West of England headlines: Railway lines restored and 70,000 bees
What have been the big stories in the West this week?
The government confirmed that work to restore a railway line to Portishead will definitely start, with services to begin in a few years. There will also be new stations in Wellington and Cullompton.There were celebrations at the start of the week as Somerset's Lando Norris won his first British Grand Prix.In Swindon, two very distinctive Balinese-style heads are remaining outside the Kioki nightclub in High Street, despite the council ordering them to be removed, according to Wiltshire Live.A huge colony of 70,000 bees forced demolition work on the Glover's Walk shopping centre to grind to a halt. Beekeepers called in to remove the swarms opted for "plan bee" when placing a hive on the roof to entice the insects out did not work, said the Chard and Ilminster News.Five years of restoration work to a section of Gloucester Cathedral has finished, according to Gloucestershire Live, with new grotesques installed.Bristol Live reported that the car park at the rear of the Broadwalk Shopping Centre will never reopen. The owners said they had reached the point where "there is no repair or maintenance that can prolong its life" and the car park, along with the bingo hall and snooker hall on the same site will eventually be demolished.
Top five local stories for the BBC in the West
Something longer to read
The Somerset County gazette has spoken to one of Taunton's famous residents - in the world of chess. Mickey Adams was once ranked fourth in the world at the height of his playing days, and still makes his living playing the game.He told reporter Phil Hill that he once won a three-way tie in a 1990 competition using a bingo machine, picking the number nine which was called, "because it was the number of beers he drank the previous night".
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Somerset in Pictures: Hey, have you herd?
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Race pitting runners v horses over 23 miles returns to Quantocks
Runners looking for something a little different this autumn have been invited to try racing a horse for 23 miles through the countryside. The gruelling Man v Horse endurance race is returning to Somerset's Quantock Hills for the second time in unusual event, which was first held more than 40 years ago in Powys, Wales, sees runners given a head start of only 15 minutes."Like all great ideas, it was hatched in a pub," joked Philip King, one of the organisers. Mr King told BBC Radio Somerset the "challenging but incredible" race was "definitely a spectator sport". "One thing that really makes the event are our volunteers and the people who come along to support and spectate," he said. "Frankly, if you are running or riding and you've got that adrenaline going, there's nothing better than having people cheer you on." Beating a horse over 23 miles might seem like a long shot but over the course of the race's history, four runners have done just that, while the first race held in Somerset 2023 saw a tie. This year's event will raise money for Project Pegasus – a therapy programme centred around horses for children and young people in Somerset who have been affected by drug and alcohol use in their family. The programme is run by Equi-Librium Coaching and Therapy, which was co-founded by Mr King, a child therapist."Very often traditional therapy isn't for [these children]," he said."But being outside, in the outdoors – in the forest, working in the field with a horse – they can start to rebuild trust and connection and learn what it is to have positive relationships when they've had such hard times."The race, he added, "is all about hopefulness and joy".
