The Magpie that Saved a Family

Available for over a year

Sam Bloom suffered a near-fatal fall when on a family holiday in Thailand in 2013. The accident left her paralysed from the chest down and in a deep depression. But help was to come from a very unexpected source. The family discovered an injured and abandoned magpie chick which had fallen from its nest near their home. The process of nursing the bird back to health enabled Sam to come out of her darkest days, and helped the family to heal. Spanish-born Carlos "Charpu" Puertolas flies drones, with video cameras attached to them, through abandoned buildings in remote areas. Carlos posts the videos online, and they have been met with awe by people around the world. Some of the harrowing stories of Syrians fleeing the war have been turned into a play performed by refugees themselves. The play, Queens of Syria, draws on women's experiences of trauma and exile and also on the classic text The Trojan Women, which is set during the war between Greece and Troy in ancient times. Umra Omar spent part of her childhood in the spectacular Lamu Archipelago in Kenya. The unspoilt islands are recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. But for all its natural beauty, parts of the archipelago are amongst the poorest parts of Kenya. Some of the villages have no access to vital health care. But Umra is trying to change this through her organisation called Safari Doctors. Image: Sam and Cameron Bloom, their children, and Penguin the Magpie Credit: Cameron Bloom