Grayson’s hat trick boosts his hearing
IF YOU’VE fallen off the wagon during what you vowed would be ‘dry January’, you aren’t alone. More than half of British drinkers who resolved to remain alcohol-free this month gave in after only two weeks of abstinence, new figures reveal. A survey of 2,050 adults also found under-25s were the least successful dry January participants, with a 64 per cent failure rate. One in six drinkers who responded to the survey by internet-only chemist Pharmacy2U admitted alcohol was at the root of problems in their lives, including relationship conflicts, health troubles and difficulties at work. FAMILIES of children who have had bladder or bowel surgery can access a new, free 24-hour helpline staffed by parents of youngsters who have had the procedure. JOSH – the Junior Ostomy Support Helpline – is manned by trained volunteers to provide emotional support to families of children with a colostomy or other type of stoma. JOSH founder Wendy Hetherington says: ‘Families need advice on everything from clothing to schooling, sport, diet and more.’ To contact JOSH, call 0800 328 4257. NINE out of ten Britons are putting themselves at risk of serious health conditions because they have no idea how much salt they should be eating. Adults should consume no more than 6g – just one teaspoon – a day. Too much salt can increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and higher blood pressure. But a poll of 2,000 people by Nuffield Health found a staggering 90 per cent are unaware of the recommend intake, while one in three said they aren’t worried about how much salt they eat. Half of those polled also make no attempt to control the amount of sugar in their diet. TURNER Prize-winning artist Grayson Perry is famous for his outlandish cross-dressing costumes – but he has a rather practical explanation for wearing bonnet-style hats.
The potter believes the funnel shape of the headgear helps with his hearing, which has been getting steadily worse since he was a child.
The 54-year-old, left, reveals: ‘The bonnet acts as a sort of ear trumpet, so if I’m looking at someone, the sides of the hat direct the noise towards my ears. ‘I wear hearing aids too. I never used to, but it’s something I can’t avoid now. I struggled with my hearing at school but as I got older I noticed it getting worse. There’s nothing I can really do about it except continue wearing bonnets and hearing aids. At least the bonnets are pretty!’ Grayson, who made a 30-minute TV programme about deafness as part of his Channel 4 series Who Are You?, added: ‘If you can’t hear people, it does change the way you behave in social situations.’ But he says that deafness can have advantages: ‘I can turn things off and completely zone out.’