Sorted reveals 15 stunning UK beaches that could offer you an opportunity to relax and cast away the Lockdown blues.
 

WITH LOCKDOWN restrictions all set to be lifted in the coming weeks, Britons are once again turning their thoughts to securing a much-needed break in the sunshine – with the coastline and beaches among the most in-demand destinations.

But how do you choose where to go without facing huge crowds?

Computer whizzes at ShowerstoYou.co.uk have opted to use social media hashtags to track down the UK’s hidden gems, finding some wonderful destinations on Instagram that could be your go-to place this summer.

“We wanted to give as many people as possible a reason to smile,” commented a company spokesperson. “Most of us love visiting the seaside, but so many people are likely to flock to the coast when the restrictions are lifted.

“So we thought we would try and find some fabulous places that are off the beaten track. And we think we have come up trumps.”
Be...

It was the decade when great story-telling was introduced to CGI. And as a result, the 1980s will be long remembered for the quality and innovation of its films, writes Hugh Southon.
 

THEY ARE the highest-grossing films of the 1980s... but are they the best?

It won’t be a surprise for Sorted readers to learn two of the Star Wars trilogy dominated the 70s and 80s. But also in the mix was the brilliant Steven Spielberg, who produced an absolute classic in ET – the story of an alien who really had to find his way home.

The 80s was a superb decade for great movies and I was surprised to find a personal favourite – Big Trouble In Little China, starring Kurt Russell – getting nowhere close to the top of the pile.

But while I can’t agree with Kurt’s omission, I am unable to argue with the rest of them!

What do you think?
Top films of the 80s

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982): $435 million
Return of the Jedi (1983): $309 million
The Empire Strikes Back (1980):...

He may be the boss that has presided over one of the most successful periods in Liverpool FC’s illustrious history, but Jurgen Klopp is under no illusions where football fits into the bigger picture.
 

JURGEN KLOPP will most certainly not be blaming God for Liverpool’s alarming and sudden slump in fortunes this season.

The popular German manager is widely known for having a strong Christian faith. But it's probably fair to say injury to the likes of Virgil van Dijk, the club’s outstanding Dutch central defender, has more to do with the Reds slide than anything else!

Klopp is the most outspoken of football bosses on his beliefs and says: ‘Although there is no football God, I believe that there is a God who loves us just as we are, with all our quirks, and that's why I think he also loves football!

'But we have to score our own goals.’

And he continues: ‘To be a believer, but not to want to talk about it - I do not know how it would work! If anyone asks me about my f...

He’s left it a long time, but Sorted’s Hugh Southon has just found out a particular rock legend is to his liking.
 

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN'S latest album is being hailed as his best ever – which really is a statement and a half given those that have preceded it.

Mind you, I have to be honest and admit that it's the first I've bought, having never been someone who is mad about The Boss.

Letter to You, however, is something else; and it's Bruce at nearly 71, singing songs of ageing and mortality. In truth, it's a beauty.
Born to communicate
Springsteen’s belief system is enigmatic, to put it mildly, having rebelled against his Catholic upbringing as a young man and never making it fully clear since where he stands on Christianity or faith in general.

That's strange given that in a Netflix programme about the making of his new album, he insists that he was born to communicate, declaring it's what he's about and is determined to fulfil.

I can heartily recommend his new al...

It’s not just Marcus Rashford who is doing his bit to support millions of disadvantaged Britons – other unheralded footballers are also going the extra mile to support communities that are close to their hearts, writes Tony Yorke.
Rashford, the young and inspiring Manchester United and England forward, may be the one gaining all the plaudits publicly (and rightly so in many regards), but dig underneath the surface and you will soon find the likes of Lou Macari (pictured, above) and Ricky Lambert going about the business of making a difference.

Both men are doing their bit selflessly to help the homeless and people consumed by the growing problem of food poverty.

In Macari’s case, the former Manchester United and Scotland midfielder is the driving force behind the Macari Centre, a shelter for rough sleepers situated in Hanley near Stoke-on-Trent that he founded just over five years ago.

The 1977 FA Cup winner has fitted out a warehouse in Stoke-on-Trent with 48 ‘pods’ for home...

Is the beautiful game is in danger of becoming something it was never meant to be – a replacement for religion? A concerned Hugh Southon ponders the question.
 

THERE'S VERY little said about my football club that takes me by surprise after a lifetime of following West Ham United.

But I do remember my eyebrows rising just before the Hammers left Upton Park and a long time supporter looked at me and said: ‘It's not right to be moving from the club's church.’

Church? That was a reminder that to many the game has become a religion often bringing with it a tribalism and intense hatred, which can perhaps prove a tad difficult for believers.
A better man
West Ham plays a very large role in my life as the owner of a website, which has attracted more than 250,000 followers.

As a football journalist, I was fortunate in getting to know my hero, Bobby Moore. For a period of my career, I even found myself ghostwriting columns for the man.

We became kind of friends and the bi...

Hugh Southon is thankful as he awaits Monday’s announcement from the government, which is expected to reveal a gradual easing of Lockdown restrictions – but his gratitude is to a far greater authority than the UK’s scientific and political communities.
 

ON MONDAY, the Prime Minister is set to deliver what is widely expected to be a timetable that leads to the easing of Lockdown restrictions.

It is almost a year since the pandemic brought chaos to the UK and the rest of the world – with self-distancing, hand washing, glove-wearing, mask-covering – and an unbearable amount of Covid paraphernalia. All of this has made life unbearable.

I remember the evangelist, J John, saying soon after 23 March 2019, that our forefathers were called to war – while we are being called to sit on our settees.

Like many things that come out of his mouth, it is a good line. But it turns out that settee-sitting can be utterly unbearable when the only suitable music at times is Simon and Garf...

Hugh Southon is Sorted’s very own retro man. He’s got football shirts dating back to the year dot and a revived passion for 45 and 33 rpm records that 'crackle' when you play them.
 

THERE WAS a time when playing music was a big event for me – and thankfully a vinyl revival is ensuring this is again becoming the case.

In my house, the record player and a collection of albums is possibly the most treasured of all my worldly possessions.

My decision to start collecting again was an accident. I passed a shop, where for the first time in ages I saw vinyl; I went in and was immediately transported back to my earlier years when fabulous album artwork and inserts were par for the course.

And I have never looked back.

Since then I've picked up some long lost albums, and the collection I've amassed will be worth more than a few quid to my daughters when I eventually pop my clogs.

Record player technology evolved in the 1970s and remained relatively stable for half a cent...

Are Christians ever above the law? Tony Yorke looks into the case of a Droitwich couple who have got into hot water while defying strict COVID-19 laws. 
 

A SAD tale has crossed my path this week – about a Christian couple from Worcestershire who have been whacked with fines for £18,000 for breaching strict Covid-19 protocols.

Alasdair and Lydia Walker-Cox, owners of Grace Cards and Books in Droitwich, say they feel spiritually inspired to stand up for their freedoms. As a result, they have kept the doors of their business open while flouting strict government laws.

Wychavon District Council has thrown the book at them – and hit them with four fines in recent weeks, the latest being a £10,000 penalty. This comes on top of three previous demands amounting to £8,000, as the couple continuously defied council chiefs and the law.

Now Mr and Mrs Walker-Cox are inferring they are the victims of some form of a religious witch-hunt.
Nub of their argument
Talking to Pre...