The parade will be a celebration of the natural world and the environment

This year’s St Patrick’s Day parade in Derry welcomes the changing of the seasons as we emerge from the darkness of winter.

The parade guide describes Spring as a time associated with flowering, growth and the fertility of the land and this year’s celebrations will see that long tradition continue.

Under the creative theme of ‘What we nurture will flourish and what we protect will endure’ the parade will be a celebration of the natural world and the environment.

READ MORE: St Patrick’s Day celebrations and events taking place across Northern IrelandREAD MORE: Belfast St Patrick’s Day celebrations 2026 announced as hundreds of events planned across the city

The City’s streets will spring to life with participants representing not only the diversity of nature but also our diverse communities in civic celebration.

The Spring Carnival Parade will depart Bishop Street Carpark at 3.00pm with crowds expected to gather in advance.

Route:

Starts: Bishop Street Carpark

• The Diamond
• Shipquay Street
• Whitaker Street
• Foyle Embankment
• Harbour Square Roundabout
• Strand Road

Finishes: Strand Road Carpark

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There will be accessible parking available in Foyle Street car park, with an accessible viewing area alongside.

There will also be a quiet space available in the Guildhall.

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The application, submitted by Banks Homes Limited and landowner Michael Anthony Allan, is for land to the west of Drovers Lane in Redmarshall.

A planning application, submitted on March 5, seeks approval to construct 72 homes on a 4.99-hectare stretch of land.

The development would have 13 three-bed homes and 45 four-plus-bed homes, all two-storey, along with 14 affordable homes.

Of these, 10 would be available for ‘social/affordable rent’, and the remaining four for ‘affordable home ownership.’

As part of the plans, the development would also provide a total of 221 car spaces and 134 cycle spaces.

Banks Group has submitted the plans for the village. (Image: STOCKTON BOROUGH COUNCIL PLANNING PORTAL)

The proposed development, situated on the edge of the village, is designed to be arranged around a loop road, with new vehicle access off Drovers Lane and a pedestrian or cycle link towards Church Lane and the village.

A large public open space network is included in the proposal with a central and southern green infrastructure network, play area intended for village use and retained hedgerows. 

A tree on Drovers Lane will be retained as a focal point for the development.

Financial and economic benefits listed in the planning statement estimate the project would create about 68 direct and 97 indirect jobs over a three-year build period.

An anticipated £15.9million construction spend is also cited by Banks Group.

Plans are now with Stockton Borough Council and a decision is set to be made in the coming weeks.

A mum admitted that she’s “smug” about the fact that her toddler doesn’t need screentime in restaurants, saying she can’t help but judge other parents for allowing their kids to have screens

Sometimes, parents will just hand their phone or an iPad to their kid during a meal to placate them and avoid an impending tantrum. It can make life easier, but some people are quite judgmental of them, labelling these children “iPad kids” and wondering how they can’t make it through a meal without an episode of Peppa Pig.

But one mum admitted she’s “really smug” about the way her toddler behaves in restaurants compared to other people’s children. She did share that she tries not to “be judgy” about parents, because it’s a really tough job, but one part of life she can’t help being judgmental about is restaurant behaviour.

“The one area where I just cannot keep myself from being judgmental and smug is when my 3-year-old has much better restaurant etiquette compared to older children,” she admitted on Reddit‘s ‘confession’ thread.

The mum continued: “Whenever I see a kid using an iPad in a restaurant, my gut reaction is judgment and feeling so smug that my much younger child can sit through a meal without needing constant stimulation.

“We used to bring activities like small toys or colouring books, but now she will just quietly sit and talk to us at the table. Obviously, you can’t do much when the kids are under 2, but I see so many older and school-aged kids who seriously can’t go 15 minutes without an iPad?!

“And I know I should judge, and I try to tell myself over and over that I don’t know the situation….but my confession is that I secretly think you’re failing as a parent if you need to use screens the entire meal.

“The food and the company IS the entertainment. I’d never say it out loud to anyone, and I have friends who do the iPad that think they have valid justifications, but…restaurant etiquette and behaving in public is a *learned* skill, and they’re just choosing to opt out of it, and it’s really, really lazy”.

In the comments, someone wrote: “We were just at Disney and saw a mom with her maybe 10-year-old kid at Ohana breakfast at the Polynesian resort ($$$).

“Kid on a tablet the ENTIRE time and no other adults, so no social interaction at all for either of them, except when she grabbed the tablet out of his hands for character pics when they came around. I’m sure her Instagram told a different story. It just made me sad for all of them”.

Another mum agreed, saying: “I’m with you, my 10 and 7 year olds have never been given devices in restaurants, or waiting rooms, or watching the other one do their swimming, gymnastics etc. Kids need to learn patience and waiting. And it’s not an easy thing to teach them and stay consistent on (and my oldest has ADHD), so you should be proud of yourself.

“And yes, I am judgy about parents who haven’t pushed through on this one, because you’re depriving them of a life skill that is your responsibility to teach them. They’re not going to turn down an iPad if offered, they’re not going to potty train themselves, they’re probably not going to learn to love a variety of vegetables and healthy foods without your input – so sort it out, parents, this is literally our job!”

Someone else said something they can’t stand more than devices is kids running around restaurants. They fumed: “But I will also say that the thing that bothers me so much more than iPads and activities is when the parents allow the children (age 3-12) to literally RUN around the restaurant or other public place as if they were on a playground! THAT I cannot bear! If unruly behaviour is the only other alternative to a device, I appreciate the device”.

However, a Redditor tried to understand that some kids may need entertaining in this way, sharing: “I realise that some parents are just tired, and some kids also have disabilities that really require a screen just so parents can have a break. I feel really bad for those parents, they are trying their best”.

A mum of a disabled child thanked her for understanding, saying: “You get it. Thank you. My son spends HOURS in therapies each week to participate in public.

“From the time he gets home from school to bedtime, we have a behavioural technician teaching life skills and coping skills. He still acts like the Tasmanian devil in public because his nervous system is PANICKING and trying to leave the environment in any way he’s capable.

“The world becomes small and isolating, especially when you can’t leave your house. And then when you do try to enjoy an outing with your family, people glare and heavily suggest you shouldn’t be out in public with your disabled child in the first place, and then when you happen to have something on hand to help the tenor of the outing not disturb so many people, they then make posts like this judging you any way. We can’t win”.

And a single mum defended iPads, saying: “As a single parent with a kiddo who needs a lot of support, my kids have tablets at restaurants because that is the only time I get to socialise with other adults. I’ve worked hard to have the tablet be a special treat so they are occupied with it on the rare times we go out”.

It comes as the Metropolitan Police recently changed its policy to force cops and staff to declare Freemasonry membership to bolster public trust and transparency.

An MP bidding to require all police officers south of the border to declare if they are Freemasons says Scotland should follow suit.

It comes as the Metropolitan Police recently changed its policy to force cops and staff to declare Freemasonry membership to bolster public trust and transparency.

Tonia Antoniazzi, Labour MP for Gower, praised the Met for producing a “blueprint” for forces across the UK and warned Police Scotland shouldn’t be left behind.

We told last month how Scottish police said they were monitoring developments south of the border amid a legal challenge against the Met’s decision by freemasonry groups.

But in February, the High Court in London threw out the appeal and upheld the Met’s change requiring all personnel to report if they are members of any secretive, hierarchical organisation.

Antoniazzi told the Sunday Mail: “By the Met police doing what they’ve done and then winning their legal challenge, it shows this is a blueprint for police services across the United Kingdom to repair their relationships with the public and give them the opportunity to be open and transparent.

“I don’t think the Freemasons and other societies should block it in any way. They should be proud of what they do, they do great work in their communities. I’m not here to attack them. It’s ultimately about trust and transparency.”

She has introduced a ten-minute rule bill at Westminster calling for the move across England and Wales and hopes it can be adopted by the UK Government, having previously won backing from senior Labour MPs like Jess Phillips and Dame Diana Johnson.

It comes amid longstanding fears over police corruption linked to freemasonry. The centuries-old organisation requires new members to take an oath of loyalty to the fraternity’s principles and to help fellow masons.

Lodges have been linked before to an “old boys’ network” within Scottish policing that it’s claimed contributed to the botched probe into Emma Caldwell killer Iain Packer.

In London, the move was recommended by an independent probe into the Met’s handling of the unsolved 1987 murder of private detective Daniel Morgan.

A spokeswoman for the force said: “Police Scotland continues to keep this subject matter under review.”

Susan Aitken addressed suggestions that the vape shop where the fire started hadn’t been paying business rates.

The leader of Glasgow City Council has confirmed the vape shop where last weekend’s Union Street fire began was being pursued by the council’s debt company.

The fire began in a vape shop on Union Street on Sunday, March 8 and spread through the building and around the corner, where only the façade of the B-listed building at the junction with Gordon Street was left standing.

The remaining section of the historic building is being bulldozed “in the interests of public safety”. Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland’s The Sunday Show, Susan Aitken said demolition is taking place “round the clock” and Network Rail staff have started planning a phased and partial reopening of the upper level, hopefully by Wednesday.

But addressing suggestions that the vape shop hadn’t been paying business rates, Ms Aitken said: “They were being pursued through the usual channels the council would use for anyone who hasn’t paid business rates.

“They’d been contacted repeatedly by the debt recovery company that the council uses in these circumstances. The fire is obviously a matter for Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.”

Asked if the incident raised red flags for business practices in the city more generally, Ms Aitken replied: “You could jump to all manner of conclusions… there is an investigation to be carried out and at the moment the council’s focus as the statutory building safety authority… is to make the site safe and support the affected businesses.”

On reassuring the public that the council are carrying out all of its statutory duties and regulating the premises where the fire stated, Ms Aitken said council statutory duties regarding to vape shops “are actually very limited”.

She explained: “They are registered but not as sellers of vapes but as sellers of nicotine products. That’s the only statutory duty we have towards them, so we do inspect them but on a trading standards basis to make sure they’re not selling to underage people, for example. There is no regulatory regime around vape shops at all.

“That’s something that’s a matter for the Scottish Parliament and MSPs to look into now.”

A multi-agency investigation is underway into the fire and no official cause has been confirmed, though lithium-ion batteries from vaping devices are understood to be the suspected origin.

John Swinney has said he is “open” to greater regulation of vape shops amid growing concerns about their safety, while Ms Aitken said the council is launching a public information campaign about the safe disposal of lithium-ion batteries, which have previously caused fires in the back of council cleansing vans.

“We’re very aware there is a fire risk associated with them,” she went on. “It is something should a future Scottish Government want to go ahead with… local government would want to work very closely with them on it…

“We don’t know what started the fire and it’ll be for fire investigators to tell us that but there are obviously now public concerns and you can’t put the genie back in the bottle”.

Ms Aitken welcomed John Swinney’s announcement of a multi-million pound recovery fund to help support Glasgow after the fire, and is meeting with architecture and design buffs this week to strategize the site’s re-build.

And while rejecting claims that Glasgow city centre is falling into disrepute, she admitted the council would like “far stronger powers” to force private owners to take better care of buildings, or else have their ownership removed.

She said: “There’s certainly a narrative that’s pushed about Glasgow city centre along those lines… but an unprecedented level of investment is taking place…

“We do have a challenge – we’ve got perhaps one of the biggest concentration of heritage buildings in any city in the UK in Glasgow city centre, the vast majority of which are in private hands.

“A lot of those private owners are not looking after those buildings as they should be… and I would like the council to have far stronger powers to enforce care of those buildings by those owners or to remove their ownership.”

She added: “We use more compulsory purchase orders than all of the local authorities in Scotland put together but they are legally challenging and expensive so there is a lot that’s beyond the reach of the council but… we hope to use this huge loss for the city as a catalyst to get others to think about what can be done.”

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In an appeal to nations affected by the oil price spikes on his Truth Social platform, Trump said: “Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint will send ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a nation that has been totally decapitated.

Rumours have emerged that the daughters of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson are being kept at an arm’s length by the royals, as the Epstein scandal rages on

Since the arrest of their father Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie have been keeping a low profile. They have only broken their cover a handful of times, heading out in public with family and friends around them, and have not spoken out on their parents’ indiscretions.

White both sisters are not working royals, they have joined the wider Royal Family for countless events over the years: most recently spending the festive period with King Charles and the family at Sandringham, and joining them for their annual walk to church on Christmas morning. However, since Andrew’s arrest, it seems tides are turning in regards to Beatrice and Eugenie.

READ MORE: Prince Harry ‘will have to face questions over Epstein scandal but has reason for silence’READ MORE: Palace ’embarrassed’ by Andrew hecklers as Royal Family left with tough option

Andrew was arrested on the morning of his 66th birthday last month on the suspicion of misconduct in public office, in relation to allegations that the former prince shared confidential files with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during his time as trade envoy to the UK.

Since his arrest, there have been calls to formally remove the former prince from the line of succession, with some royal watchers believing this removal should also trickle down to his daughters.

Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie were both named in the recent release of documents from the Epstein files, and while the presence of their names does not indicate any wrongdoing, many have started to question what they knew about their parents’ involvement with the late billionaire paedophile.

As a result, rumours have started to emerge that the sisters have been barred from attending upcoming events, such as Easter Sunday in April and Royal Ascot in June. According to a royal source, King Charles believes that having his nieces at such public events would not be good for the Firm’s image during a time of such turmoil.

Speaking of Royal Ascot, the royal insider told the i Paper: “They might attend the races among the crowd but they can’t be seen in the royal carriage procession with all this going on.”

Royal biographer Russell Myers added that while Prince William had previously invited his cousins to help him and his wife Catherine host a garden party at Buckingham Palace, it seems almost certain that this summer he will be following his father’s lead: “He can’t be seen to be acting out of turn against the King,” he said, “and there is no indication that he wants to.”

Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told the Mirror that the best option for Beatrice and Eugenie is to steer clear of major Royal Family outings while the King is still grappling with the fallout from his brother’s arrest. If you can’t see the poll, click here.

Jennie said: “I’m sure the women care about the damage that has been done to the royal family, and it seems to me that the best way to support their uncle and cousins is to keep their distance for the foreseeable future. It might be helpful if they told the King that they are otherwise engaged for Easter and Royal Ascot week, thus relieving him of the dilemma about whether to invite them.

“Like it or not to, they would draw unwelcome press attention to themselves if they were to join the rest of the royals, so it might be better for all involved if they keep a low profile for now.”

According to the Daily Telegraph’s executive editor Camilla Tominey, Beatrice and Eugenie may be feeling let down by the Royal Family amidst the ongoing scandal. Speaking on the Daily T podcast, Camilla said: “I’m not sure the girls feel as supported as they did by the Palace.”

With uncertainty about how much endorsement they currently receive from King Charles, Hannah said: “They’re sort of in this vacuum of suggestions and rumours and questions, but not very many answers for them and that must be frustrating.”

While the calls have intensified for Beatrice and Eugenie to speak out on their parents’ involvement with Epstein, or to renounce their royal titles, a friend of the princesses told the Daily Mail that they still “have a great sense of public duty” despite the situation they find themselves in.

“They were always happy to carry out engagements when asked by their grandmother [Queen Elizabeth] or by other members of the family. They don’t see why they should slope away like criminals when they’ve done nothing wrong,” the friend told the publication.

Fine margins are often the difference between a title-winning side and one still building towards it.

Thomas Ramos’ last-gasp penalty to win the championship for France came after a handful of moments England will replay in their minds for a while.

Henry Pollock did brilliantly to steal the ball late on but, instead of taking contact and securing it, he tried to move it and possession was lost.

Ollie Chessum might also look back and think he could have edged a little closer to the posts to make the kick easier for Fin Smith, who himself will be frustrated at leaving points out there.

Those are the moments you write down and burn into your memory, because when they come around again – and they always do in Test rugby – you want the instinct to be automatic.

The best teams make winning those moments a habit.

Just look at South Africa at the 2023 World Cup – three knockout wins by a single point.

That is not luck. That is a team that understand exactly how to manage pressure.

England had been through a sticky spell and this performance gives them something real to build on heading into the summer.

When this squad meet up again for the tour to South Africa, there should be a real sense of belief.

They have shown they can challenge the very best teams in the world. Now it is about learning how to close out those pressure moments when they come.

Another area that will need attention is opposition analysis.

France exposed England a couple of times in the first half with tries straight from set-piece starter plays.

At this level, that is inexcusable. Louis Bielle-Biarrey chasing on to kicks through is something France have done all championship.

Those details matter. Fix them, combine that with the intensity England showed in Paris, and suddenly you have a team not just competing with the best, but capable of beating the best.

Katsu Kitchen has been in HALT at Weaver’s Cross since it opened

I had seen a few people posting about Katsu Kitchen, which is in HALT at Weaver’s Cross at the old Europa Bus Centre, so it was about time I went in to check it out.

It sits among quite a few different food vendors in the food market that opened in 2025. I headed in on a Friday around lunchtime, and it was buzzing in there with quite a lot of people grabbing an end-of-week treat.

What I ordered:

I went in unsure of what to go for, but I don’t think you can go somewhere called Katsu Kitchen and not put its namesake to the test. So I went for the katsu bowl, which came with chicken, rice, red onion, chillis and katsu curry.

I do, however, have a regret, and it’s not about what I ordered, but it’s that I didn’t give in to my temptations while I was there and order another item as well. It was the chicken curry spring rolls, but because it was lunch time, I didn’t go for it, and I’m still wondering what those would have been like.

What I liked:

The portion sizes here were great, and the bowl was very full, which is always a fantastic start in my opinion. It came with all the trimmings you’d expect from a katsu curry, and the veg was really fresh.

In terms of the taste, they have got a great katsu here, and the flavours were strong without being too overpowering. It came out piping hot but wasn’t spicy, so it is perfect if you prefer something a little milder.

What I would change:

The only thing I would change is that the Katsu was a little thin, and the only reason I thought about it is that in a street food style scenario, it could be easily spilt. This is me being quite pedantic with it, though, and doesn’t affect the taste at all.

How much it cost:

This came to £13 for my curry, which I definitely do think is a little expensive, but it is good quality food that tastes great. The portions are there, and I think if it were in a sit-down restaurant, you wouldn’t bat an eyelid at that price.

Overall, I can really see why the hype is there for Katsu Kitchen; they have nailed the Asian street food. There’s a lot to choose from on the menu, from more traditional items to things like loaded fries.

I did really enjoy it here, and I can see myself heading back the next time I’m passing through or grabbing a pint. So if you’re into Asian food, definitely give this one a go.

In the interest of fairness and transparency, we pay for all the meals and drinks we review. This ensures that we are giving accurate and honest representations of the food and service that we receive. So, unless we state otherwise that we were invited down, we have paid for the meal ourselves and visited without the knowledge of the eatery, so you can trust our opinions aren’t skewed by a freebie.

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