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Absolutely Amazings Forget splashing out at Christmas on gifts easily forgotten. Instead, opt for an experience at a real school of life WORDS CAROL DRIVER Ah Christmas. That time of year where rational thought flies out the window and we clamber in our droves to spend what we don’t have in brightly lit shopping centres flaunting shiny things we can’t really afford. ’Christmas is a time for giving’ so the saying goes, but for many, this year more than ever, it’s going to be a time for keeping a tight grip on the purse strings. Besides, as the country continues to scrutinise capitalism’s effects ever more closely, spending a week’s salary on an Xmas gift for a loved one may seem, well, a tad vulgar. So what can you do (apart from checking out our gifts guide on P35) without looking like a Scrooge? “Instead of splurging, which isn’t something anyone wants to do, why not offer an experience?“ suggests Katie Harris, who set up The Amazings three months ago. Although it may sound slightly red letter day-esque, it’s a world away from whizzing a supercar around a circuit and paying £200 for the privilege. Based in Hackney, east London, the company offers classes run by mainly retired Londoners who teach the practical skills they have learned during their lives. Activities include spending a day foraging at Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park; a cookery lesson with a chef who has worked around the world in top hotels; learning how to play the steel pan; making your own medicine; joining a Tai Chi class; and taking part in a street photography workshop. “We realised the solutions for the ageing population were typically doing things for them like the daycare centre, meals on wheels, carers,“ Harris, 27, says. “But the majority of older people we met are able-bodied, passionate and are skilled. They are willing to give their time and skills back to the public, but it wasn’t easy to do. “There are ways, such as volunteering, but it can leave people out of pocket. And we didn’t want our Amazings to feel as though they were giving something to the community and not getting something back in return.“ Instead, the company sells classes with their skilled tutors for between £5 and £30, of which, The Amazings take home 70 per cent. So who are these Amazings? And how does Harris find them? The company’s promotional staff don sandwich-board signs and scour the streets of Hackney, looking for people with outstanding skills. The would-be teachers are then ’vetted’, to make sure they not only know their stuff, but
that they are also personable – the type of people you’d want to spend a few hours with. It’s essential the classes are positive, worthwhile and upbeat, rather than stuffy and dull. Those two words would never be used to describe Jimmy McLennan – who was approached by The Amazings while on his way to Tesco to do a weekly shop. The 60-year-old retired chef has prepared food for Clarence House and the Queen Mother, catered for the Henley Regatta and worked as a chef for Hilton Hotels across the globe. “I started in the Strand Palace in London in 1969,” he explains in a Scottish-Canadian drawl. “I moved from there to the Hilton Park Lane and for 14 strenuous years worked around the world for them.” So how does the Hackney Community College compare to Miami or Japan? “It’s great because it’s a proper training college. The hard part of taking this class is scaling down the dishes for six people – I’m used to catering for thousands,” McLennan laughs. In a two-hour session (costing £25 – who needs to fork out hundreds for a masterclass with a celeb chef?), participants ››
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