Everyone loves cooking shows – Masterchef, Come Dine With Me, Ready Steady Cook. So why not a cooking movie?

Jon Favreau, looking these days as if he’s been tucking in a little too freely to the contents of his fridge, is the star of culinary comedy Chef, and he’s roped in a fair few of his Hollywood mates in the search for a hit recipe.

Favreau, more commonly found behind the camera at this stage in his career, reverts to acting duties in a cast list that also includes Dustin Hoffman, Robert Downey Jr, John Leguizamo, Scarlett Johansson and Oliver Platt.

It’s a slight tale about a creative chef fed up of the daily production line who turns an old taco truck into a street food sensation, all the while reconnecting with his roots.

l More feelfood fun for the summer comes courtesy of Walking on Sunshine, in which X Factor winner Leona Lewis makes her acting debut.

It’s a romantic musical packed with singalong 1980s hits – the title should have given it away –and combines a touch of Streetdance cred with Mamma Mia! sentiment.

And you will be singing along with the soundtrack, you just won’t be able to help it.

Not Sunshine On Leith, perhaps, but it’s still got charm.

l Some people will tell you that Mrs Brown’s Boys is the funniest thing to hit comedy for a generation. Some people will respond with a stony face and a sign.

But there are obviously more of the former than the latter, and Brendan O’Carroll’s dragon in drag has been a big enough hit on the small screen to merit the traditional movie take.

If you like this sort of thing, Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Movie will tickle your funny bone – but flops featuring Harry Hill and Keith Lemon are fresh in the memory, and the family farce is more than a little wearing over a feature length 96 minutes.

Specialist paramedic training has seen hundreds of patients able to be treated in their own homes rather than in hospital.

The latest figures show that in 2013/14, more than 400 patients received wound closure treatment in their own homes from the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST).

One of EEAST’s Clinical Operations Managers, Jori Krijgsman said: “The treatment ultimately means better care for patients and saves them a journey to hospital.

“The wound can be treated quickly and effectively thorough the use of adhesive stitches or dissolvable glue.”

After successful feedback from patients and paramedics, the training has now been introduced to the new student paramedic course.

The ambulance service is continuing to recruit 400 students; more than 200 people have now received offers, and 100 have started their training across the region.

There is still time to get involved, as the campaign to recruit more student paramedics is ongoing.

If you would like more information about the campaign, visit www.
eastamb.nhs.uk

I know that the law-abiding majority is often frustrated by a sense that criminals, particularly the ‘Mr Bigs’, operate with impunity, quite unmolested by the criminal justice system.  But in Bedfordshire our force has a very good record of taking money, goods and property gained through crime, away from the offender.

‘Visible justice’ like this proves that criminals risk losing their ill-gotten gains as well as their liberty and encourages communities to come forward. 

Just recently, the head of a criminal gang convicted of modern-day slavery charges was ordered to pay over £250,000, and do so within six months or face another three years in jail.

The Eastern Region Special Operations Unit, which tackles organised crime groups, now handles confiscations and asset seizures for the six forces in the region and in April a Bedfordshire man had assets totalling £291,976.14 seized following his conviction for drug offences.

This shows that crime just isn’t worth the risk and hopefully builds community confidence that criminals are being hit in the pocket.

Confiscation and compensation orders are powerful deterrents, which helps to keep us safe. They can’t, of course, eliminate the distress caused to victims but they can bring the satisfaction of knowing that the offender has not secured the advantage they expected from their crimes.

Added to that, a proportion of confiscated assets goes back to Bedfordshire Police to fund further crime fighting work.

Last week was national Neighbourhood Watch week and I would like to give a big and well deserved thank you to another highly successful crime deterrent: the NHW volunteers who are also helping make Bedfordshire a hostile environment for criminals.

Leighton Town have confirmed former Ampthill Town manager Craig Bicknell will take over the helm at Bell Close next season.

Following Craig Wells’ departure in June, Leighton chairman Terry McCafferty moved quickly to snap up his man.

Bicknell has an attractive track record - last season he guided Ampthill to runners-up spot in the Spartan South Midlands League, won the League Cup and reached the quarter final of the FA Vase.

A club statement read: “Leighton Town Football Club are pleased to announce the appointment of Craig Bicknell as the first team manager.

Formerly with Ampthill Town, Craig has had a somewhat meteoric rise in football management and sees our situation as a progressive step for him and his coaches.

“Craig invites any local player who believes he has something to offer the club to attend the first training sessions on Tuesday July 1 and Thursday July 3 at 7pm prompt at Bell Close.”

Luton Airport managing director Glyn Jones is to leave the organisation, it was announced this morning.

Mr Jones, who joined the airport in 2007, will leave to persue other opportunities.

Chairman Clive Condie has moved into the role of executive chairman, assuming wider responsibilities until a replacement managing director is appointed.

Mr Condie was appointed chairman of Luton Airport in November.

He has over three decades’ experience running international airports including Lima Airport, Peru, and Manchester Airport Plc.

He previously served as a Non-Executive Director of London Luton.

Mr Condie said: “On behalf of everyone at London Luton Airport, I would like to thank Glyn for his service over the last seven years.

“We have commenced the search for a successor who will be at the centre of our exciting plans to transform London Luton over the next few years.”

Glyn Jones added: “It has been a privilege to serve as managing director for the last seven years and I have been proud to lead the airport through some significant changes and to serve our passengers, carriers and the local community.

“I am confident that I leave London Luton Airport well-positioned under new leadership to progress through the next chapter in its exciting history”.

A Great Billington man was so drunk he could not remember throwing the punch that broke a man’s jaw in Leighton town centre.

Lee Mackay, 43, was jailed for 12 months on Tuesday for striking Danny Walker in a row over a cigarette in Lake Street.

When he was arrested, he told the police he had downed 10 cans of Stella, some Sambuca and had taken cocaine and anti-depressants. He said that on a drunkeness scale of 1 to 10, he was between 8 and 9, Luton Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Kevin West said 21-year-old Mr Walker had left the Litten Tree pub in Leighton Buzzard between 1am and 1.30am. He had drunk a pint of beer, 5 Southern Comforts and Lemonade and a Jack Daniels and coke.

He stopped in Lake Street to have a cigarette and was approached by two women. One was Mackay’s wife Rosemary, who asked for a cigarette. He told the women he was smoking his last one and then felt a blow to the left side of his jaw.

“He didn’t see who hit him. He didn’t feel any pain. There was bleeding inside his mouth,” said Mr West.

Mr Walker went home and was taken to Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury by his mother. He was operated on the next day at the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford, where he had two metal plates inserted and was placed on a liquid diet.

In a victim impact statement made this April, the victim said his jaw was misaligned. He said he has to be careful when eating and takes codeine for the pain.

Mackay, of Hill View Lane, Great Billington, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm on October 13 last year. He had been arrested that night and told officers he could not remember hitting him. He had 13 convictions for 71 offences, but none since 2002.

Stuart Sprawson, defending, Mackay described what he did as “appalling”. He said that the punch may have been thrown after derogatory remarks were made about his wife being a traveller.

Mr Sprawson went on: “In a police interview, Mr Mackay said he was disgusted with his behaviour and apologises to the injured party. He has shown remorse, admitted the offence and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity. He is old school. He grew up in the 70s and 80s and faces up to his responsibilities.”

Mr Sprawson added that Mckay had not been convicted in the past 12 years. In 2011 he said MacKay had been the victim of a serious assault and lost the sight in one eye.

Mr Sprawson added: “The probation officer said he is still going through the difficulties of disability.”

The court heard that although Mckay is unemployed he does not depend on the state and was trying to set up a parcel delivery business with his wife. In the past, Mr Sprawson said his wife has suffered problems and Mackay had been an “anchor” for her. Ironically, since the attack, the victim and the couple’s son had become friends, he said.

Judge Michael Kay QC said that having heard the mitigation he reduced the sentence he would have passed from two years to 12 months.

But he told him: “It was an extremely forceful blow which broke the jaw in two places. You were monumentally drunk that evening and you had taken Class A drugs.

“It was a brutal and very forceful attack on him caused by the level of alcohol and drugs inside you.”

Here’s a weird and wonderful crime story set in a hotel that you’ll want to revisit again and again.

A starry cast in THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL (15: 20th Century Fox) is headed by Ralph Fiennes, who’s surprisingly funny as M Gustave, the dashing concierge at a five star establishment in Eastern Europe.

The place is being overrun by fascists in the 1930s when a wealthy old matriarch (Tilda Swinton) is murdered.

Gustave is the prime suspect, but he’s so charming that a question mark remains, even after he bounds away from Edward Norton’s policeman in a typically droll scene.

Meanwhile, Adrien Brody and Willem Dafoe bring an air of foreboding as they contest Swinton’s will, which rewards Gustave for “special services”.

Tony Revolori plays Gustave’s loyal protege, Zero, although the newcomer is somewhat overshadowed by the likes of old hands Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum and Owen Wilson.

Writer/director Wes Anderson shows things from Zero’s point of view – as an old man telling a journalist the story of his youth as a lobby boy at the hotel – and his film successfully combines wild comedy and fairy tale magic.

> Well-acted and thoughtful drama THE BOOK THIEF (12: 20th Century Fox) opens on the eve of the Second World War in Germany.

A girl separated from her family is taken in by foster parents who help her discover the joy of reading at the same time as the rest of the locals are burning books in the town square.

She is horrified and tries to save volumes from the flames.

First World War veteran Hans (Geoffrey Rush) and his grumbling yet good-hearted spouse (Emily Watson) do their best for the new arrival, Liesel (Sophie Nelisse), although their decision to hide a Jew in the basement puts them all at risk.

While so many stories from this era have rightly explored anti-Semitism, this adaptation of an acclaimed novel instead puts the emphasis on the plight of ordinary Germans who didn’t buy into Nazi propaganda.

Director Brian Percival, best known for TV series Downton Abbey, might have milked greater tension from the scenario and it could have been more dramatically powerful, but the film still encapsulates this troubled historical period in a way which will intrigue and inform younger viewers.

> Set in modern Beijing, MAN OF TAI CHI (15: Universal) marks Keanu Reeves’ directorial debut.

He also stars in the story of the spiritual journey of a young martial artist whose unparalleled skills land him in a highly lucrative underworld fight club. As the fights intensify, so does his will to survive.

>Two women are drugged and abducted and find themselves in a concrete bunker in horror flick RAZE (18: Koch Media).

They soon discover it’s a modern-day coliseum where they and 48 other females have been selected to fight to the death in order to save both themselves and their loved ones.

> The gang are up to their usual mischief in family comedy THE LITTLE RASCALS SAVE THE DAY (PG: Universal) as they try to raise the money needed to save their grandma’s bakery.

But from botched pet washes to a terrible taxi service, they fail to raise a penny and their only hope is to win prize money from the local talent show.

By Celia Paul, Press Association

The narrow medieval streets of Borghetto are packed with cyclists. A woman walks past me, wheeling a mountain bike, her Lycra outfit splattered in mud.

Behind her limps an athletic-looking individual, blood dripping from a nasty-looking cut on his knee. A group of older men stroll past a riverside cafe, cycle helmets in hand, covered in dust.

An inveterate couch potato, I’d usually opt to spend my holidays safely ensconced under an umbrella in a cafe, enjoying an aperitivo, making the most of the sunshine and watching the world go by.

Not today. Today I have joined the ranks of the two-wheeled. But while these bruised and battered devotees have just completed a gruelling cross-country race, I’ve been receiving a slightly more gentle introduction to the cycle routes of the Veneto region of north-east Italy.

The mild climate, clean waters and stunning scenery of Lake Garda and its environs have been attracting visitors in their droves for hundreds of years.

But the area has also, perhaps unfairly, earned a reputation as a high-end destination best suited to older travellers.

In fact, there are hotels around the lake shore to fit every budget - and there’s far more to do in the Garda region than sit around admiring the scenery.

From Garda and Bardolino in the west, to Mantova in the south and Verona in the east, more than 400km of cycle routes have been ‘mapped’ to make exploring the region by bike a foolproof endeavour.

With sat-navs, maps, bikes and helmets all readily available, there’s no excuse not to take to two wheels and gain an alternative perspective of the area. Particularly if, as in my case, there’s the promise of wine and lunch at the end of my exertions.

It would be more than fair to describe me as a novice cyclist - I’m pretty sure the last time I owned a bike I was eight. It was pink.

The last thing I remember about riding that bike is a nasty fall involving a kerb and my chin.

But, starting from the town of Peschiera, it’s a gentle ride along the banks of the shockingly blue waters of the river Mincio to Valeggio sul Mincio and the quaint village of Borghetto, where elderly gentlemen fish for pike and tourists sample the world-famous tortellini. My introduction to the world of mountain biking is a far cry from the experience of Borghetto’s racers.

But the next day brings a new challenge - weaving through the crowds of tourists and locals milling around the lake shore.

Visions fill my head of crashing headlong into octogenarian holiday-makers on a narrow path, precipitating myself, them and my lovely shiny mountain bike into the water.

Luckily it doesn’t take long to realise that not only are there dozens of other cyclists ably navigating the board-walk that runs between lakeside towns of Garda, Bardolino and Lasize, but that those cyclists really do fall into every age-range and category imaginable.

From wiry fitness freaks with thighs of steel, heading up into the hills to plunge at breakneck speeds back down towards the lake, to Lycra-clad retirees and families with young children, cycling really is for everyone around here.

Bardolino is well known for its local ruby-red wines, best served chilled, and the slopes surrounding the town are blanketed with the vineyards where the Corvina Rondinella and Molinara grapes are grown. After making my way around the shoreline in leisurely fashion, I’m directed inland - and uphill.

Soon I’m red in the face and pedalling furiously up an intimidating, steep incline, idly wondering what on earth I’ve signed myself up for.

Once I’ve finally worked out how to use the gears of my bike properly, the inclines do get considerably easier to negotiate - but it’s only when I reach the crest of the hill and start to free-wheel down a broad avenue of cypress trees towards the Tenuta Preella winery that I finally relax enough to take a moment and appreciate the beauty surrounding me.

Ahead lies a patchwork of vineyards, dotted with red-roofed farmhouses. Behind me the hills drop away to the distant waters of the lake.

I’m hot, dusty and more than ready for lunch - and by the time I’ve worked my way though a tasting of Bardolino wines and a rustic meal of breads, meats and local cheeses, I’m happy to spend the afternoon relaxing poolside.

The 4-star Hotel Caesius occupies a piece of prime Bardolino real-estate just feet from the lake shore - from my balcony I can catch a glimpse of the tranquil lake waters, and it’s just a 15-minute stroll into Bardolino town, the best-known of Garda’s resorts. But after my morning exertions I’m quite content to collapse onto a shady sunbed and prepare myself for another day of cycling.

This time I’m tackling a completely different terrain - the packed streets of Veneto’s second city, Verona. Best known as the home of Shakespeare’s most famous pair of star-crossed lovers, the city has survived floods, German occupation and Allied bombs. Now it has to contend with me and my trusty bike.

After making my way into the city along the river Adige, past kiwi plantations, orchards and the home of Hellas Verona football club, I’m jolted along a cobbled cycle path towards the Castelvecchio bridge, where I’m introduced to my guide for the morning.

He leads a small group of intrepid cyclists on a whirlwind tour of Verona’s highlights, starting at the Castelvecchio, built by the influential della Scala family in the 1350s as both fortress and home. These days it’s a museum packed with medieval sculptures and paintings by the likes of Mantegna, Carpaccio and the Bellinis.

We pause at the Roman Arena, once the setting for gladiators’ hand-to-hand combat and feats of bravery, now an impressive backdrop for opera performances, before weaving through the mass of tourists to the Arche Scaligere, gothic mausoleums for the Scaligeri family tucked away off one of the city’s most bustling squares.

Then it’s time to forsake the bikes and witness Verona’s biggest tourist attraction, the Casa di Giulietta - or, in English, Juliet’s house. Despite the fact that there’s no evidence Shakespeare’s heroine ever lived there - and the marble balcony overlooking the tiny courtyard was in fact built the 1930s - thousands of love-struck tourists make the pilgrimage to touch a statue of Juliet and add their graffiti to the walls of the tunnel into the courtyard each week.

Verona, like Garda and the rest of the Veneto region, remains enduringly popular with tourists - and it’s easy to see why.

With direct flights from the UK to Verona, beautiful scenery, a thousand years of history to explore and a world-renowned culinary scene, it’s a destination that’s hard to resist.

Exploring the region by bike gives visitors the chance to explore paths, tracks and cycle routes they might otherwise never have seen, provides a degree of independence that can be difficult to achieve on a package break, and - perhaps the biggest bonus - offers a much needed opportunity to burn off a few pasta calories.

TRAVEL FACTS - LAKE GARDA

:: Celia Paul was a guest of Thomson Lakes (www.thomsonlakes.co.uk; 0871 230 8181) who offer a week’s half board at the four-star Hotel Caesius Thermae Spa in Bardolino on the southern shore of Lake Garda, including flights from Gatwick and transfers from £739 pp (based on two sharing). Direct flights from all major UK airports are available at a supplement starting from £10.

The Dunstable & Leighton Buzzard Green Party has been launched in the wake of the party boasting a 23% increase in its membership since the European elections.

A spokesman said: “In the European election in the Central Beds area, the party’s vote was in excess of 5,000 votes, so locally its clear our common sense policies including making a minimum wage a living wage and bringing the railways back into public ownership resonate with the public .

“Locally we want to put Green principles into practice and we want the people of both Dunstable & Leighton Buzzard to know they have a political home.”

They say other key issues include supporting small businesses, a publicly-run bus service and the environment.

Tony Mabbott is the Leighton Buzzard area organiser who can be contacted on 07943 507330.

Why not ease the strain of travelling this summer while getting fitter and saving money by taking part in the Commuter Challenge with Central Beds Travel Choices?

From Monday, June 30 to Friday, July 18, employees in Leighton Buzzard are being asked to use sustainable ways of travelling to work such as cycling, bus or car share.

Teams can sign up on the Commuter ChalTravel Choices will support all workplaces who take part in the challenge delivering Dr Bike sessions, offering incentives and awarding prizes throughout June and July.

Cllr Nigel Young, Executive Member for Strategic Planning and Economic Development at Central Bedfordshire Council said: “The Commuter Challenge is a great opportunity for businesses to be inspired by this year’s Tour de France and engage in some healthy competition, showing who employs the area’s most sustainable commuters.”

Find out more and sign up to the programme by visiting: www.commuterchallenge.co.uk/cbtravelchoices.

The public’s views on Central Bedfordshire Council’s Highways and Transport services will again be compared with others across England, as part of the National Highways and Transport Public Satisfaction survey.

The council is one of 78 local authorities to sign up to a standardised survey that will ask members of the public exactly the same questions, whether they live in Central Bedfordshire, Cornwall or Cheshire.

The survey, which is being run for the seventh year, enables local councils to compare results, share in best practice and identify opportunities to work together in the future.

The questionnaire will be sent to a minimum random sample of 3,300 Central Bedfordshire residents this month, followed by a reminder, with local and national results to be published in early October. Since the survey is based on a sample, residents that receive a copy are being urged to take part.

Residents that receive the questionnaire can complete the survey on line if they prefer, a short URL link will be printed on the front of the questionnaire and they will be required to enter a code before completing the questionnaire.

The results will enable us to find out what people in this area think about these important services. This will provide one of several ways the council can assess how it is performing and which services to prioritise, and to improve.

Cllr Budge Wells, Deputy Executive Member for Sustainable Communities, Services, said: “Our roads are among the best in the country according to latest government figures which show that the proportion of roads needing repair in our area are among the lowest nationally.“But we don’t want to stop gathering evidence that could help us improve further. There are clear benefits to conducting a public survey in this way. As well as providing excellent value for money, it also enables everyone involved to identify areas of best practice and spot national, regional and local trends. It is about understanding customer views better and working together to deliver the most satisfactory yet efficient outcomes for local residents.”

After a long wait for a decision, planning permission has been granted for the building of 40 homes in Stoke Hammond.

The planning application for land behind Brook Farm, Leighton Road, was originally submitted by the National Animal Welfare Trust on September 28, 2012, but was refused byAylesbury Vale District Council in the December of that year.

However, the trust appealed against the council’s decision and a hearing was held this year on February 5. Four months later and a government planninginspector has backed the appeal.

Inspector Richard Clegg said: “The construction of housing would contribute to growth, and it is likely that there would be additional support for local facilities from the residents of the new housing. Overall, I consider that it would represent a sustainable form of development.”

But concerns were raised by worried Stoke Hammond residents about the new families causing the local primary school to become oversubscribed.

Mr Clegg said: “That positiion is simply a snapshot and may not reflect the position by the time the houses would be built.”

The Highway Authority does not believe that that additonal traffic would impact the safety of drivers on Leighton Road, while the site would also provide 14 affordable homes.

It’s carnival time again for the villages of Edlesborough, Eaton Bray, Northall and Dagnall on Saturday (July 5).

Music is this year’s theme for St Mary’s Carnival on Edlesborough Green for decorating floats and houses on the procession route.

In the past 20 years the event has raised more than £200,000 for local charities, organisations and repairs to the historic church in Eaton Bray. This year the primary charities are the Leighton First Responders and 1st Eaton Bray and Edlesborough Scouts.

The procession leaves The Orchards in Eaton Bray at 12.30pm accompanied by a range of local characters, this year dressed to a musical theme, arriving at Edlesborough Green 45 minutes later. Attractions include Magic Dave children’s entertainer, Birds of Bray wild bird display, Dan Cordell chainsaw wood carver, family dog show with sausage race, the Charmborough Ring portable bell tower and a classic vehicles display.

There will be more than 120 charity and independent stalls offering food, games, competitions, raffles – from plant stalls to hook the duck and barbecues to tennis coaching.

The funfair has even more attractions this year, with the big Ferris wheel, the rotating wall of death, roundabouts for all ages and a whole array of huge inflatable castles, slides and assault courses.

All consultation responses and supporting evidence regarding Central Bedfordshire Council’s Gypsy and Traveller Local Plan have been submitted to the Secretary of State this week.

The most recent consultation ran from 17 February to 31 March and received more than 1,556 responses (plus a petition against the site in Barton le Clay with approximately 2,800 signatures). All of these, along with responses received in previous formal consultations, will now be considered by an independent Planning Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State to determine whether the Plan is ‘sound’ and legally compliant.

It is expected that the Inspector will hold a Public Examination this coming autumn. Individuals who made objections and sought changes to the document during the formal consultation and requested to attend the hearings will be invited to attend the hearing sessions to present their argument to the Planning Inspector verbally.

For those who do not wish to attend the hearing sessions, the Planning Inspector will still consider their written comments and all comments, whether made in writing or verbally at the hearings, will carry the same weight.

Cllr Nigel Young, Executive Member for Strategic Planning, said: “The sheer volume of responses proves what we already knew – that this is a challenging topic and causes a lot of debate for both the settled and traveller communities.

“Debate or not though, we have a legal duty to provide appropriate accommodation and this is what the Plan sets out to do. The feedback from the local community has been really valuable and has influenced the process so now we’ve given everything to the Secretary of State and will await a decision later in the year.”

After the examination hearings, the Planning Inspector will issue a report setting out their conclusions, identifying whether the Plan is ‘sound’ or needs any changes. If the Plan is considered to be ‘sound’, the Council will be asked to adopt the Gypsy and Traveller Local Plan.

Jason Longhurst, Director of Regeneration and Businesses, added: “This Local Plan has been drawn up over many months and is the product of extensive consultation with a number of groups. This included comprehensive local need assessments and detailed studies but it will now be subject to further concentrated scrutiny by a Planning Inspector.”

“We need to show that the Plan meets the test of ‘soundness’ – that it complies with the law and meets the need within our area in a sustainable way.”

For more information about the Gypsy and Traveller Local Plan or to view the Submission documents please visit: www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/gypsytravellerplan Alternatively, copies of the Submission documents can be viewed at the Council Offices in Chicksands and Dunstable during opening hours.

Those consultees wanting to stay in touch can sign up to the council’s email bulletins at www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/updates If you have any queries about the Gypsy and Traveller Local Plan please contact the LDF team by email at LDF@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk or by calling 0300 300 4353.

Add some chuckles to your summer next month with the stage version of Rising Damp, the superb television sitcom that had the nation rocking with mirth.

In 1979 it won both the BAFTA and Evening Standard awards for best comedy.

Now the Comedy Theatre Company is reviving ITV’s much-loved masterpiece with a brand new stage production.

And one lucky reader – with a cat that looks like landlord Rigsby’s beloved moggy Vienna – could even win a chance to meet and greet the cast and see a performance.

We’ve had a sackful of entries as proud owners put forward their particular feline friend hoping to bag the prize.

Latest is engineer Dave Reeves, 38, of Round Green in Luton.

He’s convinced one of his purrfect black and white pair – Bailey and Luna – could carry off the crown.

“Bailey’s definitely in with a chance,” he said confidently. “I’m not so sure about Luna, she’s just a kitten.”
Dave says he’s never won anything in his life and would be thrilled if Bailey could do it on his behalf.

“My wife Debbie’s always winning loads of stuff,” he said. “But she works as a nanny and isn’t here at the moment.”

The winner will be announced next week.

Rising Damp was inspired by award-winning writer Eric Chappell’s play The Banana Box.

And although the last episode aired more than three decades ago, it’s formly ensconced in the hearts and minds of its huge fan base across the globe.

Octagenarian Eric is still bubbling with entertaining ideas. His perfect timing and hilarious domestic situations have been making audiences laugh for generations, yet he still feels he could do better.

The modest family man – who’s also responsible for comedy classics like Duty Free, The Bounder and Only When I Laugh – loves visiting theatres where his work is being produced.

So if you see a charming old chap roaring with laughter beside you, it could very well be the author himself.

> Rising Damp is at Dunstable’s Grove Theatre from July 10 - 12. Call the Box Office for tickets (from £17.50) on 01582 602080.

“I get to touch people’s lives with what I do and I love it and I want to share this with you.”

So what’s on the menu today?

Starter:

Decent anticipation for a new, lower budget and more personal movie from the hotshot director Jon ‘Iron Man’ Favreau. Tasty trailer that whets appetite but looks like it might be a little over-sentimental.

The thought of seeing jaw-dropping food prepared in high definition on the big screen is enough to make anyone hungry.

Main Course:

Chef sees acclaimed recipe wrangler Carl Casper (Jon ‘Swingers’ Favreau) unfulfilled in his role cooking for meanie restaurant boss Riva (Dustin Hoffman). He’s also struggling to be any sort of father to young son Percy (Emjay Anthony) after being divorced by the gorgeous Inez (Sofía ‘Machete Kills’ Vergara). Speaking of gorgeous there is also Scarlett Johansson on hand as a foxy wine watress.

When Casper falls fouls of top food critic Ramsey Michel (Oliver Platt) his meltdown shouting match goes viral on social media – and wrecks his job prospects.

Fate sees the chef flown off to Miami with his wife and son – and handed the chance to rebuild his cooking career by Inez’s other ex-husband (Robert ‘The Avengers’ Downey Jr.) in the shape of a rundown food truck.

Casper’s new mobile food service – making superb Cuban sandwiches and yucca fries aided by his former soux-chef (John Leguizamo) and his son is an instant hit.

Dessert:

It’s great fun watching Casper get his life back on track – the themes of being inspired by what you love doing and the importance of the father/son bonding shine through in heartfelt style. Favreau eats up the screen and seems to be really enjoying being both behind and in front of the camera.

The script might be a little heavy on swearing but is genuinely funny and the cinematography encompasses some of the tastiest looking food ever to grace the screen.

There are additional messages of reconciliation and redemption might be more than some hardhearted types can take but I was moved, inspired and motivated to be a better father to my boys as a direct result of seeing this.

Overall Chef is a excellent, feel good comedy that works on many levels, just be sure not to go on an empty stomach as you could well be drooling long before the credits roll.

An ex-Army paratrooper, who survived jumping out of a burning aircraft in 2007, is taking the driving seat in an epic rally adventure for SSAFA, the national military charity that supports current serving, veterans and their families.

Private Jamie Hull, 38, sustained 60% third degree burns and severe internal injuries when he leapt off the wing of his aircraft, which just minutes before had burst into flames during a routine solo flight in America. Jamie was training for a life-long ambition to gain his Private Pilots licence.

For six months he was held in a drug induced coma in an intensive care unit in Florida and spent a further three months in intensive care once he got back to the UK. From there he spent almost two years at the burns unit at Stoke Mandeville in Aylesbury.

Throughout his recovery, Jamie, from the Plantation Road area of Leighton Buzzard, and his mum, Shirley, were supported by SSAFA, so when the opportunity to take part in a fundraising rally for SSAFA came up, Jamie didn’t have to think twice.

Jamie will be co-driving the SSAFA vehicle, one of 50 cars travelling across 11 countries in eight days, to raise £100,000 to support SSAFA’s life changing work, which helps 50,000 people every year. Every five miles of the rally represents the life of a serviceman or woman, who has fallen in combat since the start of the Afghanistan conflict, reflecting the specialist support that SSAFA provides to families of bereaved and injured service families who have been affected by recent conflicts.

“When I found out Rally for Heroes was in aid of SSAFA, I was immediately interested. The connection became a personal one for me.”

“SSAFA directly supported my mum when I was seriously ill in hospital. If they had not supported her needs, she would not have been able to give me her full attention. I only knew this once I had come out of my coma.”

“They dealt with the little things for her, so she could focus on the big things. She spent full days at my bedside; she was all I had, she was my rock but it was only because SSAFA was there for her, that she was able to be there for me. It’s only now I realise what a profound effect that had on me and my recovery.”

“They took care of her living arrangements whilst I was in hospital; Mum was based in Bedfordshire and I was in the Intensive Care Unit in Essex. They put her up in a B&B near the hospital and also assisted with food and travel expenses.

“It was this vital support that enabled mum to care for me seven days a week for six months. Undoubtedly, neither of us would have got through this time without SSAFA.”

Since his accident, Jamie has undergone an incredible 58 reconstructive and plastic surgery operations. Doctors initially told him that he only had a 5% chance of survival. But through sheer courage and determination Jamie has endured his long road to recovery and now embraces every challenge put to him.

When asked how he feels to be taking part in the rally Jamie said: “I have enjoyed motoring and motorsport for many years and I’m always up for a challenge. I love working in a disciplined environment and enjoy operating under time constraints, so the SSAFA Rally will be just perfect for me.”

“It was an epic struggle to recover from the burns and despite all the scars I now wear, and which I’m reminded of every time I look in the mirror, I’m very happy to say that life goes on and it’s steadily getting better. I keep going and do my best in life.”

“And now there’s a reason why, after this long road to recovery that I’m set to start another journey, but this time it’s for SSAFA and for those, who like me and my mum, need them when life changes forever. Despite my ordeal, I’m still here and now try to inspire others to overcome the odds and go further in their own undertakings.”

To show your support for Jamie and for SSAFA, text ‘JRFH75 £5’ to 70070 and donate £5 or visit Jamie’s fundraising page at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser/JamieHull.

Over 100 participants will set off from the track at Dunsfold Park on Friday 27 June – the day before this year’s Armed Forces Day – and return on Saturday 5 July, taking in Alpine passes, the poignant Bergen Belsen concentration camp and Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest along the way. For more information visit www.rallyforheroes.com.

Two Luton entrepreneurs carried off top trophies at the FSB Bedfordshire Business Awards on Thursday night.

Mostaque Koyes, of print company Bartham Group, off Sundon Park Road, and Irena Oliver, of home-based franchise FM Cosmetics, were lauded by judges and the audience at The Conservatory at Luton Hoo.

Mr Koyes won the Employee of the Year award, sponsored by Luton company Basepoint.

He is the creator of the annual Community Awards which have raised many thousands of pounds for charity and was also in the team collecting the Community Business award, sponsored by Center Parcs, on behalf of the Bartham Group.

Mr Koyes said: “The awards night was fantastic and with so many great businesses in Bedfordshire it was amazing to win. It was not expected as our application was made at the last minute after one of our friends recommended that we enter!

“Doing business these days is not just about providing great customer service as that is expected.

“I always look to the long term and work with people to build relationships of trust. I have found that by doing that, business automatically comes back, even if it takes a while.

“The whole Bartham Group team thoroughly enjoyed the awards and I am looking forward to seeing many of the winners at the Community Awards later this year.”

The judges said “giving something back is very close to this business” and praised Mr Koyes for his “selfless involvement in the wider community.”

Irena Oliver, of FM Cosmetics, won the Business Person of the Year category.

One of the judges said “wow, what an inspiration!” She also took runner-up spot in the Real Life Entrepreneur category.

Creative advertising agency Stare Into The Sun, Ltd, of Basepoint Business & Innovation Centre, Butterfield, Great Marlings, was runner up in the Best New Business category, sponsored by Wenta.

Marc Scott, of Liberty Bishop Contractor Services, also from Basepoint Business & Innovation Centre, was runner up in the Young Business Person category.

The overall winner was Georgia O’Keefe, of Look C, in Biggleswade.

Top British jazz pianist James Pearson (pictured), artistic director of the internationally-renowned Ronnie Scott’s jazz club in London, brings his swinging trio to LBO land for one night only on Thursday (July 3) at the Heath Inn, Heath and Reach.

Also featuring BBC Jazz Award-nominated vocalist Polly Gibbons and Ronnie Scott’s regulars Arnie Somogyi on bass and Matt Skelton on drums, the gig is part of the highly popular Greensand Jazz summer programme.

Apart from James’ regular appearances at the world famous jazz club, where his Ronnie Scott’s All Star trio are the house band, Pearson has worked across the world with stars including Dame Cleo Laine, Jeff Beck and Paul McCartney, Kevin Spacey, Wynton Marsalis and Joss Stone.

The performance starts at 8.15pm with tickets: £12 / £2 (U18s and students) available from Cocoaberry, 6 Hockliffe Street, Leighton Buzzard, call 01525 381341 or book online at www.greensandjazz.org.uk

Apparently it’s aknowledged by the creative cabals in charge of the advertising industry that the traditional TV spot is in the toilet.

I’m not referring to the fact that large proportions of the viewing public are prone to pop off to the smallest room as the ads appear, possibly as a consequence of putting the kettle on at a convenient commercial break during an earlier programme – no, it’s just that it’s getting increasingly difficult to convince advertisers to shell out significant sums on something that will most likely be ignored by the target audience.

Not ignored as in viewed and rejected, you understand, but ignored as in never seen at all. That’s because more and more of us timeshift our telly, recording what we want on whatever fancy set-up we may have and then watching when it suits us.

To some people, that means recording every episode of a series and then devouring it in a marathon sitting. To others, it’s all about pressing the button to zip through the padding and the repetition that bulk out so many shows these days.

But to all of us, it seems, it certainly means pressing fast forward when the ads are on.

There have been some obvious responses from the braces and bow tie brigade.

Programme sponsorship is the most obvious, and possibly the least successful. Nobody ever remembers the name of the sponsor, but I most assuredly know that I never want to contemplate any sort of cruise after an overdose of clips of smiling families afloat bookending some of my favourite shows.

Product placement seems to be slowly spreading, too, as TV follows the example of cinema and cashes in on the potential of the props department.

Another reaction seems to have been to make the ad breaks even longer. It used to be accepted that you’d have to endure no more than a handful of ads in a strictly-segregated two minute slot halfway through the programme.

Now a popular show could feature an ad break that goes on for six or seven minutes – and that’s not counting a couple of plugs for another show that might be added into the mix. Never mind popping off to the loo, I could quite easily pop off and have a shower.

More irritatingly, the ad breaks don’t seem to keep regular time any more.

It’s not unknown for an ad break to arrive before a programme has really got into its stride. Are we supposed to be taken by surprise when the ads cut in after less than 10 minutes, and sit through them because we’re too stunned at their gall that we can’t reach for the remote?

No, we’re taking back that time and cutting a 30-minute show down to something like two thirds of that.

But if we’re all dodging the messages, how long will they – and the money they provide – keep on coming?