Shiver me timbers, Santa was a pirate? M.C.D. Etheridge’s brilliant new children’s book is more than just shipshape and Bristol fashion – it’s an arrr-mazing tale of adventure and derring-do, finds Lucy Bryson. Once upon a time, long before the red suit and sack, the man children everywhere call Father Christmas was known by a […]

The body of the retro 1933 Ford Vicky, the iconic scissor doors of the 1985 Lamborghini Diablo, the rear lights of the classic 1955 Ford Thunderbird and the spoiler from the 1973 Plymouth Duster, this is the ‘Frankencar’. Webuyanycar.com is celebrating the haunting holiday by virtually resurrecting discontinued cars and stitching their parts together to […]

The average Brit will guzzle down 676 cups of coffee a year, a study has found , with Newcastle coming out as the top coffee city in the UK. Research into the nation’s coffee-drinking habits has revealed the extent of the nation’s caffeine craving with the average adult sipping from 10 cups of instant coffee […]

Ed Sheeran’s X, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and The Da Vinci Code have been voted the best album, film and book respectively of the last 20 years, according to a poll of the nation commissioned by Amazon UK to mark its 20th anniversary. Recent pop hits topped the charts with Ed Sheeran’s album […]

Millions of homeowners admit they steal design tips from their neighbours, according to research. A study of 2,000 UK adults found one fifth scour friends and neighbour’s homes for inspiration at social gatherings and dinner parties. Nearly half have even made a new purchase, or considered making one, after being inspired by furnishings in a […]

‘Did I lock the front door’, ‘do I have my phone’ and ‘have I paid the bills’ are among the top 25 questions that drive Brits mad, a study has found. A poll of 2000 adults found almost nine in 10 have spent their days wondering if they turned things off, picked up important items […]

Having a 4G mobile signal, choosing our own working hours and always having a seat on a train should be considered basic modern human rights, according to research. A poll of 2,000 adults found we would also ideally like to have mobile phone charging points in public areas, free gym membership and complimentary sun cream […]

More than half of Brits believe they’re ‘lucky in love’, according to research. A study of 2,000 adults revealed 51 per cent think finding true love comes from plain good luck, while a tenth of single people put their current relationship status down to bad fortune. However 61 per cent think you can boost your […]

A good moan might be one of the defining characteristics of the British, but it’s harming our emotional and spiritual wellbeing, finds Lucy Bryson in Spirit of Gratitude, out this week. Social media has achieved many things – it can be a salve for loneliness, a way to maintain old friendships and build new ones, […]