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Weekly’s appeal aims to restore nurse’s smile

A weekly newspaper has launched a £14,000 fundraising appeal to pay for the dental work of a young nurse who lost eight teeth in an attack.

The South Yorkshire Times has set up the Operation Christmas Smile campaign with the family and friends of Astra Taylor to help raise funds for her dental work, which will not be paid for by the NHS.

20-year-old Astra lost the eight teeth after being hit in the face with a bottle during a disturbance at a pub in her home town of Conisbrough, which the police are investigating.

Her family and friends have now rallied round to raise the funds for her treatment with the help of the newspaper, which is urging local people to get involved.

  • The South Yorkshire Times’ exclusive about Astra was followed up by regional and national media.
  • Editor Jim Oldfield said: “For a young woman of 20, to lose her looks like that must have been catastrophic.

    “And to have a thing like this happen just at the start of the Christmas party season is as awful as anything you can contemplate.

    “We just felt that as the prime campaigning local paper for this area, we had to do something to help.

    “The response has been magnificent and watch this space because next week we hope to announce a superb conclusion to Astra’s trials.”

    Astra’s family also intend to set up a trust fund in her name to pay the dental bills of other local violence victims.

    Reporter Alex Vessey, who covered the story, said: “I’d heard about the attack on the local grapevine and went round to knock the door for quotes.

    “But when I met her, I realised her injuries were causing her so much distress – she couldn’t work or even go out – my heart went straight out to her.

    “Jim immediately suggested Operation Christmas Smile and all being well, Astra will be smiling again soon!”

    The appeal has won the support of local boxing star Stefy Bull, who is a close friend of the family, and plans to set up a sparring exhibition to raise funds.

    13 comments

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    • December 16, 2010 at 10:03 am
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      The sentiment is nice and it is, of course, horrible for her. I just worry that had Astra not been ‘pretty’ (their words) this campaign might not have happened. How, for example, would they have labelled someone who they considered ‘not pretty’. I wonder if the paper is a typical male-dominated environment. Would they, for example, have helped a ‘handsome’ young guy??? As for “And to have a thing like this happen just at the start of the Christmas party season is as awful as anything you can contemplate.” ‘As awful as antying you could contemplate’???? I think I could think of worse things – death, terminal disease come to mind. FFS

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    • December 16, 2010 at 10:11 am
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      I’m almost speechless. Would this ‘campaigning’ paper have bothered to restore the dentistry of a 74-year-old woman injured in a similar attack? I think not. I can think of many more worthy causes deserving of £14,000 – certainly not one that sets out to preserve the looks of a ‘pretty 20-year-old’.

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    • December 16, 2010 at 2:00 pm
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      Anyone with any knowledge of the area the SYT circulates in will know it’s rough and ready with a good heart. Depressed, neglected and, OK, nasty in places, but the paper does a good job of speaking for the community. It stands up for all sections of the area. We’re all sick of the PC brigade… they wouldn’t last a round in any Mexborough pub.

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    • December 16, 2010 at 2:07 pm
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      To JP escapee Marvellous … so we can expect the paper to fund the dental work of the next fat, ugly, male pensioner who loses his teeth. Standing up for all sections of the community, and all that.

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    • December 16, 2010 at 2:11 pm
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      JP Escapee – What a load of tripe. That piffle is a waste of ink and paper – as always.

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    • December 16, 2010 at 2:43 pm
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      Rough and ready with a good heart, oh please. This has nothing to do with being PC, nor is it about holding your own in a Mexborough pub. This sort of stuff happens in towns and cities all over the country when things get out of hand. To make a campaign out of it beggars belief. Channel your energies into campaigning for something worthwhile that helps the whole community. I’m sure this young woman can find a way of claiming compensation for her injuries – that’s what most victims do these days.

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    • December 17, 2010 at 9:26 am
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      What a load of usual overblown nonsense from the SYT. Note three “exclusives” on front page. It throws them around like confetti. The people of South Yorkshire deserve better than some tabloid gossip tat filled with sensational headlines and overblown stories. £14,000 for a girl who has had some teeth knocked out? Sure there are much deserving cases in an area that’s one of the worst hit in Britain. But hey, pretty girl on the front page sells newspapers doesn’t it. How about a real campaign for real people?

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    • December 17, 2010 at 10:05 am
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      @Hack It: You wrote “How about a real campaign for real people?”. So because she is only 20 and pretty, she ceases to be a “real” person in your eyes? Any journalist who has spent a decent amount of time covering courts will know the devastation caused to

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    • December 17, 2010 at 10:15 am
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      To Astounded. You just don’t get it, do you? No one would have anything but sympathy … it’s the feeling that had she been ‘not pretty’ or male or old there isn’t a chance in hell they would have done this campaign. In other words, if you are ‘pretty’ you deserve to get your looks back above everyone else. As I said before, the sentiment is nice, but smacks of the typical male-orientated newsrooms who still think that the ONLY way to appeal to people is pictures of pretty young women. It’s the classic ‘I like it so everyone else is bound to like it’. I speak as a male who is part of the senior editorial team of a regional paper.

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    • December 17, 2010 at 10:59 am
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      If you really are astounded that your peers find this to be one of the most vacuous front pages a weekly paper has ever produced, you need to get out more. Although, if you did, I think you’d spend a good deal of your time in a state of astonishment.

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    • December 17, 2010 at 11:00 am
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      @Fred: Perhaps I am just prepated to give the SYT the benefit of the doubt on this one. It seems I am in the minority. Might help if the editor added his thoughts. Maybe this is the best story the SYT has had in recent weeks on which to launch a campaign.

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    • December 17, 2010 at 1:52 pm
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      This is probably the most ridiculous front page I’ve ever seen. Absolutely shameful really. Makes me feel embarrassed to be in the industry if things really have come to this.

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    • December 17, 2010 at 3:41 pm
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      I have sympathy with the girl but don’t see how someone having a few teeth knocked out is worthy of a campaign to raise £14,000. She won’t die, she’s not disfigured for life – lots of people suffer illness and injury and don’t have the local paper running to help them out. I don’t remember anyone coming to my aid when I needed dental work doing. Its cosmetic work. I think there are far more deserving individuals out there – perhaps Afghanistan war heroes would be worth looking into it.

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