Just when you think you’ve settled in to a nice routine, things change again. It might happen with warning or unexpectedly. Summer is one of those times routines change for a lot of people. It can be easy for your crafting hobby to fall by the wayside whether you have children or grandchildren off school, demands shift at work or you’re planning your own holiday, for example.

Porto is often introduced through its namesake fortified wine, but that does the city a disservice. Spend a long weekend here and you quickly realise that food, rather than Port, is the heartbeat of northern Portugal.

July may well prove to be the standout month in this year's theatrical calendar, as the ever-popular Calendar Girls: The Musical arrives at Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre. With its unique blend of Yorkshire humour, heartfelt emotion and unforgettably dramatic moments, this latest production is a must-see theatrical treat.

Paddington Bear, a true British icon with an endearing personality has captured the hearts and minds of millions the world over since author Michael Bond created him in 1958.

2026 will see the world’s best men’s rugby union teams battle it out to become the inaugural Nations Championship champions. Six Northern Hemisphere nations (England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales) will take on six Southern Hemisphere nations (Argentina, Australia, Fiji, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa) in a bid to become the ‘best nation’ and most ‘dominant hemisphere’.

This Alcohol Awareness Week (6th-12th July), Mental Health Expert Noel McDermott looks at how alcohol is costing us more than just money. Alcohol is a drug, and one that creates physical dependency, and drinking too much creates health problems. Everyone knows this, and many people tell themselves they will stop drinking if they experience negative health consequences.

A change is as good as a rest they say and this novella is certainly a change. If you need waking up, this is the book for you, with its short chapters and fast pace. Despite the narrator’s protestations, it is not an advice manual, not a manual of good advice, at least.

Meetings are an integral part of how organisations operate today. Schedules are often packed weeks ahead, leaving employees with little choice but to spend significant time in discussions, reviewing strategies, monitoring progress and tackling challenges.

The motoring press has been most impressed with the new Renault 5. Praise has been heaped on it from all quarters and it’s easy to see why. However, lurking quietly in the shadows is another new and equally exciting EV from the French manufacturer, namely the Renault 4.

Regular readers of my column will know that, with my husband’s help, I sowed wildflower seeds in one of our paddocks towards the end of last year. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much this year, as sowing seeds in a grassy area can be notoriously difficult. Given that we had decided to sow just two patches in a paddock of almost an acre, I thought I might be asking for too much.

Reuniting with Stuart Price proves to be the masterstroke. Their chemistry remains extraordinary, creating a seamless collection of club music that feels both classic and contemporary. House, disco, electro and synth-pop flow effortlessly into one another, with every transition designed to keep the energy moving. It's a record built to be experienced as a whole rather than dissected into individual streaming moments—a rarity in modern pop.

I defy anyone not to start moving their legs in Charleston fashion with this seductive celebration of 1920s glamour. Nostalgia and a hearkening back to an age of nightclubs, novelty and no small amount of nerve. There is a moment, early in the opening track, Sax-O-Trix, when you realise Chad Smith is not so much playing the saxophone as interrogating it. The virtuosity is immediate and slightly alarming — watch him perform, and you may find yourself short of breath on his behalf.

Step into the stunningly refurbished independent Thai restaurant Sukhothai, and you’ll be blown away by the ambience, the food and the service.

The Old Pantry Sun angles for a perch of glass, Cups alight on their scroll hooks. Life transfers to bone china Her sparkling buds and lustres. Oilcloth glistens to cut scraps of light, A dimmed or glittering stillness, But from the dark, the recessed silence, White food floats dim surfaces.

It is one of those facts that you don’t see coming but, when it does, it completely arrests your attention and leaves you in a momentary state of disbelief!

Few debut artists arrive with as much goodwill as Sienna Spiro. Ever since her powerhouse covers began circulating online, comparisons to Adele and Amy Winehouse have followed her at every turn. While those labels always felt premature, they were understandable: Spiro possesses one of the most naturally commanding voices to emerge from British pop in years. The Visitor confirms that beyond any doubt. What it doesn't quite confirm is whether she has the songs to match.

The singing itself is the chief pleasure here. Just fifteen sopranos and altos produce a remarkably well-blended sound under Searles' direction, the tone consistently lovely and the diction unusually clean for a choir working in such a resonant space. Phrasing throughout is intelligent and unforced.

Marathon winner and former Great Britain representative EDRA, a new British running apparel brand, was launched this week in Leeds with its complete summer running collection showing ‘strong early sales and a great reaction across socials’.

It’s that time of year again when the strawberries are out, the flags are up, and every sports fan in the country has one eye on the tennis and the other on the football. But spare a thought for the patch of grass outside your back door because with a bit of love and the right know how, your lawn could look every bit as good as Centre Court or worthy of hosting the World Cup final.

Visitors to Chester Zoo will be able to spend the whole day and evening at the attraction this summer, with the zoo’s popular Afterglow event included in standard daytime admission for the first time.

Italian favourites Venice, Florence, and Rome top the list of Europe’s most walkable cities. Berlin’s famous parks make it the most walkable city outside of Italy.

Overall index increased by +0.4. Retrospective (+1.5) and forward-looking (+2.6) household finance figures continue recovery. Perceptions of house prices worsened over the past 30 days (-3.2) and looking ahead to the next 12 months (-0.5). Business activity measures improved over June (+3.6), as did outlook (+1.2)

Women across Britain are significantly more anxious than men about meeting everyday living costs over the coming year, with new research warning that mounting financial pressure is forcing many to rely on borrowing and eating into long-term savings rather than building financial resilience for the future.

Andy Burnham used his first major speech since launching his bid for the Labour leadership to set out an "innovation nation" vision for Britain, built around deeper devolution, a championing of science and entrepreneurship, and a fundamental rethink of how young people are educated and trained.

Few artists capture the complexities of human emotion quite like Scott Quinn. The British singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist returns with his poignant new single, Places in London, a heartfelt reflection on the hidden losses that linger after heartbreak.

Focus4Hope was originally created as a community organisation but became a registered charity so it could respond to increased demand. It offers a range of services to help people avoid crisis points, including food distribution, advice and guidance, and a low-cost food market. But in extreme weather, crisis can become inevitable.

Long-distance train operator CrossCountry has announced that its annual Customer and Communities Improvement Fund, and its Biodiversity Improvement Projects fund, are now open for applications. The two funds are being launched to support local projects that encourage sustainable growth and create a positive impact for local communities across the CrossCountry network.

With permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I would like to make a statement on the tragic collision between two passenger trains on Friday 19th June. I realise honourable members will be aware of some of the details, but today I’d like to set out the facts as we know them so far. At approximately 17.15 on Friday evening, two East Midlands Railway passenger trains collided at Elstow near Bedford.

AA Signs, one of the oldest parts of The AA, is celebrating 120 years since its first road sign was erected in Hatfield.

Passengers are being offered a new ticket that allows them to switch between trains, buses and boats in Cumbria. It comes as a growing number of tourists are booking trips to the Lake District and other popular UK holiday destinations this summer, amid uncertainty over international travel.

As more people across the UK discover the joy of gardening, whether planting their first container, refreshing a border, or nurturing a vegetable patch, understanding compost is one of the most important steps to grow healthy and thriving plants.

Millions of people are preparing for summer holidays, but immigration experts are warning that one overlooked travel requirement could leave passengers stranded before they even board their flight.

It had been a few years since Bird and I had last spoken, so when we connected over Zoom, catching up felt wonderfully warm and familiar. Before we even reached the subject of new music, our conversation wandered through life reflections, favourite records, memorable holidays and the simple pleasures that make us who we are.

An eye-watering seven million square kilometres, the Amazon River Basin covers around 40 per cent of South America and crosses eight countries. Home to the world’s largest rainforest, it teems with up to three thousand fish species including piranhas.

While the world watches the FIFA World Cup, Chester is gearing up to host its own global tournament, and this one comes with bells on. Twenty-five town criers from across the globe will descend on the city this September for the World Town Crier Tournament, organisers Marketing Cheshire have confirmed. The details were announced, fittingly, by Chester Town Crier David Mitchell.

The disc closes with a winning account of La plus que lente, beautifully turned and rounding off what is, in sum, a most agreeable album. There is creativity and no shortage of skill in these interpretations. Rêverie, in particular, charms from the first bar. Much of that charm comes down to sound as well as substance: the recording was made on a Bösendorfer 280VC concert grand in the Concert Hall at Snape Maltings, Suffolk, and Chandos's engineers have captured its warmth with their customary skill.

Charlie Ayre, who competes in the men’s -60 kg category, has been named in England’s judo squad ahead of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. He is one of 14 judoka selected to represent England at the upcoming games as the sport makes its fifth official appearance at the Commonwealth Games.

A debt recovery expert has outlined the key steps universities and independent schools should take when recovering unpaid student debts. The issue has come under renewed focus following recent reports that nearly £500 million in unpaid or hidden debts is owed to UK universities, much of it linked to accommodation and other institutional costs.

Sweeping reforms to England's home-buying system, unveiled today, have been welcomed by one of the country's leading mortgage lenders as a step towards tackling Britain's affordability challenges.

Northern's 'Creating Customer Confidence' programme is helping to deliver one of the biggest customer satisfaction turnarounds in the operator's history. Train operator Northern has moved up from the bottom of the national rankings in Transport Focus's latest rail passenger scorecard, in one of the clearest signs yet that the operator's drive to rebuild passenger trust is working.

Over 100,000 passengers surveyed in the biggest rail satisfaction survey in British history. 87 per cent of passengers satisfied with their journey. CrossCountry worst-performing train operator in survey with 79 per cent of passengers satisfied. Hull Trains passengers most satisfied with their journey. Results will be used to drive day-to-day improvements for passengers and inform Great British Railways priorities.

The Bank of England was widely expected to keep interest rates on hold this month. But the Monetary Policy Committee’s focus has now shifted towards digesting the implications of the US-Iran deal to extend the ceasefire and restore energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz.

The amount of money people invest when they first open an Individual Savings Account (ISA) has jumped by 84% in a year, according to proprietary data from Scottish Friendly. The modern mutual’s data shows that opening values have been steadily increasing over the last four quarters, data for Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 shows a 21% increase.

The Russian-born German pianist Igor Levit, one of the most politically outspoken and intellectually restless musicians of his generation, is to launch his own record label — NO SILENCE — with three debut releases due on 23 October 2026 in partnership with Sony Classical.

Four in 10 adoptive families say they are facing severe challenges or are at crisis point as the Adoption Barometer 2026 calls for a legal right to lifelong, needs-led support. A major new report from Adoption UK has revealed that too many families are still being left without the support they need once adoptions are made, and adult adoptees continue to be overlooked by policymakers.