“Not only did you brighten up our grey Manchester sky, you certainly brightened up the day for many of our children”

The Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital have paid a special tribute to the Red Arrows after a spectacular display.

The world-famous aerobatics display team of the RAF will be taking part in the Southport Airshow this weekend. On the return journey to RAF Warrington on Sunday, the team will fly directly over Greater Manchester, with a special flypast over the hospital.

The route saw the team fly over Lymm, onto Altrincham and then directly over the city centre, before heading out into Tameside and Oldham. From there, the team flew back to their base at RAF Waddington, in Lincolnshire.

Click here to get the biggest stories straight to your inbox in our Daily Newsletter

Earlier this week, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust announced that the Red Arrows would be doing the flypast to ‘support them and create a memorable moment’ for the children receiving care at the Children’s Hospital.

In a post, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust said: “We’re excited to share that this bank holiday weekend we’re in for a real treat – and we want you to enjoy it with us…

“The world-famous RAF Red Arrows will be carrying out a flypast over Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital this Sunday at around 5.15pm – subject to weather and other operational factors on the day.

“The flypast will form part of the team’s existing, planned transit back to their Lincolnshire home base, having displayed earlier at the Southport Airshow.

“We’re delighted that they’ve chosen to support us and help create a memorable moment for all the children receiving care with us in hospital, their families, and the dedicated staff who support them every day.”

Sharing a video on X, the Trust captured the delight of children and staff as the impressive team flew over with the red, white and blue smoke trials.

Posting on the social media site, the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust wrote: “Thanks so much @rafredarrows for the fly past today. Not only did you brighten up our grey Manchester sky, you certainly brightened up the day for many of our children, their families and staff who got the best view on the roof. Thanks for supporting us.”

Located in North Yorkshire, Skipton is the perfect day out for anyone who enjoys delving into the local history wherever they go. 

The town’s main attraction, the medieval castle, dates back to around 1069 with a Tudor wing that was added in the 1500s. It was built by the Normans to strengthen their control over the area and defend from invading Scots. 

It’s somewhere you could easily spend an afternoon exploring. There are several parts of the site to check out, including the watch tower, dungeons, chapel terrace and ancient woodland, which is adjacent to the castle and managed by the Woodland Trust. 

Skipton is just a 90-minute drive away from Oldham (Image: Supplied)

While it was the castle that first drew me to Skipton as a child, it’s the retail offerings, cafes and pubs that keep me coming back as an adult. 

It’s always a good idea to time your visit with the market days, which are Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. While many other towns have seen their markets dwindle in the last decade, Skipton is one place where the tradition is still very much alive.

From pick-and-mix sweets to outdoor wear, from garden furniture to artisan cheese, there are a wide variety of traders, it doesn’t matter if you’re looking for something specific or just browsing, it’s hard to come away empty handed. 

There are plenty of other independent shops and boutiques to visit. Customer service always tends to be top-notch in these shops, with staff that seem to be always more than happy to have a chat. 

After all that shopping, it is essential that you stop off at one of the many pubs or cafes. One of my favourites is the Narrow Boat, which is located in a quiet spot off the main High Street where the market is.

If you want to stop and watch the boats go by on the canal – or take a trip on one – the Boat House Bar is the place to be. And if it’s real ale you’re after, the CAMRA award-winning Beer Engine is the place to go.

Skipton is also a great place for foodies – it even has a Michelin-starred restaurant, The Angel at Hetton. However, my go-to in Skipton is Bizzie Lizzie’s fish and chip restaurant, which is good enough to compete with the exceptionally high standards of Oldham’s own Levers.

Fans were so keen to snap up a piece of pottery history shops sold out in hours – bringing 217 years of history to a sad close as the company stops production

A British business icon founded before Queen Victoria took the throne closed its last store forever on Saturday after plunging into administration.

Denby was founded in 1809 and produced top-quality pottery from the ‘same site’ in Derbyshire for 217 years. However, it called in the administrators on Christmas Eve last year, and was formally placed in administration at the end of March.

Companies House documents show the company owed more than £34 million to creditors. Sweeping redundancies hit the business, with a firesale of stock aimed at bringing in as much cash as possible.

Denby’s shops are now closed forever, bringing to an end more than two centuries of history. A statement from the company, released last week, said: “It is with great sadness that, following Denby entering administration, all our stores will be closed by the end of this week (week ending 30th August).

“We would like to thank all our customers who have visited our stores and website over the years, and especially all our great colleagues in the factory, warehouse and stores over the years who have made Denby what it has been.”

Initially, stores were set to open until Sunday, but pottery flew off the shelves so quickly it closed at 12 noon on Saturday (August 29).

A source from administrators FRP said response to news of the closure was “phenomenal”, with higher than expected footfall at its closing down sale over the past few days.

Although Denby is set to cease production, the brand is set to live on, according to Tony Wright from FRP. He said: “It’s undoubtedly a sad moment to see the Pottery Village close after so many years as the home of this much-loved British brand.

“We wanted to give shoppers and Denby enthusiasts the chance to visit one final time and take home a piece of its heritage.

“While the stores are closing, the Denby brand itself will continue under new ownership, ensuring its legacy lives on.”

International Denby subsidiaries are unaffected by the UK company’s administration.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Instead of adding new roses, President Donald Trump’s White House Rose Garden is growing statues.

Trump put statues of some of America’s founders in the garden just off the Oval Office after he replaced its plush lawn with a white stone patio, turning the historic outdoor space into a look-alike of the one at his Mar-a-Lago home and private club in Palm Beach, Florida.

At least one statue was a gift. Others are on loan from people who wish to remain anonymous.

The statues are part of Trump’s sweeping series of White House renovations, from his gilded makeover of the Oval Office to the ballroom and helipad that the Republican president is having built on the south grounds. These projects fit into Trump’s broader plan to leave his mark on downtown Washington through other construction projects, including a statue garden on federal land near the National Mall.

Thomas Jefferson returns to the White House

Lundeen said he made the sculpture of Jefferson, the third U.S. president, decades ago and kept it at his ranch until he decided to spruce it up and send it to Trump for display at the White House in time for July Fourth celebrations of America’s 250th birthday. Steven Barber, his friend and collaborator, had reached out to contacts at the White House on Lundeen’s behalf.

“I thought it would just be a real nice thing on the 250th for people to look at Thomas Jefferson as he was writing the Declaration of Independence,” Lundeen said in a telephone interview.

But the statue did not get to the White House in time. Barber said it was stuck on a truck partly because of heavy security around the celebratory events. Trump was shown photos and liked the sculpture so much that he decided to put it in the Rose Garden.

When the president called Lundeen to thank him, he got voicemail. After the holiday, Lundeen’s office manager insisted he listen to one message in particular.

The statue of Washington, America’s first president, was lent by Harlan Crow, the White House said. Representatives for the Texas-based real estate tycoon and GOP megadonor, who made headlines in recent years for his friendship with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, did not respond to email messages from the AP seeking comment.

A third statue, “Freedom’s Charge,” a 14-foot-tall (4.3-meter-tall) bronze sculpture of two Revolutionary War soldiers separated by a flag, was relocated from Dallas. Chas Fagan, the sculptor, did not respond to emailed requests for comment.

The Franklin and Hamilton statues are from anonymous donors, according to the White House.

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle explained Trump’s fondness for statues by saying that no other president has done more to beautify the White House and its surroundings.

“From restoring our treasured landmarks, which had suffered years of abuse and vandalism, to cleaning our parks and the Reflecting Pool, President Trump’s bold vision ensured that America rang in its 250th birthday celebration with glory and pride,” Ingle said in an emailed statement that referenced Trump’s troubled effort to spruce up the pool near the Lincoln Memorial.

He said Trump continues to make “long-overdue and necessary” renovations to the White House.

“Thanks to the Builder-in-Chief, the White House will be properly glorified and remain in excellent condition for generations to come,” Ingle said.

Next door to the White House, Trump had a statue of Christopher Columbus installed on the grounds of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in March.

More recently, the National Park Service installed a series of sculptures of Revolutionary-era subjects and themes at a plaza near the White House.

Trump’s marquee statue plan involves building a National Garden of American Heroes near the National Mall that would feature sculptures of 250 Americans who have made significant cultural, political and other historical contributions to the United States. Several preservation and cultural heritage organization have sued to block the project, arguing that Congress must first authorize it.

Barber said he and Lundeen are “in the mix” to make statues for that garden, too.

At his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump has on display a 7-foot (2.1-meter) bronze sculpture depicting him with his fist raised after the 2024 assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. It was also made by Lundeen and was given to Trump by Anthony Constantino, a businessman and Republican congressional candidate from New York.

In Trump’s first term, first lady Melania Trump installed a piece by Japanese American sculptor Isamu Noguchi near the Rose Garden, making him the first Asian American artist to be featured in the White House collection.

Before that, then-first lady Michelle Obama’s renovation of the Old Family Dining Room in 2015 included the addition of a painting by Alma Thomas, who was the first African American female artist to have her work added to the collection.

The 41-year-old, who was sadly pronounced dead at the scene, has been described as a “legend” and a “gentle giant”.

A man who died in a horror Land Rover crash in Perthshire has been named locally as Loren MacGillivray.

Emergency crews raced to the scene on the Auchterarder to Aberuthven Road, near to Damside, at around 2.40pm on Friday, August 28.

The 41-year-old, who was the driver of the Land Rover Freelander, died at the scene.

No one else was injured in the crash.

Advertisement

Heartfelt tributes have been paid to Loren, known as LJ, who has been described as a “legend” and “gentle giant”.

Billy Vaughan said: This guy is and always will be a legend in Auchterarder and beyond. We saw Minions just two weeks ago. Loren, you will always be in my heart and thoughts.

“They say only the good die young. Words are too difficult to type. You were one in a billion. Until we meet again brother. Fly high.”

Advertisement

Dale Robert Mcnally wrote: “RIP LJ such a great guy gone far too soon”.

Sara Spittal said: “Can’t believe it – absolutely heartbreaking. He was such a gentle giant. Sending condolences and thoughts to the whole family at this sad time.”

Jemma Connelly said: “Rest easy buddy will miss your infectious laugh”.

Charli Crawford wrote: “What a gentle giant. Rest easy, LJ”.

Dale Robert Mcnally added: “RIP LJ such a great guy gone far too soon”.

A GoFundMe page has been set up by Stuart Walker, a friend of Loren’s mum, to help cover funeral costs.

A man has been jailed for causing the death of his girlfriend after claiming she had been struck in a hit-and-run.

Matthew DuPlessis was sentenced to nine years and three months after admitting causing death by careless driving while unfit through drugs and to perverting the course of justice.

Neighbours heard the 35-year-old and his girlfriend, Charlotte Dodd, also 35, arguing at her home on September 23, 2023, Chester Crown Court heard.

At 1.30am the next day the couple left in his van. Ms Dodd later fell from the moving vehicle and was fatally injured as she hit the road in Congleton, Cheshire, police said.

A passerby stopped his car when he saw her in the road with DuPlessis sat on a grass verge behind her. 

DuPlessis, from Crewe, insisted he and his girlfriend were out walking after a drinking session and a dark-coloured vehicle had struck her and fled. 

However, a police officer recognised DuPlessis’s name and knew he drove a white van similar to one parked at the scene.

In 2024, the defendant admitted driving with excess cocaine and was banned for three years. But the investigation into Ms Dodd’s death continued. 

DuPlessis admitted to police that she had repeatedly threatened to jump out of the vehicle, but did not.  

He refused to say how she came to leave the van, police said, but CCTV along Padgbury Lane showed the driver door shut with an interior light on, indicating that the passenger door was open.

DuPlessis told police Ms Dodd had opened the passenger door as she wanted to get out, the force said.

The video showed the van continuing a further 195 metres at an average speed of 19mph.

Forensic analysis found the van was over the centre line of the carriageway as the defendant went to turn left into Arnside Avenue and Ms Dodd left the vehicle at that junction.

Following sentencing Ms Dodd’s family said in a statement that they had ‘quietly lived through the turmoil, the uncertainty and the heartbreak surrounding the circumstances of Charlotte’s death’.

‘We have each carried an indescribable pain of losing our daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece and friend, whilst also watching her two young girls try to come to terms with losing their mummy,’ they said.

‘It has taken so long to reach a Crown Court sentence hearing,’ the statement continued.

‘Due to the lies and deception by one person from the very beginning, thereby perverting the course of justice, we still do not know the full truth of what really happened to Charlotte.

‘There are no witnesses. There are some questions that remain unanswered, and we will have to live with those questions for the rest of our lives.

‘Justice has now been served, yet we do not believe this reflects the enormity of what has been lost and the devastation that Charlotte’s death has caused.

‘Charlotte has not been able to live her best life because one person has senselessly taken that life away, stolen her future.

‘For us, no custodial sentence or punishment will ever be enough.’

It is not known how Charlotte Dodd, 35, died, but her family said no punishment for DuPlessis ‘will ever be enough’

Advertisement

DCI Dave Hutcheon, of the major investigation team, said: ‘DuPlessis told multiple witnesses at the scene including his own parents, members of the public, paramedics and police at the scene that he and Charlotte were walking along Padgbury Lane having been out drinking and that Charlotte was dancing in the carriageway.’

The officer said DuPlessis had told people that a dark coloured vehicle had struck his girlfriend and fled the scene while he had his back turned.

He added: ‘We launched a fail to stop investigation at the scene, and the defendant was treated as a witness and later allowed to leave with his parents.

‘It hasn’t been determined how Charlotte came to leave the van. 

‘The defendant overshot the junction causing him to perform an emergency stop. 

‘He then reversed and parked his van on Arnside Avenue and went to Charlotte.

‘He then concocted his story to cover up that he was responsible for her death.

‘His lies were caught out by the roads policing officer and the detailed forensic analysis of his movements led to him having no option but to plead guilty.’

Born in Shotley Bridge on May 26, 1976, Collingwood grew up in a cricketing family and spent his childhood around the village club.

His father, David, was an opening batsman at Shotley Bridge Cricket Club, his mother Janet made teas, and summers for the family were spent at its ground beside the River Derwent.

For a player later known for relentless work-rate, athletic fielding and stubbornness under pressure, the club gave him an early foothold in the game.

He forced his way into Shotley Bridge’s under-13s side aged just nine, having been introduced to cricket on the playing fields of Blackfyne Comprehensive School in Consett.

Shotley Bridge. (Image: GOOGLE)

Where ‘Colly’ began

Shotley Bridge sits just outside Consett, on the edge of the Derwent Valley.

It is a place with a strong sporting identity, and its cricket club proved to be the setting for the first chapter of Collingwood’s rise.

In its tribute to the former all-rounder, Wisden described Collingwood’s father as a “stalwart opening batsman” at the village club and said the family spent much of their summers there.

The cricket magazine added that the young Collingwood was exactly the sort of local player Durham needed when it became a first-class county.

His early sporting talent was not restricted to cricket.

Collingwood also played football as a teenager, but his father persuaded him to focus on cricket — a decision that set him on course for an exceptional career.

He attended Blackfyne Comprehensive School, now Consett Academy, before breaking into Durham’s system.

He made his first-class debut for Durham in 1996, beginning an association with his home county that would last more than two decades.

Paul Collingwood with his daughters during the unveiling of the new Paul Collingwood Pavilion at the Emirates Riverside in Chester le Street. Photograph by Stuart Boulton.

From Shotley Bridge to England

Collingwood’s route from village cricket to international sport is one of County Durham’s great sporting stories.

He made his one-day international debut for England in 2001 and his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Galle two years later.

In all, he played 68 Tests, scoring 4,259 runs at an average of more than 40, while his 197 one-day international appearances remain an England record.

He was a three-time Ashes winner and scored a memorable double century — 206 — in the 2006-07 Ashes series in Australia.

But for many supporters, the defining moment was his role as captain when England won the ICC World Twenty20 in 2010, the men’s team’s first global limited-overs title.

At Durham, he became the club’s leading first-class run scorer and most successful player.

Across 304 first-class appearances, he scored 16,844 runs and took 164 wickets, while he captained the county to the 2013 County Championship title.

A lasting village connection

Collingwood retired from professional cricket at the end of the 2018 season, having represented Durham in 23 of the county’s first 26 years as a first-class side.

But his connection to Shotley Bridge has endured.

His success continues to offer a powerful example to young players at the club where it started: a local boy who traded football for cricket, developed at a village ground and went on to captain England to a world title.

For Shotley Bridge, Collingwood is more than a famous name on a scorecard.

He is proof that a child’s first innings at a County Durham cricket club can lead all the way to the international stage.

The First Minister added that that would see policies “about being ambitious for Scotland” being brought forward, as well as focusing on “key issues that matter in our society, around eradicating chid poverty, around ensuring we have a dynamic economy, that we take action on the climate and that we strengthen our public services”.

For the Heaton Park congregation, Rabbi Walker said a “year of difficulty and of grief and of pain” had been made even harder by the attacks elsewhere.

“Something has gone seriously wrong in our society,” he said.

“I think we’re dealing with symptoms. We’re extremely grateful for the increased security, but I don’t think there’s really any evidence of anyone dealing with the core problems.

“And on the contrary, in many ways, those may have become worse over the last months.”

Angela Rayner told the BBC the government would “not allow hatred to drive people from their communities, to make them afraid to live and practise their faith freely or to divide our country”.

“Antisemitism is a poison, and we won’t stop fighting it until every Jewish person can live their lives fully, and free from fear,” the cabinet minister for communities said.

A memorial service will take place at Heaton Park synagogue later to commemorate the victims and survivors.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and Mayor of Manchester Bev Craig will be among those attending.

For those affected by the attack, the physical and emotional consequences are still being felt.

Bernard Agyemang, a security guard, is still recovering from the severe injuries he suffered when al-Shamie drove a car into him before trying to get into the synagogue with a knife.

Andy Burnham was last night accused of endangering the public over his latest change to the prison early-release scheme.

The Prime Minister is facing a new backlash after changing the policy to keep PC Andrew Harper’s killers behind bars, but at the same time opening the cell door to hundreds of dangerous offenders.

In yet another U-turn on the controversial scheme, Mr Burnham said anyone convicted of unlawful killing will be excluded.

It means Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, who were convicted of the officer’s manslaughter in 2020, will no longer be eligible for early release next year, to the relief of PC Harper’s family and police leaders.

But to make the change, ministers are finding extra cell spaces by releasing inmates serving indefinite terms under imprisonment for public protection sentences (IPPs) – which were given to offenders considered a significant risk to the public between 2005 and 2012. 

Current and former ministers warned that the solution could pose a far higher risk to the public because many IPP prisoners have been assessed as too dangerous to release.

One of Mr Burnham’s own senior ministers condemned the plans, saying: ‘The Prime Minister has been too focused on media response rather than actual risk.

‘He’s bowed to public pressure over the reaction to PC Harper’s killers and not focused on the actual high-risk, high-harm perpetrators.

Mr Burnham speaking to TV personality Georgia Harrison about the possibility of making Georgia’s Law

Ms Harrison pictured at the BAFTA Television Awards at the Royal Festival Hall in London on May 10

Advertisement

‘Are those who’ve committed manslaughter likely to come out of prison and commit manslaughter again? No. But I can guarantee you that the obsessed stalker or domestic abuser will come out and relentlessly pursue their victim again.’

Mr Burnham also faced criticism from campaigners who said the exemptions to the scheme did not go far enough because any persistent offenders, such as domestic abusers and stalkers, will still be let out early, putting victims at risk.

Some 5,000 prisoners had been due to be released early from next month under plans to ease jail overcrowding, down from 6,000 after ministers intervened to exempt rapists and serious child sex offenders.

Yesterday Mr Burnham limited the scheme further, blocking all those convicted of manslaughter, death by dangerous driving, indecent assault and grooming gang perpetrators.

He said: ‘We will now not only be keeping offenders serving time for indecent assault locked up, but also those in prison for manslaughter and death by dangerous driving.

‘This means the awful criminals responsible for the killing of PC Andrew Harper will not have their sentence shortened.’

Dame Nicole Jacobs, Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales, said: ‘For victims of domestic abuse across the country, this announcement won’t bring reassurance. 

‘While it’s good to see more dangerous offenders exempt from this scheme, I remain deeply concerned about the number of abusers who will still be eligible for early release.

Thames Valley Police mugshots of Jessie Cole (left) and Albert Bowers who are no longer eligible for early release

Thames Valley Police officer, PC Andrew Harper, was killed in the line of duty on August 15, 2019

Bowers and Cole pictured leaving Reading Magistrates Court following an hearing in 2019

‘This decision does not change the fact that victims and survivors will still be forced to take measures to protect themselves from dangerous abusers because the Government and our criminal justice system cannot.’

Former justice secretary David Gauke warned that the release of IPP prisoners carried ‘much higher risks’, adding: ‘The reality is that the remaining IPPs are in prison for good reason. 

‘They have been assessed (repeatedly) as being high risk. I looked at their prison disciplinary records and in many cases it was clear why they’d not been released.

‘Caution is still needed. In terms of public protection, releasing IPPs comes with much higher risks than the categories excluded from the early-release scheme.’

Tory justice spokesman Nick Timothy said: ‘They’re among the most dangerous people in prison. Will they all be released? Just some? How many? And on what timescale? What about those who would have had a life sentence had IPP not existed?’

He added: ‘This is Andy Burnham’s fifth position on early release in less than six weeks since he became PM. There are serious questions about what he’s now proposing. 

‘Put plainly, Andy Burnham’s early-release policy will endanger the British public. He seems to be trying to stop the release of one set of dangerous criminals by releasing another set of dangerous criminals.’

Sir Robert Buckland, a former justice secretary, said: ‘I know first-hand the crisis facing the criminal justice system in Britain, but changing the early-release scheme from favouring one set of dangerous criminals to another set of dangerous criminals does very little to protect the public.

Richard Lloyd was convicted in May 2008 at Coventry Crown Court. He was 26 years old at the time of sentencing

Advertisement

Tracey Connelly, the mother of Baby P, who died after months of abuse

Nicholas Bidar became the first IPP prisoner to have his parole bid held in public after new laws came into force

‘While Mr Burnham focuses on winning a PR battle, today’s announcement will still put decent law-abiding citizens in danger. The Government must get a grip and explain exactly how and when it will increase prison capacity, which is the only way to put a stop to this crisis once and for all.’

The PM has also met revenge-porn campaigner and former Love Island star Georgia Harrison to discuss her campaign for ‘Georgia’s Law’.

Stephen Bear was jailed in 2023 for sharing a sex tape of Ms Harrison on his OnlyFans page. But after his release from prison, Bear breached his order by posting degrading comments about Ms Harrison online.

She is calling for a social media ‘kill switch’ so posts are removed while they are reviewed.

IPP sentences were scrapped in 2012, but the abolition was not retrospective, leaving many IPP prisoners behind bars because they can be released only once the Parole Board is satisfied they no longer need to be confined for public safety.

As of June 30, 856 IPP prisoners were behind bars. Eight in ten of those have served at least ten years beyond the minimum term at which they can apply for parole.

A further 1,415 prisoners have been recalled after being handed IPP sentences.

A cross-party oversight group will be set up to look at the IPP system. Mr Burnham said spaces will also be created by deporting foreign prisoners.

Thames Valley Police boss Jason Hogg welcomed the guarantee that Bowers and Cole will remain behind bars. 

But he said many police leaders remain concerned about plans to release offenders early and jail fewer criminals by ditching shorter prison sentences.

He described a ‘criminal justice system in crisis’, warning that forces would have to shift resources from other policing priorities to deal with offenders released into the community.

Bowers and Cole were passengers in the car that dragged PC Harper to his death after he tried to stop a gang stealing a quad bike in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in 2019.

Aileen O’Connor, the chairman of the Thames Valley Police Federation, started a petition that attracted more than a million signatures to keep them in prison. 

She said: ‘We are pleased the Government – despite what was, frankly, initial reluctance – has eventually listened, seen sense and made the right decision to keep these lowlifes behind bars.’