HOT BRANDSCOOL PLACES

APRIL 2012FASHION CULTURE LIFESTYLE

Families, Holidays & Spring Living

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EDITOR’S LETTERWelcome to our bumper April edition of our magazine, we have a Families, Holidays and Spring Living theme this month. Full of ideas and inspiration for your home we also have an inspiring interview with Nicky Mudie, Founder of Violet and George as well as our usual collection of delightful books.

We love fabulous views and in this issue we look at how to Create a Room with a View, as well as giving you a wonderful choice of holiday views in our special Cool Places section.

April 30th also sees the launch of Fashion Targets Breast Cancer 2012 celebrating all things British for this special Jubilee and Olympics year. It’s the UK’s biggest charity fashion campaign and helps to raise money for pioneering charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer and we include a special feature showing some of the fabulous products available to help you support this important cause.

Until the next time......

http://www.hotbrandscoolplaces.com/

Picture Credits:Front cover image courtesy of Little Lucy Willow www.littlelucywillow.co.ukInside cover image courtesy of Exsus www.exsus.comIntro Image of our Cool Places Section courtesy of of Condé Nast Johansens www.johansens.com

Images throughout the magazine supplied by the various companies, or publishers featured.

Please Note All information about products and services are supplied to us by the individual organizations, or agencies acting on their behalf. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that all information is accurate, it may be subject to change. Please check with individual organizations for the latest information about all events, products, or news items. Inclusion in this magazine does not imply endorsement by Hot Brands Cool Places. Hot Brands Cool Places does not accept responsibility for the content of any external site.

MY HEART AND HOME

‘My Heart and Home’ offers a charming range of beautiful, traditional nightwear and keepsake gifts for children. We provide an irresistible collection of classic nightdresses and pyjamas

which are both practical and original. Drawing inspiration from vintage designs, our nightwear is lovingly recreated to combine comfort and style, capturing

the innocence of childhood.

www.myheartandhome.co.uk

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SWEETPEA

Shop at sweetpea for simple, stylish easy-to-wear affordable designer fashion for boys and girls aged 0-6. Inspired by children, fashion and design, the collections offer a real alternative to high

street shopping, with clothes that will take children happily from the park to a party!!

www.shopatsweetpea.com

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INTERVIEW

Bill Cooks for Kids - Bill Granger

Synopsis: Packed with recipes that are simple, nutritious and kid-friendly, Bill Cooks for Kids provides even the busiest parents with a wealth of idea’s to take the frazzle out of mealtimes. This ultimate collection of more than 90 recipes covers weekday breakfasts, simple sweet snacks, play-date dinners, feasts for the family, delicious desserts and party time treats. Bill Granger’s food is renowned for being delicious, unfussy and easy to prepare. This book is invaluable for all parents who, like Bill, want to provide healthy, enticing meals for their children, whatever the occasion.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/

Hot Brands Cool Places VerdictThe sub-title for this book is no-fuss food for the whole family and this is a very accurate description. Divided into Breakfast, Milk and Cookies, Play-Date Dinners, Family Feasts and Party Time, each recipe is well illustrated with step-by-step instructions. Our favorites include French Toast with Fresh Berry Sauce, Giovanni’s Sausages with Rosemary Roasted Potatoes, Banana Maple Upside-Down Cake, and all the cookie recipes especially the delightful Heart Shortbread Kisses! This book is packed full of delicious meals that anyone would like not just children!

Highly Recommended!

The Homemade Home for Children by Sania Pell

Following the success of The Homemade Home, Sania Pell now turns her attention to a younger audience, creating a stylish, innovative, contemporary and child-friendly collection of 50 projects for parents to make for their offspring.

There are ideas for decorating the nursery and children’s bedrooms, with great storage tricks, display ideas and decorations, ranging from a nautical-style bed throw to a banner embellished with silk flowers. When it’s playtime, choose from making planes from balsa wood, sewing simple yet fun costumes or creating a fabulous play boat from a metal bath tub and a canvas sail.

There are suggestions for the garden too, including a waterproof picnic rug and a play tent which utilizes the washing line rather than cumbersome tent poles. There are even quick ways to customize children’s high-street clothing by adding collars, applique and buttons. If you can thread a needle, hold a paintbrush or wield a glue gun, you will find this book packed with inspirational ideas.

http://www.cicobooks.com/

REVIEW

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Hot Brands Cool Places VerdictWe loved Sania’s previous book The Homemade Home, and so we were delighted when The Homemade Home for Children arrived. Divided into Nursery, Bedroom, Play, To Wear, Storage, and Outside.

There are many adorable projects that are either practical or decorative and often both! Easy to make, with clear photographs, step-by-step instructions and details about the materials and equipment required, this is a really delightful book to bring out the creative spirit in you. We loved it!

Highly Recommended!

Our Garden Birds - Matt SewellSynopsis: In this beautiful, collectible new volume, street artist Matt Sewell offers his own unique take on 52 of our favourite British garden birds. Since its first appearance in July 2009, Matt’s ‘Bird of the Week’ feature for the Caught by the River website has quickly become a cult hit.

His pop-art watercolours are distinctive and enchanting, as are his innovative descriptions, which see great tits ‘bossing the other birds around’, the ‘playful yet shy buoyancy’ of bullfinches and the ‘improbable’ nature of the waxwing (‘like a computer-generated samurai finch’). With 52 birds, one for each week of the year, this delightful gift book will appeal to birders, children and adults, and art and design fans alike.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/

Hot Brands Cool Places Verdict

This little book is absolutely delightful, Matt’s illustrations are so beautiful and his descriptions are humorous, e.g.when describing the Green Woodpecker:

‘So what makes him such an extrovert? Maybe it’s the extra –long tongue he hides in his beak-it can apparently stretch his body length to reach bores, beetles and weevils. Personally I think he’d be more at home with a can of lager and a kebab!’

Perfect for bird-spotting in the garden, or out exploring. Highly Recommended!

DIDO & BENDIGO

The Dido & Bendigo children’s collection brings classic British country style to children’s occasion wear. Our Exclusive British tweeds inspire the designs that add a new dimension to children’s fashion and formal wear, for clothing as unique and vibrant as your children.

www.didoandbendigo.co.uk

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CURIOUS COCO

Here at Curious Coco we’re passionate about offering children’s gifts that are truly special. Our goal is to provide high quality gifts that will be treasured for years to come. More than

anything, we want you to feel inspired!

www.curiouscoco.com

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SASS & BELLE

Sass and Belle is a design led brand based in London. They have shops in Covent Garden but if you cannot get there, their online shop is a great alternative. Their delightful designs and ability to produce innovative and creative gifts with a vintage chic edge make them perfect for

homes and gardens everywhere.

Visit www.sassandbelle.co.uk to view the full range, or call 020 7346 0100.

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DESIGNERS GUILD

In celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the official Jubilee weekend, Designers Guild is delighted to present ‘Jubilee’ - a fabulous new cushion for “The Royal Collection Fabrics and Wallpapers”. Jubilee is a stunning silk embroidered cushion featuring the Imperial State Crown. Embroidered with golden thread and with rich jewel-like colours and velvet trim, this elegant cushion perfectly captures the crown that is historically worn at the end of the Coronation ceremony when the new Monarch departs Westminster Abbey, and which can be found on

display with the Crown jewels at the Tower of London.

www.designersguild.com

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SCARLET & ARGENT

Scarlet & Argent is an exquisite collection of woollen blankets, throws and accessories for the home. Created by Yorkshire-based Hainsworth, one of Britain’s most prestigious textile mills,

it is instilled with a stunning heritage that spans across seven family generations.

www.scarletandargent.co.uk

Fashion Targets Breast Cancer 2012 is officially here and with an extra bang, in celebration of all things British for this special Jubilee and Olympics year.

FTBC launches on 30th April. It’s the UK’s biggest charity fashion campaign and helps to raise money for pioneering charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer. This year’s collection, has taken on a patriotic British theme. We have some amazing British brands on board including M&S, Debenhams, Topshop, River Island and Laura Ashley. Each item carries a minimum 30% donation to Breakthrough Breast Cancer’s life-saving work. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime and our mission is to stand together and fight it. By rallying together in style, buying the products and helping to raise vital funds we can make a difference to people affected by the disease. “Buy It, Fight It, Wear your Support” FTBC 2012 has three trends –Rainbow Fields, Royal Affair and Postcard Promenade – channelling iconic British past times and letting women chose the way they wear their support.

http://fashiontargetsbreastcancer.org.uk/

Fashion Targets Breast Cancer 2012

COAST

DEBENHAMS

FEATURE

M&S

Fashion Targets Breast Cancer 2012

DEBENHAMS

LAURA ASHLEY

M&S

MY-WARDROBE.COM

SHAVATA

LINLEY

To celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics, LINLEY has created 60 Limited Edition Boxes which are distinguished by that most quintessentially British symbol, the Union Flag. The Britannia Box is available to order as either a Jewellery Box or a Humidor.

However as LINLEY specialises in bespoke commissions, a client may order a different interior if they wish.

www.davidlinley.com

SUMMERILL & BISHOP

Let spring into your home with Summerill & Bishop’s new collection of charming tableware and decorative accessories. Visit our shop in Notting Hill or browse online

www.summerillandbishop.com

BELLE AND BOO

Belle and Boo is a wonderful world of childhood innocence full of whimsy and delight. From homewares to stationery this delightful pair, along with a few of their friends, will transform

any nursery or playroom into a childhood wonderland.

www.belleandboo.com

ELLA JAMES LIVING

Welcome to ‘Ella James Living’ . Our aim in putting this range together was to find simple yet stylish products which are beautiful to look at and useful in a modern home! We love the quality and timeless appeal of traditional toys , home accessories and children’s clothing and

we have tried to reflect this in our collections.

www.ellajamesliving.co.uk

FOUND

Found is very excited about its 2012 outdoor collection having sourced some unusual & fun pieces of outside furniture & some stylish accessories with a touch of seaside chic & they

work equally as well indoors if the weather lets us down...

www.foundhomestore.co.uk/collections/outdoor

IDYLL HOME

At Idyll Home we love to find new and unique products from around the world. We sell an eclectic and stylish mix of furniture, home and garden accessories and where we can try to

find recycled and reclaimed products.

www.idyllhome.co.uk

INTERVIEW

Hot Brands Cool Places spoke with Nicky Mudie, Founder of

Violet & George for an exlusive interview.

You describe your company as ‘ Interior Tailors’ how do you help people ‘dress’ their homes?

Violet & George’s focus is on the finishing touches of people’s homes - we are often engaged when the client has either run out of enthusiasm or when a house has had works carried out by either a developer or architect and does not yet represent the client’s personality or feel like their home yet. We spend time getting to know the client, discussing what inspires them, finding out what would make a beautiful interior to them and discussing what existing furniture, fixtures and fittings will fit into the final scheme.

Violet & George is client led so our designs will always be an interpretation of conversations with the client and we will expect our clients to be involved in the process as little or as much as they wish. Often we find ourselves guiding our clients on a journey of discovery regarding their own tastes and influences.

How does your background help in your current role?

Having studied textile design I understand how fabrics function on a practical level and know their limitations. One of my first ever businesses was dressing nightclubs with swathes of fabric and I learnt then the extent to which you can change the look, feel and acoustics of a room with the use of fabrics and furniture.

From there I moved into fashion, which taught me about cutting and draping fabric to its best advantage. I am still very much influenced by fashion and look to the catwalk for inspiration.

We are always championing companies that are preserving traditional craftsmanship, how does your company support these values?

The traditional values of craftsmanship and quality underpin Violet & George’s range. Our team of curtain makers have over 70 years combined experience and our upholsterers are skilled craftsmen with more than 60 years experience. Our lampshade frames are handmade with fabric hand stretched or pleated over the frame.

Lampshade making is a dying art in this country and there are few people left in the country that can still produce shades to the level we are able to achieve. We feel that mass production can often take the quality from a product. We design and produce furnishings that last for years to come, therefore traditional techniques will always take precedence and be at the forefront of our philosophy.

What excites you most about working with fabrics, do you have a passion for certain fabrics?

I love the versatility of fabric. It is so much more forgiving than solid materials, I love that it can hide any number of sins and can completely reinvent a tired, old piece. I love the fact that so many fabrics have so many different properties and that you change the language of an item just by changing it from a silk velvet to a distressed linen.

I trained in printed textiles so my passion is definitely for print however my second choice was weaving and I am still to this day obsessed with texture – give me texture AND print and it’s a done deal! I love that there are so many talented designer/makers around at the moment and my role at Violet & George includes sourcing new and exciting fabrics and I’m excited that so many of them are close to home.

What are the current design trends for interiors?

The trend for grey continues with brighter, bolder contrast colours taking the stage. I’m finding that clients are more open to using bold colour, striking lighting, unusual furniture and quirky accessories than they used to be, that there is more confidence in individuality and less people are asking for beige, muted interiors. We are seeing a huge increase in crafts and crafts-inspired accessories and these work beautifully in a more individual interior. Rather than buying something that has been mass-produced clients prefer to up-cycle, recover or reinvent vintage finds.

We often ask a question about time-travelling, if you could go back and live in any period when would you choose and why?

I would like to have been involved in the Arts and Crafts movement, with its focus on traditional, handcrafted goods. The Victorian Period and the innovations in technology fascinate me but the focus on materials and construction of the Arts and Crafts movement is more in keeping with Violet & George’s ethic. At a time when so much is mass-produced abroad their reaction against machine-production resonates. With travel opening the world up to us so much more than Victorian Britain my influences are far wider than the British countryside however and we are currently developing a new range of cushions with a colour palette inspired by tropical birds’ plumage after a recent trip to Mexico.

www.violetandgeorge.com

THE MERCHANT FOX

The Merchant Fox sells a collection of some of the finest luxury goods being produced in Great Britain today. Owned by Deborah Meaden, the collection is split into Home & Interiors, Work & Travel, Style & Accessories. Each item has been selected for its exquisite design, beautiful

craftsmanship and interesting provenance.

www.themerchantfox.co.uk

DOTTY BROWN

Dotty Brown is a delightful collection of vintage inspired fabrics, oilcloth, home furnishings and gifts, all designed to coordinate in a shaby chic style with a twist on English country themes

allowing you to create your own unique look.

www.dottybrown.com

Inside our homes, more and more of us are having to find creative ways of changing our living space without spending a fortune, also for many people who are now working from home it’s important to create defined spaces for work and relaxation. Within these spaces our line of vision is important, photography courses often encourage students to isolate views through a viewfinder, to go close into a subject, or to be aware of what else they might be including in their photograph in the background.

If you apply this technique to your home, can you identify areas that give you particular joy just by looking at them?

It very much depends on your personal perspective, but there are many ways in which you can create spaces in your home or garden that can create real feelings of delight and inspiration.

Looking out of your kitchen window, what do you see? Inside your home if you open the doors and look from one room to the next do the colours blend? If you don’t have a view, how can you dress your windows so that you still have an attractive perspective? If you love flowers, but have a very little garden how can you create a balcony, or window box that creates a beautiful picture?

FEATURE

Creating Rooms with a View

It’s not about how much you spend, or how big your home is, it’s more about vision.

At a basic level it’s also about clutter, while we may gaze adoringly at pictures of beautiful gardens, many of us have to accommodate a plethora of toys, bicycles, bins and other items that can spoil our view of the garden. Wherever possible try and store the unsightly items out of view, if you have a garage try and find spaces for the items that are the least attractive. There are also other forms of storage that can be used to accommodate smaller items. Screening, either with wood or plants can also help to hide things leaving a clear view which can them be used to house more attractive plants, planters, or other forms of display.

The same principle applies inside our homes, storage is an issue for many of us, with some people now even paying for storage outside of their homes. The better able you are to streamline your possessions, the more potential space you have to use to create beautiful areas, but with limited time available this often becomes a real challenge.

One way of tackling this is to allocate time each weekend, or one evening during the week to deal with one room and clearing out clutter, or unwanted items. Once started this is something that brings great rewards as you start to free up more space that can be used to display treasured possessions that you do want to look at.

A pile of newspapers can be replaced with a vase of beautiful fresh flowers, the stack of documents waiting to be filed can be sorted to allow instead a collection of family photographs. Magazines that you want to keep instead of lying around, can be stacked in monthly order to create a colourful display. At the opposite end of the spectrum houses and flats that lack personalisation have the luxury of a blank canvas to start introducing colour, or personal collections to make a house feel more like a home.

We have a number of books for inspiration:

How to Garden: Instant Colour – Alan Titchmarsh

Synopsis: There’s no quicker way to add a splash of colour to the garden than to plant annuals and biennials that can be moved around throughout the year to suit the overall scheme as it evolves. Add perennials, bulbs and small shrubs to these traditional bedding plants and a huge variety of effects can be achieved to bring the garden bursting into life and fill any gaps with stunning flowers.

Also available: How to Garden: Small Trees, How to Garden: Allotment Gardening, How to Garden: Weekend Gardening

http://www.bbcshop.com/

Hot Brands Cool Places VerdictThe How to Garden series is a really useful collection of books designed to give you essential advice in an easy to read format. In How to Garden: Instant Colour you will find the following:

• Design tips for colour, texture, scent and form?• Ideas for container schemes?• How to plant up pots and beds?• How to propagate new plants from old?• Directory of recommended plants

If you are short of time, but want to bring some colour into your garden, whatever the size, this book is absolutely perfect.

Highly Recommended.

Creative Display by Geraldine James

Synopsis:Treasured personal possessions are what turns a house into a home, but finding ways to display them can be a challenge. Whether you have a single treasured objet d’art or a family of framed photographs, a set of leather-bound books or a trio of glass candlesticks, here you will find new and exciting ways to present them.

In Creative Display, Geraldine James shows how you can create the perfect table setting from mismatched plates and cutlery trawled from a fleamarket, how the simplest set of shelves can be arranged to create a miniature still-life and how essential storage can become something beautiful in its own right.

With a natural talent for seeking out the unusual, Geraldine introduces new ways to upcycle the everyday and recycle the reclaimed – a weathered barn door becomes a striking side table, a stack of magazines reinvents itself as a lamp table and a gently rusting metal radiator cover finds a new life as a display shelf for a treasured collection of seashells. In Creative Display you will find new and unusual ways to turn all your treasures into exciting art forms.

http://www.cicobooks.com/

Hot Brands Cool Places VerdictWe loved Geraldine’s previous book Creative Walls and her latest book is equally inspiring. Creative Display is full of delightful ways to ‘make every surface beautiful’.

With an initial chapter looking at Display and subsequent chapters focusing on The Heart of the Home, Work Spaces, Upcycling, Celebrations and Outdoors there is a myriad of creative ideas for every area in your home to inspire you.

As Geraldine says, ‘Give a display authenticity by creating it out of objects that have real meaning for you’. A wonderful source of inspiration, we loved it!

Highly Recommened!

‘The View’ image courtesy of Helpful Holidays - www.helpfulholidays.com

The Army & Navy Club Double Anniversary Campaign 2012

For the past 175 years, the Army & Navy Club (or ‘The Rag’ as it is affectionately known) has provided a base for its members – men and women who hold or have held a commission

in the British or Commonwealth Armed Forces – in which they can socialise and relax.

At the heart of this campaign is a hardback commemorative publication, which includes beautifully written profiles of the exclusive international brands selected to sponsor the Army & Navy Club celebrations. These brands cover a range of sectors including Food & Wine, Restaurants, Fashion, Jewellery, Arts & Culture, Luxury Travel, Aviation, Yachting, Interiors, Architecture and Education. The publication will also chronicle the history and development of the Club, and its relationship with the Royal Family and the military. As patron of the Army & Navy Club, HM The Queen will receive a copy of the album, as will each of the 137 affiliated clubs, worldwide. Alongside the publication, a dedicated website, e-book and phone

application have all been produced to complement these prestigious celebrations.

The campaign will come to fruition at an official launch event at the Army & Navy Club Headquarters in Pall Mall, London on May 31st 2012. Guests will include Army & Navy Club members, affiliate club members, participating luxury brands and select affluent individuals, who will have the opportunity to enjoy a cocktail reception, live entertainment, speeches from high-profile individuals and a live charity auction from which proceeds will be donated to

Veterans Aid, the Army & Navy Club’s affiliate charity.

The Army & Navy Club has commissioned Prior & Partners, the global communications agency founded by entrepreneur and television personality, James Caan and Annie Prior, one of the UK’s leading editors, creatives and publishers, to create an integrated multimedia campaign to celebrate its 175th Anniversary coinciding with its patron HM The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

LYNNE MARCUS

Lynne Marcus Garden Design: Lynne designs classic and contemporary gardens and she believes that gardens should be timeless and individualistic. Her work is known for it’s imaginative use of space, crisp design, natural materials and sensuous planting. Her portfolio

includes town, country and coastal gardens.

www.lynnemarcus.com

COOL PLACES2012

If you are looking to escape abroad or planning a holiday in the UK, here are some wonderful places to choose from,

plus how to organise a great street party!

CONDÉ NAST JOHANSENS

Spring into summer with a luxurious getaway to a Condé Nast Johansens recommended property. From the publisher of Condé Nast Traveller, House & Garden and Vogue, Condé Nast Johansens has been recommending a unique collection of the very best luxury hotels, spas and villas from around the world for 30 years. So whether you fancy a city break, spa

escape or family holiday, you’ll be spoilt for choice!

www.johansens.com

TUSCANY NOW

Tuscany Now offers some of the finest rental properties in Italy, with a focus on Tuscany, set in the most exclusive rural locations and all with private pool. Make the most of your holiday

with our personalized Concierge Service and over twenty years of experience.

www.tuscanynow.com

GLENEAGLES

Gleneagles Hotel is a truly unique experience – a luxury break with a historic 5 star hotel with a magical air... crackling fires, twinkling lights, and the finest Scottish hospitality. In a beautiful

setting in the highlands of Scotland, Gleneagles is the ultimate retreat.

www.gleneagles.com

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HELPFUL HOLIDAYS

Relax and unwind in one of our hand-picked holiday cottages in the West Country. From cosy coastal cottages to grand country houses, each one has been inspected and star rated by us

so you can be sure of reliable quality, honest advice and good value.

www.helpfulholidays.com

RED SAVANNAH

Red Savannah uses its extraordinary depth of experience together with its impeccable connections to create inspirational and life-changing travel experiences. Private journeys across the Indian sub-continent & Asia, ruggedly exciting African safaris and the most stunning

selection of European Villas & Ski Chalets – all delivered with charm, passion, integrity and style.

www.redsavannah.com

COX AND KINGS

Cox & Kings is the world’s longest established travel company, offering high quality group tours, private journeys and tailor-made holidays to many of the world’s most fascinating regions. Our

luxury holidays range from the lavish to the adventurous, and are planned by experts.

www.coxandkings.co.uk

VOYAGE PRIVÉ

In your search for 4 and 5-star luxury at unbelievable prices, look no further than Voyage Privé, a members only travel club offering luxurious hand-picked hotels and holidays from

around the globe. Sign up today to enjoy exclusive offers with up to 70% off.

www.voyageprive.com

ELEGANT RESORTS

Elegant Resorts promise a holiday experience ‘beyond luxury’, as experts in providing tailor-made luxury travel. For over twenty-three years this British company has been providing

bespoke holidays to the world’s finest hotels and resorts worldwide, from luxury ski chalets to tropical island retreats.

www.elegantresorts.co.uk

DISCOVER THE WORLD

Discover the World have been creating inspiring tailor-made holidays to Iceland for 30 years. Whether you’re into the northern lights, volcanoes, waterfalls, wildlife, romance or adventure, we can create the perfect holiday for you, from independent self drives to small group touring.

www.discover-the-world.co.uk

CELTIC MANOR

From candlelit dinners in the restaurants to a day of pure bliss and pampering in the award-winning spa, the luxurious five star Celtic Manor Resort has everything you could desire

for a perfect Spring Break.

www.celtic-manor.com

OS PRIVATE TRAVEL

Looking for the ultimate holiday this year? Simply look no further. OS Private Travel offers tailor-made luxury holidays to a wide selection of exclusive villas, yachts, private islands

and Summer Alpine chalets. They’ll plan your trip down to the finest detail at no extra cost to you...

www.osprivatetravel.com

SIMPLY RETREATS

Founded on the principles of holistic wellness, Simply Retreats provides day, weekend and week long retreats. We combine healthy food, pampering treatments and activities with beautiful locations

and specially selected 5*star accommodation. We create a relaxing, homely environment in which to revitalise mind & body.

www.simply-retreats.co.uk

Ahead of the summer party season the London 2012 Shop has everything you need to host your own street celebration – whether it’s for the Diamond Jubilee, the start of the Olympic Games or just to make the most of the warm weather. The ultimate street party is all about the people – friends, family, neighbours or work colleagues, it’s the perfect chance to sit back and relax. So make sure you follow our top tips to create your very own street party. Ingredients for the Ultimate Street Party Tip 1: Serve tasty food and drinkMake the most of the warmer weather and kick off your party with a BBQ or picnic for your nearest and dearest. Don’t forget to stock up on London 2012 table cloths, paper plates, party cups and napkins to make sure your themed party goes off with a bang. Tip 2: Decorate your street party to the maxThink bunting, bunting and more bunting to create the perfect atmosphere to get your party goers in the mood. Couple the bunting with London 2012 picnic rugs, pop up chairs and towels to sit on and you’re sure to get your fellow revellers in the Olympic spirit.

Tip 3: Keep your guests entertained Whether they’re sat around a picnic bench or running around the garden, street party games will help to bring out the competitive edge in everyone. Why not host your own mini football match with a London 2012 football or start a simple game of frisbee. Alternatively, you can test your guest’s Olympic knowledge by challenging them to a game of limited edition London 2012 Trivial Pursuit™or London 2012 Top Trumps Tournament™. Now you have the top tips for the ultimate street party all you need to do is invite your friends over to join your celebrations. You can find the whole London 2012 range online or in the network of shops at St Pancras International and Paddington stations, Heathrow Terminals 3 and 5, Stansted Airport, Canary Wharf and in John Lewis locations at Oxford Street, Stratford City, Bluewater, Kingston and Liverpool One

http://shop.london2012.com

Get into the British street party spirit this summer with London 2012 Olympic merchandise

EXSUS

From the beautifully deserted beaches of Brazil’s North East and Europe’s most uncovered boutique boltholes to the wildest of Africa plains, our first-hand knowledge is second to none.

We offer unrivalled personal service, attention to detail, unbiased advice and up-to-date knowledge.

www.exsus.com