News Round Up
by Patrick O'Connor
A day trip with a difference for 89 year olds Mollie Muetzel and Kathleen Lowndes.
The two pensioners visited London for an afternoon tea treat at London's fancy Savoy Hotel
But instead of boarding a train back to Knebworth in Hertfordshire (a 30 minute journey), they mistakenly caught a non-stop service to York ...a 344 mile detour!
Mollie told The Herts and Essex Observer that despite the mistake, they were looked after by staff and passengers alike and were given cake and refreshments.
She explained that they were confused by the hectic rush-hour. “We went past four or five long carriages, all first-class, before eventually getting on. Two young chaps gave up their seats and then [soon after the train had departed] I heard mention of York.”
They were told by an attendant that they couldn't stop as it was a fast, non-stop service to York.
“We were pampered, we couldn't fault them,” said Mollie.
For those who like a white Christmas, the Daily Mirror brings good news.
They report that bookies have slashed the odds on the UK experiencing the coldest winter for five years, thus increasing the chances of enjoying a white Christmas.
Weather forecasters have been quoted as saying there will be 36 days of snow or ice across the winter months, with temperatures as low as -16C.
And more weather news in the Daily Mail which states that the Met Office has announced that from now on big winter storms will have names – and as these will follow an alphabetical order, the first will be Abigail.
The big storm after that will be called Barney, followed by Clodagh, Desmond, Eva and Frank ... and so on, down to Wendy. There will not be any storms with names beginning with X, Y, or Z, or with Q and U.
The idea is that the UK system falls in line with the American hurricane naming convention, which does not use these less common letters. It is hoped that giving a name to a storm helps raise awareness of severe weather and ensures greater public safety.
A item of interest to history buffs in The Independent which says that a pile of bones discovered in the Olde Star Inn next to St Winefride’s Well, Holywell, North Wales, could be the last remains of an English saint who was hung, drawn and quartered in the 17th Century for his religious beliefs.
The speculation is that the bones belong to St John Plessington, a Catholic priest executed in 1679 and known as one of the “Forty Martyrs of England and Wales”.
St John was executed in Chester after being found guilty of treason under Elizabethan laws that made being a Catholic Priest an offence.
We Brits are gadget mad...and it's costing us.
A Daily Mirror article says that Britons could save a £600 million a year in energy costs by switching their gadgets off standby.
It seems that the average number of gadgets in UK households has increased by 31% since 2010,
especially in the kitchen, where the number of gadgets has increased by 58%.
Professional footballers come in for a lot of stick and sometimes justifiably.
But The Guardian reports that former Manchester United stars Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs have certainly done their bit for the homeless.
The pair are planning to turn the historic Manchester stock exchange building into a boutique hotel but whilst it was undergoing extensive renovations it was occupied by a group of squatters and housing activists called the Manchester Angels.
But instead of rushing to get a court order to get them evicted, the ex-footballers have told the squatters they can stay throughout the coldest months of the winter.
Housing and human rights activist Wesley Hall said he broke down in tears following a phone conversation with Neville in which Neville said he had always supported homeless people and had no problem with the activists using the hotel to house people during the cold winter months.
Reference list:
Herts and Essex Observer (www. hertsandessexobserver.co.uk)
The Guardian (www.guardian.co.uk)
The Independent (www.independent.co.uk)
Daily Mail (www.dailymail.co.uk)
Daily Mirror (www.mirror.co.uk)