Family 'heartbroken' as missing sailor named as London father Charles Todd
According to the Préfecture maritime de l'Atlantique, the distress call was detected approximately 80km (50 miles) west of Lacanau at about 15:00 local time (14:00 GMT).As part of the rescue operation, French officials said a Portuguese cargo ship and a Spanish hospital vessel were both diverted to the area and to help with the search, alongside the French navy.But, at 01:33 (00:33 GMT) the following morning the Préfecture maritime de l'Atlantique said the search was suspended "due to a lack of new information".
In a tribute, Mr Todd's daughter, Nadine Gowan, told the BBC her father was sailing to the Caribbean via the Canary Islands when the tragedy occurred.His family described him as a "loving, charismatic, young-at-heart" and as someone "who lived life to the full".They added that Mr Todd was born in Ghana and moved to Manchester when he was young.
He was a keen musician, a skilled carpenter and lived in Germany for 25 years where he ran his own joinery business, the family said.Mr Todd returned to London in 2004 and was a well-respected member of the Greenwich Yacht Club for over a decade.The family has expressed their gratitude to the French rescue teams and the British Consulate in Bordeaux.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ITV News
6 minutes ago
- ITV News
World's oldest person from Surrey celebrates 116th birthday
London Surrey Oldest person The world's oldest person, Ethel Caterham from Surrey, celebrates her 116th birthday today. Ethel and her family said they "are so grateful for all of the kind messages and interest shown to her as she celebrates her 116th birthday this year." The 116-year-old said she will be "spending the day quietly with her family so that she can enjoy it at her own pace." Ethel became the oldest living person after 116-year-old Brazilian nun Sister Inah Canabarro died on 30 April 2025, as verified by Guinness World Records. Ethel is the youngest person to be named the oldest woman in the last 12 years, at the age of 115 years and 252 days. She was born in Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, on 21 August 1909 - the second youngest of eight children. Ethel lived in India when she was 18, working as a nanny for a British family. She met her husband Norman, who was a major in the British army, at a dinner party in 1931, and they were stationed in Hong Kong and Gibraltar, the GRG said. They got married at Salisbury Cathedral in 1933, and had two daughters, Gem and Anne, whom they raised in the UK. Ms Caterham's husband died in 1976. Born in 1909, Ethel is believed to be the last surviving subject of King Edward VII. The title of the oldest person ever is held by French woman Jeanne Calment, who lived to 122 years 164 days, according to Guinness World Records.
Powys County Times
36 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Spanish overtakes French to become most popular foreign language GCSE
Spanish has become the most popular foreign language for GCSE students after overtaking French for the first time. The popularity of Spain as a holiday destination, as well as its standing as a 'global language' may have contributed to the GCSE's success, it was suggested. But while the increase in Spanish entries has been seen as a positive step, there are concerns about the impact of declines in entries for other foreign languages, such as French and German. Entries for GCSE Spanish were up 2.6% this year – from 133,395 in 2024 to 136,871 in 2025, figures published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) – which cover England, Wales and Northern Ireland – show. Meanwhile, entries for French dropped to 132,808 – down 1.4% from 134,651 last year. German continued to see a fall in entries – down 7.0% this year compared with 2024 (from 35,913 to 33,391 entries). Vicky Gough, British Council schools adviser, said the growing popularity of Spanish shows 'real appetite for language learning'. She said: 'We need the success of Spanish reflected across all languages through exchanges, cultural programmes and real-world connections that demonstrate why languages matter. 'Our research also reveals a significant socioeconomic gap: pupils in the top fifth of the most advantaged state schools in England are around 32% more likely to take a language GCSE than their peers elsewhere, meaning many young people from less privileged backgrounds miss out on opportunities their peers benefit from. 'At a time of increasing global tension, helping young people connect across borders, build friendships and foster trust has never been more important. 'We must ensure access to language learning for all, it remains a powerful gateway to opportunity and a more connected future.' Jill Duffy, chief executive of the OCR exam board and chairwoman of the JCQ board, said: 'Spanish is a massive global language, lots of people around the world speak it and also, as we know, Spain is a popular holiday destination for Brits, so that might have contributed to Spanish overtaking French this year.' Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said falls in French and German are a 'source of concern'. He said: 'The rising popularity of Spanish is great to see, but we cannot escape the fact that over the past 20 years or so there has been a massive decline in language take-up overall. 'It is imperative that we find ways of promoting a love of languages or we will become an increasingly monolingual society with consequent implications for our ability to trade and travel abroad.' Sir Ian Bauckham, chief of England's exam regulator, Ofqual, said the numbers taking German are now 'really quite small.' He told PA: 'I think it's important that students continue to have the opportunities for speaking languages and learning languages, not only because of the intrinsic enjoyment that the process of learning a language and being able to speak it can bring, but also because it's important that young people leave school with the ability to communicate with speakers of other languages in other countries.'
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Historic bridge in Scots city CLOSED over safety concerns
An update was revealed on when the bridge could reopen again CROSS IT OFF CROSS IT OFF Historic bridge in Scots city CLOSED over safety concerns A HISTORIC footbridge in a Scottish city has been forced to closed over safety concerns. The 140-year-old Infirmary Bridge in Inverness was shut to the public two weeks ago on August 7. 2 The Infirmary Bridge in Inverness will be closed until early September Credit: Google A routine inspection found that a hanger which holds the bottom cord of the bridge deck had sheared. Advertisement And in the interest of public safety, it will remain closed off until it's repaired. An engineer visited the site for further inspection. It has now been revealed that the bridge is set to be reopened in early September, the BBC reports. The update was revealed to councillors on the economy and infrastructure committee. Advertisement Highland Council assistant chief executive Malcolm MacLeod said that offers to carry out the work had been put forward from specialist contractors. He added that a firm would be appointed soon to carry out the repairs. The historic bridge over the River Ness was built back in 1881. It is located near the cathedral and is one of several pedestrian suspension bridges in the city. Advertisement Last year, Highland Council planned to start making repairs to the bridge. Historic UK bridge COLLAPSES after being smashed into by train sparking delays throughout weekend However, the work was delayed. Local authority chiefs said the scheme had been pushed back because money was needed for other projects.
