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Students at a Gloucestershire college have been litter picking to improve parks and protect hedgehogs.

The students from National Star College in Ullenwood – which provides further education for people with disabilities and acquired brain injuries – want other people to do the same in their local parks.

They have been working in Clyde Crescent Park, in Cheltenham, where they have recovered everything from gas cannisters to broken scooters.

Elaine Hodgin, sustainability Llead at National Star College, said: "We collected a staggering 12kg of litter in the first week alone."

Ipswich Town's Portman Road stadium is being transformed into a boxing arena ahead of a heavyweight fight.

The Suffolk ground is due to host about 20,000 spectators when hometown hero Fabio Wardley takes on undefeated Justis Huni on Saturday.

The British fighter is hoping for a better outcome on the pitch than his beloved Tractor Boys, who failed to register a Premier League home win in 2025.

Queensberry Promotions said the arena was "coming along nicely" as it shared some pictures ahead of the bout.

Wardley was originally supposed to be fighting Jarrell Miller, who pulled out after suffering an injury in May.

Pictures have shown the stadium's famous pitch covered in protective plastic boards, with tall metal structures in place where the boxing ring is taking shape.

Wardley, who is boxing for the WBA interim title, said it was a "dream come true" to battle at the ground, which holds up to 30,000 fans for football.

He has won 18 of his 19 professional fights, with Huni winning all 12 bouts he has fought.

Ring walks are expected to take place at 21:50 BST, with gates opening at 16:30.

It will be the first time since 1946 that Portman Road has hosted boxing, according to TWTD.

Olympic medallist Lewis Richardson, from Colchester, is on the 10-fight undercard, as is Ipswich boxer Jack Williams.

According to Ipswich Town FC's website, the first fight of the night was expected to start at 16:40 BST.

About 10 fights were set to take place at Portman Road on Saturday, with gates opening at 16:30.

At least 50 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, health officials and first responders say.

Nine people died in the morning when a missile hit a police station in the market area of Jabalia town, in the north, a hospital said.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it struck a "command-and-control centre" for Hamas and its ally Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Jabalia that was being used to plan attacks.

The Hamas-run Civil Defence agency said 23 more people were killed later when a family home in Jabalia's Ard Halawa area was bombed. The IDF said it struck "a key Hamas terrorist who posed a significant threat" to its troops, without identifying him.

It added that precise munitions were used and that steps had been taken to mitigate the risk to civilians, while also accusing Hamas of exploiting civilians as human shields.

The Civil Defence initially reported that 12 people were killed in the strike, but increased the death toll on Friday after its first responders recovered another 11 bodies overnight.

A much-loved crocodile is back on display at a town art gallery.

The stuffed gharial, a type of crocodile mainly found in India, returned to its display at Museum & Art Swindon after being absent for five years.

Fondly known as the Swindon Croc, the gharial has been in the council's possession since 1931 and has been displayed in a number of exhibitions throughout the years.

The gharial has had extensive restoration work done since it disappeared from view when the museum closed in 2020 and was welcomed back with an unveiling event earlier.

Gharials are one of the longest living members of the crocodile family but are now an endangered species. It is estimated there are fewer than 250 still alive.

The Swindon gharial was originally a hunting trophy and its first known owner was Maj Morton Hiles, who lived in India between 1916 and 1922.

He later lived in Warminster and gave the gharial to Warminster School before it was passed to the museum in 1931.

The new exhibition at Museum & Art Swindon explores the history of the gharial, the moral, ethical and legal considerations of protecting a critically-endangered species, where it can currently be found in the wild and what it means to the people of Swindon.

The new exhibition also highlights creatures in Wiltshire that are on the critical list such as the West European Hedgehog and the Lapwing bird.

The gharial was unveiled at the civic offices by Swindon Borough Council leader Jim Robbins, deputy mayor of Swindon Neil Hopkins and South Swindon MP Heidi Alexander.

Councillor Jim Robbins, said: "The gharial, or Swindon Croc as it's fondly known, is one of the most famous pieces in Swindon's collection and was the figurehead of the Save the Croc campaign when the Museum & Art Gallery closed at Apsley House in Old Town.

"The gharial is more than just a stuffed reptile in a museum and we want to make sure its long and complex history, which intertwines with Britain's past and the country's place in the world, is explored in the right way."

Barbecues and campfires have been banned in part of the Peak District in a bid to stop wildfires breaking out.

Fire crews in the High Peak, Derbyshire, have been called to a number of fires in the national park so far this year, including a major incident in Goyt Valley which shut roads and took days to bring under control.

High Peak Borough Council on Friday approved an order for public areas of the Peak District within its borders, giving powers to police and council officers "to reduce the risk of wildfires".

It has banned lighting fires, barbecues, fireworks and sky lanterns, and carrying items which officers think will be used to do so.

Anyone breaking the new order faces a fine of up to £100.

Councillor for community safety Godfrey Claff said "careless and thoughtless behaviour" in the Peak District carries a huge risk.

He added: "We're worried about the barbecues, we're worried about people who throw away a lighted cigarette or throw away a lighted match, anything which constitutes the danger of a wildfire occurring.

"We take it very seriously and this may sound overdramatic, but when you see what can happen from the examples in Australia, in Canada, in Los Angeles more recently, those fires occurred because of carelessness in the first instance.

"But once they get a hold, then they can cause death. They can cause extensive damage to property.

"And the climate is changing so radically that people believe that that sort of thing is not out of reach in this country."

The curtains at a historical Suffolk arts venue will be pulled shut for seven months today so a multi-million pound restoration can be carried out.

Ipswich Regent Theatre, which has been an entertainment staple in the town since the 1920s, will be closed until 12 December as part of a £3.5m redevelopment project.

The changes will see a single-storey extension built at the rear of the venue, a "wall of fame" mural created at the entrance, and the toilets refurbished.

The St Helen's Street theatre, which is the largest in the East of England, will also boast larger bar areas, while disabled access will also be improved and modified.

Jane Riley, in charge of culture at Ipswich Borough Council, said: "It's going to make the whole space so much nicer and I personally am looking forward to it.

"One common complaint is there nowhere to sit, as there is limited seating now, but where the ladies toilets are currently, that will all become bar space and seats.

"It will be a much more comfortable experience and people will notice that immediately."

The proposal for the new-look auditorium was approved by Ipswich Borough Council's planning department in December.

As part of the scheme, the existing canopy will be refurbished and illuminated lettering will be installed at the front.

The theatre's Crush Hall and Circle Lounge bars will also be modernised, the council said, and the toilet facilities improved.

The final performance before the closure took place on Saturday, with Give A Little Love singer Daniel O'Donnell taking to the stage.

The first show after reopening is due to be the Cinderella Christmas pantomime, running from 12 to 31 December which also includes two adult performances on the 29 and 30 December.

Some of the shows that would have been staged at the venue will instead take place at the nearby Corn Exchange.

"It's a popular venue and it's always a shame to have to close a building but now is the time to do it as the summer is actually a relatively quiet period," added Ms Riley.

"[But once the revamp is complete], it will look and feel a lot nicer to use and will help the experience."

'Looking forward'

Keen theatre-goer Tracey Pearson has watched 102 shows at the Regent in the last 10 years and says she was "very excited" about the revamp.

She currently has one show booked at the nearby Corn Exchange "to fill the gap", but has already booked three events to attend once the theatre reopens.

"We are very much excited and looking forward to returning," she told the BBC.

"My mum is in a wheelchair and if she has to get up to let people past the staff tell the people to give her time to get up from her seat – they are very welcoming and friendly.

"The prices are good and there is something for everyone."

The Grade II listed art deco theatre opened in 1929 and offered cinema viewings until the mid-1980s before being bought by the council in 1991.