Spotlight on North Mansfield Nottingham Sept 2014

sp tlightOn ISSUE 47 September 2014

Mansfield North & The Dukeries

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Spotlight Magazine

Contents

Happy September everyone!

British Food Fortnight 6 Mobile Phones For Kids 8 Bugs and Beasties 10 Blooms From Bulbs 12 Spicy Baked Apple 14 A Good Read 16 Notts In History 18 Puzzle Pages 20 A Green Garden 22 Conkers 24 Stags Update 26 Self Preservation 28 Index 30

Published by Spotlight Local Media Ltd Company No. 6841257 Tel: 01623 706570 Suite 104, 1 Hanley Street Nottingham NG1 5BL Graphic Design and Layout: Spotlight Local Media Distributed by Leaflet Media Trusted Delivery Partner of the Spotlight Magazine

Congratulations to all those living in the area who got the grades they desired in their recent exams and good luck for the future.

For those who didn’t do as well as expected, don’t despair, there are plenty of opportunities to try again - and it is never too late to learn.

Please remember, if you are involved in local life, in any way, do let us have your news. This magazine is enjoyed by thousands of readers, and is the perfect way to get your message across.

Spotlight magazine is delivered to 6,000 homes and businesses in the North Mansfield area each month, with similar magazines also going to Mansfield South and West Bridgford To Advertise or contribute: T: 01623 706570 E: info@spotlightlocal.co.uk Web:www.spotlightlocal.co.uk

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Spotlight Magazine

British Food Fortnight

20th September – 5th October

Name a British dish. Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding? Shepherds’ pie?

Spotted dick?

ingredients. High street shops, farm shops and delicatessens will also be joining in, stocking British produce and running tasting sessions and cookery demonstrations.

There will be special events in care homes for the elderly, scrumptious servings of British food in garden centre cafes, patriotic menus in hospitals, family feasts in children’s centres and lots of fun food and drink festivals and country fairs.

Now ask your child to name a traditional British dish. Can they?

In recent years we have become a multi-cultural society and we’ve happily adopted pasta from Italy, curry, from India and noodles from China. While we should be proud of the fact that we’ve welcomed and assimilated these new tastes, we seem to be in danger of forgetting or ignoring our own national and regional dishes.

It’s a sad fact that many British school children (and almost as many adults)have little or no knowledge of our culinary heritage in spite of it being rich and varied.

British Food Fortnight exists to put British food firmly in the spotlight. It aims to encourage us to enjoy fresh, seasonal produce and regional dishes. To this end it takes place during harvest time, which is the traditional time for celebrating food.

This year it also has the additional aim of helping our children to discover all that’s wonderful about British food.

The theme is Bringing Home the Harvest.

Many schools are participating with the aim of teaching children how to prepare simple meals from fresh, seasonal

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With global warming rarely out of the news these days it’s reassuring to know that buying locally farmed, seasonal produce is the most eco-friendly choice too. It’s comforting to know that by buying British we’re doing our bit to save the planet.

For more information visit www.britishfoodfortnight.co.uk During British Food Fortnight Visit a local farmers’ market.

Discover your local farm shop.

Sign up to a local veg-box scheme Shop for and cook at least one traditional or regional dish with your children.

Visit a participating restaurant or pub and try a British dish you’ve never tried before.

By Louise Addison

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Spotlight Magazine

Mobile Phones For Kids?

Should My Child Have a Mobile Phone?

When my daughter entered secondary school and started to become more independent, I decided to buy her a mobile phone to keep in touch and check that all was well. But I soon discovered that we had different agendas! She treated her mobile phone like an additional body part.

It accompanied her everywhere – to the dinner table, to the bathroom, to bed. She checked it constantly, and the 300 texts per month that I thought adequate, soon got swallowed up in her incessant cyber chatter.

Much has changed since then. Texting was once the major attraction, but now mobile phones can have any number of uses, from accessing social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, to using apps like WhatsApp and Snapchat and for gaming, videos and music.

Mobile phones are a great way to stay in touch and they are indispensable in emergencies, but they can also be a huge hindrance. Young people are much less active, preferring online games or social media sites to sports and other activities.

Conversation has been replaced by instant messaging or texting, and schoolwork for some students is suffering due to long hours spent on phones instead of on their studies or even sleep!

Seriously consider buying a basic model for their first phone. At this stage it’s all about safety, not social status or games, and the phone should be regarded as a tool, not a toy. Only consider a smart phone when your child is much older, say 16-18 years old.

Set limits for the number of texts or minutes. A monthly capped contract can help with this, or alternatively a pay as you go scheme, which will only allow a certain spend before it needs topping up again.

Consider taking out insurance should the phone get lost or broken, and ask your child to contribute to the cost as they get older and are able to earn.

Designate certain times when the phone should be turned off or left behind, such as at the dinner table, after 10pm, or in the bedroom - and limit the number of hours they spend on the phone to leave time for other interests.

Finally, make sure you follow your own rules. You can’t expect your child to abide by them if you don’t, as you are their greatest role model!

By Debbie Singh-Bhatti

To ensure that mobile phones remain our children’s servant and not their master, a few ground rules need to be set in place.

First, decide if your child is ready for their own phone. If they are generally responsible and trustworthy and able to look after their own belongings, maybe they are. The average child receives their first phone at the age of 12. This seems like a sensible time to me.

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H

Back To School Bugs & Beasties

ow does it happen? Your family has enjoyed a happy, healthy six week summer holiday, but within just days of returning to school your child comes down with a cold, or develops an itchy skin condition, or catches nits. Why, when they need to be settling into a new routine and you need to be back at work, do they suddenly get ill?

Like it or not, children gathering in schools is one of the main ways germs circulate in communities. Their immune systems are less mature, they tend to be in close contact, and they have ‘germy’ habits like sticking fingers or pencils into their mouths, so it is inevitable that they are going to come home with something nasty at some point.

That said, most illnesses can be avoided if a few good practices are followed. Top of the list is to make sure that your child’s immunisations are all up to date, and that all family members have had a seasonal flu vaccination, where appropriate. Prevention is definitely the best medicine.

sneezes by using tissues that should be thrown away immediately, and avoiding head to head contact with others. If your child is older, warn them about sharing items such as lipstick, lip balm, make-up, razors, creams, lotions and other personal items such as towels and sports kit.

There are some germ hotspots in schools, and cafeteria trays are one of them! One survey found that there were more bacteria per square inch on a cafeteria tray than there were on a toilet seat, probably because the trays don’t get cleaned as often. If your child drops food on a tray, they should throw it away!

Finally, your child can build up their immunity by getting enough sleep and exercise, eating a well balanced diet that includes lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, and by drinking plenty of water. Take these preventative measures and hopefully going back to school will be a happy, healthy time for everybody!

Next, make sure they wash their hands enough - and properly!

The most common way to catch illness is through the mouth, eyes or nose after the hands have been in contact with infected surfaces. A thorough wash with soap and warm water to the back of the hands, in between the fingers and around the nails for 20 seconds (as long as it takes to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ twice!) - before eating or drinking, after a visit to the toilet, blowing their nose, or touching animals and waste, should be the minimum.

Teach your child ‘germ etiquette’. This means staying away from other children who may be sneezing or coughing, covering their own coughs and

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I

Blooms From Bulbs

t may seem early to begin planning next year’s spring and summer colour, but it is essential to get bulbs planted this month (with the exception of Tulips which should be planted in November).

twice the diameter of the bulb and about 3 times the depth, but I would advise to research it as each variety is different.

Place a little bone meal in the hole for good root development

The history of bulbs can almost be traced back to the beginning of man, when they would most certainly have been used as food. We know that the ancient Egyptians grew onions and that potatoes (technically tubers) have been cultivated in South America for thousands of years. I wonder what these early people would think to the use of our ornamental onions, such as Allium ‘Pinball Wizard’, grown for their show stopping flowers!

Bulbs can also be grown from seed. They take a good few years to flower, around five in my experience, but it’s very satisfying when they finally do and you can even have a go at cross pollinating to make your own varieties.

Most of the usual subjects including Allium bulbs can be planted right now, and range in price from the very cheap tiny bulbs of Allium sphaerocephalon, to the more rare and expensive giant heads of Allium schubertii. Most kinds of Alliums enjoy a position in full sun, but if you have a very dry and shaded border such as that under a large tree, then try Allium ursinum, more commonly known as wild garlic. Its beautiful lush, low growing green foliage makes a great foil for a woodland setting, as well as producing a mass of white globular flowers borne on short stems.

Other favourites of mine are: Tulip ‘Prinses Irene’ an exquisite orange and purple flower Narcissus ‘Thalia’ a white and scented daffodil Galtonia, an imposing 60cm tall with grass like foliage and a 90cm high flower spike in white Chionodoxa, with around 10 blue blooms per stalk, this is a small but cheery bulb

By Lee Bestall

When buying and planting bulbs, try and follow these general rules: Wear gloves when handling, as some are toxic and can cause skin irritations Try and buy them loose so you can feel them. Give each a gentle squeeze and check they are firm. Reject any which are not, or appear to have shrivelled, and those showing any sign of mould (normally grey/ blue in colour).

Reject any showing excess signs of growth, with either long or pale stems.

Bulbs should not be showing any sign of growth, but a short tip is ok Damaged or split bulbs should not be selected Plant using a bulb planter, allowing a hole

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Spotlight Magazine

Spicy Baked Apple

Spicy Baked Apples with Walnuts Preparation time: 15 mins Cooking time: 30 mins Serves: 4 Ingredients 4 large Golden Delicious Apples 1 splash Lemon Juice 85g Walnuts, halved 1 tbsp Raisins 1 tbsp Soft Light Brown Sugar 25g Butter ¼ tsp Ground Cinnamon Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C /Gas 4. Carefully cut a 2.5cm (1in) slice from the top of each apple and set aside. Using an apple corer or a small, sharp knife, remove the core from each apple.

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Place the walnuts, raisins, sugar, butter, and cinnamon into a food processor and pulse several times, to produce a coarse, textured mixture. If you don’t have a food processor, chop the walnuts roughly and mix thoroughly with the other ingredients.

Stuff each apple cavity with the mixture and replace the reserved tops. Arrange the apples in a shallow, ovenproof dish so that they’re upright, and then fill the pan 1cm (1/2in) deep with water.

Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the flesh is tender when pierced with the point of a knife. When slightly cooled, carefully remove the apples from the baking dish, transfer them to serving plates, and serve hot with crème fraiche or ice cream.

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Spotlight Magazine

The Night Circus

By Erin Morgenstern

A Good Read

“The circus arrives without warning … It is simply there when yesterday it was not” So begins this adult fantasy novel. From the seductive opening you are drawn into the world of the circus. The mysterious circus owner, Prospero the Enchanter, otherwise known as Hector Bowen, is a magician and Le Cirque des Rêves is the greatest accomplishment of his career.

Magic unfolds on every page as his circus and its assembled performers enchant and amaze its audience. Time moves differently in the circus, as the performers appear not to age. Acrobats perform without safety nets and the audience move from one spectacle to another, created by the illusionist who transforms tents on a whim.

Fates intertwine as two young protégés must meet and compete on this unsuspecting stage. The ultimate bet will be decided after years of dedication and preparation.

Set in America and Europe in the late 1800s this novel oozes with an era that never quite existed. A steampunk retelling of the Victorian age that you will wish you could visit. The language is poetic and evocative and you will find yourself longing for the day when the circus arrives near you without warning. You too will want to wear a red scarf and join the rêveurs.

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Magic Tree House: Valley of the Dinosaur

By Mary Pope Osborne Time travel. A quest to solve.

Exciting adventures. This book for young readers who are growing in confidence has all of these and much more.

The first of a series of books, it follows the adventures of Jack and Annie as they discover a magic treehouse in their neighbourhood.

As the story begins Jack and Annie are chasing an imaginary monster into a nearby wood when they stumble across a solitary treehouse. Curiosity getting the better of them, they decide to explore and inside they find wonderful collection of books. Jack is drawn to a dinosaur book and before they know it the two children are transported back to the time of the dinosaurs.

Full of fascinating facts this book will appeal to any budding palaeontologist. At ten chapters this is a nice introduction to reading without seeming too daunting. The sentence structure can be repetitive and simplistic, but I am assured by young readers that this is not a problem!

There are currently sixteen books available in the series covering different time periods and geographic locations.

These along, with an interactive website, promise to engage and educate young readers for many a long school holiday.

By Willow Coby

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Notts’ September in History

n the month that France mourned the Iarmy death of King Louis XIV (1715), Hitler’s began the invasion of Poland (1939),

the Great Fire of London took hold of swathes of the capital (1666) and the treaty of Paris was signed to end the American Revolutionary War (1783), what were the people of Nottingham up to?

In September 1855, the first Nottingham Regatta was held at Colwick Water, with the first race of the event dubbed the ‘Gentlemen Amateur’s prize for paired oared boats’. The prize, not shared with the winning boat’s cox, was 2 gold pins valued at £2 2s. Nine other races took place, all of which had prize money up for grabs.

Nottingham’s old Forest Racecourse saw its last race run in September 1890, roughly 200 years after it witnessed its first. Long championed as one of the finest horse racing venues in the country, the 15,000 capacity venue stood at the every edge of the border with Sherwood Forest.

Three times Grand National winner, Arthur Nightingale, rode Sir Hamilton past the winning post to take victory on the course’s final event.

The city of Nottingham became a refuge for Queen Isabella as she fled a Scottish invasion of Yorkshire on 20th September 1319. While the English army were fighting in Berwick, Sir James Douglas launched the successful Scottish attack on the county of Yorkshire, defended by an untrained group of men and lead by the Archbishop of York.

When a ton of gunpowder exploded in Wilford Street Wharf in 1818, it caused significant damage to the majority of the buildings between Nottingham’s market place and the canal, as well as killing eight men and two young boys.

D.H. Lawrence One of Nottingham’s most famous sons, D.H. Lawrence, was born in Eastwood on 11th September 1885. The author, poet, playwright and essayist, who moved to London to begin his career, had 12 novels and 10 short stories published between 1912 and his death in 1930. A 250 seat theatre and gallery was opened at the University of Nottingham’s Lakeside Art Centre in 2001, named after the writer.

September 1878 saw the launch of Nottingham’s first public horse drawn tramcar. Travelling between St Peter’s Church and Trent Bridge, the route was operated by Nottingham and District Tramways Company Ltd.

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September 2011 saw Nottingham’s ‘The Screen Room’ enter the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s smallest cinema.

The 22 seat cinema, now named ‘Screen 22’ is on Broad Street in Nottingham’s city centre.

Nottingham has twice celebrated major successes in the Britain in Bloom competition during the month of September. 2007 saw the city winning the ‘Large City’ category while in 2008, Nottingham was named ‘Champion of Champions’ and received the prestigious Gold Award.

And finally...

In September 1752, rioting broke out when members of the public claimed they had 11 days stolen from them and demanded that they be returned. Britain adopted the Gregorian Calendar after dropping the Julian version. The 11 day leap forward meant that Nottingham’s Goose Fair was not held.

By David J Scotford

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Spotlight Magazine Magazine Spotlight

Puzzle Page

Crossword Clues Across 7 Mexican drink (7) 9 Wind instrument (5) 10 Range cooker (3) 11 Hired soldier (9) 12 Coach, instruct (5) 14 Anguish (7) 16 Buffer, protect (7) 18 Polishes, wipes (5) 19 Occasionally (9) 20 Glide over snow (3) 21 Fleshy fruit (5) 22 Barrel makers (7)

Quick Crossword

Down 1 Second-largest ocean (8) 2 Water (4) 3 Pilot, aviator (6) 4 Tenders, puts forward (6) 5 Absconders (8) 6 Fee, tariff (4) 8 Designed to reduce drag (11) 13 Make (8) 15 Most treacherous (8) 17 Contemplate, mean to (6) 18 Absolute ruler (6) 19 Drainage pan or pit (4) 20 Spore, germ (4)

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Spotlight Magazine

The Green Garden!

Install big water butts - Save as much rainwater as possible and deploy it with care. Water generously only where it’s needed, in the cool of the evening, to encourage deeper rooting. Mulch well.

Right plant, right place - For free-draining soil don’t plant thirsty plants which require a lot of water. If it’s clay, choose deeprooted, strong plants, like roses and hardy fuchsias, which will withstand dry periods where the ground bakes.If an established plant can’t survive on its own, it’s probably not the right plant for your plot.

Restrict chemical usage - Try nematodes for pest control. Encourage ladybirds for greenfly control by planting fennel, dill, white cosmos and scented geraniums.

Leave a wild patch - Build your own army of slug and bug killers. A pile of logs and fallen leaves and a patch of nettles will provide shelter for all manner of garden wildlife, including hedgehogs, ladybirds and beetles.

By Louise Addison

Ban peat - Peat bogs are an essential part of our eco system. Once they’re gone they’re gone forever. There is no excuse for buying peat-based products…ever. Use only peat-free composts, soil-improvers and mulches.

Recycle. Recycle. Recycle - Make a compost heap or buy a compost bin.

Re-use plastic and crock pots. String old cds and bottle tops over newly planted seedlings as bird scarers.

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Spotlight Magazine

Conkers

ost sources agree that the gloriously M eccentric game of conkers began in England, but conkers is also played in North America, Canada, Ireland and Switzerland.

Success in conkers relies on good equipment. Hence you need a good horse chestnut . The best are firm, uncracked and symmetrical. Drill through the centre and thread a shoelace through the hole, knotting it securely.

The aim is to smash your opponent’s conker with your own and if you achieve this, your conker becomes a one-er. From here it gets a bit more complicated. If it then smashes another one-er it becomes a two-er. If it then smashes a two-er it automatically becomes a four-er. If it then smashes a six-er it becomes a ten-er and so on. Still with me?

The rules of conkers are many and varied.

I rather like the one which states that if you drop your conker your opponent can yell ‘stamps’ and crush your conker with

his foot. If you yell ‘no stamp’ first, he’s not allowed to do this. Good luck with that one one in the heat of battle!

Dense conkers are best. If yours sinks in a bucket of water it’s a good one. Less legitimately include baking your conker in a low oven, soaking it in vinegar or coating it in nail polish are all guaranteed to improve your chances of success in open competition.

The official world conker championship is held annually in Ashton in Northamptonshire.

Contestants are not allowed to use their own conkers. They also dispense with the points rule mentioned earlier, and no-one is allowed to stamp on anyone else’s conkers, which surely takes some of the fun out of it.

In recent years the Health and Safety police have banned conkers in schools up and down the land. This is a shame and perhaps we should campaign to get conkers back into playgrounds as part of our rightful heritage.

By Tom Hancock

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Friday 17th and Saturday 18th October This will be a great weekend event to come and try some award winning Real Ales, Ciders and Perries.

There will be locally farmed Hog Roast, Award winning sausages and burgers, wood fired pizzas. PLUS a fantastic selection of cakes, cup cakes and more cakes.

We have national and regional bands playing a fantastic selection of music across the 2 days • Adventure activities for children • Festival day tickets from £10 • Camping and festival tickets from £15 per night • Children 15 and under get FREE entry into the festival Please go to the website or Facebook to buy your tickets. www.beerinthewood.org.uk Tel: 01623 860 202

Reusable Furniture Donations

We can collect household furniture, electrical items, bric-a-brac and clothing.

These are then delivered to those in need and will help to turn a house into a home for single people and families.

Furniture or Household items NOT Re-Usable If you items are not suitable for re-use, we can for a charge remove them for Recycling

Excess Stock Sales We have a wide range of household furniture and Bric-a-Brac for sale in our warehouse, open Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm. Saturday 9.30 am to 2.30pm.

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Member of the Furniture Reuse Network Registered Charity No: 119360 Tel: 01623 836410 E: recycle@thefurnitureproject.net Web:www.thefurnitureproject.net www.spotlightlocal.co.uk • 01623 706570 • info@spotlightlocal.co.uk

25

Spotlight Magazine

Stags Update

ur poor run of form continues, losing O four out of our last six fixtures. With the promising outlook during pre-season, I

was quietly confident we maybe a surprise package this season – I have quickly changed my mind. The abysmal football I have witnessed within the last couple of weeks is enough to put anyone off coming to watch the Stags; I can see why we have one of the lowest home attendances within the league – pushing the 3000 mark at best!

With a starting strike force of Ollie Palmer and Matt Rhead, no wonder hundreds were emitted into Kings Mill A&E complaining of neck issues. Not only does the football look dire, it’s the fact the ball rarely finds the back of the net.

Sat Wed Sat Tue Sat Sat

26

09-Aug 13-Aug 16-Aug 19-Aug 23-Aug 30-Aug

Hearn is proving to be a huge miss, his prolific goal scoring record during preseason enhanced Stags fans hopes.

We all knew he would be a gamble, and unfortunate for Stags fans we never get that ‘Mansfield Luck’.

Furthermore another massive blow is the loss of Sam Clucas, possibly one of our only effective attacking wide men - who could bag a goal or two.

Overall it’s been quite a disappointing couple of weeks at the Mill with everything coming in two’s; two wins, two strikers out and only attracting gates around the 2000 mark. On the brightside, at least we got to see the ‘One Call’ girls soaking John Radford and Paul Cox in their ALS ice bucket challenges.

Sam Dunville

Northampton Town Sheffield United Oxford United Newport County Dagenham & Redbridge Burton Albion

A A H H A H

L 1-0 L 2-1 W 2-1 W 1-0 L 2-0 L 1-2

5,202 7,929 3,042 2,448 1,558 2,966

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A

Self Preservation

utumn is the perfect time to start preserving. You can use home grown fruits or those you’ve foraged amongst the hedgerows. Preserving is relatively easy. Once the fruit has been picked, washed and prepared, you just need some simple equipment to turn it into marvellous produce.

You can get lots of advice from your local cook shop on what’s required, but some basics are: a large heavy based saucepan, spoons and funnels, a sugar thermometer, containers and jars, lids and labels.

The concept of preserving foods has been around since the earliest humans.

To survive, ancient man had to harness nature. In frozen climates he froze seal meat on the ice. In tropical climates he dried foods in the sun. Food by its nature begins to spoil the moment it is harvested.

So the ability to preserve food enabled ancient man to make roots, and live in one place and form a community.

Preservation with the use of honey or sugar was well known to the earliest cultures.

It was commonplace for fruits to be kept in honey. In ancient Greece quince was mixed with honey, dried and packed tightly into jars. The Romans cooked the quince and honey producing a solid texture. As

there’s not enough sunlight in Northern climates to successfully dry fruits, housewives learned to make preserves, heating the fruit with sugar, and this is the method we know today.

Whilst there is no longer a pressing survival reason for preserving, it can be very rewarding. As well as providing delightful food and drink for you to consume, you could also make your preserved fruits into lovely Christmas gifts. There are many possibilities including jams and marmalades, chutneys and pickles, and beverages such as sloe gin.

Many establishments run evening classes which can help you create these and many other fabulous recipes, such as fruit butter or fruit cheese.

When preserving, you should use fruits that are sun ripened, as the process will not improve green tasteless fruit.

Using fruit that has a high acid content is recommended, as it less likely to harbour bacteria. When filling jars, you should ensure they are hot as temperature drops will increase the likelihood of bacteria forming.

For the same reason, always cover your jars straight away and when the jars are cooled, you should recheck the seals and tighten lids to prevent any air entering and causing mould to form. Or you could use a waxed disc of paper and cellophane to act as a cover.

Keep your preserves in a cool, dark, dry place.

Chutneys and pickles can last for around a year, and fruit liqueurs and fruits in alcohol up to two years. Once opened, store in the fridge and use quickly.

By Susan Brookes-Morris

28

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Index Of Advertisers

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