Deborah Grace puts on her trainers and heads outdoors to make the most of the longer days and warmer weather. Along with lighter nights and birdsong, one sure sign of early summer is having to dodge a sea of lycra, determinedly pounding (or plodding) the […]
Andrew Simpson remembers Manchester’s first Brass Band. Chorlton’s was one of the oldest brass bands in the country having been started in the 1820s. The Stalybridge Band is older and can claim to have marched into St Peter’s Fields on the day of the Peterloo […]
Katherine Watson has expert advice on how to help bees and other pollinating insects. Last month, I attended a fascinating talk by Dr Paul Cross, a bee specialist from Bangor University. Dr. Cross and his researchers have been looking at a range of interventions to […]
Our friends at the Vegetarian Society have a colourful way to help you to your Five a Day. Serves 4 For the vegetable sauce 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, peeled and diced 1 carrot, peeled and diced 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed […]
Author and journalist Tessa Boase sheds an original – and surprising – light on the lives of Manchester’s heroic, campaigning women. In a glass cabinet, deep inside the Museum of London, is a luxurious purple feather once worn on the hat of Emmeline Pankhurst. The suffragette leader wore it […]
Cath Dyson presents walks which begin and end on public transport. This time, we’re strolling along the banks of the Mersey, between two bridges. Got your boots? Got your ticket? Let’s get out there! Walking on or near the River Mersey is a great pleasure […]
Don’t wait till Christmas to enjoy a classic nut roast. Alex Connell, Principal Tutor at the Vegetarian Society Cookery School, shares his recipe. Wonderful roasted heirloom vegetables with sumac carrot smash make the perfect accompaniments. This nut roast is vegan, gluten-free and wheat-free. You can […]
… we want nut roast! Chef Alex Connell, Principal Tutor at the Vegetarian Society Cookery School, shares his recipe for a Merry Veggie Christmas. I love Christmas; just thinking about it gives me that buzz of excitement and endorphins! For me, the perfect Christmas has […]
Laura Wilkinson, appearing at Chorlton Book Festival, talks to Deborah Grace about the inspiration for her disturbing new novel, Skin Deep. Hulme in the 1980s – its infamous Crescents menacing the skyline – provides the landscape for Laura Wilkinson’s new novel, a powerful study of […]
The natural world gives us beautiful landscapes and amazing soundscapes too. Katherine Watson has been deep listening As we drift through the leaves and gold of autumn, headlong into a long, garden-quiet winter, I can’t help but succumb to a slower, contemplative mode in relation […]