Latest news with #TomCunningham
BBC News
28-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Braintree bin collections reduced as council divides service
Household waste collections are to be made three-weekly and recycling services divided up in an area following a council District Council, in Essex, agreed to introduce fortnightly kerbside collections of glass, paper and card from 1 June said the decision followed feedback from more than 7,800 residents during a consultation councillor Tom Cunningham said: "We know change on this scale will be a challenge, but we also know that most of us would like to see as much recycled as possible." Under the existing arrangement, refuse workers collect household and food waste, with a paid for collection of garden from 1 June 2026, the service will include:A weekly food waste collectionAn alternate fortnightly collection of paper and cardGlass bottles and jars, metals and plastics collected on alternate fortnightsThree-weekly collection of general wasteA fortnightly paid for collection of garden wasteClear sacks used for mixed recycling would be replaced with wheeled bins, the council hoped the new approach would significantly improve recycling rates and be more cost-effective. Research by the council found about 40% of household waste could have been recycled under the existing authority said it would offer support for disabled people and those without space for new the council's deputy leader, said he was aiming to further reduce waste."Over the coming year, we'll ensure effective communication to our residents and businesses so you know exactly how the changes will affect you and to minimise disruption," he added. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
The Sun
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Hollyoaks legend Gemma Bissix hasn't aged a day as she makes shock return as iconic villain Clare Devine
HOLLYOAKS is bringing its most legendary villain back from the dead - and we've got the first pictures of her back in action. The Channel 4 soap has began filming scenes for the comeback now. 5 5 5 Actress Gemma Bissix is back on set as The Sun exclusively revealed last month. And now pictures show her getting back into action as villain Clare Devine for the first time in 12 years since the schemer was seemingly killed by killer Dr Browning. In a green top and dungaree, Gemma can be seen taking a break from filming, chatting on the phone and catching up on her scripts. And it's like she hasn't aged a day since she was last on the Hollyoaks set. It has also been revealed that bosses at the Channel 4 soap have tempted Tom Cunningham actor Ellis Hollins back to take on Clare. The pair have a brutal history with Clare terrorising then child Tom when she was busy fleecing his guardian, brother Max Cunningham. In dark scenes Claire had Tom locked up while she drugged Max. She even faked Tom's death to get a drugged Max to jump into an icy lake in an effort to kill him and take his fortune for herself. A source said: 'Tom is a huge fan favourite and was a major part of Clare's first years in Hollyoaks - but now he's not a little boy anymore. 'Clare might have had the upper hand before but not anymore. Watch as Hollyoaks' Mercedes McQueen takes revenge on Grace Black in explosive new soap trailer_1 'It was a no brainer to revisit the battle and have a rematch. Bosses are really excited to have Gemma and Ellis back. 'Ellis' stint will be part of the run up to the big 30th anniversary in October and there are huge plans underway for it.' It's been a huge year for Hollyoaks having last year been forced to cut its episodes down to three per week. However it has proved a major success for the show under the direction of executive producer Hannah Cheers. 5 The move to streaming first has seen a 23 per cent increase in total viewership and a whopping 71 per cent up per episode. Louise Donald, Commissioning Executive for Channel 4 Drama, Hollyoaks says: 'We are delighted with how well the audience has embraced the new format. 'It's testament to Hannah's vision for the show, the amazing storylines and performances. 'As Hollyoaks celebrates its 30th anniversary it's fantastic to see the show continue to tackle important social issues whilst keeping viewers entertained.' From Hollyoaks to Hollywood James Corden played a caretaker in the early days of the soap. The former American TV host doesn't have much positive to say about his time on the soap, claiming it was "hell on earth." Since his short-lived time on the show he has gone on to bigger things including smash hit comedy Gavin and Stacey. Rachel Shenton joined the soap as aspiring glamour model Mitzeee Minniver in 2010. Over two years her character was sent to prison, got pregnant and had a number of romantic affairs. Since leaving Hollyoaks she has won an Oscar for best live action short film, The Silent Child. Rachel has also starred in White Gold and All Creatures Great and Small Emmett J. Scanlan played gangster turned anti-hero Brendan Brady. Emmett played the love interest of Steve Hayes, with their romance delighting fans until it turned violent. Since his departure Emmett has appeared in Peaky Blinders, The Fall, Gangs of London and even appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Emma Rigby joined Hollyoaks when she was 15 as Hannah Ahsworth. Hannah's eating disorder storyline was the first of it's kind on TV while other plots included being caught in a fire, gangland drug dealing and running away. Since leaving the soap in 2010 Emma has gone on to star in ABCs Once Upon a Time in Wonderland as the Red Queen. Other roles include guest appearances in Death In Paradise, Ripper Street and Fresh Meat Nico Mirallegro got his big break with Hollyoaks starring as emo Barry 'Newt' Newton. Nico's main storyline in the soap was developing schizophrenia which culminated in a suicide pact. He left the soap in 2010 and went on to star in My Mad Fat Diary, Our Girl, Rillington Place, The Ark and Common, Penance, as well as the Mike Leigh movie Peterloo and was nominated for a Bafta for his role in period drama The Village. Ricky Whittle used Hollyoaks as a stepping stone to break America. He played one of the soap's resident hunks, Calvin Valentine, from 2006 to 2011 - when he was killed off at his wedding. After leaving the soap Ricky cracked America starring in teen drama The 100 and America Gods. He also appeared in Strictly Come Dancing in 2009. Warren Brown joined Hollyoaks in 2005 for a year as evil Andy Holt. His stint on the show consisted of date rape storylines and a crime spree, before eventually being killed off. After leaving Hollyoaks, Warren became a big hitter in TV playing DS Justin Ripley in Luther, as well as major roles in a number of dramas including Liar, The Responder, Homefront and Good Cop. Wallis Day played Holly Cunningham in the soap for years before leaving. In 2021 Wallis won the role of Batwoman in DC's series, taking over from Ruby Rose.
The Sun
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Iconic Hollyoaks star set to return for clash with nemesis
ONE of Hollyoaks' most beloved characters are making a shock comeback to face off against their nemesis more than a year after leaving the soap. The Sun exclusively revealed how actress Gemma Bissix is making a shock return as the legendary soap villain Clare Devine later this year. 2 Clare Devine is making a shock return later this year 2 Now bosses are bringing back her victim Tom Cunningham for a major rematch Credit: Channel 4 And now it can be revealed that bosses at the Channel 4 soap have tempted Tom Cunningham actor Ellis Hollins to take on Clare. The pair have a brutal history with Clare terrorising then child Tom when she was busy fleecing his guardian, brother Max Cunningham. In dark scenes Claire had Tom locked up while she drugged Max. She even faked Tom's death to get a drugged Max to jump into an icy lake in an effort to kill him and take his fortune for herself. A source said: 'Tom is a huge fan favourite and was a major part of Clare's first years in Hollyoaks - but now he's not a little boy anymore. 'Clare might have had the upper hand before but not anymore. 'It was a no brainer to revisit the battle and have a rematch. Bosses are really excited to have Gemma and Ellis back. 'Ellis' stint will be part of the run up to the big 30th anniversary in October and there are huge plans underway for it.' It's been a huge year for Hollyoaks having last year been forced to cut its episodes down to three per week. However it has proved a major success for the show under the direction of executive producer Hannah Cheers. Clare Devine returns to the village The move to streaming first has seen a 23 per cent increase in total viewership and a whopping 71 per cent up per episode. Louise Donald, Commissioning Executive for Channel 4 Drama, Hollyoaks says: 'We are delighted with how well the audience has embraced the new format. 'It's testament to Hannah's vision for the show, the amazing storylines and performances. From Hollyoaks to Hollywood James Corden played a caretaker in the early days of the soap. The former American TV host doesn't have much positive to say about his time on the soap, claiming it was "hell on earth." Since his short-lived time on the show he has gone on to bigger things including smash hit comedy Gavin and Stacey. Rachel Shenton joined the soap as aspiring glamour model Mitzeee Minniver in 2010. Over two years her character was sent to prison, got pregnant and had a number of romantic affairs. Since leaving Hollyoaks she has won an Oscar for best live action short film, The Silent Child. Rachel has also starred in White Gold and All Creatures Great and Small Emmett J. Scanlan played gangster turned anti-hero Brendan Brady. Emmett played the love interest of Steve Hayes, with their romance delighting fans until it turned violent. Since his departure Emmett has appeared in Peaky Blinders, The Fall, Gangs of London and even appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Emma Rigby joined Hollyoaks when she was 15 as Hannah Ahsworth. Hannah's eating disorder storyline was the first of it's kind on TV while other plots included being caught in a fire, gangland drug dealing and running away. Since leaving the soap in 2010 Emma has gone on to star in ABCs Once Upon a Time in Wonderland as the Red Queen. Other roles include guest appearances in Death In Paradise, Ripper Street and Fresh Meat Nico Mirallegro got his big break with Hollyoaks starring as emo Barry 'Newt' Newton. Nico's main storyline in the soap was developing schizophrenia which culminated in a suicide pact. He left the soap in 2010 and went on to star in My Mad Fat Diary, Our Girl, Rillington Place, The Ark and Common, Penance, as well as the Mike Leigh movie Peterloo and was nominated for a Bafta for his role in period drama The Village. Ricky Whittle used Hollyoaks as a stepping stone to break America. He played one of the soap's resident hunks, Calvin Valentine, from 2006 to 2011 - when he was killed off at his wedding. After leaving the soap Ricky cracked America starring in teen drama The 100 and America Gods. He also appeared in Strictly Come Dancing in 2009. Warren Brown joined Hollyoaks in 2005 for a year as evil Andy Holt. His stint on the show consisted of date rape storylines and a crime spree, before eventually being killed off. After leaving Hollyoaks, Warren became a big hitter in TV playing DS Justin Ripley in Luther, as well as major roles in a number of dramas including Liar, The Responder, Homefront and Good Cop. Wallis Day played Holly Cunningham in the soap for years before leaving. In 2021 Wallis won the role of Batwoman in DC's series, taking over from Ruby Rose. 'As Hollyoaks celebrates its 30th anniversary it's fantastic to see the show continue to tackle important social issues whilst keeping viewers entertained.' Hollyoaks have been contacted for comment.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Yahoo
Plans to cut park and ride services
Park and ride services could be cut back in Chelmsford, under plans proposed by the local authority. A public consultation has been launched by Essex County Council, which suggests removing the entire service on Saturdays at the Chelmer Valley site, as well as cutting back late evening services. The council has also proposed reducing customer support at the two sites - Chelmer Valley and Sandon - during non-peak hours. Tom Cunningham, the councillor responsible for highways, infrastructure and sustainable travel, said, "no decisions have been made yet." The consultation also suggests the option of a new £2 student ticket. The Chelmer Valley site runs two park and ride services – one to Chelmsford city centre and a half-hourly shuttle service to Broomfield Hospital. The route to the hospital was closed during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019 but was brought back last August. At the time, Matthew Hopkins, chief executive of Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said the park and ride scheme would "make a positive difference to staff and patients" and would "take the stress out of finding a space and easing parking pressure at Broomfield Hospital". The consultation – which launched following a review of passenger numbers – runs until 30 April. The council will review the results ahead of a new contract for services to and from Chelmer Valley and Sandon starting in March 2026. Mr Cunningham added: "We want park and ride users to help us shape our service so it works for them and us." Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Cinema and church services plans for park and rides Park and ride services could lose £1.3m this year Chelmer Valley Park and Ride consultation
BBC News
26-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
Braintree recycling fire likely caused by lithium battery
A large blaze at a recycling centre was likely caused by a used lithium-ion battery, firefighters have fire affected 35 tonnes of waste at the Cordon's Farm site in Long Green Road, Braintree, on County Fire and Rescue Service watch manager Darren Hockley said residents must check with their local council how to dispose of lithium-ion batteries properly and "not in a skip or with domestic household waste".Tom Cunningham, the Conservative cabinet member for environment at Braintree District Council, thanked firefighters for their "swift action". "This incident serves as a reminder to us all of the importance of taking extra care when disposing of batteries," said District Council has details on its website about how to dispose of electrical items. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
