Niche Magazine Issue 13

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Mar/Apr 16 / Issue 13

The

HEALTH, LEISURE & BEAUTY ISSUE MIPIM

TEAM LEICESTERSHIRE - WORLD PLAYERS

TALK BUSINESS COVER STORY

RUTLAND COUNTY GOLF CLUB

#FindYourNiche FASHION | BUSINESS | HEALTH | FOOD | SPORTS

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Beverly Sankey

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Leicester Ltd. Bespoke Prestige Quality

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The Team

Cover: Rutland County Golf Club featuring Ollie Freckingham of Leicestershire County Cricket Club.

Photography courtesy of: Scott Choucino 07843 091 419 www.scottchoucino.com Lewis Buttery c/o Soft Touch Arts 07597 998 707 Lea Moulds 07725 995 899 www.digitalmagic.uk

Editor Jenny Cross 07815 899 574 jenny@crossproductions.co.uk

Tom Wren 07818 421 118 www.creativebywren.com Sponsors of the Leicester Riders

Marketing and Account Director Lee Parkin 07711 043 901 lee@crossproductions.co.uk

Operations Director Leanne Baker leanne@crossproductions.co.uk

Published by Cross Productions Ltd www.nichemagazine.co.uk info@crossproductions.co.uk Tel: 0116 271 2573 Disclaimer – Niche Magazine and Cross Productions Ltd is fully protected by copyright; no part of this magazine may be reproduced or reprinted without the complete and expressed permission of the publisher.

The greatest care has been taken to ensure accuracy, however there can be no liability accepted by the publisher for errors and omissions. We can under no circumstance be held responsible for any materials, matter or photographical copy submitted for publication or not within the website or magazine. We cannot be held responsible or liable for any breaches of copyright from adverts, materials or photography or any other such material supplied by a third party. The views and opinions expressed within our publications are not necessarily those of the publisher or indeed Niche Magazine or any featured parties.

Distribution Media Matters Direct www.mediamattersdirect.co.uk Self Select Distribution www.selfselectdistribution.co.uk Niche App Download for free!

Social facebook.com/nichemagazineuk Twitter: @magazineniche

Design Editor Susan Holmes

Feature Writer Kerry Smith

susan.holmes@crossproductions.co.uk

kerry@crossproductions.co.uk

Account Manager Sally Smith 07931 220 116

Account Manager Claire Willoughby 0116 271 2573

Writer Marie Mason-Hall Contributors The Miller Partnership, Glynis Wright, Mocha Marketing, City Communications, ER Recruitment, Torr Waterfield, Leicester Racecourse, Beau Aesthetica, Curve, Leicester Riders, St Martins House, Dimblebee Catering Company, Griffin Fit, Soar Valley Press, Leicester Tigers, MME, Brooksure Insurance, Swipe & Tap, RDZ PR, Primo IT, Total Motion, Maiyango, Martin Dalby, Steamin’ Billy, Abel, Qdos, Matt Hampson Foundation, Hamilton Builders NICHE | 05

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0116 402 6222 salon@b-styled.co.uk b-styled.co.uk

SALON LEICESTER 6B Hotel Street LE1 5AW

06 | NICHE

Part of the

Group

A word from Jenny The Health, Leisure and Beauty Issue As this issue goes to print our City is riding high boasting it’s sporting prowess and performance. Leicester City are top of the Premiership, a first in over 10 years. Leicester Riders have won the BBL Cup, basketball’s coveted championship trophy, and continued to play first class games. Leicester Tigers are through to the quarter finals of the European Cup ahead with their Stade Francais Paris home fixture to host coming in April.

In Niche 13 we have some really great personalities for you to meet, take James Sutliffe a committed fitness athlete who has graced the hallowed front cover of ‘Men’s Health Magazine’, he also suffers with Dystonia. His motto is ‘never judge a book by its cover’ read about just why. We’ve also had a chat with George Lowe of Rutland County Golf Club our cover story featuring Leicester cricketer Ollie Freckingham.

Leicestershire’s business scene is looking buoyant too, we launched the Niche Business Awards in February and are already counting the nominations that are coming through thick and fast. The main event is September 9th, mark it in your diary now.

Team Leicestershire are in the final stages of planning the annual trip to MIPIM, a huge and very important property and development summit in Cannes, it is a one of a kind delegation that is planned to give maximum return for the attendees. We are lucky enough to count ourselves as part of this year’s party, full details will be featured in Niche 14.

We have pearls of wisdom from some of the very best business brains around featured within the coming pages, including our very own Lee Parkin, a seasoned marketer, who talks about the importance of planning and being holistic in your campaigns. Networking is huge tool that should be firmly installed in your marketing arsenal, at Niche we make sure ours is a priority.

You’ll find a few of our events details in the business and social pages.

Lee also goes in for a spot of manscaping, all in the name of research of course, reporting back how beauty treatments aren’t the sole premise of the fairer sex anymore. We have a great new writer for the fitness section, Lizzie Griffin is currently helping me with my fitness journey too.

Delve in at your pleasure. #FindYourNiche Jenny Cross, Editor Niche Magazine

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March / April

Contents 08.

40.

Runway Rocks

Wedding Belles

26.

James Sutliffe St Martins House

50.

22.

Fabulous Food & Drink

Health & Beauty

Maiyango Tasting Rooms

45.

Sapphire Suite

57.

24.

Griffin Fit

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Steamin’ Billy

60.

114.

Property

Sport

Hamilton

82.

Rutland County Golf Club

180 Years of Leicester Police

122.

62.

Leicester Racecourse

MIPIM

Get ready for ladies day

97.

82.

Talk Business

Pension Tax Relief

124.

Motoring

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FA S H I O N

Ellie wears Love Moschino Bomber Jacket ÂŁ299, Love Moschino Shorts ÂŁ134, Pilot Clothing

Lewis wears Soeron 2s Pop Khaki Jacket £150, Luke

Ellie Wears Off White Black Leather Biker Jacket £1350, Her Business Off White Black Shorts £210, Her Business

Ellie wears Mia Skirt £79, Betty Brown Black Leather Biker Jacket £99, Zara Red Clutch £24.95, Mimi & Thomas

Lewis wears Paul Smith Shirt £145, Jacob Cohen Jean £299, Christopher Scotney

Lewis wears Magee Pink Jacket ÂŁ349, Christopher Scotney Freddie Classic Blue Jean ÂŁ120, Luke

Niche Magazine credits and gives special thanks to: Photography by Scott Choucino T 07843 091 419 W Scottchoucino.com

Her Business Fashion 38 Francis Street, Leicester LE2 2BD T 07817 148 788

Models: Lewis Clarke and Ellie Charles Christopher Scotney Designerwear 128-132 London Rd, Leicester LE2 1EB T 0116 254 3957 W Christopherscotney.co.uk Pilot Clothing 58 High Street, Leicester LE1 5YP T 0116 262 8200 W Netclothing.net Betty Brown 36 Francis Street, Leicester LE2 2BD T 07713 746 010 W Betty-brown.com Luke Clothing Highcross Centre, Leicester LE1 4FS T 0116 262 0892 W Luke1977.com 14 | NICHE

Mimi & Thomas W Mimiandthomas.co.uk Hair by Neil Smith, Barrie Stephen Hair 35 The Nook, Anstey, Leicester LE7 7AZ T 0116 402 6222 W Barriestephenhair.co.uk Make up by Lucy Carmichael, Femi Health & Beauty E lucycarmichaelmakeup@gmail.com Lee Parkin & Claire Willoughby Niche Magazine T 07711 043 901 W Nichemagazine.co.uk Images are owned and copyrighted by Scott Choucino for exclusive use with Niche Magazine.

Runway Rocks

LIVE BEAUTIFULLY, INSIDE AND OUT

Mimi & Thomas

LUXURIOUS CASHMERE WRAPS & STYLISH CLUTCH BAGS

Quote NICHE at checkout for 10% off your entire order

Scallop edged Tote bags for S/S 2016 Practical, Fun colours, Whimsical Shape

A wide selection of own design clutch bags for all special occasions.

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Cashmere Multiway Wraps with Buttons.

1 wrap gives you 10 different styles.

Luxurious and Versatile.

www.mimiandthomas.co.uk

Miss England & Silk Powder The semi-finals for Miss England 2016 will be held at Kelham Hall on June 11 2016.

Natasha Hemmings

Miss England 2015

Supporters and guests will have the opportunity to see who will be crowned ‘Miss Silk Powder’ following the make-up round of the competition.

Miss England 2015, Natasha Hemming has been travelling all over the UK to watch the regional auditions in a bid to find Miss England 2016. We are sure many will agree that Natasha has done a grand job during her reign!

Natasha Hemmings came to Silk Powder prior to a photoshoot for Niche Magazine. Silk Powder’s senior make-up artist, Bal Gill, studied her facial features and was excited to get started.

Her personality shines a mile out and her charitable nature brings out the best in her.

Silk Powder are the proud Make-Up Partners for the Miss England Semi Finals for 2016. As part of the semi-finals Silk Powder will be providing the finalists with tutorials, prizes for selected winners and lots of promotional goodies!

Some may already know about Natasha’s hidden talent! She is a fantastic opera singer and we would encourage you to listen to her beautiful voice. Don’t forget to cast your votes on www.missengland.info to help crown the next Miss England!

Keep up to date with us on Instagram and Twitter (@silkpowder) for some exciting news on the Miss England competition!

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@

130 London Road, Leicester LE2 1EB | 0116 254 3957 | www.christopherscotney.co.uk Free carpark and alteration tailor in-store.

MADE TO MEASURE SUITS from ÂŁ350.00 www.julientrivedi.com 38a Belvoir St, Leicester, LE1 6QJ 0116 255 0997 FREE MADE TO MEASURE SHIRT, CRAVAT OR TIE & POCKET SQUARE when presenting this advert.

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www.justsloggi.co.uk Tel: 01332 811732 @justsloggi

RED Armani I Max Mara Weekend I Didier Parakian Bitte Kai Rand I Sarah Pacini I Capri I Jayley Fur Joseph Ribkoff I Eva Tralala I Charli I Suzy D I Nu Onelife A Post Card From Brighton I Twisted Muse Alpha I Robell I Rino & Pelle I 360 Cashmere

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Classic Accessories

Spring 2016 Trends

Seeing Spanish influences all over the catwalks this spring we can truly put the winter blues to bed with the core colours of the season being orange and red (wearing orange actually projects energy, warmth and stimulation).

Don’t be afraid of this bold choice choose a shade that suits you from burnt hues to a brighter tangerine.

Clutch bags are timeless. A good clutch will enhance the look and feel of any outfit, but which one to choose?

The transition from winter to spring is arguably one of the most exciting. With the promise of brighter and warmer weather to look forward to, many people look to change their hair style or colour to mirror the change in the seasons. Here’s my top trend predications for spring 2016…

There’s lots of texture on offer this season to have fun with, great fringing, 70s inspired suede, tassels, ruffles and fabulous frills be brave and go all out or choose small accents and trims.

Why not turn up your workwear wardrobe by mixing your sharp whites with this seasons metallic call of silver... go From trousers to handbags and jewellery accessories.

Great news comfort is still trending with return of ‘The Flat Mule’, shown everywhere this spring (even Victoria Beckham is doing it!).

Not leaving the fellas out I’d say, the military style is still going strong for all your casual days, Every shade of army green from dark olive to pale khaki.

Layering multi-pocket jackets and gilets with lightweight scarves keeping that 20th century safari inspiration going.

The ‘athleisure’ trend takes a bigger step this year which is about mixing sharp tailoring with the sport ascetic of everyday wear. It’s perfectly acceptable to mix a suit with sneakers!

Sukhina Garcia Betty Brown Boutique info@betty-brown.com 18 | NICHE

A satin piece is lovely for formal events, leather for a night out and block colours work great with a little black dress. You don’t have to go with the trends, it’s not about that. It’s about feeling confident in yourself.

A Mimi and Thomas bag really is a girl’s best friend and they’ll use it again and again. The clutches are easy to match; there is no need to choose a neutral colour. Try new things! Bring out the tassels, embellishments and leather!

Our popular cashmere multi-wrap shawls are perfect for this time of year and instantly lift any outfit.

Many of these are accessorised with a pearl or colour contrasting button but here, we prefer subtle embellishments.

We cut out the middle man by having the shawls hand made in Nepal to make them more accessible. All our clutches come packaged in satin dust bags and cashmere items arrive in a beautiful presentation box.

If you have spent some time finding a special outfit it’s important to finish the look with carefully chosen accessories to lift your confidence.

Our aim is to have all our customers feel wonderfully confident. Don’t forget, accessorising should be fun!

Owner & Designer, Janet Carlisle www.mimiandthomas.co.uk

Short hair will definitely be topping the trend forecasts this season. Whether it’s strong, severe, angular lines and shapes or lived-in, tousled and textured looks, crops and bobs are having their moment. In terms of colour, pastels are by no means new on the scene but they’re still going strong into the warmer months of 2016. Silvery pinks and blueberry tones look incredible infused into cool blondes!

There’s a reason why we see braids begin to re-emerge at this time of year… they’re the perfect fit for the laid-back vibes of spring. There’s a braid to suit everyone and the possibilities are endless; French, dutch, fishtail…

Get experimenting!

Blessed with wild curls? Then put down those straighteners and go au natural; the bigger the better! It’s time to start loving your natural shape and texture.

If you’re looking for a new colour trend to get on board with, this season it’s all about dual tones.

Think brown and blonde (bronde), and red and bronze, (ronze) and all those ambiguous colours that are neither here nor there.

Needing a spring 2016 style overhaul? Book into your nearest Barrie Stephen Hair today.

0116 402 6222 www.barriestephenhair.co.uk

Grand Ferrero Rocher (125g) £5 A deliciously thick, hazelnut speckled chocolate shell, with two classic Ferrero Rochers hidden inside. A timeless gift for the Ferrero lover.

Gourmet Popcorn £4.00 The finest air popped corn comes in 34 eclectic flavours. Whether you are a sweet or savour lover who likes to challenge their taste buds, Joe and Steph have a flavour to suit everyone. www.joeandsephs.co.uk

Famous Names, Whisky Collection Egg £10.00 The perfect manly Easter gift includes eight of the finest liqueur chocolates from world famous Whisky brands including Grants, Drambuie and Teachers. An Eggstraordinary gift.

Available at Asda, Waitrose and Ocado.

Ferrero Eggs: Hazelnut and Cocoa £2.49 Each egg is filled with a creamy heart of either hazelnut or cocoa and enveloped in a crispy wafer and smooth, irresistible chocolate.

Cadbury Dairy Milk Decorate Egg £3.99 Create memorable moments by decorating your egg with your name or draw one of your favourite Easter characters.

Easter Treats Thoughtful Gesture 331g - £8.15 For those wanting to make an even bigger gesture and demonstrate even more thought and care, treat your loved ones to a special gift egg.

Elizabeth Shaw Milk Orange Crisp and Dark Mint Crisp Eggs £10.00 Each egg contains the delicious honeycomb crisp that the chocolate brand is famed for. Wrapped in a beautifully designed gift box with 12 crisp chocolates. Available at Asda.

Cadbury Egg Hunt Pack £4.09 The fun pack makes seasonal games easy, leaving you more time to enjoy the activities too. Includes instructions, signs, 10 multi-coloured hollow eggs and a packet of Cadbury Mini Eggs as a prize to the winner!

NICHE | 19

Best Mum Chocs £14.00 Hand-made Belgian chocolates surrounded by eight scrumptious truffles make a perfect Mother’s Day gift for the lady with a sweet tooth. www.choconchoc.co.uk

VonShef Boiler and Poacher £49.99 How do you like your eggs in the morning? Get your protein fix with this egg-cellent dual-purpose appliance. Using steam to cook your eggs so why not pop some veg in too? www.domu.co.uk

Ready Steady Go kit £25.00 WAS £39.00 The full Activbod routine and best seller comes in a free washbag with everything in to make your body feel and smell great. For mum’s who like to exercise or need a little encouragement, the range is designed to help prepare the body for exercise and help it recover. www.activbod.com

Vinoby Vana £5.99 Virgin Wines. Serve on ice and a great kind of aperitif before nibbles and treats! www.virginwines.co.uk 20 | NICHE

Arabelle Skin Sense Blissfully Sensual Body Oil £23.25 (200ml) An alluring body. www.arabelleskinsense.co.uk

Clutch Crossbody Bag by Mimi & Thomas £28.95 Copper bronze envelope -style, soft grained leather look clutch with a light gold metal trim. Crafted in a leather-look with magnetic snap closure to fasten with zipped main compartment.

Includes pockets inside and a playful removable tassel charm to the side. www.mimiandthomas.co.uk

Zippo Candle Lighter £13.75 Perfect for the mum who deserves a little bit of ‘me-time.’ Light candles around the home. www.zippo.co.uk

The Loveliest Mum Mug 99p Remind Mum how lovely she is every morning with this cute colourful mug that’s sure to brighten her day www.homebargains.co.uk

Connock London CANDLE £30 Infused with a white bouquet of Hawaiian flowers, this sensual, fragranced candle in a stunning glass holder will transform your home with its romantic scent. www.connocklondon.co.uk

Remington Silk Ultimate Styler £59.99 Perfect for those wanting all-in-one styling.

Remington Silk Straightener £89.99 Perfect for sleek, straight styles that last all night. www.remington.co.uk

Gifts

Mr & Mrs Family Edition £19.99 The board game based on the hit TV show All Star Mr & Mrs. Available from Debenhams, John Lewis, WHSmith, Amazon, Next and House of Frasier

Lavazza A Modo Mio Fantasia £179.99 Touch screen machine with automatic milk frother has 36 settings, serves hot and cold. www.lavazzamodomio.co.uk

Mother’s Day

Richmond in choice of herringbone £85 print or plain slate www.pacapod.com NICHE | 21

Health & Beauty Step into your

Spring Skin It’s time to reinvigorate your beauty routine – your body has endured the long harsh winter and we think you deserve the spring putting back in your step. We take a look at treatments that will freshen up your look and fortify your confidence Dull skin feeling lifeless? Fine lines starting to age you? Christmas baggage still getting you down? We consulted one of Leicester’s leading providers in cosmetic dermatology and non-invasive procedures on the best ways to treat those post-winter blues.

Beau Aesthetica, found in Allandale road, has built up an array of treatments over its eight years in business with registered British Association of Cosmetic Doctors (BACD), fully trained GMC doctors and highly experienced beauty therapists.

They advised us on the best methods to replenish your look – not to mention your self-esteem. Here is what the doctor ordered.

Health & Beauty

Face

Microdermabrasion is a method of deep exfoliation that refines your skin using micro crystals, which naturally stimulates renewed collagen and cells to form over time minimising pores and reducing the appearance of wrinkles It works by removing the top layer of dead skin to reveal healthy, full-of-life cells that then leads to plumper skin as collagen production is increased and a crystal clear complexion is achieved.

This is a perfect one for those of you looking for a renewing glow. It has been described as a face lift without the surgery! It’s extremely simple and non-aggressive procedure makes it a great treatment for first timers and can be repeated throughout the year for even better results.

With the only possible side effect of temporary redness, microdermabrasion allows you to jump right back into your regular routine while your body gets to work.

My Cells Therapy at Beau Aesthetica is also a procedure that encourages

collagen production. Unlike microdermabrasion, cell therapy is used to boost the skin into repairing itself using the body’s own growth factors and stem cells, which is why it is often used to heal damaged skin and scarring.

Their state of the art treatment can be used for ageing skin, stretch marks, sun damage and pigmentation. It can also be effective in removing lumps and bumps, moles and thread veins.

Body

LipoSelection® by VASER® performed

by Beau Aesthetica’s fully qualified professionals allows you to get the body you truly desire. Everyone one of us comes in a different shape and size and we all have areas that are predisposed to fat storage. You will know where those areas are on your own body as well as the fact that even with rigorous exercise and diets, those areas often remain untouched.

Fret no more though as the patented VASER® technology used with the advanced LipoSelection® technique is a safe alternative for getting rid of

Finishing touches

And finally, to really feel pampered, have Beau Aesthetica’s spa team carry out the final touches to your fresh new look.

Have yourself a manicure consisting of exfoliation of the hands and nails, cuticle removal, buffing, file, massage and paint.

Get yourself waxed from head to toe and get striking eyes and beautiful lips with semi-permanent make-up applied by exceedingly skilled therapists.

those unwanted bulges, smoothing out your skin and creating a new silhouette for yourself.

Ultrasound waves break down fat cells reshaping your body without the need for general anaesthetic.

There is less risk of bleeding and bruising than liposuction with a fast recovery time.

Results can be instantly noticeable with a tightening of the skin and fat stores diminished. VASER® lipo can be implemented on almost all parts of the body including the smaller areas such as ankles, neck and chin. This successful way to remove unwanted fat has been the choice for thousands of men and women, including actress, Jennifer Metcalfe.

Weight loss management programmes are also available in the cosmetic clinic. Offering appropriately selected clients a medically supervised weight reduction plan using NHS approved machines, Beau Aesthetica will keep you on the right track to achieving your goal.

For those of you who are new to non-invasive treatments, Beau Aesthetica provides a welcoming and calming atmosphere. Their accomplished doctors and therapists have a sincere passion for cosmetic work and with the most up to date equipment in Europe, you are able to look and feel amazing throughout the spring and summer.

www.beauaesthetica.com 0116 270 9141

NICHE | 23

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a body shape you can feel proud of? With Griffin Fit’s specialist nutrition and personal training programmes they can promise you achievable and sustainable results.

No Myths The Griffin Fit mission is to offer something much more than just a gym membership. Their resultsdriven, tailor made programmes are what makes them unique, with their services often favoured by busy professionals who have little time to dedicate to their health and fitness, but who want to look great and make healthy choices. Rather than spending hours at the local gym without any particular focus, Griffin Fit recognise that busy people often need help to fit their training goals in to their hectic lifestyle. Clients are offered a complete, in-depth consultation service to enable the trainer to offer a targeted nutrition and training plan.

Proud to offer a choice of a female or male personal trainer, the Griffin Fit team have over sixteen years combined experience between them. The business was born in December 2014 by Liz Griffin and Scott Mangles, July 2015 saw them realise their dream when they moved in to their very own personal training facility on Clarendon Business Park.

Scott, who served six years in the Navy, says, “Losing weight and getting fit doesn’t have to be boring, it doesn’t have to involve unsatisfying meals and it doesn’t have to be hard.”

Their studio has a personal invitation policy and isn’t open

at GRIFFIN FIT to the general public. Because of this, there are many fun yet functional activities that couldn’t be completed in a normal gym. Liz and Scott recommend a minimum of two sessions per week, with programmes based on results at three, six and twelve month intervals, using various tried and tested techniques and training systems. The Griffin Fit concept is about losing body fat and toning muscles for truly life changing results. The success stories on their website are testament to not only the commitment they show to their clients, but the commitment their clients show to them.

Liz, who competed in the UKBFF bodybuilding show in 2013, says, “It’s all about looking better and feeling better, a lot of my clients have quite stressful jobs, so they love coming to our studio to destress and work hard, which pays off in the results they achieve in a relatively short time.”

So how will they measure your progress? They meet with their Visit their website www.griffinfit.co.uk and get this e-Book for free when you subscribe to Liz’s fun, informative, daily emails.

clients outside of the training sessions every four weeks, as well as providing unlimited email and text correspondence. This is an opportunity to discuss successes and challenges, and to edit the programme if required. You’ll have a weekly weigh-in, your body measurements taken, and the perfect way to view your progression – regular before and after photographs.

Nutrition, along with the correct training principles, allow their clients to achieve something they’ve been unable to do before at their regular gym visits. The Griffin Fit team offer a bespoke nutrition package, using the foods you like to keep you on plan, and change the way you think about food forever.

Liz’s e-Book, Myths on Weight Loss Revealed, debunks a lot of false information about diet and exercise that many of us believe to be true and is ideal for those that could be accidentally sabotaging their healthy living goals.

Niche’s very own Editor, Jenny Cross, has been a Griffin Fit client since last year. Working with Liz three times a week, Jenny says, “Griffin Fit has completely changed the way I look at fitness and healthy eating. Liz is able to fit my sessions around my active schedule, ensuring I stay focused and stick to my programme. The nutrition plan is brilliant, I’m eating more now

than I did before and losing inches off my body. Liz understands that due to my job, I’m often meeting clients for lunch or attending evening dinners. I feel totally in control, knowing what the best choices are for me on the menu. If I’m ever stuck, I know I can send Liz a quick message and she always replies with helpful advice. With three children, a new puppy and a successful business, I’d never have time to attend a normal gym and achieve these results on my own, I wouldn’t know where to start! I’m so impressed with the whole Griffin Fit ethos and what they stand for, it isn’t about starving yourself on unrealistic diets, which I’ve been guilty of in the past. It’s about toning your body, getting rid of unwanted body fat and educating yourself about food, I literally cannot recommend them enough!” www.griffinfit.co.uk 07817 915 485

He took a nap to sleep off a hangover and awoke to a life changing disability that would be a mystery to doctors for the next four years – KERRY SMITH tells the inspirational story of James Sutliff and his battle with Dystonia

Putting a face to the name of

W

hat you see is not what you get with James Sutliff. A dashing six ft tall, tattooed, 31-yearold fitness enthusiast strides into the studio for another photoshoot – but he is not here to fulfil a dream of becoming a model.

Eight years ago, James was a healthy 24-year-old enjoying a career as a plumber and rugby player.

His life changed after he woke up from a night out feeling unwell.

Putting it down to a hangover, he took a nap. When he awoke, he could no longer talk.

“Me being me,” says James, “I thought it was just a virus but weeks and then months passed.”

After finally being persuaded to see someone about his condition, Doctors were staggered. Suffering with slurred speech and problems with eating and drinking and a quickly developing stiffening of the hands, baffled health professionals were unable to help him.

The painful tension in his hands turned simple tasks like writing, dressing or handling money into tedious challenges. His hopeful rugby dreams and plumbing aspirations had to come to an end, which was difficult to come to terms with.

His confidence crumbled making it difficult to socialise and easy to slip into the habit of hiding himself away but this photoshoot presented a different James Sutliff.

after being diagnosed with a mild form of Dystonia, he decided to change his outlook. “It is what it is and I can’t let it just take control of me.”

It started with visits to the gym; “he can manage his symptoms physically, emotionally and mentally,” his wife Sam, 29, believes. She goes on to say that building his selfesteem through the way he looks has been a great strategy in dealing with his symptoms. Working with the gym equipment, using his hands has become more manageable and has given him the drive to prove that a book shouldn’t be judged by its cover.

Botox is injected every three months into his forearms and left thumb. To make speaking easier, it would also be injected into his tongue and neck but this proved problematic causing an overproduction of saliva. Success came recently after discovering exceptional medical advice closer to home in Leicester and breakthrough physiotherapy appointments have been made just two weeks ago.

Sam is here to assist with the interview. Being friends since before his symptoms arose, she has seen him through all his ups and downs.

“We were casual for a long time.

After this happened, a year passed and we cemented the relationship.

It’s been a challenge for both of us but this is the man I love so why wouldn’t we go through it together.”

Four years went by of being put to the bottom of priority lists but the couple were determined to give a name to the disorder.

After pushing to be seen by specialists in London, tests revealed that everything was normal. It was hard living without answers but

Gym tips by James “For me, I don’t do heavy weights or ego boosting training. Lighter weights and high reps with slow and controlled movements are best.”

Experts say it could be many things that bring on the mystery that is Dystonia. It can develop at any age, sometimes after a traumatic event that causes stress. Concussions from rugby games could be a possible catalyst but James doesn’t dwell on why, instead he focuses on how.

It took 13 years altogether to get the body that is now helping him spread the word about Dystonia. Using social media to document how he defies the odds in the battle against his symptoms has made him an online and local celebrity.

“He’s become a sounding ear for people with disabilities. He has people contacting him daily saying they’ve seen his inspirational story.”

Just then, James is notified of a comment reply to a picture he posted an hour ago from a lady with disabilities in Hawaii.

The neurological movement condition is highlighted in America far more than it is in Britain and it is his mission to put a face to the name of Dystonia here in the UK.

Dystonia Dystonia is the term used to describe uncontrollable and sometimes painful muscle spasms caused by incorrect signals from the brain. It is estimated to affect at least 70,000 people in the UK. There are a large number of different types of dystonia which affect people in widely varying ways.

Faulty signals from the brain cause muscles to spasm and pull on the body incorrectly. This forces the body into twisting, repetitive movements or abnormal postures.

Training people with all kinds of disabilities as well as depression and cancer rehab patients, James encourages fitness to challenge physical and emotional wellbeing. He is now a level 2 Gym Instructor and level 3 Disability Specialist Coach and is moving onto Personal Training, level 4 Cancer Rehabilitation and setting up an online coaching website.

No cure currently exists for Dystonia but with the right physio and speech therapies, symptoms could improve and there is nothing to say that James won’t one day wake up free from Dystonia as suddenly as it entered his life.

For now, the doctors can wait in line while our photographer completes his own tests! www.dystonia.org.uk #DystoniaAwareness

www.vitalitybymme.co.uk 0800 999 2205

GET YOUR DAILY DOSE OF SUPERFOODS HANDMADE FRESHLY PREPARED SNACKS AND MEALS BURSTING WITH FLAVOURSOME HEALTHINESS Vegan, vegetarian and gluten free friendly

26a Market Street Leicester LE1 6DP www.detoxshack.co.uk Facebook.com/DetoxShack

WIN A HAIR MAKEOVER To celebrate the opening of the new premises in Leicester city centre KH Hair are giving our readers the chance to win a hair makeover

worth £120!

Salon Director Amanda Fall leads the award winning team of stylists and colourists at the popular city centre salon.

To enter, all you need to do is follow @KHHairLeicester on twitter and tweet #MakeMeOverKHHair OR you can email competitions@crossproductions.co.uk telling us why you’d like to win.

One lucky winner will be drawn, with a runner’s up prize of a voucher for a £20 discount.

Terms and conditions apply and there is no cash alternative. www.khhair-leicester.co.uk

28 | NICHE

Do you feel stressed, tense, overwhelmed, anxious, rundown and unable to cope with life’s demands?

Would you like to feel relaxed, understood, balanced, energised, clear headed with a sense of wellbeing?

Cranio-Sacral Therapy is a unique natural way of helping our bodies to rest and recover, treating the source of symptoms on every level, mental, physical and emotional. Helping you to let go and heal.

www.stu-niquefitness.co.uk

07828 818 261

Safe, Gentle & Non-invasive I Suitable for babies and all ages.

0116 284 1944 / 07795 361 288 www.priticoles.co.uk pritibodies1@gmail.com

Advanced Kettlebell Trainer and Leading functional Strength & Conditioning specialist

NEW LOCATION

8 Slater Street Industrial Estate Leicester LE3 5AS

WIN a new smile Smile! You could be in with the chance of winning one free Enlighten Whitening Kit worth over £450!

The signature home system is the leader in professional teeth whitening and has been optimised for predictability and ease of use.

C.A.R.E Dental invites you to celebrate your smile!

Like and Share the CARE Dental Facebook page and post a ‘smiling selfie’ to their wall for your chance to win.

Post your selfies by Midnight, Sunday 17th April 2016 This competition is subject to a dental assessment and entrants will be picked at random. By entering you agree to have your name and photo used by C.A.R.E Dental and Cross Productions Ltd in any publicity material.

www.vitalitybymme.co.uk 0800 999 2205 30 | NICHE

Don’t Hide your

smile

If you’ve ever put off going to the dentist, you are not alone! According to Dentalhealth.org, one in ten of us have a phobia so dominant that it prevents us from having our teeth checked over at all Being nervy at the thought of having our teeth looked at and its aftermaths is no unusual thing. In fact, Lead Dentist at the Centre for Aesthetic and Restoration Excellence (C.A.R.E Dental), Savan Zala, has over 10 years experience working within anxiety clinics treating anxious dental patients with hypnosis and conscious sedation.

“At C.A.R.E Dental we have the time to nurture our patient’s thoughts and feelings and listen to what actually troubles them. It’s not just

‘open your mouth; which tooth hurts?’ It’s ensuring they have a pleasant experience,” he said.

health. Looking after your teeth on a regular basis pays off in the long run.

The ethos of the private Leicester practise is embraced fully by each member of the team, “We use a range of techniques to put patients at ease that are safely done and meet their functional and cosmetic needs.”

Finding that his patients first thought is usually ‘this is going to hurt’ and their second is; ‘this is going to cost me,’ he reassures that the price to treat an issue will be a one off and your check-ups will continue at just over £3 more than NHS examinations; buying you more time with your dentist in a calming environment.

C.A.R.E Dental not only strive to improve their patients smile but also their perception of dentistry.

The practise is geared towards those who don’t visit the dentist regularly and finding out why.

“I’d be really upset if you didn’t come and see me in six months’ time because obviously I’ve done something that has not instilled confidence in dentistry for you and that’s what we are trying to achieve.”

Believing in prevention rather than cure, Savan encourages patients to have regular check-ups and get into a cycle of maintaining their oral

Consequently C.A.R.E Dental are able to provide that next level care that people want to come back to.

“We see parents with their kids who are growing up and going to uni and the next thing I know, these kids are adults and getting married!”

Dreading your next appointment?

Savan and his team can help.

0116 239 0983 www.caredentalsurgery.co.uk NICHE | 31

Preventing Cavities Eating lots of sugary snacks cause cavities but eating them more often puts your teeth at greater risk.

What has sugar? There are lots of processed food/drink with sugar in that don’t taste sweet. Common offenders are crisps, biscuits, cakes, fizzy drinks, artificial fruit juices etc.

Read the labels for sugar content.

Alternatives Fruit/vegetable snacks, nuts and plain simple water are beneficial to oral health.

Artificial sugars in snacks and drinks will reduce the number of cavities, but can have a differing impact on general health. Consume these within reason.

Sugar free gum/sweets promote the production of saliva, which act as a natural defence to cavities.

Fluoride toothpastes Small amounts of Fluoride help fight cavities and prevent tooth decay.

But fluoride free choices, in my opinion, are just as effective. How teeth are cleaned and eating habits are most important.

Too much citrus Fruit and veg are a vital part of a healthy diet and teeth. Yet too much acidic fruit and veg consumed regularly through the day can wear away teeth.

Regular Check ups This is an opportunity for your dentist to check your general oral health is good and any uncommon troubles are picked up early and treated.

Book in through out March for a free oral health check up 0116 239 0983 www.caredentalsurgery.co.uk

More than just medical insurance VitalityHealth offers comprehensive private medical insurance allowing your company access to specialists within days.

Our policies offer your staff health incentives to engage in all year round instead of at point of illness.

VitalityHealth members can book video conferences with Vitality GPs who can organise their private appointments. They’ll also gain £100pa towards prescriptions as part of your policy!

Members find quitting smoking easier with our support and free Allen Carr Stop Smoking course.

Once they’ve quit smoking for a year they’ll be rewarded with cash back – even if they’re already a non-smoker!

Your employees can keep on top of their new health routine with access to 50% off Sweatshop sports shoes, 50% cash back on Evans Cycles and a free health check to help them understand their health and goals.

We encourage delighting in the good things in life also! Enjoy weekly cinema tickets, a drink on us at Starbucks, relax with 75% off selected packages at Champneys Spa’s and up to 40% off return European BA flights.

Make-Up Consultations Sometimes you can’t always find the right foundation to match your skin tone. This is where we come in.

We use the art of colour theory to mix the perfect skin match foundation and work with you until you are happy.

This service is great for wedding preparations as part of our special occasion, bridal hair and makeup packages. Have you thought about having a makeover and photoshoot? We can provide the whole package using our very own make-up brand LOU Cavalio.

As the official Make-Up Partner for MISS England Semi-Finals, it’s important we keep our team up to date as well as training new employees so that our service is top of the range. Our VTCT accredited Professional Make-up, Beauty & Training School allows passionate individuals to obtain the necessary insurance needed to practice in their chosen area of interest.

Our courses are bespoke and run in small groups to allow more interaction with the tutor.

If you’re interested in developing your career and working to our standards, have a look at our courses that teach everything from make-up application to beauty treatments.

The average family can save £1227.60 with these perks! Private health insurance is affordable with Vitality Health.

Visit our site to see for yourself why you should vote for us in the Niche Magazine Business Awards 2016! Look out for our new makeup blogs and video tutorials.

0800 999 2205 www.vitalitybymme.co.uk

0116 270 7692 www.silkpowder.co.uk

www.vitalitybymme.co.uk 0800 999 2205 32 | NICHE

ALWAYS LOOK AFTER

NUMBER TWO!

DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF COLON IRRIGATION, PERFECT BOWEL MOVEMENTS AND DIGESTIVE HEALTH

Feeling of wellbeing improved by 92% Headaches & anxiety reduced by 60% Feeling of depression reduced by 86% Quality of sleep improved by 92% Skin improved by 60% Flatulence reduced by 50%

Joint & muscle pain reduced by 83%

Indigestion reduced by 90%

Menstrual comfort increased by 100%

Constipation relieved by 93%

44 HIGH STREET, ENDERBY, LEICESTER, LE19 4AG 0116 029 844 / 07815 835449 WWW.ETERNALBEING.CO.UK BOOKINGS@ETERNALBEING.CO.UK

NICHE | 33 33 NICHE

Protect the things you love

0800 999 2205 www.vitalitybymme.co.uk 34 | NICHE

EVOLUTION:MAN Have you evolved?

Being no shrinking violet when it comes to the odd preen and groom, I gave myself an internal high-five when Chris Mullins of Evolution Man asked me to come and spend the day in his salon.

The Francis Street, Leicester business is the only exclusively male barbering and grooming parlour known in the East Midlands and is now in it’s fifth year of making our county’s males more presentable.

Chris cut his pearly white teeth at a luxury resort in Indonesia, when he decided he wanted to set-up the business in Leicester he brought back some the first class service and a touch of the exotic with him.

Using the best blended products from natural oils and serums for the perfect salon experience.

Already being a client of Evolution Man I knew the drill, but Chris true to form talked me through the day’s schedule and each planned treatment. First up, chill time, a back and shoulder massage. My chance to switch off and be thoroughly de-knotted as I was literally rejuvenated on the couch with the clever fusion of Balinese and Swedish techniques in salon serenity.

After being hastily dragged back from cloud 9 I was informed that I was going to be losing my waxing ‘cherry’, not being overly Neanderthal under clothing I’ve never felt the urge to be de-fuzzed. After hitting the big 4 oh last year, inevitably nature’s plans take a slight detour and whilst the extra winter warmth is comforting, it really is a massive difference to be smooth as! Ok I was, if I’m honest with you, laid there with the impending fear of childbirth as Chris applied the hot wax to my skin. And I was left feeling slightly under-whelmed, in a good way, it didn’t actually hurt! 20 minutes later I had the smoothest, softest best looking back and shoulders I’d ever had. Bravo Chris, another waxing convert to the ‘evo man clan’.

As the next day the Niche crew were in the photo studio for our new head shots, today was the perfect time for a bit of pre-shoot prep. Cue facial and LED teeth

whitening. Both of these I do enjoy on a fairly regular basis and it does make a difference. When colleagues and clients say ‘You look well’, you know it’s worth it. The facial is another time to relax and drift off somewhere peaceful as your skin is gently scrubbed, cleansed, masked, buffed, moisturised and left glowing.

LED teeth whitening has no need for some of the more abrasive techniques employed so provides a safe and harmless way of keeping your smile in tip-top condition.

You simply pop on the music of your choice on your ipod (optional, and I chose Johnny Cash), apply the herbal solution to you teeth, sit back with the ergonomically designed light in against your teeth – and relax!

A new man? No, but a smoother, whiter, less stressed, better feeling one? Yes. So gents, it is heartily recommended you get yourselves booked in, for the good of all mankind. info@evolution-man.co.uk evolution-man.co.uk

www.vitalitybymme.co.uk 0800 999 2205 NICHE | 35

ENHANCE - DEFINE - TRANSFORM All cosmetic Surgical and Non Surgical Treatments performed at a Private Leicester Hospital

✦ Breast Enlargement and Uplift ✦ Body Contouring and Lift ✦ Tummy Tuck ✦ Liposuction ✦ Nose and Ear Reshaping ✦ Eye Bag Removal

Mr T K Sankar

MBBS, BTEC (Laser), FRCS (Eng), FRCS (Plast)

✦ Skin Lumps, Moles and Skin Tag removal ✦ Anti Wrinkle Treatments ✦ Laser Treatments Fraxel Skin Tightening, CO2RE Resurfacing, Scars, Moles, Thread Veins and Birth Marks

36 | NICHE

Secretary: Anne Bailey 0116 274 3718 anne.bailey@nuffieldhealth.com www.cosmeticsurgeon.org.uk

Health & Beauty

Cosmetic Surgery

your questions answered We’ve all seen the before’s and after’s of celebrity nips and tucks but what do we really want to know about cosmetic surgery? Leading Leicestershire Cosmetic Surgeon, Mr Sankar answers our reader’s top ten questions

Q A

Can you become addicted to plastic surgery?

Q

How long does a Botox jab last and what are its long-term effects?

A

Botox®, also known as Botulinum Toxin, when injected into a specific muscle, it temporarily paralyses it for anywhere between three and six months.

Hence the anti-wrinkle effects of this treatment can last for up to six months.

Q A

Will people be able to tell that I’ve had Botox or a facelift?

Most of the time, facelift changes are well noticeable but Botox® changes can be subtle or significant. That will depend upon individual’s requirements.

Q A

How do facial peels make you look younger?

Facial skin peels are carried out using different strengths of various suitable acids. The skin peeling effect of these acids improve the texture and the tone of skin surface along with removing the effects of the sun damage to the surface of the skin. With the use of higher strength acid, one can get a deeper peeling effect with improved collagen production leading to reduction in fine wrinkles and lines.

Q A

Is there a risk of silicone breast implants leaking?

The simple answer is yes. However, nowadays the top quality breast implant manufacturers guarantee the implants for life against leak or rupture.

Addiction to plastic surgery or having more and more surgical procedures to correct presumed ‘subtle’ body disfigurements could denote underlying psychological issues. The Surgeon and the GP will be able to diagnosis this condition and will be able to help patients with this problem.

Always remember ‘plastic surgery’ is not the only solution for the subtle problems.

Q

What if something goes wrong or I’m not happy with the results?

A

You should see and speak to your Surgeon/Doctor. They will be able to help you. If you had a complication, as your Surgeon, I take responsibility for your care and I will be able to help you.

If you are not happy with the outcome and if there is a possibility that it could be corrected safely, most of the Surgeons and private hospitals will help you to get this rectified.

It is wiser to go to your local private hospital and Surgeon rather than travelling hundreds and thousands of miles.

Q A

Does cosmetic surgery hurt?

You can expect a small amount of pain with any surgical procedure and this could be managed with administration and appropriate pain medication.

Q A

How long will it take to recover from having breast implants?

Average Recovery time can be anywhere between two and four weeks. This will depend upon the type of surgery (over or under the muscle), size of the implants and various other patient related factors.

Q A

What is the best way to get rid of cellulite?

Cellulite is a complex problem and there is no single best treatment.

There are various options such as fat freezing, which has shown some benefit.

Q A

What are the riskiest procedures?

Every procedure carries a certain amount of risk. The percentage of risk varies, depending upon how much improvement one is looking to achieve.

The battle is between ‘The Beauty and the Blood Supply’. If there is too much damage to the blood supply, one can run into complications. There are also so called patient factors such as body weight, smoking, diabetes etc., which can increase the risk, along with Surgeon’s lack of skills, which could lead to increased complications.

Contact Mr Sankar for more advice and information.

0116 274 3718

cosmetic.plasticsurgeon@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The Q&As are for information only, You should always seek appropriate medical advice before considering any treatment.

NICHE | 37

Skin tips

Too much excercise?

Time saving make-up

Keeping skin hydrated is an important step toward keeping it healthy. Facial moisturisers can enhance the functioning of the top layer of skin the stratum corneum; the uppermost layer of skin made up of fat, oil and skin cells keeping moisture in. Moisturiser increase the moisture level of the stratum corneum, prevent skin from drying out and, if the moisturiser contains sunscreen, also protect against sun damage, fine lines and wrinkles.

Regular exercise is an important part of a healthy and balanced lifestyle, BUT, did you know that too much can cause psychological and physical harm?

How much time do you spend in front of the mirror pencilling in those brows, perfecting those liner flicks around your eyes and brightening up your lips?

Exercising releases feel good endomorphins. People exercise for different reasons, weightloss and muscle mass, improve stamina and fitness, boost confidence, deal with stress and depression.

Well, all that precious time can be saved! Have perfect eyebrows, striking eyes and beautiful lips all day long with Beau Aesthetica’s semi-permanent make-up.

Several factors play into your skin type including age, ethnicity, hormones, genetics, and environment. There are as many different kinds of skin out there as there are people on this planet.

Skin types are generally either normal, oily, dry, combination, or sensitive. Once you’ve determined what kind you have, you can get optimum results with the best corresponding moisturiser.

Oily Skin Indicators: Large pores and a sheen that develops quickly after you’ve cleansed.

Dry Skin Indicators: Your skin is often itchy, red, flaky, or generally tight.

Combination Skin Indicators: An oily T-zone (that’s your forehead, nose, and chin) alongside drier skin on the cheeks.

Sensitive Skin Indicators: Red patches. You’re often prone to thread veins, dryness and can cause reactions easily.

Normal Skin Indicators: An even skin tone with no flaking or sheen.

There is a condition called ‘Compulsive Exercise‘, or obligatory exercise and anorexia athletica.

This condition is defined by the exercise addict’s frame of mind.

No longer choosing to exercise but compelled to, struggling with feelings of guilt and anxiety if they don’t work out. Eating disorders can hand in hand with this, the more activity involved the less food is consumed, usually to control and take charge of weight.

Eventually compulsive exercising can breed other compulsive behaviour like anorexia and bulimia and obsessing about perceived flaws, leading the person to be trapped in a downward spiral of low self-esteem and negative thinking.

Too much exercise can actually destroy muscle mass, especially if you’re not getting the right nutrition (bodies break down muscle to use as energy). Body builders have diets monitored and tweaked, the average person does not. In females, hormones become imbalanced, menstrual cycles are affected and an increased risk of osteoporosis.

Fully qualified beauty therapists can perform a redesign of the natural hair strokes in your brows to frame your face, apply lip liner with a defined blend, perfect winged eye liner and even add beauty marks.

Not only does this save you time in the mornings but also stress! No longer will you have to concentrate on creating symmetry between your features and risk ruining the hard work you’ve put into shaping the first brow.

Results depend on your consultation in which you can decide on subtle or dramatic statements and definition. Once you are happy that your therapist understands your needs you can book your appointment!

The pigment used will last up to three years. The medically approved and tested technique is used to implant the pigment into the dermal layer of the skin Some patients feel minimal discomfort and have described the sensation as similar to having your eyebrows plucked. Topical creams can desensitise the area.

Call us for a free consultation & advice on your skin type.

The very thing ‘exercise’ offered; better health and frame of mind, can actually be your downfall.

Enhance your natural features with the virtually pain free process!

0116 253 2393 www.femi-health-beauty.co.uk

07795 361 288 www.pritticoles

0116 270 9141 www.beauasthetica.com

38 | NICHE

Health & Beauty

Myths

on weight loss Personal Trainer Lizzie Griffin reveals fitness facts DIETING WILL ELIMINATE FAT Dramatically reducing calorie intake shifts shifts your body into a protective mode by slowing your metabolism down and holding onto fat. In the beginning of a diet you will lose weight by doing this but it won’t be fat loss. It will be water weight and lean muscle tissue. This has a rebound effect and will make you fatter than you were before.

Thus the “yo-yo” effect that almost all dieters experience.

To shift and shred fat stores you’ve got to burn more calories and increase your metabolic rate (the rate at which your body burns fuel throughout the day – even when you’re not exercising).

CARDIO IS THE BEST WAY TO LOSE FAT! Wrong! Women can spend up to six days a week, 40 minutes at a time on the stepper, treadmill or bicycle and won’t lose weight. Men can run

five miles a day and gain no muscle tone and still have rolls of fat around their waist. We have been led to believe that if you want to lose fat, all you have to do is regular aerobic exercise.

LIFTING WEIGHTS WILL MAKE ME BIG AND BULKY As females we do not have enough testosterone to increase muscle size like guys do. Lifting weights for us females will give us sexier curves, definition and reduced body fat. The more muscle we have, male and female, the quicker and more effective our metabolisms will be, therefore we can achieve faster fat reductions. The more lean muscle you have, the more fat you burn.

Get access to the rest of Lizzie’s myths by signing up to the Griffin Fit mailing list. www.griffinfit.co.uk

The following can cause a lack of results

Visit their website www.griffinfit.co.uk and get this e-Book for free when you subscribe to Liz’s fun, informative, daily emails.

♦ overtraining and not allowing your body enough recovery may deprive progression. ♦ For the amount of cardio work you’re doing, you could be lacking in the nutrition department. ♦ a lack of resistance training.

Your body is a clever machine.

We want to keep our lean

muscle mass as high as we can so keep our metabolism at its best.

So the simple answer to see fantastic results are a good resistance training routine as well as correct nutrition with a little cardiovascular work to help improve your health and fitness.

www.vitalitybymme.co.uk 0800 999 2205 NICHE | 39

Wedding Belles

To Love, to cherish on your perfect day

Planning the perfect wedding day is an exciting journey to begin, with brides and grooms gathering inspiration on colour schemes, dresses, flowers and so much more.

When you, however, begin the journey to the big day the first thing you need to decide is where you’re going to make the memories of a lifetime.

It can seem overwhelming, gone are the days where you had the ceremony in a church or registry office and then off to the local hotel or pub to complete the celebrations, nowadays the happy couple has an array of choices to suit their characters and their vision of the ideal day.

One venue in Leicester is guaranteed to provide guests with the ‘wow’

40 | NICHE

factor, whilst carefully balancing the grandeur with an intimacy and attention that will welcome and encourage friends and family to immerse themselves in the special day - St Martins House.

Located on the foundations of the fort that formed the basis of Roman Leicester, the splendour and heritage of the site and its surrounding attractions make for an impressive backdrop for any wedding reception.

Situated in the city’s historic quarter, in the shadow of Leicester’s spectacular cathedral, this original Victorian building still retains

Wedding Belles

much of the beautiful architecture synonymous with the period and offers a stunning backdrop to your wedding. Built in 1877, this former Grade II listed Grammar School has been transformed into a location many brides and grooms dream of.

The Grand Hall is the ideal place to celebrate, boasting a high vaulted ceiling and exquisite stained glass windows create a truly magical feel to any big day. Unrivalled in its beauty and definitely a spectacular space, the Grand Hall somehow manages to retain a welcoming and intimate feeling and becomes the perfect place for friends, family and the happy couple to dine and dance the evening away.

We’ve been lucky enough to see the spectacular venue in its full splendour courtesy of our Account Manager, Emily, and her partner who chose St Martins to celebrate their nuptials last year, she told us, “We wanted somewhere local, and affordable, but somewhere luxurious at the same time. When we went to view St Martins we just ‘knew’ - it was beautiful, it felt right and the staff were amazing, it was the perfect choice. The hospitality

“We wanted somewhere local, and affordable, but somewhere which felt luxurious at the same time.”

was amazing throughout and the staff could not have done more to make our day extra special.”

St Martins is ideally located to benefit from the exquisite surroundings of the Cathedral Gardens, comprising of beautifully kept grounds including water features, stunning botanicals and a King Richard III statue. This provides an exceptional setting for your bridal shoot, whether in snow or sunshine, as well as al fresco seating for your guests to relax and catch a breath of fresh air.

to catering, lighting to music, the team at St Martins commitment and experience help to ensure your day will surpass even your grandest expectations. From your initial contact through to the final dance, they make it their mission to provide you with the day you’ve been dreaming of. From hot fork buffets to sit down meals, cocktails and canapés, and even your entertainment the team at St Martins are able to pinpoint the very best solutions for you, for any brief or budget, from the wealth of local suppliers who St Martins have worked with across the years.

If you’re starting out on your wedding journey take a look at their website or pop in and visit, we promise you won’t be disappointed.

www.stmartinshouse.com 0116 261 5200

Complete with a dedicated Wedding Co-ordinator, the experience at St Martins House is truly memorable, from table linen

Your wedding planner - cut out and keep Start Here  Set a budget  Set the date  Write your guest list  Decide on a style  Book the venue  Sort the legal bits

12-9 Months before the Wedding

 Choose a photographer

or/and videographer

 Select and reserve Florist  Select invitations  Meet with clergy/officiant  Buy wedding dress  Buy wedding suit  Research guest accomodation 9-6 Months before the Wedding

 Order bridesmaid’s dresses  Order best man & usher’s outfits  Order flower girl and pageboy

Legal Bit

outfits

If you are not having a Church of England ceremony, you both need to give notice at your local register office at least 28 full days before your wedding. If you are having a civil ceremony, you need to book a registrar at the office closest to your venue.

 Order cake  Send invitations  Sort music  Sort entertainment  Reserve caterer  Reserve a room for the wedding

night

6-3 Months before the Wedding

 Buy wedding rings  Organise Gift List  Book honeymoon  Book hair and make-up  Buy shoes and accessories  Venue decoration 1 Month before the Wedding

 Ask a relative to harrass

those who haven’t RSVP’d

 Finalise menu and headcount

with caterer

 Set seating plan  Buy wedding party gifts  Write toasts, vows and

speeches

 Choose Hymns and

ceremony music

 Reconfirm all bookings  Send final payments

NICHE | 41

Quality Outside Catering & Wedding Caterers in Leicestershire & the Midlands.

07811 232 801 info@dimblebeecatering.co.uk www.dimblebeecatering.co.uk

42 | NICHE

Wedding Belles

Breakfast

of Champions

Last year the Dimblebee Catering Company were presented with a host of accolades including our very own ‘Best Wedding Services 2015’ award we look at what makes them winners These family run catering connoisseurs have provided cuisine for the likes of Orlando Bloom, Alain Prost, Guy Martin and Pamela Anderson at ‘A list’ hospitality and corporate events at Aston Martin Works and the Red Bull F1 team among many others.

Despite having made a name for themselves in the corporate event and VIP hospitality sector, nothing compares to the rewarding sentiment from having played a big part in your special day.

Samantha Dimblebee, Executive Chef, and Simon Cox, Operations Director, thrive off feedback from happy couples.

organic and farm fresh foods to cater to the widest range of dietary requirements and promote only the best local suppliers and small businesses to be able to offer their trademark high quality traditional style handmade and homemade fare that quickly becomes the talk of the service.

Delivering on a flexible and personal level paired with their inventive concepts has made Dimblebee Catering Company the go-to choice of wedding caterers throughout the Midlands.

Newlywed Katie Thomas wrote of the continued help, professionalism and friendliness: “From the moment I enquired I felt in very capable, safe hands. You made the day by going above and beyond to fix leaks, do special birthday plates and being the fantastic people you are!”

Happy couple Neil and Jacqie commented: “The food was amazing, the team got everything absolutely spot on from the canapes to the dinner right through to the evening BBQ. I don’t think the wedding would have been half as good without these guys; they really felt like part of the wedding and were even up dancing later on!

Every guest commented on how ace they all were.”

Couples today anticipate the use of locally sourced, seasonal ingredients. Dimblebee’s work with

Wedding parties can indulge in unique speciality menus like Dimblebee’s ‘family style’ table

sharing, trademark rustic slider canapes and ‘love story’ options.

Gourmet bangers and mash, their famous pork pie and cheese wedding ‘cake’, shot glass desserts – you name it, they’ve made it. The team cook up the perfect menu based on your wishes and blend seamlessly into the festivities on the day.

Dimblebee Catering’s attention to detail, discreet professional service and trend setting creatives have seen the wedding champions come out on top.

“Winning not one but four prestigious titles in the space of four months [last year] has been a true testament to the devotion, hard work and talents of the ‘Dimblebee Catering’ Team,” Managing Director Robert Dudley.

For professional imaginative catering concepts call us and arrange your personalised menu.

www.dimblebeecatering.co.uk 0116 283 3327

NICHE | 43

Discover the award winning Kelsey Rose bridesmaid collection at our Leicester Boutique

Bespoke Florals Delivered in Leicestershire and Rutland FIRST FLOOR, SILVER ARCADE, LEICESTER

www.divineladieswear.co.uk

2

47 Francis Street, Leicester, LE2 2BE Tel: 0116 2707692 | www.silkpowder.co.uk

The Make-Up Partner for the

MISS ENGLAND

Semi-Finals 2016

44 | NICHE

www.juliasflowers.co.uk julia@juliasflowers.co.uk 0775 400 7122

Wedding Belles

Wedding wonderlands

Walking through the doors of The Sapphire Suite is like entering into the world of Narnia – anything could happen; the magical possibilities are endless.

On this occasion, the venue was sparkling in crystal jewels adorning archways and table centrepieces ready for Niche Magazine’s wedding photoshoot. An aisle of white sculptures surrounded a red carpet leading to a red and gold mandap looking somewhere between a fairy tale and a movie set.

Vinny Matharu set up Sapphire Events eight years ago after becoming an accountant, something which limited his creative energy. His brother, Sunny joined him in 2013 and they now run their own venue as well as running the external decorating business alongside.

The pair revel in offering their expertise and with over 80 colour choices in chair covers and linen, two containers and a warehouse full of props, backdrops, furniture and many unique handmade items, choices are never limited.

The state of the art venue located in Leicester’s iconic golden mile, seats 400 comprising of a fully licenced bar and concert hall for any kind of event with parking for up to 50 cars.

Providing hall hire, décor, catering, DJ packages, cars and more, The Sapphire Suite is an emporium that can be accessed under one roof or in a location of your choice.

You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. Call the Sapphire team to start making your dream event a reality.

The Sapphire Suite 88 Surrey Street Leicester, LE4 6FG 07872 110 213/07976 379 278 www.thesapphiresuite.co.uk Sapphire Events & Weddings 07872 110 213/07976 379 278 www.sapphireevents.co.uk info@sapphireevents.co.uk

Latest

Style Tips D REVEALE

The National Wedding Show’s Glam Squad have revealed the top trends for brides to look out for this season!

Tip1

For the bride who loves her make-up, Professional MakeUp Artist, Ariane suggests strongly defined eyes, cheeks and lips – “a la Kardashians!”

2

Tip

Ariane Poole says if you want a new look for the big day, you should try it out at least six months before the big day to ensure you are truly comfortable and own it!

3

Tip

The naked look is perfect for the bride who is having a beach wedding or who normally wears little to no make-up. Try Ariane’s Ultimate Face Tint, a soft neutral shade on the eyes, a hint of mascara, a soft rose flush on the cheeks and a tinted lip balm.

4

Tip

Fashion Stylist, Claire Ginzler shares key styles to look out for this season. Plummeting necklines and off the shoulder numbers are still prevalent.

Brides can also be daring with an open back and lots of embellishments or for a romantic look, choose a sheer chiffon back.

5

Tip

Celebrity Hairdresser, Cinta Miller explains that 2016 has seen a rise in texture; tousled big locks, big loose waves and natural textures.

Many brides are wanting sun-kissed glows and tones running through the hair.

NICHE | 45

“We sell memories not just holidays� www.purelyprestigious.com purelyprestigious @purelyprestigious

Wedding Belles

An Unforgettable Travel Experience

Award winning catering

Planning a holiday soon? But what do you actually want from your trip? Is it to escape from the hustle and bustle of the world?

Relax and get a tan? Or is it an exciting adventure into the unknown you’re looking for?

As a local family run business, we were astounded last year when we won four awards within the space of as many months!

At Purely Prestigious Travel, we don’t have Travel Agents we have Travel Experience Specialists. We won’t hard sell you some flight tickets; we want to provide you with treasured travel experiences to last a lifetime.

Our experts are well travelled; you may call one day to find one of them in the idyllic Seychelles or a magnificent city like Dubai.

Nevertheless, they will be happy to serve you and provide an insight into their travel history. We create the best itinerary at the best prices.

Planning to go Mauritius for a honeymoon or anniversary celebrations? Then let our specialists know and we will organise a complimentary Mauritian Massage or even a candle lit dinner on a private beach.

Looking for something bespoke?

Stay at the Banyan Tree Al-whadi in Al-ras Khaimah; one of the most luxurious desert resorts in the world.

For a unique voyage, a Rail adventure across the cultural epicentre Rajisthan, stop in the blue city Udaipur (Palace City) and walk around like a royal.

We can do it all and add those extra touches which make for an unforgettable journey.

www.purelyprestigious.com

A big thank you goes out to Niche Magazine and our clients who have supported us and given us the opportunity to play a major role on their big days.

We like to think that it is our business ethos that has won us so many accolades. No egos, no fuss no gimmicks.

From pork pie and cheese wedding cakes to gourmet bangers and mash to shot glass desserts, each of our happy couples have been impressed with our inventive methods.

In celebration of local Leicestershire, we promote and promote only the best suppliers in the area. This way, we can ensure we offer the highest quality, handmade, homemade fare.

We’ve catered for the likes of A-list celebrities, grade 1 listed historic buildings and private family homes so our team understands what is expected of them in a multitude of settings giving us the versatility to be as discreet or as noticeable as you would like.

Whopping Wedding Statistics Hitched-wife.org surveyed thousands of newlyweds to reveal the average costs spent on weddings in the UK – here’s what they found

Wedding day

£12,059

Guest expense

£21,307

Honeymoon Total

£2,761 £36,127

Taking the biggest cost, guest expense, Hitched did a break down to find out where all this money goes Accommodation

£1,764

Food & drink

£2,210

Stag & Hen

£2,856

Clothes

£6,374

Travel

£3,438

Gifts

£4,665

Giving you the flexibility to create your own bespoke menu, our team will work with you to tailor the perfect brief to suit your event as well as providing high quality linens, crockery, uniformed staffing, equipment and bar hire.

Venue Costs Catering

£2,552

Venue Hire

£1,517

Entertainment

£490

Drinks

£301

Registrar fees

£210

Operations Director Simon Cox

Church fees

£156

0116 283 3327 www.dimblebeecatering.co.uk

Other Costs Wedding Transport

£303 NICHE | 47

Wedding

Wedding Belles

In a city that prides itself on its cultural diversity Niche bring to you some of the best and most celebrated providers of Asian wedding culture. Arinder Bhullar is an award winning dress designer based in the heart of the ‘Golden Mile’ and Julien Trivedi provides stunning male garments for the special day. The Sapphire Suite is a flexible and comprehensive venue and those beautiful flowers are courtesy ofJulia Dilworth.

Julian Trivedi www.julientrivedi.com 38a Belvoir St, Leicester, LE1 6QJ 0116 255 0997 Arinder Bhullar 95 Belgrave Road, Leicester LE4 6A info@arinderbhullar.com 0116 266 4713 The Sapphire Suite 88 Surrey Street Leicester, LE4 6FG 07872 110 213/07976 379 278 www.thesapphiresuite.co.uk Julia Dilworth Flowers www.juliasflowers.co.uk julia@juliasflowers.co.uk 0775 400 7122 NICHE | 49

Fine & Fabulous Food

Hens,

Cocktails

& Disco Balls Since launching late last year, The Tasting Room at Maiyango has proved a popular choice for brides-to-be looking for a stylish and fun way to celebrate their forthcoming nuptials.

50 | NICHE

Situated on Highcross Street, just around the corner from Maiyango Restaurant, The Tasting Room provides a similar ambience to the main restaurant, but in a more intimate setting. Perfect for parties of up to twenty offering complete exclusivity, previous guests love the fact that they are essentially getting their own private bar for an evening, right in the heart of the city.

The Tasting Room has become the ideal place in Leicester for Hen Parties and Birthdays by offering a real VIP service, unrivalled in the city. Guests also

have the option of booking a cocktail masterclass, a really fun way to get the party started or choosing from a vast range of drinks with a dedicated bar team.

The cocktail masterclass priced at an affordable £25 per person, is led by experienced mixologists who guide guests through the art of real cocktail making, helping each to prepare, create and most importantly quaff three amazing cocktails. Don’t worry; the choice of the cocktail is the privilege of the student. There is also the option to add on any arrival drinks or nibbles so the fun can continue all evening.

Fine & Fabulous Food

www.maiyango.com 0116 251 8898

Which bar in the city can you visit where you know the playlist will be studded with your faves? At The Tasting Room you are your own DJ and you are invited to bring your own music to really make your night unique, and what’s more, you even get your very own disco ball! What about a Beauty Bar for make up touch ups for those all-important selfies? The Tasting Room has got everything covered; it’s these special extras that add to the complete and unique VIP experience. Guests travelling from further afield needn’t stress, Maiyango’s 4 star hotel has fourteen spacious easily booked

in conjunction with their Tasting Room experience.

For parties with more than twenty guests, Maiyango’s Glass Bar, with floor to ceiling windows and a brilliant outdoor terrace overlooking the city skyline is the perfect choice. It’s fair to say that all of their spaces impress, this is what makes Maiyango a versatile party venue in demand.

If it’s a unique dining detour you hunger, Maiyango’s AA rosette award winning restaurant could be the perfect choice. Head Chef, Salvatore Tassari, expresses his

passion for using fresh ingredients from local suppliers, and lovingly prepares amazing dishes inspired by his experience working in many different countries around the world. Maiyango’s soon to launch spring/summer menu is set to be their best yet as they celebrate their eleventh year in business this year. Recognised by The Michelin Guide and playing host to Her Royal Highness and numerous other high profile guests, it is obvious why Maiyango remain one of the most favoured restaurants in not just the heart of the city centre but the whole of the county and beyond.

NICHE | 51

A taste of

New York Italian right here in Leicester

Marco’s New York Italian by Marco Pierre White in Leicester is a restaurant that is not just about the food. The experience is one that brings all senses into play making it a truly memorable night out.

We were first wowed by the contemporary design. Muted tones of greys, browns and purples followed throughout the restaurant connecting each area with mutual sophistication and a colourful vintage feature wall mapping Leicester accompanies Marco’s famous chair (perfectly positioned for selfies, by the way).

We were concerned by the large group of 15 beside us but tables were well spaced and it wasn’t long before we realised we hadn’t even noticed their volume.

We noticed that the suggested wine list to go with appropriate palates on the back of the menu was a very helpful and interesting feature.

With a good selection of deliciously described options for starters we decided to go for it and indulged in a sharing board that combined 52 | NICHE

chicken wings, melted cheese potato skins, nacho’s, crab cakes, roasting corn on the cob that melted in the mouth and pulled pork which fell mouth-wateringly off the bone.

The smell of the mains arriving at earlier seated tables were enticing to the point that we had almost regretted our earlier decisions. But we were not disappointed when the penne pasta with meatballs in a rich tomato sauce arrived along with the 8oz fillet garlic and rosemary steak cooked to perfection; a perfect pink all the way through, served with chips and salad and accompanied by fruits of the forest cocktails.

Presentation for both dishes were excellent and we were surprised by the good portion sizes. Our dishes represented authentic Italian style food with delectable and distinctive flavours infused.

www.mpwrestaurants.co.uk 0116 257 5533 info.marcosleicester@jupiterhotels.co.uk

T @marcosleicester F Marco’s New York Italian Leicester

Fine & Fabulous Food

OFF TO THE THEATRE? WHY NOT MAKE A NIGHT OF IT WITH MARCO’S PRE-THEATRE SET MENU! TO BOOK, CALL 011625 75533 OR EMAIL INFO.MARCOSLEICESTER@JUPITERHOTELS.CO.UK

WWW.MPWRESTAURANTS.COM

Marco’s New York Italian Leicester

@marcosleicester

The Superfood Santuary A small building in noisy Market Street among fast-food joints in a fast-paced atmosphere, sits charmingly in the middle of all the action.

The Detox Shack has a serene forest-like tranquillity about it and as you enter, you are surrounded by soothing greens and browns and trees on the walls. They serve handmade and freshly prepared snacks and meals right before your eyes.

Phil Jackson opened the superfood sanctuary last year with the intention to design every dish with ingredients bursting with flavoursome healthiness.

With so many of us becoming more aware of our eating habits and lifestyle choices, Phil decided it was time to make it easy for people and provide a place where they could find all the healthy food they needed without having to think too much about it.

We tried the ‘Superfood Meal Box’

from which we chose the protein option of tuna and the carb option of chickpeas surrounded by a fresh avocado salad with suggested sauces of balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

The pile of high quality ingredients were tasty and left us feeling fresh yet delightfully stuffed. The filling ‘Breakfast’ smoothie also went down a treat made up of oats, peanut butter, banana and orange.

The all natural detox shack is great for vegans and those with gluten intolerances with the knowledgeable Detox staff to advise what’s right for you.

You can also experience tastes from around the world with nutritious soups and desserts.

Thedetoxshack.co.uk Facebook.com/DetoxShack NICHE | 53

Harborough Market VOTED BRITAIN’S B SMALL IN EST DOOR MARKET 2016

We have everything you need all under one roof at Harborough Market

Our fabulous food hall has an abundance of fresh, local produce as well as a great range of cafes and takeaway food and our general hall has everything from Turkish lamps to fashion and furniture!

Speciality Markets – Antiques, Retro and Collectables Market every Wednesday, Craft Market every Thursday, Antiques Market every Sunday

Tuesday-Saturday 8am-5pm. Sunday 9am-3pm Northampton Road, Market Harborough LE16 9HB /HarboroughMarket @HarbMarket 01858 465 206

LOVE YOUR LOCAL MARKET 54 | NICHE

Fine & Fabulous Food

GRADUATE

...FROM ONE COURSE TO ANOTHER CELEBRATE IN STYLE AT MARCO’S NEW YORK ITALIAN LEICESTER. To book, call 011625 75533 or email info.marcosleicester@jupiterhotels.co.uk Marco’s New York Italian Leicester 73 Granby Street Leicester, LE1 6ES

www.mpwrestaurants.com @marcosleicester Marcos New York Italian Leicester

Cold Climate Wines English grapes are difficult to grow as the weather makes it difficult to coax them to perfect ripeness.

However, they make crisp wines with a refreshing acidity. Many have an interesting layer of minerality that can be overshadowed in hot climate wines by the fruitiness of very ripe grapes with high sugars.

English vineyards

Eglantine Vineyard www.eglantinevineyard.co.uk Best known for their award winning dessert wine, North Star.

Whiskeys Orchard Whiskey Coffee £4.75 227g The finest quality freshly ground coffee with a distinctive malt whisky flavour from the Edinburgh Tea and Coffee Company. The perfect late night treat or afterdinner accompaniment. www.whiskeysorchard.com

Kingfisher’s Pool Vineyard www.rothleywine.com Award-winning and stocked by Ragdale Hall, Bosworth Battlefield Visitor’s Centre and local artisan favourite, David North’s of Rothley.

Walton Brook www.waltonbrook.com Open to tours and tastings and is unique locally in accepting Bitcoins in payment for their wines.

Sealwood Cottage Vineyard www.sealwoodcottage.co.uk A wide selection of local ales and ciders coupled with a warm welcome will keep you coming back.

Best of the Rest somerbyvineyards.com Somerby’s Magna Carta 1215 Reserve Rondo is a rare beast and this one really hits the mark.

NICHE | 55

The Famous Grouse Mellow Gold £22.00 A brand new addition to The Famous Family delivers a subtly sweeter, mellow flavour. Blending whiskies from rare, handcrafted Spanish sherry casks and charred American oak bourbon casks arrives at a distinctly smooth, mellow character and rich depth of flavour. Available in Tesco and Waitrose.

The Famous Mellow and Lemonade Ingredients: 25ml The Famous Grouse Mellow Gold Wedge of orange, squeezed Cloudy lemonade

Method: Fill a tall glass with ice and squeeze in a wedge of orange.

Add 25ml of The Famous Grouse Mellow Gold. Top up with lemonade.

Cocktail Hour The Famous Grouse Smoky Black £20.00 The brand new look for The Black Grouse. This premium expression blends rich, rare malts like the peated Glenturret from Scotland’s oldest distillery to achieve a distinctly complex and memorable character, with a smooth finish and intense depth of flavour. Available in all major retailers.

Smoked Orchard Ingredients: 50ml of The Famous Grouse Smoky Black 1 wedge of fresh lime, squeezed Half cranberry juice Half pressed apple juice

Method: Fill a highball glass with ice, squeeze in a generous wedge of lime and drop it into the glass. Pour over The Famous Grouse Smoky Black and fill the rest of the glass half with cranberry and half with apple juice. Stir and serve with a garnish of raspberries and lime.

The Naked Grouse £25.25 A small batch, craft whisky from The Famous Grouse. Selecting aged whiskies from famous distilleries like the Glenturret, then double matured in small batches in the best quality, first-fill sherry casks imparts a rich colour, smooth character and a naturally sweet and spicy taste profile. Available in high end bars and Sainsbury’s.

The Naked Grouse Old Fashioned Ingredients: 50ml The Naked Grouse 2 splashes of bitters 10ml sugar syrup Plenty of cubed ice Orange zest (to garnish)

Method: Put a small heap of ice into the bottom of the glass then pour in the whisky, bitters and sugar syrup in any order.

Stir vigorously for 20 seconds, before garnishing with orange zest. Roll the drink around in the glass for one last time, take in the aroma and then enjoy your Old Fashioned cocktail.

Jägermeister Spice A smooth re-blend of the classic, Jägermeister Spice marries the original legendary 56 herbs, blossoms, roots and fruits with notes of cinnamon, rich vanilla and saffron.

Recipes Spice and ice: 50ml Jägermeister Spice served over lots of ice Black Spice: 25ml Jägermeister Spice (double if a larger glass) served over ice, topped up with cola and garnished with an orange, lemon or lime slice or zest Hunters Tea: Usually served in a Jägermeister urn – 50ml Jägermeister Spice, 25ml of fresh lemon juice, 12.5ml of maple syrup (alternatively use gomme, but maple syrup is apparently healthier…)

25ml traditional English black tea, and top up with 75ml fresh orange juice. Mix all ingredients together and gently warm before serving with a slice (or zest) of lemon, orange and lime.

P.S. I love you J: 25ml Jägermeister Spice, 25ml Baileys, 12.5ml Amaretto, 12.5ml Kahlua and 50ml half and half (cream and milk). Shake over ice and serve garnished with Star Anise, cinnamon and cocoa powder.

Spicy Americano: 50ml Jägermeister Spice, 12.5ml of Campari, give it a little stir and top up with prosecco in a tumbler garnished with orange, lime or lemon zest.

Spicy Hot Chocolate: 50ml Jägermeister Spice, top up with your favourite hot drinking chocolate and garnish with cocoa, cinnamon and plenty of whipped cream.

MONIN syrups The world’s biggest cocktail syrup brand with over 100 flavours, from Grenadine to innovative varieties.

Grenadine Useful for a host of colourful cocktails such as the Sea Breeze or Shirley Temple Orgeat a classic flavour, used in the famous Mai Tai cocktail Pure Cane Sugar ‘simple syrup’, used to balance out sourness and sharp flavours in many cocktails Available at www.syrupsandstuff.co.uk

Bar Craft Boston Glass Cocktail Shaker £16.95 wayfair.co.uk

Fine & Fabulous Food

Believing in

Britain’s Pubs Data shows that the UK has lost over 21,000 pubs since 1980 – but you won’t see this statistic holding back Steamin’ Billy The owner of the esteemed Steamin’ Billy Brewing Company believes in the traditional local pub, “Community and bringing people together – it should be an extension of your living room,” he says.

The biggest players in the UK pub industry such as Punch and Enterprise are said to have forced Landlords to neglect customers.

Money is ‘squeezed’, suggests Billy, out of tenants without enabling them to make any money. As a result, Steamin’ Billy have been able to raise the bar by regenerating unkempt pubs to give more than their customers expect.

“Often pubs get dominated by a few locals, usually all men, so we set out to make ours family and female friendly environments with nice décor, varied products like strawberry beer and good wine as well as stamping out bad language,” explains Billy.

“You should be able to walk into your local pub and build your house. An estate agent, a lawyer, a brick layer – there should be space for all sectors of society with one thing in common; they appreciate a quality product in a comfortable environment with varied conversation.”

Steamin’ Billy pubs hold various events all year round that consist of bike rides, golf days, football and rugby days out and competitions along with free food and drink

whilst supporting their charity of the year, the Matt Hampson Foundation.

Twenty-nine pubs close each week (Campaign for Real Ale), keep them alive and find your nearest Steamin’ Billy pub! www.steamin-billy.co.uk

Converting the locals ‘Big Derek’ had been drinking in his local for many years happy to shout and swear in the comfort of his local surrounded by cheap pints and karaoke nights but when the Steamin’ Billy Brewing Co took over, they went about reinventing the pubs character. Not happy to endure Big Derek’s disruptive behaviour any longer, his temporary exile brought in many more customers as they heard of the pubs new reputation. Today, Big Derek acts as a role model for the younger customers and is very happy not swearing in his revamped Steamin’ Billy pub.

NICHE | 57

Kwoklyn Wan Martial Arts Expert | Chef Entrepreneur | Food Blogger Award Winning Businessman Kwoklyn Wan, a British born half Chinese, half English food fanatic, who is totally in love and completely fascinated by food. It is, and without question the centre of his world.

Raised deep within the restaurants and takeaways of the Chinese community Kwoklyn has been able to explore the culinary delights of the world in which he lives. www.kwoklynwan.com www.twitter.com/kwoklyn_wan www.facebook.com/BigWan888

RECIPE

Sweet Chilli Chicken Pot Stickers Ingredients Roasted Chicken breast shredded (about 3 cups worth) 2 garlic cloves finely minced 3tsp ginger finely minced 1/2 cup red onion finely chopped 1/2 cup carrots finely chopped 1/2 cup sweet chilli sauce (Use your favourite) 1/3 cup water 1 pack of Round wonton/gyoza wrappers Directions In a large bowl mix together shredded chicken, garlic, ginger, onion, carrots, and sweet chilli sauce.

To form the potstickers scoop 1 teaspoon of the mixture and place into the center of a wrapper.

58 | NICHE

Wet your finger and brush the top edge of the wrapper with water. Fold the wrapper in half and press and crimp the edges to close.

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed frying pan (with a lid) over medium high heat. Place the potstickers seam side up into the hot oil and leave to brown.

After about 2 - 3 minutes add 1/3 cup water and cover the frying pan with a lid. Leave to steam for a further 2 – 3 minutes - or until the water has mostly evaporated and the potstickers have steamed.

Uncover, remove from pan and serve with your choice of dipping sauce. #EasternHeroesKitchen #EHKRecipes

To have one’s cake and eat it too

Afternoon tea – the traditional, quintessential pastime of Queens and well-to-do types. garnishes to compliment the main offering and delivered a kind of originality.

Afternoon tea at Kilworth House Hotel – the pleasure of dining in a grade II listed Victorian building. Sitting down with a pot of tea and light snacks has become quite a trendy thing to do with one’s time these days.

A platter of scones, cakes and pastries were displayed before us with delicious accompaniments of clotted cream and home-made jams. Some of the dainty desserts were rich and agreeably heavy whilst others combined subtle fluffy zests – a successful mix.

Seated around an elegantly stylish table, our waitress formally introduced herself and set about making us feel like true royals with our own team of ladies and gents in waiting. Beneath the glass and ornate wrought iron ceiling, we were waited upon by several staff floating in and out seamlessly as we continued our conversations.

A generous range of delicate sandwiches arranged on a beautiful three-tiered stand appeared before us. With finger rolls ranging from smoked salmon to cheese, all presented perfectly just so – easy to eat with no crumbs or spillages. Each were dressed in tasty purees and

Throughout, tea was never short on supply, of which there were 10 types available. Never left waiting too long or rushed to finish up, the staff were delightful with a pleasant demeanour that any noble would have come to expect.

Afternoon tea at Kilworth House Hotel has stuck to the formal etiquette of the tradition situated in the open airy, modern Orangery that still holds much of its Victorian style décor.

A bottle of Taittinger Brut Réserve NV PLUS a bottle of Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc 2015 and Villa Maria Private Bin Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 The EE British Academy Film Awards ceremony will be taking place on Valentine’s Day, Sunday 14th February 2016. Continuing their love affair with the BAFTA Film Awards, Champagne Taittinger and Villa Maria invite you to sip like the stars. As the official Champagne and Wine and Partners to BAFTA, Champagne Taittinger and Villa Maria wines from New Zealand are delighted to offer you the chance to win a bottle of Taittinger Brut Réserve NV, a bottle of Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc 2015 and Villa Maria Private Bin Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2013, as served to the guests at the Awards.

Adding extra glitz to the awards for the 14th year running, Taittinger is the only leading Champagne house to remain owned and actively managed by the family named on the label. Taittinger is widely available. www.taittinger.com.

Villa Maria has been New Zealand’s most awarded winery for over 30 years and remains proudly family-owned. Villa Maria wines are widely available in all good retailers. Visit www.villamaria.co.nz To win follow @magazineniche on twitter, tweeting ‘I love Taittinger #FindYourNiche’

Terms & Conditions: Entrants must be 18 or over. Entrants must provide a mainland UK address and telephone number for delivery.

Visit www.bafta.org for more information.

NICHE | 59

Hot Property

THE

HONOURABLE TRADESMEN It is hard to know who you can trust without spending a fortune with one of the major players in the industry – but having appeared on BBC Show DIY:SOS, family-run Hamilton Leicester have proved themselves to be one of the best in the Midlands for detailed construction work

60 | NICHE

Who do you turn to when you need someone to directly deal with your personal housing or commercial development on time, within budget and exactly to brief all whilst offering their design expertise and original ideas?

Communities Secretary, Greg Clark told the BBC that the eight biggest building firms accounted for 50 per cent of the house-building market, leaving companies like Hamilton Leicester as the perfect hidden gem who will build exclusively for you.

David Cameron announced earlier this year that the government will be commissioning the build of 13,000 new homes in 2016.

The Hamilton tradesmen offer such a reputable service that they were invited to be a part of the BBC show DIY SOS: The Big Build for a family’s home makeover in Loughborough.

They have rebuilt and refurbished business and retail premises with luxury out-fittings and conducted prestige building projects, groundwork’s and demolitions and are the go-to-guys for all building, fitting and renovation work for Goldsmiths Jewellers. Maybe not exactly hidden then but most definitely a gem!

But if you’re thinking about making the move, why not work to transform your house into a home that you can love again and build on its value? Or for first-home buyers, purchasing an older home that you can renovate to suit your unique style is well worth the investment.

Likewise, if you’re a company with your heart set on a project being completed to perfection, you wouldn’t want to be offering your potential clients and tenants something that can be found elsewhere.

The local family-run business started in 2008 when Steve Hamilton became set on forming a company of top quality tradesmen with a variety of skills who would do an honest job every time.

Hot Property

THE HONOURABLE “There are a hell of a lot of builders out there who TRADESMEN just do the one thing but we cater for it all” “There are a hell of a lot of builders out there who just do the one thing but we cater for it all,” Steve stated.

Growing from two to a team of 10, the company have built up a reputation as open and direct personable tradesmen; “We don’t pull the wool over people’s eyes and we just go about doing a good job.”

Peterborough’s brand new, state of the art £96m Energy Recovery Facility project saw collaboration between Babcock Wilcox & Volund (BWV), Interserve Construction Ltd & Viridor. Hamilton’s won a sizeable part of the project. Steve’s team with their combined knowledge and experience was heavily relied upon and led to further areas of the facility’s build handed to Hamilton’s.

“We were proud to play a massive part in this. We went in to take care of the block walls and came out as one of the major players, which was ironic as we were one of the smallest companies involved.”

Hamilton started their part of the construction program in 2013 and are now ‘wowing’ with BWV on other areas of the power plant in bringing their works to a close.

“Our works with BWV was won purely on merit and directly with how we handled the Interserve side of the project,” Steve commented.

The Leicester builders are also in their third year of an installation partnership with the pioneering manufacturers of super insulating skylights for flat roofs, RoofMaker Ltd. As Federation of Master Builders members for three years now and Checkatrade accredited, companies or homeowners are guaranteed to receive superior care and construction from the experts themselves.

So whether you’re in the process of designing your dream home or wanting to put your stamp on one or more properties, Hamilton will be there for you throughout the whole

process as they build, develop, design whilst providing council and information relevant to your project.

Hamilton’s love a revamp project working openly with the client to build their dreams with their own personal take on the structure. They also have first-hand experience working on other residential services such as loft conversions, extension, renovations and refurbishments.

For the future, Steve is looking forward to more exciting projects paired with RoofMaker and making over more homes locally and all over the UK.

Hamilton

Leicester Ltd. Bespoke Prestige Quality 0116 271 1048 www.hamilton-leicester.com NICHE | 61

EVENT ITINERARY Le marché international des professionnels de l’immobilier LUNCH WITH LEGENDS Wednesday 16th March at 1:00pm High profile lunch with George Chuter, Simon Cohen (Tigers CEO) and other legends.

Boulevard de la Croisette, 06400 Cannes

Leicestershire businesses have made a BEACH RUGBY AND LUNCH WITH LEICESTER TIGERS at team effort to have the strongest impact the world’s largest property trade fair this year hoping to attract millions in investment Thursday 17th March at 12:00pm Interactive beach rugby with the Tigers, George Chuter and legends followed by a late lunch.

Plage Le Goeland, Boulevard de la Croisette, 06400 Cannes

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO BE PART OF THE TEAM

Leicester CONTACT: IANGUYLER@PEDIGREEFILBERT.CO.UK OR CORIN.CRANE@LLEP.ORG.UK

TEAM MEMBERS ALREADY SIGNED UP

CORPORATE

A RCHITECT UR E

the mouse that roared BA(HONS), FCMA

MIPIM (Le marché international des professionnels de l’immobilier) is an international property event hosted in Cannes, France each March. It is hosted by Reed MIDEM and includes an exhibition area, networking events and conference sessions over a period of 4 days.

The efforts of ‘Team Leicestershire’ may have gone unnoticed to those who know little about the MIPIM event, which brings the biggest names in European business together. A strong presence will generate recognition, interest and development at the highest level.

MIPIM currently has 21,000 attendees and 2,445 exhibitors from 89 countries. This year business leaders across Europe will unite in Cannes, France 15th18th March for a comprehensive mix of networking, learning and transactional opportunities with influential, international property players from all sectors.

Who is Team Leicestershire?

Ian Guyler at Pedigree Filbert Ltd is a business consultant and nonexecutive director to several SME businesses, he said: “Having a high profile business presence puts Leicestershire on the map when competing with other cities in the UK. 62 | NICHE

“We believe we have a more cohesive and stronger business community than any other city in the UK. Locally, we have many interesting and varied business events, and we are bringing a snapshot to MIPIM. We are all set on Team Leicestershire being a success and having some great companies involved in the whole event at MIPIM creates profile and connections for us.”

Team Leicestershire is a combination of more than 20 private sector companies – brought together by Ian - working alongside the coordinated public sector presence represented by Leicester City Council, Leicestershire County Council and The Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP).

The private sector presence: Ian Guyler, Duncan Green of Pick Everard and Rob McGuinn of MDA are experienced MIPIM campaigners. They all agree that “success at MIPIM is all about impact and communicating our own strengths in front of key people we intend that Team Leicestershire will create one of the biggest impacts at MIPIM.” Team Leicestershire are proud to be working with project investment

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Headline Sponsor

The Companies already involved

We have a more cohesive and stronger team than any other city in the UK

BA(HONS), FCMA

CORPORATE

A RCHITECT UR E

and development company, CEG, as well as having them on board as their main sponsor. The estates company have significant development interests in the city which would be greatly beneficial.

Local brewer and pub retailer, Everards have also joined to showcase the teams efforts in the MIPIM event and are hoping to secure some promising deals for a successful future and the progression of Leicester.

Sports legends George Chuter, Neil Back, Leon Lloyd and Will Johnson will organise an interactive, invite only, Tag Rugby competition on the beach in Cannes from 12pm onwards. This will give MIPIM delegates the chance to play along side Tigers Legends as well as a current player and have fun at the end of a long hard conference.

Team Leicestershire will also be linking with Leicester City’s ex-defender, Matt Elliot turned Co-commentator for the BBC analysing home and away games and joined by the De Montfort University Ladies Rugby Team.

Ian went onto say: “We have a vibrant PR and marketing team made up of Tom Pegden from The Leicester Mercury, Jenny Cross

from Niche Magazine, Tracey Miller from The Miller Partnership, Claudia Burdett of Andrew Granger and Juice Creative the Brand Agency.

We have a great team out here.

There’s more to come. It’s in the process of being organised.”

History and Context of MIPIM City representatives across the globe will go to the access-all-areas property event in an attempt to entice inward regional investment.

From architectural designs to high-tech drones, they will gain insight into the latest global market trends, find new partners, discover new projects and aim to promote their cities as the best place for company relocation, building of new premises and construction of development projects.

Since it began in 1990, MDA Consulting has attended each annual event and this year will be organising lunch and dinner events as well as being an integral part of Team Leicestershire.

Rob McGuinn, Director detailed: “We have been based in Leicester since 1973 and see our involvement and investment in the Leicestershire delegation at MIPIM as the perfect opportunity to promote our business to existing and new customers.”

NICHE | 63

This is one more step to showing the world what a relatively small but powerful economic unit Leicestershire is.

We are the mouse that roared!

Director of Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP), Corin Crane said: “MIPIM offers the LLEP a unique opportunity to promote their ambitious development projects to almost every major developer and investor in the trade, in one place at the same time.

“We can showcase our major projects, support local businesses trying to win trade and it will help us secure important events for this year’s Leicester Business Festival.”

Ian describes networking as the ‘lifeblood’ of business and insists that attending any networking event from Leicester Business Festival to the Lords Taverners’ corporate charity fundraiser ‘The Gauntlet’ is key to business cohesion.

There’s a lot for the community to gain from securing blue chip investments but why should they invest in a comparatively smallscale area in the middle of England – what’s in it for them?

“They come to Leicester because it has a young, highly qualified population with lots of graduates.

It has great connections with East Midlands Airport, good train and motorway links to the West Midlands, North of England, London and beyond. It’s a very well connected city,” Ian explained.

Hastings Direct has had success with the opening of their third UK operation in the city in 2015, seeing its directors impressed with the workforce they have discovered.

There are also 300 IT jobs are currently being created after international technology giant IBM joined forces with Leicester.

64 | NICHE

This year it’s up to the team to show why the international comapnies chose to move here.

On their move into the city, Corin said: “We want to build on this success by showing why they chose Leicester above all the national competition. We do this in partnership with a host of local businesses, the Local Authorities and other Midlands Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) to make sure we seize every opportunity possible at this huge event.”

Already having big corporate names based around the shire such as Dunelm, Next, Pick Everard and

ProCon, Ian commented: “This is one more step to showing the world what a relatively small but powerful economic unit Leicestershire is; we are the mouse that roared!”

There is a strong pipeline of good quality companies looking to relocate to Leicestershire it has been predicted. Ian looks forward to building new relationships and securing potential beneficial transactions.

Contact Ian to find out how you can get involved in future MIPIM events. ianguyler@pedigreefilbert.co.uk

MIPIM MEETS Team Leicestershire is this year capitalising on our success in sport by bringing our well-known sporting brands out to Cannes with us. We are boldly stating that Leicester is the home of premiership sport!

Our sporting-themed events at MIPIM include:

LUNCH WITH LEGENDS

WEDNESDAY 16TH MARCH 1:00pm at L’ONDINE restaurant by invite only

CELEBRATION OF RUGBY ON THE BEACH THURSDAY 17TH MARCH 1.00pm Lunch on Plage Le Goeland by invite only

Join the Leicester Legends on the beach at 3.00pm all welcome These are not your run-of-the-mill networking events! Team Leicestershire is packed with ex-international sports players who will be joining us for lunch and beach rugby. Come and have a go if you think you’ll still be standing by then!

To attend contact Ian: 07973693455 Ianguyler@pedigreefilbert.co.uk Claudia: 07739936204 claudia.burdett@andrewgranger.co.uk

Official media sponsors

Proud Sponsors of MIPIM Team Leicestershire 2016

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Each specifically designed and tailored security system protects and secures businesses nationwide giving company owner’s paramount peace of mind.

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Gold approved company, Abel provide the highest level of protection for your employees, students, staff and visitors.

Personalised intruder systems, fire alarms, fog bandits, automation systems enable you to save costs and energy and view all CCTV remotely.

Abel can combine your devices to make them Smart and take advantage of their full potential leaving you free to focus on running your business the way it should and allowing you to experience the technology of the future today.

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Regeneration Game You don’t have to travel very far around Leicester to feel the ambition in the air – both in how companies do business and how the city works in partnership to explore what is possible.

Leicester City Council is taking the lead in making the growing city an investment hotspot through its regeneration and inward investment programme. Part of this new approach to inward investment has seen the launch of www. investinleicester.co.uk, to feature case studies of local companies.

‘Connecting Leicester’ is a multimillion-pound scheme improving the connections between shopping, leisure, housing and transport facilities, with attractive, highquality pedestrian routes. This ambitious public realm project is transforming key destinations and creating private sector investment jobs.

Leicester has fantastic projects underway in other parts of the city.

Waterside is an exciting largescale, mixed-use regeneration opportunities in the East Midlands.

More than 50 hectares of land in a prime city centre location will be developed for a rich mix of different uses.

More businesses are choosing Leicester as their base to expand, nationally and internationally - IBM and Hastings set up new operations in Leicester 2015 and have been impressed with the calibre of staff they have recruited here. They are both celebrating the fact that their projects are ahead of schedule.

Leicester is investing in its future:.

An important part of this is the city council’s ambitious programme to create a high-quality environment for businesses, residents: and visitors to enjoy and benefit from.

68 | NICHE

Head to Bed

Get Smart

Bedrooms can often be the last areas in the house to receive any love and attention, often we just close the door and hope no one will ever see the mess beyond.

This needn’t be the case anymore, there are now so many ways you can transform your bedroom into that relaxing haven you always dreamed of.

Protecting yourself against the effects of crime and the risk of fire and flood is effortless when you can benefit from the installation of a smart access, fire, cctv and alarm system.

Fabrics, textiles and soft furnishings are a must in any bedroom setting, and they don’t just have to come in the form of cushions and throws. Large upholstered headboards are becoming hugely popular.

Rather than choosing a bed with a nice headboard, more and more we see walls completely transformed into padded, upholstered backdrops to a simple yet stylish bed.

When choosing a colour scheme for your bedroom, go for a muted palette, remember this is where you sleep and relax, so bright, harsh colours will stimulate the mind not help turn it off. Inject colour with soft blues/navy or pastel yellows/ greens to add that calming nature. Try to incorporate colour into the accessories of the room so these can be easily interchangeable throughout seasons/trends.

Bedrooms no longer need to be filled with boxy furniture; they really can become relaxing, tranquil havens with soft furnishings and lighting to suit.

As our lifestyles become more and more hectic, a place to unwind at the end of the day is compulsory in any home.

Francis James www.pluginteriors.com info@pluginteriors.com 0116 262 4440

Myself and my team at Abel Alarm have over 50 years of experience in the technology and security industry, which is why we have clients all over the UK ranging from residential customers to universities and corporate companies. They come to us because we are proven to be one step ahead when it comes to future technology.

With an Abel integrated home you will save time and reduce your energy costs whilst maximising the security of your home or business and enhancing productivity.

Protecting your property has never been easier and entertaining has never been more enjoyable. Get personal with our brand new app arrangement that allows you to control blinds, locks, music, lighting and cameras so you’re ready for action whatever situation you find yourself in.

We’ve made it so that you can personalise your settings to dim the lights, turn up the music or have a movie ready for you after a long day, as well as giving you total control over your assets while you’re away.

Abel automation structures combine your devices so that they are made Smart and can take advantage of their full potential.

This way you’re able to experience the technology of the future today!

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Niche Q & A We are in the design studio for a Q & A session with our very own Interior Designer, Samantha Mansell of Chrysalis Interior Design.

If you have any burning interior design dilemmas then please do send them in, we’d love to hear from you!

Samantha x

Q

We live in an old house with lots of original beams and have dormer windows with restricted height but we are looking for more wardrobe storage. What’s the best solution to maximizing the space available? Sammy, Solihull

Q

We are renovating our 30s semi and are looking for a funky 3-seater family-friendly sofa. Any ideas on where to start looking? Vicky, Leicester

A

Sofas are such a personal choice and comfort is a real issue. If you are happy buying online, do check out Made.com for their modern designs and wallet-friendly prices. If you prefer to sit-before-you-buy, then go to your local design houses, like Heal’s, Habitat or Barker & Stonehouse and try as many different designs as you can. You’ll soon know what styles you like the look of and which are comfortable for you and your family. Very often comfort and design in sofas don’t go hand in hand!

Q

Help! My child’s toys are taking over my house! We have lots of clear plastic boxes to tidy them away but the result is so not stylish and I’m tired of my living room looking like a kindergarten.

Emily, Birmingham.

A

This is a perennial problem. The way to tackle it in the “public” spaces in your home is to not think of the storage required as necessarily “children’s storage”.

Go grown-up, think spacious trunks or chests, upholstered storage ottomans that can double as a coffee table or footstool, wicker basket storage furniture. All these will be much more stylish than your average primary bright or princess-pink plastic boxes. Of course, for storage in a playroom or child’s bedroom, then the look can be tailored to your child’s taste.

Have a look at aplaceforeverything. co.uk, aspace.co.uk or gltc.co.uk or for upholstered storage ottomans check out theheadboardworkshop.co.uk

Q

Q

A

A

Where can we source a modern abstract Murano-style glass framed mirror for our hallway?

Robert, Stratford-upon-Avon Have a look at murano-shop. co.uk. The mirrors they have online are smaller than I think you want but they say they can personalise, so it’s worth checking them out.

A

The best way to maximize awkward spaces is to bring in a specialist fitted wardrobe company. They are trained to really make the most of a space, plus it will always look better to have the furniture fitted rather than trying to squeeze in off the shelf models yourself.

Get several quotes from larger companies but also find a local carpenter who can make it for you. Often local craftsmen can be cheaper than the bigger companies and your end result will be more bespoke.

For small rooms, go for a painted finish to match your walls, it will look less imposing than a wall of wood doors.

How can we best refresh the look of our kitchen on a small budget?

We want something modern but cannot afford to start from scratch.

Rachel, Northampton The simplest way to modernize a kitchen is to paint the cupboard doors a neutral shade and change the handles to something sleek and modern.

If you have any budget leftover upgrade your tap to something really special. This will always look like a much bigger makeover than it really is so you get really good bang for your buck. If you have more budget to play with, then replace the doors with new modern ones, handle-free, if your worktop is looking tired and dated, replace that. My top tip for a new worktop is Magnet’s oak laminate – it’s a realistic wood effect laminate, at first glance looks like real wood but is a great price.

Tel: 0121 647 6709 f: Facebook.com/ChrysalisInteriorDesign t: @ChrysalisID www.chrysalisinteriordesign.com

NICHE | 69

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QualityFireplaces 72 | NICHE

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Tips to Get Better Sleep Getting a good nights sleep is key to looking and feeling our best, because poor sleep effects our mood, concentration, productivity and alertness.

The National Sleep Foundation say that an adult (aged 18-64) requires between 7 and 9 hours sleep while an older adult (aged 65+) requires between 7 and 8 hours per night.

“SLEEP WOMAN” BY AWEISENFELS - OWN WORK.

According to britishsnoring.co.uk regional studies have indicated that

drowsiness accounts for 16% of all road accidents, and over 20% of motorway accidents.

If you have issues trying to get to sleep or stay asleep read the tips below from Colourbank on how to improve your sleep.

Improve Your Sleep: You can improve your sleep in a number of ways ★ Don’t use electronics before bed – try reading a book, having a hot bath or listening to relaxing music instead. ★ Try to sleep at the same time and get up at the same time everyday – sticking to a routine helps to set your body’s clock, optimising the quality of your sleep. ★ Get regular exercise – physical exercise impacts the overall quality of your sleep, but you must exercise regularly for it to have an effect.

★ Get organised! – Get your clothes and lunch ready for work the night before - this will ensure you aren’t thinking about these things before going to bed. ★ Avoid caffeine 6 hours before bed - A study showed that those who had caffeine 0, 3 and 6 hours before sleeping had significant sleep disturbance.

★ Ensure your mattress is in good condition – otherwise you will be tossing and turning all night!

If none of the above work and you feel that you might be suffering from insomnia then talk to your local GP who should be able to advise you on what steps to take. www.colourbank.net

★ Close your curtains and keep lights dim before bed – invest in blackout curtains.

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The latest flooring trends Michael John Flooring turns 70 this year! We’ve seen many changing styles in flooring over the decades and this year, we’ve stocked up on some major up and coming trends.

In the 1970’s and 80’s it seemed that people carpeted everywhere in the home but currently there is a swing towards hard flooring.

Luxury Vinyl Tiles (L.V.T.) replicate stone, wood or marble flooring.

We have sold L.V.T. for 20 years but it has only recently become popular as people are appreciating its warm feel, hard wear and low maintenance appeal.

Vinyl, instead of on a roll, now also comes in individual planks or tiles for a very realistic look. They’re scratch and water resistant with an anti-slip surface.

Like most things, they come in various qualities. Amtico, the market leader, is designed and produced in Coventry. Their vinyl products have a lifetime wear guarantee and are also available in 29 different designs and 188 colour variations.

A long lasting trend prediction is the colour grey; from grey oak to grey tiles, people are loving the ‘fifty shades of grey’ this year!

Larger tiles and planks create a “flowing” effect as home owners are wanting airy, open plan type living areas.

Look out for great promotions to celebrate our 70th anniversary.

Simon Manley, Manager

www.michael-john.co.uk 0116 254 1853 78 | NICHE

Giving you the wildlife without the wild!

Last issue I talked about creating your outdoor space into your escapism. I want to touch on an element of your garden that will make it come alive! Wildlife is vibrant, but how does one encourage it without turning their garden into a forest! Adding bird houses and feeding stations will encourage birds, not only are they fascinating to watch but this adds colour and movement. Plants like buddleas encourage butterflies.

But nothing adds wildlife to a garden more than a pond. It encourage birds, insects, frogs, newts, dragonflys, etc. You can add fish to your pond and create a real birth of activity and intrigue.

Some may consider a pond to be time consuming, difficult and a real pain in the green thumb. So here’s my top tips for a happy pond; Balance Creating balance in a pond is essential for keeping it in good shape. I encourage you to add lots of plants if you don’t have any ‘mechinical’ elements.

Equipment If you want an easy pond life, spend your money on quality equipment. We recommend Oase for pumps and filters.

Simple If you are installing your own touch of wildlife keep the pond and design simple. If you want it complicated get a professional! Trust me water has a habit of finding leaks, and it’s always in the install!

So maybe this spring think about adding a bit of wildlife to your garden! Look out for the next issue where I will be discussing the best plants for a maintenance free garden…. Michael Wheat www.michaelwheat.co.uk info@michaelwheat.co.uk 0116 240 3735/07590 535 623

Money adds up in school with HRBS Pupils in Hinckley & Rugby’s heartlands have been tackling tax, banking and money in financial lessons sponsored by the Building Society.

Delivered by the not-for-profit group of financial education experts at WizeUp, the lessons help equip teenagers with useful knowledge for the future.

Hundreds of pupils at John Cleveland College and Dorothy Goodman School in Hinckley, Rugby’s Lawrence Sheriff School and Ansley’s Arc School have heard from WizeUp’s Ed Flack about how to achieve and maintain financial good health.

Janet Paterson, Head of Post 16 at John Cleveland College, said: “It was hugely popular with the students. A number of them said all schools should run these sessions. One said ‘you know, Miss, that was exactly what I needed’. The support from Hinckley & Rugby is a fantastic partnership.”

Hinckley & Rugby Chief Executive Chris White said: “As a local building society we would like all local school leavers to be financially healthy as they gain their independence.

“Learning about money and topics such as tax are life skills which we all need to get to grips with. We’re very pleased to be able to support these days.”

Lessons are continuing in 2016, with the first of the year’s WizeUp days at Lawrence Sheriff School. www.hrbs.co.uk/mortgages 0800 917 9292

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Talk Business

Celebrating their 180th Anniversary, Chief Constable, Simon Cole reflects on the evolution of policing in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

180 Four-hundred and fifty guests joined together to mark 180 years of policing in Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland in a commemorative service held at Leicester Cathedral on 11th February.

The service featured hymns and prayers along with readings by Retired Chief Superintendent, David Baker and one of the force’s newest recruits, PC Lindsay Hicken.

A roll of honour remembering fallen officers was read by members of the force’s Muslim, Christian and Sikh associations, while Lord Lieutenant Lady Gretton laid a wreath at the police plaque.

Eighty-four cadets then performed a guard of honour from the Cathedral to the Guildhall; the first headquarters of Leicester Borough Police, as it was then known, where Frederick Goodyer was appointed the first Chief Constable in 1836.

Frederick Goodyer The first Chief Constable in 1836

92 | NICHE

years

Current Chief Constable, Simon Cole and Police and Crime Commissioner, Sir Clive Loader reflected on the history of policing.

Chief Constable Cole was accepted onto the Midlands Police Graduate Scheme where he excelled as an inspector and quickly achieved a superintendent position before becoming one of the youngest people in England to be awarded the chief constable role.

In his early years with the police in Birmingham in the late 1980s he carried a wooden truncheon, a pocket book and a helmet.

Today he patrols wearing body armour, Captor spray, and a metal extendable baton. He uses a mobile data terminal, a mobile phone and a radio working on an encrypted channel to stay in touch with the control room at force Headquarters in Enderby.

Talk Business

“The world has changed and we have changed with it” He said: “People think of the good old days and they talk about Dixon of Dock Green but they’re talking about a different world. They look back on an age when everything seemed simple and less scary, but my grandparents lived in Leicester at a time when they had a bomb shelter in the garden, there weren’t a lot of thefts because there wasn’t much to steal.”

“The world has changed and we have changed with it. We police the local community as it is today.”

Although being chief constable allows him to make a positive difference to people’s lives, he accepts that it is a highly pressured role.

“The budget has been really tough in the six years I’ve been here and that’s why we’ve had to change.

These days we rely more on technology but our values never alter.”

The avid Twitter-user and Leicester Tigers fan believes in integrity and transparency. He remarked “There’s something about the chief constable being approachable that is really important. If someone sees me at a Tigers game and wants to have a chat, I absolutely get that.”

Leicestershire Police uses social media to be more accessible to the public and as a powerful tool to

raise awareness of public issues. For example, last November saw the tragic disappearance and murder of Leicestershire teenager, Kayleigh Haywood and their Twitter and Facebook posts alone managed to reach 3.4 million people.

In total, the force now has more than 3,200 police officers, staff and volunteers who work together to look after a population of 1 million people. Every year, the force handles 700,000 phone calls, of which 120,000 are 999 calls; they deal with 58,000 crimes and 20,000 incidents of antisocial behaviour.

The chief constable reminds us that while people typically think of the force as police officers, one third of the organisation is made up of police staff.

“There was a time when every job was done by a police officer but we must not forget that call handlers, forensic experts and many others are qualified, accredited experts and it’s important that we acknowledge those.”

The history of Leicestershire Police is packed with thrilling stories from the first DNA mass screening in the UK to their great work on hate crime. Future plans include better support for victims of sexual exploitation and taking a force wide stand against cybercrime.

Past PC’s Weighing 24 stone, Leicester PC ‘Tubby’ Stephens was England’s heaviest constable. The song ‘The Laughing Policeman’ was allegedly written about him.

Policeman and ‘master of disguise,’ Francis ‘Tanky’ Smith went on to become a private detective. Sixteen carved faces, each representing one of Tanky’s disguises can be seen at Top Hat Terrace on London Road.

This year is about paying tribute to those lost on duty, reflecting on great achievements, recognising the evolution of policing and celebrating the force today.

“We are able to move the force forward by looking back at traditions and heritage. Society has changed massively over the last 180 years and will continue to do so.”

To celebrate the milestone, this year the force have committed to taking part in 180 charitable acts in 2016, from bike rides to cake sales.

Share your memories by emailing photos and stories to 180years@leicestershire.pnn. police.uk

Simon Cole laying a wreath on Frederick Goodyers grave 2016

NICHE | 93

Mark Platt

Photo accredited to Brill Creative Business Development

Manager at Aon

The multimedia computing graduate, who aspired to be an astronaut as a child, found his calling in life in the business world.

pace of this sector combined with sales and commercial training has contributed to the skills needed to fulfil his current responsibilities.

Mark develops strategic relationships with corporate and commercial entities in order to cultivate Aon but also to help fertilise the commercial communities across the East Midlands.

The Rugby born businessman once suffered a challenging nine months and was inspired by Rej Abraham at ABPM who stripped Mark’s skills and approach back to brick work giving him a new perspective focussed on structure and planning.

Working in recruitment for over ten years, Mark believes, has given him priceless experiences as well as the drive and motivation to obtain success in work and family life. The

When he is not coaching and managing budgets, Mark enjoys Thai Boxing, spending time with Mrs Platt and watching his three daughters in their dancing shows.

Neil Smith

the pages and the front covers of numerous publications in England and overseas. He has also wowed audiences with his talents and frequently travels internationally showcasing his fashion forecasts in the UK, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Ireland, Portugal and America.

Art Director, Barrie Stephen International Stylist Neil smith is regularly called upon to conceptualise and masterfully create the hair for events ranging from high fashion shoots to brand campaigns and catwalk shows.

The rising star has developed a fantastic profile at the heart of the hair and fashion industries. He’s worked backstage on behalf of Felder Felder, KTZ, Henry Holland, Bora Aksu, Thomas Tait and Katie Ermilio at London Fashion Week, New York Fashion Week and London Men’s collection. Neil also works with international brands Bosch, John Lewis, Argos, Boots, Schwarzkopf and Eufora.

He is in constant demand for his imagery, predictions and quotes 84 | NICHE

Photo accredited to Brill Creative

Neil’s success has had recognition from his peers with numerous awards, finalist at the British Hairdressing Awards, Fellowship for British Hairdressing Fame team finalist, YourHair Magazine Image of the Year final. Women’s Stylist of the Year to name but a few. from international/national trade and consumer press from titles like Vogue, Marie Claire, Glamour, OK, Look, HairdresserJournal, CreativeHead, Professional Hairdresser and many more titles.

His stunning imagery has graced

Education is a fundamental part of Neil’s progressive thinking to the hair industry. Being a passionate and motivating educator, fresh with ideas and enthusiasm, Neil offers an exciting and electrical education programme.

Talk Business

dispute with another party and depending on the next ‘move’ the opponent makes, her tactics and approach to the situation may need to suddenly change. The excitement of this paired with the variety of cases that come with a unique set of facts requiring different applications of the law is why Claire had always wanted to go into this fascinating line of work.

Claire Herbert

Associate Solicitor at Gateley Plc Claire enjoys the variety her role has to offer. Putting together and executing a ‘game plan’ adds a buzz to her daily work life that very few professions can replicate.

A determined, eighteen-year-old Claire worked her way up from her Trainee Secretary job in a law firm by studying part time until she qualified as a Legal Executive in 2006 then a Solicitor in 2009. She now has an active role in the business development of the firm and helps junior members of the team in the progression of their career.

Robin Johnston

She provides commercial advice to clients who find themselves in

Associate Solicitor at Bray & Bray

The lover of fashion, food and fast cars has worked all over the country and believes that travelling is the best type of experience that anyone can gain. Along the way she has met truly inspirational women, especially those she has encountered at Niche networking events and ‘women in business’ workshops and feels blessed to be surrounded by and able to dress some of them.

Sukhina Garcia

Founder and co-owner at Betty Brown Sukhina has adopted the roles of many after founding her own business in the fashion industry.

As designer, buyer, merchandiser, manageress, marketing and production co-ordinator, she has created a stand-out retail brand in Leicestershire.

Sukhina adores fashion but when lacking the confidence to gain a fashion qualification, she instead acquired a degree in Business and trained herself in fashion design; embracing her naturally creative side.

When a very young Robin Johnston was asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, he replied: “Doctor on Monday, Vet on Tuesday, Soldier on Wednesday, Lawyer on Thursday, Policeman on Friday, Farmer on Saturday and rest on Sunday.”

It seems now that every day is a Thursday for Robin as he had to narrow his aspirations down to one career.

The corporate and commercial lawyer specialises in matters involving insolvency, restructuring and turnaround. He has acted for and advised many businesses, individuals, company directors, insolvency practitioners, receivers, creditors, banks and other lenders around the country.

Counting himself lucky to call some of the greatest business minds in the East Midlands as friends, he finds inspiration from their relationships continually.

Growing up in South Africa, his friends say, has made Robin everything that his is today; a food and drink geek, a restless traveller, a scuba diver and a determined solicitor.

NICHE | 85

LEICESTERSHIRE

Business owners get interactive for the day with Qdos

IBM Innovation Centre

Leicestershire and surrounding areas are home to an abundance of businesses, many of which have a highly successful business owner at the helm. These champions however, do not sit back and rest on their laurels; far from it as they are ever-striving to be on the top of their game and reaching for new goals.

The IBM Client Innovation Centre, which was established in Leicester in April 2015, goes from strength to strength. We caught up with Bernard Szczech, the Chief Executive. He told us that the centre now employs over 120 people in the city, providing IT services to IBM’s clients across all industry sectors ranging from financial services through energy, utilities, distribution and manufacturing to the public sector.

Some of the most challenging aspects of running a successful business is aligning HR strategy to support business strategy. It is for this reason that Qdos is holding QInteractive, a fresh and innovative, event especially for those that have the responsibility for running a business.

Qdos, providers of HR and health and safety training and outsource solutions are inviting clients and businesses to join them in a highly interactive day to be held at De Montfort University. This event takes place on 1st April 2016 and promises to be a popular, eventful, informative day.

At the event, which is complimentary, business owners will be able to

take part in a variety of executive business workshops. There will also be a live QView discussion, with Qdos’ HR and health and safety experts, on the challenges facing businesses today as well as an opportunity for delegates to network with others.

Special guest speaker, Aatin Anadkat BEM, from award winning Hotel Maiyango will be sharing his journey to success with delegates.

As Aatin received his BEM for services to entrepreneurship in the 2016 New Years Honours list, this should prove to be a very interesting start to the day.

Toni Robinson, director at Qdos says, “QInteractive is promising to be an exciting day where guests will gain a great amount from attending.

The team at Qdos are looking forward to assisting businesses with their challenges throughout the day.”

Said Bernard: “I’m delighted with the quality of the labour force in Leicester and Leicestershire which confirms we made the right decision to locate here.” The CIC is actively recruiting recent graduates for roles in software development, test and support and in data analysis. Vacancies can be found at www.ibm.com/cicuk.

If you wish to attend the event, please call the Qdos team on 01455 852028.

DMU business graduates build on jobs success Two Business and Marketing graduates from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) are building careers in the property industry after landing jobs with a top housing developer. Anthony Richardson and Emma Gristwood are Marketing Manager and Marketing Executive, respectively, and both credit their course with providing them with the skills needed to bag jobs with David Wilson Homes South Midlands.

Completing the marketing team is current DMU student Olivia Duval, who hopes her placement year at DWH will also lay the 86 | NICHE

foundations for job success. She said: “It definitely makes me feel positive about my future and it’s nice knowing that there is the opportunity for progression within the company.” The trio say their time at DMU is a talking point, while Senior Lecturer and Placement Tutor Julia Cook, has taught them all, said: “I am so proud of them.”

Anthony, who graduated in 2009, was first to join DWH. He had chosen to study at DMU because of its great reputation for business courses. He said: “Everything was almost a mini-preparation for the working environment. The theory

was invaluable in helping me get to where I am today and, without the support of the lecturers, I may not have been able to get a position on the graduate scheme at Barratt Developments.” Anthony was placed at DWH South Midlands as part of the scheme and offered the position of Marketing Executive.

Having worked his way up to Marketing Manager, Anthony now manages the marketing function of the division. He is also in a unique position to provide valuable support to DMU placement students.

Anthony said: “I know what the course is like and what experience may benefit them.”

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N I C H E Networking We at Niche know the importance of meeting people and sharing your story to help create opportunities and to build your network.

Next networking event

Thursday 12th May

Cini Restaurant Enderby, Leicester

Bi-monthly to conincide with the launch of each magazine we hold ‘Niche Networking’ an§ informal forum where businesses do just this. This issue will be welcomed 10th March at The Parcelyard, Leicester where we host our event enjoying ‘A Great British’ mini supper. These events are great and always attract a good range of businesses and organisations. For more information have a look at our shiny new website, courtesy of our associates Mocha marketing, where you will find all the neccesary details of upcoming events and how to get booked on.

Our January event was held at Soft Touch Arts in Leicester, a superb local charity which helps and supports young people to find their way using various arts based initiatives. Our guests heard from Soft Touch Director Chris Wigmore as she spoke of the work at Soft Touch and their journey.

Soft Touch opened their refurbished, award nominated, premises last year with a royal seal of approval, a visit from Prince Edward saw the party taking stock of the refit by local building company Smallman and Co. PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF LEWIS BUTTERY, A FORMER SOFT TOUCH STUDENT

NICHE | 87

The journey to Management Success

A Grandparent’s right to see their grandchildren

Auto-enrolment update

People who succeed as people managers, understand that success is no longer what they can achieve on their own. They appreciate that this is not a journey that can be made by flying solo.

Managers are only ever successful in achieving group goals because team members are appropriately managed, properly motivated and contributing at the highest level.

One of the greatest joys for grandparents is to be a part of their grandchildren’s lives and to watch them grow up. Unfortunately for some grandparents they do not get this opportunity.

We once again bring to your attention a subject that is becoming an increasingly urgent topical issue for many employers; Auto enrolment of Workplace Pensions for employees.

Which sounds easy, however, we live in a world where almost 50% of managers who become people managers have been given this massive responsibility, by being competent in their chosen field and have never managed people before. This is by far the most common reason as to why teams are not reaching their full potential.

Business owners are failing to value the significant impact that a successful people manager will have on achieving their business goals. Organisations are not appreciating the substantial changes required in skillset that come with the responsibility of managing people. Managers are often left with no training in people management, no support in how their mind-set will need to change and no guidance on how to get the best out of their team.

A grandparent’s right to see grandchildren is a topic which does not receive much publicity in the press; however it is an issue which is close to many grandparents’ hearts.

Grandparents fall into the category of people who do have the right to request leave from the court under section 8 of the Children Act 1989 to apply for a contact order to have regular contact with their grandchildren.

The courts do recognise that maintaining contact between the grandchildren and their grandparents is extremely beneficial to the lives of grandchildren in most cases.

If you are a grandparent and you have already tried to reach an agreement with the child/ children’s parents to have contact with the grandchildren that has proved unsuccessful, you should book an appointment to see a specialist family solicitor with a view to making an application to the court.

It is time for businesses to recognise that a consistent and bespoke approach to training and mentoring their business managers and leaders at all levels is needed to drive the highest level of performance in order to achieve business success.

Toni Robinson

We at Glynis Wright & Co are specialists in getting grandparents contact and so if you would like further information or advice on this niche area of family law, please contact us.

Glynis Wright

www.qdoshr.com 01455 852 028.

www.glyniswright.co.uk 0116 238 5680

88 | NICHE

Auto-enrolment is a Government initiative aimed at helping employees to put something aside for their retirement. The scheme affects every business employing at least one member of staff.

It places responsibility on the employer to provide a qualifying pension scheme is available from an allocated ‘Staging’ date for all staff. Larger firms have already implemented the scheme but many smaller businesses have a Staging date to start the scheme over the next 12-18 months.

Many employers are not yet ready for Auto enrolment, even though their Staging date may be imminent. We recommend that preparations begin six months before Staging date.

The Pensions Regulator website offers plenty of information to help you to understand your duties as an employer, and to work out the cost of the scheme.

At torrwaterfield, we have the expertise and knowledge to assist you in setting up a qualifying workplace pension to comply with Auto enrolment, and to run it alongside your monthly payroll, which we can also help you with.

Find out more about autoenrolment and how it affects you.

Peter Morris www.torrwaterfield.co.uk 0116 242 3400

It’s all in the detail...

We can help you make your business stand out from the crowd.

We love nothing more than going through your accounts to try to find ways to help you increase profit and pay less tax.

GIVE US A CHANCE TO SHOW OFF AND CALL TODAY!

0116 242 3400 www.torrwaterfield.co.uk

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“We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle” Sir Winston Churchill

Patent Box: Act NOW Before Your Business Loses Out Entrepreneurial businesses who want to make the most of the UK’ s Patent Box scheme before more stringent rules come into force are advised to act now.

Patent Box – which allows UK businesses to pay less corporation tax on profits earned from their patented technology – has been reassessed, so new entrants wanting to benefit from the existing scheme need to apply before June 30 2016.

Introduced in April 2013 to encourage UK innovation and entrepreneurship, the Patent Box enables companies who own patents to reduce their overall corporation tax rate to as little as 10 per cent.

Hypothetically this means that businesses paying £100,000 of corporation tax, for example, could, through Patent Box, save themselves as much as £50,000.

Under the current Patent Box rules, it doesn’t matter who carried out the original research leading to the patent. From July 2016, new claimants will need to prove that they did the research themselves, or paid for it to be done by someone else.

And claims will become more complicated to make, as companies will have to track their patent box profits on a patent-by-patent or productby-product basis.

UK Tax legislation is the most complex in the world and, when you’re looking at the Taxation Of Company Reorganisations, Pete, literally, wrote the book The Miller Partnership are experts in all aspects of corporation tax, specialties include: Taxation of corporate transactions, mergers, acquisitions, disposals, demergers, reorganisations & reconstructions HMRC clearances Transactions in securities anti-avoidance legislation Taxation of corporate intangible assets & goodwill Disguised remuneration Taxation of partnerships Patent Box

Larger companies with a complex corporate structure and whose R&D is undertaken by more than one of their businesses, will also find it harder to satisfy the terms of the modified scheme.

T: 0116 208 1020 M: 07802 197 269

Some businesses will, I fear, find it a challenge to meet the onerous new administrative requirements and could well be put off the Patent Box.

The Miller Partnership 5 Museum Square, Leicester LE1 6UF

However there is still time to take advantage of the existing scheme so please get in touch for further advice.

90 | NICHE

www.themillerpartnership.com pete.miller@themillerpartnership.com

WE HELP WITH: DIVORCE SEPARATION FINANCES DISPUTES OVER CHILDREN COHABITATION BREAKUPS

Award Winning Legal Firm of the Year 2015 CALL:

0116 238 5680 OR VISIT:

glyniswright.co.uk

Business insurance that sets you free

It’s time to experience the fexibility and simple way of solving your Business Insurance solutions with Brooksure. Insurance that not only covers your business, but also gives you the freedom to choose the type of cover you need. You can be lead for the most fitting bespoke provision each business is different, so is each solution.

So when you’re ready for real simplicity and more insurance freedom – you will find it at Brooksure.

Contact us

02476 499 000 - 0121 693 8740 info@brooksureinsurance.co.uk brooksureinurance.co.uk

I N S U R A N C E

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Employment Law for SMEs

Save money, time and stress

The low down on legal highs

The year 2016 brings significant changes to employment law in the UK. This will have an impact for the small or medium sized business who are often under prepared when compared to their larger counterparts.

Juggling all your utilities with different suppliers for your phones, electricity, gas and broadband can mean a whole host of separate paper bills, direct debits and ultimately higher costs for you.

The effects of alcohol, prescription medicines and illegal drugs on the workforce are usually considered when creating health and safety documentation, but with the worrying new trend for so called “legal” highs has emerging recently, these should now be included.

A business should be aware of: The National Living Wage – An increase to the minimum pay rate for workers aged 25 years and over to £7.20 per hour. It is expected that the NLW will continue to increase, reaching £9 by 2020.

Pension Auto Enrolment – This has been on force for a number of years, but many smaller employers will not become involved with this until this year or 2017. In most cases businesses need to start planning six months before their staging date.

Zero Hours Contracts – Such contracts are a favourite for media scrutiny, but a zero hours contract can help an employer to deal with changing demand. As from 11 January 2016 exclusivity clauses within zero hours contracts are not enforcable.

Holiday Pay – The calculation of holiday pay should be easy, but employment case law has clouded the water. A number of cases are subject to appeal, and a business should be vigilant in understanding their legal obligations.

At Atom HR we can provide friendly/effective assistance, and take away the worry of any HR or employment matter.

Ivan Spibey – Atom HR 0116 212 1153/07712 115 663 ivan@atomhrconsulting.com

Utility Warehouse provides the solution by combining all your bills into one award winning statement.

Recommended by Which?, Moneywise and over 93% of their existing customer base, Utility Warehouse Discount Club will save you money, time and stress.

How many of us feel confused when it comes to energy suppliers and statements?

Questions like: Do we owe money or are we in credit?; Am I getting the best deal currently?; Am I fixed into a contract?; are common place as we all try to feel our way through the minefield!

Benefit from the simplicity, savings, service and one monthly bill that helps you keep track of your utility spend. The more services you take, the more you save.

Many customers come from recommendations of existing customers. It’s easy to see why so many are choosing Utility Warehouse; this gimmick free, trustworthy company simply saves you time, money and stress, what’s not to love?

Find more ways you can save money by visiting the website or call for a free informal consultation.

David Goadby 07736 146 400 davidgoadby@uwclub.net www.save-earnmoney.co.uk

Legal highs are more accurately defined as “NPS” or New Psychoactive Substances.

They are sold as powders, pills, capsules or as a smoking mixture. They cannot be sold for human consumption so may be described as plant food, incense or bath salts. They are reported to have a range of effects on the body, from hallucinations to euphoria, and from speeding up to slowing down your reactions.

The “come down” from these can take a few days.

It would seem that the attraction to use these drugs is many fold.

The fact that they are widely and readily available, cheap, seeemingly legal to use and percevied by users to be far purer than illegal drugs may seem to good to be true. It is estimated that there were at least 67 deaths in 2014 from NPS; it is difficult to give an exact figure due to the wide variety of NPS available and the constant changing of their chemical composition. One thing is certain though, the number is rising year on year and they shouldn’t be discounted when considering health and safety.

Call us for information or a free consultation.

Sam Green 0116 216 9224 www.greensconsultancy.co.uk

NICHE | 93

Take a fresh look at training

“I cannot recommend Qdos Consulting highly enough for any of your training needs�

Joe Wilmer, MD EMEA, Hatz GB Limited

Sometimes in business we need to do things differently to reach our goals.

Why not outsource your line management and leadership training?

Qdos can provide training locally or nationally and have an excellent reputation in offering professional, affordable outsourced solutions.

Find out what Qdos can do for you 01455 852028

www.qdoshr.com

Employees - from start to finish

Who to train?

High risk flood areas

Do you dread going to work to resolve a staffing issue? Staff can be your biggest asset or biggest headache. Consider an employee lifecycle made up of the following:

When looking at a business’ training, learning and development needs there needs to be a careful selection process employed to decide who will be the appointed supplier, and more importantly who will meet your required objectives.

As ambassadors of the Niche Business Awards, we were excited to join the ‘Niche community’ at the launch event last month.

There were some interesting insurance questions fired at us and a common one was issues associated with commercial and residential property owners.

Attraction Do you attract the right people? Do they want to work for you?

Recruiting Do you know how best to staff your business, put together job descriptions, or recruit and assess candidates to get the best people?

Employment Are your contracts and terms and conditions legally compliant? Do your staff use their skills to maximise productivity and profitability for your business?

Is there a positive culture free of discrimination, bullying and harassment?

Development Do you identify skills gaps regularly and support the development of your staff?

Performance Management Do you manage staff regularly, fairly but firmly in a consistent manner to bring out the best in people who are clear what standard of performance is required?

Retention Are you losing staff in key positions?

Separation Do you make the hard decisions at a time and in a way to minimise risk to your business?

A unique approach to creating bespoke learning and development solutions needs to be adopted to enable your chosen supplier to design, in conjunction with experts in that field, a truly tailored solution that maximises your return on investment. ‘One size fits no one’ when designing impactful courses that are focussed on changing the behaviours of individuals to impact on business results/ performance.

You need to check a supplier’s track record and experience in designing accredited, endorsed, blended learning, distance learning and bespoke solutions.

Are you sure and happy that your current training and learning supplier understands your business, your objectives and your goals. They will really need to resonate with your staff as true ambassadors of your brand and your business objectives. Take the time to make sure there is the correct tone adopted to your corporate culture. Do they really get you?

We offer a national service locally. Strategic, operational and administrative HR support ensures compliance with employment law.

Tarnya Brinks

If you’ve got doubts about your training providers or would like to how Peritus work, get in touch.

Steve Walker

07986 544 694 www.sagegreenhr.com

0116 268 8727 www.perituslearning.co.uk

96 | NICHE

East Midlands is highly vulnerable to coastal flooding that could affect up to 200,000 homes. There are also 60,000 homes at risk of river flooding (emcouncils.gov.uk).

Many people have been unable to claim on their insurance from recent flooding issues and property owners are concerned about high premiums and a lack of access to cover.

At Brooksure we have great schemes available for people who own and rent out properties from factories to homes in high risk areas.

We have policies for nonstandard properties and those with subsidence issues. A lot of companies won’t cover this but we understand that insurance is needed for these categories.

As expert brokers, we can keep costs as low as possible. We are transparent about what we do and yes, you could be paying extra of up to £200 to increase your cover but in the scheme of things, paying more to be insured is priceless in the event of a flood or foundations affected by tree roots for example.

Concerned about your property?

Call me for a chat! Andy Shore 02476 499 000 www.brooksureinsurance.co.uk

Is the love affair with

pensions tax relief over?

The UK’s pension population’s love affair with pensions tax relief started when the Finance Act 1921 introduced tax relief for contributions to occupational pensions. Now, 95 years later, are we about to see the end of the traditional way in which tax relief is given on pension contributions?

In July 2015, HMRC issued its document, ‘Strengthening the incentive to save: a consultation on pensions tax relief’. The Treasury have already confirmed that they are considering the responses to the consultation and that they will respond on the 16 March 2016, Budget day.

With an annual pensions tax relief bill of circa £34 billion, there is general speculation that the Treasury will introduce measures that will restrict tax relief on pension contributions, with a flat rate of pension tax relief being a likely contender. Whilst an announcement is expected on the 16 March, when any changes will come into force is unknown.

April 2015 saw the introduction of increased flexibility being granted to the way in which we access our pensions and how we distribute pension assets on our death. However, as we approach the end of the tax year, we cannot rule out seeing major changes in the way in which tax relief is granted on our pension contributions, as well as further changes to the carry forward rules or the annual allowance.

The proposed restriction on pension contribution relief

may just be a start of a range of restrictions over a period of time. Whilst now the emphasis may be on maximising pension contributions whilst individuals can, it is also the time to consider other tax-efficient options for ‘retirement’ planning, such as ISA’s, venture capital trusts, and enterprise investment schemes, to supplement existing retirement provision.

Saroj Ekanayake or non-taxpayers may wish to consider delaying making a contribution until after any Budget announcements are made. If you would like to discuss any aspect of this, or wealth management planning, on a no obligation basis, please feel free to contact me or visit.

Members wishing to maximise pension contributions need to be taking action now to assess any carry forward options available to them, especially those who have benefited from an additional allowance in this tax year as a result of the change in the pension input period rules. Our clients who took advice to make pension contributions early in the tax year, prior to the Summer Budget, benefited in this way.

We appreciate each individual’s situation is different, higher-rate taxpayers looking to contribute prior to the Budget on 16 March may need to consider this position further; conversely, basic rate

0116 240 8700 www.mattioliwoods.com

You suddenly have a recruitment need within the business.

What do you do? Google ‘recruitment agencies’ in Leicester and pick the top four to call, or go through your business cards from a networking event? All are options but the results will differ in quality. What you should do is type ‘Eileen Richards Recruitment’ into your phone because our approach is different. How we look after our clients and candidates is unparalleled and unlike any other agency. Here’s why.

We work very much in partnership with all our clients and these are the key steps we take in order to find the right candidate for our clients:

1

Discuss the reason for your vacancy - Has someone been promoted internally? Resigned? Or due to business success, are you looking to expand the team?

2

Write a job description - This gives us the opportunity to look at what additional skills are required within the team. Identifying and measuring key competencies are going to be crucial in order to find the very best person for the position.

The job description will include soft and hard skills required, industry/ product experience, what salary are you prepared to pay, what budget do you have for this position.

3

Are you an organisation that looks at succession planning? If so, you could have a ‘skilled ready’

Accountancy & Finance

Customer Service & Sales

Executive Search & Selection

Human Resources employee available to move into this position. If not, once we start working with a client, we work with you to ensure that you have a good succession plan in place.

4

Before we advertise your role, we review with you what makes you an ‘employer of choice’. The market is currently candidate driven and our market awareness enables us to promote this for your business, and encourage the right potential employee to come and work for you.

5

We then write a job description for you and post details on to the many job boards we use. We also have an existing database of candidates, so this is included in the many methodologies we use to find the right person for you.

6

Interviewing - Many of our clients have never received interview training, so we provide training and coaching, and quite often sit in on the interviews with our clients. We meet with all candidates before client interviews.

7

Our ratio from interview to offer is 3:1. We interview all candidates first, and it is our job to ensure the candidate has the right skill set and attitude to compliment your team.

8

Depending on the level of your position, we can offer different levels of psychometric testing, we definitely recommend this service for management and above positions.

9

Managing the candidate offer is really important. If not done properly, finding good employee’s can be timely and costly. Because of this, the counter offer is becoming increasingly popular. Understanding a candidates ‘reason for leaving’ their current role at the very beginning of the process is crucial as this can save a lot of time.

Insurance & Financial Services

Legal

10

Keeping in touch with the candidate before they start We work with you to help offer and welcome candidates into your business.

Having been in the recruitment industry for over twenty years, this process, used in right way, is extremely effective and successful.

Have you put our details in your phone yet? If you are looking for a true recruitment partner, that will not inundate you with CV’s and really take the time understand your business and needs then we are the recruitment partner for you. For a free consultation, please contact us.

Office (inc Marketing)

0116 254 9710

www.eileenrichardsrecruitment.co.uk Twitter: @ERRECRUITMENT1

Did you know?

As the season’s change we find more of our clients are looking to ‘spring clean’ their business communications. Our offering is unique and incorporates telecommunications, digital marketing and web management.

Here’s a snapshot of what we do: Telecommunications Clients are always price savvy but know quality support is invaluable when things go wrong.

Our telecoms service ranges from phone lines, broadband and fibre, business mobiles and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

Digital Marketing These packages include complete social media management, search engine optimisation and pay per click advertising, allowing us to run successful online campaigns to fit all types and sizes of business.

Web Management As well as providing easy to navigate, fresh and eye catching designs, our web service gives our clients the freedom to make changes to their site, without any large overheads. We also provide web hosting, exchange email hosting, SSL certificates (internet security) and domain name registration.

Our distinctive approach means all communication services appear on one utility bill. Our cost savings increase with the more services they have but the thing our clients love most is that they have one dedicated account manager for all of the above; one person who takes care of everything and takes the time to get to know their business. We really do offer a truly personal touch.

0116 254 1344 www.citycommunications.co.uk

100 | NICHE

What makes a good mobile app?

Maximise your marketing

Whether it’s for business or pleasure, there is no denying that everyone loves a really good app.

So, what is it that makes an awesome mobile app?

Everyone talks about return on investment when it comes to parting with marketing budgets, which what a good business should. However, would they put their money where their mouth is and honestly say that they had nurtured that investment and given it the very best chance?

Just like any other product or service, the best apps solve a problem or fulfil the needs of your target market. We are always excited to talk to our clients about the opportunities that an app could bring to their business and how it will benefit their clients.

If you have an idea for an app for your to improve your business processes, we can develop this with you. We take your initial concept and design and create a fully functioning, intuitive app.

It is then released for download on the relevant app stores. We talk to you so we can understand your needs and prepare a visual mock up of your brand new app so that you can see our vision of how it will look and function.

Throughout the development, regular beta versions keep you up to date with development milestones so that you can see the production first hand, as we support you at every step of the process.

It’s all very well taking a pun on something that sounds good and that might have worked for another company, but if there isn’t an objective overview taken and inclusion of a strategic and multifacetted plan then don’t expect any great return.

Think of it as a plant.

You need a seed right? That’s the start, the seed then needs a bed to be planted, it then needs water, it needs, light, it needs nutrition, it needs carbon dioxide, it needs shelter, it needs pruning – then it has the best chance to flourish and become a good strong plant.

Take this approach in your business marketing and turn all these elements in to touchpoints, without each other they won’t stand as good a chance of working or flourishing like the plant.

Social media Direct sales Advertising Events Public relations Networking Customer service Promotions Direct marketing Each part of your business marketing plan should work closely and in unison to give the very best return on investment. ●

Our team works tirelessly to achieve the highest standards in all we do; we firmly believe that your success is our success. We don’t just aim to meet your expectations, we set out to exceed them!

Talk to us today, and let us help you unleash the power of mobile apps for your business.

0116 268 8722 www.swipeandtap.co.uk

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If you’d like a chat, give us a call – we’ll bring our gardening manual!

07711 043 901 Cross Productions

How to …. Set your PR Campaign Objectives “In order for any PR campaign to really succeed,” says Rachel Hargrave, Agency Director of RDZ PR, “you absolutely must have a set of crystal clear campaign objectives. It’s from these objectives that agency’s like mine build a strategic and appropriately creative PR plan from which we then, with the clients approval, initiate a PR campaign that will – given time and momentum – give you the results you want.”

•

So, what are campaign objectives and how do you set them? “I often talk to our clients about ‘what does success look like for you?’ If a client talks about increasing turnover or bringing new products to market then they are quite possibly two campaign objectives for their PR campaign. Essentially we start by asking our clients where are you now as a business and where do you want to be and in what timeframe? That usually starts getting people thinking!”

•

Where Am I Now? • • • • • • • • • •

What do you do as a business?

Who are your clients?

What do they purchase from you?

What are you (as a business) doing well right now?

Where are the areas for improvement?

What are the figures saying (turnover, gross and net profit)?

Who are your competitors?

What are they doing that you are doing?

What are they doing that you are not doing?

Where – geographically – do you trade?

Where Do I Want To Be? • •

What do you want to do as a business?

Who do you want to be your clients (specific names or a client specification)?

•

• • •

•

•

What do you want them to purchase from you?

What do you want the figures to be saying (turnover, gross and net profit)?

Who do you see as your competitors in the future?

Where – geographically – do you want to trade?

What awards do you want to win / industry recognition do you want to achieve?

How many employees do you want to have?

How many sites do you want to be running / locations do you want to be found in?

What are your long term plans for your business (Management Buyout, close the business when you retire, sell it on to another company / business person)?

Adds Rachel, “By writing answers to these and other questions you pose, you will begin to see more clearly the gap between where you are, and where you want to be. It is from these thoughts that you will pull out your campaign objectives. These campaign objectives are different for every person, business, or organisation but here is an example that we’ve recently worked on.”

Now it’s your turn! Have a go and see what comes out for you.

My PR Campaign Objectives (Or, What Does Success Look Like For Me?) 1. Where are you now?

2. Where do you want to be?

My three PR campaign objectives are; 1.

Example Two 2.

1. a. b. c.

To significantly raise our profile across; Local and regional media The media of interest to our clients Our trade media

2. To build relationships with the media including journalists and bloggers so that we become the first port of call when topics relevant to our products, services, and industry are being discussed 3. To become known within our industry as thought leaders and to maximise on the opportunities this presents us with

3.

RDZ PR Ltd, 3 Barrow Road, Sileby, Leicestershire, LE12 7LW 01509 813 913 www.rdz-pr.co.uk NICHE | 101

MARKETING PR SOCIAL MEDIA EVENTS

...the agency with a

personal touch

Are you looking for any agency to act as your marketing department? ...

Who are we?

A team of people who have experience of being ‘the client’ for many years. We know what it’s like to put your trust in the right agency.

... Or some consultancy to get you going?

How are we different?

We have an integrated approach, working closely with you as a part of your team to achieve the very best.

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Leisure, hospitality and tourism, sport, education, business services, retail and more...

Contact us for a cuppa! hello@mocha‐marketing.co.uk

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Mocha Marketing

@Mocha_Marketing

Join the conversation … #MochaMates

M A R K E T I N G

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M E D I A

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PHOTOGRAPHY

0 78 4 3 0 9 1 4 1 9 www.sc ottc h ou c i n o.c om scot t.c@sc ottc h ou c i n o.c om NICHE | 103

Four ways to brilliant results with direct mail

Spin, Creativity and PR

Taking the stand is the easy bit...

Social media and email marketing campaigns are here to stay but if done correctly, putting something physical into your customers’ hands is effective and crucial in getting your message across. Personalised and relevant direct mail are more valuable to recipients and make more impact.

People value something they can see and touch 24% more highly, than something only seen.

For many the word ‘spin’ has huge negative connotations, but for me that isn’t the case. ‘Spin’ is just another way of saying (in a more succinct way) “how can I look at this story and see if there is another angle that might be more newsworthy and/or interesting for the intended audience?” After all, if a story isn’t newsworthy and/or interesting it really isn’t going to go very far with the media, who are in the business of news and entertainment.

Having recently been heavily involved in the midlands biggest networking event, Love Business Expo at Donington Park, it really got me thinking about how exhibitors get the most out of exhibiting.

Four key aspects of direct mail that deliver brilliant results: Eye Catching Striking images, unusual folds and brightly coloured envelopes really capture attention. Your mailing should stand out from the everyday bill.

Contains Useful Information Don’t use bland, generic copy.

Keep customers up to date, tell them something new and explain what, if anything, they need to do.

Spin, therefore, is part of being creative and creativity is an absolutely vital part of PR. I’m not talking about making things up.

The strongest creativity comes from authenticity; what is it that your business is doing, how are you doing it, who’s doing it and how does it benefit the general public, your clients/customers, the market place?

Some exhibitors pay for their stand, arrive with a table, chair and a few bits of literature and make themselves comfortable for the day, but the majority of us want to feel that we’ve used our time wisely and come away feeling that the event was a success for our business. So top tips for getting the most of your exhibition space? Well, it has to start with what you expect to achieve. Very few of us will come away with ‘hard sales’, but you should leave feeling like you have made some great connections to follow up on.

Leads To Action Prompt them to do something – pick up the phone, arrange a meeting, or order a new product. They will value what you send them when it engages them, because they have a personal relationship with your brand.

Dave Goodman

Truth and authenticity is powerful stuff in the right hands and with an external pair of eyes viewing your truth, your authenticity, your stories they can be made even more powerful. How? We connect your truth, your authenticity, your stories with what is going on in the wider environment. We strengthen that truth, authenticity and story and that’s what resonates with the media and, ultimately, your intended audience.

Rachel Hargrave

My top tips for exhibiting are: 1. Speak to the exhibitors. Make sure who they’re expecting are your target audience.

2. Spend time on making your stand look attractive. After all, it should reflect your brand 3. Have a clear message!! If you don’t know what you’re there to talk about then how can you expect your audience to?

4. Make sure that your giveaways reflect your brand and message.

So many people invest hundreds on giveaways that have nothing to do with the business or message.

Gemma Orton

0116 259 9955 inspire@soarvalleypress.co.uk

07976 806 578 rachel.hargrave@rdz-pr.co.uk

0116 298 9430 www.mocha-marketing.co.uk

Makes You Think Make your customers consider, or reconsider, their perceptions about your brand or product and its relevance.

In need of an I.T specialist...?

Tailored solutions for all - let’s talk 0844 372 9893 www.kazzoo.com 104 | NICHE

DESIGN + PRINT

Soar Valley Press

Are you colourful enough?

We can help you reach your customers with mailings they can’t wait to open Contact our team for colourful design and print solutions

WILL

ROSIE

DAVE

ANNA

CHRIS

KATIE

0116 259 9955 www.soarvalleypress.co.uk | inspire@soarvalleypress.co.uk

Telecoms In this age of comparison websites, ask for a quote from a local company for your telephone needs whether one business line or switchboard. We can beat all quotes, just contact us for a no obligation quote without the hard sell!

Digital marketing All businesses will now be aware of the importance of advertising through social media such as Facebook, Twitter and the like. Don’t hesitate to ask us how we can make this work for you at prices that are instantly affordable.

Web You may not realise just how many people make a website search their first approach to you for business. Make sure their first impression is a good one by utilising our web building expertise at really competitive prices.

Unbeatable for price and reliability

Quote ‘Niche’ to get a special rate on any of our services www.citycommunications.co.uk Suite 3, Elizabeth House, High Street, Syston, Leicester LE7 1GQ 0116 251 4344 sales@city-communications.co.uk

20 Years of Barrie Stephen will never forget the momentous day in 1996 when he stood outside his very first salon in Anstey and celebrated his ‘Barrie Stephen Hair’ name take its place above the salon door.

Twenty years on and now a highly reputed businessman of Leicestershire heading up a team of 70, in four amazing salons across the region, Barrie has many reasons to celebrate.

With a hugely successful and locally treasured brand, an incredible 43 finalist awards and a whole host of talented and industry recognised staff members, he is reigning supreme in Leicester and the brand is still growing...

It’s safe to say that Barrie Stephen isn’t your average salon group. It’s retro New York inspired Barber Shop inside the flagship King Street salon and London Fashion Week certified stylists puts it a cut above the rest.

With amazing relationships and links with companies within Leicester such as The Curve Theatre, De Montfort University, RSPCA Woodside and involvement in many local events, it’s clear to see that Barrie Stephen’s passion and drive is almost unstoppable.

106 | NICHE

Which is exactly why this is going to be an exciting year for this business entrepreneur. At his 2016 team ‘BFactor’ team awards at The Case Restaurant in February, the company revealed its colourful new ‘Selfridges yellow’ and black branding, revealed to staff and friends emblazoned on the venue windows.

Not only has the brand been treated to a glamorous make-over all of its own, but a fifth salon is to be joining the Barrie Stephen ‘family’ in March. A new generation of Barrie Stephen style comes in the shape of ‘BStyled’.

This sassy, smart, chic salon is designed to be the prenight out glamour-stop for all those fashionista’s looking for the same Barrie Stephen promise of excellence and beauty, with a funky fresh twist. Taking up residence in the independent area of Hotel Street, BStyled fits right in with the unique and fashion-forward. This is not just great news for the girls; BStyled also has its very own man cave, with that barbering excellence that Barrie Stephen has become known for. BStyled doesn’t stop at your hair; you can have your nails and brows Bbeautified too, making BStyled the perfect pamper destination to keep its clients groomed and gorgeous at all times.

Talk Business

Legal Advice with Hollingsworths Solicitors Hollingsworths are a specialist litigation and commercial law firm based on New Walk, Leicester. A director of the company, Greg Hollingsworth, comments on some current legal issues

Restrictive Covenants in Employment Contracts:

not worth the paper they are written on?

When an employee leaves a company, they are often well-placed to take advantage of their relationship with the company’s customers and clients, and even make use of the company’s confidential information. Companies should review their employment contracts and include express restrictions to protect the business from unlawful competition. Similar clauses may also be appropriate for agents and some sub-contractors.

But do these clauses really work? The answer is firmly ‘yes’. The clauses do need to be carefully drafted and there are many traps when preparing these types of clauses that can lead to them being challenged at a later date by an ex-employee who sets up in competition with the company.

This includes the length of any restriction and what customers or clients the restriction applies to.

And for those employees who are thinking of moving on? Hollingsworths can review covenants before any new business or new role starts to advise on how likely covenants will be enforceable by the courts.

Parking Charges: Overstaying your welcome The recent case of ParkingEye v Beavis concerned an £85 parking charge imposed on a motorist for exceeding the permitted two hour parking period in a car park, monitored by ParkingEye. The motorist challenged the charge, including an argument that the £85 was an ‘unenforceable penalty’. Penalties are generally unenforceable unless they are a genuine pre-estimate of loss.

The court decided that the £85 was not a penalty because the parking company had a legitimate

interest in charging the £85 sum so that it could provide a service to manage the car park. ParkingEye cannot charge what they like, but £85 was not out of all proportion to the company’s interests.

The Beavis decision is a warning to motorists parking and the wider business community.

Provisions specify levels of loss may be more likely to be enforceable as parties imposing set charges for breaches focus on their ‘legitimate interest’ to justify a particular charge.

Debt Recovery: my invoice isn’t being paid?

If you aren’t being paid, don’t forget that on a business to business debt, statutory compensation is payable of between £40 and £100 for each outstanding invoice. The compensation can help to cover your costs of recovering the debt, and with the addition of statutory interest at 8% over the base rate, businesses can be properly compensated for late payment.

For legal advice on litigation, commercial and debt recovery, contact Greg Hollingsworth or Asit Jansari at Hollingsworths.

0116 204 7260. www.hlegal.co.uk NICHE | 107

bringing together

Style and Substance with USB Own Logo

Today in business, education and even our personal lives we are driven by data.

USBs aren’t new but USB Own Logo is certainly unique. Primo IT have supplied corporate and education clients with IT equipment since 2000. Recognising the large potential of these small devices, they added USB Own Logo to their range of solutions and has become one of the fastest growing product ranges for Primo IT. Supplying Grade A chips from well-known manufacturers, clients are guaranteed cutting edge technology but, with a difference!

USB Own Logo supplies an array of customisable USBs from the classic rectangular retractable drive to wooden drives, bespoke shapes and even drives which double up as bracelets, credit cards or pens.

Primo IT also jazz up Power Banks.

They’re one of the latest gadgets to hit the promotional market, mainly used for charging phones or small electronic devices. Having extra charge on the move is high on the agenda of many people these days and branding a power bank with your logo will get your brand name out there.

NEWS FLASH

Gone are the days where functional had lost its funk; USB Own Logo take your practical requirements and turn them into something fun, stylish and eye catching. Now your data storage device is a piece of marketing collateral, a conversation starter.

USB Own Logo clients benefit from the extensive product range, personalisation options and the market leading customer service Primo IT have become accustomed to. From your initial enquiry you will be supported with a dedicated Account Manager backed by an experienced USB team to help you find the perfect design for your business. www.primoit.co.uk

When you’re next at an event, get your business seen! Show your creative side or even use them to send out your sales pitch in a format guaranteed to get you noticed.

Unleash your business’ potential, contact the USB Own Logo team today. www.usbownlogo.co.uk usb@primoit.co.uk 0800 0567 787

Facebook: PrimoIT

What our customers say...

“These USB sticks are a great tool for our Sales Force and customers prefer them to hard copy catalogues. Primo IT prompt efficient and friendly, a pleasure to deal with, I thoroughly recommend them.”

Nick - Villeroy & Boch

USB Own Logo are offering customers a fabulous New Year saving with 100 x 4GB Own Logo USB’s for £2.40 per unit (plus VAT). Start your 2016 with style, substance and an upturn in sales!? Available on classic series USBs only and valid on orders placed before 30th April 2016.

“We needed custom made bespoke USBs in the shape of a ship to enable us to stand out within our sector and set Primo IT a challenge to produce it. We were delighted with the results and would have no hesitation in recommending their services.” John - Grange Shipping

Twitter: @PrimoIT_co_uk

“I just wanted to say a big thank you to Primo IT for their excellent customer service that they provided throughout the process of getting our USB sticks to the final product. It is always a pleasure to deal with a company that takes pride in providing a first class service.”

Samantha - Diurnal

Power Bank

Bundle Offer

Power Banks are one of the latest gadgets to hit the promotional market, mainly used for charging phones or small electronic devices.

Have your logo added to raise brand awareness.

Only

£4.50 per unit + VAT

Bundle Offer Price

100 x 2200MHA Power Bank with your logo displayed in a clear plastic presentation box.

Valid on orders placed before 30th April 2016

Why not showcase your company in a unique way, by using your own USB flash drives.

USB Own Logo Offer 100 x 4GB Own Logo USB £7.50 + VAT Delivery Classic Series Only

£2.50 per unit + VAT

We can also upload any information you wish to hand out, such as catalogues and product information, free of charge.

Valid on orders placed before 30th April 2016

For more information please contact the USB Own Logo team on

0800 0567 787 or email usb@primoit.co.uk www.usbownlogo.co.uk

NICHE | 95

Solutions in Human Resources and Employment Law

Dry Carpet Cleaning

Shops, clubs, public houses, restaurants, offices and residential properties. The most natural eco friendly bio degradable way to dry clean your carpets! l Immediate use of carpets. l Pet and child safe. l No wet dog after smell.

rch g Ma durin pril &A

Complete HR and employment law outsourcing services including on-site HR audit and drafting of employment contracts/handbooks HR and Employment law training Ad-hoc consultancy work on an hourly or daily rate basis

If you interested in outsourcing your HR function or have an HR or employment related issue please get in contact.

l No water used. l Woolsafe approved products used. l Woolsafe trained technicians. l Our system is approved by most carpet and fibre manufacturers

worldwide and is safe to use on all natural and synthetic fibres.

l ZERO risk of shrinkage. l ZERO risk of colour run. l Just one clean using our system massively reduces dust mites/

allergens, cat allergens and mold spores.

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26 Cranmer Drive Syston Leicester LE7 1HY

0116-2121153 T: 0800 152 2064 or 07821 107 526 E: info@ecocleanfloorcare.co.uk @ecoclean_floor www.facebook.com/ecocleanfloorcare.co.uk 110 | NICHE

07712-115663 ivan@atomhrconsulting.com

Talk Business

At Greens Consultancy we can provide Food Safety Advice – legal requirements and best practice, food safety inspections, audits and reports, document and procedures review, production of various food safety documents and the creation of a Food Safety Management System.

giving food safety the green light Call us for FREE Initial Advice (0116) 216 9224

info@greensconsultancy.co.uk

Greens Consultancy

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7 Leicester Road, Countesthorpe, Leicestershire, LE8 5QU

NICHE | 111

JOIN TODAY AND SAY YES TO

SAVINGS! Costco Wholesale is a membership warehouse club, dedicated to bringing our members quality goods and services at the lowest possible prices.

We provide a wide selection of merchandise, plus the convenience of speciality departments and exclusive member services, all designed to make your shopping experience a pleasurable one.

We are confident in the quality and value of our products, and we stand behind them with our guarantee of satisfaction.

Join in the warehouse or online:

www.warehouses.costco.co.uk/membership The annual membership fee for Standard Trade Membership is £20 (plus VAT). Executive Trade Membership is an additional £30 (plus VAT) upgrade fee a year. Each membership includes a complimentary card for your spouse or domestic partner.

The annual membership fee for Standard Individual Membership is £25 (plus VAT). Executive Individual Membership is an additional £30 (plus VAT) upgrade fee a year. Each membership includes a complimentary card for your spouse or domestic partner.

EASTER OFFER! SIGN UP FOR MEMBERSHIP WITH THIS ADVERT AND RECEIVE A

COSTCO LEICESTER ONLY. VALID UNTIL 30/04/2016.

Membership Criteria applies. Membership must be obtained before purchases can be made.

Costco accepts cash, debit card, cheque or American Express.

Costco Leicester Westmoreland Ave, Thurmaston Leicester Leicestershire LE4 8PH

T: 0116 269 0730

E: marketing123@costco.co.uk www.costco.co.uk

Food Court | Fresh Bakery | Groceries | Gifts | Electronics | Fine Jewellery | Designer Apparel | Opticians | Fine Wines | Butchers and more!

112 | NICHE

JN11008

£10 VOUCHER

Sports Golf club puts

men and women on par We note your surprising offer of a free year’s membership to 25 nongolfing ladies, why are you doing this?

It is fairly clear that we need to have more ladies playing golf at the Club and this is an attempt to interest ladies who may have been thinking about taking up golf, but for various reasons, have held back. We have 25 free year’s memberships to offer to female newcomers on a firstcome-first-serve basis.

Do ladies at RCGC have the same rights as the men folk?

Yes, ladies at the Club have always enjoyed equal rights in all aspects of our Club life. That has been the case since the Club opened some 21 years ago and continues to this day.

Are there any obvious benefits to ladies taking up and playing golf?

Yes, there are several important benefits, not just for ladies. There are obvious health benefits.

Although golf is not a strenuous sport, players are exposed to gentle excercise, fresh air and sunlight.

An important aspect which should

not be overlooked is the social interaction both on the Course and in the Club House. For those ladies who are still working or engaged in business, golf provides an outstanding opportunity to spend quality time with clients, or future clients.

We see you are concentrating on non-golfers, how will they be introduced to the game?

We have a well-proven process to do this; our coaching format is capable of taking someone who has never picked up a golf club before, right through to being safe and confident on the main golf course.

What equipment is needed to take up golf?

Golf shoes and golf clubs are required. The correct shoes are important in order to provide stability on and around the golf course. The coaching package includes the loan of clubs.

What rights would these 25 ladies have, in terms of access to the facilities?

They would be treated as full Members, so would have the same access as current Members.

They would also benefit from the Members’ discount in the Club House for food and beverages.

Are there any other groups that you intend to focus on?

Yes, although we have formal arrangements with local schools and colleges to provide weekly coaching for their students, we would still like to see more juniors taking advantage of the facilities provided, often at no cost. Family membership is offered to encourage entire families to investigate the opportunities that family membership would offer.

Are you going to make a similar offer to families? What would be the age limits?

Yes, we are offering 10 families, Mum, Dad and up to 3 children who are ten years and over, free membership for a year.

Is there a lower age limit for children to receive coaching at the Club?

There is no formal lower limit but the physical size of the child is important. Through our Tiger Tots scheme, children between the age of three and five have free use of

Sports

Women account for 50% of the population, yet The Golf Club Membership Questionnaire 2014 found that only 15% of females make up golf club memberships.

Rutland County Golf Club is taking a swing at changing the statistics

our nine hole Play Yard whilst under the supervision of one or more parent.

Extras

Family Golf at Rutland County Golf Club Family-friendly Rutland County does not charge families for extra rounds. The Club is offering ten families a free years Membership.

Fitness Through Golf Practice Programme (FTGPP) Sessions are run for those seeking to regain fitness after illness, injury or surgery. Build flexibility and core strength whilst enjoying social contact.

Tiger Tots Under 7s enjoy a 6-Hole “Play Yard” at no charge and expected only to enjoy themselves, whereas Tigers are introduced to our “Skills for Life” Programme.

To find out more about our offers call Jo or Tracy. info@rutlandcountygolf.co.uk 01780 460 330 www.rutlandcountygolf.co.uk See pg 119 for a chance to win a golfing day out at Rutland County Golf Club.

Leicester for sporting capital What a time it is to be walking through the streets of Leicester and taking in all this sporting enclave has to offer; let’s not let them pass us by. Take lungfuls of this in as it’s good for your health.

Having come from the city but moved away for a few years I’ve been a sporting ambassador for Leicestershire for some time now.

The fact is, it’s a much easier sell in 2016 than it was in the early part of the millennium.

Whether you’re a City fan enjoying a Premier League season we could only dream of, a Tigers follower watching the Welford Road outfit pile on the pressure on those at the top of England’s elite or even a Basketball, Netball, Speedway, Cricket, Snooker, Horse Racing or Boxing fan, we’ve got it all.

A sporting capital being firmly planted on the map by international and local stars, and that’s what I love most.

Whilst Riyad Mahrez and Jean De Villiers have made Leicester their home, there’s so much talent from within our county boundaries that I

hope it continues to inspire more to pick up a bat, jump a little further or perfect their 30 yard cross field pass.

Appreciate every athlete we have, encourage them, and most of all remind everybody you come into contact with - who are unfortunate enough to have to take in a lower grade of sport - that we are the envy of the country when it comes to top flight professional sport.

A new statue could be required...

Ian Stringer BBC Leicester Football Reporter Twitter - @StringerSport

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The largest selection of Rackets in the UK On your doorstep FOR MORE INFORMATION

CALL:

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EMAIL: sales@withersonline.com 6 Carts Lane, Leicester LE1 5FL Just off of the High Street, two doors away from Pilot Menswear

116 | NICHE

Sport

Gaining skillz with Rendall Munroe

Helping teens to soar

Flying Foxes?

Some kids in school are labelled as challenging but for many, school just isn’t for them and the 14-16 year olds we see at Triple Skillz are often the ones who struggle with education. It’s easier for them to act out with bad behaviour than ask for help.

It amazes me how many young people struggle with confidence in today’s society. At some point we have all felt pressure from our peers, even in adulthood, and for teens now competing over social media about who has the best trainers or the most likes on their profile photo, confidence can be an even bigger problem.

At the time of writing, the Foxes are still flying high at the very summit of the Premier League. They’ve continued to confound the doubters who’ve been predicting that Leicester’s fortunes will take a turn for the worst, but so far, they’ve shown no signs of letting up.

I spent more time outside the head teacher’s office than the classroom and if I could go back to year 11 and do it all differently then I would. I walked around with a bit of a chip on my shoulder but it wasn’t until I had a child that my view changed and my late uncle then advised me to chase a boxing career; which I showed a lot of skill in.

I was happy to do any job to earn money so that I could train and box. Being a Binman was the perfect job for me with the early start and finish and I was getting fit while I worked.

University students are applying to stack shelves these days because jobs are slim and far between, which makes it a lot harder for those excluded from school with no real grades to get into work.

The 16-19 year olds at my Coaching and Cricket Foundation are those who were a little bit lost and for the majority, school just isn’t their first love. One to one we learn what they like and don’t like so we can find a work experience placement they will thrive in.

There is so much peer pressure that can take teens away from their goals; we are people who they can trust, show them in the right direction, give them opportunities and the wings they need to fly.

Our young learners can take lessons in anything from cricket to football and gain valuable knowledge and qualifications for their future. The foundation is here for anyone who loves sport but we also have connections across many industries that can run placements to inspire our students.

This was highlighted by two tremendous performances against both Stoke City and Liverpool.

Five goals scored, none conceded, six points gained. The games contained some tremendous solo efforts; Drinkwater’s long range strike, Ulloa’s finish after Mahrez’s magic, and the best of the lot, the incredible strike by Jamie Vardy which took the roof off the King Power.

January and February have been a busy time for me. I’ve been involved in numerous media platforms which has been both interesting and good fun. Working on Match of the Day 2, Sky and BBC World, and on radio, I’ve enjoyed working on 5 Live, Talk Sport and of course Radio Leicester amongst a host of others.

I had a great evening at the Curve Theatre when Kong Events brought Paul Gascoigne to town.

I was glad to see he was on fine form and captivated his audience throughout.

Triple Skillz sports brings youths together where they realise they can talk to people and they will listen, understand and learn from each other. We are here to guide them to choosing a better future for themselves. Being able to use my name and to become a role model for younger people gives me the chance to explain why they go to school and how it can change their lives.

Nineteen year old, Joe Claire, is assisting with teaching in a school after one year of being with us and going on to gain extra qualifications. There are just under twenty students with us at the minute and they will all go on to find success in their own way and in something they love.

My Matt Elliott Development Scheme has been coming along nicely as usual. Great fun was had by all at the half term courses and we’re looking forward to the end of term when we’ll be running some more.

www.tripleskillz.co.uk

www.paulnixoncricket.com

www.mattelliottblog.co.uk

NICHE | 117

New Tigers venue The Clubhouse Suite, set to open in March 2016 will add a touch of iconic design to the East Midlands venue and indeed the City itself.

It will offer clients an additional dimension to their meeting needs.

The Clubhouse Suite, forms part of an £8million investment in the redevelopment of the west side of the Leicester stadium.

With seating for 180 delegates, fantastic pitch views, a generous terrace overlooking the pitch and exceptional service.

Check out the virtual tour www.leicestertigers.com/club/ stadium/stand-redevelopment/ virtual-reality-tour.php Already, the largest conference venue in the East Midlands, delegates will now be able to enjoy the new facilities adding to the huge existing space and flexibility, award winning catering, 36 separate meeting suites and the capacity for 1,000 delegates, as well as easy access from anywhere in the UK, and complementary car parking for up to 200 cars.

Book your meeting on our fantastic special offer in the brand new Clubhouse now 0116 217 1280 118 | NICHE

Making a racket about Wither’s Sports

Tigers make a statement

The internet has proven great for many things in our modern world and if it’s cheap fast service you’re after then, if you can access Wi-Fi, you’re in the right place!

In the sports world, however, it’s important to value high quality products and advice from likeminded experts.

During the summer the main focus at Welford Road appeared to be the redevelopment of the Aylestone Road end of the ground, with an eye-catching new stand taking shape.

At Withers Sports we value authentic, specialist service. We are one of (if not, THE) best Independent Racket Specialist Stores in the UK. As one of Leicester’s oldest independent shops, established 76 years ago, we’ve seen many changes, except for one: Wither’s will always offer invaluable, firsthand, bespoke advice – something that cannot be purchase online!

Our staff want to meet you. They want to ensure you leave the store with the right racket for you; the correct grip size suited for you and properly fitted and styled shoes for your game.

Like our Team, Myself and Oliver Duddy are avid Sportsmen and play sport to a high level. I have been Leicestershire’s Men’s Singles Champion in Tennis and Badminton in the same year and Olly is a Leicestershire County Bowls Player.

Our in-store practice ‘Hitting Wall’ is great for trying out your Racket – it’s like a miniature squash court.

We also stock sports from rugby to swimming and give expert guidance from fully trained and interested staff.

Owner, Steve Brett 0116 262 2113 www.withersonline.com

Now fully open, this stand delivers a great vantage point to witness the result of the real work that went on during the summer: the redevelopment of the team itself with several new signings gelling together under the guidance of new coach Aaron Mauger to produce a brand of rugby that has not been seen in Leicester for quite a while.

The Tigers are noted for having a game based around a strong pack but they are now showing additional flair in the back division, with a number of overseas signings bonding into a forceful unit under the direction of Mauger. Players such as O’Connor, Veainu and McCaffrey have already caught the eye and are delivering an exciting brand of open attacking rugby at Welford Road.

This has been particularly effective in the European Champions Cup, where Tigers topped their qualifying group ahead of both Stade Francais and Munster. In the process, they became the first club team to record two victories at the fortress that is Thomond Park.

Their reward is a home quarterfinal that will see the return of Stade Francais to Welford Road in April.

Louis Deacon

www.matthampsonfoundation.org

Sport

Tigers Headline Imagery is so important in business, but in sport it can mean everything.

More and more we and other sports clubs move towards imagery, artwork and video as part of digital campaigns to help tap into that emotion and high energy buzz you get from live sports.

With ever improving connectivity and streaming, what was inconceivable only a few years ago is consumed in ever increasing amounts and by a wider demographic.

In the last 4 years average daily TV consumption has risen from 4 hours and 56 minutes to 5 hours and 36 minutes, and the digital share of

this has risen from 7% to 24%.

At Tigers we have consistently come up with innovative ways of using video, whether it be thank you videos to our player sponsors from their player, videos in the stead of presentations for proposals, or the Tigers Family video where Manu was involved in repeating over 500 names to personalise a video for our fans we try to capture a piece of Welford Road on film.

This year, we’re going one step further, as we try to digitise our entire season ticket campaign with

our #HearTheRoar project, and put our faith in a Hollywood style video to grab attention and drive traffic.

As part of a larger campaign of relaunching our website, producing a new app, and redesigning the content and feel of our newsletters we hope that we will be able to encourage our supporters from all across the country to share and watch something a little bit special, and act as ambassadors as well as fans.

You can view our short teaser for #HearTheRoar by visiting youtube. com/leicestertigers

WIN! A golfing day at Rutland County Golf Club Rutland County Golf Club are giving away a four ball game of 18 holes with refreshments of tea and biscuits and lunch in the bar to regain your energy!

Answer this question to win What is the name of the model featured on this issue’s front cover?

Send your answers to: competitions@nichemagazine.co.uk

NICHE | 119

Leicester Riders

UPCOMING FIXTURES 14/02/16 Sheffield Sharks (4pm) 20/02/16 Glasgow Rocks 27/02/16 London Lions 05/03/16 Surrey Scorchers 11/03/16 Manchester Giants All 7.30pm tip-offs unless stated

RIDERS TICKET OFFICE

HALL OF FAME

www.leicesterriders.co.uk +44(0)116 255 8635

The Leicester Riders launched their Hall of Fame last Saturday night, and were joined by some of the all-time greats in the Club’s history, when they opened the new Leicester Community Sports Arena with a victory over Surrey Scorchers to progress to the BBL Trophy Semi-Final.

The very best of the original 1967 Loughborough All-Star squad along with top players from the early years of the Club were on hand to be honoured as the initial inductees into the Rider’s Hall of Fame at the match on Saturday.

The sold-out Leicester Sports Arena welcomed six initial inductees into the Leicester Riders Hall of Fame at half-time of the Riders Men’s match up with the Scorchers.

International greats from the 1970s and 80s Bob Wilson, Carl Olsson, Chris Worcester, Richard Pearce, Steve O’Shea and Janet Shaw, on behalf of the late Peter Shaw, were welcomed by an enthusiastic crowd in honour of their basketball accomplishments.

Bill Worth will also be honoured at the next Riders home game, as he was coaching the Great Britain Police team last weekend.

Kevin Routledge, Chairman of the Leicester Riders said, “We are absolutely delighted at the Riders to start this Hall of Fame with the great players who were instrumental in getting the Club off the ground nearly 49 years ago.”

“The original players were an exceptionally talented group who put the then Loughborough All Stars on the map, and from those beginnings the Club has evolved and prospered.”

“There has been many great players who have graced the club since those beginnings, and we will honour those in due course, with yearly inductions to the Riders Hall of Fame.

But this first group is a very special band of men who deserve particular recognition as the first players in our Hall of Fame.”

The Riders are next in action at home at the Leicester Sports Arena on Sunday February 14th (4pm), when they take on Sheffield Sharks in the home leg of the Semi-Final of the BBL Trophy.

Celebrating 50 years in business NICHE | 03

The

Conference&Events

Front Runner Where else can you find a venue close to the city centre, yet set over an impressive 200 acres of spectacular beauty?

When it comes to choosing a venue for your next conference or event, you are guaranteed to find the perfect place at Leicester Racecourse. Their dedicated conference and events team, along with their diverse range of facilities, mean they can guarantee to meet all your expectations and make it an event your delegates and guests will long remember.

Boasting eight impressive conference and events suites that are suitable from 10 to 1000 guests, with easy access to the Midlands road and rail networks, it’s easy to see how Leicester Racecourse became not only a first choice with event organisers, but subsequently became their only choice for any future bookings.

Accommodating up to 600 guests cabaret style and 1000 theatre style,

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The Kube is the perfect building for guests wishing to express their creative side. Boasting more than 700 square metres of space, makes it the ideal choice for product launches and allows you to really get your message across. If it’s exhibition space you’re looking for, The Kube can easily accommodate several thousand, and has the parking facilities for up to 2000 vehicles.

If it’s smaller exhibition space you’re looking for, the Exhibition Hall on the ground floor of the Grandstand is a great choice for trade shows, product launches and car shows.

Perfect for either private or public events, it has its own bar and food server, meaning you get to keep your guests where you want them.

The Exhibition Hall is frequently used simultaneously with the Nelson

Sport

0116 271 6515 www.leicester-racecourse.co.uk Facebook: Leicester Racecourse Twitter: @LeicesterRaces

Suite to act as a reception area, or syndicate room if necessary.

Situated on the first floor of the Grandstand, the Nelson Suite has amazing views of the racecourse, its own bar and can be divided with a partition if necessary. A light and airy space, suitable for up to 400 delegates, it is often booked for exclusive hire during race days. For organisers looking to include presentations at their event, the Nelson Suite has a complete blackout system on the windows, and an integrated PA system making it ideal for speeches or to play background music during the event.

Commanding a view of the racecourse winning post, the King Suite was designed to pay tribute to King Richard III. Organisers

looking for a meeting or event with a more opulent style choose the King Suite to entertain their guests.

With an outdoor terrace, the Club Suite looks out over the final furlong and is situated next to the Executive Boxes. Allowing for a wide variety of layouts, featuring a PA system, plasma screens, and full blackout capabilities, this suite is suitable for 30 to 120 delegates.

A popular choice for both informal and formal meetings, seminars and luncheons.

Want to give your guests an event to remember? The Pavilion enables organisers to host a morning conference or meeting with an afternoon at the races. Perfect for a drinks reception, the beautiful lawn area is also a popular choice for intimate weddings or special events.

The Racecourses seven Executive Boxes are also available to hire.

Capable of looking after 10 to 40 guests, the intimate surroundings are ideal for a day at the races, meetings and special occasions.

Specialising in first class catering, Leicester Racecourse have packages to suit all budgets and requirements.

With a strong focus on local food suppliers and produce, their offering is truly extensive, from breakfast conferences, weddings, all day events, to product launches and dinner dances.

If you’re planning to organise an event this year, give the Leicester Racecourse specialist conference and events team a call and find out what makes organisers return time and again to this truly unique, first class venue.

Key Diary Dates for 2016 King Richard III & St George’s Day Race Day Saturday 23rd April Live Music and Race Evening Saturday 11th June Ladies Day Saturday 2nd July Family Fun Day Sunday 7th August There are 32 race meetings throughout the year for you to enjoy, please visit the website for full dates and details.

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Motoring

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Motoring

Chosen Charities:

Courtesy of:

INI’ M ‘ T TEX 0660 TO 7 website foior ns he dit Visit t s and con rm s your lu p full te 2 st £ arge co ch Text’s twork ard ne stand

*

*The closing date for entries is Friday 22nd April 2016 at 11.59pm. Visit www.totalmotion.co.uk/donate for full terms and conditions.

NICHE | 147

Car carpet cleaning Carpets often get overlooked when cleaning the interior, Miles Marr at FX Detailing explains how to deep clean in order to keep them looking great, smelling fresh and make them easier to clean in the future.

Step One: I start by removing all loose items for a clear space to work in. Vacuum all loose dirt. Use a brush at the same time to open up the fibres.

Step Two: Spray the whole carpet with a carpet cleaning solution and let it soak for five minutes to break down the dirt.

Step Three: Brush the cleaner into the carpet using side-to-side and back-and-forth motions.

Step Four: Wipe the emulsified dirt away. I prefer to use a cotton terry towel but a microfiber will work too.

Step Five: If there’s more dirt, a hot water extraction machine will finish the job. If you don’t have your own, one can be hired for as little as £20. Fill the machine with very warm water and cleaning fluid. I spray the area then use the stiff brush on it. Leave for five minutes then pull the extractor back over the carpet with the suction. Continue until extracted water runs clear. I would set aside three hours depending on how soiled it is.

Step Six: Finally, dry with a terry towel and crack a window open slightly. Then vacuum the dried area and spray some air freshener.

How to:

Towbars Thousands of cars in the UK have towbars with generic wiring fitted.

This is commonly called universal electrics, as they are the same for all vehicles. The problem is, these electrics hide the trailer from the car.

In today’s world of advanced automotive technology, this is inefficient and potentially dangerous. Technology has progressed rapidly, introducing vehicle specific electric systems, which allow the detection of a trailer. The vehicle can detect the trailer and also activates important safety and stability features on the vehicle such as trailer stability and suspension assist programmes.

Universal wiring involves crimping or soldering connections onto the lighting harness of the vehicle.

This process can invalidate the manufacturers warranty on the vehicle and if done incorrectly can cause problems with the vehicles electrics which may be costly to repair.

Vehicle specific electrics plug into dedicated ports on the vehicle and communicate with the car allowing it to see the trailer and activate the safety systems as required.

They also comply with the vehicles manufacturers warranty.

Towbar installation has become very specialised often requiring specialist tools and diagnostics.

It should not be perceived as a cheap commodity and as with everything in life; the cheapest option is not necessarily the best.

Contact me for more tips.

To have a towbar fitted opt for a vehicle specific solution fitted by a specialist installer.

07775 524 983 www.fxdetailing.co.uk

0800 859 5283 www.themobilegaragepeople.co.uk

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Total Motion Road Test

Lexus NX300h Luxury Hybrid CVT This is the pride and joy of the Japanese manufacturer. It attracts all the attention and rightly so as it does look stunning. The vehicle also attracts the latest technology with contactless charging for your mobile phone and other futuristic driver aids to enhance your experience.

Exterior: The body is unlike anything else on the market with fine detailing on every panel to give the maximum effect.

Interior: Beautifully crafted, the interior is hardwearing and simple to use.

Engine/Power: 2.5 petrol engine with a hybrid battery pack Ride and Handling: The vehicle drives similar to other competitors in the SUV market, the only difference is the Hybrid motor battery pack. For myself, I am not the biggest fan of the rapid acceleration in this NX, however how often is that really necessary in real life driving conditions?

The Competition: BMW X4 / X3, Audi Q5, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and Mazda CX-5 Closing Thoughts: This is a fantastic car for business and personal use. I would recommend this to all company car drivers with a budget big enough as not only is it tax efficient but it is superior to the competition when it comes to the exciting on board technology.

0116 251 1122 www.totalmotion.co.uk

Motoring

Take the stress away from having your car serviced

LET THE MOBILE GARAGE COME TO YOU Servicing - Clutch & Flywheel Replacement - Brakes - Diagnostics - Head Gasket Repair - Towbars Vehicle Electrics - MOT Repairs - Gearbox Replacement - Suspension - Remapping

0800 859 5283 info@themobilegaragepeople.co.uk www.themobilegaragepeople.co.uk NICHE | 127

FX Detailing provides a high quality, mobile vehicle detailing service covering the whole of the East Midlands region and surrounding areas.

You can relax in the knowledge that every surface of your vehicle will be treated perfectly. As you would expect, attention to detail is one of our two priorities for our customers, the other is providing outstanding customer service, so you can be sure your vehicle will be ready on time, looking great for when you need it.

07775 524 983

info@fxdetailing.co.uk

www.fxdetailing.co.uk

CLEAN - RESTORE - PROTECT

V40, the new face of Volvo Volvo Car UK gives its bestselling V40 and V40 Cross Country the new face of Volvo for Model Year 2017.

“The V40 is the best-selling Volvo model in the UK, making it a vital car for the company,” said Managing director, Nick Connor.

Central to the model year exterior updates are new LED ‘Thor’s Hammer’ headlights giving a confident new look. These all-LED lights mark the V40 and V40 Cross Country out as the first models in the segment to get LED headlights as standard. Also new are grille meshes featuring the updated and more visually striking Volvo Iron Mark.

The exterior update includes the addition of eight new wheels and five new colours, including Amazon Blue and Denim Blue.

Continuing its innovative approach to powertrain engineering, Volvo has reduced CO2 emissions on its popular D2 manual powertrain to 128 | NICHE

just 89 g/km in all trim level and wheel options.

The V40s trim structure has been changed to be in line with the new XC90. Customers can now choose from Momentum and Inscription versions, along with the sportsinspired R-Design and the rugged Cross Country.

‘City Weave’ upholstery will be added and several new interior panel trims will be offered: Milled Aluminium, Black Grid Aluminium and Stealth Aluminium. There are new tread plates for the R-Design, inscription trim levels and an updated key fob with the new Volvo logo will be available.

Sport

A NEW BEGINNING. Introducing the all-new Volvo XC90.

Made by Sweden.

For Scandinavian design and luxury craftsmanship, look no further than the XC90. Standard features include City Safety, leather-faced upholstery, Sensus navigation, 9" centre console touch screen and 19" alloy wheels.

From

£499

per month* On Personal Contract Hire The XC90 D5 AWD Momentum.

Initial rental is £5,988, 10,000 miles per annum, with a 36-month agreement.

Excess mileage charges apply.

THE ALL-NEW XC90.

WINNER OF AUTO EXPRESS CAR OF THE YEAR AND AUTO EXPRESS BEST LARGE SUV 2015.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE NEW XC90 AT STURGESS VOLVO OR VISIT WWW.STURGESSVOLVO.CO.UK

Sturgess Volvo

Almond Road, Leicester LE2 7LP 0116 366 0404 www.sturgessvolvo.co.uk

Official fuel consumption for the all-new Volvo XC90 D5 Momentum in MPG (l/100km): Urban 45.6 (6.2), Extra Urban 52.3 (5.4), Combined 49.6 (5.7). CO₂ Emissions 149g/km. MPG figures are obtained from laboratory testing intended for comparisons between vehicles and may not reflect real driving results. *Important information: W E Sturgess & Sons Ltd is acting as introducer. Contract hire provided by Lex Autolease Limited trading as Volvo Car Leasing, SK3 0RB. 18s & over, subject to status. You will not own the vehicle. Vehicle must be returned in good condition to avoid further charges. Excess mileage charges 24.66p per mile. Subject to availability at participating dealers for vehicles registered 01/01/2016 to 31/03/2016. Not available with other promotions.

NICHE | 129

What’s on

With Leicester City riding high in the Premier League there is a buzz in the city that we haven’t seen for a long time. It’s not just on the football field that the city is on top, with venues, restaurants, nightlife and events all upping their game to make Leicester one of this year’s places to be.

One of the city’s best loved venues, The Cookie, has expanded once again with the launch of The Kitchen in the past few weeks. The venue on High Street is best know for their music and comedy offerings, having welcomed acts such as Royal Blood, George Ezra and Russell Kane, as well as being a popular bar and home to The Attic, their upstairs cocktail bar. With the launch of The Kitchen they’ll be offering delicious food options from midday to 7pm Wednesday to Sunday, the perfect after work stop off, or pre gig treat.

Other new openings in the city centre include the first bar from Leicestershire’s own distillery, 45 West, home of Burleigh’s Gin. They’ve recently launched their own bottle shop and bar of the same name on Hotel Street, which 130 | NICHE

provides a nice gin soaked sanctuary in the city centre. Sure to be a hit, the shop and bar offers a range of cocktails, spirits, wines and cigars for your perusal and enjoyment.

With Hotel Street being a hive of activity, there’s another new opening across the road with Hogarth’s moving into town very recently.

They describe themselves as a “Victorian Gin Palace” (clearly there can never be enough gin), which also shows all of the sports. Joining 45 West, 33 Cank Street, Brewdog, Crafty at St Martin’s, Grillstock and Gelato Village, this little area of town around St Martin’s and Hotel Street, is becoming a lovely spot for an evening out.

Eating out, as ever, is an exciting prospect as Leicester continues to be sprouting new venues all the time, but we still have some old favourites too. One of those old favourites is Bruxelles, located in the beautiful neo classical building on High Street, who have recently announced that they’re going back to their roots with the launch of their weekly Mussels Night every Thursday. With a kilo

of Mussels for £10, enough to share or enjoy to yourself, they’re served in a choice of 3 sauces and can be accompanied by one of their 40 Belgian beers! You’ll be spoilt for choice.

Other top tips? Don’t miss the ridiculously good burgers at Meatcure! They even do pretty awesome steak and salads now too, oh and kids eat free every Monday.

They’re on Highcross Street and are a must visit for a casual dinner with friends. Or if you’re tempted by an after work cocktail or glass of wine, why not head over the road on High Street to Apres Lounge? The après ski chalet themed bar was recently named as one of the country’s best party places by The Guardian and they’re now offering lovely cheese boards with board and bottle deals for after work. Available every day.

To keep up to day with all of the latest happenings in Leicester.

www.coolasleicester.co.uk Twitter @coolasleicester

Disney on Ice A Silver Celebration Far off places, daring sword fights, a Prince in disguise!?

These are the kinds of adventures Disney on Ice is known for and what a treat we’re in for this year!

Mickey and Minnie Mouse invite you to join them along with their friends from The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Peter Pan and Frozen as they celebrate their Silver Anniversary; 25 years of Disney on Ice. Music and magic fill the air year upon year but this one promises to be even more shining, shimmering and splendid.

Relive Simba’s story live before your very eyes, visit Ariel’s world under the sea, take the second star to the right with Peter and witness an act of true love surrounded by jaw-dropping displays and awesome action scenes in ice-covered Arendelle.

Your favourite characters will be skating around the UK from 16th March to 15th May. www.disneyonice.co.uk

‘IN THE RUFF’...

...CHARITY GOLF DAY

THURSDAY APRIL 21ST 2016 at the LEICESTERSHIRE GOLF CLUB Join us for Steamin’ Billy Brewing Co. Ltd’s annual Golf day.

Price per team is £240 which will be going to this years chosen charity The Matt Hampson Foundation.

Package & Itinerary: • Meet at 8.15am for Tea, Coffee & Bacon Rolls • 9.00 shotgun start - 18 holes • 2pm - 2 course lunch at The Cow & Plough with beer and wine and & prize giving

To book email billy@steamin-billy.co.uk For more information visit www.steamin-billy.co.uk

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Artisan Fair

ST MARTINS HOUSE LEICESTER

24TH APRIL 2016 ÂŁ1 ENTRY AND FREE GOODIE BAG A R T I S A N D E M O N S T R AT I O N S , U N I Q U E G I F T S , A R T , D E C O R AT I O N S A N D M O R E FIND OUT MORE

For further information on additional dates or how to book a stall visit www.craftisanbay.co.uk or email info@craftisanbay.co.uk

4TH ANNUAL SPORTS DINNER & CHARITY AUCTION

BLOODWISE

GUEST SPEAKERS

BEATING BLOOD CANCER SINCE 1960 Furnitue & Book Stall 1 Bell Street Lutterworth Leicestershire LE17 4DW

01455 553 094

Donate now or get involved 01455 556 649 www.bloodwise.org.uk

Richard Cockerill

Charity Shop 33a Station Rd Lutterworth Leicestershire LE17 4AP

Director of Rugby, Leicester Tigers

Rob Paternostro Head Coach, Leicester Riders

01455 556 649

THERE ARE 137 DIFFERENT TYPES OF BOOD CANCER WE’RE HERE TO BEAT EVERY SINGLE ONE

WEDS 23RD MARCH 2016 (ONE WORK DAY UNTIL GOOD FRIDAY) 1880 Suite Leicester Tigers Stadium 6.30pm - 12.30am Price £67.50 per ticket or £650 per table of 10

Contact: Nick Hodges 07887 745850 bodiehodgesfoundation@yahoo.co.uk

Cooking up Leicestershire Charity, Soft Touch Arts, use new initiative to help generate funds for young people.

Soft Touch Arts opened Leicester’s first youth arts and heritage centre last year providing facilities for disadvantaged young people to develop creative, social and employability skills. The venue will also help generate income for the charity to put back into supporting those in need of their services.

One in three young people in Leicester are classed as obese when they leave primary school so a big part of their work has been delivering healthy eating projects in local communities and the success of this work has led them to develop a project kitchen in the centre.

Funding charities in today’s economic climate poses great challenges. As a way to generate aid for their work, they developed a range of Creative Team Challenge packages for businesses wanting to reward or motivate their staff with fun, engaging activities.

‘Cooking Up Business’ is one team-building offer. Teams of up to 12 can spend a day doing cooking based activities and creating recipe cards which they can use as an unusual marketing tool.

Fees from team building activities go straight into sustaining their healthy eating projects with young people so booking a ‘Cooking Up Business’ session is good from a corporate social responsibility perspective.

Also on offer are full-day creative team challenges which mix cooking, film and music-making, graffiti art, craft and photography for teams of up to 40.

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chris@soft-touch.org.uk 0116 255 2592

OFFICIAL SPONSOR

BATTLE OF BOSWORTH

�1485�

ON THE EVENING OF 19TH MAY 2016 RAISING FUNDS FOR TWO GREAT CHARITIES

PLEASE SAVE THE DATE! 4 CELEBRITIES DEBATE TO SAVE THEIR HERO Nick Hancock of "They think its all over" fame is the first celebrity signed up for the evening • 4 celebrities debate why their hero is the best to help Richard III in his hour of need at The Battle of Bosworth • This debate will determine which one of their heroes will stay in the Balloon and land at Bosworth • You the audience decide, aided by a panel of judges and celebrity compere • An innovative evening of fun, entertainment and fine dining in the stunning setting of Leicester Cathedral • All raising funds for charity on the only night the Cathedral is available for such an event this year!

Ticket to go on sale end of Feb and sponsorship details from: ianguyler@pedigreefilbert.co.uk

laurabetts@loros.co.uk

jenny@crossproductions.co.uk

Lord's Taverners Registered Charity No. 306054 | Loros Registered Charity No. 506120

Niche Business Awards Launch Headline sponsors Leicester Racecourse hosted the launch of The Niche Business Awards 2016. Guests comprised sponsors, ambassadors, last year’s winners and hopefuls for this year’s gongs at the main event to be held Friday 9th September at The Athena in Leicester city centre.

Nominations for the 17 categories are open now. Nominate companies, individuals or organisations you think deserve recognition and reward.

Nominations are qualified by the Niche awards team and then passed over to the independent panels of judges for shortlisting. The panels are made up from award sponsors and ambassadors. Those shortlisted will be invited to attend a ‘Meet the Judges’ event, where they can tell their story and why they would be a worthy winner.

The winners are announced at the main event which promises to be a fantastic evening of celebration and entertainment.

Sukhina Garcia of Betty Brown, winner of the 2015 Niche Fashion award commented, “I was so thrilled to be recognised and rewarded for my absolute passion. I have had so many great experiences that have been a direct result of winning and I am whole-heartedly supporting the 2016 awards.”

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NICHE | 137

Rendall Munroe Cross Productions and Kong Events hosted a night with boxing legent and local hero Rendall Munroe at The Cow and Plough in connection with the Bodie Hodges Foundation and the Matt Hampson Foundation.

The ‘Boxing Binman’ is a Leicestershire champion and world boxing contender brandishing multiple belts and titles to his name told his story to an audience of loyal fans. England Cricketer Paul Nixon was master of ceremonies for the evening and delved into Rendall’s past, asking of his childhood and his main drivers to be a boxing success.

A moving and rip-roaring past unfolded as Rendall bared his soul for the crowd.

The two local charities each took to the stage to give diners a insight in to their plights and both benefitted from an auction, superdraw and donations on the night.

For more information do get in touch with Cross Productions on 07711 043 901.

Leicester Mercury

Alternative Business Awards The winners at this hilarious inaugural event graciously accepted their awards in good spirits. Our very own Jenny Cross humorously accepted the Biggest Twit award. She’s a social media junkie and has posted over 17,000 tweets! The packed out ceremony held at Curve was part of Dave’s Leicester Comedy Festival and money was raised on the night for three admirable charities. Attendees had a well-deserved night off from all the serious stuff!

Here’s the winners...

In at 9, gone at 5...in the morning - Robert Bracken Shiny Bottom - Martin Traynor New Kid on the Block - Mark Platt Team about town - Cambridge and Counties Bank Culture Vulture - Tracey Miller Ryder Cup - Jack Hayes Glass Half Full - Gabriella Harrison Pillow Talk - Bobby and Lisa Dhanjal Top Table Favourite - Mike Kapur Biggest Twit - Jenny Cross Soggy Bottom - Chris Greenwell Alternative Business Person - Ian Guyler Person who Won Nothing - John Hayes Person who Organises the Most Award Ceremonies - David Simms

Jolly Day Away Each year the local pub chain adopt a charity. This time it’s The Matt Hampson Foundation’s turn.

Throughout the year there are a number of activities arranged to raise funds and awareness of the chosen charity from ‘Bike Rides’ and ‘Golf Days’ to the annual and legendary Jolly Day Away. The Niche team were lucky enough to be invited and certainly had a ‘Jolly Day’.

The day began at The Cow & Plough in Oadby with a bacon roll and a beer at 9.30am. On the coach for 10.30 we headed for The Railway in Hinckley to be welcomed by a roaring open fire and another Steamin’ Billy beer.

After enjoying two more pitstops, fresh pizza and Gala pie with chutney we were back on the coach to The Parcelyard in Leicester.

The pub was filled to the brim, all eager to hear a few words from owner Billy Allingham and then from Matt Hampson, who’s foundation benefited from just under £1500 raised on the day.

Another beer, hot buffet and a live band saw the day to a close for some!

Fine & Funny Dining As part of Dave’s Leicester Comedy Festival, staunch comedy and charity stalwarts Pete and Tracey Miller of the Miller Partnership, put on a fitting gig in support of Soft Touch Arts.

Kiwi comedian Jarred Christmas headlined the inaugural affair sponsored by Kong Events and supported by stars from the local business community each doing their bit for stand-up.

Attendees enjoyed the hospitality of Christina Wigmore, director of Soft Touch Arts, at the event held to launch the Cooking Up Business initiative. The White Peacock ruled the kitchen roost on the evening serving up delicious dishes, which were accompanied by wine by ‘Chateau Miller’ itself - the fabulous personalised wine labels were courtesy of Jacqui at the Practical Printer. The kitchen is used by day as a place to teach students of Soft Touch about catering and cooking as parts of its arts education outreach program. On a Thursday the centre opens its doors for a café drop in, perfect for the business lunch. All created and served by the Soft Touch team. The monies raised will go into delivering Soft Touch’s sMASHing cooking and catering programme for disadvantaged young people.

Tracey Miller says, “It was a fabulous evening and thanks to each and everyone of our guests for their commitment to such a great cause.

We are planning next year’s event already, and Pete has made a start on his next comedy set!”

Fine & Funny Dining has been nominated for Dave’s Leicester Comedy Festival’s Make Me Happy Community Award.

Champions Celebrities Shine at Charity Ball An array of celebrities gathered at King Power Stadium in January for the 15th Annual Champions Celebrity Charity Ball. The starstudded guest list was treated to an evening of 007 themed entertainment and dining and the event, organised by midlandsbased brand agency Champions (UK) plc, offered an excellent opportunity to raise funds and awareness for Rainbows Children’s Hospice.

The glamorous night was hosted by snooker’s Mr Maximum, Willie Thorne, who headed up the impressive list of attendees, including Coronation Street legend William Roache MBE, 2003 rugby World Cup winner Neil Back MBE, BGT’s Richard and Adam Johnson and Olympian Derek Redmond to name a few.

X Factor finalist Nikki Evans wowed the room with a spectacular rendition of some of the bestloved Bond themes, followed by a sumptuous five course meal. An auction hosted Derek Redmond provided the chance for guests to bid for prizes, including tickets to Adele’s sold out concert at the London O2 Arena, a seven night stay in the 5 star UNNA Resort, Barbados and an Omega Auqaterra 007 men’s watch designed for the 2015 Spectre film. The Overtures and Soul Kind Wonderful concluded the night with magnificent performances.

In eight years Champions has raised over £1million for Rainbows and funds raised at the ball will help to ensure they can continue their important work.

The B Factor The glamour and excitement of awards season moved to Leicester on Monday 25th of January as the entire Barrie Stephen Hair team came together at The Case Restaurant in Leicester to celebrate a year of successes and 20 years of the Barrie Stephen brand.

The doors to the entrance of the restaurant and the windows inside were emblazoned with ‘B Factor 2016’ and ’20 Years of Barrie Stephen’, featuring his new ‘Selfridges yellow’ branding. Beautiful candelabra’s sat lit in the middle of the room on a table surrounded by flowers, delicious canapes and champagne. Not a detail left unattended, the room had its own branded Barrie Stephen photo booth, a DJ and a saxophone player.

Amongst the audience were 50 Barrie Stephen staff members from all four salons, members of the local press and the hairdressing industry, Gogglebox celebs Stephen Webb and Chris Steed, local celebrity and radio presenter Jonathan Lampon and the longest standing clients from each of the four salons.

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