Archive May 10, 2025

The founder of the North East’s biggest boutique music festival has revealed what it takes to put on such a spectacle as he reveals Glastonbury admiration

As festival goers get ready for yet another epic summer of live music, a founder of a long-running event has revealed the surprising cost to set up such a project.

This year has seen the likes of Glastonbury once again sell out in extraordinary time. The iconic Worthy Farm festival has plans for another memorable year before taking a break until 2027. The likes of Sir Rod Stewart and Olivia Rodrigo will be among the huge names on hand to wow the crowds across the various stages.

Reading & Leeds, Download and Kendall Calling will also be packed with music lovers, as will the likes of Creamfields and the Isle of Wight Festival.

Despite many new festivals popping up over the years, it’s a tall order to face the test of time. However, for one founder, he’s managed to do just that – and he’s explained the intricate planning that goes into such an event.

Founder of Hardwick Festival, John Adamson, has confessed the pricy payout that comes with hosting such a sizeable shindig. Currently setting up for its 11th year in August, Hardwick – held on the grounds of Hardwick Hall in Sedgefield – is the biggest of its kind in the North East.

But John admits he’s had to endure a number of stressful situations as it continues to snowball. Speaking exclusively to the Mirror ahead of this year’s three-day event, which sees headline acts include Olly Murs, Pet Shop Boys, Sam Ryder and Scissor Sisters, John claimed fans would be surprised at how much such a spectacle costs.

“It costs over £2million to put it on,” John confessed. “I don’t think people realise how much it costs to put on a boutique festival like this. You’ve got the likes of the staging, lighting, barriers, sound systems and security to consider before you even think of the main acts.”

He admitted it “takes a hell of a lot of planning” – and even revealed they have already started piecing together 2026’s offering.

“We tend to use the same suppliers most years,” he went on. “I like to use local suppliers and try to use same people. The stage comes from Oxfordshire though, because of the size that’s needed.” He confessed that having acts like Scissor Sisters and Pet Shop Boys, you’ve “gotta have a bigger stage!”

However, he explained he likes to stay loyal where possible to his suppliers as that means he can book in advance to avoid any headaches. “Like Sir Alex Ferguson had, we’ve got to have the right people in the right places,” the Newcastle United-mad businessman said.

John joked that now he is getting older he doesn’t help to put up the fencing like he used to, but insists he is “always there, pointing the finger” – something he says is crucial to success.

And he says his main bit of advice to others keen to grow such an event is to “persevere”.

“One thing i’ve learned is it’s about perseverance,” he said. “If you can learn and persevere, you can succeed. I don’t know any other boutique festivals like us in the North East are going as long as us, so we must be doing something [right].”

And he admitted he is always keen to keep it fresh, from acts to positioning of stages in order to offer a new “experience” each year. For Hardwick this year, he revealed there will be a new holistic wellness area that “brings that festival feel”.

Elma Pazar reveals she once dismissed now-boyfriend Sammy Root before falling for him in the Love Island: All Stars villa – and tells us that their age-gap romance has completely changed her view on love.

Lash technician-turned-reality star Elma Pazar became known for her flirty one-liners on Love Island 2019 – and life, she admits, has been non-stop ever since. Elma had a second shot at love in the All Stars series earlier this year, and is now back on TOWIE after joining the show in 2022.

She talks exclusively to OK! embracing reality TV chaos, relationship bliss with boyfriend Sammy Root, 24, and flatmate life with bestie and co-star Courtney Green. Glam yet down-to-earth, the 32-year-old Essex favourite opens up to us about fame, romance, taking on I’m A Celeb and finding her happy place – right back where it all began…

READ MORE: Love Island couple spark split fears after star accuses boyfriend of being a ‘red flag’ in awkward TikTok

Elma, it’s lovely to see you back on TOWIE. How was it?

We had so much fun coming back – it was unreal. It honestly felt like coming home. I missed everyone, and they were all so supportive.

Before you went into Love Island, Sammy was already on the show. Did you have feelings for him back then or were you playing it cool?

It’s funny – he used to flirt with me and I was just like, “I wouldn’t go there.” Probably because of the age thing. I didn’t really know him as a person. But in Love Island, you get the chance to really peel back those layers. You spend so much time with someone that in 48 hours you feel like you know them inside out. That’s how it was for me.

When Sammy entered the villa, did you know straight away how you felt?

It was actually a really emotional day for me. The night I went on the date with Sammy, I’d just sent home three people with Luca [Bish] – it was a lot. So seeing someone I knew brought comfort. We always flirted and had that attraction, but I finally took the leap. It just felt so easy and perfectly timed.

Does the eight-year age gap between you matter to you?

Not at all. In the villa, it didn’t mean anything. On the outside, we’re still getting to know each other, but I don’t feel it. Love Island relationships kind of work backwards – you get super close first, then come out and start dating properly. But we’re really happy and taking it as it comes.

What was it like going from Love Island straight into filming TOWIE?

Wild! I landed back in the UK in the evening and was filming the next day. It’s been non-stop. Because we’ve gone from filming one show to another, we haven’t had a long break or private time, but we’re adjusting. We’ve had about a month and a half off now, which has been lovely.

Did you feel any pressure, having your relationship in the public eye?

No, I actually loved it. In Love Island, you’re in a bubble. Coming out and hearing the opinions of real friends and family felt authentic and grounding. No one expected me to be back filming TOWIE straight away, but it all worked out perfectly.

And everyone seems to love Sammy…

They really do. He’s got such a good heart. He’s slotted straight into our girl band. The group has changed a bit – we joke that we’re Girl Band 3.5 now.

Tell us something surprising about your relationship…

How much we don’t dwell on other people. In the villa, it can feel like all you do is talk about others, but with Sammy and I, we focus on each other. We’ve created our own little bubble.

Has he met your family yet?

He has, and I’ve met his. Everything’s moved quite quickly, but it’s been really lovely on both sides. I don’t feel any pressure. I’m very comfortable with the pace we’re going at. I’m not one to rush into anything.

Do you miss Love Island?

I’m definitely glad to be home. I loved my Love Island experience – it was the best time ever – but I’m a real home bunny. I love being with my friends and family. I’ve even moved in with Courtney, which has been the best thing ever.

What’s it like living with her?

It’s been an absolute breeze. We often wonder why we didn’t do it sooner. We’re always crying with laughter and randomly saying, “I love you” to each other. It’s just the best time. Especially if you’re going through a phase in life where you feel a bit lost. Living with your best mate reminds you life isn’t as bleak as it seems – it’s free therapy!

Does Courtney ever feel like a third wheel with you and Sammy?

Maybe a little at first, right after we left the villa. It was really intense in the beginning because we were inseparable – he was always coming over. But things have mellowed now. We’ve all found our own rhythm and we absolutely love having Courtney hanging out with us on date nights.

Is the Love Island: All Stars circle still close?

Yeah, we’ve all stayed in touch. There’s a group chat for the girls and I think the boys have their own. But everyone’s so busy it’s hard to get everyone in the same place at once. When we do cross paths at events, it’s really nice. Everyone is smashing it!

READ MORE: This super hydrating £28 body lotion has Molly-Mae raving its ‘one of the best’ she’s ever used

After being kicked out at 15, Georgina Tang wanted to change her narrative and bagged herself a well-paid job – but further struggles arose when she was 40 and gave birth to her son

A mum who was kicked out of home at 15 with just £1 to her name has revealed how a free bath bomb course changed her life – and led to her building a six-figure business ‘by accident.’

Georgina Tang, 62, was forced to leave her family home in 1979 after suffering years of abuse. With only enough for a bus fare, she started working as a live-in ‘mother’s help’ – desperate to avoid being placed in care.

More than four decades later, she runs a vegan, cruelty-free skincare brand turning over six figures – and it all began with her mission to help her seriously ill son.

“This was never the plan. I was just a mum who wanted to do anything I could to stop my son suffering,” she said. “Chemotherapy can be devastating for people’s skin and hair. My son was so young, I would have done anything I could to help him.”

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Her son Alessio, now 21, was born with complex medical and educational needs and developed painful psoriasis and hair loss while undergoing chemotherapy for an autoimmune condition. His skin would crack, bleed and become infected.

“I would kiss him goodnight and tuck him into bed every night, and I found clumps of hair on the pillow. I broke down in tears,” Georgina said. “It was heart-breaking to see my own child go through that.”

Determined to help him, she completed a free soap-making course and used the knowledge she gained to start creating skin-kind products at her kitchen table. What began as homemade creams and oils soon became life-changing – for not only both her and her son, but for others.

“Within a month of using my cream his skin was clear. It was life changing for him,” Georgina explained. “We had tried so many different products that when this one worked it really felt like a miracle.”

After others noticed the difference, they asked her what she was using and she began sharing it with others going through cancer treatments. “I hadn’t ever considered bottling it and selling it, I just wanted to help people,” she said

In 2015, she took voluntary redundancy from her job and took the step to launch YNNY – a beauty brand now stocked with more than 50 handmade products, including the famous Elixir serum, known to fans as “botox in a bottle.”

“I knew I had to take a leap of faith. I thought, ‘If not now, then when?’” she said. “So I quit my secured well paid management job with occupational pension to develop my natural, vegan skin and hair care business at the age of 52.”

But Georgina’s journey to success was far from smooth. Born in Hong Kong, she moved to London aged 13 to join her parents and siblings. However, she had a volatile relationship with her mother and was regularly beaten. At 15, her abusive mother gave her an ultimatum – forcing her to leave the family home, with only £1 to her name.

“I was only a child myself. I would ask myself, ‘Why me? Why do I have to suffer?’ Over the course of that very difficult period, I tried to end my life on multiple occasions but never succeeded,” she recalled.

“I took that as a sign that I had to live on and succeed. I knew that I couldn’t let what happened destroy me,” she added.

Determined to break the cycle, Georgina worked tirelessly – studying A-levels at night while washing dishes, then earning degrees in psychology, sociology and housing. By 39, she was deputy chief executive at a housing trust, and eventually saved enough to buy her own home and six more properties, as well as investing in the stock market.

“I remember thinking, I’m not giving up. That’s not my character,” she said. “I became a workaholic because I had no money when I was young so I was always working and saving money.”

She later met her husband, Andrea, while working nights in a Chinese restaurant, and gave birth to Alessio in 2003, when she was 40. He weighed 11lb 3oz, and the delivery was traumatic, leaving them both critically ill – she became semi-conscious due to a massive loss of blood, and Alessio stopped breathing.

“If I have my last breath, I would give it to Alessio so that he lives,” she said. “By prioritising Alessio and devoting my life to him, he is thriving and achieving the impossible.”

Doctors were unable to fully diagnose Alessio, but as more symptoms appeared, his consultant coined it, “Alessio syndrome”. He suffered from five types of seizures and needed round-the-clock care.

“He needed 24/7 nursing care as he stopped breathing without any warnings… I devoted my whole life to my son, I worked 7 days a week and about 18 – 20 hours a day for years,” she said. “I taught Alessio after work and at the weekends to help him to catch up with his peers.”

When the chemotherapy triggered painful skin issues, Georgina stepped in. The body butters she made reduced his psoriasis so much he was discharged from dermatology, and her shampoo stopped his hair loss. Soon, everyone she knew was asking for her handmade creations. She started selling at school fetes and eventually launched YNNY officially, with a mission to help more people.

The brand now offers white-label services, meaning world-renowned brands and celebrities buy her award-winning formulas under their own branding. That side of the business has become the most profitable.

“Now, I have gone on to win numerous awards, I have developed white label products for famous celebrities and influencers,” Georgina said. “I’m so proud that something I created has gone on to be loved by, and that has helped, so many people.”

At the 2025 National Beauty Awards, she scooped Best Hair Product, Best Skincare Product and Best Beauty Entrepreneur, and was shortlisted for CEO of the Year, Best Wellness Business and Best Beauty product.

Today, she runs YNNY HQ in Liverpool with a small team of three members and is driven by one mission: to leave a legacy for Alessio. She said, “This business provides for our family and l want to leave a legacy for Alessio when both my husband and I are no longer here.

“This is all thanks to my son for inspiring me to create hair products to stimulate hair growth and shea butter balm to cure his psoriasis.” And against all the odds of consultants saying he wouldn’t live past the age of one – Alessio is now 21 years old.

Georgina says the key to her success is “never looking back” and “always remember when you hit rock bottom the only way is up.”

READ MORE: Shopper ‘couldn’t go a day without a spot’ before using dermatologist-approved serum

Tirtir’s foundation has been a viral sensation that promises smooth, glowing skin – but could it live up to the hype? I put it to the test to see if it really was as good as TikTok says

If you’ve stepped foot on the internet in the last few years, you’ll have noticed that Korean beauty products have rapidly become one of the most talked about things online. From complete makeup novices to seasoned skincare pros, everyone has been raving about various K-beauty products, with the latest being Tirtir’s Cushion Foundation.

Dubbed “the red egg” on TikTok thanks to its glossy oval-shaped compact design, the liquid-powder hybrid is said to create smooth, poreless and glowing skin with just a few swipes. Despite its viral popularity, us UK dwellers haven’t been able to see if it really is worth the hype – until now, because it’s finally landed in Boots and you better believe I rushed out to get my hands on it.

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The Tirtir Mask Fit Red Cushion Foundation is £21 and comes in an impressive 40 different shades – considerably better than the three it originally launched with in 2016 – with a reasonably good diversity across skin tones to help you find the best colour match. You get a super soft sponge applicator included in your compact, which helps to apply the foundation directly from the cushion-y pan, and it has a liquid-like formula.

Whilst I’ve heard plenty of great things about it from TikTok and fellow beauty writers, I always have two questions when a product suddenly goes viral; is it really worth the hype? And is it actually usable in day to day life, and not just behind a ring light online?

My review of the Tirtir Mask Fit Red Cushion Foundation

Pros

• Good shade range
• Perfect balance between dewy and matte
• Lightweight feel
• No transfer or patchiness
• Great for travel and on the go
• Covered redness, dry patches and pigmentation
• Need minimal product

Cons

• Shade matching can be tricky
• Sponge is a little fiddly to use

I’ve tried all kinds of foundation formulas in my time as a beauty writer, from powders and liquids to creams and sticks, but had yet to try out a true cushion foundation. I prepped my skin just like I always would, then got to work applying it.

My first thought was that the sponge is a little fiddly to use. As a die hard foundation brush user, it took a few passes to get the hang of applying it evenly with the sponge, but once I had that nailed it applied like a dream.

Its formula is the perfect balance of blendable liquid without being runny, and you really do need a very minimal amount of product. Two gentle taps into the cushion was enough to do my whole face and neck with an even coverage, and the point of the sponge was handy for areas like around my nose and eyes.

I have typically dry, sensitive skin with some redness, and the foundation covered it all seamlessly without looking too mask-like. It smoothed over pores and fine lines, and helped cover some texture without being too thick or cakey, leaving my skin looking glowy, smooth and airbrushed.

If you do prefer a lighter coverage, the Pixi Glow Tint Cushion, £18, is a great alternative. It has a sheer formula that gives a more natural result, and helps with brightening and colour correcting as well as leaving a subtle glow. The Armani Red Cushion R21 Foundation, £49, is also a good option, giving a more traditional foundation coverage with refillable options once you run out.

The best part is it really felt like I was wearing nothing at all. There was no drying or cakey feeling as it wore down throughout the day, and it didn’t settle into any dry patches, creases or lines. It also didn’t smudge onto my clothes, and even survived a sweaty workout and long day at work without budging, which definitely gets it a gold star in my opinion.

My only real struggle with the Tirtir Mask Fit Red Cushion Foundation was matching my shade to begin with; it took a few trials and errors to get the right shade for my skin tone. I also deduced that the best way to apply it is to tap some onto each area of your face before blending – don’t just start applying it to one place as you’ll end up with way too much product in one area leaving it looking uneven.

However, I can happily say that the Tirtir Red Cushion Foundation has earned a spot in my regular beauty rotation, and it’s the perfect foundation for both daytime and evening, with just enough coverage for both (and it’s buildable if you want a little more). It withstood actual real daily life, not just a quick TikTok video or Instagram post, and my skin felt like the best version of itself – which, let’s face it, is exactly what a good foundation should do.

Isabel Hodgins is used to the pressure of public speaking after starring on Emmerdale for 20 years – but her new husband Adam Whitehead admits the wedding-day nerves got to him

It wouldn’t be a wedding without the odd hiccup – and that was certainly the case at the stunning wedding of Emmerdale star Isabel Hodgins and PE teacher Adam Whitehead. The couple, who got engaged in November 2023, said their “I Do’s” at Manchester’s cool Castlefield Rooms last month in front of 63 of their friends and family, including many of Isabel’s co-stars.

At 5ft 2in, Isabel opted for a classic dress to avoid “the dress wearing me, not me wearing the dress” and it made such an impact on groom Adam that he made something of a faux pas during their vow exchange. “I forgot my name during the vows,” he told OK! in an exclusive catch up after the ceremony.

READ MORE: Inside Emmerdale’s Isabel Hodgins’ wedding with co-star guests and baby bombshell

“That was the worst part, the vows,” he continued. “I was so nervous. I’m not a big fan of public speaking. I’m a teacher and do it front of kids, but when it’s in front of people your age, it’s different. I was sweating.”

Isabel, who says she’d “never seen him like that before”, is understandably pro when it comes to public speaking under pressure, after playing Victoria Sugden on Emmerdale for a year shy of two decades. That said, being a bride is very different from playing a part, she reveals.

“I know I’m an actor but I don’t like being the centre of attention. A wedding’s quite stressful, so even before it I was over it,” she laughs. “Then the day came and I was like, ‘we’ll just go with the flow’. It was perfect. I couldn’t believe how much I enjoyed it, how full my heart was. It was just brilliant.”

The actress also delivered one of the wedding speeches, much to the respect of her new husband. “I was proud she wanted to do her own speech,” he says. “Power to the women.”

Their big day was a star-studded affair, with Emmerdale co-star Eden Taylor Draper as one of her three bridesmaids, and Danny Miller, Mark Jordon, Laura Norton, Jeff Hordley and Zoë Henry there to enjoy the celebration.

“I’ve known them for so long, Laura’s like a sister to me. Eden was my bridesmaid,” Isabel says. “They’re just all such special, beautiful people. I said in my speech that me and Adam hadn’t been going out for very long and I was telling Zoë about him and she was like, ‘I’ve got a feeling you’re going to marry this man.’ She just knew.”

The couple, who both huge fans of the gym, enjoyed a two-night minimoon to Saltmoore wellness retreat, near Whitby, courtesy of Isabel’s castmates – and there’s a longer trip planned to California this summer.

After that, Isabel says, they might start thinking about some next big steps – becoming parents.

“If that happens, amazing. If it doesn’t, I’ll say ‘that’s fine too’, but I won’t really mean it,” laughs Isabel. “My sister had two toddlers during lockdown. I moved in with them. I just loved it. I think I’m ready to have that myself now.”

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