Articles by Jo Foster

People keep hold of collectible items for sentimental reasons, or because they're valuable. Keeping your cherished items in safe storage is a sensible idea if you're in possession of family heirlooms you want to hand down. The last thing you want is for them to deteriorate with age. © Okrasiuk / Adobe Stock The most popular collectibles can change over time, but a few items will alway...

Finding explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship, the Endurance, after 107 years at the bottom of the ocean, has been described as "one of the greatest ever discoveries" in maritime history. In 1915, the vessel was crushed by ice on the Weddell Sea, off the coast of Antarctica, during a voyage of exploration. Amazingly, Shackleton and all the crew escaped from the sinking ship and made it safel...

In a decade that saw the launch of MTV, music was very important in the 1980s. It was more about image than ever before, as music videos saturated our TV screens. Celebrities such as Madonna, Whitney Houston and Prince became global superstars, experiencing a level of fame unseen since the Beatles and Elvis Presley. © MPIX / Shutterstock.com New wave bands such as Depeche Mode, Spa...

Spring is just around the corner, so it's time to start preparing your garden for the warmer weather ahead. March is upon us, and there are plenty of tasks you can do now to ensure your outdoor areas look blooming beautiful this summer! Creating a blaze of colour against an otherwise dull backdrop, you should already be enjoying the early spring flowers, such as daffodils. Now, the bushes, s...

Originating in 19th century Europe as part of the Christian practice of celebrating new life after the fasting of Lent; the Easter bonnet has been a tradition for generations. Women would wear flowers on their hats to celebrate spring. Over the years, showing off the best-decorated bonnet to family and friends became part of the tradition. The end of Lent and the arrival of Easter has long b...

Traditional craft skills are under threat, the Heritage Crafts Association warns. It has highlighted dozens of endangered professions on the "red" list, including bell founding, withy pot making, neon making and traditional watchmaking. © HQuality / Shutterstock.com The association says many historic crafts are now in the hands of an ageing population. So few people practice certain c...

The Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 has "gone green" by embracing eco-friendly practices - including using recycled plastics and polymers to make key equipment. Organisers of the Olympic Games have been considering the planet for more than a decade by introducing recycling initiatives to avoid waste. This year's Winter Olympics, running from 4th to 20th February, is the most environmentally fri...

Having the coolest Pog you could find and showing it off to your friends was an essential playground skill in the 1990s. It made you even more legendary if you had a big collection of Pogs and if you could win the game as well, that was really something! If you don't know what we're talking about, you've missed one of the biggest trends of the 20th century. Today's collectors will pay a lot ...

While you may think of scuba diving as a staple of exotic holidays on tropical shores, Britain has some of the most idyllic diving spots in Europe. From the beautiful reefs of Scotland to the rugged coast of Northumberland, our UK shores can hold their own against any overseas rivals. © Subphoto / Adobe Stock Recreational diving is very popular with tourists in the UK and abroad, espe...

Every child needs a good midday meal to keep up their energy and help them to process all the new information they're learning at school. The question is, do you prepare a packed lunch, or do you rely on school dinners to give them the nutrition they require? © Africa Studio / Adobe Stock More than 2.35 million school children across the UK are entitled to free school meals including ...