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Britain’s Got Talent crowned its 19th winner in last night’s grand finale.

After weeks of auditions and live shows, judges Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon, KSI and Amanda Holden saw the hopefuls narrowed down to 10.

This included singer Matty Juniosa, dance group LMA, magician Fabian Fox, and comedian Ted Hill.

But it was Jeremy Clarkson’s Hawkstone Farmers Choir who took home the win, emerging as the first-ever winning choir, taking home the £250,000 cash prize.

This also means that they’ve scored a coveted spot at the Royal Variety Show.

But what happens after that?What’s become of the 18 previous winners of the hit ITV show?

No need to look far – we’ve put together a list of past champions, as well as what they’ve been up to since their time on stage.

Series 18 – Harry Moulding

Magician Harry Moulding took home the win last year after an ambitious routine that began with a spot of skydiving.

In doing so, he successfully predicted each card the judges would pull out of a hat, leaving them stunned.

24 at the time of auditioning, he faced off against dance group The Blackouts in the live final.

‘I can’t believe what is going on,’ he said as he was crowned the winner.

‘Thank you, everyone, so much. I genuinely feel like everyone has been behind me. This has been the most incredible journey.’

Harry is still touring the UK, performing for a variety of audiences – including Prince William, who described his work as ‘truly amazing.’

Series 17 – Sydnie Christmas

After performing a show-stopping rendition of Over The Rainbow during 2024’s live final, a new star was born in Sydnie Christmas.

Once the show was over, she went on to release her debut album, titled My Way, which reached number one on the UK and US iTunes Pop Albums chart and number two on the overall UK iTunes Albums chart.

Last year, she revealed that she would be going back to school in spite of her successful album and £250k win.

‘It’s good to have something, just in case,’ she said with an air of humility.

Series 16 – Viggo Venn

In 2023, comedic clown Viggo Venn provided plenty of chaos.

To get laughs, he kept things simple in his first audition. He began by clapping and jumping around the stage to Daft Punk tune One More Time before removing a series of high-visibility vests. Just as the audience thought he was done – another one came off!

During his final performance, the comic had the judges in fits of laughter when he forced Simon to wear a matching hi-vis jacket as rose petals were thrown over the pair.

While his style of comedy divided the audience, he has remained busy with a tour in Australia and the USA, and the Norwegian star is currently back in the UK, hitting up theatres with his shenanigans.

He also dabbled in reality TV, taking part in The Traitors Norway. Although it was filmed before BGT, it wasn’t on screens until after his win.

Series 15 – Axel Blake

Comedian Axel Blake was laughing all the way to the bank after his win in 2022.

Since winning, Axel has continued to do what he does best – make people chuckle and create skits for his social media pages, lightly poking fun at everyone from conspiracy theorists to the ‘bad influence friend’.

He has continued to appear on TV in shows including Don’t Hate The Playaz, CBBC’s Saturday Mash-Up, and The Stand-Up Sketch Show.

Axel competed in America’s Got Talent: All Stars before being eliminated in the early stages and has also contributed to BGT Reacts, where famous faces have their say about auditions.

On top of his TV work, he has started a podcast called Like Father Like Fun, with his son, Nyron.

Series 14 – Jon Courtenay

Jon was the first Golden Buzzer act ever to win the series title, being sent through earlier in the series by Ant and Dec.

The pianist quickly won over the Geordie hosting duo with his original songs, which incorporated tales of his family life and his experiences travelling the world and utilised his humour.

After his win, Jon revealed he had secretly been fighting skin cancer, after finding odd-looking moles on his head. 

‘I know that BGT are making a TV show, and it’s almost a cliché now that people have these sob stories when they come on the show, and I didn’t want to be that,’ he shared on This Morning.

After surgery and immunotherapy, he was given the all-clear.

Soon after, the stand-up comedian and musician was finally able to go on tour with Bigger, which included a stop at the London Pavilion. He also managed to find time to write a book, Against The Odds: The Memoir Of A Weird Year.

Season 13 – Colin Thackery

Chelsea Pensioner Colin Thackery left us bawling with his audition, singing Wind Beneath My Wings.

He dedicated the heartfelt song to his late wife, Joan, and we just couldn’t hold in our tears.

After performing at the Royal Variety Performance in November 2019, he confessed he gave away his prize money to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, where he lives, as well as to his grandchildren.

A month later, he released his debut album Love Changes Everything and even toured the UK.

Season 12 – Lost Voice Guy (Lee Ridley)

In 2018, Lee Ridley had the audience howling with laughter with his extremely unique routine during the auditions, which eventually led to him becoming the first comedian to ever win the show.

As he lost his voice because of cerebral palsy at a young age, the comedian completed his many routines through an iPad app.

Where is he now? Lee performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and released a book jokingly titled I’m Only In It For The Parking.

Lost Voice Guy went on tour around the UK in 2019 and made the show available online.

Series 11 – Tokio Myers

After growing up in a ‘really rough estate’ in northwest London and watching his head teacher being stabbed, Tokio Myers used his experiences to create beautiful music.

The pianist wowed his way through to the finals, where he was crowned 2017’s winner.

After the series, he released his debut album Our Generation. He has also been releasing mesmerising covers and original music on his Instagram.

Series 10 – Richard JonesIn In

In 2016, former army officer Richard Jones took home the grand cash prize after impressing judges with his magic.

He became the first magician to win the show and scored his own one-off television show called Operation Magic.

Fans then flocked to his latest show, The Sound of Magic, on tour at venues across the UK until early this year.

Series 9 – Jules O’Dwyer & Matisse

‘Do you like dogs?’ Brad Pitt once said in Snatch.

‘We love dogs,’ Jules and her canine pal Matisse probably replied when they auditioned in series 9.

The winner and her dog, Matisse, received death threats after viewers found out their act included a second dog named Chase, because apparently, people take BGT a little too seriously.

A year after winning, the human-doggy duo performed live shows and were allowed to keep their title despite Ofcom ruling that viewers were deceived.

Series 8 – Collabro

In 2014, musical theatre act Collabro was crowned winners of the talent show.

They auditioned with Les Miserables’ Stars, which got them through.

The group has since released seven albums, five of which were done without band member Richard Hadfield, who decided to leave the group as he was ‘unhappy for a very long time’.

In 2019, they were seen and eliminated at the preliminaries of Britain’s Got Talent: Champions.

The boys also appeared in the American version of The Champions.

Series 7 – Attraction

The Hungarian shadow act was one of the more unique acts on the show, differing from the usual singing and dancing.

Attraction even divided viewers as they were the first foreign act to win the show in 2013.

The controversy obviously didn’t matter, as the group has since found themselves performing in Las Vegas and even appearing in Swinton Insurance advertisements.

Series 6 – Ashleigh and Pudsey

More dogs! Ashleigh and Pudsey won our hearts the moment they auditioned, showing off their impeccable routine.

As 2012’s champions, they performed at the Royal Variety Performance before Pudsey went on to star in a TV adaptation of Mr Stink.

That’s not all; the pair travelled the nation in theatre productions of it.

Pudsey was then the titular star of his own film – voiced by David Walliams – and made his reality show debut on ITV2’s Top Dog Model.

However, the nation’s beloved doggo passed away in 2017, and Ashleigh promised she’d continue performing with her other dog, Sully.

Series 5 – Jai McDowell

Jai McDowell, a singer, won the fifth series in 2011 but was dropped by Simon’s record label nine months after being signed, as his debut album didn’t do too well.

Ah, well, at least he got to support Gareth Gates on tour.

After two years as a member of the vocal group G4, Jai is now actively pursuing a solo career.

Series 4 – Spelbound

If Spelbound didn’t leave you spellbound, then nothing can sway you.

The acrobat group somersaulted, flipped, and twisted their way to the winner’s crown and even performed at the London 2012 Olympics closing ceremony and released their own DVD.

Members Elise Matthews, Georgia Lancaster, and Millie Spalding even won three consecutive world championships as a trio in acrobatic gymnastics.

After winning gold in 2016, they decided to retire.

Series 3 – Diversity

Well, it’s Diversity. They really speak for themselves.

The incredible dance group are extremely active to this day, with members appearing on many shows.

Individual stars of the group have become more famous than others, especially Dancing on Ice judge Ashley Banjo and Kiss FM presenters Jordan Banjo and Perri Kiely.

Series 2 – George Sampson

George Sampson impressed the judges the moment he auditioned and eased his way straight to the final, winning with his performance of Singin’ In The Rain.

The 2008 winner quickly made use of his newfound fame, starring in an online television show called Follow My Lead, offering fans behind-the-scenes access to his life, and releasing the single Get Up on the Dance Floor/Headz Up. In 2009, George and Simon amicably parted ways.

In 2011, he switched to acting and played Kyle Stack in the school drama Waterloo Road. He also appeared in Mount Pleasant and Emmerdale and joined the team for the hit musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, playing Dean.

He competed on Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions, which was eventually won by Twist & Pulse.

Series 1 – Paul Potts

Opera singer Paul Potts was the first-ever winner of Britain’s Got Talent in 2007.

Whew, how time flies.

Following that first season, Paul released his album One Chance and went on to release several more over the years.

He appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss his performance clip on YouTube and co-hosted the Australian talk show The Morning Show in 2009.

In September 2017, Paul won the 320th episode of the South Korean television music competition Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend, in a duet with Bae Da-hae. Four years ago, he competed on the Masked Singer Germany.

His incredible story of mobile phone salesman to singing superstar was told in a film named after his first album, with James Corden playing him and music written by Taylor Swift.

A version of this article was first published on June 2, 2024.

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As Swansea’s M&S Oxford Street store closed its doors for the final time on Saturday devastated customers paid one final visit to the store they’ve been coming to for decades.

The flagship Swansea store shut for good on May 30 after announcing it would close in February and hundreds stopped at the store to lay flowers, leave messages, take pictures, and have a quiet moment to themselves in scenes more akin to a funeral than a shop closure. For many the end of an era proved an emotional one, with some visibly crying.

You can read more here.

Family history can open unexpected doors, and for John Stafford it revealed a connection to two very different maritime figures – the world‑famous explorer Captain James Cook, and the lesser‑known but deeply heroic Redcar lifeboatman William Guy.

Cook’s exploits are well documented, but Guy’s story – and the new garment inspired by him – has rarely been told.

William Guy, a marine pilot and volunteer lifeboatman, died on Christmas Day in 1836 while serving as part of the crew that launched Redcar’s Zetland lifeboat during a fierce storm.

‘The launch’ of The Zetland, a painting by John Freeman. William Guy died while attempting to rescue a floundering Danish brig (Image: JOHN STAFFORD)

He drowned while attempting to rescue the crew of the Danish brig ‘Caroline’, which had run aground on Salt Scar rocks during the storm.

A gansey – a traditional fisherman’s jumper – has now been designed and made in his honour.

John Stafford, a distant relative of Mr Guy who helped bring the tribute to life, said: “Family history throws up a lot of surprises.

“Despite being born in the landlocked East Midlands I am proud to find that I have distant maritime links to both the explorer Captain James Cook, and the heroic lifeboatman William Guy.

“Cook’s story is well known but the story of William Guy less so. He, however, is the inspiration behind the unique Redcar ‘Guy’ gansey.”

William Guy was born in Redcar in 1795.

In 1818, he married Mary Wilson, and together they had five children.

A devoutly religious man, Mr Guy worked as a marine pilot and also volunteered as a lifeboatman.

On Christmas Day 1836, a violent storm swept the Danish brig Caroline towards the Salt Scar rocks off Redcar.

William Guy’s herosim was recognised by an RNLI Commendation certificate in 1995 (Image: JOHN STAFFORD)

As the vessel struggled in the raging sea, the decision was taken to launch the Zetland. The call went out for volunteers and William left his family in chapel to join the crew battling the gale‑force winds and towering waves.

As the bowman, he stood at the front of the Zetland lifeboat to throw a line to the stricken ship but was swept overboard by a massive wave.

The lifeboat and the rest of her exhausted crew were washed ashore, but William was drowned – the only member of the Redcar crew to die in the attempt.

His body was discovered 17 days later at Sandy Wyke in Staithes and buried in March 1837 at St Peter’s Church in Redcar.

His name is inscribed on the RNLI memorial outside its training centre in Poole.

The William Guy gansey honours the man who died attempting a rescue on Redcar’s ‘Zetland’ lifeboat (Image: JOHN STAFFORD)

The Zetland lifeboat, the oldest surviving lifeboat in the world, is now displayed at Redcar’s Zetland Lifeboat Museum.

Despite a variety of patterns arising from many of Britain’s seafaring towns and villages, including Cullercoats, Staithes, Whitby, Robin Hood’s Bay and Scarborough, Redcar appears to lack its own distinctive pattern.

Mr Stafford, having taken up knitting, set out to design a gansey in tribute to Mr Guy.

His early attempts proved too challenging – knitting a one-piece jumper in-the-round with complex patterns, gussets and shoulder straps to contend with proved too much for his amateur skills.

Sketches of original design ideas by John Stafford (Image: JOHN STAFFORD)

So, armed with a few design thoughts, he decided to seek the help of Deb Gillanders, who runs the annual Propagansey exhibition (www.propagansey.co.uk) and workshops at Robin Hood’s Bay.

Mr Stafford said: “Together we worked up the design, me throwing in ideas and Deb suggesting how they could be worked together to create a fitting tribute to William.”

The finished gansey incorporates anchors and hearts, with the anchors featuring a cross motif to reflect Mr Guy’s Christian faith, his steadfastness, and his maritime calling.

The hearts represent his love for the sea and his family.

Rope cables are included to signify his seafaring profession, while columns of ‘Z’s pay tribute to the Zetland lifeboat and the support fund established by the Earl of Zetland (Lord Dundas) for Mr Guy’s widow and children.

The William Guy gansey features anchors and hearts (Image: JOHN STAFFORD)

The gansey was completed earlier this year.

Mr Stafford said: “This fitting memorial, completed 190 years after Williams Guy’s death, stands as a tribute to his bravery and that of lifeboat crews volunteering around our shores.

“Redcar, at last, has its own distinctive Redcar ‘Guy’ gansey design.”

John Stafford wearing the gansey he desirned as a tribute to his distant relative, William Guy, who died carrying out a rescue in Redcar (Image: JOHN STAFFORD)

Ganseys are traditionally hand-knitted jumpers worn for generations by fishermen.

They feature complex patterns unique to families or locations, often representing elements of the maritime environment, and are made from fine natural yarns that provide warmth and some water resistance, while allowing freedom of movement.

Mr Guy’s story now lives on not only through the Zetland lifeboat but also in a pattern that will be forever associated with Redcar’s maritime history.

The gansey joins a long lineage of coastal designs, honouring the men who braved the sea to save others.

It serves as a reminder of both personal sacrifice and the enduring spirit of coastal communities.

WASHINGTON (AP) — An upcoming celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, “The Great American State Fair,” recently had several musical guests back out partly over the event’s ties to President Donald Trump. Now, Trump himself is slated to headline the festivities, the organizers said Saturday.

“I understand Artists are getting ‘the yips’ having to do with their performance,” Trump posted to his social media platform Truth Social Saturday, adding that he was thinking of bringing “the man who some say is the Greatest President in History (THE GOAT!), DONALD J. TRUMP, to take the place of these highly paid, Third Rate ‘Artists.’”

The group organizing the June fair on Washington’s National Mall, Freedom 250, confirmed the billing in a statement, writing, “we are excited to announce that President Trump will personally kick off this historic celebration on Wednesday, June 24.”

Trump’s social media post twice referenced him holding a rally “Wednesday,” without a specific date. The White House did not immediately clarify the discrepancy.

Danielle Alvarez, a spokesperson for Freedom 250, emphasized the broader fair that is scheduled from June 25 through July 10 includes an array of exhibits, family friendly attractions, musical performances, flyovers and more.

Trump was dismissive of the acts that backed out, suggesting in a follow-up post that the solution is to “Cancel it.”

“We should have a giant MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN RALLY, for 250, instead of having overpriced singers, who nobody wants to hear, whose music is boring, and yet who do nothing but complain,” Trump said on social media.

Freedom 250 is billed as nonpartisan, but was launched last year by Trump and is led by a former State Department appointee from Trump’s first term. Several artists, including Bret Michaels, the Commodores and Martina McBride dropped out last week.

Michaels and other artists have said that they were misled about the theme of the shows or were otherwise wary of being caught up in a political fight. McBride, in a statement on Instagram, said she had been “presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading.”

Other artists plan to attend, including Flo Rida, Fab Morvan of Milli Vanilli and Vanilla Ice. The latter’s representative previously said that the “Ice Ice Baby” rapper was “proud to help celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary!”

___

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report.

We’re being treated to yet another full moon this month with the arrival of today’s blue moon.

The blue moon, deceptively not named after its colour, will rise today and peak at around 9.45am – so if you’re hoping to catch a glimpse, there’s no time for lie-ins.

Earlier in the month, stargazers took to social media to share pictures of the flower moon rising above rooftops and trees across the UK.

What made this year’s flower moon special was that it was a micromoon, meaning it appeared slightly smaller and dimmer than usual in the sky.

Today’s full moon is equally as special because it’s both a rare blue moon and a micromoon. You can learn more about why blue moons get their name and how you might be able to see one today right here.

What is a blue moon?

A blue moon is the name given to the 13th full moon within a calendar year.

As explained by Royal Museums Greenwich, each of the 12 phases of the moon takes roughly 29.5 days to complete, totalling 354 days for all cycles – just under the total number of days in a year.

As a result, we sometimes see a 13th full moon, named a blue moon because it doesn’t fit in with the regular naming conventions of full moons (wolf moon, flower moon, harvest moon, et cetera).

There are two other definitions for the blue moon.

The first relates to the astronomical seasons, the periods between equinoxes and solstices. Ordinarily, there are three full moons per season, but a blue moon is the third full moon of four full moons within one astronomical season.

The second is thought to have started as a mistake but became popularised through the Trivial Pursuit Board game and radio shows. This simple definition explains blue moons as the second full moon in any calendar month with two full moons, like this month.

How often do blue moons happen?

Blue moons occur roughly every two to three years. The last blue moon took place on August 19, 2024, and, after today, the next blue moon will happen on May 20, 2027.

You can sometimes experience two blue moons within one year. We saw this in 2018, one of which was a lunar eclipse, and we’re expecting to see two more in 2037 – don’t forget to mark it in your calendar!

Will the blue moon be visible?

The blue moon will reach its peak around 9.45am today.

The Met Office has predicted showers for today as the weather cools following a record-breaking heatwave felt across the entirety of the United Kingdom.

With today’s blue moon also being a micromoon, you may struggle to see it, particularly if you’re in an area expecting lots of rain. However, we still think it’s worth a check if you’re awake early enough.

When is the next full moon in the UK?

If you do miss today’s blue moon, there will fortunately be plenty more full moons coming your way, including:

• The strawberry moon on June 30
• The buck moon on July 29
• The sturgeon moon on August 28
• The harvest moon on September 26
• The hunter’s moon on October 26
• The beaver moon on November 24
• The cold moon on December 24

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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People turned out at Palace Green from 10am this morning, eagerly anticipating the march.

The Green was awash with colour, happiness and smiles, as this year marked Pride’s biggest-ever event.

Durham Pride 2026 (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

This year’s event carried added significance following Durham County Council’s decision to withdraw funding.

In response, trade unions have stepped in to reaffirm their long‑standing alliance with the LGBT+ community, raising more than £15,500 to cover the shortfall.

Come 11am the march got underway, with trade unions, political parties, MPs, activists and musical performers all joining the walk.

The vibrant parade, which once again celebrated love, diversity and inclusion, headed down through Owengate and into Saddler Street.

Durham Pride 2026 (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

The procession moved into the Market Place before continuing along Claypath and looping via Providence Row and Freemans Place to reach The Sands.

Hundreds of people lined the streets of Durham to show their support and solidarity.

Many also gathered to watch the huge numbers of floats, banners and performers go past.

On arrival at The Sands, which was packed with people, food stalls, rides and a stage, County Durham drag queen Tess Tickle got the party started.

There were speeches from the Mayor of Durham Cllr Gary Hutchinson, who said there was “nowhere else today I’d rather be”.

Mayor of Durham Cllr Gary Hutchinson (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

He added: “This is the most colourful and happiest event I have attended as Mayor. Pride is a message of inclusivity and respect.”

City of Durham MP Mary Kelly Foy also made a speech.

The Labour MP said: “We know Pride began as a protest and at its heartbeat is that constant insistence that every single person deserves dignity, safety and joy.

Mary Kelly Foy (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

“In Durham, we don’t just march, we weave a tapestry of stories.

“We honour our LGBTQ+ elders who paved the way, we cheer for the young people who are writing the next chapter and we stand with those who can’t be visible yet and promise to keep a place at the table warm for them.”

The celebrations truly started after the speeches, with performances from the likes of Gareth Gates, Bradley from S Club and Claire Richards, as the thousands in attendance partied and rejoiced at the biggest-ever Durham Pride event.

The development also includes land to extend the local primary school.

More than 250 homes are set to be built in a Cambridgeshire village after a Peterborough-based homebuilder acquired land in the area. Allison Homes Central is set to build a total of 265 new homes off Eyebury Road in the village of Eye.

The development, which will be called Colliers Rest, will feature 185 open market sale homes and 80 affordable homes. There will be a mix of two, three, four, and five bedroom properties with “spacious, contemporary interiors and stylish exteriors”.

The development will also consist of over three hectares of public open space with play areas and allotments on the site. There will be some land for an extension to Eye CofE Primary School as well as works carried out to improve pedestrian and cycle paths on Thorney Road and Eyebury Road.

Over £1.3 million worth of contributions will be made to support local infrastructure. Work on the site is set to start before the end of May with show homes set to open in early spring next year.

Sophie Kendal, Land and Partnerships Director at Allison Homes Central, said: “We’re incredibly proud to have secured land in Eye and to be bringing our brand-new, high-quality homes to the area.

“We’ve put a lot of care into the design of our Colliers Rest development, ensuring future residents are provided with a wide variety of homes and a sustainable community that promotes their health, wellbeing and happiness.

“This milestone is a great testament to the hard work of our team. We’re now looking forward to working closely with our partners and stakeholders to bring Colliers Rest to life and deliver these new homes to a standard we can all be proud of.”

Other Allison Homes Central developments are being built in Thorney, Somersham, and Whittlesey. Another development in Sawtry is set to be launched in the coming months.

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Kim Lam, from Aberdeen, was young, fit and healthy and working in London in 2015 when her life was turned upside down by lung disease.

A woman has told how she hopes a double lung transplant will give her a second chance at life.

Kim Lam was young, fit and healthy until three months after she moved to London in 2015 to take up her dream job.

Instead of enjoying her favourite salsa classes, she was left breathless just climbing the stairs.

At 28, doctors told Kim she had black lungs and the lung function of a 60-year-old smoker – even though she doesn’t smoke.

Tests revealed Kim is one of 1.2million people in the UK with COPD – chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The debilitating condition forced the marketing executive to quit her job and move back to Scotland.

Kim, now 39, successfully made it on to the transplant list last year.

And ahead of World Transplant Day on Saturday Kim has told how new lungs will transform her life,

Kim, who is originally from ­Edinburgh but lives in Aberdeen, said: “When I’m going to get the operation is a big unknown because you can’t dictate when a pair of lungs are going to come in and be a match.

“But where I had been hesitant about having new lungs before, now I embrace it.

“For the last 10 years, I’ve been really struggling to breathe normally, and if I have new lungs, I’ll be able to do activities I’ve wanted to for a very long time. It would be so liberating.

“I’ll be able to walk at a pace that is similar to everybody else, I could do sports and go up hills and maybe even climb Munros—who knows?”

“I’ll have to be cautious and careful because it’s not like you get the transplant and then it’s a walk in the park. You’re severely immunocompromised.

“But I think it’s better to be hopeful and optimistic than overly scared or fearful because why not?”

People ­typically diagnosed with COPD include smokers, the elderly or those with ­inherited genes. So when Kim showed symptoms, it baffled doctors.

Kim’s health then took another turn for the worse in 2024. She said: “I was in and out hospital over eight months because I’d lost a lot of weight, or I’d got an infection. It took a long time to recover. I seemed to just take two steps forward and ten steps back.

“I had oxygen instability, carbon dioxide retention where your body ­­cannot remove carbon dioxide through exhalation and it can lead to a dangerous build up in the bloodstream. I was also put on supplemental oxygen. Then I had to wear another invasive ventilator to help my lungs do their job better.

“I couldn’t even walk from the bedroom to the bathroom, I was just so deathly ill. It was a really scary thought because I didn’t know if I was going to get better or was that it?”

Her health problems led her to lose 10kg and become severely underweight.

Gaining weight was essential and doctors fitted Kim with a feeding tube.

She said: “They gave me a feeding tube up in the nose and down the throat, and it was really uncomfortable but I didn’t have any choice. It took time to get my head around the fact that I was needing a lung transplant.

“But eventually, I saw it as a blessing and a potential second chance of life. Now I’ve got really good at living in the present and not thinking too far ahead.”

Kim, a new member of Asthma + Lung UK Scotland’s patient panel, helping to guide the charity’s policies said she first had an introductory meeting with lung transplant specialists six years ago.

At the time, however, she wasn’t ready to commit to the risky operation.

Kim recalled: “Then 2024 happened and I had no other choice, really.

“My consultant, friends, family were all worried I wasn’t going to be here any more. He did such a fantastic job of getting me on the list and making it happen as soon as possible.

“But I had work to do as to get on the list, you need to qualify. They obviously want you to be as healthy as possible to survive the operation.”

Kim now gives talks about her experience and uses her online and social media presence to raise awareness of chronic illness through her website lungevity.co.uk.

Joseph Carter, Head of Asthma + Lung UK Scotland said: “Having followed Kim’s journey for a number of years, we’re delighted that she has been added to the waiting list for a lung transplant.”

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When Senegalese farmer Abou Sow first watched U.S. missiles strike Iran on social media, he had a sinking feeling it would soon affect agriculture in the West African nation. Since the war began on Feb. 28, fertilizer prices have risen by 40%.

Sow was better prepared than most. Eight years ago, he gave up chemical fertilizers for organic compost and other natural sources. He now rallies farmers in Senegal to buy manure from local herders and gives advice on how to make a rich compost, picking out wriggling worms – a healthy sign.

“We can’t afford to wait for a ceasefire,” Sow said. “It’s risky to depend on chemical fertilizers.” Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz has affected the supply of natural gas, essential for making chemical fertilizer, as well as global shipping.

The Gulf region produces 30% of globally traded chemical fertilizer, according to the International Food Policy Research Institute, and global prices have increased by 50%, according to the World Bank’s fertilizer price index.

“The clock is ticking very hard,” said Maximo Torero, chief economist at the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization, as concerns grow about food security.

Experts say a shift away from chemical fertilizer could have wider benefits, as its production and usage create significant greenhouse gas emissions, the main driver of climate change.

Natural fertilizers, by contrast, can sequester carbon in the soil and create fewer problems like runoff that can pollute waterways.

“It’s good for the planet because you’re weaning food production off fossil fuels,” said Susan Chomba, member of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems, a think tank.

In Senegal, some are grateful for sheep manure

Senegal annually imports 125,000 tons of fertilizer. The minister of agriculture, Mabouba Diagne, has said the state sourced enough chemical fertilizer for the current season, but farmers said it is increasingly difficult to find.

Farmer Aliou Fall blamed U.S. President Donald Trump for the soaring fertilizer costs. “He brings war to the world and he doesn’t even think about it. Now farmers are suffering,” Fall said.

Annually, Sow applies six tons of compost instead. He said he is fortunate to be near a town where manure is plentiful because residents rear sheep for religious holidays.

In rural areas and remote fields, however, it is challenging to source and transport large quantities of manure, and Sow fears that some people will abandon their fields in this difficult time.

One alternative is the industry in biofertilizers, products containing bacteria and other microorganisms to help plants absorb nitrogen, a crucial nutrient for growth, from the air and soil. A growing number of companies in Africa make industrial quantities of compost with municipal waste, decomposing food waste into fertilizer.

Senegal’s government announced in April it would subsidize and distribute 30,000 tons of organic fertilizer products to help farmers. Sow said that’s not enough.

Governments around the world spend $700 billion annually on agricultural subsidies according to the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development, with a large share spent on providing chemical fertilizer. Chomba said that makes alternatives more expensive and less competitive.

“You’re incentivizing the wrong sort of products,” she said.

In Brazil, the biofertilizers sector is growing

Brazil is a leading exporter of soybeans, coffee, sugarcane, beef and poultry. But the nation imports over 80% of its fertilizer, said Joana Colussi, assistant professor of agricultural economics at Purdue University.

The price of fertilizer has increased by 50% since the Iran war began, according to Luis Barbieri, founder of the Folio Institute, a Brazilian organization that connects farmers, scientists and researchers.

“Whenever we have a war, farmers’ use of biofertilizers is turbocharged,” Barbieri said.

Despite the widespread adoption of chemical fertilizers in Brazil in the 1970s, they are less effective in the tropical climate because high rainfall and high temperatures cause runoff.

The biofertilizer sector grew 15% in Brazil from 2023 to 2024, according to the state-run Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, Embrapa. And patent laws mean that farmers can make their own biofertilizers at much lower cost.

In Mexico, however, very little progress has been made due to government subsidies promoting chemical fertilizer use and a lack of funding for alternatives, said Gerardo Noriega, a research professor at the Autonomous University of Chapingo and one of the country’s leading advocates for organic fertilizers.

But he suggested the current crisis “may force (farmers) to adopt organic fertilizers more quickly than they had imagined.”

In India, the prime minister encourages natural farming

In India’s southern Indian state of Telangana, Manohara Chari has been making jivamrita, a potent mix of cow dung, urine, flour, soil and sugar to replace the chemical fertilizer he used to apply.

“We do not depend on companies,” said Chari, one of 1.7 million farmers in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states who have shifted to natural farming, which embraces natural fertilizers, integrates livestock waste and plants a diversity of crops to improve soil health.

Farmers and experts say the Iran war and chemical fertilizer shortage make the approach more attractive. On May 10, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a “national mission” to adopt natural farming and cut fertilizer use by 50%.

India imports 60% of its fertilizer from the Gulf. The government has rushed to source supplies and subsidized it to keep prices low, at significant expense to the state.

“There’s certainly been more interest this year in natural farming, especially after the Middle East conflict began,” said G.V. Ramanjaneyulu, agricultural scientist at the Center for Sustainable Agriculture. Some farmers have dedicated part of their land to assess the approach.

The switch requires additional labor, and farmers face a transition period. Chari said the government could help instead of subsidizing chemical fertilizers: “If even a fraction of that support is given to natural farmers, more people will shift towards it.”

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Arasu reported from Bengaluru, India, and Sanchez from Mexico. Mauricio Savarese in São Paulo, Brazil contributed.

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