Annual sales of vinyl albums have soared past the million mark for the first time in 18 years – buoyed by veteran rock act Pink Floyd.
The format has been undergoing a renaissance with sales gradually increasing in recent years and it has now hit the seven-figure mark for the first time since 1996, only 11 months into the year.
Floyd’s first new release for 20 years, The Endless River, helped the figures sail over one million as it topped the chart, according to new figures released by music industry body BPI. And its vinyl sales of 6,000 in just a week are also the highest of any album since 1997.
’Keeper played with broken neck
A goalkeeper played on after suffering a suspected broken neck in a collision with a team-mate.
Laura Wareham suffered the injury after only 15 minutes of Newcastle United Women’s FA Women’s Premier League North match against Bradford City after she and defender Kate Brooks combined to stop a Bradford forward scoring.
The 21-year-old played on for five or six minutes of the eventual 3-2 defeat before being substituted – only because pain in her ribs had left her unable to kick the ball, she said. Wareham then collapsed twice.
Incredibly, the sports science student has broken her neck playing in goal before, in 2011, returning to the side only after a year on the sideline.
Tough time for UK hedgehogs
Staff at a rescue centre have seen a huge increase in the number of hedgehogs being brought through their doors.
Last month, 40 hedgehogs were admitted to RSPCA West Hatch in Taunton, Somerset, compared with 27 in 2013.
The increase of almost 50 per cent could be due to milder weather allowing people to spot more stricken hedgehogs. There are currently 60 hedgehogs at West Hatch, with some so young they require feeding with a syringe.
Peace tree from Russia with love
Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has a Christmas tree this year thanks to an unusual donor – the Russian government.
Amid high tension between Russia and the West over violence in Ukraine, Russia’s ambassador to France, Alexander Orlov, said the tree “is a message of peace”.
When the rector of Notre Dame told foreign embassies this month that the cathedral needed money for the tree, Russia was the first to offer. Orlov insisted the gesture had nothing to do with politics or the troubled sale of a French warship to Russia, stalled because of Ukraine, saying only that “we thought this would be a rather nice present”.
Dog therapy in San Francisco
The dogs of San Francisco are feeling more relaxed than ever thanks to the growing popularity of animal massage therapy.
Shelah Barr says she and fellow therapists are increasingly being asked to travel to homes, hotels and even workplaces to perform treatments, as owners apparently become more willing to pamper their pets. Practitioners say massage can be a preventive measure for younger animals and rehabilitative for older ones by boosting flexibility, circulation and immunity.
But the treatments do not necessarily mean incense burning and soothing music around a massage table, as they traditionally do for humans. Barr said she is guided by what the dog desires – which sometimes means the pet chews on a bone throughout its treatment.