The Great Escape by Summer Latham Pages 16

reside. Turn back the clock and all will be well… Or would you like something spine chilling? In the late 1800’s, Huey Smalt (home for the criminally insane), was shut down due to the revelations of illegal electroshock therapy, done by warden Dr M Shelly. An electrician was sent in to find out why electricity was still being used. He never returned. Are you brave enough to enter The Asylum and find out what is happening? Or do you want to be merchants on the Silk Seas? Bad luck does strike however when you get boarded by pirates! More bad luck as the ship hits bad weather and breaks on an island! But your luck changes as you’re survivors on Shipwreck Island, but can you escape? Once you have completed the previous four rooms or even got through fastest time in a singular room, you will be given a golden ticket! The golden ticket is the opportunity to complete the War Room! Lending itself perfectly to codes, cyphers, strategy and intrigue, this room will push your mental prowess. What begins an ordinary day, quickly changes. Reports start coming in of an imminent attack. The clues and reports escalate until you find out there’s been a gas attack! People are changing to shambling zombies. Only you hold the antidote. Sounds good? Well it’s a good thing we have more to tell you! First of all we have a new room coming very soon…. Tomb Raided? You play the roles as the Henry Morton Stanley’s team trying to find the missing Livingstone. Last whereabouts, he reported discovering a tomb which may not have been raided as so many others have. But then went quiet. Find the explorer, free him with your famous greeting and escape the Tomb if you can but what of the final prize!? Finally we have a mobile trailer! The Peeky Finders Escape Room Bar can be booked for events such as weddings, festivals and anything else you could imagine. We also specialise in team building experiences where you can bring yourself and your staff to solve a series of puzzles and riddles and work together in a close environment. Not to forget our seasonal events, which, cover all festive-periods such as Halloween, Christmas and even quirky Valentine’s Day events.

For bookings, you can book online at redherringescaperooms.co.uk

PAM’S FLOWER POWER October – Marigold

The birth flower of October is the Marigold and is a perfect representation of month with their rich autumnal colours and spicy scent. Marigolds are an annual bedding plant with several different varieties, sizes, colours and hardiness. The most familiar varieties are the French Marigold (Tagetes patula), the larger African Marigold (Tagetes erecta) and the simple daisy like Signet Marigold (Tagetes tenuiflora). Yellow, orange, red, mahogany and bicoloured the marigold brings brightness to the garden through the summer and into the early autumn before the frosts arrive.

The rich and distinctive scent is a deterrent to pests so often gardeners plant marigolds among their crops and other plants to discourage whitefly in particular. Rabbits don’t like the smell so planting a border of marigolds around your vegetable plot may well be a way to discourage them from nibbling your carrots and cauliflowers! The marigold needs a bright position and need regular watering as they will quickly dry out especially when in pots. They also like plenty of food and regular deadheading to ensure they flower well into the autumn. The marigold is a native of the Americas and was a sacred flower of the Aztecs. They believed that the blooms possessed magical, religious and medicinal powers. The first recorded use of the marigold appears in the De La Crus-Badiano Aztec Herbal of 1552 where it is given as a cure for hiccups, being struck by lightning or for ‘one who wishes to cross a river… safely’ quite a range of uses! It is thought that the plants were transported to Europe by early Spanish explorers. From Spain the seeds were distributed across the continent and into North Africa.

In Europe the common name for Marigold is derived from ‘Mary’s Gold’ as early Christians would place the yellow flowers on altars in place of coins. This theme continues to be reflected by the Victorians who saw the marigold as a symbol of desire for riches and prosperity. It is also sometimes referred to as ‘the herb of the sun’ and with their bright vibrant sunshine colours and often round shape it’s hardly surprising that they are associated with the power of the sun – representing the power, strength and light held within an individual. Yellow blooms represent positive feelings of happiness and joy, dark orange or mahogany blooms bring romance and passion while a brighter orange means strong emotions and positive energy. The flowers are often used in a range of ceremonies; in India, Nepal and Thailand the marigold is cultivated specifically to decorate