内容摘要：She described the 10 days of workshops and events as an "eye-opener", helping to demystify the process of getting published and filling her with confidence as a writer too.

She described the 10 days of workshops and events as an "eye-opener", helping to demystify the process of getting published and filling her with confidence as a writer too.

"The bottle comes with its own story, and once the story is told, it unlocks memories and anecdotes or sparks questions, and a broad range of topics are explored, ranging from sustainability to social history," said volunteer Helen Statham.In an upstairs rehearsal room at the Cornerstone Arts Centre in Didcot, a group of teenagers are practising for an upcoming show.

It is a sign of the booming activity the venue has been enjoying recently.Last autumn, audience numbers were up 70% on the year before and a new strategy from local authorities is promising a hefty investment in its building.But the scene across Oxfordshire is not always as rosy, with funding and access to affordable arts spaces sometimes proving a sticking point.

The Covid pandemic was a tough time for arts venues.They had to deal with closures, adapting to virtual performances and keeping on top of costs.

For places like Unicorn Theatre in Abingdon and the Kenton Theatre in Henley-on-Thames, this was made far harder by the high running costs of their old buildings.

"We had to pretty much shut down for over a year, and you've got to pay all the costs of running the building," said Greg Bensberg, chair of Abingdon Abbey Buildings Trust, which houses the Unicorn.For Scott Handcock, Doctor Who was his childhood "safe haven" as he struggled with his sexuality and felt like he didn't "fit in".

The sci-fi series changed his life, he said, from binging early episodes on VHS tape in the 1990s to ending up working behind the scenes many years later.Describing the Doctor Who fandom as like a family "full of hope", he said the show has had a huge, lasting impact, both on him and many other LGBT fans.

In Saturday's season two finale episode, The Reality War, Ncuti Gatwa left his role as the Doctor,begins, many within the LGBT community have shared their life-changing experiences with the show.