“Our story began with a leap of faith and we hope it continues to inspire others to take theirs”

When Deirdre Kelly and Christine Swail decided to make a “leap of faith” to go out on their own over 25 years ago, they could never have imagined they would found one of NI’s longest-established HR consultancies.

Started in a spare room a quarter of a century ago, Deridre and Christine hope their business’s story inspires others dreaming of starting their own to take the risk and follow their ambitions.

People Management Solutions, with locations in Belfast and Dungannon, began with a “simple but powerful belief” that SMEs deserved better, more personal and more commercially minded HR support.

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Reflecting on 25 years in business, Deirdre said: “Looking back to those early days, we questioned our sanity more than once.

“We walked away from secure senior HR roles on a Friday with no confirmed work for the Monday. But we had belief, drive and a clear vision: to offer SMEs the HR expertise they needed, delivered by specialists who truly understood their business.”

From Christine’s spare room in Belfast, the consultancy quickly grew, expanding beyond greater Belfast and into Co Tyrone. The company responded to the needs of organisations with 10 to 200 employees who lacked in-house HR but needed expert guidance.

Today, People Management Solutions is a trusted partner across manufacturing, IT, food, hospitality, professional services and the public sector, known for its “hands-on approach, deep expertise and unwavering commitment to doing things the right way”.

The company works with some of the biggest names in Northern Ireland, including Danske Bank, LIDL and Translink, but also a number of thriving small businesses such as Loud Mouth media, Go Pig or Go Home and Millbrook Lodge.

Christine credits the company’s longevity to the complementary strengths of Deirdre and herself.

She explained: “One of us is cautious and meticulous, the other a natural networker and optimist.

“These strengths coupled with determination, honesty and a commitment to doing the work ourselves has been the foundation of our success.

“Our personal approach has been our unique selling point and remains at the heart of our business today.”

From starting from square one on a Monday morning to being awarded CIPD HR Consultancy of the Year, Deirdre and Christine are incredibly proud to mark 25 years of supporting employers, strengthening workplaces and helping organisations thrive.

“Twenty-five years on, we still love what we do,” Deirdre added.

“We took the risk; we adapted when we needed to and we never looked back. Our story began with a leap of faith and we hope it continues to inspire others to take theirs.”

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Two British men, Hamza Iqbal, 20, and Rehan Khan, 19, from Leyton, east London; and a 17-year-old boy, of dual British-Pakistani nationality, from Walthamstow; are each charged with one count of arson being reckless as to whether life would be endangered and were remanded in custody earlier this month.

The Kinahan international crime syndicate was alleged to have been involved in the smuggling of drugs and guns into Ireland, the UK and Europe.

Daniel Kinahan’s arrest is the latest stage in a lengthy law enforcement operation which has spanned continents. The alleged crime boss has previously been named in the High Court in Dublin as a head of an international drug cartel.

Born in 1977 in Dublin, he is the eldest son of Christy Kinahan, alleged to be the founder of his family’s criminal operation. In 2015, the Kinahan cartel became involved in a feud with the rival Hutch crime gang in Ireland, which was to claim the lives of 18 people.

David Byrne, an associate of the Kinahan cartel, was shot dead by members of the Hutch gang at a boxing weigh-in in 2016. Gardai have always believed the intended target was Daniel Kinahan.

After that, Kinahan left Ireland, first to go to the Costa Del Sol and later settling in Dubai. He was identified in the High Court in Dublin as a senior figure who “controlled and managed” the operations of the Kinahan organised crime group.

The international crime syndicate was alleged to have been involved in the smuggling of drugs and guns into Ireland, the UK and Europe. Kinahan drew further scrutiny when it was revealed he played a role in organising an aborted heavyweight fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.

Kinahan claimed to have stepped away from boxing after the controversy that followed. In 2022, US authorities issued a reward of up to $5 million for his arrest.

The US Treasury department imposed sanctions against senior members of the Kinahan crime gang, including Christy Kinahan Snr and his sons Daniel and Christopher Jnr. While Kinahan left Ireland years ago, the investigation by gardai continued.

They recently secured a warrant for his arrest in the High Court in Dublin. This was sent to the Dubai police as part of a bilateral agreement.

Officers there launched “intensive search and surveillance operations”, which led to Kinahan’s arrest this week. A spokesperson said: “Dubai Public Prosecution issued an arrest warrant to initiate legal procedures ahead of his extradition.”

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A prisoner in Wrexham who was jailed for seriously injuring a baby could lose a testicle after he was brutally attacked by four inmates. Qasim Afzal was set upon in his cell at HMP Berwyn while the attackers filmed the beating they inflicted upon him.

Caernarfon Crown Court heard the attack was so severe one of the victim’s testicles had “died” and may have to be surgically removed.

In February 2024 the pre-planned attack was carried out by the inmates because Afzal had attacked and injured a four-month-old baby, Judge Timothy Petts said.

On Friday, April 17, Zayn Abu-Manahim, 30, of HMP Berwyn, Zaheer Hussain, 28, of HMP Berwyn, Farhar Khan, 29, of HMP Oakwood, and Russell Lloyd, 34, of HMP Berwyn, were sentenced after admitting causing grievous bodily harm without intent.

Oliver King, prosecuting, told the court the defendants entered the victim’s cell and then kicked and punched him. “He had no escape,” said Mr King.

Abu-Manahim filmed the attack on a mobile phone. Don’t miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here.

The court heard Abu-Manahim had 53 convictions for 85 offences including battery, ABH, attempted robbery, possession of a weapon, robbery, affray, and assaulting an emergency worker.

Hussain had 16 convictions for 33 offences including battery, assault, wounding with intent, and possession of a blade.

Lloyd had 21 convictions for 39 offences including robbery and attempted robbery, ABH, battery, and making threats to kill. Khan had four convictions for 12 drug-related offences.

Gareth Morley, representing Abu-Manahim, said there had been a long delay bringing the case to court and said his client had played a different role in filming the incident as no violence was attributed to him.

Euros Jones, for Hussain, said he was 20 years old when he entered custody and was now 28. He told the court the defendant’s 71-year-old mother was in poor health. He said he had completed a programme on committing violent offences and wanted to move on.

John Wyn Williams, representing Russell, said he had been in custody for seven years and used his time to improve himself. He added that he was a father to three children with whom he had regular contact.

Buntry Bantra, defending Khan, said there had been a long delay in the case coming to court and said he had no convictions for violence. He detailed how in custody he had completed numerous courses to improve himself and he said he was being bullied in HMP Berwyn and had instructed a solicitor to get him moved.

During sentencing Judge Petts said: “It is clear the four of you went into his cell, that this was planned, and there was a plan to film it and share it on WhatsApp.

“This was clearly planned as a punishment to him and serve as an example to others.”

Judge Petts said the victim had been made aware of the attack. “He didn’t know when but somebody had given him an improvised weapon to try and defend himself”.

The judge said he didn’t see the filming as any less culpable than the attacking.

He described the injuries as “severe”. He added: “The most serious came from a stamp to his right testicle, which has effectively died and is likely to need surgical removal.”

Judge Petts sentenced the four to a further two and a half years in prison, consecutive to their current sentences, which will result in delays to their earliest release dates and time on licence when released.

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Sir Keir said: “We welcome the announcement that was made during our meeting, but we need to make sure that that is both lasting and a workable proposal and, if anything, it reinforces the need for the work that we’ve been doing this afternoon, because we’re very clear that the mission that we’re putting together is a defensive mission, and that comes after a ceasefire.”

The Blue Trail offers a bold and refreshing vision of ageing – one driven by agency, quiet defiance and profound transformation. Set against the awe-inspiring landscapes of north-west Brazil, the film weaves together dystopian sci-fi with a striking “coming-of-old-age” journey, redefining what it means to grow older.

The film follows 77-year-old Tereza (Denise Weinberg). She lives in a chilling near-future where a totalitarian regime forcibly removes anyone over 75, relocating them to remote colonies without consultation or consent.

Faced with this looming threat of unwanted exclusion and invisibility, Tereza refuses to comply. Instead, she embarks on a surreal journey along the Amazon river to chase one final dream before she is “put out to pasture”.

On her picturesque journey through the Amazon, Tereza meets Cadu (Rodrigo Santoro), an enigmatic boat navigator with shady origins, and Ludemir (Adanilo), a fickle pilot with a clouded sense of judgment. Most importantly, however, she meets Roberta (Miriam Socarras), a secretly atheist preacher who sells Bibles. Roberta is older than Tereza, and brings an exciting and alluring sense of hope and freedom to her otherwise oppressive reality.

The two women connect in a powerfully intimate way, sharing new experiences and arriving at unexpected revelations. Together, they embody an almost Thelma and Louise-like bond. The Blue Trail is a thoroughly original story, in which two older women are capable of newness, independence and transformation against all odds.

Interrogating ageism

Amid its dystopian backdrop, the film reveals moments of astonishing beauty through its fantastical visual language – drifting between surreal, dreamlike images of the Amazon’s waterways, northern Brazilian river towns and striking urban jungles.

The collision of water and land, as well as jungle and urban environments, serve as powerful visual expressions of the story’s underlying tensions. Tereza’s character experiences her greatest sense of escape and liberation when she is at one with nature.

The film also lingers on stunning close-ups of animals, their presence quietly echoing Tereza’s journey in unexpected ways. Most notably, the fictional blue drool snail serves as a driving force in the plot. Often dismissed as slow and unassuming, the snail is reimagined in director Gabriel Mascaro’s world as a creature capable of profound and unexpected things.

At its core, the film serves as a critique of ageist assumptions, imagining an Orwellian future where today’s stereotypes calcify into authoritarian policy. In this world, the supposed logic of care mutates into control, unsettlingly blurring the line between protection and punishment.

We see Tereza subjected to a series of legal and social infantilisations. She is ordered to rest, despite having no desire or need to do so. She must obtain her daughter’s consent for everyday tasks like booking travel or buying lunch. She is forced to wear adult nappies despite being fully continent. These humiliations reveal the harm in treating old age as a singular, generalised state.

In this way, the film powerfully exemplifies the influential claim made by anti-ageist activist Margaret Gullette that we are “aged by culture”. It exposes how the acceptance of reductionist attitudes towards ageing can materialise as harmful, systemic ageist practices.

Despite these harsh realities, Mascaro constructs a character who commands our admiration rather than our pity. This creative choice feels particularly significant in a cultural landscape where older people are too often framed as weak, dependent, or diminished in capacity.

Tereza is presented as both physically and mentally capable – strong-willed, perceptive, and open to the possibility of a different future. Her age never defines the limits of her identity.

Instead, her quick wit becomes a subtle-yet-entertaining form of resistance, particularly when she turns ageist assumptions about incontinence back on those who impose them, gaining the upper hand in the process. These moments also offer brief light-hearted relief within the film’s broader narrative.

A final striking element of Mascaro’s film is his use of lingering close-ups on Tereza’s face. These moments showcase an intimacy rarely afforded to ageing women’s bodies on the big screen.

Through both characterisation and visual style, The Blue Trail quietly but powerfully resists the notion of ageing as taboo, and challenges the cultural tendency to overlook or erase older people altogether.

The One Show presenter Alex Jones shared an emotional tribute after a devastating death.

Tonight’s The One Show saw Alex Jones pay tribute to a BBC star at the close of the programme.

Presenters Alex Jones and JB Gill were joined on the sofa by guests Ross Kemp, Jessie Ware and Kiell Smith-Bynoe.

As the show drew to a close, they took a moment to honour Andy Kershaw, who has passed away at the age of 66.

The former BBC Radio 1 DJ and Live Aid presenter died on Thursday evening, as confirmed by his family. It had been revealed in January that Kershaw had been diagnosed with cancer and had lost the ability to walk.

After the news of his death, his sister Liz, who also forged a career in broadcasting, posted on X: “Thank you for all your messages of affection for our Andrew and kindness today. I’ve lost my best friend.”

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Bringing tonight’s The One Show to an end, Alex said: “Before we go, we wanted to take a moment to mention today’s sad news that DJ Andy Kershaw has died,” reports the Mirror.

“He was best known for Radio 1 and Live Aid, and also presented a number of films for The One Show in the past.

“Our thoughts, of course, go out to his family and friends.”

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Earlier in tonight’s programme, Alex was left holding her head in her hands and exclaiming ‘I can’t cope’ following a misunderstanding.

The Welsh presenter had been quizzing Ross about his EastEnders comeback, as he returns to his role as Grant Mitchell.

The game show host will be reuniting with Steve McFadden as the Mitchell brothers come together for a moving storyline centred around dementia.

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However, Alex mistakenly fumbled her words, confusing ‘Mitchell’ with ‘Michelin’, the famous tyre company whose mascot is a large stack of tyres.

She started: “Grant is coming back! This is the first time the Michelin…”

Recognising her error, Alex buried her face in her hands, exclaiming: “I can’t cope,” while Ross quipped: “I’m not that big, am I?”

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“I can still get in the same leather jacket I got in 35 years ago,” he chuckled.

She continued: “The Mitchell siblings! I don’t know what I was thinking!”

Discussing his comeback, Ross went on to describe the “rollercoaster” he experienced during filming, transitioning from an emotional scene “sobbing your heart out” to a more cheerful moment.

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Addressing the ongoing dementia storyline centred on another character, Ross added: “It was a real honour to be asked to be a part of all the work they’ve done for the last 17 months, and Steve, in particular, I have to say, thank you, because he is a wonderful actor.

“He’s been there for 35 years, Steve and I joined a long, long time ago, and if he didn’t open the door for me, I couldn’t do anything, and he is one of the most giving and one of the most talented actors I’ve ever worked with.”

The One Show airs weeknights at 7pm on BBC One and iPlayer.

The readout, which took the form of an email sent by Sir Keir’s Principal Private Secretary Dan York-Smith on Wednesday, also said: “There is some discretion for departments to proceed with clearance and the FCDO had exercised it in this case, granting Mandelson vetting clearance.

‘Mr Starmer is right to be furious but it must be a moment of reckoning for the Prime Minister – he needs to toughen up and learn from this’

He needs a firmer grip

Keir Starmer admits he made a serious mistake making Peter Mandelson US ambassador. But what matters just as much is he was not given the full facts.

Being kept in the dark about security vetting concerns being raised and then overruled by the Foreign Office points to a troubling breakdown at the heart of government.

He is right to be furious. But it must be a moment of reckoning for the Prime Minister. Mr Starmer needs to learn from this, toughen up and impose a far tighter grip on how decisions are taken in his name.

No leader can afford to be shielded from critical information or left exposed by those around them. Authority must be asserted – clearly, consistently and without hesitation.

As global tensions flared during the Iran conflict, Britain saw the value of steady leadership. Mr Starmer refused to be dragged into war, demonstrating a calm, measured approach when it mattered most. Now he must bring that same steel to his own ranks.

Canine crisis

We cannot ignore the horror unfolding in Britain’s homes.

Three fatal dog attacks in a single week is no coincidence. It is a crisis unfolding before our eyes. Deaths tripled in a year, with thousands more injured. This is no longer rare; it is a serious and growing public safety threat.

Ministers must act. Tougher enforcement is not cruelty to animals, it is basic protection for people. Sympathy alone is not enough; reckless owners must face real consequences. Without decisive action, more families will suffer, and more warnings will come too late.

Spiteful splash

A wedding day should be about brides in white dresses, not someone seeing red and turning them black. The paint attack on Gemma Monk by her sister-in-law was petty revenge at its ugliest.

Family feuds are one thing, but this crossed a line. No bride should have her big day splashed with spite.