Strange sky swirl, University Challenge and caravans

Here's our daily pick of stories from across local websites in the West of England, and interesting content from social media.
Our pick of local website stories
A strange swirl in the sky over the past few nights spotted by people in Somerset and Bristol was reported by Bristol Live.A pupil in Bedminster was grabbed by a masked man on their way to school.A "legend" of Musgrove Park Hospital, Steve Watts, has retired after more than 40 years there. Somerset Live reported he worked up from kitchen porter to assistant facilities manager.
Our top three from yesterday
What to watch on social media
After more than 10 years, the Beatrix Potter Tailor of Gloucester clock is being reassembled, according to the Eastgate Shopping Centre.Tristan Cork from the Bristol Post, shared a video of huge numbers turning up to St Albans Church in Westbury Park for a public meeting about caravans on the Downs.Cheltenham Animal Shelter has been given a grant of £115,000 so it can fix its leaky kennel roof.Darwin College, Cambridge, faced University of Bristol on University Challenge last night for a semi-final place, with the former incorrectly guessing that a Tina Turner song was called Chattanooga Choo Choo, when it in fact was called Nutbush City Limits - prompting a few laughs.

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Daily Mirror

4 days ago

• Daily Mirror

BBC star 'wades through rivers of people' as tragedy leaves 30 dead

BBC journalist faces huge decision as catastrophe strikes and 30 die during filming epic spiritual journey in India to explore grief and spiritualism 'My dad was my hero, totally and utterly,' says Amol Rajan as he recalls the toughest journey of his life. Earlier this year, the broadcaster, 41, joined 500 million pilgrims from across the globe to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in Northern India, the world 's largest religious gathering. While on his journey, he explores his Indian and Hindu heritage and grieves for his beloved father, P Varadarajan, who died three years ago from pneumonia. 'I revered him growing up as I did my beloved mum,' says the University Challenge host. 'Both him and my mum were from very, very, very poor, very, very big families. My dad was one of 11 from a very poor part of southeast India called Tamil Nadu, and he gave up everything to come to this country because he wanted a better life for his two sons.' ‌ ‌ Amol grew up in West London and is forever grateful for the opportunities that his father gave him. 'I always had this idea in my head that if I worked really hard, I'd be able to kind of pay him back,' shares Amol. 'Then, very suddenly, three years ago, he got pneumonia and died. This was really shocking to me because it was the first time I'd ever lost someone I'd loved. It's the first experience of grief I've ever been through and I really thought I was going to get the time with my dad to kind of say thank you.' The grief hit Amol hard and left him wondering how to shape the rest of his life. 'It felt very much like that was the end of the first part of my life… and it was only when he died that I entered adulthood,' he says. 'I think that one of the things that I wanted to go to the Kumbh Mela to do, was to confront my grief, reconnect with my dad, but also to try and work out what the next 38 or 40 years of my life would have to do with the first half.' The grief was so intense, Amol shut it out. Then he decided to face it head on and honour his dad by attending the 2025 Kumbh Mela, which has been proclaimed a Maha (Great) Kumbh Mela, the first in 12 years, because of the way the planets are aligned. 'The Kumbh Mela is a Hindu pilgrimage, which is the biggest gathering of humanity anywhere ever, where people go bathing in a sacred river,' explains Amol. 'Every 12 years is a special one because of the alignment of Jupiter with the Moon, the Sun and Earth.' Bathing in the holy rivers at the Kumbh Mela is believed to absolve sins and release souls from the cycle of rebirth, bringing them closer to moksha, or spiritual liberation. This is what Amol hoped to achieve for his father as part of his pilgrimage. ‌ Amol explains, 'I thought that if I went to the biggest pilgrimage in the history of the world and tried, along with tens of millions of other people, to jump in the holy water, that'd be quite a good way of forcing myself to think about my dad and also to do what you can do at the Kumbh Mela, which is you can release his spirit from the eternal cycle of death and rebirth.' For Amol, the experience wasn't just emotionally wrought, it was physically terrifying when a huge crush saw at least 30 people lose their lives. 'At any one time you are essentially with about 70 million people – the population of Britain – in a small, makeshift, temporary megacity about 15 miles squared,' he explains. 'It's crowded. It's noisy. There are Tannoys going off all day, every day, and the sensory overload is really overwhelming. You really don't sleep. ‌ 'A lot of people will know there was a crush on the most auspicious day, where 30 people were tragically reported to have died and I was just yards away when the horror took place. The journey that followed, where we're trying to wade through these rivers of people, is the most physically terrifying thing I've ever done.' It left Amol unsure of whether it was safe to continue making his film. The pilgrimage tested Amol to his limits, but he knows his father would have been proud. 'My dad would have loved it,' he says. 'I don't know whether my dad would have fully believed the deep Hindu belief, which is that you can, by bathing in those cosmic waters at that special auspicious time, emancipate yourself from the endless cycle of death, birth and rebirth, but a little part of him would have liked it. And a little part of him would have liked the idea of me doing it on his behalf.'

Scottish Sun

06-06-2025

• Scottish Sun

Popular English beach town launches new ride in time for summer

Plus, from beaches to dinosaurs – Haven's Weymouth Bay resort has lots to see RIDE ON Popular English beach town launches new ride in time for summer Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A HUGE new ride has made an appearance in a popular UK coastal resort. Weymouth has a new structure, stretching 26 metres tall and accommodating up to 108 passengers, with views across the coast. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 The wheel stretches 26 metres tall Credit: Mirrorpix 3 It was financed by the people who run the local funfair Credit: Mirrorpix The Observation Wheel, which has been financed by the people who run the local funfair, is located on the central beach in the town. According to the SomersetLive, locals have been enthusiastic about the new addition. One local, named Robert, said: "We always come down to Weymouth. We used to do a lot of diving in the sea here. "So we thought we'd come back and visit some of the regular haunts for our anniversary." Some locals also mentioned how the town used to be quite run down, but that the new wheel has brought more confidence to locals about improving the appeal of the town to visitors. Another local added: "The Observation Wheel has only been up a few weeks and I don't mind it. "It adds something and brings people in." The wheel is located at Weymouth Central Beach's end, which is also home to a number of fairground attractions and seaside activities. The wheel costs £11 to go on, and riders will see amazing views across the coast. Other locals mentioned how the wheel will help local businesses as it will bring people down in the summer. Inside the UK seaside town home to the country's longest beach and its biggest ice creams Mayor of Weymouth, Councillor Jon Orrell, said: "The observation wheel is one of the tallest attractions on the beach offering fantastic views of Weymouth's iconic Jurassic coastline. "We are pleased to see this new attraction opening on the beach for the very first time, which complements the other seasonal rides. "It will offer something for all ages for residents and visitors alike." Weymouth has also been described as a supersized UK seaside town that's home to the country's biggest beach and foot-long Mr Whippy ice creams. Plus, from beaches to dinosaurs – Haven's Weymouth Bay resort has lots to see.

Metro

26-05-2025

• Metro

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire star suffers 'biggest loss in TV show's history'

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A Who Wants To Be A Millionaire contestant lost out on the coveted £1 million prize after a brutal twist of fate. The Jeremy Clarkson-helmed ITV show welcomed Nicholas Bennett from West Hampstead on Sunday to try his hand at securing the massive cash prize on the long-running game show. The former University Challenge star navigated through the first chunk of questions seamlessly, and before he knew it, he was facing the final question for the ultimate jackpot. 'Which of these words, each coined by a famous writer, was derived from the tale of a fairytale about three princes?' and the four options were: 'A) Pandemonium, B) Serendipity, C) Utopia and D) Yahoo.' Thoroughly stumped, he chose to Ask Jeremy but – unfortunately for him – the Clarkson's Farm star could shed no light on the correct answer. He then chose to Phone A Friend and, once more, hit a dead end when the friend didn't have a clue what the right choice was. In the end, just as lost as before, Nicholas went for D) Yahoo, which turned out to be wrong. The right answer was B) Serendipity. Nicholas, who could have secured the £500,00, tried to remain optimistic, saying: 'Still get £125,000.' And Clarkson couldn't believe the devastating turn of events after such a promising start. 'Oh my giddy aunt,' he said, adding about the £375,000 downgrade: 'Is that the biggest loss in Millionaire history?' Meanwhile, online, people were sharing their solidarity. 'That contestant was so good and I am actually proper gutted he didn't win the million,' @supernovadragon wrote on X. 'How can anyone be so nonchalant about losing £375k,' @celestialtalia shared. 'Unlucky mate, played it beautifully,' @doul1ehelix added. 'I actually shouted Oh No !!!! Loudly!!! Alone in the house,' @patfield said. The ex-Grand Tour star started hosting the game show (which was originally hosted by Chris Tarrant since 1998) in 2018 after a four-year hiatus. In March, he even hit back after being called 'not much help' when another contestant tried to seek guidance from him. 'Despite getting a speeding ticket in Dijon, @JeremyClarkson wasn't much help on this question, so over to #PhoneAFriend #WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire,' the official X account for the show posted. To which Clarkson replied at the time: 'What do you mean I wasn't much help?!?!?!!!' It's been a year of impressive wins on the show. In January, QI presenter Sir Stephen Fry bagged a whopping £250,000 on the celebrity edition of the show. In fact, Clarkson actually did help him secure the jackpot as they both tried to figure out which major European city you would come closest to if you 'walked a straight path from Paris to Berlin' (the answer was Luxembourg City). More Trending 'Jeremy is very encouraging, and he was great with the question that took me to a quarter of a million,' Sir Stephen said in a statement via PA Wire. He continued: 'It was a geographical question, and you had to work it out. Jeremy has travelled so much, particularly in the area that the question was about. 'He and I kind of agreed that it was one of two answers, and I thought, 'I am going to risk it,' and fortunately, it was right.' View More » Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? returns to ITV1 later this year and is available to stream on ITVX. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: 'Going on quiz shows for 25 years almost cost me my job'