Stars including comedians Alan Carr and Jo Brand, and Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, have arrived in Kent for the funeral of Paul O’Grady – TV star, LGBTQ campaigner and animal lover.
A private funeral for O’Grady, who died on 28 March, took place after a procession through the village of Aldington in Kent.
Hundreds of mourners, many with their dogs, gathered to watch the procession. O’Grady’s husband Andre Portasio was emotional as he rode on a carriage drawn by two black horses with one of couple’s dogs on his lap.
Actress Linda Henry, who plays Shirley Carter in EastEnders, LGBTQ rights campaigner Peter Tatchell and TV presenter Gaby Roslin were among those in attendance at the funeral.
Comedian Julian Clary, actress Dame Sheila Hancock, the late Dame Barbara Windsor’s widower Scott Mitchell and EastEnders actor Scott Maslen were also seen at the church.
The Salvation Army Band played songs including Tomorrow from the musical Annie. O’Grady was starring in a touring production of the show at the time of his death.
His daughter Sharyn Mousley entered the church with a young man holding the wig of Lily Savage – O’Grady’s drag alter ego.
Dogs from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home will form a guard of honour for the service, recognising his extensive work as an ambassador for the charity.
Some dogs could be seen wearing jackets identifying them as being from the home, with the phrase “rescue is best”, as mourners gathered on Thursday.
O’Grady rehomed five dogs from Battersea while he filmed Paul O’Grady: For The Love Of Dogs and more than £270,000 has been raised for the charity since his death.
Image: Ronnie and Sally Wood arriving for the funeral of Paul O’Grady
Image: Gaby Roslin arrives at St Rumwold’s Church in Aldington
Crowds gathered in the village, where O’Grady lived for more than 20 years, from mid-morning on Thursday.
Many brought their dogs. One pup in a pram had a photo of O’Grady with a dog with the message “Thank you”.
Celebrity chef Andi Oliver and Coronation Street star Sally Lindsay were among those petting the animals.
Image: A dog with its owner waiting for the funeral procession for Paul O’Grady
Image: Fleur Boyd (left) with her mother Astrid Allen travelled from Margate with their dog Zeus to pay their respects
Other mourners wore T-shirts featuring pictures of dogs.
Pupils from Aldington Primary School displayed a collage of dog drawings they had done inside a large heart.
Image: Pupils and teachers from Aldington Primary School display their drawings of dogs in O’Grady’s honour
A bake sale was being organised outside the Walnut Tree pub with proceeds going to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.
O’Grady, who rose to fame as his drag alter ego Lily Savage before going on to host a string of television programmes, died “unexpectedly but peacefully” at his home on 28 March at the age of 67.
Rory McIlroy has completed a career Grand Slam in golf with his win at the US Masters tournament.
The Masters was the last major tournament left for McIlroy to complete the modern golf Grand Slam – a feat only five others have managed before him.
McIlroy, who was making his 11th attempt at completing the Grand Slam, faced off Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff to decide the Masters champion, after they finished tied on 11 under at the end of regulation on Sunday.
Image: McIlroy reacts as he wins. Pic: AP
Image: McIlroy reacts after winning against Justin Rose at the Masters. Pic: AP
“It’s my 17th time here and I started to wonder if it would ever be my time,” McIlroy said just before slipping on the Green Jacket during the presentation ceremony.
“I’m just absolutely honoured and thrilled and just so proud to be able to call myself a Masters champion.”
McIlroy had missed his six-foot putt for par, a bogey which dropped him back to 11 under, where he joined Rose – leading to a dramatic play-off between the two.
Only five other golfers have been able to complete a career Grand Slam, including Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen.
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Image: Pic: AP
McIlroy is a two-time winner of the PGA Championship, claiming the prize in 2012 and 2014.
The 35-year-old also won his first major title, the US Open, in 2011, and won The Open Championship in 2014.
How did McIlroy get to the victory?
McIlroy recovered from losing his overnight two-shot advantage with an opening-hole double bogey to initially take control at Augusta National, only to blow a four-shot lead over his closing six holes.
The world No 2 bogeyed the last to close a one-over 73 and slip back to 11 under alongside Rose, who overturned a seven-stroke deficit and posted a stunning final-round 66 to force a play-off.
The players returned to the 18th for the play-off, where McIlroy made amends for his 72nd-hole blunder by firing a stunning approach to within three feet of the pin and making the birdie putt required for a life-changing win.
Last-minute efforts to keep British Steel operating are to be carried out today, as the plant races to secure a supply of raw materials.
The Department for Business and Trade said officials are working to secure supplies of materials, including coking coal, to keep British Steel operational, as well as to ensure all staff will be paid.
It added that setting up new supply chains was “crucial” as a fall in blast furnace temperature could risk “irreparable damage to the site, with the steel setting and scarring the machinery”.
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Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said in a statement that “when I said steelmaking has a future in the UK, I meant it”.
“Steel is vital for our national security and our ambitious plans for the housing, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors in the UK,” he added.
“We will set out a long-term plan to co-invest with the private sector to ensure steel in the UK has a bright and sustainable future.”
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Image: Unions said Jingye decided to cancel orders of key materials for the steelworks
Earlier this month, unions said the steelwork’s owner, Chinese company Jingye, decided to cancel future orders for the iron ore, coal and other raw materials needed to keep the furnaces running.
It meant the Scunthorpe plant had been on course to close down by May, bit it sparked urgent calls for government intervention.
Emergency legislation was passed on Saturday bringing the steelworks into effective government control, and officials were on site as soon as the new legislation came into force.
However, the business secretary has warned that does not mean the plant is guaranteed to survive.
Appearing on Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, Mr Reynolds also said he would not bring a Chinese company into the “sensitive” steel sector again.
“I don’t know… the Boris Johnson government when they did this, what exactly the situation was,” he added. “But I think it’s a sensitive area.”
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‘I wouldn’t bring a Chinese company into our steel sector’
Jingye stepped in with a deal to buy British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant out of insolvency in 2020, when Mr Johnson was prime minister.
The minister added that while The Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill stops short of the full nationalisation of British Steel, “to be frank, as I said to parliament yesterday, it is perhaps at this stage the likely option”.
The Conservatives accused the government of acting “too late” and implementing a “botched nationalisation” after ignoring warnings about the risk to the steelworks.