Updated 1:31pm 19 May 2013

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Diane Parkes

Diane Parkes

Fame beckons for Florence

Diane Parkes meets a singer-songwriter who has landed a five-album deal at the tender age of 20.Read

Jade Heusen has the world at her feet

Jade Heusen is among the Elmhurst graduates finding jobs around the globe. She talks to Diane ParkesRead

Unspoken pain of Crohn's disease

Three weeks before walking down the aisle on her wedding day Wendy Holt was diagnosed with an incurable condition known as Crohn’s disease.Read

Georgia's wish from long hair comes true

Many little girls dream of having long tresses. Diane Parkes tells how that dream came true for one six-year-old with a rare condition.Read

Cooking up healthy attitude

Businesswoman Dorian Chan tells Diane Parkes about her mission to get Birmingham’s schoolchildren eating and cooking healthy food.Read

The BFG at Birmingham Repertory Company

Presenting a giant on stage is always going to be a challenge, but this David Wood adaptation of Roald Dahl’s ever-popular adventure story tackles the issue in a couple of ways.Read

When one baby is not enough

Conceiving the second time around isn’t always easy. Diane Parkes talks to an expert who explains why and what can be done to help.Read

Suzanne Vega's Birmingham mission to help street children

Singer Suzanne Vega is only too happy to make time for a worthy cause, as Diane Parkes discoveredRead

Singin’ in the Rain, at Birmingham Alexandra Theatre

There is nothing quite like a good ol’ fashioned musical to cheer you up at the beginning of the week – especially in these troubled times – and this revival of a popular show does just that.Read

Youngsters debate age classification on children's books

Should children’s books carry age warnings on their covers? Diane Parkes talks to the girls who will be debating that very point.Read

The mums-to-be who choose a doula

With many women opting for home births, Diane Parkes reveals how some are seeking the support of doulas to help them.Read

No cake for coeliac disease sufferers

This is Coeliac Disease Awareness Week. Diane Parkes highlights the case of a young Birmingham girl afflicted by the complaint.Read

How Christian Aid projects a better future for South America

Christian Aid week begins on Sunday. Diane Parkes meets a Birmingham girl who has been in South America finding out where our donations goRead

Sight in sound

Students in Birmingham have been given the rare chance to question one of the world’s leading experts on echolocation for blind people.Read

Multiple Personality Disorder: A battle with nine lives

I am talking to a ten-year-old who is describing his train set and his favourite games. His voice is high pitched, his manner excited and his language that of a youngster. But the person in front of me is a 40-year-old woman.Read

Osteopathy for mums-to-be

Solihull mother-of-three Liza Wilson tells Diane Parkes how osteopathy took the pain out of pregnancy when she developed complications.Read

Beating food addiction to save my life

Teenager Holly Young tells Diane Parkes how she decided to shed weight after discovering obesity really could be a matter of life or death.Read

Let’s get blokes talking about prostate cancer

Poet and performer Benjamin Zephaniah tells Diane Parkes why he is determined to get men involved in a taboo subject.Read

A life-saving shock to the system

Ron Hawkins is living proof of the importance of having defibrillators in public places. Diane Parkes reports.Read

Eternal Light/Rambert Dance Company at Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre

Five years has been a long wait for the return of Rambert Dance Company, but those with the patience will have felt it was worth it.Read

Author Profile

Diane Parkes has worked in journalism for 14 years and has been with the Birmingham Mail for ten. She is Women's Editor covering health, fitness, education, fashion and beauty features. As Dance and Theatre Editor she is also responsible for professional arts coverage across the region.