Latest news with #TheGreatBritishSewingBee
Scotsman
6 days ago
- Business
- Scotsman
Patrick Grant named as Queen Margaret University's new Chancellor
Patrick Grant, the designer, entrepreneur, writer, and advocate for sustainability and sustaining communities, is to be the next Chancellor of Queen Margaret University, (QMU) Edinburgh. The Chancellor is the ceremonial head of the University, presiding over graduation ceremonies and performing an ambassadorial role. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A prominent figure in the British fashion industry, Patrick has become a household name through his role as a judge on one of BBC One's favourite shows, 'The Great British Sewing Bee'. However, his TV success is based on extensive recognition of his dedication to traditional craftsmanship and sustainable practices. As founder of the social enterprise Community Clothing, Patrick is an advocate for sustainability and building strong communities through entrepreneurship. Brought up in Edinburgh, he has developed an international reputation as a champion of UK textile manufacturing, supporting local communities while producing high-quality, long-lasting garments. His book 'Less', which was published in 2024 and is a Sunday Times Bestseller, details his commitment to reducing consumption and embracing circular, regenerative fashion. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Over the past two decades, Patrick has built a distinguished career in the fashion industry – working with global brands including Cartier, Rolls-Royce, BMW, Barbour, and Alexander McQueen, and always advocating for craftsmanship and quality. He revitalised Savile Row tailor Norton & Sons, relaunched men's tailoring brand E. Tautz - winning Menswear Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards - and led Debenhams' most successful designer collaboration with Hammond & Co. Patrick Grant His passion for British manufacturing took a new turn in 2015 when he rescued the historic Blackburn-based clothing factory Cookson & Clegg from closure. This experience inspired him to launch Community Clothing in 2016, a pioneering initiative that has earned him widespread recognition for revitalising the UK garment industry. Community Clothing's mission is to sell exceptional quality everyday clothing at a fraction of the price of other premium brands and, by making all its clothing in the UK, sustaining and creating jobs and helping to restore local economic prosperity and pride. Beyond fashion, Patrick is a familiar face on television. In addition to the 'The Great British Sewing Bee', which was nominated for a BAFTA in 2022, he has presented the award-winning documentary 'Coronation Tailors: Fit for a King'. He has appeared on BBC Radio 4's 'Desert Island Discs', won BBC One's 'Celebrity Mastermind', and written extensively for publications including The Financial Times, The Times, and GQ Magazine. Patrick has strong connections with Edinburgh, where he grew up and where Queen Margaret University is based. With family still living in the city, he continues to be a regular visitor to the Scottish capital. Having been educated in both Edinburgh and Barnard Castle, Patrick went on to study a degree in Materials Science & Engineering at the University of Leeds, followed later by an MBA from the University of Oxford. He holds honorary fellowships at a number of universities. He is an ambassador for The King's Foundation, which works globally to create sustainable communities through placemaking projects and practical education programmes. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Pamela Woodburn, Chair of the Court of Queen Margaret University said: 'Patrick's career and achievements resonate strongly with the University's strong social justice ethos, and with our commitment to building strong communities and acting as a force for good. He is someone who uses his intellect, skill and passion to solve problems, most notably in his work building community wealth through revitalising the UK garment industry, and in his promotion of sustainable consumption. Taking up his post during Queen Margaret University's 150th anniversary, his story mirrors that of our founders, who, to quote an old motto of our institution, acted 'with head, heart and hand' in creating our institution to deliver practical solutions tackling social and economic problems.' Patrick's example of combining entrepreneurialism, skill and people-focused thinking to build thriving communities aligns with QMU's purpose of shaping a better society through teaching and research in health and rehabilitation, education and social science, the creative industries, and sustainable business. Patrick will be installed as Chancellor at the first of QMU's 2025 graduations on 7 July 2025 at the Usher Hall, Edinburgh.
New Statesman
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New Statesman
Ah, baking, the only hobby I've really stuck to
Illustration by Charlotte Trounce There's a running joke among my friends that if there was a crafting version of an EGOT – The Great British Bake Off, The Great British Sewing Bee, The Great Pottery Throw Down – I would be first to raise the bunting-adorned trophy. This is categorically nonsense. I could probably have a good run at the Sewing Bee, but the speed it demands would soon undo me. And my adventures in pottery throwing were fairly short lived once I discovered that a) it is a prohibitively expensive hobby, and b) I was considerably less naturally gifted than I'd hoped – or perhaps expected. The Bake Off, however… As a teenager I often forced my mother to spend her Saturday mornings driving me to my favourite specialist baking shop on the A3, and repaid her efforts by covering her kitchen in icing sugar and failing to adequately clean up. But really she asked for it, because she set me off on this sticky path. It was my mother who let me, as an unsteady toddler, transfer eggs from their cardboard nests to the plastic tray in the fridge; who taught me to use a skewer to test if a cake is cooked; how dough should spring back once proved; that 'stiff-peak egg whites' means you should be able to hold the bowl over your head without them falling on it (a high-stakes test). She gave me confidence, and I took it, tended to it, fed it, and it rose into something more. From the flapjacks in my Hamlyn's children's cookbook I graduated to friands and eclairs, croissants and plaited loaves. I learned to mould flowers and leaves from fondant icing; to pipe delicate butterflies out of royal; to shape round buns, sealed beneath, from unwieldily wet doughs. I made increasingly and unnecessarily elaborate cakes for my friends' birthdays, even my own birthdays, and eventually graduated to making wedding cakes: stacking tier upon tier, reinforced with plastic dowels and cakeboards, decorated with spun sugar, edible flowers, candied nuts, oven-dried thins of peach and pear. By the early days of lockdown I baked near daily – to pass the time, to self-soothe. In those first, solitary weeks, I heated sugar to just the right shade of copper for salted-caramel brownies, strained fruit for curds with which to sandwich macarons, brushed honey over delicately thin sheets of filo for baklava. I relished running out of a key ingredient: I guess I have to go to the supermarket now, that most precious of outings. Each week I'd parcel up packages of baked goods to drop on the doorsteps of friends who lived nearby – less out of genuine generosity, more out of the true impossibility of eating it all myself. In my early twenties, in those wilderness months after university and before getting my first staff job at a newspaper, I had filled the days and hours between freelance shifts and unpaid internships running a baking blog, which gave me not just something to do, but a place to write. But slowly, as work became more demanding, as I found creative outlets in other crafts, as I encountered terrible oven after terrible oven in my long series of rental flats, I stopped baking. I retired the blog, and my considerable stash of tins and turntables and palette knives was consigned to boxes in my grandmother's garage. I was, on occasion, persuaded to make a birthday cake, but the desire to bake anything more challenging rarely took me. Until Good Friday, when, after a night of little sleep, I rose at 4.30am with certainty: today was a day for hot cross buns. I worked until a more sociable hour arrived, and then walked to Sainsbury's to gather what I needed: caster sugar, mixed peel, eggs and fresh oranges, to add to the strong white bread flour, yeast, butter, milk and sultanas I had at home. I was craving once again the rhythm of proving and knocking back; the steps laid out simply before me, demanding little more than time and attention. Into the oven went flour and yeast and hope, and out came hot cross buns, golden and glorious – and a little of my old self, too. [See also: Joan Didion without her style] Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Related
Metro
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Inside Joe Lycett's private life with 'secret' girlfriend and surprise baby
Joe Lycett left fans in shock last year when announcing the news that he'd become a father. The comedian, 36, is best known for appearing on shows including Taskmaster, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and LOL: Last One Laughing, as well as presenting The Great British Sewing Bee, Travel Man and his talk show Late Night Lycett. Over the years Joe has largely kept his private life out of the spotlight, so left many surprised when revealing he'd welcomed a child in October. At the time he shared a photo of himself cradling his son, sharing he was 'loving being a dad'. This week he explained that becoming a parent was 'so beautiful'. Here's everything we know about Joe's growing family, including his relationship with his 'secret' girlfriend. Joe has regularly referred to his bisexuality and pansexuality in his stand-up routines. In a 2015 interview with Attitude magazine, he described how being bisexual 'presents its own challenges' when people had 'no box to put you in', going on to share it 'just means you fancy people of all genders'. In 2023 he told The Guardian that 'homophobia was rife' while he was in school and there were 'very, very few openly queer kids in my year group'. A few days before announcing he'd become a dad, Joe spoke opened up about his relationship and spoke about his sexuality at length. Speaking on Bimini Bon-Boulash's podcast The Pieces, Joe discussed his girlfriend 'Denise' revealing that he uses a pseudonym to keep her name out of the public eye. 'So, I've got Winston the cat, and my partner Denise. And, um, she's not called Denise, but I don't talk about her, because she has a job that she can't be in the public eye,' he said. 'I call her Denise because she hates the name Denise, so, uh, I live with Denise. He went on to discuss his sexual identity, which he admitted was a difficult conversation at times. 'Well, it's interesting now being in a long-term relationship with a woman because loads of people are like, sorry what? There was a brief period when I was at school when I thought because I was attracted to men, I was gay, and then I was like, whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on,' he began. 'Then I use the term bisexual when anyone asks, and I just want to give a quick answer because people understand that. 'But I think the most accurate way of describing myself is pansexual, in that I'm not attracted to people, just because of their gender. Joe added that he sometimes struggled to explain his sexuality to 'idiots' as it was more nuanced than fancying every person on earth. 'I also don't really know how it works because, I don't know, how does it work? As in, I don't know how it works in terms of like, explaining it to idiots. Because it is hard to sort of go, well, no, I am attracted to men sometimes, but not all men. And it's not often to do with the fact that they are men,' he said. 'Yeah, it doesn't matter what the gender or whatever. And I don't know why that is, but that is how it is. It's a strange one because to me that suggests that sexuality is not just man, woman.' 'So, the intellectual side of me goes it's pansexual, which means all. So, that's how I feel about myself.' He went on to say that he 'doesn't really care what anyone else thinks about it these days, because I just think it's nothing to do with you'. However, Joe said many people still assumed he was gay because of his 'camp' television persona. 'I do think it's interesting. A few years into a relationship with a woman and going like, I am a straight man now, that dresses like this. I am still struggling with it in different ways of course. And particularly because lots of people just presume I'm gay because I'm camp on telly,' he shared. In November he was snapped out walking with his partner on a weekend stroll with their baby. However, Joe's not revealed any personal details about the mother of his child, nor has the baby's name been shared publicly. When announcing the arrival of his firstborn, Joe wrote that he is 'LOVING being a dad'. Posting Instagram, he praised the staff working at hospital where his partner gave birth. 'An appreciation post from me for the extraordinary @bham_womens hospital. My first encounter with them was years ago when they looked after a pal of mine through surgery, and then most recently when they masterfully welcomed a little boy into the world, who happens to be my son,' he wrote to his 1.4million followers. 'The care and compassion his mum and he received was exceptional; from the antenatal classes, incredible midwives, consultants, doctors, nurses and the ongoing care in the community. We also loved their baked potatoes. 'Birmingham is so lucky to have them, and I will be forever grateful for everything they've done.' He also appeared on Lorraine this week to promote his new series, Joe Lycett's United States of Birmingham, and got candid about parenthood. More Trending 'I'm amazed I've strung a sentence together 'cause I'm so underslept,' he told host Lorraine Kelly. 'It's so beautiful, the whole thing. It's so hard to not be clichéd when you talk about parenthood because everything everyone says about it is exactly right. 'It's sort of everything, and maddening, and beautiful and yeah. I'm having a lovely time with it; I'm really in love with it. It's great.' Joe Lycett's United States of Birmingham stars tonight at 9pm on Sky Max and NOW TV. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Watch 7 best moments from Amazon Prime show declared 'funniest ever seen' MORE: Amazon Prime series 'breaks records' after being hailed funniest TV show ever
Rhyl Journal
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Rhyl Journal
Great British Sewing Bee winner Luke-Matthew Iveson marries partner
Wilmslow's Luke-Matthew Iveson, winner of series 10 of The Great British Sewing Bee, has officially tied the knot with partner, Jesus in Gran Canaria. Their wedding was held in a traditional Canarian house nestled in the hills, not far from Jesus' hometown of Santa Brígida. Newly-weds Jesus and Luke-Matthew (Image: Supplied) After eight years together and three years of engagement, the couple decided to celebrate their love in a way that defies traditional norms, making it a heartfelt statement about LGBTQ+ marriage rights. Jesus and Luke-Matthew celebrating with family and friends (Image: Supplied) Luke-Matthew said: 'Getting married was incredibly important for us. We've been together long enough to know this is right for us. Tender moment (Image: Supplied) 'It was about joy, community, and staying true to who we are, rather than conforming to anyone else's expectations.' Jesus and Luke-Matthew cut their wedding cake (Image: Supplied) The 35-year-old was born and brought up in Wilmslow by mum Janet, who still lives in the Cheshire town. Luke-Matthew and Jesus share a toast (Image: Supplied) Luke-Matthew said: 'Instead of a traditional aisle setup, we walked down a ravine together. Luke-Matthew and Jesus having fun (Image: Supplied) 'It felt like an authentic representation of our journey together. 'Marriage was something we chose carefully' (Image: Supplied) 'There was good food, lots of wine, and the day was filled with laughter and love. 'The experience was not just a wedding but a declaration of our love' (Image: Supplied) 'We also had guests completing fun dares throughout the day, however the highlight was welcoming a drag performer from Drag Race España, which felt like the perfect fit for us.' 'We walked down a ravine together - it felt like an authentic representation of our journey together' (Image: Supplied) Jesus, 31, who works as a purchase ledger supervisor, added: 'For us, marriage was a celebration of our love, and we didn't feel the need to follow any rules. 'It was our day, and we made it uniquely ours. 'It was about joy, community and staying true to who we are' (Image: Supplied) 'We're lucky to have the right to marry, but we know it's not the same everywhere. 'In many parts of the world, LGBTQ+ marriage remains illegal, and we want to raise awareness that the fight for equality continues.' Statistics show that while same-sex marriage has been a legal right in the UK since 2014, and in Spain since 2005, many countries still criminalise LGBTQ+ relationships. Some 70 nations worldwide have laws against same-sex marriage, and in some regions, LGBTQ+ individuals can face imprisonment or violence. Luke-Matthew said 'We didn't rush into marriage, it was a thoughtful decision based on our commitment to each other and our community. 'For us, marriage was something we chose carefully, not something we felt we had to do. 'It's essential to recognise that for many queer people, it's not about fitting into the system but reshaping it to reflect who we are.' 'We want other LGBTQ+ couples to know that they can create their own traditions and celebrate their love in ways that feel right for them. 'Love doesn't fit into a box, it flourishes in the spaces we create for it. We hope that when people see us living our truth, they can envision a world where love knows no boundaries.' The couple now plan to enjoy many adventures together. Luke-Matthew said: 'We're off to Japan for our honeymoon, food, fabric shopping, and lots of Pokémon!' The couple are proud to share their wedding photos. Jesus said: 'Our goal was to create something unique to us. 'The experience was not just a wedding but a declaration of our love and an affirmation of our identities. 'We hope it inspires others to celebrate their love without boundaries.'
North Wales Chronicle
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- North Wales Chronicle
Great British Sewing Bee winner Luke-Matthew Iveson marries partner
Wilmslow's Luke-Matthew Iveson, winner of series 10 of The Great British Sewing Bee, has officially tied the knot with partner, Jesus in Gran Canaria. Their wedding was held in a traditional Canarian house nestled in the hills, not far from Jesus' hometown of Santa Brígida. Newly-weds Jesus and Luke-Matthew (Image: Supplied) After eight years together and three years of engagement, the couple decided to celebrate their love in a way that defies traditional norms, making it a heartfelt statement about LGBTQ+ marriage rights. Jesus and Luke-Matthew celebrating with family and friends (Image: Supplied) Luke-Matthew said: 'Getting married was incredibly important for us. We've been together long enough to know this is right for us. Tender moment (Image: Supplied) 'It was about joy, community, and staying true to who we are, rather than conforming to anyone else's expectations.' Jesus and Luke-Matthew cut their wedding cake (Image: Supplied) The 35-year-old was born and brought up in Wilmslow by mum Janet, who still lives in the Cheshire town. Luke-Matthew and Jesus share a toast (Image: Supplied) Luke-Matthew said: 'Instead of a traditional aisle setup, we walked down a ravine together. Luke-Matthew and Jesus having fun (Image: Supplied) 'It felt like an authentic representation of our journey together. 'Marriage was something we chose carefully' (Image: Supplied) 'There was good food, lots of wine, and the day was filled with laughter and love. 'The experience was not just a wedding but a declaration of our love' (Image: Supplied) 'We also had guests completing fun dares throughout the day, however the highlight was welcoming a drag performer from Drag Race España, which felt like the perfect fit for us.' 'We walked down a ravine together - it felt like an authentic representation of our journey together' (Image: Supplied) Jesus, 31, who works as a purchase ledger supervisor, added: 'For us, marriage was a celebration of our love, and we didn't feel the need to follow any rules. 'It was our day, and we made it uniquely ours. 'It was about joy, community and staying true to who we are' (Image: Supplied) 'We're lucky to have the right to marry, but we know it's not the same everywhere. 'In many parts of the world, LGBTQ+ marriage remains illegal, and we want to raise awareness that the fight for equality continues.' Statistics show that while same-sex marriage has been a legal right in the UK since 2014, and in Spain since 2005, many countries still criminalise LGBTQ+ relationships. Some 70 nations worldwide have laws against same-sex marriage, and in some regions, LGBTQ+ individuals can face imprisonment or violence. Luke-Matthew said 'We didn't rush into marriage, it was a thoughtful decision based on our commitment to each other and our community. 'For us, marriage was something we chose carefully, not something we felt we had to do. 'It's essential to recognise that for many queer people, it's not about fitting into the system but reshaping it to reflect who we are.' 'We want other LGBTQ+ couples to know that they can create their own traditions and celebrate their love in ways that feel right for them. 'Love doesn't fit into a box, it flourishes in the spaces we create for it. We hope that when people see us living our truth, they can envision a world where love knows no boundaries.' The couple now plan to enjoy many adventures together. Luke-Matthew said: 'We're off to Japan for our honeymoon, food, fabric shopping, and lots of Pokémon!' The couple are proud to share their wedding photos. Jesus said: 'Our goal was to create something unique to us. 'The experience was not just a wedding but a declaration of our love and an affirmation of our identities. 'We hope it inspires others to celebrate their love without boundaries.'
