Worcestershire church handed funding to replace bellringing ropes
Mr Allen, Green, added: "It's important that traditions that make us what we are today continue."Tower captain at St Mary's Church Mike Harrison said: "Anyone who is interested in learning a new skill would be warmly welcome."Visitors with advanced notice can pop up the tower on Thursday evenings from 19:30 BST to watch a practice session or learn about how to join."We are currently fundraising for repairs and maintenance work to ensure their working operation for the next 100 years."
Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
31 minutes ago
- BBC News
New secondary school for SEND pupils to open in York
A new independently-run special school is set to open in Inspire Academy, on Cornlands Road in Acomb, has been officially registered by the Department for Education, following a successful pre-registration inspection by facility is due to open its doors for the upcoming autumn term to 40 pupils aged 11 to a statement headteacher Rickie Wilson said he was "thrilled" to open the school, which had been developed with a "commitment to creating a nurturing and ambitious environment for young people who need it most". A spokesperson said the school would serve children with "social, emotional and mental health and other special educational needs".They said the curriculum would be "ambitious, inclusive, and responsive to individual needs, preparing students for GCSE qualifications and life beyond school".The Ofsted inspection, which took place in June, praised the school's "broad and well-sequenced curriculum" and said it had "established the foundations of a strong culture of safeguarding".Inspectors confirmed that Inspire Academy was "likely to meet all the independent school standards when it opens."Each place will cost £20,000 in state funding. On the academy's website, it said referrals for admission would be decided by whether a child was on-roll at an Excel Learning Trust mainstream school, required respite to support their existing school place, or were at risk of permanent for places for pupils from other schools or directly from a local authority could also be made directly to the head of school. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Rukmini Iyer's quick and easy recipe for halloumi, courgette and chickpea fritters
Fritters are perfect for a crowd, because you can make them ahead and warm them through just before serving as a bite-sized snack. If the words 'halloumi fritters' have your friends and family zooming towards a tray as quickly as mine, you might even want to double up on the quantities below. Unsurprisingly, these are also my children's preferred way to eat courgettes. Prep 20 min Cook 20 min Makes 25+ 200g courgettes, trimmed and coarsely gratedSalt 200g halloumi, coarsely grated200g drained chickpeas (jarred, ideally), mashed with a fork40g plain flour 1 egg 4-5 tbsp olive oil 50g mayonnaise 50g greek yoghurt Juice of ½ lemon 10g chopped dill Put the grated courgette in a sieve with a pinch of salt, mix, then leave to sit for 10 minutes while you prep the other ingredients. Tip the courgette into a tea towel or kitchen roll, then squeeze it out to expel all the excess water. In a large bowl, mix the courgette with the halloumi and mashed chickpeas until well incorporated, then stir in the flour and egg to make a thick batter. Put a tablespoon of the oil in a large, nonstick frying pan on a medium heat, then, working in batches, scoop scant tablespoons of the fritter mixture into the hot oil, using a second tablespoon to nudge and shape them into neat rounds. Fry the fritters on a medium heat for two to three minutes on each side, until golden brown and cooked through, then transfer to a tray lined with kitchen paper to drain. Repeat until you've used up all the batter (with my largest frying pan, this usually takes four batches). While the fritters are frying, mix the mayonnaise, yoghurt, lemon juice and dill in a small bowl and set aside. If you're not eating the fritters straight away, leave to cool, then cover and refrigerate, along with the dip, until needed. Warm through in a 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4 for five minutes, then arrange on a platter and serve with the dip in a nice bowl in the middle.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
You could be handed up to £2,600 in compensation following child benefit error – check if you'll get the cash
HUNDREDS of families could be in line for thousands of pounds in compensation after a 2014 error in child benefit rules. HMRC has announced a major effort to correct the mistake, which left around 500 families without payments they were entitled to. 1 The error mostly affects parents of 16 to 19-year-olds who continued their education or training outside of regular schools between April 2014 and August 2025. Due to the blunder, these families were improperly denied child benefit. Now, HMRC is launching a 'correction exercise' to identify affected families and ensure they receive the money they're owed. The compensation process is expected to cost £1million and will wrap up by October 2026. This means that if each of the 500 affected families has one child impacted, they could be entitled to payouts of up to £2,600 per family. To track down those impacted, HMRC will work alongside local authorities, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and other stakeholders. A communications campaign will also be rolled out to raise awareness and help families come forward. The error is set to be officially reversed in new amendments to child benefit regulations, which will take effect from September 2025. These changes will restore eligibility for young people in certain educational settings, ensuring no one else misses out in the future. If you think you might be affected, keep an eye out for updates from HMRC or reach out to your local authority for guidance. All the freebies you can get on Universal Credit Families who qualify could see significant payouts, so it's worth checking your eligibility. An HMRC spokesperson said: "About seven million families received child benefit last year. "We have identified that a very small number, about 500 over 10 years, may not have been paid their correct entitlement. "We are working with stakeholders to help reach them and will share details on how they can claim soon." What is the child benefit payment? Every parent in the UK can apply for child benefit to help with the costs of raising their child. You can get it if you're responsible for bringing up a child who is under 16 or under 20 and in approved education or training. The benefit is worth £26.05 a week for your eldest child, and then £17.25 a week for any subsequent children. For a family with two children who qualify, this adds up to £2251.60 a year. For just one child, you get £1354.60 a year. While child benefit is available for all to apply, there is a caveat for higher earners. If one parent in the household earns over £60,000 per year, a portion of the benefit must be repaid, this triggers the so-called high income child benefit charge. This means a portion of the benefit must be repaid. Once an individual's income exceeds £80,000, the entire benefit must be repaid. What is the high income child benefit charge? IF you apply for child benefit but earn over £60,000 or live with a partner who does, you'll have to pay the high income benefit charge. This is calculated as 1% of your child benefit payment for every £200 you earn over the threshold. The calculation is done based on your adjusted net income, which is the money you earn after paying things like pension contributions. However, if you earn slightly over the threshold, you can increase your retirement savings to put you back under the limit and continue to claim. If you do have to pay the charge, the money is paid back via the higher earner's self-assessment tax return. Once either you or your partner earns £80,000 you will have to repay all of the child benefit money. What other childcare help is available? Up to 30 free childcare hours You may be able to get free childcare for your child aged nine months to four years old if you live in England. The number of hours working parents can claim depends on the age of their child. If your child is: Nine months to two years old, you can get 15 hours per week of free childcare Three to four years old, you can get 30 hours per week of free childcare From September 2025, children aged nine months to two years old will qualify for 30 hours per week of free childcare To qualify, you'll need to earn at least the equivalent of the national minimum wage for 16 hours a week. Both parents will need to earn the equivalent of at least £166 per week, each with a taxable income of no more than £100,000. Your two-year-old can also get free childcare if you live in England and get any of the following benefits: Income support income-based jobseeker's allowance (JSA) income-related employment and support allowance (ESA) Universal Credit and your household income is £15,400 a year or less after tax, not including benefit payments The guaranteed element of pension credit Child tax credit, working tax credit (or both), and your household income is £16,190 a year or less before tax Universal Credit childcare costs Parents on Universal Credit and in a paid job can have up to 85% of their childcare costs covered, up to £1,031.88 a month for one child and £1,768.94 a month for two or more children. It doesn't matter how many hours you work. If you live with a partner, you both need to work to qualify. You usually have to pay for the childcare and claim back the costs, but if you go back to work or increase your hours you can request for the money to be paid upfront. Are you missing out on benefits? YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to Charity Turn2Us' benefits calculator works out what you could get. Entitledto's free calculator determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit. and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto's data. You can use Policy in Practice's calculator to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you'll have left over each month after paying for housing costs. Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for.
