Winston Churchill holds a special place in the history and identity of the UK. In fact, we would go so far as to say he has a indomitable hold over the nation ever since he took over the top job in 1940, following Neville Chamberlain's resignation and his unwavering stoicism throughout the remainder of the Second World War.

That we're all living in a relatively free world is, in part, down to his belief in the human spirit and his ability to foster this confidence in the British public at the time, as well as in instilling these thoughts into the hearts of the soldiers fighting for freedom.

It's important for parents to educate their children from an early age about the importance of applying sunscreen, according to the British Skin Foundation (BSF).

Bevis Man, from the BSF, explained that there is a lot in value in equipping youngsters with the knowledge that applying sunscreen is simply something one does – almost automatically – when out in the sun.

Slap on the appropriate amount of cream and voila, you reduce the likelihood of getting burnt. That super red, super hot, super tender look is never a good thing. So, it makes sense to take plenty of it on holiday – not in the hand luggage mind you.

Cast your mind back to 2005. Do you all remember when Tom Cruise went slightly wild on the couch during an interview with Oprah Winfrey?

No? Let us remind you.

He was promoting his movie War of the Worlds, a fairly decent adaptation of HG Wells classic sci-fi novel of the same name (Steven Spielberg directed it).

Cruise had recently fallen in love with Katie Holmes and he was positively giddy. He jumped on the couch, rapped his knuckles on the floor and showcased a wide variety of facial expressions that have made him such a believable actor on the silver screen.

There are just 200 days to go until the London 2012 Olympic Games kicks off in a fashion that we expect will be like nothing this country or in fact the world has ever seen.

Now when we heard that this was the case in the small, quiet hours of the morning (January 9th) we were positively giddy with excitement. Not long to go we all remarked over cups of tea, coffee, porridge and toast in the staff kitchen.

Dorset holiday homes are usually full of tourists during the summer months however this year a number will be used to house police officers during the 2012 Olympic Games.

A number of local holiday home providers will provide accommodation for security staff there for the sailing events which are taking place at Weymouth and Portland.

Now we know that the officers and other police staff will be every busy during their stay, however, if they do have a few hours off they may wish to take advantage of all the Doreset region has to offer holidaymakers.

Get north for a bit of art this winter and take a gander at the Northern Art Prize.

Now in its fifth year, the exhibition, which takes place at Leeds Art Gallery, is an annual prize for contemporary visual arts. The great thing about it is that it is open to visual artists of any age, nationality, and style – i.e. any art media. The only so-called stipulation is that they need to be living in the north of England.

One Day Like This was released in June 2008, which seems like a lifetime ago. Yet, today, Elbow's second single from their seminal and groundbreaking album The Seldom Seen Kid, is as powerful and moving as ever, a classic pop tune that time is unable to diminish.

The video that accompanied the song was as poignant, lyrical and beautiful as the music itself, featuring a young man dressed in shorts and a baggy hoody dancing with a flexible property advertising board.

Enjoying that nice sip of beer? Fascinated by the particular visual of a proper pint of real ale, musty-like in its appearance, a unique hue that suggests this is a quality beverage? Loving that foreign pint of lager?

You could be doing more than just savouring the fine fruits of hard labour while on holiday in the UK – you're helping the rural economy and British farmers.

The National Farmers Union (NFU) and the British Beer & Pub Association have collaboratively produced a report urging the government to do more to support the brewery industry "from farm to pub".

Ahead of the chancellor's Autumn Statement, which is said to be as a grim as a particularly grim day, the furore over the Treasury's plan to increase Air Passenger Duty (APD) is intensifying.

The Association of National Tourist Offices and Representatives (Antor), the principal lobbying organisation for the world's tourist offices, have warned George Osborne: "APD is impeding travel."

It's a genuine concern, heightened by the economic downturn. The problem organisations and bodies like Antor face is, as ever, the hardiness of politicians to waver from official rhetoric or what they genuinely believe in.

The Olympic Games is a sporting event (to state the obvious). It's about human beings pushing the physical prowess of the species to the absolute limits. In some ways it's doing the impossible: how high can a man jump, how much weight he can lift, how fast he can go…one sets a ridiculous standard and then trumps it.

Usain Bolt, for example, the Jamaican sprinter, did such a thing when he emerged on the scene. He absolutely smashed the 100-metre record and then claimed that it wasn't him at his best. Amazing is not even the right word. Unbelievable would probably be a better description.