4 h. ago Towns and cities to benefit from £15.5m investment in access to green spaces

Natural England, National Trust and The National Lottery Heritage Fund have launched a new programme to bring millions of people closer to nature.

Economics

38 h. ago High street store closures: the worst and best high streets for UK shops closing revealed by new report

Towns are losing shoppers to cities and retail parks — but some are bouncing back 🍽️

Politics

45 h. ago Tourists and residents evacuated as volcano erupts on Iceland, with magma bursting through half

Public broadcaster RUV said people had been evacuated from the Blue Lagoon, a luxury geothermal spa resort, and the nearby town of Grindavik, citing police.

Politics

59 h. ago ‘A relentless, destructive energy’: inside the trial of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon

An intimate account of an unprecedented trialIf we believe her parents, Constance Marten and Mark Gordon, a baby girl was born on Christmas Eve, 2022, in the upstairs bedroom of Woodcutters Cottage in Haltwhistle, Northumberland. Her mother knelt against the double bed and gave birth without assistance or complication. The baby spent the first days of her life in the small stone-terraced cottage and then began her travels, mostly carried by her mother in a sling, hidden under a burgundy puffer jacket. She travelled far for a newborn, passing through bus stations and port towns, hotels and cafes, cities and fields, from north to south, west to east. We know she lived for at least two weeks, but we don’t know, and can never know, precisely how she died. She was called Victoria. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Spain earthquake hits Almeria and Costa del Sol as urgent messages issued

Locals and tourists in Spain woke up to an 'incredible roar' as buildings in 50 towns and cities shook

Events

6 d. ago Heatwave and dolphin double whammy give seaside town its best summer in 60 years

The repeated heatwaves have left Brits sweltering but given a much needed boost to Britain's tourist towns and cities, with Scarborough enjoying its best summer in 60 years

Politics

8 d. ago As much as £5bn needed to revive UK’s struggling high streets, study finds

Business rates cuts not enough as people in poorer areas simply ‘don’t have money to spend’, says Centre for CitiesAs much as £5bn is needed to revive ailing UK town and city centres, with areas including Bradford in Yorkshire, Newport in south Wales, and Blackpool in Lancashire having double the proportion of empty shops as London, a study has found.A report from the Centre for Cities thinktank showed that the health of high streets across the country has varied significantly, and called for authorities to focus on developing homes and high-paying jobs in central locations to increase local spending power. Continue reading...

Economics

9 d. ago The best places in Britain for moving house with two Scottish cities in top 10

New research analysed towns and cities across the UK using five key indicators to assess their relocation ranking.

Politics

1 week ago Deadly heatwaves are the new reality – we need to transform the UK's cities and towns to survive them | Hannah Martin

While we work towards net zero, we also need to adapt. And we can pay for cooling measures like splash pads and trees by taxing the worst pollutersThere’s a lot to be anxious about as a new parent, let alone in a heatwave when the thermometer in your one-year-old daughter’s room is reading 26C. That’s six degrees higher than the upper limit of the recommended temperature for a child’s room. After scrolling my phone for advice on how to cool her room, I couldn’t help waking up every few hours to check she was OK on the baby monitor.In the UK, we are unprepared at every level for the extreme weather caused by climate breakdown. Whether it’s unbearably hot buildings in the summer, our damp and cold homes (some of the leakiest in Europe) filled with mould in the winter, our unprotected towns built on flood plains, or our unfit-for-purpose train tracks that get shut down at the slightest weather warning, the climate crisis is already wreaking havoc on public and private infrastructure – ...

Events

1 week ago Unmissable LGBTQ+ Pride events and parades to attend in the UK this summer

Cities and towns across the UK will be taking it in turns to celebrate Pride this summer with dozens of parades and events planned over the coming months

Politics

2 w. ago UK's best town is sandwiched between two of the country's most beautiful cities

The quaint market town of Wetherby, in West Yorkshire, has been named one of the best towns across the country - and it's no wonder why people love it so much

Politics

2 w. ago England's worst spots for binge drinking revealed as list shows booziest places

The top ten towns and cities in England for binge drinking have been revealed, with one specific part of the nation featuring in the list multiple times

Politics

2 w. ago Jamaica’s film industry gets boost from government funding and co

Black River film festival invited US, European and African producers and directors to explore partnerships with local film-makersA film festival has brought US, European and African producers and directors to Jamaica to explore collaborations with local film-makers, who are set to benefit from several million US dollars-worth of government investment to boost the domestic industry.Held on a beach in Black River, in Jamaica’s south-western parish of St Elizabeth, the Black River film festival over the weekend gave Jamaican actors and film-makers a rare opportunity to screen their films to experienced movie makers such as the Netflix producer and director Samad Davis, the Atlanta-based executive movie producer Dolapo Erinkitola, and Cédric Pierre-Louis, the programming director of Nollywood TV, ROK and Zacu TV (Canal+). Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Jamaica’s film industry gets boost from new funds and global collaborations

Black River film festival brings together US, European and African producers and directors to explore partnerships with local film-makersA film festival has brought US, European and African producers and directors to Jamaica to explore collaborations with local film-makers, who are set to benefit from several million US dollars-worth of government investment to boost the domestic industry.Held on a beach in Black River, in Jamaica’s south-western parish of St Elizabeth, the Black River film festival over the weekend gave Jamaican actors and film-makers a rare opportunity to screen their films to experienced movie makers such as the Netflix producer and director Samad Davis, the Atlanta-based executive movie producer Dolapo Erinkitola, and Cédric Pierre-Louis, the programming director of Nollywood TV, ROK and Zacu TV (Canal+). Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago ‘I’m scared to death to leave my house’: immigrants are disappearing from the streets – can US cities survive?

Heavily immigrant towns and cities in California resemble ghost towns as fear of Ice raids grip local residentsAt Hector’s Mariscos restaurant in the heavily Latino and immigrant city of Santa Ana, California, sales of Mexican seafood have slid. Seven tables would normally be full, but diners sit at only two this Tuesday afternoon.“I haven’t seen it like this since Covid,” manager Lorena Marin said in Spanish as cumbia music played on loudspeakers. A US citizen, Marin even texted customers she was friendly with, encouraging them to come in. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Britain then and now: Footage and photos reveal the decline of some of UK's most famous cities and towns

Blackpool, once the sparkling jewel of Britain's seaside resorts, is a hub of deprivation where the life expectancy for men is the lowest in the country.

Culture