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Keagan Kirkby: Jockey, 25, dies after falling from horse during race in Kent | UK News

A jockey has died after falling from a horse during a race in Kent.

Keagan Kirkby was riding in the Charing point-to-point on Sunday when his horse ran through the wing of a fence.

Wings, usually made out of metal or wood, sit at both ends of a fence and guide horses towards a jump.

Following the fall, on-site paramedics, as well as a team from the air ambulance, attempted to treat the 25-year-old.

However, Mr Kirkby, who worked at the stables of leading trainer Paul Nicholls, succumbed to his injuries.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Nicholls paid tribute to Mr Kirkby, who he described as “one of our best, hard-working lads”.

“All at team Ditcheat are mortified,” he said.

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA), the regulatory body for horse racing in Great Britain, said it was “devastated to hear the tragic news”.

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BHA chief executive Julie Harrington said: “The entire racing industry will be in mourning at the loss of someone so young and with such potential.”

Ms Harrington said Mr Kirkby was nominated for the Rider/Groom category of the 2024 Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards and made it through to the final 10 in his category.

“The nomination spoke of Keagan’s qualities as a thoughtful rider who develops a personal bond with his horses, understands their characters and adapts his riding accordingly, as well as his affable, helpful nature and popularity on the yard,” she said.

In a statement, the Injured Jockey Fund described Mr Kirkby as a “respected member of the Paul Nicholls team, who joined in 2019 and who had been awarded employee of the month in December 2021”.

The incident happened during a point-to-point, a form of amateur horse racing over fences held at a variety of racecourses throughout the UK, as well as Ireland – where the sport is open to licensed professional trainers.

The devastating effects of fireworks on animals: A horse spooked to death and the campaign to change Bonfire Night | UK News

Pet owners are gearing up for a stressful time for both themselves and their animals as fireworks season begins.

With Bonfire Night and Diwali in October and November, followed not long afterwards by New Year’s Eve, there is little respite from the bangs and vibrations that can have devastating effects on animals.

Julie Doorne from Firework Campaign UK told Sky News that people suffer as well as pets.

Pet owners will avoid leaving their animals at home alone for months on end, or use up annual leave to take them away.

“People’s lives change” due to fireworks, she said.

The campaign wants an end to private fireworks. Ms Doorne says they’re not trying to cancel Bonfire Night or any other celebrations – but they want displays licenced and kept a certain distance from animals.

Image:
Jade, with Liberty and Emma after her fall

‘I will never see her again’

Liberty, an 18-year-old from Winterbourne, recently lost her horse Jade due to fireworks. Jade was Liberty’s therapy horse, who helped her with anxiety, and was a gift from her friend Emma.

“Jade taught me everything. My first canter, my first gallop, she gave me the confidence in everything,” Liberty said.

“She knew when I was upset. If she heard me cry she would stand over me. When I was feeling down she would nudge me. She knew when I was at my lowest.”

In October, Jade got spooked by a firework that was let off near the field she was in.

She ran and hurt her back legs in the process. Despite Liberty trying to get her up, it was clear she wasn’t going to.

“She tried but she didn’t have the strength and in the end, she gave up,” Liberty said.

Jade had to be put to sleep.

“My heart is ripped apart,” Liberty said. “She was my best friend and soulmate.

“I will always remember the lowest of my days when she wouldn’t leave my side… I have no words but heartache and tears.”

“I want the whole world to know that Jadey was my life.”

Liberty wants to see a ban on setting off fireworks around livestock.

Jade would have “been here today if it wasn’t for the firework,” she said. “I will never see her again.”

Nala the cocker spaniel, for story on how bonfire night affects animals. Pic: supplied
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Nala gets very distressed around fireworks

‘Driving to the middle of the New Forest for quiet’

Rosemary, from Hampshire, has a 10-year-old horse called Rolo – and Nala, an 11-year-old working cocker spaniel.

To prepare Rolo for the fireworks, Rosemary plans to put boots on him to stop him from kicking himself and keep him in his stable.

This is the first fireworks season she’s experienced with Rolo, so she plans to “take a leap of faith” and hope he copes well.

But Nala gets very distressed.

“She barks to the point that one New Year’s Eve I drove out to the middle of the New Forest to get her as far away from the noise as possible,” Rosemary said.

She added she is forced to change her routine when she knows there may be fireworks.

“I can’t leave her on the weekend of Bonfire Night. I will always be making a decision on, ‘If we go out, can I take her?’ – but we have to endure it when it’s unexpected.”

Image:
Nelly the Boston, with her cat sisters Poppy and Pixie

‘We’re worried the stress will shorten her life’

Matt Wilke, 36, from northwest London, has a Boston terrier called Nelly, and two cats, Pixie and Poppy.

All three are rescues from South Africa, and he said the journey to bring them to the UK during the pandemic was nowhere near as stressful as fireworks are for them.

“Pixie becomes incredibly skittish and just about hyperventilates. It is absolutely horrible seeing a cat having what looks like an asthma attack and being very frightened,” he explained.

Poppy does her best to try to hide, which is worrying because “she tries squeezing herself into the smallest of spaces and we’re always so worried she will hurt herself”.

Mike also worries Poppy will “get stuck somewhere or – in a panic to find somewhere – get out and run without any idea of where she’s trying to go”.

Nelly becomes very needy, constantly vigilant and frightened of going outside. Matt said the effects on her can last for days after the fireworks have stopped.

“This undue stress simply isn’t good for her and we’re constantly worried that the stress, especially as she gets older, could shorten her life.”

Pip, an elderly dog with a fragile heart

Jane has an elderly dog called Pip.

Pip “has been petrified of fireworks all his life”, she said.

Jane added: “Every year we spend about two weeks around bonfire night unable to sleep until late as he needs comforting because he gets so worked up and frightened when he hears them going off.

“We are dreading this year as he now has a heart condition which means he collapses if he gets highly stressed or excited.

“So we feel we have no alternative but to drive us all out into the country for a few hours to get away from the relentless sound of bombs going off.

“If we don’t I fear he will have a heart attack.”

Supplied photo of Messi for story about pets and fireworks.
Image:
Messi was so scared by fireworks he woudn’t go outside

Could Australian-style ban work in the UK?

Dog owner Jane Price recalled stressful bonfire nights with her Cairn terrier Messi.

“He would bark and get very upset,” she said. “He wouldn’t even go outside, he was worried there was going to be another bang.”

Ms Price is originally from Australia, where there’s a ban on members of the public buying fireworks.

There’s merit to that rule, she said.

In the UK, fireworks can be sold between 15 October and 10 November for Bonfire Night and from 26 to 31 December for New Year celebrations.

They can also be sold in the three days leading up to Chinese New Year and Diwali.

But many pet owners would welcome Australian-style restrictions in the UK.

Image:
Cody gets very agitated and scared when she hears the loud bangs of fireworks

‘It’s really difficult to calm and console’

Another concerned animal lover, Di, told Sky News her border collie cross, Cody, is “absolutely terrified” of fireworks.

“This appears to be getting worse as she grows older,” she said. “Her reaction to them is to bark continuously, pant and pace and it is really difficult to calm and console her.

“This reaction can continue for a good while after the fireworks have subsided.”

Vet says fireworks ‘totally cruel’ to animals

The run-up to Bonfire Night and New Year’s Eve sees a surge of people seeking sedatives for their pets, a north London vet told Sky News.

“One month before firework night, people are coming in one after the other to get calming remedies for their pets,” she says.

Fireworks displays are “totally cruel” to animals, who have “very sensitive hearing”, she added.

“They’re put under stress and anxiety that can sometimes cause illnesses like alopecia from over-grooming themselves due to stress.”

About 14 million people in the UK attend organised firework displays each year, according to the British Pyrotechnics Association – but that number does not include fireworks set off in private gardens and fields across the country.

These displays are the real problem, according to some pet owners.

Call for organised fireworks events only

Sophie Gannon’s dog Barclay is “petrified by the noise” and “shakes” on hearing fireworks.

“I don’t think they should sell fireworks at all. I think it should just be organised events only,” she said.

The RSPCA receives about 400 calls from concerned pet owners every Bonfire Night, and in 2019 launched its Bang Out Of Order campaign, calling for changes to firework laws.

It wants the sale of fireworks restricted to between 29 October and 5 November and a reduction of the maximum noise level of fireworks from 120 decibels to 90 decibels.

The animal charity has also called for the implementation of firework control zones, prohibiting fireworks near animal habitats, farms and zoos.

The charity’s research shows 73% of adults polled think firework control zones should be introduced and 75% think the firework sale period should be limited.

What are the rules as they stand?

The Animal Welfare Act does not extend to protecting animals from the effects of fireworks.

While it prohibits “any unnecessary suffering to a captive or domestic animal”, if fireworks are let off legally, their use would not be considered unreasonable.

Scotland’s fireworks laws changed in June, giving councils the power to designate Firework Control Zones where it would be illegal to set off fireworks. The impact on animals is one reason why a council could grant a control zone.

In Northern Ireland, anyone who wants to buy, possess, and use fireworks (except indoor fireworks and sparklers) must have a valid fireworks licence.

In 2019, the House of Commons petition committee published a report on fireworks after more than 750,000 people signed a petition demanding a change to the laws.

In response, the government agreed to coordinate a major public awareness campaign, but stopped short of accepting recommendations – including introducing decibel limits and empowering local councils to enforce firework permits.

Another petition calling for tougher regulations gained more than 15,000 signatures in advance of this year’s Bonfire Night.

The government responded by saying it has “no plans to ban the sale of fireworks to the public but continues to monitor the situation”.

A government spokesperson added: “We believe the majority of individuals use fireworks safely and appropriately.

“The government understands that people want to enjoy fireworks. We believe that the legislative framework controlling fireworks strikes the right balance and we have no plans to replace it at this time.”

Horse Hill court battle could set precedent that triggers ‘beginning of the end’ of new fossil fuel projects in UK | Climate News

The company behind a controversial coal mine in West Cumbria and the UK environment regulator are both intervening in a separate court battle over plans to pump oil in the Surrey countryside.

Next month’s Supreme Court case about whether to extract about three million tonnes of oil from Horse Hill is regarded as a test case that could bring the “beginning of the end” of new fossil fuel production in the UK.

The site, near Gatwick, was first approved by Surrey County Council in 2019 but has faced a legal challenge by campaigners ever since, and will next month go before the UK’s highest court.

Unusually, the Supreme Court has permitted four extra bodies to intervene – meaning they can make written or oral submissions to aid the court’s understanding, reflecting the public importance of the case.

Aerial view Horse Hill oil site in Surrey, near Gatwick
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If approved, Horse Hill would extract oil from six wells over 25 years

One of those weighing in is West Cumbria Mining, whose plan to develop the UK’s first new coal mine in 30 years in Whitehaven was controversially approved by the government in December.

WCM did not respond to a request to comment on why it had intervened.

But if the campaigner’s appeal against the Surrey oil site wins next month, it could be “that you have to completely reassess whether that coal mine in Cumbria can happen at all”, according to barrister Sam Fowles.

“It is extremely difficult to overstate the significance of this case,” said Mr Fowles, who specialises in planning and environment law at Cornerstone Barristers.

It has the potential trigger the “beginning of the end of … new fossil fuel extraction in the UK going forward”, he added.

The government is due to make a decision imminently on the giant Rosebank oil and gas field in the North Sea.

Charles McAllister, director of industry group UK Onshore Oil and Gas, called it “incontrovertible” that the UK needs some oil and gas beyond 2050, “even with huge growth in renewables”.

“It’s a case of where we got it from, not if we need or not.”

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Setting the agenda for COP28

‘Clear ramifications’ for future projects

Both the Cumbria coal mine and the Surrey oil case hinge on the same thorny issue plaguing planning authorities presiding over fossil fuel projects.

The question is whether their assessments of the project’s damage to the environment have to factor in only the emissions from getting the fossil fuel out of the ground, or also from when it’s used or burned later “downstream”.

These are known as “scope 3” emissions and tend to make up the majority of a project’s or company’s greenhouse gases. Fossil fuels are the main cause of climate change, which is already threatening the UK via things like rising sea levels and last summer’s intense drought.

Both the Cumbria coal mine and the Horse Hill oil site were approved partly on the basis that these “downstream” emissions need not be taken into account, and therefore overall emissions would be low.

Sarah Finch, the lead campaigner challenging the oil decision, told Sky News: “More than 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide could be released when the oil from Horse Hill is ultimately burned.”

Katie de Kauwe, a lawyer at campaigning group Friends of the Earth, which is also intervening, said: “It can’t be right that the biggest impacts of fossil fuel projects on people and our planet can effectively be left out when planning decisions are made.

“This is a hugely consequential legal challenge that could have clear ramifications for other fossil fuel developments, including the new coal mine planned in West Cumbria and the legality of the Secretary of State’s decision to approve it.

“West Cumbria Mining is clearly concerned, which is why they’re intervening.”

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Protesters disrupt Barclays meeting

Ms Finch’s initial challenge in the High Court was thrown out. But she took it to the next court, the Court of Appeal, where the three judges were split, with one agreeing she had a point but the majority saying it was a matter for planning authorities rather than the court.

But that creates a huge problem, according to the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) – the UK environment watchdog set up after Brexit in 2021 – which is, for the first time, intervening in a Supreme Court case.

“It means that local planning authorities could reach entirely different conclusions on an important issue of principle on essentially the same facts,” it said in its submission to the court, leaving the law “in an unpredictable state with potentially capricious results”.

Extinction Rebellion activists hold banners as they stage a protest at the Horse Hill oilfield, partly owned by the British energy company UK Oil & Gas, in Surrey, Britain, June 1, 2020. Steve Ringham/Jono/Extinction Rebellion South East/via REUTERS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.
Image:
Horse Hill has been challenged by campaigners since it was first approved in 2019

‘Not clear-cut’ if UK should pump more oil and gas – climate advisers

“If it is successful, which I don’t think it will be, it will set a precedent,” said Charles McAllister from UKOOG.

If the campaigners win, it would have “far-reaching implications beyond the onshore oil and gas industry, ranging from the offshore oil and gas industry, mining, metals, manufacturing, aviation”, he warned.

The Horse Hill site would extract around 200,000 barrels of oil over 25 years, which could be used to power jets, create electricity or heat homes. The UK produces about one million barrels of oil a day.

Charles McAllister from UK Onshore Oil and Gas
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UK Onshore Oil and Gas says its greener to extract oil at home

Independent government climate advisers from the CCC have said the UK will need some oil until 2050, though it is “not clear-cut” whether it should produce more domestically.

The International Energy Agency has said no new fossil fuel project is compatible with the globally accepted goal of limiting warming to 1.5C.

UK Oil and Gas, the main developers of Horse Hill, declined to comment.

A spokesperson for Surrey County Council said it is “required to determine planning applications in accordance with the Development Plan, the National Planning Policy Framework, national policy and other material considerations, as set out in legislation and case law.

“The County Council will present its case to the Supreme Court, which will issue a decision in due course.”

Watch The Climate Show with Tom Heap on Saturday and Sunday at 3pm and 7.30pm on Sky News, on the Sky News website and app, and on YouTube and Twitter.

The show investigates how global warming is changing our landscape and highlights solutions to the crisis.

Nicholas Evans, author of The Horse Whisperer, dies aged 72 | UK News

Author Nicholas Evans, who wrote The Horse Whisperer, has died following a heart attack at the age of 72, his agents have said.

Born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, his career saw him work in newspapers and television as well as becoming a bestselling author.

His first novel, The Horse Whisperer, published in 1995, has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide and been translated into 36 languages.

The story was adapted for the big screen in 1998 by Hollywood star Robert Redford, who starred as the title character, with Scarlett Johansson playing young rider Grace MacLean in her breakout role.

During the 1970s Mr Evans worked as a journalist on the Evening Chronicle in Newcastle upon Tyne before moving into broadcasting media.

He specialised in US politics and foreign affairs and spent time covering the war in Beirut

In September 2008 Mr Evans nearly died after consuming poisonous mushrooms and had to have a kidney transplant, with his daughter donating the life-saving organ.

In a statement, his agents said: “United Agents are very sad to announce the sudden death of the celebrated bestselling author Nicholas Evans who died suddenly on Tuesday this week following a heart attack, aged 72.”