A dad from Huddersfield has been honoured for his parenting skills with a special honour that has left him 'blown away.'
37-year-old Ben Carpenter has been shortlisted for the 'Family Carer of the Year' award, having adopted six children with complex disabilities.
Mr Carpenter adopted his first child at just 21-years-old, and has since gone on to grow his family with the addition of five more children - dedicating his life to his young family.
In a tragic turn of events, he sadly lost his other 2-year-old Teddy to sepsis in 2019, sixth months after adopting him.
Teddy had suffered from Cornelia de Lange syndrome, a rare genetic condition characterised by slow growth before and after birth and moderate intellectual disability.
He is now a proud dad to Jack, 14, who has autism, Ruby, 11, who has complex needs, Lilly, 9, who is deaf, Joseph, 6, who has down's syndrome and 2-year-old Louis, who is blind and has cerebral palsy.
Due to the fact that all of his children have special needs that require special care, Ben cared for each and everyone himself during the coronavirus pandemic - making sure their education didn't falter despite the difficult circumstances.
Now, the national disability charity Sense has shortlisted the super dad for its 2021 'Family Carer of the Year' award.
Reacting to the nomination, Ben told the Examiner Live: "I am absolutely blown away and honoured to be shortlisted. My children are my absolute world and I make it my duty to offer independence and equality.
"Each one of my children is thriving. I don't like blowing my own trumpet, however, I know that with my passion and dedication I have allowed them to be who they want to be, supporting their disabilities to reach their full potential.
"When my little boy suddenly and unexpectedly passed away, it was a massive shock to us all. I now do what I can to promote sepsis awareness and the devastating impact it can have."
Richard Kramer, chief executive of Sense, said: "Ben believes that no one, no matter how complex their disabilities, should be left out, isolated, or unable to fulfil their potential.
"The dedication he shows to his children, and support for each of their individual needs, is incredible to see. We are delighted to have Ben on our shortlist for 2021 Family Carer of the Year."
Winners of the award will be announced on 25, November 2021.
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Leeds Bradford Airport set for complete ‘shutdown’ as 130 workers go on strike
Leeds Bradford Airport is set for a standstill as almost 130 workers are set to take industrial action over pay.
If you're planning on catching a flight from Leeds Bradford Airport, then you may want to double check the date.
The Unite members planning on going on strike are a mixture of air traffic control workers, customer experience staff, security staff and cleaners.
The workers involved in the dispute have recently come out of a four-year pay deal, with some of the departments having fallen behind other airports in equivalent roles.
Pay talks have been happening since December 2025, with the airport's formal offer not going far enough to address the lack of pay parity.
Strikes will take place from 03:00 Friday 16 October to 06:00 Sunday 18 October for hourly paid staff and from 06:00 Friday 16 October to 06:00 Sunday 18 October for air traffic control workers.
Strike will mean the entire airport will shut down.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Leeds Bradford Airport is very profitable and can more than afford to come back to the table with an offer that doesn't fall short of our members' expectations.
"Our hardworking members should not be paid less than those doing the same jobs at other airports. Workers taking action at Leeds Bradford Airport have Unite's full support in their fight for fairer pay."
Unite regional officer Neil Whitaker said: "We know people who have flights planned to and from Leeds Bradford Airport will be concerned to hear of industrial action, however our members have no choice but to strike.
"The airport is profitable, passenger numbers are growing and our members are a major part of its success. They deserve a fair pay rise, and management must come back to the table to deliver this."
Leeds pizza shop hailed ‘exceptional’ and ‘best in the UK’ by major reviewer
Clementine Hall
A Leeds pizza takeaway has received a glowing review from popular review duo.
Edges Pizza opened up their first permanent spot in Leeds back in June this year, after making a name for themselves slinging out pizzas at multiple pop-ups across the city.
Owners Grace and Edge from Harrogate opened Edges Pizza two years ago, taking inspiration from trips to New York over the years.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Their pizzas are a love letter to the class New York slice, think thin and crispy rather than chewy and floppy. But above all else, think absolutely delicious.
And now, they've caught the attention of a major review page, with Bite Twice Food Reviews (a page with almost 300k followers) paying Edges a visit.
The food review duo of Gerry del Guercio and Paul Delany popped up in Holbeck beneath the arches to get their hands on a pizza, and the outcome is brilliant.
In the video, Bite Twice said that the pizza is 'f**cking exceptional' and up there with 'one of the best pizzas in the UK'.
Before even taking a bite, they said: "On aesthetic, I don't think anywhere in the UK is doing pizza like this".
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Then after the first bite, they go on to say: "There are very few pizzas in the UK that create this, I’m a little bit blown away".
As Londoners themselves, they go on to say that Edges is 'easily hitting with the best that we’ve got down south'.
And if that's not high praise enough, they sign off the video saying: "Leeds has got an absolute gem. I give this a stamp so hard my foot went through the pizza. Edges. Don Level."
Georgina Pellant -
29th October 2021 
