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Beatle visits RHS Chelsea Flower Show
Flower growers from the South of England are putting their best blooms on display at this years RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Exhibitors were very pleased to have a special visit from the former Beatle Ringo Starr.
Man jailed for sex tourism in Cambodia
A fish and chip shop owner became only the second man to be jailed under a law designed to catch sex tourists.
David Graham, 47, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to sexual activity with a boy of 14 in Cambodia in April 2006.
He was arrested in France last year after spending six years on the run.
Graham, who was originally from Bournemouth, Dorset, was jailed for 21 months and ordered to pay £2,500 costs.
He was prosecuted under S72 of the Sexual Offences Act of 2003 which allows UK nationals to be dealt with in Britain with for offences committed abroad.
The first prosecution involved Barry McCloud, who was jailed for life in 2010 for sex offences against a girl in Goa.
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Residents 'put themselves in danger to save others'
Bryn Coleman from Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service says many residents put themselves in a "dangerous situation" in order to help others trapped in the explosion at Newark, Nottinghamshire.
Chelsea Flower Show facts
- The RHS Great Spring Show was first held in the now vanished RHS garden in Kensington in 1862.
- Between 1888 and 1911 it was held in the Temple Gardens. It moved to its current site at Chelsea Hospital in 1913.
- The Chelsea Flower Show has been held in the grounds of the Chelsea Hospital every year since 1913, apart from gaps during the two World Wars.
- Of the firms that exhibited at the first Show in 1913, only two are still showing: McBean’s Orchids, and Blackmore and Langdon.
- It is the flower show most associated with the Royal family.
- The Chelsea rules forbid the use of coloured sculptures. So garden gnomes have been forbidden throughout its history.
Prince Harry joins William at Tedworth House
Queen to visit Chelsea Flower Show
The Queen, as Patron of the Royal Horticultural Society, will today attend a sneak preview of the Chelsea Flower Show.
The Chelsea Flower Show has become a regular fixture in the Royal calendar since it was first held in 1913. Since then it has been an annual event and takes place in late May.
The aim of the exhibitions is to encourage amateur gardeners of all standards to try to achieve similar displays in their own gardens.
One of the most outstanding displays in the shows history was the Coronation Empire Exhibition in 1937.
Created to celebrate the Coronation of King George VI, exhibits included plants representing different parts of the Commonwealth.
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England kit's striking resemblance to retro Germany top
The thick black collar and clean design of the newly-unveiled England football shirt has seen it quickly likened to the vintage West Germany strip from the 1970s.
Oxlade-Chamberlain 'loving' new England home kit
Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain said he was "loving" the new England kit after teammate Jack Wilshere unveiled it on Twitter.
Loving the new England kit from Nike.... what's everyones thoughts?! #TheShirt @nikefootball
From @Alex_OxChambo on Twitter:Like this kid, my England dream began here, so he was first in #theshirt – England’s new kit from @nikefootball http://t.co/EfZcHNxLCx
From @JackWilshere on Twitter:Lucas and Lib Dems back civil partnership amendment
Green Party MP Caroline Lucas has confirmed her support for the controversial civil partnerships amendment that has been accused of aiming to "wreck" the Government's gay marriage bill.
Writing on Twitter, Ms Lucas questioned the Coalition's claim that the additional measure would halt the passage of same-sex legislation while costing billions.
My support 4 civil partnerships for mixed sex couples is for equality. Where is evidence for govt. claim it would cost £4bn & delay bill?
From @CarolineLucas on Twitter:Liberal Democrat MPs John Hemming and Simon Hughes have also reportedly backed the amendment measure despite their party colleague Lynne Featherstone warning they are falling into a "cynical trap".
According to the Birmingham Post's Jonathan Walker, Mr Hemming insists the call by Tory MP Tim Loughton for civil partnership parity is not a "wrecking measure".
