Christopher Sharp

Rachel Riley said she and her husband, Pasha Kovalev, need to do more to teach their young daughters about the value of money after one daughter described a credit card as “free money.” Riley attributed the misunderstanding partly to the decline of cash and advised people to live within their means and examine their spending. She also confirmed that she and Kovalev do not plan to have another child, discussed their daughters’ ballet activities, and was due to return to Channel 4 programmes Countdown and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.

Christopher Sharp tested Martin Lewis’s advice to compare car insurance quotes roughly 26 days before renewal and saved about £300 after his existing insurer refused to lower its renewal offer. Lewis says insurers may view customers who leave renewal until the last minute as higher risk, while MoneySavingExpert’s Chris Collier attributes rising premiums to factors including repair costs, insurer pricing strategies and changes in a driver’s circumstances. Another consumer reportedly saved £445 using the same approach.

Alan Titchmarsh recommends households use water butts to collect rainwater as a legal and effective way to keep gardens hydrated during UK hosepipe bans prompted by ongoing heatwaves. Experts from the Met Office and Imperial College London warn that human-driven climate change is intensifying summer heat events and call for urgent adaptation and strengthened efforts to cut emissions.

Gardeners are advised to avoid trimming hedges in July to prevent disturbing active bird nests, which is illegal under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Gardening expert Joe Swift recommends waiting until after August 31 and always checking for nests. Additional advice from a TikTok gardener highlights providing multiple water sources to attract birds. With a potential heatwave forecast by the Met Office, water is noted as especially important for birds’ wellbeing.