Glastonbury's best bits: Capaldi's comeback, celebrity sightings and lots of spoons

43 minutes ago Share Save Mark Savage Music Correspondent Reporting from Glastonbury Festival Annabel Rackham Culture reporter Reporting from Glastonbury Festival Share Save

Is it really over? After five days of surprise performances, setlist clashes, crazy outfits and blistering heat, Glastonbury is closing its gates until 2027. We watched epic shows from Pulp and Olivia Rodrigo, did viral dances with CMAT and Charli XCX and, for no apparent reason, saw two incarnations of Doctor Who on stage with Franz Ferdinand and Jade. There's always too much to process in the moment. We missed Gary Numan making his Glastonbury debut, and were locked out of Scissor Sisters' epic set on the Woodsies stage after turning up too late. But here are some of the highlights and memorable moments from a weekend of mayhem.

1) Lewis Capaldi's tear-jerking comeback

Lewis Capaldi - Someone You Loved

In 2023, Lewis Capaldi had to abandon his Glastonbury set, after Tourette's syndrome caused his vocal cords to seize up. He took two years off to deal with his health issues, but that incomplete set was always at the back of his mind. On Friday, he arrived unannounced on the Pyramid Stage to finish what he couldn't last time. "Second time's a charm on this one, everybody," he said, as tears welled up in his (and our) eyes. The set was short on time, but big on emotion. From the opening lines of Before You Go to the set-closing Someone You Loved, the crowd sang every line, giving the star their full attention and affection. Lewis, displaying none of the physical tics that plagued him two years ago, was in fine form. That sandpapery voice was undiminished, even as the lump grew in his throat. As he laid his Glastonbury ghosts to rest, he observed that Friday's set would also be difficult to finish for "different reasons. Good reasons."

2) The biggest celebrity sightings

Getty Images Actors Dominic Cooper and Gemma Chan channelled festival glam as they were spotted backstage

A weekend at Worthy Farm isn't complete without a celebrity sighting or two and this year has certainly delivered. One Direction fans were delighted to see Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson in attendance, presumably to see The 1975's headline set on Friday. Harry was also spotted in the field for Doechii's set, dancing with a manbag slung over his shoulder. The backstage areas were filled to the brim with acting royalty, including Eddie Redmayne, Taron Egerton (who watched Lewis Capaldi's set with his top off), Lily James and Paul Mescal. Andrew Garfield was also spotted at a fan Q&A, talking about his new film We Live in Time - as well as reading some spicy social media posts fans had written about him.

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It was also great to see some of the weekend's performers letting their hair down after hours. Lorde was spotted in the South East Corner dancing at NYC Downlow on Saturday morning, whilst Charli XCX celebrated headlining the Other Stage by dancing alongside fiancé and The 1975 drummer George Daniel at a 1am DJ slot on Sunday morning. Glastonbury veterans such as Pixie Geldof, Lily Allen, Alexa Chung and Daisy Lowe were also on site over the weekend too, proving you can be effortlessly glamorous in a sweaty field (as long as you have money to burn and access to electricity and running water).

3) 10,000 Spoons

Spoons, spoons, as far as the eye can see

Alanis Morisette's Jagged Little Pill is the biggest-selling debut album of all time, with sales of 33 million. With the record celebrating its 30th birthday this month, the singer made her Glastonbury debut with a spectacular sunset performance on the Pyramid Stage, that showed songs like You Oughta Know and One Hand In My Pocket have lost none of their edge, or their allure. The singer, now 51 years old, had the strongest vocals of the weekend, belting out the hits so hard that she had to hold her microphone a solid three feet from her mouth, as she spun around the stage in a guileless blur of sparkles and hair. But when she broke into Ironic, fans had a surprise in store: Spoons. Hundreds of spoons. They held them aloft during the lyric "it's like 10,000 spoons when all you need is a knife" – a line that comedian Ed Byrne once pointed out "isn't ironic, it's just frickin' stupid." "We haven't got 10,000 spoons between us. How big is your sink, Alanis?"

4) Sock wrestling

Sock Wrestling Federation A contestant prepares for a round of sock wrestling

Over in the Kidz field, there were huge queues for the extreme sports phenomenon known as Sock Wrestling. The concept is simple: Two kids face each other on a mat, each wearing a single sock. Then they circle, provoke and grapple each other until one triumphantly rips off the other's footwear and claims victory. On Saturday, it devolved into chaos when one kid challenged their dad to a face-off. But the dad wasn't prepared to lose face. Years of familial tension boiled over as the stand-off became unnecessarily, dramatically tense. Then, in the words of 6 Music's Steve Lamaq, "the kid flattened his dad" and the crowd went nuts. Someone commission this for prime time BBC One right now.

5) Fatboy Slim's centenary

Fatboy Slim / Conor James Mason / Instagram

If Fatboy Slim isn't here, does Glastonbury even happen? The DJ/producer played his 100th (and 101st and 102nd and 103rd) set at the farm this weekend, drawing huge crowds everywhere he went. He celebrated his centenary with a mash-up of his signature hit Praise You, and The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. As you might expect, it went off. He's come a long way, baby.

6) CMAT's discombobulation

CMAT - Take A Sexy Picture Of Me

Irish singer CMAT ended her performance on the Pyramid Stage by saying it was "the biggest moment" of her career. Asked how she was processing that incredible reception, she told us she had "no idea". "I think I'm going to process it in about three to five business months," laughed. The 29 year old, whose real name is Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, said she didn't speak for around an hour after her set ended. "I was pretty, pretty shocked. Yeah, no idea," she said. "I'm scared still. As if it's about to happen, but it's over." She said it had taken "constant grafting" to get to the Pyramid Stage - but all the practice paid off, as she lit up the stage with her powerful vocals and kooky stage presence. It felt very much like we were watching a star being born. She'll be back here very, very soon.

7) This sculpture

Glastonbury

Spotted by the incredible team behind the @GlastoLive account on Bluesky, this installation is made entirely of keys that people lost or left behind after last year's festival. If you're still on site this morning, check your pockets before you go!

8) And this one

Glastonbury Carhenge is one of Glastonbury's biggest installations, modelled on the nearby Stonehenge monument - but with cars

Rave pioneers The Prodigy made a triumphant return to Glastonbury, headlining The Other Stage on Sunday, 30 years after their debut. It was an incendiary set - you could even call it a Firestarter - but there was also a touch of poignancy, as it was the band's first Glastonbury without frontman Keith Flint, who died by suicide in 2019. The band's vocalist, Maxim, stepped up in his place - with hits like Omen and Breathe causing pandemonium in the packed-out field. "I think Mr Flint would have have been proud of you," he declares to the thousands watching. The star's memory was also honoured at Glastonbury's infamous Carhenge installation, with a new mural that captured his fierce punk energy. "Each of the cars have been dedicated to characters whose life's work has contributed to the underground culture, which is now our culture," said artist Joe Rush, who curates Carhenge, in a BBC interview last year.

9) Fun with flags... or not

Getty Images

Glastonbury's flags are a handy way for friends to find each other in a crowded field, but they're also an outlet for creativity. Our favourites this year included a tribute to TV personality Kim Woodburn and a Charli XCX-themed banner bearing the legend "bratwurst". But not everyone is a fan. Poet and BBC radio presenter Robin Ince posted the following poem to his Bluesky account as the festival kicked off. I know you're proud of your town, your joke, your team But I'm here to see Self Esteem Not your wind-blown patchwork That obscures Jarvis Cocker's twerk But as much as I want to see bands that are live I don't mind if you cover up The 1975

10) Benedict Cumberbatch's confession

Benedict Cumberbatch 'went under the fence' at his first Glastonbury

The Avengers and Sherlock star was reminiscing with Simon Pegg on Saturday about his first trip to Glastonbury - and let's just say it wasn't 100% legit. "I went under the fence, I don't know if I'm supposed to say this, but I did," he told the BBC. He added that he broke in by going "under the tunnel" and made his way there to see Pulp perform. Here's hoping that he managed to catch up with the band after their surprise set on Saturday to recount the tale to them, too. "And I had my tent on a very, very steep slope," Cumberbatch added cheekily.

11) The BBC's bleeping bandits

Self Esteem - The Deep Blue Okay

At home, you're probably not aware of this – but there's an entire team at Glastonbury dedicated to creating "broadcast safe" versions of the music for daytime radio, to avoid the wrath of Ofcom. They sit in a cramped office, carefully editing out curse words. And, as the taboos around explicit language have weakened, their job's only become harder. "Did you see the swear sheet for Self Esteem?" I heard one sigh on Friday night. "After the second mother****** I was like, 'This is going to be a long night'."

12) Secret performances that beat the headliners

Pulp - Common People

Glastonbury loves a surprise set, and this year they outdid themselves. The "secret" acts (whose secrets weren't particularly well kept) were so big that they often overshadowed the headliners. Lorde was first up, sauntering onto the Woodsies' stage on Friday morning, playing her just-released album Virgin to an eager crowd of fans. Lewis Capaldi got a hero's welcome as he played the Pyramid Stage in a "TBA" slot; and the mysterious band billed as Patchwork were, to no-one's surprise, Pulp. The Britpop heroes were marking the anniversary of their 1995 headline set: One of the truly legendary Glastonbury performances, where the band - who'd just released Common People - first established their status as national treasures. They finished the set with that song, naturally, assisted by Red Arrows flypast; and Sunday night headliner Olivia Rodrigo hollering the lyrics from her boyfriend's shoulders.

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Elsewhere, there were unannounced sets by CMAT and Kae Tempest on the BBC Introducing Stage, an impromptu performance by Olivia Dean in the Strummerville tent. And Haim drew what one colleague described as The Park Stage's biggest-ever audience when they appeared shortly after 7pm on Saturday night. The Californian sisters' sun-kissed garage rock was the perfect soundtrack as the sun set over Worthy Farm - with highlights including a muscular take on The Steps, the loping groove of Taylor Swift collab Gasoline, and the totally fed-up pop hit Relationships. The quality of this year's surprise sets is indicative of one thing: With no Glastonbury in 2026, and the acts who could have headlined next year's instalment didn't want to miss out.

13) One Glastonbury legend anoints another

Getty Images Robert Smith of The Cure was Olivia Rodrigo's special guest during her Sunday evening headline slot

"He is perhaps the best songwriter to come out of England, he is a Glastonbury legend and a personal hero of mine," Olivia Rodrigo tells the audience during her headline slot. She is talking about Robert Smith, The Cure's frontman for the past 49 years and a four-time Glastonbury headliner. There are audible gasps from a few mums and dads in the crowd when one audience member asks, "Who is he?" but you'd hope they were won over after an absolutely superb duet on the Pyramid Stage. The pair sang Friday I'm in Love and Just Like Heaven, with their vastly different sounding vocals somehow contrasting perfectly. Rodrigo confessed her love of British culture throughout, including Marks and Spencer's Colin the Caterpillar and also admitted she'd got through "three sticky toffee puddings" since arriving on Worthy Farm. Perhaps she‘ll give apple crumble a go next.

14) A wedding... and a wedding cake

Maya Yagoda Djurdjevic Charles and Charlie Shires tied the knot in the Healing Fields, and held their reception in the BBC Introducing tent.

Maya Yagoda Djurdjevic

You can do anything at Glastonbury. Even get married. Charles and Charlie Shires turned up at a recording of the BBC's Sidetracked podcast, fresh from a ceremony at the festival's Healing Fields. They'd literally tied the knot, in an ancient Celtic ceremony known as handfasting, where a couple's hands are bound together. "We made our own hand-tying cord out of ribbons," explained Charlie. "I was crying the whole way through. It was very gorgeous." "Are your family pissed off with you?" asked Annie Mac. "Probably," laughed Charles. "But we just thought this is the best place, right? Everyone has the most fun in this place every summer." To celebrate, Charlie - who is a professional baker - brought a wedding cake from their home in Yorkshire, and distributed slices to the audience. "I can't believe it survived," she laughed.

15) What's happening in 2026?

Getty Images Emily Eavis (centre) made the most of this year's festival before taking a well-deserved break next year

Olivia Rodrigo leaves Glastonbury on a high

47 minutes ago Share Save Mark Savage Music Correspondent Reporting from Glastonbury Festival Share Save

EPA Aged 22, Olivia Rodrigo is the third-youngest Pyramid Stage headliner of all time - after Billie Eilish and Ash

Glastonbury saved the best 'til last, with a triumphant set by American star Olivia Rodrigo to close the festival's Pyramid Stage. After the artifice and intensity of previous headliners The 1975 and Neil Young, the 22-year-old stomped her way through a series of crisp, punk-pop anthems and heartfelt ballads about the injustices of young love. She charmed her English fans by professing her love for Marks and Spencers' Colin The Caterpillar sweets; and won over Glastonbury veterans by duetting with The Cure's Robert Smith ("perhaps the best songwriter to come out of England"). "Glastonbury's been my dream festival forever and I can't believe today's the day," she beamed.

Getty Images With The Cure, Robert Smith has headlined Glastonbury four times in the past

The set was a crowning moment for the singer, who only released her first single, Drivers License, five years ago. A desperate cry of loneliness, the ballad broke Spotify streaming records in just 24 hours. Then it broke them again. Seven days later, it entered the UK and the US charts at number one, instantly catapulting the singer from Disney actress to fully-fledged pop star. Drivers License cast her as "the sad piano girl" in the public imagination - but she quickly deconstructed that image with a flurry of dynamic, guitar-heavy pop anthems that built on the templates established by Joan Jett, Alanis Morisette and Avril Lavigne. It was those sounds that opened her Glastonbury set, with the crunchy riffs of Obsessed, a self-mocking song about her jealousy; and the semi-autobiographical Diary Of A Homeschooled Girl. Dressed in a white lace corset and knee-high bovver boots, she high-kicked across the stage, whipping the crowd into a frenzy. "How are we doing tonight Glastonbury," she screamed. "I don't think I've ever seen so many people in my life. "Guys, it's the last night of the festival. Are you ready to have some fun?" She undercut the question slightly by launching into Drivers License - but watching the army of young fans holler those lyrics back at her, there was a communal sense of catharsis, at least.

PA The star played a cherry red guitar several times during the set, including for a solo version of "the favourite song I've written" Enough For You.

The rest of the set balanced her competing impulses: rock chick, singer-songwriter, rabble rouser, strident feminist, heartfelt balladeer. But above all else, she's a music fan. Her decision to duet with Glastonbury veteran Robert Smith, rather than a pop contemporary like Harry Styles or Lorde, flowed directly from her love of 80s British pop. As they played The Cure classics Friday I'm in Love and Just Like Heaven, Rodrigo kept glancing over at Smith, beaming from ear to ear, like she couldn't believe her luck. She added little harmonies to the songs, embellishing without being disrespectful – and Smith seemed to be just as enamoured with Rodrigo as she was with him, watching the rest of her set from the wings of the Pyramid Stage. "He's the nicest, most wonderful man ever and I'm so honoured to play with him tonight," she gushed.

EPA The star had also headlined London's BST festival on Friday, where she duetted with Ed Sheeran

That guilelessness worked in her favour. For the audience, it often felt like watching your cool older sister (or your precocious young daughter) up on stage, rather than some untouchable pop star. What's more, Rodrigo needed none of the usual pop star props. There was no choreography. Until the encore, there was only one costume. All she required were the songs and her pin-sharp, all-female band. She charmed the audience even more as she introduced the new wavey So American – a song about the inside jokes she shared with an English boyfriend. "I love England so much," she said. "I love how nobody judges you for having a pint at noon. I love English sweets, all the sweets from M&S, Colin the Caterpillar specifically. "True story: I have had three sticky toffee puddings since coming to Glastonbury. And as luck would have it, I love English boys." England loved her right back, saving their biggest reaction for her encore – a headlong rush through Brutal, All American Bitch, Good 4 U and Get Him Back. She left the stage under a downpour of fireworks, as inflatable balls bounced around the audience and our ears rang with feedback. It was, hands down, the best (and best-attended) headline set of the weekend. Olivia Rodrigo had understood the brief: Bring the hits. Make it unique. And make it personal. Perhaps she'd learned that from Jarvis Cocker, whom she'd watched from her boyfriend's shoulders on Saturday. "To enjoy Glastonbury, you have to submit to it," he advised. Rodrigo channeled that spirit innately. She's welcome back any time.

A glimpse of Olivia's setlist

Earlier on Sunday, The Selecter opened up the final day of music on the Pyramid Stage, with an energetic set of punchy ska anthems. Singer Pauline Black, a former NHS worker, dedicated Frontline to her colleagues, saying we'd thank them when we needed their help for "all those knees and all those hips in the not-so-distant future". And the crowd carried her through the band's biggest hit, On The Radio, as her voice cracked on the trilling high notes. "As you can tell, my voice is hurting," she explained. "Are you going to help me?" They didn't need asking twice.

Getty Images Joy Crookes looked sensational in a green and pink sari

Celeste took our breath away with a grungier, angrier sound than the floaty jazz-soul of her debut. The singer, who won the BBC's Sound Of 2020, has taken five years to follow up her chart topping album, Not Your Muse, but told the audience "everything happens when it's supposed to". On the basis of Everyday - an excoriating, paranoid track built around Death In Vegas's 1999 dance hit Dirge - the new material has been worth the wait. Also previewing new material was London soul-pop singer Joy Crookes. Dressed in a striking pink and green sari, she sauntered through the bassy grooves of recent singles Pass The Salt and Carmen, coming across like a latter-day Amy Winehouse. The highlight of her set was the new single Perfect Crime - with a chorus so immaculate that the crowd had picked it up after one refrain.

Getty Images The Libertines' Pete Doherty and Carl Barat brought 2000s indie nostalgia to the Pyramid Stage

After an unexpectedly nostalgic set from The Libertines, Rod Stewart took to the Pyramid Stage in the prestigious "legend slot". In full lounge lizard style, he played big band arrangements of hits like Do Ya Think I'm Sexy, Maggie May and The First Cut Is The Deepest, full of bubbly blonde backing vocals and endless saxophone solos. Despite promising to "get in as many hits as I can", the set had a wobbly start, with a couple of lesser-known numbers. But he found his groove with 1984's Some Guys Have All The Luck, after which the jukebox served up hit after hit. Ronnie Wood came out for a chummy duet on the Faces' Stay With Me (an obvious highlight) before Stewart closed his set with a maritime singalong on We Are Sailing.

Getty Images Nile Rodgers and Chic had an unassailable setlist of pop and disco hits

He was followed by Nile Rodgers and Chic who, it has to be said, drew an even bigger crowd for their feel-good disco anthems. The song choices were faultless, ranging from Chic's Le Freak and Good Times, to the songs Rodgers produced for Bowie (Let's Dance, Modern Love) and Madonna (Like A Virgin, Material Girl) in the 80s. As they played, a biplane flew over the Pyramid Stage and drew a smiley face and a love heart in the sky. It couldn't have come at a better time. Over at the Woodsies stage, AJ Tracey gave a masterclass in crowd work. "I asked you for a mosh pit and I'm not gonna lie to you, it was weak," he scolded, promising to give the crowd something to really get their teeth into. At that point, Aitch burst onto the stage for the pair's 2020 collaboration, Rain. To say the energy ramped up would be an understatement on par with saying the surface of the sun is a little warm to the touch. The set continued with a clutch of UK rap anthems - Ladbroke Grove, Thiago Silva, Kiss and Tell - turning it into one of the weekend's sweatiest shows. Other standout sets on the festivals' final day included The Prodigy, who dedicated their set on The Other Stage to late frontman Keith Flint; and Jorja Smith, who provided a soothing set of British soul for the festival's more weary revellers.

PA Media Wolf Alice marked themselves out as future headliners

'Why did BBC not pull plug' and 'Meltdown Monday'

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BBC "Why did BBC not pull plug on vile chants?" asks the Daily Express after the broadcaster aired punk duo Bob Vylan's chants of "death, death to the IDF" in a livestream of Glastonbury Festival. "Both the broadcaster and the music festival faced widespread condemnation," it writes. A BBC spokesperson previously said some of the comments made were "deeply offensive" and they had issued a warning on screen about "very strong and discriminatory language". There are no plans to make the performance available on iPlayer, they added.

"BBC chiefs 'should face charges' over Glastonbury" reads the headline on the front page of the Daily Mail. It quotes Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp who said that the BBC "appears to have broken the law". A shot of the British women's tennis pair also graces the front page as the Mail asks if Emma Radacanu and Katie Boulter will "ace it for Britain at SW19?"

The Daily Telegraph also leads with Bob Vylan, quoting Philp who says the "hate rapper 'must be treated like Connolly". A failure to do so would be "a clear example of two-tier justice under Sir Keir Starmer", he said. Lucy Connolly received a 31-month prison sentence after admitting inciting racial hatred in a social media post after the Southport killings.

There is "no excuse for BBC hate" writes The Sun, which also leads on the Glastonbury controversy. The paper quotes the prime minister saying "the BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast".

The Metro says Health Secretary Wes Streeting has also "waded into" the row after the Israeli Embassy called the chants as "inflammatory and hateful". It reports Streeting condemned the chants and told the embassy to "get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank".

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer faces a "backbench showdown despite rowing back over welfare bill" writes the Financial Times. Today, the PM will attempt a "last-ditch bid to woo" Labour rebels, while the FT reports changes to the bill have reduced government savings from £5bn to about £2bn. The uncertainty of a vote on its outcome is "highly unsusual" and suggests "tensions and bad blood within the Labour party", it writes. Also on the front page, a Cambridge laboratory is working on a "biological computer" made of 200,000 human brain cells they have grown.

The Times goes with the "PM battles to stave off revolt" on the welfare cuts. The Times also runs with the story of the BBC airing Bob Vylan's IDF chants saying the boss has been told to "get a grip or quit". The paper co-ordinates with Sir Rod Stewart's Glastonbury suit to announce "Wimbledon begins today!"

"Rebel Labour whip calls for more welfare concessions" headlines The Guardian. Vicky Foxcroft, who resigned as whip over the bill, tells the paper the government must work with disabled people on changes and publish a review.

"NHS weight-loss jabs" will now come "from your pharmacy", reports the i, as part of the government's new "obesity plan". The Health Secretary Wes Streeting "wants everyone who is clinically obese to get jabs on NHS if they need them".

It is "meltdown Monday" says the Daily Star as a "2000 mile-wide 35C heat bubble sparks beach dash".

"Heat is on" declares The Daily Mirror as reports Monday is set to be the "hottest day of the year".

Covid inquiry to look at impact on care services

8 minutes ago Share Save Alison Holt • @AlisonHoltBBC Social affairs editor James Melley Senior Social Affairs Producer Share Save

BBC In the early days of the pandemic, care home staff donned full personal protective equipment

The Covid inquiry will start examining the impact of the pandemic on care services for elderly and disabled people on Monday. Bereaved families say they have been waiting for this moment for years, describing the way Covid swept through care homes as one of the clearest and most devastating failures of the pandemic. Nearly 46,000 care home residents died with Covid in England and Wales between March 2020 and January 2022, many of them in the early weeks of the pandemic. The government says it supports the inquiry and is committed to learning lessons from it.

There are key questions families and care staff want answering, including why the decision was made in March 2020 to rapidly discharge some hospital patients into care homes. They blame this, in part, for seeding the virus into care homes in the early stages of the pandemic. There are also questions about blanket "do not resuscitate" notices being placed on some care home residents by medical services, and about visiting policies which prevented families seeing their loved ones for months. "It was an awful, awful time," says Maureen Lewis, manager of St Ives Lodge care home in northeast London. The home cares for up to 35 people, many of whom have dementia. When we visited earlier this month, some of the residents were sitting round a table in the dining area, making brightly coloured collages of flower baskets. Staff and residents sat cheek by jowl chatting to each other.

These days staff and residents at St Ives Lodge are confident to sit close to each other

This was a huge contrast to our first visit on 15 April 2020. Then, staff were dressed head to toe in protective suits, their faces covered by masks. It was three weeks after the UK locked down to try to stop Covid spreading. Despite this, St Ives Lodge had just lost six residents in a week. "That was the hardest. And that was right at the very beginning of Covid," Maureen remembers. The ones they couldn't save What guidance did care homes get?

On 17 April 2020 the number of deaths in care homes reached its peak, with 540 people dying in England and Wales in one day. St Ives Lodge had locked down in mid March, but a resident who had returned from hospital developed Covid symptoms. Those who sat at the same dining table as him quickly showed the same signs. They died within seven days of each other. The home later lost another resident to the virus. At the time, Maureen described how doctors and district nurses refused to come in, how care homes struggled to get protective equipment (PPE) and there was no helpful guidance from government. "We were like a mini hospital," she told BBC News, "dealing with end-of-life care... Googling what to do". It was an experience described by many other care home managers who felt abandoned by the government and NHS in the early months of the pandemic.

Looking back, Maureen says: "There were no protocols, no testing and [the NHS] was basically getting rid of any residents back to care homes. They were discharged as normal, but we were in a pandemic." She wants the inquiry to find out why such decisions were made, and she wants those in positions of responsibility held to account. She remains angry with the former Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock, for his statement on 15 May 2020, that the government had "thrown a protective ring around care homes". "There was no ring of protection for care homes at all," she says. "He needs to take accountability for the decisions he made."

Maureen Lewis remembers the early days of the pandemic as 'an awful, awful time'

Mr Hancock is due to give evidence within the next few days. It will be his seventh, and likely final appearance. For Jean Adamson, the evidence which will be heard at the inquiry over the coming weeks will be the most important yet. Her father, Aldrick, died with Covid on 15 April 2020. The last time she saw him was when, whilst she stood outside, she glimpsed him through the window of his care home a few days before he passed away. She was devastated she could not be at his side. "We weren't allowed to say goodbye to him, to hold his hand," she says. "It's an experience that will stay with me forever. There is no grief like it." She too has questions about the policy of discharging patients to care homes. On 17 March 2020 the NHS sent a letter to all hospitals telling them to free up beds. Over the next four weeks, an estimated 25,000 patients were discharged into care homes many were not tested for Covid. On 2 April 2020, the government advised "negative [Covid] tests are not required" before patients were discharged into care homes. This was changed on 15 April 2020, the day Aldrick Adamson died. New government guidance said anyone discharged from hospital to a care setting would be tested first.

Jean Adamson, with a photo of her father Aldrick Adamson, who died in April 2020

Heatwave peak set to bring 34C to parts of UK

Parts of the UK could see one of the hottest June days ever as a heatwave, now in its fourth day, peaks on Monday.

Temperatures of 34C are possible in central and eastern parts of England according to the Met Office. UK temperatures in June have only exceeded this level three times since 1960.

Glastonbury Festival has advised people to leave before 06:00 BST to avoid the head while Wimbledon could see its hottest opening day ever.

An amber alert, in place since Friday, persists for five regions meaning weather impacts are likely to be felt across the whole health service. There is also a "severe" risk of wildfires according to the London Fire Brigade.

Wales scrum-half Tomos Williams has been ruled out of the rest of the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia with Scotland's Ben White called up.

Williams was forced off the field with a hamstring injury after scoring a try in their 54-7 win over Western Force in Perth on Saturday.

''This is desperately sad news for Tomos,'' said Lions tour manager Ieuan Evans. ''He is an exemplary Lion who had a brilliant season having joined the Tour as Premiership player-of-the-season. He lit up this Lions tour with both his personality and his talent.''

Williams' departure means there is now only one Welshman remaining in the 38-strong squad in flanker Jac Morgan.