My Father taught me to pattern cut and sew on our old Singer treadle machine, which he later 'motorised'. His Father was a Court Taylor who taught him these skills. I bought my 1st sewing machine - a Frister and Rossman Cub 4 - from a friend's Mothers Freeman's catalogue, paying for it with my weekly pocket money. I was 16 and still use it today, 46 years later. I've made everything from Children's clothes to Wedding and Bridesmaid dresses for friends, Ball gowns for myself, and most of my clothes as a student, regularly scouring the Birmingham 'rag' market'. I recently made a cover for a friend's boat wheel. Whenever I get my trusty machine out I think of him and visualise him laying brown paper out on the dining table to teach me my most beloved skill.

Everyday is a hugs day in our household ! ( especially in winter as we don't put the heating on much !!)

A fourth-generation Oldham property company took centre stage at a trade body awards ceremony. Olympic Construction secured the ‘Outstanding Customer Service’ award at the Property Care Association’s Best Practice Awards A framed certificate, along with a tablet device and bottle of champagne were presented to the company’s Managing Director, Adrian Dawson. The category was sponsored by Aquobex. The awards’ independent judging panel, comprising of Gerald Kelly of CITB, Graham Perrior of the National House Builders Council (NHBC) and Neil May, a Senior Research Fellow at UCL’s Institute of Environmental Design and Engineering and CEO of the Sustainable Traditional Buildings Alliance, singled out Olympic Construction for the prestigious accolade. Olympic Construction undertakes property remedial treatment works across the North West. The business was established in the 1940s as a building works by Adrian’s grandfather and father. Adrian took over the day-to-day running of the company in 1985 and included a greater focus on the remedial aspects of the industry. His son Simon is now involved in the business too and is working as a property surveyor and technician. Stephen Hodgson, Chief Executive of the PCA, said: “It is evident that Adrian and the team at Olympic Construction put the customer first in their projects.” The PCA Best Practice awards took place at Rectory Farm and marked the end of the association’s annual conference, held at the nearby Møller Centre at the University of Cambridge. Adrian Dawson said: “It’s a fantastic achievement for us. We are delighted our work has been recognised by the industry. “We get a lot of good customer feedback and we are very proud of that. “Customer care is important to all the team. We work in peoples’ homes and they are their most important asset. People remember how you treat their properties and we always remember that.” www.property-care.org Noted for its training and technical expertise, the PCA incorporates the British Wood Preserving and Damp-proofing Association (BWPDA), and has been in been in formation for more than 85 years. The trade body represents the UK’s structural repair sector, as well as the structural waterproofing, wood preservation, damp-proofing, flood remediation and invasive weed control industries. Outstanding Customer Service award - Left to right Steve Hodgson, Chief Executive of the PCA with Adrian and Simon Dawson Olympic Construction is proud to have won the 'PCA Outstanding customer service award 2016'

Thank you all very much for your compliments and also encouragement to take a walk on the complete dark side (instead of whimping out! Ha ha) @Beano - the lights as they are in the main hall are very low level but once I have the shades on and swap the bright bulbs out, it won’t be as blinding. The entrance hall one is bright and a sensor one and I think that helps push light over to the darker side. It can be turned off though. Not decided yet on artwork ie if I should go eclectic frames or clean modern... I’m a fan of both so 🤷‍♀️