Find Your Eyes by Benji Reid at Sadler's Wells East: unexpectedly cool and muted
Madeleine McCann: where the family are now, from Kate's moving memoir to the brother tipped for the Olympics
Memoirs and Olympic swimming: where Maddie McCann's family are now
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Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
'I spent a week holidaying in UK seaside town and came home broke'
There's nothing better than going on family holiday and, after a beautiful but terribly rainy week away to Cumbria last year, my fiancé and his loved ones opted for Norfolk for our annual getaway this year. Seaside towns sometimes get a bad rap but I'm quite the fan of them. As my fiancé and I are saving for a wedding, a holiday abroad is off the cards for the foreseeable future while we save up so we - wrongly - assumed venturing to a local seaside town would help us switch off and relax for a fraction of the cost. I know, we were very silly. There's plenty of gorgeous staycation spots well worth exploring in the UK and while sunshine isn't guaranteed, there's a boatload of beautiful scenery and retro charm on offer. My fiancé's family are big fans of Norfolk, and he spent many childhood summers in Hunstanton over-indulging in fish and chips, ice cream, fairground rides and more. On the quest for some much-needed nostalgia, we planned a family holiday to the popular seaside town. The retro charm of arcade games, the buzz of the Waltzers, the constant sound and aroma of the sea, and the never-ending array of sweet shops had me feeling like a child all over again. Early on, we were keen to visit the fairground and take advantage of the rides my fiancé grew up loving - as well as a stomach-churning, twisty contraption named Insomnia which had my stomach doing more flips than an Olympic gymnast. A word of advice: don't re-watch the Final Destination franchise in the days leading up to getting on fairground rides - especially the third one which begins at, you guessed it, a theme park. I didn't end up going on many rides - and it wasn't because I didn't want to. It was because they were just so expensive. I imagine we were relatively naïve in our assumptions about how much things were going to cost but neither my fiancé nor the rest of the family were prepared to have to spend a minimum of £3.50 per person per ride. Some rides were more costly than that too, so it didn't take long for our holiday fund to be depleted by our desire to chase an adrenaline rush. Add in the cost of drinks (£2.50 minimum for a standard can of Diet Coke?!), ice cream at £3 per scoop (and realistically, who's going to get just one scoop?), and fish and chips being significantly more expensive than I remember, and one day at the fairground became one of the most expensive excursions during our week away. As there were eight of us, we split into two groups of four and stayed near one another in local holiday homes. Ours was far too small for four adults, with a kitchenette not equipped for cooking proper meals. This meant we had to eat out most evenings - and we usually grabbed lunch while we were out and about, too. An ice cream here, a sandwich there, it doesn't take much - at least, in England - before we were spending at least £100 a day. We visited Wells-next-the-sea, which is a beautiful and serene seaside haunt with some gorgeous independent cafes and restaurants, a calming seafront, and beautiful woodland walks. On street parking was a no-go, so we had to cough up £11 to park in a carpark near the thick of the action. We visited the popular Plattens cafe for lunch where my fiance and I got a portion of chips and a vegan sausage each, as well as a can of Pepsi Max (far superior to Diet Coke in my humble opinion) and our bill came to £17.20. The portions of chips were generous and the sausages were delicious, so it didn't seem that outlandish but I am baffled we're living in a world where two portions of chips, two cans and two sausages costs almost £20. Is this the new normal? Where does it end? We quickly realised our staycation was costing just as much as a few days away in Spain might have done. Don't get me wrong, I had a truly wonderful, relaxed time and allowed my nostalgia to really fly free but the steep cost of basic treats like ice cream and soft drinks, and the seemingly ever increasing cost of chips, does make me concerned about how long tourist towns will survive for. Staycations are wonderful, and it's great to explore and enjoy the country you live in, but it's certainly not a cheaper option than going abroad but in the past, it was. I wouldn't be in a rush to revisit a local seaside town - not unless I'd saved up hundreds and hundreds of pounds so buying an ice cream won't fill me with dread and anxiety.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Christian Brueckner ‘wrote letter listing decisive questions' over Madeleine McCann case
Christian Brueckner, the main suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, reportedly wrote a l etter to officers listing unanswered questions that would implicate him in the case. Brueckner apparently questions whether he or his vehicle were seen near the crime scene, and if there is any DNA evidence linking him to the crime. Brueckner spent time in the Praia de Luz area between 2000 and 2017, and German and Portuguese investigators recently searched a 120-acre area near Lagos, Portugal, for evidence. Brueckner is currently in prison for raping a 72-year-old woman in 2005 and is due to be released in September if no further charges are brought. In October last year, Brueckner was cleared of unrelated sexual offences alleged to have taken place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.
BreakingNews.ie
2 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Madeleine McCann suspect ‘told police decisive questions can never be answered'
The prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann sent a letter to police saying 'decisive questions can never be answered', according to reports. Christian Brueckner, who is in prison for raping a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005, reportedly sent a letter to officers saying questions which would implicate him in the case of the three-year-old British girl, who vanished from the same resort 18 years ago, cannot be answered. Advertisement In the note, seen and translated by The Sun newspaper, Brueckner reportedly wrote: 'It is the important questions, the decisive questions that can never be answered. 'Was I or my vehicle clearly seen near the crime scene on the night of the crime? A search team close to Praia De Luz, Portugal. Photo: James Manning/PA. 'Is there DNA evidence of me at the crime scene? Are there DNA traces of the injured party in my vehicle? 'Are there other traces/DNA carriers of the injured party in my possession? Photos? Advertisement 'And, don't forget, is there a body/corpse? All no, no no.' It is not clear when the letter was written. Brueckner spent time in the Praia de Luz area between 2000 and 2017 and had photographs and videos of himself near a reservoir. It comes as German and Portuguese investigators finished three days of searching a 120-acre stretch of land near Lagos, Portugal, on Thursday as part of attempts to source evidence to implicate Brueckner. Advertisement In the searches, requested by German authorities, crews spent three days scouring scrubland and abandoned structures. Brueckner is due to be released from jail in September if no further charges are brought. In October last year, he was cleared by a German court of unrelated sexual offences, alleged to have taken place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.
