writer & journalist
By Sara Valle-Martínez Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced that London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) will cover whole of Greater London from 29 August 2023. Drivers will face a daily fee of £12.50 for using London’s roads from next year, as part of the mayor’s attempt to clean up the city’s toxic air and tackle the climate emergency. …
By Gülsüm Bölük, Fatou Coulibaly, Sam Sorabjee, and Sara Valle-Martínez Nag’s Head business owners in Holloway feel disconnected from the upcoming community Christmas event to be held this weekend. Islington Council announced yesterday that a Festive Lights Event will take place in Nag’s Head Marketon Saturday, November 19, with Islington’s Mayor, Marian Spall, switching on the Christmas lights. …
Continue reading "Festive spirit lacking before Saturday’s Christmas event"
By Sara Valle-Martínez, Lauren Spencer and Gabriela Yorgova Breweries might have to serve warm beer amid blackout warnings from the National Grid’s chief executive, and Holloway hospitality businesses are worried they might have to close down. John Pettigrew said earlier this month Britain could be affected by the winter blackouts from 4pm to 7pm during …
Continue reading "Warm beer? Industry workers speak out amid economic crisis"
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 You can practically find anything in London, even things that you never thought you needed. There’re cat cafés, a junkyard full of neon signs, a tattoo shop with a fortune wheel and… a ball pit for adults. Ballie Ballerson is in the heart of East London. The quirky and trendy streets of Shoreditch, with walls plastered in graffiti, …
By Sara Valle-Martínez 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-Martínez Green Day Greeen Day's Dookie marked a shift in many teenagers' lives years after it was released. But it was the band's American Idiot that made them accessible to teens with smeared eyeliner and Converse shoes. https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ee_uujKuJMI It doesn't matter if you were alive or not when Basket Case was released, it …
Continue reading "Top 17 bands from the 2010s that changed our lives"
By Sara Valle-Martínez (top image courtesy of Deva Fernández) Back in the beginning of 2010, people moved from MySpace to Tumblr, a social media platform in the form of a blog that allowed users to post and reblog photos and texts of all kinds. With the death of MySpace, emo kids were left with nowhere to showcase their music …
By Sara Valle-Martínez Apart from teaching us about our ancestors, art is a means of communication to express our feelings, thoughts, and even beliefs without words. In fact, it can help us inadvertently understand someone better. Sometimes that is especially helpful with children. You may think children are simple and you know what they need …
Sara Valle-Martínez 