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Diane Parkes

Diane Parkes

intestines

A gut feeling

FANCY squeezing a bit of blood through an artery or grappling with an intestine? Want to know what's inside your ear or the benefits of bogeys? Read

Nicky Hambleton-Jones

It's time to stop making excuses

I don't have enough time. Read

The Wedding Singer

Wedding singer on the stage

IT was the decade of shoulder pads, big hair, the New Romantics, yuppies and Mrs Thatcher - now the Eighties are back with a bang thanks to the new musical The Wedding Singer. Read

Let's get physical

BIRMINGHAM Kathak dancer Sonia Sabri kicks off this year's Moving Parts dance and physical theatre festival at mac with a new work Parallels. Read

Tasty tomato is your bodyguard

NEW book aims to raise the profile of the humble tomato as an important part of any healthy diet. Read

How you respond to things can have an enormous effect on your mind and body

WHEN the phone rings, don't expect Suzanne Poynton to answer immediately. She will be taking a quick moment to collect her thoughts before picking up the receiver. Read

Youngsters make urban music with a positive message

CLIMATE change and life in the classroom may appear to be unusual subjects to inspire music, but pupils at four Birmingham schools have been creating songs on just these matters. Read

Anita Dobson with Darren Day

Anita: Dolly is my dream role

ANITA DOBSON is the first to admit that she enjoys a little bit of matchmaking so her new role as Dolly Levi in the musical Hello Dolly! is right up her street. Read

Check what and how much you are eating

CONSTANTLY battling with your weight or worrying about what you are eating? Read

A skin problem led beautician to develop her own organic range for salon

WHEN beauty therapist Katie Fisher had to give up her job because the products were exacerbating her eczema, she decided to design some skin-friendly products of her own. Read

We love labs!

GROUP of girls are jostling to peer into the microscope, comparing notes on all they can see. Read

Dancing wows crowds in land of rising sun

BIRMINGHAM Royal Ballet is proclaiming its New Year tour of Japan a huge success after nearly every ticket for its performances sold out before the shows even opened. Read

Having a new sport hall has given the kids confidence

YOUNGSTERS at a Birmingham residential special school have no excuse not to get fit this year thanks to a new purpose-built sports hall. Read

Exercising doesn't have to be a chore

IS THE New Year's resolution to keep fit already wearing thin? Read

Shane finds his inner Ebenezer

EBENEZER Scrooge is the archetypal bad boy of the festive season and actor Shane Richie admits that he has just a touch of that miser in him on bad days. Read

Notching up 40 years in panto

COMEDY duo The Grumbleweeds' appearance in Aladdin brings them back to the city where they first trod the boards in panto - nearly 40 years on. Read

Picking the winner is going to be so difficult

DALE Harrison is such a bookworm that he had worked his way through nearly every title on the list of 14 when we met - and has no doubt polished off the last since then. Read

Straight talking can help you slim down

SOLIHULL-based motivator Steve Miller has one piece of advice for people whose New Year's resolution is to slim - just get on with it. Read

spotlight shines on new season

There is a star-studded programme at Birmingham Hippodrome with a collection of familiar faces gracing the Hurst St stage. Read

Aladdin, Birmingham Mail

THOUSANDS have been waiting for the moment when Dr Who and Torchwood's Captain Jack would take to the stage in Birmingham in this year's panto Aladdin. 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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