The book is due to be published by the Guildhall Press, a Derry-based company, this autumn.
* A clinic for rabbits has been set up in Bristol with the help of a graduate of the Royal Veterinary College, London. Students will be able to come into the clinic to get experience of treating rabbits. The rabbit clinic, which is based at the university’s animal hospital, sees first-opinion cases and provides a referral service for clients in the South-west and South Wales. The scheme will help to show vets the importance of excellence in zoo and exotic animal medicine and raise standards in the field, says Redrobe.

They may worry that their son will encounter bigotry, or that he is leading a promiscuous lifestyle that could lead to HIV infection. It is common for mothers to wonder whether their son’s upbringing contributed to their being gay, and to feel unhappy that he is unlikely to become a father. Families of gay people have to go through their own “coming out” process, says Falconer. “You have to decide how to tell people and when.” Falconer found that there was almost no information or support available in Northern Ireland for families with gay children.

“Support services for families would help to do away with the misconceptions about gay people,” she says. “My son came out to a friend of the family, who has two gay nephews, and my husband,” says Falconer. “I was just devastated for my son – what was he going to have to face? I was shocked and didn’t want it to be true.” Mothers in this situation tend to feel fear, guilt and sadness, says Falconer, who spoke to 11 women for her study at Ulster University. How does a mother react to the news that her son is gay? Cathy Falconer, who has a gay son, researched the issue as part of a masters in guidance and counselling.