Would you move house because of a rude road name? Have you heard about the record-breaking Brits who rowed the Atlantic? And an S Club 7 Brit Award sold for how much?? Welcome to the AngloFiles, a weekly rundown of the weird and wonderful, bringing you the best bits and bobs that British news, culture, science and entertainment has to offer.
#3: The Battle of Bell End
A long-running west Midlands community dispute continues to make national headlines. Bell End in the West Midlands sparked an anonymous petition at the start of the year, as some say the street name carries rude connotations, and that children who live there are bullied at school because of their address. But residents hit back with a counter-petition which has been backed by thousands of supporters, arguing against name-change proposals. While local authorities are yet to reach a decision, risqué road names are common across the UK – from Minge Lane in Worcestershire to Shitterton in Dorset.
#2: World Record Rowers
The UK has a proud reputation for producing some of the world’s finest rowers, with the likes of Steve Redgrave and Katherine Grainger making momentous waves at the Olympic Games. But the spotlight fell on four amateurs this week, who rowed across the Atlantic in an incredible world-record time of 29 days and 15 hours. George Biggar, Stuart Watts, Peter Robinson and Dicky Taylor have been dubbed the ‘Four Oarsmen’ after rowing from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean, beating the previous record by six days! The quartet took two-man, two-hour shifts, 24 hours a day, and lost almost 40kg between them. Their Herculean efforts raised more than £250,000 for charity!
And before we get to our final entry, let’s remember what else happened during this week in history:
It’s thirty-six years since Ozzy Osbourne infamously bit the head off a bat, on 20th January 1982. The heavy metal pioneer pulled the stunt live on stage, in Des Moines, Iowa, and claims that the incident was a mistake, because he believed that the bat was a rubber toy…
#1: Bring It All Back (And Stick It On eBay)
S Club 7 seemed an inescapable pop powerhouse in the early-noughties, with multiple hit singles, popular TV shows and global recognition in America and beyond. But, while the “Reach†singers have mostly faded from public consciousness, one former band member started an unexpected bidding war on eBay, when he decided to sell one of his Brit Awards. Paul Cattermole saw the statuette fetch a staggering £66,100, gathering 127 bids from all over the world. And just in case you missed the first sale, his second Brit is up for auction, too – at £60K and counting. Kerching!
Have you got a good story for us? Is there an unusual event headed to your town? Head over to WatchMojo UK, let us know in the comments and watch this space for more British-based brilliance.
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