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How London’s low emissions zone is helping children breathe easier

Published

25 minutes ago

8 September 2026

London’s Ulez linked to healthier lung growth in children

Seven years after London introduced an ultra-low emission zone, researchers are measuring its impact on people’s health – with striking results for children’s lungs

When London introduced its ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) in April 2019, the aim was to cut traffic pollution and protect the health of the people breathing it. For years, evidence of its impact has largely come from roadside monitors, exhaust emissions and changing vehicle numbers. Seven years on, researchers are increasingly able to measure something more tangible: what cleaner air appears to be doing to people’s bodies.

The latest findings come from a five-year study involving more than 3,400 primary school children in London and Luton. Researchers led by Queen Mary University of London recruited children aged six to nine from schools within or bordering the original central London Ulez and compared them with children in Luton, a similar urban area without a comparable clean-air zone.

The children underwent annual lung-function tests between 2018 and 2022, allowing scientists to compare how their lungs developed before and after Ulez was introduced.

Before the scheme came into force, the London children had lower lung capacity than those in Luton and were exposed to higher levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), a harmful pollutant strongly associated with vehicle exhausts. After 2019, however, NO₂ levels fell faster in London while the children’s lungs grew more rapidly.

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One key measure was FEV₁, the amount of air a person can forcibly breathe out in one second after taking a deep breath. At the beginning of the study, average FEV₁ was around 38ml lower among the London children. Over the following four years, annual growth was around 10ml greater than among children in Luton and, by the end of the study, the difference had effectively disappeared.

A second measure, forced vital capacity (FVC), also improved faster among London children, although that gap had not completely closed.

Prof Chris Griffiths, one of the study’s senior authors at Queen Mary University of London, told the BBC he was “absolutely stunned” by the speed of the improvement.

“This shows an ambitious clean air zone can drive pollution levels down, rapidly restoring children’s stunted lung growth,” he said.

Prof Anna Hansell, of the University of Leicester, who was not involved in the research, said the improved lung function was “likely to have lifelong benefits for their health”, while cautioning that an observational study cannot prove that every difference between the London and Luton children was caused by Ulez.

Initially covering central London, Ulez expanded to inner London in 2021 and across the capital in August 2023. Image: Alena Kravchenko

The findings mark a significant development in how the effects of the scheme can be assessed. Until relatively recently, most arguments over Ulez revolved around how far emissions had fallen, whether drivers were switching to cleaner vehicles and what pollution monitors were recording. Researchers are now beginning to build evidence of what those changes could mean for the people exposed to the air itself.

Children are an especially revealing group because developing lungs are vulnerable to traffic pollution. Poor lung growth during childhood can persist into adulthood and is associated with increased risk of respiratory and cardiovascular disease later in life.

The latest findings also follow earlier research from the same study suggesting that Ulez changed the way some children travelled. Researchers found that 42% of London children who had previously been driven to school switched to walking, cycling or public transport after the zone was introduced, compared with 20% of children in Luton. The shift towards active travel was particularly pronounced among children who lived further from school.

For Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, the consequences of London’s polluted air had already been devastatingly clear. Her nine-year-old daughter, Ella, died following an asthma attack in 2013 after years of exposure to high levels of pollution near the family’s home in Lewisham. In 2020, Ella became the first person in the UK to have air pollution listed as a cause of death.

This shows an ambitious clean air zone can drive pollution levels down, rapidly restoring children’s stunted lung growth

Her mother has since campaigned for legally enforceable clean-air standards aligned with World Health Organization recommendations through the campaign known as Ella’s Law.

Speaking to the BBC following publication of the new research, Adoo-Kissi-Debrah said the first steps towards improving London’s air through Ulez had “clearly been worth it”, while emphasising that further action was still needed.

London has made substantial progress on nitrogen dioxide since Ulez began. The capital passed the government’s national compliance assessment for the legal annual NO₂ limit for the first time in 2024, although some individual monitoring sites have continued to record concentrations above that level and UK limits remain considerably weaker than WHO guidelines. UK regulations allow an annual average of up to 40 µg/m³, compared with the WHO guideline of 10 µg/m³.

Initially covering central London, Ulez expanded to inner London in 2021 and across the capital in August 2023. The policy has been politically contentious, particularly over the £12.50 daily charge levied on drivers of older, more polluting vehicles, with critics arguing that the cost could fall disproportionately on lower-income households and businesses.

A five-year study involving more than 3,400 primary school children found significant improvement in children’s lung function following the introduction of Ulez. Image: Annandistock

Against that debate, the evidence of falling pollution has become increasingly substantial. City Hall estimates that roadside NO₂ concentrations across London in 2024 were 27% lower than they would have been without Ulez and its expansions. Across the capital more broadly, population-weighted NO₂ exposure fell by 41% between 2019 and 2024, while exposure to PM2.5 – tiny particles capable of entering the lungs and bloodstream – fell by 28%. Those wider reductions cannot be credited to Ulez alone, as other clean-air policies and changes took place over the same period.

Some of the largest gains have been recorded in communities that historically breathed London’s dirtiest air. City Hall analysis estimated that among some of the most deprived communities near busy roads, the number of people exposed to illegal pollution levels was around 80% lower than it would have been without Ulez.

Evidence of wider health effects is also beginning to emerge. A 2026 Imperial College London study found that the introduction of the earlier T-Charge and Ulez was associated with significant reductions in cardiovascular and all-cause emergency hospital admissions, although the reduction in respiratory admissions was not statistically significant.

Separate analysis estimates that the number of deaths attributable to air pollution across London fell by around 40% between 2019 and 2024. Researchers again stress that the decline cannot be attributed solely to Ulez, but taken alongside the emerging evidence on hospital admissions and children’s lungs, it suggests that London’s cleaner air is beginning to show up in more than pollution monitors.

“Traffic pollution in cities damages children’s health and development,” Griffiths told the Guardian. “We provide the strongest evidence yet on how these harms can be prevented. Ambitious clean-air zones should be considered a priority for cities globally with traffic-related air pollution.”

Main image: iStock / dusanpetkovic

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The unlikely rise of the sea shanty band

Published

6 minutes ago

8 September 2026

NewsAdmin

The unlikely rise of the sea shanty band

After TikTok turned sea shanties into an online craze, community groups around the UK found a new audience. Our writer joins the Wreckers to discover why these old working songs are doing more than filling dancefloors

Sitting on the top deck of the RNLI station at Newhaven on England’s south coast, Tony Lewis is surrounded by atmospheric charts, historic photos and models of old lifeboats. He is chatting to me with half an eye on the harbour, watching the boats come and go, cocking an ear to listen whenever the radio crackles.

At one point he gets up to watch the cross-Channel ferry practise a tricky manoeuvre, akin to a three-point turn in a very narrow street, which he talks me through in impressive detail. Suffice to say, he has a lot of love for the sea.

He’s volunteered at the lifeboat station as an operations manager for a number of years, but he never imagined his affection for the ocean would turn him into a singer. Especially as he’d never sung, or had the desire to sing, in public before. Yet that’s exactly what he does every month or so with seven other men, as part of a local sea shanty group called the Wreckers.

Lewis tells me that their Wednesday night rehearsals, in a shed at the bottom of one of their gardens, are the highlight of his week. And he’s not alone. In recent years, hundreds of sea shanty bands have sprung up in coastal towns and cities around the UK, with some groups forming inland, too, from Oxford to West Yorkshire and London.

The singers may skew predominantly male and over 40, but the audiences are much broader. When I watch the Wreckers play in the clubhouse of a local yacht club, kitted out in Breton tops and sailors’ hats, there are plenty of kids joining the mat the front to sing along, while teenagers and twentysomethings nod their heads at the back.

Homeward Bound, a Brighton-based shanty band, play regular gigs in craft beer spots, and run popular sea shanty workshops for hen and stag dos. And the organisers of the Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival, which was founded in 2003 and now attracts more than 65,000 visitors, say their event has never been more popular with young people, who make up large swathes of the audience.

Many shanty bands attribute this to Wellerman, a New Zealand whaling song that went viral in 2021, when it was sung by the Scottish postman Nathan Evans. This kickstarted a shanty TikTok craze that was fuelled by Spotify’s algorithms recommending more and more shanties to listeners who were enjoying the track.

Sea shanties were originally rhythm-centric working songs, sung by sailors on large merchant ships, most notably in the 19th century, to keep their spirits up and their minds on the job in an era long before portable music players, let alone streaming apps on mobile phones, could play us whatever we wanted whenever we wanted to hear it.

“Sailors relied on sea shanties – it was brutal work, often in really horrible weather and sea conditions, far from home,” says Lewis. “You’d have the shanty man on the boat leading the song – he’d choose the best song for the particular job, whether that was hauling ropes, pulling masts or whatever – and the crew would respond by singing the chorus.”

The Orwellermen perform from their extensive repertoir. Image: The Orwellermen

The Wreckers formed in 2023 and Lewis joined a year later, having enjoyed seeing them perform. “I loved their sound though it’s not a pleasant choir,” he warns. “We call it rum-bunctious and it’s such a good laugh, we get the audience clapping, stamping their feet and singing along with the choruses.”

Lewis likes the idea that the Wreckers are keeping the history of the old seafarers alive and maintaining that local relationship to the sea, at a time when few jobs are directly connected to maritime work and coastal communities are often neglected. Last November, lifelong fisherman Martin Yorwarth wrote a protest ska shanty about the plight of small fishing boats driven to ruin by industrial-sized bottom trawlers.

Lewis also thinks that singing together regularly has brought numerous mental health benefits to the group of eight, who range in age from 22 to 82, though are mostly retired, as it did for the sailors of yore.

We get the audience clapping, stamping their feet and singing along with the choruses

“Some of us have got health issues or partners with health issues, or we’ve lost partners, but through shanty we’ve found roots to understand our place in life,” he says. “Singing is definitely good for the spirit, it makes you feel like you’re breathing, and because we rely on each other to come in at the right time, we’re always working together. It’s like a fellowship.”

Some shanty bands are more folk music-inspired and professional, but for Lewis and the Wreckers it’s all about entertainment rather than the quality of the singing or the polish of the performance. “We always start our concerts by reminding people these are working shanties. They weren’t sung by choir boys or renowned singers, they were sung by hard-working sailors.”

Unlike Lewis in Newhaven, Gareth Roberts, founder of the Orwellermen in Ipswich, had a background in community choirs and no direct connection to the sea. Before Covid, he was a member of a barbershop quartet, which folded, and after the pandemic he was looking to get back into singing in a way that might also help his local community.

“I wondered if singing could be a good way to get men out of the house and supporting each other,” he says. Somebody had lent him the Fisherman’s Friends movie, which tells the true story of the Cornish sea shanty group of the same name, who signed a record deal with Universal Music in 2010 and still tour the world playing shanties to packed-out venues.

“Sea shanties seemed to fit the bill as they’re easy to learn and accessible,” says Roberts, even though the only shanty he really knew the lyrics to was Drunken Sailor, a crowd favourite when I watch the Wreckers. But he did some research online, suggested the idea to some friends and was surprised at how receptive they were.

They frst met on a Wednesday night at the Steamboat Tavern on the banks of the River Orwell. The river, along with Wellerman, which everyone was a fan of, lent the band their name, and they have kept to that weekly routine since.

Singing is definitely good for the spirit, it makes you feel like you’re breathing

“I’d always thought singing shanties was something you did with a pint of beer in your hand, sitting around a table with a few mates,” he says. “People always used to come together to sing in pubs, but we’ve lost that tradition. So, we open the sessions to everybody and it’s a very welcoming and non-cliquey group.”

The group of 25 includes four women. Roberts had wanted to appeal to men originally, but saw no reason why women couldn’t join in. He thinks their ability to sing different harmonies adds to the group’s sound. The Orwellermen’s oldest member is 83 but the group includes some teenagers, and young people often frequent their gigs and festival appearances around the country, which Roberts puts down to Wellerman, but also to the video game Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, which features a number of sea shanties.

Roberts’ wife has taken to calling him a “shanty evangelist”, such is his belief in the power of these local music groups to bring all different kinds of people together in a positive way. “Members have said they sleep better, it takes their mind off their day to day, and their confidence builds. We have some singers who’d never have imagined they’d be able to lead a song in front of an audience but now they’re up there doing it and it’s amazing to see.”

The Orwellermen have a huge repertoire of songs. Roberts thinks they’ve sung 180 different songs since forming, including one they wrote themselves about Ipswich and the Suffolk coast for the shanty festival in Falmouth, and a Japanese sea shanty about a samurai fishing, which came from one of their group who has Japanese ancestry.

But he stresses they have no desire to follow Fisherman’s Friends and get rich as musical artists in their own right. Instead, like most shanty bands, they are more than happy to keep meeting regularly, giving local audiences a good time at their gigs, raising money for charity and proving that a song built for hard work at sea can still bring people together on dry land.

Photography by Peter Flude

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George Clooney shares harrowing account of sister’s final moments before cancer death aged 65

Published

12 minutes ago

8 September 2026

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George Clooney spoke with heartrending candor on the final moments of his sister Adelia 'Ada' Zeidler, who succumbed to cancer last December aged 65

George Clooney spoke with heartrending candor about the final moments of his sister Adelia ‘Ada’ Zeidler, who succumbed to cancer last December aged 65.

‘She died very quickly, and I was with her when she died,’ Clooney remembered this week while giving a masterclass at the Venice Film Festival.

‘And there was this feeling, being with her, holding her hand when she died, understanding how brief all of this is,’ he said, via Variety.

‘It was minutes ago that she and I were little kids together; Minutes ago we were holding hands as little kids,’ said the Good Night, and Good Luck director.

Clooney, who was awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the festival, reflected: ‘Time goes fast. All of this. And so we have to find nothing but joy.’

Although Ada led a life outside the public eye, she was spotted with her world famous brother in Venice in 2014, the pair of them riding through a canal together during their visit to the city for his wedding to his wife Amal Clooney.

George Clooney spoke with heartrending candor on the final moments of his sister Adelia ‘Ada’ Zeidler, who succumbed to cancer last December aged 65

‘She died very quickly, and I was with her when she died,’ Clooney remembered this week while giving a masterclass at the Venice Film Festival

Clooney previously described Ada as his ‘hero’ when he broke his silence on her death in a statement released the following day.

‘She faced down cancer with courage and humor. I’ve never met anyone so brave. Amal and I will miss her terribly,’ said the Ocean’s Eleven star.

Ada’s official obituary described her as a ‘talented artist’ in her own right who ‘died peacefully’ while ‘surrounded by the people she loved’ on December 19, 2025.

Three days after her death at a branch of St Elizabeth Healthcare in Kentucky, her funeral was held at Patrick Catholic Church in Maysville.

A decade before Ada’s death, Clooney remarked that he was ‘very close to’ his sister, in an interview with Charlie Rose on CBS This Morning.

‘And I’ve got a niece and nephew. My nephew was just made prom king from the high school that I went to where I was not named,’ he quipped.

Ada was born in Los Angeles on May 2, 1960 to Nick and Nina Clooney, just one year and four days before her movie star brother.

George and Ada Clooney hailed from a showbiz family – their father was a noted radio host and liberal activist, while their aunt was the celebrated jazz singer Rosemary Clooney, who also featured in the classic 1954 movie White Christmas.

Ada and her brother were spotted in Venice in 2014, the pair of them riding along a canal together during their visit to the city for his wedding to his wife Amal Clooney

Ada married retired army captain Normal Zeidler in 1987 and welcomed two children with him before he died of a heart attack in October 2004

Ada is pictured with her son Nick, who Clooney quipped in 2015 ‘was just made prom king from the high school that I went to where I was not named’

Ada was born in Los Angeles on May 2, 1960 to Nick and Nina Clooney, just one year and four days before her movie star brother; Clooney pictured with his parents in 2005

Nina, a onetime beauty queen, shared warm memories of the way her children played with each other during their childhood in Kentucky, in a 2006 interview with HGTV.

She laughingly recalled arriving home from work to see George and Ada having a party with their friends and goofing around with marshmallows.

The children, she said, ‘would lick one side of’ each marshmallow ‘and throw them at each other. When I came in, there were marshmallows stuck all over the room.’

Clooney has also painted a fond portrait of the gentle environment in rural Kentucky where he and Ada passed their childhoods.

‘All the things we see on cable news of people being unkind to one another doesn’t exist,’ he said in a 2019 interview with the Nashville paper the Tennessean. ‘They have to get along. I was really lucky to be raised in a small town like that.’

Ada married retired army captain Normal Zeidler in 1987 and raised two children with him before he died of a heart attack in October 2004.

The bride’s brother reportedly gave a scripture reading at the Zeidler wedding, where Rosemary is said to have treated the guests to a song.

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Telegraph Fantasy Football tips: Game Week 3

Published

19 minutes ago

8 September 2026

NewsAdmin

Telegraph Fantasy Football tips: Game Week 3

As the Telegraph Fantasy Football season heads into 2026-27, the award-winning experts at Fantasy Football Hub ccontinue to bring you the very best in fantasy football knowledge, tips and tools to help you rise up the ranks and win your mini-leagues.

Join the Hub and get access to all their great resources and expert tips.

Thank you!

This season’s game was rebuilt from scratch over the summer and several features, including the iPhone and Android apps, are still being worked on.

We really appreciate you bearing with us whilst we continue to make these improvements.

In the meantime, if you have any feedback or suggestions, please use the Contact Us chat feature on the website.

Telegraph Fantasy Football: last week’s insights

Captain Fantastic

Man Utd’s 39 per cent-owned midfielder Bruno Fernandes (£6.5m) netted a hat-trick and added an assist as the Red Devils thrashed Ipswich at Old Trafford. Team-mate Bryan Mbeumo (£4.4m) also got in on the action with a goal himself.

Maresca’s City slickers

After a sluggish GW1, Enzo Maresca’s side sprang into life in GW2 with an emphatic 4-1 win at Crystal Palaces. Erling Haaland (£8.3m) and Rayan Cherki (£4.5m) both returned doubles as last year’s runners-up put the Londoners to the sword.

Resolute Gunners

Arsenal have picked up where last season finished, restricting their opponents to limited chances and returning back-to-back clean sheets. The injury to Cristhian Mosquera (£3.7m) may open the door for Ezri Konsa (£3.5m); if the latter looks primed to start there could be a flurry of activity with TFF managers acquiring the champions’ recent recruit’s services.

Visit the Telegraph Fantasy Football Stats Centre for all player points >

Telegraph Fantasy Football Tips: Game Week 3

The Telegraph Fantasy Football player list has been analysed ahead of the upcoming games, and these look like the best players to transfer in:

1. Rayan Cherki (£4.5m)

The aforementioned France international already has four attacking returns in his two appearances this season and looks likely to start in the No.10 role at home to hapless Coventry City on Saturday.

2. Igor Thiago (£4.6m)

Last season’s Golden Boot runner-up has yet to score in the league this season, but a home game against a Black Cats side who lost their opening away game at Ipswich is the perfect platform to get off the mark.

3. Nico O’Reilly (£4.2m)

Deployed predominantly in one of Manchester City’s No.8 roles last time out, the attacking full-back-cum-midfielder could do as well as some of his attacking colleagues against the newly promoted Championship winners.

You can follow the latest Telegraph Fantasy Football news and discussions throughout the year on Facebook, Twitter and Fantasy Football Content Hub

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Swansea City suffer first defeat as Cyle Larin nets twice to earn Southampton win

Published

33 minutes ago

8 September 2026

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Vitor Matos’ side fell to defeat away to Southampton in their first loss of the campaign

Cyle Larin scored his fifth goal of the season as Southampton beat Swansea 3-1 to humble a table-topper for the second home match in a row.

Larin, who is the joint-top scorer in the Championship, netted either side of Finn Azaz and Leo Scienza strikes to make it 13 games unbeaten at St Mary’s in a row.

It followed Saints hammering previous leaders Millwall 5-1 10 days ago, although Swansea – who netted through Zan Vipotnik’s penalty – stayed level on points at the summit.

Swansea made five changes from the side which drew with Wrexham at the weekend and failed to have a shot on target in the first half – with the majority of their efforts blocked long before reaching Daniel Peretz.

On the other hand, the hosts were rampant as they eased through the Swans’ lines.

Scienza and Ryan Manning were the first to find open spaces behind their opposition in the fourth minute, but after their neat interchange, Azaz skied high into the stand.

But five minutes later the Republic of Ireland international found the bottom corner with a low left-footed shot, after Flynn Downes had powered through.

It was Azaz’s first goal in seven attempts against Swansea, his second of the season, and just the second goal the Swans had conceded in 2026-27.

Larin was the second player to go from putting supporters in the Chapel Stand at risk before scoring.

The Canadian snatched at a half-volley after a corner in the 25th minute, before sliding home eight minutes later.

This time James Bree had made the run in behind the porous defence before squaring to Larin for his fifth league strike of the campaign, after two blanks.

Midfielder Downes had an opportunity to completely put the game to bed two minutes before the interval but he hooked over the crossbar after a Larin knockdown.

Swansea boss Vitor Matos sent winger Ronald on at half-time and he brought immediate energy by bundling a shot over.

It was contagious for the away side, and within 10 minutes of the restart they had pulled a goal back.

Bree pulled back Vipotnik at the back post before the Slovenian picked himself up to fire into the bottom left corner from the spot – his seventh straight penalty success.

Despite a far more even balance of play, Southampton still had the better chances, as Keven Schlotterbeck’s poke forced a good save and Larin’s improvised header bounced narrowly wide.

And Scienza – who had seen a lashed shot battered away – secured the three points 12 minutes from the end by calmly slotting into the corner after being released by Kuryu Matsuki.

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Here are your rights if your flights get cancelled

Published

39 minutes ago

8 September 2026

NewsAdmin

Here are your rights if your flights get cancelled

The problem is causing issues at a range of airports including Manchester, London Heathrow, and Edinburgh.

In an update to passengers, NATS said, “We are investigating a technical issue which is causing some disruption to flight departures.”

You should know your rights if your flight gets cancelled. (Image: Getty Images)

What are your rights if your flight is cancelled?

Flight cancellations can quickly turn travel plans upside down, but passengers are not without rights when journeys are disrupted.

Under UK law, airlines are required to provide care and assistance in the event of a cancelled flight, regardless of the reason for the disruption.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has clarified what travellers are entitled to, including accommodation, meals, and transport between the airport and hotel if re-routed to the following day.

The CAA said: “The airline must provide you with these items until it is able to fly you to your destination, no matter how long the delay lasts or what has caused it.”

If airlines are unable to arrange assistance due to large-scale disruption, passengers are advised to organise their own accommodation and transport and reclaim the costs later.

The CAA said: “If you end up paying for things yourself, keep every receipt and do not spend more than is reasonable.

“Airlines are unlikely to refund you for things like luxury hotels or alcohol.

“Some will provide guidance on reasonable costs.”

Travellers must also be given the choice between a full refund for unused parts of their ticket or an alternative flight.

Compensation may be available depending on the cause of the cancellation.

The CAA said: “Disruptions caused by things like extreme weather, airport or air traffic control employee strikes or other ‘extraordinary circumstances’ are not eligible for compensation.”

Compensation is also dependent on the notice given and the timing of the replacement flight.

The CAA said: “If you received less than seven days’ notice of the cancellation, you can claim compensation based on the timings of the alternative flight.

“If your new flight departs no more than one hour before the scheduled time of your original flight and your new flight arrives less than two hours after the scheduled time of your original flight, you are not entitled to financial compensation.”

More detailed information on entitlements and compensation can be found on the CAA website.

Do you know your rights when it comes to airlines cancelling flights? Let us know in the comments.

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The Christmas elf job at popular Peterborough garden centre offering ‘competitve salary’

Published

46 minutes ago

8 September 2026

NewsAdmin

The garden centre is on the hunt for Santa’s little helpers

It’s that time of year where early planning for Christmas starts creeping in ahead of the festive season. A Cambridgeshire garden centre is hiring performers to help Santa spread the magic during the busy period.

Dobbies Garden Centre in Peterborough is inviting those who has a passion for Christmas, a love for people and a smile “that can charm a queue of both children & parents alike” to come forward and apply for the role as an elf in their Christmas grotto.

According to the job description, Santa’s little helper will:

Jingle all the way through the grotto to welcome excited visitors, sprinkle a bit of Elf magic and help them meet Santa in the most magical way possible;
Help manage timings so every family gets a great experience without long waits;
Bring festive fun to the breakfast table as you entertain families with giggles, games and a sprinkle of North Pole mischief while they enjoy their morning with Santa;
At their special Santa Paws events, the elf will also help treat the garden centre’s four-legged visitors to a magical moment with Santa, wagging tails, and all;
Help keep the Grottos clean, tidy and stocked;
Helping issue photos through our machines capturing the experience;
Work closely with the wider team (and Santa!) to keep the Christmas magic alive.

Applicants must be 16-years-old or over when applying, have a basic DBS check to be completed prior to the start date, right to work in the UK and willingness to attend a short induction/training session before the grotto opens.

The cheerful elf will work between November 16 and December 24 part time for 12 hours per week. The job advertisement claims to offer a “competitive salary”.

Dobbies has a history dating back to 1865 and was founded by James Dobbie. The garden centre retailer claims to be the only one to have stores in every nation across the UK. Listed in the events for Christmas, Peterborough’s Dobbies Garden Centre will offer ‘Santa Paws’ where visitor’s four-legged friends can experience jolly fun in their grotto or meet Santa and his elves.

The garden centre will also host ‘Santa’s Breakfast’, which is a 90-minute experience featuring a yummy family breakfast, a visit from Santa and activities, games and a gift as well as the well-loved Santa’s Grotto offering children the chance to step into a North Pole village. It has an additional ‘Santa’s Quiet Grotto’ to offer children who may have additional needs a magical experience.

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The idyllic village near Peterborough full of history that used to be an island

Published

58 minutes ago

8 September 2026

NewsAdmin

It has plenty of sites to visit and a great spot for afternoon tea

In our wonderful county, we have so many places to visit – and some have a history most people don’t know. One hidden gem in Cambridgeshire is the remote town of Thorney, just outside Peterborough.

The village, which has existed since the sixth century has an incredible history, despite being very small with just under 3,000 residents. Despite very much being a village now, it was once known as an island.

The village was previously called the Isle of Thorns thanks to it being a tiny island in the middle of the fens. It is now a quaint residential village that is easily accessible from Cambridge with a few historical attractions to stop at.

Thorney’s history

Thorney has a rich history that spanned many centuries. Archaeological research that has been conducted in the village revealed that there had been settlements in the area from the Iron Age, Bronze Age, and Roman Times.

In the 17th century, the Dukes of Bedford were largely involved in draining the fens to create a thriving village out of what used to be the island. A lot of the village’s surrounding land was perfect for farming, however nowadays, most of the agricultural cottages and farmhouses have been converted into homes.

In 1849, the seventh Duke of Bedford ordered a rebuilding of Thorney to turn it into a model village. The architect, Samuel Sanders Teulon, helped to design many of the cottages that are still a major part of Thorney today.

The model village improvements also include adding in fresh water and sewage systems, a gas supply, and the usual shops and schools for the area. Thorney’s design was based around medieval and Tudor buildings.

You can learn even more about Thorney’s deep history from the locally run Thorney Museum. With talks from local experts, you’ll find out everything you need to know about the village.

Tankyard

The focal point of the village has to be the Tankyard. Built as part of the model village project, the Tankyard was used to pump water to homes in the area and collect their sewage just by using gravity.

Bedford Hall is the 96 foot high tower attached to the beautiful Jacobean style building. Thanks to its height, the hall is impossible to miss. The hall is now home to many community events, such as discos and festivals. The building is well worth a visit just for its architectural beauty.

Tea at 18

After spending a day exploring the historic village , you can take a moment to sit down and enjoy an afternoon tea at Tea at 18. The luxury tea room is a staple part of the village and is well-liked by both locals and visitors.

The popular café has something for everyone with a wide range of sandwiches, paninis, and rolls for the perfect lunch. If you have more of a sweet tooth, Tea at 18 also sells homemade cakes and pastries that are definitely generously sized.

The highlight at Tea at 18 seems to be the afternoon tea, where you can get warm scones served with fresh cream and jam, a selection of sandwiches, a slice of cake, and unlimited tea or coffee. The charming café is a nice way to finish the day off.

How to get there

Thorney is easy to get to by car and is around an hour from Cambridge. If you follow the A14 to join the A1, you’ll reach Peterborough and from there, join the A47 to get to the village.

If you prefer to travel via public transport, you can get a train to Peterborough and a bus that takes you right into the heart of Thorney.

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Coronation Street’s Tyrone turns on Ross as he makes vile comments | Soaps

Published

1 hour ago

8 September 2026

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Coronation Street's Tyrone turns on Ross as he makes vile comments | Soaps

Ross goes too far once again – which will devastated Tyrone (Picture: ITV)

Tyrone Dobbs (Alan Halsall) is left reeling in Coronation Street next week when Ross Wilkes (Ian Burfield) makes insensitive comments in light of Richie’s (Nathan Sussex) claims that he was abused by his wife.

Richie, as viewers know, is in prison for murder after his wife was found dead in their home.

Ross, meanwhile, has been settling into the Street following his arrival earlier in the year – and it was apparent from the offset that he wasn’t a nice person, with Cassie Plummer (Claire Sweeney) unnerved by his presence.

Tyrone, however, is keen to get to know his father – which led to conflict with Cassie, who subsequently disappeared after a showdown with Ross – but things take quite a turn for the father and son in upcoming scenes.

In scenes set to air next week, Ross makes himself at home at No.9. Tyrone comments how he spends a lot of time at their house. In a bid to change the subject, Ross begins to talk about UFOs, regaling his son with a far-fetched tale about extraterrestrials.

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The topic of conversation sticks in Ty’s head and he later shares his dad’s story with his mates at the Rovers. The lads find it funny and proceed to mock Ross, who isn’t pleased – but he masks his annoyance.

In a bid to make things right, Ty later invites Ross out to a meal with him and Fiz (Jennie McAlpine) at the bistro. The subject of marriage is raised and Tyrone proceeds to quiz Ross about his past relationships.

Fiz, meanwhile, takes the opportunity to stir the pot somewhat, revealing that Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford) – who Ross has been seeing – was married four times.

Fiz and Tyrone have a meal with Tracy and Ross at the bistro in Coronation Street — Ross makes scathing comments, much to Tyrone’s shock(Picture: ITV)

The conversation subsequently shifts to Richie, with Ross belittling his claim that he was abused by his wife.

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The subject – and Ross’ comments on it – will prove rather upsetting for Tyrone, who abused by ex Kirsty.

Later in the week, Ross confides in Tracy, revealing that he deeply regrets the remarks he made. Tracy responds by advising him to apologise to Tyron.

Ross takes her advice and seeks out his son to beg for forgiveness regarding the crass comments. Will Tyrone forgive him? And what’s more, will he feel able to open up about his own ordeal?

And ultimately, will Tyrone see his father for the manipulator that he is?

Coronation Street airs Mondays to Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 or stream from 7am on ITVX and YouTube.

If you’ve got a soap or TV story, video or pictures get in touch by emailing us soaps@metro.co.uk – we’d love to hear from you.

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MORE: Fiz makes chilling discovery about Cassie after her ‘death’ in Coronation Street

MORE: Fiz brings down Ross in new Coronation Street video as new Cassie evidence emerges

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Kelly Osbourne admits she has not watched BBC documentary about late father Ozzy

Published

1 hour ago

8 September 2026

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Kelly Osbourne admits she has not watched BBC documentary about late father Ozzy

When asked how she felt about the documentary potentially winning the award, she shared: “I don’t know if I’d be able to get through my speech. I’d be crying quite a lot. So there’s a part of me that’s like, please don’t win because we’ll be out yet. But you know, it would be very, it would be a true honour.”

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Trump demands Supreme Court unblock access to ‘error-prone’ federal voter database including Social Security and citizenship data

Published

1 hour ago

8 September 2026

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Trump speaks at a Make America Great Again campaign rally on October 19, 2020

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By BREANNE DEPPISCH, US SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER

Published: 20:41 BST, 8 September 2026 | Updated: 21:22 BST, 8 September 2026

President Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to restore access to an immigration voter database with just weeks until the midterm elections.

It is the latest in a flurry of election related cases Trump has punted to the high court for last-minute intervention.

Solicitor General John Sauer asked the justices to halt a lower court’s June ruling that blocked the Trump administration’s access to the DHS database – dubbed the ‘Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements,’ or SAVE – used to verify individuals immigration status.

Sauer assailed the lower court’s ruling as ‘indefensible’ and one that threatened the security of the looming midterm elections, which are now less than 60 days away.

Critics blasted the latest appeal by the Trump administration as yet another bid by Trump to shore up federal control over the voting process – which has long been run by individual states – and to disenfranchise voters ahead of the November midterms.

A group of advocacy groups sued earlier this year to block Trump’s use of the SAVE database, arguing that the system was error-prone and outdated – resulting in the erroneous identification of noncitizens, who were then removed from the rolls.

The lower court judge, US District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan, sided with plaintiffs in June, ruling that the system in question ‘trampled on the privacy rights of American citizens’ and threatened to disenfranchise eligible voters.

The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit also ruled 2-1 to uphold Sooknanan’s ruling earlier this month, prompting Sauer to file the emergency petition to the Supreme Court for review.

Trump speaks at a Make America Great Again campaign rally on October 19, 2020

Demonstrators appear at a ‘Defend the Vote’ rally in Washington, DC. Trump has sought to crack down on mail-in voting, part of a broader effort to exert more federal control in elections

A voter drops off a ballot in Washington, DC. Trump is urging the high court to halt a lower court order blocking his new restrictions on mail-in voting before the November midterms

The new Supreme Court appeal comes as Trump continues to cite concerns of voter fraud and election security, despite scant evidence that either exists, and certainly not on a meaningful scale.

Critics argue the attempt is merely the latest bid by Trump and some in the GOP to disenfranchise voters who could Democrats regain control of the House or Senate majorities this fall.

‘Court after court has rejected the Trump-Vance administration’s effort to revive an unlawful system that puts Americans’ privacy and fundamental freedom to vote at risk,’ Skye Perryman, president and CEO of the advocacy group Democracy Forward, said in a statement.

‘Now, after failing to get its way in the lower courts, the administration is asking the US Supreme Court to intervene, despite the law being clear that [the Department of Homeland Security’s] actions cannot continue,’ Perryman said.

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who oversees emergency appeals emanating from the DC US Court of Appeals, gave parties one week to file motions to the high court in its consideration of the case.