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Friday, 27th January 2012 is the day that Luton’s popular indoor market celebrates its 40th anniversary. There is a full day of festivities planned that will include a huge scratchcard promotion giving one lucky shopper the chance to walk away with £40,000.
This iconic market first opened its doors for business in October 1972 as a part of the first phase of the, as it was known then, Arndale Centre development. The average wage was £58 a week, Edward Heath was the prime minister and Emmerdale Farm and Are You Being served? Both made their debuts on British TV.
A full day of celebrations will be taking place to mark this milestone anniversary, and everything kicks off at 11am. Some of the highlights include carnival performers, gospel singers, a live radio broadcast by Diverse FM and on the more ceremonial side, a cake will be cut by the former BBC celebrity chef and mayor of Luton Zena Skinner.
As a thank-you to its customers – throughout the entire month of February and March – the market’s traders will hand out the free scratchcards with every purchase made. The cards will contain prizes of Luton Market shopping vouchers worth up to £400 and one ‘Golden Ticket’ that will give the lucky winner a selection of prizes and the opportunity to win a massive £40,000 cash prize in a game of chance that will take place in the market at the end of the promotion on Saturday 31st March.
Dave Gibbs, manager with Town and Country Markets, the company now responsible for the day-to-day operation of the market, said: “On behalf of all of the traders and staff here in Luton, we’d like to offer our heartfelt thanks to everyone that’s supported us throughout the last forty years – long may it continue!”
“We are all excited to be launching this scratchcard promotion – particularly as someone will have the chance to win the £40,000 prize.”
Currently home to around 100 independent stalls, the market has a broad offering that covers everything from food to fashion – including a selection of internationally-themed, freshly-cooked meals and specialist stalls catering for the town’s diverse and vibrant population.
Located at the Church Street entrance inside The Mall, the market is open Monday to Saturday, 9am till 5pm. More information, including details and the terms and conditions of the scratchcard promotion are available atwww.tcmarkets.co.uk
 Women affected by the recent health scare involving breast implants have been told that they can have them removed for nothing at private hospitals, after health insurance companies decided to follow the NHS’ example. The government recently announced that women who had been fitted with the controversial PIP implants as part of breast reconstruction surgery would be able to have them removed and replaced with safer models for free at their local NHS hospital.
Private health companies and the NHS had been at loggerheads over who was responsible for footing the bill for the nearly 40,000 surgeries that would be needed to ensure that all of the offending implants were removed.
Following the recent announcement that the NHS would cover the costs related to those procedures that were carried out on breast cancer patients, many private hospitals and insurance companies have followed suit and agreed that women who had the implants fitted at one of their clinics can have them removed free of charge.
Less than 5% of the women affected by the faulty implants, which were filled with the wrong kind of silicone, will be covered by the NHS promise, leaving the private healthcare industry with a hefty bill to pay.
However, many private healthcare companies have already made statements to the press offering various free services to women affected by the scandal. BMI has promised to pay the full costs of having the implants removed and new, safer ones fitted while Nuffield has agreed that it will carry out the procedures on their patients, if the surgery is found to be both necessary and safe.
Finally, Transform, the UK’s largest plastic surgery company, has pledged that its doctors will be providing both advice and surgical procedures to its patients free of charge. A spokesman for the Department of Health welcomed the commitment shown by private medical providers.
 Consumers are used to energy companies taking their money, but one of leading power suppliers is not only offering free insulation to those on the lowest wages, but is also promising £100 towards the energy bills of everyone who applies.
EOn’s offer is available to those whose family income is less than £17,000 per year as well as the elderly who are claiming the state Pension Credit. Even if you get your energy from a different company, you can still take advantage of E.On’s generous offer.
All energy suppliers have to do more to cut the amount of carbon dioxide emissions from family homes, and insulation is one of the most effective and efficient methods of achieving this. Many other energy providers, such as Npower and British Gas, are also offering free insulation for the poorest households, but it only E.On that has added the bonus of £100 towards paying this winter’s bills.
Families that qualify for the free insulation deal should also be able to apply for a one-off payment, called the Warm Home Discount, to help them deal with high gas and electricity bills during spells of cold weather.
Anyone who wants to apply to E.On for their insulation offer will need to have a survey of their property carried out by a representative of the firm. Some people will, unfortunately, be unable to take advantage of the scheme, including those who live in council houses and maisonettes, as well as those whose homes already have a certain amount of loft insulation in place.
If your property does qualify, a spokesman for E.On said that there is currently a wait of about three months for the loft insulation, with the £100 cheque to follow a couple of months after that. Consumer organisation Which? welcomed the scheme, adding that they have been trying to encourage energy companies to adopt a more responsible attitude towards their poorer customers for years.
 25 special couples are being sought by an award winning hotel and spa in the Lake District to take part in a once in a lifetime celebration. The luxurious Gilpin Hotel and Lake House, situated in Windermere, is marking its 25th anniversary by offering long term couples the opportunity to win a fabulous, all inclusive break.
One of the lucky couples will win an exclusive stay at the six bedroom Lake House for 12 people, worth £4,500, and can enjoy a really luxurious celebration with their friends and family.
The Gilpin, named as the AA’s English Hotel of the year for 2011/12 is located in the heart of one of Britain’s most beautiful areas; the Southern Lakes. It is renowned for its exemplary facilities, excellent food and wine and good old fashioned hospitality. It is the perfect place to celebrate a truly memorable occasion.
Gilpin has been owned and run for the past 25 years by the Cunliffe family (John, Christine, Barney & Zoë), and in that time they have hosted thousands of special celebrations, ranging from romantic dinners à deux to large family gatherings.
John says: ‘Our feeling about running a hotel is that perfection is a big word but a good objective. It’s got to be right and it’s got to be special – every moment. Nothing less will do.
‘It’s about friendliness, attention to detail and tailoring the service we provide to each guest’s particular needs.’
The Cunliffes decided the ideal way to celebrate their anniversary would be with other couples enjoying equally enduring relationships.
Barney adds: ‘We’re really looking forward to meeting the winning couples and learning the secrets of their relationship success.’
The 25 lucky couples will each receive an inclusive mid-week overnight stay at Gilpin Hotel, worth at least £400, including afternoon tea, and later, Champagne followed by a five course dinner with matched wines, and full English breakfast the following morning.
During their stay, each couple will also be given the opportunity to enter the competition for the grand prize of exclusive overnight use of the fully serviced and staffed Lake House for themselves and up to 10 friends and family members.
They will also be asked to share their thoughts and experiences of love and relationships, previous anniversaries and special occasions.
The ultimate celebration prize is worth £4,500 and includes sole use of all facilities at the Lake House, which featured in the ITV series ‘The Lakes’. It is set on a private lake in 100 acres of grounds and has its own swimming pool, hot tub and sauna.
The winning couple will be greeted with Champagne and an in-room spa treatment in the master bedroom, ‘Harriet’. Later, they and their guests will enjoy a Champagne reception, a delicious bespoke dinner prepared by the chef at the Lake House and, before checking out at 11am the following morning, they will be served a full English breakfast.
To be eligible to enter, couples must have been together for at least 10 years and need to provide two photos of themselves – one from the early days of their relationship and one taken more recently.
Zoë said: ‘People come to Gilpin for all sorts of celebrations – anniversaries, birthdays, honeymoons, engagements, recovery from illness – and whether they are basking in new love, celebrating a long-term relationship, or have been through a difficult time, we are very privileged to play our part in turning these important milestones into cherished memories.
‘As the competition progresses we really want to get to the heart of why relationships work, or don’t work, as they are the core of everything we do at Gilpin – guests’ relationships with each other, relationships between the team, between the team and the guests… without people we are nothing!
‘That’s why inviting long-term couples to tell us their stories and join us to celebrate them is the perfect way to mark Gilpin’s 25th anniversary.’
To enter the competition, log on to www.facebook.com/gilpinlodge
Entries close on 15 February, 2012, at 11am, and the 25 winning couples will be announced by 28 February.
For more information about Gilpin Hotel & Lake House, visit http://www.gilpinlodge.co.uk/ or call 015394 88818.
To read the family’s blog about life in the hotel business, go to online magazine http://www.gilpinlife.co.uk/
Follow Gilpin on Twitter, at www.twitter.com/gilpinhotel
 Free swimming lessons are being given to young people through a collaboration of a non-profit organisation and council bosses in East Staffordshire. The partnership is between the council and Star Foundation, an organisation which collects unwanted clothes in the local area and then sells them. The Foundation have said that over 60 percent of the money being raised is going to go into a fund for the swimming lessons.
These lessons are going to be promoted through local schools as well as children’s organisations and leisure centres. The lessons are going to be available to anyone who is under 16 years old.
Bernhard Peters is a representative from the council who has commented, “We are always looking for the best ways to provide new opportunities to our young people and we want to encourage them to take part in as many healthy activities as possible. Therefore we are very pleased to announce that we will be working with Star Foundation to bring the swimming opportunities to people in the local area.”
The scheme has a double benefit as it is also going to allow people to recycle clothes that they no longer want and this saves having to take them to local recycling areas. Often people do not bother recycling because this is too much of a hassle and many clothes are going to landfill.
Peter Tryner is from the Star Foundation and he is commented, “We are always looking for ways to help the local community and by offering people an easy way to recycle clothes, as well as giving swimming lessons for young people we believe we are making a difference in the community. We will shortly be providing collection bags to people in Burton and we would encourage them to fill them up with any unwanted clothing that they might have.”
 The streaming television service Netflix has just launched in the United Kingdom and there is a free months trial being offered to encourage consumers to sign up to the streaming company, rather than to other companies in the market like LoveFilm.
If you’re in the UK you can subscribe to NetFlix for just under £6 a month and this allows you to watch unlimited television from Channel 4, the BBC as well as other major programmes from the United States. There are many platforms compatible with the service including computers, Tablet PCs such as the iPad, games consoles and even Blu-ray players.
There is integration with Facebook which adds a social element to viewing as viewers of programmes will be able to share what they are watching with friends on the social network. A rival offer by LoveFilm includes both its postal service as well as the streaming service and it claims to offer the largest range of films in the UK.
LoveFilm is owned by Amazon and it is currently offering subscription to its streaming service for just under five pounds a month, which is about a pound cheaper than the offering from Netflix. Internationally, Netflix is the most successful company and has significantly more customers than LoveFilm.
A recent partnership has also been established between FilmFlex and HMV in hopes that HMV will be able to combat the decline it is seeing in DVD sales. HMV has been struggling financially and saw a greater than eight percent drop in December compared with last year.
Take a trip to South West London’s best shopping mall, The Bentall Centre, during January 2012, and pick up your free and revealing ‘Bagology reading’. If you are someone who carries around 2 mobile phones in your bag, or numerous lipsticks, or won’t leave the house without your travel sized hand moisturiser, then this reading will tell you the deeper story about both you and your personality.
The Bentall Centre has teamed up with Debbie Percy, the leading bagologist in the UK, to offer a limited amount of free handbags reading via The Bentall Centre Facebook page.
HOW TO ENTER:
It’s simple – just visit www.facebook.com/TheBentallCentre, ‘like’ the page, take a photo of the contents of your handbag and then upload it to the Facebook Wall. Three bags will be randomly selected by Debbie every weekday (excluding weekends) for a detailed reading and her analysis published underneath each photo. To be considered for selection, uploads must be made between 1st January & 29th March 2012. Please note that by uploading your photograph there is NO guarantee of receiving a reading.
RULES:
This is not a competition, but by uploading a picture of your handbag contents for analysis it is assumed that you have read and agreed to the Terms and Conditions of this event. This process is open to both men and women anywhere in the world. The acceptance, disqualification or deletion of uploaded pictures, without explanation or prior notification is entirely at the discretion of The Bentall Centre. Content should only be submitted by someone of 16 years and above. Only one upload is permitted per person. Photographs can be submitted up until 12pm on 29th February 2012 or until 60 bag readings have been completed by Debbie.
 Two Milton Keynes restaurants are offering local nurses a free meal as a way of showing their appreciation for all their hard work throughout the year and over the festive period. Wolverton House, located on Waterside, and Stratford Road’s Peartree Bridge Inn are both providing free carvery meals to nurses who turn up with their NHS identification between January 9 and 14.
Matthew Trimmer and Calum Sims made the decision to reward nurses from local hospitals and health centres when they learned that nearly 90,000 of them have to work on Christmas Day each year, sacrificing their festive period to help others. Trimmer added that a free meal was the least that Crown Carveries could do to show their appreciation for all their hard work.
Nurses in the Milton Keynes area can download a coupon from the venues websites and present it at either Wolverton House or the Peartree Bridge Inn for a carvery on the house. Calum Sims of Wolverton House hoped that local nursing staff will appreciate the gesture from Crown Carveries as a thank you for all their hard work over Christmas and the New Year.
 Budding wordsmiths and Scrabble fans can now get their hands on one of the UK’s biggest dictionaries for free, with the number of available definitions increasing by March 2012. HarperCollins, the Glaswegian publisher, has decided to put its Collins Language range of dictionaries online – and will not be charging users a fee.
Currently, crossword solvers and poor spellers have access to almost 130,000 definitions and spellings on the collinsdictionary.com website, with plans for the number of words available to increase to over 200,000 in the next few months. Collins Language is one of the first academic dictionaries to put their data and definitions on the web, providing some serious competition to the existing free language aids that can already be found online.
In addition, the Collins Language site plans to include audio files, providing a guide to the correct pronunciation while tourists can access information on some of the most common words or phrases in dozens of foreign languages. The company also plans to make the most of the Internet’s capabilities by including links to the defined word on the file sharing site Flickr, allowing searchers to see an image of, as well as reading about, the subject involved.
Head of digital media at Collins Language, Alex Brown, is far from convinced that online word finders mean that language lovers will have no need for old-fashioned paper dictionaries. In fact, he sees the online version of the long-established publication as an opportunity to expand the services that Collins Language can provide.
Mr Brown added that he is excited about a future feature that will track the usage of certain words through history, illustrating when slang came into and then drifted out of fashion, while an Internet version of the Collins Dictionary can provide more in-depth definitions and explanations as there is no limit on the space allowed for each word.
 Apple’s Christmas promotion runs for 12 days between Boxing Day and 6th January, and one of the applications that has been featured in the promotion is Snapseed, which is a photo editing application from the developers, Nik Software.
This is a photography tool that allows you to apply a set of filters to pictures you’ve taken with your phone or other Apple device. It has the ability to analyse your photo and make automatic adjustments to exposure and colour so that the picture appears at its best.
Enhancements and precise selections can be made in the picture by using your fingers, which utilises the excellent touchscreen’s available on Apple devices. Brightness, saturation and contrast can be adjusted in this manner and the application usually retails at £2.99.
Apple have run this promotion for several years during Christmas period and many free applications as well as music and books are given away. Every day a new application is released at no charge and is marketed as a present from Apple. There is an e-mail alert newsletter available so that users of Apple devices can be informed about what free application is available on a certain day without having to visit the App Store.
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