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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."

by Jess Young

Man who had one of Britain's largest beer collections has gone from 10,300 to three

By Lauren Beavis

A man has been forced to sell the UK's largest collection of beer cans for £25k - after it got so big he needed an extension.

Nick West, 65, had been gathering an impressive collection of unusual and rare cans for 42 years and had amassed 10,300 of them at his peak.

The father-of-two from North Somerset initially made the “heartfelt” decision to trim down his £25,000 collection - to just 1,500.

But two years ago, the couple moved to Ledbury, Herefordshire from Langford, in North Somerset - having previous lived in Clevedon for 33 years.

Moving to a smaller home meant Nick had to finally sell the remaining 1,497 cans because the couple had 'no space left for them'.

And he has now been left with just THREE in his once booming collection.

He sold the remaining cans to a couple of Italian dealers who travelled all the way from Italy especially to collect his precious collection.

Nick said: "I first started collecting cans in 1976 and was extremely passionate about it - so it was a massive wrench to see the last part of my lifetime’s work disappear out of the door.

"I found it tricky to let them go ."

When Nick had his impressive collection of 10,300 tinnies, he and his wife, Deborah, 64, had to build an extension on a previous home to make space for the cans.

They also later moved into a large five-bedroomed Victorian house so he could have them on display.

Though when they moved to a smaller house, he sold 6,000 of the cans for a sum of £13,500 which is helping to fund his retirement.

A further 1,800 cans were given to local museum Oakham Treasures in Portbury, Bristol - leaving him with just 1,500.

But Nick has since sold the rest of his collection to beer can dealers in Italy - so his special tinnies will find themselves in other collections around the world.

Now he has his favourite three left.

He explained: "We had some negotiations, as you do, and agreed a price - so they travelled over from Italy in a van and spent a few days here.

"We did the deal and they disappeared with the cans!"

Nick could not bear to part with all of his collection, however, so kept a remaining three close to his heart.

He said: "I couldn't let them all go."

Nick describes the three cans he chose to kept and why, as he explains: "The first is a Heineken 275ml (a half pint).

"This was the first can in my collection and dates back to 13 July 1975.

"The second can is again 275ml Hull Brewery Nut Brown Ale: I kept this one because I really like the simplicity of the design - definitely a blast from the past.

"The final can is a 330ml can Nick West Ruby Ale - I designed this myself to celebrate my 40 years of collecting in 2015.

"I commissioned a small run of 50 cans containing a variety of different beers."

Nick, who worked in marketing until retiring in 2017, recalled the start of his beer collecting journey back when he was just a teenager.

He said: “It all started when I was 16 years old - I enjoyed collecting things like stamps but I had just become interested in drinking so married the two past times up.

“I remember at the very beginning Deborah hosted a party when we were at school and everyone thought I was weird because I went around collecting the empty cans for my collection.

“Deborah grew to resent the hobby because I had a small collection when I met her but it’s had a massive impact on our lives.''

The oldest beer can in the collection dated back to 1936.

Now, he has moved back to smaller premises with Deborah, who Nick met when he was just 16 at school.

Deborah bought him a book about beer can collecting which helped invigorate his passion for collecting.

One of the major reasons why Nick was forced to stop collecting was the boom in popularity of craft beer in cans.

For the first 40 years, he was collecting between 150 and 250 cans per year.

But after the rise in craft beers he was collecting up to 650 a year which became too much to handle.

Since then the popularity of canned craft beers has gone through the roof.

Nick estimates that there are over 1,000 new craft cans in the UK every year, making it impossible to keep up and re-affirming his decision to stop when he did.

by Jess Young

"I spent £800 taking my dog on month-long holiday around Italy - it was worth it"

By Ben Barry

A woman who spent £836 taking her dog on a month-long holiday around Italy says it was "totally worth it".

Catherine Sophie, 23, jetted to Rome, Italy, in April 2024 with her pooch Teddy, a three-year-old Maltese, in tow - for a tour of the country.

Due to the nature of her job as an actress, Catherine is often travelling between London and Glasgow and regularly takes Teddy with her.

Catherine says it "wouldn't be fair" to leave Teddy in a kennel or with her family during her month-long break - so decided to take him along for the journey.

The pair flew from Glasgow Airport on April 2 - and to adding Teddy's ticket to her flight set Catherine back £100.

The pair spent a month visiting Rome, Bari and Civitavecchia - where they visited the Vatican, Colosseum, the beach and Teddy took a ride on a Vespa

Catherine and Teddy headed back to the UK on April 30 - but as the UK doesn't allow dogs to travel in the cabin, Catherine had to fly from Rome to Amsterdam, then on to Dublin, before getting a bus to Belfast - where she got a ferry home.

Catherine, from Glasgow, Scotland, said: "I travel a lot for work and Teddy is a great companion.

"I have been really lucky, he is so well behaved.

"Because I was going by myself, he was great company for me.

"Having a dog with you means that you are getting out every day and exploring some places you might not usually."

On April 2, Catherine flew from Edinburgh Airport to Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport with KLM.

Tickets including pet fee set Catherine back £273 - alongside a passport and rabies vaccine before travel costing £130.

Catherine said: "There are a few airlines that are dog friendly and KLM is one of them.

"It is so much easier to travel with a small dog, Teddy stayed under my seat and he was only an extra £50 to £100.

"It was totally worth it."

Catherine and Teddy then spent a month travelling around Italy - visiting Rome, Bari, and Civitavecchia.

During their month in Italy, the duo stayed in dog friendly Airbnb's and Catherine got a rail card for train travel.

"It was something I have always wanted to do," Catherine said.

"I am trying to learn Italian so I thought it would be a great opportunity.

"I visited my great grandfather's war grave which is something I had always wanted to do."

When the holiday ended and Catherine returned to the UK with Teddy and the pair had a mammoth two day trek.

Catherine said she wasn't able to take Teddy in the cabin with her when she returned to the UK so she opted to take two planes, a bus and a boat back to Scotland.

She said: "We flew from Rome to Amsterdam and from there we went to Dublin.

"We then jumped on a bus from Dublin to Belfast and got a ferry back to Scotland.

"Luckily my mum, picked us up and took us home from there."

The journey home for both Catherine and Teddy set her back £442.

Catherine said the cost was completely worth it as she didn't want to leave Teddy in a kennel or with family members.

She said: "The journey there and back did go a lot smoother than I thought it would.

"My family adore Teddy but because I was going for a month it would be a lot for them to take him.

"He is my dog and my responsibility."

Total cost of travel -
- Edinburgh to Rome - £273
- Rome to Dublin - £356
- Dublin Airport to Belfast - £16
- Belfast to Cairnryan, Scotland - £61
- Pet passport and rabies jab - £130
- Total - £836

ITINERARY
- Rome, visiting the Colosseum, Vatican and sightseeing.
- Bari, where Catherine visited her great grandfather's war grave.
- Civitavecchia, where they spent time relaxing by the beach
- Rome, back to Rome to get the plane home

by Jess Young

Mum designs dress made of 210 fresh flowers!

By Emma Dunn

A mum created a "fairytale" dress - made of more than 200 fresh flowers for her daughter.

Anita Lee-Archer, 48, modelled the dress on her daughter, Bella, 18, and spent around two hours arranging different dahlias - hand-picked from her garden.

The mum-of-five created the outfit as part of her fine art degree at the University of Tasmania.

Anita decided to go back to university five years ago to pursue her dreams after being told as a child she'd never earn a living if she made a career out of art.

Now she combines her love of gardening with art - creating impressive art installations.

Anita, an artist, from Launceston, Tasmania, Australia, said: "I used bird netting and thread the flowers through the holes.

"I had seven buckets of 30 flowers.

"It turned out how I wanted it.

"It's really fun."

Anita says she was discouraged from going down an art route when she finished school and instead worked as a nurse and midwife.

She said: "I have always been a creative.

"When I finished school people always said 'you won't earn any money doing art'."

But Anita never forgot her love and when they moved to Tasmania she asked her husband, Matt, 47, a neurologist, if she could enrol in university.

She started her course in 2020 and has always loved painting flowers in particular.

Anita said: "I went back to university to fulfil my dreams.

"I really want to paint flowers. I breed different varieties and paint them.

"I have always been a gardener.

"It's nice to combine my loves.

"I was told painting flowers was boring and not exciting enough.

"But another lecturer told me 'it's your work, you need to do what you love'."

Anita created the flower dress by using bird netting and fresh flowers.

She said: "One of my dreams is to do a big public installation.

"So I started at home.

"It was really heavy. She could hardly walk.

"Initially it was going to be a strapless dress. I had to fashion straps.

"It was fun to destroy. I made her jump on the trampoline."

Anita also created an installation over her 'apple walk' - by hanging flowers from the arches and dyeing a charity shop wedding dress pink for Bella to model.

She said: "I wanted her to look surreal. It looks like she's out of a fairytale."

Anita graduates from her course at the end of this year and wants to continue creating flower-themed art.

She said: "My garden has been my solace.

"It means a lot to me being in the garden.

"I want to paint things that are beautiful."

by Jess Young

"I've modelled for Vogue and acted in Hollywood - now I'm 'coming out' as deaf"

By Hannah Van De Peer

A model who appeared in Vogue is “coming out” as deaf - after 12 years of pretending not to be.

Georgia Meacham, 30, was born “moderately” deaf and started using hearing aids on both ears at 17 months old.

Despite a happy childhood, she says she spent her entire adult life "ashamed" of her disability.

After receiving a modelling contract aged 18, she didn’t want to tell anyone she was deaf - and managed to keep the facade up for over a decade.

She even starred in major Hollywood blockbusters by lipreading her cues.

Now Georgia wants to restart her career as a role model for deaf people - and says “coming out” as disabled has been one of the best things she’s ever done.

Georgia, from Camden, west London, said: “Hiding my disability has been one of the most draining things I’ve ever done - but I’m so excited to start my new life.

“People probably look at me and think ‘tall blonde model who doesn’t have any struggles’ - but I want to show people that disability doesn’t have a certain look.

“23 per cent of women in the UK are disabled, according to the Women’s Budget Group - we need more representation in the media.

“I look at celebrities like Tasha Ghouri and Rose Ayling-Ellis and I feel like I want to be as confident as them.”

Georgia’s deafness was always accepted when she was a child.

She was so confident she even wore pink, sparkly hearing aids to school every day.

Under uniform regulations, she had to wear her hair up - which she says helped her confidence.

“When I was going through school, I was very confident,” she said.

“I was never bullied for my deafness.

“I didn’t have a chance to hide it, either, because I had to wear my hair up.

“I might’ve wanted to hide them if things had been different - but I didn’t have much choice.”

Georgia started at Queen Mary University of London in September 2011 - which is when she began to feel embarrassed of her hearing aids.

She wore her hair down to fit in with her other classmates and avoided the subject altogether when meeting new people.

“I hated the thought of mentioning my deafness,” she said.

“I didn’t know how to discuss it with new people.

“I felt like I’d disassociated myself with being deaf.”

She was scouted by a modelling agency within her first year and signed her first contract at 18.

Her career took her all over the world and she modelled for brands such as Stella McCartney, Karen Millen and Ted Baker.

Artists like Tinie Tempah, Cheryl and One Direction even snapped her up to be in their videos.

But the entire time, she was lipreading cues from photographers and directors - often having to guess what they were telling her - and keeping her disability a secret.

She said: “Modelling became a fresh chapter in my life - I wanted to re-identify myself.

“I thought hiding my hearing aids would make me a more successful model.

“I’d go to castings with my hair down - because I never saw any models with hearing aids.

“On shoots, I’d quickly take my hearing aids out and chuck them in my bag - I absolutely hated them.

“And I was just in complete denial, really. I had to guess what was being said on set all the time.”

Five years into her modelling career, Georgia began auditioning for acting roles.

She has since featured in films including ‘Bridget Jones’ Baby’ and ‘Wonder Woman: 1984’ - but says she was lipreading instructions from directors the whole time.

The long days, demanding schedules and constantly guessing what people were saying to her, gave Georgia “deafness fatigue” - and she decided she couldn’t keep it up anymore.

She said: “It was incredibly mentally exhausting, lipreading the whole time.

“Deaf people already suffer from something called ‘deafness fatigue’ - because it takes more brain power for us to hear what people are saying.

“I was working myself into the ground, trying to hide this secret of mine.”

Georgia credits deaf celebs like Rose Ayling-Ellis and Tasha Ghouri for her “awakening”.

Watching them on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ and ‘Love Island’ made her want to begin embracing her deafness again.

She started therapy in June 2023, and has her first British Sign Language (BSL) class booked for this month.

The model hasn’t done any public photoshoots since deciding to “come out” as deaf - but she’s looking forward to embracing her hearing aids from now on.

She said: “I feel really determined now - to use this position to speak about deaf representation in my industries.

“There needs to be that accessibility on set - I would’ve loved an extra person with me to take notes on my cues and directions.

“When you’re casting for a TV show - don’t just have one disabled person as a tick-box exercise.

“There needs to be more of a spotlight shone on hidden disabilities, too.

“I’m so proud to reintroduce myself as a model with hearing aids.

“I feel so excited to start this new chapter as someone who embraces my disability.”

by Jess Young

New Aston Martin residential tower looks like Bond villain's lair

By Dean Murray

Hello Mr Bond, I've been expecting you.

An incredible new Aston Martin residential tower looks like a villain's lair from a 007 movie.

The 66-storey tower is the tallest all-residential building south of New York.

Aston Martin Residences Miami is the first ultra-luxury real estate project from Bond's favourite car brand.

Situated on the coveted Miami waterfront, the project has garnered excitement amongst ultra-luxury home buyers, with 99% of the 391 condominiums sold ahead of completion.

The development boasts seven penthouses - all of which enjoy private pools and spacious terraces – complimented by a range of expansive one to five-bedroom residences and duplexes.

The jewel in the crown is the $59m “Unique Triplex Penthouse” – a magnificent three-floor condominium, spanning a total 27,191 square feet of living space, situated at the pinnacle of the property.

There is a private butler service on-call 24/7 to "take the stress out of home management" by offering luxury travel support and a host of other services to homeowners. Residents are also able to enjoy direct access to an exclusive superyacht marina.

Marek Reichman, Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer of Aston Martin said: “Melding a captivating design aesthetic with one of the city’s most idyllic locations, on one of the last parcels of the Miami waterfront, the ultra-luxury Aston Martin Residence adds further distinction to the already expressive Miami skyline. We think this project firmly sets the mark for luxury residential design around the world."

by Jess Young

Savvy friends fly to Italy for just eight hours for a pizza

By Amy Reast

Savvy best friends flew to Pisa for a pizza and got back in time for work the next day - for less than the cost of a trip to London.

Morgan Bold, 27, spotted budget flights to and from Pisa, Italy, and decided to try an 'extreme day trip' so they would only need to use a single day of annual leave.

She and best friend Jess Wooder, 26, booked day return flights and jetted off at 6am from Manchester airport on April 24.

They had a full day of shopping, sightseeing and enjoying Italian cuisine and say it was less than the cost of a trip to the capital.

Morgan, from Maghull, Liverpool, said the whole day set her back just £170 - including flights, airport parking, food and activities.

The social media manager said: "We went to another country and it was probably cheaper than us going from Liverpool to London.

"Trains to London Euston there and back are around £100 and that's without the expensive food and drinks.

"It's so easy to do as well - you don't need to check a bag, you just go straight through security and you're on the plane.

"I only took one day off work - I was back the next day!"

The women drove from Liverpool and parked at Manchester airport, where they flew from.

Morgan and Jess, a customer service manager from Melling, Liverpool, arrived in Pisa at 9am and used Google Maps to find their way to Pisa's centre.

They sat in the sunshine by the Leaning Tower of Pisa to take some fun touristy photos before doing a free tour of the cathedral nearby.

They enjoyed a pizza and Aperol Spritz in the afternoon before wandering around the local markets and shops.

They flew home at 6pm and were in bed by 11pm - ready to be back at work the next day.

Morgan said: "The food was the best bit, being able to have a pizza while looking at the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

"The food prices were so reasonable even right by the tower.

"It was a surreal experience knowing you were going back the same night.

"We loved it so much we're going to do a day trip to Christmas markets in December - we're thinking Krakow or Prague.

"I just love exploring."

Flights: £101 each
Airport parking: £28.50 each
Food and drink: £41 each

by Jess Young

"I own an ice cream van for pooches"

By Poppy Huggett and Isobel Williams

A mum who quit her air hostess job to work with dogs has launched her latest venture - an ice cream van exclusively for pooches.

Emmie Stevens, 36, opened Poochies Pupsicles on March 31 - and says business is booming.

Based in south London, she is making the van available for hire - and is planning to hit the road this summer.

Emmie, a mum-of-one, left her cabin crew role 15 years ago to work as a groomer after realising dogs were her "niche in life".

She first hit upon the idea of the ice cream van four years ago after visiting a tradeshow, and has now made it a reality.

The menu includes stacks of options including a Doggy Mr Whippy which comes with a gravy bone and doggy sprinkles, and Pupsicle bites which is six different flavoured ice bites.

Emmie, from New Addington, near Croydon said: “This is a very unique business, there isn't anything out there currently like me.”

The inspiration for a dog-friendly business began when Emmie adopted her pet Doodles from a puppy farm.

The mum-of-one explained that she went through a “troubled childhood”, such as being bullied at school and found it hard to socialise with humans.

Emmie said: “I gave Doodles a chance – he was in a complete state when I got him. But when I took him on, he changed my life.”

After rescuing Doodles, she and the pooch headed to dog events across London, and before she knew it, she ended her career as an airhostess and took a new role on as a dog groomer which she has now been doing for 15 years.

She added: “I realised this was my niche in life – I wasn’t a people person.

“I then realised dogs are for me – they’re very loyal, loving, and deserve to be spoiled.

“I offered one-to-one service for the dogs at my clients houses and was so busy, but I then got a mobile dog grooming van.”

Emmie’s business was so successful she opened a cage free dog grooming shop, and eight years later, she now has a three-year-old boy, eight dogs, and a brand-new ice cream van for dogs.

She said: “I saw normal ice cream vans stocking dog ice creams – it wasn’t just me being over the top with my dogs - dogs are like people’s family now.

“I am very over-the-top with my dogs; I dress them up, they have their own bedroom, shoes, buggies, and dresses – some dresses have cost me £60 per piece.

“So, I wasn’t sure if I was just wanting to spoil my dogs, but even a normal person will want to spend a little money to give their doggy an ice cream”.

After researching ingredients, figuring out what would appeal to humans, and what would taste great for dogs, Emmie decided it was time to buy an ice cream van, and make her dream a reality.

Emmie says she plans on taking Poochies Pupsicles to the surrounding areas, such as West Wickham and Bromley, and will cover special days further afield, such as in Dartford and Lakeside.

The van will also be up for hire in case of any grand openings or pup parties where ice cream might be needed.

Emmie added: “In the summer I’ll be going around the roads, selling to my current clients and new ones.

“We will be pulling up by the side of doggy parks, and then deep into the summer we'll be doing dog events like Paws in the Park and the Detling Show Ground.

“This is a very unique business, there isn't anything out there currently like me.”

by Jess Young

Driver spots 'lucky' white moose in Canada

By Samuel Wightwick

A 'lucky' driver spotted a rare white moose in Canada.

Video filmed in Alberta shows the animal walking down a grass bank and crossing the road.

A brown moose follows shortly after - and both then walk into the woods together.

The driver said on X, formerly Twitter, that spotting the moose was a "spiritual moment".

There have been several sightings of white moose in Canada, mainly in the state of Ontario.

In some Canadian indigenous cultures, the white moose is considered to be sacred and a sign of luck.

by Jess Young