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Former Cardiff University student dies in Half Marathon tragedy Charlotte King Head of News
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ormer Cardiff University student Nicholas Beckley has died after completing the Cardiff Half Marathon. The 35-year old Cardiff Council planner passed away shortly after completing the 13.1 mile race on Sunday 6th October. After crossing the finish line, Beckley collapsed and went into cardiac arrest. Run 4 Wales, the organisers of Cardiff Half Marathon, reported that he received “immediate attention” and was then swiftly transported to the University Hospital of Wales, where he tragically died. Beckley’s passing comes after two runners died after completing last year’s race. Last year, 25-year old Ben McDonald from Cardiff and 32-year old Dean Fletcher from Exeter both went into cardiac arrest shortly after crossing the finish line within three minutes of one another. Beckley has been described by his brother, Andrew, as “a true gentleman”. He said that he loved sport and had run the half marathon twice before and that whilst his brother was born in Devon, “Nick was hugely passionate about Cardiff and saw it as his home.” “Above all”, Andrew says, “Nick was a family man.” He will be “sorely missed and always loved by all.” Beckley moved to Cardiff in 2003 to study Strategic Planning and Urban Design here at Cardiff University. Commenting on his passing, Cardiff University Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Karen Holford, said, “This has come as a huge shock to us at Cardiff University. Nick was a former student of ours and very much a part of university life. “Our thoughts and sympathies are with his family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.” Cardiff University’s Development and Alumni Relations team also issued a comment via Twitter which said, “We are devastated to learn of the passing of runner and Cardiff University graduate Nicholas Beckley at [last] Sunday’s Cardiff Half Marathon. The entire university community extends its heartfelt condolences to those affected by his loss.” After graduating from Cardiff University, Beckley became a Town Planner and then a Senior Planner in Cardiff Council. Councillor Huw Thomas, Cardiff Council leader, said that Beckley was a “rising star”
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Price and Reckless talk Brexit and Britain’s future
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ast week, Gair Rhydd interviewed Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price AM and the Brexit Party Assembly Leader Mark Reckless AM. We discussed their opposing views on Brexit, Welsh Assembly business, the possibility of a second referendum and what the future holds for their parties and the United Kingdom.
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Panel yn trafod newid enw’r Cynulliad
W Questions without answers?: The sudden rise in cardiac-related deaths following Cardiff Half Marathon raises questions about what more needs to be done to prevent further tragedies. Source: Family handout and that “he will be sorely missed in County Hall.”
We are devastated to learn of the passing of runner and Cardiff University graduate Nicholas Beckley.
Development and Alumni Relations
Beckley was also an avid lover of sport and played for Cardiff Cosmopolitan Football Club in his spare time. In a statement on Twitter, the club said: “Yesterday we lost one of our own. Nick Beckley will forever be known for his kindness, energetic spirit and love for his family and friends. Today and every day going forward we send our love to his family and friends. A truly wonderful man, friend, and brother.” James Lovegrove, the first team manager, said to the BBC that Beckley was a “lovely lad” and “now he’s lost his life in a cruel way.” Lovegrove said that nobody had any concerns that
there would be “any danger” in Beckley running the half marathon and that the club “can never replace” him. The Chief Executive Officer of Run 4 Wales, Matt Newman, expressed that Beckley’s passing is “terribly sad news” and that the event organisers will “remain in close contact with [Beckley’s] family and will continue to support them in every way [they] can” during this tough time. Newman says, “its cast obviously a big shadow on what was otherwise a very good day for Cardiff ”. 2018 marked 16 years since any “incidents of this kind”, Newman elaborates, until the unfortunate deaths of McDonald and Fletcher following last year’s half marathon. According to Newman, Run 4 Wales has since done “an incredible amount of work in terms of raising the profile” of underlying heart conditions and the dangers of running long distances, reiterating that anyone who had any family history of cardiac conditions or symptoms should consult their GP before the event. Following the passing of McDonald in 2018, the Ben McDonald Heart Screening Fund, set up by the charity Welsh Hearts, was created to offer free heart screening tests for Cardiff Half Marathon runners in his memory. Anybody aged between eight and 45 was eligible for a screening prior to
this year’s event. In January 2019, Welsh Hearts also launched a petition which demanded the Welsh Government to provide free heart screening to anybody aged between ten and 35, however, the Government have stated that these sorts of programmes “should only be offered where there is clear evidence that screening will do more good than harm.” McDonald’s family stated that heart screenings were not something they had ever considered an option and that if he had been screened prior to running, “[they] would have had a test result to look back on” to better understand why he passed away. Approximately 50 of McDonald’s family and friends walked Cardiff Half Marathon this year wearing yellow t-shirts in his memory. Newman commented that it must have been “an impossible day” for them. Beckley’s passing ultimately raises further questions about whether those running long distances are aware of the potential risks of unknown heart conditions. Perhaps there is a need for more information about the risk of cardiac arrest alongside greater encouragement for runners to book heart screenings prior to participating in events such as the Cardiff Half Marathon.
rth i Aelodau Cynulliad benderfynu ail-enwi’r Cynulliad yn Senedd Cymru/ Welsh Parliament, bu digwyddiad panel yn y Cynulliad gydag aelodau’r panel, yn cynnwys Steve Brooks (cyn-gyfarwyddwr Cymdeithas Diwygio Etholiadol Cymru) a Rhun ap Iorwerth AC Plaid Cymru, yn trafod y mater. Bu Taf-od yno i gael yr hanes. 6
Nobel Prize 2019 winners announced
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he 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics or Medicine has been announced. Teams from the UK and US shared the £270,000 prize equally for discovering how cells in the body sense and repsond to oxygen level changes. This ground-breaking research has enabled improved treatments for serious diseases. 22
Getting to know: Rebecca Astill of Ladies’ Tennis
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n this week’s Getting to Know segment, Head of Sport, Reece Chambers, sat down with Rebecca Astill of Ladies’ Tennis. In a revealing interview, Astill speaks about her love for tennis from a young age and even choosing 9am seminars to play for Cardiff University. 31