Moorlands Police have arrested three people after a woman died in Biddulph
Officers were called by West Midlands Ambulance Service at 10.25pm last night (Tuesday 2nd April) to reports of a woman in cardiac arrest at a house on Lynmouth Close
the woman was pronounced dead at the scene
have been arrested on suspicion of murder and remain in custody
If you were in the area on 2nd April or have any information that could help our investigation
please get in touch with police by calling 101
or by using our LiveChat function on the Staffordshire Police website
you can contact the independent crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
© 2024 Moorlands Radio C.I.C - All Rights Reserved
You are viewing your 1 free article this month
Macmillan Children’s Books has acquired five middle-grade titles with bestselling author and illustrator Rob Biddulph in a "major" six-figure deal
The deal kicks off with the Moonhaven Chronicles
commercial middle-grade duology” for readers aged eight to 12 that will launch in February 2026 with The Last Wolf
World all-language right were bought by associate publisher Sarah Hughes from Jodie Hodges at United Agents
The Moonhaven Chronicles follow four friends Jax
breaking a strict curfew and enjoying the freedom of the deserted streets of the small town of Moonhaven
news of a rare werewolf attack turns suspicion on the friends and they have no choice but to run
secrets are kept and broken and the friends don’t know who to trust – not even each other"
The Last Wolf will launch in hardback with 100 black and white illustrations
and the second title will follow a year later
The launch will be backed by an extensive PR and marketing campaign with school and festival events
Hughes said: “Rob is one of those rare people who dazzles with both his writing and illustration for children of all ages.”
Biddulph added: “Writing and illustrating for this age group is an utter joy… I’m so proud of The Last Wolf – a story packed with mystery
I think fans of Peanut Jones will really love this new series.”
Find out more about Irwin Mitchell's expertise in supporting families affected by sepsis at our dedicated sepsis claims section. Alternatively, to speak to an expert contact us or call 0370 1500 100
Enter you details below and we'll call you back
These cookies are required for the operation of the site and cannot be managed
We use Google Analytics to track page visits through the site
the route someone took through the site and an approximate location for the user
This cookie helps us to understand a user's route through the site
This does not record any personal details or monitor anything you type in our forms
A £370,000 highways scheme to improve two roundabouts in Biddulph has been completed
This Staffordshire County Council highways project involved completely resurfacing the Wharf Road and Tunstall Road roundabouts on the A527 Meadows Way
Highways crews additionally replaced ironwork and damaged kerbs along the route and refreshed road markings
took just under six weeks and was completed two days ahead of schedule
Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for strategic highways
“It is fantastic to see these well-used roundabouts improved and I want to thank everyone for their patience whilst these necessary improvements took place
Biddulph’s road users will notice a real difference when using the Wharf Road and Tunstall Road roundabouts
“We understand that good roads are important to keep Staffordshire connected and on the move
This is why we are investing an extra £50 million in highways over the next three years.”
the county council announced a year-long plan to double down on fixing more roads
This means nearly £8 million will be invested in getting potholes repaired more quickly
tackling drainage issues and reducing the number of defects in the system
This is in addition to the £53 million being spent on a range of major projects
vital road improvements and general road maintenance in 24/25
To receive monthly highways updates for Staffordshire Moorlands, sign up to the ‘planned road improvements by the county council - Staffordshire Moorlands’ newsletter here.
These contact details are for journalists and members of the media only:
Email: pressoffice@staffordshire.gov.ukCall: 01785 895050
If you are not a journalist or member of the media and have a general enquiry please:
Email: contactus@staffordshire.gov.ukCall: 0300 111 8000
Home News Article
Members of the Order of the British Empire
The former headteacher of the University of Cambridge Primary School
has been awarded an MBE for services to education
The 48-year-old started his career in education in the foothills of Nepal following a degree in English and music from the University of Durham and said he was “very surprised” to receive the honour
who was born in Zimbabwe and grew up in Kent
came up to Cambridge to do his PGCE at the Faculty of Education in 2000
the arts and creativity led him to being awarded the London Outstanding New Teacher of the Year in 2003
His first deputy headship was in a failing inner city school which was turned around within 18 months
also successfully removed from ‘special measures’
before becoming the first headteacher of Avanti Court Primary School in Ilford
Dr Biddulph was the founding headteacher of the University of Cambridge Primary School in 2015
He stepped down from the role in December 2023
the school grew to its full capacity as a three-form entry primary school with early years provision
He is CEO designate at the Avanti Schools Trust and will take over the role as CEO of the trust from June 2025
He said: “Part of me thinks I just enjoy doing my job
and so it doesn’t feel like I need recognition...But it’s very good for the school
I’m very pleased – I’m honoured for my previous team as well.”
Imogen and rowing partner Emily Craig stormed to victory in the lightweight women’s double sculls at the Paris Olympics this summer
having missed out on a spot on the podium at the Tokyo games by one-hundredth of a second
Three-time Boat Race winner Ms Grant was born in Cambridge in 1996 and raised in Bar Hill
was introduced to rowing during her first year of studying medicine at Trinity College
and only got into a boat because Trinity’s Boat Club offered a free drink to freshers who signed up for a taster session
She is the first female alumna of Trinity to win an Olympic medal
Team GB Olympian and England Hockey Tessa Howard (known as Tess) has been honoured for services to inclusive sportswear for women and girls
advocates for female players to have a choice to wear skorts or shorts after research she conducted showed that many women and girls stop playing sport due to issues with clothing
A serious knee injury saw her miss the Tokyo 2020 Olympics but she returned stronger than ever
scoring in the final to help England win the 2022 Commonwealth Games gold in Birmingham
she helped Team GB to a quarter-final appearance
has been awarded an MBE for voluntary services to the Royal British Legion and to Royal Air Force Veterans
Mr Kelly had a distinguished career as an RAF navigator which spanned 40 years and took part in operations in the Second World War
headteacher of London Hackney Chinese Community School
has been honoured with an MBE for services to education
receives an MBE for services to community theatre in Cambridgeshire
Youth Theatre for the children of Soham when he was aged 16 in 1997
Since then the group has helped hundreds of children and young people to develop their artistic skills as well as their self-confidence and personalities
has received an MBE for services to business
Food writer and journalist Beatrice Dorothy ‘Bee’ Wilson has been honoured for services to food writing and food education
writes the Table Talk column in The Wall Street Journal
Her prize-winning book on the psychology of eating
Dame Karen Bradley officially reopened Biddulph Moor Post Office today (Thursday 21st March)
Karen joined Postmistress Karen Malbon and local residents to cut the ribbon at the event earlier today
The MP has been in touch with many residents in Biddulph Moor about the Post Office being closed and has raised their concerns with both the Post Office and Ministers
She has also been working closely with the Postmistress and raising her case with Ministers
“I was absolutely delighted to be able to come along today and reopen the Post Office for Karen Malbon
I wish her all the very best and know that the Biddulph Moor community are also thrilled to see her back once more.”
annual meetings of Biddulph Town Council and Leek Town Council took place
town councillors elected the new Mayors and Deputy Mayors for 2023-2024 for both towns
Councillor Ken Harper was elected as the new Mayor with Councillor Nigel Yates as the new Deputy Mayor
In Leek Councillor Matt Swindlehurst was elected Mayor with Councillor Barry Birch as Deputy Mayor
A man has been arrested following a series of burglaries on the same street in the Moorlands
police had three separate reports of break-ins at different businesses on High Street in Biddulph
The first one came in at about 1.35am last Friday (5th April) when a hairdressers was broken into
which was reported about 12.35pm on Monday (8th April)
involved a laptop and other electronic devices being taken from a business
The third incident was an attempted break-in at a business on Wednesday (10th April)
Local officers have been speaking to people in the area
looking at CCTV and carrying out enquiries to investigate the incidents
was arrested in connection with the incidents
said: “Theft and burglary can have a devastating impact on businesses
We’re working proactively to target those responsible and protect people’s belongings across Staffordshire
“We don’t underestimate the damage that theft and burglary can have
We’re committed to acting on people’s concerns
robustly investigating reports and working on a more proactive basis to tackle neighbourhood priorities.”
All votes have now been counted in the Staffordshire Moorlands Local Elections and the results for each ward are as follows:
Alton Ward – Nigel Moult of the Conservative party has been elected
Bagnall and Stanley Ward – Charlotte Edwards of the Conservative Party has been elected
Jill Salt and Christopher Wood of the Labour party have been elected
Biddulph Moor Ward – John Jones who is an Independent councillor has been elected
Biddulph North Ward – Jeremy Garvey and Andrew Hart who are Independent
and Adam Parkes of the Labour Party have been elected
Biddulph South Ward – Andrew Church of the Labour Party has been elected
Biddulph West Ward – David Proudlove
Charlotte Smith and Nigel Yates of the Labour Party have been elected
Brown Edge and Endon Ward – Joe Porter and Keith Flunder of the Conservative Party and Christina Jebb of the Liberal Democrats have been elected
Caverswall Ward – Paul Roberts of the Conservative party has been elected
Cellarhead Ward – Barbara Hughes and Patricia Hughes of the Conservative party have been elected
Cheadle North East Ward – Matthew Spooner and Elizabeth Whitehouse of the Labour Party have been elected
Cheadle South East Ward – Mike Haines And Vicky O’Shea of the Labour Party Have been elected
Kate Mills and Ian Plant who are Independent councillors have been elected
Checkley Ward – Mark Deaville and Alan Hulme of the Conservative Party and Peter Wilkinson who is Independent have been elected
Cheddleton Ward – Dylan Pascall of the Labour Party
and Oliver Pointon and Mike Worthington of the Conservative Party have been elected
Churnet Ward – James Aberley and Elsie Fallows of the Conservative Party have been elected
Dane Ward – Callum Beswick of the Conservative Party has been elected
Ian Herdman and Thomas Holmes of the Conservative Party have been elected
Hamps Valley Ward – Edwin Wain of the Conservative party has been elected
Horton Ward – Jo Cox of the Conservative Ward has been elected
Ipstones Ward – Ipstones District Councillor election has been uncontested
As a result of this election being uncontested
Linda Malyon (Independent) is duly elected and the District Councillor for the Ipstones Ward
Darren Price and Gareth Taylor of the Labour Party have been elected
Mark Johnson and Lyn Swindlehurst of the Labour party have been elected
Keith Hoptroff and Matthew Swindlehurst of the Labour party have been elected
Leek West Ward – Philip Barks and Bill Cawley of the Labour Party
and Ben Emery of the Conservative Party have been elected
Manifold Ward – Jonathan Kempster of the Green Party has been elected
Werrington Ward – David Shaw and Ross Ward of the Conservative party have been elected
All the information on the local elections can be found on the Staffordshire Moorlands District Council website here
Police have arrested a man following a flat fire in Biddulph
Officers received a call from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service at 4.45pm on Saturday (2nd March) following a fire at a flat on Lucerne Road
The fire was extinguished by firefighters and residents living in nearby flats close to the fire were evacuated
Newcastle and Sandyford attended and found it well-alight
Hose reel jets were used to extinguish the fire and residents living in nearby flats close to the fire were evacuated
A woman was taken to hospital by West Midlands Ambulance Service for precautionary checks
Three people were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation
Officers arrested a man during the early hours of Sunday (3rd March)
was arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life and criminal damage
He was questioned in custody and has since been released on conditional bail while enquiries continue
Police are working with fire investigators to determine how the fire started
If you were in the area at the time of the fire and have any CCTV or information that could help us with enquiries
you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
Staffordshire County Council have announced a closure on a busy route through Biddulph Moor
Rudyard Road is a popular route between Biddulph Moor and Leek (via top road and Rudyard)
The road will be closed to traffic on 7th February for essential carriageway repairs
a diversion from the village centre to Top Road will be in place
It is anticipated that the closure will be in place between 8am and 4pm
the renowned parenting author Steve Biddulph admits he was ready for a life of pottering about and kayaking on the river
But he says the global mental health crisis and escalating anxiety levels in our children have brought him back to the fray
The Australian psychologist — whose seminal book Raising Boys made him a household name and put his words into 6.5 million homes worldwide since the mid-1990s — is back with a new book he believes could “transform anxiety in young people”
There’s certainly a need: figures last month revealed a doubling of the number of under-17s referred to NHS services for anxiety since the pandemic
And the UK’s 15-year-olds are at the bottom of European rankings for life satisfaction
I couldn’t believe how much it boosted my energy and lowered my stress levels
I might be a personal trainer but I’m not a natural runner
and since I became a mom eight years ago I’ve struggled to find time to get out for a run
I’d run at least three times a week and I always found it an energizing way to start the day
I recognize and really value how much outdoor exercise can boost your mental health and wellbeing, so when I saw that Motor Neurone Disease Association was holding a challenge to run 31 miles in January
I felt it was a sign to get back out there
I lost my lovely aunty Jenny Hall to this horrible disease and MNDA is a charity very close to my heart
Here’s what I discovered along the way
I felt more motivated to commit to a regular running schedule knowing that I had to clock up 31 miles in a month and that people had kindly sponsored me
On days I felt like I couldn’t be bothered
I reminded myself that I had set a goal and a deadline
This is exactly what happened on New Year’s Day (day one of the challenge) when I faced gale-force winds and stormy conditions
I had to drag my daughters out with me and they sat on a bench under an umbrella as I did one mile of laps in our local park
The second day they refused to leave the house in the rain so I did a whole mile up and down my garden path
It started out incredibly boring but halfway in I got into a groove and felt great afterwards
A post shared by Personal trainer Oxford (Maddy Biddulph) (@maddybiddulphpt)
It was a similar story on the last day of my challenge when
I agreed to let my daughters rollerblade the mile to school while I ran alongside them
as she and I walk-runned the rest of the way
and don't find I have a lot of free time so I tend to do most of my workouts at home because it’s just easier with the kids
I think my favorite thing about this running challenge was that it meant I was outside much more
Start your week with achievable workout ideas
health tips and wellbeing advice in your inbox
I can honestly say that it felt like medicine
enjoying the scenery and the sun coming out—well
I also found that being outside exercising meant that I often ran for longer than I intended
simply because I was enjoying it so much and not clock-watching
and I can see why people get addicted to running
but I know that in those times in the future when I’m child-free and have the time for a run
plus they were more likely to repeat their workouts
she has worked as a writer and editor for some of the bestselling newspapers
magazines and websites in the US and UK.
She is also a qualified L3 personal trainer and weight loss advisor, and helps women over 40 navigate menopause by improving their physical and mental strength. At Maddy Biddulph Personal Training, she runs one-to-one and small group training for menopausal women who want to get fit to ease symptoms and feel like themselves again.
In FocusAdolescence talks about a crisis among our boys – so what does the leading expert say about raising them?As Netflix’s Adolescence exposes toxic ‘bro’ culture among young men, Sir Gareth Southgate warns of a crisis fuelled by ‘callous, and manipulative’ online influencers. Here, leading expert on raising boys Steve Biddulph tells Lorraine Candy why they are getting through and parents are not..
My son has recently turned 18. He will soon leave home for university, following in the footsteps of his two sisters, aged 20 and 22. His younger sister, aged 13, will be left behind with us. We’ve been through the wringer parenting three amazing teenage girls
But at no point have I been as scared for them as I am for my teenage son
Raising a boy has felt much more challenging
I worry about the following: will my son be stabbed in our nearby London park or violently robbed walking home from school
(The latter has already happened to at least two of his friends.)
Could their quiet way of hiding depression make my son vulnerable to the terrifying reality that boys are three times more likely to die by suicide than girls
How much misogynistic porn is he secretly watching
Will my vocal feminism turn him into a woman-hating incel
Is his self-esteem – fragile yet crucial during adolescence – robust enough to survive the adult world
and saw how today’s warped version of masculinity could put them at risk as they matured
After all, I am, as Gregg Wallace would say
a “middle-class woman of a certain age” (56)
I am well aware of the unhealthy “manosphere” that supports the toxic behaviour of some men in this world
and I developed ways to help my teen daughters cope
the award-winning author of the 1997 book Raising Boys
I recall a somewhat confrontational conversation about how it was not the internet or mobile phones causing problems but rather today’s affluent
who were responsible for the teen mental health crisis
which studies show adversely affected boys’ mental health more than any other demographic
On the eve of my son’s 18th birthday last month
Wild Creature Mind: The Neuroscience Breakthrough That Helps You Transform Anxiety and Live a Fiercely Loving Life
It felt like a good opportunity to revisit our earlier conversation and hear from him why I’m finding parenting my teenage son harder
now considered the world’s leading expert on raising boys
explains that boys today feel trapped in a world where the concept of the “manly man” – at all costs – is undergoing a rebirth
underpinned by a sense that many boys have lost sight of what being male and a man can mean
from the streets to boardrooms to dictators’ palaces
“It’s the common link dominating our news feeds
I have been campaigning my entire life to prevent it from ending up like this.”
Teenage boys today have witnessed the #MeToo movement rightly calling out misogynistic men
but perhaps they haven’t fully grasped the nuanced arguments about masculinity’s place in the movement
These boys are growing up in an environment where consent is discussed as if they are already guilty – or potentially guilty – of heinous behaviour towards women
as if they alone are the problem rather than society’s entrenched patriarchal views of ownership over women
I think this has left many younger Gen Z boys confused
provoking a sense of powerlessness in the face of vocal feminism
I am not blaming feminism per se – women have needed it more than ever to express what they face in society – as patriarchal structures need to be continually challenged
But I also see my son emotionally step back when my daughters relay stories of being sexually harassed on public transport or in the pubs where they work
“What do you want me to do?” Perhaps it weighs heavily on him at a time when
he is just beginning to make sense of his emotions – though expressing them as a boy is still considered unusual or out of the norm
Girls are socialised to show their feelings from a young age
but even in our so-called progressive times
Teen boys often don’t know which male “tribe” they belong to
at a time when the need to belong is a neurological imperative
Family therapists recount how boys feel lost and alienated in adolescence, particularly around the crucial developmental stage at 14 years of age. It’s no surprise, then, that the stronger and louder voices of the messed-up “manosphere” – figures like Joe Rogan and Andrew Tate – may appeal to tribeless teen boys who feel powerless and
scared to show their true selves or any vulnerability because society doesn’t “allow” it
Biddulph notes that while there has been much talk of men opening up about their feelings
this has only “caught the low-hanging fruit”
the buzz around raising boys better has made sense,” Biddulph explains
“My book encouraged dads to play with their children
Parenting became a team effort – a significant social revolution
the linchpin of making boyhood work and feminism work too
change the damage that maleness had carried from the blight of the industrial revolution
the wars and trauma that shut down a generation of men: the alcoholism and violence of life back then
and the bizarre distance and posturing of affluent and privileged upper-class men.”
Masculinity is modelled across generations
Not enough Gen X men stepped away from their fathers’ and grandfathers’ ingrained behaviours to allow their Gen Z sons to accept equality and embrace a healthier vision of manhood
“We have a significant cohort of boys and young men raised by inadequate fathers,” he says
“Misogyny acts as a shield for their deep insecurity around women and girls
giving them the illusion of self-worth through a myth of superiority.”
Some of us have shown our sons one version of equality and “good” masculinity at home
but taking that out into the world remains a daunting task for a teen boy
Think about how the “bro” vote helped win the US election: 56 per cent of 18- to 29-year-old men voted for Donald Trump
They felt that Trump spoke directly to them
on podcasts and platforms they engage with
Ignoring this is perilous because there’s one thing all teens hate more than anything: when their elders don’t listen to them
The worlds and spaces deemed for them – gaming and porn – are dripping with misogyny
The bullies with the loudest voices are seen as strong leaders advocating for them
The fact that these “strong” men have discovered their voices as a response to a sad and weak
and many dads still hand over the emotional support of teen boys to the nearest female
“We are at a tipping point for boys in history,” Chloe Combi
Girls have been fed this idea that all boys are potential rapists; boys
these ‘fake’ men emerged – pretenders to masculinity like Andrew Tate
They became the counterculture for young boys
and perhaps some are trapped into shocking their parents by following awful role models.”
This fake alpha male attitude is often reinforced online via social media
particularly in the hyper-masculine sporting world
platforms like X (Twitter) can be cesspools of uncensored
vile anti-women trolling that is then served up to football-loving boys like my son
we’ve also seen a man who sexually harassed women and made misogynistic comments on the world stage become a president
Some young men living in this world are exhausted by
is being blamed for all bad male behaviour
At some schools they are told they are “privileged”
spotty youths grappling with brains undergoing a seismic rebuild and often surrounded by seemingly fearless teen girls
but science shows that they are physiologically and emotionally weaker than girls from the womb onward
she cites studies showing that boy babies are more fragile
and full-term male babies are more likely to die of almost every illness
Virtually all neurological and learning disabilities are more common in males
Male babies also cry more than female babies and are shown to be more vulnerable to environmental stress
The ability to self-regulate and cope with anxiety is much harder for boys of all ages
Freddie Flintoff’s extraordinary Field of Dreams documentary on the BBC
where the ex-sportsman tries to create a new cricket team of teenage boys
was a striking example of how hard that demographic
find it to fit in with what society demands and expects of them
Boys mature physically later than girls and
Many can’t show their true selves to each other – or even themselves – so how on earth are they meant to show up for the rest of us
While girls worry about their mental health
Chloe Combi spends her time travelling to schools all over the UK to talk to adolescents – more than 20,000 to date – as part of her Respect Project
which encourages older girls to mentor younger boys rather than see them as the enemy
“We have lost the idea of a grey area up for discussion in the middle,” says Combi
but there is no safe space for them to vocalise that anymore.”
if many of our boys are feeling shut down in every way
and six is the crucial age to proactively focus on raising a happier
and reasonably happy dad and male role models around them
There are three types of defective fathers
he explains: critical (the way Trump was raised
meaning home but preoccupied; and “the inadequate man”
“A son also needs a broad-based masculinity that is unique and his own
so that he steps beyond the family and into the world,” Biddulph says
Biddulph is keen to stress that single mums can raise great sons but adds that a young person also needs to “mesh” with others they see as “like them” outside of the family
can all play into a new sense of masculinity for our boys
Combi says that by far the happiest boys she has met are those with interests outside the home and beyond gaming and the internet
“Those in teams where winning is not the goal
“This is true across all socio-economic groups.”
To stop young boys and men from carrying a sense of shame, we need to rethink our use of terms like “toxic masculinity” in a throwaway manner
We also might need to celebrate that crazy
physical energy I witness when I see a group of teen boys tumbling out of the school gates
jostling each other and standing close together
many spaces frown upon robust and noisy physical play
The exuberance of a teenage boy is very different from that of a teen girl
and talk some more about everything (do this side-by-side; no teen likes a face-to-face chat!)
I have had to step into his mind with empathy
I don’t feel sorry for him; I try to see opportunities for him and cherish his maleness in a world that can sometimes demonise it
it seems that boys need their dads and male caregivers to lean into their limelight with kindness and care
giving them the confidence to reveal who they really are
It can’t be a coincidence that some of the most problematic characters around – from Trump to Elon Musk and Russell Brand – all had fractured and painful relationships with their fathers
“Boys and girls need to be reminded of each other’s humanity.” And Biddulph adds
More aboutparentingAndrew Tatetoxic masculinityNetflixAdolescenceJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Sir Gareth Southgate warns of a crisis fuelled by ‘callous
leading expert on raising boys Steve Biddulph tells Lorraine Candy why they are getting through and parents are not..
Meadows Way in Biddulph at the Wharf Road roundabout before the highways improvement scheme
A £860,000 highways improvement scheme to resurface Meadows Way in Biddulph will commence at the start of June.
The works will take place on the A527 Meadows Way between the Wharf Road roundabout and the Tunstall Road roundabout.
Crews will completely resurface the carriageway
replacing ironwork where necessary and replacing damaged kerbs as part of a £860,000 investment into the local area
This is part of a wider £50 million county council investment in Staffordshire’s roads over the next three years.
The scheme is scheduled to start on Monday 3 June and the work is expected to take around four weeks under lane closures.
overnight road closures will be in place for both roundabouts from 21 June until 1 July so that carriageway resurfacing can take place at minimum disruption to the public.
Signposted diversion routes will be in place for properties in the area and access to surrounding roads for residents will be maintained for most of the scheme.
“The heavy traffic along Meadows Way in Biddulph has taken its toll on the road so we have invested hundreds of thousands of pounds to completely resurface the carriageway.
“Our crews always make great efforts to ensure that works are completed at minimum disruption to residents but
Letters with further information will be sent out to any affected properties in the area.
“I’m sure people travelling along this route will notice the world of difference once the resurfacing is complete
I would like to thank people in advance for their patience while this essential work takes place.”
THE bestselling and multi-award winning author/illustrator
joined the Stratford Literary Festival in a packed couple of days of events with local schools to celebrate its donation of hundreds of books to their libraries
who was behind the hugely successful online #DrawwithRob events during lockdown
began by entertaining 450 children at a special session hosted by the Croft School Preparatory School
Bridgetown and St Gregory’s primary schools
Rob had all the children drawing and then mesmerised them with his guitar and a special reading to an animated film of his charming new book
Studley St Mary’s Primary and Our Lady’s Catholic Primary in Princethorpe to officially ‘open’ the schools’ newly-stocked libraries
the result of a very successful fundraising campaign by the festival with funding raised matched by The Big Give
enabled all five primary schools to each receive over 130 new books
curated in partnership with Warwickshire Library Service
to help restock their depleted library resources
“We beat our fundraising target by 50 per cent,” said festival director Annie Ashworth
“That demonstrates how strongly people feel about wanting to support children’s reading and especially access to books in school
and we are so thrilled to have had Rob with us to celebrate this very special campaign.”
With several bestselling children’s books under his belt
Rob is passionate about encouraging youngsters to read
and is involved with the National Literacy Trust’s Coronation Libraries initiative spearheaded by the Queen
He added: “I have absolutely loved visiting schools with the team at the Stratford Literary Festival and seeing how their amazing library initiative will benefit children first hand
Providing kids with access to books is the very best kind of gift
and it’s been wonderful to see all those smiling faces.”
Sharing his delight at the initiative and Rob’s visit
said: “We were thrilled to open our doors to other local primary schools as part of the Stratford Literary Festival this autumn
“Having Rob Biddulph talk to the children about his literary journey was nothing short of inspiring
the Draw with Rob session created a theatre full of children waving their wonderful creations on clipboards
If you spend your working day hunched over your keyboard
you might notice tightness in your upper body when you finally log off
I’m a fitness writer and it’s something I struggle with regularly—but I’ve found simple stretching can reverse these aches and improve my posture
A post shared by Jade Elles | Online Movement Coach (@movewithjaade)
I often have stiff and achy shoulders from typing all day
I gave this stretch a try and can honestly say it felt amazing
I will definitely be trying it again at the end of my working day
If you spend a lot of time in the same position
your muscles and joints might feel tight and achy
This could be because you’re holding the muscle in a contracted position for long periods
or because your posture is putting it under a lot of strain and tension
releasing tension and restoring the muscle flexibility needed to maintain a good range of motion
If we don’t make time to stretch when muscles are tight
when we call on them during exercise they won’t be able to extend and that can put us at risk of strain and injury
If you want to try a longer routine, I recommend these yoga stretches for beginners
which will stretch a wider range of muscles and joints in the body
She is also a qualified L3 personal trainer and weight loss advisor, and helps women over 40 navigate menopause by improving their physical and mental strength. At Maddy Biddulph Personal Training
she runs one-to-one and small group training for menopausal women who want to get fit to ease symptoms and feel like themselves again
Please complete the captcha above and click submit to continue
The ad-free version is ready for purchase on iOS mobile app today
we couldn't find that page";var n=e.querySelector("h2");return n&&n.remove(),{staticContent:e,title:t}},d=function(e){var t=document.createElement("button");return t.innerText=e,t.classList.add("error-page-button"),t},f=function(e){var t=document.createElement("div");t.id="recirculation-404",t.classList.add("brand-hint-bg");var n="\n \n \n
Tick here if you would like us to send you the author’s response
Want Stoke-on-Trent news emailed to you direct from our journalists
Thank you for subscribing!We have more newsletters
A town centre cocktail bar is shutting - after just nine months
Sam's Bar and Restaurant was opened in October by owner Dale Goodwin who had previously managed Frankie and Benny's
The former car salesman had a vision to turn the Biddulph venue - which used to be known as the Roebuck and Old Sams - into a 'premium venue' for the town
But the Congleton Road venue is now shutting for good on Sunday
Sam's Biddulph stated: "We have had an amazing nine months providing great times for you and your nearest and dearest
it's time for us to focus on our own family and leave Sam's behind
"We started Sam's to prove that Biddulph had space for a premium venue. We felt that the people of this town that we love deserved the very best in the categories that we provide and it's been an overwhelming success for which we are immensely grateful for your support. The people we have met along the way have made it all worth it
We put our heart and soul into every cocktail
And my goodness have you rewarded us with some incredible friendships along the way
"We are moving on to our next adventure
We will always be grateful to the people of Biddulph and hold you eternally in our hearts
you deserve the very best and we hope that both Sam's and the town as a whole continue to bigger and better things
We will be open this weekend and continue until our last trading day on Sunday 23 June."
If you're on the lookout for local news, we have you covered with our FREE email newsletter - sign up in the box at the top of this story or click here
Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right
shoulders and core with these two simple exercises
Getting back into exercise after a break can be daunting but a mobility coach and trainer says you only need to spend five minutes a day doing a couple of moves to see improvements
Personal trainer Mike Chang, who runs the fitness program Flow60
swears by elevated push-ups and squats for beginners
while squats will strengthen your glutes and thigh muscles
Chang says practicing these equipment-free moves will help you gradually build strength
eventually allowing you to take on more challenging exercises
A post shared by Mike Chang | Flow60 (@mikechangofficial)
Chang recommends doing both moves for 30 seconds
Repeat the moves for a total of five minutes
and commit to doing them every day if possible
"It’s simple and easy but don’t be fooled
it’ll still put a burn in your muscles," Chang told his 3.9 million Instagram followers
When you’re new to exercise or returning after a break it’s important to start slowly to allow for adaptation
That means gradually increasing the intensity and frequency of your workouts
This is especially important if you are coming back to fitness after a break or injury
Just because you lifted a certain weight before doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to grab the same dumbbells
Start with lighter loads and gradually increase them as your body readjusts
If you keep progressing slowly, constantly challenging your muscles, you’ll still be adhering to the all-important progressive overload principle and increasing your strength and fitness
You are also more likely to stick to a new fitness routine if you don’t over-stretch yourself with a plan that is too difficult
Many people want to develop core strength but dread sit-ups
sit-ups can strain your back and neck muscles
It uses just one dumbbell to strengthen the core and back and there's nothing close to a sit-up involved
CAP Barbell make good-quality home weights and the 15lb pair have just been reduced to its lowest price ever
I use a standing version of the L-sit pass-over with my personal training clients
Performing it seated makes it more challenging because the core has to work hard to keep you stable
so I'll be adding Morgan's pass-over variations to my regular exercise classes
To try Morgan’s no sit-ups core workout
but adjust as needed to make sure you're able to complete the exercises with good form
If you're new to exercise, it's essential that you understand how to engage your core before attempting these moves
A post shared by Sally Morgan | Strength Training | Hyrox (@skulptur.me)
A stronger core can help improve mobility and flexibility
which can counter the natural effects of aging
strengthening the core muscles supports the spine and can relieve or reduce back pain
Up your step count in just 45 minutes from home
When you work from home it can be hard to get enough movement into your day, but getting your 10,000 steps in is one way to support your physical and mental health
You don't even need to leave the house to rack up your step count
There are plenty of walking workouts available online
like Rick Bhullar’s Zumba dance-walking session below
I work from home as a freelance journalist and trainer and my schedule is slammed
so the chances of getting out for a walk in the day are pretty slim
Even more so in the evening when I’m wrangling my two young daughters into bed
So Bhullar’s workout was perfect for me
Moving non-stop for 45 minutes is a good cardio workout
In Bhullar’s beginner-friendly routine
It makes for an enjoyable workout that boosts your cardiovascular fitness and endurance
You don’t stop moving your feet for the session and I burned over 300 calories in just 45 minutes
Steps-based exercise gives the brain a workout
Dance workouts are so fun you don’t notice the time
I get bored if I have to repeat exercises during a workout
but there was no risk of that with this workout
It starts with some basic steps that progressively get harder as Bhullar adds more elements and combinations to the choreography
I honestly didn’t look at the time once
I’d forgotten how mood-boosting Zumba can be
I used to do a weekly Zumba class on a Monday night
Most weeks I’d turn up exhausted from work
not in the mood to do it and desperate to leave before I’d even started
But by the end of the hour I’d have a huge smile on my face and always left feeling positive and revitalized
The same thing happened with this Zumba workout
I can vouch that this 5000-step Zumba workout
Mobilize your lower body with this one move
you may be able to address all three issues just by kicking
That's according to mobility expert and personal trainer Mike Chang
"Kicking is a great way to loosen up your hips
and lower back," writes Chang in his Instagram post on the subject
"It's often overlooked and seen more as a martial arts movement than an exercise for increasing lower-body mobility
as well as increasing your foot strength from shifting your weight onto one foot
The most important thing to remember when starting to do kicks is to do a little bit each day to recondition your body's ability to perform this exercise."
Read on for more advice from Chang about how to introduce kicking into your fitness routine
A post shared by Mike Chang | Flow60 (@mikechangofficial)
The first thing that struck me about Chang's video was how high he was able to bring his foot with each kick
Don't expect to get your foot that high without a lot of practice
see it as the potential mobility you could achieve with patient
"If you haven't kicked in a while you can do knee raises
you can raise them in a half circle and you can also kick very low to start off with," says Chang
but just extend your legs out and over time you're going to find it easier and easier to raise them up higher and higher
"Start off with maybe a minute at a time then work up until you can do maybe five minutes at a time
Jonathan ShannonFit&Well editorAfter a pre-work gym session and a morning at my desk at home
my hips felt tighter than usual so I decided to give kicking a try
I quickly changed from jeans into yoga pants to let my legs move more freely
I noticed a soft clicking in my knees and ankles but the movement soon became more fluid
It was a good reminder to start any activity gently and let your body warm up slowly
My limited mobility meant my feet never got higher than hip level
Build core strength and stability without a single sit-up
the good news is there are plenty of other ways to strengthen your abs and deep core
Fitness trainer Danica Osborn has created an eight-move workout designed to build core and upper-body strength
"You’ll love how these [moves] promote balance, and how they strengthen your core without doing boring crunches from the mat!" she says in her video
A post shared by Danica Osborn (@devotefitdanica)
unilateral (one-sided) exercises and dynamic swings
all of which engage the deep-lying core muscles and oblique (side body) muscles to build strength and stability
Osborn uses light dumbbells (2.5kg/5lbs) and recommends doing each exercise for 45 seconds followed by 15 to 30 seconds of rest
Osborn’s workout combines a range of movement patterns that enhance core stability
These are moves that work one side of your body at a time
These include the knee repeater and the rainbow press-and-march
which engage stabilizing muscles to improve balance
squat-and-core twist and the cross crunch involve twisting
training the body to rotate and move well in different directions
They strengthen the obliques and improve functional movement
The dumbbell swing in this workout strengthens the posterior chain—muscles in the back of the body such as the glutes
These muscles work together to maintain posture and spinal control as well as enhance movement and overall strength
If you are a library, university or other organisation that would be interested in an institutional subscription to Gramophone please click here for further information
Women in Staffordshire have praised the efforts of the breast screening team from University Hospitals of North Midlands and the local authority for keeping a mobile breast screening unit in Biddulph
The UHNM breast screening service has teamed up with Staffordshire Moorlands Council and Biddulph Fire station to ensure women in Staffordshire are able to attend their breast screening appointments without the need to commute across the city.
which enables the prevention and early detection of breast cancer
will screen hundreds of women over the next three months
The mobile unit is usually located at the leisure centre in Biddulph but due to on-going building work it means there is no space for the clinic on that site
The plan was to move the unit to Kidsgrove medical centre which is an established site and women attending the appointments would need to commute there for their screening
thanks to the UHNM breast screening team working with Councillor Jill Salt
Staffordshire Moorlands Council and Staffordshire Fire and Rescue an alternate site has been arranged at the fire station in Biddulph
said: “I am delighted that we have been able to resume breast screening at Biddulph,
It is vitally important that we are able to take our screening unit out to communities to make it as easy as possible for our community to access their appointments
I would like to thank all our partners who have made it possible
“We are looking forward to seeing the residents of Biddulph on our unit for their appointments
our all-female team will be glad to see you and answer any questions you might have.”
Women between 50 and 71 years who are registered with a GP are invited for a routine test every three years due to the likelihood of developing breast cancer increasing with age
The mobile unit opened on Monday 6 November and welcomed patients for their screenings.
said: “Having the breast screening unit here is a fantastic resource for local people and I think it encourages more people to come and get their screening done
meaning people don’t have to travel too far
Having family members who have gone through breast cancer I am all for this kind of screening being available to us via the NHS.”
said: “It’s absolutely brilliant for the screening to be in Biddulph
for me I don’t like driving too far so it’s perfect for me to having this screening unit here on my doorstep.”
Councillor Jill Salt said: “It’s been a pleasure to work alongside our NHS
Staffordshire Moorlands District Council and Fire Service colleagues to ensure that the breast screening unit returns to Biddulph
“The service will save lives and it will make it easier for Biddulph women to attend their screening appointments
The project demonstrates what can happen when people who know their communities network and work collaboratively to overcome barriers
I’d encourage all eligible Biddulph women to take up their appointment.”
Station Manager for Staffordshire Fire and Rescue
said: “The partnership between Staffordshire Fire and Rescue and North Midlands breast screening is a testament to the power of collaboration in promoting community wellbeing
It underlines the commitment of both organisations to the health and safety of Biddulph residents
and we look forward to the positive impact this collaboration will have on the community
This partnership extends our mission of safety and wellbeing to the realm of healthcare
“Our combined efforts will help ensure that breast health is a priority for everyone
cabinet member for resources Staffordshire Moorlands Council
said: “It’s been a pleasure to work with all partners in enabling this very important facility to come to Biddulph fire station to facilitate the breast screening unit
Royal Stoke University HospitalNewcastle RoadStoke-on-TrentST4 6QG
County HospitalWeston RoadStaffordST16 3SA
Jessica Shilling's leg-day workout will set your glutes on fire
Building glute strength doesn't require going to the gym and doing hip thrusts every day (although that is a very effective approach)
You can still get results with one kettlebell and five moves
In this workout by fitness pro Jessica Shilling you’ll be doing a sequence of weighted squats
These are all compound moves that work multiple muscle groups
meaning you get more from the time you spend exercising than if you only did isolation moves
As with any workout, it’s important to warm up for between five to 10 minutes before you start. You can try this 10-move warm-up
then run through each move in Shilling's workout without the kettlebell
A post shared by Jessica Schilling (@jeyjeyschilling)
Shilling has set out the number of reps to do for each exercise and specified four sets
pick a weight that challenges you and do four sets in a row of each exercise before moving on to the next
Or to add a cardio element to the workout and boost your metabolism turn it into a circuit
Use a lighter weight and do each exercise after the other
only resting after completing the reps of each exercise
Building strength in the glutes is important because these large muscles power daily movements
from walking and running to climbing the stairs and squatting down to pick up groceries
Sitting down for long periods doesn’t do your glutes any favors
which can lead to areas such as your lower back to overcompensate
That’s where a kettlebell workout like this one can help
Activating these big muscles can help them to function more efficiently
Play Duration: 4 minutes 39 seconds4m 39sBrought to you by
Beloved author and retired psychologist, Steve Biddulph, turned 70 and realised he might be doing a lot of things for the last time.
He shares his insights into aging, life and why there may be more to this decade than taking cruises and playing golf.
Steve Biddulph wants to do what he can to make sure people fare well after he's gone.(Supplied)
Ryk GoddardIt's such a different perspective Steve than frantically holding on to youth isn't it? Or grabbing on to life. It reminds me of my grandmother who every Christmas would sit there and go, well this will probably be my last. But what is it to look forwards rather than backwards at this moment?
Ryk GoddardSteve Biddulph, as a poet said to me yesterday, it is the palace of mistakes we have earned but you have a legacy. You've published books, you've left behind your wisdom. What beyond that is there to leave?
Published: 19h agoMon 5 May 2025 at 7:30pm
Download the ABC listen app to text and call your favourite live radio
The psychologist and author believes we are tapping into only a small corner of our potential
he explains how to harness all our senses and gut instincts
Steve Biddulph is telling me about a patient who came to him after a life-changing incident in a car park
was getting into her car when she noticed a figure in the distance moving towards her
She had been raised to be polite and helpful
she learned that the next woman to enter that quiet car park was brutally attacked
Biddulph is a psychologist, known for his bestselling parenting books Raising Boys and Raising Girls
he has turned his attention to the human race in general and
to the tiny clench in Andie’s stomach that overrode her conditioning and gave her the right answer
Fully Human is a paean to what Biddulph calls “supersense”: the ability of our bodies to make our deepest feelings known to us – and of our brains to process these twinges and flutters into a simple “yes” or “no”
“We think ourselves very advanced and perhaps the best people who’ve ever lived on the planet,” he says
“But it’s likely that we are actually quite impaired in the way we use our minds – and that’s the premise of the book.” It is a convention of self-help literature to remind us of the fight-or-flight responses that saved early humans from sabre-toothed tigers
But Biddulph seems to be saying that our “gut feelings” offer daily guidance on all our difficult decision-making
from leaving a relationship to changing our hairstyle – if only we would pay attention
All the harm in the world is done by men who are not able to read their own feelingsWhile he was writing
He began to notice his own “operating system”
We are speaking on a video call – Biddulph is in his writer’s cottage on the Tamar estuary in Tasmania – and he leans forward to explain
“I’m getting along better with my wife and my kids are saying: ‘We’ve always loved you
“What’s happening is people are saying I’m more present and more steady and more calm
And I feel like things are going more smoothly.”
this is because Biddulph now occupies all of his four-storey mansion
but a metaphor he has devised to help “partial humans” heed their guidance systems
the third our thoughts and the fourth a roof terrace open to the stars – because the world is large
then from the age of nine in Melbourne – on the third floor
View image in fullscreen Photograph: Cofiant Images/AlamyMen often get stuck on this storey
he says – a theme familiar to readers of his 1994 book Manhood
Fully Human “has a chapter on fixing men – it doesn’t have one on fixing women”
He believes that “all the harm in the world is done by men who are not able to read their own feelings”
“huge contradictions would become obvious”
All those flutters and tingles would alert us to our unease – an awareness that “automatically starts to change us”
It is a simple idea and I have enjoyed patrolling my own mansion while reading his book
I have a coughing fit that no amount of tea will stem
Go back down into your stomach and midline …”
It seems incredible that someone whose books have helped millions of families should be experiencing an uplift in his own familial relationships at the age of 67
But Biddulph says he has never regarded himself as an “expert”
“I regard myself as a remedial case of a human being.”
I realise I am not sure what he meant by “remedial case”
“I had to learn how to join the human race fully,” he replies
Biddulph discovered something new about himself
This was in the days before the four-storey mansion
He was staying with a psychiatrist friend in England
listened to the answers and then told Biddulph he had Asperger syndrome
you can pay $4,000 for a series of tests,” Biddulph says
But he chose to accept his friend’s conclusion
“It was one of those moments where all of a sudden all these dominoes fall right back through your memory banks
were spent “feeling that I was on the outer”
he describes himself at 16 as “an at-risk young man”
“Everything wasn’t working and I couldn’t get along with my parents
They kind of gave up on me – not in a not-caring sense
but they just couldn’t cope.” Youth workers in Melbourne got him a place to live and a job helping children to read
but I won’t get to do it for long if I don’t get some qualifications
So I went back to university and I started all over again
doing psychology this time.” He found his place in the world
View image in fullscreenBiddulph says neurodivergent people such as he and Greta Thunberg ‘state the obvious’
Photograph: Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP/Getty ImagesHe also met Shaaron
after which he moved to Tasmania to finish his degree – and to pursue her
She “nuances” them; knocks him off his various hobby horses
And there’s even a bit of … I guess you’d say Aspie pride
It’s going to take a while for the world to grant us [people with autism] our place in things
gay Pride – has had that important transition.”
I wonder what Biddulph thinks of the fashion for fostering resilience as a way to regulate anxiety
Surely it is a greater ask of those with autism
because deep down it’s a blaming term,” he says
And if we go along with that resilience myth … Well
it’s really good in a combat situation … But say a doctor goes on a beach holiday and spends half the time crying over the patients they lost
What the Fully Human book will say is: ‘Well done
This is what fully humanness looks like.’” Far from lacking resilience
the hypothetical medic is occupying all his storeys
Fully Human is the first of Biddulph’s books to address his autism
I wonder if he will write about it further
All his books offer “a logical framework for being in the world”
drawing on his experience of a miscarriage with Shaaron and his sister’s death
“I put stories in this book that I’ve never told people before
I assume he is referring to a kayaking accident
which he describes at the end of Fully Human
That was an intimation of stupidity!” What then
Just my body telling me: no more leaping around on stages.”
Biddulph’s “personal attempt to save the world”
He tells me this could be “the most helpful article you ever wrote”
I think he may only be half-joking when he says: “My previous books have not got the world on a good footing yet.” It is a big responsibility
This is my last big shot … If only we can rehumanise ourselves in time.”
Fully Human: A New Way of Using Your Mind by Steve Biddulph (Pan Macmillan, £14.99) is out now. To order a copy, go to guardianbookshop.com
Big Interviews
Rob Biddulph got the whole country drawing with his Draw With Rob videos during lockdown
and he just released his first middle-grade novel
It is nerve-racking because it is like starting again for me
I’ve been doing picture books for quite a while now so this is totally
I think when you write a chapter book you are putting yourself out there even more
I am extremely proud of it though; I don’t think I’ve ever been more proud of something that I’ve created
I had each chapter outlined so that I could write it a bit like a picture book
I wouldn’t have been surprised if my agent had said let’s stick to picture books
Then we sent it out to publishers and there was this big auction for it
maybe I’m not as useless at this as I thought I was”
Rob Biddulph – Author of Peanut Jones and the Illustrated City
I wrote the whole thing before I did any of the illustrations
I had an idea of what the characters would look like sketched out
so I would make little notes while I was writing
like: “Illustrate Peanut and the bobsleigh here
I made all these notes and then when it came to actually illustrating them I was like: “Why did I make so many notes?” I think there are nearly 200 illustrations in there
which is great now that I look through the book and I’m really pleased that I did that
I did the illustrations towards the end of last year and it was so much work
She’s sort of a cross between my younger two
The kernel of the idea came from something that I did for my younger daughter
she was really nervous about staying all day and so somebody suggested I draw a little picture on a Post-it and hide it in her packed lunch box
I did it for the first couple of days and then before I knew it I was doing it every single day
and I ended up doing over 2,000 in the end
That is where the story came from actually
because I would sit and say: “Wouldn’t it be fun if whatever I drew on the Post-it became real?” We started talking about what we would draw and I said that the best thing to draw would be a door
We decided that it would lead to this completely illustrated world and the whole story sort of spilled out from that point
When I was writing Peanut I sort of had that in my mind
When you are writing dialogue it really helps to have someone from your life in your head
and that is what really helped me when I was writing the dialogue part of the story
When you’re writing a story I think there are two words that are the most important and they are ‘what’ and ‘if’
I always think of a book as a door: you open it and it takes you into another world
whether that is a school for witchcraft and wizardry or you’re in a jungle swamp
so I think the best thing that you can draw with the magic pencil is a doorway
especially one that leads into a magical world
something like a jetpack would be really cool as well
I do know how it is all going to end; I’ve done quite detailed outlines of all three books
although the final one has full resolution
Readers will probably want to kill me when they get to the end of this book because there is quite a big cliffhanger
The story does resolve a bit but there is a little epilogue that leads you into the second book
I’d love to see the book brought to life in that way
When I’m thinking of my stories I think in a very cinematic way
and often when you make an illustrated book it’s very much like making a film
When you are illustrating and writing a book you are taking on all those roles people in film have
I’m casting the film and I’m lighting the film and I’m thinking of the colour palettes
It is a very similar medium and this particular book
does lend itself very well to a cinematic experience
First News reaches 2.6 million young readers every week
Our age-appropriate news stories and activities spark curiosity
build media and information literacy skills and empower children with the tools to navigate the world
First News and our partner show Sky Kids FYI took young people to 10 Downing Street to question Prime Minister Keir Starmer on issues that mattered to them
Not many scientists have had the privilege of hosting a Christmas Lecture
First News Named Niche Market Newspaper of the Year!
Celebrating National Careers Week
First News Readers Question the PM
play word games and get tips and talking points all on the First News app
There's always something new and exciting going on at First Group Enterprises (publishers of First News). We'd like to tell you about news, offers, other educational products, competitions and promotions. We only process data and send communications as detailed within our Privacy Policy
By submitting this form you are agreeing to receiving relevant marketing communications from First News
You'll always be able to opt-out and we'll never share your information with third parties for their marketing without your permission
Get free topical literacy-boosting learning resources
There's always something new and exciting going on at First Group Enterprises (publishers of First News). We'd like to tell you about news, offers, other educational products, competitions and promotions. We only process data and send communications as detailed within our Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2025 First Group Enterprises Ltd
We can't find the page you're looking for
Please use the menu above or go to the homepage to find what you're looking for
If you experience any issues or would like to send us feedback please email us at [email protected](this link will open in a new window)
you are helping children and adults in Scotland to reach their potential through reading and writing
Site by Primate(this link will open in a new window)
Steve Biddulph AM is one of the world’s best-known parent educators and speakers
he is now retired but continues to write and teach. His books
The New Manhood,10 Things Girls Need Most and Fully Human: A New Way of Using Your Mind are in six million homes and 31 languages.
They have influenced the way we look at childhood and especially the development of boys and men.
the mental health of girls and young women globally is also a major focus
This subject matter is at the heart of his soon-to-be-released book Wild Creature Mind: The Neuroscience Breakthrough That Helps You Transform Anxiety and Live a Fiercely Loving Life
The book tackles the world’s worst mental health crisis and what can be done about the growing number of people growing up with anxiety and mental ill health
And we have the real us – our complex
These two minds are meant to work as a team
we’ve all but forgotten how to listen to our wild creature mind,” says a review of the book
teens and even young children can use their intricate gut feelings to overcome anxiety
“Anxiety turns us into our worst selves
” Steve has said about researching the new book
“I was so concerned at the amount of anxiety in kids around the world
that I have just finished three years of searching for the answer
Some of the worlds best neuroscientists (Alan Schore
Lisa Feldman Barrett) have discovered something quite amazing
and I have been working to put it in simple language.”
“Anxiety is not something we should fight against
it is actually the voice of the animal side of our brain
and if we describe in words what the sensations are
then the two halves of our brain start to synchronize
This is only a glimpse of what the book covers
and the stories of kids and adults in real trouble and how they were helped to grow strong
Wild Creature Mind is your right hemisphere
with all its resources of memory and perception
It is the biggest breakthrough in neuroscience and psychology for a hundred years
today (6 August) Steve Biddulph wrote on his Facebook page: “And then
I was pleased to discover I felt a deep sense of peace and completion
You can find out more about Steven Biddulph on his website
Wild Creature Mind will be available from 27 August. You can order it here
and website in this browser for the next time I comment
Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value"
Insights is the magazine of the Uniting Church in Australia
With daily news and views on culture and theology
Copyright All rights reserved | Site by Intelligent Developments
About Insights
Sign in or register below for free to unlock 2 articles each month and receive personalised newsletters to your inbox.ORHelp support our journalism and subscribe with unlimited access.Subscribe from less than £3.50, and you'll receive:
Play Duration: 25 minutes 17 seconds25m Brought to you by
Have you ever felt a separation between your rational thoughts and your deeper instinctive self? Psychologist Steve Biddulph says modern life has separated us from our 'Wild Creature Mind', full of life, insight, and empathy.
He joined Richard Glover on Drive to discuss his new book, and talk about how people from all walks of life must learn to listen to their gut instincts once again.
Cover of 'Wild Creature Mind' by Steve Biddulph
DrivePublished: 9h agoTue 6 May 2025 at 5:00am
Published: YesterdayMon 5 May 2025 at 5:15am
Published: YesterdayMon 5 May 2025 at 5:00am
LUCAN – Residents in Lucan Biddulph will see their property taxes rise by 4.42 per cent this year
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.Try refreshing your browser, ortap here to see other videos from our team.Play VideoArticle contentThe municipality’s budget was presented to council and accepted during the Jan. 22 council meeting, putting the final stamp of approval on a property tax rate increase.
For an average home in Lucan Biddulph valued at $280,000, the annual tax bill will increase by $84, meaning the total tax bill would be $1,987 for the municipal share.
Some of the largest items featured in the budget include the reconstruction of Water Street ($1.7 million), dressing rooms for the arena’s home side ($1 million), repaving of Nicoline Avenue ($550,000) and the purchase of a snowplow ($402,000).
Garbage bin fees are also set to increase with the 2025 budget’s approval.
The annual cost of a small bin is going up to $103, while medium-sized bins will rise to $158 and large bins will increase to $240.
However, bin fees won’t be charged for recycling bins this year, meaning the average residence would see $5 in savings for the year, despite the garbage bin increases.
Several projects that were initially proposed for 2025 were also deferred to 2026 and 2027 in the budget, such as the $60,000 project for the design of a second ice pad and the $65,000 project for trails at the soccer complex.
The Granton ball park clay project was also deferred after failing to secure grant funding for the $55,000 project, and facilities director Darcey Cook said the township would be working to ensure that project can move forward next year.
“We will definitely look at any kind of funding we can get,” said Cook. “We were really hopeful of the Blue Jays fund coming again, but it was denied for this year. We’ll obviously look at that again next year.”
Mayor Cathy Burghardt-Jesson thanked staff for their efforts in preparing the budget and on this year’s list of capital projects.
“We’ll look forward to getting those going,” she said.
transmission or republication strictly prohibited
This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Sign in or register below for free to unlock 2 articles each month and receive personalised newsletters to your inbox.ORHelp support our journalism and subscribe with unlimited access.Subscribe from less than £3.50