free

Standard TV licences usually cost £174.50 annually, while the black-and-white licence fee now stands at £58.50

The standard TV Licence fee increased for many last year, with the Government raising the price to £174.50 in April 2025. This annual charge is generally required for households or businesses that watch live television or use the BBC iPlayer.

However, it may come as a surprise that certain people could qualify for a free or discounted licence under specific circumstances. These reductions could also be applicable to those with black-and-white TV sets, which typically incur an annual cost of £58.50 under the licence scheme.

According to Government guidelines, people over 75 years old who receive Pension Credit are primarily eligible for a free TV Licence. The same applies if you share a residence with a partner who receives Pension Credit, as the licence covers everyone at a particular address.

It’s essential to clarify that Pension Credit is distinct from the State Pension. It refers to a means-tested benefit for people over State Pension age on a low income, boosting weekly income to £227.10 if you’re single or £346.60 with a partner.

Those claiming Pension Credit can apply for a free TV Licence when they turn 74, but will still need to pay until the end of the month before their 75th birthday. After this point, they will be covered by the free licence, according to the Mirror.

The Government also confirms that people who are blind or residing in residential care are entitled to apply for a reduced-cost TV Licence. To qualify for the residential care home reduction, applicants must be either retired and aged over 60, or disabled. Those who meet the criteria will see the TV Licence cost drop dramatically to merely £7.50.

READ MORE: EDF’s first day of ‘free electricity’ – full eligibility explained

Housing managers at residential care facilities are also authorised to submit applications on their residents’ behalf. Meanwhile, anyone registered as blind, or living with someone who is, can secure a 50% discount on their TV Licence, bringing the cost of a colour licence down to £87.25.

Government guidance explains: “The licence must be in the blind person’s name – if it’s not, you can make a new application to transfer it into their name. You’ll need to provide your existing TV Licence number when you apply.”

People aged 75 and over who receive Pension Credit can apply for a free licence online or by phone. The Government’s official numbers for this are 0300 790 6071 (telephone) and 0300 709 6050 (minicom). Others who are registered blind can apply for a licence on the TV Licensing website.

For more information, head to GOV.UK or the official TV Licensing website.

Why did the licence fee change?

In 2024, the Secretary of State announced a 2.9% price rise, effective from April 1, 2025, aligned with annual CPI inflation. The official TV Licensing site confirms that this represents a daily increase of just over 1p and is only the second licence fee hike since April 1, 2021.

This adjustment has led to the annual colour licence fee rising to £174.50, while the black-and-white licence fee now stands at £58.50 per annum.

Future increases in the licence fee will be linked to CPI inflation for the next four years, concluding in 2027.

For the latest money-saving tips, shopping and consumer news, go to the new Everything Money website

WHOEVER suggested hibernating in winter hasn’t spent whole days inside with young kids, but as it happens, January and February can be a great time of year to treat the family to a budget day out.

Drizzly winter weather often means lower prices at top attractions, and there are plenty of exciting deals from now until spring. To prove rainy days don’t have to drain your bank account – we’ve hunted down the best bargain days out for families to enjoy in the wetter weather.

Plus, with February half term just around the corner, it’s best to plan ahead and pre-book your family days out – and secure these bargains whilst you can.

Read on for our pick of the best winter days out…

Theme parks and attractions

1. 50 per cent off Legoland Windsor Resort

Legoland Windsor Resort are offering some great deals ahead of the February half term, with half price tickets available when you book online.

Tickets can cost as little as £32 pp when booked in advance, saving you 50% on the walk up price.

Add on the adventure golf package for an extra £2 to save £42 pp on your trip to Legoland.

If you’ve got little ones under 90cm in height, they can enter for free.

The attraction is also offering “Brick Days” deals from 14 – 23 February.

These are days throughout the February half term packed with extra activities, specific weather-proof rides and meet and greets.

You can book a Brick Days deal online from £32pp, saving 53% when booked ahead.

2. Gulliver’s Kingdom family deal

Over at Gulliver’s Kingdom theme park in Matlock Bath, a family of four (with children aged 2-13) can visit for £39.

The deal comes courtesy of Wowcher, where families can save 61% off the original price of £99.

The family ticket is sold as a voucher, with flexible booking dates including 2026 school holiday availability.

There are also family vouchers for four available for £49 at the Warrington and Rother Valley locations.

3. Two thirds off at Chessington World of Adventures

Similarly, day tickets to Chessington World of Adventures have been slashed by two thirds during the February half term.

When prebooking online, tickets are available from just £22pp instead of £66pp.

A day ticket to Chessington includes entry to the theme park, zoo and SEA LIFE aquarium – that’s three attractions for just over twenty quid.

The same rule applies with those under 90cm being allowed in for free.

There’s even a short break deal from £32pp, meaning that you can stay overnight for the price of a regular day ticket.

And if it does get a bit chilly outside, Chessington has plenty of indoor attractions for you to explore.

There’s colourful soft play in the Dragon’s Playhouse, a walk-through tunnel in the indoor aquarium, and the Savannah Splash Pool.

4. After-school Legoland Adventure Golf

When it comes to crazy golf, Legoland Windsor Resort is a pretty unbeatable location.

Choose between three courses with space themes, pirates, or the impressive LEGO City.

The after school deal costs just £6pp instead of the £10pp walk up price.

This includes a round on one nine-hole course, and runs between 2 – 6pm from Monday through Thursday.

Make sure to prebook online at least a day in advance.

5. Merlin five attraction pass deal

This Merlin five attraction deal can save you up to 70% on family days out.

With this offer, you can visit five different Merlin Entertainments attractions over the course of 90 days for just £59pp.

This works out at £11.80pp per attraction, and is a great way of seeing some of London’s must-visits for families.

Choose between Shrek’s Adventure London, SEA LIFE London Aquarium, the London Eye, Madame Tussauds London, the London Dungeon and the Big Bus Hop-on, Hop-off Sightseeing Tour.

6. London Dungeon discounted day out

The London Dungeon is a thrilling indoor activity for older kids – and you can save extra if you book online in advance.

Inside there’s everything from the terrifying Drop Dead ride to a creepy escape room set in Guy Fawkes’ cell.

Attraction tickets on the day cost £35 per adult, but you can save up to an extra £8 by booking your tickets online ahead of time.

Adventure and weather-proof activities

7. Forest coaster with a free kids meal

Adventure centre Zip World are offering some major discounts, locals’ loyalty and after-school deals across locations in England and Wales.

On Thursday and Friday evenings in January, kids can enjoy a free hot meal and a drink when visiting the forest coaster at Betws-y-Coed.

From 3pm onwards, kids can enjoy a thrilling 1km ride through the forest before sitting down to a choice of free tomato pasta, bean or beef chilli.

Forest coaster bookings start at £25 for three rides, and if you’re a local resident you get an extra 30% off from Monday – Friday.

8. Cave trampolining with a free meal and unlimited squash

Over at Zip World’s Llechwedd location, kids can enjoy an hour of cave trampolining with a free meal and unlimited squash for £15.

The Bounce Below deal runs from 5 – 31 January on Thursdays and Fridays from 4pm.

You can also enjoy an extra 30% locals’ discount at Zip World attractions if you’re a resident of London, Manchester, Windermere, North Wales or South Wales.

The locals loyalty offer runs from 5 January – 13 February.

9. Ninja Warrior obstacle course

There’s some great deals running across Ninja Warrior UK courses – and this fully indoor attraction is perfect for any weather.

Here you make your way past a series of challenging inflatable obstacles, and end by facing the giant Ninja Warrior wall.

Early Bird and off-peak sessions cost £9.95pp, and a Ninja Toddlers session costs just £2.

There’s 17 locations to choose from, including Bristol, Cardiff, Sheffield, Wigan and more.

10. Indoor high ropes

Another great indoor option for burning off steam is the Gravity High Ropes experience in Birmingham.

At 31% off for just £10.95pp, adventurers can take on an action-packed course of climbing challenges, rope bridges and more.

You can save up to 41% if you book as a group, too, as the deal costs just £37.95 for a high ropes course for four.

11. Snow tubing deal

Elsewhere in Birmingham, take the kids to this unique snow tubing experience.

Those aged eight and over can grab themselves a doughnut tube and slide down a dry slope at Ackers Adventure Centre.

Taking place within a snow sports centre, this activity can be done in any weather.

The deal for two comes out to £8 per person if booked for two, which includes 30 minutes of tubing and is valid seven days a week.

12. Paintball for £2pp

For fans of outdoor adventure, Unreal Paintball in Madeley, Cheshire, is currently offering paintball group deals for 92% off.

A family-of-five can enjoy a paintballing day with 100 paintballs included for £10 – meaning the day out costs £2pp.

The Manor Farm location boasts nearly 40 acres of land including woodland, trenches, a castle and more to hide in.

The offer runs on weekends from 9am – 4pm for new Unreal Paintball customers.

13. 60% off Family Laser Quest

Over in Milton Keynes, the whole family can enjoy up to 60% off Laser Quest.

The deal includes two games for six players, costing just £6.50 per person – and there’s deals available for smaller groups, too.

This top-rated Laser Quest centre is decked out with misty fog, mazes, neon lights and pumping music.

The deal is available from Mondays – Fridays, from 4pm – 9pm during school time or 10am – 9pm during school holidays.

14. Bowling with dinner included

Bowling is another classic rainy weather activity for the whole family.

Hollywood Bowl has over 90 bowling centres, and they’re currently running a January Sales kids’ eat, drink and bowl deal from £8.50pp.

This includes one game of bowling, a choice between a burger or hotdog with fries, and drinks – which includes an alcoholic drinks for adults.

More offers include “Double the Fun Fridays”, where you can get a second game of bowling for free when you bowl after 9pm in January, using code JAN262G50 at online checkout.

15. 2-for-1 Ice skating and disco party

Planet Ice have skating rinks across the UK in cities like Peterborough, Leeds and Coventry – and they’ve got some great deals to book in time for February.

You can enjoy a 2-for-1 Valentines Day skating offer on February 13, which is suitable for all ages.

The offer is available online only – so make sure to snap up your plac by booking ahead on their website.

There’s also a half term disco skate taking place on February 13 and 20 across multiple locations.

16. Splash World waterpark

An indoor waterpark is always a safe bet on a drizzly day – and this offer for Splash World in Southport gets you 51% off full price.

This waterpark includes toddler splash zones, flume rides and a lazy river.

An £8 ticket (all ages) grants you a two hour session, with the offer ending in February.

17. Inflatable pool disco and obstacle course

Sticking with the waterpark theme, the London Aquatics Centre are running inflatable pool discos and obstacle courses on select dates until May.

For the Atlantis Obstacle Course, the Olympic-sized 50m pool becomes covered in a giant inflatable course with slides and climbing walls.

The obstacle course costs £12.60 per adult and £9.45 per junior.

The inflatable disco session, on the other hand, is suitable for ages five and above – and includes a fun inflatable run and massive floats.

The inflatable disco is priced at £10.50 for adults and £7.35 for juniors.

18. Cheap waterpark day in Derby

Moorways Sports Village and Waterpark in Derby is running Waterpark Wednesdays, giving families a cheaper option to visit during term time.

On Wednesdays from 4pm – 7pm during term time, adult tickets cost just £6.99, three to five-year-olds can visit for just £1 and under two’s go for free.

The waterpark is home to an aqua tube fast slide, a body slide, wave rider and rider slide – and a great choice whatever the weather.

19. Trampolining with giant inflatables and free pizza

Jump Inc have loads of indoor trampolining centres across the UK, including places like Blackpool, Birmingham, Chelmsford, Bristol and Aberdeen.

What makes this place unique is its great discounts and offers for families.

The After School Antics offer gives you two jump passes and a margherita pizza for dinner.

There’s also the unlimited jumps offer, where you pay for just one hour but can stay and bounce away up until closing.

The offer is valid from 3pm – 6pm from Mondays to Thursdays during term time. Offers vary by location.

20. Medieval mini golf

Knights Realm Adventure Golf in Basingstoke, Hampshire is home to an epic 18-hole themed golf course overlooked by a dragon.

Make your way around a medieval course dotted with armoured knights and historical scrolls teaching you all about the Middle Ages.

Plus you can save up to 31% off by booking through Groupon, and snap up a two adult ticket for £16 and child’s ticket for just £6.

21. 5D Cinema experience for £2.95

You can visit a 5D cinema for a unique movie experience for just £2.95 this winter.

There’s a choice of original films to pick from, including a thrilling rollercoaster journey named Amazon and a creepy horror called Blood Magic.

And if you’re bringing the whole family, you can get four tickets for just £8.95 – giving you something unique to try for a change of routine.

The 5D cinema is located within Laser Quest Bromley, so there’s another family-friendly activity to try out afterwards on your doorstep.

Museums and free exhibitions

Gone are the days where museums were for do-not-touch antiques and corridors of glass cabinets.

Now, there’s loads of unique museums across the UK that are both free to visit and full of exciting experiences made just for kids.

22. Manchester Museum

The Manchester Museum is free to enter, and full of exciting galleries like Living Worlds, Nature’s Library and a live vivarium.

And for families with dinosaur fans, the Manchester Museum has a brilliant Fossils and Dinosaurs gallery, and is home to a popular T. Rex called Stan.

23. Triceratops Exhibition

The dinosaur fun doesn’t stop there – there’s also a triceratops exhibition running at the Manchester Museum until February 22nd.

The exhibition features hands-on elements for kids like a fossil digging zone, and and is suitable for all ages.

Both entry to the museum and the triceratops exhibition are free, however you should book your slot for the exhibition online.

24. The National Museum of Scotland

The National Museum of Scotland is another fantastic place to spend the day with kids indoors.

The colourful Imagine gallery has plenty of sensory and interactive options including dress-up, a musical floor, and a storybook reading corner.

Up on level five of the museum, Adventure Planet caters to older children.

Here, kids can use interactive touch screens to do everything from design their own fish to dig for dinosaur bones and fossils.

25. Giants exhibition

The Giants exhibition is set to open at the National Museum of Scotland on the 31 January.

The exhibition showcases amazing 3D sculptures, from life-sized elephants to the megalodon shark.

26. The National Maritime Museum

The National Maritime Museum in London’s Greenwich is both free to enter and packed with things for kids to do.

There’s The Cove playground, a sea-themed area with a giant shark, pirate ship and huge kraken with rope tentacles to swing from.

There’s also the AHOY! children’s gallery for kids aged 0-7, which has activities ranging from sensory play for babies to interactive pirate cannons.

Not to mention the storytelling characters who visit on Saturdays, and the under-5’s play group which runs every Tuesday at £4 per session.

27. The National Railway Museum, York

The National Railway Museum in York is another fantastic free-entry choice for a rainy day.

Here you can come face to face with a Japanese Bullet Train, or even take a ride on the museum’s miniature railway.

And for an additional £9.90pp, the Wonderlab is well worth getting stuck into.

Here kids can become mini-engineers, learning about the science behind locomotives with daily shows and demonstrations.

Kids can even have a go in a human wind tunnel and try out some hands-on science experiments.

28. House of Marbles, Devon

The House of Marbles in Devon is home to four unique museums and is free to visit.

There’s loads of unique marble runs to take part in, including a massive snooker ball-sized contraption as well as a games garden.

Their free games museum can be enjoyed by kids and parents alike, as you learn about the history that inspired Pac-Man and Space Invaders.

29. Newcastle Discovery Museum

Newcastle Discovery Museum is another great free option.

It’s home to Turbinia: a huge ship powered by steam turbines.

Their play space Tiny Tyneside is full of replica transport inventions to play with, and is open daily.

30. The Great North Museum: Hancock

The Great North Museum: Hancock is worth visiting for its unique Mouse House area.

It’s full of interactive surprises and runs free events such as Museum Mice, where kids can explore and handle museum objects – just make sure to prebook online.

31. Upside Down House

The Upside Down House is a unique indoor attraction that does what it says on the tin – everything inside the house has been turned completely upside-down.

Wandering through the house with kids makes for a unique indoor activity, plus some funny photos to look back on.

There are locations in Liverpool, Brighton, Bristol and London – the cheapest to visit being Liverpool at £6.45pp.

32. Discover Story Centre

The Discover Story Centre in London is a giant immersive space for kids with an exciting and colourful story world and garden.

Escape from the drizzly outdoors into a bright and colourful space with trails, singalongs and screenings.

The best part is that you’re able to build your day exactly how you’d like.

You can choose from a list of constantly updated activities and events like the Monster Funfair and Gabby’s Dollhouse movie screening (January 24).

Each event typically costs £2 – £5, with a Discover entry ticket costing £10 for adults, £5 for 1 year-olds and under 1’s go free.

33. National Football Museum

The National Football Museum in Manchester is a fantastic choice for a sports fanatic day indoors.

Inside, you can find the world’s first international football shirt and the oldest surviving FA cup trophy.

Tickets cost £15 for adults and £9 for kids – but the best part is that once you’ve bought your ticket, you can keep returning for free for an entire year.

There’s also a family saver ticket for four costing £39 – not bad for a whole year’s worth of visits.

34. Underwater exhibition and Octonauts trail

The Horniman Museum in London is opening up a “Voyage to the Deep – Underwater Adventures” exhibition from 13 February.

Here you board the ‘Nautilus’ submarine and discover everything from weird and wonderful sea creatures, to crawling through shipwrecks and decoding the secrets of Atlantis.

Plus, there’s an Octonauts “Adventure at the Horniman” Trail packed with activities.

Adult tickets cost £9.80 and kids tickets £7, with discounted rates for families of three (£20.20) or four (£27).

And if you’re on Universal Credit, the tickets are discounted to £2 – make sure to book in advance.

35. Free story festival

The young V&A in Bethnal Green, London is hosting a Story Festival in January 2026.

The festival will take place across the museum, and is completely free.

This includes singing and dancing performances, puppets and storytelling.

Drop-in storytelling activities take place on a first come first serve basis.

36. Free arts drawing sessions at London Southbank

At London’s Southbank Centre, families can drop in to relaxed drawing sessions over weekends.

Led by artist Erdem Kuslu, families can take part in drawing exercises and group games – entirely for free.

The experience is bookable from 16 January – just make sure you book a slot online in advance.

37. Wonderlab hands-on kids gallery

The Science Museum in London’s Kensington is home to a ticketed interactive kids gallery called Wonderlab.

Built for ages 7 – 14, this hands-on experience turns kids into budding scientists.

Wonderlab reopens on 16 January, and is open daily from 10am – 5pm.

Day passes cost £17 for ages 4+, with a family day pass based on 2 adults and 2 children giving you £3 off.

You can also save several pounds extra by booking your tickets in advance and at specific timeslots listed on the Wonderlab site.

Farms and outdoors

When the days are bright and dry, a family day out at the farm can be one of the best ways to get outdoors.

And we’ve found a range of open farms across the UK with free or cheap entry.

38. Bath City Farm

Bath City Farm is free to visit – and it’s easy to spend an entire day their exploring its woodland trails, children’s playground, seeing the animals and visiting the farm shop and cafe.

The farm is open Tuesday to Saturday from 9am – 4pm, and on Sundays from 9.30am – 4pm.

39. Stonebridge City Farm

Another free option is Stonebridge City Farm in Nottingham.

This unique working farm in the middle of the city has amazing grounds, with a well-kept wildlife pond and even Japanese gardens.

They also run cheap events for kids, such as Rainbow Stripes on Tuesdays which is an interactive live music workshop.

40. Bucks Goat Centre

The Bucks Goat Centre in Aylesbury is offering a deal with just £4.55 entry for adults and £3.90 for children – or a family of four can visit for £15.40.

Here you can meet the friendly goats, chickens and alpacas, then sit down to enjoy hot chocolates and milkshakes in the Grazing Goat Cafe.

There’s also weekend events to look forward to like Bunny Brunch on Saturdays at 10:30, and Ferret Fun on Sundays at 11:30.

41. HAPPA Horse haven

For fans of horses and ponies, the HAPPA horse haven in Burnley is open to visitors.

Here you can meet rescue horses, donkeys and ponies, and take part in kids events like Pony Squad.

Visiting HAPPA costs £6 per adult and just £1 per child.

Make sure to book your slot online before visiting.

42. Mudchute Park and Farm

Mudchute Park and Farm in East London is another working farm that is free to visit – and has a massive 32 acres of land to explore.

Their courtyard and small animals area has just re-opened for the year, where you can visit guinea pigs and rabbits.

Here you can also meet cows, sheep, goats, and more.

43. Challenge Woods adventure playground

Outdoor activity centres like Bewilderwood can be quite expensive, especially by the time you’ve bought tickets for the whole family.

Challenge Woods in Norwich is miles cheaper than the nearby attraction, at just £4 entry for ages 4-17 with ages 0-3 going free.

Whilst it’s not quite high ropes, here kids can take part in zip lines, slides, wooden climbing structures and more, backed by Norfolk woodland.

44. Alpaca experience at Pennybridge Farm

Pennybridge Farm in Hampshire has gone fluffing mad with this discounted alpaca experience.

For just £7pp, you can meet and greet a herd of adorable alpacas at this open farm.

You even get to take part in feeding the animals, and learn all about the unique mammals.

The farm is open daily, and this bargain experience is a great way to spend a bright winter’s morning outdoors.

Soft play and younger children

There’s plenty of cheap and easy ways to keep little ones entertained over the winter months.

45. £1.75 Soft play with a drink

This soft play deal in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire is offering 50% off for two hours of play and a soft drink – costing just £1.75 per child.

Sqoshis Play Centre has plenty of climbing areas and slides, and it also has a laser and Nerf centre to entertain the older kids, too.

46. Slime making with kids meal and a hot drink

Colourful slime always goes down well with younger children, and this slime-making experience at Tilly Pots in Ravenshead makes for a creative afternoon out.

The deal includes a children’s meal and a hot drink for parents, costing just £6.95 for an adult and child together.

And for a family of four with two adults and two children, you can visit for just £11.95 – which is 46% off the usual price.

47. Little Diggers giant sandpit

Over in Leicester, mini-builders can put on their hard hat and visit a giant sandpit full of mini bulldozers, diggers and tractors – and play to their heart’s content.

The Little Diggers experience is currently 37% off, costing just £9.50 per child.

The experience takes place in Jump Giants Leicester, where there’s also trampolines and obstacle courses to enjoy.

48. Warwick Castle parent and toddler offer

Warwick Castle is currently running a parent and toddler offer for £20.

The deal includes access to the Zog Playland, the Horrible Histories maze, the UK’s largest birds of prey show and more.

The castle has more than 64 acres of grounds to explore with princess tower and dungeon experiences – plenty to keep the family entertained for an entire day.

49. Gruffalo Clubhouse term time deal

The Gruffalo Clubhouse in Blackpool is a great themed immersive indoor option.

Inside, there’s the Deep Dark Woods to explore, as well as soft play, a toddler play zone, a sensory room and the exciting Zog’s Dragon School Challenge.

Booking an adult and toddler ticket online costs £9 (saving you £10), and can be used from Monday – Friday during school term times.

50. Indoor play offer

A parent and child can visit Oasis Play in Surrey or London for a session of ball pits, slides and more for just £5.50 with this offer.

Oasis Play is a soft play centre with a sea-themed area, glowing neon lights – and it’s even rumoured that Bluey likes to visit.

This deal grants you 75-minute access on either weekdays or weekends, so your little ones can jump, climb and crawl to their heart’s content.

There’s further discounted offers available on Groupon, including a two adult one child ticket for £6.50 and a two adults two children ticket for just £10.50.

A HUGE festival that is completely free to visit will land in the UK next month.

Bristol Light Festival will return to Bristol for 10 nights next month, between February 19 and 28.

One of the headline events recently announced will be an installation called The Lite Series.

Visitors will be able to see a number of illuminated hot air balloons gathered by Cameron Balloons, which when fired will create a burst of colour in the balloon.

The more people who fire the hot air balloons, the brighter they get and more sound plays from them.

Jess Siggers, marketing manager at Cameron Balloons, said: “Bristol’s skyline has been shaped by our balloons for generations, so we’re thrilled to bring that heritage back down to earth in an entirely new way for Bristol Light Festival.

Read more on travel inspo

ALL IN

I found the best value all inclusive London hotel… just £55pp with free food & booze

HAPPY DEAL

Disney free food deal that ‘saves THOUSANDS’ – our experts see if it’s worth it

“The Lite Series invites everyone to feel the magic of ballooning up close.

“It’s playful, it’s interactive and above all, it celebrates the engineering and imagination that Bristol is famous for.”

Another exhibit at the festival will be an installation by artist Liz West, who will transform Cabot Circus’ multi-storey car park into a light show.

The entire festival will sprawl across the city and will host a number of events for the public to get involved in.

Other details about the festival will be announced in the coming weeks but in previous years activities and events have included a Neon Kids Rave.

The rave was free of charge and kids even ate for free.

Other family-friendly activities have included art clubs as well.

It isn’t just about families though, as there are plenty of adult activities on as well such as paint in the dark, dine in the dark and run club events.

And there are usually photography and walking tours.

A number of venues around the city usually have offers too, such as cheap drinks.

Last year’s festival brought in £11million to the city, with visitors spending £9.4million across the event.

Many people have taken to social media to express their excitement for the festival.

One person commented: “We’re coming up from Cornwall again for the festival ! Can’t wait was brilliant last year !”

Another added: “I can’t wait to return to epic Bristol.”

A third person said: “One of the highlights of Winter – can’t wait to see what spectacular light you’ll be bringing to the darker months!”

If you are looking for somewhere to stay in the city, there is a spa hotel with an award-winning restaurant and salt sauna.

Or you could head to another hotel with a sauna, that is opposite the historic railway station.

And for inspiration on what to do when you are there, the city has street art tours, 19th century hotels and ‘top-notch’ cuisine.

In other festival news, pop megastar in talks to play massive UK festival comeback show nine years after last British concert.

Plus, new farm-themed festival to launch in the UK and Jeremy Clarkson is headlining – with live music and tractor shows.

Calls for new elections in Venezuela often assume the existence of basic democratic conditions. In reality, those conditions do not exist. Venezuela cannot hold credible, free, or fair elections today because the country lacks the most fundamental prerequisite of democracy: the rule of law. Without a restoration of institutional independence and a genuine separation of powers, elections would serve only to legitimize an authoritarian system rather than offer Venezuelans a real choice.

Although Venezuela formally maintains the appearance of a constitutional democracy—with a constitution, courts, and a National Assembly—real power is concentrated in the hands of a small group of individuals aligned with the ruling party. Institutions that should act as checks on executive authority instead function as extensions of it.

A clear example is the swearing in of the interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, done by her brother, Jorge Rodríguez, who is the president of the National Assembly.

This concentration of power is not accidental. Over many years, first under Hugo Chávez and later under Nicolás Maduro, the government systematically dismantled institutional independence. A majority of judges were replaced with loyalists, transforming the judiciary into a political tool rather than an impartial arbiter of the law. As a result, courts no longer protect constitutional rights or limit executive overreach; they enforce political decisions.

The definitive rupture of constitutional order occurred after Venezuelans elected an opposition-majority National Assembly in 2015 (following the 2014–2015 political cycle). This democratic outcome represented a clear mandate to challenge executive power, oversee government actions, and restore institutional balance.

After the elections held in July of 2024, despite clear and convincing evidence that the opposition had won, not one Venezuelan institution recognized the result and instead awarded the presidency to Maduro once again.

Rather than accept this result, the Maduro government moved to neutralize the Assembly. Through rulings issued by a politically controlled Supreme Court, the Assembly was declared in contempt, its powers were stripped, and its legislative authority rendered meaningless. To fully sideline the opposition-controlled legislature, the government went further by creating a so-called “Constituent Assembly,” purportedly to reform the constitution. This body was neither elected under fair conditions nor authorized through a legitimate democratic process. Instead, it functioned as a parallel legislature designed to replace the National Assembly altogether. This marked the end of any meaningful separation of powers in Venezuela.

From that point on, Venezuela ceased to operate under its own constitutional framework. There has been no genuine transfer of power, no institutional accountability, and no respect for electoral outcomes that challenge the ruling group’s control.

In this context, calling for new elections without first restoring the rule of law is fundamentally flawed. Elections held under a system where courts, electoral authorities, security forces, and media are controlled by one political faction cannot be free or fair. They do not reflect the will of the people; they merely reproduce the existing power structure.

True elections require an independent judiciary; a neutral and credible electoral authority; respect for the separation of powers; and guarantees of political rights, free speech, and fair competition. None of these conditions currently exist in Venezuela. After the elections held in July of 2024, despite clear and convincing evidence that the opposition had won, not one Venezuelan institution recognized the result and instead awarded the presidency to Maduro once again.

Depolitize the guys with guns

For Venezuela, the path forward is not immediate elections, but a democratic transition. Such a transition must focus first on restoring the rule of law, reestablishing independent institutions, and guaranteeing basic political freedoms. More importantly, making sure that the nation’s security forces are once again impartial and can align with the mandate granted by the people.  

The Venezuelan armed forces have become one of the most decisive instruments of authoritarian control. Far from acting as a neutral guarantor of constitutional order, they operate as an extension of the ruling party. This loyalty is maintained through a combination of political patronage, economic privileges, and legal impunity, ensuring that the military remains aligned with the regime rather than the nation.

Can Venezuela simply declare that everything passed over the last ten years never existed? While morally appealing, such an approach would be legally and practically unworkable.

For any genuine democratic transition to succeed, this dynamic must change. The armed forces must be depoliticized and restored to their constitutional role: defending the sovereignty of the country, not a political faction. Their impartiality is essential to guarantee that electoral outcomes are respected and that citizens can exercise their rights without fear of coercion or intimidation. Without this shift, even well-designed electoral reforms risk collapse under the weight of military interference.

Without this transition, elections risk becoming another instrument of authoritarian control. With it, they can become the foundation for rebuilding Venezuela’s democracy. Only then can elections serve their true purpose: allowing Venezuelans to decide their future freely and without coercion.

The problem of legal continuity

If the diagnosis is clear—that Venezuela cannot hold credible elections under current conditions—the path forward is far less certain. The country faces a fundamental and unavoidable question: how does a society undo more than a decade of institutional erosion without creating legal chaos or collective paralysis?

One of the most difficult challenges of a democratic transition is determining what to do with the body of laws, decrees, and decisions enacted under an illegitimate system. Can Venezuela simply declare that everything passed over the last ten years never existed? While morally appealing, such an approach would be legally and practically unworkable.

Millions of Venezuelans have lived, worked, signed contracts, owned property, and made daily decisions under this framework. Entire economic and social relationships—even distorted ones—have been shaped by these rules. Declaring all of them null and void overnight would risk replacing authoritarianism with legal uncertainty.

A transition must therefore strike a careful balance: recognizing legal reality without legitimizing the system that produced it.

This dilemma is especially acute when it comes to contracts issued by the regime. Some were instruments of corruption or political patronage; others were ordinary commercial or administrative acts necessary for the country to function.

Above all, a transitional process will require political restraint: a recognition that the goal is not to replace one concentration of power with another, but to restore limits on power itself.

Take Chevron for example. Their current operations in the country are legally questionable; many lawyers in the country will tell you that the legal framework under which they are operating has no legal foundation. This will probably make it difficult for other oil companies to go into the country and invest until there is a clear legal framework that they can trust.

A future democratic government will need a principled framework to distinguish between contracts that are inherently illegitimate due to corruption, coercion, or constitutional violations; and contracts that, while issued under an authoritarian regime, involve good-faith third parties and essential services.

This is not a problem unique to Venezuela, but it requires transparent mechanisms—such as independent review bodies or transitional courts—to prevent arbitrariness while restoring public trust.

The constitutional question

Another central issue is whether Venezuela should return to a prior constitutional framework as a foundation for democratic restoration. Some argue that the 1999 Constitution—despite its flaws—remains the last broadly legitimate constitutional document approved by popular vote and could serve as a starting point.

If so, the question becomes procedural: how does the country re-legitimize institutions that still formally exist but have lost all independence?

One possible path is a general referendum authorizing a limited, clearly defined transitional process. Such a referendum could enable the appointment of a new, independent National Electoral Council; establish a transparent mechanism to select new Supreme Court justices; and define the temporary scope and duration of transitional authorities.

This would allow change to occur within an explicit democratic mandate, rather than through ad hoc or purely political decisions.

Importantly, Venezuela does not lack institutions on paper. Courts, electoral bodies, ministries, and legislative frameworks already exist. The challenge is not rebuilding the state from scratch, but cleaning and depoliticizing institutions so they can function independently.

That process will require clear legal standards for independence and accountability. International technical support and observation would help to prevent permanent transitional arrangements by enforcing time-bound mandates. Above all, it will require political restraint: a recognition that the goal is not to replace one concentration of power with another, but to restore limits on power itself.

There are no simple solutions. Any transition will involve compromises, uncertainty, and difficult decisions. But postponing these questions—or pretending elections alone can resolve them—only delays Venezuela’s recovery.

The task ahead is not merely electoral. It is constitutional, institutional, and moral. Reestablishing democratic rule of law will require confronting the past honestly, managing the present responsibly, and designing a future in which no individual or group can again place itself above the law.

Russian officials indicated in 2019 that the Kremlin would be willing to back off from its support for Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela in exchange for a free hand in Ukraine, according to Fiona Hill, an advisor to President Trump at the time.

The Russians repeatedly floated the idea of a “very strange swap arrangement between Venezuela and Ukraine,” Hill said during a congressional hearing in 2019. Her comments surfaced again this week and were shared on social media after the U.S. stealth operation to capture Maduro.

Hill said Russia pushed the idea through articles in Russian media that referenced the Monroe Doctrine — a 19th-century principle in which the U.S. opposed European meddling in the Western Hemisphere and, in return, agreed to stay out of European affairs. It was invoked by Trump to justify the U.S. intervention in Venezuela.

Even though Russian officials never made a formal offer, Moscow’s then-ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, hinted many times to her that Russia was willing to allow the United States to act as it wished in Venezuela if the U.S. did the same for Russia in Europe, Hill told the Associated Press this week.

“Before there was a ‘hint hint, nudge nudge, wink wink, how about doing a deal?’ But nobody [in the U.S.] was interested then,” Hill said.

Trump dispatched Hill — then his senior advisor on Russia and Europe — to Moscow in April 2019 to deliver that message. She said she told Russian officials “Ukraine and Venezuela are not related to each other.”

At that time, she said, the White House was aligned with allies in recognizing Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country’s interim president.

But fast forward seven years and the situation is different.

After ousting Maduro, the U.S. has said it will now “run” Venezuela policy. Trump also has renewed his threat to take over Greenland — a self-governing territory of Denmark and part of the NATO military alliance — and threatened to take military action against Colombia for facilitating the global sale of cocaine.

The Kremlin will be “thrilled” with the idea that large countries — such as Russia, the United States and China — get spheres of influence because it proves “might makes right,” Hill said.

Trump’s actions in Venezuela make it harder for Kyiv’s allies to condemn Russia’s designs on Ukraine as “illegitimate” because “we’ve just had a situation where the U.S. has taken over — or at least decapitated the government of another country — using fiction,” Hill told AP.

The Trump administration has described its raid in Venezuela as a law enforcement operation and has insisted that capturing Maduro was legal.

The Russian Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Hill’s account.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has not commented on the military operation to oust Maduro but the Foreign Ministry issued statements condemning U.S. “aggression.”

Burrows writes for the Associated Press.

United States President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio say they want to free up the flow of Venezuelan oil to benefit Venezuelans after US forces abducted President Nicolas Maduro from Caracas.

“We’re going to rebuild the oil infrastructure, which requires billions of dollars that will be paid for by the oil companies directly,” Trump said at a media briefing at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida hours after Maduro was seized on Saturday. “They will be reimbursed for what they’re doing, but it’s going to be paid, and we’re going to get the oil flowing.”

Then, on Tuesday, the US president said he wanted to use proceeds from the sale of Venezuelan oil “to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States”. Rubio has echoed Trump in his comments in recent days.

But what has been holding back the flow of Venezuelan oil, preventing the country from attracting investments and driving the country into poverty?

A key reason is one that Trump and Rubio have been silent about: Washington’s own efforts to strangle Venezuela’s oil industry and economy through sanctions, which also have set off a refugee crisis.

What has Trump said about Venezuelan oil?

In a post on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday night, Trump said Venezuela will turn over 30 million to 50 million barrels of sanctioned oil to the US.

Trump wrote: “This Oil will be sold at its Market Price, and that money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States!”

Trump added that he had directed his energy secretary, Chris Wright, to execute the plan “immediately”.

“It will be taken by storage ships, and brought directly to unloading docks in the United States,” Trump wrote.

During the news conference on Saturday, Trump said US oil companies would fix Venezuela’s “broken infrastructure” and “start making money for the country”.

Earlier Trump had accused Venezuela in a Truth Social post of “stealing” US oil, land and other assets and using that oil to fund crime, “terrorism” and human trafficking. Top Trump adviser Stephen Miller has made similar claims in recent days.

What does it mean for the US to take Venezuelan oil?

Oil is trading at roughly $56 per barrel.

Based on this price, 30 million barrels of oil would be worth $1.68bn and 50 million barrels of oil would be worth $2.8bn.

“Trump’s statement about oil in Venezuela is beyond an act of war; it is an act of colonisation. That is also illegal based on the UN Charter,” Vijay Prashad, the director of the Tricontinental Institute for Social Research based in Argentina, Brazil, India, and South Africa, told Al Jazeera.

Ilias Bantekas, a professor of transnational law at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar, told Al Jazeera that the US involvement in Venezuela was “less about Maduro as it is about access to Venezuela’s oil deposits”.

“This [oil] is the number one target. Trump is not content with just allowing US oil firms to get concessions but to ‘run’ the country, which entails absolute and indefinite control over Venezuela’s resources.”

According to the website of the US Energy Information Administration, the US consumed an average of 20.25 million barrels of petroleum per day in 2023.

What has Rubio said about Venezuelan oil?

In an interview on the NBC TV network’s Meet the Press programme that aired on Sunday, Rubio said: “We are at war against drug trafficking organisations. That’s not a war against Venezuela.”

“No more drug trafficking … and no more using the oil industry to enrich all our adversaries around the world and not benefitting the people of Venezuela or, frankly, benefitting the United States and the region,” Rubio said.

Rubio said in the interview that since 2014, about eight million Venezuelans have fled the country, which he attributed to theft and corruption by Maduro and his allies. According to a report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees from May, nearly 7.9 million people have indeed left Venezuela.

But he was silent on the US’s own role in creating that crisis.

What are the US sanctions against Venezuela’s oil?

Venezuela nationalised its oil industry in 1976 under then-President Carlos Andres Perez during an oil boom. He established the state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) to control all oil resources.

Venezuela continued to be a major oil exporter to the US for some years, supplying 1.5 million to 2 million barrels per day in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

After President Hugo Chavez took office in 1998, he nationalised all oil assets, seized foreign-owned assets, restructured the PDVSA and prioritised using oil revenue for social programmes in Venezuela.

From 2003 to 2007, Venezuela under Chavez managed to cut its poverty rate in half – from 57 percent to 27.5 percent. Extreme poverty fell even more sharply, by 70 percent.

But exports declined, and government authorities were accused of mismanagement.

The US first imposed sanctions on Venezuela’s oil in retaliation for nationalising US oil assets in 2005.

Under US sanctions, many senior Venezuelan government officials and companies have been barred from accessing any property or financial assets held in the US. They cannot access US bank accounts, sell property or access their money if it passes through the US financial system.

Critically, any US companies or citizens doing business with any sanctioned individual or company will be penalised and risk becoming subject to enforcement actions.

Maduro took over as president in 2013 after Chavez’s death. In 2017, Trump, during his first term in office, imposed more sanctions and tightened them again in 2019. This further restricted sales to the US and access for Venezuelan companies to the global financial system. As a result, oil exports to the US nearly stopped, and Venezuela shifted its trade mainly to China with some sales to India and Cuba.

Last month, the Trump administration imposed yet more sanctions – this time on Maduro family members and Venezuelan tankers carrying sanctioned oil.

Today, the PDVSA controls the petroleum industry in Venezuela, and US involvement in Venezuelan oil drilling is limited. Houston-based Chevron is the only US company that still operates in Venezuela.

How have sanctions hurt Venezuela’s oil flows?

Trump might today be interested in getting Venezuelan oil flowing, but it is US sanctions that blocked that flow in the first place.

Venezuela’s oil reserves are concentrated primarily in the Orinoco Belt, a region in the eastern part of the country stretching across roughly 55,000sq km (21,235sq miles).

While the country is home to the world’s largest proven oil reserves – at an estimated 303 billion barrels – it earns only a fraction of the revenue it once did from exporting crude.

[BELOW: The sentence above promises statistics that will show how much oil exports have dropped, but the next graf doesn’t deliver. We should add that figure]

According to data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity, Venezuela exported $4.05bn of crude oil in 2023. This is far below other major exporters, including Saudi Arabia ($181bn), the US ($125bn) and Russia ($122bn).

How have US sanctions hurt Venezuelans and the country’s oil infrastructure?

The US sanctions on Venezuelan oil prevent US and non-US companies from doing business with the PDVSA. Because the US is a market no one wants to lose, firms, including banks, are wary of taking any steps that could invite Washington’s sanctions.

In effect, that has meant Venezuela’s oil industry has been almost entirely deprived of international financial investment.

The sanctions additionally restrict Venezuela from accessing oilfield equipment, specialised software, drilling services and refinery components from Western companies.

This has resulted in years of underinvestment in the PDVSA’s infrastructure, leading to chronic breakdowns, shutdowns and accidents.

The sanctions have also resulted in broader economic turmoil.

The country’s gross domestic product per capita stood at about $4,200 in 2024, according to World Bank data, down from more than $13,600 in 2010.

From about 2012, the economy went into a sharp decline, driven by domestic economic policies, a slump that was later deepened by US sanctions. The resulting hardships have pushed millions of Venezuelans to leave the country – the same people who Trump and Rubio now argue should benefit from Venezuela’s oil revenues.

Does the US have any claim to Venezuelan oil?

US companies began drilling for oil in Venezuela in the early 1900s.

In 1922, vast petroleum reserves were initially discovered by Royal Dutch Shell in Lake Maracaibo in Zulia state in northwestern Venezuela.

At this point, US companies ramped up their investments in the extraction and development of Venezuelan oil reserves. Companies such as Standard Oil led development under concession agreements, propelling Venezuela to a position as a key global supplier, especially for the US.

Venezuela was a founding member of OPEC, joining at its creation on September 14, 1960. OPEC is a group of major oil-exporting countries that work together to manage supply and influence global oil prices.

But the claims by Trump and Miller that Venezuela somehow “stole” US oil are baseless under international law, experts said.

The principle of permanent sovereignty over natural resources, adopted by the UN General Assembly in a resolution in 1962, is clear that sovereign states have the inherent right to control, use and dispose of their resources for their own development.

In other words, Venezuela alone owns its oil.

Many viewers have issued a stark warning for anyone wanting to watch the film

A horrifyingly brutal film that reportedly had fans “fainting” with others issuing a warning is available to stream on Prime Video.

Bones and All was first released back in 2022 starring Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell as fans are warned before they watch the “unhinged” film. The R-Rated romance is directed by Oscar nominated filmmaker Luca Guadagnino who gained recognition for his 2017 hit Call Me By Your Name.

The grisly horror romance, based on the novel of the same name by Camille DeAngelis from 2015, follows two cannibals who unexpectedly fall in love, struggling with their uncontrollable urge to eat human flesh.

Maren (played by Taylor Russell) decides to track down her mother when along the way she forms an unlikely alliance with another young cannibal Lee (Timothée Chalamet).

An older eater of human flesh, Sully, develops an obsession with Maren as it has been dubbed a horror version of the classic love story Romeo and Juliet.

Now, the film – which won awards following its world premier at the Venice International Film Festival in 2022 – is available for streaming on Prime Video for anyone who dares press play.

Prime Video teases: “In a world that cannot abide who they truly are, a young woman who is learning how to survive on the margins of society and an intense, disenfranchised drifter embark upon a road trip, searching for identity and chasing beauty in a perilous world.”

With an impressive score of 82% on Rotten Tomatoes, one reviewer said: “This is the most creepy, atmospheric, and yet beautiful movie I have ever seen! It deserved so much more acclaim that it got!”

Another wrote: “A truly twisted Romeo and Juliet story that horrifies you and pulls on the heart strings at the same time.”

A third added: “The perfect balance between horror and romance. The masterpiece I never knew I needed.” A fourth replied: “This was horrifying and beautiful.”

Critic Barry Hertz for the Globe and Mail said: “Bones and All is beautiful and unhinged all in the same bite.”

Over on IMDB, the film scored a slightly lower rating of 6.8/10 stars, but viewers did not hold back on praise.

One movie-goer enthused: “BONES AND ALL is an intense, heart-breaking, and uplifting tale that is sure to leave an impact. It’s a must-watch for anyone who enjoys horror and romance, or simply needs a reminder of the power of love. Be warned though – this movie has lots of blood and gore, so it’s not for the faint of heart.”

Another warned: “Not for the faint-hearted and definitely don’t eat a lot before the movie.”

There were reports at the time of cinemagoers fainting and vomiting during screenings due to its gory details, with director Luca Guadagnino telling the Irish Times back in 2022: “I heard about people fainting and some people also throwing up, some screaming.”

Following its release, Russell won the Best Young Actress award at Venice Film Festival, and the pair’s performances were widely praised by film fanatics. Contrary to its critical success, the film seemingly failed at the box office, grossing $15.2million worldwide on a reported $16-20million budget – though it remains a hit with many viewers.

Bones and All is available to stream on Prime Video

CHRISTMAS has been and gone and now our pockets feel empty of cash – so it’s a good thing there are some great free things to do across the UK this week.

As the kids go back to school and you feel like you’ve spent way too much money, it can be hard to know what to do in January to make sure the month isn’t entirely miserable.

The good news is that thanks to the New Year, there are a host of new exhibitions and activities taking place where you don’t need to spend a penny.

Inns and Alehouses, St Albans Museum + Gallery

Launching this week at St Albans Museum + Gallery is a new exhibition called ‘Inns and Alehouses’.

The exhibition allows visitors to step back in time and discover the history of nearly 100 drinking spots that used to exist in St Albans.

The exhibition explores the city’s drinking culture as well as showcases photos, objects, stories and Victorian memorabilia.

Read more on travel inspo

CHEAP BREAKS

UK’s best 100 cheap stays – our pick of the top hotels, holiday parks and pubs

HAPPY DEAL

Disney free food deal that ‘saves THOUSANDS’ – our experts see if it’s worth it

The Sussex Baby Lab, Brighton

Have a newborn? Well, this event might be useful for you.

At the Sussex Baby Lab, a new study has explored whether babies are drawn to patterns in nature.

And between January 4 and February 1, you can head to the lab with you baby (aged between zero and 12 months) to see whether they too are drawn to natural patterns.

You will leave with a sensory baby book, T-shirt and a certificate celebrating your ‘baby scientist’.

Harold Offeh: Creating Patterns, London

Until Sunday you can head to Somerset House to see a piece of art created using six roller skaters.

Created by Harold Offeh, the piece of art documents the movements of the skaters in response to different moods and prompts.

Visitors can see their tracks which were captured on a large scale print.

Gymshark66: The Kick Off, Solihull

Does one of your New Year’s resolutions involve fitness? Well, head to Gymsharks Lift Club in Solihull near Birmingham.

On January 10 from 10am to 2pm, visitors can head to the club or free for the start of a global fitness challenge known as GS66 2026.

Across the day there will be free training sessions, challenges and discounts.

Winter Wassail at Highbury Orchard, Birmingham

We are still in winter, which means wassails are still happening.

On Sunday January 11, between 1:30pm and 3:30pm, heading to Highbury Orchard in Birmingham to ‘bless’ the trees for the year ahead.

There will be singing and poetry, bird feed making, hot spiced apple juice and homemade treats.

Joan Miró: Painting and Poetry, Burton at Bideford, Devon

Located in north Devon, until January 18 you can head to the Joan Miro: Painting and Poetry exhibition at the Burton.

The exhibition showcases 26 lithographic prints which were created to celebrate the French surrealist poet Robert Desnos.

The Magic of Middle Earth, Gosport Museum and Art Gallery

At the Gosport Museum and Art Gallery in Portsmouth until January 24 you can explore The Magic of Middle Earth exhibition.

The exhibition explores the fantasy world created by author J.R.R Tolkien which is set to be both mythical and familiar.

Visitors wills get to explore the legacy the world has created including the painting, sculptures and even Lego sets the world has inspired.

European Figure Skating Championships Fan Zone, Sheffield

The European Figure Skating Championships officially starts in Sheffield next week and from January 10 there will be a fan zone in Sheffield.

Located in the city centre there will be a Fan Zone complete with an ice rink for the public to use for free.

There will also be a big screen broadcasting the competition coverage, food stalls, entertainment and activities for families.

Mediated Realities, New Adelphi Exhibition Gallery, University of Salford

At the University of Salford, you can head to the New Adelphi Exhibition Gallery until January 30 to see Mediated Realities.

The exhibition includes images of war, disaster and protest, question how humans understand what is real.

Some works in the exhibition even include reworked newspapers and how media shapes and sometimes warps the public’s perspective of events.

Novel Ideas, Edinburgh Old Town

In Scotland, head to Edinburgh Old Town to the Scottish Storytelling Centre to hear from students currently working on novels.

During the gathering, visitors can hear authors read extracts from their novels ans speak about their writing processes.

The event is ‘pay what you can’ which means you don’t necessarily have to spend a penny if you don’t want to.

It will take place on January 10 from 3pm.

No trousers tube ride, London

It’s not everyday you can leave the house without your trousers, but on Sunday January 11, you can.

Those participating simply don’t wear trousers and meet in Chinatown in the afternoon before splitting off into groups to head to nearby tube stations.

They then head down to ride the rube trouser-less (but still with pants!) at 3pm.

Whilst it is free to participate, you will need to of course pay for your tube ride.

For more things to do in the UK, a historical theme park with no rides reveals opening plans for UK site with four ‘villages’, live shows and three hotels.

Plus, a new experience launching in the UK where you can learn to be a train driver for the day.

When it’s Harvey Kitani versus David Rebibo in a high school basketball coaching matchup, you know it’s going to be a defensive grind. They demand defensive production, so Rolling Hills Prep and Harvard-Westlake went at it for 32 minutes on Saturday night at St. Francis.

It took four consecutive free throws by Joe Sterling in the final 21 seconds for Harvard-Westlake (17-2) to hold on for a 50-46 victory. About the only mistake Rolling Hills Prep (13-5) made was choosing to foul Sterling, well known as a clutch free-throw shooter. But the Huskies had no choice after a three by Aaron Heinze got them to within 48-46 with 2.6 seconds left.

Sterling finished with 16 points. Pierce Thompson had 14 points and Dominique Bentho added 11 points and 12 rebounds. Nick Welch Jr. had a big game for Rolling Hills Prep with 21 points on eight-for-14 shooting. Carter Fulton added 10 points.

Santa Margarita 72, Fairfax 41: The Eagles (19-2) opened a 21-2 lead after the first quarter and cruised to victory at St. Francis. Brayden Kyman scored 21 points, Kaiden Bailey had 17 and Drew Anderson had 15.

St. Pius X-St. Matthias 67, JSerra 62: Kayleb Kearse finished with 27 points in the victory. Jaden Bailes had 30 points for JSerra.

Sierra Canyon 77, Phoenix St. Mary’s 45: The Trailblazers (13-1) tuned up for the start of Mission League play with a rout in Arizona. Brandon McCoy scored 18 points and Brannon Martinsen had 17.

Chaminade 70, Palos Verdes 44: Temi Olafisoye had 17 points for the 18-1 Eagles.

Thousand Oaks 53, Oak Park 46: The Lancers won their 16th consecutive game to stay unbeaten. Gabriel Chin had 14 points.

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 67, Layton Christian (Utah) 64: NaVorro Bowman led the Knights (13-4) with 24 points. Josiah Nance added 16 points.

Bishop Montgomery 71, Palisades 68: Austin Kirksey had 24 points and Tarron Williams scored 22 points to help Bishop Montgomery improve to 15-2. Freshman Phillip Reed scored 24 points for Palisades.

Crespi 60, Modesto Christian 49: The Celts improved to 13-6.

St. John Bosco 62, Chandler (Ariz.) Basha 54: Christian Collins scored 31 points and Max Ellis had 22 for the Braves in a win in Arizona.

Mayfair 69, Cypress 56: Josiah Johnson’s 27 points helped Mayfair improve to 8-5.

Inglewood 98, Pasadena 97: Jason Crowe Jr. made the game-winning shot in overtime and finished with 51 points for Inglewood.

Girls basketball

Harvard-Westlake 51, Phoenix Desert Vista 39: Freshman Lucia Khamenia finished with 24 points for Harvard-Westlake.

Brentwood 59, Cardinal Newman 53: The Eagles improved to 9-4. Kelsey Sugar scored 24 points.

Saugus 57, Birmingham 52: Kayla Tanijiri had 16 points for Birmingham (13-3).

LONDON City Airport will introduce drop-off fees for the very first time.

In just a matter of days, the airport will charge those dropping off passengers at its airport.

London City Airport will introduce a drop-off charge of £8 from January 6, 2026.

On its website, the airport said: “The charge will be £8.00 for 0-5 minutes, then £1 per minute for any additional minutes, with a maximum stay of 10 minutes.”

Blue Badge holders are exempt, as are licensed black cab drivers.

London City is the last of the London airports to allow free drop-offs.

SHORE THING

‘It’s the best beach in England’ – Sun readers’ favourite Sussex seasides

LOOK OUT

Your fave North East seaside eats – from beach bars in boats to pirate chippies

The airport explained: “The charge will help London City meet its wider sustainability goals by reducing the number of vehicles travelling to and from the airport, supporting efforts to lower congestion, reduce emissions and improve air quality in the surrounding area.”

The hope is that the fee will encourage travellers to use public transport rather than arrive by car.

Currently, around 10 per cent of passengers arrive by car, with another 14 per cent using taxis.

Planes from London City Airport fly to over 30 destinations across Europe including Amsterdam, Spain and Greece.

London City is the most recent airport to announce its new drop-off charges, but other major airports are doing the same in 2026.

As of January 1, 2026, London Heathrow has increased its drop-off fee from £6 to £7.

The last drop off increase at London Heathrow was in December 2024, from £5 to £6.

It is also introducing a strict 10-minute drop-off time, with drivers charged £80 if they go over the allocated time slot.

In just a matter of days, London Gatwick is also upping its drop-off fee.

From January 6, 2026, London Gatwick Airport will charge passengers being dropped off the new fee of £10.

Currently charging £7, the £3 increase (a 40 per cent jump) will apply to all drivers using the drop-off zone, excluding Blue Badge holders.

Major UK airport’s plans for millions more passengers ahead of £1.1bn expansion – with new flights to Europe this year.

My local airport was named the best in the UK – it beats London Heathrow and City by miles.

Neil Roarty has shared his “genius” travel hack that he believes is foolproof – but there is a major caveat that could leave you out of pocket if executed wrong

A British rail passenger’s “genius” travel hack has gone viral online after he appeared to travel in first class for free thanks to a strategic use of the UK railways’ compensation system. However, the trick carries a big risk for those willing to take it.

On Christmas Eve, one man shared a thread on X celebrating what he called his “biggest Christmas gamble.” Neil Roarty wrote: “Booked first class train home knowing that there would be a delay and I’d get the refund. There’s ALWAYS a delay.”

According to his post, he paid £238.20 for two first-class tickets, making his total a whopping £476.40, only to discover that his train was delayed by an hour and a half. Under UK rail rules, this meant he qualified for full compensation – including the cost of his ticket – through the industry’s Delay Repay scheme, effectively making the first-class journey free.

READ MORE: Brits warned of ‘blizzard conditions’ as weather warnings upgraded to amberREAD MORE: ‘My in-laws gifted me a T-shirt with offensive 10-word slogan – I’m floored’

What is the Delay Repay Scheme?

The Delay Repay scheme is a compensation system designed to reimburse passengers whose trains are significantly delayed or cancelled, regardless of the reason for the disruption.

Under the standard rules:

• Delays of 30–59 minutes can qualify for 25 percent refund of the ticket cost.
• Delays of 60–119 minutes typically qualify for 50 percent refund.
• Delays of 120 minutes or more generally mean passengers can claim a full refund – even if they complete the journey.

Importantly, compensation is based on the actual departure and arrival times recorded by the train operator, not what was printed on the timetable. This can vary depending on the train company.

How to Claim

Most UK train operators now allow passengers to submit a Delay Repay claim online, either through the operator’s official website or app. Here’s a general guide to the process:

1. Keep your ticket or reference number. You’ll need either the digital ticket confirmation or a paper ticket reference.
2. Visit your operator’s Delay Repay page. Common operators (e.g., Avanti West Coast, LNER, Great Western Railway) all have dedicated forms.
3. Enter your journey details. This includes date, time, origin and destination, and ticket price.
4. Upload supporting information. Depending on the operator, this could be a screenshot of the delay or your ticket receipt.
5. Submit and wait for a response. Claims usually take a few days to several weeks to process. Many operators will email you with an approval and payment instruction.

Some operators also allow passengers to make claims by post or at station ticket offices – though online submissions are fastest.

When this ‘hack’ works – and when it doesn’t

At first glance, booking an expensive ticket and waiting for compensation may seem like a clever loophole. But experts caution that it’s far from a guaranteed strategy.

Here’s why:

• Delays are not guaranteed. While rail services often experience disruptions, many journeys run on time – which would leave passengers out of pocket.
• Compensation depends on operator policies. Though most UK operators use Delay Repay, the exact terms and payment timeline vary, and not all refunds are paid in cash; some are offered as vouchers.
• Increased fare doesn’t always mean larger compensation. Refunds are proportional to the price paid, but for journeys with unusual fare structures or advance tickets, terms may differ.
• Operators may challenge borderline claims. If a delay is very close to the qualifying threshold, or was caused by external factors, train companies sometimes review claims more closely.

READ MORE: UK snow warnings and health alerts issued as big freeze sets in – all you need to know

IT’S TWIXMAS, you probably have no clue what day it is and returning to work still feels far away – so here’s some free things to do across the UK this week to fill your time.

From museums to New Year celebrations, we’ve found plenty of activities that don’t cost a penny.

It might be worth bearing in mind though that a lot of places will be closed on Thursday, which is New Year’s day – so just make sure to check out websites of attractions and events before you head out for the day.

New Year’s Eve Lantern Parade, Ramsgate

In Ramsgate, you can head to the New Year’s Eve Lantern Parade on December 31 at St George’s Church from 4:15pm.

This year’s theme is Love, Peace and Joy to the World.

The parade will begin at 4:45pm and finish at the Ramsgate Tunnels where there will be drinks.

Read more on travel inspo

ALL IN

I found the best value all inclusive London hotel… just £55pp with free food & booze

LUCKY DIP

I tried Wowcher’s £99 Mystery Christmas Market – everything you need to know

Families can even head to an artist-led workshop before the parade to make lanterns.

Whales, St Albans Cathedral

At St Albans Cathedral, you will find an installation called ‘Whales’.

The installation features three large sperm whale sculptures – that are above the Nave – created by artist Tessa Campbell Fraser.

The installation is open from New Year’s Eve and there will also be a number of other events taking place at the Cathedral whilst the Whales are on show including a silent disco.

Helios, St Albans Museum + Gallery

Head to the St Albans Museum + Gallery for a new immersive experience that opened on December 27.

Inside the museum, visitors will find a six-metre sculpture of the Sun by artist Luke Jerram.

There will also be a number of events for all ages.

It is free to visit, but there is a booking system in place.

Hyakkō – 100+ Makers from Japan, Japan House, London

Hyakkō is the current craft exhibition at Japan House in Kensington, London.

Across the exhibition visitors can see around 2,000 handcrafted items from more than 120 artists.

Items include ceramic matcha bowls and metal teapots.

Walton Hall and Gardens, Cheshire

There are lots of things to do at Walton Hall and Gardens in Cheshire and much of the attraction is also open on New Year’s Day.

There’s a children’s playground, glasshouses and even a cycle museum to explore.

Four-legged friends don’t need to be left out either as the attraction (except the children’s zoo) is dog-friendly.

There’s also a small children’s zoo with farm animals, including rescued donkeys.

And if you get hungry there is also a cafe.

The Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary

The Donkey Sanctuary on the Isle of Wight has over 100 donkeys, mules, and Shetland ponies that have been rescued.

And visitors can interact with them across a number of barns and paddocks.

There is a cafe too and also a gift shop to explore.

A Guiding Light by Louisa Smurthwaite & Douglas Green, Wembley Park

Located at Wembley Park, ‘A Guiding Light’ is a large public art installation that features 36 banners lining Olympic Way, depicting the 12 hours of the moon rising and the 12 hours of the sun setting.

The artwork has been created by light artists Douglas Green and Louisa Smurthwaite.

There are also a number of other installations around Wembley Park that are free to visit, including The Wishing Tree which is a 30ft installation on the Spanish Steps.

New Year’s Day Parade, London

One of the biggest New Year’s events on the planet, takes place in London on New Year’s Day.

The 2026 parade will be the 40th one held in the capital and will feature music, 8,000 performers, giant balloons, heritage vehicles and more.

The route stretches 2.2 miles in total and will travel through Piccadilly, Regents Street, St James’s, Pall Mall, Trafalgar Square and Whitehall.

The parade will begin at 1pm and finish at 4:30pm.

Seven Stories – the UK’s National Centre for Children’s Books, Newcastle

Inside Seven Stories, The National Centre for Children’s Books, visitors will find seven floors dedicated to children’s books.

There are original manuscripts, illustrations and treasures from famous writers including Enid Blyton.

There are currently a few exhibitions on at the centre, including Where Stories Come From, which showcases original art and writing.

There is also a Mog, the Forgetful Cat exhibition, which celebrates the 100th anniversary of Judith Kerr.

Through the exhibition, visitors are taken on a journey through all 17 books that are dedicated to Mog’s life and adventures.

Kids’ Countdown with Just Vibez, Southbank Centre, London

On December 31, from 10:30am, you can celebrate the New Year with the kids at the Southbank Centre.

Just Vibez collective will be taking visitors to the Caribbean for dance competitions, music and games for all the family.

Instead of counting down to midnight, families will countdown to 12 midday.

New Year’s Day Ceilidh, Southbank Centre, London

Also at the Southbank Centre, but this time on New Year’s Day, there will be a Ceilidh – a traditional Gaelic social gathering with folk music.

It will feature music, dance and theatre and no tickets are required.

The Bay of Lights Illumination Trail, Torquay, Devon

Until January 2, you can still catch The Bay of Lights Illumination Trail in Torquay, Devon.

The 1.5 mile trail features 19 installations, including ones in iconic spots across the Bay such as Torre Abbey and the scenic harbour.

The trail is lit up each day from 4:30pm to 11pm.

Big Fat Quiz of the Year – New Year’s Day Special, Edinburgh

What better way to look to the year ahead than quizzing yourself on the year just gone?

At Edinburgh Street Food on January 1 between 5pm and 7pm you can participate in Edinburgh’s Big Fat Quiz of the Year.

It is free to play, and there are even prizes for the teams in first, second and third place.

Twelfth Night celebrations 2026, London

On Sunday, January 4, head to Borough Yards in London to celebrate the Twelfth Night celebrations from 4pm.

There will be the Green Man who is decked out in leaves and foliage, a fiddler, live music and even cakes.

Guests will be invited to ‘dance’ along the Thames Path, with more music, singing and storytelling.

For more inspiration on things to do across the UK, here are the top 15 UK attractions for 2025.

Plus, the exciting new hotels, attractions and festivals coming to the UK’s seaside towns and cities next year.

Keeping the kids entertained on holiday is a non-stop job, especially when sunshine isn’t guaranteed.

Thankfully, Devon has loads to offer families, from days spent building sandcastles on beaches to adventure parks with fun rides and animals to meet. 

There are plenty of options if you’re looking to keep on a budget, with free things to do around the county, from events to museums that don’t cost a penny. 

We chatted to local experts and Sun readers who know Devon well to find out what they would recommend to families heading there on a £9.50 Holiday. 

We’ve also added in our own tips, plus Tripadvisor top-rated family attractions, so you and your family will have a £9.50 Holiday to remember… 

Fun on the farm

If you and the family are based in North Devon, a day out could be well spent at The Big Sheep, around a 45-minute drive from Croyde and its surrounding beaches.

Paul Braithwaite, General Manager at Ruda Holiday Park, said: “The Big Sheep is a family-friendly theme park with animals and attractions – including North Devon’s biggest and fastest rollercoaster.”

The park is a good rainy day option, with an indoor playground including giant slides, a baby sensory room and cafe.

Winter indoor play is from £4.50 for adults, £6 for kids, £4 for children under 3 ft and £2 for babies.Tip: Book online for the best rates.

On the south coast, the top-rated Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth has free entry and parking.

Spark their imaginations

Forget stuffy museums – The Box in Plymouth is packed with fun, interactive exhibits to wow your kids.

It’s free to enter, and has also been voted Best Family Attraction in the 2024 Muddy Stilettos Awards for Devon.

You can expect awesome artwork and creative activities such as the weekly sensory art sessions for one to four-year-olds (tip: these have an additional cost of £7 for the first child and £4 for each additional child).

Don’t miss the free Friday storytelling sessions – half an hour that will engage under-fives. 

Free daddy daycare

Dads (or male guardians) can make the most of free soft play sessions that take place every Thursday in Plymouth.

The Dads N’ Dinkies club has been recommended by Gem Krupa, Holiday Home Sales Manager at Challaborough Bay holiday park.

She said: “On Thursdays, Barnardo’s runs a Dads and Dinkies session, which is free soft play for dads and the children.

Mums can have a rest while Dads take the kids down to the YMCA for a play.”

Sessions run on Thursdays at 1.30pm. Tip: pre-booking essential. 

Go to the big screen

On a rainy day, nothing beats the cinema.

And the Everyman Cinema in Plymouth comes highly-rated for families by Gem Krupa.

She said: “As well as adult sessions in the evening, the cinema has family-friendly screenings in the day.

It’s not that much more expensive than a regular cinema ticket but it’s a really cool experience.

There are sofas and armchairs in there. You get a blanket and a menu and you can order cocktails, or burgers and desserts.”

Family tickets are available. 

Steam train magic

Sun reader Richard Tilley from Devizes in Wiltshire has visited South Devon numerous times with his family, most recently staying at Parkdean Resorts Torquay.

Richard, 62, recommends exploring the South Devon coastline by steam train and ferry, like he did with his children when they were younger.

He said: “We used to take the family on the steam train from Paignton to Kingswear, then hop on a ferry over to Dartmouth and back. The kids loved it – it now brings back happy memories.”

Tickets from £14pp for a family of five. 

Tripadvisor’s Top 5 things to do in Devon with kids

Devon’s top-rated family attraction is Kents Cavern, a prehistoric labyrinth of underground passages in Torquay.

Kids will love exploring this cave, which was home to ancient humans sheltering from extreme weather and hunting Ice Age animals.

Nearby, Babbacombe Model Village and Gardens is also highly rated by Tripadvisor users, allowing you to step inside a miniature world.

Paignton Zoo Environmental Park, Pennywell Farm in Buckfastleigh and The Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth also make the top-rated list. 

HAVE you ever holidayed in Spain and wondered if you’re saying the right thing or if there’s an easy way to order at a restaurant? One language expert has the answers.

James Smith, who has been teaching Spanish for years and now runs Learn Spanish with James, has revealed to Sun Travel his top tips from ordering food to the lesser-known spots to visit in Spain.

When it comes to speaking Spanish, James says while you might not be an expert (yet), there’s no harm in trying.

Talking to Sun Travel, James said: “People make mistakes in English everyday, but when it’s in a foreign language they worry about sounding silly.

“In Spain they’d just be happy if you try, and you’ll get much better service if you’ve made an effort to speak Spanish with them rather than the expectation for them to speak English – that’s when you start getting free shots to the table.”

Here’s one way to do this in a restaurant, rather than just speaking English more loudly and slowly.

STREET SMARTS

I visit New York 6 times a year – my expert budget guide including £1 pizzas

SNOW WAY

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

James explained: “In order to sound quite colloquial, in Spain, you can say ‘me das’ or ‘me pones’ followed by what you want to ask for which is a very Spanish thing.

“It means, ‘can you get me this?’ – in English we’d say ‘can I have?’. On its own if you say it without the context of food it would mean ‘you turn me on’. But you’ll hear it all the time in restaurants and it doesn’t mean that.

“So for example you can say, ‘me pones un café con leche por favor’ – and always remember to say thank you afterwards.”

When it comes to pronouncing words in Spanish, other top tips include pronouncing ‘ll’ like ‘y’ – which will come in handy the next time you order a tasty paella.

Another example is that a ‘z’ is actually a ‘th’ sound and so is the letter ‘c’.

When it comes to holidaying in Spain, most Brits will head to restaurants for fresh seafood and patatas bravas – but there’s one Spanish classic that James warns against ordering a lot of.

James explained: “I would say anywhere you’re going where you have tapas as your main meal, you’re probably going to get ripped off.”

He continued: “You’re meant to have small tapa with a drink – it originates from people trying to stop flies in the alcohol, so they’d give you a ‘tapa’ which means lid in Spanish and put it on top of their glass.

“It’s only meant to be a small dish but now people have jumped on that and charge £15 for tapas when in reality, it was a freebie with a drink. I never have it as a main meal.”

Another sign of an inauthentic restaurant, according to James, is if there are pictures on the menu – or you see Spanish cuisine alongside egg and chips.

If you want some good recommendations but aren’t sure where to find them, then James says just ask.

He told us: “I always ask the hotel staff for a place to go and eat where tourists usually don’t go and they’re more than happy to help you.”

Most Brits head to the likes of Barcelona and Madrid, but aside from the major cities, where would James suggest to visit?

He said: “The Hanging Houses of Cuenca, which are just outside of Madrid. I would say like always look for these kind of day trips when you visit like the main cities.

“Toledo is another one, in the south of Spain, and Cádiz has the best beaches in Spain.”

James has been learning Spanish since he was a child, having taken an interest playing football in rural Spain.

He then studied the language at university before heading off to Buenos Aires and Costa Rica.

Now, he runs Learn Spanish with James suitable for beginners, intermediate and advanced speakers – by signing up you can get a free email series with tips on how to learn the language.

Check out Learn Spanish with James and you can also keep up with James on TikTok.

Plus, one travel writer who’s visited 100 countries always goes back to these Spanish islands…

Robin McKelvie has travelled all over the world but reveals the place he goes back to the most are these Spanish islands…

“Despite having travelled to more than 100 countries in my time as a travel writer, the place I always return to is much closer to home. Having first visited the Canary Islands in Spain back in 1998, I’ve been back at least once a year on holiday.

“In Tenerife alone you can party at the world’s second biggest carnival, bash around the world’s best waterpark (Siam Park) and climb a mountain almost three times higher than Britain’s Ben Nevis.

“La Graciosa could be on a different planet. There are no tarmac roads, nevermind an airport.

“It’s a brilliant escape from the modern world, hiking and
cycling around rough tracks, up volcanoes and out to windswept beaches.

“Lanzarote and Gran Canaria boast Michelin star restaurants and foodies flock to Tenerife to dine at eight Michelin star restaurants.

“Tenerife boasts more Michelin stars than Wales and the Royal Hideaway Corales Resort has more stars than any hotel in Spain with four!

“And Tenerife just keeps winning stars. This year Il Bocconcino snared one. As a Scot I know when hiking is brilliant. Tenerife has massive variety, as does Gran Canaria, but my top tip is La Palma.

“I hiked around what the Canarios call ‘La Isla Bonita’ with Ramble
Worldwide earlier this year. It was a joy soaring with our friendly group of largely British retirees up volcanoes, through thick forests and down to the cobalt Atlantic.”

For more on Spain, one presenter from A Place In The Sun moved to the Costa del Sol where she spends evenings on the beach – but there’s a catch.

Plus, check out the 15 holiday habits Brits need to ditch from dodgy sangrias to pints of lager.

THE January sales are about to land and now is an excellent time to bag yourself a bargain, whether it’s a summer holiday, homeware or that
set of golf clubs you’ve had your eye on for months.

But don’t just spend your cash willy-nilly. I’m going to let you in on
my top travel hack that will help you score big in the sales – bagging
yourself a free holiday, just by doing your ordinary shopping.

I can truthfully say, there is no catch. The more you spend, the
greater your getaway.

So, what’s the secret? Avios. But not in the way you know it.

You’ll likely have heard of the flight rewards system, whereby travel
spend is converted into points that can be redeemed against flights,
hotels, shopping and more.

The chances are, however, you’re not using the system properly. And by that, I mean reaping mega benefits every time you spend.

Read More on Money Saving Tips

TAKE THE MICKEY

How you can get PAID to go to Disney World… by the Brits making £10k a year

BUDGET BREAK

I saved over £1k on package holiday going DIY & used cash I saved for 2nd trip

I’m not just talking about flight spend. You can earn points every
time you catch the train to work, fill up your car with fuel, or do
your weekly grocery shop.

Say hello to the Avios portal. I believe it to be the BEST
points-benefits system out there for travellers – and I’m an avid
subscriber to rewards schemes (special nod to my Boots card and the
MyWaitrose account).

Right now, I am just shy of enough points to fly to New York City in
business class with British Airways (I have 80,000 to be exact).

A business class seat would cost me 88,000 points flying at an
off-peak time. Although I would still have to pay a £199.50 flat fee,
a nominal charge that covers taxes, carrier fees and a fixed Avios
amount.

That cost is small, though, when you consider the fact that the
absolute cheapest business class flight you can currently book to NYC
with British Airways is £1,832 – and that’s in the January sale,
meaning I would have saved a minimum of £1,600 by using points.

To put this into a wider perspective, I could also fly to Sydney in
Australia (55,000 points) or Tokyo and back again (38,500 points each
way) or even to Amsterdam and back again up to FOUR times (10,000
points each way).

Flat fees are tiny on short-haul flights too, with costs to
destinations like Amsterdam, Corfu and Gran Canaria capped at just £1
as opposed to the near £200 for my fancy NYC business class seat.

My high points score has nothing to do with me being a travel editor,
either. In fact, I earn very little from my adventures through work
and barely anything from flights alone.

Instead, it’s my regular, everyday spending that helps me earn big with Avios.

My commute to work, my trips to the BP for fuel and my incessant
fashion purchases on ASOS are what stacks those points up.

Better still, if you’re doing a big splurge in the January sales, you
can rake them in thick and fast.

So, how does it work and where can you earn?

Thousands of retailers have partnerships with the Avios store. You can
earn when you spend on hotels, homeware, sports, fashion, toys,
attractions and entertainment from Argos and TravelZoo to Boots and
Alton Towers.

The number of points you earn varies per retailer, for example when
you purchase from M&S Flowers & Hampers you will earn up to 24 Avios
per £1 spent, whereas booking a rail journey through Trainline will
earn you 1 Avios per £1 spent.

Many retailers have bonus offers for January, including Booking.com where you can bag 8 Avios per £1 until January 31, up from 4 Avios per £1 and Viator which has a 12 Avios per £1 offer until February 7, 2026.

My rule of thumb whenever I shop for something (big or small) is:
check whether the retailer I want to buy from is on the Avios shop,
and if not, can I buy the product I want from another retailer that
will earn me points?

To collect points on in-store purchases, you simply have to link  your
card – any card – to your account and spend on this card in
Avios-linked stores.

To make online purchases, you have to register your visit to the
retailers website by first going through the Avios shop website
(avios.com).

Simply log on, click on ‘collect avios’ and search for the retailer in the ‘search for brands’ box.

Once you’ve found the retailer, click on ‘shop now’ to register your visit and carry out your online shopping as you would normally. It really is that simple.

If, like me, you do a lot of shopping on your phone, I’d recommend
downloading the Avios app, which makes things a little easier and
keeps you logged in.

Your Avios is then redeemable with certain airlines, which includes
OneWorld Alliance partners like British Airways and Qatar Airways as
well as Aer Lingus and Vueling.

You can also book holiday packages, including flights and hotels, through British Airways Holidays.

So, how long does it take before you earn yourself enough for a free
flight or holiday? Well, that’s difficult to answer.

Last time I wrote about Avios was in April 2025 and back
then I had 57,000 points. Now I have 80,000 – so I’ve earned myself
23,000 points in 8 months, the equivalent of a return flight to
Brussels, Paris or Turin in Italy.

But I’m single and in the process of buying my first home, so my
spending is frugal.

If you use this hack to do your January sale shopping, however, you’ll
certainly be one step closer to bagging yourself a free getaway.

Here’s some useful tips for shopping through the Avios Shop….

Get yourself an Amex

First things first, get yourself an American Express (AMEX) credit
card, if you don’t already have one. Yes, you don’t technically need
one in order to collect points, but it’s an easy way to boost your
earnings. I have the free British Airways Amex.

Just make sure you pay it off in full every month. And if you don’t
trust yourself to do all of your spending on that card, start by
committing to a small and regular spend, like the weekly food shop.

If you’re successfully approved for a British Airways free Amex,
you’ll be given a bonus 5,000 Avios if you spend £2,000 in the first
three months of having the card.

It’s an incentive – and credit card companies are hoping that you forget to pay them back, so just make sure you have enough money in your current account to pay off the spend and don’t get caught out.

Link your accounts

Accounts that you use regularly like Uber are a great way of boosting
your points. You can link certain regular accounts you use to your
Avios account.

For example, I have my BPme Rewards and Uber account both linked to my Avios one, which means I don’t need to log on and register my visit as
explained above, with normal online shopping.

Everything is done automatically and I’m earning points without lifting a finger.

I book my train to work through Uber every time and it earns me a
steady and regular number of points every month.

Look for deals

Right now you can bag a bonus 50 per cent Avios with certain retailers.

There are so many deals at various times of the year. There’s
also special offers on certain deals such as The Wine Flyer, whereby
you earn a promises amount of points if you spend over a certain
figure on bottles.

Most recently, over the Christmas period, if you spent over £150 on wine through the Avios shop, you’d bag 5,000 bonus Avios on top of the usual 5 Avios per £1 spent,

But my rule is never to spend unless you really need it. The whole
point of a free holiday or flight is that you’re only spending on what
you would normally.

Sign up your parent/partner/pal

You’ll bag a bonus 500 Avios if you refer a friend – a simple referral
code does the trick.

You’ll also notice certain offers, such as a bonus 9,000 Avios if you order a second Amex linked to your account for a partner or child to spend on.

You’ll then be responsible for paying off their spend, however. But there’s nothing stopping you from ordering a second card and not passing it over to that person, though.

That way you’ll bag the bonus points without the panic. Just keep your
eyes peeled for those offers in your inbox.

For more on how to save money on your next travel trip, read more from one woman who flies every month and does 7 things to save herself cash.

 And here are our Sun-approved booking tips, plane hacks and travel products that can save you hundreds on holiday.

WE’VE taken a look at how to spend a family day out for FREE across multiple locations in the UK.

We’ve pinpointed three UK counties brimming with free activities for all ages, ensuring everyone stays entertained without spending a single penny.

And with activities covered for all ages, you can be sure there’ll be no getting bored.

Sussex: Beach days, railways and pirate festival

Across Sussex there are plenty of free things to do, meaning that you can take the kids out for an action-packed day of activities without breaking the bank.

If you’re visiting when the sun’s out, head to one of the many beautiful beaches in the county.

Camber Sands is perfect for families with its sprawling stretches of golden sands, perfect for bucket and spade days and paddling in the water.

Read more on cheap days out

RIDE ON

I saved £100’s on family days out with Sun Club – now they have a £1 summer sale

SANDS GOOD

I love these cheap UK seaside towns – where a family day out costs from just £25

It’s a top choice due to its nearby facilities including parking, cafes and loos – perfect for parents of young children.

A sunny day is also the perfect time to go for a family bike ride.

The South Coast East route will take you along the coast, past stunning cliffs and landscapes.

And if the children (or Dad) are into steam trains, there’s multiple ways to enjoy them in Sussex – without booking a pricey ticket.

The Bluebell Railway is a great spot to visit, with its interactive “SteamWorks” exhibition at Sheffield Park station, and its own outdoor playground at Kingscote station.

There is no charge for platform entry on non-service days, and the gifts and models shop often remains open on these days too – just check their website ahead of time.

You can also head to Hotham Park, a short walk from Bognor Regis town centre, where there’s a popular miniature railway.

The park is free to enter if you’re wanting to stroll and have a look around.

But there’s loads to see and do for an optional small fee, such as crazy golf, a boating lake and kids’ adventure play area.

And if you do visit with some change in your pocket, the Hotham Park Railway is only £2.50 for adults and £2 for kids (under 2s go free).

Sun reader Nora Hinds, 69, from Hounslow, recommends Hastings in Sussex for its annual Pirate Festival.

She said: “Hastings is brilliant for live music, with lots of events on the seafront like the pirate festival.

It’s a pirate-themed weekend with free things to do including a treasure hunt, craft workshops and kids pirate tattoos.

Lastly, Sussex is home to some fantastic free museums.

The Shipwreck Museum is free to enter, and is full of fascinating maritime artifacts.

Sue Mercer, 62, from Pagham recommends The Novium Museum in Chichester for families.

It also has free entry, and kids can learn about history covering the Stone Ages to the Saxons.

Lincoln: Horse sanctuary, lakeside picnics and history museums

There’s loads of free and cheap things to do for families in Lincolnshire.

So much so, that there’s a Facebook group with more than 15,000 members sharing free things to do with the kids “in and around Lincoln”.

If you’ve got any mini history buffs in the family, they’ll enjoy a visit to the Museum of Lincolnshire Life.

The museum takes a deep dive into life in the county, from 1750 to the present day.

There’s an authentic WWI tank, interactive exhibitions and group quiz sessions.

Similarly, The Lincoln Museum is another indoor attraction well-worth the visit.

Aside from the fascinating exhibitions, it offers “Play at The Lincoln Museum” – a free activity centre packed with activities for younger children and a play zone for babies.

For older kids, there’s lots of interactive games and trails too.

Alternatively, just 20 minutes from Lincoln you’ll find Bransby Horses.

The charity owns a 600-acre site which is home to over 300 horses, ponies, donkeys and mules.

Visitors can walk through to admire the animals and set up for lunch at the designated picnic area.

There’s also a play park, cafe and gift shop.

Entry is free, although donations are recommended upon visiting to support the charity.

Sun reader Sarah Al-Aidi recommends Hubbard’s Hills – a vast green space near Louth with plenty of trees and a water valley.

“It’s a real beauty spot with great picnic areas, dog walking trails and nature walks” she says.

In the park you’ll find a play area and plenty of scenic picnic spots by the river – and it’s a great place to bring the dog, too.

Devon: Free soft play, giant animal models and discovery trails

Whilst Devon is known for it’s family-friendly beaches, there’s more to it than building sandcastles and wasting away your change at the arcades.

One of the best ways to explore the county is by undertaking one of its many outdoor discovery trails.

Haldon Forest near Exeter has a popular family activity trail which often has new themes depending on the time of year.

It’s a beautiful winding trail which ends at a picnic spot, home to an impressive Gruffalo sculpture.

And for kids of all ages, geo-caching can make for an exciting and energy-burning day out – and can get your kids away from their screens.

Geo-caching in Dartmoor or Exmoor National Parks is a fantastic way to get the kids to explore the outdoors.

Hidden around the parks you’ll find stashes of hidden items known as caches.

They’ll often have quirky items in to trade, as well as a log book to record your win finding the geo-cache.

In fact geo-caching happens all over the UK, and all the rules are on the geo-caching website.

Plus, the Royal William Yard Geo Trail in Plymouth is a fascinating look back in time to 380 million years ago.

And whilst you’re visiting Plymouth, dads can make the most of free soft play.

“On Thursdays, Barnardo’s runs a Dads and Dinkies session, which is free soft play for dads and the children” says Gem Krupa, Holiday Home Sales Manager at Challaborough Bay holiday park.

“Mums can have a rest while Dads take the kids down to the YMCA for a play.”

The free soft play sessions take place every Thursday at 1.30pm. Just make sure to prebook first!

Lastly, on the outskirts of Dartmoor in Bovey Tracey you can’t skip out on The Jolly Roger.

Here you’ll find incredible showrooms displaying giant animal and dinosaur models – and the best part is, it’s free to visit.

There’s also models of race cars, fairies, and at Christmas time the showroom even gets decked out with Santas and sleighs.

WHAT could be better than spending the day sightseeing in a new city, only to come home to your comfy bed that very same evening?

Extreme day-tripping blew up as a trend in 2025, and if you’ve never given it a go – now’s the time.

Day trips abroad from the UK have never been more doable, with more and more European routes becoming available with budget airlines.

And with flights starting from £14.99 one-way, it can cost less to hop over to another country for the day than it can to go out for dinner.

Here’s our Sun Travel team’s top picks for 24-hour day trips, and the best things to see and do there to make the most of your time.

Paris

If there’s ever an opportunity to travel by Eurostar, I’ll take it.

SHORT BREAK

Popular city named underrated winter city break is still 20C with £28 flights

WEEKEND WONDERS

2 Euro city breaks perfect for a weekend of gorging on food, wine & culture

That’s partly why Paris is one of my favourite day trips.

If you live within an hour’s train ride of London, the Eurostar is certainly the most convenient way of travel.

Plus, there’s something rather glamorous about starting your day sipping tea in the calm of a train carriage before arriving into the beating heart of Paris just 2.5 hours later.

I never tire of the bucket-list landmarks, but there’s one I’d recommend above the others – and that’s the Basilica du Sacré-Cœur, perched on the city’s highest hill, in Montmartre .

If you’re tight for cash, don’t worry about going inside. It’s worth venturing here just for the free view, which I’d argue beats the one from the top of the Eiffel Tower.

You can catch a funicular to the hill’s peak, or challenge yourself to take the stairs.

Just avoid the main set and look for the ones on the far left, to avoid the crowds and street sellers trying to flog overpriced souvenirs.

Once you’ve taken a snap, the rest of this typically French district is well worth exploring.

Dart down one of the many narrow alleyways. The further you wander from the church, the more local it gets – think proper bistros, and cafes selling good, strong coffee.

– Assistant Travel Editor, Sophie Swietochowski

Milan

Just two hours from the UK and one that nearly always has the cheap £14.99 Ryanair flights, Milan is an easy one to do for the day. 

However, remember that Ryanair flies to Milan Malepenisa, not Milane Linate (which takes around 50 minutes to the city centre rather than 10 minutes.).

Instead, hop on the 6:45am easyJet flight from London Gatwick that gets you in at around 9:45am, just in time for brunch.

Get a pastry to go from Marchesi 1824, one of the city’s oldest bakeries for a classic breakfast of a cappuccino and croissant.

Take it with you before a shopping spree at Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the historic shopping centre now home to beautiful designer boutiques.

While Milan is famous for its saffron risotto, a stop at a pizza bar is a must.

I recommend Pizza AM where you even get free mini starters and prosecco.

Squeeze in a quick visit of the famous Duomo di Milano as well as the Santa Maria delle Grazie, home to the famous Last Supper artwork, and it will be time to head back to the airport.

Although if you have time, you could always squeeze in a quick TikTok-famous Negroni Sbagliato at Bar Basso.

One of the latest flights you can get back is with ITA Airways, so you can leave at 9pm and be back in the UK just before 10pm.

– Deputy Travel Editor, Kara Godfrey

Copenhagen

My recent trip to the Danish capital city of Copenhagen was a dream with such short flights and a vibrant city – it got me thinking, you could definitely head there and back in a day if you wanted to.

Ryanair offers morning flights leaving the UK at 7.15am on Saturday mornings from London Stansted meaning you get into the city at 10.10am. 

From the airport to the city is a short drive, so jump into a taxi and head straight to the city.

Head to Strøget for a bite to eat at Holms Bakery, and then gander around the shops.

From there you’ll be able to see the pretty canals and the huge palaces, or head to Tivoli Gardens to have a go on some of the rides.

You can’t leave without seeing Nyhavn. It’s the district famous for having huge colourful buildings – and it’s on the back of most Copenhagen postcards.

The houses sit right on the waterfront where there are plenty of bars which is the perfect spot to stop for a cocktail before heading back to the airport.

You can catch a flight with Ryanair at 8.40pm and land back in the UK at 9.35pm.

– Travel Reporter, Alice Penwill

Dublin

Hopping over to Dublin for a day has got to be as easy as it gets when it comes to booking a cheeky 24-hour day trip.

Flights are super cheap and frequent with Ryanair, as little as £15 one-way from Stansted or £16 from Manchester.

The 1hr25 minute flight from London goes so fast that cabin crew barely have time to push the trolley down the aisle before you’ve landed.

Once you’re there and ready to begin sightseeing, the city is bursting with things to see and do – a lot of which are free.

Stroll through Trinity College to admire its historic campus, which is also home to the Book of Kells – the famous 9th century manuscript.

If you’ve never done Temple Bar, you’ve got to make a pit stop to grab a pint in the iconic Dublin pub (just one though – drinks are much cheaper if you walk a few blocks away!)

And to get away from the touristy spots, hop on a DART train to Dublin’s seaside spots, like Howth or Sandycove, for beautiful rugged coastlines with breath-taking walks and popular swimming spots.

But my absolute favourite thing to do in Dublin is grab a cheap bag of oats from Dunnes, and head to Stephen’s Green to feed the friendly swans and ducks that roam the winding river.

And if you’re on the first flight out and last one back of the day – there’s no reason why you couldn’t tick all of these off in one go!

– Travel Writer, Jenna Stevens

Wimereux

I first travelled to Wimereux, a seaside town 30 minutes drive from Calais on the Opal Coast when I was 20 years old with my mum. 

She travels on the Channel Tunnel to France every year to stock up on her favourite items from French supermarkets, then heads over to Wimereux for some beach time and a delicious dinner. 

Two decades on, it is still one of my favourite places to visit in France. 

The promenade along the seafront is quaint and distinctly French – we sun ourselves and have a glass of wine before hopping back in the car home.

– Head of Travel – Digital, Caroline McGuire

Tirana

The capital of Albania, Tirana, is a destination to watch.

With super cheap flights and everything being affordable once you get there, it is a great option for an extreme day trip.

It takes just under three hours to get there, so I opted to get an early morning flight to maximise my day in the city.

Once you arrive at the airport, there are coaches outside that cost a couple of quid and take you direct to the city, which is about half an hour away. 

After hopping off of the coach, you will be in the middle of the city and all the top things to see and do are within walking distance. 

In Skanderbeg Square, the main plaza of the city, you are able to see some fascinating architecture.

Tirana has a real mix of buildings, including mosques, Soviet buildings and traditional villas.

– Travel Reporter, Cyann Fielding

Dec. 22 (UPI) — A federal judge on Monday allowed Kilmar Abrego Garcia to remain free through Christmas as she barred Immigration and Customs Enforcement from re-detaining the Salvadoran native.

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland extended a temporary restraining order to keep federal officials from deporting Abrego Garcia, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled he was deported and imprisoned in March without legal authority to El Salvador.

“This is an extremely irregular and extraordinary situation,” Xinnis told attorneys Monday, as she pressed the government on whether it would detain Abrego Garcia if there were no restraining order.

“Show your work, that’s all,” Xinis said. “Give it to me and we don’t have to speculate.”

Abrego Garcia was released from ICE detention on Dec. 11, following efforts to deport him to an African nation where he has no connection.

“Because Abrego Garcia has been held in ICE detention to effectuate third-country removal absent a lawful removal order, his requested relief is proper,” according to Xinis.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security called Xinis’ rulings “naked judicial activism by an Obama-appointed judge.”

Abrego Garcia, who illegally entered the United States nearly 15 years ago, has accused the White House of vindictive prosecution. The administration has called him an MS-13 gang member, which he denies.

Abrego Garcia had been living in Maryland with his wife and children before being deported to El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison in March. He was returned to the United States in June and is awaiting trial on human smuggling charges in Tennessee. He has pleaded not guilty.

On Monday, Abrego Garcia’s attorneys said he is prepared to go to Costa Rica, which the judge said the government refuses to consider.

The “persistent refusal to acknowledge Costa Rica as a viable removal option, their threats to send Abrego to African countries that never agreed to take him and their misrepresentation to the court that Liberia is now the only country available to Abrego, all reflect that whatever purpose was behind his detention, it was not for the ‘basic purpose’ of timely third-country removal,” Xinis wrote.

WITH Christmas this week, you more than likely already have a few things in the diary – but for those odd days around the big day itself, here’s some inspiration for when you need to get the kids out the house.

Whilst a lot of places are closed on the big day itself and Boxing Day, many attractions, destinations and events are still open the rest of the week.

And some even on Christmas Eve.

So here’s a round up of some of the best free things to do across the UK between December 22 and 28.

Britain’s Bayeux Tapestry, Reading Museum

Located at Reading Museum, just two minutes from Reading train station, visitors can see Britain’s Bayeux Tapestry – a full-size replica of Normandy’s Bayeux Tapestry.

This is ideal to see ahead of the Norman Bayeux Tapestry coming to the British Museum in autumn next year – though, this will be a paid-for experience.

Read more on travel inspo

LUCKY DIP

I tried Wowcher’s £99 Mystery Christmas Market – everything you need to know

ALL IN

I found the best value all inclusive London hotel… just £55pp with free food & booze

Britain’s Bayeux Tapestry is a full-size replica of the Norman one and is permanently located at Reading Museum, which is free to visit.

The tapestry measures 70 metres long and depicts the Norman conquest of England.

In the late 19th century, Britain decided it should have its own tapestry and so a group of Victorian embroiderers recreated the tapestry in full.

There are two main differences between the British tapestry and the Norman one – the Victorian embroidered underwear on the naked people in the British one and the ladies who embroidered the British one added their names to the end of the tapestry.

Head to the museum between December 22 and 24 to catch a glimpse of the tapestry before the museum closes for Christmas.

Paul Vanstone x David Aaron – Carrara Triceratops Skull

From now until December 31, you can see a marble life-sized skull of a Triceratops in Mayfair, London.

Created by British artist Paul Vanstone, the sculpture has been created in collaboration with the David Aaron gallery.

The sculpture can be found in Berkeley Square, Mayfair.

Wallace & Gromit in A Case at the Museum Exhibition, Preston

At The Harris in Preston, visitors can explore a hands-on exhibition of Aardman’s Wallace and Gromit.

Named A Case at the Museum, the exhibition marks the reopening of The Harris and showcases 35 years of Wallace and Gromit.

The exhibition explores the life of the creator of Wallace and Gromit – Nick Park – from growing up in Lancashire to the influence the region had on his characters and films.

Through the exhibition, visitors get to see original sets and models, storyboards, concept art, early sketches and even strike a pose in Wallace’s living room.

The museum and exhibition are both free to visit, with the museum only closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

Though on Christmas Eve, The Harris is only open until midday.

Christmas Bauble Trail, St Albans

Until December 28, families can venture on a Christmas bauble trail around St Albans.

There are 12 baubles in total to spot, and you could even win a prize.

Boxing Day Swims, Various

A number of locations across the country host a Boxing Day Swim each year, where brave souls run into the chilly water for a dip.

A lot you have to either pay for or pre-book, but there are still a number that are free to participate in.

Though, most swims are for charity so donations are encouraged.

For example, you could head to Ventnor Bay on the Isle of Wight, where swimmers often wear pyjamas before running into the water.

The swim takes place on Boxing Day at 12pm.

Or head to North Norfolk Beach for the Runners’ Boxing Day Dip, where there is both a run starting at 11:30am and a splash in the sea at 12:30pm.

To find out if there is a Boxing Day Swim near you, just search your location and ‘Boxing Day Swim’.

Alternatively, some places host a New Year’s Day dip.

Christmas Lights, Various

Before they disappear for another year, make sure to check out the Christmas lights near you.

Whether that be Regent Street‘s iconic angels or the houses decked out in your nearby village, spotting Christmas lights makes the ideal festive walk.

Snoopy in the City, London

Until January 16, if you live in London you can still explore the Snoopy in the City sculpture trail.

Dotted around London’s Fleet Street Quarter, there are 12 Snoopy sculptures, all decorated by different artists, to find.

The trail celebrates 75 years of the Peanuts comic strip, created by Charles M Schulz.

Those trying to follow the trail can download a map on Wild in Art’s website.

Ikea events, various

In the lead up to Christmas, Ikea is still running its events including free ‘present hunts’ at Ikea Cardiff until December 23.

Or at Ikea Lakeside, visitors can make Christmas cards with the last session taking place on December 23.

Also tomorrow, from 10am to 11am, head to Ikea Southampton to have breakfast with Santa.

Justin Carter’s Liquid Light at the BottleWorks, Newcastle

Artist Justin Carter, who has showcased his work in Europe, Japan, China, Australia and America, has an exhibition at the BottleWorks in Newcastle.

The exhibition ‘Liquid Light’ showcases how important location can be to Justin and features a number of watercolour artworks.

You can visit on December 23 from 10am.

Ice skating, Blackpool

Ice skating at Christmas usually costs you an arm and a leg for just one person.

And then by the time you calculate how much it will cost for a family of four, you are nearing the £100 mark.

Up until January 4, you can head to the outdoor skating rink in Blackpool at the Christmas by the Sea village.

It sits below the iconic Blackpool Tower and is free to visit, with free skate hire as well.

The ice rink measures 20 metres in total and is open each day between 12pm and 9pm (apart from Christmas Day).

You don’t need to book, just turn up.

Christmas Rave, London

On Christmas Eve in the capital you can head to a free rave.

Located at Club Makossa in East London, ravers can head underground for some techno before the big day.

Whilst entry is free, there is a £1 donation to New Horizons Youth Centre in King’s Cross.

You can also enter a raffle at the rave and could win numerous prices from a £30 bar tab to event tickets.

The rave starts at 5pm and ends at midnight.

For more inspiration on what to do during the Twixmas period, here are 50 things to do between Christmas and New Year across the UK – including free activities and immersive experiences.

Plus, all the UK rides and attractions that we lost in 2025 and the exciting ones coming in 2026.

WASHINGTON — Jeffrey Rosenberg is still trying to understand why President Trump would free the man who defrauded him out of a quarter of a million dollars.

Rosenberg, a retired wholesale produce distributor living in Nevada, has supported Trump since he entered politics, but the president’s decision in November to commute the sentence of former private equity executive David Gentile has left him angry and confused.

“I just feel I’ve been betrayed,” Rosenberg, 68, said. “I don’t know why he would do this, unless there was some sort of gain somewhere, or some favor being called in. I am very disappointed. I kind of put him above this kind of thing.”

Trump’s decision to release Gentile from prison less than two weeks into his seven-year sentence has drawn scrutiny from securities attorneys and a U.S. senator — all of whom say the White House’s explanation for the act of clemency is not adding up. It’s also drawn the ire of his victims.

“I think it is disgusting,” said CarolAnn Tutera, 70, who invested more than $400,000 with Gentile’s company, GPB Capital. Gentile, she added, “basically pulled a Bernie Madoff and swindled people out of their money, and then he gets to go home to his wife and kids.”

Gentile and his business partner, Jeffry Schneider, were convicted of securities and wire fraud in August 2024 for carrying out what federal prosecutors described as a $1.6-billion Ponzi scheme to defraud more than 10,000 investors. After an eight-week trial, it took a jury five hours to return a guilty verdict.

More than 1,000 people attested to their losses after investing with GPB, according to federal prosecutors who described the victims as “hardworking, everyday people.”

When Gentile and Schneider were sentenced in May, Joseph Nocella Jr., the Trump-appointed U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of New York, and Christopher Raia, a senior official in the Justice Department, called their punishment “well deserved” and a warning to would-be fraudsters.

“May today’s sentencing deter anyone who seeks to greedily profit off their clients through deceitful practices,” Raia said in a statement.

Then, on Nov. 26 — just 12 days after Gentile reported to prison — Trump commuted his sentence with “no further fines, restitution, probation, or other conditions,” according to a grant of clemency signed by Trump. Under those terms, Gentile may not have to pay $15 million that federal prosecutors are seeking in forfeiture.

Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, told reporters this month that prosecutors had failed to tie “supposedly fraudulent” representations to Gentile and that his conviction was a “weaponization of justice” led by the Biden administration — even though the sentences and convictions were lauded by Trump’s own appointees.

The White House declined to say who advised Trump in the decision or whether Trump was considering granting clemency to Schneider, Gentile’s co-defendant. Attorneys for Gentile and Schneider did not respond to a request seeking comment.

Adam Gana, a securities attorney whose firm has represented more than 250 GPB investors, called the White House’s explanation “a word salad of nonsense,” and questioned why Trump granted Gentile a commutation, which lessens a sentence, rather than a pardon, which forgives the offense itself.

“If the government wasn’t able to prove their case, why not pardon David Gentile? And why is his partner still in prison?” Gana said. “It’s left us with more questions than answers.”

‘It hurts a lot’

To Rosenberg, Tutera and two other investors interviewed by The Times, the president’s decision stripped away any sense of closure they felt after Gentile and Schneider were convicted.

Rosenberg has tried not to dwell on the $250,000 he lost in 2016, after a broker “painted a beautiful picture” of steady returns and long-term profits. The investments were supposed to generate income for him during retirement.

“A quarter of a million dollars, it hurts a lot,” Rosenberg said. “It changed a lot of things I do. Little trips that I wanted to take with my grandkids — well, they’re not quite as nice as they were planned on being.”

Jeffrey Rosenberg, a longtime Trump supporter, said he felt “betrayed” after the president granted clemency to convicted fraudster David Gentile.

(Scott Sady / For The Times)

Tutera, who runs a hormone replacement therapy office in Arizona, invested more than $400,000 with GPB at the recommendation of a financial advisor. She hoped the returns would help support her retirement after her husband had died.

“I was on grief brain at the time and just feel I was taken advantage of and really sold a bill of goods,” said Tutera, 70. Now, she says: “I have to keep working to make up for what I was owed.” She has been able to recover only about $40,000.

Tutera said her sister, Julie Ullman, and their 97-year-old mother also fell victim to the scheme. Their mother lost more than $100,000 and now finds herself spending down savings she had planned to leave to her children and not trusting people, she said.

“That’s really sad,” Tutera said. “People, unfortunately, have turned into thieves, liars and cheaters, and I don’t know what’s happened to the world, but we’ve lost our way to be kind.”

Ullman, 58, who manages a medical practice in Arizona, said the financial loss was life-changing.

“I’m going to have to work longer than I thought I would because that was my retirement fund,” Ullman said.

Mei, a 71-year-old licensed acupuncturist who asked to not use her full name out of embarrassment, said a broker introduced her to the GPB investment funds at a lunch meeting targeting divorced women. She eventually invested $500,000 and lost all of it. It was only through lawsuits that she was able to recover roughly $214,000 of her money, she said.

Mei had planned to retire in New York to be close to her children. But the loss of income has forced her to live in China, where the cost of living is much lower, six months out of the year, she said.

Mei fears Trump’s decision to commute Gentile’s sentence will allow these schemes to continue.

“Donald Trump is promoting more white-collar financial criminals, for sure,” Mei said. “How unfair.”

Bob Van De Veire, a securities attorney who has represented more than 100 GPB investors, said he has mostly handled negligence cases against the brokers who touted GPB investments.

“Based on all the red flags that were present, they should have never sold these investments at all,” Van De Veire said.

Gana, the securities attorney, added that he will continue to fight for victims in civil court, noting the clemency only addressed the criminal conviction.

The commutation caught the eye of Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), who sent a letter to the White House last week asking several questions: Why, for example, did Gentile receive clemency while Schneider did not? And what were the trial errors cited as a reason for the commutation? He said victims deserve answers.

“They will not forget that when they needed their government to stand with them against the man who stole their futures, their President chose to stand with the criminal instead,” Gallego wrote.

Rosenberg, the retiree from Nevada, said he still supports the president but can’t help but think Trump’s decision makes him “look like another of the swamp” that Trump says he wants to drain.

“I think Trump does a lot of good things,” he said, “but this is a bad one.”

Still, Rosenberg is hopeful Trump may do right by the victims — even if it’s just by admitting he made a mistake.

“I would like to think that he was fed some bad information somewhere along the way,” he said. “If that is the case … at least come forward and say, ‘I regret it.’ ”

The top of the tower had disappeared in the mist, but its bells rang clear and true, tolling beyond the abbey gates, over the slopes of frost-fringed trees, down to the town in the valley below. Final call for morning mass. I took a seat at the back of the modern church, built when the Abbey of Saint Maurice and Saint Maurus relocated to this hill in Clervaux, north Luxembourg, in 1910. Then the monks swept in – and swept away 1,000 years. Sung in Latin, their Gregorian chants filled the nave: simple, calming, timeless. I’m not religious and didn’t understand a word, but also, in a way, understood it completely.

Although mass is held here at 10am daily, year-round, the monks’ ethereal incantations seemed to perfectly suit the season. I left the church, picked up a waymarked hiking trail and walked deeper into the forest – and the mood remained. There was no one else around, no wind to dislodge the last, clinging beech leaves or sway the soaring spruce. A jay screeched, and plumes of hair ice feathered fallen logs. As in the church, all was stillness, a little magic.

I’d come to Luxembourg by train, with the notion of finding a frozen fairytale. This tiny grand duchy, about the size of Dorset, has a ridiculous number of castles – as many as 130 (depending on your definition). It’s the legacy of being sited at the heart of western Europe, suffering centuries of incursions. Some of these castles have been restored for visitors; some are places you can stay at (with lower rates off-season). Add in rimy forests, chanting monks and the fact all public transport is free – maybe the most magical thing of all – and my hopes Luxembourg would make an atmospheric winter break were being fulfilled.

My walk ended at Clervaux Castle. It dates from the 12th century, but was destroyed during the second world war’s desperate Battle of the Bulge, which played out in these cold forests in December 1944. The castle has since been rebuilt and now houses the 1950s Unesco-listed photo exhibition The Family of Man. It was almost empty as I moved between the 503 images, taken by the most prestigious photographers of the age, depicting normal people in all life stages, the ordinary rendered extraordinary. There are no captions or locations; each photograph is its own whole story, containing multitudes. It was incredibly uplifting.

You can’t spend the night at Clervaux Castle, but 10 minutes away by (free!) bus is Chateau d’Urspelt, where you can stay. When I arrived, this castle looked Disney-cute, fairy lights dripping from its white-washed turrets. Eighty years ago, it was quite different. The US 1st Battalion 110th Infantry had its HQ here in December 1944, before being overwhelmed by German forces. After the war, Urspelt fell further into ruin, until 2005, when a local entrepreneur decided to restore it and turn it into a smart hotel. I skipped the snazzy spa, and the ice rink sparkling in the courtyard, but relished a fruity Luxembourgish pinot noir in the low-lit bar, which hides like a speakeasy in the castle’s historic cellars.

One of the country’s most impressive castles is Vianden (less than an hour from Clervaux via a free bus), a beast of a bastion, lording over the River Our, on the German border. It was constructed between the 11th and 14th centuries on Roman foundations, altered multiple times, left to rot, then, from the 1970s, painstakingly restored to its medieval pomp. On a pallid winter’s day, it was crowd-free. I rattled around its vast state rooms and marvelled at the layered history visible in the visitor centre, which is built around past excavations.

It’s not just the castle that gives Vianden its fairytale feel. There’s the winding river, the tight-pressed wooded hills and the village itself, with its remnants of 13th-century walls and pretty, cobbled main street. I opted to escape reality entirely in the Ancien Cinéma cafe, a former movie theatre where you can grab a coffee, sit on a couch and watch whatever’s on the big screen, surrounded by film paraphernalia.

My final stop was a castle unlike any other. Chateau de Clémency, close to the Belgian border, is a five-room guesthouse and the 2025 winner of Luxembourg Tourism’s Best Host award. Dating back to 1635, it was only ever a small residential retreat, with no military function. When Pascal Zimmer – former judoka, self-taught tailor and architect, and restorer of historic buildings – bought it 20 years ago, it was a proper mess, in need of either demolition or renovation. He saw the property’s true value and he liked the staircase – “You could say I spent €400,000 on some stairs …” he confessed, pointing out the stone pleasingly worn by 400 years of footfall.

“When you think about castles, you think of Windsor or Versailles. But this is a Luxembourgish castle, not so expansive, not so well done; you can’t restore it in the same way.”

So, to that end, Clémency is Pascal’s own artistic vision. Each room has a different theme, from belle époque “Peggy’s” to the “Roaring 20s”. “Tribute” pays homage to the local steel industry on which Luxembourg’s wealth is built. “My father was a miner,” Pascal said. “He was a humble guy; he’d say all he wanted was a small, clean room. This is a small, clean room.” A patchwork blanket covers the bed, while the bathroom is black polished concrete, a nod to life underground. I stayed in “Sherlock”, a Holmesian fantasy suite; the lounge was a steam-punkish curiosity shop of moody portraits, scientific implements and stuffed cats.

There isn’t much to do in the town of Clémency itself, although that hardly mattered. It was only 40 minutes by public transport (did I mention: all free!) into Luxembourg City, a capital perched on a precipitous rock, like something from a storybook. It was a shorter hop to Bascharage, where I got cosy in D’Braustuff, a gemütlich brewery-brassiere serving Luxembourgish classics – I tucked into a hearty wäinzoossiss (traditional sausage). But when darkness fell, I was also content to stay in my castle with a book – the shelves were full of Agatha Christie and Conan Doyle – and enjoy an alternative winter’s tale.

The trip was provided by Luxembourg tourism board and Byway, which can arrange bespoke itineraries including Eurostar tickets, Interrail passes and accommodation. Château de Clémency has doubles from €99. Château d’Urspelt has doubles from €174

A T-shirt worn by Kobbie Mainoo’s half-brother was among the post-match talking points at Old Trafford – even after a game as thrilling as the 4-4 draw between Manchester United and Bournemouth.

Jordan Mainoo-Hames wore a ‘free Kobbie Mainoo’ T-shirt during the match, a move that risks making a delicate situation even more fraught.

Mainoo’s United future is the subject of huge debate, with head coach Ruben Amorim yet to hand him a single Premier League start this season.

Amorim has defended himself on numerous occasions against allegations he does not rate Mainoo and that he has no trust in United’s academy.

The 20-year-old was keen to join Napoli in the summer but United refused to sanction the move.

Mainoo was introduced to rapturous applause with just under 30 minutes left of Monday’s game against Bournemouth. It was his third-longest runout in a Premier League match this season, taking his minutes for the campaign to 302.

It is understood that Napoli are still keen to sign the England international – as are a large number of other clubs.

But United know if they were to let Mainoo leave for the remainder of the campaign to improve his chances of making England’s World Cup squad, they would have to spend significantly more to bring in a replacement because he is on relatively low wages.

Amorim was not asked about the T-shirt post-match, but spoke about Mainoo last Friday.

He refused to say if he would sanction a January move but he would welcome Mainoo seeking him out for a chat.

“I had some conversations with him, especially last year, and with other players, but about that subject, no, I didn’t speak with him,” said Amorim.

“I will be really pleased if Kobbie comes to talk to me about that. I just want my players happy.

“I understand every individual has their goals and the frustration doesn’t help anybody.

“I’m not going to say what I would say but I would talk to him.

“I am completely open, that is clear. I have my ideas and that is also clear. I will not change if I don’t believe it but I’m open to speak with any player. I love that.”

Amorim has not just upset Mainoo recently.

Before the Bournemouth game, he claimed 18-year-old defender Harry Amass was “struggling in the Championship” with Sheffield Wednesday, even though he is the club’s player of the month. In addition, he said 18-year-old forward Chido Obi was “not always a starter in the Under-21s”.

The comments are understood to have gone down badly with both player representatives and senior academy staff.

Both 18-year-olds posted on social media highlighting their achievements before later deleting their posts.

Amass posted a photo holding Sheffield Wednesday’s player of the month award for November with a smiling emoji, while Obi also posted an Instagram story showing him celebrating a goal for the Under-21s against Manchester City in August.