By Andy Hirst

The Queen has been on the throne for 70 years and in that time our lives have changed beyond all recognition.

We all know the huge technological changes that people could never have foreseen in 1952 – computers, mobile phones, TV and entertainment – you get the picture.

But there have also been a lot of ‘unsung heroes’ along the way that have made our lives so much better.

And then there are a few flops and missed chances when things could have been made better, but ultimately weren’t.

So here we have a selection of the good, the bad and the plain old ugly of how our lives have changed since the Queen’s coronation. Hopefully it will provoke a few memories and talking points.

Health and safety: We’ve all heard the phrase ‘health and safety gone mad’ but if you were a child born in the 1950s, 60s or 70s it’s a wonder you ever survived!

Back then new mums would think nothing of putting their babies outside the house in prams; cars had no seatbelts; pregnant women would happily smoke and drink; passive smoking everywhere; no-one wore bike helmets so if you fell off you’d be expected to learn from it and not fall off again; and young people regularly hitch-hiked and got into strangers’ cars…

So, perhaps after all, life is better now we are more safety-conscious.

Food: In 1952 there was no such thing as convenience foods in housewives’ minds – and we use that somewhat outdated word intentionally as most couples were married, the man went out to work and his wife looked after the home and fed the family.

So, yes, it was convenient for everyone except the lady of the house who was expected to cook the meat and two veg every day … often at lunchtime. Convenience foods started to…