John Foley runs an award-winning plant nursery without a mobile phone, internet, or bank cards

A 38 year old business owner has retreated to “analogue mode” – abandoning his mobile phone, bank card, computer and internet to operate exclusively with pen and paper. John Foley ditched his iPhone 14 three years ago after becoming “constantly distracted” by emails, messages and notifications.

Subsequently, he disposed of his computer and rejected his bank card in favour of cash. The father-of-two, who operates an award-winning plant nursery in Holden, exchanged them for traditional diaries and pencil and paper.

In 2024, he also eliminated using the internet altogether and now composes documents and reports by hand or adds notes to his chalkboard.

He said: “It has been very therapeutic and liberating – I feel like I have taken back control of my life, mind, and sense of achievement.

“My daily screen time was around 5hrs and 40mins a day – which isn’t an insane amount, but it was time which I thought I was being productive with. But in reality I wasn’t and I have now gotten that back.

“As well as not being readily available through a phone at any moment has slowed me right down, and actually, and has improved my quality of life. My days feel four times as long and I now find myself living in the moment.

“My brain is able to think rather than being forced to work in overdrive. I’m never itching for my phone to fill awkward spaces of dead time or awkward moments.” The last occasion John used his mobile phone was on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. His contentious choice followed two “life-changing” trips without it, after leaving it powered down at home.

The first was a journey to London on May 18 to meet the then Floral Development Manager of the Chelsea Flower Show, Helen Boem, to talk about his app “The Wonder Garden” that he and his colleagues were developing.

The app enabled customers to plan their own gardens and flowerbeds through his nursery using AI. He said: “We missed our train due to being late, because one of us forgot our phone charger.

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“Then that night, when we got to the house I rented, I stayed up late texting. So the next morning, I made the decision to just go without it.

“It wasn’t easy, but I found that I actually had time to speak to people, and any worries about emails or WhatsApps to reply too, well they just had to wait. The next day we went to Lambeth Palace Museum and I left without it again – I was able to focus and learn like I hadn’t in a long time.”

The motivation also arose when on the journey back from London he noticed a woman writing in a diary. He said: “Back in the day, all these important businessmen and huge companies worked on pen and paper, so why can’t they now?” Then a fortnight later, on June 4, he embarked on a weekend camping trip to Pen-y-ghent, in the Yorkshire Dales, with six friends once more, leaving his device behind. Though he admitted he’d only left it at home because he was running late, having been “replying to texts, emails, and scrolling”.

Following the trip, he set himself a two-week deadline to go phone-free permanently and developed an “overwhelming feeling” he didn’t want to use it anymore.

However, he ended up abandoning it a week ahead of schedule, switching it off and stashing it somewhere in his home – setting himself the challenge of going without it for five years. The following day, he walked seven miles into Clitheroe to purchase his first diary after forgetting his Amazon password and being unable to complete two-step authentication on the website Etsy.

In September 2024 he scrapped his email and internet access entirely, preferring to deal with clients face-to-face and providing handwritten plans and documents, something which he says customers “appreciate”.

Then in the autumn of 2024 he stopped carrying a debit card, though he still maintains an account to cover his bills, all handled via direct debit. Customers can still reach the company by landline, post or email, and he has passed on technology-related tasks to other members of staff, though he intends to phase out those methods too.

John admits the first winter without a phone was tough, revealing he felt “very lonely”. He also had to learn how to properly organise both himself and his time. He is now exploring ways to make his company completely technology-free, with hopes of reverting to pen and paper before the end of 2026.

John’s The Wonder Garden app was also scrapped, but was transformed into a face-to-face business concept that he promoted largely through word of mouth and the community gardens he manages at the nursery.

He said: “Time poverty is what the world suffers with in 2026, but when you come out, everything slows down and you reclaim it.”

He is now looking to establish a charity to create green spaces for communities alongside local councils, giving children the opportunity to step away from technology and discover the joys of gardening.

The prince and princess chose a pub lunch over a posh banquet

Cambridge is a place loved by royals. So much so, the city gained a new Duke and Duchess in 2011 after Prince William and Princess Kate got married.

While the couple held the titles of Duke and Duchess of the city, they visited Cambridge many times. There is one Cambridge pub that people may not realise that the future king and queen dined at in 2012.

This is the Fort St George, one of Cambridge’s oldest and most well-known riverside pubs. Although they were invited to a posh banquet at the University of Cambridge, the pair turned it down to enjoy a trip to the Fort St George.

According to news clippings from the time, Kate and William enjoyed sandwiches, chips, and mini burgers. At the time of their 2012 visit, Kate was early into her pregnancy with Prince George.

Today, the pub is still as popular with us commoners, as well as royals. It is situated on the popular Midsummer Common, and is the perfect place to visit to admire the River Cam, as well as soak up some sun.

The Greene King pub offers traditional pub grub, including Sunday Roasts. There are also a range of cold crisp drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, to enjoy in the nice weather.

As reported earlier today, forecasters predicted a maximum temperature of 33 degrees Celsius in the city today, two degrees warmer than yesterday as the UK looks set for the warmest day in May on record.

The UK has recorded its all-time hottest May temperature today as a part of London hit 33.5C.

Heathrow, in the west of the capital, broke the record on the bank holiday – a day after the country’s highest May temperature in at least 79 years was recorded.

Tower Gardens in Tower Street offered a chance for people to pause under the canopy of leaves and we spoke to a number of people taking a break, from among the scores of people stretched out on the lawns, reading books, parked on benches and leaning against tree trunks.

Carol and Rob were sat on the wooden seats overlooking the River Ouse and enjoying their sandwiches.

One lady brought her own portable shade from the midday heat of York (Image: Kevin Glenton)

The couple are in York until the end of next week, having travelled down from Lanarkshire in Scotland.

Carol said: “It’s good to get outside but best to stay in the shade.

“We’ve been out for two-and-a-half hours already and spent most of it out of the sun.

“I’m looking forward to next week when it will be just 19 degrees.”

Kirsty Gray and her partner Carl Smith brought the family over by car from Alford in Lincolnshire and making a day of it with a picnic hamper and coolbox with children Mia, Ellie and Millie, before hitting the shops and museums.

Kirsty said: “We made plans to come to York as Mia was especially keen to come to The Shop That Must Not be Named in Shambles.

“We’ve brought the picnic in part because of the expense of eating out, and as soon as we came out of St George’s Field car park this looked like a convenient place to sit and have our lunch.”

Kirsty Gray, Carl Smith, with Mia, Ellie and Millie has come to York for the day from Alford in Lincolnshire (Image: Kevin Glenton)

Paola Pugh was walking her two-year-old dog Niko, a pomeranian-shitzu cross, through the garden.

She said she lives in neighbouring Tower Place and the green space is a regular place for the two of them to cross.

Niko was wearing a cooling bandana which his owner Paola picked up in a pet shop (Image: Kevin Glenton)

Paola said: “In this heat, we try to go for the shortest walks, which means we come here and I try to keep him out of the sun.

“He’s wearing a special bandana I bought from the pet shop which I hope will cool him down a little.

“I’m from the south of Italy so I’m used to the heat for longer periods of time.

“When it comes here, it’s usually in short bursts.”

You might be able to spot the historic aircraft close to Cambridgeshire.

The famous Red Arrows will be doing the flypast over Buckingham Palace for King Charles III’s birthday celebrations on Saturday, June 13. But ahead of the big day, the team will be doing a rehearsal close to Cambridgeshire in preparation.

This means you might be able to catch a glimpse of the Red Arrows from your garden at the start of June. The rehearsal is set to take place on Tuesday, June 2, but it might take place on Wednesday, June 3, if the flying conditions are not favourable.

The rehearsal is set to start from over the North Sea at around 11am and will see the planes flying inwards over parts of Suffolk before entering Norfolk. The aircraft will fly over areas of Norfolk including Swaffham, Great Cressingham, and Caston.

The Red Arrows will then travel over RAF Marham at around 12.35pm. The flight path will take the team just north of the Cambridgeshire border past Wisbech.

If you want to be sure to catch the planes, you might want to take a quick trip out to Sutton Bridge, which is directly in the flight path. The Red Arrows will then carry on into Lincolnshire where they will fly over RAF Cranwell.

The team will disperse when it reaches RAF Waddington at around 1.30pm.

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Summer is here with Memorial Day’s three-day weekend.

Observed on the last Monday in May each year, Memorial Day unofficially marks the start of warmer months with a long weekend known for barbecues, yard work and pool openings to honor the day of remembrance for military members who died in service.

The solemn day, recognized as one of the 11 federal holidays in the calendar year, is acknowledged across the country with flags lowered to half-staff under the established nationwide tradition. It is one of the few times flags are lowered in every state.

However, it is up to individual employers to decide whether they offer time off or additional pay for work on federal holidays.

Find the full list of 2026 federal holidays below:

New Year’s Day: Thursday, January 1

Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.: Monday, January 19

Presidents’ Day: Monday, February 16

Memorial Day: Monday, May 25

Juneteenth National Independence Day: Friday, June 19

Independence Day: Saturday, July 4

Labor Day: Monday, September 7

Indigenous Peoples’ Day (also observed as Columbus Day): Monday, October 12

Veterans Day: Wednesday, November 11

Thanksgiving Day: Thursday, November 26

Christmas Day: Friday, December 25

Other important days to note:

Valentine’s Day: Saturday, February 14

St. Patrick’s Day: Tuesday, March 17

April Fools’ Day: Wednesday, April 1

First Day of Passover: Wednesday, April 1

Good Friday: Friday, April 3

Easter: Sunday, April 5

Mother’s Day: Sunday, May 10

Father’s Day: Sunday, June 21

Halloween: Saturday, October 31

First Day of Hannukkah: Friday, December 4

Christmas Eve: Thursday, December 24

New Year’s Eve: Thursday, December 31

“We will continue to crack down on people like this – they pose a danger to all of us on the roads.”

A disqualified driver was caught by police over the weekend driving at 90mph in the dark, with no lights on – and on the motorway.

Officers stopped the driver on the M1 close to Lurgan after he was seen driving with no lights on in the dark before being detected driving at 90mph. After his vehicle was stopped he admitted to police that he had no insurance and was later found to have been disqualified from driving in July 2024.

The driver had is car seized and will soon have to appear in court.

A PSNI spokesperson said: “The driver of this car has just been stopped on the M1 Motorway, near Lurgan.

“Road Policing Officers detected him driving at 90mph with no lights on, in the dark.

“When stopped, he threw his hands up to having no insurance and further checks showed that he was a disqualified driver. He was disqualified in July 2024 for three years.

“The car was seized and the driver will have to attend court in the near future.

“We will continue to crack down on people like this – they pose a danger to all of us on the roads.”

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West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo is meeting senior management on Monday to assess the impact of relegation to the Championship amid a belief he is likely to leave the club.

Nuno refused to say whether he would remain at London Stadium in the aftermath of failing to prevent the club dropping out of the Premier League for the first time since 2011.

The former Wolves, Tottenham and Nottingham Forest manager signed a three-year deal with the Hammers in September.

Despite improved form toward the end of the season, including a final day 3-0 victory over Leeds, West Ham paid the price for a poor start, followed by a run of 10 games without a win from the beginning of November to the middle of January.

Chairman David Sullivan and vice-chairman Daniel Kretinsky are likely to be the key voices in the meeting.

West Ham sources have indicated relegation will cost the club around £200m in lost income at a time when finances are already stretched.

The Hammers made a £104m loss in their most recent accounts to 31 May 2025 and are predicted to lose another large sum this season.

Sales appear inevitable, with midfielder Mateus Fernandes on Manchester United‘s list of central midfielders they are interested in.

Skipper Jarrod Bowen is also coveted by a number of Premier League clubs, although he didn’t want to talk about that when interviewed by Match of the Day after the Leeds game.

“It’s still very, very raw,” the forward said. “Talking about futures is disrespectful to the club, the fans, everything like that. This club deserves to be in the Premier League. Our aim now is to get this club back into the Premier League.”

Swinney – who was in charge of the party when Peter Murrell was first appointed chief executive of the SNP – said he was “gutted” by the chain of events which led to Operation Branchform.

John Swinney has said SNP members who donated to an independence fundraiser at the centre of a long-running police investigation into party finances which led to the jailing of Peter Murrell will not be offered refunds.

The First Minister faced the press at 1.30pm today after his former senior party colleague was earlier escorted from the dock at the High Court in Edinburgh after admitting to embezzling more than £400,000.

Murrell, 61, was remanded and will appear before the court again on June 23 for sentencing. He admitted using the party’s money to buy items including a motorhome and luxury goods, and towards the purchase of two cars.

Swinney, who was last week formally re-elected as Scotland’s First Minister, said the “level of personal horror” he felt over Murrell’s crimes was “difficult for me to properly convey”.

Describing it as being a “tough day” for the party, Swinney said bluntly: “I am gutted by this today.” He sorry to the people who are affected” by Murrell’s crimes, saying that the money had been “stolen” from the party.

“It is the conduct of Peter Murrell that has got us into that position,” the First Minister stressed.

Operation Branchform – the police investigation that ultimately led to Murrell’s conviction – was launched in July 2021 to investigate how the SNP spent more than £600,000 of donations intended for a second independence referendum campaign.

Nicola Sturgeon, Murrell’s estranged wife, had announced in 2017 the SNP would push for a second referendum on independence following the 2016 Brexit vote. The party launched a #ScotRef fundraising appeal that same day.

But the online crowdfunder was closed after the June 2017 general election – which saw the SNP’s vote share drop – having raised almost half of its £1m target.

Asked if he would apologise to those who donated, and whether they would get their money back, the First Minister said: “Party members have made those donations to the SNP. We don’t have that money, it’s been stolen from us.

“I can confidently say to members of the party that the money they donate to us is used to further the aims and objectives of the SNP, and it always will be.

“I feel the same way as party members. I’m one of those people who donates to the SNP as well. So I feel the hurt and the anger and the betrayal the party members feel. What I’ve done, is made sure the SNP has good governance and good financial management in place.”

Asked why he was so resistant to offering party members a refund, given Murrell stole from an organisation that failed to safeguard donations, Swinney said: “I come back to the point I made earlier – the actions of Peter Murrell, as described in the police’s statement, talk about carefully trying to hide his criminality, with false receipts and accounting.

“It’s wholescale deception. It’s deceiving the systems in place to exercising control, and deceiving the people who are the sources of donations to the party.

“The collective victim is the Scottish National Party, but there are multiple victims who have contributed the resource.

“Members of the party, in my view, given that money for its proper purpose, and they would want to us to continue to proceed to do all that we can to achieve the greatest that we can with the resources available to us.”

Tom Gordon, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, visited Barchester’s Thistle Hill Care Centre on Friday, May 15, where he met residents and staff and toured their new eight-bedroom extension.

Mr Gordon praised the centre’s facilities, especially the physio room and spa bath, while also joining in with the home’s weekly quiz.

Dannie Jean, general manager at the care centre, said: “It was lovely to have Tom Gordon here for the morning.

“The residents were delighted that he was able to visit us and join in the quiz.

“We all had a wonderful morning, and we hope that Tom will come to see us again soon.”

Thistle Hill Care Centre, part of Barchester Healthcare, provides residential, nursing, dementia, and respite care, as well as support for individuals with physical disabilities and acquired brain injuries.

Barchester Healthcare is one of the UK’s largest care providers, operating 269 care homes and hospitals and supporting more than 13,800 residents.

Its services range from short-term respite care to long-term stays, focusing on delivering personalised care that promotes dignity and independence for all residents.

The county’s police force said it happened yesterday (Sunday, May 24) at 8.15am in Mook Street, Westow, which runs close to the River Dewent between Buttercrambe and Malton.

The man was riding a Yamaha MT10 motorbike and the crash also involved an Isuzu Trooper 4×4.

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North Yorkshire Police said it is believed the man was overtaking at the time of the crash.

A force spokesperson said: “As part of our investigation we are appealing for anyone who witnessed the crash or the moments leading up to it – or has dashcam or CCT footage – to it to speak to us if they haven’t already done so.

“Please email our serious collision investigation unit on sciu@northyorkshire.police.uk quoting incident number 12260094373.

“You can also share information by calling us on 101 and quoting the above number.”