Somerset in Pictures: Sun and Glastonbury clean-up
What's left of Glastonbury: On Monday, thousands of music fans headed home as Glastonbury Festival came to an end for another year. A team of volunteers cleaned the site to prepare the land for a fallow year in 2026.
Cricket match: Matt Henry of Somerset played a shot during Day Two of the Rothesay County Championship Division One match between Somerset and Nottinghamshire at the Cooper Associates County Ground.
Rolling hills: The fog rising in Dulverton was captured by Ali on Exmoor this week.
Ugly ducklings: Young great crested grebes hitched a ride from their parent on the Somerset Levels.
Not so scary: Castle Cary residents have made more than 120 scarecrows for the Britain in Bloom competition, which will be assessed by Royal Horticultural Society judges on Thursday. Feathers McGraw, Spongebob and Harry Kane are among those lining the streets of a town hoping to be recognised for its community efforts.
Beaver dams: Conservationists have said restoring rivers on Exmoor to a natural state and introducing beavers can help make landscapes resilient to the increasing risk of drought.
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Daily Mail
29 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
I'm Tinder's most swiped man with 48,000 likes - but I found love offline
Tinder 's 'most swiped right man' has finally 'found love' - after spending nine years on the app - and collecting 48,000 likes. Stefan-Pierre Tomlin, 34, from Greenwich, London, first downloaded the dating app in June 2015 after 'struggling to find love'. But two years later, Stefan, who owns a match-making company, Celebrity Love Coach, 'became an addict' - averaging over three hours a day swiping through potential matches. He eventually earned the title 'Mr Tinder' in 2017, when it was revealed that more users - 14,600 to be exact - had swiped right on him than anyone else. Despite hordes of potential suitors, the male model 'never found love' on any subsequent dates - and said he much prefers to find the one the old-fashioned way, in person. Stefan, who is also a trained pilot, has been open about his previous relationships, which 'have never worked out'. But he now admits he's been 'left love-struck' after a 'mates' night-out in Soho, London, in October 2024, led him to find 'Mrs Right' - finance manager, Vicky Batsford, 43, from Essex, who took his 'breath away'. The meet-cue was 'unexpected', but nine months on, the pair have become official and are 'smitten with each other'. Stefan said: 'I swiped right on her in real life. She stole my attention straight away and everything was easy and natural with her. 'At one point, I was getting 40 matches a day on Tinder and had to mute the app. Since then, online dating has never really worked for me. 'Meeting Vicky, I knew things would be different. She's organised, humble, and saw me beyond the Mr Tinder façade. She's the perfect woman for me and I'm completely off-limits now.' Stefan was on a 'spontaneous night out' with friends when he first bumped into Vicky in October 2024. It came following a nine-year stint on Tinder that saw him gain over 48,000 potential 'suitors to choose from', he claimed. 'She was wearing a fitted black dress and looked super fun,' he said, adding, 'We made eye contact and both smiled while crossing paths. 'I knew I had to talk to her and we exchanged numbers that night. We quickly became friends and things lifted off from there.' Stefan said Vicky had 'no idea' he was 'Mr Tinder' when they first met. It was only later that week, after googling his name, she became aware and was quite 'intimidated'. 'At first, it was a massive eye roll,' Vicky, from Essex, said. She added, 'But I didn't think anything of it at first, as we were just friends.' 'But after a few more drinks over the following weeks, we chatted more and I found him incredibly interesting. He soon swooned me over.' Stefan had used Tinder to go on over 15 dates - four of which resulted in relationships during his nine-year spell. But he 'struggled' to meet 'the one', admitting that amongst his 40 matches per day, less than five per cent would lead to a conversation - which only worsened once he 'shot to fame' in 2017, saying that it led to 'inauthentic interactions'. 'My success with dating apps plummeted after I became Mr Tinder,' he said, adding, 'It's just become a game where people 'swipe on me' just because of who I am. 'So finding love the old-fashioned way was what I heavily relied on and I'm chuffed to say it has worked. 'It was probably in my favour that Vicky perhaps didn't know who I was off the bat.' Although Vicky admitted there were 'clear differences' in who they are, she 'couldn't be happier' to call him her boyfriend. 'We come from very different worlds,' she said, adding, 'I'm way more structured and disciplined - and he's a lot more spontaneous. 'But I think that creates a good balance and a reason why we work so well together. We're super happy.' Earlier this month, Stefan and Vicky became official and they are planning to move in with each other soon. Stefan said 'marriage is definitely in the future' with Vicky - whom he said 'truly feels like the real deal'. Drawing on his experience of the dating world, Stefan also established an online match-making site, Celebrity Love Coach, in 2021 - to help others find their other half - and has since set up 52 couples. 'I found my love and I've always wanted to help others find theirs,' he said. 'The dating world is always changing and it's easy to lose hope. But there is love for anyone who is willing to put themselves outside their comfort zone. 'In the past, I've dated models, nurses - and idiots. However, things are different now with my new partner and we live a stable life. It's something I've never had before. But I'm willing to keep it for as long as I can.' It comes after an influencer revealed a 'hack' she claims will get you 'better matches' on popular dating app, Hinge. Iman, from southern England, has thousands of followers on TikTok, where she often shares snippets from her dating life. She uploaded a clip and claimed she had found a way to ensure that people get the 'best pick of the bunch' on Hinge, which is available in the UK, Canada, India, and Australia. The content creator said the tip meant that the people she is now getting are a 'level up' from the profiles she would usually see. Iman told her followers to go to the settings tab and scroll down until they see the 'delete or pause account' tab. The app will then ask why the user is leaving and give them four options to choose from. These include 'I met someone,' 'I need a break from dating apps,' or 'I'm not happy with my Hinge experience'. Iman says you must choose the one that says 'I am not happy with my Hinge experience' for the hack to work. She then said a pop-up will come up which will say 'How about a fresh start?' The app then goes on to say that it will refresh your feed while keeping existing matches. Iman said to proceed and click 'try it,' and give it a few minutes for your Hinge algorithm to reset itself. 'The type of people you get shown are completely different and in my experience, they have been better,' she said. 'You can actually do it more than once, I did it twice in a row and it's like a different Hinge. 'Have I met anyone on there? No. But scrolling on there is more fun.' Some users thanked Iman for her tip, as they reported having better feeds once they followed her instructions. One commented: 'Yeah just did this and I've got loads of new people who actually live near by now and not on the east midlands which was where they were all from previously!'
BBC News
30 minutes ago
- BBC News
Gossip: Gueye signs extension
Everton's 35-year-old Senegal midfielder Idrissa Gueye has signed a new contract running until 2027. (Fabrizio Romano), externalWant more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip columnFollow the gossip column on BBC Sport
BBC News
31 minutes ago
- BBC News
Warwick teen ready for dream Wimbledon debut
A British teenager who started playing when he was four years old has said appearing at Wimbledon has been his dream since he was a little Redza from Warwickshire is due take part in the doubles tournament at Junior Wimbledon on Monday after receiving a wildcard for the 17-year-old qualified with his playing partner, Felix Bockelmann-Evans, after winning a doubles event at the National Championships in coach, Gary Naughton, said: "It couldn't happen to a nicer boy." Redza said when he first started playing "I didn't think anything of tennis", but he stuck with it and when he was nine years old he had to make the choice between pursuing tennis or playing football."From then on its been really good fun playing tennis," he said. Redza is currently ranked sixth in the UK at the under-18 level and has recently been selected to play for Great Britain at an event in Naughton said he was "very proud" of him and added: "It's one thing having talent, but the next thing is you've got to have that desire and work ethic behind it."His mother, Fifi, said he had been "working and training hard" to be ready for Wimbledon and had also secured a four year tennis scholarship at Santa Clara University in California, starting in January 2026. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
