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Back(side) in black

Hold onto your lunch, dear reader, for an email from John Proctor, uberlord of the Nottingham commercial property scene. It reads: "I am delighted to confirm that I completed an exhilarating but physically challenging 350-mile cycle ride from Paris to Geneva on Saturday. Climbing more than 1,850 metres over a 75 mile run (50 miles of which were uphill) on the last day was certainly a new experience to most, if not all, of us!

"It is a little worrying that there has been too much of an unhealthy amount of interest in the state of my backside – for the avoidance of doubt I can confirm it's fine! But if you would like to be bored with hundreds of photos of MAMILS (Middle Aged Men In Lycra!) then let me know!"

Bed time

What people talk about over the breakfast table these days, eh? Casa Hotel in Chesterfield has recently announced it has been awarded the 'Comfiest Bed' in the annual Best Kept Secret Awards by the discount hotels specialist, LateRooms.com.

The annual Best Kept Secret Awards search up and down the country for top notch facilities in the hospitality industry, apparently.

The LateRooms.com judge of the 'Comfiest Bed' award said: "Casa hotel in Chesterfield is our winner for 'Comfiest Bed'. Their reviews are glowing for the beds (and the hotel in general) – the fact that they're king size too is an added bonus!"

Steve Perez, owner of Casa Hotel, said: "Our Hypnos beds are always the hot topic of conversation at breakfast time and we constantly receive positive comments about it being the best night’s sleep our guests have ever had. To have an official award to celebrate that Casa is home to the best beds in the UK is a fantastic achievement and one I hope will bring many more visitors through the door to try them out."

Sweat it out

The Victoria Centre recently brought a touch of style to Nottingham by hosting its autumn/winter fashion show – on the hottest October weekend ever recorded.

About 40 stores took part in the show, which follows on from the centre’s spring/summer fashion show, earlier this year.

Whilst everyone outside sweltered in 30 degree temperatures, Liz Sewell, marketing manager said: "Following on from our spring/summer fashion show earlier this year, it is now the ideal time to invite our retailers to come and show shoppers what’s hot and what’s not as it’s getting colder outside.

"To give people a taster of this seasons trends, we will be showcasing slim at the top, wide leg trousers, as well as chinos and checked shirts."

Very nice, but you’ll never be a weathergirl, Liz.