Outdoor company is 'least ethical'

The controversial Sports Direct company, which owns 29 per cent of outdoor retailer Blacks and which recently snapped up 60 per cent of Field & Trek, is the least ethical company in the UK’s top 350, according to a survey by a national newspaper.The Observer’s probe, carried out with Co-operative Investments, found the firm, founded by Newcastle United boss Mike Ashley, scored only 12.17 out of a possible 100.

Griff's Mountain series hits the shops

If your Sunday evenings have been left with a televiewing hole following the end of Griff Rhys Jones’s Mountain programmes, there’s some good news: you can buy the DVD of the series from Monday, so you can relive the whole journey across Britain’s high ground.And don’t be fooled by BBC1’s screening of something called Coming Down the Mountain: it’s not Griff’s descents; more a Peak District Brit version of a drama along the lines of Rain Man.

Get walking: live longer

Walking could save your life – and it needn’t be a marathon effort.New research from Queen’s University, Belfast, revealed that even a half-hour walk three times a week can help you lose weight and lessen the chance of heart disease and stroke.Walking: ideal for keeping fit Previous advice was to undertake a vigorous walk at least five times a week.

Dales falcons popular despite deluge

The appalling weather this summer is blamed for a fall in numbers of visitors enjoying a view of Malham’s pair of peregrine falcons.But more children came to see the raptors, which nest on the 80m-high limestone Malham Cove in the Yorkshire Dales.

Song from 82-year-old after Carrauntoohil rescue

An 82-year-old pensioner serenaded rescuers who plucked her from Ireland’s highest mountain.Kerry Mountain Rescue Team went to the aid of the woman on Carrauntoohil, after she was reported missing with a 16-year-old family friend.

Griff Rhys Jones's Mountain: back for more?

So, what did we think of BBC1’s big venture into the mountains?En route for the Cuillins: Griff Rhys Jones in the first episode of MountainBBC/IWC Media The mainstream press is awash with nitpicking crits of Griff Rhys Jones’s irritating cackle, the fact it was obvious the production team had beaten him to the Suileag bothy (tyre tracks and a smoking chimney) and his interview with a laird long-gone.Mountain graced the screens last night and, frankly, Scotland stole the show.

New suspected disease outbreak is 11 miles outside existing zone

Government scientists are investigating a suspected new outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease outside the 10km zone around the original cases.Late last night, Chief Veterinary Officer Debby Reynolds confirmed her staff had set up a control zone around the premises at the centre of the new scare, while clinical tests take place.

Farmers call for footpath shutdown

The Government is facing a growing clamour from some farmers to close down the countryside following the confirmation of a second case of foot-and-mouth disease.Walkers in Teesdale, County Durham, have been confronted by signs warning that footpaths are closed, due to the outbreaks in Surrey, more than 300 miles away.

Footpath closures begin as second disease outbreak announced

Government scientists have identified a second outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease within the protection zone already in place.