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BBC News
a day ago
- General
- BBC News
Cheddar hedgehog rescue centre facing 'heartbreaking' closure
A hedgehog rescue centre has warned it is at risk of shutting based in Cheddar, told BBC Radio Somerset it is facing a "financial crisis" due to rising running costs and the upcoming closure of its charity founder, Jules Bishop, said the centre, which is mainly run by volunteers, needed more than £100,000 a year to keep services running, but it currently had only two months of funding left."We're facing heartbreak... it would be absolutely devastating if the charity was to close," she said. Prickles offers a 24/7 emergency service for unwell, injured or orphaned hedgehogs found across the West of has cared for more than 8,000 animals since it was founded in 2007, with the majority rehabilitated and released back into the wild. The charity said cost of living pressures had caused care costs, including hedgehog food prices, to increase and the centre's utility bill to double in the past 18 months."Prickles has hit a financial crisis – one that I've never ever experienced before," Ms Bishop said."It's absolutely terrible. We have people phoning us up in tears. We have volunteers in tears. I've been in tears," she Prickles charity shop on Union Street, which helps fund its work, is due to shut in September. Ms Bishop said the building's current landlord had allowed Prickles to use the space rent-free but was selling up. The expected loss of income from the shop combined with rising running costs meant staying open would likely not be possible beyond the end of September, Ms Bishop said.A fundraiser set up by the charity saw more than £7,000 donated in its first four centre is looking to raise £25,000 to keep it open for four more months as it works on future is also looking for new premises for a shop in the area. Secret World Wildlife Rescue in East Huntspill is the nearest site to Prickles which also cares for Prickles were to shut down it would likely take in "quite a lot" of its animals, according to Secret World's wildlife and veterinary services manager Lauren she said, with limited capacity "there may be animals that end up being euthanised that potentially wouldn't necessarily be if there were the space and resources".The British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) said there were around 500 independent rescue centres like Prickles in the and BHPS spokesperson Hugh Warwick said: "It's always sad when one of the many rescue centres around the country is suffering."
BBC News
24-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Spaxton village community assemble to mend vandalised scarecrows
A community has come together after local children were left "absolutely gutted" when their village scarecrow parade was damaged by vandals. The display in Spaxton, Somerset was part of their flower show celebrations with members of the community including school children making Bond who lives in the village helped her daughters make a scarecrow and said: "It's unbelievable that this could happen in Spaxton, it's very sad".Organisers told BBC Radio Somerset a working group had been out fixing the scarecrows to get them back into a "reasonable shape". Natasha Bond built a scarecrow with her daughters, and said they were "absolutely gutted, as were all the other children in the village". She added: "It was the last day of school, they had to go past those scarecrows in the morning, there were a lot of tears".Vicky Hemming, one of the organisers of the flower show and scarecrow parade, said there has been a "huge upwelling of feeling" about it in the village. Ms Hemming added that a working party had been sent out to fix the scarecrows and were able to restore all but one of flower show was set run as normal this weekend.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Weston has 'pressure' and 'confidence' for Olympics
Matt Weston won the World Championships and overall World Cup title this spring to be ranked world number one [Getty Images] Skeleton champion Matt Weston says he feels both "pressure" and "confidence" going into next February's Winter Olympics as world number one. Weston won his second world title at Lake Placid in March after defending his overall World Cup title in February, and sits at the top of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) world rankings. Advertisement The Milano Cortina Winter Olympics will take place in and around Milan, Italy, from 6-22 February 2026. "I definitely feel a bit of pressure going into this games as world number one," Weston told BBC Radio Somerset. "It carries some pressure with it but at the same time it carries some confidence. You get a heightened version of both." Next year will be his second Winter Olympics after he finished 15th in Beijing in 2022 just two years after making his World Cup race debut. He represented England in taekwondo when he was a teenager and also played rugby until discovering skeleton via a talent spotting scheme. Advertisement By January 2023 he won the European Championships and followed it two weeks later with his debut world title - Great Britain's first since for nine years. "When I first won the World Championships I was still relatively an underdog, I was still unexpected. That season with a massive breakthrough season for me," Weston said. "The next season the whole dynamic changed, I did become the guy with the target on my back, I did become that guy that everyone was chasing down. "That was hard for me to adjust to and deal with it and the different pressures that brings, but I'm got pretty used to it. I've turned it into something I enjoy and quite like." Weston (on the track) and Marcus Wyatt are competitors but supportive team-mates [Getty Images] Weston, from Surrey, is part of the wider skeleton and bobsleigh Great Britain team based at the University of Bath. Advertisement Team-mate Marcus Wyatt won silver behind him at the World Championships two months ago and Weston believes the strength in the squad is pushing all athletes on. "We're so highly competitive, we're so driven, we're so motivated for this that that almost becomes the environment which is amazing. It feels really special to be part of a group like that," Weston said. "It's not just one person having ok success, it's the whole squad having great success and that's the reason I'm in the position I am today, it's the whole team around me." Next up for Weston is a pre-season trip to Norway before he heads to Innsbruck, Austria, and then Milan to train on the Winter Olympics track for the first time. Advertisement "[It is] hectic from as soon as I step on that plane at the end of September, start of October, right up until I'm on the start line in Milan," Weston said. "I'm looking to come home with the gold medal, that's all I'm thinking of at the moment."
The Irish Sun
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Irish Sun
Drivers warned ‘plan ahead' as major motorway junction used by thousands everyday closes for 14 WEEKS
DRIVERS have been urged to check their routes ahead of time to avoid serious delays as a major motorway junction closes for 14 weeks. The busy junction which sees a traffic of thousands everyday will be shut for a £5.7 million upgrade, with residents predicting "chaos" on surrounding roads. 1 Drivers warned 'plan ahead' as the J26 of the M5 and the A38 Chelston link road near Wellington, Somerset used by thousands everyday closes for 14 weeks Credit: Somerset council Junction 26 of the M5 and the A38 Chelston link road near Wellington, Somerset will be closed from Sunday evening, June 15 until September. An official diversion route will direct motorists off the M5 either at Junction 26 (Taunton) or 27 (Tiverton) and along the A38. Wellington local, Sian Hughes, told BBC Radio Somerset: "All of the traffic will have to come off at Junction 25 or Junction 27 especially at Taunton so it will cause chaos on the A38. "I'm just going to have to leave earlier and hopefully I won't have to travel too far. Read more in UK roads "My husband Rob is a driving instructor so it will really affect his lesson times." The Falcon bus service from Exeter up to Bristol Airport will not stop at Junction 26 Wellington while the closure is in place. Somerset Council said that the project will refurbish an over-50-year-old road and bring the aging route up to modern standards. Julie Bishop, another Wellington resident, told the BBC: "It is going to affect everyone who needs to get in or out of Wellington and West Buckland. Most read in Motors "The failure to coordinate with ongoing roadworks in Taunton is just inexcusable." Jez Harvey said: "Look on the positive side, at least we will have a motorway slip road with lovely smooth tarmac and proper drainage never to be under water again." Lead Member for Transport and Waste Services, Councillor Richard Wilkins said: "When completed we will have a new, smoother, quieter road surface with better drainage so please bear with us and plan your journey carefully while work is underway." World's biggest crash test with real people filmed on Scots military base Jonathan Hill, National Highways route manager for the M5 in Somerset urged motorists "to plan ahead accordingly". He said: "From a National Highways point of view we were looking at capacity at J25 (Taunton) and J27 (Tiverton) that it wasn't backing onto the M5 and will monitor it." Closure dates for J25 of the M5 and A38 Chelston link road J25 of the M5 and A38 Chelston link road will be closed from June 15 evening to September. An official diversion route will direct motorists off the M5 either at Junction 26 (Taunton) or 27 (Tiverton) and along the A38.
Scottish Sun
13-06-2025
- Scottish Sun
Drivers warned ‘plan ahead' as major motorway junction used by thousands everyday closes for 14 WEEKS
Residents have predicted that the works will cause "chaos" for those traveling through the popular area TOUGH RIDE Drivers warned 'plan ahead' as major motorway junction used by thousands everyday closes for 14 WEEKS – check your route Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DRIVERS have been urged to check their routes ahead of time to avoid serious delays as a major motorway junction closes for 14 weeks. The busy junction which sees a traffic of thousands everyday will be shut for a £5.7 million upgrade, with residents predicting "chaos" on surrounding roads. 1 Drivers warned 'plan ahead' as the J26 of the M5 and the A38 Chelston link road near Wellington, Somerset used by thousands everyday closes for 14 weeks Credit: Somerset council Junction 26 of the M5 and the A38 Chelston link road near Wellington, Somerset will be closed from Sunday evening, June 15 until September. An official diversion route will direct motorists off the M5 either at Junction 26 (Taunton) or 27 (Tiverton) and along the A38. Wellington local, Sian Hughes, told BBC Radio Somerset: "All of the traffic will have to come off at Junction 25 or Junction 27 especially at Taunton so it will cause chaos on the A38. "I'm just going to have to leave earlier and hopefully I won't have to travel too far. "My husband Rob is a driving instructor so it will really affect his lesson times." The Falcon bus service from Exeter up to Bristol Airport will not stop at Junction 26 Wellington while the closure is in place. Somerset Council said that the project will refurbish an over-50-year-old road and bring the aging route up to modern standards. Julie Bishop, another Wellington resident, told the BBC: "It is going to affect everyone who needs to get in or out of Wellington and West Buckland. "The failure to coordinate with ongoing roadworks in Taunton is just inexcusable." Jez Harvey said: "Look on the positive side, at least we will have a motorway slip road with lovely smooth tarmac and proper drainage never to be under water again." Lead Member for Transport and Waste Services, Councillor Richard Wilkins said: "When completed we will have a new, smoother, quieter road surface with better drainage so please bear with us and plan your journey carefully while work is underway." World's biggest crash test with real people filmed on Scots military base Jonathan Hill, National Highways route manager for the M5 in Somerset urged motorists "to plan ahead accordingly". He said: "From a National Highways point of view we were looking at capacity at J25 (Taunton) and J27 (Tiverton) that it wasn't backing onto the M5 and will monitor it."
