January may not be the cheeriest of months, but there’s plenty to smile about this week.
From a London paramedic reuniting with a baby they saved, to a giraffe from London Zoo enjoying her 15 minutes of fame, this week has brought us several uplifting stories.
So step away from the doom and gloom, and read about everything that went right for London this week.
London paramedic reunited with baby
A London paramedic was reunited with the baby whose life she saved during a traumatic labour.
Paramedic Katie Vaughan was called out to help Therese Siciliano, who began bleeding heavily while 39 weeks' pregnant. Thanks to Vaughn’s heroic actions, Siciliano was taken to hospital and baby Fia was born the following day.
Siciliano wrote to the London Ambulance Service and said: “I will always remember and cherish the hug she gave me at the hospital after we found out Fia had made it.
“Women looking after women, mother to mother and human to human, I needed that hug and she saw it.”
London teen receives pioneering brain surgery
London teenager Sean Igbokwe is among the first people in the world to receive pioneering neurosurgery.
Fourteen-year-old Sean has cerebral palsy, and it is hoped that this surgery will help relieve stiffness which impacts his mobility.
The surgery involved a rechargeable device being fitted, allowing doctors to tweak his treatment without the need for repeated operations.
His mother said it would help her son to aim for a “more fulfilled future”.
The Barbican’s ‘Barbenheimer’ success
The Barbican has seen a boost in ticket sales thanks to the phenomenon Barbenheimer, which saw two of 2023’s biggest films, Barbie and Oppenheimer, released on the same day.
The double bill, as well as the stage show of Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbour Totoro, resulted in a 32 per cent increase in ticket sales.
Trains from London to Amsterdam back on
Eurostar announced this week that it would continue to run trains from London to Amsterdam, after it was feared the route would close for months due to a part-closure at the Amsterdam station.
Thankfully, Eurostar found a solution, meaning people travelling to Amsterdam from London will still be able to take the train, albeit via Brussels.
London giraffe inspires Wonka
We found out this qweek that a London Zoo giraffe named Molly was used as the model for a computer-generated giraffe in the film Wonka, starring Timothée Chalamet.
While she may not be earning the big bucks alongside other Hollywood starlets, Molly was rewarded for her film work with extra helpings of mint leaves.
London Zoo welcomes baby gorilla
Elsewhere in London Zoo, a gorilla named Mjukuu welcomed a baby.
London Zoo’s Primates Section manager Kathryn Sanders said: “Mjukuu was spotted on camera tenderly holding her newborn and demonstrating her wonderful mothering instincts – cleaning her infant and checking it over.”
The birth of the western lowland gorilla is great news for the critically endangered species.
