Jane Hawkes, the ‘Queen of Customer Service’ who runs the consumer advice website www.ladyjaney.co.uk says repeated posting on social media puts your complaint at risk of being lost and puts you at risk of scams. Jane suggests we get off social media to be successful when *one* makes a complaint.

What exactly is a smallholding? If you Google 'smallholding', the definitions are endless: a piece of land that is bigger than a garden but smaller than a full-scale farm; a small piece of land used for farming; an agricultural piece of land which exceeds one acre but is less than fifty acres; or a small-scale farm.

A leadership expert has warned companies looking to embark on a timetable of wellbeing initiatives for mental health awareness week that they can’t “spa trip their way out of a bad culture.” Drew Povey, author and founder of the Drew Povey Consultancy, says organisations need to instead focus on embedding wellbeing into their culture, rather than relying on a programme of activities for one wee…

Today marks the start of Mental Health Awareness Week (11–17 May), with this year’s theme focusing on taking action to support good mental health. For me, one of the most powerful and accessible actions we can take is simple: movement.

The team at Yorkshire’s first single malt whisky distillery is celebrating its tenth anniversary by releasing a 10 year old single cask whisky. The single malt whisky is the first age statement whisky from the Hunmanby, North Yorkshire single estate distillery, Spirit of Yorkshire.

The Merchant Adventurers’ Charity Beer Festival will return to York this summer for the fourth consecutive year on Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th July. Celebrating the finest Yorkshire ales and the artistry of craft brewing, this year’s event is set to raise the bar with a stellar line-up of over 30 guest breweries.

Anxiety has become incredibly prevalent. So many people say they suffer from it, yet very few people really understand how it works, what causes it, or indeed how to change it. After working for many years as a Harley Street fear, phobia and anxiety specialist, I’ve found there are some very effective ways to help people shift how they respond.

Spring is nature's way of hitting the reset button. It’s the season of renewal and fresh starts that we can see and feel around us. Trees burst into blossom, fresh leaves return, and fields are dotted with fluffy lambs. After lying dormant through winter, nature delivers us the exciting possibility of a fresh start. Do you also feel like you’re waking up from a long sleep?

I am very fortunate to have a large wildlife pond on my smallholding. Not only does it look pretty, but it also attracts an abundance of birds, bees, frogs, toads and insects, and it provides a wonderful, calming retreat – a place to sit at the end of a busy day. The pond features shallow, sloping edges, making it easy for wildlife such as hedgehogs to access.

Five special steam trains will run across Lancashire and Yorkshire this summer to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Scarborough being crowned a spa town. Three of the trains will start at Carnforth on the West Coast and pick up passengers at Skipton, Keighley, Shipley, Woodlesford, Church Fenton and York.

Leeds cheesemonger, George & Joseph, has been named a regional winner at the 2026 Farm Shop & Deli Retailer Awards, cementing its reputation as one of the UK independent food retailer. The Chapel Allerton-based business was recognised as the North East regional winner at the national awards, which celebrate the very best specialist food retailers across the UK.

Social media is increasingly used by younger generations to self-diagnose mental health conditions. Here mental health expert Noel McDermott looks at this surge in self-diagnosis and the dangers behind this.

While rats are now a common problem in cities and rural areas, it has to be said that they are one of the drawbacks of keeping animals on a smallholding. Rats are encouraged in the winter months by the lure of the warm hay barn and the ready supply of feed, either by foraging in the feed store or by eating any leftovers from the animals' feed bowls.

A local wellbeing advocate is lacing up her walking shoes once again for the return of Mindful Moments Month, a month-long campaign encouraging people to slow down and carve out small moments for themselves amid the demands of everyday life.

Nearly everyone choosing a medical career now makes this momentous decision as a young teenager. Two sets of exams must be aced, and extracurricular activities buffed to have any chance of gaining what remains, despite the palpably low morale of doctors, a highly competitive profession.

There is always something happening on the smallholding, and this time it is Jasper’s turn to worry me. A few weeks ago, I noticed Jasper was having a bit of difficulty with his left back leg. He could still walk, but he was slower than usual and kept stopping to lift his leg.

Mortgage rates have moved higher again this spring, with the average two and five-year fixed deals now sitting at around 5.3 to 5.4 per cent, as lenders respond to a more volatile market. After a relatively stable start to the year, recent weeks have seen a clear shift.

Kirsty Dixon, a menopause educator from York, joined a unique holistic programme focused on rewiring the brain. She’s now pain free for the first time in three decades. I sat on my sofa, head in my hands, crying in frustration as another ripple of pain went up my back. I was 27 but I felt 87. I was desperate to get my life back. This was in 1994. I’d woken with a niggle in my lower back.

Shetland ponies are small and compact, with an average height of 40 inches. They have a thick double coat, which sheds in the summer months, and large feet, which are well-suited to the cold, wet and often blustery weather of Scotland. The ponies have thick-set bodies, short legs and broad, strong backs. They have small ears, large eyes and long, thick manes and tails.

Garzon Tannat, Reserve 2023 There is a certain type of wine that arrives with a story so polished, you half expect it to taste like the marketing department. Bodega Garzón’s Tannat Reserva does not fall into that trap, which is fortunate, because it has quite the backstory to live up to.

Have you ever looked around your house and felt instantly frustrated by everything you see? Perhaps items are out of place, and you can’t decide what to do with them. Or maybe you’ve tried sorting things out, but you ran out of time or headspace to deal with it. If this scenario sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

It’s Easter time, and like many other festivals, it's time to think about traditional edible treats. Mention Easter and we think Easter eggs – mostly the chocolate variety, which really didn’t come into fashion until the 19th century, but the egg has been a symbol of rebirth and fertility for many centuries.

A little bit of stress is good for you, but too much can have severe consequences on both your physical and mental health. Negative stress is implicated in all major mental illnesses and all lifestyle-related illnesses, such as type 2 diabetes; it is even implicated in autoimmune illness, cancer, etc. How can you tell if you are feeling stressed?