Bosworth Court Care Home - Aspire Magazine

Diamond Jubilee
©VisitBritain/ Pawel Libera
60 years, 13 Prime
Ministers, Royal Weddings
and Much, Much More...
Having accumulated 60 years
on the British throne, Queen
Elizabeth II has over seen 13 Prime
Ministers, the formation of the
European Parliament, various royal
marriages and much more. Here we
look at ten of the many momentous
occasions that have taken place
during her reign.
1. After years spent as a British colony,
in 1957 Ghana, then known as the Gold
Coast, became the first African nation
to gain independence and Dr Kwame
Nkrumah became the independent
country’s first Prime Minister.
2. In 1979 the British Conservative Party
won the national election, making
Margaret Thatcher Britain’s first and so
far only, female Prime Minister. The ‘Iron
Lady’ went on to stay in power for 11 years
– thus becoming Britain’s oldest serving
Prime Minister, a record that is yet to be
broken.
3. In 1981 the monarchy welcomed a new
member, as Prince Charles married Lady
Diana Spencer at St Paul’s Cathedral and
600,000 people gathered on the streets of
London to celebrate. A further 750 million
watched on TV worldwide.
4. In November 1993 the Maastricht Treaty
came into force and led to the creation
of the European Union and eventually to
the adaption of the Euro in 17 of the 27
member states.
5. The channel tunnel linking Britain with
mainland Europe was opened in 1994. The
Eurostar trains take people from London
to Paris and vice-versa in 2 hours and 15
minutes and at its lowest point lies 75
metres below the ocean bed.
6. In 1997 Labour finally ended 18 years of
Conservative power as Tony Blair took the
reins as Prime Minister; his government
introduced the minimum wage, the
Human Rights Act and the Freedom of
Information Act.
7. With 2002 came the Queen’s Golden
Jubilee, but perhaps more significantly it
also marked the passing of the Queen’s
younger sister, Princess Margaret, at age
71. Almost two months later the Queen
Mother passed away at the age of 101.
8. In 2007 the Queen became the first
British monarch to celebrate a Diamond
wedding anniversary as she and Prince
Phillip celebrated 60 years of marriage.
9. A coalition Government was formed
after the general election in May 2010
produced a hung parliament. David
Cameron and Nick Clegg, leaders of the
Conservatives and Liberal Democrats
respectively, formed a majority
government together.
10. On April 29th 2011 Prince William
and Catherine Middleton tied the knot at
Westminster Abbey and were titled the
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The
event was covered by 8,500 journalists
in London alone and an estimated two
billion people worldwide watched the
wedding on TV.
Visit www.thediamondjubilee.org
for more information on the Queen’s
Diamond Jubilee.
St Martins
House
7 Peacock Lane, Leicester LE1 5PZ
Situated right next door to the
Cathedral in the heart of Leicester’s
historic quarter, St Martins House
isn’t your average conference centre.
Run by the Diocese of Leicester, St
Martins House is one of Leicester’s
best kept secrets – it boasts four
conference rooms, accommodating
up to 50 delegates, and an exquisite
Grand Hall, which is ideal for
wedding receptions, birthday
celebrations and corporate events of
up to 200.
For more information, or to make
a booking, please ring
0116 261 5200
or visit
www.stmartinshouse.com
Leicester Conferences is the dedicated
conference and accommodation team
within the University of Leicester. We
offer some of the best year-round
conference and event facilities in the
East Midlands region, combined with
over 50 years’ experience in providing
excellent service and value for money.
Having two prime locations offers significant
benefits to our customers. Our City Campus
is based on the edge of the city centre, and
the other is in the delightful, picturesque area of
Oadby – a beautiful, leafy green venue complete with a
16-acre botanic garden, ideal for any event. Choose from
a wide range of conference and meeting rooms available
year-round.
Our three-star rated group accommodation is available throughout the Easter,
summer and winter vacation periods on a self-catered or fully catered basis at
excellent rates. We have been hosting various groups for many years and are
frequently used as a perfect residential base for exploring the Leicester region.
The range of venues available include small meeting rooms within our Arts and Crafts
style Edwardian houses to large fully equipped state-of-the-art conference halls and
exhibition space. Delegates will also soon be able to benefit from our new sports and
leisure facility due for completion in September 2012. This exciting new development
will include a 25 metre swimming pool, sauna, spa pool and steam rooms.
To find out more about this stunning new venue and how Leicester
Conferences can help with your event needs, contact the sales team to
arrange a visit or make an enquiry.
T: 0116 271 9933 E: conferences@le.ac.uk W: www.leicesterconferences.co.uk
For information on Bosworth Court Care Home
Call 01455 290867
or email bosworthcourt@givecare.co.uk
French Fancies For You
Established eight years ago, Village
Chic specialises in antique French
Furniture, imported direct from
France. Each item can be customised
to suit your individual taste and home
décor by qualified interior designer
and company founder, Lucretia Henry-
Brewin.
Lucretia told Aspire: “Village Chic has grown
into a successful business from a hobby.
I started off revamping French antiques
whilst running an interior design company;
I revamped a couple of pieces of furniture
for clients and it escalated from there,
going from a small side-line to a full-time
business. In order to meet demand, I closed
the interior design company to concentrate
solely on French antiques. I started with
an online shop but when the recession hit
three years ago, I decided to utilise the shop
space I had in Sileby, and we’ve not closed
our doors since.”
Village Chic import fresh stock direct from
France every eight weeks; every item
comes in in its original condition, allowing
customers to customise how their chosen
piece is revamped, as Lucretia explained: “A
photo of every item goes onto our website
in the condition we receive it in, so, once a
customer has decided that’s the piece they
wish to buy, they can choose their paint
colour and finish. We then take seven days
to customise the piece to their individual
specifications, before delivering and
constructing it at any UK address; or clients
can have their own furniture revamped by
us in a French Shabby Chic Style.”
As well as authentic French antiques,
Village Chic also stocks a range of French
vintage inspired accessories, chandeliers
and mirrors. They are also stockists of Annie
Sloan Chalk Paints. Village Chic is an eclectic
mix of old meets new vintage chic.
Village Chic is open from Tuesday to Sunday
from 10:30pm until 5:30pm. The shop, at 8
High Street, is closed on Mondays. For more
info, call 01509 812035 or visit
www.villagechic.co.uk
According to figures released
last week, the surge in
mortgage lending reported
at the start of 2012 has
ended now the stamp duty
exemption for first-time
buyers (on homes valued
at between £125,000 and
£250,000) is over. There were
57,954 mortgage approvals
in January, but this figure
has fallen sharply to 49,860
in March. This fall is not
surprising when you consider
that the average house in
the East Midlands is worth
£162,393 (according to the
latest figures).
If you already own your own home,
consider yourself lucky and make
the most of it, whether it’s a new
build, character cottage or 1950’s
semi. With spring finally here and
the warm weather making everyone
feel good, now’s the time to improve
your home, whether you do it
yourself or get the professionals
in. With interest rates so low, if
you’ve got hard-earned cash sitting
in the bank, now’s the time to do
Homes
There’s No Place Like Home
something with it, as it’s not making
you any money sat in your savings
account.
A 2011 survey of estate agents
carried out by Rics discovered that
many homeowners were considering
making home improvements in order
to beat the housing market slump.
The lack of mortgage approvals since
2008 has created an ‘improvements
culture’, as homeowners try to curb
their disappointment at not being
able to move up the property ladder.
If you’re looking to update your
home, it’s worth working out what
you can afford to spend and stick
to it. It’s amazing what a fresh lick
of paint can do – if you want to
make the accessories stand out, or
make the scheme easy to change,
opt for a neutral colour, but if you
want to make a statement, choose
a colour you love and complement
it with natural/neutral furniture that
can be used time and time again.
Filling your home with personal
mementoes ensures your house
always feels like home.
To keep up-to-date with the latest on
the property market, please visit
www.bbc.co.uk/homes
&
Northamptonshire
10 ASPIRE
ASPIRE 11