by Gwen Bailey
Published: 1st May, 2009
Price: £14.99

Unleash your dog’s potential…
Want to teach your dog to wave, spin, jump, play dead or even take a message? Are you thinking about getting a dog but are not sure which breed will suit you or your lifestyle? (more…)

Literature Lovers will be heading to Lincoln in May for the City’s sixth annual Book Festival (13th – 17th May).

The festival offers five days of entertainment and over 60 planned events ranging from free workshops to £25 literacy dinners. (more…)

Mark Justice Hinton

ISBN: 9780470444177
Paperback Original
£16.99

This friendly guide is one of the only books written specifically for digital photographers 55 and older – the fastest growing segment of the market. (more…)

Today Faber and Faber have become the first publishers to sell a new title online at a ‘pay what you like’ rate. What Price Liberty? by Ben Wilson – a wholly original discussion about the value and meaning of liberty – is the first book to be sold in this way. (more…)

Fine Wine Focus
Châteauneuf-du-Pape

As one of France’s leading appellations, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is well regarded across the world. Funkyfogey delves behind the its history and reveals some full-bodied gems.
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English Wine Week with English Vine Tours

English Vine Tours are delighted to offer 3 unique full day vineyard experiences for English Wine Week. English Wine Week runs from 23rd May to 31st May 2009, a great week of events spread throughout England to promote the variety and uniqueness of English wines and vineyards. (more…)

Olly, Olly, Olly

Olly Smith

At Vinitaly Gala opening, the International Wine & Spirit Competition announced the winner of the best wine & spirit journalist & broadcaster of the year 2009.

To much applause at last night’s opening Gala at Vinitaly, in Verona, The International Wine & Spirit Competition awarded their annual (more…)

While many dream of owning their own sun-drenched French vineyard, coaxing artisan wines from gnarled vines, the reality is that for most, the expense, time and expertise required to realise the dream puts it well beyond practical reach. However, the restoration of an abandoned winery deep in the heart of the Languedoc offers wine lovers an opportunity to make this dream a reality. (more…)

California usually conjures up visions of sandy beaches with tanned figures roller- blading on the sidewalk, shopping on Rodeo Drive like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman or skiing the world class resorts of Lake Tahoe or Mammoth. And while all the above are true highlights of the Golden State, there is another exciting feature which you may not even have thought of (more…)

Kevin Adams

Jade Goody’s close friend and actor lead 15 fellas ‘In her shoes’ to pay a tribute to the women in their lives.

The ‘stiletto’ shoe was on the other foot in London today as a group of men joined Jade Goody’s close friend Kevin Adams and actor Christopher Biggins to pay a light-hearted but touching tribute to the inspirational women in their lives, by strapping on a pair of high heels for a walk of empathy in support of Cancer Research UK’s women-only Race for Life 2009 series. (more…)

Part Four
As the ‘older generation’ we are living very different lives to our mothers and fathers. Being over 50 is not considered ‘old’ any more because most of us believe that we are too young to be old. (more…)

Thousands of Fitness First members are set to launch a massive fundraising campaign for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) as clubs around the country take part in a Fitness First world record attempt for the largest simultaneous spin class. (more…)

Cancer Research UK launches ‘shoppercise’ fitness trend for Race for Life Series

It’s rare that many women need a reason to go shopping but now there is the perfect excuse, with a new exercise programme that enables shoppers to get fit at the same time. ‘Shop for Life’, which combines hitting the shops with some gentle training, has been introduced by Cancer Research UK, ahead of the charity’s Race for Life series this summer. (more…)

BBC Gardeners’ World Live returns to The NEC from 10 – 14 June with more opportunity to get up close and personal with the Gardeners’ World presenters than ever before! New presenter Toby Buckland will join Carol Klein and Joe Swift and a host of other celebrity gardeners giving live demonstrations in the Celebrity Theatre and for the first time the BBC 2 Gardeners’ World team and the magazine team will be gardening live at the show in the exciting new Live Garden feature. (more…)

The Chelsea Flower Show has been showcasing all that’s new in horticulture and the best of the traditional for almost a century. This year one of the courtyard gardens designed by Pat Fox from Aralia Garden Design will display not only horticultural innovation with a living wall but also the ultimate in eco friendly lighting, sound and entertainment systems designed by Neil Gaffan of Saffron Waldon based Eco-Lutions. (more…)

Which? gardening brings you the Best Buys lawnmowers for under £300

With two poor summers behind us, you may have neglected replacing your battered old lawnmower for a while, but don’t worry – the prices seem to be coming down for all types. (more…)

Back advice website offers top tips to get you back on track and gardening this summer.

A recent survey found that 80% of people in the UK suffer with back pain, but despite its many health benefits, more than half of adults over 35 put their pain down to a result of the nation’s favourite pastime… gardening. (more…)

Protect Yourself on the Net. Identity Theft is a Growing Concern – But a Preventable Threat When Users Adhere to Some Easy-to-Follow Guidelines.

72% of UK citizens believe they are at greater risk from identity theft as a result of the financial crisis. These concerning figures come from the latest Unisys Security Index, a bi-annual global study into consumer security concerns. (more…)

Research by Intune, the financial and insurance services provider for older people, shows that more than one in three (35%) of people over the age 60 has been a victim of theft, vandalism, fraud or con artists in the last year, with nearly half (47%) of the victims choosing not to report it. Furthermore, nearly one in four (24%) has been the victim of a non-violent crime. (more…)

The weekly full basic State Pension will rise by five per cent from £90.70 to £95.25 from today – almost an extra £5 a week. Around 12 million pensioners will benefit from this increase in their State Pension, the biggest percentage increase since 2001. (more…)

Rogue wheel clamping firms could soon find themselves subject to tough new regulations, the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced today.

The Home Office will look at proposals for introducing compulsory licensing to tackle the limited number of wheel clamping companies whose dodgy practices include: (more…)

Government’s official website launches new web tool
In the wake of the Chancellor’s Budget, Directgov has launched Moneyspeak, a new, free simple tool which can be shared via social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. Moneyspeak is an interactive tool that puts those confusing and alarming economic terms we hear every day into context.

The application has two functions:
1) A search bar that can be used to enter a financial word or phrase: this then picks up relevant references from across the web
2) Moneyspeak identifies information relating to the chosen search term by linking to the relevant Directgov pages

Directgov is the nation’s official website, containing everything you need to know about essential government information. Jayne Nickalls, Directgov Chief Executive, said:

“Directgov receives more than 18 million visits per month. By creating flexible tools that work outside of our site, such as Moneyspeak, we can make Directgov even more accessible.”

Topics covered by Directgov include renewing your car tax, finding a job or getting help with mortgage payments. Searchable terms on Moneyspeak include: ‘quantitative easing’, ‘fiscal stimulus’ and hundreds more terms.

Moneyspeak can be found via the following web link: www.direct.gov.uk/moneyspeak

On 13 June, the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) will hold the UK’s first ever ski-a-thon, at the SNO!zone in the Xscape Milton Keynes. Sonic the Hedgehog will open the 12-hour event by leading the skiers and snowboarders in the first leg, down the indoor slope. See him in action at http://www.spinal.co.uk/ski.aspx . (more…)

One of Dunster Forest’s giant firs has been measured at over 60m, confirming it as the tallest tree in England.

The Douglas fir, which is on The Crown Estate’s Dunster Estate, was this week climbed by a team of visiting arborists (tree specialists) from Sparsholt College in Hampshire. The students used specialist climbing techniques to get within 5m of the top of the tree. (more…)

Featured on his show..

One year on from launching their eco-friendly personalised and printed carton board coffins, on 17th April Guernsey based ‘Creative Coffins’ featured on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross (circa 3.5 million viewers) with a tongue in cheek, full sized personalised coffin created especially for the presenter. (more…)

The majority of Britons believe the country should once again embrace the wartime spirit in an effort to cut down on waste, according to research from the Energy Saving Trust, the UK’s leading organisation set up to help people fight climate change.
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It might be something as simple as a stiff neck that can hamper safe driving, or an arthritic condition that makes hopping in and out of vehicles more difficult, but as we grow older mobility problems are not uncommon.
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Hrishikesh Desai with Michel Roux

Hrishikesh Desai, a 29 year old chef working at one of the UK’s leading country house hotels, has clinched the UK’s top title for young chefs. Hrishikesh, (known to his friends as Richi) who works at Lucknam Park in Wiltshire, became the 2009 Roux Scholar at a glittering awards ceremony this week in front of the great and the good of the UK culinary world. (more…)

According to the latest data from TNS Worldpanel the retail frozen food market is now within touching distance of the £5 billion mark. The market continues to accelerate in growth and now enjoys an impressive 7.0% annual growth rate.
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UK sales of organic products present a mixed picture, according to a major report published by the Soil Association.

Organic food sales have been hit across all sectors, as consumers tighten their belts in the face of the economic downturn. Although overall UK sales of organic products increased by 1.7 per cent in 2008 to over £2.1 billion, this statistic must be seen in the context of overall food price rises rather than sales volume increases.
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The Covent Garden Real Food Market makes its long awaited return to the piazza, every thursday, April 16th – September 24th 2009

Following the huge success of 2007 and 2008, Covent Garden is excited to announce the return of the West End’s only real food market, where Londoners and visitors can enjoy a delicious, gourmet bite to eat on the Piazza and buy fresh produce to prepare at home.
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Take a large helping of restaurants, a generous serving of local producers and add a huge dollop of entertainment – you’ve got the perfect ingredients for Taste of Birmingham 2009!

Tickets are on sale now! for the four day outdoor food and drink festival in July.
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WIN! A three-night weekend break!
Discover Edinburgh’s best-kept secret

Historic Pilrig House – a tranquil haven for the discerning traveller
Enviably located on the edge of a tranquil park yet just a short stroll from the city centre, Pilrig House is Edinburgh’s most beautiful 17th-century townhouse. Steeped in history, the house was owned by Robert Louis Stevenson’s family for over 200 years and was immortalised in his novels Kidnapped and Catriona.
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From international boat experts to the world’s fastest knitter, the 16th annual Scottish Traditional Boat Festival will celebrate all aspects of Scottish maritime heritage from 2-5 July in Portsoy. A major event in the Homecoming 2009 calendar, the festival has been extended by two days this year to include a symposium of fascinating speakers who will talk about nautical traditions ranging from early boat building to sea shanty and gansey knitting.
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Lincoln Cathedral, one of the county’s most famous assets, will be standing aside when Lincolnshire’s churches open their doors for their 13th annual Churches Festival 2009. For two weekends in May, the festival will reveal the beautiful churches of rural Lincolnshire (9th & 10th, 16th & 17th May).
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Strap on your hat and pull on your boots for a visit to northern Nevada’s Cowboy Country, where jeans are the fashion norm and nobody stands on ceremony. Cowboy Country is a place where majestic bald eagles cross the sky over some of the richest gold mines on earth; where casino lights give way to an astonishing collection of stars and where twenty minutes’ driving time can take you from bone-dry desert to green alpine splendour. The names are enough to inspire any traveller so read on to find out more about northern Nevada’s cowboy country…
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For open spaces, big skies and fresh air, north Norfolk delivers the cyclist’s dream – especially from the delights of Kelling Heath Holiday Park. Kelling Heath (www.kellingheath.co.uk) is blessed with a unique and beautiful location amongst 250 acres of woodland and rare open heathland in north Norfolk and is at the epicentre of a web of 15 cycle routes.
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WIN! 2 tickets to see10cc

10cc “THE VERY BEST OF”

Released April 20th,
UMTV,
cat no: 5317825

10cc wrote some of the best pop songs ever. They were witty and satiric, they were poignant and affectionate, they had great beats and they told stories that resonated.

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Pastperfect.com, the online destination for fine vintage and antique music, has launched pre-loaded iPods for older music fans, removing the need for the use of a PC and taking the hassle out of creating a digital music library. The pre-loaded 8Gb iPod Nanos feature Pastperfect.com’s entire catalogue of music, comprising over 1000 classic tracks from the 1920s, 30s and 40s and providing £637 worth of music for just £279.97.
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Roy Orbison birthday tribute concert and iTunes release announced

New signed and unsigned artists from around the world celebrate the life and music of ROY ORBISON by recording songs written by the legend. The songs are now available world-wide on iTunes since April 23, which was Roy Orbison’s birthday. To launch the release, several artists performed their Orbison song at a tribute concert and birthday party at central London’s Gibson Guitar Studio on April 23. (more…)

Town Hall and Symphony Hall Birmingham
Friday 15 May – Sunday 17 May 2009

Martha Wainwright

MARTHA WAINWRIGHT – GRAHAM COXON – BETH ORTON – NEIL MACCOLL – VASHTI BUNYAN – JOE BOYD – SETH LAKEMAN – ROBYN HITCHOCK – ZOE RAHMAN – SPIERS & BODEN – RACHEL UNTHANK & THE WINTERSET – CAMILLE O’SULLIVAN – TOM McCONVILLE – JACK STEADMAN – KATE ST JOHN – LEO GREEN – VIJAY KISHORE – MAMA MATRIX
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FROM ‘HOT LEGS’ TO ‘MAGGIE MAY’ ROD ROCKS HIS GREATEST HITS LIVE IN PLYMOUTH THIS SUMMER

Rod Stewart

Legendary rocker, Rod Stewart will perform at Plymouth’s Home Park on Thursday 2nd July 2009 for what is now confirmed as his only UK summer show.
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Tokens - a real treat

Theatre Tokens, the theatre gift vouchers that can be exchanged for theatre tickets nationwide, are celebrating their 25th anniversary this year. That’s 25 years of treating people to hundreds of award-winning productions and musicals and seeing some of theatre’s best-loved actors and actresses take to the stage.
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A chance to take part in free specialist behind-the-scenes tours of The London Palladium and the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, as part of the new Story of London Festival.

This summer two of London’s premier theatres, the London Palladium and the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, will open their doors to offer audiences a chance to explore the colourful and varied histories of two of the cities’ best-known theatrical destinations – for free. (more…)

Box of Tricks Theatre presents the world première of WHISPERING HAPPINESS
by Kenneth Emson

Directed by Hannah Tyrrell-Pinder. Designed by Georgia Lowe.
Lighting Design by Steven Moseley. Sound Design by Chris James.

Tristan Bates Theatre: 9th June – 4th July 2009

“Come closer. Some things should only be whispered…”

Box of Tricks continues its commitment to the next generation of new writing by reuniting artistic director Hannah Tyrrell-Pinder (sell-out Word:Play 2 at Theatre503), associate playwright Kenneth Emson (Old Vic New Voices: 24 Hour Plays ’08) and designer Georgia Lowe (Fanny and Faggot and In My Name, West End) to bring this startling and hard-hitting new play to the London stage.

“A launchpad for top quality new talent” – British Theatre Guide (on Box of Tricks)

A provocative urban fairytale

Developed with support from Old Vic New Voices, Whispering Happiness is the second part of Emson’s ambitious Town/Country Trilogy (following Rural). The play is a lyrical and theatrical portrait of urban life, exploring happiness at a time of despair. The story focuses on two teenagers – Simon and Hayley – caught in a world in turmoil, where the cities and countryside have been torn apart. As society becomes increasingly apathetic, the State has seized power and relocated to the country, forcing those left behind to fend for themselves in a desolate wasteland.

“Emson’s script is a heady stew of big ideas… Tyrrell-Pinder’s production endows proceedings with Pinteresque menace” – Time Out (on Rural)

Drugs, gangs and violence reign as communities fall apart and tower blocks crumble. The future seems to be beyond Simon and Hayley’s control until a shadowy figure appears offering a way out, promising happiness. But nothing is as it seems when Simon finds himself in a police interview room, searching for answers. A political play of personal journeys, Whispering Happiness explores the choices we must make when the future lacks hope.

“The play delivers a lesson about the unplumbed darkness present even in people or situations we thought safe and familiar” – British Theatre Guide (on Emson’s Captain of the School Football Team)

This provocative urban fairytale is a relevant and unflinching examination of the conflicts facing modern society, tackling the big questions facing us today. Through an engaging and human narrative, it asks what happiness can mean when hope is gone, in a world where the police and the State have assumed absolute power, leaving disaffected youth, knife crime and poverty in their wake.

“Years of neglect has led to some disaffected young people looking to criminal gangs for the support and guidance they would normally find at home and at school” – Boris Johnson, London Mayor

The excellent cast is Abigail Hood (That Face, Royal Court), Richard James-Neale (Frantic Assembly’s Othello), Simon Weir (Scottish Television’s High Road and BBC’s Monarch of the Glen), Henry Maynard (u/s That Face, West End) and Jamie MacLachlan (Old Vic New Voice’s Coriolanus).

Box of Tricks Theatre is rooted in story-telling. We are committed to developing and producing the best new work around; discovering, nurturing and promoting the next generation of new playwrights. We are drawn to plays that have an immediacy and relevance today: the stories that need to be told, the voices that need to be heard.

Kenneth Emson is a graduate of the prestigious Goldsmiths’ Writing for Performance MA. Last year, he was selected as one of seven playwrights for Old Vic New Voices’ 24 Hour Plays and had work première at the Hotbed Festival (Cambridge) and Hotink Festival (New York). Kenneth was a recent member of the Royal Court’s invitation-only Writers’ Programme and has worked with Paines Plough and The National Theatre Studio on invitation-only workshops. He has received funding from the Peggy Ramsay Foundation and the Arts Council.

Hannah Tyrrell-Pinder is Artistic Director and co-founder of Box of Tricks Theatre Company. She trained as a director at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. She is an associate member of Old Vic New Voices and a Young Vic Genesis Director. Her credits for Box of Tricks include: Word:Play 2 (Theatre503), Rural and A Hole in the Fence (White Bear Theatre), Word:Play (Union Theatre).

Georgia Lowe trained on the MA Scenography course at Central St Martins College. Her design credits span the West End and fringe theatre, including Fanny and Faggot (Finborough, Trafalgar Studios), In My Name (Old Red Lion, Trafalgar Studios), Lone Star / Private Wars (King’s Head) and various productions for Box of Tricks. She assisted Janet Bird on The Merry Wives of Windsor (Globe Theatre) and was recently part of the design team for Stovepipe (NT/Bush Theatre).

Shakespeare’s Globe will take to the road again this summer, with two new scaled-down productions of The Comedy of Errors and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The tours will visit beautiful open-air settings across the UK and Europe between May and August 2009, offering theatre-lovers a delightful and totally unique summer experience. Performed on a small Elizabethan stage, two troupes of eight travelling players reinvent renaissance touring theatre for the 21st century with two of Shakespeare’s comic masterpieces.
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Saturday 30 May – Saturday 10 October 2009

Thea Sharrock will direct Shakespeare’s As You Like It at the Globe this summer from 30 May. A favourite among Shakespeare’s comedies, As You Like It combines cross dressing and slapstick with gentle satire and brilliant conversation. Cast in the central role of Rosalind is Naomi Frederick best known from her acclaimed performance in Kneehigh’s production of Brief Encounter. Joining the creative team are designer Dick Bird and composer Stephen Warbeck who reunite after their 2007 Globe production of Othello.
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Want to see the best of Lincolnshire this spring? Just step into the fifth annual Wolds Walking Festival (Saturday 16th – Sunday 31st May 2009). Added onto the last year’s popular scenic walks around the rolling Lincolnshire Wolds are new routes which include the county’s historic towns, ghost stories, award winning food and wildlife. (more…)

Stride out… and help stop child cruelty with the NSPCC

The NSPCC is calling for would-be hikers across the country to get their walking boots on and sign up for the NSPCC’s HACK – ‘Hike Against Cruelty to Kids’ – a 25 mile hiking challenge through some of the most stunning countryside in the UK. The NSPCC’s HACK takes place in June and September. The routes pass through England, Wales and Northern Ireland. (more…)