The Prince of Wales has paid tribute to the “the dedication and professionalism” of pharmacy staff during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Charles, 73, hosted a reception for the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), attended by 200 people, at St James’ Palace in Westminster, London on Wednesday evening.
In his speech he praised the role of pharmacies in the community, which became even more vital during the pandemic.
The Prince of Wales praised pharmacy staff for their dedication during the pandemic (Eamonn McCormack/PA)
He said: “The dedication and professionalism of pharmacy staff has been clear for everyone to see during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Over this unbelievably harrowing period you, ladies and gentlemen, kept vulnerable people supplied with their medicines, played a key part in the NHS vaccination programme.”
The prince also hailed the “diverse” pharmaceutical industry, which he said “may be an ancient profession, but it certainly reflects modern Britain in all its splendid diversity.”
He said: “Woven into the history of community pharmacy are thousands of individual stories about immigration into the United Kingdom and how people from overseas have built a life here.
“And now, in their turn, they’re not only providing pharmaceutical care to British communities, but also to those who have recently been displaced from other parts of the world, including the Middle East, Europe and Africa.”
Charles praised the industry for its diversity and the history of community pharmacy (Eamonn McCormack/PA)
He also highlighted the transformation in pharmacy over the last century, saying: “I have to say I was very pleased to help the National Pharmacy Association mark your centenary, so I know that your sector has experienced enormous changes: from the formation of the NHS in 1948, and I’m fully aware of how old it is because I was born then – though I think I’m in a worse state than the NHS! – to an overhaul of medicines’ regulations in 1968, a massive expansion in the range of medicines available to patients and the establishment of new roles in public health, urgent care and managing long-term conditions.
“You continue, ladies and gentlemen, to innovate and adapt to the evolving needs of patients and the NHS.”
Charles met many pharmacists from across the UK, and spoke with them about their experiences of the pandemic, as well as their work more generally in the community in normal times.
Shilpa Shah, chief executive of North East London LPC, an organisation which oversees 320 community pharmacies across north-east London, said the prince “was so friendly, so personable, really happy to talk to everybody.”
Ruchna Patel, a pharmacist based in Lewisham, south-east London, spoke with the prince about her experiences in the profession and her pharmaceutical training. She said that the appreciation for pharmacists was “long overdue, but very, very nice”.
The NPA is the leading UK-wide trade association for community pharmacy, acting as a voice for the sector as well as providing a range of services, such as education and training for staff.
The Ospreys have completed a deal to sign talented fly-half Jack Walsh from Exeter Chiefs.
America-born, the 22-year-old has penned a two-year contract with the Swansea.com Stadium team and will arrive in the summer. A playmaker who has represented Australia at Sevens and featured for their U18s team, Walsh can play at full-back as well as No. 10 and is a graduate of the New South Wales Waratahs Academy. He played for Manly Marlins before heading overseas in 2020.
He has since made eight appearances for Exeter, whose director of rugby Rob Baxter has said of him: “You watch him and you can see there is something there about him. There’s a bit of spark, something special.” Baxter had confirmed back in March that Walsh was on his way to Wales but his destination was still to be confirmed at that point.
The 6ft, 13st 8lb back joins a band of young players, including Ethan Roots, Jack Regan and Will Hickey, from outside the Ospreys player pathway programme to join the set-up headed by Toby Booth.
Walsh said: “I made contact with Toby and it was just the way he talked about the plans for the Ospreys, the team and the culture he was driving. It was somewhere I wanted to play rugby.
“He talked about the vision for the whole organisation, what Swansea was like as a city and how rugby is in Wales, and it’s just an exciting challenge.”
Before signing, Walsh touched base with the cluster of former Exeter players who are at the Welsh region. “I talked to Tom Francis, Elvis Taione and Alex Cuthbert about the Ospreys and they just echoed what Toby said around the team, the culture and how much they were enjoying it,” he said.
“When you talk to experienced guys like that, who know what makes a successful club, that was a big draw for me. I am also very aware of how passionate Welsh rugby fans are and how loyal the Ospreys supporters are. I know the Ospreys are a proud club and the opportunity to be around players like Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric and George North, and to learn from world-class players like them is what every young player wants to do.”
Booth is clearly pleased with the region’s new acquisition, believing Walsh is capable of proving a hit at the Ospreys, saying: “Jack is a young and exciting prospect and is primarily a fly-half but has shown he is a multi-position player.
“He comes from a rugby league background in Australia and plays at the line and is not afraid to challenge tough defences. These are certainly attributes we will need in the future.”
Saracens star Max Malins refused to be drawn on his dazzling individual display in his side’s 38-16 win over Worcester Warriors, with a strong end to the campaign the England international’s target.
Malins, 25, scored four tries as Sarries moved a step closer to sealing home advantage in this season’s playoff semi-finals.
But despite his fine solo performance, he is refusing to get roped into celebrating individual results with a domestic and European campaign to wrap up.
“You could say it was the perfect day. Everyone’s under no illusions how hard it is to come down here and get a good result,” he said.
“To get the five points is massive, there’s certainly bits in that performance we can improve, but we’ll take the five points.
“It’s certainly hard. We’re under no illusions how we need to keep building our performances before the back end of the season. We’ve got some two big weeks and hopefully two big weeks in Europe coming up.
“We need to keep building on these performances and building as a squad so we can take real confidence into the latter stages of the competition.”
Focus for Saracens now switches to a European Challenge Cup semi-final against Gloucester this weekend.
The south west side are in good form and prevailed 25-24 when the two sides met in Gallagher Premiership Rugby action this season, with Malins predicting another tough contest.
He said: “It’s going to be a huge game, isn’t it?
“They’re probably going to love that, Friday night down at Kingsholm. They’ll be in full voice, just had a great 64-0 win over Bath as well.”
“They’ll be riding high on confidence, so it’ll be a tough one. Hopefully we can get our processes right this week and go into Friday night confidently.”
A TEENAGER who raped a 13-year-old schoolgirl on waste ground under the M4 motorway after giving her drugs has been locked up.
Jacob Dallimore, 19, from Newport, attacked his victim in the city hours after he had offered her Xanax tablets earlier that day.
Cardiff Crown Court heard he “took advantage” of the girl who was “drowsy to the point of insensibility or stupor”.
The defendant was 16 at the time of the offence in 2019.
Dallimore, of Beaufort Road, St Julians, was convicted of rape in February by a jury following a trial.
MORE NEWS
He had denied the offence.
Clare Wilks, prosecuting, read out a victim impact statement from the girl in which she said: “What has happened to me will stick with me for the rest of my life.
“I am proud I was able to speak out but it has come at a price.”
She was effectively defenceless at the time
The court was told the defendant had no previous convictions before the offence but since has convictions for public disorder and possession of an offensive weapon.
Nigel Fryer, mitigating, asked the judge to take into account the three-year delay in the case.
His barrister said: “If he had been charged at a much earlier time he may well have been dealt with through a different process in the youth court.
“Of course as an adult, he comes before the crown court.
“This offending took place when Mr Dallimore was 16.”
Mr Fryer added: “He is a young man who is going to have to face the future with this conviction hanging over him.
“He wants to show the world he is a changed man.”
Judge Richard Williams told Dallimore: “On the morning of the offence you provided Xannax to her which she then took.
“It is clear that this had a significant effect on her making her drowsy to the point of insensibility or stupor.
“In my judgement this made her particularly vulnerable.
“You took full advantage of her condition later to isolate her before raping her on that waste ground under the M4 viaduct in Newport.
“She made it clear to you that she didn’t want to have sex but she was effectively defenceless at that time.”
Dallimore was sent to a young offender institution for five years and told he will have to register as a sex offender indefinitely.
He will have to serve half of that sentence in custody before being released on licence and the time spent on remand will count towards it.
After sentencing him, Judge Williams told the victim: “I wish to express my admiration for such a brave person.”
He also expressed his “concern” about the lengthy delay in the case and demanded an explanation from the Crown Prosecution Service.
Welsh Water and the University of South Wales have joined forces on a £267,000 study looking at how hydrogen could be created from sewage sludge.
The aim will be to further develop a process to convert the methane derived from sewage sludge into hydrogen, while also collecting the carbon dioxide produced. Projections show the process could help cut the amount of CO2 released to the atmosphere by up to 90 per cent.
Working in collaboration with engineering company Costain, they have benefited from the funding from the £200m Ofwat Innovation Fund, which aims to support developments in the water sector.
Jon Maddy, Director of the University of South Wales’ Hydrogen R&D Centre at Baglan, said: “The Water Industry has adopted anaerobic digestion as an effective waste treatment process and source of recovered energy in the form of methane.
“The HyValue project takes the approach a step further by investigating the generation of hydrogen to be used as a clean fuel and capturing the CO2, with the potential to use this in the production of valuable chemicals.”
‘Extracted’
Another key aim of the project is to further develop hydrogen as an alternative to diesel engine transport, with the associated reduction in carbon dioxide emissions and that of other pollutants such as nitrous oxide and airborne particulates.
The partners will be looking to demonstrate how the process can offer environmental benefits and value for money. If it is successful, the team will look to design a sewage gas conversion plant at one of Welsh Water’s anaerobic digestion facilities.
Ben Burggraaf, Head of Energy, Welsh Water said: “HyValue is a major steppingstone towards the industry becoming the bio-refineries of the Net-Zero future, in which hydrogen will play a major role.
“The project enables the industry to maximise the financial and environmental value that can be extracted from sewage sludge, on behalf of its customers.“
Share this:
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
A GROUP of parents are taking the Welsh Government to the High Court over concerns that mandatory Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) lessons as part of the new curriculum will be ‘sexualising children’.
The Public Child Protection Wales group say children as young as three will be taught about “sensitive and arguably inappropriate topics”, including gender ideology, and that parents are being disenfranchised by being denied the right to remove their child from sex education.
However, the Welsh Government said these claims were “incorrect” and that all lessons would be age-appropriate.
Kim Isherwood, from Public Child Protection Wales, is a parent of two teenage boys.
She said: “This new curriculum is not like the stand-alone RSE lessons that pupils and parents are used to. It is embedded into every lesson across the curriculum.
“The new mandatory element also means that every child, aged three-16, must take part. It cannot be avoided by anyone, and there are no rights for parents to request information on what will be taught, at what age, or to ask that their child sit out.”
Lucia Thomas, a parent who is helping raise funds for the case, said: “We are deeply concerned that in our current culture, there is a progressive, aggressive lobby which is seeking to push onto children and young people ideologies which parents would find inappropriate.
“School is a place to learn about vital biology, learn how to develop relationships (with both sexes) and to develop respect.
“But, as parents, we believe what is happening here is the sexualisation of children, not the education of children.
“Parents know their child best, and if appropriate, parents should seek external professional medical or counselling advice to support our child. But we do not believe the changes to the curriculum help children in Wales – quite the opposite.”
The Welsh Government’s Curriculum for Wales – Relationships and Sexuality Education Code said that children aged three will be taught about acting with kindness, empathy and compassion to others; an awareness of diversity in families and relationships; the use of accurate terminology for body parts; recognising trusted adults who can help them when they feel unhappy or unsafe; and an awareness of how to keep safe online.
“It is disappointing that this group continue to promote incorrect and misleading claims about Relationships and Sexuality Education in Wales’ new curriculum,” said a Welsh Government spokesperson.
“Topics like online safety, consent and sexual health are all included in the Code, but at developmentally appropriate stages so learners aren’t exposed to things that aren’t appropriate to their age and development.
“At a younger age, for example, children will be taught about treating each other with kindness and empathy. As they grow older, they will gain an understanding of topics such as online safety, consent and sexual health – all of which will be handled in a sensitive way.
“RSE is designed to safeguard all our children and young people, supporting them to develop knowledge, skills and behaviours that will assist in protecting them throughout their lives and enhance their well-being.
“This is about ensuring the best outcomes for all learners and their communities: to protect them and keep them safe.
“Evidence shows RSE can, for example, help learners’ understanding and participation in healthy relationships of all kinds; reduce all forms of bullying as well as supporting learners to recognise and seek support for abusive or unhealthy relationships.
“These reforms have been welcomed by a number of respected organisations including the NSPCC, the Children’s Commissioner’s Office and Welsh Women’s Aid.”
The Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Act 2021 requires that RSE taught in the new curriculum must be developmentally appropriate for learners.
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “It will not seek to indoctrinate to a particular view but will instead provide a range of views on a number of topics in a neutral manner.”
Campaigners said they were not against safeguarding or age-appropriate biology being taught and fully support minority rights in terms of welfare and freedom of choice. They said they also recognise that children need sex education, but stressed it should be delivered in an appropriate way by professionals.
The group has filed papers in the High Court, and said it expects a response in early May.
Left, a Class 175 Transport for Wales train. Right, the ight train ÖBB nightjet NJ40490 from Vienna to Düsseldorf. Picture by Dining Car (CC BY-SA 2.0).
Luke James
For the price of a same day single between Cardiff and Bangor, you could get into bed on a night train in Munich and wake-up in Budapest, Zagreb or Venice.
And in the same time it takes to travel by train between Cardiff and Aberystwyth, you could cover almost the length of France or the breadth of Germany.
Same day rail fares in the UK have recently received unfavourable comparisons with air travel and the picture doesn’t get any better when they are placed alongside the cost of train tickets on the continent.
A comparison for Nation.Cymru has found Welsh rail passengers face some of the highest same day prices in Europe while enduring among the slowest services – particularly for anyone trying to travel between north and south.
The findings come amid controversy over the UK Government’s decision to designate HS2 an England and Wales project, meaning Welsh railways will miss out on £4.6 billion in extra funding.
While bought in advance, a return between Cardiff and Bangor is £37, the cost almost trebles to £99.80 when bought on the day.
Compared with the cost of same day returns for equivalent journeys in 27 other European countries, only Denmark and Norway, which have among the highest wages in the world, are more expensive.
The cost of a single on the route was also the same price as a bed on the sleeper train between Munich and Milan, Venice or Verona (£91) and more expensive than a bed on the night trains to Budapest (£75) or Zagreb (£58).
Meanwhile, the £87 cost confronting a football fan paying on the day to travel from Wrexham to Cardiff and back to support the national team is matched only in Austria and is more than the cost of travelling on some of Europe’s fastest trains.
Journeys of at least 120 miles – 10 most expensive same day returns
Wales is also at the wrong end of the table when the cost of travel is compared with wages in each country.
The average hourly wage of a Welsh worker in 2018 (the latest comparable European data available) was £12.76, which means it would take eight hours to earn the current cost of a same day return between Cardiff and Bangor.
Only passengers in Poland, Portugal and Lithuania, which are three of the six lowest wage countries in the EU, would work longer to afford a similar journey.
‘Lower prices’
Since Wales’ railways were brought into public ownership last year, high fares can no longer be blamed on high profits. All fares go straight back into funding services, Transport for Wales pointed out.
Instead, experts said the difference was explained by higher public funding for railways on the continent.
“The subsidies in places like France and Italy are enormous,” Professor Stuart Cole, director of the Wales Transport Research Centre, told Nation.Cymru. “We’re talking about 50 per cent, in some cases 80 per cent of the fares paid by the state.
“They believe the railway should be available to everybody and so they charge lower prices.”
Peter Kingsbury, chair of the Railfuture Wales campaign group, said: “Pre Covid, I would say that more investment in and subsidy towards the daily operating costs of rail was required from government.”
But he added the group was “very aware that the public purse has had to put significant sums of money into the rail system over the past two years to keep it operating when passenger demand fell to around one-fifth of its ‘normal’ level for a number of months” and was now “cautious” about calling for further public spending.
Journeys of at least 120 miles – 10 most expensive same day returns compared to median wages
But the cost isn’t the only problem facing anyone seeking to get around Wales by train.
Infrastructure problems transform journeys between relatively nearby places into all-day odysseys or means they would simply never be attempted by train. The situation has become a joke. Literally.
In his Halilew stand-up show for S4C, comedian Elis James said: “On tour two years ago, I was in Pwllheli on the Friday and Bangor on a Saturday. Now, Pwllheli to Bangor is 30 miles. They’re in the same county. On the train – six and a half hours. Six and a half hours, 30 miles. I could forward roll it. That’d be faster than the train.”
While there are just 75 miles between Cardiff and Aberystwyth, getting to the west coast by train involves first heading east into England and the 4.30-hour journey equals the time it takes to travel the 297 between Berlin and Cologne and is an hour longer than it takes to travel the 410 miles between Paris and Marseille on the south coast of France.
Anyone attempting to travel from Carmarthen to Porthmadog, which are separated by 74 miles as the crow flies, would need a good book for the 5.45-hour ride – equal to the journey time on high-speed trains between Barcelona and Seville (516 miles) or Brussels and Marseille (524 miles).
Journeys of at least 70 miles – longest duration
This hasn’t always been the case. “Wales once had a very comprehensive train network,” said Professor Cole. “There are the remnants of a railway there.
“As a Welsh speaking, green, and red-blooded Welshman, I would say let’s open them. You could travel in Wales, from north to south instead of having to go into England. As an economist, it’s difficult to justify. Lovely to have but the rate of return is low.”
Wales’ rail infrastructure problems started with infamous UK-wide Beeching cuts of the 1960s, which included the closure of the Carmarthen to Aberystwyth line, and have more recently been exacerbated by a lack of electrification, according to Cole.
“The Welsh Government are to some extent hindered by the fact they don’t control the track, other than Valley Lines,” he added.
“Scotland can get money in block grant for track improvements. So any track money spent in England, Scotland gets its Barnett consequential. Wales doesn’t get that for track.
“So, they have a lot more electrification in Scotland than in Wales. In fact, until recently, it was only ourselves, Albania and Romania that were the only countries in Europe to have no electric trains. Which says a lot.”
Transport for Wales’ new Stadler FLIRT. Picture by Transport for Wales.
‘Best value’
First Minister Mark Drakeford recently described the UK Government’s decision to classify HS2 as an England and Wales project, therefor denying Wales a £4.6bn consequential, as “absolutely nonsensical.” Although UK Government Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove insists Wales will “benefit significantly” from the scheme.
Carolyn Thomas MS, the chair of the Senedd’s all-party group on transport who regularly travels from Wrexham to Cardiff by train, said she usually paid an average of £55 for a return by booking in advance and encouraged others to do the same.
Commenting on our findings on journey times, she added: “Our Victorian railway infrastructure desperately needs UK Government investment, it is totally unacceptable that Wales will lose £5billion because of the UK Government’s unjustifiable decision not to provide Wales with the rail infrastructure funding it needs and is entitled to.
“Wales needs to have its fair share of funding and not be held back by UK Government. We need to have integrated services and tickets with reasonable fares to encourage others to shift to using public transport, and it is a lifeline for many who do not possess a car and it needs to be affordable.”
Responding to our findings, a spokesperson for Transport for Wales said: “We have invested more than £800m in new trains for the Wales and Borders network, which will begin to enter service this year, and are currently undertaking a multi-million-pound programme of station improvements.
“Three quarters of a billion pounds is being invested in the South Wales Metro and we are committed to delivering Metro schemes in North and West Wales.
“We’re dedicated to helping our customers find the best value fare for their journey and have introduced a number of initiatives such as free travel for under 11s, free off-peak travel for under 16s with a fare-paying adult, Multiflex tickets for regular travellers and we currently have a half-price sale on advance tickets.”
Share this:
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
A CWMBRAN brewery has stopped production of its usual beers to raise money for Ukraine through its new Hop for Hope creation.
Fox One Brewing was launched in 2020 by friends Daniel Allen-Boyland and Michael Bishop.
The brewery – based at Springvale Industrial Estate – has launched a new beer to raise funds to support those affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Fox One’s Brewing’s Hop for Hope beer.
“It’s about trying to do something about it,” said Mr Allen-Boyland, who left the army in 2020.
“What’s happening is terrifying, and on such a large scale. I still have friends in the army and they are on high alert. And it’s only going to get worse and worse.
“Listening to a first-hand account from our amazing artist [Lenase Menkova] being evacuated to Prague – she didn’t know where she was going when she got on the train.
“We are a small business, but you don’t have to be big to make an impact. We can all do something to help out.
“We’re going to sell the beer, and then contact the Ukrainian embassy to ask where the money will be best donated.
“We want to get it out quickly so people can get the money quickly. Day by day things are escalating. I don’t want to be in a position where we’ve raised the money but it’s too late to help.
“It’s worth more than trying to make some money.”
The Hop for Hope beers will raise money to support those affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Hop for Hope beer is described as “a light, clear and peaceful 3.7 per cent ale”.
“It’s a super light beer so nothing too complicated and it hopefully appeals to everyone,” said Mr Allen-Boyland.
“Our label showcases not only the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag but also highlights Ukrainian culture.
“I contacted Lenase when we started up as I loved her artwork, and asked if she would design our labels. We wanted all our beers to have different characters.
“She’s a key component for us. When I said we wanted to do a beer for Ukraine, she whipped this up in five days while living in a flat in Prague with five other families.”
The brewery launched in 2020, with Mr Allen-Boyland and Mr Bishop working alongside their jobs with the Welsh Ambulance Service and as a teacher respectively.
The idea to brew their own beers started from a conversation in the pub, and in just two years, the business was named as a finalist in both the ‘Best Business Specialist’ and ‘Best New Business’ categories at the 2022 Best of Welsh Business Awards.
Fox One Brewing’s range of beers, having launched in 2020.
“Things are getting better and better and getting bigger and bigger,” said Mr Allen-Boyland. “I think it’s pretty cool for a team of two.
“We were finalists in two categories at the Best of Welsh Business awards. Just to be a finalist is pretty cool.
“We have also won bronze for our Speakeasy Cwmbran at the London Beer Competitions. It’s a big achievement, especially for our first beer.”
You can find out more about the beer, or how you can support the Hops for Hope appeal, at foxonebrewing.co.uk.
None of the donation will be collected by Newsquest. Financial transactions are with JustGiving to donate to the British Red Cross Society DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
In the unlikely event that the British Red Cross Society raise more money than can be reasonably and efficiently spent, any surplus funds will be used to help them prepare for and respond to other humanitarian disasters anywhere in the world.
A man has been charged with charged with murder after the discovery of a body in a Welsh town. Timothy Dundon’s body was found in Caewern, Neath on Wednesday, April 27.
Officers from South Wales Police were called to Heol Catwg, where the man’s body was found. Emmett Morrison, 38, from Caewern, has been charged with the murder of Mr Dundon, 66, and is remanded in custody to appear at Swansea Magistrates’ Court on Monday, May 2.
Mr Dundon’s family has been updated and next of kin continue to be supported by specially-trained family liaison officers. Senior investigating officer, Detective Superintendent Darren George from South Wales Police, said: “Clearly the charging of a person with the murder of Mr Dundon is a significant development in the investigation, however I would still urge anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it might be, to please contact South Wales Police. I would like to thank the local community for the support they have provided to this investigation to date. There has been an increased police presence in Caewern since Wednesday and this will continue over the coming days as enquiries continue.”
Anybody with information is asked to contact South Wales Police quoting reference *138869. You can visit https://bit.ly/SWPProvideInfo, send a private message on Facebook/Twitter, email SWP101@south-wales.police.uk or phone 101.
To get the latestWalesOnlinenewsletters emailed to you directly for free click here and to check crime in your area, type your post code below:
Skygazers are getting the chance to see two bright planets appearing close together despite being millions of kilometres apart.
The cosmic treat shows Venus and Jupiter lined up as they rise above the horizon, and just before the Sun follows after them.
The peak time to see this planetary conjunction, which happens once every few years, was between around 5am and 6am on Saturday but it can still be spotted on Sunday and in the coming days as the planets slowly move apart.
Despite appearing from Earth to be lined up, the planets will not actually be in that position in space.
Dr Robert Massey, deputy executive director of the Royal Astronomical Society, said: “In this particular case you have Venus and Jupiter (appearing) close together and because they are both bright, that’s a nice sight.”
He said: “It is fun. Is it scientifically important – no not really – but it does provide a nice spectacle.
“I think that the nice thing you can have is that with a single telescope eyepiece you can see the two planets together which is an unusual view.”
He added: “Although they appear close together, Venus is about 150 million kilometres away at the moment and Jupiter is 740 million kilometres away.”
A clear eastern horizon is needed to see the event. Buildings, trees and hills will make it much harder to see as they will appear quite low in the sky.
Viewers in the UK will have a harder time of trying to see it than people further south in southern Europe, Africa, or Australia, as the planets will appear to be a lot higher in the sky before sunrise.
Dr Massey said that in the UK “it will be best to stop looking at sunrise so you are not staring at the sun which is bad for your eyes”.
Then once the sun rises, it will be “virtually impossible” to see the event.
He has also said: “You can try to spot the planets with binoculars (use an online star chart to work out where to look) but you must only do that before sunrise as looking at the Sun with binoculars or a telescope can cause serious damage to your eyes – as can looking at the Sun with your eyes alone.”
Met Office meteorologist Craig Snell said: “Venus and Jupiter will not be visible in the sky until around sunrise on Sunday morning, so by then most of England and Wales will be cloudy.
“There is a small chance the southeast could still have some cloud breaks, but the better chance will be across northern Scotland.”
by Staff
