Homes

A self-confessed ‘Lewis Carroll nerd’ has revealed how she spent £130,000 transforming two homes into Alice in Wonderland themed rentals – fit with costumes, teacup stools and a Cheshire cat stained glass window.

Jacqueline Sinclair, 45, bought the oldest house in Brighton, Sussex, for £230,000, after getting fed up of juggling her corporate job in business travel and parenting .

The mum-of-three knew she needed a unique feature to make it stand out as a holiday property in the popular seaside destination.

She decided to use her passion for Lewis Carroll and transform the cottage into an Alice in Wonderland inspired stay, with imagery from the 1865 novel adorning the walls.

Despite being told it was a ‘terrible idea’, bookings started flying in and Jaqueline decided to redecorate another house she had previously been letting out to students and turn it into a unique holiday let.

Jacqueline splashed out £100,000 creating rooms with bespoke furniture, such as bunk beds as playing cards, playing card wallpaper, teaspoon chandeliers and teapot taps.

The Looking Glass cottage sleeps up to eight guests and prices range from £203 to £430 per night.

The income from this has helped single mum Jacqueline to earn enough to support and spend time with her kids – Louis, 13, Bobo, nine, and Coco, eight.

Jacqueline said: ‘My big passion is Victorian Alice and Wonderland. I’m a Lewis Carroll nerd.

‘Everybody told me it was a terrible idea.

‘It was high risk but now who’s laughing. It worked so well.’

The initial idea came about in 2011, as Jacqueline hoped to rent out a property to reduce her working hours and spend more time with her family.

After she realised how competitive the market was in the area and decided on thetheme, she then spent four months decking out the property.

Jacqueline was able to quit her job the same year after a flurry of bookings, before expanding the storybook style into a regency home she previously owned.

‘It needed £70,000 spent on it anyway so I decided to also do it up as an Alice and Wonderland theme,’ she explained.

The five-storey house was completely revamped, with six bedrooms, a lounge, dining room, two kitchens, three shower rooms and a toilet all fitting the aesthetic.

‘There is a magic table that twinkles and changes colour,’ Jacqueline explained.

‘Nothing beats the enchanted dining room. It’s a place that takes a second and third look to find hidden things.’

The regency house was renamed ‘the Wonderland House’ – sleeping up to 24 guests – and ranges from £600 to £1,600 per night.

The property also has costumes and holds hen parties for the ‘bride mad about Alice and Wonderland’.

Jacqueline said she visits and stays in the houses all the time with her kids who ‘love’ the theme.

She now hopes to expand further and bring her Alice and Wonderland unique stays to other towns across the UK.

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Police are now attending every home burglary in England and Wales, police chiefs have said.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) has confirmed all 43 forces send officers to visit every potential home invasion after a new policy was announced in October.

They hoped it would result in more crimes being solved and more criminals prosecuted.

Deputy Chief Constable Alex Franklin-Smith, the NPCC’s lead for burglary, described it as a ‘milestone’ but said it was ‘only the first step’ in tackling the crime.

He said: ‘We want to be bringing more offenders to justice, we want to be gathering more evidence, and we want to be improving detection rates. We expect to be judged on the results the public see.

‘Burglaries are an insidious crime. They do not just involve the loss of personal possessions, which in itself is very distressing, but they are also extremely invasive and can make people feel unsafe in their own homes.’

Under the plan, forces prioritise attendance where people’s homes have been burgled, rather than outbuildings and garden sheds.

Ken Marsh, chairman of staff association the Metropolitan Police Federation, and some political leaders questioned how the plan would work, warning that without proper resources it could put additional pressure on already stretched officers.

There was a national recruitment drive to replace the 20,000 officers axed during previous austerity measures which was seen as a way to potentially cover some of the extra staffing required to attend every burglary.

Police leaders had also been pushing the Government to boost health and social care provision so that officers have to deal with fewer non-crime related calls.

The Home Office Counting Rules for burglary have been changed to split the existing classification of residential burglary into two components – residential burglary of a home and residential burglary of unconnected building.

There is also a separate sub-category to cover burglary in business and commercial properties.

Mr Franklin-Smith said: ‘The number of burglaries is at an all time-low, down more than 50 per cent over the past decade, but we are not complacent.

‘We will continue to prioritise preventing these offences, targeting repeat offenders and organised crime groups and solving as many burglaries as we can.’

Out of 148,764 residential burglaries recorded by police forces in England and Wales in 2021/22, just 3.5% (5,236) resulted in a charge or summons.

Almost 72% of the investigations were closed with no suspect identified (106,632).

The latest number of reported burglaries is lower than in previous years, which can be owed to periods of lockdown.

Chief Constable Andy Marsh, the College of Policing chief executive, said: ‘The commitment is a necessary and welcome step towards regaining and improving community trust by returning to the fundamentals of policing.

‘It will enable police officers to get more of the basics right and help lock up offenders.

‘It will make forces more accountable within their own communities, bring more consistency to our responses to burglary , and help to improve detection rates. Policing should be able to deliver more of what the public rightly expects of it.’

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: ‘Burglary is an awful crime which must be tackled and that’s why I am delighted to see that police forces across England and Wales have fulfilled their commitment to attend all domestic burglaries. This will help increase public confidence and see more criminals caught.’

John Hayward-Cripps, the Neighbourhood Watch Network chief executive, described the news as ‘reassuring’ but added: ‘This alone will not be enough to deter would-be burglars.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected] .

For more stories like this, check our news page .

HOME Bargains shoppers are rushing to buy this cool summer must-have that is perfect for warm summer nights.

Savvy bargain hunters have spotted this 32″ tower fan for just £19.99 in the popular discount store.

One eagle-eyed shopper spotted the deal in her local store in Wales and shared a post to the Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK Facebook group.

The Pifco fan was listed as a “star buy” on the shelf and people were quick to share their thoughts on the bargain find.

One person said: “We’ve bought one it’s brilliant and lightweight.”

Another added: “This is what we need.”

And someone else commented: “I need one.”

The £19.99 offer is also available online at the moment and delivery is charged at £3.49.

You can also find your local store by using the online store locator on the website where you will be able to find a telephone number and opening times.

It is always worth checking ahead to make sure that your local store has stock, to avoid disappointment.

Remember that prices vary by brand, size and retailer so it’s worth having a browse elsewhere before you make a decision.

You can compare the cost of similar products from other retailers using price comparison tools like Google Shopping .

We shopped around to see what other offers were available on similar products.

Dunelm also has a 32″ tower fan online priced at £30, delivery on this item is £3.95.

Wilko has a similar model too for £26.00, and delivery was slightly more costly at £4.95.

Asda also has a version for £28, with standard delivery being charged at £2.95.

It does seem that the Home Bargains deal is the best offer on the market at the moment, but bear in mind that prices change all the time.

How can I save money at Home Bargains?

Home Bargains stocks plenty of everyday household products at already low prices, but every now and then it will slash costs with special “star buys” and limited-time sales.

Plus, the store has its own range of products that look strikingly familiar to rivals’ more pricey options.

That means bagging a Home Bargains dupe is a good way to make your wallet happy too.

But remember that it’s only a deal if you were planning on buying anyway.

You shouldn’t buy something just because it’s a bargain price, or discounted, otherwise, you might go over budget.

We’ve previously revealed the four items you should always buy at Home Bargains – and the two things to leave on the shelf.

We are talking about the 1990s when stardom was taking a new form and actors were worshipped as demigods in Indian cinema. Although the attachment and the intensity of hero-worship knew no bounds for the people of Telugu film industry’s fans, this fact that came to light has made everybody’s jaws drop!

Film production involved crores of rupees and the major chunk was always set aside for the lead actors’ remunerations. It has been that way in the Telugu, Hindi, and Tamil industries, since time immemorial.

First Hero In The Indian Film Industry To Have Demanded Over Rs 1 Crore As Remuneration

But, an interesting fact that has been trending on social media is making the mega fans and in general movie buffs feel proud. As per the reports, while the movie-making budget has entered the Crores, the first actor to quote and get a paycheque of Rs 1.25 Crore is from the Telugu film industry, and that is none other than megastar Chiranjeevi.

According to a report published in DNA, the first actor to take home a remuneration of over Rs 1 Crore was not Rajinikanth, not Amitabh Bachchan or Shah Rukh Khan.

Megastar Charged Rs 1.25 Crore For Kalatapasvi K Viswanath’s Apathbaandhavudu

For the movie Apathbaandhavudu, which starred Meenakshi Seshadri and directed by late K Viswanath, Chiranjeevi had reportedly received a remuneration of Rs 1.25 Crore. This was in the year 1993. These days, taking Rs 80 Crore and Rs 100 Crore as remuneration by star heroes is a routine matter. But the BIG transition was a remarkable step and a daring act three decades earlier.

During the early 90s, Amitabh Bachan was charging Rs 85 Lakh to Rs 90 Lakh per film, reportedly. Kamal Haasan joined the highest remuneration club of over Rs 1 Crore in the year 1994. And then, Rajinikanth soon joined. After Amitabh Bachchan resumed working, he started taking Rs 1 Crore.

However, until the late 90s, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, who are next line of Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, and Kamal Haasan haven’t charged Rs 1 Crore. During the same period, Akkineni Nagarjuna and Venkatesh started taking over Rs 1 Crore.

Megastar Chiranjeevi, who made a comeback with Khaidi No 150 has been doing back-to-back films irrespective of their result at the box office. However, the megastar proved that he didn’t lose it all with his recent Sankranthi release Waltair Veerayya. The movie registered the highest openings in his career and also made about Rs 250 Crore worldwide, his highest-grossing film so far. The actor is ready to hit the screens as Bholaa Shankar with Tamannaah and Keerthy Suresh in August.