Latest news with #MiddlesbroughCollege
The Independent
24-07-2025
- The Independent
British teen to remain in detention in Georgia ahead of drug smuggling trial
A Georgian court has ordered British teenager Bella Culley to remain in detention until her trial on drug smuggling charges. Culley, 19, from Billingham in northeast England, was arrested on arrival at Tbilisi airport in May. Georgian prosecutors say she was carrying a large amount of cannabis and hashish in luggage she had brought with her from Thailand. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges. In previous court appearances, Culley has said she was tortured into transporting the drugs, and that she is pregnant. On Thursday, the order was made for her to remain in detention ahead of her trial, scheduled to start on September 2. Drug smuggling carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years in the South Caucasus country. The teenager had decided to travel to southeast Asia after finishing her course at Middlesbrough College. Her mother told Teesside Live that her daughter flew to the Philippines after Easter with a friend and was there for three weeks. Culley then went to Thailand on May 3, reportedly to meet friends she had made on a previous trip that her mother did not know. She vanished in Thailand before resurfacing at Tbilisi International Airport.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
College students design workshops for special needs school kids
North East college students are bringing hands-on STEM learning to life through interactive workshops. A new partnership between Middlesbrough College and Discovery Special Academy in Middlesbrough is helping young people with complex learning needs explore science and technology through creative, student-led sessions. The project began when Discovery Special Academy sought support to strengthen its STEM and careers provision, leading to a recommendation from video game developer Double Eleven and a collaboration with Middlesbrough College's Digital department. Cher Griffiths, curriculum team leader at Middlesbrough College, said: "The experience has been incredibly rewarding for our students, who have stepped outside their comfort zones and learned how to engage meaningfully with children who have special educational needs. "The feedback from both sides has been fantastic. "Watching the students work together to achieve something meaningful has been inspiring – it's what our social action projects are all about." Over the past three months, college students have designed and led practical workshops in robotics, problem-solving, photography, and more. Pupils have built cars and robots using Lego Mindstorms, taken part in digital photography activities, and created visual storytelling projects. One session involved using puppets to tell the story of a typical day at the academy. College students helped the children set up scenes, take photographs, and assemble a visual narrative. The collaboration has also led to the creation of a bank of classroom resources for Discovery Special Academy's teaching staff to use beyond the life of the project. The partnership will continue for the remainder of the academic year, with plans for academy pupils to visit Middlesbrough College and explore its digital facilities, including a professional film studio and e-sports arena. Both organisations say the project has delivered meaningful benefits for all involved. Pupils have gained new experiences in STEM, while college students have developed skills in leadership, communication, and creative problem-solving. Middlesbrough College hopes to expand the partnership in the future, exploring new areas of digital learning and building on the success of this year's social action project.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Everything you need to know ahead of the Ali Brownlee 5k tomorrow
Whether you are planning or running, the streets of Middlesbrough are expected to 'come alive' tomorrow (Sunday, June 1), for the much-loved Ali Brownlee 5k. This annual run celebrates the legendary 'Voice of the Boro' Ali Brownlee, who was known for his iconic commentary of Middlesbrough FC from 1982 to 2016 and his remarkable fundraising efforts. This event welcomes everyone aged 11 and up. Ali Brownlee 5k and 2k run at the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough. 16.6.2024. (Image: Stuart Boulton) Here is all the event information you need to know ahead of tomorrow- The run starts at 10:15am at Centre Square/Russell Street in Middlesbrough and promises a morning full of community spirit. Spectators are expected to be lining the streets across the 5k for support. 5k route overview- The Ali Brownlee 5K begins and ends at Centre Square in Middlesbrough. From the start line, runners head north along Albert Road, then loop through Lower Feversham Street and Durham Street, reaching the 1k marker. The route continues toward the Transporter Bridge before turning onto Commercial Street and Priestman Road, leading runners past the Riverside Stadium, where the 2k and then 3k markers are located. From there, participants follow Windward Way, passing Middlesbrough College and then return to the town centre via Albert Road, where the 4k marker appears just before the final stretch back to Centre Square for the finish. What is included for the runners? A chip time Finisher's goody bag Exclusive medal A finisher t-shirt (if bought) Event Village- Located near the start and finish line, the Event Village will offer a variety of food and drink options, ideal for both runners and spectators. Local bars and cafés in the area will also be open and buzzing with post-race atmosphere. Partner charities will also have a presence where people can go and chat to them all. Baggage- Participants are encouraged to arrive early to use the designated Baggage Store. Attach the tear-off strip from your race number to your bag before handing it in. After finishing, retrieve your bag as soon as possible to avoid queues. Fuel and hydration- There will be water stations along the route offering 330ml bottles of water. Everyone is asked to use the bins provided after the stations to dispose of their bottles. Pacers- Thanks to Arla Protein, friendly pacers with finish-time flags will be on course to help runners stay on track with their target times. Toilets- Allocated toilet facilities will be available around the stadium area for use before and after the race. On the Ali Brownlee 5k website a spokesperson has said: "Please do not relieve yourself outside of designated facilities- zero-tolerance policy applies and offenders will be disqualified." Medical support- First aid will be readily available at: Fixed first aid stations near water points Roaming medics throughout the Event Village First aid and recovery area near the start/finish line Clothing- Any discarded clothing at the start line will be collected and donated. People can use the Baggage Store if they wish to retain their items. Photos- Professional photographers from MarathonPhotos will capture moments throughout the event. Photos can be purchased later from Results- Although it is not all about results- they will be posted on the event website shortly after the race. Road closures- To ensure the safety of all participants, Run For All and Middlesbrough Council have announced a series of road closures and traffic restrictions on Sunday, June 1 2025 from 09.15am to 12pm. Note that all roads intersecting with the following will also be closed during this time: Albert Road (Borough Rd to Exchange Place) 09.15 - 12 Bridge Street East (Queen's Square to Windward Way) 09.15 - 12 Cleveland Street (Queen's Square to Durham Street) 09.15 - 12 Commercial Street (Entire road from Dock Street) 09.15 - 11.30 Corporation Road (Elm Street to Albert Rd – Gurney St access only) 09.15 - 12 Dock Street (Windward Way to Priestman Road) 09.15 - 12 Durham Street (Cleveland Street to Vulcan Street) 09.15 - 12 Exchange Place (Albert Road to Bridge Street East/West) 09.15 - 12 Lower East Street (Dock Street to Cleveland Street) 09.15 - 12 Lower Feversham Street (Windward Way to Cleveland Street) 09.15 - 12 Priestman Road (Vulcan Street to Shepherdson Way) 09.15 - 11.30 Queen's Square (Exchange Place to Cleveland Street) 09.15 - 12 Shepherdson Way (Priestman Road to Heath Road) 09.15 - 11.15 The Halyard (Windward Way to Priestman Road) 09.15 - 11.15 The Leeway (Windward Way to Dockside Road) 09.15 - 11.15 Vulcan Street (Priestman Road to Ferry Road/Durham Street) 09.15 - 11.30 Windward Way (Full length) 09.15 - 12 For more information and an interactive road closure map, visit: Middlesbrough will once again come together to celebrate one of its most cherished voices and continue Ali Brownlee's legacy of passion, pride and community.
Metro
20-05-2025
- Metro
Everything we know about British teen Bella May Culley
The mystery surrounding the case of Bella May Culley – the British teenager arrested in Georgia after vanishing 4,000 miles away in Thailand – seems to deepen by the day. The 18-year-old was arrested in Tbilisi charged with illegally buying, possessing and importing a large quantity of drugs. It comes after police seized '34 hermetically sealed packages containing marijuana … as well as 20 packages of hashish' at the Georgian capital's airport. During a pre-trial hearing in the city this week, Bella told the court she is pregnant. Her lawyer said police are seeking to establish where the haul of drugs had come from and whether she was planning to hand them on to someone. Culley now faces a life sentence in Georgia's fearsome Prison No. 5. Here is everything we know about her case so far. The teenage is from Billingham in County Durham. An aspiring nurse, she recently completed an access course at Middlesbrough College. Last month, she set out with a pal on a dream holiday to the Philippines before embarking on a solo trip to Thailand on May 3 to meet friends she had made on a previous break. Photos posted to her social media showed her enjoying typical tourist activities, including snorkelling and kayaking. But others suggested the trip might have been turning dark. In one photo, Bella held wads of cash tied up with a silk hairband, captioned: 'But nothing hurts when I'm with youuuuu' Another showed Bella in a bikini, with a caption alluding to a Bonnie and Clyde-like scenario. 'Blonde or brunette? Erm, how about we get up to criminal activities side by side like Bonnie n' Clyde, making heavy figures and f***ing on balconies all over the world? 'I don't care if we on the run baby, long as I'm next to you,' she said. She lost contact with her parents a week later, on May 10, with her mum Lynne Kennedy telling Teesside Live: 'The last message she sent was to me and that was on Saturday at 5.30pm saying she was going to Facetime me later. 'That was the last message anyone has received from what we can figure out up to now. 'I'm just waiting on her dad who is now in Bangkok to get back with any more information. I just want her home and safe or to hear her gorgeous little voice.' Lynne later told The Sun: 'Her dad lives in Vietnam, so she's always wanted to see Asia. She loves all the touristy stuff, like releasing turtles.' She added: 'I really didn't want her to go to Thailand. I begged her to come home. I don't trust some of the boys over there. 'But she wanted to meet up with some friends she made over there on a previous trip. I don't know who any of them are.' Bella resurfaced 4,000 miles away at Georgia's Tbilisi International Airport, where she was being held following the discovery of 30lbs of cannabis. It remains unclear why she suddenly veered so far from her holiday destination. Her granddad William Culley suggested she may have been taken advantage of by someone else. Speaking to the Mirror, he said: 'She's not daft, she's an intelligent girl. Why has she done it? Has someone dangled money in front of her? 'We just don't know what has gone on until we get out there and talk to her. We are just hoping that somebody can do something. She must be terrified.' The prosecutor in Bella's case has requested 55 days to gather evidence ahead of a trial. Her own lawyer, Ia Todua, said: 'They said that they had to conduct a lot of investigative activities, so that they can collect evidence, establish where it was from [the narcotics] and was she planning to hand it over to someone. 'That's what they said they want to establish, and they also confiscated her phone.' If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment – 20 years in Georgia. Bella would serve any sentence in the country's only women's jail, the notorious Prison No. 5. The prison has been subject to controversy, with human rights groups criticising the treatment of prisoners housed there. More Trending A report by Georgia's ombudsman states: 'When prisoners are received at the No.5 Facility, they are inspected naked and are requested to squat, which the inmates consider degrading treatment. 'According to inmates, this procedure is especially humiliating and intensive during an inmate's menstrual cycle.' A separate report by Human Rights Watch found Georgia's prisons were 'severely overcrowded', threatening the safety of inmates. The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment described the conditions at a nearby facility as 'degrading', 'inhuman' and 'an affront to a civilised society'. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Third man arrested over 'arson attacks' on properties linked to Keir Starmer MORE: Suspect accused of bombing US fertility clinic 'had nihilistic ideations' MORE: Uninsured learner driver ran off after killing woman in head-on crash
Metro
17-05-2025
- Metro
Everything we know about British teen Bella May Culley who faces jail in Georgia
The mystery surrounding the case of Bella May Culley – the British teenager arrested in Georgia after vanishing 4,000 miles away in Thailand – seems to deepen by the day. The 18-year-old was arrested in Tbilisi charged with illegally buying, possessing and importing a large quantity of drugs. It comes after police seized '34 hermetically sealed packages containing marijuana … as well as 20 packages of hashish' at the Georgian capital's airport. During a pre-trial hearing in the city this week, Bella told the court she is pregnant. Her lawyer said police are seeking to establish where the haul of drugs had come from and whether she was planning to hand them on to someone. Culley now faces a life sentence in Georgia's fearsome Prison No. 5. Here is everything we know about her case so far. The teenage is from Billingham in County Durham. An aspiring nurse, she recently completed an access course at Middlesbrough College. Last month, she set out with a pal on a dream holiday to the Philippines before embarking on a solo trip to Thailand on May 3 to meet friends she had made on a previous break. Photos posted to her social media showed her enjoying typical tourist activities, including snorkelling and kayaking. But others suggested the trip might have been turning dark. In one photo, Bella held wads of cash tied up with a silk hairband, captioned: 'But nothing hurts when I'm with youuuuu' Another showed Bella in a bikini, with a caption alluding to a Bonnie and Clyde-like scenario. 'Blonde or brunette? Erm, how about we get up to criminal activities side by side like Bonnie n' Clyde, making heavy figures and f***ing on balconies all over the world? 'I don't care if we on the run baby, long as I'm next to you,' she said. She lost contact with her parents a week later, on May 10, with her mum Lynne Kennedy telling Teesside Live: 'The last message she sent was to me and that was on Saturday at 5.30pm saying she was going to Facetime me later. 'That was the last message anyone has received from what we can figure out up to now. 'I'm just waiting on her dad who is now in Bangkok to get back with any more information. I just want her home and safe or to hear her gorgeous little voice.' Lynne later told The Sun: 'Her dad lives in Vietnam, so she's always wanted to see Asia. She loves all the touristy stuff, like releasing turtles.' She added: 'I really didn't want her to go to Thailand. I begged her to come home. I don't trust some of the boys over there. 'But she wanted to meet up with some friends she made over there on a previous trip. I don't know who any of them are.' Bella resurfaced 4,000 miles away at Georgia's Tbilisi International Airport, where she was being held following the discovery of 30lbs of cannabis. It remains unclear why she suddenly veered so far from her holiday destination. Her granddad William Culley suggested she may have been taken advantage of by someone else. Speaking to the Mirror, he said: 'She's not daft, she's an intelligent girl. Why has she done it? Has someone dangled money in front of her? 'We just don't know what has gone on until we get out there and talk to her. We are just hoping that somebody can do something. She must be terrified.' The prosecutor in Bella's case has requested 55 days to gather evidence ahead of a trial. Her own lawyer, Ia Todua, said: 'They said that they had to conduct a lot of investigative activities, so that they can collect evidence, establish where it was from [the narcotics] and was she planning to hand it over to someone. 'That's what they said they want to establish, and they also confiscated her phone.' If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment – 20 years in Georgia. Bella would serve any sentence in the country's only women's jail, the notorious Prison No. 5. The prison has been subject to controversy, with human rights groups criticising the treatment of prisoners housed there. More Trending A report by Georgia's ombudsman states: 'When prisoners are received at the No.5 Facility, they are inspected naked and are requested to squat, which the inmates consider degrading treatment. 'According to inmates, this procedure is especially humiliating and intensive during an inmate's menstrual cycle.' A separate report by Human Rights Watch found Georgia's prisons were 'severely overcrowded', threatening the safety of inmates. The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment described the conditions at a nearby facility as 'degrading', 'inhuman' and 'an affront to a civilised society'. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Flatmate of Madeleine McCann suspect reveals his childhood inside children's home MORE: Five people arrested after being stabbed at late-night party in London MORE: British dad killed with vodka bottle in 'blind attack' on stag do in Prague
