Updated 6:20pm 8 November 2009:

Get involved

RSS news for you | Forums
Send your stories

Powered by Google

Home

Authors

Diane Parkes

Diane Parkes

Birmingham drop-in sessions to help new mums - and dads

THE room hums with the quiet murmur of mums – and one dad – swapping experiences of feeding, changing and entertaining their babies.Read

Spicing up your salad: top tips from authors Sonja Bock and Tina Scheftelowitz

REMEMBER the days when a salad was simply a pile of lettuce leaves and a few tomatoes?Read

Eleanor Harborne and Laura Stanley

Birmingham Mail launch 2009 anti-bullying campaign

A GROUP of children surround one lonely child caught off-guard in the school corridor.Read

East role is familiar one for Belinda

AS LONG-SUFFERING mum Bill Porter in the television sitcom 2 Point 4 Children and as a parent herself, Belinda Lang knows the ups and downs that come with parenthood – but even she admits the quandary faced by her character in the drama East is East is difficult.Read

East role is a familiar one for Belinda

AS LONG-SUFFERING mum Bill Porter in the television sitcom 2 Point 4 Children and as a parent herself, Belinda Lang knows the ups and downs that come with parenthood – but even she admits the quandary faced by her character in the drama East is East is difficult.Read

Group takes steps to a better mind and body

IT IS a blustery autumn morning as the group gathers in the foyer of Handsworth Leisure Centre.Read

Emotion at heart of Michael's art

WHEN Michael Maharaj’s dad died suddenly the youngster was hit by a wave of emotions which he did not know how to express.Read

Master craftsman is real hidden gem

WITH a family heritage taking in Hockley-based diamond setters and silversmiths I have always fancied myself as a bit of a jewellery connoisseur.Read

Review: Florence and the Machine at the Birmingham 02 Academy

FLORENCE Welch may have missed out on a Mercury Prize but she certainly had no problems winning over the Birmingham audience in a fit-to-bursting Academy.Read

Can you do the light fantastic?

WITH the polar ice caps melting and the weather causing global chaos we are all under pressure to be as green as possible.Read

Birmingham family tells how they live with diabetes

MUM Karan Coffey could not understand what had happened to her son. Six-year-old Mathew had never been a naughty child but over the last few days he had become a nightmare to control.Read

St Alban's Academy in Birmingham takes a big step forward

WHEN the school doors of St Alban’s opened this September, its pupils were walking into history as the school became one of the first in the city to become an academy.Read

Solihull Arts Complex: Donald Sinden a legend in own lifetime

ACTOR Donald Sinden has been to Birmingham many times – but the one he remembers most is when he sat through 20 minutes of the wrong play.Read

Expert advice for a balanced diet

WE are forever being told children should be given a balanced diet but parents can sometimes be flummoxed by how to achieve that.Read

How Jan’s Red Tent helped her open up a bright new world

JAN Tchamani was past her 50th birthday when she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder – but she believes the signs were there throughout her life.Read

The Black Country man who is propping up Hollywood

HIS creations have adorned the heads and chests of stars such as Mel Gibson, Kate Winslet, Russell Crowe and Helen Mirren but prop maker Martin Adams refuses to have his head turned by Hollywood.Read

A Grand history revealed

MY earliest memories of the theatre are of pantomime at Wolverhampton Grand when I was hardly big enough to take up a whole seat.Read

From the most hated to total psychopath

HE has been voted the “most hated soap villain” and now he is playing an evil dentist, so does actor Alex Ferns worry that he may be at risk of type-casting?Read

Shades aren’t just cool, they protect eyes

SLAPPING on sunscreen before heading outside can help protect your skin from sun damage.Read

Change matters to families

COUNTLESS Birmingham families are changing for life – adding health and fitness to their daily routine.Read

Author Profile

Diane Parkes has worked in journalism for 14 years and has been with the Birmingham Mail for ten. She is Women's Editor covering health, fitness, education, fashion and beauty features. As Dance and Theatre Editor she is also responsible for professional arts coverage across the region.

Get involved

We want your local stories, videos & pics.

e-newsletters

Newsletter

Receive the latest news direct to your inbox.

Facebook

Facebook

See the Birmingham Mail facebook page

RSS

RSS

Keep up to date with our web feeds

Twitter

Twitter

Follow the Birmingham Mail on Twitter

Mail mobile site

Mobile site

Get the Mail on your mobile

Go Green

Green

Join our campaign

Competitions

Cash

See what you could win

Style File blog

Style File blog

Fashion and beauty news, reviews and info

Editor's Chair

Editors Chair

Steve Dyson blogs on life inside the newsroom

What's On

Entertainment

Your guide to what's on in Birmingham

Mail Cashback

Cashback

£5 FREE when you start saving with Mail Cashback.

Education section

School Classroom

GSCE league tables, school profiles and more