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It was 1,750 years ago, on 25th December 274, that the Roman Emperor Aurelian founded and launched the cult of Sol Invictus as an official religion. He erected a temple and declared 25th December a national holiday, to be known as the Feast of the Unconquered Sun. In 336, after the conversion of the emperor...

The status of hedgehogs in western Europe has recently been downgraded to “near threatened”, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. If European numbers decline any farther, hedgehogs will be listed as being at risk of extinction. Numbers have shrunk in more than half the countries where hedgehogs live –...

As you prepare for Christmas this year, spare a thought – and a prayer – for our teachers.  Their job is even more demanding at this time of year, as school Christmas activities are added to an already over-crowded school curriculum. Also, recent figures from the Department for Education show that, for whatever reason, our...

Christmas shopping this year will be done by two sorts of shopper: those who intend to pay – and those who don’t. And the ‘those who don’t’ category is now so huge that stores across the country have been reporting on average two thefts each and every minute. According to the Office for National Statistics...

If you ring your local Town Council or Library, they should be able to point in the direction of where to find the details…. You might look for events such as: Cathedral (or local large church) Christmas concerts Craft fayres Present wrapping Carol singing in your community Local charity initiatives that could use help Singing...

This year was a Leap Year. Were 1900 and 2000 Leap Years? What is Whamaggedon? Alan Bates hit the headlines in January? He shares his name with a famous actor but why is he well known? HRH Duke of Edinburgh met a special resident at S Helena in January who had also met his grandparents....

All in the month of November Remembrance – and gratitude The Second Vatican Council – when Latin moved over Remembering the musical genius of Fauré Thomas Hardy and ‘The Madding Crowd’ Clive of India The war of the cafés and the laptops ** Editor:  We continue our column that looks at memorable dates in the...

It was 250 years ago, on 22 Nov 1774 that Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive (Clive of India), died. He was the British general who helped found the British Empire in India. 150 years ago, on 23rd Nov 1874 that Thomas Hardy’s novel Far from the Madding Crowd was published. It was his first major...

60 years ago, on 23rd November 1964, the Second Vatican Council decided to allow the use of vernacular languages (such as English) in Roman Catholic sacraments and rituals, including the Mass. It had insisted on using only Latin for several hundred years. Most people welcomed the change, and the use of Latin quickly dwindled. The...

This year Remembrance includes several significant dates from past wars. 2024 marks the 110th anniversary of the start of World War I. 2024 marks 80 years since D-Day. The Normandy Landings of 6th June were the largest seaborne invasion in history, and began the Allied invasion of Normandy, which led to the liberation of France and...

100 years ago, on 4th November 1924, Gabriel Fauré, the French composer, died in Paris. As well as a composer, he was an organist, pianist and teacher, much admired and loved not only in his own country but also abroad. He was without doubt one of the most prominent composers of his generation, and his...

Some 150 years ago, on 23rd November 1874, Thomas Hardy’s novel Far from the Madding Crowd was published. It was his first major success. Set in Wessex, an imagined area encompassing the counties around Hardy’s place of birth in Dorset, it was his fourth published novel and had appeared originally – and anonymously – as...