You sit down to start a task you care about. Nothing happens. You open your phone instead. Minutes turn into hours. You feel restless, flat, or oddly exhausted, even though you haven’t done much at all.

For many neurodivergent people, this cycle is painfully familiar. It’s often described as a motivation problem or a focus issue. But for those who are ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) or autistic and ADHD (AuDHD), these experiences are closely linked to how dopamine – a vital brain chemical involved in motivation and reward – is regulated.

Due to this experience, some neurodivergent people have started to turn to a simple tool: the “dopamine menu”. Popularised in 2020 by Jessica McCabe, a YouTuber and ADHD advocate, a dopamine menu is a personalised list of activities that can help provide small, regular boosts of motivation and pleasure throughout the day.

For people who find themselves stuck or overwhelmed, it offers a structured way to access activities that feel rewarding or regulating. But to understand why this approach can be helpful, it is important to understand what dopamine is and how it works.

Dopamine is often referred to as the “feel-good” neurotransmitter, but this is an oversimplification. While it does play a role in pleasure, dopamine is also closely linked to motivation, anticipation and the ability to initiate and sustain tasks.

It is produced in three areas of the brain: the hypothalamus, substantia nigra and the ventral tegmental area. Outside the brain, it is also released from the adrenal glands, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract.

Dopamine is involved in multiple cognitive processes including learning, attention, mood regulation, focus, memory and reward. It also plays a role in pain perception, sleep and movement.

Dopamine is released in response to certain activities such as spending money, eating, drinking and sex. This dopamine “burst” reinforces that we like this activity and motivates us to do it again. Not all dopamine increases are equal. Some activities provide short, intense bursts, while others lead to more gradual and sustained changes.

Why this matters for neurodivergent people

Some neurodivergent people have a different relationship to dopamine than neurotypical people. The most discussed neurotype when it comes to dopamine is ADHD.

Research suggests that people with ADHD typically have a lower baseline level of dopamine, and may process it differently. This can lead to a greater drive to seek stimulation.

In everyday life, this can show up as difficulty starting tasks, a reliance on urgency to get things done, or a tendency to seek out highly stimulating activities. These patterns are often misunderstood as laziness or lack of discipline, when in fact they reflect differences in how the brain regulates motivation and reward.

People with ADHD are also more likely to develop addictions, such as to substances, video games, gambling or the internet, and are at higher risk of relapse. This demonstrates the importance of appropriate, tailored support, rather than framing such behaviour as purely a matter of choice.

Regardless of neurotype, many people find themselves turning to quick, easily accessible sources of dopamine, such as scrolling on a phone. While these can provide short-term relief, they are often not satisfying in the longer term and may leave people feeling more depleted.

Designing your own sources of reward

This is where dopamine menus can be helpful. Rather than relying on a narrow set of high-intensity activities, a dopamine menu provides a wider range of options that can support more consistent regulation throughout the day.

In her 2020 video, Jessica McCabe describes dopamine menus in sections, although they can be adapted to suit individual needs.

“Appetisers” are small, quick activities such as watering plants or making a coffee. “Meals” are more substantial activities that take longer, such as going for a walk, cooking or playing a board game. “Sides” are additions that make less enjoyable tasks more appealing, such as adding music or a podcast. “Desserts” are enjoyable activities best used in moderation, such as scrolling on social media or watching television. While “specials” are less frequent, more novel experiences, such as attending an event, eating out or going on a trip.

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The process of creating a dopamine menu starts with identifying activities you enjoy and considering how they might fit into your daily routine. Making these activities more accessible – for example, leaving a yoga mat out or preparing materials in advance – can reduce the effort required to get started. It can also be helpful to add small barriers to activities you are trying to reduce.

What’s important is that dopamine menus are not to-do lists. They are optional, flexible and designed to reduce pressure rather than create it. By enabling us to decide in advance what feels supportive or enjoyable, they can reduce the cognitive load of choosing what to do in moments of low motivation.

So, rather than fixing a lack of motivation, dopamine menus offer a way of working with the brain’s natural rhythms, and creating space for small moments of energy, interest and ease throughout the day.

Ruth Lloyd-Williams, from Llandudno, was first diagnosed ‘by chance’

A mother who had IBS for decades before receiving a terminal bowel cancer diagnosis has said she is determined to outlive her prognosis and is manifesting a “miracle” as she believes “cancer hates positivity”. Ruth Lloyd-Williams, 61, a businesswoman who lives in Llandudno, was first diagnosed with bowel cancer “by chance” in February 2025 after spontaneously booking a GP appointment for a check-up.

One month later, she was told she needed a stoma and had “five years” to live and, one year later, after various treatments including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, she was given the news she only had “months to live”. Despite this prognosis, Ruth refuses to be a statistic and is determined to see her grandson born in September – and she is currently receiving a new treatment which she hopes will prolong her life.

If “the worst happens”, she has decided she would like to be cremated in her wedding dress to avoid the “pain and heartbreak” of her family having to dispose of it, and she would like to have her ashes scattered in her back garden, so she “never misses out on a family BBQ or a garden party”.

Speaking about her advice to others with terminal cancer, she told PA Real Life: “Don’t just sit there and be the statistic. It doesn’t matter how old you are because, unfortunately, cancer doesn’t care how old you are, or what your life plans are or whether you’re going on holiday next year.

“But if you can do anything, be as positive as you can. Cancer hates positivity. I am full of hope and do believe that miracles do happen.”

Ruth has had symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) – a common condition which affects the digestive system and can cause stomach pain or cramps, bloating, diarrhoea and constipation – ever since she can remember. She recalls having “tummy ache” from the age of five and being taken to hospital during primary school, but she said doctors “never knew what to do about it”.

As she reached adulthood, she said she just “learned to live with it” – but her symptoms of excruciating abdominal pain, frequent or infrequent bowel movements and anxiety were “debilitating” at times.

“You get to the point where it’s just part of your life,” Ruth said. “I was just left to get on with it, so every time it flared, I either treated it myself or I just saw myself through the process.”

Ruth said her symptoms were never fully investigated – she just had “this IBS label” – and her flare-ups continued over the following years. In January 2025, however, while at her GP surgery booking an appointment for her husband Paul, now 67, she enquired about booking a check-up for herself.

She had been experiencing some discomfort and noticed a recent change in her bowel movements, so she thought: “I’ll go and ask, I’ve not been for years.” After an initial appointment, Ruth was referred for a colonoscopy on February 5, 2025, which she said was “fairly painless and all over in a flash”.

Within an hour, she said she was given the “bombshell” news that she had bowel cancer and a 6cm tumour had been found. “It was almost like an out-of-body experience – you’re out there watching somebody else get this news that’s going to change their life,” she said.

The following month, in March, her consultant told her the cancer was “treatable and not curable” and she would need a stoma – an opening on the surface of the abdomen which has been surgically created to divert the flow of faeces or urine.

She added: “I could hear this wailing noise and it wasn’t until I stopped to think that I realised that wailing noise was me.”

On the day of the stoma procedure on March 19, 2025, Ruth said she arrived at hospital in silver sequin trousers to “make a statement”. However, just two days later, she was given further “out of the blue” news.

“The consultant came along to see me and said, ‘I’ve got some news for you. Unfortunately, we’re going to have to upgrade your diagnosis’,” she said.

“I said, jovially, ‘Oh, an upgrade to me is extra leg room and a glass of champagne, so what is it?’ He said, ‘No, unfortunately, the scan showed that you’ve got mets (when cancer spreads) in your liver, you’ve got five years and there’s nothing we can do’.”

Ruth subsequently underwent chemotherapy from April to September, followed by 25 sessions of radiotherapy, and she had her liver resectioned and ablated – a treatment which uses extreme temperatures to destroy cancer cells – on February 6, 2026. However, she then suffered an infection and another follow-up scan in March this year revealed the tumours had increased in size again and her liver was “riddled”.

“I went to see the consultant after it had all calmed down and I was told I’d only got months to live,” she said. “But my answer to that was, ‘Well, I can’t go anywhere because I’ve got a grandson due in September’.”

Ruth, who built a community support resource for women called Network She, was offered a new treatment called Breakwater. She currently receives this intravenously once a fortnight and takes tablets every day. While she said she suffers side effects of fatigue, nausea, mouth abscesses and peripheral neuropathy, a type of nerve damage, she is responding well to the treatment and hopes it will prolong her life.

“It’s very easy to have a diagnosis and think, ‘Oh, I’m dying, I may as well just sit on the couch and wait for it to happen’… I’m not doing that,” she said. “I’m now on something that wasn’t available to me when I was first diagnosed, so one year down the line, two years down the line, there might be something else.”

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Ruth, who also runs a medical education business for healthcare professionals called HCP Ed-UK, is now writing a diary-style book about living with bowel cancer, featuring characters named after her tumour, stoma and PICC line, which is used to give chemotherapy or other treatments. She named her tumour Billy because, at first, she hoped he would have “no mates”, her stoma Prada after the luxury brand and its bags and her PICC line Lilli after the food piccalilli.

She has worked with an illustrator called Michelle Webster to create an animation of her tumour, basing the character on one of “the ugliest fish in the world”, a blue hairy frogfish, and her stoma.

“This all comes from dealing with imposter syndrome,” she explained. “I’ve found over the years that when you’re dealing with something that is big and uncomfortable, or just unpleasant, if you name it and you give it a personality, it’s easier to deal with.”

Ruth hopes to release the book later this year, titling it, Ruth vs Billy – One Woman’s War Against Billy The Hairy Blue Face Frog Fish, and she has set up a Facebook group in the same name, where she posts regular updates. She is encouraging everyone to advocate for themselves when it comes to their health, do their own research and remain as positive as possible.

“Cancer hates positivity, so I hate cancer, so therefore I am being as positive as I possibly can – and that alone makes you feel better,” Ruth said. “Your diagnosis doesn’t have to be the end of your life. It might be eventually, but it also might be the reason for living.

“I’ve very much learned you have to live in the moment and I often think of the phrase: ‘Don’t count the days, make the days count’.”

To find out more, visit Ruth’s Facebook page.

The Borough Council of Bolton has announced that several roads will be closed for the Ironman events until June 8.

The restrictions are expected to remain in place until 9am on June 9.

Diversion routes will be signposted to assist motorists during this period.

In Horwich, Winter Hey Lane will be closed on June 20, from St John Street to Lee Lane for the Horwich Rox event.

This closure will be in effect all day or until the event concludes.

Drivers should plan alternative routes to avoid delays.

Lastly, Guido Street will be temporarily closed from Horace Street to Darwin Street for approximately five days from  June 9 to 13 due to water works.

The restrictions will prohibit all vehicular and pedestrian traffic in this area. An alternate route will be available via Darwin Street, Halliwell Road, and Horace Street.

Motorists are advised to stay updated and plan their journeys accordingly.

“There is no doubt being in the same league changed everything,” says Txiki Begiristain, director of football at Barcelona between 2003 and 2010.

Ronaldo’s world record £80m move to Real Madrid in 2009 thrust the pair right into the centre of one of football’s most intense club rivalries – Barcelona v Real Madrid.

And by the time Ronaldo left for Juventus in 2018, the pair had won five Ballons d’Or apiece. In the nine seasons the pair were together in Spain, Ronaldo had scored 450 goals in 438 games for Real. Messi, 471 in 476 games for Barca.

But it had become far more than just numbers. By now, it was personal – and the growth of social media meant the world was watching.

“For Cristiano it was Lionel Messi and for Lionel Messi it was Cristiano. ‘I need to beat this guy’,” said Begiristain.

“The Mourinho – Guardiola rivalry was like a mirror for the Ronaldo – Messi rivalry. And, as players, they knew that game-winning goals were their route to one-upmanship,” added Spanish football writer Sid Lowe.

“We could watch it all on our phones. And in turn, the global exposure for the Messi – Ronaldo rivalry was now sky high, absolutely off the charts. Everything they did was must-see.

“It was on everyone’s lips in the press box, newspapers and social media comments, Cristiano and Leo were hell bent on outdoing each other on the pitch. Their personal battle for supremacy was symbolised by the ongoing trophy battle between the clubs.”

And what a battle it was. Messi and Barcelona undoubtedly won the La Liga honours, but the Champions League was dominated by Real Madrid and Ronaldo.

In 2012, Ronaldo inspired Real to their first La Liga title in four years but it was Messi who picked up his fourth straight Ballon d’Or award – much to his rival’s disgust. He went to win four of the next five.

“There is a genuine animosity that begins to grow,” says Robinson. “They didn’t acknowledge each other that much, they hated comparisons.

“They could not tolerate if they were the greatest of all time, there could be another in their era, in their football league.”

Deco adds: “I don’t think there is something similar to what happened with Messi and Ronaldo at this moment because at the same time the two clubs, Barcelona and Madrid, were at the same level and fighting for the big trophies.”

When Messi scored a 92nd-minute winner for Barcelona at Real Madrid in 2017, he removed his jersey and held it up the crowd.

“In the popular narrative, Cristiano had been the diva and Messi had been the humble servant of Barcelona, but this was the moment of Messi reasserting himself on the rivalry, saying maybe for the first time in his career ‘look at me’,” says Robinson.

Just a few months later, Ronaldo mimicked the celebration when he scored in the Spanish Super Cup at Barcelona.

Balague added: “If you needed proof of how much it meant to beat each other, those are the pictures.”

Eighty-one people have received vitreo-retinal surgery at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton since the service began in October 2025, bringing advanced ophthalmic care to the Hambleton and Richmondshire areas.

Carri Ramsbottom, from Friends of the Friarage, said: “Friends of the Friarage believe that every patient deserves high-quality care closer to home and this service is a shining example of our commitment to achieve this.

“It has been incredible to see how much of a difference the new service has made to our patients in such a few short months.

“We all want to return to the comfort of our own homes as quickly as possible following surgery, and it has been an honour to help make that a reality for our patients.”

The charitable group raised more than £200,000 to fund new surgical equipment, making the specialised eye surgery possible.

Vitreo-retinal surgery treats serious eye conditions such as retinal detachment, macular holes and complications from diabetic eye disease.

Before the service launched, patients in the area had to travel to The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, often requiring multiple appointments and assistance getting home, due to being unable to drive after receiving eye drops or injections.

The first to benefit was Andrew McDonald, a software engineer from Northallerton, who underwent vitreo surgery at the Friarage Surgical Centre in October 2025 after experiencing leakage in his eye caused by complications from uveitis; inflammation of the eye, which was significantly impacting his day-to-day life.

Mr McDonald said: “As the Friarage Hospital is within walking distance from my house, I was able to walk in, have my operation and walk home.

“It doesn’t get any better than that.

“I would like to say a huge thank you to Mr Saad and his wonderful team for their ongoing compassion and support from my initial appointments right through to my operation.

“They are all so kind and caring and I would recommend anyone thinking about going for vitreo surgery at the Friarage to just do it – the team will really look after you.

“As for the fundraisers and supporters of Friends of the Friarage, they are unsung heroes and a very special group of people, who helped make this possible.

“Eight months on, my eye is improving really well and is making a huge difference to my quality of life.”

He was under the care of Mr Ahmed Saad, consultant ophthalmologist and vitreoretinal surgeon.

Mr Saad said: “The introduction of vitreo-retinal surgery at the Friarage is already having a huge impact on our patients, like Andrew.

“Previously, our patients had to travel to other hospitals for this type of specialist treatment but now they can receive sight-saving treatment closer to home, reducing travel and waiting times, and making care more accessible and convenient for them and their families.

“We are extremely grateful to Friends of the Friarage for their generosity and support.

“Their contribution is directly helping us preserve and restore sight for people in our community, and we truly appreciate their continued commitment to supporting patient care at the Friarage.”

47 Skin, a business based in York, ranked fourth in Yorkshire and the Humber and 83rd nationally in The Sunday Times 100, a list of the UK’s fastest-growing private companies.

The ranking, now in its fifth year, recognises entrepreneurial businesses making significant growth outside the technology sector.

Jon Yeomans, business editor of The Sunday Times, said: “Celebrating five years of The Sunday Times 100 shows the amazing variety of British businesses, led this year by the media producer Goalhanger taking the number one spot.

“The biggest trend over the last five years is the rise of consumer brands, with food, drink, fashion, and beauty companies now making up nearly half the list.

“Several businesses who have featured in the past, such as Huel and Applied Nutrition, have continued to grow and find huge success, from launching on the stock market to being bought out by global giants.”

This year’s Yorkshire and the Humber entries also include health supplement brand Vidrate in West Yorkshire, which topped the regional list (28th nationally); Sheffield’s Blend Family (40th); Leeds-based Wilson Power Solutions (76th); and Slick Gorilla, another Leeds company (95th).

47 Skin, which recorded £12.8 million in sales and 62.7 per cent annual growth over three years, produces skincare products aimed at managing acne and other skin concerns.

The highest-ranking company in the region, Vidrate, achieved £5.7 million in sales with a 120.3 per cent average annual growth rate.

The Sunday Times 100 companies averaged 108 per cent annual sales growth over three years, generating a combined £4 billion in revenue and employing 13,700 people.

The ranking excludes companies selling their own technology, which are listed separately in The Sunday Times 100 Tech.

To be included on the list companies have to be registered in the UK and be independent, unquoted and ultimate holding companies.

They must also have recorded at least £5 million in sales in the most recent year and have been profitable in that period.

This year, 45 of the 100 companies are based in London, while five are from Yorkshire and the Humber.

Four businesses are headquartered in Wales, three in the South West, two in Scotland, and one in the North East.

The research for The Sunday Times 100 was conducted in partnership with Beauhurst, a source of private company data.

True, fish and chip shops have been hit harder than many strands of hospitality by rising prices for fish and oil. And London is the least affordable place in the country to run a restaurant. But the point about fish and chips is that it is the UK’s original street food, popularised in the 19th century as an affordable hit of protein and carbs for the working class, parcelled up in newspaper with change from a £10 note and eaten on the way home from the pub or, ideally, harbourside as a stiff easterly whips in off the North Sea. Swap the wooden fork on the pavement for silverware in Mayfair and the soul (sole?) of the dish is lost.

England’s first Dutch-style “cycle street”, which gives cyclists and pedestrians priority over motorists, has opened in Cambridge.

Adams Road, a key route into the city, is painted to look like a bike lane, and treats motorists as “guests”. It is already being used by around 3,000 cyclists a day, officials say – a figure likely to rise as people feel more confident about cycling into the city. 

Common in Belgium and the Netherlands, where they are known as a fietsstraats, the roads have started appearing in Germany, Canada and even the US.

While the intervention was welcomed by many in Cambridge, some have scoffed at the £2m price tag, which, councillors pointed out, also covered the construction of rainwater gardens to mitigate flooding.

Anna Williams, head of campaigns at Camcycle, a local charity, said she hoped the cycle street will be “the first of many in the city”.  

“Providing more space for people walking, wheeling and cycling will improve safety, encourage more people to choose active travel for their everyday journeys and create a nicer street for everyone who uses it,” she added.

Image: Greater Cambridge Partnership
Main image: European Inventor Award

Heavy favourite Jannik Sinner’s shock loss in the second round meant what was expected to be a one-horse race became a free for all.

German second seed Zverev took over as the clear front-runner to claim the Coupe des Mousquetaires – but he has scar tissue from three previous Grand Slam final defeats.

The 28-year-old missed a golden opportunity in the 2020 US Open final when he blew a two-set lead against Austria’s Dominic Thiem.

In the 2024 French Open final, he came up against a better opponent in Carlos Alcaraz – whose emergence alongside Sinner meant many thought Zverev had missed his chance to land a major.

Zverev was also undone in last year’s Australian Open final by Sinner, who produced a merciless performance which led to the German saying he felt mentally “empty” a few months later.

With Alcaraz, Sinner and 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic out of the way, Zverev will arguably never have a better opportunity to land the Grand Slam he has long been predicted to win.

Will Zverev keep his composure? He claims he “doesn’t care” he is considered the favourite.

“I focus on the next match and on the opponent as they cross the net, and that’s the only thing that I can control,” he said.

“If I win those matches, then that’s great.”

Manchester United CEO Omar Berrada says the Reds will look to replicate last summer’s transfer business and they have a clear plan for the window after securing a return to the Champions League.

He said: “I think the template for what we did last summer will be replicated in many ways. You always go into a window, you don’t know how you’re going to come out of it, but you have to be really prepared.

“You have to have a clear plan. You have to know exactly what positions you’re looking to strengthen. And you also have to be prepared for any eventuality, there could be exits that we’re not expecting, there could be opportunities in the market that perhaps weren’t there at the beginning of the window. So, we have to be ready.

“We have to be agile and flexible, but we have a clear plan. Jason Wilcox and his team are very well set up to to execute that plan. And I do think that what we saw last season is a good way forward for us, which is we want a mix of experience and youth.

We want a mix of players that have demonstrated they can perform in the Premier League and perhaps also with players that are doing very well outside the Premier League. But we will always do it within our terms and ensuring that whatever decision we take is not just for the short term but also for the long term.”