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6 July 2022

This England: Urban cowboy

This column – which, though named after a line in Shakespeare’s “Richard II”, refers to the whole of Britain – has run in the NS since 1934.

By New Statesman

A restaurant that placed a model cow on its roof ahead of its opening has removed it after a man was snapped sitting on top. Pictures circulated on social media of the man, who appeared to be completely naked, astride the model.

Bosses at the Tomahawk Steakhouse in Saltburn said they removed the life-size decoration straightaway. The restaurant’s co-founder Howard Eggleston said: “It was taken down the second that the man jumped on it. As soon as that happened we put it in a shed.”

Hull Live (Steve Morley)

[See also: This England: Story of my life]

Pony for mare

A beer-drinking pony who lives in a pub has been backed to become mayor. One hundred and thirty people have signed a petition calling for Patrick, a miniature Shetland, to be made mayor of Cockington, Devon.

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Patrick’s owner, Kirk Petrakis, first brought him into the Drum Inn pub to socialise him for therapy work. The pony now visits hospitals, recovery groups and specialised schools.

Daily Mirror (Amanda Welles)

[See also: This England: New cod on the block]

Bear hug

A woman who has collected 1,500 teddy bears since she was a child in the 1960s is to send 1,005 of them to auction. Lynda Fairhurst, 69, wanted to make space in her Wiltshire home – and her bears could fetch between £30,000 and £35,000 under the hammer.

“They were getting out of control,” said Fairhurst, a former jeweller, who restored many of the teddies. “I was crawling into bed and I had them either side, and you couldn’t move really.”

Metro (Daragh Brady)

[See also: This England: They don’t know beans]

Each printed entry receives a £5 book token. Entries to comp@newstatesman.co.uk or on a postcard to This England.

[See also: Andrew Marr: The last days of Boris Johnson]

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This article appears in the 06 Jul 2022 issue of the New Statesman, The Last Days of Boris Johnson