Heading to a park is an easy and cost-effective way of keeping the whole family happy

As the weather starts to improve, you might want to try and get your family outside and enjoying the fresh air. Going to a playground or park is an easy and cheap way to keep your children occupied when the weather is nice.

Cambridgeshire has plenty of green spaces and parks that are worth visiting throughout the spring and summer whether you are looking for somewhere to take a nice walk or for the kids to run around in. From large themed playgrounds to places with paddling pools perfect for children to cool down in, there are many reasons why a park might be your family’s favourite to spend a day together.

It might just be the quality of the facilities or the onsite café that keep you coming back to a park. If there is a park or playground that stands out to you, we want to know about it.

CambridgeshireLive is asking you to tell us what the best park in Cambridgeshire is. You can nominate your favourite place to go to get your children to let off some steam through our survey below.

If the survey does not appear for you, you can open it in another tab.

According to Gibson, some mattresses are better for managing back pain than others. “The main thing is to get roughly medium-firm support, which is best for lower back pain sufferers because it keeps the back in neutral alignment,” he says. “Keeping the spine, neck and mid-back aligned theoretically means your muscles are going to relax.”

Soft mattresses, he warns, may worsen the pain by allowing the spine to dip out of alignment. At the right firmness, both pocket sprung and memory foam mattresses can be effective. “What you really need is good support from springs or foam, and which type you choose is a personal preference,” says Gibson.

Cushioning at pressure points such as the shoulder and hips are also important, especially for those with discomfort in these areas. Finally, Gibson advises against sleeping on your front as it often makes lower back pain worse.

Consult our guide on how to choose a mattress for more tips.

Reform will face down any “progressive outrage” from protesters opposing the party’s plans for mass deportations, the party’s home affairs spokesperson has said when asked whether the party was prepared for US-style standoffs.

Zia Yusuf, speaking at a press conference in Dover where he joined Nigel Farage to unveil a new draconian immigration policy, which has been denied that his plans for a Deportation Command were the same as Donald Trump’s ICE but warned “we will never flinch” in the face of unrest.

He suggested that there would not be similar violence as has been seen on the streets of Minnesota where ICE agents have clashed with and killed protesters, because “policing is done by consent” in the UK.

However, asked about sanctuary cities such as Cardiff and Sheffield which protect asylum seekers from deportation in the UK, Mr Yusuf suggested that he would be prepared to confront protesters and authorities there.

Responding to a question from The Independent, he said: “If your question is, ‘do we have the resolve to stand up to progressive outrage against perfectly different enforcement of the law in this country?’ Then the answer is, we will never flinch.”

Under a Reform government, the party would set up the unit to “track down, detain and deport” people in the country illegally, aiming for up to 288,000 people each year.

He said: “So you know this notion that we’re going to have the same issues that come sharply into focus internationally as a result of Trump’s Ice programme – it’s just not true, we would not expect UK Deportation Command to carry weapons. It’s not going to be the case.

“But I also want to be clear that if you’re in this country illegally, they will detect you and they will detain you and they’ll deport you.”

He added: “If your question is: are we going to have the kind of situation that we saw in Minnesota in Britain as a result of our deportation programme? No.”

The plans have been met with fury, with charities warning they will tear families apart.

Dr Dora-Olivia Vicol, CEO of the Work Rights Centre, criticised Reform’s deportation plans, adding that retrospectively stripping people of their settled status in the UK would be “callous” and would “actively hurt our economy and public services”.

Speaking about Reform’s deportation proposals, she said: “This is a sadistic vision of UK families and communities being ripped apart, money being wasted, and the government turning against its own people.

“These are proposals designed purely to grab headlines and stoke anger. They are cruel, economically self-defeating, and offer no solutions to the real problems facing people in Britain: poverty and exploitative work.”

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson Max Wilkinson had said Reform’s “Trump-inspired plans for an ICE-style force will only bring chaos and disorder to Britain’s streets, not the order and control our immigration system needs”.

Amnesty International UK also warned the UK does not “need or want” a British version of ICE and such proposals to mirror the US “risk unleashing a system built on fear, aggressive raids and discrimination, where enforcement operates with sweeping powers and little accountability.”

In Dover on Monday, Mr Yusuf said the UK is being “invaded” by migrants as he pitched Reform’s mass deportation programme as the biggest in UK history.

The party has also said it will impose “visa freezes” on Pakistan, Afghanistan and Syria if the countries refuse to take back migrants with no legal right to stay in Britain.

Reform has said it would expect to deport more than 600,000 in its first term in government.

Defending his choice of language, Mr Yusuf told a press conference in Dover: “I know many in the establishment gasp at that word.

“They may well clutch their pearls in the television studios, but the dictionary definition of invasion is an incursion by a large number of people in an unwanted way.

“Make no mistake, as home secretary I will end and indeed reverse this invasion, because the patience of the British people is now exhausted.”

Mr Yusuf also said the rights of British citizens are being placed “beneath those of criminals” because of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

The party has pledged to leave the treaty.

Mr Yusuf listed what he said were examples of judges blocking the deportation of illegal migrants who had committed crimes.

“How many more people must die at the hands of those who should never have been in our country in the first place?” he said.

“How many more victims’ families must be devastated in this way when their rights are placed beneath those of criminals?

“The answer is none. Vote Reform. We will leave the ECHR and end this madness.”

Reacting to the speech, shadow home secretary Chris Phlip said Mr Yusuf has “nothing new to offer beyond copying and pasting Conservative plans”.

The hidden Manchester bar Project Halcyon was named one of the UK’s top 50

A secret Manchester bar has quietly closed its doors after confirming it has poured its last cocktail. The team behind Project Halcyon announced the news via social media earlier this month.

The hidden speakeasy-style bar was created by Zymurgorium Distillery, a craft gin distillery owned by Aaron Darke in early 2020. After the pandemic, in 2022, they re-opened the concept at Department Bonded Warehouse, the refurbished 1800s red brick building on the Old Granada Studios site, beneath the original cobbles of the Coronation Street set.

Featuring a seasonal cocktail menu, using craft spirits and liqueurs actually produced on the site of the distillery, and a dedicated absinthe bar, it became known as one of Manchester best hidden drinking spots. It was previously named one of the UK’s top bars alongside a number of esteemed city centre venues.

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Within the site, a series of passageways leads to the bar, and the dedicated absinthe room called the snug, an in-house distillery and laboratory where they create all of their spirits, liqueurs, tinctures, ferments, cordials, syrups and shrubs.

However in a post shared on Instagram, the team said it was with ‘sincere regret’ that they had closed their doors. The post read: “Project Halcyon has poured its last cocktail.

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“It was with sincere regret that due to unexpected challenges at the ownership level we must close our doors for the foreseeable. Though we say goodbye, the memories live on. Thank you to everyone who shared in our craft, our community, and our story.”

The post prompted a number of comments from customers that had been to the venue over the years. “Wow you made this place absolutely incredible and really excelled the drinks better than ever before,” wrote one person.

Another added: “Manchester lost one of its finest! Had the pleasure of working with a few of these guys across the years and can’t wait to see what they do next.” And a third wrote: “Sorry to hear this, we loved you offer. I loved the banana martini you did too!”

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However, in the comments of the post some claimed that staff members have not been paid. The Instagram account, which is run by the bar team, responded directly in the comments.

They wrote: “We sincerely hope that anyone who may be owned by the owners of Project Halcyon – past and present team included – receives what they are owed. We are not deleting comments and have no interest in doing so.

“We also cannot control how Instagram manages comment threads. This page is run by the team, not the owners.”

Responding to the claim about staff payment, owner Aaron Darke told the Manchester Evening News: “Currently at the moment it’s with a restructuring advisement team and they are looking at what the next steps are to be taken.”

David Moyes, meanwhile, takes on his former employers, seeking to consolidate their place in the top half. The Toffees are ninth in the league and could move level on points with seventh-placed Brentford with a win here. Keep up to date with all the latest with our live blog below.

Former head of neurosurgery at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, Sam Eljamel, is believed to have harmed more than 200 patients, with some said to have had life-changing injuries.

Patients of disgraced brain surgeon Sam Eljamel were summoned to crunch talks with health chiefs last night – days after calling for one’s resignation at a hospital protest. The former head of neurosurgery at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee is believed to have harmed more than 200 patients, with some said to have had life-changing injuries.

He was suspended in 2013, resigned from the health board the following year and removed from the medical register in 2015, but returned to his native Libya while a public inquiry into his work in the UK continues.

Scots harmed by the rogue medic protested outside Ninewells in Dundee last week alongside 40 bags of shredded paper, representing the destruction of 40 theatre log books by NHS Tayside in September, despite a ‘no not destroy’ order, before handing over a letter demanding the resignation of chief executive Nicky Connor.

Last night, up to 20 patients attended a meeting at a Dundee hotel with Connor and clinical director Dr James Cotton – the first ever collective meeting campaigners have had with the health board.

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Lead campaigner Jules Rose, who discovered Eljamel had removed her tear gland instead of a tumour on her brain, said: “While we welcome the long-overdue meeting with NHS Tayside – first promised in November 2022 – it raises suspicion as to why the health board is suddenly willing to engage with patients and hear about the harm and frustration we have endured. Is this on the back of the protest on their doorstep?

“Having endured years of stalling, deflection and gaslighting with this healthboard, myself and patients are of the opinion that they don’t care about the harm caused to patients and the ever lasting trauma suffered, but they do care about their pay packets.

“We hope to have a productive, open and transparent meeting but we can be forgiven if we won’t hold our breath.”

The public inquiry into Eljamel’s conduct heard in November that Ninewells log books had been destroyed two months earlier.

NHS Tayside told inquiry chair Lord Weir it “deeply regretted” the error, which it said happened because staff were not aware of the logbooks’ connection with Eljamel.

The letter urging chief exec Connor to step down on Thursday said public confidence in her leadership had been “irreparably damaged”.

In January, campaigners staged another protest at Holyrood demanding First Minster John swinney intervene and remove a three-year time bar they say is preventing many victims from pursuing compensation claims against NHS Tayside.

Campaigner Rose said: “This meeting is not to address the deletion of the logbooks – that matter is rightly left to Lord Weir and Police Scotland.

“The First Minister has explicitly instructed NHS Tayside not to plead the time-bar rule. Finally, and hopefully, it appears the board may be listening: patients have been unable to secure legal representation while this barrier remains in place. The patients can never secure any legal representation whilst that rule lingers.”

NHS Tayside has previously said it does not apply a blanket approach to the three-year time bar in any legal claim.

After last week’s Ninewells protest it said it remains “deeply sorry for the destruction in error” of a number of hard copy theatre logbooks.

It said: “NHS Tayside is taking all steps to try to ensure there can be no further destruction of any documentation in error. The Board will continue to cooperate with The Eljamel Inquiry and will be accountable for its decision-making and actions taken in response to Mr Eljamel’s practice and the concerns raised.”

The Scottish Government has said it fully recognises the “pain and distress experienced by people impacted by Mr Eljamel’s practice”.

It said: “That is why we established the statutory public inquiry into the actions of Mr Eljamel and NHS Tayside to ensure patients obtain answers to their questions and that lessons are learned.

“Ministers have complete confidence in Lord Weir and the independent inquiry to get to the truth for patients and families without influence, interference or speculation on the outcome of the Inquiry.”

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Peter Mandelson has been accused of passing on information to the convicted paedophile.

Lord Peter Mandelson has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The Metropolitan Police said the 72-year-old was taken to a London police station for interview on Monday.

The former Labour minister has been accused of passing sensitive information onto paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein during his time as business secretary. Two of his properties were previously searched by police in connection with the allegations, which surfaced following the US Department of Justice’s document dump related to Epstein last month.

The first tranche of documents related to his appointment as US ambassador is expected to be released “very shortly in early March”, MPs have also been told. However, the publication of some correspondence between Downing Street and the peer will be delayed “because of the Metropolitan Police interest”, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones said.

Mr Jones’ statement came minutes before the Metropolitan Police announced the arrest.

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Peter Mandelson has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office by officers investigating latest revelations from the Epstein files.

The 72-year-old seen being led out of his home and loaded into a police car as officers search his properties.

The former Labour minister and US ambassador has been accused of passing on information to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein when he was business secretary.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: ‘Officers have arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

‘He was arrested at an address in Camden on Monday, February 23 and has been taken to a London police station for interview.

‘This follows search warrants at two addresses in the Wiltshire and Camden areas.’

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Hayley Sewart, previously said: ‘I can confirm that officers from the Met’s Central Specialist Crime team are in the process of carrying out search warrants at two addresses, one in the Wiltshire area, and another in the Camden area.

‘The searches are related to an ongoing investigation into misconduct in public office offences, involving a 72-year-old man.’

Lord Mandelson was pictured in the Epstein files released by the Department of Justice, showing him in his underwear in the financier’s Paris home.

A series of payments have also been found from Epstein to Mandelson and his husband Reinaldo Avila da Silva.

Lord Mandelson has not responded to the latest allegations, but in an interview with the Times he admitted to a ‘lapse in judgment’ over funding sent by Epstein to his husband Reinaldo for an osteopathy course.

Sir Keir Starmer has said his once-ally Peter Mandelson ‘betrayed our country, our Parliament and my party’.

Starmer admitted knowing about Lord Mandelson’s ongoing friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffry Epstein when he brought him back to government.

The Prime Minister said: ‘He lied repeatedly to my team when asked about his relationship with Epstein before and during his tenure as ambassador, I regret appointing him. If I knew then what I know now, he would never have been anywhere near Government.’

The force has begun a criminal investigation into allegations Lord Peter Mandelson passed market-sensitive information to Epstein while serving as business secretary in Gordon Brown’s Labour administration, as it dealt with the 2008 financial crash and its aftermath.

Mandelson was already sacked from his role in Washington in September last year over his links with the paedophile financier.

This is a breaking news story… More to follow…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials on Monday laid out a proposal to spur development of customized treatments for patients with hard-to-treat diseases, including for rare genetic conditions that the pharmaceutical industry has long considered unprofitable.

The preliminary Food and Drug Administration guidelines, if implemented, would create a new pathway for bespoke therapies that have only been tested in a handful of patients due to the challenges of conducting larger studies. The FDA announcement specifically mentions gene editing, although agency officials said the new approach could also be used by other drugs and therapies.

It’s a shift long sought by patients, advocates and researchers focused on rare diseases, which often do not fit within the pharmaceutical industry’s business model or the FDA’s traditional drug-approval system.

“It is our priority to remove barriers and exercise regulatory flexibility to encourage scientific advances and deliver more cures and meaningful treatments for patients suffering from rare diseases,” FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said in a release.

The announcement comes a week after Makary said the FDA would drop its decades-old standard of requiring two clinical trials for standard drug reviews. That was the latest in a series of changes to FDA norms and standards, many which have not gone through federal procedures traditionally used to update agency rules.

Senior FDA officials said the recent changes, including the pathway proposed Monday, don’t constitute new FDA standards. The FDA will take comments on its draft guidance for 60 days, before beginning to finalize it.

In recent years, academic researchers have shown they can use emerging technology to correct individual defects in a patient’s genetic code. Last year, a team at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania designed a therapy using CRISPR, the Nobel Prize-winning gene editing tool, to treat a baby born with a rare disease that causes ammonia to build up in the blood.

Traditionally, the FDA requires drugmakers to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of their experimental treatments in clinical studies that compare a set of patients getting the therapy with others taking a sham treatment or an alternative intervention. The more patients enrolled, the stronger the evidence.

But for conditions that can affect a tiny fraction of people worldwide, drug companies often have little incentive to invest millions of dollars needed to complete a study and bring it through the FDA approval process, which can take a decade or longer.

The pathway announced Monday would create a standardized process for authorizing experimental treatments and, importantly, offering companies the possibility of commercializing them.

The FDA already authorizes the use of experimental drugs under what’s called “compassionate use,” for people with no other medical options. But the process is cumbersome to navigate and strictly prohibits companies or researchers from profiting from treatments that haven’t been vetted by the FDA.

The new pathway’s name — plausible mechanism — is a reference to criteria FDA regulators will require before greenlighting any experimental therapies.

FDA officials say the approach will be reserved for conditions that are well understood and where there is a plausible reason to think that the therapy will act on the underlying genetic or cellular biology of the disease. Researchers must also confirm that the therapy successfully targeted the patient’s genetic or biological abnormality.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.