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Each year, rising temperatures and longer days in summer encourage Britons to seek out bodies of water to cool off and have fun in. Swimming, paddleboarding and other water-based activities can provide a wholesome day for families and friends, whether that’s in lakes, rivers, or at the seaside. However, there are a number of safety measures individuals should remember when taking part in these. It comes after several people had drowned in rivers, lakes and in the sea in recent weeks, with four deaths occurring over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend alone. The incidents have prompted warnings from police reminding people to be “vigilant to the dangers of the coast and follow water safety advice”. The Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) has also issued a safety warning for people planning to be around open water, regardless of whether you consider yourself a strong swimmer. Lee Heard, charity director at RLSS UK, said: “Sadly we see an increase in young men drowning in the summer months and we have tragically seen a number in the past few weeks during the warmer weather we have had. We don’t want to see any more families experience the devastating and sudden loss from drowning.” He added: “We urge people to consider what could happen, understand that the water is colder than it looks, and not take risks if they are not experienced with being in cold, open water. “Whether you are heading to the coast for the bank holiday weekend or even just planning a walk along a river, please ensure that you take precautions to ensure the safety of yourself of those you are with. We want everyone to enjoy the bank holiday but to so with water safety in mind.” When swimming in open water, people should consider the risks involved before jumping in, particularly because bodies of water can be much colder than people realise. Getting straight into very cold water can lead to cold water shock. According to the National Water Safety Forum, this is the body’s short-term, involuntary response to being suddenly immersed in cold water, and is considered to be a principal underlying factor in drowning. When a person gets into cold water very suddenly, the blood vessels in the skin close, which results in increased resistance to blood flow. The heart has to work harder to pump blood around the body, which leads to increased blood pressure. At the same time, the body experienced a “gasp” response as well as a dramatic change in the breathing rate. The person will be unable to keep their breath steady for a while after they first get into the cold water. “The effect of these can lead to a sense of panic, inhalation of water, leading in some circumstance to a cardiac arrest,” the forum says. Cold water shock can be managed by wearing a well-fitting wetsuit and entering the water slowly. However, if a person has had an accidental fall into cold water without a wetsuit, the forum recommends using a technique called “float-first”, which involves tucking your legs and floating on your back, focusing on staying tucked and controlling your breathing until you feel you can self-rescue or be helped by others. When planning to go swimming in open water, people should check if the area is lifeguarded, has a safe-swim zone or is under any kind of supervision. A list of designated bathing waters in the UK, provided by the Environment Agency, also name many sites that are not supervised. In the instance that the water you are entering is not supervised, the forum recommends asking yourself if you have the right knowledge and experience to establish if conditions are suitable. It warns people to be particularly cautious in quarries and reservoirs, which can be “deceptively deep and cold throughout the year”, as well as in rivers with weirs and fast-flowing water, and potentially polluted locations. Heard adds: “If you or someone else finds themselves in difficulty in the water, it’s vital to remember the Water Safety Code: whenever you are around water you should stop and think to assess your surroundings and look for any dangers; stay together when around water and always go with family and friends; in an emergency call 999 and ask for the Fire and Rescue service when inland and the Coastguard if at the coast. “Finally, float to live, if you fall in or become tired, stay calm, float on your back and call for help, or if you see someone in the water, throw something that floats to them and resist temptation to go in.” Read More Mother’s warning after viral TikTok hack left skin peeling from her face How one hay fever medication helped my fight against the pollen bomb Dermatologist horrifies viewers by discussing mites that live in your skin How one hay fever medication helped my fight against the pollen bomb FDA warns against using off-brand versions of Ozempic, Wegovy for weight loss The £4 hay fever tablet that ‘cures all symptoms’

In August 2017, ex-soldier Christian Lewis set off to walk the entire UK coastline. Over the course of the epic hike, he met and fell in love with former teacher Kate Barron, who has joined him, and dog Jet. The couple have since had a son, Magnus.

The pulp magazine, which turns 100 this year, inspired Stephen King and made a star out of Conan.

In state legislatures across the US, lawmakers have introduced a record number of anti-LGBTQ bills this year, including

BEIRUT Lebanon's Hezbollah on Friday denied that five men accused by a military tribunal of killing an Irish

Amanda Holden has kicked off the first round of Britain’s Got Talent live shows in eye-catching style. The TV judge and radio host is known for her colourful and daring fashion choices – and she’s been pulling out all the stops for the semi-finals of the popular talent show. Holden, 52, wowed in a bright yellow latex ensemble for the first live show. The outfit – by Atsuko Kudo Couture Latex Design – was made up of a corset top and matching skirt with a long train. The Plain Paris Cup Bustier Corset retails at £654.17, and the skirt costs £329.17. For the second night’s look, Holden tapped into the ever-popular trend for ‘nearly naked’ dresses. The strapless, semi-sheer dress had delicate floral embroidery and a dramatic leg slit. It was by Vietnamese designer Tran Hung, a brand with a romantic take on eveningwear. Hung’s designs have previously been worn by Bridgerton actor Nicola Coughlan, Little Mix singer Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Love Island’s Tasha Ghouri. Holden tends to prefer long gowns for her TV appearances, but she’ll occasionally experiment with a mini. This silver leopard print dress with a halterneck was by celebrity-favourite designer Miss Sohee – known for her dramatic gowns, one of her custom designs was recently worn by actor Halle Bailey at The Little Mermaid premiere in London. Holden accessorised the look with on-trend platform heels – D’Accori’s Satin Platform Pumps, retailing at £950 from Harrods. For the most recent live show, Holden chose an experimental white two-piece. The top was a bespoke moulded bustier with a rippling effect by Cameron Hancock, paired with a strappy white column skirt from Monot – a cult brand known for its ultra-sexy cut-out designs. Holden gave the look a Grecian vibe, with chunky gold jewellery and a slicked-back topknot. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Big Issue teams up with fashion designers to launch range of T-shirts How to do gel nails at home like a pro ‘Unsupportive backgrounds’ make LGBT+ youth twice as likely to have suicidal thoughts – report finds

A museum commemorating the Communist Party’s deadly crackdown on students in Tiananmen Square will open on Friday in

The Big Issue has teamed up with leading fashion designers to launch a range of sustainable T-shirts to help fund its work and campaigns to help stop homelessness. Julien Macdonald, Pearl Lowe, Sadie Williams and Preen by Thornton Bregazzi have contributed to the campaign. Macdonald, whose clothes have been worn by celebrities including Kylie Minogue, Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez, said: “I wanted to support the Big Issue Group with an exclusive range of products inspired by my love for community and the meaningful connections we all seek to form. “Everyone deserves the same opportunities and this bespoke design represents bringing communities together in order to dismantle poverty by creating opportunities and supporting each other.” Thornton Bregazzi said: “Inspired by the strength and vulnerability of youth growing up in the city, this design draws on the connection between childhood, your favourite toy and the meaning of comfort.” Celebrities including singer Tom Odell, actor Jorgie Porter, artists Hugo Hamlet and Lily Ashley, and Big Issue Group ambassadors Christopher Eccleston, Sherrie Silver, Dane Baptiste and Jack Parsons will be donning a selection of the designs and showcasing them on social media on Friday. I am proud to be wearing my Julien MacDonald design and to be supporting the Wear It For Big Issue campaign Christopher Eccleston, actor Christopher Eccleston said: “I am proud to be wearing my Julien Macdonald design and to be supporting the Wear It For Big Issue campaign. The Big Issue helps to lift thousands of people out of poverty by offering entrepreneurial opportunities.” Russell Blackman, managing director of commercial, at Big Issue Group, said: “We are really excited by this brilliant campaign, which not only highlights the importance of sustainable fashion but that also supports the Big Issue Group’s work supporting people out of poverty.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Brooke Shields has explained why she was initially against her teenage daughter Grier Hammond Henchy joining the “brutal” modelling industry. The 58-year-old, who was a child model and actor, said she “fought it for so long” but has since realised the “rules have changed” since her time as a model. Shields was recently the focus of a two-part Hulu documentary Brooke Shields: Pretty Baby, in which she described being sexualised at a very young age. At the age of 10, her mother Teri Shields consented to her daughter being photographed nude for Playboy, and at 12, Sheilds appeared in the 1978 film Pretty Baby as a child sex worker. After eventually giving her daughter the green light to begin her own modelling career, Shields said she has laid down some ground rules. In an interview on US chat show Live with Kelly and Mark on Thursday (1 May), she said: “It’s such a different industry now than it was… I finally had to give in and say, ‘If you’re going to do this, I’m not going to be your manager. You’re going to be with an agency. You’re going to have a great work ethic. It’s not going to be comfortable and you’re going to listen to me’.” Grier is keen to begin modelling on the runway, a category that Shields never broke into but which she understood to be “brutal”. “That’s brutal and backstage is just brutal,” she told hosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, adding she did not think she could have “handled it”. When Shields began working, her mother Teri was her manager and they were “glued at the hip”, she said. “[It was] probably how I could survive because you couldn’t get to me. She was such a mama bear and so protective. On the one hand I was very naïve and on the other, I was just thrown into this crazy world.” In an interview with The Times published earlier this year ahead of her documentary, Shields reflected on her mother’s choices for her. She said it was difficult to have a conversation with her daughters, Rowan, 19, and Grier, about why their grandmother allowed her to do projects that left her vulnerable to sexualisation. “I mean, I could say: ‘Oh, it was the time back then’ or ‘Oh, it was art’. But I don’t know why she thought it was alright. I don’t know,” she admitted. However, Shelds said she wasn’t angry with her mother, who died on 31 October 2012 at 72. “Everyone wanted me to be angry with her, but anger was just too sad for me to take when I looked at how insecure she was,” she told the publication. “It’s so innate when you’re an only child of a single mother. All you want to do is love your parent and keep them alive forever, and so I wanted to protect her. And by virtue of protecting her, I was justifying everything and that solidified that bond between us.” Shields shares her daughters with husband and film director Chris Henchy, whom she married in 2001. Read More Beanie Feldstein marries girlfriend Bonnie-Chance Roberts Pregnant transgender man Logan Brown stars on cover of Glamour UK’s Pride issue Everything we know about Jordan’s royal wedding attended by Prince William and Kate Big Issue teams up with fashion designers to launch range of T-shirts How to do gel nails at home like a pro Vogue editor Anna Wintour announces Vogue World 2023 is coming to London

While looking for ways to cut spending on luxuries, consumers have embraced DIY beauty during the cost-of-living crisis. A Currys survey of beauty search terms found that ‘how to do gel nails at home’ was the most in-demand pampering technique with nearly 180,000 searches a year, ahead of fake tanning (101,280) and acrylic nails (85,320). With UV lamps costing around £50 and polishes from top brands like Essie, OPI and Shellac around £10 each, doing your own gel mani is cheaper in the long-run than paying upwards of £20 for every salon visit. But can you replicate a nail technician’s precision and ensure a long-lasting finish? We asked nail pros for their tips on how to master a gel manicure at home… Prep your nails “Good natural nail prep before applying gel polish can be the difference between a polish that lasts weeks and a polish that is likely to chip and peel prematurely,” says manicurist Tinu Bello, senior brand ambassador for Mylee. Start by gently pushing back your cuticles (use cuticle remover gel if they’re very dry or hard) then clipping off the excess. Bello explains: “Cuticles are dead pieces of skin that attach to the nail plate at the base of the nail. Once removed, you will find that gel polish adheres to the nail much more smoothly.” Buff away shine “After shaping your nails in your desired shape, your nail plate should be lightly etched using a soft buffer file,” says Julita Fagan, manicurist and nail expert for 14 Day Manicure. “This helps to remove the natural shine or oils from your nails, assisting in product adhesion.” Avoid moisture With a regular manicure, the technician might soak your fingertips to soften the cuticles, but with gel polish you want to keep your nails dry. “It’s important to avoid using water on the nails or any products that contain moisture or oil prior to applying gel polish, such as hand soap or moisturiser,” says Bello. “Fingernails quickly absorb water and expand, meaning nails that have been painted post-soak will contract once dry and cause polish to chip.” Apply a primer Gel products and kits vary so you must follow the instructions carefully, but if you can use a primer your polish is likely to last longer. “Applying a nail primer before your base coat will act as a bonding element between your natural nails and the product,” says Fagan. “This is particularly useful if you continuously experience chipping or lifting of your gel polish.” Paint precisely When applying polish it’s crucial to only paint the nail, not the cuticle. “A trick in ensuring a seamless polish application is to leave the tiniest gap between your cuticles and the first one or two layers of your gel polish, getting as close as possible to your cuticles on your last layer,” says Fagan. “This will ensure a less bulky finish at the end of your application.” She also recommends ‘capping’ the polish by applying the top coat over the tip of the nail to seal in the colour. Try builder gel As an additional defence against chipping, add a layer of extra-strength builder gel to your mani, which comes in clear or a range of colours. “Builder gel is a stronger consistency than the standard gel polish,” explains Fagan. “Using it at the end of your gel polish application, prior to top coat, will provide even more longevity to your manicure.” 14 Day Manicure Bestseller Gel Polish Starter Kit, £79 (was £164.80) Mylee Pro Salon Series Convex LED Lamp Black, £50 Rio Salon Pro Rechargeable UV and LED Lamp, £50, Argos

Two of the world’s top casino operators are laying the groundwork to potentially establish gambling facilities in Thailand

The pandemic is over, beaches beckon and airline bookings are brimming with leisure travelers powering the industry’s rebound