Whether you can believe it or not, we’ll be getting ready to say goodbye to 2025 and welcome in a new year next week.
2025 has been quite the year, and with the working world getting ready to wind down for the festive season, many are no doubt already looking ahead to the new year, and planning all the holidays and time off work they want to book.
Fancy making the most of it though? For those looking to play their cards right and hack the system a little bit, some clever clogs has worked out a way to secure yourself a whopping 59 days off work by using just 28 days of your annual leave allowance – and it’s pretty impressive.
With most full-time employees who work a five-day week having a minimum of 28 days (5.6 weeks) of paid annual leave each year, travel experts have figured out how these people can effectively double their time off in 2026.
How to get 59 days off work in 2026 using only 28 days of annual leave / Credit: Road Ahead | Kaitlyn Baker (via Unsplash)
January
It may be a tad too late for some, but if you’re still able to extend your new year celebrations, then you’ll want to book Friday 2 January off to create a long weekend.
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Easter
Saturday 28 March to Sunday 12 April – Thanks to those two Bank Holidays we get off around Easter time, by booking Monday 30 March to Thursday 2 April, and then Tuesday 7 April to Friday 10 April off, you can enjoy a massive 16 days off work by just using eight days of annual leave.
Saturday 28 & Sunday 29 March – Weekend
Monday 30 March to Thursday 2 April – Annual Leave
Friday 3 April – Good Friday
Saturday 4 & Sunday 5 April (Easter Sunday) – Weekend
Monday 6 April – Easter Monday
Tuesday 7 to Friday 10 April – Annual Leave
Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 April – Annual Leave
May
Saturday 2 to Sunday 10 May and Saturday 23 to Sunday 31 May – Thanks to the two Bank Holidays in May, there’s two ways for you to enjoy nine days off in a row by only using four days of annual leave.
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August
Saturday 29 August – Sunday 6 September – With another Bank Holiday in August, by booking Tuesday 1 though to Friday 4 September as annual leave, you can enjoy nine days of summer holiday in total.
December
Saturday 19 December 2026 – 3 January 2027 – With the Christmas Day and Boxing Day Bank Holidays, as well as the Boxing Day substitute day, and New Year’s Day too, you can book just seven days off on from 21 to 24 December, and 29 to 31 December, to enjoy a whopping 16 days off in total.
Saturday 19 & Sunday 20 December – Weekend
Monday 21 – Thursday 24 December – Annual Leave
Friday 25 & Saturday 26 December – Christmas Day and Boxing Day (& weekend)
Sunday 27 December – Weekend
Monday 28 December – Bank Holiday (Boxing Day substitute)
Tuesday 29 – Thursday 31 December – Annual Leave
Friday 1 January 2026 – New Year’s Day
Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 January – Weekend
Wellbeing Coach Lorna Wilkins has explored the health-boosting benefits of going on holiday and taking time off from work.
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“One of the key health benefits of going on holiday is that it reduces stress,” Lorna explains.
“Having a break from your daily routine can make you feel more relaxed and therefore improve your mental wellbeing. A change of environment and getting away from the pressures of day-to-day life not only helps you to clear your mind but can also help to improve your sleep quality as you’ll be feeling more relaxed.”
Stockport actress Aimee Lou Wood set to star in new BBC adaptation of Jane Eyre
Emily Sergeant
Stockport-born actress Aimee Lou Wood is set to lead a new BBC adaptation of Jane Eyre, it has been reported.
It was announced earlier this year that Working Title are producing a new TV adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel, Jane Eyre – which will be led by The White Lotus and Sex Education star in the titular role – and Deadline has now exclusively revealed that the BBC has joined the production as the broadcaster.
The new TV adaptation has been penned for the screen by Miriam Battye – an award-winning writer best known for her work on HBO’s Succession.
Published all the way back in 1847 and set across a number of fictional Northern England settings, the classic novel explores the moral and emotional development of orphan Jane Eyre as she searches for love, independence, and social equality in the 19th century.
EXCLUSIVE: Deadline hears that 'The White Lotus' and 'Sex Education' star Aimee Lou Wood is attached to star in a new TV adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel Jane Eyre.
Emmy nominee Wood will play the indomitable heroine in the buzzy adaptation which we understand is… pic.twitter.com/ETBRaPJanN
Throughout the novel, Jane overcomes a harsh and unloving childhood and goes on to find work as a governess at Thornfield Hall, before falling in love with her moody master, Mr Rochester, and discovering a dark secret in his attic.
The novel is widely considered to be ahead of its time due to how it approaches topics of class, sexuality, religion, and feminism.
Jane Eyre has been the subject of a number of adaptations of the years – most notably the last major TV version being in 2006, also for the BBC, and a 2011 film starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender – but there hasn’t been any in 15 years now, and 2027 marks the 180th anniversary for the iconic story.
Aimee Lou Wood is also riding high at the moment after her Emmy, SAG, and Golden Globe nominations for Season 3 of The White Lotus, and after having also been cast as George Harrison’s wife, Pattie Boyd, in Sam Mendes’ four Beatles biopic movies, all set to be released in 2028.
As of yet, further information on when and where the new adaptation will be being filmed is yet to be released, and there is no indication of air dates either.
The BBC is expected to reveal more details in due course, so stay tuned.
Featured Image – HBO
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Greggs renames one of its bestselling bakes after Andy Burnham says it’s his favourite
Emily Sergeant
Greggs has decided to rename one of its bestselling bakes in honour of Andy Burnham.
In case you didn’t know, the new Number 10 North offices in Manchester’s Heron House share a building with lots of other businesses, some independent, some chains – and one of those businesses is the ever-popular high street bakery Greggs.
And we wouldn’t put it past Andy Burnham, being the northerner he is, to have chosen those offices specifically for that reason.
Okay, we’re obviously kidding, but considering the Prime Minister really doesn’t have to venture that far for a Greggs when he’s at work in Manchester now, he’s been asked in a recent interview this week what his go-to order is from the bakery chain.
When asked to name his favourite Greggs bake, Andy replied: “That sausage, bean, and cheese thing,” which, of course, refers to the popular Sausage, Bean & Cheese Melt.
Greggs has renamed one of its bestselling bakes after Andy Burnham said it’s his favourite / Credit: Supplied | gov.uk
According to Greggs, sales of that bake have doubled following the interview, particularly at the Heron House store, as curious Mancs and Number 10 North staff queued to sample the PM’s preferred pasty – so naturally, Greggs has decided to rename the item the ‘Sausage, Bean and Cheese Thing’ in his honour.
Workers at the Heron House shop were photographed changing the signage of the bake yesterday morning, and digital screens in the shop were also updated following the interview.
Andy himself has approved the change, taking to Instagram to say: “Has a nice ring to it tbf. Thanks [Greggs], that’s my order baked in for life now.”
Warren McCarrick, shop manager at the Greggs outside Number 10 North, said: “Our shop has been buzzing with Mancs getting their hands on Burnham’s favourite bake. Sales have gone through the roof this morning – cheers, Andy.
“We thought we’d repay the favour and rename it to what the Prime Minister seems to fondly know it as, that Sausage, Bean and Cheese Thing.
Emily Sergeant -
23rd December 2025 
