Englands

Credit: CC0 Public Domain Young people are reportedly being priced out of rural communities by soaring housing costs. Official statistics for England show that affordability in rural parts of the country is worse than in towns and cities, excluding London. In 2021, even the cheapest houses in rural areas cost around 9.2 times more than the earnings of the lowest paid workers. In urban areas, it was eight times more.…

An illustrated reconstruction of the Bronze Age stilt settlement unearthed at Must Farm in the East of England. Credit: Cambridge Archaeological Unit A major report on the remains of a stilt village that was engulfed in flames almost 3,000 years ago reveals in unprecedented detail the daily lives of England's prehistoric fenlanders. Must Farm, a late…

It was a night of old favourites and modern anthems. More than 400 people paid about £25 a head to dance beneath Winchester Cathedral’s magnificent medieval arches on Saturday evening. Drinks were served at a bar; music was fed through individual headphones.“If you had told me this time last year that I would be in the cathedral, with a beer in my hand while belting out the chorus of Rolling in the Deep by Adele, then I would have thought you were mad,” wrote Matt Rooks-Taylor, a local reporter. “Everywhere I looked,…

UKCEH hedgerow map shown overlaid on the landscape of south Lincolnshire. Credit: Google Earth Scientists have harnessed cutting-edge technology to produce the most comprehensive map of hedgerows across the length and breadth of England. The researchers at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) hope this innovative mapping will guide planting and restoration of these vulnerable habitats to support wildlife and…

Hunting with hounds was once an integral part of country life across the UK. Emerging from woods in a quiet corner of rural England, a small band of anti-foxhunting campaigners have just one goal: to confuse the pack of dogs chasing a fox and prevent its death. These "hunt saboteurs" regularly gate-crash meetings across the country in what has become…

Research in England and Wales reveals a concerning rise in the number of decomposed bodies found, linked to societal isolation and indicating a breakdown in social support systems, particularly among males.An exploratory study has identified a worrying trend in England and Wales: an increasing number of people are being found deceased and decomposed.This study, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, suggests a connection between growing societal isolation and these deaths, a trend observed even prior…

The remains of numerous individuals unearthed on the former site of the Hospital of St. John the Evangelist, taken during the 2010 excavation. Credit: Cambridge Archaeological Unit/St John's College A series of 'bone biographies' created by a major research project tell the stories of medieval Cambridge residents as recorded on their skeletons, illuminating everyday lives during the era of Black Death and its aftermath.…

The UK’s first and so far only female poet laureate has written a sonnet to honour England’s Lionesses and their forerunners.Carol Ann Duffy, who said she grew up in a “footballing family”, pays homage to the trailblazers behind today’s team in We See You, a poem described as a “team talk” to the nation.It is “an ode to every woman from the pitch to the boardroom, the communities and grassroots who are helping to level the playing field”, said Duffy, who was poet laureate from 2009 to 2019.The poem was composed for the…

A survey by The BMJ highlights significant disparities in access to lung diagnostic tests in England’s deprived areas, leading to delayed treatment and health deterioration in patients with respiratory conditions. The article emphasizes the urgent need for NHS England and the government to address this healthcare crisis by ensuring equitable distribution of diagnostic services like spirometry.The survey reveals that the poorest regions are most severely impacted by the ‘postcode lottery’ in diagnostic services, and the…

Smartphone brands have been tying up in some form or the other with football teams and clubs across the world. Xiaomi announced some association with the Argentina football team whereas Oppo has a partnership with UEFA as well. Now, Google Pixel has announced a new multi-year partnership with The Football Association as the Official Mobile Phone and Earbuds Partner. “Together with the England senior men’s and women's teams, we want to help bring fans closer to the game they love,” the company said in a blog post. Google…