25 h. ago ‘There is a moment of clarity that life would be better without alcohol’: what we can learn from addiction memoirs

After losing her father to alcohol addiction, author Sophie Calon turned to writing – and found clarity, connection and hope in other stories of relapse and recoveryOn the night of Boxing Day 2021, my dad’s body was found near a Cardiff hostel. His death, at 55, was as sudden as it was not. For years, alcoholism had been changing the shape of his heart.He died less than a mile from his old office; top law firm, equity partner. Four miles from our once tight-knit home in a leafy neighbourhood. He had lost both his family and his job in 2019. Raised in Barry, working class, he had been proud of the beautiful life he had built for us. Others thought he “had it all”. He was widely adored, but drinking made him volatile. He was homeless and often behind bars in his final two years. Continue reading...

Politics

2 d. ago Firefighters form guard of honour at funeral service of Andy Leyland

He died aged 51 on Boxing Day

Events

3 d. ago England spinner Shoaib Bashir finds new county after Ashes snub

Bashir did not feature in a single Test as England were beaten 4-1 in Australia

Politics

5 d. ago David Squires on the magic of the Cup as Macclesfield dethrone Crystal Palace

Our cartoonist looks back on a glorious day for the non-league side as they knocked out the FA Cup holdersBuy a cartoon | David’s favourite work of 2025And his latest book, Chaos in the Box: get it now Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Cops probe online abuse after MP visits Scots mosque following 'meat cleaver incident'

Labour MP Melanie Ward faced racist and threatening online comments after visiting Kirkcaldy Islamic Centre following a Boxing Day disturbance.

Events

5 d. ago Mum and two children's cause of death confirmed after Boxing Day house fire

The family were asleep when the fire tore through the cottage

Events

5 d. ago Wife and two children of police officer killed in Boxing Day blaze died from 'exposure' to fire, inquest told

Fionnghuala Shearman, 38, and her children Eve, seven, and four-year-old Ohner were killed when the fire destroyed their home in Brimscombe, Gloucestershire.

Events

5 d. ago Children killed in Boxing Day fire alongside mum identified by DNA as inquests open

Fionnghuala Shearman, 38, known as Nu, and her children, Eve, seven, and four-year-old Ohner, were all killed in a house fire in Brimscombe, near Stroud, Gloucestershire on Boxing Day

Events

5 d. ago Final moments of mum and kids killed in Boxing Day fire as dad 'tried to save family'

Fionnghuala Shearman, 38, known as Nu, and her children, Eve, seven, and four-year-old Ohner, were all killed in a house fire in Brimscombe, near Stroud, Gloucestershire on Boxing Day

Events

6 d. ago England’s Ashes has been a disaster but touring Australia with a disability has been ‘too easy’

Going to Australia as a freelance journalist with a form of muscular dystrophy was not without trepidation but an away Ashes was too good to pass up“Australia is not for weak men.” Had I heard Ben Stokes’s words in Brisbane earlier perhaps I wouldn’t have decided to cover the Ashes series as a freelancer. Had I known how England were going to play, I almost certainly wouldn’t.My attendance was not in any way predicated on how well England might do in the series – making decisions based on the potential success of the English cricket team can only lead to madness. But having been born with a form of muscular dystrophy, the physical requirements of an eight-week tour to Australia were more of a consideration. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago JIMMY ANDERSON: Why England stars need to go back to their counties and prove their worth after Ashes debacle

SIR JAMES ANDERSON: The first thing I would insist upon is players going back into county cricket to prove they are good enough to face New Zealand at Lord's in June.

Politics

8 d. ago See you later mate! England's stars fly home after disastrous Ashes series

A handful of England's stars have flown home after yet another disastrous Ashes series on Australian soil.

Events

8 d. ago England ruthlessly privatised cricket – Australia embraces it with constant public displays of affection | Emma John

If there is one takeaway for England from this Ashes tour it should be how cricket thrives in a nation where it is readily and freely available as the dominant summer pastimeThe drive to Bowral in New South Wales takes you through some of Australia’s most English countryside. Pastoral hills roll right up to the roadside and finish in grassy verges, flecked with yellow and white wildflowers. Alliums stand sentinel around vibrant lawns. Even the eucalypts are cosplaying as beech and oaks. You might be in Hampshire, if it weren’t for the dazzling sun.Just a few roads from the high street – storefronts full of fancy cookware and country casuals – is the Bradman Oval. This small ground, with its pre-loved outfield, has become a pilgrimage stop for the Australian cricketing faithful. Head out to the middle and you’re walking across the sacred turf where Sir Don honed his skills. Stand at the crease, look past the white picket fence, and you can see the family homes where he grew from boy ...

Politics

8 d. ago Alastair Cook outlines stance over becoming England’s next head coach

The former England captain has been linked with replacing Brendon McCullum as head coach

Society

8 d. ago Toby Carvery sad moment sparks wave of heartwarming gestures

A 93-year-old widow shared how a sad moment in a Toby Carvery restaurant in Hale Village, Cheshire, on Boxing Day led to a sweet outpouring of kindness from strangers

Events

9 d. ago Ben Stokes ready to deliver some hard truths in England's Ashes post

The England captain admits that the ‘Bazball’ approach has not been working

Politics

9 d. ago Book of condolence opened after Boxing Day death of firefighter as first picture released

Andy Leyland was 51

Events

9 d. ago Two 'idiot' brothers who left girl, 17, critically injured in Sandbanks crash as they raced each other in cars they were gifted by their parents avoid jail

Harrison Taylor, 19, raced around the millionaire's playground in a Mercedes A200 closely followed by 21-year-old brother Henry in a BMW 135i on Boxing Day, 2023.

Events

9 d. ago Live M1 traffic updates as snow closes lanes after lorry crash leading to huge queues

The M1 is facing closures as Storm Goretti continues to cause travel chaos across the country with road closures in place as rush hour commences and snow falls

Events

9 d. ago The mediocre Ashes: England arrived as a rabble and Australia weren’t much better | Geoff Lemon

Australia were there for the taking but Brendon McCullum’s tourists were so poor and ill-prepared they never got closeAs far as endings go, it ended nicely. People streamed on to the Sydney Cricket Ground, wanting to get close to the trophy presentation and to have a canter on the turf. Nothing thrills an audience more than a chance to walk the stage. On a sun-kissed blue-heaven day, the match had finished early enough to leave plenty of afternoon to spare. Later Usman Khawaja soaked that up with his own crowd of family and friends, on his last day as a Test player.These endings are supposed to signal the close of something momentous. Another Ashes wrapped up, another chapter in the rivalry written. Still, once it was done, the whole thing felt like it had been more hole than doughnut. Continue reading...

Politics