The annual Chocolate and Cheese festival will be welcomed once again to Ramsbottom Civic Hall around the urn and church gardens in celebration of two dairy-based delights.

The event will be held on Sunday, March 29, from 11am to 4pm with a selection of food traders offering a wide variety of chocolate and cheese.

Alongside them will be a selection of local makers with more savoury and sweet options.

Ramsbottom Chocolate and Cheese Festival (Image: Danny Crompton)

In addition, the day boasts a calendar jam-packed with entertainment such as live music within the Civic Hall and a roaming magician who will perform in and around the town centre.

Organisers say the festival aims to bring people into the town for a relaxed day out while supporting independent businesses such as chocolatiers and cheesemongers.

The event is expected to attract visitors from across Greater Manchester and further afield and adds to the town’s growing programme of community events.

A spokesperson for the event said: “It’s about creating something simple that brings people into Ramsbottom and supports local traders.

Ramsbottom Chocolate and Cheese Festival (Image: Danny Crompton)

“There’ll be a good mix of food and a bit of entertainment across the day, so people can come down, have a wander and enjoy the town.”

Entrance will cost £1 per adult.

Last year’s event, held in April, proved to be a sweet success and attracted crowds of hundreds to the town.

Visitors came from as far as Leeds and Sheffield for the occasion, eager to try new and quirky flavour combinations of salty and sweet.

The crowd-pulling event began in 2009 as solely a chocolate festival.

It then evolved to incorporate other foods before its current focus on chocolate and cheese.

The pandemic saw it being put on hold for a couple of years before a very welcome return in 2023.

Fans lined the Tottenham High Road to welcome the Spurs team.

Supporters scaled railings and sat on the top of bus shelters as their struggling side arrived to face relegation rivals Nottingham Forest.

The coach drove through a haze of blue and white smoke surrounded by thousands of fans as it crawled to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Protests had been shelved in recognition of the magnitude of the game, one which would have seismic repercussions on Spurs’ season.

Goals from Teddy Sheringham, Jurgen Klinsmann, Harry Kane and Heung-min Son were played on the big screens pre-game before Cristian Romero delivered a message: “We’ll fight for everything, all together.”

Just under 90 minutes later fans streamed out of the stadium after Taiwo Awoniyi scored Forest’s third.

They went from a parade to pointless. Tottenham are in deep trouble.

The players responded to the fans for 45 minutes. Igor Jesus hit his own bar, Richarlison pressed and harried and Mathys Tel produced one of his better displays.

Yet Igor Jesus’ header in first-half injury time – followed by Morgan Gibbs-White’s strike – increased Spurs’ relegation woes.

Gibbs-White, of course had to have a say in the game after his aborted move to north London last summer.

Spurs thought they had their man as they looked to trigger a £60m release clause, only for the deal to collapse and Forest to threaten legal action.

It was a prelude to the chaos and calamity that was to come this season.

Awoniyi’s late third sparked an exodus – some fans had already started leaving with 20 minutes left – and those who remained booed the team off.

The togetherness seen outside the stadium had evaporated, with Spurs fans only united in concern about the future.

“From Tottenham‘s point of view, there was a lot of fighting spirit in the first half, encouraged by a jubilant crowd who wanted to support their team,” former Spurs and England goalkeeper Paul Robinson told BBC Radio 5Live.

“But, when you go to support your team like that you have to give something back, which didn’t last.

“In the second half they were tactically weak, they were devoid of ideas, and the manager changed the personnel two or three times, and there was nothing there today to suggest that they can get out of that mess.”

Xavi Simons’ relegation to the bench baffled seasoned Spurs viewers, following his best performance and two goals in Wednesday’s win over Atletico.

Tel was lively and hit the bar immediately after Igor Jesus’ opener but faded in the second half with Forest’s defence – expertly marshalled by Nikola Milenkovic – repelling everything.

Forest made their hosts wait on the pitch almost four minutes before emerging for the second half, Tottenham will have wished they had stayed in the dressing room.

“I don’t see a structure,” said Robinson. “A gameplan, or a way of playing. I don’t see a tactical idea.

“They look devoid of ideas, and a manager who is looking for something that he is yet to find, and no time to find it.”

The latest rugby news from Wales and around the world

These are your evening rugby headlines on Sunday, March 22.

Update issued after Welsh match halted

The Dragons have issued an update on Harry Beddall after the young flanker was stretchered off the field during the Welsh side’s URC clash with the Stormers.

Former Wales U20s star Beddall got his head on the wrong side of a tackle as he attempted to bring down Stormers back rower Evan Roos and took the full force of the South African’s knee to the side of his head.

He lay motionless on the ground as referee Andrew Brace blew his whistle to stop the game and medics immediately rushed to his aid to begin treatment.

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The game in Cape Town was then halted for around five minutes as the 21-year-old was treated on the field before being carried off on a medical cart and replaced by Thomas Young.

In a promising sign, Beddall had managed to raise his hand to give up a thumbs up to the medical staff and, following full-time at the DHL Stadium, the Dragons issued an encouraging update on the young star.

“Thanks for all the messages about Harry Beddall,” the club wrote on its X account. “Pleased to report he’s up and around in the changing rooms, conversing with players and staff, and being looked after by the medical team.”

Filo Tiatia’s side were beaten 29-21 by their hosts in Cape Town, with Springboks superstar Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu contributing 19 points, including two first-half tries.

French rugby in mourning

The French Rugby Federation (FFR) says “the entire rugby family is in mourning” following the death of beloved and “indispensable” staff member Christian Babassud.

Babassud served as the head of the FFR’s volunteers division for 18 years, helping to organise France Test matches, sevens tournaments and the 2023 Rugby World Cup. He also volunteered at the Paris Olympics in 2024.

He was at the Stade de France last Saturday to watch Les Bleus retain their Six Nations title with a dramatic victory over England, but has now sadly passed away.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the FFR said: “It is with immense sadness that we learned today of the passing of Christian Babassud, our head of the volunteers division at the Federation for over 18 years.

“Since 2008, when he joined the FFR after organizing the World Cup, Christian was one of those indispensable behind-the-scenes figures without whom nothing would be possible.

“For nearly two decades, he worked with passion to mobilize, structure, and support our thousands of volunteers at the biggest events we organize, such as the matches of our #XVdeFrance or our Sevens tournaments.

“He also had the privilege of participating, once again as a volunteer, in the #Paris2024 Games, where he still embodied that kindness and joy that defined him.”

The statement continued: “Everyone who crossed his path will cherish the memory of his dedication and his infectious smile.

“He was still with us last Saturday at the Stade de France, helping make that victorious Crunch possible, sharing in the Blues’ joy and this new title in the Six Nations Tournament.

“A discreet but essential craftsman, deeply appreciated by all, he fully embodied the values of solidarity and sharing that are the strength of our sport.

“Today, the entire rugby family is in mourning. We extend our most heartfelt thoughts to his loved ones, his family, as well as to all the volunteers and colleagues who had the privilege of crossing his path. Thank you for everything, Christian. You will leave an indelible mark on our history.”

Tiatia pleased with character

Dragons boss Filo Tiatia was pleased with his side’s character despite their 29-21 defeat to the Stormers in Cape Town.

The hosts at the DHL Stadium secured a bonus-point win with two tries in either half, but the Welsh region have come away with the match with plenty of positives, having scored three tries of their own against a team pushing for the title.

While they were, in Tiatia’s own words, “exposed” at their set-piece, the Dragons held their own in collisions in open play and would have come away with at least one losing bonus point if a disallowed try had stood.

Following the full-time whistle, the head coach said: “I was really happy with the character and staying in the fight. The last passage of play when we kept them out was a real Gwent mentality, it’s staying in it, Stormers had momentum, but we snuffed some things out.

“We didn’t start well and the Stormers did a good job around the aerial game and we just couldn’t get the ball. We didn’t scrap enough around it. We gave two penalties early for side entry and we are not learning quickly enough and adapting fast enough. We have got to be more agile around the law, but when we got it right, we built pressure and showed we could score tries.

“It’s about how we hold onto possession and have pride around creating pressure,” Tiatia added. “We didn’t get much of roll today with disallowed tries, it could have been different.

“We should have been 14-14 at the break or us in front, but we weren’t because we weren’t accurate enough when the opportunities arose. We didn’t execute. We’ve got to keep instilling belief and trust and keeping moving forward and growing.”

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We all agreed it was one of our most fun nights out to date

Nights out are getting competitive in South Belfast and I’m here for it.

The Doyen, which sits facing the historic Kings Hall off the Lisburn Road, unveiled a new state-of-the-art gaming floor earlier this month and we were invited down to try our hand at some of the interactive games.

The top floor has been transformed into One Up, complete with interactive darts, shuffleboard, pool, plenty of TVs for the sport and a karaoke booth I swore I wouldn’t be going into (you can already tell where this is going…)

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The four of us headed down on a Friday night and it was actually quite nice being able to avoid the stress of getting a taxi or bus into town as The Doyen is on their doorstep.

Apart from all the fun activities going on, the transformation of the bar itself is worthy of a visit, even just for a pint. I wasn’t in the upstairs of The Doyen before but there was a cool vibe and gorgeous marble bar which gives One Up a distinctive identity from downstairs.

Initially, we intended to just pop down for a few quiet pints and play a round of darts and shuffleboard but we just were having such a good time, we ended up making it a full-fledged night out – hangovers the next day and all to prove it!

I haven’t tried out any of the other gaming bars in the city just yet, but the four of us never laughed so much on a night out as we did when visiting One Up.

Watch our TikTok from One Up below…

We took the shuffleboard WAY too seriously as none of us had ever played it before and I think this was probably our favourite part of the night. We had no idea what we were doing, but the staff were brilliant in showing us how the system worked and the best way to play.

On a Friday night, an hour of shuffleboard is £6 per person or you can add a pint on for £10 per person, which we thought was a really good deal given the price of pints in Belfast these days.

Now I do think it could be more expensive at the weekends but you can book online in advance and check out what they have on offer.

All that slabbering to each other over who’s puck knocked who’s off the board made us peckish and we ended up buying a food platter to share. It was £40 – so a tenner each – and had all the classics you want from some picky bits when you’re having a few pints.

Surprised that we all were still mates after some serious ‘friendly’ competition in shuffleboard and darts (the quiz game was our favourite), we decided to just go full send and try everything that One Up had to offer.

This is where we apologise to anyone who had to listen to us sing Olivia Dean, Take That and Carrie Underwood in the karaoke booth…

We all left agreeing that it was one of the funniest nights out we’d had together and that we’ll be back to do it all again soon – if we aren’t barred for our dodgy karaoke tunes!

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal immigration agents newly ordered to U.S. airports by President Donald Trump to help relieve security line congestion may guard exit lanes or check passenger IDs as a budget impasse has air travelers frustrated over hourslong waits and screeners angry about missed paychecks.

Trump made clear on Sunday, a day after saying he would use immigration officers for airport security starting Monday unless Democrats agreed on a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security, that he was going ahead with the plan to assist the Transportation Security Administration.

Hundreds of thousands of homeland security workers, including from the TSA, U.S. Secret Service and Coast Guard, have worked without pay since Congress failed to renew DHS funding last month. Democrats are demanding major changes in the conduct of federal immigration agents and showing no sign of backing down.

White House border czar Tom Homan, named by Trump to lead this effort, has also been meeting with a bipartisan group of senators in recent days over the partial shutdown and while he characterized those sessions as “good conversations,” he said they were “not at a point yet where we’re in total agreement.”

The Senate, convening in a rare weekend session, was expected to advance the nomination of Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., to be Trump’s next homeland security secretary. A vote on the confirmation could come as early as late Monday as Mullin has tried to make the case that he would be a steady hand after the tumultuous tenure of Kristi Noem, Trump’s first DHS secretary.

Meantime, Homan said in Sunday news show interviews that the increased role of U.S. Customs and Immigrations Enforcement at airports — specific duties and numbers — was subject to discussions with the leadership of TSA and ICE “to find out where we can fit in.”

He pledged to have “a plan by the end of today, where we’re sending — what airports we’re starting with and where we’re sending them. … So it’s a work in progress.” The priority, Homan said, was “the large airports where there’s a long wait, like three hours.”

Immigration officers, as an example, could cover exits currently monitored by TSA agents, freeing them to work screening lines.

“ICE agents are assigned at many airports across the country already. They do a lot of investigation, criminal investigation on smuggling at airports,” Homan said, adding that “certainly, a highly trained ICE law enforcement officer can cover an exit and makes sure people don’t go through those exits, entering the airport through the exits. And stuff like that relieves that TSA officer to go to screening and to reduce those lines.”

Another option, he said, was having ICE agents check identification before people enter screenings areas.

“We’re going to be a force multiplier,” Homan said.

While saying to help “wherever we can provide extra security,” Homan said there were limits. “I don’t see an ICE agent looking at an X-ray machine, because we’re not trained in that,” he said.

Trump said in a social media post that on Monday, “ICE will be going to airports to help our wonderful TSA Agents who have stayed on the job” despite the partial government shutdown. He further criticized Democrats.

Travelers at some airports worried about reaching their gates Sunday.

At Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, lines wrapped from one end of the airport to the other.

“Everyone just seems to be accepting it for what it is, said 43-year-old Blake Wilbanks, who showed up 2 1/2 hours early for his morning flight to Salt Lake City after reading about the shutdown.

“Hopeful I’m gonna make it,” he said as he waited in a winding security line.

The scene appeared more chaotic at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. Large big crowds of anxious travelers piled toward security checkpoints, and TSA staff shouted through megaphones to tell people not to push one another.

For Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, one concern is the uncertainty that passengers are facing over possible wait times at any airport on any given day.

“Do I have to come an hour and a half early? Do I have to come four hours early? They don’t know until the day of or the afternoon of their flight,” he said. “So if we can alleviate that, again, the president wants to take away that leverage point for Democrats and make travel easier for the American people.”

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said “the last thing that the American people need are for untrained ICE agents to be deployed at airports all across the country” after criticism about their conduct as part of Trump’s immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota and elsewhere.

Homan appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” and “Fox News Sunday,” while Duffy was interviewed on ABC’s “This Week” and Jeffries spoke on CNN.

___

Associated Press writers Collin Binkley in West Palm Beach, Fla., Anthony Izaguirre in Lindenhurst, N.Y., Yuki Iwamura in New York and Nicholas Riccardi in Denver contributed to this report.

Chappell Roan has been banned from performing at a the Todo Mundo festival in Rio de Janeiro by the Mayor of the city, following reports that she made an 11 year old girl cry

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The Mayor of Rio de Janeiro has banned singer Chappell Roan from performing at a the Todo Mundo festival in the city. The Mayor, Eduardo Cavaliere, shared a statement online and revealed she will ‘never perform’ there ‘as long as he’s in charge’.

Eduardo shared the statement following reports that Roan’s security guard made former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Jorginho’s step-daughter, Ada, cry. The Italian ace claims that the singer’s security guard interrupted his wife and daughter’s breakfast in an aggressive manner after his 11-year-old had walked past Roan to check if it was her. Jorginho is married to Catherine Harding, who shares daughter, Ada, with actor Jude Law.

Mayor Eduardo wrote online: “I mean that as long as I’m in charge of our city – this young lady @ChappellRoan will never perform at Todo Mundo no Rio! I doubt that Shakira @shakira @Shakira_Brasil would do that! By the way, @FrelloJorginho your little one is already the guest of honor from the organization in May!”

READ MORE: Chappell Roan leaves Jude Law’s daughter ‘in tears’ after brutal encounterREAD MORE: Inside Premier League chiefs meeting days after Chelsea punishments and what went down

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Premier League ace Jorginho claimed that young Ada saw Chappell at their hotel and walked past the star and smiled to work out if it was actually her. But moments after, a security guard, who claimed to work with Chappell, spoke to Cat and Ada in “an extremely aggressive manner,” before Chappell’s performance at Lollapalooza in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Roan, 28, rose to extreme fame in 2023 with breakout hits ‘Hot to Go’ and ‘Good Luck, Babe’ and is known for bold, drag-inspired performances. The Grammy-winner is a major name on the festival scene, but it looks like she will not be attending the Todo Mundo festival.

Following the incident, Chappell Roan took to social media to share her side of the story. She said in a video where she was lying on a bed with her head on a pillow: “I’m just going to tell my half of the story of what happened today with a mother and child who were involved with a security guard who is not my personal security”.

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The Pink Pony Club singer added: “I didn’t even see, I didn’t even see a woman and a child like… No one came up to me, no one bothered me like I was just sitting at breakfast in my hotel. I think these people were staying at the hotel as well.

“So, the fact that, like a security guard, who was – I did not ask the security guard to go up and talk to this mother and child, I did not. They did not come up to me. They weren’t doing anything; it’s unfair for security to just assume someone doesn’t have good intentions when they have no reason to believe, because there’s no action even taken.”

Chappell went on to say that she does ‘not hate people’ who are fans of her music and that she does “not hate children.” “I’m sorry to the mother and child that someone was assuming something, that you would do something, and that… if you felt uncomfortable, that makes me really sad. You did not deserve that.”

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Jorginho said on Instagram: “This morning, my daughter woke up incredibly excited, she even made a sign because she was so happy to see an artist she really admires, or used to admire. @chappellroan.

“By coincidence, they’re staying at the same hotel as this artist. During breakfast, the artist walked past their table. My daughter, like any child, recognised her, got excited, and just wanted to make sure it was really her.

“And the worst part is she didn’t even approach her. She simply walked past the singer’s table, looked to confirm it was her, smiled, and went back to sit with her mum. She didn’t say anything, didn’t ask for anything. What happened next was completely disproportionate. A large security guard came over to their table while they were still having breakfast and began speaking in an extremely aggressive manner to both my wife and my daughter, saying that she shouldn’t allow my daughter to ‘disrespect’ or ‘harass’ other people.”

He went on to write: “He [security] even said he would file a complaint against them with the hotel, while my 11-year-old daughter was sitting there in tears. My daughter was extremely shaken and cried a lot.”

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Manchester legend DJ Paulette took home an award for her decades of contributions to LGBTQ+ nightlife, as Coronation Street brought home their trophy for their harrowing portrayal of the gay domestic abuse storyline involving Todd and Theo.

Another glistening celeb-studded night was held in Manchester city centre to celebrate LGBTQ+ trailblazers against a ‘rise of the far right’.

For it’s fourth year, the Gaydio Awards returned to the Manchester Deansgate Hotel, transforming the venue into a dazzling spectacle to commend and champion LGBTQ+ charities, organisations and individuals who dedicate their lives to make a difference to the community.

Emotions were high as Manchester’s own legendary DJ Paulette and trans activist and Married at First Sight star Ella Morgan took to the stage for awards speeches, among other grassroots organisations who raise the flag to better LGBTQ+ lives in Manchester and beyond.

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There were 16 winners recognised across the evening, including Village Manchester FC, which was awarded the Sports Club of the Year for almost thirty years as a trans-inclusive and welcoming space for LGBTQ+ footballers, Grounded Mcr for the Enterprise Award, and also Coronation Street for the Outstanding Entertainment Contribution, for their harrowing domestic abuse storyline involving gay couple Todd and Theo.

Once again, stars from across TV, radio, politics and influencers walked the carpet, including soap legend Annie Wallace, who was the first transgender person to portray a trans character in soap opera history on Hollyoaks, Corrie’s James Cartwright, Farrel Hegarty and Julia Goulding, Traitor’s stars Reece and Amanda, trans activist and reality star Ella Morgan, Drag Race UK finalists, Manchester legend DJ Paulette and former Lord Mayor and LGBTQ+ advisor to Andy Burnham, Carl Austin-Behan.

Amid a night of joyous celebration, messages of defiance in the face of growing ignorance and the stripping of LGBTQ+ rights were firmly on the agenda. Those stepping out on the purple carpet spoke about the ‘rise of the far right’

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, DJ Paulette, who was handed the Lifetime Achievement Award to honour her decades of creating safe, celebratory spaces for LGBTQ+ people through her contributions to queer nightlife, said LGBTQ+ rights are being ‘encroached on’.

“It’s perfectly clear that we need to make a point to the community that we are not alone,” she said. “There are people around us who really care, love us and will make sure that whatever rights are encroached on, we will make noise.

“We are seeing trans rights encroached upon and taken away. But if it starts with trans rights, then it becomes all of us. We have to be really clear and sure that if one minority is not safe, then all minorities are not safe. In that, we are all the same. And we have to be aware it’s all of us at risk.

“In terms of queer culture, we [in Manchester] are at the forefront and always have been of whatever is happening. When we were doing Flesh at the Hacienda in ’92, there wasn’t the same bar scene, so what we see along Canal Street was just starting then and there weren’t big huge events. It wasn’t even ok to walk down the street with your partner or gay friend.

“But in Manchester, we are great. We have such a flourishing scene because this is a place where anything is possible, even without very much, and we are fiercely creative. It’s a place of pioneers. There are many firsts here in Manchester and we keep making them.

“Now you can have queer nights wherever you want, but even though there’s been a lot of change there is still a long way to go.”

Hollyoaks’ Annie Wallace, who made history as the first transgender person to portray a transgender character on a British soap had a defiant message against the far right while championing Manchester as a ‘welcoming’ space for all.

“There’s a lot of LGBTQ+ awards in London, but Manchester has always been very queer-supportive, and awards like this highlights the city, but also the groups that don’t get the credit they deserve,” she said. “They work very hard against horrible Government policies and the rise of the far right, which never seems to stop rising. I wish they would take a lift back downstairs. It seems constant.

“I have always felt there’s no point in having recognition or ‘celebrity’ if you can’t use it to help and pay attention the causes for which you care. In the queer community, and especially the trans community, it feels like they are coming for everybody now. This is what we have to keep fighting. They are all coming from the same playbook, and that’s why we need to remain united as a community.

“Manchester is endlessly creative and changing all the time. It’s bucking the trend of the country. You only need to look at the thriving Canal Street. It’s always been welcoming. When I came down in ’99 to do work for Coronation Street, I instantly felt its embrace.”

Carl Austin-Behan, the city’s former Lord Mayor and LGBTQ+ advisor to Andy Burnham is one of the founding board members of the new Manchester Village Pride CIC. He was ousted from the Royal Air Force in the late ’90s for being gay at a time when it was illegal to be gay in the RAF. He told the M.E.N: “Nights like this remind people of why supporting and fighting for our rights is so important.

“Over the years, our rights have been eroded because of what’s going on here and across the pond. We need to make sure we keep promoting what LGBTQ+ people do, what they can bring to the table, and to be their true authentic selves to become a better society.

“These awards send out a strong message about how important it is to keep fighting for our rights, but to also make sure we are part of the mainstream and not hidden away in our closets. It’s about we are front facing, open and transparent in ourselves to make sure people can see us and our voices are always heard.”

And on the night there were dazzling performances from X Factor winner Louisa Johnson, up and coming ‘Fabulous’ hitmaker Meek and local drag comedy legend Bailey J Mills.

This year’s awards is the fourth hosted by Gaydio, the UK’s LGBTQ+ station which first emerged in Manchester in 2006. At last year’s ceremony, emotional and poignant tributes were played out in memory of drag star The Vivienne who tragically died aged just 32, remembering the performer as a ‘trailblazer’.

And TV legend Russell T Davies last year took the opportunity when winning his Icon award to issue a moving and emotional speech to crowds on HIV, taking a stand against global hatred and Elon Musk.

Kriss Herbert, Network Content Director at Gaydio said: “Four years on, the Gaydio Awards continue to uncover the incredible work happening in communities across the UK that might otherwise go unrecognised. This year’s winners – from volunteer organisers to pioneering charities, grassroots media to inclusive sports clubs – represent the best of what happens when the community comes together to create change.”

I’m absolutely up for another murder mystery. I’ll see you in the billiards room with a candlestick

As a devoted watcher of The Traitors you might assume I’d leap at the chance to attend a murder mystery. Former theatre kid, deeply susceptible to drama, the whole thing feels uncomfortably on brand.

And yet I’ve always strangely resisted. It falls into the category of what I would call organised fun which I distrust on a frankly cellular level.

I prefer a day that happily meanders along rather than one with a comprehensive schedule or any forced fun activities. Group sing-alongs, hen dos with themes and a financially ruinous ‘kitty’, karaoke in any form. All best avoided. The phrase “ice-breaker” has me scanning for exits and locating the nearest pub.

So when I was invited to a murder mystery evening at the swish Ty Penbryn in Carmarthenshire I was a little hesitant. But as I live to serve the readers I thought it best to get my big girl pants on (£3 on Vinted) and go and investigate, both as a journalist and as a pretend detective for the evening.

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My knowledge of murder mysteries is largely second-hand. Childhood games of Cluedo mostly. Google helpfully confirmed they come in various formats. Some are dinner shows, usually held in hotels or restaurants, where professional actors perform while you eat and pepper them with questions to find out whodunnit.

Others involve at-home kits where you and your friends take on all the roles, which sounds like a fast track to at least one drunken row.

There are also virtual versions conducted over platforms like Zoom which feels like a particularly bleak way to accuse someone of fictional murder.

A typical murder mystery night is an interactive, social role-playing event where you and other guests work together (or compete) to solve a fictional crime. It is essentially a live-action version of Cluedo.

For this excursion I recruited my friend Lottie, a former police officer now working in a key role in financial services. Her exact job remains unclear. A transponster, perhaps. Together we set off for a countryside weekend, ready to live out our Sherlock fantasies with a boot full of snacks and vino.

The evening was held in a grade II listed Georgian mansion near Carmarthen, once home to Welsh poet Sir Lewis Morris. It is exactly the sort of house where a dramatic murder feels not only plausible but almost expected. There was a distinct Saltburn energy, only hopefully with fewer gross-out scenes.

Upon arrival I was struck by the sheer scale of the property. The house can sleep up to 24 guests across nine bedrooms (all with en suite bathrooms) in the main house and a further two bedrooms in an adapted ground floor annex.

The Georgian wing offers king and super king beds, while the Victorian side provides a mix of twins and doubles, catering to every possible sleeping arrangement and potential disagreement.

The ground floor annex has a double and a single, a bathroom with grab handles and a built-in seat, and a separate living area and small kitchen.

The living spaces are extensive. In the main house there is a large kitchen, fully equipped for all your needs, as well as a smaller kitchen with ample cookware and appliances for large groups.

The separate dining room seats up to 24. There’s a games room, music room and billiards room, and the entrance hall has a jukebox, karaoke and a disco ball.

Upstairs is a cinema room with a 100-inch television and a separate office in case you feel compelled to answer emails mid-murder. The leisure wing includes an indoor pool, sauna, steam room, jacuzzi and heated loungers, which feel unnecessarily luxurious when you are meant to be solving a crime.

Outside you’ll find 1.8 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens. There’s a multi-use games area, for activities like pickleball and football, and a pirate ship play area for younger guests.

With fizz in hand we wandered the grounds to watch an epic sunset while we waited for murder most foul to begin.

The organisers kept the details of the evening under wraps so I was left pondering if we would be assigned characters. Should I have dressed up? Was this a feather boa situation? Who exactly was I meant to be during the event? A countess felt achievable. A scullery maid? Also within range. I like to be prepared.

The format was only revealed once we were seated and halfway through an exceptionally tender beef dinner served by the Strawberry Carmarthenshire company, Shortcake catering.

Our event, it seemed, was to be a murder-mystery dinner show, provided by the Welsh company Dying To Meet You Murder Mystery Company.

No running around the house accusing people in the library, rather the action would unfold in front of us. It wasn’t what I expected at all but I was willing to go along with it.

Founded by Rebecca Tredeger, the company began after she found traditional boxed games unsuitable for larger groups. She wrote her own scripts and brought in actors, allowing guests to sit back while still feeling involved. It has been running since 2015 and has even won awards.

While I do enjoy a show I was surprised we wouldn’t be assigned characters and made to hunt for clues, as the house clearly lends itself to a Miss Scarlett in the drawing room set-up, but I suppose at least the other guests would be spared from my theatrics.

The format involved a small cast performing the story while we ate and drank, with breaks for interrogation. Our role was to observe, question, and attempt to determine the culprit while wine flowed.

Without giving too much away, the cast of one woman and three men made a dramatic entrance and quickly established a 1920s Carmarthenshire murder by poisoning. A lead detective outlined the crime and each suspect presented their version of events, all entirely innocent of course.

Our role, as such, was to ask questions to try to figure out whodunnit, while not gulping down too much merlot and blowing the investigation.

This quickly became the most entertaining part of the evening. Give a group of British adults booze and a vague sense of authority and they will begin interrogating with surprising intensity and very little restraint.

It’s incredible how quickly you can get swept up in the drama, with some taking it way more seriously than others and taking extensive notes.

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Questions ranged from the reasonable to the deeply unhelpful. Who had not had an affair with whom? Comfort levels around poison.

The location of a mysterious Lady GoGo. Who is in a situationship? At some point it became clear that several people had forgotten this was not a real murder and they were not, in fact, Hercule Poirot.

It is remarkably easy to get swept up in it. While watching The Traitors I often wondered why contestants become so consumed by the game.

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It appears the faithful exist in a near-constant state of paranoia, scanning for lies in every conversation, while the traitors are forced into a round-the-clock performance.

Sustained deception at that level is exhausting and often ends in a minor breakdown. Criminal barrister-turned-crime-writer Harriet Tyce from last season springs to mind. Now that was an epic meltdown.

Having now experienced even a diluted, wine-assisted version of events, it makes far more sense. It is very easy to get swept along, particularly when there is something at stake. No cash in our case, but pride, perhaps.

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Add in a few well-observed quirks of human behaviour and things unravel quickly. Groupthink settles in without much resistance and herd mentality takes over.

Once a theory gathers momentum, disagreeing with it becomes socially inconvenient. It is far easier to nod along and feel safe than to point out the obvious flaw. Before long the entire group is confidently wrong together.

Our table remained civilised, which felt like a small victory, but there were still moments where certain participants leaned into the role with surprising intensity, attempting to trip up the actors and interrogate them in a style not entirely unlike The Sweeney.

Credit to the cast who stayed in character while fielding increasingly absurd, wine-fuelled questions, several of which were from me. Sorry about that.

Answering rapid-fire questions from a room full of enthusiastic adults while adapting your responses in real time is no small feat.

Rebecca and the team handled it with impressive composure, never breaking, even when the line of questioning drifted into the completely absurd.

After several rounds it became clear we were no closer to solving anything. At one point I wondered whether there was a specific phrase we were meant to say, or a hidden mechanism that would unlock the truth if we simply asked the right question in the right tone.

As it turns out the pacing is entirely in the hands of the cast who decide when to bring things to a close. I imagine once empty bottles of wine outnumber the full ones.

That was perhaps the only slight drawback. It would have been satisfying to feel that we had genuinely solved the case ourselves, rather than having the solution handed to us. That said, given the direction our far-reaching theories were heading, this was probably for the best.

Even so, it was an excellent performance and it was easy to see how it could elevate a birthday, anniversary, or corporate event into something far more memorable and full of camaraderie.

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What I particularly loved was that it felt like a finale to a beloved series. Once our show had ended it was time for the fan theories and debates to begin. We gathered to swap theories and debate what clues we should have looked for and how we could have been better detectives.

The location lends itself very well to a post-murder-mystery debriefing session, with a music room, plush sitting rooms, a fabulous pool, and moonlit gardens featuring a pizza oven.

I can fully see the appeal of booking a property like this and gathering family and friends for a murder mystery night in a wildly fitting setting where you can live your best traitor’s life.

I’m absolutely up for another murder mystery. I’ll see you in the billiards room with a candlestick.

For bookings and more information, get in touch with Finest Retreats. From superstar gigs to cosy pubs, find out What’s On in Wales by signing up to our newsletter here

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has launched a 10-week “Call for Evidence” as part of the Timms Review, a wide-ranging examination of how the disability benefit works.

The review will look at some of the most controversial aspects of PIP, including who qualifies, how decisions are made, and what it’s like to go through the claims process.

In a joint statement, the review’s co-chairs said work had already begun and would be guided heavily by real-world experiences.

They said they had been “struck by the insight, care and ambition” brought by members so far, and stressed the importance of lived experience in shaping reforms.

What the PIP review will look at

The review is focusing on four key areas:

1. The purpose of PIP
2. Eligibility and fairness in awards
3. The experience of claiming
4. How wider changes are affecting the benefit

This means everything from assessment rules to application experiences could come under scrutiny.

Claimants and carers urged to take part

Anyone can submit evidence, but the review is particularly targeting disabled people, carers, charities and professionals with direct experience of the system.

“The purpose of the Call for Evidence is to gather evidence and hear views that will strengthen our understanding of the challenges with PIP,” the co-chairs said.

They added: “We have heard clearly how important it is that disabled people have a genuine opportunity to shape this Review, and we agree.”

Submissions can be made anonymously, and responses will be analysed by the DWP to help inform recommendations.

Ways to respond

Respond online

or

Email to:

timmsreview.callforevidence@dwp.gov.uk

Write to:

The Timms Review
Disability and Health Strategy Directorate 
Department for Work and Pensions
Floor Two 
Caxton House 
London
SW1H 9NA

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“The broader the range of views we hear, the stronger the foundation for the Review’s work will be,” the co-chairs said.

The consultation runs until 28 May 2026, with further engagement planned across the UK.

No final decisions on changes to PIP have been made yet, but the findings of the review are expected to influence future disability benefit policy.

The pub titans revealed their interim report with one big announcement hidden among their worrying figures.

Stats for the 26 weeks to January 25 this year detail JD Wetherspoon’s pre-tax profits slipped 31.9% despite sales increasing by 4.8%.

Revenues increased by 5.7% from £1.29 billion in 2025 to £1.87 billion but operating profit was down 18.4% to £52.9 million.

Despite this, the report claims they plan to establish 15 new ‘managed’ pubs in the current financial year.

They also aim to open a further 15 to 20 franchised pubs in the same timeframe, bringing the total number of new premises to a possible 35.

JD Wetherspoon currently manages 794 pubs and has 16 franchise locations but they had 85 more pubs in the pre-covid 2019 financial year.

The report notes the costs of energy (+80.0%) and wages (+61.1%) have all risen faster than sales in the reported period.

Tim Martin blames the hospitality industry’s higher taxes, wages and energy costs for profits being ‘slightly below current market expectations’.

Tim said: “As previously indicated, increases in national insurance and labour rates will result in cost increases of approximately £60 million per annum, and non-commodity energy costs will add £7 million.

“The ‘Extended Producer Responsibility’ tax, a levy on packaging will cost £2.4 million in the current year, an increase of £1.6 million.

“These cost increases will undoubtedly add to underlying inflation in the UK economy, although Wetherspoon, as always, will endeavour to keep price increases to a minimum.

“There is clearly considerable pressure on consumer finances, combined with higher taxes, wages and energy costs for the hospitality industry.

“This may result in profits that are slightly below current market expectations. The forecast for year-end net debt remains unchanged.”