Alison Goldfrapp: I'm obsessed with sweatshirts, the older the better
I have a green and blue mohair scarf from the Sixties that was my mum's, so I'm very sentimental about it. It's beautiful and quite unusual, very bright green and blue.
Sweatshirts. It's a weird thing, I get so attached to them. I pick them up when I'm on tour like souvenirs. When they are really ancient and if they are nice cotton they become so cosy. I just can't get rid of them.
Off-duty I'm pretty casual, a bit boho, a little chic — boho chic, something like that. On stage it's more graphic, textural. Things that have a good silhouette. The French designer Alexandre Vauthier is incredibly generous and lends me a lot of his wonderful clothes, like the incredible dress I wore
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BBC News
32 minutes ago
- BBC News
Birmingham pool party plan binned over car park location
A pool party promising bikini-clad women, DJs and cocktails has been blocked from taking place due to concerns over the event's car park party was due to be held at a car park on Lower Tower Street in Birmingham on 14 June, with posters on the site's fence advertising it as suitable for those aged 18 and an application for an event licence, submitted by Endurance Osizimete, was rejected by Birmingham City Council following concerns over the state of the car applicant told the authority the site would be cleaned, adding they had tried their best to meet licensing requirements. According to the application, discussed at a licensing sub-committee meeting on 28 May, there would have been capacity for 450 guests, although only women - a "maximum of 25 ladies", toting water guns - would be allowed in the would play recorded music, female security staff would be present and changing rooms would be installed, the applicant Midlands Police opposed the application, describing the site as being "not in a fit state to stage a safe event of this nature". The force also objected to the use of "plain" rather than treated water, saying it could lead to attendees getting sick."I don't feel the site is in any way suitable at this time for hosting the proposed activity," Mark Swallow, from West Midlands Police, told the licensing committee."It would be dangerous as there are numerous hazards."A member of the council's environmental health team said he was concerned by potential "noise break-out" at the planned event. The applicant said the car park's owner was cleaning the site, while the sound would be managed by a said they had chosen not to use water treatment because of "allergy problems", adding people would not be in the pool for more than six hours."I've tried my best to figure out all the requirements and do everything that's required," he issuing its decision to deny the application, the council said there was a "very clear risk" in allowing the event to go ahead amid concerns over public nuisance and public safety. This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
I swear by my ‘genius' packing hack you need to try this summer – it'll save you a fortune on baggage fees
IF you're lucky enough to be jetting abroad any time soon, you've come to the right place. And particularly if you've already spent a fortune on new clothes, beauty treatments and a posh hotel for your next holiday, then this could just be the perfect money-saving trick for you. 3 3 3 Josh and Amber, a 'creative couple ' with a 'passion for travel ', have shared their top tip that will save travellers 'a fortune' on baggage fees. So if you're going away for a weekend and are only travelling hand luggage, or you're a heavy packer and always have to take stuff out of your suitcase to get the weight down, you'll need to take notes. Posting on social media, Josh and Amber shared the 'genius' way they manage to take more clothes on holiday without having to squeeze them into their suitcase or cabin bag. The content creators demonstrated how they use neck pillows to take at least three extra tops, a pair of trousers and a hat on their trips. Alongside a clip that was recently shared on Instagram, the couple questioned: 'Tired of breaking the bank on luggage fees? We've discovered a simple yet genius travel hack that's saved us a fortune!' With this 'fly smart' trick, the travel fans are now able to take more clothes abroad, without having to stuff them into an already overflowing bag. The duo simply removed the stuffing from inside their neck pillow and added in their belongings. Overjoyed with the simple but effective idea, they explained: 'Remember this travel hack to avoid extra baggage fees. 'Your neck pillow can hold at least three shirts, a pair of leggings and a beanie.' The Instagram clip, which was posted under the username @ first_class_seats, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly gone viral and racked up 1.9 million views. Not only this, but it's also amassed over 14,000 likes and 331 comments. Social media users were impressed with the savvy idea and many eagerly raced to the comments to express this. Holiday packing tips Jemma Solomon, aka The Label Lady has got 5 packing tips to help you get organised for your next holiday. 1. Write a list Think about all the essentials you need to take with you; suncream, medicine, a few games for the kids, beach towels, and write everything in one list, which you can tick off as you add it to your suitcase. Or for complete ease, try Google's AI app - Gemini - which will create a list for you and help you not over pack. 2. Involve your kids Jemma said: 'My girls are getting older, they're 11 and nine, and they enjoy helping to pack. So I send them a list, and say 'this is what you need' and they follow the list. 'And then I give them a rucksack each - and say to them 'you can have whatever you want in there as long as it's not liquid', and they can take that on the plane. And that's their 'home away from home' items.' 3. Try a hack or two She said: "I think they all work, but for different reasons - and you've just got to pick the right one for your trip. "Rolling your clothes is really good to stop your clothes from getting creases. And if you're trying to get a lot of items into your case, it's a space saver. 'Packing cubes are great - for example, I'm going on holiday with my three kids and we're all using the same suitcase for our clothes. "These handy compartments let you separate your clothes, toiletries and tech into designated cubes, maximising luggage space by keeping your items compressed and neatly stacked. "I love taking them abroad with the family and it means my kids can easily take charge of their own items once we've arrived." 4. Decant beauty products Do you really need to take full-size bottles of shampoo and conditioner with you? The beauty industry has evolved so much, you can now buy shampoo bars or sheets - which are much lighter and smaller. Or, if you'll be popping to the shops when you're abroad, consider buying some items when you arrive. 5. Get organised before you come home Jemma said: 'When you repack on holiday [before coming home], the trick is to separate clean from dirty clothes. 'Also pack it in some form of order - so lights, darks, colours for items that need washing, or if you wash your clothes by person in the household, piles for each person. "Then you can put it straight into the washing machine. Do it straight away, don't leave it." One person said: 'Well played.' Another added: 'Great idea!!!' A third commented: 'I guess this is smart.' Meanwhile, someone else shared: 'Ingenious.' At the same time, another travel enthusiast beamed: 'Smart packing!' The Sun Travel team's holiday essentials WITH decades of experience and hundreds of countries under their belt, the Sun Travel team have shared some of the essential items they always pack on a trip. Here are some of the game-changing items we always pack - and some will barely cost you a thing. Lisa Minot, Head of Travel - Global travel plug with USB (£64) Caroline McGuire, Travel Editor - Hotel Slippers Sophie Swietochowski, Assistant Travel Editor - Pack of 40 earplugs (£40) Kara Godfrey, Deputy Travel Editor - 1 litre water bottle (£8.99) Ryan Gray, Travel Reporter - Bluetooth eye mask (£16.50) Giuli Graziano, Travel Writer - AirTag luggage location tracker (£29.99).
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Take it from me, Harry, it's too late to change your surname, however much you want to
I keep thinking the grievances will end soon. Surely there's no more to come out? Surely we've heard it all by now – in books, in the Netflix series, and in multiple television interviews. But hark, what's this? Another revelation from Montecito. Prince Harry, at one stage of the fallout, apparently discussed changing his name and becoming a Spencer. He talked to his uncle about it, but Charles Spencer counselled against the move, before Harry was advised that the legal issues would be insurmountable. It's a rare moment, these days, that I feel sympathy and kinship with the runaway prince, but I do share some of his anxieties here. In recent years, I've increasingly wondered whether I should start writing under a different name. Not, admittedly, because I've fallen out with my family, moved continents, and now spend my days flying around the globe warning others about global warming. No, my name simply seems to wind up so many people, cause strangers to make so many assumptions about me, and spark such internet grief, that I wonder whether life would be easier if I was something else. Unlike Harry's uncle, my father advised me to change my name when I was starting out. But I was too young, arrogant and determined to listen, and this was 20 or so years ago, when class warfare hadn't quite reached the fever pitch that it has now. I ignored him and have carried on ever since. It's character-building, I've always insisted, through the barbs. Although, last year I was particularly miffed when the best-selling author Kevin Kwan, the writer of Crazy Rich Asians, stuck an airhead journalist called Cosima Money-Coutts in his latest novel. The book had the usual legal disclaimer in the front ('any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental'), but I couldn't help feel that this was a reasonably close resemblance, given that 'Cosima' worked for a posh magazine and I used to work for Tatler. Still, I'll get my own back. I'll name an irritating little berk 'Kevin' in my next book, or maybe an especially yappy dog. So I've stuck with my name, because it is memorable, even if it winds people up. And if I changed it I'd feel fraudulent, like I was running away from something. Now poor Dennis the terrier has been lumbered with the same. When we visit the vet after yet another pavement chicken bone has become lodged inside him, the receptionist says loudly, 'Dennis Money-Coutts?', and there comes the odd titter in the waiting room. It's character-building, I remind him in the car home. If you stopped the average person in the street, I'm not sure they'd know what Prince Harry's surname actually was. Windsor? Mountbatten-Windsor? Wales? He went by Wales at school and for a spell afterwards, I know, because a friend had an excruciating run-in with him over exactly this. It was a shooting weekend, and various 20-something posh boys were joshing one another drunkenly after dinner. 'Wales! Wales!' they kept calling Harry, so my friend, who knew the group less well, decided he could call him that too. 'Wales!' he cried across the table, only for Prince Harry to look up sharply and wag his finger at him. My friend had overstepped the mark – too familiar. A touch of the Prince Andrews about that exchange, I've always felt. If it's a disguise he's after, it's his first name he should worry about. That's the one we really know. How about Prince Larry? Prince Barry? Prince Gary? But it was Spencer he wanted, with one rumour suggesting this was because his wife was particularly keen. I'm not sure how many of you found time to watch it, but in Meghan's most recent television series, she talks determinedly of being Sussex. 'It's so funny you keep saying 'Meghan Markle,'' she admonishes a friend, while demonstrating how to make a sandwich, although she doesn't sound like she finds it very funny at all; 'You know I'm Sussex now.' Except 'Spencer' would bring her closer to Diana, says a source, which is what she really wants. A friend of mine who is a Spencer (no relation to Charles) says her American colleagues constantly ask whether she's related to Diana, so perhaps the idea that this is what people would assume isn't as far-fetched as it sounds. Although, my friend is half-Korean, so I love the idea that her colleagues are trying to work her into the Althorp family tree. Unfortunately, the change would also make Harry and Meghan's daughter Lilibet Diana Spencer, and is that a good name to saddle a small girl with? I'm also just not sure Meghan would want to be plain old Meghan Spencer. What, no dukedom? The trouble is, for Harry, that while he may want to change his name, it wouldn't change who he is. Symbolic, yes, and another potential wedge driven between him and his father and brother. Maybe, for a spell, it would make him feel angry relief at putting another bollard between them. Not content with moving 5,000 miles away, he'll cast off their name, too. More and more Shakespearean by the day. 'Presume not that I am the thing I was,' and all that. But just as I'd be the same, writing the same jokes about dogs and posh matters, albeit in disguise as Sophie Cash-Natwest (or something terrifically cryptic like that), so would he. Prince Harry, or Harry Spencer, once the boy that everyone had such a soft spot for; now, still, so furious at everyone's behaviour but his own. More grown-up, more sensible to stick with what you have already, Harry. That's what I always tell myself, anyway.
