Festive family create Christmas window display – for 30th year in a row
A festive family has come together to create a Christmas window display – for the 30th year in a row.
The King family, from Rochester, Kent, first started transforming their windows into a winter wonderland back in 1995.
Janita King, who has five children with her husband Phil, says she was first inspired by a memory from her teens – when the care home where she worked would paint their dining room windows for Christmas.
She decided to start up the tradition with her family – and each year, she and her children Claire, Andrew, Neil, Melanie, and Jonathan painted their windows in a different festive theme.
Even though they have all now moved out, Janita and Phil’s kids still return each year for the family tradition – and now their own children have started taking part.
Jonathan, Neil, and Melanie still join in on the painting – while Claire and Andrew return to see the finished piece.
This year, the display is inspired by Hogsmeade Village from the Harry Potter series – in a tribute to actress Maggie Smith, who played Professor McGonagall, and died earlier this year.
Youngest son Jonathan, now 31, said: “As the youngest sibling, Christmas is always associated with painting the window.
“It’s a tradition that goes back as long as I can remember. I really enjoy the challenge of thinking about and designing compositions.
“It’s a lot of hard work in a condensed period of time – we are effectively painting a mural in the space of 24 hours.”
Melanie, now 37, added: I feel very nostalgic about painting the window and love that it has become a family tradition.”
And Neil, now 39, said: “What started out as simple characters depicting the nativity or characters from Narnia, developed into whole sceneries as our skills and confidence have grown.”
This year, the youngest King generation got involved too.
Janita said some of the seven grandchildren “had a little paint under supervision” – before declaring they wanted to paint the whole thing next year.
For Janita and Phil, the festive tradition is an essential part of their Christmas.
Phil said: “I can’t imagine a Christmas without the window painting now. It’s something to look forward to.”
Meanwhile, Janita added: “It’s lovely that the children want to come home and we love to hear their laughter together. That’s the real joy of it.”
Real life Santa’s little helpers give up toys to help kids less fortunate at Xmas
Meet the real life Santa’s little helpers – the siblings giving up their toys to help children less fortunate this Christmas.
Charlie Seymour, seven, and his little sister, Molly, four, told their mum and dad, Michelle, 36, and Alex, 39, they wanted to make sure other kids got their dream
Christmas presents too.
The pair had a clear out of their old toys and enlisted the help of the parents to sell them online on websites like Vinted and Facebook marketplace – to raise £100.
The siblings were told they could spend the funds on a day trip or new toys but insisted they wanted to give back to other children who don’t have as much.
They plan on spending the money on Christmas presents to show the true meaning of Christmas and Michelle says she’s so proud of her children – who have gone on to raise over £500.
Michelle, a personal assistant, from Guildford, Surrey, said: “I asked them what they wanted to do with their money, I suggested they could use it to go on a day out, or go to a toy shop.
“But I was amazed when they said they wanted to instead send present to children in Africa.”
Michelle told her generous kids it might be difficult to send presents to Africa, but told them there were lot of people in the UK who were also in need too.
Charlie and Molly then decided to gift their money to a local children’s hospice – Shooting Star Children’s Hospices – to provide presents for the kids there.
Michelle said: “The idea to donate came totally from them, that’s the nicest thing about it.
“I very much told them both it’s your money, you can do what you like with it, when they suggested this I was blown away.
“It’s such a nice gesture – a lot of adults let alone kids wouldn’t even think of doing that.”
Michelle is taking Charlie and Molly to the shops on Sunday along with a wish list of gifts they have been sent by the hospice – including Lego, lava lamps, musical toys, and kids smart watches.
The family will then drop off the presents to one of the nurses at the hospice – just in time for Christmas!
Michelle said: “Every day the kids have been asking when we can go shopping and what they can get.”
Dad Alex thought Charlie and Molly’s idea was so touching he decided to set up a GoFundMe page – which has raised more than £500 so far – to give all the children in the hospice their dream Christmas presents.
Michelle said: “They are really really generous kids, we try to remind them how privileged they are so it has been so lovely to see.”
You can donate to their fundraising efforts here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/shooting-stars-childrens-hospice-guildford.
Former miner, 100, retires from pantomime with final Cinderella performance
A veteran panto actor who has trodden the boards since the 1930s has taken his final curtain call at the grand age of 100.
Great, great grandad Harvey Kay first took the stage at as a nervous eight year old in the 1930s at a theatre in his home town in High Green, Sheffield, South Yorks.
In the ensuing decades he had panto and musical roles.
These include being the wizard in the Wizard of Oz, as Starkeeper in Carousel, as well as starring in Cinderella, the Sound of Music, and Calamity Jane.
But he took his final bow at the EPPiC(c) Theatre in Sheffield at the weekend where he received a standing ovation from the crowd.
He added that he nearly cried after receiving the ovation at the end of the performance of Cinderella.
The former miner, who worked at Barrow Colliery, was promoted to the mine’s deputy before he took early retirement in his 50s.
Widower Harvey, who used to perform alongside wife Agnes prior to her death in 2018, said he feels ‘lost’ because he now has ‘nothing to do’ following his final show.
He said: “Well, I nearly cried. I nearly cried but I didn’t. I thought it was tremendous.”
Harvey added that it was ‘definitely’ his last show, despite previous false retirements, adding: “Definitely, because I can’t see, I can’t hear, I can’t walk, so that’s it. That’s me done.”
Harvey, who has seven children, thirteen grandchildren, and ‘a lot of great grandchildren’, as well as a great great grandchild, started performing aged just eight years old.
He founded the High Green Musical Theatre Group in 1948.
Granddaughter Laura Hall, 40, said she grew up watching her granddad perform in pantomimes. Now she performs in the group herself.
The primary school teacher said: “I remember going to see him around 1992, when we went to watch Cinderella, he’s been in a lot – more before then.
“My granddad got my dad involved, and then got me and my sister involved, and I’ve stayed all that time – I got my 30 year award earlier this year.
“My granny was in it when she was alive, and my uncle’s been in it as well. Over the years, a lot of us have been involved at different points.”
Laura said her granddad has previously announced his retirement before returning the next year, but this time it feels like the retirement will stick.
Harvey played the ‘Royal Equerry’ role in a production of Cinderella earlier this month, with his son and Laura’s dad Alan playing the king.
Laura said: “When we did the last show on Saturday, it did feel quite final.
“Everybody felt quite emotional. We kind of made up a part for him and let him do what he wanted, with him being 100.”
She added: “A lot of people have said to me this week that he’s a role model and an inspiration, and that a lot of the younger ones look up to him.
“All the younger ones love him, and without him, because he started the group all those years ago, there wouldn’t be a theatre group.
“Somebody said to me ‘think of all those children who maybe would have gone off and done other things, and he’s got them into it’.”
Three children receive ‘best Christmas present ever’ – bionic arms
Three children were left overjoyed after receiving ‘the best Christmas present in the world’ – bionic arms.
Zoey Hampton-Pigeon , 8, Finn Jarvis, 11 and Ettie Baker, eight, were given their new ‘life-changing’ Hero Arms yesterday (12 December) – thanks to The Big Hero 3 campaign.
The campaign, launched by mother Sarah Lockey, helps families of children with missing limbs to fundraise for bionic arms.
Ettie’s Mum, Alyse, said her daughter ‘screamed’ when she found out about her new Hero Arm – which she would get just in time for Christmas.
Alyse said: “Ettie has always shown so much love for her difference and loves celebrating differences.
“However, as she is getting older, she is becoming increasingly aware of just how different she is.
“She’s becoming more conscious of the stares when out and is sometimes frustrated that she can’t do things the same as everyone else – so having the opportunity to receive a Hero Arm is life-changing for Ettie in so many ways.
“For Ettie, she’s excited about being able to do things like handstands, ride her bike without an adaption and tying her shoes.
“As parents we are excited about these things too, but also all the other ways the Hero Arm will change Ettie’s life.
“We see how strong she is when asked about her limb difference on an almost daily basis and we know it will help her feel more confident so she can continue to embrace her perfectly imperfect self.
“We are absolutely over the moon to be working together with two other children and are really hoping to see them all receive this life changing arm.”
The Open Bionics Foundation, which provides financial support to people who need multi-grip upper limb prosthetics, The Worshipful Company of The Glovers, Foresight Group and an anonymous donor have all contributed £40,000 towards the children’s new bionic arms.
The last £20,000 has been raised by all three families working together.
Zoey’s Dad, Thomas, said his little girl was so excited upon receiving the news that she was ‘jumping up and down squealing’.
He described the ‘life-changing’ opportunity as ‘amazing’.
The family found out about their daughter’s limb difference at her 20-week scan.
Thomas said: “It was a very scary and emotional time not knowing what to expect.
“When Zoey was born she saw several specialists but there are no answers about why this happened to Zoey, it’s just one of those things.”
Now eight-years-old, Thomas says Zoey is a ‘very happy, caring, confident, and adventurous little girl’.
He added: “That being said, Zoey is getting to an age where she is becoming more self-conscious and less happy to accept help.”
Zoey is an active young girl ‘always on the go’ – as she is a member of a gymnastics club, does swimming lessons, and loves trampolining.
Thomas says with her new hero hand Zoey is looking forward to being able to use a skipping rope.
He explained: “Zoey does struggle with some everyday tasks such as tying her laces, using a knife and fork, doing up a zip and carrying a tray.
“A hero arm will make such a massive difference to her independence enabling her to do all these tasks, as well as her beloved skipping, without relying on help from others.”
Sarah Lockey was inspired to set up the campaign, which is now in its fourth run, after her daughter lost her hand to meningitis at just 15 months old.
She said: “It turned my world around and I promised one day I would get Tilly her hand back.
“She now wears two hero arms daily – so I want to support others who are going through the same thing.
“I know first-hand how daunting it is to raise money for prosthetics and how scary it can be – so the campaign helps take some of the stress out of crowdfunding for families.
“It is just incredible for three children to benefit and for their families all to meet and fundraise together.”
Finn Jarvis, who is the third child receiving a hero arm, has been described by his loved ones as ‘the boss of the family’.
Young Finn was born with no hand due to his Mum being involved in a serious car accident whilst carrying him.
Finn’s Dad, Ben, said: “Finn is a happy go lucky boy – he is kind, fearless and extremely switched on.
“He is now 11 and about to attend Brymore academy secondary school – an agricultural school.
“With this opportunity of a Big Hero Arm the possibilities for him to excel are endless.
“Finn has always been encouraged to see things as a challenge when his lack of limb has posed a problem. This he has always embraced and conquered, although at times having to compromise, where others have not had to.
“Finn is so excited to be given this opportunity and to see where and how this is going to change his life.”
Sarah added the campaign is her ‘favourite thing’ to do – and it has been a delight for the children to meet and receive such a life-changing opportunity.
She added: “We are hoping to do another campaign next year if any donors who want to get involved to help are interested.”
For more information, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/big-hero-3-uk-2024-here-we-go-again
Striking picture of parakeet biting tree-climbing lizard wins top award
This striking picture showing a parakeet attacking a tree-climbing lizard has won a top photography award.
Hira Punjabi, from Maharashtra, India, took the stunning photo in Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan back in January 2024.
She had to wait by the same tree for four days to get the perfect action shot – but her patience paid off as she managed to capture the moment the bird bit down on the lizard’s tail.
The image placed first in the SINWP Bird Photographer of the Year 2024, in aid of RSPB.
Hira said: “This is a sanctuary where many migratory birds come in winter.
“The last 30 years [I have visited the park], I had observed this behaviour of birds attacking snake and lizards – as they feed on bird eggs.
“So I continued observing the same tree [for four days] and one morning a pair of parakeets came along with some 10 birds and started attacking the lizards.
“The whole drama lasted for an hour or so and I managed to shoot many images. But this one is my favourite.”
Second place was awarded to Thomas McDonnell from County Antrim, Northern Ireland, for a photo of a bird mid-flight – and third place went to Maggie Bullock from Cheshire for a shot of an owl.
Since its inception, the SINWP Bird Photographer of the Year has raised an impressive £16,138 to support vital conservation efforts led by the RSPB.
This year, £2,867 was raised.
Hira shot the winning photograph with a Nikon Z9 with 600mm VR TC lens.
The competition was judged by specialists Jon Ashton ARPS, Charles Farnell ARPS, and Tracy Lund FSINWP.
Britain’s oldest Christmas fairy lights out after 55 years when bulbs finally blew
Britain’s oldest Christmas lights have failed to shine for the first time in more than FIFTY years – after the bulbs finally blew.
The tree fairy lights – bought for just £3 from Woolworths by Vina Shaddick in 1969 – had been lit for 54 consecutive years without a single bulb ever being replaced.
But her son Ross-Farr-Semmems, 45, who inherited the lights after his mum died six years ago, says they have finally given up and won’t be on display for the first time.
Ross said the first bulb went at the end of last Christmas and he replaced it – but now fears he ‘disrupted’ the circuit and another six have now blown.
Ross, a music teacher from Plymouth, Devon, said he hasn’t dared touch them again since and they are now carefully wrapped up in a box.
He said: “”It is very very sad they are not up this year and it is the first year they haven’t been on display.
“It just felt they would be going on forever and it feels like the end of an era.
“Towards the end of last Christmas one bulb went out. A few years ago a lovely lady in St Austell had seen the story and sent me a few old bulbs she thought may well match them.
“I found one that I thought might match the original and put it in. But when I put it in it shone a lot brighter than the others. I thought ‘this is not good’ and before I knew it another six had gone out.
“It must have put more stress on the rest of the circuit so I turned them off and left them. I daren’t do anything with them anymore.
“They are now in a box and I have bought myself new bulbs that match the originals.
“I am trying to be brave enough to see if they work – but I am not holding my breath.
“I just feel if one is playing up it changes everything for all of them.”
Ross said he had now safely stored the lights in a nice box to have a go next Christmas and if he can repair them he said he’d love to make it to 60th anniversary.
He added: “I will definitely keep them – my mum is no longer with us and she did buy them in 1969. I am not into hoarding but like to keep a few little things – and they will definitely go in my box of little things to remind me of mum.
“It is not just all those Christmases – it is also the exciting journey we have had. Finding out everyone was interested in our old little lights and being in the papers every year. It was exciting. To have them come on when I met my now wife Ruth and when the boys came along.
“Three generations of us have now enjoyed those lights and they are definitely staying in the box – to remind us of all of that.
“It was always going to end at some point and we may well have reached that point.
“I hope not and if we can make it to 60 – that would be amazing. Let’s see next Christmas.”
Ross, who has two children with his wife Ruth, aged two and three, said they like to “grab and break everything” so was already reconsidering how they displayed decorations this year.
He added: “At some point I’ll have to find time to have a go and put extra bulbs in.
“But I still have a degree of optimism for future Christmases – I’ve got enough new bulbs to go in but it would be a shame if I had to change every single one but that would probably be wise for the circuit.
“Some previous reports said we had only changed one bulb previously – but that was wrong – we have never changed a single bulb and they were all original until the first one went at the end of last Christmas.”
Ross said although he is a fan of all Christmas decorations – he said it would be almost impossible to replace those lights.
He added: “I don’t think we’ll ever reproduce those quality of lights. They were just a different quality from a different age.”
Church hosts carol service with a twist – pets lining pews for a howl-a-long
A church hosted a carol service with a twist – with pets lining the pews for a sing-a-long.
The service – called Carols for the animals – was held at St. Botolph without Bishopsgate church in Bishopsgate, London, on December 11.
More than one hundred people attended the service alongside at least 25 pooches – dressed in festive neckerchiefs, Christmas jumpers and antlers.
The service was held in support of the charity International Animal Rescue – which helps to save and protect animals around the world from suffering.
Attendees brought their four-legged friends along to help raise funds for the organisation.
St Botolph’s is an animal-friendly church and Freddie, the Rector’s black Labrador, is often present to help welcome visitors – and howl along to hymns.
The church holds the only annual animal blessing service in London with all animals and their human companions welcome.
The service was attended by Downton Abbey actor Peter Egan, a patron of International Animal Rescue, while musical ensemble The Massive Violins provided music for the carols.
IAR President Alan Knight said: “We’re driven by a simple yet powerful goal – to rescue, rehabilitate, and protect animals in need while creating lasting change for wildlife and their habitats.
“Over the years, I’ve witnessed the incredible resilience of the animals we’ve saved – from dancing bears in India to critically endangered orangutans in Indonesia, from orphaned howler monkeys in Costa Rica to caged bears in Armenia.”
Mom worried she was going to miscarry after IUD was left in during pregnancy
A mom was worried she would miscarry her second child after doctors were unable to remove her IUD during her pregnancy.
Heather Hinson, 33, found out she was expecting her second child on May 17, 2023.
The news came as a shock to Heather and her husband, Jon Hinson, 34, a photographer, as she had an intrauterine device (IUD) – a small, T-shaped piece of plastic inserted into the uterus to prevent pregnancy.
After finding out she was expecting, Heather went to the doctor to get her IUD removed but they were unable to take it out – because the strings on the device broke.
Doctors told Heather they would have to wait until her son was born – which increased the chance of miscarriage – and she worried she would lose her baby.
On January 15, 2024, Heather gave birth via c-section and doctors were able to remove the IUD successfully at the same time.
The proud mom snapped a photo of her little boy with her IUD in his hand to mark the occasion.
Mom-of-two Heather, a photographer, from Orlando, Florida, US, said: “I was shocked and in denial when I found out I was pregnant.
“Our second son was not planned – that was a huge shock that I did not expect at all.
“When I found out I was pregnant I went to the doctors to get the device removed but they were unable to remove it.
“They told me to wait until I had given birth, I felt very upset and thought I was going to miscarry.”
Heather and her husband, Jon, were shocked to find out they were expecting their second child – 11 years after their first child.
Heather had an IUD fitted nine and half years previously and the device is supposed to prevent pregnancy by releasing copper into the womb.
Heather said: “I was in shock and denial for the first trimester – I had a hard time feeling that it was real.
“At first, I thought it was a mistake and the test was wrong.”
After finding out she was pregnant, Heather went to the doctor to get her IUD removed.
During the procedure, the strings on the device broke and the doctor was unable to remove the IUD with Heather told it would need to be left in until she had given birth.
She said: “Doctors tried to remove it but the strings broke so they couldn’t remove it and they told me to wait.
“I was very upset, I was crying. I called my husband on the way home distraught.
“I Googled it and it said there was a 50 per cent chance of me losing the baby.
“I thought I was going to miscarry.”
The UTSouthwestern Medical Center says leaving the IUD in during the pregnancy can increase the risk of miscarriage or preterm birth.
Heather said: “I had a couple of issues during the pregnancy, it is rare to still have an IUD during pregnancy and doctors don’t have a lot of information to go off when they leave in it.
“I had blurry vision which I struggled with a lot during the pregnancy.”
On January 15, 2024, Heather gave birth to her second son – who was born at 10.28am, weighing 7lbs 2oz, at AdventHealth Daytona Beach – via c-section.
Heather said: “They scheduled the c-section a week before my due date.
“They took the IUD out as soon as they delivered my son.
“I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw him for the first time – we cried a lot.
“He came out and he was super healthy.
“He is 11 months now, he is doing great and thriving – we love him so much.”
Estate agent’s festive advertising technique – snapping the GRINCH in properties
A savvy estate agency is advertising properties with a festive twist – by dressing up as the Grinch and lurking in every room.
Dennis Matse-Orere, 40, and his wife, Leila, 30 – who run Legacy Property Consultants – had a bright idea to help advertise their properties in December.
They dressed up colleagues as the Grinch and got snaps of the properties with the Dr. Seuss character posed inside.
CEO Dennis and head of marketing Leila had seen a similar idea done by another firm featuring a non-Christmassy character.
They decided to give the marketing technique a go for themselves, but with a festive twist.
They managed to convince a string of their landlord clients to let them snap new property pictures with the Grinch inside them.
Incredibly the strategy has proven to be a triumph – with some listings getting as much as an 840 per cent rise in clicks over non-Grinch listings.
Leila, from St John’s Wood, London, said: “I was thinking about how we could differentiate our ads on property portals to stand out.
“We saw another agency featuring a panda character in their listings – and suddenly we had a flood of ideas.
“I said ‘why don’t we do the Grinch?’ – and Dennis, who wouldn’t usually agree to something like this, said ‘why not?’.”
They reached out to a selection of landlords whose properties they represent across North West and central London and asked permission to photograph them featuring the Grinch.
Some weren’t keen, but one agreed – and that listing garnered THOUSANDS more views than any of their other listings.
Soon other landlords had got on board – and now Legacy Property Consultants have a string of Grinch properties.
She said: “At first, telling the landlords that we wanted to photograph a Grinch in their property wasn’t the easiest thing.
“But the more we could do, the more examples we had of how well it worked.”
Leila said she and a selection of her colleagues, Patrycja Anna Lis, Sergio Freitas and Anil Can Vural, have all donned the Grinch suit in the spirit of the campaign.
She added: “The stats – it’s nothing we’ve ever seen before. They’re going crazy.
“We had two or three properties rented out within hours of us posting the listing online.”
Incredible photographs of a kingfisher capture the bird’s ‘vibrant wonder’
Incredible photographs of a kingfisher mid-flight and diving for food capture the bird’s ‘vibrant wonder’.
Peter Wilkinson, 60, took these stunning photos of the bird in Kirkcudbright, in Dumfries and Galloway.
Peter, who is now retired, said: “It was the first time I had visited this hide with a specific diving perch set up and it wasn’t long before a kingfish showed interest in it and started to dive.
“Unfortunately we were not blessed with the Scottish sunshine, but nevertheless it provided a great spectacle for over two hours.
“With my settings tuned and locked in, I set the camera to capture at 30 frames per second, remotely releasing the shutter from 20 feet away, hidden to avoid spooking the bird.
“The kingfisher doesn’t look as though it belongs in this country with its vibrant plumage and always draws me to photograph it.
“You can never get the perfect shot, but it very rewarding trying.”
From growing up in the English Lake District amongst the rivers, woods and hills, without a camera, Peter initially started photographing sports in his youth alongside a photographer for the local newspaper.
It was during the COVID-19 lockdown, when he was forced into enjoying what was immediately on his doorstep.
Peter had discovered he had a real passion for photography again and the ‘challenge’ of capturing wildlife became a real goal for him.
He added: “Now essentially retired, I have more time to ‘wander’ and a network of friends has developed sharing knowledge of wildlife activity in the local area.
“The bucket list of animal to capture is reducing, but the opportunity of always ‘getting a better shot’ never diminishes”.
The photographs were taken on on 2 December.
