January 2021
North Somerset Edition
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LOCAL NEWS 1
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This month..
6. January Horoscopes
10. South West announced Food Stock 12.Curried Butternut Squash 14. Barratt Developments and Wildlife Charity 16. Top Tips For Achieving 2021 Goals 19. Your garden 22. Puzzles
The team EDITOR Michael Davies WEB DESIGNER Matthew Clarke ACCOUNTS Lisa Davies PROOF READER Elisabeth Davies Advertising sales Tel: 0117 3258029 Mobile: 07500 017236 Email: info@directlocalonline.com Distribution: Direct Local North Somerset edition is delivered to 20,000 people each month. Why not subscribe free on our website to receive our bigger and better weekly virtual magazine and be in with a chance to win £100. Its full of local news events competitions and much more
Mikes letter
Happy New Year to all our readers lets hope 2021 brings better things for everyone! I hope everyone had a great little Christmas and enjoyed the restricted celebrations that we had for the new years eve. So it’s time once again to set those new years resolutions that we all break with in week 1, maybe this year things will be different? probably not lol.. 2021 does however bring more tougher restrictions for Bristol as we leave tire 2 and enter Tier 3 and yet more restrictions on what we can do with our friends and family. However there is some light at the end of the tunnel as the Oxford vaccine gets approved so this can only mean more lives will be saved over the coming months shouldn’t? Anyway lets raise a glass to 2021 and hope it bring some sort of normality to the nation. We are strong together Bristol! lets defeat this hidden threat this year!
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www.directlocalbristol.co.uk Facebook.com/directlocal Twitter.com/directlocalmag Issue 50 January 2021
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WHATS DOES JANUARY 2021 HOLD FOR YOU? Aquarius Jan 20 - Feb 18 Something you have been putting aside needs to be dealt with. The sooner you do this the better things will be for you. Remember that in any situation you have a strong enough character that you will be able to deal with most things. If you have hold-ups and obstacles, check that you are not causing these yourself. Keywords strength and endurance Pisces Feb 19 - Mar 20 Meeting people is quite prominent this month, both in social and other groups and gatherings. If something needs to be said or sorted now is a good time to do it. It may be a time to reflect and for decisions. Keywords. Gatherings and decisions Aries Mar 21 - April 19 If you are involved in meetings at this time they may not run as smoothly as you would like If the situation feels difficult remember to keep calm. You may also feel time for spring cleaning, both on the physical, and emotional levels. Keywords. Calm and clearing Taurus Apr 20 - May 20 Looks like changes are on the way for you. It may be a new venture or career. You may be feeling a bit restless at the moment., May be time to reflect on and some of the things you would like to achieve. You may find people keep wanting to give you their problems, but do not let yourself get involved in gossip or conflict. Keywords changes and reflection. Gemini May 21 - June 20 You may be feeling that things are being held up for you, or that your vitality levels are low. Spring is just around the corner and soon your energy and yourself will be feeling back to normal. If there is something complicated in your life at the moment, you will soon be able to unravel it and and let it go. Don’t be too hard on yourself, remember you can achieve more than you think. Keywords. Letting go and remember. Cancer June 21 - July 22 Relationships are a high point this month, as well as possible. A small refresh in the home.If something is a bit hard going at the moment, you will find that you will have the strength and endurance to go through this with relatively plain sailing. Keywords opportunities and relationships
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Leo Jul 23 - Aug 22 This month pay attention to your intuition especially in regarding to situations with other people. You may need to step back from something and try and see it from a different perspective. In all situations this month try and keep calm and balanced. Keywords. Intuition and balance
Virgo Aug 23 - Sept 22 You may be at a point where a knew interest hobby or some kind of study is on your mind.This could lead to opportunities in many directions. Just remember anything you want to achieve may involve some kind of challenges. Keywords challenges and opportunities. Libra Sept 23 - Oct 22 Any obstacles that have been in your way look likely to be on their way out. You may have been feeling a bit stuck in your ways of late, this could well be about to change. It may be time to think of having a break, even if it’s just for a day or so. Keywords change and relaxation Scorpio Oct 23 - Nov 21 It may be that time of year to go through some paperwork and to change some things that you have been putting off. A good time now for clearing and getting rid of things you don’t need both physically and emotionally. Try to be aware of being sensitive to other’s needs. Keywords: Clearing and sensitivity Sagittarius Nov 22 - Dec 21 This month is just the right time to start sorting other things out you have been putting off. You may feel I need to have a revamp in your home, this may also involve a clearing for yourself emotionally. Should be a chance to get rid of all those paperwork issues too. Keywords clearing and cleansing Capricorn Dec 22 - Jan 19 At this time any hold-ups you have had are going to be easing. It would be good to listen more than talk at this time.Then may be things will be of value to you. Sensitivity and flexibility is something for you to be aware of this month. keywords: Listen and sensitivity Contact Marie to find out whats in store for you this month on: 07949 800354 Disclaimer This zodiac is for entertainment purposes only please do not take the predictions seriously Marie take no responsibility for your actions
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Bristol’s Biggest Legal Firms Back FoodStock 2020
Hargreaves Lansdowne, Osborne Clarke, Womble Bond Dickenson, Smith & Williamson and Burges Salmon have all signed up to support food redistribution charity FareShare South West’s latest campaign. The campaign, FoodStock 2020, aims to build a stockpile of emergency food with the infrastructure to deliver it across the region throughout this difficult winter.
In late October, FareShare South West announced FoodStock 2020 and called on Bristol’s businesses to provide support in whatever way they could. The law firms responded to this call, with a number having supported FareShare South West in the past, and are now actively fundraising, or providing funding to support vital elements of the infrastructure to this project, and/or facilitating staff teams to volunteer. Says, Phoebe Ruxton, Head of Development at FareShare South West: “Bristol is home to some really powerful organisations, and we are delighted to see not just one of the big legal companies in Bristol come on board and support us, but 5 of them! We have always had positive relationships with the legal sector in our city, so it’s great they’ve stepped up when it really matters. Need for food support is rising all the time and we need to be there to support people – many of whom may never have had to seek food support before. Our frontline partners, who will receive this emergency food, are doing an amazing job of supporting the most vulnerable, particularly during these challenging times.”
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Peter Clough, Head of Osborne Clarke's Bristol office says: "Through our longstanding association with FareShare South West we’ve learnt about the huge impact food poverty has in the South West. At a time when many people are facing a very difficult winter, the work it and its partners do to meet this urgent need is more crucial than ever. It’s always a privilege to work with the outstanding team at FareShare South West and we're very proud to get behind the FoodStock 2020 campaign." Jamie Cameron, Head of Community Engagement at Burges Salmon said “Quite simply, FareShare South West’s response to the pandemic was incredible and enabled community organisations all across the city to support those in need. We are proud to work with the fantastic team at FareShare South West and are really pleased to continue our support for their FoodStock 2020 campaign which we know will be critical in meeting the increasing need for emergency food this Winter.” FoodStock 2020 will run throughout the winter months and those wanting to donate or volunteer, can visit: www.faresharesouthwest. org.uk/foodstock-2020
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Curried Butternut Squash and Peanut Butter Soup
This is the perfect antidote to those cold January days…
Method
Makes about 6 servings
1. Peel the butternut squash, cut into wedges, remove the seeds and fibres and cut into small chunks.
Prepare less than 30 mins Cook around 40 mins Ingredients • 1kg butternut squash • 40g butter (almond oil if vegan) • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced • 2 sticks of celery, thinly sliced • 2 tsp mild curry powder • 1 litre veg stock • 5 llbs crunchy peanut butter • 300 ml milk (coconut milk if vegan) • A squeeze of lemon juice • Salt and pepper • 50g salted and roasted peanuts chopped, to garnish • Chopped coriander leaf, to garnish
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2. Melt butter or oil in a large saucepan and cook onion and celery on low, until soft and lightly browned. Add the curry powder and fry for 1 minute, then add the squash and stock. Simmer for a good 20 minutes until the squash is very tender. 3. Puree the soup with the peanut butter (in batches if necessary). Return to the pan with milk and lemon juice and heat up again. Season to taste and serve with the peanut and coriander garnish.
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Barratt boosting wildlife with more nature friendly housing for Bristol, Somerset and Gloucestershire New ÂŁ1m initiative launching in Spring 2021 supporting communities to help nature thrive
Barratt Developments and wildlife charity RSPB are raising the bar for nature friendly housing across Bristol, Somerset and Gloucestershire by announcing a new goal for their ongoing partnership. By 2023 Barratt will further prioritise wildlife on all of its new developments by creating dedicated space for local biodiversity conservation, installing a range of wildlife friendly features and following expert RSPB advice. Beyond 2023 the goal is to have at least 10% more wildlife habitats in and around developments, delivering a clear biodiversity net gain. Within two years every new development in Bristol, Somerset and Gloucestershire will be provided with the guidance and tools to include wildlife friendly features into its public open spaces including plans to create climate resilient landscapes. More trees will be planted each year and the company is transitioning to become peat free. Every new show home garden will follow strict RSPB guidance which prioritises wildlife through specialist planting and landscaping, with at least 50% of the gardens to receive special RSPB commendations. Many of the new developments will also feature more hedgehog highways and swift nesting sites.
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Coat Grove, a development in Martock of 120 two, three and four-bedroom homes, features RSPB Gold standard designed gardens which include a range of features from bird and bat boxes to hedgehog highways, ponds and habitats for frogs, toads, newts and more. Barratt Developments, parent company of Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes, is currently building thousands of homes across the South West, including at Ladden Garden Village, Yate and Northfields Park, Patchway. Having already installed hundreds of the swift bricks now its goal is to install several thousand around the country.As part of the ongoing partnership, Barratt is also investing ÂŁ1m in an exciting new project with the RSPB to support people to help nature thrive in their gardens, balconies and eventually their community greenspaces. Back in 2018 Barratt became the first housebuilder to target 10 cities around the country with swift nesting bricks developed with the RSPB.
Launching in Spring 21 and called Nature on Your Doorstep, the project will deliver the resources, connections and inspiration that will empower people to create their own havens for wildlife where they live. The project will focus on the development of digital resources and an online community that brings people together to share their stories, tips and advice on the best ways to look after nature near them.
With local nature habitats in serious trouble and 40 million birds having vanished from the skies in the last half century, every community has a role to play in tackling the ecological and climate emergency. The actions taken for nature by individuals or communities together, such as welcoming wildlife into gardens or greenspace, will make a really big difference. Ian Menham, West regional director for Barratt Developments said: "As the country's leading national sustainable housebuilder looking after nature is integral to the work that we continuously do through our partnership with RSPB. This is why we are committing to boosting wildlife and building nature friendly developments across the South West. And, through the exciting new ÂŁ1m project with the RSPB, we look forward to developing new digital resources that will connect and inspire homeowners to help nature on their doorstep."
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Top tips for achieving your 2021 goal A new year often brings with bit thoughts of a fresh start, this is especially true in the health of business where after the indulgence of Christmas new health goal are particularly popular. However many New Year’s resolutions don’t make it to February. So if you’ve already started your goals or are planning on starting something soon, here are just two ideas that may help you achieve them in 2020.
It is always better to have something to aim for than heading off without plan.
Keep an accurate track of your results. So much emphasis is put on what the scales say, but I find this way of measuring a person’s progress to be completely flawed and highly disheartening. What are we actually trying to measure? FAT! So why do we weigh the bones, the hair, the skin, the muscles and the fluids all together and make determining decisions on health based from the outcome? Be realistic with you goal in short term. For men the best indicators of how you’re Drastic changes in diet can occasionally doing is to measure around the stomach, for bring a sudden improvement but if this isn’t women it’s around the thighs and buttocks, a healthy and maintainable method of losing but of course you can do both and various weight - the impact of the change can very quickly plateau leading to a sharp return to old other areas for even greater accuracy. Identify the area of greatest circumference (where habits. Dropping lots of weight immediately most of the fat is being stored) and measure in the first few weeks of the year may sound great, but even if you achieve this, you would the same are at the same time of day once every two weeks. This will give a far more then be highly likely to regain this weight and accurate view of your progress and how more within a short space of time. The most the changes in your diet are impacting your efficient way of losing weight is with steady health. and consistent progress through a routine of diet and exercise that you can do permanentGood luck and happy new year! ly. If you find yourself with goals that are too demanding in short term, give yourself a more realistic time frame and never be afraid to adjust your goals once you’ve set them.
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Your garden in January
The garden in January needs to be prepared for all sorts of weathers, and if you’ve been following our advice over the last few months, your hard work is done for now. Most plants are dormant this month as they sleep through the cold weather, but there are still a few things to do in the garden. Spring is just around the corner and work can be done to prepare for the warmth of the new season. When its not too cold, beds and borders can be dug over and lawn edges can be repaired and Plant of the Month Helleborus Why should you plant them?
The essential gardening jobs for January Protect plants
Dig over bare ground
January is known for cold frosts and bitter winds so plants will need protecting. If you haven’t already done so, ensure protective fleeces are in place on tender plants over-wintering outdoors.
Run a fork through your vegetable patch or flower beds. This will help to aerate – getting air into the soil is important because plant roots need oxygen. Choose a dry day when the soil isn’t too wet. Don’t break your back breaking down large lumps of soil. Keeping them large can help air circulate and any later frosts will break them up.
Lift containers up onto pot feet – if water isn’t draining away the soil can become waterlogged.Wet compost can rot roots and cause pots to crack in frost. Remove snow from tree and shrub branches by knocking with a broom. Even a small amount of snow can add a lot of weight to branches, causing them to snap.
Feed the birds Natural food sources for birds are in short supply during the winter. Give them a helping hand by putting food out for them. Keep the food topped up but not full all the time – little and often is best.
Popular because they flower in cold winter and early spring, Hellebores herald the start of the New Year bringing a touch of colour to the garden. Commonly know as ‘Christmas Roses’ they are easy to grow and very hardy. They produce attractive flowers and their leaves create a perfect evergreen backdrop to spring flowering bulbs. How should you plant them? Plant in shady herbaceous borders and the areas between deciduous shrubs to give an early splash of colour. Happy in dappled shade they should be planted in rich, heavy soil that won’t dry out in the summer. ideal planting companies include Snowdrops, Primrose, Cornus and Mahonia.
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