2026 has been quite a year so far.

In January I stayed with mum as usual whilst I was playing for the University of Sheffield graduation ceremonies. Mum was quite poorly with a bad cold that wouldn’t go away. It turns out my stoical mother who never complains and rarely visits a doctor was very poorly. It’s been rewarding to spend time with mum and to make her my main focus. With the help of my partner and brother I have continued teaching my fabulous students and kept some of my projects going (I premiered Mark Zadro’s Conspiracy Theories in Greece in April), but time with mum has been the priority.

To celebrate my mother, I am establishing the Christine Markham Travel and Research Award. This award will provide financial support to a student looking to further their studies through travel and / or research.

My mother was a librarian. Leaving school at 16 she joined the Sheffield library service and worked for the library on and off until her retirement. At the end of her career, she was head librarian for the social sciences reference library in central Sheffield.

Mum, along with dad, was a person who enjoyed life and was curious to learn. Despite leaving school at 16 she continued to educate herself, first with a degree from the Open University, later gaining a Master’s Degree in Librarianship, all whilst raising a family.

Mum loved to travel. In the 1960s mum and dad regularly travelled the UK and Europe. They particularly loved Scotland (where they honeymooned in 1962 and lived for a while around 1970 when I was born). They often went on political marches, or sometimes could be found camping outside Stratford theatre to get the best tickets for the latest Shakespeare play being staged. They travelled by car to Europe, driving to whichever location they felt like at the time, just with a tent and time to explore. Before me and my brother arrived, they often travelled with their friends Pat and Mike, memorably watching the 1966 FA cup final in a bar in Germany. Mum and dad never lost their love of travel. They knew experiencing other cultures and languages enhanced their lives. The annual camping holidays through Europe were a feature of my childhood. In later years mum and dad continue to travel to Europe, they also visited me whilst I was studying in America.

Mum, supported by my father, was ambitious. She lived through a time where women were not allowed to stay in full-time work when they became pregnant. In those years while she was looking after me and my brother, she worked as a self-employed researcher, notably researching Sheffield Steel for an American researcher. She also took on lodgers, supporting dad when he went to teacher training college for a year. But it wasn’t long before mum was back working for the libraries in Sheffield. While I was still little, she worked in a school library, moving to the education branch of Central library and later the reference library. Mum knew that access to books was vital for a child to grow and learn. And through all of this life was fun. Mum and dad enjoyed people and company. Their New Year’s Eve fancy dress parties were infamous!

Travel for my parents never stopped; after my father had a debilitating stroke in 1996 my mother still took him abroad and they continued to enjoy the same things in life – other cultures, music and theatre.

I am glad to establish this award while mum is still with me. Thank you, mum. You are an inspiration.