Latest news with #Shirley
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Shirley residents fury as bins not collected for five weeks in a row
Residents of a retirement housing block in Shirley have told of their anger after their recycling bin collection was missed by council collection crews for five weeks in a row. Those living in the 69 flats at Latham Court on Endeavour Close, Shirley, have spent the last few weeks piling cardboard, empty milk cartons, Amazon parcels in their overflowing bin stores - with some residents being forced to start collecting the recycling in their own flats. The recycling has not been collected for five weeks (Image: NQ) Resident of Latham Court for 17 years, Dawn Cooper, 80, said: "We have been missed once or twice before but have never been left as long as five weeks. "We have well over 100 residents here who are all getting rather concerned and frustrated that are bins are not being collected. "Even tough the waste is recycling we have started to see flies, maggots and ants in our bin stores. "Our building manager has spent every day on the phone to the council and twice we have been told it will get collected on Monday - with it again being missed both times." The recycling has not been collected for five weeks (Image: NQ) The residents said they wanted the piles of recycling shifted as soon as possible. READ MORE: Person hit by train near Southampton Central station Another resident, Doreen Cattermole, 87, added: "Another issue is that when new people have moved in they have a lot of cardboard boxes and rubbish which has only made the problem worse." The recycling has not been collected for five weeks (Image: NQ) Southampton City Council have apologised to residents of Latham Court and said it has made sure that the block will not be missed by collection crews in the future. A spokesperson for the council said: 'We're aware of the recent issues with bin collections at Latham Court and we apologise to residents for the inconvenience caused. "Our crews have now emptied the bins and we've put additional monitoring in place to make sure collections happen as scheduled moving forward. "There have been some staffing challenges in the team recently, but we're working hard to maintain a reliable service for all residents. We appreciate everyone's patience while we put things right.'
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Strictly's Shirley Ballas' marriage split due to husband's affair with co-star
Shirley Ballas has been married twice, with her second marriage to Corky Ballas ending in divorce after he had an affair with a former Strictly Come Dancing star Shirley Ballas, the head judge on Strictly Come Dancing, saw her second marriage to Corky Ballas crumble when he began a romance with a former star of the BBC programme. Shirley married American ballroom dancer Corky in 1985, twelve months after her first marriage to Sammy Stopford had ended. The couple relocated to Houston in America and had their first child, Mark Ballas, who would later become a professional dancer on Dancing With the Stars. However, their marriage fell apart in 2007 after Corky became involved with his dance student, Kristina Rihanoff, who was nearly a decade his junior. Despite the five-year romance, Shirley maintains it started after she and Corky had separated but before their formal divorce was finalised, reports Wales Online. Shirley, who became head judge on Strictly in 2017, holds no grudge against Kristina, who left the BBC programme before Shirley replaced Len Goodman. "I've had lunch with Kristina. I'm a people person. I love people," she told The Daily Star in 2017. When questioned whether Kristina's possible comeback to Strictly would cause any problems, she responded: "It would be absolutely fine. I have no issues with anybody being on the show at all." Professional dancer Kristina Rihanoff has made headlines throughout her career, both for her performances and her relationships. She first made headlines back in 2009, when she was linked with former boxer Joe Calzaghe, a romance that lasted until 2013, reports the Mirror. That same year, she found herself thrust into the limelight again following her pairing with ex-England rugby legend Ben Cohen, who separated from his wife. Meanwhile, Shirley Ballas, who has also experienced her fair share of romantic upheaval, has recently called time on her six-year romance with actor and fellow dancer Danny Taylor, aged 51. Shirley disclosed they had broken off their engagement, though had remained an item afterwards. However, sources suggest it was their demanding schedules and long-distance arrangement - with Shirley residing in London while Danny was stationed in Liverpool - that eventually led to their split. Their romance kicked off in 2018 when they both starred in Jack and the Beanstalk, with Shirley admitting she was smitten from the get-go, despite Danny being with another partner at the time. "We met on panto as friends. It didn't really take off until March... for him. I fell in love way before... I think for me it was [at] first sight. He was going through a difficult time in his relationship," she remembered. Shirley Ballas shared a sweet tale about their courtship, admitting: "We did become friends and then probably in about February I said, 'I love you Danny' and he said, 'I know'. It took a while," she joked.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
'Our lives have been a misery since nightmare council tenants moved in ten years ago'
A retired couple have endured more than 'ten years of misery' and anti-social behaviour after new council tenants moved into their Kingstanding street. The couple says their neighbours play loud music in their garden via a 'sound system' and bang on the walls, keeping them up in the early hours. They also fly-tip rubbish, attract rats and mice into the area, and have been 'aggressive' towards them. Harry, 83, and Shirley, 77, have pleaded for help from Birmingham City Council for the past decade - even seeing the neighbours added to the 'watchlist' - but only for the problems to persist. Read more: Birmingham council tenants can save money at Sainsbury's, Asda, Argos, Morrisons and more In a tearful interview with BirminghamLive, the couple, who were looking forward to their retirement before the problems, said: "It's anti-social sounds, banging, loud music, children screaming, running up and down the street at night. "It's awful now, it used to be lovely, now you don't know what you're going to get from one minute to the next. They have large parties starting at midday, going on until late, and the music vibrates through the house. We can't even sit out in the garden." "Eleven years ago, a family came to live there and ever since then it's been an absolute nightmare," added their son. "It's ten, eleven years of hell basically for my mum and dad." "It's music playing until all hours of the morning, not like via a Bluetooth speaker like most people, we're talking about PA systems constantly." For years, the couple and their son have been complaining to the council in an urgent bid for action. Monitoring equipment was even implemented at the property to gather evidence on the noise and anti-social behaviour, but the 'nightmare' neighbours are always told this is happening by the council. "They have to let them know, so obviously it went quiet for a few months," their son said. "They knew they were on the watch list, then three days after they came off it, they had a massive party. "My mum asked them to turn it down and about 60 people started chanting ''let's make some noise.'" A trigger point meeting was held in May, and 14 actions were recommended. Surveys have now been sent to several other neighbours. "They [the council] said to my mum yesterday, 'sometimes we just have to accept cultural differences' but this has nothing to do with culture or religion, it's to do with anti-social behaviour," explained their son. "It's the volume of the noise, the number of people that come and go. It's also the sanitary conditions, there are mice and rats that get into my parents'. It's just ongoing. The number of continual violations over the years. "If you saw the state of the house from the outside, most normal people would be shocked. It's all dirty, not kept in any condition at all. The front has all the litter in it, the fence is all broken, kids in the evening constantly go up screaming, shouting until like 11pm. "Two weeks ago there were two toddlers in nappies running up and down the road nearly getting run over. There's so many things that go on continually." Birmingham City Council confirmed an ASB case review request was submitted in February this year. A spokesperson said: 'In line with the statutory process, the case was reviewed and considered by an independent panel on May 7, 2025. The panel made a number of recommendations to the relevant agencies involved. 'Since then, the Reviewing Officer has been in contact with the Housing Officer to monitor progress against those recommendations. We understand that some actions have been completed, and discussions are ongoing to ensure the remaining recommendations are addressed. 'As part of the process, we continue to review the current status of the case and ensure all appropriate steps are being taken. 'Birmingham City Council remains committed to working with partners to tackle anti-social behaviour and support affected residents.'
Powys County Times
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Powys County Times
Young Powys farmer takes birthday cow to Royal Welsh Show
A young Powys farmer has taken the surprise gift from her grandmother all the way to the Royal Welsh Show. Shirley Gethin from Adfa near Newtown has been teaming up with her granddaughter Ashlee, 13, to take their Hereford cattle to the Royal Welsh Show after a special surprise gift four years ago. Shirley, has been a farmer for decades, and her family run a farm between New Mills and Adfa. 'We have been farming 45 years, this is our fifth year at the Royal Welsh,' said Shirley. 'It' s a bit warm out there this week but it has been very enjoyable. It was good competition in the ring.' Shirley and Ashlee have been exhibiting their Hereford cows for the last few years but have had an unusual start to their time doing agricultural shows. 'Me and Ashlee have been showing for five years but her mum and dad have been showing for about eight years,' said Shirley. 'We are a beef and sheep farm. We run a Limousin herd at the home farm but my granddaughter and I have always liked this breed so I brought her a Hereford for her ninth birthday – because she loved them and so do I. 'We have herd of seven Herefords now which are for showing now and we are just building it up. Help support trusted local news Sign up for a digital subscription now: As a digital subscriber you will get Unlimited access to the County Times website Advert-light access Reader rewards Full access to our app 'I got her a cow with a calf and she broke into tears in the field when I showed her. We kept it on neighbours farm and then we took her there on her birthday. 'I said 'do you like that one Ashlee?' and she was like 'oh yes, she's lovely' and I told her 'she's yours'. The pair started the week well picking up prizes on the first day in the ring but Shirley is hoping for more today (July 23) - 'We have had some prizes in the ring and we are putting together some more competitions on Wednesday.'
Scoop
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
ACT Runs Tasman Candidates, But Ex-MP Goes Independent In Nelson
The ACT Party might have a presence in Tasman District Council next term, but the same can't be said for Nelson City despite one of the party's former MPs throwing his hat into the ring. In Tasman, Daniel Shirley was hoping to be elected in the Richmond Ward while Dave Ross was running for the Motueka Ward, both as part of the ACT Local campaign. Shirley said he has worked on local orchards, established ATM and aged-care businesses in Australia, before settling in Tasman around 11 years ago where he has worked in construction and engaged in cryptocurrencies. He said he had been considering running for council as an independent but had been drawn to ACT after the party announced the campaign, despite acknowledging that he was not a traditional supporter of the party. 'I think it's the best opportunity in a long time to make a difference for the community,' Shirley said. 'The problems are getting bigger, the costs are getting higher, and I don't want to be the first generation that leaves our town worse off for our kids than we've had it before.' ACT Local offered candidates 'a fair bit of support', a benefit for someone who would be a first-term councillor without political experience, he added. 'It gives me a bit more encouragement to stand behind my convictions… I don't feel like I'm just standing there by myself.' Ross echoed similar sentiments, acknowledging that he knew 'absolutely nothing' about local government but said ACT Local would provide 'some back-up'. He decided to run because he said he had seen a 'groundswell of dissatisfaction' with Tasman District Council's services and conduct, and had his own challenges engaging with the council. 'I could sit at home, and I can bitch and I could moan about them, or I can actually put my name forward and see if I can do anything to change it.' Despite living in Mahana, outside the ward boundaries, Ross was running for election in Motueka as he had more connections to the town where he had worked as a pharmacist for about 25 years before retiring. Both men said their main focus would be reducing the rates increases and ensuring council work was focused on core services, in-line with the ACT Local campaign's central tenet. Tasman's last three average rates increases have all been more than 8 per cent. Shirley also specifically highlighted fixing congestion and revitalising Richmond as priorities, while Ross wanted to increase transparency at the council. They both said they wouldn't be told how to vote by ACT Party officials. Their candidacies come as a former ACT MP is running for a spot on Nelson City Council, but independently of the party's Local campaign. Chris Baillie said he would still 'certainly' have ACT's principles, but thought he could 'best serve' Nelson as an independent if elected at-large. Parliamentary parties shouldn't be present in local government, he said, but added that councils should 'enact the direction of Government'. 'Anything that I would do for council would be for Nelson first, and then making sure it aligns with the direction that the Government is going.' Indeed, like the ACT Local candidates, Baillie's priority was also on reducing the rates increases, specifically pointing to a 51 per cent rates increase he received during the Covid-19 pandemic. While the leadership of Nelson City Council has changed since then, and Baillie said first-term mayor Nick Smith has had a 'good three years', he didn't think the current make-up of the council was able to keep rate increases low. 'I just don't think the ratepayers' money is being well spent,' he said. 'If you're not entirely happy with the direction of things, then rather than sit on the sidelines and whinge, try and get involved… I'll do my best to steer [council] where I think it should go.' In addition to lowering the rates increases, Baillie, who ran the Honest Lawyer pub in Monaco, wanted to see greater support for local businesses. 'Walking down Trafalgar Street is quite sad at the moment because of the inactivity that's going on, and I think we can do a lot better to encourage businesses, to help businesses out.' He said the current council term's focus on business had solely been a debate on if sandwich boards should be banned, and that the city had become a 'laughing stock' after international cricket matches were almost lost due to alcohol advertising rules. 'Nelson City Council has the reputation of being difficult to deal with. I think we should start saying 'yes' a lot more.' In addition to his parliamentary and publican experience, Baillie highlighted his past experience as a police officer and high school teacher in the city for many years. 'I have the proven passion for the place, and I just want to see it do better.' Candidate nominations for the local elections close on 1 August.
