Named after the flag flown by ships preparing to set sail, the British children’s TV programme Blue Peter has certainly lived up to its name, taking generations of children on a voyage of adventure and discovery. Over 60 years the show’s presenters have brought amazing experiences into our homes and shown us things we might never otherwise have seen.  Who … Read More

About a year after the financial crash of 2008 a friend sent me a cheque for £1,000.  They had very nearly lost the money in a bank that came close to collapse.   In the letter that my friend sent with the cheque they explained that having nearly lost the money they had realised they would rather put it to … Read More

This week the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Ashers’ Bakery in Northern Ireland.  Responding to the judgement Gareth Lee, who originally sued the company on grounds of discrimination, said that it made him feel like a ‘second-class citizen.’  But he’s quite wrong and the Bible on which the owners of the Ashers’ bakery base their lives tells us … Read More

On 19thSeptember 1970 some 1500 people gathered in a field near Shepton Mallet in Somerset for a new music festival called ‘Pop, Folk and Blues’.  They had paid the grand sum of £1 each for their tickets, which included free milk from the farm and ‘food at fair prices’.  It’s fair to say that the festival has grown in popularity … Read More

Defying the urge for self-preservation history records the names of those ordinary people who sacrificed their own lives in order to save others: #aliceayres #johnrobertfox #vincentcoleman #arlandwilliams #elizabethcoghlam and #richardrescorla to name just a few.  Each one gave up their own life in order to save others and in many cases the lives of complete strangers.   This week a … Read More

Think of Japan and it’s hard not to think of numerous inventions that have spread across the world: from the Sony Walkman, to the bullet train, to laptops and karaoke, the nation has given birth to innovation that has made all our lives that much simpler and more enjoyable.  But ask the Japanese themselves which their favourite invention has been, … Read More

New research in 2018 has discovered that bombs dropped during the Second World War were so large that they had an impact in the upper atmosphere up to 1,000km above the earth.  Chris Scott from the University of Reading said that, ‘each raid released the energy of at least 300 lightning strikes.  Fortunately, the effect of these shockwaves was short-lived, … Read More

In an attempt to prove that ‘normal people can do unusual things’ amateur rower, Duncan Hutchinson, decided to row across the Atlantic from New York to his home town of Lochinver in the Scottish Highlands, in a boat he had built himself.  Unfortunately, some 800 miles short of his goal the forces of nature overwhelmed him, and he had to call … Read More

This week on the Great British Bake Off it was bread week, and contestant Karen proudly presented her showstopper to the judges.  It looked like a triumph with Paul Hollywood commenting ‘I think the decoration’s incredible.’  Sadly, however the inside of her creation revealed a different story – doughy and underproved – and any hope she had had of being … Read More

‘You are a liar. You will never be on a court of mine as long as you live.  When are you going to give me my apology? Say you are sorry.’  So said a clearly frustrated and angry Serena Williams to the umpire of her US Open final, after he repeatedly fined and penalised her for ‘code violations.’  Her outburst … Read More