Darlington Monthly January 2023

These days most homeowners suffer from a lack of storage space. So many precious items that need to be kept – but where to store it all? That’s where Yorkshire Loft Ladders come in.

The company, based locally, offers homeowners the opportunity to maximise their storage space with a loft ladder, 50 sq ft of boarding and a light all fully fitted in less than a day from just £277 + VAT. But it’s not just the affordability of the package the company offers that makes Yorkshire Loft Ladders stand out as manager Warren Ingleson explains:

‘Our watchwords are Quality,

Integrity and Value. Quality in the materials that we use for all our installations and the fact that all our loft packages are fitted by time served tradesmen so our customers are assured of the best job. Integrity in that we will turn up at the time we say and make sure the house is spotless when we leave, and Value in that we offer our services at a price people can afford. Our business relies on referrals and we got a huge amount of our calls from people who have been referred to us by our existing customers - that simply wouldn’t happen if we didn’t adhere to our overriding principles.

At the end of the day the old adage that happy customers

lead to more happy customers is true and we work hard to make that happen for every installation we carry out!’

So, if you want to make use of your loft space, however big or

small, call Warren on 0800 612 8359 and he’ll be happy to pop round and give you a no obligation quote so you too can make use of your loft!

Hello!

Welcome to January’s edition of Darlington Monthly.

Happy New Year! Welcome to the first edition of Darlington Monthly of 2023. We’re getting the year off to a fantastic start, with plenty of amazing local businesses hosting some fantastic events this month. We’ve also found the very best news Darlington has to offer, so make sure you jump straight to page 6 to read all about the Indian restaurant that got shortlisted at the British Curry Awards within two months of opening.

As usual, we have a great selection of entertainment options. This month, we’ve reviewed Tim Burton’s Wednesday, and you can read about it on page 28. It’s the perfect binge watch for the dark nights this month. We also have a variety of fantastic events that we think you should attend, which you can check out on page 30.

We wish you the best of luck for 2023 and hope you get off to the very best start. We’ll catch up with you again in February!

Yorkshire Loft Ladders proudly sponsors this month’s Darlington Monthly.

If you’re looking to make improvements to your loft this month, get in touch with Yorkshire Loft Ladders. With the renowned local firm’s areas of expertise including loft hatches, ladders, boarding, insulation and lighting, you can depend on them to provide the complete service.

Call 0800 612 8359 now, or visit www.yorkshireloftladders. co.uk, for more details and to request a highly competitive quote.

YORKSHIRE

LOFT LADDERS

Congratulations to last month’s competition winners, all winners have been notified. Winners are selected at random. The provider will only receive the details of winning entries in order to fulfil completion of the prize.

Disclaimer...

Whilst we take every care to ensure accuracy in this magazine, we regret that we cannot accept responsibility for any incorrect information. All advertisements are accepted in good faith as to their veracity and we are not responsible for views expressed by contributors or other sources. The copying of any material within this publication is strictly forbidden without the publishers or Studio Managers consent. By providing your email address and entering our competitions you agree to receive email communications from the competition sponsor/prize provider.

Yorkshire Loft Ladders are the proud sponsor of this month’s Darlington Monthly.

Amazing night at the awards for this Darlington restaurant!

Last month, a Darlington restaurant received recognition as an extremely prestigious awards night.

Babul’s in Darlington was shortlisted as one of the top six newcomers in the UK at the British Curry Awards 2022. In fact, it was the only restaurant north of Leeds to get nominated in this category.

It’s like attending the Oscars

While our Darlington eatery didn’t walk away with the win, the team are thrilled to have even been considered. The knowledge that in the eyes of awarding body’s they are competing with some of the biggest restaurants in London is enough for them!

The British Curry Awards is one of the biggest award nights in Babul’s industry, as it’s the original awards ceremony for Indian restaurants. Zak Ahmend, the manager of Babul’s, actually compared it to the Oscars!

Representing the North

Zak and his team attended the awards ceremony with the intention of having a good night and enjoying the experience. They were overjoyed to find out that they were one of only two nominated restaurants that weren’t in London!

Of course, everyone in Darlington has supported the restaurant immensely. Everyone is proud of their success and we know that Babul’s will go on to do great things in the future, especially as they only opened their doors on October 14th 2022.

We can’t wait to see what the future holds for Babul’s, as they are clearly making a huge impact both locally and nationally.

FILM REVIEW

Wednesday is the latest reinvention of the Addams Family, following the eldest daughter in a dark coming-of-age comedy as she heads off to Nevermore Academy, after being expelled from ‘normie’ high school.

Jenna Ortega plays our spooky and mysterious titular character as she navigates teenage life in a school full of beyond-human cliques. Even with the appearance of Christina Ricci, who is the Wednesday we are all probably the most familiar with, Ortega continues to hold her own.

She embodies the aloof melancholy of the character with such understated effervescence that you cannot help but be captivated by her every line – or, in this case, her every move, too.

That infamous dance scene is something that will go down in history, combining a potion of Lady Gaga, Latin dance themes, and those cheesy moves we all pull out in the club after having one too many, all performed with comically wide eyes and a perfect poker face.

So too is her delivery of every comic moment in the show, her mask of impassivity elevating each joke from being a simple witty one-liner to something entirely more sardonic. In particular, the pairing of Ortega’s Wednesday and her roommate Enid, played by Emma Myers, makes for some hilarious moments.

On one hand, you have the colourful Enid, who is the embodiment of joy, rainbows, sunshine, and happiness. Contrast that with the

doom, gloom, death, and decay that is Wednesday Addams, and even the framing of the visuals are amusing.

As Enid starts to bring Wednesday out of her shell, we see some emotion itching to escape from her apathetic body, especially when it comes to her family – Mortitia (Catherine Zeta-Jones), Gomez (Luis Guzmán), Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez), Uncle Fester (Fred Armisen), and, most prominently, her pet disembodied hand, Thing (the hand of Victor Dorobantu).

If you were a fan of the original New Yorker Cartoons by Charles Addams, you’ll be delighted to see how true-to-life the characters have been cast, which just goes to show the progress we have made since the first adaptation in 1964.

However, despite such fantastically authentic casting – and both Zeta-Jones and Guzmán true to the original characters in their own right – there is perhaps a little something missing.

One element that was so successful in the film franchise was the obvious raw attraction that Morticia and Gomez still had towards one another, which is not quite as convincing in the TV series.

That said, this series celebrates Wednesday in her own right – and so too should this series be celebrated as a sublime example of dark comedy.

Georgia Paskell

Copywriter

YORKSHIRE LOFT LADDERS

Things to look out for in... January

Carl Hutchinson: Watch Till The End (WIP)

Games & Geeks January Event

7th January - 5:30pm - Oakleaf Sports Complex, Newton Aycliffe

Gamers and geeks unite and game together at another fantastic event. Join like minded people and enjoy some of your favourite games, while taking in some snacks and drinks from the bar provided. Come along for a day of fun!

Secret Darlington

18th January - 7:30pm - Darlington Friends’ Meeting House, Darlington

Come on down to the Meeting House and here Chris Lloyd of the Northern Echo talks about his latest book. There is so much to learn about our local area, and Chris has all of the answers. Make sure you book seats for each person attending individually, to make sure their seat is reserved in their name: eventbrite.co.uk/e/secretdarlington-registration-389542681647

Hey Duggee LIVE

20th January - 11am - Darlington Hippodrome, Darlington

The hit CBeebies show is coming live to a theatre near you; Darlington Hippodrome to be specific. Duggee and the squirrels are right here with a brand new, vibrant, interactive production complete with music, puppets and barrels of laughs along the way. If you have a child at home who would love to see this, book your seats today: darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk/whats-on/Hey-Duggee

21st January - 7:30pm - The Witham,

Barnard Castle

Support a fantastic geordie comedian, as prepares to head out on another incredible run of the best UK comedy venues. Carl Hutchinson, best known for supporting Chris Ramsey on his 2020 Tour, is fresh off an 87 date run in 2022 and is debuting a work-in-progress version of his best show yet! It’s time to book your ticket: thewitham.org.uk/event

Beatlemania

27th January - 7:30pm - The

Forum Music Centre, Darlington

One of the world’s leading Beatles tribute acts is performing in Darlington. With over twenty years experience, this incredible act have been playing sold out shows to audiences all over the world, establishing their legacy as one of the strongest Beatles tribute acts to grace the stage. They’re not one to be missed: theforumonline.co.uk/events/beatlemania

Jersey Beats

27th January - 7:30pm - The Majestic

Theatre, Darlington

Are you a fan of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons? Then you’ll love Jersey Beats and their fantastic show “Oh What A Nite”. This vocal quartet will have you clapping and wanting to dance along as you learn the history of the band, and how they formed a group who thrived in the dizzying heights of fame. You’ll feel as though you’ve been transported to the 60s, but really you’ll be in the comfort of the Majestic Theatre when you buy your ticket for this fab show: themajestictheatre.co.uk/whats-on

Got an event coming up? Let us know and we’ll help spread the news.

Email details of your event to: sales@darlingtonmonthly.co.uk

What’s on is sponsored by: