Lifestyle

Like many Brits, a large proportion of your income will be spent on your home. In London, the average monthly rent is £1,301, while elsewhere in England and Wales we’re paying a staggering £816 in rent each month. But what if you could change all this? In their latest graphic, used commercial vehicle retailer Van Monster has shed some light on the growing culture of people ditching their homes in favour of living in a van. As well as discussing...

Suttons Seeds examines the importance of bee-friendly gardening Leading garden retailer Suttons Seeds has examined the importance of bee-friendly gardening in their latest visual. From pollenating flowers to creating honey, bees play a vital yet often overlooked role. Despite providing around 1/3 of our available food, the population of bees is in decline as a result of factors like disease, urbanisation, intensive farming and Colony Collapse Disorder. The visual looks at the importance of bees, the risks they face and...

"We live in interesting times", Big Issue Editor Paul McNamee wrote ahead of this week's magazine celebrating all the active things that people are doing to have a positive effect in their community. In uncertain times it is hard to remain positive about the future of Britain. But while the geopolitical situation escalates, focusing on good things closer to home could be the key to unlocking your optimism. The immediate aftermath of Brexit took its toll on the country with markets collapsing...

Exercise can be such a chore for adults, but new research suggests there's a lot we can learn from young children. Experts claim those wanting to drop dress-sizes would be better off skipping for 15 minutes than running, with other old school work-outs like star jumps, hopscotch and skipping also proven to burn more calories and use more muscles than traditional ways of working out. Similarly, those that enjoy a brisk walk would only lose an average of 50 calories in quarter...

Romance is dead, right? Or has it been re-imagined? Modern dating seems to be eschewing all the conventional rules of chivalry in favour of equality. Today, women are expected to at least offer to pay the bill and couples are increasingly going Dutch when dining out. British women take the gold in the 'dating Olympics' for splitting the bill 50/50 with a majority reporting that they offered to pick up the bill on alternating dates — far more often than women...

Brits will go to extraordinary lengths to catch-up on their favourite TV shows, it has been revealed, with boxset-bingeing in the bathroom proving a particular favourite. Research by BBC Store revealed more than half the country admits to regularly watching TV in the bathroom, either on a handheld device while on the loo or – for real luxury – streaming it via a laptop or tablet while in the bath. Over half of viewers admit they use their mobile phone while on...

By Deborah Hodge Brexit has unearthed some deep seated xenophobia and staggering U-turns from politicians. The vote has divided the country even more. The class system is alive and well. Under Cameron we have seen More Brits are living off benefits today than at any other time since the establishment of the welfare state. Many claimants have spent longer on benefits than in work. Some have never known what it is to have a job and others have found that work simply...

How long do you spend each morning wrapped in a towel staring to the abyss of your wardrobe wondering what to wear? According to new research British women spend an average of 17 minutes a day rifling through their wardrobes, and it's sending the country into a rage. Almost one in five British women admit they have ended up upset or angry at not finding an outfit they are happy with on a morning, according to a new study, and 15 per cent even say...

An engineering student at Cambridge University has reinvented the traditional river punt by installing pedal power. The so-called 'puntcycle' was invented by 22 year-old Barnaby Walker who converted an unloved old punt into a sleek, two-wheeled speed machine capable of leaving all other river-users in his wake. He decided to breathe new life into French Hen, a punt which was a year older than himself, and rescued it after being beached for three years. Traditionally punts – long narrow boats with flat...