Innehållsförteckning för 27 March 2025 från Chat

We all loved hearing from Lauren this week, all about her relationship with her oldest friend, Alfred (p58). And she means oldest quite literally here. Because while Lauren is 33, Alfred is a distinguished gent of 91. The unlikely duo met when Lauren began volunteering with Age UK, but the pair have now formed a special bond. We’d love to hear about times when volunteering or doing a good deed have changed your life. So if you’ve got a story to tell, get in touch! Have a great week,…

Any wedded bliss we had vanished fast. Adrian stopped helping around the house and doing stuff for the kids. He’d cause rows over nothing. If he didn’t like the dinner I’d cooked, or if the house was untidy… Even when everything was OK, he’d call me names, made me feel worthless. That little voice in my mind was getting louder. Had my friends been right all along? During an argument one evening when the kids were in bed, Adrian pulled my hair, pinned me up against the wall with his fist. Terrified, I covered my bruises, didn’t tell a soul. I felt such a fool, though. I worked at a domestic violence charity, I should’ve seen the signs. Part of me knew I should ask for help. But I’d gushed…

What does comedian Fern Brady think about Sunday roast dinners? To find out, solve the crossword then read down the shaded squares to find the six-word prize answer. Across 11 Qualification from a university (6) 12 Becoming aware of (9) 13 Ascend (4) 14 Having lasting importance (8) 15 Health worker (5) 16 Acquire (6) 17 Said by heart (7) 18 Menacing (11) 20 Once more (5) 22 Fun, pleasurable (9) 24 Judd _, snooker player (5) 28 Fails to remember (7) 29 Vertical (7) 32 Run a business (6) 34 Takes part in a contest (8) 36 Conversation (8) 37 One or the other (6) 39 Country, capital Vienna (7) 40 Dodged (7) 45 French word for goodbye (5) 47 Accessories (9) 48 Neckwear item (5) 51 Mathematical devices…

Rebecca Giddings, 44, Newbury, Berkshire True-life PATIENT CASEBOOK Searing pain shot right through my chest. ‘Ouch,’ I gasped, as my husband Dave, then 48, looked on, concerned. ‘You have to get that checked out,’ he said. It was June 2014. I worked long hours as a banker, as well as studying for a PhD. But we’d just got back from a holiday in Mexico. Instead of feeling refreshed, I ached all over and I couldn’t shake this chest pain. Eventually, I went to Royal Berkshire Hospital. ‘It could be a heart attack,’ a doctor said. ‘But I’m only 33,’ I gasped. Thankfully, an angiogram confirmed there was no blockage or immediate danger. I was sent for more tests, yet within weeks I was struggling to walk, felt exhausted and suffered…

Julia Rogers, 43, Surrey When Louis was born in August 2019, he was such a longed-for baby. His big sis Thea, then 6, doted on him, as did me and my husband Christian, then 42. As he grew, he had the cheekiest smile, loved cars, planes and football. And he gave the best hugs. In June 2021, aged 22 months, Louis woke up with a temperature, so I didn’t send him to nursery. But by the afternoon, he’d perked up. I put him to bed that evening, but after an hour or so, the baby monitor was silent. When I went up to check on him, my baby boy had died in his sleep. His death was ruled as SUDC, which was heartbreaking. Two years later, test results showed that…

Leanne Reid, 37, Warwickshire Tucking into chicken nuggets and chips, my daughter Emmy looked up and grinned. Still in her school uniform, the pink sparkly badge pinned to her white T-shirt was lopsided. But the number 10 was impossible to miss. ‘Happy birthday, sweetheart,’ I smiled. Fearless, outgoing and sassy, I called Emmy my little diva. She loved singing, dancing, drawing and writing stories and poems. And today, 14 November 2019, we’d come to our local pub for a birthday tea. Sang as she blew out the candles on her cake. ‘Best birthday ever,’ Emmy smiled at bedtime. Only, next morning, she woke up feeling sick. ‘Too much cake?’ I asked. I kept her off school until she felt better, but after a few days of being back to normal,…

3 Ways to… organise and save Avoid wasting money by clearing life’s chaos 1 Kitchen savings Go through your kitchen cupboards and organise them so you know exactly what you have. If you’ve got items you’ve had for months without using, like a bag of couscous or jar of stir fry sauce, plan to use them in your next week’s meal plan. In your fridge, keep items nearing the end of their lives at the front of shelves to remind you to use them up (or freeze if possible) before they go off. And with jars or tubes that need to be used up within a certain amount of time after being opened, write the date you opened them in marker. 2 Make a date of it Mark all important…

Beyond Paradise BBC1 ● The crime drama set in the fictional Devon town of Shipton Abbott returns for a third series, with more baffling cases for DI Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall) and his team to crack. When a body is found in a river on the county border, their Cornish police counterparts try to brush it off as a tragic accident, but Humphrey’s instincts tell him there’s more to it… Meanwhile, Humphrey and Martha (Sally Bretton) face more challenges on their fostering journey, and DS Esther Williams (Zahra Ahmadi) is faced with a personal matter outside of her comfort zone. DON’T MISS DON’T MISS The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals BBC1 ● Jason Manford hosts another spectacular night of musical theatre with performances from some of the biggest shows…

Charlotte Whomsley, 36, Lincolnshire Stifling a yawn, I forced a smile. It was August 2015 and just a month earlier, I’d had my second child, Thomas. Exhausted, I was back at my coach garage admin job. My mum was looking after Thomas, and my eldest, Jack, then 5, was at school. A single mum, I was struggling to find my feet. Just then, one of the drivers walked by. ‘You look nice,’ Lee, then 30, winked. I blushed, flattered by the attention. Standing in my doorway, holding a hammer, he glared at me Lee was scruffy and unshaven. Not my type. Still, over the next few months, Lee kept paying me compliments, giving me cheeky winks. When he invited me out for drinks, I agreed. By 2016 we were a…

Chat winners issue 52 (24 Dec 2024) £1,001 CASH A Wheelhouse, Horsham Anyone from your town in the list this week..? £500 CASH K Thompson, Chesterfield G Vallance, Tavistock £250 CASH C Ling, Taunton D Mulville, Oxton £200 CASH B Scarlett, Thatcham £100 CASH T Jones, Blyth D Pike, Yelverton C Gaskell, Skelmersdale £50 CASH R Clements, Alloa R Stevenson, Nottingham P Owen, Burntwood J Wilson, Skegness C Blurton, Market Drayton J Turnbull, Bristol £40 CASH L Carrole, Ely £30 CASH M Stubbings, Norwich R Cox, Lytham St Annes £25 CASH M Persichini, Sheerness R Wilks, Northampton £20 CASH C Roberts, Waltham Cross M Hayward, Shrewsbury A Punshon, Sunderland M Hartley, Halifax E Graham, South Shields M Spencer, Accrington D Duggan, Manchester S Waldron, Ilminster L Dobbin, Kettering S Bourne,…

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What word connects the titles of these novel series that concluded with A Darkling Plain and City of Heavenly Fire? The answer to each clue (apart from the first) begins with the last letter of the preceding answer. The shaded squares will spell out the one-word prize answer. WIN £100 Puzzle 2 Your answer: 1 Full of risk (9) 2 South Yorkshire city associated with cutlery (9) 3 Spotted dog (9) 4 Christmas play (8) 5 Sycophant (3-3) 6 Bias towards one’s relations (8) 7 Island country off the east coast of Africa (10) 8 Heating appliance (8) 9 Recollected (10) 10 Haul, pull (4) 11 Horse’s gait (6) 12 Spanish rice dish (6) 13 Oak tree’s fruit (5) 14 Compass bearing (5) 15 Beset by ghosts (7) 16 Gave…

Sore arm after jab Q I’m 69 years old and after getting the shingles jab I felt tired and had a headache the next day. My left arm, where I got the injection, has been sore ever since. Could the vaccine give me shingles? Dianne, Brecon A It’s normal to feel some soreness in your arm after the shingles vaccine, as your body reacts to the injection. Sometimes, a stronger immune response can cause a bit more pain, but that should disappear in a few days. The vaccine, whether you’re given the live one (Zostavax) or the inactivated one (Shingrix), can also cause other side effects, such as tiredness and headaches. If you notice redness, swelling or pus at the injection site, or feel unwell, then speak to your doctor.…

What is the common English name for the flowering plants that constitute the Antirrhinum genus? To find out, solve the puzzle… Add a letter anywhere in each of the boxed-off words to fit the clue, eg, Corrodes = RUTS + S = RUSTS. Write the added letter in the space provided. Read down the added letters to spell out the prize answer. WIN 2 × £25 Puzzle 9 Corrodes Show contempt Fewest Malice Musical groups Extended Cereal crop Majestic Complains Hits noisily Hold tightly Your answer: TO ENTER Turn to page 56 for details or visit comps.lifedeathprizes.com/puzzles…

Don’t forget Mother’s Day on 30 March! ‘There’ll be tears before bedtime.’ ‘If they jumped off a cliff, would you follow?’ ‘Who’s she? The cat’s mother?’ ‘I was only resting my eyes…’ ‘Money doesn’t grow on trees!’ ‘What did your last servant die of?’ ‘Now, what did I come in here for?’ ‘It’s like Blackpool Illuminations in here!’ ‘Wear clean underwear in case you get run over.’ ‘Were you born in a barn?’ ‘Because I said so!’ ‘I don’t care who started it.’…

Wife’s always calling Q Neither me or my wife are allowed to answer our phones at work. Only, she doesn’t seem to understand, that and still calls me. When I miss her call, she gets cross and sometimes shows up at my workplace. How can I get her to see my work has the same rules as hers? Phil, 35 A This isn’t healthy, hun. Your wife isn’t respecting your home and A work life balance. Why does she need to get hold of you so badly anyway? Can she text you and you call her back on your break? Or can it wait till you get home? Find out why it’s so important to her and agree to a solution together. Self-absorbed bestie Q A friend split up with…

Veritee Reed-Hall, 71, Cornwall Electropop was on the radio, Band Aid topped the charts. It was January 1985, big hair, high waists and shoulder pads were all the rage. But there was another thing making headlines. AIDS was becoming an epidemic, with more cases being identified in the UK. A year earlier, I’d even lost a close friend to the virus. Watching him suffer had been heartbreaking. But while many people were ignorant about the virus, I was more clued-up. As a youth worker specialising in sexual health, I knew the importance of safe sex. Whatever your gender or sexual orientation, the virus could affect anyone. So when I’d met Barry, then 33, a few months earlier, I kept my wits about me. Despite his good looks and Merchant Navy…

Q My lips are so dry, even using a balm, how can I heal them? Lisa Barlow, Corsham A Using a lip balm can be a vicious cycle. Even when you’re constantly applying it, it can still feel like your lips are dry, as they are becoming reliant on you doing so, to keep them moisturised. Concentrating on properly healing them is well worth it, as you could be wasting your time and money. Start by incorporating a gritty lip scrub like Barry M Pink Grapefruit Lip Scrub, £4.99, Boots, into your weekly beauty routine to rid your skin of roughness and dry flakes. Gently massage into lips twice a week to see noticeable smoothing results. Then for everyday use, a basic no-frills balm like Eucerin Acute Lip Balm, £8.40,…

Irene Stefura, 75, from Bristol What’s your favourite thing about this time of year? Daffodils. Seeing a host of these beautiful yellow flowers puts a smile on my face with the knowledge that spring has arrived and winter is finally behind us. If you could be anyone for the day, who would it be? A midwife, helping to bring new life into the world. Seeing the joy on a mother’s face when her baby is placed in her arms would be priceless. Do you prefer sweet or savoury? Sweet. I’ve always had a sweet tooth. My husband Stefan, 70, laughs at me when we go out for a meal because I go straight to the dessert menu. WE PAY £50 to everyone we feature on this page! What’s one thing…

Joanna Hinchcliffe, 37, Wakefield Stepping through the front door, the kitchen worktops were sparkling and the smell of furniture polish filled the air. ‘Wow, the place is gleaming,’ I smiled, as my new boyfriend Adrian greeted me with a hug. ‘Anything for you,’ he said. How did I get so lucky? I thought. It was March 2020 and I’d known Adrian, then 31, for years through friends but it’d never been romantic. Then, after adding him on Facebook, we’d got chatting about the rock band he played in and our shared love of music. I’d invited him to a house party at my place and we became a couple. I was smitten So when the Covid-19 lockdown hit quite soon after, Adrian had an idea. ‘Let’s self-isolate together,’ he suggested.…

Sizes from 8-24 George at Asda STYLE TIP Choose one statement print and pair with your wardrobe basics. Gingham and florals will have you spring-ready. Sizes from 6-22 F&F at Tesco STYLE TIP Experiment with small tweaks to freshen up your look – turn up your jeans or layer a waistcoat over a plain tee. Sizes from 8-24 Tu at Sainsbury’s STYLE TIP Comfy and stylish, wide-leg trousers will be your new fave. The stripes add an extra leg-lengthening trick. Sizes from 8-22 Nutmeg at Morrisons STYLE TIP Embrace a timeless colour palette of earthy neutrals. Slouchy knits will help balance more form-fitting skirts.…

1 Ditch devices When you use electronic devices, your brain has to use around 20% of its energy resources just to process the visual information – leading to brain fog and scattered thinking. So try committing to a whole evening free from using your phone, TV or tablet. ‘It may be challenging initially as your mind adjusts to the lack of stimulation,’ says meditation and mindfulness expert Briony Gunson. ‘You may notice uncomfortable emotions, but embrace being bored and support yourself by breathing low, slow, deep breaths.’ Your brain will thank you for it. 2 Clench your fist Balling up your right hand and squeezing it tightly could make it easier to remember names, phone numbers or shopping lists, according to a study by Montclair State University. Later on, when you…

Clare Pitts, 50, Sunbury-on-Thames Standing on the sidelines, I watched as my son Harry, then 13, raced up the pitch with a rugby ball in his hand and a huge smile on his face. And as his team, London Irish Amateur RFC, won the game, the crowd erupted. ‘That’s my boy!’ I said, cheering him on. It was June 2023, and it’d been the same routine every Sunday since Harry was 5. He loved rugby. But it was hard to believe how quickly he’d gone from being my cheeky little lad to a strapping teenager. Now he was a real talent in the under-14 squad. ‘Great game,’ Harry said, tearing off his muddy kit back home and dropping it in the laundry basket – an endless pile of filth. Harry…

Martin Harman was prosecuted and fined in the 1930s for issuing his own coinage (the half puffin and one puffin) on which British island that he had purchased in 1925? Solve the crossword, then read down the shaded squares to find the prize puzzle answer. ACROSS 1 Parts of the mouth (4) 5 _ Lennox, Scottish singer (5) 7 Simple (4) DOWN 2 Tavern (3) 3 TV presenter, _ Perkins (3) 4 Created (4) 6 Beyoncé’s daughter, Blue _ (3) WIN 4 x £20 Puzzle 10 Your answer: TO ENTER Turn to page 56 for details or visit comps.lifedeathprizes.com/puzzles…

Walking into 9-year-old Ariana’s bedroom is like walking into the reptile house at a zoo. While most little girls play with dolls and teddies, she likes to play with snakes. So much so, she shares her bedroom with 18 of them! They slide over her body as she lies on the floor, stroking and cuddling her slippery pals. She even sleeps with them. Ariana’s love for reptiles comes from her dad Socratis, who grew up scared of them. ‘What first started out as a fear of mine became a passion,’ he explains. After shedding his nerves, he has now spent more than £240,000 on almost 200 snakes, and another £80,000 kitting out a specialist room to house them in glass cases. ‘Ariana was 1 year old when she first held…

Raspberry crumble muffins Turn this classic pud into a delicious bake, perfect with a cuppa. MAKES 12 PREP 20 MINS COOK 25 MINS ● 225g raspberries ● 90g golden caster sugar ● 1tbsp arrowroot For the crumble: ● 75g self-raising flour ● 30g golden granulated sugar ● 45g unsalted butter, cubed For the muffins: ● 375g self-raising flour ● 175g golden caster sugar ● 1tsp ground cinnamon ● 2 medium eggs, lightly beaten ● 125ml buttermilk ● 125ml vegetable oil ● 2tsp vanilla extract You will need: ● 12-hole muffin tray, lined with paper cases 1 Heat the oven to 160C Fan. Reserve 12 of the raspberries. Gently heat the remainder in a pan with the sugar and 2tbsp water. Mix the arrowroot together with 1tbsp water to make a smooth…

Aries 21 March-20 April The Sun, Venus and Mercury are in your sign until 24 March, meaning you can make bold moves. Go for exactly what you want. The sky’s the limit. ● Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April-21 May With the Sun now in a Fire sign, you’ll feel motivated to take decisive action. If in doubt, follow your heart and let your passion and enthusiasm lead the way. ● Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May-21 June As Jupiter moves through the last few degrees of your sign, you feel more able to express your innermost feelings to someone close, and both of you will benefit. ● Call 0905 817 0692* for more Cancer 22 June-23 July As a sensitive soul, you pick…

TEXT Simply text CHATD followed by a space and your answer/s (spaces between answers please) full name, door number and postcode to 63333 Texts cost 50p plus standard network charge (maximum 160 characters per text). When you enter by text, you may in future get SMS marketing messages from Future plc and Chat. If you want to receive these, please end your text with OPTIN. Texting tips ● Don’t put any spaces in an answer that has several words: eg: CHATISTHEBEST not CHAT IS THE BEST. ● If the answer is a name, you need only give the surname: eg: CLOONEY not GEORGE CLOONEY. ● You can use capitals or small letters, but don’t use any commas, etc. ● Leave out answers you don’t wish to enter. INTERNET Join our…

Dear Alfred, People are always surprised when I tell them one of my closest friends is a nonagenarian. But spending time with you, a 91-year-old gent, is one of the highlights of my week. It was losing my grandma Joan, aged 85, in December 2019 that motivated me to contact Age UK Wakefield District about their befriending service. She’d been my only surviving grandparent and I felt guilty that I hadn’t spent more time with her. I wanted to make up for it by giving time to someone who needed company. Because of Covid-19, we weren’t matched until October 2021. Just in time, as you were lonelier than ever. At first, you were a bit grumpy, weren’t you Alfred? In fact, you barely spoke. Except to rant about your doctor!…