Lifestyle

It’s commonly assumed that a guard dog can help secure your home against intruders, but it’s becoming more common for pets themselves to be the target for thieves making an attempt to enter your home. Figures collected by Blue Cross from police forces across the UK show 40% more pets were reported stolen in 2014 compared to 2012. During 2016, the BBC reported a 22% rise in dog theft across England and Wales; that’s around 5000 dogs stolen in the...

Hard-working parents don't get to finally put their feet up until 8:53pm, get just 48 minutes of time to themselves a day and spend most of their evening trying to get their kids to eat their dinner - but how well are you coping? New research has revealed the extent to which Brits are struggling with the day-to-day chores of being a parent, with two thirds saying their evenings are frittered away preparing and cooking dinner and one third agreed...

Children as young as ten are a target for cosmetic surgery apps and makeover games since they are likely to make them feel dissatisfied with their own appearance. In this day and age, it is common for children to become dissatisfied with their looks and are opting to do something about it, whether it involves undergoing surgery or non-surgical treatments including the likes of Botox, Lip Fillers and laser hair removal London to fight against fast hair regrowth. But are...

Having a baby sets a woman's career back six years, according to a study of mothers. Researchers found becoming a mum can lead to missed promotion opportunities, issues caused by staff, management or procedural changes in the workplace as well as the fact new mum's arrive back at work with different priorities. Around half of those polled said having a baby had a negative effect on their career, with 42 per cent of them believing they would be in a...

A story of resilience and hope…Liz’s story It was a vicious crime, attracting international condemnation and media outrage across the world. One night in 2013, a 16-year-old girl was gang raped as she returned home from her grandfather’s funeral in Western Kenya. After being brutally assaulted and beaten by six young men that she knew, her attackers threw her into a 12ft-deep pit latrine, leaving her for dead. The victim, referred to as “Liz” in order to protect her identity,...

A 94-year-old pianist with dementia celebrated 75 years of marriage - with a rendition of his wife's favourite song which he has never forgotten. Former soldier Edward Hardy struggles to remember a lot of things because of his disabling illness. But he has never lost his playing ability and could still serenade wife Betty, 92, with 50s jazz classic Misty to mark the milestone on Thursday (Sep 21). The couple married as teenagers before Ed served with The Musical Corp...

Elizabeth Ainge has been an ambassador and local champion for I CAN for over 15 years and is an alumna of I CAN’s Dawn House School in Nottinghamshire. I CAN is the children's communication charity. She shares her inspiring story. When I was six months old we moved as a family to Stafford. While we were there my mum took me to the health visitor because she could see that I was struggling to talk. The health visitor said, “No,...

Leslie Abrokwaa, 26, served three and half years in prison for robbery as a young man before turning his life around with the help of Salmon Youth Centre. Now Leslie, who lives in Wood Green, is set to start his Youth Work and Theology degree at Cambridge University from September 2017 – a fate he describes as “a dream come true” and “nothing short of a miracle”. Speaking of his criminal past, Leslie said: “A lot of my friends were making...

Hard water damages our protective skin barrier and could contribute to the development of eczema, a new study has shown. Researchers from the University of Sheffield and King’s College London have discovered that exposing the skin to hard water damages the skin barrier – which is our defence against outside threats such as bacteria or sun burn – and increases the sensitivity of the skin to potential irritants found in everyday wash products such as soap or washing powder. Hard...