The three-day celebration, running from May 23 to 25, drew crowds from across the region, with a packed programme of live entertainment, family activities and a vibrant parade through the town centre.

Photos from the weekend capture locals proudly marching through the streets in a colourful procession.

Festivities centred around the main stage, where live music kept audiences entertained throughout the weekend, while visitors also enjoyed a mix of food vendors, bars and traditional fairground rides.

A range of community-led activities added to the atmosphere, including a popular pet show, dog agility displays, open mic sessions and a bustling car boot sale.

Barnard Castle Meet. 25.5.2026 Photograph: Stuart Boulton/The Northern Echo (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Barnard Castle Meet. 25.5.2026 Photograph: Stuart Boulton/The Northern Echo (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Barnard Castle Meet. 25.5.2026 Photograph: Stuart Boulton/The Northern Echo (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Barnard Castle Meet. 25.5.2026 Photograph: Stuart Boulton/The Northern Echo (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Barnard Castle Meet. 25.5.2026 Photograph: Stuart Boulton/The Northern Echo (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Barnard Castle Meet. 25.5.2026 Photograph: Stuart Boulton/The Northern Echo (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Barnard Castle Meet. 25.5.2026 Photograph: Stuart Boulton/The Northern Echo (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Barnard Castle Meet. 25.5.2026 Photograph: Stuart Boulton/The Northern Echo (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Barnard Castle Meet. 25.5.2026 Photograph: Stuart Boulton/The Northern Echo (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Barnard Castle Meet. 25.5.2026 Photograph: Stuart Boulton/The Northern Echo (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Organisers have praised the enormous community effort behind the event, thanking volunteers, sponsors, local businesses and emergency services for their support in making the weekend a success.

A spokesperson said: “To the volunteers, committee members, sponsors, local businesses, entertainers, musicians, traders, food vendors, parade entrants, emergency services, community groups, and every single person who gave their time, effort, and support — we truly couldn’t do it without you.

“We hope you all enjoyed Barnard Castle Meet Weekend 2026 as much as we did, and after a little rest, we’ll start looking ahead to doing it all again next year.”

What if you could visit a place that does not exist on any map? A place whispered about online as though it sits just beyond the edges of our known world. A place known quite simply as, the Backrooms.

The Backrooms are an internet-created fictional setting imagined as an infinite network of empty, fluorescent-lit rooms. The concept centres on the idea of accidentally slipping out of normal reality and becoming trapped in this monotonous, labyrinthine environment with no clear exit.

Since first emerging online in 2019 on the online bulletin board 4chan, the Backrooms phenomenon has expanded across Reddit, TikTok, YouTube and gaming platforms, where users collectively map, narrate and extend its mythology. Common to much of the user-generated content are eerie images and haunting stories of mysterious, yellow wallpapered corridors and empty office-like spaces that exist outside of, or beyond, reality itself.

Much of the interest on the internet circulates around filmmaker Kane Parsons’ viral “found footage” videos on YouTube. Parsons took the phenomenon from low resolution static images into immersive cinematic exploration, helping to establish Backrooms as one of social media’s most recognisable horror environments. With Parsons now adapting the Backrooms for a feature-length horror thriller, the strange fictive world is rapidly entering mainstream discourse.

At first glance, the Backrooms may resemble just another accelerated urban legend (also known as “creepypasta”) such as Slenderman or The Russian Sleep Experiment. But our research suggests something more significant is occurring in terms of changing consumer interest in spaces related to horror or trauma, their mediation, and new ways of experiencing them.

Behind the yellow wallpaper

The Backrooms began with a single unsettling image posted anonymously online: a claustrophobic warren of tawdrily yellow, windowless rooms with aged carpets and harsh overhead fluorescent lights.

Intrigued by the vague mixture of menace and nostalgia that the image evoked, internet users began sharing stories and speculating that the Backrooms is a hidden dimension into which people might accidentally find themselves.

With commercial tourism, social media and vlogging much of today’s world feels overexposed and overexplained, with seemingly every destination photographed, every experience reviewed and all hidden gems channelled into content. The mystery of the Backrooms felt different.

Today, the r/backrooms subreddit contains hundreds of thousands of members, while Backrooms content across TikTok and Instagram continues to attract enormous engagement. Content tagged #backrooms on TikTok exceeds half a million posts, while Instagram fan pages such as @xbackroom, which have hundreds of thousands of followers, further extend the mythology through images, edits and speculative storytelling. Users create maps, fictional diary entries, survival guides, found-footage videos and first-person explorations that collectively expand the world.

This is one reason the Backrooms feel different from traditional horror films or ghost stories. Rather than passively consuming a finished narrative, audiences actively participate in constructing and navigating the environment itself.

Folklore scholar Michael Kinsella has described this kind of online activity as a form of “online legend-tripping” where audiences become contributors, collaborators and world-builders rather than simply spectators.

The horror of familiar places

Dark tourism research reveals that people are drawn to places associated with death, disaster, tragedy and the uncanny, whether former prisons, abandoned sites, or locations connected to unsettling historical events. These locations often involve an encounter with atmospheres that feel emotionally, symbolically or existentially charged.

The Backrooms extend this logic into new and participatory territory. Unlike virtual dark tourism that allows for “armchair travel” to real-world dark heritage sites, there is no physical location anchoring the Backrooms nor any historical tragedy to commemorate. Instead, the Backrooms provide a collectively imagined and online environment of unease, abandonment and liminality.

Interest in the Backrooms persists precisely because they lack a fixed mythology, geographical reality, or narrative history, allowing users to construct meaning around places that, nonetheless, feel uncannily familiar. With their dated decor, hotel-like hallways, overhead ceiling tiles and abandoned office spaces, the Backrooms resemble the overlooked non-places of modern life – spaces many people recognise but rarely notice.

In this sense, the Backrooms reveal how digital culture is beginning to reshape experiences traditionally associated with tourism, allowing for the mundane to become menacing.

The Backrooms operate less like a story people receive and more like a world they enter. Across YouTube videos, video games, VR experiences and TikTok edits, audiences are located inside the environment itself blurring the boundaries between storytelling, role-playing, tourism and online participation.

This boundary-crossing may help explain why the phenomenon resonates so strongly at this cultural moment. The internet is no longer just a network of information or communication platforms; it is gradually evolving into a landscape people emotionally navigate and fully inhabit.

The Backrooms points toward a future where collectively imagined digital worlds function as meaningful cultural environments in their own right: places people travel to, explore, emotionally invest in and repeatedly return to, despite never physically existing at all.

She is expected to highlight the organisation’s efforts in “disrupting Russia’s efforts to smuggle western tech, fending off cyber attacks, and countering reckless sabotage and assassination attempts”, adding, “as we remain steadfast in our support for Ukraine, Putin is going backwards on the battlefield”.

Concerns were raised a pollution incident had taken place

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This is the moment the sea turned brown at a popular Welsh beach over the Bank Holiday weekend.

The murky water at Porthdinllaen in Gwynedd sparked fears over the weekend that a sewage leak had taken place at the famous North Wales beach.

However Natural Resources Wales [NRW] has now confirmed this was not the case, and the discolouration was actually caused by algae, NorthWalesLive reports.

Arfon Hughes, environment team leader for NRW, said: “Our officers received reports of potential pollution at Porthdinllaen beach over the bank holiday weekend.

“Upon inspection, this was found to be a type of non-toxic algae called Phaeocystis – one of the most common bloom-forming algae in our coastal waters.

“The blooms can form a brown, frothy scum that is harmless and may be influenced by recent sunlight and warmer temperatures.

“Anyone with concerns about potential pollution can report them to us by calling our 24/7 incident communication line on 0300 065 3000 or by using our online incident form.”

Porthdinllaen has a sweeping sandy bay sheltered by the Carreg Ddu headland. It is famed for its beach pub, Ty Coch, which has been named among the best beach bars in the world.

As part of the brand’s Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV) strategy, it takes the basic idea of an electric van and reworks it into an adaptable, people‑focused MPV that can serve private buyers, fleets and small businesses alike.

Built on the new E‑GMP.S skateboard platform, the PV5 Passenger uses a flat, under‑floor battery and a front‑mounted electric motor to maximise cabin space while keeping the mechanicals simple.

In long‑range 71.2kWh form, the motor produces 160bhp and 250Nm of torque, good for 0‑62mph in 10.6 seconds and a top speed of 84mph. On paper that looks straightforward, but in practice the instant response of the electric drivetrain makes the PV5 feel keener than the figures suggest, with responsive acceleration that suits stop‑start urban driving and quick dashes onto dual carriageways.

The Kia PV5 Passenger is seen near Digley Reservoir in the Kirklees area of West Yorkshire

It never feels strained in typical use, even with passengers and luggage on board.

One of the most impressive aspects is how quickly you forget you are driving a tall, boxy vehicle. The combination of a long wheelbase, low‑mounted battery pack and well‑judged suspension – double wishbones up front and a torsion beam at the rear – gives the PV5 a planted, predictable feel.

Turn‑in is reasonably sharp, body roll is well contained, and the steering is light but accurate, so it threads through town far more like a big family car than a van‑derived people carrier. A tight 5.5m turning circle makes U‑turns and multi‑storey car parks less of a chore than you might expect from something this bulky.

Refinement is another strong card. With no engine noise to contend with and decent suppression of wind and road roar, the PV5 Passenger is very smooth and quiet at typical A‑road and motorway speeds. That calm is helped by the seamless single‑speed transmission and the adjustable regenerative braking, which can be dialled up to an i‑Pedal mode for near one‑pedal driving.

The Kia PV5 Passenger

In heavy traffic this makes it feel agile and easy to control, and the whole driving experience has a relaxed, unflustered character.

Range and charging performance are well judged for its dual role as a people carrier and working vehicle. The 71.2kWh long‑range battery is rated at up to 256 miles on the WLTP combined cycle, rising further in city use, with energy consumption of around 3.2 miles per kWh. All versions can rapid charge at up to 150kW, taking the battery from 10 to 80 per cent in under half an hour on a suitably powerful DC charger. On an 11kW AC wallbox, the long‑range pack will go from 10 to 100 per cent in about six and a half hours, making overnight charging straightforward.

Where the PV5 Passenger really earns its keep is space and practicality.

Its square bodywork and flat floor translate into a cavernous, cleverly packaged cabin. The initial five‑seat 2‑3‑0 layout offers generous leg, head and shoulder room in both rows, and the low beltline plus large windows give an airy feel and excellent visibility.

The Kia PV5 Passenger

Bags of space for passengers is no exaggeration: even tall adults can get comfortable in the back, helped by useful touches such as USB‑C ports, cup holders and multiple storage trays scattered around the cabin.

Behind the second row there is a huge 1,330‑litre luggage area, accessed via a wide tailgate opening and helped by a low load lip. Getting a washing machine into the boot proved almost laughably easy, underlining just how square and usable the space is; folding the second row unlocks up to 2,300 litres if you really need van‑like carrying capacity.

The interior design leans towards robust modern workspace rather than premium MPV, but it fits the brief. A seven‑inch digital instrument display is paired with a 12.9‑inch central touchscreen running Android‑based software, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard. The graphics are clear, and the menus reasonably logical.

The Lowdown

Kia PV5 Passenger ‘Plus’ 71.2kWh FWD 5st

Price: £38,295 OTR (£36,795 including £1,500 EV Grant)

Battery: 71.2kWh lithium-ion polymer

Power: 160bhp

Torque: 250Nm

0-62mph: 10.6sec (84mph top speed)

Charging: Up to 150kW DC, 10-80% in under 30min

Range: 256 miles (WLTP)

Tuesday’s dramatic incident in Edinburgh is the latest in a long line of retaliations, and part of a war between two notorious Scottish kingpins trading brutal blows

A Scotland drug war took a dramatic new turn today as a skip lorry ploughed through the home of a gangster blamed for starting the conflict.

The heavy truck slammed into the property on Brand Drive in Edinburgh on Tuesday afternoon, with footage capturing the moment it reversed at high speeds before smashing through the home’s front door. The building, in the city’s Portobello area, was destroyed in the collision, with emergency services quickly arriving at the scene and pictures capturing a massive, gaping hole left on its frontage.

It has been claimed the attack was carried out by the Tamo Junto (TMJ), a footsoldier gang under the control of big-time drug dealer Ross McGill, who was left incensed at the 19-year-old homeowner’s alleged attempt to rip him off in a fake money deal.

READ MORE: Serial killer ‘on the loose’ in tourist hotspot as three women found murderedREAD MORE: Three arrested after ‘shocking’ hate crime at North Down beach

The Daily Record reports that sources revealed the attack was carried out by TMJ, which targeted the 19-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, after he was allegedly hired by McGill rival kingpin Mark Richardson to rip him off in a cocaine deal paid for by £500,000 in fake cash.

One source cited by the publication said: “This lad worked for Richardson’s crew. He travelled to Dubai and was introduced to McGill by a middleman before he bought £500k worth of cocaine off him using fake notes.

“The middle man left Dubai right after the deal and was caught in Thailand and slashed across the face, but the teenage lad who bought the drugs stayed over there and has been keeping a low profile. His mum still lives at that place in Edinburgh though, so this has led to the family home being targeted.”

“The dealer has been Tamo Junto’s target since day one, so it’s no surprise to people in the know that they have done something like this.”

The bloody gang war was launched in Scotland in March 2025 after McGill was lead to understand the 19-year-old had worked for Richardson’s gang. Richardson’s crew had been targeted with a series of attacks, including firebombs and bullets fired through windows.

TMJ then went after the Daniel clan in Glasgow over their association with Richardson, targeting properties in the city belonging to high-ranking members of the family, which were set alight.

Another source told the Record that TMJ is out to “eliminate Richardson’s gang and all their associates”, saying: “TMJ have insisted since day one that the feud won’t stop until they eliminate Richardson’s gang and all their associates. This lad targeted today was a high priority but there are many more they want to bring down.”

Commenting on today’s incident, a Police Scotland spokesperson said road closures were put in place in the area after a lorry “struck a house” in the afternoon.

The spokesperson said: “Emergency services are in attendance at Brand Drive, Edinburgh following a crash, involving a lorry having struck a house, which happened around 2.25pm on Tuesday, 26 May, 2026. There are road closures in place at Christian Grove and Christian Crescent.”

Met Office maps show temperatures are set to fall sharply next week, as the national weather service warns of a ‘more changeable period’, with Atlantic weather systems bringing showers and longer spells of rain at times

Met Office maps show temperatures are set to fall sharply next week after the UK recorded its hottest May day on record.

Temperatures provisionally reached 35C at Heathrow and Kew Gardens in London on Tuesday, the Met Office said, following a scorching bank holiday weekend that saw the UK break its previous record for the hottest May temperature. On Monday, Kew Gardens hit 34.8C, beating the previous record of 32.8C set in 1922 and 1944.

While temperatures are expected to gradually decline from midweek, conditions will remain largely dry with sunny spells. However, a more changeable spell is expected from Sunday onwards as Atlantic weather systems move in from the west, bringing a mix of showers and longer spells of rain.

Wednesday is forecast to be dry for most, with highs of around 26C in London. It will be cloudier in the north-east, with some bright spells developing.

In its outlook for Thursday to Saturday, the Met Office says conditions will remain hot across parts of the south. It warned of a risk of a few thundery showers, before the weather turns cloudier and fresher from the west towards the weekend.

Its long-range outlook for Sunday, May 31, to Tuesday, June 9, states: “A more changeable period than we have seen of late, as Atlantic weather systems move in from the west to bring a mixture of drier spells and some showers, or longer spells of rain at times.

“The rain will likely be heaviest in parts of the west and northwest, with the best of the drier conditions more likely towards the south and east. Temperatures will be near-normal overall, with the warmest spots most likely across eastern areas. It will also be breezy at times, most especially across northwestern areas.”

Met Office maps for next Tuesday (June 2) show a marked drop in temperatures, with southern England and Wales expected to see highs in the late teens in the afternoon, while some parts of the south-east could reach 20C. Meanwhile, northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland are expected to remain cooler, with temperatures hovering around the mid-teens.

Ladies First has topped the Netflix charts and it unexpectedly features a famou’s actor’s child.

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Ladies First has landed on Netflix, starring the child of Doctor Who legend David Tennant.

Despite only just arriving on the streaming platform, Ladies First has already rocketed to the top spot, chronicling the story of arrogant yet charismatic ladies’ man Damien Sachs (portrayed by Sacha Baron Cohen).

While he relishes a life of wealth and influence, his existence is thrown into turmoil when, following a head injury, he awakens in a parallel universe ruled by women.

In this alternative reality, he encounters his business adversary Alex Fox (Rosamund Pike), who’s also mother to Charlie, played by Red Tennant.

What Netflix viewers may have noticed while watching Ladies First is that Red is the non-binary child of Broadchurch actor David Tennant.

Red, who was born Wilfred Tennant, made their acting debut in the 2017 film You, Me and Him, which featured their famous father.

They also appeared in a single episode of Casualty in 2022, portraying a character named Joey Parker.

In Ladies First, Red plays Alex Fox’s child Charlie, who urges their mother to “stand up for herself at work” when she’s questioning her career.

Red is the child of both David Tennant and his wife Georgia Tennant, whom he met in 2008 on the set of Doctor Who.

She guest starred as Jenny, the artificially created daughter of Tennant’s Tenth Doctor.

Georgia is also the real-life daughter of Peter Davidson, who was the fifth Time Lord in the 1980s. Despite topping Netflix’s most-watched list, Ladies First has proved divisive amongst viewers, garnering a mere 19% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

One viewer remarked: “I am truly overwhelmed how this made it to the screen.

“If I said it was utter rubbish, I would be being polite! I have no words how awful it was.”

Conversely, another user described it as an “absolute must-see”, while a fellow viewer declared it one of their “new favourites”.

Ladies First is available to watch on Netflix.

The person was confirmed as having tested positive by the World Health Organisation on May 7.

A Brit who was taken to hospital in the Netherlands with hantavirus has returned to the UK, health bosses said.

The person was medically evacuated from the Netherlands to England and will now follow strict infection prevention and control measures, the Health Security Agency (HSA) confirmed.

The HSA said it is the same person who was confirmed as a hantavirus case by the World Health Organisation on May 7.

An outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius has led to at least 11 reported cases among passengers, with three deaths reported. British crew member Martin Anstee, 56, was among those evacuated from the ship.

The expedition guide and former cop was flown to receive specialist medical care in the Netherlands after being airlifted off the vessel.

Dr Meera Chand, deputy director at UKHSA, said: “We have worked closely with FCDO and the Dutch authorities to ensure the safe return of a British national who was previously confirmed to have hantavirus and has been receiving care in the Netherlands.

“It’s important to stress that this is an existing case and the wider risk to the general public remains very low.

“As people continue with their isolation period, UKHSA will continue to work with our partners locally, nationally and internationally to ensure everyone has the necessary support in place.”

This comes as six more people linked to the hantavirus outbreak have left hospital to continue their isolation at home, health officials have said.

Passengers from the cruise ship were taken to Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral for checks and an initial isolation period earlier this month.

The people isolating at home and those who remain in hospital are being closely monitored, it added.

Dr Chand added: “We would like to again stress our thanks and gratitude to everyone at Arrowe Park who has worked so hard during this challenging time.”

The site at Arrowe Park Hospital was last used as an isolation facility at the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

Some 19 British nationals were listed as passengers on the MV Hondius, which was sailing from Argentina to Cape Verde, with four British crew members.

Public Health Scotland warned that a small number of people in Scotland have potentially had contact with the virus and that it was working to get in touch with “a small number of individuals” who could be affected.

Oceanwide Expeditions, which operates MV Hondius, said on Tuesday that the ship is undergoing further cleaning in Rotterdam, on the advice of the GGD local health authority. before it returns to its home port in nearby Vlissingen in the southern Netherlands.

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Wilton House is collecting donations for Saving the Beautiful Dogs and Cats of Cape Verde, a charity that supports injured, lost, malnourished, and abused animals on the island of Sal.

Emma Hardy, manager of Wilton House, will deliver the donations in person during an upcoming holiday to the island.

Ms Hardy said: “When I found out we could take an additional suitcase filled with donations, I thought it was a brilliant opportunity to help.

“The charity does incredible work caring for stray and vulnerable animals on the island and every donation, no matter how small, will make a difference.

“We know people are incredibly generous and we would be so grateful for any items people can spare.

“It would mean a great deal to be able to arrive with a suitcase full of supplies to support the charity and the animals they care for.”

She will be travelling with former Wilton House administrator Karen, and thanks to a scheme with TUI, can take an extra suitcase free of charge filled with donations for the charity.

Requested items include flea and worming medications, blankets, towels, leads, collars and wet or dry pet food.

Tinned food cannot be accepted due to luggage weight restrictions.

Donations can be dropped off at Wilton House Care Home, Wilton Close, Darlington.

The care home and charity are encouraging the community to contribute to the appeal and support the animal welfare project.