Latest news with #WelcomeHome
BBC News
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Riot-hit Spellow Library's artwork celebrates community's 'hope'
A library set on fire during last summer's riots is set to unveil a new artwork celebrating the community who were there to help it rise from the ashes. Spellow Community Hub and Library, in Walton, Liverpool, was torched in August amid unrest which swept across the country after the stabbings in reopened in December after £250,000 was raised and books were donated from the Queen and a host of well as the Welcome Home artwork featuring images of people from the Walton community, a song and a film, which is the culmination of Dora Colquhoun's artist residency at the hub and library, will be showcased on Saturday. Colquhoun was commissioned by Culture Liverpool. She has led creative workshops with local residents and with community organisations, schools and businesses as part of the Welcome Home installation will feature pictures by St Francis De Sales pupils, as well as photographs of Walton residents including Kenny Robert from County DIY, Joan Abela co-director of Our House Walton Community Hub and 98-year-old Anne Gandy, who was appointed an MBE in 2007 for her services to the community. Colquhoun, said she had been humbled by the local community who have welcomed her during her residency, adding Walton has "stolen a piece of my heart"."Liverpool is a unique city, and the people in Walton are a true reflection of what makes it so special: a sharp sense of humour, natural storytelling, and the confidence to tell you if they don't like your outfit."Ms Gandy added: "Scousers are the best people in the world, you won't meet a kinder group of people or more generous of heart."Liverpool City Council's cabinet member for health, wellbeing and culture, councillor Harry Doyle, said: "The story of Spellow Library continues to be one of resilience, hope, and the unbreakable bonds of community. "Artist residencies like this help the neighbourhood reclaim their shared narrative. The locals have opened their hearts and minds to Dora and the result is a beautiful installation, song and film."Cash for the project was provided by the UK Shared Prosperity Funding and it is supported by recovery funding provided by central government and the Arts Council England. The Spellow Lane Community Hub and Library opened in 2023 to serve deprived communities. It suffered severe damage to its ground floor during violent disorder which as tensions flared following the murder of three young girls by Axel Rudakubana at a Taylor Swift-themed dance party in Southport, Merseyside, on 29 July last year. The event takes place between 11:00 BST and 13:00 Spellow Community Hub and Library. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
BreakingNews.ie
18 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Residents line streets to welcome home Israeli-American hostage
Edan Alexander, an American-born Israeli soldier and believed to be the last living American hostage held in Gaza, has returned home to New Jersey. Hundreds of cheering supporters, many waving Israeli flags and holding 'Welcome Home Edan' signs, lined the streets of Tenafly to greet his passing vehicle. Advertisement A smiling Mr Alexander held his arm out the passenger-side window to wave and touch the hands of people in the crowd. The militant group Hamas released Mr Alexander, 21, on May 12 after 584 days. He has been in Israel since he was freed. Thursday marked his first trip home to Tenafly, the suburb of New York City where he grew up and where his family still lives. People in Tel Aviv watch a live broadcast of Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander's release from Hamas captivity (Oded Balilty/AP) Mr Alexander was 19 when militants stormed his base in Israel and dragged him into the Gaza Strip. Advertisement He was among the 251 people taken hostage in Hamas' attack on October 7 2023. Mr Alexander moved to Israel in 2022 after finishing high school and enlisted in the military. Since his capture, there's been a huge outpouring of support for him in Tenafly, located in a county with a large Jewish and Israeli-American population. The community held regular walks to raise awareness about him and the other hostages. Many gathered in May to celebrate his release. Advertisement 'Edan's return is the return of everybody's child, every organisation, every family, every Israeli family, and non-Israeli, and non-Jews,' Orly Chen, a Tenafly resident, told CBS News New York on Thursday.
The Independent
19 hours ago
- The Independent
Residents lined the streets of a New Jersey town to welcome home Israeli-American hostage
Edan Alexander, an American-born Israeli soldier and believed to be the last living American hostage held in Gaza, has returned home to New Jersey. Hundreds of cheering supporters, many waving Israeli flags and holding 'Welcome Home Edan' signs, lined the streets of Tenafly on Thursday to greet his passing vehicle. A smiling Alexander held his arm out the passenger side window to wave and touch the hands of people in the crowd. The militant group Hamas released Alexander, 21, on May 12 after 584 days. Alexander has been in Israel since he was freed. Thursday marked his first trip home to Tenafly, the suburb of New York City where he grew up and where his family still lives. Alexander was 19 when militants stormed his base in Israel and dragged him into the Gaza Strip. He was among the 251 people taken hostage in Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack. Alexander moved to Israel in 2022 after finishing high school and enlisted in the military. Since his capture, there's been a huge outpouring of support for Alexander in Tenafly, located in a county with a large Jewish and Israeli-American population. The community held regular walks to raise awareness about him and the other hostages. Many gathered in May to celebrate Alexander's release. 'Idan's return is the return of everybody's child, every organization, every family, every Israeli family, and non-Israeli, and non-Jews,' Orly Chen, a Tenafly resident, told CBS News New York on Thursday.
The Spinoff
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
From Dave Dobbyn to Japanese Breakfast: Reviews from the Auckland Winter Series
Four nights, four gigs, four reasons to love the Auckland Town Hall. Wednesday: Sir Dave Dobbyn The last and only other time I saw Dave Dobbyn live was at a craft beer festival in 2017. He came on around three or four in the afternoon and belted out a no-frills-no-fuss set of all the classic hits you'd want and expect Dave Dobbyn to play, then got out of there. It was your typical Festival Dobbyn experience, i.e. a bloody good time. Wednesday night at the town hall was a different kind of Dobbyn experience, a rare chance for him to tear up the festival setlist and play some deeper cuts from the catalogue. Calling the evening 'Selected Songs' should have been a clear signpost to anyone buying a ticket that this was the direction in which we were heading, though some of my fellow standing section punters were vocally less thrilled than I was to be treated to so many songs off Twist and Lament for the Numb in the first hour. Even those people got what they came for in the end, of course, with a rousing, Tami Nielson and Delaney Davidson-assisted version of 'Welcome Home' closing the set before 'Slice of Heaven' and 'Be Mine Tonight' in the encore. But this was a night for the real Dobbyn heads, and the highlights were plentiful. From the opening chimes of 'Belltower' to the ragged glory of 'Don't Hold Your Breath' to the high note at the end of 'You Oughta Be In Love', this set served as proof that not only has Sir Dave written some of this country's finest songs, he still has what it takes to bring the house down with them. / Calum Henderson Thursday: Teeks There's something a little bit terrifying about watching a performance from an artist whose work relies almost entirely on their voice. Of course, all singers rely on their voices, but most will have other things in a live show to entertain audiences – a band, back-up singers, dancing, even themselves playing an instrument. I watch artists all the time and never consider their voices less valuable because they have a band singing with them, but when I watched Teeks perform to a sold-out Town Hall on Thursday, I realised just how much his live performances live and die by his voice. And the voice delivered. Accompanied by a piano and a string sextet (he has previously performed with the full Auckland Philharmonia), Teeks put on an intimate show, cycling through his EP, album, a few newbies and a few covers of songs you'd expect to hear on a Teeks algorithm playlist – 'Drive' by Bic Runga, 'Landslide', 'Make You Feel My Love' and 'I Can't Make You Love Me'. His voice never faltered, except once when he teared up singing 'Never Be Apart' for his late friend Taryn. If it weren't for the surprisingly rowdy and vocal crowd, there were times when it could have fallen into being genuinely awkward. Teeks can sing – we all know this – but he's not much of a talker. Again, most of the time the banter between songs is barely registered, but when there's so much silence in the music itself, those moments of crowd interaction felt amplified and intimate, and it took Teeks a good hour before he sounded remotely comfortable speaking rather than singing. In the end, the show felt more like a studio session than a Town Hall concert – and I suspect Teeks himself would have preferred that setting. It was most amplified by his invitations for the crowd to sing along to his bigger hits. Have you ever sung along to a live song that only has a piano accompaniment? You don't, is the answer. Because if you did, literally everyone would hear you. It led to some awkward whisper singing from those of us who knew the lyrics but didn't want to be heard by the whole venue. Despite the awkwardness at times, Teeks managed to pull off something few can manage – a full audience captivated by only his voice. Ps. Who would have thought the only genuine encore chant I've heard in nearly five years would be at a Teeks concert? I eagerly await his second album. / Madeleine Chapman Friday: Mall Grab Having had Mall Grab's sets on heavy rotation for the past year, I wasn't just excited to see what he would bring to New Zealand – I was curious to see who else made up his Aotearoa fanbase. The crowd skewed older and more refined than other recent electronic events I've attended – an upper-middle-class, predominantly male group out for a well-curated night. The ample space to dance at the Auckland Town Hall is a rarity at gigs of this calibre. Christchurch producer and DJ Emilie opened with a confident, composed set. Her selections delivered just enough bounce to keep the energy alive without encroaching on headline territory. As a thick mist rolled across the stage, conversation on the dance floor faded. Mall Grab had arrived. He kicked things off with the 133 BPM future-nostalgic stunner Love Reigns – a softer side of his catalogue that still hit hard, setting the tone for a dynamic build throughout the night. The lighting and stage design elevated the entire experience, transforming the town hall into something reminiscent of an international warehouse rave. With punters allowed to gather on either side of the DJ, and a lighting technician absolutely dialled in, the visuals matched the sonic journey beautifully. Moving fluidly between ambient, sample-driven house and modern tech slammers, Mall Grab delivered a sophisticated, deeply textured set. It was a masterclass that spoke not only to his own artistic evolution but to the strength and depth of Melbourne's thriving electronic scene. / Diaz Grimm Saturday: Japanese Breakfast On a weekend where Instagram stories would have you believe every cool indie band in the world was in Barcelona for Primavera, it felt like a huge coup to have Japanese Breakfast in Auckland – especially so soon after the release of their fourth (and for my money best yet) album For Melancholy Brunettes (And Sad Women) (add 'Beardy Men' and I reckon you'd have a pretty good chunk of the audience covered). We had the band Mannequin Pussy to thank for their presence, bandleader Michelle Zauner explained – they came here in 2024 and made her green with envy when they posted pics from Hobbiton (Japanese Breakfast was heading there on Sunday). Thanks also to the show's organisers for choosing the perfect opening act: I went it having never heard locals Phoebe Rings before and left an evangelical fan (check out their new album). Japanese Breakfast is touring as a six-piece band and started their set in campfire mode, sitting around a lantern-lit stage for delicate acoustic FMBASW opener 'Here Is Someone'. But a large gong at the back of the stage suggested the intensity would build, and so it did across a set that balanced the more introspective new album with all the biggest hits of previous albums. 'Picture Window' and piano-led 'Men in Bars' (the drummer filling in for Jeff Bridges on his verse) were highlights off the new album, before Jubilee favourite 'Posing in Bondage' rounded out the main set. Chekhov's gong finally got a working over during the encore ('Paprika'), which would normally be the biggest rock move of the night but here was immediately overshadowed by the pick slides in closer 'Diving Woman'. Good band – I hope they had a really nice time at Hobbiton. / CH
CairoScene
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Welcome Home: Poltrona Frau's Cairo Debut at Villa Magenta
From gallery walls to storied furniture, the launch explores what 'home' really means. It's not every day that a 114-year-old villa in Heliopolis becomes the setting for a furniture launch. But then again, Poltrona Frau isn't just any brand—and Villa Magenta isn't just any venue. During Heliopolis Anniversary Week, Cairo's design community stepped through the doors of Villa Magenta to mark the arrival of Poltrona Frau in Egypt. The event—titled Welcome Home—was part launch, part exhibition, part reflection on what home really means. Curated by Design Point's Karim El Hayawan and Nehal Leheta, the experience unfolded across the layered rooms of the heritage villa, mixing design, art, and storytelling. At the centre of it all was the Poltrona Frau collection, staged across Villa Magenta's restored interiors in a way that felt less like a showroom and more like a living space in motion. Guests moved through settings where leather textures, subtle tones, and restrained forms didn't shout for attention—they just sat with it. The furniture, handcrafted in Italy and rooted in over a century of design heritage, was positioned not as a luxury statement but as a backdrop to lived-in moments. But this wasn't a typical launch. Alongside the furniture, Welcome Home layered in a series of art installations exploring the personal and emotional ties we each have to the spaces we inhabit. A short film played on loop, tracing fragments of memory, routine, and family. A gallery showcase brought together works from Motion Art Gallery, Picasso Gallery, Ubuntu, and TAM Gallery, all interpreting the concept of 'home' through the eyes of contemporary Egyptian artists. The artworks shared one thing in common: they invited guests to reflect on their own stories—creating an archive of perspectives shaped by nostalgia, change, and identity. Held during Heliopolis Anniversary Week—a city-wide initiative by the Heliopolis Heritage Foundation celebrating 120 years of the district's history—the event echoed the neighbourhood's layered identity. With its regal facade and restored interiors, Villa Magenta provided a setting that blended architectural legacy with contemporary design. It's also a reflection of founder Ramy Effat's wider vision: a space that brings together collectible design, art, and culture under one roof, offering something closer to a lifestyle gallery than a showroom. For Poltrona Frau, this event marks a new chapter in its international presence. Founded in 1912, the Italian brand has become known for its work across sectors, with custom interiors in places like the European Parliament and collaborations with brands like Ferrari and Bang & Olufsen. Bringing that legacy to Cairo emphasizes engagement with a different kind of audience—one that values craftsmanship, heritage, and emotional design in equal measure. The launch was supported by a group of local partners including Design Point, Le Baron, Kahhal Looms, Flower Bar, and Crave, with the Heliopolis Heritage Foundation acting as a cultural partner. Together, they helped position Welcome Home as a meaningful pause in the city's creative calendar. At a time when luxury often leans too far into spectacle, this was a softer kind of moment. A chance to reframe design not just as an aesthetic practice but as something rooted in memory, craft, and everyday experience. As guests trickled into the soft-lit rooms of the villa, that message was clear: home isn't a style. It's a feeling. And the best design doesn't impose one—it makes space for yours. Photo Credit: SceneHome
