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Haven’s highest-rated holiday park is right by the beach with NERF training camp and new indoor swimming pool

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Haven's Hopton Holiday Park in Norfolk is routinely named the best in the country by its guests

THERE are more than 38 Haven holiday parks in the UK, which means it can be a struggling choosing between breaks.

However, Haven’s Hopton Holiday Park in Norfolk is routinely named the best Haven site in the country by visitors.

Haven's Hopton Holiday Park in Norfolk is routinely named the best in the country by its guests

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Haven’s Hopton Holiday Park in Norfolk is routinely named the best in the country by its guestsCredit: Haven
The Norfolk holiday park has a new pool (pictured)

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The Norfolk holiday park has a new pool (pictured)Credit: Haven

The Norfolk holiday park has a 4/5 star rating on TripAdvisor as well as more than 1,000 reviews rating it as excellent.

It also has a 4.5/5 star rating on Google from more than 2,700 reviews.

One person wrote: “One of the best Haven parks in the country”.

A second person added: “We’ve just got home from Hopton, and after holidaying in 12 other Haven sites, we have to say Hopton is one of the very best”.

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While a third person wrote: “Absolutely the best Haven site that we have visited, we come back most years and love it”.

The Hopton Holiday Park has direct access to its beach, which is one of its more well-loved features.

But as the weather worsens, the main indoor attraction is its indoor water complex.

There are two indoor pools at the holiday park, with one opening earlier this year and the other featuring a slide.

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The arcades are another indoor activity, giving the beachfront holiday park a truly seaside feel.

From skill games with tickets to redeem for fab prizes, to Virtual Reality games and of course, those much-loved 2p machines, there’s a little something for everyone.

Top Seashore Holiday Parks for Family Fun
The site is also home to an arcade, a British seaside staple

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The site is also home to an arcade, a British seaside stapleCredit: Haven

If you don’t mind the outdoors, there’s also the mini aerial adventure where younger guests can swing and leap one metre off the ground on a harnessed course.

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There’s also a nine-hole golf course, an adventure golf course, a NERF Training Camp and a climbing wall.

Guests can also book onto archery lessons, with an outdoor inflatable arena set to reopen in March when the weather starts to warm.

On-site food choices include a family restaurant, Cook’s Fish & Chips, Bertie’s Ice Cream, A papa Johns and a mini market.

If you fancy going off-site, then it is a short drive away from Pettitts Animal Adventure Park, Pleasurewood Hills Theme Park and the Norfolk Broads.

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Hopton is one of the very best

Overnight guests can book to stay in either a caravan or a holiday lodge, with four-night caravan stays from £49.

Haven’s Hopton Holiday Park is a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Birmingham and it’s a two-hour drive from Cambridge.

One mum tried out the Haven park that recently welcomed footballer Harry Macguire.

She said: “Like most other Brits, I was surprised to hear that a well-paid footie star stayed at a Haven holiday park.

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“But the caravan was definitely celeb-worthy. There was a huge marble kitchen with all the mod cons, as well as a matching bathroom and en-suite.

“With hipster lighting, floor-to-ceiling windows and a 40-inch TV, it was nothing like the caravans of my childhood.”

What is it like to stay at a Haven park?

The Sun’s Dave Courtnadge recently visited a celeb-loved Haven park.

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Haven’s Allhallows, set on the Kent Coast, is popular with celebs including Stacey Soloman.

Like the former Loose Women star, we had booked a gold caravan with a view over the on-site lake and the Thames Estuary, with Southend on the distant horizon.

The roomy living area had two double sofas with wide doors that opened on to a veranda complete with table and chairs for al fresco dining.

Back indoors, the kitchen was fully kitted out with a large oven, dishwasher, microwave and even a washing machine.

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The kids charged into their room to fight over who would have which bed, while we took in our master bedroom, which featured an en suite and a walk-in wardrobe.

We used the revamped pool every day of our stay and it was lovely to watch the kids improve their swimming technique.

Then on top of all that there are arcades, fairground stalls, a climbing wall, fishing lake and a NERF Training Camp in an inflatable arena

Here’s everything you need to know about Haven’s new “ultimate family break packages“.

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And they have already launched 2025 holidays – here’s how to book.

There are plenty of on-site activities too

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There are plenty of on-site activities tooCredit: Haven
The Haven holiday park backs directly onto a beach

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The Haven holiday park backs directly onto a beachCredit: Haven

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Podcast: Beware, the cyber hackers are coming

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Podcast: Beware, the cyber hackers are coming

In this episode of the Weekend Essay podcast, Lois Vallely recounts her experience with a recent email hack and discusses the growing prevalence of phishing scams. She highlights the vulnerabilities financial firms face and shares practical advice on protecting sensitive information better. Join Lois as she emphasizes the importance of being aware of cyber risks and adopting proactive measures to ensure cybersecurity in both personal and professional settings. Listen now:

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Student finds scorpion crawling inside Shein parcel

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Student finds scorpion crawling inside Shein parcel

‘Our flatmate found a scorpion in her Shein parcel’

A student got more than she bargained for when she opened a clothing parcel from fast-fashion firm Shein to discover a live scorpion.

“I thought it was a toy – and then it moved,” Sofia Alonso-Mossinger said, adding it had been “pretty scary”.

With the help of her flatmates at the University of Bristol, the venomous invader was moved into a tub before being collected by an expert.

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China-based Shein said it had conducted an internal investigation and had confirmed that “all standard operating processes have been adhered to”.

The electrical and electronic engineering student said: “I unzipped the outer packaging and saw something move and was like, what’s this?”

After realising it was a scorpion, Ms Alonso-Mossinger, 18, rezipped the bag containing a pair of boots, got it out of her room and called her flatmates.

“I thought I was dreaming,” she said. “I feel like I am all right with spiders and things but it was scary being in my room with a random scorpion.”

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Phoebe Hunt, 18, said she heard screaming and rushed out to find her flatmate with “a live scorpion in a bag on her boots”.

She said they were “not exactly buzzing to have a scorpion in the flat”.

“At first, I’ll be honest, I said we should kill it and then everyone pointed out that wasn’t the most humane thing so we scooped it up and put it in a Tupperware.”

Oliver James, another flatmate who is studying zoology, transferred the scorpion into a plastic container with kitchen tongs.

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“It was a bit nerve-wracking,” he said, as no one knew how venomous it was.

Sofia Alonso-Mossinger A scorpion with a dark back and pale limbs on the sole of a boot inside a bagSofia Alonso-Mossinger

The scorpion is thought to be a Olivierus martensii, or Chinese scorpion

The flatmates then gave the scorpion water on kitchen towel, which it drank immediately, and some card to hide under before contacting animal groups.

Phoebe said they had tried the RSPCA but realised it was more set up to collect cats and dogs, before getting in touch with the National Centre for Reptile Welfare (NCRW).

The charity was able to send someone over within a couple of hours.

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NCRW’s Chris Newman said reports of such stowaways were surprisingly frequent.

“The scorpion is Olivierus martensii, it doesn’t really have a common name other than Chinese scorpion,” he said.

He said its sting would be “medically significant… potentially life threatening but an average adult would just have a really bad day”.

“It is quite worrying this is the second one we have had in under a month that has come in this way.”

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Fortunately there was no sting in the tail of this tale, and Ms Alonso-Mossinger said it now felt “like it is a funny story… but it was pretty scary at the time”.

Shein said it was in touch with her to resolve the issue.

In a statement it said: “After receiving the feedback, we immediately conducted an internal investigation.

“Our teams on the ground have checked the shipment packing process and carried out an inspection of the goods in our warehouse and have confirmed that all standard operating processes have been adhered to.”

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100 days of Labour: Starmer’s stuttering start

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Banker all-nighters create productivity paradox

As Labour reaches 100 days in government we take stock of how Sir Keir Starmer and his team have performed. Host Lucy Fisher is joined by Political Fix regulars Robert Shrimsley, Miranda Green and Jim Pickard to assess Labour’s stumbles – as well as its achievements – as the party gets to grips with power. The panel also examines what made it into Labour’s flagship workers’ rights legislation – finally published this week. Plus, after the surprise elimination of moderate candidate James Cleverly from the Tory leadership race, how is the final stretch of the contest shaping up between rightwingers Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick?

Follow Lucy on X: @LOS_Fisher, Jim on X: @PickardJE, Robert @robertshrimsley, Miranda @greenmiranda

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Keir Starmer looks to Morgan McSweeney to fix Labour teething troubles

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UK ministers fire starting gun on landmark worker rights reform

Robert Jenrick vs Kemi Badenoch: meet the next Conservative leader

The battle of Labour’s three brains

This Tory leadership ballot suits nobody, only perhaps Keir Starmer

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Sign up here for 30 free days of Stephen Bush’s Inside Politics newsletter, winner of the World Association of News Publishers 2023 ‘Best Newsletter’ award.

Presented by Lucy Fisher. Produced by Clare Williamson with Mischa Frankl-Duval. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Audio mix and original music by Breen Turner. Andrew Giorgiades and Rod Fitzgerald were the studio engineers.

The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.

View our accessibility guide.

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I won £1MILLION jackpot but couldn’t claim it because of Lottery ‘rule’ – staff told me there was nothing they could do

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I won £1MILLION jackpot but couldn’t claim it because of Lottery ‘rule’ - staff told me there was nothing they could do

A WOMAN has revealed how she landed a huge £1 million jackpot – only to be told she couldn’t claim it due to a little-known Lotto rule.

Terri Picton-Clark, 72, said she and husband John, 72, decided to pick up a Lucky Dip ticket while they were on their way to browse a hardware shop.

Amateur ballroom dancer Terri Picton-Clark found out she had landed a £1 million lottery jackpot in 2021

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Amateur ballroom dancer Terri Picton-Clark found out she had landed a £1 million lottery jackpot in 2021Credit: SWNS
However, she and husband John were told they couldn't claim the prize at the shop where they bought the ticket

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However, she and husband John were told they couldn’t claim the prize at the shop where they bought the ticketCredit: Camelot UK Lotteries Limited/National Lottery
Luckily, the pair were able to claim their winnings after ringing the lottery operator

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Luckily, the pair were able to claim their winnings after ringing the lottery operatorCredit: National Lottery

The grandmother, who works at an equine therapy centre, said:  “On our way to our kitchen appointment, we stopped off to get some petrol and John bought a Lottery ticket – he always buys a Lucky Dip.

“He said to me, ‘you never know, we might win the Lottery’, to which I replied ‘Oh, you always say that!’.”

The following Monday, John returned to the garage shop to check his winnings – but was confused by the cashier’s response.

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The employee purportedly said: “You are going to have to call Camelot, you’ve won too much money.”

For small lottery prizes, winners can normally claim their earnings from the shop where they bought the ticket.

At the time of Terri and John’s win, larger prizes – between £500 and £50,000 – needed to be claimed at participating Post Office branches, though these now have to be claimed online.

Because of this rule, Terri quickly twigged that the couple may have landed a huge prize – but little did she know quite how big.

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Recalling John’s phone conversation with the lottery operator, she said: “I was working on a Zoom call when John came in waving the ticket about, and I mouthed to him ‘what are you doing?’ but continued the call, ignoring him.

“We were thinking it was around £50,000, but when Camelot confirmed it was £1 million, John was very calm as usual and I was the one jumping up and down!”

Despite the confusing rule delaying the couple claiming their prize, they were delighted with the result.

Court Drama: £3 Million Lottery Dispute

Terri said: “John gave the shop assistant at the garage who sold him the ticket £100 and said to her, ‘make sure you don’t do anything sensible with the money’.”

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The pair then enjoyed a few bottles of champagne, with Terri joking: “John didn’t get up until 3pm the next day!”

They have since used some of the money to support family and friends.

The horse lover and amateur ballroom dancer said: “We’ve helped friends who are home-schooling their children.

“We bought another laptop for them to make things a little easier and we also bought one for my grandchild to help my son.

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“To be able to tell friends who have always been there for you that you can help them feels amazing.”

The couple also shared that they were thinking of either a trip to Antarctica or a skiing holiday with the grandkids.

Terri said: “I would love to go again, if I can still do it! John has never been on a winter holiday.”

John and Terri first met 25 years ago while working together, but their relationship didn’t work out with Terri describing John as “the one that got away”.

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However, shortly after the huge Beast from the East storm, the estranged lovers reunited.

Terri continued: “I came home from a really dreadful date and wondered if that was all there was out there for me.

“I went back on the dating site for one last look and came across John who was stranded in the same area due to the blizzard.

“I thought to myself, ‘I know him’, so I messaged him and asked if he remembered me.

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“He replied and said, ‘Of course I remember you and you’re looking even better than you did all those years ago!’

“We met up that weekend and the rest is history.”

Terri won five ballroom and two Latin titles during her amateur dancing career.

What are my chances of winning the lottery?

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EVERYONE wants to know how to beat the odds and win the lottery.

But unfortunately, the lottery is a game of luck and there are no tips or tricks that can guarantee you’ll take home a top prize.

The odds show how likely you are to win any particular prize – the lower the number, the better the odds.

For example, odds of 1 in 10 are better than odds of 1 in 100 or 1 in 1,000.

There are several major lottery games in the UK including Lotto by the National Lottery, Camelot’s EuroMillions and Thunderball.

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Chances of winning the Lotto

Lotto by the National Lottery is a game where you pick six numbers from 1 to 59. You can play up to seven lines of numbers on each slip.

The game costs £2 to play per slip.

The odds of winning any prize on the Lotto are 1 in 9.3.

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But to win the jackpot on the Lotto, the odds are considerably slimmer.

To bag the top prize, you need to have six matching balls. The odds of doing this and scooping the jackpot are currently 1 in 45,057,474.

The next highest prize of £1,000,000 is for getting five main matching balls plus the bonus ball.

The odds of taking home the million pound prize are 1 in 7,509,579 – far higher than the jackpot, but still unlikely.

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The odds of taking home £1,750 for getting five main numbers without the bonus ball are 1 in 2,180, while you have a 1 in 97 chance of bagging £140 for getting four main numbers.

Your chances of taking home £30 for getting 3 main numbers are much better at 1 in 97.

And you have a roughly 1 in 10 chance of getting a free lucky dip for 2 matching numbers.

Chances of winning the EuroMillions

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The EuroMillions costs £2.50 to play and is open on Tuesdays and Fridays.

To play, you must pick five numbers from 1-50 and two “Lucky Stars” from 1-12. Players with the most matching numbers win the top prizes.

Your chance of bagging the EuroMillions jackpot is even slimmer than winning the top Lotto prize.

This is because it generally has higher jackpots on offer, meaning it attracts more attention.

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Currently, the odds of matching five numbers and two lucky stars – the top win – stand at 1 in 139,838,160.

The average jackpot prize is £57,923,499, according to EuroMillions.

The odds of winning the second top prize for matching 5 balls and a lucky star, which is typically around £262,346, are 1 in 6,991,908.

The chances of taking home the third prize for five matching balls, with an average payout of £26,277, are 1 in 3,107,515.

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For four matching balls with two lucky stars, it’s 1 in 621,503, and for four balls with one lucky star, it’s 1 in 31,076. These come with an average prize of £1,489 and £95, respectively.

Chances of winning the Thunderball

Thunderball is another game run by National Lottery where you pick five numbers and one “Thunderball”. It costs just £1 to play and you can enter up to four times a week.

The jackpot of £500,000 for matching five balls plus the Thunderball is 1 in 8,060,598.

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Your odds of bagging the next highest prize of £5,000 for matching five balls is currently 1 in 620,046, while the chances of winning £250 for four balls plus the Thunderball is 1 in 47,416.

You have the best chance of winning £3 for matching the Thunderball, with odds of 1 in 29.

Terri won five ballroom and two Latin titles

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Terri won five ballroom and two Latin titlesCredit: SWNS
Terri and John met for the first time 25 years ago, and reunited three years ago

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Terri and John met for the first time 25 years ago, and reunited three years agoCredit: SWNS

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BBC presenter denies coercive behaviour

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BBC presenter denies coercive behaviour
PA Media Image shows Jay Blades arriving at Worcester Crown Court wearing a black suit, white shirt, black tie with white spots and a tie pin and a red handkerchief tucked into his breast pocket. He is wearing a black peaked cap.PA Media

Jay Blades found fame on TV in 2017 when The Repair Shop launched

BBC presenter Jay Blades has pleaded not guilty to engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour towards his estranged wife.

Mr Blades, who fronted primetime show The Repair Shop, was charged by police last month.

His wife, fitness instructor Lisa-Marie Zbozen, announced the pair’s relationship was over in an Instagram post on 2 May.

Appearing before Judge James Burbidge KC at Worcester Crown Court, Mr Blades entered his plea at a hearing on Friday.

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‘Fear of violence’

The charges relate to events between 1 January 2023 and 12 September this year, and claims that the 54-year-old engaged in behaviour that caused Ms Zbozen “to fear, on at least two occasions, that violence will be used against her”.

The judge rejected an application for part of the proceedings to be heard in private.

He also removed a bail condition that required Mr Blades to wear an electronic tag, which had not yet been fitted, due to “failings” by the company responsible.

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PA Media Court artist drawing of Jay Blades in a suit and tie, standing with hands behind his back, in front of Recorder of Worcester, Judge James Burbidge KC, who is wearing judge's robes and a wig, at Worcester Crown Court.PA Media

The judge told Mr Blades that he would face a trial

The judge said to Mr Blades: “You have denied responsibility for the crime alleged against you and the prosecution propose to try you.

“I remove the tagging of your exclusion zone but you are still subject to the exclusion zone.”

Mr Blades, whose address was given by court as Wightwick, in Wolverhampton, but is formerly from Shropshire, is expected to face trial on 6 May next year.

Wearing a dark suit and tie, he spoke only to confirm his identity to the clerk and enter his plea. After the 12-minute hearing, Mr Blades left the court without comment.

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