Photo by Richard Bell, unsplash Cheltenham, the cultural capital of the Cotswolds, strikes a rare balance. It has preserved its Regency charm while adapting to modern demands. This makes it an interesting case study in understanding how people choose where … Continue reading
Shower time can be a challenge for parents and a chore for kids—especially after a long day of play or school. But it doesn’t have to be! With a few creative tweaks and practical tips, shower time can transform from … Continue reading
As a teacher I taught The Great Fire of London to my Year 2 class After having already terrified them by teaching about The Plague I always thought it would be a topic better taught to older children Now as … Continue reading
The Boy In The Suit Is an incredible book An almost but not quite unbelievable tale Tenderly told This is a moving story Packed with power Hard hitting contemporary reality Which I found, at times, very hard to read A … Continue reading
As a mother of three dyslexic daughters All avid readers and lovers of stories Graphic Novels have become a passion Our growing collection covers a wide range of topics Features fact and fiction A wonderful array of art styles Classic … Continue reading
As a family we love going to the theatre My children are all keen watchers and performers With Bea making her professional stage debut this year My children have grown up with trips to The Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury We … Continue reading
I wanted to show off some of Bea’s monologues on my blog Bea is 9 years old and is an aspiring actress She has recently made her professional stage debut At The Royal Opera House In the opera Andrea Chenier … Continue reading
AD PR Press Trip The Boy At The Back Of The Class A book Esther, William and I adored Back in 2020 (I cannot believe it has been 4 years!) A book I plan to read again Next month For … Continue reading
Four children on an island
Surrounded by roads
Rather than water
Hidden in plain sight
Escaped to a slither
Of wilderness
Beside a busy motorway
Four children unwanted
Bullied
Betrayed
Broken
Four children
Utterly alone
Completely let down
Stealing to survive
Living off the land
Learning together
Leaning on one another
Four children and a dog
Sharing food and resources
Sharing knowledge and skills
Sharing stories
Equals
A story of self discovery
Of friendship
Of belonging
Of recovering
Regrowing
A story of found families
Four children searching for safety
Seeking a better way of life
Gil
An orphan
Passed from one foster family
To another
Promised always
That this time it would be different
But it never was
Riley and Grayson
Beaten brothers
Bullied boys
Abused by their father
Always feeling one
Must be the bad one
Pez
Wonderful and wild
A way with animals
Abandoned by all
Let down by those
She loved the most
Rejected and left alone
By those who never ever should
Outcast for being
A curious child
Four children on an island
Full of secrets
Hearts full of courage
Heads full of dreams
Each full of hurt
Memories filled with
Confusion and horror and pain
Four children and a dog
And a condor
Four friends
A found family
Bonded
Belonging together
Loyal to the last
Loyal when it matters most
Four children threatened
Four children afraid
Four children run
Together
To start over
Again
Only this time
No longer alone
Nowhere Island is written by Tania Unsworth
It is published by Zephyr Books
If like me you were a teen in the 90s
And Take That were your guilty pleasure
Then Greatest Days is
The juke box musical for you
It is not the story of THE band
But the story of five friends
Bonded by their love of a boy band
Five fans who shared the ups and downs
Of their teenage years
Together with their favourite band
Providing the soundtrack
This story starts in 1993
When the girls are 16
Rather like the Spice Girls
Of the same era
Each girl has their own distinct
Look and personality
Their own hopes and dreams
But together they are a team
Until on the night their dreams
Should have come true
Tragedy strikes
And the terrible event
Leads to the girls
All going their own separate ways
We meet them again
25 years later
When one of the friends
Wins tickets to a reunion gig
For the band they all adored
The girls meet up
And through a mix of
Comedy and dramatic storytelling
Slick dance routines and
Take That tunes
We find out what has happened
To each of the girls
Through the past quarter of a century
As together
Reunited
They reform
And help one another find themselves again
For women of a certain age
This is an incredibly moving musical
It reminded me of Mamma Mia
With a dose of Ab Fab
I laughed a lot
I loved explaining the 90s references
To my 13 year old daughter
I was 13 when I first watched Take That
On Cool Cube!
I was 18 when I was Lulu
For five male friends being
Take That
In a sixth form show
I was 30 when my sister and I went
To see Robbie Williams at Roundhay Park
I was 35 when all the songs meanings
Changed for me
When Baby Tilda died
(All the stars are coming out tonight)
There were some magical moments in this show
My favourite being when
The middle aged women
Were conforted and supported
By their younger selves
When by looking back
They were able to move forward
Greatest Days cemented for me
The power of the music we love
To help us keep our memories alive
To take us back to specific moments
In our lives
To help us tell our story
To the ones we love
To the next generation
This was a brilliant night out
For Esther and I
For anyone who has ever loved a boy band
For anyone who finds themselves
Looking back through the lens of music
For any fans of The Boys
For readers of Smash Hits
Greatest Days is the musical you never knew you needed
But you do
It will put a spring in your step and a song in your heart
As you remember your own Greatest Days
The ones you will Never Forget
The ones of which we all
Hope for more x
Greatest Days is on at The Marlowe until Saturday 5th August