It has been described as a ‘beautiful tall woodland’ where families can explore

Cambridgeshire is a county complete with gorgeous spots that locals and nature-enthusiasts can experience first-hand. There are a variety of nature reserves with different attributes such as flowers popping with colour, trails, greenery and thriving wildlife.

With the hot-spell of weather, and the gorgeous sunshine showing its face, these make for truly lovely places to walk. One beauty spot near Cambridge with “majestic” beech trees is a must-visit for residents.

This is Beechwoods Nature Reserve in the charming village of Great Shelford. Nestled within the heart of the countryside, about four miles from Cambridge, the nature reserve is a particularly small woodland compared to others in the county, measuring only 10-hectares.

It was first planted in the 1840s, creating a nature reserve that feels bigger and more remote than it actually is. According to Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs and Northants, the reserve offers “small yet impressive wood of majestic beeches”.

Beechwoods is about 10-minutes from the city by driving. Hidden beneath the beech trees, delicate white helleborine orchids flourish, pushing up their flowering spikes in the spring before the beech leaves project their deep shade.

Describing the surroundings, a pervious visitor said Beechwoods Nature Reserve is a “real hidden gem” that is the “perfect spot for a short walk away from hustle and bustle- just you and the beech trees”.

Another visitor wrote on Google: “We love this beautiful tall woodland. The paths are winding and mostly clear so the kids can explore and there are some nice open clearings where you can have a picnic. Lots of dog walkers and people out enjoying nature.”

Parking is limited near to the nature reserve but visitors are advised of free parking in a large layby on Worts Causeway.

Doctors have discovered a pioneering procedure that can prevent nearly 80 per cent of deadly ovarian cancers.

Known as the ‘silent killer’, ovarian cancer kills more than 4,000 British women every year – with one in 50 women developing it in their lifetime. 

The disease causes notoriously few symptoms until it has already spread to surrounding organs. 

As a result, nearly 80 per cent of ovarian cancers are caught at a late stage, when they are no longer curable. Just 17 per cent of women with stage four ovarian cancer  live for five years or more. 

Now, new research suggests there may be a way to prevent the disease from developing in the first place. 

Studies published over the last 20 years have shown that nearly all ovarian cancers – and certainly the vast majority of the deadliest ones – are actually cancers of the fallopian tubes. 

These tubular ducts, responsible for carrying eggs from the ovaries to the uterus, are just 10cm long, on average. 

By removing them, research suggests, you can slash the risk of deadly cancer by up to 80 per cent. 

The five-minute operation can be done as part of nearly any abdominal surgery – including hysterectomies, tubal ligations, gallbladder surgeries, hernia repairs and even caesarian sections. 

And a growing body of research suggests it could be the future of ovarian cancer prevention.

In Britain, women considered ‘high-risk’ for ovarian cancer – whether from a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, or those carrying inherited gene mutations like BRCA1 or BRCA2 – are already offered preventative surgeries to reduce their chance of developing the disease. 

Standard NHS guidance advises removing both the ovaries and fallopian tubes. 

But this procedure sends women into early menopause, which carries its own health risks – including increased chance of bone-thinning disease osteoporosis, neurocognitive decline and even heart disease. 

Instead, a new nation-wide trial in Britain is examining whether these high-risk women should instead be offered fallopian tube removal alone – with the option to remove the ovaries after menopause. 

While results won’t be published for another few years, initial findings of the PROTECTOR trial suggest that this two-tiered approach can considerably improve a woman’s quality of life by not sending her into early menopause, while still cutting her cancer risk by 80 to 96 per cent.

Now, a growing number of experts say that the procedure should be offered to women at average risk of the disease as well. 

Studies show that removing the fallopian tubes of all women – no matter theirrisk level – can slash the likelihood of developing some of the most common, and lethal, forms of ovarian cancer by as much as 80 per cent. 

The graphic shows the warning signs of ovarian cancer, including bloating and back pain

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The 20 per cent or so of cancers that begin in the ovaries, meanwhile, tend to be the more curable forms of the disease, research suggests. 

While stand-alone surgery to remove the tubes is still typically reserved for women at high genetic or familial risk, experts say the procedure should be offered to any women already undergoing an unrelated pelvic operation, once she has completed her family. 

Health bodies in the US are now recommending that all women above the age of 45 – when they are unlikely to want to conceive – who are already undergoing abdominal surgery, be given the option to have their fallopian tubes removed. 

In the last few years, the American College of Surgeons, American Cancer Society and even EU body the European Society of Gynaecological Oncology, have all issued statements encouraging doctors to offer tube removal at the time of other abdominal procedures. 

And the American Cancer Society is even working on a national campaign to make more women and doctors aware that tube removal can help prevent most ovarian cancers.

Experts say that the procedure is already being offered in Britain to women of average risk of ovarian cancer during routine abdominal surgeries. 

But more awareness is needed about the procedure amongst women and doctors alike, says Dr Ranjit Manchanda, professor of gynaecological oncology at Queen Mary University of London and chief investigator on the PROTECTOR trial.

‘This is a huge and important finding. But there needs to be more awareness of the procedure,’ he said. 

‘It’s something where practice is gradually changing as data emerges. Over the next few years we should see it more embedded in practice.’  

BAELEN, Belgium (AP) — Firefighters battled a massive wildfire in eastern Belgium on Sunday that has burned more than 27 square kilometers (10 square miles) in the High Fens, a large nature reserve, and forced nearby residents to evacuate in what media describe as one of the worst-ever wildfires in the country’s recent history.

About 600 residents in nearby municipalities in Waimes and Bütgenbach, in Liège province near the German border, were told to evacuate Saturday as winds shifted and smoke spread through the area. Authorities also advised tourists to leave, while a nearby gymnasium was opened to receive evacuees.

Liège provincial Gov. Hervé Jamar said in a statement Sunday that more than 250 emergency personnel have been deployed, including over 100 Belgian and German firefighters, police and military officers and civil protection staff, helped by firefighting helicopters operated by Belgium’s federal police and the Netherlands,

Authorities said no homes had been affected as of Sunday morning, though the fire remained close to residential areas and heavy smoke persisted. They urged people to stay away from the fire zone, warning that unnecessary traffic could obstruct emergency vehicles and complicate firefighting operations.

The fire follows weeks of unusually hot and dry weather. The High Fens’ mix of heathland and peat bogs has complicated efforts to contain the flames.

In the nearby town of Monschau, in Germany, local authorities warned overnight that the fire was about 3 kilometers (2 miles) from the border and said firefighters were on alert. Early Sunday morning, the town website recommended that people in three outlying districts near the border leave the area temporarily because officials couldn’t rule out health risks caused by smoke.

Belgium was hit by another spell of intense heat this week, with temperatures reaching about 37 C (98.6 F) in parts of the country Friday.

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Corbet reported from Paris. AP writer Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed.

“I’m going to tell you the truth. He told me he’s watching Kit.”

Mark Allen’s on-air remarks during S4C’s coverage of Connah’s Quay’s defeat to Welsh champions The New Saints back in March was the first time it was publicly mentioned.

Manchester United scout Tony Coton, an old friend of Allen’s from their days playing at Manchester City together, was allegedly in the crowd to watch a largely unknown Swansea City loanee.

“He’s competent in what he’s doing. He’s growing up, and every time I see him play, he’s growing up in front of me,” Allen added.

In all honesty, it was a claim that wasn’t necessarily taken very seriously by many, including by some insiders at Swansea.

Just a couple of months on, however, young Kit Margetson is preparing to embark on a new chapter at Old Trafford, one he hopes will lead to the very top for club and country.

Training in the back garden

Margetson, who leaves the Swans without making a single senior appearance for the club, shares what for many in Wales is an instantly recognisable surname.

His father Martyn was, for much of his son’s time in SA1, serving as a goalkeeper coach with Swansea’s senior side, having held similar roles with both Wales and England.

Martyn is now back with the Wales set-up under Craig Bellamy, and has predictably had a big hand in his son’s early development, particularly during the Covid lockdown, which in another life might have put the then 13-year-old’s progress on ice.

“Me and Kit have had some major run-ins,” Martyn laughs.

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“But I knew goalkeeping was going to come full circle. I knew it in lockdown.

“Goalkeepers were going to be needed to be able to play the ball third line, not just, you know, tippy-tappy stuff playing out from your six-yard box.

“During lockdown was when Kit started to evolve as a goalkeeper because obviously we couldn’t go into training.

“I couldn’t go into training with Swansea, so me and Kit, we just trained together every day.

“In that time then I said to him, ‘the game’s going to come full circle again, and you’re going to be able to need to be able to kick the ball in behind the back four’.

“So we spent a lot of time in lockdown practising his longer-range kicking.

“Lo and behold, it is evolving full circle, and last year I think he had five assists for Connah’s Quay.

“He’s now capable of seeing a situation he likes, and he hits the ball in behind. He’s able to do that as well as play the shorter game.

“When that starts happening and metrics are being hit by a young goalkeeper out on loan playing men’s football, then, you know, the big boys then, they get alerted to it.

“That’s basically what happened with Kit.”

Lockdown also coincided with a massive growth spurt for the teenager, who would later go on to enjoy guidance from some of the club’s more established shot-stoppers.

“He came down one day in lockdown and I looked at him and I thought, ‘Bloody hell’.

“I watched him walk through the door and I said, ‘Do me a favour, Kit’. I said, ‘Just go upstairs and put your school trousers on’.

“Honestly, he came down and his school trousers were above his ankles.

“There’s a bit of science behind it because a lot of kids in that lockdown period, because they were sleeping for so long – you didn’t have to wake them up to go to school, for example.

“A lot of them shot up in lockdown, and Kit was one of them.

“He was growing and growing and has obviously got up to 6ft 4 now.

“So he had the physical attributes, we just had to work on the tactical side of things.

“I’m really passionate about that, and I concentrated on that with him throughout the whole of lockdown.

“I have to say last season, Lawrence Vigouroux, Andy Fisher and Paul Farman (Swansea’s goalkeepers) were a huge part of Kit’s development as well because he trained with us every day.

“That for him was massive because then he was going to Connah’s Quay and playing.”

The spell that changed everything

Margetson’s move to Old Trafford comes despite him not playing a single minute of senior football at the Swans, with his only real taste of first-team football coming in the form of a season-long loan spell at Cymru Premier side Connah’s Quay, where he spent the final year of his Swans contract.

As head coach John Disney explains, it proved a pivotal step in his career.

Disney is, as it happens, friends with Kit’s older brother Ben, whom he heard raving about the young goalkeeper’s progress in the Swans academy set-up.

“Quite a lot of clubs were interested in him at the time,” Disney remembers. “I think there were a couple of bids turned down from Brighton and other clubs at the time.

“We needed a goalkeeper on loan. My remit was to try and get a young goalkeeper, so I went to watch him live.

“The first thing that impressed me massively was his distribution with his feet.

“He was unbelievable. He can play short, he can play long, which is a dying art, I think, in goalkeepers now, especially the younger ones.

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“A lot of them are told to play out. But away from the coaching element, he just had a really good presence about him.

“He’s obviously a tall lad and he holds his box really well.

“But he was playing in youth football at the time, and I was just excited to see what that would look like from the men’s game.

“When he first came into the building, obviously he was coming from a Championship club into a part-time Welsh club, but his respect for everyone around the place was impeccable, and that’s probably credit to him and his family.

“I always trusted Kit and always knew that we could get something out of him. I never thought it would ever end up in a move to Manchester United, I’ll be honest with you!”

The Wales call-up

As well as scouts from Man United, Wales are clearly keeping a keen eye on the youngster’s progress.

Having previously come through the age grades, Kit received his first call-up to the under-21s back in September, and won his first cap under Matty Jones in the 2-0 win over Belarus back in March.

Goalkeeper coach Alex Ramsay is reluctant to saddle the youngster with any sort of prediction over where his talents may take him, but has already been impressed by the 20-year-old’s attitude.

“There’s obviously no doubt that he has a high level of technical ability both in possession and from a goalkeeping perspective,” he said.

“But what really stood out to me is the way he carried himself as a character.

“He showed a real willingness to learn and contribute to the team and to the goalkeeping group in general throughout the camp.

“But I just think the way he carried himself from a personal perspective really stood out to me.”

Bellamy is also closely monitoring Kit’s progress, having brought him into an EFL training camp earlier in the summer.

“You learn a lot and you get a lot as well,” Bellamy said at the time.

“We’ve selected one or two we would like to see in certain areas that we’re going to need in the next few years. It’s been really good to get to see them and you always leave these type of weeks with a lot of optimism for the future. There are some really good young players coming through, so it’s great to be able to get to see them and for them to see us as well.”

A future Wales number one?

When it comes to assessing the next generation, a new batch of goalkeeping talent will be one of the more pronounced items on the collective wishlist.

Karl Darlow and Danny Ward look to be the two contenders right now, but at 35 and 33 respectively, it’s natural to wonder how many more years either of them will be able to offer.

Options beyond them are frankly rather thin right now, and it’s not implausible that youngsters like Kit will become subjects of keen interest.

“Craig has certain principles for what his goalkeepers have to be,” dad Martyn adds. “They have to be able to handle football with their feet, and Kit certainly fits that bill.

“So obviously Craig is delighted for Kit to get this move, like he is for any Welsh player given this opportunity.

“With respect to our current goalkeepers, as brilliant as I think they all are in what they’ve done in their careers, they’re all about 30.

“So there is an opportunity, you know, in the years ahead for a young one to try and establish themselves.

“But he’s only going to do that if he’s out playing games.”

Martyn believes a loan move away probably awaits, although the rigours of Premier League 2 and the UEFA Youth League will both prove valuable experiences.

Disney, meanwhile, has fully accepted the possibility of a loan move back to Connah’s Quay, but has no doubt Kit has all the attributes needed to one day play at the highest level.

“I think he’s got the full dynamic of what a footballer or goalkeeper needs to be a part of a Premier League squad,” he added.

“But any footballer needs a bit of luck, to stay injury-free and to have a breakthrough. They need an opportunity, somebody to back them and trust them.

“That doesn’t matter whatever level that’s at. We had to back and trust Kit as an 18, 19-year-old keeper.

“So I think it’s going to take a little bit of time. He’s going to have to make sure he earns his stripes in training every day at Manchester United, and then he’s obviously going to have to earn his stripes while getting a loan move where possible and really kick on.

“But as I said to my owner back in June of last year, I do think Kit Margetson will play for Wales, and he will be Wales’ number one someday.”

*Follow all of our social channels to ensure you stay up to date with the latest Swans news. Sign up to our daily newsletter here and our WhatsApp channel here. Our Swansea City correspondent Tom Coleman is also on social media. He can be found on his X account here, on Instagram, on TikTok and on Facebook.

He was told that misuse of the 999 line is a criminal offence

A young boy has been given “strong words of advice” after calling 999 when he was banned from his X-Box account. Earlier this week, police received a 999 call from an 11-year-old boy in Peterborough.

The boy was asking to be transferred through to Microsoft as he had been banned from his X-Box account. The call handler assumed that this may have been a cover story, and the boy was trying to communicate that he was actually in danger.

Using simple yes / no questions, and telling the boy to press 55 on the keypad if he was in danger but couldn’t talk out loud, the call handler was quickly able to establish that the boy was safe, and was genuinely calling to try and get back into his X-Box account,

The boy was given strong words of advice and told that misuse of the 999 line is a criminal offence. He was also told that he could face a maximum penalty of up to six months in prison or a fine of £5,000 for persistently misusing 999.

Policing Peterborough said: “These types of calls tie up our resources and divert crews away from real, potentially life-threatening incidents. Please help us keep our phone lines free for genuine emergencies by educating friends, family members, and children about the dangers and risks associated with hoax calling.”

A royal correspondent has shared a revealing story about Kate Middleton’s early confidence in her relationship with Prince William, recounting how she reportedly told people “he’s lucky to have me”

A royal author and correspondent has recounted a story that sheds new light on Kate Middleton from the earliest days of her relationship with Prince William.

William and Kate rank among Britain’s most celebrated couples, having begun their romance while studying together at St Andrews University before tying the knot in 2011, some 15 years ago.

Among the most memorable and widely recognised moments from that period was Kate’s appearance in a student fashion show, which William also attended.

Yet beyond that fashion show’s dramatisation in Netflix’s The Crown, considerable curiosity has grown around how much Kate has transformed since joining the Royal Family — most notably the remarkable confidence she has developed throughout her time in royal life.

Appearing on The Talking Royals podcast, Simon Vigar, one of the longest-serving royal correspondents in the UK for Channel 5, spoke with host Charlene White about his latest book, ‘The Four Wives of Windsor: The Inside Story of the Power Behind the Crown’.

During their conversation, Charlene pressed Simon on how he felt Kate had developed throughout her years within the Royal Family, prompting him to reflect on that celebrated fashion show.

He remembered: “One of my favourite stories from early on, there’s the famous fashion show at university with William saying, ‘Wow Fergus, Kate’s hot’, which is the famous one.

“But the less famous one, of course she was one of the few people not chasing William at university which made her all the more attractive, and when they finally did get together, people would say to her, ‘Well, you’re lucky to have him’ and of course her response was, ‘Well, he’s lucky to have me’.

“And there’s a confidence there that isn’t always obvious. You know, she didn’t, she found the early stages difficult in her royal career. She obviously didn’t have the training that Meghan [Markle] had in terms of media and just excepting it.”

Simon’s comments regarding Kate came to light following reports that the Princess may accompany her husband on an overseas visit, one centred on the couple’s shared commitment to environmental issues and the planet’s future.

This represents an area where William has invested considerable energy, particularly through his Earthshot Prize, established in 2020, which aims to identify solutions to ensure our planet remains sustainable for generations to come.

Reports suggest that Kate may accompany William to the forthcoming ceremony scheduled for November in India. Russell Myers, Royal Editor for the Mirror, said: “The secret to the Prince and Princess of Wales’ marriage is support for one another throughout their roles as working royals and as parents to their three young children.

“Everything they do is in tandem and this includes Catherine being the catalyst for William launching the Earthshot Prize, when he doubted it could become the global success it has.”

Fresh attention has turned to the Earthshot Prize as Europe and the UK endure another prolonged heatwave and an extended spell without rainfall that has left the nation’s parks parched.

Shane Richie and his wife Christie Goddard have officially divorced after 19 years of marriage, according to reports. 

Their divorce was said to have been finalised on July 23 – just six days before the actor, 62, had a row with petrol station staff when he was challenged at the Tesco petrol station in Harlow, Essex, after he was seen vaping. 

After police attended the scene, Shane was charged with drink-driving and is set to appear in court next month. 

The split was said to have been prompted by Christie, 47, getting ‘fed-up with his spiralling behaviour’. 

‘Christie was at the end of her tether with Shane and had had enough. The divorce was her decision and she pursued it after talking it through with relatives. She had put up with a lot over the years and has had a really hard time of things lately,’ a source told The Sun. 

‘There was not one specific incident that led to the end, but a build-up of things. She got fed up with his behaviour and did not take the decision lightly.

‘There is a feeling he has been working hard and playing hard and that his behaviour has spiralled a bit.’

There had been reported questions over their marriage after it was previously claimed that Christie was terminated as director of their joint company Bluebelle Skye Productions in June so now has no control over the business empire they have run together since 2017.

The source added Christie hasn’t kicked him out of their £2million family home and that her main concern is their three children. 

They claimed she was ‘shocked’ by Shane’s drink-drive arrest and hopes it will be a ‘wake-up call’ for the actor. 

Shane was challenged after he was seen vaping at the Tesco petrol station in Harlow, Essex on July 29.

Footage of the incident, which unfolded just after 11pm, saw the actor being told he could not smoke on the premises.

Brandishing the vape, he replied: ‘It’s not smoking.’ Upon realising he was being filmed, the EastEnders star then claimed: ‘This is not a vape.’

After staff told him the vape ‘is a risk’, the actor, while reaching back inside his car and with his back to the employee, said: ‘I don’t give a f***.’

As the manager of the petrol station phoned police, claiming Richie was being ‘aggressive’, the TV soap star told the man filming: ‘Someone’s coming to change my tyre.’

Their divorce was said to have been finalised on July 23 – just six days before the actor, 62, had a row with petrol station staff when he was challenged at a Tesco petrol station 

Shane, who plays Alfie Moon on EastEnders, and Christie married in 2007, after meeting in 2001 (pictured 2005) 

Police were later seen arriving at the forecourt.

He was arrested and later charged with drink-driving. He is set to appear in court next month. 

It is a criminal offence to smoke a cigarette at a petrol station due to the danger posed by sparks in the proximity of fuel, which is highly flammable.

It is not a specific offence to vape on forecourts, but petrol station companies strictly prohibit it over concerns about the same risk.

Shane, who plays Alfie Moon on EastEnders, and Christie married in 2007, after meeting in 2001. 

They met by chance after heading to a local pub while he was doing panto in Wimbledon, London. 

Shane sweetly revealed that he knew it was love at first sight as he exclaimed upon meeting Christie: ‘I’ve just met my future wife!’ during his appearance on I’m A Celebrity. 

Discussing their happiest moments with his campmates, the actor recalled: ‘I remember the moment, I was doing Panto in Wimbledon, I came off stage, my mate said to me, “We’re going across the road to the pub.”

‘Walked in, there was four or five people, she said, “Come and say hello to some friends”.

‘She went, “Shane this is Christie, Christie this is Shane.” At the moment I went, “I’ve just met my future wife”.’

Christie has also previously recalled the moment she met Shane, as she told the Standard: ‘I first met him when he was in Jack and the Beanstalk in Wimbledon. I was in Cinderella in Croydon.

‘A friend took me to meet him and there he was all in green tights and a little green suit.’

He was previously married to Loose Women star Coleen Nolan from 1990 to 1999. They share son Shane, 37 (pictured 1997) 

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Shane has had a complicated past with his relationships and was previously married to Loose Women star Coleen Nolan from 1990 to 1999. They share son Shane, 37.

Shane was unfaithful to Coleen during the marriage.

In 1996 Shane had an affair with dancer Claire Tyler while married to Coleen, and admitted his deception in his 2003 autobiography Rags To Richie: The Story So Far.  

Shane once confessed: ‘I lost my first wife through my drinking. A bottle of Jack Daniel’s and I was off.’ 

Shane is best known for his EastEnders role, having appeared on the soap for multiple stints since 2002, and his character has currently been part of the line-up since 2022.

He portrayed Alfie Moon again in a six-part spin-off Redwater in 2017.

The Daily Mail has contacted Shane’s representative for comment. 

The summer window is stepping up as Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham all work on more signings before the deadline. Arsenal are said to be plotting a shock bid for Jack Hinshelwood as they continue to chase England duo Ezri Konsa and Jarell Quansah, while Victor Osimhen could yet become Mikel Arteta’s statement attacking signing as the Gunners also remain in the race for Julian Alvarez.

By ROSIE GREEN, ASSISTANT EDITOR (BEAUTY)

Updated: 08:17 BST, 16 August 2026

South Wales Police are at the scene of an incident at Gabalfa Interchange.

A statement read: “The A48 is currently closed in both directions .

“Gabalfa Interchange is closed inbound and outbound from The Aneurin Bevan to St Mark’s Church.

“Please avoid the area and use alternative routes where possible.

“Thank you for your patience.”