FREE SUMMER LONG EXTRAVAGANZA

FRIDAY 1 JUNE – SUNDAY 2 SEPTEMBER

London Bridge City is pleased to announce their summer long spectacular - Summer by the River. With a packed schedule of exciting outdoor events and entertainment running from Friday 1 June to Sunday 2 September it will be the largest free outdoor festival in London.

With stunning views of Tower Bridge, The Tower of London and the iconic City skyline, Summer by the River is the perfect place to celebrate all things summer. This year the site will be transformed to take on a vibrant English country garden theme.

The busy programme will ensure there is never a dull moment down by the River. With outdoor cinema and theatre, big screen summer sports (including Wimbledon, Ascot and the cricket), live comedy and music performances, fun family days, fitness classes and a host of events to let your hair down on a Friday, Summer by the River will be the ultimate London experience this summer. Please see below for day to day themes with the full programme coming soon.

No festival would be complete without a delicious array of food and drink on offer and this year, Summer by the River is joining up with the amazing teams at Flat Iron Square and Look Mum No Hands to offer a constantly changing choice of some of the Capital’s finest street food housed in stunning country garden themed pop-ups.

Kicking off the holidays in style, Summer by the River will be launching on Friday 1 June, tying in perfectly with National Barbecue Week. Expect a host of vibrant street performers, music, and all the sights, smells and flavours of a true British Summer.

London Bridge City’s Summer by the River info:
Dates: Friday 1 June – Sunday 2 September
Location: London Bridge City, SE1 2DB
Nearest Tube: London Bridge

Event Programme Themes:
Monday – Fitness
Tuesday – Film Night, outdoor cinema
Wednesday – Comedy
Thursday – Music
Friday – FriYay!, all singing all dancing interactive events
Saturday – Family Day
Sunday – World Music

For more information please visit www.londonbridgecity.co.uk

Tags: What's on, London, London Bridge City, National Barbecue Week, Flat Iron Square, Look Mum No Hands

ARTFULLY DRESSED: WOMEN IN THE ART WORLD

THE WEISS GALLERY | 16 – 31 May 2018

From 16 - 31 May 2018, The Weiss Gallery will hold one of its most unique exhibitions to date: 'Artfully Dressed: Women in the Art World', portraits by Carla van de Puttelaar. Sixty photographs of some of the most influential women in the art world today will be shown.

This is an exciting venture for The Weiss Gallery, specialists in Tudor, Stuart and Northern European portraiture. Gallery owner Mark Weiss sees Carla's unique reinterpretation of historic portraiture and costume as an important iconographic re-working of his most beloved art-form - portraiture. It is a visually sumptuous project, and he comments: “I have always been interested in photography, and this project, combining as it does my passion for the human face and form, showcases Carla's genius in dramatically capturing the personality of her sitters in a uniquely evocative way.”

Carla van de Puttelaar's striking photographs, inspired by historical portraits, offer an insight into the women running the international art world, from artists and gallery directors, to curators, designers and art historians. Van de Puttelaar describes the works as 'idealistic', but although the portraits are an attempt at aesthetic perfection through the lens of traditional iconography, yet they subvert that very trope. The theme in itself is a challenging feminist statement at a time when gender equality in the workplace and the art world is in the news. Carla questions what constitutes female beauty, power and by extension, vulnerability.

Van de Puttelaar's photographic work has gained global recognition, and she has exhibited in numerous museums and galleries around the world. Her work has also been featured in significant publications such as The New York Times Magazine and The New Yorker. Carla has always had a keen interest in portraiture and photographs her sitters in natural light, with very dark, Caravaggesque backgrounds. There is an intensity to her portraits, and she describes her work as recording a specific, momentary expression, be it emotional or powerful, but always individual.

Among the sitters are Maria Balshaw CBE, Director of the Tate Art Museums and Galleries; Fashion historian Amber Butchart; Emilie Gordenker, Director of the Mauritshuis; Lidewij de Koekkoek, Director of the Rembrandt House Museum; Catharine MacLeod, Curator of 17th Century Portraits at the National Portrait Gallery; Hanna Klarenbeek, Curator at the Paleis Het Loo; Aileen Ribeiro, Fashion Historian and Costume Expert; Jennifer Scott, Director of the Dulwich Picture Gallery; Diana Scarisbrick, pre-eminent Jewellery Historian; Burcu Yuksel, Art Consultant and Dealer; Miho Kajioka, Photographer; Fariba Farshad, Director of Photo London and Roxana Halls, Artist, among others. They are dressed in haute couture, by famous designers such as Iris van Herpen, Jan Taminiau and Claes Iversen, vintage and period costume, or wrapped in sumptuous historic fabrics by Watts of Westminster. Carla describes her sitters as: 'Powerful, beautiful and so bright…'

As well as being a respected photographer, Carla van de Puttelaar is an Art Historian who gained her PhD from Utrecht University specialising in 17th Century Scottish portraiture. She studied at Gerrit Rietveld Academy to become a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Photography. Carla lives and works as an artist in Amsterdam, and has lectured at various institutions including the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. Her wealth of knowledge and experience has allowed her to build a strong network of friends and colleagues in the art world, forming the inspiration for her prestigious list of sitters for The Weiss Gallery's exhibition.

For more information please visit www.weissgallery.com

Tags: Art, Carla van de Puttelaar, The Weiss Gallery

Award Winning Angela Langford Bloom & Glow Face Oil

With their expert team of lab technicians testing hydration rates and their army of independent testers looking at performance, Angela Langford's Bloom & Glow face oil scored an impressive 91/100.

Not only that, Bloom & Glow came first out of 25 other facial oils, among them some enormous high street beauty and spa brands, including the likes of Murad, Elemis, Eve Lom, Caudalie, REN and ESPA.

This was the GHI Expert's verdict on Bloom & Glow...
"This product received brilliant feedback and scored extremely well across the board, especially for how smooth it left skin. Many testers found that they only needed a small amount of product, which absorbed easily and left skin feeling silky smooth."

Bloom & Glow radiance restoring face oil, chia seed & sea buckthorn

Vegan, cruelty free, organic, natural - and lovingly hand made in Somerset

Angela says...
"Perfect for sensitive, easily inflamed or generally out of kilter. This is your recipe gorgeous, glowing, radiant skin."

Chia seed & sea buckthorn are blended together to deliver high levels of essential fatty acids, vitamins & antioxidants - it improves skin’s elasticity, calms inflammation & restores radiance.

If you would like to receive a bottle of this award-winning oil for trial and inclusion, please don't hesitate to contact Amanda Strutton at Snowball Media Relations: amandastrutton@yahoo.com or call 07795 005053

Tags: Glow Face Oil

Fun-packed event runs from 26 May to 3 June

To celebrate the start of the warmer months, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Garden Wisley is hosting a fun-packed Family Gardening Festival, from 26 May to 3 June 2018.

Running during May half-term, the family event has a ‘Get Set, Grow!’ theme, with a wide variety of activities taking place throughout the week. Kids can get hands-on with garden themed activities and crafts, such as sow and grow workshops, potato and spoon races, face painting, and tree climbing. There will also be puppet shows, storytelling sessions, a ‘Vegetable Olympics’ and a ‘Mole Hill’ area with pedal-powered tractors. Additionally, fascinating Birds of Prey demonstrations will take place on Seven Acres at 11am and 2pm on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 May.

As visitors walk around the Festival and take in the horticultural highlights of the season, they can gain expert advice from the RHS Science Team. Exhibitors include the National Vegetable Society and Surrey Bees, who will provide honey tastings, bee-themed activities and have a variety of wax products for sale.

While at the Family Gardening Festival, families can go on a garden adventure trail, sponsored by Honda, to look for the hidden Miimos - Honda’s clever robotic lawnmowers – along the way.

Take a break to refuel during the Festival with a tasty bite to eat, including ice cream and barbequed treats. There is also plenty of room to enjoy a family picnic in the great outdoors.

Normal garden entry applies; events and activities are suitable for all the family. For further information and to view the daily programme of activities, visit www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley.

Tags: What's on, Wisley Gardens, RHS, RHS Garden Wisley, Family Gardening Festival

National Garden Scheme (NGS) hPartridge Muir & Warren crowned family office of the year

This years’ City of London Wealth Management Awards local Esher based Chartered Financial Planner and Wealth Manager, Partridge Muir & Warren (PMW), with the prestigious title of Family Office of the Year.

The ceremony was conducted at the prestigious Guildhall in the heart of the City. Following their nomination, they faced fierce competition from larger businesses, notably Killick & Co and Hottinger, but the over-whelming support of their loyal clients carried them to victory. CEO, Simon Lewis, was there to collect the award, accompanied by CFO, Kellianne Banham, and Head of Marketing, Ceris Hymas.

Simon Lewis said “I am incredibly proud of my team right now, because it is their dedication and excellence that has inspired our loyal clients to vote for us. We pride ourselves on teamwork and although I am privileged to be receiving this award tonight on behalf of the Company, I am accepting it on behalf of each and every one of our team.”

PMW has been dedicated to looking after the wealth of families and individuals since 1969. Ceris Hymas said “It is as a real honour to receive a national award that recognises our commitment to providing a comprehensive and attentive service to clients, who are situated both locally and throughout the UK.”

For more information about Partridge Muir & Warren you can visit www.pmw.co.uk or call 01372 471550.

Tags: Finance, PMW, Esher, Partridge Muir & Warren, City of London Wealth Management Awards, Chartered Financial Planner and Wealth Manager