The Bolton Food and Drink Festival will be running from Friday August 28 to Monday August 21 and promises four days of food, family fun, headline acts and top‑quality entertainment.

Fan favourite, celebrity chef James Martin, is once again topping the bill at what he calls “the best festival in the world.”

On Saturday, James will take to the stage in the Albert Halls for live cooking demonstrations of some of his favourite dishes whilst chatting with the audience, plus a special birthday treat. 

Council leader Cllr Nick Peel said: “Bolton Food and Drink Festival is very much our flagship event and eagerly anticipated by thousands of visitors and hundreds of traders every year.

“The influx of visitors into Bolton over the four days is a huge economic boost to the town as well as festival stall holders.

The Bolton Food and Drink Festival (Image: Paul Heyes)

“Our traders are really at the heart of the festival and it’s always a pleasure to see their stalls packed with visitors enjoying a huge variety of delicious dishes and treats.

“Every year we welcome back some festival favourites as well as new and exciting businesses so keep an eye out on announcements in the coming months.”   

This year will be the TV favourites 16th visit to the festival, and his appearances are always a programme highlight, drawing huge crowds eager to pick up tips, tricks and inspiration.

Alex Thomas, owner of Totally Baked, a local cake business and Bolton Food and Drink Festival Trader, Cllr Nadeem Ayub, Bolton Council’s Executive Cabinet Member for Culture, Cllr Nick Peel, Leader of Bolton Council and the 21st birthday cake. (Image: Paul Heyes)

Demonstrations take place at various times throughout the day but are strictly ticket only and likely to sell out quickly, so it is advisable to secure your seats and book today.  

This year’s festival will feature hundreds of traders, offering everything from mouth‑watering dishes from around the world to home‑baked brownies and artisan treats.

With a mix of local talent and regional businesses, visitors can expect a vibrant offering with something for every taste.

Bolton Food and Drink Festival is one of the borough’s most popular events (Image: Henry Lisowski)

Families will be well catered for too, with a programme of free family activities running throughout the weekend, making the festival a great day out for all ages.

An amazing line‑up of free live music is also planned on the two stages across the four days, with full details including headline acts to be announced soon.

The festival launch comes just after the Bolton Food and Drink Festival won Best Speciality Market at the 2026 National Association of British Market Authorities Awards.     

Council cabinet member for culture Cllr Nadeem Ayub said: “This year is an extra special one as we are celebrating 21 years of the festival which is a fantastic achievement and each year the four-day event is bigger and better than the last.

“James Martin fans should book their tickets early to avoid disappointment as his cooking demonstrations are sure to sell out. 

“Keep an eye out for more details soon on family activities, live music line up and traders and we’ll see you in August!”

James Martin tickets and further information can be found at the Bolton Food and Drink Festival website.   

President Donald Trump on Thursday revoked the 2009 endangerment finding, which has long been the central basis for U.S. action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change.

But in making the announcement, Trump and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin made false claims regarding the government declaration, climate change, and energy.

Here’s a closer look at the facts.

___

TRUMP: “Known as the endangerment finding, this determination had no basis in fact, had none whatsoever, and it had no basis in law.”

THE FACTS: This is false. The endangerment finding was adopted in 2009 by the EPA after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that greenhouse gases are air pollutants that can be regulated under the Clean Air Act.

“The idea that the endangerment finding has no basis in law is ludicrous,” said Ann Carlson, a professor of environmental law at the University of California, Los Angeles. “The Supreme Court in Massachusetts v. EPA specifically directed the Environmental Protection Agency to determine whether greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare. The endangerment finding is the result.”

Scientific evidence to support the endangerment finding was provided by the EPA at the time of its inception and is still available on the agency’s website today.

Multiple federal courts have upheld the endangerment finding since it was adopted 16 years ago. ___

TRUMP: “We’ve basically stopped all windmills in this country. It’s the most expensive energy you can get.”

THE FACTS: Onshore wind is one of the cheapest sources of electricity generation, with new wind farms expected to produce around $30 per megawatt hour, according to July estimates from the Energy Information Administration.

This compares to a new natural gas plant, around $65 per megawatt hour, or a new advanced nuclear reactor, which runs over $80. Offshore wind is among the sources of new power generation that will cost the most to build and operate, at $88 per megawatt hour, the EIA said in July.

___ TRUMP, asked about the cost to health and the environment: “It has nothing to do with public health. This is all a scam, a giant scam. This was a rip off of the country by Obama and Biden, and let’s say Obama started it and got it rolling and a terrible rip off.”

THE FACTS: Thousands of peer-reviewed scientific studies connect health harms to climate change. They find increasing deaths from heat waves, extreme weather such as hurricanes and floods and air pollution from worsening wildfires. A 2021 study in Nature Climate Change calculated that globally about 9,700 people die a year from heat-related deaths attributable to human-caused climate change, based on data from 732 cities, including more than 200 in the United States.

A separate study last year listed dozens of climate change health harms and concluded, using the EPA’s own calculation method, that the health costs are at least $10 billion a year, probably much more.

The science of climate change dates back nearly 170 years to studies done by American Eunice Foote showing that carbon dioxide heated cylinders with thermometers inside more than ambient air. The first national climate assessment, done in 2000, before Obama and Biden, “concluded that climate variability and change are likely to increase morbidity and mortality risks.”

___

ZELDIN: “The Obama and Biden administrations used the endangerment finding to steamroll into existence a left-wing wish, including electric vehicle mandates.”

THE FACTS: Trump has made this claim before. There was no federal mandate to force the purchase of EVs.

“If you looked at some of the tables that were in the Biden rules, you could see that there were a variety of different ways that companies could comply with the standards,” said Carrie Jenks, the executive director of Harvard Law School’s environmental and energy law program. “The endangerment finding nor the regulations mandated a shift from one type of vehicle to another.”

Former President Joe Biden did set up a non-binding goal that EVs make up half of new cars sold by 2030. Trump issued an executive order on his first day in office revoking that goal.

Biden’s policies tightened restrictions on pollution from gas-powered cars and trucks in an effort to encourage Americans to buy EVs and car companies to shift from gas-powered vehicles to electric cars. ___

Associated Press writers Seth Borenstein and Matthew Daly in Washington contributed to this report.

___

Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck.

Grantchester is back on ITV for season 10 and fans can’t get enough of the detective drama but what do we know about where its brought to life?

Grantchester, ITV’s much-loved detective drama, has captivated audiences not just with its dashing vicars but also its picturesque locations.

DI Geordie Keating (portrayed by Robson Green) returns once more to unravel further mysteries in Grantchester, this time alongside the parish’s newest arrival, Reverend Alphy Kottaram (Rishi Nair), in the show’s tenth series on ITV.

This evening’s (Thursday, 12 February) instalment will see the duo probe the death of a photographer who had been assisting Cathy (Kacey Ainsworth) and Mrs Chapman (Tessa Peake-Jones) with their fledgling fashion boutique venture.

Where is Grantchester filmed?

The series is chiefly shot in the actual village of Grantchester from which it takes its name, situated just a short distance from Cambridge.

Key filming spots include the Church of St Andrew and St Mary, the village centre, and Grantchester meadows, alongside other locations across Cambridge, West Sussex, and Hertfordshire.

Speaking to PBS, the programme’s location manager David Halstead revealed: “It’s a small, very pretty, quiet little village, probably about 300 houses and a church. It doesn’t even have a shop, actually.

“[Even so] it did have four pubs-down to three now-and its own gin distillery, which has come in handy!”.

A substantial amount of filming also takes place in Cambridge itself, with production frequently based at King’s College campus. Fortunately, Cambridge boasts numerous streets that require minimal alterations to transport viewers back in time.

Halstead elaborated: “We change some shop frontages, put in our own phone box, cover the yellow lines in the road, but it’s not massive.

“I mean there are great streets in Cambridge that you can make feel like the 1950s in minutes. We use King’s Parade quite regularly. Also, Trinity Lane and Senate House Passage.”

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However, the Grantchester production team does encounter one recurring challenge during filming: cyclists.

“You nearly get killed every time you try to film there,” Halstead remarked.

“They refuse to stop for anybody. They just ring a bell and charge at you. Happens every time we go there!”.

When is Grantchester set?

The drama has predominantly been set in the 1950s, with the first series beginning in 1953.

As the programme has progressed, the timeline has advanced accordingly, with Grantchester’s tenth series now taking place in 1962.

The show’s 11th and final series is anticipated to conclude in 1963.

Grantchester continues every Thursday at 9pm on ITV and ITVX.

Europe must take the lead in defending itself as the world becomes more militarised, but the US is not abandoning its NATO allies, a top American official has said.

Elbridge Colby, the US Under Secretary of War, said the alliance must be prepared for potential enemies to strike simultaneously in different parts of the globe.

This was why European members of NATO must take the “primary responsibility” when it comes to defending their homeland – as US forces are focused elsewhere.

Ultimately, he said the alliance needs to become a modern version of its original Cold War status – defined by hard and credible fighting strength.

Mr Colby, who was representing Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, made the comments at a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels on Thursday.

Allies have tried to play down his boss’s absence as not signalling a reduction in US prioritisation of NATO.

“The world that shaped the habits, assumptions, and force posture of NATO during the so-called ‘unipolar moment’ following the Cold War no longer exists,” Mr Colby said, according to a transcript of his remarks that were published by his department.

“Power politics has returned, and military force is again being employed at a large scale,” he added.

This meant that the United States, under Donald Trump, was prioritising the biggest threats to US interests – especially the defence of the US homeland and its interests in the Western Hemisphere.

“At the same time – and critically – the United States and its allies must be prepared for the possibility that potential opponents will act simultaneously across multiple theatres, whether in a coordinated fashion or opportunistically.”

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Mark Rutte, the head of NATO, has previously raised the possibility of China making a move on Taiwan, which may draw in US forces, at the same time as Russia seeks to test NATO’s Article 5 principle of collective defence by attacking a European member of the alliance.

This could leave the Europeans and Canada to tackle Russian aggression alone or with only limited US support.

Mr Elbridge said his message was about giving a reality check to his partners, not the US turning its back on NATO – something that allies have fretted about ever since Mr Trump returned to the White House.

“This is not an abandonment of NATO. To the contrary, it is a return to and validation of its foundational purpose,” the official said.

He recalled how the alliance, when it was established in 1949, was defined by “a hard-nosed, realistic, clear-eyed approach to deterrence and defence. Allies from the beginning were expected to pull their weight”.

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This discipline was lost after the Cold War ended as priorities shifted to fighting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq – outside NATO territory.

Mr Elbridge said the alliance must now become what he called NATO 3.0 – which was more akin to its original purpose.

“This ‘NATO 3.0’ requires much greater efforts by our allies to step up and assume primary responsibility for the conventional defence of Europe,” he said.

Read more on Sky News:
NATO should ‘be more European’
New threat of Putin’s hypersonic missile
UK ‘must step up’ to deter Russian threat

The Under Secretary of War praised allies for heeding Mr Trump’s calls to commit to increase defence and wider security spending to 5% of GDP – up from an original goal for defence spending of 2%.

But he said European leadership on defence must be durable.

“Europe must assume primary responsibility for its own conventional defence. This is not a matter of ideology or rhetorical flourish. It is a conclusion grounded in a clear-eyed and rigorous assessment of the strategic environment we face as well as a pragmatic evaluation of the capabilities at our disposal.

“At the same time, the United States must – and will – prioritise those theatres and challenges where only American power can play a decisive role.”

He said the move was “not a retreat from Europe. It is, rather, an affirmation of strategic pragmatism and a recognition of our allies’ undeniable ability to step up and lead on Europe’s defence in a way that leaves all of us stronger and safer”.

Posting on X, the rail service wrote: “You can use your ticket to travel on: Transport for London buses between London Waterloo, Vauxhall Clapham Junction, Wimbledon, Raynes Park, Surbiton, Hampton Court, Kingston, Epsom, Tolworth Chessington South, Shepperton and Teddington.”

Allegria, a former restaurant on Northgate, was dissolved as a company in 2022, less than 18 months after opening in the town.

It is described in a listing as offering “a rare opportunity to acquire a substantial commercial premises” in what is called a ‘prominent position’ in the town centre.

Arranged over several floors and sold freehold, the building has space for restaurant or dining across two levels and benefits from a “fully equipped commercial kitchen and prep room” according to the listing.

A fitted bar area is in place to serve both floors of dining space.

The Northgate building has hit the market for more than £200,000. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

There are WC facilities located at ground floor and basement level, as well as additional office accommodation on the upper floor of the property.

This top-floor office space is described as “ideal” for administrative functions or management staff.

According to the listing, the building is suitable for various business uses including restaurant, café, bar, hospitality or leisure, with other commercial or mixed-use options potentially possible if planning permission is secured.

The current rateable value for the premises is listed as £6,200, with a future rateable value of £7,200 from April 2026, according to official valuation figures cited in the listing information.

The sale is offered on a freehold basis by estate agents Pattinsons.

See the listing here: https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/172048775

Simon Cowell has said the Britain’s Got Talent icon could return for a special all-stars series.

Simon Cowell has hinted that a Britain’s Got Talent favourite could be set to grace the show once more.

The popular talent competition is about to launch its latest series, with Simon returning alongside Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon, and newcomer KSI, who joins as a permanent panellist.

After magician Henry Moulding triumphed in last year’s series, securing the £250,000 prize and a coveted spot at the Royal Variety Performance, another hopeful will be vying for the same opportunity.

As the 19th series prepares to broadcast this month, Simon has dropped hints that Britain’s Got Talent will mark its 20th anniversary with an all-stars edition, bringing back memorable former acts.

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READ MORE: ITV The Summit contestant reveals co-star ‘fainted’ during brutal unseen momentREAD MORE: BBC Call The Midwife series 15 finale brings ‘era to an end’ as funeral teased

He revealed that “the best of the best” would receive invitations to return for the celebration series, with Susan Boyle—one of the show’s most remarkable success stories—among those expected to feature, reports Belfast Live.

Speaking to The Daily Mail about next year’s plans, Simon said: “The same judges will be back. We are doing a champions show next year as well, the best of the best, which is brilliant.”

He continued: “You get the best contestants from all over the world and you re-compete in a big competition so, I like those kind of things.”

When questioned about whether Susan would make a comeback, he responded: “She has to!”

Back in 2009, Susan left judges Simon, Amanda, and Piers Morgan speechless with her unforgettable audition, which has since become part of television history.

“No one had any expectation, they thought I was a joke…. And then I started to sing,” she once reflected. As she conquered her nerves and “stomped on stage”, neither the judges nor the audience could have anticipated what was about to unfold.

Susan finished as runner-up to Diversity that year, but subsequently achieved extraordinary global recognition, releasing the bestselling debut album of 2009.

She went on to release numerous singles and eight albums, earned two Grammy nominations, and became the first female artist to secure three consecutive number one albums in under two years.

Susan has made several returns to the talent show platform, most recently in 2023, when she performed a duet with X Factor alumna Lucie Jones, singing I Dreamed A Dream, the memorable song from her original audition.

At the time, Susan revealed she had been facing a private health challenge, having experienced a minor stroke, but had “fought to be back on stage”.

Simon’s remarks follow ITV’s confirmation that Britain’s Got Talent will return on Saturday 21 February at 7pm.

An announcement revealed: “Britain’s Got Talent returns in the latest search for the most spectacular entertainers to hit these shores. This year, hundreds of hopefuls will be welcomed by award-winning hosts Ant and Dec before showing their talents to judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and new addition KSI.

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“Performers from every corner of the UK and all around the world will be taking to the stage in the hope of not just impressing the judges, but also the voting public in a bid to win the life-changing cash prize of £250,000 and a sought-after slot at the world-famous Royal Variety Performance.”

For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new **Everything Gossip** website

“The judges and hosts hold an extra-special power – the golden buzzer – which can give their favourite acts an instant ticket to the live semi-finals.”

The statement continued: “Expect to be amazed as a wealth of performers bring some of the most jaw-dropping, show-stopping talents to the BGT stage in the incredible new series.”

Britain’s Got Talent returns on Saturday 21 February at 7pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

Teams carried out “extensive and thorough searches”

A search and rescue operation in the Irish Sea has been stood down with “nothing found” following reports of a man overboard from a P&O Ferry

HM Coastguard launched a search and rescue operation at around 1.21pm on Thursday, February 12, following reports of a man overboard from the European Highlander P&O Ferry travelling from Larne to Cairnryan.

Larne and Portmuck Coastguard Rescue Teams and RNLI Lifeboats from Larne and Donaghadee were sent to the incident along with the Coastguard rescue helicopter. The helicopter was seen circling the area off the Larne coast for a number of hours.

READ MORE: Keir Starmer writes to grieving parents after son’s death in LondonREAD MORE: LIVE: Irish Sea search operation launched after person falls overboard from P&O Ferry

The European Highlander was later seen returning to Larne port.

Shortly after 9pm on Thursday, HM Coastguard said the search and rescue operation in the area had been stood down with “nothing found”.

A spokesperson said: “At 1.21pm on 12 February, HM Coastguard responded to reports of a man overboard from a passenger vessel travelling between Larne and Stranraer.

“Larne and Portmuck Coastguard Rescue Teams and RNLI Lifeboats from Larne and Donaghadee were sent, as well as an HM Coastguard rescue helicopter. After extensive and thorough searches, the search has been stood down with nothing found at this time.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here

The Britain’s Got Talent legend could be making a comeback for an all-stars series.

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Simon Cowell has revealed a Britain’s Got Talent legend could be making a return to the show.

The variety programme is launching a new season in just days, with Simon joining Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and KSI, who is stepping in as a permanent judge.

Following the success of magician Henry Moulding, who was crowned the winner of Britain’s Got Talent last year, another act will be looking to win the life-changing £250,000 and the chance to perform at the Royal Variety Performance.

With the 19th season set to air this month, Simon has now teased that Britain’s Got Talent will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a special all-stars series, including former contestants.

READ MORE: Britain’s Got Talent return date confirmed and there’s not long to goREAD MORE: ITV Britain’s Got Talent finalist dies aged 53 as emotional tributes flood in

He said “the best of the best” would be invited back for the special series, including Susan Boyle, who is one of the show’s biggest success stories.

Teasing next year’s show, Simon told The Daily Mail: “The same judges will be back. We are doing a champions show next year as well, the best of the best, which is brilliant.”

He added: “You get the best contestants from all over the world and you re-compete in a big competition so, I like those kind of things.”

When asked if singer Susan would return, he replied: “She has to!”

In 2009, Susan stunned judges Simon, Amanda and Piers Morgan as she made history with her audition.

“No one had any expectation, they thought I was a joke…. And then I started to sing,” she once reflected.

And as she overcame her nerves and “stomped on stage”, the judges nor audience could have ever imagined what was to come.

Susan came runner-up to Diversity that year, but went on to gain immense worldwide fame, with the best-selling debut album of all time in 2009.

She then released a number of singles and eight records, scored two Grammy nominations, and became the first female artist to achieve three successive number one albums in less than two years.

Susan has returned to the talent show stage a number of times, most recently in 2023, where she sung a duet with X Factor alum Lucie Jones, performing her own memorable audition song, I Dreamed A Dream.

At the time, Susan explained she’d been going through a private health battle, having suffered a minor stroke, but had “fought to be back on stage”.

Simon’s comments come after ITV confirmed Britain’s Got Talent would be returning on Saturday 21 February at 7pm.

An announcement teased: “Britain’s Got Talent returns in the latest search for the most spectacular entertainers to hit these shores. This year, hundreds of hopefuls will be welcomed by award-winning hosts Ant & Dec before showing their talents to judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and new addition KSI.

“Performers from every corner of the UK and all around the world will be taking to the stage in the hope of not just impressing the judges, but also the voting public in a bid to win the life-changing cash prize of £250,000 and a sought-after slot at the world-famous Royal Variety Performance.

For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new ** Everything Gossip ** website

“The judges and hosts hold an extra-special power – the golden buzzer – which can give their favourite acts an instant ticket to the live semi-finals.”

It added: “Expect to be amazed as a wealth of performers bring some of the most jaw-dropping, show-stopping talents to the BGT stage in the incredible new series.”

Britain’s Got Talent returns on Saturday 21 February at 7pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

Legal professionals on the Northern Circuit, which covers the North West of England, are opposing plans to restrict jury trials.

Their campaign forms part of the ‘Justice needs juries’ initiative, which argues that court delays stem not from juries, but from long-term underinvestment in the system.

Recent government proposals would remove the right to jury trials in cases where the maximum sentence is up to three years.

As part of their campaign, barristers invited MPs to visit courts in Chester and Liverpool to discuss the impact of the proposed changes.

Rebecca Filletti, a criminal barrister at Lincoln House Chambers in Manchester, met Samantha Dixon, MP for Chester North and Neston, during a visit to Chester Crown Court.

The meetings gave MPs the opportunity to speak with barristers, court staff, and other professionals about the Government’s proposals.

Andrew Thomas KC, vice chair of the Criminal Bar Association and barrister at Lincoln House Chambers, joined Martin Reid KC of 7 Harrington Street Chambers in Liverpool, and Kim Johnson, MP for Liverpool Central, on a visit to Liverpool Crown Court.

Northern Circuit barristers later travelled to Westminster to continue discussions with MPs and emphasise the value of jury trials.

Northern Circuit leader, Samantha Hillas KC, said: “The strength of feeling among barristers across the whole of the North West – and indeed the country – is clear: we oppose plans to restrict jury trials for both principled and practical reasons.

“We all want to see the backlog in the courts brought down for the sake of complainants, witnesses and defendants, as well as those working in the system.

“But juries did not cause the backlog and research shows that reducing them is not the answer.

“There is good reason why Liverpool Crown Court gets several mentions in Sir Brian Leveson’s review into efficiency in the Crown Courts and is held up as a court that has managed the backlog successfully – we don’t need to restrict the right to jury trial to get the backlog down, we need to run the courts well.”

Court performance data shows that the backlog in Liverpool grew by 5.9 per cent from 2024 to 2025, while Chester saw an 8.4 per cent rise.

This is compared to the national average increase of 9.3 per cent, bringing the total backlog in England and Wales to 79,619 cases.

Ms Hillas KC said: “I’m proud that barristers practising in the North West have taken the time to meet with their MPs.”