Each week, Ben Hopkinson looks back at a serious, crazy, and happy news story from the past week.
Serious News
The RSPCA have unfortunately announced a rise in animal beatings throughout the South East across the last few summers.
Throughout summer last year, 129 cases of abuse was reported in Kent – an increase of 101% since 2020. Meanwhile a similar trend was also spotted in both the East and West Sussex areas.
Nationwide, both England and Wales have seen a rise of 105% in the same period which equates to four beatings reported every hour while the lines are open.
Ian Briggs, the head of RSPCA’s special operations unit has highlighted their Summer Cruelty Campaign as “for thousands of animals this time of year is one of pain and suffering”.
Dogs were the most likely to be beaten, nearly 21,000 reports for abuse against canines.
Within the months of June, July and August lasty year there was 34,401 cruelty calls received by the charity, compared to 25,887 within the same period in 2023 – up by a third.
Crazy News
In a bid to set a new record, 36-year-old Dean Stokes rode 55 different rollercoasters within one week.
The record, introduced by Guinness World Records, was set at 30 but Stokes almost accomplished double that as he started on 2nd August at Brighton Palace Pier before ending at Thorpe Park the following weekend.
The target was 60, but weather meant that two theme parks were closed in during the week.
Speaking of the attempt, he says: “I visited my first theme park as a teenager and quickly realized I loved the adrenaline rush. I enjoy finding new theme parks to visit and taking in the whole ambience from theming, the music and through to the rides themselves”.
His mission is not completed yet however, as his aim to ride every roller coaster in Brittain and Ireland – his favourite so far being Blackpool’s Pleasure Beach.
Happy News
A member of staff at the Ford Motor Company was reunited with a wallet which was lost 10 years ago.
A mechanic in Chad Volk ended up finding it while servicing his 2015 Ford Edge, as the item was not snapping into place – something that should have been an easy placement.
Inside the wallet was a driving license, $15, a faded lottery ticket, Cabela gift cards as well as the employee ID. Back at Christmastime in 2014, it fell out of a shirt pocket being unaware at the time.
The car ended up leaving the Detroit area and being sold in Arizona, before being resold in Minnesota after more than 151,000 miles on the clock.
Richard Guildford has since retired and was delighted to have his wallet returned, saying: “It restores your faith in humanity that people will say, ‘Hey, you lost this, I found this, I’m going to get it back to you’” as he is unsure how it survived the elements or even the heat of the car under the sun.
The gift cards will also be honoured by the company which specialises in camping, hunting, fishing and boating equipment.
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