Enjoy Blue Meet and Greets, Mini Land Rover rides, carnival attractions, live music, great food and drink and much more

The countdown is well and truly underway for 20 Years in Bloom at Glenarm Castle, and this year, there’s something for everyone, including a special meet and greet with popular children’s TV character Bluey.

This May Bank Holiday Weekend (2nd–4th May), the public is invited to stroll through the stunning Walled Garden, alive with thousands of colourful tulips, and immerse themselves in a vibrant festival atmosphere brimming with music, colour and fun for all the family.

Youngsters will also be thrilled by a Meet & Greet with Bluey, who will appear at intervals on Sunday 3rd and Monday 4th May. It’s not to be missed – so make sure you have your cameras ready to capture the moment with everyone’s favourite Blue Heeler pup!

Throughout the weekend, visitors can look forward to live music and entertainment, browse craft stalls and exhibitions, and treat themselves to a fantastic array of food and drink from local traders. For those seeking a bit of excitement, the festival boasts family-friendly carnival rides and the ever-popular Mini Land Rover Experience, guaranteeing a brilliant day out for all ages.

Festival Highlights

• Meet & Greet with the Official Bluey – the fun loving, adventure seeking Blue Heeler pup
• Show-stopping tulip displays
• Live music and family entertainment – Including K-POP Dance with Don King
• Carnival rides
• Mini Land Rover Experience for young adventurers
• Artisan craft market
• A wide selection of delicious food and drink

Lady Antrim said: “We are delighted to be celebrating 20 years of the Glenarm Castle Tulip Festival this year. The garden team worked tirelessly over the winter months, planting in excess of ten thousand tulips, which are now in their bold, colourful prime. It’s always a wonderful way to herald the start of the summer season and we hope our visitors will come and enjoy the tulips, as well as the rest of the garden, as much as we do.”

This year’s Tulip Festival is set to take place over the May Bank Holiday Weekend, running from Saturday 2nd to Monday 4th May 2026, with much-loved children’s character Bluey making appearances throughout Sunday 3rd and Monday 4th May. Gates will open daily at 10:00AM, with last admission between 4:00PM and 4:15PM, and the festival wrapping up at 5:00PM each evening.

Tickets on sale NOW via www.glenarmcastle.com Members Go Free! Complementary tickets can be purchased online.

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After two sessions of their match, Hawkins led 10-6, but Williams, a champion in 2000, 2003 and 2018, was unable to fight back as the six frames went alternate ways, with Hawkins securing the victory.

Eleventh-seed Hawkins, who turned 47 on Wednesday, was helped by two breaks of 85 – one in frame 18 and one in frame 20 – to reach the Crucible quarter-finals for the seventh time.

“I just had to try my best over the three sessions. In two I played OK but the second session, I didn’t play very well and that’s when he got a good lead,” said Williams.

“I tried to come back but he was just the better player. I just don’t make enough breaks any more. I broke down on 40 or 50.

“It was the best reception I’ve ever seen here. They were all on their feet. It probably won’t happen again with all three of us [of the ‘Class of 92’] in the same session.

“There’s nothing else I can really do, I can’t practise for hours each day and I can’t get better – as you go on, you get worse and worse.”

Hawkins, who will play Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen in the quarter-finals on Tuesday and Wednesday, said: “This is definitely up there [as his best Crucible experience]. It’s not easy beating someone like that to get to the quarter-finals.

“I didn’t just fall over the line so I’m quite happy with the way I played and my game – I enjoyed every minute of it.

“I used to have too much respect and would crumble against these sorts of players but over the last four or five years I’ve got more belief.”

On the standing ovation at the start of the session, he said: “They were not standing for me, they were standing for the Class of 92 but when I walked out, what a feeling. It’s the best place to play when it’s like that.”

The federal government quietly awarded a no-bid contract — with a massively inflated price tag — to one of President Donald Trump’s favorite construction firms, according to a new report, which the president has strongly disputed.

The contract was to fix a pair of decades-old fountains in Lafayette Park, located across from the White House, which have sat idle for more than 10 years due to deteriorating equipment.

In 2022, the Biden administration reportedly estimated the work would cost $3.3 million. But, in January, the Trump administration agreed to pay more than five times that figure — $17.4 million — to Clark Construction, a Maryland-based firm that is also building the massive White House ballroom, according to The New York Times.

“They just took the cover page of my estimate and just added a bunch of money onto it,” Stephen Kirk, an independent consultant who calculated the cost of the refurbishment for the National Park Service in 2022, told the outlet. “I didn’t add those extra millions on there.”

The significantly higher cost estimate was reportedly partly a result of inflation being accounted for twice.

The National Park Service awarded the lucrative contract to Clark without soliciting competing bids, invoking a rarely used “urgency” exception typically reserved for natural disasters or wartime needs, the paper said. Contracting experts described this as unusual.

Unlike the president’s $400 million ballroom, which is funded by private donors, the fountain repairs are being paid with taxpayer dollars.

The Interior Department, which oversees the Park Service, defended its contracting process.

“The way this contract was awarded is above board,” department spokesperson Katie Martin told the NYT. “The urgency is to ensure this project is done well ahead of America’s 250th anniversary.”

Clark Construction told the outlet: “Our track record reflects the quality of our work and our commitment to integrity. We bid on work we are qualified to deliver and we follow prescribed procurement processes.”

The Independent has contacted the construction firm and the Park Service for comment.

On Friday, Trump posted a video on Truth Social showing the fountains in operation, with jets of water lit by colorful lights. “My Great Honor to have funded this project,” he wrote.

The following day, after the NYT story was published, the 79-year-old billionaire fired off a 334-word broadside accusing the outlet of misrepresenting the facts.

“Once again, The Failing New York Times has attempted to grossly mischaracterize what should be hailed as the restoration of Beauty and Grandeur to our Nation’s Capital as something else completely,” he wrote.

He added: “We want to have it complete by July 4th. Once again, people will come to the front door of the White House by walking through a magnificent Park befitting these Hollowed Grounds, not a dead, dirty, rusting, and very dangerous place like it was before we got involved.”

He said he was not responsible for overseeing the contract, adding that Clark is “highly respected” and completed the work under budget and ahead of schedule. “The New York Times should congratulate us, instead of trying to make us look bad,” he concluded.

The president’s attack came just hours before he was set to appear at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, where scores of reporters will be in attendance.

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Arsenal claimed a crucial 1-0 win over Newcastle to move back to the top of the Premier League on Saturday, but Gary Neville was not impressed by one player’s performance

Gary Neville has criticised Martin Zubimendi for his recent performances, claiming the Arsenal midfielder’s struggles are undermining his team’s Premier League title push. Arsenal beat Newcastle 1-0 to move top of the league on Saturday, yet Neville was extremely unimpressed by what he saw from the home side’s midfield.

Eberechi Eze curled in from the edge of the box following a short corner to give Arsenal the lead early on and it proved enough to earn a crucial three points. The Gunners had lost their last two games in the league to allow Manchester City back into the title race but got back on track against the Magpies.

They needed some good saves from David Raya and a dreadful miss from Yoane Wissa to get over the line on a nervy evening at the Emirates Stadium. Neville watched the match from the commentary box and identified a specific problem Mikel Arteta needs to address.

“I thought at the start of the season that Zubimendi was a great signing,” Neville told Sky Sports. “He’s been a good player for Arsenal but right now I was expecting that this would be where Zubimendi would be the player. Who’s going to be the difference player?

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“I thought [Viktor] Gyokeres would get the goals for them in the big moments and get to 2-0. His lack of quality at the end was poor on that counter-attack. He’s got to do better than that.

“But I thought… you think of what [Andrea] Pirlo is, or [Paul] Scholes or Rodri, Bernardo Silva – the player who can dictate play in a game like this, get Arsenal on the ball, organise and get them with authority and he’s not demonstrating that. He’s struggling in the games and he has been for a few weeks now.

“[Martin] Odegaard does it better. Odegaard went deeper (today), but the problem is when Odegaard goes deeper, [Declan] Rice then goes deeper and Zubimendi is already deep. Then you’ve got three players, or certainly two in deep areas. You can’t have that.

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“You want them to be rotating with each other, and you want one back there to link play with the defence and the full-backs. It felt to me today that Zubimendi, Rice and Odegaard got outplayed by that Newcastle midfield. It was 55 per cent possession to Newcastle, 45 per cent to Arsenal, surprising.”

Zubimendi joined Arsenal from Real Sociedad for £51million in the summer transfer window and has been a key player for Arteta’s side this season. He has made 50 appearances across all competitions, contributing six goals and three assists.

The 27-year-old midfielder has started all but one of Arsenal’s 34 league games and is sure to feature for Spain at the World Cup this summer, if he gets through the final month of the season without picking up an injury.

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Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.

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As people are doing their final preparations ahead of the London Marathon, a gastroenterologist named Dr Trisha Pasricha has shared the reason why many runners will need the bathroom at mile 18

As many people are preparing to run the London Marathon on 26 April, one gastroenterologist has shared the reason a lot of marathon runners will often need to run to the nearest toilet at mile 18 of the race.

Whether you’re an experienced runner or someone who’ve just started out, chances are you might have experienced something called ‘runner’s trot’. This is the moment during or after a run when you get a urge to rush to the bathroom for a sudden bowel movement. While it may appear odd if you haven’t heard of it before, it’s a very common thing that often happens when someone is in the middle of or has just finished an intense run – such as a marathon.

To explain this further, Harvard doctor and scientist Dr Trisha Pasricha, who is also the author of bestselling book ‘You’ve Been Pooping All Wrong’, explained what happens in your gut when you’re running, which leads to people rushing to the nearest loo at around mile 18 of a marathon.

“Why do so many marathoners suddenly need to use the bathroom in the middle of the race?” she wrote at the caption of her Instagram post. She went on to explain the phenomenon more in her video.

“When you run, blood flow to your gut can drop to 20% of its baseline,” she explained. “That is literally just your body choosing your legs over your intestines.”

She continued to explain this is the reasons why so many runners, when they hit mile 18 struggle to keep anything down. Runners often start to feel ill and have to run to the bathroom because of it.

“Your gut is screaming that it is not getting enough blood,” Dr Pasricha said.

But there are ways to predict this, especially if you’re wearing a smart watch or another type of fitness tracker. This is because the symptoms tend to cluster when a runner’s heartrate hits a certain threshold.

“So when you’re training, pull up that heart rate date and see ‘how high does it go before I start to get symptoms?’” she recommended. You can then use the answer to help recalibrate your training goals to help stick below that threshold.

Dr Pasricha also urged runners to stay hydrated, but to keep away from sugary beverages. Instead, she recommended to use electrolytes to boost hydration throughout the race.

“Honestly, I’d probably skip the coffee the morning of the race too,” she said, claiming it would ‘rev up your colon’, while she said you should aim for it to be as calm as possible before and during your race. She added in the caption of her post: “If you know, you know.”

Several runners soon took to the comment section of the video to share their gratitude to the gut doctor for explaining the phenomenon to them.

“Ah, thank you. Another reason half marathons seem like a better option,” one person said. Someone else wrote: “Thanks for this information!”

To pass the time while filming, before her eyesight deteriorated, actor Judi Dench could often be found sewing. The picture of submissive femininity, she sat bent over her needlework. The finished work however, which she gave as gifts, were actually expletive-filled insults worked in ornate embroidery.

There has been a resurgence of people taking up needlecrafts of all kinds in recent years, including knitting, crochet, embroidery and sewing, as a hobby.

Much has been made of the mindful qualities of needlework. As a stitcher myself, I know how much pleasure and relaxation can be gained from the flow of yarn and thread through needles. But beyond the mindful benefits of needlework, there is a long history of needlecraft as a form of expressive protest.

Hobbies can bring joy, wellbeing and focus to our busy lives, but so many of us don’t have one. If you’re ready to replace scrolling with stitching, or hustle with horticulture, The Hobby Starter Kit (a new series from Quarter Life) will help you get going.

In December 2024, textile artist, Sue Spence posted a photograph on Facebook. It showed the words “Middle class WOMAN of a certain age” embroidered in rudimentary stitches onto a small piece of fabric. It was a response to comments made by former MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace, who claimed allegations of sexual misconduct against him came from “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age”. She later turned the design into brooches reading: “Middle class WOMAN of a certain RAGE.”

Spence subverted Wallace’s original insult so it instead became a celebration of her identity. In doing so, she was participating in a long tradition of subversive stitching. For hundreds of years, silenced women have turned to needlecraft to express taboo emotions and protest their position in the world.

Her materials – needle and thread – are significant to her act of protest. Like the words being reclaimed, the medium she is using is also being reclaimed from its containment within the sphere of patriarchal domesticity as a submissive activity for genteel women.

Art historian Rozsika Parker’s seminal book The Subversive Stitch (2019) traces the history of women and needlework. In it, she identifies how from the 17th century, needlecraft – particularly the embroidering of samplers – “had been employed to inculcate obedience, submission, passivity and piety”. Samplers were used to practise embroidery stitches and frequently involved the stitching of Bible passages and devotional images.

Resisting patriarchy

By the 19th century domestic needlework was widely practised by middle- and upper-class women. It was understood as an activity that tied mothers and daughters to the service of home, husbands and fathers. This is illustrated in the character of Rose Pargiter in Virginia Woolf’s novel The Years (1937).

At the opening of the novel, in the 1880s, Rose is a little girl. Rose’s sewing – she is embroidering roses onto a boot bag for her father – solidifies her position as “a good girl”, performing submissive obedience to a patriarchal order. Rose is literally stitching the flowers with which she shares a name at the feet (or at least the footwear) of her father. When she refuses to finish her sewing, she also refuses to accept her position in the order of society.

In The Subversive Stitch, Parker identifies more subtle ways in which women could subvert this dominant meaning of needlework. The bent head and quiet activity gave the appearance of passivity, allowing their resistance to hide in plain sight.

The Changi Quilts provide a good example of this from the 20th century. Changi, a prison in Singapore, was used by the Japanese army during the second world war to detain people from Allied countries on the island.

Men and women prisoners were separated. Denied access to writing materials, they could not communicate with each other. The women prisoners were, however, allowed to sew.

They set about making a series of patchwork quilts to be sent to the military hospital. Each woman made a square, including an embroidered picture and her signature. Once they were sent to the hospital, the male patients could read the quilts to get both a list of the women who had survived and some insight, through their artwork, of their feelings about internment. Preserved by the Red Cross Society, the quilts are a testament to the women’s resistance.

A more overt challenge to the submissive meanings attached to women’s needlework can be seen in the Suffragette banners of the early 20th century. They were created by women who, like Rose Pargiter, would have been brought up with the obligation to be good girls through domestic stitching. Through the banners, they used their craft as a tool in their fight for the vote.

Much contemporary textile work draws on this subversion of the historical consignment of needlework to patriarchal domesticity. The Craftivist Collective, a global movement founded by Sarah P. Corbett in 2008, combines craft and activism to intervene for social change. Corbett defines it as “gentle activism”, but upends the meaning of gentle, not to mean “passive or weak, but gentle as in compassionate and nuanced”.

So, the next time you see someone, quiet, still and with bent head, wielding needle and thread, consider how they might be using incisive and creative tools to make a sophisticated point.

And if you’re a stitcher, you can try it yourself. Try reimagining traditional patterns or adding bold text or symbols to transform your mindful hobby into a quiet but powerful form of creative expression.

This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something from bookshop.org The Conversation UK may earn a commission.

The Ipsos poll says over half of Welsh voters are yet to decide who they will vote for

A new poll projects Plaid Cymru has a slight lead over Reform in terms of voting intentions, but says Reform voters are more committed ahead of the Senedd election on May 7. It also projects that over half the electorate could still change their mind.

The poll, carried out by Ipsos, also highlights widespread public frustration with the performance of the Welsh Government and a lack of trust in any of the parties to tackle the nations top priorities.

The poll suggests that 30% of the electorate intend to vote for Plaid Cymru, closely followed by 25% for Reform UK. Just 15% of respondents said they intend to vote for the third-placed Labour party, and 12% for the Welsh Conservatives.

It’s the third poll of the week after YouGov found Plaid and Reform neck and neck, while More in Common also gave Plaid a narrow lead.

Over half of Welsh voters, 52%, say they could still change their minds about who they will vote for. At 32%, the least likely to change their minds appeared to be Reform voters.

When it came to trust, Plaid Cymru appeared to be the most trusted party to grow the Welsh economy and stand up for the interests of Wales, with 22% indicating they trusted them with the economy and 33% with the latter.

Meanwhile, Reform UK came out on top on the issue of immigration, with 25%. Make sure you never miss Wales’ biggest updates by getting our daily newsletter.

When respondents were asked about the leaders, the public were most likely to say Plaid leader Rhun ap Iorwerth would make the most capable First Minister of Wales. This figure was however only 20% and more people said they didn’t know if he would, or that there wouldn’t be much difference.

A vast 67% believe services in Wales have deteriorated over the last five years and blame is largely attributed to the Welsh Government (64%) and local councils (50%). The Welsh Government’s overall performance satisfaction was therefore a bleak 23%.

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For voters in Wales, the poll found that the NHS (74%) and the cost of living (67%) were the key issues. Meanwhile, there was a strong divide between those who thought immigration was a key issue, and those who did not.

Those considering voting for Reform were significantly more likely to say immigration and asylum was a top-tier voting issue, while those considering voting for Plaid Cymru are driven more by the NHS and the cost of living.

The results of the poll are based on a representative probability sample of 747 Welsh adults aged 16+. The poll was carried out online between Thursday, April 2, and Wednesday, April 8.

“The metal wire was placed intentionally across the path and represented a significant danger to walkers, cyclists, dogs, horses and their riders.”

An investigation is under way after metal wire was found tied across a path on a woodland trail near Oban, weeks after metal spikes were found in the same area. Police said the wire represented a “significant danger” to users of the trail, which runs through Glencruitten Woods, and it had the potential to cause “serious injury”.

The wire was reported to police on Saturday while the metal spikes were found in the same area on April 2. Inspector Kirsty Moore said: “One line of inquiry is that these two incidents are linked and patrols are being carried out in the area.

“The metal wire was placed intentionally across the path and represented a significant danger to walkers, cyclists, dogs, horses and their riders. This kind of behaviour is not acceptable. If not seen, it could have caused serious injury.

“We are urging the public using the area to be vigilant and report any similar incidents to us. You can speak to our officers on patrol, contact us on 101 or make a call anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Anyone with information is asked to quote incident number 1000 of Saturday April 25.

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He added: “There are a lot of victims of state violence, state violence can take the form of people in a uniform or people not necessarily in a uniform, and they are being asked to entrust in a process where the very British government that is legislating for this is going out of their way, bending over backwards, to very cynically protect veterans as a result of their own self interest.”