Mollie Gallagher carries Clarice Starling strongly. Clarice must negotiate the tortuous gap between learning the ropes at the FBI and extracting information from convicted serial killer Hannibal Lecter played vivaciously by John Partridge. Lecter acts as an oracle for the darkest corners of the human mind. At the same time, more is revealed about Buffalo Bill’s victims (alias for the character we discover is called Jame Gumb) played by Sam Jackson. As we get closer to seeing the disgusting nature of his crimes, with the moth – transformation made flesh – becoming the final key that leads Clarice into a deadly confrontation with Gumb, she also rescues the final damsel in distress – Catherine Martin who is played carefully on the knife edge of despair and dark humour by Lottie Amor.

For me, the story is very much about size: physical size, appetite, ambition and stature with the added minimising of women’s stature and the obvious danger and insidious nature of that. Gallagher’s Clarice looks vulnerable to those who underestimate her but is intellectually formidable and highly physically trained to defend herself. There are some interesting moments of that tension throughout.

Oddly though, there wasn’t all that much made of Hannibal actually being a cannibal which…hello?! I said I wouldn’t talk about the original but come one, Harris didn’t make that rhyme for nothing.

The production itself is high spec. Taylor’s set makes clever use of different levels while Hannibal’s glass cell can glide into different positions, allowing scenes and characters to overlap without the stage becoming cluttered. It gives the production a cinematic slickness while still feeling theatrical.

I was far more engaged with the second act, when the battle of wills heightens between Clarice, Hannibal and the FBI, parallelled by Jame Gumb and Catherine. Lottie Amor gives Catherine real survival instinct, she is biding her time, managing Gumb during the worst possible moment of her life and trying to persuade him to see her as a person rather than a pelt.

Clarice is doing a similar thing in a different arena – pandering, accommodating and continually proving herself to the men around her, to get where she needs to go. And balancing this by teasing vital information from Lecter. Ironically, Hannibal sometimes seems the easiest of them for her to manage.

The first half was too angry for me, but one quieter moment I felt worked well was when Clarice was dealing with the body of Kimberly Jane Emberg, the murdered young woman with the glittery nail polish who was the seamstress and instrumental to the plot. She listens, looks at and actually sees the young policemen who brought the body in and how he needed to stay with her.

The Silence of the Lambs at The Lowry is slick, grisly and visually impressive. For me it finds real bite after the interval, when the psychological games finally take control.

The Silence of the Lambs is at Lowry, Salford from 7-10 October 2026.

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Salford’s community has created a set of banners celebrating the city, and they are now touring the places where the people live who created and inspired them.

The Salford Voices Banner Exhibition, from award-winning Salford arts company Art with Heart, was made by local residents at Broughton Community Centre with artists Chris Alton and Emily Simpson.

The exhibition, which draws on several generations of the community, opened at Salford Museum and Art Gallery earlier this year. It is now on a seven-venue autumn tour, which began at Media City. The remaining stops include leisure centres, a shopping centre and community hubs across the city. These events on the tour allow a space to see the banners and have an interactive experience that resonates with visitors and invites them to reflect on Salford’s history.

The banners came out of artist-led workshops and a visit to the People’s History Museum, where participants explored the long tradition of protest and community banners. It includes art from younger generations who are looking to Salford’s future, while others reflect on its past and on what has made the city what it is. The designs bring together Salford’s landmarks, green spaces, waterways, industrial heritage and its modern media and technology industries.

The banners include a range of symbols from birds to represent migration to a sycamore tree from one contributor’s garden, each allows a different interpretation of Salford and personal approach.

The exhibition has been designed so that everyone can experience it. It includes audio description by access consultant Ada Eravama, and two small tactile banners let blind and partially sighted visitors explore elements of the work through touch.

Rosie Sergent, a freelance producer and artist who founded the zine project Drawn Poorly, is one of the artists running the tour’s craft pop-ups. “This is celebrating different art groups,’ she says, “and taking it out and about in public places allows people to physically come and see this artwork.

“We are interested in making things happen and allowing a space for people to create art which is authentic to them. Salford seems to be overlooked and is known as the second city, but there is a huge amount of history, warmth and sense of community here that these banners represent. As well as celebrating all the different arts groups which create Salford.”

Alongside the banners, free craft pop-ups offer Salford-themed activities such as zine-making, poetry and portrait drawing. The sessions are led by local artists including Rosie Sergent, community artist Phoebe Foxtrot, illustrator Alison Erika Forde, writer and performer Jenny May Morgan and mural painter Becki Miller.

Visitors can also sign a Centenary Celebration Book, made by Salford family bookbinders Walker Print, and write about the kind of place they would like Salford to be in 100 years’ time. Signatories so far include City Mayor Paul Dennett, Coronation Street actor Cath Tyldesley, members of the Salford Red Devils supporters’ club and the city’s Local History Society.

Where to see it:
• Worsley Leisure Centre: Monday 12 October, 3pm–7pm
• Broughton Hub: Wednesday 14 October. Banners on display 3pm–5pm, then zines, craft and portraits with Phoebe Foxtrot 5pm–8pm
• Swinton Gateway: Monday 19 to Friday 23 October in the upstairs exhibition space, with pop-up activities on Monday 19 October, 4.30pm–8.30pm
• Irlam and Cadishead Leisure Centre: Tuesday 27 October, 1.30pm–5.30pm
• Walkden Shopping Centre: Wednesday 28 October, 11am–3pm
• Langworthy Cornerstone: Monday 2 to Friday 6 November, 9am–8pm, with a closing celebration on Friday 6 November, 11am–1pm

Visit artwithheart.org.uk for more information. Read our interview with artist Emily Simpson.

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This new co-production between HOME, Northern Stage, the Citizens Theatre, and in association with Royal & Derngate is the director’s first Shakespeare play, and he draws us into each character with an intimate eye.

The result is an overwhelming feeling of claustrophobia and paranoia that eventually become the undoing of Othello. Setting the action in an isolated military outpost during the 1980s Falklands War adds to the pressure cooker feel of uncertainty and simmering violence. It adds an element of modern day to this 400-year-old drama and with it a brutal realism of ongoing social battles with racism, class and misogyny. We recognise soldiers under stress of battle, the testosterone-fuelled environment, the harsh authority of rank and the need to let off steam in Cassio’s drunken scene as squaddies party to crowd-pleaser Dexys Midnight Runners’ ‘Come on Eileen’. Knowingly, Almeida notes: “Othello is full of war, politics and public life. Yet the real damage happens between people who love one another”.

When we first meet Othello (Dwane Walcott) he is sharp and assured in the face of military and personal conflict. The love between him and Desdemona (Phoebe Smyth) feels genuine and joyous, as well as a source of strength for them both.

Maanuv Thiara’s Iago unravels their bond with terrifying ease, as if playing a game. Thiara plays ‘honest Iago’ as the conman hiding in plain sight. He is no pantomime villain, but a snake oil salesman who draws people in despite their better judgement. He is the psychopath whose carefree smile keeps us fascinated in this psychological thriller. It is an engrossing performance.

Natasha Jenkin’s sparse set of caged metal and barbed wire amplifies the cold darkness of the unfolding events. This is layered, to mixed effect, by Erin Guan’s video projections which see Roderigo (Matthiew Sys) filming and magnifying parts of the action on screens behind and overhead. This works well for Cassio’s fight scene but feels distracting in others. The menacing bass soundscape from Matthew Tuckey, also feels an unnecessy addition, being both distracting and uncomfortable in its vibration if you’re sitting close to the speakers.

The cast is excellent all round. However, there are two confident stage debuts that warrant special mention. Smyth brings spark and wit to Desdemona that makes us feel for her as more than a mere pawn caught up in man’s power struggle. Will Stanton as Cassio is reminiscent of watching a young Andrew Garfield. His is an assured performance delivered with exceptional clarity.

As with all Shakespearian tragedies we know we are being led to a bloody end, and Almedia delivers this with unwavering violence that is rightly shocking.

Othello is at Home Manchester from 30 September to 10 October 2026 before continuing on tour.

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I mention this because those with modern tastes might feel a musical this old is of no relevance. But Cole Porter’s timeless songs have never gone out of fashion. This Barbican Theatre production doesn’t reach the rarefied heights of the 2021 Anything Goes (also by Porter) but then nothing could. High Society still makes for a fabulous night of escapism.

Helen George (from Call the Midwife) leads a 28 strong cast as glamorous socialite Tracy Lord, joined by musical stalwarts Nigel Lindsay (Kiss Me Kate), Julian Ovenden (South Pacific), and Carly Mercedez Dyer (who made a strong impression in Singing in the Rain at the Royal Exchange a few years ago, and is similarly excellent here). You could write the plot on the back of a champagne coaster: as plans for the society wedding of the year slowly descend into chaos, where old and new flames jostle for attention. All the while, a sharp eyed tabloid reporter sneakily hunts for a scandalous expose at this opulent, waterfront mansion.  

High Society has always been a prestige affair. Its origins go back to the 1940 film The Philadelphia Story – which starred Cary Grant, James Stewart and Katherine Hepburn – widely regarded as one of the best of the so called ‘screwball comedies’ (which were characterized by sexual politics, and fast paced dialogue). The original play was by Philip Barry, and this touring adaptation is by the late Arthur Kopit, for whom I will always have a soft spot, mostly because he wrote Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Momma’s Hung You in the Closet and I’m Feeling So Sad (that was eventually turned into a movie, and featured famed screwball actress Rosalind Russell). The 1956 High Society starred Frank Sinatra, Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong.

All of this pop culture trivia might be squishing your head. The point being that these performers cast a long shadow but director Rachel Kavanaugh isn’t easily fazed. Helen George has been in Call the Midwife since 2012, so there’s an element of letting loose in her performance, after years of being constrained by a signature role. She’s a strong singer and dancer, and brings a smart, controlled physicality to the part which put me in mind of a zany flamingo, if one can imagine such a thing. Freddie Fox has the best name in showbiz is rather good as newspaper snoop Mike Connor. Some directors try and conceal non musical performers in shows like this, sticking them at the back of the chorus to hide their left feet but Fox proves a nifty mover (and ‘You’re Sensational’ is one of the highlight numbers). As Dexter, Tracy’s ex, Julian Ovenden is smoother than a Cointreau latte. And as is usually the case with golden age musicals, the supporting players threaten to steal each scene – Nigel Lindsay almost getting away with daylight robbery as flamboyant Uncle Willie.

The flaw in High Society lies in the script. There’s no escaping the fact Tracy’s fiancé George Kittredge is an underwritten role; he exists as a foil, a living breathing reaction rather than a three dimensional person. David Seadon-Young has drawn the short straw here (though his wedding telegram scene is adroitly played). Ultimately, High Society is a love triangle with one side missing, and that translates into zero dramatic tension.

But everyone is here for the songs, and Porter saved his best for High Society: You Do Something To Me, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Be A Clown, Well Did You Evah, Just One of Those Things, I’ve Got You Under My Skin – one banger after another. Act Two’s Let’s Misbehave justifies admission alone, a perfect synthesis of music, movement and costume (designer Jon Morrell goes above and beyond for this one). The highest praise a critic can give a show is that they would happily watch it twice. Enough said.

High Society is at Lowry, Salford from 22 September to 3 October 2026 before continuing on tour.

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Starring in a splashy new production of the classic Cole Porter musical High Society, Helen George is in her element. Her father was a big jazz fan. “So I grew up listening to all the greats like Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra singing those wonderful Cole Porter melodies,” Birmingham-born Helen recalls fondly. “Doing this show is really special for me because this is the music that I grew up with and sang along to.”

From the producers of equally dazzling revivals of Porter’s Anything Goes and Kiss Me, Kate, High Society is directed by Rachel Kavanaugh, whose credits include Shadowlands and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and choreographed by Anthony Van Laast of Mamma Mia! and Bombay Dreams fame, with musical supervisor Stephen Ridley leading the orchestra.

As it embarks on a 20-week UK and Ireland tour after a stint at the bigger Barbican Theatre with a 28-strong cast that also features Freddie Fox, Julian Ovenden and Nigel Lindsay, Helen promises: “It’s a wonderful, fabulous, sophisticated escape of an evening, with a huge orchestra and a big brass section. There’s just so much joy in this show, the costumes are incredible, the songs are amazing, and I’m over the moon with the cast and crew that I get to work with.”

Based on the classic 1956 film (which in turn was based on the 1939 stage comedy The Philadelphia Story and the following year’s big screen version), High Society revolves around a Long Island wedding circa 1951, with old and new flames vying for attention as sharp-eyed reporter Mike Connor (played by Fox) hunts around for some tabloid-worthy scandal.

As the planned nuptials descend into comedy chaos, at the centre of it all is Helen’s Long Island socialite and divorcée Tracy Lord. “She’s a very interesting character,” the actress muses. “One of my first questions was ‘Why would we care about her?’ because on paper she’s got it all. She lives in this fantastic house and there’s so much wealth behind her, but ultimately it’s a story about human relations and Tracy is trying to control her life in the best way that she can.”

Helen smiles as she adds: “It’s a bit like The White Lotus because everybody’s in this world of wealth and fabulousness, and how can we relate to that? But actually we can’t take our eyes off them and there are really relatable themes about love and pain amidst all the fun and fantastic songs.”

Those songs run the gamut from Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? via Well, Did You Evah! and Just One of Those Things to Let’s Misbehave and the swooningly romantic True Love. For this new production the score has been expanded with a selection of additional Cole Porter classics, including “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”, “Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love”, “You Do Something to Me”, “Be a Clown”, “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To”, “All Of You” and “Now You Has Jazz”, bringing even more wit, romance and sparkle to the production.

And Helen sees the music and mirth as a tonic for troubled times, saying: “I come out of the theatre, then I listen to the news and think ‘Oh God, I’m so glad that I’m doing High Society, not something that’s sad or political in any way’. This is exactly the sort of show that we need right now, and I think that theatre really comes into its prime when the world feels uncertain – especially with a musical that’s as much fun and as lively and joyful as this one.”

Best known for Call the Midwife on screen and the recent acclaimed revival of Rogers and Hammerstein’s The King and I on stage, George is no stranger to period costumes. Playing English governess Anna Leonowens in 1860s Siam in the latter, she was confined by corsets. Are the early-1950s outfits in High Society less restrictive? Helen laughs. “Well, you’d think so, but I’m still never far away from a corset! It’s a different silhouette, though, with that kind of Dior A-line skirt with a tight-fitting top silhouette, rather than long, hooped and heavy skirts. The refined elegance of the costumes is just beautiful.”

Then there’s the character of Tracy, of whom she says: “I think what’s interesting about her is that she’s a divorced woman in 1951, which is rare and actually quite brave. It’s interesting to explore the fact that she’s free and independent and only needs a man for love, not money.”

Back when she was singing along to Fitzgerald and Sinatra, did Helen ever imagine that she’d have the career that she’s had? “You never know how it’s going to turn out. I’ve been very fortunate with the chances that I’ve been given and I feel very lucky, but I’ve worked hard for it.”

That hard work began when she studied ballet as a child. “I wasn’t particularly academic and I knew I’d found my passion, which my parents were very supportive about,” she recalls. “That was dance to begin with, which translated into singing and then translated into acting. I just knew that I didn’t want to work in an office because I’m much more of a practical and physical person.”
Her family were big Aston Villa Fans and, as a sporty youngster, for a while she dreamt of becoming the team’s first female manager. “But obviously I was never going to do that,” she grins. Instead she studied musical theatre at the Royal Academy of Music in London, toured as a backing singer for Elton John, then landed the role of Nurse Trixie on Call the Midwife.

Fourteen years on, the character remains dear to her heart. “Normally at this time of year we’re filming a new series but we’re having a break, so it’s weird not seeing my friends in the cast. Call the Midwife is always going to be a part of me and I hope in my future as well. I’m hoping that my time as Trixie hasn’t come to an end just yet.”

After strutting her stuff on Strictly Come Dancing, George returned to her musical theatre roots in The King and I. It felt like a homecoming. “It was always something that I had in my back pocket to go back to, but it wasn’t something that I wanted to focus on when I was younger. It took a lot of nerve coming back to it because I’d only really done plays over the previous 15 years, but I’m loving it.”

As High Society heads out on tour, is there anything she couldn’t be on the road without? “I’m taking my kids because it’s during the summer holidays,” beams the mother of young daughters Wren and Lark. “It’s also good that they understand why Mummy has to go to work and what I’m doing when I’m there.”

Helen is a big advocate for taking shows around the country, saying: “Without getting on my soapbox, I think touring productions are so important. I grew up in Birmingham and I saw so many wonderful touring shows, and that’s what made me want to do what I do now.”

That includes following in the footsteps of the legendary Grace Kelly, who played Tracy in the film version. “But I’m not thinking about it because it’s just too intimidating,” Helen admits. “It was the same with The King and I, which had this legacy of incredible actresses before me playing her. My concern is finding my own take on the character, and I love that I get to play these very rounded and fulfilling roles – especially in a show that’s as gorgeous and joyous as this one.”

High Society is at Lowry, Salford from 22 September to 3 October 2026 before continuing on tour.

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Mythic Reinvention: 50 years of Costume and Craft draws on the theatre’s vast 25,000 piece costume archive, collated over five decades of performances, including costumes worn by Dame Helen Mirren, Don Warrington, Andrew Garfield, Sir Tom Courtenay, Maxine Peake and Suranne Jones.  

Curated by award-winning set and costume designer Leslie Travers, the exhibition gives a unique insight into the artistry that helps reinvent stories for every new generation and shows how costume can still hold up a mirror to how we live today. 

It was a privilege to explore the carefully exquisite exhibition through decades of talent being explored and placed together to create a beautiful space. Following the red rope around the theatre, pieces have been placed to complement each other and showcase designs from multiple productions.  

As time has changed society, the exhibition collates different costumes and accessories to showcase how theatre has developed alongside society, highlighting how different generations have used costume art for storytelling. It is both fascinating and thought-provoking to see how this art has been used to portray society over half a century of change.  And as curator Leslie Travers explains, this look at the past also holds with it a glimpse of the future: 

“We are exhibiting costumes which we will reuse and reimagine,” he says. “It’s been thrilling going through the history of this incredible building and in the craft that has gone into costume. The costume is intrinsic within the production and its space especially with its 360 immersive experience. Even if you haven’t seen the shows the costumes are just beautiful to look it. It is inspiring to feel that new generations are coming into theatre and to show them that they’re a part of this history”.  

Walking around the exhibition, there is work from multiple productions including pieces from The Rivals dated back to 1976, which is the first production to be performed at the venue. Being able to walk around the pieces and experience the details in front of you reveals something of the time and effort put into the productions. Garments from Romeo and Juliet, in 2005, starring Andrew Garfield and Gugu Mbatha-Raw are displayed alongside those from the theatre’s 2023 production, starring Conor Glean and Shalisha James-Davis showing the development of design and craft in approaching the same Shakespearean text. 

The exhibition also explores how the costumes work within the theatre’s immersive in-the-round staging to bring characters to life, where details are viewed up close by an audience watching the actors from every angle. Throughout the exhibition there is clear representation of this with explanations to how the costume department uses this to their advantage.  

Alongside this, the exhibition is immersive with the option to wear headphones to listen to artists talk about working at the Royal Exchange and to hear stories from those who created the garments in front of you. When walking around it feels as if you are stepping into a magical wardrobe and the environment only enhances this. Being able to watch videos from artists involved and to hear their voices enables a wider understanding of the process of theatre and costume design that is bound to entrance theatregoers, designers and fashionistas alike. 

Mythic Reinvention: 50 years of Costume and Craft, a free exhibition at The Royal Exchange Theatre, runs from 16 September to 15 November 2026. 

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I fall into that bracket. Jersey Boys is a musical I’ve seen several times and each time it comes around I still can’t wait to see it again. It opens with ‘December, 1963 (Oh What a Night)’ and that’s what millions of people have been leaving the theatre feeling at the end.

This current UK tour is the show’s 20th anniversary production. After two decades does this musical, that has won 57 major awards across the world, including Best New Musical at Broadway’s Tony, London’s Olivier and Australia’s Helpmann Awards, still live up to the hype?

The strength of the story is what sets this musical apart from many others. Writers Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice spent hours with the real men behind the wild stories, merging their recollections to tell the previously unheard true story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, using the band’s catchy hits as a backdrop to chart their journey from the back streets of New Jersey to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame heroes.

We all love a rags to riches tale, and this one has so much action along the way. There’s gang crime, links to the mob, gambling, prostitution, family breakdown, drugs, tragedy, and at its core a fiercely held belief in New Jersey loyalty. As Nick Massi wryly comments: “Sell 100 million records and see how you handle it”. It’s heavy stuff in parts but that is just one side. This is a show packed with the roller-coaster of life’s emotions and even the smaller roles such as Aidan Carson as an exuberant young Joe Pesci bring a depth of interest and humour to the overall experience.

If you’ve seen it before, the staging is Klara Zieglerova’s original design. It is a simple set made up of a base of multi-layered steel platforms that easily doubles as the fire escape on a Newark tenement and the rigging of a concert stage which comes realistically to life with huge overhead screen projections as the band take to the stage.

It’s a slick show packed with hit after hit, including ‘Sherry’, ‘Walk Like A Man’, ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’, ‘My Eyes Adored You’, ‘Let’s Hang On (To What We’ve Got)’, ‘Bye Bye Baby’, ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’, ‘Working My Way Back to You’, and ‘Rag Doll’.

Of course, even such solid foundations could falter without a strong cast to bring the characters to life. Luke Baker wows the audience as Frankie Valli, growing convincingly from a 16-year-old kid conned into crime to a confident, slick-suited superstar; making us believe in and feel for Valli as a world-famous singer with a soaring falsetto voice as well as a human being with all his vulnerabilities and flaws. His star quality shines and rightly gets a full standing ovation at end.

But this is by no means a one-man show, and much of its strength comes from the rich depth with which all four band members are drawn, each telling the story from their unique perspective. Lewis Kennedy as bass-player Nick Massi brings relatable humanity and humour to a figure who could easily be cast into the shadows as the ‘Ringo’ of the band. Carlo Boumouglbay convincingly adds a glimpse into the dark New Jersey underworld as the wide-boy guitarist Tommy DeVito with Mafia links; while Toby Miles captures both the relative innocence and sensible business-head of young whizz-kid songwriter and keyboardist, Bob Gaudio. When the four take to the stage concert-style, the audience erupts as if seeing the real thing and the atmosphere is electric.

There is so much richness in this show, it’s easy to see why audiences come back over and over again. This UK Tour is as good as it ever was. If you’ve not seen it before, go. If you have seen it before, go back. It has all the drama of Hollywood wrapped in constant stream of nostalgic, uplifting hits. Two decades on it is still the hottest ticket in town.

Jersey Boys is at the Palace Theatre, Manchester from 7-19 September before continuing on tour. Age guidance: 12+, parental guidance advised. Jersey Boys contains genuine New Jersey language which may not be suitable for younger audiences. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult (18+).

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In a world engineered to keep us distracted, overstimulated, and perpetually “on,” there’s something almost rebellious about choosing to walk instead of scroll. No notifications. No algorithm deciding what you see next. Just your legs, the ground, and whatever thoughts decide to surface. It sounds too simple to matter. And yet walking may be one of the most quietly transformative things you can do: for your mind, your relationships, and your sense of who you are.

This isn’t just exercise. It’s moving meditation, therapy session, and adventure rolled into one, and it’s available to almost anyone, almost anywhere, starting the moment you step outside your door.

The Therapeutic Power of Walking

Walking does wonders for both your mind and emotions. The steady, rhythmic pace can quiet a busy brain, letting thoughts settle and clarity emerge. And this isn’t just a nice feeling, it’s backed by a growing body of research into the psychological benefits of the activity.

Many therapists now build walking directly into their sessions, drawn by the benefits of pairing gentle movement with conversation and reflection. The left-right pattern of walking, known as bilateral stimulation, is thought to help the brain process emotion and reduce stress, almost like a built-in release valve for whatever you’re carrying.

Take that walk into nature, and the effects intensify. Green space, fresh air, and the feeling of earth underfoot all work together to ground you in the present moment. Instead of spiraling into worries about the past or future, your senses lock onto the sights, sounds, and smells around you. That mindful state is exactly what makes it so hard to find peace indoors and so easy to find outside.

Join a Renowned Walking Journey

For those craving something more immersive, tackling a famous long-distance walk can be genuinely life-changing. These aren’t just long hikes; they’re pilgrimages of self-discovery, shared with a global community of fellow walkers chasing the same thing.

Spain’s Camino de Santiago is the best-known example, drawing hundreds of thousands of pilgrims each year to its historic paths. What makes it special isn’t just the scenery; it’s the shared purpose. Strangers become companions almost instantly, bonded by sore feet and a common destination.

Different routes suit different appetites. The classic Camino Frances remains the most popular, but plenty of alternatives offer their own flavour. Routes like the beautiful Portuguese Way from Tui, for instance, offer a different view of the pilgrimage, winding through charming villages and lush landscapes. And because many of these organised walks handle the logistics (accommodation, luggage transfers, route planning), your only real job becomes the walking itself: step, breathe, reflect, repeat.

Building Bonds on the Trail

There’s no setting quite like a long walk for strengthening a relationship. Put a friend, partner, or family member next to you on the trail, and the usual distractions of daily life simply vanish. No screens. No chores. Just hours of open, uninterrupted time.

Conversation flows differently under those conditions — drifting easily from lighthearted observations about the scenery into deeper territory: life, dreams, fears, decisions you’ve been avoiding. The shared physical effort, and the small triumph of reaching each day’s destination, builds a sense of teamwork that’s hard to replicate anywhere else.

And the bonding doesn’t stop with people you already know. On popular long-distance trails, you become part of a temporary, ever-shifting community; meeting people from all over the world, each carrying their own story and their own reasons for walking. A shared meal at day’s end, a comparison of blister stories, a word of encouragement to a struggling stranger. These small moments create connections that feel surprisingly deep, and often turn into some of the most cherished memories of the whole journey.

Moments of Reflection and Growth

The extended time and mental space of a long walk is tailor-made for reflection. Day after day, as you settle into the rhythm, your mind begins to unwind, finally processing the thoughts and feelings that got shoved aside during the busyness of ordinary life.

Free from the constant ping of emails, news alerts, and social feeds, you get to actually hear your own inner voice again. That quiet can lead to real insight, solving a problem, making a decision, or simply seeing your life from a new angle.

There’s growth, too, in pushing your limits. A multi-day walk is a physical and mental challenge in equal measure. Some days your muscles will ache and you’ll wonder if you can keep going, and pushing through those moments builds a resilience and self-belief that outlasts the trip itself. Reaching the final destination brings a sense of accomplishment that reaches far beyond the walk. You learn you’re stronger and more capable than you assumed, and that lesson tends to stick around long after the boots come off.

Perhaps the biggest lesson of all: progress doesn’t have to be dramatic. Sometimes moving forward just means holding a steady pace and trusting yourself to keep going. Every mile is another chance to practice patience, adaptability, and perseverance; small victories that quietly reshape how you handle challenges everywhere else in life. Even the hardest journeys become manageable once you stop staring at the whole distance and just focus on the next step.

Bringing the Experience Home

The good news is that none of this has to end when the trip does. You can bring the spirit of the trail into everyday life and hold onto that sense of peace and connection long-term. The key is to treat walking as an intentional practice, not just a way to get from A to B.

Start small: set aside 20 or 30 minutes a day. Leave your phone behind, or at least put it on silent, and give your full attention to your surroundings and your own thoughts. Explore parks and local trails you’ve never bothered with before. You might be amazed at what’s hiding a few streets from home. Turn a weekend walk into a shared ritual with friends or family, and let it become something you look forward to rather than a chore to check off.

By carrying the core principles of the trail — mindfulness, connection, simple movement — into your daily routine, you can keep finding the same calm and clarity you discovered out there on the long road.

The path to connection and solace is often as close as the door right outside your house. It doesn’t start with a grand plan. It starts with the decision to take the first step.

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For anyone discovering The Brown Suite for the first time, what is the show?

Nahum: “The Brown Suite is a dance-theatre work inspired by the music of James Brown, Etta James and Sam Cooke. It’s set in a social space in 1970s New York and follows six friends over the course of one night – the relationships, the joy, the tension, the flirtation, the conflict and everything that happens when people come together in a space where they can really be themselves.”

Darius: “At its heart, it’s about people. The music gives us the landscape, but the characters and their relationships drive the piece. We wanted to create something that feels alive and familiar – where you recognise the energy of being in a room with your friends, but also see how quickly that energy can shift”.

Nahum: “What we didn’t want was a tribute act –  six songs and a nostalgia trip. The moment you walk in, you’re a seventh person at that gathering. You know these dynamics because you’ve lived them: the friend who’s had one drink too many, the couple pretending they’re not a couple, the person quietly holding the whole room together. One night, six people, and by the end you know exactly who they are to each other”.

How would you describe who you are as artists and the work you create together?

Nahum: “We’re both dancers and choreographers, but I think what BlacBrik is really interested in is the intersection of the forms we love – ballet, contemporary, jazz, funk, African diasporic movement, social dance. Not any one of them on its own, but what happens where they meet”.

Darius: “Because each of those forms already tells a story in its own way – ballet has a certain relationship to line and restraint, social dance has a relationship to individuality and call-and-response. We’re interested in what it means when a character can move between those languages, because that tells you something about who they are, not just how well they can move”.

Nahum: “So it’s not decoration. The form a character moves in is part of the storytelling – it’s part of the language of the show, the same as the music or the setting”.

You started working with Fundamentally Dance when you performed Death of the Bachelor at Ballet Nights 007 in London. How does it feel to be touring your very own full-length work across the UK with The Brown Suite today?

Nahum: “It’s honestly quite surreal. We performed a six-minute excerpt of Death of the Bachelors at Ballet Nights 007, so going from that to creating a full-length work and then seeing it travel around the country is a huge step”.

Darius: “There’s also something really special about the fact that the relationship with Fundamentally Dance grew from that first performance. We’re not just presenting a bigger version of what we did before – we’ve had the opportunity to develop our language, our storytelling and our ideas on a much larger scale”.

Nahum: “And ultimately, getting to see audiences experience something that started as conversations between the two of us is probably the most rewarding part”.

Darius: “Six minutes, you can hide behind a strong idea and good stamina. A full evening asks something different of you –  pacing, restraint, knowing when to let a scene breathe. That’s been the real education”.

How has James Brown’s music been present in your life?

Nahum: “James Brown has always felt bigger than just music to me. There’s something incredibly physical about it. You don’t just hear James Brown – you feel the rhythm in your body.

“Actually, my relationship with his music goes back further than any ofmy professional training – I auditioned for my vocational ballet school dancing to James Brown. So in a strange way, he’s been part of every serious step I’ve taken as a dancer, not just this show”.

Darius: “And there’s such a huge range within his music. There’s aggression, humour, sensuality, vulnerability, swagger and joy. That range gives you so much to work with as a performer and choreographer”.

Nahum: “There’s a reason his music has had such an enormous influence on dance and popular culture. The rhythm demands a physical response, and for us that became a really important starting point for the work”.

What ideas, experiences or conversations have sat at the heart of your work on The Brown Suite?

Darius: “One of the biggest things has been community – what happens when people create a space for themselves. We were interested in social spaces and what they can mean beyond simply being somewhere to go out”.

Nahum: “We were also interested in relationships. Friendship, attraction, competition, vulnerability, masculinity, femininity – all those little negotiations that happen between people when they’re together”.

Darius: “And we didn’t want to romanticise the period. There’s joy in the piece, but there’s also fracture. The social world we’re creating can be beautiful and complicated at the same time”.

Nahum: “A lot of our conversations kept coming back to who holds the room and who’s holding themselves together while they do it. Six friends means six different jobs in that dynamic – the peacemaker, the instigator, the one everyone’s protecting without saying so. We wanted the choreography to carry those roles even in the moments where nobody’s speaking”.

Darius: “It was important to us that the fracture felt earned, too – not a twist for the sake of drama, but the kind of thing that’s been sitting under the surface of a friendship group for years before it finally comes out on a night like this one”.

You have a very diverse training. Is The Brown Suite the place where you are able to bring all your different movement knowledge together?

Nahum: “Definitely. Both of us have moved through quite different worlds as dancers, and I think this piece gives us permission to bring those experiences together without having to choose one”.

Darius: “Ballet and contemporary technique give us certain tools – line, strncture, weight, space, precision. Then there are the social and African diasporic movement traditions that bring rhythm, groove, individuality and a different relationship to the music”.

Nahum: “We’re not interested in simply putting those things next to each other. The exciting part is what happens when they actually influence one another”.

Darius: “Practically, it means a dancer might hit a classical line one beat and let it collapse into something completely social and loose the next, without a seam. That’s not a trick – it’s how people actually move when they’re comfortable in a room, half showing off and half just existing”.

To create this new piece with Fundamentally Dance, where did the work begin, and how did you turn that starting point into movement? What have you learnt from each other?

Darius: “A lot of it began with the music and the world we wanted the audience to enter. We weren’t starting with choreography for choreography’s sake. We were asking: who are these people? Where are they? What happened before this moment? What happens when the music changes?”

Nahum: “Then the movement grew out of those questions. Sometimes it starts with rhythm, sometimes with a character, sometimes with a relationship between two people. The choreography becomes a way of revealing what’s happening underneath”.

Darius: “Working together has also taught us how different our instincts can be – and how useful that difference is. We don’t always approach a problem in the same way, but that usually pushes the work somewhere neither of us would have arrived at alone.

What is the best creative advice you have received?

Nahum: “One of the best pieces of advice I’ve received came from Mark Baldwin OBE – trust your instincts. You can learn from everybody, and you should, but eventually you have to make decisions based on what you actually believe in”.

Darius: “And don’t be afraid to edit. Sometimes the hardest thing is knowing when something isn’t serving the bigger picture, especially when you’ve become attached to it”.

Nahum: “You have to be willing to let the work change. The first idea isn’t necessarily the final idea”.

Where do you tap your inspiration from? What is your favourite film?

Darius: “Inspiration comes from everywhere – music, people, architecture, fashion, photography, film, conversations. Film especially, because a director can build a whole world for you without anyone ever explaining how they feel”.

Nahum: “We actually properly align on this one –  we’re both completely obsessed with Quentin Tarantino. Kill Bill is probably the film we’d both put at the top. It’s not just that we love it, it’s that we love what he does –  the storytelling isn’t always linear, it moves between mediums, animation drops in and out, and the music is so specific to every moment”.

Darius: “The soundtrack does half the storytelling in his films. That’s something we think about constantly with The Brown Suite – how specific a piece of music can be to a character or a moment, not just a mood”.

What do you hope audiences carry with them after experiencing The Brown Suite?

Nahum: “I hope they leave feeling something. Hopefully they’ve laughed, danced in their seats, maybe recognised something of themselves in one of the characters”.

Darius: “I also hope they leave with a sense of the power of social spaces – the importance of having places where people can gather, connect, express themselves and simply exist together”.

Nahum: “And ultimately, I want them to remember the people. The music is iconic, but we want the audience to care about these six people and the night they’ve just experienced. If they leave wanting to talk about what happened between them, then we’ve done our job”.

Darius: “lf they’re still arguing about who was right and who was wrong on the drive home, we’ve done our job twice over”.

The Brown Suite is at the Opera House Manchester on Friday 23 October 2026

The post Inside The Brown Suite: BlacBrik’s Nahum McLean and Darius Drooh on James Brown, friendship and the power of social spaces appeared first on Quays Life.

At the time, Elaine, born in Bolton, was simply a single mum trying to navigate the overwhelming early days of motherhood while breastfeeding her baby daughter, Jessica. But from those difficult beginnings came something extraordinary.

Determined that no mother should ever feel as isolated as she once had, Elaine set out to create a safe and supportive space for women struggling with feeding, confidence and the emotional realities of becoming a parent. What began as one mother wanting to help others soon grew into something far bigger than she could ever have imagined.

Driven by compassion, grit and an unstoppable belief in the power of community, Elaine secured funding to launch a breastfeeding support project in Blackburn with Darwen, offering mums practical help, emotional reassurance and evidence-based advice at a time when many felt they had nowhere to turn.

That small grassroots initiative would later become Families and Babies (FAB) — a life-changing organisation now supporting thousands of families across the country.

After leaving behind her career as a mortgage adviser, Elaine retrained as a La Leche League Trainer and began building a network of peer supporters, many of whom had experienced similar struggles themselves. Together, they created a service rooted in empathy: home visits, late-night phone calls, hospital ward support and a listening ear whenever it was needed most.

FAB grew into a nationwide charity with 120 of staff and more than 150 volunteers, supporting over 8,500 families every year across some of the UK’s most disadvantaged communities. To date FAB has supported 250,00 families.

But while the organisation has thrived, Elaine’s mission has remained beautifully simple — making mothers feel seen, supported and never alone.

Elaine’s story is Chapter Nine in ‘The Empowerment Effect’ Volume Two written by Sarah Hulme & Co. Sarah is founder of the women-only networking community COVEM and the book amplifies the stories of 24 remarkable women “where adversity became fuel and resilience shaped leadership.” Launched on this year’s International Women’s Day – which happens to be Elaine’s birthday; it sped straight to number one in the ‘Amazon’ book charts.

Elaine has since become part of the COVEM community and holds her COVEM meeting in Parbold Lancs.

Elaine tells me that she received a letter announcing that she had been chosen to become a ‘Member of the British Empire’ in November last year “The Christmas post was in full swing, and the letter had been delayed. I had only 24 hours to respond to say I wished to accept the honour!”

So how was the day at Windsor Castle.?“I was very nervous especially when it came to recipients leaving their families to be briefed in how the ceremony would unfold and what we required to do,” says Elaine. “I needn’t have worried, we were taken through the whole process, in a welcoming and warm way. Once we had been taken through every step we were escorted into the beautiful banqueting room. Our families had already been seated behind us, and we recipients were called by name one by one to receive our insignia from HRH Prince William Prince of Wales. Being told by His Royal Highness that his wife Catherine was very interested to hear of my work was one of my proudest moments ever. Joining my husband, son and fiancé following my Investiture was an emotional moment for us all. I rang my daughter Jessica who was at home with our first grandchild, Noah, to tell her all about it!”

Elaine’s passion for helping families extends far beyond breastfeeding support. Elaine has championed inclusive infant care, encouraging fathers, grandparents and partners to feel connected and confident in those precious early weeks of a baby’s life.

And despite receiving national recognition, including the Prime Minister’s Points of Light Award, even winning eBay Business of the Year and now an MBE, Elaine remains deeply connected to her community roots.

This year Elaine will become the President of the Turton Rotary Club 2026. She will be their first female president in their history.
Elaine Edwards has become far more than a charity founder. She is proof that one person’s difficult experience can become the spark that changes thousands of lives.

Through kindness, determination and an unwavering belief in the strength of women supporting women, Elaine hasn’t just helped transform services for families across the UK — she has helped transform the experience of motherhood itself.

Elaine joins the increasing number of people who have received recognition for transforming other people’s lives and communities for the better. There are however many unsung heroes and unless they are nominated for an honour, they have no chance whatsoever of being chosen.

So how can we nominate that special person? I asked Melanie Bryan OBE DL, Chair of the Reward and Recognition Committee at the Greater Manchester Lieutenancy for her advice.

“The great thing,” Melanie says, “is that anyone can nominate anyone for an honour and I really do mean anyone. The youngest recipient so far was just nine years old, and the oldest was over a hundred.

“The process is simpler than you might think. You can do it online at gov.uk/honours, or download a form if that’s easier.

“One thing to remember is that the Honours Committee probably won’t know your person. So it’s important that you help them to understand why your person is so special. The Committee wants to know about the difference they make in people’s lives and all the reasons why they are so outstanding at what they do.

“The key thing is to draw out why they stand out from anyone else. Facts and figures really help with this. You could talk about how many people they have helped. Or how many years they have volunteered for. Or how far their impact reaches. This type of evidence makes your nomination stronger.

“You’ll also need two letters of support from people who can speak about your person’s achievements in their own words. So do have a think about who’d be best placed to do this.

“Oh, and one very important golden rule, you must keep it a secret! The process is completely confidential, and your nominee can’t know they’re being put forward. Apart from anything else, you really wouldn’t want to spoil that amazing moment when they open that letter!

So if you’re reading this and thinking about somebody you think is worthy, perhaps that quietly dedicated volunteer who just gets on with it, the one your community simply couldn’t do without, then please do them the honour of making a nomination.”

The post Bolton mum’s MBE journey: how Families and Babies grew from one woman’s struggle into a national charity appeared first on Quays Life.