The agreement provides national sales, rental terms, and direct engineer support from Barcare Supreme. They will be joined by other distributors, yet to be announced by Nordik.

Andy Wainwright, Managing Director at Barcare Supreme says: “We are delighted to have been selected for this contract, which enables us to give UK hospitality venues a reliable and durable solution built for real bar conditions.

“Nordik is a prominent manufacturer of stainless steel products in the hospitality equipment sector, and they create appliances specifically to tackle hygiene and workflow bottlenecks in commercial bars and kitchens.

“Commercial glasswashers discharge baskets at temperatures above 60°C to achieve thorough chemical sanitisation. Bar staff unwittingly break this hygienic chain by hand-polishing wet glassware with cotton towels. Reusing a single cloth across two hundred glasses transfers bacteria directly back onto clean surfaces.”

He adds: “The DriPod removes manual cloth contact and lint residue completely. Internal energy-efficient high-speed fans force room-temperature air up into inverted glasses, cooling and drying an entire basket of glasses within minutes. This prevents hand drying, improves hygiene, and, as a non-thermal glass drying system, it speeds up the rate at which cool, dry glasses can be re-used in busy bars and hospitality venues.

“Each unit plugs into a standard 13A socket without requiring specialist electrical installation, hardwiring, or plumbing alterations, helping venues to control all-important costs.”

He continues: “The stainless steel specification for these Nordik appliances is key. Across the sector, many other drying devices are made from coated mild steel, and are prone to corrosion and rust. Corroded machines are often visible in a bar and do not promote customer confidence. Stainless steel means that these new dryers match commercial glasswasher standards, enabling them to resist chemical attack and rusting.”

Commenting on the partnership, Nordik director Andrew Pittwood says: “We are pleased to announce BarCare Supreme as the first in a number of distribution partners to be appointed by us. Partnering with Barcare Supreme gives Nordik an established national partner with deep technical expertise. They bring over thirty years of experience, in-house service engineers, and an outstanding reputation across the UK licensed trade. This agreement ensures that every DriPod unit comes backed by direct specialist support.”

He adds: “We chose Barcare because their end-to-end service model matches our commitment to product longevity. Alongside our other future partners, we will set a new standard for hygiene, reliability, and beer quality in busy hospitality venues across the UK.”

Andy Wainwright brings extensive sector experience, having worked in sales and servicing at dishwashing and glasswashing appliance manufacturer Classeq from the early 1990s until 2008.

Barcare Supreme operates as an independent UK-wide family business in Staffordshire, employing full-time in-house service engineers, to maintain high first-time fix rates, which are vital to their trade customers.

The DriPod 400 retails at £539.99 ex VAT (£647.99 inc VAT), while the DriPod 500 retails at £594.99 ex VAT (£713.99 inc VAT). Barcare Supreme offers both models with flexible all-inclusive rental options starting from £35 per month ex VAT.

Product details are available at www.barcare.co.uk/brand/dripod/. Rental packages are available at www.barcare.co.uk/rental-equipment/glass-dryers-rental/. Direct enquiries: 01785 247 267.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE PETER’S NOVEL VALEDICTION RECORDS

Long before reality television became a global phenomenon, there was Seven Up! The groundbreaking documentary first aired in 1964, introducing viewers to a group of seven-year-old British children from different social backgrounds. Every seven years, cameras returned to discover where life had taken them. Among those original children was Liverpool’s Peter Davies.

More than six decades later, the story has finally reached its conclusion with 70 Up. The final instalment aired on ITV in September 2026, bringing to an end an extraordinary television project that evolved from an examination of Britain’s class system into something much bigger: a study of what it means to live a human life. For Peter, however, this wasn’t simply television. This was his life.

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And behind the remarkable television story is another, perhaps less familiar one — about a man who has increasingly found purpose through creativity. Peter’s relationship with Up has been complicated. Having cameras periodically return to examine your relationships, career, successes, disappointments and personal life is an experience very few people can understand.

“My involvement in the series goes back to the age of 6 – it’s been part of my whole life, so it’s difficult to imagine it not being there,” Peter said. “When I was younger, especially a young adult, the downside of it was the degree of intrusion into my life. I’m not an extrovert, so that was difficult to deal with at times.”

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That relationship became particularly difficult after Peter criticised Margaret Thatcher’s government and subsequently found himself facing fierce criticism from sections of the tabloid press. “I was quite shocked at how vitriolic these papers could be, and I decided that I didn’t want that again, and withdrew from the series for a few years.”

Eventually, Peter returned — but this time on his own terms. Instead of simply being someone whose life was being documented, Peter could use the extraordinary platform to showcase the things he was creating. “When I returned, it was on condition that ITV focus on my creative projects, and that was when …Up began to have a better impact on my life.”

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The conclusion of 70 Up has understandably left Peter with conflicting emotions. “Mixed feelings,” he said. “I won’t miss that intrusion, or the worry about how I’m going to come across to so many viewers, but of course I do recognise the significance of the series – it’s often been called the greatest documentary series of all time – and the private screening of it was for all of us quite an emotional occasion.”

The final programme proved emotional for viewers too, with the conclusion prompting widespread reflection on a series that allowed audiences to watch real people grow, change, love, lose and age across more than six decades. For Peter, the ending is still sinking in. “The last half hour of the final episode was very moving, and I’m still processing how I feel about that,” he said. “I will also miss members of the film crew, who have become friends over the years.”

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But while one enormous chapter has closed, Peter’s creative story is very much continuing. For much of his adult life, creativity had to coexist with the realities of earning a living. Peter has written, recorded and performed music throughout adulthood, while also pursuing a professional career that included teaching and working as a Crown Prosecutor. Like countless musicians, however, he discovered that passion doesn’t necessarily pay the mortgage.

“As many people who’ve done the same will agree, unless you’re one of a tiny handful, it’s almost impossible to make enough money from that to pay your bills and bring up kids,” he explained. “So I always had ‘day jobs’, which meant less time for the music.”

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Peter doesn’t speak bitterly about those years. Far from it. “I don’t resent that, it’s just how it is, and the jobs I did were OK, and I made some great friends. But reaching a stage of life where those day jobs could finally disappear created something precious: Time. The reality now is that I’ve been able to give up the day jobs and focus on various projects. Basically, I’ve been able to do more!”

And he certainly has. Alongside continuing to make music, Peter has written his debut novel and co-written a stage musical. Interestingly, he doesn’t claim creativity provides some magical route to permanent happiness. Instead, he makes a more meaningful distinction. “That hasn’t necessarily made me happier all the time, but it has made me feel more fulfilled, which in turn has a positive impact on my mental health,” he says.

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Perhaps the most fascinating connection between Peter’s creative work and his extraordinary television experience can be found in his debut novel, Valediction Records. His recent debut novel, the book centres on former members of a late-70s band whose lives remain haunted decades later by the collapse of the group. Former bandmates Stephen, Philip and Martin carry guilt, resentment, addiction and illness into later life, until events force them to confront the unfinished business of their past.

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On the surface, it’s a story about musicians. Underneath, it’s about something universal: Time. And that’s where an unexpected connection with 7 Up emerges. Peter hadn’t deliberately set out to replicate anything about the documentary series when writing his novel. In fact, he hadn’t even recognised the connection himself. “It was never intentionally based on that experience!” he says.

“Only when I was later interviewed by Tania Ruiz of La Vida Liverpool and I was asked that very perceptive question did I realise that 7 Up had without any doubt subconsciously impacted upon my thinking when I was drafting the story,” he explains. Suddenly, the similarities were obvious. Just as viewers of Up encounter the same people at radically different stages of their lives, Valediction Records looks backwards and forwards across decades, examining how the people we once were continue to inhabit the people we eventually become.

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It’s a remarkable case of life quietly finding its way into art. “7 Up started as an examination of social class in Britain but became much more,” Peter explained. “It became a story of what it means to lead a human life. I think that all novelists aspire to write about that. I have heard other writers talking about how their novel/poem/song/play in some mysterious way takes on a life of its own, and goes off in an unexpected direction. I love that idea.”

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Valediction Records has attracted enthusiastic responses since publication, with reviewers praising both its music-filled world and emotional themes. Screenwriter Ray Connolly described it as having a “filmic quality”, while playwright and journalist Zoe Lewis called it a “heart-warming tale of rock and roll, love and hope”. But for Peter, perhaps the greatest reward is simply discovering that his story means something to readers.

“I have had a lot of nice reviews and positive feedback – that vindication is what every writer seeks, the money is a secondary concern. The story of a post-punk band operating in the late seventies/early eighties has understandably struck a chord — apologies for the unintended pun! — with readers who remember that period and with anyone who has ever played in a band. The broader issues within that story — time passing, regret, love, redemption — are the ones we all face,” Peter said. “I would hope that anyone could read Valediction Records and recognise something of themselves in there.”

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Long before Peter became a published novelist, there was music. His musical journey can be traced back to late-1970s London and the explosion of punk. After playing in several bands, Peter began looking for his own musical identity. His admiration for Elvis Costello led him towards Gram Parsons and, gradually, into Americana and alternative country.

That journey eventually produced The Good Intentions, centred around Peter and his wife Gabrielle Monk. The Liverpool Americana outfit has toured in Britain and America, appeared on Bob Harris’s BBC Radio 2 country programme and won Best Americana Band at the British Country Music Awards in 2011. The Good Intentions have now been together for around 20 years, with various musicians joining Peter and Gabi for recordings and live performances.

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Peter’s creativity has also found another outlet — theatre. Together with fellow Merseyside songwriter Jimmy Rae, Peter co-wrote Under The Mersey Moon, a country music stage production telling the story of struggling songwriter Danny Rogers and a journey that takes him from Liverpool towards Nashville — only for him to discover something rather different from the success he originally sought.

It’s another project in which music becomes the vehicle for a bigger story about life, dreams, family and finding your place in the world. Following sell-out productions at New Brighton’s Floral Pavilion, the show is heading to Liverpool’s Epstein Theatre from 11th–13th November 2026, featuring 13 original songs performed by a live five-piece band and local cast.

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There is something wonderfully circular about Peter Davies’ story. At seven years old, somebody else pointed a camera at him and began telling his story. More than 60 years later, Peter is telling stories himself. Through songs. Through theatre. And now through fiction.

Perhaps Valediction Records and 7 Up were always destined to have something in common. Both begin with individual lives but ultimately ask much bigger questions. What happens to our dreams? How much of the person we once were survives inside us? What do we regret? Who do we love? And what do we do with the time we have left? For Peter, the answer increasingly seems to be: create something.

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The cameras that have periodically returned throughout almost his entire life have finally stopped rolling. The landmark television experiment has reached its conclusion. But at 70, Liverpool’s original reality television star isn’t looking backwards. There are songs waiting to be recorded, stories waiting to be written and stages waiting to be filled. After a lifetime spent having his life documented, Peter Davies is now firmly in control of the next chapter.

Peter Davies / 70 UP

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CLICK HERE TO BOOK TICKETS TO UNDER THE MERSEY MOON

Lantern Building Consultancy has signed an eight-year lease on second floor premises at Generator Studios on Trafalgar Street, two years after first moving into the building.

The move follows a period of sustained growth for the RICS-registered practice founded in 2021 by directors Martin Smith and Alex Carter who identified a gap in the market for faster and more solution-focused building surveying advice.

The firm’s new office has been designed around open-plan working, with a dedicated breakout area, kitchen, reception and a number of meeting pods to support both team collaboration and client meetings.

The expansion comes alongside growth in Lantern’s team, which currently stands at nine, having recently strengthened its operational capacity with the appointment of Lauren Walker. The firm is targeting steady, sustainable growth over the coming years, including ambitions for further recruitment.

The move also reflects a strong financial trajectory for the business, which saw turnover grow by 20% last year and remains on target for further growth in the current financial year.

Lantern’s expanding workload spans a broad range of sectors and clients. The firm is currently managing over £1 million of work for Entain Group, alongside three new supermarket schemes in Newcastle and Northumberland.

Elsewhere, the team is delivering a refurbishment of educational space for a provider in Rotherham and overseeing the creation of a relocated post office in Spennymoor on behalf of the franchisee.

Lantern also continues to support Northumberland County Council on its extensive housing portfolio, including feasibility studies on redevelopment opportunities, and also provides surveying support to Bernicia Group.

Commenting on the office move, Alex Carter, director at Lantern Building Consultancy, said: “As we approach our 5^th anniversary, this new office is a real statement of intent for us. We’ve grown steadily since we started the business in 2021, and this move gives us the space to keep building the team.

“Staying at Generator Studios was an easy decision, it’s a great environment for our people and it says a lot about the kind of business we want to be. With a strong pipeline of work across the region and beyond, this feels like the right moment to invest in our home and set ourselves up for the next stage of growth.”

Max Bertin who joined the firm in 2025 and was recently promoted to associate director, added: “We’re thrilled with our new office, it’s a fantastic working environment for the team. The range of working areas and meeting pods gives us fantastic flexibility, and with room to grow, we’re excited about what’s ahead for the firm.”

Lantern Building Consultancy works with property owners, occupiers and investors across the UK, advising on everything from building condition and design through to construction management.

Librettist: Maria Kjos Fonn

Soloists: Susanna Wolff, Sofia Neacsu, Siv Misund, Ivar Magnus Sandve, Johannes Nikolai Aas

Orchestra: Ensemble Oslo, Hans Petter Mæhle (cond.)

Durata/formats: 90min – Digital (lossless) / 2XCD / 2XVinyl

Audio engineer/producer: Trond Kjelsås (LydFest)

Label: Solsnu

Distributor: Diger

Release Date: 16th October 2026

Following acclaimed performances in Romania and Norway, the ambitious 90-minute opera explores addiction, identity, death and the desire for transcendence through a maximalist and emotionally charged sound world.

Norwegian composer Solveig Sørbø’s ambitious opera Heroin Chic will be released worldwide on 16 October 2026 via Solsnu, distributed by Diger, bringing the acclaimed work to audiences in digital, 2CD and 2xVinyl formats.

Based on the novel by Norwegian writer Maria Kjos Fonn, Heroin Chic explores addiction, self-destruction, identity, sexuality, death and the tension between innocence and physicality. Drawing on both contemporary classical music and popular culture, Sørbø creates an intense and highly theatrical sound world that is maximalist, colourful, hypnotic and emotionally uncompromising.

The opera received its concert premiere in Romania in February 2025, where it was met with a standing ovation from an audience of 500. Critics praised its eclectic soundscape, philosophical depth, emotional impact and striking richness of sound. Romanian cultural magazine Revista Migalo wrote that the production “struck the collective psyche”, while Norwegian newspaper Klassekampen described it as a “danse macabre”.

Heroin Chic subsequently received its Norwegian concert premiere at Oslo’s Parkteatret in February 2026 as part of the Klassisk på Park concert series. The sold-out performance featured some of Norway’s leading classical performers, live visuals by Franciska Eliassen and a handful of staged moments, followed by an afterparty with DJ Roland Lifjell.

The performance was enthusiastically received, and Norwegian music publication Ballade subsequently compared Sørbø’s determination in bringing the ambitious project to life to that of Norwegian cross-country skiing champion Johannes Høsflot Klæbo.

Just two days after the Norwegian premiere, the complete opera was recorded live to tape at Jar Church outside Oslo. Capturing 90 minutes of opera in a single day was a considerable undertaking for the performers and recording team, resulting in a recording designed to preserve the immediacy and intensity of the live work.

At the centre of Heroin Chic is Elise, a young woman consumed by an obsessive desire for death and transcendence. Raised by an overprotective mother who sees her as an almost saintly figure, Elise struggles with the growing conflict between innocence, sexuality and her developing sense of identity.

As she searches for a way to express the darkness within her, Elise adopts a heroin-chic aesthetic and runs away from home. She falls in love with rocker Joakim, who introduces her further into a world of drugs, while the emergence of D — a manifestation of her destructive subconscious — pushes her towards increasingly extreme behaviour.

Across two acts, Elise’s journey moves through anorexia, addiction, sexual exploitation, fractured identity and rehabilitation, with the boundaries between reality, fantasy, life and death becoming increasingly blurred. Her search for transcendence ultimately leads her back towards her mother, childhood and the idea of eternal sleep.

The opera’s final moments deliberately leave the audience questioning what they have witnessed: death, resurrection or a drug-induced fantasy.

Musically, Heroin Chic is equally unconventional. The score features a powerful and hypnotic percussion section, one of the largest soprano roles for a child singer in opera literature, and a distinctive reinvention of the cimbalom within a contemporary classical setting. Captivating melodies sit alongside an eclectic orchestral landscape, creating a work that is both challenging and highly engaging for performers and listeners alike.

The recording features soloists Susanna Wolff, Sofia Neacsu, Siv Misund, Ivar Magnus Sandve and Johannes Nikolai Aas, performing alongside Ensemble Oslo under conductor Hans Petter Mæhle. The recording was engineered and produced by Trond Kjelsås of LydFest.

With roots in the avant-garde as well as popular culture, Heroin Chic is a distinctive contribution to contemporary Norwegian music theatre. Its combination of opera, theatrical storytelling, unconventional instrumentation and psychologically intense subject matter creates a work that reaches beyond traditional operatic boundaries.

Following its successful performances in Romania and Norway, the complete 90-minute recording now brings Sørbø’s ambitious work to a wider international audience.

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Website: https://solveigsorbo.com/heroin-chic/