for six people missing after their superyacht sank. divers say it's a difficult search operation, with objects blocking their access to the cabins of the ship on the sea bed. also on the programme... king charles travels to southport to meet families affected by the devastating knife attacks three weeks ago. israeli soldiers recover the bodies of six hostages, missing since october the 7th, from southern gaza. i love you! joe biden bids farewell to the democratic convention, as kamala harris prepares to officially accept the party's presidential nomination. and a 350—mile cycle challenge, inspired by former rugby union star ed slater, raises thousands for families affected by motor neurone disease. 2a hours of pain is nothing compared to people with a life of mnd, and we've got to make a change — it's got to change.

and in sport, 37 years old but still going strong, jamie vardy overcomes an injury to start leicester's premier league season with a goal, as his new boss calls him the club's main man. good afternoon, and welcome to the bbc news at one. the search is continuing for six people missing off the coast of sicily, after a british—flagged yacht sank during a storm. the bayesian had been anchored outside the harbour at porticello, a small fishing village to the east of palermo. the 56—metre vessel was hit by a powerful storm in the early hours of monday morning, and disappeared beneath the water at around 5am. 22 people were on board — including 12 passengers and ten crew members.

15 of them were rescued, and a search operation is still going on to find the others. our southern europe correspondent mark lowen joins us now from sicily. mark, what's the latest on that search? the wind has really picked up in the last 15 minutes or so here in porticello, part of this extreme weather front that prompted the capsizing of the bayesian yacht. the search has been continuing, resumed at 6:30am this morning with first light shortly after dawn, divers going deep into the water, about 50 metres underwater to the sea bed where the wreckage of the superyacht still lies, believing now they will find the bodies of six missing passengers inside, trapped inside the wreckage of the yacht. they are mike lynch, british tech entrepreneur, his 18—year—old daughter hannah lynch. chris morvillo, his lawyer, from clifford chance, a city firm, and his wife,.

the president of morgan stanley international, jonathan bloomer, and his wife, anne. because of the depth of the wreckage, the dives can only be ten minutes long. they say they have not found any bodies on the bridge of the yacht itself, that's the area where the captain controls the area where the captain controls the yacht, but they have said they have had access now to the lounge of the superyacht and are hoping to make progress from there into the rest, closer to the cabins where passengers were sleeping when the waterspout hit. 0ur correspondence lauren moss has the latest. a rescue operation now focused on recovery and salvage, a day after the bayesian sank 50 metres beneath the bayesian sank 50 metres beneath the waves. there are six people missing. the british tech tycoon mike lynch and his 18—year—old daughter hannah lynch. the chairman of investment bank morgan stanley international, jonathan bloomer and

his wifejudy. mr lynch's loya chris morvillo, and another passenger. divers went down again earlier this morning. translation:— divers went down again earlier this morning. translation: access to the hull is difficult. _ morning. translation: access to the hull is difficult. if— morning. translation: access to the hull is difficult. if you _ morning. translation: access to the hull is difficult. if you have _ hull is difficult. if you have managed to get inside you would understand there is a world of objects, so getting inside and descending into the compartment below through the stairs that are narrow and going into all the cabins is a hard and difficultjob. this is a hard and difficult “ob. this was the bayesian _ is a hard and difficultjob. this was the bayesian photographed on sunday night, anchored 700 metres away from the small fishing village, porticello. it was struck by a sudden fierce storm in the early hours of monday morning. it was so violent that a waterspout like this one, a spinning column of air and mist appeared above the sea. it is believed it smashed into the yacht, snapping the master and causing the boat to capsize and sink. the? snapping the master and causing the boat to capsize and sink.— boat to capsize and sink. they are sort of the — boat to capsize and sink. they are sort of the tornado _ boat to capsize and sink. they are sort of the tornado of _ boat to capsize and sink. they are sort of the tornado of the - boat to capsize and sink. they are sort of the tornado of the oceans, sort of the tornado of the oceans, so rather than dust and debris from the land picked up by them, they pick up water. but they can pick up fish and other things as well. when

it does hit, and as we see now and hearfrom it does hit, and as we see now and hear from tales from people rescued by the vessel, it suddenly becomes chaotic, and that i suppose is something what you might expect from something what you might expect from something like a waterspout. fine something like a waterspout. one bod was something like a waterspout. one body was pulled from the water. others clung to a liferaft screaming for help. 15 people made it to safety including this british tourist, charlotte, her husband james and one—year—old daughter. charlotte described losing hold of her baby before finding her and holding her afloat, arms stretched out above the churning waves. mike lynch's wife, angela backus, is among the survivors, listed among the owners of the yacht. we among the survivors, listed among the owners of the yacht.— among the survivors, listed among the owners of the yacht. we will do whatever we _ the owners of the yacht. we will do whatever we can _ the owners of the yacht. we will do whatever we can practically - the owners of the yacht. we will do whatever we can practically to - the owners of the yacht. we will do whatever we can practically to help| whatever we can practically to help in this very difficult and distressing, heartbreaking situation. i think that's the most important thing that an embassy can do. . . important thing that an embassy can do. ., , , ., ~ , . important thing that an embassy can do. ., ,, . do. earlier this year mr lynch was ac uitted do. earlier this year mr lynch was acquitted of— do. earlier this year mr lynch was acquitted of multiple _ do. earlier this year mr lynch was acquitted of multiple fraud - do. earlier this year mr lynch was l acquitted of multiple fraud charges

in the united states after selling his software company, autonomy, to hewlett—packard. he had faced a long prison sentence. i hewlett-packard. he had faced a long prison sentence.— prison sentence. i knew i had done nothing wrong _ prison sentence. i knew i had done nothing wrong and _ prison sentence. i knew i had done nothing wrong and it _ prison sentence. i knew i had done nothing wrong and it was _ prison sentence. i knew i had done nothing wrong and it was very - nothing wrong and it was very important to me. and this by the way is a british_ important to me. and this by the way is a british thing, we don't fold in the same — is a british thing, we don't fold in the same way the americans do, probably— the same way the americans do, probably because we don't understand the consequences of american law. as the consequences of american law. the news of the consequences of american law. is the news of yesterday's yacht sinking emerged, it emerged mike lynch's co—defendant in that case, stephen chamberlain, died after being hit by a car in cambridgeshire on saturday because of the uk marine accident investigation branch is joining marine teams in sicily to assist and find out what happened in assist and find out what happened in a tragedy the ship's captain is reported to have told the media they just didn't see coming. lauren moss, bbc news. mark lowen is still with us in sicily. what do we expect to happen now? , ., . , _, sicily. what do we expect to happen now? , . now? the searches continue apace. we have seen helicopters _ now? the searches continue apace. we

have seen helicopters scouring - have seen helicopters scouring overhead and boats are leaving to continue to try to support the divers. as you heard in that report, a team of marine investigators from the uk have now arrived here, the british ambassador confirmed that to me, saying they will work with their italian counterparts to make a preliminary assessment and see whether enough was being done to mitigate the effects of what was expected to be a weather warning over the last few days. there was a period of intense heat over the last few days, which combined with violent storms and had increased the temperature of the mediterranean to a higher level than normal, therefore magnify and accelerating therefore magnify and accelerating the possibility of extreme weather. that's what caused this accident and this disaster which engulfed the yacht in a matter of seconds. mark lowen, yacht in a matter of seconds. mark lowen. thank— yacht in a matter of seconds. mark lowen, thank you. _ as we heard there, the sinking has focused attention on the ocean phenomenon known as waterspouts. tomasz schafernaker explains how they're formed, and the risk they pose. waterspouts are powerful whirlwinds at sea, not too dissimilar from a tornado.

here is footage of one recorded earlier this year, just off the coast of turkey. you can see how narrow that column of whirling air is, with the sea mist driven upwards, perhaps a few tens of metres across. a lot of twisting motion, a lot of power, potentialfor damage, and, yes, life threatening. now, the international centre for waterspout research confirms that 18 waterspouts were reported off the coast of italy on the 19th of august alone. we heard briefly there that mike lynch's co—defendent stephen chamberlain died on saturday in the uk after being hit by a car. his family have released a statement. lauren moss is with me. what have they said? the statement released through cambridgeshire police, they say stephen chamberlain was a much loved husband, father, son, brother and friend. they say his only goal in life was to help others and he made

a lasting impression on everyone who knew him and will be deeply missed but forever in their hearts. stephen chamberlain was hit by a car on saturday morning. it is believed he was outjogging at the time. a driver, 49—year—old woman from buckinghamshire, is helping police with their inquiries and they are still appealing for witnesses. stephen chamberlain will have known mike lynch for many years, he was vice president of finance at mr lynch's former company, autonomy, and he too was acquitted by a court in the us injune for charges linked to the sale of that company to hewlett—packa rd. to the sale of that company to hewlett—packard. he had left the company in 2012 and later worked for a cyber security firm. his lawyers released a statement today describing stephen chamberlain as a courageous man with unparalleled integrity. courageous man with unparalleled interi . . ~ courageous man with unparalleled interi . ., ~ courageous man with unparalleled interi . . ., king charles will visit southport today following the knife attack at a taylor swift—themed summer dance workshop three weeks ago. three girls were killed, and several others badly injured, as were the adults who tried

to rescue the children. the king will also meet emergency service workers and members of the local community. our correspondent danny savage is there. danny, this is a show of support for a town that was devastated by what happened. it is. this is southport town hall behind me where the king is due to arrive within the next half an hour. he is then due to have a meeting in private with members and families of the children who were attacked and injured on the day, the 29th ofjuly when that awful incident took place here. as he comes in he will come past an astonishing number of flowers and messages that have been left by local people over the last three weeks, which are so well organised now, soft toys are collected in every night to collect them and then put back out the following morning so they don't get caught up in the weather overnight. it is so well done that the king may stop to have a look at those as well. after his private meeting, he

will meet members of the emergency services because after the attack on the 29th ofjuly there was unrest here and violence on the streets of southport so he will see the emergency services who dealt with that as well. i have been speaking to some people locally who are deeply touched the king has taken time to come and visit the town today and tomorrow he will meet with the families of the three children. that will be a private meeting in london. , ., ., ~ the israeli military says it's retrieved the bodies of six hostages from southern gaza. all were abducted during the october the 7th attacks in southern israel. it comes as the us secretary of state antony blinken arrives in egypt to continue his push for a ceasefire and hostage release agreement. our correspondentjon donnison is in jerusalem. what more do we know? the israeli military and —

what more do we know? the israeli military and intelligence _ what more do we know? the israeli military and intelligence agency - what more do we know? the israeli military and intelligence agency say| military and intelligence agency say the six bodies were recovered in khan younis in the south of the gaza strip. they say they have been identified and named, one of which was a british israeli citizen. all of them, apart from a 79—year—old, were already presumed to be dead. they were all taken on october the 7th from two qubits is close to the border with gaza. we have had a statement from the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu this morning, who has faced some criticism from some hostage families for not doing enough to get the remaining hostages freed. he said in a statement this morning that our hearts grieve over the terrible loss. i guess this gives some impetus to try to get a hostage and release and ceasefire deal through.

the us secretary of state, antony blinken, as you say is in egypt today to try to apply more diplomatic pressure to get that done. , ., ,., ., ~ diplomatic pressure to get that done. , ., ., ~ i., the prime minister has said the government will do "everything it can" to preserve thousands of threatened steel jobs at port talbot. speaking on a visit to south wales, sir keir starmer rejected claims he was offering "false hope" to workers and said he was committed to preserving as manyjobs as possible. tata steel closed one of its two blast furnaces at the site last month and plans to shut the second in september. the oldest person in the world has died at the age of 117. spain's maria branyas morera played the piano, read newspapers and exercised every morning until she was 105. herfamily said she died peacefully in her sleep. the first £1 coins with king charles�*s portrait on them will enter circulation this week. the design also includes a pair of bees, highlighting the king's passion for the natural world and the environment.

almost 3 million will be making their way into our pockets and tills via post offices and banks. the us presidentjoe biden has made his farewell speech to the democratic national convention, telling supporters in chicago they're "in a battle for the very soul of america". he also praised vice president kamala harris, who's replaced him at the party's presidential candidate. who's replaced him as the party's presidential candidate. she'll formally accept the nomination on thursday. here's our north america correspondent gary o'donoghue. america, america, i gave my best to you. cheering. a month ago, he was still his party's nominee. now, he is yesterday's man, the past, not the future. because of you, we've had one of the most extraordinary four years of progress ever. period. applause. when i say "we", i mean kamala and me. it's been the honour of my lifetime

to serve as your president. i love thejob, but i love my country more. all that's left, to hand over the baton. selecting kamala was the very first decision i made when i became our nominee. and it was the best decision i made my whole career. cheering. if it was a fond farewell for the president, it was a full—scale outburst of enthusiasm for the woman who has stepped into his shoes. but she knew this was still his night. joe, thank you for your historic leadership, for your lifetime of service to our nation and for all you will continue to do. we are forever grateful to you. this is herfirst appearance at the convention and you can hear around me the enthusiasm for the new nominee.

this is the woman carrying the hopes of the democratic party right through until november the 5th. chanting: end the us war machine! end the us war machine! _ outside the convention, the war in gaza has drawn anger from many democratic supporters and others. if you want to win, you want to win pennsylvania, you want to win the election, it's very easy — stop the genocide and we will stop the protest, how's that? this past tumultuous month in american politics has seen kamala harris narrow the race against donald trump. but it's still a race too close to call. the battle has onlyjust begun. gary o'donoghue, bbc news, chicago. let's speak now to ione wells in chicago. ione, what can we expect from day two of the conference? after those rousing speeches yesterday there are more on the

agenda today, most notably from former president bacharach obama, who is likely to get a huge welcome in his hometown of chicago. —— barack obama. he will pay tribute to presidentjoe biden, who was his vice president, and also throw forward a message of hope for vice president kamala harris. we will hearfrom formerfirst president kamala harris. we will hear from former first lady michelle obama, one of the most popular figures in the democratic party right now, and also doug m hough, the husband of kamala harris. i think from him we will hear about who she is, a bit like how we heard aboutjoe biden from his family before his speech. kamala harris will not be at the convention today, she will instead be at a rally in milwaukee in wisconsin where donald trump held his republican convention, and that's because as impressive as they are, the section will not be won on addressing crowds of supporters in places like this. it will be won in key battleground states, which is why she will address that big rally there

tonight. address that big rally there toniht. ., . , address that big rally there toniht. ., ~ , ., ~ the time is 1:18. our top story this afternoon... rescue teams are continuing their search off the coast of sicily for six people missing after a superyacht sank. and we hear from a teenager who became addicted to vaping, after unknowingly smoking e—cigarettes spiked with the synthetic cannabis drug spice. and in sport, one of the greatest honours in cricket, ollie pope prepares to step up as england captain, but will still have the man he replaced, the injured ben stokes, alongside him to lean on for the test series against sri lanka. the number of people who've died through drug misuse in scotland has increased, according to the latest figures. data from the national records of scotland showed there were more than 1,170 drug—related deaths in 2023. that's a rise of 121

compared to the year before. our scotland correspondent katie hunterjoins us from glasgow. katie, have these figures come as a surprise? the number of drug deaths in scotland had actually been falling after a record high in 2020 but as you mentioned, the figures today show that the number of people who died last year has increased compared with the previous 12 months. of course, behind these figures are people, they are friends, families. drug deaths impact communities across scotland, including here in glasgow. if we take a look at today's report, 80% of deaths involved opiates or opioids such as heroin and methadone are most people had taken more than one drug. there was also a rise in overdoses involving cocaine. poverty is often mentioned when talking about drug deaths in scotland and today's report showed that those in

the most deprived areas are more than 15 times as likely to die from drug misuse as those in the least deprived areas. scotland's health secretary neil gray had said the level of drugs deaths remains hugely concerning and unacceptable. he said the scottish government is improving access to residential rehabilitation, supporting a new consumption room in glasgow where people will be able to go and take their own drugs. but today's figures will no doubt prompted new questions about whether enough is being done to save lives. about whether enough is being done to save lives— about whether enough is being done to save lives-— the government is urging pensioners to check whether they're still eligible to get this year's winter fuel payment. the chancellor rachel reeves announced last month that around 10 million people will stop receiving the benefit automatically in a bid to cut costs. our political correspondent harry farleyjoins us from westminster. harry, this change has divided opinion, hasn't it? it certainly has, notjust political

opinion either. the conservatives accused labour of abandoning pensioners but charities have also criticised the move. age uk for example are calling for the government to immediately abandon this change. it will mean that from this change. it will mean that from this year, only those pensioners who receive benefits like pension credits will be able to get winter fuel payments worth up to £300 a year. the concern is two fold, partly that the pensioners who are financially struggling but sit just outside of the threshold to claim pension credit will be hit hard. there is a morning they will face a choice between eating and heating. the other concern is that there are just shy of 1 the other concern is that there are just shy of1 million, an estimated 880,000 households who are eligible for pensions credits but i'm not claiming it, either over myths of who is eligible or because they struggle with the internet to make that claim. that is what the government is trying to address here. they are urging all pensioners to check whether they are eligible

to check whether they are eligible to receive pension credits and therefore get winter fuel payments. thank you, harry. women and adopted children who spent time in mother—and—baby homes in northen ireland could be awarded compensation of up to £10,000, under new plans published by the devolved government. first minister michelle o'neill said those who spent time in the institutions "have waited far too long to have access to the truth". our ireland correspondent chris page reports. the whole system was set up to keep people apart, to stop mothers from finding their children, and from children from finding out about their mothers. we weren't allowed to bond with our babies because we were told they weren't ours, even though we were made to feed them and bathe them every day. these buildings were part of a secretive, shameful network for 70 years. more than 10,000 unmarried women and girls were sent to institutions in northern ireland when they were pregnant.

mark's late birth mother, kathleen maguire, was among them. she was a wee girl from derry, um, who'd done nothing wrong. she fell pregnant, and she was sent off to be punished, to repent for the mortal sin she committed. marie lived in northern ireland when she became pregnant, but was sent to an institution in dublin. she eventually got her records, but they raised more questions. this woman has wrote in it that i went into a mother and baby home saying that i was keeping my baby. you only got put in to give the baby away. so this doesn't make sense. allegations of forced adoption, cruelty and abuse are among the issues being examined by the inquiry. the devolved government here at stormont has also published proposals on a financial redress plan, with each victim entitled to at least £10,000. but some survivors say they're

concerned that the scheme might not be open to families of victims who died more than a few years ago. you're excluding birth mothers and adoptees, children, now adults, that have maybe passed away in the interim period. and that's, like, very insulting. i think the date should go back to when the first mother and baby home opened up. that's when the mother's trauma started. and the babies was inside the mother, so that's when their trauma started as well. stormont officials say they'll listen carefully to all views. mark and marie are speaking out to try to encourage as many people as possible to take part in the consultation. it's the stigma of... ..shame. we're getting older, and the truth needs to be out there.

what happened in these institutions was largely hidden for seven decades. now there's hope that answers and accountability will come. chris page, bbc news, belfast. schoolchildren may be unknowingly using vapes that are laced with the street drug spice, according to an investigation by the university of bath. the synthetic form of cannabis carries dangerous side effects, and can be highly addictive. our reporter annabel rackham has been speaking to one boy who started using them when he was just 1a. i was asking for it so much. it's like, ijust feel like a drug addict. i'm literally doing itjust so i can feel normal. there still wasn't that voice in my head kicking in, like, "you shouldn't be doing this." i still, like... you couldn't stop. yeah, i couldn't stop. this 16—year—old who, along with his mother, wishes to remain anonymous, is describing what it's like to be addicted to spice, a lab—made drug which is supposed to mimic the effects of cannabis.

ifound myself doing it literally every second of the day. were you doing it in class? yeah, i was bringing it to school. like, it was... actually in class, during lessons? yeah, i'd literally put it in my sleeve. i'd like, do that, and then i'd just use it. see, i didn't know that. he became hooked on the drug for more than a year, buying it in liquid form. i was about to throw this bag away, actually. gradually, my grades started going down because obviously in lessons i was just not paying attention. i was just too busy getting high, like, in class, and then i didn't... spice, which is responsible for half of all non—natural deaths in prisons, can be more harmful and unpredictable than cannabis, causing dizziness, breathing problems, heart palpitations and seizures. there have been a number of reported hospitalisations of children after using spice vapes in schools, and police forces like this one

in devon and cornwall are trying to find ways to identify use in the local community. so we've got an upgrade for you to the device you've got for detecting spice and thc and some other synthetic drugs. with help from the university of bath, they're upgrading the kit they use to detect drugs in vapes that have been seized locally, particularly from schools in the area. we know almost nothing about the effects of spice on children. i think that's one of the really concerning things. all of our understanding of what spice does to the human body really comes from people that are in prison or maybe homeless. and when we talk to people that are using spice, they talk about it being the worst drug they've ever used, even outside of heroin. they talk about the withdrawal being really severe. they talk about becoming addicted incredibly quickly. as part of chris's work with the university of bath, he found out of nearly 600 confiscated vapes from schools, one in six contained spice. he tested vapes from a random

selection of 38 schools across london, west midlands, greater manchester and south yorkshire. it's a concern for police too, who want to get across how much danger children who use spice vapes could be putting themselves in. if the children are in a vulnerable position to be exploited, bribed and enticed into that gang culture, and kind of forced to do things that they wouldn't normally go ahead and do. luckily for this family, ben, now 16, was able to beat his spice addiction and start a new chapter. then it clicked with me, like, i didn't need it any more. there wasn't that voice in the back of my head that i was like, "oh, you need more. you need to buy another one." i kind ofjust wanted to keep it normal after that. annabel rackham, bbc news. scientists were hoping to celebrate the first full—engine test of a vertical rocket at the uk's new spaceport

in shetland last night, but it didn't quite go to plan as multiple engines exploded at the launch. the test was carried out at the saxavord site on unst, the country's northernmost inhabited island. our scotland correspondent lorna gordon was there. the countdown to what should have been a final engine test on a rocket being readied for space. but moments after the ground—based test started, this. a plume of smoke and large flames shooting out sideways, then loud bangs as the entire structure was engulfed by fire. unst is britain's most northerly inhabited island. when it comes to space and safety, its remoteness is part of the attraction. saxavord spaceport said all safety protocols were observed and the site evacuated prior to yesterday's test.

no staff were at risk. rocket testing and launches can be fraught with difficulty. the first—ever satellite mission launched from the uk ended when a virgin orbitjumbo jet flying out of cornwall lost the rocket it released horizontally after it suffered an anomaly. last year, the spacex starship spacecraft exploded minutes after lift—off. elon musk congratulated his team on what he called an exciting launch and said they had learned a lot. these pictures are from earlier ground—based tests that german rocket company rfa carried out successfully here in shetland. the tests involved firing fewer engines at any one time. the test yesterday was meant to be the final one and the biggest. in a statement, the rocket company said they were aware of the higher risk attached to their approach

and that they will take their time to analyse and assess the situation, adding that the goal would be to return to regular operations as soon as possible. sending vertical rockets into space is hard. that is why these tests are carried out. the one here yesterday demonstrating both why these tests are important and how challenging building rockets can be. lorna gordon, bbc news, on unst in shetland. a reminder of our top headline this afternoon. divers are continuing their search off the coast of sicily for six people missing after a superyacht sank. and why the supermarket chain morrisons has become the latest to look again at its number of self—service checkouts. we'll have a full forecast in the next half hour, but it's time now for a quick look at the weather.

here's elizabeth. hello and thank you. we do have some sunshine around at times through the week but the emphasis really has to be on the wet and windy conditions many of us are going to see. it will feel as if we are being propelled into automating at times. it is looking very changeable and some of the worst of the weather will be towards the north and west. this is the rainfall accumulation chart where you see the bright colours developed for western scotland, there could be in excess of 100 millimetres of rain over the next five days. all the details later. thank you, elizabeth. a group of rugby union players have raised nearly £90,000 on an epic 350—mile cycle to raise awareness of motor neurone disease. the 24—hour challenge was inspired by their friend and former team—mate ed slater, who was diagnosed with the condition two years ago. jayne mccubbin was with him to see the team cross the finish line in gloucester. this was the end of an epicjourney,

inspired by the very personal journey faced by ed slater, the gloucester rugby legend who was diagnosed with mnd two years ago. billy said to me he was inspired by me, and that the feeling is completely the other way for me. i love the guy. the pain he has put his body through, all with a smile on his face. it's a huge effort from the team. in the forefront of our minds is always for ed. the wind was about 40 miles an hour and it'sjust me and johnny on the bikes and all the lads having a rest because we knew we needed their help in the night. and ijust kept thinking of ed and the kids, to be honest. that's how sad this disease is. the kids will be affected for the rest of their lives. ed's time is finite. in fact, they beat their target

of 350 miles in 2a hours. 23 hours, 57 minutes and 1a seconds. and they beat the target they set to raise money for the mnd community. you are aware it has i now reached 76 grand. has it really? and it's still going up. so, well done. yeah! it's a community which has kept them going all the way. here he is. that's all you needed. this is the man that's been an inspiration to all of you. he's the one that's been driving you on. and that's it, that's all, like... i remember there was a time in the morning when it was dark and raining and you just think, that's all you've got to think about, is one bloke. did you guys miss ed being with you this time? yeah, definitely, yeah. that brings it home. of course, yeah. it's his ride, it's. not ours, it's his. that's the thing. 0k, he couldn't do it- but we could carry it on. two years ago, just after his diagnosis, ed was able to lead out this same

ride himself, back then over three days. come on, ed! this time round he was cheering them from a support vehicle as they raced past all his old rugby clubs, and arriving at the home of rugby close to midnight before heading back to gloucester. to see where he's at now is heartbreaking, really. but, yeah, you know... he never stops smiling. yeah, exactly. he is positive, he's got to, you know? i think, you know, that's part of what he's got to do. that's who he is as well. me and ed got up at five this morning to try and track them down and even then we were trying, "where are they now, where are they?" but we are so proud of them and it's been so amazing to see the support along the way. amazing, amazing feat. when have the tears hit? a moment ago, when i hugged billy, actually, to say thank you. and they are probably going to come again soon. so i best go! it wasjust awesome.

the risk of developing mnd is one in 300.