Chat 21 April 2022

Our gorgeous Spanish rescue dog, Freya, had her holiday hat on for a trip away in our caravan. Michelle Skally, Wortham I take a lot of pictures of my horse, Blue, but on this occasion, he decided to show me what he thought and pulled a silly face! Ceri Collier, Dinbych There’s nothing like enjoying a moment of sunshine between the chilly showers on a stroll in my local park. Genna Cooper, north London My daughter Molly really was a vision in white all dressed up for her combined christening and first birthday party. Simone Giles, Hoveton ‘Hey Mum, can I have a biscuit?’ I found my cheeky son Lewis, 16 months, hiding in the cupboard! Cynthia Ramage, Kilmarnock It was great to get away for a mini-break in London while my husband Dan was…

LINDSAY WRIGHT, 46, WARRINGTON, CHESHIRE, SAYS: My mum Linda, 70, is my hero. She started raising money in 2014 for St Rocco’s, a hospice that cares for people with life-limiting illnesses. First by selling items at car boot sales, then through garage sales and also selling items on Facebook. After collecting donations from people around Warrington, she then sorts through all the items, often with the help of her two grandsons. Listing them online, she donates all the money raised from the sales to St Rocco’s. She’s already managed to donate a staggering £17,500! And she also raises £200 every Christmas for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool. I want to say a huge thank you to my amazing mum, as well as to all the kind people of Warrington for their donations. Even at her age, and after…

Rebecca Roberts, 26, W arrington, Cheshire Laughing with friends in the pub, I felt on top of the world. It was August 2014 and, at 19, I was a student at Liverpool John Moores University. Having grown up in care, I was now determined to throw myself into life. I loved my forensic psychology course, was a regular at the gym, captain of the women’s rugby team. I’d made loads of new friends, too. We had a giggle on nights out, weaving between bars. Only, at 1.30am, I’d lost sight of my gang and found myself alone. Time to call it a night, I thought, taking out my phone to call a taxi. That’s when I noticed a bloke walking towards me. ‘You OK?’ he asked, with a warm smile. ‘Fine, thanks, ’ I replied, wary of strangers. But he seemed genuine,…

NUMBER JIG How many lines of verse make up the General Prologue of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales? Fit these numbers into the grid. One number doesn’t fit. This is the prize answer. 3 digits 214 325 485 513 516 571 731 775 776 858 878 4 digits 1362 1623 3770 3996 4012 5192 5246 6508 6748 8121 5 digits 12868 16382 16675 18632 35442 36843 37686 41718 42180 50475 74155 88434 6 digits 338312 345838 456283 481850 503676 584558 904544 7 digits 5733636 5763047 8427440 8 digits 59547554 WIN £250 Puzzle 1 Your answer PIECEWORD What title links a 1984 novel by Martin Amis and a 2018 single by Cardi B? The number next to the clue tells you which line the answer’s in. We’ve put a section in to start you off! There may be two Across answers in one line. Down words fill themselves in. The shaded squares spell out the one-word prize answer. 2 Partygoers 4 Auction offer • Revise, alter 6 Greased • Everything _ the Girl, English band 8 Casual love affair, flirtation WIN £150 Puzzle 2 Your answer: TAKE THREE In 2005, the town of Clark, Texas,…

That’s a wrap Once your baby is too big for their baby towels they make the perfect hair towels. Simply put the flap that goes over the baby’s head at the back of your own head and wrap your hair up. It stays put way better than a normal towel! Gaia Hudson, Shotley Bridge, County Durham Quick picnic trick Stop wasps being a nuisance at a sunny picnic by bringing a spare jam sandwich and placing it a few yards away from your picnic spot. The wasps will feast there and leave you alone! Roger Hedges, Much Wenlock, Shropshire In the doghouse I turned an old dog crate into a small greenhouse simply by covering it with plastic from my old broken greenhouse. Su Davey, Colchester, Essex Oh sugar! You can keep brown sugar soft by putting some…

David Winterbottom, 48, Sheffield, South Yorkshire Walking into Sheffield Town Hall, hand-inhand with my wife Kirsty, I gasped. The room was full of family and friends. ‘What’s going on?’ I asked. ‘We’re renewing our vows, ’ Kirsty smiled. It was November 2010, Kirsty’s 30th birthday. Instead of making it about her, Kirsty had planned a whole day to celebrate our 11-year relationship. She’d told me we were going for a meal, got me and our three boys – Louis, then 9, Reece, 6, and Charlie, 4 – all dressed up in suits. It was such a happy but emotional day. Made more special because of all we’d gone through. Four years earlier, shortly after having Charlie, Kirsty had been diagnosed with a malignant melanoma, skin cancer, after finding a small lump on her head. In March 2007 she had surgery…