Off the record

Off The Record

- Last week's stark recommendations of the World Cancer Research Fund on diet and cancer appear to be falling on deaf ears at the highest level. NT was interested to discover that, despite the 'convincing' evidence linking processed meats to an increased risk of colorectal cancer, Gordon Brown still serves up a plate of bacon sandwiches every day at his 7.15am breakfast meeting at Number 10. Is our PM attempting to remove any internal adversaries by stealth – or just stuck in a fat-laden breakfast timewarp?

- The old-fashioned notion of doctors and nurses finding love in the sluice room may be dying out, according to some vital new research. Psychiatry lecturer Brendan Kelly tackled 20 medical romances while on holiday and found that the most popular common pairing was now male doctor with female doctor, instead of the male doctor and female nurse tales of old.

Dr Brendan said: 'These novels draw attention to the romantic possibilities of primary care settings and the apparent inevitability of uncontrolled passions.'

- A Norfolk mental health nurse's funeral came to an unusual yet fitting conclusion last month when his ashes were scattered over the county by skydiving nurse colleagues. Senior charge nurse and keen parachutist Phil Canning developed a love of parachuting after work colleagues bought him his first jump. After his death from a cerebral haemorrhage, a 20-strong team of colleagues, family and friends took to the skies above Attleborough to release his ashes.

Reader contributions to Off the Record are welcome. Email: philip.hemmings@emap.com