Updated 7:01pm 21 November 2009:

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Diane Parkes

Diane Parkes

Simple steps to a new you

MODEL and fitness enthusiast Nell McAndrew is fronting a new campaign to get us out walking. And with spring firmly in the air, she says now is the perfect time to get out and about.Read

Birmingham aid worker discovers value of education in South America

SEX education in British schools has long been a cause for discussion but when Birmingham-based volunteer development officer Anna Burden visited South America she discovered it is a message being hammered home to pupils.Read

You don't have to put up with pregnancy pains, mums-to-be told

MUM Liza Wilson was about 20 weeks into her pregnancy when she developed pain in her pelvis and lower back – but rather than live with it she decided to seek help.Read

Birmingham's Thomas Martin enjoying a world of dance

WHEN Thomas Martin’s mum began taking him to dancing classes as a youngster, he was initially less than keen - so much so that he actually gave it up.Read

Birmingham Royal Ballet celebrates 20 years in the second city

BIRMINGHAM Royal Ballet celebrates the 20th anniversary of its move to Birmingham with a series of special performances.Read

Strictly Come Dancing stars to give Brum a dose of Latin Fever

STRICTLY Come Dancing favourites Lilia Kopylova and Darren Bennett will be turning up the heat this summer at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall with their Latin Fever show.Read

Just the ticket for kids to cook

SHANE Higgs is a dab hand in the kitchen. The 15-year-old can rustle up a mean curry, a colourful stir fry or a choice of soups.Read

Dickens Heath teenager's weight-loss battle featured on TV

THE words kept ringing round teenager Holly Young’s mind her mum, who was seriously ill in hospital, would have died had she been overweight.Read

Cook bus visits Bartley Green School

SHANE Higgs is a dab hand in the kitchen. The 15-year-old can rustle up a mean curry, a colourful stir fry or a choice of soups.Read

Brummie Ged hits the big city stage

DESPITE more than 20 years working as an actor, when Ged Simmons comes to the Birmingham Hippodrome with West Side Story next week, it will be only his second time on stage in the city.Read

MP to join Sutton Coldfield debate on human rights

POLITICIANS will come under the spotlight in a Question Time organised by the Sutton Coldfield Amnesty International group.Read

Men must learn to talk about ‘De Botty Business’, says poet

Birmingham poet Benjamin Zephaniah finds it hard to imagine a group of guys standing in a pub with a beer in their hands talking about prostate cancer.Read

I was shocked when I stood on the scales and topped 20st mark

SITTING in a lorry cab each day meant dad Stephen Shorney gradually piled on the pounds. He knew his waistband was expanding but he was shocked when he stood on the scales to find them tipping 20st 11lb.Read

Dad's determined to shed pounds

SITTING in a lorry cab each day meant dad Stephen Shorney gradually piled on the pounds. He knew his waistband was expanding but he was shocked when he stood on the scales to find them tipping 20st 11lb.Read

Fascinating insight into ruthless shah

WHEN a hotel room has its own guest book you know you are somewhere special. So after we deposited our bags in the Loft suite of the Threadneedles Hotel, in London, I took a little peek at its previous occupants.Read

Cookery course is food for thought

TWELVE little hands are busy chopping, slicing, peeling and dicing vegetables in the Millfield Primary School Let’s Get Cooking Club.Read

Life-saving machine that brought Ron back from the brink

IT APPEARED to be a day like any other when Ron Hawkins died but, talking about it three years later, he admits it did not turn out the way he had intended.Read

It's just the job for stressed staff

A HAPPY and fit workforce is a productive workforce.Read

Walking in Korean air

COMPOSER Howard Blake is used to hearing his song Walking in the Air in different guises. And when he went to the Korean capital Seoul this week to launch the Birmingham Repertory production of The Snowman he was treated to the Korean version.Read

Mum’s the word for losing weight

IF Jo Culley ever needs encouragement from her Slimming World consultant she can just give her a call as class leader Nickie Bennett is her daughter.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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