I love a face masks. People always notice when you have used one. It’s also great to take a few minutes out of the day. Nothing says self-care like a face mask. You feel the moisture locking in, you’re rewarded with instant hydration and can target specific skincare needs – dryness, acne, brightening etc, and you can just leave it on whilst getting on with other things! The post-summer, autumn/winter skin has been (if you’re lucky) exposed to UV rays, get togethers where you’ve had drinks or long nights, and really, for want of a better term our skin has taken a battering. There’s a face mask out there for all, whether you prefer a sheet, cream or LED – we’ve rounded up some of our keepers…
This plant based formula uses Seaweed Kelp Complex, Organic Pine Oil and Wild Yam to help you to achieve skin that’s clear and youthful. A 15 minute Retinol treatment is a great choice for those looking to target acne or the signs of ageing due to it stimulating collagen production to help aid repair. This renewing formula will help to diminish fine lines, minimise inflammation, reduce pore size, even the skin tone and protect from free radicals.
Instantly brighten your complexion with this natural, plastic-free sheet mask infused with nourishing botanicals, probiotics, vitamins and enzymes to promote healthy skin and lift overall complexion for a radiant, luminous appearance. Rich in probiotics and antioxidants to plump the skin and fortify the skin barrier.
I know that it is only September, but for me it is never too early to be thinking about Christmas, so I was delighted to discover Hokan Bowls, which come in a range of sizes and colours. No stuffing into drawers or cupboards taking up valuable space, these bowls are beautiful enough and easily stacked to take their place on the work surface.
I have the cobalt blue which looks stunning, filled with lemons, until needed for more conventional cooking pot, when this comes into its own.
As beautiful as they are functional, the range, offered in Lemon Yellow, Sea Green, Cobalt Blue, Pitch Black and Antique White, is oven, microwave, freezer and dishwasher safe, sustainable, stackable stoneware bowls, complete with lids
Hokan Bowls, RRP £80 for a set of three or individually:
The bowls heat evenly and retain heat efficiently. Cooking and baking with the lid on keeps moisture in and the temperature stable. Taking the lid off allows the top surface area to crust or brown – so just perfect for that Cauliflower Cheese.
Come Christmas (I know, I know still haven’t had Halloween yet, but it is good to be prepared, prep all the veggies and pop into the Hokan bowls on the festive table to keep warm until the centrespread is ready to make an appearance.
The volume of each bowl is determined by its height, which keeps all of the lids the same size for each bowl, so no need to search through the kitchen for the correct lid – they all work.
You can also use the lids as a side dish. Smart! Cook, serve and save all in one place.
Hokan was established by film producer Alistair Donald. As a father of two sons, it quickly became apparent that he needed to be more efficient in the kitchen to avoid unnecessary food waste. He swapped the leaning towers of cling-filmed bowls and tubs for a practical, plastic-free solution that was easily stackable and could be used to cook, bake and serve, and then store and save, food.
Say goodbye to plastic.
For a sustainable, BPA-free household, Hokan offers a unique alternative to storage solutions with potential harmful pollutants. Stoneware is dense pottery fired at high temperatures making it non-porous and, consequently, odour and stain free. Which can’t be said of plastic alternatives.
So, this Christmas, from my own experience, I will be just as happy to receive these bowls (Cobalt Blue please), as I will be to gift them to all the cooks in the family, also a great house-warming, or wedding gift.
Hokan Bowls, RRP £80 for a set of three or individually:
‘What causes droopy eyelids?’ is at breakout on Google Trends (up by a staggering 5,000%) and so we tapped Britain Todd, Founder of Contours Rx for her expert insights on the subject.
“Droopy eyelids, or ptosis, is a condition that affects many of us as we age, but there can also be other underlying factors that lead to this. By understanding factors that contribute to droopy eyelids we can help in managing and preventing the condition effectively” says Britain.
Causes of Droopy Eyelids “Droopy eyelids, or ptosis, is primarily result from the natural ageing process which weakens the skin and muscles around the eyes. This weakening is largely due to a decline in collagen and elastin, essential proteins that maintain skin firmness, coupled with the deterioration of the levator palpebrae superioris muscle, responsible for lifting the eyelid. Additionally, genetic factors can predispose individuals to ptosis if it is prevalent in their family. Various medical conditions, including Horner’s syndrome, myasthenia gravis, and nerve damage, can also contribute to this condition. Furthermore, lifestyle factors such as excessive sun exposure, smoking, and inadequate sleep can accelerate the ageing of skin and muscle around the eyes, exacerbating the droopiness.”
Preventing and Addressing Droopy Eyelids While some causes are unavoidable, there are preventive measures and exercises that can help manage and potentially delay the onset of droopy eyelids, says Britain: “Eating a balanced diet rich in vitamins and antioxidants helps to support skin health. Always avoid smoking, excessive sun exposure, and ensure you’re getting sufficient sleep. In addition to this, regular eye exercises can help strengthen the muscles around your eyes. Here are a few exercises to consider”: Eyebrow Lift: Place your fingers just above your eyebrows and gently push down while lifting your eyebrows. Hold for a few seconds and then relax. Repeat 10 times. This exercise helps strengthen the muscles that support the eyelids. Eye Squeeze: Close your eyes tightly and then open them wide. Repeat this 10-15 times. This exercise can help improve muscle tone and reduce sagging. Blinking Exercise: Blink rapidly for 30 seconds, then close your eyes and relax for 30 seconds. This exercise can help keep the eyelid muscles active and engaged. Eye Rolling: Look up and roll your eyes in a circular motion. Repeat this in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions. This exercise can help with muscle flexibility and strength.”For those seeking a non-surgical approach to address drooping eyelids like myself, I developed Lids by Design as an innovative solution to offer both aesthetic and practical benefits without the need for surgery.”
Contours Rx Lids by Design: A Quick-Fix Solution“I designed Contours Rx Lids by Design to offer a quick and effective non-surgical alternative to blepharoplasty, delivering an immediate lift and definition for a youthful look that lasts all day. With 24-hour wear, these eyelid strips are ideal for both daily use and special occasions.Crafted from high-quality organic and medical-grade materials, dermatologist-tested, hypoallergenic, and latex-free, I wanted to ensure Lids by Design is suitable for even the most sensitive skin. Their ease of application makes them a straightforward solution for enhancing appearance without the complexities of surgery” says Britain.
This absolute gem is a comprehensive journey of discovery, and it is a totally beguiling, fascinating insight into the lives and work of over 50 iconic artists, each one a giant of creativity.
If I must pick my favourite, it would be Van Gogh’s studio in Arles. Indeed, how could I not, when The National Gallery is exhibiting his magnificent and somehow poignant (to me) works at the moment? ‘I have one big worry less now that I have found the little white studio,‘ he told his brother Theo, though of course in a very short time he was … No, no, read this book, and trust me, you will see not just the studio but in some measure, the soul of the owner’s vision and genius.
But it’s not just our exemplar ground breaking ‘artists’ that caught my fancy but do take a look at Posy Simmonds, the cartoonist and graphic artist. Having just reviewed Vincent: a graphic biography by Simon Elliott which I loved, I found I wanted a sense of where the graphic book is created by Posy. And also get a sense of how, because so often the place reflects the creative. James Oses illustrations encapsulates the studio and as I say, exposes to some extent – somehow – the working method.
Then Modigliani, the Italian painter and sculptor Amedeo Modigliani who spent most of his working life in Paris, which of course, Vincent fled for Arles. Amedeo had several studios, reaching heights of mess. Yes, really. And strange candlesticks- You must buy and read this to learn more.
There are oodles of studios, oodles of revelations, each one adding to our understanding of the artist and the development of his works. But, and this probably sounds quite mad, but the book has that traditional smell to the pages. Yes, really. You pick it up, open it, and there it is, that scent of fine, heavy paper. So am I mad? Perhaps but I loved its content and its scent, in all its grandeur – so very there. (I write at the end of the dining room table, just saying, and my paperbacks do not have that odour of excellence and class.)
Christmas is coming. So bear this lovely book in mind. Studios of Their Own – Where Great Artists Work by Alex Johnson. Illustrations by James Oses. pub. Frances Lincoln. £19./99 Hardback and ebook/97807112293786
Shaken Udderlaunch a new range of delicious protein milkshakes.
I love milkshakes and I’m always trying to get more protein in my diet. So these milkshakes from Shaken Udder are perfect. They taste brilliant. Like they have been freshly made in a restaurant. They also come in a good amount of flavours. I would definitely be adding them to my shopping basket.
Premium milkshake brand, Shaken Udder, has launched a new range of delicious and creamy protein milkshakes in chocolate and strawberry flavours. The new shakes contain 20g of protein, are made with top-quality real ingredients — including Belgian chocolate & real strawberries — and have no artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners
Shaken Udder’s new protein milkshakes can be found in selected Sainsbury’s stores.
A recent food and drink study* showed that a third of people look for foods which are high in protein and 12% of people have actually changed their diet over the past year to consume more protein.
Shaken Udder Co-Founder, Andrew Howie, said: “Protein products are in demand at the moment. We identified the need for a protein milkshake that still delivers exceptional taste. Our new range of shakes offers customers delicious flavour with a 20g protein hit.”
Shaken Udder will celebrate its 20th anniversary later this year. The brand has seen phenomenal success over the last two decades and is now the second largest milkshake brand in the UK**. All of Shaken Udder’s milkshakes are gluten-free, contain less than 5% added sugar and are suitable for vegetarians.
Shaken Udder began as a top-quality event-based brand in 2004 bringing fresh, tasty milkshakes to festival goers. Today their silky-smooth shakes are sold in all major supermarkets nationwide and the full range includes seven different flavours, 750ml sharing bottles and yummy kids shakes. Their bottle design features the infamous Shaken Udder cow and celebrates their festival spirit and real ingredients.
The Shaken Udder Story
Shaken Udder began as a top-quality event-based brand in 2004 bringing milkshakes to festival goers. Founders, Andy and Jodie Howie, quickly realised there was year-round demand for their premium shakes and by 2009 Shaken Udder was sold in Harvey Nichols. Waitrose, Harrods and Selfridges followed soon after.
The brand has its headquarters in Tiptree in Essex and today the milkshakes are sold in all major grocery retailers; wholesalers; schools; farm shops and cafes nationwide. The range continues to expand and includes protein and kids shakes, 750ml share bottles and exciting new flavours. Shaken Udder are the No. 2 flavoured milk brand in the UK and celebrate their 20th anniversary this year. ShakenUdder.com
Preventing Alzheimer’s is easy, but it is being ignored!
Everybody wants a cure for Alzheimer’s. The medical industry has spent around $100 billion searching for one and, so far, come up relatively empty-handed with over thirty failed drug trials. Yet a simple to administer, cheap test could predict Alzheimer’s and allow preventative measures – saving the NHS over £60million a year.
The focus to date has been on drugs that lower two of the chemical compounds associated with Alzheimer’s and dementia in general – amyloid and p-tau, a pair of messed up proteins that can lead to plaques in the brain and tangled nerves. There is a third compound – an amino acid called homocysteine, that becomes toxic if you have too much, that the drug industry and the Alzheimer’s charities don’t talk about, for reasons that will become clear.
Predicting Alzheimer’s
The actual clinical measures that are used to diagnose Alzheimer’s are a decline in cognitive function and shrinkage of the central area of the brain called the medial temporal lobe. Both changes in cognitive function and brain shrinkage can be picked up thirty years before a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is made.
Current study
So now a £10 million study is underway to see if a blood test for p-tau, or amyloid, will ‘predict’ if you are more likely to develop the disease and there are plans for a major program to identify those at risk so they can be treated as early as possible. This sounds sensible but there are serious drawbacks. To begin with not everyone with raised p-tau or amyloid go on to develop Alzheimer’s.
Drawbacks and side-effects
This means, as a recent article in the New York Times entitled, ‘Apparently healthy but diagnosed with Alzheimer’s,’ pointed out, people without a diagnosis or no brain scan showing shrinkage, could well be offered new drug treatments that are, so far, only marginally better than placebos but have awful adverse effects.
These include brain bleeding or swelling which has occurred in more than one in four participants in the last two drug trials and resulted in seven deaths. Medical agencies in the US, EU and UK are reluctant to licence their use but are under a lot of pressure to do so.
So thousands of desperate people with early stage Alzheimer’s or cognitive decline, hoping for a cure, are queuing up to join these drug trials because they perceive these drugs, that so far come with little or no benefit plus highly unpalatable side effects, are a better alternative than doing nothing.
The research
But are there really no alternatives? Well, none that patients are routinely told about. They involve changes in diet and lifestyle, that are very likely to improve your overall health, including that of your brain, and very unlikely to cause damaging side effects.
Almost all money for research, pledged by governments and raised by Alzheimer’s charities, is going in the direction of drug treatments. Alzheimer’s Research UK’s (ARUK) website says, “we exist for a cure”. Yet, most of the money is going toward amyloid and p-tau related research, neither of which has been established as causal. In other words, high levels may just be a consequence of the disease process.
Homocysteine
The same is not true for raised blood levels of homocysteine. If levels rise in the brain, it shrinks faster and cognitive abilities decline. If it goes down, they improve, and brain shrinkage slows. This means that it is causing the damage and so would logically be a target for treatment. The only way to do it, however, is with high dose B vitamins (B6, B12 and folate). Several gold standard, placebo-controlled trials have found this to be very safe and effective. But this approach is not patentable and so yields nothing like a drug profit.
But the benefits of treating homocysteine don’t stop there. It is a much better biomarker of risk for Alzheimer’s than plaque and p-tau both because it is more easily measured and more safely lowered. And when it is lowered, unlike those two, it actually improves cognitive function and slows brain shrinkage by as much as two thirds. It also helps to stop p-tau formation.
Routine checks save £60million a year
Routinely checking homocysteine levels could prevent thousands of cases. Just doing this “could save costs to the UK economy of approximately £60 million per year,” says Dr Apostolos Tsiachristas, Associate Professor in Health Economics at the University of Oxford. His research also estimated it would promote healthy longevity, adding 14 years to life expectancy.
About half of people over 65 have a homocysteine level above 11mcmol/l, which is where it starts to become damaging.
Supporting studies
In one study a third of those treated ended the study with no clinical dementia rating, meaning they could no longer be diagnosed with cognitive impairment. Those with sufficient omega-3 DHA, which is the most important structural fat in the brain, had 73% less brain shrinkage compared to placebo when given the B vitamin treatment. In contrast, in the last anti-amyloid treatment trial, brain shrinkage accelerated by about a fifth in those getting the drug, compared to placebo and not one person achieved a clinical dementia rating of zero.
It should be clear by now, after decades of scientific research that amyloid plaque is not a cause of Alzheimer’s, but a consequence. The same is likely to be true for p-tau tangles.
As an analogy consider your teeth. Is plaque the cause of tooth decay? Sure, flossing your teeth and getting the plaque scraped off by the dental hygienist helps, but what causes the plaque? The answer is a bad diet – in this case, one high in sugar and low in fibre. Despite fifty years of research there is no ‘cure’ for tooth decay, but it can be prevented. The same concept applies to Alzheimer’s, which is as preventable as tooth decay with the right diet and nutrition and lifestyle – which also happens to include less sugar and more fibre.
Alzheimer’s Prevention
How preventable is Alzheimer’s? It accounts for two thirds of dementia cases. The most conservative figure is 40%. More optimistic estimates say around 80%. Since only one in a hundred cases is caused by genes Alzheimer’s may be entirely preventable in those 99% who do not have the rare causative genes and act early enough to optimise all diet and lifestyle factors. It is not an inevitable consequence of the ageing process as evidenced by the fact that the majority of people don’t get it.
Why the difference in figures?
Why the difference in figures? It’s all to do with what is or isn’t included in prevention studies. The most widely used review for dementia prevention in the UK is the 2020 report of the Lancet Commission, authored by Professor Gill Livingston. Both this and the first edition in 2017 failed to even mention homocysteine, despite being repeatedly sent all the evidence of the undeniable beneficial effects of homocysteine-lowering B vitamins by the Oxford Project to Investigate Memory and Ageing (OPTIMA) at the University, headed by former Deputy Head of Medical Science, Professor David Smith.
This is a major and damaging error and has led to the widespread belief that B vitamin supplements are not part of the usual list of preventive actions. But it should be corrected, especially considering that a US National Institutes of Health study attributes 22% of the risk of Alzheimer’s to raised homocysteine. Also, the best study of all, looking at 396 studies in total, published in 2020, concluded: ‘Homocysteine-lowering treatment seems the most promising intervention for Alzheimer’s disease prevention.’
Other prevention studies you may have read are possibly based on data from the UK Biobank. This major research data bank also ignores homocysteine, not for any malevolent reason but simply because it wasn’t measured when it was enrolling people. So, one of the single biggest risk factors and arguably the simplest to change, is repeatedly ignored.
Given that a conservative half of Alzheimer’s cases could be prevented, shouldn’t half the available research money be spent on prevention? This certainly doesn’t happen at the moment. Of the three leading charities, two spend nothing on prevention. ARUK claim to spend 5% but none of this goes towards B vitamins or other brain-friendly nutrients such as omega-3 or vitamin D. They too ignore homocysteine, and the beneficial effects of lowering in with B vitamins, as first shown in a 2010 Oxford University study they actually helped fund!
Prevention studies are almost always going to under-estimate (never over-estimate) the power of prevention due to excluding risk factors, but also because they largely ignore the ‘1+1=3’ compounding impact of interactive risk factors. B vitamins, for example, don’t work without sufficient omega-3 and omega-3 oils don’t work in people with raised homocysteine, because of a lack of B vitamins. This has been shown in four trials – in the UK, Holland, Sweden and China. The combination of B vitamins given to people sufficient in omega-3 DHA improved the reduction in brain shrinkage from 53% to 73%. Pollution exposure is a risk factor but, in those with lower homocysteine this effect is much reduced. Poor sleep is a risk factor, but less so in those who exercise.
For the past five years leading UK researchers led by neurologist Professor Peter Garrard, who is the Director of the dementia research group in the St George’s, University of London Neuroscience Research Section, have tried to get funding to test the most promising combination – B vitamins and omega-3 – to no avail. Such a trial is badly needed and would cost of a fraction of that being spent on amyloid or p-tau.
So, what if a person does everything right – enough B vitamins to keep homocysteine low, sufficient omega-3, low sugar, high fibre diet, enough vitamin D (Alzheimer’s is four times less likely in those with sufficient vitamin D), and an active physical, intellectual and social lifestyle, plus good sleep and not too much stress?
The only ongoing study and database, the COGNITION Biobank, that assesses all these risk factors as well as including blood tests of four critical biomarkers, homocysteine, omega-3 index, vitamin D and HBA1c, which measures glucose control, is being run by the charity foodforthebrain.org. It describes itself as ‘citizen science’ because anyone can get involved doing a free online Cognitive Function Test, filling in a questionnaire about their diet, lifestyle and medical history, and sending in a blood sample from a home test kit.
So far, over 400,000 people have been tested. But, unlike the £10 million trial, funded by the People’s Lottery, the Gates Foundation, ARUK and the Alzheimer’s Society, it gets no funding. It is literally funded by the citizen scientists who chip in £50 a year and pay for their own tests. Their message is simple: prevention is better than cure – don’t jump.
Patrick Holford is a Nutrition and Mental Health expert & Founder of the Institute for Optimum Nutrition, VitaminC4Covid, and the charitable Food for the Brain Foundation, where he directs their Alzheimer’s prevention project, including Alzheimer’s Prevention Day. Patrick reads hundreds of studies a year assimilating the latest health breakthroughs and turning them into practical advice to make it easy for everyone to live a healthy life. He is author of 46 health books translated into over 30 languages. www.alzheimersprevention.infoand https://foodforthebrain.org/
References:
These are key papers regarding stated facts in this article.
Health economics of B vitamins: Tsiachristas A, Smith AD. B-vitamins are potentially a cost-effective population health strategy to tackle dementia: Too good to be true? Alzheimers Dement (N Y). 2016 Aug 11;2(3):156-161. doi: 10.1016/j.trci.2016.07.002. PMID: 29067302; PMCID: PMC5651357.
Omega-3 and B vitamin interactions and studies: Smith AD, Jernerén F, Refsum H. ω-3 fatty acids and their interactions. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021 Apr 6;113(4):775-778. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqab013. PMID: 33711096.
Less brain shrinkage and cognitive decline with B vitamins and sufficient omega-3: Jernerén F, Elshorbagy AK, Oulhaj A, Smith SM, Refsum H, Smith AD. Brain atrophy in cognitively impaired elderly: the importance of long-chain ω-3 fatty acids and B vitamin status in a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015 Jul;102(1):215-21. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.114.103283. Epub 2015 Apr 15. PMID: 25877495; see also Oulhaj A, Jernerén F, Refsum H, Smith AD, de Jager CA. Omega-3 Fatty Acid Status Enhances the Prevention of Cognitive Decline by B Vitamins in Mild Cognitive Impairment. J Alzheimers Dis. 2016;50(2):547-57. doi: 10.3233/JAD-150777. PMID: 26757190; PMCID: PMC4927899.
NIH Alzheimer’s prevention review: Beydoun MA, Beydoun HA, Gamaldo AA, Teel A, Zonderman AB, Wang Y. Epidemiologic studies of modifiable factors associated with cognition and dementia: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Public Health. 2014 Jun 24;14:643. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-643. PMID: 24962204; PMCID: PMC4099157.
Meta-analysis of 396 studies favouring homocysteine-lowering B vitamin treatment: Prof Yu study Yu JT, Xu W, Tan CC, Andrieu S, Suckling J, Evangelou E, Pan A, Zhang C, Jia J, Feng L, Kua EH, Wang YJ, Wang HF, Tan MS, Li JQ, Hou XH, Wan Y, Tan L, Mok V, Tan L, Dong Q, Touchon J, Gauthier S, Aisen PS, Vellas B. Evidence-based prevention of Alzheimer’s disease: systematic review and meta-analysis of 243 observational prospective studies and 153 randomised controlled trials. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2020 Nov;91(11):1201-1209. doi: 10.1136/jnnp-2019-321913. Epub 2020 Jul 20. PMID: 32690803; PMCID: PMC7569385.
September has always been one of my favourite months , the leaves starts to change colour , the temperature starts to drop, wearing slippers and snuggling under a blanket is more acceptable. Children return to school with new school uniform and start a new chapter of their lives. Everything just feels like it’s changing and I love it. However the past 2 years September has also meant something else to me, it is the month of awareness for IIH.
What is IIH I hear you ask ? It stands for Idiopathic Intercranial Hypertension. Clear as mud right ? When the doctor told me that he said it with his serious doctor face on and I chuckled and said ‘in English?’ Basically it means that I have high fluid pressure in my brain , idiopathic means that they don’t know what the cause is.
So I’m going to talk to you about some of the fabulous symptoms that go with having IIH in order to raise awareness for this rare condition.
a constant throbbing headache which may be worse in the morning, or when coughing or straining.
temporary loss of vision.
feeling and being sick
feeling sleepy
feeling irritable
finding it difficult or painful to look at bright lights
hearing a pulsing noise in your ears
problems with co-ordination and balance
mental confusion
loss of feeling or weakness
Glorious isn’t it? IIH is often treated with medication , I am taking a drug called Acetazolamide which comes with its own and rather long list of side effects. The one that has effected me most is my sense of taste , especially with drinks, pop especially cola now tastes so bitter I can’t stand to drink it. And fruity drinks tast very sour.
As of yet there is no cure for IIH but the lovely people at www.iih.org.uk are constantly raising money for better , more effective treatments as well as supporting those affected with IIH and their families.
For me personally some days are are bearable , and others are not. Everyday is painful but what keeps me going is the support I have from my family , my amazing partner , beautiful children as well as the online community, with a rare condition it can be easy to feel as though you are alone and that others don’t understand what you’re feeling but there is always support out there. No one is alone.
Marsden Mechanics (https://www.marsdenmechanics.co.uk/) announces ‘Tenterhooks’; a community arts project led by Marsden-born Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, the band LYR and Marsden Mechanics – a large scale creative endeavour culminating in a day of celebratory performances and viewings to be held as part of ‘Cuckoo Day’ Saturday 26th April 2025.
Following the huge success of recent events at the venue which looked to the building’s history and its legacy to inform its latest series of live performances – providing rural communities the opportunity to experience high-quality concerts without coming up against cost prohibitive travel and accommodation – this latest venture embraces the same ethos, but is stepping up its ambitions with the additional goal of helping people within this rural community near Huddersfield to be actively involved in the creation of the next generation’s artistic and cultural heritage.
Poet Laureate Simon Armitage Photo credit. Paul Stuart Photography
Poet Laureate Simon Armitage was born in the rural Yorkshire village and, together with Marsden Mechanics, formed a plan to create the next phase in an ongoing endeavour to ensure that everybody should have the opportunity to access top calibre cultural and artistic events and experiences, no matter their location or financial status
Armitage will be working with the band LYR (of which Armitage is one of the three founder members) Marsden Mechanic’s Development Manager Jonny Kelly, and, vitally, the people of Marsden. The plan is to create a visionary project which invites the local community to take part in a series of creative storytelling events to uncover untold stories of Marsden and its rich heritage. Armitage will take these stories and develop a series of new poems. Then, alongside his bandmates Richard Walters and Patrick Pearson, will set poems to music.
These poems will then be returned to the community for interpretation, and local creatives will be supported by Marsden Mechanics in creating brand new art – everything from songs to sculptures, literature to theatre; culminating in a day of celebratory performances and viewings to be held as part of Cuckoo Day on Saturday 26th Apr 2025. The goal of which, is for Marsden’s collective voice to resonate in celebration of its past, present, and future.
“Marsden is in my blood and in my poems. It’s a modern village but one with a deep history, full of stories and myths, and the Tenterhooks project hopes to turn some of those memories, tales and legends of yesterday into the songs, tunes, paintings, writings and art works of today and tomorrow.”Simon Armitage
“For a village so small, Marsden’s influence on our national identity is nothing short of colossal. It’s a place that has always punched well above its weight. Tenterhooks is here to celebrate that past and look to its future. The desire to do this in such a collaborative way, was naturally driven by a collective desire to set the foundation for events and artistic endeavours that are inclusive for all community members. Connection and inclusion which encompasses the whole community are our core values and we are proud that we are continuing to help to contribute to this, not only to making our relatively rural location a more animated and vibrant place to live, but also a more compelling place to visit and to work in, which in turn strengthens and grows the community further.” Marsden Mechanic’s Development Manager,Jonny Kelly
