It was painful to hear her words. She really didn’t believe I could be happy.
‘You’re not a lesbian, if you were, I would know’, she added, and over the following weeks there were more comments like this, as she continued to pressure me to just move past what she assumed was a phase.
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I’m glad I didn’t listen to her, because 45 years later, at 75, I’m still very much a lesbian and I’ve been with my partner Linda for over three decades.
The last thing I am is lonely, and while my mother is no longer with us, my relationship with her wasn’t scarred by this moment.
I had married my ex-husband in 1976, and we had been friends before getting together. It wasn’t an easy marriage – we were trying to have a baby and had to go down the route of IVF.
It took 12 weeks from the end of my marriage to come out, and that’s when I finally started to feel freer (Picture: LGBT Foundation)
That ruptured our relationship, and unfortunately, ending us felt right.
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I thought I was heterosexual my entire life and had only been with men, but before my ex-husband and I married, I remember saying to him that I would like to have felt what being with a woman was like. We ignored it, and I never scratched that itch.
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When I left my husband I walked away from a whole social network too – meaning I didn’t get to have any conversation with anyone else about how they felt about my sexuality.
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I moved out of the world I shared with him and entered a whole new, giddy and totally absorbing world full of lesbians.
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Luckily, I managed to maintain a relationship with my mother, and while she didn’t understand my life completely, she loved me endlessly.
After she unleashed all those daggers, stabbing me with her words one after another – telling me what a terrible mistake I made – we sat in silence. She understood in that moment how much she hurt me, and we started to mend our relationship straight away.
It took a few years to get back to where we were – we both stumbled at various times, but we became close again soon enough.
I locked eyes with her and said: I’m in the phone book, call me’ (Picture: LGBT Foundation)
However, coming out in the 80’s wasn’t an easy decision to make, and there were a few things on the line for me like my career as a teacher, which I felt I had to give up due to discrimination.
I wasn’t sure what my future held, but I was still determined to make it work.
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Then, I met Linda.
When we first met, we instantly hit it off.
We were at a party, stood in the kitchen, talking about music, and I just knew then that there was something between us.
Initially, I didn’t do anything, but after finding out Linda was interested in me, when standing outside a nightclub one night, I locked eyes with her and said: I’m in the phone book, call me’.
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Mum thought I would be lonely, and then she was cracking jokes with my new girlfriend (Picture: LGBT Foundation)
Since then, my life hasn’t been the same.
I had just turned 40 when we started dating in 1991 and things moved quickly.
In an unexpected turn of events, I even introduced Linda to my mum and they got on brilliantly.
Mum thought I would be lonely, and then she was cracking jokes with my new girlfriend.
At one point she even said: ‘I have to say, I’ve never seen you so happy’.
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Up until she passed, she remained close to Linda and myself, accepting and loving us both.
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In 1994, Linda and I moved to Manchester for my job and haven’t looked back since. We still live in the house we moved into when we got here, and we wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.
It was in the late 90s that I started volunteering at what was then known as the Lesbian and Gay Foundation (now the LGBT Foundation), and signed up to a counsellor training course to become a therapist, and couples counsellor.
Linda and I have a great relationship and we do this by staying committed to each other’s happiness and care (Picture: Gemma Taylor)
In 2007, Linda and I had a civil partnership and she became my wife. It was a beautiful day – we had around 80 family and friends come together to celebrate us, in a townhouse just outside of Manchester.
My mum came to our civil ceremony and, although she had started to become ill around that time, she still managed to flirt with some of our lesbian friends.
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In 2009, mum died and my world crumbled. But I’m glad she got to see me happy, and got to see that I could never be lonely.
Now, 35 years on, Linda and I have a great relationship and we do this by staying committed to each other’s happiness and care.
And importantly – lots of cuddles.
Looking back at what my mum said to me when I came out, I felt sad at first. But we grew from that moment, and became stronger.
The British Army is rejecting more than 200 applicants every day – despite failing to hit recruitment targets every year since 2010.
Almost 74,000 applicants were rejected by the army in 2024-25, up 20,000 on the previous year.
More than 32,000 were rejected on medical grounds, for conditions including psoriasis, diabetes or a serious food allergy, while 360 were rejected for having tattoos or piercings.
Meanwhile, 22,000 were rejected from Commonwealth countries due to a rule limiting foreign recruits to 1,350 per year.
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The figure for annual recruitment targets is estimated to be around 11,000, the number needed to replace troops leaving the armed forces.
The shortage comes as Russian threats towards the UK intensify, following revelations that British drones were used in attacks by Ukraine.
The size of the British Army is at its smallest since the Napoleonic era, with just 75,000 full-time trained soldiers.
In the 2023-24 financial year, the army failed to reach its target of 10,450 troops by nearly 4,000.
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The British Army is rejecting more than 200 applicants every day. (File image of UK troops training in Romania)
The government’s strategic defence review, published in June last year, advised increasing personnel to 76,000 when funding is possible.
Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge said Britain requires a government ‘willing to commit to funding more recruits right now’.
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He also accused the Labour Party of kicking the plans for higher personnel numbers ‘into the long grass’.
‘With Russia ramping up its threats every day, Labour needs to be growing the armed forces and strengthening our deterrence,’ he added.
Applicants are still being rejected for tattoos and piercings, despite the army relaxing its rules on tattoos more than 10 years ago.
Tattoos on the head and face are still considered ‘unacceptable’, while ink portraying ‘sex acts, violence or illegal drugs’ and piercings which ‘change the way you look’ are also not allowed.
A senior adviser to Vladimir Putin warned that the ‘highest levels of the Russian government’ were considering a ‘hybrid attack’, such as sabotage or arson, rather than an ‘outright military strike’ that would unleash a response from Nato.
Among the Kremlin’s targets is a drone factory owned by a British-Ukrainian firm, Ukrspecsystems.
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On Saturday night, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said: ‘The reckless rhetoric and attempts at intimidation we have seen from the Kremlin in recent weeks reflects the weakness of Putin’s position and we will not be intimidated.
‘This has been a bad year for Putin. The front line has barely moved. Russian casualties continue to mount. The Russian people are paying a heavy price for Putin’s war.
‘It is also in our national interest that Putin’s aggression must not be rewarded. The Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and I are working together to mobilise support for Ukraine ahead of winter.’
The Daily Mail has contacted the Ministry of Defence for comment.
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British Army is rejecting 200 would-be applicants every single day – despite failing to hit recruitment targets every year since 2010
The Met Office has issued yet another yellow weather warning for Wales as the end of the summer holidays comes to a very wet and stormy end.
The thunderstorm warning, covering the whole of the country on Sunday, is the latest in a series of weather warnings issued by forecasters which have disrupted the August bank holiday weekend for many.
Some local events organised for the last bank holiday of what has been a very dry and warm summer were cancelled on Saturday due to the severe weather with flash flooding seen in parts of Bridgend where water poured through the roof of a McDonald’s restaurant.
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The latest warning covers the whole of the country from midday on Sunday until 11.59pm with the Met Office warning the public to expect heavy and thundery showers, frequent lightning, and gusty winds. Full details here.
Swansea look set to seal another signing before Tuesday’s deadline
13:03, 30 Aug 2026Updated 13:03, 30 Aug 2026
Swansea City are close to sealing a move for Huddersfield Town midfielder Tom Iorpenda.
The highly-rated 21-year-old enjoyed a largely successful spell on loan at League Two side Notts County last season, where he made 53 appearances for the Magpies as they eased their way to promotion.
He now looks set to make the step up to the Championship, with Swansea close to sealing a move ahead of Tuesday night’s deadline.
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It’s been suggested the Swans will pay an initial £750,000, with around £250,000 in add-ons.
Should a move be completed, he would become the ninth new arrival of what’s been a busy summer, and will also add further depth to City’s midfield options.
The departure of Ethan Galbraith to Stoke City, and the return of Malick Yalcouye to parent club Brighton and Hove Albion, meant a central option in the middle was a key priority for Vitor Matos this summer.
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Having previously missed out on Andre Almeida and Ousseynou Fall Seck, the club recently moved to tie down Stephen Eustaquio in an eye-catching move from FC Porto.
They have now moved to further strengthen their hand, in a move that will further boost the feel-good factor around the club, which has of course been buoyed further by a strong start to the season.
Swansea’s 3-0 demolition of Derby County on Saturday was their second away win of the campaign, and leaves them with seven points from their opening three games.
There could yet be more arrivals through the door. Another centre-back could potentially be in the mix, despite the recent arrival of Sunderland’s Jenson Seelt on loan.
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Departures may well be on the cards too.
Questions are still hanging over the futures of Florian Bianchini and Zeidane Inoussa, neither of whom were involved at the weekend.
Despite weeks of speculation, however, there’s a growing feeling that star striker Zan Vipotnik is now likely to stay.
Emergency services were called to Swan Lane Mills on Saturday, August 29, after the man was seen on scaffolding surrounding the building.
Video from the scene showed fire crews outside the mill with an aerial ladder platform deployed.
The incident attracted a crowd of onlookers, with one witness telling The Bolton News at the time that the man appeared to be “dancing away” on the scaffolding.
Greater Manchester Police has now confirmed that the man was brought down safely.
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A GMP spokesperson said: “This looks to be mental health related.
“The man was on scaffolding but safely brought down.”
Fire crews had attended the scene while efforts were made to bring the man down from the structure.
The former cotton mill was once recognised as the largest cotton spinning mill in the world and remains one of the borough’s prominent surviving industrial buildings.
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The site has been surrounded by scaffolding while work has been taking place at the historic complex.
JERUSALEM (AP) — Iran’s supreme leader on Sunday called on leaders of Muslim countries to stand together against Israel and the United States, imploring them to “know your real enemy.”
The U.S. news network NBC said a team of its journalists was attacked by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, while a British activist was set to appear in an Israeli court after Israeli settlers seized him and turned him over to police. Also Sunday, an Israeli airstrike on central Gaza killed at least two Palestinians, including a three-year-old boy, hospital authorities said.
Here’s a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and the wider Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.
Iran’s Supreme Leader urges regional unity against US and Israel
Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, issued a plea for Muslim cooperation and unity in a letter to religious leaders from Islamic countries attending a conference in Tehran, Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported, urging cooperation and unity between them.
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He called the U.S. and Israel enemies of all Islamic nations.
“My enduring and repeating advice to rulers of Islamic nations,” he wrote, “is to know your real enemy, understand its plans and confront it.”
Khamenei still has not been seen publicly since his father and other senior leaders were killed in the war’s opening strikes on Feb. 28, when the U.S. and Israel attacked.
He has routinely opposed U.S. military presence in neighboring nations. The war has exposed deep divisions in the Muslim world after Iran struck targets in neighboring Gulf Arab countries during the fighting and restricted movement through the Strait of Hormuz.
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NBC says crew attacked by settlers in West Bank
Settlers attacked an NBC crew in the central West Bank Saturday, as they were interviewing a Palestinian woman who said she’d been driven out of her house by settlers, the network said.
NBC’s American correspondent Matt Bradley, two other crew members and the woman they were interviewing were all treated for injuries sustained during the attack, NBC said. There were no further details on their injuries.
The assault was caught on video and shared by NBC, with footage showing masked settlers approaching the crew with sticks and beating the crew’s vehicles.
Israel’s military said it was “aware of reports of Palestinian injuries, including a Palestinian woman who sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was evacuated by the Red Crescent for medical treatment.” It did not comment on the attack on the NBC crew.
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It was the latest in a growing wave of violence by West Bank settlers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a rare condemnation of the violence on Saturday. The Israeli leader has come under heavy U.S. criticism for the settler attacks.
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Settlers seized British activist and held him locked in shed, lawyer says
Israeli settlers seized a British activist from a Palestinian village in the West Bank and locked him in a shed before turning him over to police, his lawyer said Sunday.
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The lawyer, Inbar Shaked Vardi, said settlers held her client, Finn Joughin, for half an hour Saturday before turning him over to Israeli police. Joughin was set to appear before a Jerusalem court later Sunday, she said.
Video showed two settlers, one armed, restraining Joughin and marching him away from the village.
It was not immediately clear what led to his capture. Settlers say he assaulted a child, accusations Vardi vehemently denied.
Settlers point to a video where the activist uses his body in an apparent attempt to block a settler boy from passing through a fence. Vardi said the video shows he was trying to protect the village.
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Police said they were investigating and holding Joughin in custody on suspicion of committing an indecent act against a minor.
Israeli strike kills 2 Palestinian in Gaza, including a 3-year-old
The strike hit a group of people in the western part of the city of Deir al-Balah, killing the child and a man Israel’s military said was a Hamas operative.
In a statement after the strike, the military identified the man as Hassam Osama Hussein Nasir. It said he had “posed an immediate threat,” without providing evidence.
The strike left an additional Palestinian wounded, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the casualties.
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The deaths were the latest among Palestinians in Gaza since a fragile October ceasefire deal attempted to halt more than two years of war between Israel and Hamas. Gaza’s Health Ministry says Israeli fire has killed at least 1,318 Palestinians since the October truce.
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AP reporter Samy Magdy contributed from Cairo. AP reporter Natalie Melzer contributed from Nahariya, Israel.
Robert Guanco died and six other people were injured in the tragic incident.
Joe Smith, Olivia Beeson, Berk Uyal, Ethan Blackshaw and John-Paul Clark Reporter
12:05, 30 Aug 2026Updated 12:06, 30 Aug 2026
The man who was killed after a wooden sign fell onto people at the Big Church Festival has been named.
Robert Guanco, 41, died and six people were injured after the huge sign reading ‘Everything’s Unmissable’ toppled at the Christian gathering in West Sussex on Friday afternoon.
Four of the injured were taken to hospital but no more information is available on their condition at this stage, reports the Mirror.
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The pastor was described as a “faithful servant of God” by the Jesus the Living Water Church he served in Eastbourne.
One bystander explained how he and his wife were walking just a few paces behind when the sign came crashing down. They joined around 50 other people to lift it off those trapped underneath.
The organisers cancelled the festival, which was scheduled to run until Sunday, following the tragedy.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally, said she was “sad and shocked” and offered prayers for Mr Guanco’s family, those injured and others affected.
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Andy Ollerton was walking “just a few paces” behind “when a huge overhead sign came crashing down on the people in front of us”.
The theologian and author explained on Instagram: “We rushed with others to lift the sign off them and then administered first aid with others as best we could until the paramedics arrived but tragically, one of those people, we’ve now heard, lost his life.
“So, we’re absolutely reeling, devastated, as you can imagine, and in a bit of shock as well. I am sure many others who witnessed it were too.”
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Mr Ollerton said many people would have questions about the incident, adding: “Why did this happen? Why did this happen at human level?
He said the crowds remained calm and respectful while BCF took “decisive action in difficult circumstances”. Festivalgoers were first alerted to the incident when God TV announced that its livestream had been paused due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
South East Coast Ambulance Service were called out just after 3.30pm and treated six people at the scene.
A spokesman said: “Four of those patients were taken to a local hospital for further treatment, including two patients with more serious injuries and two patients with less serious injuries. Our thoughts are with the family of the man who sadly lost his life, and with everyone affected by this tragic incident.”
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Boat carrying more than 260 people capsizes off northern Cyrprus
An operation is underway after a boat carrying more than 260 people capsized off the coast of northern Cyprus on Sunday.
Local media reported that the vessel was traveling from the port of Kyrenia, also known as Girne, in the breakaway north of ethnically divided Cyprus, to the Turkish port of Tasucu in Mersin province.
Redheads Mac N Cheese, which has become a firm favourite with food lovers in Newcastle after establishing itself at the city’s iconic Grainger Market, has brought its famous cheesy creations to Bramham Park for the festival.
The Newcastle business has become a familiar face at festivals across the country, but Leeds Festival remains one of the biggest dates in its summer calendar.
Redheads Mac N Cheese (Image: Charlie Watson)
And festivalgoers have been turning out in their thousands to get their hands on the North East favourite, with queues stretching for hours at the Redheads stand.
The team said the demand this year has been particularly impressive, with one queue lasting nine hours.
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“It’s been absolutely mad – we’ve had a queue lasting nine hours!” the Redheads team said.
“This is our sixth year in the main arena and it’s always one of the highlights of our summer. We love coming back and seeing so many familiar faces, especially our regular customers from the North East.
Redheads Mac N Cheese (Image: Charlie Watson)
“Some of our Geordie customers even pack their loyalty cards and bring them all the way to Leeds with them, which always makes us smile.
“But it’s not just our hometown crowd anymore. Every year we see more and more people from Yorkshire becoming Redheads regulars, and it’s brilliant to see our Mac n Cheese getting so much love over here.”
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For the team, Leeds Festival isn’t just about serving food – it’s also an opportunity to soak up the atmosphere while some of the biggest names in music perform just metres away.
“We absolutely love coming back every year,” they added. “There’s such a great vibe, and we get to watch some incredible acts while we’re serving.
“Not many people can say they’ve been serving Mac n Cheese while Fontaines D.C is performing just a stone’s throw away!”
Redheads has become a staple of Newcastle’s food scene, with its Grainger Market roots helping it build a loyal following across the North East.
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For hungry festivalgoers, it seems a trip to Leeds Festival isn’t complete without a taste of the North East’s cheesy favourite.
The 48-year-old male pedestrian was hit by the car on Linlithgow’s Main Street.
A man has died after a hit and run in the early hours of this morning in Linlithgow.
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The 48-year-old male pedestrian was struck by a grey Renault Clio on the town’s Main Street at around 12.20am on Sunday morning, August 30.
Emergency crews scrambled to the scene but sadly the man could not be saved and was pronounced dead by medics. His next of kin have been made aware.
Police Scotland has launched a desperate appeal to trace the occupants of the Clio.
Inspector Thomas Mallinson said: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the man who has died.
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“We are carrying out extensive enquiries to establish the full circumstances of this crash and trace the occupants of the car.
“We are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed what happened to contact police.
“In addition, anyone with dash-cam footage from around the time of the incident is asked to get in touch as this may be able to assist our investigation.
“Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland via 101, quoting reference 0078 of 30 August, 2026.”
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