The UK Foreign Office has issued a statement as the search for Lancashire-born teen Jay Slater continues.
The 19-year-old from Oswaldtwistle went missing after a night out in Tenerife last week and was last heard from around 8am on Monday morning.
Slater had attended the NRG music festival over the weekend and his last known location is said to have been near the Rural de Teno Park in the northwest of the island, according to a location pin sent to his friend Lucy, informing her that he was lost in the middle of the mountains with no clear landmarks.
A spokesperson for the government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has now issued an update, stating that they are “providing consular support to the family of a British man who has been reported missing in Spain and are in contact with the local authorities.”
Jay’s friends contacted the British Embassy in Tenerife yesterday (Credit: Zak Slater (via Facebook)/Instagram).
Speaking to local outlet The Lancashire Telegraph, Lucy said “I have never been so worried in my life”, adding that it is very out of character for him to wander off on his own.
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He told her he had initially tried to catch a bus from the apartment where he had been staying but ultimately had to walk instead. She had spent all day trying to find him and now his mother and brother have flown out to try and help with the search.
The pin location indicating his last known whereabouts disappeared after his phone battery died; Lucy went on to add that “he might have a cut on his leg as he mentioned he hurt his leg on his cactus”.
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Local police also informed her that they intended to send mountain rescue to find the missing Lancashire teen but hadn’t heard any new information from them. Slater is slim with brown hair and blue eyes and was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, trainers and a black bag.
Family and friends are sharing this poster with crucial contact details for anyone with information on the missing Lancashire teen.
Keeping his loved ones up to date in a Facebook group created to help find him, Jay’s sister-in-law Jessica Rogers said there have sadly been “no updates” as yet.
Another person wrote: “Hoping Jay is found soon, every mother’s worst nightmare.”
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Rural de Teno National Park where his location last pinged is popular amongst hikers and fortunately features live 24-hour webcams, which may help in locating him.
Our thoughts go out to all of his friends and family during this difficult time, and we hope he is found safe and sound soon.
Chester Zoo named UK’s best zoo for third year in a row with record number of ‘excellent’ ratings
Emily Sergeant
It’s official… Chester Zoo has been named to best zoo in the UK for 2026.
While everyone in and around Greater Manchester and the North West may already be familiar with just how brilliant the UK’s biggest charity zoo is, you may remember that, for the past two years running now, it has been officially named the UK’s best zoo thanks to tens of thousands of positive TripAdvisor reviews.
And now, the zoo has managed to retain that respectable title for the third year in a row, as the world’s biggest travel guidance platform has, once again, named Chester Zoo as the best-rated zoo to visit in the UK this year.
It’s even more of a cause for celebration this year, as the zoo has claimed a record 11,666 ‘excellent’ ratings for the first time.
Chester Zoo has been named the best zoo in the UK for 2026 / Credit: Chester Zoo
Based on millions of online reviews, the updated ranking puts the beloved Cheshire-based attraction ahead of the country’s other zoos after earning consistently good feedback from its visitors.
Not only has the zoo’s strong focus on conservation and unforgettable visitor experiences made it the best in our country, but this has also earned it a place among Europe’s elite too – with the new listings placing it in the top 10 best zoos or aquariums in the continent.
“We’re over the moon to be named the UK’s top zoo by TripAdvisor,” commented Jamie Christon, who is the CEO of Chester Zoo.
“This recognition is built entirely on genuine reviews from our visitors, and that means the world to us. I’m very proud of everyone who makes our national conservation zoo such a special place.
“Every visit to Chester Zoo directly supports our vital conservation work, both here at home and around the world, and the past year alone is a reminder of just how much that work matters.
“We’ve developed the world’s first vaccine for a deadly virus that threatens Asian elephants globally, we’ve officially pulled a tiny species of snail back from the brink of extinction, and right here on our doorstep we’ve been planting thousands of new trees to create important new woodland habitat.
“None of that happens without the people who come through our gates – and we’re enormously grateful to every one of them.”
Featured Image – Chester Zoo
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Glitzy Manchester restaurant KAJI has quietly shut down
Daisy Jackson
A glamorous Manchester restaurant famed for its Japanese cooking and sushi has quietly closed its doors for good, it seems.
KAJI, on Bridge Street, has pulled table reservations and repossession notices have been stuck into its windows.
The glitzy, futuristic restaurant made a pretty big impact on the city’s dining scene since opening in 2022 – but not always for the right reasons.
It first launched as MUSU, and hit headlines when vandals smashed the windows and threw paint all over the restaurant space in the middle of a busy Valentine’s Day service.
It attracted other famous faces too, including Man City boss Pep Guardiola, and Jason Derulo.
Then in 2024, the restaurant rebranded to KAJI, promising dishes cooked over fire in ‘homage to ancient Japanese cooking techniques’.
And last year it received a review in The Telegraph, where William Sitwell said that KAJI was ‘all tummies, bald heads, tattoos and heat’, describing the experience of eating there as ‘brash (and pricey) torture’.
KAJINotices in the windows of KAJI
But now, it appears the business – which launched a new menu concept just weeks ago – has oh-so-quietly shut its doors for good.
When you try to book a table, no availability is showing.
And walking past its glamorous Bridge Street location now, you can see repossession notices have been displayed in the windows.
It appears that the landlords of the building took possession way back on 10 April – and KAJI has been silent on social media ever since.
Danny Jones -
18th June 2024 
