Latest news with #LeamingtonSpa
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
'I moved from Brazil to Leamington Spa and asked - is everything closed?'
They say moving house is the most stressful thing you can do in life. But imagine if you weren't just moving house, but moving continents. Having to learn a new culture, a new way of life. Now imagine you are balancing that with a new relationship, starting a family and having to begin a career all over again on the bottom wrung. This is what happened to Bianca Rodrigues-Perry - a Brazilian native, who met and eventually fell in love while on holiday in Spain with David from Leamington Spa. Swapping the beaches and the hustle and bustle of Rio De Janeiro 16 years ago left Bianca, or Bia as she is known, reeling. Combined with a traumatic pregnancy and having to start a successful marketing career all over again, Bia in the leafy avenues of Leamington Spa, felt like she'd left an important part of herself back home in the busy streets of Rio. Read more: Hail and thunder warning for Coventry amid heavy, humid showers But trying to remain positive, she did start to rediscover herself in her new town, thanks to the love and support of her family, husband David and their two children, as well as a passion for the food she grew up eating at home. 'I remember walking through Leamington Spa for the first time and asking if everything was closed,' she laughs. 'It was so quiet compared to Rio!' In Brazil, Bia had run a marketing and production company organising events and mixing with international artists and celebrities. Her life was busy, creative, and full of energy. 'I went from being a businesswoman in Brazil to feeling completely lost here. I had postnatal depression, and at one point, I didn't want to live anymore,' she says. 'I didn't recognise myself.' It was a dark period that Bia says she got through with support, faith, and a belief that her story wasn't finished yet. Food, always central in her life, became a lifeline. She'd been cooking since she was 12, growing up in a family with Brazilian, Italian and Portuguese roots where food was 'how we showed love.' Even when she wasn't working in the food industry, cooking was always part of her identity. "I've always loved telling stories through food,' she says. 'It's in my blood. If you visit my mother's house and you're skinny, you're not allowed to leave again until she's fattened you up!" That love found a new creative outlet in Warwickshire, when she began working on Bia's Kitchen Show, a video series supporting local food businesses. The project – part podcast, part documentary, part storytelling platform, and later a book, is her way of giving back to the community she now calls home. It's not Bia's first time in front of a camera though. In 2021, she appeared on Couples Come Dine With Me alongside hubby David, a decision made on a whim after a friend encouraged her to apply. She went on to wow her fellow participants with her charm, hosting skills and extensive and unique culinary panache, winning the show along the way. 'I didn't care about winning, it was just great experience and good for exposure. And I think the producers liked me because I was a bit bonkers and didn't speak perfect English – great for TV!' But her latest venture is different. It's less about the spotlight, and more about amplifying others. She produces, interviews, and promotes – combining her experience in events, marketing, and food. Now, she's taking the project back to her native Brazil to film a new series of episodes across different restaurants, aiming to showcase the diversity of Brazilian cuisine. 'I want to show people that Brazil isn't just barbecue and carnival. There's incredible food influenced by so many cultures – indigenous, Portuguese, African, Japanese, Italian – and every region has its own identity.' Bia's journey hasn't been easy, but it's one she's proud of. From entrepreneur to mother, from Rio to rural Warwickshire, she's built a new life, and hopes her story might help others do the same. "It's about connection. About using what I have to give back to the place that welcomed me. Moving here and becoming a mum changed everything. But so did food, therapy, and my relationship with God. I've fought hard to get where I am now and I wouldn't change that." Find out more about Bia, her shows and even her recipes, on her website.
BBC News
13-07-2025
- BBC News
Police get extra powers over Leamington Spa disorder
Police have been granted extra powers to deal with disorder and antisocial behaviour in Leamington Spa town Police said it followed "unacceptable" incidents on Friday evening, with the powers set to last until 03:00 BST on have the power to order people to leave areas covered by the measures and they face arrest if they do not dispersal order covers the Parade, Bath Street, Jephson Gardens and Pump Room Gardens. Speaking on Saturday evening, Insp Jamie Cramp from Warwickshire Police said: "Unfortunately the behaviour we saw from a considerable group of people last night was completely unacceptable." Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Work begins to demolish multi-storey car park
Work to demolish a multi-storey car park in Leamington Spa is set to begin. Covent Garden car park in Russell Street has been closed since 2023 for structural safety reasons. The demolition will reduce the height and make it "structurally sound" by lowering the two lower levels of the building for long-stay parking. As result of the works, starting on 21 July, a section of the adjacent Covent Garden surface car park will be temporarily closed, reducing the capacity to 32 spaces. Will Roberts, councillor for Leamington Willes on Warwick District Council, said once demolition works are completed the authority would be able to "reintroduce additional parking to this key location, including a secure area for bicycles". He added: "We are confident that the town's car parks can accommodate the temporary reduction of parking spaces during the demolition but do, however, apologise for any inconvenience that these works may cause." The Warwick District Council project will make space for up to 100 vehicles for the next two to three years. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Multi-storey car park to close Plans to demolish multi-storey car park submitted City car park set to reopen as others close Warwick District Council
BBC News
12-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Work begins to demolish Leamington Spa multi-storey car park
Work to demolish a multi-storey car park in Leamington Spa is set to Garden car park in Russell Street has been closed since 2023 for structural safety reasons. The demolition will reduce the height and make it "structurally sound" by lowering the two lower levels of the building for long-stay result of the works, starting on 21 July, a section of the adjacent Covent Garden surface car park will be temporarily closed, reducing the capacity to 32 spaces. Will Roberts, councillor for Leamington Willes on Warwick District Council, said once demolition works are completed the authority would be able to "reintroduce additional parking to this key location, including a secure area for bicycles". He added: "We are confident that the town's car parks can accommodate the temporary reduction of parking spaces during the demolition but do, however, apologise for any inconvenience that these works may cause."The Warwick District Council project will make space for up to 100 vehicles for the next two to three years. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
11-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Passions plea from Leamington powerlifter after comeback success
A powerlifter who came back to the sport after recovering from a serious injury is encouraging anyone to follow their passions after his success at a world Cheema, 37, from Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, finished eighth in the championship event in Rome where he lifted competition also marked his return to the international stage after nearly 18 years and he wanted to prove to other athletes that he still "belonged at that level"."This journey was never just about lifting. It's been powered by love, belief, and the people beside me," he posted on Instagram. Mr Cheema had been lifting for more than a decade when a serious injury to his pectoral muscle meant he had to give up the sport about seven years said his mental health declined as a result and he only decided to get help because his wife noticed him change."As a powerlifter and especially in the Asian community, there's always a stigma around men talking around mental health and struggling," he said. After making his comeback, he was encouraged to share his story on social media and through his podcast, Lift Your Life, explaining it was OK for men to talk."I always end up dragging myself back into [powerlifting], it's been really good for me especially on a mental side of things. It just gives me that mindset and goal," he Cheema encouraged people to always follow their passions and goals. He spent more than 12 hours at the event in June with more than 200 lifters which Mr Cheema said was an "honour".He also helped raised more than £2,500 for Macmillan Cancer Support as he dedicated the championships to everyone affected by cancer."Every lift I make is in support of those fighting harder battles every day," he said. He has also now qualified for the European Championships in Lincolnshire in September. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
