Tag: lifestyle

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.

Couple Recreate Wedding For 40th Anniversary

By on 2nd February 2016in Lifestyle

A North East couple have marked their 40th wedding anniversary at the same ‘plaice’ they celebrated tying the knot…

Alan and Anne Hodgson, who run Hartlepool-based seafood supplier Hodgson Fish, held their wedding reception at the Best Western Plus Hardwick Hall Hotel, Sedgefield in 1975.

And they recently returned to the four star venue to mark their ruby anniversary – and were even attended to by the same member of staff.

Hardwick Hall Hotel’s current Restaurant Manager, Jeronimo Martin (known as Martin), was among the team who catered for Alan and Anne’s original wedding, and was delighted to see the duo return.

“I have worked at Hardwick Hall Hotel for 44 years,” he said, “and I always love to see familiar faces coming back time after time. I remember Alan and Anne’s wedding quite clearly, and it was fantastic to be a part of their anniversary celebrations too.”

Alan and Anne, who met as teenagers, were married at St Luke’s Church in Hartlepool before travelling to nearby Hardwick Hall Hotel to celebrate with around 40 guests.

The hotel, part of leading leisure organisation Ramside Estates, was one of Hodgson Fish’s first wholesale customers, so the couple fittingly opted for a shellfish buffet as part of their wedding breakfast.

Fish was also on the menu for the couple’s recent anniversary return, where they were once again joined by close family and friends.

“It was just like old times, being back at Hardwick Hall” said Anne. “While we have worked closely with the venue as fish suppliers for around 50 years, being able to return for such an amazing occasion was an extra special treat, and brought back a lot of great memories.

“I can clearly remember posing for pictures on the lawn on our wedding day, and it was fantastic to be able to recreate that 40 years on.

“I was also amazed to see that our original waiter Martin was still working there, but being able to catch up with him was really the icing on the cake.”

The award-winning Best Western Plus Hardwick Hall Hotel specialises in weddings and private celebrations, with a variety of suites available to cater for anywhere up to 1500 guests.

More information about the venue, including its wide range of packages, can be found by visiting www.hardwickhall.co.uk or calling 01740 620253.

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.

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).

Chance To #HaveYourSay Over Future Of Sedgefield And Lanchester

By on 28th January 2016in Have Your Say

People at Lanchester and Sedgefield are being invited to help shape the future of where they live, work and shop…

 

Durham County Council has launched a consultation on new character appraisals which have been produced for the communities’ historic conservation areas.

An appraisal helps raise awareness of the special character and interest of an historic area. The documents recommend ways to improve a conservation area and to manage change, and also provide an interesting history and snapshot of the area.

The Lanchester appraisal includes proposed extensions to the designated boundary, changes to rules on external alterations to some properties, and management proposals. The Sedgefield document includes minor changes to the boundary, no alternations to the rules on external alterations, and management proposals.

Both appraisals are at the draft stage, and people who live, own businesses and shop in the two communities are now being encouraged to have their say.

Drop in information sessions are being held at Lynwood House, Lanchester, on Wednesday 3rd February 2016 from 2.30pm to 6.30pm, and Ceddesfeld Hall, Sedgefield, on Tuesday 16th February 2016 from 2.30pm to 6.30pm.

Staff from the design and conservation team, who are leading on the publication of the appraisals, will be in attendance.

Cllr Neil Foster, the council’s cabinet member for economic regeneration, said: “The purpose of character appraisals is to make sure that the unique characteristics and historic features of our conservation areas are preserved, whilst ensuring that they meet the needs of modern communities.

“I hope local residents and businesses will help us build a detailed picture of what is special about the area in which they live and work, by taking part in the consultation events.”

To find out more about the appraisals and to #HaveYourSay, visit www.durham.gov.uk/consultation, email design.conservation@durham.gov.uk or phone 03000 267146.

The consultation period for both documents ends on Friday 27th February.

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.

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