journalist & writer
By Sara Valle Mary was confident enough to sit at the piano and bash up some chords. The words tumbled out of her – how scared she was and how she felt completely on her own. It was the first time she was able to articulate how she felt about being abused as a child. …
By Sara Valle You’re not ugly, you’re just not in season right now. That’s what beauty influencer and owner of Somber Studios, Jessica Vill, said to her thousands of subscribers in a video two years ago. Her words are as relevant today as they were in 2021. The “clean girl” aesthetic looked like the light …
Continue reading "Fillers, Botox, and lifts: The “clean girl” aesthetic isn’t as clean as you think"
By Sara Valle (ARCHIVE from April 2023) As Sadiq Khan expands the Ultra-Low Emissions Zone and Islington Council installs Low Traffic Neighbourhoods in the area, residents wonder if their health is being considered too. Reporting in Blackstock Road to find out more. https://youtu.be/I-IkKx4x5o4
By Sara Valle It’s a Friday evening and people crowd in front of Islington Town Hall’s majestic neoclassical building. Clouds gather in the sky and confetti piles on the few steps that lead up to the main entrance. Someone has just gotten hitched – their colourful gowns look brighter than the white blanket that’s the …
By Sara Valle 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 Stove is off. Touch it; make sure it’s not hot. Okay, that’s fine. And now the window. Just grab the handle. Shake it a little bit. Is it locked? Fine, let’s move on. Is the hair straightener off? Go upstairs; touch the plug. Yes. Okay, take pictures of it. One is not …
Continue reading "OCD doesn’t stand for Organised and Controlling, Dude!"
By Sara Valle Art is a means of communication to express feelings, thoughts, and even beliefs without words. In fact, it can help to understand others better. Sometimes that is especially helpful with children. You may think children are simple and you know what they need and want. But are you really sure? After all, …
By Sara Valle. Main illustration by Miguel Arévalo I was scrolling through a mattress company’s website this week and it made me feel quite lonely. You may ask yourself why. Well, truth is that I’m single and this company was clearly targeting couples. “The roll-over effect doesn’t happen with our range of organic mattresses. You …
By Sara Valle There are over nine million immigrants living in the United Kingdom according to a 2019 study by The Migration Observatory. This means 14% of the population could be experiencing what is known as “migratory grief". The British Psychological Society says there are two types of loss: the physical one, which would refer to a …
By Sara Valle The Musicians’ Union defines busking as part of many musicians’ lives, and says that for many, it can be a lifelong career. But this type of art is threatened by those who wrongfully see it as begging. Last year, it was threatened even further by a global pandemic that required everyone to stay at home. In …
Continue reading "Busking and Covid: quiet streets and unsung voices"
Sara Valle 