Author: Blake Foster

Known for its stretches of shingle beach and its 155-year-old pier, Eastbourne is one of Sussex’s most popular seaside spots to visit. Eastbourne is one of Sussex’s most popular seaside spots to visit. (Image: Visit Eastbourne) But it will soon be even easier to reach this seaside town by train, with the upcoming reinstation of a rail service from London Bridge. A direct weekday-only rail service between East Sussex and London – which had been suspended during the COVID‑19 pandemic – is set to resume this December. The reinstated route will link Lewes and Eastbourne with London Bridge, operating once each…

A chicken shop owner in Bromley claims his life has been turned upside down after the council ordered his business to close in plans to demolish the building, despite him claiming he was never properly informed. Sam, who opened Ask Wings on Croydon Road in June 2024, says he took out a £150,000 loan and remortgaged his home to get the business off the ground. But in January 2025, Bromley Council asked him to shut the shop, saying the building was unsafe for the public. The closure came after structural issues were discovered in the building that houses the former…

Here are the 29 men and women named on the force’s most wanted list. Call 999 if you see any of these individuals, or report anonymously to Crimestoppers. Steven Judges (Image: Kent Police) Steven Judges is wanted on a court warrant. He has links to Sittingbourne and Eltham. If you see him, call 999, quoting 46/11700/25. Steven Kinsella (Image: Kent Police) Steven Kinsella is wanted on a court warrant. He has links to Medway. If you see him, call 999 quoting 46/11834/25. Benjamin Anderson (Image: Kent Police) Benjamin Anderson is wanted on a court warrant. He has links to Peterborough and…

Here’s an example: hours spent eating, sipping, swimming and generally having a memorable time aboard an elegant launch in the Gulf of Arcachon, the massive bay close to Bordeaux’s vineyards, home of a hugely popular oyster industry and overlooked by Europe’s biggest sand dune. Appropriately, the launch was owned by a major wine-producing château, and the afternoon was light relief on a press trip covering many aspects of a world-leading wine region. Gavin Quinney, vines and Château Bauduc. (Image: Château Bauduc) It was also the first time I met Gavin Quinney, an encounter that prompted my continuing enthusiasm for his…

Alum Chine Beach in Bournemouth earned the 39th spot on Big 7 Travel’s list of the best 50 beaches around the world, beating spots in the likes of Hawaii and Spain. The “wonderful” beach can be reached by both car and train from London. If you’re driving, the journey should take around two hours and 40 minutes. If you plan to catch the train, you can reach the beach from Waterloo Station to Poole before taking a short bus ride to St Michael’s Roundabout. @daniel.turai #bournemouth #UKTravel #alumchinebeach #beachvibes #summer #sun #summertime #familytime #❤️ ♬ PASSO BEM SOLTO – Slowed -…

The future of Regents Wing, on Coombe Road, has been hanging in the balance since it stopped being used by Kingston Hospital in 2021. The Planning Inspectorate granted Advanced Living (Kingston) Limited’s appeal to demolish the wing and build 128 new flats for elderly people, a wellness centre and restaurant in a block up to eight storeys tall in 2022. The plans included 43 parking spaces, but were never carried out. New owner Bywater Properties bought the site in 2024 and has now published detailed plans to transform it, after consulting with residents in June. It wants to build 150…

Barnehurst, situated in the London Borough of Bexley, is a leafy and well‑connected suburb just 13 miles from Charing Cross. Born in 1895 when the Bexleyheath Loop opened, the station and the suburb that followed owe their names to Colonel Barne, a pivotal local landowner and vice‑chair of the railway company. Residents can enjoy a warm, community‑focused atmosphere supported by a range of local amenities in Barnehurst.  A notable landmark is the Red Barn, a traditional pub just west of the station. Famous for contributing to the preservation of British jazz after the Second World War through pianist George Webb’s…

The 2002 comedy-drama starred Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley, who chase careers in professional football despite their parents’ wishes. Directed by Gurinder Chadha, it is credited with inspiring a generation of women to take up football. Chadha teased the sequel in Basel, Switzerland, on Saturday (July 26), where England are set to take on Spain in the final of the Women’s Euros on Sunday (July 27). A sequel to ‘BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM’ is in the works.(Source: Deadline) pic.twitter.com/MkEbOoglr6 — DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) July 26, 2025 She has earmarked 2027 for the next instalment, to mark both the film’s 25th anniversary and the FIFA Women’s World…

The novelist – whose real name was Eric Blair – is commemorated with a blue plaque at 50 Lawford Road where he lived from August 1935 until January 1936. He shared the top floor flat with friends and fellow writers Michael Sayers and Rayner Heppenstall and while living there wrote most of his 1936 novel Keep the Aspidistra Flying. George Orwell was 32 when he lived in Kentish Town and just two years into his writing career. (Image: PA) The story follows his alter ego Gordon Comstock, who wants to live among “the lost people, the under-ground people, tramps, beggars, criminals, prostitutes”. Lawford Road…

The first round of grants totals £45,000 from Wates contractors as part of Brent Council’s £1.3 billion Wembley Housing regeneration programme. “We’ve seen the passion that grassroots organisations bring to their communities,” Waites’ London regional director Paul Nicholls said. “They step in where support is needed, tackling loneliness or creating safe spaces that hold communities together.” The cash is being handed out over the next two-and-a-half years. The first round is going to seven projects this month — free music and theatre sessions at Wembley arts centre, a training course at Sudbury for parent-toddler groups, a café-style space in Brondesbury for…