APPARENTLY more and more of us want popular songs to be played at our funeral, says the Daily Express.
Research compiled by Co-op Funeralcare, who quizzed 300 funeral directors and 2,000 adults, showed that increasing numbers of people are drawing up their own playlists.
They compiled a funeral song chart which had Frank Sinatra's My Way at the top followed by Time To Say Goodbye by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman, and Over The Rainbow by Eva Cassidy.
Some of those questioned said that they wanted to "raise a laugh" so Monty Python's Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life is a regular choice as well as The Jam's Going Underground.
-------------------------------------
An experiment is being carried out at a supermarket in Gosforth, Newcastle-upon-Tyne to provide Slow Shopping, especially designed for elderly and disabled shoppers.
The Daily Express reports that customers at the Sainsbury's store will be able to use chairs placed at the end of aisles to allow regular opportunities to rest while shop assistants will be on hand to help.
There will also be two help desks offering free fruit, ginger biscuits and Victoria sponge.
-------------------------------------
If you're planning a visit to the UK capital, The Independent says that Transport for London (TfL) has unveiled its first official map showing how many steps it takes to walk between Tube stations.
It has been released to encourage people to take part in daily exercise and get fit.
Leicester Square and Covent Garden are only 400 steps apart from each other, while the walk from Kings Cross to Euston takes 1,200 steps.
London's Mayor Sadiq Khan is quoted as saying: “We need to make it easier and more enjoyable to walk around London. We all hop on the Tube to take short journeys around central London, whether for work or when we’re out in the evening. The new steps map will encourage more of us to walk these short journeys instead – it’s good for our health and it will help support London’s small businesses.”
-------------------------------------
The BBC tells us that the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London is being commemorated with a set of six new stamps.
Designed by comic book artist John Higgins, the stamps feature a graphic novel style and show scenes from the start of the spread and the aftermath of the Great Fire which raged across the city from September 2-5 in 1666, destroying more than 13,000 houses and 87 churches.
-------------------------------------
An English Heritage blue plaque panel has been installed at a property in Gladstone Avenue in the London suburb of Feltham, which was previously owned by the family of Queen singer Freddie Mercury.
The Guardian reports that those attending the ceremony included Mercury’s sister Kashmira Cooke; the new culture secretary, Karen Bradley; former arts council chair and English Heritage blueplaque panel member Sir Peter Bazalgette; and Queen guitarist Brian May.
The house's owner Ray Edwards thought the estate agent was winding him up when he was told the Bulsara family – Freddie’s birth name was Farrokh Bulsara – had previously owned the house.
Reference list:
The Express (www.express.co.uk)
The Guardian (www.guardian.co.uk)
The Independent (www.independent.co.uk)
BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)