City of Sanctuary themes in new version of children's classic
A special adaptation of Mike Kenny's Olivier award-winning stage production of E Nesbit's children's classic opens next week on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway - the location of the much-loved 1970 film.
Drawing on the story's themes of exile, compassion and kindness, Stand & Be Counted Theatre - an Associate Company of Bradford 2025 - is working with people seeking sanctuary to create a scene-setting audio experience for audiences as they journey to the show on the heritage railway. Audiences will board a steam train at Keighley station before watching the performance in an engine shed at Oxenhope station. The show features a real steam engine.
The children move from wealthy Edwardian London to rural Yorkshire and find hope and friendship on the railway
Stand & Be Counted Theatre - the UK's first Theatre Company of Sanctuary - co-creates work with and for people seeking sanctuary. Bradford, a City of Sanctuary since 2010, also received a designation of Cultural City of Sanctuary this year.
Rosie MacPherson, Artistic Director and Joint CEO of Stand & Be Counted Theatre, says: "The Railway Children is a global story about new beginnings and creating a new home together, with themes that will resonate deeply with people of Bradford as a City of Sanctuary. Our Soap Box Collective, a group for young adults from all over the world who now call Bradford home, have been working hard to create an interactive audio experience to welcome passengers aboard the steam train!"
Says Shanaz Gulzar, Creative Director, Bradford 2025: 'The Railway Children is about a family needing to move to somewhere unfamiliar, children coping with separation from a parent, and how people and places are connected and affected by global events. Our version, while keeping the original story and setting in 1905, is really going to heighten these themes, as our British-Indian family have journeyed even further than before to reach this small Yorkshire village.
'The genius of E Nesbit's novel, and Mike Kenny's adaptation, is to see big themes like exile, separation and unjust imprisonment from the perspective of three children just starting to understand the adult world."
The cast of The Railway Children at Oxenhope Station
Director Damian Cruden adds: 'Bradford is a wonderful example of a city that has welcomed people throughout its history, and this theme of welcome and global connection resonates through The Railway Children."
Noel Hartley, KWVR Business and Operations Manager, says: 'We're delighted to be hosting this fantastic show during this special year. Our railway has been the home of The Railway Children since the 1960s, it's really special for the show to be held where it began on screen."
Paul Crewes, CEO, York Theatre Royal, says: 'We are thrilled to be working with Bradford 2025 on this unique restaging of York Theatre Royal's award-winning production of The Railway Children.
"The beautiful setting of Oxenhope Railway station will be such a wonderful backdrop for this classic story. Joyous, moving and above all, fun, we can't wait for audiences to have another opportunity to see the show as part of Bradford's year as UK City of Culture.'
* The Railway Children is at Keighley and Worth Valley Railway from July 15 to September 7. Visit bradford2025.co.uk
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New York Times
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England's Euro 2022 win transformed the Lionesses' lives but it was also a ‘poisoned chalice'
Outside Oakley's Covent Garden store last September, a snaking queue had formed for the opening of the sunglasses brand's new store in one of London's most iconic locations. Some in line that afternoon had caught the first train from Birmingham for the 80-minute journey to the English capital to secure their spots, waking in the early hours for the chance of a first-come, first-served meet-and-greet with one of Oakley's brand ambassadors: Alessia Russo. Advertisement The England striker is not the only Lioness whose profile has catapulted since that famous Euro 2022 victory on home soil; when a first major women's trophy was secured and old rivals Germany were defeated in front of a raucous Wembley crowd. For the country's most popular players, captain Leah Williamson, Russo, charismatic goalkeeper Mary Earps and winning goalscorer that night, Chloe Kelly, there have been invitations to fashion shows, NBA games, Formula One races and the BAFTAs, the British equivalent of the Oscars, to name just a few opportunities presented to those who are now household names. Lauren James, the 23-year-old who has been described as the most naturally gifted footballer in the country, joined Williamson as the face of this summer's Pepsi MAX and Walkers crisps advertising campaigns in the UK. Over the years, brands such as Burberry, Calvin Klein, Cadbury and Victoria's Secret have partnered with select members of the squad, while Vogue, British GQ and Women's Health, some of the world's most recognisable publications, have made Lionesses their cover stars. From movement coaches for fashion shoots to employing security at book signings, the world looks very different nowadays for England women's footballers. 'It would have been unheard of before Euro 2022,' Misha Sher, global sports marketing expert and executive at WPP Media, tells The Athletic. 'The profile and relevance of the Lionesses, especially those at high-profile clubs like Arsenal and Chelsea, have grown significantly. How many of the players would have been known outside of women's football before that tournament? Their relevance in broader culture was minimal, so why would you have them at the biggest sporting or cultural events? 'Their increase in profile means they become more relevant. That means their audience is bigger, which attracts more brands and those that appeal to broader society where they have never been seen before. 'As footballers, their relevance would be for a niche audience. We would not have the BBC producing a podcast with Ella Toone and Alessia Russo if they had not become culturally iconic as a duo.' The Tooney and Russo Show, which gives listeners an insight into the players' lives and friendship, first aired last year. But it is the Calvin Klein partnerships which particularly caught Sher's attention. Kelly modelled for the American fashion label ahead of the 2023 Women's World Cup, while Williamson featured in ads ahead of this summer's Euros. 'Calvin Klein is not speaking to football fans,' he said. 'They are a major fashion brand. They believe that some of the Lionesses have the cultural cachet to be on their billboards. Those are the moments where you just go: 'Wow'.' The Euro 2022 squad were the flag bearers, the history-makers, and brands wanted to snap them up. Such was their influence, one player agency specifically wanted to add a Lioness to their roster. A Lioness playing in the Women's Super League (WSL) was seen as the 'magic formula' which opened doors for sponsorship deals, said a representative who, like all sources in this article, wished to remain anonymous to protect relations. Advertisement Some of the Lionesses receive more commercial opportunities than England men's players, a source said, and are making significantly more money via these partnerships than their club salary. The most recognisable Lionesses went from securing low-level, one-off campaigns to more meaningful and longer-term partnerships that can be worth at least six figures and rising — many times more than before Euro 2022. For non-international WSL players, however, commercial deals are much harder to come by. 'Lionesses are just on a pedestal, elevated to a completely different level,' one representative said. That impacts matters on the pitch, too. After Euro 2022, some WSL clubs factored in the 'Lioness effect' into their recruitment strategy. England players get bums on seats and eyeballs on TV. They were part of the reason 60,000 people packed the Emirates Stadium in back-to-back sell-outs in 2024 as Arsenal hosted Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in the WSL. The season after Euro 2022, Aston Villa's marketing strategy centred on getting fans to buy season tickets to watch their English internationals: Rachel Daly and Hannah Hampton. Commercial opportunities, however, are reserved for a small number of Lionesses, to the highest-profile players: captain, starting striker, winning goalscorer or biggest personality. It is not enough to be a Lioness — but that is often the case in most team sports. Look at the England's men's team; it is not a surprise Jude Bellingham or Harry Kane receive significantly more media and commercial interest than their team-mates. Within the Lionesses' squad, there is a huge disparity in commercial and media opportunities, and since Euro 2022 brand partnerships have not materialised even for regular members of the starting XI. Players not playing in England, for example, can miss out because brands often want to promote them in their own territory. Advertisement Naturally, England players look sideways and notice what their team-mates are doing off the pitch. 'There is definitely an element of jealousy at seeing others getting deals,' said one representative. 'The Euros was amazing, but it also created some monsters. There is a generation of players who think it is easy to be a Lioness because they just win. Some of the players had a poor attitude, an ego and a swagger about them, thinking anyone can be a Lioness. But an England cap should be worth something.' Another source raised similar concerns, describing winning the Euros as a 'poisoned chalice' as it created a level of entitlement. 'It was rife going into the 2023 World Cup,' they said. 'The team's culture was to worry about who was getting which commercial deal rather than focus on the primary source of success, which was football. That attitude has changed.' For tournament debutantes, such as Michelle Agyemang, 19, and Aggie Beever-Jones, 21, they have been thrust into another world at Euro 2025. Agyemang, 'glued to the screen' as she watched Euro 2022 from home, has had to get used to the limelight, especially as it's her goalscoring from the substitutes' bench which has helped propel England to Sunday's Euro 2025 final against Spain. 'When I was younger I didn't really like the cameras,' Arsenal's teenage striker told reporters, adding that she was still learning how to communicate effectively with the fans and media. 'It's the way the women's game is growing, you will have to speak, you can't hide from the cameras. I'm working on it but I think I'm doing a good job.' Chelsea forward Beever-Jones, who made her senior international debut in July 2024, was 'in awe of everything' when she touched down in Zurich ahead of this summer's Euros and arrived at England's five-star Disney castle-esque Dolder Grand Hotel. 'It still doesn't even really feel like it's happening,' she said, admitting her hat-trick against Portugal at Wembley before the tournament still felt surreal. But the growth in women's football is a double-edged sword. Last week, England defender Jess Carter spoke out about the racial online abuse, described by her England team-mates and manager Sarina Wiegman as 'vile' and 'disgusting', that she has been subjected to throughout Euro 2025. 'The bigger the game gets, the bigger the noise becomes, the more fans there are but the more critics there are,' Lucy Bronze, the most experienced player in the squad, told reporters during the tournament. 'We're open to critics, that's why we love the sport, but we're not open to abuse. Advertisement 'No player needs social media to carry on in sport but from a commercial standpoint, the more a player puts themself out there via different media and builds their brand, the more they maximise their potential earnings. But at what cost?' There are other pressures. too. After Euro 2022 and, to a lesser extent, the 2023 World Cup when England reached the final, one representative said they found the volume of requests 'overwhelming'. Players are recognised in the street and restaurants; pubs suddenly fill with fans if they visit with their families and their whereabouts are put on social media. 'Within six weeks, they became famous,' Wiegman said in 2022. 'Some players can't walk down the street anymore without being almost mobbed. That's a big thing in your private life. You need time to adapt.' The higher-profile players are used to the attention, having been exposed to it over the last few years. Some enjoy the off-pitch work. For Toone and Russo, for example, their podcast is an opportunity to spend time together and a welcome distraction from the intensity of football. Others are advised to 'smile and do their selfie', even though they may not feel entirely comfortable. But they know they have a responsibility — it comes with the job and they have a duty to honour the work of previous generations. Among the training, matches, recovery, photoshoots and media requests, managing a player's schedule is no mean feat. 'Everyone wants a piece of you,' said one representative. 'Diary management becomes really hard. An off day really needs to be an off day.' Another said they were mindful of not 'flogging' their players. 'Time with their family and friends is important. They will tell me: 'I need a day off'.' As their profile increases, players' teams get bigger; football agents, commercial agents and social media teams. Even midway through this summer's tournament, the UK's biggest radio stations and television news shows contacted players' camps to ask for their availability should England do well. Those close to the players say they remain grounded, unchanged and just want to chat about day-to-day things. There is a constant tension, however, between women's footballers becoming a walking billboard and keeping their unique selling point: authenticity and relatability. Reaching another major final has boosted the Lionesses' profiles once more. Given their soaring popularity over the past three years, matching their Euro 2022 success on Sunday would propel them to another stratosphere. Their lives will change again, for better and for worse. (Top photos: Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images; Karwai Tang/WireImage; Illustration: Eamonn Dalton/The Athletic)
