Vanessa Kennedy

1 month ago | news.stv.tv | Vanessa Kennedy |Christina O'Neill

A family is calling on the Scottish Government to help save their daughter’s sight by making treatment available on the NHS. Beau Johnston, 19, has been left visually impaired after receiving treatment for brain tumours since she was just two years old. She has undergone eight courses of chemotherapy and debulking surgery to continually shrink her hypothalamic optic pathway glioma. The family has been told a new brain tumour is threatening her vision on the remaining optic pathway fibres.

2 months ago | news.stv.tv | Calum Loudon |Vanessa Kennedy

A barber who shaved his way into the hearts of his Edinburgh clients has said an emotional farewell as the business prepares to close its doors after almost 60 years. Benny’s, on Grove Street in the Fountainbridge area, styled the hair of generations of locals since opening its doors in 1966. The shop, which described itself as a traditional Italian style men’s barbers, cut the locks of locals and celebrities alike – including the Proclaimers.

2 months ago | news.stv.tv | Holly Lennon |Vanessa Kennedy

Trans people living in Scotland have described the Supreme Court’s ruling on the definition of a woman as a step back for their rights. This week, judges unanimously ruled that the terms woman and sex in the Equality Act “refer to a biological woman and biological sex”. It follows a legal challenge by women’s rights campaigners of the Scottish Government’s interpretation of anti-discrimination legislation, which applies to England, Scotland and Wales.

2 months ago | news.stv.tv | Matthew Fulton |Vanessa Kennedy

The boss of a Scottish care home provider says the increase to employer national insurance contributions is a “shocking betrayal” to the sector. Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in her October budget that employer contributions would rise by 1.2% to 15% while the threshold at which it is paid has also been reduced.

Mar 19, 2025 | news.stv.tv | Christina O'Neill |Vanessa Kennedy

The family of a mum with endometriosis who took her own life after an agonising wait for surgery has branded NHS delays “a disgrace“. Former nurse and police officer Nicola Thyne, from Bathgate in West Lothian, died aged 35 in January last year, leaving behind two children aged 15 and 12. Nicola suffered excruciating pain for years before being diagnosed with stage four endometriosis when doctors discovered her organs had attached to her uterus wall.