As she prepares for the release of her debut album, former Fifth Harmony singer Camila Cabello speaks to the BBC about the "nerve-wracking" process of flying solo.

Few of us would like our careers to be defined by what we were doing at the age of 18. But when you've been discovered on national TV and been a member of one of the biggest girl groups in the world, it's difficult to step out of their shadow.
It would be a daunting prospect for most - but that's exactly what Camila Cabello is doing. Six months on from her somewhat difficult exit from Fifth Harmony, the 20-year-old is gearing up for the release of her debut solo album.
"I'm at this stage where I feel like people are seeing me as myself for the first time, so I'm constantly trying to push my boundaries," she tells the BBC.
"But my motto is always to just jump into stuff, because if you don't do it now, you're always going to find an excuse not to do it."
Jumping into stuff has certainly paid off so far.
Camila's debut solo single Crying in the Club is climbing the charts and radio playlists alike and momentum is building ahead of the release of her first album - The Hurting, The Healing, The Loving.
It's an exciting time for any new artist, but you don't have to look far beyond her album and song titles to realise her music is laced with pain.
Many of the candid lyrics are a reflection of the "overwhelming" few years she's just experienced - not just her experiences with the band, but personal relationships and the pressures of growing up in the spotlight.
"This process has taught me not to be afraid to feel," she says.
"Feeling sad is a part of life. Grief is a part of life. Heartbreak is a part of life just as much as falling in love is a part of life. And it doesn't necessarily mean that those emotions are bad. They are just as necessary as the happy ones.
"And so don't be afraid of them, welcome them, let them in. Because as soon as you accept it, talk about it, accept that it's happening, the sooner you'll be able to move on from it."
She adds: "I felt like this whole process really opened me up again and helped me let go of all the pain I was feeling. I felt like it healed me to the point where I was good again."
"[The songwriting] has definitely been therapeutic. I'd gotten disconnected from myself for a little bit because I was overwhelmed and I didn't know how to talk about my emotions anymore, I was numb," she says.
Camila auditioned for The X Factor USA at the age of 15 as a soloist, but didn't get through the bootcamp stages.
But, in a similar process that led to the creation of One Direction and Little Mix in the UK series, she was asked if she wanted to club together with some other contestants to form a group.
Fifth Harmony went on to finish in third place and have had massive success worldwide. Their biggest hit Work From Home notched up a quite astonishing 1.6 billion views on YouTube, making it one of the most-watched videos on the site, like, ever.
But Cabello left the band in December after four years, amid reports that she and the other members weren't getting along. (Lauren, Ally, Dinah and Normani claimed they'd attempted group counselling to smooth out the differences.)
After she exited the group, Camila announced she would be flying solo and releasing material of her own.
She gave fans a taster of what to expect by appearing as a guest vocalist on songs by Machine Gun Kelly, Pitbull and Major Lazer.
It wasn't long before she settled on what her own solo lead single would be.
"My friend Benny Blanco sent me the demo of Crying In The Club, which had been written by Sia, and I loved it, I knew it was the perfect piece of the puzzle," she explains.
"So I wrote the bridge and added my own bits to it and that's how that song came about."
Speaking about the album more widely, she says: "I'm consciously trying to make it sound as cohesive as possible, but at the same time keep it interesting, because I draw from so many different genres."
Could a solo tour now potentially follow the solo album? "Definitely," Cabello says. "I can't really say anything right now but there's definitely stuff coming up."
We finish by talking about her five years in the music industry - some aspects of which have already left her feeling somewhat jaded.
"Artists always talk about music bringing people together, but ironically I feel like a lot of the time artists are so competitive with each other in our own industry," she says.
"We want to do that for the world but we don't do it between ourselves.
"I remember when I went to an awards show for the first time and I expected for everybody to be like, 'Hey how are you', but everybody was with their own team and unless you're already friends nobody really talks to each other.
"If we're trying to unify the world, why can't we just start with the room we're in?"
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A police report about the Hillsborough disaster "exaggerated" how late it was when fans arrived at the ground, said a senior officer involved in writing it.

Former Ch Supt Terry Wain led the South Yorkshire Police (SYP) team writing the report which was being prepared for a public inquiry into the 1989 tragedy.
The inquests jury heard the report also stressed how alcohol affected fans.
But it did not include many references to senior officers losing control or criticism of police leadership.
Ninety-six fans died as a result of a crush at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at the stadium in Sheffield, on 15 April 1989.
Mr Wain was asked to take responsibility for gathering evidence from SYP officers.
The draft report, seen by the jury, was based upon self-taken accounts of the day, written by police on duty at the stadium and said several thousand spectators arrived at the ground within a "few minutes" of kick-off.
Jonathan Hough QC, representing the coroner, said the jury had heard that the problems at the Leppings Lane turnstiles had begun "some time before that".
Mr Wain said his recollection was that it started from "14:30 BST onwards" - 30 minutes before kick-off.
Asked why the report said senior officers were suddenly overwhelmed by an arrival just a few minutes before kick-off, Mr Wain agreed it was an "exaggeration".
BBC News: Profiles of all those who died
The report also included references to police accounts saying fans were "openly drinking alcohol".
It said that as 15:00 approached, "the atmosphere changed dramatically", according to one sergeant.
"Sections of the crowd were seen to be the worse for drink and unruly," it said.
Mr Hough said that while the report dealt with the "effects of alcohol and its influence to a very considerable extent", what it "does not include is many references to loss of control by senior officers or many comments critical of senior officers".
Mr Wain replied: "If it was not in the [police] statements, then it's not in the report. That's an accurate and fair reflection of the statements.
"Nobody was instructed what to put in the statements in any way, shape or form. That's what officers saw and reported."
Mr Hough asked: "Would you accept that those observations critical of senior officers don't find their way into your report?"
Mr Wain replied: "That would appear so, up to now, yes."
The former officer denied there was any "deliberate decision" by he and his team "to exclude commentary critical of senior officers".
Mr Hough asked: 'Was there a deliberate decision to include evidence and descriptive passages which were critical of the fans and their drinking?"
"No. I think it was just a reflection of the statements," Mr Wain said.
Asked if the report was a "defence" of SYP, Mr Wain agreed but denied it gave a "somewhat selective narrative".
He also strongly denied telling fellow officers to put the blame for the tragedy on "drunken, ticketless Liverpool" fans.
He was responding to a claim from ex-inspector Clive Davis that he made the instruction at a briefing two days after the disaster.
Mr Wain said he did not make the order and did not know Mr Davis at the time.
He added: "I feel angry. Thirty-two years of unblemished character and an idiot like that comes and destroys it."
The inquests, sitting in Warrington, Cheshire are due to resume on Tuesday.


More than 1,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails have begun a mass hunger strike against detention conditions.

The action is being led by Marwan Barghouti, a Palestinian leader jailed by Israel for life for five murders.
Barghouti has been touted as a possible future successor to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Protests in support of the prisoners are being held in the occupied West Bank, with youths clashing with Israeli security forces in Bethlehem.
There are fears that the hunger strike - observed by 1,187 detainees, according to Israel's prison service - could fuel tensions across the Palestinian areas.
The start of the strike coincides with the annual Palestinian Prisoners Day, when Palestinians remember detained friends and relatives.
The issue of Palestinians held in Israeli jails is an ongoing source of tension between the two sides.
Palestinians regard the detainees as political prisoners. Many have been convicted of attacks against Israelis and other offences.
Others are detained under so-called Administrative Detention, which allows suspects to be held without charge for six-month intervals.
There were about 7,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails by the end of last year, according to Palestinian prisoners' groups.


A campaign has been launched calling for a ban on the development of robots that can be used for sex.

Such a use of the technology is unnecessary and undesirable, said campaign leader Dr Kathleen Richardson.
Sex dolls already on the market are becoming more sophisticated and some are now hoping to build artificial intelligence into their products.
Those working in the field say that there is a need for such robots.
Dr Richardson, a robot ethicist at De Montfort University in Leicester, wants to raise awareness of the issue and persuade those developing sex robots to rethink how their technology is used.
"Sex robots seem to be a growing focus in the robotics industry and the models that they draw on - how they will look, what roles they would play - are very disturbing indeed," she told the BBC.
She believes that they reinforce traditional stereotypes of women and the view that a relationship need be nothing more than physical.
"We think that the creation of such robots will contribute to detrimental relationships between men and women, adults and children, men and men and women and women," she said.
Intelligent Machines - a BBC News series looking at AI and robotics
Abyss Creations, which sells male and female sex toys, is now starting to introduce electronics into its creations.
Meanwhile True Companion boasts that it is developing "the world's first sex robot" and promises to launch its first doll, Roxxxy, later this year.
Chief executive Douglas Hines believes there is a real need for products such as Roxxxy.
"We are not supplanting the wife or trying to replace a girlfriend. This is a solution for people who are between relationships or someone who has lost a spouse.
"People can find happiness and fulfilment other than via human interaction," he added.
He told the BBC that he hopes Roxxxy will eventually become a self-learning engine that is able to talk to her owner and learn his likes or dislikes.
"The physical act of sex will only be a small part of the time you spend with a sex robot - the majority of time will be spent socialising and interacting," he said.
Some experts are sceptical about the claims made for Roxxxy, given the huge complexity of creating intelligent machines but the first version - which will sell for $7,000 (Â£4,530) - has had thousands of pre-orders, according to Mr Hines.
Dr Kevin Curran, a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, believes such products are about to become mass market.
"We would be naive to ignore market forces for 'intimate robots'. Building human-like robots is quite easy once the mechanics are taken care of," he told the BBC.
"Turning these robots into attractive companions is simply adding a 'skin'. Not difficult at all and not done much to date as most robots are built in research-led institutions - not businesses. That time is coming to an end," he said.
However, he thinks a public backlash is inevitable.
"There have been campaign groups actively voicing opposition to killer robots but I foresee the time soon when humans are lobbying against robot companions or at least shouting 'not in my backyard'," he said.
David Levy, author of the book Love and Sex with Robots, believes that there will be a huge market for dolls such as Roxxy and predicts that by 2050, intimate relationships between robots and humans will be commonplace.
"There is an increasing number of people who find it difficult to form relationships and this will fill a void. It is not demeaning to women any more than vibrators are demeaning," he told the BBC.
As such robots become more sophisticated and are able to simulate human behaviour, so the relationship with humans will become more complex, he thinks.
Dr Curran worries that society as a whole is ill-prepared for an age where sophisticated robotic companions are the norm.
"Have we sufficient legalisation in place for the issues that can arise in a future where robots are sufficiently advanced as to be indistinguishable from humans at first glance? Can a robot marry? Can a robot couple adopt a child?" he said.


Fernando Torres scored only his second goal in 20 games to send Chelsea into the Europa League quarter-finals.

Trailing 1-0 from last week's first leg in Bucharest, Chelsea took the lead on the night through Juan Mata's close-range finish.
But a scrambled effort from Vlad Chiriches before the break left Rafael Benitez's side needing two goals.
John Terry pulled one back with a header then Torres produced a fine finish before missing a late penalty.
After battling back from two goals down against Manchester United last weekend to secure an FA Cup replay, Chelsea were once again made to do it the hard way.
But last season's Champions League winners showed plenty of patience to grind Steaua down.
John Terry's last nine goals have all been scored at Stamford Bridge.
Captain Terry has been used sparingly by Benitez because of an ongoing knee problem and he has not started a Premier League game since 2 February.
But his goal set up the comeback before Torres, who only had an FA Cup goal against Brentford to show for his previous 19 games, drove in a third, although there was frustration when he failed to take another chance from the spot.
For all the negativity that has surrounded the Stamford Bridge club this season, they still have two chances for silverware.
But they had to dig deep to make it past Laurentiu Reghecampf's team.
Steaua began with all the confidence of a team 12 points clear at the top of the Romanian table and were unfortunate not to move ahead when Raul Rusescu was played in behind the Chelsea defence only to see his shot turned wide by Petr Cech.
The home side finally imposed themselves when a deep cross from Eden Hazard found John Obi Mikel at the far post and his shot was pushed away by Ciprian Tatarusanu.
England: Chelsea, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy: Lazio
Portugal: Benfica
Russia: Rubin Kazan
Switzerland: FC Basel
Turkey: Fenerbahce
Quarter-final draw to be made on Friday.
Just after the half-hour mark they made the breakthrough when Mata drove forward and swapped passes with Ramires before stabbing a shot with enough power to get through Tatarusanu's legs.
But in first-half added time, the visitors responded when a Iasmin Latovlevici corner was met by Cristian Tanase, whose shot was pushed on to the woodwork by Cech only for Chiriches to squeeze in at the near post to leave Chelsea needing two goals.
Chelsea struggled for fluency at the start of the second period but just before the hour, an unmarked Terry headed in off the post from a Mata free-kick to give the home side hope.
Cech was worked again when he palmed away from Alexandru Chipciu's looping effort.
But Chelsea came up with a decisive third goal when Mata drifted in from the right and his pass was helped on by Hazard before Torres guided a shot into the corner.
With five minutes remaining, Hazard was brought down in the area by Alexandru Bourceanu but Torres hit the bar with the resulting penalty.
Full Time   The referee brings the game to a close.
Mihai Pintilii challenges Nascimento Ramires unfairly and gives away a free kick. Free kick taken by Mikel.
Substitution      Yossi Benayoun comes on in place of Eden Hazard.
Cesar Azpilicueta fouled by Raul Rusescu, the ref awards a free kick. Petr Cech restarts play with the free kick.
Substitution      Juan Mata goes off and Victor Moses comes on.
Fernando Torres is flagged offside by the assistant referee. Ciprian Tatarusanu restarts play with the free kick.
Juan Mata decides to take the corner short.
Juan Mata takes a short corner.
Penalty missed by Fernando Torres.
Penalty awarded for a foul by Alexandru Bourceanu on Eden Hazard.
A cross is delivered by Cesar Azpilicueta, clearance made by Alexandru Chipciu.
Substitution      Rocha Adi replaces Cornel Rapa.
Iasmin Latovlevici has a drilled shot. Comfortable save by Petr Cech.
Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Lukas Szukala by Fernando Torres. Free kick taken by Mihai Pintilii.
Free kick taken by Adrian Popa.
Booking      Ashley Cole receives a caution for unsporting behaviour.
Ashley Cole challenges Adrian Popa unfairly and gives away a free kick.
The referee blows for offside against Juan Mata.  Free kick taken by Alexandru Bourceanu.
Effort from the edge of the box by Fernando Torres goes wide of the right-hand upright.
Substitution      Cristian Tanase leaves the field to be replaced by Leandro Tatu.
Emboaba Oscar has an effort at goal from close range which goes wide right of the target.
Inswinging corner taken right-footed by Eden Hazard from the left by-line.
Alexandru Chipciu concedes a free kick for a foul on Mikel. Eden Hazard restarts play with the free kick.
The ball is sent over by Cesar Azpilicueta, save by Ciprian Tatarusanu.
Assist on the goal came from Eden Hazard.
Goal!  - Fernando Torres -    Chelsea 3 - 1 S Buchar't        Goal scored by Fernando Torres from inside the box to the bottom right corner of the goal. Chelsea 3 (3)-(2) 1 Steaua Bucuresti.
Unfair challenge on John Terry by Raul Rusescu results in a free kick. Free kick taken by Mikel.
Alexandru Bourceanu takes the free kick.
Booking      The referee books Mikel for unsporting behaviour.
Mikel gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Adrian Popa.
Mikel delivers the ball, clearance made by Vlad Chiriches.
Fernando Torres crosses the ball.
Eden Hazard fouled by Mihai Pintilii, the ref awards a free kick. Direct strike on goal from the free kick comes in from David Luiz, save made by Ciprian Tatarusanu.
Mikel fouled by Mihai Pintilii, the ref awards a free kick. Direct free kick taken by Mikel.
Alexandru Chipciu takes a shot. Save by Petr Cech.
Eden Hazard takes a shot from 18 yards. Save by Ciprian Tatarusanu.
Inswinging corner taken by Juan Mata from the right by-line.
Assist on the goal came from Juan Mata.
Goal!  - John Terry -    Chelsea 2 - 1 S Buchar't        John Terry grabs a headed goal from close range. Chelsea 2 (2)-(2) 1 Steaua Bucuresti.
Juan Mata crosses the ball,
Booking      Cornel Rapa shown a yellow card.
Eden Hazard fouled by Cornel Rapa, the ref awards a free kick.
Alexandru Bourceanu fouled by Nascimento Ramires, the ref awards a free kick. Direct free kick taken by Alexandru Bourceanu.
Cesar Azpilicueta crosses the ball, Vlad Chiriches manages to make a clearance.
Juan Mata takes the free kick.
Booking      The referee books Alexandru Bourceanu for unsporting behaviour.
Unfair challenge on Juan Mata by Alexandru Bourceanu results in a free kick.
Effort from 20 yards by Mikel. Vlad Chiriches gets a block in.
The game restarts for the second half.
Half Time    The half-time whistle blows.
Goal!  - Vlad Chiriches -    Chelsea 1 - 1 S Buchar't        Vlad Chiriches finds the back of the net with a goal from inside the six-yard box high into the middle of the goal. Chelsea 1 (1)-(2) 1 Steaua Bucuresti.
Outswinging corner taken right-footed by Alexandru Bourceanu,
Corner taken by Alexandru Bourceanu from the right by-line to the near post, clearance by Ashley Cole.
Outswinging corner taken by Alexandru Bourceanu, John Terry manages to make a clearance.
Cristian Tanase gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Emboaba Oscar. Free kick taken by Mikel.
Free kick awarded for a foul by Alexandru Bourceanu on Mikel. Free kick taken by David Luiz.
Eden Hazard takes a shot. Ciprian Tatarusanu makes a save. Mikel concedes a free kick for a foul on Cornel Rapa. Ciprian Tatarusanu takes the free kick.
Foul by John Terry on Raul Rusescu, free kick awarded. Alexandru Bourceanu takes the free kick.
Fernando Torres has an effort at goal from the edge of the box that misses to the right of the target.
Inswinging corner taken left-footed by Juan Mata, Vlad Chiriches manages to make a clearance.
Corner taken by Emboaba Oscar, David Luiz takes a shot. Save by Ciprian Tatarusanu.
Nascimento Ramires provided the assist for the goal.
Goal!  - Juan Mata -    Chelsea 1 - 0 S Buchar't        Goal scored by Juan Mata from close range to the bottom right corner of the goal. Chelsea 1 (1)-(1) 0 Steaua Bucuresti.
The ball is swung over by Iasmin Latovlevici, Petr Cech makes a save.
Juan Mata gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Vlad Chiriches. Direct free kick taken by Ciprian Tatarusanu.
Iasmin Latovlevici challenges Cesar Azpilicueta unfairly and gives away a free kick. John Terry takes the free kick.
Cornel Rapa sends in a cross.
Mikel takes a shot. Ciprian Tatarusanu makes a save. Short corner taken by Juan Mata from the right by-line. Mikel takes a shot from just outside the penalty area clears the crossbar.
The ball is swung over by Juan Mata, Cornel Rapa manages to make a clearance.
Cristian Tanase takes a shot. Save by Petr Cech.
Corner taken by Iasmin Latovlevici from the left by-line played to the near post, David Luiz makes a clearance.
The ball is delivered by Adrian Popa.
Shot from long range by Alexandru Bourceanu misses to the right of the goal.
Iasmin Latovlevici challenges Juan Mata unfairly and gives away a free kick. Juan Mata has an effort direct from the free kick, comfortable save by Ciprian Tatarusanu.
Lukas Szukala challenges Fernando Torres unfairly and gives away a free kick. David Luiz takes the free kick.
The ball is sent over by Iasmin Latovlevici, save by Petr Cech.
Alexandru Bourceanu takes the outswinging corner, John Terry manages to make a clearance.
Raul Rusescu takes a shot. Save made by Petr Cech.
A cross is delivered by Emboaba Oscar, Lukas Szukala manages to make a clearance.
Nascimento Ramires gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Adrian Popa. Alexandru Bourceanu restarts play with the free kick.
The ball is sent over by Juan Mata.
The ball is swung over by Juan Mata.
Cesar Azpilicueta fouled by Cristian Tanase, the ref awards a free kick. Direct free kick taken by John Terry.
The match has kicked off.
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Controversial national tests taken by seven-year-olds in England could be scrapped under new government plans.

The move follows years of pressure from teachers, parents and educationalists opposed to putting young pupils through high stakes national Sats tests.
The statutory tests in English, maths and spelling and grammar, are used to monitor schools' progress.
The Department for Education is proposing a new assessment for pupils when they first start school instead.
This should be done in such a way that pupils do not realise they are being assessed, the DfE said.
The results will be used to measure progress that pupils have made by the time they leave primary school aged 11.
Education Secretary Justine Greening said: "The government has reformed the primary school system to make sure children can master the basics of literacy and numeracy so they get the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in later life.
"Now we want to build on that by developing a stable assessment system that helps children learn, while freeing up teachers to do what they do best - supporting children to fulfil their potential."
The possibility that the controversial tests sat by children in Year 2 could be axed will be welcomed by many who argue they have been putting undue pressure on very young children.
The Let Kids Be Kids campaign said in a statement: "A massive cheer from us all here. A massive well done to all of you who have piled the pressure on and made this happen...
"A year ago we were planning the May 3 Kids' Strike and look how far we have come!"
The statement added: "Sadly tarnished by a small dose of healthy cynicism about the timing though... they've had all year announce this and have chosen now... why?!"
The statutory testing of young children is one of the most controversial areas in England's education system.
Parents want to know how their children are doing, but don't want to see them stressed out in the process.
But teachers, heads, academics and parents have been speaking with one voice on the issue for some time.
And the voice that said seven was too young to sit formal tests crescendoed last year, when new, much tougher Sats were introduced to assess the new, much tougher primary curriculum.
Parents complained their children were getting stressed out, and some even took them out of school on test days in protest.
The government is clear it still needs to monitor how schools are performing.
And it hopes a new light-tough assessment of children's ability when they begin school could provide the starting point for measuring progress.
But unless it gets that test right, it may find the new assessment becomes as unpopular as the last.
Teachers often complain that children in England are more frequently tested than those in the rest of Europe.
The new assessment - probably when children start Reception - is also likely to replace the Early Years Foundation Stage profile, which currently comes at the end of that school year.
It is understood that the National Association of Head Teachers has worked closely with the Department for Education on the planned changes which will now go out to consultation for 12 weeks.
This year's tests are expected to go ahead as planned, the DfE said.
General Secretary Russell Hobby said he appreciated the engagement of the Secretary of State with the concerns of school leaders.
"The possibility of ending Key Stage 1 Sats is good news.
"This creates the time and space in a pupil's primary years for teachers to focus on teaching rather than on high stakes assessment.
"It will properly reward early intervention and it will reduce workload.
"Overall, minimising the number of high stakes tests is the right way to go. This will help every school to deliver a rich educational experience for all children."
He said that the government had listened to many of the principles and recommendations in his union's report on assessment.
"There's more to be accomplished but we've made good progress from where we were a year ago," he added.
Association of Teachers and Lecturers general secretary Dr Mary Bousted said: "We have long campaigned for an end to national testing for all primary school children, and we are pleased that the government appears, finally, to be listening."
But she added new baseline assessments could disrupt the start of school, when young children needed to feel settled not judged.
National Union of Teachers general secretary Kevin Courtney said: "Our current primary assessment system is broken.
"Almost 50% of 11-year-olds were labelled failures last year as a result of badly designed and poorly implemented tests.
"Our members want a system that supports children to achieve their potential, gives useful information to parents and teachers and does not narrow the school curriculum."
Last year, hundreds of parents protested against the tests by taking their children out of school in some areas.
And primary school assessment was beset with difficulties after a number of papers were accidentally published and teachers complained of a lack of information on test levels.
Last autumn, Education Secretary Justine Greening said she would take steps to simplify the school assessment system.
She also pledged that no new national tests or assessments would be introduced before the 2018/19 academic year.
The government would look at the best starting point to measure children's progress in primary schools, she said, as well as the role of teacher assessment.
Mr Hobby also welcomed plans to allow a little leeway in the marking of writing assessments, and to look at the balance between the creative and technical aspects of writing.


Surrey's former England one-day international batsman Vikram Solanki has announnced his retirement from first-class cricket at the age of 39.

The ex-Worcestershire skipper, who spent 17 years at New Road until 2012 when he joined Surrey, played 51 ODIs.
Solanki hit 18,359 first-class runs, his 34 tons including a career-best 270 against Gloucestershire in 2008.
He also played in three Twenty20 internationals for his country, two of which were at the 2007 World T20.
He also twice hit tons for England among his 16 limited-overs centuries.
"Whilst the realisation that my playing days are coming to an end is naturally difficult to come to terms with, the decision to retire is one that I have had some time to think about," he said.
"I have been very fortunate to have played for two wonderful clubs, as well as for England, and would like to thank everyone that has played a part in my career for their help and support over the years."
After leaving Worcester at the end of the 2012 season, Solanki spent his final three seasons with Surrey, playing alongside his former New Road team-mates Gareth Batty and Steven Davies.
But the Wolverhampton-born player has made just one Championship appearance in 2015, once in the One-Day Cup and five times in the T20.
"I would like to congratulate him on an outstanding career," said Surrey director of cricket Alec Stewart. "He has set very high standards throughout his time in the game, is a model professional and should be immensely proud of everything he has achieved."


Linfield manager David Healy says winning the Irish Cup would make up for the most disappointing day of his managerial career.

The Blues were favourites to deliver Healy's first silverware as Blues boss last May when they faced Glenavon in the 2016 final at Windsor Park.
Linfield lost 2-0 that day but are through to this season's semi-finals where they face Dungannon Swifts.
"I was hugely disappointed after that final. I was hurting, " said Healy.
"But sometimes you have to take a few disappointments along the way.
"I had plenty as a player, I have had a few as a manager. It makes the winning feeling sweeter."
Linfield reached the semi-finals by beating Premiership champions and current leaders Crusaders 2-0 at Seaview on Saturday.
The south Belfast club have not won the Irish Cup since doing the double in 2012.
As well as ending Crusaders' double ambitions, it raised the hopes of Linfield supporters that the league title race might not be done and dusted.
Linfield, runners-up to the Crues for the last two seasons, are seven points behind Stephen Baxter's pacesetters with eight matches left.
This Saturday Crusaders are at home to lowly Carrick Rangers, with Linfield hosting third-placed Cliftonville two days later.
But Northern Ireland's record goalscorer Healy played down his team's Premiership title prospects, saying: "Crusaders are in the driving seat - it would take a hell of a collapse from them for us to reel them in in the league."
Healy got his first trophy as a manager in last month's County Antrim Shield final.


Andy Murray's grandparents say they have been left "upset" after receiving hate mail criticising the tennis star.

Roy and Shirley Erskine, from Dunblane, told the Radio Times magazine they had been sent "one or two nasty letters" about their grandson.
Their daughter Judy told them to throw away the letters, which attacked the 29-year-old's behaviour on court and also criticised his accent.
Mr Erskine, 82, said it was hard to deal with "very nasty" online comments.
He said: "The people who write these comments, that's their prerogative, but I find it upsetting."
Mrs Erskine, 84, told the magazine: "We've had one or two nasty letters.
"One about Andy supposedly snarling on court, and another about his accent, saying he sounded American.
"Just comments like that, but they do upset you. Judy would say, 'Put it in the bin, just forget it'.
"She would tell me that there are always going to be people like that."
Mrs Erskine said some of the letters provide light relief, with one man writing to tell them he thinks Murray needs to eat more baked beans.
Her husband said he is one of the harshest critics of Murray's performance on court and prefers to watch him on television than live as he struggles to contain his language.
He said: "If I'm at home I can kick the coffee table and use some language that I probably shouldn't."
The couple revealed that Murray, who won a record fifth title at Queen's on Sunday, managed to take a run virtually unnoticed on Boxing Day.
He ran from his mother's home in Bridge of Allan to nearby Dunblane, disguised in a beanie hat, and then visited the tennis courts where he watched a family game, before being recognised.
Mrs Erskine said: "Andy went on court and hit with them. That must have been a lovely moment for those kids."


Two people have been charged over the death of an eight-month-old baby boy in Greater Manchester.

The man and woman were arrested after the child was taken to hospital from Rochdale with multiple injuries on Tuesday and later died.
The man has been charged with murder.  The woman has been charged with causing or allowing the death of a child.
Both have been remanded in custody to appear at Manchester and Salford Magistrates' Court on Saturday.
The man and woman cannot be named for legal reasons.


Hundreds of people have marched in a bid to save a swimming pool from possible closure.

The Quarry centre pool in Shrewsbury, which dates back to 1864, could shut as Shropshire Council considers seven options for the future.
Campaigners said it would be less convenient if a new pool was built away from the town centre.
The council, which will announce its preferred option on 13 July, said the existing pool was "very inefficient".
The Quarry Swimming and Fitness Forum, representing people who use the Quarry centre, organised the march through the town.
It ended with a rally by the pool site.
Group member Alison McKittrick said: "Shrewsbury has a river going through it, so there are only two road bridges to get from one side of the town to the other.
"Transport is a key issue so by keeping the pool in the town centre it's most accessible to everybody."
The council's cabinet member for leisure and culture, Stuart West, said the pool was "very tired".
He said: "The running costs are high because of the need for constant repairs.
"It really needs to either be replaced or refurbished to make it more viable and more cost effective to run."
A survey of 2,000 people as part of a five-month consultation revealed 68% wanted a pool at the existing site.
Mr West said: "We've given an option to interested parties, interested organisations, to come forward with a business case that will enable us to keep it here.
"We've given them up to 12 months to actually formulate that business case, which I think is a fair time."


Below is the full letter that deputy Labour leader Tom Watson sent to the director public prosecutions Alison Saunders in April 2014 urging her to look again at the Lord Brittan allegations.

Dear Alison
I am compelled to write and seek review of an historic case of rape. Unusually, and contrary to current practice and the ACPO/CPS Guidance on the Investigation and Prosecution of Rape Cases, the investigation into the serious allegations in this case was dropped before the suspect was interviewed.
The elements of lack of freedom and capacity to consent - which may even have triggered the "no consent" legal presumption - make the decision highly irregular. This is shocking in itself. It further troubles me that the senior police officer who dropped the case revealed to the victim he apparently took a series of worthless stereotypes and other irrelevant points into consideration. He did this after apparently consulting with an unnamed CPS official. Most of these stereotypes have been blown out of the water in recent months. Or so I thought.
There has been a sea change in the climate surrounding rape, historic cases in particular. Why is it that the tide has not reached this case? I am driven to the unpalatable conclusion that the identity of the alleged perpetrator - Leon Brittan - may in some way have influenced treatment of the case.  I hope I am wrong. But in my view the case demands your personal attention and an immediate review by the CPS Area Head of Sexual Offences.
As you know, I have been working with the Metropolitan police on a number of cases involving sexual crimes over the last 18 months. I have been the recipient of a considerable amount of information from victims directly, much of which I have passed on to the police. You will know that some of this information has already led to arrests. I anticipate that, under your leadership, more work will follow.
I enclose a contemporaneous note written by victim _________ of a rather blunt conversation she had with DCI Settle concerning his decision to drop the case. I invite you to note, in particular, that he told the victim - who had been locked in a flat and tried to escape from the bathroom window:
"There is no evidence he asked you for sex, forced you to have sex, or asked you to take off your clothes, which you did voluntarily"
This was apparently considered to be a fatal deficiency. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the victim has not has this confirmed in writing as promised.
I asked _______ to share her thoughts after her experience of reporting a crime. These are her words:
"My feelings are that I have been brutally misled having been encouraged by the DPP statements to come forward with my historical case following the Savile affair. All the public pronouncements after Savile suggested that these investigations would be treated sensitively, non-judgmentally and in a victim-centric way. I have been interviewed twice in long, harrowing video sessions first by ______ Police, then MPS [Metropolitan Police Service]. I have been encouraged by the MPS to believe that my evidence is both credible and corroborated. I have repeatedly had to relive the most harrowing night of my life, long pushed to the back of my mind. Then, when I had the temerity to question a police decision I have been turned on by a senior police officer, apparently with the support of the CPS. I have been implicitly accused of making an allegation against someone because 'it is all about who he is'. I have been implicitly accused of being a slut because I sat on a bed. These are attitudes that women of my generation associate with the police and prosecution authorities of the sixties and seventies, not an enlightened and publicly accountable twenty- first century service. It was these attitudes that made me think I would get nowhere if I proceeded with the case when the rape happened. It seems nothing has changed". I have found myself appalled at the conduct of this investigation. I would like to believe that it is not typical of the CPS and Metropolitan police as a whole. However the case raises some very serious questions which are likely to remain unanswered without your attention.
In the light of this, please could you confirm to me that:
Everyone is complicit in the failures of the past. But we have an opportunity now to put matters right. Any attempt to perpetuate a CPS in which a victim's acquiescence in or inability to escape rape is a barrier to prosecution would fail, with grievous consequences, and would be wrong. There is a strong public interest in getting this right.
I have every confidence that your leadership, and personal intervention in this case, will take the CPS in an altogether better direction.


A loyalist supergrass charged with 212 offences, including five murders, may seek to have some charges dropped on the basis of having acted as a state agent, a court has heard.

Counsel for Gary Haggarty, 43, claimed proper access to a huge body of papers would show he has no case to answer on some of the allegations against him.
A prosecutor also indicated it was unclear when Mr Haggarty's trial will take place.
The allegations span a 16-year period.
It relates to the period from 1991 to 2007.
In January 2010, Mr Haggarty agreed to become an assisting offender under the terms of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act.
Preliminary enquiry proceedings to establish if he will stand trial have been repeatedly put on hold as his legal team battles to gain access to unredacted interview material.
At one stage he also failed in a High Court bid to force the PSNI to hand over the tapes.
One potential solution involves prosecutors going through all the papers and using a system of ciphers for blanked-out names and passages.
At Belfast Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, defence counsel confirmed the charges are based on her client's admissions at interview.
Asked by the district judge why she needed full disclosure for a preliminary enquiry, the lawyer replied: "It's our clear view in respect of certain of these charges, were the papers disclosed in the appropriate form, it would show in certain charges there isn't a case to answer."
Pressed on this point, she added: "He has given an indication of matters he was involved in at the behest of, by licence of, and as an agent of the state.
"That's the position and that's why it's important."
According to a senior prosecuting lawyer there is no duty to disclose absolutely everything.
He suggested, however, that if the defence identified any charges in dispute, consideration would be given to making further disclosures.
With the cipher system to be completed in six weeks time, the judge listed the case for a further review at that stage.
Meanwhile, the judge resisted renewed calls to press ahead with preliminary enquiries for two Belfast men charged with murdering two Catholic workmen.
James Smyth, 48, and Mark Campbell, 43, are jointly accused of the double killing of Gary Convie and Eamon Fox in May 1994.
The victims were gunned down as they sat eating lunch in a car at a building site on Belfast's North Queen Street.
Mr Smyth, from Forthriver Link, and Mr Campbell, of Canning Place, are further charged with attempting to murder a third man, Donal Laverty, in the same attack.
They were charged by detectives investigating a campaign of UVF-linked murder and serious crime.
At previous hearings, defence lawyers claimed the allegations are based on evidence from Mr Haggarty.
In court on Wednesday, Mr Smyth and Mr Campbell's solicitor argued that their committal proceedings should be listed for eight weeks time.
With the prosecution stressing that timeframe will not be met, the judge asked whether their cases would have to wait until after Mr Haggarty is dealt with.
The prosecutor replied: "It's unclear whether there will be a Haggarty trial, but it will have to wait certainly until pleas have been entered and it's considered there's nothing more on the books."
He added: "Until we know the assisting offender's status as a witness we can't take a decision."


A man has been arrested after a 27-year-old woman died in a crash on the M4 in Port Talbot.

It happened on the westbound carriageway between junctions 38 and 39 at about 08:20 GMT on Tuesday.
South Wales Police said a 50-year-old man from Cardiff was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
A two-year-old boy was taken to hospital, where he remains.
Both carriageways had to be closed for several hours on Tuesday morning but diversions were lifted in the afternoon.
The crash, involving a BMW, Peugeot and Audi, happened between the Margam and Groes interchanges.


The deck section between the Queensferry Crossing's north tower deck and the north approach viaduct has been lifted into place.

There is still a 300mm gap between the two, however, which will be levelled by counter balancing the tower deck with a further section on the south end.
Attaching and tensioning the stay cables to the deck unit will also make it straight.
The project is due for completion in December 2016.
A Transport Scotland spokesman said: "More visible progress was made on the Queensferry Crossing on Thursday evening as the remaining deck section was lifted between the Queensferry Crossing's north tower deck fan and the north approach viaduct.
"At present the deck fan from the north tower is lower than the viaduct deck, with a 300 mm gap between the two.
"This will be levelled by counter balancing the tower deck with a further section on the south end of the fan and attaching and tensioning the stay cables to the deck unit.
"There is then a complex technical process of fine tuning the various temporary loads the superstructure faces during construction before the 300 mm gap will be fully closed later in the year."


Shane Williams admitted he could not have scripted the end of his Wales career any better.

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The wing, 34, scored in the last move of Wales' 24-18 defeat by Australia in Cardiff and was later in tears during a televised interview.
He said: "I couldn't have scripted it any better, really... I managed just to get outside Barnes and cross the line.
"It's an incredible feeling scoring a try, but knowing it's your last chance to score, it is just fantastic."
Williams' wife Gail brought their young children on to the field after the final whistle and the Osprey took them around the field on a lap of honour.
"Gail brought the kids on - Georgie and Carter - and it was fantastic to spend the lap of honour with them," said Williams.
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"They mean the world to me and to have them there was fantastic and I'd just like to thank everyone at the Millennium Stadium that made it happen."
He also admitted to being more nervous ahead of his 87th and final Wales appearance than at any time during his career.
And after stretching his Wales try-scoring record to 58 in 87 games with that injury-time try, he said: "For me personally I've just been more excited than I've ever been for a game, certainly more nervous.
"I found it difficult sleeping last [Friday] night. I was up at 0530-0600 and that hasn't happened to me for a while, certainly not in a rugby match sense.
"But I knew there were a lot of eyes on me, but I didn't want the game to be about me.
"I wanted it to be about Wales winning and that was very difficult to come away from.
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"But it's been a great week with the guys and knowing it's the last week with the boys, I've had a great time.
"I can't get over it. The crowd's been fantastic and it has been from the first moment I played for Wales and [it was] certainly no different today - probably I've never sensed or felt anything like that in my life.
"And as you can see, it has been very emotional.
"I don't usually cry, but I feel like a blubbering idiot sometimes and I just couldn't stop just now.
"But it's all down to the fans and having my friends and family here has just been a fantastic occasion."
Even a defeat to end his career could not dim Williams' pride at the effort of his team-mates during a game in which the Wallabies profited after full-back Leigh Halfpenny was sin-binned.
"We were under the cosh from the start, but we were playing one of the best teams in the world and the effort was there.
"We found it really difficult when we were down to 14 men, but we never gave up and that's the kind of spirit I like to see in this Welsh side."


A gang of armed robbers threatened to kidnap a child during a "terrifying" robbery at a family home in Leeds.

The 32-year-old mother was at home with her three young children on Thorpe Crescent, Middleton, when she answered the door to four or five masked men at about 20:00 GMT on Monday.
One was armed with what appeared to be a handgun and at least two others had knives, West Yorkshire Police said.
The gang drove off in the family's Range Rover with cash and jewellery.
Police said the car, registration RF58 WYK, belongs to the woman's husband who was out of the house at the time.
It is still missing along with a large amount of cash, jewellery, bank cards and a mobile phone.
Det Insp John Dexter said: "This was an absolutely terrifying experience for the victim to be confronted in her home by a group of masked men armed with weapons.
"Her children were at home at the time and this will have been a really upsetting ordeal for this family.
"At one point the offenders even threatened to take one of her children if she didn't comply with their demands for money.
"The people involved are clearly dangerous and we urgently need to identify them and arrest them at the earliest opportunity. I would like to hear from anyone who saw anyone acting suspiciously in Thorpe Crescent in the time leading up to the incident or around the time of the incident itself."
Anyone with information about the grey Range Rover should contact West Yorkshire Police on 101.


Surrey all-rounder Zafar Ansari hopes he can gain England recognition once he recovers from surgery on his thumb.

The 23-year-old missed the series against Pakistan in the UAE after dislocating his thumb on the day he received his first Test call-up.
"I knew immediately the England stuff was a write-off," he said.
"The thumb is obviously going to be a slow process but it is nice to have got it moving. Hopefully England opportunities will come again."
Surrey have not put a precise time frame on Ansari's recovery from his operation, and he currently has a splint on his thumb for support.
The left-arm spinner was included in England's Performance Programme (EPP) and Lions squad for the winter despite his injury, but his participation remains in the balance.
Ansari had a fine 2015 season for Surrey, scoring 771 first-class runs and taking 44 wickets as they won the Division Two title.
He is keen not to rush his comeback, telling BBC Radio London: "After I did it I overreacted and said something like 'that is the worst injury I have ever seen'.
"At the time it was frustrating but I was thinking more about the health of the thumb and the long-term.
"My priority was to make sure I did what was best for my thumb, and let the cricket take care of itself."
Meanwhile, Surrey wicketkeeper-batsman Gary Wilson has signed a new contract that will keep him at the club until the end of 2017.


The Isle of Man is about to start a "journey into the unknown" after the UK voted to leave the European Union, Chief Minister Allan Bell said.

People in the Crown dependencies of the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey could not vote as none of them are in the EU.
But those in Gibraltar, a British overseas territory, were given a vote and overwhelmingly voted to remain.
Mr Bell said the referendum marked the "start of a journey into the unknown for both the UK and the Isle of Man".
"This situation is without precedent," he added, noting that the UK's withdrawal "will have a significant impact" on the island.
The result means the Isle of Man will now have to seek a replacement for its Protocol 3 relationship with the EU, which allows free trade in manufactured goods and agricultural products.
Mr Bell said the Isle of Man was "well-prepared" but acknowledged the "need to work closely with UK politicians to ensure we understand the UK's direction of travel, and that they understand the implications for us.
"It will be vital that our interests are not overlooked."
Earlier this year Lord of the Rings star and Isle of Man resident John Rhys-Davies launched a petition demanding the right to vote in the EU referendum for those living in British Crown dependencies.
The 71-year-old said the referendum was "one of the most important [and] constitutionally significant events in recent times".


A South Korean company at the centre of a row about a flag waving pop star says its website has been hacked.

JYP Entertainment represents 16-year-old Taiwanese pop star Chou Tzuyu, who recently made a video apologising for waving a Taiwanese flag on S Korean TV.
The company denied coercing her into saying sorry to appease angered Chinese audiences, a key market for JYP.
The row erupted on the eve of Taiwan's election, which was won by pro-independence Tsai Ing-wen.
Taiwan has been ruled separately since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949, but it is seen by China, as a breakaway province which it has  threatened to take back by force if necessary.
JYP told South Korea's Yonhap news agency that its website had been inaccessible since Saturday, the day after Chou's apology was put online.
It said it suspected a DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack, where multiple users visit a website repeatedly to overwhelm its servers, but that it did not know where it was coming from.
It said getting the site back on line "may take a while".
Chou, a member of the Kpop group Twice, carried the flag of the Republic of China - Taiwan's official name - in a section on a South Korean TV show in November introducing the band members.
The scene didn't appear on air but was widely shared online in China, and brought up in Taiwan during the election campaign by a noted anti-independence celebrity.
Chou was widely criticised and the band had an New Year's Eve appearance on Chinese TV cancelled.
Last week, JYP published a video online of Chou meekly apologising for having appeared to back Taiwanese independence.
"There's only one China. The two sides of the Taiwan Strait are one. I will always consider myself as a Chinese person and feel proud of this.
The BBC's Cindy Sui in Taipei say that many people in Taiwan saw Chou's apology as humiliating for her and Taiwan.
To many, she says, it was a reminder of their biggest peeve - that Taiwan, which they consider a sovereign country, is not recognised as one officially and is denied membership in the United Nations as well as in many international groups.
Meanwhile, a South Korean multicultural group has said it is lodging a formal complaint with the national rights watchdog about Chou's treatment.
The Center for Multicultural Korea (CMCK) said it would ask the commission to "investigate whether the apology was forced or not".


There is no chance that Manchester City's season will be affected adversely just because everyone knows Pep Guardiola is on his way.

Guardiola does not take charge of City until July but he will watch every game they play between now and the summer.
So none of their players can take their foot off the gas, despite knowing that Manuel Pellegrini won't be in charge for much longer. They are playing for their futures.
I am not sure that even David Silva fits into the template of speed and tenacity that Guardiola's pressing style requires.
But the one player it is definitely not going to suit is Yaya Toure. He is not going to be in a City shirt at the beginning of next season, that is for sure.
Yaya's performances have not been up to the level we expect for a while now, and Pep also got rid of him when he was at Barcelona, which does not bode well.
When you look at the engine room of City's midfield, I would say only Fernandinho has both the ability and physical capability that fit the profile of how Guardiola wants to play.
Fernando and Fabian Delph are both athletic but do not have the quality of, say, Thiago in terms of footwork and ability to dictate play.
Looking at Guardiola's Barca and Bayern teams, he has always liked a proper ball player in that area of central midfield. Yaya does not fit the bill with his fitness levels, so I think that is the first area that the new manager will look at strengthening.
Left-back is another. There is far more to Guardiola's philosophy than just a formation. The full-backs are key to how his sides attack.
Neither of City's left-backs, Aleksandar Kolarov or Gael Clichy, strike me as Pep's kind of players because I am not sure they are good enough footballers to do what he will ask of them.
But for most of the players already at City, it will be a case of wait and see.
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I think Guardiola will be excited about working with a lot of them, especially Sergio Aguero, Kevin de Bruyne and Raheem Sterling.
City have quality in most positions so it would be a case of tweaking the squad to suit Guardiola, rather than initiating an overhaul.
Guardiola also has an impressive record of developing young players but that is probably the last thing on the minds of City fans at the moment.
There is a buzz regarding the players Guardiola can attract. That will continue until the start of next season, at least.
The thought of this City side with one or two world-class additions and Pep in charge is scary for the rest of the Premier League.
Who will come in? Everyone from Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba to Bayern forward Robert Lewandowski has been linked already, and people are also getting excited about the possibility of Lionel Messi coming to the Premier League.
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From a footballing perspective, I understand when people say there is no chance of Messi moving. With Luis Suarez and Neymar alongside him at Barca, he is playing for the best team in the world, breaking records and winning stacks of trophies.
But you never know, because you cannot be sure where a player's head is. I have been reading about some of the tax issues he has been facing in Spain and he might just say: "I have had enough."
City would have to pay huge money to get him, of course, but if he wants to go, he will go. All he has to do is dig in his heels.
Messi could stop the speculation, of course. He could say that he has spoken to Pep and wished him all the best, and reassure the Barca fans he is staying.
Until that happens, the stories are not going to stop. City are the only club who could get him to leave, because the only man who could tempt him away is Guardiola.
Danny Murphy was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.


A rocket launcher has been found at a household waste recycling centre.

The green launcher, about 3ft (1m) long, was discovered in a skip by staff at the Knowle Hill centre, near Exmouth.
Devon County Council said the launcher was stripped of its launch mechanism so "it could not have been used".
The centre was closed "as a safety precaution" for about an hour until police disposed of it.


More than 22,000 people from across the world have gathered in the small Spanish town of Bunol to celebrate the 70th annual Tomatina Festival by throwing 150 tonnes of squashed tomatoes at each other.

The annual festival started back in 1945.
Some people say it began as a food fight between a group of friends, others say people threw tomatoes at a carnival parade, and some believe it happened when tomatoes spilled from a truck.
This year the town will launch its first ever tomato-based obstacle course, the Tomatina race.


A Saudi woman whose imprisonment for driving drew global attention to the issue says she is more determined than ever to continue her campaign.

Manal al-Sharif, 32, was held for nine days in May after driving in the eastern city of Khobar.
"We won't stop until the first Saudi license is issued to a woman," she told the BBC in her first interview since.
Earlier this week, prosecutors in the city of Jeddah announced they were going to prosecute a woman for driving.
The campaign to allow women to drive in Saudi Arabia has gained momentum in recent weeks.
On 17 June, dozens of women took to their cars across the country in open defiance of the ban on driving.
The campaign gained the support of prominent women around the world, including US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton.
Manal al-Sharif's imprisonment led to Amnesty International calling for her release.
She said she was surprised by the level of coverage and support she received. "I didn't know the whole world was moved."
More importantly, she said, had been the reaction from women in Saudi Arabia itself.
"Women tell me they are different since 21 May - the day I was arrested. It's a positive change, they believe now.  [Driving] is one of our smallest rights. If we fight, we can build women who trust themselves, have belief to get the bigger rights we are fighting for."
Some Saudi women say the authorities have slightly relaxed their attitudes to female drivers, merely cautioning women rather than making them sign a pledge not to do it again.
Earlier this week, however, prosecutors in Jeddah - on the Red Sea coast - announced they intended to pursue a case against a 35-year-old woman driver.
The woman, who has not been named, claims she had no alternative to driving as she needed to get to hospital and there was no man to take her there.
Zaki Safar from the Women2Drive campaign has spoken to her and said she had told the judge who set her trial date for September that he did not understand the background to her case.
Such setbacks appear not to be deterring many Saudi women from pursuing their campaign.
Manal al-Sharif, one of the organisers of Women2Drive, says they have been contacted by 1,023 women who want to drive - and by 192 women from across the country who are willing to teach them.
They are now looking to recruit volunteers.
"Women want to drive and they are taking actual steps towards that," said Ms Sharif.


Some 400 people in the besieged Syrian town of Madaya need to be urgently evacuated for medical treatment, says the New Zealand ambassador to the UN.

Gerard van Bohemen was speaking after the UN Security Council discussed the crisis in the rebel-held town near Damascus.
Earlier, an aid convoy brought food to 40,000 town residents who have been under government siege for six months.
The UN says it has received credible reports of people dying of starvation.
Simultaneously, aid lorries entered two towns besieged by rebel forces in the northern province of Idlib under a deal between the warring parties.
The situation in Foah and Kefraya is also said to be extremely dire, with an estimated 20,000 people trapped there since March.
The arrival of the aid was delayed until both sets of lorries were ready to enter.
Siege warfare in Syria
Syria's civilians living a 'life worse than death'
Speaking at the UN headquarters in New York on Monday, Mr van Bohemen said about 400 Madaya residents had to be urgently treated.
"They need medical evacuation on an urgent basis tonight and they want permission from the government of Syria to lift those people out," he was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
A few town residents were given permission to leave and could be seen with belongings awaiting evacuation.
In total, some 44 lorries operated by the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Syrian Red Crescent and the World Food Programme (WFP) reached Madaya from Damascus on Monday.
The convoy brought in food and medicines, as well as blankets, shelter materials and soap.
The distribution of supplies was expected to continue through the night.
Pawel Krzysiek, who is with the ICRC in Madaya, said after arriving: "The people... were coming every five minutes asking, 'Listen, did you bring food, did you bring medicine?'
"Some are smiling and waving at us but many are just simply too weak, with a very bleak expression, too tired."
Yacoub El Hillo, the UN humanitarian co-ordinator for Syria, told the BBC that UN staff saw starving children in the town.
One resident, Hiba Abdel Rahman, 17, told the AFP: "For 15 days we have been eating only soup.
"I saw a young man killing cats and presenting the meat to members of his family as rabbit. Some people went through garbage bins, others ate grass. We sought food from the fighters but they refused to give it to us."
Madaya, which is about 25km (15 miles) north-west of Damascus and 11km from the border with Lebanon, been besieged since early July by government forces and their allies in Lebanon's Shia Islamist Hezbollah movement.
Meanwhile, 21 lorries on Monday entered Another entered Foah and Kefraya.
They were carrying basic food items - including rice, vegetable oil, flour, sugar and salt - as well as water, infant formula, blankets, medicines and surgical supplies.
Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said on Sunday that a total of 28 people - including six children less than one year old - had died of starvation in Madaya since 1 December.
However, Syrian officials and Hezbollah have denied that there have been any deaths in the town.
"The Syrian government is not and will not exert any policy of starvation against its own people," Syria's UN ambassador Bashar Ja'afari was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.
Rebel leaders were also accused of selling food to Madaya residents at exorbitant prices.
Blockades have been a feature of Syria's civil war. Up to 4.5 million people live in hard-to-reach areas, including nearly 400,000 people in 15 besieged locations who do not have access to life-saving aid.
What's happening in Syria?
More than 250,000 Syrians have lost their lives in almost five years of conflict, which began with anti-government protests before escalating into a brutal civil war. More than 11 million others have been forced from their homes as forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and rebels opposed to his rule battle each other - as well as jihadist militants from Islamic State.
Why are civilians under siege?
All parties to the conflict are using siege warfare, encircling populated areas, preventing civilians from leaving and blocking humanitarian access in an attempt to force opponents to surrender. Shortages of food, water, medicine, electricity and fuel have led to malnutrition and deaths among vulnerable groups.
Where are the sieges?
Government forces are besieging various locations in the eastern Ghouta area, outside Damascus, as well as the capital's western suburb of Darayya and the nearby mountain towns of Zabadani and Madaya. Rebel forces have encircled the villages of Foah and Kefraya in the northern province of Idlib, while IS militants are besieging government-held areas in the eastern city of Deir al-Zour.


A pair of scientific papers has identified the same single gene as the source of red colouring in birds.

The gene makes an enzyme that lets the birds convert yellow pigments, which they eat, into red ones, which are deposited in their feathers or beaks.
Two separate teams made the discovery, by examining the DNA of birds which either gained or lost their redness.
One focussed on a finch which sometimes loses its red beak; the other on a type of canary bred to be entirely red.
Both studies are published in the journal Current Biology.
"Birds cannot synthesise these red pigments endogenously. They have to obtain them from their diet," Dr Miguel Carneiro from the Universidade do Porto, Portugal, told BBC News.
"It was known for a long time that an enzymatic conversion is needed to produce the red pigments. So many groups of geneticists and physiologists, for many decades, have tried to identify the enzyme that does this conversion."
Dr Carneiro and his colleagues began their search with the "red factor" canary - a popular pet that originated in the 1920s, when bird fanciers crossed common, yellow canaries with the vibrant South American red siskin.
"Some people consider it to be the first genetically engineered species," Dr Carneiro said.
"By a number of crosses, throughout many generations, they fixed the ability to convert yellow pigments into red pigments, in some breeds of canary.
"What we didâ€¦ is try to look at sections of the genome in red factor breeds that actually belong to the red siskin - and that's how we got to the gene."
The gene his team singled out, called CYP2J19, encodes an enzyme belonging to the "cytochrome P450" family of proteins.
It is precisely the same gene that a different group settled on, at almost exactly the same time, led by Dr Nicholas Mundy at the University of Cambridge, UK.
"There's a large family of cytochrome P450s and they're best known because they are the genes that metabolise most medicines in the body," Dr Mundy said. "Most of them are expressed in the liver."
He and his colleagues came across a small cluster of these genes on a chromosome of the zebra finch. This cluster was strongly linked, when they studied a pedigree of 95 birds, with the finches having yellow beaks instead of the usual red.
Eventually, they figured out that all "yellowbeak" birds - a mutated strain that breeders know and use to combine with other attractive traits - had a small section of DNA deleted, containing the gene CYP2J19.
Important implications arise from the joint discovery, according to Dr Carneiro.
"The fact that we identified the same gene in two deeply divergent species suggests that this is likely to be very general in the bird world, and many species will use the same mechanism to produce red pigments."
Dr Mundy agreed, noting that there was a particular elegance in the fact that each team had approached the gene from a different direction.
"We were studying a loss-of-function mutation, going from red to yellow, whereas they were studying a gain-of-function mutation: canaries aren't normally red, and they'd gained a mutation from another species," he told the BBC.
"In scienceâ€¦ to demonstrate that a gene, a protein, whatever it is, is involved in something, you want to show that it is both necessary - it's required for that thing to happen - and also that it's sufficient, which means that it, on its own, can do the job.
"Here, we've shown that the gene is necessary, and they've shown that it's sufficient."
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Whitehall now expects to lose a large portion of a £3m public grant paid to Kids Company less than a week before the high-profile youth-work charity collapsed.

Civil servants' latest estimates are that the department will recover just £1.8m of the grant. Officials have also told BBC Newsnight and BuzzFeed News that the now-insolvent charity served fewer people than they had expected.
In its publications, the organisation had claimed to "intensively" help 18,000 young people and to "reach" 36,000.
In correspondence with government, the charity said that its records showed that it supported 15,933 young people. These are the figures that officials had been working from.
Speaking to Radio 4's The Report on August 5, Camila Batmanghelidjh, the charity's chief executive and founder, had said that the figure of 15,933 represented "the most high-risk group of kids, that's what's sucking up all our money".
She said all of these clients had "keyworkers" allocated to them by the charity, to support them.
However, the charity has handed over records from its database relating to just 1,692 London clients - both adults and children. Of these, the charity had designated 331 as "high-risk". Bristol officials have been given details of a further 175 clients.
This week, a court approved a petition to wind up the insolvent charity, which no longer has employees or a spokesperson. One former senior staff member, who was a member of the charity's management at the end, however, insisted that the charity's user base was much larger.
Local and central government officials, however, believe the lower number of clients passed over to them broadly reflects the true size of the charity's client base - with one exception. They are concerned that some of the charity's staff may not have passed on details of clients whom they believed to be at risk of deportation.
The senior former staff member told Newsnight and BuzzFeed News that the charity's client group included people on limited visas, people without leave to remain and undocumented young people.
As the charity was shutting, Ms Batmanghelidjh told local authorities that the charity supported 3,000 clients who have no recourse to public funding because of their immigration status.
Civil servants and social workers do not believe that figure is correct, but are concerned that some vulnerable young people with visa problems may now be without support. Civil servants are also nervous that public funds from the Cabinet Office may previously have been used to support people who are in the UK illegally.
If the Cabinet Office does realise a £1.2m loss on the £3m grant, it will also reignite the controversy about why the grant was made to begin with. The payment, which was paid to allow the struggling charity to restructure itself, was made despite the Cabinet Office's most senior civil servant advising against it.
Richard Heaton, the permanent secretary of the Cabinet Office, sought a "ministerial direction" from ministers before making the payment. This is an unusual process by which senior officials can object to ministerial decisions. It was used just three times across government during the last parliament.
Mr Heaton objected to the payment in a letter on June 26. He noted that £4.3m had been paid to the charity in April to support Kids Company's work and the conditions attached to that grant had not been met.
He added: "the experience this Department has of the charity's management and capacity gives me limited confidence that Kids Company will successfully implement the changes they describe in their new restructuring plan".
Two Cabinet Office ministers, Matthew Hancock and Oliver Letwin, wrote jointly to direct him to pay the £3m. They acknowledged his concerns however: as a condition of the funding, they demanded that Camila Batmanghelidjh resign as chief executive of the charity, as part of an effort to restructure its management.
In their reply to him, they said: "We have noted your concerns about the confidence we can place in Kids Company's ability and capacity to restructure in a way that will secure its long term viability, based on the department's previous experience, and therefore the value for money of making this payment.
"But equally, we are very mindful of the inspirational work that Kids Company does with young people, for which reason the government has contributed to it for several years."
Emails sent from the charity to civil servants in the week before it closed imply that the £1.2m public outlay allowed the charity to remain open for just 5 working days longer, before its sudden closure on 5 August.
Grants to Kids Company and the charity's management will both be scrutinised heavily in coming years. MPs expect that the National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee will scrunitise the Cabinet Office's decisions.
Meanwhile, the Charity Commission has now opened an investigation, stating this week that it is "conducting a live compliance case into Kids Company. The case is examining and scrutinising various concerns about alleged financial management and governance issues in connection with the charity".
The Metropolitan police are also conducting an investigation involving the charity.
The inquiry is being led by the complex case team of the Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command.
Local authority safeguarding officials and police officers have been investigating allegations that potential crimes that were not reported to the authorities, following concerns first raised by the joint Newsnight and BuzzFeed News investigation.


England defender Chris Smalling says he is fully fit for England's Euro 2016 opener against Russia despite leaving Tuesday's training session with an ice pack on his left knee.

The 26-year-old said his knee was "normal" and the treatment was part of his usual routine.
"I often ice different parts of my body or jump in an ice bath. It's just normal recovery process," he said.
England meet Russia in Group B in Marseille on Saturday.
They face Wales on 16 June and Slovakia on 20 June.
Manchester United centre-back Smalling is expected to start in Roy Hodgson's side alongside Chelsea's Gary Cahill or Everton's John Stones.
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Five men have gone on trial in connection with alleged badger baiting offences over three years ago.

The men face a number of animal cruelty charges over an alleged incident near Carrowdore, County Down, in 2012.
A security expert told the court in Craigavon he was asked to observe the site over claims people were "acting suspiciously around badger sets and interfering with them".
Three of the defendants claim they were engaged in fox-hunting.
The men who have gone on trial are: Darren Millar, 42, of Rainey Way, Belfast, Chris Kirkwood, 24, and Ryan Kirkwood, 23, from Island Street in the city, Graham Arthur Officer, 44 , from Rosepark, Donaghadee, and John Alex Edward Francis Edens, 24, from Strandburn Drive in Belfast.
A badger expert from Scotland gave evidence, via video link, about inspecting a badger set near Carrowdore on the Ards peninsula in 2012.
Ian Hutchinson, a retired police officer, broke down when challenged by a defence lawyer about not appearing in court in person due to medical reasons.
The defence lawyer asked why Mr Hutchinson had travelled to Dublin to give a speech at a conference but could not appear in court.
Mr Hutchinson broke down momentarily as he told the court that he found it "incredibly stressful to be here".
Andrew Mawhinney, the security expert, said the company he worked for was asked to observe the site near Carrowdore over allegations that people were "acting suspiciously around badger setts and interfering with them".
He told the court his company used a multi-rotor helicopter to film a group of men on the farmland.
He said his staff observed men, with dogs, excavating ground.
Mr Mawhinney told the court that he believed their actions were linked to badger baiting.
He said the men "ran off" when they heard the noise of the drone overhead.
A defence lawyer challenged the witness about his knowledge of badger baiting and said three of the defendants claim they were engaged in fox-hunting.


European telecom stocks have stumbled after a deal to create France's biggest telecoms group collapsed.

French operators Orange and Bouygues Telecom ended talks late on Friday over the reported €10bn (£8bn) merger.
Bouygues shares are on course for their worst fall in 17 years, plunging nearly 15.2% in midday trading, while Orange shares were down 4.4%.
The news initially sent BT shares down 1.1% and Vodafone down 0.5%, although they later recovered those losses.
The potential merger of Orange with its smaller rival Bouygues was intended to prop up profits and would have reduced the number of mobile operators from four to three in France.
Analysts at Deutsche Bank said Orange had set clear conditions that were not met during talks, while Bouygues identified four reasons for the failure, including execution risk and governance.
"We believe that this was one of the last chances for consolidation within the French telecoms market," analysts at Berenberg said.
The Stoxx index of 600 European telecoms firms was down slightly in afternoon trading, amid heavy falls among other French telecoms stocks.
Iliad and SFR, which had both been in talks to acquire some of Bouygues' assets, shed 15.8% and 17.6% respectively on the Paris stock exchange.


Russian state TV host Dmitry Kiselyov has a reputation for attacking the West.

Critics call him the "Kremlin's chief propagandist". And like many other top Russian officials, he is on the Western sanctions blacklist.
But the warning he delivered to Washington in last night's edition of his show News of the Week was, even for him, particularly dramatic. "Impudent behaviour" towards Russia may have "nuclear" consequences, he said.
"A Russian takes a long time to harness a horse, but then rides fast," said the news anchor, quoting a famous Russian saying.
By "riding fast", Kiselyov was referring to a string of recent Russian military deployments:
Kiselyov said that in recent days there had been a "radical change' in the US-Russian relationship.
Moscow was taking action, he said, because of "the loud talk in Washington of a 'Plan B' for Syria. Everyone understands what this plan means: direct military force in Syria against President Assad's forces and the Russian military".
In Washington, the US state department said last week it was continuing internal deliberations about "non-diplomatic" options regarding the war in Syria.
More on this story:
In News of the Week, a Russian defence ministry spokesman warned American bombers not to target the Syrian army. Kiselyov put it more bluntly: "We'll shoot them down," he explained.
Is this bravado? Bluffing? Or is there a real danger of a direct military confrontation between Russia and the US?
In recent days several Russian newspapers have been talking openly about the possibility of such a clash.
"There is a reason that Russia has deployed S-300 surface-to-air missile systems to Syria," Izvestia commented last week.
"Moscow is ready to use them. This won't spark a world war. After all, we've shot down American planes before, in Vietnam and Korea [in Soviet times]. Vladimir Putin is making it clear that Russia will make no more concessions [in Syria]."
And Fyodor Lukyanov, Editor-in-Chief of Russia in Global Affairs warned that "this is the most dangerous situation since the Cold War".
"In the Cold War, confrontation was based on understanding of 'red lines'. Today this is not the case.
"Most likely no-one wants to launch a big collision between Russia and the United States. But this is exactly the case when unintended consequences might emerge."
To some in Moscow, Russia is merely reacting to Western aggression.
"There is a campaign to hit Russia everywhere possible," believes retired Lt Gen Yevgeny Buzhinsky. He cites Western sanctions against Moscow and even the banning of Russia's Paralympic team over doping allegations.
"Of course there is a reaction. As far as Russia sees it, as Putin sees it, it is full-scale confrontation on all fronts. If you want a confrontation, you'll get one.
"But it won't be a confrontation that doesn't harm the interests of the United States. You want a confrontation, you'll get one everywhere."


In less than a month, Russia and Turkey have illustrated what can quickly happen when two countries launch a tit-for-tat dispute.

The disagreement goes back to the downing of a Russian air force jet by two Turkish F-16s  around Turkey's border with Syria on 24 November.
Since then, Ankara and Moscow have traded barbs, introduced retaliatory measures and made calculated threats at one another.
On 25 November, Gennady Onishchenko, a Russian prime ministerial aide, said that "each Turkish tomato" bought in Russia contributed to Turkey's economy and thus to purchasing missiles that could potentially be fired at Russian warplanes.
Russia's agriculture minister said that around 15% of Turkish produce did not meet Russian safety standards. As a result, hundreds of tonnes of Turkish food was stopped at the border and prevented from entering Russia.
Sanctions against Turkey were expected, and they were duly announced three days later on 28 November.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the move affected imports from Turkey, the work of Turkish companies in Russia and any Turkish nationals working for Russian companies.
The decree also called for an end to charter flights between the countries and suspended the visa-free arrangement for Turks visiting Russia.
It also means that Russian football clubs are banned from buying Turkish players - for the time being at least.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan started to make conciliatory noises at this point, saying he hoped for talks with Mr Putin. But then he said he refused to apologise, and then...
On 2 December, Russia's defence ministry accused Mr Erdogan's family of being directly involved in the trade of oil with the so-called Islamic State group - Mr Erdogan called the claim "slander".
A day later, it was Turkey's turn to accuse Russia of buying oil from IS. "We have the proof in our hands," Mr Erdogan said - but no more was forthcoming on this from Ankara.
Turkey was not happy when images emerged on 6 December showing a Russian serviceman apparently holding a missile launcher as his ship passed through Turkish waters.
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called the incident a "provocation" and Russia's ambassador was summonsed.
On 13 December, Russia said one of its warships fired warning shots at a Turkish fishing boat in the Aegean Sea to avoid a collision, claiming that the Turkish vessel approached to 600m (1,800ft) before turning away in response to Russian small arms fire.
The captain of the Turkish boat said he was unaware that his vessel had been shot at. Russia demands Turkey's defence attache come to talks.
In the most recent development, a Russian company said on 14 December that a Turkish boat refused to move out of the way of a convoy of Russian ships transporting oil rigs in the Black Sea.
The AFP news agency reports that a patrol boat from the Russian FSB security service's border guard and a missile boat from the Russian Black Sea Fleet forced it to change course.
The incident reportedly occurred on 24 November, the same day the plane was shot down, but was announced only on Monday.


Rwanda's intelligence chief Karenzi Karake has been granted bail of £1m ($1.6m) by a court in London.

Karenzi Karake was detained at London's Heathrow Airport on Saturday, in response to a European Arrest Warrant.
Rwanda's President Paul Kagame had earlier launched a scathing verbal attack on the UK government over Gen Karake's arrest.
Mr Kagame said it was a continuation of "colonialism" and accused the British of "arrogance and contempt".
Gen Karake is accused by Spain of ordering massacres in the wake of the 1994 Rwanda genocide.
He will be freed once the £1m is paid and other bail conditions are met.
After the hearing, Rwanda's High Commissioner to Britain, Williams Nkurunziza, said: "I'm very happy but I would have been happier if he would have been allowed to return.
"This is the best it gets with this legal system."
Gen Karake will have to report to police daily and live either at the high commissioner's home or in a house rented by the Rwandan embassy.
President Kagame said that the British authorities "must have mistaken [Gen Karake] for an illegal immigrant. The way they treat illegal immigrants is the way they treat all of us".
He added that the British had been patronising, "wagging a finger at the African and telling him this is where you belong. We are no longer the African that belongs there".
The BBC's Newsnight programme reported that Gen Karake was in the UK to meet the head of MI6, Britain's foreign intelligence agency.
The public gallery of the magistrates' court was packed with Gen Karake's supporters, who applauded and shouted as he entered the courtroom, dressed in a bright green and yellow tracksuit.
Sitting in the dock with a policeman either side of him, he turned to acknowledge his supporters, raising his hands in a gesture of solidarity.
For the rest of the hearing, he remained impassive, speaking only a few words when required by the district judge, including confirming that he opposed the extradition request made by the Spanish authorities.
After hearing lengthy arguments about whether to release him from custody, the district judge eventually agreed with Gen Karake's lawyer that he was a suitable candidate for bail.
But the judge imposed a series of conditions to ensure the police can constantly monitor his whereabouts.
On the street outside the court, his supporters started singing in celebration.
Gen Karake, 54, was greeted by cheers and clapping by supporters as he arrived in the courtroom.
A full hearing to discuss his extradition to Spain will take place on 29 and 30 October.
Gen Karake's defence team includes Cherie Booth, former British prime minister Tony Blair's wife.
In Rwanda, there have been protests outside the British High Commission in the capital, Kigali.
Protesters have threatened to remain until Gen Karake is released.
Accusations facing Gen Karake:
William Gelling, the UK's High Commissioner to Rwanda, addressed the crowd briefly on Wednesday.
"All I can say is that this was a legal decision as you understand, on behalf of the Spanish legal authorities.
"The UK is a very close partner with Rwanda,'' he said, as quoted by the AP news agency.
Spanish investigative judge Andreu Merelles indicted Gen Karake in 2008 for alleged war crimes, along with 39 other current or former high-ranking Rwandan military officials.
He is accused of killing ethnic Hutu civilians in both Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo, after the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) came to power in 1994.
The Tutsi-dominated RPF helped end the genocide, in which some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered by Hutu extremists.
He is also accused of ordering the killing in 1997 of three Spanish nationals working for Medicos del Mundo.


Once upon a time long ago, two boys born in the same city in the same year grew up as neighbours - one at number four Angelina Street in the old Tiger Bay area of Cardiff, the other at number seven.

They made it together into the same Cardiff schoolboy rugby team of the late 1940s and then they went their separate ways.
The boy at number four - the late Joe Erskine - became heavyweight champion of Britain and the Empire, a stylist whose ring career included victories over three world title contenders - Willie Pastrano, Henry Cooper, George Chuvalo.
And what became of the boy at number seven Angelina Street? Well, how long have you got because we are talking about the greatest try-scorer in rugby history - union and league - 571 touchdowns in 562 matches.
His name is Billy Boston.
His mother, Nellie, was Cardiff-Irish, his father, John all five feet four inches of him, was a merchant seaman from Sierra Leone. They had 11 children and Billy came smack in the middle.
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He went to South Church Street School in Butetown and by the time he left his ambition was to play rugby for Cardiff at the Arms Park.
He started with the multi-national Cardiff International Athletic Club - the CIACS - in the city's docklands and played for Wales in three boys clubs' internationals and in three more at Youth level.
Everyone had heard of him but still nobody at the Arms Park asked him along.
Neath did, and they showed their gratitude, according to Billy, by slipping him a white five pound note under the table after every match.
Then he went to the north of England to do his National Service and all the Rugby League clubs could hardly believe their luck. Wigan moved quickest of all.
They sent chairman Joe Taylor and vice-chairman Billy Gore to Angelina Street on Friday, 13 March 1953.
Billy was home on leave. The Wigan bounty hunters offered him £1,000, a fortune 63 years ago.
When Mrs Boston rejected the offer, Taylor and Gore upped the offer to £1,500.
For effect they spread the white fivers all over the table. Billy had never seen so much money in all his life but he didn't want to go.
At this point he and his mother asked to be excused for a moment.
Nellie took charge as mother-cum-agent.
"Don't worry son, I'll get rid of them for you. I'll ask them for so much that they'll go home."
So when they went back into the little front room, Nellie said: "Right pay him £3,000 and he'll sign."
Billy thought to himself: "That's a really smart way of getting rid of them. Three grand? Nobody's worth that much."
What they had no way of knowing was that before leaving for Cardiff, the Wigan delegation had drawn £3,000 out of the bank.
They put their heads together for less than a minute and said: "OK, Mrs Boston we will pay you three thousand pounds. All Billy has to do is sign this contract"
Boston didn't want to sign it and his mother had to remind him - Wigan had come up with the money, now they had to keep their word.
He signed and years later he told me that he cried that night, that he couldn't sleep. His dream of playing for Cardiff had gone, never mind playing for Wales.
But that was Cardiff's fault. Their complete failure to show any interest in the player beggared belief.
Nobody could be sure why they ignored him, but at about the same time they also ignored other black players from Butetown, like Johnny Freeman and Colin Dixon who both made it big in League.
And that left Boston with one possible explanation - that they didn't like the colour of his skin.
Here was a wing who at 18 had all the tricks of his trade. He could beat opponents any and every way - body swerve, side-step, hand-off or just sheer pace because most didn't see him for dust.
The late Great Britain test captain Vince Karalius, one of the hardest men to play the game, described Boston 'probably the most magnetic crowd puller in the history of British Rugby League.'
Another called him the Oscar Peterson of 50s rugby, a striking comparison with the vistuoso jazz pianist given that Billy led most opponents a merry dance.
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But he wasn't just a great player. The fans loved him for that, of course. But they loved him too for his humility.
The late Phil Melling, Emeritus Professor of American Literature at Swansea University, put it best. Billy was a showman but never a show off.
In 15 years at Wigan until the late 1960s, he left records that will never be broken, not least 478 tries in 487 matches for the club.
And even when he was winning Challenge Cup finals at Wembley, with Billy it was all about the team, never about himself.
They loved him so much in Wigan that they stumped up £90,000 to put a bronze statue of him up in the town.
Maybe one day Cardiff will do the same because, when all's said and done, Billy is a Cardiff kid at heart.


Almost one in three NHS trusts in England is now forecasting they will end the financial year overspent, official figures show.

More organisations are now in difficulty, compared with the same point last year.
Budget pressures may partly be due to hospitals hiring more nurses.
But the Department of Health says hard decisions on public finances have meant it has increased the overall NHS budget.
The financial outlook appears to be deteriorating across all types of NHS organisations providing care in England.
There are 102 NHS organisations, mainly hospitals, which have their finances overseen by a new body called the Trust Development Authority.
Recent board papers from the TDA show 33 expect to be overspent by the end of March.
This suggests a number may struggle to demonstrate the standards of financial governance needed to become more independent foundation trusts.
Among the 147 existing foundation trusts, 38 are already known to be expecting overspends, with those figures due to be updated soon by their regulator Monitor.
Some of the increased financial pressure may be due to an increase in the number of nurses employed.
In the year up to October 2013 an additional 2,390 nurses were taken on by trusts in England.
Prof John Appleby, chief economist of the Kings Fund health think-tank, said there was every indication that senior managers were putting the standard of care first.
"We've had terrible incidents like Mid Staffs. We've had a number of reports produced by the NHS, and independently, suggesting that the NHS really needs to get a grips of its quality of care and services.
"And you can see boards making that choice - between perhaps overspending, but maintaining quality."
A recent Kings Fund survey of finance directors suggested a growing number were gloomy about the financial prospects, although it was only a small sample who replied.
At the beginning of the financial year 20% of all types of trusts in England were expecting a deficit, but that has now risen to 29%.
Nick Samuels, the Foundation Trust Network spokesman said " All the evidence we have is that our members are finding it increasingly difficult financially, and the situation is getting worse quickly.
"All NHS trusts have been asked to review their staffing ratios as a result of the response to the Francis report into Mid Staffs.
"We know a very large number of trusts have had to increase number of staff increasing costs.
"For a hospital, between 60-70% of their costs are pay, and that's higher for community and mental health trusts."
Between now and the end of the year the forecast position could either improve, or deteriorate further.
NHS England holds a Â£60m fund which can be used for one-off help to financially troubled non-foundation trusts this year.
It is small in comparison to the net predicted deficit of Â£250m, but may be enough to lift those with the smallest financial problems out of deficit.
Andy Burnham, the shadow health secretary, said the NHS was facing a "growing financial crisis" because focus had switched to reorganisation.
And he warned: "As financial panic spreads, patients will be denied treatments and wards will cut back on staff."
But the Department of Health said the government had taken difficult financial decisions, allowing it to give small real terms increases to the health service.
A spokesman added: "Most trusts are in a healthy financial position while the NHS sees more patients and carries out more operations than ever."
He said productivity had improved for two years running, for the first time in a decade.


New road measures are being put in place to ease gridlock at Barry Island after traffic jams last weekend.

Motorists were stuck for hours over the Easter holiday following the reopening of Barry Island Pleasure Park.
In anticipation of another busy weekend, a trial road layout at the Ship Hill junction will give priority to traffic leaving the resort.
Traffic officers will also help to keep traffic moving between 14:00 BST and 19:00 BST on Saturday and Sunday.