Phoebe Hobbs

Things I've learnt reporting on housing:

- Don't buy a new build
- Don't buy a old build either
- Don't buy leasehold
- Don't buy a house
- Don't rent a house
- Flee to the Outer Hebrides
- Live in a small fishing hut and earn your keep on the high seas
- Forage for food in the forest

"Whenever I feel like I can't be bothered with it all, I try and remember Emily Davidson threw herself in front of a horse so I could put a tick in a box every couple of years."

Go and vote today, because what else are you going to do today Just get it over with.

"If you're no longer convinced that voting could truly help, could you at least be persuaded that it couldn't hurt?"

My half-hearted attempt to fight against voter apathy ahead of today's elections.

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Quakers protest outside Bath police station following raid Protesters were seen holding up signs outside the Police Station.

Six women were arrested inside the Westminster Meeting House in March on "suspicion of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance".

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Abandoned pub site of major drugs bust lies in state of disrepair It had become a centre for drug dealing

"It was a really popular pub. As it turned out, probably for the wrong reasons!".

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Amazing! I remember reading her book while I was a trainee ahaha

Hidden Bohemian restaurant serves up cool as well as food Most tourists won't know about this lounge, but it's a big favourite with residents.

With its vintage flowery wallpaper, gallery of old portraits with mysterious sitters, and tasselled hanging lampshades, the Velo Lounge offers a carefully curated sense of bohemianism. Dining here feels a bit little like occupying an Edward Hopper painting.

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'Ghost town' shopping centre with just a few shops left 'abandoned' One man took out a £22,000 loan to support his business at Castle Place. Now, he fears the shopping centre will close down completely.

One man took out a £22,000 loan to support his business at Castle Place. Now, he fears the shopping centre will close down completely.

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Tributes pour in after beloved town wizard Merlin dies Merlin (also known as Raymond Rutter) was a local celebrity in Glastonbury and people travelled from all over the country to meet him.

His friend Gabriel Avalon described him as "a character, a chap, a nutter, a friend".

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NHS worker left in pain "like labour" after waiting years for treatment "I don't have a day where I don't have pain."

Lisa, who works as a medical secretary at Royal United Hospitals, says not a day goes by when she's not in pain: "I'm not sleeping because I'm dreaming I'm in labour, because the pain is like labour."

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Woman falls five metres off quay in Cornwall She had to be rescued

"On arrival crews confirmed that the tide in the quay was out and the casualty was on hardstanding."

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Villagers have five weeks to snap up beloved village pub The Inn at Freshford could be bought by the community...But they have less than six weeks to place a bid.

The inn has a storied history going back to Tudor times, and has since attracted ghost hunters after regulars reported seeing ghostly Victorian figures.

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Cat called Mozzarella becomes obsessed with chicken after brain surgery The vet said it was one of the biggest feline tumours he had ever seen.

Mozzarella - named for his handsome white coat - was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2021 after his owner noticed him being unsteady on his paws. After a successful operation he has since made a full recovery - albeit with a newfound obsession with chicken.

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Old phone box bought for £1 turned into touching memorial

Batheaston has a surprising forgotten history involving the suffragette movement.

Parent fined for 'taking children to scatter grandfather's ashes' Nicolene Shepherd says she was fined after taking her children out of school to scatter their grandfather's ashes.

Nicolene Shepherd, 41, says she was fined after taking her children out of school to scatter their grandfather's ashes.

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Pure imagination café where 'unfinished' is the new complete Stacks opened last year, but it isn't done evolving

"Stacks is an exciting new joint that makes 'unfinished' a compliment, not an insult. Most cafes consider themselves complete when they first open their doors, but Stacks invokes a sense of unending experimentation."

My review for Somerset Live ☕

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Miss Somerset hopes to redefine the beauty pageant stereotype It's not about who looks the prettiest - and she is dedicating her pageant platform to a friend she lost to suicide

Just heard that Chloe - who I had the pleasure of speaking to a few weeks ago - has passed away. I only spoke to her once, but she was so bright, sincere, and cared so much about advocating for mental health awareness. RIP.

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Residents take refuge after being evacuated from flooded homes An emergency fundraiser has been launched

The town - which has been hit by a double yellow weather warning for wind and rain - saw local people flee to the Minster after their homes were flooded yesterday (Sunday, January 26).

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Sainsbury's superstore closes after Biblical rain in Chard Homes have flooded throughout the town.

A local councillor said he'll be getting just three hours sleep in the rush to try and help people in Chard who have been impacted by a night of heavy flooding.

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What do you have in your diary this summer? How about playing Glasto? 🤔 My piece for @somersetlive.co.uk

Play On! is a joyous musical with a magnetic cast "Shakespeare is an acquired taste. Jazz is an acquired taste. Combining both takes bravery and vision."

"What might have been a hard sell - Shakespeare and jazz, jazz and Shakespeare - is rendered accessible by an impeccable cast and music that goes down smooth as a shot of bourbon."

My review of 'Play On!' at @oldvictheatre.bsky.social - playing until Saturday

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I don't like *mean* reviews, reviews that are unconstructive and unkind and take cheap shots.

Negative reviews? I'm not so sure they have no worth. One of the best things about art is they start conversations. A conversation where you're only allowed to say good things might not be so interesting.

Hindus believe in the philosophy of 'Ahimsa', or non-violence. For that reason, many Hindus are vegetarian or vegan. Cows are particularly respected: not only are they seen as givers of life, the Lord Krishna is believed to have a special bond with the animals.

Hindu student mistakenly served beef dumplings at Wagamama Wagamama have since apologised for the 'regrettable incident'

Aditya, 19, went to the restaurant to celebrate New Year's Eve with a friend, but was deeply disturbed after accidentally being served beef.

Wagamama has since apologised for what they said was a regrettable incident due to a human error.

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Hindus believe in the philosophy of 'Ahimsa', or non-violence. For that reason, many Hindus are vegetarian or vegan. Cows are particularly respected: not only are they seen as givers of life, the Lord Krishna is believed to have a special bond with the animals.

I'd be interested to hear what you think of JADE. She had a top ten single this year ('Angel of My Dreams').

Residents evacuated from 'dangerous' building in town centre The building was showing cracks and bulging walls

A "dangerous structure" with "cracks and bulging walls" was evacuated in Bodmin this afternoon (Sunday, January 5).

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Olympic medalist's triumphant journey through adversity She didn't just have to prove herself at the Olympic try-outs, she had to prove herself while recovering from surgery on both her arms.

The road to Olympic Bronze was not simple for Taunton-born rower Becky Wilde: "I underwent [surgery on my arms] ten weeks before the Olympic trials - it was kind of a race against time to get fit and get back in the boat".

Here's how she persevered.

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Much-loved café closes down for good as money runs out 'Heartbreakingly, we have not been able to keep up with the ever increasing costs'

"The cost of living crisis and the news of the new budget on the horizon is making it increasingly hard for small businesses to survive. Heartbreakingly, we have not been able to keep up with the ever increasing costs."

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Restaurant closes tonight after 11 years in business Kazbar will shut its doors tonight for the last time.

One customer said he was 'devastated' by the news: "Sadly Yeovil's night time economy just isn't there it seems[,] like a lot of small towns. Instead people are happy to go to horrendous chains instead of fantastic independent restaurants and bars."

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