Scout Niblett – The Calcination of Scout Niblett | Music Review

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Born in Nottingham and now residing in Portland, Emma Niblett adopted the moniker Scout after Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, the protagonist from ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. Releasing under Scout Niblett, The Calcination of Scout Niblett is her 5th studio album. One thing that’s evident, having listened to her previous efforts, is that she doesn’t hold with musical evolution; not one to push the envelope with new layers and sounds, textures and structures of musical brilliance. Not Scouty, no. Everybody loves a big new idea but you know what, sometimes it’s just nice to have something brilliant, regardless. Tried and tested? So what. Brilliant’s brilliant, no?

The Scout Niblett trademark sound is a variation of quiet/loud guitar and drums, not necessarily concerned with hitting the right notes every time – a bit scratchy, if you will. Very much verse/chorus/verse and very openly Kurt Cobain-esque. Over the top she layers her PJ Harvey-esque vocals. It’s a tempting sound. I’ve covered the fact that “The Calcination of Scout Niblett” is more of the same formula. The fact is, it’s better. I imagine she looks at people expecting her to push the envelope in the same way that Toyota would look at somebody who expected them to make a toasted cheese sandwich maker; with one eyebrow raised and a big dollop of suspicion.

Sticking to the one sound has allowed Niblett, over the course of the last decade and with the help of producer Steve Albini, to hone and fine-tune her sound to the absolute basics and absolute best. A decade of playing incredible live shows but not ever quite capturing the live sound well on record, “The Calcination . . .” is Niblett at her most driven and intense and the sound comes over like In Utero-era Nirvana with the lyrical drive of Catpower’s Moonpix.

The record begins with”Just Do It!” a song with cuts from moments of buzzing feedback before cutting back to the sparsity of just a single string. The girl deals in beautiful contrasts and wants you to know it early on. “Cheeky Cherry Bomb” spends 3 minutes building between quiet/loud before launching into a menacing crunching, powerful doom-rock sound.

Ultimately nothing new. Just better at it. More honed and refined. Better guitars, better drums, better vocals than previous records. The album ends on the 9 minute wonder that is “Meet and Greet” – a song which uses every shade on the palette to sketch out the sound, just to remind us all what she’s capable of. Blood and guts, heart and soul come in spades though. Basically, it’s all you need.

 

Game – The High Street Games Retailer Goes into Administration

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The high street games retailer Game fell headlong into administration today leaving thousands of high street workers faced with losing their jobs and millions of pounds still outstanding to its debtors.

The group, which has 609 stores and 6,000 staff in the UK, has effectively run out of cash and rumour has it that it was unable to meet even its basic rent and wage payments which were due this week.

Staff took to technology websites and forums to express their anger and disappointment at what one called a ’horrible situation’.

The difficulties experienced by Game are testament to the current ‘age of austerity’ marking a squeeze on living costs and a change in shopping habits and games technology. Additionally no further consoles have been released of late so some pundits have pointed at the lack any new technology to get games players excited and into shops.

The retailer had a £21m rent bill due last Sunday and faces an eye watering £12m wage bill this weekend. It is estimated that another £40million owed to suppliers and £10m in VAT seems unlikely be paid.

Administrators said the stores would remain open as it attempts to find a buyer for the business as a growing concern. It seems certain that hundreds of stores will go and thousands of employees will be out of work within weeks.

While the bulk of the Game business is in the UK, with 609 stores and 6,000 staff, there are around 700 other outlets and 7,000 staff in sister chains overseas.

The fate of the company is now in the hands of administrators at PwC. Speaking to the press today – Mike Jervis, joint administrator and partner at PwC, suggested the firm had ‘simply run out of cash’.

Mr Jervis said: ‘The group has faced serious cash-flow and profit issues over the recent past. It also has suffered from high fixed costs, an ambitious international roll-out and fluctuating working capital requirements.’

Poor sales at Christmas led the games giant to signal that losses for the year to the end of January were likely to be around £18million.

However, Mr Jervis insisted there is still demand for a mainstream high street computer games retailer.

‘We believe that there is room for a specialist game retailer in the territories in which it operates, including its biggest one, the UK,’ he said.

‘As a result we are hopeful that a going concern sale of the business is achievable.’

It is understood that the latest financial crisis was triggered when one of Game’s main lenders, the taxpayer-backed Royal Bank of Scotland, objected to the terms of a rescue deal with private equity firm OpCapita, which recently bought electrical goods retailer Comet.

Game has suffered dire trading in recent months, which forced it to ask suppliers for more generous trading terms. However, several responded by deciding to protect themselves by refusing to supply the retailer with any new releases, such as Mass Effect 3 and Street Fighter X Tekken.

The group has also been battered by competition from cheaper rivals on the internet, such as Amazon and Play.com, and the major supermarkets.

Separately, many people now download game Apps direct to tablets or smart phones, rather than buying software to be loaded in to consoles like the PlayStation, xBox on Nintendo Wii.

If you visit Games’s official website  you’ll find it “down for maintenance” with a message explaining the company’s gone into administration, who’s been appointed to handle the process and a disclaimer that the company is “currently reviewing and processing orders placed on this website.”

The failure represents the biggest British retail collapse since Woolworths and its 815 stores went under at the end of 2008.

Add a touch of vintage to your ready-to-wear wardrobe: ShopStyle 1st Event announced.

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Add a touch of vintage to your ready-to-wear wardrobe

with these top tips from Mrs Jones for SHOPSTYLE.CO.UK

Have you ever fancied adding a touch of vintage glamour to your high street party dress, but then frozen in fear when you face paying for something that smells like it has a history? How much is a fair price? What’s an investment? And what’s a mistake?

To mark the launch of ShopStyle.co.uk’s vintage styling evening with Mary’s Living & Giving (the charity shops set up by Mary Portas) and in aid of Save the Children, the UK’s leading online fashion shopping site has invited celebrity stylist Mrs Jones (clients include Rihanna, Goldfrapp and Paloma Faith) to give her top vintage shopping tips.

Mrs Jones for ShopStyle.co.uk says vintage clothes shopping can be fun but warns of the pitfalls. “Check fabrics carefully as the smallest hole will enlarge before you know it. I bought a silk dress for a video thinking I could repair it to last forever. The garment was in tatters by the time the shoot was over”.

Mrs Jones tips for vintage shopping:

Where to Shop

· The best places to get a vintage bargain are normally charity shops and boot sales. Not only are you finding some great items when shopping at a charity shop, but you’ll also be aiding those in need.

· Vintage clothing stores can be found in most major cities. They have some beautiful collections but can be pricey. This is good for people who want the vintage look but don’t want to do the searching.

· Auction web sites are great for vintage shopping. Be careful you don’t get carried away on bidding, stick to your maximum limit otherwise it’s not a bargain. Look out for bad pictures (some purposely upside down). Be sure to read the garment details. Some items look great in an image but if the fabric is synthetic polyester (unless you’re going for the 70s look), you may be disappointed when it arrives.

· Vintage fairs and festivals are becoming popular throughout the UK. You’ll find experts in vintage clothing selling their wares and whilst some pieces may be expensive, many vendors also have bargains.

How to Shop

· Don’t be put off by smells. Some bits can have a whiff of mothballs or smell a bit musty.
These can easily be removed with a trip to the dry cleaners. Although, and it is not very pleasing, body odor left on garments is one of the most difficult smells to get rid of, even with dry cleaning.

· Some old clothes and accessories such as handbags can look beautiful and very tempting but be careful as they can just disintegrate especially silk and lace. Give the garment a little test, pull the fabric in both hands and with your thumb nails give it a rub/scratch. If you see the threads of the fabric move about or crumble, leave it on the rack.

· Make sure you try things on or properly hold up to your body if you don’t like the idea of trying before cleaning. Older clothes are generally a lot smaller as people were smaller than they are now. (eg., a size 12 will usually be a size 10.)

ShopStyle.co.uk will host its first in-store event on 29th March at Mary’s Living & Giving in Notting Hill, London, in aid of Save the Children. With canapés and champagne in hand, guests will enjoy their very own vintage styling tips from Mrs Jones and take part in an amazing fashion raffle. ShopStyle.co.uk’s online style team will also be on hand to help digital fashionistas find out how to bag the best vintage and new fashion online.

WHO: ShopStyle.co.uk and Mary’s Living & Giving Shop

WHAT: Styling tips, champagne and canapés, raffles and fundraising for Save the Children

WHEN: 29th March 2012 from 6pm – 9pm

WHERE: Mary’s Living & Giving Shop (Notting Hill location)

177 Westbourne Grove

London

W11 2SB

Entry to the shopping evening is free, however there will be a small gift for all guests who show up with stylish donations of their pre-loved designer fashion or vintage pieces.

Frost will be there, we hope you will be too.

International Buddhist Film Festival

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International Buddhist Film Festival

11–15 April

In conjunction with the Buddhist Art Forum at the Courtauld Institute of Art

This is a film festival with a difference, the program is below, lots of good films to see.

The International Buddhist Film Festival (IBFF) is returning to London this Spring, bringing a compelling selection of Buddhist cinema to the capital from 11-15 April at the Apollo Piccadilly Circus.

The diverse programme will showcase more than a dozen feature films and documentaries, most of which are European and UK premieres – from a Thai murder mystery and a Nepali road movie about a Tibetan nun’s journey to Katmandu to recover a debt, to a host of docs including a Richard Gere-narrated exploration of the life of Buddha and a self-portrait by a filmmaker who was identified as the reincarnation of a renowned Buddhist teacher when he was three years old.

Now celebrating its 10th year, the IBFF has presented festivals in cities across the world from LA, Washington DC and Mexico City to Amsterdam, Singapore and Hong Kong. This will be the first time the IBFF has visited the UK since 2009. “We are delighted to be returning to London with a wonderful new selection of world cinema with a Buddhist touch,” said Gaetano Kazuo Maida, Executive Director of IBFF. “Drawing on themes from karma, self and happiness to redemption, compassion, community and creativity – often treated with humour – there is something here for everyone, regardless of how much they already know about Buddhism,” he added.

The IBFF is being held in conjunction with the Buddhist Art Forum at the Courtauld Institute of Art at Somerset House, offering Londoners a feast of Buddhist cultural delights across cinema and art.

PROGRAM

Shugendo Now
Directed by Jean-Marc Abela and Mark Patrick McGuire
Japan, Canada / 2010 / Japanese with English subtitles / 88 min / Documentary
EUROPEAN PREMIERE
Wednesday, April 11, 6:30 pm

There is a unique school of Japanese asceticism called Shugendo, the Way of Acquiring Power, a blend of Shinto, Daoism and Buddhism. Followers practice arduous rituals in mountain wildernesses and are deeply committed to protecting the natural environment. The film is a poetic and intimate journey into a rarely seen world between the developed and the wild, between the present and the infinite. Filmed on location in Japan’s Kumano Mountains, Tokyo and Osaka.

The Buddha
Directed by David Grubin
USA / 2010 / English / 112 min / Documentary
Narrated by Richard Gere
UK PREMIERE
Wednesday, April 11, 8:45 pm

The story of Buddha, the 6th century BCE prince who became a great spiritual teacher, has been told in many ways and media. This is an ambitious and imaginative film by veteran documentary director David Grubin (RFK, FDR, LBJ, The Jewish Americans, Napoleon), narrated by Richard Gere. The film features location footage plus animation and contemporary voices including poets Jane Hirshfield and US Poet Laureate W.S. Merwin, and Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman to explore the life and meaning of the man who became “awake” and continues to inspire the diverse Buddhist cultures all over the world. Filmed on location in India, Nepal and the US.

Mindfulness and Murder
Directed by Tom Waller
Thailand / 2011 / Thai with English subtitles / 90 min / Dramatic Feature
UK PREMIERE
Thursday, April 11, 6:30 pm
Director and Producer expected to attend

The body of a dead homeless youth turns up in a Bangkok monastery and the police don’t want to get involved. Former homicide detective Father Ananda is now a senior monk and is asked by the abbot to solve the murder. Based on a novel by Bangkok resident Nick Wilgis, the film explores the intimate world of a Thai Buddhist monastery while following the rules of a classic whodunit. And as usual, not everything turns out to be what it at first seems. Starring Vithaya Pansringarm as Father Ananda, with two pop music personalities in leading roles, Prinya “Way” Intachai, one of the rappers in Thaitanium, and Charina Sirisinha of the ZaZa.

Karma
Directed by Tsering Rhitar Sherpa
Nepal / 2006 / Tibetan with English subtitles / 104 min / Dramatic Feature

EUROPEAN PREMIERE
Thursday, April 11, 8:45 pm

A road movie with Tibetan Buddhist nuns: an intimate story that begins behind the walls of a nunnery in remote Mustang. Karma is a free-spirited nun, and when the abbess dies, there’s an urgent need for money to pay for the rites after her death; Karma is assigned to go with another nun to try to retrieve funds on loan to a mysterious man once known to the abbess. Her search, and her journey within, take us to Katmandu, and beyond the obvious, beyond expectations, even beyond Buddhism at one point. She gets some advice along the way, “You’re desperately after something… you won’t get it, but you won’t fail.” And the movies play a part, of course. A rare and intriguing glimpse into the inner life of Tibetan nuns in a changing world. (Karma also means “actions”…) Starring Tsering Dolkar, Ani Yeshi Lhamo, Mithila Sharma and Jampa Kalsang.

The Great Pilgrim
Directed by Jin Tiemu
China / 2009 / Chinese with English subtitles / 98 min / Documentary

EUROPEAN PREMIERE
Friday, April 13, 6:30 pm

One of the most celebrated journeys in history is that of Tang dynasty Chinese monk Xuanzang. His quest to obtain original Buddhist texts took him on a nineteen year pilgrimage to India where he studied for several years at the famous Nalanda University. Upon his return to China in 645, bearing many Sanskrit texts, he was sponsored by Emperor Taizang to translate all the texts into Chinese and to record the story of his journey. His autobiography, Great Tang Records of the Western Region, is considered so accurate in its observations that it is consulted by archeologists and historians to this day. It is also the inspiration for the many popular Journey to the West and Monkey stories in novels, comic books, and animated and live action films and television from several countries in Asia. Reenactments, location filming and animation are compellingly deployed in The Great Pilgrim to introduce a truly legendary figure.

Abraxas
Directed by Naoki Kato
Japan / 2010 / Japanese with English subtitles / 113 min / Dramatic Feature
Friday, April 13, 8:45 pm

A punk rock veteran, now a married Buddhist priest, has a crisis of identity. This film touches on karma, self, compassion, community, impermanence, a dog, fathers and sons, relative and absolute, noise and music… and weaves bravely between heartfelt emotion and borderline jaunty farce. A soft spot for thrash punk (and Leonard Cohen) will add to the pleasure. Perhaps this is something of a glimpse into the place of Buddhism in contemporary Japan… A not-too-distant kin to Juzo Itami’s The Funeral (1984), Masayuki Suo’s Fanshi Dansu (1989) and Yojiro Katika’s Departures (2008)…. A Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Competition film starring Japanese rock star Suneohair, with Rie Tomosaka and Kaoru Kobayashi.

Tulku
Directed by Gesar Mukpo
Canada / 2010 / English / 76 min / Documentary
EUROPEAN PREMIERE
Saturday, April 14, 3:00 pm

At age three, Gesar Tsewang Arthur Mukpo, son of renowned Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and his British wife Diana, was identified as the reincarnation of the late Jamgon Kongtrul of Sechen, one of his father’s own teachers in Tibet. Living in Boulder, Colorado and then Halifax, Nova Scotia, Gesar balanced competing cultures and strikingly different definitions of self. His life was far from that of an ordinary contemporary American or Canadian—his father was a world famous Buddhist teacher and author—but there was no monastery upbringing like that of perhaps the best known tulku, the Dalai Lama, or even like his father. The film goes beyond autobiography to explore the Tibetan tradition of recognition of reincarnations of Buddhist teachers. Other non-Tibetan tulkus are interviewed as well as renowned Tibetan teachers including Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche and H.H. Ogyen Trinley the 17th Karmapa.

Crazy Wisdom
Directed by Johanna Demetrakas
USA / 2011 / English / 92 min / Documentary
EUROPEAN PREMIERE
Saturday, April 14, 6:30 pm

This is the long-awaited feature documentary that explores the life, teachings, and “crazy wisdom” of Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche, a pivotal figure in bringing Tibetan Buddhism to the West. Raised and trained in the rigorous Tibetan monastic tradition, Trungpa shattered preconceived notions about how an enlightened teacher should behave—he openly smoked, drank, and had intimate relations with students—yet his teachings are recognized as authentic, vast, and influential. Trungpa taught Buddhism as though it were a matter of life and death. Allen Ginsberg considered him his guru; Thomas Merton wanted to write a book with him; Joni Mitchell wrote a song about him. Filmed in the UK, Tibet, Canada, and the US, twenty years after Trungpa’s death, with unprecedented access and exclusive archival material.

My Reincarnation
Directed by Jennifer Fox
Italy, USA / 2011 / English, Italian, and Tibetan with English subtitles / 82 min / Documentary
OFFICIAL UK PREMIERE
Saturday, April 14, 8:45 pm
Director expected to attend

Working with over a thousand hours of remarkable footage taken over an unprecedented twenty year span with extraordinary access to Tibetan Buddhist teacher Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche, My Reincarnation is the intimate story of a father and son, tradition and change, dreams and realities, destiny and desire, and Tibetan Buddhism in the contemporary world. Director Jennifer Fox is a veteran world-class filmmaker with a number of award-winning productions to her credit including Beirut: The Last Home Movie, An American Love Story and Flying: Confessions of a Free Woman. Filmed on location in Italy, China and fifteen other countries.
SPOTLIGHT ON BURMA

Aung San Suu Kyi: Lady of No Fear
Directed by Anne-Gyrithe Bonne
Denmark / 2012 / English / 64 min / Documentary

Compelling and fascinating glimpses into the life of the Nobel Laureate. This new film details some of the consequences her freedom struggle has had, not only for her, but also for her closest friends and family, as she emerges from years of detention to take her place again at the forefront of her country’s transition to democracy.

Into the Current
Directed by Jeanne Hallacy
Myanmar, Thailand, USA / 2011 / English and Burmese with English
subtitles / 76 min / Documentary

This film honors the leaders of Burma’s nonviolent democracy movement and their personal sacrifices for the freedom of their people. The film explores the commitment of Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, poet Min Ko Naing, comedian Zarganar and women’s leader Nilar Thein. Their stories are told through scenes of political activities filmed at great risk by the Democratic Voice of Burma, with rare archival footage and new material filmed with Burmese exiles. Bo Kyi, a former prisoner, carries the voices and the plight of 2,000 other political prisoners to the international stage.
KanZeOn

Directed by Tim Grabham and Neil Cantwell
UK, Japan / 2011 / English subtitles / 86 min / Documentary
Directors expected to attend

A mysterious and innovative meditation on sound, song, story, ritual, performance, nature, tradition and Japanese Buddhism… a fearless merging of medieval and modern, beautifully filmed with a variety of cinematic techniques on location in Japan, intimate and deeply seen. Kanzeon, another way of saying Kannon, the embodiment of compassion (in Sanskrit: Avalokiteshvara, in Tibetan: Chenrezi, in Chinese: Kuan Yin), can also be written in Japanese as “to see sounds.” Filmed on location in Kyushu, Japan.
Summer Pasture
Directed by Lynn True, Nelson Walker, Tsering Perlo
USA, China / 2010 / Tibetan with English subtitles / 85 min / Documentary

Summer Pasture is a complex and intimate portrayal of the world of a nomadic family on the Tibetan plateau at a time of profound historic change. Locho and Yama are nomadic herders who carve their existence from the land as their ancestors have for generations. But now, as traditional nomadic life confronts rapid modernization, Summer Pasture captures a family at a crossroads, ultimately revealing the profound sacrifice they will make to ensure their daughter’s future. Filmed on location in China.

For ticketing and venue information, please visit Apollo Piccadilly Circus. The booking schedule is expected soon.

New Music Profiles | Nehedar

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This profile is a first in a series for Frost magazine. We are profiling new music and trying to discover new artists. The artist might not be actually ‘new’, but someone who we think may be about to breakthrough or go onto another level of fame. They do say it takes ten years to become an overnight success….

Artist: Nehedar
Location: NYC
CD: High Tide
Release date: Out now.
Production: Craig Levy @ Little Pioneer Cider House, Brooklyn, NY
Websites: http://www.nehedar.com, www.facebook.com/nehedarmusic
Streaming link: http://music.nehedar.com/releases
Secure download link: http://www.mediafire.com/?8axodrg39c5ra2e
Styles: Indie Pop, Alternative, Singer-Songwriter
Similar to: Tracy Bonham, Aimee Man, Emma Pollock

Highlights/Accolades: Power Plant Beach was selected as one of Mother Jones Readers’ favorite albums of 2011. Emilia Cataldo was a finalist in the We R Indie singer songwriter contest in 2011. Nehedar provided most of the soundtrack to an upcoming independent film. (working title: Strike Anywhere Matches).

Nehedar is the project of New York-based singer-songwriter Emilia Cataldo.

The daughter of two New York musicians who fled urban life for the country, Cataldo was born in Southbridge, Massachusetts, where her family lived in a barn on the outskirts of town. Music always permeated their home – her mother a hippie piano teacher from a Jewish home & her father a Puerto Rican jazz saxophonist.

The Cataldo family which grew to six children, moved from Massachusetts, to Miami FL, & eventually to the religiously-infused town of Zion, Illinois, on the outskirts of Chicago where Cataldo briefly attended high school.

Cataldo quickly grew disenchanted with her small town surroundings. As soon as she was old enough, she left high school to travel the country, and later the world, on a journey that would eventually lead her to Israel, where she would study the Jewish faith in Seminary, and take on the Hebrew name Nehedar, which means ‘wonderful.’

In 2000, Cataldo settled in New York City, where she began writing & performing her own music in 2001 following a difficult period involving the loss of her mother to an aggressive brain tumor. She adopted ‘Nehedar’ as her stage-name & that of her band. Eventually, Cataldo would return to school to complete her B.A. in music at Stern College in Manhattan.

Nehedar has self-released five albums – Pick Your Battles in 2007, the critically-acclaimed Dreamlike in 2008, Pterodactyl Baby in 2009, Power Plant Beach in 2010 and just released her latest album High Tide on March 15, 2012. For the duration of her recording Nehedar has worked closely with Craig Levy of Little Pioneer Cider House in Brooklyn New York, although she has enjoyed experimenting with other producers. Nehedar’s backing band has included a revolving cast of friends and thereby changed shape over the years. Whenever possible Nehedar includes Luis Cataldo (her saxaphone playing father) in the mix.

While spanning indie-rock, folk, jazz and pop genres, the music of Nehedar has continued to deliver her blend of deeply personal lyrics, beautiful vocal harmonies & a variety of instrumentation. Momentary departures from strict chord progressions set her music apart, surely a result of her childhood spent listening to jazz. As a writer and performer she has enjoyed comparisons to Tracy Bonham, Bebel Gilberto and Ingrid Michaelson.

Calling all football fans! Win a training session with Anton Ferdinand

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Calling all football fans! Win a training session with Anton Ferdinand

A once in a lifetime opportunity is up for grabs for budding footballers and fans of Anton Ferdinand and Queens Park Rangers FC, all in the name of charity.

Premier League footballer Anton Ferdinand is taking time out from his rigorous training schedule to support Billi Mucklow and Cara Kilbey of The Only Way is Essex, who are aiming to raise a massive £10,000 for Samaritans. Anton is offering an hour’s football training session for ten lucky people, to help raise vital funds for the charity that answers more than 5 million calls a year from people who are struggling to cope.

To be in with a chance to win this dream prize, bidders need to take part in an online auction which is open now and will run until midday on Monday 2 April 2012. Place a bid now by visiting http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150786207098 The 5 highest bidders will win the opportunity for them and a friend to attend a training session with Anton which will take place at Lucozade Powerleague Docklands on Wednesday 18 April at 2pm.

Anton said: “I’m really pleased that I am able to offer this prize and support Billi and Cara in their marathon challenge. Samaritans is a fantastic charity that offers 24 hour confidential support to anyone, no matter what the problem. Get bidding, I will make sure this is a training session you will never forget!”

On Sunday 22 April Billi and Cara, from The Only Way is Essex are running the Virgin London Marathon in aid of Samaritans. As well as putting themselves through a punishing training schedule in preparation for the 26.2 mile race, the girls have been busy enlisting their celebrity friends to help them reach their fundraising target.

Billi said: “Massive thanks to Anton for donating this prize and supporting us in our crazy quest!”
Cara continued: “We really believe in the work of Samaritans and hope that the general public get behind us and help us raise as much money as possible so the charity can continue their lifesaving work.”

To help Cara and Billi reach their huge fundraising target, please sponsor them by visiting their Virgin Money Giving page: www.virginmoneygiving.com/BilliandCara

Spring Cleaning tips to spritz your home

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Did you know the average family of four sheds up to 3lbs of skin per year? Or that your carpet can hold up to 2lbs of dirt per square foot? Surprisingly, despite these shocking facts over 80 per cent of homeowners have never washed their carpets!

As well as this, 45 per cent of homeowners don’t remove their shoes before walking on their carpets and worryingly, four out of ten people eat food which has been dropped on the floor.

With a rise in a hectic lifestyle and the onset of the economic downturn, the traditional Spring Clean is no longer a top priority which is why many of us rarely spend time or money deep cleaning our carpets.

Which is why Rug Doctor, the carpet cleaning experts have come up with some top tips for Frost Readers on how to do a spring cleaning that won’t burden your finances or your time!

1. Take it one room at a time

Make sure you plan ahead and choose where to begin, make a list of the areas you want to target and tackle them one step at a time. Be sure to budget time for distractions too-unexpected visitors and phone calls are inevitable!

2. Declutter before your clean

Always declutter before a polish, make sure your area is good to go before you don your gloves and spray.

3. Deep clean those carpets

Nothing refreshes a room more than a clean carpet.

4. Make your vases blooming lovely

What better way to freshen up your home than with a bunch of sweet-smelling blooms. Handpick some flowers from your garden for a sweet-smelling aroma.

5. Add a splash of vinegar to make those windows shine

A top tip for making those windows squeaky clean is to add some vinegar to water and spray onto the glass, then simply wipe clean with a dust free cloth.

6. Care for your curtains

Are your curtains looking drab? Well take them down, remove the hooks and give them a quick cycle in the dryer with a wet towel to rid the dust.

7. Revamp your wardrobe

Empty your wardrobe of all your clothes and give it a good scrub, you never know you might find a couple of items you’d forgotten about too.

8. Open the windows for fresh air

Winter is over so open up those windows and let the good fresh air billow through your home.

9. Start from the top and work your way down

With each room start at the ceiling and get rid of the cobwebs before working your way down walls and finishing with the floor.

10. Get the kids to lend a hand

Share the workload with your loved ones, even the most unwilling helper can make a big difference in the work load.

CELEBS TWEET IN SUPPORT OF DROP4DROP FOR WORLD WATER DAY

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Twitter is good for so many things, but the main one is raising awareness, and this week celebrities tweeted in aid of Drop4Drop.

March 22nd was World Water Day. Rihanna, Cheryl Cole, Russell Simons, Stephen Fry, Paloma Faith and Rob Thomas have all tweeted in support of drop4drop to get clean water for all. Follow @lifewater_ and @drop4drop.

Life water is the British bottled water company founded by Simon Konecki and Lucas White. drop4drop is Life water’s charity and was also founded by Simon and Lucas.