In case it wasn’t on your radar, today is the start of mental health awareness week.
And coinciding with this hugely-important national event, the NHS has begun helping hundreds of thousands of pupils across the UK who are sitting exams from this week to manage any stress and anxiety they may be feeling.
Almost 600 hundred colleges and sixth form centres nationwide have NHS clinicians on site who are offering one-to-one support and workshops for students, as well as providing training for teachers on how to support pupils who may be struggling with their mental health, particularly around this time of year.
It’s believed that more than 250,000 students, between the ages 15-18, have already received NHS help for a range of issues which can be ‘exacerbated’ by exams.
The NHS has begun helping school students ‘manage stress’ ahead of exam season / Credit: gov.uk
As well as preparing students for the exam period, NHS staff are also on-hand throughout the year to offer them resilience training and coping strategies that can be used for the rest of their lives.
Parents and carers can also receive NHS support to make sure that young people receive consistent support, both in and out of school.
“Young people are facing more pressures than ever before,” commented Claire Murdoch, who is NHS England’s National Mental Health Director, “and we can really see that peaking at this time of year, as exam season kicks off, but the NHS is here to help.
“Hundreds of teams working in classrooms are offering specialist advice on how to manage stress and anxiety to hundreds of thousands of children taking exams.
“We know that adolescence is a crucial time of life with half of mental health disorders being present by the age of 14, so it is absolutely vital that our NHS teams are able to offer students easy access to support with the skills they learn helping them as they enter the workplace or head off to university.”
Mental Health Minister, Baroness Merron, also added: “We know a lot of young people struggle with their mental health, and early intervention is crucial, so ny expanding school-based support teams nationwide, we’re bringing help directly to students and ensuring easy access when it matters most.
“Through our Plan for Change, this Government will cut waiting lists and increase access to mental health support, regardless of where young people live or their circumstances.”
UK high street retailer and healthcare shop Boots has launched an innovative recycling scheme that entitles customers to £5 off their future shopping trips.
If you're still struggling to come up with a New Year's resolution, why not try a spot of recycling and earn some money off your next cosmetics shop while you're at it?
Started in 2020, the Boots Recycling Scheme allows Advantage Card holders the opportunity to get money while also being more conscious about how we recycle our used health and beauty products.
Their third party app Recycle at Boots uses a Scan2Recycle system where users can upload items from various beauty brands by taking a picture of the empty packaging before identifying its form.
This scheme takes items that can't usually be recycled at home such as lotion pumps, toothpaste tubes, lipstick, mascaras, travel minis, make-up palettes and more.
Images: Publicity pictures (supplied)
Once you have five items approved, head over to your nearest participating Boots store, drop off your empties and scan the QR code on the deposit box.
After you've followed all these steps, a voucher will appear entitling you to 500 Advantage Points when you spend £10 in-store, and not only do you have £5 worth of points with your name on it, you're also an eco-warrior.
There's even a dedicated section of the app to recycling empty medicine and vitamin blister packs which gives customers 100 Advantage Points, when you spend £5 in-store - This is brill.
Items dropped into these deposit boxes are taken to MyGroup, a recycling and waste management service which works around the clock to help divert waste from landfill.
These empties will be washed and traditionally recycled into a material called MyBoard, a construction board material most similar to plywood with lots of different uses.
Nearest Boots locations in Manchester running the Recycle at Boots scheme:
Leeds Trinity - 1 Bond Street, LS1 5EY
Leeds Kirkstall - Savins Mill Way, LS5 3RP
White Rose Shopping Centre - Lower Level, Leeds, LS11 8LL
Thorpe Park - Unit 3 The Springs, LS15 8GG
Birstall Retail Park - Batley, West Yorkshire, WF7417 9DT
If you're up for getting money off your next Boots splurge while also helping recycle cosmetics containers and more, you can download the Recycle at Boots app and find your nearest HERE.
Featured Images - Publicity Pictures (Supplied)
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Tesco has revealed what the UK’s most popular meal deal was in 2025
Emily Sergeant
Tescohas revealed what the UK’s most popular meal deal combination was in 2025, and some newbies have taken the top spots.
We all know meal deals are a classic lunch option for hungry office workers and for those looking for something quick to grab on the go, and it’s fair to say Tesco’s is one of the most popular on the market – but which combination was the most popular over the past 12 months? Which meal deal was the most commonly-picked from supermarket shelves in 2025?
Well, after last year saw a change in both the main and snack categories, this time around they have stayed the same and it’s actually the drink option where we see a change.
For the second year running, the Tesco Chicken Club Sandwich was the most popular choice of main, while the Tesco Egg Protein Pot took the top snack title.
It’s time, however, to wave goodbye to the Coca-Cola (500ml) bottle, which has taken the title of the nation’s favourite meal deal drink for the past three years now, and say hello to the nation’s new favourite drink… a can of Red Bull.
Images: The Manc Group
As always, the meal deal statistics for 2025 were revealed as part of Tesco’s annual ‘Clubcard Unpacked’ series, which is basically like ‘Spotify Wrapped’ but for Clubcard customers, giving loyalty card members a unique insight into what they shopped for and how much they saved over the last year.
The series also gives Clubcard holders the chance to find out what their personal favourite meal deal combination was in 2025, and see how that compares to the rest of the nation.
You’ll just need to open your Tesco Clubcard app on your mobile to find out, or you can head to the Tesco website here and login to your account.
Results are available now for a limited time only.
As well as getting to find out their own most-bought meal deal items, this year’s video also shows Clubcard members further insights into how they shopped at Tesco last year – from their most frequently-purchased products, to how many points they saved and spent.
Emily Sergeant -
12th May 2025 
