Headlines: Tackling junk food and museum could shut
Here's our daily pick of stories from across local websites in the West of England, and interesting content from social media.
Our pick of local website stories
There has been a strong reaction from social media users on a Weston Mercury piece about council tax going up in North Somerset, by 4.99% for Band D properties. You can read the comments here.Trowbridge is expecting to host the mayor from a Ukrainian town in order to sign a twinning charter, according to the Wiltshire Times. Kostopil would be the fifth location twinned with Trowbridge.The funeral of 24-year-old jockey Michael O'Sullivan – who won at Cheltenham Festival – was covered by Gloucestershire Live, who reported that hundreds attended the service in Glentane, Cork.And St Peter's Hospice has opened a superstore in Portishead in North Somerset, with Emma from Married at First Sight fame doing the honours.
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What to watch on social media
Thornbury and District Museum says it might be closing having received a letter saying its lease will not be renewed after 40 years on the site.This group of teens in Lockleaze have been litter picking in the area and have collected 125kg of it since last November. They are doing it as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Award, and have beenout every Saturday from last November until next month.Work on the fountains has started in Bristol city centre as the area is fenced off – as posted by local reporter Charlie Watts.And a campaign to tackle junk food by Swindon Borough Council is being extended, with adverts now expected at bus stops as well as on roundabouts and lampposts.
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Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Troubled Married At First Sight star returns to social media after barrage of worrying posts
Married At First Sight's Alana Lister made an unexpected return to social media after a long absence. The school teacher turned reality TV star took to Instagram on Wednesday to post an image of herself for the first time in three years. Alana showed off her figure in a orange crop top, white mini skirt and long boots as she posed along a beach shore. Fans flocked to the comments to express their excitement over her return, with one writing: 'So nice to see you Alana hope things are going well.' 'She's back,' another commented while a third said: 'Finally.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Her social media absence comes after she posted an array of concerning posts about being the victim of 'narcissistic abuse' and dealing with death threats several months ago. In the posts, she detailed allegations of shocking abuse against her in a series of Instagram slides. In the disturbing posts, Alana claimed she has been the victim of 'coercive control' and 'narcissistic abuse' which she likened to 'psychological warfare'. Though it is not known what exactly she was referring to, she detailed how a man who she became friends with ended up taking control of her life with his 'possessive and controlling' actions, including tracking her on social media. 'It's so difficult to explain this to those who have not experienced this level of trauma or witnessed the abuse by a narcissist,' one post read. In the concerning posts, Alana cryptically alleged that she had 'smear campaigns' launched against her and suffered death threats over the space of a year. She claimed that many of her friends and family 'turned against her' when she needed help as she detailed the very difficult period of her life. 'I had multiple smear campaigns launched against me targeting any person I could go to for support,' she wrote. 'This is why I have cut off so many friends and family from my life who turned against me when I needed help.' She detailed the alleged threats made against her in another slide, writing: 'Threats to kill my family, give me cancer, poison me with ricin, have my brakes cut, get a disease through spiked mosquitoes, bribe my niece's orthodontist, have a car accident, shot in the head, go missing, get raped, kill my sibling's pets, slit my throat, kill any child I have.' 'I can't remember them all there was so much I try to block out but this was over the period of a year,' she added. Responding to a fan who asked her why she had been the subject of such threats, Alana added: 'To keep my mouth shut about the hacking, stalking, harassment and abuse.' She went on to claim she was forced to move house twice because her property was broken into and trashed multiple times, while dead animals were also left outside her home. Alana also claimed her social media accounts were hacked and she was repeatedly 'bombarded with anonymous threats' online. 'I can't even mention some of the things as they are too disturbing and would honestly seem unbelievable,' she added. Alana claimed she is now 'healing' after the alleged abuse as she concluded her series of lengthy Instagram slides. Daily Mail Australia contacted Alana for additional comment. It is not the first time Alana has shared abuse allegations as she previously also revealed shocking allegations of abuse involving advanced sonic and electromagnetic devices. The distressing posts, shared back in May last year, left fans and followers deeply concerned about her wellbeing. In a lengthy and harrowing account, Alana described the horrific experiences she allegedly endured due to what she believes were targeted attacks using energy devices. 'Some particularly horrific abuse I was subjected to was by the use of emf (Electric and magnetic fields), sonic or energy devices. At this stage, I couldn't even leave my house any more and had to completely self-isolate for safety, but this was no escape,' she wrote. She claimed devices were used on her while she was sleeping, causing her to wake up in the middle of the night with her skin burning, a severe headache, and a need to vomit. The severity of the situation forced Alana to flee her home, seeking refuge in various hotels, but the torment followed her. 'Once this happened, I had to flee my home... but this only continued to each hotel I went to. Now the sounds were constant and being used for sleep deprivation too. I still to this day have faint ringing in my ears at night as a result of this,' she claimed. Adding to her distress, Alana claimed her phone was bombarded with disturbing images and memes. 'It was terrifying and I had no clue about this advanced tech so I couldn't report it for risk of coming across as crazy,' she added. Alana was born Sinead Chong and went by this name throughout primary and high school, a source told Daily Mail Australia in 2021. She was working as a school teacher when her big TV break came in the form of a role on season eight of Nine's hit dating show Married At First Sight. Alana exchanged vows with construction estimator Jason Engler during the experiment, and brazenly praised his prowess in the bedroom on live TV. Alana and Jason made it all the way to Final Vows, but split before the reunion when a vile video surfaced of him making homophobic comments about bisexual groom Liam Cooper. After her reality TV debut, for which she underwent a breast augmentation, Alana joined adult subscription-based website OnlyFans. She became one of the website's biggest stars, at one point raking in a rumoured $30,000 per month from her racy content.
Metro
9 hours ago
- Metro
Emma Watson's dad on why new Harry Potter child stars' parents should be 'scared
Emma Watson's father, Chris, has shared stark words about the pressures of childhood fame as HBO announces the leads of the Harry Potter TV remake. The reboot of the franchise (this time in TV format) is on everyone's lips after a slew of casting announcements culminated in the literary Golden Trio. Formerly played by Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma over the course of eight movies in the 2000s, the fresh cast will star Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione, and Alastair Stout as Ron. The three child actors – who beat out 30,000 other children for the coveted spots – have been flung into a whole new level of stardom last experienced by Emma, Rupert and Daniel, who are all now in their 30s. In an era of social media, and with more eyes than ever on the franchise and how this controversial remake will fare, Chris reflected on how tough it was to handle the pressure during Emma's rise to fame. He told Times Radio: 'As a parent, you have to be scared. This can be a very difficult thing for a parent and child to handle, or not. While there are many upsides, nothing is perfect. 'If [parents of the new Harry Potter cast] want to talk to someone who's been through this extraordinary experience, I would be more than happy to talk to them.'Emma Watson's father, Chris Watson, knew his daughter was a star when she came on stage in a school musical. — Times Radio (@TimesRadio) May 30, 2025 'You have to recognise there are going to be a whole load of downsides, some of them you couldn't have imagined. He added that 'normal life continued as far as possible' for a way to protect her and 'it certainly helped that I don't actually watch movies. It's not a big thing in the house, and so it was easier for us to keep her feet on the ground.' Before concluding: 'If [parents of the new Harry Potter cast] want to talk to someone who's been through this extraordinary experience, I would be more than happy to talk to them.' It's no secret that becoming the most recognised young actors in the world took its toll on the original three actors with the Little Women star previously speaking about her desire to exit the franchise halfway through. During one interview, she recalled the experience as 'very foggy'. Meanwhile, Daniel has been candid about his journey with sobriety after he started drinking during the filming of the movies. The actors who have signed up for the HBO series – including Nick Frost as Hagrid, John Lithgow as Dumbledore and Paapa Essiedu as Professor Snape – are already under immense scrutiny. I'm truly concerned about what will happen to the new Harry, Ron, and Hermione, plucked from childhood and obscurity and flung into stardom. Not only will this trio of unknown actors star in what will surely become one of the most heavily scrutinised TV shows this decade, but all under the creative jurisdiction of someone who has, in my view, opposed the rights of a marginalised community. We have already seen the dangers this level of fame can create, even before the author of the series descended into Twitter troll status There are all the elements for disaster waiting to happen – and while, for me, schadenfreude is tempting given Rowling's behaviour – I'm worried that these innocent children will be the collateral damage. Not least because the author behind Harry Potter, JK Rowling, has been slammed by many for her critical views of the transgender community, prompting calls to boycott the show. In an interview with The Times, Lithgow said: 'I thought, why is this a factor at all? I wonder how JK Rowling has absorbed it. I suppose at a certain point I'll meet her and I'm curious to talk to her.' Meanwhile, Nick is remaining optimistic as he spoke about his excitement to step into the role in a recent chat. 'I've gone in to do head sculpts and have your hand stand and stuff, and they say, 'Oh, have a look at this.' And you're like, 'Wow. That's the coolest thing.' 'I love films. I've loved cinema my whole life, so to be part of that universe now and that they're showing me, like, a dancing mushroom, it's like, 'That is so cool!' he said. More Trending After the announcement of Harry, Ron and Hermione's casting, Rowling tweeted: 'All three are wonderful. I couldn't be happier.' In a statement, executive producers Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod said: 'After an extraordinary search led by casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann, we are delighted to announce we have found our Harry, Hermione, and Ron. 'The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen. 'We would like to thank all the tens of thousands of children who auditioned. It's been a real pleasure to discover the plethora of young talent out there.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. View More » MORE: British acting legend new frontrunner to play Voldemort after Harry Potter casting updates MORE: Harry Potter fans annoyed about casting detail no one's got right in 25 years MORE: Here's why fans think Arabella Stanton as new Hermione is 'perfect casting'
Scottish Sun
13 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Inside the Ukrainian frontline strip club where brave dancers flout curfew to perform to punters enduring hell of war
'Our goal is to be a switch from what is happening,' says the club's owner DANCE THE PAIN AWAY Inside the Ukrainian frontline strip club where brave dancers flout curfew to perform to punters enduring hell of war AMID the missiles and misery of life on Ukraine's front line, there is one night-time spot which refuses to be beaten. In Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, the Flash Dancers strip club is still swinging - offering a temporary escape for the embattled locals. 9 The doors of Flash Dancers - a strip club in Kharkiv - remain open despite the raging war Credit: Getty 9 Club dancer Anny, 21, gets her costume and makeup ready ahead of a night of entertainment Credit: Getty 9 The women-owned business opens nightly - despite a strict 11pm curfew Credit: Getty Flash Dancers is a women-owned business which opens its doors every night - flouting the 11pm curfew. It offers exclusive, exotic entertainment to anyone who pays. Prostitution is illegal in Ukraine, so strip clubs find themselves in legal grey area. But the law was lightly applied before the war - and now the authorities seem to accept that momentary indulgence can be tolerated. Read more world news DIZZY HEIGHTS Inside world's craziest city where you never know which floor you're on Valeriya Zavadskaya, the club's co-owner, told Business Insider in 2023: "Our goal is to be a switch from what is happening." Her mother, a former professional Soviet dancer, opened the club a decade ago. The dancers arrive in the afternoon to practice their routines. By night time, they're dressed to the nines in ornate burlesque outfits to entertain their clients. The club is dimly lit in soft red glow as the doors swing open to welcome customers. There are never more than 20 in a night - and sometimes no one shows up. I went on holiday to UKRAINE - I fled £7-a-night hostel during air raid siren on first night…but it didn't spoil my trip More than a million residents have fled Kharkiv since war broke out, meaning fewer people are looking for entertainment. Drinks have also tripled in price since before fighting began. While the club is a haven for both staff and punters, the signs of war are inescapable. The windows on the three floors above the club are boarded up after an explosion in the city centre shattered every pane on the block. And Flash Dancers is underground, so it doubles up as an air-raid shelter. When the sirens sound, people scurry down to wait out rocket strikes in the red-leather booths surrounding the dance pole. But despite it all - the doors of Flash Dancers remain open. 9 Flash Dancers club owner Valeria Zavadksa trains a dancer before the club opens Credit: Getty 9 Zavadksa is a former professional Soviet dancer Credit: Getty 9 Pole dancer Nana performs at the club Credit: Getty Valeriya says: "It's something you can't say with words, but can tell with your body." Her founder mother Valeriia Kseniya now has a day job too as director of a small hotel. She told Business Insider: "For most of us in Ukraine today, it's difficult to earn a living in just one job." In 2014, she heard of a city-centre strip club closing down - and recognised her opportunity to bring her love of dance to the city she called home. With dreams of a modern-day Moulin Rouge, she hired a handful of women who could dance, and began crafting her vision. She says: "Everyone initially thought it was a club with happy endings. "Our position is that girls are not meat. Girls are about aesthetics, about femininity, about beauty." 9 Dancers Anny (left) and Nana share a drink as the club opens for business Credit: Getty 9 Ukrainian servicemen fire a Howitzer towards Russian troops on a front line in Ukraine's Kharkiv region Credit: Reuters
