Nicky's North London

It is little secret that cinemas in the UK have been through a bit of a tough time in the past couple of years. Last month, the Guardian reported that Cineworld's shares have plummeted by nearly 99% over the previous five years. Furthermore, the company is currently in around £4bn of debt.  However, some hope may be left before the curtains draw to a close for movie theatres. The UK's box office takings from last year may have been down by 28% compared to before the pandemic, but the late 2010s saw British cinemas taking in the highest audience numbers in over half a century. Perhaps, therefore, the industry may sooner or later rebound from the post-covid slump.  Furthermore, despite the challenges, in 2021, the country bore witness to its third and fourth most successful box office releases of all time ( No Time to Die  and  Spider-Man: No Way Home,  respectively). On top of that, according to Statista, the United Kingdom had 840 cinemas in 2019, but that numbe...

Recently, London Metropolitan University held a panel discussion about size inclusivity in the world of fashion.  During the event, students were given the opportunity to ask the six guest panellists, all from various backgrounds in the fashion and modelling industries, questions regarding contentious issues faced by plus-size shoppers of major clothing brands.  Eager to share their thoughts on the subject of sizeism before their audience, the guest panel members included: plus-size model and dancer Queen Mojo, casting agency director Jody Furlong and stylist Bethan Dadson.  Also consisting of the line-up were model and content creator Josephine Dervish, Harvey Nichols assistant buyer Amelia Barraclough and activist Lindsay McGlone.  One topic, however, brought up far more discussion amongst the six stars of the show than any other; the practice of "vanity sizing".   Vanity sizing, according to the magazine Cosmopolitan, can be described as when fashion des...

"It's just really sad, isn't it? What's happening in the world?" asks Melissa Perera, 33, an autism specialist tutor.  "I have heard some students at primary schools are no longer getting hot meals, which could be the only hot meal they have that day," she explains.  The cost of living crisis has, according to the NASUWT teaching union, had a profound negative impact on the education of school children. The union claims 6 in 10 teachers said pupils were arriving to school hungry, and almost 70% said their pupils "were lacking in energy and concentration."  However, The Holmewood School, where Melissa tutors at, aims to help its students prepare for independent living.  Like all students at Holmewood, Melissa's pupils receive "life skills lessons" to broaden their understanding of areas including home economics, budgeting and personal finances.  "In our lessons, we've been looking at different types of bills, looking at ra...

We all sit gathered around on the campus library's floor, passing a packet of dog treats to one another to feed the two dogs, which eagerly wag their tails before us. They're both so enthusiastic yet easygoing and calm in the presence of the university students they've just met.  Before long, Sunny, 4, a Cockapoo with a short black coat with white patches nearer to her underside and one atop her head, strolls up to me with a look of expectation in her eyes. Unfortunately, I disappoint as I've lost sight of where the treats have gone.  Although I regret not making a great first impression on Sunny, I quickly realise why therapy dog visits, such as these, have been gaining popularity across the country's universities, including those of Cambridge, Swansea and Nottingham Trent, according to the BBC.    Anyone familiar with London Metropolitan University's library will be familiar with its somewhat uninspiring ambience and sense of joylessness. Students slumped at ...

As the guest speakers for the university's panel discussion begin to arrive, eyes are kept peeled for one Jody Furlong, director of casting agency The Eye Casting   and former BBC presenter.  Sure enough, he arrives, wearing a blue blazer and snazzy gold-framed glasses. However, he is greeted enthusiastically by students and lecturers alike from London Metropolitan before I can approach him with the questions I have prepared.  Jody, along with five others working in the world of fashion, will soon be sharing their thoughts on size inclusivity in the industry before an audience and television cameras.  Following his discussion with his welcomers, the perfect opening for me to introduce myself to Jody and interview him eventually arises. I approach him and ask if he has a couple of minutes to spare for a chat. He replies: "Of course, that's what I'm here for", smiling enthusiastically.  We begin by discussing how the media representation of plus-size people has ev...

We have all, at some point, read an article by a feature writer. But what, however, does the journey to becoming a journalist of this nature look like?  For Emma Garland, who, up until January of last year, had worked at Vice for eight years and recently joined Huck as the magazine's new digital editor, the answer isn't quite as straightforward as the question might seem. Whilst giving a guest speaker talk at London Metropolitan University, She told students: "My pathway to journalism was very kind of unusual and non-linear."   "I've never done an internship, I've never done a placement anywhere, I've never had a mentor."  However, Emma said that whilst doing a B.A. in English literature and creative writing, she found a passion for blogging: "I started reviewing gigs and albums and interviewing bands and stuff like that."  "[It was] all unpaid, but like, because I wanted free access to shows and records and all of the fun stuff th...