Spirit of the age and the way we live now.
Spirit of the Age
Suffolk: A butcher’s shop in Suffolk felt obliged to stop displaying meat in its window after being inundated with complaints that it was upsetting passers-by and their children. JBS Family Butchers (pictured) in Sudbury had become the subject of online abuse, anonymous hate mail and letters in the local papers over its hanging displays of unplucked pheasants, rabbits and pigs. Locals said an influx of “townies” was to blame – but after the case was publicised, the shop received so many messages of support that it said its display would be reinstated.
West Sussex: Light-fingered parents spoilt Gatwick Airport’s latest family-friendly initiative this year, by making off with all but five of the 150 pushchairs the airport had laid on to help travellers with children get from their flight to the baggage reclaim area.
Dorset: A defendant was hauled back to court in Bournemouth for tweeting a “selfie” of himself and his co-defendants standing in the dock. Joel Norris, 18, who’d been charged with threatening behaviour, posted the picture online under the words “lads in the court box lol”. It was spotted by officials who prosecuted him for taking and publishing a photo of a criminal court. A court appearance is “nothing to laugh out loud about”, noted the magistrate.
Surrey: They say it’s the taking part that counts, not the winning – but one rugby organisation was this year accused of trying to ensure that there were no winners at all. Surrey Rugby, based in Leatherhead, decreed that its mini-rugby teams for children under 11 must be of “mixed ability”. It also stipulated that on match days, rival teams be mixed up at half-time if one side is dominating; and that at tournaments, no trophies be awarded. Two teams pulled out of the league in protest.
Oxfordshire: A passion play in Oxford had to be cancelled after the organisers failed to get all the necessary permits in time. One official, misunderstanding the meaning of “passion”, was apparently concerned it might be an illegal sex show. Another insisted the organisers fill in a risk-assessment form in case the actor playing Jesus was injured on the cross.
Lincolnshire: Thirty extra-large graves were due to be dug in a cemetery in Lincolnshire for overweight bodies. Twice as wide as normal, the plots in Sutton Bridge and Wingland were placed near the road, so that undertakers wouldn’t have to carry the extra-large coffins too far.
Staffordshire: Stoke-on-Trent City Council has resorted to texting its growing number of obese residents to remind them not to eat too much. As part of a £10,000 scheme, overweight people receive a daily “motivational” message, such as: “Eat slightly smaller portions” and: “Why not walk to the shops more often?”
North Yorkshire: Bunting was taken down in a North Yorkshire town, after officials decided it presented a safety risk. With the Tour de France due to pass through Masham in July, residents had spent months knitting more than 20,000 tiny woollen jerseys, which they strung between lamp posts. But officials ordered that they be taken down, in case the wool got waterlogged and caused the posts to topple.
Tyne and Wear: A group of youngsters from Newcastle who decided to spend their Easter holidays building a den in local woods were accused of anti-social behaviour. Dog walkers apparently complained to the police about the teenagers “dragging wood into the wood”, and an officer was despatched to move them on.
Inverclyde: A charity worker who was attacked by a seagull went to court in March, demanding £30,000 in compensation. Cathie Kelly was leaving her office in Greenock when the “terrifying” bird swooped towards her. Fearing for her safety, she tried to turn back – and in doing so, fell over. She was winded and distressed, and had to take two weeks off work to recover. She sued the building’s owners, claiming they should have done more to tackle the seagull problem, but her case was thrown out.
The way we live now
We’re hooked on cookery shows and buy millions of cookbooks. But one thing we don’t seem to enjoy much is cooking. Research this year found that Britons now spend half the time they used to preparing their supper – just 34 minutes on average, down from an hour in the 1980s – and only know four recipes. Roasts remain the most cooked evening meal, but pizza and sandwiches are next on the list.
A firm called Uni Baggage launched a VIF (Very Important Fresher) service this year, to cater for a new breed of super-rich students. This includes ferrying undergraduates across the country in Rolls-Royces and helicopters, so that they can arrive at their digs in the style to which they’re accustomed.
The baby boomers are getting old, but they’re sticking with the vices they picked up in the Swinging Sixties. Last year 450 people aged 75 or over needed hospital treatment as a result of taking illegal drugs including cocaine and cannabis, three times more than a decade ago.
Parental behaviour on the touchline reached a new low in March, when a man was seen tripping up an opposing player at his son’s under-16s rugby match in Hertfordshire. The father was caught on camera casually sticking out his foot as the player was racing down the pitch, about to score another try
So many Britons now reach their 100th birthdays that the “telegram team” at the Department for Work and Pensions has had to take on extra staff. For years, one civil servant made sure centenarians received a birthday card from the Queen; now, seven are needed. There are now 14,000 people aged over 100 in Britain – 5% more than only a year ago.
