THEGAYUK

Category: Lifestyle

  • House prices have risen 31 PER CENT in London

    New research from comparison site Gocompare.com has highlighted the disproportionate growth in the London housing market when compared to the rest of the UK since the last general election in May 2010.

    Under the Conservative-led coalition, average house prices in the capital have risen by a staggering £103,323, on average, from £331,711 in 2010, to £435,034 this year. This means purchasing a property in London four years ago is the equivalent of having a second income of £25,830.

    However, the figures show that the story isn’t the same across the entire country, as only five of the nine regions of England and Wales enjoyed any rise whatsoever over the four year period. The house price data also shows that the North/South divide is alive and well, as the North West, North East, Wales and Yorks & Humber regions all experienced a drop in house prices.

    Though London house prices have risen by a staggering 31.15%, excluding the capital the rest of England and Wales only saw a rise of 0.16%, or £217.38, on average. Of the other regions, the South East experienced the most growth with a 7.8% (£16,384) rise in property values, which is still nearly four times lower than the boom enjoyed in London.

    Conversely, the North East suffered the biggest drop in house prices as values fell by 8% from £107,717 in 2010 to £99,001 in 2014, an average slump of £8,716.

    Matt Sanders mortgage spokesperson at Gocompare.com commented, ‘It’s no secret that London is a particularly expensive place to live, however the difference between house price rises in the capital when compared with the rest of England and Wales really does lend weight to the phrase ‘London prices’.

    ‘These figures will do little to comfort Londoners looking to get on the property ladder. However, those in other areas of the country should be reassured that despite talk of rising house prices across the UK, outside of the capital, there hasn’t been a big change in the affordability of property. And even with the recent tightening of mortgage lending rules, with low interest rates and competitive mortgage deals available it’s still very much a buyer’s market.

    ‘With the European elections behind us and British political parties now focusing on next year’s general election, balancing the housing market and preventing a London bubble, must surely be a key issue.’

    For people overwhelmed by mortgages, Gocompare.com has a collection of mortgage guides available on their website, including guides for first time buyers and information regarding the government’s Help to Buy scheme.

  • GARDEN | June Tips

    Up until now we’ve been patient, we’ve been ever watchful of pests and frosts and now spring is over and summer is here! We’re halfway through the year and this is when I usually start to panic! There’s always loads I haven’t done, things I haven’t sown and the weeds are growing faster than everything else in the garden. This is the month to stay focused and let the effort you’ve put in over the previous months pay off.

    In short – life in your garden is going to be ‘Crazy’ – so you better WERK! (when I’m not in the garden, RuPaul’s Drag Race is taking up too much of my life right now. Sorry)

    Weeds and Hoes – Everything is growing quickly – and I mean EVERYTHING. Weeding should be part of your daily to-do list now. Depending on the size of area you’ve got to look after, a little bit everyday should be enough to keep things in order. Weeds fight your plants for nutrition, light and water – so pull those suckers out and take satisfaction in what you’re doing. Hoe regularly to keep the weeds at bay – hoeing also helps stop slug attacks, as they don’t like to slime their way across disturbed soil.

    Last chance saloon – Suddenly from waiting for the weather to improve – we’re now in a race against time to make sure we don’t miss our sowing window. The soil should be warm enough everywhere now, except in the darkest, dampest corners of the garden. There are lots of seeds that can go straight in the ground this month including courgettes, runner beans and peas. You can now also plant out everything you’ve been bringing on in pots. Don’t forget to leave enough space for each plant to flourish – they always get bigger than you expect!

    Harvest – If you’ve been working on the garden since the beginning of the year there should be loads of treasures for you to harvest now. There are too many to list here but you could be enjoying new potatoes, asparagus, onions and spinach. Don’t be afraid to harvest hard, a lot of plants will keep yielding the more they’re picked – just Google what you’ve got and read up about it. For example harvesting spinach regularly and keeping it well watered will help stop them from bolting and give you more tasty leaves for longer.

    Start your own gardening calendar – This is the best piece of advice I have ever received. At this time of year I’m stressing about things I haven’t planted and mistakes I’ve made. Write everything down – every thought, every idea, every notion, because when the chaos of the summer months is over you can regroup in the winter, read about your thoughts and get planning for next year. I can’t count the amount of times I’ve missed the sowing window for crops I want to grow – if I’ve noted that disappointment I’ll be extra prepared next year. Gardening and planting is a continuing process. It’s so important not to get bogged down in defeat, every year you’ll get better, wiser and more confident. The rewards for perseverance are immeasurable. Today we’re having a spicy cucumber salad (not a euphemism) for lunch with every single ingredient grown by us and that’s a feeling you can’t buy.

    So go for it! June is one of the funnest months to be a home grower and will really connect you to the joys of seasonal food. Work hard and you’ll be serving up some home-grown produce REALNESS – (again blame RuPaul) in no time.

  • Rugby Brothers Back Homophobia In Sport Study

    Rugby League Stars the Burgess Brothers support Gay friends and urge people to take part in new study on Homophobia in Sport.

    Australian/UK Rugby League stars Sam and Thomas Burgess have joined their South Sydney Rabbitohs teammate, Greg Inglis, in calling for an end to homophobia in sport. Sam and Thomas Burgess have also recorded a video, to be distributed by the NRL and others, encouraging people to take 10 minutes to tell their story in the first national and international study on homophobia in sport.

    “I don’t see why there should be any discrimination about colour, sexuality, your heritage or where you’re from. Sport is a great thing, and it brings people from all different aspects of life together, so why should your sexuality be a problem? The only way we are going to understand the issue is if people get out there and tell their story so we can help fix it,” said Sam Burgess.

    Thomas Burgess agreed and said, “We have a lot of gay friends and think that discrimination in sport is old fashioned and there is no place for it. In this day and age, we shouldn’t be discriminating against anyone, for anything.”

    The Burgess Brothers, who play for the team co-owned by Russel Crowe, say they are surprised there aren’t more openly gay players in professional sports. They say the study on homophobia in sports will help everyone understand why players don’t feel safe in coming out of the closet.

    The study, called “Out on the Fields” is an initiative of the organisers of Bingham Cup Sydney 2014 and is first broad based Australian and international study on the issue of homophobia in sport. Participation is open to everyone regardless of sexuality. Those interested can visit www.outonthefields.com. Among other things, the study looks at whether people choose not to play team sports because of fear of discrimination as well as the prevalence of homophobia, such as slurs, among athletes and fans.

    The support from the Burgess Brothers follows support from Greg Inglis, who attended an announcement last month by all the major, Australian professional sports who pledged to ‘eliminate’ homophobia. At the time Inglis said homophobia in sport needs to end, “If you stamp that out, then it will probably help players that come out a bit more. I’m a big believer, a firm believer, in respecting what others are and who they are. I’m definitely happy to put my hand up and be one of the leaders behind this great initiative.”

    Andrew Purchas is a current player as well as founder of the Sydney Convicts Rugby Club, Australia’s first gay rugby team and president of the Bingham Cup Sydney 2014, the world cup of gay rugby. ‘Sam and Tom Burgess are highly respected locally and overseas for their no nonsense approach to football. Their support for their gay friends and recognition that the only way to eliminate homophobia is to talk about the issue and encourage people to tell their stories will send a strong message to players and fans. This is why it’s so important people take part in this study on homophobia in sport in Australia and around the world. We need to understand the extent of the problem so we can address it now and we have a baseline to track whether there have been any changes over the coming years. It only takes 10 minutes for people to take part in the study and share their story. We also appreciate that the NRL is tackling head on the issue of homophobia in sports. They responded swiftly and decisively to the recent homophobic slur during the U20 State of Origin match and recently became first football code to join Pride in Diversity, Australia’s peak body for employer GLBT programs.’

    The Australian Sports Commission will conduct similar research on homophobia in future years. Out on the Fields is being conducted by sports research company Repucom. The results and final report will be reviewed by researchers at 6 universities around the world.

    The study is at: www.outonthefields.com

  • GARDEN | May Gardening Tips: May The (Ground) Force Be With You.

    It’s the cusp of summer so now’s the time to go for it! May is a great month, warm breezes herald the coming summer and you’ve probably had your first BBQ by now (albeit wrapped up warm and heading inside as soon as it gets too cold!) Your garden loves this time of year and any early crops you’ve sown may even be ready for your first harvest. Yum

    Don’t sow in one go– Now’s the time to plant in earnest, as always keep an eye on temperatures and uses clouches if necessary. The main thing to remember here is: don’t sow everything at once. Stagger your planting of the same crop, especially if you’re going to be eating it all yourself. Plant a few of each thing you want to grow and then a few more two or three weeks later. This helps to avoid gluts and means you can be eating an interesting and varied diet for the rest of the year.

    Water, water, water – If young plants dry out they can easily die. May can be a deceptively dry month, cloudy and misty days can make you forget to water the plants. The best way I’ve found is to have a watering schedule – I water twice a day, in the morning and evening. Even if there have been showers during the day – just in case. You can usually tell by looking and feeling if the soil is damp enough. Just keep on top of it and everything will be fine.

    Keep on top of your weeding – Weeds grow just as fast as your crops *shakes fist at sky* so make sure you keep getting rid as soon they appear. As with watering get yourself a weeding schedule. Try and get out there as often as you can as the weeds are always competing with your plants for the nutrients in the soil.

    Thinning – Everything you’ve been starting off indoors may now need thinning out. It’s tempting to keep as many sprouts as possible but bear in mind how large the plants can become. If they end up competing for space that will only end up being detrimental to the yield you end up with.

    Sowing seeds outdoors – There are so many great crops that can now go in the ground including – spinach, peas, kale, spring onions, lettuces, carrots, cauliflowers, rocket and runner beans.

    Sowing seeds indoors – Your early batches of indoor sown seeds should mostly be outside now, so clean up those trays and get a new batch on the go. It’s time to get those summery foods in the windowsill. Summer cabbages, chillies, peppers and runner beans will all be ready to go!

    It’s full steam ahead now. This is the time to start marking pages in your recipe books and Googling “things to do with runner beans” because the garden explosion is about to happen and you won’t want to waste a thing.

  • UK Football Club, Sunderland To Fly Rainbow Flag For Gay Rights

    Sunderland Football Club Backs IDAHO

    Sunderland AFC is marking the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) by flying the rainbow flag at the Stadium of Light today.

    The flag-raising is a mark of recognition of IDAHO Day, which calls for respect for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.

    The Deputy Mayor of Sunderland will also raise a rainbow flag at the Civic Centre to show the city’s support.

    Sunderland AFC’s commercial director Gary Hutchinson said: “The club is very proud to support IDAHO Day. The Stadium of Light should be a safe and welcoming environment for all members of our community and IDAHO offers a great platform on which to celebrate diversity and promote inclusion.”

    Ryan Houston, Chairman of Sunderland Pride, said: “It’s fantastic to see a group like SAFC supporting International Day Against Homophobia Biphobia and Transphobia. As such as powerful figure within the City, it’s great to see their attitude towards equality and diversity being showcased with an event such as this.

    “IDAHO(BIT) is being celebrated across the world from Friday 16th May to Sunday 18th May, and I am delighted to see support to the events we are hosting within the City.”

  • REVIEW | RHS Malvern Spring Festival

    The Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) Malvern Spring Festival is a fantastic annual event that takes place amongst the backdrop of the spectacular Malvern Hills. It’s the place to go if you are a keen gardener or foodie, as visitors are treated to show gardens, floral displays, celebrity talks, and lots of glorious food and drink. (more…)

  • HOME | Creative Curtains

    Adding character and individuality to your home needn’t break the bank or the environment. If you’re after a look that’s less glass coffee tables and flat-packed furniture and more individual and creative – use your imagination and what you can find around you to have fun decorating your home.

    Leaving city life for a more relaxed existence in mid-Wales and moving to an area that’s famed for its green credentials and alternative lifestyles, we were determined to make sure our 200 hundred year old cottage was restored and decorated sympathetically.

    Doing the work ourselves and with no real budget to speak of, the cottage has undergone a complete renovation. It’s taught us that style and personality doesn’t have to come at too high a cost. You just need to look at the materials you have around you – and seek out the alternatives to the ‘norm’.

    The curtains throughout the cottage are made from bespoke prints sourced from a local fabric shop. It’s a shop where you can easily loose hours rummaging through the rolls of original patterns. The results are worth the effort – curtains that no one else is likely to have and at a fraction of the cost of a standard pair.

    All you have to do is measure the spaces and buy some material that’s just a little bigger. Cut the material in half (vertically) to make the two curtains. Then using iron-on hemming tape, hem the edges (use a damp cloth and just iron the tape on).

    Using standard safety pins attach one every 5-10cms across the top hem. Then you’re ready to hang them.

    Find two old large nails for a rustic look (old roofing nails are ideal – they look worn and are big enough) or buy some from a local art/DIY store. It doesn’t even need to be a nail – they’re just easy to install – a hammer and it’s done. But you can use screws, old door handles, latches etc – let your imagination and creativity guide you. So long as you can attach gardening wire to it – go for it! For larger windows you may need a central nail or support to stop the wire sagging.

    Once in place thread the wire through the safety pins and then attach to the nails – and there you go shabby chic at its most simplest! The detailed expensive-looking prints contrast brilliantly with the utilitarian wire and nails.

    To complete the rustic theme you can decorate the window sill with cost-free natural finds like these old glass bottles – they make an uncomplicated decoration in a windowsill. At first glance they all appear clear but each one has a different tint. The colours stand out when the sun shines through them. And best of all they were all dug up from the garden literally under the same window – zero cost and zero miles!

    The pebbles and stones here have been collected from a beach walk. They’re arranged on a simple wooden plate found in a local charity shop and take pride of place on the bedroom windowsill.

    And finally an old pot with geraniums provides a splash of colour and connects the room with the garden outside.

    This style may suit a country cottage but the principles of doing something different, something no one else will have can be applied to any home – say goodbye to the mass produced stuff that a store buyer has chosen and introduce a bit of personality and style to your home.

     

    by Andy Richards

  • GARDEN | April Gardening

    Here we go! The days are longer and warmer now and you can actually get outside without dressing like an Eskimo.

    This is where the fun begins – but a word of warning: keep an eye on the weather. The month of the April Fool can play all sorts of tricks – be mindful of your particular surroundings because if you go gung-ho with your planting a late frost could undo all your hard work in a minute.

    Herbs – If you’ve limited space, even if you just have a balcony or window boxes then grow herbs. The best way to pep up your cooking is with incredibly fresh and flavoursome herbs – rosemary with lamb, basil on your pasta dishes, parsley with fresh fish – I could go on forever but it really is true. At this time of year almost all herbs can be planted outside now. Make sure the soil’s warm enough and get your kitchen garden in the ground. Your meals will never be the same again!

    Prepare you seed beds – Everyone loves a freshly made bed and your plants are just the same. If you’ve done this before you should have added your homemade compost to the bed last autumn to give it time to thoroughly rot down, but fear not some decent compost or manure that’s well rotted can be added now to get your planting off to a great start. Soil varies from place to place but any hard material like stones and sticks should be removed where possible – get the rake out and aim for the finest soil you can get – you can even sieve it if you want to go the extra mile (and are slightly crazy).

    Harden off your indoor grown young plants – Just like us your plants need a bit of training now and again. Anything you’ve been growing indoors at this point needs to be taken outside on warm days and then brought back in at night. Acclimatising plants like this gives them a better chance of flourishing in the unpredictable British weather.

    Don’t forget colour. – Growing crops is ultimately rewarding in the garden, but don’t forget to make it pretty too. Once you’ve got all your food and you’re enjoying the feast outside you should have somewhere lovely and bright to sit and enjoy it. I know psychologically for me sitting amongst flower-pots bursting with colour makes me feel very happy indeed. To pretty things up pots and hanging baskets are great as they can be moved and adapted to create different spaces and moods – and don’t be tempted to spend a fortune on them – old buckets and watering cans make great planters, just make sure you drill some holes in the bottom so the flowers don’t drown!

    So there we go, that’s April. Now’s the time to get ready to start reaping the rewards of your hard work – next month you could be harvesting your first crops and feeling very pleased with yourselves indeed.

  • GARDEN | March: Bursting Into Life

    We’ve made it through the dark times! For me March is the month of possibilities and potential. The days are getting visibly longer and life is starting to show signs of reappearing outside.

    Shoots are shooting and if you’ve been planting indoors all your early efforts are becoming vibrant bursts of green. So this is where the fun really begins.

    Weeds – The new shoots of spring are the first sign of new life, but if the shoots are weeds they’ve got to go. Spend time now really looking after your beds. Take the time to remove every trace of weeds that have started to germinate under the March sun. In my experience trying to do this quickly will only lead to more trouble later on. View each bed as something to be thoroughly cleaned and tidied and don’t stop until you’re happy it’s perfect.

    Go Hardy or go Home – The reason your beds should be carefully prepared is that it’s time for outside planting! Although it’s starting to feel like spring do keep an eye on the weather and make sure you’re aware of forthcoming frosts – if in doubt wait a few weeks or protect your new crops under cloches. Not everything can be planted now, select hardy crops such as leeks, lettuces, parsnips and onions. Some herbs can be sown towards the end of the month too. Parsley, fennel and coriander will all be fine – again protect if frosty.

    Pest Control – As life begins again, hungry animals are keeping as close an eye on your gardening efforts as you are. If the temperature is mild, slugs and snails may have begun to appear around the place. Depending on your style they will need dealing with. We try to avoid chemicals where possible and by heading out at dusk with a torch we’re always amazed at the amount of slimy guys we find. We usually feed our collection to the ducks – we like to think of it as the circle of life!

    The Wet Stuff – Water is a precious commodity for your garden – with so many of us now on water meters and the unpredictable British Weather it’s always worth thinking about sorting some water storage for your garden. Water butts under existing drainpipes are a great way to start. Also think about putting guttering on your sheds and any other outside structures. If you do this now you’ll be well prepared when the hosepipe bans kick in (I know, I’ve jinxed it now – wet summer here we come!)

    So from here on out it’s going to be full steam ahead. Savour this moment of anticipation – we all know it’s the best bit. ∎

  • How to lose the last few KILOS

    Darren Liddy, 27, has come a long way since 2011 when he embarked on a journey to lose over 7 stone.

    He says: ‘Generally I eat healthy, but I seem to be stuck in a rut as far as losing weight/body fat is concerned.

    At the minute I weigh 227lbs, I want to get down to at least 200lbs. But I can’t shift my last 27lbs. I’ve been on my own fitness journey for a year now, I started at 294lbs and as proud as I am of what I’ve achieved so far, I’m still not happy. I need to achieve my goal of being 200lbs so I can focus on getting the body of my dreams.’

    We’ve asked expert nutritionist Robert Hodson from Nutrition Expert to help Darren reach his goal.

    My first thing to say to you would be, don’t lose heart! You have already lost 67lbs which is a fantastic achievement. I know it can be frustrating, but weight loss plateaus are normal and do happen, however diligent you are with your eating & exercise regime. However, that’s not to say that there aren’t things that you can do to help kick start the weight loss once again.

    You’ve provided me with your current weight, but I wonder whether you have had your body fat % measured? If you haven’t, I highly recommend you do, as measuring and keeping a record of this will give you a much better indicator of how you’re doing. Simply monitoring your weight does not differentiate between changes in fat, muscle and water. If you are exercising regularly you are likely to be building muscle mass, and as muscle weighs more than fat, you could be burning fat but this not always registering on the scales.

    As you lose weight, not only does it become naturally harder to lose, but your metabolism slows down too. Because of this, your daily calorie requirements become lower, so this may be a good time to revisit your portion sizes. I would recommend switching from having 3 large meals a day, to 6 smaller meals. If this seems time-consuming, one idea may be to make your lunch as usual (for example), and split it into 2 portions. Regular eating will keep your metabolism fired up, and it will also make it easier to control your portion sizes and prevent overeating, as you will never be eating when you are really hungry. It is also important that you take time over your meals. It takes 20 minutes for your stomach to start to tell the brain that it’s full, so by chewing slowly and pausing between mouthfuls you will become much more in tune with your bodies hunger signals.

    Your current diet looks well balanced, and it’s great that you are getting a good source of protein into dinner every day in the form of fish or meat. Protein is great for satiety (it keeps you full up!) and it also promotes lean muscle tissue, which is beneficial for fat burning. It would be great if you could boost your breakfast with a bit more protein, and here are a few ideas of how to do this:

    • Top your porridge with nuts and seeds (such as almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds)
    • Have an egg-based breakfast e.g. 2 poached eggs on a slice of wholemeal toast or a mushroom omelette
    • Treat yourself to a cooked breakfast at weekends- 2 eggs (scrambled or poached), 2 slices of bacon, grilled mushrooms and tomatoes

    For lunches, make sure that your salad or sandwich (always choose wholegrain bread!) includes a good source of protein in the form of lean meat, fish, eggs, beans or pulses. You can also mix this up a bit by opting for a chunky soup- most supermarkets and coffee shops do good options now. Be wary of low-fat yoghurts as they often replace the fat with added sugars (this tends to be the case with many low-fat products).

    The healthier option is to opt for natural full-fat probiotic yoghurt, with some fresh fruit.

    At dinner, fill up on vegetables (particularly the green, leafy ones- broccoli, cabbage, spinach, kale) – these should always take up at least half your plate. Try switching your potatoes for sweet potatoes, and try quinoa as a high-protein alternative to rice. Finally, good luck, and keep us posted!

    Robert Hobson is a registered nutritionist and qualified trainer for the Royal Society of Public Health. He’s over 15 years experience in consulting people or organisations in food and nutrition. He has a BSc in Human Nutrition as well as an MSc in Public Health Nutrition. He used to work for the NHS promoting healthy eating and has specialised in helping government organisations meet nutritional standards and legislation.

  • British Men Aren’t Happy About Gay Dads

    New research has shown that nearly half of British men aren’t happy about two men being fathers.

    • 47% of men disagree that a gay male couple can do as good a job bringing up children as a man and a woman
    •  70% of women think that two gay males would do a good job.

    New analysis of the British Social Attitudes survey published by NatCen Social Research during gay adoption week reveals that men take a more conservative stance on gay adoption and parenting. 47% of men do not think that a same sex male couple can bring children up as well as male-female couples, while just 30% of women do.

    When it comes to lesbian partners raising children, views are softer, but a gender gap remains; 42% of men doubt same sex female couples’ ability to raise children, in comparison to 27% of women. Men are also more likely to differentiate between gay male and lesbian couples.

    Overall, 35% of all Brits say that lesbian couples cannot bring up children as well as male-female couples, in comparison to 39% of those who doubt gay male couples’ ability.

    Public increasingly open-minded

    Just under half (49%) of Brits agree that gay couples should be allowed to adopt while 44% say that they should not. This represents dramatic change on thirty years ago; in 1983, 8% of the population agreed with gay adoption, while 87% disagreed.

    The analysis also shows strong generational trends, with older people far more likely to be concerned about same sex couples bringing up children:

    • 20% of 17-34 year olds think that same sex male couples can’t bring up children as well as opposite sex couples, in comparison to 57% of the over-55s;
    • · 17% of 17-34 year olds think that lesbian couples can’t bring up children as well as couples of the opposite sex, in comparison to 50% of the over-55s.

    Penny Young, Chief Executive of NatCen Social Research commented:

    “This research shows just how much things have changed, but also that among a large minority traditional perceptions of families remain intact. Although campaigners may well be disheartened by just how much this issue continues to divide the public, there are certainly positives for them to take from this research – the vast generational differences suggest a view on its way out.”