Just so it's clear where England stands right now. The lady in the photo below, retired vicar Sue Parfitt, who is 84 years old, is considered a terrorist and was arrested 6th July. The masked group in the photo below are not considered terrorists & were allowed to roam freely.

HOPE not hate@hopenothate.org.uk · 5d ago

🚨 BREAKING: Patriot Platform, a new far right group launched by Tommy Robinson’s right hand man Daniel Thomas (AKA Danny Tommo) has blockaded the port and several roads in Dover. The masked men are from subgroups of PP, including Sussex, Essex, and South East Patriots Here’s all you need to know.

"If no other picture survives Reform UK conference this year, let it be this one. It is a teachable moment. It shows a man called Steve Cooling, moments before he used his walking aid as a weapon. On video, he appears to use this crutch to hit a female protestor over the head" via Ed Kimberley

Talking of the BBC’s Wednesday screening of Penda’s Fen bsky.app/profile/grea...

Ian Greaves@greavesian.bsky.social · 4d ago

Join me for a skeetalong-a- #PendasFen this Wednesday night when BBC4 reruns it from 10.15pm. Behind the scenes stories, pics and things to spot. If you've seen the play before, then follow live. If it's new to you, give it proper attention and then join the # on catch up. Link in bio to the book.

[Exit Queen.]

Next week we are hosting the University of Worcester event 'No Excuses', which will centre upon tackling the harassment of female joggers.

🧵On @thenewsagents.co.uk yesterday, school closures and the lab leak theory were offered as two examples of legitimate questions that were hard to ask. Both have in fact been asked constantly since 2020. But here's a thread on why I think they were wrong and dangerous on school closures 1/12

This is going to end up as a proper shit show and I cannot wait. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Police investigate donations by Richard Tice company to Reform UK

Britain Means Business, owned by the party’s deputy leader Richard Tice, made two donations of £250,000 in the run-up to the 2024 general election.

bbc.co.uk

The Hive is delighted to have @gulljunkart.bsky.social's 'The Gulls' on loan from The Worcester Plinth. Currently displayed in our Level 1 Atrium, these giant birds are made from waste items 'woven together as a symbol of our human interconnectedness with the natural world'. Come and see them!

Very soothing.

Digital Brain@yourdigitalbrain.bsky.social · 2mo ago

The Man in the High Castle destroyed every swastika prop after filming, so nothing could end up as a souvenir or extremist symbol.

This July, The Hive is delighted to be a part of the city-wide Wizard of Oz trail taking place in the build up to Worcester Operatic and Dramatic Youth Society’s performance at The Swan Theatre in August.

In his editorial on 6.7.2026 @jonsevers.bsky.social reflected on the new report published about white working class educational outcomes…. I am going to reflect back on this.. Long thread I have much experience (and years) of working in schools serving these populations successfully. 1/n

As always, The Hive is busy and bustling today with a range of events, activities, and groups. In the back office, the team are crafting, creating, and planning for this year's Summer Reading Challenge, a fantastic literacy programme created by The Reading Agency.

Financial pandemic: £1 in every £11 spent on UK public contractors goes to private equity £24.4bn of public spending on contractors went to PE PE profiteering destroyed town centres; devoured water, vets, energy, dentistry, social care, rewarded by govt PE exec income taxed at capital gains rates

‘Financial pandemic’: £1 in every £11 spent on UK public contractors goes to private equity

Almost £24.4bn of government money went to private equity-run firms in year to April 2025, Guardian analysis shows

theguardian.com

Here is another set of impressive statistics for the month of May!

Trumpian censorship in the UK Teacher, librarians under pressure to remove books on race, identity, social justice from libraries. 200 titles pulled from one Greater Manchester school library, including books by Black authors. Freedom to read is a major casualty on the road to tyranny.

'Erasing histories and voices'

Once seen as a culture war confined to the USA, book censorship is gaining ground in the UK. Authors, librarians and teachers warn of mounting pressure to remove titles from school libraries, particul...

runnymedetrust.org

The Hive has five floors, with each one offering a different set of services to our student and public communities. Today we want to talk about our ground floor, which offers a shared study, work, and relaxation space for those wanting to talk and collaborate.

Since 1980, under the Thatcherite policies, 2.8m social homes sold, 1.9m in England for £51bn. In 2024, England homes were worth £430bn. Councils didn't receive full sales proceeds, couldn't replenish housing stock. Vital depts closed. Social homes down from 6.8m to 5.4m. Huge housing crisis.

The housing crisis is manufactured. We can end it.

Wage cuts and the right to buy are to blame

leftfootforward.org

People like Kane and many many others that do care about human art and the creative process have been a beacon of hope while trying to navigate making art in this current climate.

This is exactly what we have been warning about. But oh no, anyone who objects to the changes is a selfish, privileged nimby, a zealot, a blocker, an elitist. Let's trash the lives of England's poorest communities, and smear anyone who complains. Thanks Keir. 🧵 www.theguardian.com/environment/...

England’s poorest areas face deepest cuts to green space under planning law changes, report finds

Exclusive: New loopholes for developers will exacerbate extreme disparities across country, charity coalition warns

theguardian.com

Today we would like to promote one of The Hive’s most compelling offers: Study Happy.

Would these resources be helpful for you, your clients, or your pupils? Want to know more? Get in contact via thehivecontactinfo@gmail.com

Next to our level 0 dyslexia-friendly display, we also have a collection of 'Books Beyond Words', created by RCPsych, a series of wordless picture books designed to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities navigate trauma, medical procedures, and mental health challenges.

Our library houses over 250,000 books across five floors. You might have enjoyed a few paperbacks from our adult fiction section, or perhaps you've spent hours leafing through our endless supply of picture books.

Tom Gray is amazing at this sort of thing. An impassioned speech to the Ivors Academy. Inspiring stuff.

We are so lucky to have The Hive

The Hive@thehiveworcs.bsky.social · 4mo ago

The Hive Library opened to the public in July 2012, with an official opening ceremony conducted by Queen Elizabeth II the following week. It is the product of a partnership between Worcestershire County Council and The University of Worcester. Read on to find out how and why The Hive came to be...

The Hive Library opened to the public in July 2012, with an official opening ceremony conducted by Queen Elizabeth II the following week. It is the product of a partnership between Worcestershire County Council and The University of Worcester. Read on to find out how and why The Hive came to be...

We've now added another testimony from a teacher who contacted us having seen the blog. His experiences (adapted with his consent to protect his anonymity) are equally troubling. They can be read by scrolling down to the bottom of the first comment. www.englishandmedia.co.uk/blog/how-a-m...

How English pupils are being silenced in lessons

An English teacher sets out how he is required to teach by his senior leaders - and what it is doing to students

englishandmedia.co.uk

English and Media Centre@engmediacentre.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Are we teaching English if students are silent + not allowed to articulate ideas? This blog shares one teacher's experience of a curriculum imposed from above. EMC view: English this ain't! @warwickmansell.bsky.social @natecommunity.bsky.social @englishassociation.bsky.social tinyurl.com/5a9anapp

Insane dystopian shit here, totally unacceptable. I expect politicians and commentators to be outraged by it, regardless of their opinion of the crimes these people were convicted of.

I've written this piece for @natecommunity.bsky.social about accent prejudice based on some of the work done by @teachertapp.bsky.social last year and from discussions with ace linguists @dramandacole.bsky.social and @robdrummond.bsky.social

I published a collection of short horror stories, inspired by 20th century radio shows like The Witch's Tale, television series like The Twilight Zone, and classic horror films. I think it's great, and so do other clever people in the know. I'd love for you to read it, too. Links below 👇🏻