Nigel Coates, from Northumbria University, has been awarded an MBE for services to higher education and business.

He is the founder of the university’s Business Clinic, which has since become one of the UK’s leading experiential learning models.

Mr Coates said: “I am genuinely overwhelmed – and utterly surprised – to receive this MBE.

“It is an honour I hold with enormous pride. But this award does not belong to me alone.

“Everything we achieved at the Business Clinic was down to a truly wonderful team whom I had the great privilege of leading.

“I am also deeply grateful for the unwavering support of the University, without which none of this would have been possible.

“I accept this with a very full heart.”

Since its launch in 2013, more than 3,000 final-year undergraduate and postgraduate students from Newcastle Business School have taken part in nearly 800 live consultancy projects.

Through the Business Clinic, students gain hands-on experience while helping businesses, charities, and social enterprises address real-life challenges.

Clients valued the consultancy reports produced during Mr Coates’ time as director at around £5,500 each.

This means Northumbria’s Business Clinic delivered more than £4.3 million in pro bono support.

The scheme has been widely praised across the sector.

Professor Andy Long, vice-chancellor and chief executive of Northumbria University, said: “We are so pleased to see this outstanding recognition of Nigel’s work, which has had such a significant impact on thousands of students and on hundreds of businesses over more than a decade.

“The Business Clinic is one of Northumbria University’s most innovative schemes, ensuring students are supported to gain real-world skills and connections they need for their future careers during their studies.

“The model developed by Nigel has been recognised within and beyond higher education as an exemplar of best practice, setting not only a standard for others to follow, but also setting thousands of Northumbria graduates out into the workplace with experiences few others would have.”

Mr Coates retired in 2024 after 36 years at the university but continues to contribute as a visiting fellow.

In addition to his work at Northumbria, he is chair of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Charitable Trust, and supports the advancement of marketing education and research.

He has also served as a national judge for the Young Enterprise Start Up Programme and the RSA Student Design Awards.

In 2025, he was awarded honorary life membership by the Academy of Marketing for his extraordinary service to the discipline.

Mr Coates has been a trustee and director of Smile for Life Children’s Charity since 2011, and a governor at Sir Charles Parsons Special School since 2009, where he has recently been appointed chair.

He is a former chairman of the Chartered Institute of Marketing’s North East Branch and region, and received the CIM National President’s Award for outstanding service to the Institute.

The impact of his work extends well beyond Northumbria.

He has advised more than a dozen universities in the UK and overseas on how to adopt similar business clinic models, helping to shape the future of enterprise education more widely.

The Northumbria Business Clinic has earned national honours, including Exemplar Status from the Small Business Charter and the SBC award for Outstanding Support for Student Enterprise and Entrepreneurship.

These accolades have positioned the clinic as a benchmark for best practice in the sector.

The Northumbria clinic continues to provide students with valuable opportunities to apply their learning in professional environments.

It also gives organisations access to fresh talent and ideas.

Its success has helped cement Northumbria University’s reputation for innovation and impact in business education.

Further details about the Business Clinic and its projects are available at www.northumbria.ac.uk.

The Emmerdale actress, who celebrates her half century on July 13, has been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to drama and to charity.

She is best known for playing Mandy Dingle in the long-running ITV soap between 1995 and 2001, and from 2019 onwards.

The soap star, who went to Holly Mount RC Primary School in Greenmount and later St Gabriel’s High School, said of the honour: “Wow if this is not my best 50th birthday present being awarded an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours list, I don’t know what is.

“I am being awarded an MBE, Member of the Order of the British Empire, for my services to drama and to charity.

(Image: Ian West/PA)

“To say I am humbled is an absolute understatement.

“To have been able to do my job as an actor for 36 years now, never having a day out of work in our industry, is an honour in itself.”

Riley, whose mother Cath died in her arms from pancreatic cancer, said she felt strongly about using her public profile to advocate for charities.

She said: “My platform has enabled me to be an ambassador for my chosen charities: Breast Cancer Now, Maggie’s Yorkshire, Sane and Sue Ryder.

“These charities, since losing my beloved mum Cath to cancer, have helped me at times of grief, when I personally needed them the most.

“So, giving back was the least I could do.

“I made that promise to my mum before she died: I told her I would help as many families as possible, as we are all in this together, and we understand.”

Riley said she wanted to thank her bosses at ITV for their “love and loyalty” over the years, adding: “I receive this today as the first ever cast member of Emmerdale to have been awarded an MBE.

“For me playing the role of Mandy Dingle is the gift that keeps on giving.

“Not only that, being a woman in our industry, sisterhood means everything to me.

“The finest feeling today is that I can truly feel my mum’s smile and her electric energy on my shoulders, the pride that her little girl ‘DID IT’!”

She continued: “Thank you so much, my heart is the warmest it could ever be.

“Finally to my partner Al and my gorgeous family, I love you.”

(Image: ITV)

Iain Macleod, creative director of continuing drama at ITV, offered his “hearty congratulations” on behalf of ITV and the soap, for the “well-deserved” honour.

He said: “As Mandy Dingle, she is a much-beloved presence on the nation’s screens and she is no less loved by her friends and colleagues at Emmerdale for her compassion and indefatigable positivity.

“This warmth and big-heartedness is in evidence in the amazing work she does for the many charities she so passionately supports.

“Lisa is a genuine force for good in the world and we’re all delighted for her.”

Riley appeared as a contestant on the 10th series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2012, when she was paired with Robin Windsor.

She also appeared in I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! in 2025, coming in fifth place.

Her other screen credits include Fat Friends, Age Before Beauty, and as the presenter of You’ve Been Framed between 1998 and 2002.

She has also appeared on the Loose Women panel.

Fox news’ overage of the World Cup was brought to a standstill when pundit Alexi Lalas lashed out at James Corden live on air

James Corden found himself under fire in America’s World Cup coverage, where he was branded a ‘w***er’ live on TV. The Gavin and Stacey star has been given his own football-themed late-night TV show After Hours during the tournament.

A preview of his limited-run series, set to air nightly on Fox during the World Cup, was aired during coverage of the group games on Friday night. During the build-up to a match between Canada and Bosnia, main Fox host Rebecca Lowe spoke to football heroes Alexi Lalas, Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to promote Corden’s show.

‘Can we talk about James Corden for a second?” she asked the panel.

Lalas, who played 96 times for the US national football team and is now one of the station’s leading panelists for the tournament said: “What do you guys call him? Full kit w**ker, right?”

Corden was seen wearing a full USA training kit in the After Hours clip for a visit to the team’s training base ahead of the World Cup. By definition, a “full kit w***ker” is an adult wearing head to toe football attire when they’re not actually playing in a match.

Thierry Henry’s jaw swung open while Zlatan Ibrahimović could only say “whoa” after hearing the sweary remarks.

“Did he just say that?” Henry asked.

“Luckily we’re on American television,” Lowe noted. “Because the W word on British TV…” is a big no-no.

It’s not the first time Lalas has courted controversy, with the analyst dividing fans with his opinions.

During the last World Cup in Qatar, he donned a ‘thobe’ – the traditional loose-fitting robe worn by men in the Arab world – during a live TV segment. He has also been a regular critic of the US men’s national team, both in and out of major tournaments.

While James Corden has returned to the States after ending his Late, Late Show in 2003. He has returned this summer to front his new late-night Fox show.

Rolling road closures will be in place to allow the “ageing” gas pipes to be replaced

Cambridge locals have been warned there will be road closures for works to replace 3.5km of gas mains. Cadent said “ageing” pipes will be replaced by new pipes to future-proof the network.

The works in Campkin Road and Hawkins Road will see a rolling road closure starting on Monday, June 15. Cadent said the works will last 11 weeks until August 28, meaning most of the work is scheduled for school holidays.

A spokesperson said: “Due to the location of the gas main and to ensure the safety of engineers, the work taking place will be carried out in phases and will involve a rolling road closure. When there is a road closure, a diversion route will be clearly signposted. Access will remain for residents within the work zone.”

Gas will stay on during the works, with the only interruption to supply to properties that take a direct feed from the pipes being replaced. Supply in these properties will be disconnected for a short time as the property is connected to the new pipe. Cadent said advance notice will be given to affected properties.

Eleanor Buxton, head of work management at Cadent, said: “The metallic pipes that are in place in this section of the network, have been very well used over the years. It’s now time for them to be replaced so that we can continue to deliver gas to peoples’ homes 24/7, 365 days a year.

“In this part of Cambridge, more than 85 per cent of homes have gas central heating. Upgrading these pipelines will ensure we can continue to distribute gas safely to them, for many decades to come.”

She continued: “These upgrades also have big environmental gains, as they reduce methane emissions and enable a move to more renewable gases like biomethane. This is essential for a cleaner future – the UK will need energy to come from a range of sources to meet demand and be sustainable.

“We have worked with the local highways team, as well as local authorities, to create a traffic management plan that will minimise disruption whilst we carry out these essential works. I thank everybody for their patience as we take the measures needed to ensure our engineers can carry out these works as safely and as efficiently as possible.”

Cadent will hold an information session for residents and business owners on Thursday, June 18, between 10am and 12pm. Customer teams will have a gazebo on the grass verge at the junction of St Kilda’s Avenue and Beales Way, Cambridge, CB4 2QB, for people to call at and learn more about the project.

If you are heading in to the city centre, and you’re wondering what roads will be closed around Cardiff today, we’ve got you covered.

To facilitate the parade, which will take place from 11am and finish at 2.30pm, the roads will be closed during set up as well as whilst the event takes place.

The parade will start on Westgate Street and will head to Castle Street, High Street, Saint Mary Street, then onto Mill Lane, into the Hayes, onto John Street, along Park Place onto Greyfriars Road, to Kingsway, then Duke Street and finish back on Castle Street.

The website reads that Castle Street, from the junction with Westgate Street, Duke Street and Kingsway to the junction with North Road, will be closed from 6am to midnight to set up and take down the arrangements for the parade.

• Castle Street from the junction with Westgate Street, Duke Street, Kingsway to the junction with North Road
• Cowbridge Road East from the junction with Cathedral Road. (Cowbridge Road East from the junction with Cathedral Road will be accessible for residents, buses and taxis from 6am until 8am and from 2.30pm until midnight)

Westgate Street, Quay Street, Guildhall Place, Golate, High Street and Saint Mary Street will be closed from 8am until 2.30pm and will be re-opened when it is deemed safe to do so.

The following roads will be closed from 10am until 2pm:

• Wood Street, Central Square, Park Street, Havelock Street and Scott Road
• Saint Mary Street from the junction with Wood Street, Mill Lane, The Hayes, John Street, Queen Street, Park Place and Greyfriars Road from the junction with Boulevard De Nantes through to Kingsway

Due to the road closures from 11am until 1.15pm, Cardiff Bus has advised customers that buses will divert to the satellite points, as they do for any large events in the Principality Stadium. This includes either Churchill Way for the east, Greyfriars Road for the north, or Tudor Street for the west.

The bus interchange will remain open via Tudor Street and Wood Street.

You can read more here.

Emergency services were called to Passfield Way, near the junction with Southway, earlier today (June 13) following an incident. 

A footpath and patch of grass was cordoned off by officers, with crime scene investigators pictured at the scene on Saturday morning. 

(Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

(Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

Images show an officer standing beside the blue and white tape where at least three police cars block the blue tent, which is also partly covered by a green sheet. 

Police and crime scene investigators remained at the scene until 11.45am.

(Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

It is understood that part of Passfield Way was closed earlier in the day due to the incident, with forensic officers seen taking photos at the scene.

The nature of the incident remains unknown at this stage. 

Durham Police has been contacted for more information.

He pointedly said every cabinet minister, every government department, had contributed cuts to their long-term, so-called capital budgets, to provide more for defence. The prime minister himself was involved in plenty of these negotiations, I’m told – and some were pretty hard going, given it required reopening budget deals that had been assumed to have been already settled.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Workers began removing President Donald Trump’s name from the facade of the Kennedy Center early Saturday, hours after a court-ordered Friday deadline to remove references to Trump from the building and other aspects of the iconic performing arts venue’s operations.

Scaffolding was erected Friday around a section of the building that includes Trump’s name, but shortly after midnight, the Kennedy Center asked a judge to extend the deadline until noon Eastern Time on Saturday because of thunderstorms that had swept through the Washington area, causing a delay.

In the filing, the Kennedy Center offered assurance that the “removal work is presently ongoing” and would “conclude in the early hours of the morning.”

A few hours later, workers began covering the scaffolding with tarps before they eventually started taking down Trump’s name. They packed up and left the site around 3:30 a.m., though the tarps remained, leaving it impossible to determine if all the letters had been removed.

Dozens of people spent hours Friday on the plaza in front of the Kennedy Center taking pictures and cheering occasionally as they broke into chants of “take it down.” Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, an ex-officio board member who sued to have Trump’s name removed from the building, was spotted at one point on the plaza.

Earlier Friday afternoon, a judge rejected a request to pause the court-ordered deadline. The institution appealed that ruling, an effort that was also rebuffed Friday evening.

After ignoring the Kennedy Center for much of his first term, Trump has wielded tremendous influence over the venue during his return to office. Just a month into his second term, he ousted the center’s previous leadership and replaced it with a board of trustees that named him chairman. Trump’s name was quickly added to the building.

In his ruling that only Congress could make changes to the Kennedy Center’s name, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper also blocked the administration from closing the cultural and arts venue for major renovations that had been planned to start in July and last for two years.

The Kennedy Center’s leadership argued in its appeal Friday that the renovation was badly needed and accused the lower court, in terms that seemed similar to Trump’s speech patterns, of interfering in the effort.

“The District Court is not allowing us to close in order to properly fix up and repair the Building, including potentially life threatening structural damage like beams and parking garage ceilings that are rusted, and in serious danger of falling onto people below,” according to the appeal. “Indeed, total collapse!”

Even as the Kennedy Center has fought efforts to remove Trump’s name from the building, it has taken steps to comply with Cooper’s initial ruling.

A June 4 memo to staff from the Kennedy Center’s Office of General Counsel said email signatures, letterhead and other documents must reflect the name as “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts” or “Kennedy Center.”

The Kennedy Center’s website has dropped Trump’s name. And an earlier email sent to members offering ticket packages for the June 28 Mark Twain Award for American Humor ceremony came from the Kennedy Center without including Trump’s name.

___

Associated Press journalists Anna Johnson, Mark Sherman and Emily Wang in Washington and Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Two arrests were made, both have been released on bail

A car crashed near the A1M following a police pursuit. The crash happend at around 7pm on Wednesday evening (June 10) on the A1M at Little Paxton when a vehicle travelling southbound failed to stop for police.

The grey Toyota Yaris left the A1 at Little Paxton and crashed a short time afterwards. The driver, a 21-year-old man from St Neots was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving, failing to stop, driving while unfit through drink or drugs, possession with intent to supply – other than class A and possession with intent to supply class A. He has been released on bail.

The passenger of the car, a 22-year-old woman also from St Neots, was arrested on suspicion of supplying a controlled drug – class A, and possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply – class B. She has also been released on bail.

Police are now appealing for anyone who was driving in the area at the time on Wednesday who has dashcam footage to get in touch. Anyone with any information is urged to report it by calling 101 and quoting reference 35/43396/26.

A woman was left horrified after installing a security camera in her garden, only to find someone from the local area engaging in a disgusting act outside her home

A neighbour was left feeling like they “may throw up” after spying someone from their neighbourhood doing something outrageous in their garden. Most people have a high tolerance when it comes to the people who live around them in their local area, as they tend to want to keep the peace for as long as possible.

However, one resident reached the end of her tether when she caught someone on her new security camera doing something truly grim. Doorbell and security cameras are a fantastic way to give yourself peace of mind when you’re not physically at the property. But they can also catch some things you’d rather not see.

One woman fumed: “My new security camera caught someone using my yard as a toilet. We’ve had issues with vandalism due to signs we have in our yard.

“We’ve had juvenile trees ripped to shreds, things ripped out of the ground, sunflowers plucked of petals… my spouse is opposed to monitoring, and it took three years to talk him into a camera.”

She explained that they had the security measures now “for a few weeks,” and she noticed that someone had thrown Red Bull cans into their kids’ play yard, so she went back and looked at the footage.

“I didn’t see who threw it (although with timing, it’s likely the same person), but I do see a person walk up, look around and then pop a squat under our brand new, freshly planted cherry tree,” she said.

“It very much looks like they take their pants down, based on the motion. I went out and looked, fully expecting a big pile of s*** but the ground was wet.”

To add insult to injury, “after they finished peeing, they stood in front of [their] free little library reading books and dropping trash across the sidewalk”.

The woman fumed that the camera wasn’t a deterrent for someone behaving in such a way, wondering what would stop people from behaving like this in the future.

Someone in the comments recommended that they get “motion-activated sprinklers” to deter people from going on their land. “This is the solution to SO many issues. Can’t go wrong!” another agreed.

But the original poster pointed out a flaw, saying: “The issue is it’s right in front of our free little library. We get little kids visiting all day long. We stock kids’ books.”

A Redditor responded: “Move the library. Besides, it’s no longer sanitary to have it there!” Someone else wrote: “Just turn it on each night before you go to bed, and turn it on again when you get up. Or, put it on a timer.”

A social media user fumed: “Standing there reading books after peeing in your yard is such a bizarre level of confidence.”

However, one woman suggested the pettiest revenge they’d tried themselves, sharing: “When I caught somebody stealing flowers out of my yard, I took a still from the video, printed it, had it laminated, and taped it to my garage door.”