Tuesday 26 January 2010

A SPADE IS A SPADE

After launching the world’s most expensive ham last Monday (how much I hear you say? let’s just say it was a ham and a leg), Selfridges went back to the seventies the following day, re-creating iconic sit com Are You Being Served in a one off charity sale in honor of the late Wendy Richard. Wendy’s ex colleagues put down their scripts and travelled to her favourite store to help sell her memorabilia in aid of Lady Taveners charity. The event was a magnificent success, featured on BBC’s lunch time news, Radio 4, Radio 2, live links throughout the day on Five live and a host of print coverage the following day, showing scenes of Mr Rombold sending the tills a ringing, June Brown donning a purple wig and James Alexandrou serenading Natalie Cassidy during her break from Strictly on Ice.

Thursday we painted our fingers a fashionable shade of Jade green, to celebrate Alan Titchmarsh joining forces with B&Q, launching a campaign to Get Britain Gardening. Despite my confusing a rake for a shovel (it could have happened to anyone), the photo call with Alan and B&Q’s CEO Euan Sutherland at the retailer’s flagship New Malden store was a blooming success. After the photographers left to wire their images of Alan encased in a tropical greenhouse, we whizzed our way to the Haymarket Hotel for B&Q’s spring/summer press show. 130 journalists were bowled over as the Haymarket’s pool area was transformed into a tropical haven, spilling with exotic plants, designer inspired garden furniture, state of the art sheds, the coolest barbeques and everything your summer heart would desire. I was tempted to take a dip in the pool but decided against, as it would have ruined Jenny’s floating petal display. The event and subsequent coverage were world class, with Alan’s collaboration landing in titles ranging from the FT to The Sun to USA Today.

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