New night spot to open in Loughborough

Loughborough’s newest night spot is due to open next month with the launch of The Kelso.

The bar and club in Ward’s End (next to The Orange Tree) opens its doors to the public on Monday December 17th.

The 240-capacity venue features a ground-floor bar and dance floor, and a more intimate first-floor bar with cosy seating, along with a roof-top terrace garden at the rear.

Previously The Newshouse, the premises have been transformed by the Orange Tree Group to create a venue featuring quirky furniture and décor, and based on a style that’s reminiscent of the speakeasy bars of the American ‘20s.

Cocktails, as you would expect, will be a speciality at The Kelso, which will be open from 9pm until 2am between December 17th and 19th, 9pm to 3am on Thursday December 20th, 5pm to 4am on Friday December 21st, 9pm to 4am on Saturday December 22nd, 9pm to 2am on Sunday December 23rd and 5pm to 3am on Christmas Eve.

It will also be open after Christmas from Thursday 27th – with a New Year’s Eve party planned from 8pm to 4am.

Managing director of the Orange Tree Group Gareth Smith said: “We’ve worked hard to create a late night venue which we hope will bring something completely different to the social scene of Loughborough. Something that we believe is strongly missing.

“We have scoured the country for over a year to create an eclectic mix of modern and old materials to give an intimate, yet striking style to The Kelso, and we’re delighted to be offering something unique to the town.”

The Kelso is the second late-night venue opened by the Orange Tree Group, and follows the refurbishment and launch of The Basement in Leicester last year.

Gareth, who is involved with the Loughborough Retail Initiative in the Ward’s End area, hopes that The Kelso will be a welcome asset not just to the town but to the particular area of Loughborough too.

“We are aiming to appeal to a wide range of people who enjoy good music and want to indulge themselves in a brand new hedonistic experience for Loughborough,” he added.

“The name was chosen because it sounded right and it sounds abstract enough to allow people to overlay their own interpretation.”

As part of the refurbishment of the building, original features such as fireplaces, panelling and oak beams have been reinstated.

The Kelso plans to open five nights a week from 9pm in the New Year. Its music style will be vintage, to include soul, funk, indie, R and B, reggae, ska and other genres.

The venue is also available for private hire.

Since 1998, the Orange Tree Group has operated the The Orange Tree pub next door to The Kelso in Loughborough. It opened the venue a year after launching The Orange Tree in Leicester. This was followed by the O Bar in Leicester in 2001. The group’s Orange Tree in Nottingham opened in October 2003, followed by The Lansdowne in Leicester in December 2004.

The independent pub group was founded by Ben Hings and Gareth Smith in October 1997.

For more information about the Food and Drink iNet visit www.facebook.com/thekelsoloughborough

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Orange Tree in Loughborough supports student’s charity effort

Staff at the Orange Tree pub in Loughborough are taking to the saddle to raise money for charity.

The team will cycle 960 miles, but they’ll go nowhere, as they’ll be completing the challenge on an exercise bike in the bar.

The money is being raised in support of customer Alex Carter, 22, who this summer is undertaking a gruelling challenge in aid of Malaria No More UK.

Loughborough University student Alex has pledged to swim 21 miles over two days in Loughborough Olympic Swimming Pool, the equivalent distance of swimming the English Channel, cycle 969 miles from John O’Groats to Lands End, and complete a series of extended marathon runs from Lands End to Loughborough – covering approximately 372 miles over 13 days.

The International Business student is attempting the challenge in aid of Malaria No More UK after almost losing his life to malaria while working in Ghana as a basketball coach in 2008 during his gap year.

Alex spent four days in hospital after contracting a deadly form of malaria, falciparum. Now he has set himself an ambitious personal challenge, which begins in August, and which he has dubbed Victory Over Malaria 1,422 Ultra Triathlon. He hopes to raise £5,000.

The Orange Tree staff have pledged to support his efforts by undertaking their own John O’Groats to Lands End challenge.

“Alex is a housemate of one of our bar staff and a regular at the Orange Tree, and when we heard about his challenge we wanted to do our bit,” said Orange Tree bar supervisor Liam Richards. “We’ll be setting up an exercise bike in the bar and staff will be pedalling the equivalent of Alex’s ride from John O’Groats to Lands End.”

The pub’s efforts begin on Sunday May 20th and Alex will complete the final mile on the evening of Thursday May 24th, when the Orange Tree will also stage a music night in aid of the charity effort.

More than 20 of the Orange Tree’s staff from Loughborough and its sister pubs in Leicester and Nottingham have pledged to do their share of the cycling, including managing director Ben Hings.
All will be doing their bit during their free time.

Customers are being urged to support the charity effort in aid of Malaria No More UK, which is part of a global movement to end suffering and death from malaria.

Sponsorship pages have been set up online and donations are being taken at the bar in Bedford Square, Loughborough.

 The charity push will culminate in an evening of music on Thursday May 24th when two DJs and two bands play at The Orange Tree. Entry is free, with customers being urged to donate to the cause.

“Alex is attempting a gruelling challenge in aid of Malaria No More UK, and we have set ourselves a target of raising more than £1,000 to help the cause,” said Liam. “A little goes a long way in the fight against malaria. £5 is enough to buy, hang and deliver a life-saving mosquito net to a family in Africa, protecting two people from malaria. £10 can transport 150 life-saving nets to a community in rural Ghana – enough to protect 300 people.”

Visit www.justgiving.com/victoryovermalaria for more information or to donate to Alex’s appeal, or leave donations at the Orange Tree.

The photo shows, left to right, Ollie Scott, Dan Newbold, Alex Carter and Liam Richards. Ollie, Dan and Liam are all Orange Tree staff.

Issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Plans unveiled for new social venue in Loughborough

Leicestershire-based independent pub group The Orange Tree has unveiled plans for its latest venue at the site of the former Newshouse in Bedford Square, Loughborough.

The team plans to rename the late-night bar, and hopes to create a nightspot which will boost the local area and bring something unique to the social life of Loughborough.

The proposals include adding a leafy roof-top terrace, introducing the feeling of more height to the ground floor by extending windows on the front of the property, and creating an area on the first floor which has a cosy feel.

They also plan to reinstate original features such as fire places and old oak beams, as well as reclaimed panelling.

Plans have just been submitted to Charnwood Borough Council for the scheme, which is expected to cost more than £¼ million.

“We opened The Orange Tree in Loughborough in 1998, and as an independent operator with strong roots in the town, we are aiming to put together a special ambience that enhances the current night life of Loughborough,” said Gareth Smith, managing director of The Orange Tree Group.

“We’ve worked hard to put together proposals which we hope will be well received. We are planning to create three different areas in the venue, which will include dancing downstairs, chilled and relaxed, cosy house-type rooms upstairs and a leafy roof terrace.

“We will be using a mix of modern and old materials to give an intimate, yet striking style.

“We’ve noticed a lot of fantastic bars cropping up in and around London and they have a style that’s reminiscent of the speakeasy bars of the American ‘20s, but they offer both great cocktails and fun dancing, and this has been really inspirational to us when trying to create this bar.

“The idea is that the bar will be a late-night venue, opening a certain number of nights a week. If all goes well, we hope to be open by November 2012.”

Gareth is involved with the Loughborough Retail Initiative in the Wards End area, and hopes that this new unique offer will help to keep the area alive and popular.

The three-storey building was previously a nightspot, and before that a newsagents. It’s planned that it will be given a new name, as well as a new image.

“We are aiming to appeal to an eclectic mix of people who take pleasure from our quirky style and décor, and people who enjoy a high-quality drinks offer and service,” added Gareth.

The existing ground-floor layout is likely to remain, but will be opened up slightly to create more space. Cosy booths are due to be added, with a DJ and dancing area to the back of the room.

The group opened The Orange Tree in Loughborough in 1998, a year after launching The Orange Tree in Leicester. This was followed by the O Bar in Leicester in 2001. The group’s Orange Tree in Nottingham opened in October 2003, followed by The Lansdowne in Leicester in December 2004. Last year it took over and refurbished The Basement in Leicester – its first late-night venue.

The independent pub group was founded by Ben Hings and Gareth Smith in October 1997.

www.orangetree.co.uk

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Shoppers treated to new Loughborough Christmas Food and Drink Festival

Loughborough is staging a festive food and drink market featuring a range of great-tasting goodies.

The Loughborough Christmas Food and Drink Festival is being held on Friday December 16th – and coincides with a craft fair in the Market Place.

Running from 10am to 4pm, the event gives shoppers the chance to pick up unusual Christmas gifts and buy delicious food and drink direct from producers.

Stallholders will be selling a range of mouth-watering items including meat, cheese, olives, speciality oils, sausages, curry pastes, roast potatoes, pies, Caribbean sauces, sweets, chocolates, crepes, cakes, cider, liqueurs and wine.

The Wildlife Trust will also be running a stall at the event, which is the latest in a number of food and drink markets organised for Loughborough by East Midlands Fine Foods on behalf of Charnwood Borough Council.

“This will be a great opportunity for shoppers to buy some really tasty products for Christmas direct from those who are making them,” said Fiona Anderson, from East Midlands Fine Foods.

“Markets and fairs are an excellent way to meet producers and those who have a strong knowledge about the items that they are selling. They can give tips on how best to cook or serve something, and what its origins are.”
C
ouncillor Paul Harley, Charnwood Borough Council’s Cabinet member for Leisure and Culture, said: “The Christmas food and drink market is part of our packed Country Comes To Town Christmas Programme which is helping the Borough feel festive while offering up some Yuletide treats!

“The food and drink market is the perfect venue to find something a little bit special for the Christmas dinner table this year while you could even pick up a last minute Christmas gift for your loved ones.

“It is yet another example of why you need to look no further than Loughborough for your Christmas shopping this year!”

For details call East Midlands Fine Foods on 0115 9758810.

www.foodanddrinkforum.co.uk

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Children in Need Rocks at The Orange Tree in Loughborough

The Orange Tree in Loughborough is the venue for the East Midlands Children in Need Rocks event on Friday 18th November.

Hosted by BBC Radio’s Dean Jackson, it will feature live performances from some of the best emerging talent in the UK.

Acts lined up for the event include Leicester artistes By The Rivers, fresh for their tour supporting The Specials, charismatic rising star Martin Luke Brown and singer songwriter Izzy Marie Hall, as well as Nottingham band Atticus Anthem and Derby-based guitar band Rugosa Nevada.

There will be live coverage on BBC Radio Nottingham, Derby and Leicester as part of the Children in Need fundraising extravaganza.

“This is a cracking line-up, as all artists have played on BBC Introducing stages at high profile festivals over last summer and are regarded as being some of the UK’s best emerging talents,” said The Orange Tree’s Suzi Corker. “We’d love to raise as much money as possible for this very deserving cause.”

The event kicks off at The Orange Tree in Bedford Square at 8pm. Entry is free, but a donation of £2 is suggested to help raise as much as possible for the annual Children in Need event, organised by the BBC charity that makes a difference to the lives of disadvantaged children and young people across the UK.

www.orangetree.co.uk

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Food and drink festival to be held in Loughborough on Sunday October 23rd

Loughborough is staging a tasty food and drink market later this month featuring a range of producers and stall holders.

Representatives from Leicestershire County Council will also be spreading the ‘Love Food Hate Waste’ message at Loughborough English Food and Drink Festival on Sunday, October 23rd.

Organised by East Midlands Fine Foods on behalf of Charnwood Borough Council, the market offers the chance for shoppers to buy direct from stallholders who produce their own speciality items.

A wide range of food and drink will be available including bread and cakes, chutneys and curry sauces, pastries and puddings, mincemeat and macaroons.

The event, which runs in the Market Place from 10am to 4pm, will also feature children’s rides.

“This will be a great opportunity for shoppers to buy some really tasty products direct from those who are making them,” said Fiona Anderson, from East Midlands Fine Foods.

“We are also pleased that the Love Food Hate Waste team will be at the event, passing on useful tips to encourage less food waste.”

Councillor Paul Harley, Charnwood Borough Council’s Cabinet member for Leisure and Culture, said: “We’re delighted to welcome the food and drink festival to Charnwood and hope that residents and visitors take this opportunity to get their hands and taste buds on some unique produce.

“The Food and Drink Festival is a perfect way of not only giving residents something different to enjoy, but it also helps promote our Borough and attract visitors to help our local economy thrive.”

The October market is to be followed by a similar event in the run up to Christmas, with another Loughborough English Food and Drink Festival scheduled for Friday December 16th.

This will be the ideal opportunity to support local producers and opt for speciality food and drink items for the festive season, including gifts for foodies.

For details call East Midlands Fine Foods on 0115 9758810.


www.foodanddrinkforum.co.uk

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Speciality food and drink producers invited to take part in Loughborough English Food and Drink Festival

Artisan food and drink producers from across the UK are being invited to take part in Loughborough English Food and Drink Festival.

The event is returning for a second time on Sunday June 26th after being launched in April.

Now organiser East Midlands Fine Foods, which is running the market on behalf of Charnwood Borough Council, is inviting applications for stalls.

“We hope to have a wide range of producers, from craft bakers to artisan chocolatiers,” said Jo Taylor, events co-ordinator at East Midlands Fine Foods. “We hope to be selling everything from speciality cheeses to top quality meats, and all sorts of items in between.”

The festival will be held in the Market Place, Loughborough, in the centre of the town, between 10am and 4pm.

For details about stalls, call East Midlands Fine Foods on 0115 9758810.

Visit www.foodanddrinkforum.co.uk

Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Artisan producers lined up for Loughborough English Food and Drink Festival

A feast of artisan producers will be bringing a tasty range of food and drink to a new Loughborough market this Easter.

Cupcakes and curry sauces, plum breads and beers, and salsas and sausages are just some of the items that will be on offer at the Loughborough English Food and Drink Festival, which is being held in the town’s Market Place between 10am and 4pm on Monday April 25.

Cooking demonstrations will also be held to provide inspiration to shoppers.

Among those giving demonstrations will be Lincolnshire-based Oslinc, who will be cooking up a large ostrich egg as an alternative breakfast fry-up, and Derbyshire baker Sarah Gayton, who will be making scones.

The market is being organised by East Midlands Fine Foods on behalf of Charnwood Borough Council.

East Midlands Fine Foods events co-ordinator Jo Taylor said: “We’ve got an excellent range of food on offer at the festival to appeal to all tastes. We’ve also lined up some cooking demonstrations from stallholders who are taking part in the market, which should help to give some ideas of the best ways of serving up the food and drink that’s being sold at the festival.”

The event is the first of four similar festivals being planned for Loughborough during 2011. Future events are scheduled for June 26th and 27th, August 28th and 29thand October 23rd and 24th.

East Midlands Fine Foods, which supports speciality food and drink producers across the region, has run the monthly two-day Regional and Speciality Food and Drink Market in Nottingham, in conjunction with Nottingham City Council, for almost four years.

Nottingham PR firm Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Leicestershire independent pub company The Orange Tree to branch out with a new outlet in Loughborough

East Midlands independent pub group The Orange Tree is to bring something new to Loughborough’s nightlife after buying The Newshouse next door to its pub in Bedford Square.

The Orange Tree plans to refurbish the venue and open it in late summer or early autumn.

Managing director Ben Hings said: “It will be a late night venue to complement what The Orange Tree next door offers, and will be true to the style of our other outlets.”

The group opened The Orange Tree in Loughborough in 1998, a year after launching The Orange Tree in Leicester. This was followed by the O Bar in Leicester in 2001. The group’s Orange Tree in Nottingham opened in October 2003, followed by The Lansdowne in Leicester in December 2004.

It was recently announced that the group was opening its first club after taking over a site formerly occupied by The Basement in Wellington Street, Leicester. The club, which will retain the name The Basement, is currently being transformed into a flexible venue with an alternative feel and offer, and is due to open in early summer.

This latest acquisition is good news for both the company and for Loughborough’s nightlife, said Ben Hings.

“We are very pleased to have bought The Newshouse,” he said. “We plan to change the name, refurbish the venue, and hope to be opening something new and exciting for Loughborough’s nightlife in a few months time.”

The independent pub group was founded by Ben Hings and Gareth Smith in October 1997.

The Orange Tree www.orangetree.co.uk

Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Tasty food demonstrations at new Loughborough English Food and Drink Festival

Eggs won’t come much bigger this Easter than the giant ostrich egg which will be fried up as part of a range of cookery demonstrations at Loughborough English Food and Drink Festival.

The egg will be the centrepiece of an alternative traditional English breakfast cooked up by Lincolnshire firm Oslinc at the new foodie event, which runs on Easter Monday in Loughborough’s Market Place.

The demonstration will be one of a number given by artisan food and drink producers taking part in the event organised by East Midlands Fine Foods on behalf of Charnwood Borough Council.

Originally planned as a two-day event over the Easter weekend, but now a special one-day event on Easter Monday, April 25th the festival is expected to attract artisan and speciality food and drink producers from across the country.

“As it will be Easter, it’s appropriate to feature eggs in our cooking demonstrations, and they don’t come much bigger than ostrich eggs,” said East Midlands Fine Foods events co-ordinator Jo Taylor.

The event runs from 10am to 4pm on April 25, and is the first of four similar festivals being planned for Loughborough during 2011. Future events are scheduled for June 26th and 27th, August 28th and 29thand October 23rd and 24th.

“We’ve got several cooking demonstrations lined up for the event, so not only will visitors be able to buy some of the country’s best regional food, they will also be getting some great tips on how to cook it when they get home,” said Jo.

“We’re hoping to create a great family atmosphere on Easter Monday.”

In view of the fact that more traders than expected planned to spend Easter Sunday with their families and that virtually all shops in the Loughborough area will be closing on Easter Sunday, market organisers opted to condense the festival into a one-day event.

Mike Bird, Charnwood Borough Council’s markets and fairs manager, said: “Traders are delighted to be Trading on Easter Monday which should make the market an even bigger attraction with a friendly, fun, bustling atmosphere for families and shoppers to enjoy.”

East Midlands Fine Foods, which supports speciality food and drink producers across the region, has run the monthly two-day Regional and Speciality Food and Drink Market in Nottingham, in conjunction with Nottingham City Council, for four years and is delighted to be running similar events now in Loughborough.

Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

New food and drink festival seeks speciality food and drink producers

Speciality food and drink producers across England are being invited to take part in an exciting new food and drink festival launching in April.

The Loughborough English Food and Drink Festival will be held four times a year – starting with a two-day event on Easter Sunday and Monday, April 24th and 25th.

Run by regional food group East Midlands Fine Foods on behalf of Charnwood Borough Council, the event will feature a market packed with tasty goodies from across the country, bringing together the best traditional English produce from each region.

“Shoppers have a big appetite for regional food and drink, and Loughborough English Food and Drink Festival will bring together Britain’s love of traditional markets with the opportunity for people to buy some excellent regional products,” said East Midlands Fine Foods events co-ordinator Jo Taylor.

“Seasonal entertainment will be on offer, including cooking demonstrations, and we’re hoping to create a great family atmosphere on Easter Sunday and Monday. This is an excellent chance for producers from around the country to sell direct to the public in an area that’s renowned for its interest in all things foodie.

“It’s close to Melton Mowbray, the rural capital of food, and in an area of Leicestershire that’s home to many artisan producers.”

Now East Midlands Fine Foods is inviting applications from across the country from suitable producers who want to be part of the event, which will be staged in Loughborough’s Market Place and feature up to 150 stalls.

The organisation is hoping to recruit firms that produce and sell seasonal fruit and vegetables, speciality and rare breed meat including sausages, cakes, jams, pickles and chutneys, charcuterie, sweet and savoury pies and pastry products, dairy products including cheese, butter, yoghurt and ice-cream, confectionery, beers, wines and ciders, drinks including tea, coffee and soft drinks, plus any other artisan products.

The food and drink festivals are also being planned for June 26th and 27th, August 28th and 29th and October 23rd and 24th – with discounts available for stallholders who book for more than one market.

East Midlands Fine Foods, which is managed by regional business support organisation The Food and Drink Forum, supports speciality food and drink producers across the region.

In conjunction with Nottingham City Council, East Midlands Fine Foods has run the monthly two-day Regional and Speciality Food and Drink Market in Nottingham for almost four years.

For more information please contact Jo Taylor on 0115 9758810 or visit www.eastmidlandsfinefoods.co.uk and scroll down to the Loughborough Food and Drink Festival section.

Nottingham PR consultant Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Rainbows Children's Hospice helped by The Orange Tree pub in Loughborough

Regulars at the Orange Tree pub in Loughborough have donated almost £1,400 to Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People.

The money was collected from two music events held at the Orange Tree last summer - Superfuzz Alfresco and Glastotree – which both showcased some of the best bands in the Leicestershire/Nottinghamshire area.

The total has also been boosted by the Bedford Square pub’s on-going loyalty card scheme which is also raising money for Rainbows. So far, the Clubcard has netted almost £400 for the charity.

The Clubcard, which entitles holders to special prices on cocktails and a range of other benefits, including food and events, as well as access to discounts and offers from local shops, costs £1, and 50p from each card is donated to the charity.

“The Clubcard is a great way to reward The Orange Tree’s loyal customers and also to help a very deserving local charity at the same time,” said managing director Ben Hings. “The Orange Tree’s cocktails are very popular, and we hope our customers will continue to support our Clubcard scheme so that we can keep adding to the amount we’ve raised so far for Rainbows Hospice.”

The pub is a regular supporter of Rainbows, which cares for children and young people across the East Midlands, and has raised hundreds of pounds for the charity in the past.

The Orange Tree is also planning to support Rainbows this summer with a new open air mini-festival and a new 2010 line-up for Glastotree.

Rainbows, which is based in Lark Rise, Loughborough, offers respite symptom control and end of life care to children and young people, as well as support for the whole family. Care is provided by a dedicated and caring team of professional nurses, carers and therapists in a ‘home from home’ environment.

http://www.orangetree.co.uk/

Students discover the ingredients for a career in the food and drink sector at Food and Drink iNet events

Almost 100 students have so far discovered the recipe for a career in the food and drink industry as part of a programme of events organised by The Food and Drink iNet.

Undergraduates and postgraduates at the universities of Nottingham, Loughborough and Northampton have attended workshops designed to give students an insight into the breadth of career opportunities in the UK’s food and drink industry.

The next session is due to take place at the University of Derby on February 5th between 1pm and 3pm in room T204.

Experts from leading food and drink companies have been involved in the free workshops to give advice about careers in the sector. So far, 94 students have taken part.

“The continued success of the food and drink sector in the East Midlands and beyond depends upon talented individuals joining the industry,” said Peter Maycock, Food and Drink iNet project director. “The food and drink sector is a very varied and dynamic sector in which to work, and we hope that these workshops are encouraging undergraduates and postgraduates to look at taking careers in the food and drink sector when they leave university.”

The Food and Drink iNet aims to foster innovation in the region’s food and drink sector by encouraging businesses to turn new ideas into new business through the development of new technologies and products. It also hopes to stimulate new processes, services and ways of working in the industry to help boost the sector.

Funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda), the Food and Drink iNet is managed by a consortium, led by The Food and Drink Forum and including Food Processing Faraday, Nottingham Trent University, The University of Lincoln, and The University of Nottingham.

For more information about the Food and Drink iNet visit www.foodanddrink-inet.org.uk