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1 week ago | 
sussexbylines.co.uk | Ginny Smith
In Refugee Week it’s more vital than ever that the situation of the population under siege in Gaza is exposed, and that the voices of ordinary Palestinians are heard. These are just two of them. While large-scale demonstrations break out across the world in support of the Palestinians in Gaza who are under constant bombardment and being deprived of food and medical supplies, there is little in the UK mainstream media and elsewhere about the desperate situation of civilians in Gaza.
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2 weeks ago | 
sussexbylines.co.uk | Ginny Smith
Every year Freedom from Torture (FfT), the campaign group in the forefront of supporting survivors of torture and asylum seekers, holds a major fund-raising event which focuses on the role of food in healing trauma and in bringing communities together. This year FEAST, a world-class gourmet street-food event, is being held at BAFTA in London on 19 June and is supported by a number of celebrity chefs, some of whom are themselves survivors.
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1 month ago | 
sussexbylines.co.uk | Ginny Smith
Tan Dhesi is not a name that you see regularly in the headlines, but as the chair of the Parliamentary Defence Select Committee he is likely to be much more in the public eye in the coming months.
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2 months ago | 
sussexbylines.co.uk | Ginny Smith
One of my most vivid memories of living in Lewes, the county town of East Sussex, is of sitting out in our garden on summer evenings watching the displays of Swifts circling at breakneck speed above our heads, filling the air with their high-pitched cries. Unmusical but somehow joyous and unforgettable. That was many decades ago, and tragically the numbers that filled those skies have shrunk to a handful of birds, still performing their grand prix circuits above the town.
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2 months ago | 
cvhomemag.com | Ginny Smith
Spring’s first flowersA reminder of nature’s resilience, early bloomers break through the cold bleakness of the winter months to celebrate the welcome arrival of spring. With pops of color, early-season flowers, shrubs and trees provide the hope of warm weather and blue skies. Colorful blooms promise that days spent outside in the fresh air are just around the corner. Very early bloomersTwo of the earliest bloomers in Central Virginia are snowdrops and crocuses.
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Feb 24, 2025 | 
yorkshirebylines.co.uk | Ginny Smith
When I told friends that I was going to be interviewing Alastair Campbell for the Bylines Network podcast series I received a torrent of advice about the questions I should ask. Many went back to the Iraq War of 2003 and his role at the time in Tony Blair’s Labour government. It was obvious, but surprising to me, that Campbell remained a divisive figure, added to which, I was a little nervous about meeting a man whose reputation in his early career was that of a bruising street fighter.
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Feb 1, 2025 | 
cvhomemag.com | Ginny Smith
What to consider now for convenience & efficiency laterBreaking ground on a new home is an exciting event that usually occurs after years of dreaming, saving, planning and decision-making. Most of us start with a pie-in-the-sky house plan and then whittle it down to something that fits in our budget. But planning before the groundbreaking ensures that we can meet our budgetary needs now and be ready for future renovations.
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Jan 24, 2025 | 
sussexbylines.co.uk | Ginny Smith
Nostalgia is a funny thing. It can lead you to view the past through wonderfully rose-tinted glasses, longing for a time that exists almost entirely in your imagination. But it can also occasionally point up some hard truths. I was reminded of this recently when I came across a photo taken decades ago of one of the local characters in the Sussex village where I was living.
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Jan 10, 2025 | 
sussexbylines.co.uk | Ginny Smith
Having a secure roof over one’s head has long been recognised as a basic human right. The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) describes it as “the right to live in safety and dignity in a decent home”. At the moment many people in the UK find themselves in situations far removed from that ideal and millions lack the security of a permanent home.
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Dec 28, 2024 | 
sussexbylines.co.uk | Ginny Smith
I detest the run up to Christmas. I loathe the rampant consumerism – the tidal wave of glittery plastic trash that invades the shops from November onwards, the schmaltzy Christmas songs playing on an endless loop in supermarkets, the B list celebs appearing on television in silly Santa hats. My “bah humbug!” grouchiness develops apace as Christmas Day approaches. But then, almost invariably, something happens to transform my mood.
