ALT image of lifeboat and text of poem by Alison Manning: All in this together Some days I think this land of hope and glory is falling apart. Cracks appear, as divisions widen, separated by boundaries, wedged apart by hatred and flagpoles, we fall down them, we are adrift. We're all at sea; the depths of intolerance and racism have become intolerable. We are drowning in division. What we need are heroic volunteers willing to drop everything and come to rescue us, who are happy to help everyone uniting us treating us all the same wherever we are from sent to save us all. As they extend a hand of hope and pull us safe inside their lifesaving craft we discover that we are all in the same boat (saved by the very organisation whose symbol is St George's flag.)

ALT image of sun shining through a colander with hole shapes spelling out "spaghetti" and other types of pasta

ALT Play UP Sky Blues 9099 days since our last Premier league match 25 long years in lower league wilderness quarter of a century then you leave it till six minutes to go before snatching the one goal that will give you the one point we needed to guarantee promotion. The Sky Blue Spirit challenged, but not dimmed through those long 9099 days, those long 25 years. It came down to this one header to get the one goal to draw 1-1 to get the one point. The final whistle confirming the draw leads to complete uproar, screams of delight at the score, hands punching the air as fans leap for joy and Coventry celebrates as one. Play up Sky Blues Go up Sky Blues WE’RE BACK! Alison Manning 17/4/26

ALT Waddling through Snow The snow which, freshly falling on the way there, had turned me into a snowman has turned more slippery on the way home. Seemingly a slight rise in temperature has turned it slushy underfoot so each step risks a slide. The snow had stopped whilst I was out but now falls afresh in lighter flakes floating through the sky illuminated against the streetlight in a beautiful snowflake dance, worthy of the nutcracker. I turn back my focus to my feet and think of the advice I was given: to stay safe I need to waddle like a penguin, and I realise I don’t actually know what this involves. Do I flap my arms like flippers to keep my balance? Or think longingly of fish? (But embodying a wish to sample sushi goes against my vegetarianism). Do I need to look like a penguin? My dress is black with white spots- does that count? I think it must be more about the way I walk. For the full poem see my facebook page Alison Manning Writer as it doesn't fit here!

ALT Image of a cooker from which comes a thought bubble containing the following poem by Alison Manning: "A Cooker's Dream I dream of an endless summer Bathed in warmth Heat is my happy place. I long to luxuriate And lounge in high temperatures To bake and roast And stew and toast To favour my fervour for fever, To indulge in my inclination for incalescence, In no small degree. My wish to prolong the season And raise my range Is so strong This is the reason I block my clock Making it impossible to change So it can be British summertime Eternally!"

ALT Logo of Living with Buildings. Black writing on white background