Libby Jennings

Trainee Multimedia Journalist at NCTJ accredited News Associates. Articles written for South West Londoner and The Indiependent. Volunteer at Riverside Radio.

Articles

South West Londoner •

Eurovision interviews: In conversation with hosts Sweden, Moldova and Latvia

Eurovision contestants came together to perform their songs in London before the big day in Malmö on 11 May.

The London Eurovision Party is an annual event which was held this year near Tottenham Court Road, offering audiences a preview of contestants’ songs and providing acts with an opportunity to perform in front of a live audience.

It is also one of the rare opportunities Eurovision fans get to see the majority of the contestants before the contest, with semi-finals starting on 7 May.

For
The Indiependent •

How ‘Coraline’ Paved The Way For A New Age Of Stop-Motion Animation

This much revered—and sometimes feared—film was the first of its kind, using 3D printing technology alongside classic stop motion techniques. Using new animation techniques was a challenge from the start.

According to Coraline’s lead animator Travis Knight, Laika initially struggled with pitching Coraline at the beginning due to its stop-motion nature, which was deemed ‘non-commercial’ due to the increasing popularity of computer-animated films.

Coraline’s producer, Bill Mechanic, originally w
The Indiependent •

Former Activision Boss Bobby Kotick Expressed Interest In Buying TikTok

Former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick is reportedly interested in buying TikTok if ByteDance decides to sell the social media platform.

TikTok is currently under scrutiny in the U.S. as lawmakers are worried that the Beijing-based company, ByteDance, might share users’ data with China and potentially spread propaganda and/or shape the political opinion of America, both at home and abroad.

However, due to the app’s popularity with 102.3 million monthly users, lawmakers are hesitant to upset the ma
The Indiependent •

‘Pokémon Go’ Fest 2024 Heads To Madrid This June

Pokémon Go trainers should get their Pokéballs at the ready as Pokémon Go Fest 2024 heads to Madrid this June.

Niantic and Madrid welcome various Pokémon such as the Shiny Crabawler and trainers to the worldwide, two-day digital event from July 14-16 with events running from 10 am till 6 pm (CET).

Trainers can enjoy exclusive gameplay, special bonuses and more while taking on adventures with friends.

The event is split across two locations, Parque Juan Carlos I and the larger Madrid area. All
The Indiependent •

Children Fear Being Bullied If They Do Not Buy Items In Free-to-Play Video Games

A study has found that children and teenagers can face bullying if they do not pay for items in free-to-play games such as Fortnite and Roblox.

The Norwegian-based study was conducted by OsloMet PhD student Clara Julia Reich, specialising in consumption research, alongside OsloMet behaviour analyst Kamilla Knutsen Steinns.

They found that in-app purchases such as weapons, skins, and gear are being treated as essentials for children as young as ten, to avoid being mocked by classmates or to gai
The Indiependent •

‘Age of Empires Mobile’ Is Coming Later This Year

TiMi Studio Group and World’s Edge have announced details behind Age of Empires Mobile which is set to be released later this year.

Developed by TiMi Studio Group, the masterminds behind Call of Duty Mobile and Pokemon Unite, and Xbox Games Studio World’s Edge, the pair aim to bring the battlefield to players anytime and anywhere with optimised controls.

The game offers a blend of familiar elements from the classic PC series, such as fast-paced combat, base-building and real-time strategy game
The Indiependent •

‘Fortnite Festival Season 2: Unlock Your Talent’ Welcomes Lady Gaga To The Stage

Lady Gaga has announced that she will be headlining the Fortnite Festival Season 2: Unlock Your Talent, launching on 22 February.

The collaboration between Lady Gaga and Epic Games has fans going gaga as opportunities arise to unlock new instruments, songs and iconic outfits.

The Jam Track song bank includes 8 hits from the singer including ‘Applause’, ‘Poker Face’, ‘Born This Way’, ‘Rain On Me’, ‘Stupid Love’, ‘Just Dance’, ‘The Edge of Glory’ and ‘Bloody Mary.’ They will all be available to
The Indiependent •

Disney Invests $1.5 Billion Into Creating An ‘Expansive’ Universe With Epic Games

Disney has announced its $1.5 billion equity stake in Epic Games as the pair team up to make an “expansive and open games and entertainment universe.’

Players can expect to see their favourite characters and content from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and Avatar.

The pixie dust magic doesn’t stop there with players being able to shop, play, watch content and “create their own stories” within the franchises.

The companies have yet to disclose more details on how players will be able to watch
The Indiependent •

Safe In Our World's Largest-Ever Charity Game Bundle Is Now Available To Download

Safe In Our World has launched its biggest-ever charity gaming bundle featuring over 20 PC games on Fanatical, all for just £15.

All sale proceeds will directly go towards supporting Safe In Our World’s future initiatives within the mental health sector. Customers can also opt to donate more if wanted.

The charity aims to create awareness, eliminate stigma and normalise mental health difficulties so that nobody is afraid to reach out for help when needed.

Alan Wild, Head of Business Developme
The Indiependent •

Planet Zoo Is Finally Coming To Consoles This March

Frontier Development has announced that Planet Zoo is coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on 26 March.

Zoo Tycoon’s successor Planet Zoo lets players create, customise and manage zoos with intuitive console controls all from the comfort of your couch.

The zoo management simulator has been loved for many over the past four years on PC, which saw regular free updates with DLC packs of new animals to care for. Console players will get to jump into all these features straight away.

There
The Indiependent •

Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League Pulled Offline Over Game Completing Glitch

Rocksteady Studios’ Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has been pulled offline after just one hour of activity of the Deluxe Edition’s early access due to a bizarre glitch that automatically completes the game.

The Deluxe Edition, costing an extra £30 from the £69.99 price tag, enabled players to access the game early before its full release on 2 February.

Rocksteady issued a statement on X stating that they will be performing maintenance on the game servers and take several hours to updat
South West Londoner •

Would you take part in one of London’s most bizarre traditions: The No Trousers Tube Ride?

Earlier this month, hundreds of people took part in a No Trousers Tube Ride across the capital which has been going on every January since 2009.

The tradition, which if you haven’t guessed sees people removing their trousers on public transport, started on a subway ride in New York in 2002 by a group called Improv Everywhere.

Despite the outlandish theme, there are some rules: no small pants, thongs or see-through apparel are allowed.

This year’s tube ride began at 3pm on Sunday 7 January, wi
South West Londoner •

Are there enough baby-changing facilities in male spaces?

The need for baby-changing facilities is an issue that is not widely spoken about but is an issue for many parents.

However one half is often overlooked, the fathers.

In the past five years, there has been a steady rise in the number of single fathers from 914 to 1,093 according to the Office for National Statistics.

Single fathers make up around 2% of all types of households including married couples with and without kids, single occupants and so on.
North East Londoner •

Disney100: The Exhibition : A review

Disney’s 100th anniversary took place this week and to celebrate ExCel London is hosting Disney100: The Exhibition up until January and for Disney fans it truly does become a ‘magical place’ to be this winter.

The Fever organised exhibition, which is just across the river from Greenwich, looks into Disney’s most iconic films whether that be Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Toy Story or new adaptations such as the 2023 The Little Mermaid.

The Disney archive also holds memorabilia from other own
South West Londoner •

Beefeater’s son shares his Tower of London stories

The Tower of London is a tourist attraction to many but to others it’s their home address.

The likes of Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I once called the tower home, however in modern times the Tower is home to numerous Yeomen Warders and their families.

Andrew Keohane, 50, is the son of Chief Yeoman Warder John Keohane MVO BEM who moved into the Tower of London in September 1991.

The title of Chief Yeoman Warder is achieved by few with only 18 positions being fulfilled today since 1914
South West Londoner •

Ways to celebrate King Charles III’s coronation in Kingston

The busy streets of London for King Charles III’s coronation on Saturday will not be to everyone’s taste but don’t worry, nobody has to miss out on any festivities as Kingston has an array of celebrations to join in on throughout the weekend.

Kingston Council, All Saints Church, Kingston Music Service and the Rose Theatre are organising a coronation parade that will gather at Ancient Market Place at 2:45pm on Sunday.

The parade includes a fanfare and a storytelling of Kingston’s royal past.

H
South West Londoner •

Pole dancing life drawing to support Kingston’s art space

Kingston artists and pole dancers have teamed up for a unique life drawing session in support of the area’s young creatives.

Not My Beautiful House, a community led shop, gallery and event area located in Kingston’s Market Square partnered with Pole Ninjas to create a unique experience that merges the worlds of drawing with pole dancing.

Pole Ninjas owner, Steph, created the business after a local studio asked her to take charge due to their closure leading her to jump at the opportunity given
South West Londoner •

Donate a device, change a life fundraiser in the works in Kingston

Kingston Council has paired with Genuine Solutions to create a way of raising funds for the Mayor’s Charitable Trust by recycling unwanted mobile devices from 1 to 31 March.

The scheme aims to recycle mobile devices which then can be data-wiped before being pressed for re-sale.

The Mobile Mop Up Scheme came into being following discussion between Former Mayor Margaret Thompson and Genuine Solutions.

It was first launched prior to the COVID lockdown and raised £4,750 for the Mayor’s Charitable
South West Londoner •

Peter Rabbit: Easter Adventure comes to Covent Garden

On 22 March Histrionic Productions welcomes its new immersive experience Peter Rabbit: Easter Experience in Covent Garden just in time for Easter.

The family friendly experience entails a mix of live performances to puppetry of everyone’s favourite Beatrix Potter characters such as Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny to the not so friendly Mr McGregor.

Audiences took on a 50-minute mission to help Beatrix on a mission to rescue Jemima Puddle-Duck from the clutches of Mr McGregor by searching for s
South West Londoner •

Kingston’s first Light Procession

Several people gathered together to commemorate Kingston’s candle making heritage.

MA Architecture student, Farah Anwar was the engineer of the procession which came to light due to her architecture course’s unit being titled ‘Dreams, Myths and Fairytales.’

With this is mind Anwar dived into Kingston’s past and unveiled the different lighting types in Kingston, in particular the history of the candle industry which thus began the ‘Legend of the Lamplighter.’

The procession started at Kingston
South West Londoner •

The Sims 4 sets the standard for inclusivity in the gaming sphere with upcoming update

The Sims 4 is adding an array of inclusive components to the game on its next free base game update on the 14 March including c-section scars, stretch marks and birthmarks.

This update comes not long after the previous one which introduced breast binders, shape wear and an option to give male sims a mastectomy scar to represent transgender identities.

Other people beginning to see themselves represented are the hearing impaired and diabetics through the use of a new hearing aid and a glucose m
South West Londoner •

Eurovision tickets go live: did anyone get one?

Tickets for the much-anticipated Eurovision Song Contest went live today at 1pm, however tickets were only available internationally via Ticketmaster.

Tickets ranged from £30 to £290 for the semi-finals, and £80 to £380 for the grand final shows.

Ticketmaster only allowed customers to purchase one show at a time which made it impossible to see multiple due to the waiting queues.

It got worse for people in a five person friend group with the ticket allowance being four tickets in one order for
South West Londoner •

World Book Day at jeopardy due to school strikes

Many children could miss out on World Book Day tomorrow, due to school strike action in London.

Tomorrow marks the 28th annual World Book Day celebrated internationally through fundraising, to dressing up as beloved book characters.

However, teachers across the capital will strike tomorrow as part of an ongoing pay dispute.

Despite the strike action, a World Book Day spokesperson has encouraged schools to hold events on a different day, as well as encouraging children to continue reading all
South West Londoner •

Review: London’s F1 Arcade arrives just in time for the 2023 season

Ahead of the Formula 1 2023 season this weekend, the F1 Arcade near St Paul’s Cathedral is the place to be.

The arcade has 60 full motion car racing simulators, big screen TV’s show casting the races, mini reaction games and a cocktail bar and kitchen.

The simulators cost £15.75 which can be booked as a team racing experience or head to head battle for smaller groups.

One booking entails around 20-30 minutes worth of racing which gives players around 4 races including fan favourite tracks suc
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