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Pimms And Needles: The Group That's Fun And Sometimes Fruity
PIMMS. The drink of summer. Who doesn't like it? It's fizzy, fun and refreshing, a bit like the women's group that shares its moniker, the hugely successful Pimms and Needles. And like Pimms, the group has its fruity moments, too – on evenings when the needles are set aside in favour of life art classes.
"That's always a bit of a fun session," laughs founder Charlotte Pyrah. "There are a few blushes at first, but by the end of the session the novelty has usually worn off. We have had a few male models, some more hunky than others!"
Charlotte set up the group with Donna Feeney, after the pair met on a sewing class that Charlotte was teaching at the Mustard Tree Café, in Hurworth, near Darlington. Over six weeks the group of ten met to sew, laugh and put the world to rights.
"We found the sewing classes such a tonic," says Donna. "We lead such busy lives, it was great to take some time out and enjoy doing something creative. We used to joke that it was like being in Downton Abbey; we'd sit and drink tea like Lady Mary whilst working on our embroidery."
What would Lady Mary make of the life drawing, though? Or the bellydancing? Or the self-defence classes? In the two years since Charlotte and Donna met, the sewing class has evolved into something much bigger and more inclusive, and now involves much more than needlework and Pimms.
"At the end of the course, we just didn't want it to end and discussed setting up our own little craft group, where we could do something new each month," explains Donna. "Charlotte also wanted to enjoy learning new skills, so we discussed doing different fun activities too, things we've always wanted to try."
The original plan had been to launch their own branch of the WI, but the women decided to go their own way instead. After four successful sessions, members chose to say independent and voted for Charlotte and Donna to continue doing what they were good at: organising convivial and creative escapism that could be enjoyed over a good cup of tea. The name came about during a brainstorm; they were very nearly Gins & Needles. The original group was called Stitch and Bitch, but while the odd sarcastic comment might escape, it's mostly larks and laughter now.
It's a recipe that's going down well. Already, there are twelve Pimms and Needles groups in the region, and new groups were recently launched in Richmond (Gilling West Village Hall on the first Thursday of the month) and Bishop Auckland (Escomb Village Hall on the third Friday).
"I'll never forget our first night," says Charlotte. "We set up a Facebook page and booked the Mustard Tree Café, expecting 20 to 30 women to come along. When we opened the door, the queue was down the street and we had 75 join up. We had messages from others who wanted to join so decided to set up another group in Darlington. That one sold out before it even started and we have just gone from there really."
Joining costs £54 for six months, and everything is provided, although participants might occasionally need to bring along an apron or gardening gloves. As for activities, members are free to suggest them, then Donna and Charlotte look into their feasibility and find a tutor. In the next couple of months, a Mrs Hinch/Marie Kondo home cleaning and organising session and a self-defence class are planned.
"We did a floral painting session recently, where we painted using pipettes and splodgy inks and I loved how relaxing it was," says Donna. "I also loved belly dancing. I have two left feet but as long as you kept shimmying and shaking the coin belt, it didn't matter too much what else you were doing."
Donna loves a dancing session, too, "especially the Strictly-themed session with Dance Wright Studio. I also love food and we had a great session where we made chutney and tasted cheese. Mmmm, delicious!"
Initially, the aim was to engage women, like Charlotte and Donna, who had busy, stressful lives and needed some "me time". Now, of the 60-odd women who come to each event, some come on their own, some in groups; there are mums and daughters, retirees, and newcomers to the area who want to make friends.
"We love the challenge of keeping it fresh and expanding to meet demand," says Donna. "And we get such great feedback about the impact it has on people's lives."
Charlotte agrees. "The response has been amazing," she says. "My youngest son was only six months old when we launched the first group and I needed to get out and do something for myself."
But what about the Pimms? The women admit they do like to indulge.
"I love it. It reminds me hot sunny summer days and what's not to love about that?" says Charlotte.
"With all of the fruit, it's practically a health drink, isn't it?," laughs Donna. "But I do love a good G&T too. And yes, we have had a gin tasting session."
DONNA FEENEY
Donna Feeney, 41, from Guisborough, lives with partner Chris, his two children, and four-month-old cockapoo Daisy. Her career has been a mix of creativity and business, working in sales and marketing, as well as running a successful upcycling business called Totes Adore for five years, making giftware from glass bottles.
CHARLOTTE PYRAH
Charlotte Pyrah, 36, lives in Croft village just outside of Darlington with her husband, two little boys, and Alfie the dog. She is a textile designer, teacher and author of six craft books. "One of the cushiest jobs I've ever had was working on cruise ships as a craft instructor. Crafting in the Barbados sunshine was definitely a high point!"
Shares Tread Water Despite Hawkish Central Bank Comments
Speaking in Brussels on Thursday, ECB president Christine Lagarde eiterated her stance that interest rates will have to remain higher for longer . Photograph: Simon Wohlfahrt /AFP/Getty Images
European shares inched higher on Thursday despite hawkish commentary from central banks that has dashed hopes for a pivot toward lower rates any time soon.
A global bond rout deepened on Thursday amid speculation that the US and Europe are poised to keep interest rates elevated despite a pause in the oil price rally that had spooked investors earlier in the week.
DublinThe Iseq All Share index underperformed its peers in what traders described as an uneventful session in Dublin, shedding 0.1 per cent.
Kerry Group, one of the biggest movers on Thursday, fell 3.4 per cent to close the session at €77.02. The food ingredients giant followed other sectoral names like Glanbia and Greencore lower, with the two companies shedding 0.8 per cent and 1.1 per cent respectively.
Paddy Power-owner Flutter had another poor session, giving back 0.35 per cent to close at €156.95 per share. The downward move for the betting group followed an update from rival 888, which lowered its annual core profit expectations after a 10 per cent decline in third-quarter revenue, partly due to tighter regulations in Britain.
The Irish banks were a mixed bag with Bank of Ireland, up 2.4 per cent to €9.32, outperforming the pack. Shares in AIB stood at €4.20 on Thursday evening, down 0.2 per cent on the session, while Permanent TSB was off by almost 2.4 per cent at €2.04.
Meanwhile, building product names including Kingspan and Woodies-owner Grafton Group were stronger on the day, while CRH, which gave up its Dublin listing last week, added 2.9 per cent in New York.
EuropeEuropean shares advanced marginally with the pan-European Stoxx 600 index ahead by 0.4 per cent on Thursday and the benchmark Stoxx 50 advancing by close to 0.8 per cent.
Spanish banks BBVA and Santander extended recent gains, adding 4.5 per cent and 3.3 per cent, after European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde reiterated her stance that interest rates will have to remain higher for longer. Other names in European banking, including Dutch lender ING and France's BNP Paribas, also advanced.
The German Dax index, meanwhile, moved 0.7 per cent higher after data showed inflation in Europe's economy plunged to its lowest level in two years this month.
Shares in electronics giant Siemens and automaker Mercedes Benz gained 1 per cent and 0.9 per cent following the data release, while chemical maker BASF added 0.9 per cent.
LondonLondon's benchmark FTSE 100 index edged slightly more than 0.1 per cent higher but struggled compared with its European peers as housebuilders were dragged by gilt yields.
The yield on gilts – UK government bonds – rose amid concerns that interest rates could remain high for a long period, while analysts also suggested high oil prices could be partly to blame.
Gambling firm 888 slid after it warned over earnings and revenues due to an impact from sporting results that benefited customers and new gambling rules. The group, which runs William Hill's European business, said it expects revenue for the third quarter of the year to dip around 10 per cent to somewhere close to £400 million.
Meanwhile, Diageo shares floated marginally higher after the Guinness-maker stuck by the company's guidance for the year despite persistent cost pressures. The firm, which also makes Gordons gin and Pimms, saw shares increase by 16p to 3,038p after bosses said the company was resilient and can navigate the headwinds caused by the UK economy.
New YorkBy closing bell in Dublin, both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 indices were essentially flat on the session, lagged by the Nasdaq Composite, which fell 0.4 per cent.
Treasury yields resumed their upward charge while investors assessed fresh economic data showing that consumer spending advanced at half the pace previously reported in the second quarter, largely due to weaker services outlays.
Among individual movers, Micron Technology dropped 4.7 per cent after forecasting a bigger-than-expected first-quarter loss.
CarMax lost 11.2 per cent after the used-car retailer posted a lower-than-expected quarterly profit.
Accenture slumped 4.4 per cent after the IT services firm forecast full-year earnings and first-quarter revenue below Wall Street targets.
– Additional reporting: Reuters, Bloomberg
Pimms In Rio? How Wimbledon Is Exporting Its Brand
Wimbledon, the brand that arguably epitomises tradtional British heritage, is hoping to move away from that stuffy image and appeal to new viewers beyond the UK.
As part of this drive Wimbledon's site, Wimbledon.Com, has undergone a major design this year, with a new responsive and adaptive layout.
It also allows for more video content, with Wimbledon "massively upping" its video production over the last year, according to Alexandra Willis, Wimbledon's head of digital and content.
In South America, people have a very different impression of Wimbledon – they only see the Centre Court and the Royal Box
She told Marketing: "We do see it as the second screen-experience, certainly with the apps as well.
"Our digital properties are an exclusive source of live scoring, and there's a huge amount of information there. We are doing some stats analysis videos with [partner] IBM, which is all around painting a picture around a match, but not in a geeky way – more in a tactics way."
She added: "It's really trying to tease out bits people don't see – like all the ground staff going around with metal poles picking out dirt from the paving stones. It's the story that Wimbledon is perfection."
Beyond broadcastersAlong with its existing tech partner, IBM, Wimbledon has signed up with video platform Brightcove to work on its video content.
That will include 'Live@Wimbledon', a digital news channel designed to give viewers a real sense of what's happening off the courts. Rights restrictions prevent Wimbledon from streaming whole matches, meaning video content will need to focus on 'best of' and behind-the-scenes moments.
Wimbledon also takes footage from live broadcast feeds, showing key moments around matches, such as players walking onto courts, reactions in the crowd and post-match speeches.
Willis described Wimbledon's relationship with broadcasters such as the BBC and ESPN as a mix of collaboration and competition. She explains: "The likes of ESPN have transformed way Wimbledon is broadcast in the US, in terms of the style of broadcast.
"We don't have the resources to compete and we wouldn't want to."
Still, Wimbledon is keen to take control of its image overseas. One problem with relying on traditional broadcasters is that they tend to portray the tournament as deadly serious. Willis said: "In South America, people have a very different impression of Wimbledon – they only see the Centre Court and the Royal Box. That doesn't chime with the Rio, carnival atmopshere.
"If we can show [Henman Hill] and 5,000 people going crazy, that fits a bit better."
According to Willis, 70% of Wimbledon.Com's visitors come from desktop, but a growing chunk come from mobile. She told Marketing that mobile accounts for 30% of the site's visits, but around 60% of engagement.
She added that Wimbledon was in the "fortunate position" of focusing only on engagement rather than revenue from video. The tournament does not display ads against its videos, and will measure success by video views and global growth.
She said: "Our commercial objective sits in a broader strategy – to grow reach and exposure and take the brand to different places around the world.
"If we do that, the commercial return will come."
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