When The Great British Bake Off returns for its 17th series this autumn, viewers will be greeted by a new judge – Nigella Lawson. There are connections between Lawson’s domestic goddess persona and the world of Bake Off, which make her a logical choice for the show’s new judge.

For more than two decades, Lawson has occupied a distinctive place in British food culture. Since the publication of How to Be a Domestic Goddess (2000), she has cultivated a tongue-in-cheek persona that reimagined domestic labour for the noughties generation.

The title of Lawson’s cookbook was deliberately provocative. At a time when domesticity was often framed as something women should escape, Lawson embraced and reinvented its language. Her domestic goddess persona was neither the dutiful housewife nor the professional celebrity chef. Instead, she offered a mode of culinary femininity that was sensual, confessional and self-consciously performative.

As I argue in my new book, Women, Food, Performance: The Tyranny of the Domestic Goddess, the persona Lawson popularised remains a defining cultural figure through which the fantasies and contradictions of food, femininity and domesticity are performed and negotiated.

Cooking, in Lawson’s world, is less about obligation than pleasure, transforming the kitchen into a space of self-expression.

This is where the first alignment with Bake Off emerges. Although framed as a competition, the programme has become a key stage for telling stories about family, heritage, local identity and nationhood, generating powerful narratives of togetherness and belonging.

Since 2010, Bake Off has helped revive interest in home baking in Britain, positioning baking as a meaningful social and cultural practice. Audiences invest in contestants’ journeys and discuss weekly challenges and disasters. It not only represents community through baking but also actively produces it through shared spectatorship.

Who can be a ‘star’ baker?

A second alignment lies in their shared celebration of amateurism.

Lawson has always identified as a home cook rather than a professional chef. Through autobiographical storytelling and stylised television aesthetics, she celebrates everyday pleasures and amateur culinary creativity, inviting audiences into an aspirational yet accessible world.

Similarly, Bake Off emphasises encouragement, camaraderie and amateur expertise. Contestants are valued not only for their technical skill but also for qualities associated with home baking: patience, generosity and care. The programme’s enduring appeal rests on the idea that ordinary people can create extraordinary things, a vision central to Lawson’s construction of the amateur cook.

Yet, despite its reputation for kindness and camaraderie, Bake Off is also a place where particular baking identities are produced, judged and legitimised. Contestants perform their skills before judges whose authority rests on established ideals of expertise, tradition and taste.

Women contestants have frequently faced scrutiny of their appearance, competence and emotions. This was reflected in the experiences of former contestants Ruby Tandoh and Nadiya Hussain, who have spoken publicly about sexism, racism and the heightened scrutiny surrounding their participation in the programme. The tent, then, is not simply a celebration of baking but a space where the figure of the star baker, and who gets to embody it, is continually negotiated.

Lawson’s presence brings these questions into sharper focus. Through television, cookery writing and the domestic goddess persona, she has spent over 25 years shaping understandings of food and femininity. Her significance lies in her ability to connect food to the intimate textures of everyday life. She does this by using cooking to organise and aestheticise the messy realities of pleasure, care, family and domesticity into a coherent and aspirational way of living.

Tongue-in-cheek cooking

Perhaps the strongest connection between Lawson and Bake Off is their investment in domestic fantasy. Neither presents baking as an obligatory feminine duty. Instead, they turn it into a pleasurable performance, inviting audiences to enjoy idealised visions of home, tradition and community while recognising their artifice.

Their shared irony lies in presenting baking as both sincere and self-conscious. It is a source of genuine comfort and connection, but also a carefully staged cultural performance. This sensibility can be seen in their similar use of humour and innuendo. Whether through Lawson’s flirtatious descriptions of food or Bake Off’s famous “soggy bottoms”, both cultivate an affectionate, self-aware approach to domesticity that prevents baking from becoming too earnest or moralising.

Twenty-six years after How to Be a Domestic Goddess, the “domestic goddess” figure that Lawson popularised continues to resonate because it captures a persistent cultural contradiction. Domesticity remains a powerful source of pleasure and creativity even as its relationship to gender remains contested. Both Lawson and Bake Off thrive by inhabiting this tension, inviting us to enjoy the comforts of home and tradition while acknowledging that they are also cultural performances.

Lawson remains influential because she embodies a form of femininity that is modern and traditional, glamorous and domestic, privileged and somehow also ordinary. Her arrival in the Bake Off tent speaks to her ability to make a highly classed and culturally privileged version of British femininity feel warm, intimate and attainable.

Beneath the cakes, bunting and good humour lies an ongoing negotiation over who gets to represent culinary culture, what expertise matters and how domestic life is valued, desired and performed.

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Lena Dunham, creator of the hit TV series Girls, has welcomed her first child with husband Luis Felber via a surrogate.

The writer and actress announced the birth of her daughter in an op-ed published by Vogue on Wednesday, where she wrote she was “bashful and dizzy with joy”.

Dunham, 40, has spoken publicly about her struggles with fertility and chronic illness, and grief around her dreams of motherhood after undergoing a hysterectomy when she was 31 years old.

Of meeting her surrogate, she wrote in Vogue: “While I’ve been known to make friends quickly – airport terminals, veterinary offices – ​this was the quickest leap from first coffee to gynecological procedure I’d ever done.”

In the op-ed, Dunham wrote about the moment she met her daughter, who she said announced herself “13 days late, in the face of a solar eclipse and a meteor shower”.

“I sat on a hospital bed, between the legs of a woman I hadn’t known a year ago, waiting for a glimpse of this person who I had been waiting for with something related to patience, but also none at all,” she wrote.

“I forgot to look down until I heard our baby’s cry. I saw her face, gasping just as she did. Her eyes, wide and unfocused, taking in the light and shadow, blinking rapidly.”

Dunham has written extensively about her experience with endometriosis and its impact on her plans to have a family.

“The moment I lost my fertility, I started searching for a baby,” she said in her memoir Famesick, which was published in April 2026.

Detailing the gruelling process of extracting her eggs during the pandemic, Dunham said would lie on her couch “one day obsessed with adoption and another, dying to locate a surrogate – one day sure I’d be fine if I never had children, and the next convinced my life had been a waste”.

Years later, in June 2025, Dunham told the Times that she and Felber were “in the process of expanding our family in new ways”, but refused to be drawn on how.

“I want to safely meet our children and then figure out how to talk about it,” she told the paper.

In an earlier essay for Harper’s Magazine, in 2020, the writer said it is ironic that “knowing I cannot have a child – my ability to accept that and move on – may be the only reason I deserve to be anyone’s parent at all. I think I finally have something to teach somebody.”

The Go Well Trail is designed to encourage people of all ages to get active in South Park through a smartphone-led experience.

Participants will follow a route guided by QR codes, answering questions and learning new facts to earn points.

Matt Roche, cabinet member for health and housing at Darlington Borough Council, said: “This trail is a really fun way to get people who already use the park, and new visitors, to move more and enjoy their surroundings.

“One of our ambitions laid out in the Council Plan is to help our residents live well and stay healthy and initiatives like this really help achieve that goal.”

People can take part alone, with friends and family, or through a school, community group or organisation.

Each group will appear as a registration option, allowing members to contribute to a team score while competing individually.

Mr Roche said: “The trails are suitable for all ages and I love the idea that community groups can personalise their own trails and make a really unique activity for their members.”

Schools and community groups are also being invited to create their own personalised trails by submitting questions for members to answer.

The YMCA-backed scheme runs from September 19 to November 14.

If it proves successful, the trail could be introduced in other parks across the town.

To register, people can scan one of the QR codes displayed on posters around the park, or visit the South Park page on the Darlington Borough Council Website. 

Alternatively, Community groups can get involved by emailing Marti Gray (Marti.Gray@darlington.gov.uk) or Sean O’Connell (Sean.O’Connell@darlington.gov.uk).

A Brazilian influencer has died at age 22, just weeks after she had breast reduction surgery.

Duda Alves, whose real name is Maria Eduarda Alves, had racked up more than 762,000 followers on TikTok by sharing comedic videos venting about everything that annoyed her, and had become known online as ‘the girl who hates everything.’

Fellow TikTok star Clarissa Pavie confirmed her death by sharing an emotional tribute on Sunday.

‘What hurts me the most is knowing that you’ll never read this, but I’m comforted knowing that it’s from the heart,’ she wrote, alongside an array of photos of them together.

‘I have never lost a friend before, [let alone] one of my best friends. Some know her as the little girl who hates everything and everyone. Well, for me it’s different.

‘For those who never had a chance to meet Duda for real, I’m sorry! She wasn’t just light, she was a calm authenticity, with a hint of acid humor. Made in God’s perfect measures and proportions.’

Pavie went on to brand Alves as the ‘most fair and kind person she ever met.’

‘Her inner beauty was so extravagant,’ Pavie continued. ‘What a privilege it was to have been your friend in this life. 

Alves, whose real name is Maria Eduarda Alves, had racked up more than 762,000 followers on TikTok by sharing comedic videos venting about everything that annoyed her, and had become known online as ‘the girl who hates everything’

‘What a privilege it was to be able to share a few years of my life by your side, to follow your phases, your evolution and to be able to accumulate so many beautiful memories that will be eternal, just like you. 

‘Thank you for changing my life and holding me when I needed you. Eternally your baby girl. I love you forever and ever.’ 

Weeks before her passing, Alves posted about undergoing breast reduction surgery.

According to The Sun, local police are investigating her death but ‘authorities have not established any link between the procedure and her death,’ the outlet said.

An official cause of death has not yet been revealed. 

Her last video was shared on September 10 and featured her discussing some of the negative comments she received after the procedure.

It comes weeks after fellow Brazilian influencer Marta Kelly died at age 33 following massive cosmetic surgery.

Kelly had gained over 500,000 followers across her TikTok and Instagram accounts, where she often shared fashion-based content and documented her life as a mom-of-three. 

According to The Sun, local police are investigating her death but ‘authorities have not established any link between the procedure and her death,’ the outlet said

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Fellow TikTok star Clarissa Pavie confirmed her death by sharing an emotional tribute on Sunday, branding her friend the ‘most fair and kind person she ever met’

Her husband, Marcus Vinicius, shared the news of her tragic death in an Instagram post in late August.

In a lengthy message, Vinicius said that Kelly had ‘lost the battle’ after ‘fighting until the last moment with all the strength she had.’

‘Yeah, people… WE HAVE LOST THE BATTLE,’ he wrote in Portuguese.

‘Still very hard to write these words. I don’t think any sentence could explain the amount of pain I’m feeling right now.

‘Marta was the love of my life. My best friend, my partner, the best wife I could ever ask for and a great mother to our kids.

‘She fought until the last moment. She fought with all the strength she had.’

Vinicius did not share details surrounding the circumstances of Kelly’s passing and her cause of death has not been revealed.

According to reports, she had a ‘three-in-one’ procedure on August 12, which included liposuction, breast implants and a tummy tuck.

She was reportedly discharged one day after the surgery but returned to the hospital on August 14 when she started feeling sick; she died on August 17.

Lawyers for Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs are seeking to be relieved as counsel for the incarcerated music mogul in his defamation case against multiple parties, alleging the rapper has failed to render payment for six months.  

In court documents obtained by The Daily Mail, the law firm Sher Tremonte LLP filed a motion requesting for leave to withdraw as Combs’s counsel in his lawsuit against Courtney Burgess, Ariel Mitchell, and NewsNation’s parent company Nexstar Media Inc. 

Attorney Michael Tremonte, a partner at the law firm, alleged Combs is in ‘substantial arrears in paying’ for their work and has made representation ‘unreasonably difficult’ due to his ‘lack of cooperation.’

Tremonte has asked that the court ‘grant the instant motion to withdraw’ as lawyers for Combs.

Through a representative, Combs said he was changing lawyers after being overcharged by the firm – a claim Tremonte called ‘simply false.’ 

‘Mr. Combs is in substantial arrears in paying Sher Tremonte’s legal fees,’ the attorney wrote wrote in legal documents seeking withdrawal. ‘For many months, while Sher Tremonte has been rendering legal services, Mr. Combs has not remitted any payment for the substantial balance of attorney’s fees, costs, and expenses incurred.’

Tremonte said the rapper has not paid the firm for services ‘for over six months,’ causing an ‘unreasonable financial burden’ due to the ‘magnitude of past due balances’ and ‘volume of work.’

Further, the attorney claims they have had a ‘total breakdown in cooperation and communication’ with Diddy, 

‘In addition to Mr. Combs’s refusal to pay… Mr. Combs has declined to make himself available for timely, substantive, and direct communications about his cases for over four months,’ Tremonte wrote in legal docs. 

The Daily Mail has reached out to a representative for Combs and his lawyer for comment. 

A representative for Diddy responded to the claims with a quote from the rapper, who is currently behind bars after he was convicted on two prostitution charges last year. 

‘I made the decision to switch lawyers because I won’t let anyone take advantage of me by overcharging me and running up bills that were never approved,’ Diddy, through his representative Juda Engelmayer, said in a statement provided to The Daily Mail. 

‘This is strictly a business matter, and any talk about unpaid fees is just part of our dispute over those unapproved charges,’ he added. 

Engelmayer, on behalf of Diddy’s lawyer Jonathan Davis, further added:  ‘Jonathan Davis, Mr. Combs’s civil litigator for 33 years, has been representing him and his companies in lawsuits in multiple states since his arrest in 2024, and has encountered no resistance from the client in defending him. 

Attorney Michael Tremonte, a partner at the law firm Sher Tremonte LLP, claimed the rapper had filed to pay them for their legal services for six months. Above, in 2016

Through a representative, Combs told The Daily Mail he was changing lawyers after being overcharged by the firm – a claim Tremonte called ‘simply false’

‘The complications of representing an incarcerated client are always difficult, but never insurmountable. Mr. Davis said that he “continues to defend Mr. Combs undaunted because he is confident the truth will be exposed” and that his client will be vindicated.’ 

Engelmayer followed up with: ‘At the appropriate time, Jonathan Davis and his firm will be represent Mr. Combs in his libel suit against NewsNation.’ 

Tremonte denied Combs’s claims in a statement to The Daily Mail.  

‘We represented Mr. Combs zealously and very efficiently under challenging circumstances. 

‘As stated in our court filings, we are withdrawing from representing him because he has not paid his long-overdue invoices and has become uncooperative. Any suggestion that we overcharged him is simply false.’ 

Diddy is currently serving a lengthy prison sentence following a widely publicized trial last year.  

A jury found Diddy guilty of two counts of transporting prostitutes across state lines for the purpose of sex at his 2025 federal trial. He was acquitted by the jury on the more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking.

A judge sentenced the rapper to four years and two months in prison as the sentence began in October 2025.

Diddy’s release date has moved a number of times since he started serving his 50-month sentence, after his conviction on two prostitution charges back in October 2025.

He was originally set to be released in the summer before the date moved up to April, then February, then January and now back to February.

It was revealed on Tuesday that JJ Gabriel wants to leave Man United and Michael Carrick was asked to give his thoughts on the situation after the defeat to Brighton.

Michael Carrick said “the situation is what it is” when asked to give his thoughts on the news JJ Gabriel wants to leave Old Trafford.

It was revealed on Tuesday that teenage sensation Gabriel had decided he wanted out of the club. Gabriel looked set to become United’s youngest ever debutant with the Carabao Cup third round earmarked as a chance for a possible debut, but those plans were scrapped when it became apparent he wanted to leave the club.

United are understood to be fearful that Gabriel could walk away from the club on his 16th birthday next month. There are concerns that United will not be able to stop Gabriel from leaving on October 6 and signing for an overseas club, using his Irish passport to circumvent rules that normally afford United greater protection.

Carrick was asked about the situation after his side’s dire 3-2 loss to Brighton. “We have to be a little bit careful on that one. He’s a 15-year-old boy. It’s more about the welfare, the care and the attention of JJ as a child really,” Carrick told Sky Sports. “He’s certainly a young man. The situation is what it is, but we have to be a little bit careful about the exposure and how we jump on that.”

One youngster who was handed a chance against Brighton was Shea Lacey. The 19-year-old scored his first competitive goal for United, opening the scoring with a neat left-footed effort, but even after Mason Mount added a second United were unable to progress to the next round of the Carabao Cup.

Nevertheless, Carrick was delighted with Lacey’s showing. “I couldn’t expect any more from Shea as a younger player starting the game. That’s what he’s good at, that’s what he’s done all the way through the age groups,” he said.

“I’ve seen it so many times, so for him to come onto the stage and do that is a big plus. It was a great moment at that time of the game and I thought his performance in general was pretty good. He can be pleased with his night. It’s a big night for him, and his performance and his goal is a big plus for him.”

The fight against dementia must be pursued with the same vigour that turned the tide on cancer, Baroness Louise Casey has told the Daily Mail.

Lady Casey, chair of the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care, called on ministers to make dementia ‘Britain’s next great national mission – just as cancer was for previous generations’.

Her intervention comes as a new report by Alzheimer’ Society and The King’s Fund think tank warns dementia care in England remains ‘stuck in the last century’ and is in need of a radical overhaul.

Huge leaps in cancer survival over the past 50 years give policymakers the ‘blueprint’ for tackling dementia but a rapidly ageing population and soaring cases make change more urgent, it adds.

Lady Casey and Professor Sir Mike Richards, the former national cancer tsar, will today urge the government to take action when they address the Alzheimer’s Society annual conference in London.

Writing for the Daily Mail, Lady Casey said: ‘Many people in this country will remember when cancer was widely seen as a death sentence, and little could be offered beyond making people as comfortable as possible in their final days.

‘Since the 1970s we have largely transformed that story through decades of research, earlier diagnosis, public awareness, clinical trials and better treatments.

‘This tremendous progress did not come from one miracle cure or one government.

Everyone experiences dementia differently. Use this checklist to help you make a note of your symptoms before you talk to your GP.

‘It came because the country decided that cancer mattered, deserved our national effort, and kept up the fight, year after year.

‘It is time we gave dementia that same seriousness and ambition.’

The Daily Mail and Alzheimer’s Society have partnered in a drive to defeat dementia, which claims 76,000 lives a year as Britain’s biggest killer.

Our Defeating Dementia campaign aims to raise awareness of the disease, in an effort to increase early diagnosis, boost research and improve care.

The number of people living with dementia in the UK is expected to rise from 1million to 1.4million by 2040, with the cost to the economy predicted to double.

The new report sets out the steps experts believe the government, NHS and social care leaders must take if dementia diagnosis, treatment, care and support is to make the same progress seen for cancer, where survival rates have almost doubled since the early 1970s.

It calls for strong leadership, clear targets for diagnosis and treatment, and a commitment to improving the quality of data.

Alzheimer’s Society has previously accused the NHS of treating dementia patients like ‘second-class citizens’ who are often ‘cast aside’ with little more than a leaflet.

Professor Sir Mike Richards told the Daily Mail that ‘in many ways, dementia is where cancer was decades ago’ but there are ‘lessons to be learned’ and opportunities for dementia to ‘do a bit of catching up’.

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And the Daily Mail revealed an 18-week diagnosis target for dementia appeared in early drafts of an upcoming government guidebook but was removed in later versions, raising fears the condition is not being treated as a priority.

However, the government has committed to appointing a ‘dementia tsar’, who charities hope will drive the kind of sustained change that transformed cancer care, and there are promising new drugs on the horizon.

As the first ‘cancer tsar’, appointed as National Cancer Director in 1999, Sir Mike oversaw three consecutive cancer strategies.

Speaking ahead of today’s event, he told the Daily Mail that ‘in many ways, dementia is where cancer was decades ago’ but there are ‘lessons to be learned’ and opportunities for dementia to ‘do a bit of catching up’.

Sir Mike added: ‘When I started working in cancer 50 years ago, an eminent professor asked me why I wanted to work in oncology, adding “Don’t they all die?”.

‘There was so little hope and ambition. But look at what we have managed to achieve.

‘While there are still real challenges in cancer, the progress made shows what can be possible when investment, collaboration, leadership and hope combine.

‘Today, what continues to make the difference are clear diagnosis and treatment pathways with timed targets, and a national registry that tracks progress.

Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of The King’s Fund, said approaches to dementia care are ‘still stuck in the 20th century’.

Michelle Dyson, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Society, said ‘urgency is critical’ and the country cannot wait 50 years for improvements.

‘Dementia deserves the same ambition that has transformed cancer care. Now is the time to build momentum.

‘The conditions are right for the incoming dementia tsar to lead a movement for change, but it will require everyone involved – patients, clinicians, health service managers, academics, charities, industry, together with ongoing political will – to deliver long-term change.’

The gulf between people’s experiences of dementia care and cancer care are further exposed in a new survey of 1,000 people caring for someone with dementia.

Around a quarter of respondents were able to make a direct comparison between diagnosis, treatment and support for both dementia and cancer.

Over half (51 per cent) said their experience of dementia care was worse and only one in ten (11 per cent) said it was better.

Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of The King’s Fund, said: ‘There was a time when cancer was thought of as a death sentence, frequently referred to as the “Big C”, such was the fear around a diagnosis.

‘Whilst still a major killer claiming far too many lives, many people are living well and after cancer and there has been a remarkable transformation in cancer outcomes in a relatively short space of time.

‘The same cannot be said for dementia care, with approaches to treatment still stuck in the 20th century.

‘There is ambition that this might be about to change, with recent major scientific advancements giving hope that dementia treatment on the cusp of a cancer-style revolution in care.

‘We will only be able to fulfil this potential if the health and care system is ready to diagnose dementia swiftly and roll out new innovations at scale.

‘That is currently far from the case, and we believe that lessons can be learnt from the progress made in cancer.

‘The potential for wholesale change is within reach; policymakers now need to follow these steps in order to grasp it.’

Michelle Dyson, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Society, said: ‘If you have cancer, it is treated urgently, you get a specific diagnosis, and there is a clear pathway that takes you through your care and treatment.

‘With dementia, it can be years before you get a diagnosis and, all too often, people are sent home with a leaflet and little else.

‘Both are horrendous conditions, and there is still much to do for cancer care, but people’s experiences are worlds apart.

‘I know first-hand, as a former Director General in the Department of Health and Social Care, what happens when something is made a priority, with proper targets, investment, leadership and accountability. We desperately need this for dementia.

‘Urgency is critical. Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer and we cannot afford for this to take 50 years.

‘Government must make dementia a priority and learn what it can from cancer to create a future where dementia no longer devastates lives.’

Social care minister Alison McGovern will admit dementia has been ‘neglected for far too long’ when she delivers a speech at the conference.

She is expected to say: ‘Nowhere is the division between health and social care felt more sharply than by people living with dementia and their families – too often left to navigate a fragmented system at the most difficult time in their lives.

‘That is why, this year, we will publish the first ever Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia, our guidebook for better support.

‘It will bring health and care workers together, adhering to a set of clear national standards, sharpening our priorities, and raising expectations of the help that people living with dementia and their families should receive.

‘We must put a floor under the kind of care that people can expect.

‘And we must improve quality of care, giving the workforce the direction and support it needs to reach those standards.

‘No one wants a future where we live longer but can do less. We want a future where our loved ones stay with us for more years with more joy and more life to live.’

Baroness Louise Casey 

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Lady Casey warns: ‘We cannot stick our heads in the sand.’

By Baroness Louise Casey, chair of the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care.

Many will remember when cancer was widely seen as a death sentence and little treatment could be offered beyond making people as comtortable as possible in their final days.

Since the 1970s, we have largely transformed that story through decades of research, earlier diagnosis, public aware-ness, clinical trials and better treatments.

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This tremendous progress did not come from one miracle cure or the actions of one government. It came because the country decided cancer mattered and deserved our effort. And we kept up the fight year after year.

It is time we afforded that same seriousness and ambition to treating dementia.

September is World Alzheimer’s Month. It should be a moment of national resolve: a commitment to make dementia Britain’s next great national mission, just as cancer was for previous generations.

Dementia is not a normal part of ageing, but a collection of neurological diseases, including Alzheimer’s. Yet, too often, it is treated as part of a person’s inevitable decline or a social care problem rather than a series of major health conditions that can be diagnosed, researched and treated.

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It’s people with dementia, and their families and loved ones, who feel the consequences. I have met far too many people who receive a diagnosis… and then are left alone to cope.

Alzheimer’s Society is right to call for those with dementia to receive a diagnosis, care plan and access to treatment within 18 weeks of GP referral. This standard, or better, is already in place for other major health conditions. Dementia should be no different.

But this is just the beginning. The lesson from cancer is that our efforts work best as part of a wider mission: investment in research, expanded trials, better treatments, support for people after diagnosis and a workforce ready to deliver those new treatments.

That is why we must make this country a great place to conduct dementia trials. I implore the NHS to get ready to deliver the next generation of breakthrough treatments.

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Healthier lifestyles, earlier diagnoses and better treatments across the board mean we’re living for longer – and with that brings a new challenge. As more of us live into our 80s and 90s, it is not enough to simply add years to life – we need to ensure that our twilight years are as healthy as possible.

By 2040, there will be 1.4million living with dementia. We cannot stick our heads in the sand.

Delivering this national mission also requires someone with the authority to drive it. That is why I called for the appointment of a dementia tsar to lead the charge.

Responsibility is currently scattered: when responsibility belongs to everyone, accountability too often belongs to no one. We need someone to own the problem and drive the kind of action needed to solve it.

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Britain has repeatedly shown that it can achieve extraordinary things. We rebuilt the country after the war, we developed vaccines at record speed during the pandemic and have transformed cancer survival since the 1970s. The lesson is that progress follows when we act together.

Dementia can be that next national mission.

But lasting change cannot be designed by politicians and experts alone. We need the public to help decide what dementia sufferers and their families should expect and what system we are prepared to build together.

That is why we are asking people across the country to take part in the Big Conversation on Care. There will be many opportunities to get involved but, as a first step, I’m asking you to vote on the proposals the public have been putting forward before September 23.

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Together, we can turn national resolve into action. If we can improve diagnosis, treatment and care for people facing dementia today, there will be greater hope for all of us tomorrow.

<!- – ad: https://mads.dailymail.co.uk/v8/de/health/none/article/other/mpu_factbox.html?id=mpu_factbox_1 – ->

• For confidential advice, call Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Support Line on 0333 150 3456 

The Thursday letters page is excited for the new Resident Evil movie this week, as one reader asks how difficult Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave is.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Another Capcom hit
It shouldn’t really be a surprise, given this is the same guy that made Barbarian and Weapons, both of which I loved, but I’m seeing the reviews for the new Resident Evil movie by Zach Cregger are out of this world. It’s got 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and 79 Metacritic, so it’s going to end up as one of the highest reviewed films of the year. Which isn’t exactly normal for a video game movie.

I don’t even know what most people consider to be the best movie nowadays. Maybe one of the Sonic movies or Uncharted? Up till now, not too bad is the most you could ever hope for and I’m not even that optimistic about the Zelda film.

But this just shows the difference it makes when you get a good director and you let them do whatever they want, while knowing they are a fan of the series.

The film opens at the weekend and I’m definitely going to see it. Just curious as to whether anyone here has already? Maybe GC or a reader that got early access? I can’t wait. This really is the year Capcom can do no wrong.
Tiddles

GC: We haven’t seen it, no. But we’ve heard only good things.

No further
I completely agree with the reader who said it’s crazy to even consider spending £1,000 or more on a PlayStation 6 (or even worse a next gen Xbox). Gaming has been one of my favourite things for basically my whole life but I wouldn’t dream of spending that much at the moment, especially if it’s out next year. And he’s definitely right that Sony’s attitude is only making it less likely that I’d splash out.

But I see this as a positive, an opportunity not a problem. Ever since the PlayStation 4, people have been saying that video games don’t really need better graphics. Not that it wouldn’t be nice but if that means games that take longer and longer to make, with bigger and bigger budgets (so it becomes a risk to try anything new), I don’t think it’s a good idea.

We don’t know what the PlayStation 6 is going to be yet, but I can’t imagine it doing anything that would make me want to spend that kind of money on it. I also can’t imagine it being anything but a negative for the games industry, given the problems I’ve just mentioned.
Carlton

One weird trick
Someone was looking for cheap Game Pass Ultimate the other day and the popular method that people are using now is to buy three EA Play codes from Amazon for £19.99 each, but it must be on three separate transactions.

Before stacking these codes, it is crucial that you do not have an active Game Pass membership. Once the codes are stacked you then purchase one month of Game Pass Ultimate and it works at £77 for 10 months.
Charlie H.

Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Newbie friendly
Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave was not on my radar to get but after reading your review and seeing the high scores it is getting from elsewhere, I must admit I am tempted now.

The Persona-like elements and story sound right up my street but I have never really played a Fire Emblem game before and am generally poor at strategy games, so I do worry it might prove too difficult.

Does it have an approachable learning curve and easier difficulty settings if needed?
Pigfish2 (NN ID/PSN ID)

GC: It has a lower difficultly setting and we wouldn’t say normal was particularly hard anyway, assuming you level up sensibly between big battles and turn off permadeath. We think you’ll be fine.

High score
A-woo-hoo! I finally rolled over 400,000 gamescore, really want 500,000 now! 20+ years of achievement hunting, Game Pass has helped in recent years of course!

The real question, though, is I was scrolling the advertised games at the top and eventually reached Microsoft Flight Simulator and I thought, isn’t that streamed through the cloud? Being the whole world like!? So then with these new restrictions does that mean people who own or enjoy the game are now limited to a few hours a week? What if you’re wanting to take a flight to Australia or Japan?

Doesn’t affect me, never played it, but what if you do, do they get a refund, some compensation? Would be interested to find out.
big boy bent

GC: Are you joking?

Nostalgia power
I’d be very curious to know how much Nightdive Studios makes from all these remasters of old 90s games. Very few of them seem to be big names, as far as I’m concerned, and yet they put so much effort and, I assume, money into them, so I guess they must sell well. They’ve been around for a while now too, which also shows they must do well.

Eternal Darkness is actually fairly well known compared to things like The Thing tie-in and PO’ed. I mean, who wanted a remaster of an obscure 3DO first person shooter? But they did it anyway.

I guess what I’m getting at is that none of these games seem like they’re worth the effort or that they’d have many people that were interested in them, and yet apparently I’m wrong because they keep making them. The power of nostalgia really is that strong.

I’m also surprised that Nintendo would agree to let them remaster one of their games, although we’re not exactly talking about Mario here and I would think Nintendo probably respect Nightdive’s work.

However, I doubt they have any serious plans for a new entry. They probably just see a remaster as an easy way to make money from a game they have just lying around. It’d be very expensive, I would think, to make a new game with so many different settings, like Eternal Darkness had, so I can’t see it happening.

Then again, the sanity effects were a neat idea, and quite Nintendo-esque, so maybe. They are working with Bloober Team already, so maybe they’ll ask them to do a new one.
Pascal

Missing the point
So much for trying to win back gamers, the latest rumour is Game Pass Ultimate will drop in price but day one releases will stop, which for many would of been the draw of Ultimate.

Who advises these people? Are they actually trying to fail as a business? Madness.
TWO MACKS

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Remake time
Pretty amazing that the remake of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time has been put out there in all its possible glory and wild to think it’s going to be keeping the gameplay and world layout in a pretty similar vein. Zelda: Link’s Awakening was a great remake but it definitely looked more child-like and though captivating I was unsure if it was going to keep its emotional quality.

I never really personally felt a remake was needed for Ocarina Of Time and I have completed this game so many times that I’d be happy not to play it again. The obvious reason Final Fantasy 7 is such a treat is the beautifully recreated world in a graphically awe inspiring 3D universe, compared to the original 2D isometric view. And also the promising new story arc and possibilities.

The problem with Ocarina Of Time is that it doesn’t seem to show any more than characters and the general world in an amazing new lick of paint and models. It was like that with Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, gorgeous to look at and magical to explore and rekindle past memories, but I’d already played it to the limit many moons ago, same with Ocarina Of Time!

My time now is taken up going back to ongoing Cyberpunk 2077 updates and back catalogues of indie games, as well as current new releases like The Blood Of Dawnwalker, which is my other go-to game. It’s just blooming amazing, with such an awesome premise and Interesting game mechanics. It has me wondering if I’ll have time for The Witcher 3 Remastered as well.

It’s great to see the classics get given this prestigious treatment and recognition they deserve and it feels good that a new generation of gamers will get to see these amazing classics in a brand new light and hopefully be equally as captivated by them as I was.

If Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night or Zelda: A Link To The Past had the same type of treatment though, I may just make time, as these are my other two all-time favourites and my imagination would definitely get super hyped for them for sure.
Alucard

GC: Oblivion was just a remaster, Ocarina Of Time is a full remake. At the moment it’s still unclear how much has been changed.

Inbox also-rans
I doubt Nintendo will mention it but just to let you all know that Wave Race 64 will be 30 years old this month. Still the best water-based racing game and at this point I doubt it will ever be beaten.
Taylor Moon

I have noticed a lot of people getting very angry about Marvel’s Wolverine and talking about it as if it’s the worst thing ever and a complete flop. I agree that it’s probably just general anger at Sony, which makes me feel a little sad for the developers, but what can you do? This is probably the only way to get Sony to listen.
KageGarden

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MORE: Games Inbox: Is there an internet conspiracy against Wolverine?

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MORE: Games Inbox: Is Marvel’s Wolverine worth getting on PS5?

Singer-songwriter and political activist Billy Bragg has claimed Ed Sheeran should cancel his tour to take a stand against billionaire stadium owners who are trying to dictate what can be said on stage.

All of Sheeran’s remaining support acts have quit his LOOP tour after Macklemore was kicked off the show after voicing his support for Palestine during his set.

Standing in solidarity with Macklemore, 43, Finneas – Billie Eilish’s brother – Sheeran’s close friend Myles Smith, Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe, Danish band Lukas Graham, and Irish folk band Beoga have announced they are dropping out.

Weighing in, Billy, known for his Left-wing songs and views, suggested that the best thing that Sheeran could do now is cancel the remaining dates.

He told BBC Radio 4’s World at One programme Sheeran shouldn’t have booked Macklemore if he wanted to avoid politics, as the American rapper has been advocating for Palestine for over a year.

When asked by Sarah Montague what the response should be, the musician and activist said: ‘Ed Sheeran should cancel his tour and say that billionaire owners of football stadiums in the United States of America shouldn’t be allowed to say what people can and can’t say on stage.’

‘If he doesn’t expect for there to be political speech on stage, he shouldn’t book someone like Macklemore. Macklemore has been speaking out about Palestine and the war in Gaza for at least a year.’

Billy highlighted that the headlines Macklemore has created has only drawn more eyes to his cause, insisting Robert Kraft has ‘shot himself in the foot’. 

He added: ‘By speaking up and by getting Macklemore thrown off the tour, he’s now allowed for millions and millions of people to hear Macklemore’s message.’

When asked if he accepts that some people view the phrase ‘Free Palestine’ as antisemitic, Billy said: ‘I accept that is how they hear those words, but those words don’t have that intent. It must be possible to criticise the actions of the Netanyahu government, the IDF, and the state of Israel, without being constantly accused of antisemitism.

‘Let me make it clear, if Macklemore had made an antisemitic comment, I would be in favour of him being banned from stadiums, but that’s not what he said.’

When asked if people should boycott Sheeran if he does go ahead with the tour, Billy said: ‘No, it’s not as if Ed has said these things. He has unfortunately been caught between a rock and a hard place, and I have sympathy for that…

‘Ed doesn’t have a lot of scandal around what he does, he’s known for playing his guitar, singing songs and he’s great at that, but this kind of thing will stick to him. 

All of Sheeran’s remaining support acts have quit his LOOP tour after Macklemore was kicked off the show after voicing his support for Palestine during his set

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‘Wherever he goes from now on, this is the thing that people will talk about around Ed Sheeran, what he did and what he didn’t do.

‘So, in the next 24 to 48 hours, he has to make a decision as to whether he’s willing to live with the fact that he didn’t take sides…’

Several celebrities have backed Macklemore’s comments, including Lewis Hamilton, who wrote: ‘Thank you for using your voice, standing with you.’ 

Activist Greta Thunberg said: ‘Full solidarity and free Palestine. Artists’ very active silence in the face of injustice and genocide will not be forgotten.’ 

Pop star Paloma Faith said: ‘You are a rare and important voice … thank you for existing…. This is so articulate and so powerful. You are a hero.’ 

Today, Sheeran’s fans have vowed to support the star as they argued he ‘shouldn’t be blamed’ after all the opening acts dropped out.

Macklemore was due to open for the singer at eight of the remaining ten shows on his tour in America, which continues on Friday in Philadelphia, but on Monday it was announced that he had been dropped. 

Breaking his silence amid the backlash, Sheeran insisted Macklemore coming off the tour was the ‘promoter’s decision’, not his. 

He added his audience is often young people ‘from different backgrounds’ who do not expect his shows to be a political forum. 

Myles Smith has made sure to make his support for Sheeran clear as he highlighted that the recent events would not affect his relationship with the singer. 

He penned: ‘Ed is not the victim here. Palestinians are. But let’s not get confused: Ed is also not the perpetrator. 

‘I need to be very clear about Ed. He is my friend. Not an industry friend. A real one. And there is no pressure, no trend, no headline and no comment section that will make me turn on him or hang him out to dry.’ 

Replying to Smith’s statement, many fans were also keen to support Sheeran as they said they to blame the star would be a ‘scapegoat’ for the bigger problem.

They wrote: ‘I stand by you and I stand by Ed. He has done nothing wrong. The people condemning him have no idea what has gone on behind the scenes and even if they did they would likely still need to throw stones at him because that is easier than accepting what has happened was not his doing. Is anyone blaming the venue owners or promoters?’ 

Standing in solidarity with Macklemore (right), 43, Finneas – Billie Eilish’s brother – Sheeran’s close friend Myles Smith, Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe, Danish band Lukas Graham, and Irish folk band Beoga have announced they are dropping out 

‘This is beautifully worded, but most importantly, is a nuanced, genuine viewpoint. Compassion, empathy and understanding has no limit; to scapegoat Ed is to miss the point entirely.’

‘Thank you for defending Ed. People are blaming him for this situation when he has done more for the world than they ever will.’

‘It hurts my heart to see Ed being painted as the evil in all this, thankyou Myles for showing public support for your friend when others in the industry are as always suspiciously quiet when it come to voicing theirs, we love you & we love Ed.’

‘The treatment of Ed Sheeran is absolutely disgusting. He has a right to keep his concerts non-political without being ostracized by people on the left. Ed Sheeran is a good decent man. One of the most sincere musicians around today. The world has gone crazy.’

‘People will never grasp how much Ed has done to try and make the world a better place behind the scenes. He has one of the biggest hearts ever.’

‘This is such a genuinely nuanced take, and I really appreciate the room it leaves for empathy, humanity, and compassion for innocent people on all sides.’

‘Fed up of people getting mad at ed, he wants to keep politics out of his music which is 100% normal and acceptable, doesnt mean he supports/opposes anything.’

While another said he would be boycotting the show, fans replied to the comment asking for their tickets.  

However while some were fans of Sheeran, they still questioned his actions. 

They added: ‘think most people don’t want to see Ed fail. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t missed the mark here in a significant way that every one of us can learn from. The wisdom against neutrality is ancient. 

Myles Smith penned: ‘Ed is not the victim here. Palestinians are. But let’s not get confused: Ed is also not the perpetrator’

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Replying to Myles’s statement, many fans were also keen to support Ed as they said they to blame the star would be a ‘scapegoat’ for the bigger problem

While another said he would be boycotting the show, fans replied to the comment asking for their tickets

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However while some were fans of Ed, they still questioned his actions

‘And he can still learn better from this. And it’s more than wanting that for a person like Ed, Ed is just currently the stand in for a lesson many many people still could learn from.’

‘Saying Ed doesn’t want politics to be part of his shows feels a bit contradictory to me, because art has always been political.’ 

‘Love you and love your statement and how you stay by your boy. But unfortunately only us, normal civilians, can’t get a lot from governments, leaders, diplomats and people with real power. 

‘That’s why it’s so important that big artists, who hold influence and power, tell their truth as well. Stand up for causes they believe in.’

‘Well said. You SHOULD stand up for your friend. But he, like you, did not say Genocide in either speech. If you’re going to talk about the truth, what is real, what is ACTUALLY happening. Then you should call it what it is.’

Sheeran has lost more than 200,000 Instagram followers in 24 hours after fans criticised.

While his Instagram follower count stood at 47.6 million on Monday, it has now dropped to 47.3 million.  

Macklemore, aka Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, faced a boycott petition to drop him after he delivered a politically motivated speech in support of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank during his performances at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on September 4 and 5. 

Responding with an Instagram statement after it was confirmed he was leaving the Loop Tour, the rapper claimed Sheeran told him billionaire Robert Kraft orchestrated the move having ‘rallied other stadium owners and issuing an ultimatum’ to Sheeran that the whole tour is cancelled or Macklemore is removed.

Kraft is the chief executive of the Kraft Group, which owns the NFL team the New England Patriots, as well as the Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts where Sheeran is due to play September 25 and 26.

Sheeran addressed Macklemore being removed from the tour with his own statement which read that Macklemore’s speech had upset the owners of venues while reminding fans he will never personally take a political stance publicly.

After the news of Macklemore’s departure, all of Sheeran’s remaining support acts have also stepped away from the tour. 

Finneas wrote: ‘Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed. I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people.’

Rowe took a strong stance as he wrote: ‘Ed has been a friend to me and has changed my life. I could never thank him enough for this. But as Irish people, we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation.’

He continued by saying he ‘cannot stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up’.

Lukas Graham wrote: ‘We should be able to speak about war, about civilians being killed, about children who deserve to grow up. Wherever they live. Whatever flag flies over them.’

They said their upbringing in a small Danish community made it so speaking your mind was part of everyday life and having more money did not invalidate one’s opinions: ‘I love Ed, and I’m grateful for everything we’ve shared. That hasn’t changed. But I can’t put these words out into the world and carry on with this tour as things stand.

‘I’m sorry we won’t be there. This is a difficult decision but it’s one I need to stand by.’

Musician and Billie Eilish’s brother/music partner Finneas led the four remaining acts who put out separate statements announcing that they will not continue with their dates on the stadium Loop Tour

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Finneas seen in LA back in November 2025

Aaron Rowe, Lukas Graham, and Beoga also put out statements on Instagram Tuesday announcing that they are pulling out of the remaining concert dates

Irish singer Rowe took a strong stance (pictured in England in June 2025)

Lukas Graham said that their upbringing in a small Denmark community made it so speaking your mind was part of every day life and having more money did not invalidate one’s opinions

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Danish soul pop band Lukas Graham is pictured 

Lastly, Irish band Beoga, who actually join Sheeran during Galway Girl on stage, also revealed that they are removing themselves from the tour

Beoga revealed they have been friends with Sheeran for over a decade

Irish band Beoga, who join Sheeran for eight songs including Galway Girl, also revealed that they are removing themselves from the tour.

They wrote: ‘We have been friends with Ed for over ten years now and will continue to be.

‘Playing to those crowds every night is the stuff of dreams but to play in venues that silence anyone advocating for a Free Palestine is simply not an option for us.’

Beoga also showed their solidarity for Macklemore as they echoed his sentiments by writing: ‘The whole episode is once again serving to distract from the real issue, over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed since the most recent so-called ceasefire.’

Smith, who previously supported Sheeran on his tour last year, released a statement on Wednesday morning, telling fans: ‘For everyone asking me to drop out of Ed’s tour, let’s get something straight: I’m not on that tour anymore.’

Whilst Smith confirmed he had dropped out he went on to voice his support for Sheeran, insisting ‘Ed it not the victim here. Palestinians are. But let’s not get confused: Ed it also not the perpetrator.’

‘I need to be very clear about Ed. He is my friend. Not an industry friend. A real one. And there is no pressure, no trend, no headline and no comment section that will make me turn on him or hang him out to dry.’

‘Supporting Palestinian life, safety and freedom does not require me to betray someone I know to be a good human being. It requires me to keep the focus where it belongs: on the people suffering, and on the people with the power to stop it.’ 

Myles highlighted his background ‘working in a home with Holocaust survivors, spending time with the Jewish community and hearing stories of bravery, survival, loss and humanity from people who had lived through things most of us only read about.

‘I’ve also spent my life around Muslim friends and families, spend time in mosques, celebrated Eid throughout my youth and grown up in Luton: a working-class, proudly multicultural, predominantly ethnic minority town where Island and Muslim culture were part of the beauty and fabric of everyday life.’

‘Neither of those experiences taught me to sit on the fence. They taught me to be human.’

The Daily Mail has reached out to Sheeran’s representatives for comment on the four acts resigning from the tour and has yet to hear back.

It remains uncertain how the Loop Tour will proceed with zero openers scheduled and 18 dates still set through the end of the year. 

Sheeran had assured his followers on Tuesday that Macklemore’s removal would not affect his tour, as he told them ‘I would never let down the fans who had made plans’.

In his reaction, which came two days after Macklemore’s own statement, he said: ‘I am appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine. 

‘The suffering and pain caused on both sides is a human tragedy. There are too many wars across the world causing immeasurable pain, none of which should be tolerated.

‘Macklemore asked to join my tour last year and I agreed, because I respect him as an artist. As with all my support acts, I agree that they play a setlist of their choosing.

‘After Macklemore’s performances at my New Jersey shows, venues on my upcoming tour dates communicated that they would pull the shows if he was still supporting.’ 

Sheeran continued by explaining that he had tried to find a resolution so that Macklemore could remain on his tour but he was not able to.

He said: ‘I was informed that this stance was based on how Macklemore conveyed part of his message during his performance, rather than on everything that was said. I spoke with the venues at length all week to try and build a bridge.

‘One of those people was Robert Kraft. I was also involved in direct talks with promoters along with activists on both sides to try and find a mutual resolution for all, but the venue’s and promoter’s decision was final.

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Sheeran released a statement on Tuesday, addressing the American star’s position and reminding fans he will never personally take a publicly political stance

‘Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine. Macklemore’s contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me.’

Sheeran then explained that there would be no alterations to the tour he has planned because he would never let his fans and crew down.

He said: ‘I would never let down the fans who had made plans, nor would I abandon the touring crew and the other support acts and musicians who rely on me for work and to make a living.

‘I have always used my platform and music to bring people from all backgrounds and cultures together and this won’t ever change. Those who have been to one of my shows will know that they are about unity, joy, escapism, love, and a place for everyone to feel welcome.

‘I am not complicit. I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t have them, and it doesn’t mean I don’t care. Nor does it mean I don’t support causes in my own, personal way.

‘There is a reason I do not use my professional platform for politics – my audience includes young people, often children, of all backgrounds. Those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum. 

‘I respect Macklemore’s strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes. However, there is room for multiple approaches to the same end: peace. I choose to use my fame and platform to be a place of safety and sanctuary, to maintain diplomacy and keep conversations open, not closed. If we only focus on shouting the loudest, nothing will ever change.

‘There are different approaches to being an advocate for change. I have spent this week trying to build bridges, to find a solution and unfortunately, was unable to do so. I know who I am, both as a person and as an artist, and those who know my heart know my values too.’

Sheeran captioned his post: ‘It’s important I set out some facts.’

The annual event, Great Aycliffe Town Council’s Annual Fireworks Display, returns to Oak Leaf Sports Complex on Thursday, November 5, with spectacular fireworks, family fun and entertainment.

Great Aycliffe Town Council has confirmed that free wristbands will be available to collect from Tuesday, October 20, ahead of what is expected to be another hugely popular event.

While the display is free to attend, organisers have reminded residents that entry will only be permitted with a wristband, and numbers are limited.

Wristbands can be collected from Oak Leaf Sports Complex reception between 1pm and 7pm each day from October 20 until all have been distributed.

What do I need to qualify for a wristband?

To qualify, residents must live within the parish of Great Aycliffe and provide proof of address, such as a driving licence or recent utility bill.

One person can collect wristbands on behalf of their family.

When does the event start?

The event programme will begin at 5pm when the fairground opens, before a beacon lighting ceremony at 6.30pm.

As well as the main fireworks display, visitors can enjoy a children’s fairground and a selection of food stalls throughout the evening.

The fireworks display is scheduled to begin at 6.45pm.

Organisers have also confirmed security measures will be in place on the night, including wristband checks, bag searches and random body scanning, and have advised visitors to allow plenty of time to enter the venue.

The annual display, which is sponsored by The Fish Tank, is regarded as one of the biggest community events in Great Aycliffe’s calendar and regularly attracts large crowds from across the area.

Residents hoping to attend are being encouraged to collect their wristbands early to avoid disappointment.