B

Barbara Taylor Bradford was born and raised in Leeds, and worked as a journalist in London. Her first novel, A Woman of Substance, is one of the bestelling novels of all time and Barbara’s books have sold more than 90 million copies worldwide. In 2007, Barbara was appointed an OBE by the Queen for her services to literature. Ten miniseries and television movies have been made of her books. She started her writing career on the Yorkshire Evening Post and later worked as a journalist in London. Her first novel, A Woman of Substance, became an enduring bestseller and was followed by twenty-three others, including the bestselling Cavendon series.

Barbara’s books have sold more than eighty-five million copies worldwide in more than ninety countries and forty languages. In October of 2007, Barbara was appointed an OBE by the Queen for her services to literature.

She continued to live in New York and write novels, her last entitled The Wonder of It All, until she died in November 2024.

Alex Brennan is an Australian international model, author and blogger, and the founder of The Model Handmade (www.themodelhandmade.com) – the all-natural beauty line made with love, not chemicals. Alex is a certified yoga instructor and an advocate for modern wellbeing. She follows a vegan diet and believes in a holistic, balanced approach to healthy living.

When David and Charlotte Bailey fell in love with a Citroën H van they saw parked in Notting Hill, Wholefood Heaven was born. Having worked in many leading restaurants, including as the founding head chef of Saf, where he cooked with Chad Sarno, David followed his heart and hit the road. The ethos of Wholefood Heaven is simple: no matter where you are, you should be able to buy high-quality, nutritious, healthy, ethical and tasty fresh food. They won Best Main Dish at the 2011 British Street Food Awards for their Buddha Bowl.

Born in Paris, Barroux spent much of his childhood in North Africa. He later attended art school in France, worked as an art director and then moved to New York and Montréal and has since worked in children’s illustration and press cartoons. He has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post and Forbes Magazine.

In 1969, 17-year-old Sarah arrived in Hackney in the East End of London to begin her nursing career. Six years later she went into health visiting, practising for over 35 years in Kent and Staffordshire. In 1998 Sarah received the Queen’s Institute for Nursing Award and in 2006 was awarded an MBE for Services to Children and Families by Queen Elizabeth II. She divides her time between Staffordshire and London.