At last the sun is shining and everyone’s getting excited and motivated. The health campaigns have kicked off, and we are all being urged to get fit and in touch with nature. But where do you start? Health and wellbeing campaigners are an opportunistic bunch. They like to catch us at our most vulnerable. The terrifying thought of the flesh-baring holidays...

As the Wildlife Trusts prepare to launch their 30 Days Wild campaign to get us all outside soaking up the freshness of Spring, we’ve chosen our top picks of simple ideas to get you and your family excited about the outdoors, using all of your senses… 1. Go on a sound safari Explore all the sounds of your neighbourhood by...

While we can complete journals for our children’s journey to date, what can we leave our children for their future should we suddenly depart? Helen Stephens ponders… For those who watch the BBC series “Call the Midwife” I couldn’t help to be moved by the last episode of the latest series, which saw Sister Evangelina pass away peacefully. However, it...

Research* shows that teenagers’ happiness (girls’ in particular) plummets as they reach the teenage years. So, what advice would you offer your teenage self to get through those rollercoaster years? Kerri Littlefield has a go…. As my daughter reached 13 I started to see more of myself in her. The good bits, the bad bits. I also started to remember...

Given that the average Mum spends 51 hours preparing all the loveliness for Christmas Day, major building work in the lead up to Christmas was always going to end in heartache. But nothing prepared me for the challenge ahead… I started off with a positive attitude. A romantic image of the family huddling up together with colourful scarves, red noses...