Latest news with #CamdenTown
Times
27-05-2025
- General
- Times
Am I selfish for choosing to just have one child?
'Are you planning to have another?' An acquaintance lobbed this question at me when I ran into her one crisp November morning in 2019, while shopping at the farmers' market. 'Probably not,' I replied. 'But it's not fair to deny him a sibling,' she said, glancing at my 11-month-old, asleep in his pram. Neither my husband nor I longed for a second child. However, the existence of a frozen embryo floating in a tank of liquid nitrogen in a basement near Oxford Circus demanded a conversation. It was one of two high-grade embryos, created from what my husband and I agreed would be my final cycle of IVF. We'd been trying to conceive for five years. One embryo became our son. Was it wasteful to abandon the other? Not least that our beautiful, spirited boy was proof of the love and joy this spark of potential life could bring. But along with sleepless nights, clock-watching while a new baby cried inconsolably, as well as lugging formula, nappies and spare clothes everywhere, we'd have to leave our bright, high-ceilinged flat, on a leafy street near Camden Town, whose tiny second bedroom just fitted a single bed. And given we were happy with one child, why spend about a quarter of a million pounds (the average cost of raising a child to 18 in the UK) to have a second? 'Would you do it again?' a fellow mum asked a handful of us at a weekly playgroup, during the break between singing Five Little Ducks and reading Dear Zoo to our babies. 'My sister's my best friend,' one woman said. 'I can't imagine denying my daughter that possibility.' Her words stung. I used to have a sister, with whom I was close; my only sibling, two years my junior. She was the person I assumed I'd grow old with and together care for our parents, now in their nineties. But the week before my son was born she died suddenly, at 45. While hardly any of my friends have lost a sibling, several have a tricky relationship with or are estranged from theirs. I also know a number of only children, including my husband and mother, all of whom are resilient and resourceful and hardly fit the narcissistic, friendless stereotype. During the winter of 2019-20, as we continued to deliberate over the embryo, I still wondered whether it was selfish to have just the one, and something we might later regret. My husband told me, again, how happy his childhood was. All he'd missed was not having anyone to play board games with. 'What about as an adult, when your dad was dying?' I interrogated him. 'Didn't you wish you'd had a sibling?' • I was 36 when I had IVF. Here's why women leave it 'late' 'It never crossed my mind,' he said. The pandemic arrived and fertility clinics closed. When they reopened in May 2020, the idea of having a baby in this strange world where groceries were disinfected and a jogger's exhale was terrifying held zero appeal to me. My son was almost three when a semblance of normality returned, and I was glad to reclaim lost pleasures: dinners with friends in Soho and a weekend yoga retreat in Sussex. I felt confident my husband and I were coping well with looking after one child. We were, finally, just about thriving. With two, we suspected we'd struggle, particularly because, at 48 and 49, we were already older parents. In late 2021 we escaped for our first weekend alone together. Lying in bed in a cabin in a Kent woodland, we scrolled through photos of our son, so grateful for him, and to have time away — which would have been much harder if we'd had a second. • IVF loans, remortgaging, raiding savings: the cost of trying for a baby While 2023 data from the Office for National Statistics estimated that 45 per cent of families had just one child, most women I know have more. In my son's class there's only one other single child. I love the relative simplicity of being a mother of one — one lot of homework to oversee, one head of nits to comb — although sometimes I do feel like the odd one out. 'You can always change your mind,' a dad I got chatting to recently at a kids' birthday party said, while he cradled his younger daughter in his arms. I didn't tell him I'm now 54 and postmenopausal or that last year we finally donated the embryo to research. We'd hoped someone else could use it, but as my husband has an autoimmune condition, our clinic wouldn't allow it. I felt sad knowing it could never become a life, but I also knew that our family of three is the right shape for us. My son is now six, and has never asked for a sibling. He happily entertains himself for hours, drawing or designing elaborate Brio train tracks. And, as his recent school report confirmed, he also 'plays so kindly and cheerfully with his range of friends'. I too ended up an only child. Except, unlike my son, I knew the love of a sibling and had it ripped away. Despite the pain of this loss, I've realised a good life can come in many different shapes, which leaves me hopeful for my son's future. Annabel Chown's newsletter, This Beating Heart, is on Substack
Daily Mail
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Frank Skinner, 68, reveals he's MARRIED partner Cath Mason after 24 years together - with only their son Buzz in attendance
Comedian and presenter Frank Skinner has married his long-term girlfriend Cath Mason after 24 years together. The couple met when she was working for his management company, and they share son Buzz, who was born in 2012. On the latest episode of his podcast Frank Off The Radio, the 68-year-old shocked his co-hosts Emily Dean, who burst into tears, and Pierre Novellie with his news. Frank, whose real name is Christopher Collins, excitedly shared: 'Can you brace yourselves? You'll never guess what I did on Monday: I got married. I got f***ing married! 'Don't be offended, we didn't invite anyone. Buzz was a witness. We got married not in a room but on the stairs at Camden Town Hall. 'I said to Cath, "Will you marry me?" and she said "I'm not having a f***ing party! I don't want a load of guests. I'm not going in a church. I don't want a ring. I'm not wearing a stupid f****ing white dress". 'So it went on. "I'm not doing this!" I said "Oh, forget it." And then about two weeks later I said, "Okay we'll do it your way". I felt bad for the friends. I would have invited everyone.' Hampstead-based Frank added: 'We went for a walk on the Heath in the morning and I said "Why are we doing this?" She said "I don't know. Shall we not do it?" I said "They're gonna be upset aren't they, the witnesses." We hadn't told anyone else to be upset, and we actually did think "Shall we not bother?" 'The thing that no one ever says about getting married is it's quite embarrassing. How can I put it? It's a bit basic getting married. We've been together 20-odd years. Cath's not gonna wear a big white fluffy dress. 'We hadn't told anyone except our child - I think you have to have them now, it's a modern marriage! Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue… and your children! 'Anyway, we walk up the stairs me and Cath, and they said to Buzz "Just plug your phone in there and you can play the music. So we entered to Lie Dream Of A Casino Soul by The Fall. That sounds gimmicky, like getting married by Elvis in Vegas, but in fact The Fall meant so much to me and Cath when we were in our early days, so it was actually quite an emotional thing.' When asked what Cath wore, Frank replied: 'She just wore a flowery dress. She moaned about that. I said "you can't have leggings!" When she was stripping away all the things we couldn't have at the wedding, I said, "Can you at least wear…?" She said "I'm not changing my name and I'm not wearing a ring. I don't wear jewellery", which is true. She said "If I wear a ring, I'll feel trapped." I said "you'll be married, you're supposed to feel f***ing trapped! That what it symbolises. It's like a shackle!" 'This was the most difficult thing and this just isn't me and Cath… what you have to do is hold hands, both hands, and face each other… like we're gonna do The Gay Gordons! 'Me and Cath, we don't hold hands unless… I mean, as I get older! So that was difficult. We had to look each other in the eye, and I know she's thinking, "Why are we doing this?" Anyway, I'm holding both her hands, I mean come on it's like a f***ing seance! And then we had to repeat the vows. 'The last time I took vows I was renouncing Satan and all his empty promises! So there I am promising to not s*** other women - not in so many words, but to be faithful and loving and all that. And then… one thing Cath isn't great at is PDAs. There were two women doing it who were lovely and very accepting of the fact that we had Greenday while we sat in the registry! That was Buzz's choice. 'She said, "You may kiss the bride". I kissed Cath. I'm not kidding you it was like kissing a reluctant employee under the mistletoe. I thought, "You're my wife now!" Anyway, the wedding ended. We played Container Drivers by The Fall.' Wen asked why he has tied the knot now, he said: 'I don't know why. I just thought, "Maybe I've got too much money, I'll give her half in about five years time!" I don't know why we got married. 'It wasn't even like a tax thing, so I'm not planning on dying anytime soon, and by the time I do die Reform will be in and there'll be no Inheritance Tax!' He added: 'The night before I got married, I lay in my bed thinking "If she f***s off and takes my money, I could end up in a p***-covered bed in a council care home in my 80s, with no money and nothing." But what's great about our relationship is I could have those thoughts and come down and tell Cath on the morning of our wedding and she'll say, "Yes, I know what you mean", and then we still go and get married! We were alright with that; it was the holding hands and looking at each other that we didn't like!' Last year, Frank revealed Cath had rejected his marriage proposals four times, but said he would keep 'plugging away.' He explained: 'As you get old, 'my partner', which is what I tend to call her, sounds like we're solicitors. 'A man my age saying 'my girlfriend' is nearly as bad as a man my age saying 'my skateboard'. 'There's not a good word for someone you've been with for 24 years when you're our age - other than wife or husband.' Elsewhere, Frank revealed why the BBC chose to axe his hit panel show Room 101 after 18 series and 24 years in 2018. The comedian said he 'made the mistake' of asking the BBC's chief content officer, Charlotte Moore, a fateful question in the lead up to the show being decommissioned. Speaking to the Radio Times, Frank said: 'I made the mistake of asking Charlotte Moore at a meeting what she'd personally put into Room 101, given the choice, and shortly after that we were decommissioned.' The Three Lions writer and performer emphatically told the Daily Star following the 2018 axing: 'Who the f*** cares? 'Room 101 is dead. But I'm all right fiscally. I've done seven series. I don't feel that I have been washed up on the shores of stand-up.' And Frank still made quite the impression on the entertainment industry, being awarded an MBE for services to entertainment in the 2023 New Year's honours . That followed the death of his former Absolute Radio co-host Gareth Richards, who died aged just 41 following a car crash . Witty as ever on receiving his gong, Frank joked that there may have been an 'administrative error'. 'I deal mainly in laughs and applause and they disappear into the air quite quickly,' he said. 'So getting a proper medal that you can hold on to and polish regularly feels it has given my career a sense of permanence that I like.'
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Holguin joins Billericay Town on dual sign
Holguin most recently featured in Brentford's Capital Cup quarter-final win over Camden Town. The forward joined Brentford in July 2023 having previously played for Loughborough University and was part of the Brentford side that lifted both the Capital Cup and Trophy Cup last season.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Eleonora Cottrell previews Brentford Women v Camden Town
'It's just another test and just another challenge," said Cottrell. "We're hoping to keep the title and we're just excited." The Bees bounced back from a League Cup loss against Fulham to beat Whyteleafe last weekend. Cottrell said the Cottagers defeat ensured the side will stay focused between now and the end of the season. 'I think it's always good to have setbacks, just to make sure that we always keep pushing. We just want to win everything now, so fingers crossed we do. 'Our focus is the league at the moment but if we win a cup as well, it's a bonus." Six goals in each half saw the Bees defeat Whyteleafe 12-0 in the league last Sunday afternoon. Paula Holguin scored her first hat-trick in Brentford colours with Nikki Woods adding another treble of her own. Chloe Logie, Lucy Potter, Maddie Phillips, Samantha Read, Alissa Down and Kirsty Matthews were also on target. Last time out in the Capital Cup, Osborne's side cruised to an 8-1 home win over Comets. Logie starred up front with five goals in the first half and one after the break, with Holguin and Woods adding a goal each to complete a dominant display. Camden Town compete in the Greater London Premier Division, the same league as Brentford Women B. They sit third in the league table with seven wins, a draw and a loss from their nine outings to date. Camden are seven points behind league leaders Hammersmith but have three games in hand over the current table-toppers. Dating back to mid-December, they have enjoyed a strong run of form, winning four successive games across all competitions. In their latest outing, they cruised past Civil Service 7-0 to continue their JGMT Cup run. Maria Vera has led the way up front with eight goals in 11 appearances, while Victory Edema has contributed seven goals from nine games. To all fans heading to Bedfont on Sunday, please be aware that there is limited parking available at the venue. Public transport is available. Hatton Cross train station is a 10-minute walk away while bus services are also available along Hatton Road. Entry to the game is free and the entrance to Bedfont is located on Hatton Road. There is plenty of seating available for fans around the pitch as well as standing room. There will updates from the match against Camden Town on social media, as well as a match report on the club's official website and app.
