The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Sacked DJ back working at BBC
Radio 2 DJ Tony Blackburn – who was sacked over evidence he gave to the Jimmy Savile inquiry – has announced his return to the BBC, saying he “can’t wait to get behind the mic again”.
The 73 - y e a r - o l d broadcaster, a household favourite, claimed he had been made a “scapegoat” after he was taken off air following Dame Janet Smith’s reviewinto sexual abuse at the BBC.
The corporation said it stood by the findings of the reviewand the decision to take Blackburn off air at the start of this year, but that he would be back on Radio 2 in January.
Blackburn has strenuously denied suggestions that he “seduced” Claire McAlpine – who
“Had a difficult year, but I’m pleased to be returning to the BBC”
later committed suicide – after inviting her back to his flat following a recording of Top Of The Pops in the 1970s.
He previously threatened to sue the corporation.
But in a statement announcing his return, he said: “I do not seek to criticise the BBC for decisions it has made in the past. Ihavehada difficult year personally, but I’m pleased to be returning to the BBC and can’t wait to get behind the mic again.”
Blackburn will present an hour-long show on Radio 2 on Fridays at 7pm, andwill also return to local radio. Taking regular exercise may provide a small benefit for people with early signs of dementia, research suggests.
A clinical trial on two groups of elderly people found those who followed an exercise programme saw a small improvement in overall thinking skills compared to those who did not exercise.
But the results suggested that the benefit may only last as long as people continued with an exercise plan. The findings, published in the journal Neurology, examined people with early signs of vascular dementia.
This is the second most common type of dementia, after Alzheimer’s disease, and affects around 150,000 people in the UK.
It causes memory loss and difficulties with thinking, problem-solving and language and occurs when there areproblemswiththe supply of blood to the brain.
The new study involved 70 people with an average age of 74. Half of them took part in a one-hour exercise class three times a week for a six-month period.
The other halfweregiven informationontheir condition and followed a healthy diet, butwerenottold to exercise.
Both groups were tested before the study, after it finished and six months later for overall thinking skills, executive function skills, such as planning and organising and how well they could carry out their daily routine.
The results showed that those who exercised had a small improvement on the test of overall thinking skills, improving by 1.7 points, compared to those who did not exercise.
Six months after the exercise group stopped taking exercise, their scores were no different than those who did not exercise. However, the exercise group had better blood pressure control and there were improvements on how far they could walk in six minutes.
Researchers said this is important because high blood pressure increases the risk of dementia.
Dr Rosa Sancho, head of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “We know regular exercise can help improve cardiovascular health, but it has also been linked with a reduced risk of developing dementia.”
“Exercise has been linked with a reduced risk of developing dementia”