Building a 36ft tall sculpture with bales of straw..Beyond imagination!

At 36ft tall and made out of straw, this impressive sculpture of a meerkat is anything but ‘simples’.

Proudly looking out over motorists in rural Nantwich, the statue is built on a 6ft base and has lights in its eyes.

The meerkat, made popular thanks to an insurance company's TV adverts, is 30 times bigger than a real-life creature, and is the latest in a long line of impressive works of art.

Each year, staff at Snugburys Ice Cream Farm, Hurleston, celebrate the summer with a new design.

The concept started in 1998 with a huge Millennium Dome sculpture and has also seen a straw replica of the Lovell telescope, London Eye as well as last year’s Big Ben standing beside the A51 near Chester.

Director Chris Sadler and his wife Cheryl come up with the ideas and the creations are made by Mike Harper, who builds a steel skeleton which is then stuffed with hay.

Speaking about this year’s design, Mr Harper, 57, said: ‘Everyone loves meerkats, especially my wife, so we thought it would be a good idea.

‘We start planning it in January and then have a big push stuffing it at the end which takes about a month.

‘Mike is an amazing talent and was happy to have a go at building it.

‘People absolutely adore it – it says that it cheers them up, and it doesn’t cost them anything.’

Daredevil risks his life by launching himself off 100ft cliff

This is the moment a foolhardy daredevil launched himself from a 100ft cliff in one of the most reckless tombstoning stunts caught on camera in the UK.

The unidentified jumper stood poised on the edge of the cliff in Penzance, Cornwall, before hurling himself into the air.

With arms flailing, he spent around 2.5 seconds in freefall before crashing into the sea below.

The sea is believed to be about 20ft deep in the spot where he landed.

Photographer Alastair Sopp caught the leap on camera in a sequence of 11 images.

Alistair said he spoke to the 'tombstoner' shortly after he made his death-defying jump.

He explained he'd made the dive after studying tide and weather charts for weeks but it still took a while to pluck up the courage.

'It was a breathtaking moment. I couldn't believe he jumped from so high up.

'I went and saw him down below and he said a lot of planning had gone into it, visiting on different tides, waiting for weather, and diving down to check depth.

'He said it was a calculated risk. It took him a while to compose himself and stop his legs shaking before being confident enough to make the leap. He told me he'd hurt his ribs and he probably won't jump it again.'

Despite repeated calls for young people to stop throwing themselves off cliffs and piers into Britain's waters, the message clearly had not filtered through to this daredevil.

Each year coastguards and ambulance services are called to deal with horrific injuries including paralysis and broken necks, as people leap into the water unaware of the risks.

Many hurl themselves into the sea not realising the dangers which lurk below the surface, such as rocks and debris, while others simply jump into shallow water, leaving themselves at risk of potentially fatal and brain spinal injuries.

Amazing 'one slip and its all over' feats over a cliff by extreme artists

Bodies intertwined, these daredevils risk life and limb by balancing above a 300m cliff edge without showing any fear.

In extreme artist Eskil Ronningsbakken's latest stunts he also teeters on a pile of chairs placed on the Kjeragbolten boulder wedged precariously between two rock faces over a 1,000 metre drop in Rogaland, Norway.

More daring displays in the name of art show Eskil performing a handstand at a lookout platform over the winding Trollstigen road, Norway.

Eskil, 30, has also been training others how to make bold shapes at dangerous spots.

Spectacular pictures show how he balances 300 metres above a lake locked in gymnastic poses with one of his students, Kenyan Moses Wepukhuli, 25.

The amazing 'one slip and its all over' feats were caught on camera at lofty locations around Norway.

Sure-footed Eskil, a Norwegian, has been pulling off his jaw-dropping balancing acts around the world for 25 years.

Sometimes walking for up to six hours to get to the locations for his endeavours, Eskil uses yoga to train and prepare for his bold shapes in dangerous places.

Describing himself as an 'educated balancing performer', he has been sculpting his abilities since the age of five. The skills have taken him through circus troupes and across the globe.

Describing his performances as 'expressions of art', Eskil is currently touring with a team of 10 people as part of a documentary about his incredible achievements.

The crew have been visiting some of Eskil's playgrounds, recording brand new stunts for the first time - like the unicycle at Trollveggen mountain - and improving on old performances for camera.

He said: 'I prepare myself for the stunts a little different every single time, depending on the locations and my planned moves. I do warm ups, yoga and meditation every time before performing.

'I like to call it 'fuelling the power of nature'.

'Yoga and different breathing techniques helps me to stay focused, and hit the right wave of energy.

'You have to become one with the nature and your surroundings, and never try to force it to follow you. The consequence might happen to be your last decision if you do so.'

For the documentary, which will be screened in Scandinavia next year, Eskil had to perform each stunt several times to make sure the crew had the shots they needed.

'It was my first time doing so many heavy balancing acts within a short period of time,' he said.

'And it was very demanding. But when I return to normal life, I get cravings to return to the mountains.

'I'm addicted to mountains and heights and combining it with balancing. It is simply my passion.'

Seeing an Indian yogi on television calmly balancing inspired the younger Eskil to devote his life to the precise art.

'Living in the countryside of Norway helped,' he said.

'My mother would be screaming at me to come down from heights all the time, but my dad would be saying, "Wait a minute, let me take a picture first."

'You learn a lot from that kind of play in environments like that. You learn to respect the height and danger.'

Joining a circus at 18, Eskil finely perfected his craft under the expert tutelage of Peter Jakob, a trainer with the Moscow State Circus.

Developing his abilities over several years, Eskil has now reached a level of athletic excellence mixed with spiritual calm.

However, he says he is always acutely aware of the risks he takes with his balancing.

'I feel fear, of course I do,' he said. 'We are humans and we have a natural sense of self-preservation.'

'However, I must control that fear before I undertake any new project because otherwise it would lead to lethal mistakes.

'If I ever find myself totally fearless then that is when I will stop what I am doing.'

19 years old teenager suspected of stealing AT LEAST 5 planes, FBI should make good use of this genius BAREFOOT BANDIT

A teenager who became a folk hero in America after eluding police for two years by stealing fast cars, powerboats and planes has finally been captured in the Bahamas.

Colton Harris-Moore, 19, was dubbed the ‘Barefoot Bandit’ because he went shoeless during his crime spree and left chalk footprints as a calling card.

The teen’s legend grew with supporters wearing ‘Run, Colton Run’ t-shirts and following his daring exploits on Facebook.

He was branded a modern-day Billy The Kid after leaving cash and a note at a veterinary clinic saying he had stolen some ‘extra cash’ and wanted it to be used to help animals.

Although he has never formally learned to fly, he is suspected of stealing at least five planes, including one he piloted for more than 1,000 miles from Indiana to the Bahamas islands off Florida’s coast.

He is said to be a self-taught pilot through playing flight-simulator games and reading instruction manuals.

But his capers reportedly came to an end today when he was caught trying to steal a boat at Harbour Island, a small tourist destination in the sunshine islands.

He allegedly crash-landed a plane on nearby Great Abaco Island a fortnight ago and has been blamed for a string of seven break-ins in the area.

The wily 6ft 5ins tall teen is a skilled outdoorsman who honed his abilities growing up in the woods of Puget Sound, about 30 miles north of Seattle, Washington.

The night before his arrest, he broke into an island bar, dismantled a security light and sat watching television.

Harris-Moore's mother, Pam Kohler, said her son had a troubled childhood.

His first conviction, for possession of stolen property, came at age 12. Within a few months of turning 13, he had three more offences on his record.

He has since been linked to dozens of burglaries, including several airplane thefts.

During the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, a plane that may have been stolen by Harris-Moore skirted a flight zone set up for the event.

It never entered restricted airspace during its erratic journey, helping the pilot evade authorities.

‘He’s gone from being a regional nuisance to a national nuisance to an international criminal,’ Seattle FBI agent Steven Dean said last week. But Mrs Kohler has publicly defended her son, saying the allegations against him are exaggerated.

She hoped he would flee to a country that doesn't have an extradition treaty with the United States.

Tonight, she had no comment on the arrest.

Harris-Moore was sentenced to nearly four years in juvenile detention after being caught in an unoccupied home in 2007, but he did well enough there that he was transferred to a group home.

There he sneaked out of a window more than two years ago and has been on the run ever since.

For the past five days soldiers and police armed with shotguns on the Caribbean island had been hunting him. They had put up a $10,000 (£6,600) reward for information leading to his arrest.

Harris-Moore had won admiration in his home state of Washington for his ability to evade police, and Bahamians had appeared to also be full of respect for him.

The few people who have crossed paths with Harris-Moore in the last few days said he did not seem nervous.

Bartender Colby Curry said the fugitive entered his sports bar on Tuesday evening, drank a beer and left after five minutes. He said Harris-Moore was wearing a cap over a shaved head, and no shoes.

'He was really calm,' said Curry, who only realised it was the fugitive after police called the bar to report that Harris-Moore had been spotted in the area. 'He seemed like just a regular guy.'

To his admirers, part of Harris-Moore's appeal is that he's not known for violence.

But the FBI's wanted poster had warned that he might possess stolen firearms and should be considered dangerous.

The latest saga began when Harris-Moore allegedly stole the single-engine Cessna from an airport in Bloomington, Indiana, and flew it more than 1,000 miles to the low-lying island chain off the Florida coast.

Oldest person on earth turns 130..but she seems young!

Authorities in the former Soviet republic of Georgia claim a woman from a remote mountain village turned 130, making her the oldest person on Earth.

Antisa Khvichava from western Georgia was born on July 8, 1880, said Georgiy Meurnishvili, spokesman for the civil registry at the Justice Ministry.

The woman, who lives with her 40-year-old grandson in an idyllic vine-covered country house in the mountains, retired from her job as a tea and corn picker in 1965, when she was 85, records say.

I've always been healthy, and I've worked all my life - at home and at the farm,' Antisa said, in a bright dress and headscarf - and red lipstick.

Sitting in the chair and holding her cane, Antisa spoke quietly through an interpreter - since she never went to school to learn Georgian and speaks only the local language, Mingrelian.

Her age couldn't immediately be independently verified. Her birth certificate was lost - one of the great number to have disappeared in the past century amid revolutions and a civil war which followed the collapse of the USSR.

But Meurnishvili showed two Soviet-era documents that he says attest to her age.

The Gerontology Research Group currently recognizes 114-year-old Eugenie Blanchard of Saint Barthelemy, France, as the world's oldest person. Antisa would make Eugenie look like a spring chicken - but the research group is yet to examine Antisa's claim.

She has a son, 10 grandchildren, 12 great grandchildren and six great, great grandchidren.

Her 70-year-old son Mikhail, who was also at the party, apparently was born when his mother was 60.

She said she also had two children from a previous marriage, but says they died of hunger during World War II.

Mikhail said that, although his mother had difficulty walking and had stayed largely in bed during the past seven years, she made a point of hobbling unaided to the outhouse on the other side of the yard, because she hates to be a nuisance.

Though her body has all but quit on her - her fingers cramped by age mean she can no longer maintain her love of knitting - relatives say her mind remains sharp.

'Grandma has a very clear mind and she hasn't lost an ability to think rationally,' said Khvichava's granddaughter Shorena, who lives in a nearby village.

To mark Antisa's birthday, a string ensemble played folk music out on the lawn, while grandchildren offered traditional Mingrelian dishes like corn porridge and spiced chicken with herbs to all guests as the party.

Chinese woman 15 years twisted legs corrected..Miracle

A Chinese woman who had her legs twisted the wrong way round in a car accident has been told she should be able to walk and stand normally after undergoing corrective surgery.

Xiao Fang was just seven when she was involved in an horrific car accident which caused severe damage to her legs.

Surgeons managed to avoid having to amputate them, but due to the trauma she suffered in the accident her legs began to grow abnormally and become twisted out of shape.

Miss Fang, now 22, from Harbin in China's north eastern Heilonjiang province, has had to live with the problem for 15 years.

But finally she underwent the corrective surgery on her limbs on June 21.

During the successful operation, her legs were straightened out and her surplus knee bones removed.

Tendons in her legs were also lengthened by the surgeons to allow her to walk.

Both legs are now in casts and Miss Fang has been told by doctors she should be able to walk normally on them once the bones have healed completely.

The world's tallest married couple..with a combined height of more than 13ft

With a combined height of more than 13ft, this is the world's tallest married couple.

But if Wilco Van Kleef-Bolton and his wife Keisha's two children keep growing they may end up with the world's tallest family title too.

Son Lucas, four, is already 3ft 11in -  the height of a seven-year-old  -  and daughter Eva, two, is 3ft, the typical height of a three-year-old.

Being tall has had its up and downs for the Kleef-Boltons. When the couple first married  -  he's 7ft and she's 6ft 5in  -  they had some lofty ambitions, not least raising the doorframes in their home to stop them clipping their heads.

That issue is yet to be resolved and the couple still have a bedroom that is only big enough for a standard double bed, forcing them to sleep with their feet hanging out.

On the bright side, Mr Kleef-Bolton-29, says his height makes his work as a security guard at Barking and Dagenham College in Essex, significantly easier. 'Being this size and 18-and-a-half stone means it's no problem to pull two kids apart if they're fighting,' he said.

He also said students often compared him to England footballer Peter Crouch.

He said: 'If only I could play football like him.  And with 40-ins legs like this I can get anywhere faster than anyone else.

'But of course I have to get my uniform custom-made. And finding a good pair of shoes that fit is really difficult.'

Dutch-born Mr Kleef-Bolton has to go to specialist websites that normally supply American basketball players to order the size 15 shoes he wears.

His wife, 31, said her biggest problem was finding clothes large enough for her and her 38 in legs, even though she is a healthy size 12.

'I use normal women's dresses as shirts because they come up so short,' she said.

'But we both accepted our height years ago. There's not a lot you can do about it. Flying on budget airlines with no legroom is a problem too.

'And of course we get a lot of attention when we're out. But there are perks - I never have to use a stepladder to reach the top shelf.'

Mr Kleef-Bolton was referred to a specialist when he was ten and stood at 5ft 10in - the height of the average man in the UK. He was told he was naturally tall, rather than suffering from a medical condition.

He was started on hormone injections two years later because of concerns his knee joints might eventually give way under the weight of his body and he finally stopped growing aged 16.

His wife said she suffered from jokes at school about her height and had to stop wearing high heels when she was 18 and her shoe size went past an eight.

The Guinness World Record holders met when Mr Kleef-Bolton responded to her advert for a dance partner on a website for tall people, saying: 'I'm 7ft. Is that tall enough?'

Describing their wedding, he said: 'The staff at the register office agreed we were the perfect match.'

Mrs Kleef-Bolton, who had to wear men's clothing when she was pregnant because there weren't any maternity outfits big enough, said she and her husband would like to have more children.

'We think four is the ideal number but we think we can wait until these two are a bit bigger. Looking at them, it won't take that long,' she added.

Terrafugia Transition- The Flying Car..owing it is way better than a Ferrari

It was designed to soar above traffic jams, but had been grounded by paperwork.

Now, finally, the flying car has been officially cleared to take to the skies.

The sticking point had been the weight of the Terrafugia Transition - it was 110lb over the limit for light aircraft.

But U.S. aviation authorities have given it a special exemption because the vehicle is also required to comply with car safety standards - including airbags, energy absorbing crumple zones and a safety cage. The vehicle had previously passed test flights and has now gone into commercial production.

Though not the world's first flying car, its makers say it is the first to have wings that fold up automatically at the push of a button.

There have already been 70 customers who have paid a £6,500 deposit for the vehicle, which costs £132,000 - about the same as a Bentley or Ferrari supercar.

But Terrafugia vice chairman Richard Gersh points out that for the money it gives you a great 'wow factor'.

He said: 'Anybody can buy a Ferrari. But Ferraris don't fly.'

As well as needing a healthy bank balance, owners of the Terrafugia Transition will require plenty of space - 

1,700ft of uncluttered road is needed for take-off.

Its inventors at Terrafugia, who include former Nasa engineers, say the vehicle is easy to keep and run because it uses normal unleaded fuel, can be re-fuelled at petrol station, and will fit into a normal domestic garage.

The 19ft long car can reach 65mph on the road but can fly at speeds of up to 115mph and has a range of up to 500 miles in the air.

Powered by a 100-horse-power four- stroke engine - about the same as Ford Fiesta  -  it can switch from being a two-seater road car to a plane at the touch of a button in under 30 seconds.

In car mode it has a steering wheel, accelerator and brake pedals, but no gearstick. As a plane, it is controlled with a joystick near the steering wheel.

As it will be certified as a Light Sport Aircraft, the Transition will require a pilot's licence to be flown - and of course a valid driver's licence for use on the ground. Carl Dietrich, Terrafugia chief executive, said: 'This breakthrough changes the world of personal mobility.'

Colonel Phil Meteer, who carried out its first test flight last year, said: 'It's a real smooth stable vehicle on the runway. It comes up smoothly into the air. It's just rock solid.'

The company said the first planes would be delivered to customers in autumn of next year.

Largest land sale comes on to market. It's the size of 13,000 football pitches!!

For someone seeking to get away from it all, it's probably the perfect location. The views are spectacular, the tranquillity unparalleled - and neighbours are unlikely to be a problem.

The garden's rather big though. It's about twice the size of Manhattan.

This is the largest swathe of land to come up for sale in England and Wales in living memory - a billion square feet of rural Wales, boasting its own reservoir, woodlands and wildlife.

The price tag is £11million. Even for that much money, however, the Lake Vyrnwy estate in Powys cannot offer a stately pile or a Lord of the manor title.

But what Vyrnwy can provide is space.

More than 23,315 acres of it to be precise  - enough to rival a city such as Salford or accommodate more than 13,000 football pitches. Not that anyone would be allowed to spoil the natural beauty of the area, which includes conservation areas, a nature reserve and several sites of special scientific interest associated with a magnificent Victorian dam.

The 4.75mile long reservoir in the Cambrian mountains is visible with the naked eye from space.

It was built by the Liverpool Corporation to supply water to the city, some 70 miles away, and when it began operating in 1892 it was the biggest in Europe. Most of the acreage acquired was common land and the rest was bought from landed gentry.

To create the reservoir, the village of Llanwddyn was demolished, flooded, and rebuilt nearby.

In 1974, the estate was taken over by Severn Trent Water Authority, which is now offering it for sale on a 125-year lease. It will keep control of the lake, which will continue to supply Liverpool, but it may negotiate a 30-year lease for water rights.

Knight Frank is marketing the estate either as a whole or in four lots.

The estate is dotted with 14 leased farms, plus 31 cottages, private or commercial buildings, including a lakeside cafe called Artisans.