Page 15 - Vanessa Wright News Today

10 of the best places in Britain to see spring flowers: readers’ tips Guardian readers Winning tip: Signs of renewal, Bath © Photograph: Ben Birchall/PA Don’t tread on the flowers … local wildlife amid the crocuses in Bath’s Royal Victoria Park. Clusters of cotton, amethyst and mustard sprout proud from the morning dew; crocuses thrive above ground as the harsh winter sun gives way to a blinding dawn of new; a sign from Mother Nature that the seasons are changing. Thi...

Last modified on Thu 4 Mar 2021 06.44 EST Winning tip: Therapeutic curry, north Devon A little hut/cafe appears on the beach in March each year in Woolacombe, north Devon (it’s starting just before Easter this year). Away from the bustle of the main tourist beach, the cafe is on a smaller, calmer Barricane beach, and in the evening it serves Sri Lankan curry – which is hard to come by in Devon. There’s something therapeutic about eating Sri Lankan cuisine, listening to the sound ...

Last modified on Thu 11 Feb 2021 06.03 EST Winning tip: How old is this oak? Noticing the enormous oak trees in the local woods started a conversation about how old they were. Arm-spanning the trunks to measure the girth (your arm span is the same as your height), we used this table from the Woodland Trust to work out their age. We began to talk about the events these trees had lived through and created stories about their lives. The planes that flew over in the second world war; the disappeara...

Last modified on Thu 4 Feb 2021 06.03 EST Winning tip: On the beach in London London is an amazing city, but loses some of its charm when you find yourself confined to your too-small flat. In the first lockdown I found myself strolling the streets of Wapping one morning in an attempt to stave off cabin fever. Near Shadwell Basin I dropped off the Thames path on to a tiny sandy patch of foreshore where I sat for a while listening to the river lap and break over the rocks and watching the water g...

Readers’ lockdown discoveries: 10 top tips Guardian readers Winning tip: Light vessel fantastic On a sandbank of the River Neath next to the wharf of a scrap-metal merchant lies an old rusted wreck, the salt air-bleached, twisted metal skeleton of this old ship is all that remains of LV72 light vessel. One sunny day during the first lockdown I was cycling on the towpath when I came across it just a few miles from my home. I went home and researched its history, which was rathe...

Last modified on Thu 28 Jan 2021 06.03 EST Winning tip: Light vessel fantastic On a sandbank of the River Neath next to the wharf of a scrap-metal merchant lies an old rusted wreck, the salt air-bleached, twisted metal skeleton of this old ship is all that remains of LV72 light vessel. One sunny day during the first lockdown I was cycling on the towpath when I came across it just a few miles from my home. I went home and researched its history, which was rather astonishing as I found out the pi...

Last modified on Wed 3 Feb 2021 12.58 EST Winning tip: ‘I could be the person I am meant to be’ This is about my autistic daughter’s hobby. She’s nine, and since last March has become an avid birdspotter and photographer. It’s been great to be outside finding nature in the city, and to see her thrive and grow, walking to and exploring local parks. She’s now got an amazing mentor – wildlife artist and photographer Alfie Bowen – and has been winning competitions and had her photos...

One week left to book your place at edies Sustainability Leaders Awards There is still time to book your ticket for edies award-winning Sustainability Leaders Forum and Sustainability Leaders Awards, which will recognise excellence in corporate sustainability via a prestigious virtual ceremony taking place next week. Join us at the online edie Sustainability Leaders Awards Wednesday 3 February 2021! Cost is £50+VAT per ticket Now in their 14th year, edie’s RSA-accredited  Sustainability L...

Photograph: Sharon Pinner Whatever direction snowstorms come from, they often seem to peter out before reaching Cambridgeshire. I savour the rare occurrence of a significant dollop of snow. A few years ago, I was able to enjoy the aftermath of one such occasion when running along an ancient track known as the Mare Way. This follows a ridge above the villages of Little and Great Eversden. The extensive views towards Cambridge on one side and Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire on the other were acce...