BRITONS VOTE CHERYL COLE, PETER KAY AND JAMIE OLIVER AS THEIR TOP CHRISTMAS DAY HOST.

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The nation’s sweetheart Cheryl Cole, funny man Peter Kay, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, comedian Dawn French and Domestic Goddess Nigella Lawson have been voted Britons top Christmas Day hosts according to new research out today. Four out of ten adults stated they would love to receive an invitation to spend Christmas Day with one of these celebrities because they would be guaranteed a day of laughter, good food and entertaining conversation which are the three essential ingredients to make Christmas Day a success.

Making up the remainder of the top ten Christmas Dinner hosts was witty music mogul Simon Cowell, showbiz duo Ant & Dec, Friends star Jennifer Aniston, heartthrob David Beckham and singer Katy Perry.

The Travelodge poll of 6,000 Britons also revealed due to the hardship of this year 68% of adults want the warmth and love of a conventional family Yuletide gathering at their parent’s house this year – whilst a fifth of Brits, want to re-capture the magic of their childhood Christmas at their grandparent’s house this festive season.

In search of family love, over the next two days 45% of Britons will defy the peril of the big freeze and drive an average 122 miles in order to celebrate a traditional Christmas in the bosom of their family. Respondents reported they will spend an average eight hours this festive season driving to visit family.

Further findings revealed in the lead up to Christmas this year, a fifth of British couples argued regarding which side of the family they were going to be spending Christmas Day with. On average four heated arguments took place between couples before a final decision was made.

Over a quarter (27%) of couples surveyed stated they will be having two Christmas dinners this year, consuming a whopping 3086 calories – because they feel obliged to visit both set of parents on Christmas day.

Over half of the nation (51%) believes it’s important to spend Christmas Day with the family because that is the true essence of Christmas. Only seven per cent of Britons are spending Christmas day with their friends rather than their family this year.

The report also revealed a fifth of Britons have avoided the calamity of their family’s spare room and the prospect of sleeping on the floor and sofa by booking themselves into a nearly hotel on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

One in ten adults surveyed stated their biggest bug bear when visiting their family is there is nowhere to sleep and they cannot bear the prospect of spending the night on the sofa or floor.

Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge Spokeswoman said, “It seems Britons will be driving home to the bosom of their family this Christmas despite the big freeze. In today’s climate Brits are longing for love and support from their families and are keen to re-establish family ties. Although when it comes to staying over a growing number of Brits are opting to stay in a local hotel so that they can get a good night’s sleep. We have seen a surge in Christmas bookings within the last few weeks and in our recent £10 sale, rooms were getting booked by the second for the Christmas period.”

Combat the side effects of Christmas. {Health}

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Christmas is one of the happiest times of year, but it can leave some of us depressed, tired and piling on the pounds. NHS Choices has put together www.nhs.uk/healthychristmas to help us through the season.

According to NHS Choices, rich food and too much alcohol can take their toll on our physical and mental health over Christmas. We may eat up to three times our recommended daily calorie intake at one Christmas meal and gain around five pounds by the New Year. In addition, both men (54%) and women (41%) are likely to binge drink during the festive season (Source: Drinkaware) which can end in awkward or dangerous incidents and poor health that last beyond the season.

NHS Choices drink-by-drink guide, based on a standard (175ml) 12% volume glass of white wine and 4% strength pint of lager, shows how quickly alcohol can affect your mind and body.

You should bear in mind that some people (e.g. young people, those with smaller builds, women and various others) may experience the effects of alcohol at lower levels than the “typical” levels suggested below. If you have developed a tolerance to alcohol you may find that some of these effects do not apply to you. In that case you should certainly consider whether it is time to cut back on your drinking or whether you may need to seek help.

As well as advice on the risks of binge drinking, the NHS recommends that men should not regularly drink more than 3-4 units a day and that women should not regularly drink more than 2-3 units a day. ‘Regularly’ means drinking these amounts every day or most days of the week. See www.nhs.uk for more information

Typical effects:

One glass of white wine or a pint of lager (approx. two units)

· You’re talkative and you feel relaxed.
· Your self-confidence increases.
· Driving ability would already be impaired – which is why it is best not to drink and drive at all.

Two glasses of white wine or two pints of lager (approx. four units)

· Your blood flow increases.
· You feel less inhibited and your attention span is shorter.
· You start dehydrating, one of the causes of a hangover.

Three glasses of white wine or three pints of lager (approx. six units)

· Your reaction time is slower.
· Your liver has to work harder.
· Your sex drive may increase, whilst your judgment may decrease.

Four glasses of white wine or three and a half pints of lager (approx. eight units)

· You’re easily confused.
· You’re noticeably emotional.
· Your sex drive could now decrease and you may become less capable.

Binge Drinking

Binge drinking usually refers to drinking to get drunk, or drinking a lot of alcohol in a single session, that puts you at greater risk of harm. Researchers normally use – as the best indicator of binge drinking – drinking more than eight units of alcohol in one go for men, and more than six units for women. This is a really helpful guide – even though tolerance and the speed of drinking in a session varies from person to person. The important thing is to pace yourself, to avoid drinking more than you are used to, and to avoid drinking until you get drunk.

This is even more important if you are out in risky or unfamiliar circumstances. You can be at risk from others, and may not be able to look after your friends. You can easily lose control of what you do or say and may make risky decisions, thinking you’re invulnerable. From a health perspective, binge drinking increases the risk of heart attack and, if you’re sick when very drunk, you could breathe in your own vomit and suffocate.

Download the free alcohol tracker app to easily monitor your drinks on the move: nhs.uk/tools/pages/iphonedrinks

Chris Sorek, Chief Executive of alcohol awareness charity, Drinkaware, says: “For some people the festive season is seen as a guilt-free time to relax and over-indulge. For others, the pressures of present-buying, turkey-roasting and family gatherings can see them reaching for a drink to de-stress.

“To avoid the pitfalls of excessive festive drinking, like weight gain, a disturbed night’s sleep and looking foolish the day after the night before, it’s important to keep an eye on how much you drink. Adopting simple tips like eating a meal before you start drinking, pacing yourself by alternating alcoholic drinks with water and soft drinks and not drinking every day can help avoid the short and long term health risks associated with drinking to excess.”

As part of its guide to a healthy Christmas guide, NHS Choices has tools to help keep track of how much alcohol you drink and information and advice on coming out of the festive season healthy at www.nhs.uk/healthychristmas.

JACOB’S CREEK AND BBC SATURDAY KITCHEN WINE EXPERTS BRING A LITTLE SPARKLE TO CHRISTMAS

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Leading Australian wine brand and award-winning wine duo demystify bubbles ahead of the festive period

Can’t spot a Prosecco from a Cava; don’t know a Brut from a Demi-Sec? Well fear not because BBC Saturday Kitchen wine experts, Peter Richards and Susie Barrie, have joined forces with the UK’s best-selling sparkling wine brand1, Jacob’s Creek, to produce the ultimate guide to fizz, ‘A Taste of Sparkling’, just in time for those Christmas celebrations.

This eye- and ear-friendly vodcast objectively guides you through the sometimes confusing world of sparkling wine. Taking in everything from Asti to Champagne, it helps you make sense of sparkling wine; from how to open the bottle correctly, to when to serve different sparkling wines, and with what.

We enjoy more sparkling wine at Christmas than at any other time of the year, so when better to make sense of the world of fizz and impress your family and friends? Peter and Susie run the Winchester Wine School and, like Jacob’s Creek, their mission is to help you get the most out of your fizz whatever the occasion.The vodcast is a simple way to bolster your wine knowledge with small interesting snippets that capture the imagination. Did you know, for example, that due to the number of bubbles in a bottle of Champagne, the pressure inside the bottle is the same as that in the wheel of a double decker bus? No? Then this vodcast is for you.

http://db.tt/Pnaf9DO Jacob’s creek podcast.

As Susie says, “For many of us, shopping for wine is a complicated and intimidating experience, with most decisions based on price and familiarity. Like us, Jacob’s Creek wants to help people expand their horizons and discover new wines and tastes that they may not have tried before”.

Visit www.jacobscreek.co.uk/united-kingdom/news/a-taste-of-sparkling to start your sparkling wine adventure.

WILLIAM AND KATE ROYAL WEDDING SET TO BE MORE POPULAR THAN CHARLES AND DIANA’S.

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National Express brings in extra staff to cope as half price Royal Wedding coach tickets go on sale.

Coach operator National Express is preparing for a huge surge in bookings of coach tickets to London following the announcement that Prince William and Kate Middleton are to marry on 29 April 2011, and are already booking out extra vehicles to meet demand.

The company is slashing 50% off the price of its advance tickets travelling to London from anywhere in the UK for travel between 27 April and 1 May 2011 and bookings are now being taken. National Express has already had hundreds of enquiries since the wedding date was announced, from travellers wanting to book tickets to get to London to enjoy the atmosphere and excitement of the royal wedding. They have had enquiries from as far a field as Mexico and has brought in extra staff to man phones and process ticket sales.

The move will be the biggest peak time fare reduction ever offered by National Express and MD Andrew Cleaves predicts it will be the company’s busiest ever period. Andrew comments: “For Charles and Diana’s wedding in 1981 we transported over 8,000 people to the capital for the occasion but we expect to far exceed those numbers this time. The Easter Holiday is one of our busiest times of the year anyway and with the extra Bank Holiday more people than ever will making the most of the break.

“We have never cut our prices by this much before for a major event but it is such a significant national celebration, we want to help as many people get there as we can. We recently transported over 50,000 from around the country to Birmingham for the Pope’s recent visit and we expect this will be the next busiest event in the country.”

National Express experience an average 100% increase in coach ticket sales to London for major Royal events and sales can be up to 300% higher than average from key royal fan base locations such as Cheltenham and Cornwall.

While Kate will be arriving at the Abbey in her own royal coach, National Express coaches also cover a number of ‘regal’ locations around the UK including Royal Leamington Spa, Caernarfon, Queens Parade in Bloxwich, Princes Rd bus station in Wells, Kings Head in Chacewater and Royal Well Bus Station in Cheltenham.

The coaches carrying visitors to London for the festivities will arrive at Victoria coach station, which is on the royal wedding route and just a short walk to Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey.

National Express (and its former companies) has been carrying people right into the heart of London by coach to enable them to celebrate every single Royal event that has taken place over the past 80 years including the Coronation, the Abdication, the Silver Jubilee, all the Royal Weddings, Trooping the Colour, Royal birthdays and Royal funerals.

National Express provide Britain’s only scheduled national coach network, serving more than 1,000 destinations with 19 million passenger journeys each year across the UK. National Express provide Britain’s only scheduled national coach network, serving more than 1,000 destinations with 18 million passenger journeys each year across the UK.

The discount is available in all National Express ticket outlets – at the National Express call centre (+44 (0) 8717 81 81 78) nationalexpress.com, over the counter at all National Express coach stations and nearly 1000 other ticket agents across the UK.

Damien Hirst donates picture for The Warrior Programme Annual Fundraising Dinner. {Art}

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Celebrity support aids the fundraising efforts of the Warrior Programme, the charity dedicated to helping serving and ex-service men and women who have been affected by the psychological trauma of war. Damien Hirst has donated a unique proof print ‘Big Love with Diamond Dust’ to help fund the programme which has helped over 400 people get their lives back on track, since the charity launched in 2007.

Other celebrity support at the dinner includes John Boorman, Film Director and his children Charley Boorman and Katrine Boorman, John Illsley of Dire Straits,and Jeanne Marine, Bob Geldof’s partner, who will sing at the Gala Dinner tomorrow, Tuesday 30th November at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea. Damien Hirst’s wife Maia Norman and his mother will be at the event. Both Jeanne and Bob attended the Gala Dinner in 2009, with other celebrities, which raised £75,000 towards The Warrior Programme’s goal of £1m before 2012. The Prince of Wales has written the Foreword to the event programme.

“Before Warrior I had two choices: one was to live; the other one to die. Now I have a hundred choices.”

Tom, Warrior Programme participant.

Picture credit:
Photographed by Prudence Cuming Associates

© Damien Hirst. All rights reserved, DACS 2010

Shop the sales in comfort. {Fashion}

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SAVE YOUR SOLES DURING THE JANUARY SALES WITH REDFOOT’S FOLDABLE PUMPS

As the Boxing Day sales loom on the horizon women everywhere are preparing themselves for the ultimate battle – with limited sizes and half off deals the sales are a true test of every woman’s strength, stamina and determination and it’s dangerous to go in unarmed.

Step in Redfoot – the comfy foldable pump with patented split sole technology start from £29.99 – simply pop the pumps into your bag next to your energy drink and power snacks and head out to your nearest shopping centre with confidence.

Redfoot pumps mean that – when you are hit with that familiar shoppers ache – you simply pop on your pumps and keep on shopping; bagging the best bargains and looking stylish while you do it.

Redfoot foldable pumps – never leave a bargain behind!

http://www.redfootshoes.com

The Last Minute Gift That Rocks! {Christmas gift ideas}

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Still not finished your Christmas shopping? Still got that difficult person to buy for and you have no idea what to get them? Don’t despair, with only 3 days until Santa officially arrives Hotel Voucher Shop has a gift that everyone will love and what’s more it can be bought online as late as Christmas day itself and delivered as an e-gift with a personalised message! Now that is last minute!

The Hotel Voucher Shop experience gift cards are the ideal present, no matter what the occasion, guaranteeing your loved ones an experience they’ll enjoy, after all who doesn’t love a good break?

The gift cards can be used to book over 70,000 hotels in over 5,000 destinations worldwide, including over 1,000 major hotel groups. The vouchers come in denominations of ten starting with a value of £10 ranging up to £1,000 and can be used as either part or full payment of a hotel break with any remaining balance stored for future use.

The Hotel Voucher Shop gifts come in three different ways, paper, plastic or virtual. Purchase paper and e-vouchers online at www.hotelvouchershop.com. Paper vouchers are posted, presented in an attractive wallet and personalised with your own unique message while e-vouchers are emailed instantly (especially handy when you need to send a present pronto or if you are buying for someone on the other side of the world!) The plastic gift cards can be purchased from top high street retailers including WH Smiths, Sainsbury’s and Superquinn.

Hotel Voucher Shop would be happy to offer your readers a 15% discount to celebrate the festive season!

*All Hotel Vouchers are non-refundable and are valid for 12 months from purchase.
For further information about the Hotel Voucher Shop visit www.hotelvouchershop.com

Bob Martin joins forces with vet Mark Binns deliver Christmas message.

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People are advised to consider pet ownership carefully before making a commitment

Pet care specialists Bob Martin has teamed up with local veterinary surgeon Mark Binns to remind people that pet ownership is a commitment not to be taken lightly this Christmas.

With the recession biting hard and at a time when every penny counts, pet rescue centres are reported to be full to capacity.

In the run up to the Christmas period, Bob Martin, has worked with Mark to develop some top tips for people considering buying a pet over the festive season, and give pointers to take into consideration.

The advice that Mark shares with people on Bob Martin’s website has been created to offer guidance and support to those thinking of buying a pet and covers topics like feeding, worming and flea care.

Here are just some of Mark’s top tips:

· Make sure your pet doesn’t bring fleas into your home. Ideally get them treated before you get them home with an appropriate product.

· Groom your puppy or kitten from an early age to get them used to the feel of the brush

· If you have a dog, get it microchipped or as a minimum, get a tag that has your name and phone number as a contact before they start going out.

· Make sure your pet always has access to fresh water.

· Before buying your pet, consider whether your lifestyle fits in with your pet’s needs.

Mark says: “The Dog’s Trust’s strap line ‘a dog is for life, not just for Christmas’, coined back in 1970, is as relevant today as it was forty years ago. Although there is a lot to consider when buying a pet, providing that you can provide it with the care it needs, a pet can enrich your life and have a great and positive influence on your lifestyle.”

For more top tips and to read Mark’s blog, visit www.bobmartin.co.uk.