The Bristol Drop - Thursday, June 26
Cold case murder trial latest, Macca gives Gromit a Yellow Submarine makeover, spate of arsons in Fishponds and Oldbury Court and woman has lived in same house for 100 years
Good Morning, excitement is building ahead of the Gromit Unleashed 3 trail which launches in Bristol next week and should raise huge sums for The Grand Appeal which supports the city’s children’s hospital. A sneak peek yesterday revealed Aardman had collaborated with the likes of Sir Paul McCartney, Pixar and Dreamworks to design sculptures. Check out the rest of the city’s headlines below and please do hit subscribe if you’ve yet to do so.
Bristol news
Murder trial: Police bodycam footage of Ryland Headley, 92, who is accused of murdering Louisa Dunne in Easton in 1967, has been released. The defence and prosecution gave their closing statements yesterday. (Claire Hayhurst, PA via Bristol Live)
Drugs drone: A 25-year-old from the Cotham area of the city is accused of trying to use a drone to smuggle drugs over the wall of Erlestoke Prison in Wiltshire. (Tristan Cork - Bristol Live)
Spate of arsons: Community leaders in Fishponds, Oldbury Court and Frome Vale are ‘shocked and saddened’ by an escalating number of arson incidents in the areas. (Tristan Cork - Bristol Live)
Sea dog: In a special collaboration with Beatle Sir Paul McCartney Gromit has been decked out in a Yellow Submarine-themed paintjob for the forthcoming Gromit Unleashed 3 sculpture trail. Other high-profile include Feathers McGraw getting a Darth Vader makeover. Reports and pictures from Bristol Live, Bristol 24/7, BBC Bristol, ITV West Country, Bristol World and the Independent. Fair to say this is going to be big this summer.
Pothole suit: A Portishead cyclist who ‘cheated death’ after hitting a pothole in Clevedon that had previously been reported as being dangerous is suing North Somerset Council for not fixing it. (Tristan Cork - Bristol Live)
Bite-size food news: Excellent round-up of Bristol’s food news this month featuring a disturbing number of closures. (Meg Houghton-Gilmour - Bristol Sauce)
Open and shut: Just as one key road near Bristol Temple Meads reopens after long-running roadworks, the diggers will move onto nearby Bath New Bridge next month. (Tristan Cork - Bristol Live)
Two months of works are also planned for the key A370 at Flax Bourton. (Declan O’Reilly - North Somerset Times)
No room: A holidaymaker due to stay at a Weston-super-Mare hotel has complained after their booking was cancelled to make way for a lucrative long-term block booking for workers at Hinkley Point C. (Declan O’Reilly - Weston Mercury)
Scooter club devastated: A Yate scooter club that lost three members in a devastating crash on the A36 in Wiltshire last month has met for the first time since the tragedy and paid tribute to those who died. (Alice Knight - Gazette Series)
Powder thief: A prolific thief has been jailed for a series of shoplifting episodes where he snatched creatine and protein powders popular with gym-users from city centre shops. (Alex Driscoll - Bristol Live)
Test no-shows: Frustration as hundreds of people fail to attend driving tests in Avonmouth and Kingswood, despite the scarcity of test slots driving learners to despair. (Alex Seabrook, LDR - via Bristol Live)
Glasto debut: A singer from Whitchurch who started singing in Bristol pubs aged only 10 is set to make his debut at Glastonbury this lunchtime. (Carrington Walker - Bristol Live)
News in numbers
47.25%: Recycling rates in Bristol, the highest in the country according to a report. (Karen Johnson - Bristol 24/7)
Today’s newspapers
Sport
Thrilling draw: Something of a tense finish at Nevil Road yesterday afternoon, with all results possible as Gloucestershire and Derbyshire ultimately settled for a draw after four days. (Cricinfo)
Rovers signing: Macauley Southam-Hales says he is excited to sign on the dotted line at the Mem following his transfer from Stockport County. (Dan Carter - Bristol Live)
Gent calling?: Top flight Belgian outfit KAA Gent are reportedly interested in Bristol City defender Zak Vyner. (Dan Carter - Bristol Live)
Wider West
Strong roots: Great story about a woman from Bridgwater who has just turned 100 and has lived in the same Somerset house for her entire life. (Pippa Rifka - BBC Somerset)
Glastonbury Festival: The West Country’s biggest annual music festival got underway yesterday, with the gates opening at 8am.
Pictures from day one - BBC Somerset and Somerset Live (Emma Hallett, Lili Sheppard and Daniel Clark)
While the event is, of course, renowned around the world for music it also has a political side. A very strong story about a domestic violence campaigner speaking on stage at Worthy Farm this weekend here. (Siobhan McNally - Mirror)
Community noticeboard
Political mischief: BBC Radio 5 Live broadcaster Matt Chorley brings his comedy show Making a Meal of It to the Redgrave Theatre in Clifton next Wednesday. Prime Ministers, pundits and probably even voters aren’t safe from a satirical skewering. Tickets here.
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The Bristol Drop is curated by Western Daily Press editor Richard Bache. Subscribe to start the day with a brief digest of the morning’s essential news.