Money & Work / Tips & Advice
Taking control of your money in lockdown
The lockdown has put a lot of people under financial stress, thankfully Peter McGahan has tips for taking back control of your money. Keeping your head in difficult times is a tough task, but pays dividends, something many large UK companies will struggle to do this...
Exercise during lockdown: Why walking is so good for us
The benefits of walking for our physical well-being are well documentedbut a 30 minute daily walk can help reduce stress and anxiety too. How will I benefit physically from walking regularly? Walking at a brisk pace - making your heart beat faster, but where you are...
Over-50s should stay at home during the coronavirus crisis to protect the NHS – and overweight Britons are at particular risk, expert argues amid calls for ALL over-60’s to self-isolate
Over-50s - especially Britons who are overweight - should stay at home during the coronavirus crisis to protect the NHS, an expert has claimed. The Daily Mail reports that Mike Fischer CBE, who runs a medical research lab in Oxford, warned the actions of those in...
Online map opens to track gardeners’ action for butterflies
This year’s Wild About Gardens campaign, Grow a Secret Garden for Butterflies, run jointly by The Wildlife Trusts and Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), is calling on gardeners to get growing to help the UK’s falling numbers of butterflies and moths. Mature Times...
Are we harming garden wildlife with plastics, toxic food and bad design?
Many gardeners are often thinking about how to attract more creatures to their plot through nectar-rich plants, bird food and good garden practices. But what if you are killing your wildlife with kindness? Are you unwittingly putting out the wrong scraps for animals,...
Stars of the screen: The Top 10 actors of all time
How do you begin to determine who the greatest actor of all time is? It’s a challenge that sounds easy enough upon first thought, but as you contemplate, you come to realise it’s a question that’s pretty much impossible to answer. After all, performances come in a...
The most affordable diets to start following
If you’ve ever found yourself walking down the fruit and vegetable aisle comparing the prices with those on the biscuit and cake aisles, or if you’ve noticed that less fat and sugar seems to equal a higher cost, then you’ll know how expensive dieting can be. Mature...
Food banks ask UK supermarkets to set aside coronavirus supplies
Food aid charities finding it impossible to replenish stocks ask retailer to bypass restrictions The Guardian reports that major UK supermarkets have been asked to set aside supplies for food banks after a tumultuous few days in which several emergency food aid...
Lovely Ledbury: Herefordshire market town on list of the best places to live and visit
Ledbury has been named as one of the best places to visit and live in the Midlands, according to The Sunday Times. Judges assessed a wide range of factors, from schools, transport and broadband speed to culture, green spaces and the health of the high street to reach...
Confused about pensions? Here’s what you need to know
Confused about your pension and how much you should be saving? Here are some expert tips. More than three-quarters of employees across the UK were members of a workplace pension scheme last year - a new record high, official figures reveal. According to the Office for...
Six ways to save money if you’re self-isolating or working from home during coronavirus outbreak
Some simple steps that could keep the bills down while you self-isolate. As more people work from home in an effort to delay the spread of coronavirus, it’s no surprise that utility bills are expected to rise sharply. If you are self-isolating on your own, it’s only...
Coronavirus and fixing your mortgage
Payment breaks, mortgage holidays? The financial impact of Coronavirus is far reaching but now is NOT the time to fix your mortgage. Peter McGahan looks at your options. 50 Connect reports that the Bank of England unanimously voted to cut the bank base rate to 0.25%,...