The man who pays his way

Care Quality Commission knew of fears about care standards at NHS trust, internal documents show

Chronic shortage of doctors, nurses and porters – and patients fainting from pain

'The Karoo desert was strange but startling'

Latest incident is 16th time the coastguard has been called out to the Ribble estuary in six weeks

As a sailor, I respect the sea; as a gardener, I'd very much prefer to do without it, because with a sea view comes a wind, bearing salt on its wings. "The most effective windbreak," according to Your Gardening Questions Answered, "is provided by planting two kinds of hedges, a sturdy wind-resister such as blackthorn or euonymus, set in two rows four feet apart on the side facing the sea: then four feet inside that a hedge of hebes or escallonia to filter out what gets past the outer defences..." But seaside gardeners who plant the cheerless hedges four feet apart, might find that within a few years, they've not only lost half the garden to hedge, but also planted out the view.

You can't swing a Wellington boot in the Lake District without hitting a country house hotel. With a rival at the turn of every country lane, hotels always have to raise their game – a wing refurbished here, a new spa there – if they're going to keep up with the competition. A shining example of this is Gilpin Lodge, which steps up to the challenge with aplomb.

The abuse scandal at a Bristol care home has put the shadowy world of private equity in the spotlight. Who's behind these financial titans?

Centrica, the parent company of household gas supplier British Gas, has carried out its threat not to reopen one of the UK's largest gas fields following the Government's decision to raise taxes on production.

The backlash against the Chancellor's decision to impose higher taxes on energy firms continued yesterday after Centrica decided not to recommence production at a major gas field, citing the heavy tax burden.

The owner of clothing retailers La Senza and American Apparel has bought fellow fashion chain All Saints in a deal set to secure hundreds of jobs.

The Government was today urged to rethink its oil and gas tax hike amid concerns that the move could hasten the demise of UK production.

As the lavish period drama, now set in the 1930s, returns to TV, Andrew McCorkell offers a guide to the series, recalls its predecessor and speaks to modern-day lords, ladies and butlers

Age: 47