IN BRIEF
A DICKENSIAN FESTIVE
FEEL TO LAUNCH
OWEN DREW CANDLES
CHRISTMAS COLLECTION WIRRAL LIFE ANNOUNCED
AS OFFICIAL MEDIA
PARTNER AT THE
CHRISTMAS PICNIC CONCERT
There wasn’t a scrooge in sight as Christmas came
early at Smuggler’s Cove when local luxury candle
designers Owen Drew launched their new Christmas
collection at a special festive themed event supported
by Handelsbanken. Wirral Life is delighted to announce that we are the official
media partners of the fabulous Christmas Picnic Concert
on Friday 7th December 2018.
The Birkenhead based firm toasted the launch with specially created
seasonal cocktails and festive nibbles at the atmospheric Albert
Dock venue. The team were joined by Gerald Dickens, Charles
Dickens’ Great – Great Grandson to celebrate the launch of their
flagship Christmas candle; the ‘Eighteen Forty-Three.’ This unusual
fragrance has been designed to celebrate the year Dickens launched
his most famous novel, A Christmas Carol. Described by Owen
Drew founder Drew Cockton as a real ‘marmite’ fragrance, the
candle is a world away from traditional festive scents and is filled
with the atmospheric aromas of a Victorian Christmas. Life in
Dickensian Britain was grim; if you were extremely lucky, you might
live to the age 45. Most people, however, died in their twenties and
many children didn't even reach their 5th birthday. It might seem
strange, therefore, that the luxury fragrance brand has chosen this
era - synonymous with filth and squalor - as the inspiration for
its upcoming Christmas Collection but Owen Drew has done just
that. The award-winning brand made headlines earlier this year by
releasing the most expensive candles in the world, retailing at an
eye watering £750 a piece. But their latest creation, 'Eighteen Forty-
Three' - Inspired by the year Dickens wrote 'A Christmas Candle',
is dividing opinion, with consumers either "loving" or "hating" the
fragrance.
"The Christmas candle market is completely saturated by candles
smelling of vanilla, cinnamon and pine. We wanted to create
something different, something special", creative director and
founder Drew Cockton, 32, explained. "Eighteen Forty-Three is
a nod to the sights, sounds and smells of a Victorian Christmas.
Roasted chestnuts and dark rum blend with the fragrance of open
coal fires and spices from the then mighty British Empire". Gerald
Dickens, who has branded the candle an "olfactory delight" and
a "masterpiece", commented that if Dickens were he alive today,
there’s no doubt that his Great-Great Grandfather would LOVE this
marmite candle.
And it’s your last chance to get tickets for Wirral’s biggest Christmas
Party, set in the beautiful Walled Garden Marquee at Thornton Manor.
Why not join us with a festive picnic or pack a hamper with drinks
and nibbles and sit back and enjoy an evening of live music from
Asa Murphy and The Mersey Boys. With the marquee lit from top to
bottom in twinkling fairy lights the night promises to put you in the
Christmas mood.
This event is set to be the highlight of your Christmas. The Concert
starts at 7pm and Wirral Life have a very special offer for readers.
Tickets are just £20pp quoting OFFER20 call 0844800410 to book or go
to www.ticketquarter.co.uk and search picnic concert.
SONGWRITER PERFORMS
FOR FOOD BANK CHARITY
Wirral's Dean Johnson, a stalwart of the local music scene
since the 1970s, has announced a special concert to aid
Birkenhead’s burgeoning food banks. The performance is
preceded with a new song ‘The Other Side’, highlighting
the plight of many Wirral residents struggling with
hunger on a daily basis.
Admission to the gig is via a donation of food and toiletries that will be
donated to the Neo Community in Rock Ferry, under the auspices of
Frank Field’s ‘Feed Birkenhead’ initiative. The performance will take place
on Saturday 1st December 2018 at West Kirby Arts Centre, 29 Brookfield
Gardens, CH48 4EL. Doors Open 19:00 – Performance Time 19:45.
Book your seat at: www.westkirbyartscentre.org.uk or call 07539 371925.
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