A young Southport mum has developed an extremely rare form of cancer as people are urged to do what they can to support her

KATIE Froggatt, aged 39, who has a beautiful 2 year old daughter, called Myla, has seen family and friends rally round by launching a campaign for lifesaving treatment. The funds will also pay for a new prosthetic nose, after Katie endured surgery on her face which saw surgeons remove her nose due to damage caused by cancer. People can donate via her Go Fund Me fundraising Page. Huge generosity from local people has already seen over £24,000 / €27,000 raised towards the appeal. People are also invited to take part in a fundraising walk from Ainsdale to Birkdale, on Friday, 10 February 2023.

Her friend Stacey Porter said:- "I wondered if people would be able to help in raising some awareness for a local Southport lady and her current battle with an extremely rare cancer. Her name is Katie Froggatt and many of Katie's friends and family are trying to do fundraisers currently to help pay for lifesaving treatment and a prosthetic nose. Katie has a little 2 year old daughter and is desperate for more time with her family, husband and daughter. The more people that get to know Katie's story and donate, the better. This Friday there is a big fundraising walk planned as well by a friend of Katie's, Nicola Patterson. We will be meeting at:- 7.30pm, at Bargain Booze in Ainsdale and walking to Birkdale, as bright and sparkly as we can possibly be please. It will be a minimum donation of £10 donated on the night to do the walk but you can donate as much as you want. We have secured a VIP spot in Birkdale for the walk:- 'after party.' This is where we will do the raffle so we will also be selling raffle tickets on the night and we have some absolutely amazing prizes to win and also some major things for auction. We will also have karaoke on the night too."

Another friend of Katie's, Paul Reynolds, will be taking part in a 12K run in Ibiza on 1st April to raise money for her. He said:- "Last year Katie found out she had cancer of the nose and underwent a big operation to remove the growth, and along with it a good part of her nose. This was then followed up with radiotherapy treatment with the hope that the cancer wouldn't return. After looking forward to nose reconstruction just before Christmas our worst fears were back and unfortunately, she had to have the whole nose removed as the cancer had come back with such force, while also finding a couple of nodules on her lungs she is now waiting for a prosthetic nose and undergoing Targeted Radiotherapy and Immunotherapy along with alternative treatments. Katie, Steve and baby Myla are some of our closest friends and the most beautiful family. Katie is somebody who everyone needs in their life as she brings so much happiness into the room and to everyone she's around, she has the most fantastic energy and strength and if the world had more Katies in it we would have a much happier place to live in, so to see her going through all this is beyond devastating for all of us! So please if you can help me out to raise money for our incredible friends' treatment!"

Hundreds of thousands more workers to receive job support boost in spring

NEW regulations which come into force on:- Monday, 30 January 2023, mean more than 120,000 working people on Universal Credit across Great Britain will receive a job support boost this spring. The Administrative Earnings Threshold (AET) determines which group a Universal Credit claimant is placed in based on how much they earn. This in turn impacts the level of support they receive to find work and develop a career, and the types of activities they must undertake, such as searching for opportunities to take up more or better paid work or researching new career options.

From the end of February, an increase to the threshold will mean more Universal Credit claimants will be moved from the:- 'Light Touch' group to the:- 'Intensive Work Search' group, helping them to get better-paid work and boost their long term prospects. Combined with a previous increase in September, this will mean around a quarter of a million more people will have been moved into:- 'Intensive Work Search.'

New claimant commitments will be tailored to individual circumstances and will consider caring responsibilities and any health conditions.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Mel Stride MP said:- "A hallmark of a compassionate society is giving those on low incomes the tools to progress and earn more. It is important that we continue to deliver targeted support so that those in work have access to the expertise and guidance of our dedicated work coaches. By raising the Administrative Earnings Threshold, we are forging a robust labour market building on positive changes we have already made and supporting even more people to progress in the workplace."

Additional claimants will benefit from more face to face time with a work coach, allowing them to access opportunities to increase their earnings, whether that is developing their skills, progressing in their current sector, or by starting a new role. The new AET is the equivalent of an individual working 15 hours per week, or a couple working 24 hours per week between them, at the adult National Living Wage rate.

This year, the Government will also be driving forward an agenda to ensure the labour market remains robust, reviewing workforce participation at pace to understand what action can be taken to drive down economic inactivity.

In 2021 the Universal Credit taper rate was reduced from 63% to 55% and the Work Allowance was increased by £500 per year so claimants can keep more of what they earn. The National Living Wage is also increasing by 9.7%, bringing it to £10.42 an hour from April.

This rise to the AET will build on this work to ensure work pays and will be complemented by a new In Work Progression offer which will be rolled out to all Jobcentres by the end of March, focused on helping claimants in the:- 'Light Touch' work group to progress.

People impacted by the change will be contacted with more details via their Universal Credit journal. Claimants will receive this journal message at the end of their 1st full assessment period after the 26 February 2023.

But Universal Credit is also destroying jobs. Many freelance and even some in the care sector are being forced to give up jobs or close businesses, to keep support, as without it they can not continue to work. This means many sectors are facing a serious issue over both funding and staff shortages. As of yet we have had no comment about this looming elephant in the room.

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