The Red Lion in Norton, on the junction of Norton Road and Harland Place, will soon reopen after briefly closing earlier this year, following a short-lived stint under previous management.

Now, the County Durham team behind another successful local pub have stepped in, hoping to breathe new life into the well-known venue.

The family-run team previously took over The Village Tavern in Coxhoe, to prevent it from closing, and is about to celebrate the first anniversary there on May 9.

One of the owners, Leanne Storr, 44, from Coxhoe, said: “We took over The Village Tavern last year, and to be honest, we just kind of winged it. We didn’t really know what we were doing at first, but we loved it.

“It’s our local pub – we didn’t want it to close and wanted to make it work. Since then, we’ve been looking for somewhere else because we have a great team and some really good staff, and we thought now’s the time to branch out.”

The family will officially take over the Red Lion on May 18, bringing with them a year of experience.

Leanne will run the pub with her sister Jill Shaw and both of their partners, Andrew Shaw and Matthew Storr.

She said she was “excited” to be bringing the popular pub back to life.

“Some of us are familiar with the village, and some of us weren’t, but we really liked it,” she said.

“It’s a lovely place, and when we went to look at The Red Lion, we felt it was something we could take on. After the checks and formalities, we got offered it recently, so we decided to take the risk and see if we can do it again.

The Red Lion (Image: Parker Barras)

“It’s definitely a bigger place than the one we’ve got, so it feels a little intimidating, but we’re all really excited to see where we can take it. We’ve got lots of plans, and we want to make it welcoming for everyone in the village.”

Those plans include scrapping the previous dress code, introducing happy hours and all-day offers, and putting on live music and events.

The 44-year-old said: “We want to have local bands and artists, maybe some karaoke nights, and put in a pool table and darts board. It’s about giving people a reason to come in, enjoy themselves, and feel like it’s their pub.”

Leanne and her team said they hope to make it a hub for the village once again.

She said: “We’re all about keeping things simple – good prices, good people, and a pub you’ll want to come back to.

“We want to make it a proper, welcoming pub atmosphere for everyone to enjoy.”

International Dawn Chorus Day (May 3 for 2026) is a great time to hear the UK’s birds at their most vocal. While we can enjoy the variety and beauty of birdsong, for the birds themselves it serves more practical purposes – to attract a mate and establish and defend a breeding territory.

Birds can produce complex vocal sounds, which we refer to as “song” because they have a vocal organ called the syrinx – which, unlike the larynx possessed by mammals like the human, can make two distinct notes simultaneously. This ability to generate notes in rapid succession is helpful because birds hear their song and the songs of other birds differently to humans.

Research suggests that they are able to perceive small and rapid changes in sound much more clearly than we can, meaning what we may hear as a single or buzzy note will be distinguished by them as multiple notes. Birdsong to a bird is something of much greater complexity than we can apprehend.

International Dawn Chorus Day brings casual bird appreciators, ornithological experts and dedicated twitchers together in a celebration of birdsong. In our series, experts give their insights on nature’s chorus.

While I understand that I hear bird song very differently to the creatures that make it, my background as a music producer, field recordist, sound artist – and keen amateur birdwatcher (and listener) – has made me think about which notable musicians and pieces of music might have something in common stylistically with the songs of certain birds. The following is both speculative and entirely subjective and I would welcome other ideas and opinions.

Blackbird

Whether delivered from rooftop or treetop, their sweet, tender and calming song, which has been likened to human whistling, can often be heard book-ending our daylight hours. Bobby McFerrin’s whistled introduction to Don’t Worry Be Happy captures something both of the blackbird’s performance and sense of ease it can create in the listener.

Though joined by visitors from colder climes in autumn and winter, our breeding population of blackbirds are common year-round residents in UK gardens and woodlands.

Nightingale

There are few wildlife experiences in the UK that can match hearing a nightingale singing at close range, and this summer visitor – a scarcer cousin of the blackbird and song thrush – should be in full voice by International Dawn Chorus Day. The dynamics, dexterity and variation in its song are extraordinary, and it is no surprise that it has inspired poets such as Keats, Milton and Rossetti, and composers including Stravinsky, Beethoven and Rimsky-Korsakov.

When thinking about a musician who can get some way to matching the expressiveness of the nightingale, Italian American operatic soprano Amelita Galli-Curci’s 1927 recording of the Russian popular song The Nightingale (Solovey) by Alyabyev
captures something of the bird’s style with her nimble and vivid flourishes.

However, the nightingale is known for never performing the same song twice, and as
one of nature’s great musical improvisers, a better match might be the solos of jazz saxophonist John Coltrane.

In Bye Bye Blackbird Coltrane combines fast-paced bursts of melody with more thoughtful and lyrical sections, evoking something of the nightingale’s song. Coltrane is also quite a loud player and nightingales, as anyone who has heard one in the flesh will know, are loud – you can’t miss them.

Reed warbler

A wetland reedbed bird that arrives in the UK in mid-April, the reed warbler
couldn’t be further from the melodic and rhythmic variation of the nightingale. It prefers an almost monotonic song.

The hypnotic main riff on New York DJ and producer Joey Beltram’s Energy Flash comes to mind for its rhythmic solidity, while its subtle filter adjustments evoke the bird’s buzzy modulation.

Sedge warbler

The reed warbler, or at least its sound, might not be out of place in a subterranean Berlin techno club at 4am, but its reedbed neighbour the sedge warbler is much more of a bebop hep cat. Its fast and complex patterns combining staccato sections with more melodic phrases could recall the sharp accents and raid trills of “the Bird” himself – legendary saxophonist Charlie Parker.

But for me, the sedge warbler is too buzzy and raspy for the smooth tones of a tenor sax, and the rapid-fire delivery of trumpeter Fats Navarro on cuts like Wail or The Chase is a better fit.

Blackcap

One of our more common migrant warblers in the UK, the blackcap’s loud and
frequent song can be heard in wooded areas across the country. To my ears, its
volume and power is matched only by its tunelessness, with every note sounding just
a little flat or sharp in relation to what proceeds and follows.

It is reminiscent of an enthusiastic singing talent show auditionee belting out Anastasia’s I’m Outta Love. Nine out of ten for effort, but a much lower score for the precision of its pitching.

Bittern

The elusive bittern is usually a bird to be heard but not seen. Another denizen of the reedbed, its booming song can be likened to someone blowing across the top of a very large bottle or beginning to play a giant didgeridoo and then thinking better of it. Like the reed warbler, it prefers to stay hidden among the reeds where it provides some serious sub bass accompaniment to that other bird’s techno riffing. Think of a bleep-and-bass classic like LFO by LFO.

I hope you enjoy the variety and virtuosity of song on offer in your own garden, local park or woodland on International Dawn Chorus Day. Or like me, you can head for the rave going on at your nearest wetland nature reserve.

The Night Manager creator David Farr has shared an exciting update on the highly-anticipated third season

There’s good news for fans of The Night Manager.

Devotees of the BBC and Prime Video hit thriller The Night Manager have been treated to an exciting update from the show’s creator.

David Farr spoke at Deadline’s Contenders TV panel, where he disclosed some thrilling news regarding the highly-anticipated third series.

Fans endured a decade-long wait for series two, which had an epic finale, with Farr conceding that plans for a second instalment were never originally intended.

However, given the spy thriller’s remarkable success, the decision was taken to press ahead with Jonathan Pine’s (played by Tom Hiddleston) story.

Now, Farr has confirmed that work is already underway on a third instalment, revealing: “Right now, I feel the deep weight of doom of stress about it because I’m the one who has to actually do the writing of the damn thing.”

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“It’s a huge challenge. It’ll be very exciting.” He also offered some encouraging news regarding the wait, adding: “And it won’t take as long as the last one, I promise.”

As for what viewers can expect from a third series, Farr revealed it will tackle the second season’s dark, troubling conclusion, which “was important to us all because the world is a tough place at the moment, and it didn’t feel right not to reflect that”.

He continued: “But of course, all of us want to see justice, redemption and we want to see something change, so I feel like season three, there is actually a deep emotional and moral imperative to honour that.”

The second season finale saw Teddy Dos Santos (Diego Calva) killed off and Jonathan Pine left stranded and abandoned for dead in the Colombian jungle, laying the groundwork for a revenge-fuelled third series.

Hiddleston spoke during the same panel about his enthusiasm for revisiting Pine’s story, adding: “He’s managing the world’s darkness because he believes the light should win.

“And it’s all comes from him in a way, and it’s such a thrill that we get to do it again. A trilogy feels tidy. And I hope I’m not that much older by the time we start.”

The actor was delighted to step back into the role after a decade away, sharing: “I was so thrilled to get to do it again because I’m 10 years older, the world is 10 years older. I’ve been in the same world that he had been in.”

Fans flocked to X to voice their anticipation for the third instalment, with one writing: “I need The Night Manager season 3 like yesterday.”

Another posted: “Final episode of The Night Manager Season 2 was a banger! Totally unexpected ending. Can’t wait for Season 3!!”

The Night Manager is on BBC and Prime Video

David Barnes, 74, sadly passed away at his home on Bolton Road on Monday, April 20.

Officers are now looking to contact his next of kin and say there are no suspicious circumstance around his death.

Sharing on social media, a spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police (GMP) shared: “Do you know the next of kin of a man from Bolton?

“David Barnes (74), sadly died at his address on Bolton Road, Bolton, on 20/04/2026.

“There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death.

“Any info? Call the Police Coroner’s Office on 0161 856 4687.”

Until a couple of seasons ago, it was usually an outfield player who would go to ground to stop play.

It was being used for two distinct reasons.

Either to break up the momentum of the opposition by causing a stoppage in play, or for the coach to give instructions to his players. Sometimes it has been both.

English football attempted to combat this by insisting that any player who receives treatment must leave the field for 30 seconds.

It had some positive results, but managers just switched focus and told the goalkeeper to ask for treatment.

A team cannot play without a goalkeeper, so it became a risk-free method of impacting the opposition, or getting the opportunity to talk to your team.

There is nothing a referee can do about it, as they cannot accuse a player of faking an injury. If it turned out the player was genuinely injured there could be serious repercussions.

So the game has been stuck in a doom loop.

Goalkeepers go down, the other 10 players rush to the technical area for a team talk.

As soon as the coach has delivered his message, the keeper miraculously gets to his feet.

It has been a theme during Leeds‘ season, starting in November when Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down as the West Yorkshire club were in the ascendancy at Etihad Stadium.

Manager Daniel Farke accused Donnarumma of feigning injury to “bend the rules” and break up play.

But this is not a Leeds issue, it is a football issue. It is happening at all levels of the game and is particularly prevalent in the women’s game.

Donald Trump keeps America’s friends close but has also kept its Russian enemies in an embarrassing embrace.

However, his passion for Vladimir Putin is being tested as his envoys clamber into bed with Iran’s envoys, welcoming Tehran’s foreign minister in St Petersburg on Monday. Like the victim of a coercive relationship, Trump has seemingly gone out of his way to forgive the infidelity of Russia’s president.

Asked about Moscow’s supply of intelligence to Iran that has been used to kill American personnel over the last two months, he replied: “I don’t know, look, they can give all the information that they want but people they’re sending to are overwhelmed. Russia would be overwhelmed too. Anybody would be overwhelmed.”

Speaking as American military bases were under attack from Iranian drones and missiles, the US president shrugged off Russia’s help to Iran by saying, “They’d say we do it against them. Wouldn’t they say that we do it against them?”

Such indifference to military collaboration between Iran and Russia at a time of war is staggering.

But it is not surprising. And since then, Trump has continued to remain silent on Russia’s close cooperation in the production and development of missile technology with Iran.

He’s not asked the Russians to step back from their continued involvement in Iran’s development of nuclear power – Russian experts are still on the ground at the Bushehr nuclear facility in Iran.

The US president has also given Russia financial headroom amid international sanctions on its exports of fossil fuels, by lifting some US restrictions on Moscow’s oil exports.

And on 14 April, his vice president JD Vance described his “proudest moment” of the presidency so far as the decision to cut military aid to Ukraine – a nation that Russia invaded but has been under pressure from Trump and his officials to succumb to Putin’s demands as part of a “peace process” that has been described by many European governments as a recipe for Kyiv’s capitulation to the Kremlin.

But now Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Russia to seek more support for its war against America. This is Trump’s opportunity to send at least a minor signal to his friends in Moscow that he’s publicly embarrassed by the flirtation.

Iran’s ambassador to Moscow has said that it’s much more than a long look across the negotiating table or side eyes over canapes at a diplomatic convention.

No. This, he says, is a full-blown relationship.

Kazem Jalali said in a post on X that Mr Araghchi would meet Putin “in continuation of the diplomatic jihad to advance the country’s interests and amid external threats”.

“Iran and Russia are present in a united front in the campaign of the world’s totalitarian forces against independent and justice-seeking countries, as well as countries that seek a world free from unilateralism and Western domination,” Jalali said.

A “united front” against America.

Trump’s response?

“If they want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us. You know, there is a telephone. We have nice, secure lines,” he trilled on The Sunday Briefing on Fox News.

But the Russian support to Iran is real. Moscow has transferred or agreed to transfer advanced air‑defence systems, including variants of the S‑300 long-range surface-to-air missile systems to Tehran. Its excerpts have provided advice on improved accuracy of missiles and how to evade American defences. Russia has also been working with Iran on space launch and satellite technology.

The two nations also collaborate on developing live battlefield surveillance technology, which could be used to kill Americans.

Rather than try to stop this, Trump has turned on America’s Nato allies who have not joined his attacks on Iran alongside Israel, because it is an illegal war of aggression and choice – not an act of self-defence. His administration, which believes it owns the alliance of 31 other member states, is considering expelling Spain and suggested that the Falklands won’t get Nato protection.

Spain cannot be expelled by the US. The only attack on a Nato member by a foreign state has been by Argentina when it invaded the Falklands in 1982. The US gave almost no help to the UK then, and London did not invoke the mutual defence agreement between Nato members.

The US did that on 9/11 – and Nato members came to Washington’s aid.

The only beneficiary of divisions inside Nato is Putin. The US will suffer long-term as a consequence of it. Yet Trump has delivered just that.

Only Tehran and Moscow gain from their close relationship. The US will suffer from their long embrace. The US will suffer as a long-term consequence of that, too.

Yet Trump chooses to ignore it or, for reasons that remain obscure and creepy, is powerless to stop it.

“Good quality and great storage, luxury fabric feel.”

A footstool from Dunelm is being praised by shoppers as ‘luxurious’ and a ‘great storage’ option – and it is currently reduced in the sale. The Zoe II Velvet Storage Footstool is available for £151.20, down from £189, in the colour lagoon blue.

Dunelm’s Zoe II Velvet Storage Footstool comes in three other colours (for different prices) and is described as having a ‘luxurious velvet finish’. It features plush velvet upholstery and elegant buttoned detailing and, if shoppers lift the top, there’s a spacious storage compartment inside.

The Zoe II Velvet Storage Footstool could be ideal for keeping blankets and cushions neatly tucked away, or shoes, and it is finished with low ball feet for a ‘contemporary look’. The footstool’s dimensions are 45cm x 103cm x 62cm and it comes part assembled – plus, there are plenty of matching options to complete the look, from a two seater sofa to a snuggle chair.

READ MORE: Most ‘beautifully soft’ bedding set reduced from £55 to £35 has a boutique hotel feel

READ MORE: The lesser-known Macclesfield homeware shop loved by ITV’s Kelvin Fletcher and Molly-Mae Hague

As an alternative, Dusk has this Hampshire Pouffe in beige for £159, down from £199 currently. It comes in several other colours, is made with a premium textured weave fabric, and has a pocket sprung cushioned top and oak wooden legs.

Dusk also has the Paisley Buttoned Round Storage Pouffe in the colour olive for £118, reduced from £189, and it is selling fast, according to the site. Described as both practical and elegant, this has ‘useful hidden storage’ and can be used as an extra seat.

Finally, there’s the HOMCOM Storage Ottoman with Armrest, Upholstered Linen Storage Bench from Debenhams for £92.65, down from £242.99, saving shoppers 62%. This has a versatile, multi-purpose design with a large storage capacity, and it has sturdy rubberwood legs and supportive armrests.

Shoppers have left an average overall rating of 4.8 out of five for the Zoe II Velvet Storage Footstool from Dunelm. One said: “Good quality and great storage, luxury fabric feel.”

A second said: “Great footstool. Looked for ages to get one in this colour.”

While a third wrote: “Good for a large-ish size living room or bedroom. Excellent storage and looks plush.

The Zoe II Velvet Storage Footstool is available from Dunelm

£189

£151.20

Dunelm

Buy Now on Dunelm

The footstool has a ‘luxurious velvet finish’

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“Very happy with the purchase.” Others deducted a star, with one writing: “Lovely storage stool.

“The colour (was) not what I expected, it looks more grey than green, but apart from that I would recommend.”

Meanwhile, one shopper wrote about their experience with Dunelm as a whole on Trustpilot: “Good website, easy to order – like all Dunelm products, know you are getting a good quality item – only downside is that often items are not available for home delivery – e.g. fleece throw.”

The Zoe II Velvet Storage Footstool is available from Dunelm.

Malik Abdulhasan has been charged with offences of; meeting a girl under 16 years of age following grooming; two counts of engaging in sexual communications with a child; three offences of making indecent images of children and one of possessing extreme pornographic images.

The 25-year-old offered no indication of plea to all seven offences when he appeared at South Cumbria Magistrates Court in Barrow.

He is accused of meeting a 12-year-old girl in Millom with the intention of raping her.

The defendant is also alleged to have intentionally communicated with two underage girls for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification in August 2024 in Bolton.

The charges state he made requests for sexual images and on one occasion requested to meet a girl for a sexual purpose.

Abdulhasan, of Glaister Lane, Bolton, is also alleged to have made 23 category A images, 11 category B images, 19 category C images as well as possessing a further three extreme pornographic images displaying a person performing a sex act with a horse, fish and a frog between November 2, 2023, and October 2, 2024.

Magistrates adjourned the case to Preston Crown Court for a plea and trial preparation hearing on May 26.

A man who stole Noah Donohoe’s missing laptop has denied that it is his hand in a picture discovered on the schoolboy’s phone after he was last seen.

Daryl Paul told Belfast Coroner’s Court that he had “never set eyes” on Noah and insisted under questioning that he had never been in possession of his green coat or phone.

The inquest into the death of the schoolboy, which is being heard before a jury, is now in its 13th week.

Noah, a pupil at St Malachy’s College, was 14 when his naked body was found in a storm drain tunnel in North Belfast on June 27 2020, six days after leaving home on his bike to meet two friends in the Cavehill area of the city.

A post-mortem examination found the likely cause of death was drowning.

Noah’s mother Fiona Donohoe has attended every day of the long-running proceedings.

Paul, of Cliftonville Avenue, previously pleaded guilty to stealing a rucksack containing Noah’s laptop and books. He resumed giving evidence on Monday when he was questioned by Brenda Campbell KC, who represents Ms Donohoe.

Pointing out that Paul had previously lied under police questioning, the barrister said there were aspects of his possession of Noah’s belongings that “call for questions to be asked”.

The jury was shown CCTV footage of Paul in the Queen’s Quarter area of Belfast, close to Noah’s Fitzroy Avenue home, from the evening the schoolboy disappeared.

Paul said he had been in the area to see Maria Nolan, who he said he had recently met, and who has previously given evidence at the inquest.

Ms Campbell said: “On those occasions when you hung outside Queen’s Quarter like this afternoon, do you think you would have seen Noah? Did you speak to him?”

Paul replied: “No, never.”

She asked him if he had any knowledge of Noah leaving his home for a short period on the night before he disappeared.

Paul said: “I don’t know a single thing and if I did I would be the first to tell you, I have a heart.”

The jury was then shown CCTV footage of Noah cycling past Paul in Queen’s Quarter, wearing his green coat and carrying his rucksack.

Ms Campbell said: “This is the last time he leaves home, and you’re within a matter of metres of him.”

She pointed out that within an hour, Noah’s rucksack ended up in a green bag Paul is seen carrying in the footage.

The witness said: “I have no knowledge of that wee boy passing me.”

The barrister said: “What I want to explore on behalf of Noah’s mother is this series of coincidences, to understand whether they are coincidences or whether there’s reason to be more concerned.”

Ms Campbell continued: “Did you look in the direction of Noah after he went past?”

Paul responded: “I did. Just a natural thing, I guess.”

Ms Campbell said Paul had then travelled towards Royal Avenue in Belfast city centre while showing the jury a map of the route Noah cycled through the city.

Paul said: “I was only on same path as Noah for a short distance.”

The barrister said Paul had claimed during an interview with a journalist that he had found Noah’s rucksack containing his laptop on the ground in a covered walkway in the York Street/Frederick Street area.

The jury was shown footage of Noah cycling past that area without stopping.

Ms Campbell said: “I am going to suggest where you told the journalist that you found Noah’s bag is not where it was… you are wrong about that.”

Paul said: “I can only tell you where I found it. If I lied about that, what significance would that lie hold?”

Ms Campbell said: “Until this point in time we have got the coincidence of you being outside Queen’s Quarter and now the coincidence of you being on that part of his journey.

“But the coincidences, I am going to suggest, don’t stop there.”

The barrister said the jury had previously heard evidence about an anonymous caller to police who stated Paul had been in possession of Noah’s green coat.

Paul said: “I was not in possession of any green coat.”

She said: “It would be another coincidence upon coincidence?”

He said: “I did not have his coat.”

The barrister asked the witness if he had next “followed Noah’s journey” from the city centre along North Queen Street.

He said he had not.

She continued: “To the location where the phone was found?”

Paul said: “No.”

Ms Campbell said: “Do you know anything about Noah’s phone? Did you have it in your hand? Did you find it in his coat pocket or in his rucksack?

He answered: “No.”

The barrister said a report from a police expert had revealed a photograph of a hand on Noah’s phone taken on the evening he disappeared, 40 minutes after he was last seen.

She said: “Is that your hand?”

Paul responded: “No, it is not my hand.”

The barrister said police arrested Paul later on the same day but he was never asked where he had found the laptop or about the green coat.

She then showed the jury phone records from Noah’s phone on the day he disappeared.

Ms Campbell said Noah’s mother Fiona had called her son’s mobile six times on the evening he went missing.

She said: “Whoever had Noah’s phone in their hand at 18.50 would have a phone with six missed calls from ‘Mum’.”

The jury was then shown a map of the area in north Belfast where the phone was when Ms Donohoe sent a text message to her son on June 21 2020.

She said Victoria Parade, where Paul said he had gone after leaving Frederick Street, was within the area of the map.

She said: “Did you have Noah’s phone?”

Paul said: “No, I did not.”

Ms Campbell continued: “Did you see that message coming in and those phone calls?”

He said: “I don’t appreciate that question, but the answer is no.”

She said: “It is not too late to tell the truth, not too late to give him some justice.”

He responded: “Thank you, but no.”

Ms Campbell added: “Was it you who went along North Queen Street and who chucked his phone over the railings into Castleton Park?”

He said: “I wasn’t even there.”

She said: “You realised this was a phone that was a bit hot, there was a mummy desperate to find her child?”

Paul said: “No.”

The inquest continues.

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