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VILLAGER The

Issue 71 - March 2015

and Town

Life

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

Inside this issue

Mother’s Day Around the World

Damselflies

and Demoiselles

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

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Contents Templeton Property Management

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Who Looks After the Rabbits at St. Neots.........................................4 Sir Issac Newton...............................................................................6 You Get What You Pay For...............................................................10 Mother’s Day Around the World.....................................................12 Pass On The Salt.............................................................................14 Employment Matters.....................................................................17 The East Anglian Model Railway Exhibition....................................19 Huntingdonshire Regional College.................................................20 Pilates - Part Two...........................................................................22 Urgent Need for Volunteer Visitors.................................................24 There’s Something in the Air..........................................................25 Wordsearch....................................................................................27 Are You a Well Woman?..................................................................28 Computer Encryption.....................................................................30 Spring Cleaning..............................................................................33 (Un)marital Bliss or Blissful Ignorance...........................................34 Family Mediation...........................................................................37 Utilise Your Strengths.....................................................................39 Templeton Property Management.................................................40

VILLAGER The

Issue 71 - March 2015

and Town

Life

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

Inside this issue

Mother’s Day

Around the World

Damselflies

and Demoiselles

Win £25 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

Facing North..................................................................................42 Damselflies and Demoiselles..........................................................45 Dogs that Detect Cancer.................................................................47 Nature Returns to Local Quarries....................................................48 Children’s Page...............................................................................51 Landrover Discovery Sport SD4......................................................52 Kimbolton School Swimming Pool Timetable................................54 Sète - Water Jousting.....................................................................57 Seasonal Delights...........................................................................58 Puzzle Page....................................................................................60 Fix My Street..................................................................................63 East Anglian Windows and Doors...................................................65 Win Tickets to an Evening with Ian McCulloch................................66 What’s On.......................................................................................68 Prize Crossword..............................................................................74 Win a Free Skateboarding Lesson...................................................76 Book Review..................................................................................78

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Model Railway Exhibition

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, Alison Runham, Louise Addison, Carol Scott, Trudy Cambridge, Nooshin Hassan, Kam Patel, Centre for Complementary Health, Leeds Day Solicitors, Susan Brookes-Morris, Fiona McLeman, Tony Larkins, Andy Mydellton, Lyndsay Burrell, RSPB, James Baggott, Solange Hando and Bruce Edwards Advertising Sales Nigel Frost - 01767 261122 - nigel@villagermag.com Photography - Sharon Cooper, Andy Croft LRPS and Dmitriy Shironosov Design and Artwork Design 9 Tel 07762 969460

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

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

Who looks after the rabbits

at St. Neots?

1066 was not a good year for English Saxon Lords who found themselves at the wrong end of continental swords and arrows at the Battle of Hastings. But it was a good year for rabbits. They increasingly found themselves in cosy warrens known as a coneygear to their French sponsors, being well fed and looked after and with little else to do other than producing more rabbits, blissfully unaware that their Norman masters were partial to plump rabbit on their dinner plates! Rabbit eventually went out of fashion on the medieval menu and the plump ‘table-ready’ warren product turned into the leaner ‘fend for yourself’ variety we are familiar with today.

The Eynesbury Coneygear survives today as an open space on the banks of the Great Ouse with only the occasional rabbit in the undergrowth to remind passer-by’s of its former function. Before the rabbits came there appears to have been a Saxon settlement here, if the evidence of clay loom weights is correct. If so then the area would have been known by Ernulf, the local hermit.

Before the Saxons there is evidence that the Romans may have had a small fort and a farm area on the site. The old timber framed house facing

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By Peter Ibbett

nearby Montague Square once bore the sign ‘Conygarth’ suggesting that it might have once been the home of the man who ran the rabbit warren.

The building was once a larger farmhouse belonging to the Luke family who had 86 acres of land including the Coneygear and Horse Mill Close on which now stand Eynesbury School and the cemetery.

A plump white rabbit has taken up residence in the centre of St. Neots, where Barrett’s Store has added a dash of graphic colour to the townscape.

A short walk from the rabbit to the museum will enable you to obtain a ‘Graphic Trail’ leaflet which will take you around the town and along the Great Ouse to view a wide variety of graphic art complementing their historic surroundings.

Do check the museum web site for details of its current exhibitions and holiday activities.

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History

Sir Isaac Newton

A Boy on the Seashore

By Catherine Rose “I do not know what I may appear to the world; but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself now and then in finding a smoother pebble or prettier shell than ordinary, while the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.”

Sir Isaac Newton Amongst other things, the famous physicist, philosopher, scientist and mathematician Sir Isaac Newton was also a Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Trinity College, Cambridge University. And the farmhouse he was born in, Woolsthorpe Manor near Grantham, is now a

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National Trust property which is open to the general public.

Sir Isaac Newton was born prematurely at Woolsthorpe Manor in 1642, the son of Isaac Newton senior and Hannah Ayscough. His father was a successful farmer who tragically died three months before Isaac was born. His mother remarried a minister, Barnabas Smith, and left little Isaac to be raised by his grandparents.

However, when her second husband died, she returned with her three children by Barnabas.

Isaac was 12 by this time and attending the King’s School in Grantham where he was lodging with a local apothecary who had introduced him to the world of chemistry. Isaac’s mother removed him from the school as she wanted him to follow in the footsteps of his father and become a farmer, but he hated farm work, failed dismally at it and was soon returned to school.

Despite this, it was at Woolsthorpe Manor that Newton made many of his scientific discoveries.

The famous apple tree under which he was sitting when he experienced his epiphany about gravity after an apple fell on his head can still be seen in the manor garden, and there is a science discovery centre in the museum there.

Encouraged by his uncle who had seen his academic prowess, Newton went to Cambridge University in 1661 to study physics, astronomy, mathematics and optics. He was later to write classic books such as ‘The Opticks’ on the behaviour of light and colour and ‘Methode of Fluxions’(the word ‘fluxions’ meaning ‘flow’) on mathematical calculus.

However, the years of the Great Plague (from 1664

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to 1667) forced the university to close and Newton had to return to Woolsthorpe. It was during this time that he made his discovery about gravity and described himself as being “at the prime of my age for invention”.

He returned to the university in 1667 and became a fellow of Trinity College and in 1669 was appointed second Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, following in the footsteps of his friend and mentor John Barrow who had described him as “very young…but of an extraordinary genius”.

A year earlier he had built a ground-breaking reflective telescope after experiments in light using a prism and mathematical calculations where he had discovered that white light is made up of the colour spectrum. He concluded that light was composed of a stream of minute particles that interacted with the surfaces upon which they reflected to produce the perception of colour. As is often the case with innovation, his findings were initially criticised by the scientific establishment, particularly on the Continent.

Possibly in connection with his genius, he was often described as a ‘difficult’ personality, prone to bouts of depression. He was harsh with his critics but said to be very generous to his friends and had strong opinions.

His greatest and most famous work ‘Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica’ (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy) - better known as ‘Principia’ - was published in 1668 with help from his friend Edmund Halley (of Halley’s Comet fame). It was this work which finally explained the universal force of gravity and

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has been described as the “single most influential book in physics”.

Newton’s incredible discoveries included the three laws of motion (the first of which gives its name to Newton’s Cradle) and explained the gravitational behaviour of the moon, planets and the elliptical orbit of comets. He also calculated the speed of sound by studying the density of air. He was fascinated with the substance of everything, trying to unravel the properties of matter through mathematics and chemistry. It is said his experiments and theories led to the birth of Quantum Physics.

In 1669 he was elected MP for Cambridge University following his opposition to King James II’s plans to make universities Catholic institutions.

Newton also became a Fellow and eventually President of the Royal Society in the wake of the death of his arch rival Robert Hooke.

In 1696 he was made Warden and later Master of the Royal Mint, moving to London. He retained both these positions until his death. While at the Royal Mint, he became a fervent campaigner against counterfeiting and his image later came to be featured on the old one pound note.

He was knighted in Cambridge in 1705 and by 1714, Newtonian Science was held in high regard throughout Europe.

Today, Woolsthorpe Manor is furnished as it would have been during the 17th century when Newton lived there. In the 20th century, Einstein overturned Newton’s theory that space, distance and motion was absolute, proving it instead to be relative. However, Newton is still regarded as the founder of modern science.

Sir Isaac Newton never married, having spent the majority of his life living with his niece, and died in 1727. He is buried in Westminster Abbey.

National Trust Woolsthorpe Manor Sir Isaac Newton’s Home

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Three Counties Radio

You Get

By Jonathan Vernon-Smith

What You Pay For

In these cash strapped times, when the pennies don’t seem to stretch as far, it’s always important to make sure you’re getting the things you need at the best possible prices.

We all know there are ways of ensuring you bag a bargain. Shopping around is of course the most effective way. The internet has allowed many of us to become experts in this.

It should always be remembered though that sometimes, paying the least amount for something is not always the best policy. So when SHOULD you pay as much as you can afford?

Life is sadly, all too short. The years seem to whiz by at ever increasing speed. When you face up to this, you realise that sometimes it’s worth paying a little bit more for a product or service. Is it really worth buying a TV from an online company you’ve never heard of when you can spend £30 more to buy it from a wellrespected high street retailer with a good record of customer service? I would suggest not! When that TV breaks several months down the line, do you really want to spend weeks of your short life, arguing with and struggling to communicate with the lesser known internet company? Was the £30 saving really worth it? No! Remember this, next time you go out of your way to save a little bit of money – it’s often simply not worth it.

There are also times when you should actively spend as MUCH money as you can. The most obvious example of this is when buying a bed. My motto is, spend as much money as you can possibly afford on your bed. But why would I say such a crazy thing when there are so many companies selling beds at craaaaazy low prices? Simple! You normally get what you pay for where beds are concerned. If you buy a king size bed with a mattress for £100, you’ll almost certainly get a rubbish bed with springs that will stick in your back for years to come. Well I say years, it will probably only last a couple of years before it completely falls apart. You spend a third of your short life in bed, so always stretch yourself and spend as much as you can. When you’re still sinking under the duvet in supreme comfort 8 years down the line, you’ll be grateful you did.

10 years ago, when I worked in Northampton (home of the World’s best shoe makers), I bought a pair of £300 shoes. What? I hear you shout! You’re mad! Well, 10 years later, I still wear them several times a week. They polish up like new and are the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever owned. I think they’ll last me so long, I’ll end up wearing them in my coffin. For me, that was £300 well spent and actually when you look at the cost over many years, they weren’t really that expensive.

A false economy would have been a pair of £40 shoes that fell apart after 6 months.

In a nutshell, when you need quality and longevity, you should always look to spend as much as you can afford to. It’s also worth noting that in legal terms, the more you spend on a product, the more you can expect from it. As a consumer, you can legally expect a £3000 bed to last far longer than a £300 bed. If something goes wrong and the retailer refuses to help, the fact you spent a considerable amount will add weight to your case in front of the judge.

So next time you decide that bargain hunting is the best policy of the savvy consumer, just remember, it isn’t ALWAYS so!

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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Time of Year

By Alison Runham www.alison.runham.co.uk

Mother’s Day around the World Mothers deserve attention all year round, so why do we celebrate mothers on one special day - and do other countries follow suit?

The UK Traditionally, on ‘Mothering Sunday’ (the fourth Sunday in Lent) people returned to their baptismal ‘mother church’. As their parents’ home was often nearby, over time the day became a holiday for visiting family.

Flowers were gathered on the way home and mums received Simnel cakes. Observance of Mothering Sunday gradually withered but after its revival in 1920 it spread throughout the Empire, becoming known as Mother’s Day. Around the World Most countries have a Mother’s Day, but origins and traditions vary. Unless stated otherwise, countries below follow U.S. tradition, celebrating on the second Sunday in May. In France, American soldiers introduced their Mother’s Day during the First World War. Originally focussed on fertile mothers, today Fête des Mères celebrates all mothers, who traditionally receive a cake shaped like a bouquet of flowers. France celebrates on the last Sunday in May, as does Sweden, where the

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Red Cross sells plastic flowers in aid of deprived mothers.

In Nepal, children return to the family home on “Aama ko Mukh Herne Din” (“to see Mother’s face”) on the last day of Baishak dark fortnight, making breakfast for their mothers and giving them gifts, favourite foods and new clothes. Those who have lost mothers visit Mata Tirtha, a sacred site with a pool in which they ‘look upon their mother’s face’.

The USA didn’t keep English Mother’s Day, but Anna Jarvis campaigned for one in honour of her mother, who introduced “Mothers’ Friendship Day” after the Civil War. At a church service on the second anniversary of her mother’s death (the second Sunday of May), Anna distributed her mother’s favourite flowers: white carnations. Today they signify mothers who have passed away, while coloured carnations honour mothers still living.

In Australia, Mother’s Day grew from Janet Heyden’s campaign to give gifts to lonely inmates of Newington State Home for Women. Schoolchildren in Japan draw pictures of their mothers for a nationwide competition and winning pictures travel the country in a mobile exhibition.

Mexico’s Mother’s Day on 10th May was once a pawn in battles between government and church on modernisation and materialism.

It now celebrates both mothers and the Virgin Mary. Children often arrive at their mother’s house the night before. Traditionally the day starts with mass before mothers are presented with a breakfast of tamales and atole, but many mothers are now treated to breakfast at home, accompanied by a song.

In Paraguay, Mother’s Day is celebrated with Dia de la Patria (Independence Day) on 15th May, to honour Juana María de Lara’s role in winning Paraguay’s independence. Similarly, Bolivia’s Dia de la Madre Boliviana on 27th May commemorates the women killed fighting for independence in the Battle of Coronilla.

In Ethiopia, their ‘Antrosht’ celebration lasts three days, beginning after the rains have ceased (usually October/ November). Traditionally, mothers cook a special meal but daughters provide dairy products, vegetables and spices while sons bring the meat. Afterwards they enjoy traditional songs and dances.

Why not celebrate Mexican-style this year and sing your Mum a song?

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Health

Pass (on) the Salt National Salt Awareness Week 16th-22nd March 2015 marks the 16th National Salt Awareness Week. Research tells us that a high dietary salt intake is associated with the development of high blood pressure, and an increased risk of stroke and coronary heart disease. Note the word ‘high’ in the previous statement. Average salt consumption in this country is about 8.5g per person per day. This is about one and a quarter teaspoons. I know this because I measured it out and believe me, it doesn’t look a lot. So why all the fuss about reducing our intake by what amounts to just about half a teaspoon?

Salt is composed of 40 percent Sodium and 60 percent Chloride. We need Sodium because it regulates water in the body, and helps in the transfer of electrical impulses along our nerve fibre system. But just 1g of salt per day would be sufficient to carry out all these functions. At 950 percent of the required daily amount 9.5g does seem suddenly like a very big number.

Salt raises the blood pressure because Sodium

encourages the body to retain more water. This increased volume of water in the blood vessels creates higher pressure. Once you have high blood pressure you are more likely to develop heart disease, which is one of the leading killers in Britain today.

So, is it just a matter of leaving the salt cellar in the cupboard when we lay the table? Well no: about 75 percent of salt is hidden in processed foods. Brits eat more crisps than the rest of Europe combined, and with each packet, up to 1g of salt!

Processed meats, cheese, cereals, bread and ready meals are also high in salt. That’s the bad news – so what can we do about it?

Well, we can read the labels and choose foods with the lowest amount of salt. Studies have shown that by reducing our salt intake along with saturated fat, and by increasing our intake of fruit, vegetables and low fat dairy foods like yoghurt, we can reduce our blood pressure. Ideally, this should be combined with maintaining a healthy weight, limiting our alcohol consumption, and increasing our physical activity levels.

It sounds straightforward, but in reality we all need a little push sometimes.

Why not take advantage of a health MOT at your local Fitness club or Health Spa. Most have facilities for measuring blood pressure and body fat, and many have staff qualified to advise on nutrition. You might be inspired to change your lifestyle. Who’d have imagined that reducing salt intake by just half a teaspoon per day would reap such big rewards. Now that’s got to be food for thought...just don’t add salt!

By Louise Addison

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Employment

Employment Matters Look out! The HMRC are about One of the essential employment issues for all small employers to get absolutely right – and particularly micro employers - is the exact detail of their workers’ employment status.

Whether people who work for you are employed or self-employed is not a matter of choice and it depends on the nature of the role and the terms and conditions of that role that dictates their employment status.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are constantly on the lookout for ‘disguised employees’: that is those who claim self-employed status but are in fact employees.

In an effort not to pay NICs and PAYE, some employers will say the employee is self-employed, or casual, or temporary and it is important that every employer is aware of the clear criteria HMRC publishes to correctly determine employment status.

Self-employed: • they can decide what work they do and when, where or how to do it, • they can hire someone else to do the work • they can work for more than one client Employee: • they can’t send someone else to do their work • the business deducts PAYE and NICs from their wages • they have a contract of employment Casual worker: The term casual worker is normally used to refer to individuals who work on an ad hoc basis as ‘bank staff’ or waitresses, bar staff, and security staff at nightclubs.

• There is no obligation on the employer to offer any work • There is no obligation on the worker or on the claimants to accept any Clearly someone working five days a week full time in a business is not ’casual’.

Temporary If not supplied by an agency, a ‘temporary’ worker in a company is usually working on a short term or fixed term contract of employment.

Why should it matter to you, the employer?

From August last year HM Revenue and Customs took the decision to name and shame individuals who are car dealers, electricians and hairdressers publicly on its website.

Defaulters have been pulled up for evasion across a range of taxes including NI and PAYE including a couple who owed £78,557 while running an electrical installation and repairs business; a Yorkshire-based hairdresser who owes £19,000; the owner of an off-licence who must pay back £21,500; and a farmer who was given a penalty of around £10,000.

If you have any workers claiming to be selfemployed, casual, temporary or any other status, do check and make sure that HMRC can’t come knocking on your door and avoid having fines, adverse publicity and your company name at the top of their list for the next decade as a business worth visiting on a regular basis.

Carol H Scott HR & Business Consulting Ltd

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The East Anglian

Exhibition

Model Railway Exhibition Sat 14th & Sun 15th March 2015 After only two years, the East Anglian Model Railway Exhibition has outgrown Huntingdon Racecourse and so this year the event is moving to the Wood Green Animal Charity Centre in Godmanchester.

The new 2015 venue, The Britten Arena at the Wood Green Animal Charity Centre near Godmanchester is just 2 minutes from the A14, junction 24, providing easy access from all of the major roads. This international size indoor arena provides 1625sq metres (17,491sq feet) of usable space all on one level and ducted warm air heating. There is gallery seating, easy disabled access, good refreshment facilities and ample, free parking areas.

This is not a Toy and Train Fair with people just selling items. This is a great chance to see 37 excellent model railway layouts from across the country in different gauges and purchase the much needed ready to run items or build your own items from some of our 24 traders. You can also learn how to do various modelling techniques from our 8 demonstrators. With outdoor attractions and the many other facilities to see at Wood Green it

The Worlds End model railway layout has never before been seen in a public show.

Be among the first to see this beautiful layout at the East Anglian Model Railway Exhibition.

will be a great day out. There is an opportunity for children to operate Thomas trains on one of the layouts and as Sunday 15th March is Mothering Sunday why not bring the whole family, save Mum cooking and enjoy the Sunday Carvery in the Wood Green Restaurant.

There will be a free vintage double-deck bus service running between Wood Green and Huntingdon Railway Station.

This stunning event will be open from 10am to 5pm on Saturday 14th, and from 10am to 4pm on Sunday15th. Admission prices are: Adults £7; Children £4; and Family (2+2) £20.

You can avoid the queues by purchasing advance tickets form the website, www.stneotsmrc.com

This wonderfully restored double deck bus will be running a free service between Wood Green and Huntingdon railway station.

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Huntingdon Mayor, Bill Hensley with a traction engine.

Photo from our 2014 show by Helen Drake courtesy of Hunts Post.

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Education

Let the next step of your journey begin with Huntingdonshire Regional College Open Event, Wednesday 11th March Start your journey with Huntingdonshire Regional College by visiting our Open Event on Wednesday 11th March, 5:30pm – 8:00pm.

Get a flavour of student life at the College and discover what we can offer you as a full-time or part-time student, or as an Apprentice working for a local business whilst receiving training.

There is a wide range of Study Programmes available at HRC so take the opportunity to talk with students, tutors and careers advisors to find the right Study Programme for you.

A range of presentations including Student Enrichment, Student Finance and Apprenticeships will provide all the information you need to make the right choice.

And we’re not all talk at our Open Events. You are welcome to join in our FREE Taster activities, run by our current students across a number of curriculum areas, giving you a real insight into what our Study Programmes are all about. These sessions will bring to life the Study Programme you are considering and allow you to engage with your peers about student life at HRC. Huntingdonshire Regional College delivers full-time programmes in Business, Childcare,

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Computing, Construction, Creative Industries, Engineering, Hair & Beauty, Health & Social Care, Motor Vehicle, Sport & Exercise and Uniformed Public Services.

All of our Study Programmes feature work experience opportunities and enterprise projects.

We have strong links with local employers and work with them to ensure you leave College with the right skills and experience.

Our Open Event is also an invitation to explore the excellent facilities at HRC both inside and outside the learning environments. We have a Vitality Hair & Beauty Salon, Learning Resource Centre, Refectory and Starbucks Café, Gym, Teddy Bear Nursery and our recently renovated Creative Industries Centre.

Full-time students aged 16-18 years will also be able to find out about our FREE College bus service across Huntingdonshire, saving you up to £450 a year, plus our half-price driving lessons with RED Driving School.

Win an HP Stream 11 Laptop!

Pre-register for our Open Event and turn up on the night and you could win an HP Stream 11 Laptop (worth £180). Visit www.huntingdon.ac.uk/win to register your details and book your place. See website for full terms and conditions.

So let the next step of your journey begin and come along to our Open Event on Wednesday 11th March between 5:30pm – 8:00pm!

Huntingdonshire Regional College, California Road, Huntingdon, PE29 1BL Tel: 01480 379106 • Web: huntingdon.ac.uk • Email: marketing@huntingdon.ac.uk Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts

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21

Pilates

Pilates Part two

Pilates for Beginners In the February issue you may remember I explained all about the history of Pilates and that practicing regularly can help improve your mobility, posture, flexibility, strength and make you feel good! If you haven’t already visited my Facebook page please do and check out some other exercises and interesting facts about Pilates.

Here’s a beginner exercise to get you started.

It’s called a Roll Down and is designed to help increase mobility in the spine and stretch your hamstrings - the muscles that run along the back of your legs. This is what two of my clients, who live in Little Paxton and are both in their seventies, have to say about the way that practising Roll Downs regularly has helped them: “We started with lessons at home so that we could join a class later if we wished. We go at our own pace with Trudy who is very kind and patient and gradually adds more exercises as we get more confident and progress. This way we are warm and comfortable and as we enjoy this format we may well continue with it rather than joining a class. The benefits are very gradual but we are noticeably less creaky and can actually bend and stretch a lot more easily, especially picking things up from the floor and reaching to get things down from the cupboards, which had previously been an effort.”

Before you begin: Start by standing tall with your feet hip-width apart, shoulders down and relaxed and looking straight ahead. In Pilates we always breathe fully and deeply, inhaling through the nose and exhaling out through the mouth. Begin with a deep breath in through the nose to prepare and exhale as you move into the exercise.

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The Roll Down: • Begin by standing with your feet hip-width apart and your spine in a neutral position.

Your legs and feet should be parallel to each other. Let your arms relax along the sides your body.

• Inhale and lengthen your spine as you prepare to move. Scoop in your abs (abdominal muscles) and keep them pulled in throughout the exercise.

• In one exhalation, tuck in your chin and lengthen the back of your neck. Nod your head forward and let your shoulders also drop forward as you start bending your knees slightly; continue rolling your entire spine forward and down, one vertebra at a time.

Roll down as far as you can comfortably go while keeping your neck, head, and shoulders relaxed. Your arms should dangle from your shoulders.

• Keeping your abs scooped and your body draped forward, inhale and tuck your pelvis slightly. Then exhale and begin to reverse the movement, slowly rolling back up, one vertebra at a time. Keep your navel pulled in deeply as you roll your torso back upright.

• Return to your starting position. Then repeat the move 5-10 times.

By Trudy Cambridge

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23

Local News Urgent need for

Volunteer Visitors for Age UK Cambridgeshire

An SOS has gone out to find volunteers to be part of the Age UK Cambridgeshire Visiting Scheme; which offers support to people who are lonely and isolated in later life.

Age UK has a waiting list of clients in the St Neots and Huntingdon areas and it is keen to hear from readers of the Villager who would like to help.

Volunteers play an important part in helping to support and enhance people’s lives in many ways and they in turn receive satisfaction from the role.

Each volunteer can make a difference by visiting someone once a week for an hour. It could be for a chat, cup of tea, game of cards or a trip out.

Dee Potter, Volunteer Organiser, wants to hear from anyone who would like to know more about this opportunity. If you have some free time & are interested then please call Dee on 0845 521 3481 or email dee.potter@ageukcambridgeshire.org.uk

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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Well Being

There’s Something in the Air...

By Nooshin Hassan

Can you sense that change in the atmosphere? A gentle stirring, a delicate lifting of the spirits, a tender beginning of something new... Smile and breathe a sigh of relief because spring is once more here to greet us, as always, bringing the joys of nature alive once more.

After a cold dark winter we can all feel a little weary and perhaps disheartened with New Year’s resolutions which we’ve not kept. Returning home in the darkness after work followed by awaking the next morning to equal darkness can also be depressing and draining. So for all those whose good intentions have already fallen by the wayside, or those who just need to feel revived, spring gives us the chance to start again – with Mother Nature on our side this time.

We can find encouragement when there’s a little more sunshine in the day and a little colour in the countryside.

Just as the soil of our gardens and parks is upturned by

the growth of new life, so we too can turn things around, whether it’s at work, at home, or in an important relationship.

Just as the new green shoots in the ground miraculously produce hyacinths the colour of precious jewels, so we too can feel empowered to create something new: a new exercise regime, a new craft, or a new way of life. It seems fitting that as the natural world starts afresh at this time of year that we also take the opportunity to make a fresh start.

It’s no wonder that Persian people celebrate their New Year at the beginning of spring, rejoicing in nature beginning again all around them. They enjoy a traditional meal on the day that spring officially begins and then take several days of holiday to visit family, rounding off the thirteen days of festivities with a picnic. Perhaps the British climate will bless us with mild enough weather so that we can visit our favourite outdoor space and do the same? Indeed

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the village of Thriplow has been celebrating spring for years with their annual Daffodil Weekend - an event which really brings the community together and attracts thousands of tourists to enjoy the open gardens, local food and live music.

It’s impossible not to feel rejuvenated by the appearance of clouds of pink and white blossom on the trees, the longer days and the sweet fresh fragrance in the air. There’s a sense of excitement and it’s as though the world is full of opportunities. It’s a chance for us to re-energise and renew any plans or commitments.

Above all, it’s time to get out and enjoy all the wonders of nature around us. So whether you decide to tackle part of the Greensand Ridge Walk (views from the Ampthill Park section are “tremendous”) or simply head into your garden to pick some spring flowers (there is something incredibly cheerful about a vase of bright daffodils in the house), embrace it.

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Lyn Whittington A personalised approach to quickly finding the root of your symptoms and getting your health back on track Are YOU struggling with physical, emotional or nutritional aspects of your health then know there is an effective solution.

Contact me to claim your FREE “Get My Health Back� consultation - 5 available this month I just wanted to thank you for an amazing session and for all your care and attention. It certainly has made a difference to my life. I will recommend you to everyone I meet.

Diane T: 01480 731009 E: stneotskinesiology@gmail.com M: 07791220242 W: stneotskinesiology.co.uk @PE19Kinesiology loveyourhealth kinesiology Love Your Health

26Love your health 1/2.indd

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27

Complementary Health

Are you a well woman?

Centre for Complimentary Health Life today is very stressful for the average women, juggling work, home, family and social life. Even when there is no specific medical problem, it is always better to take responsibility for your health and fitness, in order try to prevent problems from occurring.

It is important that you eat right by having a mix of well-balanced foods, giving up smoking, reducing stress etc. It is also valuable that you are able to read your own body’s signs, to understand what’s normal for you and what you should do if things aren’t ‘normal’.

Tips for staying well include: • Enjoy the fresh air, get those lungs working, making you feel better • Watch your sleep levels, ensure that you’re not getting overtired, positively affecting your health.

• Exercise – running, going to the gym, yoga, and exercise classes etc. Exercise helps those endorphins to be realised and makes you feel good, and improves you general health and well-being.

• Watch your weight: helps your general health and ability to do exercise.

• Have ‘chill out’ time; Sit or lie down quietly for 10 minutes to clear your head of clutter and fill it instead with pleasant, tranquil thoughts. Just be - and let your mind drift.

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Wendy Goodman, an acupuncturist at the Centre for Complementary Health explains “acupuncture is also a gentle energy regulating treatment which works well for women. It seeks to boost the patient’s own natural ability to heal. Whilst patients usually have acupuncture in the first instance to relieve symptoms, it is generally used thereafter for maintaining good health. If we keep ourselves in the best possible state of health we are less likely to fall prey to illness”. Wendy adds “Over the years we have treated ladies suffering from neck and back pain, arthritis, migraine, gynaecological, fertility and menopause problems, digestive problems and many more. Patients will sometimes come because they feel low, tired and ‘under the weather’; they speak of not feeling their usual selves and wanting a boost. They may be catching every cold that is going around and finding things are getting on top of them and we can then help them”.

This month is acupuncture awareness month, if you would like to know more about this treatment or how the Centre can help you be a “well woman” please contact us on 01480 455221 or see our website for further information on women’s health.

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

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Jill Dighton

BSc (Hons) MBACP, UKCP Reg.

Counselling Service

Serendipity is a private beauty salon in Comberton Cambridge, offering the very best in professional beauty treatments and customer care. Carried out by a fully qualified beauty therapist, all at an affordable price.

Depressed? Anxious?

Relationship Issues?

Low Self Esteem?

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.

Daytime, evening and weekend appointments available at a time that suits you, as the service is not restricted to salon opening hours.

Concessionary rates available.

Please call Becky on 01223 262736 or 07979795846

www.serendipitycambridge.co.uk

Serendipity 1/4 page.indd 1

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

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Shires Mobile Footcare ...because feet matter

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

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29

Technology

Computer Encryption

By Kam Patel

Helping you get to know your personal computer.

Information stored on computers is valuable and sometimes you or your employer doesn’t want someone having access to this data. We’ve read or heard stories about USB memory sticks going missing, laptops being left in the back of a taxi or break-ins where computer equipment has been stolen. What can you do to protect the data on these devices? Encryption.

What is Encryption?

Encryption is a way to secure data by scrambling the information so that it can only be accessed with the correct encryption key. When I purchased my Windows 8 laptop, the first thing I thought about was protection. Windows 8 comes with an application called BitLocker Drive Encryption. The

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laptop I use has a single hard drive of 700GB. I ran the program and it provided me with 350GB of encrypted drive, and this is where I store all my personal files. In order for me to access it, I need to enter a password. If I forget, then I have to enter a recovery key that was created at the time of the encryption which is kept safe. I also use BitLocker to encrypt USB memory sticks so if I have to take any sensitive information out with me I know that this is secure as well.

For operating systems without built-in encryption you can purchase encryption software, but I have come across a free open-source program called TrueCrypt. http://www.truecrypt.org/ Find out more at http://windows.microsoft.com/engb/windows-8/bitlocker-drive-encryption

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31

EBAY COLLECTIONS

32

Local & Reliable

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Time of Year

Spring Cleaning!

By Susan Brookes-Morris

The term ‘Spring Cleaning’ originated in colder climes from the practice of taking the opportunity, as soon as the warmer weather arrived, to clear out the dust and soot that had accumulated throughout the home from coal and logs fires during the Winter.

Modern appliances and central heating have made this unnecessary for many, but the concept of having a top-to-bottom clean at the start of Spring remains popular.

Generally, people use this as a chance to deepclean areas which they don’t pay attention to during their weekly household chores. Tasks can include: Emptying kitchen cupboards and cleaning inside.

This is a good opportunity to check use-before dates on items and throw out those past their expiry date.

Defrosting freezers, de-scaling kettles and irons, and cleaning ovens to aid efficient working.

Vacuuming mattresses to get rid of dust mites, and turning mattresses to assist even wear.

Removing cushions from sofas and vacuuming the crevices- you never know, you may find some money or jewellery that you thought you’d lost.

Many people actually find the process of cleaning and de-cluttering cathartic.

If you don’t fancy tackling it all yourself, then you can always get help from a professional cleaning company, many of whom offer special Spring Cleaning services.

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Family Law

(Un)marital bliss

or blissful ignorance?

The Office of National Statistics shows that the trend for children to be born outside of a marriage or a civil partnership continues for the 40th year. In 2012 47.5% of babies were born outside a marriage or civil partnership, compared with 40.6% in 2002. If the ONS statistics carry on their current course, by 2016, more than 50% of babies that year will be born outside of marriage or a civil partnership. This ties in with trends we see of an increasing number of clients seeking advice on relationship breakdown, but who are not married.

There are important differences between the way spouses are treated on relationship breakdown and cohabitees.

• Cohabitees have no rights to ask for spousal maintenance, or any other kind of long term periodical financial support for themselves, Spouses can ask for spousal maintenance for a fixed term or for life.

• Cohabitees can ask for child maintenance.

This is the same as someone who is married, and the assessment is carried out in the same way.

• Cohabitees have no rights for a lump sum.

Spouses can ask the divorcing spouse to make financial provision in the form of a lump sum order on divorce.

• Cohabitees have no right to seek a share of their partner’s pension. Spouses can ask for a pension to be shared on divorce.

• Cohabitees have no legal right to claim against other property owned by their partner, unless they can demonstrate that they have acquired an interest in the property, whether by contributing in money or money’s worth to the property.

The process to claim a share in property that is not held jointly can be both costly, evidentially difficult to prove and time consuming. In divorce cases, all assets whether held jointly or in one party’s sole name are taken into account in order to reach a fair settlement on divorce. It is possible on divorce for the court to order the transfer the ownership of property from one party to another.

Our best advice?

Don’t carry on in blissful ignorance. If you are thinking of living with someone and or having children with them but choosing not to get married, or if you live with someone and are wondering where you stand, obtain specialist legal advice at an early stage. We won’t tell you how to lead your life but we can give you our promise that we will point you in the right direction about what to think about, advise on pitfalls and how they can be avoided, as well as how you could best manage your arrangements.

Fiona McLeman Tel: 07894 095775 www.fmfamilylaw.co.uk 34

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THE COMPUTER MAN

Accounts by Emma Ltd

Local, Qualified & Experienced

Getting I.T. right the first time, every time.

Accountant & Business Support

Make your PC or laptop fast again!

For all your small business needs from bookkeeping to year end accounts and everything in between.

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cashflow management business planning tax management accounts budgeting costing & pricing

Contact Stuart on: Tel: 01480 354 937 Mob: 07734 652 239

E-mail: stuart@shconsultancy.co.uk

Whether your computer is not working at all or just needs a boost, we can help.

Call now for a free, no obligation, chat. emma@accountsbyemma.co.uk 01480 214370 | 07841 042077

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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 To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122

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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

WobuRn FoResT HoLiday ViLLage

Housekeeping oppoRTuniTies nestled in a 365 acre forest, Woburn Forest boasts beautiful undulating forest landscapes, the largest subtropical swimming paradise, magical views over the lake and forest with modern Lodges bringing guests closer to nature.

We have a variety of housekeeping positions with flexible hours to fit around your lifestyle and there are contracts available from early mornings to school hours. Transport is available for some of our positions in the local area.

To apply for a housekeeping position or any of our other vacancies visit centerparcscareers.co.uk, click on Job Search, then choose the Woburn location.

Center Parcs, Woburn Forest Holiday Village, Millbrook, Bedford, MK45 2HZ

at Center parcs, we want our people to share in the success their hard work brings, enjoy a sense of wellbeing and a good lifestyle, and make the most of their time with us.

We offer unique benefits such as: • discounted Center parcs breaks • day visitor passes • Free use of village facilities

www.centerparcs.co.uk

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Leeds Day Solicitors

Family Mediation

What is it, how does it work and how can we help you?

What is Mediation?

Mediation is a process where divorcing or separating couples agree to try and resolve any differences they have about their split through discussion between themselves and a mediator who will try and facilitate an agreement. Key points to remember about mediation are: • It is not counselling. The mediator is not aiming to reconcile the parties, but instead to assist with the split and to resolve disputes amicably; • It is entirely voluntary. Neither party can be forced to mediate; • The parties can seek to agree matters including terms the court would not normally be able to order and this therefore gives the parties a wide scope for negotiation to include highly practical matters; • It is very often a swift and efficient means of addressing family related problems; • It is almost always more economical to mediate disputes rather than take them to court; • As opposed to court proceedings the process of mediation is much more likely to promote an amicable resolution of disputes promoting a better long term dialogue between separated parties.

The issues that can be mediated are virtually limitless and include disputes over finances and children.

How does it work? A mediator will first meet both parties and outline the procedure he/she intends to follow.

Not all mediations are conducted in the same way but those concerning finance between married

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

couples will usually involve both parties providing full disclosure to the other of their income, property/ savings and liabilities so that the mediator and all parties are aware of the extent of the marital assets.

Mediators will in all cases conduct the process usually over a number of sessions; perhaps 4 or 5 on average, when the parties will discuss their aims and the mediator will seek to suggest solutions and invite comment from them on issues of concern.

The mediator’s role is to be completely impartial. He or she is not a legal advisor when acting as mediator, whether or not he or she is a qualified lawyer.

If an agreement is reached between mediating parties they will have the ability to seek independent legal advice on what has been agreed and they can then enter into a formal binding agreement if they so wish.

How we can help you? At Leeds Day, we are pleased to announce that we now are able to conduct mediations from any of our three offices situated at Huntingdon, St Ives and St Neots. Our mediator, Lee Bailham, is an ADR qualified family law mediator and a solicitor. Lee is also an approved mediator able to carry out MIAMS which are required if a person is contemplating Court proceedings relating to children and/or financial issues following the breakdown of their marriage or relationship.

For an initial mediation appointment contact Lee Bailham at Leeds Day on 01480 442039 or email lee.bailham@leedsday.co.uk Aside from our mediation service we at Leeds Day have three highly experienced divorce and family solicitors practising exclusively in family law. The team includes Resolution accredited and collaborative family law specialists.

For further details and for information about what other services the firm offers, visit our website: www.leedsday.co.uk or telephone 0844 567 2222

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

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

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Utilise

Beacon Wealth

Your Strengths

Business Trainers have a skill of helping others to perform better. They do this by analysing their subject and working out how to improve their weaknesses so that they offer all round improvement.

At Beacon, we see a problem with the above scenario. Some people are just not good at something no matter how hard they try. For example, I am no good at learning languages; it would be far more productive for me to stick to what I am good at and employ an interpreter who would bring that specific skill set.

Investments are similar. We regularly compare our portfolios to see why we are outperforming major investment houses. One reason is their reluctance to change their investment approach.

A company of our size is nimble and quickly able to change investment direction. We also know our researchers are great at researching, whilst our investment team are good at investing, and our advisers are good at advising. These are three distinctive jobs by three groups of people, all excellent at what they do. They do not do all three and keep training on their weakest area.

Our portfolios include individual funds that have had good double digit returns, but it is the fusion of the different funds that creates stability of average risk return.

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

General interest rates and inflation remain low which makes our returns of 10.9%, 20.3%, 35.7%* (as of 31/01/2015) for our fund on one, three and five years, look particularly attractive. Our average risk ethical portfolio yielded attractive returns as well, of 9.1%, 21.6% and 41.3%* (as of 31/01/2015). *Past performance is no guarantee of future returns.

Discretionary powers have enabled funds to be replaced at will, and usually without cost. If you are disappointed by returns, ask your adviser whether they do everything themselves, use a pre-chosen portfolio of funds, or have full fund choice.

At Beacon, we take on new team members if a skill is required. This means the team continually works on their strengths, so that when combined with other skilled individuals the result is greater than the sum of the parts as an example. We currently have two new vacancies; for an employed Financial Adviser and a member of the Investment team, not one combined role. You should utilise your strengths with the power of choice.

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

Property Management

‘More service, less price’ Michael Picard, managing director of Templeton Property Management, relocated from the US to the Cambridgeshire area 12 years ago. He set up his own lettings agency three years ago, specialising in executive properties with the aim of providing the high level of service he was used to in America. He is now expanding the business by moving into property sales offering a complete estate agency and property management service.

Catherine Rose met a committed individual.

Michael has been dealing with UK property for over a decade. He initially worked as a transportation manager for the US Government helping Americans find suitable homes in the UK. He has since worked for NATO, responsible for building organisational facilities that has also provided lots of practical skills in house maintenance, ideal to equip him as a ‘hands on’ housing manager.

Having had first-hand experience with estate and letting agents in the UK, he began to think he could do better. “I noticed that in this country,

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estate agents don’t have a very good image” he says. “I wanted to break the stereotype. “ He never believed he would start his own business here, but after completing an MBA where his business plan was a letting agency, his wife suggested he set up his own. Today he manages 30 properties and is so sought after as a housing manager he has had to turn people away. Moving into sales has been a natural progression.

From the outset, Michael decided to consciously avoid the elevated commission rates charged by many high street property agents. He also did not feel it was good service to offer reduced office hours. Consequently he is available 24/7 to his clients and has a wealth of contacts in the trades, such as plumbing and electrical, to deal with any problems tenants may have as swiftly as possible. “If I get a call at 2am to say a boiler has broken down, then I will be there” he says.

“Being American, I use the service model that is practiced in the States. I work weekends and nights where necessary. I believe that if you are paying someone to manage your property, they should be available at all times.” He will also come

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out personally to fix everything from a broken light to a faulty door knob. ”I treat your house as if it was my own” he says simply, and it is clear that his clients trust him.

Michael intends to bring this ethos to his expansion into sales. He is giving up his job in NATO to devote himself to Templeton Property Management full time and has just recruited a partner, Tim Bell, who has a background in property law and brings enthusiasm and experience to the company.

Templeton Property Management put its first house on Rightmove last month and viewings were booked within two days. Part of this success is down to Michael’s willingness to conduct viewings in the evenings and at weekends, when many high street estate agents are not available.

Michael works out of a home office as he doesn’t want to have to pass on the overheads of having a high street sales room to his customers. “I am not looking to become just another high street vendor” says Michael. “Times have changed. Ten years ago you needed a town centre presence but now everything has gone virtual.”

As a result, Templeton Property Management is able to cut its commission rates to a minimum.

They already charge just 8% on property lettings which for simplicity is all inclusive, and where most agents will charge a fee of 1% or more on sales, Michael has just reduced his fee to 0.75% with the promise that discounted rates will not rise as the company grows, and there are no hidden extras. “Some agents give you very little

in return for the high commission they charge, charging more for floorplans and photos” says Michael. “I don’t believe in hidden fees. My commission includes everything within the marketing package including the EPC, with no extra charges.”

As a licensed agent, all Templeton Property Management’s marketing is primarily done through the popular online property website Rightmove as they have an 85% share of the market in house sales, so guaranteeing maximum exposure. And one of the benefits of using them is that there is no limit to the number of photographs you can put up to show the property.

Michael is very selective with the properties on his books. As a letting agent, he specialises in supplying executive homes to Visiting Forces.

“They tend to want larger houses in the £500,000 plus range. In the same way, I am specialising in the sale of high-standard and prestigious homes.

I would like Templeton to become a brand synonymous for marketing executive homes for sale (as we are for Lettings).”

And Michael has a special standard when it comes to taking a property onto his books: “I won’t let out or sell a property that I wouldn’t live in myself” he says. “I want to have pride in the homes we sell. I am not going to use clichéd statements or pull the wool over people’s eyes when they buy a property from me. Buyers are smart and they respect honesty. I think it’s time the industry started treating them that way.”

Templeton Property Management is currently looking for more homes for its books. For a second-to-none service, please get in touch with

Michael Picard or Tim Bell on 07788 298351 or email info@templetonpropertymanagement.co.uk

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41

Garden

Facing North

By Pippa Greenwood www.pippagreenwood.com

The problem I am asked about most frequently is that of what to do with a north-facing wall.

Everyone wants to know what you can plant up it but more importantly, what you can do to increase the chances of your chosen plant not just surviving but also thriving.

Getting the right plant for the spot is essential and I’ve listed some great north-facing wall climbers below. But first consider whether you need year round cover (and so something evergreen) or would accept a deciduous climber that will lose its leaves but keep a framework of stems, or if you could live with an herbaceous climber that will die back each year and return again in the spring.

If the wall is very shaded it may be worth reducing the shade if you can. Nearby wall-shrubs could be pruned back or overhanging trees crown lifted (the lower branches removed) or crown thinned (the crown’s density reduced).

Walls may be a dark grey or brick colour but you can make the spot considerably more plant friendly if you change the colour of the wall before planting. A pale-coloured masonry paint on the wall will cause light to be reflected back to the plant and make it more likely to thrive.

Consider growing more than one climber to increase the season of interest and so the amount of time that the wall looks good.

Flowering may be reduced if the site is gloomy and so to maximise your climber’s flower power make sure that you apply sulphate of potash as this will increase flowering potential. Follow the instructions on the pack, and generally try to apply it to the root area in late summer and then again in spring.

Make sure that the climber goes in at a good

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distance from the wall up which it is to grow. A minimum of about 45cm (18in) should mean that it can develop a good strong root system and this will help to keep it growing well.

Self-clinging climbers such as the climbing hydrangea or a variegated ivy can look great and help to provide at least part of the interest you’re after for your north-facing wall, but even these often need a bit of a helping hand to get them started – train the stems on to the wall and protect from wind until they get properly attached.

TOP PLANTS FOR NORTH-FACING WALLS Akebia quinata. Pretty pale green foliage with vanilla perfumed purple-brown flowers in late spring.

Berberidopsis coralline. Prefers acidic soil, clusters of deep red flowers in early autumn.

Clematis. Many smaller flowered varieties such as white flowered, rampant C. montana do well.

Codonopsis convolvulacea. Pretty bell or saucer shaped violet coloured flowers in summer.

Humulus lupulus (the hop). The golden leafed ‘Aurea’ will perform quite well as long as the shade is not too intense or the site windy.

Hydrangea anomela petiolaris A deciduous climber with broad creamy white flowerheads.

Lathyrus latifolius. the everlasting pea. Small clusters of pinky purple flowers throughout the summer and in to early autumn Lonicera x Americana. Classic honeysuckle flowers in yellow flushed red and with a gorgeous perfume during the summer.

Lonicera x tellamanniana. Bright yellowy orange honeysuckle flowers in late spring and summer.

Vitis coignetiae. Renowned for its fabulous autumn colour.

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Please Call 01234 354673 or visit BARTLETT.COM To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122

43

SURECLEAN GARDEN MACHINERY AND TRAILER CENTRE

DRIVEWAY AND PATIO CLEANING SPECIALISTS ROOF MOSS REMOVAL AND GUTTER CLEANING

 Personal customer service, collection and delivery available.  Assessment of individual requirements.  Full after sales backup and parts service.

We use a revolutionary industrial pressure rotary cleaning system to restore exterior hard surfaces to as new condition.

 NEW Oregon, the world's only unique battery operated, self-sharpening s In stock. chain saw.

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

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Local Company

 Accessories, oils, Aspen fuel, batteries, spares, security locks for garden/ horticultural machinery and trailers. horticultu

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

Appointed dealers for:

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

Honeydon Road, Colmworth, Bedfordshire MK44 2LY

01234 376513 www.bri-ag.co.uk

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

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Wildlife

Damselflies & Demoiselles

As well as mayflies and lacewings, damselflies and demoiselles are other species of dramatic net-winged creatures that can be seen regularly in wildlife gardens. One attraction is a wildlife pond; these bring all sorts of net-winged insects, even if the gardens are situated a little way from rivers.

In ponds, damselfly aquatic nymphs spend about two years at the muddy bottom, waiting for tiny creatures to come their way. Then with lightening speed, the nymph shoots out its mouth parts to grab and eat the unsuspecting prey. The nymphs climb out of the pond for the final stage of their life cycle by using marginal plants and lilies.

When I have seen damselflies or demoiselles early in the morning, I have witnessed them warming up their bodies by basking in the sun. I often think that they are using their translucent net wings to gain strength from solar energy. Damselflies have the smallest bodies of the dragonfly family. They have the same structure as all dragonflies with a long, slim body with four translucent membrane wings which culminate in a delicate net-like structure.

Damselflies have one of nature’s most unusual mating rituals. It begins when the female uses her wings to signal to her selected partner that she is ready for

mating. The coupling position seems awkward and excruciating. The male locks the rear of his abdomen onto the back of her neck, then she loops her tail forward and locks onto the male’s chest which forms a heart shaped pattern.

Sometimes the male persists with this bond while she lays her fertile eggs. He does this because he wants to be sure that the female is not intercepted by another male who could then replace his sperm with a new mating. In this way he guarantees that the eggs she lays will produce his progeny.

The female usually descends towards the bottom of the pond using a water plant where she lays her eggs. She remains underwater long enough by creating air bubbles around her body which she uses to breathe whilst submerged. She injects her fertilised eggs into the centre of the plant’s stem, from which larvae will eventually emerge as aquatic nymphs. Laying eggs is a

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By Andy Mydellton

dangerous task for a female damselfly because if she runs out of air bubbles, she will drown.

Other dangers include being eaten by spiders and other pond predators.

I have witnessed Blue Tailed Damselflies at Millstream Fork more often than other species probably because they prefer gardens and ponds. The Large Red is the second most common damselfly visiting the garden while scarcer sights include the Azure and the Common Blue. It is worth noting that these three species all prefer clear streams, such as the millstream, as well as the river from which it flows. The Banded Demoiselle is the most commonly seen species in this group. They can be distinguished by their 45mm blue body stems and large dark blue spots on each of their four wings.

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Pets

Dogs that

Detect Cancer

By Lyndsay Burrell Dogs are renowned for their sense of smell and for centuries doctors have known diseases have characteristic odours that dogs may be able to detect. This is what the charity Medical Detection Dogs works with every day and one arm of the charity is specifically about training dogs to sniff out cancer cells.

Cancer cells release small amounts of volatile substances. The charity trains dogs to detect these substances by smell and potentially this work and research will enable scientists to develop an early cancer screening system using our canine friends.

The dogs are trained to work from samples of breath, urine and skin to learn to recognise the signs. But one dog was able to use her training to help save her owner.

Ten-year-old labrador Daisy is one of the charity’s most experienced dogs and belongs to CEO Claire Guest. One day Daisy kept pawing at Claire’s chest so she decided to get herself checked and was told

she was in the early stages of breast cancer. Daisy had detected the deep cancer cells early enough for the tumour to be removed easily. If it had been undetected for longer it would have been much more serious. Along with her contribution to cancer research, Daisy has been awarded a Blue Cross medal – a well-earned recognition we are sure you will agree.

Occasionally exceptional pets have been known to detect cancer without any training. Tina, from Huntingdon, owes her life to a little dog called Ruben.

Ruben always got excited when Tina came to visit but in August 2011, something was very different.

The 18-month-old cavalier wouldn’t leave Tina alone, even staying with her overnight. Usually he was content to sit on anyone’s lap for a cuddle but that weekend he insisted on being with Tina constantly and would lay every time with his head on her chest. He would also scratch and lick at her left side whenever he got the chance.

At first Tina didn’t take much notice but by the time she left, Ruben had made Tina’s left side so sore that when she got home, she examined herself and felt a lump in her left breast. Tina was diagnosed with a 38mm cancerous tumour and just four weeks after visiting Ruben, underwent a double mastectomy. Tina is still undergoing care with the hospital but thankfully she is now healthy and clear of cancer. She says: “There is no doubt about it, Ruben saved my life! I can’t express how much I owe to beautiful Ruben.”

As a charity, Medical Detection Dogs doesn’t receive any government support or grants and relies totally on trust funding and public donations. You can help them continue their work and research by donating today. You can donate online on the Medical Detection Dogs website or at any Cromwell Vets surgery. www.medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk

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RSPB

Nature returns to local quarries A European-wide quarry restoration project is highlighting the community benefits of international co-operation and stakeholder partnerships in restoring biodiversity.

In January of this year, international partners in the RESTORE Project - a European quarryrestoration initiative led by the RSPB – visited quarries that are being restored in Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire, and they highlighted the vital role international co-operation and industry partnerships can play in conserving wildlife.

Representatives of seven organisations visited Hanson-RSPB Ouse Fen Nature Reserve in Cambridgeshire and Sandy Heath quarry in Bedfordshire, where mineral companies are working with the RSPB to successfully restore the sites for wildlife.

RESTORE project co-ordinator, Bea Ayling, said: “Bringing organisations together to share knowledge and expertise across national borders is essential if we are to make the most of the opportunities for biodiversity restoration presented by the mineral extraction industry.”

Quarries cover an area of more than 250,000 hectares in north-west Europe and after they have reached the end of their working lives, their restoration can contribute significantly to the environment and flood risk alleviation. They also provide recreational centres for local communities where people can connect with and enjoy nature on their doorsteps.

At Ouse Fen in Cambridgeshire, the RSPB and mineral extraction company Hanson are 10 years into a 30-year project to progressively restore 700 hectares of working sand and gravel quarry to wetland and grassland habitats following extraction. When complete, the site will contain

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the largest reed bed in the UK, and it has already been colonised by the elusive bittern, with six females nesting there in 2014.

Meanwhile, a partnership between the RSPB and LaFarge Tarmac has seen the restoration of 15 hectares of heathland at Sandy Heath on Bedfordshire’s Greensand Ridge following the extraction of sand at the site. It is projected that there will be approximately 30 hectares of heathland habitat created at the site in the next ten to twenty years.

The resulting area of heathland - a national priority habitat - houses all sorts of rare wildlife including a wide range of endangered invertebrates such as the spider-eating wasp, recorded for the first time ever in England in 2012. In time, it is hoped the creation of wildlife habitat at the quarry may attract the likes of the nightjar - another heathland-loving species.

“Creating habitats like those at Ouse Fen and Sandy Heath is one of the surest ways to enhance biodiversity on a truly landscape scale, helping to extend and link existing wildlife sites and reconnect people with nature,” said Nigel Symes, Head of the RSPB’s Business Advice Unit and RESTORE Project Manager.

RESTORE, which is funded through the EU’s INTERREG IVB project, aims to promote organisations across north-west Europe that can continue this work, and the local success of Ouse Fen and Sandy Heath is already being hailed as a prime example of what can be achieved for other sites in the UK and on the continent.

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• • • • •

• • •

Buckden Pre-school Playgroup is a village pre-school in purpose built accommodation Been in existence for over 40 years Recently upgrade by Ofsted to Good status Accept children from their second birthday until they start school We are registered for the Free Two’s Funding Scheme and the Early Years Funding scheme – offering families 15 hours of free child care per week.

Open 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Monday – Thursday and 9.a.m. – noon on Friday during term time Enthusiastic and well qualified staff all of whom have been with us for several years Operate a staffing level above recommended rates which enables each child to receive a high measure of attention.

Contact our Manager Michelle Nelson on 07941 671999 Email: buckdenpreschool@yahoo.co.uk www.buckdenpreschool.co.uk 50 Buckden preschool.indd

1

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51

Motoring

Landrover Discovery Sport SD4

By James Baggott, editor of Car Dealer Magazine (CarDealerMag.co.uk) It’s the first model in a new family of cars from Land Rover, but can the Discovery Sport live up to the legacy of the Freelander it replaces? James Baggott heads to Iceland to find out.

What is it?

The long-awaited replacement for the Freelander and the first in a new family of Discovery models. Land Rover has split its range into three distinct ‘pillars’.

There’s Range Rover, the soon to be retired Defender range and then there’s Discovery. The Disco Sport is the first and where it sits in the range will become clear as the new models are unveiled.

What’s under the bonnet?

A diesel engine. Yes, for now at least, just the one. Jaguar Land Rover has an all-new set of power plants waiting in the wings, but they’re not ready yet.

It comes in six-speed manual or nine-speed

The knowledge Model: Land Rover Discovery Sport SD4 Price: From £32,995 Engine: 2.2-litre, four-cylinder, turbocharged, diesel Power: 190bhp, 420Nm Max speed: 117mph 0-60mph: 9.8s CO2 emissions: 161g/km

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automatic guises, has 190bhp and 420Nm of torque. CO2 emissions are 161g/km and it’ll return 47.1mpg. It’s nothing ground-breaking, but there’s little wrong with it either.

What’s the spec like?

Not too bad at all. There’s a new infotainment system which Land Rover - and sister firm Jaguar have been crying out for. There’s a new suite of apps which run on a smartphone and can be displayed on the car’s screen.

Four trims are available - SE, SE Tech, HSE and HSE Luxury - all with varying levels of the usual extras. Options include an armrest cooler and warmer box, seven USB points and headrest mounted iPad holders.

Any rivals?

The Discovery Sport enters a marketplace full of premium compact off-roaders, including the popular Audi Q5 and BMW X3. Where the Land Rover stands tall is in its off-road ability - the tough Icelandic terrain covered so easily during this drive

would be the death of many a supposed off-roader. Its sevenseater layout is unique for this class of car.

What’s it like to drive?

We spent three days at the launch of the Discovery Sport in Iceland, tackling terrain that wouldn’t look out of place on the moon. However, the landscape was so extreme it gave us very little idea what it would be like to drive on a normal road. We can report it’s incredibly competent off road, though. We found the ride a little hard, but then that could have been the dreadful surfaces, and it was a little loud inside too, but again that was probably the studded tyres.

Verdict There’s no doubt the Discovery Sport is a marked improvement on the Freelander. The interior is a vast improvement; it’s comfortable and has plenty of room in the front and back. The multimedia system is better than before, although not perfect, and off road it’s in its absolute element. However, with no time on ‘normal’ roads on the launch it’s impossible to report on what it would be like as a daily driver. We’ll reserve judgement on that for a later date. Still, we doubt this will harm the Disco Sport’s popularity - the brand is on such a roll it’s going to fly out of the showrooms.

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The Car Shop Villager advert.pdf

1

04/02/2015

10:03

COME AND SEE US FOR : CAR SPARES AND ACCESSORIES NEW CAMPING & LEISURE RANGE NOW IN STOCK ____________________________

10% OFF RETAIL PRICES WITH THIS ADVERT Telephone: 01480 405858 Email: thecarshopstneots@btconnect.com - St Neots - Cambs - PE19 1BL Visit our new community www.beds-local.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: 36 or more words Good: 28 words Fair: 25 words

C

D

R U

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P O

E

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Travel

by Solange Hando

Sète - Water Jousting Between the vast lagoon of Thau and the blue waters of the Med. in the south of France, Sète is a delightful place crisscrossed by canals where myriad boats tie up along the quays. Quaint flower-draped bridges span the water, seafood restaurants set up their tables in the shade and pastel-coloured lanes climb up the hill for spectacular views.

But the ‘Little Venice of Languedoc’ comes into its own at the height of summer when water jousting is in full swing, staging over 50 tournaments across the region. Most prestigious of all is the heavyweight Grand Prix held in Sète on the feast of St Louis.

Tingling with anticipation, crowds gather early on the banks of the Royal Canal to watch the opening parade and the first ‘pass of honour’ when opponents exchange the traditional handshake and if they know each other well, a resounding kiss on the cheek in true French style. Two boats will compete, one red, one blue, each one with an oboist and a drummer playing traditional melodies in the bow to set the tone for the long-awaited festival. With their beribboned straw hats, they look straight out of a Venetian painting. Meanwhile, the White Knights take up their positions, 10 on each boat, most of them fishermen, entirely neutral but the strongest fastest oarsmen you’ve ever seen.

Captain at the helm, the first star jouster climbs on the pedestal rising at the stern two metres above the water while others wait in line for their turn.

All is set for action, shield protecting the jouster’s chest, long wooden spear with steel tips held tight Visit our new community www.beds-local.co.uk

under the right arm.

Oboists and drummers break into a frenzy, excitement mounts on all sides and the red and blue boats race furiously towards each other, ready to send the first jouster diving into the water. Which will it be, the blue, the red, both of them maybe? No problem, a small fleet of motor boats buzzes around, ready to pluck the unfortunate fully soaked heavyweight out of the deep. Sometimes a burly jouster will miss the water altogether and drop like a stone into the opponents’ boat. Oh la la…

The crowds cheer, laugh, clap, the judges scribble copious notes for it isn’t just about getting wet or staying dry; speed, accuracy and respect for the rules matter too.

At the end of the day, the winner will receive the best prize of all, ‘immortality’, just like a god, when his name is inscribed on the jousting shield, as per tradition for the past 348 years. Sète held its first jousting tournament on 29th July 1666 to mark the foundation of the harbour which would be linked to the Canal du Midi, then at the planning stage.

In the early days of jousting, the blue boat was for bachelors, the red one for married men. Today colours denote different districts but wherever you come from, being a jouster is like belonging to a brotherhood, You are upholding an ancient tradition which reflects the very soul of Sète, a city on water where future generations train with pride in the local jousting school. Colourful, exciting and free to watch, jousting in Sète is one of the most exciting festivals in Languedoc.

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Food and Drink

Seasonal Delights Smoked Haddock Kedgeree

Serves 4 Ready in 45 minutes Just a few ingredients are needed to make this simple rice dish but it’s full of flavour! It’s ideal for a quick and easy supper or filling weekend brunch served with crusty bread or warmed mini naan breads, if liked.

INGREDIENTS 350g smoked haddock fillet 4 large eggs 1 tbsp sunflower oil 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed ½ tsp ground coriander ½ tsp ground turmeric 1 tsp mild curry powder 300g easy-cook basmati rice 3tbsp fresh chopped coriander 1 Place the haddock in a large pan, cover with plenty of cold water and bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 5-6 minutes until the fish just flakes. Boil the eggs in a small pan of water for 7-8 minutes.

2 Remove the fish with a slotted spoon and flake the flesh discarding any skin and 58

bones. Strain the cooking liquid into a jug – you’ll need about 600ml so top up with water if needed. Run the boiled eggs under cold water until cool enough to handle.

Remove the shells and cut into wedges. Set aside.

3 Heat the oil in a large deep frying pan and fry the onion and garlic over a medium heat for 5-6 minutes until softened. Stir in the spices and cook for 1 minute then add the basmati rice and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Gradually pour in the reserved stock and bring to the boil.

4 Reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, stirring occasionally. Gently stir in the flaked haddock, eggs and coriander and heat through for 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.

TIP - Add a large handful of baby spinach leaves or some lightly fried mushrooms just before the end of cooking to make this dish even more substantial.

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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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everything matters

Panasonic

HD smart TV’s , HDD Recorders, Audio Systems, & Camera’s, trust our expertise & tradition of best after sales service

A.N.Audio 34 Huntingdon Street St. Neots

phone:- 01480 472071 e-mail sales@anaudio.co.uk Hours:- Monday-Friday 9am-6pm Tuesday 9am-1pm Saturday:- 9am-5.30 pm www.anaudio.co.uk

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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

CD

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 62

01480 459 721

High Street, Brampton

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Fix My Street Bumpy ride this morning? View blocked by dumped rubbish? Potholes and fly tipping are just two of the street faults that can be reported via the website www.FixMyStreet.com, along with vandalism, graffiti, dog fouling and many other common community issues.

While most of us know that the council are responsible for fixing these things, we may not know which council, let along which department in which council. With FixMyStreet, all you have to do is locate the problem on a map, and select a category: the site then sends it off to the right place to get it fixed.

All reports are published on the site, as well as being sent to the council. Browsing your own

Local

postcode can be interesting, as you soon learn what the persistent problems are in your area, and whether or not they are being fixed. There’s also the opportunity to discuss individual reports in the comments section.

FixMyStreet comes from the UK not-for-profit organisation mySociety, and is one of its longestrunning and most-used services. It is just one of several projects aimed at making it easier for citizens to get things changed in their own community. So, next time you see something that needs fixing, be it a broken paving slab or a flickering streetlight, all you need to remember is

FixMyStreet.com

TIRED OF POTHOLES

DOG POOP VANDALISM BROKEN STREET LIGHTING FLYYTIPPING LOOSE PAVING? REPORT THEM TO THE COUNCIL WITH

.com To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122

by 63

Contact Steven Hardie Mobile: 07837243558 Office: 01480 390725 Central Heating Installation 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

Powerflushing Full Bathroom Refurbishments General Plumbing Boiler Service and Repairs Landlord Gas Safety Certificates Contact Steven Hardie Mobile 07837243558 Office 01480 390725 www.sjhardieplumbingandheating.co.uk Gas safe no. 512115

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East Anglian

Windows and Doors

Mr & Mrs Murphy, Luton

Dave, Scott and the rest of their team replaced our conservatory roof with a Guardian warm roof. The job from start to finish was excellent. The team were friendly and very professional, they also cleaned up after themselves every evening. They were able to match the tiles with the existing tiles of our house, which makes the conservatory look like an extension. This new roof has made an enormous difference in the warmth of our home, so in the long run we will be saving a lot of money on heating!

We would definitely recommend this style of roofing for anyone who struggles to keep their conservatory warm especially in the winter! In the last thirty years we have had lots of jobs done to our different homes and this is the first time we have felt so at ease with a company that is actually honest and deliver what they promise, we wouldn’t hesitate recommending Dave and Scott to anyone, and should anyone wish to see their workmanship, it would be a pleasure to show it off, just ask Dave or Scott for our contact details.

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

The Trade Counter at Eaton Socon is open to the Public and Trade.

Tel: 01480 216677 Email: info@eastanglianroofline.co.uk or info@eastanglianguardianroof.com To advertise in Thewww.eastanglianroofline.co.uk Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 www.eastanglianguardianroof.com

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N O I T I T E P M O C

Win a pair of tickets to An Evening with Ian McCulloch (Echo & The Bunnymen)

Fri 20th March @ Bedford Corn Exchange Formed in Liverpool in 1978, Echo & the Bunnymen grew to become one of the UK’s most popular indie rock bands from the UK along with the likes of The Smiths, New Order, Teardrop Explodes.

As the Bunnymen they clocked up some of the finest albums of the ‘80s including Porcupine, Heaven Up Here and the iconic Ocean Rain. A rebirth in the 1990s saw a rebirth of the band with another hit ablum, Evergreen. Along the way the band trailed a string of classic

singles such as The Cutter, Seven Seas, Bring on the Dancing Horses, The Killing Moon, Lips Like Sugar and Nothing Lasts Forever.

As part of a low key tour, iconic front man Ian McCulloch will be giving a rare solo performance at Bedford Corn Exchange in a fully seated semi acoustic show and will feature stripped down versions of classic Bunnymen tracks as well as songs from his own solo catalogue, such as Candleland and Ghost Stories.

This is a one off chance to experience the sounds of a true icon of British indie music.

Please note the show will be fully seated and will feature a guest support.

Tickets are £18.50 adv and on sale from www.thepadpresents.com and www.bedfordcornexchange.co.uk To be in with a chance to win a pair of tickets please send your name, address and telephone number to: Ian McCulloch Competition, Villager Publications Ltd 24 Market Square, Potton, Bedfordshire SG19 2NP Closing date: 14th March 2015

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

07842 195152 01480 811629 Visit our new community www.beds-local.co.uk

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n O s ’ t Wha In March

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

1, 8, 15, 22 & 29 March 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 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30 March Buggy Bootcamp £6 per session 10-11am Wimpole Estate For mums to regain their fitness in the fresh air and beautiful surroundings, without the cost of childcare, bring the babies and toddlers along in their buggy to this fitness session run by a pre/post natal fitness instructor.

Tel: Elsa Turner 07900 431675 2, 9, 16 & 23 March 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.

2, 9, 16 & 23 March Scottish Country Dancing 8-10pm Queen Elizabeth School, Godmanchester Huntingdon & District Caledonian Society weekly Scottish Country Dancing for fun, friendship and fitness. You don’t have to be Scottish and you don’t need a partner as we take turns to dance with each other. May to September the dancing is at Queen Elizabeth Hall, Godmanchester and September to May it is at Little Stukeley Village Hall. Come along and give it a try! Tel: Mrs Pat Crowe 01480 453774 email: pat@patcrowe.plus.com Tel: Mr Hedley Goodman 01733 350185 hedley@goodman2.plus.com 4 March The Fifth Army retreat in March 1918 7pm for 7.30pm The Comrades Club, Godmanchester The Cambridgeshire branch of the Western Front Association is pleased to present a talk by Jerry Murland. Non WFA members most welcome. A small donation is encouraged at the door to pay for the running of the branch.

Web: www.westernfrontassociation.com

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4 March Little Paxton Gardening Club 8pm Little Paxton Village Hall Guest speaker will be Shelia Das, telling us all about the renovation programme at Wrest Park. Started in 2010 and scheduled to last 20 years, Shelia will update on progress and future plans. Everyone welcome. Refreshments provided. Annual club subscription is £6 then £1 for each meeting. Guests £2 payable at the door.

5, 12, 19 & 26 March Group Dog Walk 8-9am Wimpole Estate Group walk for dogs and owners.

5, 12, 19 & 26 March Bingo Doors open 7.30pm, Eyes down 8pm Little Paxton Village Hall Do you enjoy a game of bingo? If so come along to Lt Paxton Village Hall Cash Bingo. Every Thursday night. Raffle and refreshments at interval. Sorry only 18+ can play.

Tel: Eddie 01480 475265 for more information 6, 13, 20 & 27 March Tai Chi 4-5pm Wimpole Hall £6 per session Every Friday from 6 March.

Tel: Mike Tabrett 01223 503390 to book Email: Mike@gret-heron.com 6 March Schubert String Quintet Doors open 7.30pm for 8pm Long Gallery, Wimpole Hall Tickets £17 to include glass of wine and exclusive mini tour. The Schubert String Quintet of St Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh will play music by Schubert, Franz Shubert’s, Luigi Boccherini and a new work by renowned Scottish composer Tom David Wilson. Booking essential.

Tel: 0844 2491895 7, 14, 21 & 28 March Parkrun 9am Wimpole Estate Weekly free 5k timed run.

Web: parkrun.org.uk/wimpoleestate

7 March Art & Craft Fair 9.30am-4pm Free Church, St Ives Free admission Quality handmade art and craft stalls and tombola.

7 March Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire Hardy Plant Society 2pm Weatherley Centre, Eagle Farm Road, Biggleswade Speaker will be Bob Brown, ‘First Impressions Second Thoughts’’. Bob is a well-known lecturer and owner of Cotswold’s Garden Plant Nursery.

(Plants for Sale).

7 March Wimpole After Dark 6.30-9.30pm Adults £8, Child £5, Night Runners £3 – cash on the night. Wimpole After Dark is an exciting night time event with live music from Gypsy Jazz band Parisian Swing and a choice of exclusive tours and walks in the house, gardens, and parkland, taking place alongside our Night Run. Tickets include two of three night time tours, which you can sign up on the night. Enjoy a drink or snack from the Old Rectory Restaurant while listening to Parisian Swing from 7-9pm.

7 March An evening of classic jazz with The Combertones 8pm Comberton Village Hall Tickets £8 Featuring guest vocalist Val Sinclair. Teas will be on sale, or bring your own drinks and glasses. Tickets available in advance or on the door. All proceeds of the evening to charity. Tel: 01954 230824 Email: combertones@btinternet.com 8 March The 2015 Cruise & Travel Show 10am-3pm The Executive Centre, Wyboston Lakes Free entry Join the experts from the world of travel. Meet Julie Peasgood, actress, presenter and travel journalist. Raffle Prize Draw: Grand Prize - Celebrity Cruises 5 night cruise from Southampton aboard Celebrity Eclipse for 2 people. All proceeds going to Chums - Child Bereavement, Trauma & Emotional Wellbeing Service. For free entry register online or call Cruise Select 01234 818795.

Web: www.selecttravelgroup.co.uk/show

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n O s ’ t Wha In March 11 March Silent Spring Revisisted – Our Debt to Rachel Carson 7.30pm Brampton Memorial Centre, Thrapston Road, Brampton, PE28 4TB Admission £2.50, Accompanied children free The Huntingdonshire Local Group of the Wildlife Trust’s illustrated talk. Author and conservationist, Conor Mark Jameson, will talk about the rise of environmentalism since Silent Spring was written in 1962 by Rachel Carson.

Conor will give an entertaining tour of the highs and lows of 50 years of campaigning to keep the birds singing and the planet secure. Was Carson right, and did we listen? Anyone interested in wildlife is most welcome to attend. Booking for the talk is not necessary.

Tel: Tim 01480 457795 for further information 14 March Haslingfield Choir and Orchestra 7.30pm All Saints Church, Haslingfield Adults £10, Students £5, Children free Mozart’s Symphony No.34 in C major. Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor. Conductor: Graham Walker. Leader: Frances Poole.

Tel: 01223 872088 for information 14 March ‘Show and Sell’ Craft Day 11am-3pm Yelling Church and the Village Hall Admission £1 including hot drink, Children aged 11 and under free Craft stalls including gemstone and leather jewellery; children’s clothes; handmade soaps; gift baskets; prints and cards; paintings; bags; crochet work; homemade marmalade, cakes and jams. Plus an exhibition of handiwork and crafts by Yelling residents. Refreshments and light lunches in the Village Hall. In aid of Yelling Church Restoration Fund.

14 March ‘Gamlingay Has Talent 2015!’

7.30pm Gamlingay Eco Hub Adults £5, Children £2.50 Hosted by St Mary’s Church, Gamlingay. All types of acts welcome! Licensed bar. Entry forms available from the Eco Hub or email andrewbsmith1@btinternet.com. Tickets on sale at the Eco Hub or on the door.

15 March Biggleswade Antiques Fair 9.30am-4pm Entrance £1.50 The Weatherley Centre, Eagle Farm Road, Biggleswade This antiques fair offers a diverse range of antiques and collectables so whether you are a professional dealer, an avid collector or just looking for something special, this monthly fair is the place to visit. Café serving breakfast, lunches and afternoon tea.

Tel: 01480 382432 or 07906 647346 Web: www.madisonevents.co.uk 17 March Kimbolton Flower Club 7.30pm Mandeville Hall, Kimbolton Visitors £6 including light refreshments Flower arranging demonstration ‘Celebrating Spring’ by Sally Gee. Raffle of the arrangements and plant and sales tables. Visitors very welcome.

18 March Huntingdonshire Family History Society 7.20-9.30pm WI Headquarters, 6a Walden Rd, Huntingdon, PE29 3AZ Non-members £1 donation “Farming with steam” by Tom Doig. Talk on a subject related to family history research and a bookstall or help desk.

20 March Spring Concert 7pm St James’ Church Spring Concert by Little Paxton Primary School.

Refreshments available. All welcome.

21 March Hemingford Community Gospel Choir Rehearse 1-5pm, Performance 7.30-9pm Hemingford Pavilion Hemingford’s Community Gospel Choir (HCGC) Rehearse, sing, perform - all in a day! HCGC would like to invite you to sing and perform some popular Gospel songs with us. All are welcome!! Free to come and sing. Errol Ballantyne will lead the choir in learning Gospel songs such as “Oh happy day” and “One Love”. An afternoon of rehearsing will be followed by an evening performance when we will be joined by Peterborough Community Gospel Choir. For more details and to sign up please contact Rebecca Penzer 01480 387980 or email hemingfordsgospelchoir@yahoo.co.uk

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21 March Waresley Village Hall Quiz 7.30 for 8pm start Waresley Village Hall £10 per person, Fish and chip supper included Teams of six or less. Licensed bar.

Tel: Chris 01767 651239 21 March-18 April Easter Museum Trail & Hilarious Hare Gallery Free Admission St Neots Museum, The Old Court, 8 New Street, St Neots Find the Easter Eggs hidden around the Museum to complete the Easter Treasure Hunt and claim your free mini Easter Egg. Discover how the Hare is linked to our Easter celebrations and add your own hare art work to our gallery. Tel: 01480 214163 Email: curators@stneotsmuseum.org.uk 26 March St Neots & District Gardening Club 8pm St Mary’s Church Hall, Brook Street, St Neots Members £2, Non-members £2.50 Talk will be “Clematis, Queen of Climbers” with Carole Adams. Competition is A vase of Spring Flowers. Admission includes refreshments and a raffle ticket.

27 March “450 Years, A Musical Journey” 7.30pm Hinchingbrooke Performing Arts Centre, Huntingdon Tickets £12, Students under 21 £5 Marking the foundation of Hinchingbrooke School in 1565 with Crispian Steele-Perkins, period trumpets; Jonathan Jones, Harpsichord; Vivien Choi, piano; Zoe Bonner, soprano; Inga Davis Rutter, piano. To include music by Byrd, Handel, Mozart, Schubert, Chopin, Parry, Gershwin and others.

Tel: 01480 375678 28 March Help Tidy Little Paxton 2-4pm Meet Queen Elizabeth II Playing Field The Parish Council is organising a litter pick.

Volunteers supplied with hi-viz jackets, litter pickers, gloves and black bags and allocated areas to litter pick. All welcome –as they say many hands make light work.

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

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FLOORED

By Ian

Your local supplier of fitted floors in carpet, vinyl, laminate or Karndean Free visits to estimate or advise.

Best prices and quality with a friendly service.

Enquiries to 01480 475486 or (Mobile) 07876 238308

To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122

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Sureclean DOMESTIC & COMMERCIAL CARPET & UPHOLSTERY CLEANING

• Spot stain and odour removal • Anti-stain protection • Leather suites cleaned and reconditioned • Tile and grout cleaning • The very latest equipment used • All work guaranteed • Fully insured • Local company

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SureClean Cleaning Sept 14 - Cambs.indd 1

8/19/2014 8:31:26 PM

• Wood Burning Stoves • Multi Fuel Stoves • Chimney Lining • Twin Wall Flue Systems • Installation and Supply • Fireplace Renovations • Stove Accessories • Trade Sales

SHOWROOM NOW OPEN Friday, Saturday & Monday – 10am—5pm Other Days/Out of hours by prior arrangement

Unit 2 Home Farm Court, The Street, Diddington, St Neots, PE19 5XT info@cromwellstoves.co.uk 01480 812281 | 07786 854946

www.cromwellstoves.co.uk 72

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February’s Crossword, Codeword and Suduko Solutions Last Month’s Crossword Winner Maria Hayes from St Neots

Easy

Hard

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

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The Villager Prize Crossword

Prize

ÂŁ25

Across 1 Unkempt (6) 4 Bogs (6) 9 Get better (7) 10 Command (5) 11 Not dirty (5) 12 Rational (7) 13 Honourable (11) 18 Consistent (7) 20 Hoard (5) 22 Blockade (5) 23 Impartial (7) 24 Tasks (6) 25 Remained (6) Down 2 Type of fruit (5) 3 Adult (5-2) 5 Incorrect (5)



1 Swap (6)

6 Relating to healing (7)

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

18th March 2015 Prize Crossword, Villager Publications Ltd 24 Market Square, Potton, Beds SG19 2NP

7 Saunter (6) 8 Substitute (11) 14 Apparent (7) 15 Reckon (7) 16 Cared for (6) 17 Shouted (6) 19 Overweight (5) 21 Transport (5)

Name: Tel: Address:

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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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COMPETITION

Skates & Ladders

The benefits of skateboarding

A London craze is set to hit Cambridgeshire.

Recently featured on BBC News, and in the Independent and Evening Standard newspapers, skateboarding is becoming the commuter’s latest accessory, replacing the scooter and avoiding the increasingly packed Underground. It’s convenient, green, fashionable and safer than a bike. Plus a skateboard can easily be stored in a work locker.

Now Josh Ward-Brickett of Skates and Ladders has brought skateboarding, longboarding and penny boarding lessons from London to the Cambridge area. And three lucky readers can win a free lesson.

Skateboarding is for everyone. Once considered to be the preserve of youth, it has become increasingly popular with all age groups. Sixty percent of Skates and Ladders’ clients are adults over the age of 25 and they teach everyone from actors, vicars and military personnel to high flying businessmen, stayat-home parents and celebrities.

Different from the usual weekend skateboard schools with large groups of children, Skates and Ladders offers tailored tuition for all ages and levels with bespoke private lessons. Josh says: “You are never too old, too young, too clumsy or too unconfident. We guarantee to get you skateboarding, build your confidence and most importantly make sure you have a lot of fun doing it.”

Although it can look quite intimidating at first when you see someone fly past you, according to Josh, skateboarding is not as hard as it looks. It’s the simple things like learning to step on and off the board safely, basic foot position and posture that make a big difference. Like everything else, it is only hard if you do not know what you are doing.

Skateboarding is an excellent way of exercising too and is great for improving flexibility, endurance levels and balance; offering a full body workout without ever stepping into a gym. Depending on the intensity of the skate, the average person will burn between 200-500 calories per hour.

When you learn to skateboard, you learn how to avoid falling, and also how to fall correctly. This is a valuable tool to have in life because you will naturally be more able to recover from slips, trips, and stumbles, avoid falling on your face and it will help you to prevent future injuries.

Skateboarding provides the ideal crossover sport for surfing, snowboarding, and wakeboarding. So if the waves are flat, the snow is melting, or the water is too cold, you can help keep your skills sharp and fitness levels by skateboarding.

It can also provide a fun, cheap day out with friends and family. There are free public parks and skate parks all over the country and learning something new together is a great way of bonding.

To celebrate its move into the area, Skates and Ladders is offering a free lesson to three readers based in Cambridge. To enter, please email your contact details (name, phone number and postcode) with the title ‘Skateboarding in Cambridge Magazine Entry’ to info@skatesandladders.com. www.skatesandladders.com Tel: 07545 115250

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PETERBOROUGH

ROOFING COMPANY LTD FOR ALL YOUR ROOFING NEEDS

Tel: 01733 391991

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

Unit 16, Orton Enterprise Centre, Bakewell Road, Orton Southgate, Peterborough PE2 6XU Email: info@peterboroughroofing.co.uk Visit our new community www.beds-local.co.uk

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Books

BOOK REVIEW

By Bruce Edwards

The Crooked House Christobel Kent Sphere H/b £14.99

Returning to one’s roots isn’t always a good thing, though it may kindle the wave of nostalgia as sometimes defined, a disease of the mind.

Alison has tried to carve out a new life for herself as a child she was known as Esme, a little girl in a disparate family that may not have been a family, for we’re given more than a hint that mother had ‘ a way on her’ and jealousy erupted in a horrendous fashion.

Siblings died. Her father was killed. She hid, was rescued and survived into a dark life of her own that may yet be her undoing, especially now as she’s Alison. Reluctantly she’s coerced by her ‘boyfriend’ to return to her childhood haunts and this precipitates despair about her previous early associations and odd love life.

The wedding that inspires the visit - Morgan’s - isn’t what it seems and the future father-inlaw isn’t the nice guy as imagined. The law is still expressing an interest in Alison too so the story is anything but straight forward, indeed you could lose your way amongst all the twists and turns if you don’t concentrate - but riveting it certainly can be. The dour coastline of East Anglia hides crooked secrets in the shadow of a nuclear power station (P D James wrote a not too dissimilar story with this backdrop) - see if you can unravel them before the last page.

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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TELEVISION MOBILE SERVICE ST NEOTS, ST IVES, HUNTINGDON AREA REPAIR TV,VCR, DVD, FREEVIEW DIGITAL BOXES TUNING & DEMONSTRATION OF EQUIPMENT DIGITAL LOFT AERIALS SUPPLIED & FITTED Extension Aerial Points DAY OR EVENING CALL OUTS 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE PHONE JOHN FABISZ FOR ESTIMATE

01480 495408 OR 07887887319

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Classifieds Electrician

Garden Machinery Service/Repair

Frank Plater Electrical

Garden Machinery & Mowers Expert Service and Repair

Extra sockets - Lighting - Extensions - Re-wires Security Lighting - Showers - Inspections No job too small. Free estimates Established 13 years Tel: 01480 432154 Mob: 07976 797111

French Tuition

Business gone slow?

Let us help!

Collection & delivery available Unit 12a Whites Farm, Great North Road, Biggleswade SG18 9BE Tel: 01767 600085 Mob: 07593 553581

Heating and Plumbing Services

Pet Services

Wood Suppliers Advertising in The Villager is easy. To find out more call Nigel on 01767 261122 or email nigel@villagermag.com To advertise in The Villager and Town Life please call 01767 261122

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