Elf-Hats, wintery walks and yuletide fun are all part of When You Wish Upon a Star’s (WYWUAS) Christmas fundraising campaign, Laps for Lapland, which will be taking place this winter. The national charity, which grants the wishes of children living with life threatening illnesses, is appealing for local schools, nurseries, businesses and communities to take part in a Lap for Lapland this winter- helping to raise funds for a magical trip of a lifetime for seriously ill children.

The reimagining of Shakespeare’s New Place in Stratford-upon-Avon reached a significant milestone this week as the new lawn was laid in the Great Garden, restoring it to its former glory. This heralds the final stages of the ground breaking project undertaken by The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust as part of Shakespeare’s 400^th anniversary celebrations.

Surprising new findings from pet insurance provider PDSA Petsurance show that while 76% of households* take out contents insurance for their possessions, only 42% of pet owners insure their four-legged friends. This leaves the owners of around twelve million pets at risk financially should anything happen to their four-legged friends, warns leading vet charity, PDSA.

Bells from over 80 church towers will ring out simultaneously at 7pm on BBC Music Day, Friday 3 June. This unifying moment of celebration will happen throughout towns, cities and villages across the UK, with over 650 bell ringers aged from 11 to 90 years old taking part. Cathedrals involved include Manchester, Sheffield, Bristol, Blackburn, Birmingham and Worcester, and there are many parish churches from Saint Francis Xaviers in Liverpool, and St Mary's at Turville in Buckinghamshire, to St John’s Dumfries in Scotland, and St Teilo's Church, Llantilio Crossenny in Wales.

Do you know somebody in Haringey doing something amazing or someone who deserves a pat on the back for the brilliant work they do? Someone like Lynn Stevens, a carer from Hornsey who supports vulnerable residents so they can live independently. Or a Haringey resident who volunteers to run a sports or music club. Or someone involved in an organisation like the Good Gym a running group set up to help the community.

A new innovative experiment commissioned by Direct Line Home Insurance reveals that men are proving “it’s good to talk,” spending more time chatting on the phone than women.  Men spend 66 per cent longer talking on their phone than women – equivalent to 10 minutes more each day. When it comes to overall phone usage, men spend an hour longer each day using their phones than women.