Inspirational Magazine - Issue 2 Autumn/Winter

INSPIRATIONAL magazine

in this edition:

Julia RobeRts: oh PRetty Woman

siR Ridley scott: King of the blocKbusteR

bRand neW WoRld: a WoRld of bRanding Possibilities

AUTUMN/WINTER 2012

Julia

"WHEN "When YOUR your MISSION mission IS is TO to FLY fly AT at 800 KM/H km/h LESS less THAN than TWO tWo METRES metres FROM from OTHER other TEAM team AIRCRAFT, aircraft, YOU you ONLY only TRUST trust THE the CHRONOMETRIC chronometric PRECISION precision OF of THE the WORLD’S world’s BEST best CHRONOGRAPH." chronograph."

Frédéric Schwebel ably handles his role in the "slot" position within the Breitling Jet Team, the toughest of them all. When performing with no obvious escape route, mistakes are just not an option. Strapped to his wrist is the Chronomat, powered by the ultimate high-performance chronograph movement, Breitling Caliber 01, chronometer-certified by the COSC (Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute), an exceptional "motor" entirely developed and built by Breitling. Ultra-sturdy, ultra-reliable and ultra-watertight to 500 m, the Chronomat stands out for its unique design and its incredible concern for details. For Frédéric Schwebel, it is quite simply the world’s best chronograph.

5-YEAR BREITLING WARRANTY £ 6760*

51 Queens Warwickshire Rd, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, 5JX, H Johnson & Son, 51 Queens Road, Nuneaton, CV11 5JX • Tel:CV11 02476 347 038 • johnsonsjewellers.co.uk Tel 02476 347038

*RRP. Subject to change without notice.

Tanzanite Royale

Couture

Using only the nest precision-cut Tanzanite gems South Africa

Ofcial Stockist

United Kingdom

51 Queens Road, Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV11 5JX H Johnson & Son, 51 Queens Road, Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV11 5JX • Tel: 02476 347 038 • johnsonsjewellers.co.uk 024 76347038 • www.johnsonsjewellers.co.uk

51 Queens Road, Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV11 5JX • Tel: 02476 347 038 • johnsonsjewellers.co.uk

The Finest Bridal & Eternity Rings D–G VVS–VS Quality Diamonds ♦ Platinum ♦ 18 Carat ♦ Palladium 950

Over 1,200 Designs

www.theraphaelcollection.com

Exclusively available at JOHNSONS JEWELLERS 50/1 Queens Road Nuneaton Warwickshire CV11 5JX www.johnsonsjewellers.co.uk

Editor in Chief Matthew Hayes Creative Editor Sarah Garner Features Editor Victoria Marconetto Advertising Editor Amelia Benskin Advertising Manager Sophia Hayes Features Writers Colin Herd Megan Smith Benoit Lawrence Laura Hayes Designers Jodie Barker Kristian Goodeve Ewen Lewis Photography Kristian Goodeve Ewen Lewis Production Manager Sarah Pearson Production Assistant Alexandra Buist Web Development Julian Purser Steven Wood Contributors Libby Johnson Robert Johnson Gillian Wesley Eurojet Simon Fleet

Linda Heyworth Jason Yeomans Kerry Doughty Sally Walder Charlie Thellusson

www.inspirational.uk.com For mailing list and subscription enquiries please visit www.inspirational.uk.com For advertising enquiries please contact: Amelia Benskin on 08453 313031 or email info@inspirational.uk.com

Published By

letter from the

EDITOR I am really delighted to welcome you to our autumn/winter edition of Inspirational Magazine. After such a wonderful summer of sporting achievement, what better way to celebrate the best of British talent than with a tour of some of our best exports? From Sir Ridley Scott to Sir Ian Botham, our international stars continue to give the world plenty to talk about. Sporting greats, ground breaking directors and stars of stage and screen are all celebrated within the pages of this edition and their achievements are something that we can all aspire to.

At Inspirational Magazine, we are pleased to be launching our brand new social media campaign. We are so proud of our magazine that we are always looking for new and innovative ways of sharing it with you. We now have dedicated Twitter and Facebook sites that allow us to share daily updates and news with our followers.

We know how important social media is and we are looking forward to using this amazing tool to reach event more people with our inspirational lifestyle publication. Our business and finance section has an interesting article on page 116 that explains the incredible power of social media for maximising the reach of businesses.

For us, this issue also provides an opportunity to look ahead to the festive season as we share with you with our inspirational guide for the most luxurious gifts. Our carefully chosen selection has been designed to help you give your loved ones the lavish lifestyle they deserve. We will also be recommending the best restaurants that the West Midlands has to offer, so that you can dine out during the upcoming winter season in style.

We have an exclusive section from the wonderful Johnsons Jewellers as they provide a valuable insight into the process of selecting their beautiful diamonds and jewellery. They also share the secrets of choosing the perfect watch, addressing a dilemma many of their customers face: whether to opt for an automatic or quartz movement. As a UK flagship store for Rolex, they really are the experts to assist you with your choice of luxury timepiece.

As always, our social pages are filled with the West Midland’s most exclusive and glamorous events of the past few months. We are always pleased to give our reader’s a chance to see all of the region’s most exciting events and this edition is no different.

I hope that you enjoy reading this edition as much as we enjoyed researching and compiling our latest features. In addition to the copy that sits before you, our online presence continues to expand and with every issue we supply some fantastic media-rich content and supplements that can be viewed exclusively online.

Visit www.inspirational.co.uk to view our online offering.

Follow us on Twitter: @InspirationalMa or like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Inspirationalmag

Matthew Hayes Editor in Chief

Champions (UK) Plc Barrington House, Leake Road, Costock, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE12 6XA Tel: 08453 313031 Fax: 08453 313032 www.championsukplc.com Inspirational Magazine® is a registered Trademark of Champions (UK) Plc. Please note: Inspirational Magazine is fully protected by copyright; no part of this magazine may be reproduced or reprinted without the complete and expressed permission of the publisher. The greatest care has been taken to ensure accuracy, however there can be no liability accepted by the publisher for errors or omissions. Inspirational Magazine can under no circumstances be held responsible for any materials, matter or photographical copy submitted for publication or not within the magazine. We cannot be held liable or responsible for any breaches of copyright from adverts, materials, photography or any other matter supplied by third parties. The views and opinions expressed within this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher or indeed Inspirational Magazine or any featured parties.

“ In the beginning it was just about the business – now its about the brand.”

Richard Branson

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116

BEAUTY, HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE

IT’S A MAN’S WORLD

HOME, HOUSE AND GARDEN

Julia Roberts................................... 12

Farmfoods British Par 3 Championship ....................... 46

Best of British ................................. 82

Always putting a smile on Hollywood’s face

Johnsons Jewellers .......................... 18 115 years of experience in proving the ultimate jewels and watches

Dorchester?..................................... 22

All the action from Nailcote Hall’s prestigious annual championship

The finest in lighting solutions

Pop royalty and national treasure, we take a look at one of our greatest British icons

Elysha Charles ............................... 92 Sleep Emporium

Ian ‘Beefy’Botham .......................... 66

Michelle Brannan ........................... 24

A cricketing legend and fund raising hero

Aesthetic Fitness: Her guide to achieving your health and fitness goals

Ridley Scott .................................... 74 King of the Blockbuster

Birmingham’s most exclusive shopping location

Stapleford Park ............................... 78 One of England’s greatest jewels

Gift Guide ....................................... 38 Our guide to the most stylish gifts this season

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KES Lighting ................................. 90

Paul McCartney .............................. 60

The luxury hotel group

Mailbox .......................................... 28

Embracing iconic British style and tradition

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106

134 74

98

78 ARTS AND CULTURE

BUSINESS AND FINANCE

SOCIAL AND NETWORKING

Fine Dining Guide ......................... 98

Brand New World.......................... 112

Socialising.................................... 134

Exclusive information on the West Midlands most prestigious dining

A world of branding possibilities

Children of the Revolution ............ 116 Danny Boyle ................................. 106 Britain’s Olympic director

Embracing the social media phenomenon

The most exclusive events from the West Midlands and beyond…

St James’s Place Seminar at Bentley The Childline 25th Anniversary Ball

Saint James’s Place ...................... 120

Inspirational Magazine Launch

Managing your wealth

Farmfoods British Par 3 2012

PMGC Phonebox .......................... 128 Supercharging your business

Johnsons Jewellers Lotus F1 and TW Steel Day MP4 – 12C McLaren Spider Preview The St James’s Place Big Band Ball The Freeth Cartwright Woman of Achievement Award The Pink Ball at Nailcote Hall Bang & Olufsen Television Launch

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: EUROJET AVIATION You’ll have to fly a long way to be better served...

‘Awesome’, ‘fantastic’, ‘effortless’, ‘excellent’...some of the phenomenal customer feedback received by Eurojet since opening its state of the art private aviation facility at Birmingham Airport.

Opened in March 2012, the Eurojet Business Aviation Centre (EBAC) was the latest development in the company’s 25 year history as one of Europe’s leading private jet service providers. The 41,000sq ft Centre includes an exclusive VIP handling terminal (also known as an ‘FBO’), Cessna Citation Service Facility and hangar.

Client feedback from day one has been extremely positive with one visitor saying: “If all FBOs were like this one, I would fly everyday!”

But it’s not only the individual customer that’s responding so positively to the Eurojet service – seasoned professionals are also showing their appreciation.

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Reflecting on a recent visit, one Chief Pilot simply commented: “Only one word for the service... ‘awesome’.”

As word spreads Eurojet are seeing a range of new and unique requirements coming through from a broad spectrum of customers from private jet charter clients to global corporate brands. One recent task involved handling a large VIP aircraft for a events management company.

The relieved events manager described her experience as “hassle-free from start to finish.” A sentiment echoed by another group organiser who felt that his clients “will have to fly a long way to be better served”, and another who described their surroundings as “truly luxurious.”

Managing Director, Graeme Campbell said: “We are immensely proud of the feedback we have received; this is a huge testament to the professionalism and dedication of our team who thrive on exceeding expectations.”

For further information contact Eurojet Aviation on

0845 465 0550 or log on to

www.eurojet.eu.com

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Behind the smile:

JULIA ROBERTS Iconic, enduring and inspirational, Julia Roberts embodies the glamour and poise of the original Hollywood stars for a modern audience.

Her everlasting beauty and compelling on-screen presence sees people flocking to see her films time and time again.

But what is it that makes Julia so unforgettable?

She appeared in some of the nineties most popular and memorable films, bookending the decade with Richard Gere in Pretty Woman (1990) and with Hugh Grant in Notting Hill (1999), a part that gave audiences an insight into the unpredictable and often difficult world of a female international film star.

Legendary for her endless legs and enigmatic smile, there is a lot more to Julia than her amazing look.

Her films, sometimes frivolous and light-hearted and at other times moving and poignant, have had a real effect on our contemporary cinematic landscape.

Her characters continue to be quoted in other shows and in conversations between friends.

She is the one that women of all ages aspire to be like, wishing they could mirror Anna Scott’s poise in Notting Hill, or Erin Brockovich’s sass and perseverance in the film of the same name.

fans are dazzled by her stoicism in the face of personal adversity

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For many, there is an air of mystery that surrounds Roberts. She has never courted the press, nor completely shied away from media attention.

Unusually, she has also managed to avoid the curse of scandal that plagues the famous faces of the silver screen. Instead, Julia has remained a smiling and elegant figure that safely navigated many of the dramatic changes in the celebrity world over the past two decades. As inspiring as her acting ability is, fans are dazzled by her stoicism in the face of personal adversity and commitment to producing the countless great films that have become modern day classics. For Roberts, the key to her success has been her unwillingness to give in to adversity, taking the difficulties of show-business in her incredibly long stride.

Before the start of her film career, Roberts had always harboured ambitions to become an actress but was held back initially because she suffered from a stutter. Like the many individuals afflicted with varying degrees of the speech impediment, Roberts fought hard to overcome it. Unlike her siblings, Roberts remained in her local area and attended Georgia State University but it seemed that the acting bug could not be supressed and she relocated to New York to pursue her dreams.

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As a child, her parents were both involved in amateur dramatics and instilled this passion into their children. Acting quickly became a family trade for the Roberts siblings. Her brother, Eric, has had a long film and television career and his daughter Emma Roberts is becoming increasingly famous for roles in films such as Scream 4, The Art of Getting By and Valentine’s Day. Julia Robert’s sister Lisa Roberts Gillan has also appeared in many films, often in a small role alongside her sister. Most recently she played Julia’s mirror image in the 2012 film Mirror Mirror: The Untold Adventures of Snow White.

Roberts’ career will undoubtedly have inspired many of Hollywood’s newer stars. Her career that encompasses over two decades of cinematic brilliance really is one of the most inspirational examples of how to succeed on the big screen.

She is the face of the desirable French beauty brand Lancôme, has appeared in television advertisements for international hair and beauty brand L’Oreal and even for Lavazza Coffee in Europe. Julia continues to be the one that everyone wants to watch, buying into a part of her success with the brands she endorses. It seems she can turn her hand to anything, and execute it with her trademark aplomb.

Most recently Roberts’ films have shown her take comedic parts, alongside more serious and contemplative roles. For every character she has played, she has become the part and for a time, her part has become her. She is synonymous with most of her roles, people remembering her command of the screen and emotional delivery of iconic lines. For every film she has appeared in, it seems that the part was written for her solely.

This, of course, is part of her charm.

This year saw her appear as the pathologically cold hearted queen in Mirror Mirror: The Untold Adventures of Snow White. Unlike many Hollywood re-workings of classic fairy tales, the story remained suitable for younger viewers but it was undoubtedly harder-edged than the original. As well as beautiful costumes and scenery, the film revealed a subtle but identifiably more sinister spin on the traditional tale.

Roberts’ cool detachment and attempts at the systematic destruction of Snow White provide a modern and more recognisable portrayal of the evil queen. It shines a spotlight on some of the trappings of fame and beauty, a warning perhaps to a modern audience as it refreshes the moral of this age old tale.

This did not, however, stop the film from being a cinematic delight and fun for all. Even when she portrays a hostile and bitter usurper, audiences cannot take their eyes off ‘the fairest of them all’.

Julia Roberts really does cast a spell on her audience and we believe her characterisation entirely. We felt her humiliation as she was rejected by Rodeo Drive saleswomen in Pretty Woman, cheered her on to victory in Erin Brockovitch and felt the cold grip of Hugh Grant’s rather misguided rejection of her character in Notting Hill. More recently, she took us on a spiritual journey in Eat Pray Love. The film version matched the success of Elizabeth Gilbert’s best-selling book that remained at the top of The New York Times’ best seller list for 187 weeks.

The film was, of course, a massive success with Roberts portraying an aspirational and self-empowered woman once more, refusing to be beaten by the misery of divorce, and instead travelling the world alone.

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Julia Roberts continues to bring something new and exciting to our screens. She is the epitome of understated star quality. What really lies behind her perfect smile? – Simply an uncomplicated and talented actress, representing the very best of Hollywood’s film elite. She is loved the world over and with a string of exciting new projects to be released to cinema goers over the next few years, her star shines ever brighter.

Images, clockwise from top left; Julia Roberts and director Tarsem Singh arrive at the premiere of Relativity Media’s Mirror Mirror at the Chinese Theater on March 17, 2012 in Los Angeles, California; Julia Roberts attends the 40th AFI Life Achievement Award honoring Shirley MacLaine held at Sony Pictures Studios on June 7, 2012 in Culver City, California; With actress, Susan Sarandon, both starring in the movie, Stepmom; Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts together for the first time on their first day filming together in Dreamworks Pictures action-comedy, The Mexican; With husband, Daniel Moder at Heal The Bay’s Bring Back The Beach Fundraiser on May 17, 2012 in Santa Monica, California.

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BEAUTY, HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE

GILLIAN WESLEY DESIGN and Catwalk Café in Knowle offers its customers a refreshing taste of something different…

Gillian Wesley is a designer with a difference. She cares passionately about providing women with a garment and an experience that they will never forget.

Using her own clients as models and providing a unique shopping environment, Gillian Wesley Design and Catwalk Café provides the Midlands with its own truly bespoke retail experience. Located in Knowle, Warwickshire the boutique encapsulates a type of glamour and luxury that has been all but lost by the commercialised fashion industry.

For Gillian, her hand made designs offer customers something that is tailor made for them. The intricate designs and close attention to detail means that each piece is unique and will last the proud owner years with their specially made, bespoke corset. Gillian champions her corsets as being as versatile and unique as their owners. They can be worn for all types of occasions, from a wedding to a night out at a stylish wine bar or restaurant.

The designer knows that her clients want something special that they can feel proud to wear. From your first moment in the boutique, you are immersed in a world of opulence and luxury. Where else could you enjoy a delicious afternoon tea, or even champagne, whilst shopping for the outfit of your dreams? The versatility of Gillian’s corsets means that they have been popular with celebrities for red carpet events, brides for their special day and as a must have fashion item for hundreds of years. But at Gillian Wesley Design this classic piece is updated for a truly modern customer,

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with a choice of hundreds of different couture fabrics sent directly from Paris.

What better inspiration than that of the original Parisian fashionista Coco Chanel? Gillian uses the icon’s ethos in her work, knowing that “to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.” Difference really is the foundation of Gillian’s success. Winning a design competition in the Coventry Telegraph allowed her to open her first shop, closely followed by the opening of her beautiful boutique and stylish café in Knowle, Warwickshire. Gillian Wesley is fast becoming an iconic figure herself. Her success goes a long way to highlight what a truly inspirational business woman she is. She shows her clients that they do not need to accept the impersonal and uninspiring offerings of much of the modern fashion industry. Her designs have a vivacity and freshness that surely comes from her belief in a constantly evolving fashion line.

As soon as Gillian creates a new design, it is placed into the boutique ready and waiting for its new owner.

Undoubtedly her discerning clients are after something unique to them and different to everything else on offer.

It was her faithful customers that inspired Gillian to launch a competition to find the face of Gillian Wesley.

Scouting models from an agency was not an option for the pioneering designer. She chose to look instead for a woman who was as unique as her clothes. The designer knows that the face for her creations must be a real woman, a concept all but lost in other areas of the fashion industry. The competition was open to any

woman over 18, regardless of age, shape, or size.

After narrowing down contestants to just 6 women, all that remains is the selection of the final winner of the competition.

Believing that every woman should own a corset, Gillian’s boutique certainly makes every woman want one. The decadent setting has hosted special music evenings and bespoke perfume design events. It seems that Gillian Wesley Design and Catwalk Café is the perfect location for exclusive and unique events of any type. Walking the red carpet in the Catwalk Café makes all the visitors feel like stars, and wearing Gillian’s designs promises her client the everlasting sparkle they deserve.

The future is bright for Gillian Wesley Design, championing real women and real quality with innovative designs that are beautiful and enduring in style. It really is the only stop for bespoke quality from a working design studio and a designer that cares passionately about her thriving and inspirational business.

Gillian Wesley Design and The Catwalk Café Kenilworth Road, Knowle, West Midlands, B93 0JA

01564 779491 www.gillianwesley.co.uk

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BUSINESS AND FINANCE

DiamonDs on the WorlD stage Libby Johnson of Johnsons Jewellers gives a valuable insight into the complex process of selecting their diamonds and jewellery…

The buying team at Johnsons is very small – in fact it consists of Robert Johnson and myself for the jewellery buying. Our buying normally starts straight after the Christmas rush in January and February when we visit various trade shows around the world.

Vicenza in Italy is one of the first of many shows in the year. Many suppliers from around the world will exhibit their products. This may be in several different ways.

There will be suppliers who deal only in diamonds and will have many loose diamonds in all sorts of different grades. Then there are suppliers who only deal with mounts. And then the majority will deal with the finished piece.

Basle in Switzerland is the biggest and grandest show of the year. Think NEC show halls full of diamond jewellery and watches. Basle will be the place where all the new watches are released for the year. The busiest stand is normally the Rolex stand- where retailers flock to see what will be the hot seller of the year. The Rolex stand is about the height of 2 double decker buses and as big as a grand mansion. Another popular stand is the Breitling stand. The stand is designed to look like a boat and has an enormous fish tank complete with fish and baby sharks swimming in it.

The jewellery at Basle truly is out of this world. Some of the pieces are so amazing that you could imagine them in the windows of Harrods or worn on the red carpet at the Oscars. Our time in Basle normally consists of running from one appointment to the next and then trying to look out for new brands in between.

Once we are with a supplier it can take hours to look through the trays of new designs and styles for the year. Some of the designs can be very wacky and would only be suitable for a different country, the English tend to value the quality and timeless elegance of jewels rather than bizarre and outlandish designs.

When we are looking for a new diamond ring or a new piece of jewellery, we look for lots of different criteria.

The diamonds must be of good quality, and have good colour and good clarity. The cut of a diamond must have a minimum of 57 facets- with many fancy diamonds now on the market coming with many more facets. We look for the fire and the brilliance in the stones, which is normally a good indication of how well the diamond has been cut.

The range of colour in diamonds can be very broad too. The better the colour, the better a diamond will sparkle, but that can also mean a higher price. Clarity is important in diamond buying too- most diamonds are ‘born’ with natural inclusions which can be anything from light feathers and wispy marks to small black dots. It is possible to buy diamonds with no inclusions, but they can be very expensive. So we look at stones in great detail to ensure that if there are any inclusions they are small and not normally visible to the naked eye.

Our trips to jewellery exhibitions and trade shows around the world is an integral part of how we ensure the quality and variety of our offering. The jewellery we look for needs to be different, exciting and appeal to our customers’ taste. With lots of competition out there, we are always on the lookout for something that little bit different.

H Johnson & Son, 51 Queens Road, Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV11 5JX • Tel: 02476 347 038 • johnsonsjewellers.co.uk 1

Quartz or automatic?

That is the question.

When it comes to the movements of timepieces, few are better qualified than the watches-expert Libby Johnson, whose family business Johnsons Jewellers in Warwickshire have been in the business for 115 years.

Libby is always delighted to guide her customers through the advantages of each movement. Here, she generously shares her expertise with Inspirational readers…

When choosing a watch, many consumers have the decision of whether to choose a watch with a quartz (battery operated) movement or one with an automatic movement.

A quartz movement is an electronic movement. It is called a quartz movement, because a small quartz crystal is actually integrated into the electronics. Why? Because every timekeeping device needs something constant to measure time against, and when you run a current through a quartz crystal, it oscillates at an almost perfectly constant frequency. This explains the incredible accuracy of many quartz watches.

Most quartz watches are battery powered. Batteries generally last two to five years before they need to be changed, otherwise quartz watches are very low maintenance. Watches with fancy features such as electric illumination, compasses or stopwatches may go through batteries more quickly.

Quartz watches are very accurate, less expensive and because they don’t have a lot of moving parts, more durable than mechanical watches.

Mechanical watches employ old technology that has remained virtually the same several hundred years.

Mechanical watches are powered by springs, which turn gears, a regulating mechanism and eventually the hands. A mechanical movement will have somewhere between 50 and 300 parts, depending on the movement, and are somewhat delicate compared to quartz movements. They will however last a long, long time if properly maintained and cared for.

Fine mechanical watches are often handed down from generation to generation as heirlooms. Their longevity is due in part to the use of jewels in the movement.

Jewels, usually synthetic rubies, are used in mechanical movements to reduce the effects of friction at certain points where metal would otherwise rub against metal. Most luxury and fine Swiss-made watches, such as Rolex watches, are mechanical, however many manufacturers make very good quality, but less expensive mechanical watches.

Mechanical watches are either self-winding automatic watches, or manual-wind watches are the most common type of mechanical watches. An automatic watch has a rotor that spins on the back of the watch’s movement much like the Seiko Kinetic watches mentioned above. But in this case, instead of generating a charge, it turns a gear which winds the mainspring.

Functionally, mechanical watches are usually pretty simple: hours, minutes, seconds, date, sometimes day and sometimes a chronograph (stopwatch) feature, although chronographs tend to be more expensive.

Whether you choose a quartz or an automatic watch movement, a good watch can really become a part of the family, reliably ensuring you’re never 5 minutes late to that important 08.15 am meeting! The key is to find a watch that suits your requirements and your taste. Jewellery experts such as the friendly team at long-established family business Johnsons are invaluable in helping you to make the right decisionthey’ve been trusted for over a 100 years for a reason!

H Johnson & Son, 51 Queens Road, Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV11 5JX • Tel: 02476 347 038 • johnsonsjewellers.co.uk 2

H Johnson & Son, 51 Queens Road, Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV11 5JX • Tel: 02476 347 038 • johnsonsjewellers.co.uk

H Johnson & Son, 51 Queens Road, Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV11 5JX • Tel: 02476 347 038 • johnsonsjewellers.co.uk

The Dorchester LONDON

The Beverly Hills Hotel BEVERLY HILLS

Le Meurice PARIS

Hôtel Plaza Athénée PARIS

Hotel Principe di Savoia MILAN

Hotel Bel-Air LOS ANGELES

Coworth Park ASCOT

45 Park Lane LONDON

Le Richemond GENEVA

BEAUTY, HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE

AESTHETIC HEALTH with Michelle Brannan I train in a way that will shape my body to give me the look I want but also does not compromise my health...

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The first UK athlete to earn IFBB Professional status through the Bikini Class, Michelle Brannan shares her refreshing and inspirational approach to health and fitness.

Training has many benefits for me. Staying healthy, looking good physically and feeling good mentally are all important reasons to train. Training doesn’t need to be in a gym, it can be outside, at a class, with friends or walking the dog, it’s just about getting active. Dieting alone is not always effective in giving the results we hope for as in general we need a daily calorie deficit of 500 to lose on average 1lb a week. Cutting calories is often not the easiest way to do this as eliminating foods we like can often lead to cravings and binges which can be a downward spiral into emotional eating. By being active we can still enjoy a little of what we like guilt free.

My approach to training and nutrition is what I call ‘aesthetic health’ this basically means looking good on the outside but also being healthy on the inside too. A very low body fat can lead to health complications in a female who tend to naturally require more essential body fat than men.

Lack of or interruption to the menstrual cycle, iron deficiencies and osteoporosis are more likely to affect women on very low calorie diets as it is very difficult to get the right intake nutritionally with not enough food.

I train in a way that will shape my body to give me the look I want but also does not compromise my health, by exercising we can eat a balanced diet and be healthy.

The thing for everyone who starts out training to remember is that everything is possible. I started training seriously in 2009 when I studied to become a personal trainer, I decided to give myself a goal and enter a contest. I trained for six months and entered my first contest and won!

Like many women, I didn’t want to be too muscular but training with weights did not cause that, only shape and tone. It is actually extremely difficult for a woman to add a lot of muscle naturally. Now, I train because I like it, its part of my life, it keeps me fit and looking good. I also feel good.

Going to the gym for me helps relieve stress and tension; I always come away feeling calmer and energised. I am very results driven so to be able to see the results of my hard work directly was great for me and also I loved the feeling of being on stage. I have become stronger not only physically but mentally too. I have learnt that with a vision, total focus and hard work you can achieve your goals.

The key to a healthy diet is balance. I don’t recommend cutting out food groups, a balance of 25% fats 40% carbohydrate and 35% protein is usually the diet I recommend making sure food choices are natural whole grain and low in saturated fat. Carbohydrate and fat are not the enemy; the things people should be looking out for to try to avoid are added sugars and saturated fats. As a rule, if you try to cook from scratch or eat naturally 80% of the time then you are on the right track. I do advocate a cheat meal weekly, this helps break the boredom of ‘dieting’ and gives you something to look forward to. I don’t see it as a ‘diet’, it is a lifestyle choice and it’s not actually boring eating fresh fruits and vegetables, grilled fish and lean meats. I believe in a calories in, calories out principle.

It’s important to burn the calories you consume, so eating a well balanced diet and taking some form of daily exercise will do that.

One of the biggest factors preventing more people being healthy these days is time. Many people work long hours, often juggling work and family commitments at the same time and exercise takes a back seat.

The key is to try and work some kind of activity that you enjoy into your life and give it some priority. It is important to be active and stay healthy.

With regards to diet, people end up eating for convenience from sandwich shops or pre-packaged foods from the supermarket. Convenience foods and deceptive advertising can make us believe we are eating healthy but if you look at the ingredient list there are many added sugars and saturated fats. I would recommend sticking to products less than 10g sugar per 100g. You will amazed at how much added sugars you will find in your average cereals, yoghurts, pre prepared soups etc. There is a bit of time needed to plan, prepare and cook meals but if done correctly healthy food doesn’t need to be bland or boring.

The media today is full of ‘perfect’ looking women who are often airbrushed or very thin models that are either naturally thin or very young or simply do not eat enough. For most women, it is not realistic to be that skinny. Personally I do not believe extremely or unnaturally thin is attractive, it just seems to be promoted and people aspire to what they see in the media. I feel it would be much better to promote health and fitness which can keep you lean, slim and toned but also healthy.

In other cultures curves are sexy; I think our culture should embrace that.

When I say curvy I do not mean overweight, I mean a fit healthy shape.

For more information: www.michellebrannan.com michelle@michellebrannan.com

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heartsonfire.com

H Johnson & Son, 51 Queens Road, Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV11 5JX • Tel: 02476 347 038 • johnsonsjewellers.co.uk H Johnson & Son | 50 Queens Road, Nuneaton, Warks, CV11 5JX 024 76347038 www.johnsonsjewellers.co.uk

Bringing red carpet glamour to the West Midlands, FuLL LENGTH & FABuLOuS is the perfect choice for any special occasion.

Full Length and Fabulous is one of the West

This bespoke service means that duplication

Full Length & Fabulous Ltd offers the most

uniquely attired for their event.

Midland’s most unique fashion concepts.

exquisite red carpet dresses that are available both for purchase and for hire. Full Length & Fabulous is the perfect choice for any

glamorous special event. Stocking dresses

from international designers, the showroom

and online store has over 100 different styles, available in sizes 4 – 24. There are so many

wonderful options for their customers to choose from, making each individual feel truly special.

The high profile designers include Jovani of New York, Tony Bowls of Paris and Gino

Curriti of London, bringing the most elegant

creations to Full Length & Fabulous’ customers.

Offering exquisite designs that are perfect

for the red carpet, fabulous balls, proms and weddings there really is a beautiful dress

waiting for you in their Nuneaton Showroom.

Full Length & Fabulous are passionate about providing the very best customer service and

this includes their event log, ensuring that they have the event information for every dress hired or purchased.

of dresses is avoided and each customer is The showroom is located on the first floor of Exclusively Yours Hair and Beauty,

allowing Full Length& Fabulous to offer not only beautiful dresses and accessories, but a complete beauty package that includes hair

and make-up. There are tailor-made packages to suit every client, enabling them to have a

full event package, and start their glamorous evening in style with a complete hair and make-up service.

Also stocking the perfect accompaniments to

their beautiful gowns, Full Length and Fabulous have a fantastic range of shoes, bags and

accessories that compliment all of their evening, prom and occasion wear perfectly.

The new Full Length & Fabulous website allows their customers to look at their beautiful dresses and accessories, taking the first step towards finding the perfect outfit for their special occasion.

www.fulllengthandfabulous.co.uk FuLL LENGTH & FABuLOuS

Telephone: 024 76 347190

42-44 Queens Road, Nuneaton, CV11 5JX.

Winter Wonderland With a magnificent selection of high-end fashion and beauty brands, exclusive salons and a host of Waterside restaurants and bars, the mailbox is birmingham’s most prestigious lifestyle location. the inspirational team headed to this sensational style destination to catch up on the latest trends and culinary delights.

FA S H i o n

Dickens Suit £725.00

tHomAS

PinK Natasha Dress £150.00

Women

men

it’s all about streamlined silks in rich mossy greens

old-school colours are dusted down and given a

and bold berry colours this winter, reflecting

bold new look. Winter warmers include the muted

the changing face of the countryside with a

elegance of Harris tweed, a luxuriously quilted

cosmopolitan twist as the year comes to a close.

Lavenham coat, and rich textures of chord and flannelling in the shirt collection. A traditional english dinner jacket is introduced for the very first time!

Neely Dress £165.00

L.K.

Bolshevik Clutch £125.00

Bennett

emPorio

ArmAni embracing its heritage palette of deep regal purple and pure black, the awesome Autumn/Winter Collection

With a sleek stiletto or

features classic tailored two-button jackets,

a black lace cocktail dress,

fur-trimmed coats, silk berets, looped wool, crushed

L. K. Bennett’s winter range

velvet and a modern reworking of the sequin

is contemporary, stylish and

evening shirt.

utterly timeless.

Angie Suede and Lace Point Toe Shoe £195.00

ALLSAintS Women everything you need for a fresh, sleek and modern winter wardrobe. the sumptuously detailed neely Dress is the little black dress of choice this year and stunning when paired with a Bolshevik clutch.

HArvey

niCHoLS

DAnieL FootWeAr

A label-lovers paradise, Harvey nichols at the mailbox

All things equestrian are very hot this season and

boasts one of the finest collections of designer

Daniel Footwear is the ideal place to pick up the

brands in the midlands: Dolce & Gabbana, Alexander

ultimate equestrian footwear, offering customers a

mcQueen, Gucci, Christian Louboutin, Jimmy Choo,

large range of leather knee boots with various heel

Helmut Lang, Alice+olivia, victoria Beckham, ACne

heights. Key pieces such as leggings, leather saddle bags

and missoni.

and tweed jackets make up the perfect statement look.

Daniel Mica Boot £169.00

BeAuty

DininG

niCKy CLArKe

SHoGun

SALon

Daniel Zinger Boot £169.00

now also offering freshly prepared lunch-time sushi or take-away Bento Boxes, Shogun teppanyaki offers the

For drop-dead-gorgeous, last minute festive party

ultimate gourmet dining option catering for first time

hair from nicky Clarke, apply some nicky Clarke Hair

sushi goers and connoisseurs alike. Dining at Shogun

raising Spray and as neatly as possible brush your

is always a special occasion as you can witness the

hair up into a high ponytail and just off to one side.

true art of Japanese cooking right before your eyes.

Simply twist your pony tail into a tight bun and secure it with some hair grips. Finish by allowing the hair to set and dry, the longer you leave it the better. take the grips out of the hair and untie the pony tail. Shake your hair out loosely with your hands.

toni & Guy

eSSenSuALS Part of the hugely respected toni & Guy group,

B e yo n D B e A u t y At

HArvey niCHoLS

miLLer & CArter An exceptional high quality steakhouse in the heart of

essensuals is one of the world’s most exciting salons,

ideal for ensuring your skin is at its best throughout

the mailbox, at miller & Carter, you’ll enjoy first class

pioneering glamorous and stylish professional

the colder weather, Beyond Beauty at Harvey nichols

service, a fantastic wine and drinks list and the finest,

hair and beauty services for the midlands’ most

is home to Benefit, Stila, Space nK, Crème de la mer,

succulent steaks as well as expertly grilled fish, lamb,

fashionable individuals! Why

as well as a fantastic range of the best fragrances and

chicken and pork, all grilled to perfection!

not revamp your look and make

skincare products.

sure you are ready for the winter and the party season by dropping into essensuals at the mailbox?

t H e m A L B rA S S e r i e the mal Brasserie serves British brasserie cooking Therapy Age-Defying Range from £13.75

at its tasty and delicious best! Sensational service guarantees a warm welcome and the generous portions of delicious dishes like Gressingham duck and lamb shoulder are sure to satisfy all tastes and Styler £125

appetites. Follow them up with the mal Brasserie’s famously delicious and indulgent desserts.

Red Venice

Sophisticated Clothing for Women Who Dare to be Different

11 Jury Street, Warwick, CV34 4EH 01926 495199 www.redvenice.co.uk

Red Venice, launched in December 2011, offers the busy woman stylish and beautiful clothing for any occasion, with designs and luxury fabrics to take you from season to season.

A bespoke personal styling service is available to its clients and ensures they have a wardrobe of high quality, with the ultimate versatility. The showroom has clothing for any occasion, from fabulous outfits for a special night out to a sophisticated range which is perfect for the busy professional.

There is also a website which includes clothing and accessories and is a great option for those who cannot make it to the showroom on a regular basis. At Red Venice, the team are always on hand to help their customers find an outfit or individual pieces that mean they have something a little bit different.

Their range is sourced from designers all over the world and they have many items that have been made from natural, ethically sourced products or are individually handmade.

The Warwick based retailer stocks a variety of different brands that have been chosen for their high quality design and individual feel. Semon Cashmere is a perfect example of the fashionable and innovative designs that Red Venice provide for their customers.

Using the finest quality Mongolian Cashmere, the luxury knit has been transformed into a range of delicate jumpers, jackets and dresses that ensure the wearer is both amazingly comfortable and truly stylish.

The addition of vintage, Italian Pratesi, Penelope and Parker bags and accessories allows their clients to find the perfect accompaniment for their outfits and the wide range of jewellery beautifully compliments both their day and eveningwear collections.

Located in historic Warwick, Red Venice provides an individual shopping experience with a complete personal styling service meaning that customers are always able to discover the perfect outfit for any occasion. The wide range of high-quality items has been sourced by the owners to ensure it is as individual as each of their clients.

With a wide range of luxury items, including beautiful coats, classic designs of leather skirts and trousers, Steilmann day wear, quality timeless shirts and jumpers from Diego Reiga, Red Venice makes for a unique boutique shopping experience.

At Red Venice, the team are always on hand to help their customers find an outfit or individual pieces that mean they have something a little bit different.

BEAUTY, HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE

Agent Provocateur Selfridges

Bra £150 Suspender £175 Brief £95 www.agentprovocateur.com

32

FASHION for HER 33

BEAUTY, HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE

Avon Hot Pink Clutch

Dee Wool Hip Pleat Dress

L. K. Bennett

L.K. Bennett

£175 www.mailboxlife.com

£395 www.mailboxlife.com

Rusk Toe Point Black Leather Boot L. K. Bennett

£275 www.mailboxlife.com

keepWARM look HOT!

34

Jackson Pochette Speckle

Divinia Bag

James Lakeland

AllSaints

Vivienne Westwood

House of Fraser

£65 www.mailboxlife.com

£256 www.vanmildert.com

£199 www.houseoffraser.co.uk

James Lakeland

Alne Beaded Clutch

House of Fraser

L.K. Bennett

£195 www.houseoffraser.co.uk

£185 www.mailboxlife.com

Sledge Patent Court Shoe L. K. Bennett

£195 www.mailboxlife.com

seasonal &

SIMMERING

Darwin Shearling Coat

Too Hot to Handle Black Leather Bag

Frome Hair Calf Leather Clutch

L. K. Bennett

Marc Jacobs

L. K. Bennett

£745 www.mailboxlife.com

£375 www.vanmildert.com

£275 www.mailboxlife.com 35

Aquascutum Menswear www.aquascutum.co.uk

FASHION for HIM Jimmy Choo iPad Sleeve Harvey Nichols

£395 www.mailboxlife.com

Kent Shoes Gaziano and Girling

£585 www.gazianogirling.com

Astaire Shoes Gaziano and Girling

POA, Bespoke www.gazianogirling.com

Rothschild Rosewood Gaziano and Girling

£700 www.gazianogirling.com

37

Jean Paul Gaultier ‘French Cancan’ Gift Pack PiPEr-HEidSiECK

lavish LUXURIES

£535.00 www.selfridges.com

Mont Blanc

Courvoisier

Swarovski

Omega

Contemporary Cuff Links

L’ESSENCE dE CourVoiSiEr

Crystalline Bowl

Seamaster Planet ocean

£225 www.johnsonsjewellers.co.uk

from £1800 www.harrods.com

£370 www.johnsonsjewellers.co.uk

£3950 www.johnsonsjewellers.co.uk

Helping you find the perfect luxury gift for any occassion, these pages are a preview of our

BEOPLAY A3 MAKE YOUR IPAD HEARD BeoPlay A3 takes your beloved iPad and adds amazingly well-defined stereo sound with great depth. Suddenly, even your old iPad is revitalised with sound capabilities that will make you wonder how you ever managed without it.

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay A3

BEOLIT 12 SOMETHING IN THE AIR Handy, portable music system that plays music wirelessly from your iPod, iPhone, iPad or Mac or wired from any other smartphone or PC. Watch a great movie on your iPad, click the AirPlay icon and you instantly enhance the experience with the awesome sound of Beolit 12.

Bang & Olufsen

TEXT FOR BEOPLAY A8 UNDOCKED & READY TO PLAY BeoPlay A8 is a spellbinding audio system that gives you powerful sound in an eye-catching package. Stream music wirelessly or dock your iPhone, iPod or iPad.

Beolit 12

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay A8

Please contact the showrooms (below) for current product prices SHoWrooM dETAiLS: Bang & olufsen of Leamington Spa 78 regent Street, Leamington Spa CV32 4NS Tel. 01926 881500 leamingtonspa@bang-olufsen.co.uk www.bang-olufsen.com/leamingtonspa

Bang & olufsen of Mailbox 53,Wharfside Street, Birmingham B1 1rE Tel. 0121 632 6166 mailbox@bang-olufsen.co.uk www.bang-olufsen.com/birmingham

iPod, iPhone and iPad are trademarks of Apple inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

extensive new gift guide on the Inspirational website‌

www.inspirational.uk.com 39

BEAUTY, HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE

Gucci Grained Leather Bag Harvey Nichols

£1,410 www.mailboxlife.com

Valentino

Polanski Ochre Tote

Embellished Pink dress

AllSaints

£454 www.vanmildert.com

£195 www.mailboxlife.com

Helping you find the perfect luxury gift for any occassion, these pages are a preview of our

Courvoisier

Leica x2 Limited Edition

Courvoisier initiale Extra

Paul Smith

£310 www.harrods.com

£2200 www.leica-storemayfair.co.uk

gorgeous

GIFTS

Merino Throw

Leather Chest

£345 www.purelana.com

£545 www.purelana.com

extensive new gift guide on the Inspirational website…

www.inspirational.uk.com

MAHI MAHI SUITE

l U x U R Y H O l I dAY A C C O M M O dAT I O N

TO B AG O

n IdyllIc BEAcHSIdE cArIBBEAn rEtrEAt

A

luxurious Caribbean paradise offering an ultimate retreat for honeymooners, families, or up to 3 couples, the luxuriously furnished secure Mahi Mahi Suite sits on one of the most romantic beachside locations in the world.

Nestled in its own private gardens on the warm sands of the extensive Grafton Beach, the first floor corner apartment offers breathtaking views and sunsets over the emerald waters of Stonehaven Bay. From enjoying breakfast on the elegant balcony to an afternoon’s rest in the sumptuous suite’s décor, the apartment is a delightful Caribbean Eden that you’ll never want to leave.

You can swim, snorkel, boogie-board, stroll on the beach, or relax with a book by the garden pool. For a romantic lunch or dinner, renowned restaurants and cafés such as the famous Seahorse Inn and Fish Pot Restaurant are just minutes walk away. Watching the birds feeding as the sun rises over the Grafton Caledonia Bird Sanctuary or the occasional visiting nocturnal turtle are magical experiences, uniquely Tobago.

It is also the perfect place from which to explore the stunning natural beauty and wildlife of the rainforest and its scenic coastline or enjoy other Caribbean specialities like the Sunday school food-fair at Buccoo Reef with steelband accompaniment.

Free airport transfers, welcome pack, maid service, full air conditioning, and wifi are provided.

For more information about the Mahi Mahi Suite, prices, availability and booking please visit:

www.TobagoBeachApartment.com For an independent review go to www.mytobago.info/reviews/mahi_mahi_suite.php

UK contact information:

MahiMahi@TobagoBeachApartment.com or Telephone 07544 051 991 e-mail

BUSINESS AND FINANCE

Edgbaston taking you Stadium beyond the wicket

44

C haracter C harm

&

Situated in the heart of the beguiling Warwickshire countryside, Nailcote Hall is one of Britain’s most romantic, charming and elegant country house hotels. A haven of relaxation and style, the supremely comfortable, individually designed bedrooms of the hotel make it the perfect place to leave behind the stresses of everyday life and indulge in wonderful food, regular entertainment and the fully equipped leisure club, or play a round on arguably the world’s best Par 3 course, The Cromwell Course. With quintessentially luxurious hospitality and a warm welcome guaranteed, Nailcote Hall offers truly unforgettable breaks.

Nailcote Hall, Nailcote Lane, Berkswell, Warwickshire, CV7 7DE, United Kingdom Telephone: +44 (0) 2476 466174

www.nailcotehall.co.uk

It’s a man’s world

BRITISH PAR 3 CHAMPIONSHIP

LEGENDS AND HEROES Celeb-Am Winning Team 1st - Ian Halliwell - 16 Ian Halliwell/Steve Skitt/Roger Hurcombe Celeb - Mark Murphy

2nd Place - Nailcote Hall - 14 Dan Callaghan/David Edwards/Denis Durnian Celeb - Shell McCrae

3rd Place - Tayto Group - 12 Tommy Charteris/Barry Bacon/Tim Bradburn Celeb - Brian Close CBE

4th Place - Burton’s Biscuit - 12 David Grant/Richard Crabtree/James Prior Celeb - Clayton Blackmore

5th Place - Champions (UK) Plc - 11 John Hayes/Mark King/John Lamb Celeb - Larry Laoretti

6th Place - Farmfoods - 9 Eric Herd/Sarah Herd/Warren Jacklin Celeb - Tony Jacklin CBE

Celebrity Individual Results 1st -4 Gary Wolstenholme MBE 2nd -1 Mark Murphy 3rd = Level Tony Jacklin CBE 3rd = Level Peter Schmeichel MBE 3rd = Level Matt Le Tissier

46

Celeb-Am Tuesday 7th August Inspirational Magazine, The Daily Telegraph and Sky Sports were proud media partners for the Farmfoods British Par 3 Championship as it returned this year for another sensational four days of golf and entertainment. Here, we cover all the action from the four days of the championship. Renowned as the golfing event of the season, for four straight days, the Cromwell Course at Nailcote Hall in Warwickshire was bathed in glorious August sunshine as golfing legends, current tour stars and celebrities alike gathered in the Midlands for an action packed week of golfing excellence and drama on the course widely considered as the best Par 3 course in the world.

The championship got underway on Tuesday with the legendary Farmfoods British Par 3 Championship Celeb-Am, where amateurs get the chance to play with their heroes as they make their way around the thrills and spills of the challenging Par 3 course!

Among the stars in action in the Tuesday Celeb- Am were Strictly Come Dancing judge Len Goodman, former England attacking midfielder and Sky Sports pundit Matt Le-Tissier, comic legend Jasper Carrott OBE, Arsenal hero John Jensen, Snooker legend Willie Thorne, Coronation Street’s William Roache MBE, cricket stars Mike Procter, Gordon Greenidge MBE and Matthew Hoggard MBE and many more celebrities from sports and entertainment. Also on the course were golfing legends, including Tony Jacklin CBE, Ian Woosnam OBE and Ryder Cup hero Brian Barnes.

One of the most hotly anticipated pairings of the day saw two of the most successful golfers ever to ply their

trade in the English league take each other on with their amateur partners. As England’s most capped footballer ever, Peter Shilton OBE was the backbone of the England squad throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, racking up 125 caps in a hugely successful international career. His heroics on the international stage included the record for the most clean sheets in the World Cup, a record he shares with Fabian Barthez of France on 10 clean sheets.

Shilton played alongside another footballing giant, Denmark and Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel MBE. Schmeichel earned 129 international caps during his extraordinarily successful career in the net, captaining the Denmark side in 30 matches and helping Denmark win the European Championships in 1992.

A significant crowd gathered, as this legendary duo of international goalkeeping talent took to the infamous Cromwell Course, swapping their goalkeeping gloves for golf gloves! In the end, it was Schmeichel who emerged victorious from their contest after an excellent score of level par saw him secure tied third place.

The day’s play was won by golfing great Gary Wolstenholme MBE, who was in sizzling form to shoot a spectacular 4 under par total, leaving him 3 shots clear of his nearest challenger Golf Channel’s Big Break winner Mark Murphy, who completed the course in 1 under par. 1969 Open Champion and 1970 US Open Champion Tony Jacklin CBE was just a shot further back on level par.

“Par 3 golf is fast-paced, exhilarating and high octane.”

– Tony Jacklin CBE

47

It’s a man’s world

GOLF AT ITS BEST Individual Professional Results 1st -8

David J Russell

2nd -5

Simon Lilly

3=

-3

Mark Murphy

3=

-3

Gary Wolstenholme MBE

5=

-2

Stephen Bennett

5=

-2

Gary Boyd

Ian Halliwell Trophy - Pro-AM Team Results 1st 90

David J Russell & Jim Graham

2nd 95

Simon Lilly & Graham Curtin

3=

97

Tony Jacklin CBE & Eric Herd

3=

97

Graham Neville & Ton Charley

3=

97

Andrew Sherborne & John Jensen

3=

97

Stephen Bennett & Johnston Mackie

Super Sixties Results 1

108 Brian Barnes

2

109 Larry Laoretti

3

110 Tommy Horton MBE

4

112 Malcolm Gregson

5

114 Tony Jacklin CBE

Norma C Herd Trophy - Leading Amateur Winner: Charley Hull

“The championship has been great.

It’s a big deal! The course layout is fantastic.” – Andrew Oldcorn 48

Pro-Am Wednesday 8th and Thursday 9th August Over 5,000 spectators poured into the Warwickshire course over the championship, which is co-organised by Champions (UK) Plc and Nailcote Hall. The superb field of players at this year’s championship was spearheaded by Tony Jacklin CBE, Ian Woosnam OBE, Brian Barnes and Alison Nicholas MBE, making the Farmfoods British Par 3 Championship undoubtedly the world’s leading tournament for Par 3 golf. Between them, the players that gathered at Nailcote Hall boasted an impressive 8 major titles and over 200 European Tour, European Senior Tour, PGA Tour, Champions Tour and Challenge Tour titles.

In this Ryder Cup year, there was also a special emphasis on Ryder Cup legends and the illustrious field had competed in a massive 38 Ryder cups, including 6 Ryder cup trophies and 2 Ryder cup captains. The strength of the international field who gathered at Nailcote Hall was better than ever this year, including players from around the world, including Jamaica’s three time World Cup of Golf player Delroy Cambridge, Zimbabwe’s 6-time European Tour winner Tony Johnstone and former US Senior Open Champion Larry Laoretti, from the USA. Ireland was represented by 8 time winner on the European Tour, Des Smyth and Golf Channel Big Break Ireland 2011 winner Mark Murphy.

With the Sky Sports cameras rolling, professional and amateur competitors alike would have been forgiven for feeling a little nervous as they took to the course for the Pro-Am competition. With SkyBet offering odds for the professional winner for the first time in the event’s history, the odds were definitely on for a fantastic tournament. As an early starter on Wednesday morning in the Pro-Am event, it didn’t take long before Celeb-Am champion Gary Wolstenholme MBE got on the birdie trail again, making birdies early in his round

and finishing on -2. He was joined under the card by fellow European Senior Tour star D J Russell and current European Tour favourite Gary Boyd, who both finished on -4. However, it was Jamega Tour regular Simon Lilly, from Wellingborough, who made the greatest impression on the first day leaderboard, shooting a sensational -7 47 to take a three shot lead into the final day of the Pro-Am. “Without a doubt, playing in the British Par 3 Championship is one of the highlights of my golfing season. Challenging golf, fantastic company and a wonderful atmosphere. You don’t get better than that!”- European Tour star Scott Jamieson Wednesday Night is the Players Banquet, an opportunity for competitors, celebrities and VIPs to relax together and enjoy fantastic food and entertainment. Willie Thorne hosted an intimate Question and Answer with Tony Jacklin CBE and Ian Woosnam OBE, a fascinating insight into what it takes to perform at the very top of the game, winning major championships and captaining Europe to Ryder Cup success. Both players were exceptionally generous in their responses, talking openly and candidly to the audience of fellow professionals and VIP guests. This was followed by a magnificently raucous and hilarious set by legendary stand-up Bobby Davro.

With blistering sunshine continuing to bathe the Cromwell Course, the competition heated up for a classic “battle in the sun” on Thursday, as record numbers of spectators arrived at the course to watch stars such as Tony Jacklin CBE, Ian Woosnam OBE, Brian Barnes, Alison Nicholas MBE, Tommy Horton MBE, Maurice Bembridge, Gary Boyd, Marc Warren, Tommy Fleetwood, Scott Drummond, Andrew Oldcorn

and home favourite Mark Mouland. It was Oldcorn, the 2001 Volvo PGA Champion, who secured the biggest cheer of the early starters when he began to light up the course around the turn, lipping out of the hole with his tee-shot on the 7th and going one better at the 8th when his gap wedge spun back into the cup for a hole in one, winning a 7 night luxury stay in a penthouse apartment in Spain.

Mark Murphy recaptured the form he showed on Tuesday when he scored a best round of the day with a -5 par 49, to surge up to the upper echelons of the leaderboard. The Super Seniors prize for the leading player over the age of 60 was won by 6-time Ryder Cup player Brian Barnes, who played superbly consistent golf over the two days of the championship to finish on level par, one shot clear of Larry Laoretti and two shots clear of fellow former Ryder Cup stars Tommy Horton and Malcolm Gregson. The victory was particularly emotional for Barnes, who will forever be known as the man who beat Jack Nicklaus twice in one day in Ryder Cup singles, as he was playing in his first professional tournament for 12 years after having to retire due to Rheumatoid Arthritis, which is now in remission.

At the other end of her career, the Norma C Herd Silver Salver for the leading amateur in the competition was won by Curtis Cup star Charley Hull, on a score of -1 for the two days. Displaying her prodigious talent with some exceptional golf over the course of the championship, Hull demonstrated why she is widely tipped as a superstar of the future, just a month before making headlines with a 2 under par round in the first round of the Women’s British Open. In second position for the leading amateur at the championship was 13 year old Tom Charley, who scored impressive rounds of +2 and +3 to put his stamp on the championship. The

Halliwell Cup for the Pro-Am team was won by D J Russell and his partner James Graham, with Simon Lilly and his partner Graham Curtin finishing in second spot.

When the leaders went out on Thursday afternoon, the stage was set for a classic climax and they certainly didn’t disappoint. Lilly started well with a birdie at the first, and looked secure out in front for much of the round, but succumbed to a double bogey at the 11th and a bogey on the 12th, where the newly developed water feature sank his challenge. Meanwhile, a burst from two time winner on the European Tour D J Russell put him in pole position for the victory. Russell was playing exceptional golf, especially at the finish, securing birdies at the 14th, 15th and 17th, to finish the round on -8, three shots clear of Lilly on -5 and a further two shots clear of Wolstenholme and Murphy on -3 claiming the £15,000 first prize. The win made Russell the oldest ever winner of the championship and his -8 winning total was the best winning score recorded in the championship’s history at Nailcote Hall, surpassing the efforts of Shaun P Webster and Carl Mason.

“This course beats the Masters Par 3 hands down!”- Brian Barnes

49

It’s a man’s world

Celeb-Am Winning Team 1st Place - Fort Autos - 13 Mark Hunt/Paddy Lynch/Mike Middleton

GRAND FINALÉ

Celeb - Clayton Blackmore

2nd Place - Nailcote Hall - 13

Celeb-Am Friday 10th August

Dan Callaghan/David Edwards/Ian Halliwell

After all the action on Thursday afternoon, the final act in the magical four days of golf at the Farmfoods British Par 3 Championship is Friday’s grand finale Celeb-Am extravaganza.

Celeb - Maurice Bembridge

3rd Place - Carlsberg - 12 Paul Deacon/Dean Travers/Michael Oaks Celeb - Chris Broad

4th Place - Tiger Foods - 11 Tyrone Hanlon/Ray Neimand/Andrew Taylor Celeb - Mark Murphy

5th Place - 3D Employee Benefit - 10 Jon Isaac/John Daley/Ady Wheatcroft Celeb - Brian Close CBE

6th Place - GT Pearson - 10 Gary Pearson/Jon Orme/Colin Cola Celeb - John Jensen

Celebrity Individual Results 1st = Mark Murphy 1st = Gary Wolstenholme MBE 3rd Clayton Blackmore

50

The Celeb-Am is famous for its magnificent atmosphere.

“One of the best atmospheres in a golf tournament I have ever experienced!”- European Tour star Graeme Storm Irish golf star Mark Murphy would get another chance for success on the Cromwell Course in the Celeb Am. Starting at 8.30 am, Murphy continued his impressive form from the previous day with a -4 score of 50, which was enough to hold off competition from Gary Wolstenholme and former Manchester United footballer Clayton Blackmore to secure the Celeb Am prize, which he handed over to Blackmore in a wonderful gesture of sportsmanship.

Also on the course on Friday were cricketers Basher Hassan, Darren Bicknall, Chris Broad and Brian Close, US Senior Open star Larry Laoretti, Coronation Street’s Johnnie Briggs, Strictly Come Dancing judge Len Goodman, former Manchester United manager Ron Atkinson.

On Friday evening, Nailcote Hall hosted their glamorous Celebrity Charity Ball. With Snooker legend Willie Thorne as master of ceremonies for the evening, a huge amount of money was raised for Rainbows Hospice for Children

and Young People, through fundraising activities including a charity auction with sensational sporting and celebrity memorabilia and truly “money can’t buy” prizes, including a hospitality package to see George Michael at the NEC, tickets to see Piers Morgan’s Life Stories being filmed and a chance to play the new Trump Course in Aberdeen with 1999 Open Champion Paul Lawrie MBE. The tented village was better than ever this year, with a sensational Moet & Chandon Champagne bar, a Carlsberg beer tent, the famous Whitby Seafood Scampi Camper and a Youngs and McCain van serving delicious freshly cooked fish and chips. Great golfing gear was also displayed, including MacWet’s “all grip no slip” golf gloves providing superior feel, sensitivity and grip in all weather conditions, John Letters wedges, GrooveFix, Druh Belts and Footlabs’ custom-fitted insoles, ideal for improving golfing balance during the swing, as worn by Senior Tour star Gary Wolstenholme MBE. With drama, emotion, fun and amazing stories everywhere you looked, the 2012 Farmfoods British Par 3 Championship was a truly amazing championship that will not quickly be forgotten by the thousands of spectators who attended it. Now all that remains is for work to start on the 2013 championship, which will take place on August 6th-9th. Inspirational Magazine will be back in support of the championship alongside media partners Sky Sports and The Daily Telegraph.

“I love playing in the Farmfoods British Par 3 Championship. It is golf at its very best. Sporting, exciting and dramatic but great fun too!!�

- European Tour star Marc Warren

For more information: Call 08453 313031 or visit our website www.britishpar3.com 51

BRITISH PAR 3 CHAMPIONSHIP 6th - 9th August 2013 Nailcote Hall, Warwickshire

HOSTED BY THE LEGENDARY TONY JACKLIN CBE Tickets (6th, 7th, 8th, 9th August) £10 per day (50% discount for children under 14 and OAP’s) Season Ticket (all 4 days) £25 (50% discount for children under 14 and OAP’s) For the ultimate experience, premium hospitality packages are also available on request.

For sponsorship information or to purchase tickets, call or email Champions (UK) Plc on

08453 313031 • bp3@championsukplc.com

www.britishpar3.com

INSPIRATIONAL magazine

Corporate Golf Days “Augusta does not compare with Nailcote” Brian Barnes (below, left), 1995 & ‘96 Senior British Open Champion, 6 times Ryder Cup star and Super Seniors Champion at the Farmfoods British Par 3, 2012.

Nailcote Hall is the perfect venue for a corporate event.

Our golf course offers exceptional golf, located in the heart of Warwickshire and surrounded by the region’s exceptional views. Our Cromwell Course really is one of the best Par 3 courses in the world, and we are proud to offer it to you and your corporate guests for a business experience.

What better place to mix business with pleasure than a championship course described as ‘better than Augusta’

by Brian Barnes.

Ian Woosnam OBE, Tony Jacklin CBE, Peter Shilton OBE and Peter Schmeichel MBE seen playing at the Farmfoods British Par 3 Championship held annually at Nailcote Hall. Televised on Sky Sports in September 2012.

Our bespoke packages offer a variety of choices, including 18 holes of golf on our championship course, food and drinks.

For companies looking to create a special golfing day we can offer selected menus, professional organisation of your event and sporting guest speakers.

Whatever you need to make your day work, our team are here to make it happen.

For more information please call Rick Cressman on: 07974 386380 Nailcote Hall, Nailcote Lane, Berkswell, Warwickshire, CV7 7DE Telephone: 02476 466174 • Facsimile: 02476 470720 • Email: info@nailcotehall.co.uk

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IT’S A MAN’S WORLD

Rated as one of the most luxurious hotels in the world, and second only to the Dorchester in the UK, Rockliffe Hall in County Durham boasts 61 individually-designed bedrooms, a Championship golf course, an award-winning spa and three first-class restaurants.

Foodies, spa addicts, golf aficionados – indeed lovers of all things luxury – will find everything they need within the grounds of Rockliffe Hall; a one-stopshop for extravagance and indulgence.

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Celebrated chef, Kenny Atkinson, a

Since opening in November 2009,

regular face on TV cookery programmes,

Rockliffe Hall has earned a host of

oversees Rockliffe Hall’s restaurants: – his triple AA Rosette ‘Kenny Atkinson

accolades, the most recent being earlier this year when popular review

at The Orangery’, the ‘Brasserie by

website, TripAdvisor, placed it second

Atkinson’ and the ‘Clubhouse’.

in the list of the UK’s most luxurious

From the gourmet tasting menus in

hotel destinations, second only to the

the Orangery to the selection of

Dorchester Hotel on London’s Park Lane.

regionally-influenced dishes in the

What’s more, the resort was named as the

Brasserie and the newly-launched grill

ninth most luxurious in the world –

menu in the Clubhouse, there are dishes

a tremendous accolade from the people

to suit a variety of tastes and palettes.

that matter – the guests.

Recently voted ‘Large Hotel of the Year’ by VisitEngland the 5* rated leisure resort is set on the banks of the River Tees just outside the village of Hurworth, close to Darlington. As well as its reputation as one of the finest eating establishments in the North of England, Rockliffe Hall is home to an award-winning spa and wellness centre, offering luxurious treatments and a 20 metre indoor swimming and hydrotherapy pool.

The 18-hole championship golf course is

Play and Come Dine with Us breaks – a

is on the doorstep, as are Newcastle,

the longest in Europe and hosts a range

must for food fanatics. Not to mention

York, Leeds and the Yorkshire Dales.

of professional and amateur tournaments

cocktails from our expert mixologists

all year round, attracting big names such

to complement The Orangery’s tasting

Whether you’re looking for a personal

menus - the ultimate dining experience.

celebration, an intimate business

as tour professional, Graeme Storm, who

gathering or a wedding with an unrivalled

regularly plays the course.

If you do feel the need to venture

ambience, Rockliffe Hall can provide

Rockliffe Hall offers a host of luxury

further than Rockliffe Hall’s 375 acres of

the 5*quality service that is unbeaten in

breaks from the Splendour Spa Break and

stunning grounds and gothic mansion

the North of England.

Weekend Wind Down to the Stay and

surroundings, the historic city of Durham

R ockliffe H all hotel • golf • spa Hurworth on Tees, Darlington, County Durham DL2 2DU Tel: +44 (0) 1325 729999 | Email: enquiries@rockliffehall.com Web: www.rockliffehall.com 57

It’s a man’s world

E T A M U LT I Concert Experience

With fantastic food, the biggest stars, and high quality luxury seats, amplify offer superlative hospitality packages at Birmingham’s LG Arena and NIA.

Conveniently parking your car and slipping past the crowds to enter the concert venue through a private entrance, you can feel the atmosphere building in anticipation of one of the biggest acts in music taking to the stage. The band have sound-checked and super-fans are fully-laden with merchandise which they’re desperate to have signed. It’s time for you to sit down in the hospitality suite to entertain your guests with delicious food from the restaurant and drinks from the complimentary bar, before being ushered to the best seats in the house as the band strikes up for a truly unforgettable experience…

country including Hampton Court Palace, amplify have built a reputation as quite simply the best concert hospitality in the business.

Providing a truly unique concert experience in sensational stress-free luxury, amplify is the definition of stylish contemporary hospitality.

amplify offer four levels of hospitality, Freestyle, Club, Air, and the brand new Club Plus, all of which guarantee fantastic seats and exceptional levels of service. Freestyle hospitality packages provide informal dining, a private bar facility, and convenient car parking, making for a truly out of the ordinary hospitality experience.

With over 20 years experience of delivering hospitality services at Birmingham’s LG Arena, NIA and other prestigious venues around the 58

Sign up for Club membership to enjoy discounts on Club hospitality, priority booking, a private entrance, and an intimate pre-show dining

experience. Air membership is a truly premium hospitality service, which has become known as the hottest and most sought after ticket in entertainment. Air provides the opportunity to enjoy exclusive pre-show dinner at the amplify restaurant, a stunning and relaxed dining experience with world class food. The pre-show fine dining experience includes dishes such as Swordfish Steak with Black Bean and Mango Salsa and Rib Eye Steak with Field Mushroom and Bearnaise Sauce.

With Air’s limited membership base now sold out, amplify have introduced a brand new and exclusive membership tier of Club Plus. Offering discounted rates on Club hospitality, the bespoke Club Plus membership package includes a complimentary bar, and an

0844 338 0333 info@amplify.co.uk www.amplify.co.uk

opportunity to gain access to the Air restaurant on a first come first served basis following show releases. Offering exclusive access to sample the benefits of both Club and Air memberships, Club Plus also acts as a waiting list for the highly sought after and exclusive Air membership, which provides guaranteed allocations of ‘showdeck’ seating and all inclusive dining for each and every show.

All tiers of amplify membership offer truly breathtaking entertainment and hospitality at its very best. At the NIA, the amplify Showcubes are another premium way to enjoy your favourite shows, with magnificent, panoramic views over the arena and the ultimate in luxury amenities. Each Showcube accommodates up to 14 guests, and guests can enjoy exclusive

pre-show supper before taking balcony view seats, conveniently located directly outside the Showcube.

What truly makes amplify the best hospitality on the market, however, is not only the standard of the food, drinks and customer service on offer at the arenas. It is also the sheer brilliance of the entertainment itself. The LG Arena and the NIA attract the biggest stars in the world for concerts, to a degree almost unrivalled by any other UK venue. There is truly something amazing to satisfy every musical appetite. From Lionel Ritchie and George Michael to Cheryl Cole and Justin Bieber and from One Direction to Andrea Bocelli and Noel Gallagher, amplify hospitality is available at the biggest and best concerts in Birmingham.

It isn’t simply music fans who can benefit from the outstanding hospitality on offer from amplify.

Other fantastic events at the LG Arena and the NIA include comedy from stadium-packing stand-up superstars Michael McIntyre, John Bishop and Eddie Izzard alongside other events including Soccer Saturday Live, Crufts and many more.

With as much attention to detail given to every aspect of the sensational hospitality as the entertainment itself, amplify are superstars of the hospitality industry. Next time you see your ultimate musical hero in action on stage, why not treat yourself and your guests to a luxury hospitality experience to match the world class entertainment?

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It’s a man’s world

McCartney

Mania 2012 has been another Great British year for the McCartneys.

Sir Paul was heralded as the musical equivalent of Shakespeare, and his daughter Stella flies the flag for enduring British style. Both were part of the London Olympics, and here we celebrate the best of British talent.

In 1957, as a member of The Beatles, Paul McCartney began a career that would cement his reputation as one of the most iconic Brits of all time.

Over fifty years later, it’s been a true love affair, its highs and lows well documented through the British media. But what is it about the McCartneys that has made them stand the test of time?

Probably because they’re British, they’re ours and they’re really rather good at what they do.

It’s not just a musical legacy that will leave Paul McCartney’s name on the pages of history, but it’s a good start. Listed in the Guinness World Records as the most successful musician and composer of all time, he has written or co-written 27 number one hits.

Despite speculation and controversy surrounding Lennon-McCartney authorship rows, McCartney’s musical influence filled the charts of the second half of the 20th century. In 2012, celebrating his 70th birthday, the superstar shows no sign of slowing down.

The McCartney name has become synonymous with this year’s British spectacle, the Olympic Games.

Not only did McCartney join in the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations with a five song set to close the concert on June 4, he then performed as an integral part of Danny Boyle’s spectacular Opening Ceremony on 27 July. Not bad for a musician dismissed by Noel Gallagher as having “only produced manure for the past 25 years.” Admittedly, he is no longer producing hit after hit with mind-blowing speed,

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but who can blame him? His set list for the Jubilee concert and the Olympics undeniably proved that the old ones really are the best, with rousing renditions of “Hey Jude” never failing to provoke a powerful emotional reaction.

But Sir Paul does not stand alone in flying the flag for British talent. His children were modestly brought up in North London by McCartney and his late wife Linda. They attended a comprehensive school and thrived on it. Perhaps most celebrated of the McCartney children is Stella. A stand-out talent in her own right as a designer, no one could accuse her of using her celebrity roots to fast track to the top. Graduating from Central Saint-Martins in 1993, and heading Paris based label Chloé two years later, it is her own creative drive and artistic passion that has fuelled her enduring success. Celebrating her 40th birthday this year, she has been given the role of creative director for Adidas and designed the kit for our Olympic team.

The athletes themselves have described their new kit as having the ‘wow factor’, and it certainly answers Chris Hoy’s brief of “just [wanting] to look cool.”

In the true McCartney style, the kit’s unveiling in March of this year sparked controversy and backlash from the public and critics alike. Stella describes her design for the 590 piece collection as being “untraditionally British”, and wanting to celebrate “one of the most iconic flags in the world.

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Images, clockwise from top; Sir Paul McCartney performing at the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony; Olympic triple jumper Phillip Idowu, (left) Stella McCartney (centre) and Heptathlete Jessica Ennis (right); McCartney performing at Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations; Nancy McCartney, (left) Paul McCartney (centre) and Stella McCartney (right); The Beatles

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Some of the initial public reaction was to bemoan the lack of red. There was concern that it played down the ‘English’ aspect of the flag, but the athletes’ reaction was overwhelmingly positive. The kit itself is the right amount of understatement, refined and as a whole, beautifully cohesive. Is this not itself characteristically McCartney, and indeed British?

With Sir Paul having provided a rousing end to the Olympic opening in July, and Stella’s creations running around the track, you would think that would be the McCartney name firmly tied to that of this year’s Olympic Games. Not quite. McCartney’s other daughter, Mary was also to be involved.

Following in Linda’s footsteps as a photographer, she provided a photographic addition to an outdoor exhibition to celebrate this year’s highest profile sporting event. The Photographer’s Gallery has initiated ‘The World in London’ to celebrate the games, with 203 separate images of Londoners, all with different nationalities. Mary added her image to this, a subtle but no less important contribution than that of her father and sister, reminding us of what the Games are really all about.

As the British team and the British public united to fight for gold medals, the McCartneys remain together and strong as they continue to fly the flag for our country’s success stories. Outside of their Olympic commitments, this year saw Paul celebrate his third marriage to New York heiress Nancy Shevell.

In characteristically modest style, the couple married at Marylebone Registry Office, celebrating their nuptials in their north London home, surrounded by friends and family. The wedding was similar to McCartney’s first, to his wife Linda. It is thought that he paid tribute to her in his wedding speech.

Little was said of his second marriage to Heather Mills, a lavish ceremony in Ireland in 2002.

A marriage that he has openly admitted to being one of his “worst mistakes.” Stella herself designed Nancy’s beautiful wedding gown and so obviously gave the bride her seal of approval.

All in all, quite a year for the British institution that is the McCartney family. They represent the hard work and tenacity that has made our country great. Weathering media storms and also enjoying the occasional, but heartfelt, recognitions of their important contribution to our culture has made their name last over half a century, and long may it continue.

if its good enough for the Queen, then it’s certainly good enough for us

As we celebrated sporting and cultural success this summer in a fantastically staged and resoundingly supported Olympics, we are lucky to be able to celebrate the addition of truly great Brits, like Sir Paul and his family are. Ever present and ever memorable, they really are a family to aspire to, their work is inspirational and heartfelt. And after everything, if its good enough for the Queen, then it’s certainly good enough for us.

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IT’S A MAN’S WORLD

Escape to: Inspirational Magazine is delighted to announce our new official distribution partnership with The Belfry Hotel. The magazine is thrilled to be partnering with this beautiful and luxurious retreat and here we share The Belfry’s amazing facilities with you…

It may be renowned the world over as a golfing mecca, but for those living closer to home The Belfry is a doorstep retreat - for golf and so much more. Set in Sutton Coldfield’s stunning countryside, The Belfry is a haven for locals seeking a welcome escape. Whether it’s for a round of golf, a family Sunday lunch or a spa treatment, The Belfry has it all. Enjoy a catch-up over coffee or cocktails and a night-out with friends.

The hotel’s fantastic offering is not limited to those wanting accommodation or hotel members; The Belfry welcomes all to enjoy their luxury retreat. At The Belfry, the door is always open. Step inside, and you’ll be greeted by warm and friendly staff that will go out of their way to ensure your visit exceeds your expectations.

The Belfry Bar, with its terrace overlooking the immaculate golf courses, is a popular choice for get-togethers, whether business or pleasure.

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It offers a relaxing and spacious environment to enjoy a working lunch, light snack or afternoon tea, served with a glass of champagne for the ultimate in luxury.

The indulgence continues in the resort’s Health & Wellness club where the relaxing AquaSpa and pampering at ‘simply THE spa’ help ease away the pressures of daily life.

What’s more, you can enjoy both the AquaSpa and simply THE spa without having to be a member of the Health & Wellness club. There is also the fantastic opportunity to benefit from the state-of-the-art fitness gym without having to commit to a contract.

Despite The Belfry being regarded as the spiritual home of The Ryder Cup, it plays host to all levels of the game and its on-site PGA National Golf Academy is the place to learn for all ages and abilities. With its 34 floodlit bays, the driving range is a big draw for golfers keen to perfect their game and there’s no golf membership required to make use of the extensive facilities.

To explore all The Belfry has to offer, call in or go to: www.TheBelfry.co.uk www.twitter.com/thebelfryhotel www.facebook.com/thebelfryhotel

If you have an event to celebrate, The Belfry is the ideal location. Creating occasions to remember, the hotel is a perfect choice for everything from weddings and anniversaries, to christenings and birthdays. With Christmas around the corner, there is no better place to mark the festive season with party nights, private dining and Christmas Day lunch. We also have special overnight packages available for visiting friends or family.

Whether you want to play on one of the three golf courses, escape with an overnight stay in one of the 324 bedrooms, enjoy a meal in one of the fabulous restaurants, sip a cocktail in the bar, host a meeting in one of the boardrooms, revive in the AquaSpa or celebrate with a night-out at the Bel Air nightclub, The Belfry really does have it all.

65

It’s a man’s world

All rise for

Sir Ian Eighties sporting icon, the most loved all-round cricketer ever, tireless charity fundraiser and family man.

Sir Ian Botham OBE shows us that our British talent can have many faces.

If you were around in the Eighties you will, of course, remember Ian Botham snatching victory from the Australian side in the 1981 Ashes. You will remember that he played some of the most inspired cricket that the sport has ever seen. You may also remember his legendary ability to celebrate.

Some thirty years on, we know that he is an enduring icon of British sport. These days we have seen him advocating breakfast cereal, or quality British meat. He appears regularly as a Sky Sports commentator and has walked 10,000 miles for charity. Botham is, at 56, not out. In fact, he’ll be sticking around for quite some time.

Botham was propelled to national and international recognition because of his cricketing prowess.

His amazing feats on the field came at a time of national crisis and he truly was the nation’s hero.

With miner’s strikes, recession and riots the country needed something to celebrate and Botham certainly delivered. Botham’s talent on the cricket pitch really is legendary. He is famous around the world for his amazing performances, bringing games back from the brink to secure and England win. Sir Ian’s philosophy has always been to live life to the full, refusing to compromise and always defending his choices by demonstrating amazing skill on the cricket pitch.

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By the end of his on-field career, Botham had scored over 5000 test runs and taken 383 wickets, holding the world record for a time and remains England’s top wicket taker. His style was fierce, fighting to the bitter end of the match and securing wins for the English side. Recognising his own relentless attack during play he said “I don’t know any other way to play sport. I don’t know any other way of doing anything to be honest. Get out there and fight.” Whether a fight for a home side win, or a fight for life Botham has always been on the front line.

He was named in the Queen’s Birthday honours list and knighted in 2007. For many, his amazing sporting career would have been enough to secure the honour of being ‘Sir Ian’, but he was also named for his outstanding charitable contributions. Sir Ian ‘Beefy’ Botham campaigns tirelessly for the charity Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research, raising vast amounts of money with the goal of finding the cure for childhood blood cancers. He has walked an amazing 10,000 miles over the past fifteen years and often raised £25,000 a week for the charity.

In 1977, Botham was in hospital receiving treatment for a broken toe, when a chance wrong turn brought him to a children’s ward. Inspired after seeing a group of terminally ill children playing, all suffering from Leukaemia, Beefy began his campaign that has spanned thirty five years.

A campaign with the tagline “I won’t stop walking until we’ve beaten blood cancer” has Botham written all over it and it is testament to his all-or-nothing attitude that the £10 million raised over the course of the campaign’s history means that the chances of surviving Leukaemia have dramatically risen from 20% to 80%. The money raised has funded vital research, forming a part of Sir Ian’s amazing legacy.

It seems hard to believe that the former world class cricket star would have time for anything else, but he continues his involvement with the nation’s cricketing story as a commentator for Sky Sports.

Whatever the result for the current England side, Botham is always met with adoring recognition the world over. His unbelievable form is obviously difficult to forget and for those after his time, his ability to turn a match around in an afternoon has become the stuff of legends.

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Little wonder that he is an ambassador for the Jaguar Academy of Sport, Nike and Shredded Wheat. Botham’s ability to provide an enigmatic personality keeps him on our television screens and in the hearts of cricket and sports fans alike.

So it may be hard to believe that this once bull-like competitor only ever plays cricket in the garden with his grandchildren. It seems that they are less than impressed with his style and he has joked that they have asked if he was ever good at cricket.

His answer should be that he was excellent, but as Beefy throws his grandchildren a few balls he seems more than happy to leave his active England career in the past, remembering it fondly and focussing on his new pursuits.

sir Ian ‘Beefy’ Botham campaigns tirelessly for the charity leukaemia and lymphoma research These days, Sir Ian is happy to indulge in his favourite hobbies: golf, travel, fly-fishing and wine.

He even launched his own wine label (perhaps a touch of the old competitiveness) entering the market place with business partner and former fast bowler Bob Willis. Both cricketers are heavily involved with every stage of the process, and the label is certainly no celebrity gimmick. Botham’s cricket tours have allowed him the opportunity to try both New and Old World wines, honing his taste and expertise. The label combines the passion of Botham and Willis with the knowledge and reputation of Geoff Merrill to become Botham Merrill Willis. The wine label has been built on friendship and joint enthusiasm, producing wines that are welcome on many a dinner table.

Sir Ian Botham does what he likes and likes what he does. He always has and we can only hope that he always will. Botham represents the most exciting of British talent, sometimes a contradiction, mostly unpredictable but always with dogged determination to be the very best. What more could we ask from the much loved Beefy? He is pure British quality.

Images, clockwise from top: 20 April 2005, Sir Ian Botham teaches Sri Lankan schoolboys the art of fast bowling at the Galle International Cricket Stadium.

Botham recreates the trek of Hannibal across the Alps mountain range with elephants to raise funds for Leukaemia Research on 30th March 1988 in Perpignan, France.

10 October 2007, England and Somerset cricket legend Sir Ian Botham after he received his knighthood.

November 1986, Ian Botham of England hooks the ball for another boundary on his way to 138 against Australia in the First Test at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia.

“We have a gaping hole in the England side because Ian Botham has gone.

People say Chris Lewis will take his place and I always say, ‘What, on the bus to the ground?’”

– Fred Trueman. –

PRESENT

An EvEning with Sir ian

Botham oBE 6:45Pm FRiday 6Th JUNE 2013

kiNg PowER STadiUm

AnnuAl chArity crickEt dinnEr A guArAntEEd to sEll out fAst!

Book now

wiTh SPEcial gUESTS

gEoff MillEr & chArliE ross Join geoff miller and charlie Ross for an evening celebrating the life and career of sir iAn BothAM oBE. Enjoy the quips and charms of ian and geoff, a delightful three-course meal and an exciting auction held by charlie for Rainbows childrens hospice. dress code: Black Tie. Secure your table of 10 now! Platinum £1000 +VaT gold £750 +VaT

Please contact Roxanna hayes on

08453 313 031

or email: rhayes@championsukplc.com INSPIRATIONAL magazine Media partner

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BUSINESS AND FINANCE

A tAilor mAde success Leading Birmingham tailor and shirtmaker Benjamin Vaughan is one of the most exciting names in the fashion world this year, putting British tailoring firmly back on the map, and showing that you don’t have to go to Savile Row to be in the know.

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From super-fine sapphire blue detailing in an elegant Prince of Wales check to a flash of refined paisley under the collar of a crimson shirt, bespoke tailoring is the ultimate sartorial expression of individuality, elegance, and refinement. Based in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, Benjamin Vaughan has swiftly built a reputation as one the most dynamic and forward thinking tailors, continuing the values and tradition of classic tailoring in innovative, creative and up to the minute garments.

Fusing innovative contemporary twists with a dedication to traditional craftsmanship, Benjamin believes that everyone deserves to make an unforgettable impact in exquisite tailoring. Adamant that the job of a tailor is not to stamp a particular style on the client, but to bring out their individual character and personality, Benjamin & Co allow you to be the designer of your own garments. Dressing in your own style brings you confidence and freedom: every detail of the tailoring is designed exactly as you wish it: elegant, stylish and exquisitely comfortable.

Benjamin Vaughan believes the key to great tailoring is attention to detail.

“It might just be an extra button or the lining of a suit that a new client spots as you take your jacket off at a business meeting. It’s details like this which really distinguish someone as taking pride in their appearance.. For example, everyone is lining the inside of the shirt collar with a bold pattern these days, but we have started lining just under the collar with really stylish and elegant fabrics.” – Benjamin Vaughan

Benjamin began his career in tailoring when working for renowned shirtmakers Thomas Pink, part of the legendary LVMH group. However, it was during his time at the Manchester-based tailor Frank Rostron that Benjamin’s design philosophy and passion for exceptional tailoring really took hold. Working with Frank’s client list made up of celebrities and key business figures alike, Benjamin learned his trade and by the age of just 25 told the bold decision to launch a business back in Birmingham, his home city.

The country was in crisis however, the credit crunch was peaking and the chancellor had just announced that Britain was in recession, yet Benjamin had taken the courageous move to launch his own business.

The community rallied though, and support for the young tailor blossomed. Within weeks, Benjamin’s Bespoke Shirt Makers and Tailors had catapulted to success, crafting shirts and suits for celebrities and local business people across Birmingham and the wider West Midlands. Working from these premises, Benjamin quickly attracted Birmingham’s best dressed, and became the toast of the city’s thriving fashion community. Media professionals, business people, sporting greats and television celebrities alike all flocked to Kings Heath, sparking a mini-revolution in the area, boosting its profile and creating a real must-visit destination for the Midlands’ most discerning sartorialists. News stories about Benjamin Vaughan rocketed, and from the First Class Emirates in-flight magazine to mentions by the Financial Times as the number one shopping destination in the city, the business grew from strength to strength.

With the success of the shop and studio in Kings Heath, Benjamin began looking for ways to expand the business. Forming a partnership with Suzanne Smith and Milan Bechar, Benjamin has rebranded Benjamin & Co to its a prestigious location at the heart of Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter.

One of the most recent celebrities to walk through the door of Benjamin & Co for a fitting is former Ashes-winning England star and Leicestershire captain Matthew Hoggard MBE, who needs smart and individual attire for his busy schedule of dinners, award ceremonies and other celebrity gatherings. With a personality as ebullient and lively as one of his legendary swing bowls, Hoggard needs a wardrobe with the all-important bespoke details that reflect his personality and that looks instantly stylish and elegant when he is out at events.

“The measuring process was perfect, and Benjamin & Co fitted around my busy schedule with ease.

Benjamin understood exactly what I wanted and it was really inspiring looking at the superb range of first class fabrics in the studio. I am delighted with the suit itself and also the tailored golfing clothes, it feels, fits and looks great and I have already been complimented on it!”– Matthew Hoggard MBE From tailored evening attire, including tie and cufflinks to more casual tailored golfing trousers and business suits, Benjamin & Co are able to give you a unique and consistent wardrobe that is all your own. Benjamin & Co also offer a wide range of stylish, bespoke tailoring for women, including blouses and suits, ideal for the woman who wants to be certain she is dressed unlike anyone else, whether in the office or at her favourite wine bar with the girls.

Breaking through traditions and retaining the time-honoured quality of bespoke garments, Benjamin said: “Dressing for success is about dressing in clothes that fit, both our shapes and our personalities. When we look good, we feel good and we perform at our best.”

Like a coincidence from Paulo Coelho’s Alchemist, Benjamin found himself opening his boutique in fashionable York Road, Kings Heath on the morning of President Obama’s inaguration.

If you would like to find out more about Benjamin Vaughan contact Suzanne Smith on 07506 794158 or email suzanne@benjaminvaughan.com Benjamin & Co Studio, 71 Vyse Street, Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham B18 6EX www.benjaminvaughan.com 71

Ghost

Isn’t it time you stopped thinking about one?

Financing a Ghost can be as effortless as it is to drive. Acquire, our flexible finance package, offers a highly competitive APR. Simply pay for 50 per cent of the car at the start of the agreement and the remainder at the end of the two year contract period*.

So, why wait? Stop thinking about Ghost and start driving one.

Contact us to find out more.

Representative example for an Acquire 50:50 agreement.

On the road cash price** Customer deposit Monthly payments Optional final payment*** Term of agreement Amount of credit Total amount payable Rate of interest (fixed) Representative 0% APR

£214,453.00 £107,226.50 £0.00 £107,226.50 24 months £107,226.50 £214,453.00 0%

Fuel economy figures (ltr/100km): Urban 20.6 / Extra Urban 9.6 / Combined 13.7 CO2 emissions: 319 g/km Finance example is based on an Acquire 50:50 agreement for the model stated, a Ghost with optional Lunar Blue Paint and RFA 20" Alloy wheels with a contract mileage of 20,000 miles and an excess mileage charge of 81.36 pence per mile. **On the road cash price is based on manufacturer’s recommended retail price and includes 4 year Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Dealer Warranty, Rolls-Royce Assistance, 12 months’ road fund licence, vehicle first registration fee, delivery, number plates and VAT. ***Optional final payment payable at the end of the agreement if you decide to purchase the vehicle. Excess mileage charges and vehicle condition charges may be payable if you return the vehicle. Prices are correct at the time of publication (October 2012) and are subject to change without notice. Offer available in limited volume and only applicable to Model Year 2012 vehicles. Retail customers only. *Percentage payable upfront and optional final payment may differ when selecting options. Finance is subject to status and available to over 18s in the UK only (excluding the Channel Islands and Isle of Man). Guarantees and indemnities may be required. Advertised finance is provided

by BMW Financial Services (BMW FS), Europa House, Bartley Way, Hook, Hampshire, RG27 9UF. We commonly, but not exclusively, introduce customers to BMW FS. This introduction does not amount to independent financial advice.

Rybrook, 2635 Stratford Road, Hockley Heath, Solihull B94 5NH Tel: +44 (0) 84 5017 7500 www.rolls-roycemotorcars-birmingham.co.uk © Copyright Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited 2012. The Rolls-Royce name and logo are registered trademarks.

It’s a man’s world

The HEART of the ACTION

With sensational hospitality opportunities, the high voltage exhilaration of the action on the pitch isn’t the only reason to get excited about a visit to Welford Road, home of the Leicester Tigers.

The 1880 Club is the closest you can get to being a member of the Tigers team, dissecting the exciting match with the players themselves.

This is also an ideal opportunity to network with influential business leaders and fellow 1880 Club members.

The atmosphere at Welford Road is quite simply one of the greatest experiences in British sport. On match day, it’s as if the whole city growls its support. The crowd gathers in the stadium, the players gear up for the action-packed drama of another exciting fixture... there’s no better place to be in Leicester.

Other fabulous hospitality includes the Tigers’ VIP hospitality packages, which include premium gold level seating, reserved car parking, a complimentary pre-match bar, a four course silver service dinner, visits from first team players and a post-match afternoon tea.

Executive Boxes at Welford Road provide a more private viewing experience, with a fully equipped TV, private balcony and licensed bar.

Fantastic catering options are also available in the Goldsmiths Stand.

With sensational success on the pitch, and truly world-class hospitality off the pitch, Leicester Tigers offer some of the very best hospitality in Britain. Welford Road boasts the spectacular 1880 Club, an exclusive seasonal venue with limited membership for both individuals and corporations.

What better way to entertain your clients?

From the moment you arrive at Welford Road, the VIP treatment begins. As a member of the 1880 Club, you really are treated as a privileged guest, guaranteed sensational service, exceptional hospitality and a truly memorable experience. The sensational hospitality includes food of the highest quality in the 1880 club restaurant, a complimentary bar service and a special guest speaker from the world of rugby.

Your own, or your company’s name will be credited on a plaque in the lounge, as well as on the 1880 Club’s premium luxuriously padded seats located near the halfway and 10m lines.

Ideally positioned to watch the Tigers’ action unfold, 1880 Club members always benefit from best seats in the house. Members are perfectly positioned for every Castro charge, speedy dash

by Geordan Murphy, Manu Tuilagi try and every stunning Toby Flood conversion kick, ensuring they see the very best of the match.

After the match, 1880 Club members are invited to return to the private suite to enjoy further hospitality, where players, directors and coaching staff are also present after the game.

73

For a truly once in a lifetime hospitality package, you can’t do better than the Man of the Match experience. Dining in the exclusive Legends lounge, you are joined by players, coaches and directors, having enjoyed premium reserved padded seats on the halfway line. While watching the match, you have the exclusive opportunity to select the Man of the Match, and this player will join you after the game.

1880 Club, Leicester Tigers, Aylestone Road, Leicester, LE2 7TR Phone: 0844 856 1880 Email: tigers@tigers.co.uk www.leicestertigers.com

It’s a man’s world

The talented

Mr Ridley SiR Ridley ScoTT, King of the Blockbuster.

From Z-cars to the furthest reaches of the universe and everything in between, Sir Ridley Scott has done it all.

The South-Shields native really is the King of the big screen.

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75

It’s a man’s world

Hollywood director and British institution Ridley Scott really has made a ‘substantial contribution to the British Film Industry’. Knighted in 2003 for precisely this reason, he has given the film industry more blockbusters than any other director of his generation. His artistic vision seems boundless, and his work is characterised by stunning visuals and strong individual characters. Some of the most iconic images of cinema were conceived in his mind.

Who could forget Thelma and Louise’s iconic dive off the cliff edge, or the alien bursting out of a man’s chest? His more recent films have scoured the history books. Gladiator in 2000 topped his own personal record for his highest grossing film at the box office.

everyone was talking about it. At times it seemed that Sir Ridley was being purposefully vague about the link between the film and his previous work Alien (1979) and it is still unclear if it is definitely a prequel to the classic sci-fi of the seventies. This new film sees a team travelling out to the furthest reaches of the galaxy searching for the origins of mankind.

No small task, and there are some rather difficult complications along the way. The film also taps into Scott’s own musings on the question behind the film.

He has said that he believes it ridiculous to assume that Earth holds the only life forms in the galaxy.

the much awaited Prometheus launched in June to mixed reviews, but there was one constant: everyone was talking about it.

With more than a few projects in production for the upcoming year and beyond, and Prometheus taking cinemas by storm throughout the summer of 2012, Scott sums it up: “I used to agonise over what to do next, but now I make a movie a year.” A simple philosophy, however he also recognises the problems with the over-hyped film market, deploring the loss of ‘art’ in Hollywood. For Ridley Scott, his artistic vision drives his need to produce movies, not to fulfil box office quotas and financial targets.

He has gone as far to say that only “three per cent” of movies produced now are any good. This is, of course, only his opinion. It’s well known that an artistic vision is rarely a shared one amongst competitors.

Whatever the driving force behind mankind, it’s doubtful that Scott has much spare time to ponder the secret to our existence.

The much awaited Prometheus launched in June to mixed reviews, but there was one constant:

The 74 year old maintains a strict routine that sees him working from six every morning, spending hours

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on the phone with London or LA, depending where he is in the world. It’s clear that it would take a lot to shake his drive to outdo his competitors and there is no sign of him slowing down yet. He describes himself as a natural born competitor and has tried his hand at television, starting his career with the BBC’s Z-cars. He also ran an advertising organisation with his brother Tony Scott making some of the most influential television commercials of the nineteen sixties and seventies.

Clearly Scott is fascinated by his work and he is closely involved with every part. Sometimes accused of being more interested in the set than the actors themselves, he dismisses this as nonsense. Repeatedly his films show his cast at their best. Think back to Sigourney Weaver in Alien for example. His close working relationship with Russell Crowe spanned the first decade of this century with Gladiator (2000), A Good Year (2006), American Gangster (2007), Body of Lies (2008) and Robin Hood (2010) all hits in quick succession.

Their relationship has been turbulent, but clearly this gave them the fire to create such memorable movies together. Gladiator alone scooped five Oscars, including Best Leading Actor for Crowe and Best Picture overall.

For Scott is a man enthralled by dominant historical figures, the knight or the cowboy, gangster or gladiator. He has become an icon of our time, a knight himself and his crusade seems set on making the best Blockbusters for a long time to come.

FILMOGRAPHY 1977 the duellists 1979 alien 1982 Blade runner 1985 legend 1987 someone to watch over me 1989 Black rain 1991 thelma & louise 1992 1492: Conquest of Paradise 1996 white squall 1997 G.I. Jane 2000 Gladiator 2001 Hannibal 2001 Black Hawk down 2003 matchstick men 2005 Kingdom of Heaven 2006 a Good Year 2007 american Gangster 2008 Body of lies 2010 robin Hood 2012 Prometheus

Images, clockwise from top; Scott’s 1979 blockbuster ‘Alien’ Yaphet Kotto, (right) Sigourney Weaver (centre) and Ian Holm (left); Scott’s classic ‘Thelma and Louise’(1991) Ridley Scott and cast: Michael Madsen, Sigourney Weaver and Greena Davies; Gladiator (2000) Connie Nielsen and Joaquin Pheonix ; Cast and director, Ridley Scott at Prometheus premiere (left to right) Guy Pearce, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace, Ridley Scott, Logan Marshall-Green, Rafe Spall.

IT’S A MAN’S WORLD

Set in the heart of the beautiful Leicestershire countryside, Stapleford Park is one of England’s most magnificent country house hotels and sporting estates.

There are certain places in the world that are truly special; places that define the elegance of English country life more than any other, and where all the finest things in life are valued and celebrated every day. One of these places is Leicestershire’s Stapleford Park, where they have developed the time-honoured values of elegant country living into a fine art.

With its own beautiful and magical church, Stapleford Park is a perfect place for a blessing. The celebrations can continue with a reception at the elegant Grand Hall, a short walk away. Surrounded by beautiful gardens and the loveliest English countryside, Stapleford Park is an idyllic setting for a Country House Wedding with your friends and family.

Included in the elite and exclusive list of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, the hotel offers 55 beautifully designed bedrooms, providing members and hotel guests with a truly luxurious experience and exquisite service to match. Occupying a glorious location in the stunning natural beauty of the Leicestershire countryside, Stapleford Park offers unrivalled amenities and facilities.

Afternoon Tea at Stapleford Park is a quintessentially English indulgence, a time to unwind and celebrate the finer things of life. Served in the restaurant, on the terrace, in the Harborough Room or in one of the beautifully appointed lounges, guests are invited to partake of a magnificent selection of afternoon treats and savouries including rare roast beef sandwiches, scones, homemade cakes and delicious pastries.

With a selection of dining experiences to suit every occasion, whether it’s a sandwich on the terrace as the sun sets on the house’s glorious grounds or an extravagant three-course meal in the fine dining restaurant, you can be sure of an opulent and delicious meal whatever the occasion. Gourmet food is served in the elegant 2 AA Rosette Grinling Gibbons Restaurant, while the private dining rooms in the Harborough Room and the Billiard Room are used to host intimate dinner parties in the exquisite elegance of a traditional country house setting.

With a wide range of grand rooms available, Stapleford Park is the ideal location for the most special of special occasions, such as private celebrations, corporate entertainments and weddings. Voted by the Independent as one of the 50 best wedding venues in the UK, Stapleford Park really is every bride’s dream, offering one of the most romantic and prestigious wedding venues in Leicestershire.

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Former Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance has described the course at Stapleford Park as “one of England’s greatest jewels.”

As a country house estate in the truest sense, Stapleford Park offers activities to satisfy all country and sporting pursuits. The Championship Golf Course has played host to high profile golf tournaments including the 2010 and 2011 ISPS Handa Senior Masters. Designed by the world famous golf course architect Donald Steel, who is famous for being the first architect to work at St Andrews since Harry Colt in 1913, the Championship Golf Course at Stapleford Park is a glorious tribute to British golf and one of the most elegant courses in the country.

Located in the heart of England, surrounded by stunning Leicestershire countryside, the golf course makes the most of the unparalleled privilege of its magnificent location. With everchanging views of the lakes and five hundred acre estate of Stapleford Park, this is golf in the classic English countryside at its very best.

The course wraps around the heart of the estate in two extended loops, never more than two holes wide, making golf at Stapleford Park reminiscent of the great links courses.

The Championship golf course is among the finest luxury golf courses in the Midlands.

It was selected by the PGA European Seniors Tour to host their newest golf tournament in May 2010 when it hosted the ISPS Handa Senior Masters and following on from this success, hosted the same tournament a year later in 2011.

The greens and tees are immaculately maintained to the highest Championship standards allowing members and hotel guests the opportunity to play the course throughout the year.

Offering a fully-equipped and modern Golf Academy, Stapleford Park has made a name for itself as one of the premier practice and tuition destinations in the Midlands.

Club Professional Richard Alderson offers expert coaching and tuition in the relaxing environment of the estate, which makes it the ideal place to focus on your game. It’s this quality that has led Justin Rose to practice here, commenting: “I can’t think of anywhere more relaxing to come, to get away from the pressures of everyday life on the tour”.

Other country pursuits available to guests at Stapleford Park include archery, shooting, fishing, tennis, falconry and other country activities. With a hugely experienced activities team on the estate, guests can enjoy a spot of shooting with Malcolm, archery with Brian or falconry with Peter, safe in the knowledge that they are always in safe hands.

Other traditional country pursuits include off-road driving, Croquet, horse riding and duck herding, which is a particular favourite with our younger members and house guests.

Situated in the converted Victorian stable block, the Clarins Gold Spa at Stapleford Park is a haven of tranquillity where guests can truly escape and relax.

The spa offers seven treatment rooms, a relaxing lounge area, fitness studio and fully equipped Technogym. Members and hotel guests come to escape from the stresses of daily life, jogging around the stunning grounds before meeting their personal trainer in the gym or joining a complimentary class, from yoga to spinning, in the fitness studio. All while the children are looked after in the crèche. The luxury pool complex includes a heated 22m pool, steam room, sauna and jacuzzi.

With various membership options available, Stapleford Park is a home away from home for all the members. If they’re looking for an exceptional round of golf, some spa pampering, a healthy walk around the estate with their dog, or organizing a private party or lunch, they’re always in the right place. Whether it’s a quiet setting to enjoy an afternoon tea, their favourite haunt to meet up with friends, or the country home they long to escape to on Friday afternoons, Stapleford Park hits just the right note. Membership has other privileges too, including special rates on accommodation in the house, food and drinks in the dining rooms, as well as spa treatments and golf tuition. Members entertain friends, host private dinner parties and enjoy a busy social calendar throughout the year with regular events such as the Summer Ball, Bonfire Night, Christmas Carol Concert and many other annual sporting spectacles.

Whether as a hotel guest or as a member, Stapleford Park is a magnificent and elegant house with exquisite service which gives its visitors the quintessentially English experience of a spectacular country house estate.

For further information, please contact: Stapleford Park, Stapleford, nr. Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire LE14 2EF Telephone: 01572 787 000 Email: information@stapleford.co.uk or visit www.staplefordpark.com

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BE MOVED BY BANG & OLUFSEN At Bang & Olufsen of Mailbox and Bang & Olufsen of Leamington Spa we are on a mission to move customers through our products. To do this, we offer products that look beautiful, perform flawlessly and shimmer with life.

If you visit our showroom, you will discover our inspirational, worldleading, state of the art product range, as well as expert and helpful advice on all aspects of home entertainment. No project is too small or too large. From a single television to a fully integrated multi-room system.

Have a play with the products first hand and see how they can work for you in your home. Whether you would like straightforward friendly advice, demonstrations or simply a chat and a coffee, we look forward to welcoming you.

Bang & Olufsen of Leamington Spa 78 Regent Street, Leamington Spa CV32 4NS Tel. 01926 881500 leamingtonspa@bang-olufsen.co.uk www.bang-olufsen.com/leamingtonspa Bang & Olufsen of Mailbox 53,Wharfside Street, Birmingham B1 1RE Tel. 0121 632 6166 mailbox@bang-olufsen.co.uk www.bang-olufsen.com/birmingham Finance options available. Terms apply, please ask instore.

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BeoLink for iPhone Bang & Olufsen’s BeoLink app for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch supplements your remote control to make your intelligent home even more enjoyable. Use your phone to control your home from the kitchen to the driveway – no matter where you are within your home’s Wi-Fi range, you can be in full control with your iPhone or iPod Touch. It connects seamlessly to your Master Link Gateway to control not only your Bang & Olufsen televisions and music systems, but also your entire home automation system – lighting,windows and doors, curtains and much

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00 BeoLab 40

Inspirational Magazine is always on the search for the perfect embodiment of our country’s amazing heritage and culture.

Candlelight Products Ltd has created a collection of five bespoke ranges that really do epitomise the best of British art, design and tradition, calling it the ‘Best of British Brands’.

Candlelight

Products Ltd

Iconic and traditional British style has always been popular the world over. For many, owning their own piece of British culture is very desirable. Candlelight Products Ltd is one of the United Kingdom’s market leading designer, importer and supplier of design-led giftware and home accessories. Their forty years of experience has provided them with the knowledge and expertise to give their clients a complete and bespoke service, bringing the most beautiful selection of home wares to customers all around the world.

Candlelight Products Ltd are about to launch

Taking inspiration from the iconic Grey family,

For those who love the tradition and history of

a new collection of five different ranges on

Candlelight’s Earl Grey Afternoon Tea range is

the afternoon tea ritual, but want a slightly softer

to the international market that tap into the

a beautiful example of classic British style and

and perhaps more feminine design, Candlelight

world-wide demand for everything British.

heritage. What’s more, the collection is available

are offering their Vintage Rose collection. With

With self-confessed Anglophiles fascinated by

in two different but equally elegant designs.

its floral design and soft pastel pink colouring,

every aspect of our unique culture, the new

The Earl Grey Fine China Collection, designed

the range is casually elegant and utterly timeless.

‘Best of British Brands’ range represents the

in a classic regency style evokes the indulgent

It epitomises the much loved afternoon tea

many facets of British design and culture.

ritual of tradition afternoon tea for the modern

and both ranges from Earl Grey Afternoon Tea

day. Beautifully patterned with a rich and

collection are the perfect accompaniment to a

Candlelight’s new collection, celebrating the very

ornate design, the purple and gold of the

delicious afternoon tea in your own home.

best of British includes a beautiful dinnerware

set is reminiscent of the afternoon tea sets used

The inspiration behind one of Candlelight’s

range from iconic British designer, Jeff Banks.

by the English aristocrat who gave his name to

newest ranges starts with a journey into the

They have also joined with the British charity

the eminently popular Earl Grey tea blend.

history books. The Grey family is descended

‘Historic Royal Palaces’, creating an afternoon

from ‘William the Conqueror’ and their lineage is

tea range inspired by the Kensington Palace

arguably one of the most prestigious of English

summer garden. There is also a range of

history. Prominent figures such as Lady Jane

cushions and printed canvases displaying five of

Grey, who reigned for only nine days as England’s

19th century British artist L S Lowry’s unique

Queen, Sir Thomas Grey who signed the death

paintings. For fans of British music, the EMI

warrant of King Charles I and more recently and

Lyrics range offers their customers with a

perhaps most famous of them all, Charles Grey;

chance to decorate their homes with

the second Earl Grey and Prime Minister from

their favourite lyrics from artist that have worked

1830 and 1834 who gave his name to the popular

with the music industry giants. Candlelight

tea blend. The world-renowned tea derives its

Products Ltd, in creating a bespoke range that makes reference to the most famous Earl Grey and the British tradition of afternoon tea, have designed the perfect Afternoon Tea set that epitomises everything that is loved about this most British of past times.

Top:

Printed quotes from the EMI Lyrics range, available as wall art.

Above: ‘Pour La Maison’ – the new Jeff Banks dinnerware range.

name from a gift that the Earl received when he was Prime Minister, after the son of a wealthy Chinese Mandarin was saved from drowning by a member of the British trade delegation. As a token of his thanks, the Mandarin sent the Earl some tea flavoured with delicious Bergamot.

Above: Our 10,000sq.ft showroom is packed with products, innovation and tailored to the needs of both household consumers and retailers alike.

Candlelight

Products Ltd

With the Best of British Brands range also

With an afternoon tea range influenced by a

But it is not just the

boasting the same iconic style and elegance,

location as iconic as some of Britain’s best known

artists of the past

the variety of different collections really are

figures, the charitable organisation ‘Historic Royal

who are being celebrated by Candlelight,

equally exciting, bringing icons of British design

Palaces’ has joined with Candlelight to create a

some of Britain’s most prominent music

and history together to be enjoyed through

range inspired by the palaces they work tirelessly

stars contribute to the EMI Lyrics range

these beautiful home wares. Candlelight has

to preserve. With a beautiful pink, floral tea

with some of the most famous refrains from

collaborated with prominent British designer

set inspired by the Kensington Palace summer

their timeless classics. Giant of the global music

Jeff Banks to create ‘Pour La Maison’ a

garden, the range of the same evokes all the

industry, EMI, have continued to influence the

charming dinnerware range, alternatingly

beauty of this famous palace’s garden. Designed

world’s musical landscape since the 19th century

decorated with blue and white stripes and

to include the Rosa centifolia in its design, the set

and the range of wall art and cushions allow

polka dots. The range evokes the feel of

is a quintessentially British piece, embodying the

everyone to enjoy their favourite EMI lyric as a

country living and is yet another demonstration

true heritage of the United Kingdom.

decoration for their home. Different lyrics have

of classic British design at its best.

special meanings for many and this range really For many, the chance to have a piece of true

does make a style statement.

Since the sixties Jeff Banks has been

British history in their home is really exciting.

an iconic British designer. Opening his first

Candlelight’s product range is incorporating

The Best of British Brands collection really is the

store in 1964, he quickly took the fashion

classics of British art history with five paintings

epitome of all aspects of our much loved British

world by storm and became an inspirational

from world renowned painter L S Lowry in the

culture. It offers the chance to own a piece of

creative, renowned all over the globe for his

form of printed wall canvases and cushions.

British history and style, inspired by the very

innovative design. His newest collection

The five paintings chosen by Candlelight are

best our nation has to offer. It celebrates English

for Candlelight Product’s Best of British

typical of Lowry’s unique style and his recreation

aristocracy, palaces, eminent artists, designers

Brands is no different, evoking his timeless

of English industrial landscapes and brooding

and musicians, demonstrating the proud legacy

and eminently fashionable style in the beautiful

agricultural scenes. Presenting these much loved

that this country continues to offer. From the Earl

dinnerware collection.

images on canvas and cushions means that so

Grey to the Beatles and Coldplay, all of these well

many more people can enjoy Lowry’s beautiful

-known figures have a part to play in Britain’s

artistry in their own home.

continuing story and are celebrates within this bespoke collection.

FoR TRAde enqUiRieS PLeASe ConTACT: Candlelight Products Ltd. Uston House, Waddington Way, Aldwarke, Rotherham S65 3SH Tel 01709723000

| www.candlelight.co.uk | info@candlelight.co.uk

INSPIRATIONAL

magazine

the ultimate

online luxury magazine

Inspirational Online is an online luxury portal, dedicated to providing you with everything you need to live the good life. Constantly updated with exclusive features, news and multimedia content, it opens up a world of luxury and prestige.

We’d love to hear from you. Say hello on our brand new Facebook site, dedicated to all things Inspirational Magazine. /InspirationalMag We want to keep you up to date with all of our inspirational luxury lifestyle finds. Follow us on Twitter for all of our exciting news. /InspirationalMa

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Silver Shadow

£4,199

£5,199

FREE

Southampton - Copenhagen

Silver Whisper

sold out

£4,599

FREE

Lisbon - Southampton

Silver Cloud

£3,499

£4,399

FREE

Fares are per guest based on double occupancy. Port charges, government fees and taxes are included. †Complimentary Business Class air is available on select Asia voyages for guests booking a Silver, Royal, Grand or Owner’s suite for a limited time only. Air Promotions are offered on select voyages from select UK gateways – Silversea reserves the right to select the air carrier, routing and departure airports. Some Air packages may require a forced overnight pre or post hotel, this is not included and is at an additional cost. Further terms & conditions apply.

For a FREE copy of WORLD of CRUISING Magazine or to make a booking please call 0808 178 2233

MEditErranEan – caribbEan – northErn EuropE – alaska – south & cEntral aMErica Fa r E a s t & a u s t r a l i a – a F r i c a & M i d d l E E a s t – E x p E d i t i o n v o ya g E s

PERFECT BALANCE

The New MaseraTi GraNTurisMo sporT The new GranTurismo Sport features a number of subtle revisions to further enhance and improve the performance of this outstanding car.

Available with either 6-speed, paddle-operated MC Shift manual or MC Shift Auto fully automatic transmission, the engine has been uprated to 460 horsepower. Suspension revisions improve the ride quality without affecting the superb handling balance. Inside the GranTurismo Sport features new front seats which not only improve comfort and support, but also allow for increased rear legroom. The GranTurismo Sport offers the optimum balance between performance and comfort and perfectly expresses Maserati’s Grand Touring philosophy.

The Maserati GranTurismo Sport MC Shift Auto is priced at £90,750 on the road. The Maserati GranTurismo Sport MC Shift is priced at £94,080 on the road. On the road prices include 3 year/unlimited mileage warranty.

For more information on the Maserati GranTurismo Sport or Maserati events, call 0121 4487167 or visit www.maseratidealers.com/graypaul/birmingham Car shown Maserati GranTurismo Sport MC Shift Auto with metallic paint at £564 and 20-inch Anthracite Grey Astro design alloy wheels at £480. Official fuel consumption for the Maserati GranTurismo Sport MC Shift Auto in mpg (litres/100 km): urban 12.9 (21.9), extra urban 28.8 (9.8), combined 19.7 (14.3). CO2 emissions on combined cycle: 331 g/km.

Graypaul Maserati Birmingham 120 Highlands Road, Shirley, Solihull, West Midlands, B90 4NU Tel: 0121 4487167 www.maseratidealers.com/graypaul/birmingham

w w w. m a s e r a t i d e a l e r s. c o m / g r a y p a u l / b i r m i n g h a m

Graypaul

home, house and garden

kes lighting Light fantastic From the elegance and glamour of shimmering crystal to the panache and flourish of flickering shadows; from the pitchperfect sparkle of intimate dinner parties to the flamboyance of dramatic statement pieces, lighting design is one of the interior designer’s best kept secrets for creating truly sensational spaces.

Accentuating the shape of your furniture and exquisitely bringing out the details in artworks, nothing is more vital in decorating a space than choosing the right lighting that will precisely set the mood and ambiance you desire.

Occupying one of the most impressive lighting showrooms in the country, KES Lighting have earned an international reputation for offering a wide selection of the world’s most prestigious and luxurious brands. Situated in Bedworth, Warwickshire, the spectacular showroom truly sparkles with inspiration and stunning light-fittings from some of the world’s leading light installation designers. Organised with separate sections for each style of lighting, a visit to the stylish showroom is the perfect opportunity to explore the dramatically varied and diverse effects you can achieve with lighting, including combining different levels and styles of lighting for added depth and character, from achieving the perfect ambience for relaxation in a living room to the optimum level of light for home-offices, children’s bedrooms, bathrooms and every other space.

For unparalleled sophistication and style, you simply cannot beat the glamour of crystal chandeliers. KES Lighting is proud to be one of the appointed privileged partners of legendary brands Swarovski, Schonbek, and Kolarz. As one of the globe’s most revered luxury brands, Swarovski’s crystal chandeliers are uniquely designed and created to ensure that each chandelier is not only a light installation, but a piece of art, featured in some of the world’s most fashionable and luxurious interiors. From cutting edge chandeliers such as the Swarovski Crystal Empire Designer Chandelier which combines stark black leather with lustrous cut crystal, to the decadent chic of a Swarovski Inside Out Linear Pendant, KES Lighting stock one of the widest selections of Swarovski products in the UK. In recent years, designers have begun to seriously explore the beauty of lighting in outdoor spaces as well as interior spaces.

KES Lighting stock a wide and varied selection of magnificent garden and outdoor lighting solutions, such as glamorous patio floor lamps that allow you to enjoy the same degree of comfort and elegance indoors as out to atmospheric wall lanterns and walk-over lighting that can truly transform your outdoor space into a dazzling and dramatic venue for evening entertaining or simply for relaxing with a drink as the sun goes down.

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Whatever lighting solution you are looking for, the dedicated and highly knowledgeable team will help guide you through all the options with a full design service for selecting and installing the perfect lighting for your home, from LED low energy lights to commercial lighting options and a vast range of exquisite design pieces. Passionate about providing unparalleled levels of customer care, the staff at KES Lighting pride themselves on ensuring every customer finds the ideal lighting option to satisfy their every requirement. Customers are offered over 2000 different products in the showroom, providing them with a huge variety of choice and styles. Ensuring a high quality service after purchase, KES Lighting have a fully trained and accredited team of expert electricians that install light fittings for their customers, ensuring that they work perfectly and look simply fantastic.

This dedication to superior service has resulted in the KES Lighting website (www.keslighting.co.uk) becoming a popular site for online lighting orders. The easy to navigate and well-organised site offers over 8000 products, and KES are able to guarantee fast delivery to their wide database of international customers in destinations as far apart as the USA, Australia and the Middle East.

With over 25 years’ experience in providing their clients with the very best lighting solutions, KES Lighting have also become one of the leading suppliers for businesses’ lighting requirements, companies who require the ideal lighting solutions for optimum working conditions and need lighting installation that they can trust and rely on. With a wide range of commercial products, KES are highly experienced at supplying and installing business premises both large and small with the lighting they require.

From illuminating statement staircases to providing that movie star illuminated vanity mirror you’ve always dreamed of, when it comes to light, nothing is beyond the realms of possibility. As something that can truly make or break a room, it pays to visit lighting experts such as KES, whether you are simply looking for that one knock-out piece or a full design and installation service.

Open Monday – Saturday 9am – 5pm KES Lighting, 191 Newtown Road, Bedworth, Warwickshire, CV12 8QG Phone: 02476 317022 email: sales@keslighting.co.uk or visit www.keslighting.co.uk

© 2012 Swarovski Lighting

IT’S A SCHONBEK. THE CONCEPT OF ROMANCE IS THINKING WITH EMOTION. Since 1870, Schonbek® chandeliers have been a heritage of premium quality and timeless style. To this day, every piece is a cherished object and will continue to be for generations to come.

TRILLIANE and other illuminating designs available for viewing at selected showrooms only, see contact information below. Schonbek is a member of the Swarovski Group.

kes lighting 191 Newtown Road, Bedworth, Warwickshire, CV12 8QG Phone: 02476 317022 email: sales@keslighting.co.uk or visit www.keslighting.co.uk

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home, house and garden

elysha charles SLEEP emporium For decades, scientists and psychologists have been fascinated with sleep and its association with our health, relationships and emotional well-being. a person who knows all about the importance of a good night’s sleep is Kerry doughty, a woman on a mission to ensure we all find our own paradise under the covers‌

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Whilst expecting her third child, Kerry Doughty, a former design and marketing manager decided to put together her own website, offering advice and guidance compiled from her expertise in this specialist industry. Deciding to now concentrate on duvets, Kerry mastered the art of web design in order to showcase her range of carefully selected pieces.

From then on Elysha Charles has grown from strength to strength, providing expert advice and customer service which is second to none. Elysha Charles prides itself on offering the very finest goose down duvets in the world, all encased within fabrics which drape like molten gold along the contours of your body. Combine these with the luxury Egyptian cotton duvet covers and you will indeed enter a world of perfect slumber.

Eider down duvets from The Surrey Down Company are available to buy online, a duvet which is the most decadent of them all, sheer undeniable luxury which will caress you as you sleep. A covering as light as air, sensitively insulating, extremely lavish and one that can be exclusively bought online at Elysha Charles.

The Elysha Charles mantra serves to provide customers with a sanctuary of slumber, allowing them to escape the difficulties of every day life.

Kerry believes that high quality bedding is key to ensuring a good night’s sleep. We spend around 40% of our lives in bed, yet many of us are still content with budget bedding.

By sourcing some of the world’s most prestigious bedding, Elysha Charles offers a completely indulgent sleep experience.

Eider down and goose down are superb insulators, the large, fluffy snowflakes of down have tiny little ‘barbs’ on them, these allow them to hold onto each other, creating an even coverage for you as you sleep under them. The down traps air amongst its fluffy arms and this air then works sensitively with your own temperature to create the perfect sleeping environment for you. Its hygroscopic ability ensures that any perspiration is drawn away from your skin and broken down, leaving you dry and allowing your body to retain the correct temperature.

elysha Charles prides itself on offering the very best goose down duvets in the world, all encased in fabrics which drape like molten gold along the contours of your body.

With this technology used in its duvets, the Sleep Emporium’s collection allows Mother Nature to send you off to sleep, cocooned in your own little nest.

Elysha Charles Sleep Emporium can supply you with a luxurious duvet for any season. Whether you’re trying to keep cool in summer, or snuggling up in winter, a range of togs will complement your every need. The site also features all season sets which layer two duvets one of which can be detached to provide a lighter cover during the summer months, a fantastic investment if you’re looking for an all year round duvet.

Surrounded by the most exquisite fibres you are sure to find a wonderland of complete serenity, at least for a few hours.

For further information, please visit www.elyshacharles.com

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HOME, HOUSE AND GARDEN

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“Truly bespoke, handmade furniture.�

by Moir Wade Design

When I bought a house in Notting Hill last year, I needed the kitchen to reflect the enchantment and prestige of this iconic neighbourhood. I had a definite picture in my mind from films and magazines of what I wanted it to be and I put my trust in Moir Wade Design to make my vision a reality.

Elegant and practical, the kitchen Moir Wade created is everything I could have wished for and more. The sheer craftsmanship of the furniture is breathtaking!

Jonathan and Will managed every aspect of the project, working around my busy schedule to ensure the installation met all my requirements, and exceeded my expectations.

William Roache MBE

If you would like to receive a free brochure, please call 0116 269 5915 or visit our website at www.moirwade.co.uk Moir Wade Design Ltd., Nelson Street, Syston, Leicestershire LE7 2JQ - 0116 269 5915

Uniq U e an d awa rd w inning C a t er i ng With over a decade as one of the East Midland finest catering companies, the creation of Midlands’s caterer Charile Thellusson remains one of the region’s most sought after providers of innovative and delicious food for any special occasion. With experience from working at the Michelin-starred restaurant Le Gavroche, Charlie Thellusson has built an impressive as one of the most respected, innovative and trusted catering companies in Britain.

For many, the opportunity of having an expert caterer at their event takes a large amount of stress out of the organisation proceedings. The Red Olive Catering Company is on hand to ensure that they provide their clients with a uniquely designed menu to dazzle their guests. As regional award winners, their clients know that the catering company offers the very best in high quality, bespoke services and that every aspect of their event is under The Red Olive Catering Company’s expert control.

Producing stunning food and everything from elegant canapés to luxurious haute cuisine menus, the modern and stylish creations from The Red Olive Catering Company are all developed by Head Chef Eamonn Reddon. His team work with all their clients to create a close relationship that ensures the food at their event is perfect. All the dishes represent the very best of the catering company’s creative flair and unique style, bringing their innovation and highly professional touch to any special event. Eamonn works closely with the company’s new sous chef, Danny Bell. The team’s newest member has brought his own individual style to the culinary offering and is on hand to help Eamonn develop new, mouth-watering dishes for all of the many different events that The Red Olive Catering Company cater for.

But The Red Olive Catering Company offers much more than their amazing food. The front of house team is comprised of a highly trained, hospitality expert: Charlie Thelusson. Having gained vital experience working with the Roux family at Le Gavroche, he has a wealth of knowledge about importance of high quality food and excellent hospitality service.

With a team that is made up of catering and hospitality experts, the catering company knew they had hit upon the winning formula for success. Abi Jones and Beth Angris are The Red Olive Catering Company’s highly skilled events co-ordinators. Both are very efficient and resourceful, always ensuring that every aspect of the process is planned to the very finest detail with their clients. The two are fantastic problem solvers and will ensure their events run as smoothly as possible from start to finish. Supporting the whole team, Jane Booth is the company’s marvellous office manager. Running a tight ship and ensuring that all the finances and paperwork and in perfect order, Jane has been with The Red Olive Catering Company since its very beginning and is a key member of the team.

The Red Olive Catering Company is proud to have been honoured by The 2012 Wedding Industry Awards as the best caterer in the East Midlands. Voted for by the all-important clients and customers, the company could not have received better recognition that from the people that matter most to them.

For more information please call

01332 331866

the red Olive Catering COMPanY

c h e f @ t h e re d o l i ve . c o. u k w w w. t h e re d o l i ve . c o. u k

deliciously different first class service with

east midlands

Winner

of the 2012

wedding industry

awards

ARTS AND CULTURE

INSPIRATIONAL FIne The horseshoe Bar & resTauranT

DInInG GuIDe

Purnell’s Birmingham

Birmingham

Berkswell, Warwickshire

Birmingham’s Horseshoe Bar and Restaurant offers one of Birmingham’s premiere venues for exclusive dining. The contemporary and comfortable setting is ideal to enjoy fantastic food, drink and entertainment on offer. A long-standing local institution, The Horseshoe has continued to be a sought after venue for the West Midlands. The skilled head chef, Chandra Shekhar Raturi has developed two exciting menus. The English menu is a tantalising mix of traditional English dishes and pizza, as well as steaks and fish from the grill.

With its Michelin star awarded in 2009, Purnell’s has continued to showcase amazing culinary innovation from head chef, Glynn Purnell and his team. The restaurant is located in Birmingham’s cosmopolitan city centre attracting diners from all over the region. Head Chef Glynn Purnell is perhaps even better known for his television appearances. Having originally competed on BBC 2’s popular show ‘Great British Menu’, he now offers his advice to newer contestants in an advisory role for the regional heats.

The Chilli and Spice menu is comprised of a variety of different dishes influenced by the iconic flavours of India. The head chef has designed the menu to take his diner’s on a journey that embraces a mix of eastern and western influences.

Purnell’s restaurant offers diners some of the best culinary creations in the country. It is Glynn Purnell’s spirit of gastronomic adventure that has won him critical acclaim, creating dishes that break the boundaries of traditional British cooking. For Birmingham, the restaurant represents another facet of the city’s culinary journey, as it consistently reinforces its reputation as a figurehead for great British food.

The Horseshoe Bar and Restaurant offers diners an exclusive cocktail and wine menu, as well as a luxurious banqueting room that forms the ideal private venue for any occasion. With various events throughout the year, the banqueting room is always a glamorous choice for Birmingham, the West Midlands and beyond.

The oak room aT naIlcoTe hall

Creating amazing dishes has been a lifelong passion for the head chef and the restaurant benefits from his innovative culinary style. With a full lunch menu, stunning eight course dinner menu and seasonal menus that change throughout the year, the restaurant offers everything a discerning gourmet could want. There is also the availability of a private dining space as well as Purnell’s elegant dining room, accommodating the restaurants diners in their ideal environment.

Nailcote Hall’s impressive Oak Room restaurant provides an unforgettable fine dining experience for its diners. Continuing the hotel’s elegance and luxury, the restaurant is the perfect setting to enjoy the fabulous culinary creations of The Oak Room’s Head Chef, Neal Peers. The welcoming and relaxing environment is the perfect setting to enjoy a special occasion in style.

The restaurant has both table d’hôte and à la carte menus, allowing guests to enjoy delicious and seasonal food with a variety of inspired dishes from the restaurant’s culinary team.

Set in the beautiful Warwickshire country side, Nailcote Hall truly is one of the most desirable locations in the West Midlands. The hotel’s amazing building and luxury setting are matched by the restaurants food and perfect ambiance.

Dining at The Oak Room really is one of the best experiences of traditional British cuisine and international flavours in opulent surroundings. With a rich décor and open fires, The Oak Room welcomes its guests in the same beautiful surroundings as Nailcote Hall hotel and promises them an experience to remember.

Food served: Monday 12 – 3pm | 6pm - 9pm Tuesday to Friday 2pm – 3pm | 6pm – 10.30pm Saturday to Sunday 12 – 10.30pm Bar opening times: Sunday to Thursday 12 – 12pm

Food Served: Tuesday to Friday lunch 12 noon - 4.30pm (Last orders 1.30pm Tuesday to Saturday dinner 7pm - 1am (Last orders, 9.30pm, licensed until midnight)

Food served: Breakfast: 7.30am - 9.30am (Monday - Friday) 8.00am - 10.00am (Saturday & Sunday) Lunch: 12.00pm - 2.00pm (Except Saturdays) Dinner: 7.00pm - 9.30pm

The Horseshoe Bar & Restaurant 1214 Stratford Road, Birmingham, B28 9BH Tel: 0121 777 2340 www.thehorseshoebar.co.uk

Purnell’s 55 Cornwall Street, Birmingham, B3 2DH Tel: 0121 212 9799 www.purnellsrestaurant.com

The Oak Room at Nailcote Hall Nailcote Lane, Berkswell, Warwickshire, CV7 7DE Tel: 02476 466174 www.nailcotehall.co.uk

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sImPsons resTauranT

FleeT sTreeT kITchen

Pushkar

Birmingham

Birmingham

Birmingham

Simpsons Restaurant brings true fine dining to Edgbaston, Birmingham. The restaurant is a beautiful example of gastronomic innovation combined with effortlessly elegant style. For diners, it is a chance to enjoy the creations of Simpsons’ culinary team in surroundings that are both elegant and relaxed. The restaurant is nestled inside a beautiful manor style house with large Georgian windows, sumptuous private dining rooms and a beautiful alfresco dining space. It is clear the every detail of the restaurant’s offering has been carefully designed to provide one of the most exclusive and memorable dining experiences.

The culinary team at Simpsons have created dishes that reveal the level of the head chef’s culinary brilliance. Their ethos is simple; they constantly strive to find the best quality produce and wherever possible they source their food locally. The dishes on Simpsons’ inspiring menu promise truly modern and ground breaking techniques to create the most visually stunning and delicious dish.

For Birmingham, Simpsons Restaurant is a shining jewel in its culinary crown. It really is a perfect example of the amazing cuisine on offer in Great Britain’s cities. The culinary team, made up of Chef Patron Andreas Antona, Executive Chef Luke Tipping and Head Chef Adam Bennet creates some of the most spectacular dishes on the Midlands’ culinary landscape.

“The best parties are always in the Kitchen” From the stable of the highly successful Mechu and Après Brands, Fleet Street bar & kitchen is a new dining, drinking and late night brand to hit Birmingham city centre in February 2013.

The concept is a contemporary late night gastro bar, with the emphasis on great British ingredients and locally sourced products.

On the ground floor, taking its cue from London gastro pub styling, designer Matt Rawlinson has twisted the concept to give it a Metropolitan vibe. Vintage tiles, hand crafted light fittings, painted recycled timbers and ‘retrouvé’ furniture have been fused with open shuttered walls and ceilings to create a totally unique space perfect for drinking and dining.

The menu is created around the Amazing Barbacoa grill, the only one in the UK: A pure charcoal indoor barbeque grill heavily used in the best restaurants in Northern Spain.

Ingredients are locally sourced where possible and the Fleet Street Kitchen champions award-winning, British air dried cured meats, Chorizo and saucisson. All the steaks are 28 day aged and butchered on the premises, guaranteeing amazing quality and flavour. As well as the steaks, there is also a varied menu of whole grilled fresh fish offered as daily specials. The food is simple, tasty and of very high quality.

Pushkar is one of Birmingham’s finest examples of true Indian culinary style. Diners are welcomed by the restaurant’s hospitality and elegant interior. The beautiful Punjabi and North India cuisine is complimented perfectly by the dining room’s stylish interior. The space is filled with sparkling light fittings, classically elegant interior and boasts a dedicated cocktail bar to accompany the delicious food on the restaurant’s carefully designed menu.

The cocktail bar provides diners with the opportunity to sample some of Pushkar’s very own creations, with non-alcoholic options available to suit every diner’s tastes. The skilled bartenders are expert at creating unique flavour combinations so they can even create a bespoke beverage to accompany your meal.

The menu contains mouth-watering combinations of classic North Indian and Punjabi Flavours, remodelled with elegant and modern twists to create a selection of dishes that continues to dazzle their diners. Located in the heart of Birmingham, the restaurant offers the West Midland’s the beautiful tastes of India, transporting diners with their amazing flavour combinations.

Downstairs @ Fleet Street.

A late night venue with a relaxed, easy vibe. With an interior of marble mosaic floors, battered leather furniture, vintage chandeliers and texture timber walls, it’s the perfect place to see up and coming live acts, experimental DJ’s or cool, laid back jazz. The venue is also perfect for hosting corporate events, promotions and parties.

The Fleet Street Kitchen provides a vibrant and diverse addition to the Summer Row Experience.

Food Served: Lunch: Monday – Friday, 12.00pm – 2.30pm Dinner: Every day 5.00pm – 11.30pm (Friday and Saturdays 5.00pm – late)

Food Served: Lunch: 12pm – 2pm. Monday – Saturday Dinner: every day 7pm – 9.30pm.

Simpsons Restaurant 20 Highfield Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 3DU Tel: 0121 454 3434 www.simpsonsrestaurant.co.uk

Fleet Street Kitchen TEL: 0121 710 4233 events@summerrow.com

Pushkar 245 Broad Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B1 2HQ TEL: 0121 643 7978 www.pushkardining.com

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ARTS AND CULTURE

INSPIRATIONAL FIne arDencoTe manor hoTel anD counTry cluB anD sPa

DInInG GuIDe

ITIhaas InDIan resTauranT

Warwick

Birmingham

The Lodge Restaurant at Ardencote Manor Hotel offers hotel guests and diners alike the opportunity to enjoy delicious classic British flavours, reworked into beautiful modern dishes. With two AA rosettes and a menu that includes wild mallard and fallow venison, the à la carte menu really does evoke the flavours of the countryside, demonstrating the influence that the surrounding area has on the dishes on offer in the sumptuous dining room.

Located in the heart of Birmingham, Itihaas offers beautiful Indian cuisine in a luxurious and opulent setting. Diners are welcomed by the restaurant’s beautiful bar and dining room, beginning their experience of fine Indian dining with the combination of innovative and traditional cuisine. The dishes on offer give diners a true taste of Indian in a luxurious yet relaxed atmosphere.

The restaurant’s gastronomic offering is accompanied by spectacular views of the surrounding Warwickshire countryside and the hotel’s grounds and lake. A perfect year round destination, summer months allow diners to enjoy the seasonal menu in the alfresco dining area, yet in winter the dining room is a perfect relaxed and informal space for diners to enjoy the delicious dishes on offer.

The restaurant also offers traditional Sunday lunches, perfect for a family day out, enjoying The Lodge Restaurant’s delicious food, followed by a relaxing walk around the hotel’s beautiful 83 acre estate. The restaurant really is the perfect country setting to enjoy the spectacular Warwickshire countryside, delicious seasonal food and a relaxing ambiance.

The restaurant offers both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dining options on an extensive à la carte menu. The culinary team have created the flavour and style of iconic Indian cuisine, using a palette of delicate spices and traditional techniques. The dishes are inspired by the Mogul Era, when Indian dining epitomised the extravagance of imperialism.

The restaurant’s specially designed lunch menu is designed to give diners a taste of the restaurant’s extensive menu in tapas style dishes.

Itihaas are continuing to raise their profile as one of the West Midlands most bespoke and elegant Indian fine dining experiences. With a new Itihaas brasserie in Birmingham’s Selfridges Department Store, there are even more opportunities to sample their delicious cuisine.

le cheF PaTron Thurlaston, Leicester

A friendly welcome is guaranteed at one of Leicestershire’s best-loved restaurants, Chef Patron, housed in a 17th Century Inn opposite a Norman Church in the picturesque village of Thurlaston. Chef Patron is renowned for providing the ideal combination of the very finest in creative country cooking with a Modern British-European style.

The exceptional lunch and dinner menus include exceptional seafood offerings such as Lobster and Crayfish Terrine with lime and chilli jus, magnificent game dishes such as Wood Pigeon, and the very best locally sourced meats, including succulent Pork Loin with Calvados and delicious Fillet Mignon Forestiere.

For a truly sensational experience, why not try their unique traditional Sunday Lunch, served on a carving trolley, and expertly carved at the table? Chef Patron also specialises in weddings, family occasions, private parties, corporate functions and conferences.

Food Served: Monday to Friday lunch: 12.00pm to 3.00pm Monday to Saturday dinner: 06.00pm to 11.30pm Sunday dinner:6.00pm to 10.30pm Open all days except Christmas Day Ardencote Manor Hotel and Country Club and Spa The Cumsey, Lye Green Road, Claverdon, Warwick, CV35 8LT Tel: 0115 852 3232 www.ardencote.com

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Itihaas Indian Restaurant 18 Fleet Street, Birmingham B3 1JL Tel: 0121 212 3383 www.itihaas.co.uk

Chef Patron 22 Church Street, Thurlaston, Leicester LE9 7TA Tel: 01455 888227 www.chefpatron.ltd.uk

oPulence resTauranT caTheDral QuarTer hoTel

harT’s

hamBleTon hall

City Centre, Nottingham

Hambleton, Rutland

• The city’s most successful up-market eatery • A peaceful, contemporary city central hotel • Private parties for up to 100 guests in Hart’s Upstairs

Hotel & Restaurant Spectacular surroundings A warm welcome ‘Dining Heaven!’ Harden’s Guide 2012 Supremely comfortable & stylish rooms

Derby

Opulence restaurant at Derby’s Cathedral Quarter Hotel offers diners a taste of modern British cuisine that is locally sourced and always as seasonal as possible. The restaurant recently hosted a three course meal for HRH Her Majesty the Queen; it really has received the royal seal of approval. The restaurant’s head chef Dean Crews was personally thanked by the Queen for the exquisite meal he created for the occasion.

The restaurant is situated in the heart of Derby’s historic cathedral quarter and frequently charms diners with its sweeping staircase and original stained glass windows and many other original features. Boasting excellent service and delicious food, Opulence Restaurant is one of the Midlands key destinations for top quality dining.

Offering champagne breakfasts, afternoon tea, a prix fixe menu and à la carte menu, diners have a variety of options to choose from at Opulence Restaurant, all beautifully presented, delicious and showcasing a creative twist on great British gastronomic style.

Opulence Restaurant truly lives up to its name, delivering exquisite food, a perfect ambiance and located conveniently in central Derby.

Food Served: Tuesday to Thursday: Afternoon Tea 12.00pm - 4.00pm • Dinner 7.00pm - 9.30pm

Sunday: Lunch: 12.00pm - 2.30pm • Dinner: Closed

Food Served: Lunch 12.00pm - 2.00pm Dinner (Monday to Saturday) 7.00pm - 10.30pm Dinner (Sunday) 7.00pm - 9.00pm Pre-theatre supper 6.00pm

New A La Carte Menu 3 Courses for £65.00 approx. 6 choices for each course, including Coffee & Chocolates

Opulence Restaurant Cathedral Quarter Hotel, 16 St Mary’s Gate, Derby, DE1 3JR Tel: 01332 546 080 www.thefinessecollection.com

Hart’s Nottingham Standard Hill, Park Row, Nottingham, NG1 6GN Tel: (0115) 988 1900 www.hartsnottingham.co.uk

Hambleton Hall Hambleton, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 8TH Tel: (01572) 756 991 www.hambletonhall.com

Friday to Saturday: Afternoon Tea 12.00pm - 4.00pm • Dinner 7.00pm - 10.00pm

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ARTS AND CULTURE

32

Vintage Years In the constant Pursuit of Excellence since 1981, Howard Charles Domney and Christopher Mitchell Pacey have supplied exquisite hand crafted wines for discerning wine lovers, whatever their tastes and occasion. In 32 years as Independent Fine Wine importers, Charles Mitchell Wines have sourced the very finest wines, passionately crafted by the most dedicated growers from Europe and the New World.

Richard, Chris and Howard were delighted to visit the vineyards of Loire and Bordeaux. The trip started with a quick hop over to Pouilly Fumé in the ‘CMW private jet’ where they tasted the ‘new Cuvée Plaisir’ from their exclusive grower Dominique Paboit. “This is the finest Loire I’ve tasted in 30 years” quoted Howard.

After flying to Bordeaux the next day they visited the vineyards of St. Emilion and Pomerol stopping off at Chateau Angelus to sample the superb 09 vintage. They then travelled to Margaux to their great friend and wine maker, Frédéric Valentin.

His wines are sexy and gorgeous with endless layers of fruit.

OFFER EXCLUSIVE TIONAL PIRA TO ALL INS ERS! READ LE OF FREE BOTT U GRAND CR NE WITH CHAMPAG ER* EVERY ORD

OTE PLEASE QU

ering al” when ord “Inspiration

*Subject to availability and while stocks last.

For details of all of Charles Mitchell Wines’ fabulous new range of award-winning winter wines and a full listing, or to arrange a private tasting, contact Richard on: 104

Tel: 0161 775 1626 | Email: richard@cmwines.com | Web: www.cmwines.com

Howard of CMWines

Heat Holders Table

Chris of CMWines with Elaine & Malcolm Wilson OBE

Tutored Wine Tasting & Gourmet Dinner Mere Court Hotel, Cheshire

Wine Grower Louis Schroeder with Chris

27th - 28th September 2012

Wine Lovers Julie, Marna & Linda

Richard, Chris and Howard were delighted to invite their clients to the ultimate fine wine experience at the Mere Court Hotel in Cheshire.

Customers old and new experienced a tutored fine wine tasting with their exclusive producers from Argentina, New Zealand and Spain, followed by a sumptuous four course dinner, with each course being accompanied by wine from their new award-winning autumn range.

Howard with Soprano, Claire Egan

The finale of each event was a truly mesmerising performance by the multi-award winning international opera soprano Claire Egan.

Cheshire Someliers Table

To see more images from this event, visit Charles Mitchell Wines’ website: www.cmwines.com To book a tasting or discuss other fantastic gourmet events contact Richard on 0161 775 1626 – email richard@cmwines.com

Hannah Domney – wine goddess

Richard of CMWines

Jane of CMWines tantilising clients

David Hewitt

Pestbury Fine Wine Circle

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Arts AND CULtUrE

106

OH

Danny Boyle For Danny Boyle, it seems the only way is up.

His career has gone from strength to strength, with a string of BAFTA’s, Oscars and other prestigious awards behind him. But will it be a knighthood for Danny to bring in the new year?

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Arts AND CULtUrE

The Manchester born director has come a long way from his Radcliffe beginnings. Following nearly two decades of critical acclaim, July’s Olympic Opening Ceremony saw perhaps the most spectacular of all his creations so far.

Boyle’s appreciation for all things great and British filled the ceremony, moving seamlessly from the industrial revolution to a celebration of the NHS and the music greats of the past sixty years. It combined subtleties of British humour with more serious cultural statements. Both “silly and earnest” it was a visual feast and an opening ceremony like no other before it. Boyle is a true British artist, and his playful irreverence never goes too far. He has proved repeatedly that he is a cinematic icon. Who else would portray Her Royal Highness jumping from a plane with James Bond?

Honed over his impressive career, Boyle’s style is as individual as the man is himself. The son of a school dinner lady and a self-educated gardener, Boyle’s earliest ambition was to become a priest.

Dissuaded from this path by his own priest, he turned to theatre. Perhaps this was divine intervention, because his subsequent career has inspired millions. Early success on the small screen, gave rise to his cinematic triumphs of the nineties. “Trainspotting” in 1996 translated Irvine Welsh’s contemporary classic for the masses and sparked an award-winning pairing with Ewan McGregor that was “like no other” in the words of the Scottish star.

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He has been called ‘a local boy done good’ by supporters in his home town of Bury. For the British public he will always be a home-grown talent, preferring to stay in the UK rather than moving over to the bright lights of Hollywood. For Boyle, despite recognising the importance of Hollywood in forging “big-time directors”, he prefers to stay in his home country. It seems that Britain “keeps him grounded.”

Whatever the reason, we are more than pleased to have him here.

Who else would portray Her royal Highness jumping from a plane with James Bond?

His Olympic ceremony triumph demonstrated his love for Great Britain and all of its achievements.

He was inspired by a line from Shakespeare’s The Tempest ‘Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises.’

Boyle translated that ‘noise’ with an exuberance that remained characteristically British. At times the ceremony was colourful and chaotic, other times self-depreciating and understated. Boyle’s attitude to himself seems similarly understated. Repeatedly questioned about the possibility of an upcoming knighthood, he has merely laughed off the suggestion, only saying “I don’t think so...”

But the British public seems to know so. A poll in the summer suggested that sixty-two per cent of the British public thought that he should receive a knighthood in the New Year. Bookkeepers echoed this with 5/4 odds that he will be knighted by our sky-diving sovereign. His rise to fame is a shining example to those desirous of a similar career trajectory, and his work continues to honour those who struggle to achieve their success. Danny Boyle has often presented a rags-to-riches story like that of the 2008 hit Slumdog Millionaire, which sees a Mumbai teen from the slums win the Indian ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire?’ then be accused of cheating and arrested. Clearly he is not afraid of directing harrowing tales of adversity. His most recent release 127 Hours, in 2010, is a brilliant example of Boyle’s close attention to the importance of portraying inspiring individuals.

His Olympic ceremony triumph demonstrated his love for Great Britain and all of its achievements.

What should be an unwatchable and gruesome true-life tale becomes a compelling and poignant demonstration of human tenacity as climber Aron Ralston fights to free himself from a fallen boulder in a canyon near Moab, Utah.

This year, Boyle has become one of Britain’s favourite sons. And it seems to be a mantle that will be hard for him to shift. With a new cinematic offering in the coming year, the director calls on more famous names for his film. ‘Trance’ will star James McEvoy and tells the tale of an auction house employee who helps to steal a painting but then develops amnesia and cannot remember where the painting has been hidden. However the film itself promises to be infinitely more memorable, with an all-star cast and filming completed as of July 2012.

Whether the offering will produce another Oscar for the British artist, only time will tell but critics are already excited for the release.

Boyle’s list of accolades and critically acclaimed offerings sees him move from the ‘Best British Newcomer’ of 1994 to the British institution that he now is. It seems his artistic vision knows no bounds and we can rest assured that he will continue to make his own particular brand of ‘noise’ that will be heard through the cinema and television screens of millions across the globe. With twenty seven million viewers of the Olympic Opening Ceremony alone, his presence has been more that felt on the international stage and his position in the artistic history books is indelibly inked.

Not often is it that someone has such a profound effect on the cultural landscape of their home country and we can only hope that he will continue to be recognised for his outstanding service to the Great British film industry and to our country as whole.

Images, clockwise from top; The Opening Ceremony of London 2012 Olympic Games; Danny Boyle; Early sequence from London 2012 Olympic Games; Ewen Bremner, Ewen McGregor and Robert Carlyle in Trainspotting (1996); Danny Boyle; Danny Boyle with Frieda Pinto and Dev Patel; Opening Ceremony, London 2012 Olympic Games; as before;

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BUSINESS AND FINANCE

MARKETING your business for sale Careful preparation is needed to get a business ready to market for sale. From selecting the right adviser to shaping the business and ensuring that the most suitable marketing strategy is employed to attract the right buyer for both the entrepreneurial business owner and their business.

The hardest decision that many entrepreneurial business owners will have to make is the one to sell.

Entrepreneurs, who have built up their businesses over many years, find the eventual exit as much of a cold financial and business decision as an emotional roller coaster. The most common concern, having made the decision to sell, for any owner is the one of maintaining confidentiality, thus ensuring that if circumstances change the business can continue as normal. Therefore, it is vital to say, entrepreneurs cannot afford to get it wrong. The question is; how do they make sure that they get it right?

Once a business owner has made the decision to sell, firstly they have to consider whether the business is in fact ready to be sold. Taking a couple of examples: a) if the business is four years into a five year contract with its customers there could be concerns over the security of revenue and buyers may propose a lower valuation than anticipated; or b) if the owner is integral to the business the buyer might want to tie them in for a number of years after the sale; neither scenario would be desirable. In both cases time may be required before approaching the market to a) put extensions to the contracts in place; or b) build a management team and make the owner more dispensable.

and marketed for sale when it is performing at its best and consequently may be more likely to achieve its maximum valuation.

marketed for sale. Emphasis must be given to the fact that the grooming needs to be given time and of course, implementation is the key.

An effective grooming process should result in a better deal and may close any gap that exists between what the entrepreneur aspires to sell the business for and what it is worth today.

Once the business has been prepared for sale, there are many different marketing strategies and approaches to finding the right buyer for a business; from the overt

Grooming focuses on making the business fundamentally more attractive to potential buyers and enhancing the deal. It can act as a health check to make sure that the business records are in good order, but more importantly ensures that trends are moving in the right direction, and that the business can demonstrate some growth and is not being sold at the top of the growth curve; this might even require making small acquisitions to add to existing activity.

It is imperative that the business must continue to build and maintain a strong channel of potential orders, promote new products and identify growth markets which, when promoted appropriately, will raise the level of excitement and interest in the opportunity being

It is important to get the right professional advice at the right time. If the decision to sell has been made for a date in one to two years’ time, the entrepreneur may need to be consulting a good professional corporate finance adviser now. The business may need to get itself ready for the sale (grooming) and consulting at this early stage will enable the business to be presented

Lisa Huckerby Manager, Corporate Finance - Nottingham lisa.huckerby@rsmtenon.com 07972 004118 Andy Breeze Director, Corporate Finance – Leicester andrew.breeze@rsmtenon.com 07800 617138

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RSM Tenon is this year’s National Firm of the Year awarded by the British Accountancy Awards, and is regarded as one of the most progressive and entrepreneurial professional services firms in the UK today.

Through a comprehensive suite of accounting and consultancy services, they offer intelligent solutions to a

national client base that ranges from individuals and entrepreneurially-led owner managed businesses, to large corporations and public sector organisations.

largest global accounting network with over 700 offices in more than 70 countries, and in excess of 30,000 people worldwide.

With leadership in the provision of business advisory, risk management, tax, recovery and financial management services, RSM Tenon are the UK’s 7th largest accounting firm with a fee income of over £245m, employing nearly 3,000 people with offices in all major commercial centres across the UK.

They help entrepreneurs create, protect and enhance personal wealth. They give board and senior executives the assurance they need to manage their organisation effectively and the proactive support they demand to help them stay ahead of the competition.

RSM Tenon is a member of RSM International, the 6th

advert in the Financial Times inviting offers, to a more bespoke and confidential research process to find the strategic purchaser with the most to gain.

buyer for a business to be found. This is usually in terms of strategic fit, the personalities involved and of course the price being paid.

If the aim is to simply achieve a quick sale, perhaps the sale price is not a key issue, the overt advert is probably the best approach. However, by employing such a strategy, the entrepreneur is effectively putting a ‘For Sale’ sign outside their door. Undoubtedly there will be interest, but the best financial result is unlikely to be achieved.

There are many factors which will affect the length of this confidential marketing process; the sector in which the business operates, the dynamics of the business and the appetite of the acquirers are just a few.

A more tailored and confidential process will be the one that maximises and achieves the best sales price.

Investing time at the beginning of the process to undertake detailed and thorough research into the business being sold and its market will almost certainly result in a longer process, but also allows the ‘right’

Selling a business for most entrepreneurs is a once in a lifetime activity. Get it right by working with people who have done it before for others and with advisers who can deliver two things: expertise and resource.

Expertise to assess the business and the likely outcome; to present and market the business in the best light possible; to negotiate hard for every pound; and that has been honed on the front line of transactions and not just from books.

www.rsmtenon.com

An adviser must also have the specific resource to research the market for potential purchasers (this may need to include international reach) and be able to commit proper resource to project managing the transaction and proactively driving the deal to completion. As well as demonstrating a track record, the adviser must be someone the entrepreneur can build a strong relationship with. There will be some testing times during the course of the sale and you will need someone alongside you who you trust implicitly to give you the right counsel at the right time. Even if the message is not the one you want to hear.

The important thing is to take the time to get the early stages of the process right. Get the foundations correct and the external marketing process will build into the right transaction for the business and more importantly for the entrepreneur.

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BRAND NEW WORLD With consumers knowing what they want, and how to get it, we see the rise of the brand and it’s more powerful than ever before.

The rise of the brand has meant the death of sales as we know it. Consumers have never been more powerful, actively reshaping the marketplace.

Branding, and more importantly, innovative branding has never been more vital in making or braking a brand. But this is not necessarily a new phenomenon.

How many times have you decided to ‘hoover’ your home or secured a parcel with ‘sellotape’? The chances are you haven’t used these products at all, but it is the power of the brand that endures with consumers. A brand builds a business and then the business must sustain and evolve the brand.

Branding is never an accident. Even the simplest of names, logos and concepts have vast amounts of work and development behind them. Apple is arguably the most desirable and aspirational technology giant of our century.

The birth of a brand can be crucial in establishing an instant hit, a brand with a popularity that transforms the marketplace, driving competition and change.

When Research in Motion launched its first smartphone in 1992, the Canadian telecommunications business took its nameless prototype to a branding agency with the aim of being provided with a name. The product needed a user-friendly, positive and memorable name. The branding agency initially came up with StrawBerry, but a crucial, last-minute change of heart created the name that we all know: ‘BlackBerry’. A telecommunications giant was born, but the story could have been very different. The brand agency realised that ‘Straw’ could sound outdated, lacking the dynamism needed to propel the brand forward.

Today the name is synonymous with the logo; they are seamlessly streamlined and stamped into the minds of consumers, representing a product that will fulfil their needs as well as being a prestigious communications device.

Desirability is key to branding. Successful branding will make a product excel over others because the consumer believes in the power and prestige of the brand and it makes them want it. However, the modern consumer goes even further than this. The rise of online ratings websites, forums and internet product gurus means that the product must support the popularity of the brand for it to thrive. We, as consumers, make our own decisions knowing what we need and choosing the product that we believe to be the best.

Their products maintain the simplicity of their brand name. Everyone knows the old adage; ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’. With the availability of an NHS application (among thousands of others) this may well be truer from a modern consumer than ever before.

Branding mavens Al and Laura Ries, co-authors of The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding explain branding succinctly, offering the same invaluable advice in their book as they do to massive global organisations. Al Ries’s iconic statement “The power of a brand is inversely proportional to its scope” seems initially, to be purposefully obscure. This is not the case. What Ries so succinctly refers to is again the consumer’s role in the success of a product.

BUSINESS AND FINANCE

He knows that the consumer wants a brand that is simple, uncomplicated and with narrow scope. This means that the product they receive is targeted and the branding ensures heavy-weight success because of its simplicity. When we think of any of the established brand names that we all use, we realise that their image, logo and name all slots perfectly together. It is no accident that they dominate the marketplace. The brand is desirable because the product is targeted and specific; it fulfils a perceived need in the marketplace. A new product needs to find a new category; the product alone is not necessarily enough. Apple knew this when they launched the iPad. They could have reinvented more and more of their existing MacBook models, but instead they launched a product that created a new category in the technology market. Now other brands are running to catch up with tablet-fever.

The iPad was ground-breaking and everyone wants a piece.

A brand can form an implicit contract between a product and a customer. The customer develops expectations from a brand that must be consistently reinforced by the product quality itself, and the success of the organisation it was generated by. The brand must always offer something different to the customer, creating a niche in a near saturated market of competitors. For the last hundred years, branding has grown to be the most important aspect of marketing and communications strategies. It infiltrates all aspects of our lives. No one is exempt from being a consumer, and the majority of us have our favourite brands. Even those who turn away from large brand names in their choice of supermarket, choosing a basic range have unconsciously selected an anti-brand, but a brand nonetheless because it represents products that they believe in.

Many companies generate fantastic new products, and then they approach a brand agency to provide them with a concept that will generate impact in the marketplace. Simply put, the company will then experience varying degrees of success as they utilise a variety of different organisations to fulfil different aspects of their brand communications plan. The traditional model of advertising and marketing requires that a plethora of different agencies become involved with the process and naturally pull in opposite directions as they fight to create what they believe is the best solution for the product and brand as a whole. But this is set to change.

Champions (UK) Plc is a brand agency with a difference. A leading agency and recently named as one of the Telegraph’s Top 1000 businesses in the UK, as well as winning the Leicester Mercury’s award for the Highest Climbing Business in Leicestershire and Rutland in their list of Top 200 companies. Champions provide a complete in-house solution for every step of the branding, marketing, creative and communications processes.

The organisation provides the one-stop-shop solution that can create truly cohesive and bespoke packages for their clients. With all aspects of brand creation and management dealt with by the experienced Marketing, Public Relations, Design and Event Management teams, the departments all work together with one clear vision. They are breaking new ground and revolutionising their online communications and marketing output by utilising the power of social media. With a sophisticated strategy that generates a social media campaign that is individually tailored to each of their client’s needs, Champions (UK) Plc is uniquely placed to provide a relevant and engaged communications project for each one of their diverse clients.

The ethos of Champions (UK) Plc is creativity, dedication, passion and persistence. They know how to raise the profile of a brand, ensuring that the product reaches its full potential. The company has created its own successful brand, finding its own category in the marketplace and providing a streamlined solution for their client, offering a unique concept. They have an invaluable insight into the marketplace, identifying the ideal sectors that should be targeted by their clients in order to achieve the reach and success they require.

Champions (UK) Plc’s Head of Brand Marketing, Sarah Pearson shares her insight into the unique placement of the organisation to provide their clients with a fully comprehensive communications and marketing strategy, managing every step of the project: “At Champions (UK) Plc we understand the importance of maintaining constant communication with our clients. For each one of the many projects we have undertaken we ensure that we create clear objectives and are as flexible as possible so we can create a bespoke campaign. We work with major brands, new product marketplace launches and B2B businesses so there really is no stone of the branding marketplace left unturned and we believe that we have a unique and leading offering within our industry sector.”

As much as a the creators of a brand have a vision for the future of their product, it is down to the creative team at a brand agency like Champions (UK) Plc to translate this vision into a coordinated strategy that becomes the ‘face’ of the product for the consumer marketplace. From creating the original logo, website and marketing tools, the team of design experts are able to create the perfect visual marketing solution for any brand.

“Champions provide a complete in-house solution for every step of the branding, marketing, creative and communications processes.”

Brand expert Ewen Lewis describes the process: “When working with a brand it is vital we identify the customers they wish to target. I believe that creating a targeted and cohesive visual is crucial for the entire brand strategy. We all know how important the appearance of a product is and creating cohesive links between product packaging, website theming and all marketing collateral is essential when establishing the brand within the marketplace.

At Champions (UK) Plc we constantly strive to create and develop the most innovative solutions for our clients, ensuring that their brand has the highest level of impact possible on the marketplace.”

PENSIONS

Champions (UK) Plc are brand experts. They know that a brand needs to communicate its key messages without over complication. The value of a brand lies in simplicity, and the ability of the brand agency to target the right sections of the desired marketplace at the correct time. Branding needs to be a constant process, evolving and embracing a changing marketplace. This does not mean that a brand should constantly overhaul their image, but bending to anticipated changes is a must.

Champions (UK) Plc doesn’t provide its clients with a ‘one-off’ communications plan. They manage the brand on a long term basis, nurturing the strengths and recognising any potential weaknesses that can be turned around. The benefit of Champions (UK) Plc is simple. Your brand won’t tear itself apart as it becomes a metaphorical pin-ball in a fragmented marketing machine. It will remain the central ignited flame of the strategy; constantly fuelling all aspects of Champions (UK) Plc’s combined vision to take the brand forward.

In a marketplace where your customer decides the fate of your brand, the hard-sell is dead. Information is as powerful as currency and in difficult economic times, consumers are arming themselves with facts and spending their money on what is really valuable to them. Products can be launched from an ever increasing platform, and Champions (UK) Plc offers a modern brand solution, reinventing the brand agency model so that it can participate in the modern world.

We may be experiencing a brand invasion, but it’s one we should embrace. The power rests in the consumer to decide so every brand must work hard for its own recognition. Ultimately customers only care about brands, so make yours the very best it can be. Knowing how your customers think means knowing the success your brand can reach, and Champions (UK) Plc offer an all-encompassing solution that will guarantee enviable results.

“Whether you want your brand to scale the highest heights or make the biggest splash, as a brand communications agency, Champions (UK) Plc specialise in developing creative and highly successful brands with maximum impact and sustainable longevity.

Contact us now to begin boosting the success of your brand.”

For more information please contact Sarah Pearson on: 08453 313031 or email: spearson@championsukplc.com

www.championsukplc.com

BUSINESS AND FINANCE

Children Of The

revOluTiOn Social media, like all new and exciting technological phenomena, has its fair share of critics.

It attracts a huge amount of media attention and can cause a global reaction. Never before has there been such an easy way to access hundreds and thousands of people.

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Social media, like all new and exciting technological phenomena, has its fair share of critics. It attracts an huge amount of media attention and can cause a global reaction. Never before has there been such an easy way to access hundreds and thousands of people. There are, however, despite the best efforts of the technology giants, noticeable gaps in use of social media by businesses. Conspicuous within a variety industry sectors, these gaps can be attributed to some executives believing that social media is perhaps an inappropriate tool for use in business, or a flash in the pan that will have no real and noticeable effect on the business sectors that they wish to target.

But social media is more than this. Sceptics, despite their best intentions of safe guarding the traditional stoicism of their businesses, are about to be left behind.

Social media is more than a tweet about the latest episode of a reality television show. It is more than a Facebook upload of holiday snaps. It is a revolution, a fast spinning wheel that can and will add dramatically to the reach of your business if used in the right way.

Ignore it, and you could be left behind.

#

Champions (UK) Plc are joining that revolution. As a leading and unique brand agency, they are harnessing the power of the social media phenomenon and using it as a vital tool in their bespoke communications and marketing strategies. For Champions (UK) Plc, it is vital to be in the heart of the action, joining the instant communication forum and sharing their unique offering with the widest audience possible. But this is not a scattergun approach. Having chosen to launch new and innovative social media management strategies, Champions (UK) Plc are now expanding on their already impressive social media presence. For their many clients, this means that they will continue to see the benefit of Champions (UK) Plc’s targeted social media campaigns, but with even greater reach and insight into the fluctuating trends of the current market place.

It Is a revolutIon, a fast spInnIng wheel that can and wIll add dramatIcally to the reach of your busIness If used In the rIght way.

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For those who want to employ the best social media strategy, there is a solution to this technological conundrum. For many, the myriad of different platforms, apps and sites to help you make those vital cyber connections are still slightly out of reach. Many businesses feel that they missed out on the essential social media training that seems to come hardwired to new graduates and teenage entrepreneurs. The social media movement really is off and running, with greater access to technology and a seemingly omnipresent labyrinth of wireless internet networks it seems like everyone is tweeting, commenting, liking and perhaps most importantly ‘linking in’ with each other. Business connections are now made over Skype, as well as in the board room. A round of corporate golf can be complemented with some well-timed tweets and retweets, gaining interest, gaining followers and gaining awareness.

It is awareness that really is the key and this is something that Champions (UK) Plc recognises. As it is often said, ignorance is not an excuse. But why should you be excused from using the power of social media to propel your business on to an ever increasing platform?

Champions (UK) Plc is a brand agency that fully embraces the incredible power of social media. For them, it is not enough to recognise the potential of this particular strain of technological wizardry. They are engaging with it on a completely different level because they are working to make social media a vital part of their brand communication strategies.

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Champions (UK) Plc is a brand agency completely devoted to working with companies to maximise their social media footprint. Champions (UK) Plc saw the clear benefits that would come from engaging with such a global phenomenon, taking social media to levels that some would never have thought possible. The agency is unique in the marketplace, harnessing and developing bespoke social media campaigns using their practically limitless in house technological tools. In a world where the number of twitter followers your company’s account has is more interesting to some than where you place in annual revenue tables, Champions (UK) Plc know how it is vital to continually and completely engage with the online information network.

The brand agency uses social media part of their bespoke communication and marketing strategies that ensure sustainable longevity for their clients’ products.

It is vital that they use the amazing tools at their disposal to spread their brands’ message. Thousands upon thousands of instant communications are sent every minute, linking together different groups, individuals and networks.

Champions (UK) Plc wants to have an even louder voice in that conversation, and that is why they are harnessing the power of social media for themselves. The opportunity to extend their reach exponentially into what is becoming a cyber-universe of endless business possibilities is too exciting to ignore.

Champions (UK) Plc offers the capabilities of a web technology agency, combined with a set of fully cohesive in house teams. The brand agency’s social media and web development department offers a complete service.

They don’t just advise on the rather grey sounding ‘search engine optimisation’ and data analysis. They offer a wide variety of innovation and creativity that, when combined with their technical know-how, provides their clients with a social media presence that works exclusively for them.

The internet marketing organisation has something a little bit different to offer. They work with major social media outlets to consistently maximise reach for their clients.

They actively engage with the businesses they work with, creating a dynamic new service that incorporates ground breaking technology, finding more intelligent and innovative ways to harness the power of the social media information interchange. The team and technology assimilates data from the internet, analysing the most optimum times for businesses to target their ideal audiences. This intelligent tool then allows a synchronised launch of social media messages, through Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms in order to achieve maximum reach to the public, targeting individuals and relevant industry sectors alike.

presence and awareness amongst the industry sectors that you wish to target. Advocating the constant production of good, regular and vibrant content, Champions (UK) Plc really does offer a revolutionary service, harnessing the massive power and influence that social media has and turning it into a targeted device for decisive business capability.

For Champions (UK) Plc, working with a number of different high profile brands and individuals means that they need to stay as connected as possible with the fast paced marketplace around them. Each brand that Champions (UK) Plc works with is unique, requiring that they reach a variety of specifically targeted potential customers or sponsors. Social media really is a vital tool for creating an initial ‘buzz’ about a brand and at Champions (UK) Plc they know that it is a key component in continuing an effective and long-term PR strategy. For Champions (UK) Plc, their newest social media projects are taking them to new communications heights.

Reaching higher and higher, Champions (UK) Plc are releasing the potential of their social media capabilities onto one of the world’s fastest moving marketplaces.

Social media is such a vital component of our current marketplace. It is flexible, ever changing and continues to expand, creating infinite business possibilities. At Champions (UK) Plc, they know the huge value of being part of the social media universe. A global phenomenon should never be ignored and this brand agency is choosing to embrace all that is current, exciting and fast flowing in business, making it a clear market leader in its field.

Finding an organisation that can target relevant and specific sections of the marketplace, allowing your brand or organisation to achieve its maximum reach and potential is not easy. This is where Champions (UK) Plc is the ideal solution. A brand agency with a difference, Champions (UK) Plc is not only a communications agency, they have a full in house, integrated marketing, events and celebrity management teams that provide a streamlined brand management service. Most importantly they are ensuring that they are always at the forefront of cutting edge social media technology, taking a firm hold of this global network and using it to propel their client’s brand to the new levels of exposure.

Contact Champions (UK) Plc to work with a brand agency that has all the capability needed to get the very most out of your product

Telephone 08453 31 30 31 or visit

www.championsukplc.com

It seems flippant to say that a few tweets and Facebook updates will revolutionise your business’ reach, but by using social media in a calculated and business-savvy way; you really can obtain much higher levels of web

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The challenges of keeping up-todate in an ever-changing legislative and economic landscape Business success requires a great deal of hard work and commitment. For many, the pressures of maintaining the pace in competitive markets mean that the future wellbeing of the business tends to take priority over long-term personal financial planning.

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Questions all Business owners should be asking themselves...

The scheme may be a defined benefit scheme or a defined contribution scheme.

H

However, with an ever-changing legislative and economic landscape it is now, more than ever, extremely important for business owners to keep up-to-date with both their personal and business financial planning. Outlined below are some of the key questions and answers about the current financial challenges facing business owners today.

Q. I am considering restructuring my business to become incorporated? Will this benefit my company?

A. To incorporate or not to incorporate is a key question faced by many business owners when deciding to embark on a new venture or considering how to develop their business model. It may seem a deceptively easy question to answer in this era of reducing corporation tax rates but it is worthwhile undertaking a full and proper review of all the options available.

Once you have decided, you may still want to review your choice in the light of changes in legislation and the regulatory environment.

In recent years there has been a tendency to incorporate solely because the tax system seemed to enable small companies to pay less tax than sole traders and partnerships.

In fact this was not always the case, especially if the profits were to be drawn out of the company. With increasing personal rates of income tax and liability to National Insurance contributions, coupled with reducing rates of corporation tax, the trend towards operating through a limited company can only become more pronounced. Although some people are tempted to focus on the tax issues it is frequently the commercial considerations that will be more important.

Q. I’ve heard about auto-enrolment… can you tell me more please?

A. Automatic enrolment is an obligation on all employers to enrol eligible jobholders in a workplace pension scheme, unless they are already a member of a qualifying scheme. An automatic enrolment scheme is a qualifying scheme that must meet a further set of conditions.

The scheme may be a defined benefit scheme or a defined contribution scheme. It must be a UK registered pension scheme for tax purposes or qualifying overseas pension scheme. In the UK, the scheme must be a direct payment scheme (the requirement of a ‘workplace pension scheme’). This simply means that contributions must be collected

A DV E RTI S I N G F E ATU R E

and paid to the scheme by the employer through the payroll system.

Automatic enrolment is an obligation on all employers to enrol eligible jobholders in a workplace pension scheme.

will have claimed Fixed Protection, must opt out within one month of being enrolled if they are to avoid losing that protection.

Q. What is the automatic enrolment process?

A. The employer must enrol any employee who is eligible and not a member of a qualifying scheme from the staging date or the date the jobholder joins the employer (whichever is later) or on the third anniversary of the previous automatic enrolment exercise.

A fundamental principle is that the jobholder must be enrolled and will then be able to opt out. The success of the proposals will be largely attributable to inertia: jobholders not getting round to opting out. Employers will be banned from incentivising opt-outs.

Those individuals who claimed Enhanced Protection from the Lifetime Allowance charge under the 2006 ‘A’ Day reforms or

Q. I’ve become a limited company – how can I replace my death benefits?

A. Replacing employer sponsored life cover is difficult when you start a new company because it can be difficult to obtain a similar level of cover and to also benefit from the tax advantages of a group life scheme.

However, there may be a solution in the form of a Relevant Life Plan which was introduced for small businesses that do not have sufficient eligible employees to warrant a Group Life Scheme. The Relevant Life Plan benefits from not being classed as a benefit in kind (taxable) on the employee and can potentially be subject to corporation tax relief for the employer.

A DV E RTI S I N G F E ATU R E

The level of life cover available is also comparable to Group Life Schemes where up to 15 times income is available.

The Government restricts the annual amount on which you benefit from tax relief on personal contributions.

The levels and basis of taxation and reliefs from taxation can change at any time. The value of any tax relief depends on individual circumstances.

Exit Strategies may include products and services that are separate and distinct to those offered by St. James’s Place.

Q. With new pension rules limiting my annual contributions to a maximum £50,000 per annum, what impact will this have on me?

A. It depends. The Government restricts the annual amount on which you benefit from tax relief on personal contributions. This is the greater of £3,600 or 100% of your relevant UK earnings, up to a maximum of the ‘Annual Allowance’. The Annual Allowance reduced from £255,000 to £50,000 from 6 April 2011. There are no specific limits on employer contributions, but if your personal and your employer’s contributions exceed the ‘Annual Allowance’, you will be taxed on the excess at your marginal rate of income tax.

This means that if you have relevant earnings of less than £50,000, the change to the Annual Allowance will have no impact on you. Those benefitting from employer contributions in excess of £50,000 may well be adversely affected, although a facility has been introduced to help whereby you can mitigate any tax charge by using unused allowances from the previous three tax years.

Q. I am looking to sell my business in about 5 years. Is there anything I should be doing know to ensure that I receive the maximum value for my business?

A. Think carefully about your aims and consider your objectives.In an ideal world, you would have possible exit routes in mind

when you first set up your business. Identify a particular year, level of sales or other objective (e.g. if you plan to retire at 60, you might want to start considering your exit at 55). Planning lets you get your business into the best possible shape for an exit.

Sound management over several years will add value to your business and allow you to start an exit relatively quickly when the time is right.You will need to concentrate on the main areas of your business to ensure a smooth exit.

1. Aim for a year-on-year increase in profits – reducing profits to cut corporation tax liabilities may make short-term sense but it could harm your business’ perceived value.

2. Make sure your accounts are in order and up to date and give a true picture of the business – It pays to be ready for any due diligence you may have to go through later.

3. Look to possibly expand your range of customers and suppliers – over reliance on a few key customers will undermine your business’ value.

4. Aim to tie key customers, suppliers, staff and managers to long-term contracts.

Maximise your relief for capital gains tax (CGT) – you may be able to claim entrepreneurs’ relief which reduces the effective rate of CGT. So consider your holding of substantial holdings in property, shares or leaving money in the bank which may disqualify you from this relief.

To receive your complimentary guide... ..to Wealth Management, Retirement Planning or Inheritance Tax Planning, produced by St. James’s Place Wealth Management, please contact: Janine Edwards on 01676 530606 by email janine.edwards@sjpp.co.uk or visit www.janineedwards.co.uk/guides Janine Edwards represents only St. James’s Place Wealth Management plc (which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority) for the purpose of advising solely on the Group’s wealth management products and services, more details of which are set out on the Group’s website www.sjp.co.uk/products.

‘Partner’ is a marketing term used to describe St. James’s Place representatives.

BUSINESS AND FINANCE

Edgbaston Conferences | Events | Exhibitions | Weddings | Hospitality Please contact us on: 0844 635 1902 Option 2 Email: enquiries@edgabston.com Check out our new website: www.edgbastonstadium.com

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BUSINESS AND FINANCE

ULTIMATE GOLFING LUXURY Golf Premier Solutions offer magnificent tailored luxury corporate golfing packages that will entertain your most important clients.

When you need to impress important clients for your business, Golf Premier Solutions provide luxurious golfing hospitality at an exciting and exclusive portfolio of destinations in Las Vegas, Marbella, Miami and Phuket.

Founded by Roger Partridge, who has extensive experience travelling the globe in the high powered corporate environment, Golf Premier Solutions have the local knowledge required to create luxury bespoke golfing hospitality packages that your clients will never forget.

Golf Premier Solutions leave no stone unturned in striving for the complete satisfaction of you and your VIP guests.

A Golf Premier Solutions representative is available twenty four hours a day for the duration of your trip, to ensure they meet the exacting standards you require when you are entertaining important clients.

Truly sensational hospitality can make a huge difference to businesses, from retaining clients to winning important contracts. Working with you at a personal level, Golf Premier Solutions will design an impressive luxury golf hospitality package, carefully selecting the courses for your tour based around the excellence of the golf available at each destination and our insider knowledge of local courses and amenities. What really distinguishes the Golf Premier Solutions team is their commitment to working with you to develop a package that will ensure a fantastic experience for all of your guests.

Golf Premier Solutions have specially selected exquisite locations around the world to ensure that you and your guests can experience not only spectacular golf, but glorious culture and dining too.

PHUKET:

Twinpalms Resort Phuket offers an exotic paradise with exquisite golf courses that your guests will never forget.

As one of the most up and coming golfing destinations in the world, some of the luxury golf courses in Phuket include the Blue Canyon Golf Club, which hosted the Johnnie Walker Classic in 1994 and 1998, when Tiger Woods won the event and the Laguna Phuket Golf Club, which is known as being a favourite course of legendary six time major champion Sir Nick Faldo.

From tropical scenery, glorious beaches and magnificent Thai cuisine, Phuket offers myriad ways to impress your guests when not on the golf course. With a beach club, spa, yachting, a wine room and two sensational restaurants, the Twinpalms Resort is a truly unique and luxurious destination.

For more information about Golf Premier Solutions contact: Paul Thompson on: 07747 015 698 email: paul@golfpremiersolutions.com or enquiries@golfpremiersolutions.com 124

MIAMI:

Turnberry Isle Resort In Miami, Golf Premier Solutions offer your guests the opportunity to play some of the most famous and highly regarded courses in Florida. Based at the spectacular and luxurious Turnberry Isle Resort, the two home courses were originally designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., and have been re-interpreted by golf icon Raymond Floyd. The Soffer Course and the Miller Course showcase the best of Florida golf, with contoured fairways, clever doglegs, rolling greens, perfectly carved bunkers, strategically placed water features and a variety of elevation changes to challenge and enthral golfers of any handicap. The magnificent final island green of the Soffer Course is a wonderful end to this magical golfing challenge.

Further afield, Golf Premier Solutions can develop a bespoke itinerary that will take in courses including the infamous “Blue Monster” at the Doral Golf and Country Club, home of the World Golf Cadillac Championship, where previous winners include Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

The facilities at the Turnberry Isle Resort are truly second to none, with a luxurious beach club, magnificent swimming pool, an elegant marina and impressive tennis courts, to name but a few of the fantastic amenities on offer at the hotel. When not on the courses, your guests will also be able to luxuriate in the legendary laid back culture of Miami and enjoy the fantastic South Florida cuisine at the exclusive selection of hand-picked restaurants we recommend.

MARBELLA:

Villa Padierna

In Marbella, your guests can enjoy the stunning golf that has made Southern Spain a true golfer’s paradise.

Based at the prestigious Hotel Villa Padierna, guests will be treated to everything this luxury resort has to offer, including an enviable vantage point over the Andalucian landscape and the exquisite interiors of this Spanish gem. Our expert Golf Premier Solutions team will develop a fantastic itinerary to suit the particular tastes of your guests.

Just metres from the hotel foyer, the Alfarini Course offers a spectacular opportunity for your guests to hone their games on majestic fairways and elegant greens, including the glorious 18th hole, with unbeatable views over to the Rock of Gibraltar. Other courses include the

exquisite New Course at San Roque Club, designed by the Maestro, Seve Ballesteros and opened in 2002.

The New Course at San Roque is a true test, offering guests the opportunity to share Ballesteros’s elaborate, beautiful and imaginative vision in a course that every golf enthusiast truly must play.

The options for dinner in Marbella are fantastic, and you can enjoy whatever cuisine and style of evening your guests desire. With our expert local knowledge and experience, Golf Premier Solutions will recommend the finest restaurants, such as an exclusive dinner at James Hewitt’s ‘The Polo House’, which has become Marbella’s most sought-after and famous restaurant: the gliteratti’s favourite spot to eat delicious food as they see and are seen!

LAS VEGAS: Bellagio

Las Vegas really is a city that never sleeps!

At the Bellagio, Premier Golf Solutions offer your corporate hospitality guests the ultimate in luxury and opulence in one of the most glamorous and exciting destinations in the world. The golf on offer in Las Vegas is as dramatic and luxurious as the spectacular resort itself.

Away from the course, your guests will be able to take advantage of all the fantastic entertainment that Las Vegas has to offer. Whether you are watching your favourite entertainer perform on stage, enjoying one of the amazing Cirque du Soleil shows, the world’s best food, or the amazing atmosphere of the gambling halls, Las Vegas truly offers world class entertainment for your guests... and if that’s not enough, the Grand Canyon is just a short drive away.

Whichever destination you select for your luxury golf hospitality package, you and your guests will experience spectacular golf, world-class food and opulent accommodation in some of the world’s most renowned hotels.

www.golfpremiersolutions.com 125

Preservation of Wealth

126

No one wants to have to think about what will happen if they are unable to care for themselves at the end of their lives.

Often it seems easier to solely consider the Wills and how an estate will pass after death, but the thresholds for funding care privately much lower than those of Inheritance Tax, it falls to the individual to cover the costs. Inspirational Magazine talks to Sydney Mitchell Solicitors’ Tracy Creed about the best ways to prepare for any eventuality.

“One of the questions asked most frequently of Private Client lawyers is “How can I protect my Assets?” Historically, this question used to be followed with “from the tax man after my death”. Clients often found that their main concern was Inheritance Tax and its ultimate impact on their estates. However, changes in our society have meant that other factors are now as pressing, if not more so, in relation to their concerns.”

The funding of care in later life is a major concern for most clients. Very few people can say that this issue has not impacted on a friend or relative in some way. Unlike Inheritance Tax, this issue affects the majority of people, rather than just the very wealthy, because the funding bar is set so low.

By comparing Inheritance Tax limits with the thresholds that affect how much of their own care an individual is financially responsible for, it is easy to see the disparity between the two.

Currently, the law dictates that Inheritance Tax, at a rate of 40 per cent, must be paid on estates worth £325,000 or more. However, the situation is very different for those who must use their assets to pay for their own care.

Care fees must be funded by the resident themselves when they own assets of £23,250 or above. Above this level they will be expected to fund 100 per cent of the care costs until the balance of their assets drops to that level.

Care costs within a care home environment vary hugely, ranging from £25,000 to £80,000 per year, depending on the level and complexity of care, type of care required and the type of accommodation chosen. Even at home, the cost of care can run to £40,000 or more per year if a person’s needs are great and their health problems are complex.

“The level of these costs has a huge impact on a person’s wealth in a very short period of time.

This realisation often gives rise to two main concerns: ‘Will there be anything left to pass to my family after my death?’ as well as ‘is my choice of care sustainable?’ The answer is often “not necessarily” unless there has been some forward planning or advice has been sought in a timely manner. For example, in circumstances where a person’s primary need is shown to be medical, funding will be provided by the NHS on a non-means tested basis.”

There are many possibilities to be considered for most clients. Potential solutions often involve advice and input from more than one professional arena. Where it is practical to do so, solicitors will work in conjunction with other professions who are also experts in dealing with the very specific problems that care funding gives rise to, for example Independent Financial Advisers.

Tracy Creed Solicitor, Head of Wills, Trusts and Probate Often, these issues arise at a time when family circumstances are very trying and a placement for care must be found very quickly.

Experience shows that at such a time, families feel ill-equipped to deal with the paperwork and funding issues. At Sydney Mitchell, the team of solicitors pride themselves on working closely with our clients to provide the best advice and practical support possible.

Sydney Mitchell Solicitors are on hand to help advise you before you experience the difficulties of privately funding care. With their help, you will be able to plan for any eventuality and manage the financial implications that private care can have on yourself and your family, when it matters most. Preparation really is vital and can save your family from a multitude of difficulties at a very trying and confusing time.

“We have no hesitation whatsoever in saying that the work that Tracy Creed did for us was totally first class. When we say we looked for an expert, we believe we found one.

It is true to say she has made our lives easier and given us peace of mind.”

Sam Bloxham

If you or a family member need advice or guidance in this complex area of the law, please contact Tracy Creed, Solicitor, Head of Wills, Trusts and Probate at Sydney Mitchell, Shirley, 0121 746 3300, t.creed@sydneymitchell.co.uk

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BUSINESS AND FINANCE

SUPER CHARGING your business to give you the edge

In today’s ultra competitive business environment, the businesses that succeed are streamlined and able to grow fast and think big. With the most comprehensive and up to the minute technological solutions, PMGC can help you to work smarter by giving you that all important edge over your competitors.

As any Formula 1 fan knows, it takes an expert driver and a finely tuned car to finish top of the podium in a Grand Prix. In business, the same rules apply. However committed your team and however clear your business vision, if the technology that underpins your business isn’t up to scratch, you risk losing ground to your competitors, or crashing out of the race altogether. Offering complete technological solutions including fully managed paperless offices to cloud hosting and business intelligence solutions, PMGC is the UK’s largest mobile management company, specialising in dynamic technological solutions that will revolutionise your business, helping you to work smarter and leave your competitors in your rear-view mirror.

PMGC are the UK’s fastest growing mobile management providers, who have rapidly 128

become the largest provider of managed mobile technology services through their proven track record of delivering the most innovative and sophisticated technology solutions available for your business.

An initial consultation with PMGC begins with an examination of your business’s existing technology and an in-depth assessment of your business needs. This will enable their expert advisors to assess your business needs. From this initial consultation, PMGC will then come up with individually tailored comprehensive technology solutions that will help you achieve everything you need. Their technical expertise and logical strategising will deliver the mobile management solutions that will revolutionise your business.

Managing Director of the group, Jason Yeomans, is passionate about customer service and proud of the standard of service PMGC offer. As with all aspects of his business, Jason isn’t afraid of thinking innovatively and devising unique approaches to traditional business problems. This attitude has seen him come at customer service from a completely different angle.

“When most businesses decide to improve customer service, they focus all their attention on to the customer or client. We took a different approach. We have focussed on our staff, on recruiting the very best and then investing in them by offering the very best training and ensuring that we are always getting the best out of our expert employees. The impact on customer service has been huge: our employees

PMGC Help Businesses Work Smarter PMGC helped a leading West End Theatre work smarter by developing technology that enables the directors and cast to make script changes and notations on tablets during rehearsals. Helping to streamline the script amendment process, and assisting actors to make legible performance notes, the technology developed by PMGC assisted the efficiency of the creative process. As well as impacting on the quality of the finished product, with the time saved in typing up script changes reinvested into developing the production, the system developed by PMGC helped the theatre to reduce costs and improve efficiency.

PMGC helped a council authority to develop a system of smart devices that

enabled school inspectors to work more efficiently when surveying over 350 schools in the local area. The mobilised efficiency developed by PMGC allowed the inspectors to complete their surveys in situ in the schools, rather than typing them up later, which has resulted in minimising error and improving productivity and quality.

A further benefit of the system has been the ability for school inspectors to order essential equipment or produce for schools in real time during their visits, which means schools receive what they need faster, helping to improve the schools’ performance.

Did you know it costs on average £9,000 for an employee to work from their desk in the office.

This is reduced to £6,000 if that employee is enabled to work remotely using mobile management devices while they are out of the office.

This is further reduced to £3 ,000 if that employee is working from home permanently using mobile management to enable them to work remotely.

Jason Yeomans, Managing Director

4 Station Court Old Station Road Hampton in Arden Solihull, West Midlands B92 0HA knowledge@pmgroupuk.com www.pmgroupuk.com Our Locations: London, Solihull, Altrincham, Sunderland and Glasgow

are passionate, knowledgeable, and dedicated to providing our clients with the correct solutions for their companies.” – Jason Yeomans, Managing Director, PMGC Technological solutions don’t simply help businesses to make existing practices more efficient, they also enable businesses to achieve things and embark on projects that they wouldn’t otherwise achieve. PMGC can assist businesses to grow and develop efficiently and effectively through hosting and data solutions that allow companies to radically improve their capability and scope without the large overheads associated with storing information on servers and new premises. By offering hosting solutions, PMGC are able to dramatically increase the scalability of your business, allowing you to take advantage of the

opportunities that are vital for ongoing business success.

The uniquely effective strategic management approach offered by PMGC is backed up by their capability in the market. As the UK’s leading Vodafone Platinum Partner, One Net UC Installation Partner, Strategic Blackberry RIM Alliance Partner and an HTC Privilege Partner, PMGC are strategically positioned to present a unique offering to their clients.

Business Intelligence and Mobile Managed Services from PMGC are designed to fundamentally change and improve business practices. They can implement sophisticated telecoms procedures, including monitoring for expenditure on personal calls. By implementing personal call declaration services, PMGC can

help ensure your business is VAT compliant as well as benefitting from cost savings. From the benefits of transferring business users to smartphones to paperless offices and cloud hosting solutions, PMGC can help to ensure a comprehensive technology platform for your business. As well as the benefits for cost savings, office functionality, efficiency and disaster recovery, these solutions also have a hugely positive impact on the environment.

PMGC know what it takes to rapidly expand and grow, because they are the fastest growing mobile management business in the country.

They know what technology it takes to grow fast and grow big, leaving you in the driver’s seat of what matters most: your business.

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BUSINESS AND FINANCE

PRESTIGE PROTECTION for elite and high profile celebrities Certis Insurance team up with Champions (UK) Plc to safeguard the prestige properties of their elite and high profile celebrity clients.

Hallmarks of success, trappings of status and the prestigious dream-lifestyle you’ve worked hard for, but most of all, a high-value home is somewhere you should feel safe and secure. Living in high value and prestigious homes is a great privilege, but it also brings with it responsibility. It’s essential to find an insurance policy that adequately protects the property, its contents and its occupants. In many cases, standard home insurance or contents cover won’t offer the required cover, since these policies generally aren’t written to cover things like fine art, antiques, expensive jewellery or domestic staff.

When you live in a high-value property, you need to know that your home and your belongings are comprehensively insured to safeguard the lifestyle you want to lead. Nothing can beat the security and peace of mind of a dedicated expert broker to handle all of your insurance requirements, ensuring you always get a quality tailored service and the most favourable rates.

Established in 1966, Certis Insurance specialise in offering tailored high net worth insurance policies. The experts at Certis Insurance understand that every individual has a unique situation. A dedicated expert will work hard to understand your circumstances and offer high value contents insurance and prestige home cover that matches your needs.

On a day to day basis, Champions (UK) Plc deal with some of the country’s leading celebrities from the worlds of entertainment, sport and television, such as England football legend Peter Shilton OBE, Coronation Street star William Roache MBE and a stable of leading European Tour professional golfers looked after by the golf management division. These individuals require specialist insurance that meets their needs and the bespoke service of a broker who is an expert in the field.

“Managing professional sports people and celebrities, we take pride in doing everything we can to ensure they are always looked after and we demand that everyone we work with does the same. The highly professional and friendly team at Certis Insurance always do everything to ensure all the insurance requirements of our clients are looked after. We can relax knowing that experts are looking after their complex and high value requirements and safeguarding their assets.” – Sophia Hayes, Sales Executive, Champions (UK) Plc 130

Certis Insurance is the ideal choice for sporting celebrities and other people in the public eye, who often suffer difficulty in getting the insurance they need. For example, many professional footballers and other sports people experience problems when looking to insure prestige cars. This is only more difficult when the client is of a young age such as 17,18 and 19 or if there are complex requirements such as multi-vehicle fleets and other potential issues. By dealing with insurers who specialise in insurance for professional footballers, Certis can ensure that vehicle requirements are included in a specialist insurance package, securing a deal that suits you, your cars and your lifestyle.

Since every home is different, every high value home insurance policy should be too. The right cover will depend on the net worth of the property, its fixtures and fittings, as well as the assets included in and around the residence. Belongings like valuable jewellery, priceless antiques and pieces of fine art should be assessed by experts to ensure that they are adequately covered by the high value contents insurance, while collectibles, guns and expensive wines should also be properly evaluated.

Having close ties with many of the most respected names in the insurance industry, such as Chartis, Chubb, Sterling, Zurich, Oak, Home and Legacy and Aviva, Certis are best placed to get you the insurance you need. The Certis Insurance service is also ideal if you are looking to insure a unique or unusual property, such as a property with a thatch roof, a riverside property, a heritage property or a property in flood plains. A manager from Certis will personally discuss your requirements and develop a bespoke insurance plan that will satisfy your needs and secure your assets.

Since Certis have excellent relationships with their insurance underwriters, you can rely on them to negotiate some of the best rates available. Certis appreciate that just because you’re consulting high net worth insurance brokers doesn’t mean you should have to pay over the odds for the protection and peace of mind that the right cover will provide.

When it comes to insurance, you want to be paying for the right cover that is specially tailored to your needs, your property and your lifestyle. As one of the country’s leading insurance brokers specialising in prestige household insurance, Certis Insurance are able to source the right insurance for the exact requirements of their clients and guarantee that they get the cover they need.

For more information: 0800 440 2410 www.certisinsurance.com Certis Insurance Brokers, Hornchurch Business Centre, 7 Station Lane, Hornchurch, Essex, RM12 6JL

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We’ve got it covered...

THE Marketing & PR Specialists Call us on

08453 313 031

www.championsukplc.com

FASTEST GROWING BUSINESS Leicestershire’s Companies

BEAUTY, HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE

Style, Luxur y and Sophistication: London’s Best Kept Secrets

Quinnel is a new and exclusive club that brings their members the

platinum and black packages giving members selected or full access to

very best of a select group of London’s boutique hotels, beautiful

event management, concierge, private travel and private jet options,

restaurants, private clubs and travel, concierge services and special

the private members club provides a complete luxury lifestyle package.

events. Inspired by years of business travel around the world, Quinnel’s creators wanted to bring the amazing experiences they had to London.

They had benefitted from the insights they gained of unique restaurants, bars and hotels offered by their hosts in different international cities and Quinnel now recreates this experience for club members.

Quinnel’s exclusive range of hotels, restaurants, private clubs and unique experiences reveal a side of London that is hardly ever mentioned by tour guides. With gold, platinum and black membership packages available, Quinnel opens a door to some of London’s most luxurious and elite venues and events.

Offering theatre, hotel and restaurant experiences, and with the

Quinnel offers its members exclusive packages at fantastic hotels such as The Mandarin Hotel Hyde park and the newly opened Me Hotel in the strand as well as acess to the St James and Archers private clubs.

There are opportunities to experience special events; dining on the River Thames on selected occasions throughout the year, an annual supercar event in association with Salon Privé and exclusive hotel packages to tempt all of their members.

Quinnel really does offer its members the most exclusive lifestyle, giving them the insider track on some of London’s best kept secrets.

With access to some of London’s most amazing venues, Quinnel is the source of secret local knowledge, inviting its members to experience a truly undiscovered London.

info@quinnel.com | 0207 887 4554 | Berkeley Square, Mayfair, London, W1J 6BD 69

St James’s Place Seminar at Bentley Wednesday, 28th March 2012 Elite business clients were treated to a client seminar in the magnificent surroundings of Leicester’s Bentley Showroom from Janine Edwards, Senior Partner at St James’s Place Wealth Management.

During the event, Janine shared her in depth knowledge gleaned from more than 20 years in the wealth management industry. She began by addressing the market and economic situation of 2011 and furthered this by going on to discuss the economic outlook for 2012 and beyond. Following on from this, her talk featured specialist advice about investment strategies and inheritance tax planning.

The latest in Janine Edwards’ highly popular client days, the event was a sociable and friendly environment in which to seriously engage with issues relating to wealth management, from a leading expert in the field.

The St James’s Place Foundation is the charitable arm of the business, raising thousands of pounds for a wide range of charities doing fantastic work for important causes. In just one example of their dedication to charitable causes, Janine Edwards recently presented a cheque to Rainbows Hospice for £75,000 on behalf of the foundation for Rainbows, the only hospice in the East Midlands dedicated to caring for children and young people with life-limiting and lifethreatening conditions.

INSPIRATIONAL magazine

Laura, Ian & Clare Mattioli

Ruth Lorenzo and Peter Edwards

Anniversary Ball East Midlands Conference Centre Guests from Toyota Manufacturing

Friday, 4th May 2012 On Friday 4th May, blusource Chairman Andrew Springhall and event organisers Champions (UK) Plc held a spectacular ball at the East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham in celebration of ChildLine’s 25th Anniversary.

Ruth Lorenzo, Mark Slaviero

Andrew Springhall

Snooker star Willie Thorne was host for the evening, and speaker Ellen Gigg gave a speech on behalf of the NSPCC, before singing sensation Ruth Lorenzo dazzled guests with her breathtaking ballads. Party band Groove Nation rounded off the evening in fine style, providing the perfect backdrop as guests danced the night away!

Sponsored by blusource, Mattioli Woods and Toyota, fundraising activities included stand up bingo, an Elvis themed prize draw and charity auction, all of which helped to raise an incredible ÂŁ10,000 for ChildLine.

PENSIONS & WEALTH MANAGEMENT

INSPIRATIONAL magazine

James & Carol Warne, Charles & Shirley Bentley

Willie Thorne

PENSIONS & WEALTH MANAGEMENT

To see more images from this event and to download images go to: www.inspirational.uk.com/social

Rachel and Thorton Wells

Ruth Lorenzo

Lindsey & David Doughty, Donna & John Hayes

Georgia Holland

Pam, Libby, Catherine, Robert, the Johnson Family

Sue and Rick Cressman

Inspirational Magazine Launch Wednesday, 30th May 2012 The inaugural issue of Inspirational Magazine was launched in a glamorous gathering at the exquisite showroom of Johnsons Jewellers in Nuneaton.

Over 70 of the region’s most influential executives and business leaders gathered at Warwickshire’s premier jewellers, providing the opportunity to meet each other, network and enjoy a superb selection of wines and champagnes, hand-picked by the experts from Charles Mitchell Wines. Accompanied by a selection of canapés, Charles Mitchell Wines shared their expertise recommending wines and giving tasting notes on the extra special selection that was chosen.

John Hayes

Richard Lambourne, Lynn Lloyd, Michael Grey

Guests were also invited to admire the spectacular selection from Johnsons Jewellers’ wide selection of the world’s best jewellery brands. As a trusted official retailer for Rolex products in the Midlands for more than 40 years, the Johnsons showroom includes a dramatic and beautiful dedicated Rolex showroom. The showroom is specially designed to showcase these ultimate status symbols in exquisite style and comes highly recommended and endorsed by Rolex.

To see more images from this event and to download images go to: www.inspirational.uk.com/social

INSPIRATIONAL Gemma Brining, Catherine, Pam Johnson, Julie Ulliott

Rolex and fine jewellery at Johnsons

magazine

Louise Sambrooke, Sally Walder

Oliver Rose, Lee Hopkins, Jason Yeomans

Poppy Wigstead, Yvonne Wigstead, Catherine Lowe

Georgia Holland

Robert Johnson, Matthew Hayes, Catherine & Libby Johnson, Sophia Hayes, Pam Johnson, John Hayes Sarah Davis and Aiden Reed

Tracy Creed, Karen Moores, Kelly Pougher, Tania Mascord

Willie Thorne, Theresa Marshall, Ian Elliot

Libby Johnson

Janine Edwards, Matthew Hayes

Freddie Judge, Lisa Wellington

Howard Domney, Richard Lambourne, Chris Pacey

BRITISH PAR 3 CHAMPIONSHIP Majestic Golf and Magnificent Celebrities Cap a Spectacular 2012 Farmfoods British Par 3 Championship

Tony Jacklin CBE

7th-10th August 2012 D J Russell Claims the £15,000 First Prize as he Tore the Field Apart at a Baking Nailcote Hall For four straight days, the Cromwell Course at Nailcote Hall in Warwickshire was bathed in glorious August sunshine as golfing legends, current tour stars and celebrities alike gathered in the Midlands for an action packed week of golfing excellence, drama and entertainment on the course widely considered as the best Par 3 course in the world.

Over 5,000 spectators poured into the Warwickshire course over the championship, which is co-organised by Champions (UK) Plc and Nailcote Hall. The superb field of players at this year’s championship was spear-headed by Tony Jacklin CBE, Ian Woosnam OBE and Alison Nicholas MBE, making the Farmfoods British Par 3 Championship undoubtedly the world’s leading tournament for Par 3 golf. Between them, the players that gathered at Nailcote Hall boasted an impressive 8 major titles and over 200 European Tour, European Senior Tour, PGA Tour, Champions Tour and Challenge Tour titles.

Eric Herd, DJ Russell

In this Ryder Cup year, there was also a special emphasis on Ryder Cup legends and the illustrious field had competed in a massive 38 Ryder cups, including 6 Ryder cup trophies and 2 Ryder cup captains. The strength of the international field who gathered at Nailcote Hall was better than ever this year, including players from around the world, including Jamaica’s three time World Cup of Golf player Delroy Cambridge, Zimbabwe’s 6-time European Tour winner Tony Johnstone and former US Senior Open Champion Larry Laoretti, from the USA. Ireland was represented by 8 time winner on the European Tour, Des Smyth and Golf Channel Big Break Ireland 2011 winner Mark Murphy.

On the first day of the championship, celebrities battled it out alongside amateur partners for the Celeb-Am prize and also an individual celebrity tournament. This was won by six-time Walker Cup player and European Senior Tour star Gary Wolstenholme MBE.

Peter Bowler, William Roache MBE

With the Sky Sports cameras rolling, professional and amateur competitors alike would have been forgiven for feeling a little nervous as they took to the course for the Pro-Am competition. With SkyBet offering odds for the professional winner for the first time in the event’s history, the odds were definitely on for a fantastic tournament. It was Jamega Tour regular Simon Lilly, from Wellingborough, who made the greatest impression on the first day leaderboard, shooting a sensational -7 47 to take a three shot lead into the final day of the Pro-Am. Wednesday Night is the Players Banquet, an opportunity for competitors, celebrities and VIPs to relax together and enjoy fantastic food and entertainment. Willie Thorne hosted an intimate Question and Answer with Tony Jacklin CBE and Ian Woosnam OBE, a fascinating insight into what it takes to perform at the very top of the game, winning major championships and captaining Europe to Ryder Cup success. This was followed by a magnificently raucous and hilarious set by legendary stand-up Bobby Davro.

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Larry Laoretti, Tommy Horton MBE

Larry Laoretti, Alison Nicholas MBE, Tony Jacklin CBE Matthew Hoggard MBE

Tony Jacklin CBE, Willie Thorne, Ian Woosnam OBE

On Thursday record numbers of spectators arrived at the course to watch stars such as Tony Jacklin CBE, Ian Woosnam OBE, Brian Barnes, Alison Nicholas MBE, Tommy Horton MBE, Maurice Bembridge, Gary Boyd, Marc Warren, Tommy Fleetwood, Scott Drummond, Andrew Oldcorn and home favourite Mark Mouland. When the leaders went out on Thursday afternoon, the stage was set for a classic climax and they certainly didn’t disappoint. A burst from two time winner on the European Tour D J Russell put him in pole position to win the £15,000 top prize. Russell was playing exceptional golf, especially at the finish, securing birdies at the 14th, 15th and 17th, to finish the round on -8, three shots clear of Lilly on -5 and a further two shots clear of Wolstenholme and Murphy on -3. claiming the £15,000 first prize.

The Super Seniors prize for the leading player over the age of 60 was won by 6-time Ryder Cup player Brian Barnes, who played superbly consistent golf over the two days of the championship to finish on level par, one shot clear of Larry Laoretti and two shots clear of fellow former Ryder Cup stars Tommy Horton MBE and Malcolm Gregson. The victory was particularly emotional for Barnes, who was playing in his first professional tournament for 12 years after having to retire due to Rheumatoid Arthritis, which is now in remission.

Jasper Carrott OBE, Brian Barnes

David Heeley, Colin Scandle, Ron Atkinson, Graham Hampton-Smith

Peter Shilton OBE

At the other end of her career, the Norma C Herd Silver Salver for the leading amateur in the competition was won by Curtis Cup star Charley Hull, on a score of -1 for the two days. The Halliwell Cup for the Pro-Am team was won by D J Russell and his partner James Graham, with Simon Lilly and his partner Graham Curtin finishing in second spot.

Mark Murphy continued his impressive form from the previous day with a -4 score of 50, which was enough to hold off competition from Gary Wolstenholme and former Manchester United footballer Clayton Blackmore to secure the Celeb Am prize, which he handed over to Blackmore in a wonderful gesture of sportsmanship.

Spectators enjoying the golf and weather

Ian Woosnam OBE

On both Tuesday and Friday evenings, Nailcote Hall hosted glamorous Celebrity Charity Balls. With Snooker legend Willie Thorne as master of ceremonies for the evenings, a huge amount of money was raised for Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People, through fundraising activities including a charity auction with sensational sporting and celebrity memorabilia and truly “money can’t buy” prizes, including a hospitality package to see George Michael at the NEC, tickets to see Piers Morgan’s Life Stories being filmed and a chance to play the new Trump Course in Aberdeen with 1999 Open Champion Paul Lawrie MBE. Just some of the breathtaking array of celebrities who participated in the championship over the course of the four days this year included Strictly Come Dancing star Len Goodman, football legends Peter Shilton OBE, Peter Schmeichel MBE, Matthew Le Tissier, Alan McInally, Peter Withe and John Jensen, cricket legends Mike Procter and Matthew Hoggard MBE and comedian Jasper Carrott OBE. To see more images from this event and to download images go to: www.inspirational.uk.com/social

Peter Schmeichel MBE, Rick Cressman

Christine Jacklin, Astrid Jacklin, Tony Jacklin CBE, Tina Dortmans

Johnsons hold F1 Lotus event with TWSteel Saturday, 15th August 2012 Johnsons held an exciting Formula 1 Lotus day to celebrate their 115th anniversary in associated with TWSteel. The long-running family firm kicked off their series of anniversary celebrations with this fantastic event. Taking the form of a family fun day, there was plenty for everyone to enjoy. Activities on the day included a race car simulator, with the chance to clock up the best lap time, or even race against the times of Johnny Herbert. The winner of the fastest lap time, with an impressive result of 1 minute 44 seconds, won a stylish TWSteel watch.

The Nuneaton based firm represents the perfect mix of traditional values with a modern twist and it is this that has allowed them their longevity as one of the most prestigious jewellers in the Midlands.

There will be more exciting and exclusive events later in the year to celebrate 115 years of Johnsons Jewellers. The event was open to all friends of the business and the day was a massive success, with everyone enjoying seeing the F1 Lotus racing car and taking part in all the activities on offer.

Johnsons has always taken great pride in their dedication to excellent customer service and the series of celebrations allows them to share the excitement of their 115th anniversary. For five generations the Johnsons family has been providing the most beautiful gems, jewellery and watches to the Midlands, and long may they continue.

To see more images from this event and to download images go to: www.inspirational.uk.com/social

INSPIRATIONAL Libby Johnson, Catherine Johnson

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Alicia Adcock, Lucie Adcock

Rob Chenery

MP4-12C Spider preview at McLaren Birmingham Tuesday, 21st August 2012 Rybrook held an exclusive preview evening for the new McLaren MP4 – 12C Spider at their dedicated McLaren Birmingham showroom. The exclusive event provided guests with the chance to see the new 12C Spider model before it is officially launched to the public. The official launch was in Paris during September and was eagerly awaited by McLaren fans.

Guests were invited to enjoy bucks fizz and nibbles whilst McLaren sales executives provided demonstrations of the exciting new model, as well as offering advice on the car and showing guests all of its features. Guests included individuals from Rybrook’s partner companies and their associates, and they were all thrilled to have an opportunity to see McLaren’s latest offering ahead of the official release date.

To see more images from this event and to download images go to: www.inspirational.uk.com/social

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Nick Gibson, Maxine Gibson, Jason Hale, Joanne Hale, Willie Thorne, Monika Hans, Gary Hans

Andy Abraham, Karl Ottley, Helen Ottley, Sue Barker, Richard Thompson, Willie Thorne, John Freeman

Big band extravaganza at St James’s Place annual ball raises £50,000 Friday, 21st September 2012 This year’s St. James’s Place annual charity ball was a big band extravaganza which took place at Leicester’s King Power Stadium.

After a sumptuous 3 course meal, guests were transported

by Andy Abraham and his spectacular swing orchestra back to when every dance hall was a ballroom filled with the driving pulse of quick rhythm percussion and the cool whirr of the brass section.

Carmen Willis, Willie Thorne, Jody Greenall

Joining Andy and the big band was snooker star and Strictly Come Dancing favourite Willie Thorne who was host for the evening. Meanwhile, BBC’s ‘Flog It!’ resident auctioneer Charlie Ross ensured sure everyone delved deep into their pockets during the auction for the fantastic charity lots, helping to raise as much money as possible for the nominated charities: Rainbows and St James’s Place Foundation.

Liz Robinson, Willie Thorne, Paul Robinson

To see more images from this event and to download images go to: www.inspirational.uk.com/social

Andy Abraham

Paul Barker, Danielle Barker, Andrew Eastgate, Jane Eastgate, Willie Thorne, Peter Wall, Lauren Middleton, Sharon Bruck, Karl Bruck

Jacqueline Wood, Willie Thorne, Roy Wood

Paul Geddes, Willie Thorne, Tracey Geddes

Barisons swing band

Rapinder Samra, Willie Thorne, Pip Samra

Gareth Dyer, Willie Thorne, Rachel Dyer

Memorabilia

Andy Abraham, Janine Edwards, Peter Edwards, Willie Thorne

Nichola (Nic) Williams, Willie Thorne, Dean Williams

Barisons swing band

John Kiely, Linda Moss, Matt Freer, Nello Patrone

Geoff Cousins, Andrew Porter, Tracey Westall, Philippa Dempster, Dallas Burston Ashbourne, Pauline Jorgensen, Peter Gavin

Martine Wright

Emma Elston

Key sponsor Freeth Cartwright honours woman of achievement award Friday, 5th October 2012

Peter Gavin, Martine Wright, Philippa Dempster, Tim Calloway

Mimu Handbags

The 30th annual Midlands Women of the Year Luncheon and Awards Ceremony which is raising money to support Alzheimer’s Research UK, Vitalise and The Marie Curie Big Build Project this year, took place at the Birmingham Hilton Metropole. The regional heavyweight law firm Freeth Cartwright joined with other key sponsors in honouring this year’s Woman of Achievement: Martine Wright, survivor of the London 7/7 Bombings and London 2012 Paralympian.

The event was attended by over 500 women who joined at the Midlands Women of the Year Luncheon and Awards Ceremony on Friday 5th October to celebrate the achievements of women across the country. The event also honoured the achievements of Emma Elston of UK Container Maintenance who was awarded Business Woman of the Year 2012.

Zdenka Fantlova

Zalena Vandrewala, a commercial litigation specialist at Freeth Cartwright and director of the Luncheon and Awards said: “We’re celebrating our 30th anniversary this year and have managed to raise over £500,000 over its lifetime. This year we raised funds to support Vitalise, Alzheimers Research UK and Marie Curie’s Big Build. Freeth Cartwright is a local law firm that believes that there is no such word as “can’t” and are delighted to support this event which recognises like-minded women who also decided not to take “can’t” for an answer. Congratulations to everyone”.

Viscountess Penelope Cobham

To see more images from this event and to download images go to: www.inspirational.uk.com/social

Arti Hala, Pauline Jorgensen, Andrew Porter, Martine Wright, Viscountess Penelope Cobham

Le Petit Cake Kitchen cupcakes

Anton Sboev and Patrizia Ranis

Karen Millen

Luke

Daniel Bagnall, Sue Cressman, Willie Thorne

Amelia Brown

Michelle Atkins, Sue Cressman

The Pink Ball

Saturday, 6th October The annual black tie charity extravaganza that is the Pink Ball at Nailcote Hall took place on 6th October this year, raising money for breast cancer charities.

Rick Cressman

Guests enjoyed spectacular entertainment provided by singer Amelia Brown and of course the ultimate tribute to the music of the 1980s: The 80¹s Experience. Daniel Bagnall was the proud winner of the Heads ‘n’ Tails competition winning a state-of-the-art television. The star prize of the night went to Karen Jones who won a beautiful diamond pendant in the pink box raffle.

Karen Jones

Many guests rose to the occasion by dressing to impress, wearing a flash of shocking pink! All displayed huge generosity in their support of the two charities of the evening: Breast Cancer Care, who provide invaluable support and care to families affected by breast cancer and local charity Breast Friends, which is a support group run by dedicated volunteers in Solihull.

To see more images from this event and to download images go to: www.inspirational.uk.com/social

Helen Philips

Sandy Worth, Deborah Douglas, Mrs CC Kat, Bev Warmsley, Lorraine Ashford

Emma Jesson

Marquee full

Bang & Olufsen Launch Ground-breaking Television Leamington Spa Wednesday, 10th October 2012 Bang & Olufsen have globally launched a cutting-edge, new television: The BeoVision 11. The West Midlands launch of this amazing new product took place at the Bang & Olufsen showroom in the historic Royal Spa town of Leamington Spa on the 10th October, unveiling this latest piece of technological wizardry to a gathering of business people from the region.

The launch also provided guests with a fantastic display of Aston Martin vehicles and there was a much enjoyed selection of Champagne and canapĂŠs served throughout the evening, The television claims to be so revolutionary that it is set to challenge the senses in every way.

The amazing BeoVision 11 television combines 3D, smart TV functions, hard drive recording capabilities with excellent picture and sound quality.

With support from Champions (UK) Plc, Audley Retirement Properties, Vantage Home Automation, Statstone of Hagley and Aston Martin, the evening proved to be an all-round success.

To see more images from this event and to download images go to: www.inspirational.uk.com/social

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