Asteryth Sloane was a talented musician

A talented young Cambridge composer considered a child prodigy has died at the age of 26. In Asteryth Sloane was named as the Cambridge Young Composer of the Year by Cambridge Youth Music in 2016.

Asteryth, who was blind from the age of two, changed music into Braille so it didn’t stop them pursuing their passion. Their five-minute composition Passiflora, which took eight hours to change from Braille music into musical notation, won the prestigious award in 2016.

Asteryth studied at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM). They completed both a Bachelor of Music in composition, graduating with a First, and then studied a Master’s degree in composition and musicology, graduating with a distinction.

Their website described them as a “therapist, composer, writer, book-nibbler, collector of words, lover of stories and wild spaces”.

The RNCM has since paid tribute to Asteryth. A college spokesperson said: “Their unique compositional methods and creativity led to a number of accolades, including winning the Cambridge Young Composer of the Year Competition in 2016, the senior category of the BBC Proms Inspire Young Composers’ Competition in 2018 for their piece Elegy for Aylan, and a commission from the Royal Philharmonic Society to mark Classic FM’s 25th birthday celebrations.

“Performed by ensembles including VOCES8, Paraorchestra, and the BBC Singers, Asteryth’s music is known for its responses to the beauty and fragility of the living Earth, as well as themes of identity and spirituality. Their musicological work explores the power of listening to bring us into more intimate and ethical relationships with sound, as well as the rights of sound and sound sources.”

A spokesperson for the Royal Philharmonic Society said: “We are sorry to learn that the composer Asteryth Sloane has died. We were proud to commission Asteryth to mark Classic FM’s 25th birthday celebrations in 2017, and we have since enjoyed hearing their imaginative music performed by ensembles such as the BBC Singers, Paraorchestra, VOCES8 and CoMA.

“A blind composer with a unique compositional method and verve, we pay tribute to Asteryth’s creativity, and urge music-lovers to continue listening to and performing Asteryth’s music, ensuring it continues to resound.”

More recently, Asteryth trained as a therapist.

The annual race took attracted more than 3,000 runners on Sunday (August 2), taking on two laps of a 5k route through the town.

However, many runners were left disappointed, saying they did not receive a finisher’s medal after crossing the line as organisers had ran out.

Darlington Council’s website states that “anyone who completes the 2026 Darlington 10k will receive a medal and a T-shirt”.

The Northern Echo has contacted the council for comment.

It is currently unclear how many runners were affected by the shortage, although those finishing around the one-hour mark are among those saying they did not receive one.

The council confirmed on Saturday (August 1) that more than 3,000 people had signed up for the race, describing the figure as “one of the highest sign-up rates the race has seen”.

Several took to social media to express their frustration.

One runner took to Facebook to express their disappointment – claiming they were told there were no medals remaining when they reached the finish lie, and that they were made to sign a sheet so one could be posted out at a later date.

Despite the disappointment, many runners praised the atmosphere, sharing photos and congratulating fellow competitors on completing the course.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The remains of renowned British-Nepali climber Nirmal Purja and three other climbers have been found by a ground team on Broad Peak, one of the world’s highest mountains, where a 10-member international expedition was swept away by an avalanche, officials said Sunday.

The Alpine Club of Pakistan identified the recovered climbers as Purja, Wang Zhong, Nima Sherpa and Kili Pemba Sherpa. The club praised military and civilian rescuers and volunteers involved in the recovery effort.

On Friday, rescuers located four other bodies but were able to recover only three — Omani Nathira Ahmed, American Mallory Geis and Nepalese Bahadur Gurung — because harsh weather grounded search-and-rescue helicopters.

Military-backed rescue teams resumed the search Sunday for the two remaining climbers, while efforts continued to bring down the bodies of Purja and the three others found by the ground team, local officials said.

On Saturday, Purja’s expedition company said the world had lost one of mountaineering’s greats. The company described him as “a leader who inspired millions through his courage, humility and unwavering belief that human potential is far greater than we often imagine.”

Alpine Club of Pakistan President Irfan Arshad Khan said the tragedy was “an immeasurable loss to the global mountaineering fraternity.” He paid tribute to military and civilian rescuers and Sherpas who took part in the search mission.

The expedition was led by Purja, the Nepal-born former British Army soldier widely known as Nims Dai.

He climbed the world’s 14 highest peaks in a record 189 days in 2019, an achievement featured in the Netflix documentary “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.” His record was broken in 2023.

A statement from Geis’ family said, “Mallory was a bright light who was loved deeply by her family and friends. She will be profoundly missed.”

The expedition was expected to be the last one for Pakistani guide Sohail Sakhi, who worked with Moving Mountains, a Pakistan-based adventure travel company. Sakhi also was a geographer and high-altitude photographer who had climbed some of the world’s major peaks, according to the company’s website. His body remained missing on Sunday.

Accidents are common on climbing expeditions in northern Pakistan because of avalanches, falling ice and rock, extreme altitude and rapidly changing weather.

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Riaz Khan reported from Peshawar, Pakistan.

Josh Kerr didn’t get much sleep last night. “There’s no time for that. Glasgow on the weekend, mate, it’s bouncing,” the Scot said with a slight croak in his voice.

The response – 11 hours after his Commonwealth Games mile victory – was entirely in keeping with the way Kerr has conducted himself this week. Embedded with Team Scotland, back home among his own people, and absolutely revelling in it.

Look at his social media. Reels of the 28-year-old running around the streets of the city. In its parks and on its tracks. Pictures of him loosening off under a Kingston Bridge flyover in a hotel car park. Images of him engaging with the crowd.

His crowd, the people who came to see the mile world record holder on Saturday night.

Among them were Kerr’s grandparents and nephews, his first ever coach, and his training partners from when he was 11 or 12.

There were hundreds of awestruck kids, too. Some of them budding athletes themselves. Others who might now want to be. Just like Kerr was when the Games came to Glasgow in 2014, with dreams of emulating those he saw race at Hampden.

That memory was in mind as the Edinburgh athlete slowly worked his way back down the home straight from the podium after his emotional medal ceremony.

It’s why every fan who asked for a selfie got one. Why he signed his name over and over again. Why he gave them his time and his attention. Sure, Kerr was soaking up his moment of glory, but he was giving something back too.

“I’m just trying to create a moment for them,” he told BBC Sport Scotland.

“There is absolutely nothing stopping any of them going out and doing what I’ve just done.

“I believe if you grow up in Scotland, you can be one of the best runners in the history of these distances. I’m not doing anything outrageously special.”

Nothing says British summertime like a trip to the beach – feeling sand between your toes and a fresh sea breeze in your hair. Everyone has their favourite beach, whether it’s local or a bit further afield, and here at CambridgeshireLive, we have a favourite too.

We may be a landlocked county, but that doesn’t stop us from indulging in all the much-loved elements of a seaside town – it just means we have to travel a bit further to get there. And the longer journey means that you want it to be well worth it when you get there.

That’s why the CambridgeshireLive team has put its heads together to name the seaside town we think is the best. For us, it absolutely had to be Wells-next-the-Sea in Norfolk because it has the perfect combination of a picturesque beach and a town filled with independent shops and restaurants.

It was a tough call, with other towns such as Hunstanton, Cromer, and Holkham also contenders. But in the end, it was the glorious backdrop of the woodland and beach huts at Wells-next-the-Sea that we felt set it above the rest.

From Cambridge, it’ll take you just under two hours to get there, and from Wisbech, it’s about an hour and 15 minutes. It’s best to travel by car as there are plenty of parking spaces and the town doesn’t have a railway station.

From the iconic French’s fish and chips to the Norfolk ice cream, art galleries, and fishermen selling freshly caught crab and lobster, we really think that Wells has it all.

If you agree, you can vote for Wells-next-the-Sea in a poll to find the best seaside town in the UK.

Food & drink

When you’re coming to the seaside, there are two main food items on the menu – fish and chips and ice cream. Wells has both of these in abundance, with French’s on The Quay, which overlooks the harbour, being a very popular spot. There’s also Platten’s if you want to sit in a restaurant and enjoy a chippy tea.

If it’s pub grub you’re after, the Golden Fleece offers a beautiful spot overlooking the sea. It also has a small beer garden at the back for those bright sunny days. Here, you can enjoy pub classics including lasagne, cottage pie, scampi, and a selection of pies.

Other notable food mentions go to the Wells Crab House and Wells Gelato on Freeman Street. And you can’t forget about A&M Frary, the fishermen who sell freshly caught lobster and crab at the front of the harbour car park. Ideal for a lunch or to take home at the end of the day to enjoy a taste of the seaside at home.

Down at the beach is the beach café which serves a range of food and refreshments including pizza by the slice and ice cream. Well-behaved dogs are welcome inside the café.

The beach

Wells is famous for its colourful beach huts and woodland, which overlook the vast sandy expanse of the beach. It’s a peaceful place to relax and unwind, fly a kite, walk the dog, or build some sandcastles. Dogs are allowed on the beach all year round, so even furry friends can join in on family beach trips.

The water quality at Wells is rated as excellent, meaning it is safe to bathe in, or just have a little paddle if you would prefer. It has had consistently good ratings over the past three years, and in 2025 it was rated as ‘excellent’.

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It is worth bearing in mind that the beach is about a mile down the road from the town. There are car parks both in the town and at the beach, depending on where you want to spend your visit. There are several ways that you can get to the beach: either by driving and parking again, walking, or by getting the seasonal shuttle bus.

The buses run between Easter and October. During peak season, an open-top vintage bus also operates between the beach and the town. It costs £2 per adult and £1 for under-16s. Dogs are also welcome, and the buses run every 20 minutes.

As you would expect, the beach does tend to get very busy during the summer, especially during the school holidays and on bank holidays. But as the beach is so large, you should always be able to find a spot.

Things to see and do

Crabbing, or gillying as it is called in Norfolk, is a classic seaside activity. Wells harbour happens to be one of the best spots for it. It’s one of those activities that keeps both kids and adults entertained for hours.

If you’re not familiar, then head to one of the nearby shops and get yourself a bucket, a line and some bait. Then, pick your spot on the harbour and see how many crabs you can catch. Just make sure you release them back into the sea when you’re done.

As you would expect from any seaside town, Wells also has an arcade. It can be found on Beach Road next to the casino and ice cream shop. It’s not a massive arcade, but still has all the nostalgic things like 2p machines and grabber machines.

Along The Quay you will find Thea Hickling Gallery, which is an art gallery and working studio by Norfolk artist Thea Hickling. The gallery showcases Thea’s oil paintings, which are inspired by the North Norfolk coast.

If it’s a bit of shopping you fancy, then there are plenty of independent spots to pick from. There are classic souvenir shops and beach supply stores, as well as boutique clothing and homeware stores. At the beach, you’ll also find a Joules clothing shop.

What does it cost?

The coast is no longer the cheap day out it used to be, and, on the North Norfolk coast, Wells very much follows this trend. A medium cod and chips from French’s will cost you £11.20, with a pot of curry sauce costing an additional £2. A scoop of gelato from Wells Gelato will cost £3.50, or if you prefer a 99, it’ll cost you £4.

If you want to stay overnight during August, the cheapest room according to Booking.com is at The Quay Rooms, where a room for two adults for one night will cost £135. There’s also The Gypsy Knot, a compact little holiday home which charges £189 for two adults for one night. Alternatively, if you are a camper, you may prefer to take your caravan or motorhome to Pinewoods Holiday Park, costing £50 per night.

The UK-wide short list

• Tenby, Wales
• Falmouth, Cornwall
• Torquay, Devon
• Amble, Northumberland
• Scarborough, Yorkshire
• Portstewart, County Derry
• Folkestone, Kent
• Leigh-on-Sea, Essex
• Skegness, Lincolnshire
• Gullane, East Lothian
• Blackpool, Lancashire
• Lyme Regis, Dorset
• Clevedon, Somerset

Young migrants have been filming themselves cheering at their arrival in the Spanish territory of Ceuta, luring thousands of other youths to join them.

Some videos have racked up millions of views and thousands of comments in what has become a first-of-its-kind social media trend with dire consequences.

More than 60,000 people illegally crossed the Spanish border from Morocco last week – the single largest crossing of its kind in the European Union‘s history.

Many of them said they had seen viral videos of the migrants entering Spain‘s North African enclave and decided to join them en masse in hopes of a better life.

Around 100 people are believed to have died while making their journey – including several children and two women – with some swimming for 10 hours before they could make it to shore.

One video of teenage Moroccans and young men shows them cheering in the streets after conquering the treacherous crossing.

The clip has amassed more than 217,000 views and nearly 6,000 likes, with commenters egging them on, saying: ‘Hamdulilah, may Allah grant you guys everything you dream of.’

A young boy is seen kneeling in the middle of the street with his wetsuit peeled half off and punching the air in triumph as more young men stride towards him down the road.

They then join him in celebration and start cheering with the cameraman, who turns the phone to record himself, revealing he is a young boy too.

Other young men join the celebrations in the video which has amassed more than 200,000 views

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More than 60,000 people illegally crossed the Spanish border from Morocco last week

He is surrounded by two other youths who appear to have just come out of the sea and are still dripping wet.

One video of a boy energetically swimming in the sea to Arabic music has received more than 1.4 million views.

A commenter said: ‘May Allah protect my people from every obstacle and every storm.’

The creator of this video, known only as Ghoufrane on TikTok, is something of a migration influencer, with four videos on his account all promoting travelling to Ceuta and each receiving tens of thousands of views and likes.

Migrants have shown reporters at the scene social media videos with people shouting ‘Spain is open’ before jumping into the sea.

Many of the videos were posted to accounts which had only been created in recent weeks, with clips of young people in wetsuits and fins, or, like Ghoufrane, filming themselves already swimming.

Questions have been raised on whether these videos simply happened to go viral by chance, or it was something more deliberate, or even organised. 

The response from the Spanish government has been highly criticised domestically and internationally as locals shut up their shops over fears of looting and migrants heaped up on streets to bed down for the night.

Left-wing Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has been slated for sharing his summer playlist along with a relaxed selfie at the start of his holidays, as Ceuta picks up the pieces of its dramatic migrant crisis.

Locals jeered at Mr Sanchez and called him a ‘Son of a b****’ when he visited the city on Friday.

He blamed the crisis on human smuggling mafias taking advantage of a recent Spanish Supreme Court decision banning summary returns of migrants intercepted in open water attempting to swim into Ceuta or its other North African enclave of Melilla, 240 miles east by road.

Spanish authorities have today put in place a floating containment barrier to stop any further illegal crossings into Ceuta via the sea.

However, the King of Spain Felipe VI unleashed his criticism on the government yesterday afternoon.

He expressed his ‘great concern and indignation’ over the ‘serious’ events and said that Spain needed to show ‘in a united, clear and decisive way to the populations of Ceuta and Melilla the support and affection of the rest of Spain’

He added: ‘The State must ensure their safety and to prevent these events – which, in addition, have resulted in a sad and tragic loss of dozens of lives – from being repeated.’

Other videos of young men swimming to shore in Ceuta have garnered millions of views, luring in more youths

Some migrants said they had to swim for more than 10 hours to get to shore in Ceuta

Migrants had no access to any facilities so were forced to shower on the beach after crossing

Spanish authorities have today put in place a floating containment barrier to stop any further illegal crossings into Ceuta via the sea

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Swimming was one of the most popular ways that migrants entered the Spanish enclave, however some managed to barge through border gates

Other European nations also weighed in with great alarm as Italy temporarily cut off its Schengen agreement with Spain over the crisis, halting freedom of movement between the countries.

The interior ministers of the EU are to meet urgently on Tuesday to discuss what to do about the huge influx of migrants.

A letter from EU heads of state signed by 22 member countries accuses Madrid of sending unwelcome signals with its recent decisions on migration, including the Supreme Court decision.

The letter also criticised Spanish policy from April, which initiated the legalisation of around 500,000 irregular migrants as a measure to combat the labour shortage.

In the face of this criticism however, Mr Sanchez accused his fellow EU members of a ‘selfish, polarising and unlawful reaction’.

The Spanish PM – whose government is mired by ongoing corruption scandals involving former aides and his family – is now holidaying at a Spanish royal family residence in Lanzarote after flying to the island on an army jet.

And the insults he faced when he travelled to Ceuta on Friday before thousands of migrants made the return journey to Morocco after going hungry and finding shops shut and a temporary refugee holding centre overwhelmed, were continuing today following his playlist blunder.

Sanchez relaxed in an armchair as he told his two million Instagram followers: ‘This summer I have prepared you a list with some of the songs I’m listening to most this year.

‘It’s quite eclectic and I’m going to highlight three that will give you an idea of where I’m heading.’

He went on to flag a song called ‘El Baifo’ by Quevedo, a singer and rapper brought up in the Canary Islands, SS26 by British singer and songwriter Charli XCX, and a third by Spanish artist Melanie Garcia called Tantas Cosas which in English translates as ‘So Many Things.’

He finished his selfie video, which also featured songs by Stereolab and WILLOW by saying: ‘I hope you like it and you can listen to it during your holidays. Happy Summer.’

Around 100 people are believed to have died while making their journey – including several children and two women

Thousands of these young migrants have been forced to return to their Moroccan homeland after going hungry and finding shut shops and an overwhelmed refugee holding centre

Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez has come under heavy fire at home and abroad for his reaction to the crisis, posting a holiday music playlist to his social media

Javier Sanz, a Spanish musician and investor better known online as JaviZone, responded by saying: ‘With everything you’re dealing with, does no-one think these scheduled reels only make people even more upset?’

Another critic said: ‘I would feel embarrassed talking about playlists when they are invading our country.’

A third blasted: ‘They’re invading our country and you’re listening to Quevedo.’

Eduardo Inda, a well-known Spanish journalist and the founder and current director of digital newspaper OKdiario, branded Sanchez a ‘psychopath’ and said he was ‘insulting the intelligence’ of his citizens with his playlist publication.

He said, referencing La Mareta where Sanchez and his family are currently staying: ‘What does a normal Prime Minister do if they invade your country?

‘The first thing would be to deploy the army to drive out the invader; second, convene Parliament to unite forces; and third declare a state of siege.

‘Pedro Sanchez has not implemented any of these measures, beyond deploying just over 100 Army personnel which is an insult to intelligence.’

He added: ‘What he has done instead is go on holiday to La Mareta, go diving and live like a king, because after all La Mareta is a Royal Residence.

‘What’s more he’s now showed off a music playlist, insulting the intelligence and laughing at all us Spaniards and the extremely serious situation Ceuta is experiencing.

‘All of this proves that we are governed by a genuine psychopath who is getting worse every day and needs psychiatric treatment.’

Today Santiago Abascal, the leader of hard-right opposition Vox, is due to visit Ceuta. He is one of Pedro Sanchez’s most vocal critics.

Mr Sanchez has condemned what he described as an ‘attack’ on Spain’s ‘territorial integrity’.

CEUTA, Spain (AP) — Ceuta over the weekend no longer looked like a city on edge, but the events of the week were still on everyone’s minds.

Most of the 60,000 migrants who swam, scrambled and later charged into the tiny Spanish exclave in North Africa this week had walked back to Morocco by Sunday, while others tried to blend in and stay on. Spanish civil guard ships continued searching for migrant bodies in the waters near the stretch of urban beach that tens of thousand of migrants had breached days earlier.

Shops in Ceuta reopened, and the usual blend of residents and tourists in the city of 84,000 were filling the open-air terraces, restaurants and cafes.

But the city that prides itself on being home to four cultures was still grappling with the aftermath of the border surge, with locals disagreeing on what caused it and who exactly is to blame.

Border surge breathes new life into Europe’s immigration debate

At least 72 migrants died, including some who drowned and others who were killed in a stampede to cross a breakwater barrier, Spanish authorities said Sunday. The humanitarian crisis caused by the sudden rush of people has reignited a debate around immigration in Europe and beyond.

“It’s not the young men’s fault,” said Mohamad Abdelkader Driss, 44, a waiter at a fried fish restaurant in town. “If you open the border, of course everyone comes in, but the young men aren’t to blame. The authorities are responsible.”

Some migrants who returned to Morocco described a border that was effectively open and said authorities did little as they watched thousands of people cross.

The unauthorized arrivals on Thursday and Friday of 50,000 to 60,000, mostly young men, swelled Ceuta’s population by more than half. Abdelkader lamented what happened, but said that those who breached the border behaved relatively well.

“It could have been much worse,” he said.

Far-right politicians call for remaining migrants to be expelled

Over the weekend, far-right, anti-immigrant Spanish politicians and well-known right-wing influencers descended on the city, sparking counterprotests that included members of the Spanish city’s large Muslim population, many of whom are of Moroccan descent.

Alvise Pérez, a far-right Spanish politician and member of the European Parliament, called on Saturday evening for migrants to be expelled as he faced an angry crowd of rival protesters. Pérez eventually had to shelter in a bar as residents banged on the windows, until police escorted him away.

Among the counterprotesters on Saturday was 20-year-old Ceuta resident and student Noor Ahmed. She denounced the protest and presence of figures like Pérez in her city as opportunistic.

“They just want to take advantage of the humanitarian crisis Ceuta is currently experiencing,” Ahmed said.

Migration has been one of Pope Leo’s priorities, which he underlined during a recent visit to the Canary Islands in Spain, one of Europe’s main migrant entry ports.

The character Black Phillip, who docks a white face mask, black bowler hat and dark suit, will hold the “night(mare) market” at York Castle Museum from 7pm to 11pm on Saturday, October 24.

It follows the success of Phillip’s previous markets in York, most recently held at the Impossible bar in St Helen’s Square in April.

A unique ranger of traders will be at the York Castle Museum market selling gothic themed produce, which have previously ranged from witchcraft items and taxidermy to décor and drawings.

Phillip said: “I am hosting another fabulous (or terrible, depending on how you look at it) alternative market, in the Kirkgate street, inside the York Castle Museum.

“It was a hoot last year, with 37 people officially recorded as being scared, so this year I want to scare 38. It’s on the 24th of October, between 7pm and 11pm and you MUST have a ticket to get in.”

Tickets for the market are £5 and available from Eventbrite.

A “significant” sinkhole risk beneath the car park of a Rhymney business has sparked fears for the future of two local employers.

The failing culvert carrying the “entirety” of the River Rhymney could cost up to £4 million to repair, leaving the landowner – a local business – facing a bill it says it cannot afford.

Another business has stopped using its car park over fears the ground above the culvert could collapse.

The issue has left the two neighbouring employers caught in the middle of a dispute over the hidden piece of infrastructure beneath their sites.

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