Hello and welcome to June.
Have you noticed how much busier everything feels?
The roads. The cafés. The diaries. The conversations that somehow all start with, “I can’t believe we’re nearly halfway through the year.”
This month’s issue sits inside that feeling. Read here.
At the heart of this edition is a simple idea. Voice.
Our opening feature, The Spaces Between, explores a Southport that feels increasingly full of momentum. Not just through major events and festivals, but through the quieter activity that exists between them. Fuller cafés. New creative projects. Independent businesses investing in the town. Community groups bringing people together. The sort of momentum that slowly changes how a place feels.
That theme continues throughout the magazine.
Kim’s thought-provoking piece, Zebras Don’t Belong on Playgrounds, explores what happens when people spend years trying to fit environments that were never designed to appreciate what makes them different. Meanwhile, Kate Miles-Roberts reflects on leadership, trust and the challenge of letting go, drawing lessons from directing The Railway Children at Southport Little Theatre.
Chris Lewis continues his entrepreneurial series by focusing on mindset, resilience and the attitudes that often sit behind successful businesses. Sharon Kemp looks at how AI is helping people tackle tasks they once believed were beyond them, while our networking feature explores why many of the most valuable business conversations happen long before referrals or sales enter the picture.
Education remains one of the strongest threads running through Southport’s Journey.
This month’s pages explore confidence, particularly the gap between knowing the answer and feeling able to raise your hand. It is a subject that extends far beyond the classroom. Alongside this, Rachel Chapman’s thoughtful wellbeing piece explores the emotional side of being human and why understanding our feelings often matters more than trying to avoid them.
There is a quiet thread running between these articles. Confidence. Communication. Connection.
Not the loud, performative kind.
The everyday kind.
Elsewhere, there is plenty to enjoy.
The Film Set Hunters take us on a tour of Birkdale on screen. Tik Taco brings a little slice of Mexico to Southport. The Hearth Network’s Big Green Lunch reminds us how much community can be built around something as simple as sharing a meal. Jack McKiernan shares practical wellbeing advice, while Hope Funeral Care offers thoughtful reflections on Father’s Day and remembrance.
Together, these pieces feel like different parts of the same conversation.
A town finding its voice.
People finding theirs.
And a growing confidence in both.
Thank you, as always, to everyone writing, reading, contributing and supporting Southport’s Journey.
Lizzie
Have a story to share? An article you want to write? Email hello@southportsjourney.com
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