Portrait painter Jamie Routley, who grew up in Newport, says visits to the city's museum and a work placement with a local framer inspired his career. His portrait of England cricketers Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad now hangs at Lord's cricket ground.
Glasgow's Citizens Theatre was named Britain's top theatre at the inaugural Great British Theatre Awards, marking the Theatres Trust's 50th anniversary. The judges also praised its renovation, which reopened the building after several years of delays.
Sam Fender surprised his old school, John Spence Community High School in North Shields, by having its pupils sing on his cover of a Rolling Stones classic for the John Lewis Christmas advert. The track also features the Easington Colliery Band, and proceeds from the single will go to the Teenage Cancer Trust and Action for Children.
Simon and Gemma Robins rescued a wartime D-Day launch from the scrap heap in 2021 and are restoring it on the River Dee in Heswall, Wirral. They hope to sail it back to Normandy for the 85th anniversary of the landings, and Gemma has published the diary of a young crew member who served aboard it.
