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APRIL/MAY 2023 s ISSUE 104

Jo Malone

The Blossoms Collection

Sun, Sea & Secrets

Lily Allen in Sky’s Dreamland

Fighting Talk

We step in the ring with Savannah Marshall

DREAMLAND Lily Allen talks to The Cheshire Magazine about her debut TV role in Sky’s new big-hearted comedy drama

reamland is Sky’s brand new drama about secrets, lies, loves and aspirations within a family of four sisters. Set in the sun-drenched British seaside town of Margate, it is a dark comedic exploration of multi-generational female relationships, and their (somewhat dysfunctional) family dynamics. Eldest sister Trish (Agyeman) is pregnant for the third time with her partner Spence (Kiell Smith-Bynoe). And this time, she’s decided: it’s going to be a girl. Her two sisters Clare (Gabby Best) and Leila (Aimee-Ffion Edwards) rally around her with their mum (Frances Barber) and their Margate-legend nan (Sheila Reid), “manifesting” a little girl at Trish’s ‘mani-festival’. But when their other sister, Mel (Allen), makes an unexpected reappearance back into their lives, her return threatens to destabilise the entire family. A knock on the their door and their ‘Dreamland’ is no more…

Tell us about your character Mel Mel is a bit of a dark horse within the family make up. She has aspirations outside of Margate where her family live. She’s tried to make a life for herself away from that all, and that’s failed, and she has now returned. She loves her family, each person for different reasons. I think she just feels a bit misunderstood, and maybe not heard and not seen – but’s probably not well equipped to be able to deal with it.

The CHESHIRE Magazine | Feature

What drew you to working on Dreamland? I had just moved to New York, but I bring my kids back to the UK for summer to spend time with their dad, so when this landed on my desk, and I heard it was shooting in Margate – and I love Margate – I was instantly hooked. Of course, I thought the script was amazing and this being a Merman Production was a big pull for me too. I trusted their instinct with it, and I loved the short that I had seen of it in its previous incarnation.

You say you love Margate, how was it filming there? It was great! I rented a little house in the square and brought my kids across. It was excruciatingly hot. But it was lovely. It’s steeped in summertime history, that town.

There are many different generations within the family, but is there a relationship for Mel that stands out most to you? The relationship between Trish, Spence and Mel are particularly interesting. They grew up inseparable friends, but once Trish and Spence got together, Mel was somewhat side-lined and felt abandoned by them. I f ind that most interesting because that wouldn’t necessarily occur to anyone else, but it is glaringly obvious to her. If she was able to articulate these

Feature | The CHESHIRE Magazine

F ight ightii ng Tall k Ta

Clare Stobart goes toe-to-toe with Savannah Marshall to find out more about her life inside and outside the ring

he most exciting boxing match I have ever watched was Savannah Marshall’s fight against Claressa Shields. It was outstanding and gave Sheilds the toughest fight of her career. Even as one of the biggest punches in the women’s code, Savannah remains grounded and humble despite her outstanding career. I had the honour of sitting down to learn more about this polite, kind and engaging Geordie athlete at the helm of women’s boxing.

You’re a northern girl who can pack a punch, what made you first step into the ring? I’m originally from Hartlepool, which is an old shipping town. I became interested in boxing at 11 through curiosity as one of my neighbours boxed. I went to Hartlepool Headland Boys Club where the coach was abrupt and said, “if you’ve come to mess about you can do one now!”, but from the first session I was hooked. It was me and about 30 boys and I fell in love with the competitive side of the sport; who could hit the bag the most or do the most press-ups? I never ever won anything, but really got into wanting to! Prior to boxing, I only did sports at school, like hockey and netball, which I was really good at. When I joined the club, the coaches and boys didn’t want me there, they didn’t even speak to me. I joke now and say, “I never got the memo”. It was all I thought about, I would go to school, come home, go straight to the gym, have my tea, bath and bed. On repeat. I was obsessed with how it made me feel. We went to spar with another club, but the

You are one of the first pro female boxers to headline the O2. How do you feel to be a part of this incredible change in attitude towards female sport? Can you feel the support of the masses?

coach wouldn’t let me in, yet now they have umpteen national female champions! Twenty years ago, most coaches didn’t want females there. Tim actually became my Amateur Coach, and we are still quite close, even now, he is like a father figure for over twenty years. He has daughters and didn’t want me there because he didn’t want to see me get punched in the face. Even the boys wouldn’t hit me because I was a girl, but then I’d hit them, and they’d soon join in. As an amateur, I boxed for Great Britain. I represented us at 4 World Championships, 2 Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games. I had 118 fights and I lost 15. By the age of 26, I had been fighting for 15 years and at this point, I had lost a lot of love for the sport. It became a job rather than a hobby. I was ready to walk away, and then Floyd Mayweather came along and offered me a promotion to move to Las Vegas and be part of the Money Team. I recall thinking, “Wow, I’ll have a Lamborghini and a penthouse on the strip!”. It was the biggest shock of my life. I lasted 6 months and didn’t earn a penny because everything was so expensive. I recall saying, “I’m not paying $9 for Coco Pops!”. I ended up spending all my money and coming home. But making my professional debut with Floyd Mayweather in 2017, in Las Vegas on the Mayweather/Connor McGregor undercard was massive for me. It really felt like I was starting from the top.

I have spent my entire career wanting to headline the O2. Initially, to have a female fight on TV was really rare, whereas now you can watch 2 or more. It is more normalised, female sports are everywhere. I’m even trained a little in Brazilian Ju-jitsu, and there are so many women in their 40s and 50s who just love it. It is so empowering. There really is a women’s revolution going on in sports at the moment. It is massive. I felt like first you had football, then rugby and now boxing. It’s the first time the whole country has been pushing female sport. Even broadcasters and brands are getting behind it. We all needed the whole country to come together to take us to the next level.

Speaking of your incredible success, what rituals or routines do you have to quell any pre-fight nerves? I suffered really, really bad with my nerves. I always wore the same white Adidas boots, but then they got discontinued! By the time the last pair were finished, they literally had no grip left.

Style | The CHESHIRE Magazine

Yves Sal Salo omon SPRING SUMMER 2023 COLLECTION

ightweight and trendy combinations with technical materials and natural fabrics are created each season thanks to an inventive artisanal workshop driven by a passion for materials, research, development and transmission. Yves Salomon has been reinventing this craft for almost a century, transforming it, through constant innovation, into a leading high-end luxury house. At Yves Salomon, the design team have put they longstanding, unique outerwear know-how into a brand new ready-to-wear collection made from natural fibres including silk, cotton and leather, to create a complete Spring Summer 2023 wardrobe. For Spring Summer 2023 Yves Salomon is inspired by travels in the Mediterranean and its architecture, using touches of terracotta, bright greens and warm brown tones throughout the collection.

The previous Winter season is linked subtly to the new Summer collection through beautiful, supple leathers and light wool fabrics. Yves Salomon have developed knitwear this season in the form of cardigans, tops and trousers, including a soft and light cashmere cotton fabric, to suit cool summer mornings and comfortable, stylish travel wear. The Spring Summer 2023 collection also unveils numerous dresses that have been designed to be worn from day-to-night. Including light leather fabrics, fluid crepe and stretch knitted fabrics which echo the softness of the Mediterranean climate. With a nod to the essentials of the Yves Salomon wardrobe, outerwear and technical materials resonate throughout the collection including leather jackets representative of the fashion houses’ DNA, making a staple item in a summer wardrobe. yves-salomon.co.uk

Travel | The CHESHIRE Magazine

The CHESHIRE Magazine | Travel

A Tw Twiin Isla Isl and of Barefoo arefoott Lux Lu xury Rachel O’Hare enjoyed a sunshine escape to Conrad Maldives Rangali Island

e have been very fortunate to stay in some beautiful resorts over the years. However, the exceptional natural beauty of the Maldives cannot be surpassed. The amount of “repeaters”, guests who repeat visit The Conrad Rangali, can testify to this. One guest I spoke to had visited no less than 30 times! During our stay, we met guests from Switzerland, United States, Singapore and the UK. The best time to visit the Maldives is between November and April, outside of the monsoon season. In March and April, you will enjoy hot dry weather and quieter resorts with lower humidity levels. The climate can be classed as tropical and temperatures sit between 25 and 31 degrees owing to the Maldives’ position on either side of the equator. Landing at Male airport we were met on arrival and escorted to our seaplane by Faisal, part of The Conrad marketing team. The over ten-hour flight, stopping in Dubai, was soon a distant memory as we were hit by the turquoise, cloudless skies and the