Lifestyle

A campaign has been launched to overturn the negative stereotyping of Essex girls after the term "Essex Girl" became officially recognised by dictionaries. Natasha Sawkins, 34, and Juliet Thomas, 32, have started an online petition to get the expression removed and have already had thousands of signatures in support. The Oxford English and Collins English dictionaries describe "Essex Girl" as a "derogatory" noun. The latter has the definition: "A young working class woman from the Essex area, typically considered as being...

Migraine is a complex condition with a wide variety of symptoms. About one in seven people suffers from migraine and it is most prevalent among adults of working age. It is ranked globally as the seventh most disabling disease among all diseases, responsible for 2.9% of all years of life lost to disability (YLDs), and the leading cause of disability among all neurological disorders. For many people the main feature is a painful headache. Other symptoms include disturbed vision, sensitivity...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Here, Jackie Harris, Clinical Nurse Specialist at Breast Cancer Care, talks about the importance of checking your breasts, and what you should be looking for… Signs and symptoms When you think about breast cancer, you’re likely to think of a woman finding a lump in their breast. But in reality, there are many different signs and symptoms to look out for. A Breast Cancer Care survey found that a third of women aren’t regularly...

The contemporary adage that our squared-eyed kids spend too much time in front of the television may be wide of the mark, according to new research, which shows modern children may have mastered the balance between tech and play. A study of boys aged 6-12 found that although they spend a shocking total of 29 days and nine hours a year playing video games, they will spend five days,16 hours playing sport, will play outside for two hours each day and spend 103 hours on their...

What could have been a tragic end of life to an elderly woman, ended positively, after an observant woman noticed her regular customer was missing. Doreen Mann, 87, had been stuck in her bath for four days and only stayed alive by topping up the tub with the hot water tap and drinking out of the cold water tap, and a dressing gown to cover her body. She shouted out for help but nobody heard her, and she doesn’t have...

Do you believe in the paranormal? That’s a question that can divide opinions around any dinner table. Some will say yes and that they have had an experience, some will say they believe but have never witnessed anything and some will reservedly say no. What is interesting however is the number of people who don’t believe in the paranormal but still take precautions against it. New research has found that a quarter of Brits think Ouija boards can hold demonic...

Tom and Caroline’s little boy had just turned four when the couple first started thinking about extending their family. Dominic had brought untold joy to their lives and both had embraced parenthood with gusto. As they considered their new addition, their thoughts increasingly turned to the possibility of welcoming their second child through adoption. Caroline said: “Parenthood does heighten your awareness of just how precious children are and we felt that if we wanted another child in our lives, this...

In January 2016 65 year-old, Shelagh Harris  embarked on a unique experience to South Africa to help at child victim abuse charity, a once in a lifetime chance to give something back to the needy, this is her story... I had recently retired when my daughter asked if I would like to go to South Africa with her and volunteer. We had enjoyed a number of weekend breaks together; time for informal chats, pampering and re-charging of our batteries. I...

When it comes to buying a house, there are many things that top the ‘must have’ list - off-street parking, a decent garden, a bathroom suite that isn’t avocado to name a few. But, it’s not just about what’s on the inside that counts, the outside matters too. We’re talking about views, and anyone who’s ever lived in a home with windows looking straight out onto next door’s brick wall will know, you can’t really put a price tag on...