You can cut the tension with a knife.

A return to form, not without its flaws but still scary good.

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is a conscious effort from Capcom to get the franchise back on track after a number of years going wayward and it’s great news for gamers that they achieved just that.

The first thing to say about RE7 is that it is one of the most terrifying games you will ever play, and it is unrelenting in that sense, each time you play your nerves will be frazzled by the end.

Capcom has delivered on its promise to get the series back to its origins.

The tight focus on the storyline and mission works well because it really does cut down on the game being a procession of events to get to the good bits.

There is an unbelievably strong storyboard and at all times you could literally cut the tension with a knife... actually on several occasions you will have to. This could stand alone as a good movie.

The detail of the graphics is so good it will make your stomach churn.

My favourite aspect of RE7, though, is undoubtedly the ingenious inclusion of the different family members and the playable flashbacks.

This is the game’s crowning achievement and ensures you never get bored with the action.

The move to first person is another departure for the RE series but it paid off in what was a delicate balance between the originals and the new while the VR option is said to be a great addition, although I have not played it.

RE7 is not without its faults, though. Boss battles - yes they’re back - can at times be an annoyance and often serve to break the intense atmosphere that builds throughout.

Enemy AI is not great and could be a lot more challenging while puzzles are also a bit of a sideshow.

Regardless of that this is the closest Capcom has come to recapturing the essence of RE and we can only hope they will continue up this path with more of the same in the future.

Chemical burns to the eye of infants caused by brightly coloured laundry tablets have increased by 32-fold in just three years, a new study has warned.

Sales of the the capsules have soared since they were introduced in 2012.

But they are becoming an increasing menace to young children aged three to four who mistake them for sweets or toys.

Over a quarter of all chemical burns are caused by these pods as the liquid detergent squirts into their eyes if they burst as they play with them or it gets into their eyes.

Now scientists at at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore said parents needed to ensure the capsules are kept out of reach of children and manufacturers needed to do more to make the containers child proof.

Dr Richard Sterling Haring at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore said: “The widespread adoption of laundry detergent pods, which are dissolvable pouches containing enough laundry detergent for a single use, has led to an increase in associated injuries among children.

“Reports of pod-related injuries, including poisoning, choking, and burns, have suggested that this pattern may be in part due to the products’ colourful packaging

and candy-like appearance

“In the context of the high incidence of chemical ocular burns among small children, we sought to characterise the burden of and circumstances surrounding chemical ocular burns due to laundry detergent pods.”

The study looked at reported incidents of eye injuries resulting in chemical burn or conjunctivitis among children aged three to four between 2012 and 2015.

They used data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) run by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.

It found 1,201 laundry detergent pod-related ocular burns occurred among the children.

The number of chemical burns associated with laundry detergent pods increased from 12 instances in 2012 to 480 in 2015.

The proportion of all chemical ocular injuries associated with these devices increased from 0.8 per cent of burns in 2012 to 26 per cent in 2015.

Boys were slightly more at risk than girls.

Dr Haring added: “These injuries most often occurred when children were handling the pods and the contents squirted into one or both of their eyes or when the pod contents leaked onto their hands and a burn resulted from subsequent hand-eye contact.

“Between 2012 and 2015, the proportion of injuries associated with these devices increased 32-fold, and in our study, pod-related injurieswere associated with more than one quarter of chemical ocular burns among children in this age group

“These data suggest that the role of laundry detergent pods in eye injuries among preschool-aged children is growing.

“As with most injuries in this age group, these burns occurred almost exclusively in the home.

“In addition to proper storage and use of these devices, prevention strategies might include redesigning packaging to reduce the attractiveness of these products to young children and improving their strength and durability.”

The study was published by JAMA Ophthalmology.

Batches of a skin treatment oil have been recalled following the discovery of glass in one batch.

The Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate for Night 2ml, sold at Boots, is included in Liz Earle The Botanist’s Cabinet.

Following the discovery of small traces of glass being found in one batch (number 6T) of the product, the company has a precautionary measure, recalled all products with batch numbers 6T, 6F and 6P.

Customers are advised to stop using it and dispose of it, and asked to visit their nearest Liz Earle counter to obtain a replacement, an alternative product, or a refund.

The batch code can be found on the cap of the vial and on the outer sleeve.

Queries can be made by contacting the Liz Earle Beauty Co. Customer Centre via :email: naturallyactive@lizearle.com, or by phone: UK 0800 413 318 / ROI 1800 937 540

A company statement said that Liz Earle Beauty Co. were “disappointed” about the issue, adding that they were “committed to providing… the highest quality and service.

“Liz Earle Beauty Co. offer their sincere apologies for any inconvenience that may be caused.

The statement added: “If you’ve bought this for someone else, please let them know about this as soon as possible.”

The results are in, and the so-called north-south divide continues to separate children’s educational outcomes by geography – as the recently published secondary schools’ performance data from the Department for Education shows

By Chris Rolph, Principal Lecturer in Education, Nottingham Trent University

This article was originally published on The Conversation

While there are of course variations within each region, the data – which covers over 4,000 English secondary schools – shows that parents are much more likely to find schools with high level academic performance in the south of the country, specifically in London.

On average schools in London outperform those in the north of the country by almost five percentage points.

Crunching the numbers

The 2016 data will bear much more detailed scrutiny than previous years, primarily because it contains new measures of student outcomes. So as well as GCSE results, under the new measure, comparisons between pupils’ results at the end of primary school are also now taken into consideration. This is known as pupils’ “starting points”, and means that school performance is no longer based solely on final GCSE grades.

In light of these new measures, I’ve analysed the most recent data for secondary schools. To do this, I grouped the data into local authority regions to show how schools in a local area perform. Though this is not to suggest that the local authorities themselves have a significant impact on student outcomes. In each local authority, most – if not all – secondary schools have become academies, over which local authorities have little influence.

To allow for children’s “starting points” as they join secondary school, I included the average key stage two “point score” for a cohort joining secondary school. I then compared this against the percentage of that cohort that achieve five A to C grades including English and maths when they leave school at the age of 16, as can be seen in the graph below.

These results show that London schools are consistently able to achieve five percentage points more on the A to C measure than northern schools, whatever the children’s starting points. This differs from 2015, when the gap narrowed for higher ability cohorts.

My analysis, however, does show that some of the northern local authorities with weak cohorts have made small gains, but at the same time London areas with higher ability children have still accelerated their progress.

London first

I demonstrated at www.bera.ac.uk/blog/whats-the-difference that while location plays the largest part in accounting for differences between school performance, by far the most important factor is the level of deprivation. This can be measured by families who have been eligible for free school meals at any time over the last six years – known as the “pupil premium”.

Pupil premium funding started in 2010, and has injected huge amounts of money into schools. It has been specifically targeted at those individuals who history shows they are least likely to succeed in school. But questions have rightly been asked about how much difference this has actually made to outcomes.

My analysis shows that the general trend across local authorities tends to be that the higher the proportion of disadvantaged children there are at a school, the lower the percentage achieving five A to C grades – including English and maths.

While this may be no surprise, the data for London authorities shows a marked difference – not just from those in the north but from all other regions. This seems to suggest that it is possible to achieve high outcomes irrespective of the number of disadvantaged children in the cohort.

The graph below shows that in London’s five most deprived authorities, children perform at least as well as they would in many of the most affluent areas of the north.

Postcode lottery

What all this analysis shows is that there is clearly work to be done, not just in establishing the reasons for these regional differences, but also to understand better the nature of the measures of performance and disadvantage.

For a number of years educators have pointed to the “London challenge” as an example of sustainable, meaningful school improvement, but to date few areas outside of the capital have been able to match its success.

The reasons for this success will of course be many and varied, and will undoubtedly be influenced by the enhanced levels of funding that London schools receive. This has been estimated to be as much as £1,000 per pupil – almost double that of other areas.

But not all of London’s success can be attributed to finances alone, because schools here have worked together, to come up with “bespoke solutions” to address the wide range of problems faced by schools in the area.

What all this suggests is that closing the north-south divide between secondary schools will be difficult, if not impossible in the days of competing multi-academy trusts. And with the loss of geographical coherence, as local authorities wane in influence, it is hard to see a clear way forward.

But given that A-level and university applications suffer from a similar regional bias, what is clear is that we need to support and develop the areas outside of London if we want education to stop becoming something of a postcode lottery.

The use of body cameras by front line police and other uniformed enforcement agencies is increasing at an unstoppable rate both in the US and UK.

By Tom Ellis

Principal Lecturer in Criminal Justice, University of Portsmouth

The Conversation.com

In the UK, video cameras have been seen primarily as a way of supporting police officers to better enforce order or collect evidence. Whereas in the US, their use has been very much driven by the need to control police behaviour – particularly in light of the high number of police shootings of young black men.

The first study in the UK to evaluate the blanket roll out of cameras to all front line officers in a single jurisdiction was carried out on the Isle of Wight. And our research showed that public order and assault crimes went down by nearly 20% when all front line police officers wore the body cameras. It is not surprising then that police forces across the world, including in China, have made the decision to use these body worn video cameras.

Other professions have also decided to follow suit, with body cameras already in use in many schools across the US – and many more in talks with local law enforcement about how to introduce them.

In the US, it tends to be that these cameras are worn by “school resource officers” rather than teachers. These are sworn law enforcement officers – otherwise known as police officers – responsible for security and crime prevention in US schools.

Of course, not everyone is happy with the move, and The American Civil Liberties Union has argued against the relatively recent trend. The union believes the presence of these enforcement officers in schools – many of whom have not been trained to work with children – will lead to criminalisation of routine school disciplinary matters, and will enhance the “school-to-prision” pipeline. This is the idea that children are “funneled” out of public state schools into the criminal justice system.

Classroom cams

Consequently, it may surprise you to know that front line teachers in two schools in the UK are already using body cameras to deter bad behaviour in the classroom. Industry sources have also told me how they are working to develop and support body cameras for use in “non-enforcement” environments, including schools.

While body cameras have been in use outside UK classrooms for school crossing patrols for a while, this move towards teachers wearing cameras in the classroom is a relatively recent development.

Both schools are using the body cameras in line with education board approved policy and guidelines, meaning that all footage is recorded with government approved encryption. The footage is also securely stored on a dedicated cloud platform – like the ones used by the most advanced police forces.

Filming only occurs when it is legitimate, proportionate and necessary. This reduces the threat of oppressive and continuous surveillance of all pupils at all times and requires the approach to be “incident specific”.

The cameras are there to assist teachers in reducing persistent low level disturbances and resolving conflict by capturing evidence of misbehaviour. This means teachers can use the body cameras to resolve problems that prevent them from teaching.

Capturing a moment

While the cameras in schools can be used as an enforcement tool to provide evidence for disciplinary actions, the footage can also be used as a self-reflection tool with the students. The footage can also be shared with parents to help come up with joint approaches to problem behaviour. And in an educational setting, there is also further potential to use the body cameras to capture moments worth sharing or to celebrate a student’s development and positive achievements. This is obviously quite different to the more restricted ways the police use these types of cameras.

Early feedback from teachers suggests the cameras give them more control in difficult situations by deterring bad behaviour, and by giving them confidence that they have an independent witness to support their account. This can also improve transparency and accountability which in turn improves trust and the relationship between parents and the school.

It has previously been suggested that a world with more cameras might be more pleasant to live in. This is because if surveillance becomes the norm, it might make our society more tolerant as everyone will have the potential to be embarrassed.

While cameras can be viewed with suspicion, it is important to consider the wider and rapid technological changes that will impact the classroom and school environment. Teachers could be filmed at any moment by anyone with a smart-phone – whether they are made aware of it or not. Body cameras are not only a way to balance this out, but they also offer security to teachers who – if properly trained – will be able to provide high quality footage of events with narrative and evidential value.

Ultimately, these types of cameras have the potential to reduce the time teachers spend resolving conflicts, allowing them more time to get back to doing what they do best: teaching. And what could be more important than that?

This article was originally published on Theconversation.com

Grooms-to-be have started going on alternative stag-dos - where they are taught how to BAKE CAKES by stars from the Great British Bake Off.

Costing £99 per person, parties of 12 or more are being encouraged to “Bake with a legend”, such as Howard Middleton, Ian Cumming and Paul Jagger, who will crown one of the stag group the champion baker.

The three-hour session includes all the aprons, ingredients and the occasional drink to keep the die-hard stag-do goers happy.

Male interest in baking has been on the rise thanks to the GBBO - as long ago as 2013 it was found that more men had watched an instalment of the baking contest than a Champion’s League match on the other side.

The Stag Company unveiled the new idea after it was announced that 42 per cent of males in Britain bake every week.

Chief executive Rob Hill says: “There has been a huge shift in what stags are looking for in their final weekend of freedom.

“And activities like this are a great mix of fun and healthy competition.

“Every friendship group contains a secret baker, and stags can celebrate this and return home with new skills that will do them well in married life.”

“Afterwards, there will be time to socialise...”

Sweet toothed latte or flat white drinkers drink the same amount of calories as three-and-a half cans of Coke, nutritionists said.

Adding sugar, flavoured syrups, cream, whole milk or semi-skimmed to their weekly grind means they take in over 480 more needless calories than black unsweetened coffee drinkers.

Tea drinkers generally were healthier but those who took sugar, honey or milk to make their brew more palatable drank over 300 more calories than those who took their daily cuppa plain - the equivalent to over two cans of Coke.

As most took just a dash of milk, over 85 per cent of these calories came from sugar.

One 330ml can of Coca Cola has 139 calories.

While a little amount of sugar, dash of syrup or cream may not seem much, they all add up and help pile on the pounds, University of Illinois scientists said.

Instead they should avoid the hazelnut or vanilla syrup and whipped cream, and go back to basics by having it plain with low fat or fat free milk, sweeteners or just black.

And when getting a coffee from a coffee chain, avoid supersized coffees and order the smallest.

The study looked at the drinking habits of adults Americans and found over half drink coffee and over a quarter drink tea on any given day.

This equates to more than 160 million Americans.

But roughly two-thirds of the coffee drinkers and one-third of the tea drinkers put sugar, cream, flavourings or other calorie-rich additives in their drinks.

Professor Ruopeng An said: “Coffee and tea are among the most widely consumed beverages in US adults.

“Unlike other popular beverages including alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverages that are typically consumed in isolation, many people prefer drinking coffee

and tea with add-ins like sugar or cream.

“These add-in items are often dense in energy and fat but low in nutritional value.

“Drinking coffee and tea with add-ins on a regular basis might impact an individual’s daily energy/nutrient intake and diet quality.

“The 2015 to 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggests that ‘coffee, tea, and flavored waters also can be selected, but calories from cream, added sugars, and other additions should be accounted for within the eating pattern.’

“To our knowledge, no study has been conducted to assess consumption of coffee and tea with add-ins in relation to daily energy and nutrient intake at the population level. “

He noted added milk may add a bit of calcium to the diet, but the amount - on average 22 milligrammes per day - was negligible.

The daily recommended calcium intake was 1,000 to 1,300 milligrams, depending on one’s age and pregnancy status.

Black coffee drinkers had about 69 fewer total calories per day, on average, than those who add sweeteners, cream or other substances to their coffee.

More than three fifths of those calories came from sugar, with fat accounting for most of the rest of the extra calories consumed.

Prof An added tea drinkers tended to add fewer calorie-dense substances to their tea if they add anything at all.

He said: “Compared with adding nothing to one’s tea, drinking tea with caloric add-ins increased daily caloric intake by more than 43 calories, on average, with nearly 85 per cent of those added calories coming from sugar.

“The daily intakes may seem small, but the extra calories every day can add up to extra pounds.

“Our findings indicate that a lot of coffee and tea drinkers regularly use caloric add-ins to improve the flavour of their beverages, but possibly without fully realising or taking into consideration its caloric and nutritional implications.”

The study published in the journal Public Health looked at 12 years of data up to 2012 from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

A rat bite, a broken toe nail and a woman who wanted an escort home are just the latest ‘emergency’ calls received by the region’s ambulance service.

New figures released last week reveal that the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) received 312 hoax calls between April and December last year, including 43 from Bedfordshire. This is in addition a number of other calls into the Emergency Operations Centres (EOC) where alternatives to an emergency ambulance would be more appropriate.

As part of the It’s Your Call campaign and EOC takeover week, the service is highlighting calls like these to make people think twice about calling 999:

These include a woman who needed an escort home to breastfeed after saying there was too much traffic and a man who was bitten by a rat the day before. He was advised to go to his GP.

A man also called saying he had broken his toe nail.

Gary Morgan, Deputy Director of Service Delivery (EOC), said: “It is extremely disappointing that people continue to call 999 for inappropriate reasons as these 999 calls have the potential to divert attention away from real emergencies.

“We’d urge the public to remember that the ambulance service is for emergencies such as cardiac arrests, patients with chest pain and breathing difficulties, unconsciousness, strokes, trauma, choking and severe allergic reactions. Please consider the use of other services such as your local pharmacy, GP or by calling 111 if it isn’t an emergency”.

The Trust launched It’s Your Call campaign two years ago, which aims to inform people and educate others on how 999 calls are handled and prioritised so that in the event of a medical problem, they feel better equipped to know what to do. For more information, visit http://www.eastamb.nhs.uk/your-service/campaigns/its-your-call.htm

Central Bedfordshire Council is holding Community Planning workshop events in Houghton Regis on 9 March and Studham on 22 March.

The events are a chance for residents, local businesses and councillors to have a say on their priorities for the local area. The first event, at Bedford Square, covers Dunstable and Houghton Regis, while the second event, at Studham Village Hall, covers Eaton Bray, Hyde, Kensworth, Stanbridge, Billington, Tilsworth, Totternhoe, Slip End, Caddington, Whipsnade and Studham.

The events (both 2:30-7:30pm) will aim to engage residents on how to plan for sustainable growth, local infrastructure (open spaces, education provision, transport links, health provision etc) and new homes.

A Community Plan report will be produced, which will first inform the Council’s emerging Local Plan, in terms of shaping sustainable growth up to 2035. But it will also have wider implications and will be used as a tool to have ongoing engagement, such as informing decisions about future planning applications and what conditions the Council might put in place around certain developments.

While the Council has temporarily paused its Local Plan process, pending the publication of a Government Housing White Paper, early this year, the Community Planning events continue as scheduled. Councillor Nigel Young, Executive Member for Regeneration, said: “Our vision is that, by producing a Community Plan for these areas, the information collected will extend beyond the Local Plan process and will be updated as some areas develop and grow and therefore their needs and issues change. The aim, therefore, is that the events are the first step in an ongoing dialogue with the community themselves.

“Some communities may also choose to take their Community Plan as the start of developing a Neighbourhood Plan. In these cases, the community themselves will very much start to take ownership of the plan and therefore more control over shaping where they live.”

Memphis Belles – the fabulous three-part harmony group who perform music from the 1940s and 1950s – are going from strength to strength.

They hit the headlines three years ago when they were caught up in the ‘escape’ of ex Royal Navy lieutenant Bernard Jordan, who mounted a one-man expedition from his Hove care home to the beaches in Normandy for a D-Day anniversary.

His escapade caught the world’s imagination and he was given a hero’s welcome when he got back.

The Belles – whose leader Claire Deakin hails from Hornbeam Close – appeared at the event and found they too were top of the news agenda when they returned.

The Belles have been together six years and comprise Julie Maguire and Adele Leatham, in addition to Claire.

She’s been singing since she was eight and was determined to belong to that tiny two percent of the population who do a job they enjoy.

She says: “I went to Vandyke Upper and it was a very musical school. I was also blessed with a fantasic music teacher, Mr Booth, who was very ecouraging.”

She’s always loved the era of swing and big bands and says Adele should have been born in the 1950s, she’s so at ease with the fashion and the songs.

Claire designs the Belles’ outfits and they have them specially made.

Last year they went up to Scotland to perform Chanson d’Amour for a lady who was celebrating her 100th birthday. “It was a long drive to sing one song,” Claire admits. “And we had to belt it out because she was so deaf. But by the end we all had tears in our eyes.”

The trio are a huge hit at Dunstable’s Grove Theatre vintage afternoon tea parties, as well as RAF reunions, weddings and corporate events. They have also sung a capella alongside larger-than-life actor Christopher Biggins.

> More information from 07812 989343 or visit www.memphisbelles.co.uk

Hull? Why the heck are you off to Hull?"

That was one of the responses I got when I mentioned where I was going for the weekend. It also happened to highlight one of Hull's biggest problems; its negative image has a lot to do with those who've never been.

Admittedly, being "crowned" Crap Town of the Year (albeit in 2003) can't have done them any favours, and I can't help wondering if Hull's decision to drop its official title also contributed to its lack of kudos. For doesn't Kingston (the king's town) Upon Hull, sound so much more upmarket?

But it wouldn't have sat well with history. In the 17th century, the East Yorkshire town was so staunchly republican it closed its gates to Charles I, sparking the start of the civil war. Soon afterwards, it changed its name, to distance itself from the king.

Luckily, my best mate Phil isn't troubled by titles or image. He wants to head to Hull, whatever. We visit during the Freedom Festival, the city's flagship cultural event, for a taste of what's in store for 2017, Hull's year as UK City of Culture.

Freedom is one of the key themes for the 12 months of celebration, and if the annual festival is anything to go by, then the freedom of enjoyment is likely to top the list.

One afternoon, I find myself kneeling in the city's Queens Gardens with an old gramophone horn. One end's pressed against my ear; the other's on the ground. Phil is doing his best with an "adapted" tuba.

Our instructor, Hildegard (a performance artist from the Gobbledegook Theatre), is an eccentric Cambridge graduate and an expert in Sonic Geology.

"Now, concentrate!" she urges. "Just concentrate!" It's impossible to stay serious.

She talks us through the technique: "Sweep" (she uses her ear horn as if it's a metal detector) "linger" (she pauses) "and plant" (she places the horn on the ground).

"Although personally, I prefer to say, 'Sweep, linger, plant - and finger'," she adds, "for often, one needs to press one's finger into one's other ear, to help one focus."

We're searching for subterranean sounds (songs and chatter) which have been absorbed by the ground throughout history. In a safari-style tent, a map of Great Britain, dotted with pins, charts various auditory discoveries.

The Freedom Festival also showcases bands, dance troupes, choirs, comedy and interactive art.

Phil and I help construct a 40ft tower from cardboard boxes, but let others don swimsuits to be towed through the streets in a bath.

We're enchanted by the recreation of a 1950s sideshow, The Headless Lady (other than agreeing it's an illusion, we still have no idea how it's done), and laugh until our bellies ache at two mime artists dressed as policemen.

They summon a bystander (holding a beer) and challenge him to walk a wriggly line, to test his sobriety. The man flexes his fingers, and joins in.

Hull's 2017 slogan, 'Everyone back to ours!' suggests joining in, and that's exactly what organisers hope visitors will do this year. As Phil and I explore the rest of the city by foot (it's compact enough to walk from place to place), we realise there's a lot more culture than we thought.

Traditional offerings come in the form of the Ferens Art Gallery, home to the 2017 Turner Prize, Hull Truck Theatre, which hosts the city's jazz and comedy festivals, and Hull New Theatre, that's just enjoyed a multi-million pound facelift.

But there's also the historic fruit market, now a hip, cultural hub, a disused dry dock that's been converted into an open-air stage, and Kardomah94, created when a local businessman turned part of his office into a small venue, bistro and bar, to host film evenings, exhibitions and music nights.

Hull Old Town is small but has some fine Victorian and Edwardian buildings too, plus a 14th century church (according to the Guinness Book of Records, it has England's largest parish), a sound and art installation in the form of a swing bridge (listen out for the birdsong and bells), a Larkin trail (the poet Philip Larkin lived in Hull) and a witty fish trail which celebrates the city's maritime past. Look out for the eel at the "eelectricity" substation and the shark outside the bank!

We pop into most of the museums (all are free). Although some could do with investment, I find them endearing, in an old-fashioned, gimmick-free way.

We spend hours reading whalers' diaries and admiring the scrimshaw (the largest collection in the UK) in the Maritime Museum, take a bumpy ride in a simulated stage coach in the Streetlife Museum - where I pause, to help a barrow boy load a train (a fun photo op) - and admire Roman mosaics in the Hull & East Riding Museum.

The lottery-funded aquarium, The Deep, is one of Hull's newer attractions, with its pointy "nose" that protrudes over the Humber.

It's a great space, with more than 3,000 fish and lots of interactive exhibits. I challenge Phil to a race, and lose, although I'm sure I spin the wheel that propels my model fish much faster than he does.

Our delightful guide, Lynsey, agrees. "But the race illustrates evolution," she whispers, "so your prehistoric amphioxus is never going to beat his beautifully agile trout!"

She shows us enormous tanks illustrating life in the oceans, coral reefs and cool seas, plus a colony of gentoo penguins which shoot through the water like torpedoes.

Phil and I end our weekend with a pint at the city's most famous pub, Ye Olde White Harte, hidden down a small alley. It has oak panelled walls, inglenook fireplaces and, at the top of a creaky stairwell, a 'plotting parlour'. Here, in the 17th century, local MPs met to discuss - and agree - to a request from parliament, to refuse entry to Charles I.

On St George's Day, 1642, local MPs shut the main gate to their city in the face of the king. Phil and I pass the remains of Beverley Gate on our way to catch the train home.

As I wheel my case past one of the lesser known sites in the city's history, I can't help thinking that when it comes to Hull, Charles I has a lot to answer for.

TRAVEL FACTS

Karen Bowerman from the Press Association was a guest of the tourist board. For more information on the area, go to www.visit-hull.co.uk

For more details on forthcoming events for Hull, UK City of Culture, visit www.hull2017.co.uk

Stay at the Holiday Inn Marina (www.hihullmarinahotel.co.uk). Rooms from £130.95 per night.

A man has been jailed for four years and four months after a burglary in Ivinghoe in which a PlayStation and other items were stolen.

John Neville Gomez, 48, of Conwy Place, Pitstone, broke into a house in Ivinghoe on November 4 2016 and stole the PlayStation plus a laptop, mobile phones, jewellery and games.

Gomez appeared at Wycombe Magistrates Court on November 7 2016 but later failed to appear at another court hearing.

He was consequently arrested on warrant and pleaded guilty to both offences.

Gomez was sentenced to 51 months in prison at Amersham Crown Court last month for the burglary and a further month for failing to appear at court.

DC Gemma Howe said: “We understand that the impact of a home burglary for victims is far greater than the inconvenience of just replacing material items. “Hopefully this sentence sends out a clear message that burglaries will not be tolerated within Thames Valley.

“This custodial sentence means that Gomez will no longer be able to commit similar offences in our communities.”

Police were called after two white horses were found running wild in Leighton Buzzard this morning.

The two abandoned white horses were spotted on the loose in Vandyke Road, causing traffic problems at around 7am.

The animals then got on to the narrow gauge railway line at Shenley Hill Road.

Bedfordshire Police managed to get the horses off the line and contained them with police tape in a nearby field.

The RSPCA were informed to attend and deal with welfare matters.

It’s the most popular entertainment streaming service in the world and has revolutionised how we consume films and television shows.

But many of Netflix’s 86 million subscribers aren’t using it to its fullest, as not all content appears when performing a search.

The good news for users is that the hidden Netflix codes which unlock the full list of films and TV shows have been revealed.

You can use these hidden codes to make searching the extensive streaming site easier simply by typing a code into the URL.

Changing the digits of the code at the end means you can browse through all the categories on Netflix.

So if you are a fan of action and adventure or into documentaries, the hidden codes will allow you to open up more sub-genres to watch.

Although, bear in mind that the codes don’t work everywhere - depending on your location and IP address you may be limited to only some of the genres.

Two steps to search:

Take the basic URL - http://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/

At the end of the URL, add the code you want from the list below:

Action & Adventure: 1365

Action Comedies: 43040

Action Sci-Fi & Fantasy: 1568

Action Thrillers: 43048

Adult Animation: 11881

Adventures: 7442

African Movies: 3761

Alien Sci-Fi: 3327

Animal Tales: 5507

Anime: 7424

Anime Action: 2653

Anime Comedies: 9302

Anime Dramas: 452

Anime Fantasy: 11146

Anime Features: 3063

Anime Horror: 10695

Anime Sci-Fi: 2729

Anime Series: 6721

Art House Movies: 29764

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A Linslade mother-of-two is training to take part in the London Marathon in April to raise money for charity.

Hannah Lindsay, 31, of Wing Road, is hoping to help boost fund at Action Medical Research for Children and raise awareness about what the charity does.

She said: “I wanted to run for a children’s charity and this one in particular is underfunded and relies on fundraising and donations to cover the costs of the research it does into children’s illnesses, diseases and disabling conditions.

“They do a lot that people do not know about, I want to make people more aware of the work they do and I’m hoping to raise £1,500 for them.”

Hannah, who has a two-year-old son and five-year-old daughter, took part in 5k and 10k runs last year for different charities, but this is her first full marathon.

To prepare for the challenge she has been running three to four times a week, has a personal trainer and is taking part in an Insanity class.

She said: “I’m so excited. I love a challenge and this is my biggest one so far.

“I’m a little bit anxious but with all the thousands of people around and supporters I’m sure once I start I will be fine.

“Ideally I would like to finish in 5 hours if I can, I’ve been training for a 4hr 13min, but that’s dependant on training going to plan and no injuries.”

The 31-year-old has also created an event for people to take part in in their own time, to help her raise as much money as possible for the charity.

She said: “It’s a Virtual Running Event, so people can make a donation to the sponsorship page and then take part in either a 5k, 10k, 15k or 20k.

“They can run it or walk it, and they can do it in stages if they like, at the end I will post those them an engraved medal which I have had made and a certificate.”

Hannah plans to organise a bake sale and a quiz night before she takes on the marathon Sunday, April 23, to help her raise money for the charity.

> To sponsor Hannah or to take part in the Virtual Running Event, visit: www.action.org.uk/sponsor/hlindsay

Woburn’s talented Jason Brock stormed his way into the next round of BBC singing competition, Let It Shine.

The determined singer, who has previously starred in the West End’s Thriller Live, is part of BBC One’s new flagship show, which sees groups of boys battling it out to become the winning ‘band’ who will star in a musical about a pop group, featuring the songs of Take That.

On Saturday’s show there were five ‘bands’ of eight boys, each group performing with a celebrity. At the end of the show three members were eliminated from each band.

Jason’s group performed with Spice Girl Melanie C and BBC cameras caught Jason shedding a tear during rehearsals.

He said: “This is a dream come true! This really is amazing!”

Jason and fellow band member Kyle Passmore were huge Melanie C fans, making the process tough when Kyle was eliminated but Jason went through.

Jason told the judges: “I’m very upset for the guys who didn’t get through, especially Kyle. I’m going to miss him.”

Now Jason and his fellow band members, Danny, Huw, Bradley and Julius, must battle against four other groups to win the star prize.

Visit: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04rx6np

Leighton Town’s eagerly awaited return to Bell Close fell flat as it saw them pick up just a point from two games.

Health and safety concerns kept them away after a fire, and then poor weather conditions delayed the return home even longer, but they finally got to kick a ball in Leighton Buzzard last Tuesday.

That day saw them draw 2-2 with Holmer Green despite going down to 10 men, but they were disappointed to lost 3-1 to Tring Town on Saturday.

Tring, who sit just outside the play-off spots were unlucky not to take the lead very early on when Chris Stapleton’s shot went just wide, but Leighton too had their share of chances.

Lorrel Smith saw an effort cleared off the line and Martin Griggs miss a tap-in from close range.

Tring though his two goals in quick succession - a real sucker punch for the home side.

The first came through Chris Vardy, who broke through the Leighton defence to beat Jack Sillitoe before Stapleton doubled the advantage .

Leighton had to start strongly in the second half to have any chance and they did so well. First Griggs had an audacious overhead kick that was cleared and then McBride was unlucky as a low shot came off the post.

Leighton were on top in the early stages of the second half and when Vinny Greco shot speculatively from range Jack Hopwood in the Tring goal had to be alert to tip it over the bar. Griggs tried another overhead kick and this one was better than the last as Hopwood was rooted to the spot as his effort wasn’t far wide.

Despite this pressure it was Tring who scored next through Sam Jolliffe. A Tring corner came in and Jolliffe had a free header to glance past Sillitoe.

At the very least Leighton deserved a goal and they got it also immediately after through Smith. It was good one touch interplay from the Reds and Smith coolly slotted past Hopwood.

A goal apiece in either half ensured a solid point for Leighton against Holmer, despite having Martin Griggs sent off in the first half.

Dom Marsala headed home Leighton’s opener before Lorrel Smith scored on the counter in the second half as the visitors piled on the pressure against the 10 men.

Manager Scott Reynolds said: “The players showed a lot of character. Holmer Green were a really organised side and made it really hard for us.

“We had to dig in and had to change formation playing with only 10 men, but we out-worked the opposition I felt.

“They were two good goals. Lorrell has great pace and got in behind - that’s what we really like about him. He stretches teams and took hisgoal really well, and scored from a difficult place.

“And Dom’s goal, I think it was a header in the end, came from a set-piece we’ve been working on recently.

“The players are really beginning to form good relationships out there, and sticking together. A few weeks ago, we’d have lost that game.”

The players have little time to dwell on either result though, with a trip to Sun Sports tonight (Tuesday) before hosting Oxhey Jets on Saturday.

Aylesbury Vale District Council has approved an application for 67 new homes to be built in Stewkley.

The council’s strategic development management committee approved the application for the new homes on land off Soulbury Road and Dove Street at the hearing at The Gateway in Aylesbury on Friday February 2.

Councillors voted seven to one in favour of granting the application, subject to the completion of a Section 106 planning agreement, which would give money to use towards affordable housing provision on the site.

Speaking on behalf of the parish council, which objected to the application, councillor Andrew Pryke said: “We are shocked and saddened at the aggressive nature of the proposal and its potential impact on the environment and society.

“The proposal will have a negative impact on our village’s character and a failure to deliver the homes we need, when we need them.”

The council received 115 letters of objection to the application however no villagers spoke against it during the meeting, something which councillor Llew Monger described as ‘disappointing.’

Despite the large number of objection letters received, district and county council member for Stewkley Janet Blake said: “I have heard from people in the village who are either in support of it or do not mind.”

Speaking in favour of the proposal agent Mark Schmull said: “This application will deliver the housing the village needs.

“The site is in a sustainable location within the village and we can help to improve the drainage issues at the site.”

Mr Schmull added the applicant would be willing to work with the parish to get the mix of housing that would best meet the village’s needs.

Councillors encouraged the two parties to work together on the issue with Mr Monger saying: “It is important that the parish council engages quickly and positively with the developers.”

ALeighton Buzzard shopkeeper has hit out at police for ‘not reviewing enough CCTV footage’ after his High Street store was a victim of vandalism.

Upset proprietor, Philip Curtis, of Selections Pet and Garden Store, had his door window smashed in at the bottom, with glass shattering three metres into his shop.

The incident took place between early evening on Saturday, January 21, and mid-morning the next day.

But because it is a “low-level” crime, Beds Police say they will only look through two hours of the CCTV from the 17-hour window that the offence could have taken place in.

The vandalism resulted in two-and-a-half hours’ work to clear the mess up and a £55 bill for new laminated glass.

Philip said: “It’s just an unnecessary, violent act of vandalism and we are not the only ones who have been victims recently.”

He added: “Police were informed before we knew, and they called my cousin Matthew, proprietor of Selections Hardware, and we arrived after 11am. There was glass shattered all over the floor and it was chilly clearing it up!

“There’s a CCTV camera across the road at Peacocks, but the police only have a two hour window to look through the video from the council.

“The smashed window happened between Saturday evening and Sunday morning – too wide a timescale for them. I don’t think they’re bothered.

“We have generally low levels of crime but it would be nice if we had more levels of police presence in the town. The glass repair is £55 I’d rather not have spent!”

A Bedfordshire Police spokeswoman said: “We were called at approximately 11.25am on Sunday, January 22 to reports of a window being smashed at Selections shop in Leighton Buzzard.

“The incident is believed to have happened during a period of approximately 17 hours. This is considered too long a period for us to be able to provide a police officer to view it all.

“Anything less than two hours of footage is considered reasonable for an officer to view for low level crime, such as this case. Footage longer than two hours would only be viewed for more serious crimes or in exceptional circumstances.

“If the shop owner is able to identify a two-hour period in which the incident is believed to take place then we would view it, and we have already put in a request to the council to view a two-hour period of footage.

“We would also encourage any witnesses to the incident to contact us on 101.

“We have a dedicated policing team in place in Leighton Buzzard to tackle community issues such as drug dealing, anti-social behaviour, and dangerous motorbikes. The Op Sentinel team, which is made up of a sergeant and eight constables, was launched in October last year and has had a number of successes.

“The team regularly carries out proactive patrols around the town centre and focuses on dealing with the issues that matter most to those living in the area.”

Bedfordshire Police is marking Safer Internet Day by urging parents to speak to their children about the consequences of speaking to people online.

The force is encouraging parents and children to be vigilant when using certain apps and websites.

Apps like MyLol and Yellow allow people to virtually meet other people and are marketed at teenagers. But with no age verification process, they can be used by adults wishing to prey on young people.

Detective Chief Inspector Emma James said: “We know that it is not uncommon for people to use apps designed for teenagers to specifically target young people and groom them online, which is why we’re urging parents to strike up a conversation with their children this Safer Internet Day.

“Speak to your children about the websites and apps that they are using, and set some ground rules with them as well as checking their privacy settings and the age restrictions on the social media sites they use. Explain the possible consequences of talking to strangers online and the importance of keeping personal information private.”

Safer Internet Day is a global awareness day that raises awareness of online issues from cyber-bullying to social networking.