Animal Corner PET SHOP

FEBRUARY 26

■ Paws, claws and hardwood floors aren’t the ideal mix... which is why Cath Kidston has designed a pet bed with a fold out blanket area to protect your furniture. With a plush inner, the blanket doubles as a handy ‘fall-out zone’ for sleep spreaders. The example above is in her London People powder blue design, priced at £35. See cathkidston. com for details.

■ We all need a little exercise in lockdown, including your cat. The JML Pop N Play, right, has an internal arm which randomly pushes a play mouse through holes in the dome, which has a non-slip base. There’s even has an automatic shut off to save power. Get it at The Original Factory Shop, £19.99.

Idol of ‘bobby soxers’ back home in Wales

BOBBY soxers’ favourite Donald Peers came home to Wales where he stopped off at his birthplace in Ammanford where he was to present his radio show.

8,000 people had applied to get into the 900-seat hall while hundreds listened over the broadcast relay system fixed up in the arcade outside. Fans showered their hero with posies and bouquets all day.

■■1531: About 20,000 people died in an earthquake in Lisbon.

■■1797: £1 notes were first issued by the Bank of England.

■■1815: Napoleon escaped from exile on the island of Elba and returned to France.

■■1839: The Grand National was first run at Aintree.

■■1846: William Frederick Cody – Buffalo Bill – American army scout and showman, was born in Scott County, Iowa.

■■1935: Radar (Radio Detection and Ranging) was first demonstrated in Daventry by Robert Watson-Watt.

■■1936: The Volkswagen car factory was opened in Saxony by Adolf Hitler.

■■1950: Scottish music hall singer and comedian Sir Harry Lauder died, aged 79.

■■1983: Irishman Pat Jennings, above, became the first footballer to play in 1,000 first-class football matches.

■■1989: Burke’s Peerage reported that King Arthur’s Round Table had been found near Stirling, Scotland, on the banks of the Carron River.

■■ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Facebook announced it would ban ads that promise to cure coronavirus or incite panic around the outbreak.

■■BIRTHDAYS: Sandie Shaw, singer, 74; David Edgar, playwright, 73; Helen Clark, former New Zealand prime minister, 71; Michael Bolton, singer/ songwriter, 68; Erykah Badu, singer/ actress, 50; Shane Williams, Welsh rugby legend, 44, above; Corinne Bailey Rae, singer/songwriter, 42.

The recycled paper content of UK newspapers in 2016 was 62.8%