Innehållsförteckning för June 2025 från Pick Me Up! Special

The weather’s hotting up, so we’ve packed your June Pick Me Up! Special with summer bargains, fun puzzles, and gripping real-life reads. I’m in awe of Zoe and Issi (p6 & 34), two brave women who tell us how they jailed their attackers. And who was the killer clown that murdered Marlene Warren on her doorstep? Turn to p60 to find out. If there was a prize for loudest yowl at 2am, my tabby, Star, would win paws down, but you’ll find some true award-winning moggies on p52. So, grab a sunny spot, relax, and enjoy!…

Lynsey Swinscoe, 42, Wiltshire Engines roared, crowds cheered and my son Jake, 13, leapt to his feet and punched the air. ‘Brilliant race,’ he beamed as Formula 1 cars zoomed over the finish. My boy lived life with 100% enthusiasm. Whether watching his beloved F1 or charging into freezing water in a wetsuit to go kayaking or sailing. He was the life and soul of every party. Only, driving him to school soon after, in June 2023, Jake sniffed. ‘I’ve got a watery nose and eyes again,’ he sighed. ‘Probably hayfever,’ I said. He’d been suffering for weeks but luckily antihistamines helped. In July 2023, Jake and his sister Ava, then 16, were staying with their dad, my ex-husband Adam, 42, while I visited family. That week, Adam phoned. ‘There’s…

Dennis Parish, 49, Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire Swinging open my front door, I saw a woman standing there. She gave me a cheery smile. ‘Long time no see, Marie,’ I beamed. ‘Come in.’ It was early 2020. Marie Jeffery, then 45, had come to see my spare room. An electrician, I needed a lodger to look after my pug-cross dog Buzz while I worked away Monday to Friday. Marie was an old school friend. We lost touch for years, aside from the odd chat on Facebook. That was how she’d heard about the room. Now we caught up over a cuppa. Employed as a mobile care worker, she said she was going through a divorce. As warm and friendly as I remembered, I got a good feeling about her.…

1 RENEWAL MODE It sounds a bit sci-fi, but Growth Factors are peptides that instruct cells to renew and regenerate so they make tired, sluggish skin feel fresh and healthy. The Ordinary GF 15% Solution, £13.50, theordinary.com, minimises lines and wrinkles, firms the face and neck, and helps make skin look and feel younger. 2 PROTECT AND PERFECT Wearing sunscreen every day is a must for healthy skin. Super Facialist Vitamin C+ Brighten & Defend SPF 50+, £20, Boots, makes protecting your skin simple. The silky serum is lighter than typical SPF creams, so it’s pleasant to wear even under make-up, with the added skin win of brightening vitamin C. 3 HYDRATION STATIONS When skin needs a big slurp of moisture, quench it with Revolution Skin Ultra Plump Hydrating Serum, £10, revolutionbeauty.com. It’s…

TESCO Try on-trend scallops, bold florals and rattan materials to give your bedroom a spring refresh. SAINSBURY’S Combine classic floral patterned pieces with faux flower arrangements for easy maintenance. ASDA Give your bathroom a Scandinavian feel with these cool green and cream accessories in simple botanical prints. MORRISONS Embrace a countryside scheme with pretty florals in soft pinks and garden bird motifs.…

Every letter of the alphabet has been replaced by a number, the same number representing the same letter throughout the puzzle. Just decide which letter is represented by which number. To start you off, we’ve revealed the codes for three letters. Once you’ve filled in these letters throughout the puzzle, you’ll have enough info to guess words and discover other letters. Use the letter checklist and letter grid to keep track of the letters you have found.…

A real clever puss Karen Anstiss, 59 Spotting one of the staff getting up from their chair, our rescue cat Marley didn’t miss a beat. Sprinting over, he plonked his fluffy bum down, stretching his black and white front legs out for a nap. Marley, then 4, was the fastest thing I’d ever seen on four legs. But after a day of hard work, he deserved a rest. I’d got him a few months earlier, in March 2020. He’d come from a cat rescue centre, then been bullied at his adoptive home so needed a new place to live. I brought him to Caritas Bakhita House, London, a safe house that I help to run. It helps to care for traumatised women who have been trafficked, enslaved or exploited. Marley…

Glamorous Mykonos Ever since Jackie Kennedy touched down in 1961, the island of Mykonos has attracted the glitterati. Many people come here for the nightlife (including legendary clifftop club Cavo Paradiso), but there’s much more on offer, including shopping and dining in Mykonos Town, which is stuffed with tavernas serving classic spinach pie. Spend a day at one of the fashionable beach clubs on the south coast, or take the ferry to Delos, the mythical birthplace of Apollo. Relaxed Skiathos Featuring in the original Mamma Mia! film, Skiathos has 63 beaches – a surplus of silky sand in exquisite settings that few islands can match. Most beaches are on the south coast, culminating in Koukounaries: a milelong crescent of creamy sand and shallow turquoise waters, backed by a wooded lagoon.…

How funny! Why did the bicycle collapse? It was too tyred…

What advice would singer Kylie Minogue give to her younger self? To find out, solve the crossword then read down the shaded squares to find the five-word puzzle answer. ACROSS 11 Courteous (6) 12 Pride and _, classic novel (9) 13 Simple buildings (4)  14 Having a beat (8) 15 Ridley _, film director (5) 16 Writer (6) 17 Soaks up (7)  18 Amazing (11) 20 Actor, _ Reeves (5) 22 Hearth (9)  24 Be of the same opinion (5) 28 Total quiet (7) 29 Requiring (7) 32 60 seconds (6) 34 Superman’s girlfriend (4,4) 36 Relied on (8) 37 Physician (6) 39 Have faith (7) 40 Planet that is closest to the Sun (7) 45 Soft fruit with a stone (5) 47 Keep listening! (4,5) 48 A Quiet Place actor, _…

Wedding woes As any bridezilla will confirm, your wedding should be the best day of your life. But it doesn’t always turn out that way. What if the weather’s awful and your spouse gets sloshed before the first dance? Meanwhile, Auntie Janet’s moaning on and on about the canapés… Perhaps there’s something to be said for running off to Gretna Green? Queue-grumping A day or two at a-fun-packed theme-park resort. What could be better, eh? Well, actually, a lot of things, it seems. While we all love the idea of making memories at a major theme park, whether here in the UK or abroad, any frazzled parent will tell you, from bitter experience, that the reality is endless queuing, managing tantrums and wincing at the-gift-shop prices. Oh boy! Aurora BORE-alis…

Melbourne’s Eighty-Six music festival takes its namefrom which feature of the city? 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 answer. 1 Playground item (6) 2 Small, grey terrestrial crustacean found in gardens or houses (9) 3 Number of players on a cricket team (6) 4 Rowdy, loud (5) 5 Frame of wood joining draught oxen (4) 6 Region of England south of the Wash (4,6) 7 Device for waking up (5,5) 8 Jack_, author of On the Road (7) 9 Chart showing the days of the week (8) 10 Gun dog trained to fetch game (9)  11 Stiff (5) 12 Extinct bird of Mauritius (4) 13 Large sea (5) 14 8th…

Proper carbonara Master this creamy classic for a quick dinner the whole family will love. SERVES 4 PREP 10 MINS COOK 20 MINS ● 2tbsp olive oil● 50g butter● 1 shallot, finely chopped● 6 garlic cloves, crushed● 300g smoked pancetta or bacon lardons● 5 eggs● 100g Parmesan cheese, grated● 50g pecorino cheese, grated● 300g spaghetti 1 Place a large frying pan over a low heat and add the olive oil, butter, shallot and garlic. Cook for 5 mins, add the pancetta and cook for a further 6 mins until cooked through, then set aside. 2 In a large bowl, combine the eggs, Parmesan and pecorino. Season and set aside. 3 Put the spaghetti in a saucepan of boiling salted water. Cook according to pack instructions. Drain, saving a ladle of pasta water. 4 Immediately pour…

Kimberly Fullerton, 41, Arbroath, Angus Reaching for the remote control, I clicked on to Netflix and found my fave show. I was hooked on Virgin River, a romantic drama about a midwife in a remote town in California. And after the couple of days I’d had, it was just the distraction I needed. It was an evening in August 2024 and I’d been at the GP that afternoon. The latest appointment in a long line… It all started years earlier in 2015, when I was 32. I’d been diagnosed with coeliac disease, a long-term illness causing my immune system to attack my gut. My diet needed to change – I avoided pasta and bread that caused painful flare-ups. There’d been another side effect too. The condition had given me osteopenia,…

ACROSS 11 Basement (6) 12 Toxic (9) 13 Altitude (6) 15 Day tripper (7) 16 Innumerable (9) 17 Sound quality (4) 18 Not either (7) 19 Burrowing mammal (6) 20 Bigger (6) 23 Fighting between nations (3) 24 Written works (10) 25 Most agreeable (6) 28 Support worker (9) 29 Make contented (7) 31 Stick closely to (5) 35 Takes off (8) 36 Coronet (5) 37 Wind instrument (8) 39 Burnt remains (5) 41 Army officer (7) 42 Runs adjacent to (9) 45 Secret plot (6) 47 Life event (10) 49 Had food (3) 52 Communication with God (6) 53 Creature (6) 54 Objected to (7) 57 Shrub (4) 58 Scraps (9) 59 Charged with an offence or crime (7) 60 Deprive of food (6) 61 Proved guilty (9) 62…

Charlotte is used to people having opinions on her parenting style. She calls it ‘secure attachment’ parenting. ‘You respond to the needs of the child, but you also give them space to explore,’ Charlotte says. ‘It aligns with my motherly instincts. ‘It’s a balance that not everyone understands or agrees with, but it works for me.’ And as part of that, she still breastfeeds her 5-year-old daughter, Reyce Anne, with no plans to give up soon. There are nutritional, emotional and social benefits Even sharing her journey online to encourage other mums to try it too. ‘For every positive person, there seems to be a negative person,’ she says. And some of the comments leave her speechless. ‘Feeding my children is going to turn them into serial killers?’ she recalls…

Never forgotten Zara, 10, won in the Family Cats category, comforting mourners and starring in wedding photos at St John the Evangelist Church, Bexley. Her owner Edward said, ‘Tragically, just a week before voting closed, Zara was hit by a car and passed away, so her big win was a bittersweet moment, as we are mourning her. We’re deeply touched by the impact she has had.’ Litter-ary genius Cilla, 12, was Winner of the Connected category. She lives at Outwoods Primary School in Atherstone, Warwickshire. Headteacher Sally Taylor, 54, said, ‘Cilla has six beds around the school, including two in her favourite place, the library. Sometimes children come in early to sit with her and read.’ Golden oldie Rescue moggy Miss Dave Mittens, 21, was crowned Winner of the Senior…

Cancer 21 June – 22 July On the 10th, lucky Jupiter arrives in Cancer for a year. Opportunities arrive – especially to have fun! Make the most of it around Cancer’s New Moon on the 25th. Call 0905 789 4153* and choose weekly, monthly and yearly updates Leo 23 July – 22 August Between last December and this February you may have felt tired. With energetic Mars onside until the 17th, you’ll make up for lost time. Then there’s a financial bonus. Call 0905 789 4154* and choose weekly, monthly and yearly updates Virgo 23 August – 22 September You’re all get-up-and-go. The 3rd is great for getting things done. Then, on the 17th, energy planet Mars brings drive but also restlessness if you don’t push forward. Call 0905 789…

Zoe Castle, 25, Hampshire Cuddled on the sofa, I nestled into my boyfriend Marc’s side and switched Gogglebox on. ‘Pass the crisps,’ he said. It was September 2017 and we’d just got our own place together. I was 18 and studying to be a pastry chef while Marc, then 19, was between jobs. When we’d met, just two months before, I wasn’t looking for a relationship. As a single mum to Lexie, then 3, she was my world. But Marc had been so sweet from the start, I’d fallen head over heels. ‘I’ll look after you and Lexie,’ he’d said, his kind blue eyes so genuine. Moving in together felt so natural. He was my knight in shining armour. For a while, at least. One night, when we’d been living…

Andreea Chaparro, 27, London With a sigh, I flicked off the TV. It was May 2020, two months into the Covid-19 lockdown, and I was stuck at home. Had watched every true-crime show Netflix had to offer and was bored stiff. ‘I need something to do,’ I told my mum Geta, then 46. I lived with her and my dad Alex, then 43. Had been single for years. Downloading TikTok, I watched vids to pass the time. Saw one posted by a woman who was a pen pal to prison inmates. Intrigued, I checked out the pen-pal website. Scrolled through the prisoner profiles. One pic stopped me in my tracks. Cage Chapparo, then 23. So handsome. In his bio, he described spending summers on the beach in Los Angeles. Just…

Chloe Tatton, 24, Congleton, Cheshire Stepping out of bed, I plodded into the bathroom, looked at my reflection in the mirror and gasped. My eyes were pink and swollen, my neck covered in a deep rash. I looked like I’d been stung by a swarm of bees. What’s more, my skin was burning and so itchy. It was April 2021 and I was 21. Since I was a baby, I’d suffered from eczema. Patches of dry skin on my arms, legs, hands and face. Treated it with topical steroid cream, prescribed by my doctor. But it’d never been this bad before… My GP referred me to a dermatologist. ‘It’s extreme eczema,’ he said, suggesting light therapy and some allergy testing, as well as an ointment and more steroid creams. But,…

Issi Chandler, 27, Old Trafford Bopping to the beat, I clinked glasses with my pals. A night out at a jazz club was just what I needed. It was November 2022 and I’d just broken up with my boyfriend of two years and moved back to Brighton, where I’d grown up. My mates had taken me out in a bid to cheer me up. ‘I needed this!’ I yelled over the music. As the early hours approached, my mates headed home. ‘I’m going to stay out,’ I said. There were familiar faces about and I was having fun. I carried on dancing, and less than an hour later I left the club, heading out into the freezing-cold night. Walking home along the promenade, my head felt fuzzy from a few…

Blackberry and apple crumble muffins Turn a classic pudding into a tasty grab-and-go treat MAKES 12 PREP 20 MINS COOK 35 MINS ● 150g butter, at room temperature, plus a knob● 225g caster sugar● 250g self-raising flour● 3 medium free-range eggs, beaten● 100g apple sauce● 3 Cox’s apples, cored and cut into small chunks● 150g blackberries FOR THE TOPPING: ● 40g butter, at room temperature● 40g light muscovado sugar● 60g plain flour● 3tbsp rolled oats YOU WILL NEED: ● 1 x 12 hole muffin tin● 12 muffin cases 1 Heat the oven to 160C Fan/Gas 4. Line a muffin tin with the paper cases. Using an electric whisk, whizz together the 150g butter, sugar, flour, eggs and apple sauce for 3 mins, until light. 2 Heat the knob of butter in…

Oasis Fans rejoiced last year when brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher confirmed they were getting back together and going on tour. It marked the end of their 15-year feud, with the pair announcing, ‘This is it, this is happening.’ Oasis, who shot to fame in 1994, are set to play dates in the UK, Ireland and North America. Revealing how the reunion came about, they said there had been ‘no great revelatory moment’, but a ‘gradual realisation that the time is right’. ABBA In 2018, ABBA joined forces after 35 years apart to record two new songs, I Still Have Faith in You and Don’t Shut Me Down. In a statement, members Agnetha Fältskog, Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Anni-Frid Lyngstad described the reunion as ‘an extremely joyful experience’. In…