Stuart Green

Nearly three-quarters of England’s woods inaccessible to public, study finds Exclusive: Campaigners call for government to introduce right-to-roam bill that allows people to walk around their local woodlands

“If you go down to the woods today, you’re in for a big surprise – most of them are closed to the public”.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Temperate rainforest alive and well in Langdale.

Here lies the remains of Britain’s only truly europhile prime minister. Salisbury Cathedral.

I’m really enjoying reading this. It’s a real page-turner. The adopted long-term perspective on the relationship between UK and EU brings fresh insights @tommctague.bsky.social

Swarkestone Bridge near Derby. Most southerly point reached by the Jacobites in 1745.

: Half of UK universities face a deficit next year. Up to 50 could close.

That is a sector in crisis. Simply blaming a tuition fee freeze and nudging fees up with inflation is not a plan. Where is the long-term strategy for higher education?

#Universities #HigherEducation

Students begin Covid compensation claim against 36 more universities It comes after University College London settled a claim from students there over lost learning in the pandemic.

Difficult times for UK Universities. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

‘We are hopeful’: small signs of recovery for Scotland’s rare capercaillie bird Number of males at RSPB Abernethy rises to 30, after ‘huge amount of work’ by conservationists in Highlands forests

I remember seeing a Capercaille in the Cairngorms back in the 1980s. It’s sad to think I might never see one again. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

£99,987 and counting: graduates trapped by ballooning student loans As their debts rise, graduates reveal how loans are reshaping careers, finances and faith in the system

“I believe funding study from general taxes is a good thing for the UK and despise the older generations who went to university for not paying their share and lumping it onto my generation.” www.theguardian.com/money/2026/f...

The Universities’ Doom Spiral – Can Britain avert disaster? Podcast Episode · Oh God, What Now? · 03/02/2026 · 1h

This is excellent -highly recommended. I say this as someone who has worked in the university sector for 40 years. Cap doff to @gsoh31.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/o...

Winter Sun. On campus @uniofreading.bsky.social

It all started with the Trent Outrage..

It all started with the Trent Outrage…

UK construction hit by worst run since global financial crisis Output shrank for 12th month in a row in December, while housebuilding in deepest slump since 2020

Build, baby, build? www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Cold snap grips UK and Europe – in pictures UK weather warnings for frost and ice have been extended into next week and temperatures are forecast to plunge across central, western and south-west Europe

Note the increasing tendancy of specifying the UK and Europe as if they are separate places. Geographically (and meteorologically) the UK remains part of Europe. “Cold snap grips Europe’ would have been fine. www.theguardian.com/world/galler...

Spycops sent thousands of surveillance reports to MI5, inquiry documents reveal Security Service was able to compile detailed files on members of legitimate protest groups infiltrated by undercover police officers

This does not even remotely compare with the operation previously run by the Stasi, but nevertheless… www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Surely it’s some sort of spoof?

Hairy Turkey Tail?

There are those who still maintain it’s in Berkshire

Grenfell firms still receiving multimillion-pound public contracts, analysis finds Survivors urge government to stop using suppliers cited in public inquiry into fire in which 72 people died

A tragedy that seemingly has little prospect of closure www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

UK's leading tower block safety group backs Scots probe into high rises Tower Blocks UK said findings from a Sunday Mail investigation that hundreds of Scots may potentially live in unsafe buildings are 'unconscionable'.

Large Panel System (LPS) housing in the news again www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottis...

It’s possible to have a nice evening walk even if you live in Reading. Fabulous campus @uniofreading.bsky.social

King's Foundation chair and nominee peer admits 'misleading' doctorate claim Dame Ann Limb tells the Sunday Times she did not complete a doctorate previously listed on her CV.

King's Foundation chair and nominee peer admits 'misleading' doctorate claim www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Essay cheating at universities an 'open secret' despite new law An essay mill owner says he's made millions, while an ex-lecturer says he quit due to rife cheating.

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark flip.it/Z6JFKK

UK to rejoin EU’s Erasmus student exchange programme Exclusive: British students will be able to participate in EU-wide scheme from January 2027, sources say

In the current climate every piece of good news needs to be celebrated. And, if true, this is very good news indeed. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

City & Guilds to shrink UK workforce amid £22m cost-cutting drive Training and qualifications body, acquired by private Greek firm in October, to become ‘leaner organisation’

City & Guilds is a brand that is synonymous internationally with skills and training. The headlines are entirely predictable following its acquisition in October by an offshore commercial entrepreneur. The irony is rich. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Young people on benefits to be offered construction and hospitality work The government says it will fund training and work experience for 350,000 not in work or education.

It would be nice if this initiative formed part of a coherent strategy which included quality of training provision and productivity improvement. Systemic problems need systemic solutions. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Rising racism blamed for collapse in number of foreign nurses coming to UK Number of overseas nurses and midwives registered between April and September was half that of a year ago

Actions and words have consequences. How bad do things have to get before the ‘Little Englanders’’ are happy? www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Rising racism blamed for collapse in number of foreign nurses coming to UK Number of overseas nurses and midwives registered between April and September was half that of a year ago

Actions and words have consequences. How bad do things have to get before the ‘Little Englanders’’ are happy? www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

UCU strike ballot fails after 60 per cent of members don’t vote UK’s biggest academic union unable to pursue national industrial action over pay and job cuts after it fails to meet minimum turnout threshold

There are no winners here. The 39% partication rate speaks to the desperate sense of disillusionment among HE staff. This is unlikely to improve given the brutal context of ongoing cuts and redundancies. I fear for the future. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/ucu-str...