After taking first place at a professional competition in Spain this month, Nikki Beattie has qualified for the Masters Olympia 2027

A Co Antrim mum is in “absolute disbelief” after becoming the first woman from Northern Ireland to qualify for a top bodybuilding competition.

Nikki Beattie, from Larne, fell into the world of bodybuilding after having her first child and fell in love with training and pushing herself in a new sport.

Earlier this month, she travelled to Madrid to take part in her second professional show and came away with the top prize for Women’s Physique in the 40+ age group.

Speaking to Belfast Live, Nikki shared her excitement at qualifying for the Masters Olympia next August – considered the pinnacle competition for bodybuilding.

She said: “After I had my first son, I was like stuck in the house as a mum just like a robot doing the do. I just thought I need to do something for myself as I just didn’t like how I felt within myself.

“So I started the gym Monday, Wednesday and Fridays, that’s when I worked out and I just never stopped.

“From there, I just progressed and my coach at the time asked did I want to do a competition and I was like yeah we’ll do it for the craic, not knowing what I was going into.”

Nikki threw herself into working to compete at local shows over across three federations, coming away with the top prize at most she attended.

“When Covid hit, I just tried to do what I could but in the meantime, I’d had another baby and I was able to train up until three days before I had him,” she explained.

She didn’t let a global pandemic stop her passion, returning to competing when restrictions were lifted and winning once again before qualifying for her pro card and making her professional debut 16 months ago.

After placing 15th, a score she was “delighted” with, she took over a year off before going to compete in her second professional show this month in Spain.

Remembering the moment she won, she added: “I couldn’t believe it, because when you’re backstage seeing those girls who are far bigger than you and the girls that you see on Instagram, you’re looking up to them, you’re like ‘wow, I’m actually here’.

“I was literally just happy to be there with them because I really admire these girls.

“There was a lot of hype about the girl who came second as she was the favourite to win, so I was like that’s alright, I’ll take a loss compared to her because she’s amazing.

“When they called her out and I was left standing there in first place, I was like wow, I literally couldn’t believe it.

“Just in absolute disbelief – very, very grateful, very grateful for the opportunity to do it as well.”

Taking part in the Masters Olympia 2027 will put Nikki on the world stage, competing with the best of the best in bodybuilding.

She said she in honoured to be able to represent Northern Ireland and highlight “our wee country on the map of bodybuilding” as the first woman in the country to qualify for the Masters Olympia.

Nikki continued: “There are no days off – our off-season is literally building muscle.

“Everything’s so structured, but as a mum of two boys, they’re my priority so it doesn’t eat into our family time and things like that.

“My boys are seven and one’s coming 13 here – they’re very, very proud of me and I do believe that every parent should do some sort of exercise to lead by example with their kids – nutrition as well because it’s very important too.”

Nikki hopes that people can be inspired by her passion and determination and showcase that bodybuilding is not the “lone sport” it is made out to be, thanking the team around her for helping her take her first professional win.

VIDEO BY JUSTIN KERNOGHAN

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Ninety teams hurtled across a gruelling 2.4-mile course in the 60th Great Knaresborough Bed Race on Saturday (June 13).  

The event featured a “Swinging Sixties” theme to commemorate the first-ever bed race event, which took place in 1966.

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Before setting off from the grassy banks through Conyngham parkland, the teams showed off their dressed beds, inspired by this year’s theme, at Knaresborough Castle.

Ninety teams participated in the day’s parade before undressing the beds for the big race (Image: Lisa Young)

The winners, Bed Number 44 – The Rocket Men – were selected by a voting panel and led the beds in the town’s parade from 1pm.

Decorations came off for the second instalment of the day, the big race, at 3pm.

The course led the teams from Conyngham across Bond End and onto Waterside before the ascent to Castle Ings.

The parade through Knaresborough delighted thousands of people who lined the streets (Image: Lisa Young)

The teams turned off in High Street, looping back to Bond End through to Mackintosh Park before the arduous 50-yard swim across the River Nidd back to Conyngham.

Joining those taking part was a group of NHS mental health clinicians, raising money for charity Maternal Mental Health Alliance.

Speaking about this, team member Anna Kilsby, a consultant psychiatrist who works in the Harrogate and Knaresborough perinatal mental health service, said: “1 in 4 women have a mental health problem associated with having a baby.

“And 1 in 10 women and birthing people are considered at a level to need specialist perinatal mental health support.

“This means that struggling with your mental health after a baby is as common as everyday things, such as having curly hair.”

“My motivation to run is that hopefully people who might need us will hear how common this is, learn that we exist and want to support them” (Image: TEWV Bed Race team)

She added: “Despite this, people fear stigma and judgement if they ask for help.

“Too many people wait longer than they should – which impacts the woman or birthing person, baby and family.

“My motivation to run is that hopefully people who might need us will hear how common this is, learn that we exist and want to support them.

“Most importantly, they might also realise we are normal people who struggle doing things we aren’t used to – like running – and they don’t feel so anxious about meeting us.”

Teams have been preparing for the event for months (Image: Lisa Young)

Jazz Richardson-Forster, who works as a Peer Lead for North Yorkshire York and Selby Community Services, said that training for the bed race was a “real team effort”.

Knaresborough Striders Men were crowned this year’s winners of the bed race, with an impressive time of 12:33.

They were followed by Gh Brooks Mens (12:34) and The Half Moon (14:12).

The teams gathered at Knaresborough Castle for the judging of the Best Dressed Beds (Image: Lisa Young)

The event is organised by volunteers from the Knaresborough Lions charity, who are assisted by 300 others.

Each year, thousands of pounds are raised through entry fees, sponsorship and sales of the programme – money which goes back into the organisation of the next Bed Race, with any excess donated to worthy causes.

For more on this and the full results from the day, please see here.

Russell conceded afterwards that he would have, adding that he felt his former teammate was now in this title fight. “The pace today was insane from Lewis, so yeah, they [Ferrari] are coming, I think,” he said.

It does look as if Hamilton might be at least. This was his first win in 686 days (since the 2024 Belgian GP), his first time crossing the line in first place in 707 days (since the 2024 British GP), and it leaves him 41 points behind Antonelli in second place in the championship, with Russell a further nine points behind.

Hamilton appeared to be choking up over the radio as he returned his car to the pits.

“Grazie tutti to everyone at Maranello,”  Hamilton told his team as he returned his car to the pits. “I can’t thank you enough. I’m so proud of you. And to my family, I love you. And to my fans, thank you for reminding me who I am. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

More to follow…

It took the new champion a few moments to gather her thoughts, but she was full of praise for her opponent: “Wow. First of all congrats Emma on such a great week, you’re such an incredible player and I wish you and your team all the best for the remainder of the grass season.”

“This really is my favourite time of the year, my favourite surface and I really made the most of it this week],” she added. “I’ll see you guys in two weeks, thanks for all your support.”

She continued: “[I’ve been dreaming of this for] the last couple of years, for sure. [After the first set] I was thinking, I won 6-0 that’s kind of a curse in tennis, but [Raducanu] really stepped up, she played some amazing tennis, just try to stay with her, make her serve it out, try to play every single ball. To be honest, her last service game and the tiebreak is still a bit of a blur.”

The gorgeous restaurant can be found within a 1,000-acre Georgian deer park

A pub hidden in the North Norfolk countryside has been crowned as “the best in the UK” following its triumph at the 2026 National Pub & Bar Awards. The Gunton Arms, in Thorpe Market near Cromer, is a charming pub set within a pretty Georgian park.

The award-winning pub can be found in Gunton Park, a 1,000-acre deer park. The park won an award in 2021 for restoration efforts which returned the park to the way it would have been in Georgian times.

These beautiful surroundings mean that deer are often spotted from inside the pub.

Owned by Ivor Braka and overseen by husband and wife team Stuart and Simone Tattershall, The Gunton Arms is a traditional pub with 16 bedrooms.

Leading the kitchen is Stuart, previously head chef at Mark Hix, who cooks from local ingredients over a fire grill, including venison from the deer park. The restaurant also utilises fresh seafood, mussels, and the renowned Cromer crab and lobster caught by local fishermen.

Having opened in October 2011, Mr Braka’s history as an art dealer makes for a pub and grounds that blends rustic charm with contemporary art and eccentric luxury. Inside, guests will find works by Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst.

Reacting to the accolade, chef Stuart said “I’m gobsmacked”. He added: “Absolutely incredible to be mentioned in the same breath as so many of these people at the awards. It’s a credit to the team at The Gunton and the great county of Norfolk. Our guests have really supported us and been really kind to us, so after 15 years to get this is a massive achievement.”

The menu changes daily, depending on the local produce which is available and seasonable. Although, some items on the sample menu include a farmhouse chicken, leek and bacon pie, pork and leek sausages with mash and onion gravy and a barbecue beef brisket served with chips and slaw.

On Sundays, roast dinner is offered and desserts range from a white chocolate cheesecake with Norfolk strawberry to an apricot and almond tart served with clotted cream.

The Gunton Arms was selected as number one ahead of 252 other pubs and bars from across the UK, all of which had been shortlisted to represent their respective counties at the annual event.

Other awards on the night were the Pub Group of the Year and Bar Group of the Year. All of the 2026 National Pub & Bar Awards winners, including County and Regional, can be found here.

Madness is bringing their cheeky ska-pop show to Newmarket Nights this summer

They burst into the charts as part of the burgeoning 70s 2 Tone scene before cementing their status as bona fide pop royalty. More than 40 years later, Madness are still as popular – and bonkers – as ever, and they’ll be playing to another packed-out crowd when they bring their cheeky ska-pop show to Newmarket Nights this summer.

The ‘Nutty Boys’, as they became known, ruled the charts in the late 70s and early 80s with quirky, infectious radio favourites such as Baggy Trousers, Embarrassment, Shut Up and House Of Fun. And their unwavering commitment to being as serious about being silly as they are about the serious matter of songwriting means they’re in demand as much as ever.

“The race meeting thing is such an amazing phenomenon,” said Madness frontman Suggs as he looked ahead to the band’s Newmarket Nights appearance on July 17. “I remember the first time, a long time ago now, when our manager said ‘we’ve got this idea of having a little meeting and a band on afterwards’.

“I’m thinking ‘what if the old man’s done all his dough? He’s halfway there and back again – is he really going to want to go and see a band?’ But that’s the sort of role we fit. Regardless of what’s happened, we’re going to have a good time. It’s a great privilege – it’s something we started out doing and still do.”

The Newmarket show is just one of a number of big outdoor gigs they’ll be playing at home and in Europe this summer – quite remarkable for a band which can trace its roots way back to 1976. And their longevity, says Suggs, is down to the fact that they’re all mates and they like having a chuckle.

“It’s extraordinary,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of contemporaries from when we started out, and a lot of them split up. “But we were all friends from school. The premise was always to have a laugh and enjoy yourself.

“It’s not that we weren’t serious about making music and songwriting and all of that, but getting along and having a good time is what really keeps the old boat afloat. It’s always been the same. When we started out playing in pubs, if you didn’t entertain, you wouldn’t be asked back.

“It’s a reciprocal thing. The way the audience dig what we do energises you. People really enjoy what we do.”

The music industry could be brutal back in the 80s – one minute you could be the hot ticket, the next you were yesterday’s men.

Madness know that scenario well enough. Changing styles and trends led to their split in 1986, seemingly drawing a line under their crazy capers forever.

“We were the biggest band of the 80s then in about 1986 we started to not be,” said Suggs. “Our keyboard player left, he was a very fundamental part of the band and we packed up for a bit, thinking that was that. I was retired when I was 26!

“Then in 1992 someone asked us to do a festival in North London called Madstock and 70,000 people turned up! Suddenly the tide can change when you think it’s all over. And from then on, we ain’t looked back. Apart from having all the hits – that’s something no one can take away and it’s not like every band has had 25 top 10 hits or whatever – people pay their fiver or £500 or whatever to see you and if you perform, they’ll ask you back.

“And we’ve always been performers as much as musicians, so I think that’s been part of the longevity.”

The band’s videos during their heyday were legendary. Costumes, props, band members flying through the air… you never knew what was going to come next.

“I think one day there’ll be a section in the V and A Museum,” joked Suggs. “They’re works of art, those videos. There was no MTV or anything. Our record company boss said ‘you’re so theatrical, why don’t you make little films?’

“We’d sit around coming up with the most ridiculous ideas and then he’d go ‘we can only afford a van, an armchair and a car falling out of the sky’ and we’d work out what we could actually afford to do in two days. But there was this costumier in Camden Town called Berman and Nathan’s who did all the big films that let us take anything we wanted.

“It wasn’t a fancy dress shop – they had real copper’s uniforms. Can you imagine the fun we had in North London? ‘Ello, ‘ello, ‘ello, what’s going on here then?

“Especially when we burst into The Clash’s dressing room in Regents Park and you could hear the sound of doors slamming and toilets flushing! They never spoke to us for five years!

“I think when we fizzled out in the 80s it was because we’d run out of things to dress up as. We’d been flowers, coppers, exploding traffic wardens, cowboys…. It was a unique phenomenon. We were all quite extrovert.

“Some bands found it quite embarrassing to make a fool of themselves but we always felt you had to take being stupid as seriously as being serious. So we really got into it.

“Because there were seven of us, if you wanted to get on Top of the Pops, you had to do something extraordinary to get in the video in the first place, so we were trying to outdo each other all the time. But we were having fun! There weren’t no stylists or people telling us how to behave.

“When you see us laughing and joking, we are literally laughing and joking at ourselves and I think that resonates in the way the music does when you’re playing live. You can see when it’s authentic.”

With that zany showmanship still very much in play, the bookings keep coming and the fans keep turning up in numbers.

“Our sax player, Lee, said the other day – it’s like that song from The Eagles,” said Suggs. “You can check out any time you like but you can never leave. When will it end? When will the audience stop asking us to come back?

“We were supposed to have a quiet year this year but they keep asking us back! I’ve got a friend who’s a promoter. He had us on last year and he said ‘to be honest Suggs, I’ve got this bill and they’re all really boring! We need you to come along and liven it up!’

“No one could have foreseen this. We couldn’t have. But it’s the phenomenon of being in a band. You start off messing around and you think ‘oh this song’s not bad’.

“Then you get a gig in a pub and think ‘brilliant, that’s it, we’ve made it’. Then you make a record and it goes on and on and on.”

Newmarket Nights features a summer-long programme of top acts performing at Newmarket Racecourses after an evening of horse racing. This year’s programme also includes Five (June 19); Basement Jaxx (June 26); Aitch (July 31); Jessie J (August 7); Craig David TS5 (August 14) and Kaiser Chiefs (August 22).

For further information, including to book tickets, click here.

The visit was intended to check that all laws and regulations are being met

Around 70 caravans at a Traveller site were visited by South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC) on Wednesday, June 10. The visit was to ensure regulations at Smithy Fen, Cottenham, are being met.

Smithy Fen is a well-established Gypsy and Traveller site, with a planning condition at individual plots that caravans should be lived in by Gypsy and Traveller people.

“Caravans at the site also need to comply with The Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 which regulates caravan sites across the UK and gives local authorities control over where and how caravans are used,” a spokesperson for SCDC said.

“This legislation considers health, safety, and living conditions for people staying in caravans. It includes areas such as spacing between units, water supply, drainage, toilets, fire safety and electrical systems.”

The spokesperson said language support was provided and police were present to provide support. Information gathered from the visit will now be assessed and if breaches are identified, the council said it will follow “lawful and proportionate” processes to address them.

Councillor Laurence Damary-Homan, Lead Cabinet Member for Environment at South Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “We want to make sure the site is safe for everyone, and where it is not, make sure we have the necessary information to try and take action.

“The Council is committed to engaging with all residents in a fair and respectful way, and this fact‑finding work will help gather the information needed to support safe, lawful and inclusive communities.”

Cllr Damary-Homan continued: “The next step is to review all the information gathered. Any future actions will be guided by the findings of the visit. We remain committed to ensuring that authorised sites are safe places to live.

“The timeline to take any appropriate action is governed by the legal process – we must ensure we thoroughly assess the information we have gathered and follow the necessary steps to get the best outcome that is fair and right by all our residents.”

After a dramatic day in the Championship yesterday, the final second round game of the weekend sees Tyrone host Mayo in Round 2A.

A place in the All-Ireland SFC quarter-final is the prize for the winners.

The losers won’t exit the Championship, but they’ll have to navigate an additional game to make the last eight and head into tomorrow morning’s Round Three draw.

As Donegal have already played Kerry, the losers of today’s game would have a one in three chance of facing the Kingdom next weekend.

That alone, plus the extra week of rest and recovery, should be enough incentive for Tyrone and Mayo this afternoon.

Trying to predict which versions of each team we’ll see in Omagh is another matter.

The Red Hands finished fifth in Division Two, but they appear to have turned a corner in the Championship.

After taking Armagh to extra-time in the Ulster preliminary round, they defeated Connacht champions Roscommon in Dr Hyde Park in round one.

Mayo lost to Roscommon in Connacht before claiming a hard-fought one-point win over Monaghan last time out.

They’ll be AFL prospect Kobe McDonald can continue to impress while a lot of the pre-match focus will centre around whether or not Darragh Canavan will be added to the Tyrone squad having been named as a standby player on Friday.

Mayo, under the interim management of Stephen Rochford, were seven point winners over Tyrone at this venue in the 2025 Championship.

This is a real acid test for both teams to ascertain how much, if any, tangible progress they’ve made since last May.

We’ll have all the build-up and team news ahead of throw-in at 3.30pm.

Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK and MP for Clacton, has outlined a radical policy proposal, stating his party would evict all foreign nationals from social housing should they gain power.

Writing in his inaugural Substack essay on Sunday, Mr Farage asserted that Britain has become a “two-tier state against white people”.

He also reiterated his commitment to “repeal the Equality Act” under a Reform government. To support his claims, Mr Farage referenced the murder of student Henry Nowak, who was handcuffed by police as he lay dying after his killer, Vickrum Digwa, claimed to have been the victim of a racist attack. He concluded that the “British state is no longer working for everyone in this country”.

His essay, titled “Britain is a Two Tier State – Against White People”, makes a series of points about how he claims “there is nothing fair about the way white people have been treated by their governments”.

Housing, healthcare, education, policing, the military and the workplace are all listed as being adversely affected by what he describes as “deeply anti-white racism”.

“Across public and economic life, the power of the Government has been brought to bear on tackling ‘inequalities’, in a narrow and specific sense,” Mr Farage wrote.

“Anything which is seen to disadvantage a minority group is cracked down on.

“Anything which benefits a minority and damages the white British is likely to be left alone.”

On the topic of housing, he said that during the last century, “rules which gave priority to local people and ties to the area were stripped away”.

He said that, under a Reform government, foreign nationals in social housing would be given a three-month grace period to relocate to private rented accommodation, or lose their right to remain in the country and be liable for deportation.

Appearing on Sky News, culture secretary Lisa Nandy said Mr Farage “should take his nasty hate and anger and division somewhere else, frankly”.

“I think people want hope,” she added.

“They don’t want more anger, they don’t want more division, they don’t want more hate, and I wish he’d just take it somewhere else.

“There are serious challenges that this country faces.

“People have not felt listened to or heard.

“Living standards haven’t improved for too long.

“People want better, they want more.”

Mr Farage wrote that he was launching the Substack so he could set out his views in his own words to avoid them being “twisted and misrepresented”, promising to publish a “long essay” each month.

Reform MP Suella Braverman said she was “very proud” to read Mr Farage’s piece, adding: “I believe that white people are treated more unfairly than non-white people.”

Appearing on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips on Sky News, she said: “The tragic murder of Henry Nowak has to be a wake-up call that white people were told by the police to be treated differently to non-white people, and saying that is not divisive.”

Ms Braverman, who defected to Reform after leaving the Conservatives and standing down as home secretary, said she was the first Tory minister to give a speech outlining problems in the Equality Act, “daring to challenge the status quo”, and this was one of the reasons she left the party.

“We’re saying that the institutions, the laws, and the high-level policies in this country treat white people less fairly than non-white people,” Ms Braverman said.

Nandy added she hopes Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham wins next week’s Makerfield by-election.

“I hope he comes back to Westminster to help us bring the issues that matter to people right up front and centre as part of this Government,” Ms Nandy added.