Arriving in the little hamlet of Nun Monkton, where cows grazed on the green, certainly marked a wonderful start to my lunchtime visit to The Alice, which included a sunny afternoon and a catch-up with a friend to celebrate our mutual birthdays. I was very much looking forward to this occasion and was intrigued at what The Alice had to offer.

As we approach winter, many rural motorists will perhaps be considering purchasing a car with 4x4 capability. Smaller SUVs have been the way forward, but increasingly the option to send drive to all wheels is only available on the pricier top-spec models. However, there is another way.

The Art of Less: How to Focus on What Really Matters at Work, by Mats Alvesson and André Spicer, describes itself as “the essential guide to how overburdened managers and employees can break down barriers to more effective working and achieve more by doing less.” Author Mats Alvesson is Professor of Organisation Studies at the University of Bath and also affiliated with Lund Unive…

We had our sheep sheared last week. Unlike most sheep that only require shearing annually, our breed, Valais Blacknose, require shearing every six months as their fleeces grow very fast and very thick. I have an amazing lady, Danni Taylor, who shears my little flock and she travels all the way from Derbyshire to North Yorkshire to do them.

Crathorne Hall is the jewel in Teesside’s hospitality crown. It is not just another country house hotel – it’s an historic home that faithfully reflects Edwardian aristocratic splendour. Set in 15 acres of private grounds on the edge of the Yorkshire Moors it has captivating views of the Leven Valley.

Bordeaux is an addictive city. It combines the charms of the grand Haussmann-era boulevards' façades and café terraces filled with locals who’ve mastered the art of looking effortlessly cool. Add in food that spans rustic market fare to knife-and-tweezer fine dining, and you start to understand why Bordeaux has a unique charm.

Five Blyth teenagers have just returned from the Italian coastal town of Jesolo, where they competed as part of the Great Britain squad at the WAKO European Youth kickboxing championships. Two of the boys, Liam Little and Ryan Tweddle, secured Britain’s first-ever gold and bronze medals, respectively.

A north-west based mortgage expert has shared his advice on how first-time buyers can increase their chances of securing a mortgage and get that first foot on the housing ladder.

Growing up in the Ivory Coast in a household where food was pure joy, I was immersed in a world of incredible aromas and complex flavours. The kitchen was filled with the warm, earthy scents of toasted spices, the tang of citrus, and deep, smoky notes that seemed to drift from every dish.

Our second trip to BeWILDerwood was even more magical than the first. This time, we returned to the woods for their Halloween festivities, and once again, it did not disappoint.

“Cooking and enjoying a good meal is my favourite way of relaxing,” says Kevin Poeung, principal dancer with Northern Ballet. Kevin is currently dancing the title role in the company’s highly acclaimed production of Merlin. A challenging role both physically and artistically in this fast-paced and highly energetic ballet, Kevin is hardly ever off stage.

Particularly striking is Helmut Deutsch's solo performance of the Andante sostenuto from Schubert's B-flat major Piano Sonata, D 960. This interlude provides a moment of profound tranquillity, the audience and dancers frozen in concentrated attention. The production's final song, Der Doppelgänger, from which the album takes its title, emerges as hauntingly compelling, the accumulated loneliness and dislocation finding devastating expressio

From the bouncy opening of Good In Goodbye, Rianne Downey makes it clear: she’s not just singing songs, she’s painting emotional landscapes. Her voice — alternately delicate and full-throated — carries both intimacy and ambition. In moments of restraint she’s wholly gripping; when she soars, it’s effortless and true

Delphian's steadfast commitment to championing contemporary composers deserves considerable praise. By boldly venturing into new musical territory, the label provides a vital platform for experimental works and innovative techniques that often possess a genuinely compelling force. This repertoire may not be familiar ground for all listeners, yet there's much to be gained from approaching these pieces with an open mind and curious ear.

Home renovations are stressful enough without the confusion of deciphering contractor bids. With prices that don’t match, scopes that rarely align, and details buried in fine print, even savvy homeowners can feel overwhelmed. That’s where AI steps in.

Expansion of EDI bureaucracy has been fuelled by government regulation, not by market forces or rising prejudice. Growth of EDI undermines meritocracy, replacing fairness and talent with group quotas and targets. Previous estimates suggest direct public sector EDI costs of £557m a year, with wider costs to the economy potentially in the tens of billions. New paper calls for rolling back EDI, including scrapping procurement requirements and outlawing quotas.

The joy of being able to eavesdrop on our cathedral choirs around the country is a privilege that Regent allows us through its 'A Year at...' series, where the excellent recording team drops in at a cathedral to record the mainstay repertoire that a choir performs throughout the liturgical year. This recent release takes us to Birmingham, England's second-largest metropolis, which is home to one of the country's smaller cathedrals – the wonderful baroque church of St Philip located in its heart.

CrossCountry customers are being warned of significant travel disruption on Saturday 18 October, despite the suspension of planned industrial action by the RMT union. The strike would have seen union members – including Train Managers and Senior Conductors - declining to work.

The government’s new Pride in Place programme is a bold step in the right direction, a recognition that Britain’s towns and high streets can only truly recover when power, pride, and purpose sit with the people who live and work there. For too long, communities have watched from the sidelines as decisions about their high streets were made elsewhere.

The latest research from The Property DriveBuy has found that Newcastle and Edinburgh rank as the best commuter belts in Britain, with all surrounding local authorities offering a more affordable average house price than the cities themselves, whilst Liverpool ranks as the worst.