Nowadays, the rural market town offers an array of unique businesses and affordable homes

It can be hard to imagine a life of commuting in a town without a railway station – and for many people, it is a reality. Driving seems the only viable way to travel around parts of the Fens.

One of those places is the market town of Ramsey, which once had two railway stations but now has none. They were called Ramsey North and Ramsey East.

Ramsey North was opened first, in July 1863, as the terminus of the Ramsey Railway – which connected the town to Holme on the Great Northern Railway (GNR).

It was acquired by the Great Eastern Railway (GER) in 1875, with plans to link it to another line to run from Somersham to Ramsey. The line was built but never connected and the Somersham line eventually terminated at Ramsey East.

Ramsey East opened in September 1889. It connected to Somersham via Warboys, with passengers able to change at Somersham to reach the line between St Ives and March.

The stations were given names to differentiate one from the other in 1923, after the two railway companies became part of the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER). Neither of the stations were especially popular.

Ramsey East closed to passengers in September 1930 and to freight traffic in September 1956. Ramsey North closed to passengers in October 1947, and to freight in December 1973.

The site of Ramsey East is now occupied by an industrial estate. There are also two housing developments nearby called Signal Road and The Sidings – likely named in memory of the former railways.

Nowadays, the rural market town of Ramsey is home to around 8,800 people, according to the 2021 census. It is a town full of history and beautiful surrounding countryside as well as an array of unique businesses, such as Crafty Ideas described by a customer as “a treasure chest of beautiful things”, and a “fabulous little coffee shop” called Ruby Cooper’s Coffee House.

House prices in Ramsey are relatively affordable. According to Rightmove, house prices had an overall average of £291,808 over the last year.

The majority of properties sold in the pretty town last year were detached properties, selling for an average price of £365,375. Semi-detached properties sold for an average of £263,087 and terraced properties fetched £169,500.

Multiple people were shot Saturday afternoon near a community street festival in Toledo, Ohio, police said.

Toledo police officers responded to a report of a person shot near the Old West End Festival at about 5:30 p.m. When they arrived, they found multiple shooting victims, the police department said in a statement.

Many victims have been taken to nearby hospitals, police said. Police did not provide further details on the injuries and how many people were shot.

Police are actively searching for suspects and the working to determine the circumstances of the shootings.

The Old West End Festival is a two-day celebration in Toledo’s historic district that includes live music, food vendors, home tours and shopping.

Sgt. Mohamad Nasser, a spokesman for the Toledo Police Department, said more information would be released shortly on the department’s Facebook and X accounts.

“I think I’m going to go with the Scottish, they’re our Celtic brothers, you know, I’m going to stick with them.”

Former One Direction star Niall Horan has said he will be supporting Scotland at this year’s World Cup.

The 32-year-old Irish singer who has just released his fourth studio album Dinner Party, was speaking ahead of his performance at Capital’s Summertime Ball on Saturday – during which he performed his old boyband’s song Steal My Girl.

When asked who he would support ahead of the start of the World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada on Thursday, Horan told the Press Association: “I think I’m going to go with the Scottish, they’re our Celtic brothers, you know, I’m going to stick with them.”

In recent years, Horan has formed a close friendship with West Lothian superstar Lewis Capaldi. The pair bonded over social media when Niall reached out to Lewis in 2017 via a direct message to show his love for the song ‘Lost On You’.

Capaldi would go on to open for Niall during his 2018 tour before going on to co-star alongside his boy band pal in the 2022 documentary Niall Horan’s Homecoming: The Road to Mullingar, which followed them on a road trip across Ireland.

In 2024, during his show in Aberdeen’s P&J Live Arena, Horan was captured on camera waving around the Saltire flag.

One Direction formed in 2010, when they were put together by Simon Cowell on ITV talent show The X Factor.

One of the group’s members, Liam Payne, died after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina in 2024, and the boyband’s surviving members, Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik, reunited at his funeral with former manager, Cowell, in November that year.

They had four UK number one singles and four UK number one albums, and are best known for songs such as Story Of My Life, What Makes You Beautiful and Best Song Ever. Horan’s solo career was launched after he and his fellow One Direction band members went on hiatus in 2016, almost a year after Malik left the group.

He released his debut solo album, Flicker, in 2017, and the albums Heartbreak Weather in 2020 and The Show in 2023.

Speaking about this weekend’s Capital’s Summertime Ball, he described the day festival, which takes place annually at Wembley Stadium, as “a big part of my career for the last 15 years”.

Horan added: “Any opportunity I get to play at Jingle Bell Balls or Summertime Balls, it’s always amazing, and there’s not many companies that can pull off a gig of this size with the line-up that we have, so it’s a pleasure to be here.”

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The Captain Cook Inn, on Staithes Lane in the seaside village of Staithes, is being marketed for £899,000 by Christie & Co.

The nine-bedroom inn sits in the picturesque harbour, which is popular among day-trippers and holiday-makers for its location within the North York Moors National Park and on the coast.

The Captain Cook Inn, in Staithes, has been put up for sale. Photo: Christie & Co/ Rightmove (Image: Christie& Co/ Rightmove)

Staithes, once home to Captain James Cook, is famed for its narrow cobbled streets, shops and cafés, and its dramatic but sheltered position between cliffs and overlooking the North Sea.

This historic fishing village, about ten miles from Whitby, is also one of only a handful of places where the sun is said to both rise and set over the sea.

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The business includes a bar, restaurant and dining room capable of serving about 100 diners, supported by a bar servery and a large catering kitchen with a five-star hygiene rating.

The property also benefits from gardens, a beer garden with views towards Boulby Cliffs and the remains of the old viaduct that once spanned the ravine, and 13 parking spaces – a rare asset in the village.

Staithes is a tourist hotspot, popular among day trippers and holiday-makers. Photo: Christie& Co/ Rightmove (Image: Christie& Co/ Rightmove)

Accommodation comprises nine en-suite letting rooms, six of which are doubles plus three family rooms, and many have views across the sea or moors. All rooms are equipped with flat-screen TVs and tea and coffee facilities.

To the rear, the sale includes a three-bedroom owner’s house featuring a kitchen, lounge, office, laundry, bathroom and shower room, along with a large garage or storage space with potential for conversion to create extra accommodation. A static caravan currently used for rental, as well as additional garden space, is also included.

The inn is described as “very popular with excellent reviews”, holding a 4.5 out of 5 rating across platforms including Facebook and TripAdvisor. Its restaurant is ranked number one out of seven in Staithes on TripAdvisor and has received a Travellers’ Choice Award.

Agents say the sale presents an opportunity for a hospitality buyer to acquire an established and popular pub and hotel in one of Yorkshire’s most sought-after coastal locations.

Sea arrivals into mainland Europe peaked in 2015, when the UN said more than a million people crossed the Mediterranean. Between April 2025 and March 2026, there were a combined 169,341 sea arrivals to the UK, Greece, Italy, Spain and Cyprus. Crossings to the UK accounted for about 23% of the total.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, which once operated more than 1,100 cafés worldwide, has spent the past decade shrinking its presence across the United States amid changing consumer habits, rising costs and the fallout from the Covid pandemic

A leading coffee chain that significantly reduced its presence following years of closures is planning a resurgence as it seeks to rival competitors, including Starbucks.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, which previously ran over 1,100 cafés globally, has spent the last decade contracting its footprint throughout the United States amid shifting consumer preferences, escalating expenses and the aftermath of the Covid pandemic.

Despite the contraction, the firm is now forging ahead with strategies to expand the brand through fresh outlets, menu developments and customer reward programmes.

Established in Southern California in 1963, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf developed into one of the planet’s biggest coffee and tea chains, establishing a footprint across the US, Asia and the Middle East.

Nevertheless, the business has consistently scaled back its domestic operations in recent years, reports the Express.

The chain withdrew from Manhattan in 2016 when all 12 of its New York branches shut down, while scores more shops vanished during and following the pandemic.

Currently, the firm runs 192 outlets across 12 US states, with the majority of surviving cafés based in California.

Yet while its conventional high street presence has diminished, the company is backing a distinct approach for future expansion.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf anticipates roughly 80% of its future sites will function in non-traditional environments such as airports, hospitals and university campuses. The firm has also introduced a redesigned loyalty scheme and broadened its retail range, including coffee capsules that work with Nespresso machines.

Most recently, it launched a new collection of premium espresso beverages under its “Perfect Americano” menu, while introducing a series of promotional deals designed to appeal to budget-minded customers.

The recovery push arrives as rivalry intensifies throughout the coffee industry, with chains competing for customers amid increasing living expenses and evolving consumer preferences.

Despite difficulties in the US market, parent firm Jollibee Food Corporation reported The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf achieved 10.7% year-on-year systemwide sales growth during the first quarter of 2026.

The brand is also continuing to grow internationally, with most new sites opening across Asia.

The difference underlines the chain’s shifting approach: fewer conventional cafés, but a fresh drive for expansion through new formats, new products and growth in key markets.

Following years of closures and market withdrawals, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is now gambling that its transformation can enable it to compete once more with coffee giants such as Starbucks.

Texas Attorney General and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton claimed on Friday he secured a “major victory” in a lawsuit from the state over an LGBTQ+ pool party — even though the suit has been dropped without any apparent changes on the ground.

Last Thursday, Texas sued the city of Denton, located outside of Dallas-Fort Worth, over the planned rental of its Civic Center Pool for a private “Big Gay Swim Day” event. Paxton’s office alleged that city officials hadn’t done enough to ensure event organizers complied with state law barring gender-neutral changing rooms.

By the following week, however, the city and state had agreed to dismiss the suit, with Denton saying it hadn’t made any changes because it was already following the law in regards to sex-segregated spaces. Paxton nonetheless framed this outcome as a significant win.

“This is a major victory for the privacy and safety of women and children,” Paxton said in a statement on Friday. “The City of Denton has now agreed to follow the law and ensure that men are not allowed in women’s and girl’s changing areas. I will continue to ensure that every government entity in Texas complies with our laws protecting women and children.”

The city of Denton, as well as the groups organizing the event, PRIDENTON and OUTreach Denton, said they were already complying with state bathroom rules before Paxton got involved.

“The City of Denton has consistently maintained compliance with state law regarding the upcoming private rental of the Civic Center Pool by PRIDENTON,” Denton’s interim director of marketing and communications, Kayla Herrod, wrote in a statement on Friday. “Because the conditions sought by the Texas Office of the Attorney General reflected measures the City had proactively implemented before the lawsuit, the Denton City Council agreed to terms that were already in place to secure the dismissal of the lawsuit and avoid the unnecessary use of taxpayer resources on continued legal action.”

An exhibit in the lawsuit, dated May 21, noted that city rental policy already required keep all existing bathroom signage in place, and Herrod said city officials also met with the event planners to “communicate Denton’s requirements prohibiting both the covering or alteration of existing signs and the creation of gender-neutral changing areas.”

The Independent has contacted Paxton’s office, PRIDENTON and OUTreach Denton for comment.

The groups previously condemned the suit, writing in a joint statement on Monday that it was a “frivolous” attack and “waste of taxpayers’ time and money.”

The groups said they were informed by city officials on May 21 that they were not permitted to have all-gender bathrooms as a result of Texas’s SB8 law. As a result, they struck any language about such facilities from posts and advertisements about the event, the groups said.

The organizers nonetheless argued the law is vague and “gives license to harass and surveil any person who does not present or conform within the narrow limitations of an oppressive gender binary.”

Denton‘s Big Gay Swim Day has taken place since 2022, and organizers wrote on social media that the party is “a beautiful event where invited community members can swim, dance, and exist without fear of judgement or harassment.”

Seven-year-old Lena, daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall, was captured entertaining royal guests by playing with her unicorn umbrealla outside of Kemble’s All Saints Church following the private ceremony

Lena Tindall retained her title of most playful royal at Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling’s royal wedding, as she joyfully played in the rain.

Harriet Sperling, a 45-year-old paediatric nurse specialist for the NHS, tied the knot with Peter Phillips, son of Princess Anne, in a stunning Emilia Wickstead bridal gown today.

Nearly all senior royals descended on the small village of Kemble, near Cirencester in Gloucestershire, for the private nuptials, including the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the King and Queen. Also there were Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. It is the first time they have been included in a large Royal Family gathering since the arrest of their father Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. However, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle did not attend.

Seven-year-old Lena, daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall, was captured entertaining royal guests by playing with her unicorn umbrealla outside of Kemble’s All Saints Church following the private ceremony. Dressed in a floral white dress with pink shoes and a coloured ribbon in her hair, Lena was seen holding her umbrella above Mike’s head, the young royal erupted into a fit of laughter before pictures later showed Mike carrying the item instead.

Meanwhile, Lena’s older sister Mia, 12, watched on with a rather bemused facial expression. Clutching an umbrella to protect her from the rain, the glamorous young royal opted for a chic look that showcased her fashion taste.

Queen Elizabeth II’s great-granddaughter Mia showcased her sense of style in a sophisticated blue floral dress with a beige headband. However, the real star of the show were her glistening metallic heels.

Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told the Mirror: “This was a much needed joyful day for the family, and a chance to show that they – or at least most of them – remain united in spite of all the damaging headlines of recent times.”

The disgraved ex-prince Andrew’s two daughters attended the wedding with the husbands after keeping a low public profile for months. Jennie Bond, the former BBC royal correspondent, told the Mirror this public outing by the sisters was “quite brave”.

Bond said: “I thought it was quite brave of Beatrice and Eugenie to show up… knowing that the cameras would be on them. They’ve had a lot of highly critical press lately and it can’t have been easy for them to face the media. But they did seem to keep quite a low profile, particularly as the bridal party left the church.

“I’m sure they were determined not to draw any of the limelight from the bride and groom, who looked incredibly happy and relaxed together.”

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The ‘tiny community’ was crawling with emergency services amid a major response to a ‘suspicious’ package

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Army bomb disposal units descended on a ‘peaceful’ Fallowfield neighbourhood as residents were evacuated from their homes on the residential close.

A large cordon was put in place surrounding Abram Close on Saturday evening (June 6) with emergency services responding to a ‘suspicious’ item.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police confirmed officers were called to a ‘suspicious item in a front garden’ shortly after 6.05pm. They confirmed 20 surrounding properties had been advised to evacuate.

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One eye witness told the Manchester Evening News: “I was going to my sister’s and they were telling everyone to evacuate out of the streets. They would not let us through and they started to put a cordon up.

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“Everybody was told to go back. They pushed everyone back. There are loads of fire crews and ambulances here.”

Another resident described how he saw the army bomb disposal unit send a robot into the property concerned.

He added: “I’m a bit nervous about what’s going on right now. This is quite a peaceful neighbourhood. This community is really tiny.”

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Pictures from the scene showed the area swarming with emergency response vehicles and personnel, with CSI and specialist incident response units later arriving on the scene. Other images showed army bomb disposal experts working in the garden of a property.

Residents told the M.E.N they were allowed back into the homes at around 11pm. A cordon remains in place with emergency services still on the scene into the early hours of Sunday, June 7.