By Jill Dando News There were celebrations in Westminster today (11 September) as Poykee, a 13-year-old Keeshond, owned by Sarah Edwards, Labour MP for Tamworth, emerged victorious after being crowned the winner at the Westminster Dog of the Year competition. The annual competition, organised by The Kennel Club and Dogs
By Animals Correspondent An African elephant at Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm in North Somerset has received specialist dental treatment to protect his tusk - with a world-renowned dentist called in for the job - showing how specialist care is key to modern zoo conservation. Keepers recently spotted a small
By Animals Correspondent For the first time in almost ten years, a Chilean flamingo chick has hatched at Edinburgh Zoo. The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) says the chick hatched on 4 September 2025, marking a major milestone in the zoo’s breeding programme. To maximise the chance of
By Mental Health Correspondent The Premier League and Samaritans have launched ‘Together Against Suicide’, a new initiative to support football fans affected by suicide or suicidal thoughts, helping raise awareness of the information and expertise available to those who need it most. The initiative launches on World Suicide Prevention Day
By Community Correspondent Nearly £37,000 was raised during three unforgettable weeks of the 2025 Project Zulu choir tour – setting a new fundraising record since the tour began in 2013. In May, twenty talented young singers and five teachers from Sipheni Senior Primary School and Sithobelumthetho Primary School in Madadeni
By Community Correspondent With just over 100 days to go until Christmas, renowned maximalist interior designer Siobhan Murphy is diving head-first into the festivities at Harewood. She’s leading a team of 50+ volunteers to create over 5,000 handmade decorations using secondhand and upcycled materials. This year’s theme,
By Education Correspondent Worle Community School Academy (WCSA) in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset is set to welcome hundreds of Year 6 students and their families to its Open Evening on Thursday, 11th September 2025, from 4PM to 7pm PM. The evening offers a unique opportunity for prospective students to explore the school’
By Ellise Hollie Hayward, Disabilities Correspondent In this honest and moving poem, Ellise, Disabilities Correspondent and advocate shares what it’s really like to live with cerebral palsy — the challenges, the strength, and the daily fight most people never see. If you ever see me, here are a few things
By Jill Dando News Children as young as five to take part in worldwide good news movement launched from Weston-super-Mare A global youth campaign inspired by TV presenter Jill Dando has been launched from her hometown of Weston-super-Mare, aiming to empower one million young people worldwide as “reporters of hope”
By Community Correspondent The number of new 18–25-year-olds choosing to join the National Trust grew 39% in the last year, the charity’s annual report, released today, has revealed. Young persons’ membership has experienced a surge over the last financial year (March 2024 – February 2025), with over 40,000
By Charities Correspondent Staff from Bristol-based Vanguard Self Storage have completed a 100-mile charity bike ride, raising £1,602 for two local organisations. This marks the team’s fifth consecutive annual fundraising challenge, bringing their total contribution to more than £8,000 for South West charities. This year’s ride
By Science Correspondent Great British Bake Off star and Leicester’s culinary chemist Dr Josh Smalley is judging a national contest that combines science and baking, run by the Medical Research Foundation. He recently teamed up with Bristol Biomedical Research Centre researcher Lavinia Paternoster to bring a research project to
By Josh Bell, Schools and Charities Correspondent A brand-new, community-accessible defibrillator has been officially launched at Lew’s Barbers Shack, thanks to the generosity of the Dedman Family, who funded the life-saving equipment in loving memory of Royston “Roy” Dedman. As part of this heartfelt donation, a Bleed Kit has
By Animals Correspondent A NEW ARRIVAL at Whipsnade Zoo marks a vital boost to the European breeding programme for the red panda – a globally endangered species. Born at the conservation zoo on 23rd June to mum Ruby and dad Nilo, the Zoo’s vets completed the precious cub’s first
By Education Correspondent While many young people were enjoying a well-earned rest over the summer break, one Tewkesbury Academy sixth former instead set off on an incredible adventure halfway around the world. Year 13 student Byron Tomkins embarked on an amazing journey to the Maldives, where he volunteered with local
By Business Editor Bristol-based Blinds By Mark is making waves in the window treatment industry with its exceptional Plantation shutters, offering a locally-manufactured alternative to long-lead-time imported products. The company, led by Mark and his dedicated team, has distinguished itself by providing UK-manufactured shutters with a remarkably quick turnaround of
People
By Business Correspondent M&S is proud to be introducing stoma trunks; a first for a UK High Street retailer. Today, more than 200,000 people are living with a stoma in the UK, but this essential product has not always been easy to find on the High Street.
People
By Charities Correspondent A determined team of cyclists from Bristol Airport have successfully completed a gruelling 160-mile bike ride from The Brunel Museum in London to Bristol Airport, raising an incredible £87,000 for the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC), the Airport’s Charity Partner. The two-day challenge, held
People
By Charities Correspondent At just 14 years old, Summer has already faced more than most do in a lifetime. Diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of four, she endured two and a half years of intense chemotherapy and hospital stays. In 2022, her cancer returned, this time more aggressive and
People
By Community Correspondent Residents at HC-One’s Clarendon Hall Care Home in Humberston, Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, enjoyed a tail-wagging celebration on International Dog Day, bringing together laughter, memories, and plenty of canine charm. The day began with residents gathering alongside Robbie, the home’s much-loved robotic dog, who always
Science
By Jill Dando News A new study from the University of Vienna has found that bold geese—not aggressive ones—are more likely to become leaders within their flocks. Researchers at the Konrad Lorenz Research Center observed a group of greylag geese in Austria over four years. They tracked which
People
By Ellise Hollie Hayward, Disabilities Correspondent Accessible Inclusive Music (AIM) is a registered charity based in West Yorkshire, UK, who provide free and subsidised musical opportunities to children and young people across the UK, specifically those who have additional needs. They have a free online choir that meets weekly during
People
By Community Correspondent Derbyshire-based homelessness organisation Derventio Housing Trust has hailed the life-changing impact of gym passes after regular attendance has turned lives around from drug and alcohol use to clean, independent living. The social landlord, which provides accommodation to around 1200 people across the UK who would otherwise be
Business
By Business Editor A serial award-winning construction firm, founded by former professional rugby players with a passion for mental wellbeing, is expanding at pace across the Southwest of England – creating exciting new jobs and a blueprint for positive change in the construction industry. Despite being a relatively new company, Evolution
People
By Education Correspondent Tatiana McCabe, a UWE Bristol MA Wildlife Filmmaking graduate has won a 2025 Student Academy Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for her documentary which follows a local hero protecting coastal wildlife in Uruguay. AMPAS celebrates filmmaking through renowned awards for cinematic
Animals
By Science Correspondent A new cancer treatment has shown early promise in pet cats—and it might help humans too. Researchers in the U.S. have completed the first-ever clinical trial of a new drug for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), a type of cancer that’s very
People
By Community Correspondent It’s not every day a rhino is first in line for a scrub-up when a community kicks off a town wide clean up. But Dumfries in south-west Scotland started a week-long community clean initiative in style thanks to local experts Eco Dry Ice. The town’s
Science
By Science Correspondent Does your morning coffee really make you happier? Researchers from the University of Warwick and Bielefeld University say so. They have tracked the mood of more than two hundred young adults for up to four weeks each. The young people involved received prompts on their phones seven
Animals
By Charities Correspondent Frontline staff from several animal welfare organisations took time out from their demanding roles to take part in a range of wellbeing sessions at The Donkey Sanctuary in Devon recently. The group, which included staff from Flicka, Ash, Margaret Green and the Mare and Foal Sanctuary, were
Business
By Business Editor From luxury family homes to wellness spaces, Evolution Developments has earned a reputation for craftsmanship, care, and integrity. But it’s not just high-end builds and bespoke renovations that define their mission — it’s improving lives through construction. In partnership with GSH Projects, the company recently completed
Animals
By Animals Correspondent Westminster is set to go barking mad on Thursday 11th September as the annual Westminster Dog of the Year competition returns. This year, Westminster Dog of the Year celebrates dogs as members of the family, highlighting the vital role that dogs play in any household, the importance
People
By Ellise Hollie Hayward, Disabilities Correspondent Lasagna Love is a grassroots non-profit movement that connects volunteer chefs with neighbours in need by delivering free, home-cooked lasagnes — no judgement, and no questions asked. What began in one kitchen during the pandemic has grown into a global movement powered by kindness. Every