IT seems we Brits prefer to be cremated rather than buried when we die.
The BBC reports on an online survey carried out by YouGov which says 58 per cent prefer cremation compared to 17 per cent of those who would opt for burial.
The survey also showed that 79 per cent want their ashes to be scattered and seven per cent want them to be kept.
Wearing black was seen as a requirement by 22 per cent but 45 per cent said wearing other colours was acceptable, so long as they were "dark and sombre".
A further 29 per cent thought it was acceptable to wear any colour of clothing to a funeral.
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Workmen installing cables at a room in Cambridge University discovered a 300 year old shoe used to ward off evil spirits, reports the Daily Mirror.
The shoe, measured at a modern day size six, was found in the senior common room building at St John's College's Tudor-era Second Court which was originally the private residence of its master.
Experts reckon it was built between 1598 and 1602, but it is thought the shoe was put behind the panels during changes to its interior, between the end of the 17th century, and mid-way through the 18th.
Richard Newman, from the Cambridge Archaeological Unit, said: “It was positioned between the chimney breast and the window, which is exactly the sort of location where you would expect to find a shoe being used in this way”
Shoes were thought to protect the living, and prevent malevolent spirits from entering.
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The Daily Express tells us that priest Father Lee Taylor has revived the medieval tradition of 'blessing the beer.'
He took his congregation from Croydon Minster to conduct the ceremony at the town's oldest pub, The Dog and Bull.
Father Taylor blessed the beer barrels and pumps with holy water and incense, using instructions from a 1614 manual for the benediction of everyday items.
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Up for auction is a photograph taken during the first moon landing and signed by all three of the Apollo 11 crew.
The Daily Express says the rare photograph was given by the astronauts to John Cleland, whose car hire firm arranged limousines for the trio during a VIP visit to London in October 1969.
Now his widow has put the image up for sale, with experts tipping it to make around £1,500.
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Leigh-on-Sea, a seaside resort in Essex, has been named the happiest place to live in Britain, replacing Harrogate which had won the award for the last three years.
The town, which is renowned for its cockle sheds, has been praised for its community spirit, arts, sports facilities and sense of belonging, says the Daily Mail.
Second place in the poll conducted by online estate agents Rightmove was Troon in Scotland with Harrogate finishing third.
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An article in The Independent says that the London borough of Kingston Upon Thames is loaning out free bikes for a month in a bid to boost cycling amid increasing transport pressures.
Anyone who lives, works or studies in Kingston can borrow a brand new bike for a month. It will also loan out helmets, locks and lights and offer cycling training to those who want it. People are then required to return the bikes at the end of the month or have the chance to buy them for a reduced price.
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The Yorkshire Dales is to get water voles for the first time in 50 years, according to the BBC.
About 100 are to be released into Malham Tarn, England's highest freshwater lake, by ecologists from the National Trust.
Voles have become one of the UK's most threatened mammals, with numbers dropping by nearly 90 per cent in recent decades.
Roisin Black, a National Trust ranger at Malham Tarn, said: “In the rest of Europe, water voles are common. In Britain, the creatures are incredibly rare.
“We know water voles have thrived at Malham Tarn in the past and thanks to work by the National Trust, the habitat here is perfect for water voles again."
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Reference list:
The Express (www.express.co.uk)
The Independent (www.independent.co.uk)
Daily Mail (www.dailymail.co.uk)
Daily Mirror (www.mirror.co.uk)
BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)