Train disruption expected by GWR due to crew shortages
GWR apologised for the disruption and said it would run a limited rail replacement bus service "where possible", along some of the routes affected.The company added that due to the complexity of updating timetable systems, journey planning apps are unlikely to show the changes until Sunday morning.Those who have already booked a ticket but decide not to travel can claim a full refund from the GWR website.
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Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Sephora shoppers queue overnight for 12 hours as new store opens in the Manchester Arndale
Hundreds of people queued up for the opening of a Sephora in Manchester this morning - with one couple sleeping overnight to be the first to experience the new beauty store. At the very front of the line was make-up fan Frances, 19, who was accompanied by Shiv, 20. They had been camping in the Manchester Arndale Shopping Centre since 8:50pm last night. The pair, from Barnsley, West Yorkshire, had had no sleep between them, running on one red bull and a few coffees. They only left the queue to go to the toilet in Walkabout bar. Frances, who works as a teaching assistant said: 'I missed the Trafford Centre opening because I was working, so I was so annoyed. But I knew I wanted to make this one.' The UK's tenth Sephora follows on from the brand's first Greater Manchester store, which opened inside the Trafford Centre last year. Kait Turnbull brought her 10-year-old daughter Ruby who she called 'beauty obsessed'. They woke up at 5am to arrive at 5:45am and even got stuck in the Arndale car park. The mother said: 'We got in and then because it's so early and the shops aren't open yet the lifts wouldn't work and we were stuck.' Ruby has previously visited the Trafford Centre Sephora store as well as the one in London. She said she is most looking forward to trying the new Sol de Janeiro fragrance - Sundays in Rio - and anything Tower 28. Kait joked: 'I'm just the chauffeur and the credit card.' The Sephora fan said she was most looking forward to securing a Charlotte Tilbury Contour Stick, but that she wanted to browse the whole store and didn't know what she might end up with. By 9am, there were 400 people in the queue which snaked across the ground floor of the Arndale shopping centre, and by 10am there were more than 500. Michelle Kirkbride, from Doncaster, brought her daughter Jessica to the Sephora opening since they missed the store opening at Meadowhall - which would have been more local to them. This will be the first Sephora store they have visited in the UK, with Jessica adding: 'I want to look at everything.' Jessica and Michelle have visited Sephora a few times in the US, including in New York and Florida, but they are excited to have one that's more local and to be able to attend the opening day. Throughout the morning, staff members handed out little samples and goodies to the committed beauty lovers, including makeup, skincare, Sephora-branded bucket hands, and giant fingers. During the Trafford Centre store opening in May 2024, people waited in the queue all night to be the first through the doors to secure one of the goodie bags, which were set out for the first 800 shoppers. For the Arndale opening, Sephora changed its approach, and customers were told the traditional 'first in line' model would be replaced with a new Sephora 'Beauty Bonus Card' mechanic, which would give more shoppers the chance to win. Throughout the opening weekend, every customer who makes a purchase will receive a Beauty Bonus Card which will give shoppers the opportunity to win one of eight incredible prizes on the spot, including a Sephora goodie bag, a mystery lucky dip, free 30-minute makeup services plus more prizes. The new store has taken over 4,618 square feet on the lower ground of the Arndale next to other beauty giant, Superdrug. The unit used to be home to the H&M-owned fashion retailer, Monki, which shuttered back in January after occupying the space for almost seven years.
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Much-loved UK theme park reveals new rainy day guarantee – with free return after bad weather
THE WORLD'S top place to take bored kids this summer, which is in the UK, has announced a new rainy day guarantee scheme. Blackpool Pleasure Beach Resort has introduced a free return for ticketholders who attend the attraction on a day that rains. 4 4 The new policy means that guests will always have a great visit to the attraction, because if the weather is poor they can return on a day where it is better. The policy will be in place throughout August and it will need to rain for more than three hours on the day of their trip. If this does happen, then guests can return for free within seven days of their original visit date. CEO of Pleasure Beach Resort, Amanda Thompson OBE said: "It's important to us that guests have the best time when visiting, and while technically speaking the rain doesn't affect our rides, we wouldn't want the wet weather to dampen anyone's day. "We truly believe that you can have a great time at Pleasure Beach come rain or shine, but we know that everything is extra special when the weather is on side." If a guest wants to use a rainy day return, they should arrive at the same ticket centre on the day of their return visit and display their eTickets, paper tickets or confirmation email to staff. The new option can also be used seven days of the week. Blackpool Pleasure Beach resort was also recently named as one of the best attractions to bust kids being bored. created an index compiling the best attractions to take kids to this summer and the Lancashire-based attraction managed to beat the likes of Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando. Overall, it scored 31.3 out of a possible 35 marks. First look at new 'tallest of its kind' ride to open at English seaside theme park The attraction is home to 10 rollercoasters, five 'dark' (indoor) rides, five water rides and 12 Nickelodeon-themed rides. Throughout the year, Blackpool Pleasure Beach Resort also hosts a number of shows, including fireworks. Earlier this year, the reimagining of Launch Pad was unveiled, which climbs up to 80 mph and sends riders 210 ft into the air. Banish Boredom Index was made by analysing reviews from over 160 destinations, and the UK dominated the top 20. 4 These included the likes of the Tower of London, Ribby Hall Village, and Warner Bros. Studio Tour London all made the list. Some other attractions across the UK offer rainy day guarantees, such as Crealy Adventure Park in Devon. The attraction offers visitors a free return within seven days of their original visit if there is 30 minutes or more of continuous rainfall during their visit. It is worth checking the FAQs or T&Cs of your tickets to an attraction to see if the theme park, adventure park or other destination offers the same guarantee. Use these tips on your next theme park trip Next time you visit a theme park, you may want to use our top tips to make the most of your adrenaline-inducing day out. Go to the back of the theme park first. Rides at the front will have the longest queues as soon as it opens. Go on water rides in the middle of the day in the summer - this will cool you off when the sun is at its hottest. Download the park's app to track which rides have the shortest queues. Visit on your birthday, as some parks give out "birthday badges" that can get you freebies. If it rains, contact the park. Depending on how much it rained, you may get a free ticket to return. There is also a unique UK theme park with safaris, water park and rides for everyone from toddlers to grandparents. Plus, Disney is set to open a brand new theme park and resort – here's everything we know. 4
Telegraph
3 hours ago
- Telegraph
Pilgrimage route at risk of ruin from ‘prison camp' style solar farm
An ancient British pilgrimage route is at risk of being blighted by a solar farm that residents have compared to a prisoner of war camp. The green energy site is proposed on St James's Way – the English segment of the Camino Way, which leads to Santiago de Compostela in Spain and has been used for 1,000 years. Residents in the rural village of Monk Sherborne, in Hampshire, said the 216-acre solar farm and its 9ft-high security wall would make it 'look like Stalag Luft III'. There have already been over 50 objections to the proposal – due to be built on land owned by Queen's College, Oxford – with several citing the harm it may cause to St James's Way. The 68-mile route from Reading to Southampton forms an important part of the Camino Way, which became the first road on the Unesco World Heritage Site list in 1993. Paul Cave, 72, a retired consultant and local councillor said: 'With the over two metre-high wall around the outside, it will look like Stalag Luft III. It will be like a scene from The Great Escape. 'I think the people that made the decisions did so on Google Maps from their desks. We haven't seen them out there at the right times looking at the effects it will have on people.' If built, the solar farm would also surround numerous Roman sites, including a recently uncovered villa, a Grade I-listed church and the grave of George Austen, the brother of the author Jane, which is in the churchyard. The site, known as the Stokes Lane Solar Farm, will provide energy to power 9,390 homes annually and will operate for 40 years. Concerns have also been raised about the environmental impact of the development on local wildlife, including skylarks, hares, owls and badgers. Simon Minas-Bound, who sits on Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, said: 'I just can't believe that, out of all the places in the area, this is the one that they chose.' He said he feared it would cause permanent damage to the landscape and was 'setting a dangerous precedent for future developments'. Kim Fleming, 60, who has been a resident of the village for 18 years, said the solar farm 'will directly impact on the extremely small yet historically significant village'. She added: 'We just feel totally betrayed by Queens College Oxford. We feel this massive solar farm will engulf this village, swallow it up and it will not have any benefit for the village.' Company director Bryony Crowther, 51, said she has 'nothing against solar per se', but was critical of the carbon footprint associated with 'a foreign company using panels imported from China'. She added that the solar farm would be almost bigger than the entire village, and said: 'Please, please see sense and help protect our English villages and communities.' Monk Sherborne Parish Council's letter of objection said: 'While we acknowledge the role of renewable energy in meeting national sustainability targets, this proposal is unsuitable for its intended location due to the significant and lasting harm it would cause to the local landscape, ecology, and heritage assets.' A spokesperson for Solar2, the renewable energy developer behind the proposal, said: 'Viewed within the context of the climate emergency, energy security, environmental degradation, and growing risks to UK food production, this proposal is a necessary and urgent response. 'We believe the need for projects such as Stokes Lane Solar Farm outweigh their minimal and localised impacts – a view that we explain consistently through our engagement strategy.'
