Ian Murton, 53, Hertfordshire, was made redundant six years ago. Without a steady job, he feared for his future – now his business will fund his retirement.
In 2020, Ian Murton was in a dark place. He’d been made redundant from his primary school PE teacher role, and at the age of 48, he found it impossible to get another job. Depression and anxiety set in; how would he support his three children, aged 15, seven and four? Up until this point, he had been the family’s sole breadwinner, as his wife ran a primary school tutoring business with just a few clients.
“My anxiety was going through the roof. My insomnia was pretty bad. I was drinking my way through it – about five or six times a week. I was just waking up feeling like I had no energy, thinking, ‘I’m screwed. I’ll never be able to get another job’,” he recalls.
Ian dutifully applied for more teaching jobs, but earning a salary of £38,000, he was already at the highest level of his pay grade, and found himself overlooked for more junior teachers who would be cheaper to hire. He felt demoralised and at his wit’s end. Thoughts for his now jeopardised future ran wild, as his £12,000 redundancy payout would only last so long.
“I thought, ‘What do I do? What skillset have I got? I can see that teaching’s done, but what else can I do? I’m nearly 50 – who the hell’s going to employ me? Where am I going to go?” says Ian.
Having previously been a personal trainer, Ian contemplated setting up an online programme covering fitness, nutrition and weight loss. But a chance conversation with his father saw him go in an entirely different direction.
New treatment for ultra-rare ‘second skeleton’ disorder
Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is a “devastating, irreversible” genetic condition.
What is FOP?
- According to the charity FOP Friends, there are around 70 known people with FOP in the UK.
It is one of the rarest diseases in the world, affecting around one in a million people.
FOP is a genetic condition which leads to the body creating extra bones in locations where they should not form, including inside muscles, tendons and ligaments.
What is the treatment?
A new “disease modifying” treatment has been shown to reduce new bone growth by more than 90 per cent, reduce flare-ups and potentially offer hope for new surgical options in the future.
The drug garetosmab is an antibody that blocks a protein called activin A, which has been found to be critical in the development of new abnormal growth development in people with FOP.
63 adults were involved in the trial, which saw a massive reduction in flare-ups in the groups which received the treatment.
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Writing in , the authors said they expect the drug to enable “long term preservation of mobility and function”.
Chris Bedford-Gay, FOP Friends founder, said the community “has desperately waited for a way to stop FOP in its tracks”. He added this “is the moment a life-changing treatment comes that bit closer”.
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How the UK could rejoin the EU, step by step
Labour grandees have urged Andy Burnham to start preparing to reverse Brexit – but high hurdles would have to be overcome.
Why is it coming up now?
Sadiq Khan said he wants Britain to return to the customs union “almost straight away” and provision in the next Labour manifesto to reverse Brexit without a referendum.
However, experts are sceptical. Polls indicate a narrow majority of Britons support the idea of rejoining, but it may require more support before we could rejoin.
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What the process could look like
Experts warned it could also take five to 10 years to get back in.
Here’s how rejoining might look:
- A second vote is not technically necessary but leading experts think a referendum would likely be needed to provide a stable mandate to start negotiations with the EU.
- If the UK applied to rejoin, the EU would need to ensure the applicant met the 1993 Copenhagen Criteria.
- If talks then began, there would be a series of big issues to resolve.
- The EU could demand that Britain use the Euro and become part of the Schengen Area.
The expert analysis
Experts disagree on the likelihood the UK could be allowed to opt-out of either the Schengen Area or the Euro. Dr Thomas Sampson, economist and Brexit expert at LSE, suggested it is possible the EU would be willing to let Britain rejoin under the same deal.
But others suggested the EU would want to lock the UK into the Euro to “make it harder for [us] to ever leave”.
- The European Commission would need to approve any deal for the UK to rejoin. A majority of MEPs in the European Parliament would also have to vote in favour and all the bloc’s member states.
- Professor Catherine Barnard, an expert in EU law at the University of Cambridge, thinks negotiations and ratification could take as long as a decade.
- If talks did not start until after a Labour general election victory in 2029, it could be 2040 before Britain was back in the bloc.
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Men feel happier than women about how they look, study finds
Researchers at the BI Norwegian Business School also found men overestimated their IQ, while British people generally rated themselves less attractive than other nationalities.
What did the study find?
- Men consistently gave themselves higher ratings for physical attractiveness than women.
- Participants scored themselves between 0 and 100.
- On average, men scored 6-8 per cent higher than women.
- How attractive the participants were considered by other people was not part of the study.
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A closer look at the study
The study also found that men and women with higher IQs tended to rate themselves as less attractive.
Britons generally rated themselves less attractive than their American, Australian, Canadian and South African counterparts. Researchers suggested this could be a symptom of British manners, with more emphasis on “modesty or understatement”.
What does this mean?
Professor Adrian Furnham, who led the study, noted men often overestimate their IQ, while women typically underestimate it.
He said the similar gap in attractiveness self-ratings could be another indication of “male hubris versus female humility”. He added that more intelligent people could be “more honest”.
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How quickly triple lock could end – and possible replacement
The future of the triple lock has been thrown into question after reports Andy Burnham is being told to scrap the scheme to fund his social care plans.
Experts say that at some point, the policy will have to be replaced with a way of increasing the state pension that is “more sustainable”.
A ‘double lock’
- A double lock linked to either earnings growth or inflation has been suggested as a possible alternative.
- Tom Selby, director of public policy at AJ Bell, said the starting point for this would determine what a “reasonable value” for the state pension should be, most likely as a percentage of median earnings.
- After deciding that figure, Selby said, you put in place “a sensible plan to reach that level”.
Link to earnings
Maike Currie, vice president of personal finance at PensionBee, said the simplest replacement would be an earnings-only link. This would mean the state pension broadly maintains its value relative to working people’s incomes.
But the Institute for Fiscal Studies has previously recommended introducing the “smoothed” earnings link, which means pensioners receive inflation protection if inflation exceeds earnings.
Simple link to inflation
- Former pensions minister, Steve Webb, said another approach could link the state pension to inflation.
- This approach would create “big savings”, he said.
- But it would also substantially weaken the state pension at a time when millions of retirees are coming up to state pension age with very modest private savings.
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Who will be the most affected?
Currie said the triple lock being scrapped would impact people of all ages.
“For someone close to retirement, scrapping it could have a more immediate impact on their expected income,” she said.
As for younger generations, “the effect could potentially be greater over the long term, as smaller annual increases compound over decades”.
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How AI could help screen for type 2 diabetes
Artificial intelligence (AI) technology could be used to analyse speech to screen people for the disease, a study suggests.
What you need to know
- The tool was trained using more than 63,000 voice samples from more than 21,000 people in the UK and US.
- It was trained to detect changes in speech which have been linked to type 2 diabetes, such as increased hoarseness and an inability to control breath.
- The study found that the speech model gave a higher risk score to those who reported having type 2 diabetes 80 per cent of the time.
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How effective is it?
Giedre Cepukaityte, research scientist at tech company thymia, said the technology “opens a new route to screening for diabetes”. But she emphasised it is “not a replacement for a blood test”.
The technology performed well across different ages and genders, but its performance was lower on Black patients.
It also wasn’t as effective with recordings from people with heart disease, high blood pressure or obesity.
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AI gets a cautious welcome
Dr Lucy Chambers, head of research impact and communications at Diabetes UK, said: “AI-based technologies could help identify more people who may benefit from diagnostic blood tests, but it’s crucial that they are rigorously designed and tested to make sure no-one slips through the net.”
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More than half of international students are influenced by British fictional characters when deciding to study at universities here.
2,500 UK-based students from the US, China, India, Pakistan and Nigeria were surveyed for the British Council.
What are the key findings?
- It found that 83 per cent of international students said British culture was an important reason why they decided to study here.
- 59 per cent said fictional British characters were a draw, with 19 per cent citing Peppa Pig and 21 per cent Mr Bean as examples.
- British cultural icons like Princess Diana and David Beckham were also a major influence.
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Importance of soft power
A majority (62 per cent) of respondents said the UK music scene had been a major or strong influence on their decision to study here.
Among those who cited music, Ed Sheeran was the top named artist with 18 per cent, followed by Dua Lipa, Coldplay and Harry Styles.
What does this mean?
Catriona McCarthy, the British Council’s interim director for education, said the results tell us it is “crucial” that Britain remains “culturally vibrant” in order to retain its status as a global leader in higher education and attract the best students from around the world.
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How to be more grateful for daily life in five easy steps
The world feels like a difficult place at the moment, and it can feel very hard sometimes to find things to be thankful for; when we are overwhelmed, we have less capacity to notice and reflect on the good things. Yet, ironically, proactively cultivating gratitude is one of the things that can actually help us feel less stressed.
NHS GP dR RADHA
The science
Research has shown that feeling or expressing thanks can actually alter our brain.
- The balance of neurotransmitters change; more serotonin and dopamine (feel good chemicals) are produced.
- This can be long lasting if we make gratitude a regular habit.
- We also get a decrease in our cortisol (stress hormone) levels which helps lower anxiety.
- Being grateful can strengthen the nerve pathways which triggers positive emotion.
How can we build gratitude?
Change your words
Instead of seeing something as a problem, try to see the opportunities within it.
Our brains are very receptive and what we read or write can alter our emotional system.
Express it
This will not only make you feel good, but you will also get a positive response from others.
How can we build gratitude?
Notice more
Throughout your day, try to notice all the things that are going well; has someone opened a door for you, or smiled?
The basics
By being thankful for the small things every day, we are far more likely to be and stay healthy so that we can enjoy them.
What to do
Gratitude can lead to feelings of optimism, lower our blood pressure, and improve sleep quality.
- Write down what potential good aspects there are to the things you don’t feel like doing, or even what could be worse about it.
- Spend a few minutes writing down three things that you are looking forward to that day, or the good things that have happened to you that day.
- Say thank you to yourself for the things you have achieved, or managed to get through and changed that day.
Sales of battery
electric vehicles hit a record high last year.
Starts at £22,995 for the smaller battery
Available with either a 40kWh battery or a larger 52kWh pack, that offers almost 255 miles, the latest, retro-inspired Renault 5 is both a joy to behold and a hoot to drive.
The interior has been lavished with a level of detail that’s typically reserved for more expensive cars.
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A champion of EV efficiency
It offers a remarkable 491 mile range on a single charge from the 85kWh battery.
It is a technological masterclass inside with the ability to option screens that span the entire width of the dashboard, including an optional display for the front passenger.
Priced from £37,400
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It’s a lot of money to part with, but this is arguably all the car you will ever need.
The £89,000 Macan is a premium SUV that somehow manages to blend Porsche’s reputation for dynamics and sporty driving with everyday practicality.
The 95kWh batteries can go from 10 to 80 per cent in as little as 21 minutes from the fastest public charging outlets.
With the business class-style six seat configuration costing a staggering £76,995, it is by far the most expensive Kia ever made, but it backs up its financial demands with a suite of genuinely useful and impressive onboard technology.
It’s fast, goes a long way between stops and charges relatively quickly but the interior is bland, the onboard technology is infuriating and the experience is devoid of emotion.
All of its gadgetry can’t disguise the fact that performance is weak, even for a typically zippy EV, the ride is fussy at slower speeds and it’s not in the least bit enjoyable to drive on a country road.
- While good value (prices start at £17,935) for the 200-mile max range, there are more interesting options from Hyundai, Citroen and Renault for similar money.
- It attempts to wow with tech, much of which hinders, rather than helps.
- There’s no tangible benefit over mounting your phone to the dash.
- Simply an average driving experience, adequate range and slow charging speeds.
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A lightbulb moment
“The main problem with people with weight loss is the mindset. They’ll lose a load of weight and then they put it all back on again. My dad mentioned hypnotherapy and reminded me how I’d used that to quit smoking,” he says.
Before Ian got married in 2010, he had smoked for about 12 years. He had decided he didn’t want to start his marriage as a smoker. Having made many attempts to quit smoking – using nicotine gum, inhalators and NHS programmes – the only thing that worked had been hypnotherapy.
Ian promptly enrolled in a 10-month level four hypnotherapy diploma through the Clifton Hypnotherapy Practice, taking a part-time role as a school sports coach to keep money coming. A year after being made redundant, he officially set up on his own in 2021.
He initially worked with hypnotherapy clients for free to build his experience and reputation, taking on friends and family, and advertising on local Facebook groups. He then moved on to charging half price, then eventually, the full price of £75 for an hour-long consultation.
While Ian achieved his initial goal of helping people lose weight through hypnotherapy, he still felt something was missing. His real breakthrough came in 2023, when he helped someone overcome their fear of driving through hypnotherapy.
“Somebody contacted me about driving anxiety, and I drove over to them because they didn’t feel comfortable driving to me. They had a holiday cottage business which was a two-hour drive away in Norfolk, and they couldn’t travel there,” says Ian.
“So I helped them to overcome their anxiety so they could make the drive. They could then grow their business, and it made me think, ‘There’s something in this’.”
Profiting from a niche
Ian realised he could develop a specialised offering completely focused on helping people with driving anxiety, that would earn him a stronger reputation, and justify charging a premium price point for a 90-day programme.
That’s when things really clicked for Ian. He did a skills exchange with a Google search and advertising specialist – free hypnotherapy in exchange for getting Ian’s driving anxiety hypnotherapy practice to be pushed to the top of Google’s search results.
Ian became known both locally and online as a driving anxiety expert – and business was booming. “That was quite a brave decision, just to niche down into driving anxiety. Because when you start off, you think you can help everybody, but most people that know anything about marketing know that it’s all about finding a niche,” says Ian.
“If someone’s life is on hold because they can’t drive on the motorway, and you can help them, then you’re certainly opening yourself up to being able to create a programme and to charge more.”
Last year, Ian’s hypnotherapy business brought in over £178,000 – nearly five times his old teaching salary. He now employs two other hypnotherapists so he can focus more on the business and marketing strategy.
His wife and daughter, now 21, also help, with accounting and social media. After staff and marketing costs, Ian says his own earnings come to around £100,000.
While the additional money has meant Ian could clear a chunk of his mortgage, buy new cars for himself and his wife, and put his daughter through university, he believes the flexibility of his new lifestyle is just as important.
“I’ve got nobody telling me what to do. I sometimes work only three hours a day – I have time to go to the gym, go for a walk, or go for a game of squash. Most people have holidays to recover from their day‑to‑day work stress, but I don’t have that now,” he says.
“I love what I do, so it’s not painful for me to only maybe get a couple of weeks’ holiday a year. It really doesn’t matter because for most of the day I’m relaxed and doing what I love to do.”
Ian is grateful he was forced to rethink his career, as he had once thought he’d continue with teaching until he could retire at 68. But now, he questions how much he actually enjoyed his old job.
“It would be pouring rain in January, and I’d think, ‘Not again’. So I wouldn’t have been happy. I never got the warm glow from teaching a class of 30 kids that I do from helping someone overcome their driving anxiety,” he says.
Ian hopes he can increase his business revenue to £250,000 in the next five years, and potentially sell it to fund his retirement. He has trademarked his CALMS programme – standing for “Control, Avert, Learn, Mindset, Support” – and has amassed hundreds of five-star reviews.
For now though, Ian is enjoying his success. “My life is far better now than it ever was when I’m teaching,” he says. “I now feel I’m in control.”