The Bournemouth Rock - Issue 19

SPORT

Cherries P23 signings looking lively

OPINION Religion is a weird concept

P10

FEATURES Eating P12 disorder awareness

Bournemouth graduates win Oscar with Gravity

Film picks up Best Visual Effects Effects company has base at AUB 50 former students worked on film WARNER BROS.

Joe Nerssessian

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR @joenerssessian GRADUATES of Bournemouth University and Arts University

Bournemouth (AUB) helped 2013 space-movie Gravity dominate the Oscars with seven awards on Sunday night.

Fifty Animation and Film graduates from the two universities were employed by world-leading visual effects company, Framestore, to work on the film.

The work undertaken by the graduates was specifically recognised as the movie claimed a technical award for Visual Effects, beating off competition from Iron Man 3 and Star Trek Into Darkness.

The film, which features Hollywood stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, also won a BAFTA

in the same category last month.

London-based Framestore oversaw the visual effects which make up 80% of the film with the only real elements often just Bullock and Clooney’s faces.

Talent Development Manager at Framestore, Anna Swift, picked out the graduates for special praise.

“We are so thrilled to be celebrating Gravity’s success, which is a testament to the commitment and skill of our talented staff, including Bournemouth University graduates,” said Anna.

Continued on page 3

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Thursday 6 March 2014| The Rock

Bournemouth adults most active Anna Hayward @hayward94

THURSDAY, 6 March 2014

News

Local mothers go against spending trend

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Opinion

Sex workers deserve better

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Features Social taboo uncovered

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BOURNEMOUTH adults are the most active in the south west according to a nationwide report.

The report produced by UK Active, has assessed the levels and impact of inactivity throughout 150 different counties. The report then ranked the counties in order of the smallest percentage of inactivity.

Bournemouth has some of the lowest levels, ranked fifth in the country and first in the south west.

Nicola Greene, deputy council leader of Bournemouth Borough Council (BBC) said: “We’re obviously very pleased but also not entirely surprised.

“You look around and think about all the great local facilities that we’ve got across Bournemouth that people can access.”

Despite councils not being required to provide health facilities, Bournemouth Council has opened green areas such as Winton Recreation Ground and a new coastal activity park in Boscombe.

Nicola also co-chair of the

Health and Well-being board in Bournemouth and Poole added: “It’s about providing the facilities in the first place and making sure they are accessible and affordable.

“We are a visitor economy which gives us the chance to invest in our parks and gardens in ways that perhaps other towns can’t.”

Four years ago, Bournemouth Council decided to hand over control

of their four leisure centers to BH Live, a move they say would get residents the best facilities.

Stokewood Leisure Centre is one of the facilities run by BH Live who promote fitness and activity through their range of facilities.

Sarah Ashby, senior fitness advisor at Stokewood, said: “I think it’s great and we have noticed such an increase in memberships. We try

A recent report shows that Bournemouth adults are the most active in the south west

Michael Seymour DEPUTY EDITOR

@michaelgseymour SINCE the creation of The Rock two years ago, we have continued to develop, growing further into the community of Bournemouth

and improving its content for you, the reader.

Last year marked a significant point in the growth of The Rock with the launch of our website – bournemouthrock.co.uk.

Launched under the guidance of then-Online Editor Robyn Montague, the website has gone from strength to strength, producing extra features,

blogs and multimedia content for visitors, as well as the regular content you can expect from the newspaper.

Now under the leadership of first-year Multimedia Journalism student Poppy Jeffery, the website is continuing to grow alongside the print edition of The Rock. We are currently working with Digital

Plans for new stadium

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Contact Email

editor@bournemouthrock.co.uk

Website

bournemouthrock.co.uk

@BournemouthRock

A. OSLO

Editorial The Rock heads in new online direction

Sport

Twitter

to enable all walks of life to be able to come in and exercise.”

UK Active is a non-profit body that encourages people to become active. This is their latest project highlighting the inactiveness of the country.

It contradicts information revealed

by Public Health England last month which said over half of Bournemouth adults are overweight.

The Rock has evolved over the last two years and made the online transition last year

H HAMMER

Media Design student Paul Bird to redesign the website, making it more engaging and visually appealing for visitors.

To help bridge the gap between the print and online versions of The Rock, some additions are being made to the newspaper.

As you may have noticed in the previous issue, we have added the Twitter handles of all our contributors, so you can follow all of your favourite writers and keep up to date with everything they produce, as well as following @BournemouthRock.

Over the page, you can now also see the addition of the top posts over the past three weeks on bournemouthrock.co.uk, so you never miss out on the great content produced by our contributors.

To keep our reputation of quality and indepth journalism, we are pushing for a new web-first model, so now you will be able to keep up to date with the latest news, opinions, features and sport via the bournemouthrock.co.uk.

On Sunday evening, Editor-inChief Tom Beasley live-blogged the 2014 Oscar ceremonies, becoming one of the most popular posts.

Keep your eyes peeled for more improvements like these in future issues of The Rock, and on the website, our Twitter and our Facebook page for details of new opportunities to get involved as part of these changes.

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The Rock | Thursday 6 March 2014

Fifty Bournemouth graduates celebrate after Gravity glory

Framestore’s Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk and Neil Corbould (L to R) hold up their VFX Oscars

Continued from front page Gravity also won Academy Awards in Editing, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing and Cinematography as well as Best Original Score, and Best Director for Alfonso Cuarón.

Lars Erik Eriksen, AUB graduate and a Paint and Roto artist on the film, said that working on an award-winning film was an “amazing feeling”.

“This is something I could only have dreamed about when studying at AUB. It was the steepest learning curve I’ve ever had and such an amazing opportunity to be working on a Hollywood movie right on [the] AUB campus.”

VFX Supervisor for Framestore, Tim Webber, who collected the award, said: “Visual effects and filmmaking is all about the team and there are far too many to thank properly, but I’d like to mention David Heyman, Nikki Penny, Emmanual Lubezki, all of the shooting crew, Rising Sun Pictures, and the incredible team at Framestore.”

Students had the opportunity to work on the film through the relationship between AUB and Framestore, which aims to build a bridge between industry and education. This includes using

AUB facilities for students to work for Framestore.

A spokesperson for AUB said: “We’re extremely proud of our ten, Oscar–winning alumni who’ve worked hard to bring Gravity to life.

With Framestore’s own outpost on our campus, our students have been able to take advantage of what’s on offer at AUB and see their work on the big screen within months of graduating.

“This will establish Bournemouth as a centre of excellence for visual effects and animation and will enable students and graduates to have the support of world-class professionals.”

Another AUB graduate who worked on Gravity, Sasha Izadpanah, has also helped with other recent blockbusters such as The Secret life of Walter Mitty and Robocop.

She said: “My specialism on the Film course was editing and I was extremely lucky to have tutors like Bill Diver and Jonathan Turner.

The one thing I have learnt is that nothing teaches you more than experience. Get a camera, make films and make mistakes so you can discover what really works.”

Lecturers also worked on the film, including Adam Redford, a Senior Practice Fellow in Computer Animation at BU.

Gravity dominated the Oscars with seven awards

WARNER BROS.

PRESS ASSOCIATION

He worked for around six months on the film, helping to paint some of the interior and exterior sets and props seen in the film.

Adam said: ”I felt really proud to have been involved in a film that won so many awards, especially for the visual effects. It’s a good feeling to know that you have had some input, however small, into something that has been received so positively by the visual effects community and the general public.

“A lot of the tools, techniques and processes used in the creation of the visual effects for Gravity are being taught in classrooms every day.

“This will give our students the necessary education and understanding of visual effects to enable them to achieve great success in the feature film visual effects industry of the future.”

This isn’t the first time BU graduates have been awarded an Oscar. In 2011 MA Visual Effects student, Andy Lockley, won an Academy Award for the special effects work on Inception.

There will also be plenty more opportunities for Bournemouth students and Framestore to pick up awards; they’re currently working on the latest addition to the Marvel series, Guardians of the Galaxy, new Tom Cruise blockbuster Edge of Tomorrow and Paddington Bear which stars Colin Firth.

The Rock’s competition winner is......

THIRD year Multimedia Journalism student Rachel Currie has been announced as the winner of the inaugural Oscars competition run by The Rock.

The competition, launched in our last issue, invited readers to predict the Oscars, held in Hollywood’s Dolby Theater on March 2.

Rachel managed to successfully predict 20 of the 24 awards given out on the night, beating the nearest runner-up by a margin of

several correctly guessed films choices.

She will win a £25 voucher to spend in ODEON Cinemas courtesy of The Rock.

“I’m so excited to have won The Rock’s Oscars competition,” said Rachel.

“I absolutely love going to the cinema so I knew I couldn’t miss the opportunity to enter.

“I think it was clear that Gravity would be a winner in a lot of categories when it was first released, but I’m very happy that 12 Years A Slave won Best Picture and I think Lupita Nyong’o well deserved the Best Supporting Actress accolade.

“Now I just have to decide what films to go and see with my prize.”

Our top stories on the website There’s loads of exclusive content and web-only stories available over at bournemouthrock.co.uk.

Here are the five stories you have been reading the most online in the last month.

1. Review – Scene Asia restaurant We visit an exciting new dining spot in Bournemouth.

2. Burger shop food will tantalise your tastebuds We see if Burger Shop in Old Christchurch Rd justifies the hype.

3. Bournemouth Bartenders Bajan Antics We review the latest Bournemouth Bartending League event.

4. Oscars Live Blog A minute by minute account of the 86th Academy Awards.

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Thursday 6 March 2014| The Rock

NekNominations revamped

Editorial Team Editor-in-Chief Tom Beasley Deputy Editor Michael Seymour News Editor Nikita Lewis Deputy NE Hailey Hammer Deputy NE Hollie Wong Assistant NE Joe Nerssessian Opinion Editor Chris Fay Assistant OE Priscilla Ng’ethe Features Ed Emma Baker Assistant FE Anna Hayward Assistant FE Ross Maffey Sports Editor Jack Cozens Deputy SE Ben Fisher

Nikita Lewis NEWS EDITOR @NikitaLewis

SUBU have championed a new version of the controversial NekNomination drinking game, focusing on doing something positive.

The positive twist, known as RAKNomination, replaces disgusting self-made concoctions of ingredients with random acts of kindness.

The new social media trend has spread quickly, with students in Bournemouth getting

involved.

SUBU has played its role in this by making students aware of the dangers of drinking.

They have not been notified of any serious incidents involving students participating in the potentially dangerous trend.

SUBU’s Vice President of Welfare, Annie Hall, said: “There has been widespread national coverage over the dangers of NekNominations, and SUBU has a permanent commitment to promote responsible drinking.

“We believe our students are intelligent and astute enough to be aware of the obvious risks with NekNominations, but remind them to remain vigilant when drinking,

especially when peer pressure is involved.”

SUBU have run a Health and Wellbeing Week, which among other issues, circulated information around recognising and seeking support for alcohol misuse, and will execute an awareness campaign in the coming weeks to remind students of the dangers of drink spiking.

Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) are being carried out all over the world, with nominees giving out food and money in Hong Kong and one participant cutting off and donating her hair to make wigs for unwell children.

Over the last few days the RAKNominate Facebook page has

Chief Sub Marcin Bryszak Assistant Chief Subs Anna Pujol- Mazzini & Ross Took Online Editor Poppy Jeffery Deputy Online Editors Charlotte Willis & Ethan Taylor Social Media Ed Rhee Stacks The Rock needs you. We still have many jobs available on the editorial and business staff, as well as online.

To find out more and register your interest, visit: www.bournemouthrock.co.uk/getinvolved/ Letters to the editor must be signed (including the course of Bournemouth University students, the working title and school for staff members, company name, or home address for individuals outside BU). Prior to the publication, letters will be verified for authencity by the editor.

Anonymous letters will not be published. The editor reserves the right to edit all letters in regard to libel law, length, taste, grammar and punctuation.

Letters to the editor: editor@bournemouthrock.co.uk

Sharing a drink is one of the Random Act of Kindness that are now being carried out

H. HAMMER

attracted over 23,000 likes.

Satellite RAKNominate pages are also going viral, chalking up over 20,000 likes combined. SUBU also got in on the trend, with ‘Shine Bournemouth’ (see our story below).

The Facebook page owner, Robbie Matthews said: “The response was really above any expectations we ever had, to think we had over 20,000 people like the page in over a week was overwhelming.

“The general public have embraced the idea of doing good deeds, and encouraging others to do likewise.”

Over 700,000 people have seen the videos shared on the page in the last week. These insights have been encouraging to people all over the world.

The charitable deeds carried out have varied from small gestures to big changes with Mr Matthews observing that: “The simpler ones seem to be the most liked, from buying a family their next meal to helping out homeless people by giving them warm food and drink.”

RAKNominate was partially inspired by the movie Pay It Forward in which a boy is inspired to make the world a better place by spreading good deeds.

The new trend has been criticised by a Bournemouth University student, Graham Foster, 18, who said: “It’s a good way of doing good deeds, but it does seem a bit fake and comes across as putting on a show on Facebook.”

SUBU volunteers make Bournemouth shine Hailey Hammer DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR @Hailey_Hammer VOLUNTEERS were challenged to do Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) around Winton last Friday as the last event of Student Volunteering Week.

SUBU Volunteering President Chloe Schendel-Wilson said they were inspired to run this event by other people doing the same thing.

“The NekNomination craze is going around, but then people started changing that into RAKNominations, so instead of filming themselves downing a pint they would film themselves doing something nice.

“There was a South African girl who gave food to a homeless person and we just decided this would be quite a nice idea to improve the community,” she said.

The volunteers were given a list of actions to complete in four hours. These were filmed and posted on Twitter hashtagged as

A team of student union leaders and community wardens organised the event #dosomethinggood.

Those who managed to do the most random acts of kindness were given an award at a ceremony in The Loft during the same afternoon.

Rebecca Bolton, a student Project Leader currently in charge of SUBU Conservation Rangers, also took

part in the ‘Shine Bournemouth’ event. She said she got involved with the volunteering week because she wants to “make a difference”.

“I want to promote the fact that the university does good things, and help the community. A lot of people have a negative opinion towards

HAILEY HAMMER

students so it’s nice to try and change their attitude,” she said.

Sunny Fu, Volunteer Administrator, said the volunteering week has gone “really well”.

“The most important thing is helping other people, and that’s what we want to get through,” she said.

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The Rock | Thursday 6 March 2014

Library fine policy to be reconsidered Joe Nerssessian ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR @joenerssessian

Students with outstanding library fines have previously been stopped from graduating H. HAMMER

THE University’s power to stop students with outstanding library fines from graduating will be reconsidered, The Rock can now reveal.

The policy, which is also used in three quarters of universities in the UK, has been criticised by the Office for Fair Trading (OFT) in a report published on standards of education.

Currently students are unable to graduate if they fail to pay off outstanding non-tuition debt incurred during their studies. These charges apply to library fines but also can include accommodation or childcare costs.

But university bosses are now re-evaluating the ruling after the OFT wrote a strongly-worded letter to institutions, calling the policy “unfair”. The letter also warned consumer protection law may be breached.

While BU said they haven’t

stopped anyone from graduating under the policy, it is unclear whether this is due to students clearing debt or the university showing leniency.

A spokesperson for BU said: “We will be reviewing our policies and procedures in the light of the detailed OFT report, as will the rest of the sector.”

Nisha Arora, Senior Director in the OFT’s Services, Infrastructure and Public Markets Group, said: “Preventing progression or graduation not only affects students’ educational experience but could also significantly harm their future employment prospects and ability to pay off their debts.”

The report was commissioned after the National Union of Students (NUS) lodged a complaint last July.

Colum McGuire, NUS Vice President (welfare), said: “I’m delighted to see that the OFT has responded to our complaints and confirmed that this practice is incredibly unfair.

“This victory would not have been possible without the support from student officers and advisers in students’ unions across the country.”

Destructive storms cause chaos on south coast beaches Hollie Wong DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR @HollieWong AFTER gusts of over 70mph on the south coast and torrential rainfall, significant parts of Bournemouth’s beaches have been destroyed or severely damaged.

Local beaches were dramatically affected by the storms in February; approximately 600 beach huts were destroyed after the St Valentine’s Day storm on the south coast, with 387 alone being destroyed on local coastal areas such as Boscombe and Southbourne.

In Bournemouth, a 20 metre wide strip of cliff face fell onto the promenade between the piers in Boscombe and Bournemouth, blocking the path.

Portland Coastguard Watch Commander Malcolm Wright claimed that the waterlogged ground was at fault.

He said: “Because of the rainfall that we’ve had, the ground near cliff tops will be saturated.

“With this extra weight of water, landslides are inevitable.”

A significant area of the promenade has been cordoned off with residents now needing to walk on the sand due to piles of dry mud and branches blocking the route.

Elsewhere, Chesil Beach has been dogged by a different form of

storm debris.

Hundreds of dead birds have washed up on the shores between Portland and Weymouth, along with an unidentified substance suspected to be vegetable or palm oil.

A spokesman for landowner the Crown Estate, said: “We are assessing the situation and will work with other local organisations to find an appropriate solution to clear the waste from Chesil Beach.”

Dorset Wildlife Trust said the birds were covered in oil, but their deaths are instead being linked to storms in the Atlantic which has made it difficult for some species to feed.

The stench of the oil is said to be “foul” but the oil itself is not harmful to humans.

It can however cause injury or death to pets - dogs in particular - if ingested.

Following the severe storms, Bournemouth Borough Council organised extensive clean-up operations on the seafront.

This included the realignment of beach huts and a seafront litter pick at Boscombe Pier on February 21.

Councils provided volunteers with hi-visibility jackets, gloves and bags.

Seafront manager, Chris Saunders, said: “We want to return our award winning beaches back to their best, but we need a little help.

“We know residents have been keen to support with the clean-up operation, which is fantastic.

“Now that the dangerous debris has been removed and it is safe, we would encourage as many residents as possible to get involved.”

A landslide on the Bournemouth promenade was caused by powerful winds and torrential rain H. WONG

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Thursday 6 March 2014|The Rock

SUBU volunteers make a five minute difference Tom Beasley EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @TomJBeasley STUDENTS in Bournemouth spent the last week of February taking

part in a number of activities as part of SUBU’s Volunteering Week.

Across five days, events included a charity fair, filmed good deeds and an innovative scheme which allowed for ‘Five Minute Volunteering’.

Timed to coincide with a national week of volunteering for students across the country, the SUBU event

in Bournemouth ran from February 24-28.

Approximately 70 students took part in the events over the course of the packed week, trying to get a feel of what it’s like to help those less fortunate.

The week began with an initiative based around the Twitter hashtag

#dosomethinggood.

Volunteers would engineer scenarios, such as someone falling over, in the hope that someone would choose to intervene and help them. The individual would then be congratulated for choosing to do the right thing.

“The idea was to basically ask

Volunteers promote the campaign in BU and around the community by doing good deeds and helping locals

SUBU VOLUNTEERING

people how they felt when they had helped someone,” said Alys Penfold, Media Leader for SUBU Volunteering.

“We wanted people to experience what it feels like to volunteer.”

Events later in the week included the ‘Five Minute Volunteering’ booths, based on both the Lansdowne and Talbot campuses of BU. The focus of both these stalls was on an initiative called ‘Postpals’ in which volunteers write notes and letters to terminally ill children in order to brighten up their lives.

The project was designed by SUBU to be completed in a very short time, making it ideal for busy students who aren’t sure whether they have the time to get involved in volunteering projects alongside their studies.

The week culminated in an awards evening, recognising those who had performed well in the week’s volunteering endeavours. Long-time SUBU volunteer, Sunny Fu, won the main award of the evening.

“It was great to try out some new ideas to show people how great volunteering feels,” said Alys.

“Hopefully this week inspired more students to get involved with us and local charities throughout the year. Volunteering has so many benefits and it’s really important that we show students how it can aid them during and after their time spent at university.”

BU students set to go on fully-funded trip to Brussels Hollie Wong DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR @HollieWong BOURNEMOUTH University students will have the rare opportunity to go on a fullyfunded trip to Brussels where they will be visiting influential political establishments and bodies.

The trip, organised by the President of the Politics Society and Senior Student Ambassador Douglas Tham, will include a guided visit to the European Parliament, the Palais de Justice and the Council of Europe, as well as meeting two Members of the European Parliament, Ashley Fox and Julie Girling.

Mr Tham said: “The time spent in Brussels will provide an important source of information and contextual understanding of European Parliamentary institutions and democracy.”

On the five day excursion from March 17-21, students will have the chance to visit a variety of locations at the heart of European politics, enabling students to have a wider understanding of the political climate in Europe.

Mr Tham added: “It will be

of great value for those interested in a career in politics or political communication as we will be visiting key institutions and organisations, as well as having networking opportunities while visiting Brussels.”

To apply for the trip, students had to submit a 200 word piece, to a panel of three Bournemouth University lecturers, as well as Mr Tham, with suggestions of what they would contribute to a media collage about the trip, for example, a video diary, blog or recorded interview that would benefit both Bournemouth University and their own experiences of Brussels.

First year Media and Communications student at BU, Jason Collins, looks forward to attending the trip: “I believe this excursion will help to enhance my student experience at Bournemouth University.

“The trip will also offer me the chance to broaden my knowledge in an area of interest that will also be beneficial to my course.”

The excursion to Brussels will also feed into the work BU’s Media School will be carrying out in May. The Media School will be covering the European Parliamentary elections on May 22, through live and recorded radio, TV and online coverage.

The trip will include a guided visit to the European Parliament as well as other EU institutions

XAF

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The Rock | Thursday 6 March 2014

British talent added to K-Shop cast Tom Beasley EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @TomJBeasley

Poster for the vigilante thriller K-Shop filming in Bournemouth this month

WHITE LANTERN FILM

BRITISH talent from the big and small screens has been added to the cast of vigilante thriller K-Shop, produced by Bournemouth studio White Lantern Film.

The film, showcasing a kebab shop owner who takes matters into his own violent hands to deal with British binge drinking culture, started filming in Gervis Road, Bournemouth at the weekend.

It has now added Scot Williams, known for a series of British thriller films, to its cast of homegrown talent.

The actor praised the “very talented” writer-director Dan Pringle on Twitter as he announced the role and said he was “glad to be on board” with the film.

Williams will be seen next alongside Vinnie Jones in Redirected, which features a team of bank robbers who find themselves stranded in Eastern Europe.

Joining Williams on the K-Shop set are Waterloo Road stars Kristin

Atherton and Reece Noi. Noi is best known for his role as murderous tearaway Earl Kelly in the school drama’s fourth series and Atherton currently appears in the show as Vix Spark.

The new additions to K-Shop join the already announced Ziad Abaza – fresh from filming Ridley Scott’s Exodus – and Ewen MacIntosh, who played Keith in The Office.

Writer-director Dan Pringle said: ”I’m absolutely thrilled to have finally started principal photography on K-Shop. It’s been an amazing journey getting to this point and we now have a very exciting project on our hands with some incredible talent attached.

“If you’d have told me this time last year if I’d be shooting a feature in 2014 with the likes of Scot Williams, Darren Morfitt and Ewen Macintosh, I’d have probably laughed at you but here we are getting underway and it’s amazing.”

K-Shop is a darkly comic, satirical take on Britain’s binge drinking culture.

To keep up to date with the progress of K-Shop, follow the film on Twitter at @KShopmovie.

Local mothers go against the first born spending trend Hailey Hammer DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR @Hailey_Hammer THREE new mothers from Bournemouth have told The Rock that they spent less than £600 to prepare for their babies, which goes against recent research.

NetMums.com and Guardian Money showed that the average spending of a mother expecting her first child is £1,000, and one in twenty mothers spend as much as £3,000.

The research also suggested that several mums felt pressured to buy expensive equipment for their unborn children and that a lot of mothers were blowing their budgets.

Sandra Cummins, Hollie Whitby and Becky Miskin all met in a yoga maternity class and had their children seven and eight months ago respectively. They still keep in touch and bring their kids to places like Yummy Mummy on Wimborne Road, to catch up and let their kids play.

Becky said she didn’t spend more than a couple of hundred pounds to prepare for the birth of her first daughter Pheobe.

She said: “All you really need, if you go completely back to basics, is breasts, clothes and a bed.

“There are so many pressure points giving you the impression that if you don’t buy every gadget you are not a good mum, but that

Sandra Cummins and her seven months old son Teo and Becky Miskin and her daughter Phoebe of the same age is just not true.”

The new mum said she got most of her clothes and equipment secondhand, and accepted gifts from friends and family.

She said there are a lot of websites where mothers can buy and sell equipment, clothes and toys, such as Gumtree and eBay, and the three mothers kept in touch during the preparation months to give each other tips on where to go and what to buy.

Sandra said she would have had to spend three times more if she had bought everything new for her son Teo, and that the decision to save money by buying second-hand was a

choice, not a necessity.

“How much money you spend depends on how you think about it.

“I know some people who bought separate washing machines for their baby’s clothes because they did not want the germs to mix. I would never spend money on that.

“My husband and I both work and we could afford to buy everything new, but we would much rather save it for the future to pay for nursery and school than spend it all on expensive clothes that he is going to grow out of in a few months’ time,” said Sandra.

Hollie, mother of eight-monthold George, also said that she

consciously chose to save money on her newborn baby.

“Even if we had twice the amount of money we have now we would not have spent any more.

“The future is unpredictable and we would much rather be prepared for anything that could happen,” she said.

Hollie also said that she knows mothers with very different attitudes who would never dream of having anything second-hand and buy pushchairs for as much as £1,000.

She suggested that since the three mothers met in a yoga class, their values are centred around other factors than having the most

HAILEY HAMMER

expensive clothes and equipment, such as trips and experiences with their kids.

The other mothers agreed with this, and Becky said: “If you ask a mother in an environment where they are focused on brands and expensive stuff, they will not say that they felt pressured to buy it but that they had to. It matters to them and their lifestyle.”

You can also save money by making your own baby food, or using voucher codes with the help of the My Favourite Voucher Codes app, which lets you know if there is a promotional code you can use when browsing websites.

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Thursday 6 March 2014 |The Rock

Popular Elvis show came to Bournemouth Hollie Wong DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR @HollieWong

Chris Connor, one of the leading Elvis acts, came to Bournemouth last month

MP PROMOTIONS

ONE of the leading Elvis tribute shows came to Bournemouth last month.

After debuting at London’s West End Palladium, ‘Elvis the Ultimate Performance’ was performed at Bournemouth Pavilion for one night only on February 27.

Brian Hill, producer of ‘Elvis the Ultimate Performance’, said that the show had never been brought to Bournemouth before and instead mainly toured in London and the North of England.

The show itself saw Chris Connor, one of the leading Elvis tribute acts in the UK, perform Elvis’ most memorable performances from his ‘1968 Comeback Special’ concert and also his 1973 ‘Aloha from Hawaii’ show, the first ever pop concert to be broadcast live on television.

According to Brian, combining the two concerts has set the show apart from others.

He said: “There are quite a lot of Elvis shows out there on tour but before ‘Elvis the Ultimate Performance’ none really sang the whole of the ‘1968 Comeback

Special’ or the ‘Aloha from Hawaii’ concert.

“Instead most of them would focus on the Las Vegas years because they were the easier years to perform as a singer.”

Brian credits the show because of its emphasis on musical authenticity.

He said: “We use professional West End musicians and the music has been written exactly how Elvis’ original musicians would have performed it many years ago.”

He added: “It’s like listening to Elvis’ music through Chris Connor.”

With a personal love of Elvis and his music, Brian is particularly passionate about the show.

He said: “I’m very proud to put my name towards this show; Chris is a great performer and the whole team behind the show is fantastic.

“We didn’t want to diminish Elvis’ name whatsoever, we just wanted to have the best show out there to show how great Elvis was as a performer all those years ago.”

‘Elvis the Ultimate Performance’ is currently touring the UK but is also being performed a variety of locations across the globe, such as Lebanon, Canada and Memphis.

The show features classic Elvis anthems like ‘Blue Suede Shoes’, ‘Suspicious Minds’, ‘Hound dog’ and ‘Jailhouse Rock’ as well as slower ballads such as ‘Memories’.

Student Union promotes Eating Disorders Awareness Week Hollie Wong DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR @HollieWong SUBU has joined the cause of Eating Disorders Awareness Week as part of its wider campaign Health and Wellbeing Week.

The union planned their initiative to coincide with the nationwide Eating Disorders Awareness Week, promoted by charity Beat.

The SUBU campaign ran from February 24-28. It aimed to destigmatise mental health and dispel common myths.

The campaign also wanted to promote a safe place for people to talk about any health issues they are facing.

Two days of the week-long programme were dedicated solely to Eating Disorders Awareness Week.

Bournemouth University hosted a number of speakers to talk to students about the symptoms of eating disorders as well as some common myths and truths.

Contributing speaker and BU psychology lecturer Dr Sarah Williams spoke specifically about the importance of providing students with a greater understanding of eating disorders.

She said: “Our core aim is to get

more recognition among students.

We need to make people more aware of the different types of eating disorders there are.

“Early intervention is key but we can only do that by making sure students recognise the signs of an eating disorder.”

Dr Williams and psychology students have pioneered a number of studies throughout Bournemouth University.

The studies will take an in-depth look at the many facets of eating disorders, including how people seek help when struggling with an eating disorder and some of the most common perceptions of eating disorders among some students.

Dr Williams added that the help from SUBU has been significant in creating support for Eating Disorders Awareness Week during the student union’s Health and Wellbeing Week.

She said: “It’s really good that we have great support from SUBU and the opportunity to take part in this event.

“It was great to link up with SUBU and raise awareness about the events this week that are going on.”

According to SUBU, Health and Wellbeing Week was focused on “highlighting the more common issues of mental health and also giving students useful contact information for services in and around the UK and also within BU to help students who may be worried about their mental health”.

Students attend & take part in a SUBU event to promote Eating Disorders Awareness Week H. WONG

opinion 9

Thursday 6 March 2014 | The Rock

OPINION

The white noise of television debates Editorial

Tom Beasley

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @TomJBeasley

Crimea

Putin pushes into the Ukraine

9

Sochi 2014 Winter Games fail to excite British viewers

10

Email

opinonseditor @bournemouthrock.co.uk

It has been hard to avoid primetime debating programmes recently. The runaway success of Channel 4’s documentary series Benefits Street has meant that figures like professional contrarian Katie Hopkins and Independent columnist Owen Jones are eerily omnipresent on our screens.

Whether it’s the traditional BBC sparring ground of Question Time or the hyper-active Big Benefits Row: Live on Channel 5, you’re never more than a few moments away from lots of noise about “taxpayers’ money” and “the last Labour government”.

Unfortunately, something has changed about these debates.

Question Time has five or six panellists trying to get a word in, but many primetime shows insist on having studios full of people to call White Dee a scrounger.

This is a particular problem in the case of Channel 5’s recent Big Benefits Row and its follow-up on immigration. The word ‘row’ in the name of the show speaks volumes as a mess of vaguely famous television faces shout at each other whilst a cameraman whirls his kit around the tiny studio like he’s shooting a Paul Greengrass movie.

None of these stylistic shortcomings would be a problem

Mehdi Hasan is one sensible voice on TV debates POLICY EXCHANGE if there was substance lurking in the debates. Presenters are pressured to pull microphones away from anyone who doesn’t talk in neatly crafted sound bites, and no-one actually gets to express their opinion.

It’s only Katie Hopkins who actually gets any screen time in programmes like these, with the bear pit mentality of the discussions perfectly suiting her. Whenever anyone disagrees with her, they are silenced in favour of the Hopkins brand of hot air.

There’s no room for the sensible voice of the Huffington Post’s Mehdi Hasan in these debates. In the space of the hours of discussion we have seen in the last month or two, nothing has changed.

No one’s opinion has been altered

at all by the scrolling Twitter bile of @notracist87 or @TaxPayer001 and there is not a single human being on the planet who cares what Katie Hopkins thinks. The British public are being poorly served by political debate that favours bite-sized opinions over real analysis.

It’s little wonder that there is so much misinformation around welfare and immigration given that so-called ‘factual’ television only produces inane babble. We will never get a real dialogue by opening up the Pandora’s Box of reality TV pantomime. Opinions need to be given room to breathe so that they can be understood and challenged.

Maybe then, finally, the residents of James Turner Street will be able to settle down with a cup of tea.

Tzar is back in town, and he wants Crimea Chris Fay

OPINIONS EDITOR @JChrisFay Tanks roll over Eastern European borders as an exiled tyrant hides behind the cloak of Putin, Tzar of New Russia. This isn’t a Tom Clancy novel or the storyline for a Call of Duty game. It’s the reality in Ukraine and Russia.

Putin is a very bad man, but we all know that at this stage. The Winter Olympics were still held in Russia as he pushed and prodded Ukraine, undermining their right to self-determination and sovereignty.

Why did the USA feel the need to boycott the 1984 Olympics, but not this one? Communism?

So long as there is a “free market”, the only repercussions of encouraging and promoting violence against homosexuals, ignoring the independence of neighbouring nations and the

gradual genocide of various native peoples is finger waving in the UN and the threat of kicking Russia out of the super awesome G8 club.

I’m sure this keeps the Tzar up at night. There is no line for him to cross. Putin crossed it long ago. This is not a flash in the pan conflict, this is the future of the former Soviet States – should he remain in power.

Will it stop there? No, it won’t.

As I write this, Russia’s upper house of Parliament has approved Putin’s request to deploy Russian troops in Ukraine, like he needed it.

As far as Russia is concerned, their crushing of an uprising in a foreign power is perfectly legal and just.

Russia “gifted” Crimea to the Ukraine in 1954. At the time, Ukraine was just another state in the Soviet Union. It was essentially Hampshire giving the Isle of Wight to Dorset.

Crimea is now an autonomous region in the Ukraine, but things have changed, and now it is useful again. It always was really.

The people of Crimea, however, do identify as Russian, and speak

the language, so maybe this is best for them? Is this for the unification of lost Russians, a nation once again?

No, this is expansion.

This is an aggressive empire pushing out its boundaries. We all know that. What do we do about it?

Nothing. Deal with it.

Putin has power. Putin will stay in power until Russia doesn’t want him there. Do we boycott Russian products by not buying Ladas anymore?

Russia has a petro-chemical industry that Europe needs. It has aluminium and can always sell its wares to China and North Korea.

Sanctions will not stop Putin, and nasty letters from the UN are meaningless. Confronting him with our militaries would turn Europe into a graveyard.

We are powerless here. This is all on the Russians.

And so long as European solidarity is threatened by jingoistic populism, the more power Putin and the New Russian empire will grab and keep.

A whole life sentence is essentially death Michael Seymour DEPUTY EDITOR

@michaelgseymour Last week, Woolwich murderer Michael Adebolajo and serial killer Joanne Dennehy were given whole-life sentences.

Without the intervention of the Secretary of State, neither of these two will ever be released from prison for what were two of the most horrific and high-profile crimes to have hit the headlines over the past year.

The Court of Appeal ruled last month that those who had committed the ‘most heinous’ crimes could be given whole-life terms, after the European Court of Human Rights had branded them unlawful as there was no opportunity for review.

Both of these crimes were worthy of a severe and lengthy prison term, but can we really justify locking someone away with no prospect of experiencing the freedoms and rights we take for granted everyday?

Unfortunately, the answer for many would be yes.

Both Dennehy and Adebolajo stole the lives of their victims and have caused irreversible hurt to their families.

Following the sentencing of the Woolwich murderers - with Adebolajo’s co-defendant Michael Adebolawe being sentenced to a minimum of 45 years - Lee Rigby’s family said outside the court: “We believe justice has been done.”

This is not to take anything away from the families of the victims, but how can a country which abolished capital punishment nearly half a century ago condemn someone to the life of a caged zoo animal - without the adoring spectators?

Life sentences were introduced to replace capital punishment after it was abolished, but only tended to be between 10-15 years in length.

Killers including Dale Cregan - who murdered policewomen Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone - and Mark Bridger - who killed five-year-old schoolgirl April Jones - have however been handed the whole-life sentence.

By sentencing someone to spend their life in a six by eight cell, you strip them of the basic rights and freedoms that we take for granted everyday, and essentially condemn them to die in Her Majesty’s prisons, at the expense of the British taxpayer.

Both whole life tariffs and capital punishment are equally unpalatable and to condemn someone to an entire life behind bars is just as abhorrent as sentencing someone to death.

Instead prisons should be allowed to reform convicts and improve society, rather than condemn it.

10 opinion Sex can be a nine to five job Charlotte Willis

DEPUTY ONLINE EDITOR @charlottewillis Slut, whore, bitch, slag, trollop there’s so many words to describe a sex worker.

Tolerance for sex workers is a hard-waged war and the story of the outed Duke University porn star is yet another battle. Stage name Belle Knox, pornography for her is a part-time job to help pay her $60,000 a year tuition.

However, anonymity is just a dream in the world of porn and unlike fan favourites Stoya and Sasha Grey, she was not greeted with open arms and dropped trousers. Faceless commenters all over the internet treated her like a slut for the slaughter as they discussed how she’s ruined her life, is only a four out of ten in the looks department and even that she faked victim status after her story – a story she did not want made public in the first place – made national news.

Belle’s address, Facebook profile and real name were among the personal details which were posted online, just to further the spread of hate for a woman who went on record saying that she had “never felt more empowered or happy doing anything else”.

Despite her celebratory post on xoJane about her career choice, she was still forced into moral accountability by ensuring the reader it was a decision based purely on monetary and educational reasons and that this in turn led to her sexual awakening. It felt as if she could not use the perfectly acceptable reason that she enjoyed having lots of sex whilst being filmed and then paid for it.

Sex workers fight against their social stigma but they are still not able to directly influence the legality – and therefore the safety – of their chosen career.

This in itself leads to much worse consequences than just online slut shaming. It causes unsafe work environments, illegal sex trafficking and paedophillia.

This stigma has led to the widespread use of internet porn filters which have blocked sex education website, becoming a serious obstacle while the illegality of brothels in the UK causes unsanitary and unsafe conditions.

Some people enjoy the career.

Berating their choice won’t stop sex being bought and sold – forcefully or otherwise. But eradicating our fears of talking about s-e-x will make it better for everyone. It will bring in taxation for the government, a fair wage and safe environment for workers and we’ll be safe in the knowledge that we are all doing the nasty – nicely.

The Rock | Thursday 6 March 2014

Believing in a God is weird Patrick Wilson BLOGS EDITOR @foxholeboy Despite what the title may suggest, this is not an atheist rant.

I am a Christian and I have been since I was a young teenager. I went to a Christian youth club, heard testimonies by the youth leaders and decided to dedicate my existence to a higher power.

But I freely admit that deciding to do that is really weird.

I think those with a faith struggle with criticism of what they believe in and I can understand why. I’ve had numerous times in my life where the mere mention of my faith is raised with ire and laughter.

It’s upsetting to have someone instantly dismiss your views due to a religious choice.

The thing that has helped me deal with it is acceptance of how crazy what I believe in is. You need to have a certain sense of humility when you openly believe in an allseeing man in the sky who created everything in the universe.

I think a lot of people who struggle with their faith and people’s reaction to it need to see the funny side. It doesn’t make me believe any less in my God, but I can freely admit it’s a bizarre concept. Taking things in this regard allows me to analyse my belief. Again, it’s a belief in

something that, if you’ll pardon the pun, takes a considerable leap of faith. It’s physically impossible to believe everything at face value and I believe that, when it comes to religion, no one should. Believing in everything at face value seems to me more like being in a cult than following a faith.

Faith is the idea of believing in something that you have no evidence for. I have no evidence other than personal experience. I may feel like I’ve had a direct connection with God, but I have no way of proving that to anyone else. To some people it may even seem crazy to even entertain the idea that I could believe that, and that is OK. We need to be able to discuss religious beliefs.

We need to be able to criticise, debate and ponder our existence. We can’t allow stubbornly held beliefs to disregard the new advances we as a species make in science and discovery. I welcome discussion of my religion.

If you want to tell me what I believe in is complete rubbish, that is totally your prerogative. When we have faith in something that is beyond our comprehension, that we have no proof of, it can seem terrifying. Humans need answers; we like to know exactly what is going on. That is why we endeavour through science to understand our world and religion is just another aspect of how we deal with a question we all want an answer for: why are we here?

I’m fine with my belief. It seems

far-fetched to many, but I don’t mind because it feels far-fetched to me too. It’s okay not to understand sometimes and it’s okay to not have all the answers.

That’s just a part of life and

I’ve decided my answer to those questions with a super being that decided the platypus was a good idea. It doesn’t have to make sense to everyone, as long as it makes sense to you.

There’s more to religion than what’s in a church

TONY HAMMOND

No-one cares about the Winter Olympics Hailey Hammer

DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR @Hailey_Hammer Growing up in Norway, the Winter Olympics have been a huge part of my life. Parents would ‘work from home’ in order to pay attention to the Games, while every front page showed a new victory from yesterday’s competitions.

My first Games abroad made it clear that the Olympics do not have anything near that uniting function in other countries, and that a lot of people don’t even know it is on.

For Norwegians, the Winter Olympics is not so much an international competition but a onecountry show where we finally get the chance to shine.

In general, Norway is shamelessly forgotten and overshadowed by its neighbouring countries. Sweden has H&M, Ikea, Stieg Larsson and ABBA

The Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in Sochi

KREMLIN.RU

and Danish designers like Malene Birger and Bang & Olufson are hugely popular with stores all over the world.

Ask any average European person what they know about Norway, and the answer would be something along these lines: “All Norwegians are rich,” which sadly is just not true, “It’s really cold there,” which is true but not something to be particularly proud of, or my personal favourite, “Isn’t Norway the capital city of Sweden?” to which the answer is NO, buy yourself a map you idiot.

But for a country of five million people – half of the amount of people living in London alone – to have the most successful Winter Olympics team of all time is quite impressive.

Norway has won 303 medals since the Games started in 1924, whilst the second best country, USA, with over 300 million people, has won 253.

This year’s Sochi Olympics has taught me an important lesson.

During the first couple of days of the competition I tried starting conversations like ‘Hey, how exciting was the 10km sprint yesterday?’ but quickly gave up when I understood people didn’t have the slightest idea what I was talking about.

From a quick investigation of British media this is quite understandable. The Guardian and

BBC websites do have a tab you can press if you want to follow the Games live, but the contest results are not posted on the front page as actual news. The only Sochi stories receiving that kind of attention were the Pussy Riot arrests and protests against Russia’s anti-gay attitude.

I have also learned, from having a Finnish flatmate, that the individual countries really only pay attention to the sports in which they are doing well. Finland’s ice hockey team usually make it to the finals.

Norway’s team is pretty horrible – and I didn’t even know we had a hockey team until this year.

When my flatmate asked me if I wanted to watch the Finland v Norway game with her, I was the one who didn’t know what she was talking about.

All this leads to a segregation which I think is really sad. Instead of uniting countries in a common interest, each country pays close attention to the sports in which they are successful and ignores those where they lose or don’t take part.

I thought the Games were all about skiing, because that’s all I would see on TV. On BBC one day there was a bobsleigh competition, which I’d never seen before in my life – and obviously, Norway doesn’t have a bobsleigh team.

features 11

FEATURES

The Rock | Thursday 6 March 2014

Gearing up for glory

The centre gives young people a chance to reach olmplic standards ROGER PAPP

Bournemouth’s cyclists are no longer lagging behind, instead being propelled to the very top with the town’s innovative cycling centre Chrissy Marshall-Bell @cmbell310

Social taboo

Student battles mental health

13 Food

Rock’s gudie to Best eating spots

15

Email

featureseditor @bournemouthrock.co.uk

The combination of originating from Dorset and becoming an elite cyclist is a rare one. The 2010 Tour de France rider Daniel Lloyd is a good example.

But now you can expect that relationship to finally flourish, thanks to the Olympic-sized track in Bournemouth.

The inception of a production line of talent is only an estimated “three or four years away”, according to one local coach.

At the current juncture, the county is emerging from its selfdeprecating claim as a “backwater for sport in the country”.

Over 2000 riders use the Slades Farm facility throughout the summer months, with the track leagues proving as popular as they are competitive.

Bournemouth Arrows Coaching and Development Officer Alan McRae says that the track can precipitate an exciting era and help establish the region as an epicentre of cycling in the South.

“The place where the top riders develop are the places with facilities,” he says.

“We can have a conveyor belt now because we’ve got the facility.

I’m confident that within a few years this will become the regional centre for cycling development and even the South’s centre for cycling.”

The Bournemouth Cycling Centre

at Slades Farm opened in 2011.

After decades of yearning for such a facility, the intention to nurture young talent was at the forefront of the track’s planning proposals. It was decided that a 250m lap circumference would be its size.

“If you want to teach people how to race an Olympic event they have to know the rhythm of the laps, the distances and to get the feel of that race environment,” says Alan.

“We weren’t going for a massparticipation facility; this was always going to be a local, elite competition level where the youth had a place to learn.”

It is clear that besides the willingness to expand the track league amongst its seniors and

veterans, the hope resides with the youth.

The track has become a prominent part in the development of the Arrows’ three youth groups with coach and Volunteer Recruitment Officer Dave Gilham saying “it has almost undoubtedly upped the chances of success”.

“We can do a lot more consistent training now. We can start cycling one week and introduce the basics and then over the next weeks we can build on that to improve their ability, skill and tactics,” he adds.

“Training now replicates racing because we can get the older, experienced riders to compete with them and teach them. We can physically teach them on the track

rather than just talk about it.”

Currently competing in the local leagues and regional competitions, the bourgeoning riders are in their cycling infancy. But who knows what the future will hold?

Alan has an educated prediction: “Our coaching is track focused because that will give them the alertness, speed of thought and tactics that they need to progress.

“There are a couple of riders who have obvious talent and you can just see the change of speed and their thinking. They’re giving the older guys a hard time.

“My role is to parachute them into the most challenging event they are prepared to take on because it will aid their development,” he adds.

The Bournemouth cycling centre opened in 2011 and is a centre that can be used by all

ROGER PAPP

12 features

Thursday 6 March 2014 | The Rock

Truth of eating disorders Eating Disorders Awareness Week ran from February 24 to March 2. Campaigns this year were better than ever with organisations coming together to help Emma Baker

FEATURES EDITOR @memmabaker Numbers. To the average person, they are part of everyday life: calculating shopping budgets, making phone calls - but for some of us they represent a punitive, repetitive regime by which we live.

Numbers are our self-worth.

Kilos, calories, the size of our waistbands. Small numbers are our friends, zero is our deity. We are some of the 1.6 million people in the UK suffering from eating disorders.

Having an eating disorder is a terrifying and isolating experience no matter who you are.

The stigmas attached to eating disorders are still evident today, even with awareness campaigns like Eating Disorders Awareness Week running for years now.

I’ve noticed that too many people attach the idea of a ‘choice’ to disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia, or assume the illnesses are some kind of weight loss mechanisms, or even a trend.

The assumption is that eating disorders are a physical condition - but few people will jump straight to the emotional pain that ED sufferers go through daily.

Victims of these disorders often have strict routines or rules that they set for themselves, and any deviation from these routines can lead to serious emotional stress and pain.

Eating Disorders Awareness Week is the annual chance to raise awareness and understanding of eating disorders, challenge stereotypes and stigmas, and raise money for eating disorder charities.

The National Institute of Health

and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines on eating disorders showed that 1.6 million people in the UK were affected by eating disorders in 2004 and 180,000 (11%) of them were men.

In 2007 the NHS Information Centre carried out a snapshot survey of people in England over the age of 16. It found that an alarming 6.4 % of adults had a problem with food, a figure much higher than previously

Numbers are our “self-worth.

Kilos,

calories, the size of our waistbands

”

thought.

Eating disorders claim more lives than any other mental illness, but are treatable. The problem is that awareness of eating disorders is too low. As well as a problem with general awareness, there’s still an issue with the awareness of eating disorders in men. The organisation MGEDT (Men Get Eating Disorders Too!) aims to raise awareness of eating disorders in men so they are more inclined to seek help.

According to MGEDT, men are most likely to develop an eating disorder between 14 and 25 – though they state that it is not unusual for males to have an eating disorder in middle age.

Bournemouth University held events last month for Eating Disorders Awareness Week between February 26- 27 to raise awareness about the disorder. Events included guest speakers talking about their personal journeys and battles with eating disorders. Other sessions looked at disorder in children and young people, eating disorder research at BU and the truths and myths about disorder, among numerous other events.

Eating Disorders Awareness

Week was also supported by the charity Beat which launched a ‘Sock it to Eating Disorders’ campaign following similar success in 2013.

Participants were encouraged to wear their weirdest, silliest socks to work, school and university, and friends and family were asked to donate money.

Britain’s Got Talent’s dance group Diversity supported the campaign and offered incentives for people who raised the most money.

Across the Atlantic NEDA (National Eating Disorder Awareness) is a charity operating in the United States whose campaign was called ‘I Had No Idea’.

The idea was to raise awareness towards the significant impact eating disorders have on individuals, families, and communities across the nation.

It was also about how parental behaviour can impact a child’s body image, focusing on the emotional side of eating disorder development.

NEDA believe that the more people that learn and know about these life-threatening illnesses, the more lives can be saved. Last year, 51 international countries including the UK participated in reaching and helping people during Eating Disorders Awareness Week.

There are several campaigns for different disorders

M_CICCHETTI

In numbers

1.6 million 6.4%

people in the UK suffering eating disorders

of adults in the UK have a problem with food

Various eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia both men and women of all ages

M_CICCHETTI

features 13

The Rock | Thursday 6 March 2014

“False & Inflatable feeling”: being creative and expressive has helped Stuart recover STUART SEMPLE

A rejuvenated Alex looks forward to a new future ALEX GERAGHTY

A social taboo uncovered

Ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week in May, Alex Geraghty talks to The Rock about his experiences of depression and anxiety and his moving journey back to good health @GeraghtyA93

Glancing over the hardpressed ink of my diary and clutching at the loose bindings, a familiar sense of hopelessness and woe tightens its grip around my stomach. What once served as a refuge from my torment, is now a reminder of my experience and how far I have come.

Tinged with mixed emotions and full of deep questions I look back at the old me and journey I was about to embark upon. A year ago mental health didn’t mean a lot to me, I had heard of conditions like depression and bipolar but could only hazard a guess for what these terms meant. In all honesty I had no idea.

As I skim the initial lines of my first couple of entries, my struggle becomes paramount once more. My depression and social anxiety mean that I worry to the nth degree about what people think about me. Following a traumatic experience in the first year of my university degree, my confidence in social situations had plummeted to minute existence.

My situation was so severe that I would experience panic

attacks when meeting people for the first time. I would even find it difficult to maintain conversations with friends and family, fearing that I was weird and my character dislikeable.

Not wishing to look back but only forward, I continue to flick through the pages, the weight of the book starting to feel less taxing. An intensive course of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) along with strong support from a close network of family and friends has helped me regain control of my life.

It is clear now that if it were not for the persistent efforts of others, I would not be where I am today. Those who know me best could pick up immediately that my spark had faded, my get up and go attitude had been temporarily lost.

What once served “ as a refuge from my torment, is now a reminder of how far I have come

”

As I reflect on my experience I can see the stages of my recovery. A positive conversation with one of the ward nurses about my day,

seem prolific in later entries.

A bit of patient-patient bonding would often feature in my account of daily positive experiences.

“

Often those suffering find it hard to express their feelings with words

”

It was pieces of evidence like these, that allowed me to reassess my perception of myself as well as others that have proved massively helpful along the road to recovery.

Ambassador for mental health charity Mind, and contemporary British artist, Stuart Semple, tells me about his experience of mental health. Like myself, Stuart first encountered difficulties when moving away from home for the first time.

“That isolation from my friends and family wasn’t a good combination…when I was 19 I died for a few seconds from an allergy, and nobody could tell me what I was allergic to so I left that experience with a growing list of fears, things I wanted to avoid and scenarios that would trigger anxious episodes. That

came hand-in-hand with an increasing phobia of food and swallowing anything.”

There is no simple way of dealing with a mental health difficulty. Relief can be, as Stuart reveals, found from “a combination of things, being creative and expressing myself.”

He adds: “Exercise has helped an awful lot as has mindfulness meditation and a very good psychologist. I think the answer to healing these etchings is in combination of approaches and each of us is so different that the menu needs to be personalised.”

Stuart also tells me why creative therapy is so instrumental in helping those who need it most.

“Often those suffering find it hard to express their feelings with words, but being creative in a proper therapeutic environment with trained therapists is a very powerful path to healing.

“The results are phenomenal.

I meet and hear from so many people who literally tell me creative therapy has changed their lives so I’m on a real mission to help people understand that and to spread it as far as I can.

He said as an ambassador for Mind, Stuart designed a

temporary tattoo last year for the Time To Change campaign to help raise awareness around mental health. Stuart has also spoken a lot about his experiences on Mind’s behalf, at events.

Although the treatment of mental health is not the same as going to receive an x-ray for a broken leg it should not be viewed as less important.

As discussions in Westminster surround making further cuts to mental health services, a recent Freedom of Information request by the BCC showed that mental health trusts have had their funding cut by more than 2% over the past two years.

This is a problem that needs appropriate attention and will not just go away, as highlighted by my account and Stuart’s.

I turn to the last few tattered pages of my diary, feeling proud not only of my own personal development in the last year, but also of the work people like Stuart are doing to help those in need.

Intent on supporting others as well as the families of those affected by mental health, a friend and I have vowed to hitch-hike around mainland Europe in seven days, donating all proceeds to the charity YoungMinds.

14 features

Thursday 6 March 2014 | The Rock

TOM BEASLEY

Bournemouth conservationists leave Dorset’s birds flying high It may not be as glamorous as saving whales or pandas, but bird conservation is vital to preserving our planet. One group of volunteers are fighting to save them Tom Beasley @TomJBeasley Tucked away just off Westover Road in Bournemouth’s town centre is a small, wooden building.

You hear it before you see it, because it produces a cacophony of birdsong from all corners of the globe.

The Bournemouth Aviary houses donated, rescued and bred bird species as diverse as golden pheasants, common budgerigars and even Amazonian parrots.

Set up by Bournemouth Borough Council more than 50 years ago, the aviary houses a huge variety of birds that are either rescued or bred in captivity. Jane Burch, one of the volunteers helping to run the site, has seen a number of creatures arrive in a very similar way.

“Many people buy birds and, once they’ve got them, they don’t get on with the bird, or there’s some reason why they can’t keep them and then they don’t know what to do with them.

“Usually, because they’re caring people, they don’t want to just sell them on to somebody who might

not take care of them in the way that they wanted, so they give them to us.”

The aviary almost closed down ten years ago when Bournemouth Borough Council decided that they could not afford to fund the initiative any more. As Jane explains, the potential outcomes of the aviary disappearing were virtually unthinkable.

“If it had been up to the council, these birds would have gone the way of the other aviaries and I believe that they were actually going to destroy the birds, which would have been heartbreaking.”

The slashing of local council funding has been a major factor in the closing down of similar smallscale conservation programmes across the British Isles.

However, due to a dedicated team of volunteers and a lucrative deal with local firm United Taxis, Bournemouth has been able to maintain its facilities and this crucial environment for so many beautiful avian animals.

For many lifelong Dorset residents, the aviary is as much a fixture of the town as the beach and the pier. It’s a feature without which it is hard to imagine Bournemouth.

“People in Bournemouth are very generous to us,” says Jane. “We rely almost entirely on people who

come to look at the birds with their children and then give us small change. Many people come with their own children who say that their parents brought them here, because the aviary has been going since wartime.

“It’s a really lovely continuity that we’re still able to offer something to people like that.”

Despite fond memories from families, the aviary’s secluded location means that some people are not even aware that it is there.

In the face of constant glossy marketing campaigns around the welfare of big cats, pandas, whales and other majestic mammals, it’s difficult to hear the relative modesty of the birdsong through the sounds of the roars.

Natalie Bennett, leader of the UK Green Party, believes that there is still a love of birds amongst British people.

“I think it is something that people are interested in. I know lots of people who get an enormous amount of pleasure out of birds coming to their garden feeder and pay pretty close attention to which birds are coming what year and what’s happening to the numbers.

“We could always pay more attention and do more, but I think it is an issue that is of great interest to a great many people.”

It seems that this interest in birds will continue for the foreseeable future as well. Of the one million registered patrons of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, just under one-fifth of them are from the youth division of the charity.

With such a solid base of youth support for the cause of bird conservation, the work of organisations such as Bournemouth Aviary will not count for nothing.

However, these organisations cannot continue to operate without donations and support from people who are committed to maintaining

the cause. The Bournemouth Aviary is always looking for helping hands and Jane feels that spreading the responsibility would help the organisation to do an even better job at preserving the creatures of the skies.

“We don’t have quite enough volunteers to make the process as easy as it should be. A lot falls on a few people, so anyone who’s interested with time to spare; we’d also love to see you.”

For more information visit Bournemouth Aviary’s webiste at www.bournemouthaviary.org.uk

One of the volunteers at the aviary, Jane Burch

TOM BEASLEY

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The Rock | Thursday 6 March 2014

Our favourite places to eat across Bournemouth With the expansion of independent food outlets on the rise in the town, it may seem increasingly hard to choose where to eat. The Rock gives its view on three of Bournemouth’s best restaurants. But what would be your choice?

Poppy Jeffery @PoppyDJeffery Joy Charminster 72 Charminster Road This spice delight is an old favourite. It is a small chain of Bournemouth Indian restaurants that boast incredible food choices and stellar service. On visiting the Charminster branch, I was warmly greeted and seated in the beautiful modern restaurant.

Clean white walls, soft leather seats and graceful décor compliment the Indian food being served to really set the atmosphere for a lovely night. After ordering drinks and poppadoms, it was time to look at the menu.

They serve everything from old favourites like korma and biryani curries to new delicacies such as Nawabi king prawns.

Choosing the old favourite dish, chicken tikka masala, I was pleasantly surprised by the price which was a moderate £8.95 (rice is extra), and the food was lovely tender chicken pieces with creamy sauce, which had just the right amount of spice.

I have to say, on the particular night chosen, the restaurant was not exactly busting at the doors and that detracted from the atmosphere slightly, as you felt the staff were forcing themselves to serve you, and the restaurant lacked a sociable, hurried vibe.

Nonetheless, all the staff were very friendly and the food was incredibly flavourful.

Verdict: 7/10 Good for a meal out with your boyfriend/girlfriend.

Scene Asia 185 Old Christchurch Road When attending the launch party of this new Asian buffet restaurant in town, which serves Indian, Thai and Chinese cuisine. I was blown away by the standards of food and friendly staff.

Thai green curry, Dhal curry, and tom yum soup are just a few of the dishes that are served so there is definitely something for

everyone to dig into.

Special dishes are made each day fresh from the kitchen in lightning speed and to high standards. As well as all of this, it is very well priced.

You pay £10.95 for all-you-caneat dinner and even less for meals during the day.

One of the best “features is their amazing selection of desserts: fruit, biscuits, jelly and cakes, all with a chocolate fountain to dip into

”

The staff are friendly and drinks are well priced. The décor is in keeping with the feel of the restaurant - low lights, kitchen-style food display area, Buddhas and lanterns. It is almost like an Asian version of Pret a Manger.

One of the best features is their amazing selection of desserts: fruit, biscuits, jelly and cakes, all with a chocolate fountain to dip into.

The music includes a lot of strange choices, such as modern pop, dance and even electro-swing - I expected something more along the lines of classical Bhangra or similar Asian music.

Thankfully, this does not detract from you having a wonderful time at the restaurant.

Verdict: 9/10 A real winner!

The Burger Shop 274 Old Christchurch Road Opened at the end of last year, this new, edgy and fun gourmet burger shop on Old Christchurch Road takes some beating.

The décor inside is like a metal shack with lovely red colours throughout, and the food is as it states on the sign ‘proper’.

Selling hot dogs, burgers and salads, this informal restaurant is a brilliant place for a lunch date or to meet friends after a long day.

I had the lunch special, and at only £6.95 for a house burger, selected side and drink, it seemed amazing value for money.

All of the food is cooked and made

fresh in store. Best of all, the staff are helpful and really know their ingredients. The house burger is something spectacular - tender and perfectly pink in the centre.

The meat is served in a brioche roll with a variety of garnishes, including their scintillating home made sauces.

The burgers come in a traditional paper wrapping, and plates are not used, making them very tricky to eat.

Yet, the quality of the food more than makes up for this.

The rosemary salted fries were delicious too - served in a metal cup, the portion was really generous, and along with the burger, I struggled to finish.

Sadly, the music they played again detracted from the atmosphere. It made it sound like a nightclub, as club and R&B hits were played too loudly, meaning anyone who is not into that music may not find the Burger Shop to their taste.

Verdict: 8/10 Great for a group of friends

give small “businesses a chance,

helping Britain break away from ‘clone- town’ high streets

The Burger Shop’s tasty lunch special MOLLY MILEHAM- CHAPPELL

”

The overall winner is Scene Asia; a restaurant with first-class staff, a wonderful atmosphere, fair prices and an incredible dessert buffet.

With all the food you would ever want available and a fresh selection of Asian cuisine, it is clear that this new brand of independent restaurants are now showing their full potential.

Although Joy Charminster was nice, it lacked the atmosphere of Scene Asia and The Burger Shop was just too loud. Independently owned restaurants and cafés are now making their mark in Bournemouth.

This gives the public a real chance to get away from the food shop giants and give small businesses a chance, helping Britain break away from ‘clone-town’ high streets.

Disagree? Tell us about your favourites by emailing us at editor@ bournemouth.co.uk

Scene Asia offers a vareity of food BOURNEMOUTH NEWS AND INFO

16 features

Thursday 6 March 2014 | The Rock

Photography Showcase Tom Brewer

I’ve been taking photos ever since I can remember; I always used to steal my parents’ camera at family parties and go around taking photos of everyone.

Even if it was a disposable film camera I was so excited and couldn’t wait to get the photos developed.

I got my very own camera when I was about 14 years old and since then I’ve had a fascination with using a camera to find things that others have missed.

I love the outdoors and if I’m not surfing or sailing then I’ve got my camera in my hand.

Most of my photos are taken in the south west, mainly from the stunning North Cornwall coast.

Darren Heath and Anton Corbijn are inspirations of mine as their work shows something that any other person would have

missed and their creative vision is something that I aspire to reproduce in the images I create.

I love visiting new places and regularly post photos from my travels.

Take a look at Tom’s photos on his instagram (tombrewer1) or blog bit. ly/tombrewer.

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The Rock | Thursday 6 March 2014

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2

3

Photographer’s Picks 1) The Boardmasters Festival in Cornwall is mostly known for its music line-up but the surf competition that week hosts some of the top surfers in the UK and Europe. It was great to watch some incredible Royal Cornwall Museum.

One of my surfing shots from the 2013 event won a competition by the Royal Cornwall Museum.

2) Capturing the sunset on the beach with the couple silhouetted against a colourful evening sky was definitely one of those “right place, right time” shots taken just down the coast from Newquay.

3) Two years ago I had the opportunity to visit Auschwitz in Poland. This was a truly moving experience and had a profound effect on me.

The thought of going to such a place and taking photos was controversial; some argue that by doing this I have put a lens between myself and the true horror of the concentration camps.

I believe that by sharing these images I have done the complete opposite, and brought the events of the Holocaust to a wider audience.

The Auschwitz Museum even got in touch with me asking for permission to use some of my images online.

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Thursday 6 March 2014 | The Rock

What’s On: Your entertainment guide Russell Kane, Paolo Nutini and X Factor Live headline this month’s live entertainment Theatre Desert Poole Lighthouse 6.03.14 Desert explores the true story of the WikiLeaks scandal, where US Army intelligence analyst Bradley Manning leaked classified documents to WikiLeaks. This show blends real transcripts with imagined events to tell the story of the solider that was at the heart of the conflict between the US Government and WikiLeaks.

Phoenix Dance Theatre Poole Lighthouse 11.03.14 The Leeds-based ten-strong troupe, who are an internationally renowned dance company are coming to Poole to amaze audiences with their classic and contemporary dance.

Wrong ‘Un - A Suffragette’s Story Poole Lighthouse 13.03.14 The one-woman musical is set at the heart of the suffragette movement and tells the story of Lancashire mill-girl Annie Wilde who fought for the right to have a voice in a world dominated by men.

Circus of Horrors Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre 17.03.14 The show full of bizarre yet fascinating stunts has achieved cult status since it was first conceived at Glastonbury Festival

in 1995. The Circus of Horrors has travelled around the world and wowed audiences on Britain’s Got Talent when they made it to the semifinals. Join undead ring-master Dr Haze and his Interceptors from Hell for sword swallowing, acrobatic and looney, dare-devil fun.

Fascinating Aida Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre 19.03.14 Founded in 1983, this satirical singing and cabaret show comes to Bournemouth to celebrate over 30 years of Fascinating Aida. With contemporary new songs and sensational old ones, fans of this super show will enjoy a fresh take on the favourite classic.

The Moscow State Circus Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre 20.03.14 Set in Moscow’s artistic and cultural quarter, Park Gorkogo, the hit circus returns to the UK to enthrall and entertain audiences. Audiences can expect exciting back flips, sky high acrobats, roller skating, amazing feats of strength, juggling and more.

This is one that the whole family can enjoy.

Music The Australian Pink Floyd BIC Windsor Hall 06.03.14 Described as one of the best tribute bands in the business, the Aussie band brings the sounds of Pink Floyd to Bournemouth. Australian Pink Floyd will play much loved

The internationally renowned singer, Paolo Nutini, will be playing at Bournemouth’s O2 Academy PA classics teamed with stunning stage lighting to make a night fans will not forget.

Rebecca Ferguson Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre 18.02.13

about keeping things small when life gets big and is a show not to be missed.

Maximo Park Pyramid Plaza 06.03.14

The X Factor runner-up of 2010 is embarking on her second full tour since 2012 to perform songs from her new second album Freedom. The singer’s debut album Heaven went double platinum, and it is easy to see why with a voice as powerful as hers.

Simon Evans Poole Lighthouse 15.03.14

This British alternative band are touring the country after the release of their new album Too Much Information. The band will play songs from their new album which is their fifth and arguably best yet.

Temples The Old Fire Station 07.03.14 After playing at various festivals including Reading and Leeds last year, Temples are hitting Bournemouth as part of their UK tour. The English psychedelic rock band have released their debut album Sun Structures which offers a fresh indie rock sound.

Rodriguez: The Searching for Sugar Man Tour BIC Windsor Hall 09.03.14 The American folk musician is coming to Bournemouth on a new tour, following his sold out shows at Hammersmith Apollo last spring. He will be supported by Chloe Charles who plays a stunning classical guitar.

The X Factor Live BIC Windsor Hall 16.03.14

Russell Kane is bringing his cheeky comedy to Bournemouth PA

The X Factor Live returns to Bournemouth and includes performances from Luke Friend, Sam Callahan and the 2013 winner Sam Bailey. The annual tour is one of Britain’s biggest and this year will be no different.

The Stranglers: 40th Anniversary Tour Pyramids Plaza 24.03.14 The Stranglers first appeared on the English punk rock scene 40 years ago and are still going strong. They are celebrating their ruby anniversary as one of Britain’s best punk rock bands with a new tour that fans both old and new will enjoy.

Paolo Nutini 02 Academy Bournemouth 25.03.14 The soul-influenced singer has achieved worldwide success and is now bringing his talents to Bournemouth as part of his worldwide tour. He will be playing classics, as well as songs from his new album Caustic Love.

Comedy Russell Kane: Smallness Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre 06.03.14 Armed with genius wit and flamboyant ‘Jedward’ hair awardwinning comedian Russell Kane brings his cheeky comedy to Bournemouth. His new show Smallness is a hotpot of thoughts

Having appeared on Celebrity Mastermind, Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week and Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, Simon Evans has become a staple for British comedy, with his sardonic and sharp wit. A must-see.

Pam Ann: Fly Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre 21.03.14 The racy international comedy sensation bares all to reveal the quirks of flying high. This treasure trove of cheeky air travel gags is not for the faint-hearted so strap in and welcome aboard the Pam Ann ride.

Josh Widdicombe Poole Lighthouse 23.03.14 He may have been the new kid on the block but now Josh Widdicombe has gone to have two sell out UK tours, and a hit television show The Last Leg. Josh is one of Britain’s most highly regarded comedians and his show will be a night to remember.

Sarah Millican Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre 28-29.03.14 Sarah embarks on her third national tour to educate the nation on the important things in life which include tips on how to teach a pensioner to swear. Her frank and hilarious gags will have any audience in stitches. This is a great way to spend a night out with mates.

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SPORT

The Rock | Thursday 6 March 2014

Jack Cozens SPORTS EDITOR @JCozensTCN

‘Free Your Fitness’ returns 20 Stadium plans in pipeline 22 Smith looking to settle 23

Email

sportseditor @bournemouthrock.co.uk.

Welcome to this edition’s sports section of The Rock. We have another great set of stories for you to look through, including success for Bournemouth University’s Ultimate Frisbee team, as well as an exclusive interview with Poole Town manager Tom Killick, who gives his views on the proposals to build a new stadium to host the football club, speedway and greyhound racing under one roof.

Undoubtedly the biggest sporting story of the past week is the controversy surrounding Newcastle manager Alan Pardew after he headbutted Hull City’s David Meyler during his side’s 4-1 victory on Saturday.

Pardew committed the act midway through the second half, after meyler had pushed past the manager to grab the ball which had rolled out of play.

Newcastle were swift to act, issuing Pardew with a £100,000 fine and handing him a formal warning, while the man himself was quick to apologise post-match.

With the FA charging the 52-yearold with improper conduct on Monday and giving him until today to dispute the charge, Pardew faces a potentially long spell away from the touchline, with the threat of

Managerial duties The FA, based at Wembley Stadium, charged Pardew with improper conduct on Monday BALDBORIS being banned from stadiums for the remainder of the season.

It might be argued that his actions were not what would traditionally be considered a headbutt, but the point is nullified by Pardew’s duty as a manager - particularly one in charge of a Premier League club who are watched by millions of people worldwide - to conduct himself in a professional manner and to set an example both to his players and to the viewing public.

The board may have made the right decision for Newcastle’s on-field success, but the case is yet another damning example of why football in the United Kingdom has an ugly reputation.

Ben Fisher

Will Burton

Alan Pardew is a lucky man. He is lucky to have a job, as a top-flight football manager. He is a talented boss - there is no doubting that - but his playground antics are disrespectful to schoolchildren mucking about this lunchtime.

His actions were completely unprofessional and he has since rightly been condemned by the FA and his club.

And we wonder why English managers are so few and far between.

Pardew’s recent touchline behaviour wouldn’t look out of place outside a Newcastle Kebab shop at 3am. Sadly, in football such behaviour is not uncommon.

Seeing young players acting unprofessionally is one thing, but having managers behaving in a similar way is embarrassing for the sport. Insulting officials and intimidating opponents wouldn’t be accepted in any other profession and has no place in football.

DEPUTY SPORTS EDITOR

CHIEF SPORTS WRITER

Handball side in narrow miss Jonathan Coles

@JonnyColes Handball is a sport that may not be familiar to many, but that could be set to change – at least here in Bournemouth.

The university now has men’s and women’s sides who have competed at national level after teams led by Great Britain player John Pearce took part in the national championships last month.

The teams, which were only set up at the start of the academic year in September, have progressed from a group of largely novice players to sides who can more than hold their own against opposition who have vastly superior competitive experience.

Although most popular in continental Europe, handball is a fully recognised Olympic sport played all over the world and is becoming increasingly common in the UK. The Bournemouth teams were set up by Pearce as part of the ‘Free Your Fitness’ programme (see page 20) which aims to promote the growth of sport at grass root level at low or no cost.

Bournemouth University’s handall teams were more than a match for their opponents Pearce said: “Having come back from London 2012 and played abroad for five years it was great to try and set up a handball team here in Bournemouth.

“I’ve been working alongside England handball and the University Activators program and the idea really has developed from a small turn up and play project to creating two full teams to compete at the University national championships.”

Last month both the men’s and women’s teams travelled to Sport House in London to compete against other universities on the national

stage.

Both sides played well above expectations with the men’s team narrowly losing to last year’s champions, the University of Essex, 5-4 in the decisive match.

A victory against Brunel University and a 4-4 draw with the University of Kent had given them confidence after two defeats to Brighton and Southampton but going down to Essex meant the team didn’t qualify for the main tournament.

Despite that, Pearce was still more than happy with the results.

S.DEWDNEY

He added: “This really was an outstanding achievement from all those involved. The guys’ team made it to the play-off round and lost by one goal in the closing seconds.

“All the teams at the nationals had years of playing experience with a number of foreign students playing for them.

“For BU after just five months to get two squads out to the national championships - both men’s and women’s - was a massive achievement. I really look forward to what the future holds for BU Handball.”

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VARSITY

Thursday 6 March 2014 | The Rock

Students and staff thrive on ‘Free Your Fitness’ project The ‘Free Your Fitness’ project offers students and staff from BU and AUB the opportunity to participate in up to 25 different sports and activities either free or heavily reduced in cost.

The project, which started in August 2011 and will be running until July 2014, is funded by Sport England and run as part of SportBU. The 2013-14 academic year has seen the launch of three new sports within ‘Free Your Fitness’ - Handball, Snowboarding and Skiing.

Having only started in October 2013, 28 students travelled to London to represent the University in the final of the National Qualifiers Handball tournament (see page 19). ‘Free Your Fitness’ Sports Activator Chris Payne said: “We had 28 students competing in the tournament which is a fantastic achievement considering we didn’t play handball four months ago.”

The squad are lucky enough to be supported in their coaching by London 2012 handball player John Pearce.

BU student and handball participant Adam Samuel said: “A friend on my course encouraged me to turn up. It’s a mix of rugby, basketball and football - you just chuck yourself around and have a good time.”

A group of 104 students and staff have participated in snow sports through a mixture of tasters and six-week blocks of lessons. The sessions take place at Snowtrax in Christchurch, easily accessible for students and staff from the Talbot Campus.

Enni Hanninen, Member of BU Snow Riders said: “The sessions were very good preparation for the Christmas ski trip and mean I won’t have to spend time and money to learn the basics now.”

Surfing is another popular ‘Free Your Fitness’ activity with students and staff keen to take advantage of Bournemouth’s fantastic coastline.

The session take place at Surf Steps on Boscombe Beach and so far 73 students have got involved. One such student is Gemma Kingshott who studies TV Production: “The

The scheme was introduced to increase participation in sports taster session was a great experience to try something new and make the most of the beach. It was quite tiring, but thoroughly enjoyable.”

Payne summarised: “Beach sports and alternative sports have been very successful over the course of the last two and a half years of the ‘Free Your Fitness’ Project. Surf Steps, Easy Riders, Snowtrax and Buddy’s Travel

SPORTBU

have all actively contributed to this success and the Sport England Active Universities Funding is what has made these opportunities possible for students.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed managing the project and would hope that such sports can continue at a participation level here at Bournemouth University.”

Heat qualify for National tournament

Written by Will Burton

Bournemouth Heat – BU’s Ultimate Frisbee team – defied the odds last weekend to qualify for the Open Outdoor BUCS National Championships in Manchester.

Heat beat Swansea University’s first team 11-4 in the Nationals playoff of the BUCS Western regional tournament in Bristol and claim a spot at the national tournament next month.

The result saw BU’s side leap from their rank of tenth seed before the event to finish in sixth position overall in the region.

“I’m really proud of the team, they worked really hard and did incredibly well,” said team captain Mark Shepherd.

Second year Marketing student George Munden secured the improbable victory with an athletic catch in the End Zone, sparking scenes of celebration from the Bournemouth players.

Shepherd continued: “The spirit for the whole tournament was great in what were horrible conditions at times. It was so nice for him [Munden] and the rest of the team to get that victory because we were playing so well and they all really deserved it.”

The team, which contained no less than four rookies, played eight matches across the two days.

Matt Morgan suffered a sprained ankle in the very first match of the tournament which forced him to watch from the sidelines for the remainder of the weekend.

Despite this early setback, the team were able to beat opponents from Plymouth, Bristol, Bath and Winchester on their way to the final.

First year Psychology student Henry Pym had been playing less than six months prior to the tournament. “I’m chuffed and really proud to have qualified for nationals,” he said. “To be in my first year and have been able to do this is great – I’m over the moon.”

The result marks the third time Heat will appear at a BUCS National tournament in four years, an achievement made all the more significant given the squad started the 2011 season with only four university players.

Shepherd said: “We narrowly missed out on Nationals qualification in the last two years but I knew this time all I could do is prepare the team as well as possible. It’s a great relief to qualify and a fantastic reward for all the hard work the team has put in.”

With the squad set to lose at least six players to graduation this year, April’s national tournament will provide invaluable experience for the

BU’s Henry Pym (right) catches the disc against Bristol University team’s first year members.

Rookie Pym is excited about the challenge of competing at National level in his first year playing the

A.MOSS

sport: “It will be a big step up and I think it will be a great experience for my future playing career. I’m really looking forward to it.”

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The Rock | Thursday 6 March 2014

A world of sport Cheltenham Festival - March 11-14 Cheltenham Festival begins on March 11 in what will no doubt be four days of atmosphere, anticipation and action.

The Cheltenham Festival is arguably one of the biggest fixtures in the horse racing calendar. With over 200,000 racegoers expected to attend the event over the few days it will no doubt be a spectacle. Over 67,000 people watched Bobs Worth win the Gold Cup in 2013, in the penultimate race.

Europa League Last 16 - March 13/20 The first legs of the last 16 of the Europa League commence on March 13, with Tottenham the only English representative left in the competition. Tim Sherwood’s team have been drawn a tough tie against Portuguese outfit Benfica. White Hart Lane will play host to the first leg, before Spurs travel to the Estádio da Luz a week later. The other most notable fixture from the round sees Porto face Napoli. Both teams were eliminated from the Champions League at the group stage and will be looking to make up for that disappointment.

Sam Rourke examines what’s happening across the globe this month

ICC World T20s, Bangladesh - March 16 - April 6 The ICC World Twenty20 Bangladesh 2014 will be staged from March 16 to April 6, with a total of 62 tournament matches (35 men’s and 27 women’s) played across Chittagong, Dhaka and Sylhet. The format for the men’s event has been changed following an increase in teams from 12 to 16. Australia won the competition in 2013 and will be looking to defend their crown.

England lie in Group B alongside West Indies, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Australian F1 Grand Prix - March 16 Melbourne, Australia plays host to the first race of the Formula One 2014 season, and will see the last five World Champions taking their spot on the grid as they battle for the championship. Australia will be the first opportunity in 2014 for fans to see new driver line ups, team car designs and sponsors for the season with the added interest of all new rules that teams have been working to in the off-season to deliver new 1.6 litre V6 turbo power engines.

Will Kent takes a look at the latest sporting champ and chump At just 18 years old and having played less than 50 games for Southampton, Luke Shaw is no doubt flying high after being selected in the England squad to face Denmark.

A string of impressive displays for the Saints have convinced Roy Hodgson that he’s potentially good enough for the international stage even at a raw, young age.

This is just the icing on the cake for the teenager’s exciting season so far, which has seen him attract further attention from the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea.

What made this England selection even more special was the emotional images all over the web of Shaw moments after he was told he was picked - the sort of passion many England fans question still even exists amongst the players of the national side.

Despite the disappointment of his side’s 3-0 defeat to Liverpool, Shaw continues to develop into a serious challenger for the long term position of left back within the England side, with many viewing him as Ashley Cole and Leighton Baines’ permanent replacement.

WINNER

Formula One gears up for new season Peter Rawlins @PeterRawlins The new Formula One World Championship starts on March 16 in Melbourne, in a year that is likely to be as unpredictable as any in recent memory.

The biggest change is that of the engine, where 2.4-litre V8s will be replaced by turbocharged 1.6-litre V6s in an effort to increase fuel efficiency. The 2014 rules also require cars to have smaller front wings, a lowered nose and a single rear wing, all aimed to increase overtaking opportunities.

In terms of driver changes, Ferrari have made the most notable move with Kimi Raikkonen returning to the team after racing for them between 2007 and 2009, winning his only championship to date in his first year with the squad.

Raikkonen joins stalwart Fernando Alonso in the squad, the Spaniard desperate to claim his first title with the Italian marquee

after finishing runner-up in the previous two seasons.

Jenson Button is partnered by rookie Kevin Magnussen for 2014, and the young Dane has lived up to claims that he could be a future world champion with some impressive performances in testing.

Mark Webber retired from Formula One at the end of 2013 after 12 seasons in the sport and seven for Red Bull Racing, and will be replaced by fellow Australian Daniel Ricciardo, who will attempt to end his teammate Sebastian Vettel’s fourtime reign.

Indeed, those hoping to challenge Vettel will have been encouraged by Red Bull’s struggles in pre-season, in which reliability problems have continued to plague the team.

However, they are not the only team struggling, with other Renault customers experiencing continuing power problems with the manufacturer’s engine.

Mercedes initially looked like the team to beat with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg setting the pace on a number of days during the first two tests, but they and their customer teams all experienced either engine or gearbox issues on

LOSER

Red Bull Racing have endured a miserable pre-season the final two days of testing, leaving some doubts in their mind at the worst possible time.

With every outfit holding fears over their ability to make the

PRESS ASSOCIATION

chequered flag heading to Australia, reliability in the opening rounds of the season will play just as important a part as speed in paving the way for a championship challenge.

Amir Khan’s scheduled fight with Floyd Mayweather later this year was a done deal as far as him and many boxing fans were concerned: Khan was finally going to get his chance at taking on boxing’s pound-forpound number one.

However, Mayweather has now opted to face Marcos Maidana instead - a fighter Khan has already beaten himself.

Not only did Khan win Mayweather’s self-created poll in which he allowed fans to vote for his next opponent, but he had also cancelled his world title fight against Devon Alexander in preparation for the bout.

Whilst Khan has suffered a humiliating blow from this rejection before a punch has even been thrown, it does cast questions over Mayweather’s ambitions opting for what many see as an easier fight. This was set to be the biggest fight of Khan’s career, but now he must search for a new opponent.

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Thursday 6 March 2014| The Rock

New stadium on the cards for Poole teams Ben Fisher DEPUTY SPORTS EDITOR @benfisherJ Stadia UK have confirmed that plans are underway to merge football, greyhound racing and speedway at Poole Stadium on Wimborne Road.

This follows the backing of former AFC Bournemouth chairman Eddie Mitchell, who is now investing his money made up from a property empire into the non-league Dolphins.

The Dolphins’ current home pitch of Tatnam has been under the spotlight in recent weeks following a number of postponements which has left managing and playing staff frustrated.

Businessman Eddie Mitchell said: “My aim is to provide Poole Town FC with a Stadium fit for the Football League which is where we aim to be playing. There is historic synergy with both Speedway and Greyhound Racing and there is no doubt that to be an economic venture a stadium needs multiple sources of income. We are working well together and I am hopeful that we will find a way to make this happen.”

Poole Stadium is currently home to Poole Pirates, one of the powerhouses of British speedway

in the country as well as hosting greyhound racing three-to-four times a week although it was formerly home to the football club.

Clarke Osborne, CEO at Stadia UK, said: “We have a great deal of experience in facility design and of putting soccer, speedway and greyhound racing together in the same complex, and it is certainly feasible in theory.”

Poole Town manager Tom Killick admitted in comparison to other clubs, their facilities are ‘embarrassing’.

The Tatnam pitch where they currently play home games has failed to come out on top against winter conditions, leaving the Dolphins with 21 games to play in eight weeks.

“The facilities we have at the moment are quite blatantly not good enough for the league we are in,” said Killick.

“We need something better and we probably needed something better for a little while now.

“We have made some really big improvements but if the club is to get to the level a town like Poole deserves we need a ground with proper facilities.”

Poole last played a home game on February 23, in which they fought off fellow promotion-chasing side Corby Town 3-1.

Killick is now backing proposals led by property tycoon Mitchell to relocate Town back to their old stomping ground.

Plans to build a new stadium in Poole are being considered “We go to proper football grounds with facilities, on and off the pitch,” Killick said.

“It’s almost embarrassing here. At the moment you see teams and fans turn up here unimpressed and that’s sad for the club.

“It’s good that it’s developing and Eddie Mitchell is involved, and I would fully embrace a move because at the moment we are restraining ourselves.

“We have to have decent facilities and that is the bottom line. People

COZENS

will pay money to come in and they expect certain things and I’m not sure if they are getting them at the moment.”

The Dolphins boss also spoke of his delight of securing the short-term future of ex-Bournemouth striker Jordan Chiedozie, but will support him in his hunt to become a full-time professional elsewhere.

“Jordan has aspirations of becoming a full time professional and I’m happy in a way that that’s what he wants to do,” Killick added.

Gillespie ready to return Will Burton CHIEF SPORTS WRITER @wjburton92 Poole Town’s leading scorer, Richard Gillespie, is due to make an imminent return to the first team after a four month lay-off with a foot injury.

With the help of fitness coach Tom Webster, Gillespie has made a rapid recovery in recent weeks, going from straight-line jogging to dribbling at high intensity and striking at goal.

The striker will shortly be back to full-time training and could return in time for his side’s home game against AFC Totton on March 11.

Dolphin’s manager Tom Killick

heaped praise on his returning striker, whose return to training comes at a crucial time for the team.

“When I signed Richard in the summer I was really pleased to have acquired him,” said Killick. “I don’t think it’s disputed that he is one of the best strikers, certainly in this league and probably in the league above.

“We need to be careful about his rehabilitation but I’m hopeful we can get him back out on the pitch in the not too distant future.”

Gillespie spoke of his time on the side lines, “It has been very frustrating especially because we are right up there within a shout of automatic promotion, so it has been frustrating not being available to help the team.

“But in some respects I have been quite lucky because, when I have been injured a lot of games

have been called off because of the weather. I’ve been out four months and I’ve only missed 13 or 14 league games, it could have been double that.

“I know that as soon as I do get back there will be a lot of games coming thick and fast so I’ve got to be sensible in the sense that I integrate myself back in slowly, not suddenly playing 90 minutes. You’ve got to be sensible otherwise you put yourself back to square one. “ Poole’s most recent game to fall foul of the weather was last weekend’s home match against Stourbridge, which was postponed just 50 minutes prior to kick-off.

Gillespie is excited about the possibility of being reunited with former team-mate Justin Bennett.

The on loan striker from Gosport netted a hat trick on his debut for the Dolphins against Bedford Town at

the beginning of February.

“I know Justin from when I was at Eastleigh but I don’t think I played with him that many times. If you’ve got two goalscorers in the team it boosts the place, you know that if I’m having a bad day, Justin will have a good day and he’ll score a few goals.

“Justin and I have both been around a bit, we are a bit more knowledgeable and a bit more experienced so I think we’d be pretty effective up front together.”

Justin talks about the goals for the remainder of the season. “From the first training session in pre-season, before we’d even kicked a ball the manager said he wanted to get promote and he wants to win the league. As far as I’m aware that is still the plan.”

Poole’s next game is away to Burnham FC on Saturday March 8.

Killick’s pitch frustration Poole Town boss Tom Killick says he feels more of a weather forecaster than a football manager at the moment.

Killick was left frustrated last week as both Thursday and Saturday games were postponed at late notice due to weather conditions.

The Dolphins now have to fit in 21 games in just eight weeks, with games planned on back-toback days in order to deal with the hefty fixture congestion.

“I’m an expert on weather at the moment,” said Killick. “I’m looking at the weather forecast all the time at the moment.

“We do not expect games to be played if conditions are obviously dangerous but I think referees have to show latitude and understand that games are going to have to be played when conditions are not ideal.

“Some teams have ten games in hand over us. We would expect to have games left to play at this stage, not games in hand.”

Town have been forced to move games away from their Tatnam home, to opposition stadia in a bid to get games on – including last night’s fixture at Hemel Hempstead.

Despite Dolphins boss Killick admitting he currently feels more like Michael Fish than anybody else, the manager admits the club can only point the finger at themselves.

“To a degree, we only have ourselves to blame,” added Killick.

“Our pitch has some drainage issues in one particular area and if we are honest, we should have remedied that.

“It was something we were aware of and were hoping to do over the summer. We would have done it sooner if we had known this.

“I think players get demoralised and they are training and preparing to play matches, but at the moment, we are training for the sake of training.

“There’s a lot still to play for this season and we are still capable of achieving our aims - we still have a chance to gain promotion.

“We cannot afford to hide behind these postponements.”

sport 23

The Rock | Thursday 6 March 2014

Smith: I had to leave Tottenham for games Ben Fisher DEPUTY SPORTS EDITOR

Round-up

@benfisherJ Adam Smith says he was forced to leave Tottenham in order to escape from the shadow of England fullback Kyle Walker.

Smith was touted to have a big future and was a regular feature for the England U21 squads while he remained eligible.

The defender is in his second spell on the south coast, although he is yet to dislodge first-choice right-back Simon Francis from the starting eleven.

“I have been here before so I am beginning to settle down now and I already know the club and town,” he said.

“I am enjoying it. I was on loan and I have some good memories from here.

“I still had two-and-a-half-years at Tottenham on my contract but I wanted to get out and play as many games as possible, still as a young player.

“It would have been easy to stay there but I didn’t want to just do that.

“You have less chance of getting into the first team at a club like Tottenham and that was another reason that helped make my decision here.

“Tottenham have a lot of money to buy whoever they want.

“I had Kyle Walker in front of

Adam Smith is hopeful that his football with the Cherries will show a more settled character AFCBPICS.CO.UK me and as a young English player, that made it even harder for me.”

Smith says that Walker helped nurture his development along the way, as did multiple loan spells away from the club, including stints more recently at Derby and Millwall.

“He is a good player, an England player and it is difficult to get ahead of him in the pecking order as he’s a first-choice England international but I learnt a lot off him,” he said.

“I grew up with a lot of lads there, including Danny Rose and Ryan Mason who I still keep in good touch with.

“I have had seven or eight loans like Danny [Rose] and Andros

[Townsend] but they are a bit ahead of me in the chances they have been given.

“Kyle is only a year older than me so it was hard for me, so I wanted to leave and have the control over my own career.

“When you are still young, you need to play games and obviously I have ambitions to play in the Premier League and England – it’s just going to take longer to do that.”

“I have not had much match fitness. I need to be patient and keep playing well. Franno has done well so for now, it is just about waiting for an opportunity.”

Smith has sacrificed the bright

lights of Europa League football and a top four challenge in search of regular playing time and the defender insists he doesn’t have a problem with making the swap.

“I am not at all envious, I obviously speak to the lads there but it’s nice to see them get that win [versus Dnipro],” he said.

“I know I can settle down and not live out the back of a car anymore.

Hopefully my football will reflect how settled I become.

“The Championship is pretty crazy but hopefully we can pick up some wins in March, which will be massive for us, with a lot of games fitted into one month,” he added.

The Cherries secured their second win of 2014 on March 1 when they beat Doncaster Rovers 5-0, in what turned out to be a rout at Dean Court.

The impressive Yann Kermogant scored a hat-trick on his first home start for the Cherries, and midfielder Harry Arter added a brace to complete an outstanding attacking display.

Prior to that, AFC Bournemouth picked up an excellent draw against highflying Burnley at the Goldsands Stadium on February 15.

Tokelo Rantie put the Cherries into a one-nil lead but his third goal of the season was cancelled out when Burnley winger Keith Treacy converted past Lee Camp.

Winger Ryan Fraser celebrated his 20th birthday with a call up to the latest Scotland under-21 squad. The winger earned his first call up to the under-21s in the summer and has since featured in the squad’s Championships qualifying campaign.

Finally, Tommy Elphick was named as player of the month after starting every game and playing a pivotal role in securing the five points his side scored during February.

Former Saint lauds academy progress Ben Fisher DEPUTY SPORTS EDITOR @benfisherJ Ex-Southampton midfielder Andrew Surman says now is a great time to be at the club that schooled him.

South African midfielder Surman came through the ranks at Southampton’s prestigious academy which has flourished the likes of Theo Walcott and Gareth Bale in recent years, as well as latest England international, 18-year-old Luke Shaw.

Contracted to another Premier League side, Norwich City, the midfielder is enjoying a second loan spell with AFC Bournemouth in the second-tier.

“It is a great time to be at

Southampton and looking at the players there that are tipped for England – it is fantastic,” said the 27-year-old.

“They have a good structure at the club and they have had some managers that will give young players a chance.

“You see a lot of clubs with good youngsters but they just hit the roof and will not go any further because they spend millions of pounds on players from abroad.

“I enjoyed my youthful years, coming through Southampton I had lots of ups and downs – it’s great to see young players coming through and I’m sure lots of clubs are looking at trying to copy that model.

“The amount of players they have brought through over the years is astounding.”

Surman still harbours Premier League hopes of his own and has a year left of his contract with his

parent club, and he says the summer holds the key to his future.

“When it gets to the summer I have a few decisions to make.

Until the end of the season my concentration is here at Bournemouth,” he said.

Surman has become a regular name on Eddie Howe’s team-sheet at the Cherries after initially struggling to nail down a place, but Surman says nobody’s spot is guaranteed.

“You are not guaranteed your place here and there is a lot of competition for places - I would not consider myself a regular at the moment,” said Surman.

“Things were not quite working out at Norwich, I was injured quite a lot last season and I knew I was going to be going out on-loan and I like the style of football here.

“There is a different personnel and manager but there’s a new lease of life since the manager has come

Andrew Surman is urging his team to look up the table AFCBPICS.CO.UK back. There is a huge belief in the club as well now and some really good players.

“I think at the start of the season we were on the end of a couple of bad results, a 5-1 and then a 6-1 and we have since steadied our feet after that, picking up some good points

and good wins.

“Our performances have been good and we’ve played sides up there recently - Leicester, Derby and Burnley who are all in the top three.

“It is better to look up rather than down because that can create a bit of a nervous atmosphere,” he added.

24 sport

Thursday 6 March 2014 | The Rock

Pugh targets strong finish to campaign

I don’t believe it!

Arsenal star turns accordion saviour Footballers are often known for their extravagant interests off the field, but French international Laurent Koscielny has gone one step further than most to protect one of his favourite pastimes.

The Arsenal cente-back is said to be a huge fan of the accordian, with production of the instrument a big industry in his home town of Tulle.

So when the accordian maker Maugein went into administration and looked set to close its doors after more than 100 years of manufacting, the French international stepped in with £495,000 as part of a group that are to take over the struggling company.

Koscielny, whose family are originally Polish, earns £2.6m a year with Arsenal.

tweet -twoo Marc Pugh is adamant that the Cherries can shrug off any talk of relegation with consistent performances in March

Ben Fisher DEPUTY SPORTS EDITOR @benfisherJ Winger Marc Pugh has labelled March as a make-or-break month for Eddie Howe’s side.

The Cherries coasted to a 5-0 demolition over Doncaster Rovers last Saturday and Pugh insists that this month will hold the key to their Championship future.

Pugh has been with the Cherries for four years and has seen plenty of ups and downs but is aware of the importance of March if the Cherries want to ensure another year of football in the second tier.

“It is a massive month and I think it is eight games we have,” Pugh said.

“You have to be winning games and it is similar to Christmas with back-to-back games and it’s going to be decisive.

“The season as a whole has been positive and we have proved that we can mix it with the best clubs in the league.

“There have not been many times this season where we have come off the pitch thinking

that the opposition outclassed us necessarily.

“We need to be at it against teams in and around us and we would be delighted to finish in the top-half this season.”

Pugh is adamant that the Cherries have more than held their own against some of the biggest clubs in the division, including promotionchasing Burnley.

“We said after the home game against Burnley (a 1-1 draw) we were perhaps the better team and the same at their place – we have proved we have good players and have that quality in the dressing rooms,” Pugh added.

“It is important you don’t get despondent about things if you lose 1-0 like we did against Derby though and we must move on from it quickly.”

Turn to page 23 for a full round up of all the Cherries action.

AFCBPICS.CO.UK

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Samir Nasri: “People say ‘It’s only the League Cup’. I say to those people ‘OK. Go and win the League Cup.’” #MCFC @DuncanCastles