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RAPSCALLION MAGAZINE BOOK REVIEW: the coming of age who-dunnit mystery in Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time has opened up a new market in autism inspired novels (and it puts Swindon on the map)
By August 4, 2020 Read More →

RAPSCALLION MAGAZINE BOOK REVIEW: the coming of age who-dunnit mystery in Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time has opened up a new market in autism inspired novels (and it puts Swindon on the map)

A fast paced 21st century British mystery novel (based in Swindon) narrated by the fictional teenage schoolboy Christopher Boone is a gripping coming of age page turner accessible for young readers and adults alike. And without even naming the condition Christopher has we are aware that he has some form of autism due to unusual […]

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AGENDA WEST BUSINESS NEWS: 1,700 jobs on the line as major gym group goes into administration after its income fell to zero due to Covid-19
By August 3, 2020 Read More →

AGENDA WEST BUSINESS NEWS: 1,700 jobs on the line as major gym group goes into administration after its income fell to zero due to Covid-19

The BBC have reported that the nationwide gym group DW Sports has gone into administration closing its 70 plus outlets with immediate effect. The company is owned by Wigan Athletic’s Dave Whelan, although Fitness First  which is also owned by the same group will not close. In a statement Martin Long of DW Sports said: […]

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Axbridge mother of four publishes book on how at the age of 40 with no GCSEs or A levels she trained to be a midwife and eventually gained a masters degree and worked for Oxford University as a researcher
By July 31, 2020 Read More →

Axbridge mother of four publishes book on how at the age of 40 with no GCSEs or A levels she trained to be a midwife and eventually gained a masters degree and worked for Oxford University as a researcher

Midlife to Midwife by Linda Mottram After a bad day childminding and following one too many glasses of wine, this book takes you through the process of how a woman of 40 with no qualifications and four young children turns her dream of becoming a midwife into reality. Follow the ups and downs of her […]

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Agenda West Business News: pizza chain to serve up an oven baked CVA; 200,000 cars for sale at £800 each as Hertz struggles; banana firm slips up; builder goes bust; and cold comfort for creditors from Hotter Shoes
By July 30, 2020 Read More →

Agenda West Business News: pizza chain to serve up an oven baked CVA; 200,000 cars for sale at £800 each as Hertz struggles; banana firm slips up; builder goes bust; and cold comfort for creditors from Hotter Shoes

USA singer and actress Jessica Simpson promoted Pizza Hut More news from ICSM Credit on liquidations, CVAs and creditors chasing payment. Pizza Hutplans on a CVA Another day another big name struggles to survive in the casual dining industry. Pizza Hut hopes creditors will accept a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) so it can restructure its […]

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AGENDA WEST BUSINESS NEWS: Harry and Meghan’s foundation liquidated; family print firm crashes; caterers left out of hospitality’s VAT cut; and warning to creditors of collapsing retailers
By July 29, 2020 Read More →

AGENDA WEST BUSINESS NEWS: Harry and Meghan’s foundation liquidated; family print firm crashes; caterers left out of hospitality’s VAT cut; and warning to creditors of collapsing retailers

Sometimes firms come to an end because they are not insolvent. In voluntary liquidations the directors or owners simply wish to close the business for various reasons. Ian Carrotte of ICSM Credit said that there are often very good reasons to wind up a business. “Sometimes the owner wishes to retire but has no one […]

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AGENDA WEST BUSINESS NEWS: Duchess of Cambridge’s favourite ‘ethical’ fashion firm liquidated; millionaire owner set to axe 500 jobs; and Holland & Barrett are shamed for late payments to suppliers
By July 28, 2020 Read More →

AGENDA WEST BUSINESS NEWS: Duchess of Cambridge’s favourite ‘ethical’ fashion firm liquidated; millionaire owner set to axe 500 jobs; and Holland & Barrett are shamed for late payments to suppliers

The bigger they come the harder they fall seems to be apt at the moment with Arcadia in negotiations to save their business, Debenhams up for sale and Selfridges making hundreds redundant Ethical brand leaves £1m in unpaid invoices The ethical fashion brand Beulah has been heralded by the Duchess of Cambridge for its stylish […]

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AGENDA WEST BUSINESS NEWS: Covid 19 brings disaster in the high street as office workers fail to return, a coffee firm collapses and a famous shirt brand could disappear
By July 27, 2020 Read More →

AGENDA WEST BUSINESS NEWS: Covid 19 brings disaster in the high street as office workers fail to return, a coffee firm collapses and a famous shirt brand could disappear

Famous names in trouble Some or the most famous names in menswear are facing extinction if their parent company The Baird Group cannot have a CVA approved. The FT report the firm that owns Ben Sherman, Jeff Banks and Suit Direct are in negotiations with creditors for a deal to axe 18 stores and 262 […]

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AGENDA WEST BUSINESS NEWS: Fears businesses will have to pay for Covid 19 as Chancellor Rishi Sunak considers online sales tax and replacing business rates with a new land tax
By July 27, 2020 Read More →

AGENDA WEST BUSINESS NEWS: Fears businesses will have to pay for Covid 19 as Chancellor Rishi Sunak considers online sales tax and replacing business rates with a new land tax

Officially the Chancellor is looking to help the high street and traditional retailing in general by introducing an online tax for the likes of Amazon who many blame for the demise of shops and department stores. “If they taxed these big online firms at source so things were fair I don’t think anyone would have […]

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Why we love chips. From 1860 when they appeared to the 19th century – and how the chippy came to dominate the take away market in Somerset and the UK (with 25,000 chippies in 1910)
By July 26, 2020 Read More →

Why we love chips. From 1860 when they appeared to the 19th century – and how the chippy came to dominate the take away market in Somerset and the UK (with 25,000 chippies in 1910)

This article appeared in the Strawberry Line Times in 2013. I’ve updated it slightly. Harry Mottram The other day I met a man who drives to a certain fish bar in Winscombe every Saturday from Bristol for fish and chips because he said the particular shop was the best in the west. This was after […]

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Back in time to 1899 for a trip along the Strawberry Line in Somerset when a trip to Cheddar Gorge cost 4d and Axbridge had two banks
By July 26, 2020 Read More →

Back in time to 1899 for a trip along the Strawberry Line in Somerset when a trip to Cheddar Gorge cost 4d and Axbridge had two banks

What was it like to visit the Strawberry Line in 1899? Using an 1899 guidebook Harry Mottram took a trip from Clevedon to Wells in a tweed Norfolk suit in search of Victorian Somerset. Cyclists should dismount when descending Cheddar Gorge and Clevedon is not condusive to bathing but does have smart shops. These and other useful […]

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