Everything’s a pound!

pound coinsWe all love bargains, right? And where better to bag a few than in our local charity shops?

If you’re a dedicated bargain hunter, this has to be a date for your diary – for three hours only on Sunday 30 November, any item in the Children’s Society shop on Middlegate in Newark can be yours for just one pound!

That’s right – from 11am to 2pm hundreds of items of ladies’ clothing will be up for grabs in this special sale, everything from tops and trousers to dresses and even coats.

And that’s not all. Kids’ clothing, jewellery, CDs, DVDs and games will all be two for £1 and you can pick up three books for £1 too!

With a tombola and cakes (yes, you’ve guessed it – they’re £1 as well), it all sounds like an opportunity that’s too good to be missed…

Christmas shopping with a vintage twist

vintage fairIf you missed Bea’s Vintage & Craft Fair in Grantham back in May, here’s another chance – just in time for all that Christmas shopping!

The first fair was so successful, it will be back with a seasonal theme on Saturday 22 November, from 10am to 4pm at the Jubilee Church Life Centre.

With more than 30 stallholders selling vintage clothes, homeware, children’s new and pre-loved clothes and toys, shabby chic furniture, decoupaged gifts and other handmade items, you’re sure to find plenty of stocking fillers for family and friends, not to mention a few treats for yourself…

Emma Payne from The Vintage Head in Newark will be on hand again, ready to transform ladies into 40s film stars, complete with Victory Roll hairdos, makeup and false lashes, while local talent in the form of Elaine Bishop and Swing Nouveau will be entertaining visitors with some live themed music.

And there’ll be plenty of tempting treats on offer as you take Tea with Bea in the pop up vintage tea room, with traditional cream teas, scrumptious Victoria sponge and other gorgeous goodies, all served up on vintage china of course…

Admission to the fair, at 5 London Road in Grantham (NG31 6EY for satnav users), is just 50p – for more details call 07888 679118.

From paperback to audio book for local writer

beyond this horizonA debut novel by Nottinghamshire-based sculptor and writer David Thompson, published in 2012, has now been released as an audio book.

The 12-CD set is available from Oakhill Publishing and has a running time of 14 hours and 41 minutes.

Also available as an Ebook, Beyond This Horizon is an emotionally charged story which plots the relationships of a 
close-knit group of individuals who irrevocably change one another’s destinies.

Set in the early years of the 20th century, it explores the timeless themes of friendship, art, love, loss and, above all, how the human spirit endures.

With 30 five-star reviews for the paperback version on Amazon, the story of Thomas Arthur Taylor (known to everyone as Tat) is described as ‘a remarkable first novel’ and ‘a compelling portrait of a young man’s journey to adulthood’.

The first 
of his family to spread his wings and leave the Upper Eden Valley in Cumbria, Tat gains a place at University College London, to study law, shortly after the First World War. Introduced to a world he never knew existed, nothing in his background prepares him for what is to come when he is engulfed in a whirlwind of turmoil and confusion…

“Writing this novel has been one of the most exciting and enriching experiences I have had so far,” says David. “Creating the characters and giving them a voice, whilst evoking the world and period in which they live and interact has, for me, been endlessly fascinating. I hope the readers of the novel enjoy a similar experience.”

A sequel to this book, An Inherited Voice, is planned which will take Tat to active service as an army captain, just in time to participate in the bloody battle for Hong Kong and suffer almost four years as a POW under the Japanese.