Latest news with #Kent-based
Scottish Sun
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Tearful Emma Raducanu reveals showdown talks with coach Mark Petchey after Wimbledon exit
FIGHTING back the tears, Emma Raducanu said she will hold showdown talks with coach Mark Petchey about their future working arrangement. But she claims she will head next month to New York – the scene of her greatest triumph – brimming with confidence she CAN match the world's best. 3 Emma Raducanu was knocked out of Wimbledon on Friday night Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 3 Raducanu was respectably beaten by world No1 Aryna Sabalenka Credit: Reuters Raducanu, 22, ate a KitKat chocolate bar in the locker room after her two-hour two-set slugfest with world No1 Aryna Sabalenka on Friday night. For those who had doubted whether the Brit would ever replicate the magical form she showed when lifting the US Open four years ago, this was a demonstration of her abilities. Though she fell short, and was unable to capitalise on two clutch moments in set two, she earned widespread respect for slugging it out with the three-time Grand Slam champion on Centre Court. Petchey, who joined her team on a part-time basis in March, has had a transformative impact on her form and demeanour but there is no guarantee that coaching gig will continue. READ MORE WIMBLEDON HEALTH WORRY Wimbledon ball kid removed from court as umpire is forced to ask for help The former tennis player earns a decent living as a respected TV analyst but has to decide now whether to give that all up to sit in Raducanu's box. Raducanu said: 'It's very difficult. He obviously also has his commentating commitments. 'He agreed to help me until the end of Wimbledon and then we kind of see from there. 'Because he gave up some work to work with me here, which I really appreciate and I'm grateful for. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK 'That's a conversation that we need to have after a few days and the dust settles a little bit.' Clutching a tissue and sniffling constantly, Raducanu had slightly red eyes when she addressed the world's media following her exit. Cam Norrie bats away awkward question about Emma Raducanu's love life It has been an emotional summer for the Kent-based superstar, one in which she has faced security concerns and received 'some pretty bad news' during her run in Eastbourne. But as self-critical as she is about her own displays, she is proud of how she competed toe-for-toe with Sabalenka, 27, especially in a 74-minute opening set under a closed roof. And that only bodes well for the hard-court swing in North America. 'IT GIVES ME CONFIDENCE' Raducanu – who will play the Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington later this month – said: 'It's hard to take a loss like that. 'It does give me confidence because I think the problem before was that I felt like I was gulfs away from the very top. 'Having a match like that where I had chances in both sets, it does give me confidence. At the same time, it's very difficult to take right now. 'It gives me confidence that I'm not as far away as I perhaps thought before the tournament. 'Before when I was playing those top-five players, it was pretty convincing, the loss. 'IT'S A BIT OF A LEVELLER' 'I feel like grass for me is a great surface. It's a bit of a leveller in that sense. 'Taking it onto a different surface where it's a lot more lively in America is another challenge in itself. 'There's still a lot of things that I want to do better, a lot of things I want to improve to solidify my game, so that in the big moments I can back myself a little bit more. 'I don't think I've really had a loss like this in a long time, where I feel like I maybe had chances and didn't take them. Usually I'm pretty good at converting. 'In the big moments, Aryna was able to convert. She was able to hit some incredible shots. 'I just need to keep working and get back to the drawing board and improve a lot more.' 3
Daily Mirror
23-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
Mum has lunch with family in Italy - costs less than Alton Towers
Gill Martini-Pullen had searched high and low for a fun day out to treat her two kids without breaking the bank - and what she found was incredible A mum went for an international lunchtime trip that was cheaper than a day out to Alton Towers. Gill Martini-Pullen, 49, looked for an affordable yet exciting day out for her two children but found theme park tickets like those for Alton Towers, priced at £68, too steep. The Kent-based business support assistant grew tired of the usual local options and stumbled upon the idea of a one-day foreign trip. To her surprise, she managed to take her kids, aged 11 and 15, off to Bergamo, Italy, for a total cost of just £212 – and they were back home in the UK and tucked up in bed by night-time. "The thought of being able to go to another country for the day was so exciting," Gill said to Luxury Travel Daily. "A day trip to London or a theme park is very expensive, especially when you factor in travel costs, food and drink. I wanted to treat them to something fun and be back home for their bedtimes." The thrifty mum managed to get bargain flights with Ryanair for a mere £80 and parked at a nearby Premier Inn for only £12 to avoid hefty airport fees. They embarked on their Italian trip at 7.25am, after a modest £4 shuttle ride to the airport. She said: "We spent the day wandering around the pretty streets of Bergamo, stopping at a lovely restaurant for lunch. "We looked in lots of cute shops, then walked most of the way back down to the lower town before catching the bus back to the airport. With time to spare, we crossed the road to the huge shopping centre for a little look." For their midday meal, they tucked into pizza and gnocchi, with Gill treating herself to an Aperol Spritz, all for £46, followed by cake and gelato for £10. They then spent £13 on traditional Italian pesto and pasta to whip up a dinner back home the following evening and grabbed a quick bite at McDonald's in the airport for £11. Their 9pm flight was delayed, but they didn't let it dampen their spirits, and despite the hold-up, the children were tucked up in bed by 1am instead of the planned 11.30pm. Gill recommends considering a midweek trip to find the best bargains. She also suggests having a look at sites like Skyscanner. A trip to Alton Towers can cost £204 for three 'walk up price' theme park tickets, according to their website - although it is far cheaper if done online. But the family would also have had to pay to travel back and forth, as well as get food, drink and petrol. Gill added: "Doing extreme day trips is such a good way to get tasters of other countries. I'm looking at going to Paris next or to the Bucharest Thermal Spa with my girls. "The kids loved being able to say they went to Italy for lunch rather than the usual theme park. And they can't wait to do more. "Their feet were hurting after 25,000 steps, but we had a great time."
Scottish Sun
21-06-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Hobbycraft to close NINE shops today as part of huge restructuring plan – is your local going
See the full list of stores closing below CLOSING TIME Hobbycraft to close NINE shops today as part of huge restructuring plan – is your local going Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SHOPPERS are running out of time to pick up craft and art essentials from selected stores as a high street chain axes nine outlets. Hobbycraft is closing shops in towns including Bristol, Dunstable, Borehamwood and Basildon today. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Hobbycraft is closing nine shops in a blow to locals Credit: PA The high street favourite is also closing two sites in Essex, one in Gloucestershire, plus another in Kent. The stores closing their doors makeup at least nine Hobbycraft stores that have been earmarked for closure this year. Local customers have been disappointed by the news. Bristol residents describing it as a "shame" on social media. The local store is sure to be missed as another customer said they needed to find another "rainy day activity" referencing the store's numerous crafting goods. Talking about the closure, a Kent-based shopper said: "Oh noooooo it's the only one I go to regularly as the rest are too far away!". Another resident said they would "need therapy" following news of the closure. Closing down sales have been ongoing across the stores, with up to 70% off some items. Here is the full list of stores shutting Canterbury, Kent Basildon, Essex Borehamwood, Hertfordshire Bristol, Imperial Retail Park Dunstable, Bedfordshire Epping Forest, Essex Lakeside Shopping Centre, Essex Cirencester, Gloucestershire Bagshot, Surrey I transformed my boring, old fence using an electric stapler and bargain buys from Hobbycraft and Amazon The closures come as new owner Modella Capital is launching an overhaul of the chain after buying Hobbycraft in August last year. Modella also recently agreed to purchase WHSmith's high street business. The move is set to impact between 72 and 126 jobs. Retail woe Hobbycraft is not the only retailer scaling down operations. Up to 11 Original Factory Shops stores are to set to close this month, including sites across Worcestershire, Durham and Cumbria. And another five stores across Nairn, Market Drayton, Troon, Blairgowrie and Castle Douglas have been put up for sale. Private equity firm Modella bought The Original Factory Shop back in February and has since launched a restructuring effort to renegotiate rents at 88 TOFS stores. You can see the full list of store closures here: Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire - June 26 Perth - June 28 Chester Le Street, County Durham - June 28 Arbroath, Angus - June 28 Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire - June 28 Pershore, Worcestershire - June 28 Normanton, West Yorkshire - June 28 Peterhead, Aberdeenshire - June 28 Shaftesbury, Dorset - June 28 Staveley, Cumbria - July 12 Middlewich - TBC The following stores are also up for sale: Nairn Market Drayton Troon Blairgowrie Castle Douglas RETAIL PAIN IN 2025 The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion. Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April. A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024. Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure. The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year. It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year. Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025." Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector. "By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020."
Scottish Sun
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
I quit boring 9-5 job & make £40K a month on TikTok shop working 3 days a week… I didn't even use social media before
LIKE most parents, Jordan Payne was always keen to find ways to bring in a bit of extra cash. But when she decided to start promoting items for TikTok shop, she never expected to make £40,000 in just ONE month. 13 Mum-of-two Jordan Payne earns thousands by promoting items on TikTok shop Credit: Jordan Payne 13 Her posts are focused around her family life and children Credit: Jordan Payne 13 Jordan sometimes promotes clothes on her TikTok account Credit: Tiktok/@jordanpayne25 And she reckons she's made a staggering £150,000 since opening up her profile on the video-based platform in 2020. The mum-of-two barely used any of her own social media when she first began posting on the app, hoping she might make a few extra quid. By December 2023 she was earning thousands a month - and 18 months later she managed to quit her 9-5 job as a technical product manager to focus full-time on her new TikTok career. In an exclusive interview with The Sun, she said: 'When I first realised I'd made £40,000 in a month, it just seemed crazy. 'You can't quite believe that it's even possible. Most people just don't manage that. 'I did it in November last year around Black Friday. I normally bring in around £10,000 a month, but it's taken me years to build up to this.' TikTok Shop is a marketplace on the social media app, selling everything from beauty products to clothes and garden items, often at bargain prices. When Jordan started you had to have 1,000 followers before you could promote items on the shop. You'd then earn a commission on each sale that came from people clicking through a link on the post. To gain followers Jordan posted tips for brides, as she had got married the month before. Now you need just 500 followers to start doing work for TikTok shop. I've made £18k on Vinted - my clever tip means your photos will stand out 13 Initially Jordan found making the promotional videos awkward Credit: Supplied 13 She spends hours filming content three days a week to promote online Credit: Supplied Commission ranges from two per cent up to 25 per cent, depending on the product and the creator's following and previous success. Jordan, who is appearing in Channel 4's Secrets of TikTok Shop, first considered joining the app to make money in 2020, after a friend who'd been furloughed during lockdown told her how much money they'd been making from it. The Kent-based mum, 33, was initially a little sceptical about if she'd be able to do the same, as she didn't really use social media like Instagram or Facebook, nevermind TikTok. 'At first, it was really awkward making the videos,' she said. 'In the first week, I felt uncomfortable talking to the camera, and I was focusing on that rather than who I though might be watching the content. 'After a bit, you just forget about it. Once I got my first sale, I was like, 'This is all worth it, so worth putting the time and effort in.' 'I do look back at my old videos now and think, 'Wow that's different'. I've just learnt what works and what doesn't.' Jordan's account, jordanpayne25, focuses on family life, as she has two boys aged one and three with husband Lance, 36. It took her a while to find her niche, but now she reviews kids toys, clothing and items for the family home like air fryers and parasols. Booming business 13 Jordan promotes easy beauty hacks that mum's can use Credit: Tiktok/@jordanpayne25 13 The mum mainly focuses on childrens items as they're relevent to her Credit: Tiktok/@jordanpayne25 Once she'd found products that sold well, it took a few years for her to start making around £10,000 per month from TikTok Shop. 'This time last year, it started really booming,' she said. 'It is life-changing. It's enabled me to quit my job, and I had a good, quite highly paid job before. Now I get to be at home with my kids a lot more. "I tend to work three days a week. I spend all day creating content, editing it, looking on TikTok to see what is doing well. 'I do get more time with my kids but I worry they don't realise that when I'm on my phone, I'm working.' Jordan revealed the most important element of a TikTok video is the opening three seconds - called 'the hook' by creators. It's the short time period it takes TikTok users to decide if they want to watch the video or not. 'One I found worked was saying 'I'm buying this for my nan', because it got people intrigued,' she said. 'It worked so well that I repeated it across several videos. It's one of the important things I've learnt over the years.' Jordan always viewed working with TikTok shop as a business venture, and now all of her earnings from the app are paid into a business account. Storage rooms of products 13 Jordan has a storage room full of products she's been sent by brands Credit: Supplied 13 She says that she doesn't like getting rid of things incase she can promote them again Credit: Supplied She pays herself a set salary of £1,048, plus dividends, every month, and resists spending every penny she earns on her ongoing home renovation project. Jordan is one of the top 120 sellers on TikTok in the UK - and as a result, she has to dedicate rooms in her home to storing products. She said: 'I've got content rooms which are just storage because I've so much stuff that I try to keep to promote. 'I've got about eight air fryers in there. Obviously I can't use them, because nobody needs that. 'But I keep them all because the brand sent them to me... it could be that one of them's on sale tomorrow, one's on sale in a few weeks, and I can promote the different ones, because they're all good for different reasons.' While promoting items from the shop is all about getting sales, Jordan does give her honest opinion when she feels an item isn't up to scratch. 'I have given negative reviews as well, which is a bit of a controversial one,' she said. 'Some people do it, some people don't. Mine blew up, which was a bit difficult for me, because it was a Mystery Toy Box, and they are a nice company. 'But I just really didn't think the particular Paw Patrol box was good value for money, so I said that. 'It mainly just had paintings in it and not much variety, and I think a kid receiving that would be disappointed.' Top tips 13 Jordan sometimes sells clothing items on her TikTok Credit: Tiktok/@jordanpayne25 13 Jordan has the full support of her husband Lance who is still working full time Credit: Jordan Payne Jordan is keen to encourage others to replicate her success on the platform. She's helped family and friends set up accounts - including her sister, who promoted products on an account that didn't feature her face. Jordan has also noticed a number of people using the app have told how much they are battling financially with the cost of living crisis. She said: 'I see a lot of people online talking about how they struggle. I saw one lady, who was a nurse, saying that she and her husband were struggling despite both having full time jobs. Jordan's 5 top tips for bossing TikTok Shop Jordan has been encouraging family and friends to start selling things on TikTok Shop. She offers these top tips to budding sellers... 1. Just go for it. I think that's where most people get stuck, they're too scared to even start it. So just give it a try, even if it's faceless, just try. You can always stop doing it. 2. Follow other creators that are doing well in the same kind of products that you're interested in. If you're beauty, follow them. If you're home, follow accounts that do that, because that'll give you lots of ideas. 3. Look at your analytics. We get lots of information, our watch times and all sorts of stuff. Look at which videos have done the best and repeat that if you had a good 'hook' (first three seconds). If you've got a video that's done particularly well, do that exact thing again, on the same product or different ones. 4. Buy the product. Don't always wait for free samples or worry about not spending the money (within reason!) because if you miss the early stages of it being viral, you're probably going to miss out on sales. Someone else will get it. If you get to it too late, it's probably not going to go viral for you, even if it was a trending product. 5. Make sure you are using good lighting. The visual of the video matters. If it's dark or blurry, that video won't get pushed by TikTok. Plus, no one's going to want to watch it. 'Everybody at the moment is looking for a side hustle or a way to just get by with the current cost of living. "TikTok shop is just a great way for people to earn an extra income. 'It doesn't have to be £10,000 a month if you don't want to put time in. "Some people just want a little extra to help out. My sister-in-law makes about £500 a month, which makes a big difference to paying bills and things.' UNTOLD: Secrets of TikTok Shop is now streaming on Channel 4 13 Prior to starting her TikTok account, Jordan barely used social media Credit: Jordan Payne
Scottish Sun
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Towie trip chaos as Dan Edgar flirts with stunning new girl on flight to Portugal – right in front of ex Ella Rae Wise
DAN EDGAR made a beeline for a stunning brunette on a Towie cast flight to Portugal in front of 'fuming' ex Ella Rae Wise. The Dancing On Ice star, 35, caused a stir on a Jet2 flight from London Standard to Faro in Portugal after making a bold move mid-journey. 7 Towie star Dan Edgar was spotted flirting up a storm on a flight to Portugal Credit: Supplied 7 Stunning brunette Chloe caught the eye of newly single Dan Credit: chloeoolivia_ 7 Ella Rae Wise flaunts her curves in Albufeira Portugal for TOWIE season 36 Credit: Instagram An onlooker told The Sun there were 'sparks flying' - but not everyone was enjoying the in-flight entertainment. CBB ex Ella, 24, was accused of shooting 'death stares' to Dan during the entire conversation as Love Island: All Stars couple Sammy Root and Elma Pazar watched on. An image obtained by The Sun shows Dan locked in conversation with the stunning brunette, who he chatted to for 15 minutes after the pair were 'drawn to each other' in the departure queue. A source told The Sun: 'We saw Dan Edgar chatting away to a woman who was on a hen do on our flight - the plane was full of the entire Towie cast. 'One of the girls from the hen do, he took a liking to. He was with her for quite a fair bit of the flight and his cast members didn't seem too happy. 'You could tell it was a flirty exchange - they were laughing and touching. There were definitely sparks flying. 'Sat near where they were talking was Sammy Root, Elma and Ella Wise. Ella was giving death stares - it looked like she was fuming. It was a very entertaining flight. 'We noticed they were drawn to each other - we could see them eyeing each other in the departure queue. 'It looked like socials were exchanged so it seems their conversation went really well.' Dan's potential new romance comes as the Towie cast jetted off to Portugal to kick off filming for the long-running ITV reality series' 15th anniversary. Towie star sparks concern in worrying new video after horrendous trolling as fans 'ask are you ok?' He had been dating CBB star Ella in the run-up to her stint on the show in April. While the last series saw Ella and Dan become "official" ahead of her stint on Celebrity Big Brother, it was revealed on the show that the two had split "amicably". The pair now face the first reunion since their split as the cast film scenes in the Algarve for the latest season, out later this year. Sophie Kasaei, boyfriend Jordan Brook, Junaid Ahmed and boyfriend Joe Blackman also join them in Portugal. Towie has been approached for comment. Meanwhile, Matilda Draper and Jodie Wells have been soaking up the sun at the luxury resort's pool. Elma Pazar, Harry Derbridge, Amber Turner and Dani Imbert, AMY Childs and Lauren Goodger are also on the trip. Dan is also set to face off with another of his exes - 31-year-old Amber Turner, who has since moved on from the Dancing On Ice star with Kent-based hunk Archie Chandler. The pair have been together since May last year, with sources reporting that Amber has finally found 'the one'. 7 Dan seen on Towie last year Credit: Lime Pictures 7 Ella recently revealed their split on Celebrity Big Brother Credit: instagram/ellaraewisex 7 The Towie girls have landed in Portugal
