RICHARD KAY: According to a shocking new biography of the Princess, she suffered an 'invisible disability' linked to alcohol. So was the Queen Mother's drinking in pregnancy really to blame for Margaret's troubled life?
And it is certainly not the jolliest way to mark the 125th anniversary of the Queen Mother 's birth in four days – a date Charles will mark privately.
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The Guardian
12 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Country diary: It's amazing what one family farm can do for wildlife
We were looking out across one of the most beautiful panoramic views in the Lake District, above Ennerdale Water, with the dramatic horseshoe of fells all around us. Richard and Alison Maxwell of Howside Farm were teaching nature-friendly farming to a group of farmers and those aspiring to be farmers, all working in the Lake District. Howside started out as a small 100-acre National Trust farm back in 1998, but it has greatly expanded since then, as they changed mindset from being focused on food production to considering nature as 'essential', as Richard puts it. First they took on land on Pillar, one of the tallest mountains in England, where they now graze a hefted flock of Herdwick sheep about nine miles from the farmstead. The stock of wethers (castrated males) was removed from the fell due to a government environmental scheme, and this made a massive difference to the abundance of bilberry, heather and mosses. Then they took on a forest from the Forestry Commission (they were the only farmers to turn up to the commission's meeting on the matter). After that, there was a domino effect, with more opportunities coming up. In 2008 they changed from productive continental cattle to native galloway cattle, as part of the Wild Ennerdale project, and since then bird populations have soared, especially willow warbler, wren and chaffinch. Red-listed ring ouzel territories have increased, and dippers and green woodpeckers are new to the valley. We saw the herd of galloway cows with their calves – physical fencing has been removed and the cattle use Nofence collars to target grazing in particular areas, benefiting species such as the marsh fritillary butterfly (which was extinct in the Lake District not long ago). Other measures include farming without fertiliser or imported nutrients; introducing more trees, in the form of new hedgerow corridors; and oxford sandy and black pigs to help disturb the land. We were glad to see the pigs before heading back to the farmhouse for tea and cake. What the Maxwells have done is inspirational. They've made such a range of changes, taken lots of opportunities, and nature is benefiting as a result. It just shows what a family farm can do. Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian's Country Diary, 2018-2024 is published by Guardian Faber; order at and get a 15% discount
BBC News
12 minutes ago
- BBC News
Peterborough Town Hall Raac repairs work to begin soon
Work to repair reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) at a city's town hall will start soon and could be completed by the end of the City Council estimates the work on the upper floor will cost about £900,000 and ensure the safety of the occupants using the space a meeting last month, the authority said the works at the building on Bridge Street would begin within six to eight weeks and be completed by the end of accurate timescales are expected to be announced after final reports have been received from structural engineers. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council said that Raac collapse was unlikely, but it admitted that implications could be "severe" if it did happen, including a serious risk of fatality or serious Hunns, the council's head of compliance and capital programs, told a meeting of the authority's cabinet it would aim to "limit public disruption" while the works took place, noting that a scaffolding would be in place next to the building's entrance on St Peter's confirmed the building would not be evacuated during the works as the area needing repairs was already January, all city council meetings have been held at the authority's offices in Sand Martin House instead because of the conditions at the town hall and concerns about fire safety. Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
13 minutes ago
- BBC News
Momentum builds to bring back Scarborough outdoor tidal swimming pool
A campaign to reinstate an outdoor tidal swimming pool in Scarborough is growing with one of its campaigners saying its absence was "like fish without chips".Earlier this year, North Yorkshire Council backed plans to build a three-sided seawater pool at the top of South development now rests with Scarborough Sea Swimming Community Interest Company (CIC) - a group formed by sea swimmers and residents keen to open what it hoped would be a community Chiverall, one of the organisers, said the ambition was to help "everyone to enjoy the benefits of sea swimming – and safely." "I think a sea swimming pool would make a difference," she said. "It would help us when the tide is really rough so it would extend the season."We won't be at risk of any riptides or general rough sea conditions and we'd be able to swim all year round and that's the biggest benefit." 'Popular pastime' Ms Chiverall said the initial idea came out of conversations with other sea swimmers who were keen for Scarborough to have a tidal pool town's previous facility, also located at South Bay, opened in 1915 and was hugely popular but closed in 1989 after running into financial difficulties. A second salt water pool opened in North Bay more than two decades later but that also closed in contacting local councillors, Ms Chiverall and others set up a community engagement session last March to see if the appetite for a pool extended beyond initial interest. Councillor Rich Maw was one of the executive members involved in the early stages of the campaign and said sea swimming in Scarborough was "already hugely popular and growing". He said: "This isn't just about building a pool - it's about opening up access, boosting tourism and improving local quality of life."He added that with strong community backing and expert input it was his belief the project "can and should happen".The council commissioned a feasibility study which pinpointed the proposed site at Children's Corner, at the top of South plan also included a sheltered beach, changing area and bathing area for Chiverall said: "We envisage it will be free to use for anybody who wants to sea swim, whether you've done it before or just want to dip your toe in the water for the first time."She said there were many benefits to sea swimming and added: "Lots of the sea swimmers that I know and swim with, swim as friendship groups."Generally everyone I know who swims in the sea is very happy, relaxed and has a very healthy outlook on life." Five year dream Scarborough Sea Swimming CIC is now looking ahead at the next stages of development describing the support received so far as "phenomenal". It was recently awarded council funding to help run further community engagement Ms Chiverall said the group was realistic about the timescales of the project acknowledging that funding - through public donations and grants from local authorities and other organisations - would be challenging. "It might not happen for ten years or so, we know that. Although five years would be the dream," she added."We just think Scarborough without a sea pool is like fish without chips". Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
