Alexandra Bassingham

The Fans to 5k initiative held its first fun run in Lockleaze, Bristol, attracting about 80 participants. The programme uses football rivalry to motivate supporters to walk, run or complete other forms of exercise, with activity converted into points for their chosen clubs in a league. Founded by Bristol football fan Grant Rees, the initiative has attracted 840 participants from football and other sports clubs and community groups across the UK. Participants Wendy Watson, 82, and Ray Watson, 77, highlighted the benefits of movement and the programme’s accessibility after surgery and a previous heart attack. The free app and capped five-mile scoring system are intended to remove barriers and make fitness inclusive.

Fans to 5k, an initiative that turns exercise by football supporters into points for their clubs, held its first fun run in Lockleaze, North Bristol, with about 80 participants. The programme gamifies a 10-week Couch to 5k plan while also allowing walking, daily miles and other forms of training, with a five-mile cap intended to keep it inclusive. Founder Grant Rees said 840 supporters representing football, rugby and cricket clubs and community groups across the UK are now signed up. Participants Wendy Watson, 82, and Ray Watson, 77, highlighted the benefits of movement after surgery and a previous heart attack. The free app aims to harness football rivalry as a positive incentive for healthier lifestyles.

Will Chadwick, a 42-year-old Somerset man, completed a 26.2-mile timed skate around Bath’s Odd Downs bicycle track while wearing full hockey kit, finishing in two hours and five minutes. He raised more than £1,000 for a new skate park in Wells and hopes to reach £5,000. The wider project needs £500,000, with about £138,000 still to be raised within five months to secure the construction contract. The planned facility is intended for skateboarding, BMX, scooters, skating and wheelchair sports, serving the wider community, particularly young people.

Residents of Bourton-on-the-Water in Gloucestershire held a day of action calling for better management of tourism, citing constant congestion, illegal parking, blocked roads and concerns that emergency responders may be delayed. The Bourton Residents Group said it did not want to ban visitors but sought a balance between tourism and residents' quality of life, including possible limits on daily visitor numbers. County and district authorities acknowledged the problems and are considering residents' parking permits, additional parking controls and improved coach management.

David Treasure, who has lived with Parkinson's disease for 11 years, completed a 90-mile walking challenge around his cul-de-sac in Congresbury to mark his 90th birthday and raise money and awareness for Parkinson's UK. Supported by his family, he walked short loops using a walker from January through varying weather and raised more than £3,500. His family and Parkinson's UK praised his resilience, while Treasure said the challenge was motivated partly by the hope that future generations will benefit from improved treatment and research.

Four young men from Hartcliffe in Bristol received sentences ranging from three to ten years for a series of violent motorbike thefts worth up to £1m and for kidnapping and assaulting a 15-year-old. Police described escalating daytime thefts, attacks on the public, and filmed assaults, ultimately using evidence from a violent December incident to track and arrest the group. Victims reported severe inconvenience and emotional impact, while police condemned the offenders’ lack of remorse.

Rising UK temperatures are causing widespread failures in supermarket and domestic fridges that were designed for cooler conditions, with many older systems unable to operate effectively above about 32°C. Supermarkets have switched off some chilled cabinets to preserve essential cooling capacity, while repair engineers report surging callouts for failing home appliances. Industry groups note that remote refrigeration units struggle to expel heat during extreme weather, and experts warn that upgrading all systems could take decades. With another hot spell forecast, researchers and retailers are working on higher‑temperature designs, while officials and repair specialists offer guidance to help keep fridges functioning in the heat.