The village hosts a tranquil setting away from the hustle and bustle of city life

A picturesque Cambridgeshire village is known for its famous Roman burial mounds alongside an award-winning pub considered an “absolute gem” by customers. Bartlow is a small village located around 12 miles south-east of Cambridge and sits against the banks of the River Granta.

Perhaps one of the most popular features of this village is it being blessed with some truly tranquil areas away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

Some people know Bartlow very well but others not so much so here are a few reasons why this village is such a lovely place to live.

Batlow has an intriguing history with one particularly interesting landmark. Barlow Hills consists of four remaining ancient burial mounds dating back to the Roman era that offer locals a glimpse of those who used to live there.

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The mounds reportedly contain cremated remains of high-ranking individuals and chambers. Standing 15-metres high, the tallest barrow is considered the largest Roman barrow north of the Alps.

What is even better than a village steeped with history is a village filled with history that one also home to a beautiful pub offering traditional classics.

The Three Hills, a dog-friendly, country pub, is hosted in a 17-th century Grade II listed building which initially opened as an alehouse in 1847. The kitchen has earned multiple awards including two AA Rosettes, a Michelin Plate for great food, and named Highest Newcomer in the Top 50 gastropubs in the UK in 2021.

This gastropub offers foods from haddock and steak dishes to lamb belly and a potato risotto.

Not only has this pub earned recognition through awards, it has also built a strong reputation of reviews online. With an average of 4.6 out of five stars on Tripadvisor, amongst over 450 reviews, new customers can feel assured to have a delightful experience.

One guest said that The Three Hills is an “absolute gem” while another said “I can’t recommend this place enough.”

Another wrote: “The location was prefect, the staff were friendly and professional and our room was lovely.

“The evening meals and breakfasts were delicious, fresh and beautifully presented and the staff in the kitchen and serving worked really hard. I cannot fault this place and will definitely be back.”

The pretty village is around 20-minutes away from Cambridge by car or regular bus routes from the village into the city are available.

Barlow is home to a nursery called Little Hands, that offers care for babies from six-months old. Nearby, families can send their children to Castle Camps Church of England School or Linton CE Infant School. For older ones, Linton Village College is the local secondary school and provides education between the ages of 11 and 16.

Brisk south-easterly winds developing on Tuesday and Wednesday will drag in much warmer air from the European continent.

Temperatures will be around 6 to 10C above average for early April.

On Tuesday temperatures will rise to the high teens and low twenties in most parts.

Across the south Midlands and the west coast of Wales it is likely to reach 22C, making it the warmest day of the year so far.

The previous highest temperature this year was 20.9C, recorded on 31 March at Pershore, Worcestershire.

Tuesday will be a mostly sunny day, especially across England and Wales but cloud will build in Northern Ireland and western Scotland with a few showers.

By Wednesday temperatures will rise even further to 23C, perhaps even 24C in south-east England.

With sunshine continuing, temperatures across England and Wales will still be into the low twenties, so it will feel more like a typical summer’s day for most of us.

However, conditions will turn a little cooler in western Scotland, Northern Ireland and Irish Sea coasts with more cloud and rain moving in later in the afternoon.

Trump has given Iran the deadline of Tuesday evening to open the Strait of Hormuz, or else: “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the F*****’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP.”

While council leaders previously described the move as an expression of humanitarian solidarity, promoting “cultural, social, economic and educational exchanges,” concerns were raised about possible links to extremist groups and individuals who celebrated the October 7 attacks on Israel and the Jewish people.

The south Manchester Sunday league side have landed another huge coup

It may not quite be Old Trafford, but Antonio Valencia will be in some illustrious company when he steps out for a Manchester Sunday league side.

Former Manchester United skipper Valencia, who retired in 2021, is to lace-up his boots again after signing for Wythenshawe FC’s Veterans side.

Valencia, 40 – who won nine trophies with the Reds including two Premier League titles after signing from Wigan Athletic for £16m in 2009 – has become the latest former pro to sign up with the south Manchester club.

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Former Manchester City players Stephen Ireland, Joleon Lescott and Nedum Onuoha; ex-England striker Emile Heskey; and former Newcastle forward Papiss Cisse are among the stars who once played at the very top of the game who have appeared for Wythenshawe Vets this season.

Others include Marc Albrighton, Maynor Figueroa, Jefferson Montero, Erik Pieters, Kieran Westwood, Cameron Jermone, Paul McShane, Danny Drinkwater, Adrian Mariappa, Oumar Niasse and Martyn Waghorn.

Former Hull City and Burnley winger George Boyd scored four times in the team’s most recent league game, a 7-1 win over Collegiate Old Boys last month.

The ‘Galactico’ approach has worked as they sit top of the Cheshire Veterans Football League Premier Division this season, with seven wins from seven games and a goal difference of plus 54.

They will be hoping former Ecuador international Valencia, who also won the FA Cup and Europa League and captained the Reds before leaving the club in 2019, can add even more star quality.

After leaving United he joined Ecuadorian top flight sight LDU Quito and was on their books for two seasons before moving to Mexican outfit Queretaro.

In a post on X they said: “We’re proud to welcome Premier League winner, Antonio Valencia to Wythenshawe Vets A Manchester United legend. Title winner. Now wearing our badge. Welcome to the club, Antonio! #UpTheAmmies.”

Owner Carl Barratt recently told the Manchester Evening News: ““Without financial aids, a club cannot exist, and I want to make sure that my managers, my players, my volunteers, everyone gets as much support as possible. We rely on funding, we rely on sponsorship, we rely on everything else.

“We happened to come across a Vets team which is helping make that a little bit easier, so suddenly people know who we are. When I go to people talking about sponsorship for this season, next season, I’m saying Wythenshawe and yes, they know we’ve got a successful women’s team, know we’ve got a successful men’s team, but they know ultimately at the moment we have a very popular Vets team.

“Ultimately, brand awareness is something which is key across many sort of businesses and what this does is it makes it an easy sell to them, the Vets team. But likewise, they’re just another team to me. One that I can utilise for the greater good of the club.”

Ireland previously told Sky Sports: “We’re all retired and it’s nice to get together to continue to play football, keep fit and also from the mental health side of things.

“A lot of lads can feel a bit stranded and alone when they come out of football. We all live in the same area so help each other.”

Authorities in Singapore have announced a limit of two power banks per passenger on flights to reduce risks for travellers.

The new rule will come into effect from April 15, and any additional power banks will have to be surrendered before people board their plane, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore has said in a statement.

CAAS also advised power banks shouldn’t be charged onboard the aircraft and that passengers shouldn’t be using them to charge their other devices while flying.

This is already the case on all Singapore Airlines flights after it banned the use of these chargers in March 2025. But these blanket changes are set to affect more of the roughly 580,000 Brits who visit Singapore each year, according to Travel Weekly.

This change comes after the International Civil Aviation Organisation updated its global safety guidelines on April 2 to a new requirement of two power banks per passenger.

Not to mention, Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism recently banned the use of this tech on flights departing or arriving to its airports.

Emirates also rolled out a blanket ban prohibiting passengers from using power banks onboard in October, while Lufthansa became the first European airline to do so in January this year.

Officials are working with airlines operating out of Singapore’s Changi Airport to ‘implement the new requirements in a smooth and orderly manner’.

It’s the airlines who are expected to inform passengers travelling with them of the new requirements.

‘CAAS will provide some time for the airlines to do so and for passengers to familiarise themselves and have the requirements take effect only from 15 April, 2026,’ a Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore spokesperson said. ‘In the meantime, passenger service and security screening officers will be trained.’

Reminders will also be displayed across the airport to avoid any confusion.

‘The new requirements will help reduce the risk of fire caused by power banks on board flights,’ Foong Ling Huei, director of Flight Standards at CAAS, says. ‘We urge all passengers to familiarise themselves and comply with the new requirements, for their own safety and the safety of other passengers.’

Why are power banks a problem on planes?

If a lithium-ion battery is damaged, misused, or stored improperly, it can short circuit — triggering a process called ‘thermal runaway’ where the batteries start to irreversibly overheat.

The result can be a sudden, violent, and explosive fire, hence why the European Union Aviation Safety Agency advise only putting these in your hand luggage, and not your checked baggage.

Concerns about allowing passengers to keep power banks in the cabin initially began to grow following an incident in January 2025, when a portable power bank caused a fire that engulfed and destroyed a passenger plane in South Korea.

First discovered by a flight attendant in an overhead luggage bin, the flames quickly spread throughout the entire cabin. Thankfully, everyone onboard was evacuated safely.

But this wasn’t an isolated incident.

An Air China flight suffered a similar fate in October last year after a power bank stored inside carry-on luggage caught fire, but cabin crew put the fire out while the plane made an emergency landing.

According to the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation in Japan, portable battery chargers caused 123 fires in 2024, an increase of more than 150% from the 47 fires reported in 2020.

Moreover, the Japanese fire agency, stated that by product type, power banks accounted for 30% of the 290 incidents in 2024, followed by power tools at 89 and mobile phones at 85.

While flights pose an exaggerated risk, given the intense pressure, faulty lithium-ion batteries can be lethal in all kinds of environments.

So, with all this in mind, it’s not surprising that more and more government bodies are cracking down on these particularly feisty fire hazards.

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Crafts, performances and an Easter egg hunt were held at Auckland Palace in a packed day of activities.

Fiona Thomas, events co-ordinator at The Auckland Project, said: “Easter is an important moment in the calendar for families, and we are pleased to be able to offer a range of activities at Auckland Palace that bring people together to enjoy the occasion.

“From the firm family favourite Easter Egg Hunt Trail to performances, crafts and the chance to meet the Easter Bunny, the programme has been designed to give families the opportunity to spend quality time together while exploring the historic surroundings of the palace and its gardens.”

There was also live music and a coffee cart which served refreshments between 10am and 4pm.

Can you spot yourself in our pictures?

An Easter Sunday Fun Day event at Auckland Palace (Image: Chris Booth)

An Easter Sunday Fun Day event at Auckland Palace (Image: Chris Booth)

An Easter Sunday Fun Day event at Auckland Palace (Image: Chris Booth)

An Easter Sunday Fun Day event at Auckland Palace (Image: Chris Booth)

An Easter Sunday Fun Day event at Auckland Palace (Image: Chris Booth)

Lin Fidgin, of Hartlepool, who works at University Hospital of North Tees, wrote and illustrated Bess of Clara Vale.

Drawing from her own experiences as a woman with autism, Ms Fidgin wanted to create the stories she longed for in childhood.

She said: “I wanted to write the books I wish I had as a child.

“I felt so different to everyone else around me but had no mirror to see myself reflected or to help me understand why I wasn’t like my peers.

“Being different can be a lonely place – always trying to fit in, but always feeling like an outsider.

“Understanding who you are and why can lighten the load.”

The story follows Bess, a Labrador with autism, and gently explores sensory differences, social misunderstandings, and the comfort found in routine and repetition.

Through Bess’s journey, the book explores the development of her confidence and self-acceptance.

Since its publication in March, Ms Fidgin has gifted copies to local schools, libraries, autism services and other organisations, including the children’s ward and children’s emergency department at the University Hospital of North Tees.

The first in a planned series of seven books, Bess of Clara Vale is the first of a series of seven books Lin has planned, each focusing on neurodiversity, friendship and belonging.

Ms Fidgin said: “If I can help make education about autism and neurodiversity accessible to those who need it most, then it can only be a good thing.

“I want to make a difference.”

Ms Fidgin said: “I’ve been overwhelmed by the response and have cried a lot.

“I’ve had some beautifully affirming messages and emails, and one particularly beautiful video from two young children who have a book and wanted to share with me how they felt while reading it, because I would understand them.”

Kanye West’s headline slot at Wireless Festival this year has sparked backlash, with leading sponsor Pepsi MAX pulling out of being associated with the event

Kanye West’s “shock” booking for Wireless Festival could face another setback. The rapper has sparked backlash since it was revealed he would be headlining all three nights of Wireless this year.

West, known as Ye, hasn’t performed in the UK since he headlined Glastonbury Festival 11 years ago. But while he was once one of the most decorated musicians, the decision to host him at Finsbury Park has sparked controversy, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer calling it “deeply concerning”.

However, in recent days, the leading sponsor, Pepsi MAX, informed The Mirror that they had decided not to be associated with the festival in the wake of booking West. The festival was titled “Pepsi MAX presents Wireless Festival.” Diageo, the company behind Captain Morgan and Johnnie Walker, has also pulled out of the association.

Reports claim West had hoped to perform a string of shows at Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium, but bosses swiftly said no, given their association with London’s Jewish community. “It feels there’s an element of shock value in booking Kanye,” celebrity publicist and talent agent Dermot McNamara told the Mirror.

He added: “He hasn’t performed at a festival for a while and I think organisers wanted to capitalise on that, especially as he does remain one of the biggest music artists in the world. However, I think they underestimated the response this would generate, and however big his fame is, his comments are far worse and while there’ll be some who will still buy tickets and love him, the vast majority won’t.”

West has shared antisemitic views on social media, including a post claiming he wanted to “death con 3” on the Jewish community. West also went on to release a track titled Heil Hitler – as well as releasing t-shirts with a swastika on, leading Shopify, which hosted his site, to pull the platform.

Dermot added: “It’s not surprising to see sponsors pull out. The signing of Kanye to the festival was already controversial. Brands want to be associated with PR friendly events that bring people together.

“Festivals are usually a great way of reaching a huge demographic, across various ages, genders, sexualities, races and religions and at some point, Kanye has said something offensive about most groups.”

Reflecting on Pepsi and Diageo pulling out, Dermot of Candid Publicity stated: “Brands are extremely important to festivals, as they will often provide much-needed cash flow to put on the show in the first place. There’s a mutual benefit from generating coverage and clicks on social media.

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“There’s an entire industry built around which festivals brands sponsor. Depending on the scale of the relationship, brands will often have a say in which artists get booked, but in this instance, it’s fair to say they weren’t happy with Kanye being booked. Another element to this issue will now be safety. Given Kanye has offended many communities, can his safety or festivalgoers’ safety, or the safety of locals in the area, who may be affected by his views, be guaranteed?”

A source told the Mirror previously: “Following the mounting backlash surrounding the announcement and Sir Keir Starmer speaking out, Pepsi’s position as festival sponsor became untenable. Festivals are about bringing people together; the only decision was to withdraw with Kanye West topping the bill.”

“Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted firmly wherever it appears,” Keir said. “Everyone has a responsibility to ensure Britain is a place where Jewish people feel safe.”

A spokesperson for Haringey Council said: “Festival Republic, who are the licensee responsible for hosting the event, must meet several conditions. This includes ensuring performing acts do not offend or denigrate any race or religion and we’ll be seeking assurances from Festival Republic that they’ll be reminding all artists of this condition prior to them performing this summer.”

West has since apologised for antisemitic comments in a full-page advert hosted by the Wall Street Journal. He said he was in a “four-month-long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behaviour that destroyed my life.” In his letter, he said he wasn’t looking for “sympathy or a free pass,” adding that he wanted to “earn forgiveness”.

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