Bill Borrows

Reform UK candidate Sian Astley’s withdrawal from a Greater Manchester mayoral hustings left an empty chair and denied the audience a direct contest with Labour’s Bev Craig. The episode is portrayed as evidence that Reform is struggling to challenge Andy Burnham’s popularity and Labour’s strong electoral position. Craig is expected to inherit Burnham’s record of regional devolution, urban investment and the Bee Network, alongside continuing concerns about inequality between Greater Manchester’s boroughs, city-centre safety and property development. Burnham’s growing national influence, including the creation of a Manchester-based Downing Street office, reinforces the article’s argument that his political presence remains central to the city even after leaving the mayoralty.

Concerns over sewage discharges, harmful bacterial levels and algal blooms at Lake Windermere have intensified, prompting calls from Save Windermere for clearer pollution risk forecasting and expanded water-quality monitoring. While sewage dumping by United Utilities remains a key issue, regular swimmers emphasize both caution and the lake’s enduring appeal. The narrative contrasts media portrayals of severe contamination with personal experiences highlighting the lake’s beauty, tourism opportunities and environmental recovery projects, underscoring that Windermere remains both threatened and treasured.

Generation X is portrayed as a culturally influential and unusually resilient generation that continues to enjoy the music, fashion and nightlife of its youth. The column argues that Gen X’s shared experience of economic hardship, nuclear-war fears, political upheaval and pre-social-media community helped it develop perspective and coping mechanisms, while younger generations increasingly adopt its cultural styles. Survey findings that rank the 1980s and 1990s highly for quality of life are presented as support for the idea that Gen X may also be among the happiest generations.

Dalyan is presented as a relatively unspoiled Turkish riverside town whose restrained development owes much to conservationist June Haimoff’s campaign to protect loggerhead turtle nesting grounds at Iztuzu Beach. The feature highlights the Dalyan River, turtle rescue centre, Lycian tombs, ancient Kaunos, local restaurants, markets, boat trips and thermal baths, while warning that the area’s low-key character may not last as tourism grows. Practical advice covers transport from Dalaman, accommodation, prices and recommended activities.

Artist Alison Lapper discusses the lifelong emotional damage caused by her mother’s lack of affection, her experiences growing up in institutional care, and the stigma surrounding disabled parenthood. Her son Parys developed severe mental-health problems, self-medicated with cannabis and alcohol, and died from an accidental drug overdose in 2019 after repeated moves through the care system and discharge from NHS services. Lapper describes enduring grief and maternal guilt, but says painting and the Lost in Parys exhibition helped her process his death. She now runs The Drug of Art, a charity using creative expression to support young people's mental health, while continuing to campaign for greater acceptance of disabled people.

Michael Chow, the artist and founder of the Mr Chow restaurant chain, reflects on a career spanning Swinging London, Beverly Hills, New York and other global cities. His restaurants became theatrical meeting places for major figures including Mick Jagger, Andy Warhol, Madonna and Jean-Michel Basquiat, even as critics often derided the expensive food. The HBO documentary aka Mr Chow explores his upbringing as the son of celebrated Peking Opera artist Zhou Xinfang, his estrangement from his family during China's Cultural Revolution, experiences of racism, gambling, depression, bereavement and failed relationships. At 84, Chow is focused on his young family, developing his work as an expressionist artist, opening a Dubai restaurant and launching the OO TO GO food-delivery brand.

Simon Reeve discusses his troubled adolescence, unlikely path into journalism and career as a travel presenter. His new BBC series, Wilderness with Simon Reeve, explores the Congo Basin, the Andes and Patagonian icefields, the Coral Triangle, and the Kalahari, combining wildlife, landscapes, local communities and environmental threats. Reeve argues that conservation must address poverty and provide alternatives to poaching, while responsible tourism can create incentives for local people to protect wilderness areas.