By Megan Streb. On a typical Wednesday morning, a handful of volunteers gather at St Albans Church in Swaythling. They are there to help resolve Southampton residents’ financial problems, one at a time. “It’s all about the client – how they are, how they are affected by having debt....
Features
Charlie Barnes, live member of Bastille and solo artist, on his career of contrasts
By Sally Churchward. Image credit: Joe Horridge. Charlie Barnes’ latest album has been three years in the making and counting. Like so many other musicians, he squeezes his passion – writing, recording, booking gigs in toilet venues – between the demands of his day job, family and the general...
Marching to stop the deaths of children – Southampton’s peace protest for Palestine
By Sally Churchward. Additional reporting by Tom Williams. Children and babies were in the hearts and on the lips and handmade signs of protesters at Sunday afternoon’s peace march and rally for Palestine in Southampton (November 12). Children in Gaza trapped under rubble – missing, presumed dead. 4,600 dead...
Interview: Will Young – pop star turned activist, on animal testing and more
By Sally Churchward. Image: Michael Warley. Handcuffing himself to a puppy farm was not the first time Will Young had taken direct action about something he felt strongly about. Previously he tied himself to a tree in protest against the building of the Newbury bypass. A long-time activist, Will...
Remembering JPF Goodman – a poet’s life
By John Bruce. JPF – John Peter Frederick – Goodman 16/3/1960 to 7/9/2023 I’m sure there are people reading this who knew JPF far longer than I did, and who know more about him, but these are my reflections on a friend and poet who died recently. We met...
Interview: Uri Agnon on his new show, Antisemitism: a (((musical)))
Antisemitism artwork by Lily Ash Sakula New show Antisemitism: a (((musical))) comes to Southampton on November 1st. Creator, Uri Agnon, a PhD student and outreach fellow at the Parkes Institute for the Study of Jewish non-Jewish Relations at the University of Southampton talks to Sally Churchward about its background...
City vigil for Gaza
by Charlie Hislop More than 250 local people attended a Vigil for Gaza in Southampton on Tuesday night, on the day that the United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres called for a ‘humanitarian ceasefire’ (October 25). More than 5000 Palestinian civilians, including more than 2000 children have been killed...
The Full Monty, Cast Q&A, Mayflower Theatre
A new production of award-winning smash hit play, The Full Monty, starring TV favourites, Danny Hatchard (EastEnders), Jake Quickenden (X Factor, I’m A Celebrity…), and Bill Ward (Emmerdale, Coronation Street) is heading to Mayflower Theatre from Tuesday 7 to Saturday 11 November. We caught up with the cast to...
Interview: Ashley Banjo of Diversity talks about starring in this year’s Mayflower panto and more
Photos by Stuart Martin. This year’s Christmas pantomime at Southampton’s Mayflower Theatre is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, starring Britain’s Got Talent winners and street dance sensations, Ashley Banjo and Diversity, alongside panto royalty, Christopher Biggins. Diversity shot to fame in 2009 when they won Britain’s Got Talent...
Heritage: why are people from Southampton called Sotonians?
By Martin Brisland. Photo: Mike Daish. Do you regard yourself as a Sotonian? Do you live in Soton? Have you ever wondered where these words come from? They are thought to have been first used by a former Southern Daily Echo editor Clarence Firbank Carr (1892-1979). Echo journalists found...