An important step in securing the future of Hornsey Town Hall has been taken after Haringey Council accepted the final bids for a programme that will secure a long-term and sustainable future for the historic building. Haringey Council will assess all bids before making a final recommendation to its Cabinet by the end of this year. The bidders are being assessed on strict criteria including community use, business plan and planning strategy.  

More than a third (39%) of Brits have noticed an increase in unusual bugs and insects not common in the UK, crawling around their homes and gardens and nearly a quarter (24%) have been bitten or stung more in the past year. So, it’s no wonder that as a nation, we have some interesting ways of dealing with these unwelcome critters, according to a new survey by Anthisan Bite & Sting Cream.

Dogs have been cast in a variety of starring roles over the years: from their first cinema appearance in the 1894 film Athlete with Wand to the Hollywood classic Lassie Come Home, where the eponymous dog embarks on a journey to her Yorkshire home. And that is the very same location in which a little Yorkshire Terrier will today add another string to the dog's venerable bow of feats in front of the camera: by becoming the world's first canine travel show presenter.

Rural crime cost the Midlands £6.6m in 2015, up from £6m in 2014 – despite remaining broadly static at a national level. The figures form part of NFU Mutual’s annual Rural Crime Report, published today, revealing that the cost of rural crime to the UK economy has now reached £42.5 million a year. According to the leading rural insurer, the items most commonly targeted by thieves across the Midlands over the last 12 months were machinery, tools from farms and businesses and quad bikes (ATVs).

A programme to train volunteers in supporting the delivery of language provision for those who have English as a second language in Wolverhampton is reaping rewards. City of Wolverhampton Council teamed up with Wolverhampton Adult Education Services to set up the project, working with city organisations like The Haven, Epic Café, Refugee & Migrant Centre and Aspiring Futures.

The owner of a raucous rooster has been forced to fork out nearly £600 after the farmyard animal’s constant crowing kept neighbours awake at night for months on end. Magdalane Sylvester, of Effingham Road, Harringay, was forced to pay out £597 after she was convicted in her absence of breaching a noise abatement order. Neighbours had been complaining for 18 months about being kept awake by the bird and, despite many efforts from the council to resolve the problem, Ms Sylvester did not make any attempts to ensure other residents weren’t disturbed.