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ABOVE: Clare and Andrew eat at Leon de Bruxelles ABOVE: Clare doubts she'll adopt again while Andrew has adopted an abandoned puppy

MOST of us take our natural parentage for granted, but for more than 4,000 children in the UK, the sheer notion of having someone they can call Mum and Dad is an alien one.

Two famous names whose lives were changed by adoption are singer Clare Grogan and celebrity hair stylist Andrew Barton.

After six miscarriages and four failed IVF attempts, former Altered Images lead singer Clare decided to adopt and, as soon as she and husband Steven set eyes on their beloved daughter Ellie Lucia, they knew it was the best decision of their lives.

Ellie is now seven and absolutely gorgeous, beams 49-year-old Clare.

Im quite a private person, but when it comes to the subject of adoption Im willing to share because I think that for a lot of couples who cant have their own children, its a fantastic solution and a great way forward particularly if youve had a rough ride.

Top London hairdresser Andrew has experienced the privilege and pleasure of adoption from the other side he was adopted as a three-month-old baby and has never seen it as anything other than the natural course of his life.

For me, Mum and Dad were always my real parents and Ive never been interested in meeting my biological mother because shes not my mum, says 45-year-old Andrew, currently in training for his first marathon, which hell be running in April to raise money for the charity of which both he and Clare are patrons the British Association for Adopting & Fostering (BAAF).

With so many heartfelt personal stories to hear, we decided to treat Clare and Andrew to a fabulous lunch at the newly opened Lon de Bruxelles, the first international branch of one of Belgiums most renowned restaurants, in the heart of Londons West End where over some hearty Flemish fare we learnt about Andrews A-list clients and why Clares more than willing to keep singing her trademark song Happy Birthday

Clare, tell us about your adopted daughter Ellie is she a fan of your music and might she ever follow in your footsteps?

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Interview: Clare Grogan and Andrew Barton

And the best hotel you've stayed in?

The best hotel I've ever stayed in was about a month ago. I was invited to Los Angeles by Mickey Rourke, who is going to be playing me in a film about my life story. I was there for the premiere of his movie Immortals and he put me up in the Four Seasons. What made it so nice were the people working there they always had a smile on their faces and that's an important thing to me. It also had an amazing swimming pool, gym, restaurants and even the room service was great. I remember going out onto my balcony for the first time and my room was facing the Hollywood sign and the sun was shining. It's a pretty special place to be.

The Four Seasons in Los Angeles

What do you need for a perfect holiday?

I like to go somewhere where I can hear the sea or the ocean in the morning. I like waking up close enough to hear the waves.

What do you always take with you?

I take almost everything in my wardrobe. I know I'm not going to wear most of the things but there could always be that slight chance that I may need my black tie and dicky bow. Even if I was going on a beach holiday to a desert island I would still pack my dinner jacket just in case.

What's your best piece of travel advice?

Never travel alone. If I travel alone, I'm constantly checking whether I've got my passport on me, or my wallet, even though I know I have. I can never rely on myself, so for me it's always important to take along somebody that is a lot more organised than me. Even if you have to pay somebody else to travel with you to give you that peace of mind, I'd do it.

Where do you want to go next?

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Gareth Thomas's holiday heaven and hell

COMMENTARY

Plainclothes police are staking out the hideout, snipers lock on to their targets from the tops of surrounding buildings and a truckload of Swat team members are hiding nearby _ it's the quiet before the storm. Suspects all accounted for in the hideout, check. Certain evidence confirmed in the hideout, check. Communication lines secured, neighbourhood cleared, weapons locked and loaded, full metal jackets in place, check, check and check.

''Take them out! Go! Go! Go!'' The element of surprise is half the battle.

Ah, the goose-bumps I get when watching a police raid in a Hollywood movie. But when I learned I was to witness my first real-life Thai police raid on the morning of Feb 28, I wasn't that excited.

At 10.30am, the question came: ''What are you doing at the office, aren't you supposed to be at the raid?'' Answer: ''Bah, there's no hurry.'' At 11.30am another question: ''Shouldn't you have left already?'' Answer: ''Nah, I'll leave in an hour.''

At the scene, 1pm. Inside the compound of the Cabbages & Condoms restaurant, a man with a shaved head standing under the scorching sun, sweat oozing from his every pore. A pair of Ray-Bans covered his sad, mysterious eyes. His hands rested on his hips in a devil-may-care manner befitting a lone cowboy eyeing a group of pilgrims, who were even sweatier since they had been there for hours. The cowboy, who could have used a hat, sighed and with an exasperating twang said: ''Nothing happening yet, pilgrims?''

''No,'' one pilgrim replied.

A big crowd of reporters and cameramen have been waiting at the compound since early morning. The police are expected to raid the medical clinic on the second floor of the restaurant. The clinic _ which is not part of the restaurant _ is suspected of providing illegal abortions. A couple of police cars and a few policemen were waiting around. Some 45 minutes later, the commander and other bigwigs arrive. The raid is happening. They are ready to go. The bigwigs then march upstairs, followed by their police entourage as reporters and cameramen crowd after them. The members of the media were prevented from going up by the police. Foreign patrons of the restaurant looked on, bewildered.

More waiting. Some 30 minutes later the bigwigs come down. Camera lights flashing, microphones jabbing, questions spewing _ ''What did you find?'' ''What did you see?''

''We found nothing,'' says the commanding officer, beads of sweat dripping down his forehead.

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Painting a picture

THE canals of Amsterdam, the tapas bars of Barcelona and the beaches of Ibiza are now even more accessible to thousands of Essex families after Southend Airport's new terminal opened this week.

The 30 million terminal will handle two million passengers per year, with easyJet offering budget flights to destinations like Belfast, Faro and Mallorca.

SPARKLING AND MODERN: The new terminal forms part of Southend Airport's 100 million transformation

LANDING sTRIP: The longer runway

MORE ROOM: The new check-in area inside the revamped airport

EYE IN THE SKY: The airport's new control tower

eXCITING TIME: Managing director Alastair Welch

"We really wanted to redevelop Southend Airport in time for the Olympics and it is a really fun and exciting time for us," said managing director Alastair Welch.

A great fanfare heralded the opening ceremony on Tuesday, as an assortment of mayors, councillors, X Factor runners-up and tanned reality TV types were joined by airport chiefs on the red carpet.

The bosses had plenty to celebrate: the rejuvenation of the former World War One airbase represents the greatest international progress our county has made since Stansted Airport's award-winning terminal opened in 1991.

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Essex Chronicle published New terminal opens at Southend Airport

THE canals of Amsterdam, the tapas bars of Barcelona and the beaches of Ibiza are now even more accessible to thousands of Essex families after Southend Airport's new terminal opened this week.

The 30 million terminal will handle two million passengers per year, with easyJet offering budget flights to destinations like Belfast, Faro and Mallorca.

SPARKLING AND MODERN: The new terminal forms part of Southend Airport's 100 million transformation

LANDING sTRIP: The longer runway

MORE ROOM: The new check-in area inside the revamped airport

EYE IN THE SKY: The airport's new control tower

eXCITING TIME: Managing director Alastair Welch

"We really wanted to redevelop Southend Airport in time for the Olympics and it is a really fun and exciting time for us," said managing director Alastair Welch.

A great fanfare heralded the opening ceremony on Tuesday, as an assortment of mayors, councillors, X Factor runners-up and tanned reality TV types were joined by airport chiefs on the red carpet.

The bosses had plenty to celebrate: the rejuvenation of the former World War One airbase represents the greatest international progress our county has made since Stansted Airport's award-winning terminal opened in 1991.

Continued here:
Essex Chronicle commented New terminal opens at Stansted Airport