Liz Hoggard

Eleanor Anstruther, born into an affluent aristocratic family, rejected conventional privilege and established Lodge Farm, a pagan commune in Surrey that attracted travellers, druids, witches and other outsiders. The community built a large stone circle and hosted festivals, but internal disputes and the arrival of a manipulative shaman eventually led to its collapse. Anstruther later struggled with drug addiction, relationships and the effects of resurfaced childhood sexual abuse before achieving sobriety, undergoing therapy and becoming a writer and mother. Her memoir and novel draw on family trauma, communal life and activism, while her latest novel is set against the Greenham Common women’s peace protest.

Liz Hoggard describes how cleaning expert Iwan Carrington helped remove black mould and excess condensation from her London flat. He cleaned mould from window, fridge and washing-machine seals with white vinegar, cleared the washing-machine filter, found a screwdriver causing the noisy fridge, and identified radiator-dried laundry and a bedroom humidifier as sources of excess moisture. The intervention restored the appliances, improved the flat’s cleanliness and saved Hoggard the cost of replacing them, while Carrington recommends regular maintenance, better moisture control and short daily cleaning routines.

Smoking is regaining cultural appeal among celebrities, influencers, Gen Z and some older adults, even as overall rates remain far below their 2006 level. Experts attribute the revival to celebrity imagery, nostalgia, social belonging, post-pandemic rebellion, economic insecurity and cigarettes’ association with an analogue, anti-wellness aesthetic. The trend conflicts with extensive evidence of smoking’s health harms, including cancer, heart disease and tens of thousands of UK deaths annually. Effective countermeasures should avoid moralising, reduce glamorous smoking imagery, change social environments and emphasise the financial cost of the habit.