Headlines: Dinosaur thefts, Robbie concert and duck races
Part of these railings are to be removed to allow concert equipment into the Royal Crescent in Bath
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
Two large animatronic dinosaurs from a Bristol company have been stolen from a car park in Essex, reports ITV News West Country. Raptors World had named the costumes Rexy and Yoshi and said it has been hit "incredibly hard" by the theft.
Parts of the railings at the world famous Royal Crescent in Bath have been removed in preparation for an upcoming Robbie Williams concert, according to Somerset Live.
Burnham-on-sea.com reported on local darts star Gary Anderson winning the European Darts Grand Prix for the second year in a row over the weekend
And the Swindon Advertiser was at the scene of a popular rubber duck race in Wroughton, which saw hundreds of plastic ducks "race" down the River Ray.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Maura Higgins shows off dramatic living room makeover after moving into her 'dream' £1.25m Essex mansion
has given fans a sneak peek inside her plush £1.25million Essex mansion - unveiling a dramatic living room transformation. The Love Island favourite, 34, shared a before-and-after look with her 3.7million Instagram followers on Monday on her new home Instagram account. Maura showed how the once sparse space, pictured with just two slouchy white beanbags and a boxed-up TV, has been completely transformed into a snug lounge. Gone were the empty walls and floors and in their place, a plush white and cream sofa, a matching ottoman, soft rugs, candles and warm lighting. The Irish beauty, who first shot to fame in 2019, has finally fulfilled her dream of upgrading from her modest one-bed flat to a five-bedroom home. The upgrade comes after Maura's meteoric rise to fame, from her breakout stint on Love Island to presenting Love Island USA, starring in I'm A Celebrity, and bagging her latest role in The Traitors US. Speaking about her ambitions, Maura previously said she always knew she wasn't destined to stay in rural County Longford, marry her teenage boyfriend and open a hair salon. 'That wasn't my dream, I wanted more,' she once declared. Earlier this year, she splashed her hard-earned £3.2million fortune on the luxury pad, which boasts an en-suite master bedroom, four further bedrooms, an expansive kitchen with an island, and black French doors leading to a landscaped garden. Overjoyed, Maura shared to her Instagram followers a picture of her new kitchen with a chandelier and grey floors, which she bought in October, with the caption 'Bought my dream house'. Maura's previous home was raided by three-masked men and so the Love Island star has ensured her new home was in a gated development which provides privacy and security. After first sharing the news of her new home in October, Maura had barely gotten the keys to her new house when she entered the jungle in November for a four-week stint in Australia. Maura entered the Love Island villa in 2019 and after almost six years in the spotlight with lucrative brand deals, she has amassed a fortune of an estimated £3.2million. Maura recently shared how she escaped working in a hair salon in Ireland to become a ring girl for the brand Monster against the wishes of her then-boyfriend and dad. The influencer said: 'I wanted to do more and travel the world. I'm young, why not?' Her time with Monster caught the eye of ITV recruiters for Love Island, who approached Maura multiple times before she finally accepted as revenge against her boyfriend, which has now landed her a multi-million-pound fortune. Maura previously shared with her Instagram followers a picture of her new kitchen with a chandelier and grey floors, with the caption 'Bought my dream home' Her big home purchase came after she treated herself to a new £60,000 Porsche just before heading into the I'm A Celebrity jungle in November. Maura became the proud owner of a Porsche Macan, which typically ranges in price from £60,000 to £98,00. Sharing a photo from inside her new car, she showed off its luxurious all-white leather interior. Maura captioned the post: 'My baby has arrived finally,' along with a white heart emoji. It comes after Maura displayed her toned physique in a summer minidress on the weekend as she shared a glimpse of her lavish lifestyle in an Instagram post. The former Love Island star, 34, stunned as she enjoyed a picnic in the sun while wearing an ivory and pink milkmaids dress. In a second image she looked happier than ever after pulling on a pair of thigh-skimming shorts and fedora hat for a bike ride. Another snap captures Maura enjoying a mint ice cream, while wearing a ruffled dress in a similar colour. She also shared a glimpse of herself in more casual attire, including a bright pink T-shirt dress branded with the Love Island logo. The brunette later posed for a fun snap with her pals as they made funny faces for a photo collage.
Daily Mirror
20 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Amy Childs' 'amazing' wedding plans after family horror 'turned life upside down
EXCLUSIVE: As Amy Childs and her fiance Billy Debosque return to our screens on TOWIE, they talk plans for their rescheduled wedding - and how Amy's mum is after her terrrifying health scare TOWIE is back, with its – gasp – 36th series and we've been told to expect explosive confrontations, surprising romances and even a bombshell split. Business as usual then for the Essex-based reality series, which is celebrating its 15th year on air. Joining in with the typical shenanigans, although they insist they steer clear of any drama, are Amy Childs and her fiancé Billy Delbosq, who appear on the show with their two-year-old twins, Billy and Milly. Amy also has two children from previous relationships – Polly, eight, and Ritchie, six. Here, the couple open up exclusively to OK! about going 'bigger and better' for their wedding next year (after postponing it from this September due to Amy's mum's heart attack in May), why they're at a tricky stage with the twins and flying out to the Algarve with the TOWIE gang for filming. It comes as pictures emerged of Inside Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash's luxurious £30k family holiday to 'second home'. Hi, guys! So what's the latest with your wedding planning? Amy: We'll get a new date set. We'll get the summer out the way and in September we'll get organised. The wedding I want needs to be amazing. It will definitely be next year. Billy: We'll delay it for a year and it will be bigger and better. I'd love to do a two-day event in England or a week abroad. You have the hens and stags and everyone is there together. We were picking suits, colour schemes and flowers for the wedding. We knew we could turn it around quickly, but waiting is the right thing to do for now. The pressure is off and we have got back to being us, which is lovely. You have a lot organised for it already, don't you? Amy: We got everything sorted. The only thing I didn't sort out was the dress. I was looking at designers – I had a stylist. In the end, my life was turned upside down with my mum and that was really tough. Mum is better. She needs a lot of rest. She had no symptoms before the heart attack and I think that is what has shocked her the most. At least she had my dad there. How is your mum doing after surgery? Amy: She had a stent put in. It's been really tough. Me and Mum are inseparable – we're with each other every day. I was in Tenerife. We flew home that night and she was in hospital for eight days. I was there every day. That with the babies as well – I didn't know if I was coming or going, but she's fine. Mum will come on and talk about it all [on TOWIE], hopefully. When you hear the words 'heart attack', you think the worst straightaway. It has been really awful. I filmed a scene already when I got quite emotional about it. But she's on the mend. How are you feeling after such a stressful time? Billy: You don't think it'll ever happen to your family. Your world is just flipped upside down. All you can do is be there for whoever needs you. Amy: I need to get back into the gym as it's so good for my mental health. I had a nutritionist and an online plan. I got in the best shape ever, but it's too much now. The house is, well, we have got builders constantly in. We are having a pool put in the garden. Having people constantly there is stressful, so I definitely need a bit of me time. How is filming the new series of TOWIE going? Amy: Me and Bill keep ourselves out of the drama, but sometimes it's hard when our friends and the other group aren't talking. I don't like rows and confrontation but if it affects Harry [Derbidge, her cousin ] that's a different story. Stuff is brewing! It's great that you managed to make it out to Portugal with the twins to film… Amy: Oh, it's lovely filming and being around the TOWIE family. The twins are getting older and it is getting harder – we're getting all the tantrums. This morning [their son] Billy was on the floor crying his head off as he wanted a ball someone else had. Bill is an amazing partner though. He loves the kids and he idolises Polly and Ritch. Billy: The twins are up at 6am or 6.30am every day but they've been sleeping really well lately. What can we expect from you guys this series? Billy: We're a family unit and it's nice for viewers to see the kids showing their emotions and affection – and me and Ame spending time together. I'm a massive family person. Harry is like family now. Every man needs to hear about opening up – I've struggled with that. I work in construction and there's a lot of bravado, but you need to get stuff off your chest as a man. I've had those conversations with my dad, Harry and Jordan [Brook]. I do enjoy filming with those boys – that's such a laugh. How is Harry doing? Amy: Harry is in an amazing headspace and mindset – he needs to be single. He looks amazing. He has truly moved on. He is powerful.
BBC News
21 hours ago
- BBC News
Luton 1960s band The Genesis releasing album six decades later
A 1960s band is finally releasing an album after its music was accidentally discovered by a Stokes, from Luton, sold an electric piano on eBay and included some of his band's sound clips in the Genesis – not to be confused with the globally famous progressive rock band starring Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel – recorded music in the 60s and who is now 80 and lives in Essex, said: "If I hadn't sold the e-piano for £10, all of this music would have ended up in landfill." The piano was picked up by music producer Will Twynham, who is based in Bishop's Stortford in Hertfordshire, and goes under the name Dimorphodons."I was browsing eBay for weird and semi-working musical gear, when the sound clip on Chris's old Hohner electric piano stopped me in my tracks," said Will."It was a great song, and as a fan of 60s and 70s obscurities I knew it was unknown." After meeting Chris in person, Will was "absolutely astounded" to hear 80 more tracks from between 1964 and 1974."I couldn't believe that this quantity and quality of music had gone unreleased for such a long time and immediately decided to rectify the situation," said Will, who is releasing some of the material under his record label Hand of Glory. The band was originally called Genesis, but did not register its name and had folded by the time the group fronted by Gabriel shot to said their only connection with the other Genesis was via record producer Jonathan King."Jonathan King was managing a band called Hedgehoppers Anonymous, and we did a gig supporting them. Later Jonathan King went on to become the first manager of Genesis," said Chris. The five Luton men formed the band in 1966, including two workers from the Vauxhall factory."We rehearsed at the local church and started gigging. We used to do a pretty wild version of Bob Dylan's Like a Rolling Stone and Vanilla Fudge You Keep Me Hanging On," said of just performing covers, The Genesis wanted to write and record their own music, including a pop opera that tells a story."Over a period of three months we came up with this thing. We were blundering around in the dark, we didn't know what the hell we were doing."It was nothing like we'd heard another pop group do. "We managed to con an afternoon with this new studio in King Street – it was a guy with a mixer and tape recorder."In that same studio, Chris recalls meeting another band rehearsing for a gig."It just happened to be Ian Anderson and Clive Bunker, Mick Abrahams … who became Jethro Tull."Luton back then was a phenomenal place to grow up, music wise. Both Luton and Dunstable had huge international acts coming to perform." Chris said the remaining band members "think it's insane" that their music is being released."They're mildly amused that anybody is taking any interest whatever."It appeals to the inner ego, that somebody has finally listened to the nonsense I was writing 40 to 50 years ago and thinks there is any worth in it."Will believes the music is waiting to be discovered."Somehow Chris managed to have a really great stab at all the music of the era, including moody mid-60s beat group sounds like The Zombies, psych, prog, glam and of course a historic, pioneering rock opera!"There's even a fully orchestrated 15-minute Brit-jazz track featuring a saxophonist from the John Barry Seven."Chris concluded: "I have described my life many times as being a series of happy accidents, and this is just another one. It's a funny old thing." Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
