Since 1971, Hilary Spiers has lived in Stevenage. 

She's brought her family up here and says it has a fantastic "community". 

She's the chair of the Stevenage Arts Guild says the town has "amazing things" like choirs and orchestras and is of course where Lewis Hamilton grew up.  

She says the "heart of the town lies with its people and I think that's all you can say about Stevenage, we have some wonderful people that live here".

Image source, John M/Geograph

Image source, John M/Geograph

Image source, Robin Hall/Geograph

Jodie Halford
BBC News

The original vision for Stevenage - which was designated Britain's first new town 70 years ago today - was that it should be a self-contained community with easy access to the countryside, sports and leisure facilities.

Some shoppers in the town centre weren't convinced it had achieved those aims.

"It fulfilled its brief in the past but there are more and more new estates going up and the infrastructure is not there to support the amount of people coming into the area," said Mick Smith, who lives nearby.

"The town is beginning to suffer for it and you can see it every time you come here.

"We come here because it's got the shops, but as a town it's not somewhere I would want to live."

Caroline Kingdon
BBC Local Live

Over 100 years ago, when the Zeppelin threat loomed over Norfolk during World War One, soldiers were posted to King's Lynn to keep a watch for the raiders.

Among those regiments were the Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars and the Bucks Royal Hussars. They moved on after the summer of 1916, to be replaced by the 3rd Battalion Norfolk Regiment and the Royal Defence Corps, and a Welsh regiment in 1917. 

To pass the time, many of the men scratched their names and service numbers in one of their look-outs - the tower of the newly-built King's Lynn library.

Image source, Google

Librarian Kevin Hitchcock, who's researched the stories behind some of the names, says the wall has suffered erosion over the years and the names need protecting.

Alex Pope
BBC Local Live

A teenager has been left with a fractured skull after an unprovoked attack in Royston, external. 

Hertfordshire police say two 16-year-old boys were assaulted at about 20:45 last Friday night on Fish Hill. 

One was hit several times on the head and body with what's thought to be baseball bat and he had to have surgery. 

Image source, Google

Both boys were treated at Addenbrooke's Hospital but have now been released. Police want to speak to witnesses.

Alex Pope
BBC Local Live

Urgent repairs to the track are taking place between Roydon and Broxbourne, external.

Trains are unable to run from Stansted Airport and Cambridge towards Broxbourne. 

Network Rail engineers are expected on site this lunchtime to inspect the defective section of track.

Once the line reopens, a good service is expected to operate from 15:00.

Danny Shaw
BBC Home Affairs Correspondent

Spare capacity in the prison system in England and Wales has fallen to below 1,000, following disturbances at Bedford Prison.

Ministry of Justice figures show the "usable operational capacity" has dropped by 135 places over the past week to 86,923. The prison population is 85,975, leaving just 948 spare places. 

Caroline Kingdon
BBC Local Live

Here are more results of the research by Kevin Hitchcock into the names carved onto the brickwork on the roof of King's Lynn library tower...

Cyril Tufrey was in the Machine Gun Regiment. He served in Egypt and Palestine, and was transferred to the western front.

Image source, Kevin Hitchcock

Like Cyril Tufrey, Clarence Skinner was in the Royal Bucks Hussars. He travelled to King's Lynn to join up, and ended up in France in the Bucks and Berkshire Machine Gun Company.

Image source, Kevin Hitchcock

Stuart Ratcliffe
BBC Look East

Before people across Beds, Bucks and Herts fell silent to honour our war dead, Wally Randall was busy selling poppies in Leighton Buzzard. 

The 101-year-old is one of the oldest poppy sellers around.

Caroline Kingdon
BBC Local Live

These photos record the names of some of the men who scratched their names on the roof of their King's Lynn library lookout post before going on to fight in the Battle of the Somme.

Members of Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars (QOOH) went "over the top" on 7 October 1916.

This first photo records Maurice Pratt, who was killed in action on the autumn day.

AE Lovegrove survived the Somme, to be discharged in 1917 after an epileptic fit in the trenches:

Image source, Kevin Hitchcock

Stanley Berry went over the top at the Somme on the 7 October - and was injured on that day:

Image source, Kevin Hitchcock

 A Grant of the QOOH, who dated his graffito November 1915, was killed in action in 1918:

Image source, Kevin Hitchcock

Kate Bradbrook
BBC Look East

On the day 70 years ago Stevenage was designated a new town, it fell silent for two minutes today to mark Armistice Day.

England must box clever to beat the bruising South Africans for the first time in 13 games, says injured flanker James Haskell.

Caroline Kingdon
BBC Local Live

King's Lynn librarian Kevin Hitchcock is researching the stories behind the soldiers who scratched their initials into the brickwork of the King's Lynn library tower in 1916.

Soldiers from the Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars (QOOH) and the Royal Bucks Hussar (RBH) were posted to the town to keep a watch for raiders.

They moved on in the summer of 1916, with many fighting in the Battle of the Somme.

Image source, Kevin Hitchcock

With the help of the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum, external, and a date-by-date diary written by one of the men stationed at King's Lynn, Kevin says they know the fates of many of the men.

He said: "They went over the top on 7 October 1916 and suffered terrible losses. Quite a few of the names on the tower were either killed or injured on that very date."

Services to mark Armistice Day have been held across the Beds, Bucks and Herts. 

In Luton, school children gathered at the war memorial. 

Image source, Luton Council

A crowd also gathered at the MK Rose for the two minutes' silence. 

Image source, MK Council

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue also remembered the fallen. 

Image source, Beds Fire and Rescue

People have been marking Armistice Day, with services being held across the UK.

Image source, PA

This short video (below) tells you how the tradition of wearing poppies came about, and you can read more about today's ceremonies here.

We'll now resume our live news where you live.

At 11:00 the country will fall silent to remember and honour the nation's war dead for Armistice Day.

As a mark of respect we're pausing our stream. 

Image source, Ebb&flow

Caroline Kingdon
BBC Local Live

A unique record of some of the soldiers who lost their lives at the Battle of the Somme 100 years ago is being researched in King's Lynn.

Soldiers posted to the town as look-outs for Zeppelin raids or an invasion, scratched their names and service numbers on the sides of the bricks and stones at the top of the crenelated tower of the newly-built library.

Image source, Kevin Hitchcock

Most of the men were from the Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars (QOOH) and the Royal Bucks Hussars (RBH), and were billeted with local families whose own sons were serving elsewhere.

The soldiers were a great boon to the local economy - and there's evidence of weddings to two local ladies.

After the summer of 1916, the two regiments were posted to France, with most of them fighting in the Battle of the Somme.

Image source, Kevin Hitchcock

A gingerbread model of Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire has been unveiled by the National Trust, after "biscuit architects" took 500 hours to make it.

Jodie Halford
BBC News

Seventy years ago Stevenage was designated the UK's first "new town". 

It was devised as a radical solution to London's post-war housing crisis. 

Watch its story below...

Justin Dealey
BBC Three Counties Radio

This morning I had the pleasure of meeting 101-year-old poppy seller Wally Randall, from Leighton Buzzard.

He served in the forces during World War Two where he was sent to North Africa.

Here's his story...

Alex Pope
BBC Local Live

Hazel Holder commutes into London from Leagrave station and she's described this week's disruption to her train journey as "horrendous".

On Tuesday night she got on the 21:55 train, but actually arrived in Luton at 02:20. 

She says the whole situation has been "ridiculous". 

Luckily trains are now starting to get back to normal, but that's after delays and cancellations since Tuesday.