Freelance journalist covering culture, society, politics, and lifestyle. Bylines in The Guardian, Metro, Vice UK, Kerrang! and others.
16 and 60: Travelling through Europe with my grandmother
Drifting across the Danube River on a warm evening, Budapest’s majestic Parliament Building to the right of me, it’s no exaggeration to suggest that I felt like my whole life had led to that moment.
Sat there alongside my grandmother and a couple of our fellow travellers, we soaked up the scene. The grey skies of the UK seemed a world away, and I couldn’t imagine wanting to be anywhere else.
This was the first time in my life I’d been able to choose a holiday destination. Knowing that I was k...
To Topple, or Not to Topple
Despite pressure from activists, local council votes to keep the statue of Robert Clive in Shrewsbury, U.K
In the middle of the central square in the charming market town of Shrewsbury stands a bronze statue of Robert Clive, or “Clive of India”—the first British governor of the Bengal Presidency.
While the statue of former slave trader Edward Colston was toppled into the river in nearby Bristol, the statue of Clive remains intact. Kuldip Sahota, a former council leader in neighbouring Telford...
How Nu-Metal Crept Back Into Popular Consciouness
When you think of nu-metal, your mind might go to 2001 and conjure up images of angsty teens wearing baggy clothes and silver chains while listening to Linkin Park, and for good reason. However, despite being something we think of as being as distinctly ‘turn-of-the-Millennium’ as New Labour or Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, nu-metal has seen an unlikely resurgence of sorts over the last couple of years, creeping up in the output of some of our most creative contemporary artists.
A combinati...
Beat the graduate blues: how to prepare for life after university
Around half of students report feeling low after leaving university, according to a recent study which highlighted a lack of support available to recent graduates. “There are lots of reasons why they might experience difficulties with their mental health. Moving on after studying can be both exciting and daunting,” says Stephen Buckley, head of information at Mind. However, there are steps you can take in your final year at university to make the transition easier.
Avoid comparisons
“It is co...
Do climate protests impact policy?
“It’s my view now that legal protest is only legal because it’s not a serious threat to our existing economic and political systems [which are] the real source of the climate crisis. Although the climate strikes were important for raising awareness, I’d argue that the changes they brought about were quite abstract and didn’t actually stop any kind of environmental destruct...
Unpacking Our Childhood Obsession with Jacqueline Wilson
Mention Jacqueline Wilson to your average British twenty-something, and they will be able to talk at length about her books. The story of April, abandoned in a dustbin as a baby. Elsa, who lives in a bed-and-breakfast with her family or Dolphin and her eccentrically tattooed mum. One of the best known children’s writers in the UK, Wilson was the most-borrowed author from British libraries for four years in the mid-noughties, and has sold over 40 million books to date. In 2018, Wilson reprised...
IDLES’ AF Gang Fan Community Proves That Social Media Isn’t Always Toxic
IDLES might have released Joy as an Act of Resistance last year, but the album’s nomination for the Mercury Prize has propelled it back into spotlight – that is, if it ever really left. One of the hottest UK bands around right now, IDLES have risen from obscurity in Bristol to headlining London’s 9,000 person Alexandra Palace later this year, generating hordes of fans in their wake.
Wherever IDLES go, the AF Gang will follow. With over 20,000 members, the IDLES fan group is home the ...
This Marginal Seat Is a Litmus Test For the Struggling NHS
“I am so passionate about my career, but I do not think that I will be able to continue practicing if the cuts continue,” Emma*, a student nurse, tells me candidly. I’m in Southampton, a city that’s divided between the Conservatives and Labour more than most. Tory MP Royston Smith holds onto the constituency of Southampton Itchen with just 31 votes – it’s the tightest Tory-held marginal in the country, and one Labour will feel they need to win if they’re to come out of this election successfu...
How to bring romance back into your relationship, according to the experts
Often, it seems like there just aren’t enough hours in the day – you and your partner can feel like passing ships in the night as you juggle the demands of everyday life – especially seeing as the past year has been more difficult for us all.
Work, children, ageing parents – there are plenty of reasons why couples can struggle to find the time for romance.
According to a recent survey, just over half of married adults (51%) feel like there’s ‘no romance’ there, while 45% are unsatisfied with ...
In defence of... Telford
A little over 50 years ago, the British government decided to designate a “new town” in the rural county of Shropshire, taking in the smaller towns of Dawley, Oakengates, and Wellington. Thirty miles north west of Birmingham, it helped to deal with the increasing urban sprawl, and eased congestion, in the West Midlands. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn went to school in Newport – another one of these towns which forms the borough of Telford & Wrekin.
Telford is unusual amongst New Towns, in that i...
Here’s How To Become A Freelance Journalist While You’re Still Studying
As a student looking to break into journalism, you’ll get a lot of advice thrown your way. You’ll hear a lot about work experience, honing your CV or finding jobs. But we’d bet a pretty penny that you won’t hear enough about how to launch your freelance career. Yes, we mean launching it right now.
It might seem like a big jump, but once you’ve racked up a decent amount of experience on placements through your course, or on your student newspaper, there’s absolutely no reason you shouldn’t thr...
London penthouse where you can arrive by helicopter on sale for £2.1million
What can £2.1 million buy?
You could get over eight million Freddos for that figure, but we think a wiser decision would be to buy this London penthouse.
On sale for the princely sum of £2.1m, it takes up the top two floors of Vicentia Court in Battersea, overlooking the Thames. It boasts a designer kitchen, a private balcony and three bedroom suites, along with plenty of other amenities.
The lower floor of the apartment has a sizeable reception room and floor-to-ceiling windows offering pict...
Staying Seen: Being Bi in Relationships with Straight People
When you identify as queer but enter into relationships with heterosexual people, or those with of a different gender to your own, it can feel odd to consolidate these two parts of your identity. You’re not straight, but society can perceive you that way – where do you fit in, exactly?
I knew that I wasn’t straight when I was in my teens. I knew that I wasn’t gay either; if we were to go by the Kinsey scale – for all its faults – I’d hover around a 1 or a 2. This was confusing for me to come ...
Chef shares hack for making the perfect roast potatoes
Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside – the perfect roast potato can transform your Christmas dinner into something to savour.
It’s the cornerstone of the roast dinner, and every budding chef has their own technique when it comes to serving up dream roasties.
This festive season, however, you might want to follow the advice of Tom ‘Westy’ Westerland, head chef at Crockers Henley in Henley-on-Thames as he shares his own trick to achieve gloriously crispy roast potatoes.
Sharing his secr...