Attention, Bagpuss fans: If you’re looking for a cat to adopt, the RSPCA have found the perfect one.

Matilda is an elderly cat, thought to be around 12 years old, who looks a lot like Bagpuss… except she’s not bright pink.

The cat was found dumped in a tall bin in Croydon, where she must have been deliberately placed.

She was found by refuse collectors, who tried to find her owner but didn’t hear from anyone nearby. A resident of the block of flats rang the RSPCA after becoming concerned when Matilda wasn’t moving.

The cat has no microchip but was found wearing a plastic pink collar, so it’s likely she had a home. She may end up needing a new family to give her the love and care she deserves.

The RSPCA’s Tom Goldsmith said: ‘We knocked on some doors but couldn’t find anyone that recognised this poor cat.

‘She did have sticky eyes and seemed unwell so we took her to RSPCA Putney for a check over.

‘I think it’s unlikely she got into the bin herself because of the position and height of it, so sadly this may have been done deliberately.’

When Matilda arrived at the shelter she was showing symptoms of flu, which may be worsened because of her breed.

Persian cats have extremely short, flat faces which can cause difficulties breathing and with cats’ eye ducts.

Jo Elmes, from RSPCA Putney, said: ‘As soon as we saw poor Matilda she reminded us of the much-loved childhood character Bagpuss. We can’t believe someone thought she was rubbish, she is such a sweet girl.

‘She is doing really well here though so if no one comes forward hopefully we can find her a loving new home – although perhaps not with a woodpecker and some mice!’

If anyone recognises Matilda or knows how she came to be in the bin they can ring the RSPCA inspectorate appeal line on 0300 123 8018.

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Easter is upon us and for many, we’ll be able to enjoy an extended weekend in the sun with temperatures expected to reach 22 degrees.

In case you’ve not stocked up on all the necessities for the bank holiday break, fear not, you’ll still be able to pick up those last-minute bits from Morrisons.

Here is everything that you need to know about the supermarket’s opening hours over Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday.

What are Morrisons’ opening hours this Easter?

The supermarket will be open during its normal hours of 7am – 10pm on Good Friday and Saturday 20 April.

All stores will be closed on Easter Sunday and reopen between 8am – 7pm on Easter Monday.

Opening hours will resume as normal on Tuesday 23 April.

Visit our Opening Times page for more information on other store and shop opening hours.

MORE: Morrisons launches packs of rare double yolker eggs for £1.50

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The Easter weekend is here, giving us our first day off since the New Year and providing folks with a much-needed four day break from work.

It also means that things will be a little different in the high street, with many shops reducing their hours over the next few days and in some cases closing altogether.

The banks will also be following suit – but will any of them be open over Easter?

Here’s what you need to know…

What are the opening hours for the banks on Good Friday?

Most of the major banking chains will be closed on Good Friday, although a few select branches may be open with reduced hours.

You can find out if your local is open or closed by visiting the store locator section of your bank’s website – although in some cases this may not show updated information.

One chain which will definitely be open on Good Friday however is Metro Bank – which is open every day of the year except Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and Easter Sunday.

You can check the opening hours of your local via the website’s branch finder.

What are the opening hours for the banks on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday?

Easter Sunday will see all banks shutting up shop and most of them are closed on Easter Monday as well.

As above though, a few branches may be open on Easter weekend, so keep those eyes peeled to the website to see if one of them is yours.

Metro Bank will be open on Monday although according to their website they operate Sunday hours on bank holidays, so don’t expect them to open their doors before 11am – but once again check their website for exact timings.

If you do need to get to the bank over the weekend, most branches which open on Saturdays will be open this Saturday as usual.

Cashpoints and online banking will of course continue to operate round the clock over the four-day break.

Every parent should stick a note on the back of their child’s car seat, a paramedic has urged.

Not many parents know about this potentially life-saving trick.

On Facebook, the ambulance worker wrote: ‘Way too often we come upon a car wreck with child(ren) in the car who are too young to have any info and parents are unconscious.’

He explains that in the case of a car wreck, a child’s life could be saved by having their vital information readily available.

Parents should pin a note to the back of their child’s car seat with all the information someone would need to know in case of an emergency: their name, date of birth, parents’ names, emergency contacts, and any medical conditions.

This will not only help emergency response teams to identify the child, but could also give them access to health information that’s urgently needed.

Allergies to medications and other substances should also be included on the note, and if a child has existing conditions it’s worth putting their doctor’s contact details on there, too.

‘It takes two minutes,’ said the paramedic, but it could ‘save a child’s life’.

On Facebook, parents have praised the simple tip, and added their own words of advice to protect children when on the road.

One parent said that parents should remove the ‘baby on board’ stickers from their car if their child has grown up, as ‘if there was an accident firefighters may be looking for a baby who was never there to start off with’.

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This Easter weekend will no doubt see families and friends hosting gatherings, sharing food and drink and making the most of a long weekend off work.

But given the four-day weekend includes two bank holidays, you’ll have to be savvy with shop opening times if you want to ensure your fridge is well-stocked.

Many supermarkets will be changing their opening times to accommodate the bank holiday weekend.

Here is everything you need to know about the Sainsbury’s opening hours on Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday.

What are the Sainsbury’s Easter weekend opening times?

Opening times will vary from store to store across the Easter bank holiday weekend.

Most stores are open on Good Friday but with reduced hours, with many closing by 9pm instead of their usual 10pm or 11pm closure.

Easter Saturday generally has normal opening hours, with all stores closed on Easter Sunday.

Much like Good Friday, stores will be open on Easter Monday but, again, with more reduced hours, with many closing by 7pm.

Sainsbury’s Locals vary and many will have their usual opening hours, meaning you can still pop out after dinner to grab the necessary tub of ice-cream if you do forget to head to the shops earlier in the day!).

For specific opening times for your local stores, head to the Sainsbury’s store locator and type in your town, city or postcode for all the information you need.

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Easter weekend is finally here, and while you’re preparing to stuff your face with all manner of chocolate Easter eggs, rabbits, and other whimsical shapes crafted from confectionery, you might be wondering how to stick to the theme with your makeup.

Yep, your makeup. This Easter it’s time to embrace being extra (no, I will not do the ‘eggstra’ thing. Don’t make me) and fully commit.

You could go for Easter egg inspired nails or bunny brows, sure. But those are so 2018.

This year’s big Easter beauty trend is transforming your face into a giant Creme Egg. Nothing could be more festive.

We’d love to say the look is simple, but it actually requires an artistic hand.

Makeup artist Katie Butt shared a video of herself creating Creme Egg makeup on Instagram, complete with a shiny wrapper, that sunny yolk, and dripping creme, and it looks pretty time-consuming.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwPyiU2hbaQ/

But hey, an hour spent doing this is so worth it. It’s a long weekend, you’re bored, what else do you have to do?

Katie’s creation has been flooded with likes and positive comments, and has influenced one other artist to recreate the look, but it hasn’t fully hit the mainstream yet. Don’t expect to see your nan rocking up to Easter Sunday service with her face painted to look like a delightful chocolate treat.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwPJ9-7nCMH/

If you fancy getting in on the trend but aren’t quite ready to go the whole hog with face-painting, you can always try Creme Egg nails, instead.

They’re a much more wearable way to pay tribute to your favourite Easter chocolate, requiring the colours of the Creme Egg packaging on your talons.

You can cheat the system by just sticking the foil wrappers on your nails. Simple.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg3hR_JD1rL/

That’s also the perfect excuse to load up on the chocolates so you have plenty of packaging available to do all ten nails.

Get some more while you’re at the shops, just in case you need additional reference points. No judgment here.

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Walt Disney World is opening a Beauty and the Beast-themed bar and lounge, and it’s going to be stunning.

The bar and lounge will come this autumn, and will feature four separate spaces, each with a Beauty and the Beast theme.

It’ll be part of the Grand Floridian Hotel and Disney promise that it will ‘put our service to the test and share a tale as old as time.’

There will be a large gold chandelier styled after Belle’s dress and the Beast’s rose, and a library with classic baroque designs and french furnishings.

It doesn’t stop there.

Following on with the theme, there will also be a Garden Room inspired by the enchanted forest, and an Outdoor Room which will ‘evoke the romance of Beast’s garden terrace’.

There’s currently no west wing though, because we wouldn’t want to damage the rose, would we?

While the bar and lounge sounds amazing, we are a little gutted to know it won’t be coming until later this year.

But don’t worry, because Disney World does have another Beauty and the Beast themed room – this time a restaurant.

Be Our Guest is located inside the Beast’s castle, and gives you the chance to sit down and have some lunch.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BoSR3Z9gwqW/?utm_source=ig_embed

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bwax4jIHsEn/

But if you’re more a Gaston fan (let’s face it, there won’t be many of you), you could head to Gaston’s Tavern for a quick snack.

MORE: Easter egg makeup: People are turning themselves into Creme Eggs for Easter weekend

MORE: Sainsbury’s opening times for Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday 2019

A mum-of-one met her fiancé and fell in love with him at a homeless shelter – despite their 19-year age gap.

32-year-old Victoria Gunn fell for her fiancé Geoff Hampstead, 51, from Brighton, in February 2017.

But the couple’s romance received objections from her stepdad, who was angry that he was younger than his son-in-law.

Thankfully the couple have proved the haters wrong. They’re now engaged and have a five-month old daughter, Georgia-may.

Victoria, from Brighton, says: ‘Geoff and I fell in love despite having a 19-year age gap and we couldn’t be happier.

‘We met in the weirdest way, when we were both completely lost in life.’

In June 2014, Victoria’s flatmate fell pregnant and needed Victoria’s room.

She was forced to move out and, for the next three years, sofa-surfed at family members’ houses.

In August 2016, Victoria found herself with nowhere left to stay.

She moved to homeless shelter Emmaus Brighton & Hove, in Brighton.

Victoria says: ‘I was so scared I’d have to sleep on the streets at night.

‘It was freezing and I didn’t know where else to go.

‘I found the shelter and I worked and lived there. They gave me a volunteer wage each week.’

Six months later Victoria met Geoff, who was performing for the shelter’s residents.

Victoria says: ‘There were lots of people staying there, so I’d never seen Geoff before.

‘When I saw him playing guitar, I was mesmerised by him.

‘He had the nicest smile.

‘I plucked up the courage to introduce myself.

‘He told me his age and I realised he was nearly 20 years older than me.

‘I was shocked, as I didn’t think he looked his age.

‘He told me that he’d been at the shelter for a year after sofa-surfing at family’s houses.’

From then on, Victoria and Geoff began chatting. They became inseparable, spending every day with each other.

Despite their age gap, the couple fell in love.

Victoria says: ‘I didn’t care that we weren’t the same age, you can’t help who you fall in love with.

‘Geoff was so mature, it was nice to be with an older man.

‘And he’s never been married or has any children, so there was nothing stopping us from being with each other.

‘I fell deeply in love with him.

‘It was like we’d known each other forever.

‘Within six months, I discovered I was pregnant, we were over the moon.

‘But I suffered an ectopic pregnancy, which was heartbreaking.

‘Then eight months later, I fell pregnant again.

‘But then we realised we couldn’t bring a baby up in that environment, so we applied for housing with the council.

‘I was terrified for my child and just wanted to find her a home.’

In September 2018, when Victoria was eight months pregnant, the couple were accepted for a home, and they moved into a two-bedroom house.

However, Victoria was keeping Geoff a secret from her family. She was worried about what they’d think of the big age-gap.

She said: ‘When my stepdad found out Geoff was five years older than him, he was furious.

‘I told him the age meant nothing, and Geoff had completely changed my life.

‘As we had a baby on the way, he just had to accept us.

‘I suddenly had a home, a man I loved, and I was pregnant.

‘The shelter gave us sofas and beds, which was lovely.’

One month later in October 2018, Victoria gave birth to her daughter, Georgia-may, now five months old.

The couple soon faced criticism from strangers.

Victoria says: ‘When we took Georgia-May to the park, we noticed strangers giving us dirty looks.

‘It made me feel uncomfortable but I ignore them.

‘And friends have asked me why I’m with an old man, I told them I didn’t care about his age, and that love is love.

‘Just because Geoff is older doesn’t mean we can’t be together.’

Despite strangers’ negative taunts, Geoff proposed to Victoria on Christmas Day 2018.

Victoria says: ‘I was so shocked and said yes straight away. Now we’re planning to get married in January next year.

‘We are finally a perfect little family.

‘Now Geoff is applying for jobs every day.

‘Geoff may be almost 20 years older than me, but he’s my perfect man!

‘We went from being homeless and losing all hope, to then falling in love.

‘You never know when you’ll meet the one.’

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The words ‘Easter’ and ‘egg hunt’ go together like coffee and doughnuts, cookies and cream, chocolate and, well, Easter.

Living in the concrete jungle that is London can sometimes make us forget that there are fun spring-time events for the whole family that can be enjoyed even if you’re not one of the lucky few with access to a back garden.

This Easter, why not check out one of the many East egg hunt events going on all over the city?

We’ve put together some of our favourites for you here…

Strongroom’s Easter Sunday Funday

If you’re looking for a kid-free Easter egg hunt, then why not try the Easter Sunday Funday on for size?

The Strongroom bar will be hosting a grown-up hunt from 3pm on Easter Sunday, which will be starting off at the Signature Brew Taproom & Venue.

The hunt will be followed buy a sports day-style event with a sack race, an egg and spoon race, and a BBQ.

GoBoat Easter Egg Hunt

GoBoat London has been hosting Easter egg hunts since April 6, and will continue doing so until April 22, aka Easter Monday.

GoBoat boasts that it’s ‘is the only self-drive, powered boating experience in central London’, which allows anyone who books to drive themselves down some of London’s canals. All ages are welcome, life jackets can be provided for children (even newborns), and you can even bring your dog.

The premise of the hunt is simple – you and a group of up to eight people will be provided a map to guide you to the 12 giant Easter eggs which have been placed all along Regent’s Canal. To win your prize, photograph as many as you can.

The Horniman Easter Fair

The Horniman Museum in Forest Hill is hosting an Easter fair in the museum’s gardens on Easter Saturday and Sunday, from 10:30am until 4:30pm.

Among the events on offer at this very kid-friendly event is an Easter trail, arts and crafts workshops, and a storytelling act inspired by Aesop’s fable, The Hen That Laid The Golden Egg.

Easter Egg Hunt at Chelsea Physic Garden

If you and your children are looking for an egg hunt to fill your Good Friday, then you’re in luck, because kids of all ages are welcome at today’s Easter egg hunt at Chelsea Physic Garden, and every entrant will get their own Rococo chocolate egg, regardless of how many eggs they find.

The hunt will go on from now until 6pm, and all children must be accompanied by an adult. Online tickets to the hunt are now no longer available to buy, but if you get a shift on, you can get one of the tickets left to purchase at the garden’s kiosk.

Easter Egg Search at the Battersea Park Children’s Zoo

Animal lovers are in for a treat with this one, as, until 22 April, there will be plenty of eggs to spot in the animal’s enclosures at the Battersea Park Children’s Zoo.

All you need to do to take part is complete a quiz sheet which will help you figure out where the eggs are. When you’re finished, hand the sheet in for a prize.

Easter Lindt Gold Bunny Hunt

If your tastes run a little more in the royal side, then you might want to head down to Kensington Palace before 22 April for the Easter hunt there.

This family friendly event involves using a trail map to find the clues to a golden bunny statues, learning about historical figures from the palace’s past, and solving challenges to win a chocolate bunny of your own.

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Pub-lovers rejoice – for the long Easter weekend is here at last.

Spring has sprung, and just in time for a bank holiday no less, so what better way to mark the occasion than in a nice beer garden with a crisp and tasty drink in your hand?

So if you, like so many others this Easter, are planning on spending some time down the local then read on, because we’ve got everything you need to know about pub opening times this bank holiday.

When do pubs open and close this Easter?

Unfortunately there’s no catch-all answer to this question, as pubs don’t have to close at any specific time.

According to the 2003 Licensing Act, individual pubs are in control of the hours in which they operate, provided the local councils approve the hours too.

This can be a mixed blessing for pub patrons like ourselves, as that means that, with the council’s approval, pubs can close earlier or indeed later than usual on special occasions – like bank holidays for example – should they choose.

However, in Northern Ireland, it’s a slightly different story, because there are a few restrictions on alcohol selling from the Thursday before Easter until Easter Sunday.

While in England, the councils have the final say as to pub opening hours, in Norther Ireland it’s the Department for Social Development.

As the current Northern Ireland Assembly mandate states, pubs there are only permitted to serve alcohol between 5pm and 11pm on Good Friday.

As for bars, they must stop selling booze at midnight on Thursday and Easter Saturday.

The best way to find out when your local pub is going to be open would be to check online or with the venue directly.

Bigger chain pubs like Wetherspoon, Fullers, and Young’s will have contact details for each of their pubs easily accessible on their respective websites.

Happy pubbing!

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Hey there, pal. Thanks for asking the bartender for some grubby limes to chase those tequila shots, but we need to talk.

This is an intervention. The behaviour we so urgently need to stop: your obsession with buying a round of shots on a night out.

Your habit was great fun at first.

We were in university, back when the name of the game was to get drunk enough to dissolve the cringe of grinding against someone you’ll later see at Domino’s every. single. Saturday. lunchtime. Shots were appreciated then. Little plastic thimbles of vodka mixed with orange squash, fantastic, and you’ve paid for them, even better.

We’d knock them back, swap saliva with someone from our halls, dance, and sneak off to a corner of sticky floor to throw up on our shoes.

It wasn’t a big deal then, to be sloppily drunk. We’d wipe the puke off our face, ignore the bits in our hair, and keep going, no matter how many times we stumbled down the stairs.

Now, we are old. We are too old for this.

While back in the day we could wake up the morning after, sling on a hoody and go about our afternoon, hangovers past your mid-twenties are an excruciating hell.

A shot is no longer just a shot. It’s a momentary loan of fun, and you must repay your debt by having a pounding head, nausea, and a lingering sense of despair for the entirety of the next day. That’s your interest.

If I do a shot, I will immediately throw up. My gag reflex has intensified in my old age, and no longer can I down any beverage, let alone something that burns on the way down and that my body thinks is poison.

After a shot, I have to run to the bathroom or bravely swallow back my own vomit. That might have been cute when we were in our teens, but now it’s highly embarrassing. Also, these are the shoes I wear to work. I can’t afford to keep replacing them because they are stained with my own half-digested dinner.

When you buy us shots, you force us to confront our age, how our bodies fail us, and all the responsibilities we must face.

Friend who buys shots, the problem is that when you buy a round, you take the night to another level.

We could be having a perfectly civilised night. Cocktails feel right and proper. Wine is grownup. Then you bring out the shots and no matter what we’re doing, you signal that the night has descended into madness – casual chats are out, hammered dancing is in.

You bring out the shots and there’s an immediate pressure for us all to drink.

Peer pressure is a very real thing well after our teens. When a shot is put in front of us, we have to drink it. We can’t say no, because that’s a statement that we’re not down to party. We can’t dismiss the shot because you’ve so kindly bought it for us – it would be rude not to throw it back.

And saying no would be acknowledging the dark, horrible truth: we are old, and we can’t party like we used to.

If we drink too much, we’ll feel rubbish enough to worry about our long-term health.

If we fall down the stairs, we’ll throw out our back and need to hobble around for a month.

A sloppy kiss with a stranger feels bleak now we know the state of dating out in the world, and we’ve seen enough photos of ourselves dancing to be filled with brutal shame.

When you buy us shots, you force us to confront our age, how our bodies fail us, and all the responsibilities we must face. You force us to acknowledge our own mortality.

That’s heavy stuff, friend.

Unfortunately, by the time you bring out the round of shots we’re usually tipsy enough to believe that all those concerns about the loss of our youth, our dire dating situations, and impending death can be solved by drinking more alcohol.

We’ll toss back that shot, bite that lime, and hope that we can forget what we know to be true.

Then we’ll feel like sh*t the next day, and it’s all your fault.

Friend who buys a round of shots, you are committing an evil far greater than your understanding. You are making us look at our aged selves in the mirror. You make us look death in the eye.

Buying a round of shots is the height of cruelty. You know full well that we have two options: accept who we have become, or do the shot and feel awful. What a terrible choice to force people to make.

Please, as generous as you may think you’re being when pouring out a round of tequila, just get us a nice glass of wine instead. Or perhaps some cucumber water, if you want to rouse some serious excitement.

Let us pretend for a moment that we’re still cool, rather than tearing that pleasure to shreds with clear evidence that we are old, boring people who can’t handle a tiny glass of booze.

Friend who buys a round of shot on a night out, you are the worst, and you must stop.

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Attention, fashion fans who are looking to ditch the city: the country mansion once belonging to Laura Ashley is now up for sale.

The legendary fashion designer – whose designs are in millions of homes – moved into the mansion with her husband, Sir Bernard Ashley, in 1961.

The residence and the surrounding landscape have been credited with inspiring the designer’s famous floral prints.

The house has often appeared in photoshoots as a stunning backdrop to her relaxed country designs.

The Laura Ashley textile design company was founded by Bernard Ashley, an engineer, and his wife Laura in 1953. Over the next twenty years it grew to become an international retail chain, will sales totalling over £276 million in 2000.

The picturesque property was sold by the Ashley family after the death of Bernard in 2009. He had been a widower since Laura passed away in 1985.

It was sold for £1.2 million in the spring of 2010 to the current owners and since then the property has been extensively restored. It’s now back on sale for £1.8 million.

The restoration improved the original leaded, stained glass windows, cast iron guttering, and the owners added a pillared porch, two balconies and a roof terrace to maximise the views of the impressive rural landscape.

Rhydoldog House is set within three acres of gardens with panoramic countryside views and even a pretty waterfall.

The current owners built a luxurious onsite apartment to live in while they renovated the property.

As well as this accommodation the mansion has four principal reception rooms, a kitchen diner, six bedroom suites, and a cellar.

Alongside the mansion and its gardens the sale also includes a 33 acre woodland which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

There is still structural work to be done to improve the property, the majority of the house has been taken back to a more raw state and now just needs a new owner to complete the restoration.

According to McCartney estate agents who are selling the property, the new owners have access to the restoration plans that have been followed to date or they can create their own vision.

With planning permission they say there is opportunity to create a stunning countryside boutique hotel or to make the Ashleys’ home your own.

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Westerners often centre western language as the default, understandably.

When it comes to understanding foreign things, they can be explained in such a way that they’re almost dumbed down. For example, hummus becomes a sauce, a lungi becomes a skirt, and biryani becomes a vegan wrap.

One comedian decided to turn this phenomenon on its head.

When actor and comedian Quincy went to France and tucked into a traditional French delicacy, he decided to have fun with it.

Posting on Twitter, he wrote: ‘My first crepe here in France! (A crepe is a type of French roti or jianbing)’.

In doing so he demonstrated how ridiculous it can be when cultural items, like the crepe is to the French, are reduced to a foreign version of something else instead of a cultural item in their own right.

The joke resonated with many others, as the post racked up thousands of likes and retweets in the space of a few hours.

My first crepe here in France! (A crepe is a type of French roti or jianbing) pic.twitter.com/akBXZE377w

— Quincy (@Quincetessence) April 17, 2019

One person quipped: ‘I bet you were initially disgusted by the soft texture or the thinness of the dough, but after you spend enough time in France, you’ll learn to get past the foreign-ness and enjoy such an exotic food!

Others joined in on the shade saying: ‘Looks exotic’, ‘I recommend also trying a baguette, it’s like a French Youtiao’.

Some got into semantics and argued over whether it was more of a roti or dosa. ‘There’s something wrong with that dosa,’ commented one person

Mostly people had a laugh. Someone wrote: ‘I’ll tell ya, these new cuisines might catch on someday’ and in a similar vein, someone said: ‘This is too good. The tea has been served piping hot. I’m in throes of enjoyment.’

For a moment all was well on the internet.

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Easter bank holiday weekend means four long days off work (for the lucky ones!) – but it also means shops and other stores have different opening times.

If you’re planning on seeing friends and family this weekend or if you’re hosting an Easter gathering, be prepared for your local supermarkets to have limited opening hours.

Many supermarkets will be changing their opening times to accommodate the bank holiday weekend.

Here is everything you need to know about the Lidl opening hours on Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday.

What are the Lidl Easter weekend opening times?

Opening times will vary from store to store across the Easter bank holiday weekend for Lidl.

Most stores will be open as usual on Good Friday and Easter Saturday.

However, the majority of Lidl stores will be closed on Easter Sunday, as will most other supermarkets..

Easter Monday will see stores reopen again but on limited hours, generally from 8am to 8pm.

Given store opening times vary from store to store, for specific information for your local branch, visit Lidl’s Store Finder.

Stores in Scotland will be open as usual across the whole weekend.

Visit our Opening Times page for more information on other store and shop opening hours.

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A popular Belgian beer company is looking to pay someone to go on a spring break, totally free of charge.

In a press release, Hoegaarden, the Belgian wheat bear, wants to send someone away to visit its hometown of Hoagaarden, Belgium – and they’ll even pay you for your travels.

They said: ‘Yes, you can get paid to go on spring break this year.

‘Hoegaarden will pay you $1,445 (£1,111) to experience a slowed down life in Hoegaarden — what this rustic, quaint village has to offer — an abundance of nature, cloud watching, cobblestone skipping, and savoring the smooth, citrusy Hoegaarden.’

The company is offering four travelers and their friends everything they’d need to spend on their Spring Break in Belgium, which includes flights, accomodation and $1,445 to spend while there – given that 1445 was the year Hoegaarden was founded.

According to the company, the holiday is to give people a ‘break from the hectic pace of every day life’, when a vacation to a noisy hotel or crowded beach ‘won’t bring you the relief you need’.

They said: ‘We believe that spring, the time of renewal and appreciation, is the perfect moment to return the simple things in life.

‘As the original Belgian wheat beer, born in the village of Hoegaarden, Belgium, we know that a life lived slowly is something hard to find these days. So we’d like to bring that life to you with the Hoegaarden Slowed Down Spring Break.

‘This alternative spring break is a chance to enjoy a respite from modern stresses. To disconnect. To recharge. In our quaint village in Belgium, you’ll find an overflow of green spaces, charming cafes, and of course, our famous wheat beer.

‘Here, life moves a little slower, beer is brewed a little longer, and we prioritize conversation over wi-fi connection.’

According to the company, the break will give you a chance to ‘find shapes in the clouds’ and stroll through cobblestone streets.

It’ll also give you the opportunity to bask in nature and savour ‘delicious, citrusy Hoegearden’.

Of course, not just anyone can go and be given a load of money. You have to enter for your chance to win.

If you do win, you’ll have to be free from 11-15 May, and be a US citizen. Sorry, UK people.

But if that’s you, and you fancy a break of peace and tranquility – and beer – then go forth and enter for your chance to win.

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Easter isn’t just about chocolate – it’s also a time when families and friends get together and relax over the long weekend.

Gatherings will be taking place across the country, and with temperatures set to be as high as 26°C and 27°C, the weekend could see garden parties and BBQs in full swing.

But what happens if your BBQ comes out of hibernation and doesn’t work? Or the paddling pool has puncture in it? Or you find you need more garden games to entertain the kids?

Well, luckily for you, Argos has got your back..

Here is everything you need to know about the Argos opening hours on Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday.

What are the Argos Easter weekend opening times?

Opening times will vary from store to store across the Easter bank holiday weekend for Argos.

Good Friday will see all stores as usual, with varying opening times.

They will also be open for trade on Easter Saturday, with more stores offering their usual working times.

However, all Argos stores will be closed on Easter Sunday, so you’d better get those BBQs tested on Friday or Saturday if you don’t want to have disappointed guests on your hands.

Easter Monday will see more stores open their doors again, but with limited opening hours.

To get specific opening times information for your local branch of Argos, visit their Store Locator.

Visit our Opening Times page for more information on other store and shop opening hours.

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Easter weekend is (for most) a long weekend off work – but that also means that store, supermarkets and shops will be closing their doors so their staff can enjoy a break too.

Your local Boots store might be a handy hub for picking up toiletries, medicines or plasters and many other useful items, but you’ll need to make sure you’re savvy this weekend as your local branch will be changing its opening times.

That means heading to the shops to pick up any essentials before they close their doors for the Easter break.

Here is everything you need to know about the Boots opening hours on Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday.

What are the Boots Easter weekend opening times?

Boots stores opening times will vary from store to store across the Easter bank holiday weekend.

Most stores will be open as usual on Good Friday, however instead of closing at the usual 8pm, they’ll be closing earlier at 5pm.

You can expect standard opening times on Easter Saturday, however, all stores will be closed on Easter Sunday.

Boots stores will then reopen on Easter Monday but, again, with reduced opening hours.

To get specific opening times information for your local branch of Boots, visit the Boots Store Locator to avoid disappointment.

Visit our Opening Times page for more information on other store and shop opening hours.

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We all know that childbirth is… tough.

But it’s easy to forget just how intense an experience popping out a human really is.

When you see baby pictures on Instagram, what you’re not seeing is the pain, screaming, and poop involved in bringing them into the world.

An image spreading over Facebook is a stark reminder of just what’s involved in childbirth.

The image shows a nurse holding a board to show what exactly it looks like when the cervix is dilated to up to 10cm.

It’s a handy visual aid – just imagine part of your vagina going from the tiny hole at the beginning of the board all the way to the size of a baby’s head.

Ouch.

Singer Steffanie Christi’an shared the photo on Facebook, writing: ‘This is why we deserve all the things.’

She’s not wrong.

The photo has been flooded with comments from parents patting themselves on the back and people thanking their mums for going through the trauma of childbirth to give them life.

One person wrote: ‘I need an epidural just from looking at this pic. My body did this 3xs! Women are miracles!’

Another put our reaction into words perfectly: ‘I am NEVER having kids.’

This isn’t the only visual guide to dilation that’s spread around the internet.

Facebook page Kiddicare compared different levels of dilation to food, going from a 1cm Cheerio to a 10cm bagel.

And on the Easter theme, kalmababytherapy took photos of various chocolate eggs to represent dilation.

FYI, a mother goes from a Mini Egg all the way to a full-size Cadbury egg. We repeat: ouch.

In short: childbirth is a horrifying miracle, and you should pay serious respect to anyone who’s gone through it.

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If, like us, you were a fan of extremely big steer Knickers, we think you’ll like Derrick.

Derrick is not a cow, but much like Knickers he is a large being and a force of good.

Derrick is a donkey. An exceptionally hefty donkey.

He measures in at 16.3 hands tall, making him around 5ft 7 inches – just one inch off the record for the largest donkey in the world, currently held by 5ft 8ins donkey Romulus.

Unlike Romulus, Derrick is still growing. His owners say he’ll easily become a world record holder for being the world’s biggest donkey. We believe in him.

Derrick currently lives at Radcliffe Donkey Sanctuary in Lincolnshire, and spends his days playing with other normal size donkeys and his human pals.

Sanctuary owner Tracy Garton said: ‘He was always big, he was big when he was born.

‘He hasn’t finished growing yet, they stop growing when they reach seven years old. So he still has a lot of time.

‘Derrick is very very friendly. He’s just like a big dog, follows you around all the time and wants to be by your side.’

When Derrick reaches seven years and stops growing, Tracy will give Guinness World Records a call.

In the meantime, Derrick just needs to add a few more inches to brag about his height on Tinder.

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A greedy labradoodle is in the dog house this Easter, as he had to be rushed to the vets after sneakily eating seven Easter eggs.

Boseley managed to sniff out the Easter eggs hidden in the spare bedroom of his 64-year-old owner, Peter Hind – and he ate the lot.

Peter found Boseley surrounded by foil, about to eat his eighth egg, after seeing the bedroom door was open.

After counting the wrappers he worked out Boseley had eaten four full-size Easter eggs and three creme eggs, which Peter had bought for a charity raffle.

Knowing chocolate is toxic to dogs Peter rushed four-year-old Boseley to the vets, where he was given medication to make him vomit.

Peter, from near Grimsby, said: ‘Boseley is a real glutton and a big character.

‘We accidentally left the spare bedroom door open and he went in and helped himself.

‘When I found him he was happily eating.

‘He had just started on his fourth creme egg and didn’t look remotely guilty. I think he was just disappointed we’d found him.

‘He has pinched a small amount of chocolate before but he’s never eaten anything on this scale and we knew immediately we had to quickly get him to the vets.

‘I was at the vets within 10 minutes and Boseley was treated within 20 minutes of me making the phone call to them.

‘Luckily he has suffered no ill effects and, from now on, all Easter eggs and chocolate will be hidden in a tall cupboard well out of reach.’

Boseley was treated at Eastfield Vets in North Thoresby by nurse Heather Sparks.

Chocolate contains a chemical called theobromine, which is toxic to pets, and that even small amounts can be fatal.

Symptoms of chocolate poisoning can include vomiting, diarrhoea, increased heart rate, and can lead to seizures and cardiac failure.

Heather is warning owners to be extra vigilant over Easter, which is the second busiest time of year after Christmas for cases of chocolate poisoning.

She said: ‘Whether it’s caused by well-meaning owners treating their pets with chocolate or chocolate accidentally left within their reach, we see a lot of dogs suffering from chocolate poisoning at this time of year.

‘The higher the level of cocoa in the chocolate, the more theobromine it contains, so the darker the chocolate, the greater the risk.

‘The safest option is to keep chocolate and sweets locked away, well out of reach of pets.

‘Even the most well-behaved pets can be tempted to steal food so make sure they can’t get access to the tops of cookers or kitchen worktops.’

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