Swindon Issue 27

FREE Please

SWINDON

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e

MAY - JULY 2015

EDITION 27

Jane McDonald Still Following Her Dreams

Hairy Bikers

Healthy Low Calorie Recipes

THE LOCAL MAGAZINE FOR THE OVER 50s

WWW.50PLUSMAGAZINE.CO.UK

Ring for your copy!

barnes

01793 821303

www.barnescoaches.co.uk

Coach Holidays 2015

FREE HOME PICK-UP THE ONLY WAY IS ESSEX

inc. Beth Chatto Gardens and Audley End House & Gardens COLCHESTER - 5 DAYS Sun 24th May at BEST WESTERN MARKS TEY HOTEL, COLCHESTER

on Tours 4 Days and Over

ONLY

£359 SS £72

INCLUDES: Return coach travel, tours as brochure (including entry to Beth Chatto and Audley End) and hotel accommodation of bed, breakfast and evening meal.

MAJESTIC MAYRHOFEN & THE ZILLER VALLEY

Includes Innsbruck, Kitzbuhel, Krimml Waterfalls and the Zillertalbahn Steam Railway MAYRHOFEN - 8 DAYS Sat 30th May at Hotel Neue Post, Mayrhofen

ONLY

£599 SS £14

ONLY

£669 SS £36

5

INCLUDES: Return coach travel, channel crossings, tours as brochure (including train ride and Krimml Waterfalls) and hotel accommodation of bed, breakfast and evening meal.

FERMANAGH LAKES AND SUNSET DINNER CRUISE

IncludesFlorence Court, Belleek Pottery and Ulster American Folk Park - 6 DAYS Sun 7th June at Manor House Country House, Killadeas

ONLY

£499 SS £86

WILD BRITTANY 6 DAYS

INCLUDES: Return coach travel, ferry crossings, tours as brochure (inc. Florence Court, Belleek, Ulster Park and cruise) and hotel accommodation of bed, breakfast (except on last morning when included on boat) and evening meal.

WEST SUSSEX WONDER

IncludesSouth Downs National Park WORTHING - 5 DAYS Mon 8th June at Chatsworth Hotel

ONLY

£349 SS NIL

Includesride on North York Moors Railway 5 DAYS Sun 14th June at Esplanade Hotel

INCLUDES: Return coach travel, tours as brochure (inc. train ride) and hotel accommodation of bed, breakfast and evening meal.

Sun 31st May at Best Western Cap Coz Hotel, Fouesnant

INCLUDES: Return coach travel, tours as brochure and hotel accommodation of bed, breakfast and evening meal.

SCARBOROUGH, YORK & THE YORKSHIRE MOORS

Everything about Brittany is distinctive, from its geography to its traditions and language. The region stands apart from the rest of France, its long peninsular reaching out into the Atlantic. We spend 3 nights in Fouesnant, a truly typical seaside town with long sandy beaches.

3 star hotel in a quiet location overlooking the sea. zx BAR

zx SATELLITE TV.

ONLY

Some passengers find it easier to bring a small bag for the night on board the ferry.

SS NIL

INCLUDES:

£379

Return coach travel, channel crossings, tours as brochure and hotel accommodation of bed, breakfast and evening meal (except on the first evening where evening meal is not included).

TENBY

4 DAYS Fri 26th June at CLARENCE HOUSE HOTEL

INCLUDES: Return coach travel, tours as brochure and hotel accommodation of bed, breakfast and evening meal.

RIVER RHINE & HEIDELBERG

RUDESHEIM AM RHEIN - 5 DAYS Sun 28th June at HOTEL LINDENWIRT, RUDESHEIM

ONLY

£275 SS NIL

ONLY

£399 SS £58

INCLUDES: Return coach travel, channel crossings, tours as brochure and hotel accommodation of bed, breakfast and evening meal.

WEST COAST ISLANDS

ONLY

ISLES OF SKYE, MULL, IONA & ARRAN 8 DAYS Sun 28th June at kings arms, skye & columba hotel, oban

£639 SS £48

INCLUDES: Return coach travel, tours as brochure (including all ferry crossings and guided tour) and hotel accommodation of bed, breakfast and evening meal.

ISLES OF SCILLY

ONLY

£869

ST MARY’S - 8 DAYS Fri 17th July at the atlantic Hotel

INCLUDES: Return coach travel, tours as brochure (inc. guided walk, boat to & guided tour of Tresco (inc. Abbey Gardens) and boat to & guided tour of St. Agnes and/or St. Martins), ferry crossings and hotel accommodation of bed, breakfast and evening meal.

YORKSHIRE GARDENS, HARROGATE RHS HARLOW CARR & CASTLE HOWARD - 5 DAYS Sun 19th July at HOLIDAY INN, HARROGATE

SS £111

SWISS TRAINS AND ITALIAN LAKES Includes the spectacular Bernina Express!

9 DAYS Mon 20th July at CENTRAL SPORTHOTEL, DAVOS ISEOLAGO HOTEL, ISEO

ONLY

SS NIL

SS £142

INCLUDES: Return coach travel, tours as brochure (including Bernina Express and Davos Card), channel crossings and hotel accommodation of bed, breakfast and evening meal.

LOVE LEUVEN INC. STELLA ARTOIS BREWERY TOUR

Plus Ghent, Kortrijk and Belgium’s Oldest Botanical Garden!

3 DAYS Fri 24th July at PARK INN LEUVEN

ONLY

£219 SS £49

INCLUDES: Return coach travel, channel crossings, tours as brochure (inc. Stella Artois Tour and Botanical Garden) and hotel accommodation of bed, breakfast and evening meal.

WEST COUNTRY RAIL & SAIL

PLUS EXMOOR & COAST! Includes West Somerset Railway and Great Western Canal 5 DAYS Mon 27th July at best western tiverton hotel

£379

ONLY

£875

ONLY

£425 SS £77

INCLUDES: Return coach travel, tours as brochure (including the canal ride and stream train ride) and hotel accommodation of bed, breakfast and evening meal.

INCLUDES: Return coach travel, tours as brochure (inc, entry to RHS Harlow Carr and Castle Howard) and hotel accommodation of bed, breakfast and evening meal.

GIANT’S CAUSEWAY & TITANIC BELFAST including Dublin - 6 DAYS Sun 19th July at STORMONT HOTEL, BELFAST

INCLUDES: Return Coach Travel, ferry crossings, tours as brochure (including guided tour of Belfast, Belfast Titanic and Giant’s Causeway) and hotel accommodation of bed, breakfast (except on last morning when included on boat) and evening meal.

ONLY

£519 SS £94

Book online or call:

01793 821303 For full details visit www.barnescoaches.co.uk

New homes, new beginnings

at Blunsdon Abbey Park INSIDE...

14-15

20-21

Park homes exclusively for the over 50s Blunsdon Abbey Park is a new development of modern bungalow-style homes to the north of Swindon, situated within the stunning historic grounds of Blunsdon Abbey House.

A brand new phase of park homes is now being planned for the park. Call our team at Blunsdon to register advance interest on 01793 722100 or email sales@parkhomelife.com to be amongst the first to receive full information.

Register your interest today!

call us on 01793 722100 www.parkhomelife.com

12-13

River Cruising in Style ...

Chrissy Nason from Silver Travel Advisor shares here experience

14-15

Jane McDonald ...

The no-messing Yorkshire lass with a powerful singing voice

20-21

New Looks for your Home this Spring ...

Freshen your home with our guide

22-29

Out and About ...

Places to Visit and Things to Do

32-33

Low Fat Recipes ...

From the Hairy Dieters

38-39

The King and I...

When Tom Jones met Elvis.

6th Floor | 120 Bark Street | Bolton | BL1 2AX T: (01204) 860 194 | F: (01204) 860 213 e: admin@mcgrathmedia.co.uk

Extraordinary homes for extraordinary people at

Blunsdon Abbey Park Blunsdon St Andrew, Swindon SN25 2DU

Professional writer will undertake ghostwriting and publishing of all kinds from booklets to autobiographies or family histories. Traditional and e-book publishing with asociated web sites if required. Installment terms available.

Contact Graham Smith at grahamsmithpublishing@yahoo.com or call 07866626090. www.grahamsmithmedia.co.uk 4

www.50plusmagazine.co.uk

Leave a legacy to support retired greyhounds.

Every year the Retired Greyhound Trust finds thousands of homes for retired racing greyhounds. We have found over 60,000 homes since we were established in 1976.

Our priority as a charity is to look after these wonderful dogs, but we simply couldn’t continue our vital work without your support. The generosity of those who leave a gift in their Will is particularly important to us.

A gift in your Will can make a difference to the lives of retired racing greyhounds nationwide.

Yes, I would like to know about leaving a gift to the RGT I would like to help today by donating £ ______________ Title: _________ Name:_________________________________________________________ Address: ______________________________________________________________________

Please return coupon to: Retired Greyhound Trust Park House, 1-4 Park Terrace, Worcester Park, Surrey, KT4 7JZ

www.retiredgreyhounds.co.uk

____________________________________________________ Postcode: _________________

50+ 2015

Cheque or Postal Order (Payable to Retired Greyhound Trust)

Visa/Mastercard

Card number: Expiry date: Security Code:

Valid from:

Issue No:

Signature: _____________________________________

Tick if you do not wish to receive future postal communications. We’ll never sell your details.

Charity numbers 269668 & SC044047

TWITTERING ON to keep Gordon Ramsay going for six months. Barely a sentence goes by without use of the procreation verb or adjective and coming out of that falsely constructed generous gob it sounds like fingernails down the side of a ship.

Keeping abreast of the times Celebrity culture is big business. To join this band of elite, dysfunctional people you need certain qualities. You should preferably be verbally challenged to the point where you cannot string a sentence together, tattoos over most inches of exposed flesh are a necessity, metal objects inserted in each bodily orifice add to the attraction, oh, and you must be vulgar.

My 2015 award for vulgarity has to go to Leeds lass, I think, Josie Cunningham who hit the headlines after having a boob job on the NHS and then employing an agent of dubious origin to publicise the episode and subsequent miscreant meanderings of a sexual connotation which included offering to have an abortion so she could take part in Big Brother. Worrying isn’t it?

In a “fly on the wall” TV documentary this fearsome looking specimen came over as a complete half wit whose antics are capable of extracting large amounts of money from today’s downmarket tabloid media. Her baseball capped agent was shown ferrying her around in a taxi to various photo shoots and locations in his quest to make a financial killing. He’s an oddball who has a grasp of how to manipulate social media so the femme fatale thinks she is rising to iconic proportions in the popularity stakes while, truth is, he is lining his own pocket.

There’s enough collagen in her lips to keep a small trawler afloat in heavy seas and her so far untended teeth would mean most sane men would need an anaesthetic and several strong men to drag them under the mistletoe with her. Her dulcet Leeds accent makes a Billingsgate fish wife sound like an elocution expert and she uses enough profanities and vernacular 6

In a scene of blissful domesticity she was shown with her mother painting skirting boards at the family home and holding a tasteful discourse about how much they ******* love each other and anyone who doesn’t like it can go forth and multiply. Their application of the gloss paint was as thick as their awful accents and the result was very similar to their sordid way of life, runny, lacking in finesse and full of drips.

Josie describes herself as a model, for what I’m not quite sure. She sets out to shock and invariably succeeds. If your son brought her home you’d leave it. she is surely an ambassador for the cause of celibacy if ever I saw one.

In one of her outbursts, proudly sticking out her prosthetically enhanced chest, she said fat people did not deserve a gastric band on the NHS. She deserves two. One around her vile, over inflated gob and the other strategically placed and tightened about six inches lower.

Musical boob Now here is a much more tasteful story about the female form.

A tattooed model who became a viral star by jiggling her breasts to Mozart has repeated the trick for Valentine's Day. Sara X Mills, whose unusual rendition of Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik notched up 37m hits on YouTube, has this time performed to Beethoven's Fur Elise.

The 27-year-old US model, who also jiggled her breasts to Jingle Bells for Christmas, plays Cupid with a bow and arrow for her latest video.

She wrote: "Celebrate Valentine's Day with a silly new interpretation of this piece, Fur Elise. Much love and happiness to all!"

Stone me!

A woman in the US has given birth to a baby weighing 14.1 pounds (6.4kg) - and he is already eating double the amount of an average-sized newborn.

Maxxzandra Ford's son Avery is the heaviest ever baby to be born at St Joseph's Women's Hospital in Tampa, Florida.

Avery, who was delivered in a natural birth lasting 18 hours, is one of the largest-ever born in the state.

Ms Ford did not know she was pregnant until about 35 weeks in, according to media reports in the US. She told television stations WFLA and WFTS that after she rapidly gained weight last autumn, doctors confirmed she was pregnant.

Ms Ford said she thought she was having twins at first.

Debbie Moore, a registered nurse at the hospital, said they would "definitely not" have recommended a natural birth if they had known how much Avery weighed, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Avery's father, Allen Denton, told the newspaper: "I got a linebacker now instead of a fullback."

Ms Ford, who already has a one-year-old son and a five-year-old daughter, said she "just melted" when she finally held Avery.

Weather you like it or not Perhaps it’s my age but female weather presenters are beginning to get to me.

I’m old enough to remember Bert Ford and Michael Fish in their tweeds and sombre suits but today it seems an overwhelming number of presenters are women and more attention is supposed to be paid to the glamour than occluded fronts and deep depressions.

Is it me or are the isobars and low pressure areas being replaced by in your face cleavages and painted smiles? Are the flickering eyelashes and mascara supposed to detract from the fact that it’s below freezing in the Trossachs and scything down in the Gorbals, or is it all a femme fatale front to bluff us that half the time they get it all wrong?

And the scripting is getting on my cold front too.

“As we go into the first half of the weekend”…is that Saturday? “The start of the new working week”…that’ll be Monday then?

www.50plusmagazine.co.uk

e-motion adver 125x90 nov2014 illustration copy.pdf

A great way to get around….

We all wish we could enjoy the health enhancing benefits cycling brings, but then there’s the but, without the hard work of course!

Well there is a way you can, hang on a minute I hear you say, “I’m over 50 and haven’t ridden a bike in years…” Well have you considered the latest mode of transport, the ebike. E-bikes, or pedelecs, look more or less like normal bicycles but have a small electric motor that can be switched on to make riding easier. You might use this when going uphill, against the wind, or carrying children or shopping. They are also useful for people who are less fit, older, or riding longer distances.

But is riding an e-bike exercise or cheating I here you say? Well Nanette Mutrie, Professor of Physical Activity for Health at the University of Edinburgh, has no doubt that e-bikes can have a health enhancing role. “When I started as a member of the steering group for this project Ventura Vienna manufactured by KTM. I was somewhat sceptical about the health benefits of electric bicycles.

However, having now tried different versions of these bikes, and having learned from the project data and European experts, I am now in no doubt that these bikes have a health enhancing role. “ In another study in 2014 by Brighton & Hove Council, results showed that 70% of people said that they would cycle more if they had an e-bike. So to all of you who wish or need to increase their levels of physical activity and fitness this low impact exercise may well be for you, and apart from that ebiking is a great way to get around.

E-motion offers expert advise, information and eCyle training to help get you started. Enjoy cycling more with an ebike!

www.50plusmagazine.co.uk

1

08/12/2014

I’m fed up with traffic...

I’d like an e-bike

The electric bike people www.e-motionevc.co.uk (01793) 251200 373 Cricklade Road, Swindon, Wiltshire SN2 1AQ

7

TRAVEL

The Great British Holiday IF there is one thing that the recession has taught us it’s about getting value for money. And it’s not just being pro- British to say that you can now get the best holidays here at home.

ABTA – the well-respected Association of British Travel Agents – says that their recent research shows that 20 per cent of people surveyed would be spending more on holidays in 2015.

They also discovered that nearly seven in 10 people, that’s 68 per cent, took at least one UK holiday last year. Mark Tanzer, ABTA’s chief executive, believes that good weather in the UK in June and July helped. He says that “the research shows there are reasons to be optimistic for 2015.”

All of which is no surprise to the thousands of tourists who flock into 8

Great Britain each year from other countries around the world. They come determined to discover the many attractions here. Perhaps we Brits are simply slower to pick up on noticing the wonders around us, but we are getting better at it.

to Milford on Sea for their holiday at Easter, although they unfortunately don’t offer a coach holiday there yet, the nearest place would be Bournemouth. “Yes,” he insists, “like everyone, we appreciate going to beautiful places in the UK.”

Matt Barnes from Barnes Coaches knows that the Great British Holiday is very attractive to the homegrown market. His business, based in Swindon was established in 1920 and today has 30 coaches with more than 70 staff, many of whom are kept busy dealing with this burgeoning travel market.

He finds that more people than ever are opting to stay in the UK for their annual holidays, citing “the hassle of going through customs and airports etc” as well as the constant discovery of new places without ever leaving these shores.

If we can stand back a little from the whole subject of holidays and try to take a dispassionate look at what the UK has to offer, there really is something for every traveller and taste. You can take the whole family – including the dog – to a luxury cabin in ancient woodland in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, or wake each day on the banks of an ancient millpond in a beautiful dwelling in Deerpark in Cornwall, deep in a peaceful wooded valley.

Favourite destinations for the many people he takes on their holidays around the country include the usual seaside resorts. The more unusual destinations are the Outer Hebrides in Scotland, the Isle of Man and the Scilly Isles. Matt and his family are headed

You can take your touring caravan or motorhome to places like Holgates Holiday Parks, set in some of Cumbria and Lancashire’s most stunning countryside, dotted along the picturesque Morecambe Bay shoreline.

www.50plusmagazine.co.uk

Just as caravans have “grown up” in the last 20 years from being fairly basic to fairly fabulous statics with every modern facility and a genuinely comfortable home away from home, so have the holiday parks themselves been transformed.

Holgates, for example, has parks to suit everyone, whether you and your family like it lively with plenty of facilities to havens of peace and tranquillity where turning the page of a good book is the most movement you want to undertake.

As Simon Waterhouse from Holgates explains: “We’ve taken the awards for the Best Holiday Park in Cumbria and in Lancashire for the last two years so we’ve a lot to live up to.”

He’s noticed that more Brits than ever are enjoying the enduring pleasures of holiday parks, investing in holiday homes there and returning again and again. “Our park in Silverdale is in one of the most beautiful parts of the country so we have plenty of families who have been coming here for years,” states Simon.“ But the greater complexity of travel now – the greater security and the longer time it all takes to go away – probably helps people to choose to holiday in this country.”

sleepy villages set in rural Yorkshire. Stay in a YHA hostel in the South-east and take a gentle family chauffeur punt down the river in Cambridge or experience the thrill of the rides at Chessington World of Adventures.

The great thing about holidaying in the UK with your family is the wonderfully broad spread of activities on offer.

Youngsters can run about, take part in planned activity programmes, go swimming or even take their bikes along when you’re having a staycation.

They don’t have to endure tiresome flights, hanging around in airports or not liking the food abroad.

Children can make themselves understood to everyone, and discover for themselves just how beautiful is their own country.

Couples can quietly discover the real Downton Abbey – Highclere Castle in Hampshire – where fact meets fiction in fascinating English history. Our country has plenty of history, with stunning landmarks in Norwich spanning the Norman, Medieval, Georgian, Victorian

and modern eras to Bath with its fascinating Roman baths. Visit York, where history leaps out at you around every corner. Travel to the capital and see the magnet of attractions that draw the constant crowds to its major art galleries, packed with masterpieces, the British Museum exhibiting the works of man from historic to modern times or the London Eye where the best views over the city are available to fascinate.

A holiday in the UK can turn into the kind of voyage of discovery that used to be reserved for early travellers setting foot in ancient lands for the first time.

The sense of wonder is on offer in cities, towns and in tiny hamlets boasting a village church and a history recorded in the Domesday Book.

Our coastlines are among some of the world’s most stunning. Just walk along the rugged cliffs of Boscastle in Cornwall and you’ll be treading on rocks first laid down 300 million years ago. Mind you, it’s also got some of the best beaches, too, and the longest: 476 km of luscious coastline.

You can cycle through the wilds of Yorkshire or take a more sedate luxury barge along the Lancaster Canal – or just please yourself and do both! The Great British Holiday is the one that you like the best. And it’s completely achievable, even with one eye on the weather.

Daish’s Celebrate 35 years Daish’s Holidays has recently celebrated the end of their 35th year in business.

It was 1979 when Jeanne Wilson purchased her first hotel, Daish’s Hotel in Shanklin on the Isle of Wight. Since then a further 6 hotels along with a fleet of 24 coaches have been added to the group to make it what it is today.

Jeanne commented ‘so much has changed since our very first hotel, the group has grown larger than we thought possible, but we remain a family business through and through, with 3 generations of our family now involved. Our commitment to our core values of friendly service, clean and comfortable accommodation, live entertainment and most importantly great value haven’t changed though and that’s why so many of our customers travel with us time and time again.’

Looking to the future, its clear Daish’s are looking to grow further. "We are always looking at new opportunities and importantly re-investing on our existing hotels and coaches. Daish’s Hotel has just undergone a £1m refurbishment and the group has recently invested in a number of new coaches for the fleet as well."

As for more hotel’s Jeanne remains tight lipped, but if recent growth is something to go buy, it’s going to be a case of if not when.

For details on Daish’s 7 hotels or to request a brochure call 01803 201 432 or visit www.daishs.com

If you like walking, you can see the ruggedly beautiful hills of Wales or the

www.50plusmagazine.co.uk

9

Great south south Great coast holidays coast holidays Coach SELF-DRIVE & & COACH COACH INCLUSIVE INCLUSIVE BREAKS BREAKS SELF-DRIVE

89 nclusive ££144 holidays GREAT VALUE GREAT VALUE 55 DAY DAY HALF BOARD HALF BOARD BREAKS BREAKS

from from

per per person person

When itit comes comes to to inviting, inviting, relaxing relaxing When breaks in in the the south, south, we we have have the the breaks ideal holiday holiday for for you. you. ideal Whether you’re after family-friendly holidays, a romantic getaway Whether you’re after family-friendly holidays, a romantic getaway or a group break with like-minded people, our seven hotels cover or a group break with like-minded people, our seven hotels cover the south’s finest locations. From the popular beaches of Cornwall the south’s finest locations. From the popular beaches of Cornwall to the cosy Isle of Wight, there’s something for everyone. to the cosy Isle of Wight, there’s something for everyone.

Our coach inclusive option allows guests across the UK to travel in Our coach inclusive option allows guests across the UK to travel in comfort, while our self-drive holidays offer the freedom of having comfort, while our self-drive holidays offer the freedom of having your own car. your own car.

have our own fleet of executive ches that enables us to offer el from a selection of pick up Every break Every break includes: nts across theincludes: UK.

• Return coach travel (self-drive option available) • Return coach travel (self-drive option available) • Comfy en suite accommodation vehicle features conditioning and on • Comfy en suiteair accommodation

board • Breakfast 3-course evening meal o make your &&journey as comfortable as possible.

• Breakfast 3-course evening meal • Live nightly entertainment also boast friendly drivers who will warmly greet • Live nightly entertainment elp you settle into your pre-allotted seat and let now of any planned comfort breaks. We aim to Trio awarded Certificate of Excellence ou to your hotel between on We are proud to3-5pm, announce thatdepending three of our group – the Barrowfield, Devonshire and Daish’s hotels – have been ngth of the journey. awarded the coveted TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence.

Six fabulous locations, seven great hotels Request your new 2015 brochure now!

Six fabulous locations, seven great hotels

newquay RequestNEWQUAY your new 2015 brochure now!

Barrowfield Hotel

break includes: torquayEveryweymouth weymouth TORQUAY WEYMOUTH WEYMOUTH

• Return coach travel (self-drive option • Comfy en suite accommodation

Devonshire Hotel

Hotel Prince Regent

Russell Hotel

Barrowfield Hotel Devonshire Hotel Hotel Prince Russell Hotel • Breakfast & Regent 3-course evening meal Don’t miss these coach inclusive breaks!

Local pick up points from, Bristol, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Stroud,

TINSEL & TURKY BREAKS AVAILABLE FROM £169 your Request

Don’t miss

new 2015 brochure now! these coach

inclusive breaks!

Local pick up points from, Bristol, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Stroud, Tewkesbury and Worcester make it easy to get away.

Don’t miss these coach inclusive breaks!

DATE

DESTINATION HOTEL

DAYS

COACH PICK BOARD INCLUSIVE UP PRICE

DATE

DESTINATION HOTEL

COACH PICK BOARD INCLUSIVE UP PRICE

DAYS

Local pick up points from, Bristol, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Stroud, May July Tewkesbury and Worcester to get away.

10 Prince Regent - Weymouth 4 GS1 Half 05 Barrowfield Hotel - Newquay 5 SS make Half £159it easy 17

Barrowfield Hotel - Newquay

5

DATE 24

DESTINATION Sands HotelHOTEL - Bournemouth

COACH 5DAYSSSBOARD HalfINCLUSIVE £209 PRICE

29

Claremont Hotel - Eastbourne

5

4 5 SS Half Half £89 £179

01

Devonshire Hotel – August Torquay

30 12

Claremont Hotel Half £104 £329 Claremont Hotel-–Eastbourne Eastbourne 7 5 GS2Half

07 09

Prince Regent - Weymouth Half £164 £169 Claremont Hotel – Eastbourne 4 5 SS Half

16

Claremont Hotel – Eastbourne June

11 14

Daish’s Hotel – Isle of Wight Claremont Hotel - Eastbourne

5 5GS2Half Half £129 £249

17 05

Barrowfield Hotel – Newquay Russell Hotel - Weymouth

12 19

Sands Hotel Daish's Hotel– -Bournemouth Isle of Wight

7 5 SS Half Half £139 £299

23

Russell Hotel – Weymouth

23

Sands Hotel – Bournemouth

16

Daish's Hotel - Isle of Wight

DATE 18

DESTINATION Barrowfield HOTEL Hotel - Newquay

5

COACH 5DAYSSSBOARD HalfINCLUSIVE £164 PRICE

21

Claremont Hotel - Eastbourne

6

22 08

Sands HotelHotel - Bournemouth Devonshire – Torquay

January

05 22

SS

Half

SS

5

£184

Half

Half

£249

£109

4 5 SS Half Half £89 £144

Prince Regent - Weymouth

4

Devonshire Hotel - Torquay

5

4 5

SS SS

Half

£89

14

Barrowfield Hotel – Newquay

Half

£104

24

Daish’s Hotel – Isle of Wight

Half Half

£194 £164

February 01

Claremont Hotel – Eastbourne

02 Barrowfield Hotel – Newquay Pick ups:

March

21

Russell Hotel - Weymouth

25

Claremont Hotel - Eastbourne

30

Claremont Hotel – Eastbourne

28

5

Half

£124

April

5

Half

£99

02

28

4 7 5

Russell Hotel - Weymouth

4

Half

SS

5

Devonshire Hotel - Torquay

Devonshire Hotel – Torquay

SS

£179 £199

Half

Half

£229

£124

5

Half

£129

6

Half

£174

5

Half

£169

GS1 Half GS2 Half GS1 Half GS1 Half

7

Half

£174 £339 £199 £204

£214

04 Sands Hotel – Bournemouth 5 Half Calne, £119 Chippenham, 06 Sands Hotel – Bournemouth 5 Half £154 GS1: Gloucester, Cheltenham, Swindon, Bristol.

GS2: Cheltenham, Stroud, Calne, Swindon.

5 Half Bristol, £109Chippenham, 05 Devonshire Hotel Gloucester, – Torquay 09 Barrowfield Hotel – Newquay 5 Half £144 SS: Swindon, Calne, Devizes, Trowbridge, Bradford on Avon, Melksham, Corsham, Chippenham.

11 Daish’s Hotel – Isle of Wight 5 Half £109 22 Claremont Hotel – Eastbourne 5 Half £179

Prices shown are per person based on two£139 people 23 sharing a Standard Room. apply 17 Claremont Hotel – Eastbourne 5 Half Daish’s Hotel – Isle of Wight Supplements 6 Half £184 on twin/double rooms with sole occupancy. Optional local excursions can be booked at the 22 Barrowfield Hotel – Newquay 5 Half £109 24 Russell Hotel – Weymouth 4 Half £114 hotel. Many more coach or self-drive holiday dates available in 2015. If you would prefer to self25 Claremont Hotel – Eastbourne 5 Half £139 May drive, deduct £20 per person from prices shown.

27

Daish’s Hotel – Isle of Wight

5

Half

£124

SEPTEMBER BREAKS AVAILABLE FROM

Prices shown are per person based on two people sharing a Standard Room. Supplements apply on twin/double rooms with sole occupancy. Optional local excursions can be booked at the hotel. Many more coach or self-drive holiday dates available in 2015. If you would prefer to self-drive, deduct £20 per person from prices shown.

£159

bournemouth BOURNEMOUTH

n available)

Bournemouth Sands Hotel

Bournemouth Sands Hotel

isle of wight SHANKLIN Daish’s Hotel

Daish’s Hotel

eastbourne EASTBOURNE Claremont Hotel

Claremont Hotel

05

Barrowfield Hotel – Newquay

5

Half

£154

20

Daish’s Hotel – Isle of Wight

5

Half

£184

Claremont Hotel – Eastbourne

6

Half

£244

21 June

OCTOBER BREAKS AVAILABLE FROM

£159

04

Devonshire Hotel – Torquay

5

Half

£174

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Daish’s Hotel – Isle of Wight

6

Half

£244

27

Claremont Hotel – Eastbourne

7

Half

£334

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50 Plus Travel

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River cruising in style

By Chrissy Nason from Silver Travel Advisor Following a long travel career, Chrissy Nason brings her experience and eye for stylish detail as an advisor and travel writer for Silver Travel Advisor, the information and review website for mature travellers.

luxurious and comfortable. Storage in small spaces, always a challenge, was plentiful. The marble tiled bathroom and shower was a decent size, beautifully appointed, with complimentary L’Occitaine toiletries.

Ready to explore, I opted to join a walking tour of the city centre, keen to get a feel for Cologne before sailing later that afternoon. All destination excursions have an expert local guide and individual audio sets to give a personalized experience.

For my first river-cruise experience I was delighted to be invited by Avalon Waterways on their inaugural 3 night sailing of Poetry II, from Cologne to Amsterdam.

Cologne is home to Eau de Cologne, the fragrance created in 1709 by Johann Maria Fabrina. The original shop has its own little museum and although they now offer a wide range of fragrances, the original cologne is still sold.

First impressions didn’t disappoint: sleek, elegant, with a full-length sky deck, spacious lounge and dining areas, the ship exudes style. The staterooms (cabins) have the benefit of wall-towall panoramic windows to facilitate maximum viewing and create a balcony within the room. Beautifully decorated in contemporary style and furnished to a high standard, the staterooms are

The Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is an architectural masterpiece and famous as the home of the shrine of The Three Wise Men, whose remains were brought to Cologne in the 12th century. The Cathedral miraculously escaped the WW2 bombing, apparently the spires were used as a navigational landmark to target the main railway

12

station located immediately next door.

A few minutes walk back to the ship, a short mandatory safety drill and with the sun setting behind the Cathedral’s spires, we set sail.

Relaxation and dining room facilities are plentiful and spacious for the ship’s 128 passenger capacity. After a pre-dinner drink in the lounge we headed down to a delicious dinner: typically, a three or four course a la carte menu, including regional dishes, with complimentary wine or local beer. The food throughout was very good with a choice of hot food to order or a buffet and salad bar.

The next morning we docked at Tiel with a choice of sightseeing: Arnhem or the Kroller-Muller museum (Van Gogh paintings). Most of us opted for Arnhem.

We drove over the famous reconstructed bridge to Oosterbeek and Villa Hartenstein, now an excellent museum.

We also visited the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery. Surrounded by woods, viewed through mist and rain it was deeply moving.

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TRAVEL After lunch we sailed a short distance to Willemstad, a small picturesque town with well-preserved fortifications and a lovely octagonal church where we were treated to an organ recital. Back to the ship, another memorable supper and a great night’s entertainment from a local group who had everyone tapping and clapping and yours truly on the dance floor.

Overnight we sailed to Dordrecht with a choice of excursions: the worldfamous Keukenhof tulip gardens or the Kinderdijk Dutch windmill heritage site.

I opted for the Keukenhof Gardens, an hour’s drive. Open only 8 weeks each year, the gardens offer a stunning horticultural display: 7 million spring-time flowers within a wooded landscaped park with 700 tulip varieties.

Back on board, I requested a tour of the ship. Erik, the Cruise Director, pointed out some subtle design features: “slightly higher chairs and tables, perfect for those guests who can no longer touch their toes” he said giving me a knowing look. Coffee tables that can be raised to dining table height to allow guests inroom dining, should they prefer. The skydeck, a tremendous space for sunbathing and watching the world go by, with a hot-tub, loungers and a bistro area for lunchtime barbecue grills.

very well. Soundproofed cabins, Avalon’s state of the art design, quiet engines and generators no doubt helped, though the wine probably played its part too!

Certainly, for someone like me who suffers from seasickness, one of the joys of this cruise was the gentle, relaxing, motion of the ship. I rarely felt any vibrations and in the superbly comfortable beds (complete with memory foam mattress topper) I slept

A river cruise with Avalon ticks a lot of boxes: inclusive guided on-shore excursions; full-board a la carte dining with complimentary local wines and beers; onboard gratuities; transfers and a private chauffeured taxi from your home to the nearest UK airport

or Eurostar station (within a 100 mile radius). How good is that?

We arrived in Amsterdam all too soon.

Most people chose to add an additional hotel night to allow for sightseeing, but my flight home beckoned. After such a wonderful experience I’ve already got my eye on Avalon’s themed Opera cruise next year: on-board performances as you glide down the Danube from Budapest to Prague. I can’t think of a better way to experience Europe’s rich heritage.

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|

Swindon

13

Jane

McDonald IT’S amazing to think that it’s 17 years since Jane McDonald first captivated viewers in the BBC documentary-soap “The Cruise.”

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The no-messing Yorkshire lass, a singer on the cruise ship, immediately fascinated everyone with her broad Yorkshire accent, warm heart and undoubtedly powerful singing voice.

Right from the first sight of her, we knew she was a straightforward type of person, and she became the enduring image of that first series. The programme also provided a very useful springboard to success for Ms McDonald. But by then she had more than earned the right to it.

Jane grew up in Wakefield. Her father, Peter, was a miner who doubled as a chimney sweep and Jane’s mother, Jean, and Jane’s grandmother ran a boarding house.

Singing was what Jane was destined for, however, and for 12 years, she sang in the clubs throughout the North, honing her singing skills and learning to handle every kind of audience.

She also entertained on cruise ships and in 1995 she met her future husband, Henrik, onboard The Century. They married in May, 1998, and in January, 1998, the BBC began broadcasting its fly-on-the-wall documentary.

The programme was watched regularly by 14 million viewers and her wedding to Henrik, also televised, was watched by a large audience although the couple later divorced.

Such was her instant fame that in July, 1998, Jane released her first, self-titled album which spent three weeks at No.1 and went platinum.

In November the following year, she released her concert video, followed in 2000 by her second album, “Inspiration.”

TV proved to the nation that here was a girl who could not only sing but who was funny and could present. She became a guest presenter on BBC’s “National Lottery” before being given her own show, “Star for a Night”, which helped launch the career of singer Joss Stone.

Because of the way the public first got to know Jane, it’s always been difficult for her to shake off the image, as she says herself, of “‘er off the cruise ship.”

But, in fact, not only has she carved out a very successful TV career but she has regularly toured all over the country, and all over the world including America, bringing her own brand of glamorous glitz and powerful, entrancing singing to her legions of fans.

And she appreciates those fans. “To me, twenty fans are equally as important as twenty thousand fans,” she states.

“When I look out, I don’t see a sea of people but individual faces.”

She also has very loyal fans. “They travel around the country to see me,” she explains, “write to me, send me things and

are all so supportive. I always make sure when I do a concert or a TV show that I meet the fans afterwards.

“There’s been a time when the signing session after the show has lasted longer than the show itself! But I wouldn’t miss that for the world. Without them …. well … I woudn’t know what to do.”

Jane especially appreciates her fans since she became wellknown and started touring because of her tough years in the clubs. “When I sang before I’d have to compete with the bingo callers and people chatting at the bar,” she says. “I thought I’d gone deaf on this tour because the audience was so quiet. It took a while to realise they were quiet because they were listening to me.”

As well as her touring, Jane became a regular presenter on ITV daytime programme “Loose Women” where her forthright opinions were always loved by viewers. She finally left the series last year after 10 years to concentrate on her music career and toured the country at the same time as her latest album, “Singer of Your Song”, came out.

She’s made numerous guest appearances on mainstream TV - from “Ready, Steady Cook” to “All Star Family Fortunes” and “Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway”. She’s reviewed newspapers and had her own autobiography, “Follow Your Dreams” which was published in 2000.

Her shows are unashamedly showbizzy and fun with eye-catching sets and costumes, and Jane belts out all the favourite standards to please her fans. Indeed, she always seems to enjoy herself as much as her audience does.

She’s 51 now, divorced twice but happy finally with musician Eddie Rothe. They first dated at 18 when he was in the band Liquid Gold, but split up and Jane met him again on the set of “Loose Women”.

Her fans are a cross-section of ages, including her own age-group. “I see the same three rows wherever I go,” she states. “I’ve seen them grow up and go through marriages and losses.” And it’s to these loyal fans that she dedicated last year’s album and tour.

She’s just finished a stint in panto at Birmingham Hippodrome, in “Jack and the Beanstalk” playing The Enchantress, before going off on another series of sell-out appearances around the UK. But to all those fans who were first enchanted by her in “The Cruise” and who have remained keen to follow her career ever since, it’s plain that – while life may not have been all plain-sailing for Jane McDonald – she’s determined to continue putting a smile on other people’s faces.

For details of her latest appearances go to www.jane-mcdonald.com

For more articles like this one, please visit our brand new revamped website at www.50plusmagazine.co.uk ! www.50plusmagazine.co.uk

15

HOME He has seen from clients how either replacing an old conservatory or building a new one has altered family life. “People are always telling me how much their conservatory has changed the way they live for the better,” he stated. “Many of them say that they mostly live in the conservatory now, which they love, and that they have a better appreciation of their garden as well.

“The light alone makes such a difference as so many people get very depressed in the Winter, but conservatories maximise light and just make you feel so much better.”

The Conservatory Centre’s Large Showroom at Cheney Manor

BRINGING THE OUTSIDE IN NATURAL light and space are among the popular hallmarks of modern homes in 2015 whatever size your property.

When we investigate new apartments or houses with a view to moving, a feeling of space with plenty of natural light in evidence is what we are searching for. It not only makes us feel better but it’s a great way to help reduce energy costs.

Architects and developers know that these elements sell their homes to the public and plan accordingly. But, it may not be quite so easy to harness plenty of natural light and create more space in less modern properties.

Most of the homes built in the UK after World War II favoured smaller, more intimate rooms which were relatively cheap to heat, and this legacy has continued to a lesser extent into the early Noughties.

However, in the last 10 years or so in particular, more of us are demanding open plan living areas with as much natural light as we can get. In fact, through solar panels in the roof more and more of us even turn natural sunlight to domestic energy to cut household bills.

Getting more fresh air into your home along with that vital light and creating more space for growing families - or simply giving yourself more room to breathe - can be costly if you have to think about remodelling homes or building on large extensions or wings.

So, more and more people are going for a range of other options that still help to bring the outside inside.

CONSERVATORIES are particularly popular for this, not only because they come in such a variety of sizes and styles to suit all kinds of properties but because they are now cheaper and more efficient than ever.

Stephen Wright from The Conservatory Centre in Swindon has been in the business for many years and appreciates the great steps forward in design and materials that modern conservatories now incorporate.

“Things have changed dramatically in the last four years,” he explained, “thanks to the new Smart Glass used in conservatories that is so good at keeping in the heat in Winter and keeping it cool in Summer.”

Conservatories are basically tailor-made for individual homes and can be installed without planning permission or building regulations involved. “The most popular is the Georgian or Edwardian style,” added Mr Wright. “They’re a good price and don’t take long to install – and they look really good.”

Conservatories enlarge homes and can genuinely enhance the look of a property. They offer a private, bright space for hobbies, for family time or just for reading alone.

They also bring people closer to their gardens, both physically and emotionally, and allow a new perspective on greenery without having to suffer from the vagaries of the British climate.

ORANGERIES are another popular addition to homes, generating extra living space and creating a special place to live – and work if you prefer – in a private but bright room. They tend to contain more brickwork than glass, can be a bigger project to create, and usually require Planning Permission and Building Regulations but always add elegance to homes.

You can add a bold and unique visual element to your property with a GLASS ROOF EXTENSION. The glass naturally creates a light living space and the beauty of these extensions is that they can be tailor-made into even the most testing of spaces, letting in an unrivalled amount of daylight.

The Conservatory Centre attain Which? Trusted Trader status The Conservatory Centre based at Manor Garden Centre at Cheney Manor was recently endorsed as a prestigious WHICH? Trusted Trader.

Much like the successful WHICH? Best Buy Scheme, WHICH? Trusted Traders can use the icon. Each Trader is put through a rigorous assessment meaning that consumers get the best service and WHICH? Trusted Traders get the business and recognition they deserve.

The Conservatory Centre is one of a very exclusive section of their industry to achieve this award.

16

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Another clever way to enjoy the outside and still protect yourself from the less attractive parts of the British weather is to install an AWNING. These handsome, often brightly coloured additions to your home allow you to dine or just sit outside, away from the sun or even drizzle, as an easy extension of your lifestyle.

You can get awnings custom-made to look just right on your home. And the beauty of them is that when you don’t need them they simply fold away until the next time.

TILED ROOF EXTENSIONS are also designed to look and function like a permanent part of the property. This additional space makes your house a more desirable place to live and, should you come to sell your property, it immediately allows would-be buyers to envisage using that extra room for their lifestyle needs.

To open up kitchen and living areas, how about installing BIFOLDING DOORS? These clever additions not only look

stylish but offer a large area bringing in light, and they can easily fold back to allow in fresh air and the beauty of your garden.

These doors come into their own for families and open up the whole house.

Socialising in the kitchen – which often predominates at parties - is then less cramped and more easygoing. Cooking smells vanish and individuals can spill out onto the patio to enjoy the best of the outside in convivial company.

Many of us enjoy our gardens and it’s lovely, not only to see close up the fruits of your labours when it comes to admiring the plants, flowers and other greenery, but also because of the health benefits.

Fresh air is good for the digestion, improves your blood pressure and heartrate, strengthens your immune system and cleans your lungs. It also gives you more energy and sharpens the mind – and, probably the most important thing, it makes you happier!

So it’s worth crafting a lifestyle that takes advantage of Nature’s free gifts, and open up your home to all the best possibilities of living.

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GARDEN spindly branches, and any sucker growth. If you have climbers, tie in long branches horizontally, to encourage more flowers. Mulch well.

Next some light and careful hoeing to rid the beds of those tiny weed seedlings sprouting between the shoots of perennials such as delphiniums. If you do it now, you’ll save yourself a lot of work later, and at the same time, you’re letting air into the soil and improving drainage.

Snails and slugs are re-emerging, so watch your hostas as the first leaves appear, and spread handfuls of sharp grit around them. Do the same if you’ve planted tulips. Slugs love those first leaves.

IS YOUR GARDEN READY FOR SUMMER?

Is your patio area covered with moss? Clean it off and check your garden furniture to make sure it’s ready for use on the first warm day.

Check out your pots to make sure

At last, the winter’s over and it’s time to drag on the wellies, collect the secateurs and get the garden ready for the coming year.

First, prune shrubs including hardy

at least a third, to encourage plenty

they’re ready for planting up, and

of new growth. You can also cut back

clean up the greenhouse.

winter flowering ones such as bush honeysuckle and winter flowering

Are you making the most of your

jasmine, once their flowers have

fences? Gardens get smaller with

dropped. And although a lot has been

every new home that’s built, and

said about the best time to prune the

fences provide more scope for

roses, watch out for the first blooms

increased flowers and foliage, as

on the forsythia and you can be sure

well as clothing those plain brown

it’s safe to set to work on them.

screens with colour.

fuschias, and take back buddleia by

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Conservatory Centre 18

Pruning roses

The range of climbing plants is

encourages new

enormous and roses are a first

growth and is a

choice for many, with a huge range

good opportunity

of colours and varieties, from the

to shape the bush

old fashioned moss rose, to modern

or climber. Use

patio roses and standards. For the

sharp tools which

purpose of covering fences and

will allow a clean

arbors, climbers and rambling roses

cut. Prune at a

are the ones to choose.

45 degree angle, Manor Garden Centre Cheney Manor, Swindon SN2 2QJ. Telephone 01793 526691 - OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK www.conservatorycentres.co.uk

about a quarter

The climbing rose, the double pink

of an inch above

Gertrude Jekyll, has everything.

an outward facing

Deliciously scented and repeat

bud. Remove

flowering, every garden should have

dead wood, weak

one. For sheer exuberance, the tiny,

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Pics as supplied by West Country Nurseries.

scented white flowers of Rambling

a wonderful plant, keeping your fence

delightful yellow canary creeper. I find

Rector is also top of the favourites

covered in winter with its dark green

that sweet pea seeds are best planted

and Iceberg is another white rose,

glossy foliage, followed by white

two or three to a pot. This causes

repeat flowering, semi double, lightly

flowers in spring.

less disturbance to the roots when they’re ready for planting out. Sweet

scented and almost thornless. So good, it achieved the RHS Garden of

Planting Your Clematis

peas need plenty of feeding, but the

Merit Award. The difference between

All clematis like a cool root run. Dig

scent and colour of their flowers are

climbers and ramblers is simple.

a decent sized hole about eighteen

more than reward for their early care

Rambling roses bloom spectacularly

inches away from the fence, and add

with the added bonus of plenty of cut

once a year, and climbers bloom

plenty of compost. Position the plant,

flowers for the house.

constantly throughout the summer.

making sure the roots are at least 6 inches below soil level and well

The days are getting longer and the

Planting Your Roses

supported by a cane until it can twine

birdsong is louder. If you put in the

If possible, attach trellis to your fences

around your trellis. Water in well, top

spadework now, you’ll be ready for

leaving a gap between the fence and

up the hole, then mulch the surface,

those long hot days of summer when

trellis work of about three inches. This

and add gravel or small stones to

you can relax and enjoy your perfect

will allow air circulation and an easy

keep the surface cool.

garden. Iced drink anyone? written by Sheila Alcock.

structure for tying in. It also shows off the flowers to their best advantage.

Other perennial

Dig a hole at least twelve to eighteen

climbers include

inches away from the fence, add a

Golden Hop and

good amount of well rotted manure

sweetly scented

or compost to the soil, then plant,

summer jasmine.

making sure the roots are gently

The pink flowered

spread out, before lightly firming in

perennial sweet

and watering well.

pea is also an old

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favourite, and Another very popular climbing plant

for the price of a

is the clematis, and different varieties

packet of seeds,

of this species can be obtained which

annual climbers

flower almost every month of the year,

could include

and some, such as clematis armandii,

nasturtiums, sweet

are evergreen. This particular variety is

peas and the

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The

Conservatory Centre

Manor Garden Centre Cheney Manor, Swindon SN2 2QJ. Telephone 01793 526691 - OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK www.conservatorycentres.co.uk

19

Soothing, stylish dining is on the menu with the help of Colours at B&Q

New Looks For Your Home This Spring IF there’s one thing the freshness of Spring brings it’s the chance to take a new look at our homes.

20

Winter-time tends to make us close the curtains, keep cosy and just enjoy being indoors, but Springtime is all about renewal – and our homes are at the frontline of these plans.

This may be the year, for example, when you finally add that much-needed EXTENSION, SUNROOM or ORANGERIE to your home. Or you can make your living room and kitchen into a major open-plan space that could quickly become the heart of family living.

You may want to add the light and space of a CONSERVATORY. The key here is to

ensure that it doesn’t look “tacked on” to your property. It’s important to give the appearance of flowing from the main house with the same flooring and décor.

Be careful not to over-extend your property, though, at the expense of your garden. Most of us value that bit of green space especially in the Spring and, if you’ve got the time and the interest, your garden can become a pleasing feature of both your home and your lifestyle.

Converting your garage into an extra bedroom or a kitchen extension works well in many homes. Most of us don’t use our garages properly anyway. They can easily become cluttered and many are never employed for their prime use as somewhere to keep the car, so using what your property already has available makes sense.

Changing your old FRONT-DOOR to

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HOME a more modern design, preferably with glass to allow in plenty of light, is a simple way to freshen up both the outside and the inside of your home.

This can help update the HALLWAY which, after all, is the first opportunity you have to make an impression on any visitor. Bold wallpaper in bright colours on a white background is a great modernising option here. Hallways need light so look at your lighting and consider updating and add a mirror or two to maximise this.

Before you start buying items or investing in paint and wallpaper, a simple way to brighten up your home and give it a fresh feel is to undertake some serious de-cluttering.

prove the exception! The most enduring contemporary look for bathrooms these days is still a white suite.

SHOWERS are quite futuristic now, as well as being very lifestyle-friendly, so changing your old shower is a practical improvement that won’t break the family budget. Going for natural colours on the walls, whether in tiles or emulsion, can be off-set by jewel-coloured towels and other accessories that can be picked up relatively cheaply.

Brighten up that home office space with a lively blind from Direct Blinds at www.directblinds.co.uk

Take an honest look at every room and see what you can take out to allow clearer surfaces, cleaner lines and a general feeling of space. It can be hard breaking the emotional link to many of the items we insist on hoarding but try to be objective about possessions.

Most of us happily take the same items through each house move as though they had a right to be in the new place when, in fact, they’re of no real use to daily life.

Get clever with STORAGE in the bathroom in particular. Ditch the laundry basket for a start – you really don’t need to keep laundry here. Replace it instead with a pop-up laundry caddy for each bedroom.

Turn your bedroom into a contemporary and relaxing place with Somers bedding from LUMA

Chuck out what you can’t give to the local charity shops. The same applies to dated pieces of furniture – especially those surplus to requirements. Some charities, like the British Heart Foundation and homeless charity Emmaus, sell second-hand furniture to boost their funds and are often glad to collect saleable items in good condition.

Changing your home doesn’t need to be all about costly major changes, though.

Going for a new COLOUR SCHEME or using WALLPAPER cleverly on a feature wall in an otherwise plain room can transform your property.

Steam-clean your KITCHEN area – you’ll be amazed how this lightens the place and update white electrical sockets with chrome. Kitchens are a central area in most homes these days so it’s worth investing in new cupboard doors or work surfaces for a more modern look.

Go for inexpensive plain tiles in toning colours to highlight smart units and one of the new textured floor coverings or

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If you’re wanting a major change here and want to invest in your home, having a WET ROOM has become popular. Even smaller bathrooms can be adjusted with concealed shower trays that give the appearance of a wet room which can prove very practical.

rustic tiles. Even treating yourself to a set of brightly coloured kettle, toaster and coffee-maker can make your kitchen look chic. nuimage is a family run business with over 20 years experience, offering good old fashioned service and values with modern ideas and solutions. Their Design Service is free of charge - they listen to your ideas and requirements, take measurements then design a 3D graphic that shows you how the room will look. The Installation Service, provide free of charge Project Management and can include: kitchen design in Swindon, Wall alterations, Plastering, Electrics, Carpentry, Plumbing and gas work, Tiling, Flooring, Decorating. All services are fully insured and guaranteed.

Your DINING ROOM or dining area needs to be a place where you enjoy spending time so, even if this is a small space, create something special here.

Buy a lovely chandelier and choose cool light greys and other pleasing shades so that you can eat in a pretty area that makes the whole experience a pleasure.

You don’t need to change everything in your BATHROOM – although if you’ve still got an avocado suite that might

Invest in an over-door towel rail, which is great for hanging up your damp towels. And go through all those lotions and potions that everyone has in their bathroom. They take up a lot of space and it’s a safe bet that you’ll never use most of them!

New BEDDING can alter a tired-looking bedroom, especially if you complement the shades in the rest of the décor.

Jarring colours don’t work well here as this room is all about relaxing and winding down, so go for soothing neutrals with restrained colours.

Now so many people work from home, many of us have a HOME OFFICE but the temptation is just to hive off a space and stick a fitted desk in there. Instead, how about creating a work area that really does promote positive thinking with a fresh lick of white paint and a feature blind on the window with a splash of colour?

Don’t forget the WALLS throughout your home, either. An eye-catching painting, much-loved family photo or just a print that you like can come to life with a beautiful frame that adds interest to your home, and helps promotes the feelgood factor of Spring.

21

We have had a spring clean in our studio at in-toto kitchens in Old Town, Swindon – with a change in 2 of our displays and all of our NEFF and Siemens appliances over the next 2 months. There is still lots to see and plenty of ideas for your new kitchen project whether it is working from plans or measuring up your existing kitchen we relish the opportunity to help you transform your living space into an outstanding room for cooking, socialising and relaxing.

We look forward to showing you all the new ranges and displays including the brand new NEFF and Siemens, appliances and to introduce you to the exclusive Bauknecht range of kitchen electrical appliances.

also have lots of our client’s kitchens on show to help inspire you further.

As a family business, David and Hilda Moore will be delighted to help you with your design and planning of the kitchen project; taking you through each step of the way from creating the design, through project managing the trades and installation and following up with support and guidance on accessories and finishing touches. Drop in and see the award winning design team and let us help put the heart back into your home.

Our new displays will show the latest colour of Fango and rich Castell oak laminate worktops along with a Magnolia laminate kitchen furniture to give you ideas for your own kitchen. We

in-toto kitchens Swindon, Unit 3 Queen Victoria House Victoria Road Swindon SN1 3BG Tel 01793 422004 Email: swindon@intoto.co.uk Web: www.intoto.co.uk

5

Swindon Mobility Fayre 2015

Saturday 27th June, 10.00am to 3.00pm The Legends Lounge, The County Ground, County Road, Swindon, SN1 2ED The aim of the event is to raise awareness of the resources that are available throughout the Borough to make life easier for people of all ages and abilities, this is our third year of the event and we had an excellent comment last year giving us hope that we are near to achieving our aim.

…… I had anticipated one or two stalls so was utterly amazed to be warmly welcomed by an in depth, informative team of dedicated people whose caring and commitment was expressed at every stall ………… I sincerely hope this informative and well organised event, which covers every aspect of emotional, mental, physical, mobility and safety issues will continue to reach out across the age span so that everyone is made aware of the tremendous help that is available for us all in unforeseen situations

Getting here.

The County Ground is very well served by public transport routes operated by Thamesdown, Stagecoach and Wilts & Dorset bus companies. This includes routes from Wootton Bassett, Wanborough, Shrivenham and Faringdon as well as all areas of Swindon. Details of their routes and times are available on their websites:

8 www.thamesdown-transport.co.uk 8 www.stagecoachbus.com 8 www.wdbus.co.uk

Tel: 01793 466399 Fax: 01793 463982 Email: stars@swindon.gov.uk D1301/15

Free Entry

OUT & ABOUT

SWINDON FOOD & DRINK FESTIVAL atmosphere where you can ask questions, get information. Each talk is limited to 70 people so that we can ensure a quality talk and in some cases samplings.

sharing some of their secrets and cooking tips.

Live Music and Street Theatre Join friends, family and work colleagues and celebrate summer.

Enjoy a fresh selection of food from Thai to Indian to the tastes of Wiltshire along with the traditional Real Ale and Cider from local Breweries and look out for the Champagne Pavilion!

27 - 28 June 2015 Lydiard Park, Lydiard Tregoze, Swindon SN5 3PA

Live Music along with Street Theatre to the traditional Punch & Judy for the children will make this Swindon’s most unique summer weekend out. One day won’t be enough!

The Joseph & Kingsley Kitchen Theatre A highlight of the Food & Drink Festival is the Joseph & Kingsley Kitchen Theatre, see your favourite celebrity chefs live on stage, joined by local chefs from leading hotels and restaurants showcasing local and regional food with inspiring demonstrations of creative cooking,

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Chefs Kitchen

Yealands Estate International Wine Classes A highlight of the Festival, this is your chance to develop an even greater appreciation and understanding of Wine from around the world in a relaxed, fun interactive environment with some of the most well-known and respected wine experts in the UK. Yealands Estate Wines produce award winning New Zealand wines, recently earning the title of the “World’s Best Sauvignon Blanc” are the proud sponsors of the International Wine Theatre.

A series of talks covering many subjects ranging from Real Ale to Nutrition to cheese to gluten free.

These talks are held in a relaxed

Opening times: Saturday: 10am to 7pm Sunday: 10am to 5pm Note: The last admission is 30minutes before the closing time. www.swindon-festival.com l

Entertainment

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Food Talks

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Wine Tastings

Leave Something Special

Please remember Prospect Hospice in your will For information contact

Moormead Road Wroughton Swindon SN4 9BY Tel 01793 816190 Fax 01793 815432 www.prospect-hospice.net

T: 01793 816111 E: legacy@prospect-hospice.net 24 Merriman partnership - Legacy.indd

1

Registered Charity No. 280093 17/04/2015 13:19:35 www.50plusmagazine.co.uk

Eating Out or Visiting the Theatre or Cinema ...

why not choose to travel by ?

bus

Places to Visit & How to get there and maybe take the Grandkids too!

Coate Water Country Park Marlborough Road, Swindon.

Bus Routes 12, 13, 14

Promoting Leisure Travel by Bus

Coate Water is a fantastic community resource providing a perfect setting for a simple and enjoyable family day out.

Facilities include a café, children’s play area, barbeque and picnic areas, cycle hire, children’s paddling pool, pitch & putt golf, mini golf, model railway and bird hides.

The park also provides a peaceful oasis for walking and cycling and can be enjoyed by everyone.

SWINDON DESIGNER OUTLET. Bus Routes 1, 1A, 19, 19A, 22 The Designer Outlet is housed in the beautifully renovated Grade II listed buildings of the former Great Western Railway Works.

Shoppers will find their favourite High Street and designer labels with big price reductions, as well as a large food court, information desk and children’s play area.

Hungerford is a small historic town located in the midst of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Bus Routes 46, 46A The town’s historic market status is retained by the significant number of small independent retail and commercial businesses providing visitors and residents alike with personal service across a wide range of products.

Hungerford has an excellent variety of eating places.

The town today is surrounded by open common land, where visitors may enjoy a relaxed walk and an abundance of flora and fauna.

The Town hosts a number of unique annual events, including Tutti Day, a 3 week Arts Festival (including Carnival Day) and a late night Victorian Extravaganza in December.

For details of bus times contact

The Link Centre, Whitehill Way, Westlea Swindon.

Bus Routes 1, 1A, 19, 19A The Link Centre houses an ice rink, swimming pool, climbing facility, 5-a-side outdoor football pitches, gym, multipurpose sports hall, health suite and much more to keep you active.

Lydiard House and Park Lydiard Park, Lydiard Tregoze, Swindon. Bus Routes 1, 1A Lydiard House and Park is a Swindon treasure. Lots to see, lots to do Lydiard House has a wealth of history beautifully restored state rooms, original furnishings and family portraits.

Take a stroll around the walled garden and parkland, calling into the nearby St. Mary’s Church or the children’s play area - there’s something for everyone.

Other places of interest are Aldbourne: Bus Routes 46, 46A, 48, 48A Marlborough: Bus Routes 48, 48A Oasis Leisure Centre: Bus Routes 12, 15

Traveline on

0871 200 22 33.

The STEAM Story - Museum of the Great Western Railway Kemble Drive, Swindon.

Bus Routes 1, 1A, 19, 19A, 22 Experience the sights and sounds of the GWR works at Swindon and hear the stories of the men and women who worked there.

Steam brings to life the exploits of Isambard Kingdom Brunel - the flamboyant engineer, and acknowledged genius, behind the creation of the GWR.

Town Gardens Quarry Road Old Town, Swindon.

Bus Route 22 Picturesque town park, with formal gardens, aviary, play area, tennis courts and café.

Concerts take place in the bowl and bandstand during the Summer, as well as the annual Asian Mela Festival.

The Town Gardens are open dawn to dusk daily.

Aug 29 Bargain Mystery Tour Aug 30 Gwbert, Cardigan Bay & West Wales Aug 30 Criccieth, Lleyn Peninsula & Snowdonia Aug 30 Great Yarmouth, Coast & Broads Sep 3 York Sep 3 Newquay, Atlantic Cornish Coast Sep 3 Middlesborough, Where it all Began Sep 4 Paignton, English Riviera Sep 5 Shanklin, Isle of Wight Sep 5 Cliftonville Sep 10 Babbacombe, S. Devon & Dartmoor Sep 10 Far North of Scotland Sep 10 Colchester, Constable Country WYVERN THEATRE Sep 10 Peak District THEATRE SQUARE Sep 11 Bantry Bay & Gulf Stream Coast Sep 12 Grange Over Sands, Lakes & Dales SWINDON SN1 1QN Sep 12 St Ives & Land’s End It’s 13 party time again as the legendary Sep Scarborough & Yorkshire Moors That’ll Be The Day, the nations Sep 13 Weymouth, Delightful Dorset Sep 16 Douglas, Isle roll of Man favourite rock‘n’ variety show Sep 18 Jersey Guernsey, Channel Islands returns with &another opportunity to Sep 18 Sandown, Isle of Wight see its latest production!

Sep 19 Llandudno & Snowdonia Sep Ilfracombe, North Devon & Exmoor This20hugely entertaining rock ‘n’ roll Sep 21 Sorrentofeatures & Pompeii spectacular a fantastic line Sep 23 Newquay, Atlantic Cornish Coast up of knock-out hits from the 1950’s, Sep 24 Tenby & Pembrokeshire 60’s25and loads more hilarious Sep Far 70’s, North plus of Scotland, inc Orkney comedy!

Sep 25 Pennine Explorer Sep 27 Boats & Trains of Norfolk This year's production features a Sep 27 Eastbourne & the Sussex Coast fresh upSingles of classic gold hits from Sep 27 line Irvine, in Scotland the1 1950's, 60's and 70's, plus more Oct Blackpool Illuminations Oct 1 Eastbourne & the Sussex Coast hilarious comedy!

Oct 1 Patterdale, Lake District & Pennines Prepare for anThe unforgettable night of Oct 2 Killarney, Kingdom of Kerry nostalgia, laughs ROCK 'n' ROLL! Oct 2 Tuscan Riviera,and Forte dei Marmi Oct 3 Gwbert, Cardigan Bay & West Wales Tickets: £24.50 Oct 6 Tenby Ticket Office:Illuminations 01793 524481 Oct 8 Blackpool

OUT & ABOUT

THEATRE over the world for her timeless song, Stay With Me Till Dawn.

With many top 10 albums, including the revered classic, Welcome to the Cruise and her exquisite live shows, Judie will be showing once again what an extraordinary artist she is!

The event is part of Judie's Songs and Stories experience. This promises to be an intimate evening of old favourites with new songs and tales from across her life and career.

Much of the audience has been in love with her since Stay With Me Till Dawn echoed around their bedrooms the first time they got their hearts broken

Sat 6 June

JUDIE TZUKE SONGS AND STORIES

Tickets: £21.00 Ticket Office: 01793 524481

Sun 14 June 2015

ARTS CENTRE DEVIZES ROAD SWINDON SN1 4BJ

THAT’LL BE THE DAY 2015 TOUR

Judie Tzuke is one of the UK’s finest singer/songwriters and is known all

barnes

Theatre Trips 2015 THE LION KING

ONLY

Fri 5th June at LYCEUM THEATRE

£78

CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

£77

ONLY

Fri 12th June at NOVELLO THEATRE

WAR HORSE

Fri 12th June at NEW LONDON THEATRE

THE BODYGUARD

Sat 20th June at WALES MILLENNIUM CENTRE, CARDIFF

Fri 26th June at PICCADILLY THEATRE

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THE SOUND OF MUSIC

ONLY

MISS SAIGON

ONLY

LES MISERABLES

£69 £77 ONLY

£77

Thurs 2nd July at PRINCE EDWARD THEATRE Thurs 2nd July at QUEEN’S THEATRE

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Thurs 2nd July at HER MAJESTY’S THEATRE

ONLY

JERSEY BOYS

Fri 26th June at CAMBRIDGE THEATRE

Sat 27th June at BRISTOL HIPPODROME

Fri 5th June at THEATRE ROYAL DRURY LANE

MAMMA MIA

MATILDA THE MUSICAL

£69

THRILLER

Sat 11th July at LYRIC THEATRE

Ri

ww

ONLY

£99 ONLY

£61

ONLY

£69

BEAUTIFUL:THE CAROL KING MUSICAL ONLY Sat 11th July at ALDWYCH THEATRE

OKLAHOMA ONLY

£66

Sat 18th July at BRISTOL HIPPODROME

MEMPHIS ONLY

£66 ONLY

£104

Sat 18th July at SHAFTSBURY THEATRE

£107 ONLY

£59

ONLY

£104

TO BOOK CALL: 01793 821303 OR VISIT

www.barnescoaches.co.uk

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OUT & ABOUT

THEATRE Tue 16 June 2015

RUBY WAX SANE NEW WORLD WYVERN THEATRE THEATRE SQUARE SWINDON SN1 1QN Ruby Wax is a much loved US born comedian, actor and writer based in the UK. This show is based on her critically acclaimed book “Sane New World” which helps us understand why we sabotage our sanity with our

own thinking. ‘Sane New World’ shows us how to rewire our thinking to find calm in a frenetic world and how to become the master, not the slave, of our own minds.

Tickets: £19.00 Concessions: £2.00 off Ticket Office: 01793 524481

Thu 9 - Sat 11 July

GHOST - THE MUSICAL CHOCOLATE THEATRE ARTS CENTRE DEVIZES ROAD SWINDON SN1 4BJ

The 4,000 year old dog

Did you know that greyhounds make great pets? It’s not news, it is history.

The greyhound is one of the oldest breeds in existence and some scholars say they can be traced back about 4,000 years to cave drawings and they are the only dog breed mentioned in the Bible.

Even though our ancestors understood and loved this breed, is your ‘greyhound knowledge’ based in fact or do you believe the old common myths?

Greyhounds need a lot of exercise.

This is a myth. Greyhounds may be the fastest dog breed but they do not need excessive exercise. Most are happy with two 20 minute walks a day.

Greyhounds cannot live with cats or other small animals. This is a myth.

Not all greyhounds are interested in chasing and some can live perfectly at home with other small creatures such as cats, rabbits or chickens, however

it is best to speak to an RGT volunteer to find a perfect hound to fit with your family.

Greyhounds are aggressive. This is a myth. Greyhounds are by nature very gentle, people-oriented dogs and most are excellent with children and the elderly.

Greyhounds are low maintenance animals. This is a fact. Greyhounds are the ultimate low-maintenance pet.

They sleep a lot and they need little grooming.

Now that you’ve got the facts, why not find out for yourself? The Retired Greyhound Trust takes pride in matching the right greyhound to the right household and will help you find your next perfect pet. We have over 70 branches across England, Scotland and Wales and over 800 greyhounds of all ages and temperaments looking for loving homes.

Visit www.retiredgreyhounds.co.uk/Branches to find out more.

About the Retired Greyhound Trust

· The Retired Greyhound Trust (RGT)is a national charity dedicated to finding loving homes for ex-racing greyhounds · Since it was founded in 1975, the RGT has found more than 70,000 homes for greyhounds · The RGT finds almost 4,000 homes for greyhounds each year, making it one of the world’s largest single breed rehoming charities · The RGT has 72 volunteer-led branches across the country, dedicated to finding homes for the dogs in their area. There are over 1,000 volunteers that work to support the Trust.

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A Chocolate Theatre brings you GHOST The Musical, a timeless fantasy about the power of love.

Walking back to their apartment one night, Sam and Molly are mugged, leaving Sam murdered on a dark street. Sam is trapped as a ghost between this world and the next and unable to leave Molly, who he learns is in grave danger. With the help of a phony psychic, Oda Mae Brown, Sam tries to communicate with Molly in the hope of saving and protecting her.

With unforgettable music and a rich combination of comedy, suspense and romance, GHOST The Musical is truly a rollercoaster ride.

Contains scenes of a sexual nature. £13.00 Concessions: £2.00 off Ticket Office: 01793 524481

Sunday 12 July 2015

KAST OFF KINKS WYVERN THEATRE THEATRE SQUARE SWINDON SN1 1QN Not to be missed!

Actual former members of the legendary band ‘The Kinks’, getting back together to re-live the good times.

Tickets: £19.00* - £21.00* Ticket Office: 01793 524481

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For unlimited travel in and around Swindon...

Latton Purton

Haresfield Roundabout

Cricklade

Blunsdon Washpool Turn

Kingsdown South Marston Park

West Swindon Centre Freshbrook Spittleborough

Highworth

South Marston Stratton Park

Town Centre

Acorn Bridge

Wroughton

Royal Wootton Bassett

Common Head

Thorney Park

Chiseldon Draycot Foliat

Swindon dayrider

Swindon travelpass

Unlimited travel within the dark blue circle Adult £3.50 Adult & up to 3 kids £4.60 Child (unaccompanied) £2.50 Family* £6.80

Unlimited travel within the dark blue circle 1 week £14.50 buy from your driver 4 weeks £54 buy from your driver or in a travel shop 13 weeks £153 buy from Fleming Way travel shop

Swindon travelpass

Swindon dayrider Unlimited travel anywhere on the map Adult £4.40 Adult & up to 3 kids £5.50 Child (unaccompanied) £3.10 Family* £8.40 www.stagecoachbus.com/west

Unlimited travel anywhere on the map 1 week £16.50 buy from your driver 4 weeks £62 buy from your driver or in a travel shop 13 weeks £175 buy from Fleming Way travel shop * 2 adults and up to 2 kids

Follow us: Follow us:

@Stagecoach_West @StagecoachWales

ticket sales: www.buymymegarider.com Follow us:

@Stagecoach_West @StagecoachWales

Prices correct at time of publication.

Follow us:

OUT & ABOUT

Swindon Railway Festival 2015 12 -13 September 2015 The Big GWR Event of the Year Doors open 10.00am – 5.00pm We're gearing up for this year's Swindon Railway Festival, with some fantastic model railway layouts many being shown for the first time!

We have a greaty variety of modelling demonstrations lined up this year. These will run throughout the weekend - from locomotive and wagon construction to signalling, soldering and weathering.

Trade stands will be stocked with plenty of bargains from model railway kits and accessories, to railway art, books and memorabilia.

Heritage railway organisations will also be among the traders to showcase their attractions.

STEAM - Museum of the Great Western Railway Fire Fly Avenue, Swindon SN2 2EY T: 01793 466646 Email enquiries: steammuseum@swindon.gov.uk Mobility-SAMPLE[3].pdf

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More book signings include STEAM’s pictorial book, Wartime GWR by STEAM authors Elaine Arthurs and Felicity Jones.

A Real Ale Bar, courtesy of Box Steam Brewery and a barbecue will be on hand both days for refreshments, alongside STEAM’s own Platform One Café.

STEAM is just ten minutes’ walk from Swindon Railway Station and the town centre.

So don't miss this unique day out - there 's something for all ages to enjoy!

Swindon Railway Festival Prices: Adults £12; Seniors (over 60) £9; Children (3-15 yrs) £8; Family tickets £28 (2 adults, 1 child) and £32 (2 adults, 2 children). Under threes go free.

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You are responsible for your own, and other people’s safety.

A mobility scooter could cause considerable A mobility scooter could cause considerable damage to the user or other people if it collided damage to the user or other people if it with someone or something.

collided with someone or something.

We have written a highway code to protect the A electric highway code has been written to protect safety of people who use mobility scooters the users safety people who use electric mobility and the safety of other road andof pedestrians.

If you ride a scooter, youscooters must followand the highway the safety of other road users codepedestrians. whether you ride and Ifonyou ride a scooter, you the pavement, footpath must follow the highway code whether you or on the road.

ride on the pavement, footpath or on the road.

For a free copy of the publication please

For a free copy ofcontact the publication please the Road Safety Unit contact the Road Safety Unit 01793 466399 email mtester@swindon.gov.uk 01793 466399

email: mtester@swindon.gov.uk

30

There’s a 10% discount on Swindon Railway Festival tickets for STEAM Season Ticket holders when purchased from the Museum direct. Advance tickets are available from Swindontickets (booking fee applies) at www.swindontickets.co.uk Live steam from Hatch Heritage & Steam Engineers and the evocative sound of the steam whistle welcome each day of the Festival, now in its 14th year.

All model railway layouts, demonstrations and trade stands are displayed throughout the Museum so you'll get to enjoy STEAM's permanent exhibition, including iconic GWR locomotives like No. 4073 Caerphilly Castle and No. 4003 Lode Star.

Among our special guests and attractions will be top music producer, author and keen railway enthusiast, Pete Waterman. Pete will be exhibiting his amazing Just Like the Real Thing models and signed copies of his railway books will be available too.

Special guest model railway layout this year will be 'Hewisbridge', a fabulously intricate Borders layout by the 57 Model Railway Group.

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Remember your grandchildren are precious so:

Care for them; Care for where they play; Protect them; Use reins; Hold their hands; Protect them in the car; Set a good example Email: stars@swindon.gov.uk Tel: 01793 466399 Web: www.swindon.gov.uk Decade of Action for Road Safety 2010-2020 Tag Artwork Usage Guidelines

FOOD AND DRINK THE HAIRY DIETERS EAT FOR LIFE "We've cooked the recipes in our first book over and over, and they've become much loved standards in our kitchens, along with our other favourite dishes. We enjoy them so much that, like you, we wanted, more so now we've come up with some new ones that we hope you're going to like just as much."

ALL-IN-ONE SPICY PORK AND RICE 395 calories per portion Lean, tender pork with spicy rice and lots of veggies - what more could you want? This is a scrumptiously simple family supper with big flavours that fulfils all your needs. Only problem is stopping yourself eating too much of it!

Heat the oil in a large, non-stick deep frying pan or sautÊ pan. Fry the onion wedges over a medium heat for 3 minutes until they’re softened and lightly browned, stirring regularly.

Season the pork with salt and black pepper, then add it to the pan and stir-fry with the onion for 2 minutes until lightly browned. Add the chorizo, garlic, peppers and beans and stir-fry together for 2 minutes more. Sprinkle with the spices and stir in the rice, then pour over the stock and bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring regularly, until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice and pork are both lovely and tender.

Serves 4 Prep: 15 minutes Cooking time: about 30 minutes 2 tsp olive oil 1 medium onion, sliced into thin wedges 500g pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1 cm slices 50g chorizo sausage, skinned and cut into 5mm slices 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 red and 1 orange pepper, deseeded and sliced 100g green beans, trimmed and cut into short lengths 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground coriander 1/2 tsp hot chilli powder 150g easy-cook long-grain rice 750ml chicken stock, made with 1 stock cube flaked sea salt freshly ground black pepper.

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THAI BEEF SALAD 239 calories per person (if serving 2); 159 calories per portion (if serving 3) The Kingy and I both love this salad. It’s full of fresh, soaring flavours and plenty of heat, but if you don’t like your food too spicy, leave out the chilli or deseed it before slicing. Make sure you wash your hands really well after handling the chilli! You can make this with chicken or fish too.

Trim off any visible fat from the steak and season it with salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Heat the oil in a small non- stick frying pan and fry the steak over a high heat for 11/2 minutes on each side until nicely browned. Leave it to rest on a board while you prepare the veg.

Use a vegetable peeler to peel the carrots into thin ribbons, turning regularly. Cut the cucumber in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon, then cut the cucumber into slices of about 5mm. Finely slice the shallot. Trim the pepper at both ends and cut it into thin strips. Put all the vegetables in a bowl, then strip the leaves off the herbs, tearing any large leaves in half, and scatter them on top.

To make the dressing, put all the ingredients in a small blow and whisk until well combined. Cut the steak into slices about 4mm thick and add them to the salad. Pour the dressing over the salad, toss lightly and serve.

Serves 2-3 Prep: 20 minutes Cooking time: 3 minutes 1 lean sirloin or rump steak (1.5cm thick) 1 tsp sunflower oil 2 medium carrots, peeled

1/2 small cucumber 1 long shallot or 2 small shallots, trimmed 1 small red pepper, deseeded 25g bunch of fresh coriander 25g bunch of fresh mint flaked sea salt freshly ground black pepper

Dressing 1 tbsp nam pla (Thai fish sauce) 1 tbsp light brown soft sugar 1 tbsp fresh lime juice 1 red or green bird’s eye chilli, trimmed and very finely sliced.

FOR MORE ARTICLES ON HEALTHY EATING VISIT WWW.50PLUSMAGAZINE.CO.UK

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33

If there’s a Will, there’s a way to avoid Intestacy Pitfalls Changes to the laws of intestacy mean that surviving spouses stand to inherit everything from an estate – even if they are estranged.

The Inheritance and Trustees Powers Act, which came into effect on the 1st October 2014, has made changes to the law governing intestacy, the most significant of which focuses on the distribution of an estate where there is a surviving spouse or a civil partner.

Previously, where an estate was worth less than £250,000, the spouse was the sole benefactor. If there were no children involved and an estate was valued at more than £250,000, the surviving spouse, or civil partner, was obliged to share the deceased’s assets with any surviving parents or with full siblings if no parents were alive.

If the deceased was survived by both a spouse, or civil partner, and children, the spouse received a statutory legacy of £250,000, the personal chattels – or belongings – of the deceased, and a life interest in half of anything that remained. A life interest is considered to be the profit or interest made from any investment of the remaining money in the estate. The children received the balance of the estate plus the spouse’s life interest upon their death.

Under the new rules, however, the entitlement of parents and siblings has been removed, leaving the surviving spouse to inherit the entire estate. Where there are children involved, the spouse is now entitled to personal chattels, the first £250,000 and half of whatever is left over, rather than just a life interest on the outstanding amount.

This new regulation means the children no longer have an entitlement to the spouse’s half of the life interest.

The impact of the new rules could have far reaching consequences. While divorce will null a will, some would argue that the new legislation gives too much priority to the surviving spouse, which could become problematic.

For example, if a person has been married more than once, without a will, their spouse stands to inherit the lion’s share of their estate and would be within their rights to pass on the estate to their own children rather than those of the deceased.

The goal posts have definitely moved. It’s more important than ever to have a will because dying intestate would mean that the government decides who benefits from your estate and, in the eyes of the law, only partners who are married or in a civil partnership can inherit. Making a will allows you greater control over who gets what, which could make all the difference to children or family and friends who you may want to receive something, but who don’t get along with your partner.

According to Law Society research, there are 30 million adults in the UK who are without a will, but perhaps the people with the most to lose are cohabiting couples who are not married or in a civil partnership.

Figures from the Office of National Statistics suggest there are more than one million unmarried couples with dependent children living in the UK. While changes to the

34

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LEGAL intestacy rules have strengthened the position of married spouses and civil partners, the position of cohabiting couples has been left unchanged.

This poses a real risk to people who are estranged from their husband or wife and who have entered into a new relationship with someone else. It doesn’t matter if they live together, if they’re not married or in a civil partnership, they’re not legally entitled to anything if their partner dies. Even more worrying is that if a person dies who has split acrimoniously from their husband or wife and they haven’t made or changed their will, their ex stands to get everything as they’re still technically married.

Research carried out by the Law Society found that 34% of people it surveyed stated that they had not made a will because they did not think they had anything worth leaving. Twenty-three per cent of respondents also believed that without a will, their possessions would automatically go to their family. In 2013, the government received £8 million as a consequence of people dying intestate.

Dying without a will can also leave an estate liable for inheritance tax. It is estimated that Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs will pocket nearly £6 billion from inheritance tax by 2018. Leaving money to charity in your will is just one of the ways to help reduce the amount of tax payable on an estate and this is something a solicitor can advise on.

Pooleys Solicitors LLP will be pleased to help you with l

Wills

Probate & Trusts

Tax Planning

Matrimonial & Family Law

Lasting Power of Attorney

l

Your will is one of the most important personal finance decisions you’ll ever make. Nobody likes to think about it too much because it’s a reminder of their own mortality, but if they don’t want the government getting their hands on their estate, or someone else for that matter, it’s vital they make their final wishes clear and legally binding.

Also, don’t risk using an unregulated will writer as they can’t advise on a lot of the complex financial issues around inheritance tax or trust planning, for example. Solicitors are trained and regulated and they’re also required to have insurance to protect clients.

A YouGov survey found that 71 per cent of people stated that they would be more likely to use a Wills and Inheritance Quality Scheme accredited law firm.

As Benjamin Franklin quite rightly stated; in this world nothing can be more certain, except death and taxes. It is extremly important for people to put their affairs in order.

Don’t leave it until you’re on your death bed either as sometimes it can be too late to be validated if a person is moving in and out of a state of consciousness. Depending on its complexity, probate can be an expensive business, but the cost of a simple will remains very reasonable, especially when you think how much trouble and heartache it can save, and that in itself is priceless.

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Conveyancing & Energy Performance Certificates

l l l l

10-15 Regent Circus Swindon SN1 1PP.

Tel: 01793 488848 Fax: 01793 511209 email: mail@pooleyssolicitors.co.uk www. pooleyssolicitors.co.uk

35

THE SEASON OF THE CAT

testicles become larger and the longer they are entire (un-neutered) their face will become larger too.

Our feline friends are one of our most popular and beloved companions. As kittens they appeal to us with their large eyes, mischievous nature and confident attitude to life. We welcome them into our lives and let them turn our households upside down with early morning wake up calls for breakfast and demands to serve their every need.

As well as physical changes in the male, you will notice some behavioural changes also. Entire males may display territorial behaviours such as: scent marking (the smell of an entire male cat is strong and distinctive), scratching furniture and fighting other cats if going outdoors.

We frequently receive phone calls at the beginning of Spring from worried owners who believe their cat to be in pain as she becomes extremely vocal!

Yet after only a few short months these little bundles of fluff become physically mature and can start making their own little bundles of mayhem!

Female Cats: Feline seasons (oestrus, heat) in the lighter/warmer months occur from 5-6 months of age up until they are successfully mated.

Unlike other species, female cats will not ovulate at regular intervals.

In fact, she will not release an egg unless mated, thus hugely increasing the success rate of pregnancy. She will, however, continue to be in season until a mating occurs. For a cat which is not allowed outside this can be incredibly frustrating for both pet and owner.

If indeed she does escape to the great outdoors, as many do, you may find yourself in 8 weeks’ time with the daunting task of caring for an expectant mother and having the responsibility of a group of kittens who will eventually need good homes.

Signs of Season The behaviour changes are the only real signs most will notice.

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She may become flirtatious, strutting around with her tail high, rolling around on the floor and having unpredictable behaviour changes. Many cats will become determined to go outdoors, staring out of windows and hatching escape plans whenever an external door is opened.

Cats are hugely independent and once out of the safety of your home, a young male cat will travel far and wide in search of females and, therefore, they are at much higher risk of becoming ‘stray’ or getting into an accident. In my experience, most stray cats brought into the clinic are un-neutered males.

These cats are also the most at risk of contracting diseases such as Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV, Feline Aids) and Feline Leukaemia.

Due to the increased amount of cats in our society, these males who choose to stay closer to home spend a lot of time patrolling their territory and warding off any competition. Therefore, cat fights are most common between entire males resulting in trips to see us at the vets for treatment of wounds and abscesses. It is almost guaranteed that both cats involved will be receiving treatment - I have seen two cats in the same day who lived on the same street both for cat fight injuries!

Neutering – The Snip

Male Cats: Young males at about the same age, sometimes a little older, will also become more interested in exploring the great outdoors. Their physical maturity will become evident as their

At Thameswood Vets we promote neutering from the age of 5-6 months.

The procedure for both male and female are performed in day clinicswe can admit your cat in the morning and have them home the same day.

The recovery of males is much quicker as the surgery for females is longer and requires stitches for the wound, however, both can go back to their usual routine usually within 10 days.

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may abandon the care of her kittens leaving you with this responsibility.

My dog had to wait until 3 months after her season to be spayed. Is this the same with cats?

No, we can perform the procedure on a cat whilst in season. The risks of spaying a dog after they have ovulated is much higher.

I have 2 kittens at home who are brother and sister, will they get along when they are older?

QUESTIONS My cat is pregnant, how soon after having kittens can I get her neutered?

Once the kittens have been fully weaned off mum’s milk we can look to get her booked to be spayed.

I would strongly recommend ensuring she does not ‘get out’ once the kittens are born as she can come back into season whilst caring for her kittens and be mated again. If this happens, she

Cats from the same ‘family group’ will generally get on well and we have seen this in farm cats that all live together and are related. Those from different families may tolerate each other but it is similar to people living in a houseshare. However, it is still important that they have their own litter stations, food stations and space.

It is not uncommon for brothers and sisters to get along too well and mate with each other so keeping them indoors may not prevent unplanned pregnancies. The breeding of related animals is not recommended and can result with genetic defects in the offspring so I would recommend having them both neutered as soon as possible.

Thameswood Vets

If you have any further questions regarding pregnancy, mating or neutering- please call and speak to one of our Veterinary Nurses. We provide pre-neutering checks for those wishing to book the procedure and find out more.

Alternatively, check out our website; www.thameswoodvets.co.uk or RSPCA website; www.rspca.org.uk/ adviceandwelfare/pets/cats/health/ neutering (Photographs courtesy of RSPCA, North Wilts Branch-all cats in photographs now have homes).

Written by Gemma Lockwood Senior RVN, Thameswood Veterinary Clinics.

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CELEBRITIES

The King and I An extract from Tom Jones’ biography

by Sean Smith - Tom Jones: The Life Courtesy of HarperCollins. Available through all good book stores and online at Amazon.co.uk.

Tom couldn’t believe it when he was told Elvis and his wife Priscilla had been seen in the foyer of the Flamingo.

He thought it was a wind-up but it was true – The King and his entourage, the ‘Memphis Mafia’, had driven from Los Angeles just to see the show. They had been invited by Chris Hutchins, who knew both Colonel Tom Parker and Joe Esposito, Elvis’s road manager, and suggested they come over.

Elvis was curious to see how a performer like Tom would be received in Las Vegas, because he was seriously thinking of making a live comeback there himself.

His recording career was in the middle of a slump and he needed something to reinvigorate his career – a problem Tom would also face at a later date.

The lighting in the audience was quite dark, so Tom had to peer into the gloom to see if Elvis was really there. He had been primed by Chris, so he knew what to say if he caught sight of the man.

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Eventually, he realised The King was in the very front row. Halfway through the show, he introduced Elvis, who stood up to take a bow, and the place erupted.

It went on for ages and ages, until Tom managed to calm everyone down. Elvis eventually sat back down and Tom said, ‘Don’t forget I’m the star here tonight.’

It was a tongue-in-cheek comment, but took some nerve: Tom was just starting his Vegas adventure, whereas Elvis was the biggest star in the world.

After the concert, Elvis and his gang went backstage to congratulate Tom in his dressing room. The ‘Mafia’ usually numbered about half a dozen or so of Elvis’s oldest friends and yes-men. If Elvis told them at breakfast that scarlet was the new colour, they would all have their cars resprayed by lunch.

Linda was at the Flamingo that evening and she sat and chatted with Priscilla.

Tom remembers Elvis saying he wanted to watch him in concert to see how he put together his act. Tom and Elvis talked about music, something they both never tired of doing.

Priscilla Presley believes that Elvis took to Tom because he was a real person – ‘someone who was down to earth that

you could talk to, that was not on an ego trip’. Tom’s show also reminded Elvis how it used to be for him: the adulation of the girls, the applause and the fantastic music. He missed it. He also liked the way Tom didn’t take it too seriously.

For his part,Tom thought the Presleys were ‘a great couple’. He gave Priscilla an autographed photograph for their daughter Lisa-Marie, who was six months old.

The first meeting went so well that Elvis invited Tom to stay at his holiday villa in Hawaii.When he arrived, Priscilla told him that her husband had popped out to buy a couple of guitars so the two of them would have something to goof around with later.After dinner, the two men enjoyed a sing-song, like a couple of enthusiastic schoolboys, belting out ‘Blue Suede Shoes’, ‘Hound Dog’ and ‘Jailhouse Rock’, as well as ‘It’s Not Unusual’ and Elvis’s favourite, ‘Green, Green Grass of Home’. They jammed together through the night. Tom said simply, ‘I’ll never forget it as long as I live.’

The two men became genuine friends. .

Tom spoke graciously of Elvis to the Daily Express: ‘I never sat at his feet looking up to him, because we regarded each other as equals. He was much too modest to be comfortable with someone who fawned around him and was never afraid to admit his own vulnerability – always the mark of the truly great.’

They were rivals, as well as friends, when Elvis began a season at the newly opened International Hotel in July 1969, which two years later was renamed the Las Vegas Hilton. Both shows were ruthlessly

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advertised. On one side of the strip the huge billboards read, ‘Elvis Presley is at the International’. On the other side, the hoardings declared,‘Tom Jones is in Town!’

Tom moved briefly to the International too, because its show- room was three times the size of the Flamingo’s. In 1971, he finally settled at Caesars Palace.

Elvis, meanwhile, stayed loyal to the Hilton, where he lived in the impressive penthouse, which became known as ‘Party Central’. The two friends would take it in turns to visit each other’s suites.

Elvis was a reality check for Tom – a stark example of a road he would go down if he didn’t look after himself. Tom tried to keep in shape. At home in the UK, it was relatively easy, thanks to his fitness complex. On the road or in Vegas, it was more difficult, but he swam and took up squash. In the eighteen months before he opened at the Flamingo, he slimmed down from fifteen to eleven and a half stone. He said goodbye to chips for ever.

He never stuffed himself with burgers or other junk food and avoided puddings, preferring a chateaubriand steak for dinner with the finest wines.

Tom didn’t drink before a concert, which was particularly important where the desert air was so dry and put a strain on his voice. His shows were a workout in themselves, because Tom finished dripping with sweat and as much as six pounds lighter. After a show, he took a long, thirty-minute shower and then enjoyed a vodka martini or opened a bottle or two of Dom Pérignon while he socialised. His friend and backing singer Darlene Love became so sick of the constant supply of vintage champagne that she loathes bubbly to this day and only has a glass if it is mixed with orange juice.

Elvis, however, struggled with his weight yo-yoing up and down. Early on, he told Tom that he took pills to stop the pounds piling on. The two men would have many discussions about the merits of drink and drugs.

During one conversation, Elvis told him that he had taken every kind of drug imaginable just to keep his ‘head together’. Elvis asked him what he took to keep sane and Tom replied simply,

‘Nothing, that’s why I feel I am sane.’

Tom’s aversion to drugs is very well known. He told Sylvie Simmons of MOJO magazine a funny story of the evening he went to a party in London thrown by Lulu.

A rock star sidled up to him and said, ‘You want to see what’s going on in the kitchen!’ Tom, being Tom, immediately thought it might be something involving one or hopefully two women. He was disappointed to see that the great excitement was a pile of white powder on the kitchen table.‘See you later,’ he said.

Elvis never took any drugs in front of Tom – he had too much respect for him.

Instead, they would be sitting down, listening to records, when Elvis would suddenly disappear into the bedroom and come out a new man. They would listen to a few more records and then the same thing would happen again.

They may have had differing opinions on drugs, but both Elvis and Tom had similar views on gambling. Although they were the bait to draw thousands of punters into the hotel casinos, they never indulged themselves. That example was not followed by their respective managers, who lost fortunes at the gaming tables. Gordon incurred heavy losses playing blackjack. He was rumoured, in one disastrous night, to have lost the whole of Engelbert’s fee for a year.

Tom just didn’t get the attraction. Why give away so easily what you had worked so hard to earn? One evening at Caesars Palace, Linda came bounding up to him and asked for some money so she and a friend could spend some time at the tables. Tom reached in his pocket and gave her $5. He advised her, ‘Don’t lose it all at once.’

Tom was intrinsically more sociable than Elvis, who preferred quiet evenings in his suite. He loved gospel music and was prepared to stay up even later than Tom, just singing. Tom would say goodnight and be halfway out the door, when Elvis would start something else and Tom would be obliged to go back in and sing another song.

For the most part, they kept their friendship low-key. Elvis would slip into Caesars Palace with a baseball cap over his distinctive black hair and sit at

the back of the room. Disappointingly, Elvis and Tom never sang together in public. Elvis might walk on stage when Tom was performing, but he was under strict contract to another hotel, so he would never join in with a quick chorus of ‘Delilah’. Their duets were private moments and Elvis made it clear that they must never be recorded. His manager, Colonel Parker, had told him that he must ensure there were no bootleg recordings, an instruction he followed religiously. Tom was the same where Gordon was concerned: he never forgot what Gordon said.

When they weren’t singing, they would talk about music. Elvis once suggested they could do a concert together, with The Beatles as their backing group. They could do their own songs, followed by a few duets and the Fab Four could play all the instruments. Elvis asked, ‘Do you think there is a chance we could get them to do it?’ Tom, who still laughs about that conversation, responded:‘It would be fantastic.’

The pair were such good friends, they exchanged rings. Elvis gave Tom a splendid black sapphire ring, which annoyingly disappeared from his hotel bathroom one night on tour – along with the young lady who was using it. Tom, in turn, presented Elvis with a tiger’s eye ring that he knew he liked.

Elvis, for whom death threats were a way of life, was obsessed with firearms and would make sure he was armed even when he used the toilet. He gave Tom a gun with ‘Tom Jones’ engraved on the barrel. Tom has never had to fire his gun, although he made sure he knew how to use it. Perversely, Elvis also gave him a book that he’d enjoyed, entitled The Impersonal Life, a famous text about selfdiscovery and leading a spiritual life. 

Tom Jones: The Life by Sean Smith (HarperCollins)

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Friendship, Peace of Mind, Independent Living for people over 60* Sheltered Housing provides a sense of independence in a happy environment with the knowledge that help is on hand if required.

You’ll get your own self-contained flat with a lounge, kitchen, bedroom and private bathroom.

If repairs are needed, we take care of it, giving you the freedom to simply enjoy your living space.

All Swindon Borough Council Sheltered schemes have a dedicated officer who you can call on for help. This, coupled with a 24-hour back up service provided by our Homeline team, means that support is available at any time, day or night.

All our sheltered schemes are situated in the heart of communities. We’ll even help you get the best of the local services available such as healthcare, leisure and social activities. * Or for people over 50 and receiving Disability Living Allowance/ Personal Independence Payment 40

For more information, please contact us: Housing, Swindon Borough Council, Euclid Street, Swindon, SN1 2JH Tel: 01793 445503 Email: housing@swindon.gov.uk Web: www.swindonhomebid.org.uk

Housing

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HOME Sheltered housing in Swindon is available for many people with a variety of housing needs.

Due to my husband’s health we moved into Charles Macpherson Gardens in 2006. As I was working full time it was the perfect place knowing that my husband had easy reach of support should it be required. Also, we were lucky enough to be allocated our bungalow.

THERE comes a time in life for most of us when we realise that the property we’re in may not be suitable to our needs any more.

At no time is this truer than when we’re older, perhaps looking around at the family home or large house and considering what our next living move must be.

Most of us want to live independently but in a smaller, easier to manage home, possibly with support. If this is the case, then it is to some form of sheltered housing that we would be looking.

There are many kinds of sheltered housing schemes. Some will have a manager or warden, living on-site or off-site, and all should provide 24-hour emergency assistance through an alarm system.

The accommodation involved is usually self-contained but possibly with communal areas like a lounge, laundry room and garden. Many schemes also run social events for residents.

For those of us needing more support, there are extra-care sheltered housing schemes which allow more independence than living in a care home. Here, you would live in a selfcontained flat but have your meals provided and you might also receive personal care.

Most sheltered housing for rent is provided by local councils or housing associations, each with its own allocation policy and there may be a waiting list.

It’s worth, though, asking how long you might have to wait and what constitutes a priority application. A small amount of sheltered housing is also available to rent privately.

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Increasingly popular these days is retirement housing that’s available to buy, usually built by private developers.

Age UK suggests you only buy from a builder who is registered with an accredited body like the National House-Building Council (NHBC).

But before you buy any retirement housing, it’s important to ensure you find out about running costs like a service charge, ground rent, Council tax and utility bills.

Before you select where you would like to spend the next stage of your life – especially if you are buying a property - it’s worth having a check-list of requirements that you need to ensure your personal quality of life.

For example, is your chosen spot close to friends and family or would it require a journey? If so, is there a good bus service or are there other easy transport links nearby?

If you have a car of your own, is there secure parking on-site or close by and do you have to pay extra for this?

Such additional costs can become really important when you’re on a fixed income.

Are you near local amenities like shops, a doctor or clinic and other facilities you might need? Is there an emergency alarm system installed and is a warden available daily or living on-site? Are there useful communal areas where you can mingle with other residents if you want to?

• For more information go to: Age UK at www.ageuk.org.uk The Elderly Accommodation Counsel at www.eac.org.uk

In 2010 I was no longer working and began to fully appreciate our home. 2011 I was asked to take over the role of Treasurer for the Social Fund. During this time working closely with Sharon, our warden and the committee we organised many events too numerous to mention. I even began to make cakes again!

Unfortunately after long illness my husband died six months ago and I have just started to become involved again after having to cut down on my activities.

Charles Macpherson Gardens is a great place to live with a lot to embrace should you wish. Bingo, darts, coffee morning, film afternoon, exercise class, meals, evenings with entertainment, coach trips and more.

Sharon is an excellent warden who cares about us all and goes that extra mile.

Geoff always said how lucky we were to live here and I am lucky to continue to do so.

By Maggie Stevens, Jim Day (80) Also from Charles MacPherson Gardens ‘I often tell people I love living in my Sheltered Housing scheme, Charles MacPherson Gardens and I do.

The complex is very security conscious and has been very friendly since the day I moved in 10 years ago. The flats here make it very easy to live independently and I’ve been able to make it my home’.

We have an excellent warden on site and a committee in operation for those who wish to take part and enjoy with us our many trips, parties in the lounge and other events’.

For further information visit: Swindon Borough Council Sheltered Housing at www.swindon.gov.uk/shelteredhousing 41

HEALTH find solutions to enable them to live their daily life as they want to.

When you have seen patients with hyperacusis what do you find generally works best?

The first thing is to understand the patient’s particular limitations.

Everybody is different, but many people I see are very anxious about their experiences. We can apply our knowledge and skills to suit their lifestyle and find solutions that they can live with to enhance their quality of life.

Hyperacusis: Living in a world of noise Hyperacusis is a relatively unknown hearing condition, where a person feels that everyday sounds are painful to hear. These sounds can include a door simply closing, the neighbour’s dog barking and even the vacuum cleaner.

Audiologists and other professionals would like to raise awareness about this condition, which can be very debilitating. The International Conference on Hyperacusis was developed to achieve this. Natasha Phillips (Audiologist and committee member) interviewed Dr David Reed (Head of Audiology in Great Western Hospital, Swindon) to learn more about the professional perspective on hyperacusis.

Hi, Dr Reed. Thank you for giving us your input today. First, can you please tell us about your career in Audiology?

I began my career in 1974. I started as an apprentice in Audiology and studied at Gray’s Inn Road for the BSA qualification. Since then I’ve undertaken many qualifications, including the doctorate in Audiology and an MBA in business management.

Throughout my career I have tried to find the answers to help me do my job better so that I can look after patients to the best of my ability.

I’m lucky enough that I can self-fund to study abroad, to search for the rainbows end. I took over as head of department here in Swindon in 1980.

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What interests you about hyperacusis?

Hyperacusis presents in many different ways. There are children who have grommets and their hearing is restored, but then they don’t like everyday sounds like vacuum cleaners.

At the same time there are other children who would quite happily ride around on a vacuum cleaner. There are people I know personally who work in factories which produce a lot of dust.

The factory nurse will remove the ear-wax and for days afterwards they have to put cotton-wool in their ears because suddenly the world is too noisy for them. Then there are patients who are not able to carry out their daily duties. The challenge then is to

The majority of people I see for the first time have started to wear hearing protection. Their world is consequently much quieter than we would normally experience. So the first thing would be to encourage them to gradually reduce the use hearing protection, bringing them back into ‘real world’ noises. At the same time we must give them confidence that they won’t be exposed to sudden loud sounds.

Some can be so afraid of these noises that we don’t want to throw them in the deep end.

That’s right. I think we all find some sounds too loud or distressing. There are certain sounds which are meant to be distressing, such as babies crying. Their sound is designed to cut through adult humans to draw attention to the baby’s needs. It is very effective because you just can’t ignore it. In a way if you’ve been stuck on an airplane sat next to a baby crying in distress for hours, that could give you an idea of what someone with hyperacusis may experience all the time.

Those with hyperacusis often say that they would like the amount of noise in public places to be reduced, such as waiting rooms not needing TVs or radios. What do you think about this?

My guess would be that it will be harder to make the world quieter than it is for us to reduce CO2 emissions.

A Greek philosophers predicted that our biggest long-term polluter would be noise. Domestic appliances are noisy, such as coffee grinders

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or food processors. The majority of people in the Western world have these and potentially use them daily, but we don’t have any ear protection for them. Very few motor car manufacturers sell their cars based on their quietness. Toyota does because of their hybrid cars, but they can be disconcerting when they’re running on electric and you can’t hear the car engine.

In public places, such as hospitals, we have a dilemma where we want everything wipe-clean. As a head of service I fight very hard to ensure that we have carpets in our clinic rooms, because it goes against the hospital infection control policy. They want laminate floors, but we want carpets to soften the acoustic environment and make it more comfortable for everyone. The same applies to restaurants and public houses; the current trend is to remove carpets and curtains and have hard furniture.

This makes the environment very reverberant. We do need to have people fight to make the world quieter but it will be an up-hill battle.

I don’t know if that would necessarily

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be just for people with hyperacusis – I think generally it would be more comfortable for everyone.

How do you feel we can improve awareness of hyperacusis?

Education and general awareness will be the corner stone. As professionals we need to better understand the situations which are uncomfortable.

We then need to educate both the public and professionals. These professionals would be the people whom patients first meet, such as GPs and practice nurses but also ENT, psychology, even neurology. Probably the care of hyperacusis patients may well sit better within Audiology as we may have more tools we use every day that might apply to them, such

as hearing tests and hyerpacusic questionnaires.

Should the public have a say on what hyperacusis treatments are offered in NHS Audiology?

The public should have a say on all of the treatments offered in NHS healthcare. Patient forums are the way forward. Some of these forums are online, but people can also form selfhelp groups to influence care. There are also charities and pressure groups which champion particular causes, such as cancer treatments. Hyperacusis as a condition which needs helping is quite in its infancy and is slowly becoming recognised. It comes back to education and the more people that do something about it, such as raise awareness, the better for all.

Dr David J Reed BA MSc MBA AuD RHAD Consultant Audiological Scientist Head of Audiology at; The Great Western Hospital, Swindon Director of Reeds Hearing Care Ltd. To learn more about the International Conference on Hyperacusis please visit our website: www.hyperacusisresearch.co.uk

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Tomatoes, Prostate Health and the Mediterranean Diet The Mediterranean diet is often associated with healthy living. Research suggests that the humble tomato is a key constituent of this diet and may play a significant role in human health, especially of the prostate.

The belief that tomatoes have health benefits can be traced back to South American Indians, ideas that were brought to Europe by Columbus in the 15th century. Tomatoes were also thought to be aphrodisiacs, sometimes being referred to as Pommes d’Amour or “love apples”.

The key ingredient of tomatoes is lycopene, one of the world’s most powerful, naturally occurring antioxidants.

Responsible for tomatoes’ distinctive red colour, it is a member of a large family of coloured compounds called “carotenoids” that are found throughout the natural world.

Humans possess no mechanism to make carotenoids, instead we accumulate them from our diet. Some, such as betacarotene, are easily accumulated whereas others are much less easily absorbed.

Our bodies are hardly able to take up lycopene from raw tomatoes and need the fruit to be cooked or processed prior to eating. Alternatively, “bioavailable” lycopene supplements are becoming increasingly popular.

Lycopene is sometimes presented in the National media as a panacea, a miraclefood that cures almost everything. Whilst many claims are exaggerated, there

is a large and credible research base that reports lycopene health benefits, particularly in relation to prostate cancer, heart disease, breast cancer and skin health.

The most extensive research has been conducted in the area of prostate cancer.

Lycopene is known to accumulate in the prostate gland and this has driven scientists to try to investigate its impact on the disease.

Some of this research has shown not only a positive association between high lycopene intake and a reduced risk of prostate cancer, but also benefits for those who already have the disease.

Professor Ed Giovannucci from Harvard Medical School has been following the progression of 50,000 men since 1986, investigating the relationship between prostate cancer and lycopene consumption. In his latest 2014 report he notes: ‘Dietary intake of lycopene was associated with reduced risk of prostate cancer, especially lethal prostate cancer’.

A smaller trial at King’s College Hospital, London concluded: ‘Our clinical study lends weight to the probability that dietary supplementation from lycopene slows disease progression in men with prostate cancer.’

Although the exact mechanisms are not fully understood, many researchers think that lycopene’s antioxidant properties help to protect the body’s DNA from damaging free radicals. Others believe that lycopene improves cell-to-cell communication, reducing the risk of the uninhibited growth seen in cancer cells.

In all likelihood, several mechanisms are at work.

Every time a damaging free radical is removed by a lycopene molecule, the antioxidant becomes “spent” – the lycopene sacrifices itself to protect the body’s DNA. However, research has shown that the presence of plenty of vitamin C allows the “spent” lycopene molecules to be reactivated, rejuvenating them and preparing them to quench another poisonous free radical.

Staying Informed Professor George Truscott and two internationally renowned colleagues formed George & Partners back in 2000. The company provides readable, up-todate, scientifically robust information about lycopene research, particularly that related to prostate cancer, breast cancer, heart disease and skin health. The company also develops food supplements based on the latest research.

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Mobility – Be ready for Summer Hear the birds sing – book a free hearing test.

Don’t let the rain spoil a good day out – bespoke mobility ponchos etc are available for most mobility products.

With the better weather on the horizon, do make sure that your mobility scooters, wheelchairs and walking aids are in tip-top condition. When were they last serviced?

Walking aids – replace worn ferrules.

Get out walking – pick up a copy of the latest Cosyfeet catalogue with a wide range of new sandals and lightweight summer shoes.

From three modern premises, all with level-access and free parking, The Mobility Store shops in Wroughton, Marlborough and Bourton-on-the-Water offer customers a variety of quality mobility and homecare products. Local stores, all staffed by local people, are often the place to go for the best advice and service. The stores offer not only a very wide range of products, including larger items such as mobility scooters, wheelchairs, stair-lifts and riseand-recline chairs, but also many smaller items to help with day-to-day tasks. They also stock a wide range of products to help with bathing, toileting and dressing, as well as a range of continence care items. Whatever the product, the aim is to help people to lead easier, more comfortable and independent lives.

“When customer service is not good, it’s not customer service”, believes Willie McIvor, Managing Director of The Mobility Store shops.

MAKE LIFE EASIER Rise and recline furniture Adjustable beds

Footcare: On the move: Mobility scooters shoes and slippers Mobility scooter repairs Footcare appointments Large range of mobility aids Hire services Stairlifts FREE Hearing health

check

The Mobility Store | Unit 9a Ellendune Shopping Centre | WROUGHTON | SN4 9LN NEXT TO TESCO - FREE LEVEL PARKING | Tel: 01793 815083 56 George Lane | MARLBOROUGH | SN8 4BY | Tel: 01672 511550 Lansdowne | BOURTON ON THE WATER | GL54 2AR | Tel: 01451 810088 www.thehearingandmobilitystore.co.uk www.50plusmagazine.co.uk

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CARE All staff should be fully trained on using equipment such as a hoist, to help bear your weight safely, if needed.

Keeping you safe and secure in your own home

How to choose the right Home Care Whether you’re choosing a home care company for a family member or starting to plan for your own future, there are several important things that you should consider. Here are a few useful pointers to help you along the way.

Your chosen home care provider is there to look after you. They should help you to make your own decisions and support you in maintaining your own independence. That also means treating you with respect, valuing you as a person and respecting your privacy. If you need assistance with tasks such as dressing, bathing and toileting, you have the right to choose your carer, whenever possible.

Remember, it’s your care and you have the right to be involved in every aspect of your care. Don’t ever be afraid to ask for a family member or friend to be kept informed about your home care too.

Home care company standards All companies have a ‘Statement of Purpose’ that sets out their aims and objectives and the type of the services they offer. If you’re employing a company, they should give you a contract explaining all terms and conditions. This will include things such as their confidentiality policy – for example, how they will hold and use personal data. All home care company employees should also have clear written guidelines and follow robust procedures on how to administer and assist with any medication needs.

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Before your home care starts It’s important to always make sure that the home care company you choose visits you at home, before care starts.

This will give you the chance to discuss your requirements in detail to ensure that you’re happy with your choice of provider. A good home care company will answer any questions you may have during this visit. The visit will also give the company the opportunity to see the environment in which they will be working. If possible, arrange for a family member or friend to be there when the home care company visits.

So you’re thinking about using a company to provide home care? But how can you make sure that the home care provider you choose treats and cares for you in the right way?

Initial home visit by a home care company During the initial home visit by the home care company, they will carry out a detailed risk assessment of your home, as well as a manual handling assessment. This is important, as it will identify how the company staff will move you safely around your home, if assistance is required.

It’s the job of the home care company staff to make sure that you are safe and secure in your own home when they are working with you. Every home care company must have procedures in place to protect those using home care services, to reduce the risk of accidents, and protect people from any form of abuse including physical, emotional and financial abuse. This will also include an agreement about gaining access to your home. Care workers should have ID cards to show their photograph, their name, the company’s name and contact details.

Home care companies must also have a policy in place that sets out how staff should handle money, if you ask them to buy things, or to pay a bill for you.

Paying for home care It’s important to know the cost of home care and you should always be provided with a clear idea of costs for home care services. In most cases, companies will charge different rates for home care on weekday, evenings and weekends.

There is also often a higher rate on Bank Holidays. Remember to ask if there will be any additional costs that you need to know about.

If you have been assessed by Social Services as being eligible for care and support at home, and Social Services have agreed to, fully or part fund your care (dependant on your financial assessment), you can choose to have the Care Company Social Services appoint, or you can choose to have Social Services provide the money to buy, some or all of, the support you need using something called a “Direct Payment”. The Direct Payment option allows you greater flexibility and freedom in how your care is provided.

You can choose to employ your own ‘personal assistant’ or decide to work with the care provider of your choice.

Your local Social Services team will be able to advise you further.

Check what you are being charged All costs should be written into the contract between you and the company and you should be invoiced at regular intervals for the previous months’ service. In most cases, the home care company will keep timesheets that you

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will need to sign. Always check that they have logged the correct length of visits. It may seem easier to sign only once a week but if you do this you may be charged the incorrect amount and it will prove difficult to prove otherwise.

Automated care worker monitoring Some home care companies have electronic monitoring so care workers can ‘check in’ using their mobile phone or put a pin number into your landline phone.

There is no cost to you when they use this system and it records the exact length of time that your care provider has been with you. This system also helps the home care company to highlight any missed calls by the care worker, reducing the risk of you not getting a call.

Top 10 key questions to ask when choosing a Home Care company •

Can the company provide the care needed, and have they provided care before for someone with similar needs?

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How will the company and staff respect your privacy and dignity?

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Have they taken the time to understand your personal likes and dislikes?

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How do they match the most suitable care worker to your needs? Will they arrive at the time you have requested. Will you always have the same person caring for you. What happens if they are sick or go on holiday?

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What charges will you be expected to pay (Is there a minimum charge)? And how you will be invoiced?

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Is the company insured to protect your safety and interests?

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Do all care workers undergo a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check before being employed? And what ongoing training do they receive?

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Does the company have a copy of its latest inspection report available for you to look at?

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Can the company be contacted outside office hours or in an emergency?

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Will the company give you a copy of their standard contract to read before signing?

How can Bluebird Care Help?

Bluebird Care is a national provider of care in the home. We specialise in working with customers and their families that require care in their own homes. We offer a unique service of tailored care visits from 15 minutes to full live-in support.

The ethos of Bluebird Care is Good Old-Fashioned Service with a “can do” attitude, which has been built around a passion to deliver high quality care and an excellent level of service. Our aim is to allow our customers to maintain their independence and dignity by putting together a bespoke care package which allows them to remain in their own homes safely and holistically.

For those customers not wishing to approach Social Services regarding their own care of that of a loved one, our Care Manger will visit the person in their own home (or hospital) to better understand the person’s requirements, answer any questions (including the 10 mentioned), discuss funding options and put in place a care plan to ensure the person remains safe and as independent as possible in their own home.

Call our professional team on 01793 698033 What we offer We offer everything from personal care to shopping, cleaning or social visits.

In fact everything you need to stay in the comfort of your own home.

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Bluebird Care offers a realistic cost effective alternative to residential care.

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