Pine martens are making a comeback in southern England

Pine martens are making a comeback in the south of England. The cat-sized mammals were once common across Britain, but were driven to the brink of extinction in the 20th century by habitat loss and hunting. Now, cameras hidden in the New Forest as part of a long-term study have captured the animals playing together, and also some young pine martens, suggesting the population is growing. Leanne Sargeant, of Forestry England, called it a “real success story”.

Octogenarian sets orchestra record

An 86-year-old widow from Surrey has set a world record for the longest career spent playing with the same orchestra. Anne Miller took up the violin at the age of five, but switched to the viola when she went to secondary school and found that its orchestra had enough violinists, but needed a viola player. She was told she had “long arms and long fingers” – so might be wellsuited to the instrument. She joined the Redhill Sinfonia in 1951, when she was 14, and has never left. “It helps keep you young,” she told reporters.

Tree, 44, becomes festive attraction

A fir tree that was planted in a front garden in Worcestershire 44 years ago has become a major festive attraction. Avril and Christopher Rowlands bought the 6ft tree in 1978 after spending their first Christmas together in their new home in the village of Inkberrow. Now over 50ft tall, it requires more than a thousand lightbulbs – and a cherry picker lent by a local farmer – to decorate each December. The Rowlands donate money collected at the switching-on ceremony to charity, and have raised £800 for Worcester Foodbank this year alone. “During Covid it served as a beacon of light, and I still think people need that now,” Avril told Worcester News.

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