JUMP TO IT - Eastern Airways

EASTERN AIRWAYS IN-FLIGHT
Yours to keep
54 | New Year 2016
JUMP TO IT
Snowboarding in
the Pennines
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WELCOME
Welcome to this New Year edition of Eastern Airways Magazine.
As we welcome 2016, we can make a real fresh start, as
Kevin Pilley discovers Britain has become a nation of soaplovers. Though at the darker end of the scale, Harry Pearson
finds himself surrounded by Goths in Whitby.
Let There Be Light might not be on the lips of the Whitby
faithful, but we’ve set out to illuminate readers on the ins and
outs of the energy supply business, and particularly the new
“challengers” to the so-called Big Six suppliers.
With this being a big “El Niño” year, some are forecasting lots
of snow early in 2016, so we join Scotland’s mountain hare
as it dons its winter white coat and consider the arguments
for and against the continued culling of this enigmatic
creature.
If El Niño does indeed deliver, then ski and snowboard fans
may not have to travel so far to indulge their sport this winter,
so we bring you the low-down on skiing venues – both “real”
and artificial, across the UK and Norway in our Essential
Guide.
In the News, this issue features improvements to
Eastern Airways’ services between Leeds Bradford and
Southampton, including extra frequency and a near doubling
in seat capacity.
We also bring you wise words on business from “change
guru” Roger Harrop and look back at the achievements of
the late Welsh business icon, Laura Ashley.
Our celebrity interview this time is with Hampshire-born star,
Amanda Holden, while we continue our coverage of the
burgeoning craft and bespoke drinks sector with a visit to the
new Bombay Sapphire distillery in the same county and the
Black Sheep Brewery, in Yorkshire.
Our new Somewhere for the Weekend feature takes us to
La Fosse restaurant with rooms in rural Dorset, which also
provides the focus for Exploration Express this issue.
This issue’s supplement is produced in partnership with
Tees Valley Unlimited and focuses on the opportunities for
investment there.
We hope you enjoy your flight with Eastern Airways – do take
your magazine away with you for family and friends to enjoy.
THE EASTERN TEAM
FÀILTE
CROESO
VELKOMMEN
BIENVENUE
Tha Eastern Airways a’ cur fàilte
air ar luchd-cleachdaidh gu lèir
bho Bhreatainn agus an Roinn
Eòrp.
Croeso gan Eastern Airways
magazine, i bob un o’n
cwsmeriaid ym mhob rhan o
Brydain Fawr ac Ewrop.
Eastern Airways magasinet
ønsker våre kunder i
Storbritannia og Europa
velkommen.
Bienvenue à tous nos clients de
Grande-Bretagne et d’Europe
de la part de Eastern Airways
magazine.
Tha Eastern Airways am measg
prìomh làn-sheirbheisean adhair
clàraichte na RA. Tha sinn an
dòchas gum meas sibh ar
seirbheis, an dà chuid,
cùramach agus beagan
eadar-dhealaichte – tha sinn
an-còmhnaidh toilichte ur
beachdan mun t-seirbheis
againn, is mu ar n-iris, a
chluinntinn.
Mae Eastern Airways ymhlith y
prif gwmnïau awyrennau yn y
DU sy’n cynnig amserlen lawn o
wasanaethau. Gobeithio y
gwelwch chi fod ein gwasanaeth
yn un gofalus ac ychydig bach
yn wahanol – rydyn ni bob
amser yn falch o gael eich
sylwadau am ein gwasanaeth ac
am ein cylchgrawn.
Eastern Airways er et av
Storbritannias ledende
ruteflyselskap. Vi håper at du vil
være fornøyd med servicen vår
– og at den tilbyr deg det lille
ekstra som er prikken over i-en.
Vi setter alltid pris på å motta
dine kommentarer om både
servicen og magasinet.
Eastern Airways figure parmi les
principales compagnies
aériennes britan­niques offrant
un service de vols réguliers.
Nous espérons que vous nous
trouverez attentifs à vos
besoins, avec ce petit plus qui
fait la différence, et sommes
toujours heureux de recevoir vos
comment­aires sur notre service
et notre magazine.
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CONTENTS
CONTENTS
26 GOTHIC HORROR
18 SPICE MIX
REGULARS
COMPETITION
31 GET SMART
FEATURES
07NEWS
What’s happening around Eastern
13CHALLENGING TIMES
Companies taking on the Big Six
09 BOOK REVIEW
A winning read on how to
18OPEN HOUSE
21SOMEWHERE FOR THE
WEEKEND
La Fosse in Dorset is the place to
22INTERVIEW
We meet Britain’s Got Talent
Airways destinations
energy providers
A look at the visitor centres of a
brewery and a distillery
succeed in business
head for
33FIVE-STAR STAY
WIN a luxury break at the
sumptuous Rockliffe Hall resort
in County Durham
34 EXPLORATION EXPRESS
Stan Abbott takes a journey into
the past and present in Dorset
and the New Forest
Front cover: Andy Wood snowboarding in the North Pennines. © James Cummings
40BARE ESSENTIALS
Eastern Airways’ network map,
passenger information, essential
goings-on and destination guides
judge, Amanda Holden
INVEST IN
TEES VALLEY
50THE LAST WORD
Harry Pearson takes a cold look at
his footballing schooldays
Eastern Airways in-flight magazine is published
for Eastern Airways by Gravity Magazines, Arch
Workspace, Abbey Road, Pity Me, Durham, DH1 5JZ
www.gravity-consulting.com
e-mail: e-magazine@gravity-consulting.com
Tel: +44 (0)191 383 2838
Publisher: Stan Abbott
Design: Barbara Allen
Print: Buxton Press
26 GETTING DARK
Harry Pearson experiences
Whitby’s Goth weekend
AN EASTERN AIRWAYS MAGAZINE SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT IN ASSOCIATION WITH TEES VALLEY UNLIMITED | NEW YEAR 2016
THE FUTURE IS HERE
28 COMING CLEAN
Kevin Pilley is soft on soap
Your guide to investing, living and working in Tees Valley
31 ON THE PASS
Stan Abbott takes the new smart
48ESSENTIAL GUIDE:
SNOWBOARDING AND
SKI VENUES
All within easy reach of Eastern
Airways destinations
25 FASHION ICON
Remembering Laura Ashley
forfour on a tricky test drive in the
Lakes
Fly easternairways.com
i
SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT
INVEST IN TEES VALLEY
© December 2015. All rights reserved. No part of this
magazine may be reproduced by any means, without prior
written permission of the copyright owners.
Although every effort has been made to ensure the
accuracy of the information in this magazine, neither the
publisher, nor Eastern Airways can accept any liability for
errors or omissions.
ISSN: 2044-7124
Previously known as e-magazine, ISSN 1477-3031.
36ANIMAL RIGHTS?
Is culling really the best way
forward for our mountain hare?
Eastern Airways, Schiphol House, Humberside
International Airport, Kirmington, North Lincolnshire
DN39 6YH
Communications Manager: Darren Roberts
Telephone: + 44 (0)8703 669669
Reservations: + 44 (0)8703 669100
www.easternairways.com
For magazine comments:
e-magazine@gravity-consulting.com
To advertise in Eastern Airways Magazine, call Liz Reekie on +44 (0) 7563 796103 / +44 (0) 1434 240947 or email advertising@gravitymagazines.com
NEWS
We recently completed 1,000 days
without a single recordable injury or
illness, environmental spill or release.
A safety record which proves that safe
working is also efficient working. Let
our team help you deliver your project
NEWS FROM EASTERN AIRWAYS DESTINATIONS
NEWS
GOOD NEWS ALL ROUND FROM SOUTHAMPTON
n Aberdeen-based Subsea Supplies has
invested £50,000 to launch a new online
procurement system that gives clients
access to thousands of products at the
touch of a button.
The company, which supplies cables,
components and connectors to
firms operating in underwater-related
industries, developed the product in
partnership with city-based design
agency, Form Digital.
Subsea Supplies invested more than
£180,000 in its new premises in Bridge
of Don at the start of the year it can now
stock about 100,000 items at the site.
www.subsea-supplies.co.uk
BELOW Pauline McCann, Sales Manager
at Subsea Supplies, and Director, Andy
Smith
Eastern Airways has almost doubled
seat capacity on its busy Leeds
Bradford-Southampton route by
introducing larger aircraft and increasing
the schedule frequency.
A 50-seat Saab 2000 aircraft will now
operate services to make an additional
3,700 seats a month available on the
route. The change of aircraft, which
was effective from November, has also
brought improvements to the schedule
and follows the earlier increase in the
schedule to four return flights daily on
weekdays.
Weekday flights now leave Leeds
Bradford at 0650, 1000, 1430 and 1750,
arriving in Southampton at 0755, 1105,
1535 and 1855. Flights from Southampton depart at 0825, 1130, 1615 and
1925, landing in Leeds Bradford at 0930,
1235, 1720 and 2030. Sunday services
will leave Leeds Bradford at 1650 and
Southampton at 1845.
Kay Ryan, Eastern Airways’ Commercial
Director, said: “By increasing capacity
and recently upping the frequency of
services due to the popularity of this
important route, this demonstrates our
firm commitment to both regions. We’re
providing greater choice with more
seats, and a business-focused schedule,
with improved timings to meet increased
demand from business travellers.”
Fast track security channels are
offered at both Leeds Bradford and
Southampton airports for all Eastern
Airways passengers to avoid any
security queues.
Meanwhile, Southampton Airport has
received a special award at the Solent
Business Awards for its Outstanding
Contribution to Hampshire over 25 years.
The awards ceremony was attended by
more than 200 business leaders and was
hosted by Lord Digby Jones.
On presenting the award, Malcolm Hyde,
CBI South East, said: “Southampton
Airport is a business, which can trace
its beginnings to 1910 and has grown
ever since, and through the ripple effect
of operations, provides employment
far beyond its own footprint. It is
an integral part of the vibrancy and
economic success of Hampshire and
the UK, adding over £100m to the local
economy and providing the gateway for
businesses to compete at home and
across the world.”
ABOVE Dave Lees, the airport’s
Managing Director, (third from left), and
airport staff celebrating their award with
a chocolate cake
n Newcastle chef Kenny Atkinson has
been awarded a Michelin Star less than
18 months after launching his Quayside
eatery, House of Tides. Its Atkinson’s third
such success, having previously earned
the accolade at Tean, in the Scilly Isles,
then Seaham Hall, County Durham. We
can probably now expect to see even
more of him on BBC’s Saturday Kitchen.
The Raby Hunt, at Summerhouses, near
Darlington, has also retained its Michelin
Star.
n Three east coast fish and chip shops
are among the UK’s top five in the 2016
National Fish & Chip Awards, organised by Seafish. They are No 1 Cromer,
in, Norfolk; Papa’s Fish and Chips, in
Willerby, East Yorkshire; and Trenchers
Restaurant, in Whitby, North Yorkshire.
The three will now vie with two other finalists in Devon and Bath for the title of the
UK’s Number One.
n Eastern Airways Magazine printer,
Buxton Press, has been named Printing
Company of the Year in the PrintWeek
Awards.
EASTERN AIRWAYS MAGAZINE COMPETITION WINNER
The winner of a golfing break with Crowne Plaza Aberdeen Airport Hotel in the competition in our last issue (Autumn
2015) was Paul Brown, from Leeds.
7
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perfect match
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BUSINESS
BOOK REVIEW by Stan Abbott
HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS
I get quite a lot of books on self-help,
on business, and on business and
self-help across my desk. I rather
weary of them: “If you can’t do it,
teach it or write about it” is my default
position. How refreshing then to find
the exception that proves the rule!
Roger Harrop’s little volume, Win –
How to Succeed in the New Game of
Business, makes up for what it loses in
length (a mere 67 pages) with its pithy
delivery of astute observations and
words of wisdom.
Harrop has spent more than 25 years
leading international businesses,
including a plc.
Based
in Oxford,
he speaks
widelygame
on
Knowing
your
buyer’s
business leadership and reckons that
Every buyer in the world has a job to do. And that job is to try to turn your product or
more
than 20,000 CEOs, business
service and
into others
a commodity.
for them is that they buy your product or service
leaders
acrossNirvana
38 countries
at an“achieved
internet auction.
None of this relationship nonsense – that’s their job, that’s
have
transformational
what they’re
paid his
to do!
change”
through
thoughtChief Executive of a FTSE-quoted,
provoking and entertaining talks.
In the days before the Iron Curtain fell I used to travel to countries where buyers
high-tech industrial group, with 12
His
experience
spans
many
types
would
get badges
for the
‘scalps’
(i.e.ofdiscounts)
they
got. Iffour
you continents.
walked into aThe
room
sites
across
business,
from start-ups
to multiand saw lapels
full of badges
you knew you were
going to be inmentioned
for a hard time!
UK Government
it in It’s
its
nationals;
fromtoday.
high-tech products
still the same
Competitiveness White Paper. Forbes
to basic commodities; from peoplemagazine included the group in its list
based
service
businesses
to not-forYou have
to assume
that any
buyer is highly-trained and knows how to play the
of the top 100 overseas companies.
profit
gameorganisations.
of getting the best possible price.
Two business schools have used it as
Roger spent seven years as Group
a benchmark case study on cultural
Figure 11
i
change and business re-engineering.
In this book Harrop argues that
technological developments are
levelling the playing field between
small and big businesses. He suggests
there’s never been a better time to be
fleet of foot in the marketplace and,
I guess, a hare can accelerate far
quicker than a tortoise.
I’d recommend any business leader
to dip in and out of this one – and to
engage in its messages by scanning
the Q-codes and doing some of the
exercises. I really liked the way it proves
what we all suspected by providing the
counter-intuitive figures to back us up.
For example, did you realise that if you
cut your price by ten per cent, you’ll
need to increase your sales volume
by a staggering 50 per cent just to
maintain your overall margin?
Price Perception Matrix
TM
Following on from that, here’s an
extract from the chapter on selling.
Of course the other side of the coin is
what happens if you put your prices
up by ten per cent? Again, keeping
the profit exactly the same, how many
customers can you afford to lose?
The maths here is 25 per cent. Maybe
you can lose those bad payers and
some of those difficult customers. I
think that makes for a much healthier
business.
>>
Chapter Four Win! By Focusing on the Score – Your Bottom Line
55
9
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“IN MY EXPERIENCE, MOST OF US UNDERVALUE OURSELVES, AND
PARTICULARLY THOSE OF US RUNNING SMALL BUSINESSES. IT’S TIME
WE STOPPED!”
I used to work for BTR, which was one of the biggest
corporations in the UK. If you were running one of their units, as
I was, every year you were invited to London to meet with the
CEO, Sir Owen Green, for a four-hour forensic examination of
your budget.
I remember well that he would occasionally do a Colombo (the
American TV detective) on me. I’d have my hand on the door on
the point of leaving at the end of the four-hour meeting. A little
smile would be appearing on his lips and he’d say, “Just one
thing… What would happen if you put your prices up by one
per cent at 9 o’clock tomorrow morning?”
Of course I would say, “Not a lot I suppose really.” And he’d say,
“Well, we’ll do that then shall we?”
That’s a fair question for anyone in business, and for you.
What would happen if you put up your prices by one per cent
tomorrow morning at 9 o’clock? Remember, there’s something
about price that doesn’t apply to anything else. It goes straight
on the bottom line to reinvest in the growth of your business.
supermarkets, for example, vary. In the UK we are likely to find
cheaper prices in Asda, Lidl or Aldi. So why is it that Waitrose
does so well? We know, as we walk in the door of Waitrose
that we are going to pay more money for the same basket of
shopping. So why do we do it? We go there because of the
relationship and what’s called “customer intimacy” they have
developed with us.
Those of us, like Asda or Lidl, who sell on price alone have to
be driven by operational excellence and run our businesses
with that driver pre-eminent.
Like Waitrose, however, most of us are in the business of
“perceived added value” and that means we need to be
charging premium prices for whatever it is that we do and
particularly for the relationship we have with our customers. The
attitude you need to have throughout your entire organisation is
one of being proud to be doing an outstanding job. You need to
be thinking, “We are giving outstanding value and we deserve
higher prices.”
In my experience, most of us undervalue ourselves, and
particularly those of us running small businesses. It’s time we
stopped!
Win – How to Succeed in the New Game of Business, by Roger
Harrop, is published by SRA Books. ISBN 978-1-909116-38-2;
e-book 978-1-909116-39-9
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ORE Catapult at Blyth provides a 3MW
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BUSINESS FEATURE
STRIKING A BLOW FOR
THE CONSUMER
As the so-called Big Six UK energy suppliers face increasing criticism over prices and
customer service standards, a new breed of “challenger” supply business is doing its
best to change the status quo. Beverley Smythe reports…
A lot of water has flowed under the
bridge in the quarter century or so since
the UK utilities industry was privatised.
And electricity down the wire; and gas
along the pipe.
Privatisation was supposed to increase
consumer choice and help keep energy
prices in check. But with our energy
supply still in the hands of half a dozen
companies that are essentially the
successors to the old pre-privatisation
regional supply monopolies, there’s
increased unease that the market simply
isn’t working.
The Big Six – Centrica (British Gas), EDF,
E.ON, npower, SEE and Scottish Power
– have come in for stinging criticism not
just from consumer groups, but, most
recently, in a major report into the energy
market by the Competition and Markets
Authority (CMI), which earlier in 2015
came up with a series of “remedies” to
make the market more competitive.
make bills difficult to understand;
n Inaccurate bills not based on true
consumption;
n Special rates to encourage customers
to switch supplier that then default to
much higher prices; and
n Poor customer service.
But a major reason why the suppliers
continue to get away with it, says the
CMI, is because a weary public is too
confused to bother switching to a better
or cheaper supplier – we just don’t find
it easy to shop around because we
can’t tell if we’re comparing apples with
apples or bananas with pumpkins.
real sea change in the market is
Cornwall Energy, which cites evidence
of accelerating growth among the
independent suppliers, of which First
Utility recently became the first to
notch up a million customers – more
than five times its tally two years ago.
Unsurprisingly, First Utility is currently the
target of a potential private equity bid, as
the wind is seen to be blowing further in
favour of the challengers. Indeed, over
the same period, the combined market
share of these companies has trebled
as we desert the Big Six at the rate of
100,000 customers every month.
Major criticisms of the Big Six include:
Although the Big Six still supply more
than 90 per cent of us with our power, a
growing band of new energy businesses
isn’t waiting for the market mechanisms
to be changed – they’re striving now to
wrest power from the Big Six and give
customers a cheaper, fairer, and more
transparent deal.
Also interesting is the sheer diversity
of the business models among these
challengers. Nationally, there are now
several other independents to choose
from. The Cooperative brand may have
taken a bit of a bashing of late but if you
place being able to choose how your
own electricity is generated ahead of
getting the very cheapest deal, this could
be the one for you.
n Opaque energy pricing policies that
Among commentators that see a
Or, if you don’t mind putting all your
13
eggs in one basket, you might opt for
Utility Warehouse, which brands itself as a
“discount club” and offers landline, mobile
and broadband services in addition to energy
supply, with promises of bigger savings the
more business you place with it.
for consumers living in social housing. Its
“patch” in the first instance is confined
to North East England and – while it may
extend its reach in due course to Yorkshire
and North West England – it has no
aspiration to become a national player.
Launched in 2013 from offices in Milton
Keynes, Green Star Energy claims to provide
a fresh approach to the market, with a
green energy tariff that is, it says, “100 per
cent renewable, and affordable”. Although
“independent”, Green Star is ultimately
owned by Just Energy Group Inc, a publicly
traded company with two million customers
across North America.
The driving force behind the new company
is entrepreneur Tim Cantle-Jones, whose
multi-faceted business career has taken him
across continents and into the company of
such luminaries as Archbishop Desmond
Tutu.
Extra Energy, based in Birmingham and
supplying both business and residential
customers across the UK, includes a
“friendly and approachable service”
and easy-to-understand bills, alongside
competitive rates and a UK-based contact
centre.
Among the longest established providers
is Southampton-based Utilita, which has
been going since 2003 and notched up its
100,000th customer in 2014. Utilita is firmly
committed to the principle of smart metering,
in which customers have an “intelligent”
meter in their homes, which monitors their
usage and enables them to modify their
energy consumption patterns in response.
The Government is committed to all of us
having a smart meter at home by 2020.
Utilita backs its proposition with a friendly,
folksy website, laden with credible customer
case studies.
Most recent developments are the market
entry of Newcastle’s Future Energy in
September 2015, and the move by LoCO2,
based in Hertfordshire, into dual-fuel supply
in April. Prior to that it had supplied only
electricity, since 2009.
LoCO2 differentiates itself from most of the
other challengers as it both operates its own
hydroelectric generation plants and buys
renewable energy from private individuals
who have their own hydro, wind or solar
units. In 2015 it raised £2.5 million in a bond
issue to finance a network of hydro plants
for sister company, TLS Hydro. These are
low-impact schemes and include a plant on
the River Wharfe, near Otley, West Yorkshire,
capable of powering more than 300 homes.
Another, at Nenthead, in the North Pennines,
near Alston, began life powering the visitor
centre at the old lead mines but can now
supply about 250 homes. It has another
seven micro-hydro sites across central
Scotland and the West Highlands.
Although also boasting a strong commitment
to responsibly-sourced power, Future
Energy’s USP is a strong regional
commitment, coupled with lower prices
His diverse career has spanned sports
administration and events (he is credited with
the invention of the “fanfest” and earned a
South African Peacemaker Award in 1995
for his work on remodelling the country’s
sporting infrastructure post-apartheid)
and, more recently, setting up companies
specialising in energy-efficient lighting for
consumers and in low carbon street lighting.
Involvement in community-based energysaving projects led him towards the idea
of establishing an energy provider, with the
provision of smart metering a core principle.
Future Energy’s sister company, Future
Energy Solutions, is geared up to train smart
gas and electricity meter-installers not just
for Future Energy customers, but for the
industry as a whole, as the rush to meet
the Government’s installation target gathers
pace.
Future Energy’s Initial aim was to secure
about 5,000 customers by the close of
2015 before beginning a major push in the
spring. As the first energy-provider based
in the region since Northern Electric was
bought out 20 years ago, Future Energy
has been brought to market on the back of
a relatively modest investment of just over
£1 million from a consortium of investors,
almost entirely regionally-based.
“For too long North East consumers have
had to buy their energy in what feels like a
game of Monopoly, in which the so-called
Big Six hold all the cards,” said Tim at the
company’s launch.
“Now they have the ‘chance’ to switch to a
locally-based supplier committed to putting
its customers first,” he added, extending the
Monopoly theme.
Future Energy believes that switching from
one of the Big Six could typically save
consumers 15 per cent, or up to £300 a
year on their energy bills, thanks to a lean
operation without the acquired inefficiencies
of the “bloated” Big Six. Its electricity and
gas supply partners are respectively based
on Teesside and Harrogate. A proportion of
future profits will be channelled back to the
community via a charitable trust.
Another regionally-based supplier is
Nottingham’s Robin Hood Energy – highly
unusual in that it has been set up by the local
authority. The not-for-profit supplier hopes it
can sign up 10,000 customers a month and
save them each up to £237 a year on bills.
Nottingham City Council says Robin
Hood will use energy generated from the
city’s incinerator, solar panels and waste
food plants, as well as buying in gas and
electricity from the market.
Alan Clark, the council’s portfolio holder for
energy and sustainability, said: “We have
decided to take the bold step of setting up
Robin Hood Energy so that energy can be
provided to customers across Nottingham
and beyond at the lowest possible price, run
not for profit, but for people.”
Energy experts say Robin Hood’s offering
is competitive but not the best in the
market. “Their tariff is way above the top
ten cheapest tariffs,” said Nigel Cornwall of
LOW IMPACT Installation of a
TLS Hydro station in the Scottish highlands
North News & Pictures Ltd
PLAYING THE ENERGY GAME Future Energy’s Managing Director Tim Cantle-Jones, right, is joined by Fab Fournoy, player-coach of Newcastle
Eagles basketball team to make a point about monopoly energy suppliers at the company’s September launch
Cornwall Energy. “But they are cheaper than
five of the big six.”
Another challenger founded on firm
environmental principles is Ecotricity, based
in Stroud, Gloucestershire. Ecotricity claims:
“We use our customers’ energy bills to fund
the building of new sources of green energy.
We like to refer to this as turning ‘Bills into
Mills’ – energy bills into windmills. We’re a
not-for-dividend company – all of our profits
go into our mission.
“With no shareholders to answer to, we
share the benefits of our work through our
EcoBonds initiative – giving people the
chance to share the financial benefits of the
Green Energy revolution.”
So, if you’re thinking all of this is good
news for consumers, here’s a gentle note of
caution: not all the challenger business are
deserving of wall-to-wall adulation.
There’s little love lost between Ecotricity and
its near-neighbour, Ovo – which recently
recruited Sarah Calcott from eBay to the
new post of Chief Operating Officer, ahead
of planned expansion in 2016 and beyond.
Ecotricity’s complaint to market regulator
Ofgem about Ovo’s practice of taking direct
debit payments up-front in return for an
interest payment was upheld in 2014.
Launched in 2009 by entrepreneur Stephen
Fitzpatrick, Ovo passed the milestone of
half a million customers in 2015 and boasts
Which? Recommended Provider status. It has even raised £8m in growth capital from
former US vice-president Al Gore’s company,
FUTURE ENERGY BELIEVES THAT SWITCHING
FROM ONE OF THE BIG SIX COULD TYPICALLY
SAVE CONSUMERS 15 PER CENT, OR UP TO £300
A YEAR ON THEIR ENERGY BILLS
Generation Investment Management. Ovo
is looking for further investment to ramp
up its challenge, seeking £25m-£30m from
institutional investors.
However, Mr Fitzpatrick has come under fire
for taking £2m out of the business to buy a
family home, at a time when the company
was struggling to break even.
An Ovo spokeswoman explained: “As a
young entrepreneur, Stephen took a big risk
when he founded the business, and it has
been very exciting watching the company
grow to a value many times that of the initial
sum invested.
between June 2010 and May 2013. Many
of Spark’s customers were in rented
accommodation and were signed up
automatically by letting agents when they
moved in. They then found themselves
locked in to paying the highest pay-monthly
tariff on the market and a billing system that
the regulator found was “not reliable and
generated inaccurate bills”.
At the same time Spark got rid of a few
hundred customers who were in debt, by
switching them to other suppliers without
their permission.
“After five years of living and breathing the
company, Stephen decided to invest in a
new family home. The couple now live in
that home in Gloucestershire close to the
company’s headquarters, together with their
two young children.”
In a move that now seems to have been
echoed by VW, Spark said: “There has been
a wholesale restructuring of the business
and an overhaul of key personnel, including
the appointment of a new CEO, a new
director of compliance, a new head of legal
and a new head of customer service.”
But the challenger energy business that has
attracted by far and away the most negative
headlines is Spark Energy, which had to pay
a £250,000 penalty after an investigation
by Ofgem found it had deliberately blocked
all requests to switch to a different supplier
Which all goes to show that the old maxim,
caveat emptor (let the buyer beware) is worth
remembering when shopping for energy
among the challenger businesses, though
not of itself a good reason for not deserting
15
the Big Six!
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THE PLACE WHERE
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Hear from high profile businesses about
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NOF ENERGY NATIONAL CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION
8th & 9th March 2016, Sage Gateshead, North East England
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NOF Energy is returning to Sage Gateshead in North East England in March 2016 to
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Attracting industry executives, leading
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A Balanced Future, which takes place on
March 8 and 9, 2016, highlights future
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chain in UK and international markets.
In addition to discussing traditional and
more recently established sectors, the
event may also address emerging energy
resources, such as Carbon Capture Storage
(CCS), onshore gas and tidal, and what
opportunities will be open to innovative and
technology-led companies.
George Rafferty, Chief Executive of
NOF Energy, said: “Since Energy: A
Balanced Future 2015, the landscape
of the oil and gas industry has changed
dramatically and the 2016 conference
and exhibition will highlight the role of the
supply chain in delivering more sustainable
operations and how efficient, productive and
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operations to complementary sectors.
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sector developments at NOF Energy, with
Energy: A Balanced Future having discussed
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conferences. This year will be no different
as, in addition, we will also focus on the first
tidal and CCS projects planned for the UK.”
George added: “Attendees will, of course,
also hear from keynote speakers from
across oil and gas, nuclear and offshore
renewables sectors, but equally importantly,
they will have the opportunity to network
with delegates and fellow NOF Energy
members.”
As with any NOF Energy event, networking
will be at the heart of Energy: A Balanced
Future. NOF Energy prides itself on its
successful ability to deliver its members and
its wider industry network with productive
networking opportunities.
In addition to the opportunity to engage with
around 600 energy sector professionals,
delegates will be able to meet key decisionmakers, including guests from NOF Energy’s
Strategic Partner network.
At the 2015 conference and exhibition
NOF Energy welcomed partners and
clients including Sellafield, EDF Energy, BP,
Siemens, AMEC Foster Wheeler Energy,
Petrobras, GE Oil & Gas, DONG Energy,
KBR, SNC-Lavalin, Technip, Wood Group
Kenny, Bibby Offshore and Wood Group
PSN.
Outside the main conference hall, Sage
Gateshead will be transformed into a vibrant
and bustling exhibition hub, featuring
more than 80 companies showcasing their
products and services. The exhibition is
one of the highlights of Energy: A Balanced
Future and is open to delegates throughout
the event.
The UK is not the sole focus of Energy: A
Balanced Future. There will be considerable
opportunities to discuss export opportunities
and engage with international visitors, some
of which will be from NOF Energy’s Global
Partner network, which contains like-minded
organisations from across the world keen to
engage with UK companies.
Booking is now open for Energy: A Balanced
Future for delegates and exhibitors. There
are also a number of sponsorship packages
still available.
For more information visit
www.energyabalancedfuture.com
or contact Sophie Palleschi at
SPalleschi@nofenergy.co.uk
+44 (0) 191 384 6464
17
17
FOOD AND DRINK
Stan Abbott visits the visitor centres at a brewery and a distillery, whose products can
be seen as having helped to stimulate the current interest in craft beers and spirits…
A JEWEL OF A VISITOR CENTRE
Although part of the Bacardi group
of spirits, Bombay Sapphire is very
much its own creature and, since it first
came on the scene in 1987, it’s fair to
say it has helped to awaken interest
in designer gins featuring a range of
interesting botanicals.
But this most recognisable of premium
gins is no new invention, with its origins
dating back to one of the earliest
London Dry Gin recipes, created in
Warrington by one Thomas Dakin as
long ago as 1761.
Until 2014, however, Bombay
Sapphire’s stills were “tenants” at the
premises G&J Distillers, in Warrington,
which can also trace its history to
Dakin’s day.
Driven in part by the desire to create a
public face for the brand, a nationwide
search for suitable premises was
launched, which settled eventually
on Laverstoke Mill, near Basingstoke,
which had formerly made the paper for
bank notes.
It is a quite beautiful and particularly
appropriate building, with the look of
having always housed a distillery. Estate
Manager Will Brix, who led the search
for new premises, is particularly proud
to have been able to locate a base that
so snugly fits the Bombay Sapphire
brand values.
“Staying at the front of the gin world is
about sustainably producing Bombay
Sapphire to the highest quality we
can – as we always have done – and
through Laverstoke being able to
share this process with the world,” he
said. “We want to celebrate and prove
it to our fans so they can truly believe in
18
our brand, as opposed to being more
marketing led.”
The 300-year-old mill comprises listed
buildings within a Conservation Area
and Site of Special Scientific Interest.
The River Test, the country’s purest
chalk stream, flows through the site.
The new distillery places a premium on
its efficient energy use and has already
won awards for this.
The manufacturing process uses two
Carterhead and two pot stills, enabling
the botanicals to be added through
vapour infusion, a process normally
found only in a few small craft distilleries
and which helps to distinguish Bombay
Sapphire from its traditional rivals. The
finished spirit is blended with water from
Lake Vyrnwy, in Wales, and bottled in
Warrington.
Our distillery tour begins with a statistic
that underscores the extent to which
Bombay Sapphire, by stimulating new
interest in an “old drink”, has changed
the market. It is now the largest gin
brand by value and expects to become
the largest by volume before too
long, an ambition in which the role of
Laverstoke is central.
Laverstoke has been very much created
with the visitor in mind, with the public
able to get up close to the smallest
of the four operational stills. The tour
starts at the two beautiful glass houses,
designed by Thomas Heatherwick,
who also designed the Cauldron for the
London Olympics, in which examples of
all the Bombay Sapphire botanicals are
grown. Although the herbs and spices in
the Mediterranean and Tropical houses
are for the benefit of visitor education
only, samples of the real McCoy are
then available for our inspection in the
Botanical Dry Room. Coriander, cassia
bark, cubeb berries, orris root, almonds,
grains of paradise: I could close my
eyes and find myself in Paradise!
Our interactive guide enables us to
activate voice commentaries at different
points on the tour. It also includes a
tasting card and we are invited to punch
holes in it to indicate our favourite
botanicals. These are just a couple of
the innovations in what is a very well
thought-out visitor journey conducted
by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable
guide.
The tour ends with cocktails in the
very modern, very blue Mill Bar. These
are based on the taste preferences
we expressed in the botanical room,
though in my case I had clipped almost
all the options! I nonetheless went for an
Aviation: Bombay Sapphire augmented
by Maraschino liqueur, crème de violette
and lemon juice. It was the perfect toast
to round off an excellent experience and
the perfect incentive to spend some
money in the gift shop, which also
boasts a collection of books on gin,
reminding us that Bombay Sapphire
can be thanked for opening the door
onto a whole new world of discerning
drinking.
www.bombaysapphire.com
BLACK SHEEP IN THE FAMILY…
The first thing that strikes you on arrival at
the Black Sheep brewery visitor centre, in
Masham, is just how extraordinarily popular
it appears to be. After all, this is just a
small Yorkshire market town of 1,200 souls
and the nearest sizeable settlements are
Harrogate, 22 miles away, or Darlington, 27
in the other direction.
On the other hand, it was half-term for some
schools when we visited, although I wouldn’t
see schoolchildren as the primary market for
a brewery tour.
A big part of the draw is, undoubtedly,
the quite excellent Bistro (and Baa…r),
where we began our visit with a wonderful
Fisherman’s Sharer seafood platter and the
crispiest, plumpest Scotch egg you could
imagine. All washed down by a glass of
Pathmaker pale ale (hers), and a strenuous
Riggwelter (his), a strong, dark ale named for
the old Norse term for an “upturned” sheep.
Or should that be tupturned?
Our brewery visit begins with a history
lesson, which helps me to evict the notquite-correct version of events that has been
squatting in my memory. Black Sheep, we
are reminded, was founded on a family fallout, delivering to Masham, then the home
of Theakston’s, a second brewery. Today,
Black Sheep brews about 20 million pints
of beer a year, making it the little town’s
Number One. I haven’t verified this, but I
suspect there’s more beer brewed per head
of population in Masham now than even in
Tadcaster, that bastion of Yorkshire brewing.
As a student in Leeds, I would sometimes
join an eagerly-anticipated foray into the
Yorkshire Dales in search of the then
legendary Theakston’s Old Peculier. The
restrictive practices of the licensed trade
at the time meant this powerful brew was
not widely available. As the nation began
to fall out of love with fizzy big-factory keg
beers and in love with CAMRA, Theakston
acquired the old state brewery, in Carlisle,
with a view to increasing capacity beyond
the constraints of its little site in Masham.
But it over-reached itself and was bought
out by Matthew Brown, which was in turn
bought out by Scottish and Newcastle at
a time when the big brewers thought they
could simply buy a slice of the real ale
action.
Paul Theakston, in the fifth generation of
that brewing family, could have “enjoyed”
an easy life with the brewing giant but chose
to break ranks with other family members
by turning his back on shareholder feuding
in 1988 and, three years later, setting up his
own operation on the old Lightfoot brewery
site in Masham, with the intention of reviving
the Lightfoot name. Masham was at that
time at least as famous for its sheep fair
as for its beers and so, on learning that
Scottish and Newcastle owned the rights
to the Lightfoot name, Theakston toyed
with calling his baby the Sheep Brewery.
It was his wife Sue who suggested adding
the Black prefix in what proved to be a very
apt, if not premeditated move. Then S & N
got bored with its real ale toy in 2004 and
Theakston returned to family ownership and
its Bitter to Masham.
Some 11 years later, there’s still no love
lost: Theakston’s owns the White Bear pub,
which backs on to the Black Sheep site, but
it’s the only pub in the town that resolutely
won’t sell Black Sheep ales. Which brings
us, if a little clumsily, on to two observations.
Firstly, we are reminded on the tour that one
of Paul Theakston’s core principles is not to
own his own outlets, a principle that remains
Jo Theakston, Black Sheep’s
Sales and Marketing Director
19
even as he has handed day-to-day control
of Black Sheep to his first and second sons.
Black Sheep brews beer and supplies it to
pubs, also carrying the products of other
breweries where this is a good commercial
fit. Its brewing USP is a strong focus on
English brewing heritage, with the use of
Yorkshire Stone Square fermenting vessels
(only one of those originally salvaged from
other breweries is actually “square”, the
others now being a more convenient round
shape, though that’s another story), Marris
Otter malted barley and English hops from
Herefordshire.
The brewery’s “staples” are its Best Bitter,
Golden Sheep cask, the premium-strength
Black Sheep Special, My Generation pale
ale, and the 5.9 ABV Riggwelter strong beer.
Some of these (Black Sheep, Golden Sheep
and Riggwelter) are also sold in bottles, along
with speciality beers, such as Velo, which
was first brewed in Black Sheep’s on-site
microbrewery to mark the Tour de France in
Yorkshire.
Which brings us to the second observation:
Black Sheep and Theakston’s dared to bury
the hatchet long enough to share a tent for
that event.
SHORTS…
GREAT DOUBLE ACT
Great news from the Conker Distillery, in Dorset – they’re doubling production! Yes,
Rupert Holloway (left), founder of the tiny distillery, based in an old laundry in Southborne,
Bournemouth, and his number two, Fred Gamper, are getting a second tiny 80-litre copper
still to meet demand for the county’s only gin.
Featuring Dorset notes of elderberries, samphire and handpicked New Forest gorse flowers,
the gin – created only in 2013 – was highly commended in Distilling Expo 2014 Gin of the
Year awards. It has a quite distinctive flavour and drinks well without mixing.
www.conkerspirit.co.uk
n Chef Tarek Thoma is rolling out his
Oven restaurant concept to new venues
from its Darlington base. Thoma, who
has famously cooked for George Bush and
Tony Blair at the Dun Cow, Sedgefield, is
starting by investing £500k to launch Oven
Middlesbrough.
The micro-brewery is a specific response
to the exponential recent growth of limited
edition craft beer production and it has
yielded a variety of interesting products that
have graduated to more permanent status,
such as the 8.5 ABV Imperial Russian – an
explosive stout produced for a grand beer
tasting in St Petersburg in 2011 in memory of
Catherine the Great’s liking for British porter.
The restaurant, which claims to offer
“Michelin star-style food at affordable
prices”, will serve contemporary French and
English cuisine from Central Point, on the
town’s Linthorpe Road and was due to open
shortly as we went to press.
All these and more were on offer at the end
of our tour in the nearest thing to a Black
Sheep brewery tap – the downstairs bar at
the bistro, where beers and ales are available
in third-of-a-pint sets of three tasters.
About 100,000 people a year visit the
Black Sheep brewery, making it the most
popular attraction in the Yorkshire Dales.
With the possibility of also visiting the
rival establishment down the road and
overnighting at, for example, the popular
King’s Head (with its attractive combination
of modern bar space and chunky oak beams
in the bedrooms), stag partiers and other
groups are heading for the sleepy sheep
town in numbers these days.
www.blacksheepbrewery.com
MUSICAL TINKLE
Thoma’s CV includes stints at Michelinstarred restaurants including the L’Escargot
in London and Chapter One, in Kent. He
said: “The plan is for Oven in
Middlesbrough to be the
flagship restaurant in a series
of establishments that we
plan to roll out across the
country.”
www.thebellinticehurst.com
n If in York, Demijohn
“liquid deli” is a mustvisit. Liquids, from
artisan olive oil to
bespoke gins, whisky
liqueurs and other
spirits,are dispensed
from ornate
glass vessels into
smaller, but equally
ornate bottles. You pay
a deposit on these but
can then refill them on
your next visit.
www.demijohn.co.uk
If you’re looking to try somewhere different
in the Southampton area and don’t mind
driving just a little further than usual, then
do try The Bell, a most unusual pub, at
Ticehurst, East Sussex. Renovated at no
small expense by property developer Richard
Upton and his wife, Roz, the interior is replete
with quirky decorative touches, including
a haphazard pile of books that appears to
be holding the bar ceiling up and a row of
euphoniums standing in for the urinals in the
gents’ loo. Food, locally sourced, is priced
mid-range and its quality is excellent, as are
the range of beers and wines, the ambience
and the service.
SOMEWHERE FOR THE WEEKEND with Stan Abbott
LA FOSSE: Eat, sleep and cycle…
Southampton Airport’s position by the
motorway makes it ideally placed to
quickly reach the New Forest and the
very different landscape of rural
Dorset, beyond. Somewhere for the
Weekend visits La Fosse, at Cranborne,
slap bang in the middle of Dorset…
daughter, Amélie. Their combined CV also
features Pebble Beach Restaurant, Le
Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons and Blantyre
Hotel (USA).
the Restaurant at La Fosse. I’m not sure
quite how this differentiates it from the
popular “restaurant with rooms” descriptor.
Perhaps it’s simply just that: it’s become
too general a label, whereas to separate
the beds and tables is to ensure that the
accommodation side is not just seen as a
bit of an afterthought.
On our visit, a large party was dining round
a big table at the centre of things, but
this in now way compromised our own
experience despite the relatively modest
number of additional covers.
At La Fosse, they have succeeded in
creating an atmosphere that helps guests
to feel as though they might almost be in
their own informal dining room, while at
the same time maintaining just the right
distance between those who eat and those
who serve.
but I actually thought the tahini brought
out its best. The pumpkin came from a
farm at Blandford, six miles away, and
indeed most ingredients are sourced
within about 20 miles or, in the case of the
artisan bread, from just along the road.
Even chorizo, should you fancy it, comes
from just 50 miles away, at Lulworth, and
buffalo mozzarella, from 47 miles away, in
Hampshire.
When Stan Abbott last visited the intended site of England’s newest whisky distillery, it
called
for a goodHartstone
imagination.
Mark
and Emmanuelle
describe He found himself delighted with the transformation when he
their little establishment as a B & B, and
We shared an apple crumble with
returned
earlier
summer…
their
wonderfully
informalthis
restaurant
as…
macadamia nut topping and fig and honey
That said, you would be quite mad to stay
at La Fosse and NOT eat chez Hartstone.
Although arriving towards the end of a late
October afternoon, we had then managed
to find time to extend our exploratory
tentacles (see Exploration Express, page
36) and work up an appetite. There are
three counties on La Fosse’s doorstep –
Hampshire and Wiltshire, in addition to its
own Dorset – and a generous collection of
house booklets and maps encourages you
to discover them.
From five starters I chose hot smoked
corn on the cob and it was precisely that
– no boiling, no chargrilling: just smoked
and a surprising new way to take an old
favourite. My wife’s hummus and rosemary
goat’s cheese filo tart was exquisite. With
a choice of five mains, I very much enjoyed
the perfectly cooked crispy duck with
red cabbage and couscous. I also liked
my wife’s char-grilled lemon chicken with
roasted squash in a tahini dressing. This
nod towards the obsession with pumpkins
at Halloween (it was all just turnips when I
was a lad) worked less well in her view. I’m
not the world’s greatest fan of squashes
ice cream, and a gargantuan board of ten
Dorset cheeses, which delighted with its
variety of tastes and textures. No wonder
Mark is a two times winner of the Best
Dorset Cheeseboard award.
Retiring to the open fire in the sitting
area beyond the breakfast buffet dresser
brought a first opportunity to discover the
fresh and unusual botanicals of Conker
Dorset Dry Gin (see page opposite).
Breakfasts at La Fosse don’t disappoint,
with plenty of home-made jams and
spreads to browse. Do try the eggs
Benedict.
www.la-fosse.com
Eastern Airways flies to Southampton from
Leeds Bradford and Aberdeen
So, after a quick acquaintance with the
Cowshed cosmetics, the organic brand
that began life in rural Somerset, it was
time to peruse the menu over a kir royale
in the stripped pine, elegantly furnished
sitting room in the front, Victorian,
wing of La Fosse. It was an excellent
kir royale, mixed by someone who
clearly knows how.
Mark and Emmanuelle met while both
working at Hampshire’s five-star Chewton
and this is very much a shared enterprise,
“assisted” (as they put it) by their young
21
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW: AMANDA HOLDEN
Dubbed by some a ‘national treasure’, Amanda Holden exudes a rare charm and
warmth that has taken the country by storm every Saturday night in her role as a
judge on Britain’s Got Talent. But her rise to fame has been fraught with heartache.
Karen Anne Overton delves deeper into the primetime star who is much more than
just a pretty face.
Britain’s Got Talent (BGT) has launched many a star: from
Pudsey the dancing dog to street opera sensation, Paul
Potts. One of the biggest and brightest to emerge though
was not from the pool of contestants, but talent judge
Amanda Holden, who has become something of a British
darling. Over the nine series since the show launched
in 2007 we have watched the actress from Portsmouth,
who hitherto was best known for her rocky marriage to
comedian Les Dennis, become an international style icon
and sex symbol.
Though born in Portsmouth, her family moved to the
village of Bishops Waltham, in Hampshire, where she
spent most of her youth. Despite talking fondly in the past
about having “barbecues on the beach and running into
the sea in the middle of the night”, her early childhood
was actually quite traumatic, after her alcoholic father
abandoned her, her young sister and their mother.
Holden has always had great faith in her career and it
is perhaps this unyielding belief that helped her remain
strong in the face of heartbreak: “I never believed I
wouldn’t make it – and perhaps that’s why I’ve always
found work,” she says. “I’ve always stuck at everything
I’ve done. I absolutely won’t give up.”
22
Featureflash / Shutterstock.com
Though mostly known as an actress, Holden is a talented
singer and stage performer who began her career starring
in various theatre shows. Dazzling audiences in the role of
Liesl, in the touring production of The Sound of Music, she
was also nominated for a Best Actress Laurence Olivier
Theatre Award for the West End production of Thoroughly
Modern Millie.
It was her combination of talent, wit and charm that made
her an obvious choice for a place on the BGT panel and it
is here she has truly shone. Week after week, series after
series, she and Simon Cowell have been constant in a sea
of changing faces that has also included David Hasselhoff
and comedian Michael Macintyre. She is by turns funny
and compassionate, but always glamourous, belying
her 44 years with the effervescent vitality of someone
much younger. When complimented on her beauty she
is typically humble. “Well, that’s down to one man and
one man only and that’s my make-up artist, Christian
Vermaak,” she says. “He also does Kylie’s make-up. He’s
incredible!”
Though she is now happily married to record producer
Chris Hughes, with whom she has two children, her private
life has not always run smoothly. She married Family
Fortunes host Les Dennis in 1995 and the couple initially
had what she described as a “fairytale marriage”. The
pair were often photographed together and it wasn’t long
before Dennis’s beautiful young bride began garnering the
attention of the media.
Five years into their marriage, however, it was revealed
that she had had an affair with actor Neil Morrissey. The
couple initially split but got back together, only to divorce
in 2011. Though devastating at the time, it was after their
split that Holden really came into her own and her career
has since gone from strength to strength.
Though she now has a family, the path to motherhood
was almost fatal for Holden: during her first pregnancy
with Lexi, now nine, there was a false alarm that the child
might have Downs Syndrome. Then in 2011 she suffered
a devastating blow when her son was stillborn seven
months into the pregnancy. She would go on to have
her second daughter, Hollie in 2012, but the birth was
traumatic, with Holden losing a huge amount of blood and
coming close to death.
She has talked very openly about suffering from posttraumatic stress syndrome, telling Good Housekeeping
Magazine in 2015: “My therapist told me I had no more
tools or coping mechanism left. She was very good at
giving me sentences to say to myself to make me stop
panicking about my own mortality.”
She went on to explain: “I think you have none of these
worries unless you’ve got children. If it had just been me
and Chris and I’d died, it would have been awful for him
but nowhere near as bad as a child losing her mother.”
She admits that despite looking the picture of health,
having any more children would be too dangerous a risk to
take. “I’m not allowed. I would be dead the next time. And
I think Chris would say you can have them but you’re not
having them with me.”
The year 2015 was a rather exciting one for Holden,
taking an opportunity to cover presenter Holly Willoughby
on This Morning during her maternity leave. Finding the
experience rather thrilling, she especially enjoyed the live
aspect of “flying by the seat of your pants” and the joy of
interviewing people whom she had long admired, such as
legendary crooner Barry Manilow.
>>
“I never believed I wouldn’t make it –
and perhaps that’s why I’ve always found
work…I absolutely won’t give up.”
Featureflash / Shutterstock.com
AMANDA HOLDEN: BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT
Holden with Alesha Dixon and Simon Cowell at a Britain’s Got Talent photocall at the ICA, London. Picture by Steve Vas
“He is iconic for me and I think at first he thought I was taking
the mickey out of him, but then he quickly realised that I’m a bit
of a stalker-fan,” she laughs.
Another huge difference between hosting morning television and
Saturday night entertainment is the need to be on-the-ball, doing
live interviews at the crack of dawn. “I enjoy using my brain. I
think people don’t realise that we have to come up with our own
questions for every topic. When I accepted the job I was like,
‘You do remember I’m an actress – I’m not a journalist?’ It’s just
been a fantastic thing for me all round really. I’ve had a ball.”
Having wrapped up another eventful series of BGT in 2015, there
are no signs that Holden will step away from the judging panel
any time soon, in spite of Simon Cowell playing a prank on her
with Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw, in which the pair suggested
24 Holden would be replaced by X Factor Judge Cheryl Fernandez-
Versini. It was an experience Holden found less than amusing.
“Would you call that a joke?! It was horrendous! I’m so fond of
him and I know he’s fond of me and I couldn’t believe he would
be that heartless. I mean I don’t expect to be in the job forever
and I also don’t expect him to be the one who tells me, but I had
no idea he could be that heartless!” Though she described it as
one of the “worst days of my life” at the time, she can now see
the funny side, saying she will absolutely have revenge on the
infamous music mogul.
The tenth series of BGT will be aired in 2016 and Cowell has
said he expects Holden, David Walliams and Alesha Dixon to all
return as judges. What is more incredible than a decade of the
talent show, now an annual staple on British television, is the
fact that Holden never seems to age; if anything she has only
become more luminous, more charming and more iconic as the
years go by.
FASHION
NEVER OUT OF FASHION
As 2015 draws to a close we mark the 30th anniversary of the death of a Welsh woman
whose name remains iconic in the world of fashion and furnishings. Victoria Trott reports
On September 17, 1985, the creator
of one of the world’s most famous and
influential lifestyle brands passed away.
Laura Ashley was staying with her
daughter in the Cotswolds when she fell
down the stairs in the dark and died in
hospital of a brain haemorrhage several
days later. She was just 60.
Mabalu / creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Born Laura Mountney on September 7,
1925 in Dowlais, near Merthyr Tydfil, a
village, which boasted the world’s largest
ironworks in the 19th century, Laura
Ashley’s company, renowned for its
retro floral designs, had 220 shops in 12
countries and a turnover of £100 million
at the time of her death.
After a childhood spent mainly in South
Wales, Laura trained as a secretary,
before joining the Women’s Royal Naval
Service in 1942, during which time she
met Bernard Ashley, an engineer, who
went on to become her husband, in
1949.
The couple settled in London, where
Laura started working with the Women’s
Institute to develop quilting and was
a frequent visitor to the V&A to look at
textiles. While on holiday in Italy in 1953,
the couple bought some scarves, whose
designs they decided to emulate at home
– launching one of the all-time bestknown fashion brands.
Working out of their Pimlico flat on a
printing machine constructed by Bernard,
Laura designed 20 scarves, which were
bought by John Lewis; all sold out.
Aprons, napkins, tea towels and romantic
Victorian-style dresses followed, along
with sales to Heal’s and Liberty.
The company was becoming so
successful that production moved to
Kent from 1955-61 and then to Carno, in
Mid-Wales, where it remained until 2005.
Laura once said: “Living quite remotely
as I have done, I have not been caught
up with city influences and we just
developed in our own way.” The couple
had four children all of whom worked in
the business.
Laura Ashley opened its first shop in
South Kensington in 1968 and the
dresses soon became a hit with the
fashion-conscious middle and upper
classes. By 1978, due to their worldwide
success (around 5,000 outlets), the
Ashleys had become tax exiles and
moved to a château, in France, one of
four luxury properties they owned, along
with a private jet and a yacht. By now,
the company was also designing and
selling furnishings.
A few months after Laura’s death,
the company was floated on the
Stock Exchange for £200 million and
expansion continued. However, by 1998,
it was in trouble, due to problems with
manufacturing. The problem lay in the
transition from being a family-run firm to
a public company and “bad managers”,
according to Sir Bernard, who was
knighted in 1987. There had been no
fewer than five CEOs in seven years,
and it was rescued by a Malaysian firm.
Sir Bernard resigned from the board and
died of cancer in 2009.
Although he remarried, Sir Bernard and
Laura are both buried in Carno. Their
legacy lives on in The Ashley Family
Foundation, which supports charitable
textile projects, projects which strengthen
rural communities in Wales, and the arts.
Ashley dresses on display in the
Fashion Museum, Bath, on the 60th
anniversary in 2013 of the founding of
the Laura Ashley label25
ON LOCATION
GOLLY GOTHS!
Harry Pearson heads for the Yorkshire port from where Captain
Cook began his adventures but which, these days, is more a Mecca
for those who indulge in the Goth cult…
During the school holidays the train
from Middlesbrough to Whitby is
invariably full of day-trippers and
holidaymakers bound for the coast.
Families with B&B bookings, their
suitcases stowed on the luggage racks,
mix with OAPs in beanie hats, canvas
holdalls stuffed with knitting, and malt
loaf cradled on their laps, and groups
of anorak-clad rail enthusiasts enjoying
one of England’s most beautiful branch
lines.
Radek Sturgolewski
Whitby Abbey
26
Among this chattering, colourful mob
there are generally a few clusters of
altogether less expected people – palefaced couples with matching purple
nail varnish, blood-red lipstick, dark
velvet clothing, funereal headgear:
Goths. They go to Whitby not for the
phenomenal fish and chips and the
Magpie Café, nor for the mini-golf on
West Cliff, but because this was where
Count Dracula came ashore from the
shipwrecked Russian ship. In the shape
of a large black dog, he bounded up
the 199 steps to the haunted ruins
of Whitby Abbey and proceeded to
inflict his singular blend of insomniac
erotic terror on various local women,
including Bram Stoker’s heroine, Mina
Harker. While everyone else hopes for
sunshine, the Goths long for one of
those North Sea frets that shroud the
harbour in pale and ghostly mist, so
that the graveyard of East Cliff’s 13th
century church seems to hover like
some spectral island, and the calling
of the gulls echoes like the maniacal
laughter of tormented souls.
On the last Friday of October there
are more Goths on the train than
usual. In fact people in capes, top
hats and death’s head nose-studs
outnumber the grannies, the kids and
the trainspotters. Despite their ghoulish
appearance they seem a jolly bunch,
laughing and joking and eating Haribo
Tangtatstics. Mind you it is hard to
maintain an air of bittersweet Bryronic
melancholy when you are crowded
onto a British train, rattling through the
pretty pantiled villages of Eskdale, with
the people sitting next to you munching
cheese savoury baps and discussing
the latest expulsion from Strictly Come
Dancing in loud Teesside voices.
Dark-clad hordes are heading to
Whitby’s world-famous Goth Weekend.
The event was started by a group of
pen-pals who met through the New
Musical Express. The first Whitby Goth
Weekend, in 1994, attracted about 50
people and was held in a pub, with the
suitably Edgar Allan Poe-tinged name
of Elsinore. Since then the festival
has grown and grown like, well, some
mighty homunculus. It’s now held biannually in spring and autumn, pulls in
thousands of visitors from around the
globe and pumps an estimated £1.1
million into the economy of the North
Yorkshire fishing port.
From the station, grannies and families
head off for the amusements and the
cafés, the Goths for the dark ruins of
the 14th century Benedictine abbey,
which glowers down on the red-roofed
cottages of the town from the top of
East Cliff. The abbey was built on the
sight of a monastery destroyed by
marauding Vikings during the 800s. In
the seventh century this monastery was
presided over by Saint Hilda, a doughty
northern matron who drove serpents
to the cliff edge before decapitating
them with a crack of her whip and then
turning the remains to stone (you can
still see their petrified remains studded
about Whitby’s cliffs, though nowadays
most people prefer to think of them as
fossilized ammonites).
The abbey is haunted (well, of course
it is) by the ghost of Constance de
Beverley, a novice nun who broke
her vow of chastity for love of the
wicked Scottish knight Marmion.
As punishment for her sins she was
bricked up alive in the abbey dungeon
from which it is said her pitiful pleading
to be set free can still be heard.
Marmion escaped, but died later on
the battlefield of Flodden. The whole
escapade became an epic poem by
Sir Walter Scott, establishing Whitby in
the romantic imagination as a place of
passion and doom.
Across from the abbey and even closer
to the sea, the Gothic church of St Mary is
one of the most beautiful and unusual in
Britain. The graveyard – where the Goths
picnic and pose for selfies – was a place
Bram Stoker explored in 1890, finding
names for the characters in the novel
he was working on. He’d already come
across that of the eponymous villain
of the piece in an obscure book about
Romania he’d stumbled upon in the
town library. Dracula, the author William
Wilkinson noted, was the Wallachian word
for “devil”.
From here on East Cliff you walk down
those 199 steps and into the warren of
narrow, cobbled streets that run down
to the harbour, passing between shops
selling jet (the “mourning stone” so
beloved of Victorians, another product of
the local hills), fudge, ships in bottles and
tin plate lighthouses. Across the bridge, a
man in white facepaint and dark eyeliner
wears a top hat and silver steampunk
gasmask and is standing outside an
amusement arcade. A woman in full
Victorian “penny dreadful” costume has
stripped off a black lace glove to eat a
bag of chips. A hearse loaded with what
look like distant relations of the Addams
family rolls past a group of OAPs who are
staring in the window of a sweetshop at
the selection of novelty rock.
In the Bizarre Bazaar – a kind of pop-up
Goth mall spread over three venues - you
can buy all kinds of apparel and jewellery,
as well as accessories such as brass
steampunk goggles, from stalls with
names such as Ardent Shadows, Blessed
With a Curse and – my favourite – Bride
and Gloom. Most of it, predictably, is
black, though there’s also a lot of scarlet.
Satin corsets are popular. Tucked away
among the silver-topped canes and
water transfer tattoos I’m pleased to
see a stand raising money for the Bat
Conservation Trust. The Count himself
would surely have approved.
Later on, Altered Images are playing in the
Pavilion. It’s hard to see how perky lead
singer Claire Grogan – star of the sweet
1980s Scottish comedy film Gregory’s
Girl – quite fits into the gloomy death cult,
but she’s from the right era and people
seem to be enjoying themselves, dancing
in that skipping-from-one-leg to the other
manner we used to do at the Victoria
Venue back in the day. Tomorrow’s
headliners, Spear of Destiny – all peroxide
quiffs and eyeliner – promise something a
little more menacing.
Saturday is Halloween and Whitby
expects a fresh influx, not just of Goths
but of general All Hallow’s Eve partygoers
who have rather crashed the event in
recent years, much to the disgust of the
purists. I decide to leave before the noisy
mob of drunks in gorilla suits starts to fill
the streets. Foregoing the temptation of
the annual football match between Real
Gothic and Stokermotive Whitby, I walk
off back to the station with the regular
holidaymakers, whose half-term vacation
is complete – past the chip shops, the
waterfall-of-pennies machines and the
bingo-callers. In the station entrance a
shaven headed man in a form-hugging
red rubber outfit is sheltering from the
drizzle, eating a Mr Softee ice cream.
www.whitbygothweekends.co.uk
Eastern Airways flies from Aberdeen to
Durham Tees Valley Airport, which is an
hour’s drive from Whitby.
Goth images © Robert Slassor
Web: www.bobslassorphotography.com
Email: info@bobslassorphotography.com
I’M PLEASED TO SEE A STAND RAISING
MONEY FOR THE BAT CONSERVATION
TRUST. THE COUNT HIMSELF WOULD
SURELY HAVE APPROVED.
27
SPECIAL FEATURE
SOAP OPERA
Kevin Pilley discovers how a nation of shopkeepers has become a nation of soap-makers…
called Sunlight Flakes (1899), in 1925
it became the first mass-manufactured
toilet soap. It is called Caress in the US. I
experimented recreationally with glycerine
and Pears, first made by the son of a
Cornish farmer in 1807.
Not much has changed. For years, I have
been developing my own signature body
odour. At last I have found it. Whisky and
water.
But it’s been a long journey – one that
charts the evolution of not only personal
but also national hygiene. Every person
has the right to smell how they like. And
today we have more choices than ever
before.
During my teens, I smelled of an English
garden. Now it’s of skin-calming, rehydrating and nourishing aged oak Scots
single malt. With a hint of vanilla and cedar.
My body reflects shifts in beauty trends.
And washing patterns. It showcases
British industry and entrepreneurship.
Smelling nice is an instinct that cannot be
denied. I like to celebrate and indulge the
pleasure I get from washing. For me going
into a bathroom is a social mission. I like to
come out ethically cleansed. And smelling
natural. And, if possible, patriotic.
Now if you want to smell of Somerset
meadows, you buy Yardley’s handwash. If
you want to evoke the Russian court, it’s
Cussons Imperial Leather. Want to smell
like wild gorse or a heritage fruit? Then it’s
Noble Isle.
If you prefer to smell 113 years old and
as if you belong to a pedigree bloodline,
then it has to be Penhaligon’s Blenheim
Bouquet. Deodorant. Talc. Or after-shave
splash.
Once, I knew no better than to bathe in the
footsteps of a walking baby. I was a Fairy
man. My armpits never knew anything
but a rectangular block of quick-to-crack
green soap. Then, briefly, I flirted with
coal tar before moving onto carbolic and
Lifebuoy, originally made in 1895 to fight
cholera in London.
Advertisement, 1886
I was taken by its slogan, “From head to
toe, it stops BO.”
My skincare regime was the envy of my
friends. I was the first boy on our road to
use Matey bubble bath.
Faithful to Unilever and ever the slave of
tradition, I had my Lux period. Originally
It didn’t all start with Anita Roddick and the
aloe vera/jojoba movement. The lavender
soaps of Yardley go back to 1887 and the
company to 1770.
London’s G Baldwin & Co dates to 1844
and, keeping up with the competition, the
city’s oldest herbalist has recently moved
into “Synergy Harmonising” bath milk as
well as fresh-tasting fennel toothpaste,
birch body scrub and juniper shaving
soap.
Penhaligon’s of London was founded
by a Cornish barber in 1870. Tallow and
pure vegetable oil soap-makers Kays
of Ramsbottom, in Bury, Lancashire, is
100 years old. Surprisingly, Crabtree &
Evelyn was only born (in Cambridge,
Massachusetts) in 1972. But, despite its
classic rosewater hand therapy and lily of
the valley range, it wasn’t a pioneer in the
use of fruit, plant and flower extract and
essential emollient oils.
28
Michael Luckett
Candlemaker William (“Palmolive”) Colgate
opened for business in New York in 1806
and his company first produced Cashmere
Bouquet soap in 1873.
Scotland’s oldest smellie-maker is The
Caurie, in Kirkintilloch, Glasgow. Using
organic herbs, it produces nettle soap,
peppermint foot-rub and bog myrtle body
butter. The soaperie first started lathering
in 1922. James Little has been a full-time
soap maker for 36 years. His grandfather
started the firm. They have been making
nettle soap for 100 years.
In 1989, Janet Russell set up another
successful Scottish kitchen table/cottage
concern, Arran Aromatics. The business,
which opened its first shop in Glasgow
in 2006 and still has a boutique on the
pier at Brodick, on the Isle of Arran,
moved to an old dairy farm. The milking
pens became the soap factory and the
cow sheds the production centre. They
produce everything from Driftwood soap
and mood-lifting Pink-grapefruit scented
candles to energising “After The Rain” nail
cream.
There is now a National Guild of
Craft Soap and Toiletry Makers, a
non-commercial peer support group
representing ventures like Uist Beauty
Products, in the Western Isles, Barnsley’s
Aromatic Aromas, June Campbell’s
Ironbridge Soaps, The Audaceous Beard
Co and Orkney Star Islands, the UK’s
most northerly soap-making enterprise. As
well as EU suds creators. There are 298
UK members. One in France. One in Italy.
Three in Ireland.
Because of the number of businesses,
we are all brand ambassadors. Although
Irish, my wife is the most British-smelling
woman I know. She leaves behind her
a wake of Perthshire bees, Cornish
hedgerows and Gloucestershire tart
orchards. Sometimes she smells of old
trees.
Wherever she goes, wherever she has
been, drifting in the air behind is a mist of
the most fragrant home-grown spores.
The smell of Yorkshire rhubarb and
gooseberries, Irish sea oaks and samphire,
occasionally, when she gives in to her
Celtic side, a hint of Welsh beets. Yellow,
white and red.
>>
MY SKINCARE REGIME
WAS THE ENVY OF MY
FRIENDS. I WAS THE
FIRST BOY ON OUR
ROAD TO USE MATEY
BUBBLE BATH.
She wears her Coat of Balms with pride.
She has just discovered Noble Isle bath
products. All 27 of them. She buys
and bathes British. For a long time our
downstairs loo evoked Surrey cherry
blossom. Thanks to Heyland & Whittle soy
wax candles.
My wife swears by Britain In A Bottle.
She used to be a Voya girl. It was the
fragrant Atlantic organic seaweed musk that
first attracted me to her.
Noble Isle’s bottled Britain range, like so
many, uses natural “artisanal” ingredients
from all around the country. The kitchen
garden at the Bell Inn, at Skenfrith,
Monmouthshire, provides the beets for the
body gel. Scotland’s Heather Hills Honey
Farm provides the mono-floral base and
healthy anti-oxidants for the hand wash.
Bark from the Lighting Oak, at Haileybury
College, Hertfordshire, is responsible
for “room-accenting” home fragrance;
Cornwall’s Lost Gardens of Heligan for the
elderflowers, which go into the shower gel;
and Gloucester Yellow Huffcap pears are
used in the shampoo.
The Whisky and Water collection (hand
lotion, hand-wash and reed diffusers) was
an early Father’s Day present. The Dalvenie
Distillery is the reason our house smells like
a distillery.
In our house we buy British. Because we like
to smell British. Our poured candles used to
be Yankee. Now they are more eclectic. And
made in the UK.
Whether Noble Isle’s Wild Gorse or
Ultimate Fig, Jo Malone’s Sweet Almond &
Macaroon, or The White Company’s Orange
Grove, our home smells of home.
Many hotel chains now have their own
branded high-end in-house bathroom
products. Ritz-Carlton uses Asleys. Fairmont
has Le Labo. Hilton has Peter Thomas
Roth, Hyatt has KenetMD and Renaissance,
Aveda. I have dabbled with Acqua di Parma,
used Taylor of London professionally and
got hooked on Duck Island. I have had my
fair share of Sea Spray.
I’ve had my L’Occitane moments. And
Molton Brown coco de mer. I was into
Gilchrist & Soames for a time. Similarly, my
wife has been a user and abuser of Laura
Mercier, Bvgalris and Elsyl.
For a time she was in denial about shea
butter. And was perhaps using a little too
much of Kiel’s orange flower and lychee
liquid bath wash. And OD-ing slightly on the
AA front with Aromatherapy Associates.
All that vetivert threatened to turn our home
into a mindful destress retreat. And the
neem oil was driving us apart.
They say it starts with the parents. My Dad
was a compulsive Brut. I am a whisky man.
And our two sons are showing signs of a
mugwort and frankincense exfoliating facial
scrub habit. They’ve been greenwashed
into ethical consuming. Our eldest is on the
Skin Blossom eye cream. The youngest
has just started moisturising and asking for
Nantucket Briar scented drawer-liners. By
Crabtree & Evelyn.
n Emma Heathcote-James runs The Little
Soap Company, in the Cotswolds. She has
a soap-making school. One of her best
sellers is organic English peppermint and
poppy seed. Using Icelandic volcanic ash,
Tanzanian avocado and unperfumed sensitive
oatmeal, she creates it in an old wash-house,
in Broadway. She makes Little Beast ecofriendly pet bath soap and supplies to national
supermarkets.
n Stacey Lloyd-Briden runs Amkims (named
after her twin daughters), having taken up
soap-making after she was widowed. She
now produces strawberry crème bath-bombs,
and blueberry soap pie slices, as well as
Venom and Monkey Farts.
n Sarah Phillips started the Natural Soap Co
in Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, and keeps the
traditional saponification process alive, while
diversifying into exotics like cardamom and
orange bath foam and chocolate
lip balm.
30
n After opening in 1995, and
still based in Poole, Dorset, Mo
and Simon Constantine’s Lush
now has more than 800 shops
in 51 countries. Its Blueberry
Roulade, It’s Raining Men and
You’ve Been Mangoed bathroom
gels are best-sellers. A company
mantra is “We don’t take baths;
we appreciate them”.
MOTORING
DRIVES LIKE AN ANGEL…
Stan Abbott road tests the new forfour smart car from Mercedes -Benz
I was delighted when Mercedes-Benz
invited me to road-test one of the
prestige brand’s new models.
“Yes,” I told my wife, “It’s the new
smart forfour.” She looked puzzled and
disappointingly underwhelmed. I thought
I’d better do a bit of research to build a
better sales pitch.
Everyone will be familiar with the original
smart city car concept – the little fortwo
runabout that’s so compact it almost
looks taller than it is long. Well it’s now
been revitalised and relaunched in
both two-seat and four-seat versions,
the latter a close relative of Renault’s
Twingo. I thought it looked like fun and
decided that, if the vehicle aspired to
accommodate four people, then it would
deserve to be tested against a range of
reasonable driving challenges.
a nice chap who’d driven it all the way
from Milton Keynes to Durham.
It looked good. I liked it. But it was
very… um, green. In fact my forfour
could most flatteringly be described
as a sort quasi-metallic avocado. One
of those hues which, like Marmite, you
either like or you don’t. But you no more
judge a car by its colour than a book by
its cover, so I politely asked forfour to
take me to the other side of Newcastle,
via the ten miles of construction work
that are loosely termed the A1.
These would include city driving, shoehorning it into a tight space, motorway
driving, winding country roads, hillclimbing and distance. In short, I wanted
to know if the forfour would make a
suitably versatile complement to a
family’s “first car”.
The biggest change that’s happened
since the first generation forfour bowed
out a few years ago, is that the engine
– 999cc three-cylinder, transversemounted – has been shifted to the back
of the car and now sits slightly forward
of the rear wheels. This had not been
immediately apparent to me, as the little
devil boasts both an opening bonnet
(lockable) and fairly generous boot space
at the back. Of course, in these days of
computerised engine diagnostics, there’s
not often cause to access the engine,
which is perhaps just as well.
The day of the forfour’s arrival came and
the car duly did likewise, courtesy of
The engine configuration and position
combine to deliver not so much a noisy
ride as one in which you are at least
aware that there is an engine, with
the three chirpy cylinders playing a
distinctive melody.
I felt strangely empowered, swapping my
generously-sized Tiguan for the forfour.
It kept urging me to nip into traffic gaps
and swap lanes to gain the odd inch in
the queue. On the return journey I ran it
along cobbled streets, which it traversed
as a duck through water, and tested its
immensely impressive 8.65-metre turning
circle in a tight cul-de-sac. I checked out
the rear view camera, reversing into a
near-impossible space.
On the eve of the forfour’s sternest
challenge it had sailed through all its
preliminary tests and we felt it might
deserve a less prosaic name than forfour.
“Do you think it’s male or female?” I
asked my wife.
“Female, I think.”
“OK, what about Mercedes, then. A lot of
Spanish women are called Mercedes. Or
maybe Marcia, or Maria, for short.”
We settled eventually on Maria and
popped our destination into the Tom
Tom – just one of the many features on
the very easy-to use and easy-on-the-eye
digital display. This also incudes a Bluetooth
connection, delivering high-quality sound
via generous front door speakers direct from
your iPhone or other device.
MARIA HAD SHOWN HER COLOURS AND THEY
WERE HERALDIC RED RATHER THAN AVOCADO.
Maria took us briskly round the southern
perimeter of the Lake District National Park,
before striking off from the charming village
square of Broughton-in-Furness for Eskdale.
The sky was getting heavier, but above
Ulpha, the sun still managed to find holes
through which to shine a golden torch on the
rusty tones of the dying bracken.
Besides dropping the back seats to create
a single large luggage space, you can ease
them forward, or – better still – simply flip
the seat benches over to create a deep
independent storage area.
Destination Yorkshire: we were soon on the
motorway and in this milieu Maria had new
qualities to share, some of them quite “big
car” ones.
Maria’s nippiness in the lower gears had belied her modest engine size, but a following
wind and downhill slope inevitably helped
attain cruising speed on the motorway. Without such assistance, and with the car fully
laden, you have to work the gears.
Those with long memories will recall rearengined cars like the Hillman Imp, whose
handling at speed was so twitchy that many
owners would pop a concrete block in the
front boot. Maria showed signs of such
behaviour but here those ever-so-clever
engineers have come up with a solution:
“crosswind assist”. This comes into play
when driving in a broadly straight line at over
50mph and uses differential braking to keep
the vehicle on track in gusts.
Other big car features include both cruise
control and limiter, either of which can be
helpful when traversing the 50mph average
speed check zones of North Yorkshire’s
motorway upgrade works.
The following day we would head across the
country, through the Yorkshire Dales and the
Lake District, via a circuitous route taking in
probably the two toughest mountain passes
in the country.
Maria felt confident and stable on the
country roads, her wide wheel base and low
centre of gravity sticking her firmly to the
road on corners. I hadn’t had this much fun
Stan and Maria prepare themselves
for the ascent of Wrynose
on a country road since the days of my VW
Beetle (modern variety). Only once did the
rear-wheel drive catch me out, when taking
a cattle grid at a slight angle without the
precaution of lifting my foot off the gas first.
Maria’s back end lurched across, reminding
me of her physiology.
There’d been heavy and unrelenting rain
the night before and, leaving the A684 in
Upper Wensleydale to savour the delights of
Semerwater, we encountered long stretches
of quite deep surface water, which Maria
waded effortlessly, with a little clutch-slipping
to help her along.
I’d come this way to see how she handled
the one-in-four climb up from the lake, just to
reassure myself we wouldn’t find ourselves
marooned when she was faced later with the
one-in-three of Hardknott Pass. She soon
ran out of oomph in second gear but, in first,
demonstrated ample reserves of power to
drag us round the hairpins and over the top.
We took a back route to join the A65 at
Kirkby Lonsdale, via Newby Head and
the undervisited and under-rated valley of
Dentdale and another steep climb over to
Barbondale, similarly off the beaten track.
Both dales shone gold and green as the low
rays of a warming autumn sun prised open
the moisture-laden sky. I fancy this brought
the best out of Maria’s avocado outfit.
We tailed L’il Ratty, the little steam train, as
we headed up Eskdale, the sides of this
hitherto gentle dale closing in above the
railhead as we approached the horrors of
Hardknott. I have had two bad experiences
on this pass among the many times I have
crossed it. The first was as a child when my
dad kicked us all out of his Hillman Minx
when it stuttered to a halt on the steepest
corner. I did a similar thing to my own
passengers when my 2CV, laden with four
adults, their camping gear and two hang
gliders on the roof, similarly faltered 20 years
later. I have dubbed this evil hairpin, whose
inner radius is surely well in excess of one-inthree, the devil’s elbow.
Maria enjoyed the first few hairpins. Indeed,
I chose to hang back and let the car in front
clear the pass as he was slowing on the
bends and making life difficult for Maria. On
the steepest sections of Hardknott, where
road-rollers clearly fear to tread, the surface
is puckered, as if it had set while being
poured from a tub, and this disrupts traction,
converting progress into a series of short
leaps.
Just before the devil’s elbow and on the evil
bend itself, she faltered and I had no choice
but to slip the clutch to maintain progress.
But she made it and I felt proud for her. After
this, the one-in-four of Wrynose Pass felt
rather tame. Maria had already shown her
colours and they were heraldic red rather
than avocado.
If I was looking for second car, Maria would
surely fit the bill!
Maria, the smart forfour, managed between 52 and 64
miles to the gallon on 350 miles of very mixed driving.
Very comfortable for two adults and lots of luggage.
Practical for two adults and two generously sized
children.
forfour prime model tested features 999cc 71hp threecylinder engine and five-speed manual gearbox.
Other features include full digital display, panoramic sunroof and a range of safety features including white line
alarm, vehicle proximity warning and ABS braking.
Maria would cost £12,315 for the basic prime model,
£14,295 with all her extras.
Maria after the descent from the
misty summit of Hardknott
WIN A LUXURY BREAK
AT ROCKLIFFE HALL
Eastern Airways Magazine has teamed up with Rockliffe Hall, the only five red star
resort in the North of England, to offer one lucky reader and guest an exclusive onenight stay with dinner and use of the award-winning spa facilities.
A proud member of Small Luxury Hotels
of the World and Pride of Britain, Rockliffe
Hall offers 61 luxury guest bedrooms, three
bespoke restaurants, an award-winning spa
and championship 18-hole golf course. It is a
memorable destination for a romantic break,
special celebration, wedding day or business
meeting.
for one night (Sunday to Thursday), plus dinner
on one night, including one bottle of wine (to a
value of £30) in the three-AA Rosette Orangery
restaurant, where Executive Chef Richard Allen
draws on the 365-acre estate for many of his
ingredients. The winners will also benefit from
Eastern Airways flights to Durham Tees Valley
or Newcastle, if required.
Set in the quiet County Durham countryside,
between the villages of Croft and Hurworth,
in a loop of the gentle River Tees, Rockliffe’s
location is perfect for discovering the treasures
of Durham City, the drama of the North East
coast and the rugged beauty of the North
York Moors and Yorkshire Dales. Or, with
world-class leisure facilities at your fingertips,
you could just forget the outside world, treat
Rockliffe as your home, and let the hotel team
look after you.
The hotel’s generous bedrooms overlook the
parkland and feature super king-size beds and
tile TVs in the bathrooms featuring the best
Villeroy and Boch bathtubs.
Other accommodation on the resort includes
the privacy of Tiplady Lodge, Woodland
Mews holiday homes and the apartments of
Armstrong House.
Windows overlook the golf course and the
estate beyond, which features rare and exotic
trees collected by the Hall’s former owners
and keen botanists, the Backhouse family.
With its own golf course and a spa that
features a 20-metre pool serviced by attentive
“spa butlers” offering champagne or juices, as
well as a state-of-the-art Technogym and the
best spa therapists and fitness specialists, it’s
hard to imagine what more you could want for
that special break.
Our prize includes bed and breakfast for two
www.rockliffehall.com
Eastern Airways flies to Durham Tees Valley from Aberdeen
To enter our exclusive competition, just
answer the following question:
Who manufactures the bathtubs for
Rockliffe Hall?
The first correct entry drawn at
random will win. Send your answer to
competitions@gravity-consulting.com
with “Rockliffe Hall competition” in the
subject field. Please provide name,
address and phone number and the
flight number and date of your last flight
with Eastern Airways. Closing date
Friday February 26, 2016.
Prize to be taken by June 30, 2016, subject to
availability of accommodation and flights. Public
holidays and peak periods may be excluded.
33
EXPLORATION EXPRESS
DORSET AND THE NEW FOREST
A WALK INTO THE PAST
A chained library, a food festival, forest walks, hill forts and that hill in the Hovis ad.
We find a lot to like as Exploration Express heads from Southampton Airport to the
far side of the New Forest…
John Gomez - Fotolia.com
The Great Hall at Winchester Castle
may seem an unlikely place to start a
whistle-stop tour of the bit of Dorset
immediately to the west of the New
Forest, but there is a logic to this.
Let’s wind the clock back to the 11th
century and the arrival on these shores
of William the Conqueror. For a time
after William’s arrival, Winchester was
capital of England and the Conqueror
rebuilt the old Saxon stronghold there.
A little under 200 years later, Henry III
added the Great Hall, which is today the
country’s finest surviving example of a
building of its kind. It is extraordinarily
well preserved, with “King Arthur’s
Round Table” adorning one end wall
and a wrought iron tribute to Charles
and Diana the opposite one.
We are reminded that Sir Walter Raleigh
stood trial here on
charges of treason in
1603 and the notorious
Judge Jeffreys
34
Gold Hill, Shaftesbury
condemned supporters of the Duke of
Monmouth to death here as part of the
Bloody Assizes in 1685. More recently,
the Great Hall served as a court for the
trial of suspects in an IRA bomb plot in
1973.
But back to William: it was he who
named the vast forest to the west his
Nova Foresta and preserved it for his
private hunting, with its own system of
land management, which essentially
survives to this day.
Our base for touring the area, however,
was a smidge beyond the forest, at
La Fosse, a distinctive restaurant with
rooms in the quaint village of Cranborne,
whose red-brick homes belie the
settlement’s age. Fewer than 1,000 souls
reside here, but they are blessed by the
presence not just of Mark Hartstone’s
acclaimed La Fosse, but also a gastro
pub and a “local” just over the road from
La Fosse, which also serves food. Oh,
and an artisan bakery.
This is Thomas Hardy Country and
so it is with adventure in mind that
we set off to explore. La Fosse can
provide bicycles for guests, but this is
Exploration Express and time presses
as we head a couple of miles south to
inspect the ruins of the 14th century
church at Knowlton. This proves a
fascinating excursion, the church
standing at the centre of circular Druid
ramparts, themselves part of a wider
array of such relics. It reminds us that
this rolling downland is but a spit from
the archaeological riches of Salisbury
Plain.
We are, however, tempted by a signpost
for Shaftesbury and determine to see at
first-hand Gold Hill, the steep
street that masquerades
for a northern mill town
in those old Hovis ads.
The route takes us
past the ornamental
Rushmore Estate,
Powis Castle, Welshpool
©VisitBritain / David Shepherd
Clockwise from above: Knowlton church; Red Shoot Inn, New Forest pony; Salisbury Cathedral; Wimborne Minster
part of the ancient deer forest of Cranborne
Chase, whose royal hunting rights predate
even those of the New Forest.
Gold Hill proves elusive but once we
eventually find it, it is delightful, with pretty
thatched cottages opening on to its steep
cobbles. An enormous retaining wall holds
up the higher parts of the old town on the
other side of the road. We are too late for
both the Abbey and Gold Hill museum
but are tempted into the Mitre by its offer
of mulled Rekorderlig cider. The Mitre’s
south-facing and extensive decking must
surely offer among the best views to be
had from any pub in this land!
The following day we head into the New
Forest to meet friends for a walk, followed
by lunch at the Red Shoot Inn. The ramble
among the grazing ponies and the autumn
golds of the forest is memorable. So too is
the Red Shoot Inn, whose in-pub Wadworth
microbrewery can be viewed through glass
while en route to the gents’. A pint of Muddy
Boot seems appropriate as it’s “an ideal beer
to follow a bracing walk in the forest”. It slips
down very easily as we note the immense
popularity of this isolated inn among a variety
of family groups.
On a previous visit we’d enjoyed sampling
Christchurch, with its antique shops, the
Priory, with echoes of Durham Cathedral,
and the wonderful Olde George pub, and so
find ourselves tempted to visit another little
town with religious overtones, Wimborne
Minster. We arrive to find an extensive and
vibrant food festival in full swing and so
park courtesy of the Olive Branch – a vast
pub, which somehow successfully brings
together at least 20 different decorative and
ornamental styles. See it to believe it and
enjoy its fine food, friendly service and an
eclectic mix of clientèle to echo the décor.
We stumble upon the two young men behind
©VisitBritain / David Noton
It is a landscape of wide horizons, until our
descent – via the aptly-named Zig-Zag Hill
– to the valley floor, just before the ascent
back up to Shaftesbury. The road has claims
to be the “bendiest in the UK”, though I
think Hartside Pass would give it a run for its
money!
Conker Gin at the food festival (see page 20)
before the heavens open and we must seek
sanctuary in the Minster. What sheer delight:
the Minster, dedicated to St Cuthburga, who
founded a female order here, is home to a
fascinating chained library in the mould of
the very much more famous one at Hereford
Cathedral. We are delighted to find an
enthusiastic volunteer in attendance. Denise
proudly tells about this relatively small but
perfectly formed collection, which includes
such gems as the first English editions of
Plato, Pliny and Machiavelli; a 1667 book
on town planning by Roger Gillingham, held
to be the first book on town planning; and
the Newcastle-born Bishop Brian Walton’s
17th century Polyglot Bible, in which the
scriptures appear in some nine languages
alongside one another – Hebrew, Chaldee,
Samaritan, Syriac, Arabic, Persian, Ethiopic,
Greek and Latin. This fascinating collection
– probably more accessible than that at
Hereford – alone justifies a trip to Dorset.
Salisbury. Old Sarum, ancient Salisbury, sits
atop a hill overlooking the modern cathedral
city from a distance of a couple of miles. It’s
an extraordinary vantage and small wonder
the Normans built a motte and bailey castle
on the site of an earlier Iron Age hill fort. The
original Salisbury Cathedral was also here,
before it was dismantled stone by stone and
transported to its current site.
Continuing our William theme, we choose
to exit the area via the old cathedral at
Eastern Airways flies to Southampton from
>>35
Leeds Bradford and Aberdeen
It is a beautiful day and, once again, the
horizons are wide towards Stonehenge.
We are treated to a free air and free-fall
parachute display, courtesy of the adjacent
Old Sarum airfield, now also home to the
historic Boscombe Down Aviation Collection.
For another time, perhaps!
La Fosse review – Somewhere for the
Weekend, page 21.
www3.hants.gov.uk/greathall
www.wimborneminster.org.uk
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
36
Battle lines have been drawn over
the future of one of the UK’s most
intriguing and popular native
mammals – the mountain hare.
Probably common throughout the British Isles at the end of the
last Ice Age, the animal is the UK’s only native hare and is now
found overwhelmingly in Scotland, thanks to a warmer climate
and the introduction by the Romans of the non-native brown
hare, with which it competes.
In the 19th century, animals were reintroduced to other UK
upland areas but, of these, the only survivors are now thought
to be in the Peak District, although a few sightings have been
recorded in the Cheviot Hills. These have probably spread from
the successful population in the Southern Uplands of Scotland,
which – with the Cairngorm massif – is where the majority of the
current population of about 350,000 animals are found.
It is the fate of these animals, and the stability or otherwise of
this population, that is now up for debate and it is being argued
on familiar territory: does the hare thrive because of moorland
management for grouse-shooting or in spite of it.
The mountain hare – which is smaller than its brown cousin
and dons a distinctive white coat in winter – found itself in the
headlines earlier in 2015 when ten wildlife and conservation
organisations called for a three-year ban on the culling of
>>
Mountain hare photographed in
the Cairngorms by Tim Stenton
F LY L O C A L LY
T O N O R W AY
Now better connected
to Stavanger and
Bergen via Aberdeen
Flights from Durham Tees Valley,
Cardiff, East Midlands, Humberside,
Leeds Bradford, Newcastle, Norwich,
Southampton, Stornoway and
Wick John O’Groats
easternairways.com why fly any other way?
Connecting flights from Aberdeen to Stavanger
and Bergen are operated by Widerøe
mountain hares on Scotland’s grouse moors.
Mountain hares can be legally shot for sport and they are also
culled in large numbers as part of the management of grouse
moors because they carry sheep ticks, which can infect grouse
with a virus called the louping-ill.
to 90 per cent of the total area of Scotland. Of this area, mountain
hares were present on 48 per cent of the land and absent from 52
per cent. Comparisons with the earlier survey suggested that that
there had been no significant increase or decline in numbers.
The survey also found that 24,529 mountain hares were taken in
2006/07 across 90 estates, which represented seven per cent of
However, a consortium of wildlife groups – comprising the
the estimated total population. Half of these were killed to control
Highland Foundation for Wildlife, the John Muir
ticks, while 40 per cent were taken for sport and ten
Trust, the National Trust for Scotland, RSPB
n The mountain hare
per cent to protect forestry.
Scotland, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland,
is also known as the
Meanwhile, Scottish Natural Heritage has stepped in
the Scottish Raptor Study Group, the Scottish
blue hare. Americans
as peacemaker, commissioning more research and
Wildlife Trust, the Cairngorms Campaign, the
call hares jackrabbits.
pledging to work with “all interested parties” to make
Mammal Society and the Badenoch and Strathspey
n The hare was
sure that management practices are not damaging
Conservation Group – says there is a lack of
regarded as an animal
the long-term prospects of the species.
scientific evidence to support the claim that culling
sacred to Aphrodite
hares protects grouse.
“Mountain hare populations can fluctuate widely and
and Eros because of
are influenced by a range of factors, including the
Simon Jones, of the Scottish Wildlife Trust, said:
its high libido. Live
cyclical nature of the species, habitat fragmentation,
“We, along with the other organisations, are calling
hares were often
changes in land use and over-culling,” it said. “We
for a three year ban, to allow time for all those
presented as a gift of
have already asked estates for restraint on large-scale
involved to take stock of the longer term impacts of
love.
culls of mountain hares which could jeopardise their
large-scale culling.
n The Mad March
conservation status.”
“The unregulated and seemingly unsustainable
Hare in Alice in
As is the case in many such heated debates, it is
culling that is endemic on many grouse moors is a
wonderland was as
worth taking a step back to see where this animal’s
threat to these important populations.”
barmy as the Mad
best future prospects may lie.
Hatter and, like him,
Duncan Orr-Ewing, of RSPB Scotland, added: “We
believed
it
was
always
Journalist Patrick Laurie blogs on moorland
don’t know what impact these large-scale culls
tea-time.
management issues and wrote, as the row blew up:
are having on mountain hares’ wider conservation
“The most cataclysmic hare declines took place
status, which could mean the Scottish Government
n Contrary to popular
when grouse shooting faltered, and mountain hares
may be in breach of its legally binding international
assumption, hare
vanished along with the keepers who had been
EU obligations to this species.”
boxing matches
working on their habitats. In the Southern Uplands,
usually take place
Mountain hares are currently listed in Annex V
the decline is charted alongside the arrival of mass
between a male and
of the EC Habitats Directive (1992), as a species
afforestation and the destruction of the moors,
female,
though
no-one
“of community interest whose taking in the wild
with an 80 per cent decline of hares recorded in
is sure why this is.
and exploitation may be subject to management
gamebags between 1961 and 2009.
measures”. The Government is therefore required
“Withdraw predator control and heather management and hares
to ensure that the conservation status of mountain hares within
simply vanish; the western half of Britain’s uplands provide us with
the UK is favourable and that their populations are managed
too many case studies to count. Where management continues,
sustainably.
hare numbers are strong and steadfast.”
However, the Scottish Gamekeepers Association countered with
He continues: “Get hares and you get a whole range of predators
the offer of a reward of £1,000 to any of the ten conservation
to eat them too. Commentators periodically bemoan the lack of
groups if they could prove that their management methods led
eagles in Dumfries and Galloway, failing to make the connection
to more “hares on the ground” than traditional grouse moor
between healthy prey and healthy predators.
management techniques.
At the heart of the debate is the fact that no-one knows for sure
how many hares there actually are, although the consensus is that
the Scottish population density may be higher than that in other
sub-Arctic climates in which the animal, and the closely related
Arctic hare, is found.
Tim Stenton
Scottish Natural Heritage set out to fill this gap in knowledge,
arguing that a lack of sound data made it impossible to assess
whether the UK met the requirements of the EC Habitats Directive
when it was issued in 1992.
“If we filled the Galloway hills with hares, eagles would soon
follow, just as surely as peregrines would resurge if grouse made a
comeback.”
He concludes: “If we are serious about making real progress with
mountain hare conservation, we should focus on their staggering
decline in range over the past century; in which context, culling
where they are massively abundant seems rather less important.”
It commissioned the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust,
which flies the conservation flag on behalf of sporting interests,
to undertake a postal survey in 2007, in collaboration with
the Macaulay Institute and the Scottish Gamekeepers Association,
to assess the distribution of mountain hares and investigate the
level of harvest and control of the species. The results of the study
were to be compared to findings from a similar study performed
12 years previously.
The total area surveyed was 71,098 square kilometres, equivalent
39
BARE ESSENTIALS
WELCOME TO OUR
BARE ESSENTIALS
Information on our routes, fleet, passenger experience and suggestions for what
to do when you arrive at your destination.
OUR DESTINATIONS
BERGEN
SCATSTA
Scheduled routes
SUMBURGH
Charter routes
STAVANGER
C
odeshare services
operated by Widerøe
WICK JOHN O’GROATS
STORNOWAY
THE FLEET
ABERDEEN
NEWCASTLE
EMBRAER ERJ145
Two aircraft
Seats 50 passengers
Two turbofan engines
Wingspan, 20m (65ft)
Length 30m (98ft)
Typical cruising speed,
450 knots, at 35,000ft
DURHAM TEES VALLEY
LEEDS BRADFORD
HUMBERSIDE
EAST MIDLANDS
BIRMINGHAM
NORWICH
CARDIFF
FI
SOUTHAMPTON
EMBRAER ERJ135
Two aircraft
Seats 37 passengers
Two turbofan engines
Wingspan, 20m (65ft)
Length 26m (86ft)
Typical cruising speed,
450 knots, at 35,000ft
JETSTREAM 41
40
Eighteen aircraft
Seats 29 passengers
Two turboprop engines
Wingspan 19m (60ft)
SAAB 2000
Length 20m (63ft)
Typical cruising speed,
280 knots, at 20,000ft
Nine aircraft
Seats 50 passengers
Two jetprop engines
Wingspan 24.3m (81ft)
Length 26.7m (89ft)
Typical cruising speed,
370 knots, at 28,000ft
ESSENTIAL TRAVEL
PASSENGER EXPERIENCE
AIR TRAVEL SHOULD BE MORE OF A PLEASURE AND LESS OF A CHORE
After booking your Eastern Airways
flight via a travel agent, the airline’s
website or in-house reservations call
centre, you will have noticed that
Eastern Airways uses e-tickets. It was in
fact one of the airlines to pioneer
ticketless travel over nine years ago.
Queues at check-in are short and the
process is swift as is the experience
through the security channels. This is
possible thanks to Fast Track, which is
available at Aberdeen, Birmingham,
Cardiff, Leeds Bradford, South­ampton,
East Midlands and Newcastle, and is a
dedicated security channel for Eastern
Airways passengers to use and avoid
busy airport terminal security queues.
With Eastern Airways operating the
largest number of scheduled services
from Aberdeen, a dedicated business
lounge is available for all its customers
flying from the airport and is located next
to its departure gates. Executive lounge
access is also offered at Birmingham,
Cardiff, East Midlands, Leeds Bradford,
Norwich and Southampton for passengers
travelling on fully flexible tickets.
As you board your aircraft you will
notice we have a fleet of liveried valet
baggage carts for you to place larger
items of hand luggage by the aircraft steps.
Your hand luggage will be awaiting you on
the valet baggage cart at your destination
airport.
Once on board, our highly trained cabin
attendants offer a friendly and
personalised in-flight service including
complimentary drinks and branded
snacks. On arrival our aircraft allow for
quick disembarkation, enabling
passengers to make their way swiftly
onwards through the terminals.
OUR AIM IS TO MAKE YOUR
TRAVEL AS PLEASANT AN
EXPERIENCE AS POSSIBLE.
HAVE AN ENJOYABLE TRIP.
We operate a strict no smoking policy on board all of our aircraft and in all of our
lounges. This includes the use of electronic cigarettes or any cigarette substitute
device that emits a vapour or has a power source or produces heat and or a light.
We do not permit electronic cigarettes to be charged within our lounges. Electronic
cigarettes may be carried on board subject to the following conditions:
• Carried on person only
• No refills
• Strictly not permitted for use
STAMPING OUT
DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOUR
While the vast majority of passengers flying
globally behave impeccably, there is a greater
awareness of isolated incidents of disruptive
behaviour, also known as “air rage”. While this
isn’t a major problem for Eastern Airways, the
safety and security of our pass­engers and
crew is our number one priority.
We don’t want our customers to experience
any behaviour that makes them feel uncomfortable, or be put in a situation that compromises safety. Disruptive behaviour can include
smoking, drunkenness, aggress­ive behaviour
or abusive language towards a customer or a
member of crew. Our crews are fully trained to
deal with any incident of this type.
Disobeying a lawful command given by a
crew member is committing an offence under
the UK Air Navigation Order. Offenders who
persistently misbehave on a flight will be
handed to the appropriate authorities on
arrival and may face arrest and a heavy fine
or up to two years imprisonment. Severe
restrict­ions will also be placed on their future
travel with Eastern Airways.
It must again be stressed that disruptive
behaviour is extremely rare, but we do
take a zero-tolerance stance towards
any behaviour that may endanger our
pass­engers and crew.
DANGEROUS ABUSE OF LASER DEVICES
The safety of Eastern Airways passengers and crew is always our
number one priority and we like to keep our customers abreast of
issues facing the airline and industry.
illegal. Just a microsecond of laser energy from a powerful laser
source is enough to permanently damage the eye.
One such aspect that has been raised amongst airlines is the
number of laser attacks against aircraft, which the Civil Aviation
Authority (CAA) is concerned about.
If you do happen to see a laser beam from the cabin or it enters the
cabin, you may be tempted to, but do not look at it or for the source.
Just look away or look down. Do report it to the cabin crew on the
flight.
Targeting an aircraft with a laser is reckless, dangerous and also
Thanks for your attention.
BARE ESSENTIALS: WHAT’S GOING ON
ESSENTIAL GOINGS ON…
CAPTURING THE WONDER OF SPACE AND THE UNIVERSE
n Backed by the UK Space Agency,
Aberdeen Science Centre has joined
forces with other science centres across
the UK to take part in Destination Space
– a season of hands-on events designed
for children and families – which
celebrates the launch in December of the
European Space Agency’s first British
astronaut, Tim Peake, to the International
Space Station (ISS).
NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
Running until the end of March,
Aberdeen’s programme will include
special events, meet-the-expert
sessions and astronaut shows,
demonstrations and supersonic
science experiments including building
rockets, launching astronauts and
following life on the ISS.
www.aberdeensciencecentre.org
Saturn and Titan – the planet’s largest moon
– taken from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft
Amazing photography of space and the stars is the subject of Visions of the Universe
currently showing at Southampton’s SeaCity Museum until February 21.
On tour from Royal Museums Greenwich, the exhibition shows how we have
captured images of the heavens over the centuries, from the earliest hand-drawings
to photographs taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and the very latest footage
from the Mars Curiosity Rover.
The exhibition draws together an array of images of stars, planets and galaxies
gathered from NASA, the Russian space programme, the European Southern
Observatory and more of the world’s greatest telescopes and space missions.
www.seacitymuseum.co.uk
Fiji drua
commissioned
for the
exhibition
Fiji exhibition set to sail into Norwich
Stunning sculptures, textiles,
ceramics, and ivory and shell regalia,
are featured in Fiji: Art and Life in the
Pacific which opens on March 12 at
the Sainsbury Centre, Norwich.
Steven Hooper
The largest and most comprehensive
exhibition about Fiji ever assembled,
it will take the visitor on a journey
through the art and cultural history of
Fiji since the late 18th century.
42
The International Space Station
A highlight will be a newly
commissioned, eight metre-long
double-hulled sailing canoe that
has been built in Fiji and shipped to
Norwich for display and sailing on
the Norfolk Broads. Made entirely of
wood and coir cord, with no metal
components, the canoe is the result
of a project to encourage canoebuilding skills and is a small version
of the great 30-metre-long vessels of
the 19th century, the biggest canoes
ever built.
Over 270 works of art are being
loaned by exhibition partner
the Museum of Archaeology &
Anthropology at Cambridge, and
by the Fiji Museum, the British
Museum, the Pitt Rivers Museum
(Oxford) and museums in Aberdeen,
Birmingham, Exeter, London and
Maidstone, as well as Dresden and
Leipzig in Germany.
scva.ac.uk
Winter shopping blossoms
at Wynyard Hall
The newly-opened Walled Garden, at
Wynyard Hall Hotel, near Hartlepool, is
keeping its doors open through winter.
Home to more than 3,000 roses, the £1.6m
development fulfills a long ambition of
owner, Sir John Hall and has just been
awarded Quality Assured Visitor Attraction
status by VisitEngland.
n Christmas in Bergen wouldn’t be
the same without the world’s biggest
gingerbread town, which will be open in the
city centre until New Year’s Eve (Christmas
Day excepted). All under-12s and those who
have contributed gingerbread structures
enjoy free access to Pepperkakebyen,
which features miniature houses, trains, cars
and ships, all made from real gingerbread.
VisitEngland assessors singled out “the
exceptional shop and retail staff working
within the visitor centre”. The Walled
Garden is the second stage in a rolling
programme of work to create The Gardens
at Wynyard Hall, which will eventually
cover four acres and be one of the largest
rose gardens in the UK.
www.wynyardhall.co.uk
MARATHON EVENT COMES TO CARDIFF
Cardiff will be hosting the prestigious IAAF
World Half Marathon Championships on
March 26 with the world’s best endurance
athletes using the course of the Cardiff
Half Marathon – one of the UK’s biggest
road races – as part of their preparations
for the 2016 Olympic Games.
It will be the biggest athletics event
hosted by the Principality since the 1958
Commonwealth Games.
While the race offers an important stepping-stone for many of the athletes towards
the marathon in Rio, 147 days later, it will
also offer 25,000 runners of all ages and
abilities the chance to compete alongside
some of the best runners in the world.
It will be the fourth time the Championships have been staged in the UK. The
inaugural event was staged in the North
East of England at the Great North Run
in 1992, Bristol hosted it in 2001, and
Birmingham in 2009.
No British male athlete has won the title,
but Liz McColgan and Paula Radcliffe
have secured four titles between them for
British women. Radcliffe is also an official
Ambassador for the 2016 event.
The event is scheduled to be broadcast
live on the BBC UK-wide, and beamed to
another 65 countries around the world.
www.visitcardiff.com
n Flatpack Film Festival returns to
Birmingham from April 18-24 for its tenth
inventive edition. Mixing brand new
talent with forgotten classics, the festival
celebrates cinema in all its forms. Film
festival-goers can expect live scores, late
night parties and cycle-powered screenings,
all while exploring some of Birmingham’s
more unusual venues and locales.
n Dave’s Leicester Comedy Festival, the
longest-running event of its kind in Britain,
and one of the best comedy festivals in the
world according to The Guardian, takes
place from February 3 to 21. The 2015
programme was huge with more than 640
events across 47 venues over 19 days.
n The best skaters in the world meet in
Stavanger in the New Year for an ISU World
Cup Speed Skating competition. The event,
which takes place from January 29 to 31 at
the Sørmarka Arena, is also a qualification
for the World Championship.
n Entry to many attractions and activities
in Lincoln and the surrounding area will be
free of charge during its annual Discover
Lincolnshire Weekend, which in 2016 takes
place on March 28 and 29.
BARE ESSENTIALS: DESTINATIONS
STORNOWAY
ABERDEEN
NEWCASTLE
Twilling Tweeds
Ackergill Tower
Crowne Plaza
Skating@Life
To the east of the town. Taxis
and car hire are available at the
airport. No weekend flights.
Carhire Hebrides: 01851 706
500.
One mile from the centre of
Wick, half an hour’s drive from
Thurso. Main bus and rail
stations are near to Wick centre
serving most places in
Caithness. Trains to Thurso and
Inverness. Post bus operates
Thurso-Wick-Airport. Car hire:
Dunnets offers airport pick-up
and drop-off, 01955 602103.
Seven miles north-west of the
city centre, off the A96. Regular
buses into the city centre. For
car hire see Europcar.co.uk
Seven miles north-west of the
city centre. Metro rail link every
few minutes to the city,
Gateshead, the coast and
Sunderland. Half-hourly bus
service. Taxi fare to city, approx
£12. For car hire see Europcar.
co.uk
WHERE
VISIT
Stornoway Fish Smokers, Shell
St; Woodlands Centre, Lews
Castle grounds; An Lanntair
Arts Centre, Kenneth Street,
Stornoway.
STAY AT
Hotel Hebrides, Tarbert; Royal
Hotel, Cromwell St, Stornoway;
Scarista House, west Harris;
Auberge Carnish, Uig.
SHOP AT
Callanish Jewellery, Point St;
This ’n That, Cromwell St;
Borgh Pottery, Borgh (20 miles).
DRINK AT
Chili Chili cocktail and vodka
bar, Era, South Beach; The
Carlton Lounge, Francis St.
(Both in Stornoway)
EAT AT
Digby Chick, Bank St; Golden
Ocean, Cromwell St; Thai,
Church St. (All in Stornoway)
WHAT’S ON
Cinderella, An Lanntair, Jan
13-16; Twilling Tweeds,
exhibition of hand embroidered
tapestries on Harris Tweed, An
Lanntair, until Feb 6.
44
WICK JOHN O’GROATS
Airport 01851 702256
www.hial.co.uk/stornoway-airport
Eastern Airways flights to Aberdeen.
Onward connections to Bergen,
Cardiff, Durham Tees Valley,
East Midlands, Humberside,
Leeds Bradford, Newcastle,
Norwich, Stavanger, Wick
Tourist/Local Info 01851 703088
www.visitouterhebrides.co.uk
WHERE
VISIT
Wick Heritage Museum; St
Fergus Gallery, Sinclair Terr;
Pulteney Distillery, Huddart St.
STAY AT
Ackergill Tower, Wick; Mackays
Hotel, Wick; The Brown Trout
Hotel, Station Rd, Watten, near
Wick.
SHOP AT
John O’Groats (pottery,
knitwear); Rotterdam St, Thurso
(20 miles).
DRINK AT
Cocktail Bar, Mackay’s Hotel,
Wick; the Alexander Bain
Wetherspoons, Wick.
EAT AT
Bord de l’Eau, Market St, Wick;
Le Bistro, Thurso; Captain’s
Galley, Scrabster (22 miles).
WHAT’S ON
The Edinburgh String Quartet,
Thurso West Church, March 15;
Spring Exhibition, The Blue Tree
Gallery, Wick, Apr 7.
Airport 01955 602215
www.hial.co.uk/wick-airport.html
Eastern Airways flights to Aberdeen.
Onward connections to Bergen,
Durham Tees Valley, East Midlands,
Humberside, Leeds Bradford,
Newcastle, Norwich, Stavanger,
Stornoway
Tourist/Local Info 0845 22 55 121
www.wicktown.co.uk
WHERE
VISIT
Aberdeen Maritime Museum,
Shiprow; Tolbooth Museum,
Castle St; Rendezvous Gallery,
Forest Ave.
STAY AT
Rox Hotel, Market St; Skene
House Hotel suites, various
locations; Malmaison; Park Inn
by Radisson; Raemoir House
Hotel, Banchory; Crowne Plaza
Aberdeen Airport Hotel
SHOP AT
Juniper (gifts, jewellery),
Belmont St; Aberdeen Antique
Centre, South College St.
DRINK AT
The Monkey House, Union
Terr; Pearl Lounge, Dee St;
The Globe, North Silver St; The
Prince of Wales, St Nicholas
Lane.
EAT AT
Prohibition, Langstane Pl; Stage
Door Restaurant, North Silver
St; Cinnamon, Union St; Manzil,
King St; Soul, Union St; The
Tippling House, Belmont St.
WHAT’S ON
WHERE
VISIT
Great North Museum, Centre for
Life, Newcastle; Gateshead
Quays for the Baltic and Sage
Gateshead.
STAY AT
Sandman Signature, Hotel
Indigo, Jesmond Dene House,
all Newcastle; Hilton, Gateshead.
SHOP AT
Jules B, Jesmond; Cruise,
Princess Square, Newcastle;
Van Mildert, MetroCentre and
Durham.
DRINK AT
Crown Posada, Side; The Forth,
Pink Lane; Bridge Hotel, Castle
Garth – all Newcastle.
EAT AT
House of Tides, Quayside;
Blackfriars; Caffè Vivo (Live
Theatre); Red Mezze, Leazes
Park Rd; Peace and Loaf,
Jesmond – all Newcastle.
WHAT’S ON
Banchory Beer Festival
presents Beer @ the Barn 2016,
Woodend Barn, Feb 12-13;
Aberdeen Jazz Festival, March
(dates TBC).
Antarctica, Royal Geographical
Society Touring Exhibition,
Palace Green Library, Durham
University, until Feb 7; Skating@
Life, Times Sq, Newcastle, until
Feb 21.
Airport 0844 481 6666
www.aberdeenairport.com
Eastern Airways flights to Bergen,
Cardiff, Durham Tees Valley,
East Midlands, Humberside,
Leeds Bradford, Newcastle,
Norwich, Southampton,
Stavanger, Stornoway, Wick
Tourist/Local Info 01224 900490
www.visitaberdeen.com
Airport 0871 882 1121
www.newcastleinternational.co.uk
Eastern Airways flights to
Aberdeen, Birmingham, Cardiff,
Stavanger. Onward connections to
Bergen, Stornoway, Wick
Tourist/Local Info
0191 277 8000 / 0191 478 4222
www.visitnewcastlegateshead.com
BARE ESSENTIALS: DESTINATIONS
DURHAM TEES VALLEY HUMBERSIDE
Discover Lincolnshire
Rockliffe Hall
WHERE
Five miles east of Darlington
and ten miles west of
Middlesbrough. Taxi fare to
Darlington approx £8. For car
hire see Europcar.co.uk
VISIT
mima (Middlesbrough Institute
of Modern Art) Centre Square;
Locomotion, the National
Railway Museum at Shildon;
Hartlepool’s Maritime
Experience, Historic Quay.
STAY AT
Rockliffe Hall, Hurworth on
Tees; Holiday Inn, Scotch
Corner; Headlam Hall, near
Darlington; Crathorne Hall
Hotel, Yarm; Wynyard Hall.
SHOP AT
Psyche, Linthorpe Rd,
Middles­brough; The House,
Yarm High Street; Leggs,
Skinnergate, Darlington.
DRINK AT
George and Dragon, Yarm;
Black Bull, Frosterley.
EAT AT
Raby Hunt, Summerhouse;
Sardis, Northgate, Darlington;
Dun Cow Inn, Sedgefield; The
Orangery, Rockliffe Hall.
WHAT’S ON
Invasion at the Dorman
Museum, (iconic sci-fi
costumes, etc), Middlesbrough,
until Jan 17; Animex, festival of
animation and computer
games, Middlesbrough, Feb
8-12.
Airport 01325 332811
www.durhamteesvalleyairport.com
Eastern Airways flights to Aberdeen.
Onward connections to Bergen,
Stavanger, Stornoway, Wick
Tourist/Local Info
01642 729700 / 264957
www.visitmiddlesbrough.com
WHERE
Fifteen miles east of Scun­
thorpe, 20 miles south of Hull,
16 miles west of Grimsby, 30
miles north of Lincoln. Regular
bus services to major towns.
Barnetby Station three miles
from airport with Intercity connections via Don­caster. Approx
taxi fare to Hull £26. For car hire
see Europcar.co.uk
VISIT
Museums Quarter, Hull; The
Deep, Hull; Lincoln Castle and
Cathedral; Ferens Art Gallery, Hull.
LEEDS BRADFORD EAST MIDLANDS
National Media Museum
WHERE
Nine miles north-west of Leeds
centre, seven miles from
Bradford. Regular Airlink 757
bus from bus and rail stations to
terminal. Taxi time 25 mins. For
car hire see Europcar.co.uk
VISIT
Royal Armouries, Leeds; Leeds
City Museum, Millennium
Square; National Media Museum,
Bradford; Salts Mill, Saltaire.
STAY AT
STAY AT
DoubleTree by Hilton, Leeds;
Radisson Blu, The Headrow,
Leeds; the New Ellington,
Leeds; Dubrovnik boutique
hotel, Oak Avenue, Bradford.
SHOP AT
Retro Boutique, Headingley
Lane, Leeds; Harvey Nichols,
Briggate, Leeds; Victoria
Quarter, Leeds.
DRINK AT
Baby Jupiter, York Place, Leeds;
Haigys, Lumb Lane, Bradford.
EAT AT
Mumtaz, Clarence Dock, Leeds;
Brasserie Blanc, Sovereign St,
Leeds.
Forest Pines Hotel, Broughton;
Cave Castle Hotel, Brough;
Willerby Manor, Willerby; The
White Hart, Lincoln.
Bailgate and Steep Hill area,
Lincoln; Henri Beene,
Abbeygate, Grimsby.
The Wig & Mitre, Steep Hill,
Lincoln; Ye Olde Black Boy,
High St, Hull.
Figs Restaurant, Cleethorpes;
Brackenborough Hotel &
Restaurant, Louth; Winteringham Field, Winteringham; Pipe
and Glass, South Dalton.
WHAT’S ON
Discover Lincolnshire Weekend,
free attractions, Mar 12-13;
Heart of the Wolds Cycle
Sportive, Driffield Showground,
Apr 24.
Airport 0844 887 7747
www.humbersideairport.com
Eastern Airways flights to
Aberdeen. Onward connections
to Bergen, Stavanger, Stornoway,
Wick
Tourist/Local Info 01482 486600
www.visithullandeastyorkshire.com
www.visitlincolnshire.com
www.yorkshire.com
SHOP AT
DRINK AT
EAT AT
WHAT’S ON
Revelations: Experiments in
Photography at National Media
Museum, until Feb 7; Figure and
Architecture: Henry Moore in
the 1950s at The Henry Moore
Institute, Leeds, until Mar 1.
Airport 0871 288 2288
www.leedsbradfordairport.co.uk
Eastern Airways flights to Aberdeen
and Southampton. Onward
connections to Bergen, Stavanger,
Stornoway, Wick
Tourist/Local Info 0113 242 5242
www.visitleeds.co.uk
www.yorkshire.com
National Civil War Centre
WHERE
Twelve miles from both Derby
and Nottingham, just off the M1
junction 24. Rail stations
Lough­borough, Long Eaton,
Not­tingham and Derby are a
short bus/taxi ride from EMA.
For car hire see Europcar.co.uk
VISIT
King Richard III Visitor Centre,
Leicester; National Civil War
Centre, Newark; Nottingham
Contemporary, Weekday Cross;
Creswell Crags, Worksop;
QUAD, Cathedral Quarter, Derby.
STAY AT
Radisson Blu at airport;
Cathedral Quarter Hotel, St
Mary’s Gate, Derby.
SHOP AT
Paul Smith, Low Pavement,
Nottingham; The Artisan’s
Studio, Arnold, Nottingham.
DRINK AT
Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, below
Nottingham Castle; The Waterfront, Canal St, Nottingham.
EAT AT
Loch Fyne, King St, Nottingham;
Red Hot World buffet and bar,
Corner House, Nottingham; Chef
and Spice, Andrewes St, Leicester.
WHAT’S ON
Dave’s Leicester Comedy
Festival, venues across Leicester,
Feb 3-21; Roundheads and
Cavaliers at Bolsover Castle,
Feb 15-19; National Winter Ales
Festival, Derby Roundhouse,
Feb 17-20.
Airport 0871 919 9000
www.eastmidlandsairport.com
Eastern Airways flights to
Aberdeen. Onward connections
to Bergen, Stavanger, Stornoway,
Wick
Tourist/Local Info
08444 775678
www.visitderby.co.uk
www.experiencenottinghamshire.com
www.visitleicester.info
BARE ESSENTIALS: DESTINATIONS
BIRMINGHAM
WHERE
WHERE
Twelve miles west of Cardiff,
ten miles from Junction 33 on
M4. Rail link, every hour,
connects airport to Cardiff
Central and Bridg­end. For car
hire see Europcar.co.uk
Three miles north of the city.
Hourly bus service into the city
centre. Approx taxi fare to
Norwich £7. For car hire see
Europcar.co.uk
VISIT
VISIT
Cardiff Castle; Cardiff Bay
Visitor Centre, Wales
Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay;
Norwegian Church Arts Centre,
Cardiff Bay; Dr Who
Experience, Cardiff Bay.
Norwich Cathedral, The Close;
Norwich Castle, Elm Hill;
Sandringham Estate, Norfolk;
Norwich Puppet Theatre,
Whitefriars, Norwich.
STAY AT
Hotel Indigo, The Cube;
Radisson Blu, Holloway Circus,
Queensway; Marriott, Hagley
Rd; Staying Cool, Rotunda.
SHOP AT
Selfridges (Bullring); Harvey
Nichols (Mailbox).
STAY AT
Peterstone Court, in the Usk
Valley; St David’s Hotel & Spa,
Havannah St, Cardiff Bay.
SHOP AT
St Mary Street for specialist
shops; Splott Market
(weekends), SE of city centre.
DRINK AT
DRINK AT
Pen and Wig, Park Grove; Park
Vaults, Park Place.
EAT AT
The Potted Pig, High St; ffresh,
Wales Millennium Centre;
Purple Poppadom, Cowbridge
Rd East.
Bank, Brindley Pl; The Tap and
Spile, Gas St.
San Carlo, Temple St; Opus,
Cornwall St.
WHAT’S ON
Chinese New Year celebrations,
The Arcadian, Southside, Feb
22; Yonex All England Open
Badminton Championships,
Barclaycard Arena, Mar 8-13;
Flatpack Film Festival, city
wide, Apr 18-24.
Airport 0871 282 7117
www.bhx.co.uk
Eastern Airways flights to
Newcastle
Tourist/Local Info 0844 888 3883
www.visitbirmingham.com
EAT AT
WHAT’S ON
RBS 6 Nations, Wales v
Scotland, (Feb 13), Wales v
France (Feb 26), Wales v Italy
(Mar 19), Millennium Stadium;
National St David’s Day Parade
Cardiff, Mar 1; IAAF World Half
Marathon Championships,
Mar 26.
Airport 01446 711111
www.cardiff-airport.com
Eastern Airways flights to
Aberdeen, Newcastle. Onward
connections to Bergen, Stavanger,
Stornoway, Wick
Tourist/Local Info 02920 873573
www.visitcardiff.com
www.southernwales.com
SOUTHAMPTON
ABP Half Marathon
Norwich Cathedral
Six miles east of the city, off
Junction 6 of the M42.
Connected by free Air-Rail Link
monorail system to Birmingham
International Station for trains to
Birmingham and Coventry. For
car hire see Europcar.co.uk
Birmingham Museum and Art
Gallery, (BMAG), Chamberlain
Sq; Museum of the Jewellery
Quarter, Vyse St, Hockley;
Thinktank Birmingham Science
Museum, Millennium Point.
NORWICH
St David’s Day Parade
Badminton championships
WHERE
46
CARDIFF
VISIT
STAY AT
The Maids Head Hotel,
Tombland; De Vere Dunston Hall
Hotel & Golf Club, Ipswich Rd;
Marriott Sprowston Manor Hotel
& Country Club; Barnham Broom
Hotel & Spa, Honingham Rd;
Norfolk Mead Hotel, Coltishall.
SHOP AT
Jarrold’s, London St; Ginger
Ladies Wear, Timberhill.
DRINK AT
WHERE
Five miles north of city. Parkway
Station beside terminal, three
trains hourly to Southam­pton
and London Waterloo. Buses
hourly to the city. For car hire
see Europcar.co.uk
VISIT
SeaCity Museum, Havelock Rd;
Tudor House & Garden, Bugle
St; Solent Sky, Hall of Aviation,
Gilbert Rd South.
STAY AT
The White Star Tavern and
Dining Rooms, Oxford St; Grand
Harbour Hotel, West Quay Rd;
Best Western Chilworth Manor.
SHOP AT
WestQuay Shopping Centre,
city centre; Antiques Quarter,
Old Northam Rd; The Marlands
Shopping Centre, Civic
Centre Rd.
DRINK AT
The Fat Cat, West End St; The
Adam & Eve, Bishopgate; The
Wine Press, Woburn Court,
Guildhall Hill; The Last Wine
Bar, St Georges St.
The Cellar, West Marland Rd;
The Duke of Wellington, Bugle
St; The Pig in the Wall, Western
Esplanade.
EAT AT
Olive Tree, Oxford St; SeaCity
Museum café, Havelock Road;
Coriander Lounge, Below Bar.
Tatlers, Tombland; Mambo
Jambo, Lower Goat Lane;
Umberto’s Trattoria
Italia, St Benedicts St.
WHAT’S ON
Alphonse Mucha: In Quest
of Beauty, Sainsbury Centre,
Norwich, until Mar 20.
Airport 01603 411923
www.norwichairport.co.uk
Eastern Airways flights to
Aberdeen. Onward connections
to Bergen, Stavanger, Stornoway,
Wick
Tourist/Local Info 01603 213999
www.visitnorwich.co.uk EAT AT
WHAT’S ON
Visions of the Universe
exhibition, Sea City, until Feb 21;
Welcome to Our World Festival,
University of Southampton, Feb
6; The ABP Southampton Half
Marathon, Apr 24.
Airport 0870 040 0009
www.southamptonairport.com
Eastern Airways flights to Aberdeen
and Leeds Bradford.
Tourist/Local Info 023 8083 3333
www.discoversouthampton.co.uk
BARE ESSENTIALS: DESTINATIONS
EXPLORATION EXPRESS
SHETLAND
Troldhaugen
The Lysefjord from Kjerag
Bergen airport Flesland is
approximately 12 miles southwest of the centre of Bergen.
The airport is served by airport
and scheduled buses, boat and
taxi. For car hire see Europcar
info on back page.
Norway’s fourth largest city lies
on the country’s south-west
coast. The airport is just nine
miles out of town and is served
by a regular shuttle bus. For
car hire see Europcar info on
back page.
Up Helly Aa
WHERE
Shetland image: Anne Burgess [CC BY-SA 2.0) via Wikimedia Commons. Stavanger: © Terje Rakke / Nordic Life AS / www.fjordnorway.com. Bergen: Bergen Tourist Board
STAVANGER
BERGEN
Eastern Airways operates under
contract for the oil industry to both
Scatsta and Sumburgh Airports.
Scatsta is 24 miles north-west
of Lerwick, a few miles from the
Sullom Voe oil terminal. Sumburgh
is the islands’ commercial airport,
located at the southern tip of
Mainland, and also 24 miles from
Lerwick. For hire car visit www.
boltscarhire.co.uk or call 01595
693 636 (note that there are no
on-airport facilities at Scatsta).
VISIT
Mareel, Lerwick; Muckle Flugga,
Unst, the northernmost tip of
Britain; Shetland Museum,
Lerwick; Jarlshof, Grutness
(both Mainland).
STAY AT
Busta House Hotel, Brae; Saxa
Vord Resort, Unst; Scalloway
Hotel, Central mainland.
SHOP AT
Shetland Fudge, Lerwick; Jamieson
& Son Knitwear, Lerwick; Valhalla
Brewery, Saxa Vord.
DRINK AT
Mid Brae Inn, Brae; The Lounge
Bar, Lerwick; Kiln Bar, Scalloway.
EAT AT
Busta House Hotel, Brae; Saxa
Vord Resort, Unst.
WHAT’S ON
WHERE
VISIT
WHERE
VISIT
Troldhaugen, the home of
composer Edvard Grieg.
Norway in a Nutshell – a short
tour (ideally three days) of some
the dramatic scenery nearby,
including the Breathtaking Flam
Railway.
Pulpit Rock – a natural rock
formation that overlooks the
Lysefjord; Norwegian
Petroleum Museum,
Kjeringholmen, 4001
Stavanger.
STAY AT
The Clarion, Myrhegaarden,
Skagen Brygge, all in the city
centre; Sola Strand Hotel, on
the beach, near the airport.
SHOP AT
Kvadrat, Norway’s biggest
shopping centre is just seven
miles south of Stavanger.
DRINK AT
Dickens, Skagenkaien;
Newsman, Skagen 14.
EAT AT
Sjøhuset Skagen – specialises
in traditional Norwegian food;
Tango, Nedre Strandgate.
Radisson Blu Royal or the
mid-market Thon Bergen
Brygge, both on the old
quayside.
Shop at Galleriet in the
city centre; Kløverhuset for
clothes.
Holberg Stuen or
Zachariasbryggen, both in
Bryggen.
Potetkjelleren, Bellevue
Restaurant, Enhjørningen
Restaurant.
WHAT’S ON
Scalloway Fire Festival, Jan 8;
Up Helly Aa, Lerwick, Jan 26;
Shetland Young Fiddler of the
Year, Apr 22-23.
Borealis, contemporary
music festival, Mar 9-13.
Sumburgh Airport 01950 460 905
www.hial.co.uk/sumburgh-airport/
Frequent daily charter services to
Aberdeen, operated by Eastern
Airways for the oil industry.
Tourist/Local Info 01595 693434
visit.shetland.org
Airport + 47 67 03 15 55
www.avinor.no/en/airport/bergen
Eastern Airways flights to Aberdeen,
Newcastle. Onward connections
to Cardiff, Durham Tees Valley,
East Midlands, Humberside, Leeds
Bradford, Norwich, Stornoway,
Wick
Tourist/Local Info +47 55 55 20 00
www.visitbergen.com
STAY AT
SHOP AT
DRINK AT
EAT AT
WHAT’S ON
World Cup speed skating,
Jan 29-31.
Airport + 47 67 03 10 00
www.avinor.no/en/airport/stavanger
Eastern Airways flights to Aberdeen,
Newcastle. Onward connections
to Cardiff, Durham Tees Valley,
East Midlands, Humberside, Leeds
Bradford, Norwich, Stornoway,
Wick
Tourist/Local Info +47 51 97 55 55
www.regionstavanger.com
47
ESSENTIAL GUIDE
SKI AND SNOWBOARDING VENUES
ESSENTIAL GUIDE
You’re into skiing or snowboarding but feeling a little rusty ahead of that New Year trip to the piste? As increased
interest in snowboarding has surely encouraged the creation of dry ski slopes across the UK, there are now numerous
opportunities for practice close to home. We take a look at the skiing and snowboarding venues near Eastern Airways
destinations across the UK and, of course, in Norway, where children are probably born with skis already on their feet!
SCOTLAND
Scotland’s “real snow” ski industry has
enjoyed something of a renaissance over
the last few winters, with a succession
of good snowfalls bringing in skiers in
numbers and helping drive new investment
at the resorts. This winter may well be
another good one, with reportedly the most
significant El Niño for years brewing in the
Pacific. This could bring extreme winter
conditions with heavy snows drawn down
from the north. Or, unfortunately, there’s
just a chance it might cause the opposite
extreme of an exceptionally mild winter!
Aviemore, in the Cairngorms, is Scotland’s
longest established resort and offers 11
green, ten blue, 11 red and three black
runs. There’s a funicular railway and
various lifts. The Cairnwell, near Braemar,
is similarly well established and, like the
Lecht, in Strathdon, offers all the facilities
you’d expect for a mountain skiing
experience.
48
Scotland’s only indoor real snow slope
is in Glasgow, but there are dry slopes
at Aviemore, Loch Insh, Alford and
Aberdeen, with the longest slope (100
metres) at the first of these.
Nearest Eastern Airways airport – Aberdeen
NORTH OF ENGLAND
The only skiing locations in England or
Wales that boast the suffix “resort” are,
unsurprisingly, to be found in the far
north of England. They are, equally
unsurprisingly, not so high as the
mountain resorts north of the border
and, consequently, prone to the
vagaries of climate and weather. The
term resort is a loose one: you may not
find anything much better than your
own Thermos when it comes to
après-ski!
Allenheads, in Northumberland, can
probably claim to be England’s oldest
ski resort, but there are others nearby at
Yad Moss, near Alston (Carlisle Ski
Club) and Daddry Shield, in Weardale
where our front cover picture was
taken. Raise, at Glenridding, near
Ullswater, is a more mountainous
proposition, at 883 metres above sea
level and boasting seven runs
accessible from one tow. In addition to
these “official” sites, in a good winter,
you may also find enterprising farmers
installing a simple tow on a suitable
field at places like Newby Head, in the
Yorkshire Dales.
Dry slopes are at Gateshead,
Sunderland, Carlisle, Kendal, Halifax,
Sheffield and just over the Lancashire
border, at Pendle. The longest of these
are Sheffield Ski Village (330 metres)
and Sunderland Snowsports (165
metres). For real snow, there’s Snozone,
at Castleford, which boasts a 150-metre
main slope and 40-metre nursery.
Nearest Eastern Airways airports – Newcastle,
Durham Tees Valley and Leeds Bradford
MIDLANDS AND EAST OF
ENGLAND
Yes, you can find real snow in this region,
at the Snozones at Tamworth and Milton
Keynes, the latter boasting a 175-metre
“funpark” and the former a 170-metre slope
and two smaller nursery slopes. There is also
a good choice of dry slopes in the region,
at Swadlincote, Derbyshire, Sparkbrook, in
Birmingham, Telford, two in Stoke-on Trent,
and one at Tallington Lakes, near Stamford.
The longest of these is Swadlincote, at 160
metres.
Nearest Eastern Airways airports – Humberside,
East Midlands, Birmingham
EAST ANGLIA AND SOUTH OF
ENGLAND
Norfolk Snowsports Club, Norwich, has a
main 170-metre slope, including a wave and
mogul field, plus a separate nursery slope.
Suffolk Ski Centre, at Ipswich, has a main
180-metre slope plus two nurseries.There are
several dry slopes in the Southampton area,
at Bassett (Southampton), Christchurch,
Dorchester and Guildford. But Basingstoke
can offer something a little different: Skiplex
is an indoor ski simulator training centre with
a continually revolving ski slope and
adjustable gradient, which replicates a real
piste. It’s claimed that you can learn eight
times faster here than on real snow.
WALES
If size is what matters to you, then Pontypool
will be the pick of the three dry slopes
within easy striking distance of Cardiff, as its
230-metre offering is among the longest in
the UK. Other slopes are at Cardiff Ski and
Snowboard Centre and Swansea Ski Centre.
Nearest Eastern Airways airport – Cardiff
NORWAY
We’re saving the best till last! Snow is likely
within striking distance of both Stavanger
and Bergen, but for guarantees and the
best skiing, it may be best to venture further
afield.
Closest to Stavanger are the resorts of Sirdal
and Sauda, the former a two-hour drive and
the latter three hours, or a little over two by
ski-boat and bus from the city centre. There
are 25 separate slopes at Sirdal and ten lifts.
For a longer season, it’s worth visiting the
“hidden gem” of Røldal, four hours’ drive
away or, again, three hours by ski-boat and
bus.
Røldal is also within easy reach of Bergen.
However, the mountains of Fløyen and
Ulriken, on the edge of the city and reached
respectively by funicular and cable car, are
more suited to cross-country skiing.
Voss and Geilo are the two main resorts near
Bergen, and both can be reached by train,
with ski lifts close to stations on the railway
line to Oslo. Hemsedal is about 30 km north
of the same line further east, and is the
biggest resort in this part of Norway. If your
only experience of Alpine skiing is, well, the
Alps, then you should really think carefully
about trying Norway: fabulous snow that
comes with a guarantee, superb hotels and
affordable lift passes, especially since the
kroner slipped.
Nearest Eastern Airways airports – Stavanger and
Bergen
Nearest Eastern Airways airports – Norwich,
Southampton
Snowboarding on Cairngorm Mountain
Photo: Natural Retreats/Cairngorm Mountain
THE LAST WORD with Harry Pearson
TALES FROM THE FROZEN NORTH
Growing up in North East England’s
cold weather was always a factor in my
formative football experiences. This
after all was the part of the country
where the referee once abandoned a
non-League match because five players
had collapsed with exposure (the fact
that the game – at Chilton Colliery – was
played on April 19 tells you all you need
to know). That the ref waited that long
before calling a halt says something for
the mentality of local officialdom.
Because seeing four players hauled
away to hospital for treatment for
temperature-related ailments clearly just
wasn’t enough for him.
Jari Hindström - Fotolia.com
Mr Fox, the games teacher at my
secondary school, had much the
same attitude. In fact he’d probably
have waited till St Bernard’s dogs had
rescued at least half a dozen players
before waving us back to the changing
rooms.
50
Mr Fox had a bushy moustache and a
fine line in sarcasm. He repeatedly told
us that he had been on Leeds United’s
books as a junior, but had missed out
on a career in the professional game
because of a knee injury. He had
suffered and he was determined we
should too.
Under Mr Fox the fear of ending in an
icy grave beneath a snowdrift after
being battered to death by hailstones
the size of golf balls was something
“VISIBILITY WAS
SO POOR IT WAS
IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE
THE GOAL FROM THE
PENALTY SPOT.”
that gripped us all. Even in July.
On one particular occasion, when the
opposing school had failed to make it
through the blizzard to take us on in a
league fixture, Mr Fox decided that the
afternoon should not go to waste and
so organised a match between the rival
school houses instead.
Despite protests, an attempt at a mass
breakout, and the efforts of several
smaller boys to hide in the lockers,
Mr Fox drove the two elevens out of
the warm changing room and into
conditions that would have sent an
Eskimo scuttling back to his igloo.
This was back in the days when
even goalkeepers didn’t wear gloves
and you had to bring a note in from
your mother if you wanted to wear a
vest under your shirt. The north wind
howled like a banshee with its finger
caught in a drawer. Snow the texture
of a chain-smoker’s spit lashed across
the field horizontally, pinging off
your skin with a sound like bursting
bubble-wrap. Visibility was so poor
that it was impossible to see the goal
from the penalty spot. Any pass that
travelled more than three metres was
purely speculative.
I was captain of my house. I played
at centre forward. At some point by
a miracle of chance the ball arrived
at my feet. I set off in what I hoped
was the direction of the goal, my
feet swishing through the slush.
Vaguely, through swirling whiteness I
caught sight of a dancing figure – the
opposition goalkeeper attempting to
keep warm. I struck the ball towards
him, watched as the wind took it
and sent it swerving left and right
before finally landing in the net. The
celebration was the longest and most
elaborate I can ever remember in a
school match. This was not because
of any great excitement, but because
huddling together was the only way we
had of warming up.
After what seemed like three days Mr
Fox finally signalled the game was over
by yelling “That’s full-time”. He later
confessed that the pea had frozen in
his whistle midway through the first
period. The pea had frozen in my own
whistle long before that. In fact, for
several days afterwards when I burped
it came out as ice cubes.
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INVEST IN
TEES VALLEY
AN EASTERN AIRWAYS MAGAZINE SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT IN ASSOCIATION WITH TEES VALLEY UNLIMITED | NEW YEAR 2016
THE FUTURE IS HERE
Your guide to investing, living and working in Tees Valley
Fly easternairways.com
i
INVEST IN TEES VALLEY
WELCOME
Eastern Airways Magazine is pleased
to work in partnership with Tees Valley
Unlimited to bring you this special
supplement, which highlights the
investment and lifestyle opportunities
available in the Tees Valley.
Eastern Airways prides itself on serving
the needs of the offshore energy sector by
providing fast, frequent connections from
important regional centres to Aberdeen,
the UK’s energy capital.
With four return flights daily, Monday
to Friday, Durham Tees Valley is a key
part of that network, with the Tees Valley
also providing an increasingly attractive
option for Aberdeen companies looking to
outsource parts of their operations.
But of course the Tees Valley is more
than just a business location: as this
supplement shows, it’s also a great place
to live and enjoy life and we’re pleased
to be able to help readers to learn about
some of its secrets. We are also pleased
that our partner, NOF Energy, is once
again able to help in the distribution of this
supplement.
THE EASTERN AIRWAYS TEAM
Tees Valley Unlimited is once again
delighted to be supporting this Eastern
Airways offshore industry and investment
supplement.
£2 billion of private sector investments
since April 2011. Projects have included
major investments in the oil and gas and
offshore wind sectors.
We are the Local Enterprise Partnership
for the Tees Valley in the North East of
England, a public-private partnership
working to develop and promote the Tees
Valley economy.
With a rich industrial heritage, Tees Valley
has a long track record of delivering large
scale projects in oil and gas, fabrication
and decommissioning. In addition, over
200 companies based in the area already
operate in the emerging offshore wind
sector.
We have a dedicated Business Investment
Team, with more than 20 years of
experience and knowledge, which is
on hand to give support to companies
looking to invest and grow in the area.
The services we offer include preinvestment support; advising on sites,
recruitment and skills, financial support
and post-investment assistance; helping
companies contact potential customers
and suppliers; and helping to grow their
business. With strong links to both public
and private organisations in the area we
can provide introductions to people who
offer specialist assistance and advice.
Our hands-on approach has resulted in
numerous investments over recent years,
despite the challenging global economic
environment, resulting in more than
This publication is produced as a supplement to Eastern Airways Magazine. Eastern
Airways is Europe’s leading provider of fixed-wing air services for the oil and gas industry,
thanks to its strategic connections from Aberdeen.
Copies of this supplement have been produced as a stand-alone publication and
distributed by Tees Valley Unlimited and NOF Energy, the leading business development
organisation for companies involved in the UK oil, gas and energy sectors.
www.easternairways.com
teesvalleyunlimited.gov.uk
www.nofenergy.co.uk
Cover: Wind turbines at the Teesside Offshore Wind Farm
In this supplement you will find information
about why so many companies in the
offshore industries have chosen Tees
Valley for their location and why the area
continues to see considerable investment,
both from the companies that are already
here and new companies that are looking
for a UK base.
With port facilities, fantastic infrastructure
and logistics and a ready-skilled
workforce, the Tees Valley is well placed to
offer your company the ability to succeed
in your sector.
NEIL KENLEY
Director of Business Investment
Tees Valley Unlimited
Published for Eastern Airways by Gravity Magazines, Abbey Business Centre,
Pity Me, Durham, DH1 5JZ.
www.gravity-consulting.com Tel: +44 (0)191 383 2838.
Publisher: Stan Abbott
Design: Barbara Allen
Advertising: Liz Reekie Tel: +44 (0) 7563 796103 / +44 (0) 1434 240947
e-mail: advertising@gravitymagazines.com
Print: Buxton Press
ISSN: 1477-3031 © December 2015
iii
INVEST IN TEES VALLEY
TEES VALLEY
A great place to invest
Tees Valley has a world-class reputation for delivering largescale projects across key sectors, such as oil and gas,
advanced manufacturing and engineering, chemicals and
processing, automotive and aerospace, logistics, renewables
and digital.
Tees Valley’s world-renowned industrial centre has an
established history and expertise, giving the area a competitive
advantage over other regions, which has helped to attract over
£2 billion of capital investment since 2011.
A key centre for the oil and gas sector in North East England,
Tees Valley has produced more than 70 per cent of the oil
platforms and heavy engineering for the North Sea.
Tees Valley’s deep-water ports make it ideally positioned for
servicing the North Sea and offshore industries. The area
can offer expert offshore fabrication facilities, and prime land
availability, as well as 12 Enterprise Zone sites and an excellent
supply chain, boasting the world’s largest cluster of sub-sea
cabling and trenching companies.
Key sectors
At the forefront of engineering and manufacturing developments, Tees Valley’s heritage and expertise ranges from
automotive to aerospace, and chemicals to construction, laying the foundations for a successful and thriving industry.
iv
With the largest integrated chemical
complex in the UK, and the second largest
in Europe in terms of manufacturing
capacity, Tees Valley is home to 58 per
cent of the UK’s chemical industry and
contributes £26 million to the UK economy.
A growing digital sector provides worldclass solutions in the offshore and
engineering sectors. Major players include
Unasys, Daturn360, Faithful and Gould and
K Home International.
Tees Valley has a first-class logistics
infrastructure with more than 17,000
people directly employed in over 250
companies, making it one of the fastest
growing industries in the area.
Tees Valley’s main advantage over other UK and global locations
is its low operating costs. Tees Valley is undoubtedly a costcompetitive location, with rents and rates around half of most
major cities, and a quarter of those in London. This, combined
with competitive wage rates, and financial incentives available on
sites and premises, make it a great location for new investment or
expansion.
INVEST IN TEES VALLEY
Carbon
capture
and storage
gathers pace
Led by Teesside Collective – a cluster
of leading industries including Lotte
Chemicals, BOC, Growhow and more
recently Sembcorp – Carbon Capture
and Storage (CCS) is a ground-breaking
initiative with a vision to establish Tees
Valley as the go-to location for future
clean industrial development by creating
Europe’s first CCS-equipped industrial
zone.
CCS is a proven technology that can
capture, transport and permanently store
up to 90 per cent of the CO2 emissions
produced by industrial facilities, preventing
them from entering the atmosphere.
Publishing a technically viable, end-toend blueprint for a shared CCS network,
Teesside Collective sets out the economic
and environmental benefits the project
could bring to Tees Valley and the wider
UK.
EXPANSION
The initial plan, which could be operational
by 2024, would see 2.8m tonnes of CO2 a
year – a quarter of Tees Valley’s emissions
– stored permanently under the North
Sea. The project would support 1,200
jobs during construction and help retain
5,900 in these companies and their supply
chains.
It is envisaged that other industries
already in Tees Valley would later be able
to plug into the network, as would new
plants locating to the area, and expansion
by the 2030s could see 15m tonnes of
CO2 stored annually.
Tees Valley is leading developments in
the renewables sector, with a growing
cluster of biomass, biofuel, bioethanol
and energy-from-waste plants. It has
CORE status, making it the ideal place
for investment in offshore wind.
Tees Valley has some of the best
and most productive automotive and
aerospace facilities available, helping
it to maintain its position at the leading
edge of developments in this sector.
The new investment attracted by the
infrastructure could create an additional
2,600 jobs in Tees Valley, £2 billion Gross
Value Added (GVA) and £1.2 billion in
additional exports by 2035.
v
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INVEST IN TEES VALLEY
Chancellor George Osborne and
Paul Booth, Chair of Tees Valley Unlimited,
signing the devolution deal
Devolution and the
Northern Powerhouse
Chancellor George Osborne described the Northern Powerhouse as “a collection of
northern cities sufficiently close to each other that, combined, they can take on the world”.
The aim of the Northern Powerhouse is
to redress the North-South balance and
attract investment into northern towns
and cities, creating a collective force to
rival that of London and the South East.
and skills. Local people and businesses
are in favour of this new body after a
consultation period showed that 65 per
cent of the 1,900 respondents supported
the Combined Authority.
such as transport, education, skills and
employment, economic growth and
business support and investment will now
be dealt with locally, giving greater power
to the Tees Valley Combined Authority.
There are nearly 474,000 companies
in the Northern Powerhouse region,
which includes cities as wide-ranging
as Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield and
Newcastle, and 16,500 of these are
located in Tees Valley. So far the area is
playing a key role, with Stockton South
MP James Wharton appointed Minister
for the Northern Powerhouse, and David
Cameron coming to Stockton in his first
post-election visit.
While the five councils will still exist in
their own right, a Combined Authority
gives a strong single voice to the area,
putting a structure in place that will allow
Tees Valley to have more influence on
national policies, and allow the region
to take advantage of new powers and
funding that may become available.
The “Tees Valley Powerhouse” will bring
more jobs to the area across a range
of industries and will ensure that local
people have the skills to take up these
new jobs. With key decisions over road
and rail, social housing and economic
growth being made locally, there will be
more opportunities for the people of Tees
Valley. New investors will be attracted to
the area and Tees Valley will play an even
bigger role in the Northern Powerhouse,
contributing more to the UK economy.
With proposals for a Tees Valley
Combined Authority well underway, the
area’s own Powerhouse is emerging
whereby the five local councils of
Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough,
Stockton and Redcar and Cleveland
will unite as a formal authority when
focussing on issues such as economic
development, transport, infrastructure
With the devolution deal now signed by
Chancellor George Osborne in October
2015, Tees Valley has more say on local
matters, with £15 million funding available
per year for the next 30 years. Issues
TEES VALLEY HAS MORE SAY ON LOCAL
MATTERS, WITH £15 MILLION FUNDING
AVAILABLE PER YEAR FOR THE NEXT 30 YEARS.
vii
INVEST IN TEES VALLEY
TEES VALLEY OFFSHORE
Many operators in the offshore sector are based in the Tees Valley
Tees Valley has one of the world’s greatest concentrations of companies operating in the offshore oil and gas, subsea,
decommissioning and offshore wind sectors, with more than 400 companies making up the direct supply chain and a
further 3,000 involved indirectly. They include industry leaders such as BP Cats, ConocoPhilips, Amec Foster Wheeler,
Tracerco, SABIC, Lotte, and Heerema.
With one of the most complete and integrated supply chains anywhere in the UK, support for businesses is already on
hand, making Tees Valley the perfect place to invest.
OIL AND GAS FABRICATION
With its long history of offshore engineering, Tees Valley has
many expert fabrication companies in the offshore sector,
providing a full supply chain solution from conception to delivery
(including operations and maintenance, skills and training).
SUBSEA
The UK’s major sub-sea service providers are resident in Tees
Valley, which they chose for its prime geographic location and
the support services within the region. This has created a hub of
expertise operating globally in the renewables, oil and gas and
telecommunication sectors, including sub-sea ROV (remotely
operated vehicles); cable-laying and cable-trenching capability.
viii
DECOMMISSIONING
Tees Valley has many advantages to offer the offshore
decommissioning sector. With more than 500m of available
quayside, and water depths ranging from 9-11m, the area
can offer an “oven-ready” solution to the offshore industry
OFFSHORE WIND
Offshore wind presents a wide range of exciting opportunities
in Tees Valley, with real potential for growth. The region already
boasts a potential supply chain of more than 400 companies,
employing more than 20,000 people, and there are 160 Tees
Valley firms already directly involved, or actively interested in the
sector.
INVEST IN TEES VALLEY
Many operators in the offshore sector are based in the Tees Valley
The region already boasts a potential
supply chain of more than 400 companies,
employing more than 20,000 people
ix
INVEST IN TEES VALLEY
THE SKILLS ARE HERE
Tees Valley’s industrial heritage means it has a skilled and available manufacturing
and engineering workforce
Tees Valley’s location and transport
connections give it a wide catchment
area of labour and, with wage rates for
engineering and technician roles lower
than other manufacturing centres, it
offers a cost-competitive location.
In addition, the area has low labour
turnover rates and high productivity,
ensuring companies locating in the
area have a secure and highly efficient
workforce.
Tees Valley is home to several highranking Further Education Colleges
and two world-class award-winning
universities. All provide excellent
bespoke training, both full-time and in
tailored units, to provide businesses
with skilled employees.
These providers are flexible, allowing
employers to get the most out of
training their staff, and they have a
particular emphasis upon engineering
and manufacturing.
The network of industry-recognised
providers in Tees Valley offers
the widest possible range of
apprenticeships (at Level 2, 3 and 4)
for the engineering industry, as well
as work-based learning and bespoke
training packages.
As a consequence, Tees Valley has
nearly 8,000 students enrolling in
courses each year, many doing
x
specialist electrical and electronic,
mechanical, manufacturing, process,
instrumentation, fabrication and welding
courses in purpose-built engineering
facilities offered by the colleges in the
area.
Indeed, Tees Valley has more trade
apprenticeships and employees
undertaking training than the UK
average.
Tees Valley is also within one hour’s
drive of six first-class universities,
where more than 9,000 students read
engineering each year. North East
universities have a reputation for
engineering excellence, with a higher
proportion of students in the region
studying engineering and technology
than the national average. The subject
has experienced the greatest increase
in student numbers of any subject in
the North East over recent years – a
growth much higher than the national
average.
Tees Valley has gone back to its roots with major new deals in both mining and rail
manufacturing that will transform the area, create thousands of jobs and bring with
them opportunities for the rest of the supply chain.
INVEST IN TEES VALLEY
DOING WHAT WE DO BEST
What York Potash mine approval means for Tees Valley
The North York Moors National Park
Authority has approved a plan to dig a
mile-deep shaft under protected North
Yorkshire moorland and tunnel 16km to
the Wilton International site near Redcar.
local authorities in the area have backed
the plans, which could see 3,000 jobs
created.
opportunities for young people, providing
community facilities and generating more
wealth in the economy.
A small corner of one of Britain’s most
stunning national parks will be dug up to
make way for a £1.7 billion potash mine,
restoring the proud mining heritage of
North East England.
In April 2015, Redcar & Cleveland
Council’s regulatory committee
unanimously voted to allow York Potash
to build an underground pipeline to
transport the fertiliser polyhalite to the
Wilton site from the mine, near Whitby,
North Yorkshire.
There are many advantages of locating
at Wilton International, not least because
of its competitively priced energy, superb
site infrastructure, excellent logistics and
close proximity to the River Tees.
The approval of plans for the York Potash
mine could be the key to unlocking
thousands of jobs for the people of
Tees Valley, and business leaders and
The decision to go ahead with the plans
brings with it enormous social and
economic benefits to the area by creating
jobs, improving training and education
These factors, along with an availability
of a trained, skilled workforce, mean
minerals processing has the potential to
be an important growth sector for the site
in the coming years.
Rail manufacturing returns to its birthplace
Nearly two centuries ago, the world’s first passenger train
travelled from Stockton to Darlington, earning North East
England a place in the record books. The railway became a
site of national importance, with its historic significance still
recognised across the world.
Now, 190 years later, Hitachi Rail is bringing rail manufacturing
home to the region, with a new £82 million Rail Vehicle
Manufacturing Facility, in Newton Aycliffe (in County Durham,
on the edge of the Tees Valley). The facility is where the
Government’s new InterCity Express (IEP) trains for the East
Coast Main Line and Great Western Main Line, and AT200
commuter trains for Scotland, will be manufactured.
This massive investment shows a confidence in the area and
in the strength of its growing economy. Investment of this kind
will have a huge impact locally, bringing with it a wealth of
opportunities for the supply chain.
Artist’s impression of a new train on
the main line from Paddington
xi
INVEST IN TEES VALLEY
NOF ENERGY MEMBERS FLY THE
FLAG FOR TEES VALLEY INDUSTRY
THE TEES VALLEY
IS ONE OF THE UK’S
KEY LOCATIONS
FOR ENERGY
SECTOR SUPPLY
CHAIN ACTIVITY,
SAYS BUSINESS
DEVELOPMENT
ORGANISATION,
NOF ENERGY.
NOF Energy, which represents almost 500
businesses in the oil, gas, nuclear and offshore
renewables supply chain, highlights the area’s
ability to build on its engineering heritage to
deliver innovative and technology-led solutions
– an ability that is building its
reputation in the global market.
TTE Technical Sales Manager Margaret
Cholmondeley was among the delegation and
said: “We are always keen to enter new markets
and the visit to Mexico was of great interest and
benefit to TTE, allowing a greater understanding
of the country’s focus.
“The whole trip was very
While the UK oil & gas industry
successful and allowed those
is undergoing a period of
attending to meet with relevant
change, there are still plenty of
companies to identify joint working
opportunities for Tees Valley supply
relationships. NOF Energy and
chain companies around the world.
UKTI are to be congratulated on
NOF Energy is currently working
the whole venture, the expertise
with UK Trade and Investment on a
and professionalism in delivering
JOANNE LENG MBE
series of international market visits
Deputy Chief Executive the programme was outstanding.”
to help forge new relationships
of NOF Energy
NOF Energy’s next Northern
between suppliers from the
Powerhouse mission visits Singapore and
Northern Powerhouse regions and energy
Australia in February 2016. Both markets hold
sector companies in established and emerging
considerable opportunities and we’d encourage
markets.
Tees Valley companies to join us to explore the
A recent successful Northern Powerhouse
possibilities to expand their presence on the
trade mission to Mexico and Colombia included
international stage.
representatives of Middlesbrough-based TTE
Technical Training Group.
www.nofenergy.co.uk
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EDINBURGH TECHNOPOLE
KENT SCIENCE PARK
STONELEIGH PARK
HEXAGON TOWER
LANGSTONE TECHNOLOGY PARK
WILTON CENTRE
Engineering a future for Whessoe
A vastly experienced team at Whessoe Engineering, in
Darlington, has designed a facility the size of St Paul’s
Cathedral to store ethane to fuel Sabic’s cracker plant on
the Wilton site, at Redcar.
The new boss of the famed Tees Valley engineering
company, Len Taylor, describes the cavernous storage
tank as “like standing in a cathedral”.
The ethane will come from the United States, where it has
INVEST IN TEES VALLEY
SUCCESS STORIES
been freed from the earth by the fracking process. The US
has a huge surplus of ethane, which offers areas with a
process industry close to the coast, such as Tees Valley,
an excellent opportunity to take supplies of a feedstock
that is much cheaper than traditional sources, such as
naptha.
Ethane will be shipped across the Atlantic, liquefied and
stored in Tees Valley, once the Whessoe plant comes on
stream in August 2016.
MECH-TOOL FLYING HIGH
Darlington based engineering company, Mech-Tool has been
ranked tenth in The Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200,
published in July 2015. The league ranks Britain’s mid-market private
companies with the fastest growing international sales.
Mech-Tool Engineering is the highest-ranked company in North
East England. The company designs and manufactures specialist
cladding and other materials for protection against fire and blast in
the oil, gas, petrochemical and nuclear industries. International sales
rose 140 per cent to £27.3 million in 2015, placing it at Number Ten
nationally.
Mech-Tool Engineering have also been ranked 3rd in the North East’s
“Fastest 50”, an initiative run by Ward Hadaway Law Firm, which
recognises outstanding business achievement by companies across
the North of England.
It highlights and celebrates the achievements of fast-growing,
profitable companies in the North East, Yorkshire and the North West
by compiling and publishing annual lists of the 50 fastest growing
privately-owned businesses in each of these regions.
QA WELD TECH EXPANDS IN
TO SOUTH AMERICA
Middlesbrough-based subsea firm, QA Weld Tech
is opening a new factory in São Paulo, to continue
making components for pipelines in the oil and gas
sector.
The company employs more than 100 workers in the
region and expects the expansion in to Brazil to boost
Tees Valley jobs and increase exports.
The move to South America comes after the company
doubled its turnover to £16 million, invested £1.5
million on new machinery, and created 40 new posts
across manufacturing and office-based roles.
The company specialises in welding and fabrication
on complex structures and operates from units at AV
Dawson’s Riverside Park, close to the River Tees. It
plans to invest a further £400,000 on new machinery
and pressure testing.
The success of Mech-Tool highlights the opportunities available to businesses in the
area wanting to start up in Tees Valley and also shows the potential for companies
that are looking to expand.
xiii
INVEST IN TEES VALLEY
THE SITES ARE HERE
There is a wide range of cost-effective sites and premises
across the Tees Valley, with 12 Enterprise Zones and a total of
423 hectares available for new business investment. Financial
incentives are available to companies choosing to locate on
these sites, as well as simplified planning procedures and superfast broadband.
The Enterprise Zone encompasses a wide range of sites,
including a number with pre-built units. The sites include both
new and established business and enterprise parks, plus large
cleared industrial sites with access to utilities, port services and
logistics.
All our Enterprise Zone sites offer excellent transport
connections, with road links to the A66, A19 and A1(M), main
line railway stations offering passenger and freight services, an
international airport on the doorstep and access to one of the
UK’s largest deep water ports, Teesport.
Hartlepool Port
ENHANCED CAPITAL ALLOWANCE ENTERPRISE ZONES
Four sites have Enhanced Capital Allowances – South Bank Wharf, Hartlepool Port Estates, New and Renewable Energy Park, and
Wilton International.
These allowances are available on the larger industrial Enterprise Zone sites and it is anticipated that they will be most suitable
for companies looking to make significant investment in plant and machinery, particularly in the renewable energy, chemicals and
advanced engineering sectors.
Companies locating on these sites can apply to receive first- year capital allowance at 100 per cent on qualifying plant and machinery
to a maximum of £100 million to offset against corporation tax when the investment is made before March 2020. Tees Valley is one of
only a small number of areas across the country that can offer large-scale occupiers enhanced capital allowances.
South Bank Wharf, Redcar & Cleveland (80.7 hectares)
South Bank Wharf is one of the prime freehold opportunities
with deep-water access in Europe. Perfect for a large offshore
investment with quay access, the site already has 10.4m
water depth with the ability to dredge. The site is located next
to Teesport, the UK’s largest exporting port, has 350m river
frontage and is close to the integrated chemical site at Wilton
International.
xiv
Hartlepool Port Estates, Hartlepool (56.9 hectares)
Part of the existing operating port in Hartlepool and ideal for
renewable energy or advanced engineering companies, the
site is fully serviced with five quays, offering a total length of
900m across three berths. The site is already home to major
international companies, such as Heerema and JDR Cables.
New and Renewable Energy Park, Stockton-On-Tees
(41.3 hectares)
Part of the Seal Sands energy and chemicals hub, the site was
recently cleared and levelled. It has B2 planning designation,
permitting land to be developed for potentially high-hazard plant
and energy generation.
Wilton International, Redcar & Cleveland (164 hectares)
Five development plots are available at Wilton International.
The fully serviced chemical complex has existing infrastructure,
including power, steam and water, giving companies the
opportunity to “plug and play”. The site is also close to Wilton
Centre research and development facility and has pipe linkages
to the north of the River Tees, which also offers jetties and
storage facilities.
Fusion Hive
INVEST IN TEES VALLEY
Queens Meadow
BUSINESS RATE RELIEF ENTERPRISE ZONES
Companies locating to one of the eight Enterprise Zones offering business rate relief may qualify for up to £55,000 a year of rate relief
over five years, totaling £275,000.
These sites are ideal for small and medium sized businesses, which form the supply chain of the area’s heavy industry, including
petrochemicals, renewable energy and advanced engineering, or which are part of the area’s emerging and fast growing digital sector.
Queens Meadow Business Park, Hartlepool (13.6 hectares)
An existing business park with offices and industrial units, which
is located close to Hartlepool Port Estates and Able Seaton Port.
Oakesway Industrial Estate, Hartlepool (12.7 hectares)
Part of an existing industrial estate, the Oakesway Enterprise
Zone site is situated close to Hartlepool Port Estates.
Teesside Advanced Manufacturing Park (TAMP), Middlesbrough
(11 hectares)
Located next to the highly successful Riverside Park Industrial
Estate, TAMP offers the opportunity to be part of an already
established cluster of businesses. The site will host an
Offshore Wind Validation Centre, which will provide research
into fabrication methods for offshore wind turbine towers
and foundations, plus validation services aimed at helping
manufacturers prove their validity to prospective financiers and
insurers.
Northshore, Stockton-on-Tees (5.1 hectares)
Part of the major regeneration scheme in the area, the site is
linked to the highly successful Teesdale Business Park via the
new landmark Infinity Bridge. The development includes offices,
retail, leisure space, hotels and housing and is located close to
the centre of Stockton. It is also home to the new Fusion Hive
development, which opened in 2015, and is the place to be for
ambitious technology companies.
Kirkleatham Business Park, Redcar & Cleveland (12.6 hectares)
Existing units next to the integrated chemical site, Wilton
International, where a cluster of chemical and process industry
companies is based. The site has serviced land ready for
development, as well as existing office and industrial buildings
available for immediate occupation.
Belasis Business Park, Stockton-On-Tees (8.5 hectares)
An established business park with existing office units, this site is
perfect for companies in any sector looking to move or expand
into the area. Located close to Offshore Structures (Britain) and
Wilton Engineering.
Central Park, Darlington (9.3 hectares)
Part of the regeneration scheme in Darlington town centre, the
Central Park Enterprise Zone is home to Darlington College and
the new Teesside University Darlington campus. The Centre
for Process Innovation (CPI) opened the National Biologics
Manufacturing Centre here, in 2015. The £38 million centre
supports the growth of the UK biologics industry. Business
Central also opened in 2015. Situated in the heart of Darlington, it
offers office space to established and start-up businesses.
St Hilda’s, Middlesbrough (8.1 hectares)
Situated next to the thriving digital cluster of Boho, the site is
close to the town centre of Middlesbrough, near both Teesside
University and Middlesbrough college.
CPI Building
xv
INVEST IN TEES VALLEY
A PLACE OF CULTURE
Tees Valley has declared its intent to bid to become the UK City of Culture in 2025
With 2025 already set to be a
memorable year for the area, as
the region marks the bicentenary of
the birth of passenger rail travel, a
successful bid could generate huge
social and economic benefits for Tees
Valley, creating a legacy for years to
come.
A group – including representatives
from Teesside University, Tees
Valley Unlimited, the five Tees Valley
authorities and Arts Council England –
made the recommendation following
an exploration of Tees Valley’s
cultural offering, and to ensure it
better supports the area’s ambitious
economic plan. This bid would not
only support growth in the tourism and
visitor economy, but in the creative
industries. It will also show how culture
can be utilised to address issues
around employment, education, health
and wellbeing, and social inclusion.
xvi
Tees Valley already has a number
of nationally significant institutions
to offer. Hartlepool’s Historic Quay
is a superb re-creation of an 18th
century seaport and is set to become
the National Museum of the Royal
Navy. The Middlesbrough Institute
of Modern Art (mima) is one of the
UK’s leading galleries for modern
and contemporary art and crafts and
a centre of excellence for exhibiting
and collecting, with many acclaimed
artists already exhibiting here. Preston
Park Museum is a former Georgian
residence, which now houses a vast
array of artefacts that tell the story of
Stockton. You can take a step back
in time in the replica Victorian Street,
and the grounds also play host to a
number of theatre, musical and other
spectacular events throughout the
year.
The annual Stockton International
Riverside Festival, described by
Alan Davey, Chief Executive of Arts
Council England as “the world’s best
international festival of outdoor arts”
is now a regular fixture in the calendar,
as is the Darlington Festival of Thrift,
INVEST IN TEES VALLEY
voted the Arts and Culture winner in
the Observer Ethical Award.
There are distinctive theatres, such
as Stockton’s Arc, which presents
high-quality cultural entertainment,
and a national centre of excellence
for children’s theatre, with Theatre
Hullabaloo in Darlington, a pioneering
organisation, which makes and
promotes theatre for young
audiences.
All this is nestled within the most
stunning landscape of beautiful
coastlines and spectacular
countryside. The North York Moors
National Park provides a backdrop
to the Tees Valley, with its rolling hills
offering breath-taking views across
the area, while the miles of beach
and seaside towns offer impressive
coastline vistas.
Clockwise from top: mima, and fountain, Middlesbrough; Stockton
International Riverside Festival; Hartlepool’s Historic Quay; Roseberry Topping,
North York Moors National Park
xvii
INVEST IN TEES VALLEY
BLOWING IN THE
RIGHT DIRECTION
Offshore wind presents a wide range of exciting opportunities in
Tees Valley, with real potential for growth.
The region already has a potential supply chain of more than
400 companies, employing more than 20,000 people and there
are 160 Tees Valley firms already directly involved, or actively
interested, in the sector.
There is an increasing demand to build renewable energy assets,
in particular offshore wind, and Tees Valley has been awarded UK
Government CORE status as a Centre for Offshore Renewable
Engineering. This is in recognition of the area’s existing port
infrastructure, including deep-water access, available skills and
logistics and the presence of an experienced supply chain,
which will enable rapid growth in the offshore wind sector. In
addition, there is extensive business support available, with
local government providing free location-finding services and
assistance on premises and grant applications.
The region benefits from good access to supply chains and from
16.5GWE of wind farm development within easy reach of port
sites. Its main advantage over rival locations is its proximity to the
northern North Sea and Dogger Bank, which experiences higher
average wind speeds than anywhere else in Europe.
New wind farm breezes
through planning consent
Planning consent for the next phase
of the Dogger Bank offshore wind
development has been granted. The
project is being taken forward by
Forewind and, if built, would see a huge
offshore wind farm being built off the
coast of North East England, helping to
create almost 5,000 jobs and boost the
UK economy by about £1.5 billion.
With the onshore elements of the
development to be located in Redcar and
Cleveland, the project has the potential
to generate enough green electricity to
power up to 1.8 million homes.
xviii
TEES VALLEY
UNLIMITED
INVEST IN TEES VALLEY
SUPPORT FROM
LOCAL ENTERPRISES
Tees Valley Unlimited has a dedicated Business
Investment team on hand to give life-long support,
from the pre-investment phase, to advice on sites,
recruitment and skills. The support doesn’t stop there:
post-investments TVU is on hand to help match up
potential investors with potential customers and
suppliers to help grow their businesses.
We have excellent links with both public and private
sector organisations in the area and can provide
introductions to people who offer the specialist help
you need. We can steer you through the assistance
available to companies locating here and help you build
your business case, with information from labour market
statistics to local supplier networks at our fingertips.
For further information contact the Business Investment
Team at Tees Valley Unlimited.
Tel: 01642 524400
Email: info@teesvalleyunlimited.gov.uk
Website: www.teesvalleyunlimited.gov.uk
TEES VALLEY
BUSINESS
COMPASS
Tees Valley Business Compass is part of a network of
organisations called Business Growth Hubs, which the
Government has set up to make sure companies are
able to expand and get the right type of commonsense,
practical support they need.
Whatever your business needs, Tees Valley Business
Compass can help you review your options and access
the right support specific to you. We offer access
to a range of practical services, from local business
information and assessing growth options, through to
unlocking finance and funding streams.
For further information contact the
Business Compass Team. Tel: 0300 4563565
Email: support@teesbusinesscompass.co.uk
Website: www.teesbusinesscompass.co.uk
NOF ENERGY
NOF Energy is a highly proactive
business development organisation working on
behalf of companies within the oil, gas, nuclear and
offshore renewables sectors. With more than 470
members, NOF Energy actively works to identify global
opportunities within these sectors and work with our
members to help them secure a share of them.
www.nofenergy.co.uk
xix
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