Ben Nolan – The Poor Print

On That Fond Place of Baconnated Breathing

by Benjamin Elliot Nolan A bench stands alone We once sat there Me and you Then you turned to raspberry blue Do you even remember Happy days, dulcet decembers Us two sitting there In fumeur formation Now just you Those pretted eyes that I despise Does it taste the same Can you explain Coffee grounds […]

Creative Writing, Prose

After Belbroughton: Jude Bellingham and I

by Ben Nolan Extract from the New York Times bestselling autobiography of 24 June – the afternoon of 24 June 2022. Former football star Ben Nolan shares his experience of meeting his co-star Jude Bellingham in the long years after their Belbroughton debut. What follows is a tale of broken promises, sprained ankles, and strained […]

Comment, Prose

The Belbroughton days – My Experience with Jude Bellingham

by Ben Nolan Before he played on the England team, Bellingham had to navigate the dark and dangerous world of Dudley and Bromsgrove football. Reflections based on my career as a professional footballer. It was a cold Saturday morning. I had been woken up at 6am and whisked off to Belbroughton football club after a […]

Prose

A Lack Of Canned Laughter In The Light Of Harrowing Food Bank Statistics

by Ben Nolan (JCR Class Officer) In the UK, there are 2,500 food banks. To put this into perspective, there are 1,374 branches of McDonald’s, 2,322 branches of Subway and 2,181 Greggs outlets. In the wake of increasing inflation and worsening energy costs, this statistic has never commanded a greater sense of urgency. The mark […]