Tom Grant

Writing

Featured Articles

Explore a featured selection of my writing work below.
The Mancunion •

Heathers the musical: Review - The Mancunion

I could tell Heathers is a cult classic from the minute I walked through the doors of the Palace Theatre. Walking down the aisles were girls wearing the iconic primary colours school uniforms, excitedly awaiting the show to begin.

I came with no expectations, if anything I just knew to expect the unexpected, and still that didn’t prepare me – my jaw dropped open on multiple occasions, I laughed a lot, and I’ve had the soundtrack on repeat pretty much constantly since.

I’m glad the soundtrack i
The Mancunion •

"Rent hike, rent strike": UoM Rent Strike protestors take to Oxford Road - The Mancunion

At 6pm last night (Wednesday 1 March) protestors from the groups University of Manchester Rent Strike and Manchester Leftist Action marched from Owens Park to the Simon Building.

The Simon Building is still currently under occupation by members of the groups.

The march was organised in protest against the University, with the demands of the protestors the same they entered the occupation with; to give in to the UCU demands, give in to the UoM Rent Strike demands, and give every student £1,500
The Mancunion •

University releases statement on John Owens Occupiers - The Mancunion

The University of Manchester’s Registrar, Secretary and Chief Operating Officer Patrick Hackett has released a statement this Tuesday afternoon stating that students involved in the occupation of University buildings will “face formal University disciplinary action”.

Students from the Manchester Leftist Action and UoM Rent Strike groups occupied the Samuel Alexander and Engineering Buildings to begin with, before moving to the John Owens Building, a building with restricted access for students.
The Mancunion •

The Rent Strike and Occupation: What happened when? - The Mancunion

January 2, 2023: The Twitter account @rentstrikeUoM announces that they are calling a rent strike of students in University halls, demanding:
• A 30% rent reduction for the year, including a rebate on the previous strikes
• that the University commits to not increasing […] rents for at least 3 years
• that the University makes 40% of halls “affordable according to the NUS definition, within 3 years”

January 19: The deadline for rent in University halls. Rent strike organisers claim that 350 stu
The Mancunion •

I tried the TikTok pickle challenge – and here’s how it went - The Mancunion

University can be challenging at times, and I often ponder how to really unwind after a stressful day. I didn’t think that my housemate and I would spend a random Saturday evening eating an extremely large garlicky pickle, and her filming the whole thing for TikTok.

You know the usual debacle, you’re all sat at home on the settee and you want sweets (something in Sunderland that we call ‘ket’, which was confusing when I got to university). Right, let’s grab the car keys and go to the shops. Or
The Mancunion •

What your Greggs order says about you - The Mancunion

I’m sorry but are you a businessperson?

Unless you’re literally running onto the tram at 07:12 with this in your hand, I refuse to listen to another reason as to why you would voluntarily eat this.

It’s not edgy, but I get it can look more professional than having pastry down your tie.

You’re basic. Do you even know what Greggs stands for?

I guess you’re just getting this because you know it’s a safe bet and everyone will think you’re a Greggs connoisseur. You’re not.

I don’t know where to
The Mancunion •

Occupiers leave John Owens Building - The Mancunion

Student protestors from the Manchester Leftist Action and UoM Rent Strike groups have left their occupation of the John Owens Building.

The group left at 10am this morning, before joining the UCU picket line in front of the Whitworth Hall Arch, setting off flares and displaying a banner that said “This is just a warning”.

Twenty minutes prior to their exit from the John Owens Building, occupiers were seen lowering black bin bags out of the windows which were retrieved by students and taken awa
The Mancunion •

University issues ‘ultimatum' letter to John Owens occupiers - The Mancunion

The University of Manchester issued student protestors occupying the John Owens Building an ‘ultimatum’ letter this morning.

Occupiers from the UoM Rent Strike and Manchester Leftist Action groups tweeted on their accounts that they had received a letter today, February 14, which was posted under a door to the John Owens building at around 8:00am, according to an occupier.

The students have been occupying the John Owens since last Wednesday, and are requesting the University give in to the dem
The Mancunion •

Student protestors occupy Simon Building - The Mancunion

Student protestors from the UoM Rent Strike and Manchester Leftist Action groups have occupied the Simon Building on campus.

The protestors entered the building last night, after leaving the Samuel Alexander and Engineering buildings. They had been occupying the buildings since last Wednesday.

The groups are demanding that the University give in to the demands set out by the University Colleges Union, the demands from the UoM Rent Strike and give every student £1,500 to top up their government
The Mancunion •

Occupiers leave Sam Alex and Engineering Buildings - The Mancunion

Student occupiers from the UoM Rent Strike and Manchester Leftist Action groups have now left the Samuel Alexander and Engineering Buildings, buildings they had been occupying since last Wednesday, February 8.

It is understood that the John Owens Building remains occupied, with the students posting to the UoM Rent Strike TikTok, Twitter and Instagram accounts a video of them celebrating 100 hours in the building whilst wearing graduation gowns and masks of the Senior Leadership Team.

This come
The Mancunion •

Sashay away to the sofa: The best TV shows to celebrate LGBTQIA+ History month - The Mancunion

As we celebrate LGBTQIA+ History Month, The Mancunion has five must-watch shows that represent the community across five different genres. From romance to thrillers, we’ve got you covered for your next binge-worthy series.

Netflix’s coming-of-age romantic comedy-drama Heartstopper hit our screens in April last year, and all I can say is thank God Netflix releases the whole series at once. As soon as you begin this series, you will be hooked.

The series follows Year 10 student Charlie and Year
The Mancunion •

Student protestors occupy three University buildings - The Mancunion

Student protestors from Manchester Leftist Action and UoM Rent Strike occupied three university buildings overnight on Wednesday 8 February.

The students entered the Samuel Alexander Building and the Engineering Building on Wednesday evening, before entering the John Owens Building early on Thursday morning.

The Twitter accounts of both groups confirmed their occupations are for three different demands and have deliberately coincided this occupation with this week’s strikes by the Universities
The Mancunion •

LeadMCR roles explained - Could this be you? - The Mancunion

The Executive Officers at the Students’ Union (SU) represent students not only at a university, but on a local and national level. The officers support students, listening to their ideas and values to ensure that the student body are heard at the University of Manchester.

Applications for this year’s campaign, entitled LeadMCR, opened on November 28, and close February 13. If you are looking for what the SU have called “the hottest post-scheme you’ve ever heard of”, here is a look at what roles
The Mancunion •

Manchester triumphant with winning swim semester - The Mancunion

The University of Manchester swim team are confident for the semester ahead, after a consistent line of wins last semester, says President Ellie Ritchie

Manchester beat Nottingham Trent 41-37 in their first round of the British University Swimming League (BUSL) on October 20, before winning against Sheffield 44-34 on November 7, and then drawing 39-39 against Sheffield Hallam on December 7.

Their first BUSL round was away at Nottingham Trent, but they also managed a victory on home soil as the
The Mancunion •

Happy 100th Birthday BBC! - The Mancunion

The day October 18 1922 is probably the most important one in the history of British media: the British Broadcasting Company Limited was established. Following the closure of amateur radio stations broadcasting across the country, the company began its first daily service in London.

What was to come was a century of informing, educating and entertaining through an expansion to 13 national and 49 local and regional radio stations, as well as 11 national television stations. Broadcasting in 28 la
The Berlin Spectator •

Cost Over Speed: The Packed Reality of Germany’s 9 Euro Summer Travels

Getting from A to B for just 9 Euro created a summer of cross country travelling for many, as packed regional trains chugged through Germany. Luckily, it was for the whole summer, as some passengers may have taken longer trips than usual just to get there for so cheap, as Tom Grant explains.

Berlin, August 30th, 2022. Update: August 31st, 2022, 5:45 a.m. CEDT (The Berlin Spectator) — Deutsche Bahn’s 9 Euro Ticket has been hailed a success by people across Germany, Europe, and the world round fo
The Jordan Times •

Makani centres help students not fall behind in school

AMMAN — Two years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, children from across the country are catching up on their studies with the UNICEF-led “Makani Learning Support Service” centres across the Kingdom.

Since 2015, “Makani”, meaning “My Space” in Arabic, has provided 120,000 children with accelerated learning programmes, such as a reading recovery programme focussing on English, Arabic and mathematics.

Makani focuses on children in grades one through nine who are not able to enrol and lea
The Jordan Times •

RFC, UNESCO host World Press Freedom Day film screenings at Rainbow Theatre

By Tom Grant - May 14,2022 - Last updated at May 14,2022

Speakers during a panel session after a film screening in celebration of World Press Freedom Day at the Rainbow Theatre in Jabal Amman on Tuesday (Photo by Tom Grant)

AMMAN — In celebration of World Press Freedom Day, the Royal Film Commission Jordan (RFC) in partnership with UNESCO hosted film screenings over three consecutive evenings at the Rainbow Theatre in Jabal Amman last week.

Under the banner “Journalism Under Siege”, the RFC c
The Mancunion •

Public broadcasting is being taken away

The government announced the news that many in the media industry had been dreading: the plan to privatise Channel 4 before the next planned election in 2024.

Now, there’s one thing you need to understand about Channel 4 before knowing what is to come next, and that is its current structure. Many of the conversations I’ve had with people over the last couple of days have consisted of things like “but Channel 4 has adverts” and “we don’t pay for Channel 4”.

Yes, that’s true. But that’s what mak
The Mancunion •

BBC sets out northern agenda in annual plan

The BBC has released its Annual Plan for 2022/23, highlighting the corporation’s aspirations for the upcoming year. Director General Tim Davie and Chairman Richard Sharp stated in the foreword that the six-year-plan “will deliver the biggest programme reform since the 1990s and will help restore the UK’s creative economy after the pandemic”.

The plan is the first since the corporation’s announcement of their Across the UK initiative, which aims to move workforce outside of London and into regio
The Jordan Times •

Curtain falls on 3-day Berlin Human Rights Film Festival’s Amman screenings

Audiences are seen during the third and final day of the Berlin Human Rights Film Festival at the Rainbow Theatre in Amman on Tuesday (Photo by Tom Grant)

AMMAN — The Royal Film Commission (RFC) in cooperation with the German embassy in Jordan over three nights this week hosted films at the Rainbow Theatre from the Berlin Human Rights Film Festival (HRFFB).

Three films were shown over consecutive nights, beginning on Sunday, March 27 with the German-British-Austrian production “Dear Future Chi
The Jordan Times •

NGO celebrates Int’l Women’s Day with climate change discussion

AMMAN — The non-governmental organisation “NAGAT – Towards a Better Tomorrow for Development and Empowerment” on Tuesday evening held an online seminar under the title “Gender Equality, Climate Change, Peace and Security” in aid of International Women’s Day.

The event gave four women the platform to discuss the impact of these issues in the Kingdom and was attended by over 40 people through the online platform Zoom.

The seminar was chaired by volunteers from the NGO, which is based in Amman, a
The Jordan Times •

10th Women’s Film Week brings alive 13 powerful stories

AMMAN — The 10th edition of “Women’s Film Week” kicked off in Amman at an opening ceremony on Monday under the slogan “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”, to commemorate International Women’s Day.

Under the patronage of HRH Princess Basma, Honorary Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women and in partnership with Jordan’s Royal Film Commission and UN Women, the initiative aims to raise awareness about women’s issues through the work of various national and international filmmakers.

The f
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