Laci Endresz, who performs as Mooky the Clown, has received a British Empire Medal for circus entertainment after more than 30 years of performing in Blackpool. He has joined Blackpool Tower Circus in 1992 and has never missed a show, while also writing and directing the whole production. He described the honour as an incredibly special day for him and his family.
A charity netball tournament in Northamptonshire has raised almost £5,000 for Bowel Cancer UK. The fundraising effort supports a cause focused on bowel cancer research and awareness.
Vian, a 16-year-old from Coventry, has thalassaemia and no longer needs the monthly blood transfusions she relied on for most of her childhood after gene editing treatment using her own stem cells. She has regained her energy, has started studying health and social care at college, and hopes to become a nurse. Another teenager, JoelSamuel, is at the start of the same kind of treatment for sickle cell disease, and his family hopes it will help him.
Woodbridge Excelsior Band in Suffolk, now marking its 180th anniversary, has grown into a lively mix of men and women of different ages. Jackie Walker, who joined in 1971 as only the second woman in the band, later met her husband Andrew there and they have played together ever since. The band's current members say they enjoy the music and friendship it brings.
Jonathan, an Aldabra giant tortoise estimated to be around 194 years old, has been studied by researchers who identified 287 gene variants linked to reduced effects of aging. His epigenome was found to be very similar to that of younger tortoises of the same species, offering new insights into healthy aging. The work, published in Science Advances, is a hopeful step for understanding longevity.
Martin Lewis has launched the Small Ideas Initiative, inviting the public to suggest practical, low-cost fixes to everyday problems across the UK. A cross-party panel will choose around 50 ideas to put before government, councils and regulators, with submissions due by 12 November. The project aims to rebuild public confidence that government can sort things out.
Students at Red Fox have been learning fire safety skills that could save lives.
A food rescue charity called Felix recovers edible surplus food and passes it to over 8,000 organisations that feed people in need, including lunch clubs, food pantries and homelessness shelters. Partnerships with manufacturers and supermarkets, backed by government, aim to triple the amount of food redistributed over the next decade.
Researchers at King's College London found that urolithin A, a compound the body makes after eating foods like pomegranates and walnuts, may help treat a common type of heart failure. In animal and laboratory tests it improved heart relaxation and reduced scarring, and the work was funded by the British Heart Foundation. The team stressed that people should not eat pomegranates to treat heart failure yet, but the findings open the door to new treatments.
Volunteers in the Epping Forest area are helping older residents stay active and connected with others.
A Devon man heard a woman calling for help near his home after she had been stuck in mud for hours. He went to find her, tried to reach her with rope and boards, and then fetched emergency services, who freed her after a lengthy rescue. She later thanked him in a card, saying she was grateful to see another person that day.
The UK government has decided that its 14 national museums, including the National Gallery and the British Museum, will stay free for international visitors as well as domestic ones. The choice followed months of discussion and a review that had suggested charging overseas visitors. London's mayor welcomed the decision as a way to keep culture open to everyone.
