The photo they decided to use to mark the Duke of Sussex's 40th birthday was a 2018 image of him from his visit to Dogpatch Labs in Ireland.

A 3.6 magnitude earthquake struck Southern California's coastal region Monday at 4:22 a.m.  The quake hit roughly 3 miles northwest of Malibu at a depth of about 10 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. “So it’s possibly an aftershock of the quake we had several days ago,” KTLA’s Eric Spillman said. The same area [...]

An investigation is underway into a report of shots being fired at police officers in North Hollywood Monday morning. Los Angeles police responded to a shooting call just after 4:45 a.m. on the 1200 block of Victory Boulevard. At one point during the incident an officer needs help call was put out, the Los Angeles [...]

The driver of an SUV headed the wrong way on the 73 Freeway in Newport Beach was killed after colliding with another vehicle Sunday night. The crash was reported just before 9:30 p.m. as the SUV was traveling northbound on the southbound lanes of the freeway when it collided with a sedan just north of [...]

Deputies and family members are asking for the community’s help in searching for 14-year-old Makiyah Shirley, also known as “Kiyah,” in the city of Los Angeles. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Shirley was last seen on Saturday, Sept. 14, at 7:10 p.m. on the 9300 block of Firth Boulevard. Shirley is described as [...]

WAKING up in 90 mph winds and lashing rain, desperate Franc grabbed at the tarpaulin that formed the little protection he had against the elements – but his effort to stay dry was pointless.

For two years, Franc was one of a growing band of homeless people sleeping rough in the UK countryside, pitching makeshift tents in remote woods, using fly-tipped rubbish to build cookers and drinking unsanitary water in a bid for survival.

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Franc made his home in the woods after fleeing the city[/caption]

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He has faced bitter winters and illness while living rough[/caption]

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His meagre possessions are carpeted with snow in a cold spell[/caption]

“I once mistakenly drank water run-off from a farmer’s field, ending up in the hospital,” he tells The Sun. 

“This left me with weak legs, incapacitating me for weeks and draining my strength. 

“Then there were storms with winds over 90 miles an hour, turning my tarpaulin shelter into a whipping sail. Sleep was often impossible.”

It hadn’t always been like this for him. Up until 2017, Franc had a roof over his head and a place to sleep at night.

But after falling on hard times financially, unable to work due to physical and mental health problems and facing ‘constant harassment’ from a rogue landlord – the situation came to a devastating head. 

In an untenable situation and plagued by thoughts of self harm, Franc got on a second hand push bike bought on eBay and started the 400-mile journey to London to start a new life. 

On arriving in the city, he soon realised that being homeless in a city was not going to work for him. Constantly at threat of ‘abuse, drugs and police encounters’, he took to the countryside, away from the immediate danger but further from support and services.

“Despite the hardships, I found ways to survive and even create small measures of comfort,” he says. “I found fly-tipped bricks and an old Tesco basket, which I turned into a stove, so I could cook hot food.

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Franc’s makeshift tent in the forest provided little shelter[/caption]

Jeff Hubbard

Franc found himself homeless after a fallout with a landlord[/caption]

“But being homeless, especially in a remote area, is complicated – you have to develop enough skills to be able to survive, but the longer you ‘cope’ alone, the more entrenched, isolated, and fearful you become.

“I remember a day when I woke up to a round of gunshots. I had unknowingly settled in a pheasant hunting ground, and it was hunting season.”

Huge rise in rural rough sleepers

Franc’s  story is becoming all too familiar to those working in the rural homelessness sector, who have seen a boom in people seeking help in less populated areas.

Research conducted by The Countryside Charity (CPRE) in December 2023 revealed that rural homelessness, in all its forms, has increased by 40 percent in the past five years.

The study, which includes those sleeping rough and those ‘sofa surfing’ without permanent accommodation, also highlights that the problem is worse in rural areas than many towns and cities.

The hidden epidemic is brewing quietly, with many unable to access support for healthcare, wellbeing, employment or housing due to transportation issues and lack of infrastructure. 

Turning Tides, an organisation based in West Sussex, is working directly with people – including Franc – who find themselves with no one else to turn to.

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A tent belonging to a rough sleeper in Windsor[/caption]

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Rural homelessness has seen them spring up all over the country[/caption]

Many of their clients have found themselves sleeping rough in tents in fields, ditches or churchyards with others sleeping in wooded areas or forced to sofa surf to stay off the streets.

They have been forgotten and are alone with no cavalry charging in to help. 

“There’s been a huge increase in rural homelessness,” said Lucy Strong, deputy homelessness services manager for Turning Tides.

“Rental markets are unaffordable, the cost of living crisis has had a big impact on lower and middle income families. There’s a complete lack of affordable housing for single people. 

Being homeless, especially in a remote area, is complicated – you have to develop enough skills to be able to survive, but the longer you ‘cope’ alone, the more entrenched, isolated, and fearful you become

Franc

“In rural places in particular there are fewer places for just one person being built. All the developments are being built for people on a higher income.”

Another concern, Lucy adds, is that there is lower awareness of homelessness in rural areas due to services and resources being so limited. 

“It’s difficult to access services outside towns and cities,” she said.

“The chances of getting a specialist medical appointment as a homeless person in rural areas is slim to none. Often the appointments are spread out and public transport is expensive.

“The services to help people just aren’t there like they are in urban areas.”

Stigma is also a barrier for those living in the countryside, with people often going under the radar because they aren’t as visible as someone sitting in a doorway in a high-traffic street.

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Another makeshift shelter that Franc has lived in[/caption]

Jeff Hubbard

Franc says homelessness leaves you isolated and fearful[/caption]

Lucy, who works at the Roffey Place, the charity’s Horsham based 24-hour support centre, added: “Where we operate is half an hour from the coast, it’s an affluent area and very conservative.

There’s a big stigma which is magnified in rural areas because it’s not something they tend to see very often. 

“For example if you have someone picking up a methadone prescription, in urban areas people won’t bat an eyelid if they saw someone just waiting outside a pharmacy – but in rural areas if someone is being made to wait outside, it does attract attention.”

Childhood drug addiction

Steve*, another client of Turning Tides, found himself sleeping ‘in a tent in the woods’ after being introduced to his stepdad’s drugs at the age of nine.

“I had to fend for myself when I was young,” he said. “I had five sisters and three brothers. I was neglected a lot.

“Mum remarried four times. My stepdad was an alcoholic and brought drugs such as crack cocaine into the house.

“At about age six, I started hearing voices. As I grew older the voices increased and I began shouting at them because they all said horrible things to me.

“I found my stepdad’s drugs and took them when he wasn’t there. I started drinking and smoking cannabis at nine years old.

“It became a habit and by the time I was a teenager I was hooked. It really was a cry for help – it helped me block out the noise, block out the pain.”

Sleeping in graveyard

Eventually Steve and his partner, who had a full-time job but not enough to cover any rent bills, found themselves sleeping rough in the countryside or moving from couch to couch.

“We sofa-surfed, slept in car parks, stairwells, a church graveyard. We slept wherever we could.

“If we didn’t have money, we just wouldn’t eat. We got a tent and put it up in the woods. We were there for 18 months.”

Tom Stewart, who works in campaigns for CPRE, said that one of the main reasons for the boom is not only the ‘extreme disparity’ between rural housing costs and rural wages, but the ‘overlooked shortage’ of affordable housing in these areas.

“There are currently more than 300,000 people on waiting lists for social rented housing in rural England, an increase of just over 10 percent in 2018,” he said.

“At the current rate of construction, it would take 89 years for everyone on a waiting list to be offered a home.

“Current planning policies allow for the building of new ‘affordable’ housing costing anything up to 80 per cent of market value. This means that in many rural areas the ‘affordable homes’ being provided are often anything but.”

Second homes and holiday lets have also been cited as a ‘major problem’ regarding homelessness among people growing up in popular staycation hotspots, which also tend to be in the countryside.

“In Cornwall, where more than 15,000 families are on social housing waiting lists, the number of properties for short-term let grew by 661 per cent in the five years to 2021,” Tom added.

“Half of the families on social housing waiting lists in South Lakeland could be accommodated in local properties available exclusively as holiday rentals.”

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Many woods have become a refuge for tent dwellers[/caption]

In a similar fashion, Devon has seen 4,000 homes taken off the private rental market and 11,000 new short-term listings since 2016.  

And although the challenges faced by homeless people in both rural and urban areas may seem vastly different, both are ‘dangerous’ in their own unique ways.

The Rural Homelessness Counts Coalition (RHCC), run by charity English Rural working alongside CPRE and Turning Tides – among others – are striving to bring rural homelessness levels down by raising the profile of the issues and working in partnership with local authorities to find housing solutions in sparse communities.

Rory Weal, chair of the RHCC, said: “There are particular challenges faced by those in rural areas, how isolated people can be, how hard it is for them to travel, housing services, health services. All of these issues together have created a crisis.

“The answer is to provide people with a long term roof over their heads. Sleeping rough in rural areas is just as dangerous as in urban areas.

“We know that these people sleeping rough are more likely to face serious health conditions and to find it hard to get support for health conditions. We know that rough sleepers in general are more likely to be at risk of violence and abuse.

“The people we work with say that they feel forgotten by the rest of society and their community – it pushes them further into a spiral of chaos.

“That’s why we need to provide more housing and support in these areas. We need to invest more in health and wellbeing support services and get them off the streets.”

*Steve’s name has been changed to protect his identity

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betmgm

Champions League offers, price boosts and claim £40 in free bets on this week’s action with BetMGM[/caption]

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ROB McElhenney is bringing the star power to Birmingham on Monday night – and he’s got company.

The Wrexham owner and Hollywood actor will be joined in the stands at St Andrew’s by English football royalty.

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Rob McElhenney has jetted directly from the Emmys to Birmingham for Monday’s game[/caption]

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McElhenney and fellow actor Ryan Reynolds invested in the Welsh club three years ago[/caption]

McElhenney is jetting in for the top-of-the-table League One clash between the Blues and first-placed Wrexham.

The actor was on the red carpet for Sunday’s glitzy Emmys ceremony at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

Despite being over 5,300 miles away, McElhenney revealed there was no way he was missing the showdown.

Speaking on the red carpet, he explained: “Directly after the Emmys I’m hopping on a plane and going out to Birmingham, England.

“[We’re going] to watch Wrexham play Tom Brady’s team, Birmingham City.”

NFL legend Brady holds a minority stake in Birmingham, with ambitious owner Tom Wagner planning to return the Midlands club to the Premier League.

McElhenney was asked if he and Brady had a “little side bet going on” as they prepared for the grudge match.

“We’re not legally allowed to bet on the games but we have fun, we have social media and whatnot,” the Always Sunny in Philadelphia star replied.

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Tom Brady and David Beckham will also be in the stands for the League One clash[/caption]

FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS

He then dropped the bombshell that Three Lions icon David Beckham would attend the sold-out fixture.

He revealed: “I’ll be joining him and I believe Mr David Beckham will be there as well – we should have a good time.”

McElhenney didn’t reveal who Beckham would be rooting for on the night.

Golden Balls was snapped earlier this summer hanging out with Brady and Lionel Messi at an MLS game.

Wrexham have enjoyed a stunning rise through the leagues since McElhenney and fellow actor Ryan Reynolds bought the club in 2021.

They have achieved back-to-back promotions and have started the new season in a rich vein of form.

Wrexham currently top the league with four wins from their first five games, scoring a league-high 11 goals.

They will face their toughest test so far against a Blues side fresh from a summer makeover.

Birmingham have spent big in an effort to ensure an instant return to the Championship, dropping £15m on striker Jay Stansfield from Fulham and bringing in 18 new faces.

“We’re working within the framework of League One rules, but also the Championship because of the three-year lookback,” Wagner told The Telegraph.

“We expect to go back up, that’s clearly our ambition given that objective we need to look at the three-year rules in the Championship and make sure that in our forecasts every one of those years allow us to maintain proper P & S compliance.”

AN ICONIC sports car that was left untouched in a barn for 43 years has been sold for a very reasonable price on eBay.

The classic motor was snapped up after the owner revealed his “family, career and declining health” stopped him from getting it out of the barn and restoring it to its former glory.

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A classic sports car has sold on eBay after being left in a barn for 43 years[/caption]

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The old motor was bought by the long-time owner as a teenager but was left gathering dust after he moved away[/caption]

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Its shabby appearance likely resulted in its bargain sale price[/caption]

A Dodge Charger, which, to many is the quintessential American muscle car, was left gathering dust for nearly half-a-century before being sold for just £24,000.

The 1968 motor, which is similar to the one driven by Vin Diesel in the Fast and Furious franchise, is heading to a new home after being sold on the popular auction website.

Speaking to Luxury Auto News, Barry, 67, revealed why he left the old motor locked away in Owensboro, Kentucky, having purchased it in the 1970s as a teenager.

He said: “I purchased this car from a Dodge dealer in Indianapolis, Indiana as a teenager in 1974.

“I recall that I was the second owner, I drove the car through high school and college.

“In 1981, I moved to South Carolina and left my car behind for career reasons.

“I parked the car in a barn on my in-law’s farm outside Owensboro – it is still in the same spot where I parked it in 1981.”

The sports car, which Barry originally bought for £2,200, comes equipped with its original engine and a 383 4-barrel V8 engine with an automatic transmission.

It comes kitted out with bucket seats and a centre console, and has around 80,000 miles on the clock.

Barry admits that he had planned to restore his beloved set of wheels, but his life, career and later health issues meant he was unable to do so.

He said: “My intention was to get the car out of the barn and restore it one day, but family, career and finally my declining health got in the way.”

While there’s no information on the Charger’s condition, it will clearly need to be fully restored after being left unused for multiple decades.

Issues such as a seized components, hardened hoses, damaged electrics and mould can all become problematic on classic cars left abandoned – and might explain why it was sold at such a low price.

According to Classic, which follows listings and saleprices of classic cars, the average price for a 1968 Dodge Charger is just over £82,000 – with some selling for £100,000 or more.

The Charger nameplate has existed in various guises since 1966, with eight generations of car produced by Dodge since – including the most recent model unveiled in March 2024.

Many different forms of Charger have existed as well, from mid-sized cars to luxury coupes, and even a small hatchback iteration was made in 1981.

This comes as an up-and-coming US brand revealed a Tesla-rivalling EV with “advanced battery tech” that could allow it to travel further for cheaper.

Elsewhere, a classic British sports car was found by an urban explorer inside an abandoned barn that could be worth £40,000.

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The 1968 Dodge Charger will likely be restored by a new owner after they purchased it for just £24,000[/caption]

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It come with just 80,000 miles on the clock and is kitted out with bucket seats[/caption]