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ISSUE 289
Fresh &
healthy
meals
Phil Vickery’s low-cal
& low-sugar recipes
2o pages of
expert advice
✓ How to win
competitions
✓ Grow your
own veg
✓ Make money
from your home
Ver a’s back!
Brenda Blethyn
reveals her
secret talent
jan 16-29,
2018 £1.55
Together on film: Tom
& Meryl chat to Yours
Fashion
bargains
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savers…
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COVER PIC: TREVOR LEIGHTON/WWW.TIMEINCUKCONTENT.COM
Inside
Real life
9 Animal Magic
12 ‘I ran across the Sahara desert’
16 ‘I was lucky to survive’
19 Gayle and Ravi: ‘We saved
each other’
20 Hollywood under the hammer!
24 ‘Our life’s work with seals’
26 ‘The world’s a better place
with teddies’
29 The Big Garden Birdwatch
Star chat
10 COVER Brenda Blethyn
14 COVER Meryl Streep and Tom
Hanks in The Post
138 Janet Ellis chats to Yours
Your best life now!
32 COVER Supermarket sweep!
34 Beauty: the tools of the trade
36 COVER 15 minutes to great health:
part 2 – get fit the easy way!
41 COVER Are supplements worth it?
44 Should I ask for antibiotics?
Good to know
58 Yours Retirement Services
60 How to win at competitions
63 Thinking of getting a lodger?
67 COVER A New Year clear out!
69 Your questions answered
71 Watching the pennies
73 Send for a Yours Guide
Nostalgia
52 Blast from the past:
decorating disasters!
54 ‘We got away from it all…’
Leisure time
81 COVER Diabetes-friendly
recipes
85 COVER Supermarket savers
87 Recycle old woollens
90 Crochet a pouffe!
93 Winter evergreens
95 48 hours in Richmond
98 Yours Travel Club
103 Out and about
Your favourites
49 Meeting Place
57 Roy Hudd
75 Friends of Yours
105 COVER Free scarf
worth £18
115 COVER Puzzles to test you
& prizes to win
129 Short story
137 Horoscopes
this fortnight...
£9,487
OF PRIZES
TO WIN
36
Get fit
in 15
minutes!
How to
competitions
Supermarket
fashions!
60
32
New ways with
old woollens!
Welcome ...
How are the New Year resolutions going? I hope
you’re keeping up with our 15 Minutes to Great Health
Plan. We’ve got part two in this issue – showing you
how to get fit fast, with easy exercises that you can fit
into just a few minutes a day. Turn to page 36 now.
When it comes to cookery we get lots of letters
requesting meals suitable for diabetics, so we asked
TV chef Phil Vickery to share some of his favourite
recipes from his new book. They’re all low-calorie and
low-sugar and tasty – there are even a couple
of puds too! (p81).
We’ve got some great advice on how to succeed at
competitions from a woman who’s won everything
from holidays to cars (p60). Once you’ve read her tips
why not try your hand at the Yours
competitions? This issue there’s
a chance to win a £5,000 cruise
featuring the singing talents of Alfie
Boe and Katherine Jenkins (p121).
See you next issue.
Keep in touch...
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Media House,
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Email
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See page 126

Here’s how you can help the nature on
your doorstep by joining in the RSPB’s
Big Garden Birdwatch
nature watch
Watch the
birdie
By Katharine Wootton
It’s such a lovely
moment when you
gaze out of the window,
or go out into the
garden, only to spot
some unexpected feathered
visitors making themselves
at home in your garden.
Now the RSPB are calling on
us to make a note of these
wonderful sightings for their
annual Big Garden Birdwatch.
Last year almost half a
So what are
we hoping to
see this year?
Last year’s birdwatch
revealed some interesting
results that will be
fascinating to compare with
this year. Caroline Offord,
from the RSPB, says: “Last
year was a bumper year
for sightings of waxwings
which flock to UK gardens in
winter once every seven to
eight years when the berry
crop fails in their native
Scandinavia.
“Results showed that
waxwings were seen in 11
million-people took part in
what is the world’s biggest
wildlife survey.
The idea is to choose a
good place to watch from
for an hour from January
27-29. Pick a window that
gives you the best view. If
you haven’t got a garden
then, if you can, pop out to
a green space and join in
there. The results will then
help the RSPB work out
how to best protect these
birds for the future.
times more gardens in 2017
compared to the last few
years. It was also a really
good year for the robin, with
average numbers last year at
the highest level since 1986.
“On the flip side, blue
tits, great tits and coal tits,
all had ten per cent fewer
sightings last year compared
to the year before, possibly
as a result of the prolonged
wet winter that affected
the number of caterpillars
available for tits to feed their
young with. Whether 2018
continues that downward
trend or sees things improve
we’ll have to wait and see.”
n To take part in this year’s Big Garden Birdwatch text BIRD to
70030 or call 0800 665 470 to order a free pack to your address,
or visit www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch
Blue tits and a great
tit tucking into suetcoated
raisin pellets
Watch out for these characters
Here are a few quirky characters you might want to keep
a watch out for during the Big Garden Birdwatch…
n Pied wagtail – a funny black and white bird with
a jerky walk and constantly wagging tail, often seen
dashing across lawns or car parks in search of food or
loitering on rooftops.
n Great spotted woodpecker – the most
common British woodpecker with black
and white feathers and a red patch on the
back of his head. Unlike most birds who
sing, this woodpecker drums loudly onto
tree trunks at a rate of 40 times per second
to establish his territory.
n Jackdaw – the smallest of the crow family
that appears all black but is a dark grey
colour. They’re quick to pick up tricks so
much so that Italian thieves once trained
a tame jackdaw to steal money from cash
machines.
n Coal tit – has a grey back, white cheeks
and a black bib and cap. They usually take
food and hide it for later – called caching –
so don’t be surprised if you find forgotten seeds
dropped all over the place by them.
n Woodpigeon – these waddle when they walk, giving
the impression that they’re overweight but actually the
weight of all their feathers combined is greater than the
weight of their skeleton.
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT
29
pics: RSPB IMAGES

george at
asda
If you’re looking for
new jeans and like
a style with a bit of
stretch then George
at Asda is the place to
go. Jeans start from
just £10 and come in
bootcut straight and
super-skinny styles.
SupermarKet
Sweep
Bag yourself a bargain while
doing your weekly shop, with these
amazing supermarket fashion finds
nutmeg at
moRrisoNS
The newcomer of the bunch,
Nutmeg at Morrisons offers cool
and classic clothing that looks
more expensive than its greatvalue
prices. We’ve had a sneak
peek at the Spring/Summer
2018 range and can’t wait to get
our hands on it!
Lesley wears: Blouse, £16, 8-22 | embroidered jeans,
£20, 8-22, both Nutmeg at Morrisons
By Fashion Editor,
Michelle Nightingale
F&F at
TESCO
Lesley wears:
Red knit, £16,
6-22 | trousers,
£18, 6-22
| black court
shoes, £16, 3-8,
all F&F at Tesco
the best of the rest!
Great separates and
accessories, plus brilliant
sales, make F&F at Tesco
well worth a rummage.
Their knitwear is always
fabulous and affordable too.
Kerry wears:
Jacquard print floral
coat, £50, 6-24
| white shirt, £16,
8-22 | jeggings,
£12.50, 8-22
| block heels,
£20, 3-7
all Tu at
Sainsbury’s
Tu at
Sainsbury’s
Tu at Sainsbury’s
has gained serious
style points over the
past year, with good
quality items that
are purse-friendly.
For age-appropriate
stylish buys, Tu wins
our vote every time.
Kerry wears:
Tunic dress, £18, 8-22
| black skinny jeans,
£10, 8-28 | ankle
boots, £15, 3-9, | faux
leather tote bag, £18
all George at Asda
fitness
wear
£18
8-22, Tu at
Sainsbury’s
Stockists: F&F at Tesco 0800 323 4050; George at Asda 0800 952 0101; Nutmeg at Morrisons 0345 611 6111; Tu at Sainsbury’s 0800 028 6658
32 YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT 33
Cullottes
£10
xs-xl, F&F
at Tesco £14
8-22, Nutmeg
at Morrisons
£16
8-22,
George
at Asda
£18
George
at Asda
denim
£18
3-8, Tu at Sainsbury’s
£18
8-22, Nutmeg
at Morrisons
£20
8-22, Tu at
Sainsbury’s
Unfortunately,
at this time of
year we cannot
guarantee
availability and
prices of items
featured on
this page
PHOTOGRAPHY RUTH JENKINSON;, STYLIST LINDSEY BAKER, HAIR AND MAKE-UP SARAH JANE GREEN
PicS: shutterstock

good to know
pics: shuTterstock, alamy stock photo, ruth jenkinson
You might think it’s
pure luck, but there
are easy ways to
raise your chance
of winning
By Lizzy Dening
Imagine going on lavish
holidays, owning
a brand-new car or
topping up your bank
balance – for free. That’s
the reality for competitions expert Di
Coke from Brighton, who has dedicated
time to her hobby for two decades and
has the car, fridge, passport stamps and
unforgettable memories to prove it!
“I’ve had some great wins, including
a VW Beetle, a honeymoon in Brazil
and lots of unique experiences, such
as my husband getting to play football
in Milan with famous footballers,” says
Di. “I see it as a hobby and it fits into
my life well. I can enter competitions
with the TV on or on my phone while
walking. I spend about half an hour per
day on it. To me, it’s a better use of my
time than playing games.”
While you might think that such
pricey victories are the result of a
life spent in front of a screen, ticking
endless boxes, in fact Di believes that
being smart about the competitions
you choose mean just a few minutes of
‘comping’ a day can soon add up to big
wins. Here are her top tips.
Consider getting
a cheap pay-asyou-go
phone for
competitions,
which will stop your
personal mobile
number being shared
60
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT
How to
competitions!
Meet our expert
Di Coke (43) has been entering competitions for more than 20 years
and her blog, https://superlucky.me is full of advice for would-be winners
The basics
First of all, it’s worth setting up an email
account that’s purely for competitions –
otherwise your personal inbox is likely
to get swamped. You’ll need to check
it fairly regularly in case you win, but
it’ll stop emails from your family and
friends getting lost. If competitions start to
become a serious hobby, you might want
to consider getting a cheap pay-as-yougo
phone for competitions that involve
giving a phone number. This will stop your
personal mobile number being shared,
although you will still need to answer calls
on your ‘competition’ phone in case it’s
someone telling you you’ve won!
“My best advice is to enter competitions
via brands you know and trust,” says Di.
“If you’ve never heard of the brand, they
may not be a reputable company.”
Work harder
Try photo, video and tiebreaker
competitions to up your chances.
“I don’t enter that many competitions
Be choosy
“Think about what you’d really like to win,
then search specifically for those types
of competitions,” says Di. So, whether
you want vouchers or cash, holidays or
experiences or a particular appliance
you need replacing, search online using
Google (use terms such as ‘win new car’)
and make sure you follow appropriate
brands on social media to stay alerted.
in actual fact,” says Di, “but I choose
ones that take me a bit longer to enter.
I’d rather do ten where I have to do
something like give a clever answer or
send a photo than 100 that just involve
filling in my details.
“You could even get into the habit of
keeping photos of your grandchildren
and pets on your phone at specific
events, eg summer holiday, Christmas,
Hallowe’en, as these are likely subjects
for photo competitions.”
Where to look
“There are competition websites that list
lots of different giveaways, but it’s worth
keeping in mind that everybody goes
to these, so your chances are quite low,”
says Di. “A much better place to look is
Twitter, as many people don’t realise you
can search for specific phrases. Search
‘win family holiday’ and it will bring up
more obscure competitions than you
might not find otherwise.
“You don’t need to be a regular
Twitter user to take part, just set up an
account that you use for competitions
and nothing else if you want to. Any
company running a competition these
days will tweet about it.”
n Read our easy guide to Twitter at
www.yours.co.uk/leisure/technology
Go local
One way to dramatically increase
your chances is by entering local
competitions with a smaller pool
of entrants. “Again, search Twitter
using phrases such as ‘win tickets
Birmingham’ or wherever you live,”
says Di. “Also check local magazines
and listen to your local radio station.
Find and follow local businesses on
social media too.”
Stick at it
“Of course, nothing’s guaranteed,” says
Di, “but it doesn’t cost much or it can be
a completely free hobby. Just don’t give
up – keep trying.”
n Many brands run competitions as a way
of getting personal data. Be careful which
boxes you tick or you may be inundated
with marketing emails and phone calls.
Savvy shopping
“It’s actually really fun to go hunting for
competitions,” says Di. “Look out in supermarkets for
promotions. I’ve won a lot of prizes from products
I’ve bought, because again there’s less competition
if you need to buy something specific to enter.
“There are also competitions which involve buying
WIN! WIN! WIN!
a certain product from a specific store and these aren’t always well advertised.
If you need the product anyway but one brand has a competition available, then
buy that one instead. People throw away loads of boxes with codes on without
bothering to type them in online to enter. They think: ‘oh I won’t bother, I’ll never
win,’ but it’s about changing your attitude to a more positive mindset.
“The harder it is to enter a competition, the easier it is to win. Look on the
supermarket websites for store-only promotions to find out what’s available.”
Enter
Yours magazine
competitions and
giveaways at
www.yours.co.uk/
comps289
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT
61

Heart to
heart
Actress Brenda Blethyn –
currently on the case as TV
detective Vera – chats to Yours
By Alison James
It’s always a joy to chat
to Brenda Blethyn
over tea and biccies.
She’s such a laugh and
very much one of the
girls. But what she’s just
told us has made us see
her in a whole new light.
In addition to being an
award-winning actress, the
woman’s also a DIY wizz!
“Yes, I’ve done a lot of
DIY in my time,” she reveals.
“I’ve put up shelves, laid a
floor, taken out a fireplace
and once I plumbed in a
toilet and basin.”
What?
“Not in the house that I
live in now,” she laughs.
“I moved out of there
pretty sharpish once I’d
done the plumbing!”
Brenda is joking of
course but undertaking
serious plumbing like that
is no laughing matter. How
did she know how to do it?
“Oh, I read up on it and
asked a few questions,” she
says. “I’m a bit like Vera in
that respect – I bet she’d be
Brenda
reveals a
surprising
talent!
Brenda shares a secret
She wouldn’t turn her nose up at
playing Miss Marple on TV.
“I wouldn’t mind a crack at it!
I believe I was considered at one
time but I was too young! The
wonderful Joan Hickson (right) is my
all-time favourite Miss Marple, but I
like Julia McKenzie, too. She’s terrific.”
Brenda as the indomitable
Vera Stanhope with Kenny
Doughty as DS Aiden Healy
capable of plumbing in a loo.
I wouldn’t do it now, though.
Not when I can afford
someone else to do it and I
can criticise them!”
It’s doubtful she’d have
the time, either – not when
she spends five months of
the year in the North East
making Vera, now in its
eighth series.
“Filming is very intensive;
we do a four-weeks-on, oneweek-off
pattern. For the first
few years, I stayed in a hotel.
It was very nice but I’d be
climbing the walls because
all I’d want to do at the end of
a long day’s filming was boil
an egg and make some toast
– impossible in a hotel. Now
I rent a small flat, which suits
me fine.”
However, there was a
time at the end of the last
series that Brenda was
doubtful she wanted to
carry on making Vera.
“The only way I can
describe it is to say it’s like
when you’ve had a massive
meal and you can’t ever
think about eating again,”
she smiles. “The waiter goes,
‘Would you like to see the
menu again?’ and you’re like,
‘No! Please! Leave me alone!’
But the next day you’re
hungry again. When I’ve just
finished making the four
Vera films, I don’t want to
think about the next lot. But
give it a couple of weeks and
it’s different. The success of
it has been overwhelming,
really, and it’s very nice to be
central to that.”
Overwhelming is spot-on.
It’s sold to more than 20
countries worldwide and
Brenda says it never ceases
to amaze her how many
young fans the series has.
“Earlier this year I went to
a crime writers’ convention
in Harrogate with Vera
‘The success of
Vera has been
overwhelming,
really, and it’s
very nice to be
central to that’
creator, Anne Cleeves, and
my co-star Kenny Doughty,”
Brenda explains. “At the end
of one of the talks there was
a Q&A and a 12-year-old boy
stood up and said, ‘Vera is
my favourite programme
and my friends’ favourite
programme.’ He went on to
explain that they loved it
because Vera was very stern
but funny, too. He and his
mates also loved the stories
and tried to work out who’d
committed the crimes.
“That’s what my
nephew’s family like to do,
too, and during commercial
breaks, they lower the
sound on the TV and discuss
the case! I’m surprised and
delighted that the show
appeals to such a wide
demographic – it’s not
like we’re going out of
our way to appeal to
young audiences so it’s
a real bonus. There are
Vera trails that have been
star chat
set up around the beautiful
locations where we film in
the North East – the moors,
countryside and fabulous
coastline.
“In fact, Anne Cleeve
was minding her own
business one day when
a very excited young girl
identified her from her tiny
photo on the Vera books.
The girl had been brought
on the trail by her dad for
a 21st birthday treat! Anne
then invited them on set to
watch some filming! I was
also very chuffed to be told
that tourism in the region
where we film has increased
by 25 per cent since we
started making Vera. I’m not
surprised – it is an absolutely
stunning part of the UK and
the people are so lovely, too.
And so resilient. At one time
their economy was almost
completely reliant on ship
building and coal mining.
Both industries have gone
now but the region is rising
from the ashes. There’s a lot
of filming going on up here.”
While filming this
last series Brenda (71)
brought her two-year-old
Cockerpoo dog, Jack, up to
Northumberland.
“They cared for him at
the production base when
we were filming,” she says.
“I couldn’t have brought
him on set with me – he’d
never have left me alone.
He did make it on set once
or twice, though, and one
of the production team
made a video of him, acting
like he was a dog detective,
with footage of him in Vera’s
office, the operations room
and even the morgue with
the soundtrack of Nine to
Five by Dolly Parton in the
background. It’s hilarious!”
Just like Brenda always is!
n Vera is on ITV
10 YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT 11
PICs: jonathan birch/camera press, rex/shutterstock

We take a look around a bear hospital
giving a new lease of life to poorly
old childhood companions
By Katharine Wootton
Above an unassuming
bakery in Lyme Regis,
critical medical work
is going on. Under two
dazzling spotlights,
Doctor Dave and Nurse Lesley
work precisely and with complete
concentration on the patient before
them, doing all they can to make them
better. Meanwhile, a few metres away,
rows and rows of beds lie full with
patients also waiting their turn on
Doctor Dave’s operating table.
This work requires all the delicate,
razor-sharp skills of a surgeon but,
as you might have guessed, this is
no ordinary surgery. For instead of
scalpels, these surgeons rely on sewing
needles, scissors and a cupboard full
of fabrics, stuffing and eyes to fix their
patients. And instead of humans, the
patients lying on the operating table are
cuddly teddy bears that are in need of
a little TLC.
This is Alice’s Bear Shop, a bear
hospital set up by Rikey Austin in 1998
to bring happiness to people by making
their teddies better.
Over the years, they’ve accepted
bears in all different shapes and sizes,
with every kind of coat, from mohair
to wool, sent in from all over the
world. Some of the bears they receive
‘The world’s
a better
place with
teddies’
Nurse Lesley, Doctor Dave and
Rikey treat every one of their
patients with love and care!
Poorly patients have their
own bed and progress
charts! Left: Rikey hugs a
treasured ted
are children’s teddies having found
themselves in sticky situations, while
others are years or even decades old,
having been passed down through
families or become scraggly after one
too many cuddles.
The first port of call when the
enquiry comes in from someone with a
sickly teddy is to ask what needs fixing
as well as – most importantly – what
shouldn’t be changed, whether that’s
the bald patch on his head made from
too many kisses or a special accessory
given to ted.
“These bears have generally earned
the wear they have and this wear a tells
a story,” says Rikey. “Our aim is to make
these bears last as long as possible
without diminishing their character.”
Today, Rikey has up to 80 patients in
her hospital at any one time, with each
patient taking between a couple of days
and several months to fix depending on
the treatment they require, with those
needing specially-dyed new patches
taking the longest. But there is also an
A&E procedure for those patients who
require critical care. “If we have a child
who desperately needs their teddy,
or an adult who’s slept with their bear
every night and needs him to sleep,
then we’ll get the bear repaired as fast
as we can, even staying late or working
into the night if need be,” she says.
One bear Rikey and her team
worked painstakingly over was for
a little boy whose teddy had ended
up in the garden when his dad was
mowing the lawn. “What came in to
us was a bag of grass clippings with
bits of teddy bear mixed in. His mum
was adamant she wouldn’t pay for
the bear to be fixed as she wanted her
son to learn to look after his things.
But when the little boy offered to pay
out of his own pocket money, I said
we’d fix his teddy for £5 and a box of
Maltesers, although it should have
cost hundreds. I told him I couldn’t do
it during normal opening times but I’d
sit and work on him every day after
real life
work for as long as it took. When we
finally gave him his finished teddy
back, he cried and I cried. His mum
said that changed him and that little
boy came back to visit us every year
for ten summers.”
Every day, and every teddy, brings
with it a new, special story, including
the one from a lady who, having been
adopted at a young age, her teddy was
the only thing she had left of her birth
mother. It’s this special, unique quality
of our relationships with teddies that
motivates Rikey and her team to keep
running this amazing hospital.
‘Teddy bears are how we
learn to be a carer; they’re
like our first children and
the bond between them
and us is incredibly strong’
“Teddy bears are how we learn
to be a carer; they’re like our first
children and the bond between them
and us is incredibly strong. Learning
to love your teddy makes you a better
person. I’ve always said to my three
sons that if you meet someone and
fall for them, find out if they’ve still
got their childhood teddy. If they
don’t, find out if there’s a really good
reason why they don’t. For example,
I lost my beloved teddy aged six
when I accidentally left him at the
motorway service station. But if she
just threw it away when it got tatty,
run a mile.”
As well as patching up teds and
some dolls, Rikey also sells kits for
people to make their own rag dolls and
memory bears – special teddies made
out of children’s babygrows or clothes
of a lost loved one, proceeds of which
go to support the Air Ambulance.
She’s also just set up a website to
reunite lost teddies around the world
with their devastated owners on
www.teddybearlostandfound.com
“I just want to make the world a
better place with teddies,” says Rikey.
n If you would like more information on
Alice’s Bear Shop, or find out more about
the kits, call 01297 444589 or visit
www.alicesbearshop.co.uk
26 YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT 27
PICs: patrick boyd photography