but with the education system in a seemingly constant state of turmoil it’s getting harder to stay positive about the future Whether due to shorter attention spans or easy access to the outside world they are finding school life increasingly unappealing In this context, the latest Education in Focus podcast on school avoidance really resonated with me This issue isn’t just a secondary school problem anymore we are seeing school-related anxiety emerging in much younger children And it’s not about them being ‘difficult’ or parents being ‘soft.’ It’s about real often overwhelming distress that can be challenging to get to the root of Labelling pupils as ‘school refusers’ doesn’t help It risks isolating families at exactly the point when they need us to listen So we need to ask ourselves some really difficult questions: What’s triggering this anxiety Is there anything about our school environment that might be creating additional barriers rather than expecting children to simply cope Early identification and flexible approaches are key but so is creating a culture where wellbeing isn’t just a policy but visible in everything we do genuine listening and collaboration with families and pastoral teams must sit at the heart of our approach School avoidance isn’t a behaviour to punish or a problem to ‘fix’ we can keep more pupils connected to their learning a post by The Autistic SENCO about breakfast clubs really made me pause and think this week and it is a hugely important service for lots of children and families But is what we’re really doing “removing children from their homes earlier and earlier each day” Are we in fact supporting a “system that forces both parents to work full-time The post makes a compelling case that “we need real solutions to support family life – not just band aids that make it easier for families to survive” It made me reframe breakfast clubs as another example of schools picking up what are societal challenges And it left me unsurprised when news emerged in these pages that schools have been dropping out of the government’s pilot scheme for its breakfast club policy we can’t just keep adding this kind of pressure on school staff we can’t be surprised when we routinely have too few of them I couldn’t find a blog or podcast on this but it absolutely must be part of our professional conversation the government rolled out new statutory guidance on early years nutrition I can’t help but feel that it’s pushing yet more responsibilities onto schools that should primarily lie elsewhere schools will be expected to ensure children up to age five get meals snacks and drinks that meet specific nutritional standards but there’s a glaring issue here: schools are being asked to pick up the slack for parents who are not managing their child’s nutrition in the way the government expects We already know that many early years settings are under-resourced understaffed and struggling to manage complex needs Now they will also have to meet these complex needs around food too systemic support for families and communities rather than another box to tick for schools schools are increasingly being asked to do the heavy lifting of child rearing But expecting us to fill the gap left by a breakdown of the family institution isn’t just unfair; it’s unrealistic and arguably irresponsible How much more can we expect in the coming months Let’s hope the sun keeps on shining at least Richmond and Hillcroft Adult & Community College I managed to get a good grade at economics A-level embedding digital literacy across the curriculum and where our ideas of who to listen to come from The public response to Adolescence has predictably veered towards social media regulation - but that misses a much deeper.. home educators' concerns and a poem about belonging This book identifies the problems with our system and - rather uniquely - offers practicable solutions to them and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Become a subscriber and stay up to date with the latest breaking news and industry discussion Website by Creative Sponge Executive chef Spencer Metzger serving up the lamb dish at the table Now that Pollen Street Social is behind him, this is the signature restaurant in Jason Atherton's group (in the UK, at least). It sees former Ritz chef Spencer Metzger taking on the main Executive Chef role along with Head Chef Christina Blevins (who happens to be on our Murphia List) It's a restaurant that earned its first Michelin star in less than three months following the trajectory of Row on 45 in Dubai also launched by Metzger  and Atherton (which has two stars) it's a tasting menu-led fine dining restaurant but there's a awful lot more to it than that Either Oxford Circus or Piccadilly Circus are your nearest tube stations assuming you're not heading into dinner straight after a tailoring session at one of the nearby shops And that famous location makes its presence known pretty quickly In the first of several nice touches throughout the night whatever coat you were wearing when you came in will be given a little dry clean by the team So that's something to bear in mind while working on your outfit for the night It's clearly something you'll benefit more from in the colder months We've talked in the past about "promenade restaurants" where your meal takes place across two or more rooms Examples in London include Kitchen Table and Cycene where everything starts in the bar before moving into the restaurant but it's something you're more likely to come across out of town with restaurants like Moor Hall doing it notably well.  Row on 5 is easily the most impressive implementation of the promenade dining experience that we've come across to date The evening sees things starting in the bar downstairs first with snacks and initial drinks before moving up to the restaurant for the main dishes and back down to the bar for some impressive petits fours It's a pretty standard approach for this kind of affair but it's the scale of things that we haven't come across in London before Space is at such a premium in town that it's very rare to see this kind of operation at this level which also has its own private dining room and a walk-in wine cellar But then you head up to the main restaurant upstairs which is a frankly massive room Many chefs in London would be happy to have either one of these big spaces for a restaurant but both spaces being reserved for around (rough guess) 30 guests the entire night is quite a statement we've been to a fair few restaurants in London but we were still taken aback by the size of this (along with thinking about the money that must have gone into it) there are fewer seating choices for the snacks part of the evening (although take the counter seats if you want to see the chefs up close) but upstairs there are more clear options then the tables that line each side of the room are the ones to go for Everything points out to the kitchen and the tables are specifically extra deep so that the chefs can plate most of the food right in front of you (see the photo at the top) there are some more traditional tables (or private rooms) but we saw a group of four take the counter seats by the kitchen and it's quite a step up from Atherton's last flagship Now it's much more about the service and presentation of everything and the level of detail that's gone into the food If one of your main criteria for going out to a restaurant is for something you can't make at home you're going to be extremely well catered for.  with a £195 menu available at lunch on Friday and Saturday They describe themselves as being about "British gastronomy" but while there's great attention paid to seasonal British produce we'd say it's a menu that takes its influences from fine dining across the globe You are given the menu in a wax-sealed envelope and have option of reading that before the meal or waiting until afterwards We'd strongly recommend the latter - dishes are described well and clearly and we'd say it's a much more fun experience to be surprised we've highlighted some but not all the dishes below (and expect them all to evolve with the seasons) you'll get a small selection of snacks to get things moving Everything seems to be presented by a different team member - there's a lot of staff - and it's all beautifully created: A selection of the snacks that you'll get in the bar to start things off The "cheese and onion" crackers on the top right were particularly great you're escorted upstairs and brought into the main restaurant with some impressive speed involved when the waiter that escorts you into the lift is already waiting upstairs when the doors open Here (assuming you're on the side tables or the counter) every dish has some form of plating at the table whether it's simple tandem saucing or more intricate finishing off While Metzger has taken note of some of his Ritz experience it's taken in a much more informal direction with plenty of opportunity to chat to the chefs about what's been delivered to you There's also a decidedly retro British pop/rock soundtrack that clearly has Atherton's name all over it.  Here's a taste of what was on offer when we visited They've given us some extra information on the dishes which showcases just how much work has gone into it all: served with an XO sauce made from the skirts and Yara Valley Farm ikura eggs washed in yuzu sake and kobasu zest along with a beurre blanc sauce Arriving with a dish of Morel Farci is the bread course it comes with Hollis mead miso butter and fermented honey caramel on top This is possibly one of the best bread courses we've had in years steamed and brushed in brown butter and amalfi lemon juice and topped with N25 Kaluga caviar Of particular note in this dish are the oh-so-seasonal teardrop peas which are always picked early in the morning and what they describe as "most exclusive pea in the world" Pyrenees lamb - 45-day-old milk-fed saddle of lamb brushed with miso butter with caremelised caulfilower and yeast puree That comes with a sauce made of braised tongue filled with a compote of Malaga strawberries and Madascan pepper and gariguette strawberries consomme before being topped with more strawberries There's also a white asparagus ice cream which is one of those ice cream flavours that works far better than you might expect it to You'll be brought down to the bar again for the final part of the meal lalongside tea or coffee (and more drinks if you fancy) There are two specific elements that round off the dinner perfectly The tea and cake course is madeleines with cream to dip them in You're asked to choose which ones you want but you'll really want to take a look at the enormous wine list It's an enormous tome that's about four inches thick Their executive sommelier Roxane Dupuy was excellent throughout concise and engaging introductions of all the wines The pairings start at £150 (although there is a £995 pairing if you're feeling particularly flush) so it's not a place where you can economise There's also a non-alcoholic pairing for £95 We'd like to make a special mention of the synchronised glass swirling that takes place as she and another waiter present each glass You may also want to save something for this at the end: Row on 5 won its first Michelin star in near record time There was some expectation that it might actually go straight to two stars (like its Dubai cousin) but while that wasn't to be We haven't seen an undertaking like this in London for quite some time the attention to detail in the food (which and the immaculate service (which isn't at all stuffy) all contribute to delivering a truly special occasion We'll admit we came into Row on 5 ever-so-slightly sceptically wondering what was so special about the place If you're after a really special night out (and can afford the price tag) How to book: Book online or email reservations@rowon5london.com Find out more: Visit the website or follow the restaurant on @rowon5london Subscribe to be the first to get the news from Hot Dinners Please enable the javascript to submit this form By signing up you agree to our privacy policy View on Google maps About us  |  Contact Us  |  RSS Feed  |  Site directory  |  Privacy policy  |  Log in/out Join 50,000 other Londoners getting exclusive news and restaurant offers from Hot Dinners. Please enable the javascript to submit this form By signing up you agree to our privacy policy See our previous newsletters here This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page and Pollen was right at the top of its game But it was time for a change,” he tells me represents a shift for Jason and his wife Irha Jason AthertonMoet Hennessy UK Ltd / Danny J Peace“Sael is a move away from fine dining although we’re not turning our back on fine dining; I just don’t want to be one of those Michelin star chefs that have starred restaurants everywhere and fine dining will always be in my heart but we were all ready to do something different Jason is always keen to stay tuned to what people want now I refer to it as the Wolseley on steroids because we’re doing breakfast We are working very closely with the seasons Sael is a Welsh Gaelic word to describe when you collect the harvest for a particular solstice celebrating that harvest and what has been given to us It’s very much about bringing people together and we took the words and renamed them to refer to the seasons.” And that’s what the restaurant is – an ode to the seasons and a place that is both relaxed and accessible while serving fabulous food in a space that Jason and Irha created for themselves and their staff Jason has always made it clear that to keep good staff a large swathe of the original Pollen Street staff has moved to Sael with him “It’s really important for me and my wife because we won’t be around forever We’ve always incentivised the top tier of staff to be motivated The chef [at Sael] has been with us for 10 years he’s held a Michelin star position at Pollen Street for 10 years so he knows his way around the pots and pans For someone who ran away to London from his Sheffield home aged 16 while his parents were away on holiday Jason has certainly carved out a large reputation for himself He talks of how much he strives to better himself every day an attitude that never seems to waver or ease up in any way We’ve got a fantastic bar above it called Apples and Pears I’m preserving a lot of produce from each season beforehand so it can be used in the cocktails in that bar area Everything in there has a reason and a purpose really affordable meal before heading off to the theatre Pollen Street was in the World’s 50 Best with five rosettes and a Michelin star I want to go back to cooking for Londoners.” I’m curious how Jason and his wife (who have three girls) manage to work together and stay happily married “We have three kids and manage the best we possibly can I don’t have the magic recipe; marriage is a contract and you’ve got to go through the good times and the bad times.” One thing they do seem to do a lot is enjoy eating out together and as Jason and I chat about his very favourite restaurants they often emerge as places that he and Irha seem to frequent together Sael may be a culmination of their hard work and love for each other but “I’ve got a restaurant in New York Though I’m very comfortable eating alone – I’ll also eat there when visiting by myself You’re able to watch a world-class chef execute these incredible dishes He’s got a unique style of using Japanese flavouring and dishes from around the world in a haute cuisine style and it’s nothing you’ve ever eaten before; it’s that delicious and it’s very hard to pigeonhole exactly what this style of food is or what makes it so amazing “This is hidden away in the back of a supermarket in Manhattan and you get both New Yorkers and visitors trying to get tables here.” I love to sit and watch the chefs do their stuff I always try to get the seat at the end because it’s a bit like being on an aeroplane and there’s a tiny bit more legroom there.” watch the magic happen and then walk out into the cold of New York "I don’t usually do pairings these days but I always do when I’m at The Chef's Table It’s hard to recommend the ultimate dish because they change the tasting menu daily and it’s always designed in line with the seasons London“This is fast becoming a bit of an institution in London and I think Nieves [Barragan] is amazing; she is a generational talent it won a Michelin star and the different areas of the restaurant has its own specific menu (which changes daily) and focuses on a different region of Spain and Sabor has its own in-house fishmonger.” “Anyone in the capital who loves Spanish food and fans of Nieves come here regularly It’s full of people who come back time and time again.” “I like sitting at the counter with my wife “We usually try and get the last sitting at 10 o’clock and sit right in front of the chef.” We recently had roasted John Dory with an olive tapenade sauce over the top of it and we had the artichoke salad because they were in season and we usually have the squid dish with chilli and the grilled oysters.” “This is very popular and so it’s packed out with people dropping in for just a drink or those wanting to eat, too.” “I’ve sat in all three rooms of The Devonshire, but I prefer the first floor and I love looking at the fireplace.” “They do a divine brawn toast and an amazing Australian Shiraz. I can’t remember its name, but it’s the only one on the menu, and it’s probably the best value wine I’ve ever had in all my years in this industry. It’s incredibly good. I like it so much that I’ve sourced it to go on the menu of all my restaurants. And I always get a piece of beef. I love their beef.” BratBrat, London“We go to Shoreditch for Brat, but we need a passport to get there from where we live! It takes us about an hour to drive to it, but it’s where all the action is these days, and Brat is absolutely worth the drive.” “I try to sit as close to the fire as possible.” “We normally go on a Sunday night, and they’re very good to me, so I don’t know if they do this for everyone else, but they let us bring a bottle in and charge us corkage, which is very fair.” “The bread they do that with the Sobrasada? Oh my God, I love that. Of course, we always have the cheesecake at the end, which Brat is famous for. And the lobster, if it’s in season. My wife loves the pork chop, so if they have that, we always order it, but, to be fair, we do keep things quite simple at Brat.” FrantzenFrantzenRestaurant Frantzen, Stockholm“This restaurant made me fall back in love with fine dining again. It’s a complete game changer and helped me pinpoint what I wanted to do with my restaurant in Dubai. When you set someone down for four hours at one table to do a tasting menu, it can get a bit mundane and boring, but not here. I feel like this is where I want to die, and they can scatter my ashes.” “Michelin-star lovers flock from around the world to nab one of the 23 seats at Frantzen.” “They move you around to different places depending on where you are in the meal, and we do a similar thing in Dubai; it just makes it a bit more exciting so I can’t suggest one specific table.” “If you want a table, then you have to get online on the first day of the month you want to go, and it’s only open from Tuesdays to Fridays for lunch and dinner.” Sael is now open at 1 St. James’ Market, London, SW1Y 4QQ Comment Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice The chef Jason Atherton made headlines this week with his comment “I haven’t seen any sexism in the kitchen.” Intentional or not Atherton’s comment sent me straight back to my 19-year-old self when I first started out in restaurants twenty years ago "Tell her she can’t wear trousers if she comes back." That was one of the first pieces of sexist feedback I ever received I was on a trial shift for my first proper hospitality job as a receptionist in a fine dining restaurant Why my choice of bottoms had any relevance to (a) my job performance or (b) whether people took me seriously was beyond me that’s the pretty girl section." That didn’t place value on my skills or what I could actually contribute to the business One of the last restaurants I worked in NYC didn’t even let women work in the dining room you can pick your jaw up off the floor now When I read Atherton’s comments I guffawed because I know for a fact that sexism is an ongoing issue that plagues my industry does not promote a healthy workspace and therefore alienates a whole sector of people who could be excelling It might be one of the reasons why of the 60% of women who are employed in hospitality in the UK only around 26% hold senior leadership roles and only 17% are head chefs Women aren’t underrepresented in leadership roles because they lack talent They're underrepresented because the system favours men I’m not here to drag down one man because this isn’t about one person I’m certainly not here to drag down one man a patriarchal structure that needs to change hierarchical models that fail to accommodate modern work-life balance and inclusivity which are designed for military-style discipline and have historically fostered toxic Atherton’s comment was plastered all over my social media with nearly everyone I follow sharing it in outrage and upset Because this comment highlights an issue we have ignored for too long I founded Ladies of Restaurants nearly 10 years ago off the back of my own personal experiences and there are now a host of incredible platforms that foster community and advocate for change; Kelly’s Cause Home Hospitality are a few in the hospitality industry alone I hope he’s done the same privately with his teams I applaud the 70 women who penned their name in an open letter and the many more who feel they can’t but have also experienced sexism in the work place So if you are a business owner — and let’s be clear I’m not just talking about hospitality here this is not an issue refined to our industry — ask yourself: Am I fostering an equal workplace for gender This will mean doing a little MOT of your business It will mean breaking a model that is outdated and lacks empathy Create safe spaces so any bad culture can be flagged and eradicated early the next generation of hospitality isn’t waiting for permission to wear trousers Welsh NHS waiting lists drop but targets not met People evacuated after sinkhole feel ‘let down’ by lack of support from council ‘Mickey Mouse’ degrees label was economic madness amid film boom Prioritise education with excellent schools and opportunities Natalia Ribbe is owner of Sète wine bar & restaurant in Margate and founder of Ladies of Restaurants Prince Louis steals the show at VE Day parade as he keeps dad William looking sharp and mimics brother George Prince Louis steals show with sweet antics at VE parade VE Day 2025 fashion: best looks from the day VE Day 2025 fashion: Princess of Wales to Lady Victoria Starmer Royals watch historic flypast as huge crowds turns out for VE Day 80th anniversary  Royals watch historic Red Arrows flypast for VE Day 80th anniversary Stacey Solomon 'regrets doing reality show with Joe Swash' for tough reason Stacey Solomon 'regrets reality show with Joe Swash' for tough reason David Beckham’s 50th birthday bash in London 'shut down' by council over noise complaints David Beckham’s 50th birthday bash 'shut down' over noise complaints YouTubers Geoff Thew (Mother’s Basement), Tristan Gallant (Glass Reflection), and White Box Entertainment CEO and Anime Trending advisor Miles Atherton are collaborating to launch a new anime podcast titled “Quest for the Best With Tristan The podcast was revealed in Mother’s Basement’s recent 10th anniversary YouTube video discussing the best anime titles of all time Each episode will focus on the three personalities nominating an anime contender to analyse and debate before deciding it is worthy of being named one of the “100 best anime.” The podcast will highlight “hidden gems” and “resurrect favorites forgotten to time for a new generation of fans.” It will also feature special guest appearances from creators insight and opinion from the world of restaurants 07-Apr-2025 Last updated on 07-Apr-2025 at 10:36 GMT An email sent out to Mary’s mailing list confirmed that the restaurant was under new ownership having been acquired by the team behind Motcombs in St John’s Wood A website reveals that the site on Pollen Street will reopen later this year as Motcombs Tavern which is described as being inspired by ‘the historic taverns of London and New York’ While Pollen Street Social, which closed in July last year having launched in 2011 had a fine dining focus (the restaurant held a Michelin star for more than a decade) Mary’s was positioned as a casual and more accessible grill restaurant and bar which served a selection of small plates alongside larger cuts of meat Mary’s incorporated a 10-seater burger counter and cocktail bar The Blind Pig According to the Mary’s website, The Blind Pig has now relocated to the upper level of Sael. In a statement, Atherton said: “We have enjoyed running Mary’s since September. It has been fun to execute a far more casual concept on the site that was previously our flagship, Pollen Street Social. Mary’s has been well received by guests and we were fortunate enough to receive amazing reviews from Grace Dent and Tom Parker-Bowles. “However, we have decided the time is right to let go off this much-loved site, accepting an offer from Motcombs Restaurants as we focus on the next chapter of The Social Company.” The Motcombs Tavern website says it will serve ‘a refined tavern style menu celebrating traditional British and global fare including Scottish beef, dry aged in house; fresh fish and lobster, as well as Motcombs classics’. It will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as late night drinks and jazz. Whet your appetite with beers from the European UnionPaid for and content provided by European Union Lost Revenue from Downtime: How It Cripples Your Delivery App Visibility and SalesPaid for and content provided by Deliverect Staffing costs rising — how smart hiring solutions are helping UK restaurantsPaid for and content provided by YoungOnes The Stripes put in a tremendous last thirty minute stint to deservedly take a share of the spoils The final league game of the Pitching In NPL Division One campaign was shrouded in typical Dream2Reality Stadium match day weather – rain which had a least becalmed the very lively surface slightly The first half was a game of very few chances to be honest The East Lancashire side should have taken the lead on twenty-five minutes but Ntumba Massanka somehow found the near post when he hoped to caress the ball in an empty net Leon Creech’s shot was well parried by Sol Honor and this time Massanka was faultless with the rebound Michael Clegg’s team had to improve in the second half but were delivered a hammer blow within minutes of the restart Jack McEvilly stood over an innocuous looking free-kick in his own half He sent in what was an audacious punt which had the young custodian back-pedalling Honor was already behind the goal line by the time he could change the ball’s trajectory and as the visitors appealed that the effort had already crossed the line Cameron Lancaster erased the doubt and fired into the empty net Colls could either wimp out in front of a great home following or show some minerals Liam Sheppard was have having good success down the right flank and his marker was cautioned for an ale house challenge The feist notch had raised significantly and there was to be a spate of cautions playing up the slope and just after the hour mark it was game on Scott Bakkor flicked on to Tom Bentham whose header nestled into  the far corner of the net Goal number five of the season for The Butcher Colls were now stretching the visitors who set out to defend and try to pick off on the break His shot from ten yards gave the Clitheroe glovesmn no chance it was the away team who were perhaps the happiest to hear the final whistle What had started as the archetypal end of season ‘dead rubber’ had morphed into a gradely game of football The black n white stripes left the field to the chimes of The Great Escape and the genuine applause of their faithful supporters The last game of the season is in on Saturday at Wincham Park Atherton Collieries are pleased to confirm our participation and support for the 2025 ‘March of the Day’ Grassroots Football Tour Atherton Collieries will look to sign off the 2024/25 season in style on Saturday when they travel to face Witton Albion in their final outing With a historic ninth season in the Northern Premier League secured for the Collieries on Friday evening by results elsewhere Gee Atherton sits in his dressing room eating a carrot and listening to Fortunate Son by Creedence Clearwater Rival In his hand is the script for tonight’s show in Aberdeen the most northerly stop of his sold-out 17-night ‘Hold Fast’ tour He’s chilled but I can tell something’s on his mind “I’m waiting for an iron,” he says what former World Champion and freerider would want a wrinkly shirt “It’s so I can sort my clothes for the show,” he tells me now with the missing iron tucked under his iron before Gee gets down to the more mundane business of flattening out his shirt Gee Atherton on stage at his ‘Hold Fast’ tour in Aberdeen It’s one of the more surreal moments from my time with Gee, but not totally out of character given that the last time mbr chatted he was eating an apple and calmly discussing racing Hardline with a broken femur.  Riding with broken bones and the ever-present danger of death at Red Bull Hardline and his latest Ridgeline series must be much more daunting than stepping on stage though Riding mad scree slopes like this for Ridgeline VI: Kazakhstan are less frightening than being in stage it’s well out of my comfort zone,” he says “I mean I’m used to doing interviews and media stuff but this is just me on a stage and of course wondering if the content will be well received Although we’ve had a few people fainting at previous nights Gee greeted me warmly before roping me into helping manoeuvre the bikes into place on stage Being Gee Atherton’s roadie is now on my palmarès of greatest-ever cycling journalist moments centre stage for one of the best enduro bikes of 2024 Once everything was set up and sound check done Gee had headed off to his dressing room to prepare for Hold Fast the one-man show where he talks through his remarkable career: the story of his riding life his many infamous crashes and career-threatening and at times life-threatening injuries Before coming I’d heard people had fainted on other nights And having been at Gee’s show in Paisley the night before the audience seemed pretty diverse I ask Gee what he thought about the non-MTB people coming along and their reactions but that’s one of the best things about MTB and the talks I have been doing are not too sport-focused there’s lots of chat about growing up with Rachel and Dan (Atherton) family stuff even if you’re not a hardcore MTB fan,” he says but for some people in the audience it proved too much and they fainted “It’s a tricky one with people fainting the injury section is a big part of the talk as it’s been a big part of my life,” Gee adds “But it’s difficult to judge what’s ok to show we toned it down as much as we could without missing whole sections but it’s still caused quite a few people to feel rough or faint Sorry to these people and hopefully it’s not ruined their evening too much I’ve become a bit de-sensitised over time so maybe I showed too much.” Having interviewed Gee before and not long after his massive Knife Edge crash I agreed with the de-sensitised point but considering the severity of the crash and his Red Bull Rampage spill a year or so later the graphic content could have shown a lot worse – but for people watching Knife Edge for the first time it’s a pretty stomach-churning watch especially when Gee’s right there on stage talking about how life-threatening it was Gee Atherton builds line at Red Bull Rampage 2023 one that would put him out of action for the rest of the season | Red Bull Content Pool How close did you get to riding Rampage this yearn I ask I love the danger element and riders taking on such progressive lines they keep steering it away from the slope scene and keep it natural I think it needs to go more in the direction of the ungroomed big mountain lines rather than things becoming too built I’d have loved to be riding Rampage this year “I can’t wait for Hardline Australia I didn’t make it out there last year as was still laid up in the Halo – the Halo was the metal ring that screwed into my skull to keep my spine neck and skull aligned after the massive Rampage crash But the new Hardline looks like a fun track to ride it’s very cool to see Hardline expand.” Ronan Dunne participates at Red Bull Hardline in Maydena Bike Park And what about the current crop of youngsters coming through “There are some rippers for sure like Ronan Dunne and Jackson Goldstone to name a few it’s awesome to see them doing events like Red Bull Hardline alongside the World Cup downhill calendar.” Gee was showcasing his latest Ridgeline Kazakhstan edit during his tour and having seen it in Paisley previously I asked him if he thought the visually stunning film was the best so far or just a natural progression for the series I’m very stoked about how it came out the riding was almost a new style of riding for me a combination of free ride and big mountain skiing I think it’s our most progressive Ridgeline project so far and if I had to pick a favourite this would be it.” Gee Atherton’s latest Ridgeline VI: Kazakhstan So how did you end up in Kazakhstan as a location researching and hunting for not just new locations but locations that are unique and different to where we’ve been before I started looking into Kazakhstan and quickly realised this was an incredible spot with so many beautiful untouched locations that were completely different to what we’d seen before “The standout moment for me was towards the end of the trip We had been walking past the enormous peak for a few days in a row The more we looked at this impossible unrideable face the more I started to think there might be a line in it The lads used drones to scout a line as best we could one of them climbed around the back face with the bike and I scaled the front face I made it to the top having seen what I guessed would work as a line I ran through it in my head at the top and pictured every meter of this line The cameras started rolling and I dropped in I knew I had one chance at hitting this line so I had to go as hard as I could at it We noticed you riding flat pedals in the new edit and wanted to know if there was a specific reason “A few things but mostly due to the gnarly riding and the sketchy location Flat pedals and my Adidas Five Tens just made for a better combination than being clipped in There was also plenty of hike-a-bike and climbing for this one it was time for Gee to hit the stage and I took my place amongst the sold-out crowd and snapped Gee on stage During the interval Gee mingled happily with the crowd posing for pictures signing and happily answering questions much to the delight of his fans After the show was complete I had one more question I wondered what Gee thought about the genuine love people have for him and the audience comments about him retiring and staying safe “I appreciate everyone’s concern of course and understand no one likes seeing people get hurt so I’m conscious of being as calculated as I can Dropping into some of the bigger more blind lines in Kazakhstan I made sure I had taken as much of the unknown danger out as possible The more I can plan a line the less chance there is for something unexpected happening and this was a location you wouldn’t want to crash in Shooting with Gee Atherton for Ridgeline V in Switzerland Recovery Hub celebrates one year of serving local community  A hub which supports people on their journey to recovery from active addiction has celebrated its first birthday supporting more than 40 recovering people in its first year.  Recovery Hub, launched by Atherton Salvation Army and in association with Wigan Council’s drugs opened its doors in early 2024 operating as a drop-in at the church and charity’s community centre on George Street Operating once a week and providing people with the support Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm due to demand of the service from the local community.  church leader at The Salvation Army in Atherton said: “Recovery Hub has gone from strength to strength since its launch last year and demand was so high that we now run the hub twice a week offering hope and support to more people within the local community.” The community group is a peer-led safe space with likeminded individuals to share success stories lived experience and coping mechanisms when it comes to overcoming addiction The hub is facilitated by The Salvation Army which has origins rooted in providing spiritual support for people caught in addiction.  Captain Darron added: “The Recovery Hub is available for anyone in addiction or recovery whether that has been for a period of two days two years or longer and is an inclusive space for all stages of recovery allowing for healing and transformation.” The community led initiative starts with a welcome breakfast café for an hour from 10:00 am with The Salvation Army providing hot refreshments priced at 60 pence and bacon butties at £1.20 each The mixed-group session starts at 11:00 am for an hour and attendees are given the option to sit and listen or get involved with group discussion Help us to continue to be there for people in their hour of need Copyright © The Salvation Army 2025 The Salvation Army is a Christian church and registered charity in England (214779) Scotland (SC009359) and the Republic of Ireland (CHY6399) The Salvation Army Territorial Headquarters Jason Atherton announced the closure of his (then) flagship restaurant Pollen Street Social that restaurant was given a light do-over and replaced by grill restaurant Mary's There were originally plans to completely revamp the place and fully relaunch the restaurant earlier this year in a note that's been sent out to anyone who booked Mary's and that the site has been picked up by the Motcombs restaurant group That restaurant group are planning to relaunch the space as Motcombs Tavern It'll mean they now have a central London restaurant to replace their Belgravia branch which has now closed "Mary’s has been well received by guests and we were fortunate enough to receive amazing reviews from Grace Dent and Tom Parker-Bowles," said Jason of the decision we have decided the time is right to let go of this much-loved site accepting an offer from Motcombs Restaurants as we focus on the next chapter of The Social Company." long established as Atherton's cocktail bar (previously at Social Eating House) has moved to the big bar space that's above Mary's We'll bring you news about Motcombs Tavern as soon as we get it Thanks to Hot Dinners reader Hugh for spotting this.  Subscribe to hear the latest from Hot Dinners Please enable the javascript to submit this form By signing up you agree to our privacy policy The Atherton A.200.G gearbox bike broke cover last week but now the team behind it has released a video showcasing the behind the scenes Atherton A.200G gearbox downhill bike Credit: Atherton Bikes The Athertons have been involved in World Cup racing for over 20 years they and their team mechanics have always dreamed of running a belt-drive gearbox bike Now they’ve brought it to life with the A.200.G Rob Gow and deisgners Will Carne and Scott Aisthorpe managed to get a prototype up and running within a few months And the new video released on the Atherton’s YouTube channel shows the bike going from a titanium build plate to real-world testing The guts of the Atherton A.200G gearbox downhill bike It’s a pretty candid film and we love that it shows the process with input from riders and the lesser spotted members of a bike brand – the designers and engineers The bike is coming from a pretty refined starting point as it stands – the lugs and basic design principles have been in use for the last few seasons of racing the big challenges come from the use of the belt drive and the mid-pivot this is what mountain biking – particularly DH racing – is all about It’s about pushing the boundaries of bikes and continuously trying to develop the concepts that make riders go faster and tackle bigger Now we won’t ruin the video for you, so make sure you check it out on the Atherton YouTube channel or above athertonbikes.com The chef responds after igniting a sexism row Going Out | Restaurants The original conversation [in the Times] was about the Row on 5 team winning a Michelin star within a few months of opening I was asked if I had witnesses or seen sexism in the kitchen and my reply was to rebuff the question — I said that I hadn’t seen it or witnessed it I was then asked a second question: do I feel the industry has moved on from where it once was I said that the industry has come a long way — not just in sexism rightly or wrongly — and I don’t know if it is right or wrong I’m just a chef — have awards for the best female chefs This year there was one female chef to pick up a star from Michelin There’s always going to be people who have their opinions about these awards What I can say is that I am categorically and absolutely against sexism but I thought I’d answered those questions quite well The headline reads ‘I haven’t seen any sexism in the kitchen’ but I never said those words I categorically do not believe there isn’t sexism in the industry You’re talking about the Seventies and Eighties I was just a young man from the north of England with nothing: I didn’t pay attention to anything that was going on and if they came back from work and had experienced it I’d probably want to go down there and sort it out personally and I stand with every female in our industry Sexism is never acceptable under any circumstances and I’m really sorry for anyone who has been subjected to it I back every single female working in our industry: sexism is not acceptable in the workplace Central Cee becomes joint most-decorated rapper in Mobo Awards history The complete list of all of London’s Michelin-starred restaurants Gordon Ramsay merges restaurant arms as private equity firm invests I’ve defended my interview and I think for me that’s it I just want to go back to working in my kitchen and looking after my girls Updated 18/2/25 with statement from Atherton below In a stunningly tone-deaf interview with the Times top chef Jason Atherton has decided that sexism in Britain's restaurants can't or doesn't exist because he hasn't seen it has Atherton being asked whether women still experience sexism in Britain's kitchens I think there’s way too much focus on our industry because of that...I think there’s too much focus on the negative side of our industry rather than what is great like the fact that you can be any gender now in our industry and flourish." According to the chef last week's Michelin Guide "shows the diversity of what British chefs have become" We'll refer you to the photo below of the stage on Monday night following the reveal of this year's new stars Chef, social media star and cookbook author Poppy O'Toole who was referenced in the piece was quick to respond on Instagram saying; "It is disappointing to see a leader in our industry diminish the experiences of those who have spoken out openly about the sexism in the hospitality industry." Her response was echoed by many female chefs in the comments: "The newest Michelin guide is an emblem of diversity??? Ohhhhh in a man's world yes." - Stosie Madi Very unfine words from one of the usual suspects "He was the one who asked me on live tv “ if I knew how to turn the hob on "What a completely excellent response @poppy_cooks Jason later issued a statement on his Instagram page (which you can read in full here) which addresses the story "During that interview I was asked a question about sexism in our industry which caught me off guard "I didn't feel it was my place to answer that question myself and tried to move onto another topic by simply saying I hadn't witnessed any sexism however those few comments have been taken out of context and used in the headline." Atherton's interview completes a week in which Michelin felt compelled to feature a mini film as part of its star reveal last Monday focusing on female chefs who had won a Michelin star in previous years (maybe because they were already thinking of the optics of the above picture) Wouldn't it be great if they could instead recognise more female chefs with stars instead And if male chefs could recognise that they're the last ones who should be making pronouncements about sexism in restaurant kitchens 23-Apr-2025 Last updated on 23-Apr-2025 at 09:29 GMT Hot Dogs by Three Darlings has already been replaced by a Harrods-operated caviar bar that promises guests ‘a new level of indulgence’ Caviar Bar offers a menu that includes a £75 lobster cocktail with 10g of Baeri caviar; fried thinly-sliced potatoes with 10g of Oscietra caviar; and a club sandwich that combines smoked salmon and sour cream with 20g of Baeri caviar It’s also possible to order 15g of Baeri served directly onto your hand with a twist of black pepper for £15 Hot Dogs by Three Darling launched last summer It was one of five new London restaurant concepts launched by the high-profile chef - who also operates Row on Five Sael London and Three Darlings - over the last 12 months Created by Atherton and his chef at Row on Five Spencer Metzger the toppings and the dogs themselves were inspired by global destinations with options including the Souk’ Dog (made with lamb topped with harissa tahini yoghurt and coriander); and The Texican Flesty ‘n’ Fiery (beef sausage with guacamole chipotle mayonnaise and crunchy tortilla chips) although at launch it was possible to spend £52 on a single hot dog by adding a grating of truffle to the Battersea Banger hot dog which was designed in partnership with model David Gandy Hot Dogs by Three Darlings was part of a wave of new gourmet hot dogs to launch last year. Jason Atherton: “I’ve opened 37 restaurants, but this is the scariest one”09-Sep-2024By Stefan ChomkaWith five London restaurant projects coming online in as many months, including his most ambitious to date, the chef and restaurateur is embarking on the busiest period of his career. Latest opening: Hot Dogs by Three Darlings16-Aug-2024By Joe LutrarioJason Atherton and Spencer Metzger are breathing new life into the gourmet hot dog category with this deftly executed and reassuringly expensive Harrods concession. The chef took to Instgram to offer an apology for his comments Asked whether women today experience sexism in Britain’s kitchens I think there’s way too much focus on our industry because of that.” Among those to respond to the piece was chef Poppy O’Toole, who wrote in a post: “It is disappointing to see a leader in our industry diminish the experiences of those who have spoken out openly about the sexism in the hospitality industry. Speaking on my experiences in Michelin-starred kitchens I’ve had an employer grab my arse at a public event tell me what sexual positions they’d want me in in front of my entire team who remained silent and then continue to send sexual propositions out of work hours I have shared the previous messages I received from women in and out of the industry Let their stories be enough reason to be better.” Exclusive: Jason Atherton responds to sexism row O’Toole’s comments have garnered more than 24,000 likes since they were posted on February 17, and hundreds of comments. Many include high-profile chefs and hospitality staff sharing similar experiences of sexist behaviour Atherton yesterday took to Instagram to offer an apology “I would like to put the record straight regarding the interview published in yesterday’s [the Times] I do not condone sexism in the industry or anywhere “My family is all women except for me — my wife and three young growing daughters so sexism couldn’t be further from my world view.” Atherton also spoke directly to the Standard, penning a piece where he insinuated his comments were blown out of proportion, writing: “I am categorically and absolutely against sexism, 100 per cent, and I will not tolerate it.” O’Toole was one of the first to respond to Atherton’s post writing “It definitely seemed as though you were doubling down on it with the number of comments about sexism no longer being an issue and yourself then sharing the article on your stories saying ‘Thank you very much @thetimes for the wonderful article!’ “But thank you for clarifying that this was a mistake and not what you meant It may be worth reading the hundreds of comments on my post which highlight that it is still very much an issue and as a leader in the industry it is your responsibly to look inwards as well as not speak on the behalf of women But it is appreciated that you have gone back on what you’ve said and hopefully from this point on will continue to be vocal in pushing for change in the industry even when under the pressure of difficult questions.” Atherton received a number of other responses While some derided his line of reasoning — “I can’t be sexist because I have a wife and daughters really isn’t the argument you think it is” wrote one commentator — others were quick to praise the longstanding chef “You are a pillar of the industry” said Thomas Leatherbarrow Register  Login The restaurant was one of several London projects launched by Atherton’s Social Company last year Jason Atherton’s Hot Dogs by Three Darlings pop-up at Harrods has finished its run after eight months The restaurant launched in Harrods food hall last July and served gourmet hot dogs inspired by flavours from around the world Diners sat around a 25-seat counter and could also order fries A statement on the Harrods website said: “Having served thousands of ’haute dogs’ to customers over the past eight months Hot Dogs by Three Darlings has completed its final service and is now permanently closed.” The restaurant was one of several London projects launched by Atherton’s Social Company group over the past year These included Three Darlings bistro on Chelsea’s Pavilion Road British restaurant Sael at St James’ Market headed up by Great British Menu champion of champions Spencer Metzger Row on 5 went straight into the Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland with one star this year while both Sael and Three Darlings are included in its listings Atherton closed his Mayfair restaurant Pollen Street Social in March 2024 after 13 years and relaunched it as more casual concept Mary’s. However, Mary’s has closed and the site has been taken over by Motcombs Restaurants Sign Up Jacobs Media is a company registered in England and Wales Atherton’s new S.200 downhill bike could be the best application yet of its aluminium design Atherton has a new DH bike out: made from high end aluminium glued together in North Wales and raced by Geeman himself at Hardline it’s got to be one of the most desirable downhill rigs we’ve seen this year Atherton Bikes’ S.200 has been tested at Dyfi Bike Park by the Athertons But with weight less important on a downhill bike than any other category that could make it a proper ‘budget’ shredder Atherton’s built the new S.200 as a park bike CNC’s lugs on the shorter-travel S.170 bike: the new downhill bike uses the same bonding technology Atherton started out with its A-series bikes which are incredible pieces of engineering Using a Renishaw 3D printer to build up the flagship bike’s titanium lugs and hardware took the best part of a day meaning at most the brand could make 300 bikes a year To scale up the process Atherton dropped the Ti additive components and replaced them with machined aluminium pieces that could be bonded into double lap shear joints – basically that means the material overlaps and reduces stress points And without the need to weld the bike together Atherton could turn to high end 7075 aluminium stronger than conventional alloy but notoriously tricky to weld A machined one-piece back end is bolted together The claims are that 7075 has 70% higher fatigue performance and 70% higher ultimate tensile strength (UTS) compared to  6061 alloy The S.200 also gets a more basic DW suspension design than the top end carbon and titanium bikes in the Atherton range The AM bikes use a more tuneable but more expensive DW6 layout featuring an extra link behind the BB area and pivots on the chainstays Cutting that out is naturally going to chip into the final price for Atherton customers Atherton says the new bike has a “‘chuck it in the van and go’ vibe,” which means they’re billing it as a rugged, bike park rig that’ll go on taking abuse no matter how many jumps you case. The brand also says it “feels poppy but super-forgiving,” something that wouldn’t surprise me given just how well damped but playful the Atherton AM.170 M1 felt on test.  Atherton says there are three builds to pick from and there’a a frame and shock option too at £2,799 (€2785 which uses a RockShox Vivid Base Shock and Boxxer Base fork Build 2 ups the suspension level with a Fox 40 fork and DHX 2 Performance shock Stans Flow EX3 wheels with Conti Kryptotal DH tyes Gee raced the new bike on the world’s toughest downhill track It’s a pretty smart move having Gee race the new bike at Hardline it shows that even the toughest downhill track in the world is no match for the S.200… or perhaps Gee Atherton himself “I was absolutely blown away by how the S.200 handled the Red Bull Hardlinecourse and the confidence it gave me,” Gee said about the new bike at Hardline “Knowing how strong the bike is meant I could be really brave on it It felt like a really good all-round bike and that showed up in its ability to be within a couple of % of the winning pace….but it’s probably my new favourite bike to ride in the park too designed for some extra pop and sharper handling Some of my best days riding this winter have been on this bike!” Designed to be much simpler and cheaper to manufacture than the high-tech 3D-printed models Atherton Bikes' new S170 offers the same comprehensive size range Atherton Bikes moves so fast that loads has happened since the brand’s first aluminium bike – the S170 – first appeared in the spring One of the biggest changes being a move down the road to a new facility where it can really ramp-up production and potentially glue together thousands of aluminium S bikes a year – if demand is there The Atherton S170 is a truly unique-looking prospect with the construction method very much front-and-centre when it comes to the aesthetics I’ve written before about how the flagship carbon A-series Atherton frame are so complex and time consuming to make there’s a ceiling of 300 a year running just one Renishaw 3D printer to lay down the titanium lugs and hardware and using slotted machined aluminium pieces to hold main frame tubes not only gives the S-series its subtractive name it means a big chunk of the work can also be subcontracted out to improve cost and efficiency 7075 alloy tubes are bonded into double lap shear joints at the machined lugs That means the tube is bonded both inside and out to the lug What’s key is that the brand identity and instant recognition remain intact with the metal frames retaining the signature unique look and philosophy The bonded construction model in both materials using different tubular sections affords loads of sizes but the cost can be considerably less in aluminium and the simpler frame should be even more rugged and reliable and the two models available so far also use a more basic DW suspension layout to save further cash and complexity Like all its bikes, Atherton’s S170 is not only made in Machynlleth in Wales, it’s tested just up the road at the Athertons’s own bike park – Dyfi It’s not exactly a bad way to do things either driving five minutes from your HQ to a world class spot to test out new bikes The S170 takes direct inspiration from the A170 that was Dyfi’s main trail sculptor Dan Atherton’s personal bike project and manages to present something of the same low-slung look while using an older DW design rather than the more tuneable DW6 layout that has an extra link behind the BB area and pivots on the chainstays there should be an Atherton S170 to suit every rider You can read loads more about the S170’s build philosophy here and how it is being made from stronger 7075 T6 aluminium that isn’t suitable for welding and follows the lead of the carbon version in terms of geometry and sizing Atherton makes a big deal about finding the perfect fit so S frames are offered in 12(!) sizes that grow in reach in 10mm increments from 405mm up to 515mm while chainstays are size-specific too (to a degree) The bolted-together rear triangle extends from 430mm on the smallest four sizes What’s also cool is the S170 rotating seat tubes on bigger sizes so the effective seat angle goes from 76.6° to 78.6° to compensate for taller riders having more seatpost sticking out (and tilting back) The aluminium chassis uses a standard threaded BB and a SRAM UDH derailleur mount for ease of servicing and parts sourcing but Atherton Bikes could spec a longer dropper post As well as being sent through some of the biggest jump lines in Europe the S170 is also tested independently at EFBE in Germany for fatigue it passed the rigorous Cat 5 (downhill) standard but one thing that’s changed since the bike I rode in the spring is the seat tower junction being beefed up which proves that despite how much testing you do out in the real world brands are continually learning; in this case from a few frames in the wild that had an issue even though the S170 has tons of brute strength and a DH-rating it doesn’t come at the expense of a tuned ride feel The aluminium chassis went through multiple rounds of prototyping to try and match the A170’s flex characteristics (especially in the rear triangle) This latest version is quite flexible to touch; you can even twist by hand the L-shaped seat stay that hides the rear cables on its inside edge when handling the frame on its own While the A bikes use a 6-bar DW-Link design the Atherton S170 gets a simpler twin-link DW4 layout A couple of points stand out in terms of looks The squared-off cage that cradles the shock at the lower end and BB junction is pretty funky and there are also more angular and sizeable lugs/joints here compared to the A-series carbon bikes Frame protection and chainstay padding is less substantial than many similar competitors too I did notice a tiny amount of bonding agent visible in places where it oozes out of the frame’s lap shear joints that sandwich the tubes Atherton Bikes has spent a long time tuning the ride feel of the frame to get the characteristics it desires there’s RockShox Ultimate or budget suspension I also tested a special ‘Team Edition’ set-up built around the frame-only with Fox Factory-level suspension plugged into the S170’s DW-Link frame that’s right; while the A-series bikes use a 6-bar DW6 configuration that’s unique to Atherton the short twin-links here are the same DW-Link design that’s been around for decades and used by Pivot Ibis and others (remember the Iron Horse Sunday?) The Fox-equipped bike Mick rode felt better optimised than the RoxkShox model Atherton is unusual in being guarded about what these details actually entail and doesn’t publish the usual graphs and charts showing leverage rates anti-squat and anti-rise that most other brands do it turns out the suspension curves and pivot point set-up is done directly by Dave Weagle (the inventor of the DW Link) himself Both the lower link and upper triangulated rocker link rotate in the same direction and drive a Trunnion mount shock that’s 205mm long and has a 65mm stroke I used a 550lb spring on the Fox DHX2 and around 100psi in the Fox 38 fork none of the S bikes compromise on tyres or brakes with excellent Hayes Dominions that have tons of power and a light lever feel but there are still a few weird bits and pieces here such as a 180mm rear rotor and shorter-than-possible dropper post (especially considering the seat tube is totally uninterrupted so nothing in theory is stopping running something longer) The frame also comes with water bottle bosses and has decent tyre clearance No one will miss you riding an Atherton S170 In order to put the S170 through its paces with a relevant reference point and because Atherton weren’t keen on directly comparing with the more expensive A170 I took a Propain Spindrift I’ve been testing down to Dyfi we conveniently both weigh almost exactly the same so it was easy to switch back and forth and ride the same tracks without having to adjust anything Propain’s latest Spindrift was used as a comparison benchmark but the basic ‘super-enduro and bike park’ remit is the same and Propain sells carbon models with equivalent specifications for much the same cash as Atherton The Spindrift frame also costs less on its own the two bikes are wildly different in how they go about things so how does that translate in terms of ride quality No place like home – the Atherton S170 in its natural habitat sharp inclines at Dyfi when switching about between tracks and zones on the mountain where I would crank uphill or sprint along the flat that I got a decent feel for pedalling manners Built to last – the cat 5 frame rating is backed up by a lifetime guarantee It’s almost unfair to directly compare the S170 to Propain’s Spindrift as that latter is lighter and also one of the most efficient and neutral-pedalling long travel enduro bikes I’ve tested despite being almost 1.5kg heavier at 17.4kg Atherton’s DW Link has a pedalling action that’s direct and each crank stroke transfers power into drive at the rear tyre without bogging down in the mid-stroke or pulsing excessively as the cranks turnover as 170mm bikes go (especially with the ease in which the back tyre gets out of the way of bumps and obstacles while climbing) I’d rate the S170’s pedalling as perfectly acceptable and even at the slightly more efficient side of things compared to many big travel rivals When the light catches the S170’s alloy frame The aluminium bike’s extra weight is noticeable to pull uphill but after trying the bike with both Enduro/Soft Conti tyres and DH/Super Soft the tyres make a bigger difference in terms of rolling speed my choice would still be to suck up the extra resistance in favour of greater grip considering this is a bike that’s clearly optimised for the kind of riding Dan Atherton and the Dyfi get up to Specifically ‘race-pace laps to braking bumps It’s this kind of riding that this bike was born to do and its descending performance and character in this department couldn’t be more different from the Propain Where the German rig calms everything down and stays so balanced there’s almost an aloof and detached vibe the S170 offers a really visceral and direct connection to trail features and terrain Point and shoot – the S170 is more dynamic than its 17.4kg weight would suggest The S-170’s coil-sprung rear end is pretty smooth off-the-top and the bike seems to move and pulse to the rhythm of the trail being eager to dip in and out of the shock’s stroke I found this was still the case even when I dialled in more low and high-speed compression damping The RockShox Super Deluxe bike I tested previously was arguably slightly over-damped and my guess that the S170 had been tested and set-up with a Fox shock still holds water after riding that combo where everything is duller and more controlled in comparison This sensation does make the S170 very exciting to ride and there’s an impression of impressive tracking at the back tyre The MX-wheeled bike is also really reactive and fast turning so I could chuck it around like a shorter travel bike Chris and I both agreed that the Spindrift is much less hectic and more muted when riding faster but also that it sits a lot higher in its travel and rides like it has a taller BB so it’s gives less confidence when tipping from side-to-side and slashing through linked turns The S170 also has a more rearward weight bias that had both of us swinging off the back a bit so there will be a bit of rider preference as to what kind of feel you’re after One negative of the S170 being eager to move through its travel and munch bumps is that this plushness can lead to the back tyre drifting away and breaking traction it shifts further back mid-turn or while carving up a lip face the Propain always kept my rider weight higher and more neutral but it didn’t have the same feeling of springiness or the ability to load it up and bounce off long lip faces and berms I read back through my first impressions of the S170 and while it feels quite different with the more active Fox shock (with the same spring rate as the RockShox I tried) I stand by what I said about the aluminium Atherton feeling like a race car with a bucket seat and my bum skimming the deck A sensation will only get stronger with a 27.5in wheel up front and a 26in wheel out back – a configuration that the brand suggests is possible for pure park rats There’s a real stiffness and solidity at the S170 front end and it feels like the frame has most of its compliance between the BB and the rear axle it’s still not as smooth and doesn’t isolate from small bumps and chatter as well as the high-end A170 I’ve tested but it’s arguably easier to access a more intense and engaging ride experience than it is on the Propain – a bike that I really needed to charge on to fully light up The S170 conjures up the memories of an old-school DH bike in some ways It has a load of travel I could definitely feel working and it’s a bike that’s fun to chuck around that really connected me to whatever I was riding It reminded me of riding in old Vans shoes in terms of how low I felt and the level of feedback coming through the bike where the nimble handling meant it could dart about way more reactively than the complete bike weight suggests The low BB/rearward stance had me swinging off the back a bit though and some riders will prefer a less dynamic ride that's calmer and more stable the S170 has a totally unique feel that stands out from the crowd Jason Atherton was just 14 when he set his sights on working in a Michelin-starred restaurant with a career that has seen him open almost 40 restaurants he’s just won his latest Michelin star at Row on 5 making the eatery one of the fastest in the UK to achieve such a feat The 28-seat fine dining flagship restaurant in London’s Mayfair opened just seven weeks ago But in 1985 in the small seaside town of Skegness in Lincolnshire accolades of this kind seemed a distant possibility who was working at Raymond Blanc’s restaurant Le Manoir gave him a copy of the French chef’s cookbook that everything changed The Atherton Collieries unbeaten away record against the teams at the top of the Northern Premier League Division One league ladder continued with a hard fought 0-0 draw against Vauxhall Motors a first black & whites visit to the vanEUPEN Arena since 2000 the scoreline very fairly reflected a great defensive performance from both outfits Calen Gallagher-Allison and Toby Oliver once again outlining their credentials for Colls whilst former Stripe Adam Rooney likewise enjoyed a solid game for the Motormen Credit must also go to Vauxhall stopper Alex Swindell who produced three top drawer saves in the first half to keep the Collieries at bay a powerful Ethan Kershaw blast and a low Kielen Adams effort The second half saw fewer attempts on goal for both sides cancelled out by Michael Clegg’s men who are flying high in the form table as they looked to lay down a marker for next season with well-travelled veteran Kevin Ellison proving an unsurprising late threat from the Motors bench but not one Calen Gallagher-Allison couldn’t handle The best chance of the game fell to Aaron Dwyer after Gallagher-Allison dispossessed former Collsmon Josh Solomon-Davies to tee up the inform goal getter but the striker’s powerful effort from ten yards could only find the backside of a Motors defender Praise must go again to the lively Colls following who supported their heroes with impeccable enthusiasm all evening The club really appreciates their continuing commitment.  The Collieries have the first of two remaining home matches next weekend as Bootle travel to the Dreams2Reality Stadium on Saturday The Black & Whites have this week also announced their decision to open the clubhouse throughout the week for all locals looking to enjoy an alcoholic Atherton took all three points from league leaders Widnes following a thrilling 2-0 win at the Halton Stadium to remain within a point of escaping the drop zone It was a positive start from both teams as they both created plenty of chances throughout the first Sharif Deans had the first shot of the game after some good football by Widnes Collieries best chance of the half came through Matty Bryan who crossed into the box before curling just wide of the post after collecting the rebound Aaron Dwyer floated a perfect ball in from a corner which allowed Calen With the celebrations yet to subside, Collieries doubled their lead within moments through a powerful shot across goal from Scott Bakkor giving the Stripes a comfortable margin ahead of the interval Alex Doyle and Calen Gallagher all impressed throughout as the Colls became the first team to claim a clean sheet in Halton this campaign The second half showed nothing much to separate the two teams leaving the pitch with a hard-earned three points Atherton thinks so...Are gearboxes the future of downhill MTBs Atherton thinks so...Hands-on with 2025's most exciting mountain bike Atherton’s interest in a belt-driven downhill bike started six years ago in co-founder Dan Atherton’s caravan but it wasn’t until August 2024 that the brand began pursuing the project seriously.  Five intensive months of development and testing later, the A.200.G was released to the world – and boy did it make a splash.  The Atherton A.200.G eschews derailleurs in place of a gearbox and belt drive – tech that many commentators believe is the future of mountain biking.  Built specifically for Charlie Hatton – the 2023 downhill mountain biking world champion – to race at Hardline Australia and through this year’s world cups Atherton invited BikeRadar and MBUK to its factory in Machynlleth, Wales, for an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at 2025’s most talked about downhill bike, and to learn why the brand is investing in gearboxes and belt drives Although the Atherton A.200.G is an evolution of the brand’s previous downhill bike explains this shift is a bold one: “We’ve taken the bike Charlie won the World Championships on and said ‘No We’re gonna get rid of that and we’re going to do something completely different But why risk messing with what is clearly a winning formula?  Gearboxes are claimed to offer many benefits, especially on downhill bikes While a gearbox generally weighs more than a derailleur drivetrain this isn’t a concern on a downhill bike.  In fact, Hatton was strapping 500g of lead around the bottom bracket of his previous race bike to improve performance (a practice some brands, including Orange A gearbox sits where a typical bottom bracket shell would so the additional weight is ideally placed adding weight to the rear triangle and anything mounted to it including the wheel) impacts suspension performance Reducing unsprung weight results in a more sensitive suspension system.  With no derailleur or cassette at the rear of the bike using a gearbox can improve the sprung-to-unsprung weight ratio of a bike.  more reliable than a derailleur system.  the gear mechanism is protected inside a metal housing There is also no derailleur hanging off the back wheel where it’s at risk of race-run-ruining damage.  Gearboxes can also enable you to shift gears without pedalling but Hatton says it offers genuine advantages on the track: “There’s limited time for gear shifts in a straight and I need to be in the right gear While mid-air shifts may be useful to an elite rider such as Hatton mere mortals had more prosaic concerns about the gearboxes of old which struggled to shift under load and generally used GripShift-style shifters Pinion has largely eliminated these concerns with its electronic SmartShift tech which offers near-instantaneous shifts with a conventionally shaped trigger shifter.  A gearbox and – in the case of the A.200.G – the belt drive that powers it is generally less efficient than a chain and derailleur.  Reporting seen by BikeRadar suggests a 4 to 5 per cent efficiency loss with the Pinion system rather than full sprints – where the loss is said to be less Either way, Gow explains this isn’t a concern for downhill racing.  Even at a 5 per cent loss in efficiency, this shouldn’t make a marked difference in a sprint, compared to a trail bike or XC bike with the benefits outweighing any drawbacks.  Gow claims “you get efficiency gains at that peak point of a finish line sprint” Gates made headlines when it announced its Gates Belted Purse prize fund To grow interest in its system and add a little jeopardy to the race calendar Gates announced that the first elite-level rider to win a UCI downhill race on a Gates-equipped bike would win €100,000 this is tempting – it would generate headlines and any rider would love to win the biggest prize fund in cycling But that’s not why Atherton opted for a belt drive.  In our review of the Atherton AM 130.1 tester Luke Marshall described the DW6 linkage used on the bike as “the new benchmark” for suspension performance This Dave Weagle-designed 6-bar linkage was used on the previous A200 but has seen a slight revision for the A200G with the main lower linkage sitting higher in the chassis than previously an integral part of Atherton’s design team had a concept for a mid-pivot version of the DW 6 linkage that makes the rear wheel’s axle path near vertical in the most active portion of the bike’s suspension travel Rob Gow explains; “The benefit of that being your wheelbase isn’t changing as you’re pumping through a corner so the grip therefore is maintained evenly between your two tyre contact points "This takes the existing race bike to a new level.” It may have been possible to utilise this design with a conventional drivetrain.  However, Gow says the packaging requirements of the pivot placement and drivetrain would have required a more complex drivetrain, potentially including a dual-chain or dual-idler setup, as seen on the Pivot Phoenix enabling Atherton to use smaller Gates sprockets ensuring the mid-pivot architecture can be used Add in the shifting and weight-distribution benefits of the Pinion gearbox and the reliability and durability of the Gates but these are no normal aluminium bikes: made from 7075 alloy the frames are slotted together with tubes and lugs gets 150mm travel and is the most affordable bike yet from the Machynlleth brand… although at £4,499 isn’t what you’d call entry level The S.150 uses the same aluminium design we first saw on the longer travel S.170 when it launched earlier this year where 7075 aluminium tubes are bonded into CNCd lugs This helps drop the price from the carbon bikes Atherton started with which can only be 3D printed and in batches of 300 a year Update: Atherton has just told us its bike weights complete builds will start from 16.0kg in the smallest size That’s heavy for a trail bike and makes the S.150 heavier even than the latest enduro bikes we’ve tested The suspension tune is lighter than that of the S.170 it’s designed to be more nimble and less of a park bike The flagship Atherton S.150 1 gets Fox Factory suspension The distinctive DW4 suspension design is easy to spot on the Atherton S.150’s back end it’s simpler than the DW6 but less tuneable Details on the bike are as yet pretty slim but we do know it delivers 150mm travel through the same DW4 suspension design as the S.170 That’s one of Dave Weagle’s older 4-bar DW-Link designs which is presumably cheaper to make than the more tuneable DW6 on Atherton AM bikes It’s easy to spot with a more normal looking triangular swingarm Why bother with a lug and tube design at all when you can just weld aluminium together though Atherton Bikes says this lets it use 7075 aluminium rather than the more common 6061 The CNC’d lugs included the head tube allow alloy tubes to be slotted and bonded in place the brand backs up that claim with a lifetime warranty on the frame for the first owner The frame’s have all passed the Cat 5 EFBE testing for enduro riding “but more importantly the Atherton field-testing which encompasses the toughest bike park trails in the UK and plenty of off-piste gems UK and uses the same state-of-the-art technology as the bomb-proof S.170 which launched in March this year,” the press release says using lug and tube construction andAtherton’s bonding technology (patent pending).” “From the beginning of Atherton Bikes’life as a company we knew we wanted to make a range of bikes that could be ridden by kids pushing up at their local woods or up to the heights of theWorld Cup podium,” Rachel Atherton says “We love the S.150; Brownie’s son Sennen has been one of our testers he’s already taken a few wins in his first races onboard theS.150 then I finish with a couple of wild and fast descents at the Bike Park I’ve already clocked up some of the best days riding I’ve had in years; this bike goes so well!” Atherton Bikes latest teaser video hints at a new A.200G A short teaser video has appeared on the Athertons’ YouTube channel offering glimpses of what looks like a gearbox downhill frame project Entitled ‘A.200G – Something’s cooking!’ the social video reveals a fresh set of titanium lugs coming out of the additive manufacturing printer and being bonded to a carbon tubes with a DW6 suspension design carbon and titanium suspension bike run-of-the-mill Where it gets interesting is a shot of an engineer walking downstairs carrying a black box Then follows a blurry shot of a large additive manufactured part with a mounting pattern for a motor or a gearbox and a blank used for testing fit and tolerance stamped A.200G Now this could be Atherton Bikes working on an e-bike and the relative lack of space for a battery in a tubular down tube we suspect it’s more likely to be a gearbox bike as 200 in Atherton Bikes convention means 200mm travel This could be a blank for testing tolerances That doesn’t mean that Atherton Bikes couldn’t produce an e-bike with an external battery, as Cotic has done with the unconventional Rocket but given that Gates Belt Drive has offered a cool €100k to anyone who wins a World Cup Downhill race with a belt drive (the Gates Belted Purse competition) we think this is all the incentive needed to start playing around with gearbox prototypes This large BB lug has a six-point mounting on it for attaching something drivetrain-related Just look at Intense with its prototype Pinion/Gates equipped M1 on display at Eurobike last summer. Sadly for Elenora Farina of the MS Racing Intense team, who won the Les Gets round of the World Cup on last year, she did it on a bike with a conventional chain and derailleur. Maybe 2025 will be the year that someone – such as Charlie Hatton – scoops up that purse Charlie Hatton on the Atherton A.200G prototype DH bike A further teaser post on the Athertons’ Instagram account includes an image of Charlie Hatton riding the A.200G gearbox prototype It’s unclear whether the image has been Photoshopped to remove the belt drive or whether it’s tucked behind the chainstay and out of sight the new A.200G looks like it’ll be a high with a more rearward axle path than the current DH race bike Judging by the single cable at the shifter this looks like the Pinion Ci gearbox that uses electronic shifting – cable-shift Pinion designs use a dual cable system The Ci unit has an E-Trigger shifter that’s far superior to the twist-grip design found on other Pinion units being more ergonomic and requiring less effort A post shared by Atherton Bikes (@athertonbikes) gearbox is that it’s possible to shift while not pedalling so racers can coast into a section and pre-select the correct gear to pedal out of a corner Something that could be an advantage on certain downhill tracks Equally there’s less chance of destroying a drivetrain by clipping a tree And centralising the weight of the drivetrain may have benefits when it comes to improving the stability of the chassis and the suspension performance there is more drag and friction with a gearbox and there can be limits on shifting under high torque loads – fortunately that’s less of a concern for downhill racers With the recent news that Reece Wilson will also be racing with a Pinion gearbox and Gates belt drive-equipped Gamux in 2025 the battle to claim Gates’ €100k bonus is well and truly heating up echoing the success of its cousin in Dubai You do not become Jason Atherton – 16 restaurants worldwide occasional HR controversy – without an eye for detail Row on 5 is a temple to sourcing the best that money can buy from the glassware to the cutlery to the turbot [See also: Fairmont Monte Carlo jostles for pole position] Atherton turned to German illumination specialist Occhio Occhio has gone from darling of the design world to global luxury light powerhouse three of its signature Mito sospeso models – LED rings suspended from the ceiling – are lowered silently by what the Occhio website calls an ‘ingenious roll-up mechanism’ [See also: Best luxury travel companies] I am briefly reminded of the London Olympics opening ceremony and the event acquires a new intimacy as waiters pour champagne and present four snacks of caviar The reflection of the rings shimmers in the glassware where more Mito pendants descend to illuminate our meal The staircase is decorated with a large installation of Occhio’s signature designs in which a small sphere glows within a larger sphere ‘The lights coming down is a welcoming gesture,’ she explains [See also: Best restaurants in Mayfair] ‘When you’re thinking about how you feel in a space your skin is the best indicator for your brain to understand whether it’s a healthy environment or not,’ Neumann adds ‘Colour temperature plays an important role you don’t have shadows and you reflect the warm Like any of the other thousand details that add up to a great restaurant experience beautiful lighting is mostly something the customer appreciates without realising [See also: American centi-millionaires and billionaires lead charge in securing London’s most prestigious real estate in 2024] One diner was so impressed by the lighting that he took more drastic action ‘One of our regulars was doing up his house,’ Atherton says but he liked ours so much that he took them all out and put these in instead.’ It’s not only that this is the best lighting for a restaurant; the restaurant is the best showroom for the lights This letter first appeared in Spear’s Magazine Issue 95. Click here to subscribe Atherton Collieries will aim to put further daylight between themselves and the relegation zone when City of Liverpool visit the Dreams2Reality Stadium on Friday night The Colls issued another significant statement as to their credentials last time out as Danny Lafferty Aaron Dwyer and Tom Bentham each got on the scoresheet in a 4-0 dismantling of a Trafford team who were previously five unbeaten having won four of those matches That result saw Michael Clegg’s men climb out of the bottom four once more and with this latest round of fixtures seeing them play ahead of the majority of the league the gap to 19th-placed Kidsgrove Athletic would (at least until Saturday evening) grow to six points with another win here.  are already far more certain as to what their fate will be come the end of the season with a 2-0 defeat at Newcastle Town last weekend officially marking their relegation from the Northern Premier League Division One West.  That confirmation compounded what has been a difficult campaign for City of Liverpool who have so far collected 15 points from 34 games played The most recent of those victories came against fellow strugglers Hanley Town back in early January with the nine games since having yielded just a single point Some may be inclined to pencil this one in as a relatively routine home win but if November’s reverse meeting between these two sides is anything to go by it could well prove anything but Colls were ultimately able to emerge victorious from that game but only after surrendering a 3-0 lead and needing an 85th minute winner to definitively settle things in a seven-goal thriller A more stress-free route to victory this time around would likely be appreciated by Cleggy and Co. but with this representing a big chance to potentially pull further clear of any danger three points would be very much welcome however they may arrive For those planning on attending Friday’s fixture entry will be available via our cash and card turnstiles Accompanied Under 11s/1916 Club members: Free We use some essential cookies to make this website work We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK remember your settings and improve government services We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services You have accepted additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time You have rejected additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports Prolific company director Neville Taylor has been disqualified for nine years  who is listed as a director of more than 400 companies was paid by Atherton Corporate (UK) Ltd to replace the directors of 12 companies which had ceased trading but had not entered liquidation Taylor made little or no attempt to verify information relating to their affairs breaching his duties as a company director and subverting the insolvency system in the process More than £7.6 million in assets across the 12 companies could not be accounted for at the date of insolvency A key figure in a scheme designed to undermine the insolvency system has been banned as a company director for nine years was paid more than a quarter of a million pounds by Atherton Corporate (UK) Ltd to become the sole director of more than 400 companies Taylor’s disqualification means he will have to step down as director of at least 196 companies from his correspondence address of Bridge Street He will also no longer be able to act as director of more than 250 companies with correspondence addresses in Telford Director of Investigation and Enforcement Services at the Insolvency Service Neville Taylor hampered efforts by liquidators to identify assets caused a widespread loss to creditors and breached his duties as a director to act in the best interest of the companies and creditors He also accepted that his conduct was part of a scheme designed to subvert and undermine insolvency legislation Taylor made inadequate attempts to identify and locate millions of pounds of assets or to make himself aware of the companies’ trading he was paid by Atherton Corporate (UK) Ltd to enable this scheme we are making it clear that we will not tolerate those who avoid their legal duties as directors or seek to enable phoenixism Taylor was disqualified for his conduct as director of the following 12 companies:   Abode D&B Ltd   Bryanston Logistics Limited   Kiln Garden Ltd   M&G Olympic Products Limited   Necto Build Ltd   Prestek Services Ltd   Rohani Limited   S Consult Ltd   Stoke Park Developments Ltd   Swagger Home Furnishings Ltd   Tier One IT Ltd   Woden Park Limited   filed accounts at Companies House and traded in sectors such as construction IT and water treatment before they ran into financial difficulties Taylor became sole director of the companies at various points between April 2022 and March 2023 after they had ceased trading but before they entered liquidation Insolvency Service analysis of bank statements revealed Taylor was paid £266,914 by Atherton Corporate (UK) Ltd to perform this role The companies had combined assets of £8,278,912 according to their final filed accounts By the time the companies entered liquidation with Taylor at the helm their estimated assets stood at only £676,169 Stoke Park Developments and Swagger Home Furnishings Assets of under £1,000 were identified for each of Abode D&B The Secretary of State for Business and Trade accepted a disqualification undertaking from Taylor The undertaking prevents him from being involved in the promotion Atherton Corporate (UK) Ltd was liquidated in the public interest in August 2024 along with connected company Atherton Corporate Rescue Limited three of which listed Taylor as a director were also shut down after they supported the scheme by buying the distressed companies and appointing new directors Neville Taylor’s correspondence address is Bridge Street Abode D&B Ltd (company number 12548723)   Bryanston Logistics Limited (company number 10551950)   Kiln Garden Ltd (company number 11599358)   M&G Olympic Products Limited (company number 03589140)   Necto Build Ltd (company number 13386857)   Prestek Services Ltd (company number 04543700)   Rohani Limited (company number 07907263)   S Consult Ltd (company number 08846665)   Stoke Park Developments Ltd (company number 11721246)   Swagger Home Furnishings Ltd (company number 11799251)   Tier One IT Ltd (company number 12399463) Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details Atherton Collieries are delighted to announce the signing of midfielder Joe Piggott who returns to the Northern Premier League after a stint in Australia who started in the ranks of the Everton and Rochdale academies made the move to Scotland as a 17-year-old where he made two appearances for Dundee United before returning to his native north-west with Warrington Town His performances with the Yellows earned a move back to the professional game with Wigan Athletic before a permanent move to the Robins after a fine run of goalscoring form Piggott continued his form as a forward with further success at AFC Fylde and has since transitioned into a midfielder playing for Michael Clegg at Warrington Rylands before spending the last year in the Australian third tier with Pascoe Vale 25-year old Piggott has also represented Nantwich and Radcliffe and will be available for selection on Saturday Michael Clegg adds: “Joe was a massive part of our team at Rylands last year and he’s done well with Fylde and Alty he’s a great lad and a great character Joe’s going to be such a big player for us in the run-in and we’re delighted to have him!” We would like to thank Paul Gaffney for sponsoring Joe for the remainder of the campaign Atherton Bikes has teased a prototype downhill bike without a derailleur Dumping the traditional drivetrain in favour of what looks to be a Gates belt-driven system with a gearbox – most likely made by Pinion – Atherton Bikes' new A.200.G prototype is a statement of intent The drivetrain as we know it has a long track record and plenty of wins under its belt including for Atherton Bikes’ Charlie Hatton Rachel Atherton and ex-team rider Andreas Kolb chain and cassette removes one of the biggest failure points in mountain biking – and boosts suspension performance The teaser shot of the A.200.G on Atherton’s Instagram feed shows how svelte the derailleur-less rear end is potentially helping its rider weave tighter lines through rocks and roots and reducing the chances of cutting short a World Cup-winning run due to damage We’ve all seen the nearly countless heartbreaking moments when a rider’s chain snaps out of the start gate something a belt drive should all but eliminate Although a snapped chain doesn’t always signal the end of a racer’s run – Aaron Gwin famously won the 2015 World Cup in Leogang without a chain – it’s not ideal Moving to a belt drive should significantly reduce the chances of this happening we’ve also seen chains come off the chainring or cassette once again thwarting a rider’s chances of winning singlespeed design and reliable tensioner should reduce this problem In a sport where thousandths of a second matter not being able to shift gears while you’re freewheeling in preparation for the next section seems like an own goal Traditional drivetrains need to be rotating for gears to shift properly freewheeling or deep diving through technical terrain The freewheel is inside the gearbox itself rather than the hub the belt – or chain – continues to rotate This means you can shift gears without pedalling to speed up your exit from a corner or technical section By getting rid of the cassette and derailleur which should improve suspension performance control and – most importantly for a world cup racer – speed now it only needs a single cassette sprocket or belt cog the bike’s front triangle gets heavier because you’ve added a gearbox This is a real positive because the ratio between the front and rear ends' weights has shifted further the lighter rear end now has more to ‘push’ against so it takes more force to upset and destabilise the bike’s main frame This increase in sprung mass doubles down on the effects of the lighter unsprung mass Electric mountain bikes are the best example of this; weighty front triangles are matched with lightweight rears to bring impeccable suspension performance one of the downhill world cup’s largest and most successful teams moving to a gearbox design should persuade you – and put the final nail in the derailleur’s coffin… for downhill at least a wholesale move to gearboxes could be risky They’re relatively unproven in competition; although a few teams have run gearbox bikes – such as Zerode and Gamux – none of their riders have quite made it into the podium to prove the design’s mettle reliability and serviceability all factor in and help make the vulnerable derailleur look like a safe bet The rest of the bike’s construction looks to be relatively unchanged if the teaser YouTube video is anything to go by; it still uses 3D-printed lugs, carbon fibre tubes and the DW6 suspension design I was enamoured with on the shorter-travel A.150 Moving to a gearbox bike is a risk for any brand but it’s particularly interesting for the Atherton Bikes race team given their roster of impressive DH riders which is particularly pertinent if Atherton Bikes is running a Gates belt to link the gearbox and rear wheel belt manufacturer Gates is offering a whopping €100,000 prize fund to the first racer to win a UCI downhill World Cup with a Gates belt-driven bike The Atherton team members' track record makes winning it a near-certainty former world champion Reece Wilson’s new team for 2025 appears to also sport a Gates belt and Pinion gearbox the Scot announced his plans with the all-new AON Racing Team and teased his bike Competition for the 100k Belted Purse is hotting up and we’re very excited to see how the 2025 racing season unfolds Atherton Collieries can today confirm the appointments of Lewis Hardcastle Tom Bentham and Adam Green to Michael Clegg’s first team coaching staff 26-year old Lewis Hardcastle joins with his stock quickly rising within football circles moving swiftly into coaching following his retirement from football in 2021 Lewis represented Atherton on the professional football stage Lewis broke through to senior football with Blackburn Rovers making his name with a loan at Salford City before further impressing at Port Vale playing for Ian Evatt’s men against the Colls in 2019 and eventually earning the captain’s armband as the Bluebirds won promotion and transitioned to life in the Football League Lewis began his coaching career as a member of the management staff at Daisy Hill before joining Michael Clegg’s boot-rooms at both Rylands and Macclesfield Alongside Player / Assistant Manager Danny Lafferty striker Tom Bentham will also be taking on a dual coaching role with the club having previously picked up coaching experience as interim manager at Trafford FC Tom is a fantastic coach but still has so much to give on the pitch too It’s gonna be nice for him to see things from the other side too.” Adam Green has also returned to the Black and Whites coaching staff A mainstay of the boot-room for eight years under both Michael Clegg and Brad Cooke popular coach Greeny has since spent two seasons with Irlam in the North West Counties League “Greeny is another Atherton lad and just has the Colls DNA he loves the club and was desperate to get back involved It was just a straight forward decision!” Wales’ leading doctor Sir Dr Frank Atherton has announced he will stand down after eight and half years as the Welsh Government’s Chief Medical Officer Sir Frank has provided independent advice to the Welsh Government on all major issues affecting the health sector in Wales Sir Frank played a leading role in Wales’ response to the Covid pandemic and has supported the NHS through flu outbreaks and annual winter pressures Speaking about Sir Frank’s decision to stand down Health Secretary Jeremy Miles said: “Sir Frank has provided invaluable advice and guidance “He played a leading role in our response to the pandemic ensuring people throughout Wales received valuable information about the virus and about how to keep themselves and their loved ones safe “Frank has shown how passionate he is about improving health outcomes for the Welsh population and has led the way on improving the quality of healthcare “It has been a privilege to work with him and to have the benefit of his experience and commitment to new approaches “He has played a crucial role in being the Welsh voice around the table with other UK Chief Medical Officers Sir Frank has been responsible for leading the medical profession in Wales and the development of health and care research It has been a privilege to act as CMO and a highlight of my professional career to have served the people of Wales during this incredibly challenging time “I would like to thank all those other civil servants who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes who have assisted me for almost a decade in this role.” Frank Atherton’s successor will be announced in due course was knighted in 2021 for his services to public health during the pandemic He was previously the deputy chief medical officer of health in the Department of Health and Wellness in Nova Scotia the director of public health in North Lancashire and has served as President of the UK Association of Directors of Public Health The Chief Medical Officer is available for interviews on 22nd January 2025. If you would like an interview, please contact hss-pressteam@gov.wales Cookie Settings Powered by Onclusive PR Manager™ Atherton Corporate (UK) Ltd and Atherton Corporate Rescue Limited have been wound-up after they facilitated the sale of struggling companies and encouraged directors to dispose of all their assets before selling  The Atherton companies incorrectly advised directors they would have no further responsibility for their company or its debts  Five associated companies have also been closed following investigations by the Insolvency Service  Two connected corporate rescue firms which encouraged directors struggling with company debts to sell their businesses and avoid liquidation have been shut down Atherton Corporate (UK) Ltd and Atherton Corporate Rescue Limited both of which traded under the Atherton brand claimed their services were ‘a legal alternative to using insolvency practitioners’ They helped sell companies in financial distress misleading former directors by telling them they could keep their company’s assets continue to trade the business through a new company and avoid any responsibility for its debts Five associated companies which supported the scheme by buying the distressed companies and appointing new directors have also been shut down Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service The Atherton companies told customers that resigning as directors before formal insolvency proceedings would remove the risk of reputational damage neither company identified genuine purchasers for the businesses in financial distress but instead operated a scheme to help former directors and owners disassociate themselves from their company debts while retaining any assets These actions would appear to have deliberately undermined the insolvency regime which is why the Secretary of State applied to have them and their associated companies wound-up in the public interest Atherton Corporate (UK) Ltd and Atherton Corporate Rescue Limited advertised their services on two dedicated websites, www.athertoncorporate.co.uk and www.nationalcompanyrescue.co.uk The fees Atherton charged clients depended on the level of their company’s liabilities In cases where the liabilities were more than £500,000 they would charge £15,000 plus VAT which were led by former director John Irvin made several misrepresentations to prospective clients suggesting they could retain their company assets while transferring liabilities to the buyers without the risk of consequences They told customers there would be no requirement for former owners to co-operate with liquidators insolvency practitioners or the Insolvency Service and that recovery action would not be taken against them by the new directors for any debts due by them to the company in financial distress Other misleading advice included claims that the new company could use the distressed company’s trading names without any need to pay for them and that the books and records of the distressed company could be disposed after the sale They also advised would-be customers that they could delay providing information to Companies House so they could continue to access the distressed company’s bank account The Atherton companies were supported by the below five associates who supported their business model by purchasing the companies in financial distress and providing them with new directors Aguia Group Ltd – director Neville Taylor  GPA KLM Ltd – director Karen Mortimer  Namare GRP Ltd – directors Neville Taylor and Suzanne Harley-Davies  Summers & May Ltd – directors Karen Mortimer and Joanna Seawright  TPG GRP Limited – directors Neville Taylor and Suzanne Harley-Davies   The companies in financial distress ceased trading shortly before or at the point of sale The purchasing company and new directors existed to keep the company active for as long as possible to create a gap between the former owners and directors and any future liquidation Shares in both Atherton companies were transferred in July this year to a company whose sole director is Karen Mortimer Their names were also changed to POC Ventures Ltd and QRG Consulting Ltd shortly before court hearings placed the two companies into provisional liquidation John Irvin resigned from the Atherton companies shortly before the provisional liquidation hearings as did Suzanne Harley-Davies from Namare and TPG GRP and Joanna Seawright from Summers & May The Official Receiver has been appointed as liquidator of Atherton Corporate (UK) Ltd and TPG GRP Limited following the winding-up of the companies at the High Court in London on Tuesday 27 August All enquiries concerning the affairs of these five companies should be made to the Official Receiver of the Public Interest Unit: 16th Floor, 1 Westfield Avenue, Stratford, London, E20 1HZ. Email: piu.or@insolvency.gov.uk Julie Tait of Grant Thornton UK LLP has been appointed as liquidator of Atherton Corporate Rescue Limited and Aguia Group Ltd after the companies were wound-up at the Court of Sessions in Scotland on Tuesday 13 August All enquiries concerning the affairs of both these companies should be made to Grant Thornton UK LLP, Level 8, 110 Queen Street, Glasgow, G1 3BC. Email: cmusupport@uk.gt.com Atherton Corporate (UK) Ltd – now named POC Ventures Ltd (company number 08693615)  Atherton Corporate Rescue Limited – now named QRG Consulting Ltd (company number SC384723)  Aguia Group Ltd (company number SC769814)  Summers & May Ltd (company number 11481320)  TPG GRP Limited (company number 14454195)  The Insolvency Service can investigate complaints about corporate abuse by live companies. This may include serious misconduct, fraud, scams or dishonest practice in the way the company operates. Further information on our live investigations can be found here  Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available here. Jason Atherton put everything on the line this year He tells David Ellis why — and whether he thinks it will pay off Sign up for our expert view on everything that’s worth eating There’s taking a risk, and then there’s following the path Jason Atherton has. The… chef? Restaurateur? He fixes a look. “Cook, I’m a cook. I dress as a cook, I go to work as a cook, I go home as a cook, and I always run my restaurants from the kitchen.” The cook has taken a circuitous route to his present operation The broad story is of a Sheffield-born, Skegness-raised boy raised in a caravan who joined and then left the army, who travelled through the great kitchens — working under Pierre Koffman, Marco Pierre White, Nico Ladenis and, most famously, Gordon Ramsay — and ended up with Michelin stars, telly appearances and restaurants in London distorted: by the time the pandemic was over Atherton found himself in a London he didn’t quite recognise “I needed to change what we were doing,” he says “because for me to retire with irrelevant restaurants “I want to make sure that when it's all over for me that I made as much impact as possible in the London dining scene that meant five new operations in the past six months It took me only like 15 seconds to figure it out I don't need to open a restaurant in Vancouver A very famous hotel chain recently asked us to open up one of our fine dining restaurants in Tokyo and that means that I'm missing four months a year here And I stopped being part of the London community And he’s found a way: gone is Social Eating House and gone is the flagship come all brasserie: there’s a three course It’s named for a regular who would come in most days Pollen Street must have been hard to give up almost like an epiphany of: I'm just not comfortable cooking this food It’s going back to being celebratory—birthdays it was making money and up until the day I shut it,” he says but I don't live in the world of Richard Caring with private jets and boats and stuff And I don't aspire to be that type of person It’s more important to still be relevant in the London restaurant scene.” after his three daughters: described as an English brasserie it is very much one for the SW3 set; it looks good and brunch is big It is straightforward: “I want my daughter to be able to go and dine there and not feel like an idiot because she doesn’t know what she’s doing And I want 70-year-old people who are retired out in the Shires to come in and have a great time.” Then there are two others. Sael — sail, you say it, Gaelic for seasonal — is another brasserie, this one of green and browns with a beautiful bar upstairs, called Apples and Pears. It serves straightforward but very well executed British plates in a British setting. “How British?” reads the Standard’s four-star review of the place “The walls are covered in portraits of English icons (Kate Bush and Bowie not Churchill and Cromwell) and the playlist is dominated by knights (Rod Food is the comforting type: Marmite custard tarts black pudding wedged between crisp potato pave flat bread with lamb doner lavished on top anecdotally the place appears to be packed out most nights given the operation here before Atherton was routinely empty and closed almost without notice Fallow around the corner has been a huge hit “I'm a massive admirer of what the boys have done there they’ve really controlled social media properly I'm not going to pop up on TikTok any time soon It shares its name with Row on 45 in Dubai the restaurant which became Atherton’s first two Michelin star restaurant It was an accolade that had eluded him for decades “When I got on stage and I saw my name there with the two stars above it… I just I wasn't expecting it to happen but licensing issues held the London operation up cook — says was “too big” to ever win a second star the idea here is that diners walk through the property trying different things in different places Atherton thinks the formality of old is dead “if you could go to a multi-millionaire’s flat on Savile Row that’s what we’re trying to achieve.” There are only chefs and sommeliers serving; no waiters a restaurant re-enacting what a theatre does.” Interestingly Row on 5 is the first time in 350 years that a building on Savile Row has had a licence to serve alcohol the restaurant is being done in partnership with Metzger I saw a little of bit of me in him when I was with Gordon We're there together as a collective to make a brilliant restaurant is as much for longstanding right-hand-man Dale Bainbridge as it is him who’s maintained a star at the restaurant for 11 years Atherton is helping out those who helped him when the idea of kindness to others was not always up for grabs six days-a-week to keep your business alive and a young chef's late five days in a row Atherton’s new openings coming all at once There have been some failures: the Betterment with restaurants closed and no income coming in He’s described the time between then and February 2025 as “critical.” Is it really that on edge I've had a couple of nights where I've genuinely not slept.” that he’s willing to lose the sleep over it all “I want to be remembered as a London chef a chef who really made a difference to train the next generation and who opened some bloody cool restaurants people enjoy going to and there’s got to be a point where I devote a lot more time to my wife and my family “I've got to make sure that the next tier of people below me are sharing that success financially I cannot tell you how on the line we are at the moment I'm not asking for any sympathy from anybody; I've done it but if this doesn't work that's it we're gone he says; they’ll know by mid-2025 if it’s going to work out “I've gambled my whole financial future on keeping our company at the forefront of London dining That's what gets me out of bed every day,” he says “because I think I've made the right decision.”