Anna Owen

My Recent Work

Mancunian Matters •

Manchester newsagent forced to close after illegal vapes sold to children

Matadar News and Souvenirs in Piccadilly, Manchester, has been ordered to close by Manchester and Salford Magistrates Court after being linked to the sale of vapes to children.


Manchester City Council submitted an application for a Closure Order after investigations by the council and Greater Manchester Police into the alleged sale of illegal vapes and nicotine products to children. 


On 27 August, a significant number of illicit products were removed from the store by Council officers, inc...
Mancunian Matters •

Manchester’s circus community celebrates 10 years of Fire Jam

2024 marks 10 years of Manchester Fire Jam – a hub for the fire spinning and circus community in the city.


Fire jams are events where people gather together to practice fire skills and flow arts.


With just six attendees at their first ever jam, Manchester Fire Jam now boasts over 2,000 members, who meet once a month to play with fire.


The group is home to both amateurs and professionals from all across the North West.


Manchester Fire Jam provides a welcoming space for people from all...
Mancunian Matters •

'We definitely don’t feel safe': The worrying rates of road collisions in Bolton

Bolton has some of the highest numbers of penalty points and road collisions in Greater Manchester, second only to the borough of Manchester, DVLA and Department for Transport data shows. 


As of September 2024, the number of penalty points in Bolton totalled over 58,000.


Three Bolton postcodes are also in the top 10 worst postcodes for penalty points in the whole of Greater Manchester.


Penalty points are given for a range of motoring offences, from careless and reckless driving to drink...
Mancunian Matters •

What does Trump's election mean for the UK?

Following Donald Trump’s election as the 47th president of the United States this morning, Keir Starmer has insisted that “the UK-US special relationship will continue to prosper on both sides”. 


However, Trump’s “America First” foreign policy is likely to pose political, economic and diplomatic challenges for the UK. 


Here’s a roundup of some of the potential impacts of Trump’s victory on the UK.


Trump’s protectionist trade policy could impact the UK’s economy.


Trump plans to introd...
Mancunian Matters •

Labour Budget 2024: a breakdown of the key points

This afternoon Rachel Reeves, the first female Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced Labour’s first budget in nearly 15 years.


She has promised this budget will mean “more pounds in people’s pockets” and “an NHS that is there when you need it”.


Here is a summary of the main measures:


The National Living Wage for over-21s will go up by 6.7% in April 2025, from £11.44 to £12.21.


The National Minimum Wage for 18- to 20-year-olds will see a 16% increase, from £6.40 to £7.55.


Apprenti...
Mancunian Matters •

One year of the Bee Network: Parts of Greater Manchester remain difficult to reach

This week marks one year since Andy Burnham’s launch of the Bee Network, which has made travel easier across Greater Manchester – but many places across the region remain difficult to reach by public transport.

Though the Metrolink does go to Salford, it only stops in the south of the city, in areas closer to Salford Quays. Consequently, much of the city remains difficult to reach directly from Manchester City Centre. 

To reach Kersal, which is just four miles from St Peter’s Square, resid...
Mancunian Matters •

HUSK Review: Rupert Hill makes a striking playwriting debut

HUSK, the first play by former Coronation Street star Rupert Hill, is a masterclass in intimate, immersive theatre that entirely lacked the insecurity of a debut.

Directed by Joseph Houston, this gripping thriller unpacks the troubled past of ex-convict Ray, played by Hill, and his connection to Beth (Danielle Henry), her father Graeme (David Crellin) and her husband Clark (Daniel Poyser). 

Hill’s writing strikes the perfect balance of grit and wit, with the audience laughing one moment an...
The Saint •

Correcting the Canon: Addressing All-Women Exhibitions

Running until 4th February 2024 at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid, the Women Masters exhibition promises to correct history by shining a light on successful female artists who have been occluded from the Western art historical canon. Curated by Rocío de la Villa, it features nearly 100 works by artists such as Angelica Kauffmann, Clara Peeters, and Rosa Bonheur. The exhibition functions as a survey from the late 16th century to the early 20th century through eight contexts to w...
The Saint •

Who Do You Think You Are Victoria?

Along with everyone and their grandmother, I tucked into Netflix’s new Beckham documentary last week, which chronicles David’s Beckham’s eventful football career. Aside from his on-field achievements and faux pas, his relationship with Victoria Beckham features heavily in the series. By the final episode I was shocked at quite how much I had begun to like and respect Victoria Beckham. In company with the majority of the Great British public, I must admit, I have always thought of Victoria as sli...
The Saint •

Burberry and the Aestheticisation of the Working Class

At this year’s London Fashion Week Burberry opened a pop-up at Norman’s Cafe in North London, with potato smiley faces and ketchup served to attendees. Their use of a greasy spoon cafe to advertise and showcase their SS24 collection has been denounced by some as a fetishisation of working class culture. This creative decision appears particularly tone-deaf when you consider the brand’s fraught relationship with its working class customers. Founded in 1835 by Thomas Burberry, the brand’s first li...
The Saint •

The Distorted Winehouse Legacy

I was introduced to Amy Winehouse through some arguably questionable parenting, with my mum blasting the Back to Black album on a boombox every time my sister and I took a bath. While some would frown upon a 5-year-old knowing all the lyrics to “Rehab”, I for one am grateful this appreciation came early, before the media’s voyeuristic exploitation of her tragic death created a legacy of suffering rather than success. The 14th of September would have been Winehouse’s 40th birthday, so now is an a...
The Saint •

The Hollow Feminism of 'Barbie'

After months of relentless “he’s just Ken” marketing and complaints from male critics deeming it “man-hating” quickly rolling in, I was hopeful as I took my seat for the Barbie movie, excited for what promised to be a feminist feat of cinema. In my eyes, Greta Gerwig could do no wrong. However, I left the cinema disappointed. While Barbie definitely succeeded as a fun, silly blockbuster, it failed to go any further than this, despite what its marketing seemed to promise. I started to wonder whet...
The Saint •

Verse for the Averse

In Alan Bennett’s History Boys, Hector states that “the best moments in reading are when you come across something - a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things - that you’d thought special, particular to you and here it is, set down by someone else, a person you’ve never met, someone who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out and taken yours.”. Poetry offers company and solace through shared humanity. Those who claim to hate poetry have yet to find themselves in it. So, if you...
The Saint •

Which Joni Mitchell Album to Invest in Now that She's Off Spotify?

At the end of January, Joni Mitchell joined Neil Young in calling for her music to be removed from Spotify, in protest against Spotify’s role in the spread of covid-19 misinformation by The Joe Rogan Experience Podcast. The streaming platform paid 100 million dollars for the podcast in 2020. Although as a generation we have undoubtedly become over reliant on streaming services, which grant us access to most of the songs ever written for less than the price of the Pret subscription, media availab...
The Saint •

The Era of Remakes: Do We Celebrate the Increase of Remade Films or Call for Something New?

Remakes are, of course, by no means a new phenomenon. Hollywood has been remaking its classic titles for decades, from the four remakes of A Star is Born to the seminal 1998 remake of The Parent Trap. However, cinema today is becoming increasingly saturated by re-imaginings or even just recreations of older films. Most recently to grace our screens was Stephen Spielberg’s West Side Story, which remained relatively close to the original, even featuring one of its actors. Rita Morena, who won an O...
The Saint •

Spotify Unwrapped-How Spotify Has Changed How We Listen To Music

December is fast approaching, and we’re all eagerly anticipating one thing: Spotify Wrapped. Now more revered than the birth of Christ, music lovers worldwide can hardly wait for this annual roundup of their top songs, artists and genres. People lie in bed anxiously the night before, crossing their fingers that their top artist isn’t the Glee cast or Ed Sheeran so they can prove to their Instagram followers that they’re cool. As soon as the first of October rolls around, droves of the population...
The Saint •

Kodak is Back: Why You Should Capture Your University Experience on Film

“It’s all hipster nonsense”, they groan. First Taylor Swift bringing her album out on vinyl, then 17 year-olds selling 2008 Topshop clothes as “vintage”, now the resurgence of 35mm film photography is the final straw for the disgruntled children of the ‘80s. It’s no secret that everyone and their nan bought a disposable camera this summer. Now I’m no Martin Parr, but I’m hopeful that it’s more than a passing fad and capturing life on film is back for good. Film photography is far more than just...