Dick Cole is quitting Mebyon Kernow, which campaigns for greater self-rule for Cornwall, after 29 years at the helm

There will be no great fanfare when Dick Cole steps down as party leader in a few days’ time.

“We’ll have an official handover at our party conference,” Cole said. “Hopefully it will be a nice event. We’ll go to the pub afterwards and have a few beers. I expect I’ll breathe a big sigh of relief.”

School looking to sell piece of open land beloved by people in Devon town to fund refurbishments

On Saturdays throughout autumn, residents of Totnes have met at a field on the banks of the River Dart to play ballgames, fly kites or simply sit on the grass and chat.

But it hasn’t just been about having fun – this has been a “play protest” aimed at trying to save a beloved piece of open land in the historic Devon market town.

Exclusive: Portsmouth Historic Dockyard’s new £15m permanent display tells tales of courage from conflicts such as Crimean and both world wars

They tell tales of bravery under fire, may lead to conversations about the UK’s place in the world and could prompt visitors to reflect on what they might have done if faced with the same perilous circumstances.

All 10 Victoria Crosses (VCs) awarded to members of the Royal Marines are going on display together for the first time along with tales of courage during conflicts such as the Crimean and both world wars.

Engineer Tristan Ralph describes task of maintaining and running Bristol structure without public money

The job does not give the holder age-old perks such as the right to drive sheep across the great structure, but the title “bridge master” does have a certain ring to it.

“I don’t tend to say I’m the bridge master when I’m at a party,” said Tristan Ralph, the current holder of the title. “But people do seem to know and bring it up. It’s a job less ordinary, isn’t it? It’s a Victorian sounding title and people are really, really interested.”

Herring, flatfish and oysters are increasingly off the dining table, with just five fish species now dominating

In days gone by, the UK’s domestic cooks were an adventurous lot when it came to seafood, prepared to dish up anything from an oyster cocktail to whale meat curry.

But an academic investigation of more than 1,000 fish and shellfish recipes published in a lifestyle magazine over the last century suggests tastes have become much narrower. Ruth Thurstan, from the University of Exeter, studied seafood recipes published in the British version of the magazine Good Housekeeping from 1923 to the present.

Pre-1970s: A diverse mix of species in recipes. No single group ruled but flatfish, herring and oyster were prominent. Recipes emphasised domestic skills, economy and preparing whole fish.

The 1970s shift: A decline in diversity of fish species in recipes, with increased focus on the “big five”.

1980s-present: “Big five” present in the majority of recipes, with a decline of other species – though not all have vanished entirely.

Zack Coughlan is accused of murdering Jamie Collins, with whom he studied at the University of the West of England

A university student lay in wait for his housemate to return home before stabbing him 30 times, a murder trial has been told.

Zack Coughlan, 23, dressed in black and wore a mask and gloves to ambush Jamie Collins, 21, in the garden of their home near the University of West England in Bristol, where both were studying robotics.

A dry summer has left the Bristol Channel island critically short of water, forcing visitor caps and talk of evacuating its 28 residents

Tom Carr was peering up at the clouds scudding around the island of Lundy, 10 miles off the coast of north Devon. “That one’s definitely got rain in it,” he said. “The mainland will be wet at the moment. And look over at Wales – it’s getting a real soaking just now.”

But above Lundy the sky was, stubbornly, blue. No significant rain has fallen here since the start of May, leading to perilously low water levels. Restrictions have been put in place, visitor numbers limited and there has been talk of the island – home to 28 people – being evacuated.

Scott Chilton, who led Hampshire and the Isle of Wight police, barred from becoming a police officer again

A former chief constable showed a sense of entitlement, dishonesty and lack of integrity by having sexual relationships with two subordinate officers, including engaging in sexual activity while on call to lead major incidents, a misconduct hearing has ruled.

The panel found that the behaviour of Scott Chilton, 53, who retired as chief constable of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight before the hearing, amounted to gross misconduct.