Cambs dec 14

VILLAGER The

Issue 68 - December 2014

and Town

Life

LOCAL NEWS • LOCAL PEOPLE • LOCAL SERVICES • LOCAL CHARITIES • LOCAL PRODUCTS

Inside this issue

The Origin of Decorations

Woodland Wonderland

Win £100 in our Prize Crossword

Bringing Local Business to Local People

20,000 copies delivered to Buckden, Brampton, Cambourne,

Godmanchester, The Hemingfords, Eaton Socon, Bourn, Grantchester and all surrounding villages every month

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Contents East Anglian Windows and Doors

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A Victorian Christmas at St Neots...............................................4 Decorative Delights....................................................................6 Claiming Compensation & Out Of Pocket Expenses..................10 Bird of Prey Centre - Wilstead...................................................12 RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch.....................................................16 Keeping it Real.........................................................................19 A Woodland Wonderland.........................................................20 Ferry Meadows - Award Winning Playground..........................22 Get Crafty Kids.........................................................................25 East Anglian Windows and Doors.............................................26 The Christmas Countdown.......................................................28 Changing Shape.......................................................................31 Wills for Unmarried Couples.....................................................33 Anstee Gorst - Moving..............................................................34 Decisions Decisions..................................................................36 Many Happy Returns................................................................39

VILLAGER The

Issue 68 - December 2014

and Town

Life

LOCAL NEWS • LOCAL PEOPLE • LOCAL SERVICES • LOCAL CHARITIES • LOCAL PRODUCTS

Inside this issue

The Origin

of Decorations

Woodland Wonderland

Win £100 in our Prize Crossword

Bringing Local Business to Local People

20,000 copies delivered to Buckden, Brampton, Cambourne, Godmanchester, The Hemingfords, Eaton Socon, Bourn, Grantchester and all surrounding villages every month

ur Yo EE FRcopy

Andrew James Bathrooms.......................................................40 Pretty Killers............................................................................42 The Twelfth Day of Christmas...................................................48 Children’s Page.........................................................................51 Top Five Sports Cars..................................................................52 Christmas Spirit........................................................................54 Seasonal Delights.....................................................................56 Puzzle Page..............................................................................60 Party Politics............................................................................63 The Gambia..............................................................................64 Retro Sweets............................................................................66 What’s On.................................................................................68 Toys for Boys............................................................................71 £100 Prize Crossword...............................................................74 In the Garden...........................................................................76 Book Review............................................................................78

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Andrew James Bathrooms

20,000 copies delivered free of charge in the following areas: Hinchingbrooke, Hinchingbrooke Park, Brampton, Buckden, Offord Cluny, Offord D’arcy, Godmanchester, Hemingford Abbots and Hemingford Grey, Cambourne, Chawston, Croxton, Duloe, Graveley, Great Paxton, Hail Weston, Honeydon, Little Barford, Little Paxton, Eaton Socon, Bourn, Grantchester, Roxton, Southoe, Staploe, Tempsford, Toseland, Upper Staploe, Wintringham, Wyboston, Yelling.

(Further bulk drops are made to local shops and busineses in Huntingdon, St Neots, Eaton Ford, Eaton Socon and Eynesbury)

Editor - Catherine Rose Editorial - Peter Ibbett, Jonathan Vernon-Smith, Catherine Rose, Debbie Singh-Bhatti, Nooshin Hassan, Centre for Complementary Health, Leeds Day Solicitors, Fiona McLeman, Tony Larkins, Andy Mydellton, Gareth Arscott, Cromwell Vets, James Baggott, Nick Clare, Susan Brookes-Morris, Solange Hando and Bruce Edwards

Publishers Villager Publications Ltd 24 Market Square, Potton, Bedfordshire SG19 2NP Tel: 01767 261122 nigel@villagermag.com www.villagermag.com

Advertising Sales Nigel Frost - 01767 261122 - nigel@villagermag.com Photography - Catherine Rose, Bernard Ormrod, Kirill Kedrinski and Nigel Frost Design and Artwork Design 9 Tel 07762 969460

Disclaimer - All adverts and editorial are printed in good faith, however, Villager Publications Ltd can not take any responsibility for the content of the adverts, the services provided by the advertisers or any statements given in the editorial. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored without the express permission of the publisher.

History

A Victorian Christmas at St. Neots

By Peter Ibbett

Christmas in St. Neots will be a cheerful affair again this year with a change to Sunday afternoon attractions and an early evening switch on of updated lights to lift the spirits and encourage Christmas shopping. Victorian England in the guise of Prince Albert and Charles Dickens is credited with our ‘modern’ celebration of Christmas. The early 1850’s print of the Market Square takes us back to the regular illustration on Christmas cards of the ‘romantic turnpike’ era of coaching. Back in 1827 the Old Boston Coach changed horses at the Cross Keys, carrying a ‘breakdown load of three tons of Christmas fare; turkeys; geese; and game; piled to a great height and suspended from temporary rails so that no portion of the coach was visible except he wheels’! Its driver would have faced court action today over overloading his coach and cruelty to his horses! The Victorian Shops around the Market Square would have joined in the festivities by attempting to part locals from their money. Charles Dickens noted in one of his articles:Lavish profusion is in the shops: particularly in the articles of currants, raisins, spices, candied peel, and moist sugar. An unusual air of gallantry and dissipation is abroad; evinced in an immense bunch of mistletoe hanging in the greengrocer’s shop doorway, and a poor little

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Twelfth Cake, culminating in the figure of a Harlequin – such a very poor little Twelfth Cake, that one would rather call it a Twenty-Fourth Cake or a Forty-Eighth Cake – to be raffled for at the pastry cook’s, terms one shilling per member.

For those not so fortunate in the poor quality buildings on the fringe of town or in the back streets of Eynesbury there was no oven to cook a Christmas meal. Dickens takes Scrooge into the streets of the ordinary worker and his family:“Spirit,” said Scrooge submissively, “conduct me where you will.” Holly, mistletoe, red berries, ivy, turkeys, geese, game, poultry, brawn, meat, pigs, sausages, oysters, pies, puddings, fruit and punch, all vanished instantly. They stood in the city streets on Christmas morning. There emerged from scores of bye-streets, innumerable people, carrying their dinners to the baker’s shops … the thawed blotch of wet above each baker’s oven where the pavement smoked as if its stones were cooking too.

Visit St. Neots at Christmas with its wide range of shops and refreshments. Enjoy a walk by the river or drop into the museum or settle down in a comfortable cinema seat. Don’t forget to visit the welcoming parish church and imagine the centuries of Christmas celebrations that its stones have seen and will see in the future.

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Decorative Delights The origin of Christmas decorations

By Catherine Rose By the time you read this, many people will have already put up their Christmas decorations for the festive season. However, at one time, people would decorate their homes on Christmas Eve as it was considered unlucky to put them up any earlier.

It is still thought to be bad luck to take Christmas decorations down before or after the 12th day of Christmas or Twelfth Night (5th January). But before Victorian times, decorations would be left up until Candlemas which is on 2nd February - 40 days after Jesus’ birth.

Many of the origins of our Christmas decorations are pagan but were adopted by Christians.

The Bible does not mention the actual date of Jesus birth and it was Pope Julius I in around 300AD who decreed that Christmas Day (or Christ’s birthday) should be on 25th December.

The Midwinter Solstice on 21st December was already a celebration with feasting where homes were decorated with evergreens. The Vikings burned a Yule Log to ward off the devil on the night of the shortest day. Pope Julius therefore cleverly combined pagan feasting with Christian celebration. The word ‘yule’ is now connected with the festive season with the log represented as a cake.

Holly, which had previously been used as a decoration, became symbolic of the thorns that

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pierced Jesus’ crown and the berries of the blood he shed. Misteltoe, which the Druids regarded as sacred because it did not grow in the ground, was also adopted by Christianity with the white berries said to represent the purity of the Virgin. It came to be traditional to hang it in the doorway as a sign of peace and goodwill which is why a welcoming embrace or kiss under the mistletoe originated. By Victorian times, kissing under the mistletoe had become so popular, it came to be known as a ‘kissing bough’. Each time a gentleman stole a kiss under it, a berry would be pulled off. When there were no berries left, there could be no more kisses!

Christmas trees became popular in Victorian times and are sometimes attributed to an introduction by Prince Albert but in fact they had come over from Germany as early as the 1790s.

The Victorians popularised them however and they were traditionally decorated with candles, sweets and handmade ornaments of paper, wax, wire and blown glass, including strings of beads.

The tree would be topped with an angel, usually made of tin with a wax face, or star to symbolise the foretelling of the birth of Jesus. However, gingerbread baked with honey, and Christmas decorations made from the beeswax that was left over had been being sold in Christmas markets across Europe for 400 years.

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The first tinsel was made from real silver, stretched into very thin strips and paper chains became popular at this time. Woolworths is said to have been the first shop to sell Christmas tree ornaments in 1880 and the earliest electric Christmas tree lights were invented by Thomas Eddison around this time. By the 1930s, the first artificial trees become available.

It is believed that an English baker, Tom Smith, invented the Christmas cracker by taking a sweet, love motto and a strip of paper impregnated with a compound that ‘cracked’ when opened and wrapping it up. In time the wrapper was lengthened small novelty gifts replaced the sweet. The first Christmas crackers went on sale in London in 1847 and the love motto developed into a witty saying or joke penned by a team of writers. Walter Smith, Tom’s son, started including paper hats.

The Christmas card was also popularised during Victorian times and it was the first time that Father Christmas was shown wearing a red suit rather than a green one which was the traditional colour for Saint Nicholas or ‘Sinterklaas’ (hence our name ‘Santa Claus’), on whom Father Christmas is based. The first known card was made by Sir Henry Cole of the British Postal

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Service in 1843.

St Nicholas is also at the heart of the custom of hanging a stocking on the hearth or bedpost on Christmas Eve in the hope that it will be filled with presents the next morning. This custom originated in Holland around 400 years ago when children would put out wooden shoes next to the hearth on 5th December, the night traditionally associated with St Nicholas. The clogs would be filled with straw for St Nicholas’s horse and food hence our custom today for leaving out a carrot and a mince pie for Santa and his reindeer. As the custom spread across Europe, stockings started to be used instead. Some children would put out their pillowcase hence the origin of Santa’s sack.

Interestingly, the traditional mince pie was actually invented during medieval times. It contained 13 ingredients to represent Christ’s apostles that included spices, dried fruit and some minced mutton to represent the shepherds which is why the filling is still referred to as ‘mincemeat’.

Burning a candle to represent the countdown to Christmas is an Christian tradition and the advent calendar, with little doors and biblical pictures, originated in Germany. Today, advent calendars are usually filled with chocolate.

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Three Counties Radio

Claiming Compensation & Out of Pocket Expenses

By Jonathan Vernon-Smith

I HATE compensation! There, I said it! I hate it! In fact, I have made it my mission during the last 13 years that I’ve been presenting a consumer show on the radio, to put people off making such claims. If this shocks you then please read this article through to the end and you may understand my thinking.

To me, compensation in its real sense is when people look for a financial payment even though they have not suffered financially. For example: you buy a sandwich from the supermarket, get home and find a plaster in it.

Most of us would simply take the sandwich back and expect not only a heartfelt apology for the mistake, but also a replacement sandwich. There are however, an increasing number of people who would also want the supermarket to PAY them an amount of money for ‘emotional stress’. What a load of old greedy codswallop!

Why am I so against compensation? Well, it’s really very easy, it ends up costing everyone else money. Every time someone receives a compensation pay-out, somebody else has to pay for it - normally other customers.

It’s not free money! If a company has to pay £2 million pounds a year in compensation claims, then it will charge its other customers £2 million pounds to recoup the costs.

Sadly, loads of people are after it now. I get lots of calls every week from people saying ‘can JVS help me get compensation out of such and such’? Thankfully my team know my feelings and these callers rarely get on air.

You only have to observe the increase in the ‘no win no fee’ solicitors and those ghastly adverts that start with ‘Have YOU had an accident?’, to see what a thriving business claiming compensation is. Sadly, I think it will only get worse and before you know it, everyone will be suing everyone else for each simple mistake made in life. Incidentally, many of the ‘no win no fee’ solicitors charge an absolute fortune for the service they have provided you with in the event of a successful claim. You should always read the small print and understand exactly what you’re getting involved in before you sign a contract with them. A successful pay-out of £1000 doesn’t seem so good when the solicitor takes £800 and you find you’re liable for other charges.

So what SHOULD you claim for? Out of pocket expenses are, in my opinion, totally justifiable. But what’s the difference between out of pocket expenses and compensation?

It’s very simple - when a company makes a mistake which has a detrimental effect on you financially, I think it’s reasonable for them to pay for this. For example if you have to pay £20 for phone calls to a company to deal with a problem they have caused you, it is in my opinion totally reasonable to ask the company to reimburse you the cost.

If I was having a new boiler installed and the plumber dropped a spanner on my tiled kitchen floor, then I would expect him to pay for the cost of replacing the tiles. To me this is obvious and utterly understandable. Most importantly a judge would probably feel the same if it went as far as court.

Why is it important that we understand the difference between compensation and out of pocket expenses though? I’ll tell you why, because using the word ‘compensation’ very often antagonises companies. They have a keen radar waiting to sniff out greedy little consumers desperate to make a quick buck and are often quick to dismiss such claims even though there may be a justifiable complaint. My advice is to always ensure that you are only claiming for reimbursement of costs rather than looking to make a profit out of a problem and ALWAYS use the phrase ‘out of pocket expenses’ rather than the dreaded C word!

Jonathan Vernon-Smith not only offers you his consumer advice here but you can listen to The JVS Show tackling your consumer problems every weekday morning from 9am.

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Local News

The Bird of Prey Centre - Wilstead Formally based at Shuttleworth

The English School of Falconry Bird of Prey & Conservation centre is a family run business, owned by Phil, Maggie and Emma Gooden. The centre is home to over 200 birds of prey, varying in many different species of owls, hawks, eagles, falcons, vultures and even storks and pelicans!

The centre was based at Shuttleworth for 14 years, in September 2013 the family made the difficult decision to leave Shuttleworth and relocate to Herrings Green Farm, Wilstead Bedfordshire. In late September we started the massive task of building our new centre, by no means was moving 200 birds, numerous aviaries and weatherings going to be an easy job. Like the whole of the UK we were hit by one of the wettest winters, we all knew the move was going to be a difficult one but we did not anticipate what was about to come. Over the winter months we received storms, torrential rain, high winds and we were even hit by lightning twice.

July 2014 – The centre finally opened! I can’t begin the explain the relief it was to finally open our gates, seeing visitors in the centre was a strange feeling, the first flying display I could hardly contain my excitement that I forgot to talk about the owls and just went on and on about how happy we were to be standing here.

Looking Forward – The Bird of prey Centre is open 7 days a week during the Winter months from 10.00am to 4.00pm. Displays are at 11.30am and 1.30pm, both displays are different and include many species of owls, hawks, eagles and falcons. We offer our visitors the chance to handle the birds after the 11.30am display and the opportunity to fly an owl after the 1.30pm display.

We return to our Summer programme of events at February half term – see website for more details.

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An Experience!

This Christmas we are offering many different types of experiences and encounters; spend a morning flying and handling many different species of owls on our Owl Experience, go out hunting with our team of hawks for the day and enjoy a home cooked three course lunch on our Ultimate Hawking Day, a taster into birds of prey on our 2 hour experiences or treat the family to a half day encounter with the birds. With so many to choose from this Christmas visit www. birdsofpreycentre.co.uk for more experiences.

All come with an attractive gift voucher which is valid for 12 months, you fly the birds, you choose the date!

Visit our website www.birdsofpreycentre.co.uk for more information, call 01234 742362 or 01234 742766

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RSPB

Big Garden Birdwatch The worlds’ biggest garden wildlife survey is on its way...

The UK will once again be peering out of their windows for the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th January 2015, now in its 36th year.

The survey has provided information about the changes in numbers of garden birds in winter, and helped to alert conservationists to those species in decline like house sparrows, greenfinches and starlings.

The number of people taking part has grown considerably and now around half a million participants make it the world’s biggest garden wildlife survey.

To take part, families are asked to spend just one hour at any time over the Birdwatch weekend noting the highest number of each species seen in their gardens or local outside space. They are then asked to submit the results to the RSPB before 13th February 2015, either online at www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch or in the post.

This year, participants are being asked again to log some of the other wildlife they see in their gardens to help build an overall picture of how important our gardens are for giving wildlife a home.

Almost 7.5 million birds were counted in this years’ survey (January 2014) with the results showing greenfinch and starling continue to decline. For the first time however in Birdwatch history, the great spotted woodpecker made it into the top 20 and goldfinches swooped into the number seven spot.

You can register from 15th December 2014 for the Big Garden Birdwatch 2015 at www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch

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Time of Year

Keeping it Real!

By Debbie Singh-Bhatti

I live in a house that is divided. My husband loves real Christmas trees but in recent years I’ve talked him around to the artificial option, believing – incorrectly as it turns out – that a reusable tree is better for the planet than one that is chopped down and discarded after a few weeks.

Most artificial trees are made from PVC – one of the most non-renewable, polluting, unrecyclable materials around - and consequently their carbon footprint is ten times greater than that of real ones.

Shocked into realising that my fake tree is not the morally correct choice I thought, I’m now keen to join the six million Brits who opt for a real tree at Christmas.

Christmas trees spring up all over the place from late November and the quality varies greatly. Before you make your choice, do a bit of fact finding about its freshness. Ask where it was grown (UK produced trees are likely to be fresher), how long it has been in stock and when it was cut.

You can carry out a couple of tests yourself. Give the tree a firm tap on the ground or run a closed hand over its branches. If lots of needles fall off, chances are it’s not that fresh. You can also try bending the outer branches. They should be pliable - not brittle and dry – without discoloration.

Before leaving to make your purchase, measure

the height and width of your space and take a tape measure with you to check your tree. Most are trimmed to an 80% taper, which means that a 10 foot tall tree will measure 8 feet at the bottom.

You should also consider how you plan on decorating your tree. The three main species – spruce, fir and pine – all have their own characteristics. Spruces and firs have short needles whilst a pine’s are long. Pine branches tend to bend, making them unsuitable for heavier ornaments. Firs have lush branches and ornaments sometimes get lost in them.

The traditional British Christmas tree, the Norway spruce, is attractive but tends to drop its needles. An alternative is a “non-drop” variety like the popular Nordmann fir, which will last longer but is more expensive.

To care for your tree, cut off half an inch from the base of the trunk and place in a water-holding stand.

Position the tree away from sources of heat and keep it topped up with fresh water.

At present, 90% of real trees end up in landfill, so after Christmas is over try and recycle! By turning your tree into wood chippings or compost you will continue to do your bit for the environment.

Hopefully with this guide choosing the family tree will be a holiday highlight, not a headache!

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Well Being

A Woodland Wonderland

By Nooshin Hassan I had been looking forward to a tasty lunch followed by a lovely countryside walk. We’d had the tasty lunch: thick slices of seeded rustic bread and bowls of hearty warming soup, but the lovely walk was looking unlikely to happen.

Outside the French doors, the rain was pouring down and the skies were an endless grey. I tried to see the silver lining in that continuous sheet of cloud. We needed the rain so it was probably a good thing.

The rain eventually slowed to a drizzle but it still didn’t look inviting to head out. My friend had other ideas though (fuelled perhaps by her two young daughters running around the house and chasing after the dog). Rainy weather, she declared, was perfect for young kids who love muddy puddles. I couldn’t argue with that, so we donned our wellies and coats and grabbed as many umbrellas as we could find, driving a few minutes to Monks Wood.

As we stepped into the wood I already felt refreshed. The lush leafiness all around breathed life into the atmosphere and re-awakened my senses. We began to follow the route through the woodland, with a very inquisitive dog leading the way and two excitable young girls not far behind him. Something had carved deep ridges into the muddy trail, which proved excellent for providing large deep puddles just begging to be jumped in.

The damp foliage on the soil gave a slightly

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sweet, earthy fragrance that wafted in and out of our walk, and I embraced it, wanting to capture some of it and save it for another time to make me feel uplifted and refreshed again. Charmed by the peaceful, rich woodland, we lost our way a little and found ourselves ducking under fallen branches. Kids being kids, they each grabbed a broken branch and became instant explorers in this kingdom of overgrown undergrowth.

I smiled to myself, recalling times when my sister and I had done exactly the same thing, and I gave thanks that in this day of ‘virtual’ life, children can still find their own adventure with just a stick and the wildlife that surrounds us.

At the same time that we saw a clearing, signalling our re-discovery of the pathway, we also saw a pale stream of sunlight filtering through the trees. Gradually the sunlight became brighter, and as we reached the end of our walk the warm glow had found its way through all available spaces and portrayed the woodland in new shades of splendour.

As we left Monks Wood we saw others just about to enter. It was lovely to see them enjoying this natural beauty on our doorstep, especially now the sun was out but I felt lucky to have appreciated the wood in both grey skies and glorious sunshine. Life is doubly enjoyable if we can seek out the pleasure in less than perfect weather, and then enjoy the same pleasure when the sun shines.

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Local News

Award Winning Playground at Ferry Meadows Country Park ‘The most visited attraction in East of England’ The exciting new Otter Playground in Ferry Meadows Country Park has received a prestigious award at this year’s British Institute of Landscape Industries (BALI) awards ceremony.

Otter playground, a natural wooden play area, is located next to the visitor centre and café in Ferry Meadows. A meandering path travels through the playground taking children on a journey of discovery. With water and sand play, cradle swings, an oversized slide, hollow log, clambering bridge, tree den and swinging acorn pods, there is plenty to explore. The Trust worked closely with landscape architects Davies White to create a natural play area in keeping with the Park landscape.

Ferry Meadows Country Park has been officially rated as the ‘most visited free attraction in the East of England’ according to data gathered by Visit England. Achieving a rating of ‘Very Good’,

this means that the park has retained its Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Scheme badge for the second year running.

With further improvements planned, Teresa Wood, head of visitor services responded: “We are delighted with both these accolades from Visit England and I remain confident that the park continues to provide a high quality visitor experience. Our recent visitor survey demonstrated that 100% of our visitors rated the park as ‘excellent’, ‘very good’ or ‘good’.

The Trust has listened to visitor comments in recent years and the improvements are a direct result of visitor feedback. www.neneparktrust.org.uk

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Treatment of common foot disorders in the comfort of your own home Professional treatment includes: • Callus reduction • Corn removal • Toe nail trimming • Fungal/thickened toe nail treatment • Cracked heel reduction • Athletes foot treatment

For further enquiries call Sam on:

01480 819 453 M. 07715 085 131 T.

Samantha Craig BA Hons, SAC Dip FHPT, SAC Dip FHPP, MRFHP

Acupuncture FOR WELL-BEING

Judy obtained her Licentiate in Acupuncture, and B.A (Hons) degree in Traditional Acupuncture, from the College of Traditional Acupuncture, Warwickshire. Judy is a passionate believer in the positive benefits, on both physical and emotional levels, that may be obtained from receiving acupuncture treatment. Acupuncture originated in China and other far eastern cultures where it still features in mainstream healthcare, both as a stand-alone therapy and in combination with conventional western medicine. Judy has been trained as a classical Five Element Acupuncturist; treatment is aimed at the root cause of your condition as well as your main symptoms. This approach helps with resolving your problem and enhancing your feelings of wellbeing. You may notice other niggling problems resolve as your main health complaint improves. Judy continues to pursue her belief in excellence of care for her patients in her role as a dedicated acupuncture practitioner, and is a member of the British Acupuncture Council.

Please contact Judy for a free 20 minute consultation to discuss how acupuncture treatment can help you.

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23

Maintaining a quality of life and independence that you and your loved ones deserve We can help you with:Companionship – visiting your loved ones Check calls – Peace of mind knowing all is well Accompany to appointments – GP & hospital Meal preparation – breakfast, lunch and dinner Sitting service – do you need time out?

Pet assistance – dog walking, vet visits, feeding Domestic house keeping

To discuss a personalised solution

Please call 01489 384128

Email: Alison@solo-assist.co.uk

Solo Assist 1/4 page advert.indd 1

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05/11/2014 13:34

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Craft

Get Crafty Kids!

By Debbie Singh-Bhatti

Every Christmas as a child I received a new colouring book and set of crayons with which I spent many happy hours sprawled on the living room floor colouring in the pictures.

As the years progressed, the colouring book was replaced with a series of craft sets, and I remember one year spending ages knitting an extremely long scarf!

Crafting helps children to develop their imagination, express themselves and explore new ideas or concepts. The creative process brings feelings of satisfaction and pleasure, and builds children’s confidence in their ability to make their own decisions and choices.

Crafting is a great way to learn how to solve problems, follow directions and develop skills such as cutting, measuring, gluing and sewing.

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It can also give family members the chance to spend quality time together in a shared activity.

Christmas offers children the opportunity to hand make gifts for friends and family members. From home-baked treats to a painted plant pot or a decorated photo frame, there is no end to the possibilities.

Craft sets also make ideal stocking fillers and promise hours of entertainment. Loom bands are extremely popular right now, knitting is enjoying a revival, finger puppets are always lots of fun and card-making, jewellery kits and scrap books are guaranteed winners. You could also consider science and modelling kits.

Have fun getting crafty this Christmas!

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East Anglian

Windows and Doors

Our new Trade / DIY counter will be opening on 5th January 2015 Before

Mr & Mrs Wright Trusting a supplier with large sums of your money and the structure of your property is not easy. In my case East Anglian Windows and Doors repaid that trust with interest. We have been delighted with guidance they provided, the quality of the product and the workmanship.

They take great pride in what they do and it shows in the end result. We now have a wonderful room that we use all year round and will cost us little in heating. It is truly beautiful.

John Wright Milton Keynes

After

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After

Before

Mr & Mrs Cox We just had one fitted by Dave and Scott and we couldn’t be more pleased with it. The product is first class and although we were concerned that it may make the room too dark, it seems brighter than when it had the normal conservatory roof. We have already been able to use it on the hottest days this year which was impossible before it was fitted and we are looking forward to being able to fully use it in the Winter as it is better insulated than the rest of the house. The new roof has turned the conservatory into a proper room! An excellent product fitted by a professional team. Recommended to anyone.

Brian Cox, Rushden

EAST ANGLIAN WINDOWS & DOORS

Showroom: The Conservatory Village, Great North Road, Little Paxton PE19 6EN Trade Counter: Unit 2, Little End Road Industrial Estate, Vulcan Way, Little End Road, Eaton Socon PE19 8TS

We also take an active part in the local community by sponsoring the local U16 football team, Little Paxton Colts

Tel: 01480 216677 Email: info@eastanglianroofline.co.uk or info@eastanglianguardianroof.com www.eastanglianroofline.co.uk www.eastanglianguardianroof.com 27

Complementary Health

The Christmas Countdown

Centre for Complimentary Health

As part of the Christmas countdown, Jane Morris, Owner of the Centre for Complementary Heath shares a few timely tips to keep you healthy this Christmas.

Safe shopping: Most of us hit more shops in the weeks leading up to Christmas than for the rest of the year, so remember to wear comfortable shoes on your shopping expeditions. As we are often tempted to overload ourselves with shopping bags make sure you balance the bags evenly in each hand and avoid carrying too many at a time.

It’s best to make an extra trip back to the car than putting your back out.

Keep safe online: You may decide to give the shops a wide berth and stay at home to do your shopping in the comfort of your own home. Even online shopping can be hazardous for your back – so to keep you back safe at your computer make sure that you are sitting comfortably. Your feet need to be flat on the floor, your bottom should be positioned at the back of your seat, your shoulder-blades touching the seat back, your arms should be relaxed with your elbows at desk level and your spine must be supported.

Happy party time: For us ladies that usually means heels! If you’re planning on wearing your killer heels then we offer you one word to remember – “Posture”. To give your back as much support as possible keep your knees soft, your ear, shoulder, hip and knee aligned and your tummy muscles contracted. If the heels get too much ditch them in favour of a flat shoe.

Take care of yourself: To take some of the stress from the festive period try and plan ahead where possible and delegate as this will focus the mind. Set yourself cut off points where you can relax whether a deadline on Christmas Eve to stop and take stock or a 30 minute break on Christmas day to go for a walk. Throughout this period ensure that you drink plenty of water as a hydrated brain copes better and also limit caffeine consumption as this can artificially add to stressful feelings as it produces cortisol.

So keep safe and healthy this Christmas but if you are suffering any aches and pains why not come and see us at the Centre where we can help you.

More info: Phone: 01480 455221 Website: www.CentreForCompHealth.com Email: info@CentreForCompHealth.com 28

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29

Jill Dighton

BSc (Hons) MBACP, UKCP Reg.

Cambridgeshire Foot Clinic

Counselling Service

Podiatry/Chiropody Yvonne Siudak

BSc (Hons.) MChs, HPC Registered

Depressed? Anxious?

Relationship Issues?

Low Self Esteem?

Podiatrist / Chiropodist Private Podiatry / Chiropody Care in Cambridge, UK A comprehensive service for all your foot care needs

Have you considered Counselling sessions?

Based in Grafham village, I offer a professionally qualified Counselling Service to individuals and couples in a secure, confidential & non-judgemental atmosphere.

Ample parking.

Hard Skin • Corns • Nail Cutting Ingrown Toe Nails • Fungal Nail Infections General Foot Care • Verrucae Treatment • Laser Treatment • Diabetic Assessments • Biomechanical Assessments Full details of our specialist treatments are available, call Yvonne for an appointment:

Cambridgeshire Foot Clinic

20 Chesterton Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB4 3AX. Tel: 01233 358 431 Mob: 07562 748 352 E: yvonne@yourfootclinic.co.uk

www.yourfootclinic.co.uk Also Bedfordshire Foot Clinic Tel: 01767 681 704

Concessionary rates available.

For further details: Visit: www.jilldightoncounselling.co.uk Email: j.dighton@hotmail.co.uk Tel: 07925 852 985 (Voicemail available)

Divine Alignment

Holistic Treatments

Are you, or someone you love stressed? Tense?

Do you have aches and pains? Do you want someone to talk to?

Are you finding family and friends are no longer helping you with the above?

If so, I can help with various holistic treatments to improve your overall well-being.

Call Debbie today for an appointment either by: Tel: 01480 462 593 Mob: 0797 266 8739 or e-mail: debzfree@gmail.com Situated in Wyton, Huntingdon

Price List (Fully qualified and insured): Coaching (relationship / career advice / stress / Addictions) £40 1 hour Swedish Massage £30 1 hour (incl: back, shoulders, face, neck, legs and feet, arms and hands) Swedish Massage (incl:back/neck /shoulders/ arms) £15 30 minutes Pedicure with foot massage (excl: nail painting) £20 45 minutes Indian Head Massage (incl: face, head and neck) £15 30 minutes Indian Head Massage (incl: head, face, neck, shoulders and arms) £20 45 minutes Reiki (Healing for the body, mind and soul) £30 1 hour Receive 25% discount for first appointments Discounts also available for referrals, vouchers and loyalty discounts

Website: http://sites.google.com/site/divinealigntreatments 30

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History

The history of women’s underwear

Changing Shape The first issue of The Villager featured an article advising women on how to choose the most flattering bra and knickers to suit their figure.

In keeping with the centenary spirit, Catherine Rose takes a peek in the drawer at the history of women’s underwear.

For hundreds of years, women have attempted to change their body shape using underwear to hold them in or up, or to enhance or reduce their curves in accordance with the fashion of the time.

Our modern concept of underwear didn’t really exist until the 19th century. In medieval and Elizabethan times, women would wear a linen or cotton shift under their dress coupled with hose or stockings that came up to just over the knee and were secured by a garter.

A corset, stiffened with whalebone, would be worn next. During this era it was fashionable to have a fairly flat chest with a small waist and wide hips so the corset would flatten the breasts and clinch the waist.

Wealthy women would tie pads of fabric called rowles around their waist or use a farthingale to create wide ‘upholstered’ hips beneath a full skirt: some even incorporated pieces of wood! Hooped petticoats were also worn.

During the Victorian era, the hourglass figure came into fashion and longer corsets were used that supported the bust.

Pulled tightly in with laces, they could give a woman a waist of 18 inches or below although as a result it was not uncommon for them to cause fainting due to lack of oxygen! The derriere was now seen as

something to be emphasized and consequently, the bustle – another structured undergarment – was also worn over long pantaloons.

The brassiere or bra as it is now known is said to have been invented in 1913 by a New York socialite named Mary Phelps Jacob who made a supporting undergarment out of two silk handkerchiefs and a pink ribbon after she found that her corset showed beneath a sheer evening gown she wanted to wear.

During the 1920s and 30s however, bras were irrelevant as post-war underwear went through a radical change when women cut both their hair and hemlines. The fashion for a boyish dropwaisted look meant that women bandaged their breasts or wore a garment called a side-lacer which flattened the bust. By this time, knickers were being worn.

The 1960s was the decade that nylon tights became widely available, largely replacing stockings.

These days, women can buy lightweight shapewear that claims you can drop at least a dress size and many brands are virtually seam-free like a second skin. There are also tights available that claim to be able to slim your legs or lift your bottom, as well as uplift bras designed to add a bit more cleavage to what nature gave.

Of course, old fashioned corsets are still around for the traditional girl and burlesque lover, the difference being they are often worn without anything else on top!

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31

Word Ladder

Change one letter at a time (but not the position of any letter) to make a new word - and move from the word at the top of the ladder to the word at the bottom, using the exact number of rungs provided.

D I S H

ŠPuzzlepress.co.uk

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B O W L

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Leeds Day Solicitors

Wills for Unmarried Couples Unmarried partners living together can be leaving each other unprovided for if they do not make wills.

Many people believe that unmarried couples have similar legal rights to married couples, or consider themselves to be ‘common law’ spouses. However, under current legislation, unmarried couples (whether of the same or different sexes), do not have any automatic legal rights if one of them dies, regardless of the length of time that they have lived together or whether they have children together.

As a result, if one party dies without a Will then his or her estate will be divided according to the Intestacy Rules. The Intestacy Rules make no provision for an unmarried partner to receive any share in an estate and the deceased’s estate will instead pass to his or her children, parents, siblings or other relatives.

If you own a property (or a share of a property held in joint names) you should consider whether you want your partner to inherit your share of that property, or whether you wish it to pass to somebody else. If you have children, you may wish to provide for those children to benefit from your share in the property, whilst also enabling your partner to continue living in the house rent free until he or she has also died or moved out.

Your Will can be prepared to ensure the survivor’s occupation of the property is protected, whilst also making provision for your children in the future.

Difficult situations There are a number of difficult situations that can arise when someone has not made a will. The most common occur when: • You are still legally married but separated. If you are separated but not yet divorced from your husband, wife, or civil partner, they will inherit the bulk of your estate.

• You have children and a partner but are not married. If you have children (and are not married, or are divorced) your whole estate will be divided between your children.

Huntingdon Godwin House, George Street, Huntingdon, PE29 3BD T: 01480 454301

• You have step-children. All your biological and adopted children are treated equally in the eyes of the law, so they will all inherit from you whether they are from a current or previous relationship.

Your partner’s children (unless you have legally adopted them) will not inherit from you, no matter how much you think of them as “yours”.

• You have not appointed a guardian. If you have children under the age of 18, and are the only person with Parental Responsibility for them, you need to appoint a guardian. If you don’t do this, it will be very hard for people to know what you wanted to happen. Your family and friends may not see eye to eye over what to do and your children could end up being raised by someone you wouldn’t have chosen.

• You have a property and mortgage together with your partner. You and your partner are jointly and severally liable for the mortgage.

If you haven’t made a Will your partner will have to pay the mortgage but your share in the property may pass to your nearest living relatives. If you want to protect your partner from having to find a new home after your death you need to make a Will.

It can often be helpful to discuss the issues relevant to each individual, in order to establish the best way to make provision for all concerned.

We can advise you in an appropriate and practical manner and ensure that your wishes are recorded in your Will.

Please contact us on 0844 567 2222 by email at wills@leedsday.co.uk or visit our website www.leedsday.co.uk if you would like to discuss your requirements.

Our offices: St. Ives 11 Station Road, St. Ives, Cambridgeshire PE27 5BH T: 01480 464600

Visit our new community www.beds-local.co.uk

St. Neots 1A South Street, St. Neots, Cambridgeshire, PE19 2BW T: 01480 474661 33

Anstee Gorst

Moving!

After spending 20 years building up an excellent reputation as Chartered Certified Accountants in Gamlingay, Anstee Gorst are very pleased to announce that due to their growing business they have relocated their main offices to Unit 4, Colmworth Business Park in Eaton Socon.

Although they will continue to provide services to Gamlingay and the surrounding areas and have retained a local office, they are now also looking forward to expanding their existing St Neots area clientele.

Anstee Gorst can offer a combined 50 years of practice experience in dealing with small businesses, personal taxation and HMRC and would be delighted to welcome businesses of all sizes and from all sectors as well as individuals as new clients.

Their approachable and friendly team offer a wide range of services, including payroll, bookkeeping,

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preparation of statutory accounts, personal tax returns and general tax planning advice.

They also offer a training and hot desk facility to help businesses with their bookkeeping which can not only reduce year end costs but can help clients to understand and review their accounts as they go along.

By using clear language and quick responses to queries Anstee Gorst’s friendly service encourages clients to keep in touch during the year so that they can offer insight and help and quickly spot any areas and schemes that could be taken advantage of to save money.

Anstee Gorst offer a free initial consultation, to make an appointment please contact the offices on 01480 214423 or email office@ansteegorst.co.uk.

If you would like further details please visit their website at ansteegorst.co.uk

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Anstee Gorst

Chartered Certified Accountants

- Accounts preparation for Sole traders, Partnerships and Limited Companies - Self assessment tax returns - Cash Flow Forecasting - Vat, Payroll & Bookkeeping - Business Start Up Free Initial Consultation Phone: Antoinette Gorst ACCA or Sally Anstee FCCA 01480 214423 Ground Floor Offices, Unit 4 Eaton Court Colmworth Business Park, Eaton Socon St Neots, Cambs PE19 8ER Email: office@ansteegorst.co.uk Website: www.ansteegorst.co.uk

Everyone at The Villager would like to wish all our readers and advertisers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

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35

Family Law

Decisions, Decisions

By Fiona McLeman

Divorce and family solicitors tend to report an increase in new client enquiries after family holidays such as in the New Year (after the Christmas school holiday) and early September (after the Summer school Holiday). But how do you decide which lawyer to represent you if you end up on the path to relationship breakdown?

The best place to start is to ask those you trust.

Friends and family may have used a solicitor before, or may have friends and family who can give their personal seal of approval. Have a look at the firm’s website. Does it give you the right feel?

Does it look as if you will feel comfortable with the lawyer and how they say they work?

Whether the lawyer is recommended or not, call the lawyer for an initial chat. A good lawyer will be prepared to have an initial chat with you at no cost. If they are too busy or not prepared to take your call at that early stage, rethink if you want to be a client of that lawyer?

Perhaps meet a couple of lawyers before making a decision. Most family solicitors offer a free initial meeting. Sometimes this can be limited to 30 minutes or one hour, or some lawyers charge a fixed cost for the first meeting. This is an excellent opportunity to get some practical and sensible advice, as well as meet the lawyer for the first time without the anxiety of being presented with a bill before you have made a decision about your future and any work has got under way. The lawyer should also be able to give you a good idea at that stage about the work involved and the costs, and help you weigh up your options.

Prepare for that first meeting by drawing up a list of questions, and perhaps email details of your situation to the lawyer ahead of time. This will also save valuable time and allow you to use the meeting to focus on the main issues, rather than treating it as a fact finding session.

The national family lawyers’ organisation www.resolution.org.uk is an excellent website where you will find lots of helpful information about family law, and family lawyers. Central to Resolution’s philosophy is to help clients in relationship breakdown in an amicable and constructive way. This is how any good family work will do their job. The website contains a ‘find a lawyer’ resource, as well as details of those lawyers who are accredited as specialists in certain specialist fields. www.legal500.com and www.chambersandpartners.co.uk are also widely used directories that survey lawyers nationwide and rate the lawyer in geographical and specialism sectors. Using these directories is a good opportunity to back up what you have seen and heard before making your final decision as to who to instruct.

Your lawyer is going to support you as you move forward with your life. As with making any choice about important things in life, it’s just as critical to do the research before making the right choice that will affect you and your family.

Fiona McLeman Tel: 07894 095775 www.fmfamilylaw.co.uk 36

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Dedicated support for clients in relationship breakdown:

• • • • •

Separation Financial Settlements Change of Name Prenuptial Agreements Mediation

• • • • •

Divorce Living together agreements Adoption Children issues Collaborative family law

Fiona McLeman Family Law is accredited by Resolution and the Solicitors Regulation Authority as a Specialist in Family Law. For a free initial consultation contact Fiona:

fiona@fmfamilylaw.co.uk, 07894095775, www.fmfamilylaw.co.uk Regus House, 1010 Cambourne Business Park, Cambourne CB23 6DP Visit our new community www.beds-local.co.uk

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RECRUITING ON-CALL FIREFIGHTERS AT ST. IVES AND HUNTINGDON FIRE STATIONS Do you want the opportunity to work as a team protecting your local community?

Do you live or work within 5 minutes of your local fire station?

Do you have a good level of fitness?

On-call Firefighters are a vital part of today’s Fire and Rescue Service. They provide an efficient and effective service that gives emergency cover to local communities. As an On-call Firefighter you would carry a pager. When you are on-call you remain within 5 minutes of the station and respond to emergency incidents as and when they happen.

We ask for a commitment of at least 49 hours per week (on average), this could be during the night, at weekends, during the day or a combination of all.

You would receive an annual wage to reflect the time you commit plus additional payments for attending drill nights and incidents.

We also offer: • Paid holiday • Pension • Opportunities for progression • An Employee Assistance Programme For an application pack and further information please visit our website www.cambsfire.gov.uk/Recruitment or contact Recruitment on 01480 444500/ recruitment@cambsfire.gov.uk.

Come along to one of our Recruitment Information Evenings taking place on Monday 1 December at Huntingdon Fire Station and Wednesday 3 December at St Ives Station to find out more.

We are also recruiting for On-call Firefighters across Cambridgeshire.

We are committed to achieving fairness and equality in employment and service delivery. Therefore we welcome suitably skilled applicants from all parts of the community, including applicants of Black and minority ethnic origin as we are currently under-represented by these groups.

RECRUITING THE BEST

Vendacup

(Vending Solutions) Ltd

Vending Specialists to Business and Industry

LEASE OR BUY OPTIONS AVAILABLE

Wanting convenient hot/cold drinks at the push of a button?

Consider a vending machine for your business to: Prevent mess in the kitchen, Save production time, Enjoy free delivery within 24 hours, Choose from a wide variety of tasty quality drinks We have a large selection of commercial or office vending machines to suit your needs Service and maintenance options available.

Call us today on free phone: 0800 999 8287 or e-mail info@vendacup.com for a free quotation 24 Warren Close, Wyton, Huntingdon, Cambs, PE28 2AW www.vendacup.com

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Many Happy Returns

Interest rates look set to be low for much longer than expected on both sides of the ocean. This is caused by inflation and pay rises remaining low.

These factors are resulting in issues for people who have fixed term investments maturing with no sensible replacement available – so what to do?

Individual shares are high risk unless you know what you are doing; just look at Tesco. You usually need a bit of luck and the right timing to successfully invest in the stock markets, but a balanced portfolio can usually help reduce any downside.

I have mentioned before that our investment team have produced some of the best returns in the UK. So I will not dwell on this, except to say you need to constantly review holdings and decide whether poor returning cash funds should be considered for an investment into a low risk portfolio. Our other low risk investment has returned 5% over the last year.* An often over-looked option is to switch old cash ISA’s to equity ISAs because they do not count towards your annual allowance; premium bonds and other national savings products may also be

Beacon Wealth Tony Larkins CFP APFS Managing Director IFA Chartered and Certified Financial Planner

appropriate. *Past performance is not an indicator for future performance This week a client asked us to review a proposal they had received from a large investment company, because the returns looked too good to be true. As I have said before if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. In this case the long term returns were very good, but they failed to mention the short term, surprise surprise – we now have a new client.

Theodore Roosevelt said, “To make a success of old age you need to start young” and Lao-tzu said, “a journey starts with one step.”

If you want to maximise returns whilst keeping a check on risk, ask your adviser to review your holdings and remember if they have discretionary status and an active management stance you should benefit from improved returns. To receive the return you want you have to take action.

You should always seek qualified advice from an IFA, preferably a Certified (CFP) or Chartered Financial PlannerCM (APFS). If you have a financial question, e-mail: tlarkins@beaconwealth.co.uk

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39

Local Business

Andrew James Bathrooms Four years ago Charlie Surbey became managing director of his father John’s long established and well respected plumbing supplier’s business, Cambridge Discount Heating and Plumbing situated in the city centre. He has now turned it into a successful mid to high end quality bathroom supplier and installer – Andrew James Bathrooms. Catherine Rose spoke to him about the company and the latest trends in bathroom design.

When Charlie took over John Surbey’s 30-yearold business in the heart of Cambridge, he had to move away from supplying just fixtures and fittings for the plumbing trade and develop the company into one that could not only design and supply the whole bathroom but fit them too, as trying to compete as a small independent with companies such as Screwfix just wasn’t feasible.

He retained almost all the staff and consequently, they are highly experienced in the industry with one member having been there for the whole 30 years and another for 10. The shop was renamed after two of the staff members.

Using a carefully selected group of trusted

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suppliers, several only sell through them and therefore a lot of Andrew James’ products are exclusive. One such selection is from Merlyn Showers. “Merlyn has a brilliant range that covers all price brackets” says Charlie. “And they’ve just introduced some new stone flush-to-floor trays along with fixed mirror doors on showers which look great.”

Charlie is seeing people increasingly taking out baths to replace them with walk- in showers that have flush-to-floor trays which look stylish and are practical. Today’s bathroom designs are innovative with a wider range of options than ever before from traditional free standing baths to the most contemporary looks.

In Cambridge, because of the older Regencystyle houses, the company has found that roll top radiators, exposed valves and nickel accessories are selling well. These give a bathroom an ‘old fashioned’ look while actually being state-ofthe-art fittings. Andrew James also has a big selection of free standing baths, many blending the modern and traditional, giving an old look but with clean lines using the latest technology.

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The advantage with this merging of styles is that today’s bathrooms can look great in both an old house and a contemporary setting. Andrew James uses suppliers such as the German company Bette Baths and Kaldewei which are at the top end of bathroom design, supplying steel enamel products. Gone are the days of plastic ‘avocado’ baths. Today’s customers can buy sanitaryware in porcelain, steel enamel and even beautifully polished stone.

“We have seen a drop in the amount of acrylic baths sold” says Charlie “although we still supply them if that is what a customer wants. The benefits of steel enamel far outweigh the plastic alternative. Today there are a new generation of reinforced acrylic baths which means they don’t scratch and bend like the old ones and are more stable, but they still don’t come close to steel enamel.”

Andrew James caters for the whole bathroom market and will do everything from an initial onsite survey to a full 3D pre-design service, which is free to their customers, supply and installation.

“We will take on everything including lighting and electrics, extractor fans, flooring and, if necessary, decorating” explains Charlie. “At the survey, we will measure and make sketches.

We will then take the drawing and put it into a 3D CAD programme so people can see what their bathroom will look like. This service is free. From there, we will quote for supply and installation but also supply only. We try to give our customers a choice and make the process of

getting a new bathroom as easy as possible. We pride ourselves on our customer service.”

Andrew James uses several trusted and experienced installation teams and currently, the shop is booking into January.

They also supply floor and wall tiles using an Italian manufacturer. “We stock five ranges with four or five choices in each” explains Charlie.

“They are top quality and work with everything we do. We have had sales of purely tiles.”

The shop is constantly updating its pods and displays to reflect the current trends and Andrew James hopes to expand the company in the future to have multiple showrooms, possibly in St Ives and Huntingdon, but their main presence will always be in Cambridge.

“People aren’t moving house as much any more and are investing their money in kitchens and bathrooms” says Charlie. “But if they do decide to sell, they will get their money back as features like a walk-in shower and underfloor heating make a house far more saleable.”

Andrew James Bathrooms

300-302 Mill Road, City Centre, Cambridge CB1 3NL Tel: 01223 211970

www.andrewjamesbathrooms.com Visit our new community www.beds-local.co.uk

41

Wildlife

Pretty Killers Most children are fond of ladybirds and usually continue loving the colourful creatures for many years into adulthood. But despite their benign and friendly reputation they are mass killers and voracious predators, as hostile to their prey as anything we witness on the Serengeti. Whilst ladybirds are hardly mega fauna such as lions, they are still deadly carnivores in their own diminutive horizon.

I fell in love with ladybirds when I was a child and first explored the natural world near ‘Laurie Lee’ country, the Cotswolds. All around our village the meadows and hillsides were normally full of wild flowers such as cowslips, buttercups, dandelions and daisies, which in those days, we took for granted. All sorts of flying insects made our playing fields - unkempt areas of grass and ‘sward’ - their home.

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By Andy Mydellton

Ladybirds are tortoise shell-like beetles. There are about 5,000 worldwide species. Some of Britain’s 40 species of ladybird are hard to identify without specialist help, although many can be distinguished relatively easily. For example the common two spot is widespread and grows up to 4mm in length. Individuals vary greatly but usually have one black spot on each red shell, or elytra, which they open out to fly. Most confusingly however, some two spot ladybirds can have more than two spots with some of them having black shells with four or six red spots. These winter individually or in small groups in either leaf litter or in covered areas close to the ground.

Another common type is the larger seven spot ladybird which often hibernates in garden sheds or tree bark. They usually emerge in spring so that they can lay their eggs in good time to hatch in the following summer months. The adult female

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SAW GARDEN SERVICES

‘At The Cutting Edge’

Providing Fencing, Decking Lawn & Hedge Services • All types of Fencing & Gates supplied & erected • Decking installed/repaired • Turfing & Lawn Seeding • Hedge Cutting • Fully Licensed Waste Carrier • Full Liability Insurance

All Seasons

Garden & Property Maintenance

Some Services We Provide

Grass/Hedge-cutting, Turfing, Patios, Fencing Ground Preparation, Sheds/Conservatory Bases Repair Work - Internal/External Painting - Internal/External Clearances, Cleaning/pressure cleaning

No job too small

Call for a FREE estimate:

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E: simon@sawgardenservice.co.uk

Mob: 07896668976 / Home: 01480 383605 Email: all_seasons123@hotmail.co.uk Find us on Facebook Located:St Neots

01767 651 962 / 07762 096 089 www.sawgardenservice.co.uk

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Please call Nick

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chooses to lay her eggs on or near a prolific aphid colony, so that when the eggs hatch their prey is guaranteed. The larvae will eat hundreds of aphids in about three weeks before they pupate and change into a beautiful flying beetle.

Other species include the 22 spot ladybird, which are only two to three millimetres long. The 14 spot ladybird is only slightly larger. These yellow and black ladybirds are generally not as common or as striking as the red ones, although just as beautiful.

One reason why ladybirds have such striking colours is that they are a defence mechanism: a common occurrence in the natural world. It is a warning to predators that while they can be seen and caught, they do not taste nice. In this way only a few ladybirds are sacrificed to birds every year which allows the rest to continue their lives without fear of predation.

However, the rarer species of ladybirds in Britain must be actively protected otherwise we will lose some of them and therefore be robbed of some of our precious biodiversity. Disconcertingly there is another threat which has unveiled itself in recent years, which could harm most, if not all British species.

The Harlequin ladybird is an invasive creature from Eastern Asia. It is larger than British ladybirds, looking more like a conventional beetle. But as well as eating aphids, they prey on other, smaller ladybirds.

While some creatures not native to Britain add to our biodiversity, like many conservationists, I dislike and do not welcome invasive species, which are feral creatures dangerous to indigenous wildlife.

Many conservationist organisations, including the Wildlife Trusts and the Foundation for Endangered Species would like to receive information about the Harlequin ladybird’s presence. They can then be monitored in any one locality, helping our indigenous ladybirds remain free from their damaging predation.

Caring gardeners and wildlife enthusiasts can act as a kind of wildlife ‘amateur policeman’ and with programmes such as Springwatch, where viewers gather information about their local wildlife and send it to the appropriate conservation groups, or where people participate in local wildlife activities, a much clearer picture can be painted, resulting in better outcomes.

Another way of directly helping ladybirds is by buying or making a ladybird cum lacewing box.

These are practical homes for many species depending on where the box is situated.

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Generally speaking, lacewings prefer the box lower to the ground, while many ladybirds have a liking for them to be higher up.

After I placed my own box on the house wall, I noticed a sharp increase of ladybird numbers in the garden, and in particular on the stinging nettle patch which I allowed to grow. Whilst I cannot recommend growing nettles to all gardeners, especially those with children, I can report that I once counted nearly twenty ladybirds including six different species.

When I see a Harlequin ladybird, I act to stifle the danger it poses and encourage as many native species as possible. Why? Because I feel the same as many other people probably do, that ladybirds are just as beautiful now as they always have been and have a loving place in the wildlife garden.

Andy Mydellton FLS is an environmentalist journalist, founder and leader of the British wildlife charity, the Foundation for Endangered Species. He is the Chairman and the Environment Advisor to UNESCO ASPnet as well as a Fellow of the Linnaean Society.

Andy writes for magazines and other publications, mounts photographic exhibitions, gives presentations and broadcasted the ‘Andy Mydellton Wildlife Zone’ radio programme. www.ffes.org.uk e-mail: info@ffes.org.uk

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GARDEN MACHINERY AND TRAILER CENTRE

 Personal customer service, collection and delivery available.  Assessment of individual requirements.  Full after sales backup and parts service.  NEW Oregon, the world's only unique battery operated, self-sharpening s In stock. chain saw.  Ride-on and pedestrian mowers, chainsaws, strimmers, hedge trimmers, cultivators, estate and equestrian equipment. Trailers - sales, hire, service.  Accessories, oils, Aspen fuel, batteries, spares, security locks for garden/ horticultural machinery and trailers. horticultu

Appointed dealers for:

 Main dealer for Briggs & Stratton, Honda, Kohler, Kawasaki & Mountfield engines.

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01234 376513 www.bri-ag.co.uk

Open Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm and Saturday 9am to 12pm

Bartlett Tree Experts A Complete and Comprehensive Tree Careand Service since 1907 A Complete Comprehensive Tree Care Service Since 1907 For over 100 years, Bartlett Tree Experts has led both the science and services that make your landscape thrive. No matter the size or scope of your needs, our arborists bring a rare mix of groundbreaking research, global resources and a local service approach to every task at hand. Trees add so much value to our lives; Bartlett adds even more value to your trees.

Tree & Shrub Pruning | Planting | Tree Removal Hedge Cutting | Stump Grinding Woodland Management | Disease & Inseact Control For a free quote please contact your local arborist Tim Brown

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Pets

The Twelfth Day of Christmas

On the twelfth day of

Christmas my pet

found to eat….

12 twists of tinsel

11 lights a-shining

10 turkey platters

9 ninja turtles

8 Christmas puddings

7 baubles hanging

6 family stockings

5 pounds of sweets

4 mince pies

3 colouring pens 2 fluffy gloves and a box of chocs under the tree

PE

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A familiar carol to us all but with a veterinary twist - all 12 include something potentially dangerous to our pets. Many people know chocolate is poisonous to pets but did you know raisins and sultanas (Christmas cake, pudding and mince pies)

are also highly toxic? New toys and Christmas decorations can also be swallowed by pets – you name it and a pet somewhere has eaten it! Then there are the popular discarded meat bones – tasty but indigestible and often splintering into sharp edges.

It’s true that many of these dangers are always present but at Christmas there are more temptations for our pets and more distractions for us. ‘Over-indulged’ pets often find themselves in our hospital for a few days for surgery to remove blockages or flush the animal’s systems of toxins.

It’s also worth remembering at this time of year that antifreeze is deadly to our pets who love the sweet taste of it.

If you think your pet has eaten something it shouldn’t, please contact your vet immediately.

Cromwell Vets 24hr Emergency Service: 01480 52222 We wish you and your pet a very Merry Christmas.

TM

BAKERY

HONEST HEALTHY HAPPINESS

Pet Food & Supplies

For all your Dog & Cat foods and treats See our new 100% natural fish and treat ranges, with venison and deer antler treats, baked in an artisan.

See also our fabulous Eco bowls and toys made from rice husk & bamboo.

Foods packed full of holistic nutritious goodness for your Dog & Cat to enjoy...Happy Pets!

Treat your special furry friend to a Christmas gift from our wonderful and unique Woof & Meow Christmas Box ranges...

Grain & Cereal Free, freshly prepared meat & fish Help with allergies & sensitive digestion High meat & fish content, fruits and vegetables Foods which closely mimic ancestral diets & much more No artificial additives, preservatives or colourants MADE IN BRITAIN

www.LuciesBakery.co.uk

Lucie’s Bakery Ltd. Cambourne Busienss Park, Cambridge, England, UK CB23 6DP Registered in England & Wales Reg. No. 08929169

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SURECLEAN DRIVEWAY AND PATIO CLEANING SPECIALISTS ROOF MOSS REMOVAL AND GUTTER CLEANING We use a revolutionary industrial pressure rotary cleaning system to restore exterior hard surfaces to as new condition.

Block Paving, Pathways, Patios Garden Wall and Stone Ornaments Ponds and Pools Also Re-sanding and Sealing Local Company

01480 468965/07870 338074 www.surecleancarpetcleaning.co.uk

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Motoring

Top Five Sports Cars

by James Baggott, Car Dealer Magazine Most people spend all their lives dreaming of owning a sports car – but for a lucky few that dream can sometimes become a reality.

After years spent gazing longingly at every Ferrari and Porsche that drives by, finally strolling into a dealership to shell out on one for yourself can be a life-changing event.

But when you’ve spent years scrimping and saving to own one, when the time comes to choose which one to put your money down on, the decision can be rather tricky to make.

Here we’ve tried to help by picking the top five you might want to consider.

Ferrari 458 Italia Price: From £178,526 If it’s a Ferrari you’re after there really is only one you should be considering – and that’s this, the 458 Italia. Not only does it have looks that can kill from 100 paces, but it has an incredible 4.5-litre 562bhp V8 engine, a top speed of 202mph and can hit 60mph in a brain-melting 3.2 seconds. There’s no wonder many consider this to be the motoring nirvana.

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Porsche 911 Price: From £73,509 Practicality isn’t generally high up on the agenda when buying a sports car, but with four seats in a Porsche 911 you might just be able to convince your better half that’s it’s the perfect family car.

Ok, who are we kidding, that’s never going to happen, better then to focus on the fabulous flat-six engines and incredible handling. The 911 has been the definitive go-to sports car for generations and the latest “991” model is no different. Well worth a look.

Jaguar F-Type Coupe Price: From £85,000 It took three decades for Jaguar to finally build a successor to its legendary E-Type – but the wait was worth it. The F-Type, which comes in soft-top and coupe guises, is not only stunning, but brilliant to drive too. There are three versions available: V6, V6S and V8S. We’d opt for the latter which combines a glorious exhaust note with stonking performance from the 542bhp 5.0-litre V8.

Lotus Exige S Price: From £54,235 Let’s forget luxury for a minute and just go for something a little bit bonkers and a lot of fun. The Lotus Exige S covers all that. It doesn’t have leather, in fact you’re lucky to get a radio, but this is not a performance car to be snubbed. It has a mid-engine 3.5-litre V6 engine that will propel the wild-looking machine to 60mph in just 3.8 seconds and is guaranteed to put a smile on anyone’s face. Just don’t expect to be comfortable.

Toyota GT86 Price: From £25,110 Yes, we’ve lined up a Toyota against supercar glitterati, but before you scoff, hear us out.

The GT86 may not have the kudos of a Ferrari, but if you’re looking for sports car thrills on a budget it’s worth considering.

Starting at just £25,000 you get a huge amount of car for your money like the entertaining 2.0-litre Boxer D-4S engine, smart styling and seat-of-yourpants driving thrills.

By James Baggott, editor of Car Dealer Magazine (CarDealerMag.co.uk)

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Garage Door Problems?

Garage Doors All leading Makes of Doors Supplied, Fitted & Repaired Manual & Automatic Over 20 Years Experience

Phone Chris Day On:

07899 903973 Visit our new community www.beds-local.co.uk

01480 459 721

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Food and Drink

Christmas Spirit!

By Nick Clare

With winter nights drawing near, the late light evenings nothing but a distant memory and our advent calendars on the wall, it is clear for all to see it’s DECEMBER again! PANIC! I love Christmas and all that it brings but like many of you I have gifts to buy. Although I enjoy this process, some people are harder to buy for than others whether this is because of discerning taste or simply that they want the same bottle of scotch every year (or at least that’s what you tell yourself when you reach for it in the supermarket).

Well, maybe this year could be special for that certain someone too? I love spirits and love giving them as a gift especially if it’s something new for that person to try, so I thought I would give you some alternatives to your standard bottle of whisky. These include whiskys but are just something a little different.

First up is Hakushu. This is a great whisky from the Japanese Suntory Whisky Company. They also make Yamazaki and Hibiki. My favourite is Hakushu 18 year old single malt; it’s a great pale yellow colour and has tasting notes of green tea, apricot and a subtle smoke. If the person you are buying for likes cocktails I recommend the Hakushu distillers reserve.

Penderyn Madeira single malt is a crisp well rounded welsh whisky with a great Madeira after taste. I love this whisky and it is amazing value for money.

Then there is getting into the Christmas Spirit.

This is a great spirit that tastes like distilled Christmas pudding and is a must have for the festive season. It is made by the English Spirit Distillery.

Santa Teresa 1796 rum is a rum that is produced using the traditional solera method. This rum has the delicious aroma of toffee with flavours of dark chocolate and maple. It really is special!

If you want to surprise them then you could make the following cocktail:

The www. (worldwide whisky) Ingredients: 30ml of Penderyn Madeira cask whisky 30ml of Hakushu distiller’s reserve 2 dashes of Scrappy’s chocolate bitters 2 dashes of Scrappy’s aromatic bitters 5ml of Demerara sugar syrup

Method: Fill a tin or glass with ice add ingredients and stir 20 times until a nice dilution has occurred. Strain into a rocks glass and Enjoy!

Cocktail recipe and article by Nick Clare of www.mixedupbars.co.uk

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New Decorations Interior and Exterior Painting Wallpapering

Mark Newman

Painting & Decorating m.a.newman@virgin.net

01954212342 07969650344 164 Limes Road, Hardwick Cambridge CB23 7XX To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122

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Food and Drink

Seasonal Delights

Roast Turkey with Leek, Apricot and Chestnut Stuffing Serves 8-10 Ready in approx 4 ½ hours, plus resting time Roasting the turkey in a ’tent’ of buttered foil will keep it moist and succulent. Always allow time for the cooked bird to rest before carving.

INGREDIENTS 100g butter 1 tbsp olive oil 1 leek, trimmed and chopped 2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped 75g ready to eat dried apricots, finely chopped 150g fresh white breadcrumbs 100g cooked chestnuts, finely chopped 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves 5.4kg oven-ready turkey, giblets removed 16 cocktail sausages 4 rashers smoked streaky bacon Fresh herbs, to garnish 1. Heat half the butter and the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the leek and shallots for 6-7 minutes until softened. Remove from the heat and stir in the apricots, breadcrumbs, chestnuts and half the thyme leaves. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper and leave to cool.

2. Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas 5. Line a large roasting tin with buttered foil. Use about one third of the stuffing mix to stuff the neck end of the turkey (press the rest of the stuffing in a shallow ovenproof dish to cook separately). Weigh the stuffed turkey and calculate the cooking time

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- allow 20 minutes per 450g plus 20 minutes. Place the turkey in the lined roasting tin and smear all over the skin with the remaining butter. Sprinkle over the rest of the thyme leaves and season.

3. Cover the turkey with a tent of buttered foil and roast in the preheated oven for the calculated cooking time, basting occasionally. Uncover the turkey for the last 45 minutes until the skin is golden and the juices run clear when a skewer is inserted into the thickest part of one thigh. If the juices still run slightly pink return the turkey to the oven for a further 15-20 minutes then check again.

4. Leave the turkey, loosely covered with foil, in a warm place to rest for at least 20 minutes. Stretch the bacon rashers with the back of a knife and cut each rasher in half. Wrap the short rashers around the cocktail sausages, securing with a cocktail stick. Place in baking tray and cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden and cooked through.

Drizzle a couple of spoonfuls of juices from the turkey over the stuffing in the dish and cook in the oven at the same time as the bacon-wrapped sausages for 20 minutes.

5. Serve the turkey on a large warmed platter with the bacon-wrapped sausages and garnished with fresh herbs. Serve the extra stuffing separately along with all the usual festive vegetables.

TIP - For a quick gravy, simmer the roast turkey juices with a splash of red wine and a couple of spoonfuls of redcurrant jelly.

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LESTER O’DRISCOLL CARPENTRY Door Hanging, Skirting, Flooring, Fitted Kitchens, Fencing, Decking, General Carpentry, Extensions

07842 195152 01480 811629 Expert carpet cleaning Latest equipment & techniques used

H agans carpet & upholstery cleaning

Professional, reliable local service Residential or Commercial

Call Michael today for a free quote 07824 324095 / 01480 810845 www.haganscleaning.com info@haganscleaning.com Before After Visit our new community www.beds-local.co.uk

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NICEIC Approved Domestic Installer Safety inspections Fuse board upgrades Replacements lights Additional power points Extensions For your free quote contact Rob Ambrose on 07553 922005 Or e-mail info@paxtonelectricaltesting.co.uk

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WORDWHEEL

Using only the letters in the Wordwheel, you have ten minutes to find as many words as possible, none of which may be plurals, foreign words or proper nouns. Each word must be of three letters or more, all must contain the central letter and letters can only be used once in every word. There is at least one word that uses all of the letters in the wheel.

TARGET Excellent: 39 or more words Good: 33 words Fair: 25 words

G

E H

A

R C

E

R

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Codeword 1

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ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Easy Suduko

Hard Suduko

Fill in the grid so that each row, column and 3x3 box, contains the digits 1 through to 9 with no repetition. Use your logic to solve the puzzles.

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GDC HEATING

Plumbing, Gas and Oil Heating Engineers

36 Rookery Road, Wyboston, Bedfordshire MK44 3AX

Tel: 01480 215821 01582 867152 www.gdcheating.com Email: enquiries@gdcheating.com Boiler Repairs/Servicing/Installation Full Heating Installations Efficiency Upgrades Bathroom Design and Installation Specialist Powercleaning Service 30 Years in Business

Reg No. 112425

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Time of Year

Party Politics!

By Susan Brookes-Morris

Many of us look forward to celebrating Christmas with our work colleagues. It’s a chance to get out of the office and have a bit of fun. But for some employees the morning after is full of embarrassment and regret. Your behaviour at such events could seriously damage your career. Equally, if handled correctly you can also do a lot of good for your career at the annual festivities. So here are a few tips to help you be remembered for all the right reasons: Always attend- whilst you may think not attending is the safest option, it is best to go along even if it’s for just a short while as this demonstrates your willingness to be part of a team.

Dress appropriately- you may be excited by the opportunity to get out of your work attire but remember that you are still with work colleagues and probably your boss. Where you are going will have an impact on how you dress but whatever the venue its best to avoid clothing that is overtly sexual.

At many parties there will be alcohol and it can be tempting to over indulge, especially if the boss is paying. But it’s best to drink in moderation and alternate alcohol with water. If you feel you may be getting a little too relaxed opt for soft drinks.

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Remember to eat well to soak up the alcohol.

Do socialise and chat to lots of people at the party.

It can be a good time to build relationships with colleagues from other departments, or those you’d like to impress but don’t usually get chance to speak to, so do circulate. Don’t be boring by talking about nothing but work however. Usually some general conversation about holidays, families and hobbies will suffice and can stand you in good stead when you need to get these people on side for your next work deal. Don’t be tempted to be drawn into gossip or talk about others or the organisations latest ideas in a negative way. You never know who’s standing behind you. Of course don’t swear, be impolite or vulgar.

It may be that you have fancied one of your colleagues for months ( or they become irresistibly attractive once you’ve had a few drinks), but insisting that they join you under the mistletoe or showing them your best Dirty Dance moves is not advisable.

These could lead to public humiliation at the event and years of teasing and having to avoid a ‘certain someone’.

It is possible to have fun at an office party, but for your careers sake, remember everything in moderation!

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Travel

The Gambia by Solange Hando Glancing at the map of Africa, it’s easy to miss the Gambia. Tucked on the bulge of the western coast, it is the smallest country on the mainland, barely 30 miles across at its widest point, stretching along the lower section of the Gambia river. This mere ribbon of land is surrounded by Senegal on three sides but claims a fine coastal strip where the river meets the Atlantic ocean.

Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of independence for one of Africa’s most stable states, no longer part of the Commonwealth but still using English as its official language, at least for the time being. Add the promise of winter sun, just six hours away and no jetlag, and it’s no wonder the Gambia has proved popular with British tourists.

Imagine soft tingling sands, swaying palms, warm waters, a cool sea breeze sweeping the shore, the perfect picture postcard whether one opts for quiet beaches or the popular Senegambia strip with its fruit stalls, thatched restaurants and savvy ‘bumsters’ selling African beads, wood carvings, sea shells and cashew nuts. It’s friendly, colourful and most exciting when a small fleet of dug-out canoes appears on the horizon, riding the crest of the waves, and everyone rushes down to the beach to help pull in the fishing nets. There’s much bargaining and sorting out on the sand, red snapper, bonga, cat fish, calamari and more, before the men head for home with whatever is left for the family’s supper.

Broad sands cover much of the shore, secluded coves hide here and there, framed by rocks and cliffs, and when the sun sets all red and gold over

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the ocean, myriad tropical birds twitter in the trees.

It’s a magical moment.

But there is more to the Gambia than sand and sea.

Banjul, the capital, has a lively market brimming with fancy footwear, frilly clothes, batik, knobbly tomatoes and bags of ice cold water. Tailors compete for business, babies bob on their mother’s back and tourists climb up to the balcony for a bird’s eye view of the nearby streets. Meanwhile, others seek out the Gambia’s UNESCO heritage, from Kunta Kinteh island and related sites, highlighting European encounters and the slave trade, to the stone circles of Senegambia, a vast cross-border area with a sacred landscape dating back 1500 years.

As for nature lovers, the Gambia is a dream. You may not find the ‘Big Five’ of eastern or southern Africa but this tiny country manages seven nature reserves and national parks, home to monitors and crocodiles, endangered monkeys, pretty butterflies such as the dark blue pansy or citrus swallowtail, and 576 species of birds, in wetlands, forest and along the shore. Highlights include watching the sun rise over the mangrove when nothing disturbs the peace but the gentle paddle of traditional canoes. A bird calls, a kingfisher dives in a flash of colour and soon the dawn chorus rises all around, parakeets, sunbirds, sanderlings, drongos, black egrets and many more. A golden light spreads across the creek, oyster shells glisten on the mangrove roots and the canoes drift in silence in this quiet country basking on the banks of its namesake river. According to legend, Gambia means ‘place of the king’, a glorious name for the smallest nation on the African mainland.

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KPC Property Services Ltd • • • • • • •

Kitchens & Bathrooms Plumbing & Heating Renovation and Refurbishment Painting & Decorating Carpentry Tiling & Flooring General Maintenance

Highly recommended, well established, professional services.

PETERBOROUGH

ROOFING COMPANY LTD FOR ALL YOUR ROOFING NEEDS

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Web: www.peterboroughroofing.co.uk • Flat Roofing • Slates and Tiles • Repairs and Maintenance • Domestic, Commercial, Industrial

Superior workmanship at a fair price

Kieron Chapple 07900 887156 kpcmaintenance@googlemail.com To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122

Unit 16, Orton Enterprise Centre, Bakewell Road, Orton Southgate, Peterborough PE2 6XU Email: info@peterboroughroofing.co.uk

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Time of Year

Retro Sweets

By Susan Brookes-Morris

This Christmas why not take your loved ones back to their happy childhood-days by buying them some retro sweets.

Lots of treats fro yesteryear are have become available again, and you can buy them in all shapes and sizes from single items to whole boxes of your favourites, and some that are gift packaged in hampers or used to create tree or flower designs.

Many of us will remember sweets such as Space Dust, Black Jacks, Flying Saucers, Refreshers, Sugar Mice, Parma Violets, Midget Gems, Wham Bars and Traffic-Light Lollies- and I could go on to name many more. For me it was a Friday treat to have 10p to spend and select carefully ‘one of those and one of those etc’ which the assistant would then place into a little white paper bag and hand over to me. I would then joyfully savour them as I walked home from school taking ages to decide in which order I’d eat them.

Behind those items, all laid out in small trays on the counter, were shelves crammed with tall glass jars, containing items such as Pear Drops, Bon-Bons, Pineapple Cubes and Cherry Lips, all of which were more commonly bought by the quarter.

There are now many shops with these layouts again, selling retro sweets. These range from tiny independents to chains that have many branches across the country. They all create a sense of nostalgia, and I’ve watched grown ups get such joy in once again telling the assistant ‘I’d like one of those and one of those etc.’ They are even known to whoop with delight when they find an old favourite again for the first time.

Such retro sweets have also become firm favourites at weddings, where special candy carts are sometimes set up for guests to enjoy.

So if you are old enough to remember when Snickers used to be called Marathon, chances are your friends and family are also of the right era to enjoy a Sherbet Dip liquorice stick or some Fruit Salad chews. Why not take them back to their carefree days, pop in to an old fashioned sweet shop and tick another present off the shopping list.

You could also arouse the interest of your younger relatives too, who won’t familiar with these sweets but are sure to find them as delightful as we did.

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n O s ’ t Wha 1 December The Cambridgeshire on the Western Front 7pm for 7.30pm The Comrades Club, Godmanchester The Cambridgeshire branch of the Western Front Association is pleased to present a talk by Steve Smith examining the role of the Cambridgeshire regiment on the Western Front. Non-members welcome.

Web: www.westernfrontassociation.com 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29 December Comrades Chess Club 7.30pm Comrades Club, Godmanchester Keep your mind active and play chess.

Over 18s only as it’s a licensed premises.

Every Monday except Bank Holidays.

3 December St. Mary’s Christmas Coffee Morning 10-11.30am Buckden Village Hall Entrance £2.50 including tea/coffee and mince pies. Christmas Stall, Cake Stall, Bring & Buy and Raffle.

3 December Little Paxton Gardening Club 8pm Little Paxton Village Hall Members £1, Guests £2 AGM followed by Christmas Social.

Anyone is welcome to our AGM. If you are interested in joining please come along and meet the committee and other members. The Christmas social (members only) is great fun offering a raffle and quiz helped along with food and drink.

3 December Christmas Shopping Evening 7-9pm Beautiful Swagger, High Street St Neots (opposite Bon Marche) In aid of Carers Trust Cambridgeshire to support family carers in Cambridgeshire.

10% of the evening sales will be donated to the charity. Refreshments available.

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4, 11 & 18 December Great Staughton Youth Club 7-8.30pm Great Staughton Village Hall Newly formed Youth Club running every Thursday for 11-16 year olds from Great Staughton and Perry.

Email: gsyc2014@gmail.com 6 December Christmas Fair 11am-2pm Brampton Village Primary School Lots to do including Santa’s Grotto, stalls, games, shopping, school choir, tombola, face painting and Luxury Hamper.

Refreshments available.

6 December Christmas ‘Narnia’ Fair 12-3pm Riseley Lower School Themed stalls, games, hot food, refreshments and entertainment.

6 December Christmas Fayre 1-4pm Buckden Pre-School’s popular Christmas Fayre.

6 December Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire Hardy Plant Society 2pm Weatherley Centre, Eagle Farm Road, Biggleswade Speakers will be Roger and Penny Gray, ‘Visits and Holidays undertaken by The Group. A pictorial presentation.’ May be plants for sale. Visitors welcome - small charge which includes refreshments.

Deadline for What’s On entries is the 12th of the previous month.

6 December Haslingfield Choir and Orchestra 7.30pm All Saints Church, Haslingfield Adults £10, Students £5, Children free Handel ‘My Heart is Inditing’, Schubert ‘Mass in C’, Vaughan-Williams ‘Fantasia on Christmas Carols’, Charpentier ‘Messe de Minuit pour Noel’. Conductor: Graham Walker and Leader: Frances Poole.

Tel: 01223 872088 6 & 7 December Christmas Tree Festival Sat 11am-4pm, Sun 2-4pm St James Church, Little Paxton Free admission Come along and see stunning Christmas trees decorated by village groups and organisations. Refreshments available.

7, 14, 21 & 28 December Kingfisher Church 10.30am Little Paxton Primary School Every Sunday. All welcome! Services include children’s groups and a crèche.

Refreshments served.

Tel: 01480 700434 Web: www.kingfisherchurch.co.uk

7 December Huntingdonshire Music School 3.30pm Huntingdon Town Hall Assembly Rooms Free admission A Winter Spectacular Concert featuring the HUMS Big Band, Concert Band, Sax Ensemble, String Ensemble, Folk Group and Instrumentalist Soloists. Mulled wine and mince pies available.

Tel: 07595 279349 for further information on the concert and music school Email: rebecca-norman@huntingdon.ac.uk 10 December Carol Concert 7pm Wesley Methodist Church, Cambridge The evening, for adults and children alike, will feature popular congregational carols, readings, and special performances by St Catharine’s Girls’ Choir, King Hedges Primary School, Wesley Choir and Footlights Quartet. There will be a retiring collection in aid of Action for Children at the end of the evening.

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10 December Huntingdonshire Family History Society 7.20-9.30pm WI Headquarters, 6a Walden Rd, Huntingdon, PE29 3AZ Non-members £1 donation More Pictures From The Whitney Collection

by Alexa Cox. Talk on a subject related to family history research and a bookstall.

10 December Christmas Miscellany 7.30pm Brampton Memorial Hall, Thrapston Road, Brampton £2.50, accompanied children free For their December meeting, The Huntingdonshire Local Group of the Wildlife Trust will present a miscellany of two short talks plus a light-hearted wildlife quiz. Amy Robinson, Wildlife Trust’s Ouse Valley Education and Community Officer, talks about ‘The Hidden Wonders of Godmanchester Reserve’. Chairman, Pat Doody, will summarise the results of this year’s Brampton Biodiversity project and we look forward to hearing how many species share our neighbourhood. Raffle, wine and mince pies.

Tel: Tim on 01480 457795 12 December Belle (PG) 7.30pm Mandeville Hall, Kimbolton Tickets Adults £4, Over 60 £3, under 16 £2 Kimbolton Community Cinema presents Belle (PG). Amma Asante delivers some sharp lessons on slavery in this true story of Britain’s first black aristocrat.

Tickets from Watson’s, Dixie’s Deli and Bytes Café or on the door.

Tel: 01480 860297 Web: e-voice.org.uk/ themandevillehallkimbolton/ 12 December Gamlingay Photographic Society 8-10pm Gamlingay Village College, Station Road Gamlingay Lecture evening. Pradesh and the Pantanal – Brazil. Dave & Judy Hodgson DPAGB BPE2*/CPAGB BPE1*.

Non-members welcome free of charge.

Refreshments and optional raffle.

Tel: Nick or Jackie 01767 651025 for more info about the evening/the Society Email: Jackie on nickbruce7@btinternet.com

13 December Craft and Gift Fair 9am-2pm United Reformed Church St. Neots Free admission Held in aid of The Coffee Pot Memory Café; a local charity in St. Neots for those with memory loss and their carers, run by volunteers and support from local Rotarians.

Tel: Mary 07717 158549 for details and stall hire Email: maryjdcruz@gmail.com 13 December Huntingdonshire Philharmonic: A Christmas Feast 7.30pm Hinchingbrooke Performing Arts Centre, Huntingdon Tickets: £14 / £12 (Student Concession £7 / £6) Hunts Phil’s well-loved Family Christmas Concert with a mix of old and new carols, excerpts from Haydn’s Creation and Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker ballet, and much, much more… Tickets available via telephone, email or on the door.

Tel: 01832 274834 Email: tickets@huntsphil.org.uk Web: www.huntsphil.org.uk 14 December The Aragon Singers of Buckden 3pm Diddington Church Admission £5 on the door An afternoon of Christmas music followed by mulled wine and mince pies. All proceeds to the upkeep of St. Laurence’s Church, Diddington.

14 December Angels of Kaos Choir 5pm St James Church Little Paxton Tickets £6 Enjoy seasonal songs with some audience participation. The Choir supports various children’s charities. Tickets available in advance or on the door.

Tickets: Alison Rogers Tel 01480 215607 or on the door

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16 December Kimbolton Flower Club 7.30pm Mandeville Hall, Kimbolton Visitors £6 Christmas Workshop and Social Evening. If you wish to make a festive arrangement please bring your own materials. Some accessories will be on sale. Please bring a sharing plate of finger food. Tea, coffee and soft drinks will be provided. All welcome.

19 December The Aragon Singers of Buckden 7pm St. Neots United Reformed Church Admission £5 on the door – to include tea, coffee & mince pies An evening of Christmas music. All proceeds to Christian Aid to support women in Kenya and their newborn babies.

20 December Carol Concert 6pm St Mary’s Church, Eaton Socon Joint concert with St Neots Choral Society and St Neots Sinfonia.

21 December Family Carol Service 10.30am Kingfisher Church, Little Paxton Primary School Refreshments served.

Tel: 01480 700434 Web: www.kingfisherchurch.co.uk 25 December Christmas Day Service 10.30am Kingfisher Church, Little Paxton Primary School Tel: 01480 700434 Web: www.kingfisherchurch.co.uk

Deadline for What’s On entries is the 12th of the previous month.

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Kids

Toys For Boys?

By Debbie Singh-Bhatti

My sister and I grew up with an older brother and we thought nothing of spending Saturday afternoons sprawled on the living room carpet, constructing items out of his beloved Lego.

His creations were always more ambitious and sophisticated than ours of course – windmills and tractors and mansions with masses of rooms compared with our rather mundane boxlike structures. Occasionally we would ditch the Lego for a session on his Scalextric racing set.

We hadn’t a hope of winning, but we certainly enjoyed trying!

It never once occurred to me that I was playing with ‘boy toys’ which is maybe why, when I became mother to four daughters, I happily bought them their own sets of Lego along with other ‘boyish’ toys such as remote control cars, science sets and basketball nets (they had their fair share of dolls, prams and jewellery kits too!).

Like it or not, the society we live in stereotypes children according to their gender. Manufacturers influence their choice of toys with labels identifying items such as dolls and tea sets as ‘girl toys’ in their pretty pink packaging, and cars and construction sets as ‘boy toys’ in their predominantly blue wrappers.

There is evidence to suggest that girls and boys do naturally select different types of toys.

Experiments conducted on primates concluded that male monkeys were drawn to boy-toys like cars whilst female monkeys preferred girl-toys like dolls.

There are various explanations about why boys and girls have different toy preferences. One theory suggests it is due to testosterone levels, whilst another attributes it to the way the brains Visit our new community www.beds-local.co.uk

are ‘differently-wired’, and there’s no doubt that nurture and socialisation also play a part.

Regardless of the reason, the consensus of opinion is that if children are offered a wide range of toys and experiences, they will develop into more rounded individuals with an expanded range of thinking and skills.

Just as playing with girl-toys like dolls and tea sets fosters the development of verbal and social skills that might be useful to the male population, playing with boy-toys like cars can help girls with the acquisition of spatial skills. Other ‘boy-toys’ like science sets, Lego, Meccano and K’nex help develop STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) skills of which there is currently a shortage in the UK workforce - and why shouldn’t girls develop these just as much as their male counterparts?!

Some may argue – and I’m probably one of them – that at the end of the day whether male or female, children will be children and will naturally choose the toys that interest them the most.

The important thing is to at least give them that choice!

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Crossword Solution for The Villager November Edition Last Month’s Crossword Winner - C Hawkes from Letchworth

November’s Codeword and Suduko Solutions

Easy

Hard

Advertising in The Villager is easy.

To find out more call Nigel on 01767 261122 or email nigel@villagermag.com Visit ourmention new community www.beds-local.co.uk Please The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts

73

The Villager £100 Prize Crossword

Prize

£100

Across 7 A red fruit (6) 8 On every side (6) 9 Deceased (4) 10 Hold back (8) 11 Sprinkle (7) 13 Weeps (5) 15 Concerning (5) 17 Farewell (4-3) 20 Acquainted (8) 21 Require (4) 23 Disclose (6) 24 Thick, oily substance (6)

1 Finished (4) 2 Outlaw (6) 3 Expedition (7) 4 Severe (5)

Complete the crossword, fill in your details below, cut out this page and send to the address below before

15th December 2014 Prize Crossword, Villager Publications Ltd 24 Market Square, Potton, Beds SG19 2NP

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Down

5 Terror (6) 6 Completely (8) 12 Green vegetables (8) 14 Bravery (7) 16 Allied (6) 18 Beast of burden (6) 19 Feminine (5) 22 Simple (4)

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75

In the Garden

In The Garden

By Gareth Arscott www.buckdenperennialplants.webs.com

As the nights draw in and weather turns decidedly chilly, I was thinking back to the holiday in Spain.

That reminded me that I have some plants that maybe a bit tender and they will need some protection this winter.

We picked up a white Scabious that grows to 2-3 feet and a beautiful wild pink, Dianthus broteri.

Both came from the lower slopes of the mountains behind the Costa Blanca. They sat in full sunlight with little rain for months on end. A little different to our climate.

But there are lots of plants that we need to be careful of. If you are a fan of Dahlias, do you plants them in pots and bring them into a cold greenhouse in the winter or lift them and store them in trays for replanting next year? I think everyone has their favourite way that works with the varieties that they grow.

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Our new Scabious and Dianthus are safely on the floor of our greenhouse, in a bubble-wrapped pot. We hope that that will give them enough protection to see the winter through.

As a fail-safe we have collected seed and although Dianthus are notorious for cross-pollinating, this is the only type that we have so they should come true.

Now is the time look round the garden and start wrapping, covering and safely storing those precious beauties that will bring so much joy next summer.

Last but not least. We’d like to wish everyone a wonderful festive period.

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To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122

77

Panasonic

BOOK REVIEW

By Bruce Edwards

‘From Notting Hill with Four Weddings . . . Actually’ Ali McNamara Pub: Sphere p/b £ 7.99

There’s always a plethora of new books from established authors at this time of year, gearing up for the Christmas bonanza, for it is fast approaching peak sales time in bookshops.

Presents, as you will know, are notoriously difficult to always get right, so giving a friend or relative a book (which of course you will read first before wrapping it up . . .?) seems like an easy option and doesn’t usually require too much thought. Ali McNamara has a niche readership but that is no disparagement. There’s a delightfully open sense of make-believe in this and yes, if you recognise the title wordage that’s fine for it sets the scene. Lovable young Scarlett - her name another blast from the past - gets caught up in a lace-frothy world of glitz and high glamour whilst trying to hang on to legitimate marriage plans of her own and a worthwhile charity job, commuting across the Atlantic. All sorts of girly problems head her way! If you feel you’ve been here before - and Christmas offerings appear from lots of established authors in appropriate snowy covers - you may be right, especially if you also read Carole Matthews (her latest is ‘The Christmas Party) but it makes for an easy, pleasant, unassuming and a give-away-able read. New York or Notting Hill for the wedding?

Have a guess . . .

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Suggestion and queries to: writerselect@gmail. com. We’re always happy to consider specific titles for review, though without obligation.

Can’t find a title? E-mail your details and we’ll try to help.”

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