Tag: Daily Telegraph

Telegraph Chester story — My view

Did you read the Daytripper feature in the Telegraph this weekend [pictured above]?

Don’t bother if not.

I read it and couldn’t help wondering if the writer had actually spoken to anyone who lives in, or even knows Chester at all?

It’s sad to see the same tired, old clichés trotted out like a flagging mare at Chester Races.

Especially when Chester was recently voted one of Britain’s ten favourite cities by Telegraph readers — ahead of Lincoln and Oxford.

There’s a zoo — well, who knew? And there’s a hilarious anecdote about shooting a Welshmen within the city walls. Hold the front page.

It seemed to me that this article completely missed the real story in Chester right now.

There was nothing about the rise of the Chester indies, the high number of independent business owners now bringing new choice and variety to eating, drinking and shopping around the city.

No reference either to the revitalised Chester Market with its Friday-night foodie events.

Nor to the work that local MP Chris Matheson and creative community project GFN Chester have done to launch the Hunger Games promotion this week to champion local eateries.

There was also nothing about Storyhouse and its work to bring the Woman of the World festival to Chester this April. In fact, there was no reference to Storyhouse at all.

Surely anyone walking round the city with their eyes open would find it hard to miss the erstwhile Art Deco cinema converted into our new arts centre-library.

This was, at best, ill informed and lacking in proper research.

I’m tired of writers coming from London, casting a withering eye over the city and clearing off again having added nothing to the conversation.

Especially as I know how much hard work goes on behind the scenes to #makechester.

From individuals ploughing their heart and soul into a local business like Meltdown or Covino (amongst many others) to publications like Tortoise and Amble speaking up for non-chain Chester, this is a radically different place to the city l left in the Nineties to go to university.

I’ve already tweeted the writer with some suggestions for what he should have done on his visit.

You might like to drop the paper a line, too, to let them know that this is …
#NotOurChester

Visit Wales content via Telegraph Travel

Wales is lovely in autumn.

While everyone is back into work mode, I love escaping to Snowdonia [atop Y Eifel pictured above] and marvelling at the changing colours of the landscape.

This was the idea behind a series of editorial posts I worked on recently. It was sponsored content for Telegraph Travel and commissioned by Visit Wales.

The themes were adventure, days out and hidden gems. I also wrote a couple of more narrative-based posts about the heritage of Conwy Castle and walking trails.

You can read the full set of articles at Find Your Epic in Wales.

Or catch the individual posts as follows:

Alternative activities in Wales for the whole family

Ten of the best walks with rewards in Wales

 

Nation of Shopkeepers: Chester for the Daily Telegraph

I’m always on the look out for story ideas around Chester. My daughter spotted this antique doll shop and the interview with the owner was fascinating. This story first appeared in the Daily Telegraph.

Mo Harding, owner, Dollectable, says:

“I was born in Cheshire and, after running a hotel in Manchester for years, we were looking for a new business based around my love of antique dolls.

I had always loved dolls but my parents told me I was too old for them when I was 12.

We found this Tudor townhouse in Chester, dating from 1621, in the early Eighties. Originally we wanted to make a doll museum upstairs but the building is Grade II listed and needs a lot of work.

As far as we know, it’s the last remaining shop of its kind in the UK.

Early days

I started collecting pre-1930s dolls when my husband, Steve, was working the antique fairs. I still remember my first one. Polly was a German doll from around 1900. She had a lovely face.

Sometimes you look at a doll’s face and it’s just like a painting.

The heyday of doll making was from the 1870 to 1900 with best dolls made in France and Germany. Most of the dolls in the shop are Victorian.

Children played with dolls differently in those days. They brought the dolls out on Sundays and girls learnt to sew by making clothes for them.

Prized possessions

Every doll in the shop has a story. Henrietta is wax doll with beautiful boned underwear; she belonged to a suffragette. We also have some rare items.

The twin French dolls from the 1870s, both with glazed china heads, are worth upwards of £2500 each. A Shirley Temple doll of the American child star, dating from 1934, is one of our few American dolls.

We have travelled the world to international doll fairs and auctions. When you find a rare doll, it’s still an incredible buzz.

I’d sell the house and the car rather than loose my dolls, both the stock for the shop and my private collection at home.

I’m still always searching for the ultimate doll. I’ve wanted a Schmidt, a French doll from around 1870. They would sell at auction for around £18,000.

Future plans

We hope my daughter will take the business forward eventually, maybe creating a website and taking us onto social media.

My granddaughter loves my Victorian doll houses, too. But there are no plans for retirement yet.

I still love decorating the window every Christmas with a themed display and half the fun of running the business is the community of like-minded people at the auctions.

For me, you are either a doll person or not. It’s a way of life.

A doll person would never dream of collecting teddy bears.

 

Liked this? Try also Move into top gear at Cars and Coffee Chester.

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Multi-generational cruise story for Telegraph Cruise

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I had a piece published this week in the family holidays section of Telegraph Travel.

It was a piece about a multi-generational cruise to appeal to a broad age range — in my case from Olivia, 6, to grandad, 76, [pictured above].

Here’s a preview.

“I’m the ultimate squeezed middle — a single father caught between my 76-year-old father and two primary-school-age children. Granddad wants history and interesting excursions from a holiday. The girls want white-knuckle water slides and pyjama parties at the kids club. No wonder I feel like a stiff drink.”

Do you have a multi-generational holidays experience to share?

Post below.

Read the full story The best multi-generational cruises.