Gill Robinson

For over two decades Gill has been running her dress design and tailoring business catering for the quirky, the beautiful, the demanding and the appreciative. You see, it’s not a dress design business at all. It’s all about how you make someone feel fantastic, confident, glamorous and stand out in a crowd. Sounds more like therapy

But that isn’t what makes Gill special. In between keeping the clients swathed in beauty, she has brought up two fantastic young women, and constantly battled with the side effects and setbacks of progressive kidney failure. Does she complain – Nope. She loves what she does, and so do her clients.

From wedding parties to dance troupes, from transgenders to inebriated celebrities, Prom outfits to uniforms – even the epaulettes on a Traffic Warden! Gill loves her customers.

Gill’s business isn’t large by any standards, but her heart is. She could have given up at anytime. I suspect most of us would have, if we had walked in the same steps for a while.

I thought maybe Gill had a strange addiction to needles. I mean, why else would you spend your day having people put needles in you, then go home and get out more needles! But no, Gill has always had a passion for art and design. After she left tertiary education Gill went on to study Art and Design at college in Gloucester and hasn’t looked back since. It’s in her blood, as they say (although in Gill’s case someone elses).

In fact, Gill would tell you running her own business gives her freedom. Freedom to express her individuality, the flexibility to deal with her illness (something that most employers would find impossible to accommodate), and the freedom to be there for her children as they grew up.

Has it been tough, sure has. Deadlines to meet, sometimes physical constraints, but nothing dampens Gill’s resolve. A resolve I suspect shared by many self-employed people.

So next time you see a friend at their wedding, or a mate at their prom, a mum at the christening of their child, or a Riverdance inspired spectacular at your local theatre… take a sneaky peak at the label, it might say a lot more than just a name. WB

Young film-makers can win a chance to get their work showcased at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games through a major new nationwide competition announced today, Film Nation: Shorts.

The winners’ work will be screened at the iconic venues of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London 2012 to an audience of millions. The best films will also be showcased on giant London 2012 Live Site screens around the country, on the London 2012 website, and on a dedicated Film Nation website. Submissions for the competition will open on 21 June 2010, and the competition will be run each year until 2012, showcasing the creative talents of the next generation young film-makers and giving them a chance to be right at the heart of the Games.

11 -25 year olds are invited to create short films (of no longer than 3 minutes) that celebrate the values of the Olympic and Paralympic Games: respect, courage, excellence, friendship, equality, determination and inspiration. Submissions will open in June when the project website goes live, with young people able to submit their short films until 1 October 2010. The competition culminates in special regional and national award ceremonies each year to highlight the best new film making talent, with the first national award ceremony in December 2010.

Film Nation: Shorts is not just a competition, it is also a chance for young people to meet professional film-makers and acquire new skills in film-making techniques using the latest state-of-the-art Panasonic equipment, through a unique programme of 100 free workshops in centres around the country, which will be announced on 21 June. Details of the workshops and a series of free online film-making resources will be available on the Film Nation: Shorts website from June.

Film Nation: Shorts has been developed in partnership with Panasonic, the UK Film Council, Screen West Midlands and First Light with funding from the National Lottery through the Olympic Lottery Distributor. The delivery partners will be announced in June.

Ruth Mackenzie, Director, Cultural Olympiad, said: “This programme will deliver a powerful message about our intentions for the Cultural Olympiad: young people and their creative power are developed and celebrated and, with the support of our partners Panasonic and the Olympic Lottery Distributor, will be brought right into the heart of the 2012 Games.

“I want to take this opportunity to pay personal tribute to our partners and colleagues at the UK Film Council, Screen West Midlands and First Light for the work they have done with us in the creation and development of Film Nation:Shorts. Their inspirational support has been pivotal in realising our ambition to reach out to young people everywhere through the medium of film.”

John Woodward, Chief Executive Officer of the UK Film Council, said: “The UK is home to some of the world’s finest creative talent and what better way to showcase and celebrate this country’s next generation of film-makers than at the London 2012 Games, to a worldwide audience of millions.”

Panasonic UK Advertising and Sponsorship Manager, David Bonney said: “We are delighted to be working with LOCOG to engage young people in the craft of film making. These youngsters will be able to use the latest Panasonic consumer and broadcast camcorders to create a broad range of films, including Olympic-inspired ones, in the lead up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“We are looking forward to helping to identify new film making talent and seeing these short films recognised through regional and national competitions.”

Visit www.london2012.com/filmnation for more details.

The Airshow is a showcase for the world’s most advanced aircraft, as well as historic and popular planes. There are daily flying displays and a static display that gives visitors the opportunity to examine the aircraft in close detail.

The public days will feature a 4½-hour flying display with running commentary, static display, interactive rides and exhibits, seminars, a funfair, costume characters and crowd entertainers. Details of the aircraft taking part will be available in April.

Farnborough, 50km (30 miles) south-west of London, is the oldest active airfield in the UK and is home to the Royal Aerospace Establishment, which tests and develops different aircraft types. Most of the aircraft built during the First World War were designed at Farnborough. In 1908 the first powered, sustained flight in Britain was made here, by the American Samuel Franklin Cody. The first Briton to fly faster than the speed of sound, John Derry, achieved it at Farnborough in 1948.

Tickets for 24–25 July cost £25 when bought in advance and £30 on the day. Children under 16 are free.

Artistic workshops, wildlife activities and live jazz will be on offer, all included in the normal admission fee. There will be demonstrations of wood-turning and charcoal-burning and traditional games of ring and hoop as well as a tournament of Smite, a Cornish skittles game.

Following the festival, the gardens will put on an undercover display of their National Collection of camellias and rhododendrons which were introduced to Heligan a century ago. The National Collection Display will run from 4 to 9 May and will include information on the adventures of significant Victorian plant hunters, stories of individual plants from Heligan’s collection and descriptions of how a micro-propagation project is helping to conserve the future of some of Heligan’s plants.

In 2009 the display was awarded a Gold medal at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan have been restored over the last 20 years after decades of neglect.

Unstick yourself from the sofa this April and get you and your kids down to Somerset to the UK’s most interactive model show.

The two-day South West Model Engineering, Model Making and Hobbies Exhibition will feature an extensive range of indoor and outdoor exhibitions, demonstrations and interactive displays.

To back up the huge variety of model engineering and model enthusiast clubs, there will be over 150 specialist traders giving you ample opportunity to invest in all those essentials to keep your hobby on the road. (Hmmm, maybe that should be…on track, or afloat!)

This is a wonderful event to attend, the venue is perfect for indoor and outdoor attractions and displays, and there are plenty of them.

Aside of the exhibition there are a range of activities for all the family to get involved with, including:

• Build your own model in the Airfix Workshop
• Be amazed at the flying demonstrations (Who needs Red Bull!)
• Traction Engine Demonstrations
• Radio controlled Boats, Planes, Trains and Tanks galore
• and much more!

Flying, boating and tank displays will operate at various times throughout both days of the event.

This is one of those weekends when you hang up the Playstation, XBox and Wii and convince the kids that a whole world of fun exists out there. The one chance where you pretty much know, that whatever protest they have beforehand will be replaced by joyous smiles and whispers of  ”for my birthday could I…”

Model shows capture forgotten childhoods, and are perfect arenas for introducing the next generation of modellers to a multiplicity of skill, passion, experimentation, inventiveness, learning, discovery, patience and imagination. But above all just great fun. Make sure your kids are exposed to one of the greatest leisure and pleasure activities of all time!

Right, that’s it, I’m off to build my shopping list, see you there

You can check out more detail in our leisure guide here, or at the organisers website here.

Those lovely people at Marie Curie have organised the Ladies Driving Challenge, and it’s happening at a place near you throughout this year (Wales and the West anyway).

So if you fancy the opportunity to give some rather interesting vehicles a bit of a welly in aid of this great charity here’s what’s up.

Picture yourself behind the wheel of some of the most unusual and challenging vehicles you’ll ever dream of driving – anything from a double decker bus or a fire engine to an articulated lorry or JCB.

Events are running at the following locations:

RAF Colerne, Chippenham, Wiltshire on Saturday March 20th 2010

RAF Portreath, Redruth, Cornwall on Sunday September 5th 2010

Throckmorton, Pershore, Worcestershire on Sunday September 12th 2010

RAF Cosford, Telford, Shropshire on Sunday September 19th 2010

Bovington Army Camp, Wareham, Dorset on Sunday September 26th 2010

Westpoint, Exeter, Devon on Sunday October 3rd 2010

Pembrey, Llanelli, Carmarthanshire on Sunday October 24th 2010

Merryfield Airfield llton, Somerset on Saturday March 5th 2011

RAF Colerne, Chippenham, Wiltshire on Saturday March 19th 2011

You can find all the details on the Marie Curie Website at www.mariecurie.org.uk/LDC

Friar Tuck in Disney’s Robin Hood was a Badger. In Harry Potter, one of the houses of Hogwarts, Hufflepuff is symbolised by a Badger. For many of us the only sight we get of a badger is unfortunately a dead one on the side of the road…

Badger Family from Peter McMurdie on Vimeo.

Badgers can run pretty fast for short periods. Fierce animals that will protect themselves and their clan vigourously. Some badgers are known to have fought off much larger animals than themselves.

During the second world war and the early 50′s badger meat could be found as part of our diet, this died out rapidly during the 50′s. In the UK in the 80′s many badgers were culled using gas, primarily to stop the spread of bovine TB.

The Protection of Badgers Act 1992, and The Hunting Act 2004 require a formal license to be issued before interfering with a badger or its sett.

Check out this video to see how it works…

Thanks to the hearty inspiration of the Guys at Treasure Trails you and your whole family can experience the thrill, the anticipation, the romance whilst exploring fantastic areas of Wonderful Britain and Northern Ireland… well maybe not the romance, unless you know different?

Treasure Trails have come up with a novel way to get you out and about in your local area. Through a series of walking trails with a difference, you have to solve the clues and answer the questions based on local, historical and factual information.

Combining walking and learning is a great idea and makes for a novel and fun experience. The walks tend to follow themes, such as a treasure hunt or murder mystery. You may even have to crack a code to save the world (Britain first please).

The various retail and download packs provide for a comprehensive and growing range of trails throughout large parts of Britain. You can experience short walking trails of an hour or so, or longer, more challenging experiences. These are a must have for any visitor to your area, or local looking to find a way to escape the TV and perhaps appreciate the area through a different lens.

I’m always on the look out for new ways to experience the culture and habitat of Britain and these Treasure Trails seem a surefire way to do both. Great idea, and at typically £5.00 for a single trail, excellent value for money.

The trails are not only perfect for families and couples looking for some fun, but if you are looking for ideas for group activities thes trails seem the perfect opportunity for a little bonding perhaps.

Unique walking and learning experiences from Treasure Trails

Once you have completed the trails and solved the mystery it doesn’t end there. You can choose to submit your solution through the Treasure Trails website and have the opportunity to win some treasure . Once a year the company chooses a winner from the correctly submitted solutions and awards a cash prize.

You can find out more details or purchase and download the trails for your area of interest via the company website here… Treasure Trails

Right, I’m off to get myself a treasure map and start finding that hidden treasure I always knew existed here in Frome.

It does you know, I heard some Guys talking in my local…

Have fun me hearties!!

P.S. If you have already experienced a Treasure Trail, let us know how you got on by leaving a comment below.

There is one thing in life that took me an awful long time to learn…Notice and appreciate the beauty around you.

With all the negative news, I wanted to reassure myself, as to why I still think Britain is wonderful. It has to be said, this is a personal view. You don’t have to agree with it, you don’t have to read it. But if you want something that is a little more positive than the average news bulletin, I hope I can accommodate.

So, Wonderful Britain is a reflection or perhaps a snapshot, of the positive and inspirational elements of our society, culture and environment. Mostly it is about  people.

Wonderful Britain is about how we…

• Display our passion for enterprise
• Explore our love of our environment and habitat – our flora and fauna
• Preserve and value our heritage and traditions
• Pursue our love of hobbies and pastimes
• Promote our hospitality
• Develop and evolve our humanity as global and local citizens
• Make the world and ourselves laugh with our unique brand of humour
• Broadcast and display our individuality
• Indulge and take comfort in our memories and nostalgia
• Strive to achieve our hopes and aspirations for the future

With all the negative news, I wanted to reassure myself, as to why I still think Britain is wonderful. It has to be said, this is a personal view. You don’t have to agree with it, you don’t have to read it. But if you want something that is a little more positive than the average news bulletin, I hope I can accommodate.

So, Wonderful Britain is a reflection or perhaps a snapshot, of the positive and inspirational elements of our society, culture and environment. Mostly it is about  people.

Wonderful Britain is about how we…

• Display our passion for enterprise
• Explore our love of our environment and habitat – our flora and fauna
• Preserve and value our heritage and traditions
• Pursue our love of hobbies and pastimes
• Promote our hospitality
• Develop and evolve our humanity as global and local citizens
• Make the world and ourselves laugh with our unique brand of humour
• Broadcast and display our individuality
• Indulge and take comfort in our memories and nostalgia
• Strive to achieve our hopes and aspirations for the future