The UK Today

• Post-war immigration means that nearly 10% of the population has a parent or grandparent born outside the UK.
• The longest distance on the mainland is from John O’Groats on the north coast of Scotland to Land’s End in the south-west corner of England. It is about 870 miles (approximately 1400 kilometres).
• The monarch has the right to select the Archbishop and other senior church officials, but usually, the choice is made by the Prime Minister and a committee appointed by the Church.
• Several Church of England bishops sit in the House of Lords.
• In Scotland, the national Church is the Church of Scotland, which is a Presbyterian Church.
• The chairperson of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the Moderator, who is appointed for one year only and often speaks on behalf of that Church.
• Diwali normally falls in October or November and lasts for five days. It is often called the Festival of Lights.
• There is a famous celebration of Diwali in Leicester.
• Mothering Sunday (or Mother’s Day) is the Sunday three weeks before Easter. Children send cards or buy gifts for their mothers.
• Bonfire Night is on the 5th of November, where people in Great Britain set off fireworks at home or in special displays. The origin of this celebration was an event in 1605, when a group of Catholics led by Guy Fawkes failed in their plan to kill the Protestant king with a bomb in the Houses of Parliament.