Search Results

Last summer William Funnell set a new Hickstead Derby record when he lifted the Boomerang Trophy for a fifth time – making him the only rider in history to have won the class five times. Previously William had been the joint record holder alongside four other showjumping greats: brothers John and Michael Whitaker; Harvey Smith, and Irish showjumping legend Eddie Macken. Eddie was the first rider to achieve four Hickstead Derby wins, and he remains the only rider to ever win four years in a row, with all his victories coming courtesy of the same horse – the great Boomerang. After their fourth consecutive win in 1979, a new trophy was created depicting Eddie and Boomerang descending the Hickstead Bank, which has been presented to the winning rider ever since. It is apt that Funnell has now lifted this trophy more than anyone else, as it was watching Eddie Macken in the Derby that originally inspired a teenaged William to become a showjumper. “I was here when Eddie won on Boomerang for a fourth time in really wet, muddy conditions, and I remember thinking how unbelievable that was,” said William. “It really inspired me to want to be a showjumper and to one day jump the Derby.” Recently, Eddie Macken sat down with Chloe Breen, daughter of Hickstead founder Douglas Bunn, for a video interview about his Hickstead memories. Although his record of four wins in a row will continue to stand, Eddie was quick to pay credit to William’s new record total of five wins. “William has won five Derby titles now, and I'm delighted – he's a good friend of mine, and great guy,” said Eddie. “He bookmarks the class in his calendar every year and always gives it his best shot, and I think he prepares and sets his horses up for it really well, so there’s no better guy to do it.” As well as Eddie’s remarkable Derby record, he had an incredible showjumping career including winning countless Grands Prix and Nations Cups, and he was top of the world rankings for three years running. His riding career spanned 50 years, with Eddie only stepping back from competing in 2018 at the age of 69. Since then Eddie has had an extremely successful career as a coach in Canada and the USA, though recently he has made the decision to fully retire. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it, and still loved the horses and the coaching, but the traveling and time away from home sort of got to me,” Eddie explained. “I am enjoying my retirement, and we have a lovely place where we live near Whistler. Anybody who has a career in showjumping knows they have to give up a lot. Riders live on the road, and we miss out an awful lot of time with our family, and obviously our families have to be very tolerant to put up with it. Hopefully I'm going to be able to make up somewhat for all that lost time, and I love spending time with my six grandkids.”

An inspiring new addition to the Windermere shoreline is honouring the memory of Olympic swimmer, teacher and mother of two Helen Smart. Helen sadly and unexpectedly passed away in 2023 at the age of 42 whilst on holiday with all her family in the Lake District. Her husband Craig Smart wanted to honour Helen’s incredible life and the place she loved so much by creating a memorial at Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa in the Lake District, where the couple tied the knot in 2015. Craig contacted the spa resort’s wedding team to explain his idea, which led to discussions with English Lakes Hotels estates director Tim Berry and the hotel group’s resident local sculptor and stone mason Shawn Williamson. The result is the creation of ‘Helen’s Seat’, a Lakeland slate boulder carved as a memorial and a place to sit on the edge of Windermere with sweeping views of the Langdale Pikes and surrounding fells. Craig says: “The idea was to create a place where Helen’s spirit can be felt and her memory celebrated. Helen was a remarkable woman: an Olympian, an inspirational educator, a talented musician, and above all, a deeply loved wife, mother, daughter and friend. Her career was marked by incredible dedication, discipline and belief in herself." “Helen’s favourite place in the world was the Lake District, where she found peace, happiness, and shared many treasured memories with her family. Our wedding at Low Wood Bay was the most amazing day and every year, we returned on our anniversary." “A huge and heartfelt thank you to Tim Berry, Shawn Williamson and the rest of the Low Wood Bay team for creating this amazing memorial for Helen. It is absolutely perfect - a peaceful, loving space where all of Helen’s family and friends can come, sit, reflect, and remember the amazing person she was. Helen was a true champion - on the world stage, in the classroom, and in our hearts.” As a world-class backstroke swimmer, Helen proudly represented Great Britain in the 200m backstroke at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. She earned a bronze medal at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, and silver medals at the 1999 World Short Course Championships and the European Championships, setting numerous British records and winning national titles along the way. Following her retirement from competitive swimming, Helen devoted herself to teaching. As Headteacher of Worsley Mesnes Community Primary School in Wigan, she continued to inspire with her passion, warmth, and commitment to every child’s future. Her school motto was “learn like champions”. She was also a proud playing member of the Pemberton Old Wigan DW Brass Band, where her joy for music shone brightly. English Lakes Hotels estates director Tim Berry says: “From speaking to Craig from the moment he got in touch with us, we were keen to help. It’s clear that Helen achieved so much, not only through her exemplary careers in top flight sport and education, but also in the inspirational way she lived her life." “We put Craig in touch with Shawn to develop the idea of the stone memorial and organise its installation here. We wanted something natural and that children and adults alike would enjoy for years to come." “The boulder originally came down the fell from behind Low Wood Bay and was dropped here by a glacier, so it’s fitting that it should still remain here on site and is now in a location where we are helping to restore the shoreline and regenerate the natural reed bed.”

Staff at a country estate in the Lake District have taken to beekeeping in a drive to help nurture its surrounding woodlands and wildflowers. Wild Boar Estate near Windermere is now home to three burgeoning beehives which are allowing the rural estate venue to produce its own honey for guests to enjoy at breakfast or purchase to take home as a tasty memento of their stay. The beehives have been carefully stationed in the estate’s private woodlands to give the bees the best chance to flourish on the its 72 acres of rural land. At the peak of summer, each beehive will contain up to 60,000 bees committed to the welfare of their queen and the colony as a whole. Wild Boar Estate gives the bees acres of high quality rural landscape in which to roam and forage, with good sources for a continual supply of food and water throughout the spring, summer and autumn months. The busiest time for the budding beekeeping team is late spring and into the early summer when they are routinely checking on the hives and the welfare of the bees. This is important to prevent swarming, to monitor their health and to ensure there is enough space for them to store their honey. In the winter, the team will simply need to keep a check on the hives to ensure the bees have enough stored food and remain healthy. General manager of Wild Boar Estate Adam Bujok says: “This is a wonderful project to get involved in and a chance for us to give nature and sustainability a helping hand. Our seasonal countryside cycles and natural rhythms would be broken without the humble worker bees. As major pollinators, we simply couldn’t live without them." “So it’s fantastic for us to see them buzzing around from flower to flower and meandering through our woodland glades and meadows. Then there’s the added benefit of harvesting their honey here on site for our guests to enjoy. We are even planning to use the honey in the microbrewery for the production of small batches of mead which visitors no doubt will be keen to sample.” English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues has been working with experienced apiarist Jackie Kerr to install the hives and teach members of the Wild Boar Estate team the basics of beekeeping. Jackie adds: “It’s been a pleasure to be involved in setting up the Wild Boar Estate apiary which continues to flourish and grow." “With last year’s very wet weather, it was difficult for bees to gather nectar and many colonies languished until late summer. But the spring dry spell has given the season a real kick-start and the beautiful Wild Boar woodlands are now alive with some very busy bees." “The estate team’s enthusiasm and commitment to protecting pollinators is both inspiring and wonderful to see.” With its own open kitchen grill restaurant, on-site smokehouse and microbrewery, Wild Boar Estate hosts a range of fun outdoor activities and adventures in its extensive surrounding grounds. For further information, visit here .

Stay informed on sustainability and conservation efforts shaping the UK with Nuse. Environment nuse. Editors Pick Nursery Marks 80th Anniversary Of VE Day With Free Fruit Trees Harborough District Council have partnered with Midlands garden centre Jacksons Nurseries to offer 3,600 free fruit trees to residents... Read More Latest Environment News & Insights Highly-Educated CEOs Are More Likely To Tackle Carbon Emissions CEOs with high academic qualifications are more likely to pursue corporate decarbonisation than those who are lower qualified or... 2 days ago 2 min read Recovery Of Shark Populations Alters Behaviours Of Reef Fishes The return of apex predators like sharks can restore critical ecological balance to coral reefs, creating healthier ecosystems. New... 2 days ago 2 min read National Sustainability Award For Yorkshire Business Harrison Spinks’ Technical Manager Ethan McGuigan has secured a top title in an awards programme from national trade body the British... 2 days ago 2 min read Veenow Vineyard Showcases UV Boosting Technology Veenow Vineyard is proud to announce that after extensive research and assistance it will be the first operator and sales agent of the UV... Apr 2 2 min read Gatwick Prepares For Growth Following Strong Performance For 2024 Airport engaging in extended process for final decision on its Northern Runway plans, following the announcement that the Secretary of... Apr 2 3 min read How Tech Innovations Are Blurring The Lines Between Urban Life And Nature As cities grow, the gap between urban life and nature becomes more noticeable. Parks and green spaces often get lost amid towering... Apr 1 4 min read Magnolias: Nature’s Timeless Elegance There are few trees in the natural world as captivating as the magnolia. With their large, fragrant blooms and striking foliage,... Apr 1 2 min read Project Helps Farmers Save Money & Benefits The Environment A new project which enables farmers to optimise the use of livestock manure and nutrients while reducing costs and environmental impact... Mar 31 3 min read Nursery Marks 80th Anniversary Of VE Day With Free Fruit Trees Harborough District Council have partnered with Midlands garden centre Jacksons Nurseries to offer 3,600 free fruit trees to residents... Mar 21 2 min read Waitrose Launches Net Zero Fund For British Farmers Waitrose is launching a £500,000 fund to support its British farmers in their transition to net zero emissions. Part of Waitrose’s... Mar 19 3 min read RHS Predicts Fewer Slugs This Spring After a bumper year for slugs in 2024, experts from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) are anticipating far fewer slugs in gardens... Mar 18 2 min read Nature-Infused Innovations In Urban Design Urban environments are often synonymous with concrete buildings, busy streets, and relentless noise. However, a transformative movement... Mar 18 4 min read British Gas Introduce Hydrogen-Powered Van Trials British Gas is piloting the use of a hydrogen-powered van to help decarbonise their fleet, marking a significant step in their commitment... Mar 14 2 min read Talking About The Weather: Britain’s Favourite Conversation In Britain, the weather is more than just a daily reality—it is a national obsession. No other country in the world seems to talk about... Mar 4 3 min read New Green Credentials For Lake District Spa Resort A luxury Lake District spa resort has achieved a new accreditation to benchmark its progress in environmental performance and use of... Feb 27 2 min read Mountains Of Fly-Tipping But Where's The Crime Strategy To Deal With It? The CLA has challenged the government to launch its rural crime strategy, as new figures reveal how rural communities are being buried... Feb 26 3 min read Exmoor Ponies Make Calderdale Nature Reserve Their New Home A herd of Exmoor ponies are making Cromwell Bottom Nature Reserve, near Brighouse, their home for the winter, as part of a new nature... Feb 25 3 min read The Climate Crisis: Humanity’s Defining Challenge In the grand sweep of history, there have been moments that have tested the resolve of nations, the ingenuity of scientists, and the... Feb 25 3 min read The Cost Of Living Shift: How Britons Are Adapting To A New Economic Reality For millions across the UK, the cost of living crisis is no longer just a headline—it is an everyday reality shaping decisions about... Feb 24 3 min read Family Firm Helps Bring Green Life To Glasgow Health & Social Hub P1 Contractors and Johnsons Nurseries are proud to have played a key role in the successful delivery of the landscaping and planting for... Feb 21 2 min read 1 2 3

Access premium content, diverse stories, and exclusive offers. Subscribe to Nuse and join our community. Subscriptions nuse. Become a digital subscriber and show your support for our endeavours. See More Best Value nuse Online £19.99 £ 19.99 Every year Valid until canceled Select Choose your pricing plan nuse Online £ 19.99 19.99£ Every year Select

Explore groundbreaking research and discoveries shaping the future with Nuse’s diverse content. Research nuse. Editors Pick News Nuse Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Read More Latest Research News & Insights Biochemical Society Award For Research Support The Biochemical Society have given its annual Research Support Award to Dr Morag Martin, of the University of Dundee for outstanding... 2 days ago 2 min read Dundee Scientist Recognised With Prestigious Medal For Parkinson Research A Dundee academic has been awarded a prestigious national prize for his work on neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinsons. The... Mar 31 2 min read Research Suggests AI Could Drive US Data-Centre Usage To Triple By 2030 Barclays Research has released a new Impact Series report, entitled “AI revolution: Meeting massive AI infrastructure demands.” Focused... Jan 17 2 min read The Future Of Jobs Report 2025 The Future of Jobs Report 2025, published today by the World Economic Forum, reveals that job disruption will equate to 22% of jobs by... Jan 15 4 min read Growing Complexity In Cyberspace Primes Global Cybersecurity Outlook The World Economic Forum’s Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2025 Report highlights the increasing complexity in the cyber landscape, which... Jan 13 3 min read