Weekly round-up: Five stories you may have missed

News imagePA Media Jeremy Clarkson stood in front of sheep in a holding pen with his hands in his pockets on his farm, a land rover parked behind him.PA Media
Police say the alleged theft from Jeremy Clarkson's farm was in fact a miscount by staff

Sir David Attenborough, Jeremy Clarkson, and a performing elephant feature among the most-read stories in the south of England this week.

In case you missed them, we have picked five articles from the past seven days across Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Dorset, Berkshire and Oxfordshire to keep you up to date.

Clarkson's Farm sheep 'theft' actually a miscount

News imageGetty Images Jeremy Clarkson, a man with short grey hair wearing a black collared shirt, is pictured looking at the camera. Behind him, on a board, are the words "Clarkson's Farm" and "Prime Video". He appears to be at a promotional event. Getty Images
Jeremy Clarkson's Diddly Squat farm features in the Clarkson's Farm series

The apparent theft of sheep from Jeremy Clarkson's Diddly Squat Farm was in fact due to a miscount by farm staff, police have said.

Thames Valley Police first said it received reports on 2 September that the animals had been taken from the farm in Chadlington, Oxfordshire, within the last 10 days.

The 66-year-old ex-Top Gear presenter told The Sun he discovered the animals were missing when he went to count his flock with Clarkson's Farm co-star Kaleb Cooper.

But in an update issued on Tuesday, police said the reported theft had in fact been the result of an accidental miscount by farm staff.

Attenborough pumpkin mosaic breaks world record

The portrait used more than 10,000 pumpkins and squashes

A farm has broken its own Guinness World Record after unveiling a giant pumpkin mural of Sir David Attenborough.

Sunnyfields Farm in Totton, Hampshire, used more than 10,000 pumpkins and squashes to create the portrait, marking Attenborough's 100th birthday.

The mosaic measures 218.19 sq m, beating the farm's previous record of 212 sq m, set last year with a portrait of the late Ozzy Osbourne.

Guinness World Records senior adjudicator Pravin Patel confirmed the new record at Tuesday's unveiling.

Isle of Wight selected for national youth scheme

News imageGoogle The street view of a row of buildings alongside a busy road with lots of traffic. On the wide pavement there are trees and benches, with a blue sign on the left side reading "ISLE OF WIGHT COUNCIL, County Hall, Main Entrance" with a white arrow pointing upwards.Google
The Isle of Wight is among 42 councils in England to be selected for the government scheme

Young people on the Isle of Wight will benefit from improved support services after the island was selected to join a government youth scheme.

Isle of Wight Council was named among 42 areas in England chosen to be part of the Young Futures Hubs and Transformation Programme.

Funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the programme aims to strengthen youth services and build a network of Young Futures Hubs across the country by 2029.

The hubs aim to provide safe, welcoming spaces for young people to access support, youth activities, career advice and wellbeing services.

Thousands descend on Weymouth for 10th Ironman race

News imageGetty/Ironman Katherine Amps holds up the Ironman finish line tape above her head.Getty/Ironman
Female champion Katherine Amps completed the course in 04:49:10

More than 2,800 athletes took part in Weymouth's 10th Ironman triathlon.

The majority of competitors were from the UK but some came from as far afield as the USA, Ireland and the Netherlands.

The contest was ultimately won by British athletes, with Harry Lamb and Katherine Amps crowned champions for 2026.

The 11th edition of the race in 2027 has already been announced for 12 September with general registration opening on Thursday 1 October.

Museum marks 175th birthday of performing elephant

News imageUniversity of Reading A set of elephant bones are pictured face on within a glass display cabinet. Four people - three women and one man - stand and pose next to the skeleton.University of Reading
Norman's skeleton is the centrepiece of the Cole Museum of Zoology at the University of Reading

The 175th birthday of a performing elephant has been marked at the museum where its skeleton is on display.

Norman, an Asian elephant, toured the UK with Manders Menagerie in the 19th Century, with newspapers reporting he could perform tricks like jumping hurdles and playing the piano.

His bones are now the centrepiece of the Cole Museum of Zoology on the University of Reading's Whiteknights campus, where they are used to educate both students and visitors.

Staff and students gathered on Tuesday for the milestone anniversary, with Prof Amanda Callaghan, curator of the museum, saying they "couldn't let his 175th birthday pass without a celebration".