Latest news with #Yeoman
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Native lizards in focus
Anna Yeoman admiring a jewelled gecko at the Mokomoko Dryland Sanctuary in Central Otago. PHOTO: DHANA PILLAI An expert on New Zealand's colourful native lizards — geckos and skinks — confesses she only started learning about them six years ago. Anna Yeoman, who is giving a Whakatipu Wildlife Trust-hosted talk about these unique reptiles in Queenstown next Wednesday, says "I love animals, love nature, love being out in the outdoors, but I just hadn't even heard about them". She has since become obsessed about them, working as a ranger at the Mokomoko Dryland Sanctuary, near Alexandra, which houses seven species, and last year launching a book, Geckos & Skinks: The Remarkable Lizards of Aoteaora. Guessing many others were in the same boat, was "a huge motivation" to educate people about these species which are all endemic to New Zealand, she says. "We just haven't been told about them as much, I mean they're hard to see, they're not like birds that move around a lot and make a lot of noise." Yeoman says creating awareness is important as more than 90% of NZ's 125 species are "threatened or at risk". "They would have been here millions of years before humans arrived. "And it wasn't that long ago that the big ones disappeared from around Alexandra." However, the predator-free dryland sanctuary provides a safe habitat for their population to grow — "we're so lucky to have that". Yeoman says "it feels like more and more people are sort of getting interested in our native geckos and skinks, maybe because people are getting out as part of these planting projects or predator control work, and they're really out in the environment noticing a bit more". She notes her book is as much about people as it is about lizards. "When I started to hear the stories of these people who are out there discovering species, doing these epic research projects, spending huge periods of time and dedicating decades of their life to these really fascinating projects to discover things about the lizards, I think that really captured me. "I thought, this is, you know, NZ conservation history." Yeoman's talk, part of the wildlife trust's 'Talk on the Wild Side' series, is at The Matrix Lounge on Glenda Dr from 6pm next Wednesday — tickets via
NZ Herald
09-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Haumaru Sport Centre opens in Tauranga with public open day
'There will be opportunities for casual bookings and court hire, as well as recreational activities for local schools and the wider community. 'This will include Tumble Time play sessions for preschoolers and their parents during weekdays.' The centre has four basketball-size courts with maple hardwood sports flooring from Canada. The size can accommodate three netball courts, 13 pickleball/badminton courts, or six volleyball courts. 'For large tournaments, we can change the line markings to increase the number of badminton/pickleball courts to 17,' Yeoman said. Curtains could be hung between courts for tournaments. 'The name Haumaru was gifted by mana whenua. The name has local significance and also relates to health and wellbeing, which fits with the active sport and recreation activities that will take place in this facility,' Yeoman said. The Warehouse to indoor courts The building was originally owned and operated as The Warehouse, but closed last year when Tauranga City Council bought the property. The total cost of the venue to Tauranga City Council and Bay Venues was about $28m. Te Papa ward councillor Rod Taylor said the initial plan was to build a brand-new indoor court facility of this scale at Memorial Park, which was estimated to cost more than $40 million. 'Talking about being The Warehouse, we really did get a bargain,' Taylor said. 'It's a win-win, really.' Yeoman said the cost included the price of the land, the building, all improvements and construction work, and all equipment. 'Not only does this development save more than $10m but the city now also owns a new piece of land in downtown Tauranga that it didn't have before, which had been valued at $12.5m.' 'The construction time – after prep works, demolition and consenting – was about six months,' Yeoman said. Bay Venues general manager of community facilities Paul Dunphy said when the centre was purchased it was still full of shelving from The Warehouse. 'We've taken everything out, made it one big open space, put a sports floor down, earthquake strengthened the building… refurbed it and made it usable.' Demand for more courts With a population growth of 40%, Taylor said there weren't enough courts to serve the whole city. Dunphy said his youngest child wasn't able to play an indoor sport this year because the teams were full for his age group. 'This centre will have the space to create new classes and leagues so more people can play indoor sports.' Yeoman said a group of adult basketballers have been wanting to create a master's league, but haven't had the courts. 'This will allow them to start.' 'The unique thing with this one is it's not a commercial area,' Taylor said. 'It's in the central city which is crucial to what we're trying to do.' The changes to Cameron Rd meant there was a direct bus route and cycle lanes to the venue. 'There's loads of schools down here too, and they're loving it because they can just come across,' Dunphy said. Impact on the area Yeoman said the council had visited nearby businesses with information about the new facility. 'They are really excited because they're going to have hundreds of people in here playing sports, going to cafes, going to get some sushi, going to Pak'n Save. They're really excited about it as well.' There were 220 on-site carparks, including 170 underground, 40 in the upper carpark, and 10 on-street car parks in front of the venue which were restricted to an hour. Dunphy said the on-site parking will be free for venue users. Non-venue users had to pay for use. He said this meant commuters would have access to about 170 more paid parking spots in the CBD. Amenities included 15 public toilets on the ground floor with four accessible bathrooms with toilets and showers, plus a tournament room and two changing rooms with two showers in each. There is an accessible ramp into the venue from 10th Ave and the underground carpark, and accessible parking both in the upper and underground carparks.
CBC
20-03-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Seeing more trash in London parks? Volunteers and city officials are playing catch up to clean it
Annual spring cleanup of the Thames River across southwestern Ontario will take place on April 12 Recyclable containers, coffee containers, plastic water bottles and plastic bags. These items are among the trash scattered across London parks along the Thames River's waterways. And with a rapid snow melt in recent weeks heading into spring, the garbage has come out of hiding and is back in plain sight. "We had a lot more snow, so things got trapped in the snowbanks and once it melted, we went from snowbanks to having all this litter in our ditches and in parks along the river," said Todd Sleeper, founder of the Thames River Clean Up group. "The biggest thing we see is plastics ... they wash down when the snow melts or it blows around when the wind's blowing hard and it's really bad for our environment." Sleeper's volunteer-run organization, made up of more than 1,000 members in communities spanning into areas such as Stratford, Ingersoll, Woodstock and others, is gearing up for its 26th annual spring cleanup of the Thames River's entire watershed next month. City officials typically see more garbage on the streets and in parks this time of year, but this winter's heavy snowfall made it harder to access and clean up, said Paul Yeoman, the city's director of parks and forestry. As the snow quickly melts, higher levels of water along the river have also impeded cleanup efforts, said Yeoman, adding that his team is ramping up staff to make sure parks are clean. "Both the shoreline and park conditions can really impact our ability to get in and do larger scale cleanups," he said. "We want to make sure things are safe for everyone involved and that we can actually access things and we don't have issues with equipment." The waste has been especially visible near homeless camps but Yeoman said the city's Coordinated Informed Response teams have been regularly cleaning up and working with people living in those encampments to address any health and safety concerns, including temporarily relocating them. Image | Garbage near Labatt Brewery London Caption: Piles of clothing and blankets are along trail behind the Labatt Brewery, near Richmond and Grey Streets in downtown London. Volunteers say abandoned items and waste have been more visible near encampments. (Michelle Both/CBC) Open Image in New Tab Tom Cull is co-founder of Antler River Rally, another grassroots group which cleans one area of the river every month and works closely with Sleeper's Thames River Clean Up. More Londoners are taking notice of the litter and trash and are stepping up to help out, with many bringing their own bags to pick up trash while out on walks, he said. "People have all kinds of reasons why they're upset with seeing garbage along the riverway and in parks. It's unsightly, they're worried about animals and plants that also call these spaces their homes and that kind of pollution poses a real risk to their health," Cull said. "They're also worried about the pollution of our waterways because the same water that flows in our veins is the same as water flowing in our lakes and streams." Both Sleeper and Cull said they're encouraged by the renewed interest from Londoners who want to help and both are training new volunteers. Their groups will host the annual cleanup, in partnership with the city on April 12. Meanwhile, the city will have its 30th annual Clean and Green campaign, which includes a "20-minute London makeover," where people can pick up litter outside their homes and workplaces for twenty minutes on April 11.
BBC News
08-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Eric Morecambe's joke books acquired by University of York
Comedy legend Eric Morecambe's notebooks containing his handwritten jokes will be made available for people to look through after being acquired by a nine notebooks, dating back to the 1960s and 70s, were auctioned in January alongside items such as the desk and signature glasses once owned by the comedian, who died in books, featuring jokes, one-liners and ideas for sketches for the hit Morecambe and Wise TV show, have now been archived by the University of Yeoman, from the university, said: "It's going to take some deciphering to work out exactly what he is saying in some cases, but it shows how he was operating in the moment as things were coming to mind." A lifetime of showbiz memorabilia and personal items from the comedian's former home went on sale at the auction earlier this year. It took place 10 months after the death of his widow, Joan, at the age of 97, and more than 40 years after the comic died of a heart attack, aged notebooks have all the hallmarks of being stuffed into a suit pocket and contain scribbled material for Morecambe and Wise's 1977 BBC Christmas show attracted 28 million viewers at a time when there were only three TV channels in Yeoman, access and digital engagement archivist at the university's Borthwick Institute for Archives, said some of the jokes in the books were scored out, some had lines and crosses next to them, and the university team was figuring out what Morecambe's system was."We do see across the books, he comes back to the same themes and topics again and again. He refines those jokes down as well," she explained. The team managed to get their hands on two of the five lots up for auction, Ms Yeoman said."I think Robbie Williams ended up with the famous glasses for about £20,000 and I think Yvette Fielding got his desk. So, there were a number of high profile people bidding on some of the lots, too," she Yeoman said the material was acquired thanks to funding from Friends of the Library and Archives and the Friends of the Nation's see the notebooks, people could contact the library to book an appointment, she added. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
