A World War Two veteran who served aboard HMS Fratton during the Normandy campaign and suffered serious injuries has celebrated his 100th birthday.

Stan Ford, a long-time resident of Bath and survivor of the D-Day landings, was honoured on Saturday at a community gathering in Keynsham Masonic Hall.

Mr Ford suffered a fractured spine and injuries to both legs when the ship was hit by a torpedo and sunk off the coast of Normandy on 18 August 1944.

The attack saw 31 people lose their lives, while 38 crew members survived.

'Remarkable'

Mr Ford continued to be active in efforts to commemorate those who served in the war.

He was named an Ambassador for the British Normandy Memorial in 2022, and his image featured in a life-sized banner as part of the Standing With Giants project.

The banner is being displayed at The Guildhall in Bath to coincide with national events marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day.

The centenary celebration was attended by family, friends, and local officials, including Councillor Kevin Guy, Leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council, and Councillor Karen Walker, Chair of the Council.

They presented Mr Ford with a Bath Aqua Glass paperweight as a gesture of recognition for his military service and continued community involvement.

Councillor Walker described the milestone as "a truly remarkable achievement" and acknowledged Ford's contributions over the years.

Councillor Guy called the event "a special and unforgettable celebration."

Mr Ford's 100th birthday was marked not only as a personal milestone but also as an opportunity to reflect on the experiences of veterans and the importance of preserving their stories for future generations.

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A woman says she has been left unable to walk after she was accidentally trampled by players participating in an annual Easter Monday tradition.

Alexie Winship said she was among spectators watching the Hallaton bottle kicking event in Leicestershire, where players attempt to wrestle wood kegs through a field to win.

The 23-year-old was caught up in a scrum and seriously injured. At hospital, she was found to have suffered a neurological injury and a bleed on her spine, which has left her without most feeling below her waist.

Ms Winship, who remains in hospital, said she could not remember much of what happened.

I was on the outskirts [of the players], just watching when a beer keg came flying out in my direction," Ms Winship said.

"I couldn't get out of the way. I was with friends who said I got kicked in the head, knocked out, and then trampled on.

"It was like a stampede. One of my friends pulled me out and I was blue-lighted to hospital."

Bottle kicking takes place in a field between neighbouring villages Hallaton and Medbourne. It has few rules, but is won when players are able to carry two of three barrels across a stream back to their village.

Two of the "bottles" contain beer, while one is completely wooden – painted red and white – and is referred to as the dummy.

Organisers have said local legend suggested the event, preceded by a procession through Hallaton in which hare pies are scattered, can trace its roots back 2,000 years.

Ms Winship told the BBC she had planned to run a half-marathon on Sunday, but her injuries had "thrown a spanner in the works".

She added while she was a spectator, she "never intended" to get involved in the action.

"I can't feel anything below my waist. I can't walk," she said.

"I don't know what's going to happen and that's the scary thing. I'm an active, fit and healthy person."

Ms Winship, who works in retail, has been told she will recover, but that it would be "a long-term thing" and that she was facing "months" using a wheelchair.

She added she wanted people to be aware of the risks of attending the event.

"I wasn't standing particularly close," she said. "We were a few metres away but it surged so quickly towards us.

"They [the players] were looking at the keg, not where they were going. I know it was an accident.

"Maybe they could have marshals to make it safer."

ITV has announced that its ITVBe channel will close in June 2025, and be replaced by a new channel focusing on quiz and game shows.

Launched in 2014, ITVBe has primarily been the home for reality and unscripted programmes, such as The Only Way Is Essex (Towie).

The reality shows currently airing on the channel, including Towie and the Real Housewives franchise, will now move to ITV2, the broadcaster said.

It has not been announced which programmes will populate the schedule for ITV Quiz.

However, the network said it planned to use the channel slot to "draw on ITV's popular, market-leading UK quiz and game shows".

Popular quiz and game shows broadcast on ITV include The Chase, Tipping Point, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, The 1% Club, Deal or No Deal, Catchphrase and Jeopardy!.

ITV said Towie's move to ITV2 would mark a homecoming for the programme, as the show originally launched on that network in 2010.

Viewing figures for the show have dropped in recent years, but its move to ITV2 could give ratings a boost.

The broadcaster said Towie remained one of the most popular titles on its streaming service ITVX.

It added that programmes such as Towie and Real Housewives would be at home alongside the network's other reality formats, including Love Island and Big Brother.