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Life through A Lens
local photographer has captured the essence of the Cotswolds during 06 Alockdown
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Garden View
All about Rhurbarb in the garden this Winter
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06 Local photographer captures area local news: 06 Young couple in housing success local news 08 A new app to help parking local news: 08 New parking spaces introduced local news: FEATURED FEATURED
FEATURED
Local housing success
yougn RAF successfully 06 Apurchase their first home
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10 Observing Jupiter education 10 Christmas Quizzes garden view: 12 All about Rhubarb this Winter general interest: 12 The history of rememberance poppies astronomy: FEATURED
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Welcome to the November - December issue Well here we are, November already. What a year it has been for all of us; we had all hoped that things would be looking more positive by now but, alas, it seems there are more difficult months ahead. As we head into this festive period, we may have to be distanced from those we love, but let us take cheer from our strong sense of community and the beautiful landscapes that surround us.
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I hope you all enjoy this issue and I’ll see you again early next year. Best wishes,
Christine Campbell | Editor
Cotswold Link Magazine is published in good faith and the editors cannot be held responsible in any way for inaccuracies in reports or advertis-
in reports or advertising that appear in this publication and the views of the contributors may not be the those of the editors. Adverts and Your Cotswold LinkLink Magazine carry no implied recommendation from the magazine or the publishers. All rights reserved. appearing in Cotswold 4ingadvertisers Please YourforCanyotswoldLink when contacting any of our advertisers All information is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of going to press. Cotswold Link Magazine cannotmention be held responsible errors or omissions.
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Life Through A Lens Local Photographer Captures Cotswolds During Covid-19
Local photographer, Mark Anthony Sweeting, has captured the unique beauty of the Cotswolds countryside during Covid-19 lockdown in a special 2021 calendar – using just his camera phone. And he says, the photography has not only helped keep him grounded during lockdown, but also provide a stress release as relaxation measures have been introduced over recent weeks. His hope is that his images might inspire others, too. Mark, a Youth Support worker at a Special Needs School, from Burleigh in Stroud, started his collection of snaps whilst out on his bike and on his walks around the county, as part of his daily quota of allowable exercise. During lockdown, Mark walked and cycled the length and breadth of the Cotswolds – his home county – and took photographs of his travels on his mobile phone; of places and things that caught his imagination or inspired a pause to reflect. It was a perfect antidote to the stresses of lockdown life.
inherently Cotswolds, capturing the very best of 2020, so far – an exceptional year and one that would hit the history books. This range of outstanding photographic cards and accompanying calendar would be his visual legacy to an extraordinary year showing nature at its most beautiful. Rather than leave the pictures on his cameraroll, like most of us do, Mark has taken his collection of lockdown photographs and turned them into a limited edition Calendar and 24 keep-me cards in the hope that others can reflect and enjoy the positives and beauty of the Cotswolds, captured during Covid-19. Far from this being a lockdown hobby, Mark continues his expeditions in and around the county, armed with his trusty mobile phone. He has set up an online Facebook store at Cotswolds Cards and an e-commerce website – www.cotswoldscards.co.uk – for those looking to buy online and enjoy home delivery. Those interested in stocking the calendars and cards should email Mark via his website, www. cotswoldscards.co.uk For further information, high res images and interview requests with Mark, please contact Kevin Urquhart or Rebecca Rhodes at FU Media on 07713 40272 or email kevin@fu-media. co.uk / rebecca@fu-media.co.uk
Before long, he realised he had a unique body of work that was not only highly stylised but
YOUNG AIR FORCE COUPLE MOVE OFF-BASE & BUY FIRST HOME TOGETHER With the Government’s newly extended Help to Buy scheme, special discounts designed specifically for the armed forces and now the monumental stamp duty holiday, thousands of military personnel are finding it easier to buy their own home. One young couple, who both work in the air force at RAF Brize Norton, found themselves in the fortunate position that they didn’t need to take advantage of any extra schemes, but were able to buy a four-bedroom house for £340,000 in Carterton, Oxfordshire. The couple completed the day after the stamp duty holiday was brought in – saving over £7,000. Andrea Snape, a military nurse, and Kieran Welsh, an engineer (who are both 28) have both worked in the air force for almost 10 years. Andrea comments: “We were both sick of living in the block and having to share a kitchen. We have been together for two years now, and desperately
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wanted to have our own space rather than living in separate rooms floors apart. I love baking so it is nice to finally have my own kitchen and Kieran isn’t missing having to take our dog out in a hurry at night from his third-floor room! We are still just a five-minute drive from the base, which is perfect and there is a nice mix of civilians and military living at the development, including Kieran’s old boss! In total, Annington is building 135 new three- and four-bedroom homes at The Crescent, which lies on the site of former MOD homes that were linked to RAF Brize Norton, on the edge of the Cotswolds. Andrea continues: “Some of the other properties that we looked at needed a lot of work. The properties at The Crescent were a lot more attractive and the house that we chose had everything we wanted, including a good-sized back garden. It feels like a friendly community, we had neighbours posting cards welcoming us as soon as we arrived. Our house is located just across the road from the on-site play area, which I always see full of parents and children.” The Crescent is set to become a thriving commu-
nity when complete, perfect for growing families, with a large play area and two additional playing spaces featuring varying levels of play equipment, including a balance beam, fun disk, trampoline, swing, and a variety of climbing and balancing equipment. A brand new phase of 19 homes has just launched at The Crescent, with prices starting from £284,950 for a three-bedroom mid terrace home, which can be purchased with a five per cent deposit of £14,250 using Help to Buy. For further information and to register your interest, please call Connells on 01993 847309. For more information on Annington, please visit www.annington.co.uk.
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Bourton and District U3A The next meeting of this group will be on Wednesday 25th November at 10.30, and will be a talk by Tom Constant via Zoom on the subject of “Furness Peninsula” Connection details will be available nearer the time. There will be no meeting in December. Although we are unable to hold meetings as a result of the Covid restrictions, many of the groups are meeting in small numbers or by Zoom sessions. If you have not yet renewed your membership, please do so to enable groups and the U3A to continue at this difficult time. Full details on our website: www.u3asites.org.uk/bourton
New free app makes it quick and easy to pay for parking
Parking in the Cotswolds is now quicker and easier than ever thanks to a new app being launched by Cotswold District Council. PayByPhone, which replaces the previous MiPermit app from 1 October, is free to use. The 10p admin charge has been scrapped. PayByPhone is one of the largest providers of cashless parking services in the UK and many residents and visitors will already have the app installed on their smartphone. It will be in use at all Council car parks [full list below]. Cllr Mike Evemy, Deputy Leader and Cabinet member for Finance, said: “The new app makes parking in the district simpler and more convenient than ever. Not only does paying this way give more flexibility for drivers, but by reducing the amount of cash in the machines, we can reduce the risks of theft and vandalism. It will also reduce the number of people
needing to use the machines.” Once loaded onto your device, PayByPhone is simple to use. Drivers enter the location number of the car park, select how long they want to stay and confirm their payment. The app also has a range of features including a handy reminder telling you when your parking period is due to end, multiple payment methods and 24/7 support service (also available by phone free of charge). Those residents who do not have a smartphone can rest assured that they pay by card. The Council is planning to end cash payments by March 2021. Users of the MiPermit app will need to download the PayByPhone App if they don’t already have it to park in our car parks from 1 October. Download now from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android), so you can use it when you’re next parking in one of our car parks. For more information, go to www. paybyphone.co.uk/cotswold
Free 20-minute parking bays introduced in Moreton-in-Marsh Cotswold District Council has created 2 free 20-minute bays in Old market Way, Moreton-in-Marsh, to support local visitors: The newly introduced free 20-minute parking spaces are clearly marked with signage to indicate the space and are suitably located for a quick stop to run an errand or two. Cllr Mike Evemy, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Parking, said: “We want to make short trips to our town centres convenient and easily accessible for shoppers and visitors. That’s why we’ve introduced the new 20-minute free parking bays and continue to offer free parking after 3 pm in several of our car parks.”
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The following, local, car parks continue to remain free after 3pm every day: Rissington Road, Bourton on the Water Maugersbury Road, Stow on the Wold Old Market Way, Moreton in Marsh For more information about parking in the Cotswolds, please visit our website: www.cotswold.gov.uk/ parking-travel-and-visitors/whereto-park/
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CHRISTMAS CROSSWORD PUZZLES
The
Cotswold Sky
For older children
Observing Jupiter Take the children out to observe the giant planet Jupiter covering Saturn (technically called a conjunction) Between 17.00 hours to 17.30 hours from 14th December wrap the children up nice and warm and take them out to look towards the South West. There you will see Saturn and Jupiter very close to each other, Saturn on the left and Jupiter on the right. Make a habit of it every evening at the same time and you will notice the two planets drawing closer to each other until the 21st December (coincides with the Winter Solstice) when they will be indistinguishable. By this I mean Jupiter will be covering the whole of Saturn, this is called a conjunction i.e. when one planetary object obscures another. You will be able to observe the closeness of the two planets up to around the Christmas festivities with Saturn now emerging to the right of Jupiter.
Looking South West at 17.00 hours 21st December Saturn is hidden by Jupiter
Solar Eclipse
December is a special month in astronomy at 16.15 hours on Monday 14th December there is also a total eclipse of the Sun.
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Unfortunately, this takes place over Chile and Argentina, but it will be shown live and be widely advertised on the internet. The path of the eclipse is shown in the diagram below.
Across:
Down:
1. Christmas hymn 3 The original Santa Claus 4 A bird traditionally eaten on Christmas dinner 6 A crystal of snow 7 Father of Jesus 10 An evergreen plant producing white berries 13 A traditional Christmas drink 14 Vehicle used by Santa Claus 16 Santa enters the house through this 18 Circular Christmas decoration for the front door 19 Another name for Christmastime
1 A hard candy in the shape of a rod 2 December 25th is his birthday 5 The birthplace of Jesus 8 A sock filled with goodies on Christmas day 9 The sound bells make 11 A human figure made from packed snow 12 The four weeks leading up to Christmas 15 A mischievous fairy 17 The three wise men belonged to this tribe
Diary Winter Solstice The shortest day of the year. The Sun reaches its most southerly point on its annual journey at 13.30 hours on Monday 21st December.
The Planets Mercury – Can be difficult to observe but look towards the South East at 06.00 hours during the first half of November. Not observable during December. Venus – Observable in the South East between 06.00 and 07.00 hours during both months. Note how close it comes to a crescent Moon on the mornings of 12th and 13th December. Mars – Prominent in the southerly skies every evening during the months of November and December. Jupiter and Saturn – Lower down and further to the right of Mars. Saturn is tracking Jupiter, and both will set earlier in the evenings as the weeks progress into December until the conjunction occurs as described in the lead story.
For Younger Children
Across
Down
May I wish all our readers A Merry Healthy Festivities Season followed by a Happy Healthy 2021.
2. Christmas colours are red and ______? 3. What animal pulls a sleigh? 4. Who delivers presents on Christmas Day? 6. Who is the reindeer with a red nose? 8. Who builds and wraps the toys?
1. What month is Christmas? 4. Santa rides on a ________? 5. Presents go under the ______? 7. Kiddies open ________on Christmas Day? 9. ______Christmas and a Happy New Year?
Stay Safe – John Harris
Answers: p14.
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GARDEN VIEW
Rhurarb Rhubarb Rhubarb is a reasonably easy trouble-free plant to grow. It is also a handsome plant, with large leaves and striking red stems, and who doesn’t love a rhubarb crumble? The trick is to choose the right spot. Ideally it needs to be planted in full sun but if your garden is very sheltered it will tolerate partial shade. Don’t plant it anywhere where it might be in the way, disturbed, or need to be moved from. Rhubarb has an extensive root system and prefers to stay put, for at least a decade, so give careful thought to the spot. Rhubarb dislikes wet soil, so make sure it’s well-drained. Dig in plenty of organic matter a month or so before planting. It’s generally easier and more productive to grow rhubarb from crowns (divided plants) rather than seed, and from now until Christmas is the perfect time to plant. Dig a hole a little wider than the rhubarb crown in your prepared ground. Plant so that the growing tip is about an inch /2.5 cm below the surface. Firm the soil well around the roots to removed air pockets. Water well and mulch with organic matter, avoiding the growing tip. During the growing season keep the area around the plant free of weeds and give an occasional good soaking in prolonged dry periods. Remove any flower heads that appear in the spring. Flowering
will weaken the stems. If the crown rots, your soil was too wet, but following all the advice I’ve given earlier should prevent this happening! Harvest time is May until July, but rhubarb is a long-term investment so don’t harvest it during the first year. It needs that full first year of growth to establish a strong root system. Second year leave at least five strong stems when you harvest. After that you can leave three or four stems each time. You should get 2-3 crops per season. Remove only the largest stems when picking and wait till the leaves have fully opened. Pull gently from the base with a slight twist. The leaves are poisonous but can be safely composted. Once your rhubarb is established you might want to try a forced crop for sweeter more tender stems. Rhubarb is forced by growing it in the absence of light in a microclimate slightly warmer than the outside temperature. You can start forcing in January for best results. Remove dead leaves and weeds from around the crown and add a layer of straw or shredded paper to warm the emerging shoots and to protect them from frost. Then cover the crown with an upturned dustbin or large crock pot to cut out all the light. The rhubarb should be ready for harvesting 8 weeks later. Happy gardening. By Rachael Leverton
We will remember them Why do we wear a poppy? Scarlet poppies grow wild all over Western Europe wherever the soil has been disturbed. The battles of the First World War churned up such vast areas of earth that millions of poppies germinated and bloomed, often around the bodies of the fallen soldiers. A Canadian surgeon called John McRae wrote the poem In Flanders Fields in which the poppies symbolise the deaths of those who fought. It is a haunting memorial to those soldiers who have died in any war. Why do we have a two-minute silence? It was on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month that the guns of World War I
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fell silent. Four years of fighting and devastation finally ended. The following year ceremonies of remembrance took place on what was known as Armistice Day. An Australian journalist, Edward George Honey first proposed a respectful silence to remember the dead. He wrote a letter to the London Evening News which was brought to the attention of King George V. The king then issued a proclamation which called for a two-minute silence. These days Armistice Day is known as Remembrance Sunday and is a chance to honour the fallen soldiers of all conflicts. By Sarah Davey
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