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The Independent
30 minutes ago
- The Independent
Inside the centuries-old swan census ordered by King Charles III
Scarlet uniforms cut a striking figure against the River Thames this week as the annual five-day census of King Charles III 's swans, known as Swan Upping, commenced. The traditional event, which began on Monday, sees a young swan gently lifted, measured, inspected, and released, to assess the health of the royal flock. The unique tradition stems from the monarch's lesser-known title, Seigneur of the Swans, or Lord of the Swans. According to ancient lore, this title grants the reigning sovereign ownership of all mute swans found in Britain's open waters. Each year, a dedicated team of carefully selected oarsmen, dubbed 'Swan Uppers', embark on a stretch of the Thames to locate the birds. When a swan family is sighted, the cry of "All up!" rings out, prompting the boats to swiftly encircle the birds for marking and a thorough check for any signs of disease or injury. 'It gives us an indication of what's going on throughout the country,' said David Barber, who wears a scarlet jacket and a white swan feather in his cap and bears the title of King's Swan Marker. 'It's a tradition, but I think it's serving a very useful purpose as well.' Barber has been leading the event for more than 30 years. He is accompanied by a vet and oarsmen dressed in three colors: red for the king, white for the Worshipful Company of Vintners and blue stripes for the Worshipful Company of Dyers. The last two are medieval London trade guilds that were granted ownership of some Thames swans in the 15th century. The census tradition dates to the 12th century, when swans were considered an important food for royal banquets and feasts. While swans are now legally protected from hunting, they face threats from disease, pollution, vandalism and cruelty, Barber said. Their numbers have declined over the last two years, primarily due to outbreaks of avian flu across Britain, he said, adding that only 86 young swans were found during last year's Swan Upping, which was 45 per cent fewer than the year before that. But Barber appeared positive at the end of the event's first day, with a total of 16 young swans recorded. The census continues until Friday, traveling from Sunbury, on the outskirts of London, to Abingdon, 80 miles (130 kilometers) upstream.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Canadian living in Scotland questions how UK is a 'developed country' over 'disgusting British habit'
A Canadian living in the UK has said he is disgusted by a common British habit that has led him to question Britain's status as a 'developed country'. Taking to Reddit, the disgruntled expat detailed how he had moved to Glasgow from Canada, and now calls the Scottish city 'home'. But despite his love for the area, he said there is one 'absolutely shocking' aspect of British life which he finds disgusting. He wrote: 'Okay, I am a Canadian who has made Glasgow home. 'It's absolutely shocking for me the amount of litter I see here, considering this is supposed to be a developed country. 'Also, there is so much broken glass that I can only imagine what dog owners go through while doing something as simple as walking their dog. 'And this is not a city issue, I have gone walking on remote trails where I see litter - so it's not really a wind issue, it's a people issue. 'You cannot hire enough people to clean the streets if people think it's okay to litter. 'I have been on the road and seen people in front of me driving, rolling down their windows and dropping their litter on the road in broad daylight. Just why?' The post quickly gained traction and racked up hundreds of comments. The majority of responders were similarly fed up, with many placing the blame on locals who believe litter-picking is the responsibility of the council. One person wrote: 'A lot of people here think it's purely the council's responsibility to clean up after them.' Another said: 'There used to be a guy here that would arrange litter picks. 'Last time I heard he'd stopped after seeing the places they'd just spent days cleaning in the same state as before.' A third echoed the sentiment, saying: 'It's depressing if you pick up litter, you go to the same spot the next day and it's just filled up again.' Other Glasgow locals said they had been using the local council app to raise the alarm about particularly dirty areas, to no avail. One said: 'I've been using the GCC app to report littering at an underpass near me, every time they've come along and cleaned it within 24-48 hours and, right after, it's a mess again. 'No wonder the council has given up as well.' Of the avid litter-pickers taking an interest in their community, many reported they had simply given up after feeling they were fighting a losing battle. 'It's pretty demoralising, I still do my one area but mostly because I go there frequently and I don't want people to think I'm the one doing the littering. But people just dump their s**t and it's so depressing.' Other responders offered their own tales of woe, from areas in Glasgow and beyond - with a San Francisco native telling how his city hadn't done enough to prevent illegal dumping. 'I also think that when people see the council - the very ones responsible for collecting, transporting and disposing of litter - doing a half-hearted job, it sets a poor example for everyone else,' one commenter wrote. 'It sends the message that if they don't care, why should anyone else?' Commenters pointed to the fact that community clean-ups, led and carried out by volunteers, do exist - both within Glasgow and other areas. And for those who blamed the litter on certain demographics, one wrote: 'It's not just "neds" and "junkies". There are far too many people who have zero respect for where they live and for others without having substance abuse or behavioural problems.' Others stressed the point that looking after local spaces is a 'mindset' issue, with many believing they are entitled to leave rubbish. 'This is a "throw away" mindset where people think it's somebody else's problem to clean up, one commenter said. 'It also taps into the myths people tell themselves about the amount of rubbish they produce - "but it's okay because I recycle". 'I went to work the other day in a hurry, plastic litter outside my close door, arrived back from work, people are in and out all day, still there - I put it in the bin.' The UK is generally considered to have a littering problem when compared to other European countries. It hasn't yet affected our status as a developed country, but whether it goes on to influence tourism or living costs remains to be seen.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Floating Bridge: Isle of Wight residents' views sought on future
Isle of Wight residents are being given the chance to share their views on the future of the Cowes Floating council voted last year to replace the troubled £3.5m chain ferry, which has been plagued with issues since being installed in the decision, consultants came up with options for the future of the service and ruled out ideas including a new bridge or part of the consultation process, an online survey is available on the council website and drop-in sessions are due to be held later this month. The council said, as part of a new River Medina Crossing Strategy, consultants assessed the available options for affordability, sustainability, value for money, reliability and the need to minimise traffic concluded the three options for the service, which crosses the River Medina between Cowes and East Cowes, were to replace the existing vessel, modify it or maintain the current ruled out included building a new River Medina bridge, a tunnel, a new type of vessel and discontinuing the service altogether, Answers gathered from the consultation will be used for a report to be considered by the council's transport committee in the online survey is available on the council's website. Drop-in sessions are due to be held giving people the chance to speak to industry experts and council representatives. They will be held on: 22 July - East Cowes Town Hall (15:00 - 1900 BST)23 July - Northwood House, Cowes (15:00 - 1900)31 July - The Riverside Centre, Newport (15:00 - 1900)There will also be online sessions on 7 August at 12:00 and 12 August at 18:00. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
