Business Diary: January 19

YOU might want to forward this to anyone in your office who was too poorly to come in yesterday, but has since made a miraculous recovery.

Apparently, Monday, January 18 was Blue Monday – the most depressing day of the year. Experts were predicting much higher than average absence rates yesterday.

The third Monday in January is the peak time for winter depression.

The first two still have some remnants of the Christmas festivities to cheer us up.

But by the third Monday the miserable weather, lack of daylight hours, credit card bills from the Christmas splurge and another

week to wait before pay day all add up and many people would rather hide under the duvet than make it to work.

Apparently, this also means that whingeing and moaning were at an all-time high yesterday. So even if you had to do your colleagues' work for them, at least you didn't have to listen to them belly-ache.

A Choo shoo-in?

THE director of the Victoria Quarter in Leeds has revealed that Jimmy Choo is the designer he would most like to attract to the city.

The upmarket shopping arcade, which is known as the Knightsbridge of the North, already includes top brands including Vivienne Westwood and Louis Vuitton.

But speaking to Diary, John Bade said: "I think Jimmy Choo would be top of my list – that would be a great name to have.

"Over the years we've talked to Jimmy Choo, Tiffany, and other names like that. They are very specific about their requirements but who knows what will happen in the future.

"I think they are horrendously expensive but so are some of our other retailers."

Banker to the rescue

HOW would you relax after a hard winter's day at the bank? Put your feet up and watch a DVD? Perhaps potter off to the gym? Or head out into a blizzard with the Calder Valley Search and Rescue service? The latter option is frequently chosen by Malcolm Rogers, the Charity Bank's senior manager in the North.

Unsurprisingly, Mr Rogers and the rest of the search and rescue team have had a busy few weeks, as medics have struggled to get to people in distress in the snow.

Mr Rogers, who is based in Leeds, said that relatively few call-outs had been due to walkers getting lost on the moors.

"Most people have not been stupid," he said. "We have been augmenting the work of the ambulance service. There have been lots of calls. There have been days when we have had four or five call-outs a day."

Recent call-outs have been to help a sickly seven month-old baby in Hebden Bridge and a woman who needed an ambulance in a remote house near Ripponden.

The voluntary organisation receives no Government funding and to make a donation, visit www.cvsrt.org.uk.

Smashing night out

CORPORATE guests at a cocktail evening in Yorkshire might have been surprised to find a former US Open Men's Singles finalist behind the bar.

Former British Number One Greg Rusedski popped into the Caf Bar at Ilkley Lawn Tennis and Squash Club on Saturday to meet some of the great and good of the local business community. He even went behind the bar to chat to staff who had been serving drinks and canaps.

Rusedski spent almost eight hours in Ilkley, where he was the star guest at an event to mark the refurbishment of the club's indoor tennis courts.

Diary chatted to some of the corporate guests, including staff from Appleyard Jaguar Bradford and JM Glendinning Insurance Brokers, who had relished facing the fearsome Rusedski forehand during an hour-long coaching session. At least one was convinced he had wrong-footed Rusedski with a powerful smash. We can all dream dreams of glory.

Forging a long career

LONG-serving Phil Willoughby is celebrating 50 years' service at Sheffield Forgemasters. He joined the South Yorkshire company as an apprentice at the age of 15. Forgemasters is holding a party for Mr Willoughby, who is one of 28 employees who have more than 40 years' service.

Asset values

WHAT'S the worst story you've heard about the economic crisis? It would have to be pretty bad to beat this one, heard at the Bank of England's annual reception in Leeds last Thursday.

"This recession has been worse than a divorce," complained one businessman. "I've lost half my assets but still have the wife."