Research carried out by www.hampers.com revealed that 61% of working adults consider at least one co-worker as a close friend. These investigations were carried out as part of an ongoing study into happiness in the workplace, following on from a study in September 2020.
The study initially found that 90% of respondents are close enough to at least one of their co-workers to consider them a friend (up from 87% in 2020). What’s more, three fifths went as far as saying they’d class at least one co-worker as a close friend, if not one of their best friends (61%), up from 52% in 2020. According to this study the top five reasons colleagues were thought of as close friends are:
1. We tell each other everything: 68%
2. We’ve got a lot of shared experiences: 63%
3. I enjoy spending time with them outside of work: 50%
4. We’re always talking on the phone (texting or calling): 49%
5. I feel they truly care about me: 37%
Over three quarters of those who stated they spend time together outside of work said they have introduced their work place best friend to their partner, family or other close friends (76%). Almost all respondents (95%) stated that getting on well with their colleagues and having friends (close or not) helps contribute to their overall happiness in the workplace. In fact, workplace friendships are considered one of the key factors why UK adults would be hesitant to leave the company and get a job elsewhere (71%).
Patrick Gore, Managing Director of www.hampers.com said: “The findings of this study were incredibly interesting, largely because we have data from just two years ago to compare it to. More UK adults than two years ago have someone they consider a friend, if not a close friend, in the workplace and this really can make the world of difference. There have been a lot of changes over the last few years as a result of the covid pandemic, with people made to work from home during the numerous lockdowns and feeling isolated as a result. It’s no wonder people are yearning for human interaction, even those who may still be working in a hybrid capacity. If we all took one thing away from the pandemic, it’s that relationships are incredibly important for our happiness and mental health.”
Digital Editor’s Note: I’m delighted to re-discover and re-publish this book extract from our Guest Writer, Katy Canty. As of May 27th 2022, the UK prison population was 80,200. As of March 2019, the total number of employed prison chaplains was 474. Katy Canty spent many years working as a prison chaplain. In the recently-published Heartbreak, Hope and Holy Moments she shares some of her experiences and insights, to try to help others understand more fully what prison is really like, and who prisoners really are.
Katy writes: We’ve all seen prison dramas, and prison comedies, but what is life inside really like? Much grittier and more desolate than we could imagine. Prison chaplains, of many faiths, are there to offer support to all, from shoplifters to killers.
Care and Separation Unit (CSU) used to be called ‘Segregation’ or ‘the Block’, but its name was changed to give it a more therapeutic overtone. At the same time, the place itself was repainted from grey to brighter colours, and prisoners’ works of art were displayed, which gave it the appearance of a slightly deserted gallery. Prisoners who end up being sent here will be those who have infringed prison rules, such as being involved in fights or assaults, being found in possession of drugs or phones or generally exhibiting behaviour that is too volatile or unpredictable to be sustained on a regular Unit. Increasingly we are seeing prisoners who have taken Spice (Mamba) and who are therefore often violent and unpredictable. Every day there are adjudications and prisoners are transferred back to normal locations when they have served their allotted time of separation. However, some men do remain in CSU for a while, often awaiting transfer to another prison.
Our daily rounds are of a routine nature, and we are aware that many of the men do not wish to engage in long or deep conversations with a Chaplain, especially one they see day after day! But our presence is understood and I remember one man completely humbling me when he met me on a Unit one day saying, ‘You came to visit me when I was in Seg.’ I felt dreadful as I had no recollection of him and had probably only asked if he was ‘OK’, and yet the presence of a caring face must have made such an impression on him. And the fact that we visit them means that we are there if they need us; sometimes a man would ask me to bless him or, more often to come and light a candle with him on an anniversary, since it would be difficult for them to come over to the chapel as they are on restricted conditions.
Probably the most memorable visit was when I was asked to light a candle with a very unstable and disturbed man. In fact, he was considered so dangerous that he was a ‘five-man unlock’ – something I have never seen before or since. Some of the men can have their doors opened by a single officer or most when two officers are present. If someone is particularly difficult, three men are required, but five men obviously indicated a very violent man. In addition to that, these officers were dressed in riot gear in case the man ‘kicked off’ and they had to come and rescue me. I remember being extremely nervous as I waited to go in to the cell, and with the usual sense that of myself I had nothing to give. However, when I entered the cell the prisoner was very polite and respectful, and we lit the candle and I prayed with him. It was an odd situation as I realised I stood as a woman with him alone while outside there were five hefty men poised to defend! I have to admit I did not prolong the encounter and escaped as soon as I could!
Because men in CSU have broken prison rules, they are often denied privileges. If their behaviour is very poor they lose everything including their personal possessions for the time they are there. However, they are allowed to have a Bible (or Qur’an) if they require one, and we are also allowed to give them faith literature. In actual fact, many of the prisoners asked for Bibles whilst they were in CSU. There were probably many and varied reasons for this. The small Testaments provided by the Gideons were just the right size to act as Rizla papers for their ’smokes’. If they had no tobacco because they had lost their right to buy it, they might smoke their tea bags! We only hoped that maybe some of them might get to read the ‘holy’ Rizla paper as they rolled it! Many lads did read the Bible whilst in CSU as it was something to do. They also devoured Christian books that we gave to them, stories of other men who had got it all wrong, been to prison and found God and a new way of life.
It was to CSU that they brought Daniel. He was in a terrible state, deeply distressed and suicidal. He had taken a life, and felt so guilty and remorseful that he felt that his own life was not worth living. He had a chequered background, had struggled with education and had been bullied all his life. Now he had got into trouble in prison, hence his arrival in CSU. He was so profoundly suicidal that they took the ultimate step of putting him in ‘strips’ (a gown that is made of very tough fabric so that it cannot be torn into ligatures). He was put into the special cell which contains no fixtures or fittings to which ligatures could be attached. In essence, it contains a low-level concrete block and nothing else. Through his tears, Daniel cried that prison officers had taken away his rosary beads and that he needed them to sleep at night. The officers had removed them because the string of beads might also be used as a ligature. What I did bring him was a small card with a picture of the cross on it which we give to prisoners when they visit chapel for a bereavement. It had a bright blue background and Daniel attached it to the wall, possibly with toothpaste. In that dark grey cell, it was the only thing there and it seemed to me that it almost ‘glowed’ on the wall. I prayed with him and carried on praying that he would not attempt to take his own life. Years later, he told me that at the time he had had razor blades on him, but that after our prayer he had not used them and the picture ‘got him through the night’. He has gone from strength to strength with therapeutic help.
The Healthcare Unit in prison contains twelve beds and is usually fully occupied. Here we tend to those who are ill physically and mentally. The pressure on accommodation here is enormous. Those who are physically ill do not remain here long, unless they are terminally ill or in the last stages. Many in the Unit are those with acute mental health issues. Ideally, they would not remain here long either, but the sad fact is that there is a massive waiting time to get anyone into more suitable outside institutions. And so we tend to those who are sick in so many different ways, and Chaplains make a daily visit to speak to each of these men.
We see some amazingly bad injuries that have often occurred before the men come into prison. Bones are broken when unsuccessful burglars really do fall off drainpipes! I remember one lad who told me he was running away from the police and jumped into what he thought was a canal to escape from them, but unfortunately it turned out to be the railway track and he had completely shattered most of his leg bones.
My first glimpse of Peter was a terrible sight. It was his first time in prison, and he was devastated at having committed a crime. He had decided to kill himself with a gun and had aimed it at his face. He arrived in prison with his jaw blown apart under his ear and in a state of deep shock. I felt great sympathy for him and said that I would ring his wife to reassure her that he was OK, Daniel was now very concerned about how she would be coping. Peter went through extensive bone surgery, with grafts being taken from his leg, and I often had a chat with him as he remained in Healthcare for months. I rejoiced with him when at last he was able relocate into a normal Unit when his treatment was complete. A year or so later, he was pleased to tell me that he was imminently being released and he just wanted to say thank you to me because I had rung his wife when he first arrived in prison. Again, this was something that had not really remained in my memory, but was another example of a fleeting action which meant so much to a prisoner.
Another badly fractured jaw belonged to a very sad man called Andrew. He had been in prison before and we had had a lot to do with him. First time round, he told us he was a Roman Catholic by background, and he began to attend Mass at the chapel. So faithful was he, that eventually he was baptised in prison by the priest so that he could receive Mass. He also came to our Bible study group and we spent time having conversations with him. He talked about his broken relationship with his girlfriend and the children that he loved so deeply. He appeared to want to make something of his life, hence his commitment to chapel, and he told me that he had tried to take his life on more than one occasion on the outside, but each time it had failed. I remember that he told me he tried to hang himself from a tree but the branch snapped. We thought he would make something of himself as he left prison but, in a few months’ time, he was back.
When I saw him I was absolutely shocked. Like Peter, Andrew’s jaw was round the side of his ear, and his face was black and blue. It transpired that he had been in a fight, and his opponent had actually stamped on his face. His physical injuries were treated and his body recovered fairly speedily, but it seemed that his inner self had given up the fight. He stopped coming to chapel and we saw little of him. When we did speak to him, he was always ready to talk, mainly about his children, but a few months after he left prison he at last succeeded in what he had set out to do, he hanged himself to escape from all his inner turmoil and pain. I still have a poem that he wrote for the chapel.
The other aspect of Healthcare is that here we visit prisoners who are terminally ill and may be dying. I think of Jack, a young lad in his twenties, who was dying of a brain tumour. As far as I recall, he had no friends or family, and he never caused any problems, he was always quiet and respectful. As his condition deteriorated, he became almost blind and staff had to put a large sign on his door so he could make out which was his cell. He went downhill quite fast but was cared for so compassionately by the Healthcare staff. When he died, we had a memorial service for him in the chapel and the staff who had cared for him in Healthcare came and wept; touched at the sadness of the loss of such a young life, whatever his offence.
With an aging population, in prison we are seeing more and more elderly men who will die while they are with us. Although his background was Roman Catholic, Frank preferred to attend Church of England services, and was a regular chapel attender. He was a historic sex offender and had a fairly lengthy sentence. He also came to the Discovery Group that I held on his Vulnerable Prisoner Unit. For a long time, he said very little but seemed to be growing in faith and was reading his Bible and praying. In the group, we study different courses and had used the Alpha course.
As Frank was in prison for so long, he was still there when I went to repeat Alpha. One evening at the end of the session he quietly shared with the group that on the previous run-through of the course he had prayed the prayer that Nicky Gumbel spoke on the video, and he felt he could ‘let go’ of his past and had found ‘real peace within’. This was borne out by his attitude to life and other prisoners, by whom he was loved and respected. His health gradually faded and he came to Healthcare. I was able to pray with him and he passed away peacefully. He had a Catholic funeral on the outside. We had a memorial service inside, which was well attended by his fellow prisoners, and the accolades he received from them were very touching. Undoubtedly, his quiet presence and kindness had spoken to many of them and he had found peace deep within, despite his surroundings.
Take a look at this quick guide to maintaining your vehicle in the colder months from the motoring experts at Mitchell Group.
De-icing your vehicle
Plan ahead – it could take time to defrost your car.
Take care to defrost all the windows and not just the windscreen.
Check your wipers are not frozen to the windscreen by attempting to lift them up. Turning your wipers on when they are frozen could lead to burning out the motor.
Spray de-icer over all the frozen areas and clear with an ice scraper. Ensure you carry de-icer and a scraper with you for all onward journeys.
Never pour boiling water from the kettle on your car.
Top up your engine coolant with anti-freeze.
Anti-freeze is an essential component of engine coolant, which works to maintain the temperature of your engine. Ensure you maintain a ratio of 50% water to 50% anti-freeze.
Keep your car clean
Cold weather conditions will mean you need to clean your vehicle regularly. For optimum visibility ensure your lights are clean. It is required by law that your number plates are clean and visible.
Check your tyre pressure
Ensure you check your tyre pressure as a cold snap can reduce your PSI.
Refer to your owner’s manual for the correct PSI for your vehicle.
Check you are up to date with servicing
Ensure your vehicle is maintained and ready for the winter months by way of regular servicing. If you are unsure of when your next service is due Mitchell customers can call our customer care team on 0151 347 5555. Stay safe, we’re here for you and your car.
By Tony Uddin – Pastor of Tower Hamlets Community Church
I was raised on fairly rough council estate in South London. My dad was a Bangladeshi Muslim and for most of her life my mum didn’t really have a meaningful faith of any kind. Very occasionally my three brothers and I would go with dad to the mosque, but mainly my parents left us to work out our faith for ourselves.
One day, an invitation was extended to my family through my brother. He was invited to a Crusaders boys’ bible study and years later at six or seven I started going along with him. That one unusual invite to a young boy with a Muslim parent to come to a Christian bible study led to him, and others in the family including me, coming to faith. This small invitation became a defining moment in my life and has subsequently shaped my ministry in Tower Hamlets.
From that invitation, my brother and then the rest of us started going to more Crusaders events and then to yearly Crusader camps. These events were like holidays to us, it was the only time we’d go out of London at all in the year and we were never excluded if we didn’t have the money to go. While we would be told Bible stories, we would also play sports and visit other places. They gave us opportunities that we ordinarily wouldn’t have access to.
It wasn’t until I was 10 that I made the personal choice to follow Jesus. We had a lot of fun on these camps, but they didn’t hide the gospel or water it down. It was always clear and was communicated in a way we could understand, without jargon or vagueness. The events were a constant for me, I had been attending Crusaders weekly for years at that point, but the message, the invites and the influence never wavered. That year, a missionary from London City Mission called Bill Dean spoke, and that’s when the implications of the gospel fully clicked for me for the first time. Now, years later I pastor a church myself.
Having the consistent support of a community after I responded to the gospel helped me grasp how it would shape my life. I saw what Christian service looked like, I witnessed Christian values first hand. The leaders were really important to my growth and were always reliable. Martin, my youth leader, was such a positive influence although he had such a different background from me. We came from different worlds; he was from a middle-class family and attended private school, yet he was committed to youth work in our community.
Having these role models gave me a window into a new world and helped to change me. Notably with my education, I was able to see what was possible and be encouraged by my peers and leaders. It broadened my horizons and allowed me to have greater aspirations.
There was this expectation from leaders that I would go on to lead. They saw a ‘calling’ in me and didn’t disregard or underestimate me because of my background. My ministry at Tower Hamlets Community Church (THCC) has been shaped by the impact an invitation had on my life. I never had to change who I was. I want to lead a church that is being shaped by and shaping the community in the East End where we are placed. Too often, churches simply don’t do well at raising leaders from working class backgrounds. For us at THCC its really important that the kind of leaders that we raise are grounded in and shaped by our local community.
It’s amazing to see churches across the UK want to be more invitational and welcoming. But we have to remember that for a true invitation to be meaningful to our communities, we cannot then exclude them from certain positions or opportunities because of our bias. The Church doesn’t always notice, but those being invited and then excluded definitely do. Our invitation doesn’t stop once they’re through the door or regularly attending. We need to ask ourselves: “if people from our communities come into our church, will they see people like them in visible, vocal at the front positions?” They need to be given an opportunity to lead, to step into their calling regardless of class, background, or race.
When I was a teenager a church plant moved to our estate but although they were lovely people, they weren’t interested in truly engaging and learning from the local community. They wanted to grow a church and assumed that what had worked in leafy Surrey would work on our urban estate. There wasn’t really a sense that they came as learners, more as saviours. Sadly, the Church ended up very short lived.
Our churches and leaders must look more like the communities we’re based in. That’s how we take the shape of our communities. Very often, it’s too easy to mistake a middle-class civility for Christian maturity and therefore anyone who lacks the middle-class upbringing is disqualified. To reach new people and reach into marginalised communities, we need to embrace the DNA of our communities.
I’m so glad that those who invited me understood the importance of reaching families like mine; they didn’t always understand our culture or ‘get’ what our lives were like, but they did embrace us, include us, and ultimately trained and supported us to step into our calling. Most importantly, they didn’t dumb down the Gospel for us. Let’s lean into intentionally reaching the communities around us. A good challenge for us on a Sunday is to look around our church and rather than celebrate who is in the room, think about which parts of our community are not there? Let’s ask ourselves why they are not there and what can we do to change that?
Former 80s pop star, the Reverend Richard Coles, published a book that lays bare the profound grief he felt at losing his ‘life partner’ – and reveals he found solace in music.
The Madness Of Grief is a poignant account of Coles coping with the 2019 loss of his partner, Richard, and how he dealt with the trauma and pain of bereavement.
He reveals he has an eclectic taste in music, revelling in the stirring synthesizer sounds of The Eurythmics while being awe-struck by hymns such as Thou Visitest The Earth and All My Hope On God Is Founded.
And it is to these melodies, and more, he turned when he was at his lowest ebb.
Although not a self-help book, the homilies, experience and catharsis within creates invaluable solace. It will resonate for the myriad struggling with grief wrought by the pandemic.
Since relinquishing pop stardom for the vestry, Coles was vicar of St Mary The Virgin in the Northamptonshire parish of Finedon. He can also be heard on Radio Four every Saturday morning, where he co-hosts a popular weekend programme.
His latest book follows Fathomless Riches and Bringing In The Sheaves – his best-selling memoirs.
Editor’s Note: I’m delighted to welcome Tony Horsfall as a Guest Writer here at Sorted Magazine. Tony is an experienced writer, retreat leader and all round good egg! He has a vastexperience of ministry overseas and in a local church in the north of England. He is the author of several really helpful books, Including Rhythms of Grace, Spiritual growth in a Time of Change, and Working from a place of rest.
Tony writes: Mid-life is the transition from the first half of life to the second half. This transition normally occurs somewhere between the ages of 40 and 60, and may last anything from a few years to a decade.
It does not have to be a crisis, but it can be; for most it is a gradual change but with periods of more intense challenge. Navigated well it can lead to the most satisfying and fruitful period of our lives when we come to maturity as a person.
The passage into mid-life is characterised by some observable changes, the most common being physical, the greying of the hair and the failing of the eyesight, a more rotund appearance for some and a certain slowing down of pace on the sports field. There are inner changes too, perhaps a struggling to find meaning and purpose, and a wondering what life is all about. This psychological upheaval can be accompanied by emotional unsteadiness, a restlessness, and occasionally feelings of self-doubt or slight depression. At the same time there might be a seeking after a spiritual dimension to life, or for those who have had strong faith, a dip into doubt and a reviewing of belief. Often in this period we realise we are viewed differently by society, and are no longer ‘up and coming’ but part of the established order, which is disconcerting.
Not everyone will experience all these changes, but it is likely that you will experience some, and enough to disturb your equilibrium. Mid-life can present us with some serious challenges.
Identity – who am I without my role or the status given by my work? Am I to be defined by what I do, what I have, my performance or how others think of me? Who am I really when I stop pretending or living up to the expectations of others? This is a search for your true, authentic self, the person God made you to be in your uniqueness.
Lifestyle – often, because of the busyness of life and the constant pressure under which we live, the longing arises that there must be a better way to live. We feel that we want to step off the treadmill and adjust our pace, review our values. This reflects a natural movement from living in the external world to a desire to live more from the internal world. At this point people often discover and nurture the inner life and become more reflective.
Marriage – for those who are married the question arises, ‘Do I want to stay married or not?’ These thoughts often coincide with the celebration of a silver wedding, when children have grown up and the thought of living with the same person for another 25 years may seem daunting. The temptation to be unfaithful is very real. It can also be a time for marriage renewal, and the surprising discovery that marriage in later life can be even more satisfying than in the early years, but this requires perseverance.
Faith – a surprising number of men come to faith during the turmoil of mid-life, realising that they can’t navigate life alone and that they need help from outside themselves. Failure in life and the realisation that we are not as successful as we expected to be, can make us open to divine assistance. Those who have been de-constructing an inherited faith may well re-discover God in deeper ways, learning to live with mystery and being content not to have all the answers.
Future – an important question is: “What do I want to do with the rest of my life? Do I want to continue as I am, or is it time for a change? Do I have the courage to try something new?” Mid-life is a period when we can discover our vocation, that is what we were really made for, but this requires re-evaluation and the willingness to change, both exciting and daunting!
What will help us navigate mid-life successfully? Certainly it is vital to be open and honest and to find a trusted person with whom to share your deepest feelings and fears. This is not a sign of weakness, but of strength. Find a mentor, or life coach or even a spiritual director to whom you can talk and be accountable. Talk to friends and others on a similar journey.
Be assured that what is happening to you is quite normal. Mid-life is a life passage, a movement from one phase of life to another. While the journey is unique to each of us it is by no means unusual. Many have passed this was before. Some made bad choices and ended up shipwrecked, But others made good choices, and came to discover that the second half of life can be the most fulfilling period of all.
Ford’s Fiesta is one of the best superminis, so all the more disappointing that Ford has recently announced it’s being discontinued.
It has recently had an update with a revised front end, including a more prominent grille and repositioned badge, as part of its mid-life facelift.
The ST-Line X trim is essentially the standard ST-Line grade with added spice.
Eighteen-inch alloys are included, along with sports suspension, sports seats, a rear roof spoiler, a touchscreen with SatNav, automatic temperature control, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, LED lights, electric door mirrors and a panoramic roof.
It is the mid-range 1.0-litre 125PS engine under the spotlight here, which, thanks to its mild hybridity, comes with a bigger turbo. While it’s nothing to get excited about regarding performance, it makes steady progress off the line, masking its small size. It even sounds half-decent, too.
The seven-speed automatic (fitted in the car supplied for the appraisal) is smooth. However, changing down can be a bit sluggish when you press hard on the accelerator.
The handling is superb, thanks to a well-tuned chassis, which delivers agility in spades due to tonnes of grip in the corners and excellent steering.
The Fiesta is great fun to drive – and, despite the sharp handling, it retains an excellent level of ride comfort, too.
Inside, the cabin is nice enough but a bit plain and too dark for my liking. It lacks the sophistication of some of its rivals, but at least it’s comfortable.
Headroom isn’t all that great in the Fiesta, but legroom in the front is plentiful for a small car. Those in the back will struggle if they’re above six feet, though.
The infotainment screen is easy to use, but it’s not a class-leading system and lacks the responsiveness of rivals.
You get 292 litres of boot space, more than some superminis but less than the Seat Ibiza. Cargo capacity expands to 1,093 litres with the back seats folded down.
You’ll also get 50mpg out of it, with the hatchback producing 126g/km of CO2 in the process.
Ford is a mixed bag for reliability nowadays, with the Fiesta not ranking particularly highly and only a bog-standard three-year, 60,000-mile warranty is offered.
Nevertheless, it earned a five-star safety rating when tested back in 2017.
Overall, I really like the Ford Fiesta. There is no supermini quite like it to drive.
But if you want interior sophistication, equipment and practicality, alternative cars are worth considering.
Fast Facts – Ford Fiesta (1.0 MHEV ST-Line X 7-speed auto) as tested:
Living (2022) stars Bill Nighy as Mr Williams, a stuffed-shirt who appears to be sleepwalking through his dull paper-shuffling life. Trapped within endless rounds of bureaucracy in a local government department, each day seems very much the same as the last. Until a terminal cancer diagnosis leaves him with just one year to live. This triggers a sequence of out-of-character events and the narrative suddenly shifts up a gear.
Nighy is skeletal, scraggy, thin-lipped and softly spoken. He actually looks quite poorly. His character, Mr Williams, is reserved to the point of suffocating silence. Stilted questions, and answers, emerge very slowly, if at all. Emotional and physical pain are etched all over his face, it’s a little uncomfortable to watch. But this is nicely offset by a pleasant, rhythmic slowness to the film which seems to accurately reflect the dull, ploddy pace of Mr Williams’ day to day life. Following the diagnosis, and a short season of hedonism, Mr Williams seems to wake up from the municipal trance he’s in. He begins to focus on completing a task which actually matters and, perhaps more importantly for the philosophically minded among us, is within his power to achieve.
Suddenly his life has meaning, purpose and direction. Or, more accurately, with his change of heart he has discovered a purpose which was right under his nose the whole time. It’s a modest purpose to be sure, but one which will benefit the local children. A small play area, to be built on a former bomb site, a stand against the overwhelming tide of departmental bureaucracy. Mr Williams works with considerable urgency and energetically draws his bewildered team members into the work at hand.
Friendless, lonely and shy, the newly awakened Mr Williams also attempts to strike up the beginnings of a connection with two young colleagues. Miss Harris (Aimee Lou Wood) and Mr Wakeling (Alex Sharp). He relates to them both quite warmly, in a displaced fatherly kind of way. The whole story has been gently steeped into a sort of milky warm post-war 1950s sadness. Every reel oozes with the lingering unspoken regrets which must have drenched that era. For me, the biggest sadness was Mr Williams lack of connection with his biological son and daughter-in-law. And as if the viewer hasn’t already suffered enough, the clever film-makers round things off with a further topping of searing disconnection and acute sadness, by leaving these key family relationships painfully unresolved.
But I must not, and will not, judge Mr Williams for this apparent fatherly failure. Because, the truth is until we’re faced with it, most of us really don’t know how we would respond to such a serious diagnosis. We simply don’t know how strong or how vulnerable we might feel, or how much head space we might have left to work with. We don’t know what our priorities might be and whether they would shapeshift when death looms large. Most of us don’t know these things because we can’t possibly know them. Because we haven’t had to face up to that reality, not directly, because in order to get on with the job of living a lot of us manage our own death as an abstract concept, something which happens to other people.
In those long slow, impeccably shot scenes, in the painful pauses, in the divine piano pieces, we are invited not just to sit with Mr Williams, but to become Mr Williams. In essence Living is a work of art which invites us to sit and rest within the theatre of our own mortality for a while. We are invited to imagine that scenario, not to panic but to ponder, to ask and to consider, our own questions around how we could best use our allotted time. To review what we want to give ourselves to, and to whom we want to be given.
In yet other scenes Living takes us gently by the hand and asks us to examine the dead and dying parts of our own hearts, the bits of us that we have given up on, it asks us to consider how we might wake up to the world around us and live better. The awareness of death and the numbering of our days, is carefully framed as a gift which holds the potential to switch on the lights. Living demonstrates how new possibilities may still emerge, though little time is left, through exercising the power of free will.
Living is available to watch on Prime TV, we have a pretty big telly but in reality, even though there are no car chases, explosions or special effects, I actually wish I’d seen this movie at the cinema. That would have been a pleasant evening. The costumes, the scenery, the settings, the cinematography by Jamie D Ramsay, the whole 1950s vibe is really quite exquisite and fully deserving of the immersive big screen experience. Transported to another era by the rich musical score, which was so delish, I was almost tempted to close my eyes and forget the film. Living is an absorbing slow burn movie with a meaty universal theme now available to watch, if you have the courage, on Prime TV.
If you’re after a hot hatch, you’ll know you’ve got to spend quite a lot of money.
You have probably yet to consider buying a Skoda Fabia, but it could be the answer.
The Monte Carlo version is the hottest of the Fabia range, with 17-inch alloys, half synthetic leather seats, a rear spoiler, a sports leather steering wheel, aluminium pedals, a carbon effect interior trim with red décor, LED headlights and black door mirrors.
You also get an eight-inch infotainment touchscreen with a DAB radio and a 10.25-inch digital instrument display.
While it’s not a proper hot hatch, it looks like one.
There are two engines to choose from: a 1.0-litre three-cylinder producing 110PS with a six-speed manual or a seven-speed automatic, and a 1.5-litre four-cylinder producing 150PS with the automatic.
It is the 150PS engine reviewed here.
The power combined with the car’s smallness means it really gets going. And, while its pace isn’t on par with proper performance hatchbacks, it feels rapid enough.
Lamentably, the transmission doesn’t do it many favours, as it can be hesitant and feels like it’s holding the car back rather than making life easier.
You can use the gear lever to flick up and down gears, but paddles on the steering wheel would be preferable.
Despite being a sports version, the chassis and suspension setup is the same as the rest of the range.
That is not a bad thing, as the Fabia handles well in the bends, with plenty of grip. But any notion it’s a hot hatch ends here, as it’s a worthy blend of comfort and athletic prowess, whereas performance seekers will wish for more of the latter.
The model rides well, loves a motorway cruise, and it’s great around town, where its small size means it can zip through gaps.
The interior is exciting, with lots of red and carbon trim, and the seats are comfortable, with good visibility for the driver.
The infotainment system is friendly and reasonably intuitive to use. But it’s not the most responsive I’ve tried, and it’s inferior to some of its main challengers.
There is a lot of room in the front and back, given this is a small car. But three adults in the rear is likely to be doable only if the journey is short.
A generous 380 litres of boot space are offered, expanding to 1,190 litres with the rear seats folded down in a 60:40 split.
The test car managed an impressive late 40smpg, producing 134-137g/km CO2.
Skoda has a reputation for reliability nowadays, and you get a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty in case anything goes wrong.
Euro NCAP awarded the Fabia a five-star safety rating in 2021. It has a driver alert system, front assist, lane assist, rear parking sensors and pedestrian protection.
Overall, the Skoda Fabia is one of the best cars in its class for sensible things, such as ride comfort and practicality. Some competitors, though, are even more fun to drive.
Fast Facts – Skoda Fabia (Monte Carlo trim) as tested:
Max speed: 139 mph
0-62 mph: 8.0 seconds
Combined mpg: 47.9 mpg
Engine layout: 1.5-litre four-cylinder with front-wheel drive
The e:Ny1 marks Honda’s second fully electric vehicle (EV) in this part of the world.
The cutting-edge model not only marries a fresh design approach with top-tier interior quality but also showcases advanced technology, making it a compelling and contemporary choice for families who value innovation.
Developed to deliver new values, sensations, and experiences for existing and new EV owners, the e:Ny1 remains true to Honda’s human-centred development philosophy. Emphasising the brand’s fun-to-drive dynamics, a smooth and refined ride, and versatile functionality, Honda’s engineering team has successfully harnessed the advantages of a fully electric powertrain.
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Under the bonnet, the e:Ny1 utilises Honda’s newly developed front-motor-driven platform. With the latest battery management technology, the e:Ny1 boasts an impressive range of up to 256 miles and fast charging that takes approximately 45 minutes to reach 80 per cent capacity.
The e: Ny1’s distinctive character is defined by its sleek, flowing design concept. The integrated headlights and bold face, with a clever rotating grille panel that provides access to the car’s charging port behind, make a unique statement.
Honda Offers Electric Vehicle For Hybrid Price
The attention to detail extends to the full-width LED light bar across the tailgate and a range of standout paint options, including the striking Aqua Topaz colour. Furthermore, this model presents a new EV identity, symbolised by the white ‘H’ badge at the front, signifying Honda’s dedication to electrification, and a new typeface for the brand name at the rear.
Emphasising its commitment to driver and passenger comfort, the e:Ny1 features clever packaging of the electric drivetrain elements, including the placement of the battery under the floor. This design contributes to a spacious, luxurious interior adorned with high-quality cabin materials and comfortable seating. The digital instrument panel and sizeable central touchscreen headline comprehensive technology features, keeping you and your passengers connected and informed.
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With safety as a top priority, the e:Ny1 comes equipped with the Honda SENSING suite of technologies as standard. The kit includes advanced driver-assist systems, showcasing Honda’s dedication to all-round collision performance and reducing driver burden, providing peace of mind for everyone on board.
Honda e:Ny1 Shortlisted for Best Compact SUV at Fleet News Awards
The Honda e:Ny1 certainly raises the bar with its blend of performance, style, and advanced features. Furthermore, this innovative model captivates and excites you while setting refreshing standards in the realm of electric driving.
