Let’s leap into spring...

I’m sure many of you, like me, love this time of year as it finally feels as if we’re coming out of hibernation (particularly after another winter of restrictions) and being given a new lease of life. Spring flowers burst into bloom – we have some lovely ideas on how to use them to refresh your home in our Spring Celebration photoshoot (page 106); fresh, seasonal produce becomes available – try our delicious Spring Harvest recipes (page 150), which make the most of these; and we can start to pack away those dark winter clothes and embrace more colour in our wardrobes – turn to our Colour Clash feature (page 22) for inspiration. I hope this mix of fragrance, flavour and pretty hues will stimulate your senses and bring a little more joy.

Also here to put a smile on our faces this month is actor, comedian, author and all-round national treasure Dawn French, who talks to us about the recent changes in her life. Not only has her hair undergone a dramatic transformation, but she’s moved house and written a whole new live show, which she’ll be taking on tour later this year. ‘It’s an evening of me telling stories of times I’ve been a bit of an idiot, when I’ve misunderstood something, misheard something or got something hideously wrong throughout my career,’ she says. ‘The idea is to show that getting things wrong is often where the fun is in life. All that really matters is how we try to pick our way through life and remain decent people as much as we possibly can.’

I think we can all very much relate to that. And to Dawn’s wish that there should be greater respect in future for women. ‘There would be equal pay if women had respect,’ she says. It does, indeed, seem shocking that in 2022 there is still a marked

gender pay gap, something we explore in The Road To Financial Freedom (page 42), one in a series of features on change that we are running to mark our centenary. Certainly, a lot of progress has been made in relation to women and their finances since GH first launched, but with the average female salary at £28,305 in 2021, compared with £33,414 for men, not to mention a pension discrepancy, too, there is clearly a lot further to go.

Meanwhile, our fantastic beauty team, led by Eve Cameron, is marking our big birthday with a celebration of best buys. They have left no stone unturned to bring you both old favourites and

new discoveries in The GH Beauty Icon Awards (page 76). I do hope you’ll find something lovely to tempt you on their pages…

Enjoy!

PS. We’re getting ever busier with the planning for Good Housekeeping Live, coming to London in June. Turn to page 12 for more details.