|
ITS
EASTER… ITS DIY SEASON
WHAT are the DIY blunders we should avoid above all others?
Real Homes magazine polled the celebrity interior and DIY experts to
compile a list of the seven deadliest sins of all. So if you’re
planning to do any decorating or DIY this bank holiday, don’t do
anything before you read our essential guide to what NOT to do… you
have been warned!
1. Painting over wallpaper
Everyone has considered doing this at some point, after all, surely
it saves the hassle of having to strip the walls first? But be
warned, according to our expert panel, this is one decorating sin
that just cannot be excused.
“This has to be
the worst of all decorating sins. Stripping wallpaper isn’t always
easy, but it isn’t that difficult either, you just need the right
tools and a bit of time. Wallpaper strippers are available from hire
shops at a reasonable cost, so no excuses!” Deborah Drew
2. Bad lighting
Lighting can completely transform a room and there are so many
wonderful table and floor lamps available that there is just no
excuse for harsh overhead lighting.
“Single pendant
lights in the centre of a room as the only lighting system shows a
certain lack of imagination and restricts the versatility of a room”
Alison Cork
3. Carpet in bathrooms
Carpet in bathrooms absorbs moisture and harbours bacteria, really
not a good idea for the most damp and humid room of the house.
“Satan’s own floor
covering and a harbinger of bodily ooze. Why would you even dream of
having something so absorbent in a high-moisture area? The solution:
Whip it up and install ceramic, amtico, stone or a water resistant
flooring like Bamboo instead.” Justin Ryan and Colin
McAllister
4. Poor preparation
Our experts confirmed that there’s truth in the saying ‘be
prepared’, by listing bad preparation as their fourth deadly
sin. Plan your project properly, and you’ll save yourself a lot of
hassle later…
“Don’t rush and
avoid jobs like filling and sanding – lumps and holes show up badly
under newly painted walls or wallcoverings, so do your groundwork.
And always use the right paint – or at least one that covers
everything beautifully!” Jeff Banks
5. Cheap laminate flooring
Good-quality laminate flooring can look great if carefully chosen
but bad, cheap laminate flooring in a traditional scheme rated
highly with our celebrity experts as a definite deadly decorating
sin.
“In my view this
could easily be the wood-chip of our time – be warned!”
Gordon Whistance
6. Following fashions
Keeping up to date with the latest home fashions is great fun.
Blindly following fashions without adapting them to suit your home
and lifestyle, however, is a real no-no.
“Don’t follow fads. Go for what works for you and the way you
live rather than the latest ‘must have’ look. What you love this
month, you may be sick of in six months time.” Ilse Crawford
7. Anti macassars
Our expert panel were unanimous in sending anti-macassars (armchair
doilies) to the hall of shame. These originated in the Victorian
period and have no place in the modern home!
“Anti-macassars
are bit of a throw-back to Great Aunt, but there really is no need
for them.” Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen
Close Contenders
Also worth a mention, these sins were highly rated by our panel:-
- Oversized furniture
- Too many competing patterns in a small room
- Sterile, all-white environments
- Mock fireplaces
- Textured ceilings
- Clashing paint colours
 |
The
region’s schools and colleges perform...
YOUNG talent
from the region’s schools and colleges perform plays by professional
playwrights at The Lowry from
Tuesday 2 May to Saturday 6 May 2006.
One of the world’s largest celebrations of youth theatre will see
the best of the region’s young talent perform plays by some of
today’s most cutting edge playwrights at The Lowry, in one of 18 regional showcases for Shell
Connections.
The programme gives 11 to 19 year olds from 11 local schools and
colleges the opportunity to work on challenging new plays and
includes pupils from Rochdale, Prestwich, Stockport, Formby and
Newton-Le-Willows. Produced by the National Theatre and now in its
fourth year of partnership with Shell UK, Shell Connections
commissions new, hour long plays for and about young people.
Amongst the work being performed is Feather Boy by Nicky Singer,
which won the Blue Peter Book of the Year Award and a BAFTA for the
subsequent TV adaptation, grabbing the Best Children’s Drama award.
Now a musical with big show routines and tender lyrical numbers, St
Monica’s RC High School, Prestwich and St Aelred’s Technology
College, Newton-Le-Willows have both been chosen to perform the
piece by a panel of drama experts.
Irish playwright, poet and screenwriter Ursula Rani Sarma’s play The
Spiderman will also be performed on more than one occasion. Both
Oulder Hill Community School & 6th Form College, Rochdale and Marple
Hall School, Stockport take the opportunity to recreate an act of
youthful rebellion that goes horribly wrong. David and Michael go
camping at night to teach their parents a lesson but, when David
disappears never to return, their friends are forced to reassess
their values and find their own identity.
James Smith, Shell UK Chairman, said:- "Shell Connections is a
truly inspiring experience for the thousands of young people
involved, and we are delighted to be sponsoring for the fourth year.
Whether performing or behind the scenes, all the young people
staging these exciting new plays will develop important life skills
in the process. The teamwork needed for a production, confidence
required to get up on stage, and planning for the deadline of a
curtain-up, are valuable additions to their experiences in the
classroom.”
Shell Connections culminates in July 2006 with a celebratory
festival at the National Theatre, where 12 companies from the
regional showcases will be invited to perform.
Shell Connections:-
Tues 2 May to Sat 6 May
Tue to Sat 6.30pm & 8.15pm, Sat mat 4.30pm
Tickets:- £3
Box office 0870 787 5793
Web link:-
www.thelowry.com.
John Lennon Airport tops latest CAA league table after another
record Easter
MANAGEMENT at
Liverpool John Lennon Airport have had the busiest Bank Holiday
Easter weekend ever as they celebrate the latest statistics from the
Civil Aviation Authority that show Liverpool is the UK’s fastest
growing major airport.
In 2005 Liverpool John Lennon Airport handled over 4.4 million
passengers, an increase of some 32% compared to 2004 and a growth
figure higher than any other UK airport in the category for airports
handling in excess of 1 million annual passengers. The additional
million passengers that used Liverpool in 2005 also helped the
Airport move up one place in the league table of UK airports,
leapfrogging over Nottingham East Midlands Airport and becoming the
12th busiest airport in Britain, its highest position ever. Less
than 10 years ago the Airport was in 18th position having now
overtaken airports such as Cardiff, London City, Leeds and Aberdeen.
This was the first peak period of the year for the Airport with the
great ‘Easter Bank Holiday getaway’ bringing record passenger
numbers with many looking to make the most of the Airport’s numerous
low cost flights and fly off for a holiday break.
Over 53,000 passengers pass through the Airport over the Bank
Holiday weekend, an increase of 30% compared to Easter last year.
The increase in passenger numbers follows the addition of a range of
new services over the past 12 months to destinations including Oslo,
Porto, Seville, Granada, Pisa, Gdansk, Southampton and Derry with
airlines such as Ryanair, Wizzair and Flybe.
EasyJet launched three new services to Krakow, Marseille and Faro
just in time for the Easter break, taking the average number of
daily scheduled departures to almost 70.
Robin Tudor, the Airport’s Corporate Affairs Manager commented:-
“All this week we have seen increased numbers of passengers using
the Airport as passengers from throughout the North West take
advantage of the low fares and great deals available with airlines
flying from Liverpool.
For some time now we believed that Liverpool was one of the UK’s
fastest growing airports because of the continued month on month
passenger growth and route expansion. These latest CAA statistics
now prove the Airport is in fact top in this department. To use the
football analogy, it wasn’t long ago that the Airport was battling
against relegation in the lower leagues of the UK Airport industry,
but today Liverpool is seen as a ‘premier league’ airport
continually improving its league position.” added Robin. |
