News
Young couple sell everything to buy van and travel around Europe with their daughter
This is amazing!
Family of three sold their house and all their furniture to go travel around Europe!
Meg and Josh sold all of their possession to buy a van and travel around Europe with their four-year-old daughter, Marlowe.
It was just months ago when she and her partner Josh sold their house and furniture. We are essentially living in a bathroom” says Meg Ward.
They packed up ‘13 years of family life’ into storage and headed off to tick off a bucket list dream.
Attracted to the sense of freedom that van life provides – Meg says it was also an opportunity to give daughter Marlowe new experiences.
“It’s quite daunting, selling all your things. But it’s exhilarating, the sense of freedom you get from it, it’s brilliant.”
Already huge in the USA and Australia, the trend has become increasingly popular in the UK, the pandemic possibly provided a boost!
According to Auto Trader the demand for commercial vehicles is up 57% year on year. In its recent survey, the advertising website found more than half of new van buyers said they wanted a van for personal use such as hobbies, traveling and converting.
The hashtag #vanlife on Instagram brings up more than 8 million posts, showcasing some of the trendiest, luxurious converted vans parked up in some breath-taking locations.
“There are two main customer bases,” says Emily Cotgrove, who runs Vanlife Conversions in Essex with her partner Oli, an Army veteran.
Present the couple with a commercial van and they will convert it for you for upwards of £28,000.
“One [market] is like the 25 to 35s, maybe they work remotely and want to travel while they work. They might see they can now work from anywhere. And the other target market are the older generation who
would have looked at motorhomes in the past.”
Emily believes that coronavirus has had a huge impact on the demand for recent van conversions as staycations and remote working boom. She says “Before Covid we had a 6-8 month waiting list, now we are fully booked up for 18 months.”
For many people paying for a conversion is simply unaffordable. Loads of people are choosing taking up the project themselves and convert them on a low budget.
As the UK prepares to face a winter of being cooped up indoors amid lockdown restrictions, the thought of spending any time in a even smaller space might not sound too attractive.
But on the flip side, perhaps van life chimes well with that shift to simpler living that many saw during the national lockdown? “It’s a nice exercise to live in a van and live with less,” says Meg. “I would definitely recommend it.”
Coronation Street legend Julie Goodyear, who played Bet Lynch, has been diagnosed with dementia, her husband has revealed.
The 81-year-old who played the iconic pub landlady of the Rovers Return on the show sought medical advice after ‘suffering forgetfulness’ but there was now ‘no hope of a reversal in the situation’, her husband Scott Brand said.
He shared news of her diagnosis in a statement, writing: “My darling wife and I have had to come to terms with this heart-breaking diagnosis.
“Unfortunately, Julie has been suffering forgetfulness for some time and we have been seeking medical advice and assistance, but we now know that there is no hope of a reversal in the situation — and that her condition will get progressively, and perhaps speedily, worse.
“We have taken the decision to publicly announce the diagnosis as Julie still loves visiting friends and eating out.
“Inevitably she is recognised, and fans love to meet her – and she them – but she can get confused particularly if she is tired. I hope people will understand.”
Goodyear played the leopard-skin-wearing, big-haired barmaid on the cobbles from 1966 to 2003.
Thanks to Goodyear, Bet Lynch became one of the ITV soap opera’s longest-serving and best-loved characters.
The iconic actress also appeared on reality shows such as Celebrity Big Brother and Celebrity Fit Club.
News
Tragedy as police find body of missing man last seen leaving pub
Police have confirmed the body as being Christopher
Police have confirmed a body has been tragically found in the search for a missing man in Marple.
Christopher Barlow, 31, was last seen shortly after 1am on Sunday, June 4th after leaving the Royal Oak pub in Mellor, Stockport.
He was last sighted turning left to walk along Brabyns Brow from Town Street.
Police officers and specialist teams searched a specific area beside the Peak Forest and remained at the scene after the tragic discovery on Tuesday, June 6th.
Greater Manchester Police have confirmed the body as being Christopher, and his family have been informed. A report is currently being prepared for the Coroner’s Office.
Detective Superintendent Helen Critchley, of GMP’s Stockport district, said: “Firstly, our thoughts are with Chris’s family and friends at this very distressing time.
“I would also like to thank the local community for their support with the search and the wider public for their assistance in sharing our appeal.”
According to The Manchester Evening News, on Monday evening (June 5th) the water search and marine unit, as well as a number of police vehicles and detectives were at the scene.
A large section of the canal was closed off to boats the next day as the search for Christopher continued.
Canal towpaths were also taped off as divers went into the water and officers searched nearby woodland.
News
Man to complete visiting every Wetherspoon pub in Britain and Ireland this week
Now he only has one final pub left to visit
A man will complete his visit to every Wetherspoon pub in Britain and Ireland this week as he sips his final pint to conclude his mission.
Most people like to see how far they can make it in a pub crawl but David Bingham, 60, decided to take it much further than that.
The Derbyshire man, who set out on the task in 2019, will conclude his journey of sipping a pint at all 875 Wetherspoon venues this week, including the 40 that have closed.
Now he only has one final pub left to visit, and he’s booked a flight at the South Terminal in Gatwick Airport in order to tick it off his long list.
The last of the boozers will be The Flying Horse, which is conveniently located right after security at the airport. Wetherspoons has praised his dedication.
Mr Bingham, from West Hallam, has said his other passions are trainspotting and following Burton Albion. He took on the challenge while also pursuing his other hobbies. Mr Bingham told the BBC: “If we were going somewhere new, I’d suss out the Wetherspoons.”
His partner Una Cooper bought him a directory of the pubs and he began ticking them off. “I’ve had a drink in most pubs, I’d say 85%,” he said.
“I’m a lager lad, definitely. The one in Ramsgate [in the Royal Victoria Pavilion] is my favourite because the history behind that building is incredible.
“But there are five police stations, there are churches, there’s chapels, there’s a tram depot, there’s a fire station.
“They just save these fantastic buildings. I love architecture and I love buildings. It’s a history lesson.”
Wetherspoon spokesman, Eddie Gershon, said: “We applaud David Bingham on his outstanding achievement.
“Many people love to visit Wetherspoon pubs across the UK and Ireland, but only a handful have visited each and every one. David will now join that select group.
“He has obviously put in a lot of time and effort into achieving his goal and we thank him for his dedication to our pubs.”
A Greek, Caribbean and Argentinian barbecue is coming to Manchester
Arctic Monkeys spotted boozing in Manchester ‘Spoons
Coronation Street legend Julie Goodyear diagnosed with dementia
Apple reveals it will finally stop iPhones autocorrecting f**k to ‘duck’
A 1980s Miami Beach rooftop cinema is opening in Manchester this summer
