The front cover image of the bumper, double issue of this latest issue of The People’s Friend is of Ironbridge in the snow. It’s inspired by an image the magazine found a few years ago. When they commissioned me to write the piece, I asked them what colour the bridge was in the picture. Answer: grey. I then had to tell them that the Iron Bridge had recently undergone some restoration work and English Heritage had painted the bridge in its original colour: reddy brown. So, they had to change the colour of the bridge in their image!
The People’s Friend
Dazzling Displays
Selfridges are well known for their Christmas window displays (Check out this link for this year’s displays). But how much work goes into creating these displays and when do they …
Historic Hereford
My feature on Hereford appeared in The People’s Friend’s issue dated 28th September 2019. When Alex, the Features Editor, commissioned me to write it I jumped at the chance, even though the city is only 40 miles from where I live, and it’s a place where I’ve worked from time to time (both Herefordshire Council, and the Diocese of Hereford have offices there).
Elan Valley – The People’s Friend – Bonus Bits!
This week’s issue of The People’s Friend has my Elan Valley travel piece as the front cover image. If you’ve never been to the area before, I hope it whets your appetite – or should I say ‘wets’ your appetite 🙂
As is always the case, when you go off and explore an area you can never include everything in the finished article, so here are some photos that didn’t make it into the published feature.
Captivating Crickhowell – Bonus Bits!
My feature about the Welsh Border town of Crickhowell can be found in the current issue of The People’s Friend, and as with all such pieces, there’s only so much that you can fit into three pages, and only so many photos. So here’s some bonus bits that didn’t make the cut …
Lovely Ledbury
It’s double-issue time at The People’s Friend this week, with a bumper 144 pages in this week’s issue (dated 8th December). It’s the one with my travel article, Lovely Ledbury on the front cover.
Pilgrimage to Plymouth
Simon Whaley enjoys a journey around this delightful Devonshire City.
‘Climb the oak tree,’ says the tourist guide, ‘but think laterally.’ She winks as she hands over a map of Plymouth city to help me explore. I have to admit, it’s been a few years since I last climbed a tree. But this wasn’t quite what I was expecting to do in Plymouth.
This Devonian city is sandwiched between two rivers – the Plym in the east and the Tamar to the west. It overlooks Plymouth Sound, a natural bay with deep water channels, perfect for commercial shipping and the Royal Navy’s warships and submarines.
Blackcurrant Jelly
Donald drummed his fingers against the steering wheel of his Ford Focus, his eyes fixed on the school entrance.
Any minute now, those doors would fly open and hundreds of happy kids would stream out, overjoyed at their freedom. Then he would see his Suzie emerge, alone and despondent from the challenges she’d had to cope with today.
His stomach cramped as if someone had pushed their hand inside him, wrapped their fingers around his intestines and then squeezed.
Fingers. Everything was about fingers. Ever since that day three months ago.
On The Waterways
“Every time someone opens these lock gates,” says Mike, the engineer, “we lose 40,000 gallons of water.”
We’re standing at the bottom of Lock 72 of the Trent & Mersey Canal in Middlewich, Cheshire, thanks to one of the Canal and River Trust’s Open Days.
Going Ape!
“Is it true monkeys like bananas?” my nephew, Ashley, asks as we watch a gibbon swinging on a rope high above our heads. Thankfully, we have an expert to hand.