SayHi.co.uk

Driving

The legal age to drive over here is 17. The test is getting harder than it used to be. You have to pass a theory test before you can sit your main driving test. In this country you don’t have to use P plates after you’ve passed your test. If you are driving in the UK, you need adequate car insurance, a valid MOT certificate and tax disc that is situated on your windscreen at the left hand side.

Drinking

It is illegal to purchase alcohol before you reach 18 years of age. Although minors are allowed into pubs and other licensed places, they must not consume alcohol in licensed places until they’re 18 and usually have to sit in a family area of the pub. Supermarkets and shops called Off-Licences sell alcohol. At the moment in the UK we don’t have any drive through alcohol/bottle shops yet.

Dentist

It is very difficult to receive free dental treatment in the UK, unless you are an expectant mother, or a child still in education up to the age of nineteen. Most dentists have closed their NHS lists or are not even treating NHS patients. You normally have to pay privately to be seen by a dentist, waiting times for treatment can be excessive, even if you pay.

Electricity

The electricity in the United Kingdom is 240v AC.

Emergency

In the UK the telephone number to call for Police, Fire Brigade or Ambulance Service is 999.Hoax calls are taken very seriously. This is a vital service and is important to every resident of the UK.

Education

In the UK, primary and secondary state education is free from the local authority. There are different types of school in Scotland compared to England. For example in Scotland, there aren't any  grammar schools.
Private(Independent Schools tend to operate a strict uniform code). Some state schools do require uniform, some don’t, it is generally not enforced that much in the state sector. Please see under schools for some further info.

Easter

Holiday remembering Jesus Christ.  Most schools, colleges and some workplaces may  have a holiday for Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday.

Further Education

In Scotland there are plenty of Colleges and Universities to choose from. We have some of the oldest Universites in the world here, St Andrews, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Most school leavers who attend University stay on at school till the end of 6^th year. The legal age to leave school in the UK is 16. Some pupils reach 16 in 4^th year and are able to leave school if they wish at that age.

In England, children attend college to study A-Levels (equivalent of Scottish Highers). English also students have to pay University fees (maybe up to £3000 per year) to study at University. In Scotland there is no charge for fees, (introduced by the Scottish Parliament). We have just touched on some aspects of schools and education in the United Kingdom, over time we hope to expand on this and give more detailed information.

Food

The UK is a country not generally known for its gourmet cuisine, even although we have some of the finest chefs in the world. Gordon Ramsay is going down a storm at the moment with his television series, both here and the states. In supermarkets there are a great variety of foods from all over the world. If you want to go out there are many restaurants, cafes, fast food places, to choose from for eating out, not forgetting the great British Chippy.  Where all manner of things deep fried can be purchased, such as sausage, fish and even pizza. Although I have heard you can ask for a deep fried chocolate bar, to be perfectly honest, this is something I have never seen. In the West of Scotland you are asked if you want salt and vinegar on your Fish and chips etc, on the east coat of Scotland you are asked if you want salt and sauce.

Football

See Sport

Guy Fawkes

A tradition on the 5^th November, people attend Firework Displays, set off fireworks, light bonfires in their back gardens etc, all stemming from Guy Fawkes, 5^th of November and the Houses of Parliament.

Grand National

This is a yearly horse racing event that the whole nation tends to watch. A lot of people place a bet on this race. Even if you never watch horseracing, this event seems to takes over the television channels for the day.

Halloween

Tradition where most children get dressed up in various costumes and go to neighbours doors for sweets (candy, lollies).

Housing

In the UK, most people generally want to put their foot on the property ladder. If you can’t afford to buy then you’ll either have to stay in rented accommodation or council accommodation. Council’s offer accomodation to homeless people or people who have been on waiting lists for a long time. Housing is a very topical subject at the moment in the UK, with the credit crunch that is going on, a lot of television documentaries are talking about this. First time buyers are struggling to buy their first home, due to the price of housing in the UK at the moment.

House Prices

I am currently deciding which UK estate agents (up-to-date property feeds) to add to this part of the site.

History

The history of the UK goes back thousands of years, obviously there are too many diverse areas of history to talk about in this section, but over time this is something we’ll give more information about.

Internet

See Broadband

May

During the month of May we have May day, (some bank) holidays, workplaces, schools etc have Fridays and Mondays off at the beginning and the end of the month.

Medical/Medicine

UK residents You have to register at a GP Practice to be seen by a doctor. If you need to buy over the counter medicine, go to pharmacies or chemist shops. GP’s (General Practitioner’s) are available for free for residents of the UK. You don’t have to pay anything upfront. Getting an appointment will depend on how busy your surgery is. The NHS hospital emergency department is solely for emergencies, waiting times to be seen depend on the severity of your injuries.

Money

We still have pounds and pence in the UK. Unlike the rest of Europe we haven’t made the move to Euros yet. Coins- 1p, 2, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1, £2   Notes in normal circulation  -  £1, £5, £10, £20, £50, £100.

Newspapers

There are a huge amount of newspapers to choose from in the UK. We have broadsheets, national and local papers. Most national newspapers cost around 30p-50p, except at weekends when they charge more.

Northern Ireland

Estimated Population by sex and age, 30^th June 2006

“Source Census Data supplied by the Registrar General Annual Report 2006 - Section 2 Population. ©Crown Copyright.”

Oprah/ Other TV Personalities

We have Oprah on our digital channels, but the UK equivalent to morning chat show hosts in the are; Tricia, Jeremy Kyle and not forgetting the nation’s favourite Mathew Wright on Channel 5. We used to have a famous couple Richard and Judy, who presented their show in the morning and then switched channels to the afternoon slot.

Parking

We have plenty of car parks to park our cars in. On the street parking - You have to be aware of single and double yellow lines at the side of the road near the pavement. This means no parking or restrictions on parking. If you disregard the rules regarding parking you’ll be fined. If you are allowed to park on the street, pay at the nearest meter and place the ticket on your dashboard. You will be issued with a parking fine if you don’t pay the appropriate fee for the amount of time that you’ll be parked.

Queen

Yes we have a queen in the UK, which I am sure you know about. The Royal Family are never far from the news in the UK.

Rental Properties

If you are planning to visit or stay longer than a few weeks in the UK, you would probably be looking at renting somewhere first. Generally unfurnished and furnished rentals are available on a minimum six months lease, although references will be required, you would also have to pass a credit check, and wage slips, a contract or other form of proof of income would need to be shown to reputable letting agents. Reputable letting agents are members of ARLA. Private Landlords normally advertise in local newspapers. A couple of things to ask a Private Landlord:

1.      View gas safety check. ( All Landlords have a duty to have their boiler and gas appliances checked by a qualified CORGI registered engineer on a yearly basis),

2.      Check the standard of plugs, sockets, light switches, if you see loose wires hanging out… walk away.

The costs involved in renting can be quite expensive to begin with. A deposit is required (normally the equivalent to four weeks rent). You may also have to pay for a credit check.  The location and quality of accommodation can determine the cost your rent. A good website to check out  for renting and buying property in the UK is pennylanehomes.com and rightmove.co.uk.

Shopping

Scotland  

            
Picture of Edinburgh          Luss, Loch Lomond
Castle Dec 2007               Ben Lomond in the
                                         background

Population (Scotland)

(mid-year 2001)  5,064,200

(mid-year 2005)   5,094,800

(mid-year 2006)   5,116,900             

Males       52%
Females   48%

Mean Age - 39.0 years

Land Area                Area (sq. km).  77,925

Population Density:   65 per square km. (estimated)

Marital Status        

Scotland

Total resident population aged 16+            4,089,946

- % Single (never married)   30.55

- % Married (first marriage) 44.27

- % Re-married          5.52

- % Separated (but still legally married)     3.57

- % Divorced  7.02

- % Widowed 9.06

Resident Type          

Scotland

Total resident population      5,062,011

- % People resident in households 98.30

- % People resident in communal establishments            1.70

Country of Birth         

Scotland

Total resident population      5,062,011

- % Scotland (inc UK part not specified)    87.15

- % England   8.08

- % Wales      0.33

- % Northern Ireland  0.66

- % Ireland (inc. part not specified) 0.43

- % Rest of Europe   1.10

- % Elsewhere           2.25

Gaelic

Scotland

Total resident population      5,062,011

- % Speaking Gaelic            1.16

- Of those speaking Gaelic % born outside Scotland       8.27

“Source 2001 Census data supplied by the General Register Office for Scotland.
© Crown Copyright.”

Seasons

We have four seasons here,
Spring            March,April, May
Summer         June, July, August
Autumn          September, October
Winter           November, December, January, February

It doesn’t get dark here in the summer until about 10.30pm, so the days seem much longer than in winter.

Statistics

The population of the United Kingdom on Census Day 2001 was 58,789,194

The populations of individual countries were:

England  49,138,831 (83.6 per cent of the total population);
Scotland                    5,062,011 (8.6per cent);
Wales                        2,903,085 (4.9 per cent);
Northern Ireland       1,685,267 (2.9 per cent)

The UK population has grown by 17 per cent overall since 1951, but compared with many other developed countries over the same period, the UK population is growing more slowly. It is smaller than the average growth for EU Europe (23 per cent) and considerably smaller than some countries - for example USA 80 per cent; and Australia 133 per cent.

Source: National Statistics website: www. statistics. gov. uk
Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI).

Soap Shows

Famous television series in the UK are Eastenders and Coronation Street. Eastenders is set in the East end of London, and Coronation Street is based in the North of England.

Schools

State Schools
The main types of schools generally are State Schools, Private, (Independent) schools and Faith Schools. State Schools are free and available to everyone (normally) in their catchment area. (Although in some parts of England they are testing a lottery style approach for school places in the better state schools.)

Private/Independent
These schools normally charge a fee per term, children are normally required to pass entrance exams as places are very, very limited.

Faith Schools
Faith Schools are popular, places may be limited, generally you must be a member of that faith to attend the school. (Although,you don’t always have to be a member of that particular faith to attend Faith Schools.)

Sport

Football (soccer) is a popular sport in the UK. There are many well-known famous teams competing in a variety of leagues. Rugby, cricket motor racing, darts, swimming, golf, every  sport is played in the UK  with many major world events held year each year.

Time

We have one time zone which moves forward one hour in March to British Summertime, then  moves back one hour in October for British Wintertime.

Tourism

The UK is a fantastic country to visit, there are too many things to do or visit to list on this page, (this is one of the areas we will expand on.)

Television

The main television channels are:

BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, we have more  television channels via freeview  and other digital suppliers.

Valentines Day

Held on the 14^th of January each year, single or married couples send bought or (handmade) valentine cards to each other. Could be considered the most romantic day of the year.

VAT

Value Added Tax at the moment is seventeen and a half per cent.

Wimbledon

One of the most famous tennis tournaments in the UK is held at Wimbledon each year.