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Chris Sarchet Bell On His Journey To Building The Biggest U18 Event Brand In The Uk

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Chris Sarchet Bell is one of the few entrepreneurs who are proving that you can have a good time without alcohol. In 2014, he founded Shutdown events as a response to the market gap in providing entertainment for 14-17 years olds. 6 years later, he has taken that business sky-level and transformed it into the biggest U18s events brand in the whole of the UK.

Starting Small

Shutdown Events was established in 2014 in Chris’ home town, Burnley. Before venturing into the day-time event space, Shutdown had previous experience in the events/nightlife industry from hosting their over 18 events.

“We decided to try and tackle the younger market to be able to get interest from a young audience,” Chris says. “Then, once they came of age, we would be able to pass them on to our over 18s brand, Grenade.”

Shutdown quickly made a name for itself in Burnley and soon started to attract clientele from out of the town and further.

“With each event, more and more people were talking about us. Within 6 months, we branched into a second area and by month 8, we were in another 4 cities.”

It was at this stage the Shutdown team realised they had created something special.

Building a Legacy on Connection

The resounding success that Shutdown Events currently enjoys did not happen by accident. In fact, it was the result of persistent effort and never taking no for an answer.

“ I never give up,” Chris shares. “It took me 4 years before I made a penny. No matter what hurdles have been thrown at me over the last 6 years I always get back up and keep going and my determination is exactly why I am where I am today.”

Crushing Goals

Within the first 2 years, Shutdown became the UK’s largest leading U18 brand. Now, Chris and his team tour the country every couple of months, hosting events from Scotland to as far down as Newquay. Shutdown has now hosted events across 10+ cities nationwide.

“We bring together some of the biggest names in the music industry, originally we used to bring PA’s from some of the most popular reality tv shows, paint & foam parties and Co2 & confetti parties. But now, it’s all about putting on that indoor festival vibe, the biggest acts/djs we can get our hands on, huge production, including pyros, screens, streamers, and transforming venues with a huge themes, nobody is doing it like Shutdown now and that’s why our social media is constantly growing. We keep getting requests from more and more clients across the country asking us to come to a town/city near them. Because of this, Shutdown is continuing to grow and build such a high in-demand brand on a weekly basis.”

Chris has big plans and an ambitious vision for the future and growth of Shutdown Events.

“Success to me is brand recognition, hearing great feedback, being able to look after my family,” Chris says.

“ Now more than ever, the music, live events and concerts scene is bigger and more in demand than ever before, especially with the younger generation. We offer the “night of your life” for 14 – 17-year-olds before they are legally allowed to go out to events. Over the next few years, I would like to think we will be touring across 15 cities nationwide.”

Michelle has been a part of the journey ever since Bigtime Daily started. As a strong learner and passionate writer, she contributes her editing skills for the news agency. She also jots down intellectual pieces from categories such as science and health.

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Lifestyle

The Message Women Need Today: Cathi Carrier’s Mission to Bring Back Self-Worth

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Many women spend years quietly stepping out of the frame, avoiding cameras, hiding behind filters, or brushing off compliments because they no longer recognize the person staring back at them. It is not vanity that drives those moments; it’s a deeper feeling of slipping away from yourself. That emotional weight is something Cathi Carrier has witnessed for more than three decades, and it’s what shaped the mission behind Purely Bella.

Cathi didn’t build her career in a boardroom. She built it in a treatment room, one client at a time, listening to stories that rarely make it into conversations about skincare. Women would sit down and immediately apologize for their appearance, convinced they were “too late” to take care of themselves. What she saw instead were women who had given so much to others that they had forgotten how to give to themselves.

Her understanding didn’t come from textbooks. It began when she was a teenager struggling with acne that felt bigger than a skin issue; it affected her confidence, her social life, and even the way she carried herself. That experience gave her empathy long before she had professional expertise. She knew what it meant to feel uncomfortable in your own skin, and she never forgot it.

In her treatment room, skincare became something deeper than cleansing and moisturizers. It became a place where women were welcomed without judgment, where they could talk openly, exhale, and feel seen. Over the years, she learned that skin reflects far more than age or stress. It reflects how much space a woman has allowed herself to take up in her own life.

Stories like Sara’s stayed with her. Sara, a retired schoolteacher, walked in with her shoulders rounded and her spirit dulled. She apologized repeatedly for her skin, barely making eye contact. Carrier designed a simple treatment plan, but the real change came from the conversations, the consistency, and the small moments where Sara started to reconnect with herself. Months later, Sara hugged her and said she finally felt like herself again. That transformation, skin healing paired with emotional renewal, is what convinced Carrier that skincare can be a form of healing when done with intention.

Still, she reached a limit. Her treatment room could only help one woman at a time. The desire to create a greater impact pushed her to start Purely Bella, a brand built to carry her philosophy beyond the walls of her spa. The transition wasn’t glamorous. She had to learn manufacturing, sourcing, regulations, and everything in between. But she stayed focused on real women and real results, clean formulations that worked, without the fear-based marketing the industry often leans on.

Purely Bella’s mission is rooted in a simple promise: you don’t need to turn back time to feel beautiful. You need to move forward with confidence and grace, knowing your best self is not behind you. Cathi believes this deeply. She speaks often about how a morning skincare routine is not just about products, it’s a daily choice to care for yourself, a reminder that you matter.

Her mission is also a response to the pressures women absorb from the world around them. Society is quick to tell women their value fades with every birthday. Cathi rejects that entirely. She wants daughters to grow up watching their mothers feel proud in photos, not hide from them. She wants women to recognize that aging is not the enemy; the real enemy is the culture that tells them to shrink as they grow older.

In a crowded beauty landscape, Cathi Carrier is not asking women to chase perfection. She is inviting them to remember who they are, and to step back into the frame with confidence.

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