News does not have to be disastrous before it matters. Every Saturday, The Hollamby Review’s Good News desk will gather some of the achievements, acts of kindness and unexpectedly lovely moments that happened across Britain during the week.

Here are five reasons to begin this weekend feeling a little lighter.

1. Birmingham welcomed the European Athletics Championships—and a local champion made history

The European Athletics Championships arrived in the UK for the first time on Monday, bringing athletes from across the continent to Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium.

Two days later, Wolverhampton-born Matt Hudson-Smith gave the home crowd the moment it had been waiting for. He won the men’s 400 metres in 44.17 seconds, becoming the first man to claim three European titles at that distance.

The setting made it particularly special. Hudson-Smith has trained at Alexander Stadium since he was nine and crossed the finish line beside a stand bearing his name. Britain’s Emily Newnham added a silver medal in the women’s 400-metre hurdles, running a personal best of 53.33 seconds and dedicating the achievement to her mother, who has been experiencing health problems.

The championships continue through the weekend, supported by around 1,800 volunteers. Whatever happens in the remaining events, Birmingham has already been given a homecoming victory to remember.

2. Thousands of people went outside and looked up together

On Wednesday evening, the Moon moved across more than 90 per cent of the Sun as seen from much of the UK, producing the country’s deepest partial solar eclipse in 27 years.

People gathered on commons, hills and in observatories with certified eclipse glasses, telescopes and homemade pinhole viewers. In Scotland, thousands headed to places including Calton Hill, Glasgow Botanic Gardens, Whitelee Windfarm and the Bathgate Hills.

Cloud threatened to spoil the view in several areas, but even that became part of the occasion. When the Sun briefly appeared over Calton Hill shortly before 7pm, the crowd cheered. Elsewhere, people passed glasses between friends, helped children make safe viewers and waited together for a glimpse.

The eclipse lasted only a short while. The pleasure came not only from what happened in the sky, but from seeing so many strangers stop what they were doing and share it.

3. Britain’s games industry played football through the night for disabled gamers

At St George’s Park on Thursday, 24 teams from UK video-game studios began a continuous 24-hour football match in aid of SpecialEffect.

One Big Game divided the players into North and South teams, with each studio taking a 90-minute turn on the pitch. The match was designed to run until Friday afternoon after an entire day and night of football, tired legs and increasingly ambitious commentary.

The event supports SpecialEffect, a charity that uses adapted technology to help physically disabled people play video games. Its work can include customised controllers, eye-controlled systems and individual assessments designed around what each person can do.

Gaming is entertainment, but it is also friendship, independence and a way to take part in a shared world. At the time of writing, the campaign had recorded more than £45,000 in donations and Gift Aid. That is an impressive result for kicking a ball around—and a very good reason to forgive a few missed passes after midnight.

4. A record number of school-leavers secured university places

Results day brought good news for hundreds of thousands of students on Thursday. A record 262,820 UK 18-year-olds were accepted on to undergraduate courses, an increase of three per cent on last year. Almost 229,000 secured a place at their first-choice university.

There was encouraging movement beyond traditional degrees too. Entries for T levels—the two-year technical qualification combining classroom study with an industry placement—rose by 65 per cent. University acceptances for engineering and technology courses also increased sharply.

Results day can never be reduced to one set of cheerful statistics. Every envelope and login belongs to a young person with different plans, pressures and circumstances. This week, however, a record number discovered that their next chapter had a place waiting for them.

5. Free eye and ear care for people experiencing homelessness reached a wider audience

A new Big Issue and Specsavers campaign this week drew national attention to free eye and ear care available to people affected by homelessness at every Specsavers store in the UK.

Through the Charity VIP scheme, eligible customers can receive an eye test and, where needed, glasses from a specified range. Hearing checks, wax removal, hearing protection and hearing devices may also be available under the scheme’s conditions. Applicants without a permanent address can use a store address for their record.

The programme has supported more than 6,000 people since 2022 through work with organisations including Big Issue, Crisis and Vision Care for Homeless People. Nearly three-quarters of those attending its homelessness eye clinics have needed glasses.

This week’s campaign matters because help only works when people know it exists. Putting practical information in front of more readers could mean somebody receives care they had assumed was beyond their reach.

Until next Saturday

This week brought speed, stargazing, sore footballers, new beginnings and care made easier to reach. None of the stories needed to solve the whole world to make one part of it better.

That is enough good news to be going on with.

Principal sources