There was chanting on Mersey waterfront. Chanting and stomping of feet.

Outside The Lowry in Salford, visitors are greeted by a 7ft tall wood carving of the Gruffalo, complete with black tongue, orange eyes and a purple, spiky back. The figure makes a fitting start for an ...

When Yorkshire-born Kieran Hodgson joined the cast of BBC Scotland’s hit comedy series Two Doors Down, he decided to go “all in” and relocate with his partner to Glasgow. “I haven’t done a show for ...

You know that thing where you buy a new blue mini and all you see for days are new blue minis? Or you have a baby and suddenly the world is full of people with babies? I’m having a moment like that ...

During lockdown, retail manager Aiden Ryan wanted to use his time constructively. Armed with only a whisk and a dream, first-time baker Ryan decided to try his hand at cake-making with a view to ...

I took a leap of faith going to Underneath the Stars festival. For a weekend, I was a Manc in Yorkshire on my own. I’ve never done a festival solo but, after two amazing days, I’d thoroughly recommend ...

Perhaps the greatest difficulty facing any reviewer of the poetry of John Cooper Clarke is resisting the temptation simply to quote all the best bits. The difficulty is further compounded by there ...

Writing a pop song is more difficult than it looks. Compressing the poetic with the melodic in phrases memorable enough to catch the rhythm of the heart, its surface sheen of simplicity is the glamour ...

The act of writing is by nature a solitary one. It’s also – and here I must ask for your forgiveness for what follows – an endeavour all too ripe for metaphor. In many ways, the writer is a perennial ...

Before moving to the Bury area, I had never considered the importance of community gardens. Now that I’m surrounded by a wealth of horticultural creations – all created by people with a desire to ...

Sixteen: it’s such a tender age, when young people are discovering exactly who they are and finding their true passions. At the age of 16, John Maher left St Bede’s College to join Buzzcocks as ...

Relax. You know the song. And you probably know the band, Frankie Goes to Hollywood. But can you recall who sang lead vocals on the 1984 track? Top pop points if your answer was Holly Johnson, the ...