Seven-time champion Hendry still holds the distinction of being the youngest ever winner, though Wu now sits second on that list following his victory over Shaun Murphy on Monday. A total of 11 Chinese players featured in the main draw in Sheffield from a field of 32, with only England (13) providing more representatives.
He added: “They are taking the game to new levels. We need some young blood from these shores – obviously with Stan Moody, Liam Pullen did really well, Antoni Kowalski did really well at the World Championship.
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“These three are going to have to step up if they’re going to keep up with the likes of Xintong and Wu Yize.”
English hopeful Moody, 19, made his World Championship first-round debut and established an early advantage against former champion Kyren Wilson before eventually succumbing 10-7.
Pullen was also making his main draw bow at 20 and claimed six frames from Chris Wakelin.
Kowalski became Poland’s first representative in the tournament at the age of 22 after navigating three qualifying rounds. His run also concluded in round one, with Mark Williams inflicting a 10-4 defeat.
New world champion Wu, also 22, had never progressed past the first round in Sheffield prior to this year. Yet after defeating former world champions Murphy and Mark Selby in this year’s tournament, he has no intention of leaving the city he has considered home since the age of 16.
“I don’t have any plans,” Wu told BBC Sport following his dramatic 18-17 victory in the final.
He added: “I think I will buy a house or an apartment in Sheffield for practice and the World Championship.”
One more seasoned European player who earned plaudits from Hendry was runner-up Murphy. The 43-year-old received glowing praise during his semi-final victory over reigning champion Zhao, which led him to joke about the pundit requiring an intervention.
Hendry said: “It was nigh on the perfect session. I don’t think Shaun will have ever played as good a session, it was a super-human performance and it needed that to take out Zhao Xintong, because he wasn’t playing badly.”
What people tell me is a bit odd about me is that I can recall every room, every bit of decor, every window, every door in the flat. And more: I can describe the rooms and corridors of the schools I went to and when I look at the old photos, I can reel off most of my classmates’ names. And more yet: if I home in on individual children, I can bring to mind the shoes they wore, or the sound of their voices, or the way they laughed or flicked their hair. And, as some people might know, I’ve written many, many times about the incidents that happened to me during that time in my books: Chocolate Cake, The Babysitter, The Go-Kart and the like.
It may be a little late to grab tickets for the air show this weekend, but a Cambridgeshire pub offers a great view so you don’t miss out on the excitement
Temperatures are set to climb to a lovely 21C in Cambridgeshire this weekend, bringing the perfect excuse to get outside and enjoy the sunshine. Adding to the excitement, the Duxford VE Day air show is expected to take to the skies promising plenty of thrills and a nostalgic feel for some history fanatics this weekend.
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The event starts at 10am and runs until 6pm on Saturday, May 9 and flying is scheduled to begin at 1.30pm at Duxford Imperial War Museum. Enthusiasts may have left it a little late to grab tickets, but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the action.
The Lion at Ickleton is a community-owned freehouse that sits on the Cambridgeshire-Essex border in Ickleton – less than 10-minutes away by car from the Duxford IWM. It offers an impressive view of the planes and some may argue it is the superior option with a cold drink in hand and none of the crowds.
A spokesperson for the pub wrote: “Our beer garden is the perfect place to enjoy the flying displays overhead, with great views, a relaxed atmosphere, a fantastic selection of drinks, and delicious sharing platters to enjoy with friends and family. Skip the queues, avoid the crowds, and still enjoy the airshow excitement – just with a pint in hand.”
Described as having a snug area that feels like a “dream”, one previous guest said that the pub serves a “warm welcome and great beer and food offering”. Another guest highlighted the pub’s “beautiful interior, gorgeous garden, wonderful atmosphere” and the “delicious” food on offer.
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The pub is also dog-friendly so no member of the family gets left behind. The Lion is open on Wednesdays and Thursdays between 12pm and 10.30pm, on Fridays between 12pm and 11pm, between 12pm and 11pm on Saturdays and 12pm to 9pm on Sundays.
Five London mayors have been elected in the local elections this week.
The capital has two Green mayors for the first time, marking a historic win for Zack Polanski’s party.
Green candidates Zoe Garbett and Liam Shrivastava stormed to victory in Hackney and Lewisham respectively.
The Conservatives held onto Croydon with their mayor Jason Perry, while Labour’s Forhad Hussain was elected in Newham.
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In Tower Hamlets, independent Aspire Party mayor Lutfur Rahman was re-elected as the borough awaits full results on Saturday.
There are only five boroughs with directly elected mayors and unlike mayors in other boroughs, these elected mayors have control over council decisions and appoint their own cabinets to deliver on policy targets.
Elected mayors also control the borough regardless of the outcome of the councillors. For example, even though Newham fell to no overall control, Labour will still have control in the borough courtesy of its newly elected mayor.
So, who are London’s new elected mayors?
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Hackney: Zoe Garbett – Green
In her widely predicted victory, Ms Garbett won with 35,720 votes to Labour candidate Caroline Woodley’s 26,865.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski and Zoe Garbett celebrate their victory in London’s Hackney
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Ms Garbett has advocated for change in the borough, prioritising social housing and overhauls to the healthcare system.
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Speaking after her victory, Ms Garbett said: Today we start the fight back. In this election, over and over, people kept telling me that they felt let down.
“Council services are failing those who need them most, and people are struggling to make ends meet.
“To everyone who voted for me, I truly thank you for putting your trust in me today.
“Across London and the country, people have made it clear that they are desperate for an alternative to this failing Labour government.”
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Green party leader Zack Polanski was full of praise for Ms Garbett, declaring her victory was the end of “two-party politics”.
The victory could be a case of “third time lucky” for Ms Garbett, who has run for Mayor Hackney twice before in 2022 and 2023. Both times she was beaten by Labour.
Ms Garbett also stood for London Mayor in 2024, but lost out to Labour’s Sir Sadiq Khan.
She has also played a key role in drafting the Green Party’s controversial drugs policy – which includes legalising all drugs in the UK.
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In Hackney, Ms Garbett has planned to protect Ridley Road and reduce the cost of living crisis through food co-ops and networks.
Lewisham: Liam Shrivastava – Green
Liam Shrivastava won Lewisham in a sensational victory that ousted Labour from its throne for the first time.
Mr Shrivastava won 35,265 votes, beating Labour’s Amanda De Ryk, who came in second with 30,374 votes.
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The south London borough has only ever had a Labour mayor and in 2022, all seats on the council were won by Labour. Since then, three councillors have defected to Green and another joined the Greens after being suspended from the Labour party.
Mr Shrivastava’s win has therefore exceeded all expectations for the Green Party, with party leader Zack Polanski welcoming the “phenomenal result”.
Liam Shrivastava, the new mayor of Lewisham
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The new Green Mayor of Lewisham has pushed for plans to “tackle inequality, invest locally, and create real change” throughout his campaign.
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He was formerly a member of Sir Keir’s party but switched in mid-2025, citing that Labour had become “unrecognisable” from when he first joined.
Mr Shrivastava will have a long road ahead of him as Lewisham Council has faced significant financial challenges in recent years.
The borough was also criticised by the Housing Ombudsman for housing failures at the end of last year.
But the Green Party manifesto for the borough has pledged to retrofit existing council homes, bring empty homes back into use, campaign for rent controls, and establish a Rogue Landlord Taskforce. The party said it would deliver some 1,000 high-quality homes.
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The Greens have also vowed to declare Lewisham a trans-friendly borough and set up an advisory panel for victims of the Windrush scandal.
Croydon: Jason Perry – Conservative
Tory mayor Jason Perry has been reelected for a second term in Croydon after a closely-fought contest with Labour.
He won with 35,871 votes, up on the 33,413 in the last election, and narrowly beating Labour’s Rowena Davis who had 34,758 votes.
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Conservative Party Leader Kemi Badenoch (C) with Conservative Party Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp (C-R) and Mayor of Croydon Jason Perry (C-L)
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The Tory mayor is a passionate Crystal Palace fan. He grew up in a council house in Hamsey Green in the borough.
He has vowed to “restore pride” in Croydon and find a solution to the borough’s bankruptcy. As it stands, Croydon Council has declared bankruptcy on three occasions since 2020 due to mismanagement and failed investments.
It received a government bailout in 2025 but balancing the books will be Mr Perry’s biggest challenge as mayor.
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Other priorities for Mr Perry have included “protecting family homes and the character of our neighbourhoods”, according to his website.
He has also pledged to tackle graffiti and shoplifting in the borough. In the year ending June 2025, Croydon logged 34,560 shoplifting offences, according to ONS data. This is lower than the London average and a reduction on the previous year.
In a post on X, Mr Perry said: “I am incredibly grateful to the people of Croydon for placing their trust in me once again
“Four years ago, I was elected to help rescue a borough that had been broken by bankruptcy, instability, and failure.
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“Together, we have stabilised the Council, restored discipline and begun rebuilding pride in Croydon.”
He added that there is “still much more to do”, but today’s result is a “clear vote to keep Croydon moving forward.”
Newham: Forhad Hussain – Labour
Labour’s Forhad Hussain secured 25,538 votes to become Newham’s Mayor.
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He toppled Newham Independent Mehmood Mirza who won 20,234 votes and Green candidate Areeq Chowdhury, who had 18,999 votes.
Forhad Hussain makes his victory speech
Newham Council
In his victory speech, he vowed to work with “energy, humility, and determination to deliver for every part of our borough”, adding that the day’s results marked “a new chapter,” as reported by Newham Voices.
In campaign leaflets, Mr Hussain said he would “increase community pride”, “reduce crime and anti-social behaviour”, and strive to clean the streets to ensure “flytippers were properly punished”.
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Mr Hussain was a Labour councillor in Plaistow North between 2010 and 2018, serving as a Cabinet Member for Commercial Opportunities and later as a Cabinet Member for Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour.
For the past eight years, Labour’s Rokhsana Fiaz OBE, has been the Mayor of Newham. There were doubts over Labour’s success in the borough following Ms Fiaz’s announcement in 2025 that she would not be standing for mayor for a third term.
Tower Hamlets: Lutfur Rahman – Aspire
Aspire Party leader and founder Lutfur Rahman won the mayoral race in Tower Hamlets.
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Mr Rahman won 35,679 votes, down from the 39,533 he won in the last election.
Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, is quoted on the run’s website congratulating those who participated (Aaron Chown/PA)
PA Archive
He beat Labour candidate Sirajul Islam, who has been backed by London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, and the Green’s Hirra Khan Adeogun.
Mr Rahman has historically proved a controversial figure, having served a five-year election ban after being found guilty of electoral fraud in 2015. Accusations of the party’s “toxic” culture have also been rife since his election in 2022, even prompting Labour minister Steve Reed to threaten intervention.
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Nevertheless, Mr Rahman has remained a popular figure in the borough, particularly among the Bangladeshi community.
His manifesto included promises to freeze council tax, create a homelessness fund, and introduce free travel for students from low income families.
Another big spending plan includes building an outdoor swimming pool in Victoria Park.
In a post on X, Mr Rahman wrote: “Thank you to the people of Tower Hamlets for re-electing me and continuing the revolution we started in 2022.
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We became the first party outside Labour, Conservatives and Lib Dems to win a London borough outright, leading a shift away from the main parties which has now become a political earthquake felt across London and the UK.”
He added that he has “set an example” to the country with “transformative socialist policies.”
The borough is home to one of London’s largest economic hubs, Canary Wharf, but also maintains some of the highest poverty rates in London.
While there is an FA Cup final to look forward to next weekend, the Blues’ league campaign is spiralling towards a dreadful conclusion, losing six games on the bounce and scoring just once in that run.
The former Brighton goalkeeper will not be involved today, nor will Jesse Derry who was also involved in another sickening clash of heads in a separate incident.
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To add to Chelsea’s woes, both Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto are expected to miss out with knocks. With Estevao’s season over due to a serious hamstring injury and Jamie Gittens sidelined, it leaves Calum McFarlane very light on the wings.
In better news for the Blues, Reece James and Levi Colwill trained this week. Colwill played the second-half against Forest having also played a full 90 for the Under-21s in April.
Garnacho and Neto are both carrying knocks (Picture: Getty)
The Sweden international returned to training on Thursday with Arne Slot hopeful he can have a role to play. Giorgi Mamardashvili also returned to training this week and will be pushing to reclaim his place in goal with Alisson Becker still out.
Mohamed Salah meanwhile is still to return to training after his hamstring issue and is set to miss out again.
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Florian Wirtz and Ibrahima Konate missed training earlier this week but both were back among the group on Friday.
Chelsea XI to face Liverpool – Metro prediction
With no wingers fit, Calum McFarlane may turn to Enzo Fernandez to occupy a more advanced role once again.
Joao Pedro is also an option to drop deep if Liam Delap gets the nod up top.
While Colwill has only recently returned to action after his ACL injury, he will be desperate to be fully up to speed for next weekend’s FA Cup final against City. A starting role today at Anfield would certainly aid that.
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Liverpool XI to face Chelsea – Metro prediction
Isak’s availability offers a focal point up top for Liverpool with Hugo Ekitike a long-term absentee.
Liverpool vs Chelsea live stream, TV channel and kick-off time
Liverpool vs Chelsea kicks off at 12:30pm today (Saturday 9 May) at 12:30pm.
You can watch the match live on TNT Sports 1 with streaming also available through the HBO Max app.
Today, Labour suffered a historic loss in the Welsh Senedd elections coming in third behind Plaid Cymru and Reform UK.
In Scotland, the SNP held onto it’s majority with second place too close to call between Labour and Reform as Newscast began recording.
And in England, a bruising run of results continued for Labour, who lost more than a thousand council seats. Reform won more than 1400 councillors and the Greens made gains.
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Adam, Chris and James break down the results.
You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say “Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.
You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscord
Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.
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New episodes released every day. If you’re in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd
Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Anna Harris with Shiler Mahmoudi. The social producer was Joe Wilkinson. The technical producer was Stephen Bailey. The assistant editor was Jack Maclaren. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
Harry Poulton went on a “lads’ holiday” to Benidorm, Spain and decided to up sticks and move to the popular destination for good, with one thing in particular making his decision “easy”
Jess Flaherty Senior News Reporter
05:02, 09 May 2026
A young man took the leap and moved to Benidorm after becoming enamoured with the tourist hotspot while on a lads’ holiday, and he’s sworn he’ll never come back to the UK. While the United Kingdom has its charms, it’s far from perfect. Between the famously fickle weather and the relentless cost of living crisis, it’s little wonder some people decide to up sticks and seek out sunnier shores.
That’s precisely what happened to Harry Poulton, 24, who fell head over heels for Benidorm during a lads’ getaway and immediately saw it as the place he needed to call home.
The Brighton-born travel vlogger had grown weary of life in dreary England and, aged just 18, made the radical choice to completely upend his life by leaving his homeland behind for good.
Speaking in a TikTok video about his reasoning, he revealed that escaping Britain’s “horrible” weather was among his primary motivations for the move.
Financial pressures also played a crucial role in his thinking. Living in the Spanish coastal resort works out considerably more affordable for Harry.
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He went on to say: “Everything in the UK is just going up, up, up and up, and no one knows when it’s going to stop. At least here in Spain, your money travels so much further – you’ll get way more for your money here in Spain than you would in the UK, and that’s my opinion.”
Speaking to Luxury Travel Daily, Harry explained: “I don’t know why anybody would want to live in Britain. It’s cold, dreary and gloomy all the time.
“There’s no room to have fun outside of the constant boring routine and work. After I visited Benidorm, I knew that it was the place I wanted to settle down.
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“It offers great weather, beautiful beaches and such a laid-back vibe. It’s the complete opposite of the UK.”
Harry is a passionate advocate for Benidorm, believing many Brits unfairly make a “mockery” of the popular holiday hotspot. The Spanish resort is renowned for its bustling hospitality and entertainment sector, pristine beaches, and litany of high-rise buildings.
The municipality reportedly attracts equal numbers of international visitors as it does Spanish holidaymakers. He said: “Stop making a mockery of such a wonderful place. If you live here, you’ll know better than any British tourists what this country is really like.”
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Harry continued: “Everyone says not to visit Benidorm, as you’ll get scammed or mugged. And that bars will rip tourists off with extortionate prices for drinks – but that’s all absolute rubbish.
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“It’s crazy what Brits believe. It’s not just for party-goers or stag dos. Benidorm has so much on offer and it’s not a place you’ll regret going. There are so many haters out there that like to spread misinformation or myths, stopping people from coming here.”
He went on: “It’s mad. Look at the state of the UK – all of these things happen there more than they do in Benidorm.”
Harry believes his quality of life in Spain far exceeds anything he experienced back in the UK.
For anyone contemplating a similar leap across borders, he advised: “Learn some basic Spanish before coming. Ensure to plan financially, too. Be prepared for some paperwork, especially since Brexit, but it’s so worth it once you’re here.”
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Looking back on taking such a momentous step while just a teenager, he added: “It’s completely transformed my life – and being so young, I’m glad I leaped now rather than later. Who wants to wake up to grey skies every day, when you can have blue ones greeting you each morning? Benidorm is paradise – anyone who says otherwise is lying.”
Pamela Doherty spoke up about John Leathem’s wife after someone referred to her online as “his poor wife”.
The of murdered teenager Paige Doherty has slammed the wife of the killer for sticking by her husband.
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Pamela Doherty, 43, was provoked into posting about John Leathem’s wife, Katya Karbowiak, after someone put a comment on a post referring to “his poor wife”.
Leathem, 42, was sentenced to life after he admitted killing the 15-year-old – who who was 4ft 8in – at his deli in Clydebank, in 2016. Paige’s body was found two days later dumped in a wood.
She had more than 140 injuries and had been stabbed 61 times. Pamela wrote on Facebook: “I’ve never said much about what I think about the wife of the man who killed Paige. So here it is.
“When Paige died, I had loads of people say I should tell people ‘don’t blame the wife’.”
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Pamela explained that she believes Karbowiak was wrong to stand by her husband. She added: “I gave her the benefit of the doubt. I thought she was maybe terrified. Maybe he had threatened her.
“Instead, she defended her husband, even shouting outside Low Moss Prison he was innocent. When people feel sorry for this woman, please remember.”
Pamela told the Record in March about her wish to visit Leathem in jail and challenge him to explain why he murdered.
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The interview marked the 10th anniversary of Paige’s murder and since then, Pamela has held a charity ball in her memory to raise funds for Paige’s Promise, set up to help families who lose children in tragic circumstances.
Pamela belives there was a sexual motive for the attack and that Paige was killed because she fought back. She also said she had written previously to Leathem, asking him to accept a visit from her in jail, but he failed to reply.
Pamela intends to try again. She said: “I want him to face me, look me in the eye and tell me why he took my daughter’s life when she had so much ahead of her.”
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Pamela also revealed that the justice system had added to the torture she felt at losing her daughter.
She had to delay the funeral for weeks to allow the defence to have its own post-mortem, and when Leathem appealed against his 27-year minimum sentence and saw it reduced to 23, she had no input into the proceedings.
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A Belfast-based arts collective is calling for more funding for the arts in Northern Ireland and more affordable studio space to help the country’s thriving creative sector.
Vault Artist Studios was formed in 2017 as a community driven, non-profit charity, with the initial intention to transform derelict buildings by bringing them back to life, all while providing much-needed affordable artist studio space.
The multi-disciplinary collective has over 100 members consisting of musicians, circus performers, visual artists, photographers and more. Up until this month, the group had spent three years between studio space on Victoria Street in Belfast city centre and at the Shankill Mission building.
Prior to this, the group had been based on Tower Street in East Belfast for five years, with the building recently demolished to make way for affordable housing. Now, the group has moved into a new home in Bankmore House on Bedford Street, which gives studio space to 30 artists, as well as a gallery and project space.
Further studio space will come from a move back to the East of the city, with a hub opening soon in the former Masonic Lodge on the lower Newtownards Road.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Rob Hilken, a visual artist on the board of trustees for Vault Artist Studios, said they’re delighted with their new space on Bedford Street.
“This is the best building we’ve ever had,” he said. “The gallery space is incredible and our studios are great here, we’re in a busy part of town with lots of businesses, a lot of developments in the are, so it’s a real opportunity for us to engage with the local community.
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“This space is going to be essential for us to manage keeping our studio rents affordable because artists are some of the lowest paid workers in the economy. We use these rentable spaces to continue to be affordable to those who would otherwise struggle.
“We’ve designed the space to be multifunctional and we’re working really closely with Linen Quarter BID and they’re going to be taking on the space to run wellbeing workshops for local people and businesses at lunchtime.
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“We have one exhibition a month that we programme for Late Night Art, but in between that, there are groups of artists who come and rent our space and put on their own exhibitions here.”
Reflecting on the nomad status of Vault Artist Studio, with moving from derelict building to derelict building being in the collective’s DNA, Rob said: “With these buildings, there’s always a long-term plan for them which we’re not a part of because we can’t pay commercial rents, so we occupy on a short-term basis.
“When we move in we work hard to get a space immediately working for us. We haven’t got unlimited energy to do this, but we’ve got good energy to make things happen in a short space of time.”
The collective’s first exhibition in their new space is titled ‘Mayday Mayday’, a fitting theme in their new temporary home, with the term being both a distress signal and a rallying call for workers to come together.
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It comes as funding for the arts in Northern Ireland is less than a quarter of the sum invested in the Republic of Ireland, and half of that in Wales. Of the estimated 14,500 artists in NI, only 29% can work full-time in the arts, with the majority supplementing their income by taking on multiple jobs.
Visual artist Cathy Scullion curated the exhibition, and took a week off on holiday from her day job to put it together. She said: “The exhibition is all about celebrating workers and the working classes. For me personally, there’s a real worry that as the cost of being an artist rises, we’re basically eliminating the ability for working class people to be able to do this type of work and exist in this world.
“It’s something we should all be really concerned about as working class people have a lot of really important and interesting things to say. I come from a working class background myself and I went back to university later in life because when you were younger it was very much drummed into you that that isn’t for you.
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“There are still certain parts of the art world you can feel like you don’t belong, so that’s why this exhibition was personally really important to me to be the first thing to launch this new space.”
As for the importance of collectives such as Vault at a time when the costs of being an artist are on the rise, Rob sadi: “We provide studios to people that don’t necessarily make a full-time living from their art, which is very hard to do. Most people have other work, but to justify having a studio that is expensive would just push a lot of people out of the sector.
“So by having this affordable studio space we can include people of all demographics. The whole spectrum of the arts is here, so that’s really important to the city and brings an energy to this place that is so unique.”
Such groups also add to the fabric of the city, with exhibitions being a central part of the monthly Late Night Art event on the first Thursday of each month at galleries around the city.
Rob said it provides a vital space to get people interested in the arts and to meet new people, with community engagement a vital part of Vault’s mission.
He said: “We have a lot of students who come to the exhibitions, young artists moving to the city who want to meet other artists and embed themselves in the scene. The gallery does a lot for lots of different people.
“We’re hoping local people, the businesses and communities in the local area start to see us as a place where they can come and socialise. Some people don’t necessarily want to go to a pub, or maybe they don’t know anybody in the area, but it’s quite easy to just talk to somebody about a piece of art on the wall.
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“On the other side of us there are flats, there are people living in this immediate area. We always have a goal to have an impact locally, we see ourselves as a community of artists and artists in the community as very much a two-sided thing about why we exist.”
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