CAPESTHORNE GETS A RETURN ON ADVERTISING … 44 YEARS LATER

It was the power of advertising that drew Chesterfield postman Alan Chapman 40 miles across the Peak District to visit Capesthorne Hall near Macclesfield.

But the advert that did the trick was published … 44 years ago.

Sonny and Cher, Sandie Shaw and the Walker Brothers were topping the charts at the time - with vinyl singles spinning on Dansette record players. That year - 1965 - saw the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill. The big film was ‘Dr Zhivago’.

And a East Midlands bus company handbook carried a quarter-page advert for Capesthorne Hall - alongside tourist hotspots such as Blackpool, Matlock and a fledgling Alton Towers.

The handbook had belonged to Alan’s parents and, as he leafed through it more than four decades later, he came across Capesthorne Hall. So he and his partner, teacher Angela Parkin, thought they would have a day out.

“We gave it a go and had a great time,” says Alan who called in at a classic car show, wandered through the Capesthorne gardens, past the chain of lakes, through the hall itself and lunched in the café.

“I don’t usually go visiting stately homes but when we saw this advert Capesthorne looked to be something quite different so I checked it out on the Internet and decided to pay a visit. And it’s a lovely place. We had a really good day out.

“I don’t know how much the ad cost them back in 1965 but it paid off … even if they had to wait more than 40 years for it to work in my case.”

Hall manager, Christine Mountney agreed: “We all know that advertising can be a slow burn but I’ve never seen one smoulder for this long before.

“We still use advertising but, of course, we now have the Internet too - and the full programme of Capesthorne events for 2009 is on http://www.capesthorne.com.”

That includes two craft fairs in April and September, three classic and sports car events, a new three-day hot air balloon event in June - with fairground rides, arena shows, trade village and live music - and the popular ‘Christmas at Capesthorne’ event in November.

‘LEARNER-LAND’ IDEA GETS INTO GEAR

Sale driving instructor James Eisen is asking local councils and businesses to make practice land available where learner drivers could take their first lessons - away from busy roads.

James, who owns the L-test driving school in Sale, is used to nervous first-timers who get “seriously worried about being thrust into real traffic on Day One.”

But if the right space was available, to allow those important first steps in vehicle control, it would not only ease their stress and reduce the amount of learner traffic on overcrowded roads, but could also cut the time and cost of learning to drive.

“There are precedents,” says James. “A driving school in Essex uses a local business park. And teenagers of 15 and 16 - below our legal driving limit - take off-road lessons at a disused aerodrome in Northamptonshire.

“I can imagine a time, in the future, when youngsters will be absolutely amazed that we used to get into a car, for the first time ever, and share the road with other traffic.

“Business parks can be ideal - some are just like miniature villages where most basic manoeuvres could be practiced without inconveniencing other road users. There is only so long that we can test the patience of local residents by taking learner drivers down side roads and through housing estates where traffic is light.

“In the past 12 years the number of cars on the road has risen from 22 million to 38 million with little increase in the road network itself. So it’s getting more crowded for young learners - and this does affect their ability to learn.

“If we could provide the option of booking time, away from the stresses of a highway, it would not only significantly reduce learner traffic on the road but would boost their confidence to develop faster, pass a driving test quicker … and slice a chunk off the cost of lessons.”

At the moment it takes an average of 40-45 hours of tuition, 22 hours of private practice and around £1,000 to pass a driving test. “As a driving school, L-test can take a third off those figures,” said James, “but perhaps even more if we could offer a facility like this.”