0 Have your say It is the village where a distinctive red phone box serves as a major tourist attraction and a symbol of a simpler way of life. But plans to usher the quaint Aberdeenshire village of Pennan into the digital age are on hold after councillors decided to defer a contentious application to erect a mobile phone mast in the community.READ MORE: Letters to Nicola Sturgeon reveal public reaction to student dentist who avoided jailThe harbour village, made famous by Bill Forsyth’s critically acclaimed 1983 film, Local Hero, has long been frequented by fans of the movie, with many taking the opportunity to make a call from the telephone box, itself a listed building. Those who cherish Pennan’s rural setting say that a phone mast would impact on the character of a place where solitude is welcomed, and where people come to unwind and get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. READ MORE: MSP calls for police to be banned from placing … [Read more...] about Telephone mast plans on hold in Local Hero village
Phone music on hold
Celebrity organiser Nicola Lewis on how to declutter your home – and aid your wellbeing
She has helped celebrities including Gemma Collins, Ferne McCann and Katie Piper chuck out their clutter and reorganise their lives.Now ex-investment banker Nicola Lewis, who started her company This Girl Can Organise (thisgirlcanorganise.com) two years ago, has written Mind Over Clutter, a guide to cleaning and clearing your home, room by room, and in so doing, improve your mental wellbeing.“Although a clean environment won’t necessarily solve all your problems, it can have an enormous impact on your emotional wellbeing and outlook, and make all the difference to your life,” she writes.“When I started the job, I didn’t see the link with mental wellbeing. But when clients became distressed pulling out certain items, I quickly adapted the rule that I was in control of the situation, and I was here to help them.“That quickly made them feel calmer if they had someone holding their hand doing the task.”She notes that having unnecessary clutter … [Read more...] about Celebrity organiser Nicola Lewis on how to declutter your home – and aid your wellbeing
Reality of life on Universal Credit as couple forced to catch rabbits to eat
Standing in a phone-box, on hold yet again as he tries to negotiate his Universal Credit payments, partially-sighted David collapses into tears. The 40-year-old, from Hartlepool, is just one of the town’s residents who’ve been brought to their knees by the system. Formerly on disability benefits for the rare eye disease keratoconus that he’s had from birth, David has recently been reassessed and told to find work. But with no phone or internet at home, and with limited visibility, the largely online Universal Credit system brings him to the brink of despair. Having paid his rent, he discovers that he has just £5 to live on for the month. In heart-rending scenes shown tomorrow in hard-hitting Channel 4 documentary Skint Britain: Friends Without Benefits, he is shown sobbing pitifully as he stands in the phone box, the hold music playing in the background. “I feel like a dancing bear,” he cries. “I can’t see!” Later, at the food bank … [Read more...] about Reality of life on Universal Credit as couple forced to catch rabbits to eat
Theresa May downgraded from Maybot to glitchy Brext call centre holding system
Thank you for waiting. Your Brexit is important to us. Please hold until a solution is available. Theresa May has long been mocked for her robotic nature, her jerky dancing, frosty demeanour and occasional vocal malfunctions. But since her core purpose, a Brexit deal, was sensationally rejected by MPs, she’s been downgraded from glitchy android to barely functional call centre queuing system. And so when she came to update MPs on her progress today, they were treated to the Commons equivalent of forgettable music and preposterous platitudes. You are being held in a queue. Please hold your nerve. We expect your issue to be dealt with within 45 days. Yet more worrying was the revelation that the Prime Minister’s bizarre Brexit hold music is a relatively recent development. Jeremy Corbyn stood in front of his MPs, who agree on literally nothing so except that it’d be great if we could for the love of God JUST GET ON WITH IT. Usually when a minister makes a statement in … [Read more...] about Theresa May downgraded from Maybot to glitchy Brext call centre holding system
Alexandra Burke dropped from her record label after album only reaches No16 on the charts
IT hasn’t been third time lucky for Alexandra Burke’s music career. I can reveal the ex-Strictly Come Dancing star has been dropped from her record label Decca, having split from her last two labels after each of her previous album releases. She signed with the music giant in December 2017 off the back of reaching the final of Strictly Come Dancing and put out her third album, The Truth Is, in March last year. But after only peaking at No16 she has split from the label, which also looks after Andrea Bocelli, Alfie Boe and Michael Ball. A music insider said: “Alexandra signed to Decca on a one-album deal and they released her collection last year. If it had been a massive success, their relationship obviously would have continued but unfortunately that wasn’t the case. “The relationship has now come to an end after Decca decided not to proceed, so she is no longer signed. Instead she is just focusing on musical theatre rather than reviving her career … [Read more...] about Alexandra Burke dropped from her record label after album only reaches No16 on the charts