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Near the main entrance of Westminster Abbey lies The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior. Brought from the battlefield of the Western Front and buried ‘amongst the kings’ this unknown soldier represents the countless thousands who gave their lives in the First World War. His body was laid to rest on 11th November 1920 in the presence […] The post We will remember appeared first on Turn the Page.

As he nears the end of his life Anthony Hopkins has made this candid assessment about the prospect of dying: ‘We are all going to die eventually, aren’t we? And now my thing is, screw it. Who cares. Nobody really cares. We all think we do. It’s all a dream within a dream. So, I […] The post The Big Secret appeared first on Turn the Page.

In a world of spin doctors, fake news and social media driven conspiracy theories it’s getting harder to know what is true and what isn’t. The danger is that we doubt everything and trust no one and, as we are seeing across the free world, that leads to increasing fragmentation and division. Having a truth […] The post Finding the truth appeared first on Turn the Page.

After two long years the hostages taken by Hamas have finally been returned. For the families left behind it has been two years of longing, waiting and hoping. No wonder there has been such an outpouring of joy and celebration as those who have survived have been reunited with their loved ones. The emotions have […] The post Homecoming appeared first on Turn the Page.

I remember once sitting with the parents of a four-year-old who had tragically died. A bright and bubbly little boy he had complained one day of a headache and within 48 hours had died from viral meningitis. It was a catastrophe and there were no words to say. We sat for a while in silence […] The post No words to say appeared first on Turn the Page.

It’s seventy years since the first TV advert was broadcast in the UK. In the years since billions of pounds have been spent by advertisers with ever more imaginative ways of grabbing our attention and persuading us that our lives will be diminished without their product. Sadly, the truth is that most ads overpromise and […] The post Those promising adverts appeared first on Turn the Page.

In the UK the tectonic plates of political life are shifting, and no one quite knows what the landscape will look like when they settle. With resignations and defections, the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition must be feeling distinctly nervous as they break for their party’s annual conferences.  Two thousand years ago political […] The post A new king in town appeared first on Turn the Page.

After 35 years in ordained ministry, I was given a three-month sabbatical and on day one flew to Scotland to stay by the sea. One sunny afternoon, I took a walk down to the port and set off along the harbour wall without a care in the world. The wall was not fenced in on […] The post Look up appeared first on Turn the Page.

On 8th May 1945 Victory in Europe was declared. In the UK people poured onto the streets, and from the balcony of Buckingham Palace the King and Prime Minister joined in the celebrations of a hard-won victory over tyranny. But Europe was a continent in ruins. Some regions were on the brink of famine and the […] The post Now let’s win the peace appeared first on Turn the Page.

On Christmas Day 1859 Thomas Austin, a British ex-pat, gave Australia a gift they have never forgotten. He was missing his old hunting traditions and so asked his family to send him 24 European rabbits that he could breed for hunting. Sadly, he seems to have forgotten that rabbits breed like…well like rabbits. Genetically disposed […] The post Breeding like rabbits appeared first on Turn the Page.

A place for everything and everything in its place. This is the rule by which I try to live my life. It means that I can tell you exactly where things are in my house. This applies to the important stuff like keys, wallet, and passport but also the less important like Sellotape, hole punches, […] The post A place for everything appeared first on Turn the Page.

Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ was so powerful that a number of those involved turned to Christ during its filming. One of those was the actress Sabrina Impacciatore who played the part of Veronica, the woman who steps out of the crowd to wipe Jesus’ blood-stained face as he makes his way […] The post Veronica appeared first on Turn the Page.

Stranded in the Atlantic Ocean RMS Titanic was facing her final few hours. Her hull breached by collision with an iceberg she was shipping more water than she was designed to hold and going down by the bow. On board chaos and confusion reigned with some saying everything would be OK with this unsinkable ship, […] The post Let the light shine appeared first on Turn the Page.

On 1st April 1957 the BBC scheduled an edition of its iconic Panorama programme. The subject was the harvesting of the Swiss spaghetti crop. It was narrated by perhaps the most famous broadcaster of the day Richard Dimbleby. While his serious tones described the process of picking and drying the spaghetti, the film showed a Swiss […] The post April fool? appeared first on Turn the Page.

Two men have been fined and ordered to do unpaid work after vandalising a statue of Paddington Bear. Pronouncing sentence, the judge told them that they were the antithesis of everything the bear stood for – kindness, tolerance and acceptance. While the label on Paddington’s coat reads ‘please look after this bear’, the behaviour of […] The post Please look after this bear appeared first on Turn the Page.

In 2019 Edward Spencer-Churchill reviewed the security arrangements for a solid gold toilet at Blenhiem Palace. It was part of an art installation. He announced that it would not be ‘the easiest thing to nick’. Sadly, he was wrong as thieves broke in and made off with it during a raid lasting less than five […] The post Flushed away appeared first on Turn the Page.

In a recent interview Lady Gaga admitted that for many years her biggest fear was of being alone. In 2017 she confessed ‘I go from everyone touching me all day and talking at me all day to total silence.’ She said, ‘I think my biggest fear was doing life on my own’. She’s now happily […] The post Stop the crowd appeared first on Turn the Page.

‘It’s going to be a spicy one’. So said Russ Cook, otherwise known as the Hardest Geezer, as he announced his latest challenge – to run the length of New Zealand. He earned his nickname after running the length of Africa in just 352 days – a gruelling journey through sixteen countries over mountains and […] The post Hardest geezer appeared first on Turn the Page.

When 18-year-old Donovan Shears sent a text message to a number he had just made up he wasn’t expecting a reply. It was 1998 and he had his first mobile phone that could send text messages. So, he made up some numbers and fired off the simple greeting ‘hullo’. One recipient was another 18-year-old called […] The post Call me appeared first on Turn the Page.

Both outgoing and incoming American Presidents have been generous with their displays of forgiveness. Four years ago, the clear up was in full swing after the storming of the Capitol on 6th January 2020. Some 1,600 people were convicted, some for violent assault. Now Trump has set them all free. Perhaps even more surprising, however, is […] The post Forgiveness for all! appeared first on Turn the Page.