Weekly round-up: Five stories you may have missed

Stuart RustSouth of England
News imageBBC Horatio the cat squinting as he stands in the middle of a green space at Kelmscott Manor. BBC
The story of Horatio, resident cat at Oxfordshire's Kelmscott Manor, was one of our most read this week

A cat finding its forever family, the trial of a new hovercraft route and a "perfect week" in an NHS hospital were among our most read stories in the south of England this week.

We have picked five articles from the past seven days across Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Dorset, Berkshire and Oxfordshire to keep you up to date.

The cat who jumped off a boat and found a family

Meet Horatio - the official cat of Kelmscott Manor

Eight years ago, a tabby cat leapt from a houseboat on the River Thames and wandered into a nearby 16th Century manor house - and he has never looked back.

Horatio has become the much-loved resident cat at Kelmscott Manor in Oxfordshire, the former home of Victorian designer William Morris.

He has his own bank account, four beds in the curator's office and an afternoon bench - and has survived a mysterious disappearance and a rare illness along the way.

Staff describe him as their "chief wellness officer" and some visitors now return to the manor just to see him.

AFC Bournemouth stadium expansion 'will deliver for the community'

News imageAFC Bournemouth Computer generated image of how the new upgraded stadium would look from the outside. A large round ticket office building sits next to large white seating stand. The concourse is full of people walking towards the building.AFC Bournemouth
A council leader said AFC Bournemouth's stadium expansion would create jobs and enhance the area's national profile

AFC Bournemouth's stadium expansion will benefit the wider area - not just the club - according to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council.

The authority gave the green light last week for the Vitality Stadium to be expanded from its current capacity of around 11,300 to more than 20,000 seats.

Redevelopment work is expected to begin this summer.

'My murdered brother was with me every day'

News imageEugene Scardifield A bearded man in a grey beanie hat and blue down jacket stands in front of snow covered mountains in the Himalayas.Eugene Scardifield
Eugene Scardifield trekked to Everest base camp in memory of his murdered brother Michael

A Portsmouth man trekked to Everest base camp and beyond carrying a photograph of his murdered brother in his backpack.

Eugene Scardifield, 48, made the gruelling 11-day journey to raise money for the charity he said saved his life after his brother Michael was killed at his flat in Stoke-on-Trent in 2015.

Walking 249,034 steps over 11 days and reaching an elevation of 5,664m, he said Michael "would be really proud" of what he had done.

Eugene has raised more than £5,000 for Support After Murder and Manslaughter.

Could a hovercraft change how you get to the Isle of Wight?

News imageGetty Images Stock photo of a marine hover craft crossing the Solent at full speed.Getty Images
The proposed new service would connect Lee-on-the-Solent with the Isle of Wight

A trial hovercraft service connecting Lee-on-the-Solent with the Isle of Wight has been welcomed by local politicians as a potential step change in cross-Solent travel.

Three test runs are planned for this summer, setting off from the slipway at the Hovercraft Museum, with dates in June, August and September.

Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage said the waterways around the peninsula had "for too long" been seen as obstacles rather than connectors.

Organisers are urging people to use the service - saying demonstrating demand is the best way to secure it long term.

Inside an NHS 'perfect week'

News imageVanda Instone in a hospital gown looking at the camera.
The BBC met Vanda Instone who was waiting for a hip replacement during a visit to Heatherwood Hospital near Ascot

A Berkshire hospital doubled the number of hip replacements carried out in a single day as part of a high-efficiency drive to tackle waiting lists.

The BBC went inside Heatherwood Hospital near Ascot as orthopaedic surgeon Rakesh Kucheria ran two theatres simultaneously, carrying out 10 joint replacements where he would normally do five.

The hospital achieved a 23% increase in theatre work on the day - part of a wider push by Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, which is the second most improved trust in England for reducing long waits.

We also met Vanda Instone, 64, who had been waiting 48 weeks for her hip replacement.