Blog
The world’s first tweeting garden
I met two ingenious guys at the Chelsea Flower Show, the Harfleet brothers, Paul and Tom, who introduced social media into a garden theme in collaboration with the University of Lincoln - winning a coveted gold medal too - by designing the world's first tweeting...
New ryegrass can help prevent flooding
Congratulations to researchers at Aberystwyth University who have developed a new ryegrass species which could help reduce the impact of flooding through its roots system. The hybrid can capture more water in soils than is possible with current agricultural grasses....
Angelina Jolie’s double mastectomy
I am stunned to learn that the beautiful actress Angelina Jolie has had a double mastectomy because she was at risk of developing breast cancer as she she carries the gene BRCA1 associated with this. Her mother had died of cancer at the age of 56. Angelina broke the...
Wendy Cope’s poem for the Poets House, Ely
I joined Ely's beautiful people yesterday for the opening of Ely's first boutique hotel called Poets House - complete with copper baths in the bedroom - and sipped my champagne with a local bishop, our MP, my dashing potato farmer friend, a few councillors and local...
Colon cancer – have you been checked?
The first time I met Jola Gore-Booth and Julia Kennedy from EuropaColon in Brussels in 2008, they quizzed me closely about my medical background to see if I needed to be screened for colon (bowel) cancer. They say people find it embarrassing to talk about bottoms -...
YourEly is now live!
YourEly is now live - and it looks amazing! I enjoy shopping, but I also love a bargain. So I am one of the 2,000 community members who signed up to YourEly to be updated about promotions and special offers right on my doorstep. While working with Caroline Bailey to...
The Margaret Thatcher legacy we really need
Love her or loathe her, whichever political colours you endorse, there is one way that Baroness Margaret Thatcher could make a positive difference for countless people's lives, and that is by donating part of her estate for research into dementia, the disease which...
Rachel Johnson’s Eddie Mair moment in Cambridge
Our glittering literary stars descended on Cambridge this weekend for Wordfest 2013, always a highlight of my year. Using St John's College as a venue for the first time worked brilliantly - who couldn't feel inspired and in awe each time we walked across the famous...
Cambridge Samaritans celebrate 50th anniversary
As a former dedicated supporter of Cambridge Samaritans, I was delighted to attend their 50th anniversary today where the city's Mayor, Coun Sheila Stuart, praised volunteers for their listening and non-judgemental skills. "Bereavement, redundancy, poverty, the loss...