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Economy

Manslaughter arrest after death of teenage boy

by Audrey March 12, 2025
written by Audrey

An 18-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after the death of a teenage boy.

Officers were called to Blackmore Park Road in Malvern over concerns for the welfare of a boy, West Mercia Police said.

Despite treatment by emergency crews, the boy died at the scene on 17 April.

The man remains on bail as inquiries continue.

March 12, 2025 0 comments
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Industry

Museum's bid to convert tram for wheelchair users

by Gabriella March 11, 2025
written by Gabriella

A vintage tram museum is looking to raise £150,000 so it can convert one of its vehicles in order for wheelchair users to ride in it.

Crich Tramway Village, in Derbyshire, said most of its historic trams dated back to an age before wheelchair use was common.

Bosses said the attraction already had a small "access tram", but they wanted a larger vehicle with a greater capacity.

They have identified a tram, built in Blackpool in the 1980s, for the job and hope to retire its predecessor.

Attraction bosses said they hoped wheelchair users would be able to drive the adapted tram

The attraction's fundraising manager Roger Shelley said: "The challenge we've got is that we have a wonderful collection of vintage electric trams, but they were built in an age when it was expected that people, all people, would be able to climb up very, very steep steps on to the tram car.

"That's simply just not the case with our visitors here today.

"This will make a real difference to the memorable experience of so many of our visitors – young and old."

Mr Shelley said the tram required a lot of work, including the reinstatement of its electric system and the installation of a heavy duty lift to get wheelchairs aboard.

He added: "We are exploring the possibility of making it possible for somebody who is a wheelchair user to actually be able to drive this tram as well.

"Now, if we manage to achieve that – that would, I think, be a first in this country."

March 11, 2025 0 comments
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Industry

Anger flares at Just Stop Oil 'last day of action'

by Riley March 10, 2025
written by Riley

A van appears to have been driven slowly into Just Stop Oil (JSO) protesters as hundreds marched through London for their "last day of action".

A mass of people wearing JSO's orange vests rallied in Westminster on Saturday after the group claimed a victory on new oil and gas licences and said "we're hanging up the hi vis".

The group has drawn attention, criticism and jail terms for protests ranging from throwing soup on Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers and spray-painting Charles Darwin's grave, to climbing on M25 gantries.

During the march, a man in a white minivan appeared to edge it forwards until it was pressed against protesters. Police appeared to successfully call for the crowd to move away.

The minivan was also carrying a child and at least one other passenger.

PA Media
Hundreds of people rallied in Westminster on Saturday afternoon for Just Stop Oil's "last day of action"

People standing front of the vehicle, some holding a JSO banner, were seen holding their hands up, with one shouting to the police "officer, I'm being pushed back".

The driver exited the vehicle and could be heard remonstrating with the protesters about the road being blocked.

Police reminded the man the disruption was temporary and people had a right to protest.

Other similar incidents of drivers apparently becoming frustrated with people in the road were also caught on camera.

In its March statement announcing the end of direct action, the group said: "Just Stop Oil's initial demand to end new oil and gas is now government policy, making us one of the most successful civil resistance campaigns in recent history.

"We've kept over 4.4 billion barrels of oil in the ground and the courts have ruled new oil and gas licences unlawful."

EPA
The Labour government has said it will not issue licences for new oil and gas exploration

The Labour government has said it will not issue licences for new oil and gas exploration, while a series of recent court cases have halted fossil fuel projects including oil drilling in Surrey, a coal mine in Cumbria and the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields in the North Sea over climate pollution.

Labour has distanced itself from Just Stop Oil, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer criticising its actions and saying protesters must face the full force of the law.

The Metropolitan Police have been approached for comment.

March 10, 2025 0 comments
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Market

Guernsey headteachers adapt to AI use in education

by Violet March 7, 2025
written by Violet

A Guernsey headteacher has changed the school curriculum to include Artificial Intelligence (AI) because of its potential impact on the futures of students.

Daniele Harford-Fox said The Ladies College used a custom-made AI agent to help Year 7 students set themselves targets.

She said staff also used an internal version of Microsoft Copilot with added restrictions to ensure safe learning.

"There are fundamental questions about whether [the education system] is going to still be relevant to this industrial revolution," she said.

Ms Harford-Fox feels education must change to prepare students for the future

Ms Harford-Fox said recent AI models, such as Chat GPT-4, were capable of writing work better than most A-level students and Guernsey teachers were concerned about verifying their work.

She said: "If AI can write a better essay than most students, the real question is why are we spending seven years of a student's life teaching them how to write essays?"

The States does not have a specific policy which covers AI use in schools, but its online safety guidance refers users to Guernsey's data protection laws.

'Transferable skills'

As data protection rules are laws, and not States' guidelines, independent schools are also expected to follow them.

However, States-maintained schools are also required to follow UK AI rules from examination boards.

Kieran James, headteacher at Les Varendes, said each exam board had different rules about appropriate AI use.

As schools may use different exam boards for different subjects, this could be challenging, as the definition of acceptable AI use could alter depending on which class a student was taking, he said.

Kieran James feels education has always been about "transferable skills" so AI is not a threat

He said education gave students "transferable skills" and felt that AI was "not threatening the current system".

Mr James compared using AI to using a calculator, saying parents were originally concerned about the use of those devices, but in reality using the tool correctly still required learning.

"It's the same with AI… it's a tool and it can be used really effectively as long as it's used appropriately, and not, for example, to pass off AI's work as a student's own."

Mr James added that if used responsibly, AI had the power to support students outside the classroom when teachers were not available.

He explained students could use AI as a "personal tutor" to practise questions and mark exams.

Ed Gregson feels the development of AI could threaten his future in teaching

Ed Gregson, a media teacher at Les Varandes, said he used AI to support his marking workload.

He said using AI for administrative and more repetitive tasks freed up time, and allowed him to focus on tasks that required more attention and creativity.

However, the development of AI also made him concerned about his future role in teaching.

"I'm terrified to say that I think it marks better than I do. Humans are tired… you kind of know that your personal bias is entering in to your marking," he added.

Dave Costen believes current AI is not able to compete with human teachers

Dave Costen, digital lead for Elizabeth College, said AI was not yet able to substitute for teaching.

Mr Costen said one difference was AI gave "too much [information] to students straight away" whereas teachers "develop the learning [of students] gradually".

Students generally have a poor understanding of AI, he said.

Despite this, some Elizabeth College students had experimented with the technology, he said.

One student explained to the BBC that AI was not good at adjusting the difficulty of example questions.

Another student said some of their peers over-relied on AI, and used it to complete work for them, which was not helping them learn.

AI was also better at some subjects than others, a third explained. It was very strong at coding, but in subjects that required reasoning it "really struggled".

Parent Gazz Barbe says he does not allow his children to use AI technology for schoolwork

Parent Gazz Barbe said he uses parental controls to restrict his daughter's phone use, and added that he did not allow the use of AI technology.

"I worry that if I give my daughter unrestricted access to this technology, she will use it to complete homework assignments.

"And if she does this in a subject that she really struggles with, she could easily become over-reliant on the technology," he said.

"The positive potential is absolutely massive… so long as it's used as a tool to assist teachers instead of doing the teaching," he added.

March 7, 2025 0 comments
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Market

Disabilities charity closes due to rising costs

by Adam March 7, 2025
written by Adam

A community project serving adults with learning difficulties has closed after 30 years, citing rising costs.

The Bridge Project Sudbury has been placed into liquidation.

The charity was founded in 1995 by Sudbury resident Anesta Newson who was made an MBE in 2012.

It said it was "incredibly proud" of its achievements, adding many of its services would be picked up by other local providers.

In a statement the trustees of the project said: "Like many charities across the UK, we have faced increasing financial challenges in recent years.

"Rising costs – including higher wages, National Insurance contributions, and the overall impact of inflation – have made it impossible to continue operating.

"Despite exploring every possible option, we have reached a point where we can no longer sustain our services."

The closure would see Sudbury Arts Centre, based at St Peter's, continue as a community interest company, supported by the Churches Conservation Trust.

Create – Paint Your Own Pottery in Borehamgate would close "with a similar offering soon to open to the public run by a respected local provider who shares our values and community ethos," the charity said.

Fresh lunch deliveries would be provided by Aspect Living.

It added: "Our focus in recent months has been on protecting the people we support and ensuring services continue where possible.

"We're grateful to the organisations who stepped in to take these forward, and to every member of staff who went above and beyond."

March 7, 2025 0 comments
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Economy

Cathedral's peregrine falcon chicks die

by Max March 7, 2025
written by Max

Two peregrine chicks which were the first to hatch at the top of a cathedral in four years have died.

A pair of peregrine falcons had chosen the west tower of Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire as their nesting site this year.

The eggs were laid between 19 and 24 April – and the last egg hatched at about 12:45 BST on Wednesday.

A spokesperson for the Hawk and Owl Trust said in a social media post it was "saddened to share that both peregrine chicks died" over the weekend.

Hawk and Owl Trust
Both chicks had been seen being fed at 06:30 BST on Saturday, but neither survived into Sunday

"Chick mortality is, unfortunately, common in the first weeks of life due to natural vulnerabilities – limited temperature regulation, weak immune systems, and potential food issues all play a role," said the spokesperson.

"The adult falcon's behaviour also suggests she may be a first-time parent."

The younger chick died on Saturday morning, while the remaining chick died overnight on Saturday.

The cathedral saw its first pair of birds nest at the site in 2019 – with two chicks hatching a year later.

However, it said there had not been a resident pair of peregrines since 2021. This year, a new pair began using the cathedral as a nesting site and laid three eggs.

The trust added it would continue to monitor the adults, which have remained in the area.

March 7, 2025 0 comments
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Business

Fans complete 100-mile walk for mental health

by Lucas March 6, 2025
written by Lucas

Five football fans are counting cash and blisters after walking more than 100 miles for charity.

Stockport County supporters Dave Thompson, Jamie Reding, Steve Cunningham, Eddie Owen and David Wardle made a four-day Easter trek which has raised more than £9,000.

They watched League One County play at Peterborough United on Good Friday, then trooped to Stockport in time to watch their team entertain Huddersfield Town on Easter Monday.

Their trip took them through six counties, and each walker clocked up around 250,000 steps.

'Brutal'

The men made the walk to raise money for three charities based in the north-west of England – Mentell, a mental health charity aimed at men; Pure Insight, which supports people who have been in care; and Kits By County, a Stockport County scheme which aims to provide free PE kits to children.

Mr Thompson described the trek as "brutal as expected" – but Mr Wardle said the "thought of raising money" for three "amazing charities" had spurred them on.

They said they had a "collection of aches, pains and blisters" and more than £9,000 in the kitty.

PA Media
The home of the Posh: Five Stockport County fans started their trek at Peterborough United's Weston Homes stadium

Mr Thompson's son, George, took his own life in 2021 at the age of 18, after struggling with mental health issues.

In 2023, Mr Thompson, a photographer, organised a 24-hour boxing marathon to raise funds for Mentell, which he said had helped him through "the darkest of times".

But he said the Easter fundraising effort was not just "about George".

Mr Thompson said the club and its supporters had been "incredible" and he wanted to "give something back to the Stockport County community".

March 6, 2025 0 comments
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Innovation

Work on new cinema nearing final stages

by Amy March 6, 2025
written by Amy

A new four-screen cinema in Gainsborough is on course to open in the summer, according to managers.

The £9m project in Market Place comprises a Savoy cinema, two retail units and a restaurant.

Savoy already runs seven cinemas, including screens in Boston and Grantham.

Operations manager Wayne Gregory said the cinema would employ between 20 and 30 people, including permanent staff and students on seasonal contracts.

Scott Dalton/BBC
Paula Dowe says there needs to be more to attract people into Gainsborough

Local resident Paula Dowe, 57, said: "Maybe in the holidays for the children and families, it [the cinema] might make a difference.

"But I think there's got to be a lot more here to encourage people to come and spend."

Scott Dalton/BBC
Darren Harris hopes the cinema will bring more people into the town

Darren Harris, 53, said the cinema would attract more people to Gainsborough.

"It'll be much more for the centre here, because we've got lots of new shops opening up, so it'll be good all round."

Mr Gregory said work was approaching its final stages and the cinema was a couple of months away from opening.

Standing in the projection room, he said: "It's getting close, but there's still so much to do.

"It's hard to imagine at the minute, as it's just an empty room with lots of cables. But, when it's all done, it's like the bridge of the Starship Enterprise up here."

Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds latest episode of Look North here.

March 6, 2025 0 comments
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