Bombshell as Made In Chelsea star's firm is exposed as having nearly £100k debts... as most will NEVER be paid back: RICHARD EDEN reveals the shocking story
But it's evidently possible to grace the show and still come a cropper.
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BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Shropshire's Alex Harris leaves roadie life to open music shop
Alex Harris could never have imagined a chance encounter with Slade guitarist Dave Hill would lead to 20 years as a roadie for some of rock's biggest despite working for the likes of Slade, The Waterboys and The Futureheads, he still had a dream to fulfil - to open a music now, back home in Shropshire, he has taken the step to unveil Big Al's Music Emporium, in Wem, stocking everything from Fender Stratocaster guitars to clarinet reeds and violin bows. "I've always had a dream of opening a shop," the 50-year-old said. Music has always been part of Mr Harris's life - his parents were semi-professional musicians who met in a Birmingham youth orchestra."My dad played trumpet, my mum played violin, so as a child I was always around music," he said."But I went down the rock and roll route." 'Roadie was unwell' After a stint in the Army playing the trumpet, Mr Harris returned home to it was while working in a Shifnal music shop for acclaimed guitar designer Jamie Davey, Mr Harris got the opportunity of a lifetime."Dave Hill, from Slade, was in the shop one day looking at guitars," he said. One of the band's roadies was unwell, and, needing someone to cover, Slade's lead guitarist asked whether he wanted to step in for him."I was like, 'Uh, yeah!'." After that first tour with Slade in December 1999, Mr Harris' career took off as a roadie and guitar technician. "From making contacts on the road, I ended up touring with [...] people like Midge Ure, The Waterboys, Howard Jones, The Futureheads," he eventually life on the road started to become too much, especially after getting married and becoming a father."I know too many guys who don't see their kids because they're always on tour around the world, and I didn't want that, I wanted to be a proper dad," he coming off the road having worked in the "high-pressure" events industry, the 50-year-old said that initially he was "feeling lost." 'Wide range of budgets' Opening his own shop was "always a dream" and his new venture seems to be serving the need he was left with having come off the Harris is keen to appeal to a wide range of budgets - not just top-drawer, pricey instruments, but pre-loved ones too. "I know that my local community in Shropshire can't necessarily afford thousands of pounds to spend on a guitar," he said. Despite the booming success of online shopping, the 50-year-old said he is not daunted by the prospect of competing with internet retailers."Your instrument needs to speak to you and feel right in your hands," he said. "If you buy an instrument off the internet, you do not know what you're getting.""You need to go to a place that's got several instruments you can try, and find what feels right for you." There are some first-day nerves, but Mr Harris feels confident he will be welcomed to Wem's high street with open arms. "The support and feedback I've had locally has been absolutely immense," he said."I'm crossing my fingers - as long as I can put fuel in my wife's car, take my daughter to school and put food on the table, that'll do!" Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
How Jane Austen's home village is celebrating her 250th birthday
With its quaint cottages, narrow country lanes and acres of farmland, it is easy to believe little has changed in the Hampshire village of Steventon since Jane Austen was born there 250 years celebrated author spent the first 25 years of her life in the village, which her nephew once described as "the cradle of her genius".Austen's experiences there influenced her witty writing about love, marriage and money. It is where she produced the first drafts of her novels Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Northanger mark the anniversary of her birth, the village is staging a Regency-themed Jane Austen Country Fair on Sunday 4 July. The country fair is being held in the field where Jane Austen's home, Steventon Rectory, once stood. It was demolished in 1824. All that remains is the well that provided water to the house and a lime tree planted by Jane's brother, sold-out event will feature performances by the Hampshire Regency Dancers and Mayfly Morris, demonstrations of country arts and crafts, Jane Austen-themed talks and performances and traditional sideshows and stalls."We started talking about the country fair 18 months ago, and thought of it as like the village fete on steroids," said Tamsin Raymond, who chairs the organising committee."So we started off at that level and then with the amount of interest from the public and the Jane Austen fans, the whole thing has just taken off, which is great for the village and great for Jane Austen." Many of Steventon's 250 residents have been involved in planning and organising the event, from baking cakes and making bunting to arranging the delivery of portable Cheesman has created an artwork showing places in the village associated with Jane Austen, which will appear on the official tea Palmer has helped to find sponsors for the country fair, which is raising funds towards the renovation of the 13th Century church of St Nicholas, where Austen worshipped and where both her father and brother were rector."Jane Austen is a titan of English literature, and the fact that Steventon is where it all began is something as a village we're all immensely proud of," he said. Churchwarden Marilyn Wright gives regular tours to groups of overseas visitors, who can also enjoy tea and cake in the village hall, prepared by local volunteers, in exchange for a donation to the church visitor book shows people have recently travelled to Steventon from as far afield as Iceland, Ghana, the US and Australia - a testament to Austen's global popularity."I think Jane's writing drew inspiration from all the people in the village," said Marilyn. "There are still characters here, and you can imagine her now walking through the village and choosing those characters to put into her novels!"The country fair is the centrepiece of a year of celebrations in Steventon, which will conclude with a special service at the church on 16 December, Austen's actual birthday. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Scarborough's Victorian cliff lift celebrates 150th birthday
One of Britain's oldest funicular railways is celebrating a major milestone this weekend with a series of family-friendly events. Built in 1875, Scarborough Spa Cliff Lift is marking its 150th mark the occasion, North Yorkshire Council and Scarborough Spa are hosting live performances, activities and heritage exhibitions at the spa and lift James, Scarborough Spa and cliff lift manager, said many generations of visitors shared fond memories of riding in the carriages up the cliffside. "There are a lot of people who have grown up and come to Scarborough with their grandparents or their parents and now they're bringing their children back to the lift," he said."It's a 40-second journey but it just seems to be quite memorable - it's that nostalgia as well."The Spa Cliff Lift was heralded as "a marvel of Victorian engineering" and used to transport passengers between the hotels on the Esplanade and the cost £8,000 to build and was originally powered by water and gas engines until it was converted to run on electricity in the 1950s. Alan Wilson, the lift's longest-serving supervisor, said he has "no plans to retire just yet"."I've worked on the lift for 23 years, and I still love it," he said."The best part is seeing visitors come back year after year. Everyone has a story to tell about the lift – it's part of what makes Scarborough so special."The weekend celebrations will include a live brass band, and Scarborough-based arts group Animated Objects will display working models of the commissioned in honour of the anniversary can also be viewed in the recently redeveloped South Cliff Gardens. Artist Adrian Lewis and poet Charlotte Riley collaborated to create the piece, which captures people's memories of both the lift and the gardens as "micro-poems".These are displayed on small metal plaques, designed to look like Victorian lift Riley said: "It's about people condensing down their treasured memories in very few words - they're very personal snippets of stories but quite a lot of them have really universal appeal."The programme of entertainment events for the Spa Cliff Lift anniversary will run from 11:00 BST to 17:00 BST between 5-6 July. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
