
London's first ‘cake picnic' welcomes hundreds of bakers — and a happy dog
At 8.50am they began trickling in, bearing pristine white cake boxes. At 9am hordes of bakers were making their way to the gleaming long tables set out on the parched lawns near Blackheath Gate, undeterred by the uncharacteristically chilly July morning. Tiered cakes, sandwich cakes, bundt cakes, traybakes, loaf cakes, dessert cakes; a steady parade of carbs was on the move, heading towards London's inaugural Cake Picnic.
Watching from a distance, megaphone in hand, was Elisa Sunga, 35, from San Francisco, a self-professed cake obsessive who dreamt up the idea of a mass cake gathering last year. 'I wanted to eat a lot of cake but I also didn't want to bake all those cakes by myself,' she explained. 'So I thought, if I create an event and make it a requirement that every attendee has to bring a whole cake, then I could eat cake in the park with my friends.'

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The Sun
7 minutes ago
- The Sun
Luke Littler, 18, kisses girlfriend Faith, 19, during walk-on for nail-biting World Matchplay Darts quarter-final win
LUKE LITTLER planted a kiss on new girlfriend Faith as the darts star continued his quest to become the youngest ever Triple Crown holder. The world champion, 18, later beat Andrew Gilding 16-14 in the quarter-finals at Winter Gardens in Blackpool on Friday night. 2 As the packed arena roared, and the tension built for his crucial clash, the camera panned to Littler making his grand entrance. And his partner Faith Millar, 19, looked every inch the proud girlfriend. Just before stepping onto the oche, Littler leaned in and gave Faith a tender smooch right there in front of thousands of screaming fans and millions watching live on TV. It was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment of affection that immediately sent social media into a frenzy, with fans cooing over the couple's cute display. And the kiss brought Littler good luck in the end, as he narrowly beat world No.28 Gilding. Gilding, 54, made it close, going within one leg of Littler, before the darts prodigy hit a perfect 11-darter to win it. Littler hit EIGHTEEEN 180s, with an average of 103 as he booked a place in the semi-final against either Gerwyn Price and Josh Rock. Littler said: "That last leg I just had to stay focused and get over the line. "He won a few on the bounce when I was sat on 15 legs but I just had to do a professional job in the end. "I didn't really panic. Andrew started to win a few legs, but that last leg against the darts as well, I just had to get over the line. Luke Littler stuns World Matchplay Darts with one of his greatest ever comebacks against Jermaine Wattimena "Andrews does what he does. He never goes out of rhythm. It's the same throw by throw and try and match him." Littler and girlfriend Faith were first pictured together in March. The 19-year-old is a beautician who met Littler in February. The couple jetted off with Littler's family to Spain last month. Littler previously dated Eloise Milburn, who cheered him on at his World Darts Championship debut in 2023. But the pair split after just 10 months in July 2024 after struggling to make time for each other. 2 The World No.2 picked up a Premier League title back in 2024 and followed it up by becoming the youngest ever world champion in January. 'The Nuke' now needs to win the iconic major at the Winter Gardens to add his name to another list of icons. Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson, and most recently Luke Humphries are the only four players to have completed the prestigious feat. Taylor, 16-times world champion, is still the only player to have completed the 'Triple Crown' in a singular darting season. List of all-time Darts World Champions BELOW is a list of darts world champions by year. The list does not include winners from the pre-Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) era or BDO world champions. That means Raymond van Barneveld, for example, is only listed once - Barney also won four BDO titles - and none of Eric Bristow's five BDO titles are included. 1994 - Dennis Priestley 1995 - Phil Taylor 1996 - Phil Taylor (2) 1997 - Phil Taylor (3) 1998 - Phil Taylor (4) 1999 - Phil Taylor (5) 2000 - Phil Taylor (6) 2001 - Phil Taylor (7) 2002 - Phil Taylor (8) 2003 - John Part 2004 - Phil Taylor (9) 2005 - Phil Taylor (10) 2006 - Phil Taylor (11) 2007 - Raymond van Barneveld 2008 - John Part (2) 2009 - Phil Taylor (12) 2010 - Phil Taylor (13) 2011 - Adrian Lewis 2012 - Adrian Lewis (2) 2013 - Phil Taylor (14) 2014 - Michael van Gerwen 2015 - Gary Anderson 2016 - Gary Anderson (2) 2017 - Michael van Gerwen (2) 2018 - Rob Cross 2019 - Michael van Gerwen (3) 2020 - Peter Wright 2021 - Gerwyn Price 2022 - Peter Wright (2) 2023 - Michael Smith 2024 - Luke Humphries 2025 - Luke Littler Most World Titles 14 - Phil Taylor 3 - Michael van Gerwen 2 - John Part, Adrian Lewis, Gary Anderson, Peter Wright 1 - Dennis Priestley, Raymond van Barneveld, Rob Cross, Gerwyn Price, Michael Smith, Luke Humphries, Luke Littler


Sky News
17 minutes ago
- Sky News
Grammy-winning jazz singer Dame Cleo Laine dies
Grammy-winning jazz singer Dame Cleo Laine has died aged 97. Dame Cleo was a leading figure of the British jazz scene for many years and worked with the likes of Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra. Her famed scat singing style, her remarkable range from tenor to contralto and her smoky voice made her Britain's most successful jazz singer, earning her the nickname the First Lady of Jazz. "It is with deepest sadness that we announce the passing of our dearly beloved mother, Cleo, who died peacefully yesterday afternoon," her children Jacqui and Alec Dankworth said. "We will all miss her terribly. The family wish to be given space to grieve and ask for privacy at this very difficult time." Dame Cleo's husband, saxophonist Sir John Dankworth, died aged 82 in 2010 after being a mainstay of the British jazz scene for more than 50 years. The couple founded a charity and venue called The Stables in 1970 to "ensure young people have access to great music and music education", David Meadowcroft, chairman of the charity, said, adding that The Stables would continue the couple's commitment. He added that Dame Cleo "was a remarkable performer who was loved by audiences around the world". Monica Ferguson, artistic director of The Stables, said the singer "will be greatly missed, but her unique talent will always be remembered". Born Clementina Dinah Campbell, the singer grew up with her Jamaican father and English mother in Southall, west London, where she was supported by her father's busking talents. She became a professional jazz singer in her mid-20s when she successfully auditioned for the Johnny Dankworth Seven in 1951 and changed her name to Cleo Laine. Seven years later, Dame Cleo married Sir John. Their son Alec was born in 1960, a year before his mother scored a top 10 hit with You'll Answer To Me, before daughter Jacqueline followed in 1963. In 1973, Dame Cleo and Sir John drew a sold-out crowd at New York's Carnegie Hall and launched a series of popular concerts. She received a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance for Cleo At Carnegie in 1986. In the 1997 Birthday Honours, the singer became the first British jazz artist to be made a dame. Her career was later also honoured with a Life Achievement Award at the British Jazz Awards in 2002.


Times
35 minutes ago
- Times
Why is Ellen DeGeneres selling her £22.5m UK home? Take our quiz
A well-known musician gave ex-prime minister Tony Blair a guitar worth £2,500 in 2002, according to newly released government files. Do you know who it was? Elsewhere, the Lionesses are making final preparations for Sunday's Euro 2025 final against Spain. Whose extra-time penalty against Italy got them there? From Prince George to the Prince of Darkness, see how well you've followed the news this week, and post your score in the comments below.