Simon Coyle

The National Lottery’s Saturday Lotto draw offered a £3.5 million jackpot under its two-round format, with players automatically entered into both draws on a £2 ticket. Round One numbers were 17, 27, 28, 42, 47 and 59, with 7 as the bonus ball; Round Two numbers were 4, 18, 22, 30, 32 and 45, with 55 as the bonus ball. The Thunderball numbers were 11, 16, 24, 34 and 35, with Thunderball 3.

Millions of people in England and Wales received a government severe alert warning them not to use barbecues, campfires or fireworks amid extreme heat and major wildfires, including a blaze in Stourbridge that destroyed 19 homes. The alert was described as the UK system’s most extensive response to an active incident. The article explains that emergency alerts are issued by government departments and emergency bodies for dangers such as wildfires, flooding and extreme storms, and may sound, vibrate or be read aloud even when a phone is on silent.

Students in England and Wales are due to receive their A-level and BTEC results on August 13, 2026, from 8am. University offers will be available through UCAS, including confirmed places, unsuccessful applications and Clearing decisions. AQA, OCR and Pearson Edexcel are scheduled to publish their summer exam grade boundaries at the same time, enabling students to assess how close they were to a higher grade and whether a remark may be worthwhile.

A rare solar eclipse will be visible across the UK, with up to 95–96% of the Sun obscured in some areas. The eclipse is expected generally between 6:17pm and 8:06pm on August 12, 2026, reaching maximum coverage between 7:10pm and 7:14pm. Specific timings are provided for Glasgow, Greater Manchester, Birmingham, London and Portsmouth, and viewers are advised to use proper eye protection or watch safely online.

A partial solar eclipse will cross the UK on 12 August 2026, with 94% to 96% of the Sun obscured in Devon, Cornwall and parts of Pembrokeshire. Plymouth is expected to experience the greatest coverage, while most of the UK will see between 88% and 94%. The eclipse will occur from 6:17pm to 8:06pm, with southern and eastern England offering the best viewing prospects because the Sun will be low in the west. Viewers are advised to use certified eclipse glasses, a solar telescope or indirect projection methods to protect their eyes. The event is expected to be the UK's fullest solar eclipse until 2081; the next total UK eclipse is forecast for 2090.

Labour and Co-operative Party candidate Bev Craig was elected mayor of Greater Manchester, defeating Reform UK’s Sian Niamh Astley in the supplementary-vote runoff. Craig received 309,525 votes, or 66%, to Astley’s 157,178, or 34%, after leading the first round with 47.15%. Labour won the most votes in all 10 boroughs; Reform came second in eight, while the Greens were second in Manchester and the Conservatives in Trafford. Turnout was just under 25%, the lowest recorded for a Greater Manchester mayoral election. Craig succeeds Andy Burnham, who stood down after being elected MP for Makerfield.

The 2026 Greater Manchester mayoral election is heading to a second count because no candidate won more than 50% of first-choice votes under the supplementary voting system. Labour’s Bev Craig and Reform UK’s Sian Astley will compete in the runoff, with the result expected later on Friday night. Turnout was 25.14%, with 538,659 votes cast from an electorate of 2,142,779. The by-election followed Andy Burnham’s departure after he was elected MP for Makerfield.

Simon Coyle reviews a family stay at Stanley Villa Farm Fishing and Camping in Weeton With Preese, Lancashire, about 35 minutes from Greater Manchester. The site offers glamping pods and bell tents, including family pods with private wood-fired hot tubs, along with animal-feeding sessions, a Tiki Trail, children’s activities, communal facilities and on-site pizzas. Despite minor inconveniences such as no plug sockets in the pods, the clean facilities, quiet setting and range of activities made it a highly enjoyable and comfortable alternative to traditional camping.

The first Powerball draw open to UK players offered a £322m jackpot, with the winning numbers announced as 04, 05, 22, 50, 58 and Powerball 01. UK participants now pay £4 per line and can access an additional £8 prize for matching two main numbers. Draws occur three times weekly in the US, and jackpots can roll over to £1bn if not won. The odds of winning the jackpot are about one in 292 million.