious but not life-threatening.
Cambridgeshire Police said it believed the attack was an isolated incident and investigations are ongoing. The force has asked anyone with information to get in touch quoting incident 142 of June 8.
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A spokesperson for the force said: “We were called just before 11am today (8 June) with reports of violence in Windmill Street, Millfield, Peterborough. Emergency services attended and found a man with stab wounds.
“He was taken to hospital for treatment – his injuries are thought to be serious but not life threatening. We believe this to be an isolated incident and investigations are ongoing.”
A train passenger who grabbed a young woman’s hair and asked “can I kiss you?” has been sentenced in the first-ever conviction for harassment based on a person’s sex.
David Stroud, 44, made sexually motivated comments to the victim on a train to London on April 3, two days after a new law came into force banning harassment because of a person’s sex.
He pleaded guilty to harassing the woman at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court, which heard Stroud sat next to the woman, who was on the phone to her boyfriend at the time, on a train which left Hastings at about 8.50pm.
The 44-year-old father-of-two had previously pleaded guilty to a separate 22-month stalking campaign, the court heard on Tuesday.
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He had been on bail for stalking when he harassed the victim on the train.
Stroud was sentenced for both offences and was spared jail, receiving a 12-month community order and being told to complete 15 days of rehabilitation activity requirement.
The defendant, of Dartford, Kent, tried to make conversation with the woman, who attempted to ignore him as she was a lone female travelling, the court heard.
David Stroud harassed the woman on a train to London (Shivansh Gupta/PA) (PA Wire)
He was “constantly leaning on to the woman” and got closer, telling her “you’re magical” and grabbing her hair, which the victim “perceived to be sexual”.
The woman said she could smell alcohol on the defendant’s breath.
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Stroud, a father-of-two, told the woman “you’re never going to find someone who loves your hair as much as I do”, and she replied, “I already have someone”.
The woman’s boyfriend heard the comments over the phone and called the British Transport Police, who arrested Stroud at London Bridge station.
While under caution Stroud said: “It’s just banter, we had banter together, do you know what I mean?” the court heard.
He also said: “I’ve done nothing wrong to her.”
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The new offence, under Section 4B of the Public Order Act 1986, covers intentional harassment directed at someone because of their sex, including where perpetrators target women and girls in public places, including streets, parks and public transport.
Stroud was also ordered to carry out 150 hours’ unpaid work and be fitted with an alcohol abstinence monitoring tag for 90 days.
District Judge Caroline Jackson also made a five-year restraining order against him for the stalking victim.
Olivia Rose, deputy chief Crown prosecutor and the Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS) lead on stalking, said she hopes the law and Stroud’s prosecution send a message to would-be offenders: “If you think you are going to get away with sex-based harassment because you consider it just to be friendly banter, it isn’t.
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“This is a serious offence and you will be prosecuted.
She added: “I want to send a message to victims, so they feel that they can come forward, because they will be taken seriously.”
Glen Esk Road, which links Ruswarp to Larpool Lane on the outskirts of Whitby, has been closed since August 2024.
However, despite assurances that works would start this year, North Yorkshire Council (NYC) has pushed back the repair date until next year.
The authority said it “aimed to deliver the works as soon as possible in 2027”.
Cllr Linda Wild. a member of Whitby Town Council, said she was “very disappointed on behalf of the people in Whitby”.
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Speaking at a meeting of the Scarborough and Whitby Area Committee last week, she said: “Danger Bank is the local name for the steep section of Glen Esk Road linking Whitby to Ruswarp.
“The road has been closed since August 2024 due to a major road slip and is causing local traffic to take annoying, longer alternative routes, thus causing congestion elsewhere.
“NYC indicate that they have been reviewing funding and as a result, major repairs to this road will take place later this year.
Glen Esk Road, Whitby. Google Maps
“Can NYC please confirm that funding is now in place and the necessary repairs to Danger Bank will be undertaken in 2026 to rectify this longstanding problem that causes great inconvenience to local traffic and all road users?”
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The chair of the committee, Cllr Liz Colling, read out a response on behalf of NYC which acknowledged that “design and funding were in place for the repair works to be carried out in 2026.
“However, following further extensive slippage over the winter period, the original design is no longer considered feasible and it cannot be amended in time to allow the works to proceed this year.
“An option to review is currently underway with a revised design to be developed this year with the aim of delivering the works as soon as possible in 2027.”
In February, a council spokesperson said: “We appreciate the inconvenience the closure is causing and are committed to reopening the road as soon as possible.”
The actress has been enjoying the sunshine on her first family trip with baby Georgie
Emmerdale star Isabel Hodgins enjoys time away as she celebrates her first family holiday with baby Georgie after leaving the ITV soap a few months ago.
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The actress left Emmerdale earlier this year as she went on maternity leave ready to welcome her first child with husband Adam Whitehead after the couple tied the knot in Manchester last year.
On February 11, the couple announced that their baby daughter had been born and they welcomed Georgie Grace Whitehead to the world in an adorable reveal on their Instagram.
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Since the birth, Isabel has kept her followers updated with her life as a first-time mum. Taking to her Instagram, Isabel quipped about her woes of packing before the family of three jetted off together from Manchester Airport.
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She said: “Not that anyone asked, but packing, stressful! Packing for a holiday, I thought it would be fine, but now I’m like, has this child used it once in the whole four months being on this Earth? Right, then she might need it.
“I’m not being funny, but she’s only got 15kg allowance, and then there’s packing for mum, stressful! I’m trying to be like, oh I’ve been so low maintenance on this holiday. It’s a family holiday, it’s fine, chill. I’m on a walk, running errands, but also neglecting everything that needs to be done at home.”
On Saturday (June 6), Isabel was all smiles as Georgie was in a pram at Manchester Airport departures as the family of three prepared to jet off on their holiday. In the next clip, Isabel had Georgie in her arms and sung “we’re going on a holiday”.
In another Instagram update, Isabel shared that they’re staying in sunny Cala d’Or which is situated on Mallorca’s southeast coast. The family-friendly resort is just an hour away from Palma and is known for its stunning architecture and pine-fringed scenery.
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Taking to her Instagram, the actress shared a carousel of snaps from their first family holiday together with baby Georgie. She penned: “Making memories with our favourite little travel buddy”.
The adorable pictures include the trio enjoying the pool, with Isabel donning a black one-piece and Georgie dressed up in a pink onesie with a matching hat.
Another snap shows Isabel giving Georgie a kiss, before Isabel showed some of her new holiday outfits as she posed with the stroller outside of their accommodation.
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Adam commented: “Our team” as Emmerdale co-star Eden Taylor-Draper added: “Sweetness”. It comes after Isabel revealed that her and Adam moved their wedding date forward so they could start a family earlier than planned.
She said: “A year ago today I find out I was pregnant. Deep down I always knew I wanted to be a mum and meeting Adam solidified that for me. So much so we cancelled our wedding that wasn’t until August this year because I didn’t want to wait that long to start our family.
“The journey of pregnancy, the excitement, the fear, the exhaustion and the beauty of feeling your baby moving and kicking…..I’ll never forget it. Being in labour, trusting my body to bring your baby into this world – wow what an experience. The hardest thing I have ever done.”
She concluded: “Now, I’m sat writing this with my four month old snoring on my chest and I feel like the luckiest woman in the world to have my daughter and everything that motherhood brings. The good, the hard, the yucky, the empowering, the blunders, the learning and above all else, the love.”
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Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX and YouTube from 7am.
The colon is about one and a half metres long and plays a vital role in moving waste through the body. In rare cases, it can become so stretched that it begins to lose its ability to work properly, like an elastic band that has lost its spring.
This is known as megacolon. Megacolon is not a single disease, but a term used to describe a colon that has become much wider than normal. The cause is important: some forms develop gradually, while others can become life-threatening within days.
One form of megacolon develops before birth. In Hirschsprung disease, some babies are born without the nerve cells that normally help the lower part of the colon push stool through the bowel. Stool becomes trapped and the section of bowel above the affected area begins to stretch.
Babies with Hirschsprung disease may fail to pass their first stool within the usual time after birth. They can also develop a swollen abdomen, vomiting, constipation or feeding difficulties.
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The condition cannot currently be prevented because it develops while the baby is in the womb. Treatment usually involves surgery to remove the section of bowel without the normal nerve supply.
Megacolon that develops later in life
Another form, known as acquired megacolon, develops later in life. Symptoms can include constipation, abdominal bloating and pain.
Chronic constipation, meaning constipation that persists over time, is common worldwide. It affects about one in ten adults on average, although estimates vary between countries and studies. The vast majority of people with constipation will never develop megacolon, however, which remains rare.
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The exact cause of acquired megacolon is still unclear. Research suggests that changes affecting the nerves and muscles of the bowel may interfere with the colon’s ability to move stool normally. Some medications and neurological conditions have also been linked to acquired megacolon, although most people taking these medicines or living with these conditions will never develop it.
Because the causes are not fully understood, there is no guaranteed way to prevent acquired megacolon. Treatment depends on the likely cause and the severity of the symptoms. Some people improve with dietary changes or medication. Others need specialist treatments, and surgery may be necessary in severe cases.
Ogilvie syndrome
A rapidly enlarged colon can also develop in people who are already seriously unwell. Acute colonic pseudo-obstruction, also known as Ogilvie syndrome, most often affects people in hospital after major surgery, infection, trauma or another serious illness.
The bowel appears to be blocked, although there is no physical obstruction. Instead, the colon stops moving its contents along effectively.
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The abdomen can swell quickly. This becomes dangerous if the colon stretches so much that it loses its blood supply or tears.
Doctors usually begin by treating the underlying trigger. They may correct dehydration or electrolyte imbalances, meaning abnormal levels of salts such as sodium or potassium in the blood. They may also stop medicines that slow the bowel and monitor the patient closely while the colon has a chance to recover.
If this does not work, doctors may use a medicine called neostigmine to stimulate the bowel. They may also need to relieve the pressure by removing trapped gas from the colon. This can involve inserting a tube into the bowel during an endoscopic procedure using a flexible camera.
Toxic megacolon: a medical emergency
Toxic megacolon occurs when severe inflammation causes the colon to widen rapidly and the person becomes seriously unwell.
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It is most often associated with ulcerative colitis, a form of inflammatory bowel disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the lining of the colon. Severe bowel infections can also cause toxic megacolon, including infections with Clostridioides difficile, usually known as C. diff.
Symptoms can include fever, a fast heartbeat, severe abdominal pain, bloody diarrhoea, dehydration and a swollen abdomen. The greatest concern is that the bowel could tear, allowing bacteria to spread into the abdomen and bloodstream.
Reducing the risk of toxic megacolon means treating the conditions that can cause it. For someone with inflammatory bowel disease, this includes seeking medical advice promptly if a flare-up worsens, particularly if they develop bloody diarrhoea, fever or abdominal swelling. Bowel infections also need prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
Once toxic megacolon develops, it requires urgent hospital care. Treatment may include fluids through a drip, close monitoring and medication to reduce inflammation or treat infection. If the colon does not improve quickly, or if there are signs that it may tear, surgery to remove the colon can be lifesaving.
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The different forms of megacolon have very different causes, but they share one important feature: the colon becomes enlarged and less able to do its job.
Because this can develop quickly, severe abdominal swelling should never be dismissed as “just constipation”, especially when it is accompanied by pain, fever, vomiting or bloody diarrhoea.
When the bowel stops working properly, early action matters. The sooner the warning signs are recognised, the better the chance of preventing a dangerous complication.
The second day of the sentencing hearing of 30 people involved in the Ely riots is due to begin. The violence began following the deaths of two teenage boys in an electric bike collision on May 22, 2023.
Around 150 people attended the riot which saw hours of violence and vandalism take place on the streets on and near Wilson Road in the west Cardiff suburb.
Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and Harvey Evans, 15, were killed while riding an electric bike through the streets in the area. The two young boys were involved in a fatal collision and were later pronounced dead at the scene. Stay in the know by making sure you’re receiving our daily newsletter
The mothers of the two teenagers attempted to run to their children, grief-stricken and in desperation, but their path was blocked by the police.
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Moments after the collision large crowds consisting of members of the close-knit community of Ely came out to witness the horror as it unfolded.
Shock and sadness quickly turned to distress and anger at how the police were handling the scene and as rumours circulated that the police were responsible for the death of Kyrees and Harvey who had previously been pursued by a police van.
During the first day of the sentencing hearing on Monday, the court heard statements from police officers about the day of the riot. Matthew Cobbe, prosecuting, read out the details of injuries suffered by police officers, including one who was set alight.
Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke ordered him to be taken to a cell.
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The court also heard about the involvement of Michaela Gonzales, 37, in the rioting. The court was told that the defendant threw a bottle at police before hiding behind a car.
Today, defendants Lee Robinson, Callum O’Sullivan, Asdon O’Dare and Kyle Telemaque are due to be sentenced this morning, and Harvey James, Jasmine Smith and Tyler Stapleton are due to be sentenced this afternoon.
See all the key updates from the day in court below and sign up to get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here:
Homelessness in the UK is reaching critical levels, with more than 380,000 people estimated to be without a home in England alone as of late 2025.
There is also a growing recognition that neurodivergent people are over-represented among homeless populations. But much of this comes from anecdotal reports from service providers or localised research projects looking at specific neurodivergences like autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
So, our new research explored why this may be so. Our findings demonstrate how neurodivergent people may face exclusion at various points throughout their social lives, education and employment. In turn, this can lead to increased financial hardship and a higher chance of homelessness.
As homelessness rises across the UK, public debate tends to focus on housing supply or personal responsibility. For example, housing and homelessness charity Shelter highlights the chronic shortage of social housing and an increasingly unaffordable private rented sector.
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We spoke at length with six neurodivergent people, from one local authority area, who had experienced homelessness or insecure housing. To structure the interviews, we asked participants to create a life map.
This is a visual timeline of important events that were meaningful to them, such as education, employment, becoming homeless, seeking support and diagnosis. We analysed the life maps and the participant accounts, identifying three central themes across their stories.
First, ambiguity around diagnosis often confused things and delayed or blocked access to support. Second, participants often seemed to have fallen through the gaps at critical points across their lives, where support should have been available. And third, once in crisis, navigating services was often experienced as inaccessible, slow and demoralising.
A lifetime of missed support
There were a number of points in our participants’ lives where support had been needed but was ultimately missed. This had knock-on effects on their ability to remain in education or employment. In turn, this created a lack of opportunities and affected financial security.
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For some participants, these challenges began in school. Most described being bullied – an experience that is unfortunately common for many neurodivergent children. Faced with a lack of support for the bullying, participants took their own action, by changing schools, moving areas, or even leaving school altogether.
Those who went on to higher education experienced a lack of specialist neurodivergent support, alongside challenges with living away from home for the first time. Some turned to alcohol in order to manage social anxiety.
Neurodivergent people may face unique pathways into homelessness. Travers Lewis/Shutterstock
Neurodivergent adults are known to experience significant employment gaps. Our participants also outlined numerous challenges to securing and keeping a job. One described being unable to find a placement for some work experience required to complete a qualification. They believed that this was due to stigma associated with their diagnosis.
For others, jobs that may be considered entry-level, such as customer service or retail jobs, presented unanticipated difficulties, including sensory overwhelm and social anxiety. UK employers are required by law to make changes to remove or reduce potential disadvantage faced by disabled employees, which are known as “reasonable adjustments”. But most participants reported a lack of these in practice.
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When our participants hit a crisis point and sought help for their housing needs, many experienced the services as confusing or unsupportive of their needs. Most described long waits for various supports and services, often in unsuitable, temporary accommodation.
Sensory and social challenges in these environments contributed to mental health deterioration. Long waiting lists to access therapy or diagnostic assessments also left participants feeling trapped and unable to move forward with their lives.
‘Society doesn’t care about you’
Respondents described patterns of persistent exclusion, starting in early life, that had paved the way to homelessness. Once in need of housing support, they found significant barriers to accessing services that had been designed by and for neurotypical people.
When offered temporary accommodation, in many cases this did not meet their neurodivergent needs. For example, most participants described being placed in busy, “chaotic” hostels that they were desperate to leave. In one case, a person with significant sensory sensitivities was living in shared temporary accommodation next-door to a nightclub which played loud music throughout the night, affecting their sleep.
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We also noticed that participants appeared to have internalised these experiences. For example, they blamed themselves and felt like “society doesn’t care about you”, as one described. This affected both their self-esteem and their engagement with services.
Many people may face similar circumstances yet do not necessarily find themselves homeless. For our participants, however, hardship was heightened by reduced social networks to fall back on during hard times. They described difficulties in maintaining regular contact with friends. They were sometimes rejected by their family and others, due to a lack of understanding of their differences.
The stories we heard were powerful and hard-hitting. They show the serious effects of exclusion which may build up over a person’s life.
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There were also many points at which early support or prevention could have been put into place, for example, in education, workplaces and when accessing health and social care. There are now a growing number of toolkits and guidance for services working with neurodivergent people facing homelessness.
Taken together, our findings show how neurodivergent people may face unique pathways into homelessness. It demonstrates why earlier, more joined-up inclusion and support is vital for prevention.
Parents have been sharing their shock over this morning’s incident at Co-op Academy Manchester.
Many became aware of the incident from posts on Facebook and received confirmation from the school shortly before 10.30am that everyone was safe and the incident had ‘been contained’.
One mum, whose son was already on his way home when she received the message, said:
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“This is all so scary. Parents found nothing out from school, it was all from Facebook. My child should be enjoying the last few days in school and not worrying and being in lockdown.”
Another said she went to collect her daughter from school and only received confirmation of what had happened once she’d got to the site.
Iran’s allocation of fan tickets for the group stage of the World Cup has been revoked just days before the start of the tournament, says the country’s football federation.
The World Cup, co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, begins on Thursday, with Iran scheduled to play New Zealand on 15 June and Belgium on 21 June – both in Los Angeles – before facing Egypt in Seattle on 26 June.
Iran’s governing body says Fifa regulations state each federation involved in the World Cup receives 8% of the tickets for each of their matches, to distribute to supporters.
It added that it had already begun selling tickets but can no longer provide them to fans, some of whom have already made travel arrangements.
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“Depriving Iranian supporters of access to their lawful and official allocation of tickets is an action contrary to the spirit of governing international competitions and the principle of equality among participating countries,” the FFIRI statement said.
“This development raises serious questions about the interference of non-sporting and political considerations in the organisation of the world’s biggest football event.”
The FFIRI also called on Fifa “to uphold the principles of neutrality, fairness, and established regulations”.
It was a huge shock. I honestly had no idea they were dangerous.
You see warnings on cigarette packets, and photos of people with lung cancer, but you never see a picture of a person with skin cancer in a tanning shop.
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It’s not just a lack of warning about the health risks.
Earlier this year, a BBC investigation found tanning companies spreading dangerous misinformation on social media about how sunbeds can actually be good for you; falsely claiming, for example, that doctors prescribe sunbeds for issues like seasonal depression and skin disorders.
I don’t want anyone to be convinced that sunbeds can be beneficial to our mental or physical health.
This is highly damaging misinformation, and it’s terrifying. I wish I hadn’t experienced the very real dangers of sunbeds first hand; but, as I learned that day with the nurse, I have.
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And I paid the price.
Everyone Katie knew used sunbeds (Picture: Katie McVeigh)
I didn’t even think of myself as an excessive user. I might have gone two or three times a week before a holiday or night out. But then I wouldn’t go again for months.
‘That’s still a form of sunbed abuse,’ the nurse told me. She likened it to binge drinking – avoiding booze all week and then getting drunk on a Saturday night.
I was only 16 when I went on a sunbed for the first time. Everyone I knew did it – my mum, aunts, cousins and friends.
My mum was going to the tanning shop and asked if I wanted to go with her. I had a three-minute tan that first time and afterwards I felt great – like I was glowing.
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I found out later that it’s actually illegal for tanning shops, beauty salons and other commercial premises in the UK to allow anyone under 18 to use a sunbed, but no one ever asked my age.
But I was hooked. I started tanning regularly. I’m very pale, with a lot of moles, so I felt like it gave my skin a base colour.
After giving birth Katie went back to the tanning shops (Picture: Katie McVeigh)
Everyone around me was doing it.
On the weekends, my friends and I would make a trip to our local salon. I rarely went alone – it was more of a social thing. If somebody else was going, I’d tag along.
I left school at 16 and went into hairdressing so there was a big focus on beauty. You got your hair done, you got your nails done and you got a tan.
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I grew up in Belfast, which is one of the UK’s sunbed hotspots – according to charity Melanoma Focus, 37% of adults in Belfast use sunbeds. It’s just the done thing.
By the time I turned 20 I fell pregnant with my daughter Connie, now four, and during my pregnancy I didn’t go near sunbeds. To me it felt like smoking or drinking while pregnant – it was just something I didn’t think it was right to do.
But after giving birth I went back to the tanning shops. It felt like a wee treat and a bit of ‘me time’.
In the chaos of being a first-time mum, I found it was also a lot quicker than getting my nails or hair done – it was easier to fit in around childcare.
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Learn more about skin cancer symptoms
The main symptoms of melanoma skin cancer can include a new mole, or a change to an existing mole. These can appear anywhere on the body.
Normal moles tend to be:
Small
Round
Smooth-edged
One colour
Unchanging
Melanomas can be:
Larger
Unevenly shaped
A mix of colours
Changing in appearance
Other signs of melanoma could include moles that are swollen, sore, bleeding, crusty or or itchy. You can learn more here.
The main symptom of non-melanoma skin cancer is a growth or unusual patch on the skin, which can vary in size, texture and colour. You can learn more here.
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Then, in the summer of 2022 I noticed a black mole growing on my right cheek.
I’m a fairly moley person so at first I wasn’t too worried, but then it started looking different to my other moles – it kept scabbing over, dropping off, then growing again. This went on for a couple of months.
I sent photos to my GP. They weren’t worried either but they referred me to a dermatologist just to be on the safe side.
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In September 2022 I had the mole removed at a dermatology clinic and sent away to be biopsied. It would take six weeks to get my results, and during that time I didn’t really think about it. There hadn’t been any red flags yet.
Finally, the clinic called me and invited me to go in for my results.
It was awkward to arrange childcare, so I asked them why I couldn’t get them over the phone.
They told me I needed to go in person and to bring someone with me. That’s when I first realised.
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One mole in particular started to look different to her other moles (Picture: Katie McVeigh)
Driving to the clinic, I started to feel anxious. The phone call had unsettled me, something didn’t feel right.
At first, they said it looked like Stage 2 Melanoma and referred me to the Ulster Hospital, in Belfast, to have a larger section of tissue on my face – where the mole had been – removed.
They couldn’t tell me what my face would look like afterwards or how big the scar would be, but by that time my priority was staying alive.
I knew things were more serious than I’d first thought.
I had the surgery in February 2023 and also woke up with a scar on my neck where an associated lymph node had been removed – to test to see if the cancer had spread.
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Waiting for the next set of resultsto find out if it had spread into my lymph nodes – six weeks felt like six years.
I was crying a lot, although of course I tried to hide my upset from Connie. I just told her mummy was poorly and needed to go to hospital to get better.
The results showed the melanoma had spread to my lymph nodes so it was upgraded to Stage 3 and I was referred to Belfast City Hospital’s Cancer Centre for MRI and CT scans to check it hadn’t spread anywhere else, which thankfully it hadn’t.
Katie is now cancer-free (Picture: Katie McVeigh)
That’s when it really began to sink in that I had cancer. People think if they get a bad mole it will just be removed and that’s that, but melanoma means cancer.
My family and friends were a huge support, and also helped keep Connie occupied and entertained.
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This month, I’ve come to the end of a year of targeted immunotherapy treatment, and I’m now cancer-free.
But it isn’t over – I’ll now have five years of monitoring scans every six months, to make sure the cancer doesn’t come back.
They will also do mole-mapping – it’s where I have to stand in my underwear and every single mole on my body is measured and photographed. They can then track any changes every time they check my moles.
My mum and other family members have stopped using sunbeds now. A lot of my friends have stopped too, but not all – people still think it won’t happen to them.
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Katie’s biggest fear now is not being around to see Connie grow up (Picture: Katie McVeigh)
That’s what I thought until it happened to me.
It’s not just sunbeds – getting sunburnt is another risk factor for developing skin cancer, and I remember getting burnt on family holidays as a child.
One year, as a 10-year-old, in Egypt was particularly bad – I remember my shoulders were so blistered that my mum applied Greek yoghurt from the hotel bar to cool our skin.
We always think our sunburns are just something we need to quickly recover from, and never consider the long-term effects.
And now, my biggest fear now is not being around to see Connie grow up.
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I’m a mum and she needs me. I’ve seen other people my age, with the same diagnosis, tragically pass away.
This is very real and skin cancer needs to be taken more seriously – as do the claims that some unscrupulous companies are putting in front of impressionable teenagers.
If I could travel back in time I’d tell my younger self that having a tan is just not worth it, and I would tell everyone else to look at everything you have – and not be tempted to play Russian roulette with your life.
As told to Jade Beecroft
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This article was originally published on February 11, 2026.
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