The Navigation Point Businesses and Mandale Properties got together in December and organised a Christmas Raffle for the NSPCC by donating meal and drinks vouchers . Over £2100 have so far been raised.
Revellers were very keen to purchase raffle tickets to win a meal here, a bottle of Champagne there as well as help the NSPCC at Christmas and at a time when many charities are seeing their fundraising efforts thwarted by the economic downturn.
It is also refreshing to see businesses usually competing to attract the same clientele, come together for the sake of helping the local branch of the NSPCC.
As well as the Christmas Raffle, three events took place in December and despite the cold weather, a few children accompanied by parents and grandparents came to visit Santa's Grotto and received gifts.
A few members of The Northern School of Music sang Christmas Carols as Chinese Lanterns were let off into the skies over Navigation Point.
Further events are planned in the future to showcase the jewel in Hartlepool's crown, the Marina in general and Navigation Point in particular.
Since its inception in early 2000, the area has blossomed into a very popular leisure hub, with its various restaurants, cafés and bars. The Marina now attracts visitors from all over the North East and beyond.
NSPCC CHRISTMAS RAFFLE
Navigation Point Part 3
The last Saturday of the Navigation Point Christmas Events may not have been the busiest of the lot but those who attended had great fun.
Santa Claus handed out gifts to eager children while a few young members of the Northern School of Music provided a delightful rendition of the most popular Christmas carols.
Later, thanks to a windless evening, everyone present partook in the setting off of large Chinese lanterns. At one time, the skies above the Marina were filled with floating flickering lights.
The NSPCC Christmas Raffle is going great guns. All the Navigation Point businesses will be selling tickets until New Year's Eve. So far, our three restaurants alone have raised around £1200. Let's hope everyone else has had as much success as we have.
Best Christmas Wishes from Navigation Point...
Rice, tomato and smoked haddock...
A very simple and quick dish.
Ingredients:
1lb. fresh smoked haddock cut into chunks
1 onion, finely sliced
1 carrot, julienne
1 handful of green beans cut into tiny bits or 1 handful of peas.
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1tbsp chopped parsley
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped.
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
parsley
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 pint tomato passata
1/2 pint water
1/2 Basmati rice
Method:
Fry the onion until soft.
Add the rice and turmeric and fry for 2 minutes
Add the rest of the vegetables.
Add the tomato and water.
Cook for 15 minutes then place the haddock carefully on top of the rice.
Simmer until the rice is cooked but still al dente.
Serve with a wedge of lemon
Bon appetit! 
Navigation Point Christmas Event Part Two
Despite the extreme cold, the second of Navigation Point Christmas Events saw the lighting of Chinese lanterns from the Marina office and more kids visiting Santa's Grotto.
Navigation Point Christmas Event
The first one of Navigation Point's Christmas Events went off with a bang.
At 5.30 Santa arrived on the Marina boat Adventure and followed by two elves he proceeded to his grotto situated in the car park next to a 30ft Christmas tree kindly donated by Mandale Properties.
Under the sound of festive tunes provided by Daniel Brobbel, an orderly queue of thirty to forty children formed in front of the Grotto. For £1 the children got to meet Santa and receive a present while the parents had their names entered in the NSPCC raffle organised by the Navigation Point Business Group, one of the prizes being a boat trip in the New Year.
The Mayor, Mr. Stuart Drummond arrived at 6pm to switch on the Christmas tree lights to loud cheers from the attendance.
Boat rides, walk-on-water and a cup-and-saucer ride provided further entertainment.
Some of the restaurants and bars joined in the fun, by selling such things as banana fritters, mulled wine, mince pies, roast chestnuts and hot chocolate laced with brandy to warm up the visitors.
Each business has pledged a prize towards the NSPCC raffle and so far, over £400 has been raised.
It is certainly heartwarming to see that despite the snowy conditions and very adverse financial crisis, Navigation Point businesses are coming together to help the NSPCC as well promote Hartlepool Marina.
Saturday 11th between 5pm and 7pm there will be more of the same.
Lucky for some...
Friday, minus 13 degrees at 9.15 am. I cannot recall such a low temperature in Hartlepool.
And the snow keeps falling. The roads are treacherous. Traffic is moving at snail pace.
Although party numbers are dropping like snow flakes, the more adventurous of diners are not deterred by this ideal Christmas weather.
Let's just hope that they keep coming along those worrying crunchy paths...
Krimo's Quiz November Winner
Congratulations to Sally Miller of Peterlee!
She wins a meal for two at Krimo's...
Fancy having a go at December's Food Quiz?
Snow Business...
Navigation Point Event
The lights on the Christmas tree donated by the landlords, Mandale will be switched on by our Mayor, Stuart Drummond on Saturday 4th December.
Daniel Brobbel from Norteast Sound and Light has promised to provide music and lights for the event.
Email Statistics...
I discovered email marketing two years ago and have been using it ever since. Once a month, I send my e-newsletter to over 2000 customers and the list is growing by the day through sign-ups, quizzes, feedback forms, etc...
There are numerous online companies offering this facilities and the prices they charge vary widely. After a few months of research and comparison, I chose Constant Contact, a US company which delivers exactly what I require: tailor-made emails and clear statistics of how these work.
This enables me to design subsequent messages and advertise our restaurants as well as inform our customers/readers.
Email marketing is simply the natural progression of bulk mail marketing. While households are still bombarded by leaflet campaigns, most will now find their email accounts swamped by spam mail.
It is not a wonder that only a very small proportion of these unsolicited emails are ever read. Even targeted emails produce very low open and click rates. The diagram below shows the stats.
Having said all this, I believe that any restaurant company worth its salt (and pepper) has to "jump on the bandwagon" or be left in the dust.
Memories...
Today, I attended the funeral of someone unforgettable.
When Karen and I opened Krimo's at Seaton Carew on May 4th 1985, I told her that if we got the same customers back within the first two months, we'd cracked it.
Alex Torrance dined with us five times in the first two weeks.
A Scottish bon-viveur who worked and later lived in Hartlepool, Alex knew a great deal about food, wine and good times. A true gentleman, a soft-spoken charmer, he came back countless times in the last twenty five years with family and friends.
When I opened Portofino in 1997, he was the first and only person who asked for an egg on his pizza. He even explained to me and the chef when to place the raw egg in the middle of the pizza so that it was just set when served.
Over the years, I have met many interesting characters who have been part of our saga. Alex was that kind of guy one can never forget.
Rest in peace, my friend.
Red Sky...
Hartlepool Marina offers an ever-changing landscape every minute of the day or night.
Last Saturday I took this photo while rushing between restaurants.
Hartlepool's Farmers Market
The second Saturday of every month brings an exciting Farmers Market to Hartlepool.
It takes place on the Historic Quay car park. There are usually around twenty stalls selling meats, cheeses, cakes, fish, plants, honeys, jams, herbs and much more produce than I can remember.
I personally like this kind of market because it offers genuine produce one can no longer find in profit-driven supermarkets.
I must admit that I have seen a lot better markets both in the UK and Europe but with sustained local support, I believe that ours could grow and flourish into a permanent feature.
The Tall Ships came and went...
What a weekend!
Saturday to Tuesday.
Four days when Hartlepool revealed its beautiful face to the world.
The Tall Ships began slipping into the town as early as Thursday. A Spanish yacht called Hansa from Galicia, with whose crew I shared a few tapas and a beer.
The larger ones arrived between Thursday evening and Saturday lunchtime.
A huge tide of visitors descended on the Marina at around 11am on Saturday and kept on rolling past the berthed ships. The weather was clement to the point of being warm.
Sunday, Monday and Tuesday brought even more visitors laden with cameras and zoom lenses.
All our staff worked very hard and long hours over the four days to cater for twice or three times our usual number of diners.
I enjoyed selling coffee, tea and Sangria outside Casa del Mar. It gave me the opportunity to do some "market research" by asking people where they came from, whether they liked Hartlepool and if they would come back again.
They were unanimous in their praise for our town. Most had never been here and were totally delighted with the facilities and the organization. Those who were re-visiting were pleased with the changes that had occurred over the last twenty years.
The regional visitors promised to come back very soon.
I was so busy that I did not manage to get my camera out so here is a Flickr Group set up to showcase the weekend.
Krimo's Newsletter
The Tall Ships have begun arriving. Hartlepool is buzzing and we are getting busier by the minute.
Last minute preparations...
Les, our son started his own cleaning company a couple of weeks ago and one of his first assignments was to clean outside Portofino in time for the Tall Ships. And a good job he did!
Hartlepool...
What the visitors will discover or rediscover is a town proud of its maritime and historical heritage.
The Marina has led to its regeneration, and despite the recession, is attracting more and more visitors every year.
The Headland with its iconic St. Hilda's church is the real Hartlepool according to its residents. Many towns would dream of having a historical part as beautiful as the Headland.
They are coming... Don't panic!
The Tall Ships are coming to Hartlepool...
33 days to go...7-10 August 2010.
It will be Hartlepool's biggest event ever.
Newcastle up the road, got over one million visitors in 2005 even though the city was only a stopover for the Tall Ships. Hartlepool is the final stage of the race. So one can imagine how many thousands of people will be visiting the town over that weekend.
If you're still in doubt as to whether this event is becoming a reality, check out the Countdown Clock on the official website.
Krimo's on the Fence...
World Cup Fever has suddenly hit Hartlepool and, as one of the few Algerian on Tees Valley, I find myself torn between supporting my country of birth and my adopted one.
England and Algeria meet this evening in Capetown. The forthcoming event has created a lot of interest among the local media. Yesterday, the Hartlepool Mail ran the story and intend being at Flix to report on the live action and ups-and-downs...
The Evening Gazette recounted my grandson's interjection when Algeria and England were drawn in the same group back in December.
"Grampa, you've lived here longer than in Algeria, so you should support England."
My answer was: "That's not how it works, Alex. "
Adam's Flix Movie Cafe will be packed this evening.
This morning we both appeaered on John Foster's show on BBC Radio Tees.
We may even appear on Tyne Tees Television on the local news this evening.
Go Algeria, Go!!
