Author Archives: Frostie

Bargain-Hungry Mums Find Deals Online

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More than 80% of mums are shopping online for themselves or their children at least once or twice a month – with 16% doing so once a week or more.

And they are making use of all of today’s technology, including smartphones, tablet computers and even work PCs, to ensure they do not miss out on a bargain.

More than half of the 1000 mums surveyed (52%) by flash sales website Casabu (in association with Mumsnet) always compare prices when they shop online, with 86% admitting they like to “feel they are getting a bargain” when they buy.

In these price-conscious times, mums are looking to keep their outlay on items such as children’s jeans and T-shirts to the absolute minimum. Some 66% want to spend less than £10 on a T-shirt while 98% would spend less than £20. Almost half (49%) would spend less than £10 on children’s jeans and 94% would pay no more than £20.

Even on their children’s birthday presents, mums are looking to keep costs down with 69% saying they would spend less than £50 and 46% less than £40.

A quarter of mums surveyed (26%) said they had spent between £100 and £200 on items such as clothes, toys and books for their children during the past month, while a further 32% had spent between £50 and £99.

The survey revealed that 16% of mums shop online once a week or more often for their children or themselves, a further 25% shop once or twice a fortnight and another 40% at least once or twice a month.

Mums are making use of all of the modern technology at their disposal with 94% shopping online from their home PC or laptop, 44% using their smartphone or mobile, 31% using tablet computers and 26% their work PC or laptop.

Some 78% of mums said they would definitely or quite likely buy children’s clothes online in the next month, 76% would treat their child to a new toy, while 69% would buy for a children’s birthday party.
Rachel Oxburgh, CEO of Casabu, said: “This research confirms that mums are looking for great deals on exciting brands and that they will make use of the full range of technology available to ensure they don’t miss out.

“Flash sales on sites like Casabu will often start at 8am which means mums on the school run might be packing their child’s lunchbox with one hand while snapping up a bargain with their smartphone in their other hand.

“Mums still want to dress their children and themselves in quality brands, but economic necessity means they want to find great deals. For example, rather than spending £50 on a pair of designer jeans for their daughter almost half of mums surveyed are looking to spend less than £10.”

Olympic revelry makes the Capital 2.7m stone heavier

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The average Londoner gained a staggering 4.5lbs in the two weeks of the Olympics, as the capital shunned exercise regimes and instead indulged in the fun of the Olympics with extra snacks and booze.

LighterLife, the innovative weight management company, surveyed 1,032 Londoners on Friday (10.08.12) to see how their eating habits and weight had changed during the period, as we celebrated watching triumphant Team GB going for Gold!

The survey highlighted that people consumed nearly 700 calories more each day, as they treated themselves to a few glasses of wine and extra snacks on top of their regular meals, resulting in an average weight gain of 4.5lbs.

This equated to 12,000 extra calories being consumed by the average Londoner during the Olympics – that’s more than 960m calories over the two-week period!

The main reason for the over-indulgence and weight gain however was down to people seeing the Olympics as a time to celebrate and indulge in snacks in front of the telly, as they watched The Games with friends and family.

Mandy Cassidy, Director of Psychology at LighterLife comments: “The Olympics are a fantastic sporting occasion for Great Britain and we typically justify over-eating and associate over indulgence with celebratory occasions. Mindless eating occurs often in front of the TV and emotional eating is a well know reason for over eating when not hungry. Let’s hope Londoners are inspired by the sporting triumphs and introduce a regular exercise regime into their day!”

Trinny and Susannah Are Back

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-New fashion range launches on QVC-

For over 15 years, leading style gurus Trinny and Susannah have been dressing British women and advising them on “what not to wear” with numerous televised make-overs, to ensure women make the most of their assets. Now, the fashion advisors-turned-designers have been inspired to use their expertise to create their first full clothing range, launching exclusively on QVC this autumn, to cater for women of all sizes and help them feel and look fabulous by what they wear.

The collection focuses on dressing women who are top heavy, bottom heavy or wish to minimise their tummies and features dresses designed to flatter and compliment each of these body types. Jackets also form a strong part of the collection, tailored to create shape and structure for the wearer, resulting in a beautiful female silhouette.

Prices range from £48 to £150. Trinny and Susannah will launch their new collection on QVC on Sunday 19th August using real QVC customers to model the range reminding viewers that this is a range made specifically with them in mind and highlighting the benefits of this carefully designed collection.

Trinny and Susannah love to make women feel better about themselves through the medium of the Make-Over. They teach women to learn to love themselves again from the outside in, to look better and feel empowered.

Trinny Woodall said, “We are delighted to be working with QVC, who have given us the opportunity to bring our Body Shape philosophy to this range.”

Thanks For The Warm Up: The Paralympics on C4

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Wednesday August 29th – Sunday 9th September

After years of working and waiting, countless months of heady anticipation, weeks of building excitement, and a not-too-shabby test event, the Paralympics have finally arrived. For 12 days, viewers of Channel 4 will witness unfettered sporting brilliance, courage, talent, triumph and tragedy, as dreams are made and broken in the cauldron of top class competitive sport.

The London 2012 Paralympic Games will be the biggest event in Channel 4’s history. Close to 500 hours of live coverage will be broadcast during the twelve days of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, marking the most extensive Paralympic Games coverage ever broadcast in the UK.

Multiple channels and platforms will broadcast live sport on Channel 4, More4 and online at Channel4.com. Three further live streams will feature uninterrupted live coverage of events from across the Paralympic Games, on-air from early morning through to late evening.

The Channel 4 presenting team for the Paralympic Games will be a ground-breaking line-up featuring top sports broadcasters, former Paralympians and new disabled talent. Half of the presenters and reporters covering the Games for Channel 4 will be disabled. Eight of the on-air team have come through our nationwide talent search carried out in 2010 to find the best new disabled presenters.

Viewers will also find their enjoyment of the sports on offer enhanced by Lexi, a graphic system that will explain the classification system involved in Paralympic sport. Lexi is made up of graphics which broadly illustrate disability types within sporting classes.

The London 2012 Paralympic Games will be the biggest, and hopefully the best, in history. Thousands of remarkable athletes will perform in some amazing venues in front of passionate and knowledgeable crowds. Watch it all on Channel 4, and enjoy an extraordinary swansong to this once-in-a-lifetime summer of sport.

Paralympic Games Breakfast Show

A surprising, inspiring and eclectic mix of the best of Paralympic sport served up daily from 7 until 9.15am.

Hosted by Kelly Cates and Rick Edwards the show covers the very best of all the great moments of the Games. There are live injects from the main venues, analysis of the triumphs and heartbreak and close-up features of the lives of the superhumans we’re all watching. The Breakfast Roadshow is trekking across the country every morning shining a light on the home-town unsung heroes who’ve helped the athletes achieve their dreams.

In the studio we’re investigating cybernetics, prosthetics and all manner of Paralympic paraphernalia. The audience is invited to join in via tweets, texts and all forms of social media and there’s a wide range of studio guests.

Morning
Jonathan Edwards and Daraine Mulvihill introduce an action-packed morning of sport from the Olympic Park. Among the sports regularly featured are Athletics, Swimming, Equestrian and Table Tennis. From the pressure of the heats, to the drama and excitement of the finals, we’ll be on hand to bring you closer to the competitors as they bid for Paralympic glory.

Afternoon
Comprehensive coverage of the afternoon action from the London Paralympics where Cycling and Equestrian take centre stage, alongside team sports like Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby and 5-a-side and 7-a-side Football.

Arthur Williams and Georgie Bingham are your hosts for this inspiring sporting extravaganza, bringing you the personalities behind the athletes and getting under the skin of the Games.

Teatime
At 5.30pm every evening of the Paralympics make a date with the big finals at the Aquatics Centre. The world’s finest swimmers hold centre stage in this hour with as many as seven gold medals up for grabs before 6.30. Athletics kicks in soon afterwards as do the team sports such as Wheelchair Basketball and Sitting Volleyball. Clare Balding and Ade Adepitan present the best of the action.

7.30 Peak
The day’s action at the Paralympics reaches its climax through the evening with more gold medals on offer between now and 10.30 than at any other time of the day. The swimming finals continue in the Aquatics Centre; the track finals come thick and fast in the Olympic Stadium; and the team sports – Wheelchair Basketball and Rugby among them – are guaranteed to provide bone-crunching moments. The presenters are Clare Balding and Ade Adepitan.

THE LAST LEG with Adam Hills
Adam Hills presents an alternative review of each day at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, showing all the best gems of action and taking a sideways look at the intricacies of disability sport. Adam will be joined each night by his eagle-eyed sidekick Josh Widdicombe, as well as guests from the worlds of sport and entertainment, to pore over the golden moments, confront some of the widely held views associated with Paralympic sport, and answer the questions you were always afraid to ask.

Reporters, Commentators and Analysts
The presenting team will be joined by reporters discovered during Channel 4’s search for disabled talent in 2010; including former Paralympic swimmer Rachael Latham, sports reporter and wheelchair basketball player Jordan Jarret-Bryan, former carpenter Martin Dougan, researcher Liam Holt, sports journalist Alex Brooker, and para-equestrian rider Diana Man. The reporting team will also include renowned broadcasters such as Sonja McLaughlan, Ned Boulting and Adam Darke.

A hugely experienced commentary and analysis line-up will include John Rawling and Rob Walker as well as former Paralympic sprinter Danny Crates, former Paralympic wheelchair racer Jeff Adams and former British sprinter Katherine Merry on athletics; Bob Ballard and Paul Noble alongside former swimmers Giles Long and Karen Pickering at the aquatics centre; Phil Liggett and Jon Norfolk in cycling; Ronald McIntosh and Dan Johnson on basketball; Andrew Cotter and Justin Frishberg for wheelchair rugby; Don Parker on table tennis; Tony Jones for football; Simon Golding on volleyball, powerlifting and fencing; Neil Adams and Simon Jackson on judo; and Chris Dennis covering Tennis.

Live Streams:
Three further live streams, C4 Paralympics Extra 1, 2 and 3, will feature uninterrupted live coverage of events from across the Paralympic Games, on-air from early morning through to late evening. The three streams will be broadcast on Sky, Freesat and Virgin Media (numbers to follow)

Jon Snow’s Paralympic Show
In the run up to the London 2012 Paralympic Games, Jon Snow will present a nightly show, starting on Monday 20th August at 7:30pm.

Well-known celebrities and faces from the world of sport and entertainment join Jon Snow’s live nightly weekday countdown to the eagerly anticipated London 2012 Paralympic Games; the biggest event in Channel 4’s history. Jon invites viewers to join in the wave of enthusiasm and excitement, as over 4000 elite disabled athletes descend on London. During the week presenter Clare Balding, leaves the comfort of the TV studio to try her hand at equestrian dressage with the man who dominates the medals in this sport – Paralympic gold medallist Lee Pearson. Comedian Jimmy Carr visits Headley Court, the MOD’s rehabilitation centre, where rower Captain Nick Beighton and some of his Paralympics GB teammates spent time after returning with horrific injuries from Afghanistan. Martine Wiltshire, 7/7 London bombing victim, explains why the number seven has become a good omen as she gets ready to compete in the women’s sitting volleyball competition. Sue Kent, the only massage therapist in the UK qualified to ply her trade using only her feet, practises on Olympic champion and Channel 4 Paralympic sports presenter Jonathan Edwards, before heading into the Paralympic village to look after the athletes. And Ade Adepitan, checks out The Village, where over 4000 athletes are staying for the Paralympic Games. As a Paralympian himself, will he find the accommodation and surrounding areas accessible and up to scratch? Exec Prods: Michelle Fobler and Gareth Rees; Prod Co: Boomerang

Jon Snow’s Paralympic Show, week nights from Monday 20th – Tuesday 28th August at 7:30pm.

Justin Bieber’s Girlfriend sells every minute at The Perfume Shop

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The Perfume Shop has announced phenomenal sales of Justin Bieber’s second female scent, “Girlfriend”. Following an exclusive launch nationwide, The Perfume Shop recorded that it sold one bottle of Girlfriend every minute in the opening week, making it one of the business’ bestselling celebrity scents.

On top of the in-store success, The Perfume Shop saw a dramatic increase in online traffic with the launch producing an increase in sales of 132% compared to this time last year!

Die hard Beliebers camped outside The Perfume Shop stores nationwide and swarmed high streets across the country as they eagerly awaited the launch of the teen idols fab new fragrance! The Perfume Shop’s Facebook page has been overrun with ‘likes’ and comments and 75% of the business’ Twitter feed was dominated by Justin Bieber posts during the launch weekend, including a tweet to all UK fans from the heartthrob himself directing them to UK stores!

Michelle D’Vaz, National Advertising and PR Manager at The Perfume Shop comments: “With the remarkable success of JB’s debut scent Someday, we are thrilled to say all records have been broken with the launch of Girlfriend. The online traffic has been remarkable and with one bottle being sold every minute it is safe to say Bieber fever is still a phenomenon!

This weekend, The Perfume Shop will be continuing this success of the exclusive launch with Bieber fever celebrations at selected stores across the country. Girlfriend Justin Bieber is available in the following sizes, EDP Spray 30ml, 50ml and 100ml priced at £23.50, £28.50 and £38.50 respectively.

Lib Dems take major stand on low carbon growth

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Responding to a Lib Dem party conference motion from Danny Alexander supporting a legal commitment to a carbon-free power sector by 2030 as a means to support growth in the low-carbon sector, Joss Garman, senior campaigner for Greenpeace UK said:

“Danny Alexander deserves praise for standing up for our low-carbon sector, which generated a third of all growth in our economy last year. This issue goes to the heart of the coalition’s growth and infrastructure plans. A clear commitment to a carbon-free power sector by 2030 will boost clean industries, create jobs, get energy bills under control, and get us on track with reducing carbon emissions.”

Adams and Taylor Win Historic Golds in Women’s Boxing

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Great Britain’s Nicola Adams made history as she became the first ever women to win an Olympic gold boxing medal. Adams boxed superbly throughout the tournament. She defeated Indian legend and five time world champion Mary Kom in the semi finals.

Adams then crushed her Chinese opponent Ren Cancan in the final bout.  This despite Cancan having beaten Adams twice in previous contests. At one point Adams floored her opponent with a brilliant right hook and she went on to win comfortably by 16 points to 7.

The boxer from Leeds who’s idol is Muhammad Ali was ecstatic at the win and took team GBs to 24 gold medals.

Minutes later Katie Taylor followed Adams and became the second women to win a gold in boxing as she won a closely fought contest beating Sofya Ochigava 10 points to 8. Taylor had been behind by a point after the second round but battled back bravely and dominated thereafter. Taylor, a four time world champion, was carrying the hopes and dreams of Ireland who had yet to win a gold medal until the fight. Taylor had been the flag bearer for Ireland at the opening ceremony and the excel arena was packed with Irish fans.

Taylor delivered and sank to her knees in joy as the final result was read out.

MODEL EDIE CAMPBELL BACK TO DEFEND GOODWOOD LADIES’ RACE TITLE

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Celebrities and models will take centre-stage at Glorious Goodwood on Thursday when they line up in the second running of the Magnolia Cup on Ladies’ Day – in aid of charities Spinal Research and Winston’s Wish.

British model Edie Campbell, winner of the first running of the race last year, is back to defend her title aboard George Baker, however bookmakers William Hill have priced her at 7-2 second favourite – with top event rider Harriet Bond the 3-1 market-leader.

Channel 4 horse racing presenter and trainer’s daughter Emma Spencer is the ex-wife of champion jockey Jamie Spencer and one of the most experienced in the saddle, having several race victories already on her CV, and will she takes the ride aboard 9-2-shot Bellevue Beauty. Spencer was heavily gambled on last year before occupying the runner-up position.

11-2-shot Beat The Bell is the mount of Acclaimed jewellery designer Philippa Holland, while fashion model Rosemary Ferguson rides West Leake Hare (11-1 with William Hill).

Lucy Rhodes, spokeswoman for William Hill, said: “Last year Edie showed she is more than just a pretty face with her prowess in the saddle proving a success. However she will have to be riding at the top of her game with accomplished event rider Harriet Bond in the mix, while Emma Spencer, who was subject to a huge gamble last year, will be gunning to make amends for her defeat”

Other famous names include Tricia Simonon – former wife of The Clash bassist Paul, Radio 1 DJ Sara Cox, AtTheRaces presenter Gina Bryce, CNN producer Alysen Miller and Talktalk head-honcho Dido Harding. They are joined by and trainer’s daughter Francesca Cumani.

Fashion with naturally will transfer to the saddle with all racing silks especially designed by famous names such as Kate Moss, Vivienne Westwood, Frost French, and Meg Matthews to name but a few.

Many accomplished horsewomen have taken part in the race, with Laura Bechtolsheimer – third in the race last year – competing for Great Britain in the Olympic dressage, starting tomorrow. Bechtolsheimer is 6-1 with William Hill to win the individual gold, with GB the 5-4 favourites to win the team competition.

The Magnolia Cup Glorious Goodwood Ladies’ Charity Race: 7-4 Bankroll (Photo Finish), 7-2 George Baker (George Baker), 9-2 Sunley Pride (Bellevue Beauty), 11-2 Beat The Bell (Beat The Bell), 11-1 West Leake Hare (West Leake Hare), 20-1 Dvinsky (Dvinsky), King Vahe (Watchesswitzerland), Monnoyer (Always Delivering), 25-1 Potentiale (Ridgeway Rocket), 33-1 Bengaline (Pancreatic Action), Rapid Water (Harrodian Hotshot) (EW 1/5 1,2,3)

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