WHEN Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park hit the big screen in 1993, fictional paleontologists Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler made fossil hunting look cool.

However, Brit holidaymakers don’t need to visit a desert – or an island covered with dinosaurs – to step into Dr Grant’s fictional shoes because England is home to one of the best fossil hunting spots in the world.

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Smithsonian Magazine named the Jurassic Coast as one of the best fossil-collecting sites on Earth because visitors are actively encouraged to save fossils, where possible, for research purposes.

The Jurassic Coast was also named one of the best fossil hunting spots in the UK by Countryfile.

England‘s Jurassic Coast stretches for 95 miles from East Devon to Dorset, meaning there’s lots of space for dinosaur enthusiasts – whatever the age.

Would-be paleontologists should make a beeline for Lyme Regis, which is often dubbed the Jurassic Coast’s fossil capital thanks to English fossil collector Mary Anning.

The 19th-century paleontologist made some important discoveries, including finding the first complete ichthyosaur skeleton and the first plesiosaur skeleton. 

And there are still plenty of skeletons, dinosaur footprints and fossilised treasures waiting to be found, with a 6ft-long pliosaur skull found just last year.

Other prime fossil hunting spots include Kimmeridge Bay, a sheltered and secluded bay that’s a mixture of pebbles and sand.

There’s also Ringstead Bay, an unspoilt beach that’s backed by farmland and cliffs.

At Ringstead Bay the bedrock must not be disturbed, meaning fossil hunters will need to look with the eyes rather than taking their finds home to be verified.

If you’re not much of an explorer, but still want to see traces of dinosaurs, then head to the Spyway Dinosaur Footprints.

What is it like to visit the Jurassic Coast?

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ASSISTANT Travel Editor Sophie Swietochowski (centre) explains what it’s actually like to visit Durdle Door.

DESPITE the Jurassic Coast being one of the most well-known spots for rambling in the UK, it has managed to remain gloriously peaceful.

I barely passed another soul during a Sunday hike along the rugged coastal path above Durdle Door a few years back – only a herd of cows munching on the unkempt grass at the top of the cliff.

Admittedly, things grew a little busier as I approached Lulworth Cove. But that’s no surprise with a horseshoe-shaped pebble bay and turquoise waters that could rival those in the Caribbean.

Make sure to wander over to Fossil Forest while you’re here too, where you can observe ripples of an ancient sea floor within the rocks and fossilised remains of old tree stumps that date back to the dinosaur era.

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Located in Purbeck, next to a working quarry, it is easily accessible from the Priest’s Way walking path.

The footprints were made 145 million years ago when the area was covered in tropical forests and swamps, giving visitors the chance to step back in time.

The fossils were discovered in 1997 by quarrymen Kevin Keates and Trev Haysom before the site opened to the public in 2016, with the Jurassic Coast Trust occasionally running guided walks of the site.

Charmouth, a village in Dorset, is another prime location for fossil hunting.

Make a beeline for Charmouth Beach and get booked onto a fossil hunting walk with Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre.

The 90-minute walking tour takes place outdoors where a guide helps holidaymakers search for fossils, with visitors even able to take their treasures home.

A trip to the Jurassic Coast isn’t complete without seeing Durdle Door – one of the area’s most well-known landmarks.

The natural arch was formed from a layer of hard limestone that stands almost vertically out of the sea.

Durdle Door stands at the foot of a steep path, which is accessible from the South West Coast Path.

In the last few years, some holidaymakers have likened Durdle Door to beaches in Portugal because of its coastline and rock formations.

One person wrote on TripAdvisor: “Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door: Reminded me of the Algarve in Portugal!”

While another added: “The rocks protruding out of the sea were so pretty you would forget you’re still in England and reminded me of a trip to Portugal.”

A third commented: “You don’t feel like you are in the UK. It seems more like Portugal or California.”

If you’re looking for somewhere to stay overnight, then the Sun’s Head of Travel recommends Durdle Door Holiday Park.

The family-owned holiday park has endless sea views as well as unrivalled access to Durdle Door.

Sun Online Travel have found touring pitches from £30 per night per pitch.

There are plenty of other places across the Uk where dinosaur enthusiasts can get the Jurassic Park fix.

One of those places is Paradise Park in East Sussex, which is home to life-size moving dinosaurs, fossils and a Dinosaur Safari at Paradise Park.

Meanwhile, Knebworth House in Herefordshire has a dinosaur-themed adventure section.

And Combe Martin Wildlife and Dinosaur Park in North Devon has 19 animatronic dinosaurs, including a life-sized T-Rex, Dino Express train and a play zone.

Meanwhile, ROARR! Dinosaur Adventure in Norfolk is set to open a new land in 2026.

Gigantosaurus Land will be based on an animated series of the same name, which currently streams worldwide on services like Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney Plus.

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For a month now, UK small- and mid-cap broker Peel Hunt has been banging the drum about the potentially catastrophic effect that the removal of an inheritance tax loophole might have on London’s ever-eventful small- and mid-cap Alternative Investment Market (Aim).

Still smarting from Labour’s scrapping of the nascent “British Isa”, and with the UK Budget fast approaching, head of research Charles Hall warns that the hypothetical removal of IHT relief for AIM shares would lead to “permanent damage” to what the LSE still describes as “the world’s most successful growth market”.

The removal of the tax incentive, which was introduced in 1996, would threaten the very “future of AIM as a functioning market”, Hall added in a note on Thursday (with our emphasis):

We see material downside risk for AIM form removing IHT relief. Moreover, our forecasts show a net tax reduction to the Exchequer of £2.6bn, rising to £3.2bn . . .

We see an impact on the AIM market of 20-30% if [Business Property Relief, which can be passed on sans IHT upon the death of the investor] is removed, crystallising a loss of value [of] £14-21bn to UK shareholders, resulting in a permanent destruction of spending power.

Here are their numbers:

Other projections are available. Hall admits as much while taking a swipe at the Institute for Fiscal Studies think-tank, two of which’s academics — Arun Advani and David Sturrock — think scrapping the relief would actually raise tax intake by more than £1bn.

Here’s Hall:

There have been several reports suggesting that removing [Business Property Relief, which can be passed on free from IHT upon the death of an investor] from AIM shares would be tax enhancing. Notably, the IFS suggested a £1.1bn increase in tax, rising to £1.6bn per annum. We believe these numbers are flawed for numerous reasons, and estimate a material reduction in tax revenue.

Back in May, Advani and Sturrock wrote that IHT relief “distorts investment choices towards these types of shares, particularly for older people seeking to minimise their inheritance tax liability”. From their article:

Revenue implications: We estimate that the removal of business relief for AIM shares could raise around £1.1 billion in the current tax year, rising to £1.6 billion in 2029—30. This could be an underestimate, since business relief on AIM shares is used very heavily by trusts, for which no direct statistics are available. If those currently using AIM shares to avoid inheritance tax would respond to its removal by using other avoidance strategies, the amounts raised could be lower, though.

Hall was in a fighting mood this morning, writing of the IFS’s £1.1bn: “We do not recognise this number”.

So we asked the IFS’ Advani what he made of Hall’s assessment. Unsurprisingly, he stood by his own figures while taking a swipe of his own at PH’s:

I don’t believe [Peel Hunt’s] assertion that the hit to AIM would be 20 to 30 per cent. It’s not necessarily wrong, but it’s a statement without any underlying evidence. I wouldn’t put much weight on it as I don’t know how they got there . . . 

The upfront cost of this relief is £1.1bn. If you spend that money on something else, direct public spending, whatever. That has positive effects for jobs elsewhere etc.

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It seems like a very partial way to look at the world to say if you take away this relief, that jobs would go [PH notes that AIM companies are responsible for close to 800,000 employees]. Hall seems to have ignored the other side of the equation. We ignored both. We’re not burning this money, it’d be spent on something tangible.

I’m all for supporting investment. I just think this is the wrong place to do it.

Advani also points out that unlike other targeted tax reliefs (Enterprise Investment Scheme, Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme, Venture Capital Trusts), “the current design of BR does not do anything to explicitly focus investment into companies which are expected to be high-return”.

Aim might not be helped by the removal of the incentive. But its problems — namely a dearth of flotations, high costs and burdensome listing requirements — run far deeper than anything that maintaining IHT relief might fix. Either way, the ball is now back in Peel Hunt’s court. Or, we suppose, in Rachel Reeves’.

Further reading:
— Peel Hunt’s cunning plan
— How to fix London’s markets (if you get a chance, no worries if not)
— Meanwhile, on AIM (FTAV)
— Number of Aim-quoted groups drops to 22-year low in blow to London (FT)

SAVVY shoppers can save up to £336 this Christmas with stocking filler perfume dupes starting at just £2.49.

Christmas is fast approaching, and if you’re looking to spoil your loved ones without breaking the bank, we’ve got the perfect stocking fillers for you.

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High-end perfumes might be a dream for some, but we’ve rounded up six incredible dupes that smell just like the real deal – for a fraction of the price.

From B&M to Poundland, here’s how you can bag luxurious scents for less this festive season.

Missy G.G. Body Mist – £2.49 at B&M

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Top of our list is the Missy G.G Body Mist that shoppers can snap up at B&M for just £2.49.

This fruity body mist has been making waves as a dead ringer for the iconic Good Girl Body Spray which retails for £47, saving you £44.51 – that’s 90% cheaper.

Shoppers are raving about it as the perfect dupe – and at just £2.49, it’s an absolute steal.

The bargain find was spotted in store and shared on social media by a happy shopper.

She posted a picture of the bottle with the caption: “Carolina Herrera good girl body spray dupe £2.49 from B&M smells exactly the same as the original it’s beautiful.”

It can be purchased in-store but you can’t buy online

Pink Plush – £4 at Poundland

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Next up is Pink Plush from Poundland, priced at only £4.

It’s a fantastic dupe for Moschino Toy 2 Bubblegum, which would set you back £43 at The Perfume Shop.

With a saving of £39, or 91%, Pink Plush offers a sweet, bubble-gum-like scent that’s playful and fun.

You can find it in-store at Poundland, making it an ideal budget-friendly option for Christmas gifts.

Quartz – £4 at Poundland

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For those who love Paco Rabanne Fame, the Quartz fragrance from Poundland is a must-have.

Filled inside a fun silver robot, Poundland’s Platinum Pour Homme is a more affordable dupe of the posh scent that retails for close to £70 at The Perfume Shop but is 93% cheaper at just £4.

This saves you a whopping £74.

That’s a massive saving without sacrificing on style or fragrance quality.

The purse-friendly collection, which hit the stores recently, has already taken the internet by storm, with fans rushing to Facebook to share the news.

One shopper, Nat Fergusson, took to Poundland Appreciation Society, where she wrote: ”Some fab fragrances at only £4 each!”

Perfect Seduction – £4 at Poundland

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Another standout from Poundland is Perfect Seduction, a £4 dupe of Katy Perry’s Purr, which retails for £28 at Fragrance Direct – saving you £24.

Fans of Purr will love this affordable alternative, with its fruity and floral notes.

The adorable black cat-themed bottle is a major win in itself – so even if you don’t enjoy the scent, you’ll have a cute little home decor piece.

You’ll pay 84% less by picking this up at your local Poundland.

For those after something more luxurious, Opulent Fizz from Poundland is another fantastic dupe for Dior J’Adore, which typically costs £94.99.

At just £4, you’re saving a whopping £90.99, or 96%, making this champagne glass-shaped perfume a true bargain.

It’s a perfect gift for anyone who loves a sophisticated scent, and it’s available in-store at Poundland.

Good Chica Eau de Parfum – £3 at Primark

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At Primark, you can find Good Chica Eau de Parfum for just £3.

This fragrance is a brilliant dupe for Carolina Herrera’s Good Girl Eau de Parfum but is 95% cheaper as Good Girl currently retails at Boots for £65, saving you £62.

With contrasting notes of jasmine, cocoa, and almond, Good Chica delivers the same bold, feminine scent at a fraction of the price.

You’ll save £62, making it an affordable yet luxurious gift, available in Primark stores.

The perfume made waves on Facebook‘s infamous Extreme Couponing and Bargaining group when one user posted her lucky find.

The savvy shopper also mentioned isn’t the only great dupe Primark has in store.

She said: “They did have others too but I can’t remember the names of them.”

Pistachio and Salted Caramel Body Spray – £5.99 at Lidl

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Finally, Lidl’s Pistachio and Salted Caramel body spray is a favourite for those who love Sol de Janeiro’s Brazilian Crush Cheirosa 62.

Priced at just £3.99, it’s a fantastic dupe for the cult classic, which costs £30 – making the 86 per cent cheaper.

You’ll be saving £25.01 on this tropical, sun-kissed scent that’s perfect for the holiday season.

It’s currently only available in selected stores.

You can find your local store by using the store finder tool.

With these seven amazing dupes, you can fill those Christmas stockings without breaking the bank while still gifting luxurious scents.

Many bargain stores are starting to sell dupe alternatives of popular branded products at a hugely reduced price.

Lidl is one of the best around as dropping a number of home and beauty dupes.

Dupe hunters have unearthed Jo Malone, Rituals, Molton Brown, Sol de Janeiro and Lush copycats in stores across the country.

There’s even a £1.99 dupe of the coveted Jo Malone London Pomegranate Noir Body & Hand Wash.

The designer version will set you back a mammoth £36.

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Zantac may have been a heartburn medicine but it caused one almighty headache for GSK chief executive Emma Walmsley. Finally, it looks as though that particular aggravation is clearing after GSK said late on Wednesday that it was prepared to pay up to $2.2bn to settle 93 per cent of legal cases linked to Zantac.

It still has a further 6,000 cases to either settle or defend but the resolution of 80,000 (with no admission of liability) means that GSK “becomes investable again,” said Emmanuel Papadakis of Deutsche Bank Research. Unfortunately for Walmsley, GSK has more than one source of pain.

Zantac has played havoc with GSK shares ever since a Morgan Stanley note published in August 2022 estimated the company’s potential liability at anywhere between $3bn and $27bn. Markets assumed the worst: GSK’s market capitalisation plunged almost £13bn as a result, just after it had demerged its consumer health business Haleon.

By early this year, it had recovered to pre-August 2022 levels. But investors’ acute nervousness over Zantac was demonstrated again in early June when more than £6bn was knocked off GSK’s market cap in one day following a legal setback in Delaware, the US state that accounted for the bulk of Zantac cases.

This settlement is far lower than the worst-case scenario. If anything, it was surprising that the share price reaction, up 5 per cent in response, was not more enthusiastic. That can be explained by the fact investors now have to judge GSK on its own merits — and long-standing concerns about its pipeline have not gone away.

GSK has a long-term target to improve sales to more than £38bn by 2031, versus £30.3bn in 2023. Even though this is a mere trifle compared with AstraZeneca’s 2030 $80bn sales goal, the market does not yet believe GSK can reach it. Visible Alpha estimates for GSK suggest sales at the end of 2030 of £35.7bn. A key problem is the patent expiries from 2028 on HIV medicines containing dolutegravir.

Walmsley has emphasised the group’s ability to increase vaccine sales. The plan had been going well: Arexy, its vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), quickly reached blockbuster status. But this summer, a US health committee narrowed the age recommendation for RSV vaccine use. Analysts tracking recent prescriptions of Arexy say they are down even more than expected. There is similar scepticism about whether global sales of GSK’s shingles vaccine can make up for a US slowdown.

Walmsley can ill-afford a big celebration over the Zantac settlement. An unpleasant ache has gone for GSK. But finding a balm to alleviate pipeline doubts is a tough task indeed.

nathalie.thomas@ft.com

AS I walked into the Waitrose Christmas showcase, I knew this year’s festive range was going to be above and beyond anything that’s gone before.

I was given the opportunity to test the posh supermarket’s whopping 554-product Christmas range, which includes 175 new items.

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Festive items have been popping up in Waitrose‘s 400 supermarkets since the end of September and will be available in full in December.

With so many products on offer, from moreish mains to divine deserts, the retailer really does have every aspect of the festive season covered.

Despite having so many products on offer, there was one item in particular that I really wanted to try, and that was the Limoncello fizz panettone.

It’s not Christmas without a panettone, but Waitrose is putting an interesting spin on the festive treat this year.

While messing with Christmas classics may seem like a controversial move, I’m fairly sure this one is going to be well-loved.

The Italian cake contains candied lemon peel, pockets of limoncello filling and is infused with sparkling wine syrup.

Plus, it is sprinkled with fizzy sherbert lemon sugar to finish.

The limoncello and the sponge complement each other really well and the booze isn’t too overpowering.

I think even the most ardent traditionalists would be impressed, and I can imagine a fight breaking out over the last piece on Christmas Day.

For me, it came out on top.

At £12, it is a little pricey, but it’s worth it if you want to impressive your guests this Christmas.

If you have a sweet tooth but chocolate is more your thing, then don’t worry, Waitrose also has this covered.

The supermarket is selling a £6 hot chocolate brownie that it says serves four.

The Belgian chocolate treat was really rich and creamy and the marshmallow toppings were the perfect addition.

If I was looking for just one word to describe this desert, it would be decadent.

But I can imagine it would be even more delicious served with ice cream and it’s bound to be a hit with both adults and children alike.

I also really enjoyed Waitrose’s white stilton with Luxardo Limoncello.

Even if you don’t like Limoncello, this one could still be worth a try as the flavour isn’t too overpowering and it doesn’t take away from the cheese.

It costs £2 for 150g.

SHOWSTOPPING CENTREPIECES

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Waitrose said it has created centrepieces that are ready to serve and create a “wow factor”, with table appeal, flavour and restaurant quality.

And you can really feel this sentiment in its centrepiece offering.

A beef sirloin is a staple of most households’ Christmas dinner spread, and Waitrose has decided to jazz its version up this year.

The No.1 wagyu beef sirloin joint comes with a beer malt glaze and shallot, herb and garlic crumb.

It will be available from December 20 to December 24 through Waitrose’s food-to-order service.

This service allows you to book and pay for your Christmas dinner and other treats ahead of time with collection closer to the big day.

It is priced between £59 and £72 depending on the weight you choose.

This varies between 0.95kg-1.16kg and can serve between four and six people.

But if your Christmas isn’t complete without a turkey, Waitrose has you covered here too.

The treacle glazed stuffed turkey crown costs between £60 and £75 for a bird weighing up to 2.5kg.

The turkey is served with chestnut and bacon stuffing and topped with treacle-cured bacon and finished with a sticky and delicious treacle glaze.

It is also available through the food to order service.

If you’re someone who doesn’t like to spend ages preparing for Christmas, it could be worth forking out for these pricey centrepieces.

They’re bound to impress your guests and will take little preparation.

So if you’re looking for a fuss-free way of making Christmas dinner, they could be a good option for you.

Waitrose isn’t the only retailer to have launched its festive range.

We had a first look at Fortnum & Mason’s 2024 Christmas range including edible coal, £40 hamper & £265 advent calendar worth £1,000.

Plus, we reveal the full list of supermarket Christmas savings schemes – and how to get £25 free cash.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories

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The South Korean writer Han Kang, known for her precise and haunting stories, is the winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize for literature.

The 53-year-old was recognised for her “intense, poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life”, the Nobel committee said on Thursday.

Anders Olsson, chair of the Nobel literature committee, highlighted Han’s “unique awareness of the connections between body and soul, the living and the dead, and in her poetic and experimental style has become an innovator in contemporary prose”.

Han, who has won numerous Korean and international awards for her work, is the first Asian woman and South Korean writer to win the Nobel literature prize. Her award, which comes with prize money of SKr11mn ($1mn), comes against a backdrop of growing international appreciation of South Korean music, film and literature.

Han’s novels include The Vegetarian, which won the 2016 Man International Booker Prize. The book tells the story of a woman whose violent dreams spur her to flout family and tradition and give up eating meat, assuming instead a “plantlike” existence. The Financial Times described it as “short, quirky and memorable”.

Critics have praised the extensive stylistic variety of Han’s fiction and her metaphorically charged prose. Anna-Karin Palm, a member of the Nobel literature committee, said Han writes “intense lyrical prose that is both tender and brutal, and sometimes slightly surrealistic as well”.

Recurring themes include the power of past events over the present. Her works are often inhabited and haunted by both living and dead characters, bringing many dimensions to the story. Subjects range from unflinching reckonings with the political violence that has scarred South Korean history to personal trauma.

In Human Acts, published in English in 2016 and praised by Olsson as “witness literature”, Han returned to her southwestern home city of Gwangju, which her family left just months before the 1980 protests against Seoul’s military regime were crushed, leaving hundreds dead.

Her latest novel, which will be published in English next year as We Do Not Part, deals with the massacre of alleged communist collaborators on a remote island as told through long-suppressed family stories.

In an interview with the FT following her Man Booker International award, Han, whose father and brother are both writers, said: “I always feel fascinated by subtlety and delicacy of language, so I have this great debt to Korean literature. But when I write my novels, I always have a sense of universality.”

Mats Malm, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, said Han was surprised when he phoned to tell her the news of the award. “She was having an ordinary day, it seems; she had just finished supper with her son,” he said.

The literature prize is the third of the Swedish Academy’s six annual Nobels that are being announced on successive weekdays. The winners of the peace and economics prizes follow on Friday and Monday.

Frederick Studemann is the FT’s literary editor