It wasn’t all bad

Prisoners in Gloucestershire are going to be paid to build ecohomes, as part of an initiative to cut the reoffending rate. The idea is that they will gain useful skills, and build up savings with which to start new lives upon their release. Panels for the modular houses will be made at HMP Leyhill, then assembled in Torquay with the help of prisoners from Channings Wood in Devon. They will be paid £8.72 an hour – far more than the normal rate for prisoners of 72p.

A giant spider which had been thought extinct in the UK for 27 years has been rediscovered in Surrey, on land used for Army training. The Great Fox-Spider, which is just over two inches in diameter, including its hairy legs, was listed as “critically endangered”. A predator known for its speed and excellent eyesight, it was found by Mike Waite of the Surrey Wildlife Trust. He had spent two years hunting at night for the spider on the Ministry of Defence land. Unusual species can often be found on MoD land, where they are undisturbed by farming and development.

A piece of music improvised by an 80-year-old former music teacher with dementia soared to No. 1 in the iTunes and Amazon charts last week. The piece was composed by Paul Harvey after his son gave him four random notes to riff on. A video of him playing it went viral in September. It has since been recorded as a single by the BBC Philharmonic orchestra – and recently prompted a call to the composer from Stephen Sondheim. Proceeds from Four Notes, as the piece is called, will go to the Alzheimer’s Society and Music for Dementia.