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Parents could be left “disappointed” if up to 95 new homes are built on a proposed Wilstead development, a commenter has claimed.

Growing up on an army base, Jessica was told the military was family. That changed when she reported sexual abuse

Two spinal cords, a dozen ribs and a hollowed-out head lie next to a peak called “rock of the eagle” in Gaelic. These are the remains of a pair of three-month-old lambs. It’s muggy, and maggots and foxes will make light work of the remaining skin and bone. In a few weeks, it’ll be as if it never happened.

Ruaridh MacKay, who has been farming here at Stronmagachan Farm in Inveraray for 25 years, picks up one of the spinal cords: sodden and slimy from successive fronts of rain, every morsel of flesh has been excavated. He was expecting to take these lambs to market next month.

All around are miles of sheep-grazed hills, like a giant lawn spun inside a tumble dryer. The valley is bowl-shaped and gets steeper the higher it rises, finishing in sheer rock. The sheep that live up here are bred for these conditions – both farmer and sheep have long lineages. Farming on these hills has changed little in 150 years.

The urgency of Central Bedfordshire Council’s flood response to deliver action and provide answers for residents needs to be “ramped up”, a meeting was warned.

The additional projects now confirmed from across Central Bedfordshire will allow local groups to invest further in their facilities, improving access, reducing running costs, and creating better spaces for the benefit of their communities.

The grants are fully funded by the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) and can only be used on submitted and evaluated community projects.

All projects will be completed between now and the end of the financial year and they include: a playing field refurbishment, a sensory experience, community garden access improvements, play area development and upgrades to a church.

Councillor Tracey Wye, Chair of the UKSPF Local Partnership Group said:

This is an exciting opportunity for the additional projects which have been chosen.

The original application process received 58 bids which were assessed leaving 11 projects being selected on merit to receive a share of the UKSPF. We can now award a further five projects, benefiting their local community.

All 16 projects were successful because the applicants were able to clearly demonstrate that they will have a big impact on local people and will go a long way to improving the health and wellbeing of our communities.

The go ahead has been given to the following five organisations and projects:

Shillington Memorial Playing Field

Shillington Memorial Playing Field Pavilion Refurbishment

£18,249.28

Hear2Listen Biggleswade

Sensory Experience

£32,000

Dunton Community Garden Group

Dunton Community Garden Access to All

£4,488.16

Kensworth Parish Council

Kensworth Play Area Redevelopment

£30,000

Houghton Regis Baptist Church

Upgrade Premises

£34,661.34

Find out more about UKSPF and REPF.

"The trial comes amid mounting evidence to suggest that giving money to those who need it is a surprisingly effective solution to poverty."

Wales could be about to make footballing history over the next two games.

Wales need to come out on top against the Republic of Ireland across the two games to ensure qualification for their first major tournament.

A record number of tickets have been sold for the first leg, at Cardiff City Stadium on Friday evening.

Rhian Wilkinson's side will be hoping the crowd of more than 16,000 will help them secure a victory to put them in the best possible situation for the second leg in Dublin on 3 December.

The prize? A spot at Euro 2025.

[Update 29/11] Wales and Republic of Ireland settled for a 1-1 draw in the Welsh capital that leaves both nations still dreaming of a place at Euro 2025.

The two nations will now meet in Dublin at the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday, 3 December with all still to play for after a cagey and absorbing contest in Cardiff.

A successful breeding season for a colony of one of the UK's rarest seabirds depleted by bird flu is giving conservationists "hope for the future".

Roseate terns on Coquet Island, off the Northumberland coast, saw a record number of 191 chicks hatched this year, with 92% going on to fledge.

The island hosts the only colony in the UK of the threatened species, which are ranked at the highest level of conservation concern.

But the RSPB said it was "too early" to say if it was a sign of recovery from the avian influenza of 2022 and 2023.

A man who caused an online storm when he found a Mars bar without its signature ripple has received £2 in compensation.

Harry Seager’s picture of the confectionery generated interest from thousands of members on the Dull Men’s Club Facebook page, with one labelling it “hideous”.

The 34-year-old said while Mars Wrigley UK would not give him a reason for the imperfection, group members said the bar had escaped being blown by air.

Mars Wrigley UK said earlier this month the bar "slipped" through its production line and confirmed the swirl was being kept.

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“The only reason I emailed [Mars] was because I was interested in what might have caused it to happen. That is all I wanted to know and they kept side-lining that question,” he said.

“I think £2 is great, it will be two free Mars bars. Maybe they could have sent me more but I’m not being ungrateful. I think it’s amazing after everything that’s happened that I got the £2 voucher.”

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“A few people who used to work at Mars’ factories commented [on Facebook] and they said it goes through a machine called an enrober, which is like the waterfall the bars go through," Mr Seager said.

“Apparently they get blown with air along the top as it comes out of that waterfall. Apparently there’s meant to be somebody at the end who removes the ones which haven’t been hit by the air.

“I don’t know what happens to them then. I suppose they got put into products that have Mars bars in, like cakes and things.”

Clear favourite has emerged for Sports Personality of the Year 2024 🎖

Three rival artists bring 15th-century Italy to life in the first of a classy three-parter. Plus: true crime in a sleepy market town. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, BBC TwoCharles Dance plays Michelangelo in this classy documentary drama series about the great rival artists of the Renaissance movement in Italy. Over three episodes, it uses Michelangelo’s own writings to tell his story, alongside the lives of Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael. Hollie Richardson

Continue reading...

The WhatsApp scam ‘hooked’ the victim ‘like a drug’

Following the success of Bedford Borough Council's initial trial of household glass recycling it has been announced that an additional 12,000 homes will be included in the...

Our latest retro gallery from around our brilliant area throws the spotlight on Woburn Abbey.

American Olympic bronze medallist Ilona Maher has signed for Bristol Bears for the rest of the Premiership Women's Rugby season.

Maher is the most followed rugby union player in the world on social media, with 4.5 million Instagram followers and 3.2 million on TikTok.

Bears head coach Dave Ward said Maher's arrival is a "huge coup" for the club.

"Ilona is one of the biggest names in women's sport, let alone rugby, and we believe she will add real value to our programme on and off the field," said Ward.

Record number of deportees includes children who may have spent most of their lives in the UK

When a would-be burglar broke in to a California church on Thanksgiving day, he encountered an unexpected obstacle: A pastor, trained in martial arts and determined to defend his house of worship.

Pastor Nick Neves came to First Family Church in Antioch early on Thursday morning after an alarm went off, he told CNN.

When he arrived, he discovered “a smashed window and a door propped open.” A man had used an axe to break a church window and access the building, the Antioch Police Department said in a Facebook post.

“As I was going into the door, the perpetrator came out with a handful of our goods, and I stopped him, and I told him he was essentially under citizen’s arrest, that the police would be there, and he needs to stop and wait for them,” Neves, who has been involved with the church since 2005, told CNN.

“And he wasn’t having that,” the pastor said. “So he tried to run, and I restrained him, and he began to fight with me. And so we tussled for quite a while before the cops were able to get there.”

Neves told CNN he has practiced martial arts, particularly Brazilian jiu-jitsu, since he was in high school. But he never expected he would have to use his skills in the real world.

Before developing his penchant for crime thrillers and high-octane films like Heat and Ferrari, director Michael Mann took an unexpected dive into the realm of horror and fantasy with his 1983 film The Keep. His second theatrical feature, after his 1981 project Thief, is widely known for being an unmitigated disaster in post-production, suffering from the death of its special effects supervisor and studio meddling that cut Mann's original 210 minutes of footage down to just 96. For a time, the director himself even disowned the film. Its problems haven't stopped it from becoming a cult classic though. Now, the war horror is finally coming home with a long-overdue upgrade thanks to a 4K Ultra HD release from Vinegar Syndrome which is now available for purchase.

At the time, Mann's cursed film was widely panned, and, to this day, it still holds a 39% score from critics and a 43% score from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. However, it has managed to generate a following in the years since, with plenty of fans calling for a release of a director's cut showing the over 100 minutes of lost content. Regardless of the final result, it benefitted from an excellent cast. Joining the Das Boot breakout Prochnow and Lord of the Rings star McKellen were Scott Glenn, Gabriel Byrne, Alberta Watson, Michael Carter, and Robert Prosky, among others. Adding to the ambiance was a soundtrack by the German electronic band Tangerine Dream, who also lent their talents to Mann's Thief, Risky Business, and Grand Theft Auto V.

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Vinegar Syndrome's 4K restoration of The Keep comes in either a standard release or a special edition limited to only 12,000 units that comes with a creepy new spot gloss hard slipcase and slipcover combo designed by Edward Kinsella highlighting the monstrous Molasar. In addition to the 4K/Blu-ray discs, it also comes packed with a 40-page bound book for collectors who want even more content from the film. Rounding out the collection is a wide array of special features delving into the creation of the film with the author Wilson, film historians, and others who worked on the project. One featurette also appears to honor the unfinished work of late special effects supervisor Wally Veevers​​​​​​.

Parents could be left “disappointed” if up to 95 new homes are built on a proposed Wilstead development, a commenter has claimed. Their comment on Bedford Borough Council’s...

The last time house prices were this expensive relative to average earnings was in the year 1876, nearly 150 years ago.

Source: https://www.schroders.com/en-gb/uk/individual/insights/what-174-years-of-data-tell-us-about-house-price-affordability-in-the-uk/

Please ensure your bins are out by 7am on the revised collection dates listed below.

Revised collection dates:

• Monday 23 December will be collected on Saturday 21 December
• Tuesday 24 December will be collected on Monday 23 December
• Wednesday 25 December will be collected on Tuesday 24 December
• Thursday 26 December will be collected on Friday 27 December
• Friday 27 December will be collected on Saturday 28 December
• Monday 30 December – no change
• Tuesday 31 December – no change
• Wednesday 1 January will be collected on Thursday 2 January
• Thursday 2 January will be collected on Friday 3 January
• Friday 3 January will be collected on Saturday 4 January

  Regular bin collection services (general waste, recycling, and food waste) will resume on Monday, 6 January 2025.

Local household waste recycling centres will be open daily, between 9am and 5pm, except on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day when they’re closed. On Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, they will be open between 9am and 1pm.

Real Christmas trees will be collected for recycling from Monday 6 to Friday 17 January 2025. Simply place your real Christmas tree next to your recycling bin on your recycling collection day (not in any bin or bag). Please note that no other garden waste will be collected.

Trees should be under 6 feet tall (183cm), with trunks no larger than 3 inches in diameter (8cm) and all decorations must be removed.

Find out more about Christmas bin collections, including a printable schedule.