Feathers fly as Derbyshire siblings go head to head in gull-screeching contest
Sibling rivalries are peculiar things. While some brothers and sisters show their competitive streak on the football pitch, in the exam hall, or by arguing over Sunday lunch, others opt to travel to Belgium to decide who is the best at screeching like a seagull.
As tens of thousands of their compatriots flocked to London for the marathon, Cooper Wallace, ten, from Chesterfield, Derbyshire, and his sister Shelby, seven, were showcasing the extremities of the human physique in a different contest.
Contestants travelled from all over Europe to take part in the screeching championship at the Belgian coastal resort of De Panne. The contest aims to build greater harmony between humans and gulls.
Last year Cooper won with 92 out of 100 points,
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Vogue Arabia
05-05-2025
- Vogue Arabia
A Century of Glamour, Restored: Inside the Rebirth of Madrid's Iconic Palace Hotel
It's called The Palace, and it could not be any other way. At the beginning of the last century, Madrid was a booming city, but there wasn't a single luxury hotel to host the well-heeled visitors who came to town. This was noticed by King Alfonso XIII – great-grandfather of the current king of Spain, Felipe VI – who, during the horse races in Deauville, challenged Belgian entrepreneur Georges Marquet to do something about it. Marquet's team moved to Madrid, acquired the plot previously occupied by the Palace of the Dukes of Medinaceli and began the construction of The Palace. The first stone of the hotel was laid in March 1911, and in only 18 months, the building was completed, opening its doors on 12 October 1912 and becoming the most modern hotel in Europe. Over the decades, an array of star guests stayed at the legendary venue, adding a layer of glamour to its reputation. World-famous American author Ernest Hemingway always booked the closest room by the bar, even mentioning its famous dry martini in the novel Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises . Picasso stayed several times in 1917 while designing sets for the Russian Ballet in Madrid. The mysterious spy Mata Hari enjoyed her last days of freedom at The Palace, before being arrested while trying to cross the border into France. The list goes on and on, including the double Nobel Prize winner in physics and chemistry Marie Curie, as well as Einstein, Salvador Dalí, Stravinsky, Strauss and so many more. The hotel has undergone several renovations over the years, with the most significant being finalised in 2024. The Palace has completed its restoration after nearly two years of work, and its rebirth is felt as soon as you approach its surroundings, right by the Plaza Mayor. After being repainted so many times, the facade lost its original colours and design, erasing some of its most important characteristics. And when it was built, only black-and-white photography existed. To rediscover the building's original colours – a warm beige tone with terracotta detailing – the Ruiz Larrea Arquitectura studio invested in a complex scientific analysis that penetrated 10 layers of old paint, also restoring floral ornaments and garlands. When The Palace first opened its doors, it had 800 rooms. Today, it offers 470 rooms and suites. The hotel was the largest and most advanced hotel in Europe, and the first in Spain to offer a bathroom and telephone in every room. Naturally, when it was time to refresh its interiors, star architect Lázaro Rosa Violán sought to preserve this important historical essence. Violán is one of Spain's most reputed names in design, having created El Nacional, Cotton House Hotel and Amazónico. His influence also extends to the Middle East, where he worked on Dubai's Gattopardo, Bar des Prés and Bâoli Beach Club. 'We wanted to create something modern, but not trendy,' Violán explains,noting that the inspiration for the rooms came from the hotel surroundings. 'Blue is the dominant colour, referencing the skies of Madrid,' he says. 'There are also botanical elements inspired by the surrounding gardens, and even mythological creatures referencing the Neptuno Fountain next door. We also added fireplaces to all units, to make guests feel really at home.' If you visit The Palace, you will quickly discover that its ex libris is the glamorous La Cúpula, the restaurant under a dramatic glass dome designed in 1912 by Eduardo Ferrés I Puig and executed by the master glass-makers Mauméjean – also involved in the glasswork of Barcelona's monumental Sagrada Familia. With a cascade of bright and romantic floral motifs, the structure is made up of 1,875 panes of glass, which were completely dismantled, catalogued and restored to their original colours. Moving from the lobby, the iconic palm chandelier was reinstalled in its original position beneath the dome, crowning the space with its original grandeur. 'When you have a project of this calibre, you need to respect history and let it always lead the process,' concludes Violán. 'The Palace is an icon, not just a hotel.' Rooms start at 550 Euros per night.
Times
27-04-2025
- Times
Feathers fly as Derbyshire siblings go head to head in gull-screeching contest
Sibling rivalries are peculiar things. While some brothers and sisters show their competitive streak on the football pitch, in the exam hall, or by arguing over Sunday lunch, others opt to travel to Belgium to decide who is the best at screeching like a seagull. As tens of thousands of their compatriots flocked to London for the marathon, Cooper Wallace, ten, from Chesterfield, Derbyshire, and his sister Shelby, seven, were showcasing the extremities of the human physique in a different contest. Contestants travelled from all over Europe to take part in the screeching championship at the Belgian coastal resort of De Panne. The contest aims to build greater harmony between humans and gulls. Last year Cooper won with 92 out of 100 points,
Times
25-04-2025
- Times
Birdsong battle: meet the finch fanciers reviving a medieval competition
Once the flag goes up, a reverential hush descends on the finch fanciers. None of the contestants hunched over boxes in this corner of Flanders not far from Ypres makes a sound, not even a cough. Then, one by one, their birds burst into song. The crowd that gathers to watch the curious events in the Belgian town of Geluveld on Saturday will be witnessing one of the world's oldest competitions, in which finches are encouraged to sing the most songs in an hour by their owners. Although next to nobody has heard of his hobby, even at home, Gino Welvaert says it is growing popular to become a vinkenier, or finch fancier, a centuries-old Flemish tradition. For elite competitors, he explains, the moments
