People in the news

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PRINCELY DONATION

The Prince of Wales has donated £2,000 to a Catholic Church at the centre of bitter marching disputes involving Protestant loyal orders in Northern Ireland.

Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall toured the historic Belfast place of worship in May in a gesture of reconciliation.

St Patrick's Church has witnessed disorder and discord in recent years, with some parading loyalist bandsmen accused of provocative and sectarian behaviour while passing by. The money is expected to be used for renovation work.

NEW BISHOP

A new Bishop for Argyll and the Isles has been appointed by the Pope.

Monsignor Brian McGee, the current vicar general of the diocese of Paisley and priest of Holy Family Parish in Port Glasgow, will take up the role. He succeeds Bishop Joseph Toal, who vacated the post in April last year to become the Bishop of Motherwell.

Bishop-Elect McGee, 50, said: "It was very humbling, and indeed frightening, to be informed by the Papal Nuncio that Pope Francis had nominated me to be the new bishop of the diocese of Argyll and the Isles.

SENTAMU PRAISE

The Archbishop of York has praised the "tremendous spirit" of everyone who has responded to the floods across northern England as the undercroft in his own palace was being pumped out.

Water from the River Ouse inundated the cellars of Bishopthorpe Palace, near York - the official home of Dr John Sentamu.

But Dr Sentamu said the structure was built with its location near the river in mind. In a statement, he said: "As expected, the undercroft in my home here at Bishopthorpe Palace is flooded again."

CAMPAIGN FOR MANNERS

Ann Widdecombe's plan to return to Britain's glory days of social etiquette could be as simple as a text reading, "Thanks Gran, u r gr8".

The former MP lamented society's loss of manners in a column for Radio Times and urged parents to get their children writing Christmas present thank you letters - even if they were only a text.

Widdecombe will be exploring the art of manners in her new BBC Radio 4 series, The Etiquette Guide.

PROUD SON

Singing superstar Roy Orbison had a guitar before he had a pair of shoes, according to his son.

The star, nicknamed The Big O, came from a poor background and achieved success through sheer persistence, his son Alex Orbison said ahead of a biographical documentary which will be broadcast on BBC Four this week.

The 40-year-old said having Orbison, who died in 1988 aged just 52, as a father was "very cool" and that he never gets tired of hearing his big hit Oh, Pretty Woman which was written in less than an hour.

DECEMBER 29 BIRTHDAYS: Bernard Cribbins, comedy actor, 87; Mary Tyler Moore, actress, 79; Jon Voight, actor, 77; Marianne Faithfull, singer/actress, 69; Ted Danson, actor, 68; Yvonne Elliman, singer, 64; Martin Offiah, pundit and former rugby league player, 49; Jude Law, actor, 43.

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