Limerick referee Joy Neville tells BBC Sport of her journey to the top level of rugby union refereeing.
Neville, a former Irish rugby international, will also become the first woman to referee a Pro14 game when she takes charge of the Ulster and Southern Kings game on Friday. More
In an emotional moment after a couple of very difficult days during the school holidays, Dr Sophie Billington penned a poem about her son Tristan, who has Asperger’s syndrome.
“He is wired differently, To you and me, This child of mine,” it begins and goes on to explain that, while he can’t tie his shoelaces at the age of 11, he understands nanotechnology and genome editing technology.
“He is kind, He is generous But the world judges, Sees only the outbursts and over-reactions.”
It was after a series of such outbursts, caused by the change in routine brought about by the holidays, that Sophie found release in putting pen to paper.
She posted the poem (see below) on her Facebook page and was amazed at the response from friends – one even asked to use it to help her in her work training special educational needs teachers. More
Diabetes Awareness Week runs from 11 to 17 June and with this in mind we have chosen Jeremy Irvine as our Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month.
Jeremy was inspired to become an actor by his former drama teacher, and in June 2010, was cast in the lead role of the Steven Spielberg film War Horse making his acting debut.
The casting process lasted for two months, with Jeremy auditioning several times a week. In an attempt to prepare himself for the role of Albert, he took up weight training and also underwent two months of intensive horse riding. Jeremy spent so much time recreating the Battle of Somme scene in the film that he ended up contracting trench foot.
For his work in the film, he was nominated for the London Film Critics’ Choice Award for Young British Performer of The Year and Empire Award for Best Male Newcomer.
Jeremy has had Diabetes Type 1 since childhood along with his two brothers. During 2005 and 2007 he was been involved in trials with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) to test an artificial pancreas and he introduced his experiences with diabetes to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, the President of the JDRF, during a visit to the Cambridge Welcome Trust Clinical Research Facility in February 2012.
Jeremy avoids the spotlight realising very quickly that he didn’t want to be famous. He said in relation to his success and fame that ‘The work my mum does, a lot of it is re-housing homeless people, that’s a real job. I play make-believe and dressing up for a living!”
To find out more about Jeremy’s work see here
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3528539/
To find out more about Diabetes Awareness Week see here