There was a time when I thought my mother would never laugh again.

It would be an understatement to say that after my father’s death ended their enviably contented 43-year marriage, she lost her sparkle.

Our family GP suggested that a change of scenery could help with the grief. My mother, a sweet but steely Irishwoman in her 70s, did not agree.

But eventually, whether we want it to or not, time becomes a healer.

It has been almost four years since my father died.

And for the past three of those, I have managed to convince my mother to come on holiday with me: just once a year, just for a few days, and just, if we’re honest with ourselves, to shut me up.

It can be upsetting, but Dr Anna Batho, an NHS clinical psychologist, tells me there are many benefits to travelling with a parent after their partner has passed away.

‘Travel can help them step out of their role as ‘widowed’ and back into the identity they knew before,’ she says.

‘Perhaps they were a real foodie who loved discovering cuisines, perhaps they were the organised one who took on big-trip planning.

‘That person is still there and they can reconnect with that.’

Travel can be a healthy distraction from the day-to-day slog of grief, adds Dr Jeff Gardere, clinical psychologist at Touro University.

‘When a person is grieving, they can become quite isolated and their interests in the outside world become much narrower. Travel interrupts that cycle. It activates different parts of the brain to absorb and express positive emotions,’ he says.

Travel is also, in its way, a tribute.

‘You both get to honour the person who has died by enjoying the life that sadly, they cannot,’ Dr Batho explains.

My mother doesn’t ‘do’ social media, and I have reason to believe that revealing her name to an audience of strangers could result in immediate disinheritance.

So from here on out, we’ll just call her Mam.

This year, on the back of a newfound fitness addiction that compels her to attend aqua aerobics and a variety of gym classes almost every day, I had new criteria to meet.

We needed a short-haul destination that offered good food, rest and relaxation, but also activities.

I researched much as one might for a holiday with a dog. Because on top of her exercise classes, Mam routinely walks 20,000 steps a day.

There had to be trails, paths, and plenty of them.

During said research, I received an invitation to review Palazzo di Varignana, a resort in the Bolognese hills of northern Italy.

I saw that The Telegraph had included it as one of the best holidays for your health in 2025, so I checked it out.

Not only does it have a sprawling spa complete with a hammam, Finnish sauna, and something called a face gym, there is a driving range; tennis and padel courts; e-bikes; several swimming pools and a saltwater crystal pool to boot.

There is a vineyard, a Roman Amphitheatre and an exquisitely restored 1921 royal train carriage where you can gorge on a seven-course feast.

As far as the eye can see, the whole caboodle is enveloped by landscaped gardens, elegant terraces and verdant countryside crisscrossed with – you guessed it – plenty of paths.

Mam, I knew, would be in her element. I’d just have to keep up.

Palazzo di Varignana is about 30 minutes by car from Bologna in the heart of Emilia Romagna, Italy’s ‘food valley’.

The scenery is spectacular: rolling hills dotted with medieval castles and undulating plains of fertile land.

As we cruise up the driveway, both Mam and I are impressed.

There are 150 bedrooms, including a recently renovated two-bedroom suite perfect for families, plus six larger villas close by that would be great for a hen.

Interiors are slick and unfussy; the aforementioned gardens, glorious.

All of it sprawls around an 18th-century villa on an immaculately manicured 30-acre estate.

It is, genuinely, just a beautiful place to be.

And if it sounds aspirational, it’s probably less so than you imagine. Rooms start from £250 a night, breakfast and spa access included.

When I think of what I’ve spent on a grubby bed at Luton Airport…

Mam hits the ground running. We cycle. We swim. We even try a golf lesson, during which she tells instructor Luca that he’s not the first person to say she has no wrist action.

I’m not sure she knows how that could be interpreted. Some things are better left unsaid.

We walk. We swim. We stuff ourselves to bursting at the resort’s five restaurants.

Our fine dining experience in Treno Reale, the one inside the vintage train carriage, is the star of the show.

Mam texts our family WhatsApp to say the dessert, a decadent slab gianduja, praline and raspberry sorbet, is now part of her death row meal.

We taste wine. We have aperitivi in the evenings.

But more than any of that, we talk about my dad and how much he would have enjoyed it all.

A lunch to remember

Many come to Palazzo di Varignana for high-end health retreats curated by Dr Annamaria Acquaviva, a multihyphenate dietician-nutritionist-pharmacist who is also an expert in mindfulness.

We have lunch with the good Doctor at Gingko, a ‘longevity restaurant’ whose menu she designed to ‘help guests live longer’.

With pride, she tells us that everything we’re eating is anti-inflammatory, low-FODMAP, gluten-free, dairy-free and free of refined carbohydrates, inspired by the Mediterranean diet, balanced in macronutrients and enriched with antioxidant phytochemicals.

At one point, a waiter arrives with plush black blindfolds which Dr Annamaria insists we all wear to ‘eat mindfully and consider what we are putting in our bodies’.

She advises us to chew each bite ‘around 30 times’.

Mam, I can tell, is not convinced.

Of course she is unfailingly polite and to the outside gaze, totally engaged.

But this is my mother, a no-nonsense Irishwoman raised on potatoes, butter and whatever could be found at the back of the cupboard.

I know what she’s thinking: ‘What a load of *****’.

After a lengthy education about sleep, superfoods and brain chemistry, I ask Dr Annamaria to tell us the most important thing we should do if we want to live to 100.

‘Laugh,’ she says.

I wasn’t expecting that.

A few days after we get home, Mam and I are sitting on the sofa.

Out of nowhere, she bursts into uproarious laughter, her face red and eyes brimming with tears of delight.

‘What?’ I ask, amused.

‘Remember the lunch with the blindfolds,’ she says, and the two of us are cackling, lost to the ridiculousness of the memory.

Which leads us on to several other ridiculous memories, most of them involving my dad.

Turns out Dr Annamaria is right: laughter really is the best medicine.

Alice Murphy was a guest of Palazzo di Varignana, but don’t expect us to sugarcoat anything — our reviews are 100% independent.

Rooms at Palazzo di Varignana start from €289 (approx £250) per night based on two people sharing. This includes breakfast and three hours access to the spa.

For best rates, book through the website.

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Hearts are on the brink of winning a first league title since 1960 and breaking Celtic and Rangers’ duopoly of the Scottish Premiership.

Under Derek McInnes, Hearts have led the way for most of the season and head into Scottish football’s biggest weekend since 1985 with the title in their hands. However, after a dramatic finish on Wednesday, the momentum is with Celtic.

Hearts comfortably defeated Falkirk 3-0 on Wednesday, but Celtic needed a last-minute Kelechi Iheanacho penalty – given after a VAR review – to keep their hopes realistically alive.

The fact that the two contenders face each other on the final day makes it all the more dramatic. It will be a winner-takes-all occasion at Celtic Park.

Scottish Premiership standings and fixtures

1) Hearts | Played: 37, Points: 80, GD+ 35

2) Celtic | Played: 37, Points: 79, GD+ 30

Remaining fixture

Saturday 16 May – Celtic vs Hearts (12:30pm BST)

How can Hearts win the league on Saturday?

After a thrilling title race full of twists and turns, it all comes down to Saturday lunchtime.

If Hearts win, they win the title. If Hearts draw, they win the title. But if they lose, it will now be Celtic’s championship.

What do Celtic need on the final day?

It’s simple for Celtic: they must beat Hearts on Saturday.

Their last-minute winner on Wednesday means they no longer have to win by at least three goals. A win, no matter the score, will do the job.

What happens if they finish level on points?

The tiebreakers are goal difference, then goals scored, then head-to-head points.

But the teams now cannot finish level on points.

Record View says Starmer did no favours for Scottish Labour and a new approach, led by Sarwar, is required.

The psychodrama of events at Westminster has done untold damage to UK Labour.

Voters dislike split parties and Labour comes across as a divided rabble. Keir Starmer’s time is up and new ­leadership is required, so it is frustrating that the path to a contest is so ­complicated.

Wes Streeting appears not to have the required nominations and Andy Burnham needs to win a tricky by-election to get back to the Commons.

A Burnham premiership would likely be an improvement, but the fear is the damage has already been inflicted for the next general election. Scottish Labour, still wounded by another terrible defeat by the SNP, must learn lessons from the circus south of the Border.

This is not the time for a messy civil war in Scottish Labour – but there does need to be sober reflection on an election it lost by a mile. Anas Sarwar’s campaign should have offered more hope to voters, points made by a senior party official in our exclusive story today. His focus on 38 seats was also too ambitious and led to his party being stretched across constituencies it could not win.

But Sarwar is a major asset to Scottish Labour and he should have a big role at Holyrood over the next five years. The SNP government is facing a £4.7billion budget black hole and difficult decisions will need to be made.

Reform will not hold the SNP to account so Labour must step up to provide constructive opposition. It makes little sense for Scottish Labour to rush into its own leadership contest. It must instead review last week’s painful defeat and rethink its ­relationship with UK Labour. Starmer did no favours for Scottish Labour and a new approach, led by Sarwar, is required.

Thrill of the race

The eyes of the world will be on Scotland today as the title race goes down to the wire.

A challenge by Hearts to 40 years of Old Firm dominance has fired the imagination of football fans around the UK, Europe and the globe. And that means today’s title decider in Glasgow between Celtic and Hearts is a once-in-a-generation sporting event.

Most neutrals are desperate to see Hearts triumph in a David v Goliath battle against the Glasgow giants. But Celtic’s spectacular return to form with 74-year-old Martin O’Neill at the helm is also a remarkable story.

Lets hope the game itself lives up to the feverish expectation. But whatever happens today, both clubs must take great credit for making this a football season for the ages.

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Down will be hoping to build on their Ulster Championship win over Donegal when they take on Leitrim in the opening round of the Tailteann Cup at Páirc Esler, Newry, with a 6pm throw-in on Saturday

Down meet Leitrim this weekend in the opening round of the Tailteann Cup.

Down enter the fixture in excellent form following their Division Three league title triumph earlier this year and are expected to launch a serious challenge for the Tailteann Cup once more.

The Mournemen stunned Donegal in the Ulster Championship, cementing their position as arguably the leading contenders for the Tailteann Cup.

Leitrim, on the other hand, are seeking to build momentum following an inconsistent league and Connacht campaign and will be aiming to cause an upset in Newry.

Here’s what you need to know about the match:, reports the Irish Mirror.

Where is the match being played?

Páirc Esler, Newry.

What time is throw-in?

The match is scheduled to begin at 6pm on Saturday, May 16.

Can I watch the match on TV?

The fixture has not been selected for live free-to-air TV coverage, however, it is being shown on GAA+

Betting odds

Down – 1/8

Draw – 14/1

Leitrim – 7/1

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A reader has some very specific demands for the PlayStation 6, as he feels Sony has been stripping beloved features from its consoles since the days of the PlayStation 3.

I have been a long-time PlayStation fan since the days of the first PlayStation. The PS1 offered music CD support, as well as memory card storage, and gave birth to classic franchises like Grand Theft Auto, Tekken, Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, and Gran Turismo. But I will now explain why I will be holding off from buying a PlayStation 6 and how Sony’s mistakes are the main reasons.

Sony divided the memory on the PlayStation 3, which was a huge problem for developers, as well as then deciding to forcibly strip features from the console, such as backwards compatibility (the ability to play disc-based PlayStation 2 games and removing PSN access that customers paid for, if they did not apply the update). This, along with the forced removal of Linux, did not help Sony at all.

The result of these bad choices was Sony unfortunately having to deal with a PSN hack which lost them billions. The PlayStation 4 does have good games and features, such as Live from PlayStation and an internet browser, as well as The Playroom which is great software for using the camera to broadcast your gameplay if you want to.

The PlayStation 5 has proven Sony does not learn from its mistakes. The Live from PlayStation tab from the PlayStation 4 is missing, as well as it not having a working internet browser, unless you use a trick to load it up. Sony’s rival, the Xbox Series X has an internet browser, which isn’t a great look for Sony and does not help me consider upgrading to a PlayStation 6.

Sony’s greatest success was with the PlayStation 2. Its amazing library of games, new sequels to the biggest games series, combined with its hardware being way ahead of its time ensured it sold over 160 million units.

Sony, with its PlayStation 6, needs to bring back popular features from the PlayStation 4, as well as making sure its latest Gran Turismo title is ready to play at launch. We gamers have been left waiting many years for a new Gran Turismo game and feel let down by the missing features in Gran Turismo 7, such as B-spec AI in races, which was useful in Gran Turismo 4, especially for long endurance races.

Sony should by now, in 2026, allow disc-based backwards compatibility for PlayStation 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 discs, as having to rebuy games you already own on disc is not fair to the consumer. There are emulators that have been released for the PC, that have been able to do this for years, even upscaled into 1080p, which does show Sony has some catching up to do.

If Sony does not bring these features and ensure a good line-up of games is ready then I will not be purchasing a PlayStation 6, as by that point it will just feel to me like an expensive paperweight and a waste of hard-earned money.

Sony should learn from its PlayStation 2 success and give us a real PlayStation to all be proud of and give gamers who are still on the PlayStation 4 a reason to jump ship. Am I alone in feeling this way?

By reader gaz be rotten (gamertag)

The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot.

Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email.

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“He said to me, ‘Gran, why didn’t I go after them?’ and I replied, ‘Because, they would have killed you’.”

A vulnerable grandmother says she has been left terrified to attend football matches again after allegedly being punched by a thug Celtic fan before their dramatic clash with Motherwell.

Patricia Stafford, was heading towards Fir Park with her grandson on Wednesday evening when horror unfolded before kick-off. Celtic would go on to snatch a dramatic 3-2 victory thanks to a last-minute penalty from Iheanacho but the 72-year-old from Ayr says the match was overshadowed by a shocking attack that left her bruised, shaken and suffering flashbacks.

The lifelong Motherwell supporter claims she was assaulted after a gang of youths who targeted her grandson for wearing a club scarf. The attack is alleged to have taken place on Knowtop Avenue outside of the gate to the John Hunter stand.

She said: “I go to Motherwell games with my grandson. We parked outside the ground early. We were walking to our gate.

“A lot of Celtic fans were around, then all of a sudden a group of six or seven in their late teens appeared.

“One of them jumped out of the crowd and grabbed my grandson’s scarf. He pulled him towards him.

“My instinct was to scream and when I did this, the Celtic fan threw a right hook and punched me right on the chin.

“He took his scarf and ran away.

“I have no idea why this happened. My grandson is not an ultra. He goes to the games with me and we sit together.

“He was totally defenceless when it happened.

“He said to me, ‘Gran, why didn’t I go after them?’ and I replied, ‘Because, they would have killed you’.

“They would have. They were in a big group and all of them would have gotten a kick into him.

“I always thought because he was with me, that he was safe. It’s really scary.”

The stunned gran, who was comforted by a passing group of Hoops fans following the alleged beating, says there were no officers nearby when it happened. Police Scotland has since launched a probe into the incident.

She said: “There were no police around because they were all up at the away section.

“An off-duty policewoman from Bellshill witnessed the full thing.

“She followed the boy to the away end. She went to officers there and pointed the boy out to them because she recognised the hole on the back of his trousers.

“The police told her they couldn’t do anything about it.

“I am just so disappointed in the police, they could have grabbed him and stopped him.”

Patricia, who was told by later told by officers that they would check CCTV in the area, says the ordeal has left her deeply traumatised.

She said: “It was so shocking and I was left shaken. The first aid checked on me but my face was all numb.

“The numbness started to disappear as the game went on and my neck started to ache and my back was sore. It was too much for me and we had to leave because I was in too much pain. We missed the last two goals.

“When I got home, I told my husband what had happened after he noticed the bruising on my face.

“I was so calm telling him but the minute I went to my bed, it all came flooding back to me.

“Every time I had a moment to think, I was having flashbacks. It was horrible and I was getting so upset.”

The gran has even considered giving up going to the football altogether after the incident.

She said: “After it happened, I asked my son, ‘Should I cancel my season ticket?’. He said, ‘Why should you?

“You’ve been going for years’. I ended up renewing my season ticket because I can’t let them win.”

But ahead of Motherwell’s away clash against Hibs at Easter Road on Saturday, Patricia admits she is now filled with dread.

She said: “My grandson and I have tickets for the Hibs away game on Saturday.

“When we purchased them, we thought it would be a lovely day out going to watch Motherwell via the train. Now I’m panicking and I don’t want to go.

“I tried to sort a seat on a supporters bus but they were all sold out. I feel vulnerable going myself and would feel safer in numbers.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “On the evening of Wednesday, 13 May, 2026, police received a report of an assault in the Knowtop Avenue area of Motherwell. Enquiries into the incident are ongoing.”

Motherwell and Celtic were approached for comment.

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Prince William changed his tune when it came to Prince George’s loyalties

Prince William had a change of heart after previously telling his son Prince George to support any club but Chelsea. The Blues are set to face Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday.

It has been a turbulent season for Chelsea, who sit ninth in the Premier League, as the club look to round off the campaign with a trophy. Interim boss Calum McFarlane will lead the side at Wembley Stadium after the club parted company with two managers, Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior, this term.

The west London outfit will not be considered favourites against City as they bid to lift the iconic trophy for the ninth time in their history. Prince William had previously instructed his eldest child not to support Chelsea and was disappointed that he initially went against his wishes, though the future King has since shown his true colours by allowing his son to pick his own team.

In 2019, during an appearance on the BBC’s A Berry Royal Christmas, Prince William was quizzed about Prince George’s blossoming passion for football. “I try not to be too biased, I said you can support anyone but Chelsea, so naturally he supports Chelsea,” he said.

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Prince William is a devoted Aston Villa supporter, as evidenced by his jubilant reaction during the team’s recent 4-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at Villa Park. The 43-year-old was delighted as Unai Emery’s side secured their place in the Europa League final.

The Prince of Wales has attended numerous Villa matches over the years, including their Champions League quarter-final away leg against Paris Saint-Germain last season. He attended the match alongside Prince George, whom he hopes will become a Villa supporter, yet made clear that the 12-year-old was free to support whichever team he chose, representing a change of tone from his earlier remarks about Chelsea.

“I’m genuinely open to whoever they support,” Prince William told TNT Sports. “I’m a bit biased but also they come to Villa games so they’re probably going to support Villa. I’ve left the other two at home tonight so we’ll wait and see who they support.”

The royal had already begun to soften his position on Prince George becoming a Chelsea fan during Frank Lampard’s first spell as manager in 2020. “It’s about finding what fits for him,” Prince William said on That Peter Crouch podcast.

“Previously, I was a bit concerned about him supporting Chelsea, but now Frank’s come in, I feel the culture’s a bit different at Chelsea and I’d be okay with it.

“I do like the values and the ethos of the clubs. I want them to look after the players and set a good example to the young fans.

“I want our children, when they go the match, to come away loving what they’ve seen, enjoying it and seeing their role models behave in a way that we’d all want them to.”

Prince William will have his footballing attention firmly fixed on Villa’s Europa League final clash against Freiburg on Wednesday, 20 May. The Villans stand just one match away from their first major silverware since 1996.

He was spotted punching the air with joy as Villa put on a commanding 4-0 performance against Forest and he spent time with the squad after the final whistle. Villa manager Emery explained: “He was in the dressing room with the players and with me, and of course, he is so happy as well.”

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In little over a year, December 10 have emerged as one of the fastest growing new acts in British pop, racking up more than 16 million streams and over 8.4 million YouTube views

Boyband December 10 have opened up on what it’s like working with Simon Cowell and why they feel lucky to have him as a mentor.

The lads consist of Cruz Lee-Ojo (19), Danny Bretherton (17), Hendrick Christoffersen (19), John Fadare (17), Josh Olliver (17), Nicolas Alves (16) and Sean Hayden (19). They are from Chorley, Rochester, Dublin, London, Lisbon and Walsall, and between them Irish, Brazilian, Indian, Nigerian and Jamaican heritage

The seven-piece group were formed by pop guru Simon Cowell on the Netflix series Simon Cowell: The Next Act.

In little over a year, December 10 have emerged as one of the fastest growing new acts in British pop, racking up more than 16 million streams, over 8.4 million YouTube views and building a social media following of more than 3.2 million people.

READ MORE: British man breaks his neck falling out of a tree on French holiday – and is left with huge medical billsREAD MORE: Student dies after jumping into Alabama lake while celebrating college graduation

Speaking in January, Cowell, who launched the careers of the likes of Leona Lewis, Little Mix, Susan Boyle and One Direction, admitted he formed December 10 as he missed the buzz of managing a boy band.

“I just got to a point where I felt so comfortable. And I think when you feel comfortable, it gets boring,” he told The Times.

“Even though I like my job, what I used to do was just so much more risky. Did I need to do it? No. But you know when you go to Disneyland, you look at one of those rides and you think, ‘I’m not sure I should do this, but I’m going to do it anyway’? It’s that adrenaline. I really missed working with bands.”

Now they have opened up about life in the music industry and have detailed what it’s like to work with Simon.

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When asked if they are in regular contact with Simon, Danny said: “Yeah, we talk to him a lot. We were all at his house the other day for a barbecue chilling but also talking about the next steps that we’re going to go through. We couldn’t ask for anyone better to guide use what we’re going through at the minute.”

As you can expect a barbecue at Simon’s house is quite the event and Simon doesn’t get his hands dirty flipping burgers. When asked if Simon got stuck into the cooking Danny said: “Nah!” To which Sean interjected: “We had chef Jeff to do that!”

When asked if Simon leads the suggestions with songwriters and producers they can work with, Danny said: “He’s definitely got a good say, but we’re lucky that he’s happy for us to give our input a lot of the time. We respect him for doing that.”

The band are in regulat contact with Simon, despite his hehtic schedule. Nicholas said: “Obviously with Simon he’s had so many years in this industry and he has so much experience so every opportunity we get to spend time with him he’s always imparting his wisdom upon us. It’s just a really good thing to have him as our mentor we’re really lucky to have him by our side.”

Their tour started next month and will see them travel from Amsterdam to Berlin, Paris and almost everywhere inbetween.

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