Focusing on some of the individuals who make up our community.

By Sally Churchward. In our People in Common section we meet some of the local people who help make our communities so vibrant. Here we chat to illustrator and graphic novel creator Michael Dymock.   He had had a passion for illustration since childhood.  But it was when Michael Dymock began to think about turning

Words and pictures by photographer Chris Moorhouse. Five months after Katherine Barbour was elected as Southampton’s first Green councillor, Chris Moorhouse asks how it’s going.  Her smile at being elected in the early hours of the morning of May 6th was an abiding image of this year’s local election count. She became Southampton’s first ever

Southampton-based author Yarrow Townsend has been shortlisted for a prestigious children’s book award. The Branford Boase Award acknowledges particular talent among debut children’s writers alongside the hard work of their editors.  Yarrow’s book, The Map of Leaves, has been shortlisted for the award, alongside six others.  Yarrow said: “To be shortlisted among six books, out of

By Charlie Hislop. Dan Mar-Molinero – for many years at the core of Southampton’s music scene and music education has finally released an album of his own music. ‘Taproot’ came out on Bandcamp today (March 3). It’s a big band, lockdown-created, Ivor Novello award-nominated jazz project. It’s Dan’s work from start to finish – composer,

by Anita Foxall. Poetry Platform is a warm welcoming spoken word open mic held at the Railway Inn in Winchester on the first Tuesday of every month. I met its incredibly talented host/poet, Stephen Ripper Mizzen, for a conversation about his open mic, his love of poetry and all poetry related things. Poetry Platform was

by Anna-Maria Bauer. Carol Boulton helps horses to come to trust with humans and people to lose their fear of the animals – and sometimes life in general. It is the calmness you notice first. The grounded, strong way Carol Boulton walks, the relaxed manner with which she interacts with the horses that makes them

by Martin Brisland. Jim Chorley – acoustic/folk singer-songwriter from Southampton. They say you should write about what you know. ‘Painting Circles in the Corn’ is certainly that. It is Jim Chorley’s song which immortalises an amazing family story. In 1991 Doug Bower and Jim’s father, Dave Chorley, from Southampton, confessed to having made crop circles

by Charlie Hislop. There can’t be any band in Southampton whose first ambition wasn’t to play at the Joiners. And there are few successful UK bands who haven’t played there on tour. What they all remember is the big guy inside the door: Pat ‘the Joiners’ Muldowney.  For twenty years, Pat has been the heartbeat

by Chris Richards. Atelier n. a workshop or studio, esp. of an artist or designer. There’s a quirky shop front at 19 Church Street, Southampton. Tucked round the corner from Shirley’s suburban high street, on a side road where a few small shops soon give way to housing and the dramatic edifice of Shirley

by Charlie Hislop.  “I said ‘I’ll make it work. I’ve always been determined.’” Anyone who has met him will know that’s Kelly talking– Ram Kalyan. He could have been talking about any one of his projects, but he’s explaining how nearly 20 years ago he turned a four week temporary radio project with a narrow

by Charlie Hislop. The race is on “17 years, 2 degrees centigrade – those are the only statistics you need to understand climate change,” says Southampton filmmaker Paul Maple, director of ‘The Race is On’.  Once Earth’s temperature goes up 2 degrees, climate change is irreversible. We have 17 years left of pollution from burning

by Sally Churchward. African Activities has been bringing art, music and storytelling to people, particularly schoolchildren, across the south for more than a decade. It’s a dream come true for Kwame Bakoji-Hume, who felt a strong desire to share African culture with the people around him. “In Ghana, not a day passes without a neighbour sharing

by Sally Churchward. POLITICS run in Simon Cotton’s blood. As a child, he spent much of his time hanging out at his grandad’s house in Shirley, Southampton, where The Sun newspaper was banned, and where Simon was schooled in the importance of being in a union. The older man instilled respect for working people into

by Stephanie Palmer. “I firmly believe that you do volunteering totally for your own benefit.” That’s the self-deprecating start to my conversation with Marguerite Rayner, volunteer for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. Retired housing officer Marguerite has spent nearly every Monday morning for the past four years supporting the charity’s pre-school forest

by Sally Churchward.   Laxmi Morgan, a carer from Southampton, is combining a huge home clear out with fundraising vital funds for charities which are close to her heart. As well as having a close friend who has suffered with ongoing mental health issues, and been sectioned, Laxmi has worked in health and social care