SWNS2:0422 hours agoPensioner, 92, selling incredible collection of models -made from mobility scootersSWNSA great-grandfather who converted his mobility scooters into Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and a steam train is selling his incredible collection of wacky models. Vin Wardman, 92, has spent years making models of iconic vehicles in his garden shed since he retried from working on the railways. He became famous for turning scooters into replica vehicles such as trains - including The Flying Scotsman, Thomas the Tank and King Charles' Royal engine. The pensioner uses a variety of household items to make his models including pedal bins, aluminium plates and wooden panels. And he believes his best creation so far is the stunning model of the magical flying car from the classic children's film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Vin is now hoping to sell his weird and wonderful collection, which also includes smaller models of Chuckie lorres and buses, for thousands of pounds. His final show of his immense craftmanship is a replica of a Concorde plane - made out of a drain pipe and a traffic cone. The father-of-two, who has one grandchild and two great-grandchildren, said: "I’ve decided this is the last now. "I don’t think I can make anymore. I’m 93 in July, it is almost time to retire isn’t it? "I'm getting a bit old and want to sell up now. I would like to sell them on to somebody for a reasonable price to get rid of them. "I made one lot and a bloke came along and wanted to buy them all, and he took them all, but then I was like a kid without toys and had to start again. "I sold the last lot for more than £3,000 but there are a lot more this time. My Chitty Chitty Bang Bang model itself could sell for £1,000. "Concorde is the last one. It has taken me three weeks at most. "The middle piece is a land drain, and the front and back ends are made of road cones that are used for traffic because they have points. "I've got all sorts and I've lost count of them all now. "I've done the Flying Scotsman, Thomas the Tank, King Charles' Royal train, a yellow submarine and a gypsy caravan." Vin, of Craven Arms, Shrops., said he would spend hours looking for the "best" items he could use to create a model, which usually cost him under £200. He once turned his mobility scooter into steam train for the late Queen's Jubilee in 2022. But his favourite remains the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang vehicle which he was inspired to make when he saw a replica of the famous car from the 1968 musical film on display outside Ludlow Castle in August last year. Vin believes this "iconic" model is the "most …
SWNS0:3422 hours agoMan holding Palestinian flag climbs Big Ben towerSWNSA man holding a Palestinian flag was seen climbing the Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben, in London on Saturday (today). A fire engine raised a cherry picker to the same height as the man to allow negotiators to persuade him to come down. A Met Police spokesperson said: "At 7:24 a.m. on Saturday, March 8, officers were alerted to a man climbing the Elizabeth Tower at the Houses of Parliament. "Officers are at the scene working to bring the incident to a safe conclusion. They are being assisted by the London Fire Brigade and the London Ambulance Service." A fire engine raised a cherry picker to the same height as the man to allow negotiators to persuade him to come down.
SWNS3:131 day agoMan denied permission for solar panels battles 2,200 acre solar farm next doorSWNSA man denied permission to have solar panels on his home is battling a 2,200 acre solar farm next door - with plans involving a duke and friend of the King. Tony Ward has lived in his Grade II listed property in Chippenham, Wiltshire, for twenty years - with the building, mentioned in the Doomsday Book, standing for 400 years. In 2005, he requested permission to install a small number of solar panels on the family log barn to help compensate for the costs of their ground source heating. He says the council denied his request because it would mean hot air balloons flying above would not be ‘'able properly to read the way the house had developed over the centuries''. But now Tony and thousands of other residents say they are being faced with plans for Lime Down Solar development - which they have dubbed a ''nightmare". The proposal would see 2,200 acres of four-and-a-half metre high solar panels across several sites - as well as "enormous" battery storage units and cabling in their "peaceful and tranquil" countryside. Including the cabling, the total project acreage would amount to 7,000. The plans have been backed by the Duke of Beaufort, as part of the solar complex would be housed on the Duke’s 52,000-acre Badminton estate in Gloucestershire. The Duke - dubbed “Bunter of Badminton” is worth an estimated £300 million and is friends with King Charles, whose private residence Highgrove is nine miles away. Tony says the proposal would be an "industrial rape on the countryside" - with thousands of ''humming'' solar panels, exported from China, in fields next to his home and tight-knit community. He said: “When we moved in 20 years ago, we put in ground-source effect heating under the fields in front of the house. “But behind the house, to defray the costs of the large pumps which are needed for ground source heating, we wanted to put solar panels on our log barn - just a ribbon of solar panels. “We understand why you can’t put solar panels on a listed building and on the stone roofs 400-years-old - but this is a broken down cow barn and it needs a purpose to make it maintainable and to give it a reason for being there. “So we thought the solar panels were a good idea, but we were turned down on the grounds that balloons flying over the house would not be able properly to read the way the house had developed over the centuries. “So we do get balloons flying over because of the balloon industry at Bristol comes out towards Malmsbury, sometimes they land - …
SWNS1:191 day agoHawks patrol the sky helping to scare pigeons for Northern TrainsSWNSRail chiefs have drafted two feathered friends to patrol the skies above their stations to deter nuisance pigeons. Harris hawks Maverick and Zulu have been deployed at stations in Filey, Beverley, and Driffield in East in Yorkshire, as part of a 12-week trial which began in February. The hawks are there to deter the pigeons and prevent them from nesting, but they are not used for hunting. If they prove to be effective, they could be introduced at other Northern stations which have been plagued by pigeons in recent years. Alex Hornby, Northern's commercial and customer director, said: “We have tried plastic owls and recorded hawk noises but they weren't an effective deterrent, so now we’ve brought in real birds of prey to help us with our pigeon problem. “The pigeons are a real nuisance for our customers and cause headaches for the station staff who have to clear up after them. "That’s why we’re determined to find humane ways of keeping them away.” The train operator has been locked in a long-running battle with the birds at the stations as they damage station roofs and cause issues with their hazardous and corrosive droppings. Northern has trialed various measures and last year plastic owls were installed at Morpeth station in Northumberland. Recorded hawk noises were played out of speakers at Driffield station and the roof was smeared with ‘fire gel’, which appears to the pigeons as ultraviolet light and tricks them into thinking the surface is too hot to land on. But Northern was forced to find another approach as the pests kept flocking to stations and nesting. Spikes and netting have proved to be far more effective, as they prevent the birds from perching and nesting in certain areas without harming them. However, these measures have not solved the problem because the pigeons move on to other parts of the stations. Emily Mettam, 33, owner of The Saucy Seagull cafe inside Filey station, said: "The second the hawk is released, it is absolute chaos. "The pigeons flap their wings and squeal and squawk, it drives them crazy." Emily says so far she hasn't seen any nesting pigeons since the hawks have been introduced. She also said: "The station used to get so dirty that it has a staff member who's job it was to clean up after them. "It also wasn't pleasant for the travelers too who had to use the station." Last year, Northern asked customers to stop feeding the brazen birds and leaving food lying around, claiming this has caused more to flock there. The …
SWNS0:301 day agoMoment Uber driver points out major flaw in university student's career planSWNSThis is the moment a student hoping to be a social worker was told of a major flaw in her career plan - by her Uber driver. The woman, who did not want to be named, was heading to a bar with friends when Kevin Archer, 33, picked them up. The driver was making conversation with his passengers when the front-seat passenger excitedly shared that she was studying for a degree to become a social worker. However, Kevin—who is also a social worker and drives for Uber part-time— informed the young woman that her Bachelor of Social Sciences in Sociology and Psychology wouldn’t qualify her for the job. The revelation left her in disbelief - as she realised she had already spent two years studying the wrong course. Kevin, of Tauranga, New Zealand said: "Most of the people who request rides through social media already know I’m a social worker so she was excited to tell me she was studying to become one too. “She told me what degree she was doing and I was like ‘Oh no, to be a social worker in New Zealand, you need a Bachelor of Social Work or a Master’s in Social Work. "She was in complete shock. "You can hear her in the video turning to her friend and saying ‘I’m studying the wrong degree!’ Kevin, who regularly film some of his Uber journeys for social media, is used to hearing surprising stories but this moment stuck with him. He said: " At first I was first confused. I thought did I hear that correctly? But then I was shocked too as she was already in her second year. "I felt bad for her because that's a lot of time and money invested. I have given her multiple Uber rides since and she’s figuring out her next steps."
SWNS0:531 day agoA lost pet parrot spooked by seagulls turns up 20 miles away from homeSWNSA scared parrot which went missing after being spooked by a flock of seagulls has been reunited with its owner. Alby a one year old galah, also known as a pink and grey cockatoo, vanished from the home of owners Donna Garey, a professional singer, and her husband Michael, 52. The bird fell from its perch near an open window after being mobbed by noisey gulls and vanished. Alby was found over 20 miles away in a woodland in Lancaster by a walker, and was returned to a relived Donna. She said: “He is a talker and after I held him, the first thing he said was 'giz a kiss'." Alby often files around Donna's living room, and perches on the lounge window ledge, but this time he lost his balance and fell. Donna said: "I saw him fall from the window and I was out the front door straight away, but he was nowhere to be seen. "I was absolutely distraught acting like an absolute manic searching for him." Donna believes the seagulls which linger around their street spooked Alby leading him to take off. This was the first time Alby had ever flown away. The mother-of-four said: "We were worried that the seagulls outside their home may swoop in and attack him." Donna then spent the evening frantically trying to find him with her 12-year-old son Max, becoming increasingly desperate. Donna even left messages on a handful of local Facebook group chats but despite hundreds of kind messages, there were no sightings. Then the next day she received a call from Lancaster, over 20 miles away from her house in Thornton, West Yorkshire. Donna said: “I couldn't believe it when I got the message, I was so relieved.” “A man had found him on the ground, in a wooded area of Williamson Park. “Alby was wet with the rain and really cold, and the man kindly lifted him up and took him to the park office. The woman in the park office then googled ‘lost galas’ and Donna's and number came up on Facebook. The woman was able to get the bird on screen with FaceTime allowing Donna to see him and she recognised him straightaway - especially with the ring on his leg. She wasted no time in driving to Lancaster to pick him up with Max. Donna said: "We are so lucky that he survived his little adventure unscathed."
