She is fronting Metrocentre’s Fashion & Beauty Weekender in Gateshead, held on Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26, as part of the centre’s ongoing 40th birthday celebrations.

The free event features catwalk shows, beauty masterclasses, and live entertainment in Town Square, as well as a dedicated ‘beauty playground’ in Exhibition Square.

Metrocentre Fashion Weekender. (Image: KEVIN GIBSON PHOTOGRAPHY/NICKY ROGERSON)

Helen Atkinson, marketing manager at Metrocentre, said: “Now a firm favourite on the spring-summer calendar, our fashion and beauty weekender grows year on year – but never more so than in 2026, as we celebrate 40 years since opening.

Metrocentre Fashion Weekender. (Image: KEVIN GIBSON PHOTOGRAPHY/NICKY ROGERSON)

“With support from our retailers and partners, we’re creating a weekend that truly reflects everything Metrocentre stands for – style, experience and something for everyone.”

Metrocentre Fashion Weekender. (Image: KEVIN GIBSON PHOTOGRAPHY/NICKY ROGERSON)

Metrocentre Fashion Weekender. (Image: KEVIN GIBSON PHOTOGRAPHY/NICKY ROGERSON)

The event includes a runway show curated by charity Daisy Chain, showcasing outfits styled from donated clothing, and paid tribute to Metrocentre’s four decades of fashion.

Masterclasses and beauty demos ran throughout the weekend, with four fashion shows scheduled each day at 11am, 1pm, 2.30pm, and 4pm, and beauty masterclasses at 11.30am and 2pm.

Metrocentre first opened its doors on October 14, 1986, and was developed by Sir John Hall as what was then billed as the biggest shopping centre in Europe.

Allie Noble confronted a large black bear that had wandered into her garden and went for her fruit trees.

A Scottish mum living in Canada has gone viral after hilarious footage of her fearlessly chasing a bear out of her garden exploded online. The clip shows Allie Noble confronting a large black bear that had wandered into her garden, casually shouting and gesturing until the animal retreats.

While many people may have been left terrified at seeing a dangerous animal at such close proximity, especially having originally lived in Glasgow, Allie showed no fear. She even went on the offensive to keep the beast away from her precious cherry plum tree.

The mum-of-four can be heard yelling “it better not eat my f***ing plums – it is! Move, move.” She then opens the door and shoos it away, shouting again: “Move! Away from my plums!”.

Thousands of viewers have been left in stitches after viewing the clip – with many left stunned by her calm reaction. Allie has explained, however, that this was nothing out of the ordinary – with bears a common sight near her home in Vancouver Island.

Speaking to the Record, the 32-year-old said: “I lived on Vancouver Island for three years, and honestly, this kind of thing happened all the time. Bears are quite common, especially if you have fruit trees.

“I had cherry plums and cherries in the garden, so they were always coming around. It is quite difficult to grow them so I wanted to get him away.

“You’re also not supposed to feed them because if they keep coming back, they’ll eventually be put down. So I was trying to scare it off for its own good as much as ours.”

Despite how dangerous it looks, Allie said the reality is far less dramatic. “They’re more scared of you than you are of them”, she said. I’ve had them walk right past me while I was outside with the kids – they don’t even seem bothered.”

The incident took place back in July and Allie, from Pollok, has since moved back home. She says the clip was never meant to go public but, after months of trying, her brother finally managed to convince her to post it.

“He kept telling me to share it because he found it so funny, but I’m not really into social media,” she said. “I’ve got four kids, so I’m busy – I don’t post much. But I finally put it up and it just blew up.”

The reaction caught Allie completely off guard. She laughed: “I was so embarrassed. I turned my phone off because I couldn’t believe how far it had gone. I’m just glad it is giving people a good laugh.”

The clip has been viewed on TikTok nearly 50,000 times and users flooded to the comments in disbelief at the hilarious encounter. One person wrote: “This is the most Scottish maw thing I have ever seen! The bear is no match!!”

Another said: “I’m howling at you pssssssting it like it’s a cat. Oh my days.” Meanwhile, a third added: “I have never been more proud to be Scottish.”

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Members of York Scouts and Girlguiding groups met for an annual procession and celebration in the city centre, walking a loop from York Minster, through city centre foot streets this afternoon (April 26).

Many of the city centre streets were closed to traffic as crowds cheered and waved along the procession route, for a parade said to be one of the largest in the country.

The parade through the city centre would be repeated after two services in the city centre (Image: Kevin Glenton)

After the first event, which began at 1.20pm, Squirrels, Beavers and Rainbows attended a service at Central Methodist Church in St Saviourgate, with the Lord Mayor greeting all others before a service in York Minster.

Claire Scott, 1st Heworth Group leader, said: “It’s a beautiful day, our Beavers and Squirrels really enjoyed their service at the Central Methodist Church.

“It was really tailored towards their ages (four to eight).

“They are very excited about the upcoming procession because we’re going off with the older groups.”

Jimmy was bearing the flag for the Beavers in the group in the parade and said it made him feel proud to be leading them, and Harry, doing the same on behalf of the group’s Squirrels, said it was exciting.

1st Heworth Scout Group and leaders (Image: Kevin Glenton)

Anne Newby, a leader at Haxby Brownies and Guides has been involved in more than 40 York St George’s Day parades since she first joined in with a group from Acomb as a guide.

She said her group were “letting off a little bit of steam” after the first procession and service, as they waited in Dean’s Park for a second parade to begin.

Anne said: “For some of them, it’s their very first time.

“For the others, they always seem to enjoy it – after two minutes in, everyone is fine.

Leaders from Haxby Brownies and Guides and those from Rawcliffe and Strensall, along with Rangers (Image: Kevin Glenton)

Eleven-year-old Orla carried the flag for Haxby Brownies and Guides and said she was “really proud to represent my Guide unit and although the flag was a little heavy to carry at times it was definitely worth it.”

James Meredith, a leader at 1st Copmanthorpe Scout Group, said: “It’s a lovely service and great to see so many sections across the community in the Minster.

“The group has been surprised at how many people have been out to see them and gave a sense of the scale of the organisation to which they belong.”

Drummers rang out across the length of this year’s parade (Image: Kevin Glenton)

Squirrels and Beavers joined the rest of the group for a second procession on the same city centre loop after both services.

‘We’re just praying for a miracle’

The family of a 33-year-old woman is issuing a renewed plea for financial assistance as they struggle to repatriate her from a Tunisian hospital, where she has been stranded for over two months following a medical emergency.

Niaomi Baker, from Kirkby, was preparing to board a flight home on February 11 when she suffered what is believed to be an epileptic seizure. She was rushed to a local hospital and placed in an induced coma.

While she has since been brought out of the coma, her cousin and next-of-kin, Laylla Baker, told the ECHO that Niaomi remains bedbound and has not regained full consciousness.

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Niaomi lives with several complex medical conditions, including epilepsy, autism, and functional neurological disorder (FND). Her family remains distressed as they were unaware she had travelled to Tunisia until they were contacted four days after her hospitalization.

Critically, Niaomi did not have travel insurance, leaving her family solely responsible for the costs of her care and repatriation.

The medical team in Tunisia has recommended she be transferred to the UK for further treatment, but the family currently lacks the necessary funds for an air ambulance.

The family has established a GoFundMe campaign to cover the transport costs, estimated at £35,000. To date, supporters have raised approximately £7,500, leaving a shortfall of £27,500.

“The GoFundMe has come to a standstill,” Laylla Baker said in a statement this week. “We’ve not raised nearly enough money and we just don’t know what to do. We are just praying for a miracle.”

The 34-year-old also revealed that her own ability to manage the crisis is severely limited, as she is currently battling brain cancer.

“I feel useless, I have my own health problems everything we try doesn’t seem to work,” Laylla said. “There must be someone out there who can help us. The hospital stopped getting in touch with us so her friend went over to check on her.”

She added: “I managed to FaceTime her and when she heard my voice she opened her eyes. She still can’t talk but it was like she was trying to communicate with me. It’s horrible, we just want her back home.”

With Niaomi’s mother deceased and her father residing in a nursing home, the family is facing significant logistical and emotional challenges in navigating the international medical system.

“We completely understand times are hard with the cost of living, but we really do need more money,” Laylla added. “Our only goal is to bring Niaomi back home to the UK as quickly as possible.”

The family continues to coordinate local fundraising efforts, such as raffles, in a desperate attempt to bridge the funding gap and secure a safe transfer for their relative.

In Sunday’s interview with NBC’s Meet the Press, acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche said the motive of the suspected shooter was still under investigation, but that “preliminary” findings suggested he was targeting administration officials, “likely” including President Donald Trump.

The York Inset Scooter Club hosted its Mods and Rockers run with more than 200 machines on display in the Eye of York for the start.

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The ride out was officially started by The Lord Mayor of York, Martin Rowley, and the York Civic Party, along with Ken Cooke, club president and York’s only surviving veteran of the Normandy D-Day landings of the Second World War.

Club president Ken Cooke and the York Civic Party got the ride underway (Image: Kevin Glenton)

The ride is also known as the John Martin memorial ride to remember a former member who died 16 years ago.

Funds were being raised at the start for the Yorkshire and Scarborough Hospitals Charity, along with £5 donations from riders.

Before the start, committee member Nick Beilby said: “It’s wonderful to see such a good turn out and really appreciated.

Some of the scooters on display in the Eye of York ahead of the John Martin Memorial Ride (Image: Kevin Glenton)

“Staff and supporters from the charity have been here for us to raise funds.

“The charity is of great significance because several of our members had had great need of it.”

Last year’s event raised nearly £1,000.

After leaving York this morning at 10.30am, riders will travel through the Howardian Hills, finishing at The Mended Drum pub in Huby.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of arson after a fire engulfed a popular LGBTQ+ venue in Milton Keynes.

Firefighters tackled a blaze at the Pink Punters nightclub in Bletchley, Buckinghamshire in the early hours of this morning.

Revellers were evacuated from the building at around 2am and no-one was injured, according to local news reports.

Nearby roads were closed to traffic following the incident, with cordons likely to remain in place at the scene for some time.

A witness to the incident told local radio station MKFM the nightclub was ‘smouldering’ and had been ‘absolutely ruined’.

‘We got everybody out, everybody was evacuated quickly and nobody was hurt or injured which is the main thing’, they said.

A clip recorded of the aftermath showed the blaze had ripped off the entire roof of the Tudor revival building.

Police have arrested a 51-year-old man on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life. He remains in custody.

Chief Superintendent Emma Baillie said: ‘This was a significant fire in which a large number of people had to be evacuated.  

‘Thankfully no one was injured and staff at the venue worked quickly and effectively to safely evacuate everyone.   

‘Fire crews and our officers remain on scene, and road closures are likely to remain in place for a significant amount of time.  

‘Our officers have arrested a man in connection with this incident. He remains in custody at this time, while we carry out ongoing enquiries.   

‘At this time it would be too early to comment on any particular motivation for this incident and we would respectfully ask for people not to speculate.’ 

A total of 12 fire crews attended the scene at the height of the fire, Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service said.

A spokesperson for the fire service said: ‘We are now scaling back the amount of fire engines in attendance of this incident. Firefighters will still remain on scene, working hard to dampen down and check the building for hot spots.’

Metro has contacted Pink Punters for comment.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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A TV presenter said she had “the misfortune” of meeting Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor several times as she reflected on the famous people she has met over the years

Disgraced royal Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been described as a “horrible and ghastly” man by television presenter Lorraine Kelly. Discussing the famous people she has met throughout her career, the 66-year-old didn’t hold back when it came to the controversial royal.

She said: “I always give people the benefit of the doubt, you know, if they’re difficult or demanding or they’re rude, and I think, hmm, okay, you might be an a***hole, but I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt now.

“If they do it again the next time, then you’re an a***hole and I never want to see you again and go away.

“But, I always think you’ve got to put yourself in other people’s shoes, but I do get annoyed with people who are very arrogant,” she added.

“A prime example of that obviously is Prince Andrew, who I had the misfortune to meet a few times, what a ghastly man, a horrible man. And I’ve always said that, even before all of this stuff (his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein).

“But then you wonder what was going on in his life and who was his role model? “It’s fascinating isn’t it, to think about that,” she added on Pete Wicks‘ Man Made podcast.

The former prince, who was stripped of his royal titles by brother King Charles last year, has faced scrutiny in recent years over his links to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In his 2019 Newsnight interview, he expressed regret over maintaining contact after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for sex offences, but the interview with Emily Maitlis was considered an unmitigated disaster.

He stepped back from royal duties after Newsnight aired and, three years later, was stripped of his military titles and royal patronages.

The father-of-two, who was also recently named in documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice relating to Epstein, has always denied any wrongdoing. He was arrested and later released under investigation on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

It is not the first time Lorraine has criticised the brother of King Charles.

Previously discussing his infamous interview with Emily Maitlis in 2019, she said on her show: “That, to me, just summed him up in a way as being either, you could be generous and say naïve or you could say dumb, you could say many things.

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“For him to put himself in that position, first of all, and then to do such damage to his reputation that he basically is now persona non grata, that just doesn’t happen usually, does it?”

In a later discussion about his apparent return to royal life, she said: “Surely he’s not that tone deaf?”, before urging him to “just shut it and go away”.

The former prince recently relocated to Marsh Farm following his departure from the 30-room Royal Lodge in Windsor.

According to Elliot Castle, CEO of We Buy Any Home, the cost of updating the property could have reached a six-figure sum.

He said: “From a property perspective, this looks far more like a managed family arrangement than a typical move. “Marsh Farm appears to have been prepared specifically for Andrew, with privacy and security front of mind, so it’s unlikely to be a short-term stop.

“Renovating a rural property to that standard is not cheap,” he added. “Once you factor in interiors, structural updates and high-end security, costs can quickly run into the six-figure range, particularly on an estate setting.”

Sabastian Sawe did not rule out a course or even world record when asked about his chances at this year’s London Marathon.

The Kenyan won last year’s edition in two hours, two minutes and 27 seconds, and told a press conference he felt the late Kelvin Kiptum’s three-year-old course record of two hours, one minute and 25 seconds could be beaten.

And asked if his shoes, the Adidas Pro Evo 3s, were of course – or even world – record quality, the 29-year-old replied, simply: “Yep.”

His main rival is Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo, the Chicago Marathon winner and last year’s London runner-up.

The stacked men’s field is missing Briton Emile Cairess, who placed third in 2024 and fourth at that summer’s Olympics and was targeting Mo Farah’s British record before he was forced to withdraw due to a calf issue.

Great Britain will still be well represented by the likes of Mahamed Mahamed, the fourth-fastest British man over the distance, his Paris 2024 Olympic team-mate Phil Sesemann, and Patrick Dever, all of whom have set more modest targets.

Alex Yee, the 2024 Olympic gold medallist in triathlon, made his competitive marathon debut last year in London and returns for this edition as a pacemaker.

Ethiopian Tigst Assefa will target her own women-only world record when she attempts to defend her own London crown.

The 29-year-old set a new standard at the same event last year, beating the previous world record by 26 seconds in two hours, 15 minutes and 50 seconds.

Assefa, whose competition includes Britons Eilish McColgan and Jess Warner-Judd, as well as Kenyan Hellen Obiri, who won the New York Marathon, has been pleasantly surprised by her own form.

She told a press conference: “My training has gone well, it has been better, even, than my preparation last year, so I think it is possible to beat the record I set last year.”

McColgan made her delayed London debut last year and was enamoured with the atmosphere, which she said “blew all my expectations out of the water” and added: “It was the toughest race I’ve ever done in my life.

“I didn’t even know how I was putting one foot in front of the other after 20 miles, but I was somehow moving forward in some sort of manner, and without the crowds I think that would have been a hell of a lot harder.”

There is a large gathering taking place on a mountain in Rhondda Cynon Taf

People are being turned away from an illegal rave which is taking place on a Welsh mountain across the weekend.

There were reports on Sunday morning that large crowds had gathered on Rhigos Mountain north of Treherbert in Rhondda Cynon Taf. People commented that there was a lot of “police activity” in the area as rumours circulated that a rave was ongoing.

Police have now confirmed that an “unlicensed rave” is taking place near Rhigos Mountain Road.

Officers are at the scene and will remain in attendance to ensure the safety of those at the rave and other members of the general public. Read the biggest stories in Wales first by signing up to our daily newsletter here.

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A spokesman for South Wales Police said: “Officers are in attendance at Rhigos Mountain Road, Rhigos, Rhondda Cynon Taff following a report of an unlicensed rave.

“A policing presence will remain in the area to ensure the safety of those participating and the wider public. This incident is ongoing.”

A picture from the scene shows police blocking off access to Rhigos Road from the top of Abertonllwyd Street in Treherbert.

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