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George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, was published 70 years ago, on 8th June 1949. It was set in the year 1984, where most of the world is a victim of government surveillance and propaganda, with individualism and independent thinking ruthlessly suppressed. Many of the novel’s invented phrases have passed into common usage in...

Civil weddings have increasingly outnumbered religious weddings every year since 1992. The most recent data (from 2016) has shown that for the first time, less than a quarter of all marriages were religious ceremonies. As one family law solicitor explained: “If individuals don’t go to church for most of their lives, they wonder whether it’s...

Here are some tips which may prove useful. What is the source?  Have a good look at the website where you found it, including the About Us section.  Is it really a news site? Are other stories from this site believable?  Can you find this story and the other stories on the site anywhere else?...

Britain is in the midst of a loneliness epidemic.  A survey by the Jo Cox Commission in 2017 revealed that nine million of us in the UK are affected by it. So, no wonder that last year the Government even appointed the world’s first loneliness minister, Tracey Crouch.  And no wonder that the Marmalade Trust...

For a guide to the various Christian Summer festivals this year, you might find the following websites to be of help: https://kingdomguide.co.uk/10-unmissable-christian-events-festivals-summer/ https://www.christianfestivalassociation.com/ https://www.christiantoday.com/article/uk-christian-conferences-a-guide-for-2019/131534.htm

All in the month of MAY The legacy of D’Oyley Carte Roger Bannister and the four-minute mile The Monty Python phenomenon The Way I See It: Why are we all so challenged? International Dawn Chorus Day 2019 – 5th May Foster Care Fortnight 13th to 26th May Missed appointments with your GP Potholes galore **...

It was: 500 years ago, on 2nd May 1519 that Leonardo Da Vinci, the Italian artist, scientist and inventor, died. 200 years ago, on 24th May 1819 that Queen Victoria was born.  (She reigned from 1837 to 1901) 175 years ago, on 3rd May 1844 that Richard D’Oyley Carte, British theatrical impresario, was born.  He...

Richard D’Oyly Carte, the theatrical impresario, was born 175 years ago, on 3rd May 1844, in Soho.  He built two theatres in London, managed some of the most important theatrical stars of the era, and founded a touring opera company. He is of course most famous for bringing together dramatist W S Gilbert and composer Arthur...

The first person to run a mile in under four minutes was Roger Bannister, who did it 65 years ago, on 6th May 1954, at the Iffley Road track in Oxford. His time was 3:59.4 – the announcement drowned out by wild applause from the crowd after announcer Norris McWhirter said the word “three”. Bannister...

The Monty Python surreal comedy group was formed 50 years ago, on 11th May 1969. They pioneered a type of stream-of consciousness television sketch show, Monty Python’s Flying Circus whose influence on comedy has been compared with the Beatles’ influence on music. 45 episodes were made over four series, and the Python phenomenon developed into...

I was listening to the ‘Today’ programme on the radio and decided on a sudden whim to turn it off the next time someone used the pseudo-adjective ‘challenging’. Within five seconds my finger hit the off button and yet another interminable discussion was replaced by silence. In the last decade words like ‘difficult’, ‘impossible’, ‘awkward’...

This popular annual event is promoted by the Wildlife Trust and is the perfect opportunity for all nature lovers to gather at dawn to enjoy the song of their local birds. Nowadays Dawn Chorus Day is celebrated in more than 80 countries, and even in parts of Antarctica and the Caribbean.  For details of how...