Hype WEST MIDLANDS Issue 1

THE

HYPE

FREE SPRING EDITION

LEISURE FASHION ENTERTAINMENT REVIEWS STYLE FOOD & DRINK HEALTH BEAUTY

WOLVERHAMPTON & WEST MIDLANDS

WHAT’S ON P!NK COSFORD MUSEUM

Signed photographs of Amir Khan

MINI-MOTO AMATEUR BOXING

WELCOME to the 1st edi�on of The Hype Magazine!

Spring is upon us so let’s hype it up! We are so excited to bring you a fantas�c edi�on for the en�re family to enjoy, whether you are looking for something fun to do with the kids over the school break or for the best places to go out to eat, we have got it all.

‘Walking with Dinosaurs’ the arena spectacular stops off at the NIA in Birmingham from 10th-14th of April, which brings a Tyrannosaurus Rex and his awe-inspiring life-size pals back to stalk the UK for the first �me in 65 Million years! We also have a feature on P!NK about her new tour ‘The Truth About Love’ which brings her to the Midlands, catch her at the LG Arena in April.

Packed full of restaurant reviews, the best new blockbusters at the cinema, fashion & beauty for spring and a health & fitness special on power plates, the Hype really does have something for everyone!

Our adver�sers are offering some fantas�c deals so be sure to check them out!

What’s all the HYPE about this month?

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Interview with Kerry Godliman

March/April/May

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All the local ‘What’s on’ A$AP Rocky RAF Cosford Museum Wolverhampton Boxing Academy Interview with Amir Khan Film Review Interview with Kerry Godliman P!NK! The Truth About Love Walking with Dinosaurs Vintage Lemons Power Plates Mini-Moto Editorial Wolverhampton City College

THE

HYPE WEST MIDS

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Walking with Dinosaurs

FREE SPRING EDITION LEISURE FASHION ENTERTAINMENT REVIEWS STYLE FOOD & DRINK HEALTH BEAUTY

WHAT’S ON AMATEUR BOXING

Contribu�on from Stef Callear Imran Ahmed Eileen Callear Paul Magosfalvi Maimona Ali Special thanks to:

P!NK COSFORD MUSEUM MINI-MOTO

Craig Partridge Sonya Williams

FOR ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Plesae contact the Hype on

01952 787 786 www.hypemagazine.co.uk

The Hype Magazine is proud to support local businesses, although we do not accept responsibility for loss, damage or omission by error in the prin ng of an advert. All artwork and editorial is accepted on condi on that permission has been given for use of publica on.

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MILTON JONES: ON THE ROAD Civic Hall Fri 15 March Milton Jones is back on the road with another tour, this time imaginatively entitled On The Road. If you like the stuff he's done on Mock the Week, Live at the Apollo or in any of the nine radio series he's done for Radio 4 then this is the show for you.

IRON MAIDEN NIGHT The Slade Rooms Sat 6 April Featuring the UK’s number one Iron Maiden tribute band Iron on Maiden, performing the best of the last 30 years of iron maiden classics. Also featuring original iron maiden guitarst Dennis stratton playing the debut iron maiden album.

LOCAL HISTORY TALKS Dudley Libary Wed 27 March Visit Dudley Libary and take part in local history talks of the are. Members - £1.50 Non Members - £3.00 Talks take place in the meeting room on the 2nd floor. Refreshments are available EASTER TREASURE HUNT Bishops Wood Centre, Stourbridge Sun 7 April Solve the clues and track down the Easter Bunny! Explore the site in a different way. Trails suitable for all ages. Adults £4.00. Children £2.00.

length and breadth of the UK & Ireland for what will be the most anticipated comedy tour of 2013, taking in 57 shows on the way.

Mickey’s DVD - 'Micky Flanagan Live: The Out Out Tour' has been the number 1 selling stand up DVD in 2012 earning him a prestigious British Comedy Award nomination and The Sun's Comedian Of The Year Award.

FRIENDS OF COTWALL END VALLEY - CHARITY BLUEBELL WALK Brockswood Animal Sanctuary Sat 27 April Join the friends of Cotwall End Valley for our charity walk, raising money for the Georgina Unit at Russells Hall Hospital. A small donation to the charity is required to join the walk. The walk includes steep slopes and some steps and is not suitable for push chairs.

ANDY PARSONS: I’VE GOT A SHED Wulfrun Hall Thurs 16 May Best known for his regular appearances on ‘Mock The Week’, to date Andy has done three sell-out National tours and in 2009 released his debut DVD Britain’s Got Idiots, followed in 2011 by Gruntled. Andy started in TV on Spitting Image becoming one of the main writers before embarking on a stand-up career which has led to a TV Career in comedy.

LEE NELSON Wulfrun Hall Fri 17 May The time's now right… for me to come to Wolverhampton! So get yourselves along to my brand new show for a night of qwaliteeee jokes, games and banter. Everyone's welcome. Plus I'll

be bringing Dr Bob, Jason Bent and a few others. Go on, it's not like there's anything else to do in Wolverhampton!!!

DRACULA Rose Theatre - Kidderminster Mon 20 May - Fri 24 May Presented by the Nonentities.

Powerful, poetic adaptation of the iconic story with the traditional characters - stays refreshingly close to the original in believable reality.

MIDLANDS SLAMDUNK FESTIVAL Civic Hall Mon 27 May Slam Dunk is pleased to announce that headlining this year's festival is pop punk outfit All Time Low, with pop punk fans also being treated to Four Year Strong, The Wonder Years and Fireworks playing sets at the festival.

Coming back from a long hiatus with a new record and exclusive UK shows, much-loved rockers The Early November are also announced to be playing the festival weekend.

JULIAN CLAREY: POSITION VACANT - APPLY WITHIN Civic Hall Fri 31 May Master of camp and Celebrity Big Brother Winner, Julian Clary is scouring the land in search of love.

He's promised to leave no straight unturned. "Because I'm still considered to be quite a catch and because your town is noted for its heterosexuals You can be sure of one thing. By the end of the evening, we'll all be celebrating my new partnership." A glass of Blue Nun may be available to those who make an effort.

MICKY FLANAGAN “ BACK IN THE GAME TOUR” Civic Hall Tues 23 April Micky Flanagan - one of British comedy's biggest stars - will travel the

March/April/May

To advertise call 01952 787786

A$AP A$AP ROCKY ROCKY

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ue to phenomenal demand, A$AP Rocky has added an extra date at London’s O2 Academy Brixton on Tuesday 21st May to his UK tour, while he will also now play O2 Academy Birmingham (upgraded from HMV Institute) and O2 Academy Glasgow (upgraded from O2 ABC). Tickets for the new London date go on sale at 9am on Wednesday 6th February, while tickets for Birmingham and Glasgow are on sale now from www.livenation.co.uk/artist/a-aprocky-tickets A$AP Rocky’s May UK tour dates will be his first in the UK since appearing at the Wireless festival last July and also the first since the release of critically-acclaimed debut album LONG.LIVE.A$AP which was a Top 10 hit in over 24 countries, including #1 in America and #7 in the UK. The shows will also come off the back of A$AP Rocky supporting Rihanna on her “DIAMONDS WORLD TOUR” that kicks off at Buffalo, NY’s First Niagara Center on March 8th and will conclude on May 8th at Brooklyn, NY’s new complex, Barclays Center.

A$AP Rocky’s UK tour will call at the following venues: *Tuesday 21st May – London O2 Academy Brixton *Wednesday 22nd May – London O2 Academy Brixton *Thursday 23rd May – Birmingham O2 Academy *Saturday 25th May – Manchester Academy 1 *Sunday 26th May – Glasgow O2 Academy

THE HYPE - MEET THE CHEF

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uree Coates Chef Patron of the much acclaimed King and Thai at Broseley, runs it with her partner Simon Turner. Chef Suree has a real passion for food. Awarded Thai Curry Chef of the Year 2011/12, she was recently prised from her kitchen to ask a few questions about what motivates her.

Suree grew up in Thailand and moved to England 20 years ago. She and Simon ran the original King and Thai in Ironbridge before relocating to the old Forester Arms in Broseley.

Who influenced your decision to become a chef?

I fell on being a chef by accident. During my younger years I, like many Thai girls, was taught how to cook at school; this included the basics and how to cook for larger numbers of people. Upon leaving school I progressed into further education where the food education course included everything from hygiene to decorative fruit carving I knew that cookery would be my path as I enjoyed watching people eat the dishes I'd produced. To this day it's something that still pleases me - to see and hear people enjoy the food I've produced. It's what I think being a chef is about.

What was the first dish you cooked?

This is a hard one as it was so long ago. It was most likely a red or green curry I'd

cooked under guidance from my grandmother for the rest of my family.

What is the best meal you've ever cooked?

I did a big roast dinner one Christmas ago, I'd got a big rib joint from my butcher, it was Dexter rare breed beef, 21 days old and had great colour and marbling with a good layer of fat. This was roasted for a very long time on a low heat over a bain marie.

I did roasties cooked in dripping and fresh winter veg. This type of cooking isn't my natural style but I had fun and was very pleased with the results.

What is your earliest memory of food?

Cooking with my grandmother at the age of about five. As a small child in Thailand it was my job to set the fire as everything was cooked over charcoal, and to make the curry paste. Many hours of pounding away at a pestle and mortar taught me the importance of a good quality food processor.

always available and locally grown. This is how Thai food should be, and it's what I strive for from the King and Thai.

Have you ever had any cooking disasters?

Oh plenty, but my partner hides the evidence. It tends to go like this: Simon: "What's for dinner love?"

Me: "Here, try this."

Simon: "What is it?"

Me: "Just eat it and tell me what you think."

He's pretty good and tells me if it's good or not.

Have you cooked for anyone famous?

We had Mark Williams from The Fast Show dine with us. He came back the next night as well.

I also prepared some food for the Hairy Bikers earlier this year - they loved it!

Interview by James Day of www.gourmet-lifestyle.co.uk

My grandmother taught me the importance of good quality raw produce and that fresh cooked food is always the best. In Thailand food is a very big deal, it's a family affair with everyone getting involved.

My father would bring fresh fish from the river; herbs and spices grow wild and can be picked fresh, fresh vegetables were

The King and Thai, The Forester Arms, Avenue Road, Broseley, Shropshire, TF12 5DL | tel: 01952 882 004

THE HYPE - SOFIA’S

Sofia’s Italian Restaurant

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ofia's is a warm and vibrant Italian restaurant situated in the Grade 1 Listed Guildhall in the centre of Walsall. With around 150 covers we can cater for both large parties and smaller groups of people.

Sofia’s provides both a romantic atmosphere for couples and a buzzing feel for parties. We play classic romantic and upbeat Latin, Spanish, Mediterranean, and Italian music.

Sofia’s has a large open kitchen and we specialise in high quality, freshly prepared Italian food - although our diverse menu does include other influences. Our service is relaxed yet professional.

Sofia’s caters for special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries and hen parties. Take Aways are also available.

Monday:12noon- 2:30pm & 5pm-late Tuesday:12noon- 2:30pm & 5pm-late Wednesday: 12noon- 2:30pm & 5pm-late Thursday:12noon- 2:30pm & 5pm-late Friday:12noon- 2:30pm & 5pm-late Saturday:12noon- 2:30pm & 5pm-late Sunday:1pm-3pm & 5pm-9:30pm

Guild Hall High Street Walsall WS1 1QW

t: 01922 632223

At the Wheatsheaf we take pride in delivering freshly cooked dishes in a relaxing and comfortable environment.

Whether you visit for a quick lunch or a Sunday roast with friends or family, we hope you’ll come visit us again and again.

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FOOD SERVICE TIMES Monday – Friday 12:00 – 14:00 & 17:00 – 20:30 Saturday 12:00 – 18:00 Sunday 13:00 – 16:00 But we’re sure we can rustle you up a sandwich at any me!

4 Birmingham Road Walsall West Midlands WS1 2NA Tel: 01922 624508

The Waggon & Horses is one of the oldest pubs in Halesowen town. The ale house itself dates back to 1830, when William Jones applied for a license to sell Beer & Cider in accordance with the 1830 Duke Of Wellington Beer House Act, paying the sum of 2 Guineas (£2.10p)!

Today, though license fees have risen, the Waggon remains as it was always intended – an important social hub – with a large selection of quality real ales, Belgian beers & ciders.

We also offer a large selection of Lyme Bay Wines, malt whiskeys and bar snacks.

Find us at 21 Stourbridge Road, Halesowen, West Midlands B63 3TU Email: info@waggonales.co.uk Tel: 0121 550 4989

THE GRANGE PUB Himley Road Gornal Wood Dudley West Midlands DY3 2TS

Welcoming customers old and new

6 REAL ALES ALL DRINKS £2.50

Karaoke Fri Sat Sun ll late £2 A PINT MON SAT 11AM 6PM THEN £2.50 AFTERWARDS

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT EVERY FRI SAT NIGHT

All you can eat Buffet Breakfast 7 days a week with unlimited coffee. £3.95 Mon – Sat Carvery £4.50 and Sun Carvery £6.95

83 Grange Road Dudley West Midlands DY1 2AN

Royal Air Force Museum Cosford T

annual Shropshire Modellers' Show. On Sunday 7th April 2013, intricately detailed models will be on display nestled amongst aircraft in the Museum's hangars.

This landmark building contains 18 aircraft, military transport, missiles, memorabilia, interactive kiosks and hotspots of information. This unique exhibition reflects the social, cultural and political history of the Cold War era in a fun and innovative way. A major feature of this unique exhibition is Britain’s three post-war V-Bombers the Vulcan, Victor and Valiant. A Number of these aircraft are suspended in flying attitudes including a Dakota, Canberra, Meteor, Lightning and Javelin.

The show is being organised by the Shropshire Scale Modellers and will be open to the public from 10:00am until 4:00pm and entry is FREE of charge.

he Royal Air Force Museum Cosford houses one of the largest aviation collections in the UK. Over 70 historic aircraft are displayed in three wartime hangars and within the National Cold War Exhibition.

RAF Museum Cosford is one day that everyone from small children upwards will enjoy whatever the weather. Children and adults alike will be fascinated by fun ‘n’ flight. Packed with hands on excitement, it’s the easy way to answer all those questions about how aircraft stay up in the air. The advanced flight simulator is also a great way to get an instant flying experience.

The Visitor Centre is home to the Refuel Restaurant serving hot and cold meals and snacks. The Checkpoint Charlie Café serving light snacks and drinks and the well stocked Museum Shop are both located within The National Cold War Exhibition.

Access around the Museum is easy with wide aisles for pushchairs and wheelchairs. Wheelchairs and electronic scooters are available free on arrival at the admissions desk, on a first come first served basis.

Throughout the year there is a wide range of exciting events taking place at the Museum. Events taking place this year include: Shropshire Modellers' Show - 7th April 2013 Thousands of modelling fans from across the country are expected to descend on the RAF Museum Cosford for the

There will be in the region of 70 model clubs attending the show plus some 40 traders selling everything you need to build the perfect model whether it be a tank, car or boat.

Open Cockpits Evening - 18th May 2013 This exclusive evening will commence at 6:00pm until 8:30pm on Saturday 18th May with a wide range of aircraft available for closer viewing on the night including; transport aircraft, jet fighters and unique research airframes. Visitors will be able to get a feel for what it was like to fly these much love machines and in addition, have after-hours access to the Museum.

Admission is by advance ticket only and the numbers are limited to 300 people, enabling enthusiasts to spend as much time as possible examining these wondrous aircraft.

Tickets cost £10.00 per person.

Opening Times Open daily from 10am including Bank Holidays.

Closed 24-26 December.

Admission is FREE of charge.

Directions

By Road From Junction 3 of the M54 take the A41 south towards Wolverhampton. Follow brown tourist signs to Royal Air Force Museum.

By Rail Cosford Train Station is located on the Central Trains Birmingham to Shrewsbury line (via Wolverhampton) then ½ mile walk. Please check timetable before visiting.

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C O E A G C A H T

tagecoach Wolverhampton has been providing quality part-time training in singing, dancing and acting for over 10 years. As part of the longest running and most successful children's performing arts schools network in the world, Stagecoach Wolverhampton is more than just a stage school, theatre school or drama school. We are proud to offer a full and rounded education, teaching life skills to build confidence and stretch imaginations through singing, acting and dance classes.

Our Early Stages sessions are suitable for 4-6year olds and act as a gentle introduction to the main schools. In the Main Schools children and teens aged 6-18years, learn to sing, dance and act at weekends during term time.

For children already doing drama in school,

Stagecoach complements the skills learned by improving diction, concentration and improvisation technique. Our holiday workshops invite children to take part in daily sessions that culminate in a production at the end of week for parents to come and see. You don’t have to be a Stagecoach student to take part in our holiday workshops.

Stagecoach Wolverhampton covers all areas in the city and its surrounding areas, so if you are looking for dance classes, singing lessons or acting classes for young people, Stagecoach has it all and under one roof!

All Stagecoach teachers are CRB checked and have access to on-going training.

The hype - VisiTs paris

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A WEEKEN

eing the capital, Paris is as expected at the very heart of the French way of life. It’s a city of romance, a city of architectural brilliance, a city that in all honesty you just can’t help fall in love with.

We may have only been in the city for a couple of days, but that time was spent experiencing the many sights Paris has to offer and sampling some of the finest delicatessens i have ever tasted.

Of course first stop had to be the Eiffel Tower, standing 324m high and built in 1889, the Eiffel tower still remains today one of the most anticipated and recognisable structures in the world. Not being one for heights and the prospect of the sheer number of steps we decided to take the lift to the top of the tower. Walking out onto the balcony I was amazed, I had never seen anything like it, the view went on for miles and it was like opening a door into another world. Being so high up, I expected it to be really cold and windy but was quite surprised at just how calm it was. After taking what seemed like

hundreds of photos, we decided to get the lift back down to the lower level of the tower. The view was obviously not as grand, but still incredible all the same. At this point we began to feel the hunger pains and decided to move on. Why, I’ll never know, but we decided to take the steps to the very bottom, now I strongly recommend if you are not great with steps, then take the lift!. The stairs seemed to be endless, it just didn’t feel like we were getting any closer to the ground and even from the lowest level of the tower it still took us 10-15 minutes to reach the bottom.

Once back on the ground and not really knowing where we were going we began walking. As in any city I think this is the best way of seeing the sights. Paris is full of fantastic buildings, even the police station is an architectural masterpiece. What I did notice is the amount of restaurants and little cafes there are which really

ND IN PARIS can make it difficult to decide where to eat. Having a sweet tooth, we opted on a small pastry café, where I ordered a croissant with melted butter and the most delicious chocolate mouse and sponge cake although a little pricey, was defiantly worth it.

After our short stop we carried on with our expedition and without realising stumbled upon the Arc De Triomphe.

Another one of Paris’s famous monuments, it stands in the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle, at the western end of the Champs-Élysées.

The Arc was built to honour those who fought and died for France in the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars.

Although being one of Paris’s main attractions, the arc

isn’t easily accessible as it sat in the middle of a very busy and dangerous round about.

After a day’s sight-seeing we gradually began the long walk back to the car, stopping off along the way at some of Paris’s many shops. One thing for sure is the French certainly know their fashion. Designer store after designer store along Avenue Montaigne is every fashionistas dream, with brands such as Chanel, Dior and Azzaro to name just a few.

What I love most about Paris is the people and how laid back they are, to me it just seemed a much slower-pace of life than the usual hustle and bustle of London. In all its glory, Paris is simply quite charming and I for one could certainly get used to the ‘Parisian’ way of life.

WOLVERHAMPTON AMATEUR BOXING CLUB “Boxing is a science, the study of a lifetime, in which you may exhaust yourself, but never your subject. It is a contest, a duel calling for skill and self-control. It is a test of temper, a trial of honour, a revealer of character. It affords the chance to play the man and act the gentleman.

It provides not only physical health, but a natural force. It includes companionship to excel in your chosen sport. So go to it, you wouldbe champions and may you enjoy every moment of your chosen sport: but remember we cannot all be Champions.”

John Thomas, the club secretary, is a Gentleman, and an ambassador for boxing. He is as famous as Billy Wright and may one day also have a statue positioned outside his club. He is a real character, witty and honest and his efforts have really benefitted Wolverhampton and boxing immensely. John explained that his two sons were killed in separate accidents and this spurred him on to try and help other kids. He will go out of his way to help anyone in need and knows the importance of giving youngsters a focus in life to keep them on the straight and narrow.

“Starting a boxing club takes balls and a lot of pink paint” I was intrigued to be visiting the Wolverhampton Amateur Boxing Club.

Let me set the scene. It was a cold dark winter’s night just after all the snow had melted and we arrived with a little trepidation not knowing what to expect. We had never been to a boxing club before so therefore had no experience to draw from. The building was set behind a very high brick wall and you approached the entrance down an avenue that was bathed in the strong yellow glow of the street lighting outside, which just added to the excitement. We stopped for a moment, to take a photo of the sign outside, and then the door flew

“Starting a boxing club takes balls and a lot of pink paint” Club Owner John B Thomas

open and an excited group of people came out looking really happy. We looked at each other and knew this must be a special place where dreams are forged. Inside, we were greeted by John and the trainers, who instantly made us welcome. There was in fact a table filled with cake and biscuits, but I believe it might have been someone’s birthday so this might not happen every night! The main reception area was surrounded on all sides with a shelf that had hundreds of trophies proudly displayed. Mona had been talking to John for a while in

the weeks leading up to our visit and the two of them had formed a real fondness for each other. The banter had led to John saying that he would have to get a pair of gloves for her and she had replied that she would only ever use pink ones. So sure enough as soon as the pleasantries were exchanged he disappeared off into the store room and re-emerged with a brand new still in the bag set of girls size pink gloves!

“Go in and explore” we were told.

This was the part that I was most excited about and I burst through the double doors as quickly as a young school boy looking to sample the delights of a sweet shop. I was thrilled to discover that the club had an Olympic sized ring as well as two smaller rings. There were lines of punch bags and a number of speed balls. Around the edges of the club were rows of full height mirrors that the club members were using to skip

Amir Khan & John

in front of. The club was full and we had to stand in the corners in order to not get in the way of all the guys and girls training. On the wall behind the Olympic sized ring were lots, and I mean hundreds, of photos of John with all the boxing royalty such as Amir Khan, Mike Tyson, Mohammed Ali and Frank Bruno, as well as countless others. The pictures were all taken within the club.

There was an absolute buzz in the air and everyone was giving it their all.

Exploring the club further we found a large cinema room that is used as a training aid to show the members visually how to improve their skills.

Finally we found a large meeting room that had a huge table and was surrounded with hundreds of boxing videos and books. John met us here with two steaming mugs of coffee and we had a long fun filled chat.

He talked about how the council had

John with Mike Tyson declared the building they wanted to use as uninhabitable but he was able to persuade them to let him do the work to the club himself.

John was full of admiration for Amir Khan and he said that when he had come to the club he was really down to earth and he spent a good five hours at the club and had introduced him to all his family.

Boxing was something he got into whilst being in the navy and they would use the lift on the aircraft

carriers they served on as a ring.

He also told us how he used to work for a paint manufacturer and his boss had let him take enough paint to do the entire club; but when they opened the tins, they discovered that it was all pink! He used it anyway.

I can say that on a personal level, after meeting John, it refreshed my belief in human nature and I came away feeling really positive and inspired. The club is amazing and I would urge you to go and see it for yourself.

Visit today….you’d be MAD not to!

Tel: 01789 269356 www.themadmuseum.co.uk Email: info@themadmuseum.co.uk F: facebook.com/themadmuseum T: twitter.com@themadmuseum

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ump into a world full of mesmerising sights and sounds at The MAD (Mechanical Art and Design) Museum! Based in Stratford upon Avon, The MAD Museum houses an exciting assortment of exhibits which are superbly engaging for all ages. The attraction offers an extravaganza of visual entertainment with lots of rolling balls and plenty of clanking and rattling thrown in for good measure!

Think Heath Robinson mixed with a Scrapheap Challenge and a hotchpotch of futurist mechanisms and then stir it all up with mind blowing creativity and ingenuity. The museum is proud to feature items from artists across the globe and the quality of the exhibits cannot be underestimated.

For the uninitiated the types of art which the museum displays are: • Kinetic Art: Art in motion • Automata: Self-operating mechanical contraptions Come and step into an eccentric world of moving art; The MAD Museum is a wonderful place to experience and interact with an extraordinary assortment of both modern and old fashioned, yet highly innovative, machines!

It’s perfect for the whole family, not only does it provide loads of interactive fun, it will interest those who are fascinated by physics, design and clever intricate moving contraptions.

THE HYPE - AMIR ‘KING’ KHAN

THE KING IS BACK IN THE UK!

We waited in the office of Amir Khan’s manager Asif.

Excited to meet the man himself, and wondering what the young boxer from Bolton would be like in person.

When he came in he gave us a quick wave and said ‘hi’.

What struck me first was there was no arrogance,no air of importance, just a young (good looking) Bolton lad, happy to be around his crew. Most of them were family and friends, people who have been with him since he was a kid growing up and you got the feeling it's like one big family at the Gloves Gym...

So Amir, how are you?

I'm good thank you, really good.

How has 2013 started for you?

2013, is that, yeah that's this year isn't it (laughs) back in England, it’s been good so far, it's quiet for me in January and February as I don't fight around that time, so I get a chance to catch up with things. I make some time to go through my fan mail, I get thousands of letters and I always like to sign stuff and send it out, it’s my way of saying thank you to them. I get to spend time with my family and friends chilling out at home. I have not long got back from New York I went and spent some time with my fiancé, which was great.

What are your new year’s resolutions?

To win back my world title, work hard, and I'm also hoping to do hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) this year, it's difficult as my parents are getting old so it would be easier for them to do it now.

Obviously you finished last year on a high by beating Carlos Molina, I bet that felt good?

It did! 2012 was a bad year for me, probably one of the worst with 2 losses but we regroup ourselves and with the Peterson fight I still believe I won that it was controversial and then the Garcia fight it was a big shot he caught me (Imran: that was a lucky punch I thought) well that's boxing, you can be winning for 11 rounds hands down and get knocked out in the 12th. I'm glad it was early on because if i was winning the fight and then it happens, it takes a lot out of you and hurts you more. But with it being early on it gave me chance to see where i made the mistakes, go back to the drawing board and regroup, straight after that fight was when I changed my trainer Freddie Roach and got with Virgil Hunter, who I believe is one of the best trainers in the world. Working on the defensive side of boxing, offensive is always going to be there, that's just the way I fight, but defence was something I needed to work on. There's a part of me that just wants to have a war, you get hit and it's hard for me as I just want to go to war, but then I step back and say I need to be smart and think, and that's what Virgil has been teaching me.

Did you ever have any doubts following the previous bouts with Garcia and Lamont?

No, I'm a confident fighter, it made me change things up, I always see it as a message from god that I need to make changes in what I do. I need the losses, they were a wakeup call. So now I'm more professional, I train earlier, I’m so focused & more determined to achieve. Lots of fighters have a loss and retire but I'm still young so I can go back to the drawing board.

Let's go back to the start Amir, how did you get into boxing and what age were you?

I was eight years old, I was really hyper active and naughty and I used to fight with my brother and sisters so my dad took me to the local boxing club in Bolton and I have never looked back, boxing changed me completely, it kept me off the streets and out of trouble.

That's the reason I built the Gloves Gym in Bolton as well; it’s a centre for the kids, where the area is deprived and needed a little bit of help and support. People said to build it in a nice area but I didn't want to, this was an area I wanted to be in and I can honestly say that the crime rate has dropped by around 50%, now we have the police come in and do training and they work alongside others in the community and they think 'oh that's that officer' and he's in there training with me, also kids from different areas training together so they mix and everyone is working together. It breaks down the barriers.

Who was your inspiration when you were growing up?

Mohammed Ali, I always looked up to him and if I can do half as well as he did then I will be happy.

When did you first realise you could make a living from boxing?

I think the Olympics was the thing that changed everything, when I was 12 I thought I could win a world title, I had the ambition to.

We had a quick break as the sister of one of the gym members had stopped to pick up a card from Amir and the team for her little brother, who is just 9 years old and in the hospital having chemotherapy. Amir took some photos with her and sent his best wishes to him.

Going back to the 2004 Olympics, you were 17 what were your feelings?

I was so young and at first it was just for the experience, I was supposed to be going to the 2008 Olympics four years later but they said to me go to this one and see how you get on and after I won the first fight I kind of got greedy, and then I wanted to win the bronze, then silver and gold medal and just fell short at the final. I was the youngest British silver medallist and nobody knew me, the Olympics made me like a house hold name overnight virtually. I was treated like i won the gold medal! I was fighting experienced boxers who were 33-34 years old, 2 x Olympic champion already.

What was the step up from amateur to professional like?

It was a big step up, really big. It’s very hard, mainly a style change. I had to slow it down a bit, I'm a quick fighter with quick hands and quick feet and I had to slow my feet down and sit on my shots a little more instead of being on my toes too much, it was difficult because its much longer, with an amateur fight it’s over so quick you know it's just three 3 minute rounds and it's finished, I loved the amateur game I had 110 fights and lost 9 but it taught me a lot.

So away from boxing, how do you like to spend your time?

I like to spend it with family at home, I've got 2 nieces, and I’m a family man. I like to spend time with my friends too, you know if I go on holiday, I’m off to Pakistan tomorrow with family and going to stop off in Dubai for a few days, but even then my friends are like family too. Saj is a friend from before boxing and it's good to have people like that around, they are straight with you and even maybe if it's something you don't want to hear they are looking out for your best interests.

You do a lot of work with the NSPCC and Network Rail, what brought that about?

I'm an ambassador for the NSPCC and also for network rail, keeping kids off the tracks. I was at a dinner and the main guy said that it would be good to have someone like me working with them as the younger kids tend to listen more to someone like me than say a politician for example. It isn't even the trains hitting them that kill most of the 1000 kids that die on the rails each year, its electrocution. It's just raising awareness to try to keep them safe. But I work with quite a few charities, we have got some new charities we are going to be working with in 2013. I also

‘‘

It isn't even the trains hitting them that kill most of the 1000 kids that die on the rails each year, its electrocution.

It's just raising awareness to try to keep them safe.

’’

like to do a lot with the local children's hospital, I live around the corner so after a fight I get loads of flowers and cakes and stuff so I take it round to the hospital, it's great it

puts a smile on their face going into the wards. People tend to remember those kind of things.

So you are getting married in May to Faryal, how did you meet?

We met in New York through some friends, we had dinner I said hello and we stayed in touch, and my parents asked if there was someone I liked and I said there was someone, so they asked if I was serious and it went from there, you know how it is! 'Oh you don’t have to tell me!' Imran added. She is a nice girl she understands its slightly different being with someone like me who is into boxing, travelling the world so she's adapted well.

Who is your most famous friend?

I've got a lot! In movies I would say Sylvester Stallone and then in wrestling there's Batista and the Undertaker and then there's loads of footballers, obviously Bolton Wanderers, but Wayne Rooney and Nani they text me a lot.

Oh and JLS my nieces are always on about them.

I saw something with you and your sister on got to dance.

Laughs, oh yeah, I was watching the guy from One Direction and I just thought that was wrong you know these people are trying and they might not be brill but you know it's like me I could get in the ring and beat people but I let kids beat me up, it makes them feel good. I gave him a little tweet for that!

Do you use twitter quite a lot?

I went on a TV show and was cooking a halal steak and they asked me about social networks and I said I had a couple of admins on Facebook and they said what about twitter so we ended up setting up an account and they were telling me about the tweets and at first I thought it was a bit boring but then when you start following people and that its good, if you like someone you can see what they are doing.

What's the craziest rumour that you have heard about yourself?

It's disheartening you know, there can be all sorts of mad things, some of its annoying and some of its plain funny, Asif pipes up and says 'every week i get the daily mail online tweeting crazy pictures and emailing for an explanation! Haven't they got a life?!' The one that happened recently was that I had been to Funky Buddha with a couple of friends and about 11pm I decided to go because I had a flight to see my fiancé the next day and as I left some girl walked out around the same time, there's only 1 exit and someone takes a picture and they tried to

make out that she was leaving with me! And the first I knew was in New York and someone tweeted the picture to Faryal and she was like 'who's this girl?' and I was like 'what?

I don't even know that girl! It was mad.’

Have you heard any rumours that you wish had been true?

Do I wish they were true? No, there's some that my friends wish were true, like I'm dating this actress or that singer and I am like no boys I'm not dating her, can you think of any Asif? 'The best one was when you were supposed to be going on x factor!' I can't sing to save my life! You know i would be bouncing along to the tunes. Get the Bollywood tunes on and get Eileen listening to it. But I wouldn't do x factor.

So what's next for you Amir Khan?

Next for me is I'm fighting on April 27th, we are trying to get it in the UK, i want to give my fans in the UK a chance to come and see me fight. We are looking at a couple of venues at the moment, one in Manchester, London and also Birmingham so we are negotiating that at the moment.

There are rumours of a rematch with Garcia; do you know if that will happen?

Well I wanted it to be this fight but it couldn't happen so we are aiming for November, we offered Peterson a fight in the UK but he turned it down.

Imran - Oh that would have been a good fight, you would have beat him I reckon.

I wanted to do that, clean that up and move on to Garcia, but I always think these things happen for a reason so when we have fights with Mayweather Jnr and Manny Pakquiao,

‘‘

I'm fighting on April 27th, we are trying to get it in the UK, i want to give my fans in the UK a chance to come and see me fight.

’’

on the radar you know. The last fight set us back a bit but I'm still young, I'm only 26.

Your brother Haroon is a boxer too, how is he getting on?

Haroon has just turned pro with us, I'm his manager so I'm going to be looking after him, but that was his ambition so yeah he's good.

My mom was a little bit upset about having 2 sons in boxing.

I was going to ask you what your mom thought of it? - She wasn't too happy at first, when I won the world title she wanted me to retire, She said 'you wanted to win the world title and you have so now you can retire' and I was like my career has just started, but when Haroon said he wanted to do it too. My mom said she wanted us to do something else, it's tough because it's a tough sport and there can be a lot of blood and I suppose she doesn't want to see her sons getting hurt or anything. My dad is cool with it though.

Finally is there anything else you would like to say to your fans and to your critics out there?

Well to the fans I would like to say they have been very supportive from day one, back since the Olympic games and when you have tough fights it’s the fans that push you and drive you to get through it, I'm very loyal to them because they are to me and I'm lucky to be in the position I am and get so much support. To the critics, I think you need the critics to motivate you to do better, to work hard and train hard. When I go and win back my titles and prove them wrong they won't have anything to say. It's good to have a challenge, I'm one of those guys that will take on any challenge, and so it's just using that negative stuff to motivate me to be better.

We went down and had a look around the gym, there were kids sparring in the ring and others training hard. Amir was buzzing around, getting ready to shoot a VT and the vibe in there was amazing. Amir has taken his skill and determination and created a place for other kids, just like him a few years back, so they have got somewhere to go and make something of themselves. Maybe even a new 'Amir king Khan' in the making. We at the Hype Magazine want to wish him the very best for his fight on April 27th and also for his wedding in May. You truly are the very best of British!

click on our website for details on how to WIN signed photos of Amir!

THE HYPE - CINEMA RELEASES

Iron Man 3 continues the epic, big-screen adventures of the world’s favorite billionaire inventor/Super Hero, Tony Stark aka “Iron Man’’ Based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series, first published in 1963, “Iron Man 3” returns Robert Downey Jr as the iconic Super Hero character Tony Stark/Iron Man along with Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Don Cheadle as James “Rhodey” Rhodes and Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan.

Release Date 26th April 2013

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS

Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban & Zoe Saldana Storyline When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organisation has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left.

Release Date 17th May 2013

HANGOVER PART III

Starring Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifiankis, Ed Helms, Mike Tyson, Ken Jeong, Justin Bartha & Heather Graham Storyline This time, there's no wedding. No bachelor party. What could go wrong, right? But when the Wolfpack hits the road, all bets are off.

Release Date 24 May 2013

THE GREAT GATSbY Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Toby Mcguire, Isla Fisher & Jason Clarke Storyline Nick Carraway, a Midwesterner now living on Long Island, finds himself fascinated by the mysterious past and lavish lifestyle of his neighbour, Jay Gatsby. He is drawn into Gatsby's circle, becoming a witness to obsession and tragedy.

Release Date 17th May 2013

THE HYPE - KERRY GODLIMAN

"This cocky Londoner

knows how to hold an audience’s attention, with a well-honed delivery that ensures her material always gets the best response."

CHORTLE

2013 is going to be a mammoth year for actress/ comedian Kerry Godliman. The Hype’s Eileen Callear finds out more...

Hi Kerry!

I see you have been working with Ricky Gervais on a sitcom ‘Derek’ what has that been like?

It was great, I play the character Hannah, she’s a bit of an outsider and unlucky in love, who is a co-worker and friend of Ricky’s character Derek.

We recorded the pilot that went out last year and finished recording the series recently. It was pretty well received too, all in all which is the best bit. The thing is with Ricky you just never know what he might do!

So what else have you got coming up in 2013?

The thing I am very excited about is my new radio show ‘Kerry’s List’ that I have recorded, which will be aired in

April. It’s a comedy sitcom all to do with the bizarre lists that we make which can have saving the world next to buying some loo roll. I have really enjoyed working on it.

I have seen your appearance on ‘Live At The Apollo’ and I loved it – that in mind what is the key to making people laugh?

Well I don’t choose a subject and think ‘I’m going to write about that and try to make it funny’. It’s more the observations about things that we all do and can relate to, like with over-reacting etc. It’s just things you do and then you see other people doing them too.

And is it more difficult for a woman in comedy?

No, I don’t think it is. I have never had any problems being in my line of work and the men don’t treat me any differently. The conversation in the

green room may be slightly different when I’m in there with them.

How does your comedy fit in and around with your family life, is it hard?

No not too bad, we have two children and my husband is an actor too, so his work schedule is quite flexible. We just work together to fit it all in. I don’t think it would be so manageable if he did a 9-5 job though.

Having my kids definitely made me more focused in general though, I don’t know if it’s because you tend to manage your time better or just if you have to be focused to get everything done, but I certainly noticed a difference.

So what did you do before comedy?

I was an actress so I did some drama before mostly; I recently did a one off drama called ‘Our Girl’ which was really great to work on. I played Lacey Turner from Eastenders’ mom. I always wanted to go into comedy though, but it just took me a while to build up my confidence.

So what is the best gig you have ever done?

I would have to say Live at the Apollo, it was amazing. Not just the size but the atmosphere and the energy of the venue and the audience are fantastic, really behind you, so it was really enjoyable.

Have you got a favourite comedian of your own?

Well, I like Louis CK and Sean Lock. I wouldn’t buy a comedy DVD though.

It would be like working at home if I did that! I like to chill out and watch a film when I’m at home with the family.

Finally, on a quirkier note, if you were Prime Minister, what would be the first thing you would do?

Oh, I don’t know! I could make a joke or really set the world to rights on that one, one thing I would definitely do is ban all screens, from pubs, buses, trains and people with their faces in their mobile phones all day googling bollocks. People don’t day dream anymore.

Kerry’s career continues to blossom and I’m sure we will be hearing a lot more of her.

THE HYPE - P!NK

P!NK P

!nk, the Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter and pop culture icon, has announced that she will tour Europe for the first time in two years, hitting the LG Arena on 21 & 22 April 2013.

P!nk is known around the world as one of the most captivating live performers of her generation. Across her Funhouse and Summer Carnival tours in 2009 and 2010 respectively, P!nk performed to 2.9 million people over 194 dates. The Truth About Love Tour supports the release of her new album, The Truth About Love, which entered the iTunes charts at #1 globally upon its release.

Born Alecia Beth Moore, Pink grew up in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. At just 16, Pink got her first break when she signed her first record deal with LaFace Records. Current American X-Factor judge and record producer Antonio "L.A." Reid, co-founder of LaFace Records signed her as part of Choice, a female R &B/pop trio. However just two years later, without much success Choice disbanded and Reid encouraged P!nk to pursue a solo career. It was around this time that she dyed her hair pink and chose the name to match.

Since her debut in 2000, P!nk has released 7 albums (Can’t Take Me Home, M!ssundaztood, Try This, I’m Not Dead, Funhouse, Greatest Hits… So Far!!!, The Truth About Love), sold over 40 million albums, 65 million singles (nearly 20 million digital tracks) as well as over 1 million DVDs worldwide. In addition, 15 of P!nk’s singles have reached #1 in at least one or more countries. She is the recipient of three Grammy Awards, two Brit Awards, two Billboard Music Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards, two MTV Europe Awards, two People’s Choice Awards, and many more including being named 2009 number one pop musician of the decade and in 2012 VH1 named P!nk number 10 on their list of the 100 Greatest Women in Music.

P!nk released her 7th studio album last year, The Truth About Love, which has garnered fantastic reviews worldwide. The first single “Blow Me (One Last Kiss)” has topped the UK radio airplay charts and sold more copies here in its first week than any of her previous hits.

Still only 33, it seems P!nk has been around forever, and I’m sure we will be seeing more and more of this incredible performer for many years to come.

For more information and to find out what’s coming up at the LG Arena, visit www.lgarena.co.uk.

Tickets for P!nk are already on sale and are priced at £39.50 & £46.00 (plus booking & transaction fees) and are available from The Ticket Factory: www.theticketfactory.com or 0844 338 8000.

April 14, 2013 Manchester Arena Manchester April 15, 2013 Manchester Arena Manchester April 21, 2013 LG Arena Birmingham April 22, 2013 LG Arena Birmingham April 24, 2013 O2 Arena London April 25, 2013 O2 Arena London April 27, 2013 O2 Arena London April 28, 2013 O2 Arena London

THE HYPE - WALKING WITH DINOSAURS

B

ased on the award-winning BBC television series Walking with Dinosaurs – The Arena Spectacular will be coming to the NIA, Birmingham from 10 – 14 April 2013. The show will see Tyrannosaurus Rex and his awe-inspiring life-size pals return to stalk UK shores once more, a whole 65 million years on.

The production includes dinosaurs of unprecedented size and quality, which will guarantee to thrill and educate a brand new generation of budding paleontologists, as pre-historic beasts of unmatched realism roam the stage and capture the imaginations of young and old alike. Watch the story of their 200 million year domination unfold as you see them walk, hear them roar and come face to face as they fight for survival and supremacy. From the ripple of their skin to the glint in their eye, you will know the dinosaurs really have returned!

A landmark in family entertainment, Walking with Dinosaurs has been seen by over 7million people in a staggering 206 cities across the world. Ranked No.4 in Pollstar’s Top 100 Worldwide Tours, their phenomenal global success is credited to the pioneering work of its long-serving and passionate production team. Bringing to life 20 to-scale dinosaurs night after night, this technological feat is of epic proportions.

Walking with Dinosaurs - The Arena Spectacular is brought to the U.K. by Global Creatures, headed by CEO Carmen Pavlovic, in association with BBC Worldwide. Pavlovic said, “The BBC Series was a brilliant blend of special effects, escapism, excitement and information. In order to bring this TV event into the third dimension on stage with life-size dinosaurs, we created a £12.5 million spectacle so immense that it can only fit into arenas."

Tickets are priced at £45.00, £35.00 & £25.00 (plus booking and transaction fees). They are available from The Ticket

Factory: www.theticketfactory.com or 0844 338 8000.

To find out more about the show, and for everything else that’s coming up at the NIA, visit www.thenia.co.uk.

The National Indoor Arena (NIA) is one of the busiest, large scale indoor sporting and entertainment venues in Europe.

Since opening in 1991, it has welcomed visitors to over 30 different sports and an extensive variety of entertainment and music. Everything from Oasis, Coldplay, Sir Cliff Richard and Kings of Leon, to Disney on Ice and Cirque du Soleil.

The NIA has also hosted a range of international sporting events, including the World Trampolining and Tumbling Championships and European Gymnastics Championships.

With its premier indoor athletics track, it has also hosted the Aviva Grand Prix and World Indoor Athletics.

The multi-purpose arena is as flexible as they come - it can stage concerts, entertainment spectaculars, business conferences and exhibitions. The adaptable format of the NIA Academy creates a more intimate theatre-style auditorium to accommodate smaller concerts, ballet as well as comedy and theatre.

Sitting in the centre of the city, the NIA is the beating heart of Birmingham and has access to all major transport methods. In addition to three central train stations and city centre bus routes, there are also over 2,000 NIA car parking spaces with additional access to nearby city centre car parks.

For an even greater experience at the NIA, visitors can upgrade to an amplify package and enjoy three levels of hospitality; from drinks and a full dining package, to one of the unique Showcubes. Amplify members also get access to priority booking and opportunities to be part of fantastic events at the NIA. For more info, visit www.amplify.co.uk.

THE HYPE - FASHION TRENDS

Brown Wedge Sandal (price TBC) Debenhams

Coloured Super Skinny Jeans - £25 from Very.co.uk Turquoise Stone Bracelet - £8 F&F at Tesco

Hedonia White Frill Pip Top Lovarni.com,

Sa Isa die G Riv belle ree n er Isl Bag Leat an £4 he d.

0b rJ oth ack fro et m £

12

Sparkle Peacock Earring - £14 from Accessorize

0

THE HYPE - BEAUTY

H

ave you been tempted by the latest miracle potions and creams that claim to make you looks 10 years younger? As a nation we spend millions of pounds every year on treatments for wrinkles and more youthful looking skin, but do they work?

You’ve probably heard it before ‘You are what you eat’. When it comes to younger looking skin, what you include in your diet can really make the difference on helping to erase years from your face. So the secret to younger-looking skin just may be sitting in your fridge rather than on the dressing table – mind you if you do both, it can’t hurt! Here are a few foods to stock up on also a couple to avoid too.

Wonder Foods It turns out what's good for your body is good for your face too. One food that can be considered the fountain of youth is surprisingly enough, cooked tomatoes.

They contain a heavy dose of the antioxidant lycopene, which your body uses to fight the effects of UV damage, one of the main causes of aged looking skin. Other antioxidant-rich foods like berries (blueberries are especially good!), greens, yellow squash and green tea are great too.

Vitamin E Vitamin E is a group of 8 fat-soluble vitamins which help prevent oxidative stress to the body. Adequate amounts of vitamin E can help protect against heart disease, cancer, and age related eye damage. Some great sources of vitamin E are sunflower seeds, paprika and red chilli powder, almonds and pine nuts (to name just a few!). Don’t go too mad though and be careful to check daily guide amounts.

What to Avoid Salty or sugary foods are the enemy! They spike your insulin production, which causes inflammation and ultimately slows down your skin's ability to regenerate itself. It's also a good idea to limit the amount of alcohol you drink, especially drinks with added sugar. They dehydrate you and make those fine lines more pronounced.

Slap it on Grapefruit is fantastic for brightening your skin. Try this at bedtime: Mash up a

peeled grapefruit and the whites of two eggs. Massage onto your face for 5 minutes, then rinse. Grapefruit has skin-brightening vitamin C, while the egg whites tighten pores and firm skin.

Some Extra Help These beauty must-haves contain the foods your skin craves.

Instantly calm redness and gently remove impurities with St. Ives Naturally Clear Green Tea Scrub, available on Amazon.co.uk (133ml @ £11.99) To fight aging free radicals and control oil, use Yes To Tomatoes Clear Skin Daily Balancing Moisturizer, available on Amazon.co.uk (50ml @ £13.48)

VINTAGE LEMONS

V

intage Lemons was established in December 2012 by company owner Steph Windle, and is a business selling women's jewellery & accessories.

A fulltime mother to two young boys and a very proud military wife to a husband who serves in the RAF, and a former jewellery buyer for a major retail chain, runs her business from home.

By taking an intelligent look at the market and having a real passion for working with products she already knows customers will love as much as she does, Vintage lemons presents a contemporary style with a classic influence.

Vintage Lemons was started on facebook and used an eye catching campaign of pictures to get potential customers to visit the page. Steph found that most people use Facebook to network and establish new businesses, so being a fulltime mother what better way for her to start.

Selling through facebook and twitter is a real insight into what the customers want from a company, and you can get direct feedback as to how they rate customer service and order experience plus as Steph says, ‘I have the added direct feedback as customers can comment on any picture, from this i am able to see exactly what they want to see more of’.

Vintage Lemons prides themself on having excellent customer service, constantly striving to keep customers informed and give them exactly what they want.

The aim of Vintage Lemons is to bring quality fashion items to everyone at an affordable price with 100% satisfaction on customer service.

For more information simply sign into facebook and search Vintage Lemons.

THE HYPE - FASHION

‘‘I enjoy finding the perfect products which i know my customers will enjoy seeing and buying’’

All photos by Mariola Hart Photography

THE HYPE - HEALTH

POWER PLATE I

have been using a power plate for about 4 weeks now and I can start to see results already.

Depending what your goal is, most goals are achievable with a healthy diet, regular exercise, determination and keeping an eye on the carbs you consume. Too much or too little is not good for you but the right amount in moderation will help you along the way to achieve your goals.

What is a Power Plate?

Power Plate is a machine that contracts and relaxes the muscles to give the body a high speed workout using vibrations which stimulates the muscles. In a normal workout the muscle would contract once or twice a second, but by using a power plate the vibrations cause an automatic reflex in the muscles contracting 30-50 times a second.

Benefits of a Power Plate A Power Plate will save time due to the effectiveness of the training as

many muscle groups are stimulated at the same time. It has been said that 10 minutes on a power plate is an equivalent to a 60 minute intense workout so you can do as little as 10 minutes and still achieve a good workout.

Things to know before using a Power Plate If you are looking to develop strength, power, muscle tone and definition, you will need to be in a position that puts tension on your muscles. Also note that the power plate does not improve cardiovascular so if you are looking to improve your stamina and strengthen your heart and lungs you should look at combining your workout between running and walking etc with the power plate.

Remember that your muscles will be contracting 30-50 times more quickly, therefore will be generating a lot of internal heat, so even if you don't feel thirsty, always drink water while you're working out.

You should also know that vibration

training stimulates the contraction of the muscle spindles, so it's important to keep your knees slightly bent to avoid jarring through the joints. Once on the power-plate, the beginners' program involves standing in several different positions, each held for 30 seconds. You can choose your intensity of vibration stimulus from the control panel.

Beginners are encouraged to start off at 30 vibrations a second.

Getting started is easy - simply stand on the machine, select the appropriate vibration level on the control panel, and position yourself in each of the different positions.

Each Power-Plate comes with an instructional manual, booklet and banner showing visual descriptions of each of the positions for resistance, flexibility and massage.

Allow up to 20 minutes for a total workout.

For more information on the power-plate you can go to www.powerplate.com

Call Today!

07779 162332

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THE HYPE - HEALTH

SARAH’S YEAR OF CHANGE, AFTER 7ST WEIGHT LOSS Bubbly personality Sarah Stuart, 26, sorted out her life with a seven-stone weight loss, new career and bags of confidence. and was jealous of my brother who could eat these things being a ‘growing boy’ when I was an overweight teenager.”

Having watched mum Gill lose 3½st on the LighterLife Weight Loss Management programme, Sarah followed in her footsteps, a ending counsellor Debbie Blackburn’s classes in Birmingham, and was a size 18/20 at 17st 11lbs when she started in January 2012.

“My new confidence allowed me to apply for a job in a new industry that was unfamiliar. Everything slipped into place, “I made sure I s ll met up with friends and s ll had a social life without indulging unnecessarily. I had to stay disciplined, it was easier to have nothing at all than a li le bit of something. I also found other things to do with my me like swimming and shopping”.

She undertook the Total programme, where ordinary ea ng is replaced by four specially formulated food packs per day, alongside weekly counselling sessions to assess the psychological issues behind over-ea ng and ensure a permanent lifestyle change. Sarah had shrunk to 10st 9lbs by August, and is now happily maintaining within a few pounds and at a size 10.

“When my Mum did LighterLife two years ago,” Sarah said, “I remember thinking ‘this is what I need to do’. It was the right me for me in January 2012 when I could focus on changing my weight for good. I decided 2012 was going to be my year, I knew how successful Mum had been so I knew it worked – and being temporarily out of work gave me the me to put my heart solely into the programme and succeed in my weight loss ambi on.”

Sarah Before

I was happy as a big person, but I knew it wasn’t healthy. I guess I just want to express to other people who struggle with being overweight, you aren’t ‘meant to be that way’, something I used to tell myself regularly, and you don’t have to be if you don’t want to be.

“I used to work in television, my contract had ended and I found myself at a crossroads in my life. I’d had a really good Christmas, ea ng everything I wanted to and by the bucket load! I finally decided to complete the New Year’s resolu on I’d had for many years – to get to a healthy weight.

“I’ve always been a big girl, throughout my teens I just kept pu ng on weight. I never ate par cularly badly, I just ate too much good food and didn’t have enough of a healthy balance. I was always the child that had seconds. I would secretly eat biscuits and crisps whenever I could

“When I go shopping, it’s a bit like in the film Pre y Woman, I s ll feel like I can’t go into some shops, because the shop assistant would be thinking ‘we don’t do her size in here’ but then I realise, not anymore. I’m slowly ge ng used to not being the person I was, people don’t see me like they did before. “I take a lot more care over my appearance too and buy clothes in a new variety of shops.

Essen ally, I am the person I always wanted to be and thought I could never be.”

“LighterLife gave me a lifeline and, as clichéd as it sounds, changed my life, my ambi ons, my ability to do things and, most importantly, my health. Every day when I look in the mirror, I s ll can’t believe it!”

Sarah A¥er

If you would like more informa on about LighterLife please call Debbie Blackburn on 0800 096 0808.

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H

ave you hit a plateau, or struggling to lose that last bit of excess weight?

Cardiovascular training at a con�nuous speed will burn a certain amount of calories but a�er a while your body will become accustomed to this and calories or fat loss will become minimal. So, you need to change your type of training.

Interval Training This involves 2 different

phases used repeatedly throughout the exercise.

Phase 1 - The ‘easy’ con�nuous speed.

Phase 2 - The ‘work hard’ phase Depending on your fitness level you can do phase 1 & phase 2 for 1 minute each. For example, when running jog for 1 minute at your normal pace, then run as fast as you can for 1 minute and con�nue this for as long as possible.

Change the �mescales to suit yourself. To start with, have a larger ‘jog’ �mescale and a shorter ‘sprint’ �mescale. For example 2 minutes : 30 seconds and change this as you get fi�er, so the sprint �mescale gets larger and the jog �mescale gets shorter.

Why? Depending how fast your heart is bea�ng and what ‘training zone’ you are in - will depend on what physical ways it affects your body.

With Interval training you may

go through all of the training zones having different effects on your body, plus you keep your body guessing what is going to happen as opposed to con�nuous exercise going at the same speed.

Mix it up Use different ac�vi�es that you enjoy, aswell as running, you can also do Interval training when swimming, cycling, boxing and or even use different cv machines if you go to the gym.

It’s a sure fire way to get results you want but your diet is also a big factor in achieving your goals.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE SERVICES I OFFER INCLUDING PERSONAL TRAINING, DIET & NUTRITION ADVICE AND FITNESS CLASSES PLEASE CONTACT ME ON

THE HYPE - MINIMOTO

R

oss Turner is a 9 year old boy, who one day may well be a household name. Watching Ross put his skills as a motorbike racer in to ac�on, it is not too hard to see that he has a real chance of following in the footsteps, or should I say tyre tracks of Moto GP Champions like Valen�no Rossi.

Ross started racing when he was just six years of age, encouraged by his father Simon Turner, and his mother, Suree Coates, who is the award - winning chef at the King and Thai Restaurant in Broseley. It is hair-raising to watch the video footage of him racing, Simon said ‘your heart is in your mouth some�mes when you are watching and Suree can no longer go to watch!’

Ross regularly speeds around race tracks at 80mph as he goes for success on his new GP50 bike. He already is a familiar face on the racing circuit and is well on the way to bigger and be�er things. We spoke to Simon who explained that his son just loves to race around the track.

Simon explained that Ross is an amazing racer who more recently has come on in huge leaps and bounds. He races against kids who are much older than him and he’s not afraid to take them on and reach the finish line first. Like many of the world’s great racers, including Valen�no and Simmoncelli, his first encounters were on

the Minimoto racetrack, which helped in building his confidence and ge�ng his speed up. He now races in the Bri�sh Minimoto Championship, in three different classes.

Ross shows the grit and determina�on to succeed in his chosen sport, and has already signed up for Fab Racing, who runs the Bri�sh Minimoto Championship. This is the springboard to help riders to break into Moto GP. Ross, who recently gained sponsorship with Shoei Helmets, Sco� Leathers and Oyster Communica�ons in Broseley, is coached by Chaz Davis, who is the World Supersport Champion.

Ross is a pupil of Barrow 1618 free school, near Broseley and Simon explained that Ross’s enthusiasm for Minimoto is an amazing aid to everything that he does. He spends hours each weekend prac�cing, and the concentra�on level that is required for these sustained periods of �me, mirrors into his academic work. He can focus on the task in hand, whether it be maths homework or racing at 80mph!

It is great to see a family that is so suppor�ve and dedicated, yet not pushy. Ross loves Minimoto and although it seems like an extreme sport for such a young boy, he knows what he wants to do and is willing to put in the hard work and determina�on that is needed to succeed.

I am sure that we are going to see more and more of Ross in the coming years as he makes his way through the ranks.

We certainly wish him every success!

Body Kits /Paintwork / Repairs

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07591 528203

THE HYPE - DYSLEXIA

T

aylor Biddle Op�cians in Compton and Wombourne has become one of the first op�cians in the Wolverhampton area to offer a new type of eye examina�on designed to help children with dyslexia and reading problems.

Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person’s fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read. “ Schoolvision” is a technique that studies the way children’s eyes work as they read, focusing on the rela�onship between their vision and dyslexia.

Emerging research in this field has also shown a link between dyslexia and vision. The ac�ons of reading and wri�ng are a rela�vely ‘modern’ phenomenon and as such, our eyes simply haven't yet evolved to cope with so much close work. When we read, just one eye should take over the job of aiming at the words. However if both eyes try to do the same job, the words and le�ers can appear to shi� out of order, sending confused messages to the brain; this can cause difficul�es with reading and spelling.

• Dyslexia is believed to be one of the most common learning difficul�es although many dyslexics are very bright and tend to be be�er at skills including crea�ve thinking, visual awareness, problem solving and verbal communica�on.

• When we read, just one eye should take over the job of aiming at the words. However if both eyes try to do the same job, the words and le�ers can appear to shi� out of

order, sending confused messages to the brain; this can cause difficul�es with reading and spelling.

• A “Schoolvision” examina�on involves a rou�ne sight test, then further, detailed examina�ons specially designed to highlight any reading problems that may be evident.

If appropriate, correc�ve spectacles and some�mes special �nts are prescribed.

Optometrist Mrs Olha Lac who specialises in Schoolvision/dyslexia assessments said“Schoolvision has the poten�al to make a posi�ve impact on those children that are struggling at school due to vision-associated learning difficul�es. Not only are we seeing children make fantas�c progress with their school work, but it has also in some cases improved co-ordina�on, balance and most importantly, confidence,” said Mrs Lac.

‘‘

Since wearing his new glasses my son’s reading has drama�cally improved.

’’

Parents’ Tes�monials Include:

“My son was having problems with reading and school work, since having the glasses his school work and reading have improved, even the teachers at school have no�ced the difference”.

“Since having the tests and wearing the �nted correc�ve glasses my daughters reading has improved, she has now moved up a band on the Key Stage 2 reading curriculum”.

“Since wearing his new glasses my son’s reading has drama�cally improved. He has said the words on the page now seem lighter and clearer and previously he had experienced ‘missing words’ when looking at text. This no longer happens and as a result his reading capability has improved and he is now reading books ahead of his year”.

A screening will aid those with dyslexia or known reading problems and does not diagnose ‘Dyslexia’. To obtain a diagnosis of dyslexia involves inves�ga�on by an educa�onal psychologist’ Although originally created for school children, Schoolvision can also be of benefit to adults with occupa�onal difficul�es caused by vision. If you would like to know more, you can visit Taylor Biddle Op�cians in Compton or Wombourne or call them on 01902 750325.

OPTICIANS

Designer and Value Frames Including:

NOW OFFERING ‘SCHOOL VISION’ VISUAL DYSLEXIA ASSESSMENTS • Full eye examina�ons • The latest eye scanning OCT technology

• Contact lenses • Offering Eye plan

Ask us about our Specialist Dry Eye Clinics Trust in our Professional Eye Care

Compton 01902 750 325

Wombourne 01902 895 909

www.taylorbiddleop cians.co.uk

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TaxAssist Accountants The Accounting and Tax Service for Small Business Tax relief on leased cars Q: I was thinking about leasing a car, as my local dealer has a good deal on at the moment. But I was wondering what tax relief I’d get on it- can you talk me through it please?

A: I assume by “lease” you mean you are in essence renting it? In which case, if the car has emissions under 160g/km, you get tax relief on all of the payments. If the car’s emissions are above 160g/km, then 15% is blocked for tax purposes.

However, please note, under current plans the emissions level will drop from 160g/km to 130g/km on 1st April 2013 for companies or 6th April 2013 for unincorporated businesses. So if you are looking at leasing a vehicle with emissions between 130 60g/km, it might be advisable to take the contract out before April 2013.

Also, please review the invoices carefully, as half of the VAT is often blocked on lease payments- on the assumption that they often have a mixture of business and personal use. If you

would like to discuss your plans before you sign anything, your local TaxAssist Accountant would be happy to help.

Employing casuals and RTI Q: As well as full-time staff, I have a few ‘casuals’ who help out in our peak times.

Currently, they are not on the payroll because they earn less than £100 per week. Will that change under RTI? A: If an employer is operating a PAYE scheme, then under Real Time Information (RTI) they will have to inform HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) about payments of earnings to all employees- even where an employee earns less than the Lower Earnings Limit (currently £107 per week).

This is a significant change from the current requirements.

Under RTI, employers will be sent HMRC information about employees' pay when or before payments are made.

This should mean more employees will pay the right amount of tax and National Insurance in the tax year.

So you will need to obtain the following information from

your so-called casual staff members: • National Insurance number • Title • Surname • Forename • Second forename • Date of birth • Gender • Address including the postcode • Payroll ID/ staff number • Number of normal hours worked You should verify their identity against official documents such as birth certificates, driving licences or passports. If you should happen to see their passport, keep a note of their passport number- as this is a voluntary field under RTI and is also required if you are confirming they have been granted permission to work in the UK. Your local TaxAssist Accountant would be happy to take care of the transition to RTI and maintain your payroll on a day-to-day basis.

Please feel free to contact them if you would like to discuss the payroll services they can offer in more detail.

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THE HYPE - TECHNOLOGY

explore beyond limits

T

here has been a massive shift in consumer preferences for their computing in the last few years.

People no longer want to be shackled to a desktop pc and want to use mobile devices instead. This has opened up the possibilities of some real cutting edge technology to be manufactured.

I first discovered Acer when I just happened to see the dual screen Iconia in a magazine and I just thought what I was seeing must be from the future. Both screens are touch and this allows for some interesting interactions with your applications. You could start off quite simply by just having two different applications running at the same time, perhaps watching a film whilst keeping up to date with the latest Facebook stories. A virtual keyboard will appear on either one of the screens to allow a traditional typing experience. Of course the really interesting bit is where you might want to have custom controls for the application that you are using. An example of this might be where you are a digital dj and want to have

total control over the music and need to have jog wheels to control the mix. Or you are a gamer and need the controls to be in a custom layout and varying sizes. The device can open completely and lie flat on the desk, or close into a typical laptop position giving you even more options.

In a market place flooded with safe ideas, it’s nice to see this type of forward thinking technology from Acer and I hope to see more and more innovative, prototype inspired products soon.

The Intel powered tablet Acer W700 is an ultra-tablet which combines the horsepower of an Intel i3 or i5 processor married with a high definition screen of 1920 x 1080 running the latest touchscreen version of windows. This superb combination of elements makes this device a really exciting device to carry around. 8 hours battery life and instant startup means no more waiting before enjoying the experience of the unit. A Bluetooth keyboard is also supplied andwhen combined with the stand you can still have the touch type experience or just control the screen.

recline on the sofa and watch the latest movie. Well now can do either with the same device. The keyboard is in fact a dock for the touch screen tablet and this allows you to either join them together to make a fantastic laptop or you can split them and have a handy tablet device. When you dock the tablet section into the keyboard this will increase the battery life immensely.

The W510 is a detachable keyboard/dock laptop with touch screen.

The age old debate is do I buy a tablet or do I buy a laptop?

Well with the Acer Iconia W510 you don’t have to make that decision! Sometimes you want to touch type to get that last minute document finished and sometime you want to

Acer Iconia W510

Acer Iconia W700

THE HYPE - HOME TRENDS FOR 2013 One of the keys to creating a stylish new look for your home is not to be frightened to use colours and textures to bring out the best in your home. One of the top tips is to create a swatch of colours and fabrics, local stores like Dunelm etc will normally cut you some small sample pieces if you ask. Get a range of shades to try and some test pots of paint, or even cut out pictures from a magazine and put it altogether on a board. This allows you to try the look without having to decorate if you don’t like it! Here some of the latest styles sweeping through 2013.

Debenhams - Julien Mcdonald

Next - Good Life

Roaring Back to the Twenties With the hype around TV show Boardwalk Empire and Leo Di Caprio bringing us The Great Gatsby, it's a sure thing that the 1920's are roaring back. We will be seeing a return of art deco themes throughout homes, covering everything from walls to furniture.Vivid patterns have been appearing on walls, floors, and accessories and will Matalan continue to make their way into stores in 2013. Stripes are a particularly popular graphic trend.

Its Black ‘n’ White Black and white does not have to be plain. It is a perfect combination that allows unusual designs to work like a classy tuxedo and is timelessly stylish.

Go Green!

Green is the colour of 2013, so get ready to see this lush shade everywhere. If a green accent wall is too much for you, why not go for more subtle touches that incorporate the colour into a larger design, such as a rug and throws.

Always Look on the Bright Side Use a bright, vivid colour palette of yellows and greens and combine them with a mixture of textures to create a fresh look. The key thing is to choose patterns for the walls and floor that complement, rather than compete with, each other, allowing the colours to shine.

Knocking on Wood Natural wood pieces are both beautiful and elegant. Wood is sneaking into chic houses and added to natural tones gives a feel of space and tranqulity.

Going for Gold Metallic finishes such as gold and brass are taking the shine from silver. I love how these metals ooze warmth, opulence and enrich almost any colour.

Next - Blossom & Bloom

Graham & Brown Palais

Texture Frenzy Mixing various textiles is an easy way to make over a room. Putting together a collection of unusual textures on walls, stone tables, lampshades, and patterned rugs works to create a rich, luscious interior.

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Abbey Solar Technologies Ltd is a company specialising in solar installa�ons and renewable technologies. We install the latest and most efficient Photovoltaic Solar PV & Thermal panels and energy systems to maximise your renewable energy genera�on and enhance your savings. We can show how to save money by reducing your other energy bills and can advise on new technologies that can heat your house 70% cheaper than gas or oil. We offer some of the most compe��vely priced hea�ng installa�ons in the UK today.

Contact us now for a no obliga�on quote or a free site visit from one of our consultants who will show you how much you can save and earn by installing and genera�ng your own electricity. Or go with our new house finder tool and we can do an online es�ma�on for your property. If you have Photovoltaic PV fi�ed we can show you how you can heat your house for free and dras�cally cut your gas bills.

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Learn Achieve Succeed

. . . g n i n r a e l n o p e Ke Are you aged 15 or 16?

Did you know that from September you will need to keep on learning by staying in education or training until you are 17?

This doesn’t mean you have to stay on at school. There are lots of options out there for you – and here at City of Wolverhampton College we can help you make the decision that’s right for you.

At 16 you can choose to:

Remain in full-time education at school or college Staying in education means you can gain the qualifications you need to impress future employers and get the job you have always dreamed of. At City of Wolverhampton we offer a range of courses to set you on your way, from traditional A Levels to more handson courses like Motor Vehicle, Engineering, Travel and Sport.You can learn the skills you need to become a hairdresser, a chef, a travel agent or a football coach and deal with real paying customers in our very To talk about own hair and beauty salons, restaurant, travel the best route shop and sports centre!

for you, give us a call on 01902 836000

Become an Apprentice

Get a job

An Apprenticeship is a real job with training so you can earn while you learn and pick up some recognised qualifications as you go.

Employers really value Apprenticeships.

They give you recognised skills and are a basis for rapid career progression.You’ll feel the rewards in your pocket too. An average Apprentices’ wage is £170 per week, and people with an Advanced Level Apprenticeship earn, on average, over £100,000 more than those without over the course of their career.

We offer a large Apprenticeship programme and each year help hundreds of Apprentices to enhance their job skills and knowledge in a range of areas, from Accountancy and IT to Construction and Creative.

Getting a job after leaving school is a great next step. However, the evidence is clear that if you want to work, the best thing for your future is to do some further training or study as well. As part of the new rules you will be able to work full time if you want to - or volunteer full-time or set up your own business - as long as you also undertake part-time learning.

We offer a range of part-time courses designed to fit in with you, with study options to suit your lifestyle and help you cope with competing demands. From football coaching and referee courses for the sports enthusiast, to gardening and floristry qualifications for the outdoor lover, we are sure to have a part-time course to help you succeed in your chosen career.

www.wolvcoll.ac.uk/keeponlearning