logo
Marlborough locals seek permanent home for mischievous peacock

Marlborough locals seek permanent home for mischievous peacock

BBC News14 hours ago
Concerned residents are trying to find a permanent home for a mischievous peacock who has been terrorising their rural community. Percy, as he has been named, first appeared in Marlborough, Wiltshire, in May and has since been spotted lounging on roofs and chomping on residents' vegetables.In addition to disrupting sleep with his "raucous" squawk, he has wreaked havoc on the local ecosystem by challenging cats and pigeons that stray into his territory.Despite the publicity, local Christine Mercer says no one has come forward to claim him, and she fears he may be stuck outside for the cold winter months ahead.
Residents have tried various tactics to find him a home, including approaching wildlife groups, which declined to help as he is not a native bird. "He's been here since May and if he stays another three months it starts to get really cold," Ms Mercer said. "We don't know what peacocks do in the winter."In the meantime, neighbours have set up a group chat to alert each other to Percy's movements.He is known to have pecked on their doors and windows in what are deemed to be attempts to find food.
'Mixed blessings'
"He's still around," Ms Mercer said. "We keep thinking he might disappear but then he's back again. "No one has come forward to claim him and he's got no ring on his leg, so we can't identify where he may have come from."We've sort of got mixed blessings here. Some are fond of him, some want to see the back of him."Ms Mercer says two more peacocks have since been spotted nearby, sparking rumours there may be a roost close at hand."Whether or not they are breeding in the wild somewhere and coming into the town, we just don't know. They'll be spreading all over Wiltshire soon," she laughed.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Why fresh sea legs are vital in the UK fishing industry
Why fresh sea legs are vital in the UK fishing industry

Sky News

time3 hours ago

  • Sky News

Why fresh sea legs are vital in the UK fishing industry

In a small hut next to Newlyn Harbour at the bottom of Cornwall, the next generation of fishermen are quite literally learning the ropes. Around a dozen students are on the eighth day of a two-week intensive course to become commercial fishers. From knot and ropework to chart plotting, navigation to sea survival, by the end of the course they'll be qualified to take a berth on a vessel. While many are following in the footsteps of their fathers, others are here to try an entirely different career. Elliot Fairbairn, 28, is originally from London and has been working as a groundworker. "I'm not from a fishing family - I just like a challenge," he says. He's put his current job on hold to see how fishing works out. "It makes you feel good doing a hard job. I think that's what's getting lost these days, people want an easy job, easy money and they don't understand what it takes to be successful. Sometimes you've got to put that in the work." Elliot already has a job lined up for next week on a ring-netter boat. "I'm ecstatic - I'm very pumped!" he tells me. Also on the course is 17-year-old Oscar Ashby. He's doing his A-Levels at Truro College and training to be a healthcare worker at the main hospital in Cornwall. "I'm part of the staff bank so can work whatever hours I want - which would fit quite well if I wanted to do a week's fishing," he says. It's his love of being outside that has drawn him to get qualified. "It's hands-on, it's not a bad way to make money. It's one of the last jobs that is like being a hunter-gatherer really - everything else is really industrialised, " Oscar says. The course was over-subscribed. The charity that runs it - Seafood Cornwall Training - could only offer places to half those who applied. 'A foot in the door' "The range of knowledge they're gathering is everything from how to tie a few knots all the way on how to register with HMRC to pay and manage their tax because they'd be self-employed fishermen," manager Clare Leverton tells me. "What we're trying to do with this course is give them a foot in the door. "By meeting our tutors, skippers on the quay, vessel managers, they start to understand who they're going to have to talk to to get jobs." Getting fresh blood into the industry is vital. Over the last 30 years, the number of fishermen in the UK has nearly halved - from around 20,000 to 10,000. The average age of a fisherman in the UK is 55. "I think we're seeing the effects of having an aging workforce," says Mike Cohen, chief executive of the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations (NFFO). "Fishing is a traditional occupation in most places around the country. A lot of family businesses, and as people are getting older, they're starting to retire out of the industry." The decline comes at a time of frustration and anger in the industry too. Many feel the prime minister's post-Brexit deal with the EU back in May sold fishing out by guaranteeing another 12 years of access to EU boats to fish in UK waters, rather than allowing it to be negotiated annually. "A large part of the effort the EU exerts in UK waters is within our territorial waters, so within 12 miles of the shore. And that's the area that's most pressured," adds Mr Cohen. "For new people getting into the industry it's the area that they can reach in the sort of small boats that new starters tend to work in. They're increasingly pressured in that space and by keeping all of those European boats having access to it for free, for nothing, that puts them under even more pressure." The government says it will always back "our great British fishing industry" and insists the EU deal protects Britain's fishing access. 'A brilliant career' To further promote getting young people into commercial fishing, the Cornwall Fish Producers Organisation has helped set up the Young Fishermen Network. Skipper Tom Lambourne, 29, helped set up the group. "There's not enough young people coming into it and getting involved in it," he says. "It's actually a brilliant career. It's a hard career - you do have to sacrifice a lot to get a lot out of fishing - your time is one of them. But the pros of that certainly outweigh it and it's a really good job." Tom says the network supports new fishers by holding social events and helping them find jobs: "There's never been a collective for young fishermen. "For a youngster getting into the fishing industry to be sort of part of that - knowing there's other youngsters coming in in the same position - they can chat to one another, it's pretty cool really." In 2021, UK fishing contributed around 0.03% to GDP - with an economic output of £483m. Economically, it is not a big player. However, studies suggest that each fisherman creates 15 other jobs in the seafood trade on land. It's also a huge part of the fabric of the UK's identity and landscape - and one that the next generation will have to fight to keep alive.

SARAH VINE: My grandfather bore the scars of war with Japan. I wish I'd listened to him more wisely
SARAH VINE: My grandfather bore the scars of war with Japan. I wish I'd listened to him more wisely

Daily Mail​

time3 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

SARAH VINE: My grandfather bore the scars of war with Japan. I wish I'd listened to him more wisely

Friday'S VJ Day 80th anniversary commemorations at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire may have been overshadowed in budget and scale by those to mark D-Day and VE Day in May – but they were no less moving. In the presence of the King and Queen, the few surviving witnesses of that 'forgotten war', fought against the Japanese in the mosquito-infested jungles of Burma, gave their testimonies on a giant screen.

Last surviving Second World War Victoria Cross recipient dies aged 105
Last surviving Second World War Victoria Cross recipient dies aged 105

Sky News

time4 hours ago

  • Sky News

Last surviving Second World War Victoria Cross recipient dies aged 105

The last surviving Second World War recipient of the Victoria Cross had died at the age of 105, the Royal Air Force (RAF) has said. Flight Lieutenant John Cruickshank, from Aberdeen, was awarded the cross for bravery during an attack on a German U-boat that left him injured. The RAF said on Facebook that it was "saddened to hear of the death of Britain's last surviving World War Two Victoria Cross recipient Flight Lieutenant (retired) John Cruickshank, who died last week age 105". The RAF Association said in a separate post: "We thank you for your service." The Victoria Cross is the joint highest military decoration for valour, awarded to service personnel who have shown extreme bravery in the face of the enemy. A total of 181 people received a cross for their actions during the Second World War. Flt Lt Cruickshank was the captain of a Catalina flying boat and oversaw submarine-hunting missions from an RAF boat base in the Shetland Islands. On 17 July 1944, when he was 24 years old, Flt Lt Cruickshank was sent on a patrol to protect the British Home Fleet as it returned from an attack on a German battleship. A U-boat was spotted on the surface near Norway and the aircraft he was captaining and piloting launched an offensive. The first bombs failed to release but Flt Lt Cruickshank repeatedly turned the plane to face enemy fire and returned the attack, sinking the U-boat. Flt Lt Cruickshank sustained 72 injuries including two to his lungs and 10 to his lower limbs. The navigator was killed and three other crew members were severely injured, while the badly damaged aircraft was filled with fumes from exploding shells. The surviving crew members spent five and a half hours flying back to the Shetland Islands. Despite losing consciousness multiple times during their return, Flt Lt Cruickshank assisted the second pilot with the landing. He returned to his career in banking after the war.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store