Forget the traditional roast turkey this Christmas: hungryhouse.co.uk has revealed what thousands of Brits will really be chowing down on this Christmas Day – and it’s not what you think.

Based on thousands of orders from Christmas 2016, the online food-ordering platform reveals that pizza is officially the most popular Christmas Day takeaway, with hungryhouse selling one every seven seconds last year. Margherita, meat feast and Hawaiian top the list of most popular toppings.

Next on the list of most-loved festive food is chicken with nearly a third (29%) of orders on December 25^th. Burgers come third at 20% and Indian food fourth (11%) – with Korma, Biryani and Tikka Masala proving most popular.

Those with more adventurous taste will be opting for Lebanese (6%), sushi (5%) or Persian (3%) this coming yuletide, according to the extensive data revealed by hungryhouse.

The statistics also show we’re a divided nation when it comes to our festive food choices, with those in Yorkshire (58%) and the North-East (31%) opting for burgers above anything else. It’s all-about-Italian for those in the south east (67%), south west (55%) and London (67%).

Scotland is revealed as the only region fanatical about Chinese food with nearly a quarter (24%) ordering it on Christmas Day 2016; other regions kicked the cuisine to the kerb, with only 2% of orders from the rest of the UK opting for the oriental food.

UK Top 10 Christmas Day Takeaways

1)    Pizza & Italian (31%)

2)    Chicken (29%)

3)    Burgers (20%)

4)    Indian (11%)

5)    Chinese (8%)

6)    Lebanese (6%)

7)    Kebab (5%)

8)    Sushi & Japanese (5%)

9)    Thai (4%)

10) Persian (3%)

At least 1,400 vulnerable people will spend Christmas on a hospital ward – well enough to go home, but trapped because of a social care system starved of funding – an Alzheimer’s Society investigation has revealed.

Alzheimer’s Society today warned a desperate lack of available homecare and care homes is ‘turning wards into waiting rooms’, after its investigation revealed people with dementia are being delayed up to ten times as long as those without the condition.

There is no cure for dementia, or drugs that can slow its progression, so it’s social care, rather than the NHS, that hundreds of thousands of people with dementia in the UK rely on every day. But with a £2bn social care funding shortfall, there is not enough support for people with dementia.

The investigation, which analysed data from hospital-led audits (1), found that last year people with dementia spent 500,000 extra days in hospital, despite being well enough to go home, at a cost to the NHS of over £170 million. Limited data is collected on dementia care in hospitals, and only two thirds of people with dementia have a diagnosis (2), so this is likely to be a conservative estimate of the true picture.

Prolonged stays in hospital have life-changing consequences for people with dementia – many become too frail to be discharged to their own home, with some sadly dying before they are discharged.

Julie Evans from Great Barr, Birmingham, said: “My father was admitted to hospital due to a water infection which seriously affected his confusion. Up until that time he had lived in his home with help and support from family. Whilst in hospital his dementia seemed to worsen dramatically and it was decided that he would not be able to return home and would require a care home. We had to wait for him to be allocated for assessment of his needs. We waited 4 weeks for an assessment place. He was sent to a home where I saw no stimulation or interaction, staff bought food and drink and kept guard by the doors.  My dad was there for 1 week before he suffered a fall which saw him break his hip. He was admitted to hospital where he later died. In my experience of seeing both of my parents with dementia needing hospital and then care home, I can only say that neither was acceptable. The care home should have been available as soon as dad was passed fit to leave not after a further 4 weeks.

“I still cry every day because of what happened to my dad and because I had to let him go through the system, the guilt I feel will stay with me for the rest of my life. I feel very strongly about this as both my parents suffered very degrading ends to lives that had been spent as loving, caring, valuable members of society.”

Nurses on the frontline are fearful of the safety of people with dementia while they’re stuck in hospital for lengthy periods. As part of its investigation, Alzheimer’s Society carried out a survey in partnership with the Royal College of Nursing (3) which found 1 in 10 nurses surveyed have seen people with dementia waiting in hospital for over a year.

One of the nurses surveyed described hospital as ‘one of the most confusing and upsetting environments for a patient with dementia’. Another expressed concern that people with dementia ‘are much more likely to harm themselves in acute settings where they are not managed appropriately or able to have the attention they deserve to maintain their safety’.

Maria Parkes, Services Manager in Birmingham, at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “With such scarce social care funding, wards are being turned into waiting rooms, and safety is being jeopardised.

“From the woman who spent two months on a bed in a corridor because there were no available care home places, to the man who died after months of waiting left him debilitated by hospital-acquired infections, people with dementia are repeatedly falling victim to a system that cannot meet their needs.

“One million people will have dementia by 2021, yet local authorities’ social care budgets are woefully inadequate, and no new money has been promised in the budget to cope with increasing demand.

“Government attention must be focussed on social care, and pounds put behind their promises, to alleviate the pressure on our NHS hospitals, and the suffering of people with dementia on its wards.”

Dawne Garrett, Royal College of Nursing Professional Lead for the Care of Older People and Dementia, said: “Nursing staff know better than anyone how often patients with dementia are stranded in hospital when they could be discharged, if only they had more social support.  Hospital is not the best place for people living with dementia, where they are at risk of falling or contracting an infection.

“The College was very concerned to see no extra resources announced for social care in last month’s Budget, and backs Alzheimer’s Society’s call for increased funding for local authorities so that they can give more support to people leaving hospital”.

Public Health England (PHE) West Midlands is renewing the call for people to check they are up-to-date with two doses of MMR vaccine. It comes as cases of measles confirmed in Birmingham rises to 16, and people begin to gather for Christmas celebrations across the city, providing the ideal opportunity for measles to spread wider across the city and the region.

PHE has previously reported managing an outbreak of measles in Birmingham alongside Birmingham City Council and NHS partners, with cases confirmed since the beginning of November. Almost all cases have been in children.

Symptoms to be aware of include:

• high fever
• sore, red, watery eyes
• coughing
• aching and feeling generally unwell
• a blotchy red brown rash, which usually appears after the initial symptoms

Dr Bharat Sibal, PHE West Midlands Health Protection consultant, said: “Measles is extremely infectious. Christmas is fast approaching and gatherings will be held where the disease can spread easily. It is really important that anyone who hasn’t had two doses of the MMR vaccine contacts their GP surgery to get up-to-date. If you’re unsure whether you or your children have had the vaccine, check your child’s Red Book or contact your GP surgery to find out. You do not need to seek additional vaccines if you and your children have had two MMR vaccines in the past.

“With ongoing outbreaks in other parts of Europe including Romania, Italy and Germany, we’re also warning that anyone travelling to these countries for the festive period is at particularly high risk. If you’re planning to go to these countries, contact your GP to arrange an appointment for vaccination before you travel, if you’ve not received two doses of MMR in the past.”

Because measles is so infectious, anyone with symptoms is also being advised to stay at home and phone their GP or NHS 111 for advice in the first instance to prevent the illness spreading further.

Dr Sibal added: “Members of the public should be vigilant for the symptoms of measles, including high fever; sore, red, watery eyes, coughing, aching and feeling generally unwell and a blotchy red brown rash, which usually appears after the initial symptoms. If you’re concerned that you or your child may have measles, please do not go to A&E or your GP surgery straight away. Instead telephone your GP or ring  NHS 111 for advice. This will prevent measles being spread to other people who may be vulnerable. If you think you have symptoms and your surgery is closed for the festive period, telephone NHS 111 for advice – do not go straight to A&E.

“If you think you could have measles, it’s also really important to stay away from areas where you could come into contact with lots of other people – so stay away from any Christmas gatherings if you have symptoms, and especially from vulnerable patients in hospitals, care homes or similar settings. We understand Christmas is a time to visit loved ones, but measles can be serious for these groups and spreads easily in these places.”

The free MMR vaccine is a safe and effective way of protecting against measles, as well as mumps and rubella. It is particularly important for parents to take up the offer of MMR vaccination for their children when offered at 1 year of age and as a pre-school booster at 3 years 4 months of age. If children and young adults have missed these vaccinations in the past, it’s important to take up the vaccine now from GPs, particularly in light of the recent cases in Birmingham.

Many of the 88 existing constellations officially recognised by the International Astronomical Union are based on the zodiac and figures from ancient Greek and Roman mythology, but a new study has found these aren’t necessarily proving successful in enticing children today to look up to the stars - with 29% admitting they wouldn’t actually be able to recognise a single classical constellation. 

In a bid to get kids to take up more of an active interest in the cosmos, The Big Bang Fair has worked with University of Birmingham to create a brand-new set of constellations based on inspirational figures of the modern day that young people will want to look up to - in every sense of the term.

The new project, entitled ‘Look Up To Stars’, centres on eight new constellations for the modern day – each one representing famous men and women that are inspiring to children from the worlds of sport, entertainment, science and activism – with a view to encouraging more young people to take up an interest in the universe.

In a study commissioned by The Big Bang Fair to mark the launch of the project, 72% of the 7-19 year-olds that were polled said they have never looked up at the night sky to find a constellation, while 29% admitted they wouldn’t be able to recognise a single classical constellation by name if shown them.

So what are some of the new constellations that astronomy experts at University at Birmingham have created?

New creations from researchers include Harry Potter’s glasses to represent JK Rowling, a tennis racket for Serena Williams, a space-craft for Tim Peake, a blue whale for Sir David Attenborough and a book in honour of Malala Yousafzai.

Sir Mo Farah meanwhile has been immortalised in the form of an ‘M’ shape constellation after his renowned ‘Mobot’ celebration, with Usain Bolt is also celebrated through a pattern of stars that resembles his own celebratory lightning-bolt stance.

The new constellations are the work of experts at the University of Birmingham’s Astronomy Society. The process of developing the new constellations involved a careful analysis of star maps for different regions of the sky by researchers.

Emma Willett, who led the University of Birmingham research team, commented: “It was an honour to work alongside The Big Bang Fair to develop a new set of constellations for the modern day to encourage children today to look up to the stars. We really hope these new creations will help people of all ages develop their interest in space and astronomy, working to inspire the next generation of astronomers to take an interest in the field.”

Beth Elgood, Director of Communications at EngineeringUK, who organise The Big Bang Fair, said: “Stargazing is a great way to spark young people's interest in the universe and inspire them to find out more. Inspiration is at the heart of The Big Bang Fair, where young visitors, their teachers and parents have the chance to get hands-on with engaging STEM activities, workshops and shows and discover where science and maths could take them in the future.”

The prolific and highly-successful British playwright David Edgar has returned to his hometown of Birmingham to oversee the premiere of a newly-revised version of one of his most famous productions.

Originally written in 1994, Edgar’s ‘Pentecost’ is being performed by Birmingham City University’s Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Theatre Company at the Patrick Centre, Birmingham Hippodrome from 13 until 16 December.

David Edgar said: “The play is usually done naturalistically and, although much of the production is done in that way, director Aleksandar Dundjerović has invented an extraordinary, poetic ending for the play, which is different from any previous production.

“The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire has unique facilities and noted teaching skills, so I was excited when Aleksandar suggested I become involved with the rehearsals of this production. I came in to hear the first read-through and a couple of other rehearsals, as well as the dress rehearsal. I have enjoyed and valued being part of the process of making this production.”

Edgar was born into the fourth generation of a theatrical family, has long associations with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, and has seen more than 60 of his plays published and performed on stage, radio and television around the world.

Edgar added: “Birmingham has always had a justified reputation for music and the visual arts. More recently, it gave a home to Britain’s leading ballet company. I have been visiting the Birmingham Rep since I was three years old. But there's no doubt that the presence of two major universities teaching drama and theatre arts has invigorated the city’s cultural scene.”

A medieval art discovery in a dusty church with the potential to change history is at the centre of ‘Pentecost’. This politically-topical drama sees armed and desperate migrants storm the church holding hostage the art historians who have come to study the fresco.

‘Pentecost’ is directed by Aleksandar Dundjerović, Professor of Performing Arts at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, added:

“The play is set in the Balkans during the early 1990s, when civil war was ravaging Yugoslavia. David Edgar, one of the best living British playwrights, made a story for the changing world of the beginning of 1990s, the one that we left behind and that we should be much better off without. With the movement of mass migration in 2015 of millions of refugees from wars, we are now all part of Edgar’s world depicted in ‘Pentecost’.

“Despite the present divisions in the world, Edgar gives us warning that we may still save ourselves from neo-conservatism and neoliberalism, new nationalisms and neo-colonialism and enforced progress driven by corporate thinking. The play offers a resolution to conflicts – be it financial, religious or ideological – by reminding us that we are all part of the same humanity, and we all share the same vision of belonging to something higher than we are.”

Born in Belgrade, Serbia, Dundjerović is an award-winning professional theatre director and throughout his career has worked on major productions in his home country as well as in Brazil, Canada, Columbia, Iran, the USA and the UK.

‘Pentecost’ was first performed in 1994 at the Other Place by the Royal Shakespeare Company and directed by Michael Attenborough. This production transferred to the Young Vic in 1995, where it won that year's Evening Standard Award for Best Play.

The latest incarnation is performed by Acting students from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, part of Birmingham City University. Two of the cast members – Henry Glyde and Hugo von Fragstein – have recently been awarded prestigious Laurence Olivier Bursaries. Established by the Society of London Theatres (SOLT) in 1987, the bursary scheme provides financial support to exceptional drama students.

‘Pentecost’ features sequences of traditional Slavic folk dancing and the students were trained for these sections by Russian choreographer, Olga Kozadayeva from Tambov State University.

She said:“It was a great experience for me to train Birmingham City University students. They are all so talented and picked up my choreography very easily.

“I was in awe at the facilities the staff and students at Birmingham City University have at their disposal to learn and teach. I was also impressed by the cast’s work ethic during rehearsals. I hope their performance of ‘Pentecost’ is a great success. We also hope that our little contribution to the show – teaching dancing and Russian speech – will play a positive role.”

Kozadayeva was visiting Birmingham City University as part of an exchange organised by the institution’s Internal Office and funded through Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility. She was accompanied by Tatyana Kozhevnikova, the Dean of the Faculty of Culture and Arts from Tambov State University, as well as Deputy Head of its International Relations Department, Yuri Zusman, and they spent time meeting with students and academics in various Schools and Departments at Birmingham City University.

Tambov State University is the second largest university in the Central Chernozyom Region of Russia and is named in honour of the Russian poet and statesman, Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin. The University’s visit to Birmingham established new collaborative projects between the two institutions, including student exchanges, visiting professorships and the potential for joint productions between performing arts scholars in the future.

Business leaders in Birmingham have called on the government to take control of the economy by investing in skills and infrastructure, rather the Bank of England’s “balancing act”.

Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) said moving away from a reliance on consumer spending was more likely to create a path to prosperity.

Paul Faulkner (pictured), chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC), was speaking after the announcement that inflation rose from 3 per cent to 3.1 per cent in November, the highest figure in nearly six years, as the squeeze on households continued.

Mr Faulkner said: “Inflation levels crept above the 3 per cent mark for the first time in almost six years as we saw a notable rise in oil prices throughout November – mainly as a by-product of the lower value of the pound.

“Markedly, UK earnings are only rising by around 2 per cent which means households are still feeling the squeeze in the run up to Christmas.

“In his letter to the Chancellor, Mr Carney will no doubt stress that inflation is now close to its peak – however, a key trend we saw in our latest Quarterly Business Report was that local firms are still facing pressures to raise prices which in turn, could produce upward inflationary pressures and continue to have a knock on effect on consumer output.

“Moving away from a reliance on consumer spending and actually investing in skills and infrastructure is more likely to create a path to prosperity than relying on the Bank of England to maintain its balancing act of keeping a lid on inflation whilst also getting households to spend more of their hard earned cash.

“We will be discussing this topic and others at the official launch of the report  which takes place on Monday, January 16, at Birmingham City University.”