WIN a Superb Cutlery Set HOLIDAYS Down at the Dog-Otel FASHION Something Old, Something New INTERIORS What Bruce Did Next

The Northern Echo

The lifestyle magazine for the North-East AUGUST 2005 FASHION Something old, something new HOLIDAYS Down at the Dog-otel INTERIORS What Bruce did next WIN A superb cutlery set

SHOPPING SOCIAL GADGETS MOTORING GARDENING 2 August 2005 http://clients.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/ne_monthly

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SHARON GRIFFITHS MOTORING 3 Measuring progress 16 Smart by picnics thinking magazine LEISURE MOTORING is produced by 4 Loitering 17 The new The within tents Zafira Northern INTERIORS GADGET MAN Echo/ Newsquest 6 What’s cooking at 18 The hottest kit Ltd., the mansion around this summer a Gannett INTERIORS FASHION Company, Priestgate, 8 From dresses 19 Down the Darlington to addresses vintage route DL1 1NF GARDENING HOMES (01325) 381313 10 The organic box 20 How to make sure delivery scheme you’re covered ADVERTISING HOLIDAYS NE CONNECTIONS Neil Simpson (01325) 505 173 12 Down at the 21 Cape neil.simpson Dog-otel crusaders @nne.co.uk Chris Kay ME AND MY COMPETITION (0191) 374 0298 14 WARDROBE 21 WIN a superb chris.kay @nne.co.uk Vicki Phelps set of cutlery signed McCOURT by Laurence EDITORIAL 15 & McKAY Llewellyn-Bowen Jenny Needham (01325) 505082 Out on the town jenny.needham @nne.co.uk IN ASSOCIATION WITH

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PILE ‘EM HIGH sharon griffiths IF you’re an inveterate shoe shopper and have more Blahniks than Beyonce, recalling what shoes you own, keeping them safe, and storing them nicely is no easy feat. One neat solution is clear shoeboxes which allow you to organise your entire collection, keeping them in pristine condition. These accessories for your accessories can be organised into a neat stackable system, and run along to Crystal Clear’s have a front opening so you can website at take out your shoes without www.crystalclearboxes.com where aWe’ve disrupting the stacking system. you can snap up a pack of five for They also come with a handle. Just £14.95. GOING TO THE WALL SITTING come a long PRETTY THE washable, squashable way from highchair Totseat has got a new look for summer. It’s just the thing black boiled for taking on ARTISAN House wall sculptures are hols, anchoring a three-dimensional artwork that hang child in safety on the wall. Each sculpture is hand- and comfort in eggs and crafted from metal and exquisitely an adult chair. finished under the direction of their It’s easy to use, Studio Master Sculpture. The piece fits most adult shown above is called chairs and is soggy crisps Kaleidoscope, measures 132cm x highly portable – fitting into a pocket or 84cm and retails at £399. Various handbag – and comes with a compact, window shopping sculptures and pictures are matching pocket bag to carry it around. available from At Home Furnishings, The Totseat costs £26 from Cannon Park, Middlesbrough or visit www.totseat.com, John Lewis stores and OME people measure the progression The food was pretty unchanging. There were www.mailorderart.co.uk selected independent retailers. of civilisation in matters of plumbing. always ham sandwiches – good chunky sand- I prefer picnics. True, plumbing tells wiches as my mother believed in proper ham Sus a lot about society. In one genera- and proper bread. But, of course, beaches being tion, we have, after all, gone from the once-a- windy places, they always came with that fine week tub to the twice daily shower which as layer of sand. well as being nice for us, is also quite a relief There were hard boiled eggs, which often for those around us, especially on crowded went black. Very appetising. There was salt – buses on hot days. also in another little screw of paper, easy to But picnics tell us just as much. confuse with the sugar. There were cold It was my sister who made me realise. She sausages sliced up. And tomatoes and maybe was off to a summer concert in some grand gar- even some lettuce from the garden, wrapped up dens and was packing the interval picnic – lit- in one of the best linen napkins. tle Tupperware box of poached salmon, small Sometimes there were crisps. Quality control tub of Hollandaise, another of asparagus, pack hadn’t quite made it to crisps in the 1950s. of exotic salads, individual pots of summer Sometimes they were delicious. Often they pudding, strawberries, another tub of clotted were soggy. And you had to find the salt – an- cream and, of course, a bottle of wine – all other little screw of paper, but this time blue, packed neatly, with plates, knives, forks and and usually damp. napkins, into a cool bag that was also a back- Tins were just transplanted from the kitchen pack, with a rug that folded into a special pock- cupboard at home. They contained biscuits or et on the base. Welsh cakes or solid slices of fruit cake, which “Do you remember,” she asked, as she filled I always associated with Christmas and felt up a last little corner with bruschetta and strange eating on a beach in the sunshine. olives and some feta cheese, “the sort of picnics And then when we’d swum and eaten and we had when we were children?” built a sandcastle and buried our father in the Ah yes. Only too well. sand, it was time to dismantle it all again, carry We were lucky in that our family was one of it back up the cliffs or over the pebbles. the few in the road to have a car. It was only a Now my sister had a picnic that we would Morris Minor and there were four of us in it – have considered the grandest of grand feasts. plus the dog – but it still gave my parents plen- We had salmon only when one of the postmen ty of scope for outdoor catering. went poaching and came furtively round to the First there was the Primus stove. Unthink- back door at dawn. Clotted cream was some- able to have a picnic without a decent cup of thing that was sent home by people on holiday tea. A Thermos would do, at a push, but fresh- in Cornwall. And wine was definitely for spe- ly boiled water was far superior. So there was cial occasions only. the stove. And of course the teapot… Plus a lit- And now here was my sister treating such de- tle screw of paper full of tea leaves. And an- lights so casually and what’s more, packing the other one full of sugar. The milk was in a bot- whole lot cleanly and tidily in one little back- tle that had once held my baby clinic orange pack. That’s progress. juice. Hoorah for the Welfare State. And she needn’t even have gone to the effort. Our favourite picnic destination was the Now you can buy instant picnics from super- beach. This being Pembrokeshire there was markets – ready made salad boxes, terrines, usually a steep cliff path or a bank of pebbles smoked salmon parcels, small sausages, pre- to negotiate – while carrying the stove, the packed puddings. All perfectly done and oh so blanket, the teapot, the shopping bag full of easy and delicious. cups, and brown paper carrier bags with string The last picnic I had with a friend in a Lon- handles, and biscuit tins full of food. When we don park came complete in a box from her local HOLIWAYS GARAGE got to the beach and unpacked everything – set- deli – a selection of sushi, tiny, tangy lemon WHINBANK ROAD DURHAM WAY SOUTH KITCHEN CREATION ting out the rug, weighing the corners down tarts, huge loganberries and a bottle of wine. AYCLIFFE VILLAGE

TO P.W.S. with pebbles – it wasn’t so much a setting out It was simple, delicious and utterly different HEIGHINGTON 3M

FACTORY A167 TETLEYS

of a picnic, more a setting up of base camp. The from the picnics of my childhood. NORTH

INCINERATOR JUNCTION primus stove took an age to boil the water and Nigri, nori, wasabi and ginger. We’ve come a 59 A167 had to be lit straightaway if there was to be any long way from black boiled eggs and soggy Mc DONALDS DARLINGTON FILTRONIC SOUTH chance of getting a cup of tea after our swim. crisps. A1 A1 4 August 2005 http://clients.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/ne_monthly Sweet Suite Summer!! Just one of many amazing showroom offers PLUS Dozens of fabrics to choose from Cushions zipped and piped for easy cleaning Lamps - Mirrors - Coffee and End Tables - Footstools - Chests - Kids Chairs & Much More ...... Lowest prices in the UK guaranteed

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Now Open A place where you can meet and relax How to pull a guy (and other camping tips)

Women’s Editor LINDSAY JENNINGS used to loathe camping as a child, but now believes there’s nothing better than a night under the stars

AMPING used to mean eating er and sister-in-law and it wasn’t big enough little boiled potatoes out of a tin for the four of us – so we ended up buying a on an orange Tupperware plate. tent. The shower blocks were freez- The tent we chose was no ordinary tent. Cing, grey concrete affairs with It was a fancy kind, one where the tent poles grass and mud around the plug hole and were attached to the hi-tech fabric and 1970s patterned tiles on the walls. If you which you could throw up in any weather in were lucky, you had hot water long enough about three minutes flat. to wash the soap out of your eyes. Mostly, I Then my brother and sister-in-law got one used to dip a flip-flopped foot under the water before whipping it back out again. “Yes, I washed everywhere,” I used to lie to my mother when I got back to the tent. As I grew up, I scoffed at the idea of campers and their stupid one-ring gas burn- ers and tin mugs. It was ridiculous the way it took them half an hour to boil enough water for a single warm drink, and how they Come and join us in our exquisite water garden restaurant and enjoy would be happy to sit, side-by-side, in their dishes and wines from around the world. Choose from traditional meals deckchairs, watching the world go by in and ales in our friendly carvery. A place where you can meet and relax. some mesmeric state. See you soon! My brother and I would manage to occu- py ourselves, swinging around in old trac- The Divan Hotel - Thirsk tor tyres and playing “trumps” (the card game!) on rainy days. But as we hit our Sutton Road, Thirsk, North Yorkshire teenage years, we became too old to “go off Telephone 01845 522 293 and play” and we were getting thoroughly fed up of little boiled potatoes. We managed to avoid camping until we hit our late 20s, and then a strange thing Lindsay and her brother on the happened. I went on a press trip for a week caravanning holiday that convinced her to buy a tent in a caravan with my boyfriend, my broth- http://clients.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/ne_monthly August 2005 5

A LIFE UNDER CANVAS COOKING The Uno Stove is a self contained portable stove with carry case, automatic push- button ignition and built-in safety device. It runs for up to two hours on a Sunngas P220 cartridge. Gas not supplied. It THE TENT costs £14.99 from Millets in the Market Place, Lindsay chose a Khyam Freelander from Field & Darlington or call (01293) 852853 for Light and easy to erect: the Khyam Igloo beloved of bikers Trek, after moving up from their little Igloo. The stockists. Freelander is a three-berth with flysheet and www.millets.co.uk integral door tent tidy. It’s staggeringly easy to TOP TIPS FOR BUYING A TENT FOR HAPPY CAMPERS… erect as the tent poles and groundsheet are IRST, determine the purpose of the tent. need to accommodate and how much gear integral and weighs just 10.6 kgs. The packed This Cath Kidston three-person tent has been FIf it’s being used for family camping, will you need to store in the tent? Tent sizes size is 83 x 23 x 23 cm which is why the range exclusively designed by for Eurohike. But it consider comfort, space and ventilation. If do not include room for gear storage so is much loved by bikers. It is flame retardant doesn’t skimp on substance for style: the tent you’re more of a backwoodsman type of consider purchasing a larger tent for this and costs £175. of all-polyester construction with a rugged camper, consider weight, size and durability. purpose. Consider also the ease of set-up in www.fieldandtrek.com groundsheet, the flysheet has taped seams and force ten North-East gales. the breathable inner has mesh ventilation for MATERIAL POLES condensation control and bug blocking. THE LUXURY Polyester withstands extended exposure Quality is important Fibreglass poles mean quick pitching (flysheet Just because you’re in to the sun Fibreglass poles are durable first or pitch as one). £59.99 from Millets. the middle of a field, Nylon is lighter weight Aluminium poles are lightweight www.millets.co.uk doesn’t mean to say Canvas is durable but very heavy Also consider the quality of other features, you can’t indulge STYLE such as stitching and seams, zippers, yourself. These real Cabin tents are big with high ceilings and window and door mesh, flooring, tie-downs espresso coffee large windows. Multi-room models are and stakes. makers, designed for available. Consider also the types of weather you caffeine addict Dome tents are smaller, stable and might be out in. Some tents are fully campers like Lindsay’s better in varying weather conditions. They waterproof, others are just water resistant. partner Mike, make a delicious cup of espresso are easier to set up and take down Does it have a full coverage rain fly? in just a few minutes when placed over a You also need to consider the type of Consider a quality ground cloth for under camping stove on low heat. £17.99 activity that will be going on under canvas – your tent to protect the floor and to keep it www.fieldandtrek.com is it just for sleeping in, or will you be living drier and cleaner. This should be the same under canvas? How many people does it shape as your tent and slightly smaller. SEATING And while you’re sipping that espresso and reading all the books you hadn’t time to dip into at home, you’ll need somewhere to sit in The four of us now comfort. the Yarmouth Folding Chair is talk regularly about perfect, especially as it has special pockets to new camping gadgets Need help keep your beer bottle upright. £22.99. www.fieldandtrek.com on the market finding the too and before we knew it we were heading area and little windows. It produces the same off every other weekend, cooking barbecues feeling I got with my first Wendy house – that right mortgage? and revelling in our new outdoor lifestyle. it’s our den, a place to hide from the rest of the Now, instead of obstinate stripy deckchairs, world. our fold-away chairs have pockets which are We love going for walks across the hills and perfectly sized for a can of lager or (plastic) calling into the pub with rosy cheeks and Let us give you a hand glass of wine. windswept hair. We go to farmers’ markets “This is smashing,” is my brother’s and buy too much food for the barbecue, but favourite saying, often uttered as a barbecued we eat it all anyway. CCJs? Defaults? Arrears? No Accounts? No Deposit? We may be sausage is thrust into his hand. The camaraderie is fantastic. Campsites are able to help whatever your circumstances Even the showers are better (although I one of the few places it is still considered rel- The overall cost for comparison is 7.83% APR Variable. The actual have seen some 1970s tiles along the way). atively normal to chat to strangers – even rate available will depend upon your circumstances. Ask for a They are warmer and cleaner than I remem- when your hair is sticking up and you have personalised illustration bered. Some even have hand dryers and a cou- barbecue sauce on your chin. Your children Our fully qualified and friendly staff are always happy to help. ple, astonishingly, have been known to boast can make friends with other children in rela- central heating. tive safety and play rounders and football and First Time buyer? Home Mover? Second Home? Right to Buy? The four of us now talk regularly about new other activities which don’t involve their Or Buy to Let? camping gadgets on the market and take great thumbs and a games console. We have access to the whole mortgage market and branches delight in buying them. When my brother re- There are some downsides. Sometimes you throughout the North East ceived a self-inflating mattress last Christmas, get those kind of campers next to you who we were jealous – even though we were the chuck their empty lager cans into streams and YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE ones who had bought him it. start singing classics like “Come on Eileen” But perhaps the best so far is the mini camp- and “We are the champions” at the top of their NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY ing espresso maker I bought the coffee con- voices, usually after midnight. But we just re- noisseur boyfriend this Christmas. I zipped solve never to go back to that campsite again. DURHAM CITY OFFICE, 86 Claypath, Durham City open the tent on Bank Holiday Sunday at The four of us are lucky enough to have 7.30am to find he had it on the stove, with fresh stayed in a number of boutique hotels in 0191 375 0333 coffee put-put-putting out of the spout into a major cities across Europe. We drive nice cars tiny, enamelled espresso cup. He looked at me and live in nice houses. DARLINGTON OFFICE, 23 Duke Street, Darlington as though I’d bought him tickets for the Rugby But nothing generates so many “this is the World Cup final. life” comments as when we’re in a field, with “This is amazing, I love it,” he gushed. a canvas roof above our heads and the barbe- 01325 350 888 We love camping so much we have even up- cue underway. If we were to try them, I’m sure SUNDERLAND OFFICE, 22 Athenaeum Street, Sunderland graded our designer tent to a bigger one. It still even the little boiled potatoes would taste has the poles attached, but it has a seating grand. 0191 510 8080 or 0191 565 7788 6 August 2005 http://clients.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/ne_monthly interiors

All mod cons: one of the en suite bathrooms and a stunning recess with original ornate wood ceiling What’s cooking at the mansion?

HEN the first guests walk A city mansion which once through the grand entrance of Jesmond Dene House hosted parties for the rich and Hotel for a weekend stay, to W dine in the restaurant or to at- famous is being brought back tend a function, they’ll be following in a long tradition of merry-making. to life as a unique hotel. The mansion, which stands at the northern SARAH FRENCH sees the end of the Dene, just a few miles from the centre of Newcastle, once rang to the sound of transformation taking place chinking glasses and cutlery on china as one of the grandest settings for parties the city could boast. ed a string of famous names and VIPs, in- Its £7m revival will see its reputation for cluding the brother of the Chinese Emperor, hospitality restored but in the most modern Admiral Togo of the Japanese navy, Baden sense. Powell, Rudyard Kipling and Lord Kelvin. Having been through various incarnations By this time it had undergone major alter- as a secretarial college, a civil defence HQ, a ations, which will contribute in no small part seminary and a residential school for girls to the character of the hotel when it opens with special needs, it has taken the vision of next month. developer Peter Candler and North-East food The entrance and reception area lead, on the guru Terry Laybourne to breathe fresh life left, to the former billiard room with its mar- into the building. ble columns, stucco frieze and matching pan- Says Mr Candler: “When the city council put elling, which is being transformed into a it on the market three years ago, they certainly lounge for after-dinner drinks and afternoon had other offers for it but we felt from a con- tea. servation and historical point of view that the On the right is the pre-dinner drinks lounge, only appropriate plan was to restore it as a which was designed as a dining room by ar- place of hospitality. chitect Norman Shaw in 1885. Original fea- “In its day it was the most important place tures like the William de Morgan tiles around in Newcastle, if not the North-East, for wel- the fireplace, the oak panelling and hardwood coming dignitaries and important people from floors will all add up to create an atmosphere around the world, and it was designed to of comfortable sophistication. impress.” This room leads into what was the music Originally built in 1822 as a family home for room, chosen as the main hotel dining room Newcastle physician, former city mayor and for its elegance and light, airy feel. A garden leader of the Whig party Thomas Emerson room will be added but the original parquet Headlam, its heyday came 80 years later. floor will be covered with carpet. Designed by eminent architect John Dobson “Wooden floors are more suited to a bistro- (most famous for designing the city’s Grey style restaurant and this will be very much Street), it was originally known as Black Dene about fine dining,” explains Mr Candler. “We House. An early plan of the house shows a didn’t want to twist the use into something large square central block with wings to the that was wholly unconnected with the origi- north and south. nal house and, in fact, the original rooms lend Headlam died in 1864 and the house was themselves well to our chosen functions. It’s rented out for five years before being bought about getting the balance between bringing in 1871 by Captain Andrew Noble, a business out the history of the place and serving the partner of armaments manufacturer Lord purpose of its modern use.” Armstrong. Detailed accounts, written in the 1960s by By the early 1900s, with Noble’s extensive the grandchildren of the Nobles, have helped business and social contacts, the house host- inform this transformation. After Andrew http://clients.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/ne_monthly August 2005 7

Top: Peter Candler and Terry Laybourne Above: Visitors to Jesmond Dene House in 1911, including Sir Andrew Noble, Lady Noble and Admiral Togo

Jesmond Dene House Hotel 0191-212 3000 or visit www.jesmonddenehouse.co.uk

Noble died in 1913, the family continued to live Durham and turning it into Mr Laybourne’s there until 1930. Café 21 bistro. Mr Candler adds: “The accounts tell us that But rather than being a hotel with a Terry Decorative this is where the family gathered for morning Laybourne restaurant attached, the reputa- prayers and where grandmama Noble played tion of the man who brought a Michelin star the organ, for instance. We’ve got descriptions to the North-East is integral to the whole con- wall & ceiling panels of the Christmas and New Year parties they cept of Jesmond Dene House. had and I hope we will have cards explaining “I’m involved in the whole of the design for the bathroom & beyond to guests what the rooms were used for.” process and operational aspects of the devel- Next to the 70-cover restaurant is a private opment,” he says. dining room for functions seating up to 18 peo- Mr Candler, whose Durham-based company ple. This leads out to a staircase constructed has won awards for its restoration of listed during Shaw’s modifications and the only two buildings, adds: “Although we have our re- ground floor en suite bedrooms, formerly the spective skills we both stick our noses into one library and overlooking the Dene. another’s business. Terry has very strong When Newcastle City Council acquired the ideas about towel heaters and I’ll tell him what property in 1930 for £11,000 it came with more I think of his wines.” than 13,000 acres of land, much of which be- The food will have the Laybourne stamp, came an extension to the Jesmond Dene Pub- being a showcase of regional and seasonal pro- lic Park. duce – with fresh herbs grown in the new land- The house itself became a secretarial col- scaped gardens, designed by Alan Capper. lege, being requisitioned by the council in 1938 Keen to stress that Mr Laybourne’s involve- as the Air Raid Protection HQ. Underground ment isn’t in name only, Mr Candler says: rooms and tunnels were built as air raid shel- “Terry will spend most of his time here and ter for staff. will have a direct influence. He won’t be an ab- Discount Today the basement is being transformed sentee chef.” on August Orders into the hotel kitchens which, thanks to the Taking visitors on a tour of the building, Mr with this slope the house is built on, are not completely Candler saves the best until last. Noble’s for- Advert! underground, giving kitchen staff a view of mer laboratory, where he carried out his ex- the Dene. periments and tested his scientific theories, is Whilst this is very much Terry Laybourne to be an ante-room with bar to the main con- territory – he has spent 18 months designing ference and banqueting room. A Huge Range @ Great Prices the kitchen alone – the project is a true part- The great hall is a stunning room sur- A new range of nership between his and Mr Candler’s compa- rounded in oak panelling with high gothic win- A new range with a variety of ny, Rivergreen. dows and a cavernous fireplace. “There’s not colours that match all types of Deluxe Vivaldi Panels The pair have worked together before, name- much to say about this room, it kind of speaks rooms and ceilings. Come and feel the texture ly on sympathetically restoring the Grade II* for itself,” he says. and see the difference listed Aykley Heads House on the edge of Apart from its history, the location of Jes- It looks great, quick to install, mond Dene House is what makes it unique – reduces condensation, insulates O PENING H OURS in a semi-rural setting but within in the bound- your room and best of all it’s M ON -F RI 8 AM - 5 PM aries of the city. MAINTENANCE FREE! S AT 8 AM - 1 PM In characterising the hotel, Mr Candler says the emphasis will be on quality from the service to the interiors – designed by Jill Holst T.A. Plastics Ltd from Ward Robinson – but it won’t be preten- tious or intimidating. TTudhoeudhoe InIndustrialdustrial EEstate,state, Spennymoor “We want it to showcase the best of what PPHONEHONE NOW TA this region has to offer, from the food to the Est. since work by local artists we’ll have on display. I 1977 hope it will be one of the best hotels in the re- 01388 814858 PLASTICS Work in progress at the hotel gion – that’s certainly what we’re aiming for.” www.taplastics.co.ukwww.taplastics.co.uk 8 August 2005 http://clients.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/ne_monthly

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Supply Only - Offer ends August 31st Fashion designer Bruce Oldfield once lived in a Barnardo’s home, about as far removed as you can get from the luxurious interiors he has just crafted Supply only or a Full Design & Installation Service. for an exclusive row of houses in Newcastle Make a Dream Bathrooms for special needs. All work carried out by our own qualified tradesmen. Bathroom an Free estimates. All work guaranteed. T is probably the North-East’s most in around 1840 and each of the properties Affordable Reality OPEN BANK Call and see us HOLIDAY exclusive residential development: an have been painstakingly restored to their 10-4 Mon-Thu 9-5; Fri 9-6; Sat 9-4 entire street of Regency properties in former glory. Newcastle has been transformed with The street in Jesmond is thought to be the Pierson Street, Redcar Ithe help of £17m and the talents of only residential location of its kind outside world-renowned designer Bruce Oldfield. London, Bath and Edinburgh. There is Tel 01642 488818 As a little boy growing up in the region, nothing in the North-East that compares www.slingsby-interiors.co.uk visits to Newcastle were a real treat for with the size and quality of the townhouses. Oldfield. Wandering through the streets with Every effort has been taken to make the his foster mum, he would look up at the site the most prestigious address in the city. buildings in awe, overwhelmed by their size International designers have been brought and beauty. together to assemble furnishings from “I couldn’t believe how big and grand around the world to enhance the original everything was. From living in Hett, in a two- splendour of the houses, which, until up, two-down, it was quite extraordinary. I recently, were run-down office buildings. couldn’t tell you which streets or which The showhouse features several square it was but it was the sheer scale that spectacular external features including a impressed me and it’s stayed with me ever double height orangery conservatory at the since,” he recalls. rear and Romeo and Juliet-style balconies at Now, thanks in large part to Oldfield’s the front. The whole of the second floor has design talents, things have just got a lot been given over to a master bed suite, incor- grander… and a lot more expensive. The porating male and female dressing rooms • Leading tailor and dressmaker townhouses of Carlton Terrace are priced at and a lavish bathroom with Italian two- • We can create anything to your exact size between £1.3m and £2m. person steam and shower room – from where and measurement The terrace of 14 four and five-bedroom you can answer the phone and door and • Over 6,000 fabrics to choose properties, was originally designed by listen to music – and a Zen bath. (from polyester to silk or wool to cashmere) eminent North-East architect John Dobson Oldfield has been acting as overall director • Full free client colsultation and design service • Beautifully hand-made garments • Any occasion catered for • Quality, professional advice on what to wear For the Ladies Suits Trousers Coats Blouses Dresses Skirts Evening Wear Business Suits Ball Gowns For the Gents Suits Shirts Coats Jacket Blazers Trousers Evening Wear Business Suits

Opening 1st Week in August 2 Cheltenham Parade, Harrogate HG1 1DA 01423 875987 http://clients.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/ne_monthly August 2005 9

You’re going to have a beautiful shell with period features but with all the spec of a new-build

Bruce Oldfield, left, and the fantastic interiors he has created for Carlton Terrace

of design on the project, which has been hugely successful... in spite of the price tag. The first release of seven properties was a sell-out within days. Agent Duncan Young of Sanderson Young says: “Carlton Terrace shows the way for other developers. We are now able to offer accommodation and housing within Newcastle comparable to the most fashionable, international squares of London.” The home has been dressed in “new- glamour” style, complete with lavish silk fabrics and European furniture by Spanish interior design, Oldfield is looking forward to design specialists Imperial. more, but says he won’t be giving up the day Rick Wilson, contracts director at Northern Property Developments, says: “The job. restoration team has gone to extraordinary "I've been in the fashion business 30 years – lengths to make sure the homes are utterly God, 30 years of frocks! My emphasis has unique. Products have been sourced from all changed in that time, of course it has. At over Europe, including silver birch trees from first, I was motivated by the drive to create an Germany, and precisely measured empire and that has been tempered as I've Portuguese yew hedging.” grown older, but I've always liked making Each of the townhouses in Carlton Terrace proper frocks and I probably always will.” benefit from a garden mews building, which He’s currently got another project on the go can be used for a variety of purposes, as well, writing his biography. “It’s great to including a gym or staff quarters, and front be back in the North-East so I can do some and rear private walled gardens designed by more research into my early years." nationally recognised garden landscaper The interior design, it seems, is just Alan Capper. another chapter... “They are seriously gorgeous houses, the kind I would want to buy myself,” says The first phase of 14 properties at Oldfield. “You’re going to have a beautiful Carlton Terrace has been released. shell with period features but with all the Viewings of the showhouse are by spec of a new-build. We’re not creating appointment only. Anybody requiring museum pieces. These are contemporary further property details should contact homes.” Janet Hopkinson at Sanderson Young on After this successful foray into the world of 0191-261 7788 or 07712 139 370. 10 August 2005 http://clients.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/ne_monthly gardening

Business is booming for an organic box scheme mixing meat and dairy products with home grown vegetables, as SARAH FOSTER finds out

Head gardener John Longmoor in the walled garden

Picture: TOM YEOMAN Where the green greens grow

URKING down a lane off the busy A167 near Durham lies the verdant estate of Croxdale Hall. It is in this quiet setting, concealed behind the L bricks of a walled garden, that a thriving business has taken root. Butterby was established in October 2003 by Edward Richardson, a former farm manager at Houghall College, and the son of the estate owners, Gerard Salvin. The idea was to draw on Edward’s experience to develop an organic box scheme, teaming up with other producers to offer a range of different foodstuffs. Summertime When I meet the hands-on half of the partnership, he says there was a clear gap in at the market for this type of joint initiative. “I think what I realised was that there was an enormous amount of meat and a few Ripley Castle organic farmers, but nothing linking them together, and the thing that was missing Great fun for all the family was vegetables,” says Edward. The business started slowly, relying at Special Tours for Children first on bought-in goods before they began amusing and informative to grow their own. Edward says it soon Every day from 23rd July - 3rd September at 2.30pm became obvious what it should focus on. “We found as a business that we could get Edward leads me to two large polytunnels, hold of winter vegetables throughout the N EW C HILDREN ’ S which have taken up residence near the year so we decided what we needed were entrance. P LAY A REA fresh summer vegetables. If we could put With the help of two staff – one employed something in that people hadn’t had before, 700 year old Castle steeped in history, beautiful Gardens, wonderful Shops, by Butterby and the other by the estate – then that’s what we wanted to do.” Tearooms, award winning Hotel and Bistro with Beer Garden, ample parking Edward grows lettuce, endives, pak choi, Walking through the gate in the ancient peppers and tomatoes inside the tunnels. In walls is like entering a secret garden. Lying OPEN DAILY JULY AND AUGUST outside beds, there’s rhubarb, spinach, at the heart of the sprawling 1,000 acre chard (a green-leafed vegetable), Chinese Ripley, Harrogate Tel: 01423 770152 estate, the nine-acre walled garden seems to cabbage, cucumbers and courgettes, and have changed little since Georgian times. www.ripleycastle.co.uk fruit trees shelter by the walls. http://clients.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/ne_monthly August 2005 11 ST 1 FOR QualiQQualityualityty ANDValueValue SAVE UP TO £4646 ON BRAND NEW MG & ROVER

V Renault Megane 1.4 Alize NEW ROVER 25 Metallic Green. Remote central 1.4 Impression 84PS 5 Dr locking, electric windows £2995 99V Ford Fiesta Ghia. Black. Alloy wheels, air con £2995 99V Rover 75 1.8 Classic Woodstone Green. Alloys £3495 Provence Blue W Rover 25 1.4Li 3Dr £6484 Red. Electric windows, sunroof, r/c/l £3695 EW MOTORS PRICE 99T Suzuki Vitara 4WD NEW MG ZR Softtop 4U2 Black £3995 105 5 Dr X Fiat Punto Sporting 1.2 Rosso Red. Alloys, electric windows, c/locking £3995 01/51 Mitsubishi Spacestar 1.3 Mirage Metallic Blue. Central locking, alloys £4495 Rio Red 01/51 Renault Clio 1.2 Authentique £7664 Metallic Blue. Electric windows, r/c/l £4995 EW MOTORS PRICE 01/51 Citroen Xsara L 2.0 HDi NEW ROVER 45 Metallic Green. Electric windows, remote central locking £4995 GLi 5 Dr 02/52 Nissan Primera 1.6 Blue. Air conditioning, CD player, remote central locking £4995 02/02 Peugeot 206 LX 1.4 3Dr Silver. Alloys, air con, spoiler, Xirallic Red Metallic £7984 tints, remote central locking £5495 EW MOTORS PRICE 02/52 Rover 25 Impression 1.4 Alloys, remote central NEW MG TF locking, electric sunroof £5495 115 02/52 MG ZR 105 5Dr Silver. PAS, alloys, CD, central locking £6495 02/52 MG ZS 180 2.5 V6 Pearl Black. 17" alloys, air con, CD player £6995 Silver. Blue hood £12550 03/03 Daihatsu Terios 1.3 EL 4WD EW MOTORS PRICE Metallic Green. Central locking, alloys £6995 Edward Richardson with a delivery of fruit and veg, and below left, checking the NEW ROVER 75 tomato plants in the greenhouse Pictures: CHRIS BOOTH 03/03 MG ZR TD 3Dr Trophy Blue. Alloys, rear spoiler, 2.0 CDT Auto remote central locking £6995 03/53 Mitsubishi Spacestar 1.3 Classic While the fledgling company is still far customers they tell us they dislike going to Black. Central locking, sunroof, from being self-sufficient, Edward says he supermarkets. They like the idea of the electric windows £6995 hopes to build on what it grows. “Next year produce being local, although from March 04/54 Toyota Yaris T3 D4D Classic Silver Silver. Electric windows, r/c/l, 2,000 miles £7695 £15660 I would like to see us in a position where we to June, we have to rely on imported goods. EW MOTORS PRICE have maybe six polytunnels so we can There are certain customers who think we 03/03 Ford Focus TDCi 5Dr increase the volume of our own produce can wipe out the need for going to the Metallic Blue. Air conditioning, NEW MG ZT and be less reliant on other people’s, which supermarket altogether,” he says. alloys, CD player £7995 135 CDTi Saloon would give us more flexibility,” he says. The very nature of the box scheme means 03/53 Rover 75 1.8T Club SE For vegetables to qualify as organic, the that content varies from week to week, White Gold. Climate control, soil in which they are grown must have depending on what’s available. Edward says CD player, alloys £7995 been “converted”. This means that for two that while this may put some people off, 04/54 Rover Streetwise 2.0 SE TD 5Dr years, it must have been fertiliser and others relish it. He even provides labels and Black. Central locking, PAS, air con,CD £7995 Pearl Black Metallic spray-free, and have been treated with recipe cards for the less familiar types of 02/02 Mitsubishi Pinin GDi Animal. £17380 purely organic techniques and materials. greens. Grey. Alloys, leather £9495 EW MOTORS PRICE Yet in terms of Butterby’s development, One of Butterby’s biggest pluses is that it 04/54 MG ZR 105+ 5Dr NEW ROVER 75 Edward is prepared to wait. “We want to puts the customer in control, allowing them Silver. C/locking, electric 1.8 Contempory Tourer grow cut flowers from here and put them in to dip in and out of deliveries at will. “The windows, ABS, sunroof £9995 the boxes, but we’ll have to see how it works deliveries are weekly or fortnightly. We take 04/54 MG ZS 120+ 5Dr out,” he says cautiously. the first box and normally inquire about it Silver. PAS, c/locking, air con, front foglights £10995 In addition to vegetable boxes, which cost on the second week. People take boxes as 04/54 Dodge Viper SRT10 £10 or £12, the firm delivers meat boxes at and when it suits them,” says Edward. Pickup Truck 8.3 V10 £28 and organic milk from 60p. The beauty The company’s success speaks for itself: 22” chrome wheels, Infinity Seafrost Blue £18179 of the produce is that it comes without demand has grown from 19 boxes to a sound system £45995+VAT EW MOTORS PRICE wasteful packaging and covers few food weekly average of 150 in just 18 months. THIS IS JUST A SMALL SELECTION OF OUR QUALITY NEW & USED VEHICLES miles. It comes direct to customers’ doors Butterby now serves an area from Chester- and thanks to nifty personal PCs, the van le-Street down to Sedgefield, and across drivers know exactly where to leave it and if from Bishop Auckland to Hetton-le-Hole. EW MOTOR SERVICES CONSETT there are any special requirements. This While one day, Edward would like to see enables them, for example, to substitute this expand, he’s keeping his feet firmly on Delves Lane, Consett, County Durham, DH8 7JU (Opposite Tesco) Call 01207 590303 for more info one vegetable for another to satisfy a the ground. “At the moment, I think we customer’s personal tastes. need to fill the gaps in,” he says. www.ewmotorservices.co.uk Edward says an important part of providing such a personal service is getting G Butterby, Low Butterby Farm, Croxdale, OPEN: MONDAY TO FRIDAY 8.30am to 6.00pm, SATURDAY 9.00am to 5.00pm, customer feedback. “When we listen to the 0191-378 9193, www.butterby.co.uk SUNDAY 11.00am to 4.00pm. Cars shown for illustration only 12 August 2005 http://clients.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/ne_monthly

As families head off for summer holidays abroad, there’s always the problem of where to put the pets they’re leaving behind. SARAH FOSTER checks in for a visit to a canine hotel which offers the ultimate in five-star accommodation for pampered pooches Upmarket pad: the Oriental suite Down at the KITCHENS 75% OFF dog-otel

ITTING in the reception of the Triple While mainly geared towards dogs, the resort also STOCK CLEARANCE ‘A’ Pet Resort in Washington, near Sun- caters for cats and ‘small furries’ like rabbits and derland, I witness one of the day’s first guinea pigs, although it does draw the line at reptiles. Britain’s largest independent kitchen retailer/manufacturer arrivals. It’s a large excitable dog ac- In addition to the boarders, day clients and their own- has its first ever clearance sale - Thousands of kitchens to clear. companied by a smartly dressed man, ers drop in for grooming or a training session in the Examples: and pausing to coo over him (the dog, large arena. There’s a hydrotherapy pool, although Kitchens with solid oak or birch cabinets and doors thatS is), the friendly girl behind the desk proceeds to this is currently out of use, and when it’s time for complete with worktops, sink, tap, appliances and all extras. check him in. She questions the man closely, estab- doggy heaven, a tranquil garden of rest. Cristen ex- SHOULD COST £6000 lishing, among other things, that the dog prefers his plains that while not actually a pet cemetery, this of- tea at 5pm. fers owners the chance to mourn the loss of their faith- ON OFFER FOR £1495 Then comes the crunch – the time for pet and owner ful friend. “Particularly in the summer, people come Kitchens in shaker beech style complete with worktops, sink, tap, to part. The dog lets out a mournful whine, hinting and lay flowers,” she says. stainless steel appliances and all extras. there may be canine histrionics, but to everyone’s re- Dogs’ accommodation comes in three categories: basic, or ‘traditional’ kennels, the more swish ‘dog SHOULD COST £4000 lief, trots happily away for his vacation. While ostensibly, Triple ‘A’ is a boarding kennels, it apartments’ and the crème de la crème, the newly ON OFFER FOR £895 aims to be much more than just that. Based on the phi- opened La Maison des Chiens. losophy that a happy pet means a happy owner, it First on my tour are the dog apartments, where Hundreds of other kitchen styles to choose from including, Adam the Tibetan terrier looks hangdog behind a white, pine, limed oak, maple and much more. Limited stock available. strives to offer the same level of care that animals re- ceive at home. This means not just feeding and wa- grille. Cristen pats him affectionately, explaining that For a free design and plan or for further details tering them, but taking them for walks, playing with he’s a veteran of the kennels’ day creche facility. “His them and, in some cases, even letting them watch TV. owner works and it’s not good to leave a dog at home FREEPHONE: Sales and marketing manager Cristen Seddon ex- for long periods of time – here he gets walks and in- plains that pets’ comfort is the prime concern. “When teraction.” Adam’s apartment is divided into two sec- 0800 0324111 a pet comes in for boarding we do an 18-point health tions – indoors and outdoors – and is individually heat- check. They’re all weighed on a daily basis as well, ed, with UPVC double glazing. which gives a very good indication of the pets’ health. There’s a TV point but no TV, although he can lis- Lines open 9am-8pm They are obviously in a different environment from ten to the radio. “The radio’s always on. It gives the 7 days the one they’re used to being in, so we make records dogs that extra comfort,” says Cristen. Licensed Credit Broker. Written details on request. KITCHENS & WINDOWS of whether they have eaten and how their emotions While less sophisticated, the standard kennels are are so we know how they are coping.” perfectly adequate, housing mainly larger dogs. 13

August 2005 waterbeds http://clients.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/ne_monthly It’s designed for dogs that are used to the Triple ‘A’ Pet Resort Pet and Care Centre, Follingsby Triple ‘A’ Stepping into the smart prefab, it’s clearly much clearly it’s Stepping into the smart prefab, people will accommodate what reason, we “Within usually popularity that it’s Such is the resort’s good life. They’re used to having company and nice soft furnishings... a GG dogs. There’s a real trend at the moment for pampered There’s dogs. he says. pooches,” are papered like more than a mere doghouse. The walls and each ofa hotel’s the four rooms has a different prints in the Sixties pad and with psychedelic style, Chinese ornaments in the Oriental room. The sole oc- on the four- sits serenely who pug, cupant is a tiny £35 a night, For poster bed in the Elizabethan suite. sessions in and two a day walks spoiled Saffi gets two Dinner is a TV. her own the garden, and can watch choice of else she or whatever Pedigree or Cesar, prefers. or unsafe for the unhealthy think it’s – unless we want it comes to pooches’ Cristen. But when says animal,” had a dog that bent. “We rules can be slightly palates, to every a fresh cream cake had to give came in that we of against our philosophy It almost went day. looking Karl admits. after pets,” the solid throughout the summer and already, booked designed seems to be catching option on. “It’s newest used to They’re for dogs that are used to the good life. says and nice soft furnishings,” company having Cristen. “I think there are a lot of dogs in the area that as a member ofare seen not just as a pet, but the fam- best for them.” what’s want and owners ily, 0191-537 7898, www.triple-a- Lane, Washington, pets.co.uk Stateside experience: the Manhattan suite. Left and Stateside experience: with a guest below: one of the staff at Triple ‘A’ “We did some research last year on the types of did some research last year “We dog With its neat landscaped garden, its neat landscaped La Maison des With Chiens immediately stands out. The brainchild of man- to Triple ‘A’, the latest addition it’s Shires, ager Karl for more than 20 has functioned as kennels which ex- the desire to pamper small dogs, says Karl years. him that Hilton, convinced Paris like emplified by stars for a premium pad. a market there was small majority were coming in and the vast that were There’s an unmistakable doggy an unmistakable the residents smell, but There’s The each other. seem content, competing to out-bark cattery with flip charts and clean, is warm recording eating and toilet habits. 14 August 2005 http://clients.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/ne_monthly me and my wardrobe

Clockwise from above: white T-shirt, brown cardigan and Weekend FireX trousers; jacket and skirt from the Love Rosa range; Vicki’s black suit – her work outfit. All Vicki’s clothes are from Oasis as she gets a fantastic work discount!

Vicki Phelps, 25, is manager of recall a coloured poncho which Levi the Oasis outlet store at Dalton the dog now sports on his morning runs. Park at Murton. She likes to be smartly dressed at work but What’s your most expensive outfit? loves to dress down when she A Gucci trouser suit in white satin costing £700 – the only problem is gets home. She is a real I’m scared to wear it, especially at outdoors type and loves walking any functions with red wine on the menu, which as you can imagine is her dog, Levi. She is also very limiting! learning to paraglide What are your favourite shops? Oasis, of course, and Coast and Karen Millen to complement How would you describe your look? brands such as Logo and Pilot. I like to look smart but chic while at work. My key pieces are suits Who’s your favourite well-dressed coupled with brightly coloured tops celbrity? and some great looking accessories Nell McAndrew has to be my to finish off and give that flash of chosen one. She mixes smart and colour, especially in the colours of Magnet EASTMOUNT casual while always managing to this year, the greens and blues WE look great. ARE which go with my blonde colouring. HERE ROAD Reg Dalton Park is just off the A19 at Vardy What’s your favourite item of Renault Murton. Contact 0191 526 5163 or VALLEY STREET clothing? visit www.dalton-park.co.uk NORTH ROAD CHESNUT RD I have a fabulous jacket and skirt ST TON GH from the New Love Rosa range at RUSSELL RUSSELL AU ST ST H RING ROAD I especially Bannatynes Oasis designed by a new up-and- coming star called Anne Louise a Roswald. Her designs are funky, recall a flirty, big bold prints. They are clothes to be seen in. coloured poncho

What has been your worst buy? which Levi the dog Those items that you buy on impulse which look great in the now sports on his heat of the shopping hunt... but repentance is high. I especially morning runs http://clients.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/ne_monthly August 2005 15 out on the town

NE Magazine’s style experts, Judie McCourt and Allison McKay, take to the social honeypots of the region in search of style and individuality McCourt KELLY SWALES MARK EDDY CHARLOTTE EDDY JOANNE PYBUS & McKay

ARK Eddy wanted his 40th birth- but he also enjoys Robbie Williams and older day to be a “life begins” event and dance music. decided to start right away by doing KELLY SWALES G TV and radio presenter Judie McCourt and celebrity something life affirming and CHARLOTTE EDDY KELLY is 29-years-old and an area retail manager. She M hair and make-up artist Allison worthwhile. So Mark and his wife Charlotte got MARK’S 26-year-old wife looked stunning in a wore a beautiful dress from Elouni in Darlington’s McKay, run AM Creative together with our good selves to organise a ball peacock blue dress by Emma Somerset in Har- Grange Road. She has an amazing figure and although Productions, which specialises in aid of Century FM’s charity 21st Century rogate. The dress flowed with individual petal- she never diets or goes to the gym, she likes Latin music in creative and social event Kids. like details in shimmering chiffon. When not and salsa dancing, which are great ways to keep fit. management and PR It was a glamorous affair with 210 guests in indulging in ballgowns Charlotte likes brows- amcreativeproductions.com a beautiful marquee overlooking the presti- ing through Primark for a bargain and apart gious Wynyard Golf course. Bill Steel was host from that, if she likes something she buys it and guests were greeted with champagne and regardless of the label. Charlotte is a low main- smooth jazz from the Jazztones. Show stoppers tenance girl but when it comes to hair she rec- 4 for 1 created a rush to the dance floor belting ommends leaving it to the professionals out popular dance tunes with magnificent har- LINDSEY LEAKE monic voices, leaving Lightforce disco a revved- SAUL KENNEDY & up crowd. Auctioneer/comedian Mick Miller LINDSEY LEAKE had guests roaring with laughter and helped ANDREW TURNER raise a whopping £7050. SAUL Kennedy and Andrew Turner rebelled slightly over the black tie traditional suit but LINDSEY LEAKE Summer Sale MARK EDDY still looked very smart. LINDSEY LEAKE Saul wore a Ben Sherman suit, a shirt by Guide MARK looked very smart in a Marks & Spencer in London and shoes by Front. He likes to shop Now On! suit. He is the manager of The Black Bull in LINDSEY LEAKE in Leggs in Darlington as it has a good mix of Yarm and although he doesn’t get much time contemporary clothes. Saul doesn’t have time to shop he usually finds affordable quality and LINDSEY LEAKE to keep fit – his three-year-old daughter does Fantastic style in Reiss, French Connection and Jasper that for him – and he drinks plenty of water to Conran at Debenhams. Mark recommends keep him healthy. To keep an uplifting mood using a UV skin protector every day, his reductions Saul listens to 80s and 90s soul. favourite being Clinique for men. The CD he is Andrew, 34, is a senior engineer. He likes to listening to at the moment is by the Razorlights on all Spring/Summer be a bit different and finds Ebay a great way to find unusual items and bargains. Andrew’s collections - nicole farhi shirt was by Diesel and although not formal oska wear, it looked really fab as it had a ruffle de- tail down the front. His trousers were from Re- shirin guild play and he borrowed his shoes from his mate Saul as he is normally a more casual dresser. crea He recommends if you have ginger hair you sonja marohn should keep it short, cut it yourself and let your girlfriend finish it. Andrew likes a wide range birkenstock of music but has recently become to appreciate the stuff his parents listened to like Dire Straits ghost and Simon and Garfunkel. joseph JOANNE PYBUS mulberry JOANNE, 25, is a retail manager/buyer for View and Van Mildert. jane norris Her experience really showed in her choice sand of outfit. The colour complemented her skin tone and hair colour and the dress was very well accessorised. The dress and headband was from Van Mildert and designed by See by Chloe, the shoes from &Eve in Yarm, bag from View womenswear and jewellery from Accessorise. Joanne’s favourite shops are View, Van Mildert, Top Shop and Primark. To look good Joanne recommends in investing in a good fake tan, leave conditioner on your hair for as long as SAUL KENNEDY & possible and accessorising well with outfits. 21-23 Acorn Road, Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne Tel: 0191 281 7855 ANDREW TURNER Joanne’s favourite music of the moment is 115-117 High Street, Yarm, Cleveland Tel: 01642 785 342 Snoop Dogg, Nelly and R&B. www.theconservatory.uk.com 16 August 2005 http://clients.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/ne_monthly motoring Inject more open your mind. passion into your life for less. smart passion forfour 5 door

Cute and quirky, mean and moody While rumours abound about the future of the innovative Smart range, parent company DaimlerChrysler has been reassuring IAN LAMMING that the brand is here to stay

Smart Forfour happily trundled 23,000 miles all over the country on all manner of roads. It now also boasts AST, fun and funky, I loved the Smart the cheapest insurance rating you can get, 1E, in all its guises from the minute it and is becoming hot property on the second 1 was now stepped on to the world stage. It hand market where it is being snapped up by dared to be different, was a hoot to the kids. Fdrive and brought a collective smile Forfour has new models at either end of the to the faces of the population. It still does so spectrum; a cheapo version that drops some of £10,370 £8,995 today, the only sneers coming from corporate the electronic wizardry and power but gains an accountants because it doesn’t make any extra seatbelt (so should it now be called For- money. five?) and a fire-breathing Brabus. The reason for that is that Smarts are jolly Brabus has a nice little tuning factory in Ger- expensive to produce but have to be sold at a many that spends it days giving the various relatively cheap price in order to persuade the Smarts rather fetching sticky-on sporty bits masses they are a good idea. Ask anyone who and a bit more kick in the tail. The UK loves the 2 has one and they will tell you they are. In fact, final product and for the third year running is save ask me? I’ve got a nice little ivory and black the biggest customer. Fortwo as a company car and think it’s Forfour enters the factory all cute and quirky adorable. but comes out the other end all mean and The future has been uncertain though be- moody with bigger alloys, side skirts, lowered ,375 cause while they have sold 45,000 Smarts in this suspension, deeper airdam and a rear spoiler. £1 country, parents DaimlerChrysler haven’t sold It also gets bigger brakes, sportier suspen- enough globally to keep the bean counters sion and the best steering wheel I have had the happy. But Smart executives remain optimistic privilege to grasp. It is pure Formula One car, and even made the journey North to reassure oddly shaped and massively chunky. It’s fabu- top of the range the media that the Smart has a future and a lous. bright one at that. And I believe them because Add in sports seats and a 1.5 turbo charged 3 specification includes: the head of Smart UK is a nice Geordie boy four cylinder engine provided by the Mit- from Gateshead called Jeremy Simpson. • 51.4 mpg • panoramic glass roof • radio/cd player subishi Colt CZT and the recipe is perfect for a There is, however, some sad and bitterly iron- lot of fun. Brabus engineers have given a poky • air conditioning • central locking • immobiliser & ic news to report: the delectable roadster/road- engine even more poke (up from 150 to 177bhp) alarm • alloy wheels • ESP • power steering ster-coupe is doomed and won’t be sold or even making the Forfour a spirited drive. made after this year. It is a particularly bitter Ride, handling and road holding are more pill as the UK is by far the best market and sales than a match for the power hike and the Brabus TYPICAL APR 9.2% are up compared with a slump in the sports car is fantastic fun to drive while remaining prac- 43 payments of ...... £144.00 segment. tical, spacious and thoroughly modern. It’s a 4 First initial monthly payment of ...... £314.00 To make it worse still, the last run of Road- great addition to the range and goes some way sters is the best yet with uprated engines, Term of agreement ...... 44 months towards sweetening the demise of the classic clutches, gearboxes and specs. They tell me it roadster. On the road cash price ...... £8,995.00 will be a modern classic and I’ve no reason to Whether any of this will make a difference Customer deposit ...... £399.03 doubt them. They are even producing 400 extra only the buying public can say, but the brand Charge for credit ...... £2,090.03 sporty Brabus versions after the factory has has an 85 per cent customer satisfaction rate Optional final payment...... £4,180.00 stopped production. But the powers that be in so it must be well on the way to success. Total amount payable ...... £11,085.03 Europe have decided that Smart’s future lies with the 8ft long Fortwo and more conven- tional, by Smart’s standards, Forfour. I spotted a Fortwo the other week with a ForFours available from £7,295 sticker on the back that said “Made by Mer- cedes” and it’s true. To emphasise the point, smart of Stockton-on-Tees Mercedes and Smart in future will share brand Concorde Way, Yarm Road, pylons outside their dealers. Stockton-on-Tees TS18 3RB. Fortwo reigns supreme in our traffic-choked Tel. 0871 288 2671 towns and cities, though our little number has www.smartofstocktonontees.co.uk SMART RANGE FUEL CONSUMPTION IN MPG (1/100KM): URBAN 36.7 (7.7) - 55.8 (6.3), EXTRA-URBAN 56.5 (5.0) - 65.7 (4.3), COMBINED 47.1 (6.0) - 55.4 (5.1). 113 - 143 - G/KM OF CO2. Vehicle shown for illustration purposes only. Price includes VAT, delivery, number plates, first registration fee and 12 months' IN ASSOCIATION WITH road fund licence. A £95 administration fee is included within the first monthly payment. Finance is subject to status from Smart of Stockton. All information correct at time of going to print subject to change without notice.Failure to repay could damage the customers credit record. http://clients.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/ne_monthly August 2005 17 New face with THE NEW, EVEN CLEVERER ZAFIRA Britain’s No.1 MPV just got better. plenty of character

This is the car that caught the public’s attention because of its natty seats. The new Zafira has a lot Clever family cars from Vauxhall

more than Official Government Fuel Consumption Figures mpg (litres/100km) and CO 2 Emissions (g/km): Zafira SRi 2.2i 16v 5dr: urban 23.9(11.8), extra-urban 42.8(6.6), combined 33.2(8.5), CO 2 204. that going 5 star EuroNCAP rating relates to adult occupation protection (vaux27469) for it DRIVE AWAY AN SXi FOR UNDER £100 Vauxhall Zafira 1.9CDTi without having to compromise other areas. It’s easy enough to produce a minibus but a AMILY all right?” asks the little minibus isn’t necessarily great to drive or ‘dad’ in the Vauxhall television look at. The Zafira can perform like a van or advert. “Aye,” replies his equally a bus but looks like a big car with the driving ‘Fdiminutive father figure friend in dynamics to match. the driveway. And they certainly will be when On the road it is truly excellent to drive. they take a look at what Vauxhall has done The test car’s 120bhp diesel is refined, pow- to the popular Zafira. erful and frugal in equal measure. It has a The medium-sized people carrier has had nice feel to it and the mid range is vast, mak- a thorough going over courtesy of the tech- ing it excellent in overtakes as you jaunt nical and styling bods at GM. The result is a cross-country. car that looks liked a pumped-up Astra and On the straight stuff it cruises quietly and is none the worse for its transformation. will easily return more than 40 miles per gal- All told, the corporate Vauxhall look is lon. The ride is superb, as are handling and Vauxhall Choices (credit finance) example Corsa SXi 1.2i 16v 3dr pretty good. The new faces boast plenty of levels of grip. It’s a vehicle that is as happy Corsa SXi Your deposit payment£0 Deposit £1094 Term 39 monthsVauxhall contribution*£1094 character and the 3D effect lights give the on the twisty roads as it is on the straights. • £0 deposit 36 monthly payments of £185 On-the-road price £10280 aesthetics depth and appeal. The buying pub- In town it does feel large and the turning 1 monthly payment £275 Total amount payable £11048 lic probably isn’t aware of it but old anoraks circle definitely could be better. Two o’clock • Free insurance 19+** 1 monthly payment £274 Amount of credit £9186 like me can see the reason behind it – maxi- vision is also limited thanks to a thick front • Free S at N av Final payment to buy^ £2745 Charges for credit £767.83 pillar, so care needs to be taken when pulling % mum sales. 3.99 Typical APR out from roundabouts. Nothing wrong with that, of course; sales These two great sporty SXi models now come with stunning summer offers. For the Corsa SXi mean profits, profits lead to development and The gearbox has a delightful action being there’s free Sat Nav (Tom Tom GO 300 Portable Navigator), free insurance and now Vauxhall will we all get better cars. And that’s what has both light and positive and the clutch is light even pay your deposit. With £99 insurance and £99 deposit for the gorgeous New Astra Sport happened with Zafira; it’s got a whole lot too. Brakes are fine and the Zafira couldn’t Hatch SXi. Both models are available with Vauxhall Choices finance at only 3.99% APR so you can now enjoy a sporty drive for less. better. be easier to drive – it’s almost child’s play. The original caught the public’s attention Inside, the cabin gets the corporate treat- because of the natty seats. Vauxhall calls ment too and apes the Astra and Vectra. The them Flex7 because they are extremely flex- sense of quality is astounding for the class ible and there are seven of them – original of car and the plastics feature a nice grain eh? and are spongy to touch but with the overall It has to be said they are rather good, feeling of solidity. though. One minute Zafira can be a van with Being Vauxhall there are dozens of models a flat-load bay free from clutter, the next the to choose from with petrol, diesel and trim perches are pulled from within the floor and levels that abound. There’s even a hot hatch it becomes a people carrier capable of trans- VXR version packing a 240PS turbo-charged porting seven in decent comfort. In between wallop. all this there is a bewildering number of com- The new Zafira has everything going for it binations as the seats fold, tilt and slide. Flex- and little to stand it its way. It’s not only a Vauxhall Choices (credit finance) example New Astra Sport Hatch SXi 1.4i 16v 3dr ible indeed. car little dads can be proud of but all the New Astra Your deposit payment£99 Deposit £1317 Zafira also manages to be hugely practical grown-up motorists too. Term 39 monthsVauxhall contribution#£1218 Sport Hatch SXi 36 monthly payments of £239 On-the-road price £14175 1 monthly payment £329 Total amount payable £15303 • £99 deposit 1 monthly payment £328 Amount of credit £12858 Final payment to buy^ £4725 Charges for credit £1128 • £99 insurance*** % 3.99 Typical APR Official Government Fuel Consumption Figures mpg (litres/ 100km) and CO 2 Emissions (g/km): Corsa SXi 1.2i 16v 3dr: urban 36.2(7.8), extra-urban 61.4(4.6), combined 48.7(5.8), CO 2 139. Typical New Astra Sport Hatch SXi 1.4i 16v 3dr: urban 34.4(8.2), extra- urban 54.3(5.2), combined 44.8(6.3), CO 2 151 Prices shown are on-the-road and include any customer savings. Savings shown based on RRP. Models sh own have metallic paint available as an option for £335. *Includes £344 from participating retailers. #Includes £318 from participating retailers. ^Fin al payment to buy subject to contracted maximum mileage. Conditions apply. Written quotations available on request from GMAC, 19 Chapel Street, Luton LU1 2SE . Finance applicants must be 18 or over. Finance subject to status, a guarantee and/or idemnity may be required. **1 year’s free insurance available to drive rs aged 19-80 (19-20 when purchased on Vauxhall Choices credit finance only and excludes N.Ireland). Excess applies of between £250 and £500 dependent on ag e and residence. ***£99 insurance available to drivers aged 25-80. Excess applies of between £250 and £300 dependent on age and residence. Insurance subjec t to eligibility, status, terms and conditions. Offers are available for orders placed between 05.07.05 and 30.09.05, subject to availability, and are availabl e to private individuals and small businesses 1-24 (purchase only). All other sales catergories are excluded. Offers may not apply to all retailer stocks. UK-sup plied vehicles only.

www.patrick-vauxhall.co.uk Patrick of Stockton 01642 633333 Concorde Way, Stockton-on-Tees Patrick of Durham 0191 3750000 Abbey Road, Durham 18 August 2005 http://clients.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/ne_monthly ChipA gadget man

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SONY DVD RECORDER destination. The M300 is even water ONGRATULATIONS to Sony for resistant so it’s perfect for extreme being the first to market with a sports types who hit the surf regularly. standalone DVD recorder Ccapable of writing to dual layer SONY NAS-CZ1 discs. What does this mean? Even better IT may have an unwieldy name but this picture quality or – if you are prepared super Sony is the coolest looking CD to accept lower resolution pictures – a player in ages. It can even link up to a PC whopping 16 hours on each disc. and play MP3 files through its high Other manufacturers will undoubtedly quality speakers. follow suit (Philips announced a similar machine in January but doubt now BLUE DELTA SMART SCART surrounds its introduction) but, for now, IT’S a real problem for people with older the best DVD recorder is made by Sony. TVs – how do you plug all your fancy kit An 80GB hard disk version costs around into the back. This handy little device £400. from those boffins at Blue Delta changes one SCART socket into four. It also has a PIONEER DCS-333 “loop through” facility so you can watch SETTING up a home cinema system can a DVD and record from Sky at the same be a nightmare. The new Pioneer “all in time. It also accepts high quality RGB one” borrows a nifty feature from high signals and is fully automatic. Simply end amps and it makes getting the plug your kit in and forget about speakers balanced an absolute breeze. swapping SCARTs ever again. Price: £35 The Optimal Surround Setup system from www.bluedelta.co.uk. uses a tiny microphone to measure a handclap in the room where it is to be set SKY+ 160 up. It compares the sound and calculates ALREADY the best way to watch telly, the room acoustics – setting everything Sky has lumped an even bigger hard disk up automatically and giving the best into the Sky+ box so you can store many cinema surround experience. What’s more hours of recorded programming. more, the DCS-333 costs less than £300. You’ll never have to watch a repeat again (unless you want to) although the £399 LOBSTER MOBILES price is a bit steep (older Sky+ boxes cost TRUST the trendies at Virgin to call just £149). their phones Lobsters, leading to all the “Is that a Lobster in your pocket or are ONE TO BEWARE… you just pleased to see me…” jokes. Still Massive demand has seen the price of these new mobiles do look mighty funky DVD recorders fall to bargain basement – even if I’ll never trade one for my prices. It’s now perfectly possible to pick Orange Sony 910i PDA smartphone. up a recorder for less than £100 but I’d Sorry. urge caution before you do. This technology is very difficult to do right NAVMAN M300 and you tend to get what you pay for. I’ve GETTING lost is no laughing matter. tried several “cheapies” and all of them That’s why satellite navigation had problems with lip-synch, frame drop- equipment is so popular these days. The outs or system crashes. Better to stick M300 costs a touch under £120 yet comes with one of the big names – Panasonic, fully equipped to guide you to your Toshiba and Sony – than take a chance. http://clients.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/ne_monthly August 2005 19

Vintage fashion is a great way to keep your wardrobe looking both stylish and individual. Women’s Editor LINDSAY JENNINGS meets a businesswoman whose love for all things vintage has led to a new career

Vintage clothes fan Nadia Clark with some of her finds Pictures: ANDY LAMB Something old

ADIA Clark is standing in the door- has an array of trendy slogan t-shirts and way waiting to greet me and is jackets. wearing a shirt which she could Many of her pieces have been handmade but have plucked straight from the there are a number of recognisable names on Nspring/summer 2005 catwalks. the rails including Biba, Christian Dior, Diane It is a beautiful sheer top, featuring a bold, von Furstenberg and Halston, who used to de- tropical print, which she has teamed with a pair sign for Bianca Jagger and the Studio 54 crowd. of black knee-length shorts from Topshop and She also has a fabulous collection of acces- black suede 1940s heels from Portobello Market sories, including big sunglasses, beaded hand- in London. bags, belts and hats. “Oh this,” she laughs, tugging at the shirt. The successful way to wear vintage, says “This actually used to belong to my dad. He Nadia, is by adding an individual bag or belt to used to wear it all the time in the 60s. It’s all a look, or mixing high street and designer items hand-painted, you can’t even get them like this with vintage skirts and tops. “You can get it these days.” wrong if you go head-to-toe vintage,” she shud- It comes as no surprise that 26-year-old ders. “You can look really horrendous. Nadia, of Sunderland, loves all things vintage. And even though the pieces are up to 80 years But what is surprising is that she initially fol- old, they can still fit in with fashion today – like lowed her head instead of her heart, opting to her dad’s 1960s print shirt. study law at Northumbria University before “I try to see what’s on the catwalk and buy working for solicitors Ward Hadaway in accordingly so people who are really into their Newcastle. fashion still feel in fashion,” says Nadia. “As much as I had a great time, my heart was- Key looks for the future could come from film n’t really in it,” she admits. “I’d always loved re-makes of old favourites such as the touted fashion and when I was at Ward Hadaway, I big screen remake of the glamorously kitsch would do a bit of personal shopping for people American soap Dallas. there and I loved it.” “We could all be wearing shoulder pads again A career in fashion came when Nadia’s dad, soon,” laughs Nadia, who sources a great deal Peter, developed prostate cancer. Thankfully, of her collection in America. he is now on the mend, but the experience im- Sourcing is a part of the job she loves most, bued her with a “life’s too short” attitude and hearing the stories behind the gems she picks she gave up her legal work for a job as a style up. One American society doyenne who threw advisor with Topshop. fantastic cocktail parties in Texas had some “I knew pretty much straight away that fash- fantastic pieces which Nadia snapped up from ion, and especially vintage clothing, was where the 1950s and 1960s. “It’s fantastic to hear about I wanted to be,” she says. “I’ve always liked to the people who owned them,” she says. dress differently. My fashion nightmare is to go Nadia sells clothing in a range of sizes, al- somewhere where someone else has the same though she tends to stay away from trousers for outfit on as me. That’s something you’re never women. “With women’s shapes changing over going to find with vintage clothing”. the years, it’s hard to get good fit in trousers As well as her dad’s 1960s shirt, Nadia also now,” she says. raided her mum’s wardrobe for vintage finds She also offers a personal shopping and and every time she went to London or abroad, styling service where she can help in wardrobe she would bring back suitcases full of clothing overhauls – a bit like Trinny and Susannah, but from markets and vintage shops. much nicer – working with whatever budget With her burgeoning collection, she they can afford. Her clients so far have ranged launched her own mail order company, Joe from an 18-year-old wanting a new wardrobe to Prince Vintage, in April, selling vintagewear a 40-year-old divorcee in desperate need of a from the decadent 1920s to the disco-themed new look. She also does gift shopping, for peo- 1970s and early 1980s. Her workshop, based at ple who have the money, but not the time, to the Sunderland Enterprise Park, is packed with find special gifts. her finds, from a handmade 1970s tropical print It is a long way from her days as a solicitor, dress (£120) and off-white sequinned 1950s prom but Nadia has no regrets about making the dress (£100), to a kitsch early 1980s lemon dress leap. (£35) and a delicate 1920s peach silk and lace “I love fashion and it’s fantastic to be able to bed jacket (£45), which would look fantastic have a career in it,” she says. with jeans. One piece, a beautiful 1920s metal dress (£200), was actually found by her mum in G Visit Joe Prince at www.joeprince.co.uk a vintage store in the 1960s. For the men, she or contact Nadia on 0191-5166868 http://clients.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/ne_monthly 20 August 2005

Dubai rides high for Don’t be left empty-handed hols in 2006 F you want to be ahead backs from the horrors of the of fashion in the holiday Boxing Day tsunami. Igame in 2006, get the There are also big rises for when disaster strikes brochures for Sri Lanka, Oman, up to number eight, Kenya and Tanzania Bali (up from 19 to ninth) – and even the Caribbean, (including Zanzibar) with new HOME and everything inside it are based on new for old,” says Veronica. where Barbados in particular Now is the five star hotels on the way; the most valuable items most people If you’re lucky enough to have silver collec- and Namibia, with wilderness has made huge strides in will ever own, so insuring them is a tions, expensive antiques and original artworks camps and lodges offering regaining premium business. time to make must whether you’re an owner or a it might be worth considering a “high net worth exclusive accommodation in Mauritius takes the sure your tenant. policy”. truly remote settings. That’s number one slot as the A While the winter throws up its fair share of But if your most precious items extend to a the advice of market leader favourite place for weddings home and its crises, from burst pipes to roofs blown off in the few pieces of valuable jewellery and one or two Kuoni, in its latest survey of – followed by Sri Lanka, gales, the summer presents a new set of poten- paintings, you can still take out a normal home what’s “hot” in long haul. Antigua, Australia, Tobago contents are Closer to home, says and St Lucia. protected tial problems, from burglary to DIY disasters. contents policy as long as you list the expensive Kuoni, Morocco’s private For honeymoons, Thailand With the array of home policies on offer these items separately. riads and stylish hotels are takes pole position – while you’re days and confusion over the value of homes, how “As a rule of thumb anything worth over all the rage with affluent jet- followed by the Maldives, can you be sure your property and its contents £1,500 should be noted,” advises Veronica. “As setters. Dubai, Mauritius, Malaysia away on are covered adequately if the worst happens? long as the sums insured is adequate for your In 2005, says Kuoni, the and Indonesia. holiday. The buildings part of your home insurance – contents and any extra special items, you don’t big star is Dubai – thanks to The survey has been known as ‘building sums insured’ – is the easier need to insure the valuable pieces on separate high-quality hotels coupled compiled for the launch of SARAH part to work out. policies. However, you do need to specify them with flights from airlines Kuoni’s World Class 2006 Veronica Ryan, retail operations manager at to your insurer.” including Emirates, British brochure, which includes free FRENCH BiB insurance brokers in Darlington, says: “The She also recommends keeping all receipts and Airways and now Etihad, via flights with British Airways reports on main thing to remember is that when you’re serial numbers for electronic and electrical Abu Dhabi. Emirates, the from eight local airports – asked to estimate the rebuilding costs of your items and taking photographs of items in situ Dubai-based airline, recently Aberdeen, Edinburgh, where to home this does not mean its value in terms of as proof of ownership. confirmed plans to build a Glasgow, Inverness, Isle of what you paid for it or how much you think it’s A popular extension to a typical contents pol- new £115m, five star luxury Man, Jersey, Manchester and begin to get worth. It literally means how much it would cost icy is known as “all risks” or “personal posses- hotel in Dubai, set to open in Newcastle – to connect with your house to rebuild it.” sions” cover. This will cover personal belong- 2008. international flights from The best answer is to ask a builder or survey- ings, clothes and valuables you take out of the Second place in Kuoni’s London. insurance in or to estimate this for you. house, for example on holiday, or are taken by long-haul favourites league order If you have a mortgage with a building soci- students to university. goes to Thailand, and third to Call (01306) 747 001 or ety they will advise you on how much to insure Veronica says: “If you have this extension to the Maldives – both showing visit www.kuoni.co.uk/ your property for because they have a vested in- your contents policy you may qualify for up to rapid and admirable bounce- worldclass terest in it. 15 per cent off your travel insurance so it’s worth Veronica says the name of your lender should telling your provider. That’s where a broker can also be listed on your insurance schedule. “If help because we will cross reference all your you change your insurance company or your policies and tell you where you can save money.” lender you should also provide your mortgage SAMPLE MENU provider with a copy of your insurance sched- F you lose your camera abroad, however, it’s ule,” she adds. not possible to claim twice on your personal STARTER Some building societies will tie you into their Ipossessions and travel policies since each Twice Baked Swiss Cheese home insurance policy for a year and some may claim form will ask you to declare any other Soufflé charge a fee if you move to another insurance cover you have in place. Losses rarely covered provider. Brokers have access to a full range of by contents policies include damage caused by MAIN COURSE policies and providers who will often pay the fee pets, bikes left unsecured outside and damaged Ribeye Steak, for you to get your business. computer games. Parillada Chimichori, Standard buildings insurance covers all the Finally, Veronica advises against having your Crushed Potatoes main perils including fire, flood, storms, earth- buildings insurance with one provider and con- and Red Wine quake, lightning strikes and explosion as well as tents with another. damage caused by vandals, subsidence, falling “A lot of claims cover both,” she says. “For ex- DESSERT trees and aerials. Various add-ons are available ample, if your home is flooded you’d be making Raspberry Crème such as accidental damage cover, which would two claims if you had two policies – one for the Bruleé cover your property if you were in the loft and building and the other for carpets, furniture and dropped something through the ceiling or you other contents. For a start you’ll have to pay two cracked the bath. excesses and two separate insurers might argue There are various ways to qualify for premi- over who is responsible for what.” um discounts including having a home alarm G BiB (01325) 353888. system, high grade locks, being in a Neighbour- hood Watch area and being a non-smoker. If you decide you want to work from home or if you’re planning a long holiday, you must in- Website bargains form your insurer as it’s likely you won’t be covered under your normal policy. for latecomers 110 High Street, Yarm When it comes to contents insurance, we all have to become amateur valuers to work out UNDREDS of thousands of packages are what everything costs. Hstill unsold for summer 2005, says the First you need to separate off items which will website Latedeals.com – and 53 per cent of be covered by your buildings insurance – in sim- families who haven’t booked yet will find a last minute deal on the Internet. ple terms anything you can take away consti- Latedeals.com packages range from basic OPEN tutes contents, so a fitted kitchen or non-free self-catering to luxury suites in five star standing bathroom fittings fall under buildings hotel – with a search facility which enables 10 - 12.30 insurance. you to prioritise your search according to Estimating the replacement cost of the con- price, airport, departure date, tour operator, and tents of your home is the tricky part. Unless destination, accommodation board basis you’ve kept every single receipt it’s unlikely 5.30 - 9.30 and grade. See how the site works by you’ll get it right, and even then you need to con- clicking the “demo option” on the home sider the current prices of replacing everything page of the website at www.latedeals.com. Monday - Saturday with new, not what your old stuff cost you. Another self-catering specialist, Holiday- Brokers can’t tell you what the value is, but Rentals-com, has a new last minute section and one Sunday some insurers offer a “bedroom rated policy” – divided into next week departures and two, every month based on the number of bedrooms in your prop- three and four weeks ahead. Its three price erty. This usually amounts to cover worth categories are below £500, below £1,000 £35,000-£50,000 based on a typical family home. and below £1,500. The site includes 12,000 “It may be sufficient to cover everything you properties, ranging from a central Parisian 01642 788558 have but it’s still worth doing the exercise of to- apartment to luxury villas in the Canaries. talling up everything and working out its value http://clients.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/ne_monthly August 2005 21

IN ASSOCIATION WITH connections

LIFE COACH TRUSTING LIFE THERE is a flow to life. It’s very hard to see sometimes but where you are in your life right now is where you need to be. If you are experiencing a difficult Stunning scenery. Right: the cable up to the Table period, ask yourself what you are learning from the experience? Difficult as this may be, it is through adversity that we learn courage, strength and compassion for others. Often it’s not until we have experienced difficult times ourselves that we appreciate what Cape someone else is going through. Trusting that there is a reason for all things in life takes faith in the process of life itself. “There are only two ways to live crusaders your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is.” IAN LAMMING heads south to Cape Town – Albert Einstein [email protected]; Tel: for some sunshine, and finds echoes of (01748) 823010; home everywhere he goes

IVE movies, four meals and three naps which it is named don’t exist, there is a colony of after leaving the North-East and you ar- African penguins and you should spot some rive at the southernmost tip of a differ- springbok. FACTORY 50 SIGNAL ent continent. Go any further south and Back to shore and Table Mountain begs you to DIRECT you may not fall off the edge of the conquer its heights, well at least from the safety BEDS & PINE Fworld but you won’t hit land again for 4,000 miles of the cable car which carries you to 4,000ft above and even then it will be the polar ice cap. sea level. SAVE POUNDS - SQUADRON Yet walk through the door of your luxury suite Once on top you can wander forever, taking in BUY DIRECT FROM at the Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town and, the glorious views of Clifton’s beaches down THE FACTORY The Bradford Armoury, strangely, you don’t feel far from home, despite below, while the geckos and dassies (small furry Quality Neasham Road, DARLINGTON , being 6,300 miles away. creatures whose closest relative, strangely, is the Pine Beds, Furniture Co Durham Switch on the TV and, lo and behold, Middles- elephant) play happily beneath your feet. The sky FREE LOCAL DELIVERY & Mattresses and TA Centre, Debdon Gardens, brough are playing Newcastle. Flip channels and is clear and blue in typical Cape Town fashion but U nit 5, First Avenue, Drum Ind. Est. NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE there’s Darlington MP Alan Milburn; again and a cloud does loom overhead in the form of safety warnings. According to the locals, rapists, Chester-le-Street, Tel: 0191 4109994 there’s a documentary about Darlington’s infa- Branches also at: Washington, Tel: 0191 4175277 Have fun and get paid for it mous cannibal killer. vagabonds and thieves lie in wait and it’s always Low Fell, Gateshead, Tel: 0191 4871414 recommended that journeys are made by car, Contact us anytime at the above It’s a small world. Chester-le-Street Store YOU NEED THE address or telephone us on Even the headquarters for the Orient Express however short. Take plenty of cash to pay for Open: Mon-Thurs 9-5; Fri 9-4 Sat 10-4; Closed Sunday group that owns the Mount Nelson is back in Lon- taxis. Washington Store Darlington 01325 356539 don and the hotel has played host to a fair few Even the city centre is threatening and not Open: Mon-Fri 9.30-4.30; Sat 10-4.30 Sun 11-4 TA or Newcastle 0191 265 6180 Brits in its time, including Winston Churchill and worth the worry but the tourist haunts such as Lord Kitchener. the Clocktower, Victoria and Alfred Waterfront TERRITORIAL ARMY www.army.mod.uk/royalsignals/34sigregt That said, the “Nelly”, as it is affectionately and Stellenbosch Botanical Gardens are safe and known in Cape Town, had become a bit decrepit not to be missed. until Orient Express got its hands on it. The clien- Venture further still to Cape Point nature re- The George Hotel Caravan tele were equally aged. serve, either on an organised tour or by hiring a Lots of new and exciting tile ranges now Storage Orient Express had its work cut out changing car, and you won’t be disappointed. The scenery Piercebridge in stock all that and has done a rather splendid job, some- is breathtaking; white sand beaches, sheer cliffs, UNDER how retaining all the charm, character and pink azure sea combine with wildlife such as ostrich, 10% DISCOUNT paintwork while blending it with the modern and bontebok, eland, baboon, springbok, snakes and, ON PRODUCTION OF COVER the trendy. It now attracts the likes of Donald if you’re lucky, zebra, to make for an unforget- THIS COUPON Spennymoor area Sutherland, Oprah Winfrey, Samuel L Jackson, table trip. U nit 2G, D rum I nd E state , Tiger Woods and Jean-Paul Gaultier. Travel up the east side of the Cape to Boulders C hester-le- S treet 24-hr Security This bastion of colonial days now has what is Beach at Simonstown and you can add more de- ( opp B atleys ) Registered with reputed to be the best afternoon tea table in the lightful but vocal African penguin to your mini tel ephone: Caravan Owners Club (0191) 4920073 world with a happening champagne cocktail bar safari. (07985) 460162 Grab lunch en route, choosing some superb Open Mon-Fri 10-5 pm (01388) 818436 that is a magnate for the world’s beautiful young Sat 10-4 pm things, especially on a Friday night. I include my- local seafood which tastes as good as it sounds – kingclip, musselcracker – it’s no wonder the great self in that of course, and despite being teetotal, High Quality I did become addicted to the chocolate strawber- white shark chooses the cool waters of the Cape Planning a Wedding? of Good Hope to make its home. ry shortcake cocktail. Somewhere that will cater for all your needs The stomach gets off to a fine start with break- A decent night’s sleep sees the happy traveller and expectations? Window Tint ing fast on the terrace in the morning sun and against back in Europe – KLM flies direct to Cape Town Somewhere that has the perfect settings and for Conservatories, etc a backdrop of Table Mountain. Walking through from Schipol, Amsterdam, just a short hop from surroundings? look cool and sharp Durham Tees Valley airport. And because there’s Somewhere that will make your memories improve security and safety the pristine gardens offers the first glimpse of last a lifetime? what Cape Town has in store. The mountain back- very little time difference, you land curiously free film blocks 99% of sun’s UV rays drop to the hotel is simply stunning; all sense of of jetlag, despite the 12-hour haul back home. If this is your idea of the perfect wedding come and reduce interior trim fading and cracking speak to our wedding co-ordinator - Judith Dye scale is lost on the monolith. It dominates the sky- create and maintain your privacy choice of colours - professional installation line no matter where you are, even 11km out in For more information on the Mount Nelson Just give us a call and arrange a time, whenever is visit www.mountnelsonhotel.orient- suitable for you the bay from Robben Island, Nelson Mandela’s in- The Tint Shop @ Monaghans famous prison home and now just a day trip away. express.com, e-mail T: 01325 374576 F: 01325 374577 email: [email protected] 142 North Road (opposite Morrisons), Now a museum and nature reserve, the island [email protected] or telephone Darlington 01325 357028 is truly atmospheric and while the seals after +27 (0)21 483 1000 website: www.thegeorgehotelpiercebridge.co.uk http://clients.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/ne_monthly 22 August 2005 competition WIN a superb signed cutlery set

HERE’S nothing better than sitting MetroCentre where you can explore the the following down to a beautifully laid dinner very latest designs. To celebrate, we’ve question: Ttable. According to celebrity designer, teamed up with them to offer one lucky Which leading Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, pictured below, reader the chance to win a set of Arthur brand of one of the most important items on the Price Orb cutlery, designed and signed by cutlery table is cutlery. “I love designing cutlery,” Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen. Whatever your manufacturer he says. “Historically, the fork has been budget or lifestyle, Arthur Price has a have we one of the most civilising influences in bespoke collection of seven cutlery ranges teamed up Europe, and as such, has an incredibly rich offering over 60 individual designs for you with to offer tradition of indulgent design. I find it to choose from as well as a wealth of table you this prize? bizarre that these days the British still stick top accessories and gift ideas including To enter, send to patterns inspired by our grandparents. stylish photo frames endorsed by Lord your name, address and answer on a Let’s keep the British tradition of cutlery Lichfield and the smart Present Day gift postcard to Arthur Price/Northern Echo design alive and innovative.” collection – a range of modern and stylish Competition, c/o Weber Shandwick, 2 Arthur Price has been helping lay the gift ideas for him or her starting from just Jordan Street, Manchester, M15 4PY. nation’s tables since 1902 with its £5. Terms and conditions: The closing date is beautiful collection of cutlery and To be in with a chance of winning a set August 19, 2005. One entry per household tableware. The cutlery manufacturer now of Arthur Price Orb cutlery signed by please. The judge’s decision is final and no cash alternative is available. has a store in Debenhams in the Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, simply answer Llewelyn-Bowen: loves designing cutlery

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SATURDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 2005 Entrance from 5.00pm Proms Starts at 7.30pm

An Evening of Classical Music in Our Grand Marquee featuring HURWORTH CONCERT BAND Finishing the Evening with a Firework Finalé at 9.30pm BRING YOUR OWN PICNIC Cash Bar & BBQ Available

TICKETS ARE £15.00 PER PERSON and can be purchased from Hardwick Hall Hotel Reception

ˇor More Information Contact:

Hardwick Hall Hotel . Sedgefield . Co. Durham . TS21 2EH Telephone: 01740 620253 ˇax: 01740 629861 [email protected] www.hardwickhallhotel.co.uk