Clair Evans is a normal woman – but she has just done something quite remarkable. This is her story, her pain, her fight to leave it behind.

For me day to day life was very difficult and frustrating, the worst part actually getting up in the morning when your whole body hurts so much you don’t want to move. Sleep was disturbed every night with pain waking me up on a regular basis. I very rarely managed to get through a day without having to lie down, my body totally exhausted.

Having tried numerous medications prescribed by my doctor none of which really worked I finally attended a pain clinic where I learned the importance of exercise and keeping moving which was very painful to do but did help a little.

I accepted a long time ago that Fibromyalgia was my lot and I had to find a way to live my life as best I could managing the condition. I found a personal trainer, Mark Guest of Physique Fitness Tring who took me right back to basics and we spent the best part of 2 years just getting my body moving. Mark then recommended Paul Magee of Profortis Sports Therapy.

I arrived for my first treatment exhausted and in considerable pain all over my body after a slip in the woods. Paul took things very slowly, explaining how he could help me. After my first session I noticed a marked difference in my pain levels and the way my body felt and with a combination of treatment and gentle massage within 3 months I was pain free!! My brain and body had to get used to this feeling, after nearly 20 years it felt very strange. I found myself bumping into doors and not crying with the pain, my boys who are 21 and 18, can now give me a bear hug!

During my first treatment I mentioned to Paul that I had asked Mark to train me up to do a mad 50^th birthday challenge. The idea was to prove to myself and others that Fibromyalgia didn’t have to control you and that with a little determination and a good attitude of mind you could live life to the full.

[The fight begins – training photo courtesy of Paul Magee]

Since I met Paul I haven’t stopped smiling. I never, ever thought I would find the answer to my pain. Paul has changed mine and my family’s lives completely and I cannot thank him enough for his knowledge, expertise, of course, for giving me a future to look forward to.

I will be pulling Paul’s Landover on the 21^st May with 8 rugby players as passengers – pain free!!

Since Clair wrote this – she has achieved her goal… and is still raising money for the Rennie Grove Hospice Care charity.

Claire’s attempt at pulling large truck and men

[Photo © Peter Sanders]

If you feel inspired – Clair’s Just Giving fundraising page is still active:

www.justgiving.com/fundraising/clair-evansisonthepull

Paul Magee can be contacted via the website: www.profortis.co.uk

THE MIKADO, or The Town of Titipu at Richmond Theatre, Surrey

“A feast for the eyes as well as the ears”

Sasha Regan has created a reputation of touring large-scale Gilbert & Sullivan – with HMS Pinafore and The Pirates of Penzance under her belt, it was inevitable she would focus upon The Mikado.

What’s so special about her vision? The cast is always men.

Regan’s All Male company is, to put it simply, terrific. In this modern age of amplification and jukebox musicals, this is a beautiful example (rare, nowadays) of performers projecting into the auditorium with emotion and clarity. If mumbling tv actors annoy you, refresh your batteries and see this production as it tours the UK. You’ll sigh with satisfaction.

[The company – all images courtesy of Stewart McPherson)

There is not much that is camp about men playing the women’s parts, they are simply – dare I say it? – acting. The ‘camp’ is left to the setting – like a naughty and frivolous expedition in the woods, the boys roleplay, dance and sing as we segue effortlessly from woodland to rural Japan.

They act as well as they sing, too.

[Richard Munday as Nanki-Poo]

Richard Munday plays Nanki-Poo (the wand’ring minstrel), in search for his love, Yum-Yum, relished by Alan Richardson.

(Alan Richardson as Yum Yum)

The chemistry between them and the whole ensemble was beautiful to see, as every single moment on stage has been choreographed to the nth degree, each joke highlighted, each note punctuated. A feast for the eyes as well as the ears.

Ko-Ko, the cowardly High Executioner, is wonderfully portrayed by David McKechnie. His is one of the famous G&S parts, sought after because he can truly show a range of character. His romance and flirtation with Katisha (a matronly Alex Weatherhill) is genuinely lovely – removing all traces of The Muppets’ version of On A Tree By A River (Tit Willow) for me (if you don’t know what I mean, Google it!).

[David McKechnie as Ko-Ko with Alex Weatherhill as Katisha]

Regan’s direction is crisp and Holly Hughes’ choreography is smooth and imaginative. The music is from one keyboard: Richard Baker playing and conducting throughout.

The whole show brought gasps of delight from the audience. Tempered only by a lull in Act Two, around The Mikado’s scenes, as though James Waud was acting ever-so-slightly in a different show, the whole piece is genuinely a joy to behold.

Paul Vates.

Running Time: 2 hours 10 minutes (plus an interval)

Booking at individual theatres, plus www.allmalemikado.com

Twitter: @allmalemikado, #AllMaleMikado

Production photographs © Stewart McPherson

Tour dates:

30 – 31 May               East Riding Theatre, Beverley

1 – 3 June                  The Spa Theatre, Bridlington

6 – 10 June                Northcott Theatre, Exeter

13 – 17 June             Theatre Royal, Brighton

27 June – 1 July        Arts Theatre, Cambridge

4 – 8 July                    Festival Theatre, Malvern

13 – 15 July               Hall for Cornwall, Truro

17 – 19 July               Dorking Halls, Dorking

20 – 22 July               Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury

25 – 29 July               Quays Theatre, The Lowry, Salford

Given that a key role of any theatre company is to project so that they can be heard at the back of the stalls, how could it be that I knew nothing of the Turtle Key Arts ?

My guess is that it’s because they’ve been so busy unlocking the potential of anyone who comes their way and putting on some amazing inclusive theatre with work that demands our full attention, I must therefore conclude that the oversight is entirely mine.

Turtle Key Arts are now based in the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith, a few minutes’ walk from the Tube Station and as they are celebrating twenty five years as a company they have decided that it was time to bring their work to a wider audience, and what a body of work.

Two films showed the breadth of their repertoire, marrying physical theatre with music, dance and sheer exuberance.

In the film a mother of one of the young performers describes how her son had explained to her how much he loved Turtle Key Arts because there he fitted in and at school he didn’t.

Turtle Key Arts believe that disability of any sort should not be a barrier to performing and that given some support everything is possible and their track record of productions often in partnership with other theatre companies proves that this is no idle boast.

Asked about ambition CEO Alison King said ’Turtle Key Arts wants to continue unlocking the creative potential in individuals and ensuring a future for others by providing arts for all’

Like all theatre companies the Turtle Key Arts needs financial support and to be discovered by new audiences and if they can achieve that there can be little doubt that they will be creating great theatre for the next 25 years.

www.turtlekeyarts.org.uk/

It’s never easy ringing the changes for Father’s Day  so I’m sticking to well known themes but I do feel excited by my choices.

Books – well, why not.

Anatomy of a Soldier by Iraq and Afghanistan veteran, Harry Parker, who returned as a double amputee. Of course this interested me because I founded Words for the Wounded, but it also interested the blokes on our small volunteer team. Harry is now a writer and artist and this is his first novel. It is a tour de force, quite different to all others in this vein. The narrators are the equipment which led to the ‘incident’, and to the saving of his life.

Faber and Faber: hb £14.99 also in pb.

Another that is quite different to others I have read and which appeals to both men and women, or so I believe.

Castle of Water by Dane Huckelbridge features a modern day plane-wreck, the two survivors of which (strangers) reach a deserted Polynesian Island and have to find a way of surviving – together. It’s not only a fascinating concept (never ever travel without a huge number of spare contact lenses – especially if you fancy yourself an artist – though it seems he produced exceptional work without.) This leads to the question – if he survived would he continue to produce through a blur.

It was laugh aloud funny, but also moving and interesting as they became a team.

HQ: pb £7.99

Labour and the Gulag:

One of my relatives was a communist between the wars, and proceeded to achieve high office in a profession demanding rigorous integrity and intelligence.  He continued however to be hard left and a supporter of Russian Communism – heedless of the inconvenient truth of theiniquities of the system. He felt, I believe, that the end justified the means. It removed any respect I felt for him and his subsequent work.

He was not alone. Read this and bang your head on the table in despair and exasperation.

Labour and the Gulag by Giles Udy

Biteback Publishing. hb £30.

All this reading should of course be accompanied by a restorative drink or two.

BULLDOG Gin

Present in over 80 countries, BULLDOG Gin is the fourth largest and fastest growing premium gin in the world. With its unique bold, black bottle and distinct flavour, BULLDOG is a modern gin that has been quietly causing a stir on the gin scene with its British attitude and global mind-set. Using only the best quality British wheat and water, BULLDOG starts with triple distilled neutral grain spirit. It is then distilled once more, adding the distinctive blend of 12 botanicals to the pot still to deliver a smooth experience.

Stockist Ocado RRP £22.00

Estrella Galicia

Estrella Galicia is a premium world lager with a refreshingly smooth and well balanced taste with a light body. A spicy and light toned beer, Estrella Galicia has a clean and balanced aroma of Perie with nuggets hops and light malts.

Stockist: Marks and Spencer

RRP: £5.25

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and O’Neill/Ross present

Friday 9th – Sunday 25th June 2017

At locations across Kensington and Chelsea

InTRANSIT will once again take over the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea with its experimental programme of site-responsive art and performance. With this year’s theme of ‘Island Life’, InTRANSIT brings together responses from a diverse selection of artists looking at the contrasts of urban isolation and connectivity, celebrating community and the principle that ‘no man is an island’.

Pop-up ‘Island’ installations create an arts-archipelago across the borough, with the Portobello Pavilion – InTRANSIT’s hub of practical activity and discussion – at its centre. Highlights include: a series of large-scale, playful sandcastles produced in conjunction with the Museum of Architecture; an immersive exploration of JG Ballard’s novel Concrete Island; an electro-folk opera at the Print Room; an art exhibition in a secret subterranean space at Notting Hill Gate station; and a day of dance and participation from Polynesia and Melanesia.

InTRANSIT 2017 highlights include:

Portobello Pavilion – Friday 9th June to Sunday 25th June, Powis Square, W11

A striking temporary structure situated in historic Powis Square, the Portobello Pavilion offers a serene landing place within the wider context of the programme. Sandcastles – Friday 9th June to Sunday 25th June, various locations

The Museum of Architecture presents a series of large-scale sandcastles, each up to 2.5 metres tall, designed by leading UK architects. Located outside the Design Museum, in Duke of York Square, and at Portobello Market, these iconic structures will unite InTRANSIT’s ‘Island Life’ with the London Festival of Architecture’s theme of ‘Memory’.

Concrete Island – From Thursday 15th June

Charlie Warde returns JG Ballard’s classic novel Concrete Island to its site of origin in this immersive adaptation. Our protagonist, Robert Maitland, a contemporary Robinson Crusoe, plunges through the matrix of modern life and becomes marooned on a section of wasteland earmarked for development under London’s busiest road. Escape Artists – Friday 9th June to Wednesday 14th June

Collaborating with course directors and emerging artists from Central St Martin’s, Royal College of Music and the Cass School of Art, Escape Artists uses the issue of decreasing academic space as an opportunity for established colleges to break with tradition and take their practice off-site.

Remnants – From Monday 12th June

Performed by four singers and dancers, Remnants is an electro-folk opera, re-arranging traditional Balkan vocal music and combining it with contemporary electronics.

These are just a taste of all that’s on offer. Have a look to see what else:

www.intransitfestival.co.uk.

Most are free of charge but some require pre-booking.

It seems to me that minds turn to crisp cool gin as summer approaches, add to that the thought that Father’s Day is galloping towards us  and here we have the answer… not least because mum can have some too.

Greenall’s have launched a really swish brand new bottle design in both the Original and Wild Berry flavours and it’s on the shelves now.

Greenall’s The Original London Dry Gin has a rich British heritage. Established in 1761, and originally created by the forefather of gin, Thomas Dakin, Greenall’s is Britain’s first and original London Dry style gin and celebrates over 250 years of Great British history.

Greenall’s has featured in gin palaces – such an evocative image – right through to today’s supermarkets and gin bars which are thriving. The new bottle’s shape hints at the 1700’s look and features an embossing of the spirit’s birth date – 1761- the signature of Edward Greenall and the Greenall’s crest. To symbolize the craftsmanship that goes into the brand there is a print of a hand-stitched Union Jack on the back.

The original recipe remains unchanged, a recipe that has only been known by 7 Master Distillers since launched all those years ago. Joanne Moore Greenall’s 7^th Master Distiller is the current guardian and one of the first female gin masters – my mum would be thrilled. I find this continuity and history enhances everything about Greenhall’s and highlights its award winning success. It should be designated a national treasure.

What’s more, what a great product, and one that is constantly improving its image. A masterstroke.

RRP £21.00 – 1Ltr   ABV: 37.5%

RRP £16.00 – 70cl.   ABV: 37.5%

RRP:   £9.00  – 35cl.   ABV: 37.5%

www:greenallsgin.com