Nestled along the coastline, just two hours from Cambridge, is a charming town with a sweeping, unspoilt golden sand beach and an abundance of classic seaside offerings

A seaside town that looks as though it’s been plucked from a postcard has one of the UK’s best beaches – and it’s just two hours from Cambridge.

As the county of Cambridgeshire is landlocked, with flat fenlands and meandering rivers, sometimes you can’t help but crave a day at the beach, especially during the summer months. With thoughts turning to a day spent along stretches of golden sand, hearing the sound of lapping waves, savouring an ice cream or chippy along a promenade, and enjoying some classic seaside fun.

Luckily for us, there’s a plethora of stunning coastlines within easy reach of Cambridgeshire, thanks to our neighbouring county of Norfolk. And there’s one town that’s well worth visiting, thanks to its picture-postcard scenes and broad, golden beach.

Nestled along the Norfolk coast, just a two-hour drive from Cambridge, is Gorleston-on-Sea. Known as a quieter escape, the seaside town has drawn visitors for its wide, sprawling beach that offers ample space, as well as its relaxed coastal charm, particularly compared to its busier resort neighbour, Great Yarmouth.

Gorleston-on-Sea offers that quintessential day out at the beach without the crowds, even during the summer holidays, all thanks to its unspoilt beach. It’s been so highly praised that TripAdvisor has named it one of the best beaches in the UK, and it’s easy to see why.

Colourful beach huts line parts of the shore, alongside a stretching promenade, that’s perfect for a summer stroll, stopping on a bench to admire the view, or for kids riding on their bikes. There are seaside cafés, ice cream stalls, restaurants and fish and chip shops dotted along the coastline, alongside traditional amusements for some quintessential seaside fun.

Aside from its expansive beach, there’s plenty to keep the kids entertained. From its bowling greens, tennis and basketball courts, children’s playground, pitch and putt, a model yacht pond, and even a children’s splashpad.

It certainly has everything you need for a beach day out, and visitors have been left more than impressed. During a visit last month, one happy holidaymaker shared on TripAdvisor: “A long, wide and very clean sandy beach to rival any in the UK. This truly is a wonderful beach to walk end to end.

“At the northern tip is the quaint, old school boating pond and a short line of amusements and takeouts, but head south to discover the quiet, non-commercial end, then walk back and enjoy some fish and chips and a drink. Highly recommended!”

A second penned: “Beautiful sandy beach. Pebbles in some areas, but mainly soft, clean sand. It was busy, but still plenty of space. Sat near the lifeguards’ station. Very family-friendly, with amusements, a splash park, and a boating lake, alongside places to eat/drink and get an ice cream. Just remember to take your chairs/parasols, etc, as there’s nowhere to hire.”

“This is an excellent beach and spotlessly clean, so a perfect place when staying nearby for a leisurely walk along the beach and up the pier, and places along the way for a drink and an ice cream too! Quite a bit of parking available as well, so a nice spot for an afternoon trip,” a third commented.

One more said: “Fantastic sandy beach, very clean with plenty of spare, good cafes, restaurants and ice cream close to hand.” Many visitors also noted the grand Pier Hotel, a three-star, family-run hotel, which is the perfect spot for a refreshment in one of its two bars, and some may recognise it from Danny Boyle’s 2019 movie, Yesterday.

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Samuel Smith’s Brewery is seeking a Pavement Café licence application for the Burns Hotel at 23 Market Street.

A photo posted on social media showing a related public notice at the site, says the application was made  on June 12. The deadline for comments was June 26.

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It is reported the brewery seeks to erect two tables with four chairs in front of the pub.

Helene Vergereau, Head of Highway Access at City of York Council, told The Press: “An application for a pavement café licence has been submitted for this venue.

“The public consultation stage is now over and a decision will be made once all the supporting information required has been provided”.

The Burns Hotel is a popular Sam Smith’s pub. It is one of ten finalists in the The Press reader competition to crown the best York pub for 2026.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has upgraded the rating of Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys (TEWV) NHS Foundation Trust’s child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) from requires improvement to good.   

A comprehensive inspection was carried out between April 14 and 16, with inspectors visiting nine out of 29 teams, followed up on previous concerns and covered all five key areas: safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.

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This follows calls from this newspaper and MPs in calling for a public inquiry into the trust which provides mental health and learning disability services for York, as well as North Yorkshire, County Durham, Darlington and Teesside.

Former Health Minister Wes Streeting announced last December that a statutory public inquiry would be held into the trust after numerous significant failings in its safeguarding and care, with the department adding that it is “working at pace” to appoint a chair for the TEWV inquiry.

The report- published today (August 7) – rated the CAHMS services as ‘good’ in all areas aside from safe, which is still ‘requires improvement’,  due to shortfalls in the category of ‘involving people to manage risks’.

The CAMHS service was praised by inspectors who described staff as kind, respectful, compassionate and supportive.

Most comments from carers described clinicians’ “kindness, compassion and patience,” as well as the feeling among young people that they “felt seen” and that services offered “safe spaces” to open up.

One carer said: “Each time, they consistently went above and beyond to ensure their child is listened to and felt supported.”

Another carer added: “The clinician was informed and wanted to know more about the family’s situation and that support was offered and explained with a follow up appointment arranged. They felt the process was extremely inclusive.”

Inspectors found that while many improvements had been made since the last inspection, especially around staffing and providing person-centred care, there remained a breach of Regulation 12 concerning risk assessments and documentation.

The report stated that while risk was well-managed overall, “the service did not always work well with people to understand and manage risks” and identified “significant short falls” in involving people in this process.

The report did not identify ongoing breaches in staffing or person-centred care, areas that had caused the service to require improvement in the past and said that all inspected teams demonstrated “supportive managers, positive staff relationships and a genuine commitment to high-quality care”.

Staff consistently said they felt supported by colleagues and managers, and feedback from carers and young people was positive – with staff all competing training and demonstrating strong understanding of Gillick competence and relevant legislation.

The service is also praised for using feedback to drive improvements, including a new electronic system introduced in September 2025 making use of QR codes, paper surveys, and weblinks to gather the thoughts of patients and carers.

Despite ongoing concerns about risk assessment documentation, the overall rating for specialist community mental health services for children and young people is now good, with services described as clean, well-equipped, and supportive.

Beverley Murphy, chief nurse at the trust, said: “This report shows the determination of our colleagues to improve care for young people across our communities. We’re incredibly proud of our CAMHS service and, most importantly, the dedicated staff who make a positive difference every day.

“We’re pleased that the service has been rated good overall, with inspectors recognising caring, compassionate and committed staff, positive feedback from young people and carers, and improvements in staffing, responsiveness and how teams work together.

“It also demonstrates the positive changes we’ve made since our last inspection in 2022, when this service was rated as requires improvement.  

“Alongside our partners we’ve improved access to care so young people can get help more quickly, closer to home and in ways that support them to thrive in their families and communities.  

“We recognise the areas we need to improve. The report is clear that we must strengthen the consistency of risk assessments, safety summaries and safety plans. We will take action on this and continue to focus on learning, improvement and providing safe, kind and person-centred care.”  

The council said the shop has been ‘long-awaited’

A new town near Cambridge is set to get its first shop. South Cambridgeshire District Council has confirmed a Morrisons Daily will open in Northstowe.

The council purchased a 190sqm retail unit, where the shop will be based, from Keepmoat Homes as part of the Northstowe wider development. As well as a shop, the unit will include council apartments for affordable rent as part of phase two of the development.

Councillor Dr Lisa Redrup, lead cabinet member for healthy communities at SCDC said: “This is an exciting milestone for Northstowe. As a growing new town that is still in the early stages of its development, one of our main priorities has been to ensure people can get hold of everyday essentials close to where they live.

“This new retail unit provides the town’s first shop and does just that. We’ve worked hard for a long time to make this happen – and we’re delighted to see this long-awaited facility become a reality.”

The affordable homes and retail unit form part of the Keepmoat Homes Stirling Fields development. Homes England, master developer for phases two and three of Northstowe, appointed Keepmoat to deliver the scheme.

SCDC has since completed on commercial arrangements for a tenant, therefore allowing the council to bring the first shop to Northstowe.

Councillor John Batchelor, SCDC’s lead cabinet member for housing said: “This is about creating places where people have access to the services they need close to home, while also providing genuinely affordable homes for local people.

“By delivering this unit, with a well-known food retailer, we’re situating 190sqm of retail space right next to new affordable homes. The six affordable flats above the retail unit complete our programme of 60 council homes for rent at this location, helping to ensure Northstowe grows as a balanced and sustainable community.”

An opening date is set to be announced for the Morrisons Daily shop. The shop is currently being refitted.

The incident saw the jet divert and land in London for urgent medical aid

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A mid-flight medical emergency saw a Ryanair flight make a dramatic U-turn for an emergency landing.

On Wednesday (August 5), the Limoges-bound jet, headed to western France, was forced to land in London instead after the airline said a crew member became ill on board.

The incident occurred not long after take-off from Manchester Airport. The jet safely landed at Stansted Airport to allow for aid to be given, reports Lancs Live.

The airline said that the delay was slightly less than two hours. A new crew was stood-by in Stansted, and crewed the plane on the onward leg to Limoges.

A Ryanair spokesperson said: “This flight from Manchester to Limoges (5 Aug) diverted to Stansted Airport after a crew member became ill during take-off.

“To minimise disruption to passengers, we quickly arranged for a stand-by crew to operate this flight, which departed Stansted following a brief 1hr 41mins delay.”

A spokesperson for Stansted Airport said: “On Wednesday a Ryanair flight from Manchester on route to France diverted into Stansted due to a medical issue on board the aircraft, landing safely just after 12:30.”

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Another police officer was also struck with a rock, while a third was spat at

Arrests have been made over disorder linked to anti-immigration protests that saw a police officer “seriously bitten” in Thetford. Increased policing powers will remain in place in Thetford on Friday evening (August 7) after three nights of disorder.

On Wednesday, August 5, “significant” police resources were deployed to the town after a large group of people gathered in Clover Way. At about 9.30pm, officers responded to reports that people in the group were trying to gain access to the property.

As police intervened, members of the group became “physically aggressive” towards officers, according to Norfolk Police. Two were taken to hospital after a male officer was struck with a rock and a female officer was “seriously bitten”. A third officer was also spat at.

A large crowd had gathered outside the police station beforehand for an anti-immigration protest. In the second night of disorder in the town following incidents on Tuesday night (August 4), properties were damaged by having windows smashed and fences broken. People also tried to break into a home.

Specialist officers were joined by colleagues from Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire Constabularies as they responded to a number of incidents kl.

Officers attended an address on Chester Way at around 4.45pm on August 6, 2026 following reports of a group of people throwing eggs and stones towards the address. The group continued to damage the property, breaking the door. Residents of the address were subsequently escorted out by officers in order to ensure their safety.

Officers were also called to an address on Anne Boleyn Close after a group were seen to be throwing rocks towards a property, smashing its windows.

Six arrests have been made in relation to the three nights of disorder. These are as follows:

• Brian Thompson, aged 68, who has been charged with possession of an offensive weapon.
• A man in his 30s arrested for public order and a man in his 50s arrested for being drunk and disorderly, who have both been released and issued with conditional cautions.
• A man in his 30s arrested for public order and harassment, who has been released on bail.
• A man aged in his 40s arrested for inciting racial hatred, drug possession and public order who remains in custody.
• A woman aged in her 30s, arrested on suspicion of assault of an emergency worker, assault and a public order offence who remains in custody.

In total, 12 dispersal orders were issued under Section 35 powers directing individuals to leave the area to prevent further disorder and protect public safety.

Assistant Chief Constable Julie Dean, who is overseeing the police response to the disorder, said: “We fully support the rights of people to protest peacefully and understand the concerns felt by many within the community. However, over recent nights we have continued to see behaviour that goes far beyond legitimate protest, and we have therefore responded robustly to keep people safe and maintain public order.

“Assaults on police officers carrying out their duties are completely unacceptable. Our officers are working tirelessly to protect the communities they serve, often the same communities they call home, and they deserve to be treated with respect.

“Those who choose to engage in violence, intimidation or criminality should be under no illusion that they will be identified, arrested and brought before the courts. At the heart of this situation are real people and real lives, and I would urge everyone involved to consider the impact their actions are having on the wider community.”

Increased policing powers will remain in place in Thetford this evening following the three nights of disorder. These powers include:

• A Section 60AA of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 which means you could be asked to remove a face covering from 4pm on Friday, August 7 to 6am on Saturday, August 8, 2026.
• A Section 34 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 which means officers can direct anyone committing, or who may commit anti-social behaviour to leave the area from 4pm on Friday, August 7 to 6am on Saturday, August 8 2026.

Anyone who refuses to remove a face covering when required to do so may be arrested. The powers will come into effect in the area designated in the map.

Offences varied from no seat being used at all, to the wrong seat for the child’s age or size, or no seatbelt at all.

Police in Northern Ireland issued just over 300 fixed penalty notices to parents and drivers for child car seat and seatbelt offences between 2023 and 2025. That’s equivalent to £18,590 in fines over the three years.

That’s according to data obtained by Confused.com through Freedom of Information requests sent to UK police constabularies including the PSNI.

Behind each of these penalties is a child who wasn’t restrained correctly in the car because parents hadn’t followed UK child car seat laws. These offences varied from no seat being used at all, to the wrong seat for the child’s age or size, or no seatbelt at all.

The offences cover a range of scenarios. In the UK, children must use an appropriate child car seat until they reach 135cm (4 feet 5 inches) in height or their 12th birthday, whichever comes first.

After this point, they can legally move onto an adult seat belt, but drivers are legally responsible for ensuring any passenger under 14 years old is properly restrained.

When it comes to choosing the safest seat, rear-facing seats should never be used in a front passenger seat with an active airbag. Any restraint used must suit a child’s current height and weight, not simply their age.

In Northern Ireland, driving with a child under 14 who is not using the correct child car seat or restraint carries a fixed penalty fine of £60 and 3 penalty points on your driving licence. If the case goes to court, the maximum fine can increase up to £500.

To help parents make the right choice for their child, Confused.com has launched a car seat safety checker. Parents simply enter their child’s age and weight, and the tool instantly recommends the appropriate car seat or restraint for their child’s stage, helping families keep their child safe, stay within the law, and avoid the cost of getting it wrong.Matt Crole-Rees, motoring expert at Confused.com car insurance, says getting your child’s car seat right isn’t just about avoiding a fine: “It‘s one of the most important things a parent can do to keep them safe on every journey.

“Yet, despite most parents feeling confident in their knowledge, our research shows a significant number are still unsure exactly when their child should move onto the next stage, or which seat is right for their age and size. That uncertainty can have real consequences, both on the road and afterwards.

“It’s also worth remembering that getting this wrong won’t necessarily invalidate your car insurance outright. But following the law matters, for your child’s safety first and foremost.

“Our car seat safety checker takes the guesswork out of the equation. By simply entering your child’s age and weight, parents can get clear, instant guidance on the right seat for their child, helping families make safer choices and avoid falling foul of the law.”

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Luckily I’m out with my photography-loving best friend, who helps adjust the settings on the camera and gets snapping while I’m otherwise engaged on the dancefloor.

The mere sight of us pulling out the camera and squinting through its tiny viewfinder draws attention – “I’ve not seen one of these in years”, a man remarks.

He’s right – digital cameras had their heyday in the late 1990s and early 2000s, just before smartphones took off.

There are currently 42 million active film camera users globally, more than a third of these aged 18–30 and largely influenced by social media trends, according to a market research report, external last year.

So why, when we’re surrounded by more advanced tech here in 2026, are they seemingly making a resurgence?

For Lily Redman, a 26-year-old content creator from South Wales, digital cameras “capture a quality that my phone just can’t replicate”.

She’s been taking one on nights out and to concerts and feels the flash on her phone “is grainy and too high definition” compared to the “more smooth” finished product on a digital camera.

“I think people are looking for a bit of grit or something that feels a bit more real,” she says.

That may also explain why low exposure photos taken on iPhones and Androids – where people dodge ready-made filters to artificially crank down the exposure setting and produce a darker image – are also popular on socials right now.

With digital cameras offering an element of surprise when you plug in the memory card reader to your computer at home, digital cameras capture a moment in time.

“If I look back at photos my mum took when I was two, they look so old but when I look at photos I took five years ago, they look like they were taken yesterday,” says Redman.

“Phone photos have warped our perception of time.”