Bob Sargent, from South Hykeham, got over 500 cards from around the world after a social media plea.

A Harrogate woman with size H breasts has been offered a reduction operation by a Harley Street surgeon if she donates her crowdfunding money to charity.

Image source, Kelly Michaud

Kelly Michaud started to raise money in February after finding she was not eligible for an NHS procedure.

Mrs Michaud will pay for follow-up appointments and hospital fees of around £2,500 from the money she raised and the rest will go to charity. The 26-year-old said it will be "life-changing".

The mother-of-two said she is "so excited" and "so grateful" for the offer from Dr Dan Marsh.

Mrs Michaud has previously said her chest size causes her mental anguish and the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) has said the physical and psychological distress of very large breasts is "well-documented".

Some NHS Trusts allow breast reduction surgery based on clinical need, and after finding she was not eligible Mrs Michaud set up a crowdfund appeal raising £10,000.

The free private operation will be carried out in September, with around 500g removed from each breast.

Mrs Michaud will donate the remaining funds to a breast cancer charity.

A police officer charged with rape and sexual assault has appeared in court.

Image source, Ben Lack

Sgt Ben Lister, 35, of West Yorkshire Police, is accused of attacking a woman in Bradford on 29 August 2016.

District Judge Tan Ikram granted him unconditional bail after a brief hearing at Bradford Magistrates' Court and ordered him to appear before the city's crown court on 21 April.

West Yorkshire Police said Sgt Lister, who was based in the Bradford district, had been suspended from the force.

A burnt-out vehicle's been found following a robbery at a petrol station in Lincolnshire this morning, police say.

Image source, Google

A "quantity of cash" was taken in the raid at the Gulf Filling Station on Lea Road, Gainsborough, sometime between 07:30 and 08:15, according to Lincolnshire Police.

The burned vehicle which was found shortly afterwards was made safe by firefighters, police said.

No one was injured during the robbery, officers added.

Anyone who saw the incident, or who has dashcam footage captured on Lea Road this morning, is being asked to contact police.

The loss of the John Lewis store in Sheffield will be "a hammer blow" and will leave a "gaping hole" in city centre shopping, an MP has said.

John Lewis stores in Sheffield and York are two of eight across the UK due to close as the firm "rebalances its store estate to reflect how customers want to shop", the company says.

A total of 209 jobs at the York site and 299 jobs at the Sheffield city centre site are under threat, with the company launching a consultation with those workers affected.

Sheffield Heeley Labour MP Louise Haigh says: "John Lewis is a huge draw and the closure will have a knock-on effect for businesses across Sheffield.

"The government are washing their hands of any responsibility for reviving our high streets, and creating a level playing field for local businesses.

"It’s the communities and workers who rely on them that are paying the price."

The woman was sworn at by a man in Lincoln during an event raising awareness of harassment.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Work's begun to dismantle the NHS Nightingale Hospital in Harrogate almost a year after it was built at a cost of more than £27m.

Image source, NHS England/Simon Dewhurst

The temporary 500-bed site was set up at the town's Convention Centre in April last year to cope with a surge of coronavirus cases, but it hasn't treated a single Covid patient during the pandemic.

It was one of seven built in England in 2020 to try and prevent hospitals becoming overwhelmed during the pandemic.

A spokesperson said: “The phased dismantling of NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and the Humber has begun.

“The removal of some larger pieces of equipment will require road closures which will be advertised through the appropriate channels in due course.”

Although no Covid patients were treated at the emergency unit, non-virus diagnostic tests and outpatient appointments took place there.

Earlier this month, the NHS described the network of Nightingale hospitals as the “ultimate insurance policy”.

In a statement, the NHS thanked its staff and partners "who worked so hard to set the Nightingales up so swiftly".

BBC Radio Bradford

A supermarket which donated more than 60 laptops to help support learning for children in Bradford during the pandemic has been told the donation is "a real boost" for those receiving them.

Image source, Bradford Council

Bradford-based Morrisons gifted 63 machines which were no longer in use at its head office to schools in the district.

Five schools are sharing the donation, and will distribute the equipment to children who most need it.

The Morrisons donation is in addition to a government scheme which supplies laptops, tablets and internet access, as well as BBC local radio's "Make a Difference: Give a Laptop" campaign.

Richard Woods, headteacher of Hanson School, which received 13 devices, says: "Working from home can be a challenge for many of our young people who don’t have easy access to technology.

"This is a fantastic gesture from Morrisons. The laptops will be a real boost to young people’s learning during the pandemic and beyond."

The defences, costing £42m, run for four miles along the Humber estuary and can be raised further.

The head of York's John Lewis store says the announcement that it is to close has been made with "a heavy heart".

Image source, Google

The York shop, which opened at the Vangarde Shopping Park in 2014, will not open again after coronavirus lockdown restrictions are eased, the John Lewis Partnership has confirmed.

The move puts 209 jobs at risk in York, with the planned closure of the company's Sheffield store putting a further 299 jobs under threat.

A consultation involving those workers whose jobs are affected will now be launched, the company says.

John Lewis plans to close a total of eight of its stores across the UK, with the firm's boss, Sharon White, saying it's "necessary to secure the whole partnership for the future".

Ms White adds: "We are very sad about the proposed closure of our York store and we’re very grateful for our loyal customers and partners for their support over the years.

"If the closure goes ahead, we have put together a carefully considered package of support for our York partners and would look to redeploy as many of them as possible."

Kylie Gilson, head of branch for John Lewis in York, says: "It has been a huge privilege to work alongside such brilliant partners at the Vangarde Shopping Park.

"It is with a heavy heart that we share the proposal to close the store."

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Health officials in North East Lincolnshire say they’re in “control of a number of outbreaks” of Covid-19 across the region and no "significant" outbreaks have been reported there in the last 10 days.

Image source, Reuters/Andrew Coulridge

It comes as the authority says it has seen a decrease in infection rates since 17 March, but still remains in the top 30 highest rates nationally - as well as being ranked fourth in the Greater Lincolnshire region.

The district’s latest epidemiology report says: “The infection rate of Covid-19 in North East Lincolnshire has fallen significantly over the last week.

"This fall is associated with the resolution/control of a number of outbreaks in settings such as factories and the fact that no other significant outbreaks have been reported in the last 10 days.”

The positivity rate from coronavirus testing is now 3.8%, down from 5.7% a week ago, it adds.

Since 17 March, North East Lincolnshire’s infection rate has fallen by nearly a third – from 149.2 cases to 104 cases per 100,000 people.

Over 65,000 Covid-19 vaccinations have been given to residents in the district – 95% of people over 70 and 94% of older care home residents.

One year on from the start of the first Covid-19 lockdown, directors of public health have been talking about their emergence into the spotlight.

Image source, Calderdale Council

Debs Harkins took over as director of public health for Calderdale on 1 April 2020 after leaving the same role in Dudley.

She said: "Calderdale had its first case about three weeks later, so it was helpful having been dealing for a few weeks with some of the issues"

She said in the first nine months she worked up to 80 hours a week.

However, the 53-year-old said the summer of 2020 was the hardest and described the moment Calderdale was forced into lockdown as "the worst time in my professional life".

But, Ms Harkins is used to fighting tough battles. Five years ago she was diagnosed with leukaemia and at one stage was given just a 20% chance of survival.

Nevertheless, she said her personal battle was in some ways easier than the fight against coronavirus.

"The two are comparable, but I'd say this has been harder than the leukaemia - the leukaemia was only about me and my family, and this is about all the people of Calderdale," she said.

Following the announcement that Sheffield's John Lewis shop is to close, the head of the store says it "holds a special place in many people’s hearts" in the city.

Sheffield and York's John Lewis stores are two of eight across the UK due to close as the firm "rebalances its store estate to reflect how customers want to shop", the firm says.

A total of 209 jobs at the York site and 299 jobs at the Sheffield city centre site are under threat, with the company launching a consultation with those workers affected.

In a statement, Patrick Duffy, head of branch for John Lewis Sheffield, said: “John Lewis holds a special place in my and many people’s hearts in Sheffield as we have had a presence in the city since 1940.

"We are incredibly proud of the long and valued legacy of service we’ve held in Sheffield and thank our customers for shopping with us over many years.”

The John Lewis Partnership says it will "seek to find alternative roles" for as many as possible of those whose jobs are at risk at the two Yorkshire stores.

Sharon White, chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, said: “We appreciate this is incredibly difficult news for the people of Sheffield.

"We are acutely aware of our long history in the city and are hugely grateful to all our customers in Sheffield for their loyalty," she added.

John Lewis stores in York and Sheffield are to close, putting just over 500 jobs at risk, the company has confirmed.

The shops in the two Yorkshire cities are two of eight across the UK due to close as the firm "rebalances its store estate to reflect how customers want to shop", according to the John Lewis Partnership.

A total of 299 jobs at the Sheffield city centre site (pictured) and 209 jobs at the York site are under threat, with the company launching a consultation with those workers affected.

The company says it will "seek to find alternative roles" for as many as possible of those whose jobs are at risk.

In a statement, the John Lewis Partnership says all the shops affected "were financially challenged prior to the pandemic".

It adds: "We do not think the performance of these stores can be substantially improved".

Workers who cannot, or choose not to, remain with the company will be given access to "a unique Retraining Fund" which will contribute up to £3,000 towards a recognised qualification or course for up to two years for any employee with two years’ service or more, the company says.

A health boss in East Yorkshire says there’s been "too much pain and suffering" over the last year for people to become complacent about Covid restrictions now.

Andy Kingdom, Director of Public Health for East Riding of Yorkshire Council, says he's "cautiously optimistic" about the months ahead.

But he added: "We've paid a really heavy price so far in terms of lives, businesses and schools disrupted, so let's not waste that.

"We've got the opportunity over the next few months to do basic things: get the vaccine and follow the rules.

"If we do that we can come out of this on the dates that have been set."

A hospital consultant who has spent the past year treating coronavirus patients has admitted she is now close to breaking point.

Dr Kim Chandler is the Covid-19 lead at York Hospital and is part of a team battling against the effects of the disease.

The hospital now has only one ward for Covid-positive patients - down from seven at the height of the pandemic.

Dr Chandler said: "I have lots of flashbacks and memories of how awful it has been on here at times and it does play on your mind":

A date for restarting overnight urgent care at two hospitals in Lincolnshire, which was stopped because of the coronavirus pandemic, has been announced.

Image source, Google

The service will resume at Louth and Skegness hospitals from next Thursday, according to NHS officials.

The trust which manages both hospitals says the temporary closures meant staff could be transferred to help other teams who've faced extra pressures because of Covid-19.

Tracey Pilcher, director of nursing for Lincolnshire Community Health Services, said: "It's good news for the local population and should give confidence to them that the NHS is there supporting and making sure it's accessible as near to home as possible."

But she warned: "The numbers going into hospital now with Covid have reduced, but we still do have patients in hospital with Covid, so we would still advise the public to only go to those walk-in services if they absolutely needed to do that."

BBC Weather

This morning will start largely overcast with occasional light rain before it turns drier and clear to allow sunny spells to develop.

This evening will start dry and clear, before more cloud moves in bringing further rain or drizzle in places:

A major new testing programme has been launched for workers in Leeds who might have contracted Covid-19 but aren't showing symptoms.

Image source, Reuters

Three testing stations have been set up across the city for asymptomatic people who can’t work from home during the coronavirus pandemic, according to Leeds City Council.

The centres have opened at Leeds Beckett University's Headingley and City campuses and at The Old Fire Station in Gipton.

Councillor Salma Arif said: “We’ve launched this initiative to help drive down transmission rates.

"Increased community testing is a vital additional tool at our disposal to help identify those who are infected and infectious, but unaware they might be spreading the disease.

“I’d encourage as many asymptomatic people as possible who can’t work from home to take advantage of this new service. By doing so, they’ll not only be protecting themselves, but also all those around them.”

Details of the new testing centres can be found here, external.

League One leaders Hull have to settle for a point as midfielder Greg Docherty earns a draw at Shrewsbury.