How do we solve a problem like loneliness in the elderly?

Does the answer lie in friendships between the old and young? Living with your grandparents? Putting down your phone and chatting to strangers?

For some, the solution is Posh Club – a daytime nightclub just for the elderly.

Posh Club encourages older people to dress up and get out of the house to attend raves with other over-60s.

It’s designed to be a fun night out, but at lunchtime, so it’s not cutting into anyone’s precious sleep.

Posh Club events happen all over the country, blasting Rockabilly music while serving up tea and sandwiches.

The concept was founded back in 2014 by Simon and Annie Casson, who wanted to find a way to help their mother deal with loneliness after the loss of their father.

Simon and Annie now hope to take Posh Club around the country, hosting a weekly residency in every town across the country.

Simon, 51, said: ‘Posh Club is a place to dress up and get down. They bleedin’ love it – they can’t get enough.

‘After my dad passed away, my mum moved from London to the suburbs in her 80s, and there was nothing for her to do.

‘My sister decided to run a tea party for her and three of her mates, with cake, sandwiches and tea on proper crockery – they loved it.

‘I thought why don’t we combine that with cabaret, dancing and a big glamorous venue?

‘Then, Posh Club was born. Think The Ritz but for ordinary, working class folk.

‘It’s just five pounds for entry, which includes the show, food and a glass of bubbly.

‘The cheap price is all thanks to our incredible backers, but we rely on individual donations, too.

‘The primary focus of these events are to have fun, light-entertainment, friendship and solidarity. At the moment, we’re currently in six locations but we want to be everywhere.’

Jackie, who regularly attends Posh Club’s events in Hastings, has made loads of new friends through going to the dances.

‘I love coming here for the dancing, the company and the amazing atmosphere,’ she said.

‘It’s just so jolly, I’ve made lots of new friends here.

‘It’s somewhere for us all to come in the day – it’s called Posh Club, but it’s like a nightclub.

‘We can dance our socks off here – we love it.’

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Photographer Randal Ford normally takes portraits of people.

But he challenged himself to try something different and take pictures of wild animals.

Unlike wildlife photographers who capture images of animals in their natural habitats, Randal has bought them, some of them wild, into a studio for a photoshoot.

The unorthodox photoshoots have resulted in 150 pictures of animals such as a tentative tiger, a fierce leopard, a wolf with piercing eyes, and many more wild creatures, all of which have been compiled into a book; The Animal Kingdom: A Collection Of Portraits.

What he’s left with are images of vulnerable creatures who show a side of humanity not previously seen in animal photography.

To achieve that, Randal sets up the studio first; perfecting the lighting and composition, using a large stand-in teddy bear to ascertain where the live subject will sit. Then an animal trainer comes in with the subjects.

Anyone working on the set has to be especially careful when the predators come in, lest they scare the animals or cause them to become defensive.

‘The trainer talks about each animal and its demeanour, but more importantly, talks about how they want you to behave,’ Randal explains to Feature Shoot. ‘For example, when we were shooting the Bengal tiger we were asked to walk normally and talk normally, but directed not to run or creep around the set—if you start doing something weird or odd the animal will put its eye on you.

‘And that’s what we don’t want to happen. We don’t want the animals to get distracted or feel uncomfortable. Also, they usually ask that everybody stands close together. You don’t want people scattered all over the scene, for both distraction and safety reasons.’

‘Being in the studio with a big animal, especially a tiger or lion, is an unbelievable experience.’

It was no easy feat to bring the animals to a studio in Austin, Texas. Some of them came to his studio from rescue habitats, zoos, and from personal owners.

If there were no studios nearby, Randall would have to make a mobile studio.

The Animal Kingdom: A Collections of Portraits by Randal Ford is published by Rizzoli and is available to buy for £29.95.

Take a look at the incredible pictures:

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Party season is finally upon us – which means it’s the perfect time to dress your kids up in adorable, sparkly outfits.

But today’s kids won’t be happy with some spare tinsel and pound-shop fairy wings, these party outfits are slightly more up-market.

Dolce & Gabanna’s new kidswear party collection is ideal for parents who want to create their perfect mini-me’s this Christmas. The range is 56-pieces strong and features items for both boys and girls.

But it’s only available for four weeks from 1 November, so if you’re on the hunt for the perfect party look, now is the time to snap it up.

Net-A-Porter has launched the new party pop-up following the success of its Gucci kidswear pop-up shop earlier this year.

The collection includes tiny brocade tuxedos, tiered polka dot dresses, handbags emblazoned with ‘L’amore’ and the cutest velvet loafers we’ve ever seen.

‘Over the years we have had consistent requests for kidswear from our customers, especially our most engaged ones,’ Alison Loehnis, president of Net-a-Porter.com, told Vogue.

‘Women and men are not just thinking about style in terms of their own wardrobes, but in a broader sense of family and lifestyle. I have no doubt that social media has had some influence on this.’

The collection is priced from £95 to £1,325, and with kids likely to grow out of their outfits within a year – these don’t exactly count as investment pieces.

But for many, the draw of the perfect Instagram pic of their little one might make the cost seem worth it.

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We’re Ellen and Chris, two classic Brits uncomfortable being naked and talking openly about sex stuff.

So when we were offered a holiday to Hedonism II, ‘the sexiest place on earth’, ‘an all-inclusive paradise’, and an ‘iconic adult playground’, we had to say yes.

Hedonism II is, essentially, a sex resort. There are nude beaches, classes on fetishes, and necklaces that declare your sexual interests to other guests.

While we’re here, we’ll be writing daily diary posts about what it’s like at Hedonism II’s Young Swingers Week, culminating in a final article about what we discovered at the end of the week.

Here’s our recap of day three.

Ellen

I’m not a club person.

Sure, I enjoyed throwing back jagerbombs and vodka lemonades while wearing something bodycon back in my uni days, but over time I got tired of pretending I could hear what anyone was saying over the thudding music, fed up of getting my butt grabbed by randoms and gyrated on by sweaty men dripping, and tired of the sense that everyone was there to hook up.

The nude pool at Hedonism II is a lot like a club.

There’s a DJ blasting dance music. There’s a bar. There are hosts wandering around pouring shots into people’s open mouths with syringes.

Oh, but it’s in a pool. And everyone’s naked.

Weirdly, it’s the most respectful club atmosphere I’ve ever been in.

Chris and I get chatting to a couple wearing blue and red necklaces (blue means they’re keen for as much action as possible, red means right couple, right time). Rather than making hardcore advances or filling their chat with sexual innuendo, they’re really sweet, encouraging us to talk to as many people as possible, giving us advice on how to dip our toes in the swinging pool, and offering us drinks from the bar.

They’re getting married tomorrow. The groom tells me I have a ‘beautiful figure’ and that he’s wanted to get together since he saw me in a Metallica shirt on Friday. His wife-to-be agrees.

I’m literally naked in front of a guy who very openly would like to bone, and yet I feel safer than I have encased in any black dress in a bar. Swingers are respectful. They’re well-versed in consent and boundaries. They don’t ogle, they don’t grab, they don’t pinch your bum as they wade past you to the bar.

The sexual vibe of a club is there, absolutely, but it’s free of any tension, likely due to everyone’s openness about being there to swap partners and our collective nudity.

If people want to have sex, there’s no need for dodgy one-liners or creeping up behind them while dancing. They can just do it.

A couple appear to be doing anal on a sunlounger. A woman lies back at the edge of the pool, moaning as a group of three queue up to go down.

So it turns out I am a club person, but only if everyone’s naked and openly in attendance to swing.

Chris

Everybody wants to have sex with my girlfriend. I suppose it’s a nice thing for people to want to have sex with my girlfriend. But not while I go for a wee.

Rob* wants to have sex with my girlfriend. He asks me if it’s okay if she kisses him on the cheek. I tell him he’s asking the wrong person. He’s getting married tomorrow, here at the resort, and we’re invited to the wedding.

He and his fiancé Emma* met on the roadside when he was drunk and struggling to find a taxi back home in San Diego. They immediately hit it off, and when Rob brought Emma back to the same spot four years later and asked her to marry him, she said yes.

They’re part of The Lifestyle (meaning they regularly swing) and Emma has another boyfriend in the arts. She’s currently on all fours while thirsty participants do butt shots from drink poured down the small of her back.

Rob is a Blue. Emma is a Red. Ellen and I are at a pool party surrounded by Young Swingers, professional pole dancers, and the mysteriously named Playful Pussycats. Rob and Emma kindly give us newbies advice about what to expect on our first visit to Hedo.

‘What they don’t tell you to plan for is that, at some point, you two will have an argument,’ Rob says.

‘It will happen, but you can limit it by making rules with your partner and never changing, tweaking or straying from those rules without talking it through together first’.

We’re introduced to other couples and left to mingle. At this point, the party is in full swing, pun-intended, and the alcohol is flowing with cocktails being pushed out from the free bar and both Shot Boys and Shot Girls injecting Apple Sourz into willing mouths from syringes, and asking for it to be squirted back.

Now, I am far from comfortable in Da Club and my whole demeanor must’ve been carefully optimised before birth with max-awkwardness in mind.

But being here in this pool is a completely different story to any late night experience back home. Every couple here is super respectful. Nothing happens without consent or being asked first. Almost everyone only has their eye on a couple of other people, and spends time getting to know them first.

Although the larger resort operates on an all-you-can-eat buffet of food and drinks, the swinging is certainly more measured.

Then a woman does a sticky red shot directly off a man’s penis.

Then two men and a woman take it in turns going down on a lady bent out of shape on the side of the pool.

Oh wait. Yes, that older gentleman is *definitely* doing anal with a blonde on a sun lounger.

‘Want a titty shot?’ a mightily-bossomed girl asks me.

‘No, thank you,’ I reply, and I return to my conversation about cats with *squints eyes at necklaces* Hannah and Steve.

The Sex Resort Diaries will be running all week. You can read day one and day two here, and check back tomorrow to read about us racing some goats and considering a threesome (without goats).

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Hello and welcome to another instalment of our new mythbusting series, Getting Freaky.

Each week, we look at the weird and not-so-wonderful sex stories you’ve likely heard on the playground.

The fact is, no matter how good sex education was in your youth, there was always some kid who found a porno in a bush or was allowed online after their parents went to bed.

That kid would then inevitably tell you the lore of the sexual land, forever clouding your judgement on bedroom truths and lies.

This week, we’re going to be looking at one so ubiquitous it might as well be carved into stone tablets at school gates: The story that you can get a sexually transmitted infection from a toilet seat.

As with any rumour like this, it seems so farfetched that it may actually be true.

But thankfully it’s not.

The way most STIs are contracted is – you got it – through sexual contact.

That’s because chlamydia, gonorrhoea, HIV, and herpes pathogens live in fluids such as blood and semen.

They prefer warm, wet conditions and can’t live outside of the body for more than roughly ten seconds.

As well as this, they need a place to get in, such as an open wound or mucus membrane.

So, unless you’re rubbing a cut onto a toilet seat which had had sexual fluids sprayed on it a matter on seconds ago, you’re very safe.

It may seem like it goes without saying, but do not do that.

There are some infections – like E.Coli, shigella, and norovirus, which could potentially be spread through contact with hard surfaces.

However, once again, the toilet seat would have to have this bacteria on it and find a way into your body through a wound or membrane.

On average, there are about 200,000 times more bacteria on your kitchen sponge than your porcelain throne, and your chopping board and door handles are worse too.

As ever, you should wash your hands thoroughly after using the loo, but it’s worth knowing that toilet seats themselves just aren’t actually that dirty.

Essentially, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility you’d ever catch anything from a toilet, but it’s far, far more likely you’ll get it from eating uncooked chicken or not scrubbing your hands after you flush.

So stop your toilet seat hovering – there’s absolutely no need to get pee on the seat and do an extra long squat for the sake of disease prevention.

When it comes back to the STI question, Bekki Burbidge, Deputy Chief Executive at sexual health charity FPA put our minds at ease.

She told Metro.co.uk: ‘Getting an STI from sitting on or touching a toilet seat isn’t something to be worried about. As the name suggests, sexually transmitted infections are mainly passed on through sexual contact, such as unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex.’

That said, it doesn’t mean you can just rub your genitals on whatever you want with gay abandon and never suffer the consequences.

Bekki continues, ‘Some STIs also be passed on through close genital contact, skin to skin contact or close bodily contact – and pubic lice can also, very occasionally, be spread through clothes, towels or bedding.’

Thankfully (sort of), it’s pretty much a given that the only way you’re going to get an STI is by having unprotected sex.

We know we’d rather spend our money on condoms and lube than antibacterial toilet wipes, anyway.

Until next week, freaks.

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Whether we want children, we think we might, we know we don’t, or we’re worried we can’t, fertility is a topic that affects us all. We all know someone with a story to tell.

This could be a story of a long journey to conceive, a miscarriage, or the process of IVF. It might be surrogacy, having a baby as a same sex couple, adoption or fostering.

Perhaps it’s the uplifting story of a ‘miracle’ baby at 50, or the devastating news that a woman’s egg count is next to nil or a man has a zero sperm count.

The theme of fertility naturally raises so many conversations – happy, sad, poignant. They can be conversations that are difficult to have – perhaps the subject is too raw, it’s hard to find the words, or we just feel  some things are too private or painful to share.

It means that many men and women can end up on this journey feeling very alone.

Time after time we hear from people who tell us how helpful it is to hear stories from others who are going through the same experiences they are.

Sharing stories can be therapeutic and reading about tricky topics can make them easier to broach.

It’s always helpful to know we are not alone.

It is why we have decided to make November Fertility Month at Metro.co.uk.

Every day of this month we will be talking to people of all ages, genders and backgrounds with a wide range of stories on the theme of fertility.

For the next four weeks, we will take look at fertility from all angles. We will be talking to people at all stages of the fertility journey, whether they are part of a couple, they are going it alone, or they have come to terms with the fact they will not have a child of their own.

We will talk to doctors, medical professionals and fertility experts on the way, to shed light on the most important issues and to dispel the many myths around fertility.

We have spoken to sperm clinics who deal in first class Danish ‘Viking’ sperm, women seeking ‘baby makers’ on social media and men who have set up support groups to help others with a zero sperm count.

We met women who went it alone with IVF, those who froze their eggs in their 20s and single women in their mid-30s who identify as ‘socially infertile’, childless because they simply have not found a partner.

We have talked to men who became dads in their 50s and a foster mother who takes care of babies born to heroin addicts.

We will also cover themes that arise on TV and Netflix or in films – what happens when a surrogate changes her mind and wants to keep the baby? What happens when a mother who gave up her baby for adoption wants it back?

And, in the real world, what happens when a couple who have frozen fertilised embryos split up, yet one half still wants to go ahead with making a baby?

It’s a situation playing out right now with a couple in Arizona, and also in the celebrity world, where Sofia Vergara and Nick Loeb, who split in 2014, are battling over their embryos.

Fertility is an enormous subject with so much to say and so many stories to tell – from today, we begin to tell a selection of them.

We start with Super Sperm Me, by Bibi Lynch, a funny but very poignant story about choosing a sperm donor online – and why she never ended up having his baby.

If you have your own story about fertility you’d like to tell, a topic you would like discussed, or a question you would like answered, please do get in touch at fertilitystories@metro.co.uk.

You can find all our Fertility Month stories here. 

Strap yourself in. This is a wild ride.

Twitter user Angel says she was dating a man who goes by the name Michael Modern on Twitter, after knowing him for two months.

On one double date night, he told her he’d lost his wallet and she would have to cover him for the night, to which she agreed.

She had trusted him and didn’t mind paying for him for one evening. But the next day, her date was seen partying and having a good old time on his Snapchat.

Angel messaged him to enquire about whether he’d found his wallet but learned that he’d quickly blocked her on all social media and her phone.

Later, she found that he’d taken her bank details the last time she saw him and used her money on a Sky subscription, to pay bills, and, most shockingly, on a romantic getaway to Paris with his actual girlfriend.

Angel told the captivating tale on her Twitter, where it has received over 6,000 likes.

‘I was just in shock at first because I thought I did something wrong,’ she told Metro.co.uk.

‘But then I realised that he just played me. When I got my money back I felt better. I was more worried about his girlfriend and how she felt.

‘But yeah, he didn’t give me many signs apart from the fact that I was suspecting him having a girlfriend.’

In the Twitter thread, she explained that she was hesitant about exposing him as it meant telling everyone about her personal life, but wanted to name and shame him to stop other people from being in the same situation.

‘I just couldn’t deal with the stress of it,’ she wrote on the thread. ‘However, he really took the piss out of my life and disrespected me to a whole new level when I was nothing but kind to him.

‘He staged the lost wallet scenario so that he could get hold of my card details. He obviously planned it as the last time I saw him we were still cool, he had to gain my trust first. He was very convincing, I must applaud him on that.

‘About a month later I got these suspicious transactions on my bank statement, I thought that it was just some random scammer that somehow got hold of my details. I called my bank and told them, they sent me a new card and blocked my old one.

‘I showed my friend a few days later and she was like there’s an easyJet payment on here and it has the flight reference on it. There it all was… both he and his girlfriends’ full names with boarding passes, everything! They already checked in! He is taking his girlfriend to Paris on my expense, the audacity! He even booked the hotel and tourist crap all on the same day.

‘I was shaking. The level of pissocity that went through my veins was indescribable. I was really here questioning what I could have done to deserve this much disrespect. He really didn’t care or think I was smart enough to figure it out or report it if I did.’

After this point, Angel and her friends created a group chat, calling the man in question #Fraudbae, gathering evidence to show to the police.

They found receipts for flowers to be sent to his girlfriend’s work address, a paid service which provides likes on your social media (amounting to £38), council bills, and parking tickets, amongst others.

Though normally a private person, Angel decided to share the experience with her followers as she has heard he has tried this scheme with other girls. She wanted to warn them about his behaviour or that of anybody else out there looking to fraud people out of their money.

In part two of the thread, Angel explained that the police had arrested him at the airport’s departures area where her friends had gone to catch him out and film him.

He confessed to everything and said he’d never done anything like this before.

‘The case had enough evidence to go to court,’ she wrote.

‘Fraud on his record, suspended sentence, fine, community service. Look at it this way, I got you free followers now, silver lining.

‘P.S., I spoke to his girlfriend and they are still together, at least he found himself a ride or die. Cute.’

The two-part thread has blown up on social media, with each thread being shared almost 1,000 times on Twitter. Thousands of people are sharing it to warn others to be cautious.

The popularity of it has caused Angel to joke that she and her investigative friends will take on other clients. They plan to catch one fraudulent love rat at a time.

Meanwhile, there are reports on Twitter that Mr Modern might have been fired from his job after someone wrote to his place of employment explaining the whole situation.

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I think it was 2010. I think it was spring. I think I was wearing double-denim. I know I was sitting on my friend’s sofa trying to buy sperm.

Actual sperm.

Long painful story made short… I, like 80% of women who are childless not by choice, was a ‘victim’ of social infertility: I could physically have babies, but I never met the man I wanted to father them.

I’d always wanted the whole beautiful package (am aware I could’ve worded that better) and thought life would still find me and I’d meet someone and have my babies.

But that didn’t happen.

What did happen was my dad died and that ‘circle of life’ grief pushed me to make the decision.

Yes, not having a relationship would hurt me, but not having a baby would kill me. So, I went to my GP to talk about IVF. I was going to do it on my own. I can do this!

Off I went, legs pretty much akimbo from the get-go.

But the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) weren’t playing nicely and my doctor told me they’d advised the NHS not to provide IVF treatment to women over 42.

So I, ironically, was f***ed.

F***ed, but determined to give myself at least one chance of getting pregnant. I worked my never-breastfed tits off – not easy post-recession – and went private.

Jesus, it was expensive. £250 for blood tests? £600 for scans? And, it turned out, £800 for sperm.

(Why didn’t I just have sex with a random? I can’t really remember why I didn’t. I wanted to make sure they were healthy? I didn’t want the complication of ‘knowing’ the man? I, by then, just wanted it to be me and the child?)

So, possibly spring, 2010, I was on a cream settee in a flat in Camden, mug of decaf burning a ring mark next to a coaster on the coffee table in front of me, trying to mentally play down the enormity and surrealness of what I was doing.

The fact that I was on an American site (there were fewer UK donors to choose from because anonymity was removed here in 2005) choosing gentlemen for their relish was blowing my already shattered mind.

These were my thoughts as I looked at photo after photo of spunky men.

‘My nose is too big. He needs to have a small nose to give the kid a fighting chance of a normal nez’…

‘My teeth are crooked and Nanny McPhee. He needs to have great teeth’…

‘I want my baby to have dark hair like me. Let’s get a brunette to make doubly sure’…

‘Even loved ones say my face is “interesting” – so I need the handsomest of daddies to give me a beautiful baby’…

And then there were letters to read. I thought this was a really lovely idea. Each donor wrote a letter ‘to’ the woman/couple in need of his sperm. A little taster (don’t) of his personality.

By now I was curled up on the sofa and had swapped the decaf for a small Sauvignon Blanc. I was weirdly enjoying this. Some of the letters were written in that disturbing ‘no punctuation’ way – as if they were writing and wanking at the same time. (‘Hmmm. Do I want a multi-tasker?’)

And some were really rather gorgeous. Men wanting to help people in pain – and hoping everyone got their happy ending.

I really liked my Sperm Man. He was dark-haired, olive-skinned, green-eyed (to ensure Baby Bibi had golden hazel eyes) and very good-looking. His nose was satisfyingly small and, most important of all, his letter was smart, witty and contained full-stops.

He wrote about his happy childhood and the joy of his family – and his hope that he could help create that for others. I was smitten.

‘He’s really sweet’, I said to my friend. ‘And hot. The only thing is he’s too short for me. I love tall men.’

‘He’s not going to be your boyfriend’, my friend replied.

‘Oh.’

I thought about him for hours (only hours – isn’t that incredible) and then clicked ‘fill me up’ – or whatever the ‘buy’ button read.

Finding the father of my child was the strangest experience: incredibly sad – so clinical, so unromantic, no love, no choice – but weirdly exhilarating: I could have a baby! A whole new life! F***, is it really going to happen?

Donny’s donation (if only that had been his name) was sent to my hospital and put into storage. Where it stayed until two years ago.

The recession meant I never did get the thousands of pounds together to actually go through with the IVF and have my one chance of having a child (despite spending thousands on scans/blood tests/follicle-tracking etc…) but it was only in 2016 that I stopped paying the freezer costs.

Years before that I knew I wasn’t going to have a baby – but it took until then to finally, truly, heartbreakingly, let go and say goodbye.

If you’re looking to add some sparkle to your life, beauty brand ICONIC London have upped the grown-up glitter game and launched the world’s first Loose Pigment Palettes.

Deep breaths.

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ICONIC London took to Instagram today to announce the first of its kind launch and it’s insanely good-looking.

The first of three new palettes launched today is aptly named ‘Original’ and contains six golden shimmers to create the glitziest, shiniest metallic eyeshadow look.

This is the latest palette to join the ICONIC London family, with ‘Doll’ and ‘Boss’ available to pre-order ahead of their launch on 2 December.

Vegan beauty brand ICONIC London, famous for their glow giving makeup products, are certainly paving the way for a new era of makeup application.

As each palette has been specially designed so you don’t have to carry your separate pigment pots around and can be applied wet or dry depending on the desired effect. And we can’t wait to see how powerful they are when used with a damp brush.

The new palette is, according to ICONIC ‘packed with high-impact, multidimensional and ultra-reflective glitter particles’.

Nothing’s off limits – they can be used wherever you fancy a little sparkle on the skin – eyes, cheekbones, collarbone and even dabbed over lipstick for a foiled finish.

Complete with a large mirror, ‘Original’ it’s a compact yet carefully curated array of super-shimmery nude hues.

We’re already thinking of all the Christmas and New Year’s Eve eye makeup looks we can create. Although you shouldn’t have to wait until the holiday season to rock a little glitter, right?

The new Loose Pigment Palette in ‘Original’ is now available online at ICONIC London for £45.

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Many sexual preferences come with a side order of shame, but few more so than vorarephilia.

The name comes from the latin vorare, which means to swallow or devour, but it’s commonly shortened to vore.

Vore is a fetish for eating, but not in the traditional sense. Fantasies typically revolve around eating people or creatures, or being eaten by them, either by swallowing them whole or in bites.

There also tends to be crossover with groups such as furries (people interested – either sexually or otherwise – in anthropomorphic animal characters) and macrophiliacs (those with a fetish for giants).

If that’s a yikes from you, it’s worth noting that the vast, vast – did I say vast? – majority of vorarephiles never progress to living out their fantasies in real life.

Given that it is physically impossible to swallow a person whole, and cannibalism is illegal (and reports of it are incredibly uncommon) it’s not practical, wise, or the ‘done thing’ to bring vorarephilia into the real world.

This is also why mythical characters feature heavily in online vore groups.

These have proliferated, giving people an outlet for their fetish, and a way to indulge it without judgement or fear.

People share cartoons and animations, and can chat about why they like it or what they’d like to see more of.

We spoke to E, a 33-year-old vorearephiliac from Massachusetts in the US. We found him on such a group, and he told us a few things about what it’s like to be into vore.

E told Metro.co.uk, ‘Vore has always been a part of me.  It has always existed as one of many lenses through which I have experienced my life.

‘Even before I read the word ‘vore’ for the first time on the Internet as a confused and desperate high-schooler in 2002, I had already understood from a very young age that my attraction to being swallowed alive and whole was not normal.

‘It was not a desire that normal people experienced and it was not something that I felt I could safely share with anyone without fear of some sort of social or emotional retribution. It took a lot of personal growth and soul-searching to become comfortable with vore as a part of my sexuality.’

For E, vore is very much a sexual thing, but he prefers ‘soft vore’. He says, ‘I do not like the hard stuff at all.’

Softer vore includes images of someone or something being swallowed whole with absolutely no bloodshed or death involved. There is a common misconception that this is a sado-masochistic fetish, but for many people their vore interests include no pain from either side at all.

Hard vore is much rarer (you never tend to find it on forums and online communities) and shows tearing of flesh and eating. Understandably, this is considered much more distressing, and some people believe those into it are cannibals – even if they never act on the fetish.

In terms of E’s exact tastes, he tells us, ‘I prefer oral vore, I do not like anal, cock, unbirth, soul, etc…

‘I like it if if the prey is willing, but it’s not a deal breaker if not. I like the predator to be larger than the prey, but I can deal with same size.

‘I am a man and identify as prey, so I like male prey because it’s easy to identify with while fantasizing, but again, not a deal-breaker. I do not care if the predator is male or female.  I generally prefer furry preds.

‘My favorite part is when the predator swallows the prey and they start to slide down the oesophagus.’

There are various theories about why people get into vore. Some psychologists have hypothesised that it’s down to the submission and dominance aspect of eating someone or being eaten.

Those who consider themselves to be the ‘prey’ can submit themselves fully to being enclosed in a warm, protected space.

Others have looked at the comparisons made in literature and beyond between hunger and sexual desire, and believe this may play a part.

For E, he says it likely varies from person to person, but that ‘there is something very raw and primal about it, which some people find attractive.

‘It is dangerous and frightening. It can also be caring, protective, and loving. When considered from a romantic perspective, it could be considered the ultimate sacrifice to one’s partner.’

Like any fetish, there are a number of ways to enjoy it, but since vorarephiles are limited to non-physical (and often non-human) fantasies, there tends to be a lot of crossover with other fetishes that favour using art and imagination as part of the sexual ritual.

When it comes to fitness, everybody wants a quick fix. The idea of sweating your life away on a treadmill for hours at a time is pretty horrific, so it’s unsurprising that people tend to prefer short, sharp bursts of exercise.

A worldwide survey found that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is the most popular form of fitness, while in the UK it is spinning that tops the list. We just can’t get enough of that sweet, sweet pain. Who doesn’t love posting a sweaty selfie on the Gram after a particularly grueling class?

Today’s fitness culture is all about punishment – how far can we push our bodies? And how much can we endure in the shortest amount of time?

But how healthy is it really to treat our bodies like this? Human beings are soft, fleshy and entirely breakable, so maybe it’s time we tried something gentler and more thoughtful.

With the rise of mindfulness, more people are realising the benefits of being conscious of yourself and living fully in the moment. Mindfulness involves an intense awareness of your body right down to your breathing – and applying this concept to fitness could have major benefits.

Conscious movement is anything slow and calm that promotes an awareness of the body. Walking, yoga and pilates would all fall under this category. It is precision that is key here.

Rather than throwing yourself into something full-throttle, conscious fitness encourages precise movements that put form above all else. The aim isn’t just to elevate your heart rate and get sweaty, it’s also to teach you how to use your body efficiently.

Conscious movement is all about the connection between your mind and your body, and finding a gentler, more sustainable way to keep your body healthy.

Head of yoga at Psycle London, Gemma Soul, explains it like this; ‘Conscious movement is the new medicine for life.’

‘Based on the idea that our body, mind and spirit are all interconnected, conscious movement allows for the integration of a person’s emotional, mental, physical and spiritual well-being through moving and breathing as a whole,’ Gemma continues.

‘Yoga embodies this perfectly, as it provides a space to slow the breath down and focus on simply linking breath and movement, triggering us into the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest).

‘We normally operate in the sympathetic state (fight or flight mode). When the parasympathetic nervous system switches on however, it reduces the heart rate and lowers blood pressure, because blood is directed toward the endocrine glands, digestive organs and other organs. It has been shown that yoga is even more effective than relaxation in reducing blood pressure.

‘Some people may also call this a moving meditation, instead of sitting still to slow your thoughts, you move consciously.

‘Allowing yourself time on your yoga mat for some conscious movement every week enables you to be more aware of yourself, your thoughts, patterns, habits to ultimately transform to live a more free, conscious and longer wholesome life.’

It’s easy to be skeptical when the conversation turns even remotely spiritual, but the science is solid. Studies have shown that regular conscious movement exercises can reduce pain and improve quality of life.

One study found that participants with chronic back pain reported less discomfort, depression and disability after 12 weeks of hatha yoga. Similarly, 12 weeks of tile chi reduced pain and improved body awareness in people with arthritis.

HIIT training is understandably appealing. Burning more calories in half the time is perfect for people with busy, professional lifestyles. But the dangers of over-training or pushing yourself too hard can be serious.

Frequent, intense training can lead to injury and illness, if you don’t allow your body sufficient time to recover. And so many fitness classes are so focused on pushing to the limit that they forget all about form. You could be doing some serious damage at the back of the class, but as long as you’re sweaty – the trainer probably won’t care.

Online health coach, Mark Sleight, thinks Conscious Movement can be a much-needed alternative to the intense demands of HIIT.

‘In such a busy and stressful world, sometimes the last thing we need is to elevate our cortisol levels even more by performing a HIIT workout or spring session,’ explains Mark.

‘We need to be active, but by slowing down our workout to more conscious movements, we learn how to breathe again, how to relax, how to enjoy the workout and be at peace.

‘As we get older it is great to concentrate on form over counting reps and sets. Think quality over quantity. Conscious movement over HIIT.

‘Never underestimate the mind-muscle connection. You will see more growth and better progress from an ab crunch if your mind is focusing on your abs throughout the routine.’

In a society that reveres being busy and active above all else, it can be hard to find a moment of quiet. Conscious Movement could be the fitness revolution that brings peacefulness and mindfulness back to the gym – it could be exactly what your stressed-out body needs.

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Christmas brings with it a whole host of weird and wonderful foods. Remember pine tree-flavoured crisps?

Online supermarket Ocado doesn’t want to miss out on all the fun and has raised the stakes with its mint chocolate chip flavoured cheese, all in the name of Christmas.

It’s not often you see the ice cream favourite in cheese form but the supermarket is making it happen, whether the demand for it is there or not.

The Shirevale White Stilton Mint Choc Chip will be available to the public from its website from mid November.

So, would you want to try it?

‘This unusual cheese is made with pasteurised cows milk in the village of Cropwell Bishop, Leicestershire, by Shirevale: the only dedicated production site of White Stilton in the world,’ it said in a press release.

‘Unlike the typical aromatic blue variety, Shirevale’s White Stilton tastes clean and fresh, which makes it great for blending with unusual, exciting flavours.

‘The Shirevale White Stilton Mint Choc Chip has a delicious, creamy and sweet dessert flavour.’

The cheese block has soft blue hues with chunks of chocolate chips. So you can expect the taste of mint chocolate ice cream but with a different texture.

You can buy a 500g packet for £5.99.

If all this talk of ice cream has gotten you craving for the cool stuff then head over to a Ben & Jerry’s store where they’ll be giving out free ice cream this week.

And it’s all to raise awareness of the ‘Waiting isn’t Working’ campaign which sets out to help reinstate the right to work for people seeking asylum. You can pick up free scoops of fan favourite Fairtrade flavours, as well as a heart-warming hot chocolate made with the ice cream duos Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream.

Londoners will be able to get their scoop today and those living in Cardiff on 7 November.

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BrewDog is set to launch the world’s first ever craft beer airline, which will take off in February next year.

The flight will take place on a bespoke, branded Boeing 767, and will fly from London Stanstead to Columbus, Ohio, where the BrewDog brewery is based.

Passengers on the flight will get the full BrewDog experience over the four-day trip, with a tour of the brewery, and a day trip to Cincinnati for more beer-related activities.

The brewers have created a beer that is designed to taste better at a higher altitude, so the flight is the perfect chance for beer-lovers to test this out. Passengers will also get to sample beer cocktails and food and beer pairings during the journey.

The airline is the latest venture from BrewDog, after the brand already announced that they will open a hotel next year, complete with beer taps in each room and a beer fridge in the shower.

Unfortunately, the flight isn’t open to just anyone. To get a seat on the plane you have to be an ‘Equity Punk’, which, in layman’s terms means one of BrewDog’s many investors.

If that’s you, you will be able to apply for a seat on the flight for £1,250 per person or £2,250 for two people sharing a room – and that price includes accommodation at a downtown Columbus hotel and all the day trips.

It’s not looking good if you’re not already an ‘Equity Punk’ because the application to become a BrewDog investor has now closed for UK residents.

But there will be chances to win tickets for the flight – so keep an eye on BrewDog’s Facebook and Instagram pages for more details.

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If you’ve ever been to the Gherkin, the vegetable shaped building on London’s skyscraper landscape, you might’ve enjoyed the views of the city.

Searcys, which sits on the 40th floor of the famous glass building, is now inviting people to enjoy a Christmas themed brunch.

The folks at the company have created a Diamond and Dom Perignon brunch where you can sip on bottomless glasses of champagne and tuck into a four-course meal.

In each drink will be a single sparkling stone, one of which will be a real diamond, for one lucky guest.

And what’s a Christmas brunch without diamonds?

The Diamond and Dom Perignon brunch will take place in the Iris Bar where you’ll be treated to pastries and artisan breads, butters and preserve, smoked salmon, super-seeded bread, pastries and artisan breads, butters and preserves, and smorgasbords with homemade ricotta, smoked salmon, and pesto and pumpkin seeds.

The mains include bavette steak, eggs Benedict, Florentine or royal topped with organic caviar from Switzerland. The much-anticipated desserts will feature waffles with fruit compote or a chocolate ganache tart with malt ice cream and Guinness gel.

‘Upon arrival guests will be given a Dom Pérignon Champagne glass with a stone nestled at the bottom,’ it says on the Searcys website. ‘Only one of the glasses will hold the true diamond worth £1,000.

‘Once guests have finished their glass of Champagne, they will be able to take their stone to the on-site diamond inspector to discover if they have the real jewel.

‘The lucky winner will then be announced at the end of the day.’

Diamond Brunch bookings are only available on Sundays from 2 December to 23 December.

And yes, there is a dress code; Searcy’s discourages anyone wearing shorts, flip-flops, and sportswear, including athletic trainers.

On the website, it adds: ‘We welcome and encourage style.’

So dress and eat in style.

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At two years old, Kalani has just a few months to live.

Her parents want to give her best of her short life possible. They’ve created a bucket list of all the things they hope will bring their daughter some joy, and are now working their way through ticking off each one.

Her parents were told Kalani’s condition was incurable following the relapse of a rare brain tumour.

In August 2016 mum-of-three Charlene Ebbs gave birth to her third child, Kalani. In December of that year, when Kalani was four months old, Charlene and husband Justin noticed that their daughter struggled to control the movement of her neck and head.

Kalani started to show other worrying symptoms – she would scream for hours on end and throw up, her vomiting becoming so serious that she was admitted to a hospital’s emergency room.

It was in March 2017 that doctors discovered that Kalani had an atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumour, a rare brain tumour usually found in children. The tumour was blocking her cerebral spinal fluid from draining, causing a deadly build up of pressure on her brain.

The little girl had to undergo multiple surgeries, a 51-week course of chemotherapy, and 27 fractions of radiotherapy.

‘From the moment Kalani was born and I held her in our arms I made a promise to always protect her and keep her from any harm,’ said Kalani’s mum, Charlene.

‘Kalani entered this world as an innocent, fragile, precious, perfect little baby and at only six-months-old we were told our baby had brain cancer, could die and there was absolutely nothing I could do stop it.

‘We had no time to process the diagnosis, no time to breathe and I felt like my heart had been ripped out my chest and life was crushing it.

‘We announced Kalani’s diagnosis about ten days post-surgery to inform our wider community, friends and family. It was just too hard and too painful to explain to everyone individually.’

Kalani’s treatment finished in May, and her parents were told that she was in remission. They rang the end of treatment bell.

Three months later, a routine MRI revealed a spot on Kalani’s brain stem. Five weeks after that a scan confirmed that her tumours had grown aggressively. She has now been declared incurable and has only a few months left to live.

Charlene and Justin are staying strong. They’ve dedicated themselves to making the best of Kalani’s short life, creating a bucket list of things their daughter can do when she’s released from hospital.

The bucket list includes trips to zoos and theme parks, photoshoots, movie nights, and making family hand prints.

The family will be adopting a puppy for Christmas after being granted the wish by a foundation.

Her parents refuse to let Kalani pass away in hospital, having spent so much of her life there, so have moved her to Bear Cottage in Sydney, a resort-style facility with nurses on site to attend to her needs.

They will tell Kalani how much they love her every single day.

‘We now only have a matter of a few months left with her and only one shot at a clinical trial to at least stabilise further growth of the cancer,’ said Charlene.

‘If the clinical trial does not work now Kalani’s relapse may be too far advanced to stabilise with another trial. Within ten years only one cure has been uncovered for ATRT.

‘Kalani will not last another ten years for another cure to become discovered. Right now, we are completely torn between two worlds’ hope of stabilisation, making palliative care arrangements and making memories.

‘We have to now live day by day and it feels like we are constantly playing Russian Roulette; trying to find a cure for Kalani with every missed bullet only bringing her closer to death.

‘We have received 10,000 dollars in travel vouchers from i98 Convoy which is going to be used on a holiday to the theme parks in Queensland like; Sea World, Movie World, Dream World.

‘As much as Kalani loves rides she also loves animals, so we will travel to Dubbo Zoo and stay a few nights on location inside the Zoo.

‘We have also been granted a wish from one of the foundations for a puppy for Christmas. Kalani loves puppies and we believe this is the connection her older siblings will have with her if she passes.

‘The puppy is being organised through the hospital’s Star Light foundation. The children believe Santa is delivering them a puppy personally, so they will receive this over this upcoming Christmas.

‘Always fight for what is right for your child. We must trust our medical professionals but ultimately parents know their child best.

‘Question anything and everything you feel may not be right about your child’s treatment. If you think there is something wrong with your child demand answers and don’t take no for an answer as sometimes it may be too late.’

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When you’re planning for a baby, you probably invest a lot of time in research.

You pour over books or consult with your GP on how to check when you’re ovulating, what foods to eat and which sexual positions will help you conceive your bundle of joy.

Meanwhile, one aspect that is less discussed among budding mums and dads (as well as those who are expecting) is plastics – and how these can affect fertility and pregnancy.

One common chemical that is used when creating polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins is bisphenol A, more commonly known as BPA.

It can affect women both when they’re trying to get pregnant and have negative effects on their baby, once they are.

‘Over the last few years there has been a great deal of interest among both health experts and the general public regarding the potential risks of plastics in daily life, particularly during pregnancy,’ gynaecologist Dr Anne Henderson from Doctify, tells Metro.co.uk.

‘The key focus has been around certain chemicals called phthalates such as BPA (bisphenol A), which are used during the manufacture of plastic products to make them more flexible and softer.

‘The mechanism of entry to the body is not entirely clear, but it is thought that minute amounts of these chemicals can leach into fluids, for example, from bottles containing water and other fluids, and are thus ingested.

‘Exposure to BPA may affect the human reproduction system, particularly in women, by affecting the number of follicles which result in the formation of mature eggs which can then ovulate and be fertilised.

‘There is additional evidence that maturation of follicles becomes abnormal resulting in an increased risk of chromosomal defects, such as Down’s syndrome. The mechanism of action is not fully understood but BPA is thought to have a possible oestrogen-like impact on both men and women.’

While France decided to ban the use of the chemical in 2015, it’s currently still legal in the UK – with the Food Standards Agency declaring on its website ‘although there is scientific debate surrounding BPA’s health effects on humans, we deem that it is a safe chemical for use in production of plastics’ as we consume less than the tolerable daily intake (TDI) of it.

Lisa Parker, who runs a YouTube channel on fertility and pregnancy with her partner Lynsey, tells Metro.co.uk how the couple decided to cut plastic out of their lives, as well as limit chemicals in cleaning products and use less perfume.

‘We found different research that suggests women with twice as much BPA in their bloodstreams had half as many viable eggs, plus other studies that claim to show a link between BPA levels and polycystic ovary syndrome. So, we decided to ditch all the old plastic from the kitchen and replaced it with glass containers with new BPA-free lids, and stainless steel and wooden utensils.

‘Even the BPA-free containers went because we had put them in the dishwasher and extreme heat can cause them to leak chemicals.  It was a great excuse for a massive Amazon order.

‘In all seriousness though, there is so much that is out of your hands when it comes to fertility treatment, and after the disappointment of three failed IUIs, it felt good to start making some practical changes over things we could control.

‘Replacing the plastics in our kitchen was one of loads of things we changed in the run up to our IVF, including trying to limit chemicals in our cleaning products and not wearing so much perfume, so who knows if it was the deciding factor, but prepping our home and ourselves definitely felt like a step in the right direction.

‘We were lucky our IVF was a success, but knowing we could walk away if it wasn’t (having done everything we could) was important.’

Others, like mum-of-two Rachel Tompkins, wasn’t aware of the risks of BPA until she got pregnant with her second child.

She met up with a new fertility nutritionist, and was told to move towards a plastic-free lifestyle.

‘I thought about plastics when trying to conceive my second son,’ she tells Metro.co.uk.

‘I had a consultation with a fertility nutritionist who recommended not using plastic bottles or containers where possible, so at that time I went to Ikea and bought lots of their glass containers (like tupperware but glass) and invested in a plastic-free drinking bottle.

‘I made lots of other changes too, but I did get pregnant and now my son is two.’

A big issue when it comes to the lack of knowledge surrounding BPA could be due to the conflicting medical research that budding parents are presented with.

Dr Lucy Buckley, who is the co-founder of fertility education and product company, Dr Fertility, explains that this is because findings from laboratories don’t always translate to real life risk.

‘One laboratory study, conducted at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, where eggs were exposed to BPA, found an association between BPA and the risk of female infertility,’ said Dr Buckley.

‘However, there were several limitations to the study and it’s important to realise that laboratory findings may not translate to real-life risk. So, what do we know?

‘A chemical’s tolerable daily intake (TDI) is an estimate of how much of a chemical people can consume over their lifetime. According to the Food Standards Agency, we currently consume less than the TDI for BPA from sources such as food containers, so BPA consumption isn’t currently a risk to our health.

‘The good news is the National Toxicology Programme in the United States of America is conducting a long-term study on BPA, which is looking at the effects of BPA exposure in rats, before and after giving birth. A report summarising the finding is expected to be available in autumn 2019, so hopefully this will give us some clearer information.’

Here’s hoping.

In the meantime, yet another reason to invest in a good reusable water bottle?

If you have your own story about fertility you’d like to tell, a topic you would like discussed, or a question you would like answered, please do get in touch at fertilitystories@metro.co.uk.

You can find all our Fertility Month stories here. 

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Lilith the Cenobite, 26, wants to become the heaviest woman in the world.

The model grew up in a poor household where food was hard to come by. This lead to a complicated relationship with eating – Lilith saw food as a forbidden thing and felt guilt for consuming things she enjoyed.

Things changed when Lilith was diagnosed with terminal hepatic encephalopathy in 2015, a complication of cirrhosis of the liver that affects the brain. It’s thought this was caused by a build up of iron from numerous transfusions she received to treat a rare condition she was born with, thalassaemia, which is when the body produces too little haemoglobin (used to carry oxygen around the body).

Being given a terminal diagnosis made Lilith question why she was spending her life feeling awful for eating food. She decided to give herself permission to enjoy life fully.

So she began to eat. That’s when she found the feedism community online, in which people celebrate gaining weight as a sexual fetish.

Lilith fell in love with the community, and put on 21 stone and 6lbs in the space of three years. She now weighs 29 stone and 10lbs, and hopes to continue to put on weight so she can become the heaviest woman alive and be recognised in the Guiness Book of World Records.

‘If you’re a feedee, it’s a fetish involving eating, stuffing, and gaining weight,’ Lilith explains. ‘If you’re a feeder, it’s a fetish around feeding someone, stuffing them and helping them gain weight.

‘I literally don’t eat anything at all unless it is provided to me by a feeder.

‘I grew up homeless so food was hard to come by. If someone ever fed me, it was done out of love.

‘I also spent most my life with anorexia, food was this great big forbidden thing that existed just to torment me.

‘So a few years ago when I found out I was terminal, I decided to indulge in my guilty little secret, and eat as much as I possibly could.

‘I want to gain. Break records. Leave behind something historic. My weight gain, weight loss, and weight stagnation are all beyond my control.

‘Given that I only eat if, and when someone chooses to feed me, my weight is entirely at the whim of the feedism community. Hopefully I get fed enough to reach my goal.’

Lilith works as a model, sharing photos of her body and videos of her eating online for fans who love to watch her grow. She has more than 1,000 followers on Instagram who comment offering to feed her.

Lilith does face criticism from those ‘concerned’ about her health, but she’s fighting back.

She just wants to keep doing what she loves, keep enjoying the feedism community, and work on becoming the heaviest woman ever.

‘You can’t use my health as a reason, because I’m dying in a few years anyway,’ she says.

‘You can’t use state assistance as a reason because I’m not on it. You can’t use my looks as a reason because I’m seen as a goddess to loads of people out there.

‘So there are no valid reasons to complain, just admit you don’t like fat people.’

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First things first: if you are pregnant and worried about any kind of bleeding, go to the doctor or A&E. Pregnancy is a nerve wracking time and you deserve reassurance as and when you need it.

Brown discharge is caused by small amounts of blood – often older blood hence the colour – mixing with normal vaginal discharge.

If you’re not pregnant then brown discharge will usually indicate that you’re starting or finishing your period. (Though if it’s happening randomly throughout the month or directly after sex, you should see a doctor).

During pregnancy your periods generally stop (though it is possible to continue having what seems to be a period while pregnant). Unsurprisingly, women have a tendency to worry about any kind of vaginal bleeding during pregnancy, in case it’s the start of a miscarriage.

In reality, brown discharge can be extremely normal during early pregnancy. It can be what is known as a ‘breakthrough’ bleed or implantation bleed. According to the NHS: ‘In early pregnancy, you might get some harmless light bleeding, called “spotting”. This is when the developing embryo plants itself in the wall of your womb. This type of bleeding often happens around the time your period would have been due.’

Implantation bleeds will usually happen 6-12 days after fertilization.

Later in pregnancy, brown discharge can be caused by slight bleeding from your cervix. During pregnancy your cervix is subject to changes, which can cause bleeding. This is more likely after sex.

Other causes of vaginal bleeding later in pregnancy can include infections or a ‘show’ – meaning that your mucus plug is coming loose and your body is preparing for labour.

More significant bleeding in later pregnancy can be caused by placenta previa, vasa previa or placental abruption. If you are experiencing heavy bleeding or stomach pain you must seek medical attention. 

Bleeding from the vagina during pregnancy can also be a symptom of a miscarriage, which is why if you’re worried, you should see your doctor or go to A&E as soon as possible.

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Travelling is gross. Everyone is sweaty, no one has brushed their teeth for hours, the air con is pumping recycled germs directly in to your face. But the grossest part of travelling could be the plane itself.

A new study has revealed the filthiest parts of an aeroplane. And the bad news is, they’re the places we touch all the time. From the headrests to the tray tables, the five dirtiest surfaces were found to be covered in mould, yeast and bacteria.

The investigation looked at 18 short-haul flights between Ottawa and Montreal, flying with Canada’s three major airlines — Air Canada, WestJet and Porter — at different times throughout the day.

They collected more than 100 samples, swabbing the seatbelts, tray tables, headrests, seat pockets and bathroom door handles.

It was found that headrests are the dirtiest surface on airplanes, carrying hemolytic bacteria, E.coli, and the highest aerobic count. Seat pockets are also extremely dirty, with a high aerobic count, mold, coliforms, and E.coli found on many of the samples.

Close behind them are seatbelts, tray tables and bathroom door handles.

Scientists say that the presence of E. coli suggests there has been faecal contamination, and the bacteria can cause intestinal infections, diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

Speaking about the results, microbiologist Keith Warriner, told CBC News: ‘I was really amazed about how much we actually recovered from them. Some of them more scary than others.’

It has been suggested that high levels of filth and bacteria could be due to cabin crew not having enough time to thoroughly clean the plane between flights.

CBC reports that the researchers spoke to multiple flight attendants and customer service representatives who said there ‘simply wasn’t enough time to properly disinfect an entire aircraft.’

Responding to CBC, Air Canada, WestJet and Porter all said they follow Canadian and international cabin-grooming rules.

WestJet said its planes are cleaned daily, explaining that aircrafts are given a light groom after every flight, a full groom every 24 hours, a complete interior clean monthly, and an enhanced, hyper-focused groom every year.

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We’re Ellen and Chris, two classic Brits uncomfortable being naked and talking openly about sex stuff.

So when we were offered a holiday to Hedonism II, ‘the sexiest place on earth’, ‘an all-inclusive paradise’, and an ‘iconic adult playground’, we had to say yes.

Hedonism II is, essentially, a sex resort. There are nude beaches, classes on fetishes, and necklaces that declare your sexual interests to other guests.

While we’re here, we’ll be writing daily diary posts about what it’s like at Hedonism II’s Young Swingers Week, culminating in a final article about what we discovered at the end of the week.

Here’s our recap of day four.

Chris

Today is the big day.

Scores of people line the beach before the ceremony, all ready to watch something special.

There’s just the small matter of Rob and Emma’s wedding before the goat race can begin*, but in the words of house party playlist immortals Panic! At The Disco: ‘what a beautiful wedding’.

A flowered arch stands alone under the hot Jamaican sun. Rob waits nervously, in just a bow tie and tuxedo pants, with an ordained minister.  Then Emma makes her way down the aisle in white lacy underwear and a floaty cover-up for a veil.

Their vows make the beginning of Up look unsentimental, they promise to support each other in their ‘slutty, rock and roll life’ together and then I am done, perished from witnessing true love first-hand – and having that many rum punches before 1pm.

In the nude reception afterwards, word slips that somebody we’ve met is interested in bonking the both of us. Even at a swingers’ retreat, this absolutely boggles my mind and I reject the notion and file it under ‘silly’.

But then the three of us reconvene in the sea, playing the coordinated dance of ‘I am British and far too polite to address this directly’ until something stings my butt cheek underwater and I have to leave the sea completely unannounced in the worst Daniel Craig 007 impression that the world has ever seen.

At best she might think I’m being incredibly rude, at worst she thinks I’ve shat myself.

There’s a rather good seminar on being respectful and how to say no to advances, but because we miss the first two minutes of this and think it will cause too much commotion to swoop in from the sides, I listen to the entire thing from a table in the distance.

‘A more secure Me, makes for a stronger We,’ I repeat, agreeingly behind some bread sticks and whispered quietly in case any of my peers hear me.

*yes, your boi’s goat led him to a photo-finish victory and we won our goat race leg, granting me a fridge-worthy certificate, one year’s membership to a popular adult dating website, and any butt plug of my choosing. Score.

Ellen 

It’s a packed day. There’s breakfast, then ice breakers and couples’ speed dating, then we’re guests at a wedding on the prude beach, then it’s the goat race, then another party at the nude pool, followed by dinner and an EDM party.

A busy schedule means I’m not as devastated by losing the book I started reading yesterday as I normally would be (The Lido, if you’re interested. Was really enjoying it so far), but I’m still a little bummed.

Let’s start with the ice breakers, which Chris and I accidentally sit out because we don’t realise the seminar has started.

The group sort themselves into inner and outer circles, cycling round to talk to new people with prompts like ‘would you rather never have sex again or never use the internet again?’. It’s a lot like an office day, challenging your awkwardness and forcing you to at least talk to people outside of your immediate circle.

Except unlike an office day out, guests are mentally totting up a list of which couples they’d like to swap with. There’s also a lot more fetish gear.

After that, the wedding, which unexpectedly makes me tear up. The bride wears white lingerie. The groom wears just a bowtie and underwear. They look into each other’s eyes as they read their vows and guests stand naked apart from their orange Young Swingers backpacks and name necklaces.

I really don’t expect to get emotional about the marriage of two people we met yesterday (and who have expressed interest in taking us to the playroom), but it’s clear they’re incredibly in love. Thankfully the Jamaican heat drenches my face in enough sweat to hide any tears.

Right then. Champagne popped and cake cut, it’s time to race some goats. I sign Chris and I up without fully understanding that we’ll need to run with the goats, not just choose one that looks like a winner.

When it’s Chris’s turn, he is naked and very nervous about one of the goat’s taking a fancy to nibbling his penis.

He wins. The grand prize: A year’s subscription to Kasidie and a mesh bikini (he rejects the butt plug).

I come second, my goat letting me down by stopping to pee at the starting line.

That should be the weirdest encounter of the day, but I reckon that spotting two men snorting lines of coke off a woman’s pubic bone in the nude pool pips the goat race to the post.

We also discover that a single woman has expressed interest in a threeway with me and Chris. We react to that information like teens who’ve heard that a friend of a friend ‘like likes us’.

We have no clue what to do with that revelation, proceeding to eat a cheese toastie on the beach while the single woman’s friend subtly leaves us to talk as a throuple.

I have no idea how to initiate a threesome… or if we actually want to.

Instead we head to the ingeniously named Pastafari restaurant, eat as many carbs as we can, then retreat to our bedroom to snooze through EDM beats and pretend that this is all a totally normal holiday.

The Sex Resort Diaries will be running all week. You can read day one, day two, and day three and check back tomorrow to read about us attending a workshop on spanking. 

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