Latest news with #NickPhillips
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Telegraph
Tortoise found 2.8 miles from home after 16 days on the run
A runaway tortoise was found nearly three miles from home, 16 days after escaping from its pen in Devon. Shelly the leopard tortoise vanished from Shillingford Abbot, near Exeter on July 9. The 40lb reptile was then discovered near The Orange Elephant ice cream parlour, close to the A379 near Kennford, some 2.8 miles away as the crow flies. Nick Phillips, Shelly's owner, said: 'She was spotted by the farmer, who thought she was a big rock. Luckily, he realised rocks don't usually move and gave us a call.' The family had looked for the tortoise in verges, undergrowth and local woods, and used thermal imaging to try and spot her. Mr Phillips said Shelley's appetite had diminished after returning home, adding: 'We tried runner beans, cabbage, cucumber, the full monty. She wasn't interested. I've no idea what she's been eating, but clearly it wasn't salad.' Mr Phillips's daughter Becky said: 'She's quite big and can travel nearly a mile a day. It seems people don't know what to do when they see a tortoise on the loose, because she was just left there. 'We think she escaped by clawing under the chicken wire of her pen.'
BBC News
17-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Elusive tortoise in Devon still on the run after eight days
The owners of an elusive tortoise that escaped from its enclosure eight days ago have offered a £200 reward for her the 20-year-old Leopard Tortoise managed to scratch her way to freedom from the garden of the Phillips family in Shillingford Abbot in has since been spotted on several occasions by members of the public but is still on the loose, despite extensive searches including the use of thermal owner Nick Phillips said the 18kg (40lbs) tortoise could have travelled about 1km (0.62 miles) a day and the £200 reward was "slight encouragement" for public help. Mr Phillips said: "She was spotted walking flat out, almost running up Weybrook Lane. A lady took a picture from her car and put it on Facebook and my daughter spotted it. We were there within half an hour looking and couldn't see any sign of her."Subsequent to that, a friend, an acquaintance of ours, old chap, said, 'oh, your tortoise, I was driving down Weybrook Lane, there was a tortoise in the road, so I stopped and I put it on the verge'."Mr Phillips added: "Where she's gone now we are not sure."The family has had nine people looking for the tortoise in verges, undergrowth and local woods, and using thermal imaging to try and spot her. The family is becoming increasingly concerned about their beloved pet. "The obvious worst scenario is that somebody has stopped picked her up and driven off but you just don't know," Mr Phillips said. He said Shelly is about the size of a "small car wheel" and is not likely to be getting enough to eat."This time of year when they're active she'll have like a whole lettuce, couple of tomatoes, half a cucumber, watermelon and then they get a special tortoise mix as well," he said. "They would be eating pretty much whatever you put in front of them so I don't know quite how they get on out in the wild." Anyone who spots Shelly is asked to pick her up and put her in the boot of their car or stay with her and contact the family through their social media posts, or by contacting the local police. Mr Phillips said the family would be "very happy" to pay the £200 reward to anyone who manages to return Shelly.
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Applied Digital helps Ellendale, ND, with partnership for housing
Mar. 29—Editor's note: This story and accompanying photo are advertorial content in the 2025 "Moving the Community Forward" special section of The Jamestown Sun. ELLENDALE, N.D. — Applied Digital Corp. is helping a rural community by partnering with the city of Ellendale, the state of North Dakota and Headwaters Development to build 20 homes and a 38-unit apartment complex. "Since we're bringing in a large new workforce, we need a place to have rentals for a period of time," said Nick Phillips, executive vice president of external affairs for Applied Digital. He said 18 of the 20 single-family homes for Ellendale Acres are nearing completion and the other two are constructed but not permanently anchored to a foundation. He said those 18 homes will be move-in ready any day. He said work on the 38-unit apartment complex is expected to begin in June or July. "The anticipation is that that will also be available this year as well," he said. Applied Digital develops, builds and operates next-generation data centers and Cloud infrastructure. Applied Digital has blockchain sites that support cryptocurrency mining about 7 miles north of Jamestown and 1 mile west of Ellendale. Phillips said the housing project leverages dollars from the North Dakota Industrial Commission's Rural-Workforce Initiative to Support Housing (R-WISH) pilot program. The program utilizes up to $10 million of Bank of North Dakota capital to complement the work done by the North Dakota Housing Finance Agency and the North Dakota Housing Initiative Advisory Committee, according to Bank of North Dakota's website. The maximum amount from the R-WISH fund is the lesser of 30% of the project costs, $3.5 million or the matching contribution from the company. "In our case, we committed to invest $3.5 million," Phillips said. "Bank of North Dakota will match that through the program. The city of Ellendale is doing a TIF (tax-increment financing) district, which will help with some of the infrastructure improvements, roads, etc. And then obviously we had to find a developer to come in and do this." Applied Digital's data center was annexed into the city of Ellendale in January. Headwaters Development will own the homes and apartment complex and rent them to Applied Digital employees. Once those employees find a different living arrangement, those residences will be available for new employees, Phillips said. He said Applied Digital is asking its employees to move to Ellendale and the city needs help in order to grow and accommodate that. He said Applied Digital's partnership with the city of Ellendale and its businesses and the state of North Dakota is vital. "Having good working relationships is vital," Phillips said. He said Applied Digital's community involvement in Ellendale is important. He said Applied Digital partnered with businesses for a new $200,000 pin setter for the bowling alley, helped the Ellendale park board by bringing in truckloads of dirt for a park, provided movie nights for families and donated art kits to elementary students in Ellendale. In Jamestown, Applied Digital has donated to the Two Rivers Activity Center for the outdoor pickleball courts and has participated in other fundraisers. The company also purchases memberships at TRAC for its employees. When Applied Digital officials are in Jamestown, they take employees to local restaurants. The company also donated to the University of Jamestown's sports programs after student-athletes helped unpack items for Applied Digital's facility.
