CREATIVECABBIES
Now this has to be one of the most pleasurable and satisfying groups to consider, and re-read about. How on earth can one pick a winner over the rest? If you like music, you’d choose the musician(s); if you don’t like music, they’d lose out. So we’ll start with the musicians, as they’re kindred spirits: like the London driver in our March issue who has learned some very tricky music on the violin. Or how about the driver in Manches- ter (July) who’s learned the saxophone and plays it regularly in his taxi. And still on a musical theme, remember the Essex driver (March issue) who was mixing a tape of Rolling Stones music, including a track even Sir Mick hadn’t heard. Then we have our budding authors: the Middlesbrough poet driver in March, the Darlington driver turned author in March, the Oldham driver who wrote about a snooker player (also March), the Morecambe cabbie who turned his Facebook blogs into a book (May), and the driver who captured the bravery of Belfast cabbies during the Troubles (December). For the more unusual pastimes, we have the Dorchester artist in the February issue who illustrated the book Toby the Taxi; the London cabbie who invented a landmark board game (also February), the Bexleyheath driv- er turned photographer in the May issue, the former Birmingham cabbie turned baker (December), and the Gillingham driver turned soccer player... yes, we know, hardly unusual that last one. But good on him! Now we get down to it: the runner-up and the winner. Tough contest, as far as we could see, because for nov- elty value they are both well up there. Maybe they should both be winners then, like they sometimes do on Masterchef. It’s between the Load of Bollards being collected by the London cabbie featured in our May edi- tion – come on! How many people do you know who collect bollards? And you should see them... we didn’t have room to include all the photos. Then the outright winner – which gained the first prize in its own Shed of the Year competition – is the Shrews- bury driver who turned his shed into an authentic, working pub. Unbelievable! It took him four years of weekends, and it beat some 2,000 entries in the Shed con- test.
2012 surprising
Hardly –
read about it, and him, again herein. Mine’s a Bloody Mary please – plenty of sauce...
2012
SHEDLOAD OF GLORY!!
A man who con- verted his garden shed into a work- ing pub has won the 2012 Shed of the Year competi- tion. John Plumridge spent four years of week- ends creating his Woodhenge pub, fit- ting the work around his job as a taxi driver - and being a husband and father. Mr Plumridge’s den,
PAGE 60
which beat some 2,000 entries, saw him convert parts of his Shrewsbury garden into a public inn, com- plete with wooden interior and a collec- tion of 550 real ales and 110 ciders. Mr Plumridge joked that he “shed” a tear when told he had won the accolade – but earnestly added that winning meant much more than the £1,000
prize money. “I’ve been working on it for years and it was a hobby that
just
grew,” he told the Independent. “I spent so many hours on it and just built it up over the years... Now it is priceless.” Mr Plumridge admit- ted he had a “patient” wife, but added: “What’s outside is my business and what’s inside is her business. I have been married 34 years. She doesn’t ask me what I spent on it and I don’t ask her what she spends
on shoes and hand- bags.” He said his Wood- henge Pub Shed was ‘a great venue for fam- ily and friends to party in – and we haven’t got too far to get home’. In preparation for the accolade,
shed
obsessed Brits up and down the country have spent the last year restoring, reno- vating and patiently pottering in prepara- tion for the annual celebration of
their
garden getaways. The Shed of the Year
judges included ‘Head Sheddie’ and creator of
the competition
Uncle Wilco, property guru and shed fan Sarah Beeny, author Neil Gaiman, self-pro- claimed sheddie and author of Shedwork- ing Alex Johnson, and 2011 winner Jon Earl. Sarah Beeny said: 'Shed of the Year is a great inspiration and clearly encourages people to get creative with their sheds. “I am really happy that a pub shed has won after I created my own Kings Head pub shed
for Cuprinol, which is currently on display in Rufford Park in Not- tingham. “Hopefully others will be inspired to create their own sheddy haven too.” John’s pub shed which won the pub shed category went on to beat off stiff competition from the winners of the seven other competition cat- egories
including
Normal, Eco, Garden Office, Cabin/Sum- m e r h o u s e , Workshop/Studio, Unique and Pub.
PHTM JANUARY 2013
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80
