Let’s do this together

I fear nothing in the world so much as missing bin day, especially after all the festive bank holidays.

I’ve got so confused that I’ve had to put all three out this week in the hope one of them’s right, but so far, I’ve had no takers.

Usually I can rely on some of my more organised neighbours to put the right bin out the night before, but right now it looks as if we’re all playing bin shuffle among the skeletons of spineless Christmas trees.

Talking of spineless, a new survey by zipworld. co.uk has revealed what the nation fears the most – and funnily enough it’s not missing bin day, but heights, spiders and snakes.

Which makes the UK sound like the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Growing up, I thought quicksand and sharks were going to be a much bigger problem than they were. And it’s the same for snakes – we’re more likely to be attacked by a marauding recycling bin than a spitting cobra in this country.

Our greatest fear though is heights, with three in 10 respondents (31%) revealing they are terrified of looking down from a death-defying drop – no doubt from one of the world’s fastest ziplines in a quarry site in Wales!

While a quarter of us fear spiders (26%) or snakes (24%), just one in 10 (16%) think they’ll be eaten by sharks. Which is probably all the people like me who saw Jaws for the first time on telly in 1981, and made 23 million of us jump out of our skins.

But the most shocking result is that only 24% of survey respondents feared actual death, which let’s face it, is the only certainty in life. Well, along with taxes and crap No 1 Christmas songs.

But the good news is that over a third (37%) proudly say they have managed to overcome a fear within their lifetime, which should come as a relief to all those, who like me, still check swimming pools for signs of a fin cutting through the wee-filled chlorinated water.

However, I have managed to control my acrophobia, especially if there’s a stiff drink in a roof bar or mountain hut at the end of a terrifying ascent.

Interestingly enough, it seems the country is evenly split when it comes to bravery, which probably plays out in most households. Over half of us (53%) consider ourselves to be brave when facing difficult situations and fears. While the other half – including The Dark Lord – are standing on sofas screaming for someone to come and catch the spider. Which in our house, you’d usually need a magnifying glass to see!

Email me at siobhan.mcnally@mirror.co.uk or write to Community Corner, PO Box 791, Winchester SO23 3RP.