Category: united kingdom

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Two Giant Teddy Bears Are Bringing A Lot of Fun to Their Locked Down Neighborhood

What we’re living through right now is really hard and no one really saw it coming. People are stuck at home, out of work, and desperate for any kind of good news or enjoyment.

That’s why Ted and Ed, two giant teddy bears, are doing their part to bring a HUGE dose of wholesomeness to their neighborhood in England. The duo are known as “The Moors Bears”.

People in the area can routinely see Ted and Ed doing various chores in their front yard or having some fun and blowing off some steam. And the photos are great! Be sure to follow these lovable guys on Instagram and on Facebook.

Now, let’s see what they’ve been up around their neighborhood!

1. Ready for karate practice?

Wearing the whole get-up and everything.

2. Decided to read outside.

Hey, it was a nice day!

3. May the Fourth be with you!

We have a couple of Star Wars fans on our hands.

4. A lazy day in the yard.

Kick back and read the paper.

5. The car is getting a little dirty…

Let’s give it a wash!

6. Time to tee off.

Better keep an eye on Ted’s scorecard…

7. Game day!

What should we play first?

8. Doing some heavy lifting.

They need to finish that patio.

9. Household chores are never quite done, are they?

At least it’s a nice day outside.

10. The great outdoors.

Camping out sounds like fun right now.

11. You mow. I’ll rake.

Team work makes the dream work.

12. They are crafty bears, aren’t they?

They set up their own little sewing shop.

What a great idea! And what a great way to keep the spirits of people up during this whole mess!

What are people doing in your neighborhood or your town to try to be positive right now?

Please share your stories in the comments.

We look forward to hearing from you!

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Chick-fil-A’s First Restaurant in the U.K. Is Already Closing

This is some bad news for popular chicken chain Chick-fil-A: less than a month after the fast food company opened its first location in the United Kingdom, it is already closing down.

The British shopping center where the restaurant has its only UK location has been pressured by an LGBTQ rights group called Reading Pride to rethink their decision to allow Chick-fil-A on the premises. And it looks like people behind the Oracle Shopping Center listened.

Chick-fil-A is known for its anti-LGBTQ attitudes, and it looks like some folks in Reading did not want to welcome the franchise to town. To show their feelings, groups protested outside the Oracle Shopping Center in Reading.

In 2017, Chick-fil-A donated over $1 million to anti-LGBTQ groups. The protests caused the shopping center to reverse course and not renew the lease for the restaurant after it had only been in business for a week.

A statement from the shopping center read as follows: “We always look to introduce new concepts for our customers, however, we have decided on this occasion that the right thing to do is to only allow Chick-fil-A to trade with us for the initial six-month pilot period, and not to extend the lease any further.”

Chick-fil-A has about 2,400 locations in the United States. In 2012,  said, “We are very much supportive of the family – the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that … We want to do anything we possibly can to strengthen families.”

So there’s no mystery where Chick-fil-A stands on this issue, in case you were wondering.

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433 Men Named ‘Nigel’ Gathered in a British Pub to Honor Their First Name

This is one of my favorite stories of 2019 so far.

Is there any more British name than Nigel? My favorite Nigel is Nigel Planer, who played Neil on the great British TV show The Young Ones.

Recently, 433 men named Nigel came together at a pub called The Fleece Inn in the middle of England to celebrate the heritage of that incredible first name.

Nigels from all over the UK came to the small village of Bretforton for the big bash. One Nigel flew in from Cyprus and one from Texas even crowdfunded a ticket to be able to make it to the event.

The idea was the brainchild of Nigel Smith, the landlord of The Fleece Inn where the festivities took place. Smith said it started off as “a slightly mad idea” and that he thought maybe a couple dozen Nigels would show up to have a few beers.

Smith added, “Nigels were kind of dying out. Those of us who are still around ought to celebrate the fact we are still around and very much comfortable with our Nigelness.”

The night features not only 433 chaps named Nigel, but also special drinks, including the Mad Nigel, Nige Ale, and a cider called Narky Nige.

Even the local MP showed up that night. His name: Nigel Huddleston. Of course.

And Smith is right: the very British name is dying out. Apparently, there were only two British babies named Nigel born in 2016.

I’ve decided I’m going to do my part. If I have a child (or a dog, a cat, or a goldfish), I’m going to name them Nigel. That’s a guarantee!

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You Might Not Know These 10 Things About the British Royal Family

Even if you’re one of those people who is really into (meaning obsessed) with the British royal family, I bet there’s still a lot you don’t know about them.

Cause they are some quirky folks, let me tell you.

Let’s look at 10 facts about these royals.

1. That’s odd

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Wishing all our Canadian followers a very happy Canada Day #CanadaDay As Queen of Canada, Her Majesty has a deeply held affection for and loyalty to a country that she first toured as Princess Elizabeth in 1951 and to which she has returned over twenty times since. Members of the Royal Family also represent Her Majesty The Queen when they visit Canada. Swipe to see photographs of The Royal Family in Canada. The Queen is a constitutional monarch, acting entirely on the advice of Canadian Government ministers. Her Majesty is represented in Canada on a day-to-day basis by a Governor General at the federal level and by a Lieutenant Governor in each of the ten provinces, and is fully briefed by means of regular communications from her ministers, and has face-to-face audiences with them where possible.

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Queen Elizabeth II travels with her own supply of blood. I guess that makes sense and might be common among leaders around the world, but still…kind of strange.

2. The secret documentary

The royal family filmed a documentary that aired once in 1969 and never aired again. The reason? Queen Elizabeth thought that showing how the royals lived their everyday lives could be potentially dangerous.

3. Entourage

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Today is #ArmedForcesDay! As Sovereign, The Queen is Head of the Armed Forces and maintains a close relationship with serving members and veterans of the Armed Forces, both in the United Kingdom @BritishArmy @RoyalNavy @royalairforceuk and in the Commonwealth. In 1945 The Queen (then Princess Elizabeth) joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), learning to drive and maintain vehicles, becoming the first female member of the Royal Family to join the Armed Services as a full-time active member #ArmedForcesDay Over the years The Queen, as Commander-in-chief, has met many servicemen and women of all ranks, and their families, both at home and overseas. In 2009 HM spoke about how "deeply thankful" she, and the entire nation, are for those who serve in the Armed Forces. #ArmedForces #SaluteOurForces

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The Queen travels with her doctor and 34 other people, including her hairdresser, secretary, press officers, and bodyguards.

4. Not ever gonna happen

This is a weird one. When the Queen gets off of an airplane, you’ll never see her skirt fly up because all of her skirts are weighted. Smart, very smart.

5. BYOB

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Today, The Duke of Rothesay (as The Prince of Wales is known when is Scotland) was in Caithness. He toured @wolfburn_whisky, the most northerly whisky distillery on the Scottish mainland, originally opened in 1821. Master distiller Iain Kerr, who has over 20 years’ experience, explained to HRH how the craftsmen at the distillery use traditional methods to produce fine spirit. His Royal Highness also opened Scotland’s largest wind farm – Beatrice Offshore Windfarm, whee he met staff and local residents at the Operations and Maintenance Base. The wind farm’s 84 turbines will generate enough energy to power 450,000 homes and is Scotland’s single largest source of renewable energy.

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On their trips abroad, Prince Charles and Camilla have a bodyguard carry a bag of their favorite drinks. Gin and tonic for Charles and red wine for Camilla.

6. Fill ’em up

Harry and William love American fast food. Once when they were young boys, their mother Princess Diana asked the family chef to cancel lunch because the boys wanted to eat McDonald’s.

7. Two birthday parties

The Queen’s birthday is actually celebrated twice. The sovereign’s birthday has been celebrated on the second Saturday of June for over 260 years in an official ceremony. But the Queen’s actual birthday is April 21, so that’s double the fun.

8. No seafood

When the royal family travels, they are not allowed to eat seafood because the chances of someone getting sick from shellfish are high.

9. That’s bright

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Today The Queen visited Cambridge on a day of engagements including to visit The National Institute of Agricultural Botany, The Royal Papworth Hospital and Queens’ College, Cambridge. #RoyalVisitCambridge In the morning The Queen helped The NIAB to celebrate its 100th anniversary. NIAB is one of Britain’s oldest, and fastest growing, crop science research centres. Her Majesty learned about the work The NIAB does, saw visitor books which had been signed by King George V and Queen Mary, and The Duke of Cambridge. In the afternoon, Her Majesty visited The Royal Papworth Hospital where she was joined by The Duchess of Gloucester, who is Patron of the hospital. Her Majesty met transplant patients, consultants and visited the new hospital which has been built and will include 300 new beds for patients. At Queens’ College Cambridge The Queen met staff and graduates, as Patroness of the college.

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The Queen wears bright colors so people can spot her from far away in crowds.

10. Breaking protocol

Kate Middleton broke the royal protocol in Germany when she hugged children while visiting a charity. There is usually a handshake only rule.

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15 Funny Tweets About How British People Speak

Mind your head on the tube, love!

I kid, I kid. We know all British people don’t sound like that…or do they? Just kidding! Again!

Hey, they make fun of us too, so let’s dish it out a little, shall we?

Righty-o!

1. YewChube.com

2. ROIGHT

3. Sexy

4. Don’t bover me

5. There it is again

6. My favorite!

7. Hahahaha

8. Hayche-BO

9. Those spicy things

10. My second favorite!

11. Thirsty

12. You’ve heard this one

13. That’s means the conversation is over

14. Good ideer

15. Absolutely famished

To all our friends across the pond: we’re just being cheeky!

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Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Released the First Picture of Baby Archie

It’s the moment millions of people all around the world have been looking forward to with excitement. Nothing gets certain people more riled up than the personal lives of the British Royal Family, and this is a big moment for them.

On Mother’s Day, shortly after Archie was born, the couple released a cute photo of the little guy’s feet, but since then everyone’s been patiently waiting for more than a month to catch a glimpse of the baby’s face.

As a nice tribute in the Mother’s Day photo, Princess Diana’s favorite flowers, forget-me-nots, are seen in the background.

Archie was born over a month ago on May 6, 2019, and waiting for the official reveal has been excruciating for some folks.

Well, wait no more, because…here’s Archie!

At least, here’s most of his face. And, fittingly, the couple released the photo on Father’s Day, and it shows Archie cradled in Harry’s arms.

The baby’s full name is…wait for it…Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. Sounds pretty royal to me. The little guy is seventh in the line of succession to the British throne.

You know that without a doubt we’ll get to see this child grow up in the spotlight. Royal Baby Fever!

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British Schools Are Getting Rid of Analog Clocks Because Kids Can’t Read Them

Remember that slight buzzing sound of those old, industrial clocks on the wall when you were growing up. I sure do, because all I did was stare at them all day waiting to get out of class.

Well, it looks like future generations of students in the United Kingdom will never get the pleasure of staring at those analog clocks because those relics are being removed from classrooms because kids can’t read them.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

You read that right. School kids in the U.K. can’t read the clocks and are getting majorly stressed out because they don’t know how much time they have left during exams. Of course, this is a sign of the times. With almost everything in our lives leaning towards the digital spectrum, it’s not too hard to believe that kids wouldn’t know how to tell time in 2019.

Malcolm Trobe, the deputy general secretary at the Association of School and College Leaders, says, “You don’t want them to put their hand up to ask how much time is left. Schools will inevitably be doing their best to make young children feel as relaxed as the can be. There is actually a big advantage in using digital clocks in exam rooms because it is much less easy to mistake a time on a digital clock when you are working against time.”

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

And this is not the only alarming trend among school kids in regard to technological advances. A pediatric occupational therapist in England named Sally Payne said that young kids are having difficulties holding pens because they are so used to iPads and other digital devices. Payne said, “It’s easier to give a child an iPad than encouraging them to do muscle-building play such as building blocks, cutting and sticking, or pulling toys and ropes. Because of this, they’re not developing the underlying foundation skills they need to grip and hold a pencil.”

Very strange times we live in…

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What’s the Difference Between England, Britain, and the U.K.?

This is a question I hear people talking about all the time. If you don’t live there, it can be confusing…What’s the difference between England, Britain, and the U.K.?

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Let’s start with the countries. The United Kingdom is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. All of these are separate countries that fall under the U.K. umbrella and have some autonomy. A lot of people (at least ones I’ve talked to) make the mistake of thinking the Republic of Ireland is part of the U.K., but it is its own sovereign country.

Photo Credit: InfoPlease

Great Britain is actually the largest island in the British Isles (which also includes the island of Ireland and 186 other inhabited islands).

Photo Credit: Project Britain

The term “British” can cause some confusion for people. It can refer to the U.K. as a whole, the island of Great Britain, or to the current and former British colonies, such as Bermuda and the British Virgin Islands.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

So as you can see, as long as you do a little research, you won’t sound like a dummy next time you have to speak to someone from that part of the world!

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