TRAVEL FOR WELLBEING – Wyndham Grand Algarve
By Erica Crompton There’s something about a winter-sun holiday that helps promote a sense of well-being. For this money special issue of Hopezine we popped a trip to Portugal on the credit card to try out a stay at one of Europe’s most exclusive hotels, the Wyndham Grand Algarve. From the off, it was clear […]
Double drams for Dad!
“A dram for Dad,An evergreen present,Beautifully festive,A gift so pleasant.A Bladnoch or a 47,Both alluring gifts,Sent from heaven.” Erica Crompton, Hopezine’s Editor As the weather starts to change, and the colour of the sky begins to turn whitish grey, my thoughts turn to Christmas gifts. My Dad is the one person who again and again, […]
Welcome to autumn 2023 Hopezine!
Editor’s letter Welcome to autumn’s Hopezine, an ode tothe animals we take care of.In this special issue, award-winning authorsfrom my publishers Victorina Press, pentheir own vignettes about the pets theylove. I’ve taken to bird twitching. And aProfessor of Psychology tells us all aboutthe benefits of taking care of a pet, forbetter mental health.The cover art […]
Caring for pets is good for us by Professor David Clark-Carter
By Professor David Clark-CarterIt’s a formula that works and there’s robust science to supportthe idea that caring for a pet is good for our mental health.At nearby Staffordshire University, Emeritus Professor ofPsychology, David Clark-Carter, agrees that caring for animalsand pets can both remedy some of the factors that contributeto poor well-being.Speaking to Hopezine, he writes:“Loneliness, […]
My life as a cat servant by Amanda Huggins
Every cat that has ever employed me has been a madcap character.I’ve saved adult ducks and rabbits (and the neighbour’s kid’s soft toys)from the jaws of expert hunters, climbed a rickety fire escape to rescue adeaf, cross-eyed tom who scarred me for life in the process, andcollected another (the Devil’s own spawn) from the Yorkshire […]
Double decker dogs by Wendy Beasley
By Wendy BeasleyFor most people, taking the dog out in the car is not a problem, but the logisticsof travelling with four, five or even more dogs is akin to a military operation.I am one of the relatively few dog owners that take part in the little known,but challenging and exciting competition called working trials. […]
Spring-a-doodle-do! By Gail Aldwin
I’ve never been a pet owner although my husband is proud of the goldfish livingin our pond. When we moved to Dorset in 2007, our children begged us to get adog but we didn’t succumb. This year, my now grown-up daughter announced shewanted a puppy. I was underwhelmed at the prospect but watched her gettingmore […]
Accessible travel at Manchester United
By Paul Nicholls For this issue we visit a very special night of VIP hospitality,The Gallery Restaurant at Manchester United’s stadium,Old Trafford. The accessibility part of our evening was wellplanned by staff ahead of our visit and they arranged afar-reaching corner box for us to watch the game in. We ate allwe could in the […]
Accessible travel at Mollett’s Farm, Suffolk
By Erica CromptonWe stayed in a development that, like many contributors in this month’sissue, had a second chance. At Mollett’s Farm in Saxmundham, Suffolk,a former waste land on the farm has been transformed into a series ofaccessible accommodations. I went along with our resident wheelchairuser and Accessibility Consultant, Paul Nicholls. On entering we found adisabled […]
Hopezine makes headlines in the Daily Mail
Paul and I recently gave an interview to The Daily Mail’s travel section about our accessible road trips and featured in the paper and online. In the piece we tell journalist Rob Crosson the highlights of our wheelie friendly UK trips including Perth, York and Belfast. Have a read, here.