Born on 1 January 1994

Back in 1994, life felt like it was shifting into a higher gear, though we were still firmly tethered to the sofa by a corded landline. It was the year you couldn’t nip to the shops without hearing Wet Wet Wet’s "Love Is All Around" blasting from every Ford Fiesta; it topped the charts for fifteen weeks straight, a feat that felt both legendary and slightly exhausting. We were all obsessed with *Mr.

Blobby* and *Noel’s House Party*, but the real water-cooler talk was the very first National Lottery draw in November—everyone genuinely believed they’d be the one to "be in it to win it." The summer was a scorcher, perfectly timed for the release of *The Lion King* and *Four Weddings and a Funeral*, which had everyone rushing to the cinema in cargo trousers and oversized flannel shirts. We’d spend our nights nursing a bottle of Hooch or a lukewarm Boddingtons, tucked into a pub corner talking about the opening of the Channel Tunnel or Cantona’s latest antics.

Kids were driving their parents mad begging for a Mighty Morphin Power Ranger, while the rest of us were just trying to master the art of the perfect brew while waiting for *The Vicar of Dibley* to start. It was a simpler, sunnier time, full of Britpop promise and the crinkle of a Walkers prawn cocktail crisp packet.