A university student on a quest to find the best Wetherspoons in the UK plans to visit all 800 pubs by the age of 30. Charlotte Toller, who is 20 and based in Bromley, is judging each establishment on criteria including cost and appearance, as well as how far away the toilets are from the bar and the quality of the carpet. Toller is studying journalism at the University of Roehampton.
Bromley News Shopper (Benjamin Chase)
Fits the bill
A man is walking 53 miles in a homemade bird costume to raise awareness and funds for conservation projects. Matt Trevelyan, a farming officer for Nidderdale National Landscape, crafted the 10ft-long costume of a Eurasian curlew – Europe’s largest wading bird – out of polystyrene and bamboo. Mr Trevelyan said: “Those who know me well know I was eventually going to build a giant curlew. She’s a real beauty. I wanted to represent curlews well because they’re such a beautiful bird.”
BBC Yorkshire (Mark Ireson)
Ninety-nine problems
Plans to prohibit ice cream vans next to Greenwich Park have prompted a councillor to state that the local authority is not “anti-ice-cream”. Greenwich Council’s cabinet suggested that King William Walk be designated as a prohibited street for itinerant lolly trading. However, ice cream van operator Paul St Hilaire Sr successfully challenged the decision in court on the basis that the council’s decision was not legally sound.
BBC (Kate McIntosh)
[See also: Inside the Chaotic Map of Doom]
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This article appears in the 30 Apr 2025 issue of the New Statesman, The War on Whitehall