active

WHEN it comes to a real-life paradise, the closest you’ll probably get to it is the Caribbean.

And there’s one destination that’s seeing more tourists than ever which is developing new hotels so visitors can enjoy the hot weather and beautiful beaches.

St Vincent and the Grenadines is the fastest-growing tourism destination in the Caribbean with 17.3 percent more visitors in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.

Jamaica and Barbados are the Caribbean islands most visited by Brits – but St Vincent and the Grenadines has the potential to be your next holiday spot.

You can get there by flying to Argyle International Airport on St Vincent – and then, from there you can explore the 32 islands and cays.

The country’s capital is Kingstown in St Vincent, where visitors explore historical sites like Fort Charlotte and the Gothic cathedrals.

YULE DO

Travel expert reveals cheap UK holiday parks with Xmas breaks from £9pp a night

SNOW WAY

All the best Xmas days out under £10 including FREE ice skating & Santa’s grotto

The capital has Botanical Gardens, waterfalls, and plenty of opportunities to try out water activities like boat tours, snorkelling, and diving.

The waters have plenty of marine life like whales, dolphins, green sea turtles and lots of reef fish.

Of course being an island, St Vincent has some incredible beaches from Indian Bay, Villa Beach and Mt. Wynne Beach – which has volcanic black sand.

St Vincent is home to the country’s largest volcano called La Soufrière.

It’s active too, with the last explosive events happening in 2021.

The island has rainforests as well and visitors can hike through the Vermont Nature Trail and the Cumberland Forest Reserve.

The island country is a great for fans of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise which was filmed across its beaches and rainforest.

It was even rumoured that St Vincent would open a theme park to honour the films.

St Vincent and the Grenadines is one of the best spots for winter sun, as throughout the whole year the temperature averages between 24-27C.

The rainy season runs from June through November, with the wettest months typically being October and November.

The island country consists of eight other inhabited islands; Young Island, Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, Union Island, Mayreau, Petit St Vincent and Palm Island.

To get to the other most popular islands, visitors can use ferries or take regional flights.

Here you’ll find white-sand beaches and plenty more swimming spots in the bright blue Caribbean sea.

To accommodate the increasing number of visitors in St Vincent and the Grenadines, there are four new projects across the islands and all are set to open by 2027.

The first is called Peter’s Hope Resort Development Project, which is a 280-room beachfront Marriott Autograph Collection hotel.

Another is the Beaches St. Vincent and the Grenadines which will be a 360-room resort focusing on families that will be built at Mt. Wynne.

The Palm Island Development is a new project with phase one scheduled to open in December 2026.

And the Cumberland Bay Resort Development Project will be a 150-room beachfront resort set to have pretty overwater bungalows, cottages, a hotel and small marina. 

Virgin Atlantic connects St. Vincent with a stopover at the neighbouring island of Barbados taking around 11 hours.

You can fly from London Heathrow to St Vincent with return fares from £574.92.

STRICTLY NEWBIES

All the stars in line to replace Tess and Claudia on Strictly

TUM HELP

The 30g diet hack that ‘PREVENTS deadly bowel cancer’… as cases surge in under-50s

This island in St Vincent and the Grenadines is known as ‘turtle island’…

CANOUAN sits between St Vincent and Grenada, and it’s one of the smallest measuring at three square miles and has a population of around 2,000.

Known for its abundance of turtles, tortoises and beautiful beaches, the little-known island doesn’t get many tourists, which means it’s a hotspot for celebs.

Thanks to it being lesser-known, the island of Canouan has been known to be a popular Caribbean spot for celebrities.

Due to its privacy, the likes of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Downey Jr., and Cindy Crawford have all been seen there.

Another reason for its popularity amongst the famous is the amount of luxury resorts there – and the fact that they all allow use of the ‘invisible key’, which means you can use facilities across all of them.

The island is known for being peaceful and quiet, but is rising in popularity amongst travellers.

It has a nickname too, Canouan is sometimes referred to as ‘Turtle Island’.

As you might have guessed this is because the island is a natural sanctuary for green sea turtles which swim off the coast.

During the months of May and October, the turtles hatch along the beach, so if you stick around until dawn, you might spot tiny hatchlings make their way from the sand to the sea.

Here’s another Caribbean island that only a few thousand Brits visit is getting a new airport – with UK flights.

Plus, Caribbean’s safest island is ‘back on map’ as 2025 holiday spot – thanks to stunning beaches and region’s longest pool.

PHILADELPHIA — When Clayton Kershaw was left off the Dodgers’ roster for the best-of-three wild card round against the Cincinnati Reds, it marked the first time since his 2008 rookie season that he pitch didn’t in one of the team’s playoff series when healthy.

But on Saturday, ahead of Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Dodgers decided to add Kershaw back in the mix, ensuring he will likely get the chance to take the mound at least one more time before entering retirement this offseason.

Kershaw and fellow left-handed pitcher Anthony Banda were the only two changes the Dodgers made to their NLDS roster Saturday, swapping them in on an 11-man pitching staff in place of multi-inning left-hander Justin Wrobleski (who didn’t pitch in the wild card series) and rookie right-hander Edgardo Henriquez (who walked two batters and gave up a hit while recording no outs in Game 1 against the Reds).

The Dodgers made no changes to their 15-man position player group from the wild card round, once again keeping three catchers on the roster (as Will Smith continues to recover from a fractured hand) as well as speedy defensive specialists Justin Deal and Hyeseong Kim.

Kershaw’s return was had been expected, even before manager Dave Roberts officially confirmed on Friday that the future Hall of Famer would be on the roster for the NLDS.

First and foremost, the Dodgers will need added left-handed pitching depth to combat a Phillies lineup that includes left-handed threats like Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott. That’s why Banda was included as well.

But Kershaw, who went 11-2 this season with a 3.36 ERA, also gives the Dodgers a steady veteran presence out of the bullpen (where he is expected to pitch).

They missed that in the wild-card round, when a string of younger pitchers struggled to consistently find the strike zone while pitching in relief.

Thus, they will be hoping their 18-year veteran can provide it, in what would be his final career postseason series if the Dodgers don’t advance.

The only other major roster question facing the Dodgers entering this series is at catcher. Roberts said Friday that Smith “will be available to catch” in this NLDS, but was unsure if he’d be able to start right away in Game 1. Smith, who has taken only live at-bats in the last week while nursing his injury, did not appear in the wild-card series despite being on the roster. He took more live at-bats during the team’s Friday night workout at Citizens Bank Park.

Aug. 24 (UPI) — Police descended upon Pennsylvania’s Villanova University on Sunday in response to reports of an active shooter on campus, making it the second time in less than a week that a hoax attack has been reported at the private Catholic school.

The Radnor Township Police Department said officers were responding to reports of an active shooter at the university’s Austin Hall.

“Law enforcement has confirmed that call to be false,” it said in a statement published on X at about 11:40 a.m. EDT.

“Officers are working to clear the campus and restore normal operations. At this time, the investigation is ongoing.”

Monday is the start of classes for the fall semester of the 2025-26 academic year at Villanova University, where about 10,000 students, including 6,700 full-time undergraduate students, attend. Villanova is a Philadelphia suburb.

Kathleen Byrnes, vice president of student life at the school, has announced in a letter that Sunday evening’s Mass and Commissioning has been canceled “given the whirlwind of emotions over these last few days.”

“With all that has transpired on campus in recent days, we feel our first-year students are best served by an evening with time to pause before classes start tomorrow,” Byrnes said.

“For our new students: Please take this evening to relax, talk with new friends and get a good night’s sleep — all of which will help you feel prepared for your first day of college tomorrow.”

The first false call of an active shooter on campus occurred Thursday late afternoon. Students were warned at about 4:30 p.m. to shelter in place. The shooter was reported to have been at the university’s law school.

University President Peter Donohue announced the Thursday active shooter report was a “cruel hoax.”

In a letter to students Sunday following the second false report, Donohue said he wished he had more answers for them.

“I do not know why this is happening, but I assure you the authorities are working tirelessly to find out who is behind these calls,” he said.

“I know it may not seem like it after the past couple of days, but I assure you that campus is safe, and there is no evidence of a legitimate threat to our community.”

Aug. 21 (UPI) — Students at Villanova University near Philadelphia received an active shooter alert and were warned to stay in secure locations late Thursday afternoon, but it was a hoax.

University officials issued an active shooter alert to students and warned them to shelter in place at 4:30 p.m. EDT, after being alerted to an alleged shooter at the university’s law school.

Many police responded to the scene, but no injuries were reported before University President Peter Donohue announced it was a “cruel hoax” at about 6:15 p.m., WCAU reported.

“Panic and terror ensued as news of a possible shooter at the Law School,” Donohue said in a letter to students and family.

“Mercifully, no one was injured, and we now know that it was a cruel hoax,” Donohue continued. “There was no active shooter, no injuries and no evidence of firearms present on campus.”

Donohue said the hoax has “shaken our entire community” and thanked the Villanova Public Safety department, the Radnor Police and other local police departments for rapidly responding to the report of an active shooter.

The university lifted its shelter-in-place order after police reported the matter was a hoax.

Police had barricaded Scarpa Hall, which houses the university’s law school, after being notified of an active shooter situation.

The university was placed under lockdown as police investigated the matter, but no information has been provided regarding what triggered the active shooter alert.

The nearby Lower Merion School District moved all students and staff indoors after being notified of the active shooter situation.

Thursday was Villanova’s opening day for fall classes, and many students were undergoing orientation when the active shooter alert was issued.

I’ll never forget the moment I met 93-year-old DeLoyce Alcorn. It was last fall and he was in the midst of his weekly workout at the Strength Shoppe in Echo Park. The retired aerospace engineer, then 92, was wearing a fitted T-shirt that read “Be Strong. Be Resilient. Be You” as he strapped himself into the leg press machine.

Alcorn extended his legs, closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Then he began slowly, determinedly, pushing 312 pounds forward with his feet, completing multiple reps. (By contrast, I’m many decades younger and physically fit and currently push 220 pounds when leg-pressing.) Alcorn was inspiring, to say the least.

So is 71-year-old pole dancer, Mary Serritella, whom my colleague, Deborah Netburn, wrote about last year. Performing under the name Mary Caryl, Serritella contorts her body into positions called “The Chopstick,” “The Jade Split” and “The Black Sun Split,” whirling around a silver pole as disco music plays.

This past May, I wrote about a group of relatively older “vertical skateboarders,” Deathracer413, who believe that the dangerous sport is their key to longevity. They’re not nonagenarians — most are in their 50s and 60s — but they’re doing perilous airborne tricks, some well into senior citizenship. The adrenaline rush, they argue, keeps their brains sharp.

Of course, aging comes with inevitable physical decline and other challenges. But individuals such as Alcorn, Serritella and the Deathracers push against ageist stereotypes about how we should live — and play — as we grow older.

Are you at least 90 years old and still very physically active? If so, we’d love to hear from you.

Please fill out the form below. Be sure to include your first and last name, where you live in SoCal and your contact information. We may email you with follow-up questions and may include your response in a future story.

* By submitting your story to us, you are representing and warranting that the content is original and accurate in all respects and does not defame any person, invade any rights of publicity or of privacy, plagiarize from anyone, or infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate any proprietary rights of any third party, including intellectual property rights (e.g., copyrights, trademarks). You agree that the Los Angeles Times may edit your submission and may publish your submission on any of its platforms, including without limitation on latimes.com, in print, and on Los Angeles Times social media accounts, and may authorize third parties to publish your submission. You agree to abide by our terms of service.

June 22 (UPI) — An armed gunman who opened fire Sunday inside a Michigan church was shot dead by a security guard, police said.

Police responded to 911 calls of an active shooter at Crosspointe Church in Wayne, about 30 miles west of Detroit, police said in a statement.

“Upon arrival, officers determined that a security guard for the church shot and killed the suspect,” police said. “One victim was shot in the leg.”

A police source told local news station WXYZ that the incident happened around 11:15 a.m. shortly after the start of the10:45 a.m. service.

“Our leadership and support teams are on the ground, at the scene, in Wayne, Michigan providing assistance and investigative support,” FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said in a statement after the shooting.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is also reportedly monitoring the incident.

Police encouraged local residents to avoid the area as the investigation continued. Further details about the shooting, including the identity of the suspect, was not provided.