Dying wish to marry

HOSPITAL staff granted a terminally ill woman her “dying wish” by helping her to get married.

Linda Carolan, who was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer seven years ago, was admitted to the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth last week suffering from pneumonia and sepsis.

Doctors were worried that the 50-year-old would not survive and, after she told staff her dying wish was to marry her partner of 25 years, Marcus Fellowes, they quickly made arrangements. PLANE passengers flying to Edinburgh had a surprise Antipodean traveller in their cabin – a koala heading for the city’s zoo.

The 19-month-old Queensland koala had his own seat on the flight as the sensitive animals cannot be placed in the hold.

Tanami travelled more than 700 miles from Duisburg Zoo in Germany to join Scotland’s only koalas in a conservation breeding programme.

He is switching places with Toorie, Edinburgh Zoo’s young male koala, who will be making the return flight to Dusseldorf next week.

Darren McGarry, head of living collections at Edinburgh Zoo, said: “Koalas are very sensitive animals, so special care needs to be taken when transporting them. They travel in the plane’s cabin and not in the hold so keepers can easily make sure everything’s okay during the flight.”

Viewings of the arrival will be restricted this weekend as he gets used to his new home.