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When a 300-year-old thatched cottage in Fartown, Galway went on fire last month - Jeremy Zanni, and his partner Melanie, along with their son Finn (9), found themselves without a home. To add to the family's disaster, the property had been uninsurable due to the thatched roof. What they did have to fall back on, however, was the generosity of neighbours who came together to rebuild their home – without any payment, but for a regular supply of tea.

Bangor native, John Young is the winner of this year's Scottish Teenage Book Prize. ‘Farewell Tour of a Terminal Optimist’ is a novel, about a terminally ill teenager who sets off on a crazy tour of Scotland, joy riding and dodging the police along the way. John began writing the novel when his daughter Verity, who has since passed away, was receiving chemotherapy.

Belfast playwright Rob Hollway has drawn on his own experience of alcoholism to bring his first major piece of work ‘The Painted Lady’ to the Accidental Theatre this week. The 45-year-old father-of-two, who works in finance, has been writing since he was 18 but it was only when he became sober nine years ago that he focused on bringing his work to stage.

John goes down to the Nut House hen rescue centre in Moira, to meet Barbara ‘Mama Hen’ Mladeck and the animals there, including Buddy, the three-year-old rooster who is back on his feet again, with the help of a wheel chair and physiotherapy sessions, after vets had originally recommended putting him to sleep.

Paula cooks up a dish to celebrate British Beef Week (1-7 April) using some of the wild garlic in her garden.

And there’s music performed by Apollo Arts Youth Theatre from their production of Chicago which runs at the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast from 5th to 7th April.