Shawbury_Shortcake

I got Tom's number from the forum & he helped me out with a bathroom light that wasn't working. He & his colleague were very quick and professional, got the problem sorted in under an hour & for a very reasonable price. Recommended!

Joined this class last week and loved it! Emma taught a really nicely structured practice which was challenging but not too difficult for my creaky early morning body. And it's so welcome to find a really early morning class that allows time to go to home and change before heading to work.

I was looking for someone to replace a zip in a fairly new handbag, and was quoted ?250 from a bag restorer (more than the bag originally cost!). On the off chance, I called into Merrifields on Grove Vale (near ED station), where they fixed the zip in five minutes and refused to take payment. Very generous from a family business.

Another recommendation for Paul and his team, who cleared my cellar and some spider-ridden garden waste within 24 hours of my asking for a quote. Very reasonable price too.

Carl fixed a rotting fence post in my garden, and saved me money by pointing out that the fence panels could be re-used rather than replaced. He was quick to reply to messages, arrived proptly, and his rate was really reasonable, especially considering that the job ended up taking much longer than expected as the old post had been thoroughly cemented in. Carl even kindly helped my next door neighbour with a few things in her garden while he was fixing our shared fence. Highly recommended.

Hi, just wanted to confirm that Tony came back and fixed the leak at no extra charge.

Sorry to say I've had a less positive experience with Tony. After these great reviews I contacted him to fix a small leak under my bathroom sink - a drip really, but I was concerned it would get worse. He came quickly this Monday, appeared to sort the problem, and to fix some dripping taps, sent me an invoice and I paid the same day. That night I noticed a substantial leak under the sink and texted asking Tony to return and mend it. It's now Friday and Tony has said he's coming to fix the leak several times, but not turned up. I've texted and called, and had no reply, and the leak is now bad enough that the sink is unusable. I honestly wish I'd never called him.

Having been devoted to yoga for over twenty years, I wasn't sure boxing would be for me, but friends raved about Simone's classes so I gave them a try. And 18 months later I'm a total devotee. Simone is all about getting the technique and the form right, which makes you feel safe and stay injury free. Classes are tough, but you feel amazing afterwards, and self-confidence builds alongside the muscles. Boxing turns out to be a brilliant exercise for body and mind, and I'm as surprised as anyone to find that it's become something I look forward to each week.

I've been going to Simone for 18 months now and feel the fittest I have for years. Classes are challenging but friendly, and it's a great, fun group of people to train with. This is definitely boxing rather than boxercise - proper punching (who knew I had so much aggression to get out?!). Simone keeps things fast paced and fun, and remembering all the punching combinations is as much of a mental workout as a physical one. I've even moved on to a few PT sessions with Simone, also highly recommended.

oh I'm so sorry, that's awful. Hope you're feeling okay, it's such a shock when it happens.

Adding to the recommendations for Chris at The London Mortgage Brokers. My remortgage & lease renewal were far more complicated than I could have imagined, with all sorts of delays, and Chris was one step ahead the whole way - anticipating problems before they'd happened, and arranging the renewal of the mortgage offer without my even having to ask. He's efficient, quick to reply, and found me a good deal when I couldn't find one myself online because of my short lease. And he was patient throughout all the delays (like the posters above, he even contacted me from his holiday). Would use him again without hesitation. D: 020 7947 4328 M: 07946 405415 W: www.thelondonmortgagebrokers.co.uk

Hoping the two ladies who helped me this morning might read this - my dog was attacked (he's fine, thankfully) by a big tan female dog that was tied up outside the Co-op at about 8.30 this morning. The big dog was on an extendable lead and, even though we stepped into the road to avoid it, it was able to run into the road dragging shopping trolleys behind it. Luckily my dog is small enough that I could lift him up by his lead & get him out of the way. The two ladies were brilliant - helped untangle the dog's lead from round my legs, went into the Co-op to find the owner, checked my dog & I were okay, and then let the dog owner know exactly what they thought. I was so keen to get my dog away from the situation that I don't think I properly said thank you. THANK YOU for stepping in, brilliant ladies, I was so grateful to you both.

Wanted to recommend Louise Sunderland, who's helped me with a lot of DIY recently while I was renovating my kitchen. She ripped out the old kitchen, sanded and varnished a pretty knackered wooden floor (pic attached), painted & decorated and built alcove shelves (two pictures attached). She also reinstated a previously bricked-up fireplace. She's reliable, punctual and a total perfectionist - even fixing things in my flat that I hadn't noticed needed attention (like a missing bit of skirting board & replacing broken floorboards). As well as having super high standards, she's great at giving general DIY advice - I took up lots of her recommendations from which paint types to use, to how to manage a tricky situation with a plasterer who hadn't finished his job properly. She's a lovely person who I happily trusted to let herself in & out of my home, and she always tidied up after herself too. My only hesitation in recommending her is the fear that she's going to get too busy to do any more work for me. Her email is [email protected]

Oh, and before someone says, 'why didn't you just leave a note on the windscreen' - I did go back once I'd written down the details, but the car had gone.

If your car was parked by the bus stop opposite the Co-op on Forest Hill Road this eve, about 6.45, I saw the van that hit it & drove off. It was a blue Nissan Transporter van, reg no DX60 WUP (feel like there should be one less letter & one more number in that, but was trying to remember it while driving!). Was concentrating so hard on the van that I failed to notice anything about the car it hit, other than it was dark. I reported to the police on 101 as the driver was all over the road. If you want the police reference number, please send me a private message.

And another - Dave unblocked a drain for me, was quick & responsive, and took the time to give me advice on how to stop it happening again.

After a few scary stories on here about the dog walker that didn't, I wanted to recommend David Collins, who's been looking after my dog Bill for about six months. He's reliable (I'm always hearing from friends & family that they've seen Bill out & about on walks while I'm at work), flexible if plans change at the last minute, and reasonably priced (?10 for a walk, ?20 for a full day). Plus my dog absolutely adores him & his girlfriend Nicky. David's email is [email protected], tel: 07527 957271.

Hi, I had quite a few sessions with Greg Ring last year & liked him a lot. He's knowledgeable and fun, but tough when he needs to be. Also just a nice, chatty personable guy to spend an hour with - he can talk about more than sets & reps, which matters, I think. He'll come to you, meet you in the park, or he also works out of a gym on Underhill Road. Quite a few other recommendations for him on the forum, which is where I originally got his number: 07872 953628.

As it says in my first post, they came in through an upstairs window at the front of the house. Then they came through the upstairs flat and into the communal hallway where they kicked in the door to my flat. I hope that's clear.

Well, ElmGrove, it was pretty obvious how the burglars got in and the police forensics team confirmed it. I really only put this post up to warn people to be careful, I'm not after judgements on my home security, thanks.

The burglars got out through the front door of the house which didn't have a double-lock, though it does now! There weren't any ladders around in my garden or neighbouring gardens, so I don't know how they got up there to get in. I was pretty surprised that they'd chance going through a front window on a busy road, but I guess they thought it worth the risk. The police were brilliant (three visits in less than 24 hours), and hopefully insurance will cover everything. Windows will stay firmly closed from now on.

I was burgled last night and the police tell me there were similar burglaries on Friern Road and Forest Hill Road too - almost certainly the same people. They came in through an open window at the front of the upstairs flat (I'm downstairs), and then kicked my door in. They didn't take much, they didn't make a huge mess, and all is okay (except for the poor, freaked out puppy who was home alone), but just wanted to warn people not to leave a window open even if it's on the second or third floor.

I've been seeing Greg for a couple of months now & wanted to second the recommendations here. The sessions are fun & interesting - anything from kettlebells to Thai boxing - (though the man CANNOT COUNT, and you'll do more reps than you ever imagined unless you keep track yourself!), and Greg is excellent company. He can come to your house, meet you in the park or at a small private gym on Overhill Road. I've noticed a real change in how toned I am, and in general fitness. Having signed up to get in shape for a 40th birthday party, I'm now carrying on just because I'm enjoying the sessions so much. Also he brought me a bottle of prosecco for my birthday - my kind of personal trainer! His mobile number is 07872 953628.

And another glowing recommendation! Niko came round on a Saturday within 20 minutes of my call, advised me that I didn't need half the work that I thought I did (saving me a lot of money), and spent ages trying to fix a tricky problem with my loo. Then would only take ?30 for his visit, since he hadn't been able to completely sort it to his satisfaction. But very much sorted to MY satisfaction.