Catherine Balavage interviews Ben Elliott on Quintessentially and charity.

Posted on by

As well as being an excellent concierge business, Quintessentially also does lots for charity. Including at the historical House of St Barnabas. A beautiful venue where volunteers do good things for the homeless. Giving them a hand up. Not a hand out. Here, Ben tells us all about it.

Tell me about Quintessentially.

The idea came about when Aaron and I noticed we were spending more and more time connecting people which made us realize there was a huge gap in the market.  The concept of creating a concierge service available 24/7 to bring busy people a service that saves them time and hassle by providing expert fixers who are always on board to assist them –  from sourcing tickets to sporting events, providing access to the hottest gigs in town, securing last minute hotel reservations and travel deals, or simply booking restaurants.  When we spoke to people about it they loved the idea and Quintessentially was born.
We now have 54 offices worldwide, 25 sister businesses and this December we will celebrate our 10th Anniversary, a landmark that we are incredibly proud of.

What kind of membership do you offer.

The General Concierge

This general membership grants you access to the AskQ concierge available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for restaurant and club bookings, travel arrangements and all other requests.

The Dedicated

There’s a reason Quintessentially Dedicated is our most popular level of service – it provides our high-profile members with a personal account manager in one territory of your choice whose mission in life is to alleviate their daily stresses by offering complete lifestyle management. The Dedicated membership draws on Quintessentially’s golden contacts to offer you discounts and exclusive access, as well as advanced notice for upcoming events and parties.

Dual Dedicated Membership

The Dual Dedicated Membership will allow you to have two account managers anywhere in the world. This has proven very useful for business VIP’s and clients in the entertainment world who travel between two cities on a frequent basis, eg London, New York or London, Hong Kong for example.

The Elite

At the global Elite Membership level you can be sure Quintessentially will have the expertise and insider information to get you what you want wherever and whenever you want it. Elite members of Quintessentially are provided with a team of personal Elite account managers in all of Quintessentially’s covered regions around the globe. You’ll be connected to fixers and researchers in every major city across the world, all available 24 hours a day to fulfill all your needs.

The Bespoke Elite

The Bespoke Elite will provide the member with 4-5 Account Managers in their main travelling territories (Maybe London, New York, Dubai, Hong Kong and Moscow).

The only way to describe this is like having a best friend/Life Style Manager taking care of any last minute needs that you may have and working closely with our members personal assistants with regards any last minute requests you may have in any country around the world and working in a proactive way rather than a reactive way which the Dedicated Membership provides.

You do a lot for charity including raising a lot of money doing the ultimate cycle ride. Tell me about what you are doing at Quintessentially Soho at The House of St Barnabas

The cycle ride was brutal but fantastic! We raised over £115,000 for Quintessentially Foundation….
As for Quintessentially Soho – after walking along Greek Street for the umpteenth time, I took the time to stop and knock on the door of The House of St Barnabas. I had heard about its garden, and inspiration for A Tale of Two Cities and I knew it had a mysterious crypt. Plus, I knew it had been a House for Fallen Women.

The charity has called this magnificent 18th Century building home since 1846 and has looked after people effected by homelessness in some capacity for all these years. Three years ago a fire had gutted the House and the charities trustees couldn’t afford to rebuild it for use as refuge. So I got friends, family, employees to help and donate their much valued time, art-work and furniture to Quintessentially Soho at The House of St Barnabas which opened in October last year. It is a not-for-profit enterprise which sees all membership fees go straight to the House.

The life Skills programme that was up and running well before we arrived has flourished under the partnership. The programme is there to teach people affected by homelessness vital life skills that they have either forgotten or not used for many years. It is an amazing project that provides personal support through vocational training, teaching, work placements and support in accessing jobs. 

Quintessentially Soho provides unique work experience on site and a real working environment for volunteers on the scheme through the restaurant and bar on the first two floors.  Over the past ten months the programme has seen over 20 volunteers successfully graduate.   Statistically, the Life Skills programme has seen 50% of its volunteers moving into future employment and 48% going into further education.
What we have achieved there is simply amazing and I am incredibly proud of it.

What is next?

We have numerous projects in the pipeline – our most exciting is Quintessentially One. In the summer of 2013 super yacht Quintessentially One, the world’s first exclusive private members’ club will set sail. It is set to be the most stylish and luxurious way to the see the world, Quintessentially One is the first and only ship of its kind.
Next years charity challenge? Who knows… Watch this space.

Thank you Ben.

Review: Visionary Soap {Beauty}

Posted on by

Visionary Soap Company are a Fairtrade Foundation Certified Soap and Body Care company based in Hastings. Their ingredients are ethically sourced from Palestine, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Nicaragua, The Dominican Republic, Sri Lanka and South Africa.

All their products are made with the finest vegetable oils, butters, essential oils and botanicals with no synthetic dyes or fragrances, parabens, petroleum-based ingredients, palm oil, alcohol, sodium laureth sulfate or animal products.  All products have been safety assessed and comply with current EU regulations as well as being fully certified by The Vegan Society and are cruelty-free.

So when we were asked to review some of their products, we were felt honoured and completely guilt free. Here’s our thoughts on the products:

Rosemary and Lavender Gardeners Hand Salve, £5.95

Genevieve Sibayan: At first this hand salve looks like an intimidating block of wax but it warms really quickly to the touch and melts into your skin. The fragrance is strong and ever so slightly medicinal. I’m pretty sure this means it’s good for me. A great product containing shea butter for those who don’t like the smell of shea butter but want to reap it’s benefits. Would work just as well on your elbows, knees and heels or anywhere requiring intensive moisture.

Organic Lavender Soap, £3.18

Catherine Balavage: I am not always a fan of soap. I can find it drying. However, the Organic lavender soap smells like a dream, lathers beautifully ( rare in most soaps, never mind one that is organic) The soap leaves my hands soft and cleans properly. I highly recommend it. All the visitors to my house loved it too.

Organic Lip Balm (Available in Grapefruit, Peppermint, Lemon and Orange) £2.99

GS: I rarely coo, but I did when I saw these cute little pots of lip balm. The grapefruit balm comes in a cute pink pot and all of them together looked like jelly sweets. There’s no additives here however. These contain Vitamin E and essential oils and lots of things that are good for you. The grapefruit balms are delicately fragranced and the peppermint balm leaves you with a little tingle of coolness.

CB: I also loved the little lip balms. The packaging is fun and colourful. My lips tend to dry out in bad weather and some lip balms make it even worse. This little pot of ethical heaven did the job beautifully. The Visionary Soap company may have just become one of my favourite brands.

Stockist include Oxfam, products also available from their online store.

Flaming July [Travel]

Posted on by

July is the grumpiest month for Brits, according to findings from a new survey conducted by Travelodge.

Hot, humid nights mean, we miss out on 56 hours of sleep during flaming July – that’s one entire week of sleep.

Sleep deprivation is taking its toll with 78 per cent of adults admitting they are moodier in July than any other month.

Nearly 90 per cent of us (88%) loose sleep every night with two hours being the average amount lost.

More than three quarters of the population (69%) will take one to two days off work to catch up on lost sleep.

Seventy per cent of parents admit they are woken up at least three times a night by children struggling in the heat and humidity.

According to the snap survey by Travelodge, sleep deprivation is fuelling more arguments at work, bust-ups between couples and kids being snapped at.

A higher number of men and women also admit they are likely to have an attack of travel rage due to the heat and exhaustion.

One in two (49%) tired or hot drivers will shout at another motorist out of frustration at least once over the month.

A quarter will use bad language, 40 per cent will make rude gestures and a really mad one in five will go as far as tailgating an unsuspecting driver.

More than one in five short tempered rail, tube or train commuters admit they will make a rude comment to another traveller while 15 per cent will end up arguing with staff.

Over a quarter (27%) of commuters will even shout at a partner or child when they are travelling.

Work will be the tensest place during moody July, 45 per cent of hot, tired men and women admitting they will take their grumpiness out on colleagues.

Partners, kids, friends and even the boss will also come under attack from irritable adults.

Leigh McCarron, Travelodge Sleep Director said; “We wait all year for the hot weather, but when it arrives, most of us aren’t prepared. We lose valuable hours of sleep and everything goes downhill from there. The lack of sleep makes us irritable, that combined with soaring temperatures in the day make many of us quite tense. We like the heat – but it takes us time to get used to it.”

Listed below are Travelodge’s Sleep Director’s top five tips to help you sleep in the summer months

1. Change your duvet to a lighter tog (4.5 to 6)
2. Sleep in 100 per cent natural fibre sheets
3. Change your sheets every couple of days
4. Have a shower or bath before bedtime
5. Have a milky drink or herbal tea before going to bed

But the July misery doesn’t end with lack of sleep – up to 40 per cent will suffer sun burn, while one in five will endure sun stroke or an increase in their asthma symptoms.

The same number will also be laid low by hay fever while 15 per cent endure heat related migraines, according to the Travelodge survey.

Exhaustion, dehydration and nose bleeds will also increase as the temperature rises.

Work pals (43%) will also suffer the most from body odour followed by friends (27%) and commuters (23%).

Just over 80 per cent of Brits also admit getting fed up in July – because they are too ashamed of their bodies to strip off and soak up the sun.

Bored DONOVAN want's your questions {Dear DONOVAN}

Posted on by

Look guys, this is what happens if no one sends DONOVAN any questions…poor thing. He’s going spare worrying because you’re all worrying instead of sending him your problems. Let’s humour him and pretend we’re listening.

Been bored out of my skull, ’cause no fuckers been asking me questions!….Jesus! even resorted to formspring but still no1 likes me ! Cant think why?

Bloody racists.

Wouldn’t it be if you swapped the toy in a happy meal for a bum plug and lube! Then watch the parents face when the child pulls it out! Then the parent screams at you YOU EXPECT MY CHILD TO PLAY WITH THIS?!!

….not funny? Fuck you… I pissed myself when Mcdonalds sacked me! Then in protest stuck a chip up my ‘japs eye’!…It burned but was worth it to see their faces.

I have come up with a new game; I bought a Triangle from a music shop. I sit on the seat directly behind the drivers wall and ‘ting’ it randomly…so it stops and no one gets off so there is an awkward pause b4 the doors close…then do it again, he sees nothing flash up to say the bell has been pressed and gradually thinks hes hearing things and going mad…but he has to stop in case the light that flashes to indicate isn’t working!! Doors always open no matter how many times you do it cause he can’t take the risk in case it is someone wanting to stop

……..anyway, this is my theory. I haven’t tried it yet…but I will.

Also Getting into a taxi and telling them to drop you off literally a few doors up from your house! You hand the standard taxi charge of 1 pound 20 or whatever it is and say sorry, my mate needs a taxi hell be out now (so you gain his trust again and interest) you walk out of sight behind a wall etc or even walk through the door if neighbors willing to be a part in your childish scheme! then put on a false moustache and remove a jacket or top over top and get in car…same thing again and again…and the winner is who out of your friends gets the furthest and how many stops you make…down side will be you’d still be out of pocket!

Up side is you could just do it with friends waiting at the houses to swap over…why not have the next person and so forth getting more and more bizarrely dressed? and at the end have the last person dressed as a chicken or pantomime dame?

as I said I’ve been very bored!! ask me questions dick heads!! (he loves you really)

Email the Frost and they will pass it on to me verbally as I don’t trust emails!

DONOVAN

by Stefan Pejic

Blackbox C18 Hits UK and Cancels Noise {Tech}

Posted on by

London – Blackbox, announced its arrival in the UK with the launch of its Blackbox C18 earphones, the first available product from its range. Designed for commuters, travellers, music and fitness fans, and retailing at £69.99 (RRP), the C18 also provides over 50-hours of battery life, with airline adapters, luxury carry pouch and lanyard. Also available from the range is the ipod and iphone specific i10

Active Noise Rejection (ANR) technology, provided by Phitek Systems, a global leader in electro-acoustic technologies and active noise-cancellation, is a unique patented technology that virtually eliminates disturbing background noise. It works by intelligently measuring the noise field in the ear, before calculating and reintroducing an ‘anti-noise’ response, resulting in near silence by continuously adapting to the prevailing noise conditions.

Prior to its launch in the UK, the Blackbox brand has seen great success in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

One of my favourite games to play with noise-cancelling earphones is to put them in your ears, don’t hit the play button on your mp3 player, get a packet of crisps, put a crisp in your mouth and CCcrrrrUUnch!! Try it, it’s great fun.

The Blackbox C18 earphones are available to order now from Amazon.com and Play.com

Londoners lack a getaway plan {Travel}

Posted on by

RESIDENTS ONLY LEAVE THE CAPITAL SIX TIMES A YEAR AT THE WEEKEND – AND EVEN THEN ONLY GO 42 MILES FROM HOME

Weary Londoners fed up with the hustle and bustle of the city may be promising themselves they’ll escape this weekend – but new research reveals that people who live in the capital only manage to go beyond the M25 an average of six times a year.

The findings by train companies show that while Londoners love nothing better than to move around within the city in their leisure time, they rarely travel outside the M25 – with the average city dweller making a weekend trip away just once every two months.

And even when they do get away for the weekend, they only go 42 miles on average, which wouldn’t even get them to the capital’s nearest beach at Southend, Essex – which might explain why nearly half of Londoners (45%) haven’t even been there.

The survey also reveals:

· Camden residents are the least likely to travel outside London at weekends, at just five times a year – while those in Wandsworth are the most likely (eight times)

· People in Haringey travel the furthest, journeying 135 miles when they get away at weekends

· Over half (56%) of the capital admit they should make an effort to get out of London more

· North Londoners get away from the capital more than South Londoners

· The London celebrities people would most like to travel out of London with is Stephen Fry followed closely by Lily Allen…while they would LEAST like to travel away from the capital with Peaches Geldof

· 60% of Londoners say the main reason for getting out of London would be to visit friends and family they haven’t seen in a while

· The main reason for not leaving London is due to cost (45%) and 20% said they simply can’t be bothered

Train companies, in conjunction with Transport for London (TfL), are running a special promotion to encourage Londoners to explore Great Britain this summer by offering Oyster card holders huge savings on Off-Peak rail fares to over 500 selected destinations in the South East and beyond, from 26th June – 25th July inclusive.

Cardholders simply need to download their chosen voucher offer at www.daysoutguide.co.uk/oyster and present it at a London mainline station ticket office along with an Oyster card to enjoy a trip out of London – including destinations such as Brighton, Chichester and Southend-on-Sea all for just £5 Off-Peak return (or £10 First Class).

David Mapp, Commercial Director at the Association of Train Operating Companies, on behalf of National Rail, said: “Londoners are great at planning busy lifestyles – but occasionally forget the simple things, like getting away from it all for the weekend.

“Train companies understand that while the country might technically be out of recession, many people are still feeling the pinch.

“We hope that this promotion helps people to get out and about to enjoy Britain’s many wonderful destinations this summer, perhaps with rather more spending money in their pockets.”

Kulveer Ranger, transport adviser to the Mayor of London, said: “Now that Oyster is available on both TfL and National Rail services, all that Londoners need to do to take advantage of this fantastic offer is to download a voucher from the website, travel to the relevant mainline terminal using Oyster to get their discounted ticket from the ticket office and hop on the train.”

The research into city dwellers’ leisure travel habits also identified different types of ‘London tribes’, depending on what they do and where they go at weekends:

1. Commoners: These are outdoor types such as ex-Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, who likes to visit London parks for picnics, playing sport, walking and general fresh air – and are the most likely to leave the city to get away from their stressful jobs.
2. Perkies: 20-30-somethings like Daisy Lowe, in a tight social clique with whom they spend all their leisure time – like a constant episode of TV classic ‘Friends’ (‘Perkies’ are named after ‘Central Perk’, the meeting place coffee shop in their favourite sitcom).
3. Pubwallers : Like fun-loving Johnny Vaughn, Pubwallers are those who spend most of their time propping up the bar, watching the match and putting the world to rights.
4. Westies: Bargain hunters such as fashion conscious TV favourite Fearne Cotton, whose urge to shop is stronger than any addiction; they spend their days combing Oxford Street and Westfield for an outfit to wear that evening.
5. Sohoistas: Fashionable types who like to spend their days in Soho coffee shops and restaurants watching the world go by, such as London’s very own Jude Law.
6. Twitterati : Media types whose lives depend on tweeting every action of the day, no matter where they are or what they are doing, much like celebrity DJ, Chris Moyles

According to the research, Sohistas are the least likely to leave London at the weekend with an average of just five times a year and nearly two thirds (63%) of the Twitterati London tribe admit that they should get out of the capital more. The London celebrity that Pubwellers would most like to get out of the capital with is Lily Allen – while Perkies would prefer to be accompanied by Stephen Fry and Westies would much rather hop on a train out of the city with Prince William.

INSIDE OUT BACK ON THE LONDON FESTIVAL SCENE

Posted on by

Booking now open for a packed week of arts and current affairs events

INSIDE OUT FESTIVAL 2010

In association with New Statesman

Monday 25 – Sunday 31 October 2010

www.insideoutfestival.org.uk

The Inside Out Festival is set to return this October in association with New Statesman with an even bigger and better programme of talks, debates, exhibitions and performances.

The popular annual event celebrates the exciting and often unexpected contribution made by London universities to the cultural life of the capital. This year festival-goers will be able to hear from some of the most inspiring and experimental thinkers, writers and artists of the day and get creative themselves.

Goldsmith’s, Birkbeck, Central St Martin’s, the London College of Fashion, the Courtauld Institute of Art and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama are amongst the nine university institutions throwing open their doors for the week of public events which will include film screenings, music and theatre performances, art and fashion exhibitions, and talks with well-known academics and high-profile commentators. The events will take place all over London at cultural venues such as the Barbican, the National Portrait Gallery and Somerset House, and in rarely-seen spaces in the universities.

Sally Taylor, Inside Out Festival Director, said: “There is certainly no shortage of festivals in London but this is an arts festival with a distinct twist. The sheer breadth of talent in the nine universities involved is staggering. We want as many people as possible to come and enjoy the fruits of this talent and passion in October. From the art of Cézanne to the art of war, from the abuses of contemporary history to the history of men’s underwear, this year’s Inside Out Festival will be a feast – a cultural ‘pick and mix’ – for bright thinkers and art lovers, young and old.”

Jason Cowley, Editor of New Statesman, said: “We are delighted to be associated with Inside Out. As a magazine, we like to look beyond the obvious and seek out the unusual, the witty, the irreverent and the thought-provoking. In this festival we have found all of these things and more.”

Festival highlights will include:

* A debate on New Labour Literature with author and Goldsmith’s academic Blake Morrison, novelist and columnist Will Self and Robert Hampson, Professor of Modern Literature at Royal Holloway. Chaired by Jason Cowley.
* The Art of War – a panel discussion on war as entertainment led by Iain Burnside, Guildhall academic, pianist and Sony-Award-winning radio presenter, drawing on his current theatre piece Lads in Their Hundreds. With human rights barrister Philippe Sands QC
* An exhibition of Japanese fashion at the Barbican Art Gallery including a talk with experts from the University of the Arts London
* A debate on the uses and abuses of contemporary history with historian and former journalist Peter Hennessy, Tessa Jowell MP and constitutional expert Vernon Bogdanor

· The launch of a new history of men’s underwear by Shaun Cole, principal lecturer in history and culture at the London College of Fashion

· A Q&A with Harvey Cohen of King’s College London on his new book Duke Ellington’s America followed by music from the Guildhall Jazz Band

* Exclusive late viewing of the Courtauld Gallery’s landmark Autumn exhibition of portraits by Paul Cézanne
* Publishing a first novel – an opportunity to hear from recently published authors Penny Rudge and Kristan Hawkins, literary agents Judith Murray and Caroline Wood and tutors from City University’s highly successful Certificate in Novel Writing, as well as an opportunity to compete to have your work read by a literary agent
* A London film history walk led by expert Professor Ian Christie followed by an illustrated lecture at Birkbeck’s state-of-the-art cinema in Bloomsbury
* Creative writing workshops led by academics and writers from Birkbeck
* Minute Maestro – a conducting masterclass, following which participants have the opportunity to conduct a string quartet

The Festival will open on 25 October with a high-profile panel debate – ‘Should the university continue to exist in its current form?’ – at the University of London Senate House.

Booking for the Inside Out Festival is now open at www.insideoutfestival.org.uk More events will be confirmed over the summer.

Beyonce gets animated.

Posted on by

WOW! WOW! WUBBZY! “WUBB IDOL” DVD FEATURING BEYONCÉ KNOWLES AS SHINE IN STORES NATIONWIDE

19 July 2010

Lights! Camera! Wubbzy! WUBB IDOL, the animated preschool movie hit from the Emmy® Award-winning Nick Jr. TV show, Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!, takes center stage as it comes onto DVD on 19 July from Anchor Bay Entertainment

Multi-award-winning international pop sensation Beyoncé Knowles makes her voiceover debut in WUBB IDOL – her first-ever children’s project – as Shine, the lead singer of the most awesome girl group, The Wubb Girlz! The standout DVD features a new original song composed and performed by Ms. Knowles titled, “Sing-a-Song.”

“Wubb Idol” hit a high note when broadcasted in the US on Nickelodeon when the TV movie capped off a weeklong “Wubb Girlz” spectacular, capturing the imagination of audiences all across America and reaching a combined 6.5 million total viewers. The series can currently be seen on Nick Jr 2 in the UK and is most loved by kid’s aged 4-6 years old.

DVD PRODUCT DETAILS

Title: WOW WOW WUBBZY! WUB IDOL

Release Date: 19 July 2010

Certificate: TBC

Running Time: 1hr 26mins

Format: DVD

Price: £9.99 SRP

Distributor: Anchor Bay Entertainment

Genre Kids