IT is estimated that around 175,000 people attended this year's Glastonbury music festival in Somerset and the Daily Star reveals that a litter picking crew of 800 are to spend up to six weeks clearing the 1,200 acre site.
The task involves removing more than 1,650 tonnes of waste. Organisers reckon that 11 tonnes of clothes and camping gear has been abandoned – including 6,500 sleeping bags, 5,500 tents, 3,500 airbeds, 2,200 chairs, 950 rolled mats and 400 gazebos.
Fascinating review in the Daily Mail newspaper of a book which 'explores a lost Britain through its railway request stops.'
'Tiny Stations' sees author Dixe Wills visiting around 40 of the UK's smallest and quirkiest stations where passengers are still required to signal for the driver to stop.
Some of these stations only have one service a day, some just a single train a week and several have fewer than 100 passengers a year. In all, there are more than 150 stations where the train will not stop unless you flag it down.
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It seems there are more of us... the BBC reports that the UK's population grew by over 400,000 last year.
Latest figures from The Office for National Statistics show there were 64.1 million people in the UK in June 2013, a rise of 0.63% on the previous year and that a quarter of the UK population growth was in London.
William Nunn, from Cambridge, had to steady himself on a walking frame when he walked his daughter down the aisle, says the Daily Mirror.
That's probably because William was celebrating his 100th birthday. Daughter June is 70 and after her first husband, whom she wed in 1976, died she found love again with a widower she met on a sailing holiday.
She said: “My father has always been incredibly fit for his age and still lives in his home. I rather jokingly said to him a year or 18-months-ago that if he made it to a hundred, then he could give me away again. It is fantastic that he actually did.”
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Another elderly gentleman, 82 year old Des Badcock, from Taunton, Somerset, had a less enjoyable experience recently.
For Des had to call out the fire service when he became stuck in a collapsed deckchair, reports the Daily Express.
Apparently, he was enjoying an ice cream in his garden when the chair’s canvas seat gave way and he fell through it – leaving his feet poking up in the air. Because he lives on his own, he was left with no choice but to dial 999 on his mobile and it took two firefighters 20 minutes to haul him out of the chair.
“The firefighters said to me ‘are you injured?’ I said ‘no, I’m just embarrassed,' “said Des.
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Looks like rice is taking over from spuds in British kitchens. The Daily Mail says that the Potato Council has announced an eight per cent drop in sales and that they are now facing a 'fight for relevance' in Britain.
And a Potato Council spokesperson said that the popularity of curry and fajitas was a factor.
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If, like me, you are a massive fan of the TV drama Game of Thrones, you might be interested to read a story in the Daily Express about a couple who dressed up for their wedding at Eastnor Castle, Herefordshire as characters Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow from the show.
Darren Prew (37), Kerry Ford (33) and their guests spent 50 hours being costumed as their favourite characters from the programme.
Darren said: “I have been a massive Game of Thrones fan since the beginning, so having our biggest day styled in such an amazing way is a dream come true.”
Reference lists:
The Express (www.express.co.uk)
Daily Mail (www.dailymail.co.uk)
Daily Mirror (www.mirror.co.uk)
BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)