Once Marion and I leave Instanta it will cease to be the family business that it has been for the past fifty or more years although our new owners are still very much a family concern with Michael Crouch at the helm and his son George heavily involved in the business. But one firm that will be continuing the family tradition that it has had for over 25 years is Catershield of Nottingham.
The company was established in 1985 by Dennis Birkinshaw who was soon joined by his son Peter (in light blue above). The business thrived and Peter brought in his brother in law Tony Farthing and more recently Peter's sons Grant and Ashley (front) have joined the fold. Although Lillian is not related to any of them, after twenty years with Catershield I think it is fair to say that she is part of the Catershield family.
In 1986 we opened an account for Catershield who are almost unique in the industry specialising as they do solely in the supply and service of equipment for making hot drinks. Covering a wide area of the East Midlands, South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and some of East Yorkshire and the West Midlands, Catershield have built up an excellent reputation for providing the right solutions for customers who want equipment to make hot drinks and, using their twenty five years' experience, they have also become a first class service provider. Being specialists in their field means that they understand boilers inside out and can quickly diagnose faults that arise. This knowledge, combined with holding a comprehensive stock of spare parts, means that they can usually put things right first time without the need for costly return visits.
Last year the business was split into two distinct parts.Catershield Services Ltd is run by Ashley with him and Grant concentrating on the service side whilst Tony and Peter continue to run Catershield Ltd. I wish them all continued success and hope that their family run business runs on into the fourth or even fifth generation. And if you need service for your beverage equipment you can contact them on 01159 633681.
We went to see Let Me In last night. We used the free tickets we got when Paranormal Activity 2 was ruined by a stupid audience. But there was no risk of a rowdy showing last night as there were only six of us in the screening. I loved Let The Right One In, or, to give it its original title, "Låt den rätte komma in" and I didn't know quite what to expect in this remake. Well I have to say that it is truly a remake and keeps extremely close to the original. I picked up a slightly new meaning in a strip of photo booth photos that I missed first time around and I felt that New Mexico, where this new version is set, somehow feels less dark and less cold than Sweden. The flats where young Owen is living with his separated mum are not quite as squalid as in the first film and there are no neighbourhood winos hanging around. That apart, there is little to choose between the two. Obviously no subtitles is a help although the Swedish language did add to the Gothic atmosphere of the original. The young lead actors play their roles extremely well and this new film remains as moving and touching as the first. Well worth a visit, but, if you are a film buff, being able to talk about Låt den rätte komma in does have a certain cachet that Let Me In doesn't, doesn't it?
I've only got about ten blogs left before I pack in so I'll indulge myself with one of favourite videos from the past. Great music and a lot of happy smiling young people - perfect.
