This week saw the highest recorded temperatures for May in the UK -- 34.8C on Bank Holiday Monday, surpassed on Tuesday at 35.1C. Both temps were recorded at Kew Gardens in the London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames where, I can assure you having taken the photo above, residents were not that bothered. Richmond abounds in green spaces, blue spaces, social spaces and sporting spaces and, not surprisingly, has one of the highest rate of healthy life expectancy in the countr

Earlier this year, I decided to push my boundaries in listening to locals, and agreed to stand in the May local elections as a Conservative candidate for Richmond Council in SW London, representing the area where I live, Mortlake & Barnes Common. I had three motivations. First, I live adjacent to a major redevelopment site (the largest in Richmond and one of the largest in London) which has finally received planning consent after more than a decade of negotiation and a seri

There’s an area in the northeast of England where planners, health providers, arts organisations and local government are collaborating...

With a new year comes a media spotlight on self-improvement, “healthy ageing” and “longevity” feature highly in both social and...

In the wake of Lord Darzi’s report on the NHS , the IPPR report on the nation’s health , and the government’s renewed focus on...

There’s an ad going round social media this week by the city of Oslo, presented with irony by a droll Norwegian who asks if Oslo is “even...

I spent last week in Singapore which, along with many other accolades, has been designated the world’s sixth Blue Zone, and the world’s...

The GIANT Health event, now in its tenth year, took place earlier this week, and I was invited to convene a panel for the NHS ICS/ICB...

A new docuseries dropped on Netflix last week called “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones”. The series is conceived, produced, and...

I’ve always had a fascination with rivers and with cities, which is why I live in London on the river Thames and belong to a local rowing...