Weekly News

The world’s tallest cantilevered observation wheel has proved as popular as the Taj Mahal, greeted over 3,000 celebs and become a celebrity in its own right: all by the age of 10!

London, 9 March 2010: The London landmark and global icon, the Merlin Entertainments London Eye, today celebrates its tenth birthday. Having welcomed over 36 million visitors, with more than 45,000 rotations, 433 weddings (including 21 civil partnership ceremonies) and over 3,000 celebrity visits; the modern icon now stands alongside heritage sites such as the Taj Mahal and Statue of Liberty as one of the most popular worldwide visitor attractions.

Launched in 2000, amidst the capital’s Millennium celebrations, the world renowned structure was originally expected only to reside on London’s Southbank for five years with an estimated 1.5 million visitors each year. The London Eye has since risen to such popularity that, with an average of 3.7 million visitors per year, the initial lease was extended to 2025 and is now regarded as a permanent fixture on London’s skyline. The attraction also launched the London Eye River Cruise in 2002 and recently extended its visitor experience to include a pioneering 4D experience developed at the world famous Pinewood Studios which is included in the ticket price. The 4D experience is a £5 million project that illustrates the positive investment being made by the Merlin Entertainments Group who own and operate the attraction.

Mothers and Daughters and Sisters too!

As Hot Brands,Cool Places is a Mother and Daughter business we thought it might be fun to find out about other Mother and Daughter businesses as part of our celebration of Mothering Sunday. What we discovered was as well as Mother and Daughters in business there are also Mothers, Daughters, Sisters and Sisters-in-law too! Here are their stories.

MAMAS & PAPAS

What made you decide to work together?

Luisa:
In the past few years I have had the pleasure of working with my daughter Amanda on a luxury range called Famiglia that was inspired by our collective reminiscences about childhood and which was a real delight. Amanda was the reason for starting Mamas & Papas and now 29 years later we have created something truly wonderful together. Family is one of life’s greatest miracles and to be able to work together on a collection is very special to me. My youngest daughter Olivia joined the business a few years ago and now she is Head of Creative and responsible for the look and feel of the brand. Her husband is our brand photographer and together they create our beautiful catalogues. Amanda is now Head of New Product Design and responsible for the look and performance of our pushchair and baby equipment ranges. The new ‘Mylo’ pushchair is her ‘little baby’ and has taken 3 years to come to fruition. Mylo arrived in store at the same time as Amanda’s first baby arrived so she felt she had two birthing experiences. I now have two beautiful granddaughters, Olivia has baby Marni and Amanda has baby Milla. The female dynasty seems set to continue! (In the picture from left to right: Amanda, Olivia & Marni, David and Luisa)

JASMINE HARMAN HUSKY TREK FOR DOG'S TRUST
Jasmine presents A Place In The Sun – Home or Away with Jonnie Irwin and series five has just started on Channel 4.

From 12 – 18 March, Jasmine is taking part in an Arctic Dog Sledding Challenge to raise money for the Dog’s Trust.

She will be surrounded by a frozen landscape, 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle at temperatures of -28C! With a team of Alaskan Huskies she will travel 180km in just five days. It will be a huge challenge, both physically and mentally but Jasmine is passionate about the cause and hopes to raise over £2,500 for the Dog’s Trust. She is a huge dog lover and Shadow, the 8 month old Bernese Mountain dog is the love of her life.

She is almost half way there with donations going to http://www.justgiving.com/jasmineharman. This will help to rescue and re-home unwanted, abandoned and stray dogs.

(Jasmine’s photograph by Dave Poole)

Montréal: Through the Looking Glass
“If man doesn’t possess the power to shape the world to his liking, then he can at least tailor the lenses through which he sees it…”
- Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

Montréal, February 2010 – From now until December, twenty-three museums* will unite with a host of art galleries and libraries in Montréal to proclaim 2010 as the Year of Glass.

As part of the city-wide celebration entitled “Montréal, City of Glass 2010” a multitude of exhibitions, workshops and demonstrations dedicated to glass will be on offer to Montréalers and tourists alike.

Categorised into four themes – art, architecture, history and science – glass, in its many forms and uses will be the focus, bringing together some of the most internationally-renowned artists from the industry.

From the Louis C. Tiffany exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts to the stained glass window demonstrations at the Château Dufresne Museum and “Glass and the Solar house” at the Biosphere, there will be no shortage of breath-taking glass-themed events and activities taking place.

The concept of glass will also embed itself through the original creations of Montréal’s renowned fashion designers Philipe Dubuc and Laura Donefer. The duo, in collaboration with artisan glass blowers will create and host a one-off glass fashion show at The Belvedere of Montréal Science Centre on 29th May, sure to bring a unique twist to the proceeding.

What inspired you to set up my-wardrobe.com ?
I wanted to create something which had the potential to be a global brand. My ambitions started with one boutique in Crouch End in North London and developed into wanting to build a business and make it number one within its sector.

What excites you most about coming to work?
No one day is the same. I’ve had days which have started as being the most frustrating but ended on being the best day. I love seeing the new brands and products arrive and seeing which are the biggest sellers. Andrew and I launched the business in 2006 and we always had very high and ambitious hopes for the business. We’ve always seen it as a sprint not a marathon. We know where we want to be and we want to get there fast. My goal is to make my-wardrobe number one in online accessible luxury online fashion retail.

One of the challenges in online shopping is creating a relationship with your customers, what do you and your staff do to ensure it is an memorable experience?
Before launching my-wardrobe I had a boutique in North London called Powder. Part if its success was the relationship that the sales assistants developed with the customers. I wanted to somehow bring that personality on to the site. There is a visible telephone number and email address at the top of each page, which takes the customer directly to a customer service assistant. The customer service team all have trend and product training throughout season, so they can act as the sales assistants on the shop floor. With their experience and product training they can give thorough trend advice or advice on product. Another thing was the editorial content. I want the style to be friend-to-friend and not dictatorial in its tone. I want people to feel included and to believe that my-wardrobe is aspirational, yet attainable. Another way of getting over the virtual barrier was with the launch of my-tv – our weekly style-led videos. Antonia O’Brien our in house presenter is charming and a great face for the tv channel.

The first ever 3D Virtual Farmers’ Market (VFM) has officially opened its gates. The VFM is a fabulous new website that, using the latest games technology, allows you to ‘stroll around’ a 3D farmers’ market world, where you can ‘meet’ the people that produce your food & drink via video streams and buy delicious farmers’ market produce from more than 45 market stalls from the comfort of your own home, with your very own Virtual Farmer helping to guide you around!

The VFM has some amazing producers. Choose from Gower Brownies (some say the best they’ve ever tasted!), William Chase vodka, Paxton & Whitfield cheeses, Dave’s Chilli Oil, O’Shea Butcher, Burnt Sugar fudge, unusual teas from Choi Time & Teapigs and so many more. New producers and products will feature in the VFM the whole time, so it’s just like popping down to your local farmers’ market. One of the best things about the VFM is the Saturday Breakfast Box that has been created exclusively for the VFM by the legendary Peter Gott of Sillfield Farm in the Lake District - perfect to order in for an indulgent start to the weekend. The box includes freshly laid free-range eggs, Cumberland back bacon, Streaky bacon, Wild Bore pate, Cumberland sausage and sumptuous gammon.

WANT A NEW WARDROBE IN 2010? THE SKINNY COW® HOT CHOCOLATE AND KELLY BROOK SAY ‘OH YES, YOU CAN!’
Coming to the rescue of fashionistas feeling the pinch of Christmas and the recession – The Skinny Cow® has teamed up with Kelly Brook to host a celebrity charity Swap Shop, to raise funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

With items donated by the likes of Holly Willoughby, Sarah Harding and Danielle Lloyd – the exclusive Swap shops will give fashion fiends the chance to breathe new life into their wardrobes through swapping not shopping!

By becoming a fan of The Skinny Cow® on www.facebook.com/skinnycowuk women will be able to enter into a draw to attend the London and Manchester based events. For those women who don’t win an invite to the Swap Shops a facebook ‘Skinny Dip’ will let women battle it out to win more amazing fashion items and get a new look wardrobe for 2010.

Looking to raise funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care, The Skinny Cow®  will be making a donation for every item ‘swapped’ by a celebrity at the two events and online.
 
Kelly Brook, who is hosting the London Swap shop, said ‘I love the idea of women swapping clothes to create new and different styles! It really encourages creativity and is all for a fantastic cause. I’ve even slipped a few of my own former-favourites in; I can’t wait to get to see all the different things people bring!’
 
Olivia Hibbert, Assistant Brand Manager for The Skinny Cow®  Hot Chocolate said ‘The recession and Christmas has meant a lot of women have been cutting back so we wanted to create the perfect excuse for women to treat themselves to something new without feeling guilty- Oh Yes You Can! The Skinny Cow® is excited to be working in partnership with Kelly Brook to raise funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care by creating a unique event in aid of a great cause.’
 

ALESHA DIXON AND THE VARIETY CLUB ENCOURAGE YOU TO ‘GIVE A HEART’ THIS MOTHER’S DAY
Support a noble and charitable cause this Mother’s Day with a £1 donation to the Gold Heart Badge Appeal

This Mother’s Day, The Variety Club, one of the UK’s longest running charities dedicated to sick, disabled and disadvantaged children and young people, looks to support inspirational mums of sick and disabled children or those children born or diagnosed with a disability. For a minimum donation of just £1, you can buy a Gold Heart Badge to support the courageous roles of these heroic and deserving mums. Every £1 raised will go towards enabling The Variety Club to provide vital, life-changing equipment and support to parents and children that need the most help.

In addition to supporting the noble cause, the newly designed Gold Heart Badge, a popular collector’s item, makes a perfect and stylish Mother’s Day gift. Gold Heart Badges are available in all Co-operative stores, H Samuel branches, Cineworld, Odeon and across all AHG/MWB venues including DeVere Venues, MWB Exchange and CEC Centres in addition to local retailers and from the Variety Club website, for a suggested minimum donation of £1.

Alesha Dixon is the face of the 2010 Gold Heart Appeal and has designed the limited-edition Gold Heart Badge, to raise money for The Variety Club. This year’s design features the classic gold finish and Alesha’s signature.

In commenting on her association with the charity, Alesha Dixon says: “The Variety Club is a fantastic charity helping so many thousands of children and young people every year regardless of whether they are sick, have mobility problems, are disabled or come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Every badge you buy will make a real difference to someone’s life. And remember just three badges will pay for an unforgettable day out for one of our young people. Have a heart, help a child.”

With all the rain, snow and cold weather, many of us have been bringing the outside into our homes. As hopefully the weather begins to improve, now is a great time to get rid of all the winter grime and start to freshen our homes for Spring. We are always on the look out for labour-saving devices and ways of saving money for the fun things in life, and this fabulous Dual V™ upright cleaner from Vax really delivers. We were very impressed with the way it deep cleans and also the speed at which the carpets dried afterwards. The fact that it is simple and really easy to use is another bonus. It is for these reasons that we are delighted to award the V-124 Dual V™ heated cleaning carpet cleaner our Hot Brands, Cool Places Hot Product Award.