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We need a peak-time pass to get to hospital, says gran
GREAT-grandmother Lucy Day (pictured) is behind a new campaign to force bus companies and Transport for London (TfL) to give over–65s free travel before 9.30am.
Mrs Day, 86, from Kentish Town, was outraged when she heard how a friend was told to pay a £1.50 fare because she was going to a 9.30am hospital appointment – while school children hopped on for free.
Currently pensioners’ bus passes are only valid after 9.30am.
Mrs Day has visited luncheon clubs and pensioners groups through out Camden collecting signatures for a petition to hand over to Mayor Ken Livingstone. So far, she has nearly 400 signatures. Mrs Day said: “Pensioners often need to get to hospital appointments before their cards are valid, and if you are on a limited income, it means spending money you can ill afford.”
Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, said he would back the plans – but local councils had blocked extending the hours.
He told the New Journal: “I support lifting the restriction to allow the Freedom Pass before 9am but the London boroughs who fund the scheme have indicated they are not willing to pay the extra for this to happen.”
Pain relief based on life of fearless street performer
Prof investigates genetic anomaly which could lead to breakthrough
CHRONIC back pain, cancer pain and the strains of osteo-arthritis could soon become a thing of the past thanks to the work of Chalk Farm scientist Professor John Wood.
Neurobiologist Professor Wood’s discovery of a gene necessary for pain perception through the nerve system, along with a Cambridge-based study on a 13-year-old Pakistani street performer who could drive knives through his arms without flinching, has lead to a major advancement in pain management.
Professor Wood lead a team of scientists in a study of pain management at University College London (UCL).
Their discovery was widely published worldwide and paved the way for a team of Cambridge University scientists to focus on an advanced investigation of the gene within the human body.
Concentrating on the relatives of a street performer in Pakistan, who could walk on hot coals and perform daring stunts without feeling pain, the scientists carried out detailed neurological tests.
The boy died at the age of 13 from severe injuries after jumping off a roof while playing with friends.
Cambridge geneticist Geoff Woods discovered the street performer’s relatives, who also failed to feel pain, and had accumulated assorted injuries, all carried an unusual mutation in a gene known as SCN9A. The defect disrupts the flow of sodium ions in nerve fibres that sense damage.
The discovery could enable drug companies to mimic the defect, blocking pain signals and, in years to come, bringing about potentially safer pain medications. Professor Wood said: “Drugs that block the actions of this protein should give pain relief without side-effects.” |
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