Latest news with #TomRobinson
The Irish Sun
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Giant new beach with 5 paddling pools, foam parties & over 250 tonnes of sand opens in landlocked UK village
A GIANT new beach has opened in a landlocked UK village for the summer. Over 250 tonnes of sand have been transported to the attraction to create a fake beach. 3 250 tonnes of sand have been transported to create a beach Credit: National Forest Adventure Farm 3 Five giant paddling pools have been installed for the summer Credit: Instagram 3 The UK's longest outdoor megaslide is located at the farm Credit: Instagram The National Forest Adventure Farm in Staffordshire has transformed into a tropical paradise for only six weeks. From July 19 until September 1, families can splash around in five huge paddling pools. The 10-metre paddling pools have been installed to offer a refreshing dip while 250 tonnes of sand was brought in to transport visitors to the sandy beach. Parents can unwind and soak up the sun on deck chairs while kids build sandcastles or play in the toddler pool. read more on travel Other attractions For entertainment, families are offered seaside shows, flash mobs and foam parties to enjoy. Thanks to a £100,000 investment in new play equipment, this year's Farmarama event is expected to be the attraction's "biggest ever beach themed summer party." It is also the home of the longest outdoor Mega Slide Mountain in the UK. A brand-new wooden assault course featuring bridges, balance beams, an 18-foot Eagle tower, and a slide will also be introduced this summer. Most read in News Travel Tom Robinson, who runs the attraction, said: "Being outside has so many health benefits for children with the sea, sand and laughter of seaside holidays creating cherished memories for many families. "Burton is about as far away from the seaside as you can get in the UK, so we wanted to help families enjoy the thrills and enjoyment of being at the beach without the long car journey to get there. "This year we have added so much more to keep youngsters entertained. "With two additional giant pools, flash mob style performances, extra seaside shows throughout the day and a whole new Texan Smokehouse range of BBQ grill and wood fired pizzas there is plenty to keep the whole family entertained.' The beautiful lake an hour from London with overwater bungalows like the Maldives All your classic fairground activities will also be available including traditional sheep races, a fairground teacup ride, sand art and a five acre maize maze. Food options A brand-new Texan Smokehouse will serve barbecue specialities like grilled Alabama chicken, smashed burgers, and smoked beef brisket, along with five brand-new wood-fired pizza ovens, including one specifically designed for gluten-free pizza. Sweet-toothed visitors will have a choice of Boston Donuts, homemade locally sourced ice cream and Paninis – with ice cream and sweet toppings fried in brioche buns. Tickets Both adults and children tickets sell for £19.95 with free admission for kids under the age of two. Families that visit the park before August 9 can benefit from the Summer Double the Fun promotion, which offers free return admission during Farmarama.
Scottish Sun
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Giant new beach with 5 paddling pools, foam parties & over 250 tonnes of sand opens in landlocked UK village
The summer beach will only be open for a limited time BEACHY KEEN Giant new beach with 5 paddling pools, foam parties & over 250 tonnes of sand opens in landlocked UK village Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A GIANT new beach has opened in a landlocked UK village for the summer. Over 250 tonnes of sand have been transported to the attraction to create a fake beach. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 250 tonnes of sand have been transported to create a beach Credit: National Forest Adventure Farm 3 Five giant paddling pools have been installed for the summer Credit: Instagram 3 The UK's longest outdoor megaslide is located at the farm Credit: Instagram The National Forest Adventure Farm in Staffordshire has transformed into a tropical paradise for only six weeks. From July 19 until September 1, families can splash around in five huge paddling pools. The 10-metre paddling pools have been installed to offer a refreshing dip while 250 tonnes of sand was brought in to transport visitors to the sandy beach. Parents can unwind and soak up the sun on deck chairs while kids build sandcastles or play in the toddler pool. Other attractions For entertainment, families are offered seaside shows, flash mobs and foam parties to enjoy. Thanks to a £100,000 investment in new play equipment, this year's Farmarama event is expected to be the attraction's "biggest ever beach themed summer party." It is also the home of the longest outdoor Mega Slide Mountain in the UK. A brand-new wooden assault course featuring bridges, balance beams, an 18-foot Eagle tower, and a slide will also be introduced this summer. Tom Robinson, who runs the attraction, said: "Being outside has so many health benefits for children with the sea, sand and laughter of seaside holidays creating cherished memories for many families. "Burton is about as far away from the seaside as you can get in the UK, so we wanted to help families enjoy the thrills and enjoyment of being at the beach without the long car journey to get there. "This year we have added so much more to keep youngsters entertained. "With two additional giant pools, flash mob style performances, extra seaside shows throughout the day and a whole new Texan Smokehouse range of BBQ grill and wood fired pizzas there is plenty to keep the whole family entertained.' The beautiful lake an hour from London with overwater bungalows like the Maldives All your classic fairground activities will also be available including traditional sheep races, a fairground teacup ride, sand art and a five acre maize maze. Food options A brand-new Texan Smokehouse will serve barbecue specialities like grilled Alabama chicken, smashed burgers, and smoked beef brisket, along with five brand-new wood-fired pizza ovens, including one specifically designed for gluten-free pizza. Sweet-toothed visitors will have a choice of Boston Donuts, homemade locally sourced ice cream and Paninis – with ice cream and sweet toppings fried in brioche buns. Tickets Both adults and children tickets sell for £19.95 with free admission for kids under the age of two. Families that visit the park before August 9 can benefit from the Summer Double the Fun promotion, which offers free return admission during Farmarama.
The Sun
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Giant new beach with 5 paddling pools, foam parties & over 250 tonnes of sand opens in landlocked UK village
A GIANT new beach has opened in a landlocked UK village for the summer. Over 250 tonnes of sand have been transported to the attraction to create a fake beach. 3 3 3 The National Forest Adventure Farm in Staffordshire has transformed into a tropical paradise for only six weeks. From July 19 until September 1, families can splash around in five huge paddling pools. The 10-metre paddling pools have been installed to offer a refreshing dip while 250 tonnes of sand was brought in to transport visitors to the sandy beach. Parents can unwind and soak up the sun on deck chairs while kids build sandcastles or play in the toddler pool. Other attractions For entertainment, families are offered seaside shows, flash mobs and foam parties to enjoy. Thanks to a £100,000 investment in new play equipment, this year's Farmarama event is expected to be the attraction's "biggest ever beach themed summer party." It is also the home of the longest outdoor Mega Slide Mountain in the UK. A brand-new wooden assault course featuring bridges, balance beams, an 18-foot Eagle tower, and a slide will also be introduced this summer. Tom Robinson, who runs the attraction, said: "Being outside has so many health benefits for children with the sea, sand and laughter of seaside holidays creating cherished memories for many families. " Burton is about as far away from the seaside as you can get in the UK, so we wanted to help families enjoy the thrills and enjoyment of being at the beach without the long car journey to get there. "This year we have added so much more to keep youngsters entertained. "With two additional giant pools, flash mob style performances, extra seaside shows throughout the day and a whole new Texan Smokehouse range of BBQ grill and wood fired pizzas there is plenty to keep the whole family entertained.' The beautiful lake an hour from London with overwater bungalows like the Maldives All your classic fairground activities will also be available including traditional sheep races, a fairground teacup ride, sand art and a five acre maize maze. Food options A brand-new Texan Smokehouse will serve barbecue specialities like grilled Alabama chicken, smashed burgers, and smoked beef brisket, along with five brand-new wood-fired pizza ovens, including one specifically designed for gluten-free pizza. Sweet-toothed visitors will have a choice of Boston Donuts, homemade locally sourced ice cream and Paninis – with ice cream and sweet toppings fried in brioche buns. Tickets Both adults and children tickets sell for £19.95 with free admission for kids under the age of two. Families that visit the park before August 9 can benefit from the Summer Double the Fun promotion, which offers free return admission during Farmarama.
The Guardian
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
To Kill a Mockingbird: a call to compassion that's more urgent than ever
It's impossible to watch Robert Mulligan's 1962 adaptation of Harper Lee's great novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, and not be moved by Gregory Peck's performance as Atticus Finch, a small-town American lawyer with an unfailing moral compass. Light years from the archetypal legal eagle, he radiates good old-fashioned decency, espousing tolerance and compassion that sadly feels almost passe amid the Sturm und Drang of the current world. 'You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view,' goes one of Finch's great lines, sourced from Lee's book. In perhaps the film's most memorable scene, Peck deliverers a grand courtroom monologue, declaring that 'all men are created equal', imploring the jury to 'in the name of god, believe Tom Robinson,' the black man accused raping a white woman – a crime he didn't commit. When I think about this film, my mind recalls that monologue in vivid colour – even though it's shot in monochrome. I've watched To Kill a Mockingbird several times but still have to gird my loins for the moment Finch (spoilers to follow) breaks the news to Robinson's family that he was killed while attempting to escape. Finch's wisdom gives the film (and book) its title. Earlier, around the breakfast table, he recalls that when his father gave him his first gun, he told him he could 'shoot all the bluejays you want … but remember, it's a sin to kill a mockingbird' because these creatures 'don't do one thing except make music for us to enjoy'. Ergo, the metaphor about destroying the innocent and harmless. Peck won a best actor Oscar, but the protagonist is actually Finch's young daughter Scout (Mary Badham), whose adult self recounts the story. Her narration is everything to the book, though it's sparingly used in the film and does little beyond lacing some moments with Harper's lovely prose. Scout famously describes Maycomb – where the story takes place in 1932 – as a 'tired old town' where 'the rhythms of life are slow,' men's collars 'wilted by nine in the morning' and 'ladies bathed before noon'. In the book, Scout's reflections have a thoughtfulness and maturity beyond the ken of her childhood self. The film's relationship with time is different. Instead of an older person looking back, it's mostly a present tense narrative evoking a child's perspective – Scout's, but also that of her older brother Jem (Phillip Alford) and their friend Dill (John Megna). In both versions, this focus on the children makes it unusual. How many legal dramas spend so little time in the courtroom, and so much time following children who aren't directly related to the case? Before we learn about Robinson's plight, we're introduced to the mystery surrounding a reclusive local character named Boo Radley (Robert Duvall, in his first film performance). The children repeat terrible rumours about him very early in the film, which we eventually learn are entirely unfounded. It's only at the very end that we discover the clever bookend device deployed by Lee, and retained in the film. Radley saves Scout and Jem from a potentially lethal attack by a man seeking revenge on Finch, and kills the offender in the process. The sheriff decides to spare Radley from the inevitable fallout, officially reporting that the other man fell on his knife. Atticus is surprised that Scout agrees with this decision; as she puts it, 'it would be sort of like shooting a mockingbird, wouldn't it?' We assumed, all this time, that the metaphor applied to the innocent, downtrodden Robinson. But here we see it broaden out, extending to others who are mistreated and powerless. The ending is optimistic in some senses, emphasising compassion and humanity. But it's also deeply melancholic – a rich tapestry of emotions. This terrific film has lost none of its power. To Kill a Mockingbird is streaming on Binge in Australia and available to rent in the UK and US. For more recommendations of what to stream in Australia, click here
BBC News
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'LGBT rights must be defended with all our might', says activist
LGBT rights fought for and won must be defended "with all our might", veteran songwriter, broadcaster and activist Tom Robinson has an interview on the BBC's Out With Kathy show, the 75-year-old reflected on his school days where "nobody was out and open" and a society that is now largely more who is set to start a 26-date UK tour in the coming months, is widely accepted as a queer icon, committed to the advancement of LGBT rights."I never, ever expected we would come as far as we have...[but] we have to defend it with all our might and prevent it slipping back," he said. Robinson, born in Cambridge in 1950, first fell in love with a boy at the age of 15 while at boarding school. He said: "At that time, because gay men went to prison for four years, there weren't any role models."Nobody was out and open, and telling you you could have a happy life."While this is how he identified for some years, Robinson went on to meet future wife Sue Brearley at an LGBT charity event. The couple have been together for 35 person he wanted to spend his life with "very inconveniently" happened to be a woman, he joked. Robinson says he "shifted from G to B" - gay to bisexual - but the tabloid press framed it as "he's gone straight".This caused some tension in the LGBT community and Robinson recalls being booed at a Pride event. At the time, before the internet, he couldn't outline his position publicly, which he says led to a "period of misunderstanding".However, things changed in 1994 when "suddenly, there was a bisexual stage at Pride on Clapham Common".Robinson was invited back for the first time in five years, something he admits felt like a "homecoming" where "fluid sexuality" was celebrated."That was the true spirit that I remember from the early [19] the early [19]70s Gay Liberation Front," he said. Glad to be Gay Glad to be Gay, one of Robinson's best known songs, marks its 50th anniversary next year. Originally written for a London Gay Pride parade in 1976, Robinson admits he "never expected to be around to see it [the anniversary]".Not only is he around, but Robinson is set to head back out on tour - an experience he said he was "really looking forward to".He said: "One of the advantages of only having had a handful of hits is that you can play all of them and people come away perfectly happy."While Robinson has been involved in big band tours, he loves the "intimacy" of playing smaller venues. 'Stand with your allies' While clear that there are still "difficulties for everybody coming out", Robinson sees a society where role models and representation are much more visible said he believed that those who hate people from the LGBT community are the same as those who are prejudiced against other minority groups."You've got to really stand with your allies against your common enemies," he Caton's Out with Kathy is released at 21:00 BST on Wednesday evenings across the south and south-east of England.
