May 2022

The manufacturer of the world’s fastest bikes, REAP Bikes, has kickstarted a Crowdcube crowdfunding campaign alongside the most decorated Olympic cyclist ever, Sir Jason Kenny in a bid to take on the cycling industry and become the go-to brand for high performance bikes.

With the bike industry growing by 40% year on year, the Staffordshire based bike manufacturer are looking to capitalise on markets worth £1.03bn in the UK in 2020*, and an estimated €18bn in Europe**.

The delightful spa town of Malvern is located 3 hours from London by car in Worcestershire and accessible directly by train from Paddington.

With its proximity to Adelaide and excellent wines, the Barossa Valley is used to welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. But venture four and half hours south and slightly to the east and you will discover another world-class wine region - Coonawarra. An Aboriginal word meaning honeysuckle, it is drastically smaller in size in terms of wineries with 30 (Barossa has circa 150) and is renowned for its Cabernet Sauvignon more than Shiraz.

Investing in wine and whisky is popular with high net worth, but the barriers to entry are falling as more people seek tangible investments.

Over the last 15 years, wine has offered an average return of 13.6% which makes it one of the most interesting and secure alternative investments available. Of course, you still need to pick wisely with wines from Bordeaux, Burgoyne, California, Italy and Australia performing best.

Whisky is an interesting investment and passion for may high net worth. Delving into the different whiskies and learning the ropes is in itself very pleasurable. Invest in what you know and enjoy and you can't go too far wrong. Plus you won’t be short of friends to drink it with should the market fall. Though alcohol always sells well, particularly if you can afford to wait out any drop in prices.

A rare vintage bottle of Macallan sold for more than £1 million at auction in recent years. The potential if you pick the right brand is quite thrilling.

At last its summer, time to get out there and enjoy everything the great British social season has to offer.

Isle of Man TT

28 May - 11 Jun

The Isle of Man TT is the ultimate 'must see it' event for motorsport fans across the globe. Every May and June the Isle of Man, a tiny country between England and Ireland, turns into motorcycle nirvana as the world’s greatest road racers gather to test themselves against the incredible ‘Mountain Course’ - a 37.73 mile beast of a course carved out of the island’s public roads.

Rolls-Royce products enjoy an expansive lifetime, ultimately becoming timeless expressions of good taste, beauty and luxurious perfection. Phantom occupies a unique, pinnacle position in this regard, being revered for its timeless elegance.

Elusive but increasingly high regarded wines from the Czech Republic were on show aplenty at the Czech Embassy in London’s Notting Hill late this April, with a ‘Wine Day 2022’ convened that showcased ten wineries from across the nation. And, marking the event this year an ambitious new project was kicked off along with Cordoba Worldwide, to put wines from the country on map in the UK.

On the 20th of May 2019, Volodymyr Zelenskiy made international news by becoming the president of Ukraine. Most of the coverage focused on his past as a comic actor and for playing the role of the Ukrainian president in the TV series "Servant of The People".

DAVID BELLAMY (born 1943) prodigious ‘plein air’ artist, author, guide, and teacher, has won international acclaim for his mastery of watercolour.