The Wildlife Trusts and Northumberland Wildlife Trust are racing to raise £30 million to buy the entire 3,800-hectare Rothbury Estate, a 15-square-mile tract of former grouse moor, woodland, farmland, streams and rivers.

The estate, which includes the much-loved Simonside Hills already brought into conservation ownership in October 2024, is the largest area of land to be put on sale in England in decades and sits at the heart of a proposed 40-mile “wild corridor” stretching from the Northumberland coast to Kielder and the Scottish border.

Thanks to donations, pledges and philanthropic loans, more than £20.6m has now been raised or pledged towards the £30m target, with the appeal having passed the halfway mark earlier this year on the back of a £5m grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Sir David Attenborough’s decision last year to champion the Rothbury Appeal triggered a surge in support, with hundreds of thousands of pounds donated in the days after his video message calling on the public to help secure what he described as a “huge, heart-shaped expanse of moorland, rivers, forest and upland in Northumberland” for nature and the nation.

Lordenshaw Hill Fort, Rothbury Estate (Image: The Wildlife Trusts)

This month’s push is being powered by a £100,000 match funding pledge from The Dixon Foundation and Newcastle-based tea company Ringtons.

Every donation made throughout August, including to the main Rothbury appeal page, will be doubled until the £100,000 pot is used up, meaning each £1 given becomes £2 for nature recovery at the estate.

Northumberland Wildlife Trust chief executive Mike Pratt said the appeal remains a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to secure a landscape-scale project for wildlife, people and heritage.

Work is already underway on the section of land that has already been purchased, with grassland recovery beginning, peatland restoration plans in development, and wildlife surveys and community partnerships expanding conservationists’ understanding of the site.

Supporters are being urged to donate in the coming weeks to ensure the rest of the Rothbury Estate is not broken up and sold off to multiple buyers, a scenario campaigners fear could see the land managed for profit rather than wildlife.

Donations can be made on The Wildlife Trusts’ Rothbury Estate appeal and the August match funding page via: www.wildlifetrusts.org/appeals/rothbury-estate-match-appeal-august-2026

There is much to see across the estate

Tucked away in the gorgeous Cambridgeshire countryside is a Grade II Listed country estate offering an atmosphere that easily feels as though you are stepping back in time. Longstowe Hall, the family home of William and Mercedes, is set amongst a 1,000-acre site.

Built in the 16th century, Longstowe Hall has become a popular spot amongst families and friends to indulge in a relaxing and wholesome day. The medieval estate houses a magnificent garden framed by ancient woodland and wildflowers to the east and historic parkland to the west. Lying at the centre of the landscape are the three main lakes within the estate.

There are also parts of Edwardian times with two set piece designs from that era. They run up to the hall on the west as well as the north sides of the hall. Visitors can enjoy the view of a range of flowers during different seasons such as tulips in the spring through to dahlias in the autumn. The estate is also known for spotting grazing sheep and lambs.

The breathtaking estate is only open to visitors on selected days, with its next opening on Sunday, August 9. It then reopens on Sunday, August 23. In September, the estate will be open on Sunday, 6 and Sunday, 20.

A statement on the Hall’s website said: “The stone balustraded rose garden is fully stocked with roses, set with box and lavender hedging. Encircling these features are the lawns with their specimen trees, including an outstanding cut leaf beech. Having such a mixture of habitats brings an abundance of wildlife that thrive in this tranquil environment.”

There is on-site parking for visitors alongside a charming café with tasty treats and an array of drinks. The Squash Court Café is open from 11am to 4pm.

Tickets must be pre-booked to enter the gardens. Admission costs £9.50 for adults and £4.50 for children between ages four and 16. Children under the age of four and Historic House members can enter for free.

With 4.8 out of five stars on Google, visitors can be assured to experience a spectacular day to remember. One person wrote on Google: “Absolutely beautiful gardens with lakes with a swan pair, cygnets and ducks. Tree collection is stunning, some incredible specimens.

“Herbaceous border and rose garden are glorious. Sitting in the courtyard of The Squash Court Café, a lovely spot in itself, you can have a rest and a tasty snack/cake and drink.”

Hoot Savings & Loans, based in Bolton, has joined forces with Manchester Credit Union (MCU) to form a larger not-for-profit organisation focused on ethical lending and saving.

The move brings Hoot’s members under the Manchester Credit Union brand.

Mandy Wilcock, CEO of Manchester Credit Union, said: “Bringing Hoot into Manchester Credit Union is great news for members of both organisations.

“A stronger combined asset base means we can lend more to more people at competitive rates, and expand our product offering too.

“But beyond the numbers, this also means we can reach more communities where access to fair and affordable financial services really matters and is most needed.

“We warmly welcome the Hoot team and members to the Manchester Credit Union community.”

The merger increases MCU’s membership to 36,500, expands its reach across Bolton and Bury, and brings its total savings portfolio to £19.3 million and loan book to £18.6 million.

Both credit unions are member-owned and focused on providing ethical financial services, particularly to individuals underserved by mainstream banking.

Chris Canham, CEO of Hoot, said: “This is the right next step for Hoot members, and now the deal is done, it’s time for me to retire.

“Manchester Credit Union’s values have always aligned with our own, so this merger was an easy decision.

“I’m proud of what we achieved as Hoot, and know our members are in the best hands with Manchester Credit Union.”

Ms Canham was instrumental in the merger, which also coincides with her decision to retire after 13 years with Hoot and two at the helm.

Hoot’s branch on Victoria Square in Bolton will remain open, and its staff will transition to the MCU team.

Members do not need to take any action; accounts will transfer automatically.

The Bolton and Bury areas will also benefit from Manchester Credit Union’s community outreach programme, which includes a free financial education roadshow for primary school children.

Reproductive health advocates fear newly confirmed Attorney General Todd Blanche will usher in a new wave of restrictions on abortion — even in states where it is legal.

Blanche’s confirmation “is a red alert for reproductive rights,” according to Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights. “The Attorney General’s job is to fairly and faithfully enforce the law, but Blanche appears willing to contort it to score wins for political allies,” she said Saturday.

Blanche has “openly vowed to use that power to ban abortion,” Gowri Buddiga, interim managing director for the group Free & Just, said in a statement shared with The Independent Saturday.

“From promising to restrict access to medication abortion through the mail, to gutting protections for patients and providers, Blanche will roll back access to care everywhere even in states where abortion is currently protected,” Buddiga said.

Blanche, who was confirmed in the early morning hours on Saturday by a narrow 50-49 vote, alarmed abortion advocates after leaked audio captured Trump’s former criminal defense attorney vowing to make the 2022 Supreme Court decision overturning the right to an abortion “permanent in every single state.”

“We don’t have complete victory yet, but we will have victory, and victory will be soon, and it will be permanent,” Blanche said, according to Politico, which obtained the now-deleted clip.

“If states have said, ‘We are going to protect the unborn and we’re going to protect every life from the moment of conception,’ we’re putting practices and policies in place so that other states and other organizations can’t attack that,” he reportedly added. “They can’t do things like they’re doing with mailing in mail-order drugs.”

The Independent has contacted the Department of Justice for comment.

The Justice Department previously told The Independent that the comments “need to be understood in their full context, which was with respect to mail order abortion drugs, not a broader expansion of federal control over states.”

Much to the chagrin of anti-abortion campaigners, abortions have actually increased since the constitutional right to abortion care was struck down at the Supreme Court, thanks to a mix of expanded telehealth access, Biden-era policies and blue state “shield laws” protecting physicians who provide abortion care.

While much of the attention in Blanche’s confirmation was directed at a now-abandoned $1.8 billion“slush fund” for the president’s political allies and a provision that shields the president from IRS investigations, Blanche’s appointment battle suggests the Trump administration could pursue more restrictions on abortion access.

Under questioning, he committed to reviewing the the Justice Department’s interpretation of the 1873 Comstock Act, which makes it illegal to send a variety of objects including “abortion-causing articles” via mail.

A 2022 Justice Department opinion held that the law doesn’t inherently bar sending abortion medication, given that “there are manifold ways in which recipients in every state may lawfully use such drugs, including to produce an abortion.”

On the campaign trail, Donald Trump described regulation around mail-order abortion drugs as a state issue, rather than a federal one, adding that he wouldn’t use the 19th century law to crack down on abortion access.

“The federal government should have nothing to do with this issue,” he said in 2024.

Republicans in the Senate have also pushed the federal government to settle lawsuits around mifepristone, a widely used abortion drug.

During his confirmation hearing, Blanche pointed to the FDA’s ongoing review of mifepristone. In 2023, the Biden administration ended in-person dispensing requirements around the drug, prompting challenges in Republican states.

“We have to have studies that we can defend in court,” he told senators in July.

In May, the Supreme Court continued to block nationwide restrictions on mifepristone after a conservative appeals court cut off mail-order and telehealth access the drug, threatening access to millions of patients.

The president has vowed to be “the most pro-life and pro-family president in American history.”

In 2022, the Supreme Court, thanks to the conservative supermajority Trump helped appoint, overturned the landmark 1973 decision in Roe v Wade, which had established a constitutional right to an abortion.

This 200cm x 290cm patchwork rug is now 50% off at £114.50

Dunelm has slashed the price of a rug praised by homeware fans as ‘great quality’ and ‘beautiful’ by half in the retailer’s clearance sale.

The Traditional Patchwork Chenille Rug in natural was £229 but is now 50% off at £114.50. This is for the size 200cm x 290cm (6.5ft x 9.5ft). There’s also a multicoloured version discounted to £159.50 for 240cm x 340cm (8ft x 11 ft), and £224.50 for 300cm x 400cm (10ft x 13ft).

The product description on the Dunelm website reads: “Pairing a choice of rich jewel toned hues or a natural palette with a patchwork design, the Traditional Patchwork Rug will add a modern vintage charm to your room. Crafted using soft chenille fibres, this rug feels luxurious under foot. The flatweave low pile rug lends itself beautifully to living rooms and dining rooms.”

The retailer advises to add anti-slip underneath your rug to prevent slipping and to rotate every few months to prolong the life of it.

If you have a bigger budget, the Collection Luxe Florence Border Wool Rug is priced from £80 to £370 at Next and is available in multiple colours. It’s crafted from handwoven wool and comes in various sizes.

Elsewhere, Habitat’s Herringbone Neutral Boarder Jute Rug is £100 for the biggest size – 160 x 230cm. It’s made from jute blended with cotton, with the retailer stating it “holds up well in high-traffic areas like hallways, kitchens and living rooms”.

The Traditional Patchwork Chenille Rug at Dunelm has received an impressive overall rating of 4.9 out of five stars based on 22 reviews. One happy shopper said: “Very pleased with this rug. It’s exactly what we wanted.”

A second added: “A great quality good value rug, that looks expensive, a bonus for us is that the dogs hair doesn’t stick.”

“Beautiful rug, very luxurious looking especially with the under lay rug that I bought to go with it. Looks more expensive than it was very highly recommended”, penned a third.

Someone else added: “We are delighted with our rug. It has made such a difference to our lounge, it has pulled everything together and added that finished touch.”

However, not every shopper was completely happy with their purchase. One review states: “Whilst the rug looks lively, nice feel and great colours, its just too lightweight.. It is like laying a blanket on the floor and walking on that.. We tried it on carpet, so it might be OK on hard floors…nice looking rug tho… shame we had to return it…”

On a more positive note, a different five-star review reads: “Perfect size, nice design, great colours. Exactly what I wanted for my living room.”

A different shopper added: “I had been waiting for this rug to come on sale for months and I got it for an absolute bargain price. It looks really classy! I got the extra large size and it has significantly improved the look and feel of my living room – I would always go for a bigger size than what you would think.”

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Morrissey, full name Steven Morrissey, who was one of the pioneers of British indie rock in the 1980s, was due to play four shows in the US city.

On Instagram, the musician, who formed The Smiths, recently promoted shows in the US, Europe, and the UK, with fans having bought tickets to the shows, including the now-cancelled Las Vegas gigs.

The shows were scheduled for August 14, 15, 18, and 19, but they have since been removed from the venue’s website, the Wynn Las Vegas hotel.

Ticket provider Ticketmaster has posted a notice on the event pages for each show, telling fans they have been cancelled.

In September, Morrissey is due to play shows in other US cities, including Buffalo, Brooklyn, Nashville, Houston, and more before heading to Paris, Tilburg and Brussels and the UK in December.

While an update hasn’t been posted on his official Instagram account, where the shows have been promoted, The Sun reports that his team have said the Las Vegas cancellations are due to “unforeseen logistical challenges”.

What to do if you’ve bought tickets to Morrissey’s Las Vegas shows

If you have bought tickets, it’s worth checking what your ticket provider suggests regarding refunds.

On Ticketmaster, fans are told the event has been cancelled along with the refund process.

It says: “Unfortunately, the Event Organizer has had to cancel your event.

“You don’t need to do a thing.

“We’ll issue a refund to the original method of payment used at time of purchase, as soon as funds are received from the Event Organizer.

“It should appear on your account within 14-21 days.

“Please Note: If the tickets were transferred to you, the refund will go to the fan who originally purchased the tickets from Ticketmaster.”

Morrissey has recently cancelled a few of his shows, citing various issues including “extreme exhaustion” back in November and “sleep deprivation” cancelling his Valencia show in March 2026.

Some US shows were cancelled this year, with the Atlanta one being axed from his tour schedule due to “artist illness”, reports The Sun.

Are UK Morrissey shows going ahead in 2026?

So far, the UK shows will go ahead as planned later this year.

Morrissey will tour across the country on the following dates:

• Brighton – December 6
• Cardiff – December 10
• Liverpool – December 12
• Glasgow – December 16
• Leeds – December 19

Morrissey formed The Smiths with guitarist Johnny Marr, and they played alongside bass player Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce.

The band released four critically acclaimed studio albums – The Smiths (1984), Meat Is Murder (1985), The Queen Is Dead (1986), and Strangeways, Here We Come (1987), before breaking up in 1987.

Top 10 British albums

They achieved three UK top 10 singles, and were best known for songs such as This Charming Man, Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now, and How Soon Is Now?

Following the break-up of The Smiths, Morrissey launched a successful solo career which has seen him score three UK number one albums and 10 top 10 singles, with his best-known solo tracks including Suedehead, Everyday Is Like Sunday and First Of The Gang To Die.

Have you seen Morrissey live in concert? Tell us in the comments below.

Andy Burnham has been admonished for his ‘blokeish’ obsession with pubs and football, but the reality is that his Government is packed with powerful women competing for his ear and influencing his policies.

The effect, according to one long-standing Burnham ally, has been to create ‘a bit of a Mean Girls atmosphere’ – a reference to the celebrated 2004 Hollywood film about cut-throat schoolgirl cliques. 

Playing Regina George – the queen bee of North Shore High in the movie – is Louise Haigh, who as First Secretary of State is the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) in all but name.

Trailing in her wake are former DPM Angela Rayner and Deputy Labour Leader Lucy Powell, who were both forced to accept more junior positions in Mr Burnham’s Cabinet than they hoped for: Ms Rayner went back to her old job as Housing Secretary while Ms Powell was handed the job of Education Secretary.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Health Secretary Yvette Cooper complete the impressive roster of senior positions held by women.

A source says: ‘Be in no doubt, Louise played a huge role in that process.’

Complicating the picture is the formidable presence of Antonia Romeo, the first-ever female Cabinet Secretary (CS). 

Described by colleagues in Civil Service parlance as ‘strong-willed’ – she has been investigated and exonerated over bullying claims – there are already understood to be tensions between her and Ms Haigh.

Louise Haigh as First Secretary of State, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Andy Burnham pictured leaving Millbank studios after speaking on LBC’s Andrew Marr show 

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A Whitehall source said: ‘Haigh wants to be the only one who has Andy’s ear, and is now moving to block Antonia when she tries to circumvent her. She basically wants to kill anyone who gets in between her and Andy.’ 

Another source said: ‘We appear to have in the first female CS someone who doesn’t seem to like the women around her very much.’

Ms Haigh’s ascent – which has been accompanied by a ‘glow up’ makeover in which she ditched her trademark red hair – can be traced back to just four months into Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership when she was forced to resign over the revelation she had pleaded guilty to fraud in 2014.

She was enraged that she had been defenestrated despite informing No 10 about the false report of a stolen phone when she was appointed.

For Ms Haigh, revenge was a dish best served over the following 18 months.

In November, The Mail on Sunday reported how she had been overheard in an Italian restaurant in Covent Garden discussing how to remove Sir Keir. 

Ms Haigh denied plotting, but multiple sources said that she was using the Tribune group of Left-wing Labour MPs to machinate against the PM.

Then, on December 14, this newspaper splashed on its front page the exclusive revelation that Mr Burnham had struck a deal to stand in the Gorton and Denton by-election to return to the Commons. 

Education Secretary Lucy Powell arriving in Downing Street in central London on July 28

Cabinet Secretary, Dame Antonia Romeo departs from the British Museum in London

Burnham’s cabinet has been likened to having a ‘mean girls’ atmosphere rather than being too blokeish

He was blocked by No 10, but the first blow had been struck, and Mr Burnham’s and Ms Haigh’s destinies started to dovetail.

Ms Powell, a long-standing friend of Mr Burnham, had been widely tipped to become DPM after she voted against the ruling NEC’s block on Mr Burnham’s attempt to stand in Gorton and Denton. 

But tensions grew in the aftermath of Labour’s disastrous results in the May 7 local elections – the Burnham camp were infuriated by Ms Powell’s warning against a leadership challenge.

‘We do not do hostile takeovers in the Labour Party, it’s not what we’re about,’ she said.

‘Unhelpful’, was the verdict of a member of Mr Burnham’s inner-circle. ‘She seemed to be keeping her options open for a run herself.’

Many Labour insiders had assumed that Mr Burnham would re-align the post of DPM with the deputy leadership of the Labour Party, with both positions previously held by Ms Rayner.

However, the popular Ms Powell ended up in the education berth, as third choice behind Rachel Reeves and former Foreign Secretary David Miliband.

One Labour source claimed: ‘Lucy doesn’t want to be there. She thought she was going to be DPM.’ Her allies dispute that, saying she preferred to have her own department to being a titular No 2.

Pictured: Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey, Britain’s Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Britain’s Minister of State in the Cabinet Office Louise Haigh and Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service

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Ms Rayner’s star has also waned after months of speculation that she had formed a pact with Mr Burnham in advance of his coup.

As recently as March, he was encouraging the chatter by describing her in public as ‘Queen of the North’ – a direct reference to his own moniker of King of the North.

But Mr Burnham’s allies complained that darling of the Left Ms Rayner was ‘inscrutable’ during meetings to discuss how to seize power, and they ‘lost trust’ in her after a photographer was tipped off about a secret meeting between the pair in April.

The result was the return to housing rather than one of the Great Offices of State.

A source said: ‘Louise has played a blinder by making her ambitions clear from the start. Lucy and Angela in particular seemed to be hedging their bets and playing double games. 

It has led to a bit of Mean Girls paranoia in their camps about what Louise might have whispered in Andy’s ear.’

Ms Haigh’s ‘glow-up’ has coincided with the immaculate power-play. Francesca Cairns, a colour analysis expert, described her new hairstyle as ‘a warmer, less saturated auburn’ with sunglasses ‘adding a layer of deliberate authority’.

Ms Cairns said: ‘The wardrobe has followed the same logic, fewer competing hues, more flattering neutrals and soft structure, which reads as polished rather than performative.

‘I also think the change tracks the step-up in responsibility. First Secretary is a different level of visibility and expectation.

‘The earlier look was distinctive and memorable for a departmental secretary – this one projects calm competence and gravitas. It feels like a conscious recalibration towards being taken more seriously in the role.’

It was reported this weekend that Mr Burnham has been told by No 10 social media experts to be less ‘blokeish’ in his posts by cutting boorish references to football and the pub.

But according to a Labour source quoted by The Spectator magazine, Mr Burnham should instead be described as ‘Labour’s first female Prime Minister’ – because of his sheer number of female advisers, backers and senior ministers keen to push policy issues deemed to be particularly important to women, such as social care and family finances.

The most influential of those ‘advisers and backers’, of course, is his spouse Marie-France ‘Frankie’ van Heel – described as a ‘blunt wife’ because of her reaction to his announcement that he was going to run for leader: ‘What? Not again?’

A Burnham ally described their marriage to the MoS. ‘She definitely wears the trousers,’ they said. ‘She is the reason why he went on holiday last week despite his pressing workload.

‘She put her foot down and said that family time was sacrosanct. There was never any doubt that he would have to go.’

Last night a No 10 source strongly denied that there were any tensions between Ms Haigh and the Cabinet Secretary, saying: ‘This is simply not true.’

RACHAEL Maskell is blinded by her rigid political ideology when she calls for Bootham Park Hospital to remain in public hands irrespective of practical reality or financial limitations.

If a public body with the resources of the NHS is not able to fund the enormous cost of repair and maintenance of that Grade 1 listed structure how on earth does she expect some other public entity to find another beneficial use that doesn’t drain yet more taxpayers’ money at a time of serious budget deficits at both local and national level?

In calling for “a coalition of the willing” to come together to keep the property in public ownership, simply for the sake of it, the Labour MP for York Central is showing her blinkered political prejudice of “four legs good, two legs bad” as demonstrated by George Orwell in his allegorical story Animal Farm.

Matthew Laverack,

Lord Mayors Walk,

York

Recommended reading:

‘Scandal’ of £5.5m wasted on Bootham Park Hospital – ‘give it to people of York’

People must ‘urgently come together’ to keep ex-York hospital site for public – MP

Mayor ‘committed’ to working with MP to safeguard future of ex-York hospital site

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I was left with a mountain of cardboard boxes after moving into a new flat and had no idea how to dispose of them.

Recently, I tackled one of life’s most stressful undertakings. No, it wasn’t a divorce — but I did move house.

Relocating is consistently ranked among the top three most stressful life events, yet having moved four times in two years, I felt reasonably well prepared.

What I hadn’t anticipated, however, was that moving into a completely unfurnished flat would be an entirely different experience from my previous moves. One thing I simply hadn’t considered was the sheer volume of cardboard that accumulates — not only from transporting my own modest belongings, but from ordering an entirely new set of furniture.

Before long, it had consumed the bedroom, the lounge and the office.

Wherever I turned, there was cardboard, and it rapidly became apparent that I hadn’t the faintest idea what to do with it.

The council refused to collect it because it wouldn’t fit in a bin with a closed lid. Without a car to transport it to a recycling centre, and with an expired licence ruling out hiring one, I was well and truly stuck.

According to waste management specialists at Wheeldon Brothers, my predicament is far from unusual.

A spokesperson said: “After moving house, it’s completely normal to be left with dozens of cardboard boxes. The problem is that many people assume bin crews will take everything in one go, but that’s often not how collections work.

“Most councils have limits on how much recycling they’ll collect, and large amounts of cardboard can quickly exceed those limits.”

Having well and truly exceeded the limit, I did the only thing I could think of without access to a car — I threw money at the problem.

I ended up forking out £105 for a private contractor to collect my surplus cardboard, and that was the most competitive quote I could find.

Other firms were looking to charge as much as £150 for the removal, which was a touch beyond the pale even for someone in my predicament.

I did have to haul my boxes down four flights of stairs and leave them outside for collection — but by the afternoon, every last one had gone, and I could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

For those who haven’t quite accumulated the sheer mountain of cardboard I had, a spokesperson for Wheeldon Brothers told me there are several ways to increase the likelihood that the council will collect your recycling.

They advised that people should flatten all their cardboard boxes and ensure any polystyrene or soft plastics are removed beforehand.

They explained: “Flattening boxes isn’t just about saving space in your wheelie bin. It helps maximise space in the collection vehicle too.

“If cardboard is left in large, bulky pieces, crews may have to leave it behind because there simply isn’t enough room.”

Planning ahead as much as possible is also strongly recommended. They added: “Moving house inevitably creates more waste than normal, but planning ahead makes a big difference.

“Flatten boxes, remove packaging materials and check your council’s recycling guidance. If you’ve got far more cardboard than your bin can accommodate, a trip to the local recycling centre is often the quickest and easiest solution.”