Re-Tour de Ned: ITV's Ned Boulting adds final touches to his 1 man cycling stage show

WITH just 2 weeks to go, the countdown is on to Ned Boulting rolling down the ramp and treading the boards for the 1st time in 4 years with his 1 man cycling stage show, Re-Tour de Ned, that will be returning to:- Southport Atkinson, on:- Friday, 21 October 2022. Cycling aficionado or novice, his brand new, brilliantly conceived and fast paced production will guarantee an evenings' entertainment unlike any other and bears all the trademarks of his previous 1 man shows.

Re-Tour de Ned takes the audience through the history of the Tour de France including:- bringing to life the 1903 origins of the race and re-enacting 2022 winner, Jonas Vingegaard, fileting fish in a Danish fish factory. Reasonably accurate impersonations, a recount of the story of The Little Mermaid and confirmation of why you wouldn't want Wout Van Aert at your wedding are all included as Ned's show highlights the trepidations and triumphs of the world's biggest cycle race.

With final preparations underway, Ned is almost ready to embark on his 28 date tour travelling up and down the country from:- the Quad Theatre, Plymouth on 8th October to the Edinburgh Assembly Rooms on 13 November 2022.

Ned's love affair with the Tour de France began in 2003, and the 2022 edition was his twentieth working behind the mic at the tour de France. Ned Boulting comments:- "My last stage show tour was in 2018 so with final rehearsals underway, I'm excited to be getting back out there. Along the way, there will be time to call to mind the greatest racers of the age, and to do hopelessly bad impressions of them. There will be scope to celebrate all that is French about France, and all that is Tourish about the Tour: Stuff like ignoring 12th century cathedrals, peeing at the side of the road, pushing spectators over, punching demonstrators and generally behaving like a shaven legged hooligan for a month while riding over entire mountain ranges! I'll hand out copious, thoroughly unreliable, advice on How To Win The Tour de France. Or if not that, then at least How To Watch It On The Telly! I already know there's going to be a joke about a pair of trousers belonging to Henri Desgrange; there'll be a renewed attempt to understand how the bottom bracket works plus an analysis of the universal language of cycling."

Ned will also be inviting budding cycle mechanics on stage for the chance to win special prizes by demonstrating their bike building skills. If you think you or someone you know is up for the challenge then submit your entry here.

ReTour De Ned: 2022 Schedule:-

October 2022...

►  On Saturday, 8 October,  Re-Tour de Ned will be at the:-  Plymouth, The Quad Theatre.

►  On Sunday, 9 October,  Re-Tour de Ned will be at the:-  Launceston Town Hall.

►  On Tuesday, 11 October,  Re-Tour de Ned will be at the:-  Poole, Lighthouse.

►  On Wednesday, 12 October,  Re-Tour de Ned will be at the:-  Newport, Riverfront.

►  On Thursday, 13 October,  Re-Tour de Ned will be at the:-  Bristol Redgrave Theatre.

►  On Friday, 14 October,  Re-Tour de Ned will be at the:-  Exeter Corn Exchange.

►  On Sunday, 16 October,  Re-Tour de Ned will be at the:-  Frome Cheese and Grain.

►  On Tuesday, 18 October,  Re-Tour de Ned will be at the:-  Hereford Courtyard.

►  On Wednesday 19 October,  Re-Tour de Ned will be at the:-  Doncaster The Cast.

►  On Friday, 21 October,  Re-Tour de Ned will be at the:-  Southport Atkinson.

►  On Saturday, 22 October,  Re-Tour de Ned will be at the:-  Colwyn Bay Theatre. 

►  On Sunday, 23 October,  Re-Tour de Ned will be at the:-  Buxton Opera House.

►  On Tuesday, 25 October,  Re-Tour de Ned will be at the:-  York Opera House.

►  On Wednesday, 26 October,  Re-Tour de Ned will be at the:-  Ilkley Kings Hall.

►  On Thursday, 27 October,  Re-Tour de Ned will be at the:-  Newcastle Tyne Theatre.

►  On Friday, 28 October,  Re-Tour de Ned will be at the:-  Lincoln Theatre Royal.

►  On Saturday, 29 October,  Re-Tour de Ned will be at the:-  Cheltenham Town Hall.

►  On Sunday, 30 October,  Re-Tour de Ned will be at the:-  Richmond Theatre.

November 2022...

►  On Tuesday, 1 November,  Re-Tour de Ned will be at the:-  Newbury Corn Exchange.

►  On Wednesday, 2 November,  Re-Tour de Ned will be at the:-  Southampton May / Flower Mast.

►  On Thursday, 3 November,  Re-Tour de Ned will be at the:-  LHorsham Capitol.

►  On Friday, 4 November, Re-Tour de Nedwill be at the:-  Leamington Royal Spa Centre.

►  On Sunday, 6 November, Re-Tour de Ned will be at the:-  Salford The Lowry.

►  On Monday, 7 November, Re-Tour de Ned will be at the:-  Leeds City Place of Varieties.

►  On Tuesday, 8 November,  Re-Tour de Ned will be at the:-  Loughborough Town Hall.

►  On Thursday, 10 November, Re-Tour de Ned will be at the:-  Bury St Edmonds Apex.

►  On Saturday, 12 November, Re-Tour de Ned will be at the:-  Ulverston Coronation Hall.

►  On Sunday, 13 November, Re-Tour de Ned will be at the:-  Edinburgh Assembly Rooms.
 

Piece by piece

CARE England, the largest and most diverse representative body for independent providers of adult social care in England, has welcomed the new Government measures to support the social care sector contained within the publication 'Our plan for patients' and the reverse to the 1.25% point rise in National Insurance from 6 November 2022.

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England, says:- "The £500m of additional funding allocated as part of the plan represents much-needed investment ahead of what will be a challenging winter period. The Government has rightly recognised the need to address Hospital discharge issues and the role that the care sector plays in doing so. The social care workforce, undoubtedly our most valuable asset, needs recognition and support in this difficult time. The announcement of further efforts to boost recruitment, both domestic and international, is positive. However, what is now needed is a focus on a long term solution to these underlying issues that puts social care on an equal footing with the NHS and delivers investment that matches the scale and severity of current problems. Care England is eager to work closely with the Government to develop this forward thinking strategy."

The Secretary of State, Rt Hon Thérèse Coffey has announced Our plan for patients, the newest Government initiative to tackle the challenges facing the health and social care sector. Among the measures announced to support the social care sector are:

£500m Adult Social Care Discharge and Workforce Fund to support discharge from Hospital into the community and bolster the social care workforce. The fund can be used flexibly by local health and care systems who need to work collaboratively to address local issues and strengthen the sector's ability to recruit and retain staff.

The next phase of a national recruitment campaign to encourage more people to join the social care workforce via DWP and Jobcentre Plus:-

►  £15m to help boost international recruitment of care workers.

►  Support for care providers to adopt digital records.

►  Delivery of the 'cap and means test' social care reforms by October 2023.

The 1.25% point rise in National Insurance will be reversed from 6 November 2022, the Chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, has also announced. The Levy was expected to raise around £13 billion a year to fund health and social care. The Chancellor confirmed that the funding for health and social care services will be maintained at the same level as if the Levy were in place, protecting the NHS through the winter and ensuring long term investment in social care, with the additional funding used to replace the expected revenue from the Levy will come from general taxation.

Martin Green continues:- "The reverse to the 1.25% point rise in National Insurance is positive for both care workers and providers given the significant sums in increased National Insurance contributions were not offset by Government, putting financial sustainability of care providers under further strain. The approximated impact upon the sector, for both employers and employees, was circa £600m per annum. This was at odds with the NHS where employer contributions were being recompensed by Government. This indeed is a welcome step to rebalancing the funding between health and social care. What is vital now is for a greater proportion of the £13bn, that was due to be generated through the Levy, to be diverted directly to adult social care providers."