The Daily: February 26
Being single shouldn't stop you planning a wedding, according to Interflora survey
60% of women begin research into wedding venues and flowers and start looking for the perfect dress before they've got their future husband lined up, according to a survey conducted by Interflora. Of the 600 women polled, none of whom were in relationships, almost half had decided on their bridesmaids, and 13% had chosen which month of the year when they wanted the ceremony to take place. Yet although more than 1 in 5 have a scrapbook or folder to keep track of their plans, the majority of aspiring brides keep their ideas away from potential fiancés: 58% wouldn't dream of sharing their plans with a boyfriend.
Toad campaigners succeed in closing Nottinghamshire road
A road leading to the village of Oxton in Nottinghamshire is again to be closed for a month so that toads can cross it safely, following a successful campaign led by wildlife enthusiast Margaret Cooper, who has applied for the closure every year since 1999 . Hundreds of toads each year cross Beanford Lane to reach their spawning grounds in Oxton Bogs, and, unlike frogs, they are not very good at jumping out of the way to avoid motorists. As well as calling on the council to instigate it, the Oxton Toad Project funds the road closure, which costs in excess of £1000.
Downton Architect to auction furniture
Giles Newby Vincent, the architect responsible for the design of Mrs Crawley's house in Downton Abbey, is to auction his own furniture at Bonhams on March 12th. Mr Newby Vincent announced the sale of his home in Kent last year, and will now be selling its contents as well, including a Queen Anne walnut double domed bureau cabinet and matching walnut featherbanded bachelor chest. In addition to restoring Oxfordshire house used in the television programme, he has worked as an architect for the National Trust and an interior designer for Spencer House and Waddleston Manor, and will use the funds from the sale to renovate a dilapidated villa in the South of France.
Educational Psychologist calls for schools to stop diagnosing dyslexia
An academic at Durham University has described Dyselxia as a "useless term" and called for schools to stop trying to diagnose it. In a book to be published next month, Professor Julian Elliot argues that teachers should focus on helping students who struggle with reading learn new techniques to cope with it, instead of putting them through a series of tests designed to give a label to the problem. The educational psychologist thinks the diagnosis is popular amongst parents because they fear their children will be judged as stupid without it, and believes that this is the main reason why professionals continue to use it.
Family publishes letters of Royal Flying Corps Captain who suffered "bullet in the backside"
The private correspondence of John "Jack" Collier, a WW1 fighter pilot who survived a "bullet in the backside," has been made public by a family member almost a century after it was written. The upbeat letters shown to the Exeter Express & Echo describe his experiences on the front line in Salonika, where a small number of British troops were sent in 1915 to help Greece defend itself against Bulgaria, as well as details about his colorful personal life, including his later annulled matrimony with a woman who it emerged was already married. They also recount the famous incident which occurred after he joined the Royal Flying Corps, when a bullet hit the underside of Capt. Collier's plane and travelled through his seat cushion.
60% of women begin research into wedding venues and flowers and start looking for the perfect dress before they've got their future husband lined up, according to a survey conducted by Interflora. Of the 600 women polled, none of whom were in relationships, almost half had decided on their bridesmaids, and 13% had chosen which month of the year when they wanted the ceremony to take place. Yet although more than 1 in 5 have a scrapbook or folder to keep track of their plans, the majority of aspiring brides keep their ideas away from potential fiancés: 58% wouldn't dream of sharing their plans with a boyfriend.
Toad campaigners succeed in closing Nottinghamshire road
A road leading to the village of Oxton in Nottinghamshire is again to be closed for a month so that toads can cross it safely, following a successful campaign led by wildlife enthusiast Margaret Cooper, who has applied for the closure every year since 1999 . Hundreds of toads each year cross Beanford Lane to reach their spawning grounds in Oxton Bogs, and, unlike frogs, they are not very good at jumping out of the way to avoid motorists. As well as calling on the council to instigate it, the Oxton Toad Project funds the road closure, which costs in excess of £1000.
Downton Architect to auction furniture
Giles Newby Vincent, the architect responsible for the design of Mrs Crawley's house in Downton Abbey, is to auction his own furniture at Bonhams on March 12th. Mr Newby Vincent announced the sale of his home in Kent last year, and will now be selling its contents as well, including a Queen Anne walnut double domed bureau cabinet and matching walnut featherbanded bachelor chest. In addition to restoring Oxfordshire house used in the television programme, he has worked as an architect for the National Trust and an interior designer for Spencer House and Waddleston Manor, and will use the funds from the sale to renovate a dilapidated villa in the South of France.
Educational Psychologist calls for schools to stop diagnosing dyslexia
An academic at Durham University has described Dyselxia as a "useless term" and called for schools to stop trying to diagnose it. In a book to be published next month, Professor Julian Elliot argues that teachers should focus on helping students who struggle with reading learn new techniques to cope with it, instead of putting them through a series of tests designed to give a label to the problem. The educational psychologist thinks the diagnosis is popular amongst parents because they fear their children will be judged as stupid without it, and believes that this is the main reason why professionals continue to use it.
Family publishes letters of Royal Flying Corps Captain who suffered "bullet in the backside"
The private correspondence of John "Jack" Collier, a WW1 fighter pilot who survived a "bullet in the backside," has been made public by a family member almost a century after it was written. The upbeat letters shown to the Exeter Express & Echo describe his experiences on the front line in Salonika, where a small number of British troops were sent in 1915 to help Greece defend itself against Bulgaria, as well as details about his colorful personal life, including his later annulled matrimony with a woman who it emerged was already married. They also recount the famous incident which occurred after he joined the Royal Flying Corps, when a bullet hit the underside of Capt. Collier's plane and travelled through his seat cushion.