Kim

My TL;DR:

• Yellow weather warning for rain on Friday between 2am and 9am. Covers the central, Tayside & Fife, south-west Scotland, Lothian Borders and Strathclyde areas.
• Yellow weather warning for snow on Friday from the early hours until 9am covering central, Tayside & Fife, Grampian, Highlands & Eilean Siar and Strathclyde.
• Yellow weather warning for wind in western areas, including parts of Scotland and Wales, and the north-west and south-west of England from 8am to 10pm on Saturday.
• The Environment Agency had 12 flood warnings and 93 flood alerts in place in England on Thursday morning, largely in southern areas.

My TL;DR:

Last weekend the conservation park, in North Anston, near Sheffield, celebrated its 30th birthday.

The centre was built to create an accessible energy-efficient and ecologically friendly environment to house butterflies and tropical plants with the support of the RDPE Growth Development Fund. The final phase of the project will see a new bug house open this year.

The park is committed to conservation efforts and plays an active role in breeding and conservation programmes aimed at protecting native species closer to home.

There are more than 450 bird boxes across the three sites which each attract a variety of native birds including one of the largest populations of tree sparrows in the UK.

Large herds of red deer, barn owls, grass snakes and an abundance of native butterflies have also been recorded.

The park’s most famous resident is Odin the Raven, who is well known for her artistic ability with a paintbrush. Odin, who prefers a black and red palette, even painted a special 30th birthday masterpiece which was auctioned last weekend with all proceeds donated to the RSPB.

The levels of sewage spills for Yorkshire Water for 2023, 516,386 hours, has more than doubled on the figures for 2022 which were 232,054 hours.

A [Yorkshire Water] spokesman said:”The weather experienced in the region in 2023 included a very wet summer and prolonged heavy rainfall towards the end of the year resulting in groundwater infiltration into the sewer network. Nevertheless, we know there is more to do, and we are making headway with a £180m programme to reduce discharges across the region by April 2025.”

​In response to the figures, a spokesperson for industry body Water UK said: “These results are unacceptable and demonstrate exactly why we urgently need regulatory approval to upgrade our system so it can better cope with the weather."

The water companies say they want to triple investment to £10bn over the period 2025-2030 to tackle the problem, which would be paid for through consumer bills.

Plans for a £200m green energy park, which could create 4,500 jobs, have been given the green light.

Yorkshire Energy Park, on the site of the former Hedon Aerodrome, to the east of Hull, is set to focus on renewable energy, battery storage, state-of-the-art digital infrastructure and research and development. The proposal, for land allocated to the wider Humber Freeport scheme, was approved by Hull City Council's ruling cabinet.

Transport secretary Mark Harper confirmed that dozens of "state-of-the-art", "zero-emission" buses would hit the road as part of efforts to decarbonise public transport by replacing diesel models. His department said it would provide £5.7m in funding towards the cost of the rollout.

Meanwhile, the £2 bus fare cap will be extended until the end of 2024. The investments are part of a £1bn package for the North and the Midlands, paid for out of money saved from the scrapped northern leg of HS2.

Announcing the move, the Department for Transport said the buses "will also improve the passenger experience, providing users with considerably quieter and more comfortable journeys" while "helping improve local air quality both for bus users and the local communities". The new vehicles will meet enhanced accessibility standards and will include features such as wi-fi and USB charging sockets.

The funding is part of the nationwide Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) programme, which includes a £143m investment in new electric buses. Today's announcement follows a pledge of almost £330m for transport scheme in Hull and the East Riding, to be provided over seven years beginning in April 2025 with councils able to decide how best to spend it.

On first impressions, the pub might look like your classic East End neighbourhood boozer. Wood-panelled l-shaped bar? Check. Floral-patterned red carpet? Check. Dartboard? Check. But as well as the main bar, there’s another room that the pub often rents out for no cost – it’s used for a regular children’s stay and play sessions hosted by a local provider, English lessons for refugees and meetings for charities. While the pub doesn’t do food, it hosts pop-ups with Plateful Cafe, a community organisation that trains and employs refugee chefs.

At The Old Forge, the committee regularly asks locals what they think about the pub, whether that’s what’s on the menu or the events programme – live music nights with local musicians have been a huge hit. Spendley says that being able to adapt in response to the community’s feedback is what makes these places so successful. “Member control and input ensures the business is continually adapting and serving the needs of its members and wider community – that’s what gives community-owned pubs such longevity.”