Yorkshire shepherdess Amanda Owen of Our Yorkshire Farm fame has announced she and her husband Clive have split after 22 years together.
The couple announced the news on social media in a joint statement, shared to Amanda Owen's Instagram story.
It said: "Clive and I are sad to confirm that we have made the difficult decision to separate.
"This hasn't been easy, but we both believe it's the right choice for the future of our family.
Image: Amanda Owen via Instagram
"Although we are no longer a couple, we continue to work on the farm and co-parent together with our number one priority the happiness and well-being of our children."
The news follows Amanda being inundated with questions on her personal Instagram account asking if Clive was still in the picture as no pictures have been shared of him in some time.
Rumours had been building in the past year that the couple was experiencing some marital difficulties, and now this has been confirmed by the pair themselves.
Image: Amanda Owen via Instagram
Speaking on ITV's morning show Lorraine at the end of last year, Amanda was asked about how she was dealing with the attention on her life in the midst of things not going so well in her relationship.
Lorraine had asked: “The show is lovely. And people have got this thing of they feel they know you and have got to know the children, the animals … There’s always a down side. Of course you’ve had that attention on your life.
"And that’s great. But then when things aren’t going that well, it can be quite difficult. How do you deal with that? When it’s quite difficult?”
She replied: “Well it is. You have your difficult moments. But you have to take the rough with the smooth. We’ve just talked about how you weather a storm [as Amanda and Lorraine had earlier discussed battling Storm Arwen].
"So we are pretty resilient in the hills. That’s all you’ve got to do.
"You’ve got to remember, the bottom line is, if you are proud of what you’re doing, you kind of sort of have to shoulder it. In other words; ‘Get on with it’. Ignore it."
Channel 5 has since released a statement on the split, telling the Daily Express: "We respect the privacy of Amanda and Clive Owen at this time.
Regional leaders have confirmed a rail project in the North of England with first improvements taking place in Yorkshire.
The long-awaited Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) project will see a whopping £45 billion worth of upgrades.
The first phase will see the construction of a new station in Bradford followed by upgrades in Leeds, York and Sheffield.
The electrification of lines between Sheffield and Leeds, Leeds and York and Leeds and Bradford will be the first priority and is expected to be completed in the 2030s.
The scheme has been described as "a once in a generation commitment to improving transport across the North".
Announcing the scheme, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: "I spent three happy years in Leeds as a university student, a vibrant city I was proud to call home, but I've seen first-hand what underinvestment and empty pledges do to cities across the North.
"This government is rolling up its sleeves to deliver real, lasting change for millions of people through a major new rail network across the North that will deliver faster, more frequent services."
"This cycle has to end. No more paying lip service to the potential of the North, but backing it to the hilt. That's why this government is rolling up its sleeves to deliver real, lasting change for millions of people through Northern Powerhouse Rail: a major new rail network across the North that will deliver faster, more frequent services."
Stage two of the plan will include upgrades around Manchester, with the final stage delivering a new railway between Bradford and Huddersfield that wouldn't be delivered until the 2040s.
In a combined statement, the regional mayors of West, South and North Yorkshire said: "The long-term commitment will transform Yorkshire's transport network and deliver improved links across our region and on to Manchester, Liverpool, and Newcastle.
"It'll mean we can deliver quicker, more reliable journeys, opening up more choice around work, skills and opportunity for everyone across Yorkshire."
The Boots recycling scheme where you can get £5 off every shop
Thomas Melia
UK high street retailer and healthcare shop Boots has launched an innovative recycling scheme that entitles customers to £5 off their future shopping trips.
If you're still struggling to come up with a New Year's resolution, why not try a spot of recycling and earn some money off your next cosmetics shop while you're at it?
Started in 2020, the Boots Recycling Scheme allows Advantage Card holders the opportunity to get money while also being more conscious about how we recycle our used health and beauty products.
Their third party app Recycle at Boots uses a Scan2Recycle system where users can upload items from various beauty brands by taking a picture of the empty packaging before identifying its form.
This scheme takes items that can't usually be recycled at home such as lotion pumps, toothpaste tubes, lipstick, mascaras, travel minis, make-up palettes and more.
Images: Publicity pictures (supplied)
Once you have five items approved, head over to your nearest participating Boots store, drop off your empties and scan the QR code on the deposit box.
After you've followed all these steps, a voucher will appear entitling you to 500 Advantage Points when you spend £10 in-store, and not only do you have £5 worth of points with your name on it, you're also an eco-warrior.
There's even a dedicated section of the app to recycling empty medicine and vitamin blister packs which gives customers 100 Advantage Points, when you spend £5 in-store - This is brill.
Items dropped into these deposit boxes are taken to MyGroup, a recycling and waste management service which works around the clock to help divert waste from landfill.
These empties will be washed and traditionally recycled into a material called MyBoard, a construction board material most similar to plywood with lots of different uses.
Nearest Boots locations in Manchester running the Recycle at Boots scheme:
Leeds Trinity - 1 Bond Street, LS1 5EY
Leeds Kirkstall - Savins Mill Way, LS5 3RP
White Rose Shopping Centre - Lower Level, Leeds, LS11 8LL
Thorpe Park - Unit 3 The Springs, LS15 8GG
Birstall Retail Park - Batley, West Yorkshire, WF7417 9DT
If you're up for getting money off your next Boots splurge while also helping recycle cosmetics containers and more, you can download the Recycle at Boots app and find your nearest HERE.
The Hoot -
10th June 2022 
