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MORE than 20 iconic historic landmarks are set to SHUT in months amid a major shake up that will see hundreds of jobs axed.

Tourists who enjoy soaking up the beautiful scenery and rich history of English Heritage sites will likely be disappointed with the shock news.

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Furness Abbey, in Cumbria and founded in 1123 is set to close during the winter[/caption]

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Ranger’s House, used to film parts of Bridgerton, is expected to become a ‘hidden gem’[/caption]

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A mosaic at Lullingstone Roman Villa, in Kent[/caption]

As reported by The Guardian, at least the charity is set to massively cut back on opening times at 22 sites – which are expected to become “hidden gems”.

These are said to include Ranger’s House in Greenwich, London, which was used as a filming location for Netflix’s Bridgerton.

Meanwhile, another 21 sites will be totally shut down, throughout the winter, in a bid to save money.

The move could see up to 200 staff axed in wide-scale budget cuts, with curators understood to be the main focus.

Locations that are due to be locked up in winter months include Lullingstone Roman Villa in Kent, Totnes Castle in Devon, and Furness Abbey in Cumbria.

An insider told the news outlet the circumstances are “seriously worrying”.

Another employee reportedly broke down in tears after a “reshaping” meeting.

“All of our jobs are basically at risk. They won’t tell us an exact number, but it’s affecting virtually every department,” the source said.

Another source added: “We think we are talking 150 full-time equivalent redundancies – potentially up to 200 actual people.”

They claimed the situation had been “handled so badly” amid fears qualified curators will be cast out for cheaper, younger, less skilled employees.

“I believe in giving young people opportunities, but they’ll basically just employ people with absolutely no skills to fill these gaps and pay them probably peanuts,” the source claimed.

English Heritage is no longer boosted by government grants and relies on memberships, ticket sales and their shops to stay afloat.

The charity runs more than 400 historic sites with just over 2,500 staff and more than 5,000 volunteers.

It is believed the new policies will come into affect in April this year.

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Staff were said to be in tears are a ‘reshaping meeting’[/caption]

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English Heritage say winter site closures will not affect many sites[/caption]

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Totnes Castle in Devon will be shut to the public in colder months[/caption]

Prospect and the PCS, the unions that represent the heritage sector, are concerned.

Steve Thomas, Prospect’s deputy general secretary, said: “Staff at English Heritage will be understandably worried about their future after hearing this news and worried about the future of the historic sites they work so hard to keep open to the public.

“We have been working with the employer to minimise redundancies … We recognise that the financial situation is difficult.

“But it is also true that the skilled and dedicated staff who keep our history alive are the very heart of this organisation.

“Losing these skills and this experience would damage our heritage as much as losing the sites themselves.”

Fran Heathcote, the PCS’s general secretary, said: “We stand committed to protecting the jobs and livelihoods of our members … [who play] a key role in the vital task of preserving English history.”

An English Heritage spokesperson said: “All organisations need to review their structure from time to time and English Heritage has not done so for several years. In that time, our world has changed dramatically.

“The pandemic and its aftermath led to lasting changes in visitor expectations and behaviour, both domestically and internationally, while many of our visitors and members are facing challenges with the cost of living.

“High inflation has increased the cost of conservation work at our sites, but significant and ongoing expenditure is still required if the condition of the sites in our care is not to deteriorate.

“The aim of these proposals is to ensure that English Heritage is financially resilient and can fulfil our charitable purposes .

“We’re committed to working with our employees and our trade unions to find ways to avoid and reduce redundancies where we can … Under these proposals, we will continue to have a team of more than 75 expert curators, historians and conservators.”

The spokesperson highlighted reduced opening hours wouldn’t affect many sites.

“For instance over one weekend in November, a number of these sites only welcomed 11 visitors,” they said.

Plans are not set to be finalised until a formal consultation period has taken place.

The Sun contacted English Heritage for comment.

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Prospect and the PCS, the unions that represent the heritage sector, are concerned[/caption]

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The move could see up to 200 staff axed in wide-scale budget cuts[/caption]

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Plans are not set to be finalised until a formal consultation period has taken place[/caption]

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A GRANDMOTHER died of total organ failure after severe vomiting while taking weight loss drugs Ozempic and Metformin to control her diabetes, an inquest in Cork heard today.

Breeda O’Donoghue, 66, of West End in Carrigtwohill, Co Cork died on December 9, 2023 at Cork University Hospital having been hospitalised three days earlier.

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A family member told Cork Coroner’s Court that Breeda was “fine” and in “good health” until she took Ozempic in a bid to lose weight.

The family appealed for people to be aware of the dangers posed by potential side effects of the weight loss drug which has been hailed as a miracle drug – including excessive vomiting.

The mum-of-two died on December 9, 2023 in the Intensive Care Unit at Cork University Hospital after being rushed there by ambulance after she complained of being very sick three days earlier.

Cork City Coroner Philip Comyn indicated he had been in touch with the HPRA (Health Products Regulatory Authority) in relation to the inquest and would advise them of the details of the case.

He also expressed concerns about members of the public sourcing Ozempic outside of the GP setting including online and Dr Bolster agreed that such practices by members of the public were dangerous in nature.

Assistant State Pathologist Dr Bolster, who carried out an autopsy, said that she tried in vain to get a laboratory to test levels of Ozempic in the blood of Mrs O’Donoghue – having checked both in Ireland and internationally.

She said: “We can’t do levels of Ozempic. No lab in the world could do the levels of Ozempic for me.”

She said that she would like to see such testing carried out and described what had happened to Mrs O’Dongohue as “very rare.”

She said that while she read newspaper reports about court actions being taken in deaths which were possibly linked to Ozempic, there was no “scientific literature on mortality rates of this drug.”

Dr Bolster said that the use of Metformin, a diabetic drug was “less likely” to have been an issue in the case but she was unable to rule it out. The benefits of both drugs were “well recognised” but every drug given to a patient comes with a risk factor.

She added that “gastrointestinal issues” were a “known side effect” of Ozempic and this was a “complex, multi-factorial case.”

The PH level in Mrs O’Donoghue’s blood changed due to profound vomiting impacting her cell activity and leading to total organ failure.

Breeda’s doctor Sushil Ranga who was treating her from 2017 said Breeda was diagnosed with Type two diabetes, and also had osteoarthritis, restless legs and hypertension.

She began taking Metformin after she was prescribed it by her GP in Youghal in 2016.

WEIGHT STRUGGLE

She said: “She was seen on a regular basis and monitored along with blood tests. Her diabetes was very well controlled at this point on medication and diet so she did not require endocrinology.”

Dr Ranga said Breeda was struggling to lose weight through diet and exercise and was “very self conscious.”

The medic said: “Her diabetes was controlled, but she was unable to lose weight. So per protocol, she was started on Ozempic 0.25mg on 19/09/23 and after four weeks the dose was increased to 0.5mg on 19/10/23. She was reviewed on 26/10/23 and her weight had reduced to 85.7kg (13 stone and 6.94 pounds) and her BMI was now 33.4.

“She was very happy and managing well and denied any problems.”

DOSE INCREASED

On October 26, 2023 the dose of Ozempic was increased to 1.0mg.

Dr Ranja said: “She was again reviewed in November and was very happy with the results, denying any problems and said that she was tolerating the medication well.

“Her husband rang on December 6 reporting that she was not well, so I immediately reviewed her in the clinic. On examination she was feeling weak, dehydrated and was generally unwell, so she was immediately sent to A&E via ambulance for further hospital management.”

The inquest heard Brenda died at lunchtime in the Intensive Care Unit on December 9 after various treatments failed to improve her condition. When she presented at hospital she told the registrar that she had “multiple episodes of vomiting every day” having started on Ozempic three months earlier.

LACK OF DATA

She said that she had been unable to keep anything down and that her condition had worsened prior to her hospitalisation.

The cause of death was given as “total organ failure due to profound electrolyte abnormalities” along with other factors.

Coroner Philip Comyn said there was a lack of scientific data because Ozempic was a new drug and the long term effects were not yet known.

But there were risks with every drug and Mrs  O’Donoghue was well monitored by her GP. She fell into the category of those who are affected by side effects of medication.

STUDIES ‘NOT IN PLACE YET’

He said: “The literature and scientific studies are not in place yet because Ozempic is a new drug on the market, so it will be some time before we can have a more considered review of Ozempic.

“Dr Bolster tried to get tests carried out to ascertain the level of Ozempic in the blood. The State Laboratory didn’t have the facilities.”

Mr Comyn said he was unaware if such testing is available now and expressed his belief that it is something that should be available going forward.

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