Podcasts about Sooty

In this episode of Skip the Queue, Andy Povey sits down with Jérôme Giacomoni, co-founder and Chairman of AEROPHILE, the world leader in tethered gas balloons and immersive aerial experiences. Jérôme shares the story of how AEROPHILE began with a simple idea, to “make everybody fly” and grew into a global company operating in multiple countries, including France and the U.S.Tune in to hear about the company's signature attractions, including tethered balloon flights, the innovative Aerobar concept, and high-profile projects such as how you can experience flying the Olympic cauldron in Paris. Jérôme also shares how AEROPHILE has leveraged its unique platform to explore scientific initiatives like air-quality and climate-change monitoring and how he Integrates unique revenue streams from sponsorship and advertising.Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is Paul Marden, with co host Andy Povey and roving reporter Claire Furnival.If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website SkiptheQueue.fm.If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on LinkedIn. Show references:  https://www.aerophile.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerome-giacomoni-3074b7/Jérôme Giacomoni is co-founder of Groupe AEROPHILE and Chairman of AEROPHILE SAS. Since 1993, he has led the company to become the world leader in tethered gas balloons and balloon flights, operating iconic sites in France, the U.S., and Cambodia, and flying over 500,000 passengers annually. He also pioneered “flying food-tainment” with the Aerophare and Aerobar. Jérôme is a member of IAAPA, serves on the board of SNELAC, and is a Team France Export ambassador, earning multiple awards for entrepreneurship and innovation. Plus, live from the Day 2 of the IAAPA Expo Europe show floor, we catch up with:Rheanna Sorby –Marketing & Creative Director,  The Seasonal Grouphttps://theseasonalgroup.co.uk/https://www.linkedin.com/in/rheanna-sorby-seasonal/Sohret Pakis – Polin Waterparkshttps://www.polin.com.tr/https://www.linkedin.com/in/sohretpakis/Thomas Collin – Sales Manager, VEX Solutionshttps://www.vex-solutions.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-collin-18a476110/Peter Cliff – CEO // Founder, Conductr.https://conductr.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-cliff/Laura Baxter – Founder, Your CMOhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-baxter-4a756466/Josh Haywood – Resort Director, Crealy Theme Park & Resorthttps://www.crealy.co.uk/https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-haywood-68463630/ Transcriptions:  Paul Marden: Welcome to Skip the Queue, the podcast about the world's best attractions and the people that work in them. I'm your host Paul Marden, and with my co-host Andy Povey and roving reporter Claire Furnival, we're here at IAAPA Expo Europe. In today's episode, I go on a trip on Santa's Enchanted Elevator with the Seasonal Group, and Claire meets Peter Cliff from Conductr. But before all that, let's head over to Andy.Andy Povey: Good morning, everybody. I'm joined today by Jerome Giacomoni from AEROPHILE for our French listeners. I hope I've got that right. Jerome is the chief exec of AEROPHILE and has been the co-founder and president of AEROPHILE. And AEROPHILE supply helium-based balloon observation opportunities. I probably got the marketing on that completely wrong, Jerome. So please, can you share with our listeners what AEROPHILE is all about?Jerome Giacomoni: So AEROPHILE is a company I created with Mathieu Gobbi, my partner, 32 years ago, with a very simple idea, make everybody fly, you know, and we use a balloon to fly. So we have a tethered balloon. We have a huge, big balloon inflated with helium, a gas lighter than air. And we go up to more or less 150 meters high. up to 30 passengers. So we are linked to the ground with a cable, and the cable is linked to a winch. So you have to imagine that you have a winch that— when we go up—pulls when we go down. This is the exact opposite of an elevator because the balloon wants to go higher and higher. We have a lifting force of four tons.Andy Povey:Wow.Jerome Giacomoni:Yes, it's a big one. And so we need a cable to keep it. And thanks to this lifting force, we can fight against the wind.Jerome Giacomoni: And so the balloon can swing when you have some wind because the balloon is just pulled by the cable itself.Andy Povey: And trust me, listeners, they look absolutely spectacular. Just before we started recording, I was admitting to Jerome that I'm scared of heights. So I've stood and watched. The dining balloon, Futuroscope, never managed to pluck up the courage to try it myself.Jerome Giacomoni: This is another concept, Andy. So we have built two concepts. One is a tethered balloon, a real one with helium, with a cable, with a winch, and we fly by ourselves. The balloon flies by itself, okay? We did another concept 20 years after we created our company, so 10 years before now, in 2013, which is what we call the aero bar. It's a flying bar, and you have an inflatable balloon. to cover the gondola, but it's a fake. This is a real elevator, and you have a gondola with some winches and a metallic structure, and you go up and down. So what you saw in Futuroscope is not a balloon. It's a real elevator.Jerome Giacomoni: And the one you can see in Disneyland Paris, Disney World, Orlando or San Diego Zoo are a real balloon named a tethered balloon. So I'm glad you fell down into the trick. You caught me. Yes, I'm glad about that. But we have really two different concepts.Andy Povey: But the concept, the thing that the guest is experiencing, isn't really related to whether it's a balloon or a lift.Jerome Giacomoni: No. i think it's very different okay i think the aerobar is fun and you have the feet in the sky you feel the thrill of height and everything but you stop at 35 meters it's it's quite high for a ride but it's not a real flight And I think the balloon is a real flight. We have a balloon in Paris. We have a balloon in Budapest, Berlin. And you see the city from the sky at 150 meters high, which is very high. So you really experience a flight. With the aerobar, you have a ride, okay? So both of them are related to the sky, are related to the view, but one is really a flight, the other one is really a ride.Andy Povey: That makes absolute sense.Andy Povey: It doesn't reassure me on my fear of heights anymore, that I would like to go up three times, four times taller, higher than the one I saw first. Very interesting. So, listeners, we're often talking about technology and attractions. There's a huge amount of talk about augmented reality, about AI, about motion simulators. The reason, Jerome, we asked you to come and talk to us is because you don't do any of that. No—your experience is fantastic and it's new and it's unique, but there's no technology or very little obvious technology.Jerome Giacomoni: Yes, quite little. You know, it's amazing because we do this for now 32 years, as I told you. The first balloon was inflated in 1994. We have sold 120 balloons in more than 40 countries. And each time with the balloon, you have a magical effect, you know, because the balloon itself is very nice— because the balloon itself is a show from people looking at it from the ground. And because... The flight experience is amazing because you are really in the sky. You are really looking at the ground, at the landscape. You have no noise, you know, when you take a helicopter or plane. You have a lot of noise. You are in an enclosed airplane or helicopter. Here you are outside. You are on a balcony flying at 150 meters. And wherever we are, always we have like a magical effect of the flight. And with the flying bar, we decided to do something different— where we say, 'Why drink on ground where you can drink in the sky?'Jerome Giacomoni: So we add the drink to the ride, you know. So you are on a table and you have what we say in French conviviality. So we share a drink. We go at 35 meters and you have the thrill of the view of the height and also the conviviality of drinking. So this is another concept, but both of them are universal. And wherever we do it, we have sold 20 aero bars worldwide.Jerome Giacomoni: Everybody is very happy to have this kind of ride. I would say we are on the side of the main market. You know, we have two niche products. The balloon is a niche product. And the AeroBar is a niche product where we have another experience than a normal ride, like a roller coaster or a flume or a spinning coaster.Andy Povey: You say you're a nice product, but the balloon in Paris for the Olympics, where you lifted the cauldron, had phenomenal numbers of visitors watching. That wasn't something you could go on.Jerome Giacomoni: Yes, it was an amazing opportunity. You know, sometimes life gives you some presents.Jerome Giacomoni: And imagine that we were contacted by the Olympic Organisation Committee one day, and we believed it was a joke. And they said, 'We need to talk to you.' And then we discovered that instead of flying humans, they asked us to fly a cauldron. So the Olympic cauldron. And we have like one year and a half of design and manufacturing.Jerome Giacomoni: And then, at 11 pm, 25, the balloon has to fly in front of everybody. I can tell you it was a very stressful time. But so nice and so amazing to have experiences. So, yes, the balloon suddenly was visible by everybody. And that's back now in Paris, isn't it? Yes. First of all, the balloon has to stay only twice— 15 days. You know, you have the Olympics and the Paralympics. So we were open only 30 days in total. And the success was so huge that every night, you have dozens of thousands of people coming to look at it. That's why the mayor of Paris and the French president decided to keep it.Jerome Giacomoni: And just after the deflation of the balloon, they call us back and say, 'Jerome and Mathieu, we would like to have the balloon back.' So we work again with the city of Paris and the French presidency, and we agreed to put the balloon.Jerome Giacomoni: Three times, three months. So from June 21st, in France, this is a music event, you know, the Day of Music. To September 14th, which is a day of sport. So every year until the Olympic game of LA, we will operate the balloon for three months in the summertime. Fantastic.Andy Povey: So, Jerome, you operate in lots and lots of different countries all over the world. I think it's 14 countries that you've been.Jerome Giacomoni: No, we sold, but we operate only in the US and in France.Andy Povey: Ah, okay. Interesting.Jerome Giacomoni: We own ourselves, we operate ourselves, six balloons in the 120 we have sold. So we operate three in Paris region. One, the Parc André Citroën, where we have the Generali balloon since 1999. One in Disneyland Paris since 2005. So we are in Disneyland Paris for now 20 years. Time is flying. And the last one, the Cold Run, which is a very specific event that we operate now for one year and for the next two years. And in the US, we operate Disney World Orlando in Disney Spring since 2009, and San Diego Zoo Safari Park since 2005, and Irvine. South of LA since 2007. So we operate now six balloons for a long, long time, except the cold run. And we keep selling balloons.Jerome Giacomoni: We sell more or less five to six balloons every year.Andy Povey: And how do you find the differences between the French culture and you're on either side of America, so the differences between the different coasts of America and France?Jerome Giacomoni: Yes, we... We are in the US, but we are also in Mexico, in a lot of countries in Asia. In the Middle East, we have a beautiful balloon in Dubai. We have a beautiful balloon in Seoul. So we work a lot with very different cultures. You know, it's very interesting to sell the same product to different cultures. So I would say... The main difference probably lies in the contract. It's very funny when you make the contract. I would say a 'yes' is not the same 'yes' depending on the culture. But everybody is, you know, you... You love people when you work worldwide. You learn a lot, you discover a lot. You have to learn with different cultures. And I have the chance in my professional life to experience that and to meet people from all over the world. And, you know, my job is to go on site, and discuss with someone, and see if it's possible or not to have a balloon at this place.Jerome Giacomoni: So it's always a beautiful job because I travel in a lot of countries in beautiful spots.Jerome Giacomoni: We don't succeed a lot because, if not, I would have sold thousands of balloons. We have always constraints with local authority, with food traffic, etc. But always, it's a pleasure to meet people. And once... The balloon is accepted by the local authority when the customer has a finance for it. Then start more or less a one-year work together between installation, work on site, inflation, and training of the team. And after... They fly with their own wings, even if we have no wings with our balloons.Andy Povey: Very good. And I imagine that you don't put balloons into ugly places.Jerome Giacomoni: We did, sometimes for specific contracts. Ugly, I won't use this name, but not very obvious, logical site. But it has happened. Sometimes we do for small events or for specific needs.Jerome Giacomoni: But yes, most of the time, the sites are very interesting.Andy Povey: So there are other things you're doing with the balloons. So the air quality messaging that you have above Paris. Tell us more about your opportunities to influence in other areas.Jerome Giacomoni: Yes, you know, the balloon is not only a ride, a passenger ride, but it's also an amazing opportunity for communication and for advertisement. So in the city center, like Paris, Berlin, or Seoul, the balloon is used also as a giant advertising billboard. So you have two revenues. You have the revenue of the passenger, but you have also the sponsor revenue.Jerome Giacomoni: When we started the balloon in Paris, it was extremely difficult to get the authorisation to have a balloon in Paris centre. We are two kilometres south of the Eiffel Tower. But you remember, we had the famous Millennium, the Y2K. uh and and so the mayor faris was looking for a new idea and we propose a balloon And they gave us only a one year and a half contract. And the investment was quite huge. And we told him, OK, we can do it, but we cannot do it for only one year and a half. Except if you accept that we have a name on the balloon, a naming and a sponsor on the balloon. And the mayor say yes. And we start another business where we put sponsor on the balloon. And this is a very good business because it makes a... activity immediately profitable so we did that in Paris in 1999 and in 2008 the balloon was like 10 years old because when you fly you have your the balloon is huge we talk about a 32 meters high balloon we talk about like a 12-story building.Jerome Giacomoni: So everybody knows the balloon in Paris. Everybody can see it. And so, when we fly, we have 400,000 people who immediately see us. So we decided to give citizen aspect. And we start— pour changer le couleur de la balle selon la qualité de l'air. C'était en 2008. Et parce que nous l'avons fait, nous avons des scientifiques... coming to us and say, 'Hey, this balloon is a wonderful platform to measure air quality because you make like a carrot of the air from zero to 150 meters. Jerome Giacomoni:  Can we bring some scientist instrument on the gondola? And we say yes. And then we start to make science. And then we start to make scientific publications, scientific publications. And then we start a new business where the balloon is not only a tethered gas balloon for passenger, it's only... advertising billboard and now it's only a scientific platform and so this is very interesting and the last things we have done in 2024 no this year in 2025 is to use the balloon for global climate change. As you know, we have two main gas pollutants for the climate change, CO2 and CH4. And the balloon is a perfect platform to measure evolution on CO2 and CH4. So we are working with a European group named ICOS. gathering all the best laboratories in Europe, who are making a huge study on how CO2 and CH4 how they are in each city.Jerome Giacomoni: And Paris has been chosen as a pilot city. So we are very glad to work with them. And so now the Balloon is also working on climate change. And we will have big, big, big LED screen. So we make some technology sometime, as you said, to inform people on the temperature elevation in Europe and in the world. And the news are very bad, as everybody knows.Andy Povey: But that's fascinating. I love the integration you've been able to take from this unique proposition and apply it to different markets, different problems.Jerome Giacomoni: You know, Andy, I think we have to exit from the box. My message to... all people who are listening to us.Jerome Giacomoni: Okay, passenger rides is very important. It's a key market for many of us. But sometimes we can use... another way to find new flow of revenue, like advertising, and we can be also helpful to our other citizens, like working freely for scientists to make measurements on pollutants of the air. This helps with both air quality and also climate change.Andy Povey: It's a beautiful concept, Jerome. I love it. Love it.Andy Povey: So, final question. Your experiences are obviously very unique. What advice would you have for a venue and possibly a smaller venue that doesn't have the resources to be able to build something 150 metres high or put something 150 metres into the air? What advice would you give them on how to make a compelling experience for visitors?Jerome Giacomoni: I really believe that you have to stick on your roots, okay? I mean that people want authenticity.Jerome Giacomoni: And as you know, we are very keen on balloons, as you can imagine. So we make in our, you know, Paris, it's in Paris where you have the first flight. Yeah. In 1783. Montgolfier, brothers. Yes, with the Montgolfier brothers, with Charles, the scientist. So we really stick on our roots. And I think where you are in Brittany, where you are in Japan, you have to follow your own road and your own path. By feeling what could be the good idea, but also what is your feeling inside you. You need to have something different that you feel very confident with.Andy Povey: Beautiful final thought, Jerome, I like it a lot. So listeners, stay authentic and be passionate.Jerome Giacomoni: Exactly, the right word is passionate.Paul Marden: Next up, let's get some soundbites from the show floor.Rheanna  Sorby: My name's Rheanna. I'm Marketing and Creative Director for the Seasonal Group. We are curators of Christmas magic all year round. Wow, wow.Paul Marden: So you make Christmas special?Rheanna  Sorby: We're the Christmas elves.Paul Marden: Awesome, awesome. I can see you've got such a great set of stands. What have you got here that you're exhibiting for the first time?Rheanna  Sorby: We have Santa's Enchanted Express, which is a three-minute experience that transports customers and guests from a very festive train station to the North Pole in just under three minutes. So it's quite a Christmas miracle. And it also transports on nine pallets. So it's a great return on investment for customers there if it's 24 people on. We also have our elevator experience, which went viral last year. And then we have VR, animatronics, and a lot of our famous items, like the snowman here, just dressed as a little, it's some sort of operator.Paul Marden: Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely. So we don't have a lot of luck with lifts at the moment because the team got stuck in a lift yesterday for about 45 minutes. Stop it. We got rescued by the... Well, I didn't get in the lift. I walked because there wasn't enough room. But two of them had to be rescued by the fire brigadeRheanna  Sorby: Okay, so this might be triggering. Well, you know.Paul Marden: Oh, no, I found it hilarious.Paul Marden: I was hugely supportive on the outside, yelling into them.Paul Marden: But Santa won't let me get stuck in a lift today, will he? Absolutely not.Rheanna  Sorby: No, there's an emergency exit. Excellent.Paul Marden: So what's new and innovative then about the Santa Express? What are you bringing to market?Rheanna  Sorby: So a lot of our clients, we sell business to business. They're struggling to get people into shopping centres and we're finding that we need to create retail theatre. So that is something I see as a massive trend moving forward. People want nostalgia. They want an experience, something memorable. But also our customers need a way to return investment as well. So they hopefully will spend something with us and then ticket the experience. So that's something that we're pivoting our business towards. Trying to create a brand new experience every year. A lot of people are struggling nowadays, cost of living.Paul Marden: Yeah, absolutely.Rheanna  Sorby: It's difficult, so we're trying to find a way that brings the Christmas magic to people's doors.Paul Marden: We are, where are we at the moment? We're in September, so we've still got a couple of months left before Christmas 2025, but that must be over for you.Rheanna  Sorby: No, the quality of the street is on the shelves. It's already happening. The install season starts literally on Monday for us. Really? Yes. When we get back, we land and then we start installing.Paul Marden: And so this is the busy time. So let's talk about Christmas 2026. What are the trends that you see coming along at that point?Rheanna  Sorby: Whimsical, whimsical. So we've got Wicked number two coming out. And we've also had all like the Whoville, that sort of style, the Grinch. So imagine pastels, furry trees, things that don't quite make sense, a lot of whimsical wonderland, I would say, trend-wise. But equally immersive experiences and how we can bring magic to you.Paul Marden: Wonderful, wonderful. Thank you ever so much. Rheanna, it's been lovely to meet you. Thank you for coming on the podcast. And let's go and visit Santa in his lift, shall we? Yeah, excellent.Paul Marden: And here it is. So we are surrounded by suites in an old-fashioned lift. And there's our doors closed.Paul Marden: Oh, how amazing is this? We're going up.Paul Marden: Ice like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The Great Glass Elevator. This is amazing. We're up over the clouds. Just stunning. There's a train there. I think we're going to follow into the tunnel after the train. Yes.Paul Marden: Got cold, now we're underground. Now we're in the tunnel.Paul Marden: And I think this might be Santa's factory.Paul Marden: Let's get ready.Paul Marden: Merry Christmas. The big man's chair as well. Can I take a seat in the big man's chair? Ho, ho, ho.Sohret Pakis: Hi, Paul. My name is Shorhet Pakis. I'm the brand ambassador for Polin Waterparks.Paul Marden: What are you launching this year at IAAPA? What's new for you?Sohret Pakis:Last year, we have won two big awards for a themed water slide, which is... Stingray it was in Nantes in France and it was something big because you know it was like Europeans best water slide number one and I have a brass ring award winner about two million number one but last night in Porta Ventura Stingray has won the second time best water slide of Europe award. But we have something new about it. Last year when I was telling about Stingray, it was an eight-person slide. This year we have something new. Now the capacity went up to 10, especially when we're talking about all these queue management issues. So that's something wonderful. And also, you ask, what is new? This year, we have something very exciting. A parrot-themed stingray. It's the same slide, but it's parrot-themed.Sohret Pakis: It's coming to Dubai by January. It's going to be open.Paul Marden: So can I ask you, what makes that innovative? What's new about that?Sohret Pakis: Actually, it's a very specifically themed waterslide. You know that POLIN has been pioneer in RTM manufacturing and U-texture. It's kind of a composite material technology which we can make waterslides look.  Look like a character, actually. We are the company who did this first because we said that storytelling is very important. Yes, but you know, slides are just slides. So we just wanted the slides look like the characters in that story. Of course, behind that, there is huge material technology, composites technology, design technologies. Actually, that's the time when we introduced King Cobra years ago. And now with Stingray, we took it much further. So actually, the team looks perfectly like a Stingray, but at the same time, it's a water slide with so many features. It has two big towers and between the towers, there's a bridge. From each tower, two slides start with a very special mist roofing and very special bridge where you can just see what's happening all over the slide.Paul Marden: So the queuing experience is enriched so it doesn't feel quite so long and boring because you can watch what everyone is doing.Sohret Pakis: It is, yes.Paul Marden: Super impressive. So we have been asking everybody to think about what are their predictions for 2026?Sohret Pakis: Everybody is talking about AI. Everybody is talking about immersive. So AI, of course, will make a huge difference in operation, especially.Paul Marden: In what way?Sohret Pakis: Actually, in guest satisfaction, because personalisation is very important in our industry. Whoever comes to the park, they are the heroes at the park. And so actually, if the park can make them feel that they are the heroes, truly— if that's their birthday, if that's their wedding anniversary, so whatever. If the park can make you feel that you're special, and thanks to technology, now it's possible.Paul Marden: Absolutely. That's so interesting. Thank you so much for your insights and for joining us on Skip the Queue. Thank you.Thomas Collin: I'm Thomas, I'm from VEX Solutions, so we are a VR company at the start, and now we're going to the arcade with mixed reality as well. Okay, so that's a nice link. What are you launching here at IAFA? So here for the first time we are introducing VEX Party Dash. The Party Dash is a mixed reality arcade machine. So automated, people can go on it, play on it. You have two huge screens that are really highly interactive. You can walk on the screen, you can touch the screen. The goal is really to make you moving. So that's what we want to do with the Dash.Paul Marden: That's amazing, isn't it? So we're watching people at the moment. You can see lights up on the floor that they're stepping on and on the wall.Thomas Collin: What is really the key aspect of this product is that it's highly attractive. People, they just go around, they stop by it, they want to try it. Actually, we can say, 'Hey, come and try it,' because we watch you, we see you. So we can say, 'Hey, come and try it.' And people stop by, they play it. It's highly immersive, but also highly active. Yes. You're just not standing on an arcade, sitting down. No, you're really moving around. So, this is really good for kids and families. Absolutely. That's what we see.Paul Marden: So, where do you see this being used? What sort of attractions will take this?Thomas Collin: Actually, with this product, it can go either in the attraction side or either at the arcade side. So, you can play it as one game, and you can play a three-minute game like an arcade, or you can actually book for 15 minutes. Since there is not a single game, but multiple games, you can play different games, you can play different levels inside the main gate. So you have a high replayability. Because we want you to come back, we want to attract the gamers, and then make them come back.Paul Marden: 15 minutes with this much activity sounds like quite a tall order. It's a workout.Thomas Collin: It's a workout. It's a workout. Yeah, yeah, yeah.Peter Cliff: Hi, my name is Pete Cliff. I'm from Conductr. We're here in Barcelona and it's so exciting to be back at IAAPA. Now, what we're super excited about this year is talking about our collaboration with Norwegian Cruise Lines on Great Stirrup Cay. It's their new water park. It's a great project. We're excited to talk to people about it. It's also lovely to be back in Barcelona. It's been, I think, about six years since we were last back here, and it's always one of my favourite European cities for IAPA. It's great to meet with people from the industry, reconnect with old colleagues and friends, and really see what's happening. There's a huge amount of innovation and special projects that are launching all over the show floor. So yeah, great to be back, and can't wait to see what the future of the themed entertainment industry has to offer.Laura Baxter: My name is Laura Baxter. You may know me as the girl with the purple jumpsuit on LinkedIn. I am the head of marketing for Black Gang Shine, but have most recently just announced that I've gone into freelancing and I've launched your CMO.Paul Marden: And I have to say, the jumpsuits work because I was about 50 metres behind you earlier on and I spotted the Your CMO logo on the back of the jumpsuit, so well done for that. We've talked to a lot of suppliers with stands that are exhibiting. From your perspective, this is your first time stepping over to the dark side and coming to an IAPA. What's the experience like for you? What are you here to get out of the show?Laura Baxter: I'd say it's twofold. Mainly it is for networking. Obviously anybody who's anyone in the industry is here. But also, it's inspiration because I want to be able to talk about new and exciting stuff with... Potential clients that I may have and ideas still for Black Gang as well. So, when you walk around show floor, which is just so vibrant and there's so much going on everywhere—you turn, you can draw inspiration from so many of the suppliers here.Paul Marden: What have you seen that's innovative?Laura Baxter: There's a huge amount of stuff being done with tech and it's very interesting because I think that's where a lot of people are going to think that they need to go, because that's the way of the world now, and the next generation don't know life off of a screen and they're expecting to have these incredible digital experiences.Laura Baxter: I'm not convinced that is the way to go. But yes, it's still impressive tech. So for me, there are things that I stand back out and look at and I'm like, 'Whoa, that's really, really cool.'Laura Baxter: I'm not so sure it's potentially what consumers want, though, controversially.Paul Marden: It's really hard, isn't it? Because as a parent of young kids, you want them off the tech as much as you possibly can. But you need a hook. To be able to attract them, don't you? So there's been some amazing stuff here that bridges that gap between the real world and the tech world. So, summer season 2025 is over. What are your predictions about summer 26 and what operators should be thinking about right now?Laura Baxter: It's a really tough market, we all know that. Budgets are tight for households, so there is an awful lot more thought going into their spending and what they're doing and where they're choosing to take that little bit of disposable money that they do have. Therefore actually I don't think next year operators should be thinking about huge innovations or new attractions. I think they need to strip back to basics and nail their customer service. I think guest expectations now are so high. because they're parting with money that is a little bit more precious to them than perhaps if they don't leave at the end of that day having had a good experience they feel ripped off they're going to go straight to review platforms they're going to let it all out and actually you need to be focusing on making sure that every single touch point with that customer is bang on and we're talking pre-visit as well from the your website journey to buying it to the follow-up emails to the pre-visit emails to that first person they meet on front of house to the ride operators to the events team if you have that kind of entertainment on park if you are not nailing your experienceLaura Baxter: You are going to lose out well.Paul Marden: I think we should end it right there. That there is a nugget of gold.Paul Marden: So I am here with co-host Andy Povey and our good friend Josh Haywood from Crealy down in Devon.Josh Haywood: Hello.Paul Marden: It's the end of day two. What have you seen, Josh? What's blown your socks off?Josh Haywood: Good couple of days so far. We're probably into 40,000 steps, which is great. I think technology is the thing that struck me this week so far. Just the small changes that some of the operators and some of the manufacturers are putting into their existing kits. So, for example, I attended a seminar this morning about bowling. and normally temping bowling is temping bowling. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But now there's augmented reality, and they've got features on the lanes, and it's not about just taking all the pins down, it's taking pin one and six out, and all those things they're trying to do to reinvent older, more traditional attractions, which I think I find really interesting. Yeah. I think some of the seasonality stuff, the Christmas and Halloween stuff has been really good. We sat on a train and went on a journey and the seats rumbled and the sound and the visual effects, they were great.Paul Marden: I saw that. There was no room for me to go and sit on that train. It was amazing.Josh Haywood: I thought that was really good. And, you know, I've been really impressed with generally the show. I think you can get around it all as well. It feels really friendly. I think the sun shining always helps as well. It's not too tough, is it?Paul Marden: I mean, the last time we were in Barcelona, we were all wearing face masks. Absolutely, yes. So it's really refreshing to be back here. And not have that.Josh Haywood: Absolutely. And not have to queue to get in as well. I think that was interesting on the first day.Paul Marden: Oh, did they see you and then just wave you through?Josh Haywood: Red carpet was up for, of course, award-winning theme park and resort. Paul Marden: Mr. Hayward. Did you say award? Winnie and obviously you're on the back of your two awards in the theme park awards last week. How was that? And then we've got some really exciting news from Creeley.Josh Haywood: I saw it at the press this morning. Yes, so a couple of things happened last week. So first of all, we had our anniversary 25 years of Maximus the Coaster. The Vekoma Coaster, 25 years. The first coaster in Devon. It was Devon's first coaster, over half a million riders later. It's done 2 million miles around the track. It's great. So we did a sort of event for that, and we used it to sort of make some announcements about future attractions, which I'll tell you about in a minute. But then we went to the Theme Park Awards last week at Wickste Park, where... We've been the recipients of a few bronze and silvers, and we go being little old us and hope for the best. And then the award I really wanted to win was one of two: the best for families and the best for value. And when the family award came up, they said, 'In bronze is such and such, in silver.' And I was like, 'Well, there you go.' That's all that's left for another year. And then when they said the win at gold was cruelly for best for families, we were delighted. I got a bit emotional about it. I think we would just work so hard over the years to be the best in the Southwest, certainly. And certainly since we put Sootyland in as well. We won the award for Toddlers.Josh Haywood: So it was a double wham. And within 10 minutes as well. It wasn't separated. Within 10 minutes, I just got my breath back from the first one. And then we were up on stage again taking that second award. Oh, it's tough, isn't it? Which was great, yeah. Multi-award winning. Multi-award winning theme parking resort. Devon's finest. Most right in Devon. We're just going to... absolutely bleep the hell out of this for the next 12 months because who knows we may not win it again so we'll just shout from the treetops about this and then we also won thanks to martin rose and rose events uh silver for best entertainment event for the city show It's still very popular, the legacy brand. People love the Sooty show. And as I said at the awards, we sell loads of those puppets. People love a Sooty and a Sweep. So it's been a really good collaboration for us.Paul Marden: We were at our first away day for our Merak team back a few months ago down at Creeley, and I found a little sooty puppet underneath the lectern. I was absolutely chuffed to bits. And there he was, just sitting at the front of the away day, watching everything going on with Sue next to him.Josh Haywood: He's still popular. We understood when we put Cityland in, it wasn't going to be Peppa Pig. world and we didn't think for a minute we'd even sort of get to those heights of Thomas Land at Drayton Manor but it certainly hit a chord with the older market certainly the nannies and the granddads who remember such from when they were kids and you know it's a legacy brand and it works but what we have done really well is sort of corner that market for younger children and toddlers and we Sort of took some comments over the last 12 to 18 months that we may be missing the mark when it comes to the 8 to 12-year-olds, which we were pretty good at five or six years ago. So we've decided this year that we're going to invest in some thrill attractions. So we've just launched news that we've got two new rides going in next year. One, I can't tell you exactly because we're still going under. Got some planning issues, but we're going to have the Southwest tallest ride and the Southwest first inverted ride. So a multi-million pound investment going in and hopefully that will give us another boost that we need to kick on again. We've still got new accommodation going in. We'll still be doing new events and shows for next year.Josh Haywood: So it's going to be a bumper year for Crealy. Absolutely.  I really look forward to that.Paul Marden: I look forward to you being on the launch ride.Paul Marden: Me down on the ground watching and videoing.Josh Haywood: What they have said, which is really interesting, we spoke to an operator, there's only one other ride like it in the UK, and that operator said, whatever you do, make sure when you put the ride in, you fit a hose pipe and a tap right in. Because you may be washing the seats down more than you would usually on your current ride. So, yeah, it certainly will add that next level of ride experience to our family market.Paul Marden: Yeah, I think that's super important, isn't it? Mr. Povey, what have you seen today that has blown your socks off?Andy Povey: I'm really looking for the place to go and get some more soft, comfortable socks. I've walked so much. I've stood around and listened to so many fantastic talks, had so many brilliant conversations. I'm done. My feet hurt. I need to sit down and have a beer.Paul Marden: Well, I hate to break it to you, but there's another day left. And there's still more interviews to do. Still more opportunities for us to get some interesting stories on Skip the Queue.Andy Povey: Look forward to that.Paul Marden: Gentlemen, I think we're about done. So thank you ever so much. It has been a joy. And Mr. Povey, see you back here tomorrow. Josh, wonderful as always.Josh Haywood: Maybe see you at OrlandoPaul Marden: Oh. Absolutely, yeah.Josh Haywood: We'll do it againPaul Marden: Thanks for listening to today's episode. If you liked it, leave a comment in Spotify or Apple Podcasts. If you didn't, let us know on hello@skipthequeue.fm. Today's episode was a team effort for Sami and Emily from Plaster, Steve from Folland Co., as well as Claire and Wenalyn from Skip the Queue HQ. We're back again tomorrow for more fun from IAAPA, including Andreas Andersen from Liseberg, one of Scandinavia's most visited parks. See you all tomorrow. The 2025 Visitor Attraction Website Survey is now LIVE! Dive into groundbreaking benchmarks for the industryGain a better understanding of how to achieve the highest conversion ratesExplore the "why" behind visitor attraction site performanceLearn the impact of website optimisation and visitor engagement on conversion ratesUncover key steps to enhance user experience for greater conversionsTake the Rubber Cheese Visitor Attraction Website Survey Report

Brad is joined by Baggies fan Sooty: @sooty19771 to preview this weekends match #WBALEI #PREVIEW #LCFC #Leicester #Leicestercity #leicestercityfc #epl #foxes #championship #efl #football #soccer #wba #westbromwich #westbromwichalbion #westbrom @LCFC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Charley & Ken chat about some of the strange items they travel with.Sooty-headed Bulbul recording courtesy of Greg Irving, XC823878. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/823878. License Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0Intro by Jenna Pinchbeckhttps://www.jennapinchbeck.com/Jennapinchbeck@gmail.comPlease check out the website of our sponsor Tropical Birding: https://www.tropicalbirding.com/If you wish to support this podcast, please visit our Patreon page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/naturallyadventurous?fan_landing=true⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Feel free to contact us at: cfchesse@gmail.com &/or ken.behrens@gmail.comNaturally Adventurous - An International Birding & Nature Travel Podcast

Oi, bellend, if you liked the pod give us a rating, a review, send us some love. Warning: The following podcast contains jokes that some viewers may find disturbing. Listener discretion is seriously advised. And we are back wearing 15 hats with Dickie Bird contemplating a Guinness World Record attempt, eating more schnitzel than Josef Frtizl and Imac'ing our leg pit hair with a woman named Fanny. In addition Lewis is scouring Sanjay's top shelf for a copy of Razzle from 1985 to save looking on railway sidings, Sooty, Sweep and Sue have a squeaky threesome and a sneeze puts me out of action for 2 days.We play a game of Cunt or No Cunt with the usual suspects, price up a Kenyan pacer and pitch a sitcom to the BBC sponsored by Enertor Insoles - the Insoles for Arseholes.

#378 Test Card Girl - Rich has freaked himself out by attempting to cure the aphantasia (that he suffers with in silence). His guest is John Craven sanctioned Newshound Samira Ahmed. They discuss the legacy of Mary Whitehouse and whether it's OK to point out the positive things that someone with some unacceptable views has done, the bravery of taking your employer to court in order to secure equal pay, whether appearing on Mastermind is more scary than being in a war zone, the young Richard Herring's clumsy attempts at seduction, your mother being prouder of a puppet you than the real you, interviewing Sooty, being at the trail of Madonna's stalker, whether Chrissie Hynde is terrifying or not and what happens when a young reporter can't find the radio van.SUPPORT THE SHOW!Watch our TWITCH CHANNELBecome a badger and see extra content at our WEBSITE See details of the RHLSTP TOUR DATES Buy DVDs and Books from GO FASTER STRIPE Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/rhlstp. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gardens The Untold Story: How to Control Sooty MoldSeason 3, Episode 15 #garden,#livingsoil,#invisiblegardener,#andylopez,#kensomerville, Your Hosts:The Invisible Gardener Andy Lopezhttps://www.invisiblegardener.com/https://www.facebook.com/ClubIGFanhttps://www.instagram.com/invisible_gardener/https://twitter.com/andy_lopezhttps://www.youtube.com/user/invisiblegardenerhttps://www.pinterest.ca/invisgardener/https://soundcloud.com/invisiblegardenerhttps://app.talkshoe.com/user/invisiblegardener Email andylopez@invisiblegardener.com Ken Somerville https://www.instagram.com/kensomerville/ https://twitter.com/KenSomerville1https://www.itsallaboutthebiology.ca Contact email itsallaboutthebiology@gmail.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-somerville-6b9945239/https://www.facebook.com/itsallaboutthebiologytourReach out to Ken for a quick 15-minute call:https://calendly.com/kensomerville/connections Help support the mission: patreon.com/user?u=104510089 Product discount codes are available at: https://www.itsallaboutthebiology.ca/discountcodes #flowers,#plants,#nature,#gardening,#garden,#growing,#koreannaturalfarming,#naturalfarming,#jadam,#naturalfertilizer,#naturalfarminginputs,#permaculture,#regenerative,#foodforest,#biodynamic,#bioactive,#organic,#notill,#knf,#organicgardening,#urbangardening,#containergardening,#homegardening Music by The Invisible Gardener (Andy Lopez)https://soundcloud.com/invisiblegardenerhttps://www.youtube.com/@itsallaboutthebiology?sub_confirmation=1 For Full: Disclaimer

We revisit some beloved children's television series from the seventies and eighties this week as Chris Diamond returns to talk about those occasions when Spike Milligan would pop up as a special guest in shows such as Super Gran, The Sooty Show, Pob's Programme, Jackanory, The Muppet Show, Number 73, Tiswas and The Ratties (which Spike narrated). Wiping a nostalgia-fuelled tear from his eye, Chris regrets the lack of original children's programming which has cut-through these days and warmly reminisces about other shows from the period such as The Wombles, The Smurfs and The Trap Door (with Willie Rushton). There's also time for a game of 'Which Major Celebrity Of The Eighties Didn't Guest Star In Super Gran?' and an attempt by Chris to remember the lyrics to that show's infectiously catchy theme tune. With huge thanks to the exceptional Roger Langridge for this episode's artwork!

In this episode we discover the possible Celtic roots of words for soot in English, French and various other languages. The Proto-Celtic word *sūdyā means soot and comes from Proto-Indo-European *suh₃d- (soot [?]), or from sed- (to sit) [source]. Related words in the modern Celtic languages include: súiche [ˈsˠuːçɪ] = soot in Irish sùith [suːj] […]

From over-the-wing-mounted AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles on the SEPECAT Jaguar to kick-in-the-back acceleration on the Eurofighter Typhoon, Royal Air Force Wing Commander Mike "Sooty" Sutton has just about seen and done it all.On this episode, guest host Paul "Tremors" Tremelling and pal Sooty share stories of flight school, flying the Jag and Typhoon, and finding deeper meaning and purpose in combat aviation--as in life.Be sure to pick up Sooty's book, Typhoon, available on Amazon.For financial planning questions or assistance, contact Zach Mindel at zmindel@forumfinancial.com, (630) 474-3599, or visit https://www.forumfinancial.com/profile/zachary-mindel/Zach Mindel is a Financial Advisor with Forum Financial Management, a registered investment adviser with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Neither specialized services nor adherence to the fiduciary standard of conduct should be interpreted as a guarantee of specific outcomes. The success and effectiveness of planning services depend on various factors, including but not limited to the timing and manner of implementation, collaboration with the client and their other professionals, and market conditions. Military service benefits may have eligibility requirements. Past performance is not indicative of future results. All investing comes with risk, including risk of loss. For more information, visit our website at www.forumfinancial.com.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-fighter-pilot-podcast/donations

We are kicking it off the new year by revisiting an older episode that we did on the Willard's Sooty Boubou. This was a bird that John and the team at the Field Museum were responsible for describing as a new species. We are doing a mini-series on the book The Feather Thief in a few weeks, so we wanted to share an episode that highlighted what John and Shannon do at the Field Museum before we kick that off. Bird specimen at The Field Museum led to describing the new species, and John tells us about his trips to Africa to study this new species. Join John Bates, Shannon Hackett, RJ Pole, and Amanda Marquart for Birds of a Feather Talk Together. Please send us your questions for us to answer as well! You can send them to podcast.birdsofafeather@gmail.comMake sure to follow us on Instagram, Blue Sky Social and tik tok as well!!

What do you get when four curious girls, a purple furry surprise, and a bouncing beaver cross paths in a magical rabbit hole?

In this next edition I am chatting with Sooty's right hand man, Richard Cadell. This interview is a real treat for fans of Sooty, enjoy!

The Dæmons is the final story in the eighth season of Doctor Who, with Jon Pertwee playing the eponymous hero (see episode 48 covering The House That Dripped Blood for some fantastic Pertrivia). It aired over five weeks on BBC1 from 22 May to 19 June 1971. In The Dæmons, the Master, played by Roger Delgado, awakens the ancient horned alien Azal, hoping to gain his immense power. Delgado, a close friend of Pertwee, worked extensively on stage, TV, film, and radio. His work included the BBC's Quatermass II, Battle of the River Plate, Hammer's The Mummy's Shroud, and English dubbing for The Horror Express (see episode 7). He often played villains in British action-adventure series like Danger Man, The Saint, The Champions, and Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased). Tragically, Delgado died in a car accident in Turkey while filming a Franco-German mini-series. He was only 55 years old. The Dæmons began as an audition scene for Jo Grant, played by Katy Manning, and was later reworked into episode four. Manning attended Miss Dixon and Miss Wolfe's School for Girls, becoming close friends with Liza Minnelli. She socialized with stars like James Mason, Dirk Bogarde, and had tea with Noël Coward at The Savoy. As a teenager, she modeled for Biba and dated Jimi Hendrix, Richard Eyre, David Troughton, Derek Fowlds, Stewart Bevan, and Peter Bardens, Rod Stewart's keyboard player. Manning had a close bond with Pertwee, who would pick her up daily for filming, either in his car or on his motorbike, where she would ride pillion. They even raced with Dick Emery and Sir Ralph Richardson to see who could reach the BBC studios first. After three years on Doctor Who, Manning left to pursue other acting work. Pertwee was saddened by her departure, citing her exit and Delgado's death as two major reasons for leaving the show a year later. Producer Barry Letts wanted to write a story about black magic to tap into the zeitgeist of the Age of Aquarius and frighten young viewers. However, script editor Terrance Dicks had concerns it might be seen as Satanist. The story was revised to focus on a scientific threat with occult themes. Originally, the Master was to worship the demon in a church, but to avoid offending religious viewers, the scenes were moved to a crypt, later referred to as a cavern (though the set remained crypt-like). Letts co-wrote the script with playwright Robert Sloman under the pseudonym Guy Leopold, as the BBC frowned on production staff writing for their own shows. Much of the serial was filmed on location in Aldbourne, Wiltshire, with two weeks allocated for filming—more than double the usual time—leading to more outdoor scenes. The cast included comedy actress Damaris Hayman, who starred as Miss Hawthorne. Hayman had an interest in the supernatural and served as an unofficial adviser on the production. Her friend, a practicing witch, praised the accuracy of the scripts. Future Sooty puppeteer Matthew Corbett had a brief role in the final episode as a hooded coven member who objects to Jo's sacrifice. Corbett, whose great-uncle was Harry Ramsden of fish-and-chip fame, had to change his name when joining the actors' union Equity, as there was already a Peter Corbett registered.Studio taping for The Dæmons was completed on 16 May 1971, just weeks before the final episode aired. This episode included footage of a model church being blown up, which was so realistic that it prompted viewer complaints. If the clip of the Brigadier's helicopter crashing into the heat shield looks familiar, it was borrowed from the James Bond film From Russia with Love. Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/general-witchfinders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sooty Terns have long been called "wide-awakes" because of their calls. But it may describe their sleeping habits, too. When young terns leave their breeding grounds, they don't return for several years. They do not rest on the water, and only rarely land on floating objects. They feed while aloft, grabbing prey from the ocean's surface. On the fly, they also capture fish that have been chased out of the water by predators. In other words, Sooty Terns live in the air for years at a time.More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other perks. BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible. 

No Nathan this week means The Athletic's Richard Sutcliffe has been promoted off the bench to join Rich following a much-needed win over Crawley Town at the weekend.The guys discuss the decision to bench Jack Marriott in favour of Paul Mullin, Phil Parkinson's reputation and Sooty gives his verdict on the season so far.Rich also speaks to Steve from The Orient Outlook podcast ahead of the weekend trip to Leyton Orient, as well as Matt from The Stevenage FC Podcast ahead of Wrexham's midweek trip to the Lamex Stadium.All that and more in Episode 191 of RobRyanRed.Enjoy, subscribe on your podcasting platform of choice as there is lots of content coming and please leave us a review!Go and follow us on X (@RobRyanRed) and the other social platforms we have in Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.EFL FANTASY MINI-LEAGUE CODE: VMNGF582Joining link: https://fantasy.efl.com/leagues/join/VMNGF582Sponsored by red10 People Developmentwww.red10dev.comPartnering with Wrexham-band Hypenotic! Their song 'Smoulder' is out nowhttps://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/hypenotic/smoulder EMAIL - RobRyanRed@gmail.comWEBSITE - https://robryanred.com/TWITTER - @RobRyanRed | @RichFay | @RSooty73INSTAGRAM - RobRyanRedTIKTOK - RobRyanRedPodThis Podcast has been created and uploaded by RobRyanRed. The views in this podcast are not necessarily the views of talkSPORT. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since 1955, Sooty has entertained generations of children through stage shows and TV and has been a lifelong friend of RNIB.  The boxes have been updated to ‘reflect the 21st century'. People giving contactlessly will be able to donate any amount they like and also register for Gift Aid.

The boys rib McKenna at SDCC, and share some memories from an early live show including a live performance of the Incarnation theme by the Shook Crew! Some insane weekly purchases including Scotty Too Hotty's Worm! (Episode 49) The incarnation of the Road Dogg! Swoggle's ring WTF and some foreshadowing Q&A( Episode 48)Social Media: Twitter: @JGeorgeTheMovie, @MajorWFPod , @TheMattCardona , @Myers_Wrestling, @majorpodnetwork @Silverintuition Instagram: @MajorWFPod , @TheMattCardona , @Myers_Wrestling, @SmartMarkSterling , @majorpodnetwork @jgeorge.mp4Social Media: Twitter: @JGeorgeTheMovie, @MajorWFPod , @TheMattCardona , @Myers_Wrestling, @majorpodnetwork @Silverintuition Instagram: @MajorWFPod , @TheMattCardona , @Myers_Wrestling, @SmartMarkSterling , @majorpodnetwork @jgeorge.mp4

The ACP trio unite to discuss several different topics, from favourite publishers, bad issue 1 covers, to the annual Cliff Cumber meet up 'QVention'! Theres amazing indie comics talk and recommendations, nostalgia, laughs and a special appearance by everyones favourite bear - SOOTY! Great stuff to check out this week -  QVention, Cliff Cumber, Tribute Press,  Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Image Comics, Eclipse Comics, First Comics, IPC Publishing, The Green Archer, Bloodshot, Flesh and Ink, Peter Hogan, Bill the Platypus, Mugshots, Thank You!, Remote Space, Plastic: Death and Dolls, Adam Falp, Smoking Bedroom, Suburban Antichrist, Where the Body Was, Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, Book Learning: A Pie Comics Collection, John McNamee

Bunny chats to Nina Campbell in her London Garden. Nina is the  Doyenne of Interiors and  is an   internationally renown Interior Designer. Nina  won the American Fashion award for ‘the Women who has most influenced style Internationally' and works for many celebs such as Ringo Star and the royals. Nina is Godmother to Geri Halliwell's daughter.  She was born on the day after World War II ended. Nina talks about her life and how she got into interior design. Nina she still enjoys running her business despite being 79 years old . Her wide business interests include having a  shop and designing fabric collections.  Nina has no intention of having an exit strategy,  but enjoys working with young designers and creating new ranges for a wide range of price points. Nina talks about her design strategies and how she plays with scale and  colour. In her tiny  London garden she has played with paving sizes to create false perspective, has used mirrors and narrow but high containers to  make the space look  bigger but also softer.  The palette of plants, the louvred fencing and the furniture are chosen with great attention to detail and together create stunning relaxing  spaces from what was a narrow, dusty, roadside  strip with no privacy from the public. For Nina's present, Bunny takes Nina a plant, Dianthus barbatus ‘Sooty' , a short lived perennial with beautifully deep maroon flower heads that last for months. It also has an exceptionally long vase life. This plant self seeds (and is true from seed) so although technically a short lived perennial, in affect it rarely  needs replacing. To see Nina's gardensee Bunny's YouTube ‘Bunny chats to Nina Campbell in her London Garden'. #ninacampbell #bunnyguinnesspodcast 

Episode 43: Recorded April 3, 2024 "They're built to be a service dog in terms of physicality and temperament..." Australian animal trainer Steve Austin, on the Greyhound as a breed suitable for therapy dog training Show Notes Steve Austin had a knack for training animals at an early age. Growing up in New South Wales, Australia, he realized the value of positive reinforcement for dog training. As a teenager, Steve and his first dog -- a stray by the name of Sooty -- entertained the crowds on paydays at the local pub. Sooty was trained to balance a "schooner" of beer on his head. In Steve's words, "When he got it right, I made a lot of money that night..." Steve describes Sooty as rough, tough, black and mean -- a dog that would live to the age of 17. "He loved me, and I loved him." Along with dog obedience competitions, Steve fed his passion for animal training, and his skills as a trainer would expand beyond dogs to other animal species, including elephants and pigs. Steve's accomplishments include training animals for TV and film, prison dog behavior programs, and preparing PTSD dogs for Australian soldiers returning from combat. His book -- Working Dog Heroes -- is a heartfelt memoir of all these experiences as a trainer. In this episode, host John Parker explores Steve's latest initiative -- training former Australian racing Greyhounds as police therapy dogs in the United States. Steve shares the inception of the partnership with Greyhound Racing New South Wales and the results of the first Greyhound placements. He discusses the characteristics of the Greyhound breed that make them suited for training, and he waxes poetic about his expectations of his first ever personal Greyhound adoption. Links Working Dog Heroes (Amazon) Steve and Vicki Austins' Dog Training Education (Website) Steve Austin's Canines (Facebook) GRNSW Celebrates Major Milestone: 500th Greyhound Rehomed in the US (Article)

RNIB are looking for more Sooty Box volunteers to help collect much-needed funds for the charity. But what's it like being a volunteer? Our David Hogg spoke to Paul Goddard to find out…

Upon my odyssey for wisdom, destiny cast me ashore on the isle of Little Tobago, a haven where avian secrets awaited, concealed within the artistry of bird banding. Here, amidst the tranquil embrace of nature's symphony, my passion for recording the melodic tales of the wild began to unfold. Little Tobago, a minuscule jewel adrift off Tobago's northeastern shores, a realm within the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. A realm of seclusion, where the only passage is by sea, where human comforts relent, surrendering to the unspoiled canvas of the night sky, adorned by the celestial dance of the Milky Way. This sacred isle cradles a dry forest, a sanctuary for seabirds—Red-billed Tropicbirds, Audubon's Shearwaters, Brown Boobies, Brown Noddies, Sooty and Bridled Terns—all gracing the island as custodians of the heavens. White-tailed Tropicbirds, a rare sight nesting among the rocks, weaving their tales into the tapestry of this mystical land. Stepping ashore, one is transported to a Jurassic kingdom. The dry forest, a verdant abode for diverse songbirds and near-passerines, like the Trinidad Mot-Mot wielding anvils to conquer beetle shells, while shearwaters echo their cackling calls in the distance. The saga unfolds as the Tropicbirds, pelagic wanderers of the azure expanse, commence their aerial ballet. At 2:30 pm, a celestial rendezvous at the cliff's edge, where winds sculpt destiny. In elegant circles, they harness the invisible currents, orchestrating a grand descent into the embrace of shrubs below. Yet, should the first dance falter, a daring plunge off the cliff, a daring encore to perfect their art. Enter the Frigatebird, the ocean's marauder, soaring through the mid-air theater. Aware that Tropicbirds, satiated after a day of feasting, carry the ocean's bounty, these aerial pirates seize their opportunity. Mid-flight, a violent shake coerces regurgitation, and the Frigatebirds seize the harvest in a daring mid-air ballet. As the clock ticks towards 4 pm, the winds subside, and the avian performers retire to their roosts, leaving but a fleeting window to capture their symphony. In this ephemeral dance, the Red-billed Tropicbirds emerge as the maestros, rendering their enchanting melodies, making them the most bewitching notes I have ever endeavored to record. Recorded by Giselle Ragoonanan Little Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago

This week we watch, review and react to the second film in the Cornetto Trilogy, 2007's Hot Fuzz. Directed by Edgar RIght and starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Olivia Colman and a whole heap of other classic British actors that have also been in the Harry Potter films, of course. In other tangents LADS are finally getting around to watching Game of Thrones (have you heard about the Red Wedding?!?!). We also remember cult British puppet Sooty.

Puppeteer extraordinaire, Ronnie Le Drew, joins us again to tell us about his puppetry career and his near misses with the Gerry Anderson Universe. Meanwhile, Jamie and Richard have to stay up late to catch this week's Fab Fact and Chris Dale takes a deep dive on the Randomiser sofa!00:16 Welcome to the Gerry Anderson Podcast! 02:26 FAB Facts11:23 The Voice Of The Podsterons!17:41 Ronnie Le Drew - Part 248:00 Comments from the Official Listeners' Facebook Group51:30 The Randomiser with Chris Dale1:16:29 Wrapping things up! Links MentionedGuest LinksNews LinksNever Miss An EpisodeJoin the Podsterons Facebook groupSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsThe Randomiser with Chris DaleHelp The ShowLeave us a review on Apple PodcastsTweet about it! Use the hashtag #GerryAndersonPodcast@ImJamieAnderson / @RichardNJames / @ChrisDalekJoin the Anderson Insiders for Extra ContentStay In TouchEmail Podcast AT GerryAnderson.comJoin the Email Newsletter

A Sooty trip, accountants, motor management, shin pads, derby woe, and unwanted pop-ups. Join the Iron Filings Society: https://www.patreon.com/topflighttimemachine Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Patrick and Luke discuss the wonder of birding at Baylor High School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, splits, lumps, and much more!Contact us at backtobirding@gmail.comPhoto gallery: BACK TO BIRDING EPISODE 3 by Back to Birding (pixieset.com) Luke's Panama tour: https://taralokafoundation.smugmug.com/Birding-in-Panama/n-DBbHWB

When Sooty, the Swedish mascot for the average blue-collar worker, shows up at your work conference it could go 1 of 2 ways: unbridled joy or murder. Guess which way it went for the poor saps that showed up to the conference? You guessed it, 24 hours or murder and mayhem served up on a Sooty platter. Mixed reviews for this Swedish slasher. Regardless, it's still worth a watch!

This is one of our favorite episodes to date. The Willard's Sooty Boubou is a bird that lives in the Albertine Rift in Africa at a very specific elevation. John and his team at the Field Museum are actually responsible for determining that this bird is in fact its own unique species. We talk about what that process was like, what birding in Uganda, Rwanda, and The Democratic Republic of Congo was like, which included chimps pulling birds out of nets, and the threat of local militia groups. Join John Bates, Shannon Hackett, RJ Pole, and Amanda Marquart as we discuss the Willard's Sooty Boubou. Enjoy!To see images of the Willard's Sooty Boubou follow us on Instagram @birds_of_a_feather_podcastEmail us your questions at podcast.birdsofafeather@gmail.com

Ann has her head torch on and is off to discover animals that wake up when the sun goes down in the Blue Mountains. Soon she spies someone with big, round eyes and a heart-shaped face.

Bex is joined by childrens television royalty, Sooty and Sweep as we hear about some of their many talents and their brand new tour!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week is a Mischievous Special! Sweep and Sooty join Bex in the studio. We hear from the creator of Dave Spud and all the chaos that goes on in the show. Plus we're joined by Pete from Mega Mag to get his top 5 Roblox games too! What a jam packed show!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The children follow the string through the dark tunnels. Finally they arrive at the cave where Uncle Quentin and Sooty were kept but then things start to go wrong..... --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sarah25628/support

Mr Barling and Block get very angry. Then some kind of animal attacks them in the dark. They go running off but it's.....Timmy. He leads Uncle Quentin and Sooty through the passages but then....leaves them in the marsh! Why? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sarah25628/support

We finally find out what has happened to Uncle Quentin and Sooty....and it isn't good! And Sooty discovers the truth about Block! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sarah25628/support

Whilst our focus thus far has been on those programmes vying for GamesMaster's crown and audience we would be remiss if we didn't skip back a bit to March 1993 and revisit the *other* reason gamers tuned in to Channel 4 throughout the 90s. Originally discussed back in series 3 and now in it's 30th year, it's time to take another look at Digitiser and talk once more with one of it's creators Paul Rose aka Mr. Biffo.We chat about the end of Digitiser (and its rebirth), Sooty, Found Footage, Marillion and more.Digitiser is celebrating its 30th Anniversary with a 2-day event July 28th/29th at Harrow Art Centre.You can get tickets for night 1 here:https://harrowarts.com/whats-on/event/an-evening-with-mr-biffo And night 2 here:https://harrowarts.com/whats-on/event/digitiser-live-3-0Help us build future 'UCP Live!' Events here!Join the GamesMaster conversation on Discord!Theme song by Other ChrisFollow Luke on TwitterFollow Ash on TwitterFollow Under Consoletation on TwitterFollow Under Consoletation on InstagramSend your thoughts to feedback@underconsoletation.comSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/underconsolepod. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which our heroes talk about children's television presenters & puppets. Dan kills a listener with his sword, Adam attempts to doxx Dan and Graham libels Philip Schofield again. (Note: this was recorded before Schofield confessed to everything, so actually it's not libel, it's all provably true.)

Hannah and Erik stick closer to home in search of a long wanted bird, the Sooty Grouse.  They explore some local logging roads and a few hotspots they've never birded before!Main Story Begins at: 13:05Show notesGive us a call and leave a voicemail about your Global Big Day at +1 (503) 468-6901.Global Big DayeBird Global Big Day Global Bird Fair STUDY SUGGESTS ‘NOT ALL IS LOST' FOR IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKERYou'll (Probably) Never See This Giant, Extinct WoodpeckerBirding is the World Brazil tripSpring ChirpSibley Bird Trivia Card GameEdible Spruce TipseBird Trip Report:https://ebird.org/tripreport/134115 Birds mentioned:Sooty GrouseIntro Bird Call: Western Tanager (Recorded: Oregon, May,  2023) Outro Bird Call: Pacific Wren (Recorded: Oregon April, 2020)Connect with us at...IG: @Hannahgoesbirding and @Erikgoesbirding Twitter: @WeGoBirding Facebook: @HannahandErikGoBirding Email us at HannahandErikGoBirding@gmail.com Website: http://www.gobirdingpodcast.com

Are you sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin...   Episode 69 of our deep dive into British broadcasting's back-story brings us to 5th April 1923, and the hiring of Ella Fitzgerald (not that one), to organise and centralise Children's Hour.   That leads us to a packed episode with both academic insight and tales from those who were there, whether listening or programme-making.   We have more guests than you could fit on Auntie Bronwen's magic carpet - including authors and academics: Dr Amy Holdsworth (author of On Living with Television) Dr Kate Murphy (author of Behind the Wireless: A History of Early Women at the BBC) Graham Stewart (author of Scotland On Air) Programme-makers and listeners: Nick Wilson (producer, Wide Awake Club) Chris Jarvis (presenter, Show Me Show Me) David Jervis (grandson of Capt H.J. Round) Andrew Barker (Newspaper Detective) Charles Huff (producer, The Great Egg Race) And early uncles and aunts:  Uncle Arthur (Burrows) Uncle (A.E.) Thompson Auntie Bronwen (Davies) Auntie Cyclone (Kathleen Garscadden) Dinko, the Foreman of the Pixies (Reginald Jordan) Uncle Humpty Dumpty (Kenneth Wright) We cover programmes including Children's Hour, Watch with Mother, Playschool, Wide Awake Club, Sooty, Teletubbies, In the Night Garden, Old Jack's Boat, Bedtime Hour, and many more.     FURTHER READING, LINKS ETC: On Living with Television by Dr Amy Holdsworth is available here: https://amzn.to/3C3wt0F Behind the Wireless: A History of Early Woman at the BBC by Dr Kate Murphy is available here: https://amzn.to/3BX12oR  Scotland On Air by Graham Stewart will be out later this year. Details here: https://wiki.scotlandonair.com/wiki/Main_Page Read more of Arthur Corbett-Smith's 1924 notes on Children's Hour on Dr Zara Healy's brilliant blog post: https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbchistoryresearch/entries/cf4a5612-fdd9-47ec-88c8-a576e4bf7bd0 (we hope to have her on the podcast soon!) Listen to my CBeebies Radio series Granny Anne's Joke World, starring Maureen Lipman, written by me - 8 episodes are here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/curations/radio-granny-annes-joke-world My new book, out some time, is Auntie and Uncles: The Bizarre Birth of the BBC - details here: https://paulkerensa.com/book My live tour, 'An Evening of (Very) Early Radio' (or sometimes it's an afternoon...) visits Guildford, Romsey, Chelmsford, Kettering, Turnham Green and maybe more (it's very bookable, portable, and affordable!) - details here: https://paulkerensa.com/tour Original music is by Will Farmer. A reminder that this podcast is nothing to do with the BBC. We're talking about them, not via them. Broadcasts more than 50 years old are generally out of copyright. Any BBC content is used with kind permission, BBC copyright content reproduced courtesy of the British Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved. Thanks for supporting on patreon.com/paulkerensa if you do - videos and writings await you there. Or one-off tips are much appreciated too! ko-fi.com/paulkerensa. Support us for free by sharing this podcast. Or rating + reviewing where you found us. The more stars, the better... It helps our (ready for a terrible word?) discoverability. Cheers! Next time: The Press vs BBC vs Govt: 1923 and 2023 - with Prof Patrick Barwise and Peter York. Be afraid, be very afraid... https://www.paulkerensa.com/oldradio  

Nga Bustamante is a retired chemist who lives in Sydney with her husband and two little dogs. Nga grew up in a small village in Vietnam and always lived in a house with lots of animals: dogs, cats, chickens, ducks & pigs. Her first dog was a fox terrier Sooty who lived a long life of 15 years. Soon after Sooty passed away, Nga found another Fox Terrier, Pepe, with whom she started training actively in obedience and agility. With her current dog, Poco Nga has learned to train with OneMind Dogs' online service and has learned a lot through the guided courses. In this episode, we will hear an interesting story of Nga and how she found OneMind Dogs while she was traveling in Chile ten years ago. Visit OneMind Dogs and learn more about the dog's perspective!Do you have a new dog at home? Or do you want to start it all over?Start the OneMind Dogs puppy training program today and get the OneMind Dogs team's support. To get the podcast newsletter, sign up here!

It's Friday, it's 5pm and it's only Jonny on this week's pod. Join him as he takes questions from the Discord, and gets all philosophical about homebrew, the fate of cask ale, and AB InBev.Watch last night's live stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXq7Z1nqDfQBrought to you by the team behind the Craft Beer Channel, The Bubble takes an irreverent look at beer from the outside, inviting new people to give us their perspective on the world we're all obsessed with. You're listening to the bubble, the podcast turning beer inside out.SUPPORT US!Pledge on Patreon and get some cool merch & videos: https://www.patreon.com/craftbeerchannelCheck out our awesome sponsor The Malt Miller: https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/Twitter – @beerchannelFacebook – http://www.facebook.com/thecraftbeerchannelInstagram – @craftbeerchannelSupport the show

RNIB are looking for more volunteers to look after Sooty boxes across Wales. To find out more information about volunteering opportunities with RNIB you can call the RNIB helpline on 0303 123 9999 (Image: Money being placed into an RNIB Sooty Box)

Wassup y'all! Sooty for the delay… our elevator got stuck

Meet the man himself. Hear him speak - calmly, eloquently, so very unlike a "savage." He is surrounded by savages, to be sure. PLEASE, if you want to be part of this conversation leave us a comment or a question here or on the website: fckshakespeare.com Want to know more? Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fckshakespeare/ Tweet at us, if you must: @fckshakespod Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fshakespeare And if you are inclined to be a patron like Queen Elizabeth, you can support this podcast for as little as 99¢/month. Click the link below! Think of it like throwing money in the virtual hat while we crazy players do our little song and dance here. We thank you! (imagine us bowing now) We don't have a plan for the next thing. Want to cast your vote for the next play? DM us or email us: fckshakespeare69@gmail.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/fckshakespeare/support

Aplysia fasciata, common name the "mottled sea hare", or the "sooty sea hare", is an Atlantic species of sea hare or sea slug, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Aplysiidae. This sea hare occurs in the Western Atlantic from New Jersey to Brazil, and in the Eastern Atlantic including the Mediterranean and the West African coast. They have also been sighted along the Atlantic coast of France.

#378 Test Card Girl - Rich has freaked himself out by attempting to cure the aphantasia (that he suffers with in silence). His guest is John Craven sanctioned Newshound Samira Ahmed. They discuss the legacy of Mary Whitehouse and whether it's OK to point out the positive things that someone with some unacceptable views has done, the bravery of taking your employer to court in order to secure equal pay, whether appearing on Mastermind is more scary than being in a war zone, the young Richard Herring's clumsy attempts at seduction, your mother being prouder of a puppet you than the real you, interviewing Sooty, being at the trail of Madonna's stalker, whether Chrissie Hynde is terrifying or not and what happens when a young reporter can't find the radio van.Live RHLSTPs coming up. Guest and ticket link info here https://richardherring.com/rhlstpt/tourSUPPORT THE SHOW!Watch our TWITCH CHANNELBecome a badger and see extra content at our WEBSITE See details of the RHLSTP TOUR DATES Buy DVDs and Books from GO FASTER STRIPE See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Zippy gets measles, Bungle starts acting up, Sam loses his bot-bot, and George Harrison writes about Sooty. (Rec: 3/8/21) Join the Iron Filings Society: https://www.patreon.com/topflighttimemachine See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In spring, a male Sooty Grouse calls from a concealed perch high in a tall conifer. Known as “hooting,” it's a very low-pitched, five or six-note thunking sound. When a female cackles in response, the male flies down and displays to her by strutting and fanning his tail. Females are camouflaged in shades of gray and brown. One of the best times to see a Sooty Grouse is mid-summer, when the female escorts her chicks to the edge of a trail or roadside to search for food. Learn more at BirdNote.org.

70 years after Sooty first appeared with Harry Corbett on the BBC's Talent Night, presenter and current owner of The Sooty Show Richard Cadell talks to Samira about Sooty's enduring appeal, as Sooty's Magic Show embarks on a new tour and a theme park opens at the end of May. Annilese Miskimmon, Artistic Director of English National Opera, discusses her directorial debut at the ENO. The Handmaid's Tale, the opera written by Poul Ruders and Paul Bentley, is based on Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel about a repressive totalitarian state where women are stripped of their identities and their rights. The winner of Best Supporting Actress at last night's Olivier Awards was Liz Carr of Silent Witness fame, for her role in the National Theatre's revival of The Normal Heart. She tells Samira why she made a plea, after the ceremony, for more Covid-safe theatre performances for vulnerable audiences. As the season for folk festivals approaches, we consider how the times they are a-changing in the world of folk dance. Lisa Heywood, pioneer of gender-free dance calling, and Gareth Kiddier, who organises the dancing at Sidmouth Folk Festival, talk to Samira Ahmed about why gender-free calling matters, how they do it, and how it goes down on the dance floor. Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Jerome Weatherald Image: Presenter Samira Ahmed with Richard Cadell and Sooty

No one is safe from this man's tongue - Steve Allen takes to the airwaves on LBC every Monday to Friday morning from 4am. Hear all of Steve's show with the news & travel taken out.

It's Batman crazy with top three favourite characters as well as the 'real' Batman making an appearance. Stu attempts some world records, there's a questionable bird sanctuary in Al's ads and find out why Sooty was silent. All this and your regular features too.