“I threw a ‘solo wedding’ to end my PhD – I’m going to throw one every year”
A doctor who spent £6k on a ‘solo wedding’ to mark the end of her PhD says she wants to throw one every year – just to celebrate life.
Dr. Aileen Delaney, 28, threw the extravagant bash for 130 guests in January 2024.
She hired out a stately home, band and photographer for the occasion – and rented an £880 gown for £88 on ByRotation.
Despite splashing thousands out for the do, Aileen wants to throw one every single year – and says her friends and family “now expect certain standards” from her parties.
Aileen, a public engagement officer from Birmingham, said: “I want to set a precedent that people should be able to throw lavish parties for no reason.
“If I have a reason to throw a party again, I’ll do it – but I also want to do it just to celebrate myself, and life.
“When I threw my PhD party, I wanted everyone to take it seriously – now they know what to expect from me.”
Aileen started her PhD in physics at the University of Leeds, West Yorkshire, in October 2019.
Just six months in, her studies were interrupted by the pandemic and she was forced to work entirely from home.
The degree course lasted four years in total and Aileen says she struggled at times.
She wanted to mark the end of her course with something “bigger than a night out.”
“It was insane, but in the best way,” she added.
“I’d never been to a party like that before in my life.
“It might be my thing now, for the rest of my life – I’m that girl who throws the extravagant parties.”
Aileen managed to pay for the party just by saving up her £2,100-per-month salary.
She forked out £1900 to hire Highbury Hall in Birmingham from 4pm until 1am, £700 for her band, £750 for her photographer and £1.2k on food for her guests.
The newly-qualified doctor is now hoping to be able to afford an expensive party every year.
“This party was so iconic – I want to do it every year, if I can afford it,” she said.
“I got all my professional photos finally printed, it’s been so nice to see them again.”
Aileen handed her thesis in on June 10, and held her party on the 15th.
Friends and family came down from London, Leeds and all over Ireland.
They were even greeted by a wedding-style ‘order of service’ sign – including welcome drinks at 4pm, band beginning at 9pm and evening snacks at 10pm.
Since the party, she’s had her thesis printed and bound – and wants to cover it in bits of mirrorball from her party.
She said: “I graduated in July, it’s lovely to feel free and not stressed.
“I found loads of mirrorball stuff from my party – I want to mirrorball my thesis.”
Six months after her party, Aileen is still “loving life as a single 28-year-old.”
While she hasn’t got a date set for her next party, she hopes to throw one in 2025.
Prices for Aileen’s 2024 party:
Venue – £1,900
Welcome drinks – £450
Band – £750
Food – £1,200
Evening food – £200
Dress – £88
Photographer – £750
Decor – £400
Makeup – £50
Giftboxes – £50 each
Homemade T-shirts – £100
Fake four-tier ‘wedding style cake’ – £100
Woman, 43, on the coil and only one ovary shocked to fall pregnant with TWINS
A woman with one ovary who had a “less than one per cent” chance of conceiving while on the coil was shocked to discover she was pregnant – with TWINS.
Lindsay Green, 43, was working a busy 13-hour shift as a trainee nursing associate when she suddenly noticed she was bleeding.
She’d had her fallopian tube and ovary removed the year before after being diagnosed with an ovarian tumour.
Fearing the tumour had grown back, the mum-of-five rushed down to her colleagues in the A&E department for a scan.
She was left “totally shocked” when tests revealed that she was five months pregnant with twins while using the contraceptive coil.
Lindsay was told by medics that the contraceptive device is “99 per cent effective” in preventing pregnancy.
She then had to break the news to her partner, Joe Wood, 47, a HGV driver – whom she’d only met 12 months before – after she got divorced from her first husband.
Both Joe and Lindsay have older children – Lindsay has three daughters, aged 20, 19, and 17, and Joe has three sons, aged 28, 21, and 18.
Despite children “not being on the cards”, the couple were over the moon when their miracle twins, Eloise and Eddie, were born on December 12, 2023, at 9.59am and 10.01am, weighing 5lbs 5 oz and 5lbs 11oz respectively.
Lindsay, from Hull, East Yorkshire, said: “They really are little miracles.
“They’re doing really well – they’re so healthy and happy, which is a relief considering I hadn’t taken the best care of myself for most of the pregnancy because I had no idea.
“It was such a shock, it never occurred to me that I could be pregnant.
“I’m really enjoying motherhood as an older mum – I feel more laid back.”
Lindsay was “going through a difficult time” in July 2021, when her marriage of 20 years came to an end.
Four months later, she started to experience heavy bleeding, pain and tiredness – and was diagnosed with an ovarian tumour.
It was the second time she’d been diagnosed with an ovarian tumour – after previously having one removed in 2019.
She requested a hysterectomy but says she was told by doctors she was too young and instead had surgery to remove her fallopian tube and ovary.
Lindsay said: “I thought the tumour might come back, so I wanted to have a hysterectomy to be safe.
“At the time, I didn’t want anymore kids.
“I was quite angry when I was told I was too young to have one, and was put on the coil instead.”
The following year, in September 2022, Lindsay met her now-partner, Joe, through mutual friends.
They had decided they didn’t want more children and instead had plans to go on holidays and enjoy their time as a couple.
They had only been together for a year when Lindsay discovered she was expecting.
Lindsay said: “I didn’t want to tell Joe over the phone, so I asked him to meet me at the hospital.
“He sat down, and when I told him, the colour literally drained from his face.
“He went grey and was nearly sick.
“Of course he came around – it was just such a shock because he wasn’t expecting more kids at his age!”
Lindsay – who was 43 at the time – only knew about her pregnancy for the final three months, which she described as “hard going”.
Lindsay claims she had no symptoms and was left completely shocked to find out she was so far along.
After tragically experiencing two miscarriages in the past, the expectant mother had to have a cervical stitch – to prevent the cervix from opening too soon and the twins being born prematurely.
She spent two months on bed rest, before giving birth to her miracle babies on December 12, 2023, at Hull Royal Infirmary.
Eloise Eileen Wood was born at 9.59am weighing 5lbs 5oz, and Eddie Charles Wood was born at 10.01am weighing 5lbs 11 oz.
Proud mum Lindsay said: “My delivery was better than I expected – I had a scheduled c-section so everything was planned.
“The recovery was hard, but Joe was amazing and so supportive.
“My older daughters have been brilliant, it’s like having little mothers around to help out.
“The twins are doing so well, they’re both so healthy and happy.
“I’m really happy, it’s like a dream.
“I’m very tired but I wouldn’t change a thing!”
Artist rakes in $440k creating portraits of celebs by writing their name 10k times
An artist has raked in $440k creating portraits of celebrities – by writing their name over and over again.
Jayce Hall, 29, is a professional word artist and draws impressive pictures of A-listers, animals and landscapes – only using words.
Each picture can take him up to 25 hours to complete, with the word or name written up to 10,000 times.
Jayce charges between $30 and $2k but says his most expensive one was The Call Of Duty piece, sold for $15k – and three charity pieces went for $150k.
Over the last two years he has drawn the likes of the Beatles, Post Malone, Lionel Messi, Travis Kelce and Whitney Houston.
He’s also done an Hawaiian Mountain range, a bulldog, a cow and a turtle.
Jayce, from Savannah, Georgia, US, said: “I wouldn’t say that I’m a natural artist, but I’ve got the drive, and it took a lot of time to tell my hand what my head wanted to do.
“I tried to figure out my own style and I think it’s really cool.
“I used to be interested in realistic drawings but I’m not that imaginative and I’m really good at replicating things.”
Jayce mainly focuses on portraits and has even drawn a piece for NBA star Stephen Curry and country singer Reba McEntire.
Jayce said: “When I have worked with celebrities they have been really good. Their reactions are always positive.
“I’ve actually become numb to how cool my art is. I’m grateful with anyone that rocks with my work.”
Jayce can write the same word up to 10,000 times to create a picture.
He used to count all the words – in 10 minute sections and add them up once finished.
He said: “Usually, mistakes are fixable. It’s rare I write a word wrong. When I do start over it can be depressing but most of the time it is fine.”
“It took me a while to get a writing muscle. This style for me is now more mentally impactful that physically.”
“I write over wrong words often and other letters can morph into one but I haven’t had many incidents like that.”
Jayce has a few favourite pieces.
He said: “I have a handful of favourites – one of them is the moon in 36 different languages.
“I went to a pop-up show and drew the moon and this lady who worked for NASA said it was really accurate which was super cool.
“This mountain in Hawaii called Diamond Head and is one of the first landscapes I have drawn and is close to my heart.”
You can follow Jayce’s artwork @jaycehallart.
“I am a single mum sharing a duplex with a single dad – we help each other out”
A single mum who shares a duplex with a single dad says they have the benefits of roommates without having to live together.
Kelsey Will, 32, moved into the duplex, in Cleveland, Ohio, US, in June 2024 – after her relationship with the father of her daughter ended in December 2021.
She was greeted by her friendly neighbour, Tom, 34, who left a note on her door saying he was looking forward to meeting her.
A few days later, Tom – who is also a single parent – was playing soccer outside with his children so Kelsey and her daughter went out to join them and they got chatting.
Kelsey says she Tom hit it off so well they’ve become “roommates that don’t live together”.
Tom will often help out with any DIY that needs doing, take the bins out and Kelsey will help with his daughter’s hair and even pop her pimples.
Kelsey, a social media management business owner, said: “I found this duplex, it was affordable and great.
“I didn’t know anything about Tom – it was a complete chance that we become such great friends.
“I knew he was going to be great when I came home and I had a welcome note on my door saying he was looking forward to meeting us.
“When I first found this duplex, I couldn’t have predicted that I’d be sharing it with another single parent and that he’d become such a meaningful friend in my life
“Tom and I are duplex housemates and built-in best friends. We have a strong bond and we look out for each other as single parents”
Kelsey introduced herself to Tom and started making small talk – before they realised they have lots in common – including sense of humour and parenting styles.
She said: “Our children were in the garden playing soccer and then we were making small talk.
“We all then went to the park together and we had a great time.
“After that, we haven’t necessarily made time to hang out but we will catch each other coming and going.
“If one of us needs help or is doing a shop we are always thinking about one another.”
Kelsey says their friendship blossomed after they both bonded over their parenting styles and similar humour.
She insists that their relationship is strictly platonic and says they have more of a brother and sister bond.
She said: “We have very similar personalities and humour – that is the hallmark of our friendship.
“To me, it feels like a sibling relationship and it is very natural and comfortable.
“From my point of view, the relationship is platonic and it is not romantic.
“That is not the vibe, I have never thought that he is catching feelings or anything like that.”
Kelsey says Tom will help out with any DIY, they share bin duties and will pick up each other’s groceries if needed.
She said: “He will help out with any DIY that needs doing.
“If the kids want to hang out together we will all hang out together while the kids play.
“Other than that, we don’t hang out so much – we are there when we need each other,
“We text a lot and whenever I am coming in I will talk to him if he is sat out having a smoke.”
Kelsey says her friendship with Tom gives her the benefits of having a roommate without having a roommate and it is a great “life hack”.
She said: “We do things for each other as if we are roommates – we are built-in neighbour besties.
“If one of us needs, the other person is right there – we are always doing favours for each other.
“If my stuff breaks I can use his, if he needs milk or eggs or something I got him.
“One morning he had his daughter and it was picture day at her school.
“He didn’t know how to do her hair so she came over to my place at 7am so I did her hair.”
“I refuse to leave my kids’ inheritance – my hard-earned cash is for me”
A mum refuses to leave a penny of her kids’ inheritance – instead using her “hard-earned” cash to further her own career and buy clothes to perform in.
Janey Kirk, 60, says her children, Carla, 30, and Adam, 26, are “in the same mind frame” and stand by her controversial choices – wanting their mum to enjoy herself.
Despite cash being off the cards, Janey will leave her house, car and Airbnb business to her kids – but wants to make sure they work hard themselves to understand the value of money.
Janey suggests parents with “idiot” kids shouldn’t leave money to them – as she believes they’ll “waste it and squander it”.
Janey spends what she needs “when needed” and says her children need to work “all their days” to be in the same position.
Believing inheritance money is more of a “modern thing”, Janey says she was never left money by her mum and dad.
Janey, a singer, from Fife, Scotland, said: “I’ve always believed that your house is good enough to leave.
“If you’re a young 60 like I am, I don’t feel that I should have to be putting money away from my kids when I could be using it to further mine and Carla’s career, go on working holidays and buy new clothes to work in.
“If I didn’t have to look after my mother than I’d probably be in Greece every month.
“I don’t put money away, I spend it as I need it and I use it as I need it.
“When I die if there’s anything left, then it’s theirs of course.
“I’m quite old fashioned that I’ve had to work all my days to be in that position, so they need to as well.
“It’s their life to make of it – I’m here for advice and things like that.
“I have a good insurance on my death, and my house and all I own will be theirs, but I’m not going anywhere fast and they may be well into their 70s or 80s by the time I kick the bucket!
“Safeguarding MY future comes first I’m afraid.”
Janey says she did give them some money – around £3000 – when they were younger, but that’s now gone.
She said: “They’ve spent it all on holidays etc.
“So once that was used, I’ve never bothered to add more.”
Carla is following in the same footsteps as her mum – taking up a life in the arts and they often perform as duo on TV together.
Janey said: “Carla doesn’t need it, she’s singing and earning well.
“She has a song that has gone viral called ‘If You Love Me Let Me Know’ with 19M views.”
“When we’re on TV shows when we both sing that generates an income from people Googling you and buying our CDs and DVDs that we have made.
“It’s all being used to further mine and her career.
“I never ask Carla to pay – when songs are ready, I make a music video which again generates a forever income I will leave to Carla.
“There’s a method to my madness of not putting money aside for them.”
Despite her polarising beliefs, Janey says her children are fully on board.
She added: “Their thoughts are the same as mine – they’re in the same mind frame.
“They encourage me to enjoy things.
“I give to them all the time now and I’d rather give them little bits while I’m alive when they need it and see what they’re getting for it.”
In terms of other people, Janey believes it’s a circumstantial decision but says parents with “idiot” kids shouldn’t leave any behind.
She said: “It all depends on the kids you’ve got.
“Some people have got idiots as kids and I don’t think they deserve it.
“If you’ve got studious children then I do believe it would be a good idea if you can afford it to put money aside – I’ve just not got that kind of kids.
“If I had a studious family and they needed it for college and university then that’s a different situation and I’d look at it – it all depends on the kids.
“But most of them are just idiots.
“Adam is a great guy and as long as he’s happy doing what he does, then I’m happy.
“Carla has her singing career.
“Adam has a never ending pot of cash especially for him for if he ever is stuck.
“He never abuses that and often a twenty pounds note will sit for a few weeks.
“This is much better than saving it up for him, knowing he is never stuck for cash.”
Janey’s TV show can be seen every Saturday evening at 10:30pm on Sky on Channel 588.
“I’m a pro highliner walking on wires 400ft in air but I’m scared of heights”
Meet the professional highliner who walks wires 400ft in the air despite having a fear of heights.
Taylor St Germain, 25, got into the sport through an ex-boyfriend who was a keen slackliner – balancing on a suspended length of flat webbing that is tensioned between two anchors.
Taylor would force herself to sit on the line to try and conquer her fear of heights.
In February 2021, her then-boyfriend entered an online competition called the Pandemic Open where freestyle high-line walkers submitted videos of their best tricks.
But he dislocated his elbow elbow and wasn’t able to compete – so Taylor took his place and came fourth.
Since then, Taylor has overcome her fear, entered four competitions – winning two – and is due to compete in the Highline World Championships in Laax, Switzerland later this month.
Taylor, a saleswoman and athlete, from Toronto, Canada, said: “I started working at a rock climbing gym.
“I was terrified of heights and I was looking at the top, wondering how people go up to the top.
“Working there I slowly overcame my fear of heights.
“I was introduced to slacklining and through that I found highlining.
“One of the highest lines I have done is in Canada and it is 400 metres from the ground.
“I haven’t completely overcome my fears and sometimes can get nervous before I go across.”
Taylor’s then-boyfriend was really into slacklining and Taylor would watch him.
She tried going onto the lines then gained the confidence to go highlining – the sport of walking across rope or wire between two high points.
She said: “I thought it was so cool, after watching my boyfriend do it I eventually wanted to do it and thought I should do it.
“Little by little I was forcing myself to go out onto the line.
“Most of the time I would spend time on the line just sitting there and feeling comfortable with the line.
“I started getting more and more comfortable, I am definitely not over the fear but it has helped.
“On the weekend I was on a line 100 metre from the ground and I was scared.”
During lockdown, her then-partner entered an online competition called the Pandemic Open.
People would submit videos of their best trick and a winner would be chosen.
Taylor’s boyfriend at the time broke his elbow and wasn’t able to compete but suggested she should.
Taylor said: “He ended up taking me out and teaching me how to bounce and do basic tricks.
“I competed in that competition and came fourth.”
Since then, Taylor has competed in four competitions, coming first in two of them and is competing in the Highline World Championships later this month.
Now, Taylor has started freestyle highlining and incorporated skills and tricks while crossing the wire.
She said: “The reason I started in the sport was to overcome the mental challenge, with free styling, I wasn’t just walking I was doing tricks too.
“Even after the tricks became less scary, I was doing it in front of a crowd and that was scary.
“I am still in the pursuit of driving myself out of my comfort zone – that keeps me going but the sport is also enjoyable to me.”
Taylor is ranked number two in the world on the International Slackline Association and wants to encourage more women to get involved in the sport.
She said: “A lot of people will presume that I don’t do the sport.
“When I am highlining with my friends, people walk by so many people will ask if we all do this.
“I say yes and they look at me and go ‘even you?’.
“I wanted to encourage more women to do this and push their limits.”
Man spends $17k travelling to 55 countries in bid to tick off every one in world
A backpacker has spent $17k (£14k) travelling to 55 countries in a bid to tick off every country in the world.
Connor Michalek, 33, has been on a mission to see the world since he was 18 years old.
He has so far travelled to 55 countries – including Bolivia, Australia, Mauritania, Iraq and Colombia.
In January 2023, Connor lost his corporate tech job and set about travelling the world.
He travelled to Mexico to experience the different cultures, he travelled to Thailand where he taught English to students and headed to Nepal where he spent 40 days hiking.
Over the last 11 months, Connor’s love of travel has reignited and he is aiming to travel to all 195 countries.
Connor, a blogger, from from Chicago, Illinois, US, said: “I decided to take a break from school and I booked a trip to Bolivia and spent three months there and staying with families.
“I really caught the travel bug from there really. It’s all about meeting new people and doing something out of your comfort zone.
“I always had a draw for human connection and relationships.
“At that point, it was one of my lowest points and I needed to do something, so I turned to travel as an escape and I immediately loved it.
“The Bolivia trip really opened my eyes that we are all human and that we all care about the same thing.”
Connor has been a fan of travelling since he left Texas Christian University where he studied economics and business.
After leaving university he headed to Bolivia where he caught the travel bug.
Connor said: “Bolivia is one of the poorest countries and it was such an eye-opening experience. That put me on a path to places where many people wouldn’t go to.
“I booked a one-way trip to Bolivia. They organised homestays and Spanish classes. I did volunteer work as well.
“Typically, when I was younger, I was working in these countries and I would be working and living with families.”
After losing his job in December, 2022, Connor headed to Morocco which kicked off his journey around the world.
He said: “I have always had a love for travel.
“It has always been a dream to travel the world, I flew into Morocco as it was a starting point where I could travel East around the world.
“Morocco kicked everything off for me – I enjoyed the food and the people are incredible.”
He then headed to Mauritania, Senegal and then flew up to Tunisia before starting his journey around Europe.
Connor said that things have not been “smooth sailing” on the trip and he has put himself in “dodgy situations”.
Connor said: “I’m 33 years old, I’ve built up careers and I’ve saved a lot of money and sold a lot of things such as cars and little bits to fund all these trips.”
“Not necessarily, everything has been smooth sailing on these trips. I have put myself in dodgy situations.
“In Senegal, we had problems at border control but that was the only incident we ever had that was a problem for us.”
He said he has fallen in love with Africa and has been to 22 countries in the continent over the last year and loved every moment of it.
Connor said: “I’ve gradually moved to love the continent of Africa, and I love Malawi. The people don’t have a lot, but they are definitely rich in some respects.
“What I did in Malawi was raise awareness of HIV and then bought a load of pigs and necessities for the farm.
“I also loved Mauritania which is one of the least visited countries in the world. I thought it was awesome.”
Connor has plenty of trips lined up in the upcoming months as he looks to return to Africa as he says he would ‘love’ to take his wife, Espoir, 25, there.
He said: “I’m planning a trip to French Polynesia and we are going to western Australia.
“We’ve got a one-way to Nairobi, Kenya doing some volunteer work in Uganda. The African rawness isn’t seen anywhere else.
“My partner hasn’t been to been to Africa yet and I would love to take her there.”
All of the 55 countries:
Belize
Mexico
British Virgin Islands
Cayman Islands
South America
Bolivia
Peru
Colombia
Argentina
Chile
Europe
Albania
Austria
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Croatia
Czech Republic
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Montenegro
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Spain
England
Vatican City
Cambodia
India
Indonesia
Iraq
Israel
Japan
Jordan
Laos
Myanmar
Nepal
Pakistan
Singapore
Thailand
Turkey
Vietnam
Egypt
Malawi
Morocco
Mauritania
Mauritius
Tanzania
Senegal
Tunisia
Mozambique
South Africa
Australia
French Polynesia
“I listened to music while awake and undergoing brain surgery”
A young woman was awake and able to listen to music – while undergoing a brain surgery to remove a tumour.
Brooke MacFadyen, 24, underwent Awake Craniotomy – a procedure to remove primary brain tumours which is being pioneered by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Brooke from Coatbridge in Scotland was kept conscious during parts of the seven-hour operation to ensure it went to plan.
During the surgery she remained awake, listened to music and chatted with the medical team.
Brooke said: “The surgery was definitely scary. I started having hallucinations because of the amount of anastatic that they had to put me on.
“I don’t drink anymore but it felt like I was really drunk – and I have not drunk in a couple of years now.”
Brooke’s tumour was discovered earlier this year after she went to her GP following a seizure in October last year.
She said the run-up to the operation was difficult, with a lot of ‘what-ifs’ circling in her head.
She said: “When I heard about the awake craniotomy, it took me a couple of weeks to get over the shock, but then I decided ‘I’m going to do this’.”
But the support she received from the entire medical team was critical to her, and her whole family – mum Kelly, dad Graham, brothers Harry and Jack, boyfriend Dillon, and best friend Robyn.
During the entire procedure Dr Sharon Mulhern, Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Lead for Regional Neuropsychology Services, was there to support her – holding her hand and keeping her calm during the awake phase of the procedure.
“I’ll never forget Sharon,” Brooke said.
“She’s been amazing throughout this whole process, and I have such a clear memory of seeing her there with me during the operation.
“I’d like to thank the whole team for looking after me, but especially Sharon – in fact she was like a second mum to me.”
The low-grade tumour was close to the part of her brain that controls her speech.
Awake craniotomy is performed while a patient is conscious and alert to evaluate and protect brain functions.
Brooke was awake while the surgeon used a probe and, with an electrical pulse, switched off areas of the brain for a few seconds to identify which tumour tissue to remove.
She listened to a worship song chosen by her mother – King of Kings, Majesty by Spring Harvest.
She said: “My clinical psychologist had suggested my friends and family putting together a new playlist for me. I put the headphones in at the beginning but the drill started and I freaked out and I pull them out.
“I listened to the first song and it was the song that was chosen by my mum, and it reminded me of her.
“I listened to the whole playlist after the surgery when I got to the room and I think it was even better then and the songs were beautiful and funny put in there by my friends.”
In Brooke’s case, the procedure was a success – and it has left her looking forward to life with a new confidence and focus.
She has said that after the brain surgery her mental health has ‘massively improved’ – and is now hoping to become a primary teacher, travel the world and see her brothers growing up.
“Strangely it’s been a really positive experience. I’ve been through life-changing surgery and now feel completely different.
“Before I doubted myself so much – I’d get into my own head with things, talk myself out of things. But not now – I now know I’m a really strong person, and super-independent.
“Making this decision – something I was so scared of – I’m going to use it as a positive from now on.
“I’ve already booked a holiday to Tenerife with Robyn, and this experience has made it so clear to me that I want to follow my dream to work with children.
“I’ve decided I want to be a primary school teacher. I don’t know when – and I’ll need to get a qualification in maths first – but I’m determined to get there.”
Britain’s luckiest turkey survives Christmas Day chop – by going on Parkrun
Britain’s luckiest turkey has survived the Christmas Day chop – for going on a 5k Parkrun.
Dave Brooker, 58, takes his beloved pet turkey Trouble Version Two, or T2 for short, everywhere with him – including to the pub and dentist.
Locals in Maidstone, Kent are often baffled as they see Mr Brooker sat alongside T2 in his car when they stop at traffic lights, or when he feeds her her favourite snack – the meat from a scotch egg – in the middle of a Tesco’s car park.
The turkey can also often be seen casually sitting in the town’s White Horse pub with a packet of cheese & onion crisps.
She has had such an effect on her owner over their three years together that he has now turned fully vegetarian.
And this year he took T2 on a Parkrun on Christmas Day to make people think twice about eating turkey.
“It just felt like a really fun idea,” Mr Brooker said.
“It might also make people think twice about eating turkey.
“I think they’re lovely animals. They’re very intelligent and sentient.
“It’s also a nice way to show her off.
“People love her. She stood outside Tesco with me yesterday and one little girl couldn’t believe she was seeing an actual turkey.
“People are always shocked to see a real turkey walking around.”
The unlikely duo’s story began when Mr Brooker, who keeps turkeys for their eggs, was forced to care for newborn T2 before she could return to her mother, Trouble.
“Her mum was sitting on a dozen eggs and the weather turned awful,” he explained.
“The first two that hatched died, so I set up a brooder to get the turkeys strong enough to go back under their mum.
“T2 was the first one out and I fed her for 10 or 11 hours.
“She was on her own with me checking on her and must have thought I was her parent.
“The others all went back underneath the mother quite easily, but not T2.
“Ever since, she literally goes everywhere with me. She’s like my child.
“There’s a mutual bond. She’s good company and entertaining – sometimes I even think she’s part human.”
Mr Brooker says he stopped eating turkey for Christmas dinner after his bond with T2 developed.
But for the past year the animal lover has gone fully vegetarian, referring euphemistically to December as the time of year when all the turkeys ‘go on holiday’.
“I don’t eat turkey anymore,” he said. “I used to, but I couldn’t now. Not with a pet turkey. It would be like someone eating dog.
“When you keep an animal it’s quite hard… Maybe if you’re a farmer you can switch off to it, but I’m a bit of a softy.
“Last year made me think about not eating meat at all.
“My relationship with T2 has definitely had a part to play in that.
“If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have gone vegetarian.
“You start realising just how intelligent these animals are.
“But people have to make their own choice about eating them.”
Keen runner Mr Brooker is convinced his Christmas Day foray – with T2 nestled in a pram borrowed from a friend – will surely be the first Parkrun to ever be completed by a turkey.
“This will be the first time she’s done a Parkrun, and I’m sure there’s no turkey in the world who has been pushed 5km in a pram on Christmas Day before.
“It’s going to be quite funny. People are going to go home to eat Christmas dinner after running alongside a turkey.
“A lot of people will probably go, ‘Is she for dinner?’… You’ll get some people ask that and it’s like, ‘No, she’s a pet’.
“I know a lot of people do Parkrun with their dogs, so why not with a turkey?”
On the menu for December 25 this year, Mr Brooker added: “I’ll have the normal roast, just with a veggie burger or something.
“My family will be having turkey. T2 will have cheese and biscuits because that’s one of her favourites these days.”
Though some people find the pair’s undeniably strong bond a little unorthodox, the pair are inseparable and even sleep in the same room together at their home in the village of Wouldham, Kent.
One of T2’s favourite outings is to the car park of the Tesco store in Tovil, Kent, where she feasts on her favourite snack – the meat from a scotch egg.
The only time the pair are separated is when Mr Brooker goes to work as an online order picker for Tesco.
T2 is such a feature in her owner’s life she even accompanies him to the dentist.
“I was at the dentist and I asked the receptionist if she could turkey-sit for me,” Mr Brooker said.
“She thought it was a joke, but then I brought T2 in. They all loved it.
“Most people think it’s really strange, but it’s actually a really good talking point.”
T2 is fast becoming a normal sight amongst locals, who frequently spot her sat alongside her owner in his car at traffic lights or at the pub for a pint.
“She draws quite a fair bit of attention from people,” Mr Brooker admitted.
“But she’s very well-behaved. At the pub, she sits on her blanket and stays there.
“Unlike most dogs who would run around, you sit her down with a pack of cheese & onion crisps and she’s happy.
“She’s very tame, very sociable and well-behaved. She doesn’t wander off and she lets people pet her.
“It just helps people think about turkeys in a different way, because most people actually haven’t seen a live turkey.”
Mr Brooker added he sometimes gifts people turkey eggs to let them try them, as he still keeps a flock of eight at the home of a friend.
But T2 is the only one who lives in his home with him and even shares his bedroom.
Mr Brooker added that his bond with T2 is as important as dogs and their owners, saying: “Some people might find it very strange, but some people have 70 cats and they don’t even clean up after them.
“I went through a bad spell of anxiety and depression back in 2014, and it’s helpful to have a bond like this with an animal.
“People are worried she’ll run away when I feed her in the Tesco car park – but she’d never do that.
“If we were all the same the world would be boring, and there’s a lot weirder things that happen than a man keeping a turkey.
“She just makes people smile, which I think is fantastic.”
Family can spend first Christmas at home with tiny premature son in festive miracle
A little boy born nine weeks early is spending his first Christmas at home – with his family calling it the “best present we could possibly wish for”.
Chellsy Manning, 36, gave birth to son Isaac Manning-Young in February – nine weeks before his due date and weighing just 3lbs 1oz.
The tot, from Southend, Essex, was seriously ill with a number of complex conditions due to being born so early.
The family went through countless hospital stays and transfers in the first few months of Isaac’s life.
Isaac also underwent a surgery to repair a double hernia at five months – adding more stress to the lives of Chellsy and her partner, Simon Young, 34, a product development manager.
Against the odds, resilient Isaac is now home in time for his first Christmas.
Chellsy, a stay-at-home mum, said: “Every day, he surprises us with his strength.
“We feel deeply grateful for the support we received along the way, which helped us get to this point.
“We are so excited about spending Christmas together as a family.”
Isaac’s tough start in life began when mum Chellsy was admitted to hospital for severe pre-eclampsia when she was 29 weeks pregnant.
Concerned doctors quickly transferred her to Broomfield Hospital, where Isaac was delivered three days later.
Tiny Isaac was immediately taken to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Over the next year, the family would undergo countless hospital stays and transfers.
They were supported throughout by The Sick Children’s Trust – a charity providing support to families of seriously ill children.
Throughout Isaac’s intense medical journey, his family were fortunate enough to be given accommodation in two of the charity’s “homes from home”.
This gave them a comfortable and private space close to the hospitals where Isaac was being treated.
Chellsy said: “Looking back, we genuinely don’t know how we would have managed without The Sick Children’s Trust.
“They gave us a stable, supportive environment where we could be present for Isaac, even when everything felt out of control, which was crucial for our mental wellbeing.
“We were helped by the charity twice during Isaac’s first weeks of life and we will forever be grateful to them”.
With Isaac doing well and as resilient as ever, the family is now looking forward to their first Christmas together.
Chellsy said: “We know there are far more babies out there that have had worse journeys than Isaac.
“Without The Sick Children’s Trust, god knows what we would have done.
“I cannot put it into words about how incredibly grateful and happy we both are about celebrating his first Christmas, especially the fact that he is healthy.”
She added: “It is the best present we could possibly wish for.”
