Real-life Chicken Run as stowaway hen catches ride on lorry for 25 miles
The hen found itself on a version of the children's animated film by clambering into a trailer at a farm in Hartwell, Northamptonshire, and ending up in the town of Irthlingborough.
It was only after the road maintenance workers driving the lorry arrived that a resident spotted the feathered hitch-hiker running around the cul-de-sac and asked them if it belonged to them.
Together, they worked to catch the bird before she was put safely into the cab while the workers continued with their pothole repairs.
Luke Stinson, a workman, shared his tuna sandwich and water in a tea mug with the chicken before transporting her back home.
Mr Stinson said: 'I left the farm where these lorries are stored, drove past the A45 past Billing, to Irthlingborough to carry out some maintenance work on the roads.
'We stopped outside a gentleman's house and the chap said 'is that your chicken?'
'I said what chicken? Whereupon, me and the helpful gentleman ran round the cul-de-sac chasing the chicken and rescued it.
'We're going to take it back to the farm where it belongs.'
Crew members believe the bird had been roosting on their truck near a hopper filled with road mending grit.
Mr Stinson added: 'It's done some miles and it's been sat on the back of the lorry going 56mph on the dual carriageway, so it's done bloomin' well to get here.
'I just can't believe it – it's a 25-mile drive.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
3 days ago
- The Guardian
You can mute – but you can never leave. Why have WhatsApp groups become so stressful?
It's the new last taboo. Officially added to the list of topics you absolutely must not discuss, along with politics, money and religion: the WhatsApp side group. Apparently nobody told Melanie C from the Spice Girls though, because she has just revealed far too much about theirs. 'There are subgroups within the group,' she told the Sydney Morning Herald's Sunday Life magazine. 'I definitely know there is a chat group that doesn't contain me, but somewhere else we keep Ginger or Posh out.' Staying up to date with your side chats – not least ensuring each message you send doesn't go on the wrong thread – is the most anxiety-ridden full-time job most of us have ever had. A friend of mine has a group with five mums from her daughter's class, and another whittled down to four of them, then more with three, two and one. How she keeps track without the use of a murder investigation board with red strings pinned to photographs is genuinely a mystery. The latest data tells us what we already knew: WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app in the world with more than 3 billion monthly active users. I think at this point I'm in a group with all of them. There's no faster, easier, more convenient way of staying in touch and making arrangements – and that's the problem. It's so quick and simple to set up a group that any social situation including more than two participants seems to result in one being formed. Often the conversation goes on, whether out of desire or politeness, long after the event has passed. This method of interacting can lead you down some ludicrous avenues, such as the recent debate I found myself in about whether 'hearting' an invitation means you're simply thanking the person for their kind offer or formally accepting it in a legally binding manner. (For the record, it's the former, right?) Complicating matters further is that we're not only in groups with our mates, but also those we know only barely, or sometimes not at all. I'm on a local WhatsApp group, formed to support quarantining neighbours in 2020, that's now a forum for questions that could have been Googled, passive-aggressive comments, and generous offers of free furniture people can't be bothered to take to the tip. It's filled with characters I've mostly never met but feel intimately acquainted with, and I have several side groups with friends on my road discussing the more controversial posts. Even the profile picture is divisive – one member's cat, Daisy, who half the street love and enjoy sharing sightings of, and the other half (secretly) hate because she defecates on their doorsteps. Recently a newcomer who'd left his back door open in the hot weather reported that Daisy had strolled into his house and started eating his dinner, with photographs to prove it. My phone got so hot through side-chat action I was worried it might explode. Worth it. It's fast becoming second nature to double check that each message is being put on the correct thread before posting, like the modern equivalent of the adage 'measure twice because you can only cut once'. Deleting, even if you're so lightning quick nobody had yet read it, leaves a notification that's such a clear admission of guilt you may as well have not bothered. Imagine what everyone would be saying in the side chats about you then! I took a vow of silence on our school chat when a fellow mum's husband read ours over her shoulder and observed sagely: 'No one comes out of this looking good, do they?' Legend has it that another class has a note pinned to the top of their group with the rules that must be abided by within, including, 'No LOLs.' The author's ears must have been warmer than my phone the day she typed that. And anyway, there's only one real law when it comes to WhatsApp groups and subgroups – muting the thread is fine, but actually exiting is not the done thing. Whatever you preface your farewell with, those you leave behind will get the message '*Your name* has left the group', with all the hair flicking and flouncing out that implies. Etiquette-wise, it's a no. You've made/been added without consent to your WhatsApp bed, and now you will lie in it for the rest of your life. A la the Hotel California, you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Daily Record
22-07-2025
- Daily Record
Professional theatre company staging summer family pantomime in Ayrshire
Ginger & Jester Productions will showcase their newest production Hansel & Gretel this week. A professional theatre company will play it for laughs when they stage a summer family pantomime this week. Ayr-based Ginger & Jester Productions, a local theatre firm led by industry professionals, present their newest production Hansel & Gretel, which was never done as a pantomime before. Abbie Watson, co-producer, choreographer and musical director, said: "We are really looking forward to Hansel & Gretel. It's never been done as a pantomime before but we think it works really well and everyone will love it. "We have some students from our Ayrshire Youth Theatre (AYT) in it as well as professional actors, but the whole cast is outstanding - the comedy, the singing, everything. "Our youngest cast member who's playing Gretel is brilliant. She first came to AYT as we were rehearsing for The Wicked of Oz. She played Auntie Gem, and absolutely raised the roof, so she's definitely one to look out for. "The audience can expect toe tapping tunes, bent over laughter and just a right good time out to see a show." Abbie, 31, with co-producer Jerry Taylor, who is also a writer and director, have done three productions since they started the company in December 2024. Their newest production is running from this Thursday, July 24 until Saturday, July 26 with shows starting at 7pm, as well as a Saturday Matinee show at 2pm. The show will be held at The Tattie Shack in Monktonhill. Abbie added: "A very big shout out to Lizanne and Andrew from The Tattie Shack who have been absolutely amazing and have bent over backwards for us. The team and staff there are all so welcoming and friendly as well as the food being delicious." Abbie and Jerry have also bagged a huge deal as the new producers of Cumbernauld Theatre's Christmas pantomime, Baltic, later this year. The panto will be running from November 22 until December 24. Abbie said: "This is a huge scale panto and we can't wait to get started. Our cast are phenomenal and the team at Cumbernauld are absolutely a dream to work with. As well as that, we are also producing a Family Pantomime in Ayr at the same time, Beauty & the Beast, which will be held at Belmont Academy on December 20 and December 21."
New Statesman
18-06-2025
- New Statesman
This England: From the carvery
The annual Lambeth Country Show featured some star names this year – in the form of vegetables. The free festival, taking place in south London's Brockwell Park, included a carved vegetables competition, with sculptures portraying figures such as Dolly Parton and the Pope. There were some excellent puns accompanying the artwork, including 'Mo Salad' and a papal 'Cornclave'. BBC News (Amanda Welles) Turtley smitten A lovelorn tortoise which escaped to find a mate 11 months ago has been found just a mile away: an average speed of just 0.00012mph. Ginger dug under a garden fence before making a slow getaway across countryside fields looking for love following the death of her long-time companion, Fred. She was finally found behind a pub by a horse rider in Stanton, Gloucestershire. Owner Sarah-Jane Muirie, 51, is celebrating the return of Ginger, whom Muirie has owned since she was ten. Cotswold Journal (Daragh Brady) Neighbourhood swatch Social media influencers who flock to a vibrantly coloured neighbourhood for selfies have annoyed residents so much that some have resorted to painting their homes black to thwart them. Owners of three neighbouring homes in Notting Hill, west London – where properties often sell for more than £2m – have used the tactic to put off posing visitors. And a residents' group is urging more to follow suit to 'restore peace and privacy to our community'. David Lamming (Metro) [See also: Gen-Z is afraid of porn, and Sabrina Carpenter] Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Related
