Blackpool hotel reptile market plan in animal rights row
The IHS, which was founded in 1969, said it was "committed to the ongoing research and propagation of all reptile, amphibian and chelonian species".It added "animal care is paramount" at its events and creatures were "transported and displayed in temporary containers for the animals' safety during the event only".The soceity added that two veterinary professionals were "always present and any concerns are taken extremely seriously".Plans for a similar market in Doncaster in 2022 were halted by the town's council after complaints from some animal charities.
Event controversy
Elaine Toland, director of the Animal Protection Agency, said it "strongly urges Britannia Hotels to cancel this event and refuse to be complicit".Laura Walton, campaigns manager at Freedom for Animals, added it "sincerely hoped" the hotel chose not to let the event go ahead. Charlotte Regan, wildlife campaigns manager at World Animal Protection, said the animals were "not products to be bought and sold at makeshift stalls"."These kinds of events are outdated and have no place in modern society."The IHS said it found it "deeply upsetting to be constantly under fire" and none of its previous events had been "cancelled, refused or changed venues due to welfare issues or legal contravention by the IHS".It said the events had instead been called off because of "adverse publicity".Britannia Hotels has been approached for comment.
Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
an hour ago
- Times
Teaser 3280
No Square Rolls Clark had a set of more than one identical six-sided dice, and each die had a different positive whole number on each face. He would roll the dice and work out the total of all the numbers showing on the top faces. Clark knew that the largest possible total was 69, but it took him much longer to realise that it was impossible to roll a total that was a perfect square. The latter was true no matter how many of the dice were rolled. In ascending order, what were the six numbers on each die? Send your solution to: The Sunday Times Teaser 3280, PO Box 29, Colchester, Essex CO2 8GZ or email The first two correct solutions opened after next Saturday each win a £20 Waterstones voucher. Open to 18+ UK & ROI residents only. Solution to Teaser 3278 25 The winners are: V Bryant, Dronfield, Derbyshire; J Rigg, Glasgow.
Times
an hour ago
- Times
Word Watch: August 9, 2025
Act now to keep your subscription We've tried to contact you several times as we haven't been able to take payment. You must update your payment details via My Account or by clicking update payment details to keep your subscription.
The Independent
4 hours ago
- The Independent
Fears A-level grade inflation ‘may be creeping back' with more students set for top grades
The high proportion of top level A-level results set to be given to students next week has raised fears of grade inflation, a leading professor has said. Professor Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research (CEER) at the University of Buckingham, has raised concerns that grade inflation 'may be creeping back in again'. The proportion of A-level entries scoring top grades this summer is likely to be higher than pre-Covid years, it has been suggested. An education expert has predicted that a higher percentage of UK A-level entries awarded an A or A* grade – compared to before the Covid-19 pandemic – may be the 'new normal'. Last year, more than a quarter (27.8 per cent) of UK A-level entries were awarded an A or A* grade, up from 27.2 per cent in 2023. In a report, published ahead of A-level results day, Prof Smithers said he believes this year's results 'are likely to be close to what they were in 2024'. It was the highest proportion of entries scoring top grades outside the pandemic-affected years of 2020-22. In 2019 – the last year that summer exams were taken before the pandemic – 25.4 per cent of entries were awarded A or A* grades. The Covid-19 pandemic led to an increase in top A-level and GCSE grades in 2020 and 2021, with results based on teacher assessments instead of exams. Ahead of A-level results day on Thursday next week, Prof Smithers said the grade pattern in 2024 'could be the start of a new normal'. He added that the proportion of UK A-level entries awarded A or A* grades – of between 27 per cent and 28 per cent – could be the 'new norm' for results. Figures covering A-level entries from students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be published by the Joint Council for Qualifications on Thursday. Ofqual brought A-level grading standards back in line with pre-Covid levels in England in 2023, and exam regulators in Wales and Northern Ireland aimed to return to pre-pandemic grading last summer. Prof Smithers said A-level grades should have been 'back to normal' last year, but he added that they rose to a level higher than pre-Covid years. He added: 'There has to be the suspicion that the inflation which bedevilled A-level grades in the days before the regulator, Ofqual, may be creeping back in again.' In his report, Prof Smithers also suggested that 'girls will do better than boys' once again at the top A-level grades. Last year, the proportion of girls' A-level entries awarded A or higher was 28.0 per cent, which was 0.4 percentage points higher than the equivalent figure for boys' entries (27.6 per cent). But the proportion of boys' entries awarded A* was 9.5 per cent – which was 0.4 percentage points higher than girls (9.1 per cent). Prof Smithers has suggested that the success for boys at A* will 'continue to be overshadowed in 2025 by the longstanding superior results of girls overall'. He said: 'Sadly, the under-performance of boys is no more likely than in previous years to receive the attention it deserves. 'They and the country would benefit considerably if ways could be found of ensuring that the potential of many boys is not wasted.' Reflecting on provisional exam entries data for England, Prof Smithers said a decline in the social sciences this summer 'could be an early sign that they have been rumbled' in promising more than they deliver. A-level entries for psychology and sociology are down, but entries for mathematics, physics and chemistry are up, according to provisional figures from Ofqual in June. Prof Smithers said: 'The swing towards maths and the physical sciences could be a response to the former government's promotion of them.' He added: 'I wonder if there is growing recognition that these social sciences promise more than they deliver, whereas the quantitative may be hard but they are meaningful.'
