Vandals tear down Saltburn’s knitting masterpiece.

Saltburn's marvellous knitting masterpiece on the pier.

MINDLESS vandals have torn down a 50-yard long knitting masterpiece on Saltburn’s pier, which has boosted tourism in recent weeks.

The huge woollen scarf, which depicts scenes from the Olympics as a tribute to this year’s games, was cruelly vandalised on Friday.

The sensationally detailed piece, which includes teddies skiing and rifle shooting,  was made by a mysterious group of ‘yarnbombers’ who secretly tied it to the pier’s handrail.

It has led to thousands of tourists flocking to the quiet seaside town to see it in recent weeks and it has even hit national news.

One woman even went so far as to call it “the Banksy of the knitting world” on Twitter.

Saltburn-by-the-Sea has also been in the news this week after police held an eight-hour stand-off with a woman believed to be in possession of a bomb.

She was arrested and the incident ended safely.

Saltburn-by-the-Sea under threat of bomb attack

The picturesque coastal town of Saltburn is the unlikely target of the bomb threat.

The quiet seaside town of Saltburn on the outskirts of Middlesbrough was the target of a suspected bomb attack on Tuesday.

Cleveland Police were called just after 11am after a woman was seen buying tools that could be used for a bomb from a local hardware store and was acting suspiciously.

Worried for her welfare, police tracked the white woman, who was wearing a hijab, to the beachfront where they held a standoff for over eight hours.

Businesses on the lower promenade by the beach were evacuated and a cordon was put in place to prevent public access to the area.

Officers from the army bomb disposal unit and trained negotiators were called to the scene.

At 7:20pm police managed to detain the 40-year-old woman, who at one point was knelt on the floor. She was arrested under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act.

Supt Ciaron Irvine of Cleveland Police said: “This was a fairly lengthy incident with a successful outcome.  My officers and their counterparts from other agencies worked professionally and efficiently together to bring the matter to a safe conclusion.

“I would like to thank Saltburn residents who have endured a degree of disruption– their understanding, support and co-operation is much appreciated.”

A leap day leap of faith!

February 29 marks the day that women can traditionally propose to men.

February 29 is a day that holds a special significance for many people. Not only is it a day that occurs once every four years and leap year babies can become a year older three years after everyone else, but it is a day that strikes fear into the hearts of men across the world. February 29 sees the gender roles reversed and women are suddenly allowed to wear the trousers and pop the question.

The tradition of women proposing to men on February 29 originates from 12^th century Irish folklore. Legend has it an Irish nun, St Brigid, asked St Patrick to grant permission for women to propose to their suitors, who were allegedly too shy to do it themselves.  St. Patrick allowed women to propose to their men every four years on a leap day. The folk take suggests that at the same time, St Brigid dropped to her knee and asked St Patrick the all important question but he declined, giving her a gown and a kiss as an apology. Irish tradition therefore dictates that if a man declines a woman’s proposal he must give her a silk gown and a kiss.

So what did this year’s leap day have in store for the unsuspecting men out there? Loose Women’s Lisa Maxwell became engaged this year when she proposed to her partner, Paul Jessup, in bed. One man was proposed to in the middle of Wembley stadium. Another looked down at the words ‘Marry me?’ drawn into the sand as he stood at the top of Blackpool Tower. One woman even wrote into the first Sun on Sunday asking her boyfriend to marry her. She had the paper delivered to their room while they were away for the weekend. Luckily, these proposals have happy endings (and surprising starts) but one unlucky woman was refused live on air when she rang her radio DJ boyfriend’s show. He said he was a traditionalist and wanted to ask her himself. Here’s hoping he does it soon!

But would you propose to your man? Or would you say yes to your woman if she asked? Although February 29 can empower women all over the world to do a job traditionally meant for a man and I commend the women for having the guts to do it, I don’t think I ever would. I like my traditions and I’d like the man to choose when to propose (but God forbid he ever asks at the wrong time!)

What do you think of this tradition?

Emma xx

Vandals prompt fountain switch-off.

The All Saints fountain in All Saints Square, Rotherham

CONTINUOUS vandalism of the All Saints fountain in Rotherham town centre has made it such a hazard it has to be turned off at night.  

The fountain, which is used by children to paddle in, has had broken bottles, food and litter dropped into it.  

Hooligans have damaged metal grids on the fountain causing the sharp edges to rise.

In February Rotherham Council spent days cleansing the fountain’s filter system after yobs poured washing up liquid into it. This cost nearly £600 to repair.  

The council says there's also been anti-social behaviour from young people riding mountain bikes and skateboards who congregate there at night. 

Principal engineer Graham Kaye said: “The Council has seen an increase in maintenance costs for the fountain year on year because of the anti social behaviour and in maintaining the safety of the fountain.”

Continual damage to the fountain’s pump means it will need to be replaced in the near future, costing the council approximately £10,000 to £15,000.  

The council decided this morning that the fountain should be turned off from 6pm to 8am in the hope that it will stop mindless vandalism. 

Freezing temperatures in winter have also caused the fountain and nearby pathways to become icy and dangerous to pedestrians. 

The council has decided that the fountain should be turned off from December to March to avoid this. 

A young Essex boy’s quest for a Number One.

Alex Day singing at a gig for Children in Need

A 22-YEAR-OLD unsigned artist has started a campaign to get a Christmas Number One- and he could get it.

Alex Day, from Hornchurch in Essex, is a successful Youtube vlogger and musician and has released his single ‘Forever Yours’ this festive season, intending to top the UK singles chart.

Currently the song is fourth in the UK singles chart, with over 35,000 sales this week. Mr Day is now almost certainly guaranteed a top-10 single this Christmas and is a serious contender for the top spot.

Mr Day, who is competing against the Military Wives’ ‘Wherever You Are’  and X Factor winner’s Little Mix’s ‘Cannonball’, for number one, has no backing from a record label and is promoting the single through the power of social media.

Mr Day, who performs on YouTube using his pseudonym ‘Nerimon’, has promoted the single with ‘Forever Day’ on November 18- the first day of his attempt to top the UK Singles Chart for Christmas. This day marked when people could buy the single and it would count towards the Christmas number one slot.

Mr Day counted down the days to Forever Day on his YouTube channel, which has over 480,000 subscribers. On November 18, both Forever Day and Forever Yours were trending on Twitter.

Mr Day has brought out 11 other versions of the song, including an instrumental version, a live piano version and a version sung by his housemate, Charlie McDonnell. Mr McDonnell is also a YouTube sensation and was the first UK Youtuber to reach over a million subscribers. The music video to ‘Forever Yours’ has been posted on his channel. All other versions of the song are in the top 100 of the UK Singles chart.

Proceeds from the sales will go to World vision, a Christian relief organisation dedicated to working with children and communities in poverty. Mr Day has worked with this charity in the past in Zambia.

Mr Day’s quest for a number one has caused large amounts of controversy as he is a virtual unknown. Celebrity news website, www.holymoly.com, has written an article entitled ‘Stop Alex Day from getting the Xmas number one’. They ask ‘Why have we allowed this to happen?’

Mr Day, just a 22-year-old musician who lives in London and all-round nice guy, has proved that he can get a hit single through pure talent and hard work. I, for one, applaud him and his efforts. He has shown there’s hope for the rest of us unknowns out there who aspire to reach out and go far in life.

The ‘Forever Yours’ single costs only £0.79. You can buy the single here: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/forever-yours/id480168442?i=480168443&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

To watch the Forever Yours music video, visit: http://www.youtube.com/user/charlieissocoollike?blend=1&ob=4#p/u/3/qOW2eEz9cYk

The man who is a living memorial- two years on.

Shaun Clark having his leg tattooed this year.

AN EX-SOLDIER from Doncaster has had the names of all the British soldiers killed in Afghanistan tattooed on his body.

Shaun Clark, 45, from Rossington, began having the names tattooed on his chest, back and sides in 2009 as a fundraiser for charity Help the Heroes. He had 227 names tattooed, which took over six hours.

Every year Mr Clark sits in the tattooing chair at 11am and adds the names of those killed in the last year onto his body after the two-minute silence.

Mr Clark, who calls himself a ‘living memorial’, underwent another batch of tattoos this Armistice Day two years after he began, bringing his total up to 383.

Unfortunately since then nine more soldiers have died, including 28-year-old Matthew Thornton from Barnsley.

Over two years Mr Clark has filled his chest, back and sides. This year 40 names were tattooed on his left leg.

Mr Clark, who estimates he has over 1000 tattoos, is running out of space and only has one leg left.  He said: “I never thought it would get this far and the tattoos would cover me this much, but I will carry on until they stop dying.

“The military are meant to be pulling out in 2015 so I hope I only have to carry on until then.”

His son, Robert, 22, has agreed to take over from his dad if needed but said he would be starting on his legs.

Mr Clark originally aimed to raise £1000 and in 2009 he raised £3000. Today he has raised over £4500 and said he is amazed people are still giving two years later.

He said: “I thought £1000 was an unrealistic target. I never thought I would get it in a million years so I never imagined reaching £4500!

“This situation is not going away any time soon so it’s great people understand this and are continuing to give all the time.”

He said his tattoos shock people into realising just how many people have died.

Mr Clark, who served in the 8^th Battalion Light infantry between 1989 and 1997 in Gibraltar, Norway and Denmark, said he was overwhelmed by the support.

He said: “At first I wasn’t sure how mothers, wives and girlfriends would take it but everyone thinks it’s fantastic. I’ve had a few nasty comments, but everyone has a right to their own opinion. I just ignore them.”

Mr Clark came up with the idea with tattooist friend, Kevin Kent, 47, who owns Fantasy Tattoo Studio in Princegate, Doncaster. He said it started because he read people were stealing plaques from war memorials.

He said: “I was sick of hearing it and wanted the soldiers’ names to stay sacred. They can’t steal their names off my body can they?”

Mr Clark said when he first came up with the idea his children thought it was great but his wife, Amanda, 44, thought he was mad. His friends suggested a sponsored walk instead. “But I wanted to do it my way,” he said.

Mr Clark said this was his way of saying thank you to those that had lost their lives. 

“Although I nearly backed out of the whole thing because of the pain, I thought it was nothing compared to what those soldiers went through.”

But Mr Clark has changed his opinion about getting tattooed since he began in 2009. He said: “I used to feel proud but now I hate getting the tattoos. It feels horrible to have more names tattooed on me still. It’s a chore.”

From now on he wants to split the money he raises between two new military charities, Pilgrim Fathers and Soldiers off the Street. He wants to give to them as he feels Help for Heroes no longer needs his support.

Tattoo artist, Mr Kent, said: “I thought it was a stupid idea at the beginning but the more I thought about it, I realised you couldn’t get a better tribute. I thought it was absolutely outstanding.

“I feel proud to have him coming back each year and that he’s got that much conviction to keep coming back for the lads. It is a very painful process.”

Mr Kent gives his services free of charge for charity and has spent over eight hours tattooing the names on Mr Clark since 2009.

Bryn Parry, Help for Heroes CEO & co-founder, said: “Help for Heroes is all about ‘doing your bit’ and Shaun Clark’s efforts are brilliant example of people taking on a challenge, rallying support and accomplishing something extraordinary while they raise money for a wonderful cause.

“The commitment and dedication that Shaun has demonstrated through his fundraising is truly inspiring. We have been able to use the millions raised, over £120m in just four years, to provide practical and direct support to those wounded in the current conflicts.”

Still here!

Hi everyone,


Just a quick update from me. Still plodding along (slash working ferociously hard) on my Masters. I'm nearing the end of the first semester now and can't wait for the last week to arrive to get all my deadlines out of the way!


Hope you are all well and looking forward to Christmas, I know I am! 


I'll still be writing stories and snippets of things I enjoy on here when I can, I'll be aiming for a couple a month.


Thanks for reading and be sure to tune in often,


Emma xx

The 19:57 from Euston!

Click to see the epic moment caught on film!

When you think of the most romantic places in the world to be proposed to, exotic places such as Paris, Venice and Rome are likely to spring to mind. Not so much the packed 19.57 train to Watford Junction.

But with amazing skill, planning and sheer love, Adam King, 34, has pulled it off and the video of his marriage proposal to girlfriend Lucy Rogers has become an instant Youtube hit, spreading across the globe.

The video captures carriage two on Tuesday’s cramped train where rail users watched in wonder when the Adam Street choir, seeming to be regular passengers, suddenly burst into an untimely but beautiful rendition of Bill Withers’s Lovely Day.

Onlookers instantly began filming on their mobile phones and even began to sing along as the Adam Street singers reached the peak of the 1970’s hit. However, at this moment, they abruptly stopped their performance, expectantly watching an unknown and unsuspecting passenger on the train.

And then from his hiding place, Mr King, who also performs in the choir, strides up to his beautiful girlfriend, bends down on one knee and asks her to marry him. Ecstatically and in floods of tears, she says yes!

And what more can a girl ask for? A beautiful, carefully crafted moment that she will undoubtedly remember for the rest of her life.

Talking about planning such an event, Adam King said: “The biggest problem was making sure Lucy made the train.”

After months of careful planning, which even involved making a mock-up of the carriage in which to rehearse, the iconic moment almost didn’t go ahead. At the last minute on Tuesday November 1, Miss Rogers decided she wanted to drive to her destination rather than take the train. Not to be deterred, however, Mr King disconnected the car battery to make sure she made it on board!

Mr King said that he and Miss Rogers had not thought about any wedding plans as of yet, but added: “I guess the pressure is on to make it memorable now.”

And from all the hopeless romantic girls out there like myself, it sure is!

The happy couple now: Adam King with fiancee Lucy Rogers.

Halloween Ghost Tours!

Hi guys,


So as some of you may know, I'm currently doing a Masters in Print Journalism at Sheffield University, which is why I haven't been posting as many blog posts recently but I promise I haven't forgotten and will still be updating my blog as regularly as I can! 


For Halloween, I went on a spooky ghost tour around Sheffield with my flatmates and decided to write a quick story about it, hope you enjoy!

A fuzzy but atmospheric image of Mr P Dreadful describing a ghost outside the Lyceum Theatre.

Sheffield’s ghostly secrets are being retold in spooky strolls around its back streets. The Steel City Ghost Walks are especially popular at Halloween and Mr P Dreadful, the city’s resident ghost whisperer, can surely guarantee a chilling experience. As you follow him around the dark alleyways of the city, you will be regaled with tales of murder, scandal and ghostly encounters lasting to the present day. To make it worse, the stories are not based on rumour but on years of meticulous research and eye-witness accounts.

The ghost walks, which are unique every time, go across a variety of paths and sights, including the site of the Adelphi Hotel, the Lyceum Theatre and the Old Queen’s Head pub, one of the oldest buildings in the city.

Mr P Dreadful, whose namesake comes from the lurid story-telling paper the Penny Dreadful, is a clairvoyant and a medium. He claims to have been able to see and speak to the dead since he was a baby.

The walks were set up seven years ago, beginning as a joke with the Job Centre. But who’s laughing now? Mr P Dreadful, or 41-year-old Darren Johnson-Smith, has had over 30,000 people on his tours and wrote a book called ‘Haunted Sheffield’. His wife, Mrs J Dreadful, also runs the tours and has links with the supernatural. She reads tarot cards and claims to hear and smell the dead.

He said: “Even if I wanted to cheat on her, I couldn’t. She’d know exactly who I’d been with, at what time and where!”

The Ghost Tours run on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and begin at 7:30pm at the Town Hall steps. 

Horrendous picture of me with Mr P Dreadful, but it was the only one I had!

Thanks for reading,

Emma. xx

Knight to see you, to see you, Knight!

So the long-awaited moment has finally arrived after much campaigning and speculation on behalf of the public. Bruce Forsyth, entertainer of the masses, has received a knighthood after a mere 70 years in show business! The 83-year-old star, who entered the industry at a tender age of 14, was made a Knight Bachelor in the 2011 Birthday Honours last Thursday, 12 October. The knighthood came after a year-long campaign by fans who were adamant that Bruce, or ‘Brucie’ as he is affectionately known, should receive recognition for his services to charity and entertainment.

Bruce was accompanied to the ceremony at Buckingham Palace by his stunning 54-year-old wife, a former Miss World, Wilnelia Merced, and his children Jonathan, Charlotte and Laura. When asked at how long he’d been in the entertainment business for, the Queen seemed to express surprise at the answer. Bruce joked after the ceremony: “Maybe I’ve been in the job longer than she has!”

Bruce’s success began in 1958 on a weekly variety show, Sunday Night at the London Palladium, where he established himself as a natural performer and all-round variety star. Bruce’s talents include singing, acting, dancing and telling jokes (albeit slightly more cringe-y ones nowadays). He then became even more famous by presenting his own game shows, Bruce Forsyth and the Generation Game, Play Your Cards Right and The Price is Right. It is through these shows that he developed his famous catchphrases, such as “It’s a Brucie bonus”, “Didn’t they do well?” and his show-starter “It’s nice to see you to see you...nice!” Nowadays, he is still using the catchphrases by co-presenting the successful ballroom dancing show Strictly Come Dancing with Tess Daly.

Despite his long career and success, Bruce remains humble about his award, thanking his fans first and foremost for being so incredibly supportive. He attributes his success to being a family performer and always working on family shows that can entertain any age. And, he doesn’t intend on retiring any time soon!

Some may hate him and his dodgy jokes but I think it’s wonderful that ‘Brucie’ has finally got the recognition he deserves after a lifetime of serving the public through our TV screens! Although he stumbles over his lines, looks in the wrong direction and drops jokes like a lead balloon, we wouldn’t have him any other way. The words on his autocue are also rumoured to be so big that the audience in Strictly Come Dancing have to be asked not to mouth along. However, he is a true entertainer. A type of performer who near-enough ceases to exist with the death of variety shows and the swearing edu-comics that exist today. And I, for one, will be sad to see him go, as it will mark the end of an era. Thanks Sir Bruce Forsyth CBE for entertaining us, and here’s hoping it lasts for many years to come!