Latest news with #Epsom
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Epsom man Darren Hanson jailed for life for murder of Jay Lucas
A man has been jailed for life after an attack on another man caused fatal Hanson, 46, assaulted Jay Lucas at Hanson's home in Epsom, later admitted fighting him, but claimed it had been in self-defence. He was found guilty of murder after a trial at Chichester Crown Court, and will serve a minimum of 19 Honour Judge Antony Donne said the attack was "truly brutal", according to Surrey Police. Police were called to Hanson's address by paramedics on 7 February 2024, after Hanson had called for an efforts to revive him, 47-year-old Mr Lucas died at the gave a statement to police, saying he had been extremely drunk and on drugs at the time of the attack, claiming to be devastated by Mr Lucas' death.A post-mortem examination found the cause of death to be a severe assault to his head. Det Ch Insp Craig Emmerson said: "These men had known each other for several years and often socialised, but it remains unknown why Hanson attacked his friend with such ferocity at his home in February last year."During trial, Hanson claimed he had been acting in self-defence, whilst also seeking to lay the blame for his behaviour on others."The level of injury inflicted was devastating and sadly gave Jason no chance of survival." 'Full of laughter' In a statement, Mr Lucas' family said: "We cannot comprehend the loss of Jason. There are no words that will ever express how we feel as a family and how this has impacted our everyday lives and will continue to do so."Jason was a popular person with lots of friends, he couldn't walk anywhere without someone shouting hello to him. He was a loving person full of laughter."Jason was a much-loved son, nephew, cousin, dad, and granddad. Jason is sorely missed by everyone, and he will never be forgotten."
Daily Mirror
8 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Bathroom staple can give your tomatoes an enhanced flavour
This trick can help your tomatoes taste even better If you're on the hunt for a way to supercharge your tomato crop this season, you might be surprised to find the answer hiding in your bathroom cabinet. A humble item often found next to the bathtub can give your tomato plants a powerful, all-natural boost. It may sound unconventional, but this everyday bathroom item has been touted as a secret ingredient for cultivating healthier, more robust plants, plumper fruits, and more complex flavours. The unlikely hero in question? Epsom salt. Gardening gurus at Canada Grow Supplies revealed: "Epsom salt plays a vital role in tomato cultivation by fixing yellowing leaves, enhancing flavour, preventing blossom end rot, and increasing nutrient uptake." What makes Epsom salt a game-changer for your plants? The experts said: "Gardeners use Epsom salts to feed plants like tomatoes when they show signs of magnesium deficiency. Your soil has a specific pH level, which affects how well plants get nutrients. "Before using Epsom salts, test your soil's pH. A soil test kit can tell you if your garden needs more magnesium or not. If the pH is too high, adding Epsom salt might help your tomatoes get enough magnesium from the ground to grow healthy and strong." Magnesium can also play a starring role in chlorophyll production. The chemical enables leaves to drink in sunlight more efficiently for photosynthesis. Adding Epsom salt to tomato plants can do wonders, providing them with a magnesium hit that promotes consistent nutrient absorption and powers up chlorophyll production. It can sweeten your tomatoes too. Garden gurus often swear by it to jazz up their fruit's flavour, thanks to magnesium's vital role in crafting those scrummy tastes. "As the plants get enough magnesium, the tomatoes become more delicious," the experts said. "This improvement happens because magnesium is key to developing fruits that make your mouth water." How to use Epsom salts with tomato plants The experts recommend transferring the mixture into a spritz bottle for easy leaf application. But be sure to check your soil's pH before dousing your plants. But be careful: using too much Epsom salts can lead to a magnesium overdose, causing issues like blossom end rot in your prized tomatoes. The experts said: "It's crucial for gardeners to understand that proper soil nutrition is a delicate balance, as all soil nutrients interact with one another."
Daily Mail
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Inside Queen Elizabeth II's life at the races: She won over £8.7million... but historic footage reveals it was the humble victories that truly delighted her
It's that time of year when the bookies fill up with hopeful punters and racing enthusiasts dust off their grandest hats for Ascot. While lucky bettors could win part of a record £17.75million prize money this week, there was one member of the Royal Family who was overjoyed to leave the races with a modest £15. The late Queen's love of both horses and racing is well-documented. At the time of her death, she reportedly won 566 of her 3,441 races as an owner, and it is thought she made £8.7million from her hobby since 1988. But in 1991, the Queen, in her 60s, was joined by the Queen Mother at Epsom for the Derby, taking part in the grand racing tradition of a low-money sweepstakes. A clip from this event appeared in the 1992 BBC documentary Elizabeth R, which was produced to mark the Queen's Ruby Jubilee and gave viewers a unique, behind-the-scenes perspective on the monarchy. Dressed in a bright purple ensemble, the Queen began to watch the race on a screen before running through the room with binoculars in hand to watch the three-year-old stallion get over the line from the balcony, which is opposite the finishing post. She is so excited that she stands in front of the Queen Mother and blocks her view. 'That's my horse, isn't it? That's my horse!' the Queen said while turning to her mother as she looked at the horse, Generous. Queen Elizabeth ll is filmed for a BBC television programme as she watches racing at the Epsom Derby 'Oh my god, Mother! We won!' She was then given her winnings from the sweepstake: 'What do I get?' she asked an aide. 'Well, you get 16, Ma'am,' he answered. 'Sixteen pounds! Oh!' said the Queen, smiling broadly to the camera. It was as if the Queen were a child who had won a prize at the arcade. 'How kind of you,' she exclaimed. Earlier in the programme, there was another heartwarming scene in which the Monarch tells her mother it is nice to be on-course to watch the racing, rather than staring at a television. 'Do you know I've not watched with a pair of binoculars for ages, look at it pouring with tears, I always watch on the television,' said the Queen. Many have remarked over the years that the Queen was happiest and most relaxed when she was talking about horses. Biographer Ben Pimlott quoted a horse-world confidante in his book, The Queen, when he described her passion for the animals and the sport. 'She is very interested in stable management — and happiest with the minutiae of the feed, the quality of the wood chipping and so forth,' he wrote. Top trainer Richard Hannon Senior said Her Majesty's horse knowledge put many highly credentialed trainers to shame. 'I always had to do my homework when I ran one of Her Majesty's horses or when she came to visit our stables,' he said. 'She knows all the pedigrees of her horses inside out. There's no small talk when discussing her horses. She knows all the bloodlines going back decades. 'She also used to say to me after a stable tour, "It's nice to come to a place that doesn't smell of fresh paint".' It was a view shared by her racing adviser John Warren. 'If the Queen wasn't the Queen, she would have made a wonderful trainer. She has such an affinity with her horses and is so perceptive,' Warren once said. The British Horseracing Authority paid tribute to the much-loved monarch as it suspended race meetings when news of her death broke. This comes as Tuesday kicked off the first day of Royal Ascot. The King, whose only Ascot win was Desert Hero in 2023, is set to attend every day of the five-day festival after it was reported he was surprised at how much he enjoyed the occasion. For the 200th anniversary of the Royal Procession, Charles and Camilla arrived in a carriage with Saudi Arabia's Prince Faisal bin Salman Al Saud and Lady Sarah Keswick, one of the Queen's official companions. On day one, Charles's hopes for his horse were dashed as the favourite failed to dazzle in the sun and finished ninth. Reaching High had been hotly tipped by bookies at 11-4 before the Ascot Stakes, but he flopped in front of the expectant monarch. The King, whose only Ascot win was Desert Hero in 2023, is set to attend every day of the five-day festival after it was reported he was surprised at how much he enjoyed the occasion Charles, 76, and Queen Camilla, 77, had been cheering from the Royal Box but were seen leaving shortly after the loss, even with two more races to go. He had taken over his mother's stable of horses. The late Queen had more than 20 Royal Ascot winners during her 70-year reign. Earlier, Charles had written in the official racecard: 'Having experienced the thrill of victory at Royal Ascot ourselves in 2023, we can only wish all those competing this week the very best of luck and that everyone watching has a most enjoyable five days.' What is Royal Ascot? One of Britain's most well-known racecourses, Ascot holds a special week of races in June each year called Royal Ascot, attended by The King and Queen, who has had an interest in horses since childhood. This week has become Britain's most popular race meeting, welcoming around 300,000 visitors over five days, all dressed up in their finest clothes and hats. What do The King and Queen do at Ascot? Each day of the week begins with the Royal Procession, when The King, The Queen and accompanying Members of the Royal Family arrive along the track in horse-drawn landaus. They then spend the day watching the races from the Royal Enclosure. In 2006, Queen Elizabeth II opened the redeveloped Ascot Racecourse by thanking all who had been involved. In 2021, The Queen, as The Duchess of Cornwall, sat down with Oli Bell to discuss the passion for horse racing throughout the Royal Family, and her hope for it to continue with the next generation. Why are The King and Queen involved at Ascot? Ascot Racecourse was founded by Queen Anne in 1711, and has since received the support of a further twelve monarchs. The Ascot summer race meeting officially became a Royal week in 1911. The King and Queen are owner and breeder of many thoroughbred horses and share an interest in horses with many members of the family. The names of the week's races have a Royal theme, such as 'King George V Stakes', 'Diamond Jubilee Stakes' and 'Windsor Castle Stakes'.
Telegraph
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
Meet the 17-year-old who is riding for the King at Royal Ascot
You would be hard pressed to find any 17-year-old who has ridden for the King at Royal Ascot. So it is little wonder Warren Fentiman describes the prospect as 'mind-blowing'. The apprentice jockey will on Friday take the reins of Purple Rainbow on what is also his first festival racing in front of the King. It caps a dream start to a career in the saddle for the teenager, coming less than a fortnight after he scored a landmark win on Derby day at Epsom. Like the King, the teenager has the sport in his blood, with his father, Duran, also a jockey. Indeed, just last month, the pair raced against each other for the first time after the latter recovered from breaking a leg in four places in September. 💨💨💨 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐲 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 (7-1) flies home from the rear in the @Betfred Dash @EpsomRacecourse @RichardFahey | @FentimanWarren — Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 7, 2025 But, despite boasting more than 400 winners, Fentiman snr has yet to ride for the Royal family, an honour that is about to be bestowed on his son in Friday's Sandringham Stakes. 'It's just mind-blowing that I'm riding for the King,' says Fentiman, whose tender years are all too clear when he refers to Charles as 'Your Majesty', rather than 'His Majesty'. The teenager, who is allowed to carry 5lb less weight until he scores 40 wins, adds: 'I've never thought about myself riding for the King ever. But doing it as a 5lb claimer, it's something to be proud of.' Remarkably, neither of his parents will be there to share the moment, with his father racing elsewhere this week. 'He wants all the pictures, videos, me ringing him flat out,' Fentiman says. 'Because he's never experienced the full week here.' He adds of his mother: 'Mum would love to come but she's doing a show with my little sister.' Fentiman will not be short of support, however, with plenty of family and 'close mates' in attendance. There are also those back home in North Yorkshire, including school friends who will now be doing A-Levels while he rides for the King. 'There'll be a few people that will just message me, saying, 'How are you?', see that I'm doing well,' he says. 'And the people that do message me from my school, they always support me and say, 'Well done'. 'It's just nice that people that you spent all your early stages of your life with are still watching and supporting.' Fentiman has already had four rides this week and was winning Thursday's Britannia Stakes with around a furlong to go before fading badly and finishing 11th. Admitting he has been pinching himself just being at Royal Ascot, he says: 'When you're just about to go in the stalls, you're looking at the stands and there's just thousands and thousands of people. It just gives you a good thrill.' Bred by Queen Elizabeth II, Purple Rainbow is a 20-1 shot to deliver what could be the King's first win of this year's Royal Ascot. 'Everyone wants to win because it's Royal Ascot,' Fentiman says. 'But I'd say he's got a very nice chance. He's got a low weight, with my claim off. Hopefully, if everything goes well, he should go close. 'It would be amazing if I won for Your Majesty. I don't know what would happen. I think my mum would cry.' They call it 'doing it the hard way', making all the running, but Trawlerman – John and Thady Gosden's 'old boy' – knows no different and ran out a seven-length winner of the Gold Cup in a track-record time. Wearing his heart on his sleeve, the Godolphin-owned gelding ensured there was no hiding place for any stamina-lite rivals. Aged seven, the chances are that Trawlerman is not going to become a multiple winner of the world's most prestigious staying race like Yeats, Stradivarius or even Kyprios, popular winners of the race in the recent past. But there is something about a heroic front-runner like Crisp, Desert Orchid, Persian Punch, Double Trigger – horses who were all venerated by the racing public. William Buick went out to ride Trawlerman knowing he had a number of things in his favour; he knew the gelding gets the trip, that his two principal rivals here had never tried it, that he acts on fast ground and that, maybe not that it would have mattered, this time there was no Kyprios playing the role of heartbreaker. Buick's job was also made easier, he admitted, because the horse does it himself and he only had to start pushing when he could see Illinois's shadow start to loom, just to make sure the Ballydoyle runner would never get the chance to come up for oxygen. TRAWLERMAN WINS THE GOLD CUP 🏆🔵 @godolphin | @WilliamBuickX — ITV Racing (@itvracing) June 19, 2025 In different circumstances, Illinois might have got home but, thus put to the sword, he was in the red on the stamina dial going into the final furlong while Trawlerman just galloped on in his relentless style all the way through the line. It has been an extraordinary week for the Gosdens, winning the feature race each of the first three days as well as two others, but this might just have capped it. 'Trawlerman just goes off,' said the trainer, winning the Gold Cup for the fifth time. 'I said to William 'what did you do?' and he said, 'I threw the reins at him, he can judge pace better than me', and off they went together and picked it up from five out. He is an out-and-out galloper and William judged it perfectly – it is not an easy thing to do over 2½ miles. 'On the basis he stays, if anyone is going to go by him, they will know they have been in a race, but they never got to him because he simply outstayed them.' He added: 'He ran Kyprios to a length last year and they were both all out. He deserved, with Kyprios not here, to come back and show that he is a proper horse. We like the Cup races and those lovely staying horses. I remember the great horses – Lester Piggott rode Sagaro and he could turn the last six furlongs in 1min 12sec flat. That is what I like, a horse that can go the distance and then go, and you can't catch them. That is style.' Even Sagaro might have struggled to go Trawlerman's lick, though. He knocked an impressive 1.9 seconds off the previous track record, set 15 years ago. Record times usually require two things; fast ground and a pacemaker, but Trawlerman did it without any help; that really is the hard way. 'We tried the same tactics last year,' said Buick, 'and we were only beaten by the great Kyprios. He has been such a good horse and is so genuine. He had a beautiful prep and was just so smooth throughout the race today; he's really what you want in a 2½-mile race. I did not have to touch the brakes once. He was on autopilot; he knows his own speed and stays well, so I was just a passenger. 'Winning the Gold Cup is right at the top. It is 2½ miles, an extreme distance, at Royal Ascot. It is a race that, when you get into the last half mile, that is where you separate the horses that stay and don't stay. That is when Trawlerman comes into his own.' Aidan O'Brien might have had to settle for second in the Gold Cup, but he still managed three winners with Charles Darwin in the Norfolk, Garden Of Eden in the Ribblesdale and Trinity College in the Hampton Court, so it was left to the Highclere-owned William Haggas-trained Merchant to get the winning feeling out beyond the coterie of big owners who have been dominating this week. Merchant is owned by 15 members of Highclere's Barn Owl syndicate. 'When we bought him my phone was ringing and ringing, and I thought, 'Aargh, who's that?'' explained Harry Herbert, who has been running Highclere for more than three decades. 'It was William who said, 'I have just seen you've bought that horse. I have never asked before in 33 years, please can I train him?' And here we are, at Royal Ascot – it's very special.'
Tom's Guide
a day ago
- Health
- Tom's Guide
This bathroom ingredient is the easiest way to remove a tree stump in your yard — you'll be surprised
Whether you have dangerous branches, limited sunlight or a rotting trunk, removing a problematic tree in your yard can be a huge relief. And while it's common for the professional tree surgeons to cut back the canopy and the trunk only, that also means we're often stuck with the remaining stump. But, if you don't want an eyesore in your yard, or fancy the dangerous task of using a grinder, you'll be glad to know there is an easier (and rather unusual) way of safely removing a tree stump. What's more, this involves a natural, household ingredient commonly found in our bathroom cabinets, and simple to use — but only if you're not in a hurry! So what is this surprising trick to remove a tree stump? Better known for its relaxing properties whilst soaking in a bath, it seems like the humble Epsom salt can do so much more. From cleaning tiles and dirty pots and pans to even improving your tomato plants, there are many clever ways you can use Epsom salts around your home — especially in the backyard. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. And luckily, this could well be the answer to getting rid of your tree stump. This is because as the Epsom salts gets absorbed into the tree, this will draw out moisture, causing the root to stop growing. As a result, this will gradually dry out and rot a tree stump over time. What's more, Epsom salt is completely free from toxic chemicals, and safer to use around children and pets. Apart from adding to your bath for a long soak after grafting in the garden, Epsom salts can be used as a fertilizer to encourage a luscious lawn, aiding your soil and grass. These salts come in a small 3 lb pack, but can be purchased in 6-pack, if you require a larger quantity. Interestingly, these 'miracle' salts also contain magnesium and sulfur, which are essential nutrients for healthy, garden plant growth. When used correctly, this can aid the seed sowing process, and helps prevent magnesium deficiency in homegrown produce, such as tomatoes. But if you want to use it on your stump, you'll need to drill several deep holes in the top of the stump (use at least a 1-inch drill bit) and fill the holes completely with the salt. Pour a small amount of water into each hole to moisten the salt and help it get absorbed into the wood. Over time, the magnesium sulfate will do its thing and kill off whatever remaining parts of the tree's root system still exist. So, if you're stuck with a tree stump, this bathroom staple might be the easiest, and cheaper solution to remove this from your yard — as long as you have the patience. Because the best guess on timing is that it could take between six months and a year for the stump to become soft and easily removable.
