HGV 'rolling roadblock' on M1 saves orphan ducklings
Brinsley Animal Rescue in Nottinghamshire said the baby birds were left "distressed" on the central reservation of the motorway, where the mother duck lay dying.
They were saved when lorry drivers "created a rolling roadblock" and allowed people to retrieve the stricken mallards.
They are now being cared for by the charity, which said it has about 40 birds currently in its care.
John Beresford, co-founder of the centre, said he was called on Friday morning by a woman who had helped another group of birds the day before.
"Apparently a mother duck was crossing the M1 and was over at the central reservation when sadly she'd been hit by a car," he said.
"All her ducklings were crowded round and very distressed, and amazingly some HGVs actually created a rolling roadblock to slow all the traffic down while someone went over.
"A builder apparently gave a bucket off his van, and they scooped all the ducklings up [then] let the traffic carry on with its journey and saved them all.
"It's truly amazing that people would go to such lengths to save 12 ducklings. To get across four lanes of carriageway to save them could have been pretty dangerous, so it's amazing what the HGVs did."
Follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.
Ducklings left 'orphaned' by hit-and-run driver
Brinsley Animal Rescue
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Edinburgh church buys 60-foot-long canal boat for community outreach service
A SCOTTISH church has bought a 60-foot-long canal boat. Polwarth Parish Church in Edinburgh has taken over full ownership of "All Aboard" as part of a community outreach service. Formally part-owned by the church and a social innovation charity called People Know How, the 60-ft long vessel began operating on the Union Canal in September, 2021. But it has lain unused since November last year after the charity ceased operating and eventually closed down. READ MORE: Following the legal transfer of ownership, Polwarth Parish Church, with the support of Edinburgh and West Lothian Presbytery and funding from the TOR Christian Foundation, has now taken over. A coordinator will soon be in place, supported by a team of volunteers, to provide a community outreach service to groups on the Union Canal, which connects Edinburgh and Falkirk, free of charge. The congregation is holding a coffee morning at the church on Saturday, August 23 between 10-12pm to raise funds. Dawn Purves, a member of the All Aboard management board, said: "It is with great joy and delight that Polwarth Parish Church has taken full-ownership of the canal boat and we're desperate to use it again for mission outreach and to bring the wider community together. "It is very popular with groups and in the seven months prior to November last year, nearly 1,000 people used the boat." She added: "We are looking forward to once again welcoming a wide variety of groups that support the wellbeing, wholeness and development of others and using it as a congregation to share the Good News of Jesus Christ to people of all ages. "The boat is a key part of the church's mission outreach, used to welcome the stranger as Jesus commanded, and activities will take place whether it is sailing on the canal or moored at the pontoon. "We will be encouraging groups from nearby churches to use the boat for Sunday School, Bible studies and prayer sessions." Purves went on: 'Plans are evolving and we hope very soon to have access for all users with the purchase of special stairs that turn into an accessible lift at the bow end. "The coffee morning this Saturday in the Drennan Hall and gardens will help raise funds for the running of the boat.' "Visitors will be able to visit the boat, which will not be sailing, and can meet the new mascot, MacBoaty. "All are warmly welcome to join us to celebrate All Aboard's return to action on the Union Canal."
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Portsmouth student from Turkey aims for Oxbridge after all grade 9 GCSE success
A teenager who came to the UK six years ago from Turkey is celebrating after receiving all grade 9s in his GCSEs. Tuna Lokman achieved grade 9 in all of his subjects as well as an A in additional maths at Portsmouth Grammar School. He said: 'I feel good, it was a long three months but it really paid off, hopefully I can carry it on into A-levels.' The 16-year-old from Portsmouth, Hampshire, said his 'dream' was then to get into Oxford or Cambridge to study maths or data science. His mother, Banu, who had tears in her eyes as her son told her his results, said: 'He moved to the UK when he was 10 years old, his language was not English so I thought it would be really difficult for him, that's why I am so emotional. 'It has been an emotional journey for us these five years but it's paid off.' Livs Cook, 16, from Bognor Regis, West Sussex, achieved all 9s apart from an 8 in Spanish and will go on to study A-levels in biology, maths, psychology and English Literature. She said: 'I am very happy, I worked pretty hard, just happy it all paid off. 'It got less stressful as it went on, by the last one I wasn't so stressed.' Her mother, Vicki, said: 'We are really proud, she worked incredibly hard.' Josie Wilson-Smith, 16, from Waterlooville, said: 'I did really well, very happy, all 8s and 9s apart from a 6 in Greek. 'I worked really hard and it paid off which means a lot.' Hattie Broadbridge, 16, from Fareham, achieved all 9s apart from an 8 in geography. The wannabe vet said: 'I'm really happy, I was stressed coming in today as I felt some of the exams didn't go amazing, but they did.' Navishka Kamal, 16, from Portsmouth, said: 'I did really well, I am happy with it. 'A lot of it was being pushed by my friends, it was a group effort, I definitely couldn't have done it without them.' Simone Hellyer, 15, from Portsmouth, said that she was going to celebrate with a game of cricket later. She said: 'I did alright, middle of the road, I got what I needed.'
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
GCSE gender gap at narrowest point this century
The gap in GCSE results between boys and girls is now at its narrowest point this century. While girls are still outperforming their male classmates in terms of both top grades and reaching at least a 4/C, their results dropped slightly this year. The narrowing of the gender gap could be down to a combination of reasons, including societal pressures on girls and the continuing impact of the pandemic, education experts suggested. Overall, nearly a quarter (24.5%) of girls' GCSE entries were awarded at least a grade 7/A compared to almost a fifth of boys' entries (19.4%): a 5.1 percentage point gap, according to figures published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ). Last year, 24.7% of girls' entries scored one of the top grades, compared to 19.0% of those from boys: a 5.7 percentage point gap. This is the narrowest lead enjoyed by girls since at least 2000, which is the earliest archive data available. Meanwhile, 70.5% of girls' GCSE entries were awarded at least a grade 4/C compared to 64.3% of boys' entries – a 6.2 percentage point gap – again the smallest gap in 25 years. In 2024, 71.0% of girls' entries scored at least a grade 4/C, against 64.2% of boys' – a gap of 6.8 percentage points. Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: 'While we're pleased that boys' GCSE outcomes have improved this year, it is obviously not such good news that girls' outcomes have slightly fallen. 'It is hard to say why this might be the case, and we would welcome further research to identify the factors involved. 'We do know that there are significant pressures on adolescent girls because of wider societal issues around idealised and misogynistic online content and its real-world consequences. 'It would not be surprising if the resulting stress and anxiety impacted on academic performance. 'However, girls continue to outperform boys at GCSE and we also need to deal with the issue of how we improve the aspirations of some groups of boys who currently struggle in the education system.' Jon Andrews, head of analysis and director for school system and performance at the Education Policy Institute (EPI) said: 'As expected, the overall grade distribution for this year is similar to what we have seen in each of the last two years. 'But what is notable is that, while girls continue to outperform boys, the gap continues to close. Our previous analysis showed that girls' outcomes were particularly affected by the pandemic, and there are worrying trends around girls' wellbeing.' A report published by the EPI last year found a narrowing of the gap in reading attainment among primary school boys and girls. While girls remained ahead, their outcomes were the same as before the pandemic, while there was an improvement in boys' reading. Among secondary school pupils, the research found a similar picture – with outcomes for girls falling, while those for their male peers remained largely the same. Ofqual chief Sir Ian Bauckham told PA: 'It has been observed that the gender gap is now at a lower level than it has been for the last 20 years or so, which I think broadly speaking should be taken as good news because a gap in the performance of girls and boys is clearly not something that should be seen as desirable at all. 'As to the reasons why we see these long-term changes, I think it's much harder to be certain. I think there are probably lots of reasons contributing to it. 'It may be different trends that have arisen as a result of the return to normal after the pandemic, but it may be wider social factors as well.'
