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BBC News
03-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
VE Day letters go on display in Staffordshire after BBC appeal
Letters and documents from VE Day are going on show in an exhibition set up through a partnership between the BBC and the National Memorial from the Frontline - Words, War and Victory is open to the public at the arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire, from Saturday until 16 appeal by BBC Local Radio in the Midlands for letters sent from the frontlines and the home front from around the Midlands was answered by dozens of letters were ultimately selected and will be displayed alongside a film showing some of them being read by family members. They include messages donated from Derbyshire, Herefordshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Shropshire, Sutton Coldfield and in the display is a copy of a telegram announcing the end of the war, sent days before the German forces was loaned to the exhibition by Bernard Morgan from Crewe, Cheshire, who was based in Germany in May 1945 working in an intelligence unit. The display has gone on public show ahead of Thursday's celebrations to mark 80 years since 8 May 1945, when World War Two ended in another letter, Sgt Tony Wade describes his unit's advance through Germany and how he saw troops surrendering in their letter was donated by his daughter, Susannah Midwinter, who said reading the letters "makes me very emotional and it really brings the personalities completely back in focus and alive".The exhibition is being held in the drum area of the National Memorial Arboretum. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
01-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Local Radio and ECB agree new four-year deal for County Cricket Coverage
Cricket fans can keep up with the action of their favourite county cricket action this season with BBC Local Radio and BBC Sport. The BBC has extended its longstanding partnership with the ECB to provide commentary of men's and women's domestic cricket for the next four years. This will include full commentary on every match in the Rothesay County Championship plus the best of the action from the men's and women's white ball competitions. Commentary will be provided by BBC Local Radio's expert pundits and commentators for every one of the 18 Professional Counties alongside summarisers from a mix of current and recent players from the women's and men's games. In 2024 there were almost 30 million listens to BBC Local commentaries and views to the live text pages combined on the BBC for the Rothesay County Championship. Jason Horton, Director of BBC Local says: 'Our four-year pledge to County Cricket solidifies our passion for local sport. We're here to keep you informed, entertained, and at the heart of the action—sharing the thrills and tension as we champion your teams together.' Adam Mountford, Head of Cricket, BBC Sport, adds: 'Not only will cricket fans be able to follow the best of the action from the men's and women's domestic game through BBC Local Radio, but there will also be extensive coverage available across 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds. Our first BBC ball by ball County cricket commentary took place back in 1927 and it's brilliant that this new deal means we'll still be broadcasting domestic cricket 100 years later and beyond.' Follow all the games via the BBC Sport website and App with selected commentaries also available on 5 Sports Extra streams and BBC Sounds. BBC Local has news, commentary and analysis for over 180 local sports clubs – more than any other provider. Sports fans can follow all their favourite local clubs and sports on the BBC with more live team pages, team update articles on BBC Sport, and sport podcasts on the BBC Sounds 'Local to me' rail. TW2
BBC News
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Titchfield BBC award winner keeps people dancing for 40 years
As a dozen couples twirl on to the floor Pauline Steels tells them: "The next dance is the Tina Tango."Pauline may look an unlikely DJ, but she has been running weekly tea dances like this one at the Titchfield Community Centre in Hampshire, for 40 doing so she has raised more than £90,000 to support local community centres and last year won the BBC Radio Solent Make a Difference fundraiser award. Nominations are currently open for the 2025 awards. The Tuesday afternoon dances are regularly attended by up to 40 people. Pauline also runs a monthly Saturday night dance which is an even bigger draw - with up to 80 Carter and his wife Carol are often among them, "they're brilliant nights, good dancing, good music and it's very friendly here," says George. "It keeps you fit as well," adds and Chris Birch learnt ballroom dancing when they retired and are also now regulars at Pauline's dances. "Pauline plays the right sort of music for everybody to do the dances to," says Mervyn. "We've been to other dances around the county and for one reason or another it is never quite the same as the one Pauline puts on." Some of the dancers accompanied Pauline to the awards ceremony in September and were thrilled when she won. Chris was one of them: "I don't think anyone was as surprised as Pauline was."She didn't think she would get it. "We were really pleased for her because she's done an awful lot of work in the community to keep it going and give these people here something to do - they love to dance."Pauline's husband was unable to accompany her to the awards due to ill health, but cried with joy when she told him the news. The award now has pride of place on their was nominated by one of the community centres she fundraises for. Although she was delighted to win, she says she never did it for any recognition: "I do it for the community centres and my people, that's what I do it for. "I get the pleasure out of running it myself as well, so it's brilliant really."The regulars say they cannot remember a time when Pauline has missed a session and there is no sign of her hanging up her microphone just yet. The Make a Difference Awards recognise people, across eight different categories, who are making a difference where they BBC Local Radio station will host awards in is a chance to say thank you to people who make life better for can be made via the BBC Make a Difference website where you can also see full terms and the privacy close on the 31st March 2025 at 17:00. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
BBC News
21-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Children's poetry competition at Latitude festival gets bigger
A children's poetry competition run by the BBC and the Latitude festival is expanding to cover three winner will get to read their own work on the Waterfront Stage – which floats on the lake at Henham Park, Suffolk – to officially open this year's weekend of music, arts and culture in competition is open seven to 11-year-olds who live or go to school in Suffolk, Norfolk or director Melvin Benn said: "Latitude has always celebrated the power of words and the creative spirit, and this offers a wonderful opportunity for young voices to find a platform." The competition first ran at last year's festival when it was open only to young people from Suffolk. Louise Hulland, who presents the afternoon show across BBC Radio Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, is one of the four said: "Poetry and creative writing is a huge part of the afternoon programme, and BBC Local Radio is all about being a friend to our listeners, so I'm really looking forward to reading all the entries."BBC presenter Sarah Lilley, poet Luke Wright and Latitude arts curator Kirsty Taylor will also be judging the submissions on the theme of friendship. Wright said: "Our friends lift us up, they enrich our lives, they bring us joy. "Capturing joy in a poem is no easy thing but when it's done well it makes for such wonderful reading. "I want to see those moments of joy friendship can bring. "After the brilliant entries we had last year, I have high hopes. I can't wait to read your friendship poems." Last year's winner was Anna, 11, from near wrote The Mother Tree, about searching for a special tree to share her feelings had her Latitude experience documented by Newsround. Poems can be submitted here, where you can also see full terms and our privacy close on Friday 11 April at midday. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
17-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
BBC award winning chickpea project promotes British values
"Imagine you are a chickpea," says the speaker. A hall full of children at John Henry Newman primary school in Oxford are eagerly listening. "Would you rather be in a soup, a salad, or a Noah's pudding?"This is not a cookery lesson, but a scheme which teaches children about the values of equality, diversity and inclusion. The initiative, called Life of a Chickpea, is now planning to expand after it won a BBC Make a Difference award. It was devised by Mahmut Gunaydin, who leads the Oxford branch of The Dialogue Society, a charity which promotes social cohesion. He was awarded the BBC Radio Oxford Community Award for his work. Nominations are currently open for the 2025 BBC Make a Difference Awards. Stacked up to the side of the hall are piles of Noah's puddings. The pudding is a mixture of 10 different ingredients - as well as chickpeas, it includes pomegranates, apples, apricots and barley. The Life of a Chickpea programme uses the pudding as a metaphor for society. "The pudding shows we can be different but come together without losing our shape, our taste, our identity," explains Mahmut. Life of a Chickpea also tries to reinforce British Values, which have been a core part of the school curriculum since 2014. Eleven-year-old Jesse is among the pupils listening."It told us that the Noah's pudding expresses all five British values, because although all the ingredients are different, they bring the best out in each other."Siddiqa, 10, recounts the story of where the pudding came from."On Noah's ark, they all got very hungry after surviving the flood, and they just got every food that they had and they put it together to make the Noah's pudding."Mahmut explains that the story is known in a number of religions. "It's in The Quran, Bible and Torah," he says. The session is led by volunteers from The Dialogue Society, but children also get to hear from faith leaders, on this occasion from the Christian, Hindu, Muslim and Sikh communities."It was great for the children to see leaders from all different types of faiths," teacher Klarisa Dani says."I think children often view them as separate religions and actually they do all come together and share a similar belief."Mahmut won the BBC Make a Difference Award in September. "After that recognition, our Life of a Chickpea project had more impact in the region," he says."We've had more schools wanting to be involved in the project in Oxford, and we are planning to expand throughout Oxfordshire."Session over, and Jesse, Siddiqa and their classmates are taking home with them valuable lessons - and the best bit, their Noah's puddings. The Make a Difference Awards recognise people, across eight different categories, who are making a difference where they BBC Local Radio station will host awards in is a chance to say thank you to people who make life better for can be made via the BBC Make a Difference website where you can also see full terms and the privacy close on the 31st March 2025 at 17:00. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
