Customers and staff at Hickory’s Smokehouse, in Shipton Road, donated Easter eggs to be distributed by HOPING Street Kitchen in King’s Manor Garden on Easter Sunday (April 5).

Easter character Hetty Hen even joined staff at the street kitchen, which services hot meals to around 120 people in need each week, to spread festive cheer.

The Hickory’s team with the donated Easter eggs for homeless people in York (Image: Supplied)

Hayden Broadbent, Hickory’s community manager, brought a car full of the donated Easter eggs and said: “Everyone’s on board with the need to help those struggling and Easter is a special time for spreading hope and having a bit of fun together. We wish everyone a very happy Easter!”

Hetty Hen said the street kitchen’s Easter menu, as well as the donated Easter eggs, “hit the spot”.

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Helen Meadows, HOPING’s chair of trustees, said the team was “thrilled” to have Hayden at the Easter Sunday service. “Hayden and the Hickory’s Smokehouse team are such cheerful positive people who always do their best for us. They keep our team hopeful too.  We really can’t thank them enough.”

Helen thanked the “kind folk” for their donated chocolate eggs which she said ensured “everyone in our community got to celebrate Easter properly”. 

She added that “world events are tightening belts further”, meaning the street kitchen is “bracing ourselves for a further spike in homelessness with cost-of-living rises”.

To support HOPING Street Kitchen, visit its JustGiving Page titled: “HOPING York Street Kitchen.”

Lisa McHugh says it taught her the importance of self belief as she prepares to return to music

Country star Lisa McHugh has spent years building a loyal fan base across Ireland and the UK, but she admits the live music scene has changed dramatically in recent years.

The singer says performing live has become much tougher for artists, with rising costs and fewer venues putting pressure on the industry.

“I definitely think the live scene in general is a lot tougher these days – ticket sales are harder and the competition is really stiff,” she told RSVP Country.

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“A lot of venues have closed, which means more artists are fighting for the same dates and spaces. Then you also have the challenge of trying to get people to come to your show when someone similar could have been in that same venue the week before – it’s tough.”

Lisa said that while she has focused mainly on concert venues in recent years, even those have become increasingly challenging for artists trying to fill seats.

“A lot of that comes down to the economy. Money is tight for everyone, the cost of living is high and people just don’t have the extra funds they might have had a few years ago,” she said.

“That’s completely understandable – we’re all in the same boat. Hopefully that will turn around soon so people can get back out and enjoy live music, because there’s really no better therapy than dancing and singing along to your favourite artist and forgetting your worries for a few hours. It can lift your mood for weeks.”

Despite the challenges facing the industry, Lisa says it has only strengthened her determination to evolve creatively.

The singer is no stranger to adversity. Last summer she was was hospitalised after temporarily losing the use of both legs and experiencing excruciating pain in her face and head.

Following extensive tests, she was eventually diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), a condition that affects how the brain and nervous system send and receive signals.

“It basically means there’s a nervous system problem and your brain isn’t sending the signals properly to your limbs or body. They call it a software problem in your brain, not a hardware problem,” Lisa explained.

The diagnosis saw her go from touring and raising two young children – Milo, now four, and Hallie, 18 months – to being unable to carry them and relearning how to walk using a frame.

However, her recent health issues have made Lisa more determined than ever to seize every opportunity and she is excited to explore what other avenues might lie ahead.

“I’ve always had it on my radar,” she said of exploring opportunities beyond music.

“I first tried TV presenting ten years ago and loved it. TV and radio is something I have a passion for alongside music. I don’t want to be pigeonholed.”

“I love to challenge myself creatively in the media industry and if the opportunities come along I’m going to grab them with both hands,” she added.

Lisa also reflected on the early days of her career, when the Irish country music scene was overwhelmingly male-dominated.

“When I was doing 140 or 150 gigs a year, I was the only female on the road full-time doing that at the time – the rest were all men,” she recalled.

“I was competing against them for the good venues and the best dates. That was tough.”

She said it took years of persistence to gain the respect of promoters and prove she could draw the same crowds as her male counterparts.

“It took a long time for people to believe that I could sell just as many circuits, if not more, than the male artists they might have chosen otherwise. That takes time, effort and hard work.

“You need a thick skin – you hear ‘no’ more than ‘yes’, and you just have to shake it off, keep hustling and keep working hard.”

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Lisa believes the experience taught her resilience, and having had to ‘hustle’ to succeed in the industry before she’s prepared to do it again.

“It’s the same in any job – you can’t just walk in and expect the top seat at the table,” she said. “You have to put in the work, earn respect and trust, and then move up.”

She said that ability to believe in yourself has been crucial to her success in the industry and is something she will rely on again as she prepares to return to music this year.

“You don’t get far in life if you don’t believe in yourself – it all starts there,” she said. “If you don’t believe you can achieve your goals or sell those tickets, no one else will. You have to be confident in everything you do.”

Taking time away from performing can naturally bring some doubts, she admitted, but she remains realistic about what it takes to rebuild momentum.

“Of course, taking time off brings natural concerns – you think, ‘If I’m away for a while, people will forget me.’ They won’t necessarily forget, but you won’t be at the forefront of their minds either,” she said.

“I need to be realistic when I come back. It’s going to take a little time for people to fully realise I’m back, see if I’m doing something new and give them the opportunity to buy into it again.

“But it all starts with you. If you don’t believe in your abilities and what you’re capable of, you can’t expect anyone else to.”

To read Lisa’s interview in full and see all the stunning pictures, pick up the Spring edition of RSVP Country on shelves now.

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The One Show star Ronan Keating has opened up about his grief following the death of his brother

The One Show host Ronan Keating struggled to hold back tears in a preview clip from his upcoming BBC programme, Ronan Keating’s Wild Atlantic.

Alongside his nephew Ruairí Keating, Ronan revealed his one regret after the passing of Ruairí’s father and Ronan’s brother, Ciarán Keating.

Ciarán lost his life in a car crash in 2023 while on his way to watch his son play football, with his wife Annemarie sustaining severe injuries in the incident.

“I never get to say it but…I was the baby,” Ronan said through tears. “He was my older brother, my eldest brother, and he’s my hero.

“I always looked up to him, you know. I joined the band, and I had to kind of grow up very quickly, and I missed stuff between us, and because of that, I lost a lot,” reports the Mirror.

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He continued, “I lost a lot and made a lot of sacrifices.”

“It is very hard,” Ronan wept, reaching across to console his nephew. “I am sorry, I am sorry, I don’t want to get upset.”

In a separate clip, Ronan spoke about Ruairi’s bond with his father. He remarked, “Oh, man, it’s hard enough for us as siblings. I can’t imagine where you are.

“You know, I’ve kind of parked my emotions for the last two years. I haven’t been able to really deal with it. I haven’t been able to deal with the loss, you know.

“He made the decision to make a life for his family. He left Dublin, and he went to the west. And I think this journey that I’m on, you know, coming here and doing this, is me trying to understand more about Ciarán’s choice, so that I can somehow grieve and let go, because I found it very hard.”

Ruairí continued, “It’s the same for me playing football too. I always look up and still think I can see him there.

“It’s always the hardest part as well, after games, I used to check my phone. The first thing I’d see is my dad’s name, looking at my phone and not seeing that anymore. It’s really hard.”

He then said, “I know he can see me, and I know he’s watching.”

Ronan told his nephew, “He was so proud of you, and he will still be so proud of you in everything that you do, all of you kids, you were his world, you know, pride and joy.”

Ronan Keating’s Wild Atlantic airs on BBC Two at 6.30pm on Monday.

“I fear that I would have ended up being a world champion but a very depressed, sad and miserable world champion.”

Delicious Orie had the world at his feet when he made his professional debut a year ago.

After the Paris Olympics there was a bidding war for him despite the heavyweight failing to win a medal.

Frank Warren’s Queensberry eventually saw off Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom as well as interest from the WWE to sign him.

He was the next big thing in heavyweight boxing. And then a month later, Orie announced his shock decision to walk away from boxing altogether.

“I wanted to pull out before the boxing exposed me,” he tells BBC Sport.

“I turned pro for the money, I needed the money, only to realise that money gives you a little bit of happiness, it really does, but it gives you zero fulfilment. Nothing. You feel nothing.”

Orie was a standout fighter in the amateur ranks despite only taking up the sport aged 18. Originally from Russia, he moved to the UK as a child with his family.

He set high standards for himself, even as a seven-year-old realising the opportunities available to him in the UK.

Orie worked for years to become part of Team GB and secure a regular income from boxing. His goal, over a near-decade journey, was to be Olympic champion. When that did not happen, Orie felt a shift inside him, even if it was subtle.

“There was no plan B, there was no other thing, it was just tunnel vision to win that medal,” he says.

“So the fact that I didn’t magnified the feeling even more when my hand wasn’t raised.

“I gave everything to the sport, I missed everything – happiness, birthdays, weddings, funerals, everything,” he adds.

“Knowing that I could never achieve that again when I didn’t have my hand raised, that was very sobering.”

Gary Lineker believes Mikel Arteta has shown signs of ‘panicking’ in recent weeks but still expects Arsenal to win the Premier League.

Arsenal lost the Carabao Cup final to Manchester City before the international break and suffered a shock FA Cup defeat to Championship side Southampton on Saturday.

Those back-to-back defeats mean an Arsenal team who were chasing a historic quadruple just two weeks ago have fallen short in two competitions.

Arsenal are still on the verge of a memorable season, however, as they attempt to win their first league title in 22 years and lift the Champions League for the first time ever.

Their nine-point lead over second-placed Man City is ‘huge’, according to Lineker, who remains confident Arsenal will clinch a long-awaited Premier League title.

But the England legend admits Arsenal are going through a ‘little wobble’ and has also accused Arteta of ‘panicking’ since the Carabao Cup final defeat.

‘It’s been a tough two weeks for Arsenal,’ Lineker said on The Rest is Football podcast. ‘People are asking if they’re panicking or if it’s a crisis, it’s definitely a little wobble.

‘Obviously Gabriel went off with ice on his knee so that’s a concern because he will be a big miss if he’s out. The next game or two are hugely important for Arsenal, they need to steady the ship, there’s no doubt about it.

‘They’ve got a huge lead in the title race but it’s squeaky bum time. I think they will be fine, I think they will win the league, which will still be the main thing for them.

‘The Champions League would obviously be an enormous bonus because it’s a competition they’ve never won.

‘I’m pretty confident they will win the league. It’s not a bad situation to be in, nine points clear at the top of the Premier League and in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.’

Lineker added: ‘Southampton played exceptionally well and Arsenal were off it.

‘I do want to throw something out there and it’s easy in hindsight but I thought there was a slight signal of panic when they withdrew so many players or the players themselves withdrew from international duty.

Tehran responded with missile fire on Israel and its Gulf neighbours

More than 25 people have been killed in Iran following a wave of attacks carried out by Israel and the United States.

Tehran responded to the attacks with missile fire on Israel and its Gulf neighbours, according to reports. The airstrikes came as Donald Trump’s deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz loomed.

The US President issued an expletive-laden threat against Iran over the weekend, saying America would escalate strikes on its infrastructure if it doesn’t open the Strait of Hormuz by his deadline, which is 1am UK time on Tuesday. In a social media post, Mr Trump promised strikes on Iran’s power plants and bridges.

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He said the strikes would set the country ‘back to the stone ages’ and would added that Iran would be ‘living in hell’. But a defiant Iran showed no sign of backing down, striking economic and infrastructure targets in neighbouring Gulf Arab countries and challenging the US’s account of the rescue.

And Iran’s joint military command warned of stepped-up attacks on regional oil and civilian infrastructure if the US and Israel attack such targets there, according to state television. Overnight explosions rang out in Tehran and low-flying jets could be heard for hours as the capital was pounded.

Thick black smoke rose near the city’s Azadi Square after one airstrike hit the Sharif University of Technology grounds. Two people were found dead in the rubble of a residential building in Haifa, according to Israeli authorities.

The search was ongoing for two more even as new Iranian missile attacks hit the northern Israeli city early on Monday. Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates both activated their air defence systems to intercept incoming Iranian missiles and drones, as Tehran kept up the pressure on its Gulf neighbours.

Iran’s regular attacks on regional energy infrastructure and its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil is shipped in peacetime, have sent global energy prices soaring. Iran has let some vessels through the strait since the war began, but none belonging to the US, Israel or countries perceived as helping them.

Some have paid Iran for passage and the overall flow of traffic is down more than 90 per cent over the same period last year. Beyond Mr Trump’s military threats, diplomatic efforts are still underway to see if a solution can be reached to open the waterway.

One of Monday’s morning airstrikes targeted Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology, where Iranian media reported damage to the buildings as well as a natural gas distribution site next to the campus. It was not immediately clear what had been targeted on the grounds of the university, which is empty of students as the war has forced all schools into the country into online classes.

Multiple countries over the years have sanctioned the university for its work with the military, particularly on Iran’s ballistic missile programme, which is controlled by the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. A strike near Eslamshar, southwest of Tehran, killed at least 13 people, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

Five others were killed when a residential area in the city of Qom was hit, and six more were killed in strikes on other cities, the state-run IRAN daily newspaper reported. Three more people were killed when an airstrike hit a home in Tehran, Iranian state television reported.

Two fire crews were called to the property in Wellington Street shortly after 6.20pm on Sunday (April 5).

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said the crews responded to a report that the television ariel was “hanging in a dangerous position from a property after becoming damaged in high winds”.

“Crew power and bolt cutters were used to remove the ariel before the possibility of it falling onto the footpath below,” a service spokesperson said.

The callout by the fire service came as York and North Yorkshire were battered by high winds brought by Storm Dave at the weekend.

This follows reports that a school in Walkden ordered more than 130 books to be removed from their library’s shelves.

Index on Censorship reported in March that The Lowry Academy had removed the books – with the number rising to almost 200 if each issue of the graphic novels was counted.

The school said that no books had been banned, but re-classified – although a number had been removed.

Yasmin Qureshi, MP for Bolton South and Walkden, said she has written to the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson MP.

Ms Qureshi described as ‘unacceptable’ claims that books including We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Pageboy by Elliot Page were removed.

Other books reportedly removed include a graphic novel of George Orwell’s 1984, Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper series and Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight books.

Yasmin Qureshi MP (Image: Office of Yasmin Qureshi MP)

Ms Qureshi said: “A qualified librarian exercised her professional judgement in good faith, only to resign under pressure and face investigation. That is unacceptable.

“School libraries should open young minds, not reflect the personal preferences of senior leadership. Books must be determined by educational need and expertise, not ideology.

“I’ve asked the department what powers it has to investigate and whether they will act on this case and wider library governance issues.

“Our young people and educators deserve better.”

In a statement given to PA the school denied that books had been “banned” and said they had instead been placed into “age-appropriate categories”.

A spokesperson for the academy said: “It is not the case that books have been ‘banned’ by the school.

“Following concerns that a number of books within the library were neither age- nor content-appropriate, an audit was conducted.

“Following this, books have been placed into age-appropriate categories and returned to the shelves. 

“A very small number of books were deemed inappropriate even for older children due to their content and have been removed.”

The Lowry Academy has reportedly removed nearly 200 books from their library (Image: Google Maps)

Teachers at the National Education Union (NEU) conference in Brighton voted for a motion calling on the union executive to oppose censorship in school libraries.

Daniel Kebede, NEU general secretary, said: “Any move to censor books in school libraries based on misinformation and fearmongering should ring alarm bells for all of us.

“The USA and Hungary are examples of countries which have implemented book bans in schools, primarily targeting books by women, black and LGBT+ authors, and the NEU is clear that this is not a path we are prepared to follow in the UK.”

The motion also called for the union executive to promote the body as a union for librarians amid reports they are seeing both internal and external censorship of library materials, as well as redundancies, budget cuts and extremely low pay.

Firefighters were called to the small fire in the open near Huntington Road shortly after 5.10pm on Sunday (April 5).

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said the fire, measuring 2m x 2m and consisting of branches, was out on the crew’s arrival.

A service spokesperson said it was suspected that youths seen in the area had started the fire.

They said the crew informed police about the incident and “inspected the area to ensure the fire was fully extinguished before leaving the incident”.

The organisation has supported thousands of unemployed South Lanarkshire residents into work, skills and training.

The long-serving chairperson of Routes to Work South (RTWS) has stepped down after 17 years in the role.

It means the search is on to find a replacement for Bill McBride at the organisation that has supported thousands of unemployed South Lanarkshire residents into work, skills and training.

South Lanarkshire council’s head of enterprise and sustainable development, Alison Brown, said: Alison Brown said: “Bill’s leadership has been instrumental in shaping RTWS into a respected, stable, and forward‑looking organisation. Under his guidance, Routes to Work South has expanded its services, deepened its community partnerships, and delivered programmes that have helped many residents overcome unemployment and build brighter futures.

“We are immensely grateful for his contribution.”

A new chairperson and up to five independent directors are now needed for RTWS.

It is an arms-length external organisation of South Lanarkshire Council that celebrated their 20th anniversary last year.

The positions are voluntary (with expenses reimbursed) and successful applicants will attend quarterly board meetings and sub-committees.

The organisation welcomes applications from individuals with experience in:

■ Finance, audit, or risk management

■ Human resources / people and culture

■ Legal and regulatory compliance

■ Strategic leadership and organisational development

■ Digital, data or information governance

■ Employability, skills, health or economic development

■ Community development / third sector leadership

Alison added: “RTWS has grown into an award‑winning Scottish charity and a key contributor to tackling poverty and promoting economic inclusion across South Lanarkshire. The organisation supports residents to develop the skills, confidence, and opportunities needed to progress into sustainable employment.

“We would love to hear from people interested in helping us grow the service, guide its strategic direction, strengthen governance and ensure high‑quality delivery of employability programmes.”

Applications should be submitted by Thursday 30 April by sending a CV and short supporting statement by email, or informal enquiries can also be emailed or call 0141 584 2915.

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