Latest news with #ClaireThompson
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Children's literature festival returns to city
Organisers of a children's literature festival are encouraging those who attend to be creative and use their imagination to write and draw a fictional future. With a theme of "What if...." The Big Malarkey Festival will return to East Park in Hull on Saturday 28 June and Sunday 29 June. Organised by Hull Libraries, the family friendly event will include writers, dancers, illustrators, poets, actors and musicians. Festival producer Claire Thompson said: "It's so exciting to see the children meeting the authors and sharing their artwork with artists." The event, for those aged 16 and under, is a celebration of children's literature. Organisers said they would like children to be creative and write stories by daring to ask themselves "What if?" For example, "What if we want to fly to Mars?" or "what if a rollercoaster could take you all around the world?" they said. The event is a combination of information, arts and science where children can learn and get creative through writing, drawing and talking with authors. The first festival was delivered as part of Hull UK City of Culture 2017 when about 8,000 people attended, according to Hull Libraries. Ms Thompson said: "We're particularly excited to welcome Dr Huw Lewis-Jones who is an arctic explorer and going to be telling us all about penguins. "We're also happy to be bringing lots of brilliant authors and illustrators to the festival." The event includes a doodle room with famous children's illustrators, an acrobatic theatre show, music workshops and a science show. Ms Thompson added: "The Big Malarkey Festival is a highlight in the Hull Libraries calendar. "We love welcoming everyone to East Park to explore storytelling and creative arts." Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Literacy event works to improve child reading rate Children given free books at literature festival The Big Malarkey Festival
BBC News
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Children's literature festival returns to Hull
Organisers of a children's literature festival are encouraging those who attend to be creative and use their imagination to write and draw a fictional a theme of "What if...." The Big Malarkey Festival will return to East Park in Hull on Saturday 28 June and Sunday 29 by Hull Libraries, the family friendly event will include writers, dancers, illustrators, poets, actors and musicians. Festival producer Claire Thompson said: "It's so exciting to see the children meeting the authors and sharing their artwork with artists." The event, for those aged 16 and under, is a celebration of children's literature. Organisers said they would like children to be creative and write stories by daring to ask themselves "What if?"For example, "What if we want to fly to Mars?" or "what if a rollercoaster could take you all around the world?" they said. The event is a combination of information, arts and science where children can learn and get creative through writing, drawing and talking with first festival was delivered as part of Hull UK City of Culture 2017 when about 8,000 people attended, according to Hull Thompson said: "We're particularly excited to welcome Dr Huw Lewis-Jones who is an arctic explorer and going to be telling us all about penguins."We're also happy to be bringing lots of brilliant authors and illustrators to the festival."The event includes a doodle room with famous children's illustrators, an acrobatic theatre show, music workshops and a science Thompson added: "The Big Malarkey Festival is a highlight in the Hull Libraries calendar."We love welcoming everyone to East Park to explore storytelling and creative arts." Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
PWHL Vancouver Adds Talent And Notable Grit In Expansion
PWHL Vancouver took a slightly different route when it came to their roster building through the PWHL expansion roster building process. While Seattle bulked up on high end offense, Vancouver selected a mix of grit, skill, and solid role players. Vancouver also put emphasis on their blueline bringing together Claire Thompson, Sophie Jaques, and Ashton Bell, all members of Canada's national team, along with Boston rookie Sydney Bard. Advertisement Vancouver's offense will be on par with many in the league with the team bringing in Sarah Nurse, Jennifer Gardiner, Izzy Daniel, Abby Boreen, Brooke McQuigge, Denisa Krizova, and Gabby Rosenthal. It's a hard nosed group who will be difficult to play against following the path that the Minnesota Frost have traveled to two straight Walter Cups. Their group features a number of players who go to the net hard, and are hard on the puck along the walls. Vancouver didn't acquire the same top end talent in the draft, but they could still chase big names in free agency including Hannah Miller, a Vancouver native who starred for the Toronto Sceptres. The final piece to Vancouver's puzzle is starting netminder Emerance Maschmeyer.
CBC
07-06-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Get to know Sarah Nurse, one of the PWHL stars joining Vancouver's new team this fall
Vancouver's inaugural Professional Women's Hockey League team has already signed some big names: this week, the team signed Surrey's Jenn Gardiner, all-star defenders Claire Thompson and Sophie Jaques, goalie Emerance Maschmeyer and all-around hockey legend Sarah Nurse. Nurse has two Olympic medals under her belt: a silver in 2018 and a gold from the 2020 Tokyo Games. She's been with the Toronto Sceptres since the PWHL launched in 2023, as one of the team's first three signings. During the inaugural season, she tied for second in league scoring with 23 points in 24 games and was voted a Second Team All-Star. Vancouverites saw her play this past season at the sold-out PWHL game at Rogers Arena in January, where the Montreal Victoire beat the Sceptres 4-2. This week, she signed a one-year contract with PWHL Vancouver. "It's like a whirlwind," she said. "I am so excited to be able to play professional hockey in Vancouver. I think it's really the opportunity of a lifetime, and being here in January, I saw the passion, I saw the zest, I saw the excitement for women's hockey. If the fans could show up for a Toronto and Montreal team, I can't even imagine how amazing it's gonna be for their own hometown team." Nurse joined Amy Bell on CBC's On The Coast for an interview following the announcement. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Did this move to Vancouver come as a surprise for you? A little bit. With the expansion draft and the rules and how everything was going to shake out, I knew it was a possibility that I would be left unprotected by Toronto. I knew that if I went to an expansion team, Vancouver was my target. After talking to Cara Gardner Morey from Vancouver, I couldn't be more excited because I just know that it's the right fit for me. What has playing for the Sceptres been like? I think from day one, when this league started, I was blown away by the support everywhere. Toronto embraced us with everything that they have. We were the first professional women's sports team in Toronto. Now, we've been joined by the NSL soccer team and also the WNBA team that's coming. There's so many hockey fans, there's so many young hockey players who are coming up within the Greater Toronto Area. They're absolutely incredible, and I'm so grateful for their support. How important was it for a new Vancouver team to sign a high-profile name like yours? I was obviously very honoured to be in consideration to be brought to Vancouver. I take a lot of pride in what I do off of the ice and my impact in the community on the fans and the supporters. But I think, ultimately, my biggest goal is to make a splash and make an impact on the ice. I want to be the best possible player that I can be for this organization and really put my best foot forward because I know that I have a lot of skills and abilities that I think are going to be great on this team. What kind of role do you think you're going to be able to play with this new team? I have very high expectations of myself. I definitely want to be a leader on and off of the ice. I think with the other girls and Sophie and Claire, they're pretty locked down on the back end. They're two very, very world-class defencemen. And then Emerance in net, an absolute brick wall. I think she's been probably the best goalie in the PWHL for the last two years. Jenn Gardiner, who's young, new, fresh talent who has so much potential, and it's going to be great to see her blossom and grow. You battled a long-term injury this past season. How are you feeling as you get prepared to hit the ice in Vancouver this fall? I'm feeling so optimistic. I'm excited to have some time to actually fully rehab my knee and be able to be the absolute best that I can be when November comes. I'm excited to put in the work. I think I'm going to get on the ice next week, which I'm actually itching to do, especially with the news and signing in Vancouver. I want the season to start now. Off the ice, your contributions are just as huge. You hosted Nursey Nights in Toronto to provide community groups tickets to the Sceptre games. You helped found the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association and are also a part of the PWHL players' union. And you're an advocate against racism in hockey. What do you hope to continue here in Vancouver? All of the above. I really have a passion for making this sport as inclusive as possible and making sure that our sport represents the fabric of our nation. I think that we are such a diverse, multicultural society, and I think that our experiences should really reflect that in our game. I'm so encouraged to come to Vancouver and continue the work. I'm excited to bring Nursey Nights to Vancouver. We've been able, we brought 200 girls over this last year into Toronto Sceptres games, and so I'm looking to do something very similar in Vancouver. I think there's so many great community initiatives that our team can be a part of, and that's something that's a passion for all of us. Your cousin, Darnell Nurse, plays for the Edmonton Oilers, who are currently battling it out for the Stanley Cup. How exciting is it to see him and the Oilers in the finals again? I could not be more proud of that boy. He has gone through so much, that team has gone through so much and honestly, they are absolutely rolling right now. So I'm very hopeful and I know they're going to have a different result than they had last year. They've been on the stage. They know how big it is, and they've been absolutely rolling. So I'm so proud of him.
CTV News
05-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
PWHL Vancouver signs former Frost defenders Thompson, Jaques as club's first players
Minnesota Frost goaltender Nicole Hensley (29) Sophie Jacques (16) clear the puck, as Claire Thompson (42) falls while defending against Ottawa Charge's Shiann Darkangelo (27) during first period PWHL playoff hockey action in the Walter Cup Final, in Ottawa, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang Vancouver's new Professional Women's Hockey League team has signed its first player, nabbing defender Claire Thompson from the Minnesota Frost. The two-time Walter Cup champions left the 27-year-old defender exposed and Vancouver inked her to a one-year contract when the exclusive signing window opened to expansion teams on Wednesday. Vancouver later announced the signing of Thompson's Frost teammate and fellow blueliner Sophie Jaques to a three-year contract. 'I'm incredibly excited to join PWHL Vancouver and be a part of this new chapter of women's ice hockey,' Thompson said in a release. 'The opportunity to help build something special from the ground up is truly meaningful. I can't wait to connect with the fans and represent this city.' Thompson, who hails from Toronto, had four goals and 14 assists in 30 games for Minnesota last season. She added another six helpers in eight playoff appearances. Jaques had seven goals and 15 assists in 25 games, tying Renata Fast of the Toronto Sceptres for top spot in scoring by a defender. The 24-year-old Jaques, who's also from Toronto, contributed two goals and five assists in the post-season as the Frost captured the league championship for a second straight year. Thompson and Jaques are both finalists for the PWHL's defender of the year honour. 'I'm incredibly honoured to sign with PWHL Vancouver and to help lay the foundation for something truly special in this city,' Jaques said in a release. 'Being part of this historic moment means so much, and I can't wait to get started and represent Vancouver with pride in this vibrant and hockey-loving community.' Thompson and Jaques both have ample international experience. Thompson helped Canada to gold at the 2021 world championships and the 2022 Beijing Olympics, while Jaques was also on the world championship team that took silver earlier this year. The move to Vancouver will reunite Thompson with general manager Cara Gardner Morey, who was her coach at Princeton. 'Claire is one of the best defenders in the world and a phenomenal leader who will help create a culture of excellence in Vancouver,' Gardner Morey said in a release. 'Having had the privilege of coaching Claire at Princeton, I know how exceptional she is as a player and as a person and couldn't be prouder to build our foundation with her contributions both on and off the ice.' Seattle, the league's other expansion franchise, announced late Wednesday it had signed a one-year deal with former Boston Fleet captain Hilary Knight, making her the team's first player. The 35-year-old American superstar is coming off a 2024-25 season where she registered 15 goals and 14 assists, tied for the league-lead in scoring. She's also up for the Billie Jean King award as the PWHL's most-valuable player. Knight has a long history on the international stage, including winning gold for the United States at the 2025 women's world championships in April. 'Signing Hilary Knight was an absolute no-brainer — she's the heartbeat of any team she joins,' Seattle general manager Meghan Turner said in a release. 'Her proven leadership and drive, the way she elevates everyone around her, those are qualities you can't teach. Hilary's not just a game-changer on the ice, she's the kind of person who defines a culture, and we're incredibly proud to have her as the first-ever player to join PWHL Seattle.' Vancouver and Seattle can continue to sign unprotected players until the exclusive window for expansion clubs closes on Sunday. Both teams will then bolster their rosters with talent during Monday's expansion draft. A leaguewide draft will be held on June 24. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2025.
