Category: Columns

From smarter ways to work out and more comfortable home offices to colourful gaming gear, powerful charging accessories and upgraded audio, we’ve rounded up some of September’s latest gadgets and tech to put through their paces. Particula GoBalance Sport Smart Balance Board£99.99 from particula-tech.com or Argos.co.ukPut your balance to the test with this app-enabled smart […]

The start of a new season could only mean one thing… time for a beauty refresh! From nourishing skincare and haircare to gorgeous autumn shades and scents, we’ve rounded up some of our favourite beauty essentials to help you update your routine and step into the new season in style. Blue Lagoon Skin Science BL+ […]

“The strut is in the mind,” says Heather Small at GuilFest ’26. The hugely charismatic singer, famed for hit after hit with M People, tells the crowds how she was turned away from the Main Stage because they didn’t know who she was! “I am Heather Small,” says the extremely fit 61-year-old, who, it has […]

The Subaru Forester is a robust All Wheel Drive estate that tackles anything that’s thrown at it, from taking the family on a day out, to being laden with items, like a number of internal doors and hedge cuttings for a tip run. One bank holiday weekend morning, I’m driving at 60mph in the slow […]

By Sophie Lancaster Middlethorpe Hall, located just 2 miles from York city centre, has the best of both worlds, the city and the country. Set within 20 acres of gardens and parkland, it is now a luxury hotel and spa that is part of the National Trust. This month, we’re diving into its history…. It […]

By Ben Robinson It’s been a while since I suggested some of my favourite classics, but with the longer months drawing in, a good hearty read is exactly what I find myself craving. Whilst some of these reads are particularly hard-hitting, they feel truly important to our understanding of the world – something I always […]

Knaresborough: River and Rocks Time: 3¼ hours 6½miles This walk to the south and west of Knaresborough visits some of the least frequented sites around the town, including a shrine and a saint’s cave. It also includes sections by the river and an amble around the town’s Conyngham Hall woods and parkland. Is This Walk […]

By Charlotte Castle As parents breathe a sigh of relief and children swap flip-flops for school shoes, there’s one member of the family who might be wondering where everyone has gone – the family pet. For many dogs and cats, the summer holidays are the highlight of the year. The house is full of people, […]

The beloved European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) is regularly rated as the UK’s favourite animal, but with numbers steadily declining in recent years, their appearances in home gardens have become increasingly rare. If you’re lucky enough to have hedgehogs (fondly known by Yorkshire folk as ‘prickly-pigs’) living in or around your domestic green space, there are […]

By Tony Chalcraft There aren’t a lot of nuts grown in the UK compared with many other countries. In our climate, only three trees will produce a useful harvest: hazel, walnut and sweet chestnut. Of these, just the hazel is commercially viable, and even this is cultivated on a very small scale, mainly in Kent, […]

Thinking of joining a club? Whether you’re stuck for things to do in York or are simply hoping to give your social life a bit of a boost, there are all sorts of groups and clubs available to join in and around the city. Check out our pick of some of the best! HEWORTH RETIRED […]

First established in 2019, Community Bees is a York-based Community Interest Company dedicated to supporting some of the most marginalised people living in and around our city. Community Bees offers a safe, non-judgemental space for people facing isolation due to bereavement, illness, or other life circumstances. It is primarily committed to supporting hoarders in decluttering their […]

By Marco Polledri of Radfield Home Care September is World Alzheimer’s Month, an opportunity to improve our understanding of dementia and consider how we support those living with it. For me, this is personal. My grandmother had Alzheimer’s and, as her condition progressed, she seemed to disappear into a world of her own. She lived […]

By Matt Todd The kitchen is often described as the heart of the home, a place where families gather, meals are shared, and memories are made. If your current kitchen is looking tired or no longer meets your needs, now could be the perfect time to upgrade! We are delighted to offer a complete kitchen […]