Pitlochry’s The Enchanted Forest
By Erica Crompton There’s a magical place, we’re on our way there, Where twilight shimmers in crisp autumn air! The Enchanted Forest in Pitlochry calls, With lantern-lit trails and cascading leaves. A symphony of colour, of music and light, Transforms Highland woods into pure delight. Laser-lit lochs and trees dressed in beams, Turn this quiet […]
East Yorkshire’s Burnby Hall Gardens
By Paul Nicholls If you’ve ever dreamed of feeling like royalty with a pocketful of fish food and a fanbase of gaping-mouthed admirers, Burnby Hall Gardens in East Yorkshire is your kingdom—and the carp are your most loyal (and slightly overzealous) subjects. Nestled in the charming market town of Pocklington, Burnby Hall Gardens is a […]
ASK THE EXPERT: Breathing techniques to reduce your stress levels
By Christopher Paul Jones, Harley Street phobia expert and author of ‘Face your Fears – 7 steps to conquering phobias and anxiety’ Stress triggers our body’s primal fight or flight response, flooding our system with hormones that increase our state of readiness, which is beneficial in dangerous situations but detrimental when continuously provoked by daily […]
Welcome to Spring Hopezine 2025
Editor’s letter You may remember we did an edition of Hopezine last year using only AI. In contrast to this, this spring we welcome you to a dose of reality and ask contributors what’s real to us? In a world of lip-fillers and Instagram filters, where we’re often only seen by our social media posts, […]
A ballet of leaves
By Star Zahra My husband and I are both writers. Our daughter, Zurain Ali is two years old. She’s crazy about Peppa Pig, loves to eat custard and absolutely enjoys school. I wake up everyday except weekends at 5:30am, burn incense and get started on her lunch which I like to make myself. This cycle […]
Real is adaptive fashion
By Debbie-Lyn Connolly Lloyd Adaptive fashion is real, and I know this from both personal experience and the growing recognition of its importance in the fashion world. Adaptive clothing refers to garments specifically designed to accommodate the needs of people with disabilities or those experiencing physical challenges, such as limited mobility, dexterity, or chronic pain. […]
My Mother will always be real to me
By Gwenne Dickson In my work, I help people connect with something greater—their higher selves—so they can release fears, heal, and transform their lives. But even with all my understanding of transitions, grief still held its weight after my Mum passed. She had been ready. In her final days, I heard her tell the nurses […]
Getting real with a glow-up
By Erica Crompton I go make-up free most days I’m home and have a lo-fi beauty regime of wash-and-go-without-the-blow! I bathe in the evening, wash my hair, then let it dry naturally over night to save on time and heat-damaged hair. It’s a low-maintenance routine that’s real and has also served me well – I’m […]
Real and authentic connection in a world of filters
By Regina Martin We live in a world that every day feels more and more curated. AI writes our emails, filters smooth our flaws, and social media shouts louder than real conversations so it can be so hard to filter out what’s real. For me, it’s simple: human connection. This picture signifies what matters in […]
Why Seating is Important to Me
by Amanda Nicholson Without the right chair to sit on, I wouldn’t be able to make a living, even if it is only part-time. I also never would have written eight novels under several names and more than a dozen shorter books. I began to get neck and back pain over 13 years ago and […]