From ferry companies to shopping centres, communities are buying up local assets to run for themselves as big retailers and the state retreat. Could new funding supercharge the movement?
A child waves from a bridge and mallards scatter as our boat glides through Bristol harbour. The city’s colourful buildings reflect in the rippling water, offering a cheerful contrast to the dark clouds racing overhead.
It’s always satisfying travelling by boat, but especially so today. I’m on a people-powered ferry run by the community, for the community.
Advertisement
“With everything that’s going on in the world today, having something like this is a powerful thing,” says Roshin Tobin-Brooke, co-director of Bristol Community Ferry Boats. “Everything we make goes back into providing this service, and we’re a living wage employer.”
Advertisement
We sit quietly for a minute, admiring the harbour-side Victorian architecture, watching people watch us from the water’s edge. “It’s the best way to see the city, and the best way to start the day if you’re a commuter,” says Tobin-Brooke.
“The interesting thing,” adds skipper Steve Pope, “is that commuters actually talk to each other. They strike up friendships. You don’t get that on buses or trains. There’s something about being on the water that relaxes people.”
Bristol’s yellow and blue ferries have shuttled people around the harbour since the 1970s. Run initially by a private firm, it went bust in 2012 marking what many feared was the end of the city’s iconic boats. Bristol had other ideas.
Advertisement
Bristol’s people-powered ferry service carries 50,000 passengers a year. Image: Emli Bendixen
A campaign to revive the service and bring it into community ownership was floated. Almost 900 people bought into a subsequent share offer in 2013, enabling Bristol Community Ferry Boats to acquire the vessels and get them ship shape.
Advertisement
The company is growing. This year marked the first full season for its commuter service between Bristol Temple Meads train station and the city centre, which is helping to reduce road congestion. The boats, though, are mostly ridden for pleasure, shuttling locals and tourists between attractions like the M-Shed museum and SS Great Britain, as well as harbourside pubs and restaurants.
“We bring around 50,000 people to the harbour every year,” says Tobin-Brooke, adding that some passengers pay nothing. “We run up to 20 free tours a year for people facing financial barriers to accessing the harbour.”
Commuters actually talk to each other. They strike up friendships. You don’t get that on buses or trains
With six boats and 40 employees – including teachers, tattoo artists and carpenters – on its books, Bristol Community Ferry Boats has created a wave that others are riding. The maintenance of the vessels alone provides regular work for Bristol’s wooden boat builders, whose trade is on the UK red list of endangered crafts.
“It’s great to be able to support them,” says Tobin-Brooke, adding that a third of revenue is spent on boat maintenance.
Advertisement
Despite its impact, many passengers are unaware that the ferry service is community owned. “We’re working on our marketing,” says Tobin-Brooke.
In some ways it’s fitting. The role that communities play in shaping our urban realms is often overlooked. While buildings physically dominate spaces, it’s harder to spot community spirit and quiet acts of civic pride: the volunteer hours spent maintaining community gardens, the neighbourhood litter-picking events, the street WhatsApp groups where recipes, news and unwanted items are shared.
Advertisement
But as the state retreats amid diminishing budgets, many communities across the UK are stepping up, becoming more visible as they revitalise public realms.
In south-east London, for instance, residents transformed a litter-strewn strip of land near a train line into Crofton Park Railway Garden, “a green pocket in the middle of the asphalt jungle”. Where fly-tippers once dumped, schoolchildren now roam, learning about nature while their parents sit amid bulging planters on street furniture.
Where fly-tippers once dumped, schoolchildren now roam, while their parents sit amid bulging planters
Community-run businesses are also flourishing. According to Power to Change, a think tank, their numbers doubled in England between 2015 and 2022 – up from 5,650 to 11,000.
A good chunk of them are pubs. The Campaign for Real Ale estimates that more than 217 public houses in the UK have been taken over by communities. Most would have closed had locals not stepped up.
Advertisement
It’s not just about pints. Community pubs stray beyond the remit of traditional boozers, and are known to host events such as mother and baby groups, book clubs and refugee support programmes, as well as live music. However, it’s along the UK’s faded high streets, in its ghostly town centres, where communities are having perhaps the biggest impact.
What was a litter-strewn strip of land in south London is now Crofton Park Railway Garden. Credit: Kay Pallaris
Advertisement
“We’ve seen community businesses really regenerate some of those places,” says Jessica Craig, policy manager at Power to Change. “They’ve taken former retail spaces and repurposed them for a wide range of things, which is helping shape a more resilient, more diverse, mixed-use high street.”
One such space is Haven Community Hub, which occupies a former department store in Southend, Essex. The building hosts a range of community-focused services, including a dementia day care centre, a foot clinic and a programme helping people get back into work. There’s also a cafe, a charity shop, art workshops, choirs, “knit and natter” groups, and spaces where people can get checked for diabetes and other conditions.
“It’s much nicer to come to a community hub like ours than a clinic,” says Sarah Wilson, general manager of Age Concern Southend, which took the deeds to the building in November. “If the appointments are running behind, people can sit and have a coffee, or look around the charity shop. It’s a lovely environment, very intergenerational.”
Advertisement
Take A Bow, a performing arts charity based south of Glasgow, refurbished their disused community centre. Image: David Barbour
Access to finance is often the main challenge to acquiring local assets (some of which have opaque ownership structures). The Scottish government has tried to address this with the Scottish Land Fund. It offers grants of up to £1m to help communities buy assets that matter to them.
One beneficiary is Take A Bow, a performing arts and youth development charity in Kilmarnock, south of Glasgow. With a little help from the fund (and other schemes), it bought and refurbished the New Farm Loch Community Centre, which opened in November 2025.
Advertisement
“It’s the only community centre in the area, but the local authority couldn’t afford the upkeep,” says Take A Bow’s chair, John McManus. “We have breathed new life into it. It’s started to thrive again. Saving it has been really vital to our community.”
A similar grant scheme, the Community Ownership Fund, was available across the UK for a while. The £150m pot was launched by the Conservative government in 2019, and helped to secure – among other things – the future of an empty Victorian shopping arcade in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, a town that “even McDonald’s abandoned”.
“Dewsbury was on its knees,” says Chris Hill, co-founder of the community-run Arcade Group, which has a 10-year lease on the Grade-II listed arcade. The site is currently being transformed into “an events-driven” community space, with low-rent units available for local businesses.
The Community Ownership Fund closed in 2024. “It was a hell of a loss,” says Hill. And while there’s no direct replacement, the Labour government’s Pride in Place scheme – launched in 2025 – has given communities a say in where money is invested in their neighbourhoods.
This week, that scheme was expanded. On Thursday, at a press conference in Hastings, Sir Keir Starmer announced that people in 40 new areas across England would be able to decide where up to £20m is invested in their neighbourhood – whether that’s revamping high streets or saving community spaces.
“Although it’s not the first time anyone’s put money into local places, it is more money and more control for those communities,” Sir Keir told Positive News. “I have this very strong sense that wherever you go, people have real pride in their own place and ambition,” he said. “And actually they want to do more for their community, or the vast majority do, and so that formed the basis of the idea of Pride in Place.”
Advertisement
There is also the English devolution and community empowerment bill. The legislation, which is going through parliament, will give communities first refusal on local assets when they go up for sale, plus 12 months to raise the capital to buy them.
It’s the only community centre in the area – we have breathed new life into it. It’s started to thrive again
“This is the first time in a long time that we’ve had community mentioned in a government bill,” says Craig. “It feels like a helpful shift in terms of how the government is thinking about doing policy.”
The bill could empower communities in other ways, too. “There’s a provision in there that would see the government introduce a layer of neighbourhood-level governance, so communities and authorities can collaborate more on decisions about places. That’s really exciting.”
Advertisement
England’s largest onshore turbine is community owned and funds poverty alleviation. Credit: Ambition Community Energy
Back in Bristol, the rain has set in and the wind has picked up, which is good news for Ambition Community Energy.
Based in Lawrence Weston, a deprived neighbourhood in the city’s northwest, the community group owns England’s largest onshore wind turbine, which generates up to £300,000 of electricity per month, helping to fund poverty alleviation efforts.
Advertisement
“It has a positive effect on the environment and helps to address social injustice,” says Mark Pepper, director of residents’ group Ambition Lawrence Weston. “It’s win-win.”
Funded by a loan, the turbine is a literal example of community power – a physical manifestation of how, with the right support, community spirit can shape the future of urban living.
Main image: Skipper Steve Pope with Roshin Tobin-Brooke, co-director of Bristol Community Ferry Boat. Credit: Emli Bendixen
Advertisement
Support solutions in 2026
At Positive News, we’re not chasing clicks or profits for media moguls – we’re here to serve you and have a positive social impact. We can’t do this unless enough people like you choose to support our journalism.
Give once from just £1, or join 1,800+ others who contribute an average of £3 or more per month. Together, we can build a healthier form of media – one that focuses on solutions, progress and possibilities, and empowers people to create positive change.
Rose black spot is the most common problem with roses in the UK and can completely defoliate a bush, but one simple practice can keep it at bay.
Rose black spot is the most prevalent issue affecting roses across the UK. It damages foliage and weakens the shrub’s overall vitality. Black spots on rose leaves are typically surrounded by yellowing patches and are caused by the fungus Diplocarpon rosae, the most widespread and destructive fungal disease affecting members of the rose family.
Advertisement
Black spot spores lie dormant in the soil throughout winter, before emerging and launching their attack from spring onwards. Gardening specialists at Ashridge Trees cautioned that “a bad case of rose black spot can defoliate a bush completely, ruining its appearance and eventually killing it”.
Your rose won’t perish in the first or second year, but without intervention, “it can die after three or four years” of persistent infection.
However, the experts highlighted that there is a solution to prevent your roses from ever becoming infected again, and that’s to “practise good garden hygiene”.
Practising “good garden hygiene” involves several essential steps, and the first is to collect and burn or bin fallen leaves.
Next, cut out any affected stems before new foliage emerges, ideally before the end of April.
Improve the soil, as few measures benefit a garden more than boosting its organic content. The greater the moisture and nutrients the ground offers, the stronger and less stressed the plants growing within it will be.
Robust plants are far more likely to remain healthy. Incorporate homemade garden compost, bagged compost or well-rotted manure into your soil. These organic fertilisers offer far greater benefits than their inorganic counterparts.
Advertisement
For those planning to transplant rose bushes, it’s worth avoiding spots with restricted air circulation, and pruning them into an open, well-ventilated shape.
To prevent black spot entirely, there are several disease-resistant varieties that are well worth considering. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) recommends the following:
Manchester United are in the driving seat for Champions League qualification but uncertainty remains over who will become their permanent manager
Manchester United took a huge stride to reclaiming their place in the Champions League after their hard-fought 1-0 win at Chelsea. The Red Devils dented the Londoners’ European hopes and boosted their own thanks to a solitary Matheus Cunha goal.
Advertisement
The triumph in West London keeps Michael Carrick’s side in the driving seat as they sit third in the Premier League table with five matches remaining. The former Middlesbrough boss has steered the club back towards where they belong after eight wins in his opening 12 matches since replacing Ruben Amorim on a caretaker basis.
Only twice have United tasted disappointment but they were devastating against Chelsea with Bruno Fernandes moving one closer to the assists record.
Mirror Football has taken a look at the latest news surrounding United.
Advertisement
Michael Carrick endorsed for Manchester United role
Joe Cole and Owen Hargreaves have been in agreement regarding Carrick’s position as United boss.
The 44-year-old is currently on a deal until the end of the season having been placed in temporary charge following Amorim’s sacking.
The jury has been out regarding Carrick’s permanent appointment with the likes of Gary Neville and Roy Keane previously calling for more experienced figures to take over.
But Carrick has turned around the fortunes at Old Trafford, both Cole and Hargreaves have argued that he should be in contention. Cole said: “Realistically, I think it’s secured. It’s absurd to think of not giving it to him.
“He’s come in, got more points than any other person in any other team. What more can you do? It would just be absurd, it wouldn’t be a gamble, it would just be absurd [not to give it to him], he’s proven it.”
Hargreaves, a former United midfielder, said: “He’s proven that he can do the job. Since he’s taken over, they’ve been the best team in the Premier League. They’ve beaten Man City and Arsenal, the two best teams in this division.
“He’s shown that he can set up a game plan on the counter; obviously, today they did something similar. Carra understands the players and that’s probably why he’s there. He understands the pressure of playing for this football club.
Advertisement
“He puts the boys in the right positions where they need to play to succeed and they’re better in every capacity. So, to not give it to him after giving it to him, probably at the time when you wouldn’t have expected it, would be utterly ridiculous.
“I think today solidifies it. If they hadn’t won today and not got in the Champions League places, you could have the debate, maybe bring in someone more experienced. After today and if he finishes third, I don’t see how you couldn’t give it to him. It wouldn’t make any sense whatsoever.”
United in Premier League battle for coveted defender
Manchester United are reportedly interested in Sporting CP defender Ousmane Diomande. According to Portugese outlet A BOLA, via Sport Witness, the Red Devils are in a battle with Premier League rivals Newcastle.
The 22-year-old has been linked with a move to England for over a year but it has been said that his performances against Arsenal in the Champions League have significantly boosted his profile.
Advertisement
Diomande is reportedly viewed as a modern centre-back and offers reliability having made over a century of appearances for the Portuguese giants.
Crystal Palace have also been named having explore a move, last summer, during the uncertainty surrounding Marc Guehi but a deal didn’t materialise.
The 22-year-old reportedly has an €80million (£69m) release clause but they would be open to negotiating a fee for around £43million but with competition, the price could be driven up.
Advertisement
Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.
Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.
Former Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney told BBC Match of the Day Arsenal will win the title by two points, with the Gunners winning all their remaining matches and Man City drawing at Everton.
He said: “This title race is not over yet, I still feel like there are some more twists and turns to come. It is obviously going to be tight but City have got one more game to try to win, so I still have Arsenal down as slight favourites.
“I have been in this situation myself, where you need to win all your games. You look at your games and you think well we should win this one, or that one, but it never pans out that way.
“From now until the end of the season it is just going to be down to which team keeps their composure the best – that is who will win it.
Advertisement
“City’s fixtures look a little bit more difficult. The Arsenal fans have a big part to play, they need to get behind their team.
Ex-Tottenham and Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy told BBC Match of the Day, Man City will win the title on goal difference, with both teams winning their remaining fixtures.
He said: “I think it edges it [the title race] towards City. Momentum, confidence and all of those things. I was really pleased with the game, I expected it to be much more cagey. Lots of quality and great moments, edge of your seat stuff.
“They are such powerful teams that I think they will win all the games. Bournemouth away could be tough for Man City and West Ham is probably the one to watch for Arsenal. But I think it will be goal difference and Man City will edge it.”
Ian Johnson said it is only when he gets a mobility walker or wheelchair out of his car that people realise he is disabled.
MS is an incurable condition that affects the brain and spinal cord.
Common symptoms include fatigue, problems with vision, numbness in different parts of the body and feeling off balance or dizzy.
For Ian, who was diagnosed with relapsing MS in 2013, the condition mainly affects his mobility which means he uses a rollator walking aid or wheelchair to get around. He also experiences fatigue.
Advertisement
Ian Johnson with his rollator walking aid (Image: MS Society)
The 54-year-old software engineer said he has felt judged for using disabled facilities, including a disabled toilet, as MS can often be a “hidden” disability.
“Half the times I’ve ever parked in a disabled space people are staring at me and I can feel the judgement,” he said. “Then when I get the rollator out of the boot, people realise I must have a disability.
“Just recently I was judged for using a disabled toilet. I just carried on and kept on using the facilities – my greatest need was needing to use the toilet, so I wasn’t bothered about other people’s views.”
Read more health stories:
Advertisement
Ian said he experienced people ignoring him when he was in his wheelchair and talking to his wife instead.
“It’s like I’m invisible because I’m in a wheelchair,” he said. “It makes you feel like you’re just not there.”
York’s narrow streets ‘are a nightmare’ for disabled people, says man with MS
In York, Ian said the main problems he faces are uneven paths.
“Medieval cities like York were never designed for disabled people,” he said. “So narrow cobbled streets might seem ‘quaint’ to most people, but are a nightmare for anyone using a rollator or wheelchair.”
Advertisement
He stressed that “most members of the general public are very friendly towards disabled people” but added: “One thing that causes big problems is drivers parking across dropped curbs/ramps or parking on the pavement.
Ian Johnson in his wheelchair (Image: MS Society)
“In a wheelchair, you cannot wheel off a curb or squeeze though a narrow gap between a vehicle and a building.”
Ian spoke out about his experiences after new research from MS charities found that almost half of people living with the condition in the UK have been questioned or challenged for using accessible facilities.
Nick Moberly, chief Executive of the MS Society charity, said there is a “lack of understanding around invisible and fluctuating conditions like MS” which is “sadly driving hurtful behaviour”.
Advertisement
This behaviour has ranged from “being underestimated at work to being harassed for using an accessible parking space”, he said.
Nick urged people to “encourage everyone to take some time to listen, learn, and understand MS a little better”.
The indoor flea market is a hidden gem in Cardiff and for those who work there it’s a haven and sanctuary. New plans for housing threaten its future
Morgan Tucker
02:00, 20 Apr 2026
Stallholders at a popular Cardiff market that’s threatened with demolition said they were shocked to find out about plans to build homes on the site and now fear for their future. Cardiff Indoor Flea Market on the Clydesmuir Indutrial Estate in Tremorfa has become a popular spot for shoppers and antique enthusiasts in Cardiff since it opened in 2014.
Inside, across three sprawling warehouses, over 70 independent stalls sell everything from antique furniture, vintage clothing and home wear to collectibles, art and even Cardiff City memorabilia. Visitors must navigate a maze of pathways through the stalls, with potential treasures to find around every corner.
When we visited the market recently, the sense of community there was clear to see with stallholders calling the site a “sanctuary” and the businesses they run a huge part of their lives.
“70 businesses are going to go under, including me, and this is my livelihood,” said Peter Calford.
Peter helps run his son’s stall, which sells all manner of items his son finds while doing house clearances. The stall has been at the flea market since 2014.
On the proposed development he said: “I’m not too shocked because that’s the way it is these days.
“But it’s still a bit of a shock because just as you start to get yourselves a little bit established, all of a sudden someone wants to come along, demolish it and put houses on it.”
Peter is no longer able to work a conventional job after suffering three separate bleeds on the brain.
“Even though I’m retired at least it gives me something to do and gives me a reason to get out of the house in the morning.”
Advertisement
Dave Morris runs True-Blue, selling vintage vinyl and record players. He was not happy to hear about the plans and is desperate for them not to go ahead.
“It would be a really big pity if it closed down to be honest with you. 70 businesses are going to go under, including me, and this is my livelihood,” he said.
He thinks one of the best things about the market is the sheer variety of what’s on offer.
Advertisement
“I defy anyone to come here and not find something they wouldn’t mind buying. The stallholders here are regular people who are making a living by pursuing their passions.”
For many at the flea market, their stalls not only provide them with income but allow them to celebrate their hobbies and escape from the real world.
Jim Baker runs 8×10, named for the size of his stall. It sells guitars, guitar accessories and music-related clothing. He’s a relative newcomer to the market, having only had his stall for a few months.
Advertisement
He said: “I’d be quite concerned if it had to close because I have a lot of my savings in here, so it would be quite devastating if we had to move.
“There’s 70 of us, all independent. You’re basically shutting the equivalent of a whole high street.”
Like many at the flea market, his business started as a hobby which he says got quickly out-of-hand.
Advertisement
He said: “This isn’t making me any money, but I come here because I’ve not long had a mental health crisis and thought I needed something to do, needed an outlet.
“I wanted to move away from online sales and actually interact with people face-to-face, so for me this has been a sanctuary.”
Richard runs Dixtees and Vintage, specialising in leather jackets and denim jeans. He’s had the stall for a year and is worried what the potential closure might mean, as it’s his sole form of income.
He said: “I think the flea market is a bit of an institution but sadly maybe not many people know about it.
Advertisement
“The stallholders here are regular people who are making a living by pursuing their passions.”
He thinks the cheap rent the flea market charges means he would struggle to afford space anywhere else.
“I wouldn’t like to calculate what the cost would be of more than 60 traders losing their retail space. By definition, the jobs we’re doing mean we’re skating along by the skin of our teeth, and this is only going to add to that,” he said.
Advertisement
“We all help each other, and we all look out for one another.” Jubs Bowen-Lewis has run Aunty’s Attic, selling china, glassware and collectibles, since 2015. She views the stallholders as a big family that she doesn’t want to be split up.
She said: “When I first heard about it, I was rather surprised and shocked. What we would all miss more than anything else is the camaraderie.
“We all help each other, and we all look out for one another, if that’s watching someone else’s stall or anything else you can think of.”
Advertisement
She’s not given up yet though.
“I know plans for the site have been rejected before so hopefully we will be here for another 10 years. Otherwise, I’ll have to sell up, and my husband will have to be dealing with me all the time.”
Married couple Susan and Etienne Evans are the duo behind Elf Collective, where Susan sells homemade jewellery and Etienne performs PAT tests on and repairs lamps.
“I wasn’t terribly surprised really, as we all know we need the houses, and I’d rather they be built here than on a greenfield site,” said Susan.
Advertisement
Her and Etienne are planning on closing their stall in the next year after six years of business, so know the proposals are unlikely to affect them.
“But there’s a lot of people here who need it to make a living on, and I feel very sorry for them,” Susan said.
“Hopefully, if it goes ahead, [the market] will move to a different site and be able to carry on. This place, in my opinion, is like a haven.”
Advertisement
Brian Macken is a regular customer of the market, visiting every week, both to shop at the stalls but also to go to the auction house next door.
Buying, selling, and collecting antiques and collectibles is his passion, and so for him the flea market is like a second home.
“It’d be so, so sad to see this go, these are genuine people who are just trying to make a living.
Advertisement
“It really is an amazing place where you can meet all sorts of interesting people here from all sorts of different backgrounds,” he said.
Brian retired from his work as a carpenter after being diagnosed and subsequently recovering from stage four cancer, which has only deepened his commitment to the hobby.
He said: “My wife is a GP, and even she said that this is the best thing that ever happened to me.
“You name it, you can buy it here.
“This place, in my opinion, is like a haven.”
Dave Raine, one of the partners who runs the flea market, said: “We’re still on a lease and so as far as we’re concerned it’s business as usual.”
The housing plans have been submitted by Pegasus Developments and are up for consultation until May 1.
Advertisement
Get Cardiff news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here. We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions, and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice
A gunman in Louisiana killed eight children, seven of them his own, and critically wounded two women on Sunday, police said.
The suspected gunman, identified as Shamar Elkins, 31, shot a woman in one home before killing eight children at a second location, police confirmed.
The children were aged between 1 and 12 years old. One of the women shot was the mother of the suspect’s children, according to Shreveport Police Department spokesperson Chris Bordelon. She and a second woman remain in critical condition, while Elkins was killed after a police pursuit.
Seven children were found shot inside a home and an eighth child was found dead on the roof after they apparently tried to escape the attack, Bordelon added.
Advertisement
Authorities did not say what may have set off the violence but Bordelon said detectives were confident the shooting was “entirely a domestic incident.” It marks the nation’s deadliest mass shooting since January 2024, CNN reports.
The scene was ‘unlike anything most of us have ever seen,’ law enforcement officials said (AP)
Earlier Sunday, Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said he was “taken aback” by the horrifying shooting.
“My heart goes out to this entire community for the tragic event that has taken place this morning,” Smith said. “I just don’t know what to say. My heart is just taken aback. I just cannot begin to imagine how such an event can occur.”
He said the crime scene was “unlike anything most of us have ever seen.”
“This is a tragic situation, maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had,” Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux added. “It’s a terrible morning in Shreveport.”
Advertisement
A local faith leader holds a prayer circle after 8 children, aged between 1 and 12, were killed in Louisiana Sunday (Reuters)
State Representative Tammy Phelps said at a news conference that she had “chills” after arriving at the scene.
“This is actually the district where I grew up, so it’s actually still close to home,” she told USA TODAY. “Once getting here, and hearing the story of…what actually happened in the home. I still have chills right now.”
Local leaders with connections to the area were equally shocked by the violence.
Satonia Small, who runs a local grassroots organization, told the outlet that she was “just overwhelmed today for this to happen in my community.”
Police tape blocks off a house in Shreveport, La., that is one of the locations tied to a mass shooting Sunday, April 19, 2026. One neighbor, Mack London, 71, said that the shooting ‘was bad…I hate that it happened to those kids.’ (AP)
Shreveport city councilman Grayson Boucher said the shooting doubled the city’s homicide rate in a single day.
“I’ve struggled all morning since I woke up,” Boucher said. “Over 30 percent of our crimes and 30 percent of our murders in the city of Shreveport are domestic in relation. Now, that number has gone up. We more than doubled our homicides in the city of Shreveport because of one act of domestic violence.”
Advertisement
Mack London, 71, told NBC News that he has lived in the neighborhood since 1991 and had never seen anything approaching the level of violence on display Sunday.
“Nothing like this has ever happened on this street,” he said. “It was bad…I hate that it happened to those kids.”
Another neighbor, Marie Montgomery, told the broadcaster that the removal of the children from the house was the worst thing she had ever witnessed.
“When they brought all those kids out of that house, that’s just the worst thing I ever seen,” she said.
Advertisement
A neighbor who witnessed the bodies of the children being removed from the house called it ‘the worst thing I ever seen’ (Getty)
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who is from Shreveport, issued a statement on Sunday saying his team was in communication with local investigators.
“We’re holding the victims, their families and loved ones, and our Shreveport community close in our thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time,” Johnson wrote on X.
He said he had spoken with Arceneaux and described the shooting as a domestic issue that spiraled into violence.
“I just spoke with @ShreveportMayor Tom Arceneaux about the situation and the multiple law enforcement agencies currently engaged in the investigation to pledge any assistance we can possibly provide,” he wrote. “What apparently began as a domestic dispute this morning ended in a mass shooting with ten people shot—including eight children, ages 1 to 14, who all lost their lives.” Police said earlier the ages ranged from 1 to 14, before adjusting the number Sunday evening.
Members of Shreveport’s City Council visited the scene on Sunday afternoon where they held a public prayer for the victims and their families, NBC News reports.
Advertisement
Shreveport City Council chair Tabatha Taylor said the children killed “had their whole life ahead of them.”
Residents gathered around the scene to grieve Sunday, with one saying: ‘Nothing like this has ever happened on this street’ (AP)
“This is the result when someone snaps,” Taylor said. “So, I’m going to ask the community, along with prayer, with every mental health consultant that is out there — this family and this community needs you.”
Elkins had been arrested in 2019 in a firearms case, officials say. He previously served in the Louisiana National Guard, according to Fox News Digital.
“Shamar D. Elkins served in the Louisiana Army National Guard from August 2013 to August 2020 as a Signal Support System Specialist (25U) and a Fire Support Specialist (13F),” an Army official told the outlet. “He has no deployment. He left the Army as a private.”
The city of Shreveport is in northwestern Louisiana, with a population of around 180,000.
England’s Matt Fitzpatrick beat world number one Scottie Scheffler in a play-off to win the RBC Heritage in South Carolina.
The 31-year-old carded a bogey five on the 18th when a par would have sealed victory, but he quickly overcame that disappointment to birdie the same hole a few minutes later and claim his second PGA Tour title in the space of a month.
Fitzpatrick had started the final round with a three-shot lead as he attempted to follow up his victory at the Valspar Championship in March.
The former US Open champion played his first 17 holes in two under par without dropping a shot, but American Scheffler was able to close the gap to one by the time they stood together on the 18th tee.
Advertisement
Both players failed to find the green in two at the last and while Scheffler made it up and down for par to complete a four-under round of 67, Fitzpatrick’s poor chip led to his first bogey of the day.
But Sheffield-born Fitzpatrick hit a superb approach on the first play-off hole, before nervelessly sinking his birdie putt to win.
This latest victory continues his hot streak of form, having also finished second at last month’s Players Championship.
And it meant Scheffler, 29, had to be content with a second consecutive second-place finish, having finished as runner-up to Rory McIlroy at last week’s Masters.
Advertisement
Si-woo Kim of South Korea shot a final-round 68 to finish third on 16 under par, two shots behind Fitzpatrick and Scheffler.
The Cure Parkinson’s Cup is a national walking football tournament at St George’s Park, in Staffordshire, designed specifically for individuals living with Parkinson’s disease.
Defying expectations, Sunderland-based North East Parkies United powered through the group stages unbeaten before overcoming some of the country’s biggest names to lift the trophy, leaving even the players “bursting with pride”.
Impressive wins over Arsenal and Brighton set up a final showdown with reigning champions Northern Lights, where the North East side secured a 1–0 victory.
North East Parkies United with the cup (Image: FOUNDATION OF LIGHT)
Speaking at a celebratory session at Sunderland‘s Beacon of Light, player Kevin Ramsey said: “It was a great feeling, great for the guys to get our hands on the huge, heavy trophy at the end of the day.
Advertisement
“There are 24 teams at St George’s, and every single player has Parkinson’s disease. It was a fantastic day, even without winning; it was very emotional. For us to win the trophy, it was just amazing.
“It’s our third tournament overall. We played at St George’s last year and then played at a tournament in Scotland where we got to the semi-finals.
“We’d shown some clear improvement, but our aim this time was to get out of the group. We didn’t, for one minute, imagine we’d win it, scoring 14 goals and only conceding two.”
The team came together from the Foundation of Light’s Neurological Walking Football sessions, which allow anyone with a neurological condition to take part and keep physically active through walking football.
Advertisement
For those with Parkinson’s disease, exercise is crucial to maintaining balance, mobility and continuing normal daily activities.
As the session grew and players became closer, they took the step into competitive football, creating North East Parkies United.
“I was bursting with pride,” Kevin said on the feeling of achieving something with a group of friends.
“I couldn’t ask for a better team. It’s not just the football, but the support in life too. We support each other and going through our daily issues that we have with Parkinson’s, it’s vital to have that support network.”
Advertisement
Teammate Adrian Wrigley echoed the sentiment, saying: “The team spirit was marvellous for the day.
“We learned the lessons from previous cups, and everyone joined in and did their part. I think just about everybody had a little tear in the eye because of the achievement that we felt.”
Teams from all across the country compete for the cup, and there is a strong supportive spirit amongst the Parkinson’s Walking Football community formed through shared experiences.
“It was a great day for everybody,” added Adrian.
Advertisement
“The banter between all the teams and the whole community was really good, everybody was there for the enjoyment as well as the competition.
“The development since the start of the programme has been immense and everybody gets a massive amount out of it. Just to control the Parkinson’s and the mental health, it’s brilliant.”
Under the new system, travellers must register their biometric information, which means having their fingerprints scanned and photographs taken.
They must also answer questions about their visit, such as whether they have somewhere to stay, enough money for their trip and a return ticket.
People visiting or leaving one of the 29 countries in Europe’s Schengen area (mostly the EU plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) usually have to do the new checks.
Advertisement
EU Entry/Exit System – what UK travellers need to know
However, Brits going to Greece will not have to follow this process amid the new rules.
Eleni Skarveli, the director of the Greek National Tourism Organisation in the UK, has revealed that anyone with a British passport will be able to avoid the checks, The Independent reports.
She said the move aims to ensure “a smoother and more efficient arrival experience in Greece”.
Travellers can expect to spend less time waiting around at airports, as she said the move “is expected to significantly reduce waiting times and ease congestion at airports”.
Advertisement
Ms Skarveli told the newspaper: “Practically, this means that the entry process in place before the implementation of the EES will remain unchanged.”
ETIAS: What Brits need to know before travelling to Europe
A date when the change comes into effect has not yet been confirmed.
Newsquest has approached the Greek National Tourism Organisation for comment.
Advertisement
How long does the EES take?
Ahead of the launch of the new EES, the Home Office urged travellers to expect “longer wait times at border control”, while Advantage Travel Partnership advised visitors to southern Europe to “allocate four hours for navigating the new system”.
Recommended reading:
How long will EES registrations last?
EES registrations will last three years.
Any subsequent border crossing within that period will require an individual’s fingerprints and photograph to be verified, which is expected to be quicker than when they are registered.
Advertisement
Have you used the new EES? Let us know what you think about it in the comments.
The houses on Maids Causeway are perfectly located for easy access to the city centre.
16:00, 19 Apr 2026Updated 16:10, 19 Apr 2026
The Cambridge street where most properties cost more than £1 million
It is widely known that Cambridge is an expensive city to live in. Rent prices here are high compared to the rest of the UK and houses often come with a hefty price tag.
If you are lucky, you might be able to buy a house in the city’s more affordable areas. For the most part, you will need a lot in your savings to buy a family home.
Advertisement
Many streets around the city have been nicknamed Millionaire’s Row, as most of the properties cost over £1 million. One of these streets includes Maids Causeway, close to the city centre, which features plenty of houses that sell for millions.
It is easy to see why, as the street is close to a range of facilities including the many restaurants and shops found along Fitzroy Street and Burleigh Street. The road is also surrounded by green spaces with Midsummer Common right just over the road.
Christ’s Pieces is also just a short walk away and features a children’s playground. It is also easy to reach the city centre where you can go shopping at the Grand Arcade or take a look around Cambridge Market. You can also find a range of museums, pubs, and restaurants to enjoy dotted along the busy streets.
A detached property on the road overlooks Midsummer Common and was last sold in September 2023 for £2,975,000. The rooms are spread across four different floors with five bedrooms and it has a library as well as a study and several bathrooms.
A terraced home with four bedrooms sold for £1,340,000 in June 2024, nearly doubling in price from the previous cost of £695,000 in April 2007.
If you want a property that does not cost over £1 million, the street is home to a few flats. This one bedroom flat last sold for £390,000 in November 2024 and comes with its own little garden area.
Advertisement
According to Capturing Cambridge, it is believed Maids Causeway got its name from “the benefit the raised causeway brought to the two poor widows and four ‘poor godly, ancient maidens’” who used to live in the Knight and Mortlock’s almshouses.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login