Keeping up with the McColgans (easier said than done!)

She is such a huge part of my career that, when I stand on the starting line, I feel like it’s the two of us.” I love this comment from this week’s P.S. cover star Eilish McColgan. Even if you are not into sport you’ll likely still be aware of the runner’s stunning winning streak this summer, which saw her breaking records and claiming silver and gold medals for Scotland at the Commonwealth Games.

Of course, her success is all the more newsworthy because her mother is Liz McColgan, who blazed a similar trail in the ’80s and ’90s. It can’t have been easy living up to her parent’s huge presence in Scottish athletics but Eilish credits her mum as one of her biggest inspirations. In our interview on pages 6&7, Eilish also talks about how her mum paved the way for greater equality in the sport. I’m sure Liz is equally as proud of her daughter.

As I type this, the rain is battering off my home office window. In fact (whisper it) I’ve just turned the heating on. Yep, autumn has well and truly arrived, and that means the hunt is on for the perfect winter coat.As ever, our trusted style expert Wendy Rigg has trawled the shops and online to bring us the ultimate coat edit (pages 8&9).

October also brings half-term holidays and if you are still wondering what to do with the children or grandchildren you’ll find lots of ideas for family days out, including some spooky fun, in our travel pages (from page 30).

Or why not explore nature’s larder with a spot of berry picking? On pages 12&13, author of foraging bible Food For Free, Richard Mabey, reveals the wealth of ingredients to be found in our wild places.