is the magic of a city that awakens during the festive season the spirit of Christmas does not stop at the walls of Strasbourg: it also takes hold of the entire region they extend the festive period until January offering plenty of opportunities to liven up your Christmas holidays For more information, visit the Black Forest Tourism Office website For more information, visit the Ortenau Tourism Office website Ville et Eurométropole de Strasbourg © 2018-2023 Eurometropolitan Office of Tourism, Leisure and Congress of Strasbourg 17 place de la Cathédrale 67082 STRASBOURG CEDEX on a finisher farm close to the border with France - Photo: Henk RiswickIn yet another unexpected development the African Swine Fever (ASF) virus has now emerged on a small outdoor pig farm in the state Baden-Württemberg The German reference laboratory Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI) confirmed the outbreak on Thursday May 26th. The outbreak was found near Forchheim, in the district of Emmendingen. The outbreak also got confirmed by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) state minister Peter Hauk for Rural Affairs and Consumer Protection said that between 19 and 25 May in total 16 of the 35 finisher pigs had died Initially it had been thought something had been wrong with the feed Emmendingen is located relatively close to the city of Freiburg as well as to the border with France. Minister Hauk could not say anything about how the virus ended up in Baden-Württemberg state. According to the German agricultural title Top Agrar the farm was “exemplary,” with strict biosecurity a double fence as well as a hygiene sluice He did point to human behaviour as most likely cause Gene sequencing by the FLI will give more clarity about the origin of the virus Two areas have been created around the outbreak farm – one with a 3km radius as well as one with a 10km radius; they will be in place as from the 27th of May In the immediate risk zone there are 2 other farms with in total 316 pigs and in the wider zone there are 56 farms having 700 pigs in total In this restricted area there is a lockdown pigs cannot be moved from one farm to another something which also applies to animal products like pork or manure A spokesperson of the German agricultural ministry told German news agency DPA that it was a matter of time before ASF would reach Baden-Württemberg The state had been preparing for an outbreak there are no indications that the outbreak has also transferred to wild boar.” Worth mentionining is the closest ASF cluster to the current crisis zone: that was the outbreak zone in southern Belgium very unlikely that this new outbreak would be in any way connected to the Belgian cluster as Belgium was officially declared free from ASF in November 2020 It’s not logical to think the virus could have moved under the radar for 1.5 years through France LADIn Endingen am Kaiserstuhl wurde bei einer Rettungsgrabung ein einzigartiger frühkeltischer Grabgarten mit 18 Bestattungen entdeckt Die archäologischen Funde werden Einblicke in die Bestattungskultur und das Leben der frühkeltischen Bevölkerung am südlichen Oberrhein bieten Vergleichbare Grabanlagen sind in Baden-Württemberg bislang nicht bekannt Bei einer Rettungsgrabung im Gewerbegebiet Hölderacker in Endingen am Kaiserstuhl haben Archäologinnen und Archäologen eine eisenzeitliche Grabanlage aufgedeckt Es handelt sich um einen sogenannten Grabgarten 15 mal 15 Meter großes Grabenwerk gebildet wird Hierin waren 18 Individuen in insgesamt 17 Grabgruben bestattet Die Grabungen wurden von April bis Ende Juli dieses Jahres von der Fachfirma ArchaeoTask GmbH aus Engen unter der fachlichen Begleitung des Landesamts für Denkmalpflege (LAD) im Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart ausgeführt Grund für die Rettungsgrabung war die geplante Erweiterung von Lagerflächen einer Firma Da an dieser Stelle mit archäologischen Funden zu rechnen war mussten diese vor den Erdarbeiten ausgegraben und dokumentiert werden „Die meisten Bestatteten lagen in oval bis rechteckigen Grabgruben die sich augenscheinlich um ein zentrales Grab mit einer Doppelbestattung gruppierten“ Eine Grablege habe sich außerhalb des Grabgartens eine weitere auf der Sohle des umfassenden Grabens befunden Mit Blick auf eine vorläufige anthropologische Skelettdiagnose noch während der Ausgrabung dürfte es sich laut El-Kassem bei den Verstorbenen etwa jeweils zur Hälfte um erwachsene Personen (mindestens acht Individuen) sowie jugendliche Erwachsene und Kinder handeln Offenkundig waren diesen beiden Gruppen auch unterschiedliche Areale innerhalb des Grabgartens vorbehalten „Über 60 Prozent der Gräber waren bereits beraubt“ „unter den Trachtbestandteilen fanden sich Fibeln darunter ein bronzenes Exemplar mit Koralleneinlage ein Armreif aus organischem Material (Kaustobiolith) sowie ein Fingerring aus Silber“ Nach Ausweis dieser Funde stamme der Grabkomplex aus der frühen Eisenzeit (450 bis 250 vor Christus Gräber aus dieser Zeit sind in Baden-Württemberg bislang entweder als Nachbestattungen in älteren hallstattzeitlichen (750 bis 450 vor Christus) als isolierte Einzelbestattung oder in kleineren Flachgräberfeldern bekannt Grabgärten mit eindeutigen Umfassungssystemen sind zwar in späteisenzeitlichen und frührömischen Kontexten nicht ungewöhnlich „Der frühkeltische Grabgarten aus Endingen ist jedoch für Baden-Württemberg einmalig; nicht zuletzt auch wegen der guten Erhaltung der Körperbestattungen“ Aus dem benachbarten Elsass ist aktuell nur ein zeitgleicher deutlich kleinerer Grabgarten mit lediglich zwei Bestattungen bekannt insbesondere anthropologische sowie zusätzliche bioarchälogische Untersuchungen Krankheit und Ernährungsgewohnheiten der bestatteten Individuen ermöglichen Darüber hinaus werden hierdurch wichtige Kenntnisse über die frühkeltische Bevölkerung am südlichen Oberrhein gewonnen Um unseren Internetauftritt für Sie optimal gestalten und verbessern zu können, verwenden wir Cookies. Weitere Informationen zu Cookies erhalten Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklärung Diese Cookies werden für eine reibungslose Funktion unserer Website benötigt Social-Media-Elemente von Facebook und Google werden auf der gesamten Webseite aktiviert Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker The 20-year-old defender has extended his stay and will be promoted to the first team with immediate effect Kenneth Schmidt came through the youth ranks at FC Emmendingen and made the move to the Freiburg Football School in 2017 He made his debut for the U23s in 2020 and was a part of the side that gained promotion to the 3 He has 42 appearances to his name in the third tier and is also a regular for the Germany U20s He has continuously developed over the past few months and he fully deserves this opportunity He can be characterised by his ball-playing ability and with his strong left foot he is a very versatile defender who can play both in the middle and out wide He will get all the time he needs to develop into a top player training at the highest level and getting game time in the 3 is ideal,” explained sporting director Klemens Hartenbach.  Kenneth himself said: “It is of course amazing that I am getting this opportunity at my hometown club Liga over the past few months has helped me progress I want to continue my development in the first team with lots of dedication.” Schmidt will wear the number 35 shirt for SC Freiburg Further details of the contract will remain undisclosed Register Subscribe Two towns either side of the French-German border have contrasting economic fortunes French businesses say they envy the lower tax and labor costs across the border They fear the burden on French business will increase after the forthcoming election International arrivals to the Middle East have surpassed pre-pandemic levels except for the S&P 500 which is refreshed every two minutes Chicago Mercantile: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco Standard & Poor’s and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC All content of the Dow Jones branded indices Copyright S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and/or its affiliates Market holidays and trading hours provided by Copp Clark Limited '+n.escapeExpression("function"==typeof(o=null!=(o=r(e,"eyebrowText")||(null!=l?r(l,"eyebrowText"):l))?o:n.hooks.helperMissing)?o.call(null!=l?l:n.nullContext||{},{name:"eyebrowText",hash:{},data:t,loc:{start:{line:28,column:63},end:{line:28,column:78}}}):o)+" \n '+(null!=(o=c(e,"if").call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2PreText"):l,{name:"if",hash:{},fn:n.program(32,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:63,column:20},end:{line:63,column:61}}}))?o:"")+"\n"+(null!=(o=(c(e,"ifAll")||l&&c(l,"ifAll")||n.hooks.helperMissing).call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Text"):l,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Link"):l,{name:"ifAll",hash:{},fn:n.program(34,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:64,column:20},end:{line:70,column:30}}}))?o:"")+" This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Teams were quickly established for a match on the frozen mud Belgium — On the side of a wind-swept field covered with scorpion weed a simple wooden cross marks a unique event in football history lie a smattering of balls and various club pennants all in remembrance of the Christmas Truce of 1914 German and British enemies left their World War I trenches and headed into no man's land in a few scattered locations on the Western Front for an unofficial truce among soldiers Some eyewitness accounts say they were highlighted by something as remarkable as a few football kick-abouts "Suddenly a Tommy came with a football," wrote Lt "Teams were quickly established for a match on the frozen mud and the Fritzes beat the Tommies 3-2." other soldier's diaries and various reports also spoke of balls being kicked about in friendship "A huge crowd was between the trenches Someone produced a little rubber ball so of course a football match started," Lt Charles Brockbank of Britain's Cheshire Regiment wrote in his diary which is part of "The Greater Game" exhibit at the National Football Museum in Manchester The proponents of the sport have cherished that day as historic proof that there is little that can better bridge man's differences than football the British supermarket chain Sainsbury's has taken the idea and turned it into a blockbuster ad showing opposing soldiers living the truce amid a football match at the center of the heart-tugging the president of Europe soccer's governing body underscored that unique mood of brotherhood at the unveiling of the Christmas monument on Thursday on the former battlegrounds known as Flanders Fields in western Belgium scene of some of the most horrendous killing The monument is a steel ball sitting on the remains of a World War I shell "(In Ploegsteert) and probably elsewhere on the immense frontline from the North Sea to Switzerland and they started kicking it," Platini said it was most of all a yearning for a sense of normalcy that pushed them over the edge of their trenches 4 when the German invasion of Belgium kicked off a series of events which quickly pitted the German and Austro-Hungarian empires against Britain Germany swept into most of Belgium and northern France and even threatened Paris before the frontline was settled Armies entrenched themselves for most of the next four years the prevailing expectation on both sides had been to be home for Christmas an early sense of euphoria quickly made way for unrelenting gloom It set the stage for the Christmas truce and those magic kick-abouts Germany alone had lost 300,000 soldiers by Christmas "Who would have expected that after all this killing soldiers would climb out of their trenches," German ambassador Eckart Cuntz said Football players themselves had been involved in the fighting from the early days Of the 5,000 professional players at the time Sometimes whole lineups signed up at the same time to create what became known as the Footballers' Battalions alone had about 40 players and staff joining the war effort all following the steps of their team captain had its whole team join the British army one month ahead of that Christmas said Peter Francis of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Seven members of that team were killed in the war One of the first footballers killed in the war was Larrett Roebuck After playing for his team in a 1-0 victory at Leicester Fosse early in the 1914-15 season he left for the Western Front and was killed in action on the eve of the first Battle for Ypres a few kilometers from that patch of land in Ploegsteert "The story is that he set off running across the field with the machine guns going," said Roebuck's grandson "His friend saw him go down but he couldn't stop to help him Virginia Mayo contributed to this report. Follow Raf Casert on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/rcasert A cold front sweeping across Europe which brought late season snowfalls to the Alps from Germany to Italy has led to a slew of smaller ski resorts re-opening for a late season fun day Scandinavia has also seen below freezing temperatures and some snow falling The forecast for this week has a warm weather front bringing moisture to the Alps the Appenine mountains and Scandinavian ski fields and there is more snow in the forecast with some areas seeing up to 30 inches of snowfall this coming week Marbachegg in Switzerland which was forced to close on January 25 this year for the season due to a below-average snowfalls, reopened for one day on Sunday, April 21. 700 people descended on the small resort near Lucerne for a last hoorah of the 23/24 season. A post shared by Tourismusbüro Escholzmatt-Marbach (@escholzmatt_marbach_tourismus) which had already shifted to summer operations decided to open its summer gondola for all and threw a retro-ski-weekend on Saturday Cross-country skiing also opened at the Nordic Center in Notschrei on Thursday and will remain open until further notice In Italy, smaller resorts and ski areas in the Appenine mountains, such as Bolognola Ski opened again which have also been having a rather poor season due to a lack of snow and warm weather earlier in the year While snowfall in April is not that unusual what concerns climatologists are the early warm periods that had been experienced in March and early April This leads to a very early development of the vegetation which is then damaged by late frosts or snow the excitement in all the pictures of those who got to enjoy a rare late season ski day is rather palpable and we hope it will put a smile on your faces Sign up for our daily Newsletter and stay up to date with all the latest news You are receiving this pop-up because this is the first time you are visiting our site You are using software which is blocking our advertisements (adblocker) we are relying on revenues from our banners So please disable your adblocker and reload the page to continue using this site.Thanks Serwo GmbH was once again an exhibitor at Fruit Logistica in Berlin this year can look back on a successful return to the world's leading trade fair and company hygiene products was well received by trade visitors from far and wide particularly in the fruit and vegetable sector is that we support both direct-marketing companies and packaging wholesalers which is why we appeal to a very broad target group," summarizes Matthias Römer and Franziska Wiebrecht represented the company at Fruit Logistica 2025 the range of products and services was again slightly updated Römer: "Especially for the asparagus and berry season we have launched folding bags and berry bowls with fresh motifs we have also been able to offer our customers a wide selection of reusable plastic transport containers We have also revised the design of our fruit baskets for berries and top fruit a large proportion of our products can be personalized and we have found that this service has been very well received." PPWR Packaging Regulation as a challenge and an opportunityThe PPWR Packaging Regulation will bring about many changes in the coming years we will see more and more sustainable packaging in the fruit and vegetable industry It forces the industry to think about sustainable packaging solutions which significantly expands the market for environmentally friendly materials we can and will offer our customers innovative sustainable products that meet the new requirements while ensuring the freshness and safety of fruit and vegetables." Many existing products will need to be re-evaluated or replaced which will require additional research and development the availability of environmentally friendly materials is often still limited "Training our customers in how to handle new packaging solutions is another challenge that we have to actively address The same applies to consumers themselves: products that have to be disposed of as organic waste are still too often disposed of by end customers in the yellow bin or with residual waste there is still a lot of catching up to do in terms of providing information about the disposal of sustainable packaging materials." it is particularly important to see the changes brought about by the PPWR Packaging Regulation as an opportunity "Demand for sustainable packaging will continue to grow and companies that invest early and innovate will ultimately have a significant competitive advantage." For more information:Matthias RömerSerwo GmbHHalberstädter Street 19D-39435 EgelnTel: +49 (0) 3926 8302 5 0[email protected]www.serwo.eu FreshPublishers © 2005-2025 HortiDaily.com Home   News   Article The chairman of Newark Twinning Association has become only the third person outside of Germany to ever to receive a special award Rita Crowe was presented with the Badge of Honour of the town of Emmendingen as a surprise at the Newark and Sherwood Concert Band performance of Last Night of the Proms at the Palace Theatre The presentation was made by Emmendingen's Oberbürgermeister Oberbürgermeister Schlatterer told the audience: "Created in the aftermath of the second world war the aim of town twinning was to reconcile the peoples of Europe through the peaceful coexistence of its citizens "The first rapprochement between our two towns took place in 1983 and led to the foundation of twinning between Newark and Emmendingen in 1984 "In the town of Emmendingen we have a tradition of honouring well-deserving citizens with the Badge of Honour of the Town of Emmendingen "Until today only two people have been awarded the Badge of Honour outside of Germany "Roland Cope [former Newark Mayor] was the first to receive the Badge of Honour in 2001 for having promoted the idea of a British-German town twinning between Newark and Emmendingen "The second recipient was Claude Bacchini from Emmendingen’s twin town of Six-Fours-les-Plages Claude was honoured in 2009 on the occasion of the 30th year of town twinning between Emmendingen and Six-Fours "The Badge of Honour is awarded by the Emmendingen Town Council as a public expression of recognition and thanks to women and men who have rendered outstanding service to the town of Emmendingen and its citizens through their achievements and their work in local He added Rita Crowe was receiving the award for her many years of service and lasting commitment to twinning with Emmendingen Rita has been taking part in meetings along with her husband Robert from the very beginning of the town twinning in 1983 "In 1984 she travelled to Emmendingen for the first time as a singer with the Newark Operatic Society as an organiser and promoter of all encounters "In 1990 she took over the office of secretary of the Twinning Association Newark founded in 1983 and since 2004 she has been the chairperson of the association "Through her political work as a member of the town council and the district council and twice as town mayor and through the contacts that have emerged Rita has succeeded in anchoring the idea of town twinning in a significant portion of the Newark population "Together with the relevant chairpersons of the Friends of the Emmendingen town twinning association Rita organises numerous meetings between citizens and representatives of associations "Rita uses her membership in many clubs and organisations as well as her large network of friends and supporters to keep bringing new groups clubs and associations from both towns into contact with each other In addition to encounters with the town musicians there were also encounters between sports clubs visitors from Emmendingen will always find an open house with Rita Crowe "She accommodates and looks after many of the young people who are doing a language stay or an internship in Newark; for several years she has also accommodated regular trainees of the borough administration of Emmendingen Rita is committed to supporting the development of the bi-nation exchange between the two towns into international encounters with all partner towns "In 2005 Newark entered into a twinning with Emmendingen's twin town of Sandomierz in Poland to form an aid network in support of the Ukrainian city of Ostroh Many aid supplies have already been sent to the Ukraine FIMER completed the acquisition of ABB's solar inverter division in March 2020 making it the fourth largest solar inverter manufacturer in the world Cluster Manager Central Europe Joachim Rupp and Product Marketing Manager Martin Freyberg outline FIMER’s bold positioning and its products and strategy for the German market  What is FIMER’s history and what expertise does FIMER bring to the solar business Joachim Rupp: FIMER was founded in Italy in 1942 specializing in welding technology The company is now managed by the third generation of the same Italian family Decades of experience with converters and power electronics combine with proven strength in solar inverters to create a global force in the solar market FIMER’s solar business now accounts for more than 90 percent of its operations With the acquisition of the solar division of ABB the company is now a leading player in Germany and the world with ambitions to create a bold new era for solar International orientation - European roots and political interests Joachim Rupp: FIMER currently has over 1,100 employees and a presence in 26 countries worldwide The company has a production capacity of 11 GW and an installed base of 43 GW across the globe The development and production of all string inverters for the German market is based in Europe This is very important for us and our customers In addition to the various R&D and production facilities FIMER maintains a strong network of repair centers and service organizations Emmendingen near Freiburg im Breisgau is the key one for the German market with an experienced team available to support and service our customers FIMER took over the warranties and liabilities from ABB to ensure that the company provides the highest standards of service and customer care Our main priority is to work in collaboration with our customers and partners to provide outstanding technical support FIMER offers our own showroom and training facilities With the takeover of the solar inverter business from ABB FIMER has risen to become a full-range supplier Which products do you currently offer and which will be in your portfolio in the future Martin Freyberg: We offer solar inverters for small string devices with 2 kW for private customers up to 175 kilowatts for commercial and industrial applications We cover larger outputs with our central inverters of up to 5 MVA output per unit Our FIMER team is continuously working on expanding and renewing our product portfolio which only has one or two MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) the reduced version is intended for retrofitting older inverters with only one or two MPPT It is also designed for new PV systems with an east-west orientation we are expecting to launch further products to extend our string inverter portfolio Martin Freyberg: FIMER has a strong pedigree in the area of e-mobility and has been active in the charging infrastructure space since 2017 We are currently rolling out our new FIMER FLEXA and FIMER ELECTRA series - our AC wall boxes and DC fast charging stations They were developed by FIMER and are now being launched to the market; the production takes place in Italy Photovoltaics and charging infrastructure for e-mobility belong very closely together so this is a natural extension of our current solar offer Via distributors or directly to installers Joachim Rupp: Our products are sold through both specialized solar dealers and electrical wholesalers For larger projects in the industry and utility segments with corresponding quantities and services project planners and the investors or operators of larger PV systems because both markets - photovoltaics and e-mobility - will be characterized by dynamic growth in the coming years FIMER now combines strong European heritage with a global presence to offer a comprehensive range of solution and e-mobility solutions around the world Heiko Schwarzburger conducted the interview For more information, see here Joachim RuppJoachim Rupp was managing director for Viesmann PV+E-Systeme GmbH he became cluster manager for Central Europe and leads FIMER’s German business Martin Freyberg brings over ten years’ experience in the solar sector From 2014 to 2020 he was product manager for solar inverters and site manager at ABB Solar in Emmendingen he is now product marketing manager and site manager at FIMER Germany Looking to stay on top of all relevant industry and business news? Click here to subscribe to our free twice-weekly pv Europe newsletter. A podcast for investors on the opportunities and risks of the solar market The pv Europe editorial team offers their own analysis and discusses current topics with experts California resident and mountain bike trials-riding legend Hans Rey is the original stunt-biking world explorer he’s still going strong and putting together incredible bike adventures of extraordinary riding in extraordinary locations With an extreme sports career of 25 years and counting When did you start pulling tricks on bikes?I grew up in Emmendingen in the Black Forest in Germany My mates and I wanted to have Trial Motos but we were only 12 so we started on bicycles and kind of stuck with it then got into competitions  across Germany Where did the ‘No Way Rey’ moniker come from?When I was 20 I retired (the first time!) from competitive trials riding after being one of Europe’s top 10 riders for many years I thought it was time to get a job and move on with life when I received an invitation from an American Trials rider named Kevin Norton who told me about a new sport in America called mountain biking a typical MTB event also included a Trials event unlike MTB and BMX which came from the USA “No Way” as in “That’s not possible to ride” Of course I always at least a tried – pretty soon the name stuck when I was invited to the USA I had just finished my first semester at uni planning on returning to school after a few months in the US I had immediate success and offers and decided to stay a little longer I thought it would be a good opportunity to see the country and learn the language I never thought my career would last more than a couple of years but things kept going and then the mountain bike boom happened in the late 80s (I arrived in ‘87) I was torn between getting on with my life could imagine making a living with this ‘profession’ Definitely no regrets – I’m still living the dream I’m just so happy nobody hired me for an apprenticeship when I applied at 17 How does the riding in California compare with Europe?It is quite different I’ve been lucky to visit over 70 countries and I’ve seen many different mountain biking cultures California is surprisingly behind Europe in terms of ‘purpose built trails’ and trail centres You must have been one of the first trials riders to make a living - how important was landing Swatch Swatch was the first big corporation to support extreme sports the only reason I extended my first visit to the US was because they had agreed to let me do an internship (which never happened) I did a lot of Trial Biking Shows all over the world but it started with a tour of shopping malls across the United States to do demos with top skateboarders like Rodney Mullen and Rob Roskopp And GT bikes?GT Bicycles also became my sponsor during my first few months in California Next year marks my 30th year with this legendary bike brand It’s something I’m very proud of – there can’t be many extreme or outdoor athletes with major sponsorships this long And what’s this about being a Hollywood actor Living in Southern California we would get the occasional casting calls for TV commercials or bicycle related stunt work Eventually I joined the Screen Actors Guild and I even qualify to receive a pension from them My biggest Hollywood show was probably the TV Series Pacific Blue (mid to late 90s) which was about the Santa Monica Bike Police Initially I did a lot of stunt work for them to play myself as the bike coach for the officers The show was very ‘cheesy’ but it was (and still is in some places) broadcast in over 100 countries You’re almost 50 and you’ve been a lead player in mountain biking (in its various forms) since the 80s reinventing to make myself valuable to my sponsors I was one of the first to realize that there are ways to promote through mountain biking other than just racing most people who owned an MTB didn’t know or care about racing A big breakthrough was when I switched from a 20 inch wheel trial bike to a regular 26 inch MTB I also looked for ways to use my trials skills outside of competition Later my videos were the first of their kind After that it was my adventure trips to exotic locations putting my trials skills in real situations Has technology helped or hindered your career and it was quite a journey to be part of most of mountain biking’s evolution Some things are much easier – who would have thought 15 years ago that we would take top quality photos and videos on our mobile phones Of course that opened the door to more competition but the days are over when there were only five top biking photographers in the world What is your take on ‘fat bikes’ Have you ridden one?I think fat bikes have their place I have only ridden one a bit and I’m not infected yet but I always fancied the idea of riding some area in the world where there are no trails and where one has to ride cross-country like in some of the great parks in Canada or in Africa I’ve always had a big interest in travel and also in mystery and history combining my extreme biking skills with different cultures Combining these with some sort of mission was the goal when I transitioned from competing to the ‘Hans Rey Adventure Team’ Sometimes it was more about the ride and other times about the mission Are most of your adventures essentially about journeys?Yes and challenges too – but often deeper we shed light on some pyramid mysteries in Egypt a couple of years before they made global news Other times it may be routes that have never before been attempted on a bike And how come you can still ride such amazing stuff but the level of riding has risen to where I can’t keep up There was a time when I would boldly claim that I could ride any line anybody could ride I could ride any line anybody could ride twice Now the level where riders like Danny or the Ramage crew have taken it is amazing and I’m stoked to witness it It’s now far beyond my abilities or healing tolerances but I’m proud that I was able to inspire some of these guys to push the limits and others to simply ride a bike with age you realize what you can lose and that it’s not worth it You need to know your limits and calculate your odds but really it was as easy as riding on a pavement Where is the craziest landscape you have ridden?The traffic of New Delhi and on hot larva in Hawaii Does a great natural ride always trump a man-made one This summer I did a North-South Traverse of Iceland with Steve Peat – it was beautiful and challenging and what does it mean to you?Wheels 4 Life is my wife’s and my baby We started the non-profit charity 10 years ago to give bicycles to people who need transportation in developing countries We have given over 8,000 bikes to people in 30 different countries so far but for the people in Third World countries as I have just extended contracts with GT Bicycles I’ll keep saying “just another three years”….ha!  Why retire from a dream job that I love as long I can have fun and can stay relevant all I want to do when I retire is ride my bike in remote and mysterious places… What next?Plans in the pipeline include descending Kilimanjaro and a History of Freeride film To follow Hans Rey’s continuing adventures, see hansrey.com. To support his and his wife Carmen’s charity work, see Wheels4life.org A replay of the most famous football match in history brings the First World War to life for a new generation thanks to National Lottery funding the Newark Town FC under-21s travelled to Belgium to re-enact history’s most famous football match – the Christmas Day truce game The replay was inspired by a compelling secret uncovered by local Newark historian Franics Towndrow: the revelation that an ordinary working man from Nottinghamshire could be behind one of twentieth century history’s most moving stories British and Germans fighting the First World War in Belgium climbed out of their trenches into no man’s land sang songs together – and played what became history’s most famous football match ever Nottinghamshire historian Francis Towndrow has uncovered an incredible new perspective on that fateful match Francis has tracked down the Nottinghamshire soldier who most likely supplied the football Local boy William Setchfield probably never imagined he’d make history A cobbler’s son and professional soldier from Newark he was due to be demobbed on the 4th of August 1914 Instead of returning to Britain from his post on Malta he soon found himself landing in the killing fields of Flanders There’s strong evidence he was at the heart of the football match just three months later the 1st Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment An account from another soldier refers to the ball being contributed and kicked into play by “an Old Bill character” – popular slang for a veteran Setchfield fits the bill – he would have been a hardened old timer to the generally younger men in the trenches A pre-Christmas letter to his brother from Setchfield – who Towndrow describes as a “mad keen footballer” – discussed football and mentions a mysterious gift being sent over As Setchfield’s family were shoemakers – exactly the people who made Britain’s leather footballs at that time – the signs suggest this was indeed the football used to play their truce match he simply said: “We had a wonderful Christmas The Germans came over to us in the afternoon but it would be a big task to put everything that happened in a letter.” “The top brass was very much against the match,” explains Towndrow “There was even talk of charging some of the senior officers with desertion and married a local girl called Florence Bramley in 1921 when they sent a wreath to William’s brother’s funeral “We can’t find any record of him or his wife dying,” says Towndrow America or some other country soon after the war.” That’s not where William Setchfield’s story ends One hundred years to the day after William Setchfield arrived in Flanders Nottinghamshire men crossed the channel to make history once more Thanks to funding from the National Lottery brought over an under-21 team from Setchfield’s hometown of Newark to play a German team from their twin town They played on the ground nearest the original truce match – less than a mile from where both Adolf Hitler and Winston Churchill served as soldiers during the war – a site where 12 fallen New Zealand soldiers lie buried beneath the pitch itself Paul Baggaley remembers the day’s strong emotions “We got both teams together behind the cross There was this realisation that 100 years ago these young men would have been killing each other instead of standing with their arms round each other’s shoulders" Newark Town FC received £8,500 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to help make their historic rematch possible £60 million has been awarded to more than 1,000 projects that explore and explain the heritage of the First World War The National Lottery has been changing the lives of winners and supporting good causes across the UK since 1994 there have been more than 7,400 new millionaires created and by playing The National Lottery you raise over £4 million for Good Causes every dayΔ You can set you own spend and play limits, if you like. We're all about being fun and responsible National Lottery games should always be fun, playing in a way that is right for you. Using our handy toolkit you can set limits Players must be 18 or over and physically located in the UK or Isle of Man Over £30 million raised weekly is an average based on figures from 1st January – 31st December 2023 Over £4 million raised daily is an average based on figures from 1st January – 31st December 2023