thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-06--The Secrets To Long-Term Love, From Couples Who've Been Married For Decades

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You’re reading Relationships DIY, a series full of tips, tricks and perspective on keeping your relationship healthy and happy during the pandemic.
“You’ll know when you find that special someone. Everything will be easier with them by your side.”
Those are the simple yet beautiful words of 87-year-old Ivor Sherne, who’s approaching 50 years of marriage with his wife, Margaret.
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The pair are among the couples – in their 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s – who agreed to tell HuffPost UK the secrets to long-term love. Because if anyone knows, they do.
Some of them have lived through a world war and now, a global pandemic, with several of them torn apart for the first time in decades, due to ongoing restrictions on care home visits. But their love for one another is unshaken.
Here, we learn a little about their lives, plus hear their advice for others on maintaining strong relationships, whatever life throws at you.
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‘Never be afraid to say sorry’
Supplied George and Olive Ford
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Married in July 1955, George, 95, and Olive Ford, 92, recently celebrated their blue sapphire wedding anniversary, marking 65 years as husband and wife.
The pair met at a friend’s house in Dublin, Ireland, in 1952, and got so carried away chatting, they missed the last bus home – so George walked Olive home.
“I knew I’d met somebody special so, when we said goodnight, I asked if she’d like to go to a dance together the following evening, and it went from there,” George recalls.
They’ve enjoyed a happy marriage with three children, eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren since. In 2018 they moved to Richmond Nantwich retirement village in Cheshire to be closer to their daughter.
Supplied George and Olive Ford on their wedding day
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Olive says the key to staying happy long-term is good communication. “You should be able to share everything with one another, good or bad,” she says.
“And never go to bed on an argument. There’s really no need and all too often it’ll only have been about a trifling matter anyway.”
“Exactly,” agrees George. “Never be afraid to say sorry – no matter if you feel you’re in the right or wrong. And if someone apologises to you, be gracious: accept it and draw a line under it, or apologise too if you’ve responded in a way you shouldn’t have. That way you can both put it behind you and move on.”
George’s advice to younger couples is to share your feelings and build trust. “With good foundations you can weather the hard times – however few and far between – and enjoy every moment of the good ones,” he says.
Olive believes a strong relationship boils down to three things: love, loyalty and respect. “You’re both entitled to your own opinions and you don’t always have to agree,” she says. “But it is important that you respect each other’s views, even when they differ.”
‘Give a little and take a little’
Supplied Arthur and Mary Freeland
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Arthur Freeland, 90, and his wife Mary, 91, were childhood sweethearts, who lived across the road from each other in Claygate, Surrey. They began dating when they were both 16.
The couple got married in 1950 at Holy Trinity Church in Claygate and the reception was held in Mary’s parent’s garden. They spent their honeymoon in a caravan near Bognor Regis and – although it rained most of the time – they enjoyed day trips to Hastings and Eastbourne.
Supplied Arthur and Mary Freeland on their wedding day
The couple moved into Westbury Court Care Home in Wiltshire in October 2019 and celebrated their 70 wedding anniversary last month.
When asked what they think is the secret to their long relationship, Mary laughed and said: “Christ knows!”
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Arthur thinks Mary’s decision-making is to thank. “Mary has always made all the decisions, so that’s number one, but also having children and both working hard to provide for our family as a team,” he says.
His advice for younger couples is to “give a little and take a little.” Mary adds: “Get married first, then have children.”
‘Respect your differences’
Supplied Liz and Finola at their civil partnership in 2006, alongside a recent photo.
Finola Brophy, 68, and Liz Armour, 72, from Worthing, met through mutual friends in 1989 and got talking at a friend’s 40th birthday party. They quickly bonded over their interests in music, education, politics, and equal rights.
“I’d been slightly in awe of this woman I’d heard so much about, so it was good to finally talk to her,” recalls Finola. “The chemistry between us was palpable.”
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As an active parent in the local primary school, Finola had become friends with some of the teachers. Liz, a drama advisory teacher, invited Finola to her flat to prepare a song for a teacher’s leaving do. “On arrival at her beautiful little flat I felt apprehensive when Liz said the other person wasn’t able to come. I learned later she hadn’t actually invited them!” says Finola.
“I looked at her and knew I was falling in love,” adds Liz. “We kissed, knowing this was the beginning.”
More than 30 years later, the pair say “we’re as deeply in love now as we were then” – they celebrated their love with a civil partnership in 2006.
“We’ve been through ‘hell and high water’ and have survived contentious divorce and custody battles, family ostracism, life-threatening illnesses and disabilities and society’s ongoing disapproval,” says Finola.
“We’re now grannies, our children and grandchildren are thriving, laws have been changed and hearts and minds won over, to some extent. Love doesn’t conquer all, but goes an awfully long way to help. We are very lucky women.”
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Finola says the secret to their relationship is mutual respect and chemistry. Liz agrees, adding “attraction, excitement and love” have kept them strong. Finola’s advice to younger couples is: “Respect your differences and give each other space to grow separately and together.”
‘Don’t stay mad for long’
Kathleen and Michael Burke Kathleen and Michael Burke
Kathleen, 88, and Michael Burke, 89, have been married for 65 years. They tied the knot in 1955, at a church in Brislington, Bristol, close to where they met.
They honeymooned on the Isle of Wight and had three children, eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren – plus a dog named Whiskey.
The couple now live in Bamfield Lodge Care Home in Bristol. Kathleen needed some extra help after she was discharged from hospital four months ago and Michael decided to move in shortly afterwards, to be with his wife. They were “so happy” to be reunited.
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In a joint message, the pair agreed that the secret to a happy marriage is “don’t stay mad for long”. And their advice for younger couples is to “take your time with everything”.
‘Make sure you’re always having fun’
Supplied Ivor and Margaret Sherne
Ivor, 87, and Margaret Sherne, 84, met at a local tennis court in 1972. They struck up a friendship over their passion for the sport and, over time, their relationship blossomed. The couple married in 1973 at Harrogate Registry Office and they have six children – two together and two each from previous relationships – and 12 grandchildren.
The pair lived together in Knaresborough and Harrogate for more than 45 years, before Margaret moved to Bupa’s Southlands Care Home in September 2020.
Ivor has temporarily moved into the home while visits are limited during the pandemic. He arrived earlier this month and the couple have been inseparable since. The secret to their relationship is “mutual respect”.
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“Always be there and care for one another regardless of what else is going on,” says Ivor. “I also think it’s important to have shared interests. You don’t need to do everything together, but having mutual hobbies or passions gives you time to connect and brings you closer.”
His advice for keeping a relationship strong is: “Make sure you’re always having fun. Knowing there’s a smile on their face will always put a smile on yours.”
‘Don’t rush to complete milestones’
Supplied Roy and Avis Hammond
Roy Hammond, 84, and his wife Avis, 86, met in 1958, in the office where they worked together. They soon hit it off and have now been married for 60 years.
The couple live in Barchester’s The Wingfield Care Home in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, which Roy initially moved into in August 2018, before Avis joined him in February 2019 to be closer to her husband. They say the secret to their relationship is “basic friendship and companionship”.
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Their advice to younger couples is to slow down and enjoy dating, rather than rushing to complete ‘milestones’. “Be sure and take their time before they live together or get married,” the pair said in a joint message.
‘Don’t give up too easily’
Supplied Tony and Beryl Greasley
Beryl Greasley, 95, and her husband Tony, 97, met at the County Arms pub in Blaby, Leicestershire and married in June 1949. Beryl moved into The Lawns Care Home in Oadby, Leicestershire, in December 2015 and after months without visits due to the pandemic, Tony decided to move in this June.
The couple agreed that the secret to their relationship has been keeping their priorities in check. “Family is the centre of everything,” they said in a joint message.
Their one piece of advice to other couples is: “Not to give up too easily and work through any difficulties.” Apt advice, after the challenges we’ve all faced this year.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-06--'It Seems To Be Coming When The World Needs It The Most': How Jingle Jangle Reinvented The Christmas

'It Seems To Be Coming When The World Needs It The Most': How Jingle Jangle Reinvented The Christmas Movie

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Director David E. Talbert pitched the idea for his Jingle Jangle movie to Netflix because he felt the genre of Christmas movies felt non-inclusive.
“I told them about this story, and I told them about how there is no representation around the world of anyone of colour during the holidays in movies,” he tells HuffPost UK.
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“Scott Stuber, head of film at Netflix, said ‘we need to do something about that,‘” recalls David. “He said ‘can you come back next week and pitch it to me?’ So I went back next week - and they bought it in the room.”
Three years on from that initial conversation and Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is living and breathing and streaming on Netflix.
It’s the story of old toymaker Jeronicus Jangle, played by Forest Whittaker who lives in a town called Cobbleton. When his most prized toy goes missing, he enlists the help of his granddaughter to track it down.
David describes it as ‘Afro-Victorian’ in the way it fuses African prints, hairstyles, music and dance with the classic Dickensian Christmas movie aesthetic.
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David was inspired by his favourite movie, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, when he was crafting the role of Jeronicus. His exuberance is borrowed from Caractacus Potts coupled with elements of Ebenezer Scrooge. “He has to find his path back to joy again,” David says.
David on set in Norwich for the shoot of Jingle Jangle Netflix
David realised the need to tell the Jingle Jangle story when he showed his seven-year-old son Chitty Chitty Bang Bang but his son was disinterested and walked away, preferring to play with his Lego.
“I look at him walking away and first I’m upset,” remembers David. ”‘How can you not like daddy’s favourite movie?!’
“Then I look at the screen and I realise in that moment that these are the whitest kids on the planet. And he’s looking at his big Black father singing ‘Hi, Ho, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,’ and he’s wondering: what is going on here?
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“That was the thing that made me say, ‘Ooh, he has Black Panther on his wall, and Miles Morales is on his wall: he has options, he’s used to seeing other images that look like him, whereas for me growing up there were no other options. That’s when I said ‘it’s time to do something about this.’”
The director, who is known for his award-winning work on Broadway, enlisted Forest Whitaker to play Jeronicus, who helped shape the role to feel fresh while fitting into the canon of historical Christmas leads.
“Forest for me sits on the Mount Rushmore of actors,” says David, who says he cast Forest because he trusted the actor to make sure the character was “a character and not a caricature”.
Forest Whitaker as Jeronicus Jangle in Jingle Jangle Netflix
“He has crafted so many amazing roles, so I could trust him, I could trust all his instincts,” David asserts. “The layering, the nuance, I would just help throw him a lob every now and again and he’d take it and put it between his legs and slam it behind his back. Then we’d go back on the court: on to the next thing.
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He continues: “He mixed in this kind of Nutty Professor, kinda Caractacus Potts, mixed with a little bit of Rain Man: there you have this beautifully layered character. And that was his choice. I wasn’t sure at first but as the film kept going I’m like, ’Oh wow, oh okay, great character, that’s why he’s Forest Whitaker and I’m not. It just ended up working.”
Another of David’s creative cohorts was his wife Lyn Sisson-Talbert, who was a producer on the film and also imagined the costumes.
“She said we’re in the 1800s, these are Black people: either they’re straight from Africa or they defected from the US because of slavery, but at any rate they would be not too far removed from Africa so we’re going to mix in the Victorian fashion with African print.”
David Talbert filming on set with his wife Lyn Sisson-Talbert, who executive produced. Netflix
Lyn sent costume designer Michael Wilkinson to Africa. “He went to Ghana and Kenya and he got patterns and mixed those in with the Victorian design, that’s how we came up with that look. That’s why it has the vibrancy that the victorian style has never had.”
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Some of the film’s most memorable scenes are choreographed dances out on the snow-laden streets: the feeling is familiar, but the beats and the rhythms have changed along with the costumes: it all expands the audience’s imagination of what constitutes a Christmas film.
“I wanted to make sure the film had nothing to do with race, colour. It had everything to do with humanity and heart.” - David Talbert director
Forest Whitaker, who plays Jeronicus Jangle, helped shape his role to form something between Caractacus Potts and Ebenezer Scrooge Gareth Gatrell/NETFLIX
“One of the most important things was scope, spectacle,” says David. “I was very deliberate in the representation and what I wanted it to look like, but I wanted to make sure the film had nothing to do with race, colour.
“It had everything to do with humanity and heart. I wanted to wrap that in the same big expansive Dickensian world where we see all the classics.”
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Special effects pros Framestore helped transport the audience away into fantasy lands for some of the more elaborate scenes. But for the ones shot on location, after scouting all around the UK, the narrow cobbled streets of Norwich seemed perfect.
″In the US when you say cobblestones it’s usually a sheet of cobblestone that’s been made, but when I went to Norwich I had on the wrong shoes because my feet were killing me at the end of the day,” remembers David. “I didn’t realise there was an art to walking on that stuff. But when we found it I fell in love.”
David enlisted locals to star as extras and formed a close bond with one Black shoemaker. “I stumbled upon this shoe shop and I guess the one Black person in Norwich owns the shoe store,” he says.
“I walked by and I double taked [sic], ‘am I seeing my own reflection?’ No that’s a Black woman in the window! She said she’d moved here and I invited her to the filming.”
Many of the external scenes where filmed in Norwich to capture the sense of Dickensian aesthetic associated with Christmas movies. Gareth Gatrell/NETFLIX
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He adds: “Bisa Kdei was the score to the big snowball scene, and we had that as the music we were playing [on set] so people could get the feel and the vibe.
“She came up to me at the end of the day and she said: ’In all my life, I never expected to hear Bisa Kdei, an artist from Ghana, being pumped through the streets of Norwich. It was such pride on her face, but it wasn’t just pride on her face, on all the faces of the people who didn’t look like her. It was a moment of pure unbridled celebration and joy.”
Given the news cycle and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, David’s message about unbridled joy feels extra pertinent.
“It’s kind of an imperfect storm I like to say. But timing is everything and the film seems to be coming at a time when the world needs it the most.”
He hopes to continue diversifying the Christmas movie genre, and to return to Broadway to produce a stage version of the story. “I’m looking to expand the Jingle Jangle universe, maybe do a sequel or a prequel,” he says.
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“I want to continue to explore this world of visual effects and wonder and magic.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-06--Rudy Giuliani Tests Positive For Covid-19, Trump Says

.@RudyGiuliani, by far the greatest mayor in the history of NYC, and who has been working tirelessly exposing the most corrupt election (by far!) in the history of the USA, has tested positive for the China Virus. Get better soon Rudy, we will carry on!!!


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-06--Strictly Come Dancing Says Goodbye To JJ Chalmers As He Loses Jamie Laing Dance-Off

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JJ Chalmers has become the sixth celebrity to be voted off this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.
The athlete and TV presenter and his partner Amy Dowden were booted off the BBC ballroom competition during Sunday night’s results show.
The couple had to face Made In Chelsea’s Jamie Laing and his professional dance partner Karen Hauer in this week’s dance-off.
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JJ Chalmers and Amy Dowden have been voted off Strictly Come Dancing BBC / Guy Levy
JJ had to reprise his Charleston to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which netted him just 20 points out of 30 on Saturday night’s Musicals special, and left him bottom of the leaderboard.
While Jamie had fared better with the judges – scoring 24 for his Jive to Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – he didn’t prove as popular with the public, landing in the bottom two for the second consecutive week.
After both couples had performed again, Craig Revel Horwood chose to save Jamie and Karen, while Motsi Mabuse chose to save JJ and Amy, leaving head judge Shirley Ballas with the casting vote.
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Explaining her decision to save Jamie, she said: “Both couples lifted their game, I adored both performances very very much, and both couples made small mistakes, both couples. But on a more powerful and through difficulty of choreography and through sheer determination, I’m going to save Jamie.”
The pair faced Jamie Laing and Karen Hauer in the dance off BBC / Guy Levy
Following his exit, JJ told host Tess Daly: “I’m unbelievably proud. I never thought I would make it this far, I’ve gotten half decent maybe at something which I had no clue about to begin with and I’ve enjoyed every second of it, it has just been an absolute blast. It’s just a privilege to be in this long. I mean this competition is insane!
“To be counted among that cast at this stage in particular means the world to me. It’s meant everything. It’s been an unbelievable challenge, well outside my comfort zone but I’ve had this one to just keep me in it and I can’t quite express what she means to me.”
Amy added: “JJ it has been an absolute honour to be your partner and most importantly friend, throughout your Strictly experience. He is, and everybody would agree, one of the world’s most truest gentlemen.
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“I didn’t think I could possibly fall in love with Strictly any more and this year my heart is just beaming full of Strictly and that’s down to absolutely everybody and I love you all.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-06--Millwall Fans "Spreading Hatred" By Booing Players For Taking A Knee

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Millwall Football Club has said it is “dismayed and saddened” after its players were booed by fans for taking a knee at a match on Saturday.
The long-awaited home game against Derby County at The Den in south-east London saw supporters back in the stadium for the first time since February 29.
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But it was “completely overshadowed” when some of the 2,000 home crowd were heard booing the teams for taking a knee in support of the fight against racial discrimination.
In a statement released on Sunday, Millwall said it was ”dismayed and saddened by events which marred Saturday’s game.”
“The club has worked tirelessly in recent months to prepare for the return of supporters and what should have been a positive and exciting occasion was completely overshadowed, much to the immense disappointment and upset of those who have contributed to those efforts,” it said.
“The impact of such incidents is felt not just by the players and management, but by those who work throughout the club and in its Academy and Community Trust, where so many staff and volunteers continue passionate endeavours to enhance Millwall’s reputation day after day, year after year.
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“The club will not allow their fine work to be in vain.”
Millwall defender Mahlon Romeo later accused fans of “spreading hatred” and said the incident had left him feeling “the lowest I’ve felt in my time at this club”.
In an interview after the game, Romeo told the South London Press: “Today’s game, to me now, has become irrelevant. The fans have been let back in - which the whole team was looking forward to. But in society there is a problem - and that problem is racism.
“The fans who have been let in today have personally disrespected not just me but the football club. And what the football club and the community stand for. What they’ve done is booed and condemned a peaceful gesture which was put in place to highlight, combat and stop any discriminatory behaviour and racism. That’s it - that’s all that gesture is.”
Ryan Woods of Millwall takes the knee during the Sky Bet Championship match between Millwall and Derby County at The Den on Saturday. Jacques Feeney via Getty Images
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He continued: “I’m speaking on behalf of myself here – not any of the other players – I want to make that very clear. This is the first time I feel disrespected. Because you have booed and condemned a peaceful gesture which – and it needs repeating – was put in place to highlight, combat and tackle any discriminatory behaviour and racism in general.
“I’m almost lost for words. I don’t know how they thought that would make me feel. I don’t know what they thought taking a knee stood for. But I think I’ve explained it simply enough. I feel really low – probably the lowest I’ve felt in my time at this club.
In response, the Millwall Supporters’ Club said it “fervently” believed that those who took part in the booing were not racist.
📑 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 - Derby County
Please read the attached statement from the official supporters’ club of #Millwall FC.
You can access it also via our website here ⬇https://t.co/G9iGw35apO pic.twitter.com/NUIj5LCQUs — Millwall Supporters’ Club (@TheMillwallFans) December 6, 2020
The incident has been also been condemned by the English Football League (EFL), Football Association (FA) and anti-racism charity Kick It Out, as well as by Derby interim boss Wayne Rooney.
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Environment secretary George Eustice was criticised for not denouncing the fans who booed the players, arguing that Black Lives Matter should be seen as a “political movement”.
Speaking to Sky News’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday, Eustice said: “My personal view is that Black Lives Matter – capital B, L and M – is actually a political movement that is different to what most of us believe in which is standing up for racial equality.
“Each individual can take their own choices about how they reflect this and I know a number of people feel quite strongly and have taken that approach.”
Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said Eustice’s comments were “disappointing”, tweeting: “These would be disappointing comments from anyone but a Cabinet Minister?
“The PM needs to make clear that this is not the Government’s view.”
Our response to today's incident at Millwall. pic.twitter.com/129BS270N0 — Kick It Out (@kickitout) December 5, 2020
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The Hope Not Hate campaign also responded to the cabinet secretary’s interview, tweeting: “Saying that ‘Black lives matter’ shouldn’t be controversial and the fact that it is to some says much about the scale of racism in Britain today.
“Footballers have shown leadership on this issue. Government ministers should try doing that too.”
Derbyshire Police confirmed a 25-year-old man has been arrested over “a number of comments of an abusive nature” made on Facebook during the Millwall match.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--These Are The Tory MPs Angry With Barnardo's For Promoting Anti-Racism

The charity added: “We certainly don’t believe Britain is racist or that anyone should feel guilt about being from a particular background.
“We do know that in our country in 2020 being non-white creates particular and additional needs – indeed the blog itself was written based on what children in our services told us they wanted to convey. To be ‘colour blind’ would be to fundamentally fail in our duty to address the needs of these children.
“It is in that spirit we keep on raising awareness of the issues that affect this group – and we hope you will join us in doing so.”
The charity has received messages of support from a number of Labour MPs, including influential shadow justice secretary David Lammy, who tweeted: “Thank you @barnardos. As the father of an adopted child your commitment to standing up for children from all backgrounds means the world.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--Ofcom Finds ITV In Breach Of Broadcasting Rules Over Problems With Some On-Air Competitions

“However, it is important to note the scale and nature of this particular issue, which affected only a very small number of our viewer competitions over a number of years.”
The broadcaster insisted the problem only affected 0.3% of its competitions since 2014, and the postal entries in question were a “tiny fraction” of all the entries received.
Ofcom said it recognised “the proactive way in which ITV dealt with the issue by notifying Ofcom and immediately setting about to determine the extent and cause of the problem”.
But it said the broadcaster “failed to take reasonable care through its processes to ensure the competitions were conducted in such ways as to provide fair and consistent treatment of all eligible entries”.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--Nick Hewer Quits Countdown After Eight Years: 'It’s Time To Smell The Flowers And Get A Dog'

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Nick Hewer has quit Countdown after eight years.
The 76 year old has been absent from filming the Channel 4 quiz show in recent weeks due to lockdown, and admitted it had given him the opportunity to re-evaluate his life.
Nick, who has hosted Countdown since 2012, announced on Twitter that he intends to leave his role at the end of his current contract.
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Nick Hewer has quit Countdown after eight years Channel 4
He wrote: “Delighted to be back in the Countdown studio after another enforced lockdown, BUT this latest lockdown has given me an opportunity to consider my future life and I’ve decided it’s a good time to step down at the end of my contract in the New Year.
“As someone in his 77th year, who will be in his 10th year hosting the great British institution that is Countdown, I think it’s time to smell the flowers and get a dog.
“But let me now take the opportunity to say that it’s been a privilege and a pleasure to take the helm of Countdown, first broadcast broadcast back in 1982 and still a Guinness recordholder and although I’ll be on your screens well into 2021, let me thank the broadcasters Channel 4, the truly dedicated and unwaveringly professional studio crew and production staff at ITV Studios who make the programmes, all 250 or so a year, my wonderfully talented co-hosts Susie Dent and Rachel Riley, but above all, the quirky genius of producer Damian Eadie, who never ceases to amuse and who always demands the best of us. (sic)”
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Delighted to be back in the Countdown studio after another enforced lockdown, BUT this latest lockdown has given me an opportunity to consider my future life and I’ve decided it’s a good time to step down at the end of my contract in the New Year.
As someone in his 77th year, — Nick Hewer (@Nick_Hewer) December 7, 2020
who will be in his 10th year hosting the great British institution that is Countdown, I think it’s time to smell the flowers and get a dog.
But let me now take the opportunity to say that it’s been a privilege and a pleasure to take the helm of Countdown, first broadcast — Nick Hewer (@Nick_Hewer) December 7, 2020
broadcast back in 1982 and still a Guinness recordholder and although I’ll be on your screens well into 2021, let me thank the broadcasters Channel 4, the truly dedicated and unwaveringly professional studio crew and production staff at ITV Studios who make the programmes, — Nick Hewer (@Nick_Hewer) December 7, 2020
all 250 or so a year, my wonderfully talented co-hosts Susie Dent and Rachel Riley but above all, the quirky genius of producer Damian Eadie, who never ceases to amuse and who always demands the best of us. R — Nick Hewer (@Nick_Hewer) December 7, 2020
And a sincere thanks to our loyal viewers and of course the legions of contestants who battle their brains out for the chance of carrying off the Richard Whiteley Trophy or a priceless teapot. — Nick Hewer (@Nick_Hewer) December 7, 2020
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And so, to whoever takes my seat, I wish you every success and hope that you have as much fun and reward as I’ve enjoyed. @C4Countdown @susie_dent @RachelRileyRR — Nick Hewer (@Nick_Hewer) December 7, 2020
Nick also thanked Countdown viewers for their support and sent his best wishes to whoever will replace him on the show.
Former Radio 1 DJ Colin Murray has been standing in for Nick during his time away from the studio.
However, Channel 4 is yet to announce who will replace Nick full time.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--Mysterious Monolith Appears On Isle Of Wight Beach

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A 10-foot-tall metallic monolith has been discovered on an Isle of Wight beach, just days after similar structures were spotted in the United States and Romania.
The pillar was spotted on Compton Beach, on the west side of the island, over the weekend.
Island resident Alexia Fishwick said the discovery was “really quite magical”.
She told the PA news agency it was “pure chance” that she came across it.
“I’d read about the one in Utah and then Romania, so I knew the significance,” she said.
“Many people took no notice of it.”
A composite of images of a monolith on Compton Beach, on the Isle of Wight Alexia Fishwick
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She said people first thought she had photoshopped the images.
The gleaming object is reminiscent of those in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film, “2001: A Space Odyssey”, based on a novel by Arthur C. Clarke, in which alien monoliths mysteriously appear.
Lee Peckham, a lawyer living on the island who also spotted the structure on Sunday afternoon, said: “I saw it and wondered what it was and thought it a rather strange thing to see on the beach!
“I wondered who put it there and why.”
A metal edifice was first found planted in the ground in a remote part of Utah at the end of November.
It disappeared just days later, and two other shining metal towers later appeared in Romania and Southern California.
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“I can’t say it’s aliens, but it was here and now it’s gone,” said Terrie Banish, deputy city mayor of Atascadero, California.
She added: “It appeared… and in the middle of the night someone hauled it off. It’s under investigation by our police department, but it’s not been reported stolen.”
The first metal monolith installed in the ground in a remote area of red rock in Utah ASSOCIATED PRESS
An anonymous collective called The Most Famous Artist has taken credit for the monoliths in Utah and California.
It posted an image of the Utah monolith on Instagram, with a $45,000 (£34,000) price tag. That monolith was found by officials counting bighorn sheep in the remote desert.
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Another appeared in Romania’s mountainous Neamt country, close to an ancient Dacian fortress, before vanishing four days later.
When asked about the Isle of Wight structure, the collective said: “The monolith is out of my control at this point. Godspeed to all the aliens working hard around the globe to propagate the myth.”
As far as alien portals go, these ones seem pretty rudimentary.
Photographer Ross Bernards posted images of the Utah monolith to Instagram showing there is nothing especially alien about the structures, which are appear to be sheets of metal riveted to a hollow wooden scaffold.
Further demystification occurred as he was photographing the structure when a group of four men began dismantling it before carting it off in wheelbarrows. “Leave no trace,” one of the men told Bernards.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--Michel Barnier Sets Wednesday Deadline For Brexit Negotiations

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The UK and EU have until Wednesday to reach a post-Brexit free trade deal or face negotiations collapsing without agreement, Michel Barnier has told MEPs.
That date is seen as the “latest conceivable moment” to conclude a deal before EU leaders meet for a European Council summit on Thursday, a Brussels source told HuffPost UK.
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Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, was neither pessimistic or optimistic about the chances of a deal when he briefed MEPs on the European Parliament’s Brexit coordination group.
He confirmed that no deal had yet been reached on fish and was clear big differences remain and that time is becoming very tight, the source said.
It came ahead of a key call between Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula Von Der Leyen at 4pm on Monday, which could make or break Brexit talks.
Failure to reach agreement on a future trade and security relationship would see the UK crashing out of the standstill transition period into World Trade Organisation terms for trade with the EU from January 1.
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The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has estimated that leaving with a deal would cause a 4% long-term hit to the UK’s economic output.
Failing to reach a deal and defaulting to WTO terms would add a 2% impact to this, meaning a long-run hit to economic output of up to 6%.
EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier takes part in a meeting of ambassadors of European Union governments in Brussels on Monday POOL New / Reuters
Downing Street has said it is prepared to negotiate for “as long as we have time available” – with fishing access and quotas, and the extent to which the UK and EU follow common standards, thought to be the key sticking points.
The prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “Time is obviously in very short supply and we’re in the final stages, but we’re prepared to negotiate for as long as we have time available if we think an agreement is still possible.”
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The spokesperson also ruled out negotiations continuing into the new year if talks fail before December 31.
Asked if a series of mini-deals could be brokered on the areas already agreed between the two sides, the spokesperson said: “I think we’ve been clear that if we can’t reach an FTA we will leave on Australian terms.”
He also said: “Australia terms would mean the UK trades with the EU under WTO terms based on the principles of free trade.”
Barnier also reportedly told MEPs that member states would not approve a deal if Johnson presses ahead with law-breaking legislation that would give ministers the power to breach the withdrawal agreement that took the UK out of the EU in January.
The Lords had voted to remove the offending clauses from the Internal Market Bill that relate to trade between Northern Ireland and the UK mainland. But the prime minister is on Monday due to reinsert them before the Commons votes on the bill.
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Michael Gove travelled to Brussels on Monday morning for last-minute talks with Maros Sefcovic, his opposite number on the joint committee on implementing the withdrawal agreement.
Any agreement they reach on Northern Ireland may resolve the issue and remove the need for the law-breaking clauses that No.10 sees as a “legal safety net”.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--Piers Morgan And Jeremy Clarkson Settle Long-Standing Feud By 'Drinking Themselves Into Oblivion'

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The Good Morning Britain presenter previously claimed the former Top Gear star once hit him in the head three times at an awards ceremony in 2004, beginning a public war of words between them lasting many years.
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While Piers has admitted he and Jeremy haven’t exactly “kissed and made up”, they “declared peace” during their boozy evening out – although still had a “tense” time while filming the ITV quiz show.
Piers Morgan and Jeremy Clarkson Rex/Shutterstock/ITV/Hot Sauce
He said on Good Morning Britain: “It was as tense as you would imagine with Mr. Clarkson and I.
“We didn’t kiss and make up, we sort of bear hugged.
“We had a big night out at my local pub, where we sort of drank ourselves into oblivion and declared peace after a 10-year feud.”
Piers previously claimed Jeremy broke his own finger during their awards show altercation, and told viewers they can expect to see the offending digit during his Millionaire episode.
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He said: “It was a fascinating encounter. It’s fair to say the banter is off the charts, as you could imagine.
“I think at one stage he actually shows viewers his gnarled finger, which he broke hitting my head. That’s how hard that head is.”
Jeremy and Piers on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Stellify Media
Piers will appear as a contestant on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? over the Christmas period, where he is hoping to win money for the Scotty’s Little Soldiers charity.
In his column for the Mail On Sunday, Piers said Jeremy had been in disbelief he had signed up for the ITV quiz show, which he started hosting in 2018.
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Piers wrote: “He slouched into the green room with a massive smirk on his face. ‘Morgan, I can’t believe you agreed to do this!’ ‘Nor can I,’ I grimaced.
“Well don’t worry,’ he grinned with the undisguised glee of a sadistic public executioner who gets a kick out of guillotining people, ‘now you’ve been dumb enough to say yes, I fully intend giving the British public exactly what it wants...’


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--Best Group Routine Ever & Jamie Escapes Once Again | Jive Talking

Best Group Routine Ever & Jamie Escapes Once Again | Jive Talking
With the final in touching distance, the competition heated up this weekend, with the Musicals. HRVY who was top of the pile once again, Bill Bailey transformed into the Phantom Of The Opera. The curtain sadly came down on JJ Chalmers though, as he became the sixth celebrity to leave the ballroom.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--Strictly Come Dancing's Motsi Mabuse Quits Twitter After Being Trolled Over Scores And Comments

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Motsi Mabuse has deleted her Twitter account after being targeted by trolls on the social media platform.
After the Strictly Come Dancing judge was criticised by some viewers over her scores and comments over the weekend, she announced she was leaving Twitter.
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She wrote: “I’ve decided to leave Twitter!! It’s been fun but I truly think with Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.. it’s enough social media. Please keep up my #strictlykindess hashtag!! You know where to find me.”
Motsi removed her entire account, so everything she has ever tweeted has now been deleted.
Motsi Mabuse BBC
On Sunday, JJ Chalmers became the sixth celebrity to be voted off Strictly.
The athlete and TV presenter and his partner Amy Dowden were booted off the BBC ballroom competition during Sunday night’s results show.
The couple had to face Made In Chelsea’s Jamie Laing and his professional dance partner Karen Hauer in this week’s dance-off.
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They kicked things off wearing denim and plaid dancing to the Village People’s Go West, before changing to full drag as CeCe Peniston’s Finally kicked in.
Their trousers were then ripped off to reveal mini dresses, as they served looks and choreography complete with rainbow-coloured fans.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--Dawn French Had To Film Vicar Of Dibley’s Emotional Tribute To Emma Chambers Seven Times

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Dawn French broke down in tears as she struggled to film a tribute to late co-star Emma Chambers during the upcoming The Vicar Of Dibley specials.
The comedian said she had to shoot the scenes honouring Emma’s character Alice Tinker seven times.
Emma died in 2018 at the age of 53 after suffering a heart attack, and the sitcom will mirror real life events when Dawn’s character Geraldine Grainger explains that Alice has died.
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Emma Chambers (right) played Alice Tinker The Vicar of Dibley BBC
Speaking to The Mirror about the scenes, Dawn said: “Along with all the silly, funny stuff, there is a moment where we pay tribute to Alice and that was not easy to film.
“Honestly, I had to do it seven times. I didn’t get through it once without tears but it’s really important to remember this is where real life and Dibley come together.
“[Writers] Richard Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer have got this skill of making stuff funny and light but also being truthful and honest.”
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Dawn also admitted she has still not been able to watch the emotional episode, which will air as one of the three new specials.
Dawn French and James Fleet in the The Vicar Of Dibley special BBC/Tiger Aspect Productions Ltd/Des Willie
The 10-minute specials – airing straight after repeats of classic episodes in the lead up to Christmas – will see the vicar delivering sermons to her parishioners via Zoom during lockdown, post lockdown and pre-another-lockdown.
She will discuss important topics, such as how it’s never a good idea to let Owen Newitt – who was played by the late Roger Lloyd-Pack – cut your hair, or make homemade wine.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--A Minute Of Kindness: Dad Builds DIY Desks For His Kids During Lockdown

A Minute Of Kindness: Dad Builds DIY Desks For His Kids During Lockdown
Mitch Couch’s children, like many, had to study at home when schools were closed. The kitchen table didn’t suffice after a short period of time, so he put his carpentry skills to great use, so his kids could study.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--Moschino's Bakery Bags Are The Fashion Accessory Nobody Kneads

Moschino
We all got a bit obsessed with bread this year, baking sourdough to pass the hours during the first national lockdown. Now, fashion house Moschino has decided to cash in on the trend – but it hasn’t panned out so well.
The brand is selling a series of bakery-themed bags at eye-watering prices, which we’re sure would leave Paul Hollywood gawping in confusion.
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Among the accessories is a baguette-shaped clutch – pictured above – in ‘faux leather’ (aka plastic) with a gold-plated Moschino logo. It’ll set you back a mere £758.
Meanwhile the croissant-shaped bag, also £758, comes with a gold-plated chain shoulder strap and burnt pastry detail. Yum.
Moschino Moschino
The bags have been on sale for a while, but gained attention on social media this weekend after makeup artist Leila Giscombe shared a screenshot captioned: ”£758 to look like you’re holding a Subway.”
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Others soon followed with jokes and criticisms about the designs.
£758 to look like you’re holding a subway🤣🤣 is this a joke pic.twitter.com/9Fvk7Y4rIf — LEILA (@omgitsleilaa) December 4, 2020
@Moschino You may be the upper crust when it comes to fashion & as much as we knead & loaf you, I kneaded to wheat in when we saw our BAGuette design has been recrumbated/pinched. We are in disbeyest by what we saw today. Ours cost £1.20 to bake, please don't baguette about this. pic.twitter.com/I0YFso5c7u — Tasha (@Tasha69677503) December 3, 2020
Biggest dupe going ~ save yourself £757.15 pic.twitter.com/3OW7pvMuCV — BehindTheFalseLashes 🕊 (@HannahLouisa_xo) December 3, 2020
yall can’t make this shit up 😭 https://t.co/Zjc0U5YRHC — haribo🏳 (@habiba_qurashi) December 6, 2020


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--Jordan North Reveals Moment He Nearly Walked From I'm A Celebrity That Didn't Make It To TV

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The Radio 1 DJ has told of how he came close to quitting the reality show in a moment that was never aired on TV.
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Jordan North on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! ITV/Shutterstock
However, it was host Declan Donnelley who managed to came him down, before he eventually decided to do the trial, which famously featured Jordan shouting “happy place!” as he was locked in a coffin with snakes.
He said: “I’ve not talked about this to anyone. I just had a complete meltdown. And I know what people mean now by sheer panic. I delayed it by loads. None of this got shown on TV.
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“I just said, ‘I cannot do this. And I’m not going to do this. And in fact, I am gonna go. I don’t need to do this’. I nearly said, ‘I’m just not going to do the trial’. I nearly walked.”
“I’ve never had a panic attack before,” he said. “There were tears and I was struggling for breath. Dec said to me, ‘Jordan, breathe’. I do think they wanted to put an arm around my shoulders.”
Giovanna Fletcher was eventually crowned Queen Of The Castle Kieron McCarron/ITV/Shutterstock
Jordan and Shane went on to win nine stars in the trial, giving them nine meals to share with camp.
But Jordan’s terror meant the public voted for him to take part in two later trials.
The DJ ended up finishing in second during Friday’s live final of I’m A Celebrity, as Giovanna Fletcher was crowned the first-ever Queen Of The Castle.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--What You Need To Know About The Coronavirus Vaccine Card

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The rollout of the Pfizer/BioNtech coronavirus vaccine has started in the UK, with 90-year-old grandmother Margaret Keenan being the first to receive it. Those next in line will receive a souvenir of sorts.
After having the first dose of the vaccine, participants will be given a ‘vaccine card’ and instructed to keep it safe.
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The blue card has space for the date and batch number for the two jabs the recipients will receive.
It also advises: “Don’t forget to attend your appointment to have your second dose of vaccine. You will have your best protection after two doses.”
PA
The card will act as a reminder for people to have their second dose of the vaccine, rather than forming an “immunity passport”, health secretary Matt Hancock has insisted.
“The problem is that we don’t yet know if the vaccine stops you transmitting the virus,” he said on BBC Radio 4′s Today programme. “We’ve talked endlessly on this programme about asymptomatic transmission being one of the hardest things to handle in this pandemic.
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“The card that people are being given is a reminder card for their second appointment. It’s an absolutely standard NHS procedure, because you’ve got to come back for the second appointment.”
Hancock’s comments come after Tory MP Tom Tugendhat told HuffPost UK he can “certainly see the day” when bosses may not allow employees into the office unless they have received a Covid vaccine.
But ministers, including Michael Gove, have also previously insisted the government has no plans to introduce an “immunity passport”.
“I certainly am not planning to introduce any vaccine passports, and I don’t know anyone else in government who is,” Gove told Sky News.
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care also said: “We have no plans to introduce immunity passports. While we know this vaccine protects individuals, we don’t yet know if it prevents onward transmission. We will be carefully monitoring this in the coming months.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--The UK Rolls Out The Covid Vaccine This Week. Here's How It Works

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The UK’s mission to vaccinate the public against coronavirus begins this week with the rollout of the first MHRA-approved Covid-19 jab.
It represents the start of the biggest immunisation programme in the UK’s history, NHS England said.
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But which vaccine is being rolled out and who will get it first?
Here’s what you need to know.
Which vaccine is being rolled out — and when will vaccinations begin?
YUI MOK via Getty Images
There are a number of Covid-19 vaccine trials going on around the world.
But it is the coronavirus vaccine created by US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German company BioNTech that is set to be rolled out in the UK this week after the medicines regulator approved it for use last Wednesday.
The UK has procured 40m doses of the vaccine so far — enough to vaccinate 20m people, with each candidate needing two doses to be protected.
According to government ministers, there will be 800,000 doses in the first consignment of the vaccine.
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The first doses of the vaccine will be administered on Tuesday.
How does the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine work?
How the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine works. Infographic PA Graphics. Press Association Images
The Pfizer/BioNTech – which was shown to have a 95% efficacy rate in trials— is a messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine.
Conventional vaccines are produced using weakened forms of the virus, but mRNAs use only the virus’s genetic code.
An mRNA vaccine is injected into the body where it enters cells and tells them to create antigens.
These antigens are recognised by the immune system and prepare it to fight coronavirus.
Has the vaccine arrived in the UK yet?
The first shipment of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine arrived in the UK from Belgium on Thursday and was taken to an undisclosed central location to be stored.
The PA news agency reported that doses of the vaccine have started to arrive at vaccine hubs ahead of Wednesday — though it is not known exactly when all 50 hubs in England will receive a delivery.
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Pictures show the arrival of a batch of vaccines at Croydon University Hospital in south London over the weekend, with similar scenes unfolding all around the country.
Where are the vaccine hubs in England?
In the first wave of vaccinations, there will be 50 “hub hospitals” in England that will administer the jabs.
Here’s the full list:
Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust
Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
East Suffolk And North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust
James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Norfolk And Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
Croydon Health Services NHS Trust
St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust
Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospitals Coventry And Warwickshire NHS Trust
Royal Stoke Hospital
Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust
University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust
United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
Shrewsbury And Telford Hospital NHS Trust
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
South Tees NHS Trust
Wirral University Teaching Hospital
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust
Stockport NHS Foundation Trust
Blackpool Teaching Hospital
Lancashire Teaching Hospital Trust
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust – Wexham Park Hospital
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
East Kent Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – William Harvey Hospital
Brighton And Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust – Royal Sussex County Hospital
Portsmouth University Hospitals Trust
Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust
Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
North Bristol NHS Trust
How is the vaccine stored?
The vaccine needs to be stored at extremely low temperatures, somewhere between minus 70C and minus 80C.
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Public Health England has secured 58 specialised Twin Guard ultra-low temperature freezers which provide sufficient storage for around 5m doses of potential Covid-19 vaccines which require ultra-low temperature storage
The freezers, which are not portable, each hold about 86,000 doses.
Who will get the jab first?
Last week, the government published an updated priority list for the Covid-19 vaccine.
Care home residents and staff, people over 80 and frontline health and social care workers will be among those to get the vaccine first.
Here’s the full list:
Older adults resident in a care home and care home workers All those 80 years of age and over. Front line health and social care workers All those 75 years of age and over All those 70 years of age and over All those 65 years of age and over All Individuals aged 16 to 64 with underlying health conditions. All those 60 years of age and over All those 55 years of age and over All those 50 years of age and over The rest of the population (priority to be determined)
Should everyone over 80 expect a call this week?
A model holds a card which will be given to patients following their vaccination for COVID-19 at Croydon University Hospital in south London on December 5, 2020, where the first batch of COVID-19 vaccinations has been delivered to the area. GARETH FULLER via Getty Images
Though people over the age of 80 will be among the first to receive the coronavirus vaccine, it has been suggested by officials that those at the very front of the queue would likely be people already in hospital for outpatient appointments.
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Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said people should “hang fire” and be assured they have not been forgotten if they have not received a letter or a phone call about the jab.
He told the PA news agency on Sunday: “I don’t think people should expect anything over the next few days because the reality is, as I said, that for the vast, vast, vast majority of people this will be done in January, February, March.
“And the one thing that we don’t want people to get anxious about or concerned about is ‘Where’s my letter?’ in December.”
He added: “People really shouldn’t worry if they’re over 80 and they haven’t had a letter.”
Will the rollout of the jab lead to ‘vaccine passports’?
The government’s scientific advisors have suggested that “immunity certificates” could be issued to people after taking a coronavirus vaccine or getting the illness.
A paper published by a committee of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) said certification was “likely to be possible” in a move that would exempt people from government-imposed restrictions to halt the spread of Covid-19.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--Kate Garraway Praises ‘Phenomenal’ Co-Host Ben Shephard As Husband Derek Draper Remains In Hospital

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The former political lobbyist was placed in an induced coma after being admitted to hospital with coronavirus in March.
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Kate, who will present the 1 Million Minutes Awards virtually on December 17 with Ben, says he has been a “phenomenal” friend throughout her challenging year.
Kate Garraway and Ben Shephard PA
“For 20 years, Ben has had to do so much for me,” she said. “In the run up to the jungle, he lived every moment of that with me. But this year has been another level. He has been at the end of the phone and trying to do everything that he can to help.
“To be serious for a minute, it has been a huge pressure on him. Working alongside somebody that you care for and you are worried about, plus also trying to do the job, it’s a huge thing and I am very grateful that he has been there and I am aware how tough it’s been for him... He has been amazing.”
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Kate Garraway and Derek Draper pictured last year, after she left the I'm A Celebrity jungle James Gourley/ITV/Shutterstock
Ben added: “There is not a day when I don’t think about her and what is happening that day and whether I can do something to help her today.
“Kate is so brilliant and professional and we have fun so you sometimes forget the relentless journey that they are on at the moment.
“We all want to know what the outcome is going to be and that is the hardest thing, not knowing.
“It is so, so difficult and her eternal optimism and positivity is something that we can all look at. It is something that I use to inspire me as well.”
Kate has shared regular updates on her husband’s health through social media and on Good Morning Britain since he was admitted to hospital.
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Last month, she told of how Derek mouthed the word “pain” as he spoke his first word in eight months, as doctors moved his body while she watched over video call.
The couple - who are both 53 – married in 2005 and have a 14-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old son, Darcey and William.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--Easy Elf On The Shelf Ideas That Require Very Little Effort

HuffPost UK
You might have committed to the ultimate Elf on the Shelf hack – meaning your elf is in isolation for two weeks – which means you won’t need any new ideas.
If you haven’t, you’ll be scratching your brains each evening for somewhere new and exciting for the elf to sit. But here’s the thing: it doesn’t have to be new and exciting every day – your kids just want to see the elf moving!
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Here are seven simple ideas that can be done in a matter of seconds before you head to bed each night. Because, come on, we all need a bit of a break.
1. Shelf Elf
I mean, he is called Elf on the Shelf, isn’t he? So it’s absolutely okay for your elf to literally sit on the shelf one day. That’s his favourite place to be, after all.
2. Hanging Elf
Hanging elves from above always looks impressive to kids. Just grab a piece of string, find somewhere up high (the higher, the better), and swing him up.
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3. Soaking Elf
Baths are too big for our little elves – they have to have baths in the sink, instead. With some hot water and fairy liquid, he’ll be all set. And then later on, he’ll have to chill on the radiator to get warm and dry.
4. Hiding Elf
You could pretend your elf is playing hide and seek – this one is hiding in the cupboard with the stockpiled loo rolls. Turn it into a bit of a game.
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5. Christmas Tree Elf
Elves love Christmas, of course they do. There’s probably nowhere they’d rather be to be honest (other than a shelf).
6. Treasure Elf
What can your elf dig up from behind the sofa? You might even find a couple of quid you never knew was there!
7. Teeth Brushing Elf
Combine the power of the elf with a lesson in brushing your teeth (well, if it’s good enough for Hey Duggee). Tell your kid the elf is watching to see if they brush their teeth properly – and will report back to Santa.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--How To Do A Virtual Secret Santa That's Actually Fun

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As Christmas approaches, so does the standard Secret Santa gift swap. Gathering in person to open presents won’t be a safe option for most workers during the pandemic, but it can still be done virtually!
Here’s how to make your office gift exchange a good time even though it has to happen remotely:
1. Make it opt-in, because 2020.
Secret Santa should always be optional, so there’s no peer or managerial pressure to participate if someone doesn’t want to. That’s especially true in the long, hard year 2020 ― you don’t want the gift exchange to be one more stressful thing an overburdened colleague has to deal with.
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Beyond that, be conscious of cost and set the price limit low so that it’s not a hardship for anyone to participate.
2. Use exclusion lists so there are no awkward pairings.
In a traditional Secret Santa, givers and gift recipients are randomly assigned. Elfster and Draw Names are two popular websites you can use to virtually and confidentially draw names. Both websites give organisers the option to set exclusion lists for who should not draw whom.
Organisers should be particularly aware of power dynamics and try to ensure no one is obliged to buy their own direct boss a gift. If you’re new to management, check if other leaders typically participate before you join a staff gift exchange. Ideally, multiple managers join the pool so that people can avoid worrying about being paired with their boss.
You might also use an exclusion list for colleagues who don’t get along, or to ensure newer hires are paired with people they’ve actually met before.
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3. Actually use the hints features.
What happens if you don’t know your recipient that well? Elfster and Draw Names also give each participant the option to create their own wish list and anonymously nudge others to ask for hints of what they would enjoy receiving. You can even make the search for a thoughtful gift a team effort through Conspiracy Santa, an app that the company Zapier initially created for its remote staff and has since made available for all. Through the app, a whole team can conspire to select a gift for just one person.
4. When in doubt, go with something cash-equivalent.
A new HuffPost/YouGov survey showed that three-quarters of employees would feel very enthusiastic about receiving cash as a gift this year, and 37% of people would be very enthusiastic about a gift card to a store or restaurant.
Although Secret Santa presents are often more personal than company-wide gifts, it’s true that in a pandemic economy, you probably can’t go wrong with something equivalent to money.
5. Form your own gift exchange with people you choose.
Gift exchanges don’t necessarily have to include the people with whom you work directly; they could also involve colleagues you share a hobby with, like knitting, baking or reading, and be based on that shared interest. This year, I participated in a remote book swap with friends from a writing workshop. What made the exchange fun was that each of us already knew what genres and authors the others are into.
6. Set a theme for the gifts you’re exchanging.
Gifts could be shared experiences you can enjoy or craft together during the swap, such as cocktail kits or gingerbread house decorating supplies.
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7. Ensure mailing and receiving gifts is a smooth shipping experience.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--Revealed: Families Crammed Into Rooms Little Bigger Than Parking Spaces

The room where Jankhana and her family live is roughly the size of two parking spaces.
Space is so tight that they say it sometimes feels like a prison. Yet this room is considered adequate for a family of four in the UK.
Jankhana’s family is among 98,300 households in England who are now homeless and living in temporary accommodation organised by councils. The crisis engulfing the country has been worsening for many years, but has deepened since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Some of these homeless families, like Jankhana’s, end up living in one room, with access to shared kitchens and bathrooms. To report on conditions inside this type of housing, HuffPost UK followed two families for a year. We documented their journey through the pandemic to find out what it was like to spend lockdown in one room.
Their stories, told in the first of our special two-part series, shine a spotlight on the severity of a crisis that is set to spiral further as the pandemic continues.
Jankhana (right) and Milan with their daughter Anaaya, on the beds in the room where they lived. HuffPost UK
Jankhana’s story: September 2019 to February 2020
Jankhana and her family have been living in one room in a building in Plaistow, in east London, for two months by the time we first meet them in September 2019. They have been declared homeless and are forced to rely on the council for housing, which has placed them into this property.
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The room, which is the family’s only private space, is dominated by two beds and a kitchenette in one corner. As we speak to Jankhana, who is 29, her baby daughter Anaaya is playing on the double and single beds pushed together in the centre of the room.
The family has been homeless since Anaaya was 15 days old. Life in the room revolves completely around the beds and Jankhana fears the impact of this on her five-month-old daughter and four-year-old son.
“It’s not normal, if you think about it from the point of view of children, for their development,” she says. “What my son sees every day is we eat in a bed, we sleep in a bed, we play in a bed, this is what our life is like.
“I grew up eating in a kitchen, sleeping in a bed, playing outside or maybe in the living room. But his life is not like that. We don’t have space for the baby to crawl.”
The little floor space available is crammed with the family’s belongings, leaving hardly any area for the children to play. There is no table or chair in the room, meaning the family spends most of the day on the bed. There is a small communal kitchen, which is shared with people living in two nearby rooms.
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Perhaps inevitably when a space of this size is inhabited by four people, there is some evidence of infestation in the room when HuffPost UK visits in September 2019. Jankhana shows us an insect trap underneath the sink, only a metre from the bed, which has two dead cockroaches stuck inside it. She holds up a packet of rice that has teeth marks in the plastic wrapping where mice have bitten into the family’s food.
Left, Jankhana holds a bag of rice that has been eaten through by mice. Right, she couldn't afford tupperware, so begged for a mayonnaise container to keep the mice away from her family's food. HuffPost UK
“When we sleep, the mice just start eating and I always wake up and try to find out where they are. Are they eating or are they licking my kids’ food?” says Jankhana. “So it’s very difficult. I have nightmares. If I close my eyes the mice start making noises and I’m scared.”
Money is incredibly tight for the family, who are surviving on £37 each a week. This means Jankhana cannot afford to replace food or even buy tupperware. Underneath the bed is a large plastic Heinz mayonnaise container with a lid. Jankhana says she begged a local chicken shop to give this to her so she can store food and try to keep the mice out. She is nervous about putting groceries in the shared kitchen because they could be stolen.
While the summer has brought one set of challenges for the family, by February 2020 the winter months have also brought new difficulties. Jankhana says there are no longer mice in the room, but she describes how the family has been left without hot water on four or five occasions over the winter. At times, Jankhana has to bathe Anaaya in cold water.
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The shared toilet and shower Jankhana's family uses with a neighbour, who she says is constantly sick. HuffPost UK
“My kids get sick – they catch cold,” she says. “When we need to clean them I have to use cold water, to clean her bottom or her face or her hands. [We could] use another flat, but if we go there then people complain. It’s not hygienic for the baby because she’s very little. She can catch anything any time.”
An elderly man living in the next door room, directly on the other side of the wall, has also been very loud at night since he returned from hospital a couple of months ago. The noise wakes the family and disturbs them. Jankhana says the man is often sick in the shared toilet.
“The toilet gets so dirty and the kids, especially my son, gets infections or diarrhoea,” she says. “It’s like there’s no end for that, even though the amount of times I clean the seat.”
The constant mental drain of living in this room takes its toll. Jankhana has previously suffered from post-natal depression and is still having treatment for mental health problems. Being homeless, and the uncertainty of their situation, has left her with little hope for the future.
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“I don’t know what will happen,” she says. “I have a roof, some money to eat. But I am just staying without any hope. Any time I try to be positive or hope for something, if it doesn’t happen it puts me into depression, so I stop thinking [about] what will happen next.”
Floor plans in the building where Jankhana lives show how flats on the first and second floor are divided into separate units of accommodation with shared kitchens and bathrooms Huffpost UK
The building itself looks like a classic 1960s housing block that would once have provided flats for families. Now this privately-owned block has been further divided up to provide temporary accommodation to the homeless, and is rented out through the council.
Floor-plans, stuck in the entrance corridor to the building, show spaces that appear to be two-bedroom flats – with a living room, kitchen and bathroom. But each room is now numbered as a separate living unit, creating 32 rooms. Jankhana, Milan and their children live in one of these rooms. The elderly man lives next door and there is a young student in the third room of what would have once likely been a flat. They all share the small communal kitchen and bathroom.
While the units provide adequate accommodation for individuals, it is hard to understand how this room – even though it is bright and freshly painted, with clean floors – is a place where a family of four can live with dignity and respect.
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“For a single person it is OK, but for four people – you just feel like it is a prison, four walls,” says Jankhana’s husband Milan.
Rafiat’s story: September 2019 to February 2020
Children's belongings under the eaves of the loft room where Rafiat and her daughter live HuffPost UK
In a small converted loft room in another area of east London, mum Rafiat and her two-year-old daughter Zara live in conditions that echo many of the problems faced by Jankhana’s family.
The 31-year-old and her little girl share the tiny attic conversion with another family, who live in another room across the hallway of the house in Ilford. Rafiat’s room is just slightly larger than an average UK car parking space. The already small space is made more claustrophobic as a significant section of the room is under the eaves of the roof and not at full head height.
“The first night I got there I cried,” says Rafiat. “I cried. I called the council and I said: ‘I can’t stay here – I’m going to go crazy.’”
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This room is dominated by a double bed, which takes up about half the floor space. Rafiat and Zara both sleep in the bed as there is not enough room for a cot. The bathroom is in a cupboard with a concertina door. It is less than a metre wide. There is no space for a table or chairs in the room, and only a tiny amount of floor space for Zara to play. The small kitchen they share with one other family is under the eaves of the loft and only has space for units and a cooker.
“The kids can’t be kids, really, because they are really restricted to things they can do,” says Rafiat. “They have to play on the stairs, because sometimes they want space but there’s nowhere for them to play, really and truly, so they literally just play in the corridor.”
Rafiat has done her best to organise the narrow space, and it is homely. But the loft room has only one window and is stiflingly hot in summer and cold in winter. When Rafiat moved in, the bed was pushed up against the window, leaving her terrified Zara may climb up and fall out. Rafiat says the hot water in the building sometimes does not work. When the communal washing machine is broken she has to handwash clothes in the small sink in her room. She resents the £6 service fee that is added to the £780 monthly rent the council is charged.
“It’s too much money for this little room,” she says. “My friend has got a place through housing accommodation, a two-bedroom in Hackney and she pays £500-and-something pounds. But we’re staying in a box and we’re paying almost £800 every month. That’s not good.”
The hot summer months have brought challenges. Rafiat tells us there are “mighty cockroaches” in the building.
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“There are cockroaches everywhere, and mosquitoes,” says another resident. “I’ve complained a lot about the cockroaches. They just come out of the holes and sometimes [my daughter] is putting them in her mouth.”
Cockroaches in a bathroom at the building where Rafiat lives. HuffPost UK
The rooms are within a Victorian villa that looks from the outside like a generous family home. Instead it has been converted into 10 separate rooms – all housing families with children, Rafiat claims. Rafiat has lived in this temporary stop-gap housing for a year. Others have been there for up to two years. Rafiat knows the chances of the council being able to move her are almost non-existent.
“The only time they want to move you, and I’m not saying this is a bad thing, but the only time the council wants to move you or people think you’re a priority is when you’ve got a disabled child who shouldn’t be there [in the property],” she says.
Instead, she is doing everything she can to try and improve her situation. She is studying a short course in project management, organised by The Magpie Project – a homeless charity that helps mums with young children. She has an interview for a job at a council and is hopeful that she will get it.
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The small bed and window in Rafiat's room. HuffPost UK
When she has any spare time, Rafiat loves to read and she has just borrowed the novel Jane Eyre from the local library. When she was younger she dreamed of working in one of the City’s skyscrapers and was offered a place to study accounting and economics at university, but could not afford to take it up.
She radiates positive energy. But she says being homeless has at times damaged her mental health.
“There are times I just lock myself up inside because I’m ashamed of going out, because I don’t want people to see me, because I think I’m kind of like a nobody,” she says. “So I just say: ‘OK, we’ll lock ourselves up inside,’ and I try to avoid people as well as much as I can.”
Rafiat hopes she will get the job she is applying for. Then the council may be able to help her find a housing association flat – one of the few affordable forms of accommodation.
“The times I have a panic attack,” she says. “You are waiting, waiting, and you think: ‘There are people on the street, you should thank God for where you are right now,’ but…”
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Jankhana’s story: March 2020 to present
As the coronavirus pandemic spreads globally and the UK is locked down in March 2020, Jankhana and her family find themselves in an impossible situation.
“After lockdown, we spent a couple of weeks all together in the room,” she says. “It was so hard. My mental health was getting much worse. Four people in one room and you can’t go anywhere – it was very, very hard.”
As the country adjusted to staying at home, there was barely anything for the family to do to pass the time within the confined space of the room. “There was no settee and no internet, so we didn’t have the chance to watch TV or YouTube because the internet wasn’t working well,” says Jankhana, who is now 30. “My kids were getting emotionally overwhelmed and frustrated, and me too. I was feeling isolated and lonely and we couldn’t go outside. No one was going out and the world was so empty.”
The family says during this time social distancing was a physical impossibility due to the shared kitchen and bathroom, heightening their fears of contracting Covid-19.
“Definitely it was a big worry,” says Jankhana. “There was so much anxiety because of the virus. Because just a normal cold caused us big worries. When one of us gets a cold it doesn’t go for nearly two months, it just circulates between the four of us. So we were both worried, if this virus comes, it will spread between the four of us.”
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It was also impossible for them to use communal facilities like the washing machine. It wasn’t until the country had been on full lockdown for a fortnight that council workers finally moved the family out of the room and into a two-bedroom flat. The new larger space has already benefited the children.
Jankhana with Anaaya in February 2020. HuffPost UK
“The kids are much happier and they hit a number of milestones,” says Jankhana. “My baby wasn’t walking because of the lack of space and now it’s like she’s out of jail. She just started crawling everywhere super fast, and walking. So that’s a huge difference.”
Money has been very tight, with food – particularly vegetables – costing more during the pandemic and nothing spare for baby clothes. The food and clothes banks the family relied on are closed. Asked whether it should have taken a global pandemic for her family to be moved out of the room, Jankhana says: “I was thinking that this virus is a blessing for us because they moved us, so for that this virus is lucky for us.”
But Jankhana is afraid they could still be moved back into a self-contained flat within one room. “If Covid finishes, it will be OK to maybe move us into one room again,” she says. “So that’s why we’re worried.”
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Meanwhile, the family is caught in limbo. Jankhana, who is from Maharastra in India, came to Britain to study an MBA at Anglia Ruskin University under a student visa and was due to do an MSC in engineering project management. Milan, also from India, was working here.
Their lives were turned upside down by what appears to be little more than a “silly” admin error by the government. They say the Home Office refused to extend her student visa, claiming she had missed a deadline, but the couple contest this and have taken legal action to challenge the decision. Now, with no immigration status, the couple are unable to work or volunteer.
But social services still have a legal duty to house their children. So while the state pays to keep the family in temporary housing, it has also blocked any avenue they have to escape it, as they cannot earn a living.
“We don’t want money from the council,” says Milan, also aged 30. “If I was able to work I don’t want a single penny from anyone. I can earn my own money. We are not blaming the council – it’s just the situation. Yes, we are in destitution, but we don’t want to be there.”
Old pictures of the couple show them both smiling and happy, living productive lives in the UK. Both worked here legally – Jankhana as an administrator and Milan as a manager at Tesco. They lived in a four-bedroom house, sharing with friends. The couple are trying to challenge the Home Office decision so they can win back the right to work, but in the meantime they have no recourse to public funds. Jankhana looks back on her old life and barely recognises it.
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“My old friends now – it’s been five years – are in good positions, they are doing very well, they have good jobs and I’m still just nowhere,” she says. “Even though I’d like to do something I cannot. I am just stuck and I feel I am going down and down.
“I lived a very good life. But this past five or six years, the way I live, it’s like I’ve spent 100 years in black days.”
The family is still living in temporary accommodation. In the first week of December, they were moved by the council into a self-contained two-bedroom flat in another area of east London. They hope they will be able to stay there in the longer term.
Rafiat’s story: March 2020 to present
The arrival of lockdown also coincides with significant changes in Rafiat’s life. In February 2020, the 32-year-old finds out she has got the job she applied for at the council. She also receives a letter saying she will be moved out of the loft room.
But by June 2020 this still has not happened and she has spent three chaotic months during lockdown living and working in the tiny attic while looking after Zara.
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“I’m not able to take my daughter to nursery and we’re spending all the time together,” she says. “She’s getting older now and I’ve started work as well. So I’m working from home and it’s not really ideal to work in a room with a child.
“She wants something, I’m trying to do work, she’s screaming when I’m on the phone. It feels like you’re in a box and you know sometimes your head just feels really tight in a tight space.”
The restricted head height in the room means Rafiat has to sit on the floor with her laptop while working. She has a backache continuously. Social distancing is also impossible in the building as the neighbouring room is less than two metres away across the hallway.
Belongings stuffed under the eaves in Rafiat's small room. The ceiling is so low, she has to sit on the floor to use her computer. HuffPost UK
“There was one time when everyone was sick in the whole building,” says Rafiat. “I was sick and Zara had a cough for more than three weeks non-stop.”
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Rafiat was struggling to see a way out until she contacted the homeless charity Shelter and a caseworker intervened on her behalf with the council. She was moved into a two-bedroom flat in east London on a private rental contract for two years in June.
“Within two days they moved me,” she says. “They called me an emergency and said I had to move.”
Rafiat says the new flat is “a decent property” but the move was a struggle as the flat is unfurnished and she doesn’t have many belongings. Zara has her own room, although she struggles to sleep in it after sharing with her mother for so long. Rafiat believes being in full-time employment helped her finally escape the loft, but she worries for others living there.
“There are other mums still there and the council keeps telling them the same thing, that they’re not moving them,” she says. “So I just feel sorry for quite a few people and I just feel like I’m blessed.”
In September 2020, a year after HuffPost UK first met Rafiat, the family celebrates Zara’s third birthday. Lockdown has been eased, and Rafiat says this year she will put presents in her little girl’s room, invite family around and spoil her. She can already see the difference living in a home with sufficient space is making to their lives.
“When I went back to the other property to visit they said: ‘You look so different, you look so happy now,’” she says. “Yes, I feel much better. I’m really happy and thank God.”
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She adds: “I still cry sometimes. But when I look at Zara it’s like, you know what, I’ve done well and it’s been worth it. Even through the pain, I look at my daughter and I have a happy child.”
Rafiat lived in temporary homeless housing for 18 months before she was finally moved.
The families featured in this story were supported by The Magpie Project, a charity that helps mums and under-fives living in temporary accommodation through its drop-in centre and by providing food parcels and access to benefits and immigration advice.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--Brexit: There's Still No Trade Deal. Here's What Happens Now

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Despite months of talks a post-Brexit trade deal still has not been agreed.
Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, agreed both sides would reopen the troubled negotiations on Sunday, after they were “paused” on Friday.
But following a late night and intense discussions over the remaining differences – fishing quotas, fair competition rules and how to resolve disputes – there is still deadlock, with France threatening to veto a deal. And Wednesday now looks to be the deadline for talks to conclude.
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What happens now?
Legally, the transition period, during which the UK effectively remains part of the EU customs union and single market, ends on December 31.
The prime minister has ruled out seeking any extension.
It then logically follows that, if no last-minute deal is struck in the coming hours, Britain will leave the EU without any future relationship in place and will fall onto default World Trade Organisation rules.
What does that mean for the economy?
A no-deal outcome means from January 1 there will be significant tariffs in place on goods and agricultural products, which could in turn jeopardise jobs and industry.
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) warned earlier this month that no-deal would leave the UK worse by 1.75% in terms of GDP (gross domestic product) next year and unemployment could reach 8%.
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To put it in context, Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has said that no-deal would be a greater long-term hit to the economy than the coronavirus pandemic.
In the days before December 31, the government is expected to do all it can to prepare businesses.
What about the borders and importing goods?
The UK would have a hard border with the EU, where before there was free flow of goods, services and people.
A leaked Whitehall document, known as the Yellowhammer report, predicted a three-month “meltdown” as rules and regulations governing imports, exports and customs would effectively be ripped up overnight under no-deal.
Officials forecast lines of 7,000 trucks at Dover and two-day waits to get into France.
This could also mean delays to food supplies, goods and potentially medicine.
A report on Sunday suggested supplies of the Covid-19 vaccine would be flown into the UK by military aircraft.
And environment secretary George Eustice admitted at the weekend that there could be “some impact” to food prices for consumers.
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In terms of financial services, the UK is likely to still be able to access EU services on the basis both markets are equivalent. This is something the Commission decides unilaterally.
The free flow of data is largely expected to continue after the UK put the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules into law last year.
What about Northern Ireland?
The withdrawal agreement negotiated by Boris Johnson protected Northern Ireland’s soft border with the EU, with the region expected to continue to follow some of the bloc’s rules.
But the government’s controversial Internal Markets Bill and the Finance Bill both override that deal by tying the region to the rest of the UK’s rules.
The EU has said the legislation breaches international law and has begun legal proceedings.
Eustice confirmed on Sunday the government intends to press ahead if no deal is struck.
Will this be how it is forever?
Both sides agree that a trade deal is preferable to no deal.
It is highly unlikely that, even if Britain crashes out of the bloc later this month, talks for a future agreement would not reopen in future, given the two markets’ close proximity and shared interests.
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How much damage is caused to international relations and both the UK and EU economies in the meantime remains to be seen.
How much time is left for a deal?
That date is seen as the “latest conceivable moment” to conclude a deal before EU leaders meet for a European Council summit on Thursday, a Brussels source told HuffPost UK.
Any agreement has to be ratified by both the UK parliament and the European parliament as well as signed off by the EU leaders. Time is running out.
There had been hopes that could happen at a two-day summit in Brussels starting on Thursday — the final scheduled gathering of the year.
If a deal is reached this week, the MPs could be expected to vote on it next week or possible the week after.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--Why ASMR Is Having A Second Coming During The Pandemic

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Hushed whispers into a microphone, mouth noises accentuated, lips and hands embracing the mic as if a performer is physically connected with the audience...
Hard to believe, perhaps, but the term ASMR – or autonomous sensory meridian response – was first coined a full decade ago in 2010 by a woman named Jennifer Allen, who started a Facebook group to collect anecdotal information about a tingling sensation she kept experiencing that was triggered by sound. She wanted to know if was only her.
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It wasn’t: in the years since, AMSR has grown exponentially, with dedicated websites and big-name influencers fighting for their market share. According to Science Daily, there are 13 million ASMR videos on YouTube alone, with performers netting subscribers into the millions. Gentle Whispering, run by the Russian-American performer Maria Viktorovna, has the most with 2 million. It’s even had its share of backlash, with Ellen DeGeneres just one of those to have publicly poked fun at the form on her show.
But it’s certainly reframed how we think, not only about sound and performance, but how the internet can make us feel sensations in our bodies. No, not like that, though yes, ASMR porn is a thing, too – but plenty of ASMR content is totally safe for work.
Yulia Lisitsa via Getty Images
For the uninitiated, an ASMR performer might read you a story, make relaxing nosies into the mic – anything from scrunching some paper to eating their lunch, or they may practise meditation, breathing and mindfulness exercises, and encourage you to do the same – whether you’re tuning in via YouTube, TikTok, Spotify – or in some instances, live.
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Headphones can bring us closer to these intimate words and sounds, which have been clinically proven to have scientific benefits for our mental and physical health. That pleasant tingling sensation in your brain, neck or upper back? Well, that’s been linked to decreased levels of stress and sadness.
More than simply a relaxing form of entertainment, then, does ASMR have the power to soothe anxiety during times of stress – say, during a global pandemic?
Vadym Ivanchenko via Getty Images
“I’ve always noticed whenever there’s something going on in the world, something big, then there are lots of comments,” says ASMR performer WhispersRed – real name Emma Smith – of her YouTube channel, which has more than 900,000 subscribers and some 200,000 views for each video.
People have always come to her content for escape, says Smith, who is in her forties and was a full time mum before she began with ASMR – but things feel more urgent now. “Existing viewers are saying: ‘I’m just so grateful for ASMR. I was grateful before, but I’m really grateful now because I really need it.’”
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The comments under her videos have become an alternative refuge for people struggling with their mental health this year, she observes. “Nobody wants to come to the channel and have an argument about politics, no-one mentions any names. They just say: ‘What’s going on with us right now is really difficult.’”
New research published by SEMRush reveals that online searches for ASMR rose by 22% during the first UK lockdown – and that’s only increasing as we head into winter. “Winter time in general is difficult, it’s going dark about half-past four now,” says Smith. “ASMR is used a lot during winter months anyway.”
Research by Bottlegreen suggests almost two thirds (59%) of Brits are feeling more apprehensive than ever about winter. Smith has even collaborated with the brand to produce a video featuring the sounds those surveys chose as the most comforting: crunchy leaves (33%), crackling logs (32%) and falling rain (31%).
People don’t tend to argue under ASMR videos,” Smith says of its ability to soothe. “It’s quite surprising if you’re used to going round YouTube and reading comments.” And of her followers, she says: “[They’re] just sharing their experiences really, without going too far into politics or whether they’re a masker or anti-masker – no one’s getting into any of that which is really nice.”
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Smith certainly knows her audience. In her most recent video, she tells them in a hushed but assertive voice: “I think the most revolutionary thing any of us can do right now is stay calm.” Another, titled simply, Comfort for Anxiety, includes her advice on breathing techniques and ways to reframe the mind for those suffering from anxiety and panic attacks.
With a rise in stress and anxiety during the pandemic, it’s no wonder people are experimenting with new forms of self-care. Ecotherapist Helen Edwards previously told HuffPost UK she’s experienced a surge in requests for her services since lockdown, and helplines such as Mind have reported twice the usual call volume for this time of year in requests from those struggling.
Here’s a simple reason why ASMR is particularly easy to adopt and engage with, suggests Smith. ″Sound is everywhere,” she says. “But unless you’re really aware of it, you don’t realise how much of an impact it has on your day.”
Some ASMR performers take a more literal approach to helping audiences with their Covid-19 anxiety. YouTuber ASMR Darling plays a doctor in her videos, checking audiences’ eyes and swabbing their mouths (trust us, it’s all in the performance) to check for signs of the virus. “There’s a lot of panic about the coronavirus right now, and it’s important that we establish what is fact and what is not true,” she says in the video, which has over 400,000 views.
Another performer, DeanASMR, has an alternative take with his clip, Doing Your Make Up In The Corona Virus Quarantine Room, in which he whispers his recommendations for top beauty products, alongside entertaining commentary.
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For her part, Smith listens to ASMR as she takes her make-up off before bed. “I’ll have the sound on while I’m falling asleep most nights... I’m usually asleep within a few minutes.” Sound is really underrated, she says. “If you think that you can feel intense relaxation from a sound, even if it’s just tapping on a table, it leads you to understand that other sounds have effects on the body as well.”
Regaling some of her favourite everyday sounds, she says: “You can fall asleep listening to nature programmes, can’t you, because of the voice. And snooker on a Sunday afternoon after you’ve had your lunch – listening to the balls, and that quiet voice in the background explaining the moves and everything.”
Perhaps ASMR is nostalgic, then, a throwback to childhood, to bedtime stories and whispering games, to first experiencing that tingling sensation in our lives.
“It’s always been there,” agrees Smith. “When you were little, when someone was brushing your hair or when kids at school would draw letters on your back when you’re listening to the teacher read a story. Or you would feel it from being in the classroom and hearing other people put their pencils away in their case.”
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And contrary to what some say about ASMR being sexual at its root, Smith says it actually makes her feel parental. “I just really like to do the things like a virtual massage or a facial: anything that’s me caring for someone or something, or sending someone to sleep or tucking you in before you go to bed,” she says.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--How Often We’ll Need To Be Vaccinated Against Covid-19

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Every Monday, we’ll answer your questions on Covid-19 and health in a feature published online. You can submit a question here. HuffPost UK reader Pat asked: “Do we need the Covid vaccine every year?”
With millions of people already vaccinated with a first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine and a roadmap released for easing lockdown, people are feeling a glimpse of hope as they look to the future.
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One question on a lot of people’s minds is whether we’ll have to have the Covid vaccine more than once, or whether the initial two doses of either the Oxford or Pfizer vaccines will be enough to keep us immune for years to come.
The answer: it’s likely we’ll need more jabs. With new variants on the loose in the UK, scientists believe we’ll need booster vaccines in the near future – possibly as soon as autumn/winter this year.
Dado Ruvic / Reuters
The matter of how often we’ll need the vaccine is a “really important question,” Professor Daniel Altmann, from the department of immunology and inflammation at Imperial College London, previously told HuffPost UK
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In December, he said that if we can come through “the huge challenge of efficient, mass distribution and vaccination with a high level of uptake” – which so far, seems to be happening in the UK – “the next question will be some large scale monitoring to understand stability of immunity”.
“This won’t be a simple one-size-fits-all answer. Durability may be different with: age, obesity, prior infection, genetics,” he said. “So we need to keep checking. We’ll then know if we need to re-immunise at one year, two years, etc.”
Евгения Матвеец via Getty Images
Both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines were developed and trialled within a rapid timeframe.
As part of this process, tens of thousands of people were vaccinated in trials – however because the trials have only been happening since last year, we’re still waiting to find out how long the trial participants’ immunity lasts.
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With new variants circulating in the UK – including the South African variant, which a study found the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine does not work as well on – all the vaccine manufacturers are now looking at creating new jabs to better target the variant.
In the UK government’s roadmap for recovery, published in February, it acknowledged that Covid-19 will likely become endemic, meaning the virus will reach a stable and hopefully manageable level – a bit like flu.
“Vaccinations – including revaccination – will be key to managing the transition from pandemic to endemic state,” said the document.
With new variants cropping up as the virus mutates, it’s likely there will need to be a revaccination programme – which reports suggest will run later this year – consisting of a single booster dose.
The vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi recently told The Andrew Marr Show: “We see very much probably an annual [vaccine] or a booster in the autumn then an annual [vaccine], the way we do with flu vaccinations.”
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