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New images show plans for Woodside, Hamilton Square, and Argyle Street
Wirral Council has released new images which could see a historic square, a waterfront with “one of the best views in the world” and a high street undergo some major…Homelessness in Wirral more difficult to solve ‘than it has ever been’
Wirral Council officers said it is more difficult now “than it has ever been” to keep people off the streets with people living in temporary accommodation for longer. The local…‘Marmite of fashion’ shoppers can’t decide if M&S’ £39.50 ‘horseshoe jeans’ are the ‘best ever’ or giving ‘Wild West’
WHEN it comes to fashion, M&S always tries to make sure that they’re at the forefront of new trends.
But the store has divided opinion with one of its latest offerings – a pair of “horseshoe jeans” that will set you back £39.50.
The denim trousers feature a mid-rise waist and are fitted around the top and the thighs.
However, as they continue, they drop into a slightly bizarre wide style, before tapering around the ankle.
They come complete with a “button-and-zip fastening and authentic five-pocket styling”, according to the M&S website.
And the trousers have caused a fierce debate among fashion fans, as they struggle to decide whether they’re a must-have, or one to avoid at all costs.
People weighed in on their purchase in the comments section on the M&S website, with one writing: “These jeans looked absolutely awful on me, bought a size 14 reg which fits perfect normally but the fit of these is just all wrong.
“I can’t even describe it, you’ll have to try on and see!
“Sorry M&S I’m a huge fan but on this occasion it’s a big no!”
“Definitely the ‘marmite’ of jeans and I’m much too old for such a young persons fashion!!” another admitted.
“Kept the black version of the carrot leg jeans that I also ordered which looked suitably low key for someone of my vintage.
“Great jeans for the fashion forward though!”
As others had their say in the comments on a TikTok video of an influencer trying the denims on.
“I’m really not sure, they make us look bow legged??!!” one mused.
“I feel like you need to walk like John Wayne,” another said.
“Stop, it’s giving Wild West!” a third giggled.
“I didn’t know what to expect when they said horseshoe…. I suppose they didn’t disappoint!”
“They’re giving ‘Cher Lloyd as an adult’,” someone else joked.
Why is it so hard to find the perfect pair of jeans...
Deputy Fashion Editor Abby Mchale has revealed why it's so hard to find the perfect pair of jeans...
If there is one item of clothing that is never easy to buy it’s jeans.
If you think you’ve got your size nailed after finding the perfect fit, nine times out of ten when you next come to buying a pair you will most likely still have to try before you buy.
But what is it about jeans that makes them such a difficult fit?
Well there isn’t a universal size guide that every retailer sticks to, so this means that one brands size 12 could be an inch or so different to another brands and that can make all the difference.
Plus, it’s all about the denim, some jeans are made with stiffer denim that don’t give them as much give.
Whereas some stretchier denims obviously have more stretch which means they can be more forgiving.
However, don’t forget that all denim does eventually stretch, so when you’re trying jeans on and they feel ever so slightly tight, remember that they will actually give after wearing them.
So sadly this does mean the best piece of advice is to just try them on, however if you are short of time or can’t be bothered then the Japanese jean test I have found works quite effectively.
Wrap the waistband of the jeans around your neck, if they can wrap all the way round and don’t leave a gap then they should fit your waist.
“They remind me of the trousers the Genie off Aladdin wears,” another said.
“What. On. Earth,” someone else yelled.
As another insisted: “There’s a limit and M&S have just reached it. Not a good look!”
Not everyone hated the jeans though, as others raved about the unusual cut.
“The longer ones with a big turn up and military style boots are fab and the shorter length with Birkenstocks are equally brilliant,” one wrote.
“I think M&S jeans are so on trend but not breaking the bank.
“Love them!”
“Such a lovely fit! Comfy and really flattering,” another said.
“Definitely my favourite pair at the moment.”
Oh they’re stunning,” a third gushed.
“Thank you for letting me know these exist!
“Off to purchase some.”
As well as the lightwash denim, the jeans also come in black, for the same price of £39.50.
Ten Hag shouldn’t repeat failed left-back experiment – here are three ways Man Utd could line up without Mazraoui
ERIK TEN HAG must be getting a sense of deja vu after being left with a defensive crisis at left-back once again.
The Manchester United boss has just ONE fit senior full-back as they host Brentford on Saturday after Noussair Mazraoui was sidelined over the international break.
With long-term injuries to Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia as well, it means Diogo Dalot is the only fit full-back Ten Hag has at his disposal.
However, with Mazraoui injured and Dalot showing poor form on the left side, the Portuguese is in line for a return to a more familiar right-back role.
And that has left Ten Hag considering his options, although reports suggest that he could be considering using Aston Villa Man of the Match Jonny Evans there as an emergency stop gap.
Alternatives could see Lisandro Martinez play at left-back or Victor Lindelof fill in at right-back.
Although, the former did not work there the one time he was asked to this season and the latter is not match sharp.
However, former-Ajax boss Ten Hag would be better served with two other options.
The first of those would be to call up highly-rated youngster Harry Amass.
Amass, 17, impressed with the senior side in pre-season and received backing from both Shaw and Ten Hag to break into the first team this season.
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Having a natural left-footed left-back in the position would help United’s chances to no end, with the likes of Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho set to be among the biggest beneficiaries.
Ten Hag said Amass could build into the team by November, but with injuries mounting up and a lack of viable alternatives, it seems a no-brainer for United to blood their next academy star.
A third, albeit radical, option could be a formation switch to a back-three with aggressive wing-backs, potentially seeing Antony being selected as a left-wing back and giving him a new lease of life.
This may give the £86million flop, given he has shown the work-rate to get up and down the flank, but could also be prevented from his bad habit of constantly cutting in from the right-wing.
However Ten Hag ultimately lines up his team, he will be desperate to get a positive result against the Bees.
United have won two of their seven league games this season, scoring just five goals in the process, to leave them down in 14th place.
Beauty queen dubbed ‘elephant girl’ after one leg DOUBLED in size and ‘leaked fluid’ shares dramatic body transformation
A WOMAN who lived with a condition that made one of her legs double in size for over three decades has undergone an incredible transformation.
Amy Rivera, 42, had lymphedema, a condition that causes swelling in the body’s tissues – but the condition went undiagnosed for most of her life.
Her left leg was twice the size of her right one when she was born, something that was blamed on the way her mother “carried her” in the womb.
But after Amy and her family battled for 32 years to get a diagnosis she was finally told she had the condition, which can be caused by blockages, trauma, or missing lymph nodes in the lymphatic system.
At its very worst, the fluid trapped in Amy’s leg weighed 35 pounds and would leak out of her skin.
She said: “My life was becoming unbearable. I didn’t even want to look at my leg in the mirror, when I changed, showered, ever. I hated by body. I hated myself.”
Amy was extremely embarrassed by it and would hide it with long skirts and dresses, but a conversation with a coworker completely transformed her life.
She said: “I was always bullied by peers, teachers, and strangers. I was called the ‘girl with the elephant leg’.
“I was having a conversation with a coworker one day and she called herself ‘fat’.
“I asked her if she wanted to come over and hang out at the pool one day. She asked me if it was a private or public pool.
“I told her it was a subdivision pool. She then said, ‘fat girls don’t go to public pools’.
“This was years before the body-positive movement, however it broke me to hear her speak of herself this way.
“I felt compelled to show her my leg. I was so good at hiding it that my coworker thought I wore dresses and skirts for religious reasons. This moment saved my life.”
After this life-changing discussion, Amy left her corporate job in 2016 and began to share her journey.
She stopped hiding her leg and became an international best-selling author of the book ‘Drop the Skirt – How My Disability Became My Superpower‘, the title of which was inspired by the moment she shared with her coworker.
Amy said: “I wasn’t sure what I was going to call my book until I shared this story with my public speaking coach, who helped me with my first speaking opportunity to share my story, and husband.
I didn’t even want to look at my leg in the mirror, when I changed, showered, ever.
Amy Rivera
“Together, the three of us realised this needed to be the title.”
Amy took part in beauty pageants when she was younger, but she now enjoys competitive bodybuilding.
Having worked out at the gym since she was 15 years old, she learned working out made her body feel good, even though physicians told her movement was bad for her leg.
She said: “Years later, research shows that movement is the very thing that helps improve lymphedema symptoms.
“Even though I was a beauty queen, I felt more like myself in the gym. Anyone who knows my story knows that my dream was to become an athlete.
“I achieved that goal at the age of 40. Even though I competed in a bodybuilding competition, that isn’t the main vehicle for me. I picked this task to see just how strong my mindset was. If I could control my body through my mindset, consistency and selfcare, I knew I could do anything.
“I placed 3rd in my division and 4th overall.”
Since her diagnosis, Amy has undergone three surgeries to treat her lymphedema and is now thriving physically and mentally.
But the journey to get to this point hasn’t been easy.
My family tried to get answers for years. After years of doors being shut in their faces, they just gave up.
Amy Rivera
Amy said: “My family tried to get answers for years. After years of doors being shut in their faces, they just gave up. They were very frustrated.
“Doctors even told my mother it was the way she carried me in the womb, which wasn’t true. You can imagine the guilt she has carried with her all these years because of that.
“It has been difficult to get physicians, insurance companies and the healthcare system to understand this is a serious condition that progressively gets worse and can lead to death in serious cases if left untreated.”
Amy hopes to now be a “voice for her community” despite the cruel comments she faces.
She said: “People have told me I shouldn’t share pictures of my leg because it’s disgusting. Someone even asked me if they could catch it.
“I look at these situations as opportunities to educate others. I was alone for over 30 years. I don’t want anyone else to feel the way I did. I want our community to know they no longer suffer in silence.
“My husband is the one who inspired me to become a leader in the lymphatic community. He believed in me from the beginning.”
Symptoms of lymphedema
- an aching, heavy feeling
- difficulty with movement
- repeated skin infections
- developing hard, tight, or thickened skin
- wart-like growths developing on the skin
- fluid leaking through the skin
- swelling or heaviness in the face, mouth or throat
- problems with swallowing and speech
Source: NHS
In 2022, Amy partnered with a French engineer who created the world’s only single-layered, multi-component bandages for lymphedema.
She regularly speaks to pre-med students, physicians, and therapists about the condition, and she is currently collaborating with some major Universities including Vanderbilt University and the University of Pennsylvania on lymphatic research.
Amy added: “Together, we will win our fight.”
Millions of unemployed Brits will get FREE fat-loss jabs as they’re ‘holding back the economy’, Health Secretary says
UNEMPLOYED Brits could be given free weight-loss jabs under plans being drawn up by Wes Streeting.
The Health Secretary wants to use drugs including Ozempic and Mounjaro to kickstart a major back-to-work drive.
Mr Streeting admitted that “widening waistbands” are putting a huge strain on the NHS.
But he said that fat jabs could provide a two-pronged solution, both easing pressure on the ailing health service and encouraging the unemployed back into work.
This morning Sir Keir Starmer backed the move, suggesting jabs could help boost the nation’s health and economic growth.
The PM told BBC Breakfast: “I think these drugs could be very important for our economy and for health.
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“This drug will be very helpful to people who want to lose weight, need to lose weight, very important for the economy so people can get back into work.
“We’ve got to reduce the pressure on the NHS.
“So this will help in all of those areas.”
It comes as the government last night confirmed that pharmaceutical giant Lilly will invest £279 million into developing new drugs and treatment in the UK.
Writing in The Telegraph, the Health Secretary said: “Our widening waistbands are also placing significant burden on our health service, costing the NHS £11bn a year – even more than smoking.
“And it’s holding back our economy.
“Illness caused by obesity causes people to take an extra four sick days a year on average, while many others are forced out of work altogether.”
A five-year trial run by Lilly, assessing the impact of weight loss drugs on the unemployed, is set to take place in Greater Manchester.
However, despite promising results from similar such trials, Mr Streeting warned that Brits must continue to take “healthy living more seriously”.
He added that the “NHS can’t be expected to always pick up the tab for unhealthy lifestyles”.
The Health Secretary also cautioned against adults using the jab to achieve the “perfect” body.
He said: “I think the drugs can make a really big impact in terms of getting weight under control.
“Some encouraging signs around prevention of cardiovascular disease, big killers, heart disease, heart attack, stroke, there is really big potential there.
“Where I think we’ve just got to be careful, though, is that we don’t see these drugs as an excuse not to do the right thing in terms of our diet, nutrition, exercise, or to use them as cosmetic drugs for the Instagram perfect body.”
Studies of patients taking the Mounjaro jab found they shed more than a fifth of their body weight in eight months.
The drug is due to be offered to 1.6 million people on the NHS as part of a phased roll out over the next 12 years.
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