The Plymouth Magazine issue 126

PLYMOUTH’S BIGGEST MONTHLY CIRCULATION MAGAZINE - 46,000 COPIES

plymouth magazine the

ISSUE 126 DECEMBER 2014

Crafty success for Helen

Tributes to ‘unsung hero’ Putting Plymouth on the app map Awards for Plymouth photographer St Luke’s launch for Crisis Team What’s On guide WIN A ROMANTIC STAY ON DARTMOOR - SEE INSIDE

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2014: That was the year that was!

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Looking back on 2014 reflects a year of real contrasts for Plymouth, its economy and its people.

On the plus side there was the signing of the historic Plymouth and South West Peninsula City Deal which could lead to the creation of thousands of new jobs in the city and see the development of Devonport’s South Yard into a marine industries production campus.

City Deal will also bring benefit for youngsters, with the promise of 1,500 new jobs for those aged between 16 and 24. This follows the encouraging fall during the year in the number of youngsters on Jobseekers Allowance.

The City Council’s far-reaching Plan for Jobs has already delivered 2,000 new posts.

Another big highlight of the year was the MTV Crashes Plymouth event which not only attracted 20,000 people to The Hoe, but also projected Plymouth in a positive light to global audiences through MTV. The celebration of the 350th anniversary of the Royal Marines was also a landmark event in the summer, with the Duke of Edinburgh attending.

On the downside Plymouth, like the rest of the South West, suffered the devastating effects of the storms in February which not only severed rail links to London, but also caused huge damage to the waterfront.

While politicians and planners debate whether or not a second rail route to the South West can be afforded, we have already seen the rail line closed on a couple of occasions in November because of high tides and extreme winds.

It is to be hoped that in 2015 some positive progress is made in improving Plymouth’s connectivity to the rest of the country - and the rest of the world.

Hope you enjoy our latest offering. Our best Christmas wishes to all readers, advertisers and our wonderful team of distributors.

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Dream kitchens - by design

Steve and Debra Bunch

A Plymouth couple are looking forward to celebrating five years of business success in 2015.

By using the most advanced 3D technology Steve and Debra are able to create an extremely accurate representation of how the finished kitchen will appear.

Steve and Debra Bunch launched Hyde Park Kitchens in 2010 and have established an enviable reputation for the quality of their kitchen designs and installations.

“All of our kitchens are entirely made to measure using the highest-quality products.

In addition we are able to offer spray painting of doors, drawers and cabinets - which means the customer ends up with exactly the colour scheme they want,” said Debra.

“The economy had just started to go into recession when we launched the business - but we knew it was the right thing for us to do,” said Steve, who has more than 20 years’ experience in the industry.

They were both self-employed working for other businesses when Debra was diagnosed with cancer. After undergoing extensive treatment she and Steve decided that they wanted to make the most of their skills by working together.

It proved to be a wise decision, as Hyde Park Kitchens has gone from strength since its launch.

“Our aim is to provide our clients with the highest level of customer service, ensuring that they end up with the kitchen of their dreams,” said Debra.

Steve added: “We are committed to providing superb kitchens at extremely competitive prices. As we don’t have the huge overheads of the national chains and big local companies we can offer exceptional value-for-money.

“We place significant emphasis on the overall design and look of the kitchen, taking as much time as needed to achieve the very best results. We keep in touch with the latest design trends and endeavour to incorporate these within the kitchens we supply.”

Hyde Park Kitchens

When it comes to appliances, Steve and Debra allow the customer to choose exactly what they want.

“We are not tied in with a particular brand and recommend that customers source their cookers, fridges, freezers, hobs etc from local suppliers.

“It not only gives the customer a much wider choice but invariably works out a lot cheaper,” said Steve.

Hyde Park Kitchens are not only about kitchens. They also supply and install bathrooms, wet rooms and bedrooms. Their extensive experience has seen them working successfully with local builders and architects on both new build and refurbishment projects.

“The majority of our business comes from the general public, but our project management experience has resulted in valuable work from the trade as well,” added Steve.

Hyde Park Kitchens offer no-obligation free estimates and encourage any homeowners who are thinking about a new kitchen to contact them and arrange an appointment.

Hyde Park Kitchens, 63 Hyde Park Road, Plymouth PL3 4JN Tel 01752 242951 Kitchens | Bathrooms | Bedrooms | Design www.hydeparkkitchens.co.uk

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The Plymouth Magazine November 2014

CONTENTS DECEMBER 2014 EDITION

LITTLE THINGS

6

8

We meet funeral arranger LeighAnne Hedges who helps bereaved parents deal with the loss of premature babies through her charity Little Things.

SEAFOOD DELIGHT

17

Our comprehensive What’s On section has details of all the events coming up in the Plymouth area over the next few weeks.

CRISIS TEAM LAUNCH

46

Local photographer Ashley Ide is celebrating after receiving two silver awards from the Guild of Professional Photographers .

St Luke’s Hospice is investing £600,000 in the launch of a new Crisis Team to offer specialist care for terminally ill patients .

Meetings

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WHAT’S ON

21

SILVER SUCCESS

WHAT? WithWeight

CRAFTY SUCCESS

Helen Woolley has launched a successful business promoting local designers - and has received a seal of approval from a former ‘Dragon.’.

Chef Martin Benjamin and his partner Maja have launched a new seafood restaurant at what used to be the Trattoria Pescatore in Stonehouse.

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ThePlymouth PlymouthMagazine MagazineDecember December2014 2014 The

//55

CHARITY MATTERS

The ‘Little Things’ making a difference to bereaved parents LeighAnne Hedges sees at first hand the heartbreak caused to families by the loss of a baby.

But when she witnessed the additional upset as a result of premature babies having no suitably sized clothing for their funeral, she decided to do something about it.

LeighAnne, 35, from St Judes, works as a funeral arranger with Walter C. Parson in Plympton. It was while arranging a service for an ‘angel baby’ in March 2013 that she realised there was no suitable clothing for babies who die very prematurely.

“He was a little boy called Finley, about 20 weeks, and he was so tiny. He was wrapped in a little blanket but was naked apart from that. His mum was so upset at the thought that he wouldn’t be dressed in anything so I went home and made him a little vest.

“The response was overwhelming. His mum was so moved and it made a huge difference to the family on the day.

Finley’s mum and I have been friends ever since.”

When a second family faced the same distress not long after, LeighAnne again went home and made a cotton vest: “It was another little boy and the response was exactly the same,” said LeighAnne. “I looked online and there wasn’t really anywhere for families to turn to for clothing, after the death of their baby. I thought ‘something needs to be done here’.”

LeighAnne, who admits she was ‘never any good’ at needlework when she was a student at Lipson Community College, bought a sewing machine and taught herself in her workshop – her garden shed.

But what started off as a service for parents at Derriford Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is now a nationwide service for over 20 hospitals including Great Ormond Street Hospital.

“At first I contacted Derriford and told them what I was doing – the team of bereavement midwives there do an amazing job. And then I went to a conference in the Midlands and quite by chance I met a bereavement midwife from Great Ormond Street. She said ‘what you’re doing is exactly what we need’.”

When word spread about what LeighAnne was doing people started to ask how they could donate: “Well I obviously couldn’t just take their money so I looked into it and set up a small charity.”

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

The charity, Little Things, was launched at the start of 2014.

As well as LeighAnne, Little Things has four trustees and a treasurer. A team of volunteers at Age UK in Plymstock is now helping to make the bespoke cardigans and blankets that accompany the clothing, which is all hand-made using wool or cotton.

The designs of the clothing include smock dresses, sleepsuits, angel pouches and baby forever beds. They are tailor-made to fit each individual baby and can be personalised with a theme, colour or name.

“We send out about 50 a week and absolutely nothing goes to waste,” said LeighAnne, whose daughter Lucy helps out.

“If we have too many, we send them to under-age mothers in the Bronx district of New York who’ve lost their babies and also to parents in Angola and Rwanda.”

Earlier this year, LeighAnne was winner of Bereavement Worker at the Butterfly Awards, an annual ceremony which recognises those who do great work for people who have lost a baby. LeighAnne said: “Several members of the team went up to the ceremony in Coventry. I wanted them to attend too as the award was for the charity, not for me.”

LeighAnne has also reached the last 28 of the Tesco Mum of the Year awards, due to be announced at the end of December.

Little Things now has a monthly support group and also helps other organisations. The charity is currently working with Derriford Hospital to create a Memorial Garden in the hospital grounds, which it’s hoped will be open next Spring.

••

To learn more about the charity or to donate, visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ LittleThingsangelclothes

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Chef’s recipe for pain-free feet Professional chefs inevitably spend countless hours on their feet - and over time this can take its toll.

and pain was caused by fallen arches.”

John was supplied with custom made orthotic arch supports - and it has helped change his life.

One such chef is John Brocklebank who has spent most of the last 50 years on his feet for long periods, having started his career in the catering trade at the age of 16 in 1964.

“It took a couple of weeks to get used to the supports, but now I wouldn’t be without them. I have no pain in my feet and I can enjoy my golf and squash again - as well as my work, of course.

I have since purchased a second set of supports so that I have them for both work and leisure,” he said.

John and his wife Brenda have run the Lantern Lodge Hotel at Hope Cove near Kingsbridge for the last 30 years - and one of John’s main roles is as head chef at the 14-bed hotel.

“Over the years I have suffered more and more with my feet,” said John. “I just put it down to old age - but the pain was getting worse and worse every year, leaving me with feet that were tingling or throbbing after a busy day’s work.”

His sporting hobbies of golf and squash were also becoming an increasingly painful experience.

It was during a well-earned holiday two years ago that John realised that the pain was potentially threatening his work.

“We had been for a long walk and I was in agony,” said John. “I decided I had to do something and went to my GP who then

John and Brenda’s daughter Laura, who works at the hotel, has also been supplied with orthotic arch supports as she was found to have fallen arches as well. “I was getting a lot of pain in my hips and the supports have definitely helped,” she said.

Chef John Brocklebank with daughter Laura referred me to a chiropodist, but this didn’t help.”

Soon after John and Brenda were in Plymouth’s Royal Parade on a shopping trip and noticed the Foot Solutions store.

“We went in, made an appointment and returned at a later date,” added John. “Kay, one of the Foot Solutions team, carried out what they call a ‘Foot Assessment’ which showed that my problem

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

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WOMEN AT WORK

Crafty Helen is making a splash with Rockpool

In 2011, Plymouth businesswoman Helen Woolley was walking on a beach in Cornwall when she had an idea: wouldn’t it be great if the skilled craftsmen and women across Devon and Cornwall had a ‘shop window’ just for them.

Exactly three years on and Helen’s idea is now a successful reality that has just received the seal of approval from entrepreneur Theo Paphitis, best known for the BBC TV show, Dragons’ Den. Helen’s Rockpool Trading business provides a platform for over 20 designers from Devon and Cornwall to showcase and sell their hand-made products.

And what started off as an online business has now grown to include gift fairs across the two counties: Helen is attending 10 fairs in the two months leading up to Christmas: “It’s going to be hectic!” admitted Helen, who operates the business from her home in Peverell.

“But to be honest, it’s been hectic for a while and especially since Theo Paphitis picked Rockpool as one of his six #sbs winners at the end of August.”

For those who don’t follow the social media site Twitter, small businesses are able to put their work forward to the Dragons’ Den star using the hashtag sbs (Small Business Sunday) from 5-7.30pm each Sunday. Paphitis sifts through the hundreds of hopefuls before selecting six each week which he announces on the site.

“It’s a lovely endorsement,” said Helen. “There’s no question that it has raised the profile of the business and therefore of the crafters as well.”

The Rockpool concept emerged during a chat with her then fiancé and now husband Brendan, when they were on holiday in Falmouth with their pet Labradoodle Murphy, who according to Helen “was part of the inspiration, too”.

At the time, Britain was in the depth of recession, but this meant there were more people looking for somewhere to promote their hand-made products: “People were losing their jobs and starting their own businesses and the South West has a thriving community of designers and crafters.

“But it can be incredibly hard for them to make a living because each piece they make takes time and then they also need a good outlet, which is why I thought of Rockpool.At first I had to actively seek people to join us; now, as we celebrate our third anniversary, they’re coming to us. We started with six and now we are supporting 22 craftsmen and women.”

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

Helen is full of praise for the support she has received from Outset Plymouth and Outset Finance. Support is also at hand closer to home, where experienced salesman Brendan helps with aspects of the business including quality control – “we have to make sure the products we are marketing and selling are of a high quality, which they are” – explained Helen, who negotiates a commission which works for both her and the crafters.

www.cornerstonevision.com

@CornerstoneVis

The renewed interest in locally-made, hand-crafted items is also helping, as more people turn away from mass-produced gifts: “One of the nice things about attending gift fairs – and I do a couple each month now – is that I get to meet customers and hear their feedback. I love the South West and want to support local businesses and many other people feel the same way.

“There is a real appetite for hand-made items. Customers know that lots of hours and love have gone into each piece and in some cases, the piece is completely unique.”

So what next for Rockpool – and what’s the story behind the name? “It evokes images of the South West, of exploring rockpools on beaches and discovering all sorts of interesting things, a treasure trove – so the name fits really well,” said Helen.

“At the moment our main focus is on gifts for women and children and things for the home and I’d like to perhaps extend that to include the men’s and pets’ markets.

“After that, our really big dream is for us to get our own shop – but it’s not something we’re going to rush into. We’ll do it when the time is right.”

••

For more information visit www.rockpooltrading.co.uk

The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

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PLYMOUTH MATTERS

Hilary Preston pictured with a photo of Dr Mabel Ramsay

A campaigner for women’s rights who went on to become one of the leading medical practitioners in the South West was honoured at a special ceremony in Plymouth in November.

Tributes paid to one of Plymouth’s ‘unsung heroes’

A Blue Plaque was unveiled to recognise Dr Mabel Ramsay, described as one of Plymouth’s ‘unsung heroes’ and ‘a woman ahead of her time.’

The Plaque, which was installed at Wentworth Villas in North Hill, was the first in Plymouth to be dedicated solely to a woman.

Dr Ramsay, who died in 1954 aged 75, practised medicine at Wentworth Villas in Plymouth from 1908 to 1945 and was the first woman to be appointed surgeon gynaecologist at the old Plymouth City Hospital, as well as consulting obstetrician to the Three Towns Maternity Home, Salvation Army Maternity Home, and to the counties of Devon and Cornwall.

Dr Ramsay was consulting surgeon to Plymouth Public Dispensary and also lectured to midwives in the district and examined for the Royal College of Nursing.

She was also the first woman president of the Plymouth Medical Society, a founder women police. member of the Medical Women’s Federation She also held particularly strong views and only the third woman in the country about women’s right to have the vote to become a Fellow of the Royal College of and she formed the Plymouth branch of Surgeons. the National Union of Women’s Suffrage A foundation member of the Royal College Society. of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Dr She was decorated for her role in the Ramsay also helped form the Plymouth First World War. Her decorations included Soroptimist Club and was one of its past the Mons Star with Bar which was awarded presidents. because she continued to care for the Plymouth Soroptimist member Hilary wounded whilst under enemy shellfire Preston, who was the driving force behind during the Allied retreat from Belgium. the installation of the plaque, said: “Mabel She loved to recall the excitement caused Ramsay was an amazing woman. She Hilary Preston pictured with sisters Carol by the suffragettes and with relish she didn’t understand the word ‘no’ and had to would relate how once it had been said of Farrah (centre) and Sue Sharrock at the overcome prejudice and discrimination in her unveiling ceremony her, ‘Dr Mabel Ramsay is a devil: we must fight for the rights of women and children.” watch her.’ She was certainly watched and Two of Dr Ramsay’s relatives, sisters Carol Farrah and Sue admired, for many years after.

Sharrock, travelled from Yorkshire to perform the unveiling Among the guests at the ceremony in North Hill were ceremony, which took place on Mabel’s birthday, November 14. members of Dr Ramsay’s family, Dr Mahoney of the Plymouth She was an indefatigable fighter for all issues concerning Medical Society and members of the Plymouth branch of the welfare of women and worked tirelessly for improved child Soroptimist International. welfare, better hygiene education, women magistrates and

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

BUSINESS MATTERS

Award-winning app developers putting Plymouth on the map

Digital technology is revolutionising the way businesses and other organisations communicate with their customers.

UPSU. Launched in March 2013 the app provided information on events and other UPSU activities and proved to be a ground-breaking project, rewarding users of the app with a number of incentives.

In August this year UPSU commissioned Elixel to develop an upgraded version of the app offering a range of new features.

Gavin Jones, Elixel managing director, said: “We had to Gavin Jones, left and Christian Cook develop the new version on an extremely tight schedule - completing the first phase in just six weeks so that it was available for launch during Freshers’ Week in September. It normally takes between three and six months to develop an app of this kind, but we responded to the challenge because of our ‘can do’ approach to business.”

Christian Cook, who worked on the development of the coding for the new app said: “We have now enriched the app

Mobile phone apps – short for application software – are at the heart of the digital revolution with research showing that over 100 billion apps were downloaded across the world in 2013.

One company leading the way in the development of mobile apps for a variety of commercial uses is Elixel, a local digital creative agency formed by four talented graduates who first met on a degree course at Plymouth University.

Elixel was founded in 2012 by Gavin Jones, Becky Veater, Paul Bird and Christian Cook and the quartet have already secured a number of awards for their work and innovative approach.

Elixel was voted as Plymouth Magazine’s Young Business of the Year in 2014 and they have just been shortlisted in the Media Innovation Awards for their app development work and also in the Best Business Start Up category of the Western Morning News Business Awards.

The judges have nominated Elixel in the app category for the work Elixel has carried out for the University of Plymouth Students Union (UPSU), a long-standing client of the company.

One of Elixel’s first mobile app projects was carried out for

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014 Client

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with the addition of a guide to events, details of special offers from local and national retailers and a feedback section which enables UPSU to gather views from students on a range of activities in a quick and effective way.

“The addition of a special offers section has also enabled UPSU to generate revenue from businesses which want to have their offers featured on the app.”

Gavin said that in the first few weeks since the launch of the app, 6,000 students had downloaded it, with the number increasing week by week.

Oli Horne, marketing manager at UPSU said: “Elixel offered great insight, bringing new and exciting ideas to our project.

Elixel never fails to impress us.”

Another of Elixel’s successes was the design and development of a mobile app for the Cheltenham Literature Festival. Partnering with Plymouth-based research organisation i-DAT and graphic design studio Intercity, Elixel developed an app which allowed attendees to view the festival programme, subscribe to events and provide useful real-time data to festival organisers.

Mike Phillips, director of research at i-DAT said: “Elixel approached the development of our experimental app with a dynamic vigour and responsiveness that I have not experienced before in a commercial organisation. The level of commitment to delivering an extremely high quality product in a ridiculously impossible timeframe was above and beyond the call of duty.”

Elixel later launch ed a similar event-based app for the Flux Festival in Liverpool earlier this year and are currently working on the development of a new ultra-local app focusing on the arts and culture scene in Plymouth.

In addition to their skills in the development of apps, Elixel also specialise in responsive website design and have already achieved significant success with their innovative and creative approach.

Gavin said: “We are doing everything we can to create a successful digital hub in Plymouth with the overall aim of putting the city on the digital map.”

••

For more information contact Gavin Jones at Elixel on 01752 395404 or visit www.elixel.co.uk

www.cornerstonevision.com

@CornerstoneVis

BEAUTY

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Free Gift Wrapping with all Christmas gift vouchers Revive is proud to announce the launch of Spa Find luxurious mineral treatments which utilise the natural powers of mud, salt and seaweed to tone and firm the body and face, ease muscle tension and deeply relax the body. Great for all skin types. The perfect treat!

TEL 01752 787327 • St Annes Rd, Glenholt, Plymouth, PL6 7LW www.revivebeauty.net The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

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Flower power marks the end of successful conservation project in Stonehouse Youngsters from St George’s Primary School have planted shrubs at Stonehouse Wall to mark the completion of conservation works.

The medieval wall, which forms a boundary between Stonehall Flats and the site owned by Princess Yachts, is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and dates back to 1540. It used to defend the town of Stonehouse and is a rare example of medieval military architecture.

A 110-metre length of the wall survives and is included on the Heritage at Risk Register where it is described as at ‘grave risk’. Water penetration and the establishment of ivy and other vegetation had prised apart the stonework, leaving some areas unstable and in danger of collapse.

The recent repair project involved conserving ‘as found’ the middle 39 metres of the wall – the most important section as it is near to its original height and retains a parapet and sentry walk. English Heritage awarded the project £210,000, with the Council contributing a further £51,700 and Plymouth Community Homes £3,500.

Local conservation company Westcountry Stonemasons carried out the works, which were drawn up by Le Page Architects. The project involved repointing and consolidating the wall, stabilising the rock on which it sits to prevent further deterioration and creating an earth bank to retain it.

Stonework repairs were also carried out on a smaller

section of wall next to 22 Stonehall Flats and a damaged gate pier at the entrance to the flats.

Deputy Council Leader Peter Smith said: “We are really pleased that English Heritage awarded us funding to carry out this vital conservation work, which will help to prolong the life of the wall and protect one of the area’s most important historical features.”

Local ward councillor Sue McDonald added: “I am really pleased that part of the heritage of the people of Stonehouse has been preserved for future generations. The Stonehouse Residents Association campaigned for several years on this so this is very exciting news. We would like to thank local businesses including Princess Yachts, the Citroen Garage and Plymouth Community Homes as without their assistance we would not have been able to undertake this project.”

The works were recently commended by English Heritage as part of its national Heritage Angels award scheme, which recognises ‘heroic rescue projects’ that ‘make an important contribution to local and national history, to the life of the local community and to the vital task of securing England’s rich and varied heritage for present and future generations’.

Pictured right are youngsters from St George’s Primary School accompanied by local residents and councillors Chris Penberthy and Sue McDonald

Happy Christmas from all of us at Pemros Dental Practice

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

Pemros Dental Practice 19 Pemros Road, St Budeaux Plymouth PL5 1LY

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CONSERVATION MATTERS

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@CornerstoneVis

The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

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FOOD MATTERS

Recipe of the month Sponsored by Riverford Organic

CHRISTMAS ORDERS

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Taken now for quality meats including free range geese, local turkeys, creedy carver ducks and chickens, west country beef, pork and lamb. Orders also taken for exotics, ie.Venison and pheasant.

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Serves 4 Preparation time 10 minutes Cooking time 6 minutes

Boil the sprouts in a pan of salted water for approx five minutes, depending on size, until just tender. Drain, refresh in a bowl of cold water, then drain again. Leave whole, or cut larger ones in half. Heat two tbsp of oil in wok or large frying pan. When hot, add the sprouts, chilli, garlic and ginger. Stir fry for two minutes, then add the teriyaki sauce and sesame seeds and toss together for a few moments before serving.

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Ben Watson – brother of Riverford Organics founder Guy Watson – runs the farm shop and kitchen where Riverford make the teriyaki sauce sold alongside their vegboxes. It’s great for quick meat stir fries, but is also good with green veg. Serve with cooked rice or egg noodles tossed in a little sesame oil for a simple vegetarian supper (add some tofu for protein), or add leftover pieces of cooked chicken, beef or pork from a roast.

√√ 500g brussels sprouts, trimmed √√ Oil for frying to a high temp, eg. sunflower √√ 1-2 red chillies, depending on your preference for heat, thinly sliced, seeds removed for less heat, if you prefer √√ 2 garlic cloves, peeled & thinly sliced √√ 3cm fresh ginger, peeled & grated or cut into very thin matchsticks √√ 2 tbsp Riverford teriyaki sauce √√ 1 tbsp sesame seeds (we used black ones for colour, but normal ones will do)

Genuine Italian Deli and Café

Join us for our Stuzzichini nights - we are also open Thursday and Friday evenings throughout December.

Terriyaki Sprouts with Chilli and Sesame

The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

For more information and recipes contact Liz Ede at www.riverford.co.uk/ sacrewell

FOOD MATTERS

Chef Martin’s dream come true with new seafood restaurant Plymouth’s dining out scene has a welcome addition with the opening of a new seafood restaurant in the city.

The Samphire Bush has been opened in what used to be the Trattoria Pescatore in Admiralty Street, Stonehouse.

The couple behind the new venture are experienced chef Martin Benjamin and his Polish partner Maja Sinkiewicz.

Although The Samphire Bush has only been open for a few weeks, it has already received five-star ratings from many customers.

Martin hails from the tiny island of St Helena, a speck of rock in the South Atlantic whose main claim to fame was the incarceration of Napoleon.

Martin, who is 37, left the island at 18 and came to the UK to qualify as a chef. Since then he has worked as far afield as Aberdeen, the Falkland Islands and the Oyster Shack, near • continued on next page

www.cornerstonevision.com

@CornerstoneVis

Chef Martin with his partner Maja

The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

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FOOD MATTERS

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

• continued from previous page Bigbury where Martin was head chef for two years.

It was while working at the Oyster Shack that Martin met Nick Garcia, who ran the popular Trattoria Pescatore until 2008 when his father Tim died.

Nick is now a director of a firm of Plymouth-based fish merchants - who supplied the Oyster Shack with seafood and shellfish.

Martin said: “I have always wanted to run my own restaurant and Nick presented me with the opportunity to rent the premises from him.”

The venue had been closed for around a year when the previous proprietors, who kept the name Trattoria Pescatore, decided not to renew the lease on expiry of its five-year term.

Martin said: “Stonehouse is fast becoming the trendy place to dine with the success of the Royal William Yard. I am hoping the Royal William Yard effect will help me.

“This is the first business I have owned and I’m very excited.”

Since opening the restaurant in September Martin and Maja have extended the opening hours and also increased the number of covers available for diners.

Martin decided to start small, with him doing all the cooking, and Maja looking after front of house.

They have now taken on more staff and strengthened the kitchen brigade because of the immediate popularity of the restaurant.

Martin said: “I have named the restaurant The Samphire Bush after a shrub which grows along the cliffs in St Helena, and where we used to hide our fishing rods.

“From St Helena I’m hoping to import tuungi, a very strong drink made from fermented cactus which is rather like tequila.

And I may also have St Helena coffee, which is among the best in the world.”

Martin, who lives in Devonport, said he doesn’t feel the proliferation of restaurants in Plymouth, and the Stonehouse area, will harm his business – in fact he believes it will encourage people to eat out.

Nick Garcia is also positive about the effects of the boom in Plymouth’s restaurant sector, and said independent restaurants play an important part, adding individuality to a sector which could become too uniform if dominated by chain-run outlets.

“With the small independents you get a better experience dining out,” he said. “Plymouth is good for restaurants now, and there are a lot of good places to eat.”

The Samphire Bush has a strong emphasis on seafood with oysters, mussels, lobsters and the best of locally caught fish available on the menu. There is also a meat option and a vegetarian main course.

The Samphire Bush is currently open for dinner from Tuesday to Saturday, with lunch also available on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The restaurant offers an extensive a la carte menu and also a two or three course set menu which is available in the evenings from Tuesday to Friday and lunchtime from Friday to Sunday. It is priced at £14 for two

FOOD MATTERS

gets off start

courses and £16 for three courses.

Starters on the set menu include dishes such as lobster bisque and crispy-fried calamari with cured aioli, mango and coriander tartare.

Mains featured include fillet of hake with red pepper risotto and grilled wild mushrooms. Set menu desserts include bay leaf and orange creme brulée with apple sorbet and assiette of homemade sorbets.

The a la carte menu features seafood favourites such as half of native blue lobster, seafood assiette and whole monkfish tail. Oysters, mussels and scallops are all featured on the menu.

Maja said that business had been building rapidly since they first opened, with a number of customers returning for a second or third visit.

“Trattoria Pescatore was extremely popular with diners in Plymouth when it was run by Nick and Tim Garcia and many of their former customers have visited us at The Samphire Bush.”

Martin said that they had already taken a number of bookings for Christmas parties and looked forward to welcoming customers new and old.

One customer testimonial summed up the eatery’s appeal: “Simple but subtle. Unpretentious. Friendly.

Mainly fish dishes where the splendid fish is allowed to speak for itself and is not drowned by sauces and flavourings.”

••

Samphire Bush, 36 Admiralty Street, Plymouth Tel 01752 253247 Web www.thesamphirebush.co.uk

THE BUILDER AND THE BOARD

T

he Directors of the Railway were not slow to appreciate the need for decent hotel accommodation and two adjacent buildings appeared in relatively quick succession, the grandest and most impressive of which was the Duke of Cornwall, indeed, at the time, it was almost certainly the tallest and most significant structure the area had ever seen.

The Directors responsible for the Duke, were, with one exception, directors of various railway companies, and for their project they chose, as their architect, Charles Foster Hayward, and as their builders, ‘Honest’ John Pethick and Benjamin Call.

Pethick was then still in his mid-thirties, but already had an impressive catalogue of work.

LOCATION Right; The site for the Duke - the Saracen’s Head was among the pre-existing buildings. Opposite page; ‘Honest’ John Pethick, pictured, and Charles Hayward’s plans for the hotel.

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all & Pethick had already done a number of jobs for the South Devon Railway, including rebuildin g the stations of Exeter St Thomas and Newton Abbot, and the firm were also responsible for an impressive new hotel in Old Town Street.

A FINE ENTRANC E

The Duke, though, was their biggest project to date and work on the project began in 1863. But these were troubled times and across the town men connected with the building trade - masons, quarrymen, excavator s, carpenters, joiners like - were reluctant and the to work unless their were prepared to masters sign up to a code of rules.

Strikes delayed many building programmes in Plymouth, and meant that the Duke was not ready to receive visitors until the summer of 1865. When they walked in they were instantly impressed .

Right; The entrance to the Duke, note the absence of the revolving doors. Opposite page top; Millbay Station. Opposite page bottom; Hayward’s sketch from the tower of the Duke of Cornwall, looking out over Millbay towards Plymouth Sound.

No 12 of 66 original prints framed and displayed in the Hotel.

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he Duke of Cornwall Hotel holds a special place in the heart of the city of Plymouth and its residents.

Plymouth has changed greatly in the 150 years since it was built, but the Duke of Cornwall Hotel has stood – and continues to stand – as a magnificent symbol of tradition and Victorian elegance.

Contributions by renowned historian Chris Robinson, this exclusive 52 page A5 book traces the unique history of the Duke and throws up a few surprises along the way. A perfect gift or treasured momento for anyone who has experienced its hospitality at the Duke.

Brochure available to buy from The Duke of Cornwall Hotel’s reception. www.cornerstonevision.com

@CornerstoneVis

The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

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PLYMOUTH

WHAT’S ON

Theatres & Shows interpret everyday life. When he falls under suspicion of killing Mrs Shears’ dog, it takes him on a journey that upturns his world…

This thrilling new stage play is based on the award winning novel

by Mark Haddon, adapted by Simon Stephens and directed by Marianne Elliott.

Drum Theatre ROYAL PARADE PLYMOUTH Box Office 01752 267222

Wicked the musical is at the Theatre Royal in January and February

THE LYRIC Royal Parade Plymouth Box Office 01752 267222 www.theatreroyal.com Nov 25 - 27 GLYNDEBOURNE: LA FINTA GIARDINIERA The first performance of this opera took place in January 1775, a few weeks before the composer’s 19th birthday. Mozart’s brilliance flowered astonishingly early and all his brightest powers of invention are on display here.

Nov 26 - 29 GLYNDEBOURNE: LA TRAVIATA Verid’s lyrical, heartbreaking and unforgettable opera, appealing directly to the emotions and resulting in an opera that invents itself anew for every generation.

Nov 28 GLYNDEBOURNE: THE TURN OF THE SCREW ‘The ceremony of innocence is drowned.’ These words, taken from a poem by WB Yeats, are the central motif for Benjamin Britten’s opera. Two children are at the core of the story, Miles and Flora.

Has their innocence been fatally corrupted? Have they become possessed by malign forces? Are they essentially evil?

Dec 6 -13 ELF Based on the beloved 2003 hit starring Will Ferrell, Elf is the hilarious tale of Buddy, a young orphan child who mistakenly www.cornerstonevision.com

crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported back to the North Pole. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father, discover his true identity, and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas. This modern day Christmas classic is sure to make everyone embrace their inner elf.

Dec 19 - Jan 17 JACK AND THE BEANSTALK Book early to climb into the best seats for the Theatre Royal’s spectacular pantomime. With giant laughs, spectacular special effects, stunning costumes and lots of audience participation this magical family show will be everything you would expect from the South West’s biggest pantomime.

Jan 20 - Feb 14 WICKED In a brilliantly witty re-imagining of the stories and characters created by L. Frank Baum in ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’, Wicked tells the incredible untold story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two sorcery students.

Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies as Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West. @CornerstoneVis

Mar 2-14 THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME Winner of seven 2013 Olivier Awards, this highly acclaimed National Theatre production visits Plymouth on its first ever nationwide tour. Christopher, fifteen years old, has an extraordinary brain – exceptional at maths while ill-equipped to

Nov 24 - 29 SIRENS Join Cruiseco aboard the luxurious Celebrity Eclipse Sirens is written and performed a-kaleidescope of ports across the English Chann - by six young women, members E S B T SOUTH THErenowned of the internationally (ENGLA Belgian company, Ontroerend R OF TH E Y E Ayet Goed. It is their heartfelt, CHERBO (FRANC irreverent, feminist manifesto for the 21st century. They describe a journey of contemporary femininity: their expectations, WHATS INCLUDED: persisting inequalities, hard-Accommodation as selecte • All main meals • Port charges • Gratuities to c and dining room staff • and Captain’s Cocktail Part fought rights, self-censorship everyday abuse.

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TO BOOK OR FOR MORE DETAILS CALL 01752 364186 The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

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WHAT’S ON

Castle Street, Plymouth 01752 242021 www.b-bar.co.uk Dec 2 SCI BAR A forum for scientists and the public to discuss ‘hot topics’ in the media regarding science.

What the Dickens is presented at the Drum Theatre in December

minutes, tops. But when the three bears got home the house was a mess and Baby Bear’s porridge had vanished completely! And that was just the beginning! Broken chairs, unmade beds and a mysterious visitor who takes Baby Bear on a breathtaking adventure that turns his house and his world upside-down!

Dec 3 - 22 WHAT THE DICKENS? What did Charles Dickens get up to before he penned literary classics? Hit comedy troupe Gonzo Moose present their riotous, fun and festive version of events in The Drum this Christmas. Young Charles Dickens is a rookie reporter on The Morning Chronicle. Whilst

investigating the foggy slums of Ye Olde London, he accidentally stumbles on a story that could make his reputation.

Castle Street, Plymouth BOX OFFICE: 01752 267131 www.barbicantheatre.co.uk Nov 28 and 29 CATS Plymkids Theatre Company return to the Barbican Theatre with their latest production, the classic musical Cats!

Dec 12 - Jan 4 THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ After the sell-out success of the hilarious ‘A Christmas Carol’, much loved clowns Le Navet Bete and the Barbican Theatre are back this Christmas with the ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’!

Join Dorothy and Toto on their fantastical travels along the Road of Yellow Bricks meeting the usual suspects along the way - Tin Man, Lion and Scarecrow - as well as some you might not expect! Will they make it to the Emerald City?

Will the Wicked Witch of the West stop them in their tracks? Will a Winged Monkey end up in your lap?

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

Dec 3 COMEDY NIGHT Some light relief with the best stand-ups on the UK circuit.

Dec 4 GARETH AND ANNIE Gareth Lee and Annie Baylis are an up and coming acoustic folk duo from the South of Cornwall; they have been performing together for about 18 months and have been winning acclaim from both local and national sources including folk radio and Radio 2 Folk Award winners Lau. Dec 5 HAMER & CO Experienced guitar-players Rich Hamer and Frank Hamer perform their own unique brand of music, blending everything from hot to cool jazz using a combination of silky smooth basslines, powerful improvisation and groovy rhythms.

Dec 10, 24 CAFE ACOUSTICA B-bar’s fortnightly showcase of unplugged talent, hosted by singer-songwriter Jessie Mullen.

Dec 11 RHYMEWARP WITH MAMA TOKUS Hosted by the inimitable Mama Tokus and bringing you an excellent array of talent, every one of these is a unique experience not to be missed.

Mama will be performing her own funky and funny compositions as well as selecting a few of the best poets and writers to perform at each Rhymewarp event.

Dec 12 VINCE LEE & BECCA LANGSFORD Becca Langsford & Vince Lee are well known on the south west blues scene. They have been performing together since 2008 in a variety of different bands and on several musical projects. Early country blues, ragtime & roots music is the focus of their show.

One of the stars of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake has launched a new urban jazz dance company in Plymouth.

Swan Lake star launches new jazz dance company

“There is no dance class like this in Plymouth,” said international dancer and choreographer Maryam Pourian who is now inviting young people aged between 14 and 25 to join her vibrant new dance company, COMPANY j.

Maryam describes the training as one which, ‘will explore, showcase and fuse the many different genres and styles of jazz dance, developing dancers who can pirouette, lay out, break dance and create dance that will move audiences, tell a story and inspire.’

COMPANY j Dance was set up by Barbican Theatre in Plymouth to give young people the opportunity to train with Maryam for two hours every week, learn her unique, energetic blend of jazz, soul, street and urban dance, and work towards performances for the national U.Dance festival to be held in Plymouth in 2015.

Maryam grew up in Plymouth and came Dec 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28 FREE CUBA PARTY Latin tunes and cocktails with resident DJ playing the best in salsa, merengue, bachata, son and ore. Free admission.

Dec 17 ANDY QUICK Always a treat to have Mr Andy Quick perform at the B-Bar!

Theatres & Shows

to dance classes at Barbican Theatre in the 1980s and 1990s, one of which she remembers particularly well as it was with Matthew Bourne’s company, Adventures in Motion Pictures.

Ten years later, she was part of Adventures in Motion Pictures, performing in Swan Lake and touring across the world.

Maryam said: “Supporting and guiding young dancers to achieve their potential is really rewarding and to watch the next generation of dancers, choreographers and teachers start to emerge from the South West is amazing.”

COMPANY j Dance is held on Thursdays from 7-9pm at Hartley House Dance Club, 17 Hastings Street, Plymouth.

Young people who wish to try it for themselves can attend a free taster session by calling the Barbican Theatre on 01752 267131.

Dec 18 THOMAS FORD Electrifying blues talent in the form of this harp-playing, hard blues singing solo performer.

Dec 19 OUT TO GRASS B-bar’s favourite bluegrass boys mean business as they apply their amazing ability to well-known

tunes. Like Plymouth’s Hayseed Dixie. But better!

MILLBAY ROAD, PLYMOUTH Box Office: 0845 146 1460

Dec 4 BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB The band’s broad and varied body of work means the North London four-piece are both as at home with the intimate acoustic nature of ‘Eyes Off You’ as they are with the euphoric highs of first single ‘Carry Me’ and the exhilirating rush of album opener ‘Overdone’.

In songwriting terms, Bombay

MOUTH ALBION RFC PLY

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WATCH ONE OF THE CITY’S TOP SPORTS TEAMS IN ACTION THIS SEASON Adult Tickets from £15 Under 12’s FREE (Concessions available)

w w w. ply m o u t h a l b i o n. c o m www.cornerstonevision.com

@CornerstoneVis

CORPORATE HOSPITALITY & BUSINESS SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Images courtesy of Pinnacle Photo Agency

01752 565064 The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

/23

WHAT’S ON Get fit at Coombe Dean Sports Centre

Work out in our Life Fitness equipped Fitness Suite No contracts! No joining fees! Pay per sesion, or other payment options: from

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Wednesdays: Thighs, bums and tums - 6pm Thursdays: Kettlercise Just

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For further information, or to book a class or induction, please call 01752 485471 and quote ref no: CDPM714 Coombe Dean School, Charnhill Way, Elburton, PL98ES Tel: 01752 485471 | www.coombedean.co.uk

We wish all our students & friends a Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year.

‘Giving you confidence and safety on the water’

01752 255700 training@powerboatschool.com www.powerboatschool.com

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

Bicycle Club, who are still only 24 years old, possess a kind of dynamism that’s been missing from young British bands for years. They have mastered the melodic, the melancholic and at the same time, the euphoric.

Dec 5 ONE NIGHT OF QUEEN In 2000, Gary Mullen won ITV’s ‘Stars In Their Eyes’ Live Grand Final, with the largest number of votes ever received in the show’s history. The record of 864,838 votes was more than twice that of the runner-up. Gary began touring on his own and in 2002 formed a band ‘The Works’, to pay tribute to rock legends Queen. One Night of Queen is a spectacular live concert, recreating the look, sound, pomp and showmanship of arguably the greatest rock band of all time.

Dec 6 THE BAND OF HER MAJESTY’S ROYAL MARINES: CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR Festive military splendour will return to Plymouth Pavilions when the world famous Royal Marines Christmas Spectacular heads back to the arena. During this annual event, the Band will perform Christmas music, military marches, big band hits and popular showstoppers - to name but a few.

Dec 8 MADNESS The last couple of years have been incredible for the nutty boys. Last year saw Madness play London’s iconic Alexandra Palace, say goodbye to one of London’s

most recognisable landmarks, BBC Television Centre, perform a series of outdoor shows and release their tenth acclaimed studio album ‘Oui, Oui, Si, Si, Ja, Ja, Da, Da’. Not only that they have had the chance to produce their own ales ‘Gladness’ and ‘Night Boat’.

Dec 9 BASEMENT JAXX With a new album on the way, it is no surprise that hugely established live act Basement Jaxx cannot wait to take their legendary show back on the road. With a title translating to mean ‘together’ in Spanish, the new record promises to continue the Jaxx’s unifying theme with dominating house sounds always remaining cheerfully inventive.

Dec 11 MACHINE HEAD With a brand new album in the workings set for release later this year via the band’s new record label home, Nuclear Blast, expect Machine Head to bust out a few brand new tracks on this upcoming tour. This’ll be a first chance to catch the new songs live!

Dec 12 JOOLS HOLLAND Musical master of ceremonies Jools Holland and his much loved Rhythm & Blues Orchestra have announced the run of dates and special guests of their 2014 UK tour. This annual jaunt across the UK will see them travel the length and breadth of the country, bringing their audience-pleasing, foot-stomping ‘big band’ sound to over 50 locations through the year.

Theatres & Shows

Blue soon!

Boy band turned man band Blue have announced a UK tour and will be heading back to Plymouth Pavilions on Sunday March 22.

Dec 13 THE MAGIC OF MOTOWN BABY LOVE Featuring more chart toppers than ever before, starring the music of the Temptations, Supremes, Four Tops, Jackson 5, Isley Brothers, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Lionel

Richie and more, the show marks the official arrival of Motown style, sophistication and musical brilliance to these shores. Baby Love rocketed Motown to the top of our singles chart in 1964. Incredibly, 100 more worldwide Motown No1s follow the Supremes’ lead.

Lee Ryan, Antony Costa, Duncan James and Simon Webbe catapulted to fame in 2001 with their Top 5 single ‘All Rise’. The affable quartet quickly ascended to the top of the charts with three No 1 albums, scored highly-respectable collaborations with Elton John and Stevie Wonder, and even represented the UK in 2011 at the Eurovision Song Contest.

The lads, who are now doting fathers, have grown up before our eyes and their bond has only strengthened over time. The tabloids have followed their every step from chart-topping highs to personal lows.‚ Say what you will about Blue, but no matter how many times they’ve been knocked down, they always come back stronger.

They are the best of friends and with over a decade in the music industry, the boys know the game and how to play it well.

Simon has been thrilling viewers on the current season ofStrictly Come Dancing, Lee has made a well-publicised appearance on Celebrity Big Brother, Duncan has competed on Dancing On Ice, and Antony has taken tentative steps into the soap opera world, starring in Holby City.

However despite each member diving into solo projects in TV and stage, music has never been far from their hearts. In the last year alone, Blue has played over 170 shows and events – and the next 12 months is set to be even bigger.

2015 will see Blue hitting the screens as they launch their new ITV show. The reality series will follow the trials and tribulations of Blue as they attempt to run a bar in Ibiza.

••

To book tickets visit www.plymouthpavilions.com or call the Box Office on 0845 146 1460.

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year

from David and all the staff at RLS David Richardson

PROVIDING LEGAL SERVICES THIS CHRISTMAS • Wills & Probate • Lasting Powers of Attorney • Home Protection Trusts • Pre-paid Funeral Plans • Inheritance Tax Planning • Living Wills etc PLYMOUTH BASED

TEL: 0800 014 8031 Free from any BT line

Falcon House, Eagle Road, Langage, Plymouth PL7 5JY www.rls-uk.com

RLS sponsors THE ALL STARS THEATRE GROUP for adults with learning difficulties www.cornerstonevision.com

@CornerstoneVis

The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

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WHAT’S ON

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Dec 14 THE HUMAN LEAGUE The Sheffield based electronic new wave band The Human League, on their A.U. Tour 2014 will be bathing Plymouth Pavilions in synths this December.

Dec 15 STATUS QUO The band are delighted that support will come from Chas & Dave! This tour sees Francis Rossi, Rick Parfitt, Andy Brown, John ‘Rhino’ Edwards and new boy Leon Cave bringing back their thunderous live show to the nation’s venues.

Dec 19 JAKE & ELWOOD’S CHRISTMAS PARTY Witness the masters at work as they explode on stage for their soul, rhythm and blues Christmas musical extravaganza. Backed by the totally live powerhouse that is the incredible Black Rhino Band.

Dec 20 ABBA MANIA Featuring a special concert presentation, which celebrates the music of ABBA in a respectful and enjoyable way, reviving special memories of when ABBA ruled the airwaves.

Feb 4 JASON MRAZ & RAINING JANE The YES! World Tour has so far seen Mraz and all female band Raining Jane visit iconic theatre venues across the globe, including a sold out show at London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall, enabling them to play more intimate gigs for fans. Jason Mraz’s fifth studio release, YES! sees the San Diego-based troubadour teaming up with his longtime friends and collaborators, Raining Jane, for a purely acoustic and more intimate sound than heard on his previous releases. While somewhat intimate and esoteric, YES! still remains a Mrazlike pop album and features classical instruments, cello, sitar and vintage guitars and sings about universal themes of love, faith, healing, environmental stewardship and inner peace.

Alan Carr heading to city in October

Paloma’s

FIND US (Between ALDI & LIDL)

new

01752 601400

date in

Unit 17, HQ Building, Union Street, Plymouth PL1 3HQ

www.thefitnessstore.co.uk 26\

The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

Plymouth

Theatres & Shows

Chat show host, awardwinning comedian and author Alan Carr will be bringing his new ‘Yap, Yap, Yap’ show to Plymouth in October next year.

No stranger to yap, Alan will be yapping his way around the UK and Ireland, stopping off at the Plymouth Pavilions on October 2 and 3 with his brand new show.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.plymouthpavilions. com or from the Box Office on 0845 146 1460.

NOW ALSO OPEN at the Royal William Yard, Plymouth

A warm welcome and lots of stunning new jewellery designs await you at our new shop NH2 located inside the Royal William Yard.

www.cornerstonevision.com

@CornerstoneVis

65 Hyde Park Rd Plymouth PL3 4JN Tel: 01752 228000

NH2

Paloma Faith’s performance at Plymouth Pavilions in November had to be postponed because of the star’s illness. It has now been re-scheduled for March 27 next year, following Paloma’s arena tour dates. Tickets purchased for the November date will be valid for the new date. Paloma said: “I am so sorry to everyone who was coming to Plymouth tomorrow. I hope you can all make the new date. I will be back soon and better than ever!” A spokesperson for Plymouth Pavilions said: “Please be assured that if ticket holders wish to attend the rescheduled performance, tickets will be automatically transferred to the new date and they don’t need to take any additional action. However, if customers are unable to attend the rescheduled performance they should contact the original ticket provider. If you have purchased tickets from the Plymouth Pavilions Box Office please call us before 6pm on Monday December 1 and your tickets will be refunded in full.”

NH1

Where to Find Us Through the main gate take the first left turn and follow a further 300 yards, we are on the left hand side opposite Le Bistrot Pierre.

Cottage 1, Residence One Royal William Yard, Plymouth PL1 3RP Tel: 01752 831748

www.nicolahurst.co.uk

Wishing all my Customers a Happy Christmas and Healthy New Year.

The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

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WHAT’S ON Chilcott, Rutter and others.

Tickets at www.wegottickets. com/westdevonchorale or 01752 776479.

Music Dec 5 PLYMOUTH AREA POLICE CHOIR Liskeard Methodist Church In aid of Torpoint Rotary charities Dec 6 CAROLS FOR ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS Cotehele House Great Hall at 2pm and 3pm. South West Chamber Choir, musical director Stephen Trahair.

Dec 6 at TAMAR CONCERT CHOIR Sainsburys, Armada Way, Plymouth Christmas music at 2pm to raise money for Heart Research Sing for your Heart campaign.

Dec 6 CONCERT FOR ADVENT Buckfast Abbey Featuring the West Devon Chorale.

Music by Bruckner, Victoria,

Dec 6 AN EDWARDIAN CHRISTMAS Minster Church of St Andrew’s, Royal Parade, Plymouth University of Plymouth Choral Society, Simon Ible conductor, Ross Ramgobin baritone.

Programme includes: Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on Christmas Carols,Downing: O Magnum Mysterium. Plus traditional carols with audience participation.

Tickets 01752 585050 www. peninsula-arts.co.uk Dec 7 PLYMOUTH JAZZ CLUB Royal British Legion Club, Tailyour Road, Crownhill The Charlie Hearnshaw Quintet ‘A Tribute to Benny Goodman’. Details 01752 721179 www.plymouth-jazzclub.org.uk Dec 8 CHRISTMAS CAROLS Cotehele House, Cornwall Featuring The Little Choir in the Great Hall. Concert free of charge, admittance fee to National Trust property applies.

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With over 130 displays we’re sure we have something for everyone!

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

Charlie Hearnshaw

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om thro

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Music

Plymouth Jazz Club has a busy calendar of events in December and January, the highlight of which is the ever-popular New Year’s Eve Jazz Party.

The programme begins on Sunday December 7 when the Charlie Hearnshaw Quintet present ‘A Tribute to Benny Goodman’. Great clarinet and sax player Charlie leads a band of fine musicians including award winning pianist Craig Milverton in a tribute to the renowned clarinettist Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and other bands of the swing era.

The club’s Christmas party is on Sunday December 21 when Kevin Grenfell’s Jazz Giants provide terrific entertainment for the festive party. Trombonist Kevin Grenfell’s talented band, featuring reedsman Matt Palmer. Jazz in the West Coast style of Dave Brubeck, Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan, etc.

Tickets for both these events are £9, members £7, students £5. Tickets on the door with more information available at www.plymouthjazz-club.org.uk or by calling 01752 721179.

Party time with the Jazz Club

Jazz fans can celebrate the New Year on Wednesday December 31 from 8.30pm to the small hours at the traditional New Year’s Eve Party. Great entertainment from the specially formed ‘Enjoy Yourself Jazz Band’ with Graham Trevarton.

Finger buffet provided.

Admission is £15 by ticket only. Tickets in advance from 0798 6054942.

The Gordon Clark Quartet are the featured entertainment on Sunday January 18, featuring saxophonist Terry Sloggett.

Tickets on the door with usual ticket prices applying.

All Plymouth Jazz Club’s gigs are held at the Royal British Legion Club, Tailyour Road, Crownhill, Plymouth starting at 7.30pm unless stated otherwise. Doors open 7pm

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Dec 9 ST LUKE’S LIGHT UP A LIFE SERVICE St Andrew’s Minster Church, Plymouth Featuring the Tamar Concert Choir Dec 9 PLYMOUTH CLARION CHOIR Elburton Methodist Church Hall Dec 9 CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT St Matthias Church, North Hill, Plymouth Featuring Plymouth University staff and students, with conductor Simon Ible. Parting www.cornerstonevision.com

collection in aid of the Shekinah Mission

MY

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Dec 11 RNLI CAROL SERVICE St Andrew’s Minster Church, Plymouth Featuring the Plymouth Clarion Choir

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Free fundrasing pack includes: recipes; posters; balloons; fun games and a collection box.

Dec 11 CHRISTMAS CONCERT Davy Main Hall, Plymouth University Featuring the Plymouth University Orchestra, conductor Rupert Bond. Including works by Vaughan Williams; Tchaikovsky; Grieg; John Williams and Johann @CornerstoneVis

The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

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WHAT’S ON

Music

Music Strauss. Tickets on the door or from Peninsula Art Box Office 01752 585050 Dec 12 ADVENT CONCERT Minster Church of St Andrew’s, Plymouth An evening of music and words for the Advent season in aid of Shekinah Mission featuring the choir of St Andrew’s. Admission free with a collection Dec 13 CHRISTMAS CONCERT St Petroc’s Church, South Brent Featuring the Brent Singers, conductor Philip Arkwright.

Handel’s Messiah (Pt 1) and Christmas carols. Tickets 01752 892703 Dec 13 TAMAR VALLEY MALE VOICE CHOIR St Nicholas & St Faith Church Saltash In aid of church restoration fund.

For further information and tickets 01752 842686.

Dec 13 CHRISTMAS CONCERT Pilgrim United Reformed Church, St Levan Road, Plymouth Tamar Concert Choir Dec 13 SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS CHOIR St Bartholomew’s Church, Yealmpton Director Jenny George. In aid of MacMillan Cancer Support. Tickets £7 including glass of wine or other refreshment. Tel 01752 881638 Dec 13 ROYAL BRITISH LEGION POPPY CONCERT St Andrew’s Minster, Plymouth Featuring the Music of the Night Concert Orchestra and Choral Foundation and the Military Wives Choir. Tickets £8 from Carole Arnold 01297 624355.

Dec 14 TAMAR CONCERT CHOIR Mount Edgcumbe House Singing at the Christmas Fayre Dec 14 WINTER WONDERLAND Harewood House, Plympton

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Sir Joshua Reynolds Choir - annual Christmas concert on December 14

Sir Joshua Reynolds Choir, director Jenny George.25th Anniversary presentation. The annual sell-out Christmas concert Tickets £7.50 to include seasonal refreshment from Edward Gigg on 01752 405429 or Jenny George on 01752 880730. Advance booking essential.

Dec 19 CANDLELIGHT CHRISTMAS CONCERT Roland Levinsky Building, Plymouth University Guest choirs including Ridgeway School Chamber Choir and Plymouth Phoenix Chorale.

Tickets £10 from Pat Anstey on 01752 365580, Rosie on 07971 169335 or Rosemary on 07714 596640.

Dec 21 PLYMOUTH JAZZ CLUB Plymouth Jazz Club Christmas Party at the Royal British Legion, Tailyour Road, Crownhill features Kevin Grenfell’s Jazz Giants providing terrific entertainment for the festive party. Trombonist Kevin Grenfell’s talented band, featuring reedsman Matt Palmer.

Jazz in the West Coast style of Dave Brubeck, Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan, etc. See panel on page 29.

Dec 22 CAROLS IN THE PARK Devonport Park Carols from the Bandstand in Devonport Park, from 6pm.

Refreshments available from the Pavilion Park café. In the event of bad weather it will be held in the

community room at the rear of the café.

Dec 31 PLYMOUTH JAZZ CLUB Plymouth Jazz Club New Year’s Eve Party features a traditional jazz party with great entertainment from the specially formed ‘Enjoy Yourself Jazz Band’.

See panel on page 29.

Jan 5 PLYMOUTH CLARION CHOIR Woodford Church Hall, Plympton New Year Party concert for the Woodford Wives Jan 17 EAST CORNWALL BACH CHOIR Saltash Methodist Church Annual Singing Day

Music and much more at Mount Edgcumbe Mount Edgcumbe’s 11th Annual Christmas Fayre returns in December with more stalls than ever before selling the exciting, the gorgeous, the unusual and absolutely scrumptious with chefs demonstrating their culinary skills plus a host of entertainment, there’s something for everyone.

Mount Edgcumbe House will be throwing open its doors on the weekend of December 13 and 14 to offer a slice of seasonal cheer, a dash of cooking expertise washed down with lots of ideas for special presents.

Even the three wise men are buying their gifts from Mount Edgcumbe Country Park this Christmas. Visitors can see them, and their camels throughout the weekend.

The house overlooking Plymouth Sound is preparing for it’s best-ever fayre with over 70 stalls selling crafts, gifts and locally-produced food.

There will be a cookery theatre with top local chefs on both days, as well as a full programme of entertainment including music from many of our local choirs including Fourlanesend and Millbrook Schools.

The House is decorated with stunning floral

The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

displays by the students from Duchy College and to top it all, Santa will also be taking a break from his hectic schedule and be in his Grotto in the Barrow Centre on Saturday and Sunday.

There is also a Family Activity Zone this year at the Barrow Centre in the Belvedere with face painting, cookie decorating and the chance to write a letter to Santa.

Mt Edgcumbe’s trading partners in the Barrow Centre will be open throughout the weekend with lots of extra treats and goodies to tempt visitors.With six thousand visitors attending the fayre last year it is definitely one of the most popular Christmas events in the area.

Admission for the fayre at Mount Edgcumbe House is £3 per adult and £1 per child. There is ample parking available at only £1 per car and a free mini bus service shuttling on the estate on both days (donations always welcome).

••

For further details contact Mount Edgcumbe on 01752 822 236 or email mt.edgcumbe@plymouth.gov.uk

www.chrisrobinson.co.uk

New Chris Robinson Book & DVD

WHAT’S ON

Plymouth: the perfect place for presents For a great shopping experience and a number of big brands to choose from, Plymouth should be top of the Christmas shopping list this year.

From festive stocking fillers and little tokens to unique gift ideas, from techie treats to the latest playground craze, Plymouth is the place to shop.

Offering the largest shopping area in the South West, Plymouth has a huge range of shops with high street brands and leading fashion retailers such as Superdry, Fat Face, Pandora and Animal located in the Drake Circus Shopping Centre.

Stefan Krause, city centre manager, said: “The Christmas Festival is going to be bigger and better than ever before.

We are working closely with Drake Circus to shout about the excellent range of shops we have here.

“Plymouth is a fantastic city that loves Christmas. There is so much going on, you must come and see for yourself.”

Drake Circus has extended its opening hours over Christmas making it easier for customers to spend time finding all important gifts. The shopping centre has also welcomed a number of new stores, including a Jack Wills popup store, Boux Avenue and Ed’s Easy Diner into the centre.

There are also plenty of stores offering exciting gifts for kids to open on Christmas Day including Build a Bear, The Early Learning Centre, Toys ‘R’ Us , Entertainer and Whoopee!

The city also boasts three large department stores, Debenhams, House of Fraser and BHS, as well as popular shops including Marks and Spencer, Laura Ashley and Next.

For unique gifts make a bee-line for the Plymouth City Market, specialist shops and galleries in the West End of the city and tucked away on the cobbled Elizabethan streets on the Barbican and Sutton Harbour, selling beautiful homewares, handmade crafts and paintings, prints and sculptures from local artists.

With late night shopping until 9pm every Thursday visitors

So much to see and do in Plymouth Loves Christmas so it’s only right there is lots of fun, festive, exciting things for visitors to enjoy. From Santa’s Grotto and the Winter Wonderland ice rink in the City Centre through to Christmas celebrations at the Royal William Yard there’s plenty on offer at this yuletide time.

Youngsters can visit Santa’s Grotto as he takes a break from his busy schedule to meet children in Plymouth, right through to 3pm on Christmas Eve Santa and his elves can be found in the Armada gardens outside BHS. Children of all ages are welcome to visit Santa to tell him about the all-important presents they would like him to bring this Christmas. All children visiting the grotto will receive a present and have their picture taken (optional).

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

Back by popular dem Globe. Climb inside and taken in your own mag for up to four people is one free photo, additio merchandise can be pu globe can be found at t For those who miss a letters can be written a Pole. Download a letter visitplymouth.co.uk an Santa’s Official Post Bo Tourist Information Cen Derry’s on New George enough time for your le Christmas Eve. The popular Christma day until December 14 of Christmas gifts and City Centre specialist

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Christmas in Plymouth

Christmas photo montage by Roy Perring

will be able to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere with festive lights and fun attractions all within the city’s striking architecture creating a yuletide experience unlike any other.

There are 20 car parks in and around the city centre providing thousands of parking spaces for shoppers. Buses into the heart of the city also operate from three park and ride sites. Park up at Coypool, The George or Milehouse and take the bus right into the heart of the city centre.

First Devon and Cornwall services run every 10 to 12 minutes (can be up to 15 minutes at certain times), Monday to Saturday, with fares starting from £1.90 return.

••

More information about the shopping opening hours can be found at www.visitplymouth.co.uk.

n the city at Christmas

mand is the Snow d have your picture gical scene. Entrance s £10 which includes onal photos and urchased. The snow the Place de Brest. a visit to Santa, and sent to the North r template from www. nd post it in one of oxes in the Barbican ntre, or outside e Street, leaving etter to arrive before

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traders celebrate Christmas West End style.

A trip to the Plymouth City Market is a must this Christmas. Explore their panto themed display area. There will be a chance to win family tickets for Theatre Royal Plymouth’s giant family pantomime ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’.

Head to the Royal William Yard on Sunday December 7 and join the Christmas celebrations. Supported by Urban Splash, the monthly farmers’ market and a Christmas market full of festive arts and craft gifts provide even more gift ideas this year.

From Wednesday December 17 to Saturday December 20 children from local primary schools and church groups will be bringing their nativity plays into the city centre. Watch them perform in the afternoon under the Big Screen on the Piazza.

www.cornerstonevision.com

@CornerstoneVis

The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

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WHAT’S ON

Major Events

Major Events Various dates LEAGUE 2 FOOTBALL Nov 29 Argyle v York Dec 20 Argyle v Dag & Red Dec 28 Argyle v Oxford Utd Jan 17 Argyle v Luton Jan 24 Argyle v Morecambe Various dates CHAMPIONSHIP RUGBY Dec 6 Albion v Carmarthen (Cup) Dec 27 Albion v Cornish Pirates Jan 10 Albion v Moseley Jan 31 Albion v Rotherham Various dates BRITISH BASKETBALL LEAGUE Dec 7 Raiders v Worcester Dec 21 Raiders v Surrey Dec 28 Raiders v Bristol Jan 4 Raiders v Worcester Jan 18 Raiders v Cheshire Jan 25 Raiders v London Lions Until Mar 1 WINTER WONDERLAND ICE RINK Plymouth City Centre Plymouth City Centre Piazza is once again transformed into the

annual Winter Wonderland Ice Rink.

Nov 27 BARBICAN CHRISTMAS LIGHTS SWITCH ON The Barbican and Sutton Harbour Watch the arrival of Santa to switch on the lights and listen to carols under the tree. From 6pm.

Nov 28 and 29 LIGHT FANTASTIC Devonport, Stonehouse, The Hoe and City Centre

A celebration in lights to mark the amalgamation of the ‘Three Towns’ of Plymouth, Stonehouse and Devonport 100 years ago. See some of the most iconic buildings as they become illuminated with projections inspired by the Three Towns’ histories and communities. From 6.30pm Until Dec 14 CHRISTMAS MARKET City Centre Experience a truly traditional Christmas by visiting the city’s Christmas market, bursting with unique gift ideas, festive treats and mulled wine. Operated by Market Place Europe, the UK’s leading operator in special event markets, the market will be open until Sunday December 14. The trading hours are 10am to 5pm daily, closing at 4.30pm on Sundays and open until 9pm on Thursdays. Wander around a number of stalls, located from the Big Screen on the Piazza through to the glass bubble Christmas tree in the Place de Brest garden, and find hidden gems and treasures, from homemade jewellery, hand written Christmas decorations and novelties.

Until Dec 24 SANTA’S GROTTO Armada Garden, City Centre Visit Santa as he takes a break from his busy schedule to meet children in Plymouth right through to 3pm on Christmas Eve Santa and his elves can be found in the Armada gardens outside BHS. Children of all ages are welcome to visit Santa to tell him about the all-important presents they would like him to bring this Christmas. All children visiting the grotto will receive a present and have their picture taken (optional).

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

Dec 3 ONESIE WEDNESDAY Staff and volunteers at Jeremiah’s Journey will be wearing their onesies to work to help raise further awareness of Jeremiah’s Journey and to raise vital funds to enable us to continue to support grieving children and their families in Plymouth and the surrounding areas. Onesie Wednesday is a fun way for individuals, schools or businesses to get involved in the festivities and support Jeremiah’s Journey.

Add a bit of excitement in the work place by encouraging your colleagues, teachers and friends to donate £1 and get dressed up on December 3.

Dec 4 BARBICAN LATE NIGHT SHOPPING The popular Barbican Christmas Late Night Shopping Evening will be held again this year, with a wide range of shops and galleries open until 8pm.

Dec 6 and 7 THE ALTERNATIVE CHRISTMAS SHOW Carnglaze Caverns, nr Liskeard A host of Christmas gift ideas with lots of local stallholders - crystals, jewellery, minerals, fossils, arts and crafts all in a stunning Cornish cavern. Hot food and licensed bar, live music. £2 entry, under 12s free. For details visit www.carnglaze.com or call 01579 320251 Dec 6 SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY City Centre Support Independence Day for small businesses. Shop around and see what bargains and hidden gems you can find.

The Mansbridge Balment Big Word Search Take the Mansbridge Balment Big Word Search challenge – and you could find yourself £100 richer!

Read the company profile below, find the words highlighted in red on the word search grid and then ring them with a pen. They will either be hidden vertically, horizontally or diagonally…and could be back to front too! First person out of the hat with a successfully completed grid wins the cash. Good luck!

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At Mansbridge Balment we believe it is important that we always operate to high standards.

We take great pride in delivering a first class experience for buyers and sellers alike.

That’s why we launched our Black and White campaign, a nine point customer service pledge with a money back guarantee if we fail to deliver.

With more than 40 years of experience in the property market, we are an estate agent employing some of the most knowledgeable and qualified staff in Plymouth.

Both honest and trustworthy, every member of our team will work tirelessly to give you the most professional service possible.

We value every customer and always go the extra mile to help you achieve your property goals.

One of the few estate agents fully licensed by the National Association of Estate Agents, Mansbridge Balment offers a comprehensive service and we have a particularly good track record for achieving the asking price, or more, on many properties we help to sell.

From the moment the For Sale sign goes up, to the day you pick up the key to your new home, you can be confident in our ability to meet all your requirements.

Name:

Email:

Wherever you are on the property ladder we have all the information you need. Help to Buy, Stamp Duty whatever you want to know we can assist you – we can even organise the removal van for you!

Tel No:

Post or deliver entries to Mansbridge Balment, Woolwell Crescent, Woolwell, PL6 7RB | Closing date for entries 02/01/2015

T: 01752 229292/791333

www.mansbridgebalment.co.uk mansbridgeandbalment

mandbplymcity

For full terms & conditions, see www.mansbridgebalment.co.uk/crossword4

Mansbridge Balment – number one in Plymouth for buying and selling homes!

WHAT’S ON

beautiful, unique gifts. Entry to the market is free of charge.

Major Events Dec 7 CHRISTMAS AT ROYAL WILLIAM YARD Visit Royal William Yard for a Christmas celebration. The Farmers’ market and festive arts and crafts stalls will surround the Darwin themed Christmas tree on The Green.

Dec 12 LET IT BE A NOISY CHRISTMAS Mutley Baptist Church An evening of seasonal and popular music performed by the Big Noise Chorus, supported by Pennycross Primary School Choir.

Tickets on the door or at www. bignoisechorus.co.uk

Dec 7 SANTA FUN RUN City Centre Plymouth City Centre will see 600 Santa’s running through the city.

Organised by the Rotary Club of Saltram this annual event will return to help raise money for Dame Hannah Rogers and Cancer Research UK.

Dec 17 WINTER EVENING MARKET Royal William Yard A festive evening of celebration with craft stalls offering all the decorations for the special day including, handmade wreaths, table decor and much more joining the usual food stalls with personalised cakes, chutneys, truckles of Westcountry cheese, fresh geese, ducks, chickens and festive turkeys. 2pm to 8pm.

Dec 12 CHRISTMAS FOOD AND CRAFTS MARKET Devonport Guildhall Enjoy the opportunity to take part in some Christmas-themed family activities, as well as browse a varied selection of local and seasonal food, festive crafts and

Dec 17 to 20 CHRISTMAS NATIVITY The Piazza Children from local primary schools and church groups will be bringing their nativity plays into the City Centre. Watch them perform in the afternoon under the Big Screen on the Piazza.

Dec 20 and 21 PLYMOUTH CITY MARKET City Centre specialist and independent traders celebrate Christmas West End style. Pop down and see what treats you can find. A trip to the Plymouth City Market is a must this Christmas.

Explore their panto themed display area with a chance to win family tickets for a Theatre Royal Plymouth show.

Jan 10, Feb 14 and Mar 14 MONTHLY FOOD AND CRAFT MARKET Devonport Guildhall Devonport Guildhall is working with LEAP Events to offer exciting new monthly markets. Locally sourced food, alongside a wide selection of craft supplies, gifts, and activities for all the family.

The Guildhall’s onsite artisan bakery, Column Bakehouse, will be open throughout the day selling lunches, light refreshments, sweet treats and their famous signature loaves of fresh bread – everything is handmade on the premises using local and seasonal produce wherever possible. Entry to the markets is free, giving customers an opportunity to spend more on tasty food and gifts for themselves or others, and free parking is available outside.

From art, film, food and wine, Plymouth Arts Centre will be transformed - with an artistic twist - to celebrate the Christmas festivities.

A temporary art work with a Christmas theme has been specially commissioned for display in the café and students from local primary schools have been invited to design a Christmas card with all the designs being exhibited in the Gallery from 20 December.

Christmas films in the cinema include the all-time family favourite, E.T., Sing A Long A Grease and the epic conclusion of the Hobbit: the Battle Of The Five Armies.

To help audiences get into the Christmas spirit, wine with a specially-commissioned label from artist duo Low Profile, which acts as a ‘tuning fork’, corresponding, when blown into, to the starting notes of the top 20 most requested karaoke songs is available from the bar at Plymouth Arts Centre.

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

Major Events

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WHAT’S ON EVENTS AT PLYMOUTH CITY MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY, DRAKE CIRCUS THE IMAGINATORS Admission free. Booking essential.

Free, fun creative learning sessions for pre-school children and their parents/carers. 10.30am to 11.30am or 1pm to 2pm on Wednesdays (term time only).

Advance booking is essential. Call 01752 304665 to reserve your place.

Nov 29 HERE COMES THE BRONZE AGE Have fun with a guest artists making a ‘Whitehorse Hill’-inspired weaving. Use handmade beads, thread and lace, plus a range of natural materials found on Dartmoor and see what earthycoloured creations you can make. £2.50 per child. Booking advised.

SPECIAL EVENTS You’ve Been Framed: Dec 13 Drop in and design your own self-portrait as we open our ‘In the Frame: Plymouth’s Portraits Revealed’ exhibition.

Christmas 2014: Rocking Robins: Dec 20 Make a range of robinthemed crafts in our fun festive seasons including paper plate robins, buntings and masks.

Christmas 2014: White Christmas: Dec 24

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Santa’s on his way! Keep the kids entertained before the big day with some Christmas crafts including stocking decorations, a Santa’s sleigh picture and a Father Christmas collage.

Lost and Found (U)‚ Jan 3: 1.30pm to 2.30pm. Enjoy a free screening of this BAFTA winning children’s animation, narrated by British Oscar winning actor Jim Broadbent and inspired by the bestselling book by Oliver Jeffers.

Free. Advance booking advised.

Donations welcome.

Frozen (U)‚ Jan 10: 1.30pm to 4pm. See a free screening of Disney’s award-winning film about fearless princess, Anna and her epic journey to find her sister Elsa. Free. Advance booking advised. Donations welcome.

Wriggly Rascals Jan 31: 1.30pm to 3.30pm. Celebrate National Storytelling Week 2015 with creepy crawly specimens from the museum collections, mini-beast craft activities and poems read by author Celia Warren from her book, ‘Don’t Poke a Worm till it Wriggles.’ Free. No need to book.

Drop-in. Donations welcome.

HALF TERM ACTIVITIES Fabulous Frames Feb 18: 10.30am to 1pm (last entries at 12.30pm). Make a fabulous frame with paper and collage inspired

The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

Sing-a-long Frozen at the Pavilions A new sing-a-long version of Disney’s Frozen is gliding onto the Plymouth Pavilions stage next year.

A screening of Disney’s Frozen with lyrics on screen to help the audience sing along with Elsa and Anna will take place on May 25.

The screening will be introduced by a live host who will show the audience how to use the interactive fun pack and judge the fancy dress competition then just sit back and ‘Let it Go’! The audience can be the stars!

Remember to dress up as your favourite character for the fancy dress parade and be a Snow Queen for the day or Olaf the snowman, the coolest iceman ever!

It’s the most popular comedy-adventure to hit the big screen this year and, with the fairy dust of sing-a long-a added, families are guaranteed a great time. Come on an epic journey to find Anna’s sister Elsa, the Snow Queen and put an end to her icy spell.

Suitable for children aged five and over.

••

To book tickets visit www.plymouthpavilions.com or call the Box Office on 0845 146 1460.

by our Reynolds self-portrait and the other works of art on display in our ‘In The Frame’ exhibition.

Free. No need to book. Drop-in.

Donations welcome.

Plymouth Sound Pictures Feb

19: 10.30am to 1pm (last entries at 12.30pm). Help us make a giant collage of Plymouth Sound and the breakwater and make some mini ones to take home with you too! Free. No need to book. Drop-

Family Events leading West Country chefs, and local produce will be available for your culinary delight. If you’re looking for that special Christmas gift, there will be a wide variety of crafts and gifts that are available.

Saltram House Plympton 01752 333500 www.nationaltrust.org.uk/saltram Nov 29 - 30 CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL Transform your Christmas shopping with the perfect antidote to hectic high streets full of weary shoppers. Soak up the atmosphere and search out unusual, highquality gifts from local stalls in the grounds of Saltram. Then delve into a traditional Christmas in the house and a brisk walk in the garden. It is the ideal place to find inspiration, plus plenty of mouthwatering food and drink to treat yourself along the way.

in. Donations welcome.

The Big Sheep Feb 21: 11am to 12pm, 1.30pm to 2.30pm and 3pm to 4pm. Mark the start of the Year of the Sheep (or Goat, or Ram) with hats, pictures, lanterns and

Dec 13 - 14 CHRISTMAS FAYRE Back for the 11th year, the Christmas Fayre will be better than ever! Including inspirational cooking demonstrations from

more. Free. Advance booking advised. Donations welcome.

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

Dec 21 CAROLS IN THE COURTYARD Take an afternoon stroll around the Garden and listen to the guest choirs then join in the grand finale at 6pm in the stables courtyard with Saltram’s very own choir. We ask for a small contribution to the sing along. Mulled wine, hot drinks and mince pies available. Shop open for Christmas shopping.

Jan 17 WASSAIL! Bring whistles, pan lids and wells as the orchard gets blessed at Wassail. Join in at the Saltram Orchard to scare away the spirits and bless the crop for 2015 in the ancient custom of wassailing.

Spend the rest of your evening in

the Cafe to sample the fruits of last year’s crop with apple cakes, juice and ciders whilst watching or joining in with the Dartington Morris Men. Buckland Abbey Yelverton 01822 853607 www.nationaltrust.org.uk/bucklandabbey Dec 2 CAROLS IN THE BARN Wrap up warm as Buckland Abbey welcome in the festive season with a carol service within the Great Barn.

Dec 5 - 21 CHRISTMAS AT THE ABBEY Experience a Victorian Christmas as the halls are decked and the Abbey is transformed into a Victorian home. Plus the unveiling of a very special garland hanging down from the Georgian Staircase Dec 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 and 21 VISIT FATHER CHRISTMAS Bring the children along (and big kids too!) to see Father Christmas in his grotto before he heads off to deliver his presents.

Dec 13 FAMILY FELT Join local wool artist Claire Packer for a drop-in felting activity for families. Normal admission plus £3 per child.

Family Events

Christmas time at Pennywell Picture the scene. Christmas lights and trees in an authentic manger setting with all the live animals looking on, warm and dry in their winter home.

Rekindle the true spirit of Christmas and put the arrival of the baby Jesus at the heart of Christmas.

Pennywell Farm will be transformed into a real winter wonderland in time for the Nativity plays in December.

Pennywell supplies the costumes and organises the whole direction, giving every child (and adult) the opportunity to dress up and star in the performance. They even manage to make sure the snow falls at the end of each performance.

There really is a host of heavenly angels and many shepherds watching their sheep. Lots of voices are needed for the singing of Little Donkey, While Shepherds Watched and Away in a Manger to name a few.

After the play, every child meets Santa in his grotto and receives a present. A Christmas film is showing in the Farmyard Theatre between performances and seasonal refreshments of warm mince pies and mulled wine for the adults, home made Christmas biscuits and squash for the children make the visit complete.

Visitors can even meet Santa’s family of reindeer in the Pennywell Farmyard.

••

The Nativity plays start on December 1 and run until Christmas Eve. Booking is essential and Santa really does need to plan ahead so book now by visiting: www.pennywellfarm.co.uk or call: 01364 642023.

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

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WHAT’S ON Until Dec 13 WHITEHORSE HILL: A PREHISTORIC DARTMOOR DISCOVERY Plymouth City Museum & Art Gallery This fascinating exhibition will see some amazing Bronze Age finds from a remote spot on Dartmoor go on public display for the first time. The finds are around 4,000 years old and were discovered within a stone chest burial (a cist) at Whitehorse Hill.

This is the most outstanding site to have been excavated locally in over 100 years. The items that were discovered in the cist are of national and international importance and provide one of the best glimpses into life in Bronze Age Southern England that academics and scientists have ever had. This is a partnership exhibition between Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery and Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA).

Until Dec 13 WALK ON: FROM RICHARD LONG TO JANET CARDIFF 40 YEARS OF ART WALKING Various Venues This is the first touring exhibition to examine the many varied ways that artists since the 1960s have undertaken the universal act of taking a walk as a means to

create new art. ‘Walk On: From Richard Long to Janet Cardiff – 40 Years of Art Walking’ gives an insight into the recent art practice of nearly 40 artists. Several are internationally acclaimed.

Others are bright new talents.

All of them have made new work simply by taking a journey on foot. Regardless of the landscape or location, during the last four decades these ‘explorers’ have made their mark. ‘Walk On’ shows that from land art to conceptual art and from street photography to film, much of the important art of our time has been created through an act of walking. This is a partnership exhibition between Peninsula Arts, Plymouth University; Plymouth Arts Centre; Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery and The Gallery at Plymouth College of Art. From Dec 13 IN THE FRAME: PLYMOUTH’S PORTRAITS REVEALED Plymouth City Museum & Art Gallery Visit an exhibition that delves more deeply into Plymouth’s portraits and presents new research into some of the characters in the collection. ‘In the Frame’ will feature a new acquisition - an early self-portrait

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

UTC Plymouth - hosting special event in December

Girls don’t do science? That is the myth that UTC Plymouth are looking to dispel when they host their ‘Women in STEM’ open evening on December 2.

To be precise, girls don’t do science and engineering jobs.

Only 13% of those employed in these jobs, including health services, are women. By 2020, there is forecast to be a skills gap shortage of some 93,000 skilled STEM workers in the UK, a frightening statistic that the country cannot afford to ignore.

Bruce Robinson, head of chemistry at UTC Plymouth, said: “The low level of females in STEM jobs is bewildering because at GCSE level, girls outperform boys in every STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subject except maths.

In 2012, results revealed that they out-performed boys at A Level in all STEM subjects.

At 16, girls show they can be better engineers, ICT specialists, designers, chemists and biologists than their male peers.

“Neither the skills gap nor loss of our best STEM talent can be overlooked if we are to compete globally. University Technical Colleges (UTCs) arose to fill the STEM skills gap and it is clear that girls need to know the benefits a STEM career can offer. Our ‘Women in STEM’ event looks to help showcase just what is on offer for girls, with females from some of the leading employers in the region in attendance to give a true insight into what it’s like working in the STEM sector.” artist, Sir Joshua Reynolds. This work will be shown alongside other paintings of artists including self-portraits by James Northcote and Edward Opie.

Jan 17 to Mar 12 OPEN FOR BUSINESS Plymouth City Museum & Art Gallery In 2013, Multistory and Magnum Photos commissioned nine of the world’s leading photographers to document contemporary British manufacturing. Their images take us from traditional, handmade crafts to modern, intelligent automation; from foundries and assembly lines to research laboratories and high tech cleanrooms, showing an economic sector of extraordinary resilience and diversity.

Jan 24 to May 9 BEAUTY AND POWER: PLYMOUTH’S GREATEST GIFT – THE COTTONIAN COLLECTION Plymouth City Museum & Art Gallery Celebrate the 100th anniversary of The Cottonian Collection’s arrival at Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery. This exhibition provides a unique insight into the stories behind it and brings together some of its most significant and less seen items from over 600 years of art.

For more information about events and exhibitions at Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery visit www. plymouth.gov.uk/museums or call 01752 304774

Exhibitions and Other Events

Enouraging girls into science and engineering The ‘Women in STEM’ event takes place at UTC Plymouth at 5.30pm on December 2. It is followed by the UTC’s next Open Day on Saturday Decdember 6 aimed at all students entering Years 10 and 12 in September.

••

For more information on either event, or to register for a place, visit www.utcplymouth.org

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

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CHARITY MATTERS

St Luke’s launches coffee morning fund-raising appeal St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth is inviting individuals and groups to hold a coffee morning in February.

Raising over £14,000 last year, St Luke’s are encouraging homes, groups and businesses to help make this year even bigger.

Assistant community fundraiser at St Luke’s, Rebecca Bristow said: “We want everybody in Plymouth, Tavistock and the South Hams drinking coffee, socialising and raising money for St Luke’s.

St Luke’s coffee mornings had a bit of a makeover last year with the introduction of a new fundraising pack. The free coffee morning pack includes a poster to promote the event, recipes for some scrumptious cakes and fun games to play to ensure the St Luke’s coffee morning stands out from the rest.”

New for 2015 is an orange ‘spotty’ collecting box to take pride of place on the coffee table!

St Luke’s have also made it really easy to pay in funds raised after the event with an online payment facility.

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Last February, while the whole community was uniting to host a coffee morning, St Luke’s were providing specialist care for 839 patients; at home; in hospital and at the Turnchapel hospice.

These patients would have directly benefited from the money raised through a coffee morning.

Nearly 650 of these patients lived in Plymouth - including Plympton and Plymstock – coffee mornings made it possible for 278 of these patients to be cared for in their own home.

75 patients had access to specialist care from the rural areas of Dartmoor (Tavistock and Yelverton), 68 in the South Hams (Ivybridge, Brixton, Modbury) and a further 51 people as far as Kingsbridge and Salcombe. One in five local people will be diagnosed with a terminal illness at some point in their lives. By hosting a St Luke’s Coffee Morning it can make a real difference.

“We need to raise over £4 million each year to continue to offer this expert care to local people for free and we can only do it with your help,” added Rebecca;

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

Getting in the mood for the St Luke’s Coffee Morning is Karen Prescott from Karen’s Coffee House & Licensed Restaurant in Tavistock

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

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TRAVEL MATTERS

Bruges

The five-star Celebrity Eclipse. Background: The beautiful waterways of Bruges

There are certain times of the year that most adults try to avoid taking their holidays if they don’t have children.

travellers to take their holidays.

For this reason, it can be a very good time to renew your passport! Most people have a tendency to check the validity of their passports when they These include the summer school break covering pay the balance of their holiday or even leave it late July and the entire month of August, Easter, until their tickets are issued hence the phenomenal Christmas and New Year and the half-term weeks in demand that hit the passport offices in May and February, May and October – unless of course you June, which resulted in some people having to happen to be a teacher! cancel their holidays.

It is therefore very unusual for any tour operator to Even if it seems a little early, remember that it announce a special offer cruise departure to coincide can often be much easier to renew a passport at precisely with the school holidays, which is exactly a quiet time for the service providers. Don’t worry what has happened for the 2015 Whitsun half-term if you have up to nine months validity left on your in May. passport as this can be added to the length of your Our exclusive offer is based on sailing from new one.

By Travel Southampton on Bank holiday Monday May 25 for The cost of a standard passport for an adult Expert a five-night cruise on board the five star Celebrity is £72.50 and this reduces to £46 for a child.

Anthony Goord Passports can be purchased online at www.gov.uk/ Eclipse.

The itinerary takes in Cherbourg followed by Le apply-renew-passport, by post or through the Post Havre – the nearest port to Paris – before sailing up Office who still offer the popular ‘check and send’ to Zeebrugge in Belgium from where you can visit service.

Bruges.

If you have accidentally leave your renewal very late, the The current lead-in price for this cruise is just £480 per Passport Office do offer a premium service, at a cost of person based on an outside cabin and cabin upgrades are £128 where a passport can be issued within four hours by available for a supplement. appointment.

If you are considering taking advantage of the opportunity The nearest Passport Office to us here in the West Country to cruise in the fourth person sharing a cabin is just £190. This for this service is Newport, Gwent. Alternatively, you can opt incredible price includes all port charges, meals and even for a ‘FastTrack’ service, which will avoid the need for you gratuities to all cabin and dining staff. to drive to Newport and return the passport to your home I am sure this cruise will sell out very quickly as all inside address within a week. cabins are already fully booked so if you would like to book or In order to potentially save yourself money and time, my request further details don’t hesitate to call us soon. advice therefore would be to go and check the expiry dates of This special cruise departure is being sold exclusively all the family passports now to hopefully avoid a last-minute through Peter Goord Travel in the South West region. panic next year.

This is a particularly quiet time of the year for the travel As is often the case, 2014 has been a very up and down industry as early December is one of the least popular times for year for the travel industry. Passport issues, Ebola, political

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

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troubles in Kenya and Hong Kong and not one, but two, tragic Malaysian Airlines disasters have certainly had an impact on bookings and traveler confidence throughout the year.

However, with the economy improving and a fantastic summer weather-wise, we have witnessed a significantly stronger appetite for holidays at home and abroad.

I have personally noticed several particular trends with more clients booking earlier than usual, many looking for more adventurous or alternative destinations and spending more money per person than they have previously.

There seems to have been a significant increase in the number of clients celebrating milestone birthdays and anniversaries by either taking the entire family away as a group or choosing somewhere on their own bucket list and doing it in style!

I have also noticed this year that there seems to have been a noticeable shift away from people booking online, apart from perhaps flights only and standard package holidays.

When searching for a holiday with a difference, a specialist break or a tailor-made itinerary, clients appear happy to do their research online but it is evident that they value the service a travel agent can offer in realising their ideas.

By booking with a travel agent, not only do people appreciate that their holiday has been correctly packaged but they can relax in the knowledge that their money is fully protected and they will have the correct visas and documents to travel to their destination.

The Plymouth Magazine has always supported independent businesses throughout the South West and I know from other local business people that if you simply offer your clients a good service in a friendly and welcoming environment, the people of Plymouth will support you ahead of large multiple competitors.

Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to you all!

Here’s to 2015 being another great year for Plymouth! www.cornerstonevision.com

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BUSINESS MATTERS

This image and the bridal shot (right) earned Ashley Ide silver bars from the Guild of Professional Photograpers.

The new-born baby shot below secured a bronze bar

Photographer Ashley captures silver awards

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

A Plymstock photographer is celebrating winning awards in a national photography competition.

Ashley Ide, who specialises in photography of new born babies, weddings and families, has now achieved the distinction of winning a total of two silver bars and six bronze bars in the Guild of Professional Photographers Image of the Month competition.

Members of the Guild are committed to achieving the highest standards of professionalism for the benefit of their customers. They pledge themselves to delivering the highest standards of customer service and to a journey of continuing professional development.

It is the latest in a series of awards which Ashley has scooped in 2014 - a remarkable achievement as he has only been a professional photographer for just over a year.

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The father of four young sons, he bought his first professional camera at the beginning of 2013 and decided to launch his own photography business a few months later.

“I decided to specialise in new born babies because there are not that many photographers working in that field. I do it alongside weddings - which means I often get repeat business!”

Director of the Guild of Photographer Ashley with one of Professional Photographers his sons Ashton Lesley Thirsk said: “I’m delighted that Ashley Ide has achieved these bars. The Guild has very demanding standards when judging photographic competitions.

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

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BUSINESS MATTERS

Good housekeeping is the key to a sparkling rating for Duke of Cornwall Hotel Next time you face a mountain of washing or ironing, spare a thought for the housekeeping team at Plymouth’s Duke of Cornwall Hotel.

The hotel was recently commended by an AA inspector for the ‘diligent standards of cleanliness’ - which was a big compliment for head housekeeper Nikki Minchella and her 10-strong team.

Nikki knows a thing or two about cleaning…she has spent nearly 12 years at the Duke of Cornwall and prior to that spent over eight years at one of the city’s other leading hotels.

“It’s all about organisation, flexibility and working to deadlines,” said Nikki. “The hotel is frequently fully booked which means we will have more than 70 bedrooms to clean and make ready on a daily basis.

“We’ve also got all the public areas and stairways to maintain and keep clean, as well as the restaurant, ballroom and other function rooms.

“We have to be flexible enough to cope with late check-outs and early arrivals which cuts down the amount of time for room turn-round to just a couple of hours.

“We liaise very closely with the reception team so that we know which guests are arriving when, enabling us to prioritise the rooms which need to be prepared first.”

Members of the housekeeping team, who have nearly 50 years’ service between them, are expected to clean up to seven bedrooms during their shifts and Nikki makes a point of inspecting every room after it has been cleaned to ensure it is up to the Duke’s demanding standards.

As the hotel welcomes owners with pets, there is the added requirement to ensure that any dog - or cat - hair is completely removed. “We have had a few guests who have brought their cats with them: but it’s usually dogs,” said Nikki.

There’s 50 metres of Hoover flex within the hotel to help with that task!

The Duke of Cornwall is the only hotel of its size in the city to have its own in-house laundry. “Most hotels rely on contract linen services, but we prefer to have the responsibility for the quality of our bed linen, towels and so on,” said Nikki.

There is just a few hours each day in which to wash, dry – and iron – hundreds of towels, pillow cases, duvet covers and sheets. Not to mention hundreds more napkins and tablecloths from the dining room and other function rooms.

It has been estimated that Nikki and her team wash nearly 50,000 towels a year, a similar number of sheets, duvets and pillow cases – and as many as 25,000 napkins.

Guests are also to take advantage of the in-house laundry service.

The team spend nearly 20,000 hours a year between them keeping the high standards which have secured the hotel’s 3 Star rating from the AA.

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

Head housekeeper Nikki Minchella (right) carrying out her routine room check prior to the next guest’s arrival and (below) Natasha, one of the housekeeping team at work in the hotel’s laundry

Each member of the team has been trained to work across a whole range of tasks - ensuring that there is always enough resources available.

The hotel spends over £3,000 a year on complimentary soaps and shampoo for guests and uses over 11,500 toilet rolls a year - equivalent to 13 miles of tissues!

Nikki’s team are always on the look-out for items that have been mistakenly left behind by guests.

“The most common of these is telephone chargers - but we have also collected mobile phones, reading glasses, DVDs and lots of underwear and other clothing,” she said.

With the hotel’s ongoing refurbishment programme, the switch from sheets to duvets is now virtually complete. As part of the hotel’s green ethos, bedspreads which are now longer required because of the introduction of duvets, are recycled and made into valances and runners.

The Duke has recently received confirmation that its Silver Rating from Green Tourism has increased to 74 per cent this year from 61 per cent last time.

Duke of Cornwall director Jon Morcom said: “We are

getting closer and closer to the Gold Standard of 80 per cent and that’s our target for next time.”

••

For more information visit www.thedukeofcornwall. co.uk or call 01752 275850

www.cornerstonevision.com

@CornerstoneVis

The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

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CHARITY MATTERS

Christmas Jumper day fund-raiser for Jeremiah’s Journey Drake Circus, the City Centre Company and Plymouth’s High Street Champions spearheaded this year’s Christmas Jumper day to raise money for local charity, Jeremiah’s Journey.

Plymouth hosted it’s first city-wide Christmas Jumper day on November 29 to raise money for the charity, which supports children and their families who have experienced or are anticipating the death of someone special.

After the success of last year’s Christmas Jumper day, Drake Circus have joined with Plymouth‚Äôs High Street Champions – Boots, Santander and the Co-op – and the City Centre Company to make the event bigger than ever.

Retail staff and shoppers will be encouraged to raise money for Jeremiah’s Journey by wearing a Christmas jumper and donating at one of the many collection points around Drake Circus shopping centre.

In the lead up to Christmas Drake Circus will also be donating 50p from every Christmas grotto entry to Jeremiah’s Journey.

In the last year Jeremiah’s Journey have supported 220 children and their parents or carers who had been bereaved or who had a terminally ill parent. They also supported a

further 96 children and young people by giving advice and guidance to their parents or carers. They are the only service to provide this kind of support in the local community.

Jeremiah’s Journey hope to raise £15,000 from the day which could pay for 40 local children to go through their therapeutic group programme enabling youngsters to express their feelings of grief and share their memories.

••

For more information on Jeremiah’s Journey visit www.jeremiahsjourney.org.uk

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

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PROPERTY MATTERS

Public consultations will help bring Fort Bovisand back to life Members of the public can help shape the future of Fort Bovisand as part of a £5.6 million project to restore the heritage site to its former glory and transform it into a major tourist destination.

The project, part funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), will see the Fort, which played a vital role in protecting Plymouth in both World Wars, brought back to life – offering a place for people to visit, learn and enjoy.

Delivered jointly by The Fort Bovisand Trust and Fort Bovisand Developments Limited, the redevelopment is due to start in summer 2015 with the aim of opening for the first time in late 2017.

Initial plans for the Fort include a learning hub, outdoor spaces for a range of educational and informative activities, temporary exhibition space for themed displays and guided tours.

It is also hoped that the centre will deal with three main areas of academic and educational interest, linking the Fort’s historic past to the National Curriculum. This includes telling the many ‘untold’ stories of Plymouth’s World War Two involvement, as well as its maritime heritage and the defence of Plymouth Sound.

To help better understand what local residents feel about the site, the plans for development and to help shape the future, the Trust are inviting members of the community to

Terry Wilson (left), director of Fort Bovisand Developments and Philip Beagle, chief executive of Fort Bovisand Trust

take part in their public consultations.

Philip Beagle, chief executive of Fort Bovisand Trust, said: “This is a very exciting time for us as we start to see our plans taking shape. There are so many untold stories related to the Fort and this project will help us to remember those that served in the wars as well as give something back to our community, something that will be enjoyed by generations to come.

“November saw the start of our public consultation process and I’m really interested to hear what residents have to say about this historic building. This is their opportunity to help shape our plans.”

Philip said that the lottery funding had been secured in 2012 and the project was now firmly in the development phase. He said that the whole scheme would include work on the Fort and also residential and commercial elements.

A number of drop-in consultation sessions took place in Fort Bovisand...built in 1845 and soon to be a visitor attraction

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

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November to give the public the chance to find out more about the plans and to share their personal experiences of the site.

The public can also complete the online survey at www. fortbovisandtrust.org This is the first of many consultation sessions and more dates and venues will be announced over the coming weeks.

Residents wanting to keep up-to-date with the development plans of the Fort can visit the website or follow Fort Bovisand Trust on Facebook and Twitter.

Fort Bovisand dates back to 1816, when a jetty and slip were built for boats from sailing warships anchored off Plymouth.

The Fort itself, the first part of which was named Staddon Height Battery, was built from 1845.

But it has been largely unoccupied and unused for more than two decades and is now high up on English Heritage’s ‘Heritage at Risk’ register.

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

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HEALTH MATTERS

Dealing with unsightly skin problems can help boost self-confidence

Unsightly skin problems such as moles, skin tags and blemishes can seriously affect a person’s self-confidence.

But TV programmes such as Embarrassing Bodies have helped to bring such situations into the spotlight and encouraged more people to seek treatment.

That’s the view of Dr Ruth Harker who has developed a special expertise and experience in dermatology over the last 12 years. She qualified from Bristol Medical School 35 years ago, works as a GP in Plymstock and has been a hospital practitioner in dermatology for more than 10 years.

She is a Board member of the British College of Aesthetic Medicine, which was formed in 2000 to provide a professional body for the growing number of doctors offering cosmetic dermatology procedures. She is also a member of the Primary Care Dermatology Society.

She launched the Erme Clinic in 2007 and in the last few weeks has moved to state-of-the-art premises in Ivybridge, working together with Highland 7 Day Dental Care. She also operates clinics in Plymouth and Totnes.

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

and working together with the practice. They specialise in smile treatments and we specialise in skin treatments so there is a lot of synergy between the two businesses.

“We are located just off the A38 and only about 15 minutes from Plymouth. There is ample free parking as well.

Dr Harker said: “We treat skin lesions that are not serious, but just a nuisance or unsightly, that can easily be removed pain-free by a simple, quick operation under local anaesthetic, similar to those administered by dentists.

“We also offer facial treatments to rejuvenate the skin by removing wrinkles or putting back lost volume in the face.”

She said that cosmetic surgical operations are not generally available under the NHS, while non-surgical cosmetic treatments are not provided by the NHS at all.

“The treatments we provide are worthwhile as the improved facial appearance restores self -confidence and actually makes patients feel better about themselves,” she added.

“Many people feel uncomfortable because of these conditions or can never wear a low neckline or go sleeveless due to skin tags or warty moles.

Some people also just want to turn the clock back a few years!

“Thankfully people are more relaxed about skin conditions Dr Ruth Harker pictured with John Gittins, and have a principal dentist at Highland 7 Day Dental chat about Care in Ivybridge their problems.

Wrinkle relaxing fillers are commonly accepted these days.”

Dr Harker is assisted by fully trained nurses who are experienced in theatre and dermatology. The clinic is CQC registered and operates to the highest professional standards.

As well as skin tags and moles, the clinic offers treatments for liver spots, tea-stains, sun spots and other blemishes.

Frown lines, crow’s feet and spider veins can also be treated.

Each patient’s particular problem and their general health is individually assessed before a treatment is recommended or undertaken.

“We strive to make all treatments as pleasant and comfortable as possible. The radio-frequency treatment

HEALTH MATTERS

Dr Ruth Harker

we use is superb at tightening the skin around the jaw line, cheeks, neck and around the eyes. Whether plumping up lips or softening expression lines, our aim is always perfection.”

Dr Harker uses trusted market-leading products such as Restylane, which incorporates local anaesthetic, always aiming for a tasteful, subtle, natural look.

“If skin is greasy, open-pored or prone to acne a course

of Peels carefully tailored to the individual can help the skin become radiant and fresh. Alternatively DiamondTone skin resurfacing may be suitable.”

••

For more information visit www.ermeclinic.co.uk or to request a call back call the clinic on 07530 254405.

Dr Mike Burdon is one of only approximately 80 Sports and Exercise Medicine consultants in the UK and has worked in many professional sports including swimming, boxing, rugby, football, sailing and diving. Dr Burdon currently works for the English Football Association and Great Britain Hockey, having previously worked at the London 2012 Olympics. He is recognised by all the major insurance companies.

Self-paying patients can also be seen and may self-refer.

All sports injuries and exercise-related medical problems can be seen as well as non-sports conditions and injury.

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@CornerstoneVis

The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

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HEALTH MATTERS

Sharron Smerdon, Crisis Team Lead, in dark blue pictured with health care assistants Joe Cartwright and Laura McClymont and registered nurse Jenny Evans

St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth has invested £600,000 into a new Crisis Team to provide terminally ill patients a 72 hour window of specialist care at home.

The new service will complement existing care provisions currently provided to over 3,000 patients by St Luke’s at home, in hospital and in the hospice.

The Crisis Team is another major milestone in the hospice’s core aim to reach out and care for even more local people at home as part of a ‘Hospice without Walls’.

Launched in November, The Crisis Team will care for terminally ill patients at home including residential and nursing homes, in a time of crisis for a period of up to 72 hours, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The creation of the Crisis Team is a result of national research conducted by Hospice UK identifying that 63% of people would prefer to die at home and sadly this does not happen in all cases. It has become very apparent that by launching this service, St Luke’s can make a substantial difference at a local level.

The Crisis Team is making a bold move to ensure that for terminally ill patients, unnecessary hospital or hospice admissions are dramatically reduced as Crisis Team Lead, Sharon Smerdon explains: “Responding within an hour, our aim is to ensure a patient remains at home, preventing unnecessary hospital or hospice admission or to facilitate rapid discharge from hospital or hospice back home.

“Sadly it is often the case that people do not die in their preferred place or their condition deteriorates and as a result they end up in hospital. It is hoped a short 72 hour intervention could actually stabilise their symptoms and avoid any unnecessary admission to Derriford or their local community hospital.”

The new service will also be there to assist and support

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

families and carers who at times can be under immense pressure, supporting them to respond to a rapidly changing situation and enabling them to continue providing care.

A crisis can take many forms, it may not be just medical it could be because of a social breakdown for a terminally ill patient where their care support network has temporarily broken down.

Following recruitment in the early autumn, the staff of the Crisis Team have been undergoing an extensive training plan to ensure they are ready for the challenges that they face ahead.

“We currently have a team of 14,” said Sharon. “We have three staff nurses, one assistant practitioner and 10 health care assistants. Our team has undergone an extensive training plan to give them the additional specialist skills they need to care for terminally ill patients.

Members of the new Crisis Team during one of their training sessions

HEALTH MATTERS

St Luke’s invests £600,000 in creation of Crisis Team “They bring with them the most amazing variety of skills and backgrounds having previously worked, for example in acute care nursing homes as well as working with people with learning disabilities.

“St Luke’s is providing these new staff with the specialist skills but they also bring with them knowledge and expertise that will be invaluable to their roles. They have to be able to walk into a home where they don’t know anybody and cope with whatever they find. The aim is to continue to expand the team in the New Year and we would be delighted to hear from registered nurses who would be interested in joining the team.”

On average the team will visit four or five patients a day for a period of a few hours at a time. This could involve several visits over 72 hours. With St Luke’s already providing specialist advice and support at home for over 350 patients through their existing network of specialist nurses, social workers and occupational therapists, Sharon is keen to highlight the difference between the Community specialist care services St Luke’s already provide, and the new team.

Sharon added: “The Crisis Team and our existing Community Team will work closely together and the crisis team nurses and health care assistants will deliver hands on care and administer medication around the clock. We

also offer a ‘meet and greet service’ to ensure that patients have support when they are discharged from the hospice or hospital, to settle them in at home and we hope that this will reduce delay in a patient being able to return home.”

The Crisis Team will cover a vast area to deliver this specialist care from Plymouth to Dartmoor and Tavistock; across to the South Hams and Kingsbridge.

The success of the new service very much depends on partnership working with other local health care professionals and providers as Sharon explained: “We will be working alongside district nurses, GPs and other charities like Marie Curie. We certainly do not want to take over, but support and provide an intensive level of specialist care to bring symptoms under control or until alternative care provisions are put in place.”

The service is now operational, currently running from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week and will be operational, 24 hours a day, from January. Access to the service is by referral only through GPs, district nurse or other relevant health care professionals.

••

Visit our Gift and Christmas Shops now

For more information about the Crisis Team please visit:www.stlukes-hospice.org.uk/crisis

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Fort Austin Avenue, Crownhill, Plymouth PL6 5NU www.plymouthgardencentre.co.uk Telephone: 01752 771820 The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

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GARDENING MATTERS with Plymouth Garden Centre So I am really looking forward to Christmas this year, there seems to be a buzz in the air, writes Fiona Newton We have finally finished the Christmas shop which is lucky considering its only a few weeks until Christmas – now you know why we start in September!

Deliveries were late (suppliers only had a whole year to plan their deliveries) so setting up seemed to drag on for ages but that’s the joy of retail!

My favourite wet cold windy rainy time has arrived of course as all the trees arrive. We have put some pressure on ourselves this year though as all the trees came in one week and normally they would be spread over at least two weeks.

I didn’t want the suppliers to bring the deliveries forward and risk the trees being cut too early – you know how obsessed I am about freshness ‚ so yes please bring 2,500 trees in one week and lets un-net 500 trees a day and move them all twice!

I do love it though, nice physical exercise with the lovely scent of pine! We will have all the favourites, Norway Spruce, Fraser Fir and Nordman Fir. Come and find me and I will be happy to help you find your tree. As usual as I unpack I will be pulling out my favourites for customer orders so feel free to put your name down for a tree.

Derek Anderson from Plymouth Garden Centre has some great ideas for Christmas plants and gifts this month.

Potted Christmas trees – We have a wide range of pot grown Christmas trees in stock, in varying sizes and variety, from 60cm to 150cm (2ft-5ft). The varieties are Blue Spruce, Norway Spruce, Nordman Fir, Korean Fir and Omorika Spruce.

These have all been British grown and come with a complete root system, so will last for years.

When you get your potted tree home, plant it in a larger pot in John Innes No.3 compost and feed with an ericaceous fed.

They like their soil slightly acidic, but not completely. Keep them well watered as this is the key to keeping them happy: water and lots of it.

If you bring them indoors for Christmas, try and keep them away from radiators and fires as this will dry their needles out and cause them to drop. Also make sure that the compost is moist, but not waterlogged when kept inside.

After Christmas, place the tree back outside and feed it throughout the spring and summer. They like to be in full sun, so give them as much sun as possible and don’t allow them to dry out. Repot in the spring every year if you wish to keep bringing it in every Christmas or plant it out directly in the garden, where it will grow into a beautiful tree.

Indoor plants and gift ideas –Forced Hyacinths and Narcissus Paperwhite make wonderful indoor arrangements and will be in flower for Christmas day. Their scent will fill up any room and if kept on the cooler side, the blooms will last much longer. Plant them up in a stylish pot to make a great gift.

You can place Hyacinths bulbs in Hyacinth jars filled with water and they will grow and flower quite happily on a sunny window sill, without any compost. When they have finished flowering, just plant the bulbs out in the garden, where they will flower for many years to come.

Another great bulb for indoor growing is Amaryllis. Pot up one of the gift sets and it will be in bloom approximately six weeks after planting. They have spectacular showy, lily like flowers on stalks with three to four blooms per stalk.

Amaryllis like to grow in a gritty compost in bright light.

For best results, plant them in a terracotta pot, with John Innes No.3 compost mixed with grit. Water well while in growth, but leave it to dry out after it has finished flowering and leaves begin to yellow. Amaryllis grow to a height of 45cm-60cm (18ins-24ins) with a spread of 30cm (12ins). They are available in red, white, pink, cream, burgundy and striped varieties.

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The Plymouth Magazine December 2014

Festive plants

Poinsettia

Christmas Cacti

The plant that epitomises Christmas more than anything else is the Poinsettia. They will be ablaze with colour all the way through December, and not just in the traditional festive red, they are now available in a wide selection of colours such as white, cream, pink, orange, burgundy, marbled, and red with cream blotches.

To keep your Poinsettia looking at its best, place it in a room with bright, but not direct sunlight. Make sure that the temperature does not drop below 13-15C. Plant it in a mix of John Innes no.3 compost mixed with grit. They will grow to a height of 60cm (2’) with a spread of 30cm (1’). Water it sparingly, only water when the surface of the compost feels dry to the touch.

Cyclamen have long been a favoured houseplant for the winter months. They are easy to look after, elegant, come in a range of festive colours and flower for months. There are now many types available, from the larger varieties which look great on their own or the mini cyclamen which look great in groups, to the bi-coloured flowers of ‘snowridge’ that look like snow-capped flames or ‘frilly’, that have beautifully ruffled edges to their petals and intense silver veining on the foliage.

Christmas Cacti (Schlumbergera) will be in full bloom now and until after Christmas. The beautiful flowers come in a

and shrubs

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Amaryllis

wide range of colours including red, pink, yellow and white.

They look spectacular in full bloom, tumbling over the edges of pots.

They require more water than ordinary cacti as they originate from tropical forests, so water them once a week when in growth and flower, but reduce watering to once a month between January and April, pick up to once a week thereafter and feed once a month. Plant them in John Innes no.2 mixed with a little multipurpose. They like a light position, but can tolerate some shading. They grow to a height and spread of 45cm (18ins).

As well as indoor planted gifts, we also have a full range of outdoor planted pots ready to go in a range of styles and festive colours.

These are perfect gifts for your gardening friends and family, as it will add a bit of cheer and colour to their doorstep or patio throughout the rest of winter and well into spring.

If you would like something a bit special or more personalised, then we are happy to plant up a pot that you can select from one of our collections with plants that you can hand pick from.

So we would like to wish all the readers and team at Plymouth Magazine a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Fiona & Derek and all the team at Plymouth Garden Centre. www.cornerstonevision.com

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The hotel also celebrates its eightieth The Moorland Garden Hotel is the ideal anniversary this year. Bought by Brian and venue for weddings, special events and Sonia Meaden in 2011, it has undergone an conferences, with the magnificent chandelierextensive renovation process with the new lit ‘Crystal Room’ and four dedicated owners investing heavily in upgrading the 44 rooms for hosting seminars, workshops and bedroom property as well as drawing together meetings. a first rate team of staff. The Wildflower Restaurant menu is designed to showcase

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