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From dinner lady to West End star

Posted by Samantha Castle on August 27, 2010 12:38 PM


Read all about X-Factor finalist Niki Evans on being a West End star, Simon Cowell and Blood Brothers. (follow the link)

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/leisure/entertainment-news/2010/08/27/x-factor-finalist-niki-evans-on-being-a-west-end-star-55578-27146476/

Aug 27 2010 by Samantha Castle, Daily Post

Let's Off-Road!

Posted by Samantha Castle on June 18, 2010 3:04 PM

AT last it was my turn to climb aboard a brand-new Range Rover for my own Land Rover Experience day.
After a short drive out of Bala, myself and LRESnowdonia instructor David Mitchell, entered miles upon miles of unspoilt countryside which would provide the driving trails for the day.
Under the expert tuition of David I managed to take Range Rover through deep streams and negotiate it up and down vertical inclines thanks to the vehicles ultra handy Terrain Response system which eased me through various driving obstacles including mud and ruts, adverse cambers and the off-roader's favourite- the water trial. Once I had learned how to create a bow-wave there was no stopping me.
Stimulating, challenging and inspiring, surrounded by nothing but fresh air where every activity is designed to take your breath away. Based just outside Bala in the heart of the Snowdonia National Park the Land Rover Experience is based within some of the best off-road terrain in the county, with rocks, rivers, ravine and ruts to get up and over in 823 square miles of unspoilt countryside it is easy to see why the business is growing in popularity.
Having an overly keen interest in Land Rovers and off-road driving from an early age has only ever been a positive influence for David Mitchell, who has managed to turn his passionate past-time into a thriving adventure business.
David, from Llanrwst runs the popular Land Rover Experience Centres based in Bala and Cheshire.
After buying his first Land Rover in 1967, a Series one 88', which he still owns, Liverpool born David has been providing off-road tuition for as long as he can remember.
"I began giving off-road tuition in 1971," he explained.
"It was while I was working for Heron, the main dealer for Land Rover in Merseyside and North Wales back then.
"When I bought that Series one my fascination for models began at much the same time, although it didn't become a business until much later."
David was born in 1948- the same year as the Land Rover, and is a fully paid-up member of no fewer than 14 off-road clubs and is also vice-president of the Liverpool Motor Club, Britain's second oldest car club.
"Like many of us involved in off-road tuition, David is happiest when sitting in the passenger seat of a Land Rover or Range Rover imparting the wisdom of his years to others," added Cheshire based instructor Wayne Mitchelson."
David eventually put his money where his mouth is and started his own off-road tuition company Landcraft in 1986.
When Land Rover started the Experience Centre in 2002 David was head-hunted to run the North Wales centre, now know as Land Rover Experience Snowdonia.
David added: "I run two centres and have a pool of 10 experienced off-road tutors with me including Wayne and fellow Llanrwst lad Alex Brown, between them they average around 18 years Land Rover ownership and off-road driving experience, mines more like 40 years worth!"
If you want to ditch the pinstripes, lose the tie and treat yourself or your family to an unforgettable driving experience- book a day at a Land Rover Experience Centre.
08448486001. www.LRESnowdonia.co.uk
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Its not always easy being a meat eater.

Posted by Samantha Castle on June 2, 2010 3:57 PM

I BRIEFLY paused my life and decided to take an interest in what morally responsible, politically sensitive, environmentally aware, health-conscious humans were supposed to be putting on their dining tables. But, unless you are willing to pay through the nose, which I'm unfortunately not in a position to do, it quickly becomes a ridiculous way of life - no meat, no dairy products, no wheat, no sugar, no fat, not even fish and certainly no sausages. No out-of-season vegetables, no eggs, actually, nothing. Well at least I'd be thinner!
I try not to think about the chickens and if they suffered or had any kind of life before being shrink-wrapped while I'm walking down the meat isle of my local supermarket, even after watching kids animation 'Chicken Run' with my nephews, I didn't feel a pang of guilt when buying the cheapest chicken carcass on the shelf. I didn't care where it came from, how long it lived, or how much exercise it was allowed to take- I pushed those thoughts to the back of my conscious. I didn't even spare a though if its so pumped up with hormones it makes men at the table grow breasts. That's the trouble you see, in order to be a morally responsible, politically sensitive, environmentally aware, health-conscious human I would be broke and hungry. Correct me if I'm wrong but organic food is very expensive and if we insist on sparing a thought about how animal may or may not have suffered during their short lives and even shorter death's, I may as well become a vegetarian.
But its not all bad, after contemplating this matter for some time I have since made more of an effort when shopping to try and source any organic and Fair Trade products (on offer) while in Asda and Tesco and recently my gorgeous newish boyfriend (Dishy Daniel) and I even went to a local butcher in Bangor to buy lamb shanks, chicken, bacon and sausages and although it did cost a small fortune we did feel a slight smug sense of happiness knowing exactly where our Sunday roast had come from.

Be brave and empower yourself

Posted by Samantha Castle on April 19, 2010 2:42 PM

FOR, many women, completing a tough physical challenge is about more than just reaching the end goal, its a life-affirming event.
Do you sometimes feel that there might be more to you than meets the eye? More you could be doing with your life than you are already? I do.
In between somewhere climbing to the top of the career ladder, living the perfect love story and raising a brood of shiny, happy offspring, a new kind of modern wonder woman is emerging who doesn't give a dame what anyone thinks and is taking cues from the heroines of history.
They are popping up everywhere, these woman, primed for blisters and bad hair in pursuit of doing something more worthwhile with their lives, be it running the London marathon for the first time, or trekking in China for charity, to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro just for the achievement of it. This year's Sport Relief was bursting with impressive feats by small-screen stars you'd never have expected if from- a 1,000-mile cycle ride from John O'Groats to Lands End by Divina McCall and Fearne Cotton. Blue Peter presenter Helen Skelton kayaking the length of the Amazon on her own, TV presenter Christine Bleakley water-skiing the Channel, Cheryl Coal climbing Kilimanjaro and not forgetting little Ellen MacArthur sailing round the world single-handed.
Have you ever tried anything Brave? I have. I attended a military bootcamp in the Brecon Beacons where I was put through my paces for a week of 12-hour days of exercise at the hands of ex-British army instructors in a bid to overcome a whole list of personal fears including climbing mountains, abseiling down waterfalls, running, spending 12-hours a day exercising and cutting out alcohol in order to drop a dress size. But apart from the weight loss results, myself and the other women on the week-long regime formed a unique bond after overcoming our fears and facing adversity together and most of us are still in touch today.
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I have also learned to play a guitar, to pole-dance (see previous blog posts) and will soon be trying off-road driving in a Range Rover in the wilds of Snowdonia!
Being empowered is about achieving your dreams and about daring yourself to do more.
"We're so routine-driven," according to psychologist Celia d-Felice, who has recently published a book called Dare To Be You.
"If it isn't always work and family its another habit that we can't get out of. It becomes difficulty to imagine another reality."
Its all about conquering fear or conquering your fear of fear.
Recently, Germaine Greer wrote in The Times arguing that the feminist revolution was only just starting. She said we are only now inspecting our own futures and taking charge.
So if your 20's are for working out who you are in relation to other people, your 30's are for working out who you are in relation to yourself. This makes your 40's a triumph, and not only because you have found the perfect colourist! We girls are past mistresses at finding excuses not to do things for ourselves. But now more than ever we should be showing our children what we're made of.
Why dine out on old stories when you can spin new ones, physical challengers are wonderful- nothing feels as good as freedom tastes.
If you need inspiration just look at these past great female adventurers.
Sylvia Earle- oceanographer and explorer, she led the first female team of aquanauts, set a record for solo diving to a depth of 1,000 meters and has walked untethered on the sea floor at a lower depth than any other human before or since. At 75, she had 15 honorary degrees, authored 150 scientific publications and led more than 70 expeditions.
Dian Fossey- zoologist, conservationist and author of Gorillas in the Mist, she did more to reconfigured out understanding of gorillas than anyone else before of since. Her last ever diary entry read: "When you realise the value of all life, you dwell less on what is past and concentrated on the preservation of the future."
Amelia Earthart- aviator and pioneer and the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. She always maintained that men and women were equal in jobs requiring intelligence, co-ordination, speed and willpower.
On a lighter note- dancing is also very good for you, not just keeping you fit and burning calories but also by producing happy hormones. I was very brave, some might say foolish, at the weekend when I went nightclubbing with my cousin, who is 10 years my junior. But we had an amazing couple of hours at gay-friendly Liverpool nightclub Garlands. We dancing non-stop for two hours and came away feeling enlightened. Thanks to the management at Garlands nightclub, Eberle Street, Liverpool.
www.garlandsnightclub.com

My evening with Mike Tyson...along with 1,000 other fans!

Posted by Samantha Castle on March 24, 2010 4:00 PM

ITS not everyday you get the opportunity to meet a real-life legend face-to-face so when Weekly News reporter Samantha Castle was given the chance to meet boxing champion Mike Tyson she jumped at it.
Mike Tyson.jpg
Meeting the Baddest Man on the Planet was quite a profound experience for me. Not being a boxing fan but still being very aware of Mr Tyson's reputation in and out of the ring made me feel slightly apprehensive of our meeting and put me at a disadvantage knowledge- wise, but I had no reason to fear him he was a pussycat!
I had been invited, courtesy of Dragon Promotions' Mike Williams, ring-master of the An Evening with Mike Tyson tour, to experience the £75 VIP package for myself.
I along with thousands of eager men and a handful of less eager women pilled into Venue Cymru last Friday evening and took my place at the back of a long queue to meet the legend that is Iron Man Mike Tyson.
After a number of security checks and the opportunity to purchase my own unique piece of Mike Tyson memorabilia including framed boxing gloves, shorts, T-shirts and photos, I eventually had my turn.
Under strick instructions that I wasn't allowed to ask Mr Tyson a single question- which was just as well as I know nothing about boxing and was actually going to ask what his favourite cheese was and did he have anymore plans to act (see The Hangover)- I took my place beside him under the glare of the flashbulbs.
Dressed in a brown suit and looking mean and trim for his 43 years, with a shaven head and that famous facial tattoo, he clasps my right hand in both his huge shovel-like hands and said 'Good evening mam' in a soft voice that reminded me of the late Michael Jackson's soft raspy whisper. I put my left arm round his back against his still very solid torso, we both faced the camera and smiled and he then he turned to me again and said 'Thank you' and 'Good buy' as I left the room.
Softly spoken and very polite- how surprisingly nice!
The show itself was a funny affair with a panel of boxing greats including Mike Tyson- the youngest heavyweight champion in history, Big Joe Egan, Jonny Nelson and former world heavyweight champion Tim Witherspoon lined up on the stage surrounded by more boxing memorabilia.
After the boxing greats each took their turn sharing anecdotes about their time with Mike there was a rather slap-stick auction of the boxing paraphernalia before Mike himself took to the stage for a short Q&A session.
Altogether a very interesting and entertaining evening- one to tell the grandchildren.

My inner gym-bunny's hopped off!

Posted by Samantha Castle on March 11, 2010 11:20 AM

WITH news that the Welsh Assembly Government is spending a whopping £650 million a year on obesity and poor health I have enrolled myself into my local council run gym scheme- Ffit Conwy, to ensure I'm not part of these statistics.
The membership is less than half the price of some of the hotel and spa facilities in the area and the staff are well trained and attentive, plus armed with my Ffit Conwy card I can use eight other council run leisure facilities and swimming pools too.
Health experts recommend five 30-minute sessions of physical exercise for adults and five 60-minute sessions for children each week. But on average Welsh adults achieve fewer than three sessions and 11-16 year olds fewer than four.
People who are physically active have up to a 50% reduced risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers and a 20-30% reduced risk of premature death.
I have to admit I have been a little shy attending the gym and have only managed the odd early morning weekly spinning class, which although is a great start to my day, just one 45 minute workout is not enough exercise to make a difference to my health- (see Paula's tip below). But with the encouragement of the attentive gym instructors at Llandudno Junction's gym, who regularly contact me with encouraging email's, I am sure I will find my inner gym-bunny once again!

In the meantime, my favourite gym instructor Paula Griffiths has provided this exercise tip:-
"The body is designed to be efficient and to save calories. If you do the same exercise week after week you'll use up fewer calories over time because you are getting fitter. Simply by changing your routine regularly will mean you'll continue to see results.
"You can do this by trying a variety of activities such as cycling, rock climbing or fitness classes. Remember that you burn more calories if you have to concentrate!
"Activities like dance mats or martial arts are great because you have to think about what you are doing. You should also have your gym programme reviewed regularly by your instructor to make sure you are getting the most out of the time you spend in the gym."
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She added: "Instructor Kieran and I will be doing all of the fitness classes in the centre all week leading up to Sport Relief. We are collecting sponsors online and in person."
To donate log on to: www.mysportrelief.com/ljlc

New Year, New Me!

Posted by Samantha Castle on February 24, 2010 12:54 PM

JOIN Weekly News reporter Samantha Castle each week as she sets out to improve her mind, body and soul in her New Year, New Me! weekly online blogspot.
Each week I will take a closer look at how I can improve not only my physical wellbeing- by all the usual methods and some more unusual and alternative ones, but also my mental attitude to life and all it throws at me.
Far from being the months for successful new beginnings, January, February and March are often the time we set ourselves up for failure. So this year I have decided to reflect less on the changes I want to make and focus more on my actual wellbeing.
2009 was a tough old year for me and by the sounds of it I'm not alone as most of my friends, colleagues, facebook buddies and twitter chums agree, whether its redundancies or house repossessions- the recession has got to us all. So its good riddance 2009, and hello 2010!
My first tentative steps to renew my mind and body was to rejoin the gym.
Public and privately owned health clubs can be lonely, boring and intimidating places at the best of times, but after speaking to the staff at my local council run gym in Llandudno Junction, I now have the confidence and conviction to drag my podgy-self down to any one of eight local leisure centres available to Ffit Conwy members across the county. Since January I have had access to a number of activities including spinning, water aerobics, step class, circuit training and fitball sessions and I have also been given a short gym workout programme specifically tailored to my personal health and fitness needs, which I'm slowly but surely working my way through.
So I hope you will tune in each week to read my reports and reviews and maybe learn from my experiences and giggle at any titillations I encounter along the way.