Jason
Now the clocks have gone back, and UK households begin switching the heating on, it's estimated 7 million people are reliant on credit to pay their bills this winter.
In fact, as many as 15% of the adult population (8 million) readily admit they'll be forced to borrow to get by in the next six months.
That's according to research by Creditspring with respondents in Northern Ireland (31%), London (17%), and the East Midlands (13%) the most likely to need to borrow.
Despite a slight dip in inflation, the survey suggests (25%) of UK adults - over 13m people – have already been dipping into their savings each month just to make ends meet.
So much so, that one in five (18%) say they'll need a loan once their savings run out.
However, for many, savings are now classed as a luxury, with the ongoing cost of living crisis depleting this financial cushion for many households.
The reality is, that one in five (21%) of adults – almost 11m people – don't have any savings to fall back on at all!
Those more likely to have nothing to fall back on are based in London (20%), North East (18%) and Northern Ireland (17%).
30% say they are terrified for their financial future and a third (33%) feel stuck believing there is nothing they can do to improve their financial situation.
In total, almost four in ten (38%) – or 20m people – say their financial future is unpredictable and they're uncertain about their future position in six months.
For more information, hints and tips you can access the Creditspring website at https://www.creditspring.co.uk/blog/martyn-james-energy-bill-tips and also listen back to Jason talking to Neil Kadagathur, Co-Founder and CEO of Creditspring and Martyn James a Consumer Champion on CVFM Breakfast.
LIVE AT THE CATHEDRAL 2023 are delighted to announce The Hoosiers as their headline act on Friday 22nd September and the sensational Natalie Imbruglia on Saturday 23rd September 2023 performing at Durham Cathedral next month.
The Hoosiers
The multi-platinum success of The Hoosiers 2007 debut album, "The Trick to Life", and singles such as "Worried About Ray" and "Goodbye Mr. A", raised huge expectations for its follow-up, not least at The Hoosiers' record label. The prophetically titled "The Illusion of Safety" was, all the band agree, a troubled project from the start.
Irwin suggests, "The word 'hit' is substituted for 'good'. There's an art to writing under those conditions, but it wasn't one that worked for us. It exacts a toll on too many writers. You give up too much if you do that."
Such a negative experience of the creative process – the odd laugh aside – would have done for many bands, and there was indeed a period where The Hoosiers went their separate ways. "I remember getting to this point," says Al, "where I said, 'I need some space from this'. I think we all knew it. We needed to forget about it for a while."
"The News From Nowhere", released in 2014, was an astonishing return to form. "Doing it on our own terms," says Irwin, "and actually having a proper say in it, felt wonderful. We had nothing to lose, but a lot to prove."
Shattering their previous run of an album every three to four years, 2015's "The Secret Service" – only a year after their third album – reveals a band hitting their stride through a purple patch; improving as they discover they have more to say than ever.
Tension, creativity, democracy, arguments, time apart, coming back together, and then songs. Lots of them. Gone is the self-consciousness of the dog days around their second album; gone, too, the self-doubt. In their place is a deeply rooted – and hard-won – confidence, and a determination to lock back into the freedom and joy of the early days.
To win a pair of tickets to see The Hoosiers tune into CVFM Radio on Monday 4th September to find out more, and keep your eyes peeled on our Facebook page too facebook.com/cvfmradio and if you don't manage to win a pair of tickets, tickets are still on sale.
Tickets for the The Hoosiers – Durham Cathedral show taking place on Friday 22nd September are available from:
Friday 22nd September 2023
Durham Cathedral
Box Office No: 0844 888 9991
Website – https://liveatthecathedral.com/
Tickets - £30.00
Time - 7.30pm
Tickets for the Natalie Imbruglia – Durham Cathedral show taking place on Saturday 23rd September are available from:
Saturday 23rd September 2023
Durham Cathedral
Box Office No: 0844 888 9991
Website – https://liveatthecathedral.com/
Tickets - £35.00
Time - 7.30pm
Friday 1st September 2023
North Riding Premier Division
Darlington United Newmarket 4-0 Staithes AthleticNorth Riding Division One
Darlington RA 0-1 North Ormesby
Woodsmith North Riding Challenge Cup
Yarm & Eaglescliffe Res 6-3 Thirsk Falcons Dev
Saturday 2nd September 2023
North Riding Premier Division
North Riding First Division
According to research, 66% of parents were worried about their child starting secondary school.
Worries included them walking to school alone, not always knowing their whereabouts or what they are up to and their child taking the bus alone.
The study by Life360*, which revealed the 30 main anxieties mums and dads share at this important transition point, also showed over half (53%) were more anxious about their child being less safe than they were at primary school.
Other concerns included offspring getting into trouble, the volume of homework involved and the influence of older pupils.
Meanwhile 49% of parents of older children, already at secondary school, said they found it hard to judge what rules they should put in place.
34% agreed that after their child started big school, trusting them to be where they say they will be was the biggest challenge.
Furthermore, after a term or so in secondary school, parents are slightly more likely to stress about whether their child will make friends.
Nearly half (47%) make sure to tell their kids what to do if they're being bullied, and 30% will make sure their bag and school gear is up to scrutiny from their peers.
To help children transition to their new school, 39% talk to them about their own experiences.
Finally, it seems going to secondary school does not have a significant impact on when parents believe kids should get their own mobile phone – with parents of secondary and primary school children both suggesting it should be around the age of 10.
Almost 60 per cent (58%) said they will be monitoring their child's location via a mobile phone by the time they start secondary school, including 32% who already did this when they were at primary school.
Jason from CVFM Breakfast spoke to Sue Atkins, Parenting Expert and Psychotherapist about it. To listen back head over to Spotify Podcasts https://open.spotify.com/show/48yJK7MxxlgzdWeRznEEY9
TOP 30 WORRIES OF BRITISH PARENTS WHEN KIDS START SECONDARY SCHOOL:
- Bullying
- Will they make friends
- How they will settle in
- Whether they'll be happy
- Peer pressure
- The influence of new friends
- Managing your child's anxiety/ mental health
- The influence of older pupils
- How they will get on academically in general
- Walking to school alone
- Whether they'll like their classes
- The volume of homework
- Not always knowing where they are or what they are doing
- School safety
- Whether they'll be a little fish in a big sea
- Keeping their belongings /bag safe
- Increasing pressure from social media
- Whether they'll like their teachers
- They wouldn't have any primary school friends in their classes
- How they'll cope with a stricter behaviour system
- They won't know how to get around the school layout
- Whether the secondary school will make the same allowances for their needs as primary school
- How they'll perform in exams
- Whether the teachers will get to know them as well as primary school teachers
- Taking the bus alone
- Whether their phone will be stolen
- They'll start pushing the boundaries in terms of their independence
- Them getting into trouble generally
- How they'll navigate the school lunch system
- Whether they are responsible enough for their first phone