Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future was a groundbreaking science fiction comic serial, first appearing in the UK comic The Eagle in 1950. Now, more than 75 years later, a reinvention of the series is underway, with the first new graphic novel written by Alex de Campi (Bad Girls and Madi) with art by Marc Laming (Marvel’s Star Wars). set for later this year.

As science fiction enthusiast and a scientist, I am excited to see what it will be like. I’m sure I’m not alone, as a number of scientists – including the late astrophysicist and cosmologist
Stephen Hawking and planetary scientist Colin Pillinger – cited Dan Dare’s exciting vision of the future as instrumental in their decision to pursue science.

Daniel McGregor Dare is an officer in the Britain-based Interplanet Space Force (ISF). Faced with overpopulation and starvation on Earth, the ISF is tasked with exploring the possibility of crop production or trade on Venus. After initial problems, Dan Dare and a small group of colleagues are able to reach the surface of the planet. Once there, they find a habitable world with two native species: the friendly Therons, and the inimical Treens, with the latter led by their “super-scientist” the Mekon. Defeating the Mekon, and making arrangements for food supply with the Therons, Dare opens up the solar system, and ultimately the wider galaxy, to humanity.

While the concept of Dan Dare originated with a clergyman, Marcus Morris, its formative years and storylines were shaped by a very different man. Writer and artist Frank Hampson was known for the attention he paid to the science, working from detailed models and reference photographs. He gave thought to plausible design and stayed abreast of developing vehicle technologies and concepts, while also working with a scientific advisor.

In an early story, “The Red Moon Mystery” (serialised in The Eagle in 1952), for instance, he had the character Professor Peabody explain planetary orbits, magnetic fields and spectroscopic biosignatures to a young audience. He also drew a sequence with accurate representations of the Royal Observatory at Herstmonceux in Sussex, and a character closely based on the astronomer royal of the time, Sir Harold Spencer Jones.

This level of precision both added to the verisimilitude of his stories and appealed to an enthusiastic audience that saw a bright future in space exploration, an audience that included budding scientists Hawking and Pillinger.

Sadly, the level of scientific accuracy in the series declined after Hampson’s departure, with writers introducing more bizarre aliens and unexplained interstellar travel. But its engagement, from the very beginning, with technical accuracy and scientific plausibility, continues in many ways and is also part of the reason for its longevity and why it remains relevant.

A new Dan Dare

Despite its many reinventions over the decades, much of this premise has remained unchanged. Dare has always represented humanity’s best, and is typically shown as an optimistic exemplar of bravery, chivalry and honour. The Kickstarter page for the new Dan Dare: First Contact novel makes it clear that the current creative team respects the character’s origins. As the new reboot’s writer Alex de Campi says:

if you are already a Dan Dare fan, there’s a ton of references to the classic stories as well as a sincere respect for Frank Hampson’s legacy from our entire creative team.

But like the 1990s graphic novel written by Scottish comic writer Grant Morrison or the 2010s audio dramas made by B7 Productions, there will be some changes in the story. For instance, these iterations have given more agency to Dare’s female scientist colleague Professor Jocelyn Peabody. They have also typically been darker and more cynical regarding the political or commercial interests funding human spaceflight.

The new Dan Dare team also acknowledge Hampson would have expected changes in scientific and contextual representation:

In First Contact, the science is updated, making Dan’s world one we can understand from our current point of view: a world of bickering oligarchs, broken nations, and climate disaster. The stakes are immediate: humanity is only just getting faster-than-light travel.

As I’ve discussed in my own work on the relationship between science and science fiction, the stories have always reflected our changing understanding of solar system habitability. Already by 1950, scientific studies were making it clear that Venus was uninhabitable, although popular culture and even school textbooks often retained the older visions. As a result, more recent versions have tended to gloss over issues such as the origin of the Treens, sometimes relocating their civilisation to cloud cities high in the atmosphere of Venus.

The changing science shouldn’t be a surprise: the role of science fiction has always been to mirror and extrapolate as much from the sociopolitical concerns of a time as from its technology and science. Good science fiction has always balanced accurate science with fine storytelling and a critical eye towards social trends and their logical extremes. The new Dan Dare project will do so for a new audience, adding to a remarkable eight-decade long record of popular engagement with space science.

A BBC newsreader blacked out during the 2011 London Marathon after becoming dehydrated

BBC presenter Sophie Raworth has said it was “awful” blacking out during the London Marathon.

The newsreader recalled the ordeal ahead of this year’s London Marathon, which she is gearing up to take on once more, competing for the 13th time on April 26.

During an appearance on The One Show, Sophie revealed that she had been aiming to complete her debut 26.2-mile race in under four hours, but became dehydrated and collapsed just a few miles from the finish line. She told the BBC show’s hosts Alex Jones and Roman Kemp she ended up having oxygen in a medical tent, reports the Mirror.

The presenter — who didn’t take up long-distance running until she was 42 — explained that when she first attempted the race in 2011, conditions were “really hot” and that she “didn’t drink enough water”.

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“And I got to about mile 24, and I blacked out,” she said. “I don’t actually remember quite what happened, but I did black out.”

“And I woke up about 20 minutes later with people putting an oxygen mask on and people pouring ice all over me. And I had a temperature of 42 Celsius, and it was awful, actually.

“And I had a good two hours with St John Ambulance, who were amazing, and looked after me.”

She continued: “And then they said, ‘We’ll put you on a bus back to the finish.’ And I’d raised all this money for charity. I was like, ‘I can’t come on a bus back to the finish. I have to finish this thing.’ So I made them let me walk. So I walked to the finish line, and it was six hours, 22 minutes, and 57 seconds was my first marathon time.

“But what it taught me was that if you fall, if you crash like I did, if you just you can pick yourself up and get back on it again. Because I went back a year later, did the training again, and I came under four hours, which is what I was trying to do that year.”

Host Alex noted that Sophie had shared the medical tent with Kaiser Chiefs’ Ricky Wilson.

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“Yeah, so that was his first marathon too, and his last, actually, because he also collapsed,” Sophie revealed.

The star had been completely unaware of this until she spotted the musician discussing the incident on television, during which he mentioned that she had been brought into the tent while he was present.

She recalled: “And then he started saying, ‘Oh, yeah. I mean, honestly, I saw things no man should ever see.’ And I was out there going, ‘Oh, no’.”

The star admitted it took her several years to “pluck up the courage” to ask what he had witnessed, and that while penning her new book Running On Air she rang him to ask. However, she teased: “I’m not going to tell you here, now!”

The One Show airs on BBC One from 7pm on weekdays.

Pollen seasons across Europe are now one to two weeks longer than they were in the 1990s and heat-related deaths have risen across almost the entire continent, according to a major report.

The longer pollen seasons are increasing exposure for tens of millions of people with hay fever and other allergies, a team of global researchers have found. At the same time, extreme heat warnings have also risen 318 per cent over the same period.

Out of all European regions monitored by researchers, around 99.6 per cent saw heat-related deaths rise between 2015 and 2024 compared with 1991-2000, with an average increase of 52 extra deaths per million people each year.

The hours each year when outdoor physical activity carries a risk of heat illness have grown by 88 per cent compared with the 1990s, and heat exposure among infants and people over 65 has risen by 254 per cent in terms of person-days.

Across the workforce, heat is estimated to be cutting labour supply by around 24 hours per worker per year compared with historical baselines, with outdoor workers in construction and agriculture among those most exposed.

The potential for dengue transmission in Europe has also increased by 297 per cent since 1981-2010, contributing to a rise in local outbreaks of the mosquito-borne virus, which was once almost entirely confined to travellers returning from tropical regions. The tiger mosquito that carries it has been expanding its range northward as European summers grow warmer.

The findings were published in the 2026 Europe report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change – a collaboration of 65 experts from research institutions and United Nations organisations published in the Lancet Public Health journal.

The health burden falls unevenly across income groups, researchers warned. Low-income households are 10.9 percentage points more likely than middle-income households to experience food insecurity driven by heatwaves and droughts, and more than one million additional people were affected by moderate or severe food insecurity in 2023 compared with the annual average for 1981-2010. People in the most deprived areas face higher wildfire risks and have less access to green space.

Deaths linked to air pollution from burning wood and other biomass at home were 4 per cent higher in 2022 than in 2000, a rise the researchers attribute partly to growing use of wood as a heating source as energy prices have climbed.

“Climate change health impacts are already apparent in Europe, and these will accelerate without proper scaling up of adaptation measures and global mitigation efforts,” the authors wrote.

The report, however, acknowledges some progress.

Coal use and carbon intensity both fell in 2023, and renewables supplied 21.5 per cent of Europe’s electricity, up from 8.4 per cent in 2016. Clean energy investment reached €427 billion in 2023, 86 per cent higher than in 2015.

But fossil fuel subsidies hit a record €444bn the same year, driven by government responses to the energy price crisis that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Despite committing to phase out such subsidies by 2025 in several international agreements, only Denmark has adopted a comprehensive national plan to do so. The report warns that unless others follow, progress toward 2030 net zero targets will be compromised.

“Unless the rest of Europe follows Denmark’s example, this setback will likely compromise reaching 2030 net zero goals,” the authors wrote.

Without stronger global action to cut emissions and better protect communities, the health harms documented will accelerate, the authors conclude.

“Redirecting financial flows to climate action is essential to reinforce Europe’s strategic direction and commitment to climate leadership. Part of these flows should finance the adaptation of low-income countries’ health-care systems, which currently receive very little funding for this purpose,” the authors wrote.

Kyle Williams, 20, and Jaydan Iles, 18, were also found in possession of burner phones containing messages related to the supply of drugs

Two young drug dealers were found with Kinder eggs in their underwear which were found to contain cocaine. They were also found in possession of burner phones which revealed they were involved in supplying cocaine.

Kyle Williams, 20, and Jaydan Iles, 18, were detained by police in Newport on February 22 after plain clothes officers noticed a silver Mercedes pulling into a car park near a red Nissan Qashqai. There was a strong smell of cannabis coming from the cars which drew the officers’ attention.

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday heard the two defendants, who were passengers in the vehicles, and another man were detained . Make sure you never miss Wales’ biggest updates by getting our daily newsletter.

Prosecutor Thomas Stanway said Iles was searched and found in possession of three mobile phones, one of which was a burner phone, and £460 in cash.

On the burner phone were messages consistent with the street supply of cocaine and “text bombs” to customers.

In Iles’ underwear was a Kinder egg plastic container containing 17 wraps of cocaine, weighing 9.2g in total with a value between £740 and £1,120.

Williams was searched and found in possession of two mobile phones, one of which was a burner phone, and £220 in cash.

A search of the Nissan Qashqai, which belonged to Williams, led to the discovery of two machete type knives, with blades measuring up to 10 inches long.

The defendant was also found in possession of a Kinder egg, which contained two wraps of cocaine weighing 0.4g each, and a value of £80 combined. His phone also contained messages relating to the supply of cocaine.

Williams, of Newport Road, Cwmbran, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply a class A drug, possession of criminal property, and possession of a bladed article.

Iles, of Pilton Vale, Newport, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply a class A drug and possession of criminal property.

The court heard both defendants have no previous convictions.

In mitigation for Williams, Alice Sykes said her client has been offered an apprenticeship and has expressed remorse for his behaviour, having spent a short time on remand in custody.

Gareth Williams, for Iles, said his client had only just turned 18-years-old and has also been given a taste of custody following his remand.

Judge Eugene Egan sentenced Williams to 33 months detention in a young offenders’ institute, suspended for two years.

The defendant was ordered to carry out a 15 day rehabilitation activity requirement and 200 hours unpaid work.

Iles was sentenced to 30 months detention in a young offenders’ institute, suspended for two years.

The defendant was ordered to carry out a 10 day rehabilitation activity requirement and 200 hours unpaid work.

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Shaun Murphy reckons the break he made in the deciding frame to beat Fan Zhengyi 10-9 on Tuesday night is the best he has ever managed at the Crucible.

The Magician survived a scare against Fan in the opening round of the World Snooker Championship, as he kept up the run of every single seeded player so far winning in the first round.

11 seeds have prospered since the tournament began on Saturday with no qualifier yet to win, but five more will try over the next two days.

It was a brilliant battle between Murphy and the former European Masters champion and from 3-3 each man won alternate frames all the way to 9-9.

Then came the ultimate drama as the Englishman spurned a couple of chances and Fan got in to build a lead.

The 25-year-old was 53-17 ahead when he took on a tricky red to middle which he narrowly missed and left on for Murphy.

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In my new newsletter, The Table, I’ll be analysing the biggest talking points, breaking down frames and crowning the week’s winners and losers every Monday.

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That red may have been on, but the other remaining three were awkward and the black on the top cushion.

A clearance looked unlikely but Murphy produced an immense break of 50 to clear to the pink and book his spot in the last 16.

It may not have been the biggest break he has ever made at the Crucible, but the 2005 champion reckons it was his best.

‘Of all the breaks I’ve ever made at the Crucible, that’s the best I’ve ever made,’ he told TNT Sports.

‘All the centuries and the fancy shots, I was literally out for the count there, the balls gave me one more chance to see what I’ve got. That’s the best break I’ve ever made at the Crucible.’

Speaking in his post-match press conference, he added: ‘I was sat in my chair preparing my loser’s speech.

‘When he played the red, from where I was sat I thought it was in and I was ready to shake his hand. But the game wasn’t done with me and it offered me that one last chance.

‘I can’t believe that I’ve won the frame and the match from that position where the balls were. Of all the breaks I’ve ever made at the Crucible, and there have been some good ones, that’s the best one I’ve ever made.

‘To stand up there, when it mattered the most, to clear up from there, I’m so proud.’

This was Fan’s third appearance at the Crucible and the wait goes on for his first victory at the venue, but Murphy expects them to come.

‘I thought Fan Zhengyi played a great match. What a player,’ he said. ‘You could see he fancied it, he was hunting round the table.

‘He had more than a foot in the last 16. I hope he goes away, watches the game and is proud of himself, proud of his performance, comes back next season and keeps going, I think he’s going to have a great career.’

Murphy faces Xiao Guodong in the last 16 over three sessions on Thursday and Friday.

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Experts say around 10-15 meteors per hour may pass across the skies above and the forecast is clear over much of Wales

Stargazers are in for a treat over the coming days, with the Lyrid meteor shower set to illuminate the sky with up to 15 meteors per hour. The meteor shower itself usually runs from April 16 to April 25 each year, however it tends to peak on April 21 or April 22.

According to the Royal Observatory Greenwich, observers can expect bright, swift meteors with some leaving trails in their wake. The Lyrids derives its name from the constellation Lyra the Harp, the apparent point of origin for these shooting stars.

The Met Office has revelaed the best places to watch the showers. For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter here

They said: “The Lyrid meteor shower peaks tonight where around 10-15 meteors per hour may pass across the skies above.

“With clear skies in the forecast, some will have good viewing conditions this evening.”

They have also shared a graphic of the United Kingdom and the best places to spot the meteor shower.

It appears that areas across north west Wales, mid west Wales and south Wales will have fair viewing conditions due to patchy cloud.

Meanwhile those across north east Wales and mid east Wales can expect clear skies and good viewing conditions.

They recommend watching the meteor shower in the early hours of the morning, with the best time to watch between 2am and 4am.

For optimal viewing, they suggest seeking out dark, clear skies and escape from urban lighting.

To achieve the best experience, allow your eyes approximately 20-30 minutes to adapt to the darkness.

Do not fret, you don’t need any specialist equipment to observe the meteor shower.

In fact, binoculars or telescopes can actually restrict your field of vision.

As the day wore on, signs of a postponement emerged. Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, senior members of the US negotiating team led by Vance, flew to Washington from Miami instead of heading straight to Islamabad. Soon after, Vance made his way to the White House for “policy meetings” as the president and his senior advisers debated what to do next.

The latest addition honours Sunderland’s Kenickie was unveiled outside The Fire Station.

The piece was created by Sunderland illustrator Kathryn Robertson, known professionally as KR Illustrates.

Michelle Daurat, CEO of Sunderland Music City, said: “We’re proud to celebrate Kenickie as true pioneers of Sunderland’s music story.

“Their influence continues to be felt today, and this commission ensures their contribution is recognised in a way that is visible, lasting, and inspiring.”

Formed in the mid-1990s, Kenickie rose to prominence during the Britpop era with their punk-influenced sound, energetic indie pop, and outspoken style.

The band’s line-up included Lauren Laverne, Marie du Santiago (Marie Nixon), Johnny X (Pete Gofton), and Emmy-Kate Montrose (Emma Jackson).

The new artwork, was unveiled by members of the band, has been designed to capture the group’s rebellious attitude and connection to their hometown.

Kenickie released two acclaimed albums: At the Club (1997) and Get In (1998).

Their chart success and unapologetic voice secured their place in the UK’s alternative music landscape.

Rhys McKinnell, CEO of The Fire Station and Culture Quarter, said: “As the Wall of Fame continues to grow, it’s becoming a powerful way to celebrate artists who come from Sunderland and the impact this city has had on music far beyond its boundaries.

“Welcoming Kenickie onto the wall is about recognising Sunderland-made talent and making those contributions visible, valued, and proudly part of our public space.

“It’s a privilege to see this installation develop into a lasting record of Sunderland’s cultural influence, both regionally and beyond.”

The artwork and Wall of Fame project are supported by public funding from Arts Council England.

The Wednesday letters page is upset there wasn’t a Star Fox annoucement this week, as a reader asks if Assassin’s Creed Black Flag: Resynced is the most leaked game ever.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Made in Scotland
I’ve been reading about people complaining that while the French government promoted Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the UK government has never done anything to promote the fact that GTA is made in the UK. It’s basically a Scottish game, even though you can’t tell from playing it, and GTA 6 is going to end up as the biggest entertainment product of all time.

Politicians are probably worried about being associated with something ultra-violent (and whatever else goes on in GTA 6) but somehow I get the feeling that they wouldn’t promote it even if it wasn’t. I bet they don’t say a word about Fable either, which is British made and filled with British voice actors and set in a fantasy version of the UK.

All the recent talk about the ZX Spectrum and other older retro formats has been great but as soon as the Amiga and Atari ST died so did games that you could tell were made in the UK. There hardly seems like there’s any developers left nowadays, which seems a real shame.
Korbie

Barrel roll of laughs
When I saw there was a Nintendo annoucement on Tuesday I was really hoping it was going to be Star Fox but sadly that wasn’t to be. I have very little faith in Nintendo rumours as they rarely seem to come true. In fact, I suspect Nintendo actually changes things so they’re not proven true, such is their hate of leaks.

But I really want to see a new Star Fox that is all or mostly an on-rails shooter. I wonder if as build up to that they could do a remake of the original Starwing? They remade Star Fox 64 for the 3DS and it didn’t look much difference but they’d have to make a lot of changes to the first game and I think it’d be interesting to see as it didn’t even have all-range mode.

I don’t think it would be much work to do either, given the game is so simplistic but with the ultra low frame rate on the SNES I think it could be a really fun intro to the series for newcomers and a nice bit of nostalgia for veterans like me.
Limbert

Foxed again
So again we see Nintendo making announcements out of the blue, with a full trailer for Splatoon Raiders (and not the rumours Star Fox). As everyone suspected, it’s a single-player game and I don’t know how that’s going to go down, seeing as none of the previous single-player modes or expansions were all that good. They were okay but it seems to be an odd thing to prioritise when it’s the multiplayer that made the game famous.

I’m kind of shocked that Splatoon 4 wasn’t an early game for the Switch 2 and now it seems like it’s going to be a long time. I realise Splatoon 3 works on the console but the game’s old now and was a pretty weak sequel anyway, especially by Nintendo standards. The line-up for the Switch 2 continues to be anything but the obvious.
Onibee

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Trusted builders
I love the irony that Fallout: New Vegas was built using Bethesda’s own game engine, but somehow not only do they not own source code but they wouldn’t know how to rebuild it anyway? I don’t see how such a big company, with so many people, can be so bad at the technical side of things.

And yet I still wouldn’t trust anyone but them or Obsidian to do a remake, since Fallout is such a complicated game. You can use some cheap dev to do a remaster, but you’ve got to make an effort with a remake and I think that’s the reason it’s never happened before and may never happen at all – given both developers are busy right now.

It’s kind of missed its opportunity anyway, because the last season of the Amazon show was about New Vegas and I don’t know how much the next one is going to spend there. Seems like they obvious thing to do is switch things up each season.
Jack

Shedding a tear
In response to Paulie asking if Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is worth the hype, I think it is. It’s a game that is more than the sum of its parts, but for me it’s worth the accolades for its incredible storytelling and delivery. I will admit to it being the only game to make me cry in 25 years of gaming.

On a different note, Esoteric Ebb is worth a play for anyone who is a fan of either Disco Elysium or the non-combat side of Dungeons & Dragons.
Charlie, a reader since the Teletext days

Invisible upgrade
I’m another person that is considering upgrading from my PlayStation 4 but I’m really struggling with the idea of getting a PS5 Pro. I don’t like not having the best model available but it’s so expensive and I don’t really get the impression it does anything that different.

I get the 60fps and higher resolution and whatever but I’d much prefer if games had a separate PS5 Pro mode that switched on graphics only it can do. I realise that’s probably not feasible, and there probably isn’t much more it can do, beyond improving the performance but its selling points all seem very vague to me.

For that money you’d think you’d get something that had some kind of ‘Only on PS5 Pro’ option about it. It sadly reminds me of the N64 Memory Pak, which you were told you needed but could never be sure what it actually did.

Some games wouldn’t run without it, so obviously it did something but definitely to a child it wasn’t obvious what. You just plugged it into the console and then immediately forgot it was there.

I suppose a big ‘ray tracing’ button is a pretty silly idea but for all that money I’d like a clearcut reason of what I’m spending my money on. To be honest, it’s making me think I should just get a Switch 2 instead.
Olli

Too much information
Does Assassin’s Creed Black Flag: Resynced (thank goodness for Ctrl+P, huh?) win the record for most leaked game ever? Everyone has known about it for literally years, and they knew about the reveal and now we’re getting leaks about the reveal – so much that I don’t think we’ll learn a single new thing on Thursday.

I am interested in playing it but there’s no doubting that constantly hearing about it, or any game in a similar fix, kind of saps your enthusiasm. I wish some of these companies got better at keeping their secrets. Activision, I think, threatened to sue some leakers and we haven’t heard a word about this year’s Call Of Duty since. Normally everything on that would’ve leaked months ago.
Elmo

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A good time
I completed Pragmata last night, at a little over 10 hours. What a fantastic game.

I had initially thought that balancing the hacking and the combat might be tricky, but it became second nature. I thought maybe it would be a little bit too grey, with the robots and lunar setting, but it kept everything vibrant and interesting.

I’ve still got a lot of things left to do in the game and I like how easy it makes it to see where you need to go looking if you’re aiming for 100%. The extra post-game stuff is appealing too.

I’ve almost entirely neglected Tomadachi Life because of Pragmata. Capcom are having a really fantastic few years of consistent greatness. I hope they continue to take risks on new things like Pragmata.

They deserve a lot of praise for their engine running so well on Switch 2. I’ve played through this and Resident Evil Requiem just in handheld and it’s been fantastic.

Maybe Nintendo should partner with Capcom on Zelda games again.
Euclidian Boxes

GC: We think many would be happy to see that, if it was a spin-off or remake.

Inbox also-rans
I have no opinion on Diablo itself but I was shocked to see the new expansion is £35! I had no idea things had got that out of control for some games. You could buy multiple indie games for that price.
Monkey

Here’s an anniversary I bet Square Enix don’t mention: it’s been 25 years since Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Do younger fans even realise Square used to be their own company and had to merge with Enix to stay afloat, after the film bombed?
Lacy

GC: Actually, the merger was being talked about beforehand. The film bombing almost put Enix off from doing it.

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“I would just like to make a comment, that everybody is very welcome to come along to the Hairtlan Festival on the first two weeks in July.”

A NI council has kept costs of the “largest Ulster Scots festival in the World” behind closed doors despite a unionist plea for transparency.

The ‘Hairtlan Festival’ organised by the Schomberg Society will host a multitude of cultural events over two weeks this summer with a highlight advertised as the July 11th Bonfire Night celebrations in Kilkeel.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council’s economy, regeneration and tourism committee approved funding this week away from the public and media with its live meeting online stream unplugged.

READ MORE: Co Down forum member resigns over Warrenpoint ‘sickening’ stench.

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Mournes DUP councillor Glyn Hanna said:”Is there any need to put the Hairtlan Festival’ into closed session?”

A council officer replied:”It has been in closed session at previous meeting and there would be information relating to the business affairs of the council and others.

“So the details warrant it being in closed session.”

As party colleague, Councillor Callum Bowsie was about to offer a suggestion to keep some of the matters in open debate, the onlline connection to the public and the media was cut off.

Tha Hairtlan Festival in Kilkeel will include Ulster-Scots heritage and history exhibitions as well as many social events for all ages and an open air concert.

The first ever festival was held just last year, with the Mourne Gullion Strangford tourism website advertising the Schomberg Society leaflet claiming it as the “largest Ulster Scots Festival anywhere in the World”.

In open session, committee chairperson Councillor David Lee-Surginor Alliance said:”The Hairtlan Festival, it was agreed to support the new outreach and support programmes for the the festival in 2026.

“It was also agreed on the proposal of Councillor Hanna to allocate 20% of the total event cost towards delivery of the event including all activities set out in the report.”

Councillor Hanna added:”I would just like to make a comment, that everybody is very welcome to come along to the Hairtlan Festival on the first two weeks in July.

“They’d have a good experience if they come, and they will.”

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