Girl aged 12 is bishop for 45 minutes
And other stories from the stranger side of life

A 12-year-old girl became a bishop for 45 minutes as part of a quirky tradition at Salisbury Cathedral. Chorister Isabel Moss donned the bishop’s cope, mitre and ring and carried the staff to lead a service at the cathedral on Sunday. She sat in the intricately carved Cathedra – or bishop’s throne – to deliver a sermon and lead the choir and congregation in prayer. The tradition dates back to medieval times.
Climber given plane crash jewels
A mountaineer has been given the jewels he found on a French glacier 50 years after plane crash. The collection of emeralds, rubies and sapphires, which has been buried for decades on a glacier off France’s Mont Blanc, has been shared between the climber who discovered them and local authorities, eight years after they were found. The local mayor said he was “very happy” with the move and praised the climber for his “integrity” in turning his find in to police.
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Man hid giant model railway
A man who spent eight years building Britain’s biggest model railway kept his girlfriend in the dark about his epic 200ft project, fearing it might scare her away. Simon George, 53, told the BBC: “When I first met her she didn’t know I was building this. She knew I leased a mill with a huge basement but I kind of led her to believe I was a wine merchant because that sounded cooler than building a model railway.” He added that she was “shocked” when she discovered the truth.
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