I keep telling myself I'm a positive person while encouraging my students and other young people to always be positive regarding their artistic talents and abilities. However, positivity can be a cruel taskmaster.

Our consumer advice expert has shared the signs which point towards the tricks most criminals use to fool Brits into falling for their scams.

Every so often you meet someone whose story stops you in your tracks. I met Anja Drop at a recent Meet the Media evening, where I was on the panel offering media and PR advice to those starting out. As it turned out, Anja was already well on her way — and her route into the creative industries is one of the most refreshing I've come across in a long time.

While rats are now a common problem in cities and rural areas, it has to be said that they are one of the drawbacks of keeping animals on a smallholding. Rats are encouraged in the winter months by the lure of the warm hay barn and the ready supply of feed, either by foraging in the feed store or by eating any leftovers from the animals' feed bowls.

We’ve all been there: you’re halfway through a phone call, the sound becomes crackly and then… silence. If your signal tends to drop out, there’s no reason to put up with this, as there are ways to improve it. Here, SIM-only mobile provider spusu, explains seven things to try if your mobile reception needs a boost.

Paul Drinkhall, representing Middlesbrough, will compete in the England Men's team at the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in London next week. Drinkhall, who has competed internationally as a senior England player for more than two decades, will join Sam Walker, Tom Jarvis, Connor Green and Joe Hunter in the men’s team event.

There’s something refreshing about how he leans into his influences here. The album threads together R&B, pop, and rhythmic ideas inspired by South Asian traditions with a light, curious touch. Rather than presenting these elements as statements, he lets them breathe—subtle vocal flourishes, intricate phrasing, and layered harmonies that echo a wider musical heritage without feeling forced. It’s playful in its exploration, as if he’s rediscovering sounds he’s always carried with him.

Founded under the auspices of the Ralph Vaughan Williams Society, the label has built a catalogue that consistently rescues, restores and reilluminates corners of the RVW repertoire that the bigger labels have long overlooked. Rise, Heart is another exemplary addition to that enterprise and one of the most rewarding Vaughan Williams discs of recent memory. The premise is characteristically thoughtful: every track here is a first recording of the work in the version presented. At its centre stands the Five Mystical Songs, those luminous settings of George Herbert first heard in 1911, given in Vaughan Williams's own arrangement for voice, piano and string quintet, made around 1925 and seldom performed.

There’s something rather reassuring about a Volvo. I’ve owned a few. Not exciting in the shouty, chest-thumping sense, nor especially concerned with turning heads, but reassuring in the way a well-built dry stone wall is reassuring – solid, purposeful, and quietly confident in its own abilities.

For many years, the prevailing wisdom in the world of work dictated that employees should separate their personal identities from their professional personas. Emotions, values and experiences were often seen as irrelevant or even distracting in the pursuit of business objectives.

Spring is the perfect time to refresh outdoor spaces with a burst of colour, and as part of the Make It Bloom campaign, British Garden Centres is encouraging gardeners of all abilities to get creative with vibrant spring planters. Whether brightening a doorstep, patio or garden, creating a professional‑looking display is simple with the right plants and a few easy steps.

The Piano Sonata in E major, Op. 6, is virtuosic brilliance of the most demanding sort, bristling with technical complexities that do not for a moment faze Donohoe. The performance is spotless. And then, after all that brilliance, Mendelssohn has a surprise in store: once Donohoe has taken us energetically through the finale, the music returns to the opening allegretto con espressione of the first movement, framing the sonata with quite the loveliest of endings — beautifully captured here by a pianist whose interpretative depth is by now second nature.

Social media is increasingly used by younger generations to self-diagnose mental health conditions. Here mental health expert Noel McDermott looks at this surge in self-diagnosis and the dangers behind this.

Quilter: Continues to capture inflows from St. James’s Place’s client departures and adviser exits. WHSmith: Arrival of Relay at Heathrow poses a challenge to WH Smith’s near-monopoly in travel essentials; margin pressure increases as airports introduce more competitive tender processes. Renault: Mix of hybrids and EV has helped stabilise performance;Potential recurring software revenue. LSEG: LSEG Everywhere could see income compression in the short term;capital allocated to share buybacks would be better spent on consolidatingthe financial infrastructure space.

A new stage show all about sharks, hosted by world-renowned wildlife conservationist and TV presenter Steve Backshall, is coming to Chester Zoo this May half term.

From unwashed containers to open lids, the everyday bin habits attracting pests, and when they can become a legal issue Households across the UK are being warned that simple bin habits could lead to more than just bad smells this spring, with waste experts revealing that poorly managed bins can attract pests and, in some cases, result in fines.

The Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed) says that, despite a small reduction in the number of recorded shoplifting offences in England and Wales, the figures are still shocking.

An estimated 2 million UK children are being locked out of live music, with cost and location preventing access for two in five primary school pupils, according to new research from music charity Playground Proms.

Sara Cox is today announced as the new host of the weekday Breakfast Show (6.30-9.30am) on BBC Radio 2, the UK’s most popular single radio station, with a weekly audience of 12.7m (RAJAR, Q4, 2025). Sara, who currently hosts the station’s weekday Teatime show (4-7pm), will launch her first show this summer.

Candlelighters, the charity supporting children with cancer across Yorkshire, is celebrating its 50th Anniversary with a fundraising campaign. Since its inception in 1976, the charity has been a beacon of hope for thousands of families, and is now calling on the public to take on a '50-themed' challenge, to ensure no family faces childhood cancer alone.

Recent global events have been little short of apocalyptic, with nearly every world leader turning their backs on Donald Trump, rejecting his efforts to start WW3. 'MAGA' – his battalion of devoted and adoring fans have turned their backs on him, denouncing his actions against Iran - thank god.

UK unemployment rate dips to 4.9%, defying expectations that it would remain at 5.2%. Wage growth cools, but not by as much as expected in the three months to February. The emerging energy crisis could knock hiring plans off course. Hopes are kept alive for a peace deal as talks are set to start in Islamabad between Iran and the US. FTSE 100 flat in early trade as a wait-and-see mood swirls.

Fresh plans for a strategic link road between the A66 and the A1(M) in County Durham have been published, marking a significant step forward for the long-awaited infrastructure project. The Darlington Northern Link Road is designed to divert heavy goods vehicles and commuter traffic away from the A1150 and A167, reducing congestion in residential areas of north Darlington.

A major Cochrane review of 17 clinical trials involving over 20,000 people shows that the new anti-amyloid Alzheimer’s drugs do not deliver meaningful clinical benefit.

A cosy crime, this novel is set on a suitably isolated, fictitious Welsh island which is inhabited by a close-knit population who look out for each other and don’t seek publicity.

In Passing How swiftly the strained honey of afternoon light flows into darkness and the closed bud shrugs off its special mystery in order to break into blossom: as if what exists, exists so that it can be lost and become precious Lisel Mueller’s poem of natural evanescence is rendered with a delicacy that befits a barely perceptible transitioning of forms.

There is always something happening on the smallholding, and this time it is Jasper’s turn to worry me. A few weeks ago, I noticed Jasper was having a bit of difficulty with his left back leg. He could still walk, but he was slower than usual and kept stopping to lift his leg.

When you’re eating a triangular slice of delicious floppy pizza, do you sometimes find the tip of the pizza droops - so it’s harder to point it to your mouth? Most pizza, if it’s been cooked right, has the same floppiness as a piece of paper (with the added weight of toppings) - so if you hold one end, the other end will naturally curve downward.

It’s April again, which means unpredictable downpours, the hopeful return of sunshine, and—most importantly—Autism Acceptance Month. If you’re thinking, 'Wait… what exactly is that?' You're not alone. Lots of people know autism exists, but understanding it is a whole different story. Autism is a spectrum, and there’s always more to learn.

With global travel becoming increasingly uncertain, a consumer rights expert and former stewardess is advising holidaymakers to pay particular attention to their travel insurance. Consumer expert Jane Hawkes, whose website Lady Janey features advice on consumer advice and money-saving tips, says risking no or insufficient travel insurance can be costly in the long run.

Buying a fixer-upper - a property that needs repair, renovation, or updating but offers the potential to add value - is, in my opinion, the most exciting way to get the home of your dreams. But it’s also a big and sometimes daunting commitment – especially if it’s your first renovation project.