Exploring the literary walks of East Hampshire

Ten years ago, I started life as a student in Southampton, milling around the city and nearby Winchester. But it wasn’t until returning for a weekend of walking that I discovered the significance of Hampshire’s literary history. The opportunity to following in writer’s footsteps feels so romantic, unearthing stories hidden for hundreds of years. Our...

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My trek along the Great Wall of China for Alzheimer’s Society

Standing in Huangyaguan, a small rural Chinese town, we see the Great Wall for the first time – majestic and daunting, rising into the mountains behind us. Most tourists visit the busy, restored sections of the wall, but with local guides we’re fortunate to start our trek in this beautiful valley in the heart of the Yanshan...

Port Eliot: a festival like no other

Without a doubt, Port Eliot is my favourite festival of the year. Set on the beautiful St Germans estate along the River Tiddy, it’s a one-off blend of music, arts, food, words, wellbeing, workshops and more - inspiration for all. I love Port Eliot because whether you’re with family or friends, every person’s experience of the festival is different....

Walking holiday in Brighton’s South Downs

I’ve got many happy memories of exploring Brighton – throwing stones into the sea, eating chips on the pier and shopping in The Lanes. Brighton is one of my favourite towns, but I’d never strayed far beyond its centre. So I packed up my car, Bella the dog on the backseat and my walking boots...

Vegetarian delights at Food For Friends in Brighton

As a vegetarian, eating out can often become an inevitably dull round of mushroom soups. Whilst in Brighton, I enjoyed dinner at the award-winning vegetarian and vegan restaurant, Food For Friends. Set in the heart of The Lanes, Food For Friends offers exciting and artfully presented dishes with fresh ingredients served in imaginative combinations. The...

Gifted film review

From Marc Webb, the director of (500) Days of Summer, Gifted is a beautiful and inspiring story of love and finding the strength to speak up. Living in a small town on Florida’s coast, Frank Adler (Chris Evans) is left to raise and home-school his seven-year-old niece Mary (Mckenna Grace) alone. But, determined to give her as normal...

Film review: The Sense of an Ending

Directed by Ritesh Batra. This is a film about life and how we routinely stroll through it without stopping to really look at our story. Tony (Jim Broadbent), retired and living alone, is doing just that until a diary, left to him by an old acquaintance, knocks him from this cycle and forces him to look...

Interview with street artist Harriet Wood, aka Miss Hazard

Harriet Wood has been voted by The Guardian as one of the top five female graffiti artists in the UK and The Huffington Post as one of the top 25 female street artists worldwide. I spoke to Harriet, know as Miss Hazard, about her crowdfunding community arts project. How and why were you inspired become a...

Film review: Miss Sloane

Fierce, determined and undefeated, Elizabeth Sloane (Jessica Chastain) is a powerful American lobbyist - described by her colleagues as an ice cube personified. ‘I was hired to win,’ she states. ‘And I use whatever resources I have.’ But when she abandons a high profile client to fight the side of a small campaign to improve...