A study has raised a question that many women would understandably want answered: could hormone replacement therapy (HRT) protect against dementia? The research found that women who had used HRT were less likely to receive a dementia diagnosis during follow-up, particularly if they had undergone surgery involving their reproductive organs. But the results do not establish that HRT caused the difference.

The researchers analysed data from 183,450 postmenopausal women in the UK Biobank, followed for an average of 13.3 years. During that period, 3,948 received a dementia diagnosis, including 1,993 diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

Women who reported using HRT for at least a year, or who were still taking it when they joined the study, had a 10% lower relative risk of dementia than non-users after researchers accounted for factors including age, education, smoking, deprivation, blood pressure and diabetes.

The difference was larger among women the researchers classified as having had “surgical menopause”, meaning surgery involving removal of the womb or ovaries. HRT use was associated with a 26% lower relative risk of dementia in this group. There was no statistically clear association among women who had undergone natural menopause.

However, the surgical group included both women who had undergone a hysterectomy, which removes the womb, and women whose ovaries had been removed. Removing both ovaries causes an abrupt fall in oestrogen, while removing the womb alone does not necessarily affect hormone production in the same way. Grouping these women together makes it harder to determine whether HRT protects against dementia after a sudden loss of oestrogen.

Why the findings need care

Women who take HRT may differ from those who do not in ways that also affect dementia risk. Education, income, general health and access to care can influence both the decision to seek treatment and later health. Researchers can adjust for measurable differences, but observational studies cannot account for everything.

An early study found that women who later chose to take HRT were already healthier and at lower risk of dementia eight years before starting treatment. They tended to have more education, lower blood pressure and diabetes risk, were more active and were less likely to be overweight. These factors are themselves associated with dementia risk.

The new study also could not distinguish between women using oestrogen alone and those using oestrogen combined with a progestogen, or compare doses and ways of taking HRT. Oestrogen-only HRT is generally prescribed after hysterectomy, while a progestogen is usually added for women with a womb to protect its lining against cancer.

In a review of national registry studies that I worked on, longer use of combined hormone therapy was associated with a small increase in Alzheimer’s risk. The same pattern was not seen with oestrogen-only treatment. Those studies were observational too, so they cannot prove treatment caused the increase.

Results from the same UK Biobank data have also varied. An earlier analysis reported an association between lifetime HRT use and higher dementia risk in women whose natural menopause occurred after 50. The studies asked different questions and analysed different groups, so they cannot be compared directly. Their differing results do, however, show why one new association cannot settle the debate.

The new paper also suggested that timing may be important. Lower dementia risk appeared among women who started HRT between their late forties and mid-fifties, but the pattern was less convincing among those who started younger. This makes it difficult to argue that replacing hormones as early as possible protects women whose menopause occurs particularly young.

Researchers also examined women with the APOE ε4 genetic variant, which increases Alzheimer’s risk. Although the association appeared stronger among carriers, statistical testing did not establish that HRT affected them differently from non-carriers. Previous studies have also produced conflicting results.

What does this mean for someone taking HRT?

Trials in women closer to menopause have not shown consistent improvements in cognition after several years of HRT. Some short-term trials have reported benefits, including among women with substantial menopausal symptoms, but these findings have not established that HRT prevents dementia.

A trial involving women aged 65 and over found an increased incidence of dementia among those taking a form of combined HRT commonly used at the time. That does not answer every question about treatments used today or about women who undergo early surgical menopause. However, trial evidence does not currently support using HRT to prevent dementia in women who undergo menopause at the usual age of around 50 or 51.

That is reflected in Nice guidance, which says HRT should not be offered specifically to prevent dementia or cardiovascular disease. It does recommend HRT for menopausal hot flushes and night sweats. Those benefits should remain central to treatment decisions, alongside medical history and the risks of the particular treatment.

Women who have their ovaries removed at a young age deserve particular attention because early loss of hormones may have different health effects from menopause at the usual age. This study gives researchers a reason to investigate that group more closely. For now, it provides no sound reason to start, stop or change HRT solely in the hope of preventing dementia.

At a Treasury briefing in 1997, Ed Balls, then Gordon Brown’s economic guru, sidled up to me. He wanted to tell me why his boss was so determined to keep government borrowing under control.

Every pound spent servicing the national debt, he rightly explained, was money wasted – money that could instead be spent on public services.

Only a decade later, Balls’s rare kernel of economic wisdom had been forgotten. Brown was forced to borrow heavily to shore up Britain’s collapsing banking system – and ever since then, the principle Balls outlined to me that day has been callously abandoned by his party. And you and I are paying for it.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that, in August alone, our spendthrift Government squandered an eye-watering £8.8billion on servicing the national debt. Meanwhile, the country is facing ever-surging borrowing costs – expected to reach at least £130billion by the end of this year.

Sensible people would look at these figures and conclude that the only remedy is to reduce our borrowing by keeping the current budget (spending and tax receipts) in balance.

Our Labour Government, however, is not sensible. And the fundamental tenet, familiar to every household, of ‘living within your means’ is alien to them.

As such, while we fritter away billions on servicing our debt, the cost of running Britain’s pensions and welfare system is out of control.

The Government has locked the nation in a doom loop of spending and higher taxes, from which there can be no painless escape. It is a socialist approach that paralyses enterprise and, as I have previously written, is driving top taxpayers overseas.

Worse, it means that our Government is so mistrusted by the bond markets that Britain is forced to pay the highest interest rates of all our international competitors in the Group of Seven (G7) richest countries.

So what should our recently installed Chancellor John Healey do to start limiting the nation’s monstrous interest rate bill ahead of his October 28 debut Budget?

Well, there’s one policy announcement that would send a monumental signal to the bond markets that this Government is set on fiscal responsibility: dismantling the ‘triple lock’.

Every economic think-tank in Britain knows that, thanks to our ageing population, the state pension triple lock – an election-winning gambit (a bribe, in other words) introduced by former Tory Chancellor George Osborne in the distant days of 2010 – is an unsustainable burden.

Under the triple lock, Britain’s happy silver surfers, me included, can look forward every year to an increase in their state pensions by whichever is the highest of average earnings growth, the consumer prices index (CPI) or a 2.5 per cent uplift.

It was manna from heaven when introduced, back when the basic pension for a single person (paid at 65 for men and 60 for women) was £97.65 per week and £156.15 a week for a married couple – among the meanest pensions in the industrial world.

Some 16 years later, the state pension (paid at 66) has jumped to £241.30 a week or £12,547.60 a year and we are no longer lagging behind our European competitors.

The Daily Mail is committed to supporting Britain’s pensioners and their lifelong contribution to the nation’s economic wellbeing. But it’s undeniable the cost of maintaining the triple lock – projected to cost £15billion per year by 2030, more than three times what was originally anticipated – is far too high.

Doing away with it might seem like an act of electoral suicide to Labour MPs with fragile majorities – but it is the opposite.

What should our recently installed Chancellor John Healey do to start limiting the nation’s monstrous interest rate bill ahead of his October 28 debut Budget, Alex Brummer asks

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It would show that Andy Burnham’s Government understands the economic maelstrom Britain faces. And it’d be hard for opposition parties, in the face of ever-higher borrowing and interest rates, to oppose scrapping it. But if the annual state pension rise is to be ‘unlocked’, there must be a quid pro quo: changes to the way working-age welfare payments are uprated; reforms to disability benefits; and an overhaul of the extraordinarily generous pension arrangements enjoyed by public sector employees.

As matters stand, more than 24million people in Britain – around 35 per cent of the population – receive some form of welfare payment. Remarkably, payouts to these citizens, some of whom have never worked, increase each year automatically in line with average earnings.

The Office for Budget Responsibility calculates that if the annual uprating was based on CPI inflation, rather than earnings, the projected cost could be slashed from 6 per cent of national output to just 3 per cent, saving tens of billions of pounds for the Exchequer in future years.

Then there is the public sector. Since Labour took office, the public payroll has swollen with 270,000 new employees. Of course, these government jobs come with gold-plated, defined-benefit pensions (meaning the amount paid in retirement is guaranteed, determined by salary and how long someone was employed) – increasingly rare in the private sector.

That disparity is grotesquely unfair. Thanks to Gordon Brown, millions of private-sector workers are automatically enrolled into defined-contribution pensions, in which their eventual retirement income depends on how much they and their employers put aside and how those investments perform – despite their taxes funding far more generous, guaranteed public pensions.

Bringing public sector pension provision closer to the arrangements faced by the workers who ultimately pay for it could deliver substantial long-term savings – making the system considerably fairer.

Of course, the burden of Labour’s spend-and-tax bonanza should not fall solely on the nation’s elderly. As Kemi Badenoch argued yesterday, those living on welfare and those working for the state must also shoulder some of the sacrifice if Britain is to have any prospect of digging itself out of its fiscal hole.

Indeed, Labour’s biggest failure as keeper of the public purse has been its shameful refusal to get to grips with the alarming surge in Personal Independence Payments (PIP), which are not means-tested, to people with disabilities.

The attempt by Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves to trim the burgeoning welfare bill was sabotaged by Labour backbenchers – a rebellion that catalysed that odd couple’s political downfall.

Anyone arriving from Mars might have imagined ministers were proposing to snatch benefits from the most severely disabled people in the country. The reality, as ever, was different.

Spending on disability payments has soared in real terms from £14billion in August in 2020 to £25billion in the last fiscal year.

The number of under-30s claiming the benefit has rocketed to 689,000 at a cost of £5.5billion a year.

It would be grossly inequitable to take the triple lock away from pensioners, who’ve earned their retirement, simply to subsidise this group of welfare recipients.

Since William Beveridge’s landmark wartime report laid the foundations of the modern welfare state, successive governments have accepted that Britain should provide a social safety net for the elderly, the sick and disabled, the destitute and those who lose their jobs.

But neither Beveridge nor the politicians who constructed the post-war settlement envisaged today’s system: a state pension almost guaranteed to rise unsustainably, alongside a disability benefits system so generous it discourages work.

Unless these issues are confronted with urgency by Andy Burnham’s Government, the decision will be made for us.

The markets will wrestle us into emergency cuts to the size of the state and benefits – and millions will be even worse off.

Bob Mortimer and Andy Dawson announced the decision in a statement yesterday (Wednesday, September 23), telling listeners: “After over a decade and almost 200 episodes, it is time to bring Athletico Mince to an end.

“We’d like to thank all of you for the huge amounts of love and support you’ve given us over the past ten years as we all went up, up, up into the podcast sky together.”

The statement also revealed what’s next for the duo.

Mortimer will work on a new series of Gone Fishing and a fresh novel, while Dawson joked that he’ll be “mostly focusing on his Type 2” — with plenty of room for fun along the way.

Launched in March 2016, the podcast became one of the UK’s most successful and distinctive comedy shows.

Billed as a football podcast, Athletico Mince soon became something far stranger, blending surreal comedy, songs, improvised sketches and recurring characters with occasional football references.

The show built a devoted following with its bizarre fictional universe, featuring exaggerated versions of Steve McClaren, Peter Beardsley and Mark Lawrenson alongside characters created by Mortimer and Dawson.

Its success led to UK-wide live tours and Club Parsnips, a subscription service offering bonus content and exclusive episodes.

Middlesbrough author Mortimer, 67, is one of Britain’s best-known comedians and rose to fame as one half of double act Reeves and Mortimer alongside Vic Reeves.

He has since enjoyed success with television programmes including Would I Lie To You? and the award-winning BBC series Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing.

Middlesbrough-born author and TV personality, Bob Mortimer. (Image: Ian West/PA)

Sunderland-born Dawson is a writer, broadcaster and podcaster who has built a large following through comedy writing and podcasts.

He co-created Athletico Mince with Mortimer after the pair connected through their shared love of football and comedy.

Over the years, Athletico Mince attracted tens of millions of listens and earned a reputation as one of Britain’s most influential comedy podcasts.

By 2018, it had passed 30 million listens and regularly drew more than 200,000 listeners per episode.

While Athletico Mince may be ending, fans can still revisit hundreds of episodes from the podcast’s decade-long run.

Mortimer and Dawson signed off with one final nod to a favourite listener in-joke: “Please raise your next glass of blue drink to us.

“Dog dirt.”

Not even a teeny little bite?

In a feat of sensational restraint, a customer at one of Greater Manchester’s most-loved bakeries waited for the entirety of an agonising 4,700-mile trip to the US before tucking into a tray of custard tarts.

The pastries were picked up from Loafi Bakehouse in Ramsbottom by a regular customer called Ryan, just before he travelled to the airport. According to the bakery, their speciality tarts then travelled with him more than 4,700 miles to Portland, Oregon, where they were eventually shared with friends.

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Loafi Bakehouse wrote in a post on Instagram on Thursday (September 24): “Last week one of our ace regulars Ryan asked Stuart to box up four custard tarts for collection at 8.10am. A rather specific time but it turns out it was just before he got his taxi to the airport.

“Under Ryan’s stewardship they arrived safely 4,741 miles away in Portland, Oregon and were later shared with friends. Mega!”

One person commented on the social media post: “That is self control beyond belief!”

Loafi is a micro-bakery on Square Street in Ramsbottom, which opened after chef Rich Sharples took over the former Levanter site.

Rich spent a decade as executive chef of Gary Usher’s Elite Bistros collection, overseeing kitchens including Hispi in Didsbury and Kala in Manchester city centre. He has also worked alongside chefs including Darren Rowe at The Bay Horse in Roughlee and Mary-Ellen McTague at Aumbrey in Prestwich.

Loafi’s hugely popular offerings include freshly baked bread, sandwiches, sweet treats and coffee, as well as their famous custard tarts.

Loafi is on 10 Square Street, Ramsbottom, BL0 9BE. It is open from Tuesday to Saturday, from 8am to 2pm.

Reports suggest the large fire can be seen for miles away, with North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue crews expected to be dealing with the incident throughout the night

A fire has broken out overnight at the UK’s largest military barracks with crews expected to battle the blaze throughout the night.

Crews were called on Thursday evening, September 24 to the fire at an accommodation block in Catterick Garrison – reports suggest the blaze has broken out at the Gaza Barracks Accommodation building.

Catterick Garrison is located near the town of Richmond, North Yorkshire, is the largest British Army garrison in the world. As of 2021, the barracks had a population of around 14,000 and covered over 2,400 acres.

According to reports, smoke can be seen for miles away as a result of the blaze.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said: “North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service have multiple appliances in attendance an accommodation block fire.

“An appliance from County Durham and Darlington along with their Ariel Ladder Platform are also in attendance. This incident is expected to be ongoing throughout the night.”

Hipswell and Colburn councillor Kevin Foster told the Northern Echo : “At this stage, details are limited, and I am awaiting further information.

“My immediate concern is for the safety and wellbeing of everyone at the camp, including our military personnel, their families and the emergency services responding to the incident.

“I would like to thank our emergency services for their response and hope that everyone involved is safe.

“As North Yorkshire Council’s Armed Forces Champion, I will continue to monitor the situation and offer any support I can to our Armed Forces community.

“My thoughts are with everyone affected, and I hope to hear positive news as further details emerge.”

A study by family holiday specialist Ski Famille analysed ratings for 97 motorway service areas across the UK and found that Moto’s Southwaite Services and Lancaster Services were among the poorer-performing sites.

Southwaite Services, on the M6 in Cumbria, narrowly avoided appearing in the UK’s 10 lowest-rated service areas, receiving an average score of 3.71 stars from 11,455 Google reviews.

Meanwhile, Lancaster Services was ranked as the sixth-lowest rated motorway service station in the UK, with an average rating of 3.65 stars from 12,798 review.

The findings were published as part of a wider ranking which also saw Cumbria’s Tebay Services and Killington Lake Services named among the country’s top 10 best-rated motorway stops.

Tebay had an average of 4.34 stars from more than 39,000 reviews, and Killington Lake Services had average rating of 4.22 stars from 4,640 reviews.

Responding to the results, a spokesperson for Moto said customer experience remains a priority for the company and argued that other research paints a more positive picture.

A Moto spokesperson said: “A great customer experience is hugely important to us and we continually listen to feedback to understand where we can make improvements across our sites.

“While this particular ranking is based on publicly submitted Google reviews, which can vary considerably in volume and over time between individual locations, broader independent customer research provides a different picture.

“The in-depth Transport Focus Motorway Services User Survey found that 94 per cent of respondents were either satisfied or fairly satisfied with their experience at Moto sites.

“We nevertheless take every piece of customer feedback seriously and will continue investing in our facilities and working with our teams to give motorists the best possible experience when they stop with us.”

The original ranking was compiled using Google review scores from motorway service stations across the UK, with separate ratings combined where sites had different scores for each side of the motorway.

The UK’s 10 lowest-rated motorway services, according to the study

1. Bridgwater (Moto), M5, Somerset: 3.05 stars from 9,994 reviews
2. Leeming Bar (Moto), A1(M), North Yorkshire: 3.26 stars from 2,151 reviews
3. Severn View (Moto), M48, South Gloucestershire: 3.60 stars from 2,252 reviews
4. Bothwell (Roadchef), M74, South Lanarkshire: 3.63 stars from 1,257 reviews
5. Frankley (Moto), M5, Worcestershire: 3.64 stars from 9,466 reviews
6. Lancaster (Moto), M6, Lancashire: 3.65 stars from 12,798 reviews
7. Gordano (Welcome Break), M5, North Somerset: 3.66 stars from 9,218 reviews
8. Sedgemoor Northbound (Welcome Break), M5, Somerset: 3.68 stars from 4,994 reviews
9. Scotch Corner (Moto), A1(M), North Yorkshire: 3.71 stars from 6,599 reviews
10. Knutsford (Moto), M6, Cheshire: 3.71 stars from 10,500 reviews

Portugal captain Bruno Fernandes praised Wales after their narrow win, admitting Craig Bellamy’s side showed they have plenty of quality

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes said he was “not impressed” by Wales’ performance because Portugal knew what they were capable of after the Dragons pushed the European giants all the way in Lisbon.

Portugal edged to a 1-0 victory at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in the opening game of Wales’ Nations League campaign, with Joao Felix’s deflected first-half strike proving enough to settle a hard-fought contest.

Craig Bellamy’s side had their moments, particularly after the break, and came within inches of an equaliser when Brennan Johnson’s effort clipped the crossbar before Portugal cleared the resulting scramble off the line.

Fernandes, who captained Portugal after Cristiano Ronaldo was substituted, insisted Wales’ performance had not come as a surprise to the hosts.

“No, we were not impressed,” he said to the BBC post-match when asked whether Wales had surprised Portugal with their performance.

“We knew they were good. We know that they have a lot of good players.

“I’ve played against many of them. If they play in the Premier League they need to have quality. They need to have a certain high level.

“So I think we knew they could cause us problems. But we created a lot of chances and we could have scored more goals.

“Unfortunately today it was not the case but we scored one and didn’t concede and that’s amazing.”

Wales’ performance was made all the more impressive by the absences Bellamy had to contend with, with Harry Wilson, Joe Rodon, Nathan Broadhead, Dylan Lawlor and starting goalkeeper Karl Darlow among those unavailable.

The result means Wales begin their return to Nations League A with a defeat, but they showed enough to suggest Portugal will face another difficult assignment when the sides meet again later in the campaign.

The reverse fixture takes place on November 17, when Portugal will travel to Wales and face a very different atmosphere.

Fernandes is expecting the hosts to feel the full force of their home support.

“Yes, probably even more pressure, playing with your fans against us,” he said.

“We know the atmosphere you can create there.

“We expect a lot of pressure and moments where fans will push the team to go forward and we need to be aware of that.”

Wales’ next fixture sees them take on Denmark on Sunday, while Portugal will take on Norway in the other match in Nations League A Group 4.

Many leaders saying many things about many topics that matter to them, to their regions, to the world: That’s what the U.N. General Assembly invariably produces each year.

And each year, certain voices dominate. Here, The Associated Press takes the opposite approach and spotlights some thoughts from leaders who might have not captured the headlines and airtime on Thursday, the third day of the 2026 General Debate.

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“The time for simply setting out goals is behind us.”

—Mia Amor Mottley, president of Barbados, on climate change

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“A United Nations that delivers for all cannot mean an organization that responds loudly to some crises and quietly to others.”

—Janez Jansa, prime minister of Slovenia

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“Power earns trust only when it respects law.”

—András Baka, president of Hungary

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“Narrow self-interest is breaking the bonds of solidarity.”

—Micheál Martin, Taoiseach of Ireland

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“Please allow me to quote the great African writer Chinua Achebe, who said the following: ’When we gather in the village under the moonlight, it’s not because of the moon. Each person can see the moon in his own backyard. We gather because it is good to do so.’”

—Azali Assoumani, president of The Comoros

The Channel 5 favourite is back for its seventh series, bringing the fictional Yorkshire village of Darrowby and its sweeping countryside back to screens.

Tonight is the second episode of the series, with Siegfried is attempting to keep up with the times, treat a sow and keep his cool through it all.

Siegfried is attempting to keep up with the times, treat a sow and keep his cool through it al

Here is your first look at Episode 2 of Series 7 📸 Siegfried is attempting to keep up with the times, treat a sow and keep his cool through it all 👀 ACGAS Series 7 continues Thursday at 9pm on @Channel 5 https://t.co/ImfpL6lS1S

— All Creatures Great and Small (@AllCreaturesTV) September 23, 2026

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And Darrowby is not quite as fictional as it looks.

Much of the series is filmed across Yorkshire, with real pubs, shops, railway stations, waterfalls and villages transformed to recreate the world of the famous vet.

And several of its most recognisable locations can be visited on a day out from Bolton.

Grassington becomes Darrowby

The place fans are most likely to recognise is Grassington.

The Yorkshire Dales village undergoes a remarkable transformation to become Darrowby , with modern signs removed or covered and its shops given period makeovers.

Its cobbled streets and market square have become some of the defining images of the Channel 5 series.

Even the shops viewers see are real businesses in disguise.

The Stripey Badger bookshop has been transformed into fictional grocer G F Endleby, while other buildings around the square are dressed to look as though they belong in James Herriot’s era.

Screen Yorkshire says the transformation has previously been so convincing that visitors have walked into shops during filming expecting to find the fictional businesses inside.

You can have a drink at The Drovers – sort of

One of the best-known locations in Darrowby is also a real pub.

The Drovers Arms is another location in the TV show

The Devonshire in Grassington becomes the exterior of The Drovers Arms, where James, Tristan, Siegfried and the other characters are regularly seen.

Visitors can therefore stand outside the same building seen on screen – and go inside for a drink.

There is, however, a catch.

The interior viewers know as The Drovers was filmed at another pub around 30 miles away.

The Green Dragon Inn in Hardraw has been used for scenes inside the fictional watering hole, meaning the two halves of The Drovers are actually in completely different villages.

Mrs Pumphrey’s grand home is real too

The impressive home associated with the eccentric Mrs Pumphrey and her beloved Tricki Woo can also be found in Yorkshire.

Broughton Hall, near Skipton, has been used by the production for her grand country home .

Broughton Hall

The Grade I-listed house sits within a sprawling historic estate and is one of a number of locations around the Skipton area to have appeared in the programme.

James’s waterfall swim

Fans may also remember the rather chilly-looking moment James went swimming in a waterfall before being discovered by Helen.

That was not a studio set.

The scene was filmed at Janet’s Foss, a woodland waterfall near Malham .

Janet’s Forest

The beauty spot is accessible on foot from Malham and is one of the most striking real locations to have appeared in the series.

The wider countryside around Malham has also been used to create the sweeping Yorkshire landscape seen on screen.

The railway station has another claim to fame

James Herriot’s world would not be complete without a traditional railway station – and producers found one which already had an impressive film history.

Oakworth station on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway was used in the Channel 5 adaptation.

Long before All Creatures arrived, the station became famous as a filming location for the 1970 classic The Railway Children.

Keighley station has also been used during filming of All Creatures Great and Small.

Bolton Abbey has appeared on screen

There is even a familiar name among the filming locations.

Barden Bridge on the Bolton Abbey Estate has appeared in the series, with the surrounding landscape providing exactly the kind of dramatic Dales scenery for which the programme has become known.

Barden Birdge

Despite its name, of course, Bolton Abbey is in North Yorkshire rather than Bolton.

And there are plenty more

The production has travelled extensively around Yorkshire since the Channel 5 adaptation first hit screens.

Bradford Industrial Museum was used in the opening episode, while locations including Kettlewell, Arncliffe, Ripley Castle, Newby Hall, Birstwith Hall and Scar House Reservoir have all featured.

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway, Ritz Cinema in Thirsk and Studley Royal Cricket Club have also been used to transport modern-day Yorkshire back to James Herriot’s time.

But for anyone wanting the closest thing to walking into All Creatures Great and Small, Grassington remains the place to go.

With Darrowby’s square, familiar shopfronts and the exterior of The Drovers all within walking distance, fans might find themselves recognising parts of the village before they even realise why.

All Creatures Great and Small returned for its seventh series on Channel 5 on Thursday, September 17, with new episodes airing on Thursdays.

A delivery driver who killed a five-year-old boy while taking a short cut through a ‘no entry’ sign has been jailed for six years. 

Abdullah Ebrahim was struck down on a Leeds backstreet on July 7, 2022 by 32-year-old Colin Agyei, who had driven the wrong way in order to save time. 

Abdullah’s mother, Salma Begum, watched in horror as her son – who later died in hospital – lay on the street and Agyei carried on without stopping his vehicle.

On Thursday, Agyei, of Knottingley in West Yorkshire, was jailed for six years at Leeds Crown Court after being found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving by a jury last month. He was also handed a driving ban of more than seven years.

In an emotional statement, Ms Begum told the court she is haunted by the image of her son lying alone in the road after he was run over and killed. 

She said: ‘I will never forget the image of Abdullah lying on the floor on his own. That image has stayed with me for four years. It is something I carry every single day.’

The court heard Agyei – who was driving a black Nissan Note – drove past a ‘no entry’ sign and proceeded the wrong way down one-way Back Camberley Street, Beeston, because it saved time while he made deliveries.

It was then he collided with five-year-old Abdullah as the youngster ran across the road. The boy sadly died in hospital shortly following the incident. 

Colin Agyei was jailed for six years at Leeds Crown Court after being found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving 

Judge Tom Bayliss KC, sentencing, said Agyei took Abdullah’s life ‘for no better reason’ than it saved him time as a delivery driver. 

He said: ‘The one-way system was clearly signed and you had ample opportunity to observe these signs.

‘It’s a narrow street separating back gardens of two rows of terraced houses. The sort of place where children may either be playing or crossing.’

Judge Bayliss added Agyei was not speeding but his speed was still ‘inappropriate’ for the narrow backstreet. He also accepted Agyei was remorseful and had been ‘oblivious’ to the collision.

‘This was a little boy,’ he concluded. ‘It’s hard to imagine a more vulnerable road user.’

Ms Begum told the court she failed to understand why Agyei failed to stop and left her child in the street. 

She said: ‘I attended the trial and had to sit and listen to the defendant say that he did not see my son. I heard his account change several times, and I felt that he was not telling the truth about what happened.

‘The jury took only around 40 minutes to find him guilty on all counts.

‘For me and my family, however, the pain did not end with that verdict. We have waited four years for justice. During that time, I have had to go through this awful ordeal again and again. Having to attend court, hear the evidence and relive the circumstances of Abdullah’s death has caused me enormous emotional suffering.’

Ms Begum then asked the court to remember that behind the evidence, the charges and the verdict is a family who has lost someone they love.

‘Four years have passed, but my grief has not passed. I still miss my son. I still think about him every day,’ she said.

Speaking after sentence, Detective Sergeant Steve Suggit of West Yorkshire Police’s Major Collision Enquiry Team described Abdullah’s death as a ‘truly tragic incident’. 

He said the collision could have been ‘completely avoidable’ had Agyei complied with the no entry sign. 

‘Young Abdullah would not have been expecting a vehicle to be driving up the road and did not have time to react,’ Detective Suggit said.

‘While we estimate that Agyei was driving at a relatively low speed of around 15mph, during our investigation we thoroughly tested the back street and found that because of the nature of the road you cannot drive safely on it at speeds of over 7mph.

‘Agyei admitted a lesser careless driving offence but was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving.

‘While he has been given a custodial sentence, I know that no sentence can ever in any way equate to the lifetime of grief that Abdullah’s family face.’