Around Town Magazine Upminster January Edition 2018

T E R I N S U P M T I O N E D I 3 4

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BATHROOM SALE

CONTENTS 10

06 Julia Lopez

Political Update

12

James Blower

14

Recipe

JANUARY SALE NOW ON

The Savings Guru

Roast Beef with Rosemary & Garlic

16 Your Yoga

Downward Dog

11

18 What’s On

When and Where...

Front cover picture by: John Haywood - JH Photography @jh.photohtaphy.jh JH Photography

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Copyright 2018. Around Town Upminster is an independent magazine and does not endorse the products or services that appear in the magazine.

Opinions expressed in Around Town do not necessarily represent those of the editors of Around Town Magazines. Around Town Magazines are published by Black Square Print Media Ltd produced by Black Square Litho Ltd.

Around Town Magazines Graphic House, Radford Way, Billericay CM12 0DX

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Council or Metropolitan Police territory. The next stop will be New Windmall Hall, Upminster, and I shall be taking the opportunity to get an update from the ward policing team about crime and anti-social behaviour in the area after several people had written to me with concerns. Ward sergeant, Ian Bargus, has been working on a plan to tackle the issues I have highlighted to him.

Julia Lopez

Member of Parliament For Upminster & Hornchurch Since my election in June, I have set up a rotating constituency surgery to which I bring a sitting councillor and police officer to address any concerns that stray into Havering

Meanwhile I have offered my help to Keith Prince, our London Assembly Member, and Havering Council Leader, Cllr Roger Ramsey, in raising concerns with the Mayor of London about the triborough policing pilot, which had led to poorer police response times after Havering was merged with the command units of Barking & Dagenham and Redbridge.

Just before Christmas, I had extensive discussions with senior Met officers and the Deputy Borough Commander in parliament about

the pilot and proposed closure of Hornchurch Police Station. The latter admitted that there was a big problem with response times, however he believes these have now been rectified and that the new arrangements are beginning to work much better. Each ward will shortly be getting two dedicated ward officers, and officers will be better equipped and hopefully more visible. Regarding the police station, I expressed my concern about resource being drawn into Romford, and officers having to spend time on the bus trying to get to base to writeup reports and recharge equipment.

On a national note, the government announced a few weeks ago that the Mayor will be able to increase police funding by ÂŁ42.9m next year and they have separately announced an additional ÂŁ50m into counterterrorism policing. London now has well over double the national average of police officers per head of the population.

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HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR

SAVINGS IN 2018?

A New Year is often a focal point for people to look at what they’d like to change in their lives and many make resolutions for what they want to achieve. If fixing your finances is one of yours, then here’s my tips on how you can improve your savings in 2018. This article is also on www.thesavings.guru, with all the web links to the providers and companies mentioned in this article: 1) Pay off debts first If you have credit cards, store cards, loans, overdrafts or other expensive forms of borrowing then focus on repaying these first. Banking is fundamentally quite simple – banks make money by lending the savings from savers to borrowers at a higher margin. Therefore, in the vast majority of cases, lending will cost more than savings.

Paying debt off will be more financially rewarding.

The most common mistake I see with debt is not prioritising.

Pay off the most expensive debt first. I often see people focusing on clearing the smallest debt first but paying off the most expensive will save you more in interest costs in the long term.

2) Make saving a habit Like many things in life, saving

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is a habit. A great way to start is to open a regular savings account and set up a direct debit or standing order to pay in to this every pay day (or the day after for the cautious!).

Allocating the money on pay day is more likely to be successful than committing to saving what you have left at the end of the week/month.

If you bank with First Direct, HSBC or M&S Bank then you can open a regular savings account with a 5% interest rate by committing to paying in anything from £25 - £300 per month. If not, the next best is available from Essex based Saffron Building Society who pay 3.50% on sums between £10 - £200 per month and accounts can be opened and run in their branch network across the region or via post.

For those of you who prefer to manage your money online, Santander pay 3% on £1 - £200 per month.

3) Check your savings rate If you have a savings account already then check your interest rate. 85% of savings balances in the UK are held with Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, National Savings & Investments (NS&I), Nationwide, RBS and Santander. Yet these companies

rarely appear in our best buy tables and I often see cases where so called savings accounts with some of these institutions pay 0.25% or less whereas the best easy access savings account pays 1.30%.

Check your savings account to see what rate you are being paid and, if it is less than 1% then you should act! If you can’t find a statement with your current interest, email us at hello@thesavings.guru - tell us your account name and bank and we will tell you the current rate.

4) Switch your savings account Since 2008, the UK government has made it much easier for new banks to be established and this has resulted in approximately 40 new savings providers entering the market in the past decade. Many of these offer the most competitive interest rates, simple internet banking and good customer service. Our website, www.thesavings.guru, features the best easy access (no notice required to access your money) rates on offer in the market and some of the most competitive now are: • RCI Bank – 1.30% • Shawbrook Bank – 1.20% • Ford Money – 1.17%

RCI Bank is owned by French car manufacturer Renault.

It has been a stalwart in our best buy tables and automatically passes on rate changes to customers e.g. if they increase their rate to 1.35% for new customers in February, existing customers will get that rate too.

Warley based Shawbrook Bank have been paying 1.20% since August 2017 on their instant savings account and have consistently featured in our best buys.

Ford Money, also based in Warley, has been another regular feature in our best buys since its launch in April 2017. Owned by car giant Ford, it, like RCI, passes on rate changes to existing customers.

5) Make sure your money is protected The government offers a protection scheme which guarantees savers deposits if your financial services provider fails. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) protects deposits up to £85,000 per person, per bank, building society or credit union and up to £170,000 for joint accounts. 96% of UK savings and current accounts are FSCS protected – for free.

If you are unsure whether your savings are covered, there is a handy tool on their website www.fscs.org.uk which will tell you.

6) Maximise your day to day cash Some people like to hold money in their current account so they have cash in the case of an emergency or unexpected expense. Many of us also hold money in our current account to cover day to day expenditure throughout the week or month until our next pay day. Even if you spend everything you earn during the week or month, unless you take everything out of your account the day comes in, there will be some cash that could be earning a return. Most current accounts pay nothing but there are some high interest rate ones which do and are worth considering switching too and earning a return on your day to day money:

James Blower Founder Savings Guru Ltd

www.thesavings.guru hello@thesavings.guru @SavingsGuruUK

Nationwide – pays 5% on £2,500 for the first year and 1% after.

TSB – pays 3% on £3,000 until 1st April 2019.

Tesco – pays 3% on up to £1,500 That’s all for this month. I wish you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year and hope 2018 is a great one for you!

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RECIPE Roast Beef with Rosemary & Garlic Ingredients: 1 joint of beef

1 -3 tsp coarse salt (generous amount)

1 -3tsp fresh cracked pepper

1 tbsp fresh rosemary

10 garlic cloves

Method: 1. Settle the joint and let it stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour.

2. Mix the salt and pepper together.

3. Insert some of the rosemary directly into the skin of the joint, scoring with a sharp knife to help you insert it.

4. Preheat the oven to 375oF.

with the rosemary top side up.

7. Roast for 1 hour and then turn off oven.

8. Leave the roast in the oven but do not open oven door for 3 hours.

9. About 30 to 40 minutes before serving time, turn oven to 375 oF and reheat the roast.

5. Now score the joint in 10 random spots for the garlic. Rub the meat with the seasoning mix. Place cloves into the slices.

10. Make sure not to remove roast or re-open the oven door from time roast is put in until 20 minutes before ready to serve.

6. Place the roast on a rack in the pan

11. Remove roast 20 minutes after heating.

If you would like your recipe to appear in Around Town Magazines then contact our sales team on: 01277 658444 or email: sales@aroundtownmagazines.co.uk

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YOUR YOGA

Downward Dog

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Method:

n lineGently withcome your upper on to all foursarms. in a tabletop

otherwise try and straighten out your legs position with your wrists placed directly by sinking your heels towards the floor. under your shoulderseach and yourother. knees Hollow Walk your r elbows towards outhands the forward to give yourself under your hips. The fold of your wrists more length if you need to. he torso back towards shouldmoving be parallel with the top edge of the thighs. Hold your mat. back to hands and knees to rest.Draw your shoulder blades into your upper back ribs and toward your tailbone. Stay Spread your fingers wide and press firmly broad across your collarbones. Relax through your palms and knuckles. your head, keeping your ears in line with your upper arms.

As you exhale, tuck under your toes and lift your kness off the floor, reaching your pelvis up and draw your sit bones towards the wall behind you. Draw your chest toward your thighs as you lengthen and decompress your spine.

Make sure you keep your knees slightly bent if you have tight hamstrings,

Press firmly through your palms and rotate the inner elbows towards each other. Hollow out the abdominals and keep engaging your legs to keep the torso moving back towards the thighs. Hold for 5-10 breaths before exhaling and gently coming back to hands and knees to rest.

If you would like your advert or editorial to appear in Around Town Magazines then contact our sales team on: 01277 658444 or email: sales@aroundtownmagazines.co.uk

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Basildon & District Rambling Club The group meets every Saturday at 2.00pm. The Saturday walks are 4-5 miles with a rest halfway, we have some longer walks on other days.

New members are welcome and membership is only £6 per year which includes all walks. See our website www. basildonanddistrictrambling club.btck.co.uk for full details Chelmsford & District Welsh Society Membership is open to anyone with Welsh origins or connections, or to anyone with an appreciation of Welsh heritage and traditions. Visitors and guests are warmly welcomed to attend our meetings.

The Society’s monthly meeting is held in St Cedd’s Hall, Cathedral Chapter House, Chelmsford, CM1 1NX, and is usually on the fourth Thursday of every month.

Throughout the year there are also fund raising events such as coffee mornings, musical evenings and a Garden Party.

For more details please contact Gwenno on 07724144432 www.chelmsfordwelsh.org.uk/ home www.facebook.com/ chelmsfordwelsh Cranham Art Society If you would like to join a friendly Art Club why not give us a try. We meet every Tuesday in Cranham Community Centre in Marlborough Gardens every Tuesday between 10am & noon.

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Whatever your standard you will be made welcome.

Ring Gordon Setter on 01708 225612 for more information.

Deyncourt Ladies’ Probus Club We meet at the Masonic Hall, Deyncourt Gardens on the third Wednesday of each month.

We start with a short meeting, have a three course lunch, followed by a talk or some form of entertainment.

Throughout the year we have trips out to places of interest and we will shortly be going to a Christmas Concert at the Royal Festival Hall. Contact Janet Garrood 01708 225978 Free Household Budgeting Course The CAP Money Course is a government recognised and recommended budgeting course which has helped thousands of people in this country to better manage their money and find the resources they need to flourish.

We are pleased to offer the CAP Money Course, at St. Luke’s Church Centre, 201 Front Lane, Cranham, RM14 1LD. The course takes place over three Wednesday evenings - January 10th, 17th and 24th, 2018 at 7.30 p.m. The course is free and workbooks will be provided.

To book, or for further information, go to: www.capmoney.org or e-mail us at: capmoneystlukes cranham@gmail.com John & Heather Baker

Friends of Parklands The aim of our “Friends” Group is to maintain Parklands Open Space as a pleasant place to walk and relax, surrounded by a natural environment. We arrange Working Parties to keep Parklands tidy and to help control any excessive overgrowth.

The Working Parties meet for a couple of hours, once a month, at 10 a.m. on a Wednesday.

If you would like to join us please visit our website, www.friendsofparklands.org.uk, for further information, or email our Working Party Organiser, Andy Brett, at: upminsterbrett@gmail.com Friends Of Upminster Mini Golf Course We are a recently formed group with the aims of promoting the Mini Golf Course in Hall Lane, Upminster and working in partnership with Havering Council to improve amenities and to encourage people of all ages to participate at the course. Find us on Facebook.

Why not come and give it a go. Equipment is supplied and the course suits all abilities from novices to experienced golfers looking to improve their short game. More information on the Councils website: www. havering.gov.uk/ Pages/ServiceChild/Hall-Lanegolf-course.

Friends of Upminster Park The Friends of Upminster Park is a voluntary group which exists to help maintain and improve the park to a high standard, in liaison with Havering’s Parks

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Department, for the benefit of all users. It is a valuable local resource when open green spaces are becoming scarce and we would like it to remain a pleasant environment for local people to enjoy, whether to walk or relax in, to play tennis or football or any other leisure pastime (or even just to enjoy passing by the park when shopping).

We are however in desperate need of new members, including a Chair Person, without whom the Group could cease to exist with detrimental effect on the park and its users. We meet on the last Wednesday of the month at 7.30pm in Trinity Church (Gaynes Road entrance). If you would be interested in joining the Group please contact Brian Flavell, e-mail: brianm1937@yahoo.co.uk Friends of Upminster Windmill Volunteers are sought to help us develop and maintain an attractive garden area around the new visitor centre at Upminster Windmill. Our small friendly group meets on Tuesdays. If you would like to help email charlottethemiller@ gmail.com or enquire at the site on a Tuesday.

Pilates for a Healthier Spine Experienced Sports & Remedial Massage Therapists Charlene & Neil Carpenter teach traditional Pilates in private sessions and also to small groups in Upminster & Cranham. For further information or to book a course or trial class please visit www. upminstersportsmassage.co.uk or call Charlene on 07411 826721, or email upminstersportsmassage@ gmail.com

Retired with free time during the week - Upminster and District Probus Club.

Luncheon club, with talks and outings, for retired men, covering art, crime, gardening, history, music, sport and transport etc. Meet on the last Wednesday of the month at the Cranleigh, Hornchurch.

Outings planned 2017: Battle of Britain Explorer - Dover area, Christmas Concert with the Philharmonia Orchestra, jointly with ladies Probus club.

Secretary: Barry, on 01708 703783 email secretary@ upminsterprobus.com www.upminsterprobus.com and https://www.facebook.com/upm insterprobus/?ref=bookmarks.

The Rotary club of Havering East We hold our meetings at Upminster Golf Club every Tuesday Evening at 7pm for 7.30 and enjoy an excellent 2 course meal. We are a friendly club our main aim is to help people less fortunate than ourselves. We raise money for charities but also enjoy fellowship and social events.

If you are interested in finding out about Rotary organisation and helping your local community why not come along one evening. Contact: Liz Goodwin on 07967644918 email:liz.goodwn7@gmail.com.

The Rotary Club of Hornchurch and Upminster We attract members from in and around Havering who have a common agenda to help people in need wherever they may be. Our Club prides itself

on the closeness and friendship between its members and their partners. We meet most Thursdays at 12.30 for 13.00 at The Railway Hotel in Hornchurch.

If you would like to find out more please visit our website www.hornchurchrotary.org or contact Brian Taffs on 01708 250855 or e-mail btaffs@ btinternet.com Upminster Park Towns Women’s Guild We are a friendly group of Ladies enjoying a chat over tea and biscuits listening to a good speaker or entertainer.

Going on outings/theatre trips and promoting friendship and well being.

We meet at St.Lawrence Church, Derham Hall, Upminster on the fourth Wednesday each month at 1.45 - 4pm.

For more information contact Deborah Pryor 01708 226127 or Anne Monk 01708 226305 or simply come along.

Upminster Wine and Social Club We are a fun group of people with an interest in wine appreciation and enjoying many social events. We hold meetings every month with a variety of speakers and a wine tasting.

Meetings are held on the third Thursday of the month at 8.00 o’clock in the Cranham Social Hall, Front Lane, Cranham.

For more information contact Maureen Jasper on 01708 223956, or simply come along on the night. You would be made most welcome.

If you would like to promote your club or event for February/March then please email a maximum of 70 words to:

admin@aroundtownmagazines.co.uk Please ensure that all contact details are included.

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The TOOLS OF THE TRADE

By Sue Gascoyne - www.playtoz.co.uk If you’ve ever been told ‘A bad workman blames his tools’ then you’ve probably felt the smarting blow and indignation of this oft chimed proverb. Whether on the giving or receiving end, like all sayings which easily trip off the tongue, truth and lies blend into one.

In our blame-dominated culture it’s all too easy to attribute our failings to equipment, weather, wrong leaves or heavy traffic, you get the idea, but in reality it’s rarely that simple.

No-one would expect a plasterer to magic walls as smooth as a new-born’s skin with a butter knife, or a builder to create strong and straight structures without a spirit level and plumb line. Certain trades require specialist equipment and this equipment needs to be well maintained, after all a bent tape measure, blunt chisel or plaster-clad trowel are simply not fit for purpose or conducive to taking pride in a quality job. The frustration of having to work with imperfect tools can leave us feeling bad enough without the bruising from glib sayings like these.

Like well parroted old wives’ tales, proverbs are infused with shreds of truth as we may blame a bent nail on a knot in the wood or the heavy traffic on being late, rather than accepting responsibility for rushing because of poor time management. Dried up paintbrushes (my DIY Achilles heel) are an expensive and inconvenient reminder of the importance of having well-maintained tools. I’m thinking of a French plasterer that we hired for a restoration project. With the crumbling walls made good and lined, all that remained was to plaster and paint all fourteen rooms – yes it was a big project. Returning to France to inspect the work we were disappointed and dismayed to discover that instead of silky smooth plaster, every wall featured arcing scratch lines, perfectly highlighted by the fresh paint, as his trowel had evidently been faulty!

Reflecting upon children’s experience of tools is an eye opener. As concerned parents, we

think nothing of giving children inadequate plastic eating tools to avoid possible dangers. Who hasn’t felt frustrated and dismayed by the inability of children’s scissors to actually cut anything?!

A case of health and safety gone mad, its tools like these which set our children up to fail rather than supporting them to learn. Not trusting in their abilities, we fall into the trap of offering useless or undermining alternatives which inevitably frustrate and hamper progress. I remember receiving a call from my daughter’s nursery telling me that she’d had an accident – turned out that a curious child, never previously exposed to real scissors, had had two attempts at cutting her finger off, only to be surprised at the appearance of blood! My daughter in contrast had been proficient in using and safely carrying real scissors from an early age and so was the victim not protagonist in this episode!

With time, support and the right equipment children can succeed in their drive to mimic adults and develop skills and mastery. Yes of course we may be able to pair up the clean socks quicker, bake a lighter cake or use less soap when washing-up but all of these chores are also wonderful and potentially fun learning opportunities as children develop mastery.

Parenthood provides ample opportunities for reflection over what we could have done more, less or better - such is the cross we bear. What’s important is giving children ample opportunities to observe safe handling of tools and time and patient support in mastering these skills.

Using the right equipment is just as important for creativity. If children are given quality pens, pencils, paint brushes, paints and paper as well as instruction on essential techniques, they can wow and amaze us with the complexity and maturity of their creations. At times like this a well-chosen proverb, (aptly about equipment) seems to fit the bill. ‘Minds are like parachutes. They only function when they are open!’ a message to adults, rather than children, I dare say!

Sue Gascoyne is an author, Certified Play Therapist, Early Years trainer whose keynotes around the world help inspire and engage Early Years practitioners and parents.

The IT DETOX TIME? IS

By Kelly Shaw

- Beauty Expertise

The calm of January has finally arrived.

The bustle and busyness of Christmas is behind us for another year, and this is typically when everyone starts talking about eating well and having a ‘dry January’! It’s always all about the “Detox” but it can’t be the same thing every year. Yes, there are many benefits to helping your body to detoxify and recover. However, it can’t all be non-stop juice detoxing, lets allow some sk-indulgence too!

I’m a huge fan of dry body brushing as it has multiple benefits. It will stimulate the body’s lymphatic system to drain toxins away, exfoliate the skin to remove dead cells and the stimulation to the sebaceous cells will help the skin to hydrate itself.

Mud wraps are a fabulous way to trigger the body to detox, and some people swear by them to help shift stubborn cellulite and fat on thighs and bottoms. At a time when we are trying not to touch the champagne there is no reason why we can’t indulge in

a little vinotherapy! There are some exquisite treatments available that utilise this within indulgent body scrubs and wraps. There is an added bonus that they are warm and relaxing too, so perhaps a wonderful way to unwind after the festive whirlwind.

We are now well into winter, a time which is tough on skin both on your face and on your body. This is a good time to revisit the products you are using at home and targeting dry, flaky or itchy skin so that it is back in tip top condition before spring. If you think your skin needs something a little more advanced then get yourself booked in for a facial, your therapist should be able to create the perfect treatment to help with any dryness or sensitivity that become apparent at this time of year.

New year resolutions about looking your best are not just for women – in my experience men are now pretty clued up about treatments and we see more and more of them dropping into the salon. Men’s skin can suffer just as much as women’s with shaving, central heating and cold winter wind so make sure you invest in a good moisturiser and cleanse your face well too.

With over 20 years’ experience as a beauty therapist, Kelly Shaw’s passion and dedication to the industry has enabled her to achieve professional success as Spa Director for some of the world’s most exclusive global resorts. Founder of Kelly Shaw Consultancy Ltd and Hampshire’s multi award-winning boutique salon k:SPA, Kelly also sits on the board for both CIBTAC and BABTAC - British Association of Beauty Therapy & Cosmetology.

RUNNING & FITNESS COACH The

By Verity Wright - www.runverity.com As a coach I am constantly telling my runners to slow down and they look at me in a puzzled sort of way. I say “Anyone, and I mean anyone, can run the first mile of a race at a fast pace, we can all boast that we were on for a sub 30min 5k, 60min 10k, 2-hour half or 4-hour marathon in that first mile but it’s how you finish the last mile that counts”.

Getting the pacing right for any race is an art and a science and it can take many races to perfect it. There is a fine line between running a PB (Personal Best) success or a PW (Personal Worst) disaster and sometimes this fine line can be the difference between whether you hang your trainers up for good or whether you dust yourself down and put it down to experience enabling you to try again.

Sometimes we can put too much pressure on ourselves on the lead up to a big event. It could be your first parkrun or your first marathon but getting caught up in the excitement and atmosphere as you wait on the start line can cause you to run a race just a little bit faster than norm. This change in the energy system that our body isn’t used to can sometimes result in disaster.

When you exercise, your body uses oxygen to break down glucose for energy and a byproduct of this process is lactate. During easy running, your body converts and recycles this lactic acid back into energy and efficiently expels the waste products. Therefore, the production of lactate will remain relatively constant while running at an easy aerobic (talking) pace, which doesn’t require a huge demand for energy.

However, if you set off too quickly in any run and continue to run faster you demand more energy from your body and the production of lactic acid

will slowly increase. At some point if you continue to run too fast the production of lactic acid will soar and your body will no longer be able to convert lactate back into energy and expel the waste products. This point is commonly referred to as your lactate threshold. The lactic acid then floods into system, muscle power is diminished and you begin to slow down (I refer to this as the bear jumping on you as it feels as though you can’t move!) Symptoms may include a burning feeling in your muscles, including cramp, feeling nauseous, weak and exhausted. It’s your body’s way to tell you to stop what you’re doing.

Ultimately, lactic acid is one of the largest contributors to why you slow down as the race goes on and what makes the race hard work.

The idea is, then, that if you run at a slightly slower than usual pace then you can hold this threshold for as long as possible as you prevent waste products from building up and causing the exhaustion. The aim is to get to the last quarter of the race with enough energy to kick those last miles and finish strong.

Try running without a watch so that you can feel your pace, run a little bit faster between lamp posts so that you learn where the difference is between feeling comfortable and uncomfortable. Remember running is a journey; an art and a science, a bit like a recipe, see what works, what doesn’t, you can take a bit of training out or add a bit more in until you find what works for you and that is part of the fun.

Verity Wright is an England Athletics Qualified Coach in Running Fitness and runs a successful Athletics Coaching business in the South of England. She competes as an endurance athlete in events from 10k to 42k over country, roads, fells and mountains. If you want to know more, you can visit her website www.runverity.com

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