If you believed social media, you'd think the hospitality industry now revolved around people photographing every meal before taking a bite, carefully angled cocktails and people announcing they're "collaborating" with a café in return for a free brunch. The word ‘influencer’ has become one of the most overused labels of the last decade.

Nat Metcalf has been named as one of twelve athletes in England’s Netball squad for the upcoming Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. The AO Manchester Thunder star will line up in the midcourt for her third Commonwealth Games after previously representing England at Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022.

Steven Nesbitt is a fourth-generation farmer. His grandfather lived to 96, and his father is 93, so he was confident his healthy lifestyle of exercise and fresh air would see him through to a ripe old age. That was until April 2025, when, to his astonishment, he was diagnosed with heart problems and told he had to change his lifestyle immediately.

There is a particular kind of restaurant snobbery reserved for buildings. We are trained, whether we admit it or not, to expect that good food arrives behind good glass—that the promise of the meal should be legible in the frontage before a single poppadom has been ordered.

Andrew Palmer continued his enthusiastic support of Ripon Theatre Festival and found Stephen Smith's virtuoso solo turn as Edgar Allan Poe left him breathless — exhausting, exhilarating and utterly captivating, in a masterclass in gothic horror that stopped his heart. There are shows that entertain, and there are shows that leave you wrung out with admiration.

Birth Trauma Awareness Week rightly encourages important conversations about difficult births and traumatic deliveries, but as both a midwife and a neurodivergent woman, I believe we also need to pay greater attention to what happens long before labour begins.

While there is no denying that there is amazing kudos in having a Primark range already raising their profile, the lack of single success means December 10 has notches both for and against their enduring success. However, their debut EP speaks volumes about what should be their destiny. Slick production, a strong balance of bops and ballads and, most importantly, striking vocals and an awareness of how to play to each band member's strengths – this is a solid introduction to a group that wishes to be taken credibly as the next big boy band.

Continuing his occasional series on whether bucket list destinations live up to expectations, Group Editor Andrew Palmer recalls a solo fiftieth-birthday trip to Japan — a country he found so beguiling that the only seismic event he experienced happened six miles from Ripon.

Let’s start by saying I’m a big fan of pickups. In my rural neck of the woods, they are popular with both working owners and those who use them for leisure purposes. With the recent tax changes, their popularity is in decline as double-cab models are now classified as cars for benefit in kind.

Summer party drug use among young people peaks over the warmer months with end of exam celebrations, parties, festivals and increased socialising with peers. So what should parents and young people be aware of? Party drugs are psychoactive substances used in social settings to heighten energy, mood, and sensory perception.

Heredity I am the family face; Flesh perishes, I live on. Projecting trait and trace Through time to times anon, And leaping from place to place Over oblivion.

With the release of their moving duet version of Real Man, MORGXN and JB Somers have transformed a deeply personal song into a powerful conversation about masculinity, vulnerability, faith, and identity. Originally written from Somers' experience growing up as a pastor's kid in Alabama, the track takes on new resonance with MORGXN's soaring vocals and shared perspective.

All of which is background; what matters here is the music, and it is a delight. Her own chapel choir of Selwyn College sings with a polish that belies the demands of undergraduate life, recorded in the radiant, spacious acoustic of Ely Cathedral, where MacDonald is also the director of the girl choristers. The ensemble's diction, intonation, and balance are all delectably precise, and the phrasing, dynamic shading, and rhythmic vitality throughout the performance are genuinely impressive.

A Leeds-based young people's counsellor is sharing advice for parents worried about how their children will cope with the proposed under-16 social media ban.

Welser-Möst and his orchestra match her at every step, the scoring tracking each swerve of feeling with unusual sensitivity: a trilling xylophone stands in for the ringing telephone with real wit, and the string textures underneath give the whole thing an unexpected warmth even at its bleakest.

A major summit designed to strengthen connections across the North’s technology ecosystem is coming to Sheffield this October.

The University of Bradford's incoming Vice-Chancellor Professor Gillian Murray has signalled “a new era” for the university focused on innovation and partnerships.

Stuart Greenfield, UK and European Sales Director at retail logistics company Advanced Supply Chain, commented in response to Andy Burnham’s plans to tax warehouses to help fund business rates cuts for high street venues: “Increasing taxes on large warehouses could force offshoring of retail supply chains, putting UK jobs at risk and negatively impacting sustainability efforts.

Communities across the Forest of Bowland are set to benefit from a major new project to restore nature, improve access to green spaces, and support those who live and work in the landscape.

Professor Christoph Bluth, Professor of International Relations and Security at the University of Bradford, argues that NATO emerged from its recent summit militarily stronger but politically more fragile. In this expert analysis, he explores growing tensions over defence spending, Ukraine, Iran and US leadership, and assesses what this means for the future of the alliance.

Smart Money People's newly launched "Smart Money Risers" index reveals which financial services brands are winning over customers, and why simplicity, speed and service are driving loyalty

As nominations open for the next Prime Minister, food supply chain leaders have written an open letter to candidates setting out a five-point plan for a more resilient and affordable food system.

Residents across Cumbria are being encouraged to nominate the healthcare professionals who have made a difference to their lives as part of Stagecoach's new NHS Heroes competition. The nationwide initiative celebrates the NHS's 78th anniversary by rewarding one outstanding NHS worker with a month's free Stagecoach bus travel.

Women across Britain are significantly more anxious than men about meeting everyday living costs over the coming year, with new research warning that mounting financial pressure is forcing many to rely on borrowing and eating into long-term savings rather than building financial resilience for the future.

Figures show people with red flag symptoms put off going to the GP and face barriers in seeking help. Cancer Research UK and Tesco have partnered to encourage people to seek help for potential cancer symptoms and support early diagnosis Tesco pharmacists trained by Cancer Research UK available in-store to provide information and support to customers experiencing potential symptoms or concerned about cancer

Football clubs across Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria say increasingly volatile weather is leaving pitches swinging between waterlogged winters and concrete-hard summers, driving up injuries and landing already stretched grassroots organisations with thousands of pounds in extra costs, a new investigation has found.

Only one in ten adults in England and Wales understand how much water they use each day, according to research released to mark the launch of a major new campaign aimed at changing the nation's relationship with water.

Focus4Hope was originally created as a community organisation but became a registered charity so it could respond to increased demand. It offers a range of services to help people avoid crisis points, including food distribution, advice and guidance, and a low-cost food market. But in extreme weather, crisis can become inevitable.

Women in the North West are highly involved in household finances, with more than eight in ten (81%) actively involved in managing daily finances but are less likely to take the lead on the longer-term decisions that shape future wealth, according to new research from St James’s Place (SJP).

Dear Editor, Around 3 million people in the UK are hearing aid users. With the temperature this week reported to reach in excess of 38C in some places, RNID, are encouraging hearing aid users to give their devices some extra TLC during the hot weather so they can soak up the sunshine without missing out on conversations.

Barrovians are being given the chance this month to help shape the future of The Cumberland. The building society is going out into the town to get the views of local people on banking in the 21st century. The Cumberland is bringing its green sofa and other props to the Bridge community hub in the third stop of its unique roadshow around the county.

AA Signs, one of the oldest parts of The AA, is celebrating 120 years since its first road sign was erected in Hatfield.

Passengers are being offered a new ticket that allows them to switch between trains, buses and boats in Cumbria. It comes as a growing number of tourists are booking trips to the Lake District and other popular UK holiday destinations this summer, amid uncertainty over international travel.

To mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sir Nigel Gresley, former Chief Mechanical Engineer of the original LNER, a special Azuma train livery has been unveiled at Doncaster railway station.

Mitsubishi stopped selling its range of vehicles in the UK in 2021, but now the Japanese company is back with two new vehicles. At the recent launch event, I got to sample both the L200 pickup and the Outlander PHEV. The latter is a story for another day. This is the seventh generation of the L200 and it has been on sale in other markets for quite some time.

The disc closes with a winning account of La plus que lente, beautifully turned and rounding off what is, in sum, a most agreeable album. There is creativity and no shortage of skill in these interpretations. Rêverie, in particular, charms from the first bar. Much of that charm comes down to sound as well as substance: the recording was made on a Bösendorfer 280VC concert grand in the Concert Hall at Snape Maltings, Suffolk, and Chandos's engineers have captured its warmth with their customary skill.

Do you want the good news, or the bad news? Let’s start with the positive. Theatre audiences in the UK are up on pre-Covid levels. The downside is the number of new plays has plummeted. A report published last autumn by the British Theatre Consortium found that attendances were up in 2023 compared to 2019, but there were 30 per cent fewer plays opening during the same period.

While the world watches the FIFA World Cup, Chester is gearing up to host its own global tournament, and this one comes with bells on. Twenty-five town criers from across the globe will descend on the city this September for the World Town Crier Tournament, organisers Marketing Cheshire have confirmed. The details were announced, fittingly, by Chester Town Crier David Mitchell.

She opens with the lyrical and rather lovely Handel Violin Sonata in D major — rhythmical and expressive, with delightful accompaniment from Bai. The playing throughout is perfectly balanced and crisply articulated, the dynamics judged with care, each movement elegantly shaped.

As more people across the UK discover the joy of gardening, whether planting their first container, refreshing a border, or nurturing a vegetable patch, understanding compost is one of the most important steps to grow healthy and thriving plants.

Sleeping Through He wakes, reaches for my hand and says ‘it’s very morning’, which is true.

Charlie Ayre, who competes in the men’s -60 kg category, has been named in England’s judo squad ahead of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. He is one of 14 judoka selected to represent England at the upcoming games as the sport makes its fifth official appearance at the Commonwealth Games.

A debt recovery expert has outlined the key steps universities and independent schools should take when recovering unpaid student debts. The issue has come under renewed focus following recent reports that nearly £500 million in unpaid or hidden debts is owed to UK universities, much of it linked to accommodation and other institutional costs.

Over 100,000 passengers surveyed in the biggest rail satisfaction survey in British history. 87 per cent of passengers satisfied with their journey. CrossCountry worst-performing train operator in survey with 79 per cent of passengers satisfied. Hull Trains passengers most satisfied with their journey. Results will be used to drive day-to-day improvements for passengers and inform Great British Railways priorities.