Tag: featured

Ramside Spa: Could You Propose To Your Man?

By on 3rd February 2016in Lifestyle

A leading North East spa is helping women take advantage of a leap year tradition in hope of making their love last forever…

February 29th is the day when women can turn the tables and propose to their partners, and comes round just once every four years.

And to ensure that the answer is “I do”, the Spa at Ramside, at Ramside Hall Hotel near Durham, is suggesting that would-be brides make their visit extra special by taking advantage of its private infinity pool, which can be added to the venue’s range of spa packages.

“The new infinity pool is a great way to spend some quality time together,” said Jill Russell, Spa Director at the Spa at Ramside.

“Private use of the facility can be added on to any of our packages. It’s the perfect setting for a surprise proposal, and couples can celebrate their engagement with a bottle of bubbly too.”

Along with their signature spa days and packages, the Spa at Ramside also offers a range of men’s treatments, which will help women to “soften up” their man before they pop the question.

Among the treatments available are the Men’s Reviver, which includes a double cleanse exfoliation, a face, neck and shoulder massage, a lifting and smoothing cooling mask, and a scalp massage.

Other packages include a Stress Buster package, which offers a back massage, and a facial and scalp massage, the Golfer’s Tonic package, which includes a foot soak and exfoliation, a foot and leg massage, a back exfoliation and a back massage with hot stones, the Made for Men package and the Heaven on Earth package.

For the woman who wants to go all out, there is The Man Up and Spa package, which includes a two course spa lunch in the venue’s Fusion restaurant, and a choice of a 60 minute, 90 minute or two hour men’s treatment.

It also offers full use of the spa’s state-of-the-art facilities, which include a hydrotherapy pool, five heat experiences, an outdoor vitality pool, and a 25m swimming pool.

The Spa at Ramside also offers a range of packages which are suitable for couples.

Prices for the men’s spa treatments start from £65. For full details of the packages and treatments available, visit www.ramsidespa.co.uk or contact the spa on 0191 375 3088.

Dance Powerhouse Bring Picasso Paintings To The Stage

By on 2nd February 2016in Entertainment

The UK’s longest established contemporary dance powerhouse, Rambert, are back in Newcastle this year with a brand new show celebrating the dual forces of nature and art…

Thought provoking, visually stunning, and featuring Tyneside-born dancer Adam Park, the new tour is set to blow audiences away at Newcastle Theatre Royal from 2nd to 4th February.

The tour programme features two new pieces – the Picasso-inspired The 3 Dancers, and Frames, which takes audiences into a choreographer’s world, and a third piece, which was one of the huge successes of 2014, The Strange Charm of Mother Nature.

The 3 Dancers is inspired by the tragic love triangle behind Picasso’s masterpiece of the same name. A new work from former Rambert dancer Didy Veldman, it will explore the eternal themes of the painter’s work: love, desire and death. Veldman is an internationally-renowned choreographer, and uses a total of six dancers (three dressed in white, and three as their shadows) to delve into the social, psychological and human elements of Picasso’s work.

Veldman, well known for her theatrical style and earthy choreography, reveals how Cubism can be applied to movement to create the fragmented world which is so characteristic of Picasso’s work. The 3 Dancers features an original score by Australia’s leading composer Elena Kats-Chernin.

Frames is a new work from another Rambert alumni, Alexander Whitley, which lays bare the process of making a dance performance. Twelve performers assemble and dismantle the set, move lighting and change angles, constantly creating new spaces and playing with what’s revealed and what’s hidden in their sequences of highly technical dancing.

This thought-provoking work, which sees dancers create a stage within a stage, is a continuation of Whitley’s collaboration with award-winning visual artists Tuur Van Balen and Revital Cohen, and is accompanied by a new score from Icelandic composer Daníel Bjarnason.

The Strange Charm of Mother Nature, which premiered in September 2014, is inspired by particle physics and the recent discovery of the Higgs Boson ‘God Particle’. Continuing choreographer Mark Baldwin’s fascination with science, which has seen previous pieces inspired by the theories of Einstein and Darwin, the show sees dancers fizz with the energy of the miniscule building blocks that created life, the universe and everything. The work is set to a musical score of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No.3, Stravinsky’s Dumbarton Oaks, and a new piece by Cheryl Frances-Hoad.

This season, the company once again features 24-year-old North East dancer Adam Park, from Jesmond, who trained at Dame Allan’s and Dance City, and has been in the company for four years.  Adam last performed with Rambert at Newcastle Theatre Royal in 2012 as part of the Seven for a Secret tour.

Rambert appears at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Tuesday 2nd to Thursday 4th February 2016 (evenings: 7.30pm, matinee: Thursday 2pm). Tickets are from £12 (less online), and can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 (calls cost 7ppm plus your phone company’s access charge).

Rebel Florist Offers Tips For The Perfect Valentine’s Day

By on 1st February 2016in Lifestyle

A North East florist is helping out northern Romeos with a guide to buying Valentine’s blooms, which are an alternative to roses…

14th February is one of the busiest days of the year for florists, as shoppers splash out on bunches of traditional (and sometimes very expensive) red roses for their loved ones.

However, Susie Griffiths of the Rebel Flower Company at The Village, intu Metrocentre, Gateshead, has devised a number of romantic ways of ‘saying it with flowers’ on Valentine’s Day which offer a contemporary take on the traditional bouquet of roses.

Susie said: “Red roses may have become a firm favourite, but in fact there are many flowers and plants associated with love, whose links with romance go back even further.

“For example, orchids have been linked with love for centuries. Potions made from orchids, once drunk, were said to result in hopeless infatuation and Cymbidium orchids, in particular have an alluring honey fragrance, mythically believed to aid fertility.”

Having managed florists in England and Ireland, Susie started her own floristry business at intu Metrocentre at a stall outside House of Fraser. She was so successful that she was able to move into her very own store in the centre’s Village for independent retailers.

With a wealth of experience and the ambition to help those stuck for inspiration, Susie has come up with five tips for romantics against roses:

  1. Go for fragrance. Pick a bloom that not only looks beautiful, but smells beautiful. Every time your Valentine smells the bouquet, they’ll think of you.
  2. You don’t have to go for the biggest bouquet. Choose three or five flowers (an odd number is always best), and add a few sprigs of lavender or rosemary for fragrance. Tie them with an elastic band and cover the band with a length of ribbon.
  3. As an alternative to a bouquet, try a corsage. It’s a lovely, old-fashioned way to present flowers to your date, and it should be a small spray, consisting of a single flower with maybe some fern or gypsophila that would be attached to clothing or a handbag.
  4. If you’re keen to stick with red, the colour of passion, then opt for a single exotic bloom. Perhaps an amaryllis? Consider a simple bunch of red tulips or spring blooms, tied raffia, and a label asking ‘will you be my Valentine?’
  5. If roses are a must, consider a soft pink, yellow or cream. They’re possibly even more beautiful than the blood red ones, and did you know that pink roses are actually symbolic of elegance and romance, whereas a yellow flower signifies friendship?

“I think the thing to remember is that you can always be creative,” said Susie. “There is so much variety out there, and if you make your blooms stand out then you’ll definitely make the right impression with your Valentine.”

For more information, visit www.rebelflowercompany.co.uk.

North East Marketing Agency Expand Into Central London

By on 1st February 2016in Local Biz

A North East design and marketing agency has opened the doors of a brand new office in London, looking to expand on a successful 2015…

Jak Inc has taken up a second residence within a thriving Central London business community, which is the first stage of an extensive business expansion plan created by Managing Director Andrew Knowles.

The Chester-le-Street based company, which last year celebrated its ten-year anniversary, has plans to take their brand further across the UK, and eventually into Europe.

Andrew Knowles said: “Since rebranding our business in 2014, Jak Inc has become a uniquely modern and exciting company, and one that suits the cutting-edge business hub of London perfectly.

“The services we offer are highly sought after across the country, but by being based in the North East, we’re able to provide top quality and efficiency, but without the London price tags.”

Jak Inc’s new office is suitably fresh, with open-plan space for collaborative work, and smaller glass booths for working privately. Volcano Coffee is available on a whim, plus beer on tap for chilled evenings, and table tennis for periods of down time.

 

Andrew said: “The environment is perfect for us, especially as it places us constantly in the midst of other businesses and like-minded creatives. For example, we’re only a stones throw from the likes of Skyscanner and BlaBlaCar.”

The expansion into London follows Andrew’s completion of a three-year Business Growth Plan under the guidance of Goldman Sachs.

As a part of the growth plan, the company is also looking to recruit a Business Development Manager. Enquiries can be sent to a.knowles@jakinc.uk.

Jak Inc is one of the North East’s leading design and marketing agencies, with the unique ability to provide extensive printing solutions as well. To find out more, visit www.jakinc.uk.

Stars Fly In For South Tyneside International Magic Festival

By on 31st January 2016in Entertainment

Magicians from across Europe are preparing to cast their spell on the North East later this spring…

Stars from as far afield as Belgium, Germany and Sweden will be flying in for the 13th annual South Tyneside International Magic Festival, which returns to the region from Wednesday March 9th.

The popular event, organised by South Tyneside Council, will feature a Family Magic Extravaganza, sponsored by MagicBox, a convention for professional magicians and two International Gala Shows at the Customs House, South Shields.

The line-up for the Gala performances, taking place on March 11th and 12th, includes the first woman to be named German Champion of Magic, Alana, former Swedish and Scandinavian Champion of Magic, Malin Nilsson and Belgium’s ‘man of mystery,’ Rafael.

Multi award-winning Alana, who was born and raised in Hamburg, has performed around the world and recently unveiled a new act in which she appears to have several hands.

She will be taking to the South Shields stage alongside Malin, who has been performing since 2000, and award-winning magician, inventor, comedian and illusionist, Rafael, who has also won many accolades, including the Siegfried & Roy Golden Lion award.

The talented trio will be joined for the South Tyneside International Magic Festival 2016 by some of the finest performers from across the UK, as well as American entertainers John Carney and Chad Long.

North East magician John Archer, who is helping South Tyneside Council organise the festival, said: “The line-up for this year’s International Gala Shows is extremely eclectic.

“We’ve drawn in some of the greatest talents from across the continent to ensure there is something to amuse and excite audience members of all ages, and we’re thrilled that Alana, Malin and Rafael are all flying in to take part.”

The South Tyneside International Magic Festival, supported by the Customs House and BBC Newcastle, is aimed at bringing world class magic to the North East.

Councillor Alan Kerr, Deputy Leader of South Tyneside Council, with responsibility for Culture and Leisure, said: “The South Tyneside International Magic Festival is one of the most unique events on the North East calendar, and annually attracts performers and attendees from around the world.

“This year we will be welcoming some of the foremost modern magicians from around the globe, and it promises to be an amazing event for South Tyneside and the wider region as a whole.”

Tickets for the South Tyneside International Magic Festival’s Family Magic Extravaganza, priced from £7 each, and the International Gala Shows, priced from £13 each, are on sale from the Customs House Box Office on www.customshouse.co.uk or 0191 4541234.

Tickets for the festival’s three-day convention, open exclusively to professional magicians from Friday March 11th, are priced at £65 each and available by contacting South Tyneside Council Events Officer Karri Prinn on 0191 4554031 or karri.prinn@southtyneside.gov.uk.

A full line up for the festival can be found at www.southtyneside.gov.uk/magicfestival.

Chance To ‘Score’ At Stadium Of Light This Valentine’s Day

By on 30th January 2016in Lifestyle

Couples from across the North East can score a Valentine’s Day to remember thanks to a special event at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light…

On Sunday February 14th, the landmark venue will be hosting a candlelit dinner in its Riverview Brasserie to celebrate the most romantic day of the year.

Couples attending the event, organised by 1879 Events Management, will be treated to champagne and canapés on arrival, followed by a decadent three course meal.

This includes a choice of starters, main courses and desserts, ranging from salmon and king prawn salad to roasted rack of lamb and a selection of farmhouse cheeses.

A number of vegetarian dishes will also be available, including walnut crusted goats’ cheese, tomato and caramelised onion tart and rich chocolate truffle.

To help make the evening extra special, each table will receive a complimentary bottle of wine and a small gift to take away.

David Moses, General Manager at 1879 Events Management, said: “Valentine’s Day is one of the most romantic days of the year, but it can also be one of the most expensive.

“This year we wanted to offer couples value for money, as well as the chance to enjoy an amazing evening out, and fine food prepared for their pleasure by our expert chefs.”

Valentine’s Day at the Stadium of Light is priced at £55 per couple, with sittings running from 7pm.

A 10 per cent discount is also available for Sunderland AFC season card holders who book before January 31st.

For more information, or to book, call 0871 911 1555 or email conf&banq@safc.com.

Help Needed In Search For 1966 County Durham Footballers

By on 29th January 2016in Have Your Say

An appeal is being made to help find members of a County Durham youth football team that beat the Germans in their own back garden the day after England won the World Cup…

 

As part of an exchange with County Durham’s partner area of Kreis Moers (now known as Kreis Wesel), a team of under-18s from schools and youth clubs across the county defeated their German counterparts on 31st July 1966. With the 50th anniversary this year, Durham County Council’s International Office is trying to help two of the players track down their former teammates so they can hold a reunion to commemorate the victory.

As well as being key players for the team, Graham Comer and Brian Hopkins were best friends in 1966, and remain so nearly fifty years later.

With the exchange arranged months in advance, neither of them dared to dream that England would reach the final, let alone against Germany and go on to win. But on 30th July 1966, the group found themselves watching the match on a big screen in a dance hall in Rheinhausen, cheering England on alongside over 100 Germans students.

Graham, a former physics teacher who is now semi-retired (though still working part time at Tanfield School), said: “The atmosphere was good natured but fraught at times – especially when Germany equalised in the 89th minute! Our hosts were extremely gracious in defeat, though, and when we all went back to the homes of the families we were staying with, they insisted that we sat at the head of the table in celebration of England winning.”

The real match, however, was still to come, and the boys lined up the next day against the Kreis Moers team, determined to do as well as the national side.

And they did, with a solid victory, although exactly how solid is slightly uncertain some 49 years later. Graham and Brian are certain that they scored six and won, with Brian getting two goals – one a tap-in after a free kick from Graham came back off the bar – and think the final result was County Durham 6-4 Kreis Moers.

Graham continued: “With the fiftieth anniversary coming up, we’d love to be able to have a reunion with the other lads from the team, so we’re hoping they see this, or someone they know does and gets in touch with the council so we can make it a reality. It would be great if we could all get together again after so many years, and even better if one of them can remember the final score!”

Brian Stobie, Durham County Council’s international officer, said: “We’re delighted to try and help reunite the team. Over the years we’ve arranged many collaborations and exchanges with our partner area in Germany and across the world which have strengthened County Durham’s international standing, and given unique learning experiences to hundreds of young people.”

People with information about the team and their current whereabouts are asked to email the council’s International Office at international@durham.gov.uk.

County Durham and Kreis Wesel have a long history of exchanges and collaborations. Recent projects include pupils from Park View School visiting Germany in autumn last year researching employability and language skills. Pupils from Germany also memorably visited their counterparts at Seaham School of Technology to re-enact the First World War’s Christmas Day truce football match in December 2014.

Opera North Bring Season Of Masterpieces To Newcastle

By on 29th January 2016in Entertainment

Award winning company Opera North are back at Newcastle Theatre Royal in March with a trio of continental masterpieces…

The three pieces are Mozart’s playful Cosi Fan Tutte, Donizetti’s sunny L’Elisir D’Amore and Giordano’s passionate Andrea Chenier. Let your senses be stirred from Wednesday 2nd to Saturday 5th March 2016.

Giordano’s Andrea Chénier (Saturday 5th March) is presented by Opera North for the first time. Taking the life of the French poet André Chénier as its inspiration, the opera explores love and the individual at the time of the French Revolution, before charting the rapid descent of hope and optimism into the Terror. Combining a dramatic storyline with compelling music, this new production looks set to become an unforgettable addition to the Company’s repertoire.

Also written at the time of the French Revolution, but with a very different focus, is Mozart’s Così Fan Tutte (Wed 2nd and Fri 4th March). The production captivated audiences at the Theatre Royal back in 2009, and recently wowed at the Glimmerglass Opera Festival in New York. It is once again set to intrigue people with its thoughtful exploration of fidelity, deception, human motivation and the dangers of desire.

It all begins innocently enough when Don Alfonso comes up with a wager: that the fiancées of two young men are far more likely to succumb to another’s amorous advances than they might choose to believe. The ensuing, often disconcerting, consequences are accompanied by some of the most beautiful music Mozart ever wrote.  A vibrant young cast includes Dublin-born soprano Máire Flavin, who represented Ireland at the 2011 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, making her Opera North debut as Fiordiligi.

A more light-hearted approach to the twists and turns of love is found in a sun drenched 1950s-style production of Donizetti’s comic opera L’elisir d’amore (Thursday 3rd March). Having enjoyed critical acclaim at Spain’s Ópera de Oviedo, it returns to England to charm audiences in the North with its playful tale of the ineffectual but good-hearted Nemorino and his quest to win the hand of the very self-assured Adina. Can Dr Dulcamara’s ‘love potion’ really solve all his problems?

Complete with hot-air balloon and Vespas, this stylish production is a perfect fit for Donizetti’s irrepressibly fresh comedy. Funny and moving, the opera includes one of the best-loved of all tenor arias in Nemorino’s ‘Una furtiva lagrima’ (A furtive tear).

The Spring Opera North season appears at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Wednesday 2nd March until Saturday 5th March 2016, playing evenings at 7.30pm (L’elisir d’amore and Andrea Chenier) and 7pm (Così fan tutte). Tickets from £18.50 (with great offers available for under 18s and school groups). Tickets can be purchased online at www.theatreroyal.co.uk, or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 (Calls cost 7ppm plus your phone company’s access charge).

First Turkish Restaurant Opens In Alnwick

By on 28th January 2016in Lifestyle

A former Alnwick Indian restaurant is getting a new lease of life, after being transformed into the town’s first Turkish eatery…

 

Mezze opened its doors on January 20th, at the former site of Veranda, Clayport Street, and offers diners a selection of classic BBQ grills and other popular Turkish dishes.

“Mezze offers something completely different to the other restaurants in Alnwick,” said Dilman Abdullah, who is the restaurant owner and has previously run The Med, Westgate Road, Newcastle.

“A lot of work has gone into revamping the venue and putting together a great menu, so we’re really excited to see it all coming together.

“We hope people will come a long and help us to celebrate the opening.”

Guests at the restaurant will be able to choose from a wide range of cold starters, such as peppers, potatoes and aubergine fried in olive oil and served with tomato and garlic sauce, crushed bulgar wheat with chopped onions, celery, peppers, tomato and walnuts dressed in olive oil and vine leaves stuffed with rice, pine kernals, onions, sultanas and a blend of herbs.

There will also be a number of hot starters served at the restaurants, including deep fried filo pastry filled with feta cheese, and fill and diced lamb’s liver lightly coated in flour and paprika, fried and served with onions.

The menu also offers diners a whole host of main courses, including traditional Turkish BBQ dishes such as Shish Kebab, lamb cutlets marinated with herbs and chargrilled, mixed grill and chargrilled chicken wings.

All of the menu’s BBQ dishes are served with rice, salad and chilli.

There is also a selection of other main courses including moussaka, Kleftiko – a slow cooked lamb shank served with rice – chargrilled chicken breast filled with cheddar, onion and peppers served in a creamy sauce, and tender lamb shoulder served with special sauce and rice.

Prices start from £2.95 for a starter and from £7.95 for a main course.

Holocaust Survivor Marks Memorial Day At Northumbria Uni

By on 28th January 2016in Have Your Say

One of the youngest known survivors of the Holocaust has spoken about her experiences at Northumbria University, Newcastle, to mark this year’s Memorial Day…

Eva Clarke was born in Mauthausen Concentration Camp, Austria in 1945, three days prior to the collapse of the Third Reich and liberation of the camp by the US Army. Eva and Anka, her mother, were the only remaining survivors, following the death of 15 other family members in Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Northumbria student Michaela Crawley contacted Eva to give a talk at the University, and helped organise the lecture for Holocaust Memorial Day, which was held in partnership with Newcastle City Council, and in conjunction with the Holocaust Education Trust and the Anne Frank Trust.

Michaela, a first-year History student, said: “For the last three years I have been active in organising Holocaust Memorial Day events following a Holocaust Educational Trust course known as the Lessons From Auschwitz. This, coincidentally, was also when I came into contact with Eva for the first time. Following a very successful event that I arranged last year in my school, I felt I had to try and bring the event to the University with me to involve even more people in Holocaust education.

“I spoke to the Head of History at Northumbria, Michael Cullinane, to ask if it would be possible, and managed to contact Eva and confirm that she would speak at our event. I have heard Eva’s testimony twice now, and I am honoured to finally get to meet her in person, as it was her story that convinced me that I wanted to teach and that History was definitely the discipline I wanted to specialise in.”

She added: “One of the first sources I was ever presented with when learning about the Holocaust was a quotation from a German philosopher claiming ‘we learn from History that we do not learn from history.’ I believe through education we can prevent humanity from repeating its mistakes, and that is why I am taking an active role in Holocaust education and preventing prejudice.”

Eva has shared her story with communities, schools, colleges and prisons, and has campaigned to ensure that those who died during the Holocaust are remembered. Her mother’s story is also featured in a new book by bestselling author and journalist Wendy Holden. Born Survivors highlights the experiences of three expectant and new mothers living in concentration camps.

Also speaking at the event at Northumbria was Newcastle City Council Leader, Councillor Nick Forbes, and the University’s Associate Dean for Arts, Design and Social Sciences, Professor Tom Lawson.

He said: “We are delighted that Eva Clarke has been able to join us for Holocaust Memorial Day. Holocaust Memorial Day is an opportunity for us to reflect on our collective past and our obligations to all members of the international community in the past, present and future.

“The theme of this year’s commemorations encourages us to think about our role as bystanders to atrocity, which is an essential theme as we face the challenges of our interconnected world. We are especially pleased to host this event as it is organised by one of our History undergraduates, showing how far Northumbria students are impacting on the world from the very beginnings of their studies with us.”

Michaela’s tutor, Dr Michael Cullinane, Reader in US History and Head of History, added: “This event owes a great debt to one of our most enterprising undergraduate students, Michaela Crawley. Michaela, a first-year student on the single-honours History programme, expressed an interest in raising awareness of the Holocaust, and reached out to the Head of History and Associate Dean Academic of the Faculty of Arts, Design, and Social Sciences.

“While the University often hosts public events on Holocaust Memorial Day to stress the social importance of holocaust education, the initiative to do so has never come from a first-year student. We in the History subject group are proud that Michaela has organized a wonderful event, and are as proud that she is one of ours.”

Northumbria offers a range of courses in History. In the Research Excellence Framework 2014, the University was rated Top 20 in the UK for the quality of its History research publications. For more information about studying History at Northumbria, go to www.northumbria.ac.uk/history.

Northumbria is a research-rich, business-focused, professional university with a global reputation for academic excellence. To find out more about courses, go to www.northumbria.ac.uk.

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