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Somerset New Year Honours: Cheese producer recognised

Somerset New Year Honours: Cheese producer recognised

Alexandra BassinghamWest of EnglandBBCRichard Clothier said he was "surprised, honoured and humbled" to be appointed MBEA carbon neutral British cheddar producer and a leader in women's sport are among those named on the New Year Honours list. Richard Clothier, managing director of Wyke Farms, in Somerset, is an innovator in sustainable agriculture and food production, and said he was "surprised, honoured and humbled" to be appointed MBE. Sarah Massey, who was managing director of the Women's Rugby World…

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Deadly protests and clashes in Syria – what happened and what’s next? | Protests News

Protests have erupted across Syria’s coastal regions, marking a new wave of sectarian upheaval since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime a year ago.During the protests on Sunday, gunfire was directed at Syrian security forces at the al-Azhari roundabout in Latakia while unknown assailants threw a hand grenade at the al-Anaza police station in the district of Banias in the Tartous governorate.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listThe Alawite minority, which al-Assad is a member of, held…

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Eden Project nature recovery scheme gets £2m funding boost

Eden Project nature recovery scheme gets £2m funding boost

Eden ProjectThe Eden Project's Sam Alford, Maz Lynes and Emma Carter are participating in the programmeA programme designed to inspire people to connect to nature has been awarded more than £2m of funding from the National Lottery.The Eden Project scheme - called Nature: Connection and Recovery - aimed to make nature central to boosting health and wellbeing while giving communities tools to take action on climate change, programme leaders said.They said Dundee, Morecambe, Liverpool, Belfast, Newport and Cornwall…

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Plans for Bodmin care facility near landmark sparks concerns

Plans for Bodmin care facility near landmark sparks concerns

Lee Trewhela,Local Democracy Reporting ServiceandDan Wareing,South WestMike SearleThe site is close to the Bodmin Beacon nature reserve and Gilbert MemorialA new care facility could be built next to a Cornwall landmark despite concerns raised by people living nearby.Cornwall Council has applied for planning permission from itself to create 71 apartments for the elderly on land near Bodmin Beacon.The authority said the project, proposed for land south of Whitestone Road, Bodmin, were much-needed to tackle the increasing demand for…

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Plans for Avon fire service to move its headquarters to Avonmouth

Plans for Avon fire service to move its headquarters to Avonmouth

A fire and rescue service is planning to leave its current headquarters and move to a new base.Avon Fire and Rescue Service (AFRS) has used the joint HQ site in Portishead with Avon and Somerset Police since 2017.However it planned to move to its Severn Park Training Centre on Smoke Lane, Avonmouth permanently after the deal on sharing the site with Devon and Somerset and Gloucestershire fire services runs out in March 2028.An AFRS spokesperson said it was…

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Decline in adoption rates at Devon animal rescue group

Decline in adoption rates at Devon animal rescue group

An animal rescue centre said less people have been adopting its dogs due to animals' behavioural issues.Gables Cats and Dogs Home in Plymouth said some dogs in its care were "difficult" and had certain requirements, making it harder to find their forever homes.General manager Claire Sparkes said a lot of the rescue dogs were bought in during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown and had not been socialised or trained. She added that some dogs also suffered from separation anxiety,…

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Hormone therapy has “no impact” on dementia risk, study finds

Hormone therapy has “no impact” on dementia risk, study finds

There is "no evidence" drugs used to treat menopausal women either increases and slashes the risk of dementia, researchers have said.A study conducted by University College London, with support from the University of Exeter, reviewed whether hormone therapy - also known as hormone replacement therapy or HRT - impacted the risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI).The findings, which were part of a larger review commissioned by the World Health Organisation, suggested there was "no significant association" between HRT…

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Plans to widen Crewkerne level crossing for pedestrian link

Plans to widen Crewkerne level crossing for pedestrian link

A level crossing could soon be widened to provide a new pedestrian link after 145 homes were approved nearby.Network Rail plans to reroute a public right of way over Cathole Bridge Road level crossing near Crewkerne, Somerset.The change would include removing an unsignalised pedestrian route between the level crossing and Crewkerne tunnel, which underwent emergency repairs following a landslip in 2023.It comes after the Planning Inspectorate granted an appeal by Tilia Homes to construct 145 homes at the…

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Kate Bush ‘heartbroken’ over friend missing at sea

Kate Bush ‘heartbroken’ over friend missing at sea

AFPKate Bush said Matthew Upham was kind, thoughtful and a great deal of funSinger-songwriter Kate Bush said she was "heartbroken" after her friend went missing during a Christmas Day swim in Devon.Ms Bush said Matthew Upham, a local antiques dealer, was one of her "very dearest friends" who she had known for 30 years. The 67-year-old Running Up That Hill singer said Mr Upham's family and friends were "heartbroken" by the news.Emergency services were called to Budleigh Salterton…

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Russia-Ukraine war live: At least 1 killed in Russian attack on Donetsk | Russia-Ukraine war News

blinking-dotLive updatesLive updates, Russia shells the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk, killing at least one and injuring five others.Published On 29 Dec 202529 Dec 2025Click here to share on social mediashare2Share Source link

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Brownsea Island nature reserve’s seagrass to be mapped

Brownsea Island nature reserve’s seagrass to be mapped

National TrustInitial surveys were carried out by Dr Ken Collins, accompanied by Brownsea ranger Sophie GilesThe waters around an island nature reserve are to be surveyed for the first time to map seagrass habitats.Initial surveys at Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour, Dorset, revealed an abundance of seagrass, which is a haven for wildlife including some species of seahorse.Oceanography experts from the University of Southampton are expected to carry out a detailed underwater survey in the first half of…

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Twenty five years of BBC South online services

Twenty five years of BBC South online services

Stephen StaffordSouth of EnglandBBCThe first BBC regional website in the south of England launched in December 2000It was December 2000 - the world had survived the Millennium Bug and the Information Superhighway was heading at dial-up speed into the future.The BBC had launched its online service on bbc.co.uk three years earlier and the south of England was now among the first regions to launch a local presence on the world wide web.BBC Southampton Online began as a city-focussed…

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