years

SWLNcottage – by Filipa Gaspar A ‘spooky’ cottage taken over by wildlife and vegetation is on sale for £695,000 – after being left abandoned for 25 years. Located in the village of Rhydlewis, Wales, with approximately 132 acres, the 3-bedroom property has been overrun by nature. Tucked away in a wooded valley, this cottage offers a blissful escape from a noisy world – but there is renovation work to be done. Some items are still left inside the house by former owners – including black and white pictures, newspapers and furniture. The house – on sale for £695,000 – has…

SWMRbaldock – by Faye Mayern A new, high-tech ‘artist’s impression’ of a young woman struck and killed by a car half a century ago has been released in a bid to identify her. The striking Images of ‘Baldock Woman’ were produced by using forensic facial identification and are considered a significant breakthrough in the effort to solve mystery. The unknown woman in her 20s was last seen walking in the middle of the A1 in Herts on Feburary 18, 1975, when she was fatally struck by at least one car. Following an appeal in June 2010, a couple came forward…

SWMRcolleagues – by Filipa Gaspar Two former colleagues who worked together for 40 years at a nuclear power station have reunited 20 years later – at a care home. Adrian Baker, 81, became a resident at Down Hall Residential Care Home in July last year. But the 81-year-old was was not expecting to be greeted by a familiar face. His former colleague, Alan Stilborn, 98, had moved into the care home in the Dengie peninsula, Essex, the month before. They both worked together for 40 years as foremen at Bradwell Nuclear Power Station, in Essex. Adrian explained how they immediately…

SWLSsoldier – By Adam Dutton and Suzanne Moon A former soldier has received an apology from the British Army – 35 years after he was dismissed for being gay. Martin Diver, 58, joined the military as a 17-year-old in 1985 and went on to serve as a rifleman for the Royal Anglian Regiment. But he was kicked out of the Armed Forces and court-martialled after coming out as gay to his superiors in 1990. Martin suffered PTSD and was left feeling suicidal after living with the “disgrace” of being sacked and losing his career because of his sexuality. A ban…

SWLSflytipping – By Izzy Hawksworth and Michael Broomhead An angry OAP has demanding that homes are built on wasteland near his house – after fly-tippers turned it into a shocking eyesore. David Wilkinson, 66, says people regularly dump burnt out cars, sofas, black bags of rubbish and other pieces of furniture on the grass in Bradford, West Yorks. He says the issue has got worse over the last few months and shocking photos show tyres, mattresses and traffic cones scattered all over the land David says he believes people from other areas are dumping their waste on the land as…

SWSMvalentines – by Sejal Mandal A devoted grandad has kept the flame of romance alive, surprising his beloved wife with flowers and a heartfelt card – for nearly 60 years. Dermot McKay, 81, has been married to his wife Beryl Mckay, 76, since 1994 but the couple met in 1966. Every year Dermot gives Beryl a single rose on Valentine’s Day but this year he decided to surprise her with a full bouquet. Heart-warming video shows Dermot nervously approaching Beryl and giving her a red envelope and a bouquet of red roses. Their granddaughter Maisie Pavey, 26, said her grandad…

SWMRmissing – By Adam Dutton Police have issued a fresh appeal to help find a missing woman – 53 years after she vanished. Freda Margaret Green was aged 22 when she was last seen by her family on April 2, 1972. Despite her family’s desperate appeals for information about what happened to her, Freda seemingly disappeared without trace. Cops have launched a new push for information about Freda on what is her 75th birthday today (Fri). Freda lived in John Street, Brierley Hill, West Mids., and was a regular at the nearby New Inns pub – now called the Dog…

The world’s oldest bird has had a chick – at 74 years old. Wisdom, a Laysan albatross, or mōlī in Hawaiian, was seen with the chick on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge near Honolulu, Hawaii, this month. Like others of her species, Wisdom returns to the same nesting site each year to reunite with her mate and if able, lay one egg – the northwestern edge of the Hawaiian Archipelago. For decades Wisdom did this with the same partner, Akeakamai, but that bird has not been seen for several years, which caused Wisdom to begin courtship dances with other males…

A breadcrumb buried for 3,000 years alongside an ancient Egyptian’s mummified remains has been discovered. The tiny morsel was collected and preserved by an unknown Victorian microscopist but was originally unearthed in Thebes, Egypt. The piece of bread is stored on a small wooden tray at the Leeds Discovery Center in West Yorkshire and is being examined as part of a volunteer project. Clare Brown, Leeds Museums and Galleries’ curator of natural sciences, said: “What began as a fairly routine cataloging exercise has slowly uncovered a remarkable archive that includes some of the most important moments in scientific history. “Discovering…

SWMRmummy – By Izzy Hawksworth A bread crumb that was buried for 3,000 years alongside an ancient Egyptian’s mummified remains has been discovered. The tiny morsel was collected and preserved by an unknown Victorian microscopist but was originally unearthed in Thebes, Greece. The piece of bread is stored on a small wooden tray at the Leeds Discovery Centre in West Yorks., and is being looked at as part of a volunteer project. Clare Brown, Leeds Museums and Galleries’ curator of natural sciences, said: “What began as a fairly routine cataloguing exercise has slowly uncovered a remarkable archive that includes of…