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High rates of violence and "significant" drug use have been uncovered at a new prison in Leicestershire, inspectors say.

Inmates at HMP Fosse Way in Glen Parva, Leicestershire, told His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) that they felt unsafe during an unannounced inspection in March.

Data showed there had been a "steady rise" in violence at the prison which opened in 2023, over the 12 months before the inspection, with violence against staff also increasing.

While the inspection revealed "significant concerns" over safety, inspectors rated three other areas – respect, purposeful activity and preparation for release – as "reasonably good".

The visit was the first review of the service – which is run privately by Serco – since it opened in 2023, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Inspectors said they found "illicit drugs" were "widely available" at the prison, and added it was a "threat to the stability" of the centre.

They said such items were being brought in through the gate by staff or prisoners, or being thrown over the fence, but acknowledged that steps had been taken to crackdown on the issue.

The report added that tackling the issues had been identified as "a priority" by prison leadership, but said that "not enough" was being done to address demand for drugs or provide support for those who engaged with substance misuse

It added that leaders had taken "decisive action" to deal with "staff corruption" with several members of staff "arrested or dismissed".

'Maintain the momentum'

Some 42% of prisoners said they had experienced "bullying or victimisation" in the prison compared to 29% in similar centres.

There were also about 360 new charges brought against prisoners each month, most of which were for possession of unauthorised articles, incidents of violence and positive drug test results, according to the LDRS.

HMIP said staff often "failed" to reinforce the standard of behaviour needed to make prisoners feel safe.

However, the prison was praised for the amount of time prisoners were able to be out of their cells, and the "wide range" of education, work and training opportunities provided.

There was also praise for the range of activities available to inmates, and prisoners were encouraged to stay in touch with their families, the report added.

Ultimately, inspectors said that leaders and staff "should be congratulated on what they had achieved so far" and "encouraged to maintain the momentum they have created".

Wyn Jones, prison director for Serco, said the company was "overall pleased" with the findings.

He said: "Our focus remains on ensuring our prison is safe and we have an action plan in place to improve this.

"This includes an accommodation strategy for prisoners who feel unsafe to move to quieter house blocks.

"Our zero-tolerance approach to drugs in the prison continues and our work with the police has led to a significant reduction in the availability of drugs within Fosse Way."

A mural on the side of a wall in a car park for nearly 20 years has been re-painted to the delight of the daughter of the original artist.

Rebekah Newton, 37, said she was initially nervous when told her father's street art of Locomotion No 1 was going to be restored for the 200th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway.

But she said she was grateful and relieved to discover artist Jess McGowan planned to follow the original lines.

Stockton Council is going to use the Bishop Street car park mural as the backdrop for a railway-themed party on 28 September.

Zak Newton moved to Stockton from Northampton in 1990 and his daughter said he was "really passionate about history and culture" in the area.

"He did so much research before painting a mural, he was always going to the library," she said.

"He would see a wall and think a mural would look good on that."

Miss McGowan, 28, worked on the mural for four weeks to get it back to its former glory.

She said: "It was really challenging with how the wall was, all the paint was peeling off.

"We managed to get some good references and chat to people who first saw it when it was done.

"We wanted to make sure it was true to how it was originally painted."

Miss Newton was invited to see the repainting work in progress.

"I have got to admit that I was initially a bit sceptical," she said.

"But when I saw that the artist had followed his lines I was so grateful.

"She has done an absolutely amazing job, I'm delighted.

"I'm really proud of his work and it's great it has been given new life."

Rebecca McLellan is trying to safeguard the future of a rare breed of sheep one scarf at a time.

She fell in love with the Castlemilk Moorit and now has her own flock of 18 on the farm where she and her husband live in Rockcliffe on the Solway Firth.

Rebecca was keen to look at ways to help ensure the long-term survival of the sheep, which are on the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) "at risk" list.

That was when she hit on the idea of learning to weave to try to encourage other potential breeders to follow her lead.

She was born in Kenya and worked in London before moving to Scotland to a house which had been in her husband's family for about a century.

"With that came the responsibility and the stewardship for that land," she said.

"The reality was it had always been grazed by sheep, so we took a look at it and thought, well, there we go, that's the answer – we've got to get some sheep."

After that they had to narrow it down to what type.

"Some native breeds in Scotland are becoming ever rarer, and I'm mad about my conservation," she said.

"We started to look for rare breed of sheep that were native specifically to this corner of Scotland and settled on the Castlemilk Moorit."

The brown-coated, curly-horned sheep were originally bred in the 1920s by Sir John Buchanan-Jardine for his Castlemilk estate in Dumfriesshire.

They are on the "at risk" list, with an estimated breeding population of between 900 and 1,500.

Rebecca said they were originally bred as a "park sheep".

"They are an elegant-looking breed of sheep," she explained.

"They've got sweeping back horns, they've got neat legs and a sort of gazelle or deer-like head.

"So they grace the field – but they also have this practical side with the fleece.

"It is a soft fleece – I blend it to make it go further – but it's a soft mocha colour, it is cream at the tip down to chocolate at the base."

She describes the sheep as "quite flighty" but also "quite curious".

"If you do anything in the field or anywhere near them within a blink of an eye, they're all standing around in a circle, watching," she said.

Rebecca turns their fleeces into tapestries, knitwear and upholstery and hopes her work can help save the breed by showing the value they can offer.

"We've got breeds that have developed and evolved in Scotland particularly – but across the UK – which suit the geographical nature of our landscape," she said.

"So you're not trying to raise a breed of sheep that isn't suited to where you are from.

"There's a reality that these are breeds that need to be helped to survive and not sort of forgotten in the rush to have ever more economical sheep which are good for raising just for meat."

Rebecca is throwing open the doors to her workshop as part of the Spring Fling open studios event across Dumfries and Galloway between 24 and 26 May.

Visitors will get a chance to see what she produces, how she does it and meet the rare breed itself.

In the process, she hopes it might convince a few more people that the Castlemilk Moorit deserves to flourish in the years to come.

A couple who started a hedgehog rescue project in their back garden say they are now trying to raise £50,000 for a new, larger hospital.

Rachel and Dominic Matthews set up Deanshanger Hedgehog Rescue on the border of Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire in 2021 and look after about 250 of the creatures each year.

They say they have now outgrown their current base, which includes two sheds and three hutches, and need bigger premises to run their charity.

At the moment, they say they are having to turn away animals because they do not have enough room.

The rescue centre was set up after the pair found a hedgehog that was clearly unwell.

They discovered that the nearest rescue facility was more than an hour away, so they decided to set one up in their own garden.

The current facilities include areas for first aid, treatment and rehabilitation to hedgehogs that have been found unwell, abandoned or injured.

Mr Matthews said: "We're going on a big fundraising drive – we've got some land secured and we're just looking to build a bespoke 'hogspital'."

He said they wanted "to raise about £50,000 so we can find a more permanent home – we've just outgrown our sheds really.

"Last year, we saw over 250 hedgehogs. In the summer, we have to turn a lot of them away just because we're full so we're looking to double our capacity by having a more permanent home."

Their dream centre would have a small reception area, a large intensive care unit with incubators and a neonatal section for hoglets, and a rehabilitation room.

It would be around 12m (39ft) long and 4m (13ft) wide.

The charity hopes businesses will sponsor the centre and individual donors will also contribute.

Mr Matthews said it was worth protecting the small prickly animals because "they are a signal species – so if you've got hedgehogs in your environment, your environment's doing well.

"They're very good at pest control, so they will clear all your little caterpillars away, and they're just really great to have in your garden," he added.

A woman from Lincoln who lost more than 12 stone (76kg) in a year without using weight loss drugs is setting up her own slimming club to help others.

Jasmin Hyde, 30, previously weighed around 22 stone (139kg) but after starting a diet last April lost a total of 12 stone and 9lbs (about 80kg).

She said her success was down to "filling up on fresh foods rather than takeaways" and increasing the amount of exercise she did.

"There were definitely tough times, but I've had a hell of a lot of support around me, which keeps you motivated," she added.

Ms Hyde, who turned 30 in October, said she was motivated to do something about her weight after being diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) – which she said meant she may never be able to have her own children.

However, she said in order to get any support she would need to have a healthy body mass index (BMI).

She told BBC Radio Lincolnshire: "I thought I need to get cracked on – I'm turning 30 and I've got these issues."

Prior to losing weight, Ms Hyde, who works as a head chef, said she would not leave the house very often and would avoid looking in mirrors.

"I would hide away," she said.

"Nowadays, I'm walking out the door with a smile – enjoying getting dressed in the morning – going shopping," she added.

"It's been a life-changer for me."

Ms Hyde said she could now enjoy horse riding again and taking part in events, including Race for Life.

She said she now wanted to help others in a similar situation and has set up her own Slimming World group at the Moorland Park Methodist Church in Lincoln, with the first session taking place on 24 June.

"If I can help at least one person then it will be worth it," she added.

Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds latest episode of Look North here.

Toilets across one Welsh county will be refurbished after almost £500,000 was given to the local authority.

The money has gone to Powys council as part of a budget deal between the Welsh government and Welsh Liberal Democrats leader Jane Dodds, who represents Mid and West Wales in the Senedd.

It will see public toilets spruced up in the towns of Knighton, Llandrindod Wells, Llanwrtyd Wells and Rhayader.

The Welsh government said decent, accessible toilets were essential in helping to attract more visitors.

A new chief executive for three hospitals has been appointed following their merger.

Prof Lesley Dwyer will take charge of the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH), The James Paget Hospital, in Gorleston, and The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), in King's Lynn, from May.

All three are now part of the Norfolk and Waveney University Hospitals Group (NWUHG), created in March.

Prof Dwyer, currently running the Norfolk and Norwich, said staff and patients would benefit from the merger.

Each hospital will still operate under its own name.

Prof Dwyer will guide their strategic direction and oversee the delivery of services.

She will be in charge of almost 20,000 staff.

Further appointments to her leadership team will be made over the coming weeks.

Financial gap

NWUHG faces considerable challenges.

The three hospital trusts are all currently rated as "requires improvement" by watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and are forecasting a combined £53m gap in their finances by 2029/30.

At the NNUH, 500 jobs in finance, communication and administration are currently at risk.

Both the QEH and James Paget are to be rebuilt because of their ageing buildings constructed from reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac).

Work would begin between 2027 and 2028, the government announced earlier this year.

The QEH is also facing considerable financial pressures.

Prof Dwyer took charge of the NNUH in 2024 and before that she was CEO of Central Adelaide Local Health Network, the biggest health authority in South Australia.

Her time as chief executive of Medway NHS Foundation Trust in Kent between 2015 and 2018 saw the organisation move out of the support regime for failing trusts then known as special measures.

It eventually achieved a "Good" rating from the CQC during her time there.

NWUHG chair Mark Friend said: "Lesley has a wealth of experience in healthcare leadership gained in both the UK and Australia and has a deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing our hospitals and the wider Norfolk and Waveney Healthcare system."

Plans to knock down a vandalised lodge and replace it with a partial replica of itself have been refused by councillors.

Stockton Council's planning committee decided the money would be better spent restoring the South Lodge, near Preston Park Museum in Stockton, after it was "left to rot and ruin".

After a narrow vote, councillors rejected the authority's plan to demolish the condemned lodge and build a piece of public art.

Planning officers said the building was of "low architectural importance".

The lodge was built between 1919 and 1939 to replace an earlier building and was used as a home until 2019, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

It is currently unused and boarded up.

The proposed structure would have consisted of three arch-like alloy steel structures with boards showing the history of the area.

Planning officers recommended approving the scheme but Councillor John Coulson called the proposed structure "monstrous".

Councillor Tony Riordan said: "I'm concerned that, once we're allowed to get rid of an asset, it's gone, it doesn't come back.

"Would that money not be better spent preserving what is a building in curtilage of a heritage asset."

Councillor Lynn Hall told the committee: "We've left it to rot and ruin really."

"I don't think we've looked at any alternatives.

"Once that lodge goes, it's gone forever. We should be trying to keep it at all costs."

Planning services manager Simon Grundy said the lodge was considered of "low architectural importance" and only of historical significance because of its ties to the Grade II Preston Hall.

He said its loss would be "marginally outweighed by the public benefits" of the sculpture scheme.

Councillors voted seven to six to refuse the plan.

A project to dig up a prehistoric ritual site described as "Cornwall's ancient sacred heart" is set to go ahead after it received funding.

More than £40,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund has been given to Cornwall Heritage Trust to excavate the hidden stone circle of Castilly Henge just off the A30 near Bodmin, later this year.

The site is believed to have been built during the late Neolithic period (3000 to 2500 BC) as an amphitheatre-like setting for gatherings and ritual activities, and then as a battery during the English Civil War.

Cornwall Heritage Trust said the work would ensure the henge could be protected from invasive vegetation and nearby road infrastructure.

The project is a collaboration between the trust, the Cornwall Archaeological Society, and Historic England.

The four-week excavation will take place in September and October.

"This is such an exciting opportunity for the local community to be directly involved in," said Cathy Woolcock, Cornwall Heritage Trust's CEO.

"The henge has been at risk for some time, a threat which urgently needs to be addressed before this special place and the secrets it holds are potentially lost.

"[We will create] management plans to improve the biodiversity of the field and the condition of the monument."

Pete Herring, president of the Cornwall Archaeological Society, said he was "thrilled to be involved" in the project.

He said: "Castilly may hold the key to understanding how this area of Cornwall became a major focus for ritual and ceremonial activity in the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods.

"Our members first excavated it in 1962, and recently we have been helping to clear the area of scrub in readiness for the latest investigations."

London Fire Brigade (LFB) now has six newly qualified wellbeing dogs to help firefighters recover from traumatic incidents.

The scheme works by members of staff volunteering to be trained with their pet dogs to give emotional support to crews.

Working on a request basis, they can now visit any of the 102 fire stations across London to offer teams a morale boost.

Borough commander for Hammersmith and Fulham, Lucy MacLeod, who volunteers with her dog Blue, said: "He is happy to be stroked, adores being made a fuss of and he is very calm around people."

Lucy said that Blue, a miniature Australian Shepherd, "generally loves being around humans".

She added: "Evidence shows that animals like Blue, can have a calming influence on people and provide a positive distraction; there's no judgement from a dog."

To qualify to support colleagues, the duo had to complete 20 modules in the Oscar Kilo 9 (OK9) Dog Trust's handlers course and a behavioural assessment.

Owners also had to pass a two-day Mental Health First Aiders course and a one-day OK9 peer support course.

'Bridging the gap'

Once everyone has completed training, the team will have 10 dogs and their handlers but the fire service hopes to recruit more in the future.

Head of health and wellbeing at London Fire Brigade, Natalie Elliott, said: "Our fire crews are called to all manner of incidents, not just burning buildings.

"Some of these incidents may have a significant impact on a person's mental health… it's impossible to know who and how someone is going to be affected from the outset, but we do know that some incidents will stay with our staff long after they've left the scene.

"The wellbeing dogs help provide support and are key to bridging the gap between early interventions such as peer-based post incident support and more structured support, such as trauma therapy, which the brigade provides."