Crimestoppers is urging people across the North West to report information about knife and gun crime anonymously, following a rise in reports to the charity over the past nine months.

The campaign emphasises the critical role of community intelligence in saving lives and disrupting criminal activity.

Gary Murray, North West regional manager at Crimestoppers, said: “We’ve seen a clear rise in the number of people contacting Crimestoppers across the North West, proof that local communities want to stop the violence that harms their neighbourhoods.

“Serious crime often thrives on silence, and we understand that some people fear the consequences of speaking up.

“Crimestoppers is here to remove that fear.

“You can tell us what you know about weapons, drug gangs or violent behaviour completely anonymously.

“We don’t ask for names or personal details, and your call or online form can’t be traced.”

The charity is calling on residents to share information about weapons, organised crime, intimidation, drug-related violence and exploitation.

Crimestoppers hopes that by raising awareness of its anonymous reporting service, more people will feel empowered to speak out without fear of retaliation.

The organisation stresses that every tip-off passed to authorities can help prevent serious harm and protect the wider community.

Mr Murray added: “Every piece of information we pass on helps to make our communities safer.

“Your voice can help stop violence before someone gets hurt.”

Information can be provided anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

North Yorkshire Council has given the green light for the Persimmon homes to be built in Brayton near Selby.

The York-based housebuilder has now been granted final approval for their plans after councillors voted last year to approve outline plans for the site.

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 A mix of 1 to 4-bedroom properties will be built on land off Evergreen Way. 

 Space for two self-build plots will also be made available.

 In addition 14 homes will be transferred to a registered housing provider and will be delivered as a mix of shared ownership and social/affordable rent.

Persimmon say residents will enjoy an area of public open space as well as an on-site children’s play area at the centre of the development.  

The developer is set to provide over £500,000 in funding for local infrastructure including £300,000 funding towards improving the number 476 local bus service. Additional funds will be provided for cycle links and healthcare contributions.

Graham Whiteford, planning pirector at Persimmon Yorkshire, said: “We’re delighted to have been granted permission to deliver new housing in the Selby area.

 “We’ve worked closely with the community and local stakeholders to help shape the design of the development as our application has progressed.

 “This development will provide a range of house types and sizes for local homebuyers and we look forward to getting on site to bring these plans to fruition.”

 A landscaped area for amenity and play would act as a focal point for the development.

Previously councillors on the Selby and Ainsty area planning committee voted unanimously on March 12 in favour to approve an outline planning application from Persimmon Homes for land off Evergreen Way in Brayton.

At that stage objectors highlighted that the main road of Barff Lane which runs from the neighbouring village of Thorpe Willoughby and joins up with the A19 was already congested and existing developments already created parking bottlenecks at the entrance to Moat Way.

North Yorkshire Council has given the green light for the Persimmon homes to be built in Brayton near Selby (Image: Persimmon)

The charges have been dropped against five Georgia high school students whose prank against a teacher went wrong and left the educator dead.

Last Friday, the teenagers drove to the Gainesville home of their North Hall High School teacher, Jason Hughes, 40, with the intent to toss toilet paper over his trees. The prank was a longtime junior-senior tradition.

Hughes knew the students were coming and “was excited and waiting to catch them in the act,” according to the teacher’s family. He walked into the street to meet the students but slipped and fell in the road. Hughes’ family said he slipped because the ground was slick due to the prior day’s rain.

The five students involved in the prank drove away from the house in a pair of vehicles. A truck driven by one of the students ran over Hughes, who was still lying in the road after his fall. The teacher was taken for treatment at a nearby hospital but died from his injuries.

The student driving the truck, 18-year-old Jayden Ryan Wallace, was charged with first-degree vehicular homicide, which is a felony. He was also charged with criminal trespass, reckless driving, and littering, according to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office.

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The other four students involved — Elijah Tate Owens, Aiden Hucks, Ana Katherine Luque, and Ariana Cruz — are also 18 and from Gainesville. They each received a charge of criminal trespass and littering on private property.

Wallace’s attorney, Graham McKinnon, said his client never saw Hughes — as the teacher was lying on the ground — and his truck only traveled a few feet before making contact with Hughes.

“In the end, there was no crime — only an extremely sad and devastating accident,” McKinnon told the The New York Times.

According to Hughes’ family, what played out between the students and the teacher was anything but malicious. They said that Hughes loved the students involved and that they were very fond of their teacher in return.

Hughes’ family worked to have the charges against the students dropped, claiming the teacher would never have wanted to see his pupils’ lives destroyed over an accident.

“Our family is determined to prevent a separate tragedy from occurring, ruining the lives of these students,” the family said in a statement. “This would be counter to Jason’s lifelong dedication of investing in the lives of these children.”

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Hughes’ wife, Laura, was one of the most ardent defenders of the students before their charges were dropped Friday. Despite having just lost her husband under exceptionally tragic circumstances, she fought to defend the students’ innocence.

The charges were dismissed on the day before the teacher’s funeral.

“Jayden Wallace and his family first want to thank Laura Hughes for her remarkable compassion and spirit of forgiveness in the face of the tremendous loss of her husband, Jason Hughes,” McKinnon wrote after the charges were dropped. “Jayden is still grieving deeply but is determined to move forward eventually to live a life that would make Jason Hughes proud.”

In a statement to CBS News, the family asked for prayer as they continue to grieve and asked that the public extend grace to the students involved.

“We ask that you continue to pray for our family and also for the students involved in the accident along with their families,” the family said in the statement. “Please join us in extending grace and mercy to them as Christ has done for us,” the family said.

Once Russell got into clean air, he surged clear, and Hamilton, who had used up his tyres battling with Russell, was passed by team-mate Leclerc. 

A safety car on lap 13 following Nico Hulkenberg’s retirement allowed everyone to dive into the pits, and McLaren’s Lando Norris briefly passed Hamilton, with Mercedes having to double stack. But Hamilton got back past before the finish on lap 19 to take the final place on the podium.

Behind the leaders, it was no less frantic. Kimi Antonelli, starting second, barged into Isack Hadjar on the opening lap and had to serve a 10-second time penalty when he pitted under the safety car. He eventually fought back to finish fifth, just ahead of the second McLaren of Oscar Piastri.

Further back, Barry Fitzgerald scored a win for Ireland at the Oscars in the best supporting actor category in 1945, for his performance in the musical comedy Going My Way, while Brenda Fricker did likewise in the best supporting actress category in 1990, for her part in the biographical drama My Left Foot.

The town was chosen by the Sunday Times for being a “thriving location with a strong sense of community”.

A surprising town with a famous neighbour is one of the top places to live in the UK. The Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide chose it as one of the top spots, beating more predictable choices.

The guide described the town of Penryn near Cornwall as being a “little rougher round the edges than neighbouring Falmouth”, but the judges were looking for “thriving locations with a strong sense of community” rather than well-known areas with steep property prices.

Penryn’s “energy, creativity and community” were highlighted as key factors for its inclusion. The Sunday Times also says it’s a hub for “endless adventures”, boasting “all kinds of community groups”, reports Cornwall Live.

In their description of Penryn, The Sunday Times judges noted: “Penryn is a little rougher round the edges than neighbouring Falmouth, but what it lacks in arty-crafty knick-knack stores and beachside saunas, it more than makes up for in energy, creativity and community.”

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They continued: “Every old workshop, boathouse or ope – as the back alleys are known here – seems to be home to a local craftsperson or entrepreneur up to something forward-looking and fascinating, whether it’s a pottery studio, an art gallery, a yoga studio, or the Cornish Poetry Library.

“There is the potential for endless adventures in the surrounding waters and countryside, and all kinds of community groups are doing good works or organising sports and activities.”

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Helen Davies, editorial projects director and Best Places to Live editor, remarked: “It is easy to feel overwhelmed by everything going on in the world, but there really is so much to celebrate as we look closer to home. From small gestures that lift the everyday – like verges blooming with daffodils and volunteer-run dementia cafés, to larger initiatives from repair cafés to new railway stations.

“What makes our guide unique is that we actually visit all the places we choose and talk to locals to find out what life is really like there. That means we can see what people really love about the places they live. That could be anything from exceptional schools and fast trains to beautiful houses and countryside.

“The health of the high street is important, but more than anything else, what we are looking for are towns, villages and cities with strong communities who work hard to make the best of where they live, and play hard too.

“We also consider affordability. High house prices are no barrier to inclusion – as long as they provide value for money. Different people will be looking for different qualities when they are choosing a place to live. One thing all our chosen locations have in common is that the people who live in them are proud to call them home.”

Past recipients of the Best Places to Live in Britain accolade include North Berwick, East Lothian (2024), Stamford, Lincolnshire (2013); Skipton, North Yorkshire (2014); Newnham, Cambridge (2015); Winchester, Hampshire (2016); Bristol (2017), York (2018), Salisbury, Wiltshire (2019), Altrincham, Cheshire (2020) Stroud, Gloucestershire (2021), Ilkley, West Yorkshire (2022) Wadhurst, and East Sussex (2023)

Customers may also be getting bonus payments this year

A senior figure from Nationwide Building Society has provided an update about its branch services available for customers. The announcement from the lender follows a recent statement it issued concerning all 605 of its high street locations.

Banking sector leaders recently addressed the Treasury Committee about initiatives to open up access to financial services. Stephen Noakes, director of retail at Nationwide, discussed the significance of maintaining a physical presence on the high street for the building society.

He told the MPs: “In the last 12 months, 56 per cent of our customers used our branches. For Nationwide, it is not a minority offering. If you look to the demographic of the average Nationwide customer using a branch, it is typically older.”

Customers can use numerous services at a Nationwide branch, including making deposits or withdrawals from accounts, or paying in cheques. Information from the savings giant explains that every branch has a manager who can provide support with financial matters or concerns you may be experiencing.

While numerous banks are scaling back their high street presence, Mr Noakes said he thinks it’s vital people have access to in-person services. He said: “We are probably seeing a disproportionate number of those customers who are offline, but I think it is good for the development of the banking sector that you have a large mutual – it is not just ourselves; other building societies are in the same situation – that will continue to do more channel of choice.

“I think that situation will exist beyond 2030, when we currently have our branch commitment to.” Nationwide has pledged to keep open all its 605 current branches until at least 2030.

The building society will only close or relocate a branch if circumstances arise beyond its control. Nationwide says in its online guidance that it will only shut down or move a branch if “there’s no other workable option”.

£100 bonus payments for Nationwide members

One benefit of holding a Nationwide account in recent years is that you may have received bonus money credited to your account. The building society operates a Fairer Share scheme, through which it distributes profits among its members.

Three payments have been made through the initiative to date across the last three years, with £100 given to millions of members on each occasion. Nationwide previously said it would soon decide whether there would be another round of bonuses for 2026 based on its performance.

A spokesperson said: “Nationwide’s Board will decide on a Fairer Share payment for 2026 and it will depend on our financial performance. That assessment will be made after our financial year-end, with the eligibility criteria for this year being agreed then too.

“The decision will be announced as part of our full-year results in May.” More than four million customers received the payment last year.

To be eligible, you needed to hold a qualifying current account, alongside either a qualifying savings account or a qualifying mortgage.

Luxury Persian rugs are stacked in piles in the Los Angeles shop which Eric Saddigh has owned for decades.

He shakes out a small handwoven rug with a peacock design. “This one is $25,000,” he says. A lot of his customers are Beverly Hills millionaires. The opulence seems far removed from the horrors of war, but for Eric, who left Iran aged 15, his homeland is never far from mind.

Follow the latest on the war in Iran

Portraits of the shahs, the monarchs who ruled Iran until the 1979 revolution, are displayed on the wall. The tricolour flag is hanging in the doorway, and in Eric there is optimism that the war launched by the US will result in a freer Iran.

“I was just watching the news in Iran. They’re all joyous,” he says. “They are being bombed. At the same time, they’re okay with it. It’s amazing. I mean, I’m sitting here, I’m cheering, but I’m not under the threat of bombs.”

I ask if Eric thinks Donald Trump did the right thing by launching strikes.

“Donald Trump is doing a favour for the whole humanity,” he says. “Keeping these people’s hands off nuclear bombs. And some people, like Democrats, they’re full of baloney. They created this monster.”

Eric’s father is 91 and still lives in Tehran. They usually communicate via WhatsApp, but since the war broke out two weeks ago, communication channels have been shut down, and he’s been relying on his father to contact him.

“My dad says it is chaos there, but he’s not afraid of the bombs; collateral damage is a part of war,” he says.

“God forbid, if my father gets killed, I would understand. I’m not going to be against it happening, there is a price to pay for freedom. Two months ago, 50,000 of our citizens got murdered – that bothers me. But we are trying to get free from this evil Nazi regime.”

The Westwood and Beverly Hills areas of Los Angeles are home to the biggest diaspora of Iranians anywhere in the world. It’s known colloquially as Tehrangeles or Little Persia.

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In Atari cafe, in so-called Persian Square, the birthplace of the Iranian business community here, waiters bring out platefuls of kebabs and rice. Serge Abdishoo, who left Iran with his family aged eight, is waiting to meet a friend.

“It feels like we’re on the cusp of finally being able to breathe again after 47 years, if it’s actually successful,” he says. “But I mean first and foremost, my concern is for America… this is the country that’s been housing us, caring for us all these years.

“What are the repercussions to Americans? Innocent lives can easily be lost here due to that. I hope Homeland Security has a plan in place and that things have been controlled, but I’m very concerned.”

Mohammad Ghafarian owns a bakery and fruit and vegetable shop selling lavash bread, dates and other fresh food to a mostly Persian customer base. Mohammad, who has been in America for 53 years, is desperately hoping for change in Iran.

“I would love to go back to at least visit my brothers, my sisters,” he says. “In the end, I think this war is not finished so soon. But we’re going to have a hard time in America because of the prices going up, the price of oil going up, price of everything, grocery, everything goes up.”

The American intervention isn’t universally popular here. Aida, who is of Armenian descent, is running errands in Tehrangeles.

“I have many Iranian friends, and I understand they want a new regime, but this is not something so easy. It is a mess,” she says.

“This is not gonna end unless somebody throws a bomb, a nuclear bomb. Because right now, it will be one fighting with the other. How can this end so quickly? Donald Trump won’t and Iran is [intent on] revenge. So when revenge is in the game, that game doesn’t get over so quickly.”

Aida is one of few dissenting voices in this area, though. Seven thousand miles from Iran, the overwhelming majority here support the war in their homeland and celebrate the US president who brought it about.

It’s the first time in 16 years Belfast’s Big Two have met in a final

Versatile James Singleton believes it could be glorious finale to the season for Glentoran – starting with Sunday’s massive McLean Cup Final showdown against rivals Linfield at Windsor Park.

Declan Devine’s men also have their sights set on the Irish League title. They haven’t had their hands on the Gibson Cup since 2009, but are hot on the tails of League leaders Larne.

Singleton, however, is targeting a first piece of silverware in the form of the BetMcLean Cup. Incredibly, it’s the first time in 16 years Belfast’s Big Two have met in a final – and the former Glenavon man wants to make the most of it.

“We are in good shape approaching the game,” he said. “Linfield beat us recently at Windsor in a League game, but there was nothing in the match . . . that was our only defeat in 12 games or so.

“We created good chances on the night, but Linfield took one that came there way.

“It probably wasn’t the best game of football, but Linfield managed to get the three points on the day.”

Singleton believes Glentoran now have a squad capable of challenging for all major honours.

“The manager has brought in some fantastic players at the start of the season and in January as well,” he added. “We now have two quality players for each position.

“We are in a good place at the minute. We can produce flair, but we can also dig in when needed.

“It’s been hectic over the past few weeks in terms of playing schedule. It has been rest, recovery and play because we have been involved in so many games.

“There is so much at stake in every game, we couldn’t afford to look ahead in terms of this Cup Final, but we are ready to go, it should be a great spectacle.

“We would love to get over the line for our supporters. They have stuck with us through thick and thin, it would be great to give them something to celebrate.”

Meanwhile, Linfield boss David Healy believes is team must show a big improvement following their unconvincing League win over Portadown.

“The most important thing is winning at this time of the season,” he said. “We should have been better, we could have played better. It was disappointing.

“But we found a way to win and that’s the most important thing.

“We are trying to close the gap on the teams above us, but we will need to be better going forward.

“We’ll certainly need to improve against Glentoran or we’ll be found out. It should be a great spectacle, I’m excited and I’m looking forward to it.”

The introduction of VAR (Visual Assisted Referee) will also be in use for the first time in a local game.

Healy added: “Firstly, as a club we were not consulted, which was disappointing.

“I know it’s used throughout the world, but hopefully, it will not be the topic of conversation 20 minutes after the game.

“People form their own opinions; it remains to be seen whether it will be a success or not.”

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Bryan, from the South East, was deeply moved while clearing out his mother’s belongings after her death.

“She’d held onto every single card I’d ever sent to her since before I could actually write her name. I expect she’d bought that one and guided my infant hand to write it.”

“She was a pragmatic, hard-lived woman not given to emotion, but she’d clearly valued those cards. It’s not the expensive presents she wanted, just a quiet, sincere expression of appreciation and knowing she was loved,” Bryan says.

The best gift Jayne, from Yorkshire, received was her first as a grandma. “My daughter couldn’t afford much, so she made a card and inside it was a foot and hand print of my then 6-month-old grandson, I cried!”

“I still have that print alongside larger ones of when he was a little older in a frame, on my stairway,” she says.

Jayne will never forget how her mum reacted when she gifted her a Pendelfin bunny, which she bought when she was 12 years old with her babysitting money.

“It was in the window of the paper shop on the way to school. Each week, I went in and paid a little bit off it until it was mine,” she explains.

“My mum cried when I gave her it on the morning of Mother’s Day and she had it until the day she died.”

Seasonal blooms

Flowers topped the list as one of the most-mentioned gifts from our readers.