Brit flies to Portugal and buys peri peri chicken - all for less than £15
By Ben Barry
A Brit flew to Portugal and bought peri peri chicken all for less than £15 - cheaper than the cost of his usual Nando's order.
Callum Ryan, 23, usually orders a butterfly chicken, peri salted chips and garlic bread from the fast food chain and wondered if he could get it cheaper elsewhere.
He booked a flight from London Gatwick to Faro, Portugal, with Wizz Air - costing him £8.99.
Once he landed in Portugal, Callum went to Frango Piri Piri in Albuferia, Portugal - where he got half a chicken for just £3.45.
In total, Callum spent £12.44 on the flight and lunch which was cheaper than his £15 Nando's order.
Callum, a content creator, from Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, said: "I ended up having a three day trip - I wanted to make the most of it.
"I asked a local taxi driver to find the best chicken and he sent me to Frango Piri Piri.
"It was a typical Portuguese peri peri chicken. It was a half chicken and it was so nice - I would definitely go back."
In October Callum flew to Spain for a three day holiday for less than £100 all in.
He also flew to Dubai for £64 - less than the cost of filling up his car with fuel.
Breakdown of costs -
Flight to Faro, Portugal, from London Gatwick - £8.99
Peri peri chicken for lunch - £3.45
Usual Nando's order cost -
Peri peri chicken with salted chips and garlic bread - £15
Meet couple who have become 'book rescuers' - saving up to 15,000 titles a week
By Samuel Wightwick
Meet the couple who have become 'book rescuers' - taking in up to 15,000 titles a week to save them from landfill.
George Brooks, 36, and partner Sarah, 42, started their journey in 2021 when they came into possession of 800 books that were destined for the dump.
They managed to sell that haul successfully and decided to start to taking in more, which they took to parking lots to auction off.
With locals wanting a more permanent location, they then opened a 3,600sq ft warehouse in Pinellas County, Florida where they now regularly take in 5,000 to 10,000 - and up to 15,000 - books a week.
The couple also recycle the books and create various projects and packages that they then sell on to artists, schools and theatres to give them new life.
They post videos of the process of creating these things on their Instagram and TikTok, @thebookrescuers
George, who does all of this full-time, said: "Our mission is to keep books out of the landfill at all costs and provide as many books as we can to the community affordably.
"Most books come to us via organizations that otherwise would throw them away.
"We work with 35 different libraries, Amazon sellers, estate sale companies, junk removal companies, thrift stores and other used Bookstores.
"We also get about 20% from our amazing community of supporters."
George and Sarah use the spines of hardcover books for DIY crafts and art, such as canvasses for artists.
They also function as great covers for fiction authors who want to bind their own books, the couple said.
George said: "The issue is that hardcover books cannot be recycled without removing the spine and the cover.
"So using the guillotine, which I and lots of our followers love, allows us to strip the books down to its spine, cover and pages.
"We can then repurpose these elements, ensuring these epic works of art are treasured for many years to come."
George's next task is finding a new location where he will be able to take in more donations - and take the business to the next level.
He said: "We have found a new building we would like to move into that would allow us to rescue and rehome tons more books.
"Three months ago I had to turn down a 20 tonne donation that is currently going to the dump.
"Ever since then I have been trying to figure out how to make the move to be able to facilitate receiving and rehoming the vast majority of them.
"We've launched a Kickstarter to help fund the move."
Whilst he cant think too far ahead, George has already envisioned the endless possibilities available to him with the new location.
He said: "I have huge dreams for the new site.
"I want a story time area for kids and a hands-on section for them to learn as well.
"We'll have a full coffee and tea bar with wine and local craft beers on tap, and a cafe that seats 50 plus with a small stage.
"All of these are going to come to fruition with this new location!"
A page has been set up to raise funds for their new location. It can be found here: https://gofund.me/28e3fcf3
'I'm Britain's oldest worker - I'm 98 and doing my job keeps me young'
By Adam Dutton
Britain’s oldest worker has no plans to retire at the grand age of 98 – saying his job “keeps me young”.
Ivor Ward is still clocking on four days a week as a production operative at health company EM Pharma.
He started work at the firm when he was 80 following a career which included jobs in the Army and being a professional poker player.
He did retire when he was 79 but only managed one day before he got "so bored" he went job-hunting and joined EM Pharma near his home.
He now enjoys weekends drinking with his younger colleagues and playing poker with friends.
Ivor, from Rothley, Leics., said: “I had one day in retirement and it sent me nuts so I went back to work almost immediately.
“In our day when you left school you had to get a job. There wasn’t dole or benefits.
“A lot of older people who are just on their pensions, have a hobby. For the lonely ones it’s the biggest killer.
“I know so many people who just end up sitting at home all day.
“Then that’s deadly because you just end up getting up at 10am and sit all day in your pyjamas.
“Now at the weekends we have parties with the younger people. We drink, dance and create mayhem.
“I play poker and have a quiz. It’s like being at home with the family when I’m working.
“The day just goes by like lightning. It just generally keeps your mind busy and active.
“I do four days a week now. I do longer days on the four days. I work from 7am until 3pm Monday to Thursday.
“It’s great, in a way coming to work is like coming home.
“I know everyone here. I know the families, there’s always someone to talk to.
“The only alternative is to sit, there’s no one about in the daytime. It's like purgatory.
“It's a pleasure to come into work, otherwise I'd just be at home sitting on my own doing nothing, ageing fast. In here, we have a laugh.”
Ivor, who has four great-great-grandchildren, has worked non-stop since joining the Army as a Royal Engineer in 1943.
He rose to the rank of Lance Corporal before leaving the military at the end of the war and getting a job as a civil engineer.
He moved to another firm as an operations manager before trying his hand as a professional poker player.
Ivor added: “I worked pretty much non-stop until I was 79.
“Then the company I was operations manager for sold up and that was that.
“I managed one day in retirement before I had to start work again.”
The sprightly pensioner, who celebrated his 98th birthday last month, has lived alone for over 30 years since his wife Joyce died aged 63.
He says he intends to carry on working until he reaches 100 when he plans to have a gap year travelling the world playing poker.
He said: “I’m happy here. In two years when I’m 100 I'll have a gap year. Then I’ll come back.
“I have been gambling around the world gambling so I'd like to visit the popular casinos again.
“End up skint or end up rich. Either is fine with me.”
World's biggest Harry Potter fan says record collection now fills entire home
By Ben Barry
Meet the Harry Potter superfan with the world's largest collection of wizarding memorabilia - which has taken over her home despite her husband 'not being a fan'.
Tracey Nicol-Lewis, 49, has well over 7,000 wizarding items - including wands, special edition books, LEGO sets and artwork - spread across every room in her house.
Her husband, Martin, 47, a security officer, claims it's not his thing - but supports his wife's passion.
Tracey first watched Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 2002 just after the birth of her son and fell in love with the characters straight away.
It wasn't long before she acquired her first Harry Potter collectible - a chocolate frog from her local corner shop.
She had 6,300 items in 2021 but since then her collection has significantly grown to more than 7,000 and taken over her house - including her bathroom, spare rooms and son's bedroom.
Tracey is gearing up to beat her previous world record - which she set in April 2021 - but hasn't counted them all officially yet.
Tracey, a housewife, from Bargoed, Wales, said: "I didn't even think I had that much in my collection but Martin said that I should go for the world record.
"I couldn't believe it when I found our I had the record for Wizarding World and Harry Potter - I couldn't believe it.
"I was friends with the man who was the previous Harry Potter record holder and I just didn't think I would beat him."
Little by little, the odd eBay bid and trades with friends grew her collection, and Tracey hit her first 100 items in about 2006.
Her hoard now includes special editions of the books and their spin offs, and at least 127 action figures.
Her largest item is her cardboard book display for 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' which stands at five feet tall.
She's never had her collection valued but she estimates she spends on average £100 every month on new items.
The mum-of-one said: "Everything I like in my collection is just amazing, I love it.
"They have memories attached to them as well because I can remember the bits from the films or the books."
Tracey also enjoys Harry Potter cosplay, and attends events to meet other fanatics while dressed in her clobber.
She says that her favourite items change over time, but her currents are her collection of 47 wands.
But when she met her now-husband Martin, he wasn't immediately taken by her hobby.
She said: "He knew about my collection so it was accept it or run.
"First of all I said I like Harry Potter and I collect Harry Potter, and he was kind of shocked when he came around and saw the collection.
"But in my last house he decorated it red and yellow because of Gryffindor and he put up shelves for me and made it more Harry Potter themed.
"Martin is amazing, he puts up with my collection and even buys me things for it."
The family moved to a larger property in 2019 to accommodate the collection, and now have three rooms dedicated to it.
Tracey said: "We need a lot of work doing on the house so I can't have any more at the moment - but I'm working on it!
"I've had people say they want me to open the house and start a B&B."
Tracey and Martin married after four years together on February 2, 2020, in a lavish Potter-themed ceremony in Discovery Cove in Orlando, Florida, US.
The wedding cake was topped with a Golden Snitch and magic wand, as well as the words 'Martin found a keeper' - referring to the Quidditch position.
Tracey's Gryffindor-inspired wedding dress and shoes were made for her by her friends in the Harry Potter community.
She said: "I wanted a dress I could have for my wedding but could wear to other occasions.
"Martin let me pick what I wanted for the big day - so the tunes going in and when you came out were Harry Potter.
"My friends in Florida were there in robes."
While Martin doesn't share her passion for the Wizarding World, it was his idea to count her collection for Guinness World Records.
He said: "The films are good but it is not something I would watch again.
"She calls herself a collector but I call her a hoarder - some of the items are cool but it is not my thing."
Martin and Tracey are currently putting her collection in boxes for counting for when she attempts to beat her own world record.
Tracey said: "You have to have photos of every single item, you have to have a full itemised list of everything you own.
"As well as having two independent people counting the items.
"The whole process needs to be recorded and even if you stop for a break you need to keep the camera rolling.
"Once we have it all boxed up I will then lay it all out into groups ready for counting."
