The Lancashire seaside resort has been ranked the UK’s best large town
Milo Boyd Digital Travel Editor and Commercial Content Lead
02:39, 08 Mar 2026
A town in the North West has been crowned as the finest in the nation.
Liverpool and Manchester usually attract most of the spotlight in the north-western corner of England, and justifiably so. Nevertheless, when evaluating the premier large towns (importantly, not cities) across not just the North West but the whole country, one location emerges supreme.
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“The town evolved out of an unplanned sell-off of land by various lords of the manor, and was destined to be chaotic. The Golden Mile and Pleasure Beach are latter-day versions of the free-for-all fête that once took over the strand,” Chris Moss writes about his leading choice.
“As the new Showtown museum reveals, the modern seaside mass-market holiday was invented here, as was much of the light entertainment and comedy that dominated the small screen for decades. You can eat well (the Wok Inn is superb), drink well and party well here but neither the prom in a gale nor the back streets after dark are for the faint-hearted. It’s a UK one-off. An obligatory stop once every decade if you want to know your nation and yourself.”
Do you agree with these rankings? Share your views in the comments section below or email us at webtravel@reachplc.com
Chris’s selection is none other than Blackpool. He gave the legendary Lancashire seaside destination a rating of 9.5/10 in an article exploring potential candidates for the 2028 UK Town of Culture, following Bradford’s successful tenure in 2025.
Blackpool’s rise to the top position comes at the expense of prosperous Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, which claims second place, followed by Ipswich in Suffolk in third, and Rochdale, Greater Manchester in fourth.
For those who live in or cherish Blackpool, or have enjoyed sun-drenched days at this coastal resort, there’s no need for a reminder as to why this town of 141,000 deserves the leading position. However, for those yet to discover the Northern equivalent of Las Vegas, here’s a concise overview of its heritage, present attractions, and why its number one ranking may prove surprising.
The heritage
Until the mid-eighteenth century, Blackpool was a modest, largely overlooked hamlet positioned on the Irish Sea. It only became popular as a fashionable destination later in the 1700s, when visitors began travelling there for sea bathing – an activity not widely regarded as pleasurable until this wellness trend emerged.
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A spike in visitor numbers resulted in the creation of several hotels by 1781, before the railway reached the town in 1846. Throughout the nineteenth century, Blackpool grew from a humble town into a major coastal resort, with trainloads of holidaymakers arriving to enjoy the sea air.
Its three piers and numerous existing attractions, such as the Blackpool Tower, were built by the end of the century.
By the mid-twentieth century, Blackpool’s population had grown to 147,000, considerably more than its present count.
What to do
Following the coronavirus pandemic, which witnessed a substantial increase in domestic tourism across the UK, Blackpool has been thriving. Figures for 2023 show the seaside town attracted 21.5m visitors – a 6% rise from 2022’s total of 20.3m.
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The annual STEAM report showed that full-time employment within Blackpool’s tourism and hospitality sectors has grown to 23,419 positions – representing a 5.3% increase on the previous year.
The reasons are clear. Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Blackpool Tower, SEALIFE Blackpool and the Blackpool Illuminations remain major attractions that draw in considerable visitor numbers each year.
The resort is also famous for its evening entertainment and has become an increasingly popular choice for hen and stag parties, thanks to excellent venues such as the Cask and Tap, Rhythm and Brew Room, and Shickers Tavern, plus the fact that getting a decent round of drinks for £20, with change to spare, is still possible.
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Something of a surprise
Despite its appeal, Blackpool faces certain challenges. Since the arrival of cheap overseas package holidays in the latter part of the 20th century, the North West jewel has lost some of its shine as it tries to compete with the sunshine and beaches on offer across Europe.
Blackpool grapples with significant, entrenched socioeconomic issues, often ranking among the most deprived local authorities in England. It suffers from high levels of poverty, unemployment, and poor health indicators.
The seaside town also struggles with a seasonal, low-wage economy, subpar housing, and increased crime rates.
Models emerged from dramatic lighting that cast long reflections across the runway floor, creating a stage-like atmosphere that suggested the show was as much performance as it was a fashion presentation, a hallmark of the Westwood house, long known for challenging conventions of class, gender and historical dress.
A couple of years ago I dug up an artefact buried under soil, grass and leaves in a park close to my home in Exeter. It was not some ancient object but rather a granite memorial plaque laid down by the local city council only three years before. Dedicated to regional victims of the COVID pandemic, it had been created, forgotten and swallowed by the ground in swift succession.
This illustrates our conflicted relationship with remembering the pandemic in Britain. The urge to memorialise sits awkwardly alongside forces of forgetting and indifference. COVID killed over 230,000 people in the UK and had profound effects on health, wellbeing, child development and economic stability. Yet many people treat it with the ambivalence of waking from a strange dream.
Following its official response to the UK Commission on Covid Commemoration late last year, the British government is now formally stepping into this slippery space of remembering and forgetting. March 8 has been designated as a day of reflection on the pandemic, with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport taking the lead.
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And yet how much difference will this day make? What media coverage will it receive? How much public appetite is there for it? In my own work on British remembering and forgetting of the pandemic, I have found much evidence of uncertainty about what should be remembered, who should be centred and when commemoration ought to begin.
Despite the death toll and social consequences, public memory of the COVID pandemic has been marked by hesitancy about what should be remembered, when commemoration should happen, who it should involve and how it should be enacted.
A key challenge is the absence of a unified narrative. Pandemic experiences ranged from bereavement, illness and profound suffering in lockdown to mild inconvenience or even a welcome respite from normal life. Depending on luck and the situation with which you entered into the pandemic, it was anything from deeply traumatic to something people are quietly nostalgic about.
When I asked for short public recollections of the period, I received stories of loss, disrupted lives and exhausted health workers, but was also inundated with descriptions of birdsong and country walks. The responses were later compiled into an online audiobook. Public memory of the pandemic has to find a way of holding these incongruities together.
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The day of reflection also has a disorientating relationship with time. COVID had no neat end point, no convenient armistice day around which to orient ourselves. The question of when public remembrance should begin was therefore unclear. Some informal memorials were created not long after the pandemic started, but when the government launched the UK Commission on Covid Commemoration in 2022, it was criticised for being too soon. In reality there is probably no perfect moment for public memorialisation, with the time always feeling either too early or too late for different people.
The question of who should organise remembrance is equally fraught. The state’s slow response to recommendations from the UK Commission on Covid Commemoration has been shaped in part by an awareness that this is politically sensitive terrain. Perhaps remembrance should not be led by the state at all. The grassroots activist group COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK created the National Covid Memorial Wall in London, and the bereavement charity Marie Curie oversaw earlier versions of the day of reflection.
Focusing collective recollection solely around loss of life nonetheless leaves major gaps in terms of the variety of people’s experiences. But there are also risks in wholly levelling the playing field. The loss of a loved one is not equivalent to Zoom quizzes and sourdough baking. Nor should collective memory erase the extent to which the pandemic’s impacts were systemically uneven, with higher mortality rates in some ethnic minority communities.
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Remembering through the lens of war
The day of reflection also sits awkwardly alongside existing patterns of how British people remember. These habits are most prominently shaped by rituals of war memory. The various memorial spaces associated with fundraiser and veteran Captain Sir Tom Moore emerged partly because he so neatly fused thoughts of COVID and the second world war.
But the pandemic was not much like a military conflict. While there were praiseworthy instances of public service, most deaths did not fit a narrative of heroic sacrifice, the virus was not an ideological or national enemy, and comparisons between prime ministers Boris Johnson and Winston Churchill have not endured.
Despite the difficulties of what is remembered, when it should happen, who should lead it and what form it should take, there has been an abundance of memorial creation since 2020.
When researching a book on the topic, I visited one built high up a Welsh mountain. I saw one constructed elaborately from wood and later ceremonially set ablaze. Another was framed as a defiant celebration of working-class heroism. One depicts exhausted medical staff cast in bronze. There were many others. Their narratives, forms and origins vary considerably, but what they share is a tenuous grasp on public consciousness. Generally they are little known and, in some cases, their long-term survival is uncertain, dependent on funding, maintenance or continued public interest.
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The March 8 day of reflection will not settle the question of how Britain remembers or forgets COVID, but it will reveal how willing we are to try. Any national act of remembrance will only feel meaningful if it can hold together grief, inequality and ambivalence without pretending they are the same.
A woman from East Belfast who was shot nine times and “left for dead” has now set up a beauty training salon to help other women follow their dreams.
Jemma McGrath was attacked in September 2013 and underwent one of the longest operations ever carried out at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. She was left with a broken arm, broken leg, and pins and screws holding her body together.
The now 36-year-old admitted to using drugs in her youth, and previously said she let her life spiral out of control after her dad’s death. After the shooting, she suffered post-traumatic stress disorder which gave her such severe panic attacks she thought she was dying.
Jemma had to rebuild everything from the ground up, including having to learn how to walk again after being in a wheelchair for months. Now, she is working hard to empower young women and give them a chance to become self-employed through her new training beauty salon on the Shankill Road, Belfast Brows & Lips.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Jemma reflected on being shot 13 years ago, as well how it led to her turning her life around.
She said: “In 2013 I was shot nine times, which left me fighting for my life. I had to learn to walk again, with pins and bolts holding my whole body together, and scars from head to toe.
“For other people that would probably be the end of the road – but for me it was just the beginning. It gave me the determination to create the life I have today.
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“I was in a wheelchair for three months and then obviously the mental side of recovery was tough too, but I’ve always been very positive and determined. If I’m really honest with you, I don’t know I would have had the determination that I’ve got today if that hadn’t happened.
“I’m actually a bit emotional when I look back because I literally feel like I’ve created the life I want, where I’ll jump out of bed an hour early for work. After all the hard work, stress, and everything I’ve been through it feels amazing to get to this stage.”
In 2018, Jemma won the Prince’s Trust award for the most innovative business in Northern Ireland and since then has worked with groups such as the Training for Women Newtork (TWN) and the Women Involved in Community Transformation programme.
Through this, she was put through qualifications to be able to teach others the beauty treatments she is passionate about. In the years since, she has taught 130 girls in brows and other treatments, and will soon be offering regulated courses in aesthetics and diplomas in semi-permanent makeup.
Jemma said she is delighted to be able to give back to the community, and help get women onto a good path, working towards being their own bosses.
“It’s amazing so see the growth and how it’s afecting them, they’re all so excited to come to work. They said they couldn’t wait for the weekend to end so they could come in, and if I’m honest I was exactly the same. It’s amazing what we’re doing here,” she added.
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“Seeing their passion and their work improve so much, and knowing it was me who trained them, it’s an amazing feeling, you can’t describe it. Just to be able to create this place now where we can all come and learn and grow together as a team, it’s amazing.
“I feel I have the right girls around me, especially when we’re getting started. They’re all so driven and excited to see what can come out of this.
“Whenever I set out I always said I wanted to take women down a different road to what I took, and I feel like I’ve done that. It’s about giving different opportunities so they can grow their own businesses. We’re all about empowering young women here.”
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Offering advice to anyone who finds themself in a difficult position, similar to Jemma’s years ago, she said: “If I can build this from where I’ve started, there’s nothing that can stop you as long as you really want it. With a bit of faith, a lot of hard work, you can keep going – never stop and it’ll happen.”
Video by Belfast Live videographer Justin Kernoghan.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola spoke of his delight for his players after their 3-1 win over Newcastle in the FA Cup
A delighted Pep Guardiola put Manchester City’s win over Newcastle in the FA Cup as their best performance at St James’ Park in his 10 years in English football. The Blues picked up their fourth win in three months against Eddie Howe’s side with a 3-1 victory that keeps their dreams of a Quadruple alive.
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The victory was even sweeter for City because Guardiola made 10 changes from the side that had drawn 2-2 with Nottingham Forest in midweek in an admission that some players were too tired with Real Madrid coming next in the Champions League on Wednesday. Erling Haaland was left at home and Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Ruben Dias and Marc Guehi remained on the bench in the north-east.
After a difficult start, City rallied and Savinho got the equaliser on his first start in more than two months and then Omar Marmoush scored his fifth and sixth goals of the season – four of them have come against Newcastle – to book City’s place in the FA Cup quarters. Before then, they will head to Madrid with confidence – but with a lone regret from the manager over the number of chances they missed to win by even more.
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“It’s one of the best feelings,” he said. “Really all the managers have that feeling, look at the performance of Nathan [Ake] – how reliable he is. All of them, there is not one single one that didn’t behave their best. Sometimes you don’t allow them to play much minutes and always you have that feeling. That’s why it’s nice to be in the competitions because it’s nice for them to be involved.
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“The only regret I have today is that we missed too many easy chances. That is the only thing we have to really improve because it’s one against one with the keeper, we have to try to finish better.
“Except the first 15-20 minutes that always happens, we talk about that, we could not control but after we dropped and Savinho started to make one against one on the byline we were incredible. It’s the best game we have played against Newcastle here in our period together in 10 years -and a difficult one in the FA Cup.
“I’m really pleased with how we played, how we behaved offensively, defensively, the concentration. It’s top. Eight times in a row in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup means how good this organisation is.”
Lest there be any doubt, the special relationship is pending repair.
Donald Trump had barely left the tarmac at Dover Air Base, a president in mournful respect for America’s fallen, when his attention turned to the UK prime minister.
Trump is clearly bruised by an old ally turning its back in his hour of need.
This is, after all, a president who maintains America’s alliances on America’s terms, who questions why international law should come between old friends.
It’s also hardly surprising when the US president picks him as the point man on points of conflict.
And yet, it had been a day of dignity at Dover Air Base in Delaware.
In this conflict, from this White House, dignity isn’t a given.
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Dover Air Force Base was the setting for Saturday’s “dignified transfer” of the six American soldiers killed in combat.
The president cut a figure of mournful respect as he stood in honour of the six US soldiers killed in combat, the solemn duty of a commander-in-chief.
It was an image in contrast to the picture presented by his administration during a week of hostilities.
Rumours Trump asked Iraqi Kurds to go into Iran ‘not true’
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Take a look at the social media content posted in recent days by White House staffers.
They’ve posted short films portraying the attack on Iraq as a video game. Footage of destruction is intercut with “point-of-view” video in which you, the viewer, are holding the weapon.
You can almost hear the sniggering and high-fiving of a production team playing it for likes.
It’s jingoism and triumphalism for the modern age, and, in conflict, maybe there’s a place for both.
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In the context, it’s also tone deaf and tasteless.
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Iran’s president responds to Trump
This military campaign has claimed hundreds of lives of various nationalities across a wide area, and Trump is warning there will “likely” be more US casualties.
Currently, the Americans face questions over possible involvement in the bombing of a girl’s school that killed more than 160 youngsters – something Trump claimed was “done by Iran” during a gaggle on Air Force One.
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The reminders are everywhere of the horrors of war and its enduring trauma.
This is a military action with so many uncertainties surrounding its rationale and its objectives.
To spin it as entertainment on social media is to diminish the impact on all concerned.
It is jarring, as is the hyperbole passing as commentary by the administration’s political players.
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The dignified transfer of US troops threw a focus back onto the absolute certainty of war, reinforced through time – its tragedy and its loss, laid bare.
6 key points after Noah Donohoe inquest week six | Belfast Live
Need to know
The coroner also said the progress of the inquest was “moving, maybe, not as quickly as I would have hoped”
Fiona Donohoe, the mother of 14-year-old Noah Donohoe, and solicitor Niall Murphy (right) arrive at Belfast Coroner’s Court(Image: Liam McBurney/PA Wire)
6 key points after week six of inquest into death of Noah Donohoe
A police search adviser believed there was a 5% possibility that Noah Donohoe was in the culvert in which his body was eventually found, the inquest heard this past week. Sergeant Hutchings, who was the lead Polsa (police search adviser) in the search for the 14-year-old in 2020, said there had been no evidence to suggest the schoolboy had entered the underground water tunnel.
A jury cannot be reassured by a police officer’s claim that nothing could have been done differently in the search for Noah, a barrister for his mother Fiona told the inquest. Brenda Campbell KC challenged an account given by Sergeant Hutchings that the teenager could not have been found any sooner.
Police investigated the possibility of the involvement of known sex offenders when Noah was not found quickly after his disappearance. A police officer also told Belfast Coroner’s Court he believes Noah’s body would never have been found if he had not decided to start a search of underground water tunnels in 2020.
The body of Noah was found in a water tunnel as “quickly and safely” as was possible, a police officer told an inquest. The PSNI sergeant also told Belfast Coroner’s Court how he decided to carry out a search of a storm drain after discovering a cover on it could be opened.
A witness said that there was “complete and utter darkness” in the tunnel system where the schoolboy’s body was found. Owen McGivern, an official from the Department for Infrastructure Rivers, was also questioned at Belfast Coroner’s Court about access to the culvert system from the rear of houses in a north Belfast estate.
The coroner Mr Justice Rooney also told the jury this week that he would update them on the progress of the inquest, which he said was “moving, maybe, not as quickly as I would have hoped”
Get ready for a new week (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
Jupiter has been in retrograde since November 2025 and turns back direct this week.
During this time, you may have been returning to your roots in some respect, thinking about the past and its impact on the present, generational patterns and traits, bonds you want to strengthen… or indeed loosen.
Now the retrograde is over, you emerge with a clear sense of what matters to you about your family, ancestors, past and background. It’s time this week to make your mark here, to set out as you mean to go on.
What shift will you be executing? Let’s ask the tarot cards…
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Aries
March 21 to April 20
You are working with a new perspective on the past this week as shown by the Nine of Swords (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
Tarot card for Aries for this week: Nine of Swords
Meaning: You’ve realised you have carried unspoken dread, insecurity or fear that comes from events or establishing beliefs experienced in childhood. And you’re ready to address that, to voice it, to say out loud how you think you’ve absorbed these fears from what was once the case long ago.
The power of saying things out loud cannot be overestimated. Find a confidant or friend (or even your mirror) and speak about this. Put down this weight. Release it.
You are working with a new perspective on the past this week as shown by the Three of Coins (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
Tarot card for Taurus for this week: Three of Coins
Meaning: You now understand just how loved you were (and are) and that things you resisted or felt were hard were all done from love. This kind of understanding often deepens when we have our own children or just hear other folks’ stories and see the differences.
Folk may have made mistakes, but it doesn’t diminish the love they had towards you, and that is precious, worth holding on to, and perhaps revisiting and celebrating now. Share love with those from your past. They did their best.
You are working with a new perspective on the past this week as shown by The Emperor (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
Tarot card for Gemini for this week: The Emperor
Meaning: You’re noticing how you were ‘shaped’ by a dominant figure in your childhood (likely a parent, likely a father or fatherly figure, but not necessarily).
Their discipline, approval, strictness and rules were boundary-creating and kept you within range of the ‘straight and narrow’ but maybe also tempered something in you that is naturally wilder, louder, bigger… and maybe now, as an adult, you can give that side of your nature permission to come out and play! Be wholly and fully you. Rebel.
You are working with a new perspective on the past this week as shown by The Magician (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
Tarot card for Cancer for this week: The Magician
Meaning: You’ve looked back at ‘little you’ and seen yourself clearly, especially your natural, innate talents and skills and interests. You’re realising you were born hardwired with certain powers and they’re the ones you should lean on in this life.
You may have circled other careers and experiences, but you’re ready to return to the ‘little you’ talents and interests you’ve always known were there. These form the blueprint of your potential for success. Work with it, enhance it, build on it. This is a new beginning.
You are working with a new perspective on the past this week as shown by the Knight of Cups (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
Tarot card for Leo for this week: Knight of Cups
Meaning: You are recognising your love language and defaults in relationships as being a product of the examples and environment from your childhood, what you saw growing up, what was presented as normal. We all have this blessing or curse!
The truth is that we can see the signs, recognise the patterns, and if they’re leading us down blind alleys, we can challenge it, we can change it. Do you want to? This is your love project homework this week.
You are working with a new perspective on the past this week as shown by The Devil (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
Tarot card for Virgo for this week: The Devil
Meaning: You are noticing repeat patterns, habits, self-limiting beliefs or behaviours that you, honestly, think have started and carried on in your life since childhood. They are so ingrained you never really noticed yourself doing it. But you do now. It’s one of those ‘can’t unsee it’ moments.
Break the chains, run wild and free from your old selfhood, smash through limiting ideas and opinions and challenge your thinking, prove yourself wrong. Change is afoot and it will liberate you.
You are working with a new perspective on the past this week as shown by the Two of Swords (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
Tarot card for Libra for this week: Two of Swords
Meaning: You’ve come to realise that choices you made in your past do not define or confine you. It’s the truth that they shaped your past experience but they don’t have to dictate your future path.
You can simply make new choices. Reunite, forgive, turn away, turn back, say yes, say no, revisit, return, move on. Whatever it is you regret, just make a new choice and put the wheels in motion this week.
You are working with a new perspective on the past this week as shown by the Death card (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
Tarot card for Scorpio for this week: Death
Meaning: This card is your sign’s actual talisman in the tarot deck, so this is a powerful pivot week, a transformation and transition lies ahead. Between now and your birthday, you are leaving the old, dead and false elements in your realm behind. Shedding and purging. And, along the way, you’re picking up new people, ideas, options and opportunities.
This links to childhood because you’re returning to your authentic nature and talents, your true selfhood, your original character before ‘adulting’ kicked in. This feels liberating, powerful and compelling. This is a major year for you.
You are working with a new perspective on the past this week as shown by The Moon (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
Tarot card for Sagittarius for this week: The Moon
Meaning: You’ve discovered there are secrets and illusions in your past that you could now, with technology and everything being as it is, uncover and resolve. Are you up for a mystery? Are you up for playing detective?
Whether this is ancestry and lineage research, replaying an old event, getting the truth of a situation you were lied to about, you know, deep down, things are not all as they seem or were presented to you before. But now you can crack the code and get the truth. Make it a mission this week.
You are working with a new perspective on the past this week as shown by the Seven of Wands (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
Tarot card for Capricorn for this week: Seven of Wands
Meaning: You’ve come to recognise a pattern of rivalry or competition in your past that has perhaps made you who you are today. Perhaps a friend or cousin who you competed with, perhaps sibling rivalry, perhaps trying to impress a parent or teacher.
Whatever it was, it ignited a competitive streak in you that has long lasted and served. But maybe you need to learn to conserve this streak for when it best serves, and put it away when it does not. Perhaps that is the lesson of this retrograde.
You are working with a new perspective on the past this week as shown by the Ace of Coins (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
Tarot card for Aquarius for this week: Ace of Coins
Meaning: You’ve worked through your roots and influences, from childhood, regarding life’s foundations – health, wealth, work, home. You know where you’ve picked up good values and habits, and where you want to branch out and do it differently, and this self awareness feels positive and empowering.
There’s no blame or pity or regret; it’s all about seeing patterns, working with them, and using your experience to make good sound choices now. You are building something new. A new year-long project in one of your foundation areas is beginning.
You are working with a new perspective on the past this week as shown by the Ten of Coins (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
Tarot card for Pisces for this week: Ten of Coins
Meaning: You’ve seen your life story in its entirety so far, extracted key lessons and wisdoms, cemented magical memories, celebrated the highs and shown compassion for the lows and feel, in the end, a tremendous sense of gratitude and excitement that there’s still so much more to write, do and create.
This story is far from finished, and you know the best is yet to come. You feel excited and optimistic this week and ready to start designing your best-ever era in life. This is a true starting point.
Kerry King has been reading, teaching and creating tarot for 30 years. Join her magical, exclusive Tarot Club for forecasts, predictions, lessons and readings straight to your inbox. Enjoy one month free for all Metro readers (no lock-in or commitment) over on Patreon.
Your daily Metro.co.uk horoscope is here every morning, seven days a week (yes, including weekends!). To check your forecast, head to our dedicated horoscopes page.
Emma Hudson, husband Paul, and daughter Sadie, from Middlesbrough, said tourists like themselves have felt “abandoned” amid the week-long crisis arising from the ongoing conflict between the USA, Israel and Iran.
It began on the day they were due to return home from the UAE, last Saturday (March 1), after an eight-day winter break in Dubai, when their British Airways flight was cancelled.
In the days since, there have been a string of further cancellations of planned repatriation flights amid ongoing safety fears, with Iran’s targeting of Gulf nations thought to be assisting the US, with drone strikes, many of which have been intercepted.
Emma Huson, from Middlesbrough, hopes she and family can return from Dubai on flight on Sunday (March 8) (Image: Emma Hudson)
The family has now managed to book onto an Emirates flight to Newcastle, scheduled to leave Dubai on Sunday morning.
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She said if that is also cancelled, they are also booked onto another Emirates flight on March 12.
Paul Hudson and daughter Sadie, hoping to make return flight from Dubai on Sunday (Image: Emma Hudson)
But with further emergency alerts on Saturday night, the Hudsons were preparing to spend what they hope will be their last night in Dubai in beds provided in the basement of their hotel for safety reasons, in case of further strikes.
One of the regular alerts received by holidaymakers in Dubai, warning of potential drone attacks in the Gulf state (Image: Emma Hudson)
She said they have a taxi booked for early in the morning, but conceded she did have some misgivings over the potential safety of flying from Dubai at the moment.
“I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing, struggling with the decisions I’m making.
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“Is it the right thing to fly?
“Is it safer on the ground or in the air.
“As a parent, it’s very difficult.
“I don’t want to harm my daughter.”
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She conceded if she was a member of cabin crew or a pilot she would not take the risk.
Mrs Hudson said there was also a suicide drone attack on Saturday morning at the very terminal from where they are due to fly.
She said they have also considered going to neighbouring Oman as her nephew took the six-hour drive there and is there, now, also awaiting a repatriation flight.
But she opted against it, on safety grounds.
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Mrs Hudson said she has felt failed and abandoned by the Government, having been given conflicting advice and merely “stay inside”, while she as also pointed to local charities which could assist.
She said they have been “traumatised” by the noise of drone strikes being intercepted, a now familiar sound.
preparing for night in Dubai hotel basement amid further retaliatory drone strikes by Iran (Image: Emma Hudson)
“My daughter suffers with anxiety, and she’s been absolutely petrified,” she said.
“We can hear them intercepting missiles, it’s so loud.
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“On Sunday night (March 2), we had to go and hide in the basement, it was traumatising.
“People on social media are trying to say life is normal and nothing has happened, but that’s not true at all.
These ersatile and affordable Aldi products are great if you want to lower your ultraprocessed food intake on a budget.
Nicola Roy Spare Time writer
03:06, 08 Mar 2026
Like many others, I began this year with a goal – to start eating better, and hopefully feel better in myself. My diet previously wasn’t poor, by any means, but it could have benefited from a bit of improvement.
There’s so much information across the internet right now about what you should and shouldn’t be consuming. But it typically comes down to this – eating whole foods, minimally processed, is probably best for your mind and body.
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I started making a deliberate effort to include more of these in my diet in 2026, and I’m pleased to say it’s actually been quite straightforward.
Dedicating a bit of time planning out meals at the start of the week has worked wonders for staying on track. While my goal is to include less ultra-processed food in my diet, I do get bored easily, so my meals and snacks need to be interesting.
There’s no true definition of ultra-processed food, but generally, it means food that has been modified with additives and other ingredients that you probably wouldn’t have in the kitchen. Not all UPFs are bad for us – such as wholegrain breakfast cereals, types of hummus and seeded bread – but having a quick scan of the label and picking things with the fewest or healthiest-sounding ingredients possible is always a good idea, and I think it’s made a real difference to how I feel, reports the Express.
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Fortunately, this needn’t break the bank either. I do the majority of my grocery shopping at Aldi, and there are five items I consistently purchase most weeks.
While they may not all be entirely unprocessed, they’re adaptable and tasty, so here’s what I often select from the aisles.
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Sourdough
Beginning with an excellent sourdough loaf. I’m fond of a Jason’s loaf, but Aldi has significantly improved their sourdough range lately and one of the recent additions might be my new favourite.
The Jason’s ciabattin loaf is typically my first choice, as it’s smaller than a standard sourdough and has a sharper taste which I love. Towards the end of last year, Aldi launched their own alternative, and I believe I’ve purchased it every week since.
You can’t tell the difference between the two, and with the Aldi one costing £1.59, it’s truly a no-brainer. The ingredients are minimal, it freezes great, and it makes the perfect slice of toast – what’s not to love?
Dark chocolate
Everyone loves a sweet treat, but if you’re keen to maintain your health goals, dark chocolate is an excellent choice. The higher the cocoa percentage, the better – and Aldi stocks an 85% variety which I purchase without fail every single week.
Each piece is individually wrapped, which is ideal for portion control. Dark chocolate contains high levels of polyphenols, according to Healthline, which help the body in combating stress and preventing illnesses.
I enjoy having this during the evening with a cup of tea, or using it for healthy sweet baking. At £2.49, it’s excellent value for genuinely quality chocolate.
Peanut butter
Nut butters, whilst calorie-dense, provide an excellent source of healthy fats. Peanut butter typically is my preference, though some varieties are considerably healthier than others.
Numerous jars available in supermarkets contain excessive sugar and unnecessary additives. I aim to buy peanut butter containing solely peanuts and nothing else, and Aldi offers an excellent option.
It’s available in both smooth and crunchy versions, catering to all preferences. I enjoy this as a snack with apple slices, adding it into stir-fry sauces with soy and garlic, or spooning it to my overnight oats in the morning.
They’re also £1.59 each, which is a substantial saving compared to alternative brands such as Whole Earth.
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Chia seeds
Following on the list are chia seeds, which contain exceptionally high fibre content, supporting digestion whilst delivering a nutritious source of omega-3 fatty acids as well.
As previously mentioned, I become tired of consuming identical meals repeatedly, so I need variety. I’ve discovered chia pudding makes an excellent choice – for the base, you simply need Greek yoghurt, a spoonful of chia seeds and some milk, then combine and allow it to set in the refrigerator overnight.
Then come morning, you can garnish with whatever takes your fancy. I alternate between toppings such as raspberry ripple, mango, peanut butter, cinnamon apples, blueberry cheesecake – the seeds are an excellent ingredient to stock, and they’re incredibly filling too, all for £1.69.
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Tofu
The last item that always ends up in my trolley every week is tofu. This soft protein derived from soya beans is considered minimally processed, but there are still numerous significant health advantages that shouldn’t be ignored.
It’s an excellent source of protein, especially if you avoid animal products but still want to support muscle recovery. It also provides all of the essential amino acids your body requires, according to Healthline.
You may think that tofu is bland, but when prepared properly with enough seasoning, it’s delicious. I love coating small chunks in cornflour and sesame oil, air frying for 15 minutes, and then adding into rice and noodle dishes.
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It’s equally delicious in curries, stews and tacos – there are genuinely limitless methods to prepare it, and at Aldi, it’s just 95p for a block, which is remarkable value.
The death of the Soham murderer Ian Huntley is a focus for Sunday’s papers, with the Sunday Mirror headlining the news as the “death of a monster”. The convicted killer has died 10 days after he was attacked in prison, Sunday Mirror reports, quoting a former guard, who said “no one will shed any tears”. The former school caretaker had been serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 40 years for murdering best friends Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2002.
Sunday People headlines with a “special place in hell” for Ian Huntley who has “finally died”, the paper reports, after an attack in prison. Above an image of the child murderer is a US Air Force bomber at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, which the paper describes as capable of delivering 34 tons of explosives.
Similarly, the Sunday Telegraph leads with former UK prime minister Tony Blair rebuking Starmer over his failure to back “Trump’s war”. Blair, who supported the US invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, told a “private luncheon” on Friday that Sir Keir should have done more to support the US from the “very beginning of the escalating conflict”, the paper reports.
A former Formula One engineer has urged UK defence chiefs to “harness the innovative skills within motor racing to arm Britain for a potential conflict with Russia”, the Sunday Express reports. Mark Mathieson, who once worked at Mercedes and McLaren, believes the answers to “improving slow, ineffective” processes “used by the Ministry of Defence” can be found in the sport.
