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THERE'S no denying that the coronavirus crisis has turned all our worlds upside down - but for Lauren Arris Cartwright, life is basically unrecognisable now. In March last year, the retail worker hopped on a plane from her home in Northern Ireland to visit a guy she'd been casually dating who lived in Manchester. Before the trip, Lauren, 27, had only been on four dates with Dan after they'd been introduced at a friend's wedding. Speaking to the Manchester Evening News , Lauren explained: "When driving to the airport on the Friday, my dad jokingly said 'you better come back on Monday'." However the following week, the UK went into total lockdown - and Lauren and Dan's found they'd accidentally jumped a few steps ahead in their relationship and spent months living in each other's pockets. "It was really hard at first," Lauren said. "All I had with me was just a few bits of clothing, makeup and my toothbrush – it really wasn’t ideal!" Unsurprisingly, Lauren found … [Read more...] about I accidentally moved in with a guy I barely knew in lockdown after just four dates – now I’m never flying home

The organiser of a protest over the proposed 1% pay rise for NHS workers has been handed a £10,000 fine by police. Officers attended the demonstration in Manchester city centre at around noon on Sunday. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said around 40 people had gathered "in contravention of current lockdown legislation". The organiser of the protest, a 61-year-old woman, was issued with a £10,000 fixed penalty notice, the force said. A 65-year-old woman was arrested for failing to provide details after refusing to leave, according to GMP. Advertisement More from Greater Manchester Major incident declared after fire rips through three-storey warehouse in Manchester Special constable repeatedly bitten during Manchester raid Manchester: Man charged after police stop ambulance with blue flashing lights taking family to Asda COVID-19: Greater Manchester Police officer dies aged 40 after contracting coronavirus … [Read more...] about NHS pay row: Organiser of protest in Manchester given £10,000 fine by police

Chancellor Rishi Sunak delivered hope to millions of house buyers today as he announced a stamp duty holiday extension alongside new 95% mortgages for buyers. The new mortgage guarantee scheme, first confirmed last week, will help raise home ownership numbers from April, the Chancellor said. Sunak confirmed the news in the Commons earlier amid a record low in 95% mortgages. Right now, there are just eight products on the market, with banks pulling the 'risky' loans since the start of the pandemic. But there are already fears that the new scheme - designed primarily to help first-time buyers get onto the ladder - will lead to a surge in demand and rising house prices, putting properties further out of reach for many. "This is a policy that gives people who can't afford a big deposit the chance to buy their own home," Sunak told MPs. "As the prime minister has said, we want to turn generation rent into generation buy. "Lenders who provide mortgages to homebuyers who can only … [Read more...] about Budget 2021: Return of 95% mortgages confirmed – but fears raised of ‘hidden cost’

It was an ordinary Wednesday morning when I woke up on 13 March, 1996. It was snowing and I shivered as I pulled on my red school uniform sweater. We’d moved to Scotland three years earlier – my mum, my stepdad and my 11-year-old brother Joe. I loved my school. I was a happy-go-lucky kid and very settled. Dunblane was a safe, close-knit community. Neighbours were friendly and Joe and I had the freedom to play in the park and walk to school by ourselves. After we’d waved Mum goodbye at home, we walked the short distance to school and Joe went off to his class, which was in a prefab structure on the site, and I went to mine, Primary Four, which was a classroom in the main building. The school had a large gym in the middle and a big field at the back. It was coming up to 9.30am and our class was walking through a corridor to the music room, called the “GP room”, to practise singing for a big assembly later that week. But something wasn’t right. I was standing next to my … [Read more...] about ‘I tried to take my life after Dunblane horror – but now I have my happy family’

AS McDonald & Dodds viewers are well aware, the show's setting of Bath is crucial to the tone of the show. Tala Gouveia and Jason Watkins are reprising their roles as the quick-witted DCI McDonald and the humbly brilliant DS Dodds to tackle crime in the city once more. Where was McDonald & Dodds series 2 filmed? The series is almost exclusively filmed and set in the town of Bath . Producer Sarah Lewis told press: “We kind of consider Bath as one of our characters. “It’s so beautiful, it’s such a gorgeous city, people are so welcoming to us as well." Royal Crescent The Royal Crescent is one of Bath's most iconic landmarks. It is a perfectly semicircular row of 30 terraced houses which was built between 1767 and 1775 and designed by John Wood the Younger. It has become one of Bath's most popular tourist attractions and is home to a museum of Georgian life. Producer Lewis said: "We did definitely explore the Royal Crescent in this first episode, … [Read more...] about Where was McDonald & Dodds series two filmed?