New premises for Corner House Interiors

Corner House Interiors has moved to new larger showrooms at 3 High Street. Established for nearly 8 years, the business has grown steadily since moving to Quorn and had outgrown its previous premises on Station Road. Proprietor, Emma Corner told the Quorndon "We have been looking for the opportunity to move for some time, the new premises are ideal and have finally given us the opportunity to expand our range, as well as providing a better location for our core interior design business."

The new showroom contains hundreds of fabric and wallpaper pattern books from many famous names including new ranges from Designers Guild, and Mulberry. There are also more soft furnishings on display, including curtain treatments, pelmets and blinds which give a taste of the quality of the design and making up service. The range of specialist paints has increased with the introduction of the new Farrow & Ball Garden Paint and this season’s new colours from Designers Guild.

The additional space has also enabled Corner House Interiors to expand its range of furniture and to assist in choosing the correct sofa, it has introduced a "comfort zone" where customers can try out some of the different styles and cushion fillings. One of the most exciting developments is the increased range of quality decoratives and lighting on display, ranging from French Country and Scandinavian through to the classical oak panelled "Mulberry Room".

Emma summed up by saying "We are absolutely thrilled with the new showroom and are delighted with the response following our preview evening. We would like to thank our customers and fellow business people in Quorn for their continued support and look forward to seeing them in the near future."

Update on Quorn Post Office

As promised in previous issues of the Quorndon I am bringing you up to date with the future of the Post Office following the Government's decision that all pensions and allowances will be paid directly into Bank Accounts. The change will be phased over a two year period from 2003.

The Government has given a commitment that those who wish, can still access their money over the Post Office counter. Provided agreements can be made with all the "High Street" Banks, this will be either through peoples existing bank accounts or new style accounts to be opened with a bank or the Post Office. As soon as we have details of these accounts, we will let you know.

A further service, which will be introduced into all Post Offices, is the Government General Practitioner scheme (GGP). This means that in the future information regarding a whole range of Government services, both national and local, as well as Community services will be available at the local Post Offices. As far as Quorn Post Office is concerned GGP will be introduced within the next few months. This is because Leicestershire has been chosen as the pilot county for the scheme. An information booth will be installed containing not only literature and brochures but also Internet and telephone links to local and national government departments. It will mean that advice and information and indeed assistance such as the completion of forms can be obtained without the need to leave the village. For example all job vacancies at the Job Centre in Loughborough or indeed any office in the county can be viewed through the booth and where suitable interviews can also be arranged immediately.

The possibilities of this scheme are endless as the Government and Post Office management believes that 80% of all enquiries nationally can be dealt with by the local Post Office. In many ways this is an extension of the informal and unofficial information service provided by Subpostmasters throughout the country.

Whilst there are still many difficulties and obstacles to overcome we at Quorn Post Office believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel and that with hard work and determination there will be a Post Office in the village for many years to come.

Finally a heartfelt thank you to all of you who have voiced your concern over our future and have taken the time to add your support to the efforts both locally and nationally to secure the future of the Post Office network.

Ian Newcombe

Quorn WorkNet

WorkNet now meets regularly in The Quorndon Fox at 12.30 on the first Monday of the month. The regular format of lunch, followed by a short presentation from one of the members, seems here to stay. New faces continue to appear, and WorkNet will shortly be extending its coverage to other Soar valley villages.

The vagaries of computers and web design have occupied us in the last months, and some valuable support and advice has been exchanged over the table. In the coming months, we will be looking at individual training accounts, marketing, and life coaching.

So if you work from home either as a teleworker or running your own business - then join us for lunch. We may have the answer to your problem, and if not it’s a chance to talk to people in a similar situation. For more details call Karenna or Ian Galer on 412144 or email WorkNet at karenna.galercoombes@btinternet.com.

Young Enterprise - Magic - What is it?

I always feel a bit sad when a five-year-old, at one of my parties says to me, "That's not magic". I say to them, "When I was your age I believed in magic" and I did. The trouble is that most magic that people see today is on television, and it is always big illusions, death defying stunts etc. Not many children now seem to enjoy the smaller shows as much because the ones on television are 'better'. They think most of the fun is just trying to work out how you did it.

Once I performed my entire repertoire and I got virtually no reactions at all. This is like dying on stage. I sat back afterwards and I thought 'was it me?’ I then thought back to previous performances where the same show was received very well. I think television is partly to blame for the disinterest, especially the programmes where they tell you how it works. What is the point? Divulging magic's greatest secrets takes away the wonder and the excitement. Also, for children, there is no need to react to the television screen, so maybe this may explain some of the blank stares I sometimes get.

When I perform to a group of adults, their reactions are far greater than with children for the simple reason that adults want to enjoy your performance, not pick it to pieces. And to some extent magic is a form of escapism. To believe in a magician is a way of escaping from real life because a magician can do weird and wonderful things, he can stop the audiences minds for a moment. Of course, only when you are a magician do you really appreciate how much time, preparation and practice goes into another magician's performance. Only then can you appreciate how difficult it is to perform. But then, for the magician, does the wonder go? No, it doesn't. You have to keep believing in yourself.

Performing for anyone is hard, and I respect anyone who will stand up on stage. Performing for children is even harder - I really respect anyone who does that. I suppose now I must sound like I hate doing magic, hell no, I love it.

Anthony Middleton (age 16)

Any comments, ideas or bookings would be gratefully received, please phone 01509 414613, or write to 3 The Brinks, Quorn, LE12 8AU.

Goodbye and Happy Retirement

After many years in the village running ‘Mill on the Soar Antiques‘, Joyce and Owen York have now taken well earned retirement.

Most of us in the village, will at one time or another, have had our noses pressed to the window admiring yet another graceful piece of furniture, admiring the spectacular Remembrance Day displays or wondering just what you would use “that“ for.

"The Quorndon" wishes them well in what we hope will be a long and happy retirement at their home in Sileby