Schoolgirl gets 'best Christmas present ever' - the all-clear a decade after brain tumour diagnosis

By Lauren Beavis

A schoolgirl who captured the nation's hearts with her bid for a Christmas number one has received the "best present ever" - after being given the all clear from rare cancer.

Lyra Cole, 10, is celebrating Christmas early after she was given the all-clear a decade after she was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour when she was a baby.

Lyra, a young singing sensation from Highbridge, Somerset, was just five-months-old when she was rushed for emergency surgery to remove a low-grade choroid plexus papilloma.

But the Year 6 Burrowbridge C of E Primary School pupil had her final scan earlier this month (December) - which showed no evidence of the disease.

Lyra Cole is celebrating Christmas early after being given the cancer all-clear a decade after she was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour (Pix via SWNS)

Despite dealing with such adversity, the young singing sensation has achieved great success - including storming the charts in 2019 with her version of ‘When A Child is Born’, performed originally by Johnny Mathis and later by Cliff Richards - when she was just six years old.

The single shot to the top of the download charts beating Stormzy and come close to securing an official Christmas number one as well as raising thousands for the charity Brain Tumour Research.

The success shot Lyra and her family into the spotlight and a second bid for a Christmas number one with a cover of Shakin’ Stevens’ Merry Christmas Everyone also charted in 2020.

Lyra Cole is celebrating Christmas early after being given the cancer all-clear a decade after she was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour (Pix via SWNS)

Her mum Ellie, 32, said: “It felt like only yesterday we were told that Lyra had a small orange sized tumour on her brain and our nightmare begun.

“The day of her scan was full of mixed emotion and decade worth of experiences and feelings, culminating in a huge sense of pride of how Lyra handled everything.

"It’s the best Christmas present we could have wished for.”

Lyra Cole is celebrating Christmas early after being given the cancer all-clear a decade after she was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour (Pix via SWNS)

Despite a second operation to save her eyesight after a cyst developed on her optic nerve in June 2014, Lyra has continued to live with almost no side effects.

Lyra Cole is celebrating Christmas early after being given the cancer all-clear a decade after she was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour (Pix via SWNS)

Lyra has continued to reach other impressive milestones such as starting school and becoming a big sister to Charlie who is seven.

In January 2020, Lyra was also presented with a prestigious Points of Light Award, recognising outstanding individual volunteers making a difference in the community.

Lyra's proud dad Dan, 42, said: “Although Lyra remains on yearly check-ups to ensure her physical development is on track, to look at her you would never know the hardship she endured as a baby.”

“Lyra’s tumour grew in the part of the brain responsible for growth, however we don’t know what that means for her in the future.

"In spite of this, she suffers no symptoms and we’re relieved she is able to lead a normal and happy life.

He is urging people to "do more" to protect people suffering from this illness.

Lyra Cole is celebrating Christmas early after being given the cancer all-clear a decade after she was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour (Pix via SWNS)

Dan added: "It’s horrendous to think that brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer yet have historically received just 1% of the national spend on cancer research.

"We must do more to save future generations who are diagnosed with this horrendous disease.”

Lyra Cole is celebrating Christmas early after being given the cancer all-clear a decade after she was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour (Pix via SWNS)

Dr Karen Noble, Director of Policy, Research and Innovation at Brain Tumour Research, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to Lyra and her family for sharing their story with us and for their continued dedication to raise funds and awareness into research for brain tumours.

“The choroid plexus papilloma tumour that Lyra was diagnosed with is incredibly rare, contributing to only 2-5% of all paediatric brain tumour diagnoses.

“We wish Lyra all the best going forward and we hope that the research our Centres of Excellence are undertaking will ensure that more children will celebrate 10-years free of their tumour.”

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK.

It also campaigns for the Government and larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours in order to speed up new treatments for patients and, ultimately, to find a cure.

To find out how you can support Brain Tumour Research, please visit: https://braintumourresearch.org/


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"I stopped buying Christmas presents for my kids when they were eight and 10 - they'd had enough"

A mum who stopped buying her kids Christmas presents when they were eight and ten after realising the family already had enough, says she doesn't regret it.

Maya Manseau, 61, and her family decided to stop buying each other gifts and instead donate $1k to charity every Christmas.

She says her children - Lindsay and Megan - fully supported the decision and were never resentful

Since they started the tradition - in 2001- they have donated $1k a year to a range of different charities.

Instead of opening a pile of presents on the big day, they eat and celebrate with family.

Maya Manseau, 61. (Pix via SWNS)

Maya, a business owner, from, Maine, US, said: "The first year we did it was just after the 9/11 terror attacks.

"I sat my two daughters down and did the normal thing of asking what they wanted to do for Christmas.

"The girls were like 'mum, we have so much’ and we started talking about how we could help others.

“We decided to donate $1,000 to the 9/11 fund instead of giving each other presents.

“The following year we found a charity where you 'adopt a family' and buy them a list of presents that they have asked for. The girls were totally on board with that.

“When we got the list we saw that the dad had written that all he wanted was socks and mittens and the girls were mind blown.

“It was a really great learning lesson for the girls - to teach them about the basic necessities and giving.

"We loved going around and picking out the presents for the children and the parents.”

Maya's family experienced a difficult Christmas in 2000, due to ill health, and she says it gave them a new perspective on the holiday.

She was struck down with a flesh-eating virus at the beginning of December after cutting her foot while cleaning out an old pool in Florida.

She spent two weeks in hospital and was put on antibiotics.

She said: “They managed to fly me back up to Maine from Florida.

"But I hadn’t done much Christmas shopping and I was worried that the girls would be upset.

"When I told them my eldest who was 10 at the tine said ‘mum, you’re here and you're OK and that’s all I wanted for Christmas'."

Maya Manseau, 61 and daughter Megan Dugas, 31. (Pix via SWNS)
Maya Manseau, 61 and daughter Lindsay. (Pix via SWNS)

Maya and her ex partner, still did stockings for the girls and padded them out - calling them elaborate stockings – so the children didn't wake up with nothing on the day.

Maya said: “They would be filled with a few items of clothes, books, puzzles and stationary equipment and maybe one more expensive gift."

Maya lost her eldest daughter, Lindsay, 11 years ago in 2012 after she was diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of 23.

She says it has made the Christmas holidays much harder, but continuing to give to others has helped to cope.

“It fuelled my desire to continue helping all year round, I had lots of people step up to help me in a big way, and I’m always looking to return that support," Maya said.

"We always try and help as many people as we can at Christmas and if we find out someone will be spending Christmas alone, we will want them to join us."

Maya’s favourite part of Christmas is cooking together as a family.

She said: “My mother-in-law, taught home economics in middle school and she used to love to bake and cook.

"As soon as my kids were old enough to stand on a chair with a little apron on, they cooked with her."

Christmas hasn’t been the same for the family since Lindsay’s tragic death and this year Maya is publishing a book called 'Living intentionally after loss' to help teach others how to deal with grief.


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Paralysed Dad builds dream bedroom for daughters, defying disability

By Emma Dunn

A dad who was paraylsed after falling 35ft from a roof has refused to let his disability hold him back and built bunk beds for his daughters.

Dan Kotter, 46, was building the roof of a house when he fell and cracked his vertebrae and broke his pelvis into several pieces – leaving him paralysed from the waist down.

During his time in outpatient therapy he met his now-wife, Andrea, 42, and struck up a friendship before it blossomed into something more a year later.

The couple went on to get married and have two children together – Maisie, four, and Marlee, two.

Dan still loves to build and has spent the last year constructing a bedroom for his children and daughter from a previous relationship, 12.

He wants to show others that they can do anything they put their mind to.

Andrea, a content creator, from Salt Lake City, Utah, US, said: Andrea said: “I found strength in seeing him mastering his trauma so well.

“It’s just incredible.

“He makes it look so seamless and easy."

Dan added: “It’s rewarding building something for the kids.

“It’s destroyed a lot of common perceptions of disability."

Dan was building a house for a friend when the accident happened in August 2013.

He said: “I was on the top of the trusses of the roof.

“I felt the roof start to sway and it dominoed.

“I was 35ft up from a cement garage floor.

“I remember being like ‘oh s**t’ and that’s the last thing I remember before waking up.”

Dan was taken to his local hospital before being transferred to the University of Utah Hospital.

He had a collapsed left lung, torn spleen, cracked his L1 vertebrae and torn his pelvis into several pieces.

He said: “When I hit the ground I went down in seated position.

“Initially, I still had use of my toes and feet but as it went on it diminished.”

Dan was taken for surgery to have a metal plate and bone grafted in his spine but was told he would be left paralysed.

It was until he neared the end of his three month stint in hospital that the news sunk in.

Dan said: “The started talking to me about where I was going to live and it finally sunk in.

“I was going to be a single dad in a wheelchair.

“I knew I was going to hit the ground running.”

He has two daughters from a previous marriage.

Dan said: “I met Andrea during my outpatient therapy.

“Her ex-husband was there.”

Andrea said: “When I saw him he was totally defeated but I felt a strength coming from him.

“Something drew me to him as a person.

“I thought he was a stud.

“He was rocking life.”

After a year of friendship the pair started dating in October 2014 and got married in December of the same year.

Andrea who has two sons from her previous marriage but wanted another baby and eventually convinced Dan to have children together.

They welcomed Maisie in May 2014 and Marlee in March 2021 after going through IVF.

Dan said: “I was nervous about having kids again. The idea of having a baby with me being in a wheelchair was scary to say the least.

“I didn’t know to what degree I was going to be a dad.

“But I realised how much I was able to still do.”

Andrea said: “He’s a rock star.

“He’s been the one that gets up. He does it all.

“They’ve been a blessing more than a struggle.

“They’ve given us such a purpose.”

Dan is still able to do laundry, hold and feed the babies and do tasks any able bodied parent can do.

He has continued his love for construction – and decided to remodel his daughters’ room to make more space in the house.

Dan said: “We sat down and designed something.

“I love building.

“The girls got super excited and went crazy.

“They had such gratitude.”

The room consists of three beds – constructed in a bunk bed way but so they each can have their own space in the room for their things.

Dan has some use of his quad muscles which he uses to pull himself up when building.

Dan said: “People say I’m sure his wife just cares for him – it destroys that perception.”

Andrea added: “He does more than 99 per cent of able bodied husbands.”

Dan said: “It would be easier to give up.

“You’ve to light a fire under you and punch today in the face.”

Follow on the family on Instagram and Tiktok @thewheelchairdad


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Meet the joyful residents of Britain’s 'real-life Quality Street'

By Douglas Whitbread

Kind-hearted locals in Britain's 'real-life Quality Street' have adorned their homes with huge sweet decorations to raise funds for a foodbank this Christmas.

At least 15 families living in Boyce and Bransby Street in Sheffield, South Yorks., have decked out their terraced properties for the third year in a row.

Kayleigh Thomas, 37, was the first to create a Quality Street-themed display at her three-bed home, before getting her neighbours involved in the annual project.

But she says there's more “quantity and quality” of the huge sweet decorations on show this year than ever before - with more than 300 adorning the properties.

Cathleen Baster, Kayleigh Thomas, Beryl Taff and Sue Benson. Residents in Boyce Street, Sheffield, have decorated their homes with Quality streets. (Pix via SWNS)
Residents in Boyce Street, Sheffield, have decorated their homes with Quality streets. (Pix via SWNS)

Quality Street sent Kayleigh a one-tonne pile of their chocolate, which she’s been giving out to locals who bring foodbank donations to her doorstep.

And she's been blown away by the variety of different chocolate-themed houses - while also adding to her impressive display.

Kayleigh said: “The people who have been involved this year have definitely done more. There are as many as 200 or 300 decorations. And we’ve got bunting as well.

“Everybody’s been quite original with their displays. All of them look quite different.

"We felt like having the full splash of colour all over the street just brings it to life. It just looks really cheerful and really festive.

“And I’ve got more decorations than ever. There are more massive sweets than there has ever been, and there’s a really brightly coloured garland as well.

“I’ve definitely gone to town on it this year.”

Beryl Taff puts the finishing touches to her home. (Pix via SWNS)
Residents in Boyce Street, Sheffield, have decorated their homes with Quality streets. (Pix via SWNS)

Kayleigh, who works at an international school, began decorating her terraced home in 2020, using cellophane from her florist to make the oversized chocolate boxes.

The following year, her idea “snowballed” as residents across two adjoining streets teamed up to raise thousands of pounds and pull in sacks of donations for S6 Foodbank, in Sheffield.

This year, she was particularly impressed by a newly arrived family's sparkly offering - after they made a slogan on their window reading ‘Have a Quality Christmas’.

And she said another long-time resident had even made their own chocolate box-themed hat, which she felt looked "incredible".

(Pix via SWNS)

Kayleigh said: “Number 25, who moved in recently, have decorated their fence with tinsel and lights, and then inside they’ve drawn on the windows.

“It says ‘Have a Quality Christmas’, and then their Christmas tree is on show as well. So they’ve really gone for it and it looks amazing.”

“And this year, someone made a wonderful hat - Beryl was wearing it. It’s just incredible.

“All the chocolates are exactly the right shape, with exactly the right wrapping, but bigger. It’s like an easter bonnet, but it’s Christmas chocolate.”

Kayleigh said locals had been planning their displays for months, with the event helping to bring neighbours together.

Sue Benson puts the finishing touches to her home. (Pix via SWNS)
Cathleen Baster puts the finishing touches to her home. (Pix via SWNS)

She added: “On our WhatsApp group there’s always a message saying, ‘Who has the cellophane? Can I have it?’ Everybody has made their own, so that’s been great.”

And Kayleigh said her favourite chocolate had changed since starting the fundraiser three years ago - while joking that she might hold some back for herself.

She said: “I used to like the fudge, which is ‘the pink one’.

“But I’ve got into the toffee fingers, so that’s probably my favourite one now. There are a few around – both on my display and the street.

“I might sneak a few of them, but mostly I’ll be dishing them out to people. I’ve eaten so many of them over the last few years.”

Last year the street brought seven car-fulls of goods to the S6 Foodbank - with people welcome to bring donations to Kayleigh’s door when they visit.

They also previously raised nearly £2000 for the charity through cash donations

Visit https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/QualityStreetHouse? to donate this year.


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Adorable Scottish toddler shouting "Hullo doon there" from top of the Ferris wheel

By Elizabeth Hunter

This adorable video shows a toddler at the top of a Ferris wheel excitedly addressing onlookers below by shouting "hullo doon there."

Three-year-old Grace has gone viral over the comments she made on the Christmas market attraction in a strong Scottish drawl.

Her flawless delivery drew comparisons to classic Scottish TV characters Isa Drennan and Christine O’Neal.

Justene Farrell and her husband took daughter Grace to the Glasgow Christmas markets in George Square earlier this week to get into the festive spirit.

The Ayrshire-based family decided to take a ride on the market’s Ferris wheel – and when Grace began to sing a Christmas song, Justene whipped out her phone to capture the moment.

But as Grace began to sing, she noticed the crowds of people below – and began to shout “hello doon there,” in her strong and distinctive Scottish accent.

Grace on the Ferris wheel making funny comments at the Christmas market, Glasgow Christmas Markets in George Square (Pix via SWNS)

Mum Justene decided to share the video on TikTok that night – and woke up to nearly 40,000 likes and comments on the cute clip.

“I was looking through pictures I’d taken from the Christmas market and saw the video again – I thought it was quite funny!” she said.

“I posted it at night, and then the next morning, I woke up with so many notifications – I couldn’t believe how many people had seen it!”

“But that’s just what Grace is like every day – that’s her usual self!”

Comments on the viral video drew many comparisons to classic Scottish TV characters, including the outspoken Isa Drennan from Still Game, and no-nonsense neighbour Christine from Two Doors Down.

One commenter called Grace “a pure Scots wee girl,” while another claimed that she “cannae get more Scottish than that.”

Justene is thrilled that Grace’s video has been able to spread some festive cheer – and the family have enjoyed a laugh at the comments online.

“The comments comparing her to Isa from Still Game or Christine from Two Doors Down are our favourites,” said Justene.

“We watch them in our house a lot, so we found those ones funny!

“It’s nice that everyone’s been enjoying the video and we’ve been able to spread a little bit of joy.”


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"I'm a female bare-knuckle fighter - I train by punching concrete slabs"

By Ellie McDonald

Meet the female bare-knuckle fighter who trains by punching concrete paving slabs - and laughs at misogynist men who say she has "puny arms".

Danni Ashfield, 32, recently signed a pro contract - and thinks she could be the first female fighter with autism in Britain.

The personal trainer, from Flintshire, took up bare-knuckle fighting after her autism prevented her from being able to wear boxing gloves.

Not being able to see her hands gave her anxiety - so the gloves were off.

Danni, a 5ft 5ins bantamweight who fights under the name 'Danni Lee', now competes in sanctioned events.

Danni Ashfield recently signed a pro contract - and thinks she could be the first female fighter with autism in Britain (Pix via SWNS)

She wants more women to take up bare-knuckle fighting - which originated in 17th-century England - and hopes to inspire her son Alfie, 13, who also has autism.

Danni said: “I just hope that I can build more awareness for this sport and the charity.

"I became an ambassador with the National Autistic Society mainly for my son. I do get a bit worried what might happen when he grows up and what the world will be like then.

“So when they approached me to get involved, I was 100 per cent on board.”

Danni started participating in fighting sports aged eight.

She achieved a black belt in karate and earned 24 trophies over the years.

However, when she first tried boxing, Danni said due to her autism and not being able to see her hands while wearing boxing gloves, she couldn't enjoy it.

But she said: “As soon as I took the gloves off – it was a completely different story. That’s when I first heard about bare knuckle boxing.”

Danni started bare-knuckle fighting six months ago and quickly became a rising star.

She was signed on as a professional fighter with the first Bare Knuckle Boxing Company recently.

Danni trains for between four and six hours per day, either running, doing metabolic exercise or strength and conditioning of her hands, with two sessions in the morning and two in the evening.

Danni Ashfield recently signed a pro contract - and thinks she could be the first female fighter with autism in Britain (Pix via SWNS)

She said: “For conditioning my hands, I punch sandbags or the concrete slab in my garden.

"I don’t aim to break them, but it is just purely to build enough strength up in my hands. Eventually you get a bit immune to the pain but it can be a painful process.

“You just start out slow with it. I can feel the pain more in winter.”

She also works closely co- owner of Bare Knuckle Boxing, Jim Freeman, and trains at Unit One MMA in Shotton and Tokon Karate Academy in Chester.

Jim said: "I think Danni has a great future ahead of her.

"She is always going to be seen as a pioneer of the sport, she gets to out her name out there and create a lasting legacy.

“She is going to get a lot of adulation and respect for what she is doing, and rightly so because the people are the toughest of the tough.”

Danni said bare-knuckle fighting is a male-dominated sport and that she has faced criticism for taking part.

She said: “I would say the sport is quite male-dominated at the moment - and I am trying to make some noise about it.

“It’s like how football started out - there weren’t many women playing.

“I think the main issue is that the sport has not had enough time to evolve.

"The company I am signed on with is the only one in the whole world. They try to go into different countries and organise fights there.

“But I think it’s the bare knuckle element that puts some women off, it might seem a bit brutal.

“A couple of people have told me that women shouldn’t be fighting. Some people think it’s really cool, other people think it’s scary. People have mixed reactions to it.

“I have had a guy on Facebook that I ‘shouldn’t be punching with my puny arms’ and was offering to fight me.

“But the community itself so friendly and welcoming.”

Jim added: “We have about a dozen women signed up as fighters now. They can fight to a great standard and quality and are extremely talented.”

Danni also said the sport was accommodating like no other sport she has been involved in.

Danni Ashfield recently signed a pro contract - and thinks she could be the first female fighter with autism in Britain (Pix via SWNS)

She said: “I often don’t tell people that I am autistic in case they treated me differently.

“Some people don’t have a full understanding of what autism can involve.

“But my coach took me to where I would be fighting and showed me everywhere I would walk through, what would happen, the music, the speakers, the people who were going to be there.

“I could prep and process before my match and that was really, really good of him to do.

“I’ve never been involved in a sport as accommodating as this one."


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100s feared dead as massive 6.2 magnitude earthquake devastates China

By Safia Azizi

More than 120 people have been killed - and hundreds more injured and homeless - in north-west China in the country's deadliest earthquake in 13 years.

The 6.2 magnitude earthquake that hit the mountainous Gansu province was so severe it rocked neighbouring Qinghai.

China's President Xi Jinping ordered thousands of rescue crew to the region amid fears fatalities may rise in the freezing temperatures.

Entire villages were split by the quake, leaving collapsed buildings and houses in its wake.

Victims left homeless were seen huddling over makeshift fires at hastily erected evacuation camps as temperatures hit -13C (8.7F).


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Oh yes he did! Panto star's surprise on stage proposal

(Pix: Christopher Bowen / Beacon Arts Centre / SWNS)

Oh yes he did! A pantomime star was left shocked after his boyfriend surprised him on-stage - with a wedding proposal.

Lee Samuel, 37, was performing as Boabby Blumenthal in Beauty and the Beast when his boyfriend Lee Johnston, 30, suddenly walked on stage.

Mr Johnston then got down on one knee and popped the question to his boyfriend of two years in front of a cheering crowd.

Mr Samuel said: "I didn't really know what was going on and we had taken our final bow all the audience were cheering.

"My colleague then stood forward and said we had a special moment for a special person, but I looked at him and was like 'what are you doing?'

"Then he pointed to the right of the stage and from the wings, out came my then-boyfriend and now fiancé.

"He was introduced and got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.

"The whole crowd just stood up. It was the best feeling and it was a sold out weekend so it was absolutely amazing.

"It couldn't have been a more magical moment. I was stunned and I was speechless for the first time in my life."

Mr Johnston said he wanted the proposal 'to be special' which is why he decided to do it at the Beacon Arts Centre in Glasgow.

The social worker said: "I wanted the proposal to be special and to take him completely off guard.

"Being on stage and doing panto is what he was born to do and I decided to do it there because he loves it so much.

"When I first met him, I was in awe that he was an actor."

Mr Samuel didn't know that his future husband was at the performance on Sunday (December 10) until he walked out on stage.

Their family and friends were also watching the show in the audience and waiting for the proposal but hid from Mr Samuel so he didn't see them while he was performing.

But he said he's happy they got engaged at the venue because it has a 'very special place in his heart.'

He said: "I usually find out everything - I'm usually the one that's in on the surprises and the one that's in on the jokes.

"I had no clue - everyone knew apart from me.

"I don't even know how people were able to keep it a secret.

"I'm always talking to the boys and girls in the audience and I just didn't see anybody.

"I can spot some people but because the stage lights are so bright, the audience are in the dark and you can't really see them.

"But I'm so surprised that I didn't spot any of them.

"Panto has a very special place in my heart and the venue has a very special place in my heart as I've done panto every year.

"I'm a comedy actor so I do panto and children's theatre.

"He just knows how special it is to me so he thought it would be a really, really magical moment."

Mr Samuel said it was 'love at first sight' when the couple, who first met two-and-a-half years ago.

But he added that he doesn't want a pantomime-themed wedding and instead wants something 'completely different.'

The actor said: "We had a first date and we were chatting about the future and we were both really on the same page.

"It was love at first sight and we just got each other from the get go.

"It's like we've met each other's soulmates, it's fabulous.

"I'm doing panto until New Year's Eve and with the madness of Christmas, we'll have to start making plans for a wedding in the new year.

"Because panto is what I love and what I do as a job, I think the wedding has to be something that's completely different.

"The engagement was a really special moment to happen in a really magical place but we have to do something bigger and better."

 

 


Early Christmas present? £3m F1 Grand Prix winning car for sale

How's this for the ultimate car fan's Christmas present?

A F1 Grand Prix-winning race car that beat Ayrton Senna is up for sale.

Driven to victory in the 1990 Hungarian Grand Prix by Belgian Thierry Boutsen, the prestige motor is expected to go for over £3m.

The Williams-Renault FW13B is owned by a private collector and is being offered in a sale by UK-based Collecting Cars.

The vehicle, meticulously restored by Williams Heritage, boasts an impressive F1 track record from 1990: triumphing over Senna in Hungary, securing second place in Britain, as well as achieving fourth positions in both Monaco and Spain.

Collecting Cars say: "The iconic cars of this era are now rightly considered ‘works of art’ in their own right, with many adorning the walls and collections of their drivers and other passionate fans worldwide, as a nostalgic celebration of one of the golden ages of the sport – and this car is even more exceptional given it is in fully working condition. This Grand Prix winning car represents an incredibly rare chance to join that small group of collectors."

Despite being offered for sale by a private collector, Collecting Cars notes that this FW13B has solely been raced, demonstrated, and maintained by Williams Grand Prix Engineering.

Collecting Cars say: "It remains a fully working Formula One Grand Prix winner, accompanied by all required pit equipment and a spare set of wheels, and also provides access to the Williams Heritage F1 program.

"Unlike so many racers that inevitably end up being worked on outside of the team factory, possibly modified or changed beyond original specifications, this car boasts exceptional and unquestionable provenance."

A spokesperson for the company says: "I would estimate this could sell in the region of £3 million considering its Grand Prix winning status and fully restored condition."

 

 


Two male bears brutally battle over mating rights

A group of tourists were left ‘distressed’ as two grizzly bears brutally battled over mating rights mere metres away from their boat.

Vanessa Obran and her husband John were on a tour of a bay in British Columbia, Canada, when they spotted two bears mating on the shore.

Dramatic footage captured the moment a jealous male sprinted across the shale and tackled one of the mating pair and pinned it to the ground.

In an epic 17 minute encounter, the two testosterone-fuelled bears tore chunks of flesh off each other with their teeth and paws, and even took their fight into the water.

Vanessa, from Australia, said: “While filming, the violence made me feel physically sick to the stomach.

“I love bears so much and the violence was so hard to watch. There are parts of the video that I don’t watch now as it is distressing.

“One minute we were watching a tranquil scene of two bears mating on the beach. We thought how lovely, that is something you don’t see very often. Then all hell broke loose.

“They were fighting over mating rights. Both bears had a lot of injuries, cuts and bites. They were about 8ft tall on their hind legs.

“I had filmed a bear fight before in Alaska but it was only a few swipes. Nothing as brutal as this.

“Having said that, I knew what a rare occurrence this was to witness and I feel so lucky to have been there at the right time and right place.

“To see them fight for so long is nearly unheard of. Wildlife guides we have since spoken to, who have been watching bears for 30 years, have never seen anything like it.

"We made our first trip to Yellowstone National Park in 2012 where we saw our first wild grizzly bear. We were hooked.

“Since then we go to the US and Canada every two years and spend up to three months going to the National Parks to see bears, moose, wolves. Any animal at all we are happy to spot.

“It becomes an addiction. It is so thrilling to spot an animal in the wild.”