Around Town Magazine Rayleigh Upminster Edition 2017 by Black Square Print Media Limited

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

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CONTENTS 06

Russell Dore, who has spent the majority of his career working in the West End alongside Michelin starJulia chefsLopez and working celebrity functions, has Political Update taken on an exciting new venture and is reopening the Plough Pubs kitchen. J Sheeky and Scotts as wellRecipe as Sous chef in the athletes village of the 2012 Peppermint Olympics areCream just Sweets a handful of places Russell has had the pleasure of working at , acquiring priceless knowledge and skills.

06 10

James Blower 12 The delicious menu consists of British classics The Savings Guru

such as fresh fish pie, hunters chicken and Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s On homemade burgers all featured alongside a unique When and Where... Essex Tapas menu allowing customers to sample various dishes in smaller light bites. Russell is a

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22 Around Town Sports 08 2017 Review

Made by me Christmas Wreath

Copyright 2017. 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.

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ThE RESTaURaNT IS

Legion to the service at the Church of St Laurence, Upminster, where I laid a wreath along with representatives from local schools, veteran groups, charities and council.

Julia Lopez

Member of Parliament For Upminster & Hornchurch Last month saw a series of poignant Remembrance Day events across the constituency, and I joined the parade from the Upminster and Cranham branch of the British

I have made it a priority to get to know local schools and teachers as quickly as possible and most recently met the leadership team at Sacred Heart and children from St Joseph’s Primary, Upminster, who had come to visit parliament. To follow-up on points raised with me by teachers on post-16 education, funding and social mobility, I brought Education Secretary, Justine Greening, to the constituency to visit two local schools and speak to a group of teachers about improving education outcomes. Small Business Saturday UK is a grassroots campaign encouraging people to ‘shop local’, and I celebrated it by bringing Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, to

Hornchurch High Street to see the investment he made there when he was Mayor. Afterwards, my team and I headed to Can’s Meze Bar in Cranham to sample their fantastic lunch menu after being invited by restaurant manager, Kasim, to nominate the restaurant for the British Kebab Awards. The Can’s family team moved to Cranham to set up their first Turkish restaurant eighteen months ago, having run a fish and chip shop in Tottenham for fifteen years, and now serve fresh, delicious Turkish food to eat in or takeaway. If you have a problem you think my team and I can help you with, please drop us a line! Or if you would like to come and have a look around parliament, we can book you in for a complimentary tour. In the meantime, we wish you all a very merry Christmas and hope the New Year brings you happiness and fulfilment.

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Cloudy2Clear Announce Trusted Trader Partnership Consumer champions Which? have now joined the thousands of customers who recognise that Cloudy2Clear Windows really are a business that you can TRUST. The company which specialises in repairing windows which are steamed up, broken or damaged by replacing the panes – not the frames has received the coveted ‘Which Trusted Trader’ status after going through a rigorous accreditation process entirely focussed on customer service. Group Managing Director Marcus McGee believes that Which? have endorsed Cloudy2Clear’s long standing company

policy of delivering the highest standards possible at all times. ‘Our service is simple. If your double glazing has misted up we can replace the glass at a fraction of the cost of a new window, in any type of frame, and with a new 25 year guarantee. But it’s not just about saving people money, although that obviously helps. Whilst a number of tradespeople perhaps don’t focus on customer care as much as they should do, we make sure we turn up when we say we will, do the job the customer requires and leave their house as clean as a whistle. Locally Cloudy2Clear service Upminster and

Cranham & manager Chris Miller agrees that this approach is a major factor in his success. ‘The truth is that it’s not just the personal satisfaction that I get from doing a good job but also it makes good business sense. I get a huge amount of business from friends and family of people I’ve done work for, which just goes to show how much a little bit of effort is appreciated as both my customers and, obviously a body as nationally important as Which? now recognise.’ So, if your windows are steamed up, broken or damaged give Chris a call for a free quotation on 0800 61 21 118 and he’ll be happy to help!

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RECIPE Peppermint Cream Sweets Ingredients: 1.5 Cups Coconut Oil

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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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Is it possible to get risk free savings

with high rewards? One often quoted statistic in banking is that people living in the UK are more likely to get divorced than change their bank accounts. There are many people in the UK who have opened a bank account with their local branch, with the bank their parents were with, because they got a free railcard or overdraft for university and many other spurious reasons which have nothing to do with which is the best account for them! The reality is that large numbers of people have subsequently not changed that account since. This inertia about switching also applied with savings with many simply depositing their savings with the bank that provides their current account, even though opening or switching a savings account can be done without changing your main bank/current account provider. In the current low interest rate environment, many say that rates are so low generally that they can’t see the point in moving because the amount they’d gain in interest isn’t worth the effort, with best buy instant savings accounts paying a top rate of just 1.31%. Many of the alternatives to cash come with an element of risk to the amount invested or saved, which doesn’t appeal for many savers who choose to save in cash because their money is protected and their balance can’t go down.

So, this month, I decided to look at some options that are risk free but give savers the chance to gain something substantially more than a few extra pounds. Premium Bonds Premium Bonds are one of the nation’s favourite savings products and are operated by National Savings & Investments, who are backed by HM Treasury. Instead of paying a guaranteed rate of interest to each individual holder, a rate of interest is set and paid on balances in to a prize fund which is then paid out in a monthly draw. These prizes are tax free and start with two £1m prizes, four £100,000 prizes then 156 prizes between £5,000 and £50,000 in value. There’s also another 2.85m prizes worth between £25 and £1,000 paid out each month. The annual prize fund interest rate is 1.40% from this month, which is better than the best buy instant savings rate! Savers can invest between £100 and £50,000 and have a 1 in 24,5000 of winning a prize on each bond. Someone with average luck should win at least one prize a year with £2,000 invested and once a month with £20,000 saved. Prizes are tax free and your money is fully secure so there’s a lot to like about Premium Bonds. The downside is, if you don’t win a prize then

you don’t get any return on your money. Many view Premium Bonds as an alternative to the National Lottery – the chance to win big prizes but without the risk of losing your money. Windfall Bond The Windfall Bond, operated by The Family Building Society, is an innovative account which offers an interest rate of 0.50%, which is the same as the Bank of England Base Rate, as well as chances to win cash prizes each month. The prizes are £50,000, two prizes of £10,000 and ten of £1,000. Although the prizes aren’t as big as Premium Bonds, the odds are much better with each bond having odds of 64/1 of landing a windfall in the first year. The minimum investment is £10,000, which may put some people off, and there is no limit to how many £10,000 bonds can be bought, although your money is only protected within the FSCS limits of £85,000 per person. The Windfall Bond will appeal to those who still want to get some return on their money but like the excitement of a chance of winning a much bigger pay out. Personal 9 Month Lottery Bond This lottery bond is offered by OakNorth Bank, a new bank launched in 2015, and is a

unique combination of a savings account and being part of a lottery syndicate. The minimum deposit is £1,000 and your funds are tied up for 9 months. In return, you will earn 0.70% on your savings and go in to a syndicate which will buy lottery tickets – one per £4,000 invested by the lottery group. So, if you invest £1,000 alongside others who have put in £4.5m, and the group wins a £5m lottery prize, you will get £1,111.11 of that prize plus your initial investment and interest of 0.70%. The more you invest the greater the proportion of your winnings e.g. £10,000 invested will win £11,111.11 of a £5m lottery win assuming the same pot. The Lottery Bond pays out a reasonable rate of interest and therefore offers less upside so the chances of winning a big prize sum are limited. Your money is FSCS protected up to the scheme limits and this Bond may appeal to those who like to earn a return with the potential for a nice upside. Savers Prize Draw The Savers Prize Draw, offered by Halifax (part of the Lloyds Banking Group) offers a chance to win one of three prizes of £100,000, 100 of £1,000 and 1,500 of £100. It is open to anyone who holds £5,000 or more of savings with Halifax and who registers for the draws – registration is a one off for all future draws. The draws are at the beginning of each month and you must have held £5,000 for the full previous calendar month. The Prize Draw is more flexible than other products in that you can choose which account to hold your funds in or a variety of different accounts. Accounts included range from the Everyday Saver (0.05%) to a 2 Year Bond (1.65%). The downside of this product is that it is open to all Halifax savers who hold a qualifying balance and register. As Halifax is part of the largest savings group in the UK, this is likely to be a substantial number! Entry is limited to one per person so you can’t gain more chances by having a higher balance, unlike some of the other options.

James Blower Founder Savings Guru Ltd

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

Finally, last month’s competition winner was Sarah Shaw from Billericay, who won a £50 restaurant voucher to spend in Felix. Further details will be on our website by the time this goes to print! I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and will be back in January to look at money ideas for 2018. I will also be on Phoenix FM on Saturday 6th January from 10am – 12noon answering your money queries so tune in on 98.0FM!

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Russell Dore, who has spent the majority of his career working in the West End alongside Michelin star chefs and working celebrity functions, has taken on an exciting new venture and is reopening the Plough Pubs kitchen. J Sheeky and Scotts as well as Sous chef in the athletes village of the 2012 Olympics are just a handful of places Russell has had the pleasure of working at , acquiring priceless knowledge and skills. The delicious menu consists of British classics such as fresh fish pie, hunters chicken and homemade burgers all featured alongside a unique Essex Tapas menu allowing customers to sample various dishes in smaller light bites. Russell is a

huge supporter of local business and only sources the finest and freshest ingredients locally, all meat is brought from local high street butchers. The menu is extremely reasonable with prices ranging from £3.00 to £7.95. Monday to Friday lunchtime you can get two delicious main courses for just £8. This deal was inspired by the local bus route 2-4-8 fitting perfectly with the local concept of the pub. The family and dog friendly atmosphere make The Plough the perfect location for dinner and drinks and the chance to try out an outstanding chefs new menu.

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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.

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-Lane-golfcourse. 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 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

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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 and District Horticultural Society 9th January 2018 Upminster & District Horticultural Society has its AGM followed by a lecture on Growing for the Flower Arranger presented by Maike Windhurst. Spring is around the corner and your thoughts may be on what to grow in your garden. Our first lecture of the New Year is on plants that you can grow throughout the coming year and use in flower arrangements within your home. The meeting begins at 7.45pm and finishes at 9.45pm and is held in The New Windmill Hall, St Mary’s Lane, Upminster. Admission is free to members and £2 for non-members.To find out more visit our site at www. upminsterhorticulturalsociety. co.uk or contact us at info@ upminsterhorticulturalsociety.co.uk 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.

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2017 REVIEW Once again my opinion is rearing its ugly head and please read on as I judge our sporting achievements of 2017.

not West Ham games. Mo Farrah was the pick of the bunch picking up two medals and calling time on his track career.

I will sum up our sporting performance by categorising them as... Winning – Not bad – Fail – Epic Fail

Cricket – If it was a struggle last year, it has not got any better this year for English cricket fans. The Aussies are two up in the Ashes, West Indies run us close in the summer and apart from a victory against a waning South Africa team, the cricketing year has been fairly nondescript. The reliance on Cook and Root to pull us out of a hole is evident in the latest games against Australia. When those two don’t perform you worry about the rest. However, if England turn it around and win the Ashes, it will go down in history as one of the best performances we’ve seen. Time will tell.

Rugby – This year has been a storming year for Rugby. Saracens are the European champions and retained the trophy after winning last year as well. England won the 6 nations again and the incredible Eddie Jones is in contention Coach of the year at the upcoming BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards. The British Lions almost came home from New Zealand with a series win against the All Blacks, they drew the series and the All Blacks can count themselves very lucky. To top it off we very nearly had a Rugby League World Cup win. Football – We have yawned through another qualifying campaign as England were once again unbeaten. The national team playing a friendly or a qualifying match has all the excitement of watching me cutting my toe nails, it’s an arduous task and not very nice to look at, but it is something I must do. For once our World Cup expectations are on the floor going into the tournament next year, here is hoping they surprise us all. Formula 1 – Lewis Hamilton has made history, 4 times World Champion! For a while it was a great tussle between him and Vettel, but eventually Mercedes and Hamilton went ahead and stayed ahead! Could Hamilton have his sights Schumacher’s record?! World Athletics Championships - Team GB once again took to the track, but this time struggled. I guess it was always going to be hard to eclipse the efforts of Rio. The pride of a nation though was at the spectacle, we host a great event! London once again was the place to be and Stratford is made for events like these,

Boxing – British boxers are still among the best. Anthony Joshua has established himself as the best heavyweight on the planet and Tyson Fury even wants to get back into boxing and give us something that we haven’t seen before. Two peak Heavyweight fighters slugging it out for the Heavyweight World title. However, we have seen Kell Brook and more recently James Degale lose their titles. Although George Groves claimed a Middleweight belt and will soon be tested by Chris Eubank Jr. We are pretty damn good at boxing! Tennis – Well, you can’t have a good year in Tennis if Andy Murray doesn’t have a good year. Although that isn’t strictly true now as Johanna Konta has gone and put the weight of a nation on her shoulders every year from now on. She reached the Wimbledon Semi Finals and now we will want her to win it one day. A good year for her, but here is hoping Murray can rid himself of injury and come back to push an ageing Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer all the way. Not an awful year, but not a great one. The greatest show on earth is next year and perhaps we will remember 2018 as well as 1966 going forward.

Put the spotlight on your local sports team, contact Zaki Hasan, via email, zaki@aroundtownmagazines.co.uk

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CHRISTMAS WREATH WHAT YOU NEED: Plain pre-made wreath (available from Amazon online or local garden/craft centres) Selection of baubles of choice Craft wire

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Your Stove is waiting for you! Photo for illustration purposes only