TV shows such as Hell’s Kitchen and Spooks can influence what careers young people want. What careers do young people in your area aspire to? What attracts them? Do they follow in their parents’ footsteps or are there other influences?

Every week day by around 9am, most children are sitting at their desks in classrooms ready to start the daily routine of school life. It sounds like many a child’s dream to be allowed to stay home from school every

Pampered pooches can relax in a heated pool and a therapist is on hand to massage aching bodies at an exclusive poodle parlour in Wales. The main idea behind the hydrotherapy spa is to treat dogs recovering from injuries or

Outdoor learning, including school trips and visits, are taking off as the spring turns into summer. Some 7m pupil visits take place every year which means that thousands of pupils are going on visits every week. From a geography field

Digital cameras are good for the environment – but are they finally putting High Street photo developers out of business? What strategies are Boots, SupaSnaps, Jessops and other major stores putting in place to combat the change in our habits?

Plenty of people say they are allergic to Christmas, or work, or even the 21st Century! But for real-life sufferers allergies are no laughing matter. Even inside their own home some people have terrible problems – dust, latex, animal allergies

See if you can find any teachers who are back working at their old school. The unions or local education office might help – or give your contacts a grilling to find your quarry.

Does your local hospital radio service need volunteers? Find more information about the volunteers who give up hours of time across the UK to brighten the lives of patients – and sometimes make the leap into a media career, at:

The National Council Against Health Fraud (NCAHF) is an American-based organisation dedicated to eradicating alternative healthcare. The NCAHF has its opponents, especially after it accused the winner of two Nobel Prizes, Linus Pauling, PhD, of being a “quack” for his

Relive the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. When was the decade of the best music, TV, fashion? Ask your readers and check out these sites for inspiration: * 80snostalgia.com * uknostalgia.htm * bbc.co.uk/cult/ilove/years/60sindex.shtml * everyhit.com/number5.html

Families with disabled children may be the worst-housed in Britain. Campaign group Every Disabled Child Matters says new evidence shows fewer than half of disabled children live in housing suitable to their needs. What are the facilities like in your

A 13cm elephant beetle took the trip of a lifetime when he left his native Costa Rica to look for love. ‘Billy’ is now being cared for at Linton Zoo, Cambridgeshire, and is displaying all the signs of a man

High Street supermarkets are failing to increase their eco-friendly food packaging. A report by the Local Government Association, which names and shames some big supermarket players, found that 38 per cent of packaging in stores cannot be recycled. Perhaps shops

Thousands of children every year are admitted to hospital with alcohol-related problems, according to the Metro. New figures show that since 1998 more than 23,000 youngsters aged 14 and under have required NHS treatment. The Government has now unveiled a

As summer approaches, a new survey has revealed the true cost of weddings – as a guest!! According to research by hotels.com, the average adult attends two weddings a year (and associated hen/stag parties) at a cost of £1,700 annually.

After years of being photographed by tourists, Shakespeare’s tomb in Stratford-upon-Avon is to undergo a makeover. The clean-up is part of a restoration project at Holy Trinity Church although renovators will be wary of upsetting a curse placed by The