writer & journalist
By Sara Valle-Martínez I bet if you close your eyes and picture a rock star, some of the first things that come to mind are tussled hair, drugs, booze, fags, and worn-out jeans or leather trousers. You probably also visualised a bunch of tattoos — maybe a skull, roses, or some kind of female looking …
by Sara Valle-Martínez Net migration in the UK is expected to reach almost 250,000 annually over the next few years, despite Prime Minster Rishi Sunak’s pledge to drive down the number of new arrivals. That’s according to the data released by the Office for Budget Responsibility this month. This increase in immigration last year was primarily driven by …
Continue reading "Are immigration figures really rising? Or does processing immigrants take longer?"
by Sara Valle-Martínez London is a metropolitan city with over nine million inhabitants roaming its streets, taking red double-decker buses, and pushing and fighting to get a seat in the Central Line at rush hour. If you step outside you realise a few things right away. First, the city is a melting pot – a …
Continue reading "Pollution in London: Will Sadiq’s plans make a difference?"
by Sara Valle-Martínez Imagine the following scenario: you spend hundreds – sometimes thousands – of pounds on a tattoo design by your favourite artist. Just a few days later, when you’re finally able to share your beloved body art with the world after the tedious healing process has ended, your employer tells you that you …
Continue reading "Tattoos at work: does body art mean a lack of professionalism?"
Text, photos, and infographics by Sara Valle-Martínez If you’ve ever thought about buying in bulk, you might’ve been put off because of the inconvenience of having to carry empty containers to the shops or the high prices of organic food. But there are ways to make bulk shopping cheaper - while helping the environment at the …
By Sara Scheeres and Sara Valle-Martínez. Photos by Sara Scheeres When you walk into the Sylvanian Families store in Finsbury Park, it feels like a coming-of-age film, right when you get to the scene where there's a flashback to the main character’s childhood. Everything has a sepia filter and when the protagonist looks down, they realise …
Continue reading "Sweet goodbye to nostalgia: Sylvanian Families store closes in Finsbury Park"
By Sara Valle-Martínez / Heading photo courtesy of cruelheartsclub.com Cruel Hearts Club is what you didn’t know you needed. On stage they look like grungy Powerpuff Girls – three badass gals with an edge. Armed with their axe-guitar, sword-bass, earth-shattering drums, and almighty voices, they’re ready to blow your speakers and rock your world. Edie …
Continue reading "Cruel Hearts Club: The unstoppable punk rock super mums do it again"
By Sara Valle-Martínez Wray Crescent in Islington, North London, fills up with sunshine on a Saturday morning. Ten neighbours gather, pushing wheelbarrows full of compost, digging the ground with their shovels, and chatting animatedly as they chug their cold cans of ginger beer. They don’t miss a beat. They dry off the sweat on their foreheads before resuming …
Continue reading "Friends of Wray Crescent: Being green and saving bees"
By Sara Valle-Martínez The Scottish boy with an Italian name is back! After eight years of radio silence, Paolo Nutini announced he would be part of the line-up for different UK festivals like TRSNMT in Scotland and the legendary Knebworth, then he announced extra dates in Spain, Italy, France… And just a few days after a series of intimate shows was booked, …
Continue reading "Paolo Nutini: Nothing bittersweet about the singer-songwriter’s return"
By Sara Valle-Martínez Being a fan is hard. As Caitlin Moran puts it in her book, How To Be Famous, there’s something incredibly intimate about consuming someone else’s art. The connection is even stronger when you’re a teenager exposed to any kind of stimuli. It’s especially hard if you’re a girl. In an era where K-Pop has emerged leader of …
Sara Valle-Martínez 