Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra acknowledged by Portsmouth
BSO chief executive Dougie Scarfe addressed the council's cabinet decision meeting, and said the orchestra existed to "bring music into peoples lives" and to foster "cultural engagement, creativity, opportunity and well-being in our communities".He said the BSO brought world class musicians from the UK and across the world to Portsmouth each year with "probably the most accessible UK pricing for this quality of music".
Scarfe highlighted the Sea Change concert, which gave 1,326 children the opportunity to experience the "awesome sounds of a symphony orchestra".He also noted the orchestra's investment in live streaming, which he said had helped address barriers to cultural access, pointing out that live stream audiences were about 50% more likely to identify as disabled compared to in-hall audiences.Scarfe thanked the council for its continued support, which totals £22,500 this financial year.He added that while the grant had "reduced in real terms by 65% since 2010 it remains vital to our work as your support helps us secure investment from Arts Council England and enables BSO to leverage significant funds through fundraising".
Steve Pitt, leader of the council, said he planned to attend one of the two concerts in Guildhall Square in August and encouraged residents to buy tickets.The BSO will perform a John Williams concert on 1 August, followed by an ABBA Symphonic Spectacular on 2 August.
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Daily Mail
19 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Chaser Paul Sinha makes brutal jibe about fans of the ITV game show - calling out 'unemployed' watchers
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The Independent
21 minutes ago
- The Independent
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The Guardian
22 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Proper England? Maybe, but the Lionesses legacy can be something completely new
You can understand why the Lionesses needed a new catchphrase. Four years ago, when they won the Euros at Wembley, they effectively retired: 'It's coming home.' So this tournament it's all been about 'proper England', a mantra so versatile you can use it for just about anything that's taken place during their Euro 2025 campaign. Georgia Stanway drills one in from the edge of the penalty area? Proper England. Hannah Hampton makes a save with a bloodied wad up her nose? Proper England. Leah Williamson launches a Blue Peter badge? That's proper England, that is. It's a relatable phrase because it seems to embody English football (including its fandom) so smartly, combining solid street slang with a sophisticated hint of irony. And the great thing is, no matter the result on Sunday, it will function perfectly for the denouement. Stealing a European Championship win from a better team at the last feasible moment is absolutely proper England. 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Meanwhile the national footballing identity long followed the same logic employed by monarchs and politicians past, defining the English way not by what it was as much as what it was not. It was not, heaven forfend, French or Spanish – nor was it German, Italian or South American. That cussed assertion frequently provided cover for any lack of flair and imagination, or a failure to adapt to more modern styles. No England team need to adhere to self-perpetuating stereotypes, and women's sport ought, surely, to be less defined by them. If the distinctive English football style, as David Goldblatt has described it, is 'rough, honest, manly', then female footballers denied a place within the wider development structure by the Football Association have the right to snub it entirely. The England women's team deserve the space and licence to play with an entirely different mentality and style. They, after all, have the winning brand. Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion The men's side have been working for the past decade to shed some of the less helpful (and more nebulous) concepts of 'the English way'. Michael Owen was one of several former players consulted by Gareth Southgate as the then manager built up his blueprints of an 'England DNA' for the entire FA pathway. Previous men's sides had been shaped by the public's outdated and sentimental expectation of their 'bulldog' character, said Owen. 'They wanted to see the players chasing everything, being physical, playing at 100mph and showing passion. But that wasn't the way successful international teams played.' Given the globalism of sport, the multiculturalism of the British isles, and the dual nationalities of many international athletes, the idea of what constitutes our national sporting identity is, in fact, entirely up for debate. Southgate, a big fan of the All Blacks' methods, used a Kiwi consultant, Owen Eastwood, to help him reset the footballing culture. Terry Butcher's bloodied bandage gave way to more relatable, contemporary visions of what playing for England might mean and look like. Another All Blacks adviser – the mental skills coach Gilbert Enoka – has recently joined the England men's cricket team, another manifestation of its New Zealand-led philosophy. It would be hard to argue that there was anything remotely 'proper England' about Ben Stokes's side in the Bazball era, which jettisoned the Keep Calm and Carry On mantra for a high-risk, all-flair style of play. Their mould-breaking methods have brought about some of the most dramatic victories and historic rearguards in their team's history. On a podcast last week, Hampton reflected on her side's nerve-shredding route to the final. 'I think it's just the proper English way of doing things,' she said. 'We like to keep all the fans on their toes.' But miraculous, last-minute turnarounds are a rarity in the England sporting canon. The Lionesses' trademark unbeatability is transforming the English football legacy into something completely new. If that's proper England, it's proper exciting.
