The University of Worcester has been awarded more than £2m to carry out research into mental health provision in rural areas of Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

The funding will establish a new Rural Mental Health Research Unit and pay for a five-year programme and three new posts to look at inequalities across the two counties.

Mental illnesses in rural areas can go unnoticed because of stigma, social isolation, and barriers to accessing services, the university said.

Professor David Green, vice chancellor and chief executive of the university, said he was delighted to receive the money from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

"The research that this unit will conduct will help many thousands of people living in rural communities in the years ahead," he said.

"This is a really positive development for the community, the NHS and the university. We are very grateful to the NIHR for this major award."

Professor Eleanor Bradley, director of research in the university's College of Health and Science and principal investigator on the programme said the research will be shared with other regions.

'Huge implications'

"The reason we need to do this research is to learn more about the experiences of people living across our rural communities, through new research designed to reflect their daily lives and experiences of mental ill-health," she said.

"This will enable us to develop our services locally, whilst understanding more about rurality as a risk to people's mental health."

The new team will work with voluntary and community sectors and learn more about how patients have previously been underserved.

"It's expected that the research carried out here could have huge implications for the way mental health services are delivered in rural settings much more widely," she added.

The programme will be delivered with the University of Birmingham's Institute for Mental Health and regional health bodies, including the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care Board, the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, public health teams and primary care.

Organisers of the Plymouth Pirates Weekend are hoping to attract 45,000 visitors over the two-day event.

Last year the event attracted a record 41,000 visitors

Plymouth Pirates weekend is set to return to the city on 17 and 18 May and will features street entertainers, story tellers, face painting, traditional shanty bands, a pirate dog show and more.

Entertainment takes place across the waterfront, including the Barbican, Sutton Harbour, West Hoe and Royal William Yard.

'Nine months of planning'

The weekend officially starts at 10:00 GMT on Saturday with the annual cannon firing, organisers said.

The event will see the Johanna Lucretia – the largest vessel in The Island Trust fleet and was originally built as a fishing vessel in 1945 – visit Sutton harbour.

Barbarossa's Band of Buccaneers would be new to pirates weekend 2025.

A Pirate Fun Run, which raises money for Jeremiah's Journey, will see people dressed as pirates taking part in a 5km or 2.5km course.

Jon Walton, CEO of the Plymouth Waterfront Partnership, said the event involved about nine months of planning.

He said the Plymouth Waterfront Partnership worked in partnership with Plymouth City Council and was entirely funded by businesses.

Mr Walton said: "If the businesses didn't fund this, this event wouldn't happen, and there'd be less smiles, which isn't good for anyone.

"Meeting people, having fun and enjoying themselves is so so good for everyone's mental health."

A council is asking people for ideas about how best to transform a former landfill site in Surrey.

The site in Weydon, Farnham, served as a landfill from the 1950s until the 1980s when it was closed and sealed with clay to minimise its effect on the environment.

Waverley Borough Council said the clay covering required extensive repairs, but that it hoped to open a new park at the site by 2031.

Residents can share their ideas about what should be done to the site, known locally as Brambleton Park, through an online survey until 13 July.

Councillor Mark Merryweather, the council's portfolio holder for finance, assets and property, said: "We are still in the early stages of planning, but now is the ideal opportunity for local residents to have a direct influence on the future direction of the project.

"Over the years, many ideas have been suggested for this site but transforming a former landfill into a genuine and sustainable community space is no small task.

"We have completed extensive environmental assessments and now we're eager to engage with the community and gather their valuable input."

The council has suggested ideas such as an outdoor gym, a café, a children's playground or even a cycling pump track for the 10-acre site.

The results from the survey will be used to form a business case. If this is approved by the council, initial plans for the site will be designed.

Paper copies of the survey are also available at Farnham Town Council in South Street.