QUIRKY WORLD ... Stolen ‘Holy Grail’ has been handed back to the police

ENGLAND: A relic believed by some to be the Holy Grail and stolen from a home nearly a year ago has been recovered by police.

West Mercia Police said it had tracked down the Nanteos Cup and returned the wooden chalice to its rightful owners.

The cup, which measures 10cm by 8.5cm, is believed to have been stolen during a burglary in Weston Under Penyard near Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, in July 2014.

A specialist team was set up by police to hunt down the relic and the story featured in an appeal on BBC’s Crimewatch programme.

A spokesman for the force said as a result of the coverage, they received “several significant lines of inquiry from anonymous sources”.

Police have been tight-lipped on the circumstances of exactly how the cup was recovered but did say it had been handed to officers “on neutral ground” in a pre-arranged meeting, on Friday June 19.

The police spokesman said: “An anonymous source came forward after seeing the Crimewatch appeal which resulted in it being physically handed in.

“Some people may class it as the Holy Grail, but that’s only speculation.

“As far as the police are concerned this is a treasured object, and we are happy to have reunited it with its rightful owners.

“We take the theft of any item very seriously.” The investigation on tracing the culprits is continuing, the spokesman added.

Described by police as a “medieval mazer bowl, a wooden cup or chalice” the item was stored in a blue velvet bag.

The family which own the relic had offered £1,000 reward for its safe return, with an additional £1,000 put up by police for its recovery and the successful conviction of the thieves.

Police said as nobody had been prosecuted, it would not be paying that reward.

Walk this way

USA: Rainbow-coloured crosswalks have been painted in a gay neighbourhood of Philadelphia known as the Gaybourhood.

Downtown Philadelphia 😍🙈 #LoveWins 🌈💕 pic.twitter.com/igNWdW8UYE

— Tyreek ☆ (@lovemmitt) June 26, 2015

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the walkways of six red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet stripes are in support of the city’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

The crosswalks appeared Thursday morning. Backers say they were planned for some time.

Philly Pride Presents senior adviser Chuck Volz says the crosswalks were completed at a cost far less than the initial $26,000 estimate.

Golden voice

USA: A once-homeless Ohio man whose smooth radio voice made him an internet sensation says he’s running for president as an independent.

Ted Williams was propelled into the spotlight in 2011 after he appeared in a video by the Columbus Dispatch on a highway ramp with a sign advertising his golden voice. The video’s millions of views led to national television appearances and earned Williams numerous voice-over jobs.

Williams says he hasn’t established a campaign staff and won’t elaborate on fundraising efforts. He says he plans to focus on fair housing, veterans’ issues, jobs and improving schools.

He says he has recently been appearing at corporate events and public speaking engagements.

Raising a stink

USA: A smelly refrigerator has prompted the decontamination of nearly a dozen people at the University of Kentucky.

Multiple news sources report that 11 people were taken to the hospital on Wednesday after being exposed to chemicals inside the Dimock Animal Pathology building that morning. University officials say movers had taken the refrigerator from the Gluck Equine Research Centre to the building.