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Diane Parkes

Diane Parkes

Boost your fertility by eating the right foods

COUPLES planning for pregnancy can do a good deal to help boost their chances by eating the right foods according to a new book out this week. Read

DOCTOR Who star John Barrowman passed on some tricks of the trade to BSS Showbiz children at the Birmingham Hippodrome on Saturday

John Barrowman to return to Birmingham Hippodrome next Christmas

DOCTOR Who and Torchwood star John Barrowman is to return to Birmingham next Christmas as Robin Hood in the Hippodrome panto. Read

deborah danks

The whole family can jump for joy

PEOPLE of all ages are jumping for joy after realising that trampolining is the key to their fitness. Read

clifton primary school

Kids on target to kick-start fitness

HARVINDER Chahal is lining up the perfect goal. Read

canabis

Kicking the cannabis habit

After DJ Tim Shaw told readers of his three years in a cannabis-fuelled hell, DIANE PARKES reports on the support available to people hooked on the drug. Read

Band Of Horses, Birmingham Carling Academy 2

SOUTH Carolina's Band of Horses attracted a full house to this concert which was sold out weeks ago but the audience must have left with mixed feelings. Read

julius condison, on bike

A fun way to keep fit

IT'S on yer bike for one group of youngsters who are following a course set around the school grounds. Read

Kosuke Yamamoto

Ballet leaps into jazz triple bill

DANCERS from Birmingham Royal Ballet bring us the jazz age in a triple bill at Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre next week. Read

Swan Lake, Birmingham Hippodrome

THIS Peter Wright production of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake is more than 25 years old but why change something when it works? Read

Crocus Walk

Put a spring in your step to beat cancer

LOOKING for an excuse to enjoy the spring weather? Read

Denise Jarrett

They threw bricks at my house and kicked a ball in my face because they knew that I couldn't see them

BRICKS through the windows, a football kicked into her face, stones thrown in the street - this was the constant barrage of abuse suffered by mum-of-two Denise Jarrett in her Erdington home. Read

News fashion

* Evans proves bigger girls can be sexy with its plunging neckline waistcoats for £30. www.evans.co.uk Read

Benedetti Plays Sibelius, Symphony Hall

NICOLA Benedetti is one of the rising stars of classical music and is arguably one of the finest UK violinists. Read

Strictly Come Dancing Live, NEC

IT has been a huge hit on television and now the ballroom dancing competition is on tour. Read

It's no laughing matter for Rich

STAND-UP comedian Richard Blackwood is playing it straight in his next role in the new Roy Williams play Angel House. Read

Eric Trowsdale

Living with Tinnitus

FOR nearly 30 years Eric Trowsdale has had a constant companion which is with him everywhere he goes. Read

Niki Evans

The last resort for fat fighters

MIDLAND X Factor contestant Niki Evans is the latest celebrity planning to go under the knife to improve her looks. Read

Our theatre group aims to promote social cohesion within the school and community

DRACULA is the latest in a series of productions presented by Sphere, a group at the school whose aim is to promote multicultural understanding. Read

Asian Dracula play

Students sink their teeth into Dracula

THE victim cowers in fear as Dracula leans over her ready to take a bite. Read

DJ Tim Shaw

DJ Tim Shaw - My Drugs Hell

As the debate over the classification of cannabis rages on, Birmingham DJ Tim Shaw tells his own harrowing story of a life almost wasted. 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.

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