She has gone on to secure a dream job

A little over four years ago, Yulia Davydenko was running her own online business, an independent tea shop she marketed on social media.

With a young son, she was smart and ambitious, with high hopes for the future. Then war broke out.

Based in Kyiv, Ukraine, when the Russian invasion began in February 2022, Yulia fled for the Romanian border with her son, before securing a visa and making her way to Northern Ireland.

READ MORE: ‘If that was my partner, I’d be gone,’ nurse tells woman after husband’s dementia diagnosis at 39READ MORE: ‘I’m living with MS and face judgement and assumptions every day’

“At first we stayed with the family of a friend, before I found an apartment to rent,” recalls the 39-year-old. “I didn’t expect to be here for long. I thought it would be a month or two, and then we’d go back home.”

But as the months rolled on, Yulia took steps to improve her set-up in Northern Ireland.

“When I arrived, my English was very basic,” she says. “I put a lot of effort into learning the language, and enrolled in some courses, hoping I could find a pathway back to a career I loved.”

Then last year, after signing up for the Belfast Digital Skills and Employability Programme, an initiative run through Belfast Met, that longed-for pathway opened up for Yulia.

Launched in 2023 with sponsorship from Bank of America, the programme runs a series of Digital Skills Academies designed to open doors to further training and fulfilling careers for underrepresented groups.

So far, 18 of 30 planned courses have been completed, covering areas from digital marketing and data analytics to media production and software development, giving expert training and support to participants from a range of backgrounds including women returning to work, neurodiverse learners, new arrivals to the city and people not currently in education or training.

Yulia completed a Digital Marketing course in September 2025, one delivered in partnership with Women in Business.

“Before I started the course, I was feeling quite stuck,” she says. “I thought I might never find a job here that I really loved, and after enjoying what I did so much in Ukraine, that was disheartening.

“But I met so many incredible women through the Digital Skills Academy, all of them with amazing stories to tell, and I came away not just with a qualification as a Digital Marketing Specialist, but very inspired and much more confident for the future.

“As well as the essential digital skills we were trained in, they taught us how to present our CVs, how to prepare ourselves for interview, and how to back ourselves enough to really put ourselves out there.”

After an eight-week course, where Yulia made a long list of connections from classmates to industry insiders, she secured a job earlier this year with Belfast-based creative digital marketing agency Yellow Zest.

“My boss has actually been involved in the programme, although we didn’t cross paths directly during my course,” says Yulia. “It’s great because she obviously understands the value of the programme, and what its learners have to offer.

“Sometimes it can feel difficult to break into a network when you’re a little bit on the outside, whether that’s because you’re not originally from the place where you live, you’re a woman who’s been away from the workplace for a while, or any other reason.

“What the programme gave me was a sense of connection with women from all sorts of backgrounds. We’re able to share experiences, advise one another and access this big community. As lonely as it can feel sometimes, it’s comforting to know others have been in the same boat.

“The impact has been great for me and my son – who strangely, for me, speaks with a Northern Irish accent! It’s put opportunities in front of me and given me the confidence to pursue them. Having employment and all these connections has helped me so much, and I really appreciate this opportunity to build my career here.”

Advertisement

Juliana Germinio, Founder at Yellow Zest, said: “Yulia has been a fantastic addition to the team, and we’re delighted to have her. I’ve been involved directly with the Belfast Digital Skills and Employability Programme and not only is it playing an important role in opening doors and creating opportunities for its learners, from an employer’s perspective, it’s supporting a pipeline of new talent.

“People are coming out with a solid grounding in the digital skills which businesses are crying out for, as well as a strong industry contacts, confidence and a drive to progress.”

Diana Atchison, Belfast Met’s CDIT Project Manager, added: “We love to hear about the success of our alumni, and Yulia is a wonderful example of how the programme can make an impact – supporting progress and opening doors to further opportunities for our learners.”

To find out more about the Belfast Digital Skills and Employability Programme, visit https://www.belfastmet.ac.uk/support-for-business/digitalskills.

Want to see more of the stories you love from Belfast Live? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives, top stories and must-read content straight away. To add Belfast Live as a preferred source, simply click here.

Motability users are facing a range of changes that could affect how they can use their vehicles

The Motability Scheme is set to introduce substantial changes this July which could potentially impact how users operate their vehicles. However, four key provisions will remain unchanged during the overhaul.

The rule modifications have been prompted by a VAT and Insurance Premium Tax adjustment that will be implemented for new leases from 1 July 2026. To offset the additional costs this will place on the scheme, the organisation stated it must introduce significant alterations to “keep the scheme sustainable”. This will impact mileage charges, tyre replacements and EU breakdown cover.

The Motability Scheme has confirmed which provisions won’t be affected by the July restructure, stating: “We stay committed to offering an all-inclusive package that gives you confidence and peace of mind.”

Things that will remain part of the Motability Scheme:

• Insurance for up to three drivers
• Servicing and maintenance
• Breakdown cover
• Dedicated support from our team

People who currently hold a lease with the Motability Scheme will also remain unaffected by the rule modifications. The changes will only be applicable to new applications submitted on or after 1 July 2026.

Motability users who receive their allowance from Social Security Scotland may also experience different impacts compared to users in England or Wales.

People leasing vehicles after 1 July will encounter new provisions regarding their driving limits and the protection available in the event of breakdowns.

Mileage

Currently, Motability users can accumulate 20,000 miles before an excess charge of 5p per mile is applied. The updated regulations will cut this to an average yearly mileage allowance of 10,000 before incurring a charge of 25p per mile including standard rate VAT.

For those on a three-year lease, this means they will have 30,000 miles before the charge is triggered, while Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles will receive a total allowance of 50,000 miles across their five-year lease.

Customers will be required to pay for any additional miles driven beyond their allowance at the conclusion of their lease.

Overseas travel and breakdown

Those travelling abroad with their Motability vehicle will now require a VE103 certificate prior to heading overseas, confirming permission to take the vehicle outside of the UK.

The certificate will set customers back £22 for new orders placed on or after 1 July and remains valid for 12 months, covering all trips within that period.

Motability also highlighted that fewer than 1% of customers made use of breakdown cover abroad in 2025.

Tyre replacement

Those placing orders on or after 1 July will find that the number of tyres that can be replaced through the Scheme has been reduced. The official guidance states: “Tyre replacement is still included as part of your lease, as long as it’s within fair use.”

Under the revised rules, a customer on a three-year lease will be entitled to replace up to six tyres, with up to four of these permitted for damage-related replacements. Those with a five-year lease will be entitled to replace up to 10 tyres, six of which can be for damage.

This amendment is designed to reflect users’ requirements, as the typical Motability customer replaces just two tyres per lease during a three-year period. The decreased mileage allowances may also potentially lessen the need for additional tyre replacements.

Andrew Miller, CEO of Motability Operations, said: “The scheme is not just about fixing the here and now, it’s about fixing and maintaining us for many, many years to come.

“We totally understand and recognise these are quite impactful changes for some of you.”

Sabastian Sawe made history at the London Marathon by becoming the first athlete to run a sub-two-hour marathon in a competitive race.

The 30-year-old Kenyan crossed the line to win in one hour 59 minutes 30 seconds, more than one minute faster than the late Kelvin Kiptum’s previous record of 2:00:35, set in 2023.

The great Eliud Kipchoge became the first man to run a marathon in under two hours in 2019, but that was not record-eligible as it was held under controlled conditions.

Already on world record pace as he crossed the halfway mark in 1:00:29, Sawe was able to speed up over the second half of the race to run even faster than Kipchoge’s time.

Sawe made his decisive move before the final 10km, with only debutant Yomif Kejelcha able to cover his surge off the front.

Remarkably, Kejelcha became the second man to run under two hours in race conditions, finishing runner-up in 1:59:41.

Half marathon world record holder Jacob Kiplimo also crossed the line faster than Kiptum’s former record, completing the podium in 2:00:28.

Sawe, speaking on BBC TV, said: “I am feeling good. I am so happy. It is a day to remember for me.”

“We started the race well. Approaching finishing the race, I was feeling strong. Finally reaching the finish line, I saw the time, and I was so excited.”

The former Strictly Come Dancing stars opened up about their relationship journey.

Strictly’s Aljaz Škorjanec and Janette Manrara have opened up about living and working together.

Former Strictly Come Dancing star Aljaz Škorjanec paid a sweet tribute to his wife and dance partner Janette Manrara as the couple discussed their work-life balance.

Speaking on Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh, the gardening expert asked Aljaz whether it helps in dancing when you love your partner.

Offering a sweet response, the professional dancer shared: “I feel it can only help. I think dancing in itself is sort of an expression of whatever feeling is going through your head.

“I feel like I have been lucky and blessed to dance with some incredible dancers over the years, but it never feels as special with anybody as it does with Janette.”

Aljaz has often spoken about how he practically had to “beg” Janette to go on a date with him, as she did not reciprocate his feelings straight away.

Advertisement

Janette explained on the show: “We met at Dance Attic, it’s an old dance studio in London.

“I was rehearsing for a show called Burn the Floor, which we both took part in for many years, and Aljaz came in to audition.

“I remember everyone in the room was a bit like ‘Oh, who is this guy stepping in?’ I was not interested.

“We were friends for a year before we actually started dating and he tried for a year.”

Janette and Aljaz got married in July 2017 and in July 2023 their first child, a daughter called Lyra, was born.

During their chat, the pair spoke to Titchmarsh about life as parents as they mentioned their daughter’s progress.

It Takes Two star Janette said: “She is in our lives now, she’s taken over. She’s two and a half now and I cannot believe how fast she has grown.

“You blink and they really do grow up.” On balancing presenting with being a mum, she said: “I love it, I think motherhood has become my favourite job in the world.

“I’m so grateful we were fortunate enough to have her, it was a tricky road to get to her and when she came to us it was the biggest dream come true to become parents.”

The couple have previously opened up about how they struggled to conceive and their decision to start trying IVF.

Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh airs on ITV on Sunday mornings from 9.30am

A village near Glastonbury has been renamed ‘Banksy-ville’ – where the elusive artist owns a pub and locals call him Dave.

The artist’s identity was the subject of fresh speculation after an investigation from Reuters found he had changed his name from Robin Gunningham to David Jones.

But locals in Pilton, Somerset, say he is well known to many as the main benefactor behind the village pub’s major restoration.

And they claim the founder of Glastonbury, Michael Eavis, and Chris Martin from Coldplay have also been involved in the refurbishment.

The Crown Pilton Pub, just a stone’s throw away from Glastonbury Festival’s Worthy Farm site, has been the subject of intense speculation after £1,000,000 was spent sprucing it up in 2022.

Its current landlords, Owain Powell and Rowena Draper, took on running of the boozer a year earlier.

But neighbours to the site say it has been bankrolled by a celebrity trio, with Banksy at the heart of it.

One neighbour, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said: ‘Oh, Banksy owns it. We call him Dave. He owns it secretly with Michael Eavis and Chris Martin from Coldplay. They stay unnamed.

‘I would know, my son worked there. Owain’s actually the manager. It used to be a scruffy pub, sold soup before the festival, but then it had that investment, and now it’s a listed building.’

One cabbie from the village said he has also picked Banksy up in his cab on a number of occasions.

He added: ‘Rumour has it Banksy owns that pub. My friends tell me they reckon Banksy’s one of the guys I drive around sometimes, they know the guy’s wife.

‘They say they’re going to ask her one day, but that’s pointless, even if it was they won’t say.’

With history dating back to the 17th century, the pub overlooks Pilton village, whose population of 1100 people is often bolstered by 250,000 festivalgoers.

One staff member remained tight-lipped and said the local speculation was just rumours.

‘It’s a vicious rumour,’ he said. ‘I own it, and I’m not Banksy! It’s good for business, though, it brings people in.’

Another local resident said they believed Banksy must’ve been involved in the village’s investment.

He added: ‘I reckon he’s involved with Michael Eavis’s investment. Eavis has put loads into Pilton, it’s great, he needs to for the festival.

‘You can tell because it gets stuff that other places don’t – there’s a pothole just outside the pub, it’ll get fixed before anywhere else.’

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

For more stories like this, check our news page.

MORE: Prankster goes extra mile to swap English road signs with ones nicked from Spain

MORE: Peter Capaldi reveals deeply random way he ended up singing on stage at Glastonbury

MORE: The UK’s ‘no-go’ beaches for swimming revealed just in time for summer

Emergency services were called to Longstone Street after the alarm was raised at around 7am on Saturday, April 26.

Armed police have surrounded a block of flats in Edinburgh following reports of a “disturbance”. Emergency services were called to Longstone Street after the alarm was raised at around 7am on Sunday, April 26.

Officers were responding to reports of a concern for a man at a property on the street. Pictures taken this morning showed armed cops in attendance holding guns.

Wearing their all-black get-up, some were also seen holding riot shields as they stood outside the building. A large number of uniformed police could be seen at the scene with a cordon placed near the home.

A line of police vehicles were parked on the street with several cops stood outside the flat. Officers could be seen talking to a man through a ground-floor window.

Advertisement

Ambulance crews have also been called to assist, and emergency crews remain on the scene. It’s not yet clear if anyone has been injured as a result.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 7am on Sunday, April 26, police received a report of a disturbance and concern for a man at a property on Longstone Street, Edinburgh. Officers remain at the scene.”

Get more Daily Record exclusives by signing up for free to Google’s preferred sources. Click HERE.

The drivers of both vehicles were pronounced dead at the scene

Two people have died, and one has been taken to hospital following a collision in Co Antrim on Saturday night.

Emergency services were called to the scene of a collision involving a car and a motorcycle on the Glenavy Road in Upper Ballinderry shortly before 6pm on 25th April. The drivers of both vehicles were pronounced dead at the scene, while another person was taken to the hospital for their injuries.

Detective Inspector Dave Stewart, from the Collision Investigation Unit, said: “Police received a report shortly before 6pm on Saturday of a collision involving a motorcycle and a car in the Glenavy Road area of Upper Ballinderry.

“Officers, along with colleagues from the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, attended, however, sadly, two people – the drivers of both vehicles – were pronounced deceased at the scene.

“Another person was taken to hospital for treatment to their injuries. The road, which was closed for a time between the junctions of Soldierstown Road and Hammonds Road, has since reopened.

“Our enquiries are continuing and we would appeal to anyone who witnessed the collision, or who may have digital footage which could assist with our investigation, to contact the Collision Investigation Unit on 101, quoting reference number 1142 of 25/06/26.

“You can also submit a report online using the non-emergency reporting form at www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/ or you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

The funeral home was run by couple Jon and Carie Hallford and offered affordable, eco-friendly services for the community.

Local officials started to receive complaints of an “abhorrent” smell coming from a building that belonged to the Return to Nature funeral home in October 2023. It was run by couple Jon and Carie Hallford in Penrose, Colorado, and offered affordable, eco-friendly services for the community.

It specialised in “green burials”, as well as standard cremations and burials, which skipped the embalming stage and avoided the use of harsh chemicals. It was a modern, ethical option – and, as reported by the Mirror, the funeral home became a trusted choice for bereaved families.

Carie was the face of the business and guided clients through the emotional process and did the paperwork, with clients recalling her compassion and warmth as she promised dignified care. Jon, who was more behind the scenes and managed the technical side of the business, described himself as a “third generation funeral home director” with 19 years of experience.

Cremations started at $1,200 and were “outsourced” to a local crematory. The couple would then provide loved ones with the ashes. It appeared that running a funeral business was lucrative as the Hallfords drove luxury cars, went on expensive holidays and shopped in designer stores.

Return to Nature had an office where the Hallfords met with families, and a 2,500sqft building nearby that was run down and appeared to be used for storage.

Officers went to that building on October 3, 2023, after the reports of a terrible smell were made. At the time there were no legal requirements in Colorado for funeral directors to be licensed or even trained, so there had never been a routine inspection.

Police noticed the smell instantly, but they couldn’t see inside because the windows were blacked out. They spoke with Jon about the stench and he said it was connected to his taxidermy hobby. Officers were suspicious of liquid that appeared to be seeping under the door. They got a search warrant and returned the next day.

Jon and Carie were nowhere to be seen. Dressed in protective suits, gloves, boots and respirators, the police entered the building. The scene inside was horrific. There were bodies stacked up on top of each other in nearly a dozen rooms.

The piles were so high they blocked doorways. Some had been there a few months, while others had been there since 2019. There were 189 bodies, with many in body bags while others were just wrapped in sheets.

Adults, children and foetuses were in the advanced stages of decomposition due to the lack of refrigeration. The floor was covered in bodily fluids, and the building was infested with insects and maggots. Buckets were scattered around to catch leaking fluids.

The Hallfords had been assuring families that they had given their dead loved ones a dignified cremation, but they had just taken the money and thrown the bodies on a pile to rot. They must have known that they would be caught eventually.

Officers discovered the crematory that Return to Nature told families they used had stopped working with the business the year before due to unpaid bills. The couple had also missed tax payments and had been evicted from one of their properties.

Inside the building was a sack of concrete mix. That was what Carie and Jon had given families in urns, pretending it was the ashes of their cremated loved ones. Some had scattered it in meaningful places while others had carried it with them for years – unaware it was concrete mix.

Some families had thought the ashes felt heavier than they should or were a strange texture before the discovery. Some even contained foreign objects like bolts. News quickly spread about the horrific discovery and the Hallfords went on the run. Jon turned his phone off so he couldn’t be tracked but the FBI tracked Carie’s phone and they were found hiding with Jon’s parents in Oklahoma. The pair were arrested.

Advertisement

Identifying the bodies was a huge task. Investigators used fingerprints, dental records and even hospital bracelets that were still on the wrist of some victims. The building was condemned and demolished. The police also exhumed two bodies that the Hallfords had overseen the burials for and found the wrong people in the graves. One was supposed to be a male former army sergeant but inside the coffin was a female. The number of victims rose to 191.

The evidence got worse, with surveillance footage capturing Jon entering the building at night and heartlessly flipping a body off a gurney to the floor so he could use it to bring more bodies in from a van. That night he sent a text to Carie saying, “While I was making the transfer, I got people juice on me.” There was footage of Carie entering the building too – they both knew.

They had taken more than $130,000 from families for cremations that didn’t happen and nearly $900,000 in federal pandemic relief funds, which was supposed to be for struggling businesses. Text messages between the pair showed that Jon was trying to come up with ways to get rid of the bodies. In October 2020, he discussed four options. “Build a new machine ASAP [likely a crematory]. Dig a big hole and use lye. Dig a small hole and build a large fire. I go to prison, which is probably what’s going to happen.”

Advertisement

The Hallfords got divorced behind bars. They both made plea deals. Jon pleaded guilty to wire fraud and abuse of 191 corpses. He said, “I had so many chances to put a stop to everything and walk away, but I did not. My mistakes will echo for a generation. Everything I did was wrong.”

Family members told the court about recurring nightmares about decomposing flesh and maggots. They called Jon “a monster”. The judge said he had caused “unspeakable and incomprehensible” harm. “It is my personal belief that every one of us, every human being, is basically good at the core, but we live in a world that tests that belief every day, and, Mr Hallford, your crimes are testing that belief,” he said.

Jon, 46, received 40 years for abuse of corpses and 20 years for wire fraud. Carie, 49, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and abuse of corpses. She asked for leniency, claiming that she was a “scared and desperate mother” who was manipulated by her husband. Carie was sentenced to 18 years for wire fraud and awaits further sentencing for the abuse of corpses.

Families of the victims have spoken out about the guilt they felt for trusting that the couple were looking after their loved ones. A new law was introduced in Colorado in May 2024 to overhaul the funeral business industry and add strict legislation.

Get more Daily Record exclusives by signing up for free to Google’s preferred sources. Click HERE.

When Sir Jim Ratcliffe singled out the United academy as having “slipped” with some of his customary direct feedback in October, he highlighted the appointment of Stephen Torpey as evidence of change.

Torpey is the latest Old Trafford recruit from the Manchester City blueprint Ratcliffe so admires, and that introduction from the United co-owner was pretty clear.

“The academy has really slipped at Manchester United,” Ratcliffe said. “You need the academy to be producing talent all the time. It helps you financially. That’s not a light switch. You don’t solve the academy problem overnight. It takes time.”

United’s first team will play just 40 games this season. An unusually sparse schedule at first team level has led to heightened interest in the club’s academy, as has the emergence of young talents like JJ Gabriel.

Torpey wants to develop some of the country’s best young players at Carrington. Gabriel, who has scored 23 goals in 25 appearances for the U18s this season, fits that billing.

Read the interview here.

Leeds, meanwhile, are in fine fettle. They are unbeaten in seven and are riding high, with victories over Manchester United and Wolves fresh in the memory. They have reached this stage of the competition for the first time since 1987, and could confirm a first final berth since they finished as runners-up in 1973.