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Weekly round-up: Five stories you may have missed

Family Handout A photo of Patrick in RAF uniform, complete with cap, jacket, shirt and tie.Family Handout
Patrick Stevens was captured by the Germans and sent to Stalag Luft III

A story about a discovery connecting a house in Purley to the famous Great Escape was among our most read stories in the south this week.

We have picked five stories from the past seven days in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Dorset, Berkshire and Oxfordshire to keep you up to date.

Colitis patient hopes to make fitness history

Lindsay Bowers Lindsay Bowers is smiling at the camera, wearing dark sunglasses and a black bikini. She is holding on to step handles as she climbs into a swimming pool.Lindsay Bowers
Lindsay Bowers said she wanted to inspire other stoma patients

A colitis patient who was nearly killed when childhood bullies stamped on her stoma is taking on a fitness challenge in the hope of inspiring others.

Lindsay Bowers, from Southampton, was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis aged nine.

The 41-year-old hopes to become the first person with a stoma to complete the Spartan DEKA FIT Europe, which involves eleven 500m runs, interspersed with exercise activities.

Family who bought Bulgarian farmhouse have no regrets

Lewis Vye Jordan Vye smiling for the camera while she paints a door frame. She has long blonde hair tied in a ponytail and large metal rimmed glasses. She is holding a tin of dark green paint in one hand and a paint brush in the other.Lewis Vye
Jordan Vye says she is closer to the life she wants

Lewis and Jordan Vye packed up their rented flat in Bournemouth and moved their family to Bulgaria three years ago.

The couple had bought a dilapidated farmhouse online for £7,000, only viewing it for the first time when they arrived with their two children and belongings.

Despite fond memories of home and now facing a new set of challenges, they insist they have no regrets.

Long-distance runner 'found sobriety'

Charlotte Fisher said her "life has just been running" for the last two years

A long-distance runner said the sport has given her a better life after she struggled with binge drinking and her mental health.

Charlotte Fisher, from Newport on the Isle of Wight, has been running for two years and finished third in a 100-mile race in Snowdonia in Wales on 17 May.

Her podium finish means she has now qualified for the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, often called the "Olympics of trail running".

Council defends giving four litter fines in decade

Tracy Adams can be seen wearing a yellow high vis jacket, using a litter picker to put rubbish into a purple plastic sack near Thame Services.
Thame Womble Tracy Adams goes litter picking at least five times a week

Only four fines have been issued for littering by West Oxfordshire District Council in the past decade, figures obtained by the BBC have revealed.

A Freedom of Information request showed a total of 401 fixed penalty notices for the offence have been handed out by councils across Oxfordshire since 2015.

Oxford City Council gave the most at 204.

Great Escape POW found in history society search

Patrick Stevens played a part in the audacious escape from Stalag Luft III

A woman who runs Berkshire Family History Society found a connection between a house in Purley and Stalag Luft III, site of the The Great Escape.

Catherine Sampson, whose society is celebrating its 50th anniversary with more than 1,200 across the globe, says she was "completely hooked" by what she uncovered.

A name came to light - Patrick Stevens - who was captured by the Germans and sent to the Prisoner of War camp immortalised in the 1963 Steve McQueen film.

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