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ISSUE 315
Tasty
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recipes
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The
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✓ Low fat
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The high
price of
loyalty
Purr…fect
new show
Jo Brand
on kindness
and kittens
Cold Feet star
hermione
norris
‘Why I make
the most of
every moment’
43 clever money-saving ideas!
Amazing
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jan 15-28,
2019 £1.59

Welcome... Win £100!
Find Sammy Squirrel…
For how to join the search see page 113
January can be a tricky time where our
moods are concerned. Money is tight,
the weather is dreary and, once the
initial optimism of New Year starts to wane,
we settle back into our old routines. If you’re
feeling a little low, our health writer has
some great mood-boosting tips on page 34.
I’ve got my own solution to the January
blues. Regular readers will know that this
year I’ve committed to trying 50 new things
as a way of marking my milestone birthday.
We’re only a few weeks in but, so far, I’m finding the challenge of
searching out new experiences really invigorating. I’ve planned a few
specific things for the coming weeks (see below) but I’m also just trying
to inject a fresh approach to everyday activities – such as exploring
different routes on my daily walk
or trying new recipes (you’ll find
some easy, healthy ones on page
61). Why not have a go and see
how many new things you can
pack into the next fortnight?
Get Yours
£1
for just
cover PIC: ITV/nicky johnston
See you next issue…
…only when
you subscribe
See page 42
Get in
touch
Write to
Yours magazine, Media House,
Peterborough Business Park,
Peterborough PE2 6EA
Sharon Reid, Editor
It’s the 40th
anniversary of the
RSPB’s Big Garden
Bird Watch and I’m
planning to take
part for the first
time this year.
Find out more
on Page 24
Email
yours@
bauermedia.
co.uk
Even walking in the
rain sometimes has
its compensations
editor’s choice
Three new things I’m trying
this fortnight...
Learn the names
of the stars and
constellations with
the Night Sky app.
Just hold your
phone up to the
sky and watch it
transform. £4.49
from the app store
Facebook
facebook.com/
Yoursmagazine
I’ve just signed
up for Country
Walking’s
#walk1000miles
challenge. Last
year 50,000
people joined
in, walking an
average of 2.74
miles a day to
reach the target.
Find out more at www.
walk1000miles.co.uk
Join us online…
yours.co.uk
the thrifty issue…
29 Look younger for less!
36 Cover One-stop shop
supermarket steals
40 Cover Budget beauty
43 Cover Cash converters
44 Cover The price of loyalty
49 Price rises investigated
36
50 Boiler cover: is it really worth it?
55 Fix it or ditch it!
67 Fun thrifty makes
98 Cover Holiday for free!
Real life
20 Is there hope for the high street?
24 The big garden birdwatch
Star chat
12 Cover Hermione Norris
16 Life Lessons with
Phil Tufnell
18 Cover Jo Brand:
kittens and kindness
26 The Greatest Dancer!
128 Our pick of the best TV!
Your best life now!
30 Is winter damaging
your health?
32 Cover Asleep in five!
34 Beat the moody
blues…
Nostalgia
79 Where are they now?
Roger Whittaker
80 One last stand
for The Beatles
85 Tuckshop queen!
73
Leisure time
61 Cover Slimming
World recipes: tasty
and guilt-free!
73 Knit a pair of cute
baby shoes
75 Gardening: a seasonal
spruce up!
Your favourites WIN
8 Meeting Place a trip to
76 Short story rhodes
p118
87 Roy Hudd’s tribute
to June Whitfield
89 Friends of Yours
103 Free for every reader offer
105 Carers in touch
113 Puzzles to test you &
prizes to win
130 Horoscopes and what’s in our
next issue!
Z
Z Z
16
32

feeling great
Fall asleep i n
Do you lie in bed
struggling to nod
off? Then try
these simple
steps to help
you fall asleep
in minutes...
minutes
flat
By Rebecca Speechley
Good quality
sleep is vital
for your health
and wellbeing.
“It helps to
improve your energy
levels, concentration and
memory, with some
studies even showing
that regularly
sleeping well could
help to reduce your
risk of Alzheimer’s
disease,” says clinical
hypnotherapist
Fiona Lamb (www.
fionalamb.com). “Sleep allows
your body to repair itself,
so your immune system is
stronger and you’re able to
fight off bugs and diseases.”
If you struggle to fall
asleep at night, or wake up
often during the night, it can
be very frustrating. “So many
of us find it hard to switch
off because we’re feeling
worried or we’re wrestling
with an overactive mind
which disturbs our sleep,”
says Fiona. But a few simple
tricks can help you turn off
your mind’s chattering, ease
your stress levels and get
you to sleep soundly in just
a few minutes.
32
Step 1
The tension body scan
Tense shoulders or a knot in your stomach could be
a sign of stress and could keep you awake. “Using a
relaxation technique called a tension body scan helps you
to understand where you hold stress in your body and
allows you to release it,” says Fiona. “When your body is
relaxed, it helps your mind relax which will help you to fall
asleep.” All you have to do it is squeeze and
relax each muscle in your body. Start at your toes
and move up your body, turning your attention to
each part of your body in turn.
Step 2
Focus on your breathing
“Slowing down your breath could help to
slow down your heart rate, triggering
your parasympathetic nervous system,
lowering your adrenaline levels (which
keeps you awake) and helping you
switch off mentally and physically,”
says Fiona. “You don’t have to focus
on breathing in and out for a certain
count, just focus on slow, soft
breaths to help you relax.”
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT
z
z z
Step 3
Hum to yourself
Admittedly this works better if you sleep
by yourself, but humming a tune could
help you to fall asleep faster. “Studies have
shown that the vibrations of humming can
relax you,” says Fiona. “It can also act as a
distraction from anything unwanted that
pops into your mind. Be sure to choose a
song that isn’t too fast, or reminds you of
anything emotional.”
Step 4
Roll your eyes backwards
“You can simulate the same eye movement
you experience in sleep by rolling your
eyes upwards and back,” says Fiona.
If you do this three times you will
automatically feel yourself going
into a deeper relaxation.
Step 5
Visualise
If you’re still awake it’s time to use
your imagination. “Imagine going
back to a time you felt deeply relaxed
and content,” suggests Fiona. “This works
best when you use at least three senses
so think about what you saw, felt,
smelled or tasted and keep focused on
that memory until you drop off.”
pic: shutterstock

N’ice
delights
From frozen
waterfalls to ice
sculptures, we
take a look at some
wintery photos from
around the world
n A fountain is
frozen in time
during a recent
hard frost in the
UK, while below
in Kyrgyzstan in
Central Asia, this
close-up shot
of grass after a
frost captures the
magical beauty of
the icy fronds next
to a lake
n An entire dreamland made
of snow and ice, illuminated by
spectacular lights and effects
draws in millions of starry-eyed
visitors to the Harbin Ice and
Snow Sculpture Festival in
China every year

in the picture
n Above the mirror-like frozen waters of Lake
Grundlsee in Austria is too much for one eager
skater to resist while below a Canada goose
shows off some well-polished moves on the ice
n Some not so lightfooted
bird has left its
footprints in the snow of
Kvaloya Island in the Arctic
Circle in northern Norway
n Below, a couple admire
the wonder of a frozen
waterfall, Siklava Skala
in Slovakia. The waterfall
turns to ice every winter to
form a breathtaking frozen
structure of ice walls,
columns and icicles
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT
7
PICs: GETTY IMAGES, ALAMY STOCK PHOTO, ZUMA PRESS/EYEVINE

That’s
THRIFTY!
The
real price
of loyalty
Feeling as if you’re being taken for granted by your current
service provider? There’s never been a better time to do
something about it and land yourself some big savings.
Gabrielle Albert explains just how much you could save
Loyalty has always been
regarded as something
to be encouraged
and rewarded, but
when it comes to
essential services, long-standing
customers can find themselves
facing high fees for simply
staying put. In fact, a recent
report by Citizens Advice
revealed that loyal customers
could be paying up to £987 more
than they need for services each
year, with the most competitive
prices reserved for new
customers. So, we’ve rounded
up some top tips on how you can
avoid the hidden loyalty tax and
scour the market to make some
seriously thrifty savings.
Car insurance
According to
comparethe
market.com car insurance Save
premiums increase
up to
significantly between seven
47%
and 14 days before the
renewal date. Switch your
insurance policy three weeks
before the renewal is due and you
could pay almost half you would on
the day.
n Average cost per year: £919
n Average saved by switching: £433
Home insurance
When it
comes
Save
up to
42%
to home insurance,
moneysupermarket.
com says loyalty
rarely pays. It
suggests combining
buildings and contents cover with
the same insurance company to
negotiate a cheaper price.
n Average cost per year: £126
n Average saved by switching: £53
44
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT

good to know
The total price for loyalty could be as much as £2,485 per year
£1300
£1200
£1100
£1000
£900
£800
£700
£600
£500
£400
£300
£200
£100
What
you
could
save
Car
insurance
Home
insurance
Mobile
contracts
Energy
bills
TV and
WiFi
Grocery
bills
Bank
accounts
Mobile contracts
Many customers
with mobile
phone contracts often Save
forget to ditch the
up to
expensive airtime tariff
74%
and switch to a sim-only
deal once the cost of
their handset has been paid off. If you don’t
want an upgrade, quotemyenergy.com
recommends shopping around for sim-only
deals, which are often far cheaper. If you
decide to switch networks, you can keep
your existing phone number by requesting
a PAC code and passing it on to your
new provider.
n Average cost per year: £324
n Average saved by switching: £240
Energy bills
Ofgem figures
show that
more than one third of
UK households have
remained with the
same gas or electricity
Save
up to
22%
provider for five years. But switching from
one of the Big Six to a smaller supplier
TV and WiFi
If you don’t want or need a landline, switch to a
package which only offers fibre optic broadband and
television. This will help you avoid paying unnecessary phoneline
rental fees that are often included in the monthly amount. Visit
uSwitch.com or call 0800 6888 557 to get the best deal for you.
n Average cost per year: £569
n Average saved by switching: £135
could knock hundreds off your bill. For
fast, free and friendly advice on gas and
electricity deals, Yours recommends
switching with Energy Helpline – visit
www.yours.co.uk/switching or call
0800 008 7777 for a no-obligation quote.
n Average cost per year: £1,130
n Average saved by switching: £250
Grocery bills
Remaining
loyal to specific
supermarkets and/or
brands could cost you
a pretty penny over a
year. Price comparison
Save
up to
30%
website mySupermarket.co.uk updates
its site daily with the latest prices and
promotions available for you. It compares
similar household items, such as ownbrand
shampoo, and lets you know if
you can save money by swapping to a
different product or store.
n Average cost per year: £4,160
n Average saved by switching: £1,249
Bank accounts
Many of us
are still with
the same banks we
joined as youngsters.
But while changing
banks can seem
more trouble than
YOURS
Save
up to
24%
Cash in
up to
£125
it’s worth, you might not have the best
account for you. Whether you’re looking
for lower overdraft fees, cashback
rewards on your spending or a better
interest rate on your savings, comparing
banks and account types can help you
find the best one suited to your specific
needs. Many banks also offer cash
incentives and other rewards for taking
the leap – so you could earn yourself a
pretty penny too!
If you need help switching
your fuel supplier, give
Yours Switching a call on
0800 008 7777
EVERY FORTNIGHT
45
pics: rex/shutterstock, alamy stock photo

PICs: rex shutterstock, alamy stock photo, RSPB, masterfile
A little birdie told us it’s a
special birthday for RSPB’s
annual birdwatch, so we
decided to look back at what
the project has achieved and
how to get involved this year
By Katharine Wootton
At this time of year our
gardens aren’t typically at
the forefront of our minds.
But for one long weekend
this month, our gardens
and green spaces will be the subject
of intense scrutiny as hundreds of
thousands of us, clutching a cuppa and
a pen, gaze out of our windows for one
hour to count the birds we see during
that time.
But this is nothing new. In fact, since
1979 the RSPB has been encouraging
people to marvel at the hubbub of
animal activity on their doorstep and
report back on what they see. Eight
million hours of birdwatching (and an
unfathomable amount of tea drunk)
later and the RSPB has collected an
amazing amount of information
on more than 130 million birds
counted. Over 40 years this has given
the RSPB a huge helping hand
in working out how to best support
the nature with whom we share
a home.
The Big Garden Birdwatch began in
1979 as a nifty idea to encourage the
charity’s junior members to record the
birds in their garden all at the same
time to work out Britain’s top ten most
common garden birds.
24
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT
40 years
of the
Big
Garden
Birdwatch
While the RSPB only expected a
couple of hundred results, a staggering
34,000 children took part that first
year, filling in handwritten forms which
RSPB staff counted out by hand. The
results showed starlings were our most
common garden bird, followed by
house sparrows and blackbirds.
But fast forward through the years
and there have been a few changes – 75
per cent of entries are now completed
online – but you can still stick to an oldfashioned
paper and pen, if you prefer.
Meanwhile, Birdwatch has opened up
to people of all ages who can spend an
hour birdwatching at any time over a
three-day period. And it’s not just birds
now – recently the RSPB has asked Big
Garden Birdwatchers to also note down
other wildlife with foxes, badgers, deer,
squirrels, frogs and toads on the list to
look out for this year.
But back to the birds, there’s been
some big wins and losses over the
years. While starlings and house
sparrows are top of the charts of
our most common garden birds,
wood pigeons, collared doves and

our shared planet
Whether
indoors or
outdoors, we
all have a vital
part to play
in checking
the numbers
and species of
our feathered
friends this
month
goldfinches are among those who have
crept up into the top ten, thanks to
record growth in recent years.
Song thrush, greenfinch and
dunnocks, however, have had a bad
couple of decades as their numbers
have nosedived, seeing them plummet
well out of today’s top ten.
Rebecca Munro, who helps organise
Birdwatch, says there are a few reasons
for this:
“Numbers have dropped for certain
species because of things like habitat
loss due to building developments,
while climate change also has an
impact. For species where the
numbers have grown, we think this is
because they’re found in places where
these particular threats, including
others such as predators, breeding
problems and non-native species
coming in, aren’t such an issue, rather
than anything particularly positive
happening to them.”
But by getting this information
about how British birdlife is faring in
The highs
and lows
Over 40 years
of Birdwatch,
various species
have fared
differently.
Here’s the
% change in
numbers from
1979-2018 for
some of our
most common
garden birds.
Blackbird… + 41%
general, the Big Garden Birdwatch – as
the world’s biggest citizen science
project – helps the RSPB and the other
animal-loving charities they share the
results with, work out what to do to
‘Numbers have dropped
for certain species because
of things such as habitat
loss due to building
developments, while climate
change also has an impact’
help those species in trouble.
“Birds, like people, are all very
different, so understanding what birds
are in different places around the
country helps us to be able to support
them properly,” says Rebecca.
This might mean educating people
about what type of food to be leaving
out to best support the specific species
of birds in their gardens.
“We also use Birdwatch data when
talking to decision-makers about
building developments, so we can
Chaffinch… - 55%
Collared dove… + 307%
prove an endangered species lives in
this place and needs protecting,” says
Rebecca. Another role the Big Garden
Birdwatch plays is to get people excited
about wildlife.
“One of the biggest threats facing
nature is people’s disconnection
from it, so spending an hour one
January afternoon counting birds is so
important for inspiring people to care
for the birds on the doorstep, not just in
January but all year round.”
What’s more, it’s a good opportunity
for all generations to get together.
“I love that we get lots of
grandchildren and grandparents doing
the Birdwatch together as I think it’s
amazing if grandparents can instil a
love of nature in their little ones,”
says Rebecca.
Now engaging as many as 500,000
people each year, the RSPB is once
again hoping for a record turnout of
people to spare an hour to take part in
the Big Garden Birdwatch 2019 held on
January 26, 27 and 28.
Coal tit… + 263%
House sparrow… - 57%
How to take part
To request your FREE Big Garden Birdwatch
pack visit www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch or
text BIRD to 70030. The RSPB cannot take
phone requests for the packs.
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT
Song thrush… - 75%
25
PIC:

Try something new
With Dancing on Ice
fever in the air, we meet
one lady who took up
skating as a hobby – and
says she feels happier
and healthier for it
inspiring you
By Katharine Wootton
‘I just love the thrill
of being on the ice
and the feeling of the
cool air going past
you as you skate’
When Gill Severs
went to the local
ice rink in the
summer of 2010, N’ice one... Gill Severs
little did she
in action on the rink
realise this would be the start of a
passion that has taken over family
life in the years since.
Having always loved the
odd trip to the rink she made
as a teenager and having
grown up marvelling at
Glide & cheer
Torvill and Dean on the telly, as soon
as she stepped back onto the ice
mohawk, where you change from one ice, Gill’s world now revolves around
that summer’s day, she fell back
leg to another as you go around the skating, as she’s often travelling the
in love with it and immediately
ice in a curve.
country – and sometimes even Europe
booked skating lessons for
She says it’s amazing
– to watch her daughter compete.
herself and her daughter.
exercise. “I have much “I meet a lot of other mums and
As the months passed,
better posture now and daughters who both skate and I think
they both devoted more and
it has improved my that’s lovely. For us, it’s really been a
more time to skating. Her daughter
core strength, too. shared passion that has brought us
joined the youngster’s synchronised
It has similarities to closer together and she often gives me
skating team and later Gill started
ballet, only it’s on blades, advice and encouragement to help me.”
training with the adult one. Gill even
on ice. You have to be
Today, Gill’s got her sights set on
moved jobs so she could be nearer the
controlled and hold your body getting even faster on the ice so that
rink – and hopes to one day compete properly when you skate. You have to she can one day realise her dream of
with them, too.
be strong and fast, too.”
competing in synchronised skating.
“I love synchronised skating because Even when she’s not actually on the And to get there, she’s on the ice
you’re never on the
several times a week, pushing herself to
ice on your own – Gill and her
improve but enjoying every minute.
you always have the fellow skaters
“I just love the thrill of being on the
take to the ice
full support of your
ice and the feeling of the cool air going
team,” says Gill (55).
past you as you skate. It’s exhilarating
In her lessons
and the excitement you get from it
and training, Gill
soon gets under your skin.”
has learnt how to
skate forwards and
n If you’d like to try ice skating, contact your
backwards and
local rink about lessons for beginners. You
improve her speed.
can also contact Skate UK to find out more.
She’s also attempted
Call 0115 988 8060 or visit the website at
tricks such as the
www.iceskating.org.uk
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT
71
PICS: Lee Boswell/ UNP