Love Cambridge Members E-Bulletin - June 2011 Issue  

With thanks, Becky, Helen and The Love Cambridge Team.  

Update from Love Cambridge

	Love Cambridge Vacancy   A vacancy has arisen on the Love Cambridge board for an advocate for Independent businesses in the city.  This is an exciting opportunity for anyone involved in running an independent business who is passionate about Cambridge and committed to working in partnership to deliver improvements to the city centre.   Please click here for details of the job description and person spec   Expressions of interested should be submitted to info@love-cambridge.co.ukby Friday 24th June
	Cambridge gets ready to impress with city evaluation....   A team of mystery shoppers and city assessors will be heading to Cambridge this month to rate the city’s shopping experience.   The Location Model, designed by Skillsmart Retail, the Sector Skills Council for Retail, is being used to assess how well Cambridge performs in a number of different areas, from shop standards to town centre cleanliness.   The project is being funded by the National Skills Academy for Retail and supported by Love Cambridge, the City Centre Partnership for Cambridge.   As part of the project independent retailers have been given the chance to be mystery shopped. Trained market research professionals will visit each participating independent shop twice during June to judge how well they are performing in areas such as customer service, product knowledge and window display.   As well as this, 100 shoppers in the city centre will be interviewed to find out how satisfied or dissatisfied they are with the service they receive in the city’s shops.   Cambridge city centre itself will also be audited. This will focus on how easy it is for a stranger to shop in the city. Everything from car parking and street signage will be assessed - even the smallest of details such as how easy it is for shoppers to cross roads. The auditor will also assess the location of basic landmarks including the Post Office and library.   Emma Thornton, Head of Tourism and City Centre Management and the Love Cambridge Partnership said: “The Location Model is a great way for us to find out about Cambridge shoppers’ experiences. Being a prime tourist location, the city attracts thousands of new visitors every year.  It is vital these people get a great impression of Cambridge, and its businesses, to encourage them to return or tell friends about the city.    “Cambridge has many small retailers, popular with residents and tourists, which are essential to the local economy and must be supported.  The Location Model will give our independent retailers the opportunity to get a real insight into how they are performing and what customers really think of their service.  The feedback they will receive will really help them improve their businesses.”      Once the information has been gathered, results will be used to see how the city can be developed.   The Location Model has already been successfully used in more than 80 locations in Great Britain, from Aberdeen to Wrexham.    Jayne Rexworthy, Head of the National Skills Academy for Retail said: “The Location Model will allow Cambridge’s leaders to get a strategic overview of the city’s retail offer, as well as giving individual retailers customer feedback.    “In these tough times independents must focus on how they can get customers into their shops and returning time after time. Once the Location Model results are announced, there will be numerous opportunities for retailers to take advantage of training, to ensure the improvements identified can be made.”   Full results will be revealed at a special ceremony as part of The Love Cambridge AGM on Thursday 15th September 2011.
	Love Cambridge launches a new Offers & Promotions Section on it’s website   Love Cambridge will shortly be launching a new Offers & Promotions section on it’s website. Accessed directly from our home page this section will detail all the current offers and promotions we know about – so if you have something going on and would like us to promote it for you – please email us in the details and images.   This new section will replace the current Wonderful Wednesdays pages but we will have a dedicated page promoting our fabulous selection of late evening offers within the new section.   These changes have been made to offer both our Members and the wider e-bulletin audience better value – we are now in a position to promote all offers and promotions currently being undertaken and not just those on a Wednesday evening.   So if you have something to share please email Helen.hames@love-cambridge.co.ukwith your company logo, details of the offer or promotion, including key dates, and most importantly a contact name or link for further information.   We look forward to receiving your Offers & Promotions.
	Love Cambridge Community Partnership Fund - The Big Switch On Love Cambridge are inviting businesses and organisations across Cambridge to form a community consortium to help keep Christmas alive in the city of Cambridge.   The Big Switch On Event is a free event to switch on the festive lights in and around the city centre but there is a considerable cost associated with this. It is attended by thousands of visitors and residents every year and we need your help to ensure it continues to benefit the local community.   With four stages across the city centre with entertainment and performances from local community groups, schools and local musicians the day plays a big part in launching the festive season.    The Big Switch On itself takes place in front of the Market Square to a crowd of thousands all waiting in anticipation of which ‘star’ is going to flick that switch!   The 2011 Big Switch On is taking place on Sunday 20th November.  Entertainment starts at midday with the Switch On itself taking place at 17:00 For a more detailed document outlining the partner benefits, please contact Becky Burrell on 01223 457198 or email becky.burrell@love-cambridge.co.uk

Update from Love Cambridge Members

	Feather & Black – Christ’s Lane   Founded in 2004 & has grown to 34 stores nationwide. Ranging from bespoke beds to wardrobe solutions, to tailor made mattresses to quality bedroom furniture & linens   Feather & Black in Cambridge arrived at 2 Christ’s Lane in June 2010, bringing a unique brand that takes pride in it’s products   The team consists of Lisa (Store Manager), Chris, Nick & Ineta.             To help celebrate the stores 1st birthday we have a promotion in store with 15% off everything*   15% Off Cambridge Store 4th – 10th July 2 Christs Lane,Cambridge, CB1 1NP 01223 366282     *excluding Tempur, wardrobe solutions & sofa beds. Please enquire in store for any further details.
	The Early Bird catches a great parking offer in Cambridge on Saturdays   On Saturdays early birds catch a great parking deal in two of Cambridge’s most popular car parks – Grafton East and Park Street – with parking charges only 70p per hour until 10am.   This great parking offer is brought to you by CRACA (Cambridge’s Retail and Commercial Association) and Cambridge City Council and is a trial lasting until 30th September 2011.   The early bird scheme extends the night rate on a Friday night through to 10am on Saturday mornings meaning customers can enjoy parking for only 70p per hour until 10am. The trial is running until the 30th September 2011.   For more information visit the Love Cambridge website or the City Council website
	Mayhem – Sidney Street   Mayhem- an independent fashion company established in 1989, working hard to provide a different wardrobe to the people of Cambridge. Most of our brands are exclusive to us and cannot be found in any other store in the city.   Happy to announce the launch of Mayfly! Designed by Emma, one of the owners of Mayhem, and exclusive to us. Great summer skirts and fantastic versatile dresses- perfect for the approaching May Balls!   Great summer hits not to be missed – Gheaven Flip flops! The company that brought the indispensable Tunic dress to Cambridge now brings you these crazy coloured gems. So many different ones to choose from you will have to come in and have a look and try them on! £14.95 a pair.   Uttam Wrap dress- Be seen sunning yourself by the River Cam this summer in this stunning wrap dress - with its sequin flower details it certainly won’t look out of place as day turns to night! Available in Turquoise, Pink or Navy. Only £39.95.   Desigual Denim collection – great shorts, 3 quarter length and even colourful harem pants. Always individual and exclusively available from Mayhem in Cambridge. Also the Elizaveta jacket is one of those items that will have you wondering what you ever wore on those Spring evenings before!   We are excited to announce a new Menswear brand into our stores- Wolsey- again a Cambridge exclusive! A fantastic brand that’s been at work since 1755 – bringing a touch of class to our summer shirts and knitwear collection.   Where will you be this year without your Chunk Star Wars Tee? Mayhem can help kit you out for the festivals and those summer evenings in the city or on holiday including ETO denim and Voi polos and shorts.   Finally- Baileys of Hollywood. Hat makers since 1922- we have by far the best summer Trilby collection available in Cambridge!!
	Grand Arcade is official sponsor of Ladies’ Day   Make a diary date for Fashion at The Festival Ladies’ Day at the Newmarket July Festival sponsored by Grand Arcade. Be sure to be at the three-day racing event, starting on Thursday July 7th with Ladies’ Day, and you might win one of the fabulous Grand Arcade prizes presented to the most stylish lady, including: £100 of John Lewis vouchers; a 2-Hour Gift of Time spa treatment at Sanctuary Spa; a beautiful pink leather Radley bag worth £169; a £70 cut and blow dry at Seanhanna; a luxury manicure and pedicure courtesy of Rituals and a £125 Fragrance Profile and luxury products from perfumers Penhaligon’s. Simply pop into the Grand Arcade Fashion at the Festival marquee to enter and pick-up a Grand Arcade and Newmarket July Festival brochure containing exclusive money-off vouchers from selected Grand Arcade stores. To book tickets for the Newmarket July Festival see www.newmarketracecourses.co.uk/racing   Laura Ashley launches Occasions   Laura Ashley presents Occasions, a collection of smart dresses, separates and accessories designed especially for weddings, garden parties and Summer events. This new collection is perfect for every special occasion and the range is now available at the Laura Ashley store on the first floor at Grand Arcade. Laura Ashley is also supporting Breakthrough Breast Cancer 2011 with a pretty fifties-style prom dress. Laura Ashley will donate 30% from each £100 dress sold to the charity.   Belles of the Balls   The May Ball season is about to begin as colleges prepare for the Cambridge social events of the year. Finding the perfect dress is on every girl’s wish-list and Grand Arcade’s John Lewis, Coast, Hobbs and LK Bennett offer a free personal shopping service to make finding the dress of your dreams a little bit easier. If you want to turn heads and make the most of womanly curves then head to Chesca, on the first floor, where you will find a collection of beautifully cut dresses and separates designed flatteringly for the fuller figure. Why not try a Girl’s Night In at Hobbs? Simply gather a group of six or more friends and book an appointment to enjoy trying clothes on and dressing up together while sipping wine and indulging in a few nibbles. Simply make an appointment at the store of your choice and you shall be the belle of the May ball.    New yoga and home wear at Rituals   Rituals, on the ground floor of Grand Arcade, has launched a new clothing line featuring a luxurious blend of organic cotton and lycra in a range of versatile separates. The stylish tunics, hammam trousers, leggings, kimono and nightwear come in an array of fresh summer shades and incorporate beautiful and unusual detailing, including satin drawstring, coconut buttons and lotus print motifs, and is ideal for relaxing elegantly at home. The collection consists of fourteen pieces for women and five for men and is available in Pure Camel, Divine White, Zesty Coral, Happy Violet and Serene Grey. Prices start from £11.90.   Charming beauty bag from Thomas Sabo   Charm Club fans will love this latest addition to the Thomas Sabo range. A special edition bottle of 50ml Charm Rose eau de parfum and 200ml Shower Crème is now available as a dream team combination in the exclusive Charm Rose Beauty Bag. Designed to suit the needs of jet-set girls, this luxuriously large zipper bag offers plenty of space to store all those little items – beauty products or your jewels. Thomas Sabo Beauty Bag, £54.96, from Thomas Sabo, ground floor, Grand Arcade.   Warehouse discount card   Buy a copy of Glamour magazine to enjoy a 20% discount card for the stunning Summer collections at Warehouse. Be quick - offer ends June 9th
	Williams Art 7 - 12 JUNE Nancy Fève : Recombinant Fabric Art An exhibition of amazing traditional American quilts with a modern twist by Washington DC artist Nancy Fève. One of them will involve Cambridge-based technology to communicate with the public: this will be the first ever UK showing of Nancy's 'QR Code' quilt. Hold your smart phone up to the screen, launch a QR code scanner and see where it takes you:
	Co-operative Cambridge Folk Festival The line-up has been announced for the 2011 Co-operative Cambridge Folk Festival. Among this year's acts are Brit-award winner Laura Marling, Rumer, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Frank Turner, Newton Faulkner, Pentangle, The Robert Cray Band, Bellowhead and many more. For full line-up and tickets please visit the website
	The Cambridge Corn Exchange Christmas Show! The Cambridge Corn Exchange has announced that the much-loved Christmas musical ANNIE will be this year's Christmas Show. Set around the Christmas period the award-winning show stars TV's Su Pollard and runs from Saturday 17 – Saturday 31 December. Tickets are now on sale.  Visit the website for more information
	Boudoir Femme Launch Loyalty Card Boudoir Femme is pleased to announce its very first Loyalty Card. As a very important shopper at Boudoir Femme you will be able to take advantage of the brand new 'Pink Card'. Spend £250 or over and receive a £25 Pink Card to spend on your next visit to the store, spend over £500 and receive a £50 Pink Card and over £750 and receive a £75 Pink Card. What could be better than a great reward and another excuse to go shopping! For more information visit the website
	Marks & Spencer - June Offers   Father day launches in store with ideal gifts for your Dad, with 20% off all men's toiletries and fragrances.  Visit our men's department on the 1st floor in our Market Hill store. Back to school launches with a massive 20% off all school wear, located within our Sidney street store on the 2nd floor Dine in for 2 for ?10 - on our food section Lots of great swimwear within our holiday shop located on the ground floor Sidney Street!   Collect buy car service for those customers that want to carry on shopping after they have done there food shop.
	Eco Homes Open thier Doors...   Fifteen homes in and around Cambridge are opening their doors on Saturday 18th and Sunday 26th June to show what can be done with solar panels, sedum green roofs, wood-burning stoves, ground source heat pumps, wall insulation, in-home electricity generation, and many other measures fitting a wide range of budgets ranging from DIY to professional installations. The homes include old and new, big and small, and are warm and comfortable while economical in energy use.     Have you been thinking about low energy solutions or putting solar panels on your roof, for now or in the future? Home owners are enthusiastic about the changes they have made and are happy to share with you their experiences, ideas, costings and excitement. You can find out what worked and what didn’t, and about the reality of giving your home an energy makeover.   You can see the homes at by visiting their websiteand choose which ones you’d like to visit. To book your guided tours call the Energy Saving Trust on 0800 512 012. Lines are open 9-7 Monday to Friday and 9-12 Saturday.   Liz Knox, the Open Eco Homes Project Manager, says, “There is a growing community of home owners with an infectious enthusiasm for making these changes, and helping others make them too. What’s great about it is that it brings people together.”   We will be celebrating the Open Eco Homes with an exciting Launch Event - Eco Renovation ‘Question Time’ comprising a panel of local experts; followed by wine & soft drinks, and a chance to browse stalls. The launch is free and starts at 7.30 pm on Friday 10th June at St Luke’s Centre, Victoria Road, Cambridge CB4 3DZ   Visits to the Eco Homes will take place in guided tours of small groups at scheduled times, 10.30am, 12 noon, 2pm and 3.30pm on Saturday 18th and Sunday 26th June (Suggested donation is £3 per person per home).
	Gonville Hotel Launches New Website   Best Western The Gonville Hotel in Cambridge has launched a new website that allows guests to book rooms directly with the hotel.   The new site at www.gonvillehotel.co.ukhas been designed to allow both leisure and business guests, whether they want to book a room or a function, to find what they require quickly and easily and also includes an updated design by London designers Propeller Communications to fit in with the hotel’s recent £900,000 room refurbishment.   Says the hotel’s General Manger Roderick Watson: “We wanted a website that had a more contemporary design to fit in with the hotel’s recent changes and also one that made it easy for guests to book rooms directly with staff at the hotel and to find out what they needed about the hotel and their stay in Cambridge.”   The Best Western Gonville Hotel is located in Cambridge’s historic city centre overlooking Parkers Piece. Facilities include 80 comfortable ensuite bedrooms with wi-fi access, restaurant, bar and conference, meeting and wedding facilities. It also has extensive parking. For more information visit the website or email sales@gonvillehotel.co.uk or 01223 366611.
	Out of hours magic: Evening openings at the Botanic Garden this summer   Low summer sun and warm evenings cast a magical glow over the Botanic Garden and this summer visitors can enjoy this magical place out of hours when the Garden stays open late on the first and third Wednesdays of June, July and August, beginning next Wednesday 1 June.  Visitors might even be lucky enough to spot bats, the resident foxes and badgers, or a grass snake taking an evening swim!    In response to positive feedback after last year’s trial evening openings, the Garden is staying open even later, until 9pm on 1 & 15 June and 6 & 20 July.  On 3 and 17 August, as the nights draw in, the Garden will stay open until 8pm.   To really relax after a long day, a walking tour of the Garden’s summer highlights is just the ticket. The one-hour tours leave the Brookside Gate at 5.45pm prompt and take in the plants and landscapes at their best.  Tickets are limited and available at the Brookside Gate at £3 each (plus normal Garden admission).   The Garden is delighted that the Cambridge Summer Music Festival will be returning this year with two informal Sounds Green recitals starting at 6.15pm on the Main Lawn and offering an hour of music for evening visitors to stop and listen to for a while:   Sounds Green I on 20 July, starting at 6.15pm The Lunar Sax Quartet, one of the UK’s most exciting saxophone ensembles, will play a programme of classical and jazz music. The quartet has an enviable reputation for creativity and virtuosity in bringing together new works for saxophone.   Sounds Green II on 3 August, starting at 6.15pm The Skittles Quintet, all wind instrumentalists from the Royal Academy will treat us to a programme of works by great French composers, complimented by some lighter music of different styles, including a raucous finale!    Any evening perambulation should also take in the Garden Café, which in addition to the usual delectable cakes and fair-trade drinks will be offering a summery menu of seasonal specials, plus there are meal deals for children and delicious picnic boxes to take away to a favourite spot in the Garden.   The Botanic Garden stays open late ‘til 9pm on 1 & 15 June, 6 & 20 July and until 8pm on 3 & 17 August.