George Russell took a morale-boosting pole for Sunday’s Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix and will line up alongside a resurgent Lewis Hamilton on the front row in Spain.

Russell, who has had a torrid few weeks in which he has fallen 68 points behind Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli in the title race, told his team it was “nice to feel the groove again” as he returned to the pits.

The British driver beat Antonelli by over three-tenths of a second at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to continue his fine form from practice.

Hamilton, who has profited from Russell’s recent struggles to move into second in the championship, very nearly pipped his former Mercedes team-mate to pole. The seven-time world champion was up on Russell’s time midway through his final push lap, but lost time in the final sector to finish 0.064sec behind.

Hamilton’s Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc suffered a heavy shunt in Q3, bringing out red flags while marshals carried out repairs to the barriers. It follows the Monegasque’s race-ending crash in Monaco last weekend, since when he has switched his brake setup to match his team mate. Leclerc’s latest accident led to suggestions he may be rattled by Hamilton’s form.

Antonelli will start third, with McLaren’s Lando Norris fourth and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen fifth.

More to follow…

The Lotto draw, which has an estimated jackpot of £2 million, will take place at 8pm tonight. To win the jackpot, a player must match all six main numbers. The odds of winning the Lotto jackpot are about one in 45,057,474.

Meanwhile, the Thunderball draw, which has a top prize of £500,000, will take place at 8.15pm. The odds of winning the Thunderball top prize are about one in 8,060,598. Other smaller prizes, ranging from £3 to £5,000, are also up for grabs. Players have a one in 13 chance of winning any prize in each Thunderball draw.

The Great Knaresborough Bed Race saw thousands of residents and visitors of Knaresborough line its streets to cheer on 90 teams as they sped to the finish line at Conyngham Hall today (Saturday, June 13).

The event has been a highlight of the town’s calendar – excluding 2020 and 2021 – since 1966.

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It sees participants, including one passenger sat on a decorated bed, race across Knaresborough in a gruelling course of 2.4 miles.

Each year, teams are also judged on their bed decoration in accordance with a certain subject – with 2026’s event marking 60 years since the inaugural bed race day and a fitting ‘Swinging Sixties’ theme.

Ninety teams took part in this year’s Bed Race – adopting a ‘Swinging Sixties’ theme (Image: Lisa Young – Camera Club)

Speaking about this, chairman of the Bed Race organising committee, Jatinder Khalsi, said: “Themes are changed every year, which keeps the Best Dressed Bed competition fresh and really alive.

“Last term it was TV Adverts and before that we have had Innovations, Entertainment, the Environment, Yorkshire, Heroes and Villains.

“But this year, with its great significance of six decades of Bed Race, what else could we have had as a theme but ‘The Swinging Sixties’?

“The idea is to give the teams the broadest canvas to spark their creative juices to come up with ingenious designs.

“Cross-dressing is a major focus and it all adds up to a wonderful parade through town.”

Delays are expected as closures along Market Place, High Street, Bond End and Harrogate Road lift.

Readers have been debating road safety on Sycamore Avenue in Dogsthorpe, Peterborough, after two teenagers were seriously injured when the car they were driving struck three parked vehicles.

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Cambridgeshire Live readers have debated a local report about motorists using residential streets that led to a collision. Contributors expressed firm opinions on speeding, enforcement, and the consequences for emergency services and cyclists.

A city councillor is demanding action to address speeding and reckless driving on a Peterborough road after two teenagers sustained serious injuries in a crash.

Dogsthorpe Councillor Katy Cole is scheduled to meet with residents, police, Peterborough City Council officers, ward councillors and Cabinet colleagues on Tuesday, 9 June, to explore measures that could tackle speeding and road safety issues.

“The reason I’ve put this meeting together is so that the [council] officers, the police and Angus Ellis (Cabinet Member for Transport) can come up with a plan,” Cllr Cole said.

The residential streets surrounding Sycamore Avenue are recognised as an area where drivers regularly travel erratically at excessive speeds. Earlier this month, two teenagers suffered serious injuries after the vehicle they were driving collided with three parked cars.

One reader, Garyblowpants comments: “Looks like it needs more speed bumps and cameras. Speed bumps and also potholes give drivers a much-needed massage in the lower region from their long hours of sitting in queues of their own causing. They should be thankful!”

Freddly writes: “I’m equally concerned about the ‘respectable’ drivers in Dogsthorpe who routinely drive at 45 in a 30 zone. We will not solve this problem until the fines are commensurate with the danger to life. There is very little speeding in Aus / NZ towns and cities because the fines are many hundreds, every time.”

Skipper says: “Problem is, 99.999% of drivers drive sensibly, but all of us are penalised rather than tackling persistent offenders. Of course, the anti-car councils use it to make life even more unpleasant for drivers.”

Tyrannosaurus adds: “Elected in 2023 and not many months without concerns from residents. It’s nearly halfway through 2026, so why has she ignored her residents’ concerns for 3 years? And let me get this straight, she can ask for meetings with the police, and they attend, yet if you’re a normal citizen of this dump, the only time you get to see a police clown is when they are watching football, watching whatever fun run is going on or if there is a new Greggs opening. Perhaps if they weren’t sitting around in meetings, they could possibly do their job and actually deal with crime, but no, they only have the resources for the 3 things mentioned above and sitting around in 3 years to late meetings.”

While over on our Facebook page, Katie R B comments: “It won’t change, they’re like it everywhere in Borough, Paston, Dogthorpe, Westwood. There’s a long road or ring road; they’ve always done it.”

Janie M mentions: “Thought it was King’s Hedges road, Cambridge, as that’s a rat race too. Ballacarva idiots doing wheelies, speeding on those stolen motorbikes. Seems it’s the same.”

Will more speed bumps/cameras solve this issue? Comment below or HERE to have your say.

Jonathan Newdick’s Puss & Mew was unveiled this week at a ceremony at York Distillery in front of the Sheriff of York and other guests. 

The two-foot-tall work is based on an 18th Century gin vending machine which flouted the strict licensing laws designed to stop people drinking so much.

We understand this is the  only ‘working’ Puss & Mew in the country since the 18th Century. An original wooden Puss & Mew is available to view at the Beefeater Gin Museum in London.

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When curious visitors deposit a coin in the slot in the cat’s mouth, a bell rings and a shot of gin flows from a pipe in the cat’s paw into a waiting glass below.

Stuart Jarman with the Puss N New at York Distillery (Image: Pic supplied)

The interactive artwork was unveiled at York Distillery – York Gin’s boutique distillery, tasting room and gin school in Middleton’s Hotel – on Tuesday  June 6. 

Visitors will be encouraged to use it to reimagine the experience of 18th Century gin drinkers.

Using the Puss N Mew at York Distillery (Image: Pic supplied)

The 1736 Gin Act restricted the sale of gin during the ‘Gin Craze’ – when there was a moral panic about the excessive consumption of the spirit. 

However, an inventive individual named Captain Dudley Bradstreet found a loophole in the law – by creating the ‘Puss & Mew’ what is thought to be the world’s first vending machine.

Bradstreet installed a cat-shaped wooden sign on the outside of his building. A gin drinker approached and asked: “Puss puss… (have you any gin)?” 

Then if in luck, they  would then hear a cat’s ‘Mew’ from inside –  meaning gin was available. 

Jonathan Newdick with the Puss N Mew at York Distillery (Image: Pic supplied)

The buyer would slip a coin in the cat’s mouth…and the thirsty patron then received a measure of gin that the seller poured through a pipe, hidden the cats paw –  into the buyer’s waiting cup.

Artists Impression of a Puss and Mew (Image: Pic supplied)

By serving the public anonymously Bradstreet avoided identification and the police did not have authority to enter the building. This “spirit of ingenuity and mischief” forms the conceptual backbone of the sculpture, says Mr Newdick.

“It’s been quite challenging because of its function. It’s the first time I’ve created

Artists Impression of a Puss and Mew (Image: Briony Godivala)

a sculpture which also has a mechanism. It makes a sound and delivers a

measure of gin – that took a bit of skill and a bit of luck. It’s also the first time I’ve

made something the public can physically interact with..”

He added that the piece is designed to evoke a sense of curiosity and unease, echoing the unpredictable nature of cats themselves.

“You get a bit of a feeling like when you approach any cat – slightly nervous, slightly intrigued. There’s a sense of mystery to it, and the mischievous look on its face is challenging you to have another nip!”

The sculpture has been created using cold-cure patinated bronze and Jesmonite. It is

Jonathan Newdick with the Puss N Mew at York Distillery (Image: Pic supplied)

mounted on a teak base designed for durability and engineered with longevity and public interaction in mind, combining traditional craftsmanship with the hidden mechanical elements.

York Gin said the project represents a unique collaboration between heritage storytelling, contemporary design, the city’s ongoing creative culture as well as York’s and gin’s love of cats – the York Gin logo has a cat called Rutterkin sitting on the city walls.

Emma Godivala from York Gin said: “I know that Jonathan doesn’t often take new commissions, so I was thrilled to capture his imagination with this slightly bonkers idea. We’ve wanted to recreate a real Georgian-era Puss & Mew for a few years now.

The Puss and Mew Sculpture (Image: Matthew Kitchen)

“Jonathan’s cat has moved stealthily from the 18th into the 21st century, into the

world of the modern gin lover, the cat lover, and something sinister in between. We

can’t wait for Puss to serve some of our Old Tom gin to visitors at York Distillery!”

The Puss and Mew Sculpture (Image: Matthew Kitchen)

The Puss & Mew continues Jonathan Newdick’s long-standing creation of the city’s “Mystery Cats” – a collection of feline sculptures he has carefully embedded in York’s streetscape and folklore for nearly 50 years. 

Around 50 cat statues adorn York’s buildings – documented in The Mystery Cats of York book. Thousands of visitors follow the cat trail each year – and the new sculpture will feature in the new edition of the book. 

This new work is expected to be included in the next edition of The Mystery Cats of York book, further cementing its place within the city’s public art heritage.

The sculpture will be accessible to the public at York Distillery when experiences and classes are not being held.

The Women’s Super League 2 side revealed earlier this week they could fold within 21 days unless new investment is found to plug a reported £1m shortfall.

Now, a Department for Culture, Media and Sport spokesperson has acknowledged the seriousness of the situation, saying: “For the fans, players and staff of Durham Women FC, this is an extremely worrying situation.

“It is critical for the benefit of everyone involved that the club provides clarity over its immediate and long-term plan.”

The intervention comes after Durham MP Mary Kelly Foy wrote to a Government minister urging support to safeguard the club.

In her letter, Ms Foy warned that the loss of Durham Women would be “far more than the disappearance of a football club”, describing it as a “devastating blow” to the city, the wider North East and “hundreds upon hundreds of women and young girls” who see the club as a pathway into the sport.

Durham MP Mary Kelly Foy has written to the Culture Media and Sport department about the situation, which she says would be a ‘devastating blow’ to the region. (Image: UK PARLIAMENT)

She highlighted the club’s role in developing women’s football outside the traditional structures of the men’s professional game, adding that allowing it to collapse would “send an entirely contradictory message” at a time when the sport is growing rapidly.

Ms Foy said: “At a time when successive governments have championed the growth of women’s football and celebrated the achievements of England’s Lionesses, allowing a club such as Durham Women FC to disappear would undermine years of progress in promoting participation, equality, and opportunity.”

(Image: The Northern Echo)

The Labour MP also pointed to the wider impact on the local area, including the club’s contribution to the economy, job creation and its role in attracting visitors and inspiring young players.

She added: “The next 20 days may determine whether future generations of women and girls in Durham continue to have a local club to support, aspire to join, and be inspired by.”

Durham confirmed on Monday they are actively seeking either investment or a full takeover – just 16 months after securing investment from North East EuroMillions winners – after prolonged talks with potential backers broke down in recent weeks.

Against all odds, as a club, players and everyone who has been involved in our journey from the very beginning we have overcome so much together. We cannot allow this to be the end 💙 @DurhamWFC https://t.co/TPfIM5S51P

— Lauren Briggs (@laurenbriggsx) June 8, 2026

Players and staff have been told the club will cease operations at all levels if no deal is agreed within the deadline.

Founded in 2007, Durham have spent more than a decade in the second tier and built a reputation as one of the leading independent women’s clubs in the country, despite not being backed by a professional men’s side.

However, they have increasingly struggled to compete financially with clubs supported by Premier League and EFL organisations.

Adam Sandbeck and Mike Gravalin, frequent visitors to the wooded area near Park Rapids in Minneapolis, were left stunned when what they thought was a ‘dead body’ whispered for help

A missing woman who had not been seen for three days was rescued by two men who discovered her buried in a muddy ‘quicksand’ puddle a hundred miles from home.

Kathryn Woessner, 68, was last seen on June 3 before vanishing from Akeley, Minnesota, leaving her family and friends concerned. Three days later, friends Adam Sandbeck and Mike Gravalin ventured out on their all-terrain vehicles in Minneapolis – more than three hours from where she lives.

They found her in the puddle off the beaten path after taking that route at the spur of the moment. The explorers were surprised to see a van parked in the middle of nowhere, and questioned if the vehicle had the off-road capability to handle the challenging path they were on.

But moments later they discovered what they thought was a dead body, and all they could see at first was a female’s head with rest of her body submerged.

But on closer inspection, they found she was alive after she whispered to them – but had to act fast with Ms Woessner in ‘really bad shape’. They worked together to pull her out of the sand and called emergency services.

She was later taken to hospital and authorities are still investigating how the vulnerable woman got so far from her home and ended up on the remote trail.

The rescuers spoke KARE about their find and said: “We could see that there was a body in the puddle next to the van, and then that’s when it got real,” Mr Sandbeck said.

“When we walked up, we thought she was dead. We thought it was just a body, and then she whispered ‘help me’ – and it scared the c**p out of me! She said it was like quicksand, and she couldn’t get out, she said she had been stuck forever.

“My gut tells me if we didn’t drive through that trail, this would be a whole different outcome for Kathryn. There’s no doubt in my mind … this was the hand of God directing us to her, because there’s no reason why we would have ever gone down these little trails.

“We were supposed to be there. This was the last-ditch effort to save this woman’s life.

“If there are two positives I can take away from this and promote it would be… God is real…. and how important rural volunteers of the fire department and paramedics agencies are to local areas. The real heroes are those people,” he added.

He shared his story on social media, writing that the pals are now planning to take the original ride they had scheduled this weekend.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office later confirmed that Ms Woessner was the woman the men found.

Bishop Trains chief Luke Allan Holmes said there has been a spike in incidents of abuse and intimidation towards staff at Bishop Auckland Railway Station.

The chief executive of Holdham Group – the parent company of Bishop Trains – said he has personally witnessed a “significant deterioration” since taking over in October 2025 following former founder David Millon’s death. . 

Mr Holmes admitted that he has had to personally intervene in numerous incidents – one of which led to him being attacked after telling a customer they could not travel. 

“There is a small, but growing, number of people who believe it is acceptable to swear at, threaten, intimidate and abuse frontline staff. It isn’t”, Mr Holmes said. 

Bishop Auckland Railway Station (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

“No member of staff should come to work expecting to be sworn at, threatened or intimidated simply for doing their job.

“Since becoming Chief Executive of Bishop Trains, I have personally intervened in countless incidents involving aggressive behaviour, fights and attempts to assault members of staff.

“I have stood between angry customers and my team. I have dealt with threatening behaviour. I have had to ask individuals to leave our premises because of their conduct.”

‘Our staff do not control the weather’

Mr Holmes added that nobody should be assaulted for protecting their staff and that no staff member “should have to endure harassment, intimidation or abuse in their workplace.”

He said that while passengers are understandably frustrated when disruption occurs, station staff are often not responsible for the issues that have caused them.

“Our staff do not control the weather”, he said.

“They do not control signalling failures. They do not control train faults. And they unfortunately can’t prevent fatalities. 

“More often than not, they are dealing with exactly the same information as the customer standing in front of them.”

“What they do every single day is turn up to help people. 

Luke Allan Holmes (Image: Holdham Rail Solutions Group)

“They help elderly passengers, support disabled customers, assist families travelling with children, provide travel advice and do their absolute best to keep people moving when disruption occurs.

“To then be met with abuse for circumstances entirely outside of their control is simply unacceptable.”

Thankfully, it is not all customers who are abusive – but he said that Bishop Trains will continue to take a zero-tolerance approach. 

“The overwhelming majority of our customers are fantastic”, he said 

“Every day, our staff are treated with kindness, patience and respect by the people we serve, and we are incredibly grateful for that.

“We will always support our employees. 

“Anyone who threatens, intimidates, harasses or assaults a member of our team can expect to be removed from our premises and reported to the British Transport Police, and/or other authorities where appropriate.

“Our message is very simple. Treat our staff with the same respect you would expect your own family members to receive in their workplace.

“Bishop Auckland is a proud railway town with a strong sense of community. 

“The vast majority of people who come through our doors are courteous and respectful, and we thank them for that. 

“We simply ask that everybody helps us ensure Bishop Auckland Railway Station remains a safe and welcoming environment for passengers and staff alike.”

Lewis Hamilton revealed he left the circuit ahead of his best-ever qualifying for Ferrari at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix on Saturday.

The 41-year-old, who has finished second on the podium in the last two rounds in Canada and Monaco, was within 0.064 seconds of pole position in Barcelona.

Mercedes’ George Russell, Hamilton’s former teammate, pipped the seven-time world champion to top spot with F1 world championship leader Kimi Antonelli in third place – the first time this season the Italian won’t start a grand prix on the front row.

Yet in his post-session interview, Hamilton divulged that he went back to his off-site motorhome in between final practice and qualifying, setting him up for a first-ever front row start in Ferrari red.

”It feels great to be up there with them [Mercedes drivers],” Hamilton said. “I left the track between P3 and qualifying, I went back to my motorhome, came back and was then first [in Q1].

“These guys did a great lap, congrats to George, but we’re in a good position to fight for tomorrow.

“All weekend we’ve been four-tenths off these guys – for us to be a tenth off, shows the hard work that’s been done. Big thank you to everyone back in Maranello, hopefully we can keep up with these guys tomorrow for once.”

While Hamilton was satisfied with his afternoon’s work, his teammate Charles Leclerc – quicker than the Brit in practice – crashed out at the start of Q3 in what seemed like a driver error.

Reigning world champion Lando Norris will start fourth on the grid with Max Verstappen in fifth.

For Russell, it was a much-needed pole position. The Brit trails his teammate by 68 points after a tough month or two.

“It’s been a great weekend so far, feel like my old self again,” he said. “The last few races haven’t been on our side, but clean slate this weekend, felt good and great to be on pole.

“It’s going to be an interesting race tomorrow, Lewis did an amazing job to get up there. We thought the fight was with us and McLaren. We’ll have a fight on our hands.”

The Barcelona-Catalunya GP starts at 2pm BST.