The Fern & Ivy is offering more than cocktails and coffees. It’s also part of a successful Rhondda charity helping communities

Another brand new venue to eat and drink is opening in the heart of bustling valleys town, Treorchy – but this time the profits from your lunchtime coffee or Sunday roast will be reinvested back into the community.

New Rhondda restaurant and cocktail bar, Fern & Ivy will be opening this bank holiday weekend and is being run by The Fern Partnership – a social enterprise where profits will be reinvested directly into supporting children, families and communities across the Rhondda.

The restaurant has already had fundraising, private and charity events over the summer, but the public will now be able to book a table for evening meals, come in for coffees, cakes and lunches, or enjoy a brunch. For the latest restaurant news and reviews, sign up to our food and drink newsletter here

Menu items range from charcuterie boards to braised brisket and burgers, plus a range of toasties, jacket potatoes and sweet treats.

Michelle Coburn-Hughes is founder and CEO of The Fern Partnership, formed in 2008 as The Friends of Ferndale. The organisation, which gained charity status in 2016, was formed to enhance provision for pupils and offer services and support for the local community.

Michelle says that the new Treorchy venue, found in the former home of a car parts shop, is likely the first of its kind in the area, with every profit reinvested into transforming communities, tackling poverty, supporting education and creating brighter futures for children, young people and families.

Profits will help The Fern Partnership support children living in poverty, families facing hardship, holiday hunger programmes, education and training initiatives, employability opportunities and wider community projects.

She said; “This project has taken two and a half years of blood, sweat and tears. There were times when expected funding fell through, unexpected costs mounted and I questioned whether we would ever get there. But I never gave up because I believed our community deserved something truly special.

“I wanted to create a beautiful restaurant and cocktail bar that people would be proud to call their own – somewhere that wouldn’t look out of place in Cardiff or London, yet sits proudly in the heart of Treorchy.”

The interior of the unit on the high street has been completely transformed into an “elegant destination where people can enjoy exceptional food, handcrafted cocktails and a welcoming atmosphere,” she added.

“This isn’t just about serving great food and drinks,” Michelle said. “Every meal, every coffee and every cocktail purchased helps us make a difference to someone’s life. That’s what makes The Fern & Ivy so different.”

With an experienced background in creating opportunities through education, training, employability and community development, Michelle hopes The Fern & Ivy will be a sustainable and long-term venture that will continue to reinvest in the community.

“We haven’t built this just to open another restaurant and cocktail bar. We’ve built it to create opportunities, tackle poverty, support families and give something back to the community that has given so much to us,” she said. “If people choose to support The Fern & Ivy, they’re not simply buying a meal or enjoying a cocktail. They’re investing in local children, local families and the future of our communities.

“We’ve poured our hearts into creating something truly special for Treorchy. Now we hope our community will help it flourish.”

The Fern & Ivy opens on High Street, Treorchy, on Friday, August 28.

Davina McCall has revealed how she was privately supported by comedian Peter Kay after being diagnosed with a brain tumour and breast cancer.

The TV presenter, 58, had surgery to remove the benign (non-cancerous) tumour in 2024, before being diagnosed with breast cancer the following year.

As Davina battled the double bout of bad news, she revealed she found an unlikely champion in Peter, who she was not friends with prior to her illnesses.

While in hospital undergoing treatment on the brain tumour, she told how she received an unexpected phone call from Peter, 53, to offer his help.

Davina said: ‘Do you know who really helped me, actually, and it was really strange. Peter Kay. He called me when I was in hospital with my brain tumour.

‘I really don’t know him that well but he was unbelievably supportive.’

Davina pictured with Peter Kay (right) in 2005 (centre Paul McCartney)

Davina continued by revealing that he stayed by her side after receiving the news about her breast cancer, and said: ‘When I had my breast cancer diagnosis he just talked me through what to do. 

‘He said: “What do you want to do? How do you feel about it?” And he said: “I think you know what you want to do”. And I was like: “Yeah I want to talk about it.”

Davina, who spoke about her friendship with Peter while receiving the Outstanding Achievement Award at the Edinburgh TV Festival, also reflected on how her husband Michael Douglas was also a pillar of strength at that time.

Davina explained how the breast cancer ‘brought them back together’, because the brain tumour had pushed them apart due to the loss of her short term memory.

She said: ‘At the end of brain-tumour-gate, cancer brought us together. The tumour pushed us apart because I had no short term memory – I was over here trying to get better and he was over worrying if I was ever going to come back.

‘But cancer smushed us back together in such a weird way, it was just a beautiful way for us to just reconnect and rebond.

‘I was almost grateful for that experience, and I caught it early so I did make a full recovery but there was something about it that we needed.’

As Davina battled the double bout of bad news, she revealed she found an unlikely champion in Peter, who she was not friends with prior to her illnesses

Davina and Michael wed back in December at Marylebone Town Hall with just close friends and family present.

The pair’s first wedding came just weeks after Davina revealed she’d been diagnosed with breast cancer, and underwent surgery to remove a lump.

The TV star revealed her breast cancer diagnosis to her fans last year, though she noted she had detected it early after noticing a lump and getting it checked, leading to a successful lumpectomy.

She recently confirmed she completed her course of preventative radiotherapy and became emotional about the treatment coming to an end.

Whilst she is not retiring anytime soon, Davina has revealed she is stepping back from full-time work after her breast cancer diagnosis served as a stark wake-up call.

She described the overhaul as essential after facing two major health scares in quick succession – a rare brain tumour in 2024, followed by cancer.

Speaking candidly on the Miss Me? podcast, the Masked Singer judge admitted the double health blow had forced her to confront a lifetime of running from change and overworking.

Davina and Michael wed back in December at Marylebone Town Hall with just close friends and family present

Davina explained that while her brain tumour had initially prompted reflection about reducing stress, it was the subsequent breast cancer diagnosis that truly forced her hand.

‘I had an amazing breakthrough when I got clean in the early nineties,’ she said, referring to her heroin and alcohol addiction in her twenties.

‘I had another huge breakthrough after I had my brain tumour removed. I realised that I needed to de-stress my life.

‘Interestingly, I realised that – but then the breast cancer, which I thought was a very, very frightening thing, made me realise that I really, really had to put that into place. And I have now.’

Heavy rain and thunderstorms may lead to some disruption

The Met Office has issued an overnight weather warning for parts of Northern Ireland.

A yellow warning for thunderstorms is now in effect tonight, Thursday, August 27 until 6am on Friday morning, August 28 affecting three counties.

The forecaster said: ” Heavy rain and thunderstorms may lead to some disruption”.

The Met Office added: “Heavy rain and thunderstorms will move over eastern Northern Ireland during the evening and overnight with a chance of some hail. Heavy rain may lead to some surface water flooding in prone areas. 20-30 mm of rain in 3-6 hours is possible.”

The warning appilies to counties Antrim, Armagh and Down.

As for what to expect during the yellow weather warning, the Met Office has issued some details.

They said:

• Some flooding of a few homes and businesses possible, leading to some damage to buildings or structures
• There is a good chance driving conditions will be affected by spray, standing water and/or hail, leading to longer journey times by car and bus
• Some short-term loss of power and other services is possible
• Possible some damage to a few buildings and structures from lightning strikes
• Delays to train services are possible

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

ATLANTA (AP) — Good Good Golf lost its partnership with Callaway on Thursday and no longer will be title sponsor of a PGA Tour event in November as the fallout continued over a video for a new Callaway driver that showed a man shoving a woman to the ground who was trying to touch the golf club.

Good Good, among the most popular in the YouTube Golf space, has said the video was meant to be a spinoff from the movie, “Obsession.” But the criticism was immediate and relentless, and the pressure began mounting by the day.

The video was deleted the same day it was posted on Aug. 20, but it continued to make the rounds on social media and apologies from Good Good and Callaway had little effect.

“We were disappointed with what we saw,” PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said Tuesday of the response from Good Good. He said its role as a title sponsor was a “fluid situation.”

“We agree with their decision to use this time to focus on their organization and the work ahead,” the tour said in a statement Thursday. “The PGA Tour believes in golf’s ability to bring people together and create a welcoming environment for all.”

The tournament already was changed on the PGA Tour’s website to “Austin Championship.”

Golf Channel postponed a Good Good reality show Wednesday because a sponsor, reported to be Galaxy Golf, wanted its brand scrubbed from the telecast. Dick’s Sporting Goods removed the apparel from its stories. And then Callaway said it was ending the three-year sponsorship.

The PGA Tour confirmed Good Good said it would pull out as title sponsor of the new Nov. 12-15 tournament in Austin, Texas. The tour said the tournament still would be played.

“After thoughtful discussions with the PGA Tour and careful reflection, we have decided to step away as sponsor of the tour event in Austin this fall,” Good Good said in a social media post. “We recognize that we have work to do as an organization, and our focus right now is on our team, our culture and ensuring we will learn from this situation.”

In the 60-second video for Callaway’s new driver co-branded with Good Good, Garrett Clark shoves Alexis Miestowski to the ground as she reaches for the driver. As she is on the ground he leans over tells her, “Do not touch my new driver.”

Clark and Miestowski work for Good Good.

The video was pulled the night it was posted, and it was followed by apologies by Good Good Golf and Callaway Golf the next day. But then Callaway added another layer of apologies, this one from CEO Chip Brewer, who conceded that while Good Good produced the video, Callaway approved it before it was posted.

Brewer said the approval never should have happened and the company would investigate.

Callaway posted to its social media channels on Thursday that it has ended its relationship with Good Good effective immediately; has taken “appropriate internal corrective actions” and strengthened approval procedures to avoid another mistake; and has committed $1 million to support organizations working to prevent violence against women.

“These actions do not undo the harm caused or excuse our role in it,” the statement said. “We sincerely apologize to everyone who was hurt, disappointed, or offended by this incident.”

Good Good Golf was launched as a YouTube channel in 2020 and now is among the largest content creators in the sport, featuring eight men and four women competing in golf and various challenges. It has made-for-TV shows, apparel and other merchandise.

Clark, the Good Good founder, posted a rambling, eight-minute video Wednesday evening in which he called it “the worst ad known to man” and the reaction to the ad was “not what we stand for.”

“I do not support DV (domestic violence) or abuse or any of that of any kind,” he said.

The PGA Tour has embraced such content creators over the last several years, even staging exhibitions during the week of The Players Championship and Tour Championship.

___

See AP’s full golf coverage here

By DAVID OLASEINDE

Published: 20:55 BST, 27 August 2026 | Updated: 23:29 BST, 27 August 2026

This is the moment an Audi travelling on the wrong side of the road collided head-on with another car in a devastating crash. 

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, with the driver of the other car sustaining serious but not life-threatening injuries.

Police saw the black Audi A3 speed away from them before the accident and later found the wreckage of the car after it smashed through a brick wall.

The collision occurred at around 2:18pm in Southampton, Hampshire, on Shirley Road, at the junction between Waterloo Road and Roberts Road.

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A large police presence was seen at the scene with a cordon being put in place.

One person who witnessed the crash said: ‘The sound was absolutely horrendous.

‘I’ve never seen anything like it in all my years living here.’

An 83-year-old woman said: ‘If those cars had gone any further, my neighbour’s flat would’ve gone.

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The Corsa driver suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries, while an Audi occupant sustained minor injuries

A black Audi A3 allegedly drove on the wrong side of the road in Southampton before colliding head-on with a Vauxhall Corsa

Two men were arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. A large police cordon was put in place at the scene

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‘Have they got no sense? After the news the other day about what happens when you drive on the wrong side of the road.’

A spokesperson for Hampshire Police said: ‘At about 2.20pm officers spotted a black Audi A3 in Blechynden Terrace which was then quickly driven away.

‘Officers then came across the vehicle again at the junction of Shirley Road, Roberts Road and Waterloo Road, after it had collided with a Vauxhall Corsa.

‘The driver of the Corsa sustained serious but not life-threatening injuries, while one occupant of the Audi sustained minor injuries.

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‘Two men have been arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.’

By LAWRENCE BOOTH, CRICKET CORRESPONDENT

Published: 20:37 BST, 27 August 2026 | Updated: 23:20 BST, 27 August 2026

Thunderstorm warning has been extended to midnight on Thursday, August 27

A weather alert for thunderstorms as been extended by the Met Office as heavy rain continues to batter parts of Greater Manchester.

The yellow warning for thunderstorms was initially issued from 3am to 10pm on Wednesday (August 26), across much of England including London and the South East, the Midlands, East Anglia, and parts of the North West, South West, as well as eastern parts of Wales. It also covers parts of Greater Manchester, including Stockport, Oldham and Tameside.

The warning has since been extended, with forecasters predicting the storms to continue until midnight tonight (August 27).

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They have advised for those in affected areas to expect a chance of delays and cancellations to train and bus services where flooding occurs, spray and sudden flooding which could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures, and potential power cuts.

Providing further detail on their website, the Met Office said: “A broad band of thunderstorms and heavy rain will move north across England and Wales on Thursday, perhaps becoming slow moving at times. Accumulations of 20-30 mm in an hour is possible locally, while 30 to 40 mm can be expected fairly widely and up to 50 mm in a 12 hour period in places.

“There is a small chance that some places may see more than 50 mm in three hours and more than 75 mm through 12 hours. Lightning and large hail will also be hazards.”

Forecasters have provided advice for those worried about the weather conditions. On their website they penned: “Consider if your location is at risk of flash flooding. If so, consider preparing a flood plan and an emergency flood kit.

“Give yourself the best chance of avoiding delays by checking road conditions if driving, or bus and train timetables, amending your travel plans if necessary.”

The weather service said there is a “small chance of fast-flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life”. It added there was also a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.

Met Office Chief Forecaster Steve Willington said: “On Thursday, slow-moving heavy and thundery rain may bring prolonged rainfall to some areas, increasing the risk of localised impacts.

“There remains some uncertainty around where the heaviest rain will fall, so it is important to keep up to date with the latest forecast and warnings.”