Litters Éclairs is the only dedicated éclair Shop in the North West with the desire to create some interestingly beautiful éclairs. In our charmingly small shop, we have an open style kitchen where our handcrafted éclairs are baked with precision, generously filled and decorated with an intricate finish.

Was there a particular moment when you decided to become a chef?

I was 22 when I got my first kitchen job, and I instantly knew it was the right career path for me. I loved the fast-paced environment, working with a team of chefs and being creative with cooking.  I remember loving it so much that I changed my dining room into a second kitchen, it was like walking into a restaurant kitchen… stainless steel tables, commercial fridge and freezer, Vac Pac machine, pasta machine and pastry oven – I had it all. On my days off I would be making big pans of jus from the beef bones I got from the butchers.  I treated it like I was a head chef at home but really, I was still a commis in the workplace it was great haha. I was just consumed with cooking and learning.

What qualities do you think you need to be a pastry chef?

Passion is a definite. If you don’t have love for what you do then you’re not able to keep pushing forward. Patience would be another, success comes from failing and this is something I had to do many of times so I had to be very patient throughout the learning curves.

Why just Éclairs?

I get asked this a lot. I had previously put my hand to making celebratory cakes, boxes of chocolates and other desserts but it wasn’t until I started making choux pastries and witnessing the challenges that came with it – it just woke my soul up haha. They fascinated me with how they baked to be hollow on the inside, the crisp outer shell and the clean lines running over the éclair, they just looked pretty to me even in their basic form.  

I knew I wanted to master them to this degree, so I put all my focus into it. The aim was to master them to the point I could make 1 or 100 éclairs which all looked uniform in size and shape, hollow on the inside and evenly risen with clean lines. This wasn’t as simple to achieve as I first thought, and I quickly realised the challenges I would face.  It has taken a lot of failed attempts for me to learn how to get them right and I mean a lot. 

I didn’t move onto the glazes until I had mastered the choux first but when I got the chance to see the éclair dipped, they became even more beautiful. Having 5 different coloured éclairs lined up together was like art to me. I also realised if I hadn’t spent all my time mastering the choux to be crack free and evenly risen, they would not have had that elegant appearance they did. The glaze can hide a multitude of sins, but I knew I didn’t want to hide behind any of it. So, it was such a fist pumping moment that the hard work was paying off.

Next came the filling choices I could use and suddenly, I had all these beautiful éclairs in front of me with endless possibilities of what else I could do with them.  That was when I had the eureka moment of wanting to open a business making éclairs. I also knew there was nothing like this in the North West-  a shop that’s just solely focused on éclairs and I thought it would be something great to bring to Merseyside.  I know there are a lot of pastry lovers around and I wanted customers to experience the new creative twist I had given the éclair.

What is the most rewarding part of having an éclair shop?

There is nothing more rewarding than knowing a customer enjoys eating the work you have created. When I hear the door clang and I know it’s a customer coming into the shop, it’s a great feeling knowing someone has chosen to come and try a Littlers Éclair.  A few times a customer has asked if it’s OK if they can take a photo of inside the display fridge, and I’m like yes sure you can. That made me smile. 

Do you have a favourite Éclair?

I probably enjoy one of my éclairs most Friday and Saturdays when I’m open haha.  I have such a sweet tooth, but I always tend to go for the Lemon Meringue Éclair.  The sharp, tangy citrus gets my taste buds going and the balance of the sweet meringue just does it for me. The customers favourite tends to be the Strawberry éclair and secondly, the Hazelnut Crunch.

Does it take along time to make the éclairs?

Yes, it does.  I am open two days a week at the moment, and I spend the other 5 days preparing recipes some of which can take up to two days to make.  

You have had the shop open for 6 months now, how has it been?

At the beginning it was quite overwhelming, but I do feel I have settled into it more. I am the only chef at the moment so having 7 different flavoured éclairs, some with 4 components on each to prepare, I had to be very strict in how I manage my time.  I also work on the till when I’m open, so I don’t get much room to make mistakes – I have to be extremely organised. 

Do you have any inspirational role models?

If there was a chef I would like to meet it would be Marco Pierre White or Heston Blumenthal.

What are the most important considerations when crafting your éclairs?

I tend to consider the éclair from a customer’s buying perspective. I ask myself, what would they want from each éclair and why would they buy one. I focus equally on presentation and flavour as a lot of people buy with their eyes first then I have to make sure I meet the expectations of flavour and mouth feel. I like to think my éclairs are seen as a full dessert that you could get from any restaurant menu.

Lucy Littler’s Éclairs

15-17 Wallasey Road

Liscard

Tel: 07897 032929

littlerseclairs.co.uk

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My wife is from here, so the Hillbark Hotel is our second home. We stay there about half a dozen times a year visiting family. We spend quite a bit of time zig zagging around the area visiting Louise’s old friends and stuff.

I have a soft spot for the place. It’s really beautiful. My favourite part is the Wirral coast. I hugely enjoy walking along it – it’s one of my guilty pleasures (they’re always the simple ones, like sneaking a cheese and onion pasty in the car). New Brighton is a lovely spot. In fact I’ve got a great photo of New Brighton by the photographer Martin Parr at home.

I have worked in Liverpool lots of times over the years but not the Wirral. It’s more of a destination really, you must have a reason to go there.

You made 20 series of Time Team and many more historical documentaries including the award-winning “Tony Robinson’s Time Walks”, and “Tony Robinson’s Tour of Duty” about World War One. You’ve even made one about the Wild West! So, what impresses you about the Wirral?

I particularly like the Viking place names, Tranmere, Thingwall, Meols, West Kirby, Heswall etc. A lot of southerners know about the Scottish coast and Cornwall, but the Vikings also came to the North West. There are so many village names in Wirral relating to the Vikings and I’m fascinated by that.

I’ve spent 20 years in archaeology and I don’t think you can ever be finished with the subject even though I’m not making that kind of programme now. It’s a special way of looking at the landscape. You can never lose interest in archaeology when you see the world through those eyes.

I think a lot of the Wirral is under-dug and under-explored, so if anyone finds a Viking mast in their back garden then be sure to give me a call – don’t just dig it up it by yourself!

Were you always interested in history as a child?

I have always been fascinated by history even before I knew what the word meant.  The interest came from my Mum and Dad. I mean, I was an only child growing up in London after the war. I was born in 1946 so WW2 wasn’t a distant memory, and they both had lots of stories about their wartime experiences.

My mum was in the WAAF and my Dad was and RAF fitter in Scotland. They met loads of people that they would never have met if they hadn’t been mobilised. I started to realise that there was a time when I didn’t exist, and I was part of human history. When I realised you could actually get marks at school for this thing called history I was amazed!

What was your childhood like?

Being an only child meant that my mum and dad had time to focus on me. There was always a showbiz aspect in the house because Dad had learned to play boogie piano in the war, and Mum had immersed herself in amateur dramatics. This was an enormous advantage to me.

I became a child actor. My first professional appearance was at the age of 13 in the original version of the stage musical “Oliver!”. Then I went on to drama school at the Central School of Speech and Drama. I spent a number of years in repertory theatre after that.

Do you prefer TV or the stage?

I have a bit of a butterfly mind and I love moving from thing to thing and getting engrossed in whatever my current project is. That’s always the most interesting thing to me. Due to the fact that I work across a number of mediums and genres I’m always finding out interesting things and learning interesting new skills. I’ve been lucky enough to do a wide variety of things outside of acting too and not a lot of my contemporaries get to do that.

Would you consider yourself lucky?

I’m incredibly lucky to have been able to do the things I’ve done! In fact, I think I’m the luckiest person I know! The other day I got off the train and left my suitcase behind, so I ran all the way back to the station and believe it or not, the train was still at the platform and my case was safe and sound, so I just picked it up and jumped back in a taxi! Lucky? I think so.

How about if you had £1 for every person who asked you whether you had a cunning plan?

Yes – it’s certainly become my catchphrase! There’s a reason why I called my autobiography “No Cunning Plan”. People ask me about it all the time but what most don’t realise is that ‘I have a cunning plan’ didn’t become Baldrick’s catchphrase until the third series of Blackadder. Looking back, it all seems preordained, as if Blackadder was always going to be a success. But at the time we didn’t have a clue how it was going to be received.

In fact, the first series wasn’t even that popular! It wasn’t until the second series that it started to take off.

But amazing fun though?

You would assume it was good fun and of course it was intoxicating, but in actual fact it was incredibly focused work. We were all perfectionists. It was like playing for Real Madrid given the quality of the writers and actors you were working with. Every episode was about trying to be funnier, more engaging, more literate.

The bar felt very high. Everyone else was 10 years younger than me, and I realised straight away what calibre of people I was working with, despite a lot of them not really being known to television at that time. There was Rowan (Atkinson) Stephen (Fry) and Hugh (Laurie) who were pretty new to the the industry and Tim McInnerny was at the National Theatre so was known as a character actor but weren’t famous or anything. There were just so much fresh talent there!

I remember being in the lunch queue at the BBC one day – and this was in the days when every programme was rehearsed in the same place in Acton, West London. So you’d see all sorts of people in the canteen – and Victoria Wood, bless her, was behind me and just leaned over and said, ‘You and I will never be Romeo and Juliet, we will always be known as the little one and the fat one.’

What was it like working with the late, great Rik Mayall?

Like a grenade going off! I mean he was just dazzling! He could rehearse something, and it would be like bam! Then he’d just stop and wink at you!

Do you have a most embarrassing moment?

Yes, but it’s not a Blackadder one. The full story I’ve included in my autobiography, but I’ll just say it involves me being locked outside a theatre in the middle of the night with no clothes on!

Since Blackadder, your career has remained hugely varied from being awarded a BAFTA for your TV writing, touring your one-man stage show, to touching on political issues such as your documentary on care for the elderly. How important is it to raise awareness of these issues?

I’ve been an ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society since 2008 and this time of year, the depths of the winter, is a terrible time for many elderly people. I found out a great deal about issues to do with the elderly when I was making the documentary “Me and My Mum.”

The problems of loneliness, the cold and mobility difficulties for elderly people are not going away and it’s important that people don’t forget that.

You are politically active and have been a Labour Party supporter for many years. What are your thoughts on Jeremy Corbyn’s opposition?

Well I’ve always been critical of Jeremy but that’s the beauty of a large party like the Labour party, you can criticise and put your point of view across but at the end of the day you’re loyal to the party. I’ve even campaigned on the Wirral!

I’m starting to wonder how you fit it all in, and I’m not surprised you were presented with the “Outstanding Contribution by an Individual” award by the Museums and Heritage Association. You’ve also written 30 children’s books. Is it difficult to write successful books for children?

The series of books that I’ve been writing for the last 6-7 years is called Tony Robinson’s Weird World of Wonders and it looks at everything extraordinary weird or funny.

It’s not that it’s difficult to write for children, but I like to try and breathe life into what would otherwise be considered a dull subject. Although it’s not that the subject itself is dull, it’s just sometimes it can be told in a really boring way.

You’ve got to scrape away at the tedium in the same way as you would scrape away at a dull brown painted bannister to reveal the beautiful wood underneath. Things aren’t dull, they just seem so and when you find out more about them everything becomes interesting!

What’s next for you then? Is there anything left to achieve!

Well I guess my main ambition is to do more things I haven’t done yet. I wouldn’t mind a character part in an HBO series. I’m starting to feel left out that all my friends have been in Game of Thrones! Nor was I in any of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings Trilogy – even though he’s a fan and owns an original Baldrick costume!

My next project is for Channel 5, and it takes me all over England exploring the country’s Cathedrals. I’m really looking forward to it. It includes Liverpool, so I’ll be back in my second home soon!

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You have been in the press recently regarding the exciting and impressive re-launch of Higson’s Brewery under the name of H1780. How did that happen?

Well I had more than 20 years working in Scotland’s brewing industry and I wanted to channel my experience and passion for better beer into creating a high quality branded drinks business. The H is for Higson’s and 1780 was the year in which Higson’s first flowed in the city. The company was part of and parcel of life in Liverpool and well beyond until 1990 when the last pint of Higson’s was brewed. To bring that back, I had a vision of a beer, gin and food experience all under one roof in the Baltic Triangle, and I’m delighted how that has come about. From a run-down warehouse for a rubber business, the transformed building is home to the brewery, a distillery, 3 bars, a kitchen, events space, as well as tours and tastings starting in early 2018. We’re extremely pleased with what we’ve achieved.

Let’s go back to the beginning and your Wirral roots. You attended Birkenhead School, is that where your love of cricket began?

I was encouraged massively by our master in charge of cricket, Micky Bowyer and as we reached the National U15 semi-finals two years running and I grew in confidence. The turning point was an eye test – with glasses I could now actually see the seam on the ball! My Birkenhead School final year report read ‘if he spent as much time on his studies as his cricket…” so I guess that says something about me! I then started with Wirral Schools U13 representing Wirral ad that culminated with England schools. A schoolboy highlight was playing for MCC Schools at Lords on Royal Wedding day in 1981. Then I was a contracted professional at Lancashire County Cricket Club between 1982 and 1984. I played at Cheshire County Cricket Club and amazingly for Scotland in the 1998 Commonwealth games in Kuala Lumpar where I faced the world’s fastest bowler Shoaib Akhtar. When I left school, I wanted to be a professional cricketer.

Are you still involved in sport?

Whilst I was living in Edinburgh, I ran the Grange CC junior section and MCC in Scotland. Time commitments mean I am not involved here other than as a ‘taxi driver’ for 17-year-old Jamie who is a very keen cricketer. It’s great fun he loves it and we do lots of miles all over the country. A bonus is I bump into people I used to play against! I am a member of Royal Liverpool Golf Club and as an MCC member I love going to Lords. Jamie played there last year – that was a great family day out – 35 years after I had first played there!

How did you get from being a geography and PE graduate from the University of Birmingham to a Director designate at a Scottish brewery in Edinburgh?

I played a season of cricket in Australia, and then worked for Dunlop Sports Surfaces but was made redundant with no pay-out and a mortgage to pay! I became good at dealing with adversity! I got a job with Labatts UK after pestering a friend I played cricket with and from there in 1993, an Edinburgh based, Birmingham University pal sent me an ad from Scotland on Sunday for another job there and I applied. I turned up for that interview – unable to speak as I had really sore throat and was dosed myself with lozenges only to find out I was in the wrong office! They had sent me a letter confirming the change, but it was bank holiday in England and it hadn’t arrived – no mobile phones in those days! I was an hour late as a result and could barely speak but remarkably I got the job!

You lived in Scotland for 20 years in the beer industry and set down roots there, tell us about that.

For my 6th birthday I went to Edinburgh to the Tattoo with my mum we had family holidays in the Scottish Borders. I loved Edinburgh from visits to see my good pal from University with its great bars, great pies and I even loved the buildings. I was obviously delighted then, to be part of Caledonian becoming the official beer of the Tattoo and to live in one of those crescents we used to admire – curved front windows, amazing cornices and really high ceilings. Playing cricket for Scotland and running Caledonian, which was close to people’s hearts meant 20 years simply flew by.

Have your family settled into life here on the Wirral and what are their favourite things about living in this area?

Still settling into our new home as it’s been quite hectic doing the house project and the business at the same time. Jamie is away at school and Fergus went to London after graduating from Durham University in the summer. Enjoying the coastal location is a favourite of mine although it’s a bit windy at times! We love walks with Fergus’s dog Odi on Hoylake and West Kirby beaches, a pint of Love Lane Pale Ale in the West Kirby tap – the simple pleasures – there’s good chat, and then home for a family meal, a cup of tea or a bowl of soup you can’t beat it!

The launch of H1780 must be all consuming at present but how do you view your life in say 5 years’ time?

60? When do I get my bus pass? Seriously I have a talented team, so I would expect one of them to be pushing me for them to run the business day to day by then. I can’t see me retiring – but currently I am not looking that far ahead – there’s plenty to do!

What makes H1780 different?

We are very excited at being in the heart of L1 and to be making our drinks in the same building as people are learning about them and consuming them. We have recruited the best people we can with skills, knowledge and passion for what they are doing whether that is making great gins, brewing very drinkable pints or cooking tasty food. It’s all about quality. We want everyone to feel part of what we are doing – building a leading beer and gin business in the North West.

As a child what was the best and worst Christmas present that you’ve ever had?

My mum tells me as a toddler I wanted a wheelbarrow? I was so chuffed! I just put all the other presents in it and wheeled them round for ages! The worst was a binder for my cricketer magazines – it had instructions that were hard to follow, and I got very annoyed and frustrated I couldn’t get them in the binder for ages!

How do you relax?

It’s a strength of mine – very quickly, although this project has challenged that trait occasionally! My office has often been my car for the past 3 years (until this week!) I can quite often make do with a power nap of 10 minutes!

You’ve spent time in the US on business, but where is your favourite place to go on holiday?

Let me try and try and remember – what’s a holiday again? I’ve not had one since Oct 2015! That was Windjammer in St Lucia which we like a lot. My favourite holiday was when we went to watch Jamie play cricket in South Africa and it doubled as my wife, Fiona’s 50th. We loved the trip to Rorkes Drift and Islandwana (I was a fan of Zulu as a boy). It was awe-inspiring! That plus Franschhoek, Stellenbosch, Cape Town and the Hermanus area made for a wonderful holiday.

Favourite cuisine overall?

Shellfish (langoustines, large prawns or scallops for starter) Steak (sometimes blue steak). If travelling – sushi/sashimi – love it and makes me feel good!

Most recent meal in a Wirral restaurant?

Had an excellent meal for Fiona’s birthday in Cafe Nancie in West Kirby – it was our first visit and we really enjoyed it.

Favourite Liverpool restaurant?

Lots of choice now which is great – depends on the occasion – but Love the food at the Art School, and like Maray and Salt House Tapas.

Guilty pleasure?

I think most probably quality food and drink with family/friends. I’m also hoping progress will allow golf to become a pastime again without feeling like a guilty pleasure!

If you could have one Christmas wish granted, what would it be?

Fiona’s brother Rob, an Old Birkonian died February 2014 aged 39, her sister is having chemo now and a friend in Edinburgh’s son is in a bad way after an injury on the rugby field, so my wish would be health and happiness for my friends and family!

To find out more about the new Higsons venture – H1780, visit www.h1780tapstill.co.uk

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Because of the sheer enormity of Beatlemania, Mike, not wanting to appear to be cashing in, changed his name to McGear. He was an integral part of the 60’s Merseybeat era but Scaffold were mainly a theatre, university, satirical comedy act. In 1967, Mike got them into the pop world by writing their first top five single ‘Thank U Very Much’ incidentally it became the Queen Mother’s and Prime Minister Harold Wilson’s favourite record. In 1968, their huge hit Lily the Pink reached the top of the charts (here and abroad) and stayed number one for four weeks.

You are a notable Musician, Photographer and Author. But what did you want to be as a kid?
A big kid.

Is it quite surreal that your original 2 up – 2 down family home has been bought by the National Trust?
It is surreal. We had lived in the property from when I was 11 years old and I have some great memories from there. The new owner Mrs Jones had shown the National Trust around the property but they weren’t remotely interested because it was now a modern two up two down. It was only when they looked at my photographs they said if we can have the photographs we’ll buy it… and they did.

Did you really whistle the theme tune to the Liver Birds TV Show?
(Mike answers by whistling the theme tune) Yes I did for 20 years. It brightened up the life of the wonderful actor Alan Cumming no end, in fact he had to shake my hand. We were at Panoramic, Liverpool doing an interview for Sky TV’s Urban Secrets. I whistled for him and he shook my hand and said “I can now tell my Mum in Scotland that I’ve shaken the hand of the man who whistled the Liver Bird theme tune.” So yes, that was me.

Didn’t the legendary Jimi Hendrix, Elton John, Graeme Nash and Sir Tim Rice play as session musicians for your first album?
Unbelievably, yes. Jimi was a charming gentleman. He came to the studio and played guitar on my McGough McGear album, I was expecting an enormous entourage with all his press people, photographer, groupies, drug administrators etc., but when he arrived at De Lane Lea Studios London he was just on his tod with a guitar. I said that we were actually working on a track with our kid (Paul) who was the producer of the album. Paul was working on another track in the studio so I offered Jimi a drink. He said “No that’s cool, I’ll just go into the studio and rehearse stuff”. Paul and I came to the track called ‘So Much In Love’ so we sent it to him in the studio where he sat on the floor and started playing. Paul and I were listening and there was a bit in it were Jimi was to come in for the solo. And so it goes ‘So Much In Love… do be do be’ etc… then suddenly Jimi rips into a totally mind blowing solo which was amazing! Our kid who had just finished Pepper, turned to me smiling and said “So what do you think?” When I looked concerned Paul said “that was extraordinary… what’s wrong?” I said “well he didn’t come in at the right place!” Paul said “So do you want to tell him?” I didn’t mind so went into the studio and said “Jimi, that was brilliant but the thing is you didn’t know when to come in did you?” He said “No sorry, I just went for it, can you tell me when to come in?” So Jimi and I sat on the floor waiting with me till I tapped his knee… “NOW Jimi!” We did a couple of takes till it was ‘perfect’. I then played the tape back with Paul and he said “Now do you understand what you’ve done? Do you remember the first one when it was wild and electric, well this one is now modified, cooled down, perfect but no balls in it.” I agreed that he was absolutely right. So Paul said to the tape operator “sorry can we have the first take?” The tape operator said “what do you mean the first take, there’s no room left on the tape. We’ve been wiping everything as we go”!! So that’s lesson number one in recording.

Elton John was our backing singer for Scaffold. I was at the in the bathroom at the Wings launch in London and this young lad came in. He said “They were great days weren’t they Mike”, I said “Hello Reg (that was his name at the time). He said “Oh no I’m not Reg anymore, I changed my name to Elton… Elton John”. I said “That’s nice but what do you mean, they were great days?” He explained “We used to come to Abbey Road to do backing vocals for your Scaffold, they were the best gigs we ever did, laughed all day and still got paid”. Scaffold couldn’t sing so were needed someone to do harmonies. In fact, if you listen to the old Scaffold songs, you can clearly hear Elton’s voice on them.

Graham Nash was in the Hollies, whenever you hear Lily the Pink, our number one record listen to the Jennifer Eccles verse. The Hollies had a big hit called Jennifer Eccles, so I rang Graham and said “Look, we’re doing this daft song called Lily the Pink and there’s a verse in there about Jennifer Eccles do you want to come to Abbey Road and sing it?”
and he did, so if you ever hear the song on the radio it is not Roger McGough singing that verse… it is so obviously Graham Nash. By the way Tim Rice was our coffee boy on Lily the Pink and I’ll be working with him next year on something special.

Did you sign with David Frost?
We were with Brian Epstein and his big rock and roll Merseyside stable but we didn’t fit in. We were a comedy, satirical poetry type act… we weren’t singers at all. So we left Brian to join David Frosts agency, Noel Gay because we were big fans of ‘That Was The Week That Was… TW3’

You were originally called The Liverpool One Fat Lady Non Electric Show before The Scaffold, what happened there?
We were called the Liverpool One Fat Lady None Electric Show, but nobody could pronounce it! So we changed it to Scaffold.

How quickly did London accept Scousers after the Merseybeat invasion?
The Merseybeat invasion was a very important part of social history in the old North and South divide days. Immediately after Merseybeat there was a sudden change in attitude and perceptions. For such a long time Liverpool people and northerners were ignored by London as we didn’t speak the same language and were no use to them. It was also very much a class thing but the working class now had a voice – it changed history for ever.

Who were your heroes growing up?
The traditional ones… Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Everly Brothers and particularly Fats Waller, I love him to this day, I guess that’s where my love of comedy and satire came from, he was a big hero. Other hero’s were Marlon Brando and JFK. I wasn’t into Bridget Bardot, every other child in the world, particularly in Liverpool, were into her. I was an awkward bugger so I decided on Jeanne Moreau of Jules et Jim etc.

Your solo project ‘McGear’ is an excellent album, there is a distinct family vocal similarity and arrangement, do you have any future plans?
Thank you. I’m actually in discussions with labels in LA and the UK about releasing a new luxury version of the album next year. That will include special additions, out-takes and lots of other things that I’ve collated, it will be wonderful.

Was your choice to take the satirical route early on a chance to side-step Beatlemania?
Yes I suppose it was. Brian Epstein asked me if I’d like to be a pop singer and offered to manage me. I politely declined. In reality, to try and compete with the best band in the world would be insane, you don’t go there. That had been well done in the family, well encapsulated. I wanted to pursue comedy/satire. I even changed my name so not to look like I was cashing in on my proud McCartney name. Which at that time was like Sinatra or Presley etc. and to protect the innocent I became Mike McGear. However, I was nearly Mike Dangerfield from J.P. Donleavy’s ‘Ginger Man’ but it was a little too pretentious. The two ‘in words’ in Liverpool at that time were Fab and Gear, so I was nearly Mike McFab! But McGear sounded Irish so I went with that.

Was the reason for you and Paul to drop your actual first names – you being Peter and Paul being James an early attempt at an alter ego?
Our parents actually dropped our first names, still don’t know why.

The Scaffold’s Lily The Pink hit single, released in November 1968, became No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart for the four weeks encompassing the Christmas holidays that year, it became a huge playground classic comedy singalong The lyrics celebrate the “medicinal compound” invented by Lily the Pink, and chronicle the “efficacious” cures it has brought about, such as inducing morbid obesity to cure a weak appetite, and our favourite – a sex change as a remedy for freckles. Who brought this wacky idea to the table, that must have been a laugh?
Lily the Pink was originally a bawdy rugby song that everyone joined in with, they used to sing it in pubs etc. but it was so risqué we would have never got away with it and it would have never been played. So we changed all the words to get it into the charts. We only realised we had a chance of success when Norris Paramor (he produced Ruby Murray, Cliff Richard and the Shadows… and Lily) suggested we run the first pressing of Lily over to John Peels house, he played all the new records on his radio one programme. John passed the demo disk to a curly haired boy, played it, listened to the intro and said “That is number one” I made him listen to the whole thing and at the end he said “Yes, I still think its going to be number one.” The curly haired boy agreed. The curly haired boy was Marc Bolan (T-Rex).

Everyone of a certain age will remember the Cadbury’s Roses TV Ad (which is still considered the most famous Cadbury’s ad of all time) featured one of your singles ‘Thank You Very Much’ (Which was a huge favourite of then Prime Minister Harold Wilson who was famously a former pupil at Wirral Grammar), and also THE favourite of the Queen Mother. That must have been quite an honour?
Yes I’ve been told that. It was Thank You Very Much for Cadbury Roses… It was Thank You Very Much for a new kitchen and Thank You Very Much for a new car… so yes, thank you very very very much to Cadbury Roses, I wish they’d run it again! Somebody had told me in the sixties that Prime Minister Harold Wilson was a fan of the song, so I told people this for years and got away with it. Then Radio 4 called me one day as they were doing a programme asking all about ‘Thank You Very Much’ and I told them the same… It was Harold Wilson’s favourite record. They said they knew, I asked “How?” and they replied “He told us”! Years later in 2009, I was in Scotland at the Castle of May doing a book called ‘Mike McCartney’s North Highlands’. According to the Majors who control the castle, Thank U was a particular favourite of the Queen Mother. At Christmas time, after dinner the Royals would play and sing along to the song with their children. The Queen Mum would insist on taking one particular line – Thank U Very Much, Thank U Very Much and sing.. ‘For our gracious Queen’. I didn’t have the heart to tell the Majors that the actual words were Thank U for our ‘gracious Team’ i.e. for Liverpool FC!

You’re a distinguished photographer, but do you miss performing on stage?
No I don’t really miss performing on stage, unless you’d like a song now?

You’re well known for your enormous amount of charity work, what have you been up to recently?
I’m currently working on a comedy record to befit a Wirral and Liverpool cancer charity next year and helping the Sally Army with something.

What is your favourite photographic subject?
Everything. My camera tells me when to click the shutter. To me photography is when a photograph has to be taken then its taken.

What’s the best image you’ve ever shot?
I’ve yet to shoot it.

Your twitter account indicates that you have a love of puddings – what is your favourite dessert?
My favourite dessert at home is Mike’s Malteser Magic… mmm! For all readers here’s how to make it. Get a glass, put vanilla ice cream at the bottom, place maltesers on top of that, then add more ice cream and put more maltesers on top and build it up to the top and then pour Baileys all over, delicious. At restaurants I always ask for Crepe Suzettes, you’ll never get them, but ask for them. My youngest son, Sonny, who is a photographer in London was in Paris recently and sent me a photo with the caption ‘I’ve found the Crepe Suzettes Dad!’ I love Crepe Suzettes but try and get one anywhere!

Guilty pleasure?
My guilty pleasure is reading Wirral Life whilst eating Crepe Suzettes.

Do you prefer to eat in or out and what’s your favourite type of food and your favourite restaurant?
I prefer to eat in as my wife does fab food, but when we eat out (out) one of my favourite restraints is Nisha Katona’s Mowgli. Whilst I’m eating her delicious Indian Street Food, I like to listen to her husband in the Katona Twins, their guitar music is unbelievable, just like the food. Gusto and Burnt Truffle in Heswall and The Opera Bar and Grill in Chester and The Pen Factory are also amongst my favourites.

What do you love about the Wirral?
Its lovely and laid back, with a non-city feeling – you can relax. It has great walks, bike rides and now great restaurants! To tell you the truth, we used to have to drive to Liverpool to get good restaurants, but now thank god, Wirral has some amazing places.

What’s your favourite place on the Wirral?
My home. Overlooking the horses in the fields, the lovely River Dee and the most beautiful sunsets in the world. In the 60’s our kid once offered to get me and Dad a house preferably in London, where he now lived, but Dad said he wanted to live in Heswall. Paul went on “but Dad, you can live anywhere”. “No, Heswall”, so Heswall it was .

You’re famously monochromatic with your wardrobe, but apart from black, what’s your favourite colour?
My favourite colour apart from black is black. But I have secret colour on my socks, hidden in my shoes. (Wirral Life were allowed a sneaky look).

Do you collect anything and if so what?
Don’t ask my wife that question. She intimates that I’m a notorious hoarder. I don’t collect anything, I collect everything! No wonder I’m always watching Bargain Hunt – one of my favourite programmes, that and the news.

What do you like to do with your down time?
I get down.

What was the last book that you read?
George Orwell 1984 – would you like to know the end?

What are you most proud of (professionally and personally)?
I’m proud of my 1 GCE …in Art! Plus a first prize in Art at the Liverpool Institute. I got a number one with Lily the Pink. I’m proud of writing Thank U Very Much for Scaffold. I was honoured by JMU as an Honorary Fellow and proud to be patron of DADA Fest. But mostly I’m proud of my wife and children, I love them.

What’s your most embarrassing moment?
I’m getting more embarrassing every day.

If you could pass a new law, what would it be?
I would make it compulsory to read Wirral Life… Wirral’s FREE posh magazine.

What plans do you have for 2018?
Hopefully to stay alive, that would be nice! I’m getting together the definitive re-release of my 1974 McGear album its going to be a double gate, vinyl and on CD luxury album. Also, I’m collecting images for a photographic book ‘Mike McCartney’s People’ and working on a cartoon book called ‘The Wierdo’s’. I’m also helping with a new Salvation Army project and working on an old Scaffold hit to raise lots of money for a Wirral and Liverpool Breast Cancer Charity.

The post An interview with Mike McCartney appeared first on Wirral Life Magazine.

After the enormous success of the first LEGO movie and the LEGO Batman movie (with a combined gross of nearly half a billion dollars), can you tell us if you will be producing more LEGO superhero movies – LEGO Avengers, etc? Or are you going in a different direction?
There are more LEGO Movies in the works but I can’t go into the specifics of what they are as that information is highly confidential. What I can tell you is that I am currently working on The LEGO Movie 2, which is incredibly exciting but also extremely ambitious. It’s so nice to be able to bring Emmet and co. back to the big screen, but I’m afraid you guys are going to have to wait until 2019 to see what kind of adventure we are taking the gang on!

You were recently head of the judges on the very popular Channel 4 show ‘LEGO Masters’. Where did that idea come from? Will there be another series?
It all stemmed back to when we made a behind-the-scenes documentary for Channel 4 called ‘The Secret World of LEGO’. Part of that program focused on the recruitment process that we use for finding new talent to work in the LEGO Product Design Department. We receive so many applications for our Design Positions that we have found the best way to identify who the best people are for the job, is to select who we feel are the most appropriate candidates, and then fly them to LEGO Headquarters in Billund, Denmark for a recruitment workshop. This is where they will be interviewed but also asked to complete a series of design and building challenges, so we can see up close just how skilled and talented they are in real life, how well they work in teams and if they have the right profile to fit the job. Some very clever people at Tuesday’s Child (the production company) and Channel 4 thought this would make a perfect format for a challenge show, so they put together a pitch and presented it to the LEGO Group. We loved it and we decided to give it a go. I was then asked to go through a series of screen tests along with some other LEGO Design Employees before being cast in the very exciting but also extremely daunting role of Head Judge.

The show has been amazing to be part of. I have met so many wonderful people, and all the contestants were incredible and so inspiring! The first season was quite short with just 4 episodes, so while it was a lot of fun, I really didn’t feel I got into the swing of things until the final episode and then it was all over. I really hope we get to make a second season, but I am still waiting to hear if it gets recommissioned. Fingers crossed Melvin and I will be back in the ‘Build Room’ with some brand new teams and exciting challenges at some point next year!

Working with Warner Bros on the movies must have been pretty exciting compared to your normal day, was it as you dreamed it might be, or quite a challenge?
Oh my gosh, when I look at my life, I can’t believe the journey I have been on. Just landing my dream job as a toy designer was incredible in itself! I would never ever have imagined that one day I would also be working on a TV show and helping to make movies too… it’s been mind-blowing! Of course, like all things in life, these projects have had their ups and downs. We have been incredibly lucky to work with some of the most talented directors, writers and animators that we could have wished for – that in itself has been a blessing. But of course on any project like this there are crazy deadlines, and heaps of opinions that cause bumps in the road – but at the end of the day, we pulled it off and made some movies we are incredibly proud of. So many people were sceptical about us venturing into movie-making territory, so the pressure was on from the get-go. It was huge relief when we received such positive reviews and overwhelming audience reactions. Those films mean so much to me!

A popular reaction when we announced you as the next big interview was “Wow – he must have the world’s coolest office”. Surely one of the most enjoyable positions in the world – designing toys and ‘playing’ with LEGO as a job. You’re also now managing a large team, do you still get time to play?
Yes, the pressure is on. And yes, in some respects it is a dream job, in others it feels like I have a huge responsibility on my shoulders. The LEGO brand is such a loved and recognised brand across the world, so making sure that we create products that live up to or exceed people’s expectations year after year can be quite a challenge. I luckily work with a team of incredibly talented designers who are so passionate about what we do that we generally hit the mark. So yes, there is a balance of living a ridiculous Willy Wonka-style dream job, where I have an excuse not to ‘really’ grow up, but I also have to put my business hat on, make some tough decisions and be commercially focused too. It may surprise you to hear that I don’t actually have my own office, I’m sat in the thick of it working alongside our designers in an open plan studio. My boss tried to put me in an office once which lasted about 4 months as it drove me stir-crazy. I need to be out and about and inspired by the creative people I work with. I’m also a bit of a social butterfly, who likes to have a giggle and a goss with my colleagues too. I do try to stick to a minimal LEGO building outside of work rule. When it is your day job, it’s healthy to have other interests outside, so very little building outside of work (I can hear AFOLS (Adult Fans of LEGO) gasping in horror as they read this!) and I find other ways to have fun outside of work.

It must have been interesting to move to Denmark all those years ago. How have you found living abroad?
Denmark in itself is very nice, although the LEGO Group is based in Billund in rural Jutland, so it’s quite quiet. I live in a town called Vejle which is about 30 minutes away from work and has all the amenities that you need – nice shops, cinema, restaurants and coffee shops. Danes in general are really lovely and as a nation they have somehow managed to strike that very difficult balance between work and life. Their families and children are extremely important to them, and in many cases prioritized over work, so they have a really good standard of living. Working in the LEGO Design Department, we have over 200 hundred employees from all around the world. At last count, we represent 32 different nationalities, so having such a big expat group we really support each other and find ways to have our own fun. Being a creative bunch, there are the obligatory fancy-dress parties thrown for whatever occasion and usually everyone pulls out all the stops. Of course it’s not all rosy, and there are so many things I miss from home, especially family and friends, but also British telly, food and all the naughty stuff like Cadbury’s chocolate and the odd bag of Monster Munch or Salt and Vinegar Squares. We are really lucky though, as we have an international airport ten minutes from work, so I can jump on a plane and burst out of the Billund bubble and be back in the UK in just over an hour!

As you know, the Wirral has a Danish heritage – It’s very fashionable to talk about the Danish “Hygge” (pronounced “HUE-gah – a Danish ritual – meaning to enjoy life’s simple pleasures) do you have any other favourite Danish rituals?
Danes have some really funny traditions… if you reach 30 and you are still single, your friends will douse you head to toe in pepper, or erect a ridiculous large home made statue crafted from oil drums outside your front door, which is impossible to move or get rid of. Kids’ birthdays are celebrated with a Kagemand, (instead of a traditional birthday cake as you know it) – it’s like a giant flat sugar-coated bread thing in the shape of a man, and instead of blowing out some candles and making a wish, everyone has to scream while you lop his head off! They also have Fastelavn, which I guess is similar to our Halloween, where everyone dresses up and then bashes a barrel with a stick (piñata style) until it bursts and sweets fall out… luckily they have moved on from the original tradition which had something to do with bashing a barrel with a real life cat in it! They do also have some really charming Christmas traditions where a ‘Nisse’ invades the family home in the run up to Christmas – this is represented by a plush gnome (kind of like Elf on a Shelf), then while everyone is asleep the ‘Nisse’ gets up to mischief during the night. When the kids wake up, they find naughty ‘Nisse’ has dyed the milk blue (with food colouring), strewn toilet roll all over the place, or stuck kids toys to the ceiling… little kids go crazy for this and think it is the most hilarious thing ever!

What’s your favourite memory of the Wirral?
Oh my gosh there are too many to think of. A lot of them are quite outdoors. I loved playing in the back garden of our house on Manor Drive in Upton (my parents have now moved). We had an amazing willow tree which you could hide inside underneath the boughs, it had swings hidden inside it and my brother, sister and I used to pretend it was the Batcave. I loved school, I went to Christ Church Primary in Moreton, and then Wallasey School (now Kingsway Academy), so it’s a lot about mucking about with my school friends. But also lovely family walks with the dogs in Royden Park, Thurstaston, or a day trip to Hilbre Island or rolling down the sand hills at Harrison Drive as a kid!

What style is your home in Denmark – modern minimalist?
My flat is in dire need of a bit of a revamp. I moved in 10 years ago with all these grand ideas, and bought a place that would be a ‘bit of a project.’ I did a little bit of decorating, but then work and travel has gotten in the way of my masterplan a bit. I live in an apartment on the top floor of a four story building, and I guess compared to a lot of homes in the UK, the style is pretty minimal. It’s an older building with a lot of character. The inside is all white and clean with wooden floors, and it has a lovely balcony with an amazing view… it’s just such a shame that it’s only sunny 3 or 4 days a year so I don’t get to use it much. I’ll be off travelling for work for a week and get home and everyone will tell me ‘Oops, sorry, you just missed Danish summer!’

How do you relax and unwind?
I enjoy the usual drinks or dinner round at a friend’s place, cinema and the odd night out. I like to have a few creative projects on the go for any spare second too. A couple of my friends are really good bakers, so I let them do the cake making and then I will shape and decorate them for people’s birthdays! I also come back to London quite a bit and stay with friends over there, and play with my godson and his brother and sister. And I love a bit of heartwarming telly – I’m ploughing through a Golden Girls box set at the moment, and am overjoyed that Will & Grace is back. When I’m in the UK I love to catch up on Bake Off and the like, and my guilty pleasure is a cheeky bit of Gogglebox! 🙂

Favourite film. Last book that you read. Last film you saw?
Oh my, I have such an eclectic taste in films everything from Toy Story (3) and The Little Mermaid, to ARGO to Silence of the Lambs. I’m a bit all over the place, but I generally like anything that sparks an emotion or hits a nerve… I like a good giggle, to be scared senseless or to blub into a tub of Ben & Jerry’s (preferred flavour Vermonster) in my PJs. I also love musicals like Moulin Rouge, and Star Wars has a very special place in my heart too. Controversially, ‘Return of the Jedi’ is probably my favourite Star Wars Movie – I was always obsessed with Leia, I love Jabba and I am also pro-Ewok (told you it was controversial!) When it comes to books I’m also ashamed to admit I love a trashy celebrity auto biography – last one I read was probably Scarlet Moffatt’s (Sorry Scarlett Moffat if you are reading this! I am not at all suggesting you are trashy – I love you to bits!) Last movie I saw was The LEGO Ninjago Movie. It would have been rude not to as a lot of my friends and colleagues worked on it!

What was the best piece of advice that you have been given?
Stop worrying about what people think of you! (It hasn’t really worked, as I am still worrying what people think of me… in fact I think I have probably made the situation worse by sticking myself on telly, so now I worry what even more people think of me!)

Do you get back to the Wirral often and what do you like to do when you’re here?
I try to come back to the Wirral to visit my parents whenever I can and if there are any family events happening. I am home every Christmas, and a couple of times throughout the year, it’s mostly social stuff, catching up with relatives and people from school, or popping to the local garden centre for a cream tea or a piece of cake with my mum.

Are you a collector and what are your favourite things (art, watches, cars, etc)?
Being a toy designer, it’s probably not going to come as a great surprise to many people that I actually collect toys – anything from my childhood favourites from the 80s to collector vinyl toys. The dream is to ultimately have a nice display room where I can showcase all my favourites, but unfortunately most of them are in storage or squeezed into my spare room toy-tetras style. Anyone who visits is pre-warned to open the spare room door at their own risk, unless they want to be buried alive under an avalanche of plastic bricks, robots in disguise, or rainbow-maned plastic ponies… yes that’s right people, I’m an extreme herder!

Do you have a bucket list and if so, what’s on it?
I think I’m doing pretty well as far as my list is concerned. It would be lovely to have some time to take a proper cooking class, but that will have to wait for now. In the meantime, I just want to have the odd surprise and challenge thrown my way occasionally to keep things fresh and exciting so I am always on my toes!

If you weren’t a toy designer, what other job would you like to do?
Probably a wedding planner! I love a good wedding , and have been to so many now… ‘always the bridesmaid never the bride!’ I love organising parties, and decorating and all that kind of stuff and I also think I am capable of handling the odd Bridezilla too! I have probably been planning my own wedding since I was about 7 years old (Muriel style), but as I haven’t met my match yet, I would be more than content making other people’s marital dreams come true. If not a wedding planner then maybe a costume designer or a chocolate taster!

What’s your favourite food and do you like to eat out or prefer to cook?
I do like to cook, but with my busy schedule I don’t have that much time. Also, cooking for one can be quite monotonous, so I tend to eat out quite a bit with my friends. There isn’t a lot of choice for food in the town I live in so we usually default to our favourite restaurant, which does a variety of different specials all with a Danish twist! But when I am travelling I do love a bit of sushi. When I am in LA, I always pop to Katsuya for Albacore with Crispy Onions and Yellow tail sashimi with jalepenos! Living abroad means I really miss real comfort food, like my mum’s Sunday Roast, so when I’m back in Britain I love a good old British pub lunch like Sausage and Mash, with a good old dollop of wholegrain mustard. I also have an incredibly sweet tooth too – I’m a bit of a chocoholic and love anything salted caramel, especially ice cream! So yes all the good healthy stuff, which then means I need to go on a crash diet before I appear on telly!

Where do you like to go on holiday and why?
For a proper relaxing holiday, it’s probably Bali. I have been there twice and it is beautiful. One year I thought, right, I’m still single and may never get married, so I decided to splash out on a lavish ‘honeymoon for one’ and stayed in the most wonderful Spa Resort in Ubud, with breathtaking manicured grounds set in the heart of the lush jungle with a view over the layered rice fields. It was the most tranquil, relaxing, zen place I had ever been, the moment I walked through the gates I was hit by a wave of calm for the first time in my life – it was so beautiful I wanted to cry!

You have family here in UK – will you be spending Christmas here or in Denmark – or somewhere else?
Yes I will be back on the Wirral over Christmas and the new year catching up with my family and old school friends.

We all want the LEGO Millennium Falcon (no really, we do) but what’s top of your Christmas wish list (for yourself!) … A break?
While my job is amazing, it is pretty full-on; overseeing toy development as the day job, travelling lots while assisting making a movie and filming a TV show at weekends can take its toll – so I really just want to wind down and spend some time with the people I love and don’t get to see very often.

If you would like to follow Matthew, you can find him on Twitter at @matthew__ashton (double underscore).

The post An interview with Matthew Ashton appeared first on Wirral Life Magazine.

Simon went to school in Flint, Wales and lived in Chester until recently. At the age of 20, he dropped out of his accountancy degree at Nottingham University, and in 1999 co-founded the website MoneySuperMarket.com. In 2016, he sold his last shares in it making him a billionaire.

He now runs a travel website, www.SimonEscapes.com, which offers his personal collection of luxury holiday homes for private rental. The collection includes luxury homes located in his favourite places: Chipping Campden in the heart of The Cotswolds; Cornwall’s Booby’s Bay; the hillside town of Deia in Mallorca; the shores of Lake Windermere; the Platinum Coast of Barbados and Malibu West Coast USA.

You have achieved so much, what has been key to your success?
Drive and perseverance which I feel are essential qualities for any entrepreneur to be successful – as you will receive many setbacks! Also, I was lucky to be an ‘outlier’. I was in the right time and the right place to take advantage of the internet boom in early 2000.

Before coming up with the idea of Moneysupermarket, did you consider any other business ventures?
No, Moneysupermarket was the organic progression of a business I was already running. It was a mortgage sourcing software product which we had developed for mortgage brokers. When the internet took off in the early 2000(s) I made our offering consumer friendly and provided consumers with the online tool to compare the prices of every mortgage in the market.

Why do you think Moneysupermarket was so successful?
It was definitely down to being at the right place at the right time – this provided us with first mover advantage. We recruited a high calibre executive team who were great at executing. We were very focused and kept pushing the boundaries by constant innovation. The internet moves at such a pace – if you don’t innovate you are dead.

In 2016, you sold your last shares in Moneysupermarket, did you think you had gone as far as you could?
Personally I wanted a new challenge. I now head a team of business analysts that effectively help me run my own private hedge fund. We invest in businesses and property in varying sectors and geographies spread all over the world. Simonescapes.com is my luxury holiday home rental business and is just a small cog in the overall portfolio. We offer luxury houses in some of the UK’s prime locations including Lake Windermere, Booby’s Bay in Cornwall and Chipping Campden in the Cotswolds. We also have a villa in Deia, Mallorca, two beach houses in Malibu and have just completed our latest project in Barbados opening a stunning five bedroom beach house on the island’s West Coast.

Having moved from financial services to the luxury leisure industry with stunning luxury homes in the UK and around the world, do you intend to extend your property portfolio and if so, where will your next acquisition be?
We have grown the portfolio rapidly over the last few years and are now pausing for breath. Our Barbados and Malibu properties have all opened in the last 12 months!

SimonEscapes Collection

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Have you had any famous or notable persons stay at your luxury homes?
Many premiership footballers, tennis players and TV celebrities have stayed in our properties. Celebrity chefs have filmed their shows from our kitchens to capture the sea or lake views! They book with us as they like to retain their privacy, so we don’t like to mention names.

Who are your most inspirational business icons?
It used to be people like Richard Branson. Now it’s more Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Larry Page. These are also all outliers – in that they were in the right place at the right time. However, they have built world conquering businesses in the space of very few years. The scary thing is these businesses, although now giants, were just start-ups at the beginning.

You declined an invitation to be a Dragon on the Dragon’s Den TV programme, why was that?
I just declined an audition a few years ago. It was too much of a commitment at that time.

What is your opinion of Brexit?
Like many entrepreneurs we like to be in control of our destiny. My fundamental issue with being part of the European Union is that the rules and regulations have to fit so many diverse countries with vastly differing economies and cultures. How could this be optimal for the UK? As the second largest economy in Europe, I think we can be more nimble and entrepreneurial if we are in charge of our own destiny – obviously we want to maintain close ties to Europe – we need each other for trade!

Your normal routine includes a lot of travel and you are known to use budget airlines, private jets and helicopters. Do you enjoy the actual journey and what is your favourite way to travel?
I don’t like travel – it’s tiring, but it’s worth it to reach my favourite destinations. I spend most of my time in California, Mallorca, Jersey and three months in London. It’s a good combination – they complement each other well.

Do you still own your home in Chester?
I didn’t keep my home in Chester, I just wasn’t able to use it enough. When home I prefer to stay with family there.

When you’re in Chester, do you like to eat in or out?
We always eat out in Chester and there are some great new restaurants like The Chefs Table, Sticky Walnut and Joseph Benjamins.

Have you ever spent any time on the Wirral, what do you think of it?
I haven’t spent a lot of time on the Wirral but I think it’s beautiful – especially around Parkgate and Caldy.

Maintaining a healthy life-style is important to you. Do you have a strict fitness routine?
My fitness regime is dictated by where I am. In LA its beach walks and lots of yoga. In the UK and Jersey its more tennis, racket ball, Pilates and country/beach walks.

Apart from your luxury homes, what’s your most expensive purchase?
A Porsche 918. But I am told it has risen $500,000 since I bought it a few years ago.

Do you collect anything?
I collect art, I’m becoming more and more of an avid collector. I also collect watches but I’ve not made any additions for a while. I used to collect fine wine but I stopped drinking 3 years ago.

What is your guilty pleasure?
I sometimes watch box sets that I stream. I recently enjoyed Big Little Lies! I will also occasionally eat a super high quality pizza in Gjelina, Venice (California) – they are amazing! But only 2 pieces max!

When you’re not working what do you like to do to relax?
Exercise – mostly everything I’ve already mentioned above plus cycling and paddle boarding in Jersey. Eating in great restaurants, movies, listening to audiobooks. I also love yoga and meditation. I have found these two disciplines a godsend and couldn’t do without them now!

What do you hope to be doing in 10 years’ time?
I hope to be pretty much doing what I’m doing now – which is whatever I want to do!!

To find out more about Simon Escapes, please visit www.simonescapes.com

The post An interview with Simon Nixon appeared first on Wirral Life Magazine.

Following studies at Wirral Metropolitan College, he trained as a medical artist at Glyndwr University. This led to a career in book illustration, fine art and a current period specialising in realist portraiture.

Steve’s paintings have been widely exhibited and he has displayed work with The Royal Society of Portrait Painters, The Sunday Times Watercolour Competition and at The National Portrait Gallery’s BP Portrait Award Exhibition.

The Bebington-based artists tells Wirral Life about his work, influences and what it was like to collaborate with British design legend, Wayne Hemingway MBE.

What led you to your current specialisation in portrait painting?

I thoroughly enjoyed working as an illustrator and having the opportunity to paint a wide variety of subjects such as books for children but painting people has always fascinated me most of all. Now that I specialise almost solely in portraiture, I can fully concentrate on scrutinizing anatomy and texture in great detail and hopefully produce artwork that has the realism of a photograph combined with the texture of a painting – a form of heightened reality.

Tell us about your recent portrait of designer Wayne Hemingway.

I’ve admired Wayne’s work since I was an art student. He is a multi-disciplinary designer with a social conscience and is sincere about producing design which improves everyday life for people. Whether that is product design, interiors, branding or architecture. I was keen to paint a notable figure in the design industry as that is where my interests lie. Also, he is visually strong and I was delighted that his portrait was recently selected for display at this years Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition at The Mall Galleries in central London.

As an artist, who are your main influences?

I enjoy most styles of painting from hyper-realism to abstract expressionism but I am drawn to figurative painters such as Andrew Wyeth, Lucian Freud and Norman Rockwell. I admire the intensity of their work and the struggle to paint more than just a physical likeness. Contemporary painters such as Philip Harris and Lewis Chamberlain also inspire me to work harder and use painted detail and texture to describe in depth the personality and identity of my sitters.

How do you select your portrait sitters? What do you look for when painting a portrait?

I am fascinated by all kinds of people and I see lots of faces everyday that I would like to paint. Occasionally, I will approach a prospective sitter in the street, give them my card and ask if they would be kind enough to allow me to paint them. Thankfully, their reactions are generally very positive. Luckily, sitters also approach me with requests to have their portrait painted. I enjoy taking on portrait commissions and have been very lucky over the years to have received commissions from private collectors, advertising agencies and book publishers. I was recently asked to paint Wall Street financier, Larry Fink of BlackRock for Bloomberg Media in New York which was very interesting.

To find out more about Steve’s work, visit www.stevecaldwell.co.uk

The post Steve Caldwell – Painting for Real appeared first on Wirral Life Magazine.

After some seriously stormy waters in the mid-1980s, the Bibby brand intelligently diversified into financial services, haulage, retail and private-equity-style investments in businesses. This helped it to survive and grow while local rivals, such as Cunard and White Star, disappeared or were swallowed up by others. Bibby Line Group today is headed by the sixth generation of the Bibby family, and is a £1.2 billion business, operating in more than 20 countries and employing over 4,500 people in industries including retail, offshore, financial services, distribution, shipping, marine based businesses, and plant hire.

Peter’s Father, Sir Derek James Bibby was born at Hooton in 1922. He was the son of Major Sir Harold Bibby, who was created a baronet in 1959. From 1935 to 1969 Sir Harold was chairman of Bibby Line; he was also Deputy Lieutenant for Cheshire and High Sheriff in 1934-5. After Rugby and Trinity College, Oxford, where he read Economics, Derek Bibby joined the Royal Artillery in the New Year of 1942. He was commissioned a few days before his 20th birthday, and his unit was posted to 331 battery of 133 Field Regiment of the 53rd Welsh Division. For almost two years they were employed on exercises at artillery ranges around Britain. Bibby fought through Belgium and Holland, once getting lost in a minefield in thick fog, and on to Germany. After the war Bibby joined the family business and was the fifth generation to do so. On his first day his father called him into his office and told the new recruit: “Never borrow any money, so that you can never go broke”. But the young Bibby disagreed: in future years he was prepared to borrow money, a calculated risk which some believe secured the long-term future of the business. In 1986 Bibby succeeded in the baronetcy on the death of his father. Six years later, aged 70, he became honorary president of the group. Derek Bibby’s other main interest was the Birkenhead Boys’ Club, which he supported from 1953 until his death. He married, in 1961, Christine Okell, daughter of the Bishop of Stockport. They had four sons and a daughter and resided in Wirral.

Peter Bibby is the son of Sir Derek Bibby and great-great-great-grandson of the founder. Wirral Life talk to Peter in a very down to earth interview.

Tell us a little about yourself.
I would consider myself a fun loving person, who enjoys a challenge but lives a modest life, working hard and playing hard. I lived in Willaston until my mum sold the family home and made me homeless at nearly 40, then I went from being young free and single to married with children in 2 years. I am equally as at home at a lock-in in a rough Birkenhead pub as a black tie ball at the polo club.

Your dad encouraged you all to get different jobs first and make your own way, before deciding if you wanted to work for the family business. How did your story begin?
After University I didn’t want to become an accountant like my brothers and sister but wanted to go into industry and became a management trainee with British Rail. I was then offered a job to run a small lifejacket company on Merseyside, which was going bust, it was an opportunity to get some experience and potentially make good – we turned it into the World’s largest manufacturer of marine inflatable lifejackets. Having turned it around I was approached by a watersports company, Typhoon, which was also in financial trouble and we took it to become the world’s largest manufacturer of drysuits. I also helped turnaround Downland Bedding in Liverpool growing it from £3m to £15m, Denbridge Marine based in Birkenhead, Jarmac Oil based in Eastham and Garic based in Bury. After running Typhoon for 20 years I sold the business and left there last year. I have purchased my next business venture, British Bespoke Workwear, which manufactures aprons, tabards, chef jackets etc as well as embroidering or printing workwear for the likes of Morrisons supermarket and local Councils. This is my latest challenge.

We’ve only just scratched the surface on your fascinating family history, what values have been passed down?
There are many values passed down from our parents, which can be seen in us as individuals as well as in the business.

• Giving Something Back (GSB) – not only are all 5 children directly involved in charitable activities but the family business has run a GSB scheme for the last 10 years with its staff, donating nearly £10m to charities. We have been brought up to help those less fortunate than ourselves.
• Integrity – we were brought up to act with integrity and treat others as we would expect to be treated. The family name and reputation is worth more than making ‘an extra buck’ here and there and again this is part of the business culture and values.
• Value – we are known for not spending our money (my VW car has done 275,000 miles and won’t be replaced until it gives up) and I’m always looking for efficiencies and improvements.
• Loyalty and pride are also characteristics that I think are undervalued, be it to your staff, company, local football club or country – this attribute is invaluable but needs to be two way.

As a 6th generation family business, we own the business technically – but in reality we are just custodians of the business and it is only ours to pass onto the next generation.

Are you still involved in the day to day running of Bibby Line or do you have other business interests?
I don’t work for the family business directly as I have my own businesses, but I do project work for Bibby Line Group, such as running one of their smaller subsidiary companies, Garic, which needed turning around and growing, and once put on the right path (turnover was 30% up on previous year) we recruited a full time MD, as I couldn’t do it full time due to my other businesses. In truth, although we are all very proud of the family business, it is so large it is very corporate and I am too used to running my own business without a lot of corporate rules and governance – I prefer to get on and do it, rather than reporting and discussing it!

Your dad stepped in to save Birkenhead Boys Club from closure because of his belief it could make a massive difference to the local community in 1953 when he was 31 – earning respect from the local lads by teaching them Judo and other real life unconventional self-defence moves, he’d learned in WW2. Derek literally helped turn the corner for the place as it struggled to survive after the war, by moving them to a much bigger and better place. The club was aptly renamed in 2004 “The Derek Bibby Centre” to commemorate his time and generosity. Both you and your brother Geoffrey are now responsible for the running of the club continuing your dad’s legacy, tell us more…
The Youth Club is a great facility in central Birkenhead, with lots of activities, 2 outdoor 5-a-side pitches and 2 indoor gyms (one full of trampolines and free running). We have nearly 1,000 members with up to 100 per night in attendance, along with 12 football teams playing at the weekend. All thanks to private donors and lots of volunteers, as we run on a small budget and need to raise £20,000 a year. Most kids have limited experiences as the following example at the weekly barbecues during the summer holiday at our home revealed: When playing on the manicured lawn, called “the back yard”, I was asked where we buy all the birds in the trees from. Trying to explain that apples grow on trees not trays and you can eat them off the tree was also pretty tricky. We at least give them wider experiences and opportunities to develop, which many of us take for granted.

With so many aspects to your businesses keeping you busy, how do you relax?
I don’t do relaxing very well, as I don’t read books, watch TV/films or sit around. My hobbies are activity and people based – football, tennis, cricket, dancing and parties! Much to the disbelief of the people I meet out partying – I don’t drink – I am mad enough without it!

Do you and your siblings, Michael, Geoffrey, David and Jennifer get together for family occasions often?
Yes, we all meet up for family occasions, which with 13 children between us, are now rather large affairs.

You have resided in Wirral for many years, what are your favourite things about the Wirral?
It is a great place to live as everything is so close and well connected, within 45 minutes there are beaches, hills, four major cities, two international airports and you can even be in London in just over 2 hours. There is something for everyone with the countryside, beaches, and plenty of sporting and social activities. The best thing about the Wirral is the people – everyone is so friendly and being a defined area everyone knows everyone and so it is easy to make friends and meet new people – as my wife found when she moved up from London (she was used to a city full of strangers) and was soon telling me who people were!

As a Founder Patron of new Wirral Youth Zone, The Hive, how did you get involved?
I have run the Birkenhead Youth Club for 20 years. 9 years ago I visited the Bolton Lads and Girls Club, which set a new standard for Youth Clubs, and came away wanting a similar one for the Wirral. Luckily an organisation called Onside was set up to build more of these clubs. So we worked on the Council and eventually got them on board, the Fire station donated the land and then we had to raise £6m – I said no chance, we should scale it back. But Onside set about helping to raise this money and incredibly raised it, then also raised the first 3 years of running costs. Design, planning, build, recruitment, etc, all begun to happen until we finally arrived at The Hive – far better than I ever imagined. With over 3,000 members in 3 weeks and 300 to 400 young people attending every day, it is incredible and makes it all worthwhile. We try to compliment existing facilities and clubs and in doing so the Birkenhead Youth Club continues to thrive as well as The Hive.

Where is your favourite holiday destination?
I am more than happy with a week in North Wales in the summer or a weekend in autumn, doing activities and meeting people. I am no good at sitting on a sun lounger and having travelled with work, I am quite happy to not get on a plane.

Sea dog or sea sick?
A bit of both. My first work experience job was to work on a ship going from Scotland to Europe with a Spanish crew. As 6th generation of a shipping family I was mortified to be seasick most of my time at sea – I blamed the Spanish food! However, I do enjoy sailing small sailboats when I can, but haven’t been offshore since my work experience!

Where do you like to eat out? If so where?
Again, I am rather dull on my likes – I can say that I am plain and simple. I am happy with a burger and chips, with a roast or a steak being a treat. Leila, my wife, is a foodie so this does cause a bit of trouble – I charm her with a carvery! She has to go for exotic food with someone else (unless it’s with meat & two veg).

What’s your guilty pleasure?
No guilt – just chocolate. Cola, chocolate and I am buzzing!
Pet hate – waste. I can’t stand waste, be it space, time, wasting paper, anything. I love recycling and take home rubbish to recycle.

Looking to the future, what is important to you and what else would you like to achieve?
The thing that is important to me is making people happy and doing things that can achieve that. So when I have made money I have put it into a Charitable Trust, which I use to support people to help them achieve their worthy cause. There are so many people working so hard to improve things, such as Ema at Neo Café, who works tirelessly to feed Wirral children in poverty, Kevin Allen (aka Banana man), who helps feed starving orphans in South Africa and of course the staff and volunteers at both Birkenhead Youth Club and the Hive. There are too many good causes to support them all, so I help where I can personally see the difference. A fine example is this month (Sunday 14th May) when the Oxton Secret Gardens, which attracts thousands of visitors to see over 20 gardens and donates the income to local charities. It is run by volunteers and I do my small bit by driving the minibus from the free car park to the village – everyone has time and so everyone can donate in their own small way.

What would your one piece of business wisdom be?
Assuming you have a product that will sell, then it’s all about managing the people. In every business that I have turned around, I have done it with the same people and just refocused them accordingly. Make sure that you have each area of the business covered (sales, finance, operations, product knowledge/technical/quality) because if one of these areas is poor the business will probably fail at some stage. Maximise people’s strengths and minimise their weaknesses – I know my own weaknesses so I minimise them by asking the right people the right questions. Keep your staff informed and explain decisions, otherwise they will be become disengaged and assume the worst – the easiest time to motivate people and get them pulling in the same direction is when you are in trouble. Sink or swim.

The post An interview with Peter Bibby appeared first on Wirral Life Magazine.

What are your prominent memories of your early days in England? My earliest memories in London were spent playing football for Stowe boys club in Paddington and exploring London as a 13 year old with my new mates.

You had incredible success with Watford in the early days, but what was it like when you landed at The Kop? Watford was fantastic and a great learning curve for me to be with Graham Taylor who taught me so much about humility, desire, discipline etc… but it was like going to the next level when I signed for Liverpool football wise, and from the first day of pre-season, well before the season started, that it felt like I came home and it fell into place with myself, Peter Beardsley, Ray Houghton and Aldo. All new players have an almost telepathic relationship.

You’ve had some surprising chart success as a rapper – a No.1 with New Order’s World In Motion (their only No.1) and a No.3 with Anfield Rap. Amazingly you had to cast against Steve McMahon, Des Walker, Peter Beardsley, Gazza and Chris ‘Diamond Lights’ Waddle in a rap-off for the gig. Did you ever consider having a dabble in the musical arena? The rap was written by Keith Allen and I’ve always loved rap music since I was a kid. I’m a decent rapper (not singer) but I don’t write my own lyrics, just copy others so no I’ve never thought about going into the business!

Who is the current most underrated player in LFC? Lucas has come through some difficult times at Anfield to show his true worth whenever called upon in any position.

Who was your favourite manager? My favourites are Graham Taylor, Kenny Dalglish and Bobby Robson. They all have different styles, different strengths but are all very good.

Do you believe the ‘Kick It Out’ campaign is effective? ‘Kick it Out’ is doing all it can to combat racism but as I’ve said all along, it’s a problem in society first and football second,
so until there are bigger efforts to get rid of it in society, it will remain in all facets of society of which football is but one.

Do you still have any desire to manage? I would love to manage a club at any level but opportunities are few and far between.

Who were your heroes as a kid? My father was and still is (although he passed away a few years ago) my biggest hero and most influential person in my life.

Who is your favourite player of all time and have you ever met him? Diego Maradona is my favourite player of all time and yes I have met him a few times…. lunatic… but I love him as a player.

Do you think Liverpool would have won the European cup in the late 80’s if English teams weren’t banned? We will never know if my Liverpool team of the late 80’s would have won a European cup because the great AC Milan team of that period were also very good – but I’d like to think so and I’m sure we could have come very close!

Outside of LFC, who were your most admired players during your day and who do you have your eye on these days? The players I admired in my early professional days were Glenn Hoddle for his technical ability (the best English player ever in my opinion from a technical perspective) and Bryan Robson for his drive determination and leadership and of course Rush and Dalglish!

Everyone can remember your amazing goal against Brazil in 1984, but if not this, what is your best goal for club or country? My best other goal for England was a chest and half volley at Wembley against Uruguay and for Liverpool, the second goal I scored against QPR in my first season at Anfield.

We’ve conducted our own poll and after ‘King’ Kenny Dalglish, you’ve been voted ‘the best LFC player’ by our generation. You’re regarded in the highest order, Sir Alec Ferguson expressed regret at not signing you. John Aldridge said in his autobiography that ‘Bobby Robson stated that you were as good as George Best at his peak’ and even a young Jamie Carragher talking about when you were 34 said “Technically, he’s the best player I’ve ever trained or played with, he was great with both feet, they were both exactly the same. I’d say he’s the best finisher I’ve ever played with (including Torres, Fowler and Owen). High praise indeed. What are your feelings on fame and fan adoration? Fame means absolutely nothing to me, in a team sport like football appreciating your teammates and what they’ve done to help you be the player you are is the most important thing. When I won my first PFA player of the year, the most pleasing thing for me was that six of my teammates were in the team of the year and it’s always nice to be appreciated by the fans.

You are an ambassador for The Hive – the excellent new Wirral Youth Zone in Birkenhead, how did you become involved? Being a father of 7 and realising what my children have achieved (two doctors, one banker and a daughter just finishing her degree at Liverpool John Moores University in Criminology) has in no small way been down to the opportunities afforded to them. I know that most children can maximise their potential if the right environment can be created for them. When I heard about The Hive and saw what they did and what they provide for mainly underprivileged and disenfranchised children, I had to get more involved – so I jumped at the chance to become an ambassador.

What is your perfect day? My perfect day is spending time with my whole family – wife, 7 kids and 2 grandchildren.

Where is your favourite holiday destination? My favourite holiday destinations are Jamaica, Dubai, Bali and South Africa.

What’s your favourite car (even if you’ll never own one)? My favourite car is any 7 seater where all the kids can fit.

What’s your favourite film? My favourite films are True Romance with Christian Slater and Memento with Guy Pearce.

What’s your favourite food? My favourite foods are Indian, Thai and Chinese.

What would you say are your 3 defining moments? I’m defined by my love and commitment to my family.

If you could replay your life, what would you change or do differently? I wouldn’t change anything of my past. I’ve regretted many things and wish I hadn’t done them, but to get you where you are today, it’s necessary to have gone through everything in your past to grow. So if you’re happy with where you are now, don’t risk going back in time to change things because in changing your destiny you may end up in a worse place than you are today.

Looking to the future, what is important to you and what else would you like to achieve? All I want to achieve is happiness for me and family – however that comes!

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Where did your passion for art come from?
I’ve always been artistic, as a kid I would sit around for hours with my cousin and older brother drawing, often epic stickmen battles across multiple sheets of paper that we’d taped together. I’ve always been encouraged by my parents, family and teachers, so they’ve helped nurture any natural artistic abilities I had and give me the confidence to do it full time.

You trained in art including painting, drawing and sculpture – which genre is your favourite?
I don’t particularly have a favourite, as I like to try everything and push my skill base, but I probably specialise more in pencil drawings and oil painting. Sculpting is a lot of fun, whether in clay or stone, but it’s not often I get to do it as it’s very messy and time consuming, requiring a lot of space and a large budget because it’s more specialised work.

When you start on a new commission to paint a picture, how do you choose which medium to use?
I’ll decide the medium with the client based on a number of factors such as size, style and budget. The main point is usually what aesthetic look they’re looking for, it is high detailed and realistic, or more painterly with visable brush strokes. Other factors include the varnish, an oil painting will need to be left for 6-9 months to full dry before the final varnish can be applied and require a high gloss varnish to give it depth and bring out the colours. Where as acrylic paintings can be varnished after 24 hours and can have a matte varnish instead.

Have you worked on any notable projects or for any notable clients?
Yes, in 2011 my brother and I produced 5ft tall heads of Prince William and Kate to celebrate the Royal Wedding. A CIC in Chester makes giants for community events and we were asked to created fibreglass busts for their royal giants. In 2013, I painted a retirement portrait of Jamie Carragher for his 23 Foundation. It was meant to be auctioned off for charity but as it coincided with his retirement it was signed by all the players and staff at the Melwood training ground and presented to him as a retirement gift. More recently, I painted a series of canvases and murals at The Viking pub in West Kirby for Simmon Rimmer & the team at Flying Pig and Lobster. All the artwork was of local animals and Viking themed wildlife, which was fun to apint. The murals were done during the day so customers would be watching me and have a chat. The response has been fantastic, everyone loves them! Simon’s favourite is the Raven, but I think I like the badger most.

What do you think is the best piece of work that you’ve done and why?
I have a piece called ‘Storm’, an oil painting of a sunset shining through a storm out at sea. My Dad took a series of photos from his house in New Brighton which I used as the basis. I really played with the colour and light throughout it and tried to push myself. The other piece which stands out is a David Bowie portrait I was recently asked to do. It’s quite large, just over 100 x 75 cm.

Who has influenced your work the most?
My tutor, and friend, Terry McGunigle has influenced me more than I probably know. His guidance into discovering the importance of traditional and classical art has shown me the importance of proper knowledge and training. I often look back to things I used to struggle with and can clearly see I didn’t fully understand what I was looking at, whether it’s anatomy, perspective, light, colour theory or just my technique of painting.

What do you think of “competitive” painting – shows like Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year, Landscape Artist of the Year?
I’ve not seen many of them, but I think they do help promote the arts and introduce it to new audiences, which is more important than anything.

How do you relax and switch off?
I play keyboards and used to be in a band, so music is always important to me. I like going for walks, drinks with friends and family, the usual.

To find out more about Joe, visit www.joeforrest.co.uk

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