NEWS
CLASH OF THE TITANS
This 19 February Liverpool will play host to a spectacular show of female sporting talent as the England and Australian national netball teams go head to head. Often thought of as a school-ground sport, professional netball is a far cry from gym knickers and cries of ‘Pivet!’. The strength, skill, speed and fitness required in the professional games is beyond belief, and professional netball is fast becoming a sport to gain a rapidly increasing fan base. The Echo Arena is the venue for the showdown. Currently, England is ranked at number three in the world rankings, with Australia at number one. England fans are hopeful, however, as the past year or two has seen the team constantly improve, to a point where they beat Australia for the first time since 1983 at the Co-operative World Netball Series in October 2009. Coached by Aussie, Sue Hawkins, for the past two years, her experience in coaching the Australian and New Zealand teams in the past – and taking them to success – clearly shows. England co-captians, Sonia Mkoloma and Karen Atkinson are optimistic, and are keen to show the Liverpool audience exactly what professional netball is all about; this is the first time a game of this level has been played in Liverpool, so we
TRIUMPHANT WIN Interior design specialists, Elaine Cunningham Interiors, had cause for celebration recently when it was announced the company had won the title ‘Business of the Year’ at the Train 2000 Awards. Train 2000 is an award-winning women’s economic development agency established in 1996 in response to an identified need for accessible and quality programmes for women on Merseyside. The organisation has an international reputation in delivery of social enterprise and women’s economic development services; working with public, private and third sector clients. Congratulations, Elaine Cunningham Interiors! say make the most of it and experience something new. We have a great prize to give away – see our competitions page 27 for details! To book tickets please call 0844 8000 400 or visit www.echoarena. com For more information on national netball, please visit: www. englandnetball.co.uk and check out the Back to Netball campaign for those who regret leaving it at the school gates.
KIRSTY AT THE MAL
Top local fashion designer, Kirsty Doyle, has teamed up with Malmaison Hotels to launch an exclusive collaboration for Valentines Day. www.theliverpoolmagazine.com
Guests booking a romantic stay at the city’s sumptuous venue will be able to indulge in an extra-special weekend with their loved one – including an overnight stay in the luxury hotel, breakfast and Valentines cocktails for two, as well as an exclusively designed pure silk, floor length gown in deep purple – designed by Kirsty. “Valentines is a great time to indulge yourself and your loved one,” comments Kirsty, “The Malmaison is such a luxurious hotel and I love coming here for a bit of pampering. I wanted my design to reflect the feelings of stylish romance that hotels evoke.”’ The Kirsty Doyle for Malmaison package is now open with prices starting at £350. To book a room with the Kirsty Doyle for Malmaison package, please contact Liverpool Malmaison on 0151 2295000 and quote ‘Kirsty Doyle’. To find out more about Kirsty and her designs, please visit: www.kirstydoyle.com
For more information about Elaine Cunningham Interiors, please visit www.elainecunninghaminteriors. com
DELICIOUS! Liverpool’s newest gourmand haven has thrown open its doors, and in just a few weeks has attracted much attention and great feedback from happy customers. Located in the busy business district of the city, on St Paul’s Square, Franklins Deli offers good, honest home-cooking and is run by a bunch of self-proclaimed ‘foodies’ with a genuine obsession for creating truly tasty food for their customers. They say that staying in is the new going out – and now you can bring a touch of foodie decadence to your sofa or dinner table thanks to the experts at Franklins Deli, yum! For more information please visit www.franklinsdeli.com or just pop in to the New York Deli-style eatery and relax on one of the squashy sofas with a cuppa.
11