Several thousand people have marched in Dublin to commemorate 1916 Easter Rising leaders, who were executed by British troops after the rebellion.

The procession began at Kilmainham Gaol, where 14 rebels were imprisoned and then shot dead.  It ended at Arbour Hill cemetery, where they are buried.
Sinn Féin's Gerry Adams addressed the Lost Leaders march and the party asked participants to come in period dress.
Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness also attended.
The 1916 Easter Rising was an ill-fated, six-day rebellion against British rule in Ireland but many historians view it as the event that transformed Irish republicanism, and led to the eventual creation of an independent Republic of Ireland.
More than 480 people were killed during the Easter Rising, over half of them civilians.
Read more on the 1916 Easter Rising
Addressing the crowd at Arbour Hill cemetery, Mr Adams paid tribute to the 1916 rebels, saying "a few hundred poorly equipped Irish men and women took on the might of the largest empire the world had ever seen".
He said the 1916 proclamation of independence "remains the mission statement for Irish republicans today".
The Sinn Féin leader said the centenary of the Easter Rising was "an historic opportunity to look realistically towards ending partition and sectarianism and division" and to "see how we can make the united, independent Ireland envisaged in 1916 a reality".
Mr Adams added that a united Ireland "means the unity of the people of this island, including those who see themselves as British".
"That is why Irish governments must pursue every avenue to promote all-Ireland co-operation and to build relationships between all our people," he said.
"This must include genuine efforts to outreach to the unionists on the basis of equality."
Friday's march included re-enactments performed by members of the Cabra Historical Society.
Relatives of the 1916 rebel leaders and a number of marching bands were also invited.
The event took place ahead of the main government-organised commemorations this weekend.
The main focus of the official events will be a military parade - the largest in the history of the Republic of Ireland - which will will pass through the streets of the Irish capital on Sunday.


Three young sons of Chechnya's authoritarian leader Ramzan Kadyrov have been filmed pummelling opponents in a brutal martial arts contest, drawing criticism from Russia.

Russia's Sports Ministry says it is investigating the fights. Mr Kadyrov features them on his Instagram page.
The mixed martial arts contest in Grozny resembled professional boxing, the boys gesturing to an excited crowd.
Mr Kadyrov's boy fighters are Akhmad, aged 10, Eli, nine, and Adam, eight.
"We will find out about this situation, and request information on it," said Russian Deputy Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov.
Mr Kadyrov is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He has ruled Chechnya since his forces, helped by massive Russian firepower, defeated separatist rebels in 1999-2009.
His much-feared militia, called the "Kadyrovtsy", have been accused of kidnapping, torture and other human rights abuses.
Mr Kadyrov watched the martial arts bouts sitting next to Alexander Zaldostanov, another political ally of Mr Putin. Nicknamed "The Surgeon," Mr Zaldostanov heads a nationalist biker gang called the Night Wolves, fiercely loyal to the Kremlin.
The boy fighters in Grozny did not wear helmets or other protective gear. Their fights included blows to the head.
The head of the Russian Mixed Martial Arts Union, Fyodor Yemelianenko, condemned the competition, saying it was "unacceptable and cannot be justified".
Mr Kadyrov posted boastful comments along with the Instagram video clips, such as: "Little Adam showed that he's a real Lion!... The opponents had strong fighting spirit and will, but Adam won a confident victory and won the champion's belt. Congratulations, Adam!"
In Russia's parliamentary and regional elections last month Mr Kadyrov won in Chechnya with 98% support.


Caerphilly Castle could soon be immortalised in Lego alongside world famous monuments like the Louvre and Rialto Bridge.

If successful in its bid, the 745-year-old castle would be the first ever Welsh Lego kit.
Cadw have entered a specially commissioned replica of the castle to Lego Ideas.
It has a year to get 10,000 public votes, before being considered by a panel of experts.
The model, created by Lego artist Adeel Zubair of Cardiff-based Little Big Art, features Welsh flags and the moats and leaning tower that characterise Caerphilly.
Cabinet secretary for economy and infrastructure, Ken Skates AM, said: "Wales has an incredible history that we are all immensely proud of and Caerphilly Castle is deserving of a spot in the Lego architecture range.
"I hope that the people of Wales support our bid which could see the model available in Lego stores the world over - one day we may even see a Welsh collection featuring more of our inspiring sites."
Andy Morris, owner of Little Big Art, said: "It is great to think that people the world over could have the chance to create Wales' largest castle and then hold it in the palm of their hands."


Meet the kids combining air guitar and rock star photo shoots with... learning their times tables!

10 July 2017 Last updated at 08:55 BST
It's all part of a fun way to help children improve their number skills.
They work towards the finals where they battle it out with their maths and rock skills to become the ultimate rock hero!


A flypast involving around 40 Spitfires and Hurricanes has marked the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

The grouping - the biggest in one place since the war - took off in waves from Goodwood airfield in West Sussex before dispersing around the region.
There was also a memorial service at St Paul's Cathedral attended by veterans.
Here are some of your pictures and comments.
Carol Penny, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, UK: We celebrated the flypast at Goodwood. Wonderful atmosphere, folks from all over south England and beyond. What a memorable occasion to see all these planes in one place. The planes and their young brave crews gave their all for us and we should remember and be grateful.
Mike Miller, Pembury, Kent, UK: Living during the war, from the age of six to 12, in the South East suburbs close to London my brother and I witnessed many dogfights and enemy action. Sometimes two or three Spitfires or Hurricanes flew low over the rooftops where we lived. Suddenly we felt absolutely safe. With those chaps around no enemy could touch us. Even today in my 80s I get emotional at the sound of a Merlin engine.
John Parish added that his father was a navigator in the Fleet Air Arm, a memory which "brings home how brave these men were". John also filmed the flypast and captured the incredible sound of those engines.
Michele Sanders, Peacehaven, East Sussex, UK: I didn't get the clearest of photos on Peacehaven Cliff top. But whilst watching three groups of Spitfire planes coming over our way, I did meet a wonderful man of 91 years who had travelled down from Reigate especially to watch the flypast. At the age of 18, he was flying in Lancaster bombers, coincidentally with the same Lincolnshire regiment as my uncle, who had died aged 22 in June 1944 during a night flying exercise over Norfolk. It was amazing to be able to say to one of these brave young men: "Thank you very much".
George Luck, Ontario, Canada: I would have had two uncles. One flew for Bomber Command. He left Canada a promising pianist and flew Lancasters. He never came home again and now lies for eternity under the blue skies in which he flew. My other uncle left Canada as a very young office runner and came home a decorated squadron leader. He flew Spitfires in the skies of England. Though he lived to a ripe old age, when you looked in his blue eyes it was clear that, even 60 years later, he was still a Spitfire pilot. It was men like these from all over the world who came to the aid of the "Mother Country" in those dark days.
But it wasn't just the male pilots people wanted to remember today:
David Gill, US: I saw the battle of Britain from the ground up as a 14-year-old living in Dorking, Surrey. September 15 1940 was the big day. There was a large air battle over Dorking. We could see the London Docks burning later. But not many bombs were dropped on Dorking. That period was exciting for me as a teenager but the "flying bombs" and "V11s" that came later were frightening.
Meirion Underhill, Farnborough, UK: I have just seen six Spitfires fly over. I have seen Spitfires many times since a child as it was my late father's favourite aircraft but never have I seen six.  A moment to remember and a moment to be proud of what our forefathers did to keep this country British.
Not everyone was happy with the flypast as Terry Quirke in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, UK notes: "The historic flypast marking the 75th anniversary will be a sight to behold if you live on or around the coast. The bulk of Spitfires were made in Castle Bromwich. In fact, the oldest flying Spitfire was built there."
He went on to say: "My mum worked there during that time. It is rather sad that there will be no flypast at all over Castle Bromwich or its locality. It's a shame for the few who are still alive who helped to build these iconic aircraft."
Terry was not the only one who would have liked to see the flypast:
Peter Stallard was disappointed: I live about three miles from Romford. I just saw five Spitfires way in the distance. I had been waiting since 12 noon. It would have been nice to see them all and closer.
Doug Murphy, Southampton, UK: I planned my viewing according to the published maps showing where the various groups were due to fly; the one I was due to see went from Goodwood to the Isle of Wight, then up to Salisbury and back to Goodwood. I watched (with many others) just to the east of Fordingbridge, but not a single plane passed over. Ironically, it would appear that had I stayed at home in Southampton I might well have had a perfect view of the re-routed event!
Produced by Victoria Park


Tottenham have denied speculation the club is up for sale amid delays to the construction of their new stadium.

Rumours that owner Joe Lewis was prepared to sell the club for up to £1bn were reported in the Daily Mirror.
The club revealed on Wednesday they would have to spend a year playing away from White Hart Lane before moving into a new 56,250-capacity stadium.
"Neither the club, nor its majority shareholder, are in any takeover discussions," a statement said.
It added: "The focus of the club is fully on delivering the new stadium project."
A High Court challenge, launched by a landowner on the site of the club's proposed new home, is set to delay its construction beyond the original proposed completion at the start of the 2017-18 Premier League season.
Spurs have hired investment bank Rothschild to advise on the options to finance a move to a new stadium, next to their current White Hart Lane ground.
The development is expected to cost between £400m and £450m.
"The stadium redevelopment plans are a significant part of the future for both our club and the local area and represent a complex infrastructure project that requires funding," the Spurs statement added.
"This substantial construction project requires discussions with multiple providers of finance so that the optimum financing package can be achieved.
"To this end, we have appointed Rothschild to advise us on those options."
Potential options for a temporary "home" ground for Spurs could include Wembley, the Olympic Stadium in Stratford and Stadium MK in Milton Keynes.
Former club captain Gary Mabbutt played down reports Joe Lewis - who took control of Spurs in 2001 - was looking to sell.
"All the top clubs are always being looked at to be purchased," he said.
"We have a stable situation at the moment and hopefully that will continue."
Mabbutt also warned Tottenham supporters a temporary move to Wembley may not be straightforward.
"It's not quite as easy as just deciding where we'd like to play," said the former defender, who made more than 600 appearances for the club.
A poll of 2,000 fans carried out by the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust found 85% would be happy with a year-long move to the national stadium, which is also in north London.
The Olympic Stadium has been mooted, while it is thought talks have been held with Milton Keynes Dons over a move to Stadium MK.
Mabbutt, now a club ambassador, told BBC Radio 5 live that the Wembley idea was not a simple one.
"There is a lot of due diligence on the schedule of Wembley. They have concerts, they have other sporting events taking place," the 53-year-old said.
"You're looking at other stadiums. Will it be big enough? Will it be acceptable for our fans? Is the pitch going to be the right size? Every team decides on the size due to the way they play. All these things will have to be taken into consideration."
A ground share with rivals Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium is not thought to be among the options being considered.
"Geographically it is a solution. It is a very sensitive subject but I don't think it will happen," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said.
Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust spokesman Martin Cloake said Wembley would be the preferred option.
"From informal discussions, the assumption has always been that it would be Wembley," he said.
"A move to Stratford would certainly raise eyebrows," Cloake added. "There would be some serious issues with MK Dons."


Islamic environmental and religious leaders have called on rich countries and oil producing nations to end fossil fuel use by 2050.

The Islamic Climate Declaration says that the world's 1.6bn Muslims have a religious duty to fight climate change.
It urges politicians to agree a new treaty to limit global warming to 2C, "or preferably 1.5 degrees."
The Declaration asks Muslims, in the words of the Koran, "not to strut arrogantly on the Earth".
Drafted at an international symposium in Istanbul, the Declaration calls for "all people, leaders and businesses ...to commit to 100% renewable energy".
It also argues for increased financial support for communities vulnerable to climate change.
The main focus though is on "well-off nations and oil-producing states," who are urged to lead the way in phasing out greenhouse gases, no later than the middle of this century.
The Declaration calls on the rich countries, to recognise their "moral obligation to reduce consumption so that the poor may benefit from what is left of the Earth's non-renewable resources".
"People need to be told and politicians need to stop misleading their people, in telling them they can go on increasing their standards of living for ever and ever and ever," Fazlun Khalid, a long time Islamic environmentalist involved in drawing up the Declaration, told BBC News.
"Someone should be articulating this because it's an impossibility, they can't do it - And this applies not just to Muslim countries."
The call has been supported by religious leaders including the Grand Muftis of Uganda and Lebanon, the president of Indonesia's major body of religious scholars as well as environmental groups and government officials from Morocco and Turkey.
But critics have argued that the Declaration is not truly representative of Islam with some of the biggest Islamic nations not taking an active part in supporting the call.
"Are all Islamic countries represented? I'd say no to that - that's the honest answer," said Fazlun Khalid. "There is a huge amount of lethargy - we are not set up like other churches, there is no Islamic pope!
"The Declaration is like a trigger  - to say, wake up wherever you are, wake up and take care of the Earth."
The Declaration comes in the wake of Pope Francis's encyclical on the environment and climate change, which was seen as a significant call for Catholics to engage on the issue of global warming.
Catholic leaders have praised the Islamic Declaration as a positive step.
"It is with great joy and in a spirit of solidarity that I express to you the promise of the Catholic Church to pray for the success of your initiative and her desire to work with you in the future to care for our common home and thus to glorify the God who created us," said Cardinal Peter Turkson, who helped the Pope draft his encyclical.
The authors of the Declaration say that it will be available in mosques and madrassas around the world.
They hope that it will influence political leaders in Muslim countries to become more fully involved in global attempts to deliver a new treaty on climate change, expected to be signed in Paris in December.
While around 50 countries have so far posted their plans for curbing climate change ahead of the meeting in Paris, very few Muslim countries have been among them.
I asked Fazlun Khalid if religious divisions between Muslims were a bigger issue at present than climate change.
"In spite of their differences we want Muslims to wake up and think and realise that this is a problem that affects every inch of this planet, in spite of their differences, under their feet something is happening, a deep plate shift in the Earth's crust," he said.
"In spite of our differences we have to take this on, as the major issue affecting the whole of the human world."
Follow Matt on Twitter @mattmcgrathbbc.


Police have appealed for witnesses after a man was killed having been hit by a car near Limavady, County Londonderry.

Jason Walsh, from Limavady, died shortly before 18:15 BST on Thursday after being struck on the Glenhead Road.
The crash happened between Ballynarrig Road and Baranailt Road.
A 41-year-old man was arrested but later released on bail pending further enquiries.


Russia is reported to have started delivering S-300 surface-to-air missiles to Iran, under a deal opposed by Israel, the US and Saudi Arabia.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Hossein Jaberi-Ansari said "the first stage of the contract has been implemented".
It is not yet clear how many missiles may have been delivered.
The controversial contract got the go-ahead after last year's deal to lift international sanctions on Iran.
The diplomatic breakthrough involved a deal over Iran's atomic programme, imposing new international safeguards aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Iran has insisted its nuclear programme is for purely peaceful purposes and denies seeking to build a nuclear bomb.
Profile: Russia's S-300 missile system
The $800m (Â£562m) contract, signed in 2007, was frozen by Russia in 2010 because of the international sanctions. President Vladimir Putin unfroze it a year ago.
Israel and the US fear the missiles could be used to protect Iranian nuclear sites from air strikes.
The S-300, made by Rostec, can be used against multiple targets including jets, or to shoot down other missiles.
The S-300V4 variant, delivered to the Russian armed forces in 2014, can shoot down any medium-range missile in the world today, flies at five times the speed of sound and has a range of 400km (249 miles), Russia's Tass news agency reports.
Rostec chief Sergei Chemezov had told the Wall Street Journal last month that delivery of the system to Iran was expected at the end of this year.


Mo Farah and Laura Trott made history by claiming their third Olympic titles as Great Britain won eight medals on day eight of the Rio Games.

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Jessica-Ennis Hill took silver in the heptathlon, while there was a bronze for long jumper Greg Rutherford.
Farah overcame a tumble to win the 10,000m, while Trott's women's pursuit team beat the USA with a world record.
The men's eight rowers won gold just after the women were second, before cycling and swimming silver medals.
American swimming legend Michael Phelps bowed out of the Olympics with a 23rd gold medal, as Britain took silver in the men's 4x100m medley relay.
Jamaican Elaine Thompson won the women's 100m in 10.71 seconds, ahead of Tori Bowie and two-time champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
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The eight medals - three golds, four silvers and one bronze - represented Britain's most successful day of the Games so far and kept GB third in the medal table on 30 - one more than at the same stage of London 2012.
Farah, 33, became the first British track and field athlete to secure three Olympic titles - following a long-distance double at London 2012.
It might not have been Super Saturday II, but this night of twisting plotlines was many other things besides
Read more here
Trott, 24, is the first female GB competitor to win a third gold, having triumphed alongside Joanna Rowsell-Shand, Elinor Barker and Katie Archibald.
Another medal in the velodrome came via Becky James, who claimed a silver in the keirin.
The evening athletics action had been billed as a chance for Britain to replicate Super Saturday in London when Farah, Rutherford and Ennis-Hill all won golds.
But Ennis-Hill had to settle for silver after a thrilling finish to the heptathlon won by Belgian Nafi Thiam, with GB's Katarina Johnson-Thompson sixth after poor throws in the javelin.
Tearful Ennis-Hill, 30, said afterwards this was her last Olympics and hinted she could retire from the sport altogether.
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The medals charge began on the rowing lake where the men's eight led from start to finish after the women's crew claimed a first medal for GB in their event.
Britain secured a medal in the last swimming event of the Games as Adam Peaty added to his 100m breaststroke gold earlier in the week in a team completed by Chris Walker-Hebborn, James Guy and Duncan Scott.
Peaty's blistering time of 56.59 seconds was well inside his own world record of 57.13 and helped deliver a sixth medal in the pool - double the tally of four years ago and the highest number since 1908.
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Andy Murray remains on course to win back-to-back Olympic tennis titles after seeing off Japanese fourth seed Kei Nishikori in the semi-finals of the singles.
Murray will face Argentine Juan Martin del Potro, who defeated Rafael Nadal in a final-set tie-break, in Sunday's gold-medal match (19:00 BST).
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Justin Rose, who hit a hole-in-one earlier this week, is in the gold-medal position in the men's golf going into Sunday's final round (starts 14:39), one ahead of Open champion Henrik Stenson.
Britain are guaranteed another gold medal in the velodrome on Sunday after Jason Kenny and Callum Skinner advanced to the final (21:04) of the men's sprint.
British Olympic Association chief Bill Sweeney has said Team GB are on track to realise their goal of at least 48 medals.
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Jamaica's Usain Bolt began his quest for a third successive Olympic 100m title by cruising through the opening heats.
The reigning Olympic champion at 100m, 200m and the 4x100m relay clocked 10.07 seconds despite easing up 50 metres from the finish line.
American Justin Gatlin, likely to be one of Bolt's rivals in Monday's final (02:25 BST), comfortably qualified in 10.01, while Briton CJ Ujah's 10.13 saw him safely through.
Asked about American swimmer Lilly King's comments that people who have been caught doping "shouldn't be on the team", Gatlin, twice been caught using banned substances, responded: "I don't even know who Lilly King is."
Athletics
James Dasaolu squeezed into the men's 100m semi-finals as one of the fastest losers having run in the same heat as Jamaica's Bolt.
"He's Usain Bolt to everyone, but to me he's another competitor and I focus on my lane," said the 28-year-old Briton. "I can't control what Usain does."
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Team-mate James Ellington, 30, finished fifth in his heat with a time of 10.29, which was only good enough for 40th overall.
Matthew Hudson-Smith, 21, finished second in his 400m semi-final in 44.48 seconds to qualify seventh fastest for the final.
Christine Ohuruogu, the 2008 Olympic champion and runner-up in London, was second in her 400m heat with a strong performance to finish in 51.40 seconds.
Emily Diamond, who had food poisoning two nights earlier, finished fourth in heat five to join her team-mate in Sunday's semi-finals.
Seren Bundy-Davies missed out on a semi-final place in the same event, finishing seventh in heat two and 49th overall.
Other sports
British super-heavyweight Joe Joyce is through to the quarter-finals of the boxing, after a first-round stoppage win over Cape Verde's Davilson Dos Santos Morais.
In the women's hockey, unbeaten GB defeated USA 2-1 to top their group and will play their quarter-final match on Monday.
At the Aquatics Centre, Grace Reid made the final of the women's three-metre springboard diving after finishing 11th in the semi-final.
Officials at the Maria Lenk Aquatic Park say the water polo and synchronised swimming pool will be emptied overnight and re-filled with "crystal clear" water from the warm-up pool.
The water in the diving pool will remain where it is, though, as treatment continues to reverse its green tinge.
"Hopefully this will work," said a Rio 2016 spokesman, who said it was important the synchronised swimmers had crystal clear water to compete in so they can see each another and the judges can see them perform.
Meanwhile, organisers claim ticket sales are "very promising", with 93% of tickets sold for Saturday's morning athletics session and 79% for the evening.
In other news, the only Russian due to compete in athletics - long jumper Darya Klishina - has been banned from the Games following new, but unspecified, information.
Only a photo could separate the top two in the men's single sculls on Saturday, but it was defending champion Mahe Drysdale of New Zealand who retained his title, despite being awarded the same time as Croat Damir Martin.
Germany's Christoph Harting followed in the footsteps of his brother Robert by winning the Olympic discus title.
Harting, whose brother failed to qualify for the final after straining his back, saved his best until last and managed a personal best of 68.37m on his sixth attempt.
Etenesh Diro received the biggest roar the Olympic Stadium has heard so far.
The Ethiopian fought on despite losing a shoe - and then whipping off her sock - with two and half laps to go in the 3,000m steeplechase semi-finals. Although she didn't qualify automatically, she was later advanced to the final on appeal.
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14:39: Golf - Great Britain's Justin Rose will tee off as leader in the final round with a one-shot lead over Henrik Stenson.
17:05: Windsurfing - Nick Dempsey guaranteed to win a silver when the men's RS:X medal race gets under way. 18:05: Women's race features Bryony Shaw.
19:00: Tennis - Andy Murray seeks to retain his London 2012 title in the gold-medal match against Argentine Juan Martin del Potro.
19:30: Gymnastics  - Max Whitlock favourite in the pommel horse as Britain seek to claim a first-ever gymnastics Olympic gold medal, but faces competition from team-mate Louis Smith, a silver medallist at London 2012.
21:04: Cycling - Britain guaranteed a gold as defending champion Jason Kenny faces team-mate Callum Skinner for the men's sprint title.
Athletics after midnight UK time (early hours Monday)
01:00: 100m - Semi-finals. Usain Bolt - after 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay golds in 2008 and 2012 - continues his bid for an unprecedented sprint 'treble treble'.
02:00: 400m - Men's final.  Two-time Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt among the contenders.
02:25: 100m final - Jamaican Bolt likely to take on American Justin Gatlin, who has twice served doping bans.
Full Rio day-by-day-guide
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Oscar-winning crime thriller The Departed is being adapted for the small screen, according to reports.

The 2006 Martin Scorsese film, which starred Leonardo DiCaprio, is being made into an hour-long TV drama by Amazon, the Hollywood Reporter said.
It will be based on Scorsese's movie as well as the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, on which it was in turn based.
The Departed won a total of four Oscars, including best director for Scorsese - his first Academy Award.
The TV show will be set in modern-day Chicago and tell the story of a young police officer who goes undercover to infiltrate a Latino gang.
It is said to be Warner Bros TV's first co-production with Amazon and the pilot will be written by Jason Richman, who will also be an executive producer on the show.
Scorsese's film starred DiCaprio as Billy Costigan, an undercover cop who becomes involved in a Boston crime gang run by Jeff Costello, played by Jack Nicholson.
The film also starred Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg, who won a best supporting actor nomination for his performance as a foul-mouthed police officer.
As well as best director, it won Oscars for best picture, best adapted screenplay and best editing.
Other films currently being made into television dramas include The Lost Boys, Lethal Weapon and Taken.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram, or if you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.


Marcel Coetzee will make his long-awaited Ulster debut in Friday night's Pro12 clash against Edinburgh at Kingspan Stadium.

The South African flanker has been unable to play for the province since his arrival last summer because of a serious knee problem.
Stuart Olding (calf), Peter Nelson (foot) and Wiehahn Herbst (back) are also available after injury.
Ulster have lost their last four matches and are sixth in the table.
Nelson returns from a long-term injury, with the full-back sidelined for over a year after dislocating his left mid-foot.
Nelson, who had played for his club side Ballynahinch in the All-Ireland League over the past few weeks, started four straight games at fly-half at the start of the 2015-16 season.
The Irish province have endured a miserable recent record of nine defeats in 13 games and will be determined to return to form against the ninth-placed Scots.
It's been a frustrating time for Coetzee as he recovered from an injury sustained while playing for the Sharks last April.
The 25-year-old has won 28 caps for the Springboks and Ulster hope he can help rejuvenate a struggling team.
"It's like a new signing. Marcell's enthusiasm has been fantastic and his approach to training and preparation is first class," said Ulster director of rugby Les Kiss.
"It's important for him to have a good solid game but I don't think we'll expect everything from him this weekend, he needs to just get hands on the ball, get his shoulder into a tackle and start to feel the game again.
"I think we'll see some good things but we'll see better things the more he plays."
Meanwhile Ulster coach Les Kiss has indicated that Jared Payne may be in line for a return to action sooner than anticipated following the kidney injury he sustained during Ireland's final autumn international against Australia.
The Ireland management team have ruled Payne out of the Six Nations series but the player may line out for Ulster during that period after what Kiss calls "positive" progress in his recovery.
"He seems to be in a really good place. He is a guy who gets fit really quickly, he does not usually lose it a lot.
"He has lost a bit of weight as you can imagine, but he will put that on quickly as well.
"We are not likely to give you a date for a return, but each day is going to be important for him, but to tell you the truth it has been really positive."


Brazil's President Michel Temer says he will ask the Supreme Court to suspend an investigation against him, because vital evidence has been "manipulated".

In a defiant speech, Mr Temer said a secret audio recording, in which he allegedly discusses the payment of hush money to a jailed politician, needed to be validated.
Mr Temer is suspected of corruption and obstruction of justice which he denies.
Despite growing calls for him to go, Mr Temer repeated that he would not quit.
In the audio recording, made at a meeting with Joesley Batista, president of giant meat-packing firm JBS, Mr Temer appears to be discussing bribes to the former speaker of the lower house of Congress, Eduardo Cunha, who is serving a prison sentence for corruption.
The money would be in exchange for Cunha's silence over Mr Temer's alleged implication in Brazil's wide-ranging corruption scandal known as Operation Car Wash.
The probe, launched in March 2014, centres on companies that were offered deals with state oil giant Petrobras in exchange for bribes, which were funnelled into politicians' pockets and political party slush funds.
The scandal has engulfed Brazilian politics, with a third of Mr Temer's cabinet under investigation for alleged corruption. Former president Lula is already facing five charges.
The man Mr Temer allegedly condoned the bribery to - Eduardo Cunha - is in prison for corruption, money laundering and tax evasion.
Both men played a key role in the downfall of Ms Rousseff, who was removed from office accused of illegally manipulating government accounts. She denies all the charges.
The president is biding his time by asking the Supreme Court to suspend investigations until the audio is verified, and justice Edson Fachin's decision to order the verification may give him some breathing room.
But the crisis is unravelling quickly, with the first party of the ruling coalition having decided to leave the government on Saturday; and the remaining coalition members assessing whether it's time to abandon ship.
While the president struggles to save his mandate, the economic and political elites are already discussing the day after - and the possible scenarios would President Temer resign, suffer impeachment or have the 2014 election result annulled by Brazil's Electoral Court.
"I have never bought anyone's silence, haven't obstructed justice and haven't done anything against the judiciary," Mr Temer said in the televised address at the presidential palace on Saturday.
Mr Temer is already deeply unpopular in Brazil but his centre-right party has been able to govern as part of a coalition. He took office a year ago, after President Dilma Rousseff's impeachment.
Opposition parties have demanded his resignation and snap elections.


Moeen Ali hit his second Test century and Chris Woakes produced his best figures with bat and ball as England seized control of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Chester-le-Street.

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Resuming on 310-6, England progressed to 498-9 declared.
Moeen, 28 not out overnight, compiled an unbeaten 155 and Woakes added 39.
And the Warwickshire all-rounder returned with the ball to destroy Sri Lanka, picking up 3-9 as the tourists slumped to 91-8, still 407 runs behind.
After an even first day, for Sri Lanka this was an unwelcome return to the failings of the first Test as they lost control of the game with the ball and then produced an indisciplined performance with the bat.
It now seems inevitable England will wrap up a second successive win - and with it the three-match series.
Having passed 40 just once in his previous 17 Test innings, there were some question marks over Moeen's batting going into this match.
But the all-rounder delivered a superb riposte to his critics with a magnificent innings full of his trademark flowing drives and wristy flicks.
Moeen extended his partnership with Woakes to 92, then once Woakes was caught behind he cut loose, going to his century with a lofted straight drive for a one-bounce four and clouting two sixes.
He also passed 1,000 Test runs during the course of his innings - becoming the fifth-fastest Englishman to achieve the double of 1,000 runs and 50 wickets.
Both of Moeen's Test hundreds have come at number seven - a position where he now averages 276 - and this innings will intensify the debate over whether he should bat higher up the order for England.
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While one all-rounder was solidifying his place in his side, another was making his claim to be a established member of it.
Woakes's Test career so far has been thwarted - he averaged 21.50 with the bat and 63.75 with the ball before this match - but here he proved that he can be effective at the highest level of the game.
First he passed his previous highest Test score of 26 with a well-paced innings in the morning session.
Then he translated the bowling form that had seen him take 9-34 in a County Championship match earlier this week to the Test arena.
Bowling with pace and control, he induced thin edges from Angelo Mathews and Milinda Siriwardana, and took the shoulder of Kusal Mendis's bat with a vicious delivery which looped to gully.
Sri Lanka were thoroughly outplayed on a dreadful day for the tourists which will likely end their competitive involvement in the series.
Having caught brilliantly on the first day, Sri Lanka undid all their good work in the field - and set the tone for the day - by shelling two catches in the opening half-hour.
First Dimuth Karunaratne spilt Moeen at slip when he was on 36, then wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal missed the simplest of chances to reprieve Woakes on eight.
Their tactics in the field were also baffling at times, as they allowed Moeen to keep strike even when he was batting in partnership with Steven Finn and James Anderson.
And their woes continued with the bat, with seven batsmen falling to catches behind the wicket following the early dismissal of Karunaratne who was bowled.
England all-rounder Moeen Ali on Sky Sports: "It was perfect, especially the way we bowled. To have them eight down is a brilliant evening. I think we would make them follow-on and try to bowl them out again.
"It's about time I got some runs, I felt like I owed the team. Today was a great feeling. I like playing with freedom so, if I see it, I go for it.
"My off-side play is a strength and weakness, so I will keep playing that way. I enjoy batting at number six, but batting eight hasn't fazed me. I have to get scores if I want to go up the order."
Ex-England batsman Geoffrey Boycott on Test Match Special: "It's men against boys, a mismatch. I said early in the match that Sri Lanka are just not good enough in any department to compete against England.
"Yesterday they caught brilliantly and the seamers kept them in the game, but today they were awful. Three catches went down, and the keeper never even got his gloves on a straightforward nick.
"The ground fielding was scrappy, the captaincy got worse, he spread the field and had seven or eight on the boundary for Moeen. What chance do the bowlers have there? That was the worst day I've seen from Angelo Mathews, and I like his captaincy."
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A level of 60% support for Scottish independence over the period of a year has been identified as a benchmark in making the decision over a second referendum, senior SNP sources say.

The figure is a "trigger point", but will not be publicly acknowledged, sources told the BBC's John Pienaar.
Prof John Curtice said it was the level the party should be thinking about.
An SNP spokesman said there would only be a second referendum if there was clear evidence of a shift of opinion.
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon will not be drawn on whether a second referendum will take place while she is in charge.
But sources close to Ms Sturgeon said the benchmark was vital to ensure support for independence had become the "settled will" of the Scottish people.
"Six months of polls won't be enough," said a senior SNP figure, involved in the discussions.
Speaking on 5 Live's Pienaar's Politics, Prof Curtice, who is president of the British Polling Council, said: "It's entirely the kind of benchmark they should be thinking about.
"I think some of us said, not long after last year's referendum, that this was the kind of scenario the SNP needed to see in play before they could seriously contemplate a referendum."
He added: "I think one of the things that's forgotten about the referendum last year is that there had never previously been a period in which the opinion polls had consistently pointed to a majority in favour of 'Yes'.
"There really isn't much point in the SNP holding a referendum until it's clear that there is a majority - a sustained majority - in favour of doing so, because otherwise the serious risk is loss.
"Why 60% - there clearly is a serious prospect that that figure will come down under the sustained barrage of attack that there will undoubtedly be on the independence project in the event of a second referendum."
An SNP spokesman said: "As the FM set out there will only be a second referendum on independence if there is clear evidence of a shift of opinion.
"The far more urgent question is whether the UK government will honour the vow by strengthening the Scotland Act, end the unnecessary ideological austerity drive that is hurting low income households and act to protect Scotland's place in the EU."
On Thursday, Ms Sturgeon told the BBC that even a "thumping win" at next year's Scottish elections would not be enough to push for a second referendum.
Earlier, she had opened her party's Aberdeen conference calling on those against independence to vote SNP.
In an interview with the BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg, Ms Sturgeon said the timing of a referendum vote would be "down to whether we judge, I judge, that people who voted 'No' last year have changed their minds".
And during her speech at the conference on Saturday, she reiterated that a second independence referendum would only come when the time was right.
She said the time for another Scottish independence referendum would be "when there is clear evidence" that opinion had changed and the majority of people in Scotland wanted it.
She added: "Independence matters and we will never waver in our commitment to it. But what we say about jobs, schools and hospitals matters just as much to people across Scotland."


They were "horrible and demeaning", Georgia Wood says of the police officers who strip-searched her when she was just 12 years old.

She remembers being taken into police custody in South Wales eight years ago by officers who suspected her mother of possessing drugs.
"They didn't explain to me until we got to the police station. And they literally just said 'this is what's going to happen and we're going to do it'."
"For someone to just be so horrible and demeaning, I just thought 'well, if I'm meant to respect my elders, aren't my elders meant to respect me'?" she told BBC Radio 5 live Investigates.
"And I really didn't feel respected in that situation."
No drugs were found on Georgia, now aged 20, or her mother Karen Archer - who was never charged with an offence.
South Wales Police said officers admitted they had mistakenly carried out a strip search without an appropriate adult present and two officers had received management action.
Karen and Georgia, who live near Swansea, have since been awarded compensation for their ordeal.
According to figures released by 13 police forces in England and Wales, more than 5,000 children aged 17 were strip-searched between 2013 and 2015.
More than 4,000 of those searches - which are normally used to detect drugs or concealed weapons - were carried out in London by the UK's largest force, the Metropolitan Police.
In total across suspects of all age groups, the same 13 forces carried out 113,000 searches in the last three years that involved the removal of more than a suspect's outer clothing - which is the precise definition of a strip-search.
5 live Investigates asked all 45 police forces in the UK for strip-search figures, but only 13 responded with information.
As well as the Met, they were Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, City of London, Cambridgeshire, North Wales, Bedfordshire, Nottinghamshire, Cumbria, Essex, Cleveland, Hertfordshire and Lancashire.
Source: Home Office code of practice
"Marion" - not her real name - says she was handcuffed, pinned to the floor, and had all her clothes cut from her body by female officers at a London police station.
She says male officers stood at a nearby open door while she was naked on the floor, before she was later "paraded through the station" in just a paper suit.
She was 24 when she had been taken into custody while trying to help a young man she saw being arrested.
"I was pinned to the ground with three officers on me.  It felt like there were more than that because they were grabbing me from all sides.
"They were also talking with male officers who were standing at the open door. They were chatting together about what implements to use on me, like leg restraints, scissors, things like that".
Marion said the officers were "making jokes to each other" about the benefits of strapless bras.
"They were saying things like, 'there's a good girl' which I found really humiliating.
"Once they had me completely naked they put me into a paper suit which didn't do up properly so my breast were exposed and they paraded me like that through the station then dumped me on the floor of another cell."
She was subsequently found not guilty of obstruction and two charges of assaulting police officers.
The Metropolitan Police said two officers were dealt with under misconduct regulations for failure to maintain adequate records.
"The complainant appealed the Met's decision to the IPCC [Independent Police Complaints Commission]. This appeal is currently under consideration," it said.
The Met added that 5.1% of children arrested in 2015 were strip-searched compared to 12.2% of adults.
It said: "Strip-searching is a vital power in police custody to not only identify and seize evidence but also to ensure the safety and security of all detainees and staff.
"Each search must be based on an objective assessment of the need and proportionality to search the person to that extent. Legal safeguards are applied to ensure the welfare needs of the detainee are considered and met."
Labour MP Yvette Cooper who chairs the Home Affairs Select Committee, described the figures as "very troubling".
"I think this is quite concerning because we know so little about why so many strip-searches are taking place," she said.
"It's really distressing for people and I think the thing about a strip-search is, it is so intrusive, for especially if you're talking about children or teenagers.
"That's why this should never be done lightly and the police need to understand the impact this can have on individuals and why it has to be justified."
The Home Office has set up a working party to establish whether extra safeguards are needed to ensure that strip-searches are being carried fairly and with adequate supervision.
A spokesman said it was committed to giving the police the "necessary tools" to do their job.
"But the use of all powers warrants proper accountability and transparency. We are currently considering whether additional safeguards are required when police conduct searches requiring the removal of more than outer clothing."


Britain's Eilidh Doyle missed out on qualification for the 400m final at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Belgrade.

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The 30-year-old Scot was edged into third in her semi-final, with only the top two athletes progressing.
Her fellow Briton Laviai Nielsen, 20, finished second in her semi-final to reach Saturday's final.
Scot Laura Muir qualified for both the 1500m and 3,000m finals, to be held on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
The 23-year-old won her 1500m heat in four minutes 10.28 seconds, having earlier reached the 3,000 final as a fastest loser by clocking 8:55.56.
Team-mate Sarah McDonald (4:12.50) will join Muir in the 1500m final, while Steph Twell (8:55.02) and Eilish McColgan (8:57.85) also advanced to the 3,000m final.
"I wanted to conserve as much as I could for the finals," said Muir.
"You always want to win a race, so you just have to be sensible and just do what is necessary."
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Doyle, ranked third in Europe this year, faded in the final stretch and was overtaken by Poland's Malgorzata Holub on the line as she clocked 52.81.
"I didn't know what was going on, I was just tightening up a bit and trying to get to the line as quickly as I could and I'm just absolutely gutted," Doyle told BBC Sport.
"I wanted to win the semi-final and get a good lane for the final so to not even make the final is pretty heartbreaking."
Elsewhere, Morgan Lake qualified in third place for the women's high jump final on Saturday.
The 19-year-old was one of seven athletes to clear 1.90m and one of only three to do so on their first attempt.
Fellow Briton Tom Lancashire, 31, won his 1,500m heat to qualify for Saturday's final, coming through to post 3:47.37 - the ninth-quickest time overall.
And Kyle Langford, 21, reached the semi-finals of the men's 800m but Guy Learmonth, 24, missed out after finishing fourth in his heat.
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A former senior prosecutor has strongly criticised the decision not to charge the driver at the centre of the Glasgow bin lorry tragedy.

Brian McConnachie QC said there was sufficient evidence to prosecute Harry Clarke.
He said the Crown Office had "jumped the gun" in not pressing charges.
Mr Clarke has begun giving evidence at a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) - but declined to answer many questions for fear of incriminating himself.
Lawyers for the family of one of the six victims of tragedy have applied to the High Court for permission to bring a private prosecution against Mr Clarke.
If it went ahead, anything Mr Clarke said in the FAI could be used against him in a subsequent trial.
An attempt by his QC to have the FAI adjourned while legal moves surrounding the possible private prosecution were considered has been rejected by the sheriff.
The Crown Office said two months after the December 2014 incident that no charges would be brought against Mr Clarke or his employers, Glasgow City Council.
Speaking to BBC Scotland, Mr McConnachie, who was principal advocate-depute (prosecutor) in the Crown Office from 2006-2009, said that the decision now appeared wrong.
He said: "On the basis of what we have heard from the inquiry, it does seem to be the case that they have very much jumped the gun in making the decision not to prosecute the driver.
"I don't know whether they felt there was some urgency because of the circumstances of the tragedy that happened that caused them to take that decision so quickly.
"But with hindsight, I would be very surprised if they are not now thinking that it was not perhaps their best idea."
Mr McConnachie said on the evidence heard at the FAI there was a prima facie case to have charged Mr Clarke with causing death by dangerous driving or the lesser charge of causing death by careless driving.
But he admitted that when they took their decision, it was unlikely that Crown counsel considered the possibility of a private prosecution - a device only used twice since 1909.
The prospect of such an action has meant the FAI is likely to conclude without the sheriff and the bereaved families having heard any significant evidence from Mr Clarke, the man at the centre of the tragedy.
Mr McConnachie said this could have been avoided by prosecuting him, and letting a jury decide if he was guilty of any charge, and then holding an FAI afterwards.
The Crown Office said its position had always been that it was aware of evidence that would be led at the inquiry. It added that the relevant information had been taken into account regarding a decision not to prosecute.
A spokesman said: "It is clear on the evidence at the time that the driver lost control of the bin lorry, resulting in the tragic deaths, he was unconscious and therefore not in control of his actions.
"He did not therefore have the necessary criminal state of mind required for a criminal prosecution.
"In addition, the Crown could not prove that it was foreseeable to the driver that driving on that day would result in a loss of consciousness.
"This still remains the case and all the relevant evidence regarding these points was known to Crown Counsel at the time the decision to take no proceedings was made."


Probation workers could not have predicted a man under their supervision would go on to kill a teenager in a case of mistaken identity, a report has concluded.

Conner Marshall, 18, from Barry, died four days after he was attacked at a Porthcawl caravan park in March 2015.
David Braddon, 26, of Caerphilly, who was being monitored at the time, was jailed for life for his murder.
Mr Marshall's family claims he should have been more tightly supervised.
At the time of the killing, Braddon was being monitored by probation workers after he was convicted for drugs offences and assaulting a police officer.
A report by the National Offender Management Service found he had missed some follow-up appointments and there were times staff could have "monitored his community order more robustly".
But it concluded staff could not have known he would go on to commit such a violent act.
"Given the limitations of managing offenders subject to community orders, there was nothing the offender manager could have done which would have predicted or prevented the offence," the report said.
"It is clear from the review that no one could have foreseen that David Braddon would go on to commit such a devastating offence.
"When an offender is being supervised in the community, it is simply not possible to eliminate risk altogether," it concluded.
However, the review did make a number of recommendations including:
Mr Marshall's mother Nadine Marshall claims the attack might never have happened if Braddon had been more tightly monitored.
"David Braddon was a time bomb... He should have had tighter controls, better management," she said.
Mr Marshall's family have been given a summary of the report, but have collected a petition of more than 2,300 signatures calling for the full version to be made public.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said serious further offences were rare but each one is taken extremely seriously and investigated fully.
"Public protection is our priority and we continue carefully to consider the findings in this case," he added.


Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has dismissed stories linking him with a return to Italy this summer.

Reports in the manager's home country - quoting an agent, Federico Pastorello - had suggested he was considering a move, with Inter Milan the most likely destination.
"I'm very happy to stay," Conte said.
"I read this interview about Pastorello. I don't know him and I don't know why this person has spoken about me."
He added: "I worked in Italy. They want to come back for me in Italy. It's normal. I have two more years of contract with Chelsea.
"This is the truth. This is the most important thing. I don't like when I listen to other persons talking about me."
Conte, 47, also addressed speculation linking the Blues with New York City midfielder Andrea Pirlo - who played under Conte at Juventus.
Ray Wilkins, a former Chelsea player and assistant manager, told Talksport he had seen the 37-year-old at Stamford Bridge "on a number of occasions this year".
"He's the one that Antonio Conte would like to come in and replace assistant manager Steve Holland," he added.
But Conte said: "Andrea Pirlo is playing and he wants to continue to play. I don't know why someone wants to put this type of situation for me."


A woman has died and three other people have been injured after the car they were travelling in collided with a bus on the M73 in North Lanarkshire.

It happened at Mollinsburn at about 17:30 on Saturday and involved a Renault Clio and a Volvo coach.
A 57-year-old woman - a passenger in the car - died. The driver, a woman aged 29, was seriously injured and two male passengers had minor injuries.
The coach driver and 49 people on board were uninjured.
The southbound carriageway of the motorway , between junctions 3 and 2A, was closed for several hours for crash investigations to take place.
A spokesman for Police Scotland said: "As a result of the collision a 57-year-old female passenger in the Renault Clio received fatal injuries.
"The 29 year old female driver of the car was seriously injured and two male passengers, 18 and 45 years, received minor injuries.
"Police Scotland are appealing for witnesses to this crash and ask that anyone who can help get in touch with Police Scotland at Motherwell through 101."


A Swansea steel company that went into administration last month has been taken over by a Newport-based firm.

Coilcolor has bought Falcon Steel which was based at the old Alcoa site.
Thirty five people lost their jobs when the company failed but 16 have been re-employed and Coilcolor hopes to take on more in the next few months.
Coilcolor, which makes coated steel, said due to the expansion it aimed to grow its workforce across both cities to around 90 by mid 2012.
Managing director Dean Proctor said the deal safeguard the future of the Swansea plant and Coilcolor would begin manufacture at the Westfield Industrial Park site immediately.
Mr Proctor added: "This deal gives Coilcolor a massive potential for growth.
"Greater capacity means we can offer existing and new customers a leaner, fitter and even more cost-effective service.
"Prospects are now even brighter for the existing company as well as our new team in Swansea and south Wales can boast the largest independent coil coating company in the UK."
Coilcolor makes coated steel in a variety of colours and finishes which are used in the construction industry to clad buildings.
The Swansea site will operate as a separate company to be known as Coilcolor West Ltd but will have mutual shareholders with the existing Newport company.
Mr Proctor said turnover was expected to double from Â£30m within 24 months.


An experienced motorcyclist and former Manx Grand Prix racer died after crashing his bike whilst visiting the Isle of Man TT, an inquest has heard.

Charles Hughes, who was 60 and from Warrington, Cheshire, lost control of his 1000cc BMW near the Les Graham memorial on Mountain Road on 31 May.
Douglas courthouse heard he suffered multiple injuries and died the same day in Noble's hospital.
Coroner John Needham recorded a verdict of accidental death.
One witness described how Mr Hughes collided with a grass bank after losing control of his bike on a left-hand bend near the Verandah.
The married welder was visited the island with his friend Andrew Webster, also from Warrington.
Mr Webster, who was following his friend at the time of the accident, said he went in a "bit hot" and that his "tyres were not gripping".
He said he saw his friend's bike "somersaulting down the road" with "debris thrown everywhere".
Mr Needham said Mr Hughes was "clearly passionate about bikes and followed his passion right to the end.
"As a former [Manx] Grand Prix racer he was very familiar with the TT course but drifted wide on the left hand corner, losing the back end of the bike.
"He would not have suffered after losing consciousness."
No other vehicles were involved in the accident, which happened the day after the opening practice session of the annual TT races.


Police in the US have rewarded an Indian man after he was robbed while saving the life of a colleague.

Anil Vannavalli, 34, was waiting for a train at the Edison station in New Jersey on Friday when Madhuri Recherla, 26, fainted and fell onto the tracks.
He jumped on the track and pulled Ms Recherla back to safety, but somebody stole his backpack in the process.
Edison Police said the theft was "disgusting", and gifted $1,000 (Â£774) to the "Good Samaritan" on Tuesday.
"This theft, perpetrated in the midst of such a selfless good deed, seems so very disgusting and outrageous," Police Chief Thomas Bryan said in a statement.
Ms Recherla also thanked her colleague, adding that she fainted because she hadn't eaten anything.
Mr Vannavalli backpack contained his work laptop, headphones and $200 in cash.
Local media reported that the police were looking at surveillance video to find the thief.


The prospect of rearing animals, producing food and spending more time in the great outdoors are attractive propositions for office-bound wannabe farmers.

For many it will remain little more than a pipe dream but there are a determined few "new entrants" to the industry who are set on establishing their own successful farming enterprises. How easy is it to build a farm from scratch?
When James Baylis graduated from university in 2013, he quickly found himself a comfortable office job and a steady income.
But within months, he was disillusioned and miserable. He felt he was "wasting his life" in the lengthy daily commute, just to spend the rest of the day sat in front of a computer screen.
So he made a life-changing decision: he swapped the rat race for the great outdoors. Fast forward to 2016 and the 25-year-old says he has no regrets.
In little over a year since moving to rural south-west Scotland, he has bought a small flock of sheep and he is preparing for his second lambing season. In the next few months, he is expecting to lamb 75 ewes which - with luck - should produce 129 lambs.
As a young farmer, he is one of an increasingly rare breed in Scottish agriculture. The latest statistics from the Scottish government reveal that just 11% of the country's principal farmers are aged under 41; more than half are older than 55.
The transition from office to farm was particularly remarkable for the bearded Welshman who, until two years ago, had never even mucked out a shed or sat on a tractor. But after taking on some part-time work at a local farm, any romantic image of agricultural labouring quickly disappeared.
"I'd always thought I'd just end up with a wee smallholding later on but the final decision to actually go for it and try and find a farming job was made while mucking out a cattle shed over Christmas," he said.
"I think it's very easy to have an idyllic view of farming, like something from of the pages of a kid's book, but that image can be so far from the truth."
Farm work can be gruelling, spirit-crushing hard labour in rain, snow, wind and - in Scotland at least - only occasional sunshine. For many even the financial reward is limited.
Mr Baylis has earned nothing from his own flock, which he keeps on his girlfriend's family farm near Borgue in Dumfries and Galloway. He lives on his savings, income from contract shepherding work and some journalism for agricultural publications.
But the newcomer, who has documented his career in a blog, remains committed to the industry. After creating content for websites in his previous job, he now he feels he is doing something of tangible value.
"I am creating a product that people need whether or not they accept that all the time," he said. "I am producing food. I am doing something worthwhile.
"On the worst days, it's still a wonderful job, or lifestyle, or way of life. On the worst days, it's so much better than anything else. I can't go back to doing anything other than farming, without being really miserable."
He added: "Even when it's pouring down with rain and the wind's trying the blow the house down, I wouldn't swap it for the world."
It is relatively uncommon for someone without any background in agriculture to establish their own farming enterprise. Established family farms are normally passed from one generation to the next.
New entrants need land and capital to get started - barriers that are simply insurmountable for many budding farmers.
According to Kirsten Williams, the manager for new entrant activities at Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), many young people find it difficult to source capital from lenders and the cash flow pattern of a farming business means cash is tied up for a long time before there is a return on any investment.
"If you purchase a breeding heifer you have to get her in calf, then there is a nine-month pregnancy, then the calf is reared and is often sold at 12 months old," she said.
"This means you have to wait approximately two years to initially potentially pay for your initial investment and then wait a further year for more income from the cow by means of another calf, whilst purchasing inputs through the year for her maintenance - feed, medicines, etc."
It is a problem that has been identified by the Scottish government, however, and a grant of 70,000 Euros (Â£52,360) is available to new entrants to the industry and young farmers aged between 16 and 41 through the its Scottish Rural Development programme.
There is strict criteria however: new entrants must have at least three hectares of land, and young farmers need at least five years of experience or a relevant qualification.
With the value of agricultural land at an all-time high, Ms Williams said many new entrants can only rent land on a seasonal basis from other farmers, making it difficult for businesses to plan ahead.
There is also a lack of fixed tenancies being offered by landowners, according to Ms Williams but Forestry Commission Scotland has offered 10 small "starter farm units" to new farmers across the country.
Newcomer Mr Baylis knows he has a "difficult but not impossible" journey to establish himself as farmer. He has been selected as Tesco Future Farmer, through which he can receive tailored training and advice and he is hoping to gain experience in dairy farming.
So how does he feel about the decision to give up his office job, his steady income and his flat for a life on the land?
"It was either brave or stupid," he said. "But I'm pleased with how far I have come in the last 18 months and I'm looking forward to the future."


A man and woman found dead in a house in Essex died from head injuries and stab wounds, an inquest has heard.

Gillian Phillips, 54, and David Oakes, 60, were discovered in Bentfield Gardens, Stansted Mountfitchet, at 23:00 BST on 22 July.
Ms Phillips died from multiple stab wounds and Mr Oakes is believed to have died from head injuries.
Brett Rogers, 23, of Bentfield Gardens, has been charged with their murders.
He remains in custody and will next appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on 21 September.
An inquest into the deaths was opened and adjourned earlier.


Uganda's Esther Kalenzi has been improving access to education for orphans and children from poor families though an organisation she established a few years ago.

4 November 2015 Last updated at 02:30 GMT
The 40 Days Over 40 Smiles Foundation also creates and encourages income-generating projects in slums and uses social media and events to raise funds and resources.
Ms Kalenzi says that her main aim is to make children smile, especially those who have experienced harsh realities from a very early age.
According to her, the organisation has helped more than 700 vulnerable children since 2012.
Women of Africa is a BBC season recognising inspiring women across the continent. The first series, Africa's Unsung Heroes, introduces eight women who are making a difference in their country - and beyond.
Read more here


Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho will no longer take charge of England for Sunday's Soccer Aid charity game.

Mourinho was due to manage an England XI including ex-Arsenal keeper David Seaman and former United defender Phil Neville, plus a host of celebrities.
The 53-year-old could still help train the squad and will be at Old Trafford for the game, although he might not be in the dug-out.
Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce takes over from Mourinho.
The match is Mourinho's first at Old Trafford since his appointment as Louis van Gaal's successor last month.
The former Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid boss visited United's Carrington training ground for the first time on Monday.
He was given a tour by executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward and met club legend Sir Bobby Charlton during his seven-hour visit.
Mourinho is yet to meet with Ryan Giggs. The Welshman still has a contract as an assistant manager, although Mourinho's long-time deputy Rui Faria is expected to be in that role next season.
Giggs, 42, is on leave until Saturday and is yet to be contacted by Mourinho or Woodward - and is still to be told what role, if any, they have for him.
Meanwhile, midfielder Michael Carrick is expected to stay on at United for another season. The 34-year-old is out of contract but a new one-year deal has been offered by the club.


ScotRail has struck a deal with train drivers in a dispute over pay and conditions.

The rail operator said the deal with train drivers' union Aslef would ensure that it could run existing Sunday services.
The dispute centred around plans by ScotRail franchise holder Abellio to introduce a seven-day rota for drivers.
About a third of ScotRail's trains were cancelled on Sunday after drivers refused to work overtime.
The talks followed an announcement by Aslef that it would ballot its members for industrial action from next month.
Under the new deal, which has been welcomed by the Scottish government, drivers will receive a pay rise of 2.5% and be paid for each Sunday that they volunteer to work.
The original proposal involved a one-off bonus payment for working Sundays.
ScotRail added that a joint working party would be established with its drivers "to discuss how we ensure that Sunday becomes part of the working week".
ScotRail Alliance managing director Phil Verster said: "I am pleased to confirm we have agreed a deal that will ensure we can run our existing services on a Sunday and help us develop plans to make Sunday part of the working week.
"We run a seven-day railway, so it is hugely important that we have staff rosters that can cover this.
"The commitment from the unions to work with us to change the way we roster Sundays will allow us to recruit new drivers and will, ultimately, deliver a much-improved service for our customers."
Mr Verster said ScotRail was now contacting drivers to seek to their cooperation to reinstate services from Sunday 12 July.
He added: "I am hopeful that, with their support, we will be able to run a near-normal service.
"We will know more later today and would urge customers to check our website for updates."
Aslef officials said they would recommend that the union's executive committee accept the deal.
Responding to the deal, a Transport Scotland spokeswoman said: "Today's agreement between ScotRail and Aslef is very welcome and we look forward to them building on this to deliver the seven-day rail service that the franchise makes it clear we expect."


The percentage of dogs microchipped in Wales has risen from 69% to 94% since it became compulsory last April, Dogs Trust has said.

All dogs are now legally required to have been chipped by the time they are eight weeks old.
The charity said the improvement showed it was working but still meant 30,000 dogs would be untraceable if lost.
It added 8% of the 3,222 unclaimed strays in Wales' council kennels last year did not have up-to-date chips.
In 2015-16, before the law changed, 3,193 lost dogs were reunited with their owners in Wales - 15% of which were identified as a direct result of being chipped.
But its head of campaigns, Andrew Jackson, said the charity had noticed a "growing number" of breeders not microchipping puppies at eight weeks, or not registering their details.
He said this could cause problems for unsuspecting buyers who may not realise they should already have a chip registered to the breeder to ensure traceability.
The charity said 2,751 fines had been issued to UK dog owners for non-compliance since the law came in on 6 April 2016.
Most - 1,464 - were for dogs without chips, while 1,287 were issued to owners who had failed to update their details.
Mr Jackson said: "It is excellent to see that so many owners have taken action to get their dogs chipped - a painless process for dogs which many charities will carry out for free.
"However, still too many are not being reunited where owners have not updated their details when they move home or get a new phone number - heartbreaking for the owner and easily avoidable with a five-minute phone call.
"All dog owners have a responsibility to microchip their dog and it's very encouraging to see such a strong take-up - now owners must make sure this effort does not go to waste and check their dog's chip is up to date."
In February, a petition, backed by RSPCA Cymru, was launched calling for all councils to scan microchips of all pets found dead or alive.


World number one Lydia Ko will face a top-class field when Dundonald Links hosts the 2017 Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies' Scottish Open.

The South Korean will face competition in Ayrshire from reigning champion Isabelle Boineau, 2016 European Tour number one Beth Allen and major winners Michelle Wie and Catriona Matthew.
The US $1.5m prize money (about £1.16m) is the highest for any Ladies' European Tour event outside the majors.
It takes place on 27-30 July.
The tournament presents the players with an opportunity to tackle a links course in the week preceding the Ricoh Women's British Open at Kingsbarns.
For the first time, the Ladies' Scottish Open is being held on the same course as the men's equivalent.
"To me, Scotland is the home of golf and I'm excited to return to Dundonald Links to compete against some of the world's best players," said Ko.
"It is great to have the chance to play two very important links golf tournaments back to back, as I know it has worked well on the men's schedule and I'm looking forward to seeing how we navigate the course compared to the men."
Martin Gilbert, chief executive of Aberdeen Asset Management, said he was "delighted" with the calibre of players in the 156-strong field, adding that it was "a mix of the world's best talent from both the LET and the LPGA".


The Duchess of Cambridge has revealed she gave the Queen home-made chutney for Christmas when she first joined the Royals for the festive period.

Speaking to ITV for the Our Queen at Ninety documentary, Catherine admitted she was "worried" about the gift.
But she said it showed the Queen's "thoughtfulness" that the jar was on the table the next day at Sandringham.
The Duchess's sister Pippa Middleton included a recipe for "Granny's Marrow Chutney" in her recipe book.
The two-hour documentary, to mark the Queen's birthday in April, features interviews with 11 members of the Royal Family, including the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry, the Duke of York, and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
Catherine's contribution - her first solo television interview - gives an insight into the pressure of buying a present for the woman who has virtually everything.
"I was worried what to give the Queen as her Christmas present. I was thinking, 'Gosh, what should I give her?," she said.
"And I thought back to what would I give my own grandparents. And I thought, 'I'll make her something.' Which could have gone horribly wrong. But I decided to make my granny's recipe of chutney.
"I was slightly worried about it, but I noticed the next day that it was on the table. I've noticed since she's done that on lots of occasions and I think it just shows her thoughtfulness, really, and her care in looking after everybody."
The Duchess did not reveal the recipe she used, but her Granny's Marrow Chutney is a likely contender.
The recipe - according to Pippa Middleton's book Celebrate - "has been passed down the family" and is a "great way of using up very big marrows" or courgettes.
Catherine also describes the Queen's relationship with her great-grandchildren: "George is only two-and-a-half and he calls her Gan-Gan.
"She always leaves a little gift or something in their room when we go and stay and that just shows her love for her family."
She said the Queen had provided "gentle guidance" and helped her get used to her role.
The Duke of Cambridge told the documentary that people were usually starstruck when meeting the Queen.
"I've seen people literally faint in front of her," he said. "There's a lot of trembling knees and people can't talk sometimes."


It is a sight that would surely strike fear into even the most battle-hardened opponent.

The hurlers of Ruairí Óg Cushendall have been backed to "bring home" an All-Ireland title by Hollywood hero Liam Neeson.
The club, based in Neeson's native County Antrim, will take on Na Piarsaigh of County Limerick in the senior club final in Dublin on St Patrick's Day.
The Taken star won a schools' hurling crown with St Patrick's College in his hometown Ballymena back in 1966.
And he proved he hasn't lost his touch in the short video clip, catching a sliotar, the small leather ball used in the game, before sending it into the distance as he roared on the Ruairís.
The All-Ireland club hurling final will be live on the BBC Sport website and BBC Radio Ulster 1341MW from 13:30 GMT on Thursday 17 March.


Stoffel Vandoorne will stay with McLaren for a second season in Formula 1 in 2018, the team have announced.

The Belgian, 25, had a difficult start to his rookie campaign as team-mate to double world champion Fernando Alonso, but his form has improved.
With Alonso's future uncertain, McLaren have ensured continuity with at least one of their drivers next season.
"We've great confidence in Stoffel and he's getting better all the time," said racing director Eric Boullier.
"His team-mate is a tough opponent - that's an understatement in fact, because he's arguably the best driver in the sport today.
"But Stoffel's robust talent and fierce ambition make us sure that he'll achieve great successes with us in the future."
McLaren executive director Zak Brown added: "I regard Stoffel as a super-talent - a future Formula 1 world champion in fact - and that's why I've always been adamant that he should race for us on a multi-year basis."
Brown said he would not discuss the duration of Vandoorne's contract but added: "When we signed Stoffel, we intended that he would race for us for a significant number of years, and that remains our firm intention."
Vandoorne said: "I'm delighted that the team has now formally announced that I will continue to race for them next year, because I'll be able to approach the second half of my rookie season with total focus on the job in hand: namely getting the very most I can out of my car, my engineers, and everything and everyone around me."
Alonso, who turned 36 last month, is out of contract at the end of this season and has said he will wait until at least September before deciding on his future.
McLaren want to keep him, and Alonso has said it is his "priority" to stay in F1, where he does not appear to have other options, with top teams Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull not interested in him.
But he has also said he wants to win in 2018 and it is far from clear McLaren will be able to satisfy those wishes - whether they stick with struggling Honda as engine supplier or switch to Renault, as is the other possibility.
Alonso has intimated he would be prepared to consider a future outside F1, most likely in IndyCars, where he has an ambition to win the Indy 500, in which he was racing for victory this season in a McLaren-supported programme before his Honda engine failed.


For the first time, half (49.9%) of American children under the age of five are of a racial or ethnic minority, according to the US Census Bureau.

The agency projected that in the US, whites would become a minority in the under-five age group this year or next.
The 2012 data also found that for the first time in more than a century, there were more deaths than births among white Americans.
The "natural decrease" occurred several years earlier than forecast, it said.
The government figures also project that in five years, minorities will make up more than half of children under 18.
The Census Bureau expects further decline among the white population as aging baby-boomers die.
The latest findings come a year after the census reported that whites had fallen to a minority among babies in the US.
Minority populations are growing faster than the white community due to high birth rates, especially in the Hispanic community, as well as immigration.
But the white American population is still seeing small increases because of immigration from Europe, the data shows.
The Census Bureau said 63% of Americans were white and non-Hispanic.
The fastest-growing minority groups were Asians, whose population expanded by 2.9% in 2012, and Hispanics, by 2.2%.


Torquay United have announced that midfielders Iffy Allen and Danny Racchi are to leave the National League club.

The Gulls signed unattached Racchi, 27, and Yeovil Town's Allen, 22, on short-term deals on 1 February.
Amos Kabeya, Liam Prynn, Oneil Odofin and Exodus Geohaghon are also released.
But Torquay are in talks over new deals for Nathan Blissett, Dan Butler, Angus MacDonald, Courtney Richards, Aman Verma, Toby Ajala, Shaun Harrad, Sam Chaney, Luke Young, and Ben Gerring.


A BBC investigation has identified the man accused of organising the terror attack on a beach that killed 38 people in Tunisia.

Chamseddine al-Sandi is described as the "mastermind" behind the attack in documents obtained by Panorama.
He is named in confessions from suspects who were arrested in connection with the shootings.
Seifeddine Rezgui opened fire on the beach and in the Imperial Hotel near Sousse in June 2015.
Rezgui was killed at the scene, but the documents obtained by Panorama say that he was recruited and directed by al-Sandi.
The confessions say al-Sandi ran a militant cell responsible for both the Sousse shootings and the attack three months earlier at the Bardo National Museum in which 22 people died. Both attacks were claimed by the so-called Islamic State.
The documents show how closely Rezgui worked with the Bardo gang - describing how he met with them in cafes and mosques in Tunis and how he trained alongside one of the Bardo gunmen in an IS camp in Libya.
According to the confessions, al-Sandi recruited the attackers, paid for them to go to Libya for training and gave them their orders.
Al-Sandi is now believed to be on the run in Libya. The Tunisian authorities have issued warrants for his arrest in connection with both the Bardo and Sousse attacks, but the documents obtained by Panorama reveal the extent of his alleged involvement for the first time.
Of the 38 people who were killed in Sousse in June 2015, 30 were British, three were from Ireland, two were German, one was from Russia, one was Belgian and one was from Portugal.
The inquests into the deaths of the British tourists starts next week. But the lawyer representing many of the families told Panorama that he was unaware of al-Sandi's involvement and had not seen his picture before.
"I have not seen that," said Demetrius Danas. "If you are right, and the families see that, they will be shocked to see the face of the man who caused them so much sadness."
Tunisia attack: The British victims
What we know about the attack
Terror on the beach
Some of the families who were caught up in the Sousse attack have told Panorama that they were assured by tour operator Thomson that it was safe to travel to Tunisia.
Nicki Duffield said she rang Thomson repeatedly to check on the security situation after hearing about the Bardo museum attack.
"I was just constantly asking: 'Are we going to be safe, can you guarantee we are going to be safe?'" she said. "We were definitely told that there would be increased security."
Alison Caine also called Thomson because she was worried about going to Tunisia.
She said: "We called them after Bardo to make sure that it was still safe to travel and they reassured us it was and security had been stepped up. But I just wanted to make sure again the following month so we called them again just to double-check."
Ms Caine said she felt reassured by Thomson: "Everything was fine, it was safe to travel. They were not doing any refunds or transfers."
The families say they were told by the tour operator that if they cancelled they wouldn't get their money back.
TUI, the travel company that owns Thomson, said it wants to understand the specific circumstances that led to the killings.
"We are cooperating fully with the Coroner and will continue to do so, in order to help ensure that the tragic deaths of those killed can be thoroughly investigated, the relevant facts determined and any lessons learned."
The company said it would be inappropriate to comment further before the inquests but it doesn't accept the accuracy of all the statements that have been made.
You can watch Panorama Terror on the Beach: Why Did It Happen? on Monday 9 January at 20:30 GMT. Or catch up afterwards on BBC iPlayer


Boxer Katie Taylor has "lifted the spirits of a nation" by winning Ireland's first Olympic gold medal at London 2012, Irish President Michael D Higgins has said.

The 26-year-old, from Bray, County Wicklow, beat Russia's Sofya Ochigava in the lightweight boxing final.
She was cheered on by thousands of excited Irish fans at the ExCeL Arena.
London 2012 is the first Olympic Games in which women have competed in the boxing ring.
President Higgins said: "She truly deserves this historic and hard earned victory; it is a just reward for her dedication and commitment over the years," he said.
The Irish Prime Minister, Enda Kenny, said Taylor was ''a force of nature whose pioneering spirit and boxing brilliance have seen her realise her personal dream of winning Olympic gold".
Speaking after the fight, Taylor said that when the bell rang she did not know whether or not she had won.
"I didn't know what way the scoreline went," she told the Irish state broadcaster, RTE. "It was such as close contest really, it could have went either way."
She also paid tribute to the crowd in the arena who she said had been "amazing".
Many more of her fans gathered in her home town to watch the bout on big screens.
The four-time world champion, who took up the sport at the age of 12, had been a strong favourite to take gold.
She was taught to box by her father Peter, who was 1986 Irish senior light heavyweight champion.
At the age of 15, Taylor made boxing history when she fought in Ireland's first ever officially sanctioned women's bout.
After her Olympic victory, the former world champion boxer Barry McGuigan hugged Taylor as she came out of the ring and called her "a legend".
McGuigan also said the thousands of Irish supporters inside the arena had been "incredible" and joked that there was no one left back in Ireland.
Her Olympic teammate, the Belfast boxer Paddy Barnes, tweeted: "Katie Taylor!!! Unreal!!! That is all."
Sports stars from outside the world of boxing also took to Twitter to pay tribute to Taylor.
The Republic of Ireland's international goalkeeper, Shay Given, described her as "a true Irish hero", while Bolton Wanderers footballer Fabrice Muamba tweeted: "Laying down in my hospital bed, watching Katie Taylor, She is got the best supporter. The Irish fans are unreal."
Famous faces in the ExCeL Arena audience during the fight included the Duchess of Cambridge - the former Kate Middleton - and the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg.
Back in her homeland, Pastor Sean Mullarkey, from St Mark's Pentecostal church on Dublin's Pearse Street, joined a congregation of fans and churchgoers to cheer on their most famous  member.
She is a devout Christian and her family have been part of the church community for about eight years.
The Olympian is well known for pointing to the heavens after her bouts and always praises God for being her "shield and her strength" in post-match interviews.
"Katie normally says 'thank you Jesus' as that's the focus of her life and that's where her heart is at," the pastor said.
One man who knows the boxer well is Glenn Jordan of the East Belfast Mission's Skainos Project, and he said he was thrilled for her.
"I know this has been the target for years for Katie and her parents Pete and Bridget," he said.
"She has shaped much of the last 10 years of her life around the Olympics - it is the culmination of so much for her."
The gold is the fifth medal for Team Ireland at London 2012.
Showjumper Cian O'Connor collected Ireland's first medal of the games on Wednesday.
The other three have all been won by boxers.
John Joe Nevin from Mulligan in County Westmeath, and Belfast fighters Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan - are guaranteed at least a bronze medal each.
All three men fight for the chance to win a place in their respective finals on Friday.
The last Irish boxer to win a gold medal was Michael Carruth in the men's welterweight boxing in Barcelona in 1992.


A woman who came so close to death that doctors told her relatives to say their final goodbyes is due to celebrate Christmas with her family one year on.

Tracy Ralph believed she had a cold last year but was "too busy to rest" with two young sons.
She powered through with painkillers but deteriorated and on Christmas Day was put in an induced coma. She was diagnosed with blood poisoning.
The 35-year-old, of Hockley, Essex, said she was thankful to be alive.
Mrs Ralph said septicaemia could have claimed her life were it not for a quick-thinking nurse who called an ambulance.
Follow the latest news updates in Essex
She was due to take her eldest son Miller, five, to a pantomime on Christmas Eve before spending Christmas Day at her in-laws.
But her "common cold" took a dramatic turn for the worse.
"Christmas Eve is a blur, I was finding it hard to breathe," said Mrs Ralph, who was diagnosed with pneumonia by a GP.
"Luckily a nurse could see how unwell I was and called an ambulance.
"If it wasn't for her I don't think I would be here today."
Mrs Ralph was put in a coma at Southend Hospital and her husband, Brad, returned home to spend Christmas with Miller and two-year old Hudson.
"He turned up at hospital that evening in his Christmas jumper because he thought I was going to be OK.
"He got taken into a room and that's when they said there's not much more they could do, I had septicaemia, all my organs were failing.
"They told him to say goodbye to me."
She was transferred to St Thomas's in London on Boxing Day and was aware that her blackened fingers and lower legs were to be amputated on 15 January.
"I couldn't speak or move," she said.
"My fingers were black and hard, like claws almost, and I remember thinking how ugly they looked and I was excited they were going to be amputated.
"I thought it was then going to be the road to recovery; not really realising what was ahead."
A course of rehabilitation at a specialist centre in Roehampton followed, before Mrs Ralph finally returned home in May.
The house has been adapted to meet her needs but she relies on her husband - her "rock" - who has quit his job to look after her and their sons.
"When I was in Roehampton, I had so much determination," she said.
"I thought 'I will be on prosthetics, I will be able to run', I thought it would be so much easier than it has been.
"Looking after my children has been the biggest struggle, and I am housebound until I get new prosthetic legs."
She said she now placed greater value on small, everyday things like reading a book to her sons and spending time as a family.
"I was in a very dark place, but within the last couple of months I can see a future.
"It's not a future I planned or expected, and of course I will always wish I had my legs and fingers, but I am very thankful I am here."
She will spend Christmas Day this year with her best friend Karla - who she had intended to see the pantomime with last year - and their families.
"Christmas this year will be very different," she said.
"We are finally spending Christmas together, with the people who matter most."
Source; NHS England


A new statue of The Beatles has been unveiled in Liverpool - 50 years after their last show in Merseyside.

The bronze sculpture, which weighs 1.2 tonnes, has been given to the city by the Cavern Club - the venue synonymous with the Fab Four in the 1960s.
The depiction of the band walking along the Mersey reflects a real photo shoot.
Sculptor Andy Edwards said he hoped his statue, which stands on the Pier Head, would become "a place of ritual" for people to come together.
"I can remember walking around the waterfront with the original sketch models and everybody wanted to talk to us," said Mr Edwards. "Everybody has a Beatles story.
"Our image of them seems to bring past, present and future together, like a time machine."
The idea for the statue came from Chris Butler, managing director of Castle Fine Art Foundry Ltd, which has a studio in the city.
"This is a statue that needs no title, no explanation, no instruments, no gimmicks," he said of the piece inspired by the 1963 photo shoot. "It's a monument to a moment and the moment started in Liverpool."
John Lennon's sister, Julia Baird, said: "The statue stands in loving memory of the best band in the world - the band that leapt from The Cavern stage to worldwide recognition."
The Deputy Mayor of Liverpool Ann O'Byrne said she was "delighted" to see the new statue.
She said: "Talk to anyone in or outside the city about our history and you can guarantee The Beatles will get a mention, so it feels right that this sculpture of these iconic men stands proudly on our iconic waterfront."
The Beatles made their final public appearance in their home city at the Empire Theatre on 5 December 1965.


There are only a few days left until the people of Scotland decide whether or not to become an independent country.

16 September 2014 Last updated at 07:25 BST
Leaders from both sides have been touring the country and encouraging people to vote.
Scotland's first minister Alex Salmond, who is leading the campaign for the "Yes" vote, tells Newsround what he thinks being Scottish means.


A bear bone found in a cave may push back dates for the earliest human settlement of Ireland by 2,500 years.

The bone shows clear signs of cut marks with stone tools, and has been radiocarbon dated to 12,500 years ago.
This places humans in Ireland in the Palaeolithic era; previously, the earliest evidence of people came from the Mesolithic, after 10,000 years ago.
The brown bear bone had been stored in a cardboard box at the National Museum of Ireland for almost a century.
Since the 1970s, the oldest evidence of human occupation in Ireland has been the hunter-gatherer settlement of Mount Sandel on the banks of the River Bann, County Derry, which dates to 8,000 years ago.
Antiquarians and scientists have been searching for an Irish Palaeolithic since the second half of the 19th Century.
Over this 150-year period, occasional Palaeolithic tools have surfaced but in each case have been dismissed as objects originating from Britain that had simply been carried along by ice sheets or other geological processes.
During the Palaeolithic, Ireland was already an island, cut off from the rest of northwest Europe, so nomadic hunter-gatherer groups would have arrived by boat.
The brown bear patella - or knee bone - dates to a time at the end of the Ice Age when the climate was considerably colder.
In addition to brown bears, humans would have come into contact with - and possibly hunted - giant deer, red deer, reindeer, hare and wolves.
The discovery was made by Dr Marion Dowd, an archaeologist at IT Sligo; and Dr Ruth Carden, from the National Museum of Ireland.
"Archaeologists have been searching for the Irish Palaeolithic since the 19th Century, and now, finally, the first piece of the jigsaw has been revealed. This find adds a new chapter to the human history of Ireland," said Dr Dowd.
The adult bear bone was one of thousands of bones originally discovered in Alice and Gwendoline Cave, County Clare, in 1903. The excavators published a report on their investigations and noted that the bear bone had knife marks.
The bone has been stored in a collection at the National Museum of Ireland since the 1920s.
In 2010 and 2011, Dr Carden re-analysed and documented the museum's animal bone collection. As a specialist in cave archaeology, Dr Dowd became interested in the bone from the butchered bear and the two scientists sought to carry out radiocarbon dating of the Chrono Centre at Queen's University Belfast.
"When a Palaeolithic date was returned, it came as quite a shock. Here we had evidence of someone butchering a brown bear carcass and cutting through the knee probably to extract the tendons," said Dr Dowd.
The examinations determined that the cut marks were made on fresh bone, confirming they were of the same date as the patella, and therefore that humans were in Ireland during the Palaeolithic period.
"This made sense as the location of the marks spoke of someone trying to cut through the tough knee joint, perhaps someone who was inexperienced," explains Dr Dowd.
"In their repeated attempts, they left seven marks on the bone surface. The implement used would probably have been something like a long flint blade."