Latest news with #ITVWestCountry
ITV News
11 hours ago
- General
- ITV News
Pride of Britain: How you can nominate a West Country hero fundraiser
ITV News West Country is launching this year's search for a champion fundraiser to nominate in the Pride of Britain awards. Each year, ITV West Country selects a winner for our West area (Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire and Dorset) and from our South-West area (Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset) for the ITV West Country Regional Fundraiser of the Year award. They get to represent the West Country at the awards in London - where they are in with a chance of winning the overall Fundraiser of the Year award. Now, it is time for you, the public to say thank you to people who work tirelessly to support charities and good causes. How to nominate a West Country hero for the Regional Fundraiser of the Year Award You can nominate someone for the ITV West Country Regional Fundraiser of the Year Award by clicking here. Simply select "ITV Fundraiser of the Year" in award category and choose "West Country" as your region. Nominations may be individuals or groups of 2 people or more - they also must be 18 or over - anyone under the age of 18 has to get permission from a parent or guardian before they are nominated. Previous winners are not eligible and nor is fundraising for political organisations. Nominations close on 10 August 2025 at 11.59pm. Previous West Country regional winners include:
ITV News
3 days ago
- General
- ITV News
Why rescue centres in the South West are still struggling to cope with a rise in abandoned kittens
Cat rescue centres across the South West say they are struggling to cope with 'huge' numbers of kittens being abandoned. It's thought an overhang from the pandemic five years ago is partly responsible, with fewer cats being neutered or spayed at the time. The Moggery Cat and Kitten Rehoming Centre in Bishopston received more than double their normal intake of abandoned kittens in 2024. They say volunteers rescued an additional 220 cats to what they'd expect during kitten season. Founder Christine Bayka told ITV West Country huge numbers of people adopted cats during the 2020 lockdown but later changed their mind about owning pets. She added that fewer cats were neutered or spayed too. 'During the Covid lockdown, the PDSA and RSPCA stopped doing neuters as normal because they could only have one vet in the operating theatre at a time,' said Bayka. 'We continued to neuter cats, but we were only able to do about a quarter of the amount we usually would,' she added. A lot of rescue centres and animal shelters are now facing a backlog of cases on neutering operations. This year At the beginning of this year, the Moggery Rehoming Centre rescued 50 cats and kittens from one flat in Weston-super-Mare. The cats and kittens filled the centre's capacity for the first three months of 2025, limiting their ability to help other cats. The issue is being felt in Gloucestershire too. At Cheltenham Animal Shelter, the team has received 34 kittens since the start of this year, while usually at this point they would have usually taken in two to four. At Bristol and Wales Cat Rescue, a campaign has allowed staff to neuter 50 cats, at no cost to their owners. A spokesperson for the organisation said the campaign has stopped them from receiving an excessive amount of kittens, reducing pressure on their service. Best practice - advice from Cats Protection Cats Protection says it's best to neuter cats at around four months old- the age female cats can get pregnant- to prevent them from having unwanted litters. It adds that neutering/spaying cats also has multiple health benefits for them. Neutering male cats prevents them from wandering far from home in search of a mate, which lowers the chance of them getting injured while roaming. It also reduces the chance of them contracting diseases like Feline AIDS (FIV) and prevents them from getting testicular cancer. Similarly, spaying female cats can also reduce the chances of them contracting FIV. It also eliminates risk of ovarian and uterine cancer.
ITV News
4 days ago
- Climate
- ITV News
The best of the Royal Cornwall Show as thousands descend on Wadebridge
ITV West Country presenter Sabet Choudhury gets involved The Royal Cornwall Show is well underway and is set to attract around 120,000 visitors over the next few days. The annual event will be running through to Saturday 8 June and will showcase a high level of competition across hundreds of classes. Although it has kicked off to a rainy start this morning, visitors have still been flocking in to what is described as one of the biggest agricultural events in the South West. From the usual livestock shows to live music and entertainment, it is set to be a busy schedule for all involved, with around 1,000 trade stands on display. Gates open for the general public at 8:30am each morning and the showground itself is situated approximately 1.5 miles west of Wadebridge on the A39. The Royal Cornwall Show is also an opportunity for discussion in the agricultural community, with concerns around climate change, new tariffs and inheritance tax changes expected to be high up on this year's agenda. Here is a gallery filled with some of the best pictures taken by our team at the show today.
BBC News
25-05-2025
- BBC News
West of England headlines: Bristol fires, police chase and phone ban
Here's our weekly roundup of stories from across local websites in the West of have a daily round up as well. Make sure you look out for it on the website and the local section of the BBC News app. What have been the big stories in the West this week? Fire crews were called to a tower block in Marybush Lane, near Castle Park in Bristol on Tuesday evening. All 188 residents living there had to leave their homes and 10 people were rescued from the fourth floor. The fire service confirmed the fire was accidental, caused by a charging e-scooter. Bristol Live kept people updated as the incident unfolded with a live using the A350 and M4 in Wiltshire faced hours of disruption on Tuesday after a police pursuit ended in a crash along the junction 17 slip road for Chippenham. Officers found guns at the scene and arrested a man on suspicion of aggravated burglary, dangerous driving and possession of firearms. Swindon Advertiser covered the Live compiled a gallery following the completion of an operation to remove five sunken boats out of the River Avon in Bath. A spokesperson from Bath and North East Somerset Council said the removal will "ensure the safety of all river users and enhance everyone's enjoyment of this iconic waterway".ITV West Country were quick to get to the scene of a fire which forced an evacuation at St Michael's Hospital in Bristol on Thursday evening. Staff, patients and babies were escorted onto the street, with some expectant mothers in labour at the time. The blaze was put out after about an hour and the fire service confirmed on Friday that it was caused accidentally due to "a fault in the solar panels". Top five local stories for the BBC in the West Something longer to read A charity is hoping to ban smartphones from all classrooms. The Bristol-based charity Papaya - Parents Against Phone Addiction in Young Adolescents - believes delaying phone access until children are older could "significantly" improve their mental health. Explore more with our daily roundups
BBC News
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Headlines: Breakfast clubs and rave rage
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 The Prime Minister was in St Michael's Junior School in Bath this week, ITV West Country reports, to announce the launch of free breakfast clubs across 750 noise and mess caused by a rave in support of the legalisation of cannabis was "awful" for those living near by, accordion to Bristol Live, with one reporting his flat was "vibrating" due to the size of the sound power couple Beyonce and Jay Z could be moving to the Cotswolds as LA becomes increasingly prone to destructive wildfires, Gloucestershire Live reports, with the pair apparently eyeing Great Tew, near Chipping oldest building, the Thatched Cottage, has a new roof, according to the Weston 250-year-old building, which is now a restaurant, was re-thatched using traditional techniques. Our top three from yesterday EE worker is seen carrying cat by scruff of neck Chocolate bar that's 125 years old to go on sale Bus gate fines make council £2.5m in 15 months What to watch on social media A heartwarming post about a nurse working with dementia patients and a man who has devoted himself to grassroots cricket both receiving British Empire Medals is popular in Gloucestershire.A post from Bradford-on-Avon Town Council with the winners of the annual rubber duck race is getting lots of attention in Forest of Dean District Council's appeal to help the Lydney Exchange fund a storage container so it can continue to redistribute second-hand clothes and goods is also getting support.A fly tipped sofa in Lydbrook from last week is still making waves after locals added a lamp, table and even a window - people are now turning up to have their picture taken in the outdoor 'lounge'.
