by Charlie Hislop. Covid-19 Lockdown has affected everyone differently. Some people thrived, some struggled, some worked and some people wrote about it. And someone decided to collect some of that into a book. Lock Write Down is a poetry anthology curated by Robyn Hislop, produced as a way of...
Portrait of a poet: Estelle Phillips
by Anita Foxall. Poetry has been part of Estelle Phillips’ life since she was a small girl. Today she is a single mother of four who “is really bad at a lot of things and swears a lot, but can bake cakes.” Furthermore, she has made poetry a solid...
Southampton parent produces books to help children deal with worries
by Frances Churchward. Sarah Horsfall is a Southampton mother with two children who attend a local primary school. She has recently produced a series of books, The Owlbert Series, published by Tricorn Books written in rhyme, for primary aged children. Sarah explains why she decided to write the books: “There have...
Photos: the little things
by Mike Daish. I often hear the phrase, it’s the little things that matter most and I tend to agree. Since being able to get outside, with the easing of lockdown, and enjoy the local countryside again I have loved watching all the little things I have missed so...
Martin Brisland – amateur dramatics editor and heritage editor
I was born in Southampton in 1953, educated at Freemantle Juniors, King Edward VI School and the University of London, where I gained B.SC Econ. Later I gained an MA from the Open University. My working life was in further and higher education. I also had a parallel career...
Carolyn Thomas – writer
Throughout my working life as a journalist, I’ve been lucky enough to cover a wide range of subjects from computers to jewellery, telecoms to soap powder and, most recently, lots about education. Currently I write books about music and its makers, dead or alive, ranging from the young stars...
Hampshire company Solid 8 receiving death wishes after mistaken identity
by Sally Churchward. THE owners of a small Hampshire business are suffering a torrent of abusive calls, messages and reviews after irate social media users have mistaken them for a company in San Francisco. A video of the British CEO of San Francisco tech company Solid8, Michael Lofthouse, has...
Opinion: Don’t underestimate the power and value of theatre
Freelance costume supervisor and maker Aly Fielden, from Southampton, shares the letter she sent to Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary, chancellor Rishi Sunak and Southampton Test MP Alan Whitehead. She wrote the letter ahead of last night’s announcement of a £1.57bn emergency support package to help protect the future...
Opinion: Southampton’s creative community will leave lockdown loud and proud
On Thursday, Nuffield Southampton Theatres closed, having gone into administration in May, with a suitable buyer unable to be found. But Liam Gifford, the theatre group’s youth director, believes there is still a great deal of hope for culture in the city as he celebrates recent artistic collaborations and...
Charity behind Theatre Royal Winchester and Hat Fair needs £225,000 to survive
by Sally Churchward. The arts and education charity, Play to the Crowd which runs Theatre Royal Winchester, Hat Fair and Playmakers, has today announced that it needs to raise £225,000 by the end of September in order to survive beyond the Covid crisis. The news comes the day after...