Brooke Wiggins died in a tragic incident on a rope swing that saw a tree branch snap

A 12‑year‑old girl died just days before her birthday after a rope swing that “should have been removed” months earlier was left hanging from a Surrey tree, an inquest has heard.

Brooke Wiggins was described as a “beautiful, fun, caring and loving girl” at a hearing held at South London Coroner’s Court on Wednesday (April 22). She had died after the impact of the branch caused a fatal injury.

Brooke had been swinging from a tree, maintained by Surrey County Council, the inquest was told, which had been inspected in May 2022 and was due for re-inspection in May 2024 – but this did not take place.

Christian Weaver, representing Brooke’s father, Lee Wiggins, explained how, if the inspection had been carried out, any rope swing found on the tree should have been removed, “as per policy”.

A delegation representing Surrey County Council argued that even if the planned inspection had gone ahead, evidence suggests it may not have achieved a “material different outcome”.

In a statement read by assistant coroner Ivor Collett on behalf of Brooke’s mother, Claire Etherington, she was described as a “beautiful, fun, caring and loving girl” who had “the most incredible way of lighting up every room she went into”.

“She was always surrounded by the people who loved her, and it’s easy to see why – she gave so much love back,” her mother said. “Brooke loved dancing, art, singing and taking photographs. She took pride in expressing herself, and “never went anywhere without her eyelashes on”, she said.

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“She was a smart girl with so much potential. We will always wonder what she would have gone on to achieve in her life,” Ms Etherington said. She added that she hopes knowing what happened to Brooke will bring “a small sense of closure” and “some understanding”.

In a second statement read by Mr Collett, Brooke’s father told the inquest his daughter was an “amazing young woman”, who was “bright” and “very funny”.

“I am devastated that my baby girl has been taken from me. She packed so much into her short life,” he said.

“Only 12 years old, and now she’s gone forever. When I think of her, I ask myself, ‘why my darling Brooke?’ If only people had done their job properly… the one thing they are paid to do, and did it properly, Brooke would still be here,” Mr Wiggins added.

Speaking at the start of the hearing, Mr Collett said: “This is a particularly sad inquest. Of course, there are no happy inquests, but this is dreadful because it concerns the death of a young child and there’s no escaping that.

“To the family, I am bound to sound, at times, rather cold and distant… (but) I do not take away for a moment the unending pain felt by the family by the loss of their beloved daughter.” The inquest continues.

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New data has revealed the schools in the country with the highest rates of truancy – with two in Greater Manchester in the top 20.

Pupils at state-funded secondaries in Greater Manchester missed the equivalent of around one in 26 days through unauthorised absences in the 2024/25 academic year – a rate of 3.8 percent.

That rate of lost “school sessions”, to use the official term, was above the national average of 3.2% – which itself is almost double that of pre-pandemic levels, when just 1.8% of sessions were lost to unauthorised absences in the 2018/19 academic year.

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You can use our interactive table to find out the truancy rates at every state-funded secondary school in England.

Buile Hill Academy in Salford had the highest rate in Greater Manchester, with more than one in every nine school sessions last year (11.7%) were lost due to unauthorised absences. That saw the school ranked ninth in the whole of England.

When contacted for a comment, the school said: “Buile Hill Academy has undergone rapid and significant improvement since joining Northern Education Trust.

“GCSE performance has risen dramatically: the proportion of students achieving grade 5+ in English and maths has surged from around 16% in 2024 to nearly 50% in 2025. Overall attainment has strengthened too, with English and maths 4+ increasing from 33% to 65.1% and 5+ rising from 16.8% to 49.4%.

“Attendance is also improving, and DfE data now places the academy among the ten most improved schools in the North West. Throughout this transformation, the academy has maintained a clear commitment to being both outcomes‑focused and child‑centred.”

Denton Community Academy in Tameside had the region’s next highest rate of unauthorised absences at 11.2%, ranking 14th in the country. That was followed by Dixons Brooklands Academy in Manchester at 10.8%, and Manchester Enterprise Academy also at 10.8, ranked at 21 and 22.

When contacted for comment, Denton Community Academy said: “Northern Education Trust Denton Community Academy has also undergone a rapid transformation since joining the trust.

“Their results have doubled in a short space of time, with the proportion of students achieving a grade 5 or above in English and maths rising from 26% to 52%.

“Attendance at Denton has also improved and overall absence has reduced. It is important to recognise that attendance is a national issue facing all schools, and describing this simply as ‘truancy’ does not reflect the full picture.

“As with all trust academies, Denton has clear and consistent systems in place, alongside strong pastoral support and works closely with families, to ensure students attend regularly and are well supported.

“These improvements were recognised in the school’s most recent Ofsted letter, which highlighted strengths in education, behaviour and the wider school culture.”

But it was Tameside that had the highest rate of unauthorised absences of any borough last year, with one in every 20 sessions (5.1%) lost to unauthorised absences. That puts Tameside just ahead of Salford (5.0%), Rochdale (4.8%) and Manchester (4.3%).

By contrast, just 1.5% of school sessions at state-funded secondaries in Trafford were lost to unauthorised absences last year. That’s the lowest rate in the county ahead of Wigan (3.2%), Bolton (3.4%) and Stockport (3.5%).

Fir Vale Academy in Sheffield was England’s most truant secondary school last year with 17.1% of sessions missed through truancy. The Co-op Academy in Leeds has the next highest rate in the country with 13.3%, followed by Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy in Knowsley with 13.1%.

That’s followed by The Basildon Upper Academy in Essex at 12.8%, Alsop High School in Liverpool at 12.7%, Leeds East Academy in Leeds at 12.5%, and Aylesbury UTC in Buckinghamshire at 12.3%.

Greater Manchester’s 10 highest rates

9. Buile Hill Academy, Salford: 11.7%

14. Denton Community Academy, Tameside: 11.2%

21. Dixons Brooklands Academy, Manchester: 10.8%

22. Manchester Enterprise Academy, Manchester: 10.8%

47. Werneth School, Stockport: 9.3%

81. The Albion Academy, Salford: 8.4%

83. Rayner Stephens High School, Tameside: 8.4%

124. Co-op Academy Manchester, Manchester: 7.8%

168. Cedar Mount Academy, Manchester: 7.1%

172. Hyde High School, Tameside: 7.1%

Britain’s Got Talent star Amanda Holden has shared a candid revelation about her husband Chris Hughes’ antics, even though the story makes him ‘look really bad’

Radio presenter Amanda Holden has spoken out about wardrobe malfunctions with her Heart FM co-presenter JK, arguing that such embarrassing incidents can occur to both men and women, after JK suggested it was “more of a female thing”.

To illustrate her point, Amanda chose to recount a story involving her husband Chris Hughes.

She said: “This makes my husband look really bad, but it’s very funny. We once went to Center Parcs with our lovely friend.

“This is ages ago and our friend’s dad was bringing his kid out of the pool, he was holding the kid in his arms and Chris pulled his trunks down. He had nowhere to go except walk out of the pool with a baby in his arms.”

When asked whether the friend had sought revenge on Chris, 51, for his antics, Amanda, 55, replied: “No you can’t get Chris back, he does a double knot on his…he’s learnt.”

This is not the first occasion Amanda has opened up about her domestic life with her husband, whom she married in December 2008. Together, the couple have two daughters, Alexa and Hollie.

In a recent interview with The Times, Amanda offered a glimpse into her routine upon arriving home, and how her rescue dogs play a vital role in greeting her at the door.

She said: “I kick off my heels then lie on the floor so the dogs can lick my face. I have two rescues: Rudie, a 14-year-old Yorkshire terrier/Jack Russell cross, and Minnie, a one-year-old toy spaniel/shih tzu cross.”

While Amanda is fond of the animals she and Chris keep at home, she revealed that he has firm boundaries regarding where they are permitted to sleep.

She added: “I’m not fussy about where the animals are allowed but my husband is, so they all have to sleep downstairs.”

However, she admitted that when he is away, the rules shift somewhat. She added: “I love it if my husband’s away because then they’ll sleep on the bed with me.”

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As well as rescue dogs, Amanda also has a rescue cat called Bolt from the Greek island of Corfu, whom she met whilst filming Amanda & Alan’s Greek Job with comedian Alan Carr.

Bolt joined another cat in her household called Muffy, and Amanda says the pair don’t get on very well.

Amanda made the admission on her Heart FM show earlier this year, sharing: “My garden is such a sun trap and I love it because all the animals go out and find their little spots in the sun apart from moody Muffy who is not over the fact we rescued a cat from Corfu. She hates it.

“She’s gone from being a beautiful serene princess, beautifully housetrained, never been to the vet, travels with us to the Cotswolds, she’s just gorgeous, to now weeing on our bed.

“She’s got no kidney infection, nothing. We know it’s spite, we’ve got a proper cat behaviourist coming out. We’ve had two brilliant ones coming out and unfortunately that didn’t work out but we’ve got another one next week.”

This year marks the UK’s National Year of Reading, which aims to rebuild good reading habits and enjoyment as child and adolescent reading declines year on year.

Reading enjoyment is at its lowest level for two decades, according to the National Literacy Trust’s annual survey. This matters because books expose children to a broader and richer vocabulary than everyday conversation, giving them access to words and language patterns they are less likely to hear.

Researchers do not point to a single cause for the decline, but studies suggest a mix of competing activities, weaker reading motivation and limited access to books that match children’s interests. This decline brings with it a sense of urgency, but also a risk because quick fixes often do not align with research.

We do have strong evidence about one crucial ingredient. Children need to learn how print represents speech sounds and practise decoding until word reading becomes accurate and fluent. That’s why phonics – the teaching of letter-sound relationships to help children sound out written words – is embedded in early literacy instruction. Phonics isn’t the whole of reading (comprehension is also key), but it is a necessary foundation. Importantly, it isn’t a shortcut: it takes time, practice and good teaching.

So where do shortcuts come in? Alongside the teaching methods we know help children to read, parents and teachers are often encouraged to try commercial products, online trends and social media campaigns that promise faster progress. But do they work? Here are five popular shortcuts and what the research suggests.

1. Bypassing phonics: an unhelpful avoidance strategy

When phonics isn’t working for a child, a common suggestion is an “alternative”: memorising whole words, relying on pictures or guessing from context cues (multi-cueing). However, when children are encouraged to bypass decoding words, they are not developing a reliable method for reading new words independently.

Reviews of intervention research indicate phonics training can improve decoding and word reading for poor readers. In other words, if a child is struggling with learning to read, the answer is usually more explicit teaching and guided practice in matching sounds to letters, not strategies that avoid it.

2. Coloured overlays: comfort is not the same as improved reading

Coloured overlays are transparent coloured sheets placed over a page and are often promoted as a way of reducing “visual stress” and making reading easier, especially for children with dyslexia. However, numerous studies and a systematic review have shown that the research does not support coloured lenses/overlays as a treatment for reading difficulty.

This doesn’t mean visual discomfort should be ignored. Headaches, glare sensitivity or unusual visual symptoms merit clinical attention. But it does mean overlays shouldn’t be treated as a primary intervention for decoding, fluency or comprehension, and there is no good evidence of meaningful improvements in reading outcomes for dyslexic children.

3. Turn on the subtitles: exposure isn’t the same as practice

Turning on subtitles while watching TV gives additional exposure to print that we might expect to improve reading. However, a recent study with year 2-3 children showed that six weeks of TV viewing with subtitles did not result in gains in reading fluency beyond the improvement seen in children generally.

One likely reason is that children who are not yet fluent readers often don’t look at the subtitles when they are watching TV enough for them to function as reading practice. Why would you look at the text at the bottom of the screen if you can’t make sense of it? But even when they do, “book language” includes rarer vocabulary and more complex grammar than everyday speech, so books still add something extra.

4. Specialist fonts: spacing can help, ‘dyslexia fonts’ less so

Dyslexia-friendly fonts are specially designed typefaces that aim to make letters easier to tell apart, often by changing their shape, weight or spacing. They are appealing because they’re easy to implement. But when studies measure reading objectively, specialist typefaces typically don’t deliver the improvements implied.

Research comparing specialist and standard typefaces (while controlling spacing between words and letters) tends to find little or no meaningful advantage for word or passage reading. Formatting such as larger print, more generous spacing and shorter line lengths can sometimes make text easier to navigate visually and therefore more comfortable to read.

But this should not be viewed as a substitute for instruction that builds decoding and fluency. And specialist typefaces have no impact on comprehension either – which, after all, is the ultimate goal of reading.

5. ‘Bionic’ reading: bold claims, weak evidence

Bionic reading (bolding the beginnings of words) has spread rapidly online with claims that bolding helps guide readers’ eyes to the relevant part of a word which “lets the brain centre complete the word”, which in turn increases reading speed. However, research doesn’t support these claims: bionic formatting does not reduce reading times compared with standard text in well-controlled experiments, nor does it improve comprehension. Some readers may prefer the format of bionic reading, but preference is not evidence of improved reading skill.

So what does work?

The key distinction is between changes that make reading feel easier and changes that make reading better. Adjustments such as font, spacing or subtitles may support access or enjoyment for some children, but they don’t replace the slow and necessary work of building fluent word reading.

For children struggling with decoding or reading accuracy, we have known what works best for many years now. Teach decoding explicitly, practise it in texts that match what’s been taught, build fluency with short frequent practice, and teach spelling alongside reading. And if progress is slow, increase the dose (more time, more guidance) rather than looking to alternative methods.

This is a particularly difficult message for parents of children with dyslexia or other reading difficulties, who desperately want to help their child with what they find hardest. But it is crucial that we don’t promote myths or interventions that are not backed up by evidence.

As a rule of thumb, if it seems too good to be true, it most likely is. Learning to read in English is really hard and it takes time. As much as we might wish otherwise, there’s no quick fix.

Residents have been told to keep their windows and doors close due to the smoke

Firefighters are currently battling a fire that has broken out at a landfill site in Cambridgeshire. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to the landfill site on Pools Road, Wilburton, at 3.02pm today (Wednesday, April 22).

Six crews are currently at the scene alongside a water carrier. The incident is ongoing.

Clouds of smoke could be seen for miles. The fire service has told people living near the area to keep their windows and doors closed due to the amount of smoke.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “Firefighters are currently responding to a fire at a landfill site in Pools Road, Wilburton. They were called at 3.02pm. Six crews are currently in attendance, along with the water carrier.

“The incident is ongoing, and those living near the area are asked to close windows and doors due to the amount of smoke.”

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It is understood that the woman was approached as she walked at Hardwick Park in Stockton, behind the play area at 1.30pm on Monday (April 20).

Officers said the woman managed to escape and didn’t suffer any serious injuries but was “understandably shaken by the incident”.

The man is described as being of medium build, wearing an all-black tracksuit and a face covering and was on a black pedal bike.

A spokesperson from Cleveland Police said: “There were lots of dog walkers and people in the park at the time who came to help the woman and officers would like to speak to anyone who was there at the time.

“Officers would particularly like to speak to a woman who had light-coloured hair and was wearing light blue clothing.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact Cleveland Police on 101, quoting reference number 074004.

Emergency services were called to the A-road through Hemlington Row at 11.15am this morning (Wednesday, April 22), where the man was briefly trapped.

The 56-year-old is understood to have been loading a cabin onto the rear of a van at around when he briefly became pinned between them and suffered chest injuries.

The air ambulance was seen landing nearby and police closed the road around the roadworks.

The road was closed after incident for around three hours. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

A Durham Police spokesperson said: “The man has suffered chest injuries and was taken to hospital by ambulance. He is said to be in a stable condition.”

The road was closed after incident for around three hours. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

Police have now passed the incident to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for investigation.

The road was closed after incident for around three hours. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

The road was closed after incident for around three hours. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

A spokesperson from the North East Ambulance said: “We were called to an incident on the A690, Hemlington Row in Crook shortly before 11.15am on 22 April.

“We dispatched a double-crewed ambulance, a clinical team leader and were supported by Great North Air Ambulance Service.

“One patient was taken by road to University Hospital of North Durham.”

The road was closed for around three hours while the emergency services attended but it has now reopened.

The Northern Echo has contacted the HSE for comment.

Ali Shoukat Nasri died at his home address on Rosenheath Grove in Great Lever on Friday, April 17, 2026.

Police said there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the 36-year-old’s death and have launched a next-of-kin appeal.

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: “Do you know the next of kin of a man from Bolton?

“Ali Shoukat Nasri (36), sadly died at his address on Rosenheath Grove, Bolton, on Friday 17 April 2026.

“There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death.”

Next-of-kin, while not fully defined under UK law, is usually understood to refer to the closest living relative, be that a parent, child or sibling.

Police are urging anyone with information about the whereabouts of Mr Nasri’s family to contact the Police Coroner’s Office on 0161 856 4687.

He placed his hands around the victim’s neck, causing her to stop breathing for about 15 seconds

A man strangled his wife until she stopped breathing at her home in Cambridgeshire. Luke Davey, 35, attacked the victim at her home in Doddington, near March, in the early hours of November 16 last year.

According to Cambridgeshire Police, the couple were in the process of splitting up and an argument had broken out. The victim began recording the argument with her mobile phone and Davey grabbed it before placing his hands around her neck, causing her to stop breathing for about 15 seconds.

Davey of Marshall’s Road, Raunds, near Wellingborough, also dragged her out of her daughter’s bedroom as she tried to call police from another phone. He was jailed for a year on April 21 at Huntingdon Magistrates’ Court, having previosuly pleaded guilty to intentional strangulation. He was also handed a five-year restraining order against the victim.

DC Chris Herring, who investigated, said: “This was a despicable attack which could have had fatal consequences. I would like to thank the victim for reporting the assault and supporting us with a prosecution. Domestic abuse is a force priority, and we will do all we can to put the perpetrators before the courts.”