Not a win but still something to celebrate for the Tartan Army.
With a point to prove, a point was gained off Switzerland. Along with pride and the revival of the dream.
Securing a 1-1 draw could still help Scotland progress in the Euros.
This was the reaction manager Steve Clarke demanded after being humiliated 5-1 by Germany in their Group A opener.
And never did the fans give up on their players – remembering those memorable qualifying wins over Spain and Norway.
“This is the way we’ve been playing as a team over the last three or four years,” he said. “It’s why we’re here at a major tournament.
“So we knew what we had to do. The players knew what they had to do and I thought it was a good team, team performance against a good opponent.”
Image: Scotland’s manager Steve Clarke Pic: AP
There will be a concern that after Scott McTominay’s 13th minute opener, a defensive lapse allowed Xherdan Shaqiri to equalise for the Swiss with a thunderous strike.
But there was always goalkeeper Angus Gunn to rely on – bailing them out with saves to preserve the point.
Scotland could find it tough finishing in Group A’s two automatic qualification places. But beating Hungary in Stuttgart on Sunday could put them among the four best third-placed finishers from the six groups.
Image: Scotland’s goalkeeper Angus Gunn pulled off a series of fine saves Pic: AP
“They’re going to feel a lot better in the next game,” Clarke said. “On the back of that game, the performance is what we are.
“This is how we play, this is how we work. And we’ll show that as well the aggression and the fight and the dirty side of the game.”
Winning in Cologne last night was always going to be a tall order given the Swiss had only lost two of their previous 14 group matches in tournaments.
And this is a country that has appeared at every major tournament since the 2014 World Cup – with Shaqiri scoring in all of them.
McTominay, who has won trophies with Manchester United, had never netted in an international tournament before last night.
The Scots haven’t even made it to a men’s World Cup since 1998 and Euro 2020 only marked their return to the continental competition since 1996.
But history is weighing against Scotland who have never secured qualification from a group into a tournament knockout phase.
Clarke said: “It’s just about doing better all the time … to what we’re good at, working hard.”
The wife of missing TV doctor Michael Mosley has vowed her family “will not lose hope” as she described the days since his disappearance as “the longest and most unbearable”.
The statement by Dr Clare Bailey Mosley came as the couple’s four children arrived on the Greek island of Symi and the focus of the extensive search for the broadcaster shifted to a snake-infested mountainous area after CCTV footage emerged of his last known movements.
As the rescue effort continued amid soaring temperatures, one emergency worker said it was “a race against time”.
Image: This image of Mosley on the island was shared on Facebook after the alarm was raised
Image: Dr Michael Mosley with wife Clare. Pic: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock
Making her first public comments, Dr Bailey Mosley said: “It has been three days since Michael left the beach to go for a walk. The longest and most unbearable days for myself and my children.
“The search is ongoing and our family are so incredibly grateful to the people of Symi, the Greek authorities and the British Consulate who are working tirelessly to help find Michael.
“We will not lose hope.”
Symi’s mayor has said there is “no chance” the search, which has involved helicopters, drones and divers, will be called off until the 67-year-old is found.
But while Eleftherios Papakaloudoukas said he hoped the Briton would be found safe, he questioned how anyone could survive in the heat that topped 40C (104F) on the day he vanished.
He pointed out a search dog was only able to work for an hour on Saturday morning due to the temperature.
Read more about missing TV doctor: What we know about his last known movements Son reveals surreal parallels with case of missing dad
Mosley has not been seen since Wednesday after he left his wife and another couple and set out alone from Saint Nikolas Beach to walk back to their friends’ home in Symi town.
He was later caught on security camera in the small fishing village of Pedi, around 1.2km away, which appeared to show him heading up into rocky terrain.
His wife raised the alarm after he failed to return.
Image: Rescue teams are scouring mountainous terrain. Pic: Yui Mok/PA
Image: The area being searched is described as ‘very dangerous’. Pic: Yui Mok/PA
One rescuer said: “The path is not easy to follow, if he took a wrong turn, he would be lost.
“He could be anywhere, it is a race against time.”
The search for Mosley resumed early on Saturday, with teams scouring a 6.5km radius over a mountainous landscape, which search organisers described as “very dangerous”.
Mr Papakaloudoukas said the area the missing is believed to have ventured into is “only rocks” and “difficult to pass”, with “loads” of snakes.
He added: “He chose paths which are very difficult to walk in such temperatures and under any circumstances.”
Authorities have considered a number of possibilities for Mosley’s disappearance, including that he may have suffered a fall or been bitten by a snake, according to reports.
He did not have his mobile phone with him, hampering efforts to find him.
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Mosley, his wife and the other couple are understood to arrived in Symi for a week’s holiday on Tuesday.
Mosley is a columnist and presenter who has made a number of films about healthy living.
Known for popularising the 5:2 diet, he fronted the Channel 4 show Michael Mosley: Who Made Britain Fat? and was part of the BBC series Trust Me, I’m A Doctor.
He has also appeared on numerous daytime television shows and hosts the health podcast, Just One Thing.
The sun rising every day is a moment that will always stick in the back of the throat of Harvey’s mum.
Her 17-year-old son was killed in a crash in Gwynedd last November, and now a daily occurrence has become a constant reminder of her loss.
“Harvey in his diary wrote that he was looking forward to the summer, spending more time with his family and friends,” Crystal Owen told Sky News.
“As soon as the sun comes out, you’re just in tears because you think he’s never going to see the sun again. It’s just all the little things that you don’t even think about.”
Harvey was one of four teenagers from the Shrewsbury area who died in a crash in the rural village of Garreg.
The inquest into their deaths has been opened and adjourned pending further inquiries.
Image: Crystal Owen with her son Harvey. Pic: Crystal Owen
Crystal Owen, 39, has launched a petition calling on the UK government to introduce a graduate licensing scheme.
It would mean drivers under the age of 25 would not be able to travel with passengers in the first 12 months after passing their test.
“I know he would still be here if this law was in place, that’s what angers me so much,” Ms Owen told Sky News.
“Before any of this happened with Harvey, I hadn’t really looked into road safety as such because Harvey was not even interested in taking his lessons. It wasn’t on our list of things to worry about at that time.”
‘Majorly overlooked’
Ms Owen said that people should listen to the evidence when it comes to road safety.
“I remember at work, us all talking about this 20mph [default speed limit in Wales] thinking it was over the top. One of my staff actually lives in Wales and she was joking about how long it was going to take to get to work,” she said.
“The evidence speaks for itself, so I think we all just need to learn to trust it and not think we know best.”
But rural roads are “majorly overlooked” in current legislation, according to Ms Owen.
That’s why she’s calling for young drivers to have to take a minimum of 40 hours of lessons before taking their test.
Image: Harvey was killed in a crash with three others in Gwynedd last year. Pic: Crystal Owen
‘Loveliest young man’
Ms Owen said Harvey was the “loveliest young man”.
“He’d never even had a detention, he was just a lovely, lovely lad,” she added.
“He loved his little sisters, absolutely adored them. He was just a real thoughtful, very calm, laid back sort of boy.”
Ms Owen said her family’s lives, and that of thousands of others, had been “devastated” by road traffic collisions.
“In any other way these deaths were occurring in such high numbers, there’d be an absolute outcry, but they just seem to be accepted because it’s a car crash.”
Image: His mother said he was the ‘loveliest young man’. Pic: Crystal Owen
Image: Ben with mum Carla (left) and sister Ashleigh (right). Pic: Ashleigh Rogers
‘They see it as fun’
Ben Rogers was 19 when he was killed in a crash in Swansea in May 2022.
Owain Hammett-George, who was 17 at the time of the crash, was jailed for six years last month for causing death by dangerous driving.
The court heard he had been driving at speeds of up to 78mph on a 30mph stretch of the B4436 in Bishopston.
Both Ben and Kaitlyn Davies, also 19, died instantly and another passenger sustained life-changing injuries.
Ben’s mum Carla King told Sky News she hoped tougher rules for young drivers, including a mandatory black box, would mean they’re more aware of their responsibility.
Image: Ben with family dog Hudson. Pic: Ashleigh Rogers
“They just go out and see it as fun, don’t they? They show off and they speed, inexperienced, they think they’re invincible,” she said.
“I don’t recall anybody ever saying to me you’re responsible for this. You’re driving, you’re responsible for all your passengers, you’re responsible for anybody in the car you hit. It’s a weapon, I don’t think that’s drilled in enough.”
Image: Ben on his 18th birthday. Pic: Ashleigh Rogers
‘Keep Ben’s name alive’
Ben’s sister, Ashleigh Rogers, 27, said he was “just a happy, bubbly person”.
“He was with me throughout everything. All my dark days and all through my happy times, he would be one of the first people I would tell. He was the first person who found out I was having a little boy,” she added.
“He was there a lot and it’s taunting that he won’t be there for the rest of my life, like my wedding and other things like that. But you’ve just got to remember the person that he was when he was here.”
Ben’s loss has been “heartbreaking”, Ms King added.
“I’m actually still in my bed because some days I just can’t get out of bed. It is difficult,” she said.
“Even Easter, not being able to buy his favourite chocolate and have him up for Easter lunch and Christmas lunch and buy him gifts and everything.”
Ben’s mum hopes their calls for change will help to “honour” his name.
“All we can do now is… try to keep Ben’s name alive,” she added.
Image: Olivia Alkir. Pic: Jo Alkir
‘Help them help themselves’
Jo Alkir, 54, has been campaigning on road safety for the last five years.
Her daughter Olivia was 17 when she died in a crash less than a mile from her home in Denbighshire in June 2019.
She was killed after the driver – who had only passed his test the day before – hit an oncoming vehicle while racing with another boy.
A three-part lesson based on Olivia’s story has been taught in schools across North Wales, to make pupils aware of the potential consequences of dangerous driving.
In the years since her daughter’s death, Ms Alkir has taken the campaign both to the Senedd and to Westminster.
She told Sky News a graduated driver’s licence “would have saved Olivia’s life”.
“It’s not controls as in you want to be in control of them, it’s controls to help them help themselves.”
The newly-appointed deputy head girl of her school was described by her mum as “really hard-working”.
“She and I were incredibly close. She was my only child,” Ms Alkir added.
“She was lovely company for me to be with. I loved every single second, every minute I spent with her. She was a joy to be around.”
Image: Olivia, 17, with her mother, Jo. Pic: Jo Alkir
‘Constant grief’
Ms Alkir said the loss of Olivia had left her feeling “constant grief”.
“It’s the most tiring thing a human could have because you’re just constantly battling to get out of bed and go to work. It’s a battle because all the different emotions that you’re feeling,” she said.
“She was such a bright, beautiful girl… and what her future could have been. She could have been anything.”
While it’s “frustrating” that five years on from Olivia’s death, the government is yet to act, focusing on the campaign has “really helped” Ms Alkir.
“It’s just really important for me to help her be remembered as well, because she was meant to achieve, but she is through her legacy,” she added.
“And I’m sure all the other parents who are in my shoes as well. It’s a very similar feeling I’m sure of not letting it just be in vain, not wasting what happened. Using the opportunity to make some changes.”
‘No plans’
In response to the petition, the Department for Transport said there are “no plans to introduce tougher restrictions on new drivers” but added that it is keeping licensing requirements “under review”.
“Every death on our roads is a tragedy and we continue to work tirelessly to improve road safety,” a DfT spokesperson said.
“We’ve commissioned research designed to help learner and newly qualified drivers improve their skills and safety, while our THINK! campaign is specifically targeted at young drivers.”
A woman whose daughter has been missing for six years says “every day is a rollercoaster” – as she tries to stay hopeful and does anything she can to keep her child’s name in the public eye.
Andrea Gharsallah’s daughter, Georgina Gharsallah, a mother of two, vanished in March 2018 and was last seen at a corner shop in Worthing in West Sussex.
Speaking to The UK Tonight with Sarah-Jane Mee, she said: “I’ve run marathons, done walks, anything just to keep her name out there. If I don’t do it, who will?”
“I do become frantic sometimes,” she admitted.
Image: Andrea Gharsallah’s daughter vanished in March 2018
Next week is the sixth anniversary of her daughter’s disappearance, and she said she always marks the occasion, to make sure Georgina’s two sons remember their mother.
She may let off balloons or something similar with her grandchildren, “just to keep the hope alive”.
The boys, who live with Andrea, “want to know why she [Georgina] hasn’t come home”, and sometimes talk about things they’ll do “when mum comes home”, Andrea said. “It’s hard to hold on to the hope.”
Police, she said, have taken thousands of statements in the search for Georgina, but to no avail.
They don’t have regular meetings and we are “just waiting for a member of the public to come forward with information”.
Her case is not unusual, as someone is reported missing every 90 seconds in the UK, according to the charity Missing People.
In 2021-22, the most recent year for which it has figures, the UK Missing Persons Unit, part of the National Crime Agency, said around 330,000 people went missing.
The vast majority are found within two days, but some stay missing.
Image: Sanjiv Kundi. Pic: Satvir Sembhi
One of those is Sanjiv Kundi, known as Tony, who disappeared while on a trip to Paris in 2013.
His sister, Satvir Sembhi, said: “What we thought was a trip to Paris has ended up being a living nightmare for us.
“When he didn’t come back after a week, we started doing the usual things, phoning friends. It wasn’t until two weeks after [he vanished] that the police took it seriously.”
Image: Sanjiv Kundi (R), seen with his sister, disappeared while on a trip to Paris in 2013
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She said: “You become a detective yourself, looking for clues, following up leads.”
Louise Newell, from the missing persons unit of the National Crime Agency, said all police forces would conduct reviews on cases, even if they’ve gone cold, or have no active lines of enquiry.
There is no reason, she said, that “missing persons cases should be closed until the person turns up”.
The boss of the world’s deadliest motorsport event says riders have to accept risks, while insisting the Isle of Man TT is doing more than ever to improve safety.
This year’s two-week motorcycling festival began on Monday with new safety measures after six competitors died last year – equalling a tragic record.
But any talk of banning the event is dismissed on the island despite 266 fatalities now on the mountain course in the 116-year history of the races.
Image: Clerk of the course Gary Thompson
“We try to manage risk much better than was done in the past,” clerk of the course Gary Thompson told Sky News.
“The riders sign on, they know that risk. And, almost for them, that’s the challenge. For us, we manage that risk without taking away that challenge.”
The risks don’t bring great financial rewards compared to other sports. Riders compete for the thrill on a circuit winding through towns and villages on narrow roads past houses.
Padding on lamp posts offers minimal protection. But to manage the hazards, there is now GPS tracking of every competitor and a digital red flag system.
It is a celebratory fortnight for the local economy. The TT races can attract 40,000 visitors – around half the population of this British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea.
Image: Pic: Isle of Man TT races
‘A lot of people think we’re idiots’
And Peter Hickman – who has won nine TT races – told Sky News: “I’m not forced to be here. I want to be here. It’s an obvious risk.”
Risks helped him set the course record in 2018 and he will continue to take them – undeterred by the fact only one year in the last 85 has seen no deaths in races.
“A lot of people think we’re just crazy or idiots,” Hickman said as he prepared for the first day of racing. “You take your brain out and put your helmet on.”
Image: Peter Hickman
“It’s very, very much the opposite effect. So you’ve really got to use your brain.
“And you’ve got to take the risk when you want to take the risk – or if it’s necessary.
“So, for example, I hold the outright lap record here and I’m constantly getting asked, ‘Are you going to break that record?’ And my answer always is ‘only if I have to’.
“And by that I mean, I win the race at the slowest possible pace. Because the slower I win the race, the less risk to me.”
Image: Pic: Isle of Man TT races
And the challenge of winning at the world’s oldest motorcycle event remains exhilarating for the 36-year-old.
“Life is short as it is,” he said. “I would rather go away doing something like this.”
The hope of organisers is that everyone leaves alive.
Read more: Dad and son among racers who died in 2022 event Rider defends Isle of Man TT Organisers wrongly identified competitor who was killed
Even as we’re interviewing the Isle of Man TT medical chief at a hospital, a helicopter lands with a rider injured on the first morning of the competition. His condition was unknown.
Image: Dr Gareth Davies
Complex network of medical staff on hand
Dr Gareth Davies said: “We have a system whereby there are trackside medics that will be at the rider’s side within a matter of seconds.
“And then we have three different helicopters to support the racing, three response cars, and then about five or six different ambulances. So there’s quite a complex network of medical staff there.”
How can medics contemplate a sporting event that is so perilous?
Dr Davies said: “In our daily working lives, we see people going to work that are killed, just travelling on a push bike or an accident on the way to work.
“We see people who may be undertaking climbing or other sporting activities. So it’s not alien to see people injured.
“From our point of view. I think we very much see the racing as a huge challenge, a huge sort of celebration of the human spirit, and we’re here to support them.”
Additional reporting by Tyrone Francis, sports producer
Fifteen years after sinking into the fifth tier of the football league and two years since the arrival of stars from Hollywood – Wrexham’s promotion hopes could rest with Boreham Wood.
The North Wales-based club has been in the fifth division since 2008 but in November 2020 was bought by Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia co-creator Rob McElhenney.
Their involvement has given the club international recognition as the subject of an FX documentary released on Disney+ in the UK – Welcome To Wrexham.
It’s gained big-name sponsors in Expedia and TikTok and has even been a featured team on FIFA 22 and 23.
On Saturday, Wrexham face a crucial match.
Win and they will be back in League Two next season after a long wait. Lose and it will be a nerve-wracking game at Torquay on 29 April as they would have to hope for a win there to be automatically promoted.
Such is the significance of the match that fans have travelled from all over the world, including one fan who has left the US for the first time.
One person who knows the club’s owners well is Maxine Hughes, a US-based journalist originally from Conwy in North Wales who acts as their unofficial Welsh translator.
She told Sky News they “understood Wrexham right from the beginning”.
“They saw the town, and Wales as something they could easily get on board with,” she said.
“I think for Rob particularly, Wrexham reminds him of where he grew up.”
Image: Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney (left), with It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia co-stars Charlie Day, Kaitlin Olson, and Glenn Howerton
According to Hughes, the club’s owners have “fallen in love with Wales” and they “have this incredible respect for Wrexham AFC supporters”.
“I’ll always be grateful to Rob and Ryan for giving the Welsh language the boost they’ve given it,” she added.
‘It’s about a community’
Wrexham’s 3-0 win over Yeovil on Tuesday, which was watched by McElhenney’s comedy co-stars at the Racecourse, mean they need three points from two games for automatic promotion.
Phil Parkinson’s side will face a strong challenge though as Boreham Wood are unlikely to give them the three points on a plate.
When the two sides met in October last year, it ended in a draw – although this time Wrexham will hope to go a step further with a home advantage.
Wrexham came close to winning promotion last season after it finished second in the league, but missed out in the play-offs.
Their bid for promotion comes after Wrexham’s women recently reached the Adran Premier – the top flight of women’s football in Wales.
Could the team’s top scorer Paul Mullin be involved in securing a victory? He has scored 36 goals for Wrexham in the league so far this season.
Read more: US comedy stars cheer on Wrexham Welsh football museum gets £5m funding boost Wrexham owners honoured for ‘promoting Wales to the world’
Boreham Wood are currently in sixth place on the table having won two of their last five games.
If Wrexham secures a victory on Saturday, their wait will finally be over and fans would have a moment to remember at the Racecourse.
But Hughes added that “the growing success of Wrexham AFC isn’t just about Rob and Ryan”.
“It’s about a community, who have stuck by that team through thick and thin,” she said.
“And I think that’s why the story if Wrexham has captured the world, it’s the people who make Wrexham what it is, and what it is becoming, and I’m in awe of the community of Wrexham every day.”
After feeling “completely deflated” by Chadwick Boseman’s death, Lupita Nyong’o and Letitia Wright – who star in the Black Panther sequel Wakanda Forever – have said they hope “he would be proud” of the new movie.
Two years on from Boseman’s death from colon cancer, aged just 43, the absence of King T’Challa himself on the black carpet at the London premiere was acutely felt as fans and photographers saw the stars out in force in Leicester Square.
Wright, who returns as Shuri, King T’Challa’s sister, told Sky News that he was at the forefront of everyone’s thoughts throughout the shoot.
Image: (L-R) Martin Freeman, Florence Kasumba, Danai Gurira , Letitia Wright, Ryan Coogler, Lupita Nyong’o and Tenoch Huerta at the London premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
She said: “I lost my brother, so for me, the most important thing was about thinking why? Why are we moving forward? What would he have wanted?
“And I feel very strongly under the guidance of our director that he would be proud of this. He would have wanted to see the next generation motivated and inspired, that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Nyong’o, who plays King T’Challa’s former lover Nakia, admitted returning to the set was hard.
“At the beginning, when Chadwick died, I was just completely deflated and I had no idea how we could come back to Wakanda.”
Crediting the sensitive way in which director Ryan Coogler takes the story forward, she said “[he] pivoted the story to embrace that loss, he made it about exploring grief and how we move on from tragedy”.
A new addition to the franchise, I May Destroy You actress Michaela Coel, said she was a huge fan of the original and “the passion it ignited” in her.
Image: (L-R) Chadwick Boseman played T’Challa in the 2018 Black Panther film, with director Ryan Coogler
She told Sky News: “I was giving cuddles, handing out tissues and making people laugh where I could.”
Joining the franchise as Aneka, a captain and combat instructor, she also credited filmmaker Coogler and his co-writer Joe Robert Cole in how they incorporated the great loss that everyone felt.
Read more: Netflix and Howard University set up scholarship Boseman Lupita Nyong’o leads tributes on one-year anniversary of actor’s death
Coel said: “A lot of women carry the heart of this movie but it’s written by two incredible men.
“What really blows my mind is how they were able to take their grief, process it and funnel it into a script that we could feel and understand…. it’s incredible and so respectful.”
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is in cinemas from 11 November.
The Princess of Wales has warned the shame of addiction is stopping many people getting help – and told sufferers “recovery is possible”.
Kate, patron of addiction recovery charity The Forward Trust, said addiction is “a serious health condition” and “not a choice”.
Her message of support for the Taking Action on Addiction campaign comes on the first day of Addiction Awareness Week.
She said: “Addiction is a serious mental health condition that can happen to anyone, no matter what age, gender, race or nationality.
“Attitudes to addiction are changing. But we are not there yet, and we need to be. Still the shame of addiction is stopping people and families asking for help and people are still tragically losing their lives.
“And so today, during Addiction Awareness Week, I want to share a message of support to those who are continuing to suffer.
“Please know that addiction is not a choice. No one chooses to become an addict.
“The charities leading the Taking Action on Addiction Campaign, along with others, are working across the country delivering life changing work to help people recover and move forward.
“They are here for you. So please ask for help. I know this was not a choice. Recovery is possible.”
Read more: Tens of thousands of ex-offenders left to deal with drug addictions Cuts to alcohol addiction treatment coincide with increase in parents’ heavy drinking
Led by The Forward Trust alongside a number of charity partners, the Taking Action on Addiction campaign aims to reframe existing perceptions of addiction, build awareness of the causes and nature of addiction, improve understanding, reduce prejudice and enable more people to get help.
Mike Trace, chief executive of The Forward Trust, said: “At a time when addiction is growing across the UK it is crucial, we build awareness of its causes and act quickly to stop this tide, to get in early to reduce the impact on families and children, and make sure that people are able to access the support and treatment that we know makes recovery from addiction possible.”
The family of Leah Croucher have said their “faint glimmer of hope” of her being alive has been “brutally extinguished” after the teenager’s remains were found in the loft of a house.
In a tribute to their “bright, funny young” daughter, the 19-year-old’s family said they knew the “heartbreaking news” of her death would “come one day” but they are “devastated” to have been proven right.
“The deepest, darkest grief that we, Leah’s family and friends are experiencing over the past weeks shows us that glimmer was actually, foolishly, a shining beacon of hope, which has now been brutally extinguished in the cruellest and harshest of ways,” they said.
“It has been a long way to fall back to reality.”
Leah’s remains were found last week, more than three years after she went missing on her way to work at a finance company in Milton Keynes.
Items belonging to the teenager, who was a European Taekwondo champion, were also found in the same property in Loxbeare Drive, Furzton, a few minutes from her home.
Her family described feeling a “pain almost too big to bear” following her disappearance, but added: “There is little that compares to the deep chasm Leah’s death has brought to us”.
“Leah was a bright, funny young woman who was a kind, loyal, helpful and caring soul,” their statement continued.
“Her smile lit up the room, and her laugh cheered all who heard it. Leah had a wonderful sense of humour, who found joy in everything she did.”
Image: Leah Croucher was a Taekwondo champion
‘We will soon be able to lay Leah to rest’
They added that while their “lives are darker”, they have taken “solace” in believing Leah “will only finally die when the last of us who remember her dies”.
“We will soon be able to lay Leah to rest, as she deserves, and say our final goodbyes, be able to grieve at Leah’s graveside and lay flowers for her,” her family added.
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“We have missed Leah for so long already, and now have the rest of our lives to mourn her, as well as the memories we will never be able to make.
Writing to Leah directly, the family said: “We hope soon that we will be able to look at pictures of you again, but they are too painful to even think about at the moment.”
“Give Haydon a big kiss and a big hug from us baby, we miss and love you both so much, but hope that you are together now, looking out for each other as always.
The tribute was referring to Haydon Croucher, Leah’s brother, who died on 24 November 2019, nine months after she went missing.
Image: Leah Croucher went missing on her way to work at a finance company
Who is the prime suspect?
The prime suspect in Leah’s murder investigation has been named by police as convicted sex offender Neil Maxwell, who was found dead on 20 April 2019 after he took his own life.
Police started searching the property on 10 October this year after receiving a tip-off from a member of the public.
Image: Neil Maxwell, who had keys to the house where Leah’s body was found, took his own life
Officers had visited the house on two earlier occasions but insisted this was the first time Leah’s disappearance was linked to the address – despite conducting about 4,000 house-to-house calls.
It has since emerged Maxwell was the only person with keys to the house, which was unoccupied when police were conducting their inquiries.
He was wanted in connection with a sexual assault and used false names and changed his mobile phone and vehicles to avoid police.
A group of giant rabbits is recovering well after being rescued by the RSPCA.
The Flemish giant rabbits were found in small hutches on an allotment in Ashington, Northumberland, earlier this month.
They were in cramped and dirty conditions and had been left to breed with each other.
The largest rabbit weighed more than 8kg – the same as a medium-sized dog such as a Jack Russell or King Charles spaniel.
Its ears were 7in (almost 18cm) long.
Flemish giant rabbits are popular pets but they are also still bred for their fur and their meat.
The RSPCA said it is believed these rabbits were being bred to be eaten.
Around half of them were adults and half were babies – two of the adults were of average size but their litters were crossed with the giant rabbits, so the babies (or kits) are likely to grow into large rabbits.
‘We hope they will soon find loving homes’
Inspector Trevor Walker, who helped to rescue the rabbits, said: “These poor rabbits were living in cramped and dirty conditions which would have been very unpleasant for them especially in the heat.
“Luckily a vet found they are all in good condition, although one is on medication for weepy eyes and a wound on the back of his neck, but we hope they will soon find loving homes.”
Anyone interested in adopting the rabbits can look on the RSPCA’s website for the Find A Pet section.
Mr Walker said: “They will make good companion animals, as they have nice temperaments.”
Pet owners struggling with cost-of-living crisis
The RSPCA is seeing an increase in rabbits needing rescue and adoption, with some pet owners unable to care for them due to the increasing demands of the cost-of-living crisis.
Mr Walker said: “We would really urge people to do their research before taking on a pet, and also to make sure you get your pet neutered at an early opportunity to prevent unwanted litters of animals.
“All of these rabbits will be neutered, micro-chipped and vaccinated before finding new homes.”
