Steve Teale

Twenty-four students from Commonwealth countries are spending two weeks at Wentworth Woodhouse in South Yorkshire gaining practical experience in heritage conservation. Working with experts, they are repairing the Grade I-listed stable block, conserving historic sash windows and stonework, and cleaning early-19th-century statues. The programme, organised by the Commonwealth Heritage Forum and the City & Guilds of London Art School, is being delivered at the site for the first time, enabling participants to work on a live restoration project before taking their enhanced skills back to help protect heritage sites in their home countries. The work forms part of the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust’s wider restoration programme, which includes plans for a centre dedicated to heritage skills, learning and community engagement.

At 97, Frank Collins is believed to be the country’s oldest pub landlord, running the Dog & Partridge near Huddersfield and Halifax while continuing to drive. He recalls passing his driving test in Huddersfield in the 1940s, sharing a Morris Oxford with his father in 1953, and switching to Mercedes-Benz cars in 1964. Although he remains a cautious driver, he now avoids night driving and takes trains for longer journeys. Collins previously worked in textiles, grew up in a pub, took over the business from his mother, and recently appeared on the television series The Piano.

Retired motorcyclist Graham Eastwood takes his 13-month-old, nine-stone Rottweiler Balti on motorcycle rides in a Yamaha Virago and sidecar. Balti quickly took to the experience, has travelled around 3,000 miles, and attracts attention at destinations including the Isle of Man, Holmfirth and Holmfirth Pride. The dog has gained thousands of social-media followers through dedicated Instagram and Facebook accounts.

Researchers are seeking help identifying Whitby’s mysterious “garlic stones,” which appear to be fossilised garlic-like bulbs connected by tubes. Palaeontologist Liam Herringshaw believes they are trace fossils created by sea creatures in Early Jurassic seabed mud, possibly during a period of rapid climate change, but their loose beach locations make their geological history difficult to establish. Whitby Fossil Day on August 1 will feature talks, workshops, fossil displays, collection tours and identification sessions, highlighting the scientific and educational importance of the Yorkshire coast’s fossils.