Watch

London Road (Home/AMC) I don’t usually like films about serial killers and particularly ones that are based on the murders of real women but this is an interesting and complex film about the murders of sex workers in Ipswich in 2006. London Road was an area that had become the red light area in the town and where the killer lived and one of the women was found. It is a cine-opera; a thriller set to music and interlaced with the script that includes interviews with the local people, the media and the sex workers. The stage show (on which the film is based) was a great success and no doubt the film will be just as popular.

Go

To a film screening of National Co-operative Film Archive’s Song of the People (check out trailer see ) which was made in 1945. Actor Bill Owen is a factory worker who sings about characters and events in British history from the 14th century to recent conflicts, showing how the lesson for the future lies in co-operation. A bit weird people singing at work, looks pretty dangerous given all the machinery whirring away around them!
Introduced by Gillian Lonergan from the National Co-operative Archive. Event starts at 2pm on 24 June 2015. You can also visit the new exhibition at the library; Spirit of 45; from warfare to welfare. Further info see

Join

Stockport against Mental Health Cuts on Saturday 27th June at 12pm. Open mic and stalls at Bears Pit, Stockport Town Centre. They are widening their campaign to include all cuts. for further info see

Read

Hotel Forida Truth, Love and Death in the Spanish Civil War by Amanda Vaill. I have read many books about the SCW and to be honest I was originally put off this book by the inclusion of celeb writers Martha Gelhorn and Ernest Hemingway. I was right, they come over as arrogant, superficial and thoroughly unpleasant people but I kept on reading because of the other two couples that feature in the book; Robert Capa and Gerda Taro and Arturo Barea and IIsa Kulcsar. They are the real heroes of the book as they put themselves on the line (physically and mentally) to defend the Spanish Republic and tell the truth about the war. Amada uses unpublished letters, diaries, reels of film and new archival discoveries to remind us of the significance of the SCW and hopefully encourage a new generation to understand why it was so important to the 30s and its lessons for us today.

Find

Out about how the Pankhurst Centre in Manchester was saved in the 1970s. In this new exhibition “Squatting to be Saved” it tells the story of how it was saved by squatters and the Pankhurst Centre was established. The exhibition is open on Sunday 21 and 28 June 11-4pm. Further details see