The Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks show in New York City was brought forward to avoid severe thunderstorms on America’s 250th birthday.

Organizers moved the timings due to the storms, which have struck the East Coast amid a heatwave on the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Americans celebrated across the country Saturday despite the disruptions and severe weather, including in the nation’s capital. Organizers were forced to evacuate the National Mall in Washington, D.C. in the early evening ahead of President Donald Trump’s address to the nation. The president – whose speech was originally planned for around 10pm – said he would still speak once the inclement weather had passed.

“I don’t care if it’s 2:00 O’Clock in the morning,” he posted on Truth Social, adding that storms bring “good luck.”

Elsewhere, spectacular fireworks displays were planned for Chicago’s Navy Pier. New York also ushered in the holiday with a midnight ball drop, mirroring the fanfare of New Year’s Eve, and saw tall ships parade past the Statue of Liberty, recalling the grandeur surrounding the nation’s bicentennial in 1976.

Anticipation for this milestone holiday has been building for much of the year, serving as an opportunity for Americans to reflect on their complicated history as onetime colonists of an empire who became a superpower of their own.

Yet, celebrations months in the making have had to adjust or cancel activities entirely as much of the East Coast sweltered under heat that approached and in many cases surpassed triple digits.

Heat is defining the big weekend in many places

In Washington, the city’s main Independence Day parade scheduled for Saturday was canceled, but a smaller one rolled along in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in the morning as onlookers sought shade under trees along the route. Also in the area, dozens of members of the white nationalist group Patriot Front wearing face masks and carrying Confederate battle flags held a march. No arrests were reported, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

About 45 minutes before the World Cup match in Houston, a message from astronauts aboard the International Space Station noting the holiday was beamed into the stadium.

On New York’s Coney Island, competitors chowed down on hot dogs at the annual Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July contest.

Joey “Jaws” Chestnut won for the 18th time in 21 appearances, eating 66 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. On the women’s side, defending champion Miki Sudo of Tampa, Florida, held the title by downing 38.75 dogs. Both champions said the heat wave made the competition more difficult.

An uneasy nation gets ready to celebrate

The celebrations are unfolding against the backdrop of a deep divide this election year that has been expanding for years, visible in everything from political expression to cultural norms to age-old questions over race, class and immigration.

At Mount Rushmore on Friday, Trump spoke of communism as a “mortal threat to American liberty” with the Republican president saying it was more dangerous than either World War or 9/11.

Without naming Trump, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Democrat who is also a democratic socialist and recently backed several successful congressional candidates in their primaries, appeared to reference Trump during a speech Friday.

“Those ideals upon which our nation was built — they are strong enough to endure any authoritarian regime, but only if we reach for them,” he said.

To former Democratic President Bill Clinton, this anniversary milestone comes at a time of “renewed questions about America’s future and role in the world, and serious threats to our own institutions and to our democracy itself.” While critical of “the people in charge,” he said in a statement that “there is still nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what’s right with America.”

Vice President JD Vance said small but loud voices would speak on America’s birthday about its imperfections instead of its greatness.

“They will tell you that America is just another country, where the weak struggle against the strong,” Vance said speaking aboard the USS Kearsarge in New York Harbor.

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — A massive demonstration was held for the 35th night in a row in Albania’s capital on Saturday, with protesters calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, the temporary replacement of his government, constitutional reform and an end to corruption.

Media images showed tens of thousands of people marching along Tirana’s main boulevard toward Skanderbeg Square. There has been no independent verification of the number of protesters.

The nightly demonstrations began over a luxury coastal resort development project in a protected natural area linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, but have since evolved into broader anti-government and anti-corruption protests. The protesters were chanting “New Albania” and “Edi Rama, resign.”

The march was heavy on symbolism. A tall bust of Rama was erected and later toppled with the help of a rope, a gesture reminiscent of the February 1991 toppling of the statue of longtime communist dictator Enver Hoxha, an event commemorated on Feb. 20 each year. Since Saturday’s protest coincided with Rama’s 62nd birthday, some protesters carried “birthday cakes” made of cement, an allusion to the building projects. There was also an ironic “happy birthday” song for Rama.

Some protesters carried pink flamingo balloons, a reference to the birds supposedly threatened by the resort construction project. The demonstrations have long been dubbed “the pink flamingo revolution.”

After protesting for about two hours, a large group marched to a police station, demanding the release of people arrested during Thursday’s protest near parliament.

Protesters broke the windows of the police station while police responded with a water cannon to disperse the crowd.

Daniel Lawless was caught on camera showing off the weapon to friends in a pub car park before shooting his victim outside his own home in an apparent case of mistaken identity

An unsuspecting man was blasted in the legs with a shotgun outside his own home while heading to the chippy.

Daniel Lawless was captured on CCTV “showing the weapon off to his friends” in a pub car park prior to shooting his victim in what appears to be a case of mistaken identity.

The attack is understood to have occurred amid a backdrop of “petty, tit-for-tat retaliation” between opposing gangs, leaving the wounded victim hauling himself back indoors to safety and questioning: “Why did he still shoot me if I wasn’t the person he wanted to shoot? It was nothing to do with me.”

Liverpool Crown Court was told on Friday afternoon that David Forbes departed his residence on the evening of February 28 last year and set off towards a chip shop to collect food for his family. After crossing Cubert Road in Croxteth, he spotted a masked Lawless dropping a white plastic bag and sprinting in his direction, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Simon Christie, prosecuting, outlined how the 23-year-old, of no fixed address, was dressed entirely in black and “mumbled something indistinct” before aiming a shotgun at Mr Forbes, who “has no connection whatsoever with the defendant or any of his associates”, and discharging it. The complainant remembered a “bang and a flash” before collapsing to the ground and discovering he had been shot in the legs.

Mr Forbes then “dragged himself back to his house”, where his stepson recalled him entering the property and crying “I’ve been shot”. Mr Christie added: “Mr Forbes believed this to be a case of mistaken identity. He was entirely correct. This was a deliberate shooting of a wholly innocent person who was nothing whatsoever to do with the defendant.”

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The attack left Mr Forbes with “nasty injuries to his lower leg”, having initially spent a fortnight in hospital before later being readmitted for four weeks after developing blood clots. He has since undergone multiple operations and skin grafts, with hundreds of shotgun pellets still lodged in his legs.

Unable to attend the sentencing hearing due to ongoing medical treatment, Mr Forbes submitted a statement which was read aloud to the court: “I wanted to look at him directly and ask him why? I have no knowledge of why this happened.

“I was the wrong person at the wrong time. I’m glad it happened to me. Initially, my stepson was going to the chip shop. I decided to go instead. He’s struggled with what’s happened and struggled with his exams during his third year at university.

“I’d just like to know why he did this to me. I was just going to the shop. Why did he still shoot me if I wasn’t the person he wanted to shoot? It was nothing to do with me.”

CCTV footage captured Lawless departing an address on Petherick Road on foot just after 10pm, making his way into the car park of the Lobster pub, where he was filmed pulling a shotgun from a carrier bag and brandishing it to three men standing outside. After walking away to carry out the attack, he fled the scene, briefly returned, then left once more — at which point he was spotted “gesturing towards the males in the car park”.

Upon returning to Petherick Road, Lawless was filmed getting into a parked vehicle approximately 20 minutes later, clutching a backpack, before “disappearing”. He subsequently arrived back at the address by taxi at around 7.15am the following morning, dressed in a dressing gown and carrying a black rucksack, with police never recovering the firearm.

Lawless has a prior criminal record, including a 10-month sentence for making threats with an offensive weapon in a public place in January 2023. He was later handed five years and four months for wounding with intent in July 2025, having “thrown boiling hot sugar water over his cellmate, causing significant injuries” while behind bars.

Defence counsel Charles Lander informed the court that Lawless had suffered the death of his grandmother earlier that week, before stating: “It is accepted that Mr Forbes is an entirely innocent victim of the defendant’s behaviour. This young defendant is clearly facing a lengthy period of imprisonment.

“Clearly, probation and the Prison Service are trying to work with him. He is a defendant who suffers with a number of issues. His parents have come to court. They have been highly supportive throughout these proceedings.

“They express their utmost sympathy to Mr Forbes and his family. They cannot believe that they are in a position where they are sitting in a courtroom listening to these serious acts committed by their son.

“The defendant has taken the opportunity of finding trusted employment as wing cleaner in prison. Clearly, there have been some concerns about how he has behaved in prison. There have been significant issues with his mental health.

“His position in prison has been made more difficult by threats that are being made. Clearly, these are threats that have been persisting for some time. Obviously, the defendant dealt with one threat in a highly disproportionate way by obtaining a weapon in February of last year.

“He is still relatively young. He is determined, when released from prison, that he is going to leave Liverpool, leave the various associates who he stupidly hung around with in the younger part of his life and, ultimately, be a member of society his parents can be proud of.”

Lawless admitted wounding with intent and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, with a previous charge of attempted murder being ordered to lie on the file. Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool, he appeared to wipe his eyes with his blue Montirex t-shirt before he was jailed for 18-and-a-half years and handed an additional four years on licence.

During sentencing, Judge Garrett Byrne stated: “Mr Forbes was a totally innocent member of the public. He did not know you. He did not associate with you or any of your friends. He had nothing to do with any criminal group. He was simply walking to a chip shop to get some food.

“You left your home carrying a loaded shotgun in a plastic bag. Your face was covered. You intended to shoot someone as part of some petty, tit-for-tat retaliation. You showed the weapon off to your friends.

“What happened next has been captured quite clearly on CCTV. You pointed the weapon at Mr Forbes and discharged it once at close proximity. Mr Forbes managed to drag himself back to his home address, badly injured and covered in blood. He sustained serious injuries to both legs below the knees.

“His injuries required several bouts of surgery. Mr Forbes speaks to both the ongoing physical and psychological harm that he experiences. He can no longer do many things he previously enjoyed doing and had to give up his job.

“The unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition are of grave concern to society. They can be used to main and kill. Innocent members of the public, as in this case, are put at risk of serious injury or worse.

“There are permanent and irreversible injuries here. A significant aggravating feature is your previous convictions. I find no particularly compelling mitigation.”

In The Mixer’s World Cup special

Everything you need to know about the World Cup – England updates, the games to watch and stories you missed – in five minutes, at 1pm, every day.

Thunderstorms threaten chaos for England’s World Cup showdown with Mexico on Monday morning – after a shambolic U-turn over the kick-off time sent fans reeling.

Travel plans were thrown into a muddle when football chiefs embarked on a wild switch to start the game six hours earlier than scheduled, apparently to avoid forecasted torrential rain and lightning.

It would have meant England vs Mexico kicking off at 6pm UK time on Sunday, rather than at 1am Monday morning, plunging the Three Lions’ preparations into confusion and messing up flights and hotels for thousands of supporters.

After hours of farce, uproar from fans and behind-the-scenes rows between FIFA and both the England and Mexico football associations, the match reverted back to its original start time, meaning 1am for supporters in Britain.

However, forecasters are warning of a 90 per cent chance of thunderstorms around the time of the last-16 fixture at the Azteca Stadium. A weather alert cautions of ‘a significant threat of severe thunderstorms and potential localised flooding…expected to peak between 6pm and 7pm’, local time, which is due to be when the match is playing.

FIFA’s strict safety rules on extreme weather mean any lightning strike detected within eight miles of the stadium triggers an automatic 30-minute delay, and any further strikes reset the timer.

Bleary-eyed fans in the UK already facing an ultra-late bedtime could be kept up all night, if the match is delayed until the storm passes. Employers are bracing for a pandemic of ‘sickies’ tomorrow morning.

The shambolic change of the start time was initially revealed by Mexican media on Friday night, leading some to wonder if sabotage was afoot. Mexican fans had already threatened to disrupt the England team’s first night of sleep in Mexico City by blaring car horns and setting off fireworks near the team hotel – prompting riot police to form a ring of steel around it.

The Azteca stadium where England will face Mexico tomorrow morning. Forecasters are warning of a 90 per cent chance of thunderstorms during the fixture. A weather alert cautions of ‘a significant threat of severe thunderstorms and potential localised flooding

Andres Vaca, of Mexican broadcaster TUDN, broke the story of the potential switch in kick-off time at 6.30pm British time, leading to bewilderment at such a dramatic last-minute upheaval.

At the time, England’s squad was wrapping up an open training session in Kansas and the Football Association (FA) knew nothing about it.

It was not until around 8pm that the ‘stunned’ FA was informed FIFA was indeed intending to alter the kick-off time – unprecedented for a World Cup match. It would mean tearing up the England camp’s meticulous preparations involving meal times and adjusting activities for the high altitude.

Mexican media was reporting the FIFA switch as fact, triggering mass confusion as travelling fans were put in limbo trying to work out if they needed to change flights and hotel bookings.

Owen Pickering, 61, is spending £20,000 going to England’s games with his family, and keeping hotel costs down by not arriving in Mexico until match day . If the kick-off had moved forward six hours, he said they ‘wouldn’t have made the match and I would have been heartbroken’.

Mr Pickering, of Crawley, West Sussex, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘FIFA is rubbish, it’s awful. They have no thought about anyone travelling to the game. Does it matter to them if we turn up? Not really. They don’t care if it spoils it for everybody.’

He added: ‘There will be a lot of fans who would have been in the same position as us. I have a friend who was trying to move his flight and it was just a vast expense.’

At about 9.30pm, England boarded their chartered flight to Mexico City in the absurd position of still not knowing when their match would be. And the Mexico team’s head coach Javier Aguirre was also furious at the proposed switch from 6pm to midday local time, calling it ‘a kick in the stomach’ and saying: ‘There’s absolutely no advantage to playing at noon. None whatsoever. It really throws a wrench into everything.’

Harry Kane arrives in the Mexican capital. At about 9.30pm, England boarded their chartered flight to Mexico City in the absurd position of still not knowing when their match would be.

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Before they left Kansas, the England team – briefed about the uncertainty –  put on a brave face. Midfielder Morgan Rogers said ‘it’s just another obstacle to overcome, we’ll take it how it is’, while Marcus Rashford declared: ‘We have to be focused. We have to be ready for anything.’

Amid speculation the time-change was designed ‘for better TV viewing figures in Europe’, the BBC got dragged into the row. Fox Sports in Spanish claimed the BBC, an official World Cup broadcast rights holder, was behind the move in order to secure a more favourable viewing time for its viewers in Britain. The BBC rubbished the claim, saying it was ‘not involved in these discussions’.

Eventually, after the backlash from both England and Mexico camps, and the nightmare logistics of upending schedules for police, military, the teams, officials and supporters, FIFA performed its spectacular U-turn.

Andres Vaca, the Mexican journalist who broke the story and had stuck to it for hours, posted an apology. He tweeted: ‘I made a mistake in confirming it. My apologies to everyone for that. But the information was real. So real that several journalists from different media outlets here in Mexico confirmed it with their sources. Well, even the BBC in England confirmed what I was saying. I made a mistake in presenting it as a fact. My apologies to everyone.’

Official tournament weather reports specifically for the Azteca Stadium, produced for FIFA’s planning purposes and seen by Sky Sports News, suggest there is still a 90 per cent risk of lightning storms at the stadium around kick-off.

The reports say to expect ‘lightning activity which may temporarily affect outdoor operations’, and that match officials should ‘maintain readiness for lightning safety procedures’.

Multiple matches have already faced lengthy suspensions due to freak storms including Mexico’s defeat of Ecuador at the Azteca, and France’s win over Iraq.

He finds the sense of patriotism and camaraderie to be attractive, as well as “trying to make a difference for your own country… and trying to do something yourself”.

The teen adds that “most” of his male friends and contemporaries are considering careers in the military or similar – and recent recruitment numbers back up that surge in interest.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Border Patrol received 34,650 applications between January and April 2025 – a 44% increase over the same four-month period in 2024. DHS credits the “historic spike” to Trump administration policies and has received significant funding for incentives.

Potential recruits left the tent with flyers advertising signing bonuses of up to $60,000 and salaries starting at $50,741, which can climb as high as $110,563.

Weeks before the rodeo, an Army veteran at another Colorado Springs Border Patrol event outlined similar motivations for exploring joining up. Mike, 40, feels “stagnant” in his current job as a corrections officer and misses the sense of “belonging” he had in the military.

“Even though I hung up my uniform, I never stopped serving, and I just feel like I have this duty to protect the citizens of the country,” he said, adding that he liked the idea of securing US borders.

“I see a lot of things on the news… people just not being nice, human trafficking, drugs being smuggled in,” he said.

He says he’s drawn to Border Patrol over an agency like ICE.

“Instead of just deporting people, I want to actually know that I’m protecting the country.”

But Border Patrol must compete for new recruits with their counterparts from Space Force and the Air Force National Guard – the latter of which trotted out a trampoline that drew great interest from the crowd.

Space Force, which was created by Trump in 2019, is tasked with securing US interests “in, from and to space”. It has also been in the midst of a recruitment surge, surpassing targets.

“The service is looking to double in size over the next five years,” a spokesperson told BBC News. In February, Space Force exceeded their annual recruitment goal by 125%, they said.

Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud revealed his secret ingredient for the tallest, fluffiest Yorkshire puddings every time

Yorkshire puddings are essential with any Sunday roast, a quintessential British dish cherished by everyone. Each person has their particular approach and hidden ingredients to create the tallest, lightest Yorkie, including famous faces.

During a recent visit to the Dish from Waitrose podcast, Grand Designs host Kevin McCloud lately revealed his methods for producing the ideal Yorkshire pudding at home. He shared with the presenters chef Angela Hartnett and DJ Nick Grimshaw that he doesn’t employ the conventional approach of a neutral oil or olive oil when preparing the batter.

Rather, Kevin unveiled an alternative fat he utilises to achieve the optimal rise on his Yorkshire puddings. For Kevin, it’s entirely about coconut oil, reports the Mirror.

In a recent video posted to TikTok, Nick commented: “You told us you make a great Yorkshire pudding. What is your… what is your method? Cause it can be hit and miss, people get it wrong, there’s a lot of trickiness with it, and I think once you get it, you get it.”.

Kevin responded: “Yeah. Well, so… It’s been a contention in my household, but I like to cook with a bit of coconut oil, high temperature and all that. I find it gives a good rise on the Yorkie.”

He additionally mentioned that he incorporates numerous eggs in his batter. Kevin added: “And… lots of eggs. A lot more eggs than you think.”

The television host explained he typically employs four eggs in his mixture. When working with coconut oil, Kevin clarified he attempts to warm it until it’s extremely hot and smoky.

Angela endorsed Kevin’s technique, noting that home cooks ought to prepare the batter the day prior to cooking to enable it to rest, similar to her practice in her own restaurant.

She stated: “But other than that, it’s about hot temperature, hot oil, whatever you’re using… and as you say, in and close the door.”

Angela recommended avoiding opening the oven door whatsoever while the Yorkshire puddings are cooking. Allowing heat to escape from the oven will result in the Yorkies deflating.

Football legend David, 51, shared a heartfelt tribute to his wife on their anniversary, describing their family as his ‘proudest achievement’.

Sir David Beckham and wife Victoria have ignored Brooklyn’s new demands with gushing statements. David recently declared that his family is his “proudest achievement” as he celebrated his wedding anniversary with Victoria.

Football legend David, 51, posted a collection of pictures alongside Lady Beckham spanning the years, including snaps from their wedding day and his 50th birthday bash.

It came after their eldest son Brooklyn was reportedly left ‘furious’ last month after his parents featured him in their Father’s Day tributes on Instagram, despite his explicit requests to be excluded from their social media posts.

Sir David wrote: “29 years together, 27 years married & you have given me everything I could ever wish for…our proudest achievement will always be our family. I love you & Happy Anniversary @victoriabeckham.”

Responding to the post, Victoria commented: “Happy anniversary. I love you so much.”

Victoria also shared a recent snap of her planting a kiss on her husband’s cheek and wrote, referring to Brooklyn, 27, Romeo, 23, Cruz, 21, and Harper, 14: “After 27 years of marriage, four amazing children and countless matching outfits, you’re still my *everything*. Happy anniversary!! I love you so much.”

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The couple were flooded with well-wishes from their celebrity pals, writes the Mirror, with Gordon Ramsay among those to congratulate the pair, saying: “Happy Anniversary sending lots of love.”

Close friend Eva Longoria – godmother to two of their children – added: “Happy anniversary to you guys! ! ,”.

The Beckhams first met in 1997 at a charity football match, got engaged the following year, and tied the knot in 1999.

Over the past year, however, the couple have endured a very public falling out with eldest son Brooklyn, who posted a shock statement on social media accusing his parents of attempting to “control” him and also “ruin his relationship” with wife Nicola Peltz, 31, in January.

He claimed that his family had “disrespected” his wife and has continued to ignore their public gestures of love and support for him.

In a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, Lady Beckham said she and David have “always tried to be the best parents”.

Brooklyn and Nicola got engaged about eight months after they’re thought to have begun their relationship, announcing the proposal in July 2020 on Instagram.

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Just a few weeks ago, Brooklyn and his wife marked their engagement anniversary, with Nicola posting: “I can’t believe we got engaged 6 years ago today. I feel like I’ve known you my whole life, you’re my best friend and my forever love wrapped in one.

“I love you with my whole heart. you’re the kindest man I’ve ever met and I’m so happy I get to do life with you. Thank you for being the magical you.”

On his own post, Beckham wrote: “6 years ago I asked my best friend to marry me x You are my girl, my beautiful wife, and my whole heart. Every day with you feels like the best adventure, and I still can’t believe I get to do life with you.

“You make everything brighter, funnier, sweeter, and more magical just by being you. I can’t wait to keep laughing, dreaming, and staying young with you forever. I love you more than words, Nicola xx.”

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The Feathers Hotel, in Helmsley, sits in the centre of the town, close to Helmsley Castle, the walled garden, independent shops, cafés and the edge of the North York Moors National Park.

The Feathers is a Grade II listed building on Market Place, first listed in 1985, and is described by the hotel as a 16th-century coaching inn offering 25 en-suite rooms, Yorkshire dining and the Pickwick Bar.

Its own history says the hotel opened as an inn in 1959, when Jack and Peggy Feather transformed two historic properties into a welcoming place to stay.

The Feathers, Helmsley (Image: TRIPADVISOR)

Before that, the main building had been a private home associated with generations of Helmsley medical practitioners, including Dr Francis Porter, who served the town until he died in 1933 at the age of 93.

Next door was Thorpe’s Cottage, once linked to three generations of market toll collectors from the Thorpe family.

The hotel later expanded in 1963 with the addition of the Pickwick Bar, now one of its best-known features.

The bar is famed for its Mouseman oakwork, with craftsmanship linked to Bob Cartwright, grandson of Robert Thompson, the celebrated “Mouseman” of Kilburn.

The hotel says it offers 25 individually styled rooms, with dog-friendly options, views of Helmsley Castle or the courtyard, and a base for exploring the North York Moors.

Tripadvisor lists The Feathers as number two of four hotels in Helmsley, with a 4.4 rating from more than 2,400 reviews and a 2026 Travellers’ Choice award.

Guests regularly mention the convenience of being in the middle of Helmsley, with the castle, shops, restaurants and walking routes nearby.

One recent visitor described the hotel as a “great location” with “pleasant helpful staff”, adding that Helmsley was a “great walking and historical area to enjoy”.

Another guest, staying in a room on the market square, praised the view and described Helmsley as a “cosy old town” with “nice shops and restaurants”.

The food and bar are also a major part of the hotel’s appeal.

One visitor who went for lunch said the atmosphere was “very nice”, the food was “excellent”, and the service was “extremely attentive and friendly”.

Another, visiting for a family celebration meal, described it as a “lovely country hotel serving amazing food” and said staff “couldn’t do enough” for them.

A third reviewer praised an evening meal as “excellent service and excellent food”, highlighting dishes including haddock and chips, chicken parmo and a lemon meringue sundae.

They added that the staff were “so friendly and attentive” and said the whole place had a “welcoming atmosphere”.

The hotel has also leaned into another growing part of the visitor market: dog-friendly stays.

It says dogs are welcomed with treats and comfy beds, with dog-friendly rooms and dining areas available.

That is a useful selling point in a town popular with walkers, countryside visitors and those heading into the North York Moors.

The hotel’s position also places it at the centre of wider interest in Helmsley.

The town has been named one of the UK’s best places to live, has launched a bid to become UK Town of Culture 2028, and has secured funding for high street and community improvements.

When my feature documentary Motherboard was released, I was in my late 50s. I had filmed it over 20 years, on five generations of smartphones, documenting the pain, joy and comedy of raising my son Jim alone.

When I became pregnant at 38, I found myself single and broke. I was working long hours as a freelance TV and film director. Jim’s father made it clear he did not want to be involved. I didn’t want my son to have two absent parents, so I quit my job overnight. Like many women in the creative industries, I paid a heavy motherhood penalty. It was more than 12 years before I got back to making films.

For five years I tried to raise finance for Motherboard through the usual markets. I eventually raised £60,000 from European TV channel Arte to begin editing Motherboard, only to lose it when we could not find match funding. The film that changed everything for me was Tangerine, which was famously shot on an iPhone 5 in 2014. Its energy and immediacy blew me away.

Around the same time, I came across an interview with director Ava DuVernay, the first black woman to win the best director prize for her film Middle of Nowhere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012. Her advice to fellow filmmakers was to stop waiting for the right agent, financier or producer to “discover” you. “There’s no one coming … You have to do it yourself.”

And so my DIY filmmaking career began. I wanted to make a film about solo parenting in all its messiness, the highs, but also the lows. I began shooting with my smartphone, almost daily, for nearly two decades.

Jim grew up on camera. I filmed his first day at school and his last day at college. I filmed days out, dance-offs and bedtime routines. I filmed the difficult stuff too: the day I was diagnosed with breast cancer, Jim’s reaction to meeting his dad for the first time at 14 and the rollercoaster teen years that followed. The smartphone made that access possible. Jim liked its spontaneity and low-fi intimacy; sometimes he filmed me on his phone too.

With my smartphone, I was able to embrace director Werner Herzog’s advice to filmmakers: “Ask for forgiveness, rather than permission.” I could film on buses, trains and in hospitals without months of emails trying to secure access. During chemotherapy and radiotherapy, filming on a phone wasn’t intimidating and no one ever said “no”. Sometimes nurses even helped me shoot, pressing record as I disappeared into another CT scan.

Now I’m developing my second feature, an autobiographical documentary about navigating family, friendship and relationships in my 60s. I recently read that box office hits are four times more likely to star a talking animal than a woman over 60. I will keep filming with my smartphone and make it anyway.

Over the last 15 years, as a filmmaker and professor of digital arts, I have seen extraordinary shorts and features made on smartphones. Many were created by early career filmmakers who would have struggled to access industry funding without a smartphone and a minimal crew.

This matters because film finance still remains hard to raise if you are not from the white, middle-class, male demographic the industry tends to favour. In the UK and Ireland, only 16% of the 718 films released theatrically in 2025 were directed or co-directed by women or non-binary filmmakers.

This July, I’ve co-curated SMART, a one-day Smartphone filmmaking festival at Finsbury Park Picturehouse. The festival will celebrate filmmakers who have pioneered this way of working and got their films across the finish line despite the odds. I will also be screening Motherboard, followed by an audience Q&A with my son Jim and me.

The programme ranges from no-budget DIY shorts to internationally acclaimed features. It includes Shih-Ching Tsou’s Left-Handed Girl (2025), co-written and edited by Tangerine director Sean Baker – who won an Oscar for his film Anora in 2025 – and shot Tangerine on an iPhone with a small, agile crew.

Tsou has been producing films with Baker for 25 years, but Left-Handed Girl is the first feature she has directed and co-written. When I interviewed her recently, she acknowledged how long it had taken to get the film financed: “I had the idea in, like, early 2000. So that’s how crazy this whole journey is.”

Tsou is drawn to the freedom smartphones give filmmakers, but what really interests her is their access and intimacy. When she first considered setting her film in a Taipei night market, Taiwanese producers told her it would be impossible to shoot there for real. “They all said you need to build your night market. You have to hire all the extras,” she told me. “I’m like, no, that’s not how I’m going to do it.”

Instead, she shot on location with the iPhone 13 she still carries today. At first the 20 person crew and rig was too large, attracting crowds who stopped to watch. Only after reducing the crew size even further could Tsou successfully capture child actor Nina Ye running through the shops and kiosks of the night market as everyday life continued around her.

Left-Handed Girl beautifully captures a child’s point of view, something Tsou believes came from the smartphone’s agility. “iPhone captures ProRes 4K image, just like any professional camera, but it’s very small. It’s very mobile. So we can get so close to her. We can stay at her level.”

Several of the filmmakers showing shorts at SMART as part of the filmmaker panel discussion, are at the start of their careers. Tsou’s advice to them was simple, learn more than one skill. “You need to be able to write your own story and try to shoot your own story. And try to edit your own story. If you have these three basic skills, you don’t need anything. You don’t need money.”

No budget, then, is no longer an excuse. Smartphone filmmaking will not fix the inequalities of the film industry. But it does give more filmmakers a route around them and a chance to make the work the industry has too often failed to support.