WEEKEND COLUMN SATURDAY 7 NOVEMBER
An oasis of positivity celebrating the creative arts with articles, previews, reviews, interviews, and recommendations.
WEEKEND COLUMN SATURDAY 7 NOVEMBER
Previews: All The Small Things at M6, Faith Healer at the Royal Exchange plus Bones In The Desert
Reviews: An extended edition of Poetry and Portraits and Early Doors Club with Nigel Clark at St Chad’s Church
An extended edition of Poetry and Portraits
Review by Steve Cooke
AATA has one fundamental editorial philosophy : “Never be negative – only give readers what you truly believe is worthy of their attention and could inspire involvement and engagement.”
Over the years we have developed strong relationships with like-minded organizations and people. One such is Gary Bridson-Daley and his powerful and vital Debt of Gratitude project.
For eight years we have kept our readers informed of Gary’s progress, enthusiastically previewing each new publication and reporting our regular catch ups with this inspiring storyteller and poet.
Gary is demonstrably passionate about telling the stories of the rapidly disappearing generation of WW2 veterans. In Poetry and Portraits he has created a beautiful book that truly honours our veterans through inspirational storytelling, moving poetry and stunning images. A book that we highly recommend to all our readers whether already interested in its subject matter or just enjoy a good read.
It is fitting that at this time of Remembrance we remind people of Gary’s tremendous work.
The Extended Edition has of Poetry and Portraits has over 30 pages of new material, 5 new Veterans’ stories in there, plus additional visual content.
The additional material includes the new and incredible stories of 103-year-old Jim Laughlin, who in WW2 was a Royal Marine that was part of the Elite LCOCU’s – Landing Craft Obstruction Clearance Units, who were some of the first pioneer ‘Frogmen’ who were special underwater demolition experts, who had the very dangerous job of clearing mined enemy obstacles on the run up to invasion beaches so that the Allies landing in those places could do so safely with the minimum casualties, and they did that job under heavy incoming enemy fire and are little known or revered for their brave exploits!
Jim served in and survived the Allied invasions of North Africa in 1942 (Operation Torch), invasion of Sicily in 1943 (Operation Husky), invasion of the Italian Mainland at Salerno in 1943 (Operation Avalanche), and D-Day at Gold Beach in Normandy in 1944 (Operation Neptune/Overlord), all of that by the age of 20!
Gary purposely interviewed Jim, knowing he was among many things a D-Day Veteran, on the 6th June 2026, the 82nd Anniversary of D-Day, very poignant!
“Recently I was able to locate, buy and take to Jim the very important Royal Marines Cap Badge ‘A real and well-earned badge of Honour for a R.M’ and an original WW2 France-Germany Star, both things Jim was missing and which made up a full complement of honours for him!”
Then on the opposite side of the WW2/Historical spectrum is another new one in the book, a German Jewish lady called Marianne Phillips, who was born and grew up in Berlin, which became the epi-Centre of Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich, where she lived through Hitler coming to power in 1933, The Anti-Semitic Nuremburg Laws in 1935, Berlin Olympics in 1936, the Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass ) anti-Jewish pogrom in 1938, before being put by her father on one of the last Kindertransport trains out of Germany in August 1939 just weeks before WW2 started in order to save her life! She then came to the U.K as a refugee, worked and lived through the terrible bombings of the Blitz in London 1940-41 and the later V1 Flying Bomb attacks of 1944-45! Her father Martin and Brother Herbert very sadly perished in Auschwitz in 1943.
Marianne, now 102, still lives independently and still does public speaking about her experiences, the Holocaust, antisemitism and how intolerance of any kind towards any person of any particular faith or background is wrong and should be avoided at all costs!
Gary says “This is Absolutely fascinating history that should unquestionably be preserved ASAP, hence me continuing to do it now, here, in this my 3rd book. That’s why over a decade later my ‘Debt of Gratitude Project’, unshakable resolve and work is as the Mantra in my books About Veterans, For Veterans, To Honour Veterans, Because To Remember Is To Honour.”
Poetry and Portraits is available for £30 at https://www.amazon.co.uk/Poetry-Portraits-Saluting-Generation-Supplementary
It has my highest recommendation.
Early Doors Club with Nigel Clark at St Chad’s Church
Review by Maggie and Seamus Kelly
Nigel Clark, lead singer of Britpop band Dodgy, put on an excellent solo show in Rochdale’s St Chad’s Church on Friday evening.
One of the many highlights of the evening was ‘Good Enough’, a song from 1996 which he referred to as his pension, and one where the church filled with the voices of the audience singing along.
A clear and emotional cover of Tom Waits’ ‘I hope that I Don’t Fall in Lovey with You’ and a cover of the old Northern Soul classic, ‘Do I Love You?’, transformed with a country style guitar picking style and the shining clarity of Nigel’s voice.
There were new songs like his recently written, ‘It’s Not The End’ and plenty of classics including ‘Summer Forever’, ‘Staying Out for the Summer’ and ‘In a Room’.
Nigel Clark is a superb performer with a wide vocal range which combined with his acoustic guitar was reminiscent of the more melodic side of Britpop. He is also down to earth, affable, approachable and honest, all of which shone through in his choice of songs and his delivery. When I asked if he had enjoyed playing in St Chad’s he said, “Yes! It’s been really good; it’s a beautiful church. The sound is great, amazing. I could really sing, you know when you could hear a pin drop, its brilliant. I love it!”
Part of the Early Doors Club’s ethos is to bring excellent musicians to local and accessible venues and also to showcase emerging local talents. Last night the support act opening the show was 19 year old, Heywood singer and songwriter Grace Rose.
Grace has a powerful and energetic singing voice, and her set comprised her own songs with just one cover version of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rhiannon’. Her own compositions included ‘Moonlight’, ‘Be Mine’, ‘Copy Cat’ and she finished her set with her most recent release ‘Travelling Girl’ with catchy rhythms and clever storytelling.
Grace was accompanied throughout by Frank Naylor with excellent acoustic guitar playing.
You can find Nigel Clark and Grace Rose on major streaming platforms including Spotify and as @nigel_songs and @gracerosemusic on Instagram.
The Early Doors Club is presented by The Snug Live with music events in Rochdale, Bolton and Wigan, with support from ~Rochdale Development Agency, Bolton Council, Wigan Council and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. The Early Doors Club will continue to bring monthly shows to St Chad’s for three years.
The next performance in Rochdale, At St Chad’s Church is Chris Helme (The Seahorses) on 13 November.
All The Small Things at M6
Preview by Steve Cooke
Tickets are now available for the new Family Theatre Show at M6 Theatre.
Two talented troupers (and one playful goose) combine singing, puppetry and playful physical comedy to bring this magical new spin on fairytales to life.
Deep in the woods, a lost traveller finds their way to the Story Collector’s door.
Too busy to have fun, the stranger’s even forgotten that today is their birthday. And stories? What a waste of time!
On the turn of a snow globe, the enchantment begins…
Watch the trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA1kvOUDKg to find out more about this brand new theatre show for families.
The performances are pay-what-you-feel with an opportunity to donate on the day.
To book tickets email admin@m6theatre.co.uk, call 01706 355898 or use the link on the touring schedule https://m6theatre.co.uk/shows/all-the-small-things/
All the Small Things on Saturday 7 November (1:30pm and 3:30pm) and Saturday 21 November (1:30pm).
M6 Theatre Company, Studio Theatre, Hamer CP School, Albert Royds Street Rochdale OL16 2SU
Faith Healer at the Royal Exchange
Preview by Steve Cooke
Tickets are now on sale for the Royal Exchange Theatre’s 2027 Season and first up is Faith Healer.
Brian Friel’s 20th-century masterpiece is a lyrical display of corroding morals and fragile self-belief. A devoted contemplation on faith and doubt, illusion and reality, deception and genius, explored through relationships that waver between reliable and ruinous.
As a Welsh director, Emma Baggott’s interpretation is a deeply personal celebration of the Celtic culture of storytelling masterfully displayed in the writing. The in-the-round auditorium creates a transformational and spiritual happening, reenergising our sense of magic in theatre as a collective shared experience.
Faith Healer is not a comedy nor a tragedy, it is celebrated as a masterwork of poetic beauty.
“Must we have faith in something to live with purpose? Where does truth end and pretence begin when the speaker believes both with absolution? And what actually happened on that fateful August evening at a pub in Ballybeg?”
Book now - prices from £24.00 - visit https://www.royalexchange.co.uk/event/faith-healer/
Saturday 20 March – Sunday 18 Apr 2027
Royal Exchange Theatre, St Ann's Square, Manchester, M2 7DH
Phone 0161 833 9833
Email royalexchange.co.uk
Bones In The Desert
Preview by Steve Cooke
Two lives. One past. A hundred years apart. A story that refuses to stay buried.
Berlin, 2022. Artur’s a 19-year-old refugee who’s stuck in a city that doesn’t feel like home, trapped between worlds, conflicting roles and by the ghosts of his desperate escape from the Syrian civil war. His only release is a dead-end job washing dishes, where the casual racism of the customers makes him invisible.
Then someone from his journey shows up: Hagop. Same age, same trauma, same questions. What begins as a joyful reunion becomes a reckoning with identity, with memory and with the question of how to be free.
From the deserts of 1915 to the chaos of today, Bones in the Desert explores the legacy of genocide and the lives it still touches. With raw honesty and urgency, it also confronts mental well-being, racism in contemporary Europe and the cost of silence.
Written by British-Armenian playwright Joe Nerssessian, this powerful new play speaks directly to young adult audiences with heart, humour and an unflinching gaze. It’s about where we come from, who we carry with us and what it means to belong.
Threading together forgotten massacres and modern-day violence, it weaves a haunting, cross-generational tapestry of loss, inheritance and the quiet rebellion of those who choose to speak.
Presented in an immersive style with a pulsating contemporary soundtrack, Bones in the Desert is the latest production from Half Moon, the UK’s leading small-scale young people’s venue and touring company.
Directed by Chris Elwell.
Please note this is an immersive one-hour show, during which the audience is asked to remain standing. Seating for those that need it will be available.
Price from £8.40
21 November, 19:00 at Rochdale Ukrainian Club, Mere Street, Rochdale, Greater Manchester, OL11 1HJ
RECOMMENDED
Saturday, 7 November 2026
Themed Lego Club - Wardle Library
First 2 Saturdays of each month. Come and join our free themed Lego club, with Duplo available for younger children. Can you create something amazing?
For families with children aged 4 and over.
No need to book, you can just come along.
Contact: library.service@rochdale.gov.uk
10am - 12pm
Wardle Library, 448 Birch Road, Wardle, Rochdale OL12 9LH
Tuesday, 10 November 2026
Bookstart Bear Club - Littleborough Library
Free
Every other Tuesday during term time. Join Amy and Bookstart Bear for a fun session, especially for toddlers up to pre-school age and their parents or carers.
Booking required: please book a ticket for every child who is to attend. Accompanying adults will not need a ticket. See available sessions and book tickets through Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/rochdale-borough-libraries-10695506106
When you and your child come along to their first session of Bookstart Bear Club, they will receive their very own Bookstart passport for you to get stamped each time they come along to a session or visit the library. For every 6 stamps they get in their passport, they'll receive a certificate.
If you or your child are not library members already, you can join when you come along to Bookstart Bear Club.
9.45am - 10.30am
Littleborough Library, Hare Hill Park, Littleborough OL15 9HE
Wednesday, 11 November 2026
Voices of the First World War: Shell Shock - Wardle Library
Free
Local historians Carole and Nicola Davies present a captivating description of the history and treatment of shell shock during World War 1.
For adults and teenagers.
No need to book, you can just turn up.
Contact: wardle.library@rochdale.gov.uk
10.30am - 12pm
Wardle Library, 448 Birch Road, Wardle, Rochdale OL12 9LH
Wednesday, 11 November 2026
Toad Lane Concerts - Rochdale's Weekly Music at Lunchtime
This week we have - Nina Savecevic concert pianist (RNCM)
Running every Wednesday, Music at Lunchtime is a weekly live classical music concert series that has been going since the 1960s. The sessions were initially run at the old Rochdale Art Gallery by the local authority, but since May 2001 have been run by volunteer-enthusiasts and artistic director, Dr Joe Dawson.
£6
Phone: Dr Joe Dawson 01706 648872
St Mary in the Baum, Toad Lane/St Mary's Gate, Rochdale OL16 1DZ
Doors open 12noon, concert starts 12.30pm - 1.30pm
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