Web pages jan feb 2014

THE MAGAZINE REFLECTING LIFE IN THE CITY OF LICHFIELD

Jan/Feb 2014 ISSUE 57

News • Competitions • Gazette Woman • What’s On • Dining Out

COLLIS Est. 1957

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G azette contents

Lichfield

January/February 2014

6 Netherstowe House Competition 12 Win tickets to NEC Camping & Caravanning Show 18 Gazette Education 41 WIN tickets to the races 46 Win a Bouquet, Wine & Chocolates 47 Win a signed copy of Fragile Boundaries by local author 49 Gazette Woman 52 Win a Boots Goodie Bag 54 What’s On/Dining Out

Cover City People - Ken Knowles Image by Robert Yardley

Win lunch for two at Netherstowe House page 6

contributors • • • • •

Caz Jo nes P atrick Come rfo rd Laura Bowcutt Kat e Gom ez David Gallagher

• • • •

Joss Musgrove Knibb Robert Yardle y Phil Pre ece John Crowe

ABOUT YOUR LOCAL MAGAZINE Lichfield Gazette is your local monthly magazine distributed to more than 18,000 homes and businesses in and around Lichfield. Distribution area covers Lichfield City, Alrewas, Fradley, Shenstone, Hammerwich, Kings Bromley, Longdon, Burntwood, Whittington and Little Aston.

A limited number of the Lichfield Gazette are available and can be purchased at 90p from the Heritage Centre at St Mary’s in the Market Place. All proceeds go to charity.

We do not seek to sensationalise but to inform and entertain our readers.

The views expressed in this magazine are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the publishers. Lichfield Gazette magazine is not a franchise or connected with any other publication.

contact the Gazette see page 63 Page 4 www.lichfieldgazette.co.uk

Editor’s Notes You can’t have what you never miss!

I was in a charity shop in Lichfield last week when I spotted a cocktail bar. It reminded me of a conversation I had had with my cousin the previous week.

My cousin recollected a cocktail bar my parents owned in the late sixties that was shaped like the bow of a motorboat complete with anchor and portholes.

It got me thinking about one of my earliest memories of playing ‘hide and seek’ with my cousins in my grandparent’s house. My favourite hiding place was in the bedroom behind the dressing table or behind the telephone table in the hallway.

Whatever happened to dressing tables, cocktail bars and telephone tables? Gone no doubt the same way as lava lamps, the ubiquitous free-standing kitchen unit and garden gnomes. They are to be seen these days in trendy vintage/retro shops, which are sprouting up around the country. I swear I was in one last week and it was spookily set out like my childhood home in the late 1950s. I was only a short step away from envisaging my mother complete with apron and mixing bowl with ‘Workers Playtime’ on the radiogram in the parlour (only used on Sundays).

In my day if I misbehaved I would get sent to my room as a punishment. Which meant a cold room with nothing but a bed and a mahogany chest of drawers and a single wardrobe.

These days a child would see a hardship being sent to their room if the wi-fi is turned off. Or am I being very cynical?

I remember not having fitted carpet, TV or fridge, and when they came along they marked a landmark in our lives. I certainly remember coming home from school to central heating, a front porch, colour TV and double-glazing. But I don’t recall things disappearing. I don’t remember noticing the coalhouse doing a bunk, the wind-up alarm clock calling it a day or the roof aerial giving up the ghost, and where’s our airing cupboard gone? Wasn’t there a huge copper tank in there? Mind you, it’s a great place to hide.

Yours truly, Paul Oakley Editor

GazetteNews

BOOKSHOP FIVE YEARS OLD

Lichfield Ladies Circle continue to support local charities

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n January 21st leading local charity St Giles Hospice hosted a special celebration to mark the fifth birthday of its bookshop in Lichfield.

The Market Street store opened its doors for the first time in 2009 and has since proved to be a big success story, establishing itself as a popular destination for avid readers in the town.

Lynwen Truesdale, Head of Retail for St Giles Hospice, commented: “In the five years since opening, our Lichfield bookshop has established itself on the town’s shopping landscape, and it has become a firm favourite with a host

of readers thanks to its fantastic range of fiction, autobiographies, children’s favourites, reference books and collectable titles.”

Wendy Paulson, one of the Lichfield store managers commented: "We have over 30 fabulous volunteers, many of whom have been supporting us for years.

We are also so grateful to the public for all of their generous donations."

Penny Morris, Area Manager added: "The Lichfield staff are very knowledgable and are happy to put a book on our 'book request list' if we don't have it in stock."

The shop helps to fund vital care services for local people living with

cancer and other serious illnesses through the sale of the superb range of books it has on offer.

Each St Giles Hospice Shop welcomes donations of items and participates in the Gift Aid scheme, which allows the charity to reclaim 25p from the Government for every £1 it receives from goods sold, helping each donated item to raise even more money.

The St Giles Hospice bookshop in Lichfield is open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm.

Donations of books are always welcome and can be made by visiting the store.

L

ichfield Ladies Circle have been delighted to support two more local charities through their recent fundraising activities. In November 2013 they had the pleasure of donating £250 to the Lichfield based self help group, Open Door of Hope. Since October 2011, the group has been catering for Mental Health Service Users, their carers and their families through providing a relaxed environment in which people can share their experiences and problems through a range of activities such as exercise, afternoon tea, arts and crafts and local excursions.

In December last year, the Lichfield ladies embraced the Christmas spirit and made their handmade Christmas wreaths which were then sold at the Lichfield Christmas market. The money raised will be donated to the Lichfield and District Live at Home Scheme. The scheme encourages older people to live independently so as to avoid social isolation, maintain their independence and control over their life choices and maintain contacts within the community.

The aim is to improve the quality of life and overall health and well being through social interaction and support whilst maintaining the security of independent living.

Currently the scheme offers numerous services such as befriending home visits and telephone calls, weekly escorted shopping trips to Lichfield City Centre, extended exercise sessions which promote vitality and a sense of general wellbeing, a free handyman service, information regarding falls prevention, keeping warm in winter etc, day trips and the popular lunch club with entertainment and speakers.

Open Door of Hope donation - Lichfield Ladies Circle members Gaynor Webb, Beverleigh Thompson and Helen MacDonald.

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GazetteNews

Bishop of Lichfield Joins Fusion

WIN

LUNCH

FOR TWO PEOPLE AT NETHERSTOWE HOUSE

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Reproduced from the Fusion Credit Union Ltd Newsletter Issue 15. www.fusioncreditunion.co.uk

he Bishop of Lichfield, Jonathan Gledhill, has become the latest church leader to join his local credit union, signing up for Fusion.

The Bishop said: “Nationwide, one million families are taking out payday loans every month as they struggle with rising living costs. Our faith in Christ calls us to love the poor and vulnerable with our actions. That is why the Church must be actively involved in supporting the development of real lending alternatives, such as credit unions. This is not an optional activity, but a fundamental part of our witness and service to all God’s people.”

The Church of England wants to help credit unions become bigger, better known and easier to access, to compete with high interest lenders.

Further afield, over 40 Bishops in 29 dioceses took part in International Credit Union Day celebrations with over 50 credit unions across the country.

Volunteers Wanted!

Jackie Whittenbury is Fusion’s Volunteer coordinator for the Lichfield area and has the job of organising volunteers to operate all the collection points in the area.

She commented: “We are particularly keen to extend our pool of Collection Point volunteers in the Lichfield area, especially for the Saturday morning collection point.”

So, if you can spare a couple of hours on Saturday morning Jackie would be delighted to hear from you: info@fusioncreditunion.co.uk

L

Last Night Listeners Perform to Raise Funds

ichfield’s new Foodbank will benefit from the presentation of a late night Nativity play performed on the streets of Lichfield City Centre.

Performers from the City’s Late Night Listeners and Lichfield Mysteries braved high winds and rain for two nights on the weekend before Christmas. Over the weekend revellers were very generous, donating a total of £156 which will be shared between the Foodbank and the Mysteries’ community work.

The cast, singers and musicians are pictured during the final rehearsal before braving the elements on the Friday night.

Page 6 www.lichfieldgazette.co.uk

FIND MINSTER THE CAT!

Win a Lunch for Two (Mon-Thurs) and enjoy the Netherstowe House experience. As the venue of choice for many milestone celebrations, such as anniversaries, birthdays and weddings, Netherstowe House Hotel and Restaurant resonates to the sound of laughter throughout the year from guests indulging in a seasonal soiree and past well known patrons who have enjoyed doing just that include Sir Roger Moore, Helen Baxindale, Barry Norman CBE, Claire Sweeny and Idris Elba to name but a few. Netherstowe House are incredibly proud to have been voted 'Restaurant of the Year' at the Taste of Staffordshire Good Food awards, to have received an AA Rosette award for Culinary Excellence and to be recommended by the Michelin Guide.

These coveted awards and accolades are testament to the dedication of their team who are incredibly passionate about delighting guests.

Express Lunch Menu: 2 Courses ~ £14.95; 3 Courses ~ £19.95 12 midday to 2:30pm (Mon - Fri), 1:00pm to 2:30pm (Sat)

Minster is a little rascal! True to form he has got lost again in this issue and we need your help to find him. He might be

in an advertisement or in a story, can you find him? When you have found him (he looks like the image at the top of the page) simply tell us which page he is on for a chance to win. Write the page number on a card or the back of a sealed envelope along with your name and address and send it to us no later than 14th Feb 2014 to ‘Minster The Cat Competition’ PO Box 5414, Lichfield WS14 4EZ. Or by email to minsterthecat@hotmail.co.uk subject "Minster Comp". One entry only please (or disqualified).

Netherstowe House is a beautifully renovated Grade II Listed property and Fine Dining Restaurant. This boutique hotel has the elegance of a fine old country house, excellent service plus the contemporary conveniences of every modern luxury you could possibly desire. The Editor will draw the winning entry and announce it in the next edition of Lichfield Gazette.

Congratulations to Mrs P Weir of Cricket Lane, Lichfield who spotted Minster the Cat on page 70 of the December 2013 issue.

Good luck!!

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GazetteNews

You’re probably from Lichfield, Staffs if...

‘You're probably from Lichfield, Staffs if ...’ If you haven't tried this Facebook site yet we recommend that you do. A must for all those Lichfield nostalgia fans out there. Thanks to Dave Gallagher who is one of the people behind the site for these great images. The Group is also holding monthly meetings at The Curborough Community Centre, Reynolds Close, Lichfield, WS13 7NY. The next one will be held on Thursday 13th Feb at 7 pm. All are welcome.

IMAGES BY DAVE GALLAGHER

Dave tells me that this image is of: “My old friend Bertha, a local character that most of Lichfield knew.”

Local family the Spatchers on Bower Day 1967

Beacon Park in the early 70s Page 8 www.lichfieldgazette.co.uk

Feelings are running rightly high over the HS2 issue in Lichfield, and your many letters to us reflect that. Here, a Lichfield resident and Gazette reader adds another interesting angle to the debate.

Dear Sirs, It is right to feel sympathy for those whose lives are being affected detrimentally by the HS2 proposal.

Clearly, it is a deeply flawed scheme; at best, it will benefit a very small business elite at the expense of many who have worked hard over the years to develop their homes and communities. It will devastate many fine natural habitats. It is being driven by the interests of highly paid professional consultants. The proposal document is, at 50,000 pages, very long, but also lacking in candour. The published cost benefit analysis should lead to the scheme being binned.

There is, however, nothing unique or even unusual about that proposed development. For many years, families and communities in this country have been blighted by infrastructure developments and the destruction of natural habitats and properties. It is easy to recall any number of motorways, road bypasses, airport runways, flightpaths, power generation facilities and other commercial and residential developments on previously unspoilt land that have ruined lives, communities and landscapes. Sadly, in our blinkered, parochial ways – our collective “nimbyism” – we have not opposed those developments which have not affected our own immediate surroundings. Those who now fear the arrival of HS2 should consider: what support have they given to communities blighted, for example, by the expansion of Heathrow or Birmingham airports; have they enjoyed driving along the disastrous M6 toll road, or, closer to home, the pointless Lichfield bypass, disregarding of the burdens imposed by those developments on others? These destructive schemes will continue to blight lives all the time that communities respond to them in a divided way. It should not be too late to stop HS2 because it does not make economic sense; but those who oppose it (myself included) should join with other blighted communities and generate a proper debate about what, at a national level, is truly important and what we really value. We might find that real communities, family space and time for quiet reflection are more important than the opportunity to rush about for a new business opportunity.

We accept the idea of ceaseless economic growth in an unquestioning way and without considering that its pros are balanced, if not outweighed, by its many cons.

Yours faithfully R Welfare, Lichfield

• New proposals to build over 1,000 new homes in and around Lichfield will soon be put up for public consultation. The proposed housing developments would fulfill the District Council’s obligation for new housing contained in the ‘Local Plan’ – a fifteen year forecast of how our area will develop. The increased housing provision is to be put up for full Council vote on January 28th, and, if passed, the plans will then go to public consultation between January 30th and March 13th. Go to www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/localplan for further details.

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Page 10 www.lichfieldgazette.co.uk

20% OFF Reasons to Celebrate our

2nd BIRTHDAY As The Smile Centre approaches its second birthday there’s a good reason for you to join them in a celebration of their success with a 20% discount.*

If you don’t have any natural teeth, you can go straight to The Smile Centre. If you have some natural teeth or implants you can still go straight to The Smile Centre and they, where necessary, will organise any appointments with a dentist for you.

A few comments from our patients.

You too could be feeling like them;

“I would recommend The Smile Centre, Lichfield for excellent service and products.”

S Ellicott, Lichfield

“I have no ridge on my lower jaw. My lower denture fits like a glove so I am delighted with my new dentures and my new smile.”

E Bartle, Cannock

“I am extremely pleased with my new dentures. I feel they are tailor made for me (which of course they are!). I didn’t realise that dentures could be so carefully crafted for an individual.”

C Harris, Burntwood

“The most comfortable dentures I have ever had.”

S L Redfurn, Rugeley

The Smile Centre focus on designing and fitting dentures – prosthetic enhancements that replace lost teeth.

Dentures can often be seen as rather the poor relation to veneers and caps, but in fact they are as attractive and appearancechanging as any other aspect of cosmetic dentistry.

Did you know for instance that the central four upper front teeth cover, in most cases, the width of the nose, and the shape and size of the teeth often reflect the shape of the jawline and lower face? The colour of the teeth and gums is also reflected by the general skin-tone of the client. This allows a denture to be created that emulates the original teeth.

Book your FREE consultation today

It is also vitally important that the teeth are the right length so that the patient is not having to close the jaw too far. In addition to causing an aching jaw, this forces the skin of the mouth and jaw-line to sag, and in some cases can allow creases at the side of the mouth to become sore.

There really is no reason for anyone to struggle with ill-fitting, poorly performing or unflattering dentures. The right denture not only massively improves the quality of life of each customer, it improves self esteem and even health as food can be properly chewed to release nutrients.

The Smile Centre ceate dentures that are truly as good as your own teeth, and customers soon think of them as simply part of themselves, not tricky prosthetics that have to be considered when eating out etc.

In celebration of our 2nd birthday

Come directly to a Clinical Dental Technician

The Smile Centre is the only Clinical Dental Technician’s Practice in Lichfield. Open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. Out of hours appointments by arrangement.

• REPAIRS • DENTURES • FINANCE • RELINES • DENTURE STABILISATION AVAILABLE

*Discount applies to dentures only, for consultations before 28th February 2014

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Quote code:

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City People Ken Knowles has something to shout about!

GazetteNews

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By Joss Musgrove Knibb

or over four years Ken Knowles has been Lichfield’s renowned Town Crier.

Such is his schedule that he seems to be able to be in two places at once!

As he dons his feathered hat and red coat for official city events and fundraising activities in 2014, this year looks to be as packed as the last.

Ken was born in Aston, Birmingham, not far from the Hippodrome Theatre (where, he tells me, his Dad saw Laurel and Hardy perform). The extended family were very close, with everyone living within five minutes of each other.

Ken went to school in Bordesley Green, and then later attended school in Lichfield, his first introduction to the City.

Ken then went to a teacher training college in Poulton-le-Fylde in Lancashire, a spot picked for its proximity to the sea: “As a Midlands lad I’d not seen much of the coast, so I decided to pick a college as close as possible to the sea.”

Ken qualified and built a very successful career in teaching at several schools in the West Midlands and Staffordshire before progressing to the position of Head Teacher, and retiring at the age of 57.

Ken had been involved in the community in lots of ways before becoming Town Crier. For instance he worked as Santa at Drayton Manor Park for several years (where he jokes that his beard was an advantage, although he did have to whiten it a bit). Visiting Santa became such a popular thing to do that eventually there were eight Father Christmases! Anyone who spotted the Late Night Listeners’ nativity play that took place in the streets of Lichfield before Christmas will also have spotted our Town Crier sporting wings as the Angel Gabriel (see page 6).

Ken has two children and several grandchildren, and the family is very close.

However he still finds time to visit Christmas parties on Christmas Day dressed as Santa, much to the delight of the children present. He recounted for me a conversation he had with a lad last year who was starting not to believe in Father Christmas, and to test ‘Santa’ asked him how it was that reindeers could fly? Ken told him there were lots of inexplicable things that were real, including the fact that super-glue didn’t stick to the inside of the tube. The lad thought for a moment and told his Mum and Dad: “This is the real Santa!”

I asked Ken if he was nervous when he first started Town Crying. He told me: “No, not at all, I love the job. It was a bit unnerving though on one of my first jobs that took place in the Market Square. The acoustics there are strange and you can hear your own voice booming back to you!”

Ken is only officially employed as a Town Crier for fifteen days a year. Anyone who lives in the City knows however that he works far more than that, supporting community events wherever he can.

Lichfield’s Town Crier is also an International award winner. Last year Ken attended a World Championship competition in Canada where he came 10th out of hundreds of competitors. He has won many cups, winning first place in eight competitions. He commented: “In a competition I have a real advantage coming from Lichfield as one of the challenges is to declaim about your city. I have so much lovely stuff to talk about with Lichfield I’m never lost for words.”

Lichfield is a City that has retained many of its traditions giving a real sense of continuity and community spirit to our events.

Long may Lichfield’s Town Criers continue!

Ken with his trophies.

Page 12 www.lichfieldgazette.co.uk

Image by Robert Yardley

The Caravan & Camping Show is Bigger and Better than Ever!

18 – 23 February 2014, NEC Birmingham

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he Caravan & Camping Show makes a welcome return to Birmingham’s NEC from the 18th to 23rd February 2014 and this time it’s even bigger!

Now over 70,000m2 (the equivalent of 1,750 average campsite pitches) The Caravan & Camping Show is the UK’s biggest start of season showcase, last year attracting over 83,000 visitors.

The Show is a fantastic opportunity for new and experienced caravanners, motorhomers and campers to buy and browse all the latest products from all the leading manufacturers, dealers and importers, pick up useful tips and advice from hundreds of industry experts, be inspired by fresh destinations and days out ideas and stock up on essential outdoor leisure accessories – many at ‘show-only’ prices.

With half term dates, The Caravan & Camping Show is a fun-filled day out for all the family with free ‘have-a-go’ features on offer for visitors of all ages, each inspired by the outdoor holiday lifestyle. Under expert instruction you can try rock climbing, mountain biking and a kid’s assault course. You can also enjoy Campsite Cookery demonstrations and dog agility displays, including a special guest appearance from Ashleigh & Pudsey, the winners of ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent.

For those new to touring or just looking to perfect their skills and gain confidence, The Camping and Caravanning Club will be offering free professional instruction on ‘how to tow safely’ from behind the wheel of a new Volvo tow car. If you fancy giving motorhome manoeuvring a try, The Caravan Club will be offering free 20 minute taster sessions.

As well as all the latest tourers, there will be hundreds of new motorhomes, conversions, folding caravans and trailer tents, plus all the new season holiday homes, park homes and lodges.

For those looking to get into camping, the Show offers a whole hall dedicated to the display of tents and camping related accessories (a 60% increase on 2013).

From easy-erect pop ups to large family tents, the best brands will be on display including Gelert, Kampa, OlPro, Outwell, Quest, Sprayway, Vango and Zempire.

Book tickets early and benefit from a discounted advance ticket price of just £7.00 for seniors (60 + years) and £8.00 for adults*. Children age 15 years and under are admitted free of charge when accompanied by a paying adult/senior.

Tickets include parking and a show guide (subject to availability).To book tickets, please visit www.thecaravanandcamping show.co.uk or call 0844 581 1250.

WIN WIN WIN We’ve got ten pairs of tickets to The Camping and Caravanning show worth £20 to give away in our competition. To be in with a chance of winning a pair of tickets, just answer the following question.

Q: Holidaying in the UK has become very popular in the last few years. In what county is the ancient town of Tenby located?

A. Pembrokeshire B. Warwickshire C. Cheshire Just send your answer, name and contact details to Gazette Camping Competition, PO Box 5414, Lichfield WS14 7LE or email gazetteeditorial@hotmail.co.uk by the competition closing date of Tuesday 11th February 2014. One entry per household please, duplicates will be disqualified.

Good luck! Please see www.lichfieldgazette.co.uk for full competition terms and conditions.

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GazetteNews

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Totally Locally launches in Burntwood

n a bid to boost the local economy, a group of traders called the Burntwood Business Crew, are encouraging local people to shop more in local independent shops, rather than elsewhere or in big chain stores this year.

David Whitehouse, Chairman of the Burntwood Business Crew and owner of InLife Design on Swan Island, explained: "If every adult in the WS7 postcode area spent just £5 a week extra in local independent shops and businesses, this would be worth a staggering £4.3 million to the local economy every year. In reality, what this means is more local shops staying open, more businesses that supply them succeeding, more local jobs, and a nicer place to live and work.”

Cllr Helen Fisher, Lichfield District ward councillor for Burntwood Highfield, commented: “To launch Totally Locally WS7, we're sending out a leaflet to local homes, asking people to stop and think and, rather than walk or drive past, to pop into a local shop and give it a go. There are some fantastic shops and brands across the Burntwood area, including Swan Island, Chasetown High Street, Morley Road, Ryecroft, Sankeys Corner and the business parks. From Yankee Candles, to Gucci glasses, handmade jewellery and GHDs, you can pick up some fantastic products locally. So come on, support your local area and shop Totally Locally this Christmas and beyond!”

Peter Robinson, Principal Lecturer and Head of Department for Leisure at the University of Wolverhampton, added: “It’s a well known fact that when people shop locally they can make the difference between a local area thriving or failing. Not only does spending locally help the shops, it boosts the local supply chain – so local suppliers, producers and more all benefit from that £5 spent over the counter. It is estimated that £5 spent locally can be worth over £25 to the supply chain, and businesses from farmers and craftsmen, to manufacturers and more, who all employ hundreds of local people, really do rely on people shopping locally.

“Shopping locally can mean the difference between a bustling high street with great cafes, shops and bistros, and one with boarded up shops and vacant units.

This project provides an opportunity for people to make a difference to their local economy. Sometimes you feel like you can’t make a difference, but when it comes to shopping Totally Locally – you can.”

The new website www.totallylocallyws7.co.uk lists over 100 local businesses and that number is growing all the time. The website is split into shopping categories, as well as shopping areas to make it easy to find what you are looking for.

Cllr Helen Fisher concluded: “We’d encourage as many people as possible to look at the website and find out about all the great shops and offers available locally. If you are a business in the area and you aren’t listed on the website, just drop elizabeth.thatcher@lichfielddc.gov.uk an email and we’ll add your business up straightaway.”

Discover Life in the Trenches at the Staffordshire Regiment Museum

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he Staffordshire Regiment Museum will be holding a WW1 Discovery Day on Monday February 17th. A Discovery Day is a great way for families to learn what life was like for soldiers during the Great War. The Museum’s uniformed guides will take you on an exciting tour of the fantastic WW1 trench system, and describe what life was like for soldiers during the Great War, complete with the sounds of sniper bullets whizzing past and the crack and rumble of German guns.

This extraordinary 500ft trench system contains ‘scrape’ holes, dugout, gun positions, firing steps, a first-aid position and even a tunnel, used during the period to undermine the enemy trenches that were often just a short way away.

Ammunition boxes are strewn around, sandbags line the walls, original signage points the way as the visitor is immersed in a professionally created soundscape that takes you straight to the trenches of WWI France.

Parents and children will also get the chance to try on uniforms, as well as handle weapons and equipment from the time, plus explore the museum and its fascinating collections of medals (including VC’s) weapons, uniforms, recordings of real WW1 soldiers talking about their experiences and much more.

Discovery Day tours start at 11am, 12 noon and 1pm. Adults £3, children and concessions including OAPs £2.

WW1 Discovery Days take place on all bank holidays, every Monday during School Half Term Holidays and every Monday during School Summer Holidays.

The Staffordshire Regiment Museum can be found at, Whittington Barracks, Whittington, Lichfield, WS14 9PY. Tel: 01543 434394. Go to www.staffordshireregimentmuseum.com or Facebook: The Staffordshire Regiment Museum for further details.

The Museum is holding a series of fascinating WW1 events in 2014 including an Edwardian Fete and Fair on Sunday August 3rd. Contact the Museum for further details.

Images copyright Terry Fidgeon.

Page 14 www.lichfieldgazette.co.uk

GazetteNews

Welfare Box Packing Day Great Success

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n Friday 2 0 t h December members of the The public, Mercian Regiment, Tamworth MP Chris Pincher and Museum staff gathered at the Staffordshire Regiment Museum (Lichfield) to undertake the mammoth task of packing a Welfare Box for every member of 3 & 4 Mercian who were in Afghanistan this Christmas.

The Tamworth SOS (Support our Soldiers) campaign had been organised

by Christopher Pincher MP, the Staffordshire Regiment Museum, the Tamworth Herald and TCRFM, with the aim of providing a Welfare Box for every soldier on deployment from 3 Mercian (The Staffords) and 4 Mercian (Reservists) on their current tour.

The public had responded to the appeal by sending in hundreds of items including books, toothpaste, t-shirts, sweets and savoury snacks. Many people also provided letters, Christmas cards and messages of support.

The items were gathered at the Staffordshire Regiment Museum where in 4.5 hours a Welfare Box for every soldier was packed, sealed and labelled.

Over 700 boxes were then posted to provide a little taste of home over the festive season.

The Staffordshire Regiment Museum can be found at Whittington Barracks, Whittington, Lichfield, WS14 9PY Tel: 01543 434394 www.staffordshireregimentmuseum.com

Shirt Draw

Thanks to a joint promotion, Michael’s Menswear, Market Street, Lichfield and Europe’s largest shirt manufacturer Seidensticker enabled the Gazette Magazine to give away ten top quality men’s formal shirts from their ‘Splendesto’ non-iron range in a ‘free to enter’ draw.

Mayor Cllr Bob Awty with Ken Whetton, Sales Manager of Seidensticker, and Michael Mullarkey

A New Year's Swimming Challenge

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wo Lichfield men completed a swim that was the equivalent of crossing the English Channel, just before the New Year.

Rick Hill OBE and Neil McDonald swam just under 21 miles at Virgin Active in Lichfield - it took just under 12 hours.

Neil and Rick know each other through Wade Street Church. The intrepid pair were raising money for the Lichfield Foodbank and Lives Released. The Foodbank is in the process of being set up in Lichfield and will be a community response to those in dire need. Lives Released helps to cut the levels of reoffending.

Neil commented: “When Rick asked me if I would do the swim with him, I thought he was joking. But I trained hard and really wanted to have a go at the challenge. Finishing it was a relief - I've never swum that far before and I don't think I will be stupid enough to try it again!”

Rick added: “I've done a number of swimming challenges over the past 30 years, but this was the ultimate. Swimming the actual Channel in the winter is nigh on impossible, so 1300 lengths in a swimming Page 16 www.lichfieldgazette.co.uk

pool is a good substitute. Would I do it again? No way! But it was good to raise money for two local charities that make a difference on the ground.”

Dan Toth, Virgin Active manager, said: “We were delighted to be involved in helping with this challenge. Virgin Active is a keen supporter of local community projects. The links to sport and local charities were additional bonuses.”

Neil and Rick hope to raise about £1,500 for the two charities.

Rick Hill with lifeguard James Madeley and Neil McDonald

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GazetteEducation

Time to decide - School Open Days

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ver the next few months Independent, Fee Paying and State Schools will be holding Open Days, and inviting prospective new pupils and parents through their doors. The decision on which primary, secondary or indeed sixth form your child or young adult attends can be a complex one, but one that can be enormously helped by visiting each school to find the right ‘fit’.

Many parents/carers of Year 6 students will have already planned which school their child should attend in the next school year. Year 7 in secondary school brings whole new challenges to both parents/carers and children, not least the emotional challenge of acknowledging change, as children take their next momentous step towards adulthood. If you are in this position, take the opportunity to visit the top schools on your wish list, as often the atmosphere of a school can be very different to that described in their brochure.

It’s not always safe to assume that the secondary school of your choice will accept your child; they may have reached their maximum in-take by the time you approach them or you might simply be too far outside their catchment area. And, a word to the wise, if you put off the decisionmaking process past the next few months you might find that your preferences, if you have any, are no longer available.

Before visiting a secondary school you should include some investigation on your part as there are an astonishing number of questions you need to consider. Are you familiar with the school’s reputation? Have you looked at their most recent Ofsted report? What percentage of pupils goes on to further education? If your child is particularly interested in sport, music, science or languages, what are the facilities in school to support this interest? Do they offer any after school clubs?

You should also find out what benefits the school can provide for your child; for instance do they have local business links or ties to universities?

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Head teachers tend to agree that there is no substitute for actually visiting a school so that you get the ‘feel’ for the place. It also gives you the opportunity to scrutinise everything from the standards of the bathroom facilities to the number of extra-curricular events pinned up on the school notice-boards.

What are the school’s admission criteria? Your child may not meet the school’s criteria on grounds of distance, academic ability (in the case of grammar and selective schools) or religion. The criteria will be found in the school's own prospectus, as well as in your Local Authority's website. Go to www.staffordshire.gov.uk and click on the ‘Parents and Families’ link, and then go to ‘Schools’.

School Choice Advice Service Following application to the school of your choice, you then have to wait to know if your application has been successful. At this point you should remember that if you are not happy with the decision you have the right to appeal against the decision. The School Choice Adviser may be able to provide you with further help regarding the appeals

process.

This service provides support to parents/carers with the appeals process, offering independent, impartial and free advice. However the School Choice Adviser cannot make decisions for you or guarantee a place at a particular school. Based at Tipping Street in Stafford, you can contact the School Choice Adviser for Staffordshire County Council on 01785 278992, by email on choiceadvice@staffordshire.gov.uk or visit the website at www.staffordshire.gov.uk/schoolchoice You might also find the following websites useful: www.gov.uk www.dcsf.gov.uk www.mumsnet.com www.familyfriendlyworking.co.uk www.parentdish.co.uk www.autism.org.uk www.schoolsnet.com www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk

Made to measure

GazetteEducation

adjective: specially made to fit a particular person or thing.

How pleased would you be if you could provide made to measure education for your child?

Or on the other hand, how much would you appreciate it if your child was able to measure up to the standards of any higher educational institutions or workplaces?

With so many restrictions on what we can and can’t do in schools it is refreshing that as an independent school we can still adapt the curriculum to provide the best fit for your child. We regularly throw in an extra GCSE where there is a particular skill. Like Meghan who has recently joined the school in year 8 after a year in France. She will take her GCSE this year after a few lessons to polish her writing skills. Or Charlotte who has

11am to 3pm

decided that she would like to take Music GCSE in a year just for fun. We have been known to add an extra A Level where someone wanted to study more than the usual four. Similarly we occasionally reduce the number of GCSEs for example when a child is struggling with Dyslexia. We can offer unusual combinations and we tailor your child’s curriculum to get what we know are the best results for them. In short we have the experience to know what the right decision is when it comes to subjects.

In a school where the children are known by all and are treated as individuals they cannot hide at the back of a class nor evade the issue if they are not working hard.

However the focus is not just on education. Our children become well rounded young adults who expect to do their best at all times. They have ambitions to do the best that they can. Some have very specific aims like Felicia who wants to be a vet. She was almost written off as a failure at her previous school and was told she would never pass maths GCSE. Now she is studying five A levels including Maths and only last week received her first offer of a university place to become a vet. She, like many others will take their experience

here at Chase Grammar and will measure up well to the needs of the wider world as they take their next steps in life.

So how do we raise expectations and make sure that children achieve their full potential? It may seem odd but we make the work easy. We start with the very basic skills and we work at these until they are secure. We create secure foundations for all the future knowledge that will sit upon these foundations. This builds confidence and develops the right skills for the future.

Higher up the school we encourage students to try.

Universities may say that they only require three A levels for entry to the courses but if you aim at four or even five, you are more likely to get what you need and if you get more, then it will only impress employers more.

In a way it is like the old adage “If you want something doing, ask a busy person”. We like our students to be kept busy. Those who achieve more are those who aim high and try to accomplish more.

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GazetteEducation

Stafford Grammar School

Stafford Grammar School and Stafford Preparatory School offer an exceptional education with an outstanding level of pastoral care providing the encouragement and support necessary to enable every individual to fulfil his or her potential. It is our belief that everyone can be successful. Our ethos of traditional values aims to teach our pupils the value of hard work and discipline whilst providing a happy environment for all.

The Grammar School has built a formidable academic reputation and is now an established centre of excellence at all levels including admission to top universities. In summer 2013, 56% of GCSE results were A*/A; 67% of A level results were A*/B grades.

Academic excellence is not our sole aim: our students excel in sport, music, drama and all other extracurricular activities.

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A wide variety of sports is taught at Stafford Grammar School. Pupils play matches against both local maintained schools and schools in the independent sector.

Our students excel at the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, each year achieving more Silver and Gold Awards than all the other schools in the area.

We have a flourishing concert band, big band, choirs, instrumental groups and orchestra. Music concerts are held regularly at school and at various local venues including a recent performance at the Birmingham Symphony Hall. This summer our concert band will be touring in Spain following very successful tours in France and Italy.

The Preparatory School currently educates children between the ages of 5 and 11 in the grounds of Stafford Grammar School. A reception class for 4 and 5 year olds will be opening in September 2014. Lessons are taught principally by specialist primary teachers, with Stafford Grammar School staff teaching subjects such as science, design technology, music, ICT and P.E. to the key stage 2 pupils.

Activity beyond the classroom is plentiful – competitive sport, a wide variety of music and outdoor education, all

complemented by clubs and educational visits which enrich the curriculum. During Stafford Preparatory School's first five years, the children have achieved some spectacular successes on the sporting front winning forty trophies locally and nationally.

Our aim is to give our pupils an exciting and challenging primary education which will give them an enthusiasm for learning and prepare them for life at senior school in the best possible way.

Parents may visit Stafford Grammar School or Stafford Preparatory School by prior appointment on any school day.

GazetteEducation

If school is preparation for life, then it must be co-educational

Advocates of single-sex schooling tend to assert academic advantages to justify the gender divide. In reality, it has proved difficult, if not impossible, to provide the evidence to support this view.

Single-sex education is an approach that still has significant support, whether at the whole school, the classroom or subject-specific level. The recent driving force appears to be the belief that physical differences between male and female brains mean that boys and girls have different, potentially incompatible, learning styles that cannot be accommodated in one classroom. Evangelists such as John Gray (Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, 1992), Louann Brizendine (The Female Brain, 2008) and Leonard Sax (Why Gender Matters, 2005) use words such as “innate” and “hardwired” to describe sweeping generalisations that claim girls are more relational, boys are more competitive.

The scientific evidence, however, presents a completely different picture. Neuroscientist Lise Eliot called on years of research and her own work

in the field of neuroplasticity for her book Pink Brain, Blue Brain (2010) and showed how gender differences emerge over time, fostered by social factors rather than being fixed biological facts.

Essentially, our brains continue to develop throughout our lives and the basic material present at birth changes every day based on what we do with it. It’s not nature or nurture – it’s both.

Generalisations about inherent male or female abilities reinforce damaging stereotypes and expectations, allowing parents to attribute any skill or defect to innate differences. Language and literacy are learned skills, which is why education and not biology is both the cause and the answer to sex differences in reading skills. A 2011 study published in Child Development showed that children as young as six years of age had adopted the stereotype that boys are better at maths.

Children thrive when teachers and parents accept that children, not genders, have different learning styles. A good school provides the flexibility to accommodate all learning styles, and provides

engaging and accessible lessons that challenge those of higher ability and supports those who need it. Good teachers know each individual child and adapt their teaching methods accordingly – one size does not fit all.

A co-educational environment can, however, better prepare students for higher education and life beyond. Pupils need to learn to interact as equals in the classroom so that they can interact as equals in the workplace. The mixing of both sexes in a coeducational environment enables students to study, work and play together, as well as express and share their own ideas and opinions, and encourages them to overcome any shyness and build their confidence.

Each parent must choose the school they believe will provide the environment to enable their child to excel, whatever his or her interests may be.

Children must be happy in order to learn effectively, and to achieve the most important educational outcome - a life-long love of learning.

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GazetteEducation

Learning, Living, Dancing

Every day is an open day at Abbots Bromley School, where everyone is an individual and girls and boys are nurtured and encouraged to learn the skills they need for life whilst being given limitless opportunities to develop and succeed.

Set amongst extensive grounds with outstanding sporting facilities, we offer a strong academic programme, combined with a high degree of pastoral care and an interesting and exciting range of activities including dance, music, sport or riding.

The Alkins School of Dance, in partnership with Abbots Bromley School, has an international reputation for excellence. The Vocational Dance Courses offer a carefully balanced curriculum for the more ambitious dancer who wants to combine high quality vocational dance classes with The Alkins School of Dance, and the excellent academic opportunities offered at Abbots

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Bromley School. The courses offer a real alternative in vocational training, where each student is valued as an individual and can gain the vocational skills and academic qualifications needed to succeed in the modern world.

Recent graduates from the Sixth Form have been offered places at The Royal Academy of Dance, Laine Theatre Arts, Bird College, Millennium Performing Arts and London Studio Centre. Students offered places on these dance and performing arts courses were also offered university places to study music and marine biology at university.

So join us on Wednesday 5th March 2014 from 5.30pm onwards for our Dance Open Evening and find out more about dancing at Abbots Bromley School.

For further information, please contact our Admission team on 01283 840232.

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GazetteNews

D

Doug aims to become darts champion

oug ‘The Mantis’ Thompson, a Lichfield District Council employee, rose above an impressive field of 116 dart players from around the Midlands to win the Derrick Leaver Lichfield Open Dart Tournament, held at Lichfield City Football Club recently.

Doug (31) is from Burntwood and is sponsored by local commercial landscaping company Sitescapes. On the day he defeated Nick Fullwell in a gripping final match that won him the £800 prize.

The day-long event was a huge success and Doug has now decided he will turn semi professional , with the prospect of gaining a full professional status in an industry that is worth an estimated PDC prize fund of £7m for 2014.

Doug is a regular West Midland’s County darts player and during December last year won matches at The Jubilee in Cannock as well as The Flaggin’ Duck at Chadsmoor where he defeated Mark Hylton who is ranked in the top 60 in the UK. In the past he has also beaten Colin Osborne who is rated 34th on the circuit. When you consider that Staffordshire’s Phil Taylor was 28 and Rugeley’s Mark Hylton was 34 when they made it as professionals, Doug is about the perfect age to become a World-beater!

Derrick Leaver Lichfield Open: Keith Osman (organiser); Darren Leaver (chairman Lichfield City FC); Doug Thompson; Mrs Leaver; Nick Fullwell (runner up).

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Residents mark 25 years at Copperfields

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opperfields is a leasehold acomodation scheme for the over 55s in Lichfield, originally built by The Royal Legion. The scheme is managed now by Housing21, who have over 127,000 properties country wide, including rented and extra care.

The 25th Anniversary of Copperfields was on 1st December 2013. In celebration of this a luncheon was held in the communal residents lounge for all the residents to enjoy. Many present and former residents were attended and Peggy Sharp who was the very first resident to have lived on Copperfields was also invited along to the event.

Also present and celebrating 25 years of service was Gerald Thoburn, Copperfields window cleaner. He was presented with a token of appreciation and a bottle of champagne, flowers were presented to his wife Rachel supplied

by Flower Design by Kate, Bolt Court, Lichfield.

The luncheon was arranged and prepared by Rose Allsopp and Mary Crocker residents of Copperfield, along with the help of Court Manager Helen Parker and a few of the other residents. A donation made by Midlands Cooperative Society, Hermes Road, Lichfield went towards the funding of the event; table decorations including balloons, supplied by Daisy Chain & Gifts of Market Street, Hednesford; and table cloths provided by Police Mutual Assurance Society in Lichfield all helped to make the day one to remember.

Neighbourhood Plans for Lichfield District

ommunities in Lichfield District are working towards creating ‘neighbourhood plans’ using powers given to them by the Localism Act. But what is a ‘Neighbourhood Plan’?

Neighbourhood plans can be used to develop a shared vision for a neighbourhood. This can include choosing where new homes, shops, offices and other developments should be built locally. They can also identify and protect green spaces, and influence what buildings should look like.

To have the power to make a neighbourhood plan, parish councils or community groups in Lichfield District first need to apply to the council to make their area of choice a ‘neighbourhood area’.

Burntwood Town Council and Wall Parish Council have both applied to Lichfield District Council to designate their parishes as ‘neighbourhood areas’, as the first stage in creating a neighbourhood plan for their areas.

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These applications follow in the footsteps of a number of parish councils in Lichfield District that are preparing their own plans.

Councillor Ian Pritchard, Lichfield District Council’s Cabinet Member for Economic Growth & Development, said: “Having a neighbourhood plan allows a community a greater say over how their local areas could be shaped in the future. It’s important for residents to decide whether they support these applications, and I would encourage local people to have their say.”

To comment on Burntwood or Wall’s neighbourhood area applications, please visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/neighbourhoodplans or call Lichfield District Council on 01543 308196 by Friday 21 February 2014.

To find out more about neighbourhood planning, please visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/neighbourhoodplans or call

Lichfield District Council on 01543 308196.

To get involved with neighbourhood planning in your community, please contact your parish council.

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GazetteHeritage

T

Who are you?

he tradition of the family wedding portrait to record the happy occasion has rarely changed in nearly 200 years. You only need to walk past the Museum or Memorial Gardens near the Registry Office any day of the week to see a happy pair posing for the cameras.

Our photographs this month from The Heritage Museum at St Mary’s depict a happy group around 1910. Gentlemen with leather gloves and bowler hats, and ladies with big hats and freshly cut flowers, together with a family Jack Russell, which suggests that this image may well have been taken at home rather than in town.

The photograph comes from the Edgar Bates collection but unfortunately there is no clue to who features in these images. Are these bridesmaids your grandmother or great aunt? Can any one of our readers throw any light on who they are, or where the photographs have been taken?

Lichfield Heritage Centre

If you would like to write, the usual address for the editor can be found on page 63.

`Lichfield Heritage Centre

The Lichfield Heritage Collection holds 12,000 items, photographs old and new, maps, books, documents etc. all relating to Lichfield past and present - copies of which can be purchased.

The Heritage Collection is housed in the Lichfield Heritage Centre, St Mary’s Church, Market Square, Lichfield, Tel: 01543 256 611.

The collection is free to view, opening times Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10.00am to 12.30pm.

If you have any photographs etc. relating to Lichfield, the Heritage Collection would be very grateful to receive these items for everyone to enjoy seeing them. Come and see our wonderful collection. All photographs copyright of Lichfield Heritage Centre Page 26 www.lichfieldgazette.co.uk

Lichfield Ramblers Going Strong

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Bonsall Market Cross he advantages of walking with the Ramblers are many. As well as walking being good for your health, you can learn a bit about the beautiful British countryside, get a closer understanding of what goes on in farming, and visit interesting historical places off the beaten track. But the most valuable aspect is probably the long-lasting friendships you can make. So why not try it?

Ramblers itself has existed for 75 years. Its aim is to promote walking, which it does in many ways.

The first and most important one is by setting up local groups such as the Lichfield and District Group, which started in 1972.

The Group organises, publicises and leads walks in the local area and further afield. They range far and wide, visiting Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Leicestershire, and of course the White Peak of Derbyshire, which is one of the more attractive destinations. The picture above is of some of the Lichfield and District Group at Bonsall Market Cross. The Cross is mediaeval, although Bonsall itself goes back to Roman times and is mentioned in the Domesday Book.

Most of the walks take place on Sundays and last for four or five hours, although this year there will also be a number of shorter Friday evening walks, taking about two hours and finishing in the pub.

Weekend walking breaks are also organised and recent destinations have included Alnmouth, Wensleydale and the Lake District. Scenic walks during the day are followed by very enjoyable evenings, when they usually find that there’s nothing like a good walk to build up a healthy appetite!

Also, the Group is associated with the Twinning Association of Lichfield, and this means that every two years twinning exchanges are arranged with Limburg an der Lahn in Germany and Sainte Foy les Lyon in France. This year the group visited the Mosel Valley in western Germany, famous for its wines. In two years time they will be hosting the event in Great Hucklow, near Buxton.

For more details, including lists of future walks, you can view the website at http://www.lichfieldanddistrictramblers.org.uk/ or phone Phil Cheesewright on 01827 53247 or Ed Watson on 01543 491469.

Some of the group on a weekend away in the Lake District.

Southwell Mott Solicitors Southwell Mott has taken part in Will Aid last November. Last year we raised nearly £4,500 for charity and we hope to beat that.

Southwell Mott offer a full range of legal services which include:• Conveyancing

• Matrimonial • Cohabitee • Employment • Children disputes • Trusts

• Wills • Divorce • Probate • Civil

Southwell Mott 25 Lombard Street, Lichfield, Staffs WS13 6DP. Tel: 01543 256098 Email: ssmallman@southwellmott.co.uk jmott@southwellmott.co.uk

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GazetteNews

An Open Letter from the Burntwood Lions Club

A

ll the members of Burntwood Lions would like to express their gratitude to all the residents of Burntwood who kindly donated to our annual tin collection.

This year we managed to beat all records, this will enable us, on your behalf to help more of the needy and disadvantaged in Burntwood, by supplying them with a very welcome food parcel.

All the tins that we collected will be sorted and date matched, then made up into parcels and delivered within the next two weeks.

We would also like to thank all of the volunteers who gave up their time to help deliver leaflets and collect the tins from all areas of Burntwood.

If any member of the public would like to find out more about Burntwood Lions and attend any of our meetings, to see how we operate, you will be made very welcome.

We at Burntwood Lions are ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

Ken Grant PR & Membership Chairman.

More information on the Burntwood Lions Club can be found at www.burntwoodlionsclub.co.uk

New hobbies for the New Year at the Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum!

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ebruary is with us, the last of the Christmas chocolates have been eaten and it is time to start on those New Year’s resolutions by throwing yourself into a brand new hobby. From immersing yourself in a good novel or trying your hand in an art workshop, The Samuel Johnson Birthplace in Lichfield city centre can help you to rediscover your creativity!

One of the most common New Year’s resolutions is to read more, and where better to find a pageturner than in the home of a literary giant? Held the first Wednesday of every month at 1pm, the Birthplace Book Club is free to join (donations are welcome) and offers its members the opportunity to enjoy a cup of tea while delving into anything from thrillers to the classics, following the selections from the Radio 4 Book Club programme. New members are always welcome to the small, friendly and informal group. February’s session on Wednesday 5th will be discussing Donna Tarrt’s The Secret History, so please just come along or contact the Museum if you would like more information.

Or for something more hands-on, try painting and drawing in one of the Museum’s popular art workshops led by award-winning local artist, Carole Collier. Held on the third Tuesday of every month, the next session is on Tuesday 18th February. There are a maximum of ten people in each session, creating a friendly, intimate environment where those attending will receive individual attention and support to learn unusual techniques to quickly create striking paintings. Tickets for the Art Workshops cost £10, which includes all materials and refreshments.

Younger visitors will also have the opportunity to get creative this month with the popular ‘Half Term Fun!’ activities returning on Thursday February 20th from 11am – 1pm, a drop-in arts and crafts activity session for just £2. Standard entrance to the Museum is free of charge, including trails and dressing up fun available every day.

For more details or bookings call 01543 264 972, visit www.samueljohnsonbirthplace.org.uk, email sjmuseum@lichfield.gov.uk or pop into the Museum on the corner of the Market Square.

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Lichfield Farmers’ Market Battered but not Beaten!

t was disappointment all round at the Lichfield Farmers’ Market held on Thursday 5th December. Traders arrived early with every hope for a successful day’s trading in the run up to Christmas but the weather had a different agenda as the high winds moved in.

Traders tried resiliently to sheet their stalls and display their tempting and tasty produce but it proved too much for many of them who had to abandon all hope of any Christmas sales. A small number of determined traders braved it out in an effort to give their customers a small selection of what should have been on offer, but the heavy rain and high gusts which arrived at lunchtime meant that the Market had to be abandoned. Customers arrived throughout the day in anticipation of buying the diverse choice of food and crafts normally available each month, but felt disappointed to be met with the reduced version of what is normally a busy and enticing market.

Demand was so great that an additional Farmers’ Market was then held on the Market Square on Thursday 19th December, which gave loyal customers another chance to stock up with fresh and delicious produce and handmade crafts in time for Christmas.

Lichfield Farmers’ Markets are held on Market Square on the 1st Thursday of the month (9am - 3pm).

Shoppers at the monthly Farmers’ Market

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GazetteNews

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A Winter's Tale Mr and Mrs Smith

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ohn and Jean Smith could be your neighbours.

Generally they do well, get out and about, try and keep active. But their family live miles away, and they struggle a bit with housework, find the shopping very hard work, and no longer run a car they use buses, which are very good but not as frequent as they used to be, and although neighbours offer to help, Mr and Mrs Smith don't like to feel they are imposing. They have been married for fifty years and they feel they do all right.

Do you know anyone like them? Jean is a bit worried because John has started to get a bit forgetful and Jean has recently had a fall and is a bit nervous about getting out for the shopping. Jean used to do the cooking and can't do what she used to do. The milkman no longer delivers on that road, and the free newspaper sometimes is left in the porch.

South Staffordshire and is completely free of charge. It will provide links to cookery classes, shopping services, meals in the home, bereavement support, carer's support, care and help at home services, lunch clubs, and much more besides. The service includes some of the best known names in the area and has links across many agencies.

It we cannot help directly, normally we will know someone who can.

There is a new wellbeing service that will do a free check on nutrition, lifestyle, wellbeing and a host of other issues, and using a professional dietitian, a large support network and trained volunteer mentors, will try and provide a range of support and signposting, following an initial assessment. The Eat Well Staffordshire service is a partnership led by Age UK

Would you like to make a Winter Wish for yourself, or a neighbour, or a friend? Would you like the reassurance that your loved one, friend, or neighbour was getting enough nutrition this Winter to keep themselves well and illness at bay? The temperature is chilly and summer seems a long way off. Spring is round the corner, but there are some crisp and cold

Are they getting enough this Winter?

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The new service has a focus on people over 65 and will consider people from across the whole of Southern Staffordshire, where there is a concern for wellbeing where there is potential to provide support particularly in relation to food, diet and wellbeing, social contact and access to services which will keep people well in good spirits and better able to ward off infection, falls, depression and isolation.

challenges to face before April beckons!

Nominate your neighbour or friend or family member - with a Winter Wish for Wellbeing - telephone the Eat Well Staffordshire Team on 01785 788 496/7 for further information and support.

We also have a limited number of training opportunities for volunteer mentors - if you think you might be interested in this rewarding role, phone 01785 788 483 or 496.

Information can also be found on www.ageuk.org.uk/southstaffs

(The case study is a composite of several people)

Cutlery Firm Sharpens Up Donor Deliveries for Charity

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Sarah Dryhurst, Volunteer, Simon Price, Arthur Price CEO, Leigh Taylor, Lichfield Shop Manager, Bev Shepherd, Arthur Price Lichfield Shop Manager

ichfield cutlery and gift manufacturer Arthur Price has given a much-needed helping hand to people wishing to donate items to the city’s Cancer Research UK shop recently.

The world famous firm have set up a Cancer Research donation station at their Britannia Enterprise Park HQ. This means that regular donors don’t have to make their usual trip into the city saving time and parking charges. Also people who haven’t yet made donations due to these barriers now have a first opportunity to give away items where there is ample free parking on a major route in and out of the city. All items are then delivered free of charge to the Cancer Research store by Arthur Price as part of their deliveries throughout the UK. Arthur Price sent out leaflets to the Boley Park area of the city plus some of the outlying villages as a test and in less than three months more than 50 boxes of donated goods have already been delivered raising more than £1500 for the charity. Due to the success of the scheme, Arthur Price and Cancer Research want to extend the scheme to the rest of the area and invite everyone to use the Arthur Price HQ as a quick and convenient place to drop off their donations.

Simon Price, Arthur Price CEO said: "I'm delighted that we have been able to raise over £1500 for Cancer Research in such a short period, and myself and the team look forward to receiving many more items. The idea to help Cancer Research UK in this way was from a comment in a meeting and we are amazed by the amount we have been able to deliver. What we aren't amazed by is the generosity of the people of Lichfield."

Stuart Shopland, Cancer Research Area Manager said: "I'd like to thank Arthur Price for this simple, yet effective way of helping people donate and we look forward to receiving lots more in the future."

Anyone wishing to donate items can do so at Arthur Price, Britannia Enterprise Park, Britannia Way, Lichfield, Staffordshire WS14 9UY. The goods will then be delivered free of charge to the Cancer Research UK shop at Market Street.

GazetteNews

Two Staffordshire solicitors complete collaborative law training

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hilst the super-rich frequently hit the headlines with divorces involving long, drawn-out expensive courtroom battles, couples separating in Staffordshire can now take a less stressful approach.

Experienced family lawyers Susan Davies and Laura Lambert from Ansons Solicitors in Lichfield and Cannock have now completed their training to offer an alternative way to settle family disputes, known as collaborative law.

Under the collaborative law process, each person appoints their own collaboratively trained lawyer and the couples and their respective lawyers all meet together to work things out face to face. Each person has their lawyer by their side throughout the meetings and so benefits from their support and legal advice when required.

Everyone involved, including the lawyers, signs an agreement that commits the parties to trying to resolve the issues without going to court and prevents the lawyers from representing you in court if the collaborative process breaks down.

That means everyone is absolutely committed to finding the best solution by agreement, rather than through court proceedings.

The collaborative option is suitable for all aspects of family breakdown, including disputes

over children or finances and is an ideal process for pre-nuptial and civil partnership agreements. It can also be used to resolve disputes arising from the separation of an unmarried couple.

“The benefits of the collaborative service are clear”, says Ansons family law expert Susan Davies. “Couples feel more in control and the process encourages openness and honesty instead of mistrust. By communicating face to face we can help each couple to find constructive solutions that suit their personal situation.”

During the negotiations, which take place over a series of meetings, other professionals such as accountants, pension experts and financial advisors can be invited to join the meeting to offer advice. The lawyers manage the whole process and help you to come to an agreement.

To help you get legal advice when you need it most, Ansons Solicitors family law department are offering free initial appointments on all family law matters throughout January.

To claim your free initial family law appointment contact Susan Davies 01543 267 190 or Laura Lambert on 01543 431 996 at Ansons Solicitors.

Ansons have offices in Cannock and Lichfield, Staffordshire.

Tudor Row £50 Competition

Well done to Mrs M Flatman of Cornfield Drive, Lichfield who answered all the questions correctly in the December 2013 competition and wins £50 to spend in Tudor Row. Page 31

LOCAL BUSINESSWOMAN LAUNCHES ‘LOCAL & LOVED’ BUSINESS AWARDS 2014

L

ocal, independent businesses are vital to Lichfield. They are the life blood of our High Street and City. They provide the variety, choice, personal service and, most importantly, employment that are so vital to keeping Lichfield vibrant.

That’s the mantra of local businesswoman, Louie Clegg. Labelled as a local champion, Louie Clegg, owner of thebestoflichfield is committed to making life better for everyone in the community, supporting great local businesses and charities alike.

Dedicated to the launch of the Local & Loved campaign 2014 Louie Clegg said: “We are lucky enough to have some amazing independent businesses in Lichfield and it’s about time we raised their profile! The Local & Loved Business Awards 2014 isn’t another opportunity for industry heads to pat themselves on the back. These awards are voted for by you, the consumer as we believe your opinion counts most.

“This is an opportunity for everybody to show their appreciation for all the hard work that local businesses, and the people behind them, do to maintain local pride and help grow the local economy. Although The Local & Loved Business Awards is a national campaign, its aims are to raise the profile and awareness of great local businesses and prove that community spirit and engagement can

Sally from Mooch Kids promotes Local & Loved Page 32 www.lichfieldgazette.co.uk

make a real positive impact on Lichfield’s economy.

“If enough people vote for our great businesses we may even gain national recognition, putting Lichfield firmly on the map.”

Launched on 1st February and running until midnight on Valentine’s Day, locals can vote for any businesses they love by visiting www.thebestof.co.uk/local/lichfield/recommed.

The results will be displayed every day on the ‘love-o-meter’ (www.thebestof.co.uk/love-ometer) until 13th February, with the winners being announced on 17th. Voters will also be put into a daily prize draw where they can win £100 to spend with a local thebestof business.

During the next two weeks Louie Clegg will be raising the profile of great local businesses through Twitter (twitter.com/louieclegg) and Facebook (facebook.com/thebestoflichfield) as well as around town through branded campaign material.

“There’s nothing like quirky photos and videos to really show the human side of a business. We were inundated with some amazing pictures last year. I’m looking forward to sharing this year with everyone.”

For more information about the Local & Loved Business Awards 2014 campaign contact Louie Clegg on 01543 406160.

Della and Sejal from The Spark Cafe promoting Local & Loved All images by iiphoto.co.uk

Local Lichfield supporting Local & Loved 2014

PCC welcomes new Victim’s Code of Practice P

olice and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis welcomed the launch of the new code that ensures victims have a real voice in the criminal justice system in December.

Victims will now be able to explain to the court and offender how a crime has hit them through reading out a Victim Personal Statement. This will then be taken into consideration by judges when determining the sentence.

The move fits exactly with the radical re-think of existing victim services in Staffordshire.

Commissioner Ellis has asked his Deputy, Sue Arnold, to review and reform current practices: “so that victims of crime are treated as people, not a number.”

At the top of the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner's agenda is putting the victim first and achieving the best outcome for them - whatever the scenario.

Work is already well advanced with support agencies across the county - including the voluntary

Matthew Ellis and Sue Arnold

sector - to provide a single gateway to a clearly mapped-out support route for victims.

Deputy commissioner Arnold said: “I welcome today’s launch which gives victims the choice to explain to a court in their own words the personal and emotional impact a crime has had on them – a process known to help victims recover and cope better.

“This is a big step towards what we are trying to achieve in Staffordshire to make the system fit the individual, rather than the person fit the system - one that treats victims with dignity and respect.”

The new Victim’s Code will also give a "real say" to the businesses

hit by 9.2 million crimes each year enabling them to write an Impact Statement to explain to the court how crime has affected them.

Latest statistics over a seven year period show that 276,000 crimes have cost county businesses nearly £433 million in theft, damage and consequential loss at a rate of more than £7,000 an hour.

"Fraud alone costs companies in this country £9.1 billion with business going under as a result of crime. Yet only 10 per cent of business crime is ever reported to the police which is in part due to a lack of confidence that anything will be done about it.

“Who supports business when they going through this trauma? It is our duty to look after the economy when it is under attack.

"Businesses have different needs to individuals who, in the main, are treated well by the authorities in the aftermath of a crime. We want to ensure firms are better served when they find themselves the victim of crime.”

GazetteNews

Lichfield Ladies Circle fly the flag for UK

R

uth Curry, a member of Lichfield Ladies Circle will soon be representing Great Britain and Ireland as the National President of Ladies’ Circle at its international mid-term meeting in Tartu, Estonia.

She and other members of Ladies’ Circle GB&I will be joining young women from across Europe for the three day event, which will combine meeting to discuss charitable and community activities, with tours of the city, parties and the opportunity to meet and make new friends.

Ruth commented: “As Ladies’ Circle in Great Britain was the founder of the international organisation, it is an honour to represent GB&I as its President. It is an amazing opportunity to experience international fellowship at its best and I can’t wait to join in the festivities!”

Ladies’ Circle International was founded in 1959, although there have been clubs in Sweden since the late 1940s, and now has members across 34 countries worldwide promoting friendship and raising funds for many and varied charities.

To find out more about Lichfield Ladies Circle and how you can get involved email info@lichfieldladiescircle.co.uk Lichfield Ladies Circle meet every two weeks on Tuesday. If you’d like to find out more visit their website at www.lichfieldladiescircle.co.uk , the National Association of Ladies Circles website www.ladiescircle.co.uk , call 0800 148 8595 or follow them on Facebook.

Page 33

Bromford and NHS to run Lichfield Volunteer Recruitment Day

GazetteNews

S

ocial business, Bromford is partnering with Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Partnership NHS Trust to offer volunteering opportunities with the NHS at an Open Day on Thursday, 13 February.

Julie Tanner, Director of Workforce and Development at the Partnership Trust, said: “As a Trust we truly appreciate the support and hard work that volunteers

offer and we hope the event will give a further insight into the voluntary opportunities we have on offer.

“We are increasing the number of our volunteers in this area so everyone who attends the Open Day will have an opportunity to get involved. We hope the event will help promote the valuable contribution volunteers bring to the NHS as well as the benefits for individuals and

the wider community. A number of roles will be available, from helping with admin support to befriending an older person and checking that they are coping after coming out of hospital.”

The Partnership Trust provides services such as district nursing, health visiting, physiotherapy and social care assessments in various settings including hospitals, clinics and at home.

To book a place please contact Michael Pritchard at michael.pritchard@bromford.co.uk or call 01543 420848. Spaces are limited to 50.

The event will be held at Bromford’s offices in Stowe Road, Lichfield, WS13 6WA and participants can choose to attend a morning or afternoon session between 10-12.30pm or 1.30-4pm.

There are lots of benefits from volunteering. Research shows that people who volunteer are healthier, live longer, have better relationships, learn new skills and have a sense of purpose in their lives.

Volunteering makes you feel good!

Do you remember the Swinging 60's?

Come and see the temporary exhibition running from 1st March to 30th June 2014 at St Mary’s Heritage Centre, Lichfield, and reminisce on "those were the days".

Do you have any 60's memorabilia? Would you like to see it proudly displayed in the exhibition?

Members of the public are invited and encouraged to bring in anything representative of this golden era. Volunteers from the Lichfield Museum will be in attendance at St Mary's between 10am - 3pm on Saturdays 15th and 22nd February and Tuesdays 18th and 25th February to receive your items for display.

Why not take a look in your cupboards? You never know what you may find!

Don't forget to visit the newly refurbished Cafe, Gift Shop and Tourist Information Centre where a warm welcome is assured. St Mary’s Heritage Centre can be found on Market Street, Lichfield, WS13 6LQ Tel: 01543 256611

Page 34 www.lichfieldgazette.co.uk

Senior Matters – Divorce in the Over 60s Divorce statistics published by the Office for National Statistics in 2011 show that since the mid-1990s the number of divorces has steadily fallen. Yet during the same period the number of over 60s divorcing has risen. Increasing life expectancy, the loss of stigma surrounding divorce and women’s greater financial independence are contributing factors to this trend. Here Helen Bradin, Partner at solicitors Bradin Trubshaw & Kirwan LLP, examines some of the issues facing couples who choose to part after sometimes decades of marriage.

Q: Since our children have left home I Helen Bradin, Partner Bradin Trubshaw & Kirwan LLP based on feel empty and am living with a husband I no longer have anything in common with.

Beacon Street, Lichfield.

Should I be bold and go it alone?

Helen: Parents, most commonly women, frequently experience ‘empty nest syndrome’ around the time their children leave home to go to university or when a child gets married. Feeling some sadness is only natural but it does not have to mean the end of your marriage. Now that your children have flown the nest you and your husband could draw up a list of things you’ve always wanted to do but never had time for. If you think that your marriage is worth saving then you could also consider relationship counselling - Relate, for instance, offers face to face, phone and online counselling – but you will both need to be committed to making it work.

Q: My wife and I have agreed that after many unhappy years together we should call time on our marriage. How will our finances be divided up?

Helen: In divorce proceedings each party must fully disclose their financial and personal circumstances. Withholding information or hiding details of money from a lawyer is most definitely inadvisable. Generally, most people are able to agree on how to divide their finances – this may include cash payments, transfer of property/assets, maintenance and pension sharing. For some couples a ‘clean break’ can be achieved which may entail, for instance, a lump sum payment, a property transfer and no ongoing maintenance. However if there are inadequate assets for a clean break or there are other grounds, maintenance payments from one partner to another may be needed. There are a range of considerations that will determine financial settlements such as pre-owned assets, inherited assets, jointly owned assets, the length of the marriage, the age of the parties, ability to earn, living expenses and role in the marriage (e.g. who is the breadwinner). Your solicitor will guide you through the process including when is the right time to settle your finances – doing so too early or too late could mean losing out.

Q: My wife and I are divorcing. Will my pension be affected?

Helen: After your home, your pension is quite likely your biggest asset so it’s important to understand what your options are. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland a court will take into consideration any pensions - including state, workplace schemes and personal pension plans – held by both you and your spouse when you split up. To achieve a fair division you first need to obtain an up to date valuation from your pension provider(s).

There are then three ways that pensions can be shared. The first is ‘pension offsetting’ whereby all of your joint assets are taken into account and your pension benefits are offset against other assets – such as your house. So one of you may keep their pension benefits and the other given other assets, such as your home. Alternatively you can choose ‘pension sharing’ meaning that your pension is split by means of a Pension Sharing Order. The order defines the percentage to be given to your wife which is calculated on the pension’s transfer value the day before the order comes into effect.

Your spouse’s pension is called a ‘pension credit’ and can be transferred to another scheme or she can join your pension scheme. Lastly, there is ‘pension earmarking’ (also called ‘pension attachment’) where part of your pension or a lump sum or both will be paid to your wife when you start to receive your pension. There are some drawbacks with earmarking such as the cessation of payments if you die first, meaning that your wife would have no further income. Your solicitor will be able to advise you on the best option for your circumstances.

For advice on family and other legal matters contact Bradin Trubshaw & Kirwan LLP on 01543 421840 for a consultation or email hcb@btpsolicitors.co.uk

Page 35

Forbes Recruitment

For recruitment and placement of permanent and temporary staff in Staffordshire.

01543 439475

enquiries@forbesrecruitment.com New Minster House, Lichfield WS13 6PR.

Page 36 www.lichfieldgazette.co.uk

Professional and Personable

Since opening in May 2013, FORBES Recruitment has become an established recruitment business within the Lichfield area. The decision to open an office that is easily accessible to all in New Minster House, Bird Street has meant that anyone seeking work or looking to recruit staff will easily find the office.

Having worked together for an international recruitment agency for the last ten years the highly experienced team of David and Susie Forbes and Unus Willinger founded FORBES Recruitment. They identified clear gaps in the market that required a different approach to recruitment.

Whilst being specialists in the provision of Social Care support, British Sign Language and face to face language professionals FORBES Recruitment has established itself as a leader in its field. Administration, secretarial, driving, warehouse operatives and a vast array of disciplines are now catered for. FORBES believes that building strong relationships with customers is important and where they have particular staffing requirements FORBES are in a position to assist and work with them to ensure they have the best candidates for any staffing requirements they may have.

Due to its reputation as a highly professional agency FORBES Recruitment has recently been awarded the sole contract to provide British Sign Language Interpreters for the Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Trust and will support them with face to face language support.

FORBES Recruitment is not a faceless company and prides itself on being accessible to all at all times. At FORBES Recruitment all sectors of recruitment are catered for with a focus on recruiting local people from the local area. Those looking to gain employment with a variety of skills are being asked to register by either visiting the office or at www.forbesrecruitment.com

Page 37

Elite Celebrates 15 Years!

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ecently the Elite Academy of Performing Arts celebrated their 15th anniversary with a show that took place on the 18th and 19th of January.

Since the school was founded in 1999 it has gone from strength to strength, and now works with 300 pupils. They also run a Branch school at Fradley as well as a Vocational course for professional dancers age 16 plus where students gain BTEC Dance and A level and GCSE qualifications.

The college is also now home to the Elite Teacher Training Academy which caters to the next generation of dance teachers through Distance Learning courses, in addition to weekly classes for qualified teachers who are working towards gaining Fellowship Level.

Donna Rennals is Principal of the Elite Academy, and since 2012 is also an examiner for the International Dance Teachers Association, a very prestigious organisation. Donna described the appointment to examiner as: “A great honour.”

She added: “We have had such success within the British Championships with two finalists Tabitha OSullivan and Kiara Wheeler and four semi finalists including Talia Butler and Bethany Lakin, out of hundreds of competitors. Also Kiara Wheeler has won the West Midlands Junior Ballet Championship and will now compete at Blackpool Winter Gardens for the title of International Junior Ballet Champion.

“Elite has also been recognised for outstanding exam results in grades and majors with students gaining 94% for exams and being nominated for

Page 38 www.lichfieldgazette.co.uk

IDTA Scholarship auditions where the top 300 students from around the UK compete for money to help with further training. To be nominated is a huge accomplishment on its own and this year we have seven nominees.

“I am so excited to have return old students who have been working professionally and who are now teaching for me. Elite is like one big happy family where the door is always open to past students.

Three of our ex students are starting a new company called 3T (Triple Threat). There will be auditions at the end of January, where students aged 4-18 will be able to join the company and learn new skills such as stage combat, Glee style singing ensembles, commercial dance and making short films as well as at the end of each term the opportunity to share a performance!

“Lichfield has been a great platform for Elite with so many opportunities for our students to perform within the city. As part of a student’s training every child should have the opportunity to share their talents within their community. We are the official Boswell Bear ‘Bosettes’ for Bower Day and other events. The students are also regularly asked to perform at the Garrick in other touring shows such as ‘An Evening with the Stars of Strictly’, pantomimes etc. Students also perform at local school fetes and nursing homes as well as festivals and launches.”

More information is available at www.eliteacademy.co.uk The Elite Academy of Performing Arts can be found at 4 Sandford St, Lichfield, Staffordshire WS13 6QA Tel: 01543 411467

Elite Celebrates 15 Years!

ELITE ACADEMY ON SHOW!

The photos on this page are from the performance by Elite Academy of Performing Arts at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Cannock, last weekend celebrating Elite’s 15 years. There were four shows with two casts of 150 children in each cast. The ‘Sold Out’ signs were out, in fact there were full audiences in all four shows, given by Elite pupils and teachers.

1000 costumes were used in the show that included a ballet adaptation of the Wizard of Oz, famous Musical Theatre numbers and a James Bond section. Some of the profits from the shows go to their Scholarship Funds for Elite graduates to help with specialist wear including shoes, when students go to colleges in London for example.

AUDITIONS ARE BEING HELD BY THE TRIPLE THREAT COMPANY ON 31st JANUARY - email us for further details studio@eliteacademy.co.uk or call 07976 971178 Images by Viv Bailey at Arc Studios

The Wedding Dance Teacher

Wedding Day Dance Packages choreographed especially for Bride and Groom, Bridesmaids or Ushers

As one of her very first pupils in 1999 its lovely to be able to send Donna my congratulations on Elite's 15 year anniversary Beckie Emberton ‘The Wedding Dance Teacher’ 7 Market Street, Lichfield WS13 6JX 07834 973738

Congratulations elite academy on your 15 year anniversary from Sue ,Paul and all at

Hammond Productions

LEADING PROVIDER OF THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS

E; info@hammondfeelthemagic.com 02089383279

Page 39

GazetteFeature

Masters and Matrons of the Lichfield Workhouse

O

By Kate Gomez

n 14th May 1840, the new Lichfield Union Workhouse on the Trent Valley Road opened its doors. Built to plans designed

by Scott and Moffatt, there was room to accommodate two hundred people who had fallen on such hard times that they were willing to submit to the Workhouse’s harsh and sometimes brutal regimes in return for the basic shelter and food it offered. Responsibility for the residents of the Workhouse lay with the Master and Matron, who lived onsite in a three storey house flanked by two accommodation wings, men on one side and women on the other.

One of the longest serving Masters at Lichfield was Abraham Winkley who ran the Workhouse with his wife Mary for twenty three years until her death in October 1883. After Mary died, Abraham stayed on as Master with his niece, Ann Herbert, in the role of Matron. Despite opposition from the Local Government Board, who weren’t convinced that an unmarried couple could perform the duties as well as a husband and wife, the Board of Guardians were confident that Miss Herbert was fully competent to carry out the duties of Matron and were also keen to retain Mr Winkley, describing him as, ‘an old and faithful servant whom we should be sorry to lose’. However, lose him they soon did. Greatly affected by Mary’s death, Abraham Winkley passed away just five months after his wife, at the age of fifty one.

The Guardians of Lichfield Union Workhouse received over sixty applications in respect of the vacant posts of Master and Matron. Eventually, in April 1884, they decided to appoint William Williams and his wife Caroline on salaries of £50 and £20 respectively. William was twenty eight years old and had been employed as the Assistant Master at the Dudley Union Workhouse since October 1877. Caroline was twenty nine and working as Assistant Matron in Thingoe, Sussex.

Prior to this, Caroline was employed as a cook at the Workhouse in Dudley and this is presumably where she met William. The couple came with glowing references. He was ‘steady, honest, sober and industrious’, she was, ‘sober, trustworthy and conscientious, kind and attentive to the poor’.

Like the Winkleys, the Williams’ ran the Workhouse together for many years, and also raised a family there. However, in her early forties,

Entrance to the former Workhouse on Trent Valley Road

Caroline began to suffer from an illness, eventually succumbing on December 16th 1901 at the age of forty seven. On a bitterly cold afternoon she was laid to rest in St Michael’s Churchyard, at a service attended by her family and friends. Also present at the graveside were, ‘numbers of those unfortunate individuals who have been unable, by the sweat of their brow to earn even a miserable competence to keep body and soul together, but have been forced to swell the paupers’ ranks’.

Their wreath read, ‘In loving Memory of our dear Matron’ but whether this represented genuine affection or was merely the done thing, we will perhaps never know.

After Caroline’s death, William continued as Master of the Workhouse. Assistant Matron Clara Jennings was appointed to the role of Matron in January 1902, with the Board hoping she would be as ‘kind hearted and obliging to the poor’, as her predecessor had been. Two years later Clara also filled the position of Mrs Williams when she married William in a low key service at St Michaels Church. Little did Clara know that the vows she made that day – for better, for worse and for richer, for poorer - would soon be put to the test.

In May 1905, an audit of the Workhouse’s accounts uncovered a series of irregularities regarding payments received for firewood sold to other institutions and houses in the area. The auditor found that for several years, the Workhouse had been supplying the Midland Truant School with bundles of firewood but since August 30th 1900, no entries had been made in the account book regarding this. On further investigation, it became apparent that where William had recorded sales to residences in the account book, he had under-declared the amounts received and pocketed the difference - on one occasion in March 1905, the butler at Hanch Hall paid 30s for wood, but only 18s was entered in the accounts. Once the Board of Guardians had discovered the extent of William’s deception, dismissal from his post was inevitable. However, the Guardians also had to decide whether the loss of job, salary, accommodation, pension entitlement and reputation was punishment enough, or whether the disgraced Master should also face prosecution. After much discussion, it was decided that in the interest of the taxpayers, a trial should take place. On Thursday 15th June

1905, William appeared before Magistrates charged with embezzling the monies of the Lichfield Poor Law Union and making false entries into certain books with the intent to defraud.

Pleading guilty, William told the Bench that he had first started to take small amounts of money to meet some of the expenses arising from the illness of his first wife. After that, whenever he had needed money, he had found it easy to help himself to the firewood money. Whilst William acknowledged that he had done wrong, he believed there was no cowardice on his part, having admitted his offences like a man and repaying the amounts he had taken.

Whilst the embezzlement charge could be dealt with by the Magistrates, the charge of falsifying books was apparently more serious and would have to be dealt with at a higher court. His representative, Mr Jackson of Walsall, appealed to the mercy of the prosecution describing how his client had ‘lost everything in life dear to him’ and spoke of ‘the suffering and hardship which must inevitable fall on his family’ as a result. The Magistrates did show mercy and the case for falsifying accounts was withdrawn. In respect of the embezzlement charge, William was ordered to pay £49 12s in fines and costs.

The fine was paid by his widowed mother, Susannah Williams, who also took the family into her home on Pensnett High Street near Dudley.

According to the 1911 census, William, now in his fifties found work as a colliery engine driver, as did his son Donald. Younger son Max was employed as a colour washer for a fancy glass making firm (and would later serve as an airman in the First World War). William’s fall from grace had been cushioned by his mother, and you can’t help but wonder if without her help, William and his family would have found themselves knocking on the door of the Workhouse that they once used to run.

Sources: Lichfield Mercury and Tamworth Herald Archives This Won’t Hurt – A History of the Hospitals of Lichfield, Mary Hutchinson, Ingrid Croot and Anna Sadowski

I

A great day at the races

t’s 45 years since the first running of the Betfred Midlands Grand National and it still stands as the Midlands’ Biggest Raceday. The Class 1 Race is not only the jewel in the crown of jump racing within the region, but also one of the toughest challenges of the National Hunt season. At 4 miles, 1 ½ furlongs long, the Betfred Midlands Grand National is the second longest race in the country; it comes as no surprise that it attracts some of the best chasers in the country. David Pipe is a trainer familiar with the race as he has taken the title of ‘Winning Trainer’ for the past three years… can he make it a fourth?

David MacDonald, Executive Director, is looking forward to the Racecourse biggest raceday yet; “Preparations are well on the way, and this year is looking to be the biggest one yet. Advance ticket sales are flying out and we’re almost full on hospitality. There will be entertainment throughout the day with live music plus plenty more – it really is a fun day out for all the family.”

Taking place the Saturday after the Cheltenham Festival, the Betfred Midlands Grand National rounds off a fantastic week for the racing industry. Tickets start from just £14 for Centre Course, £25

Grandstand & Paddock and £32 for Premier. Under 18s go free, book online in advance and save £3.

For more information, please visit www.uttoxeterracecourse.co.uk or call 01889 562561.

Win two Premier tickets to this great event

To celebrate the Midland’s Biggest Raceday we’re giving away a pair of Premier tickets!

Q: Which Racehorse Trainer has held the title of ‘Winning Trainer’ for the past three years?

The jockeys prepare for the 2013 running of the race

Please send your answer to paul@lichfieldgazette.co.uk headed MIDLANDS GRAND NATIONAL or by post MIDLANDS GRAND NATIONAL, Lichfield Gazette, PO Box 5414, Lichfield, WS14 4EZ Closing date 17th February.

Page 41

A Lichfield eccentric who gave his name to an Irish town

GazetteFeature

I

By Patrick Comerford

am equally at home in Lichfield and in Ireland, and so I have often been fascinated by some of the Irish names I find on houses and streets in Lichfield, including Donegal House in Bore Street, and Ardmore Cottage and Ardmore House, which have been Grade II Listed Buildings with Nether Beacon House since 1973.

Donegal House takes its name from the Chichester family, who held large estates near Lichfield but who were a politically powerful family in Ireland, where they had the titles of Marquis of Donegall and Earl of Belfast.

However, I have never discovered how the pretty seaside village of Ardmore in C o u n t y Waterford – the inspiration for many novels by Norah Roberts – gave its name to two timberframed houses dating from the Richard Lovell Edgeworth (1744-1817) late 17th or early ... the most famous resident of Stowe 18th century.

House, Lichfield But naming and exchanging names works both ways. The Chichester family of Fisherwick Hall, who had a vault in Saint Michael’s Church, Lichfield, gave their name to squares, streets and side streets in Belfast, including Chichester Street and Fisherwick Place.

So, why should I wonder that a family with strong Lichfield associations has given its name to Edgeworth House on Oakenfield in Lichfield and to a small market town in the Irish Midlands?

Stowe House, overlooking Stowe Pool in Lichfield, is a Grade II listed building that was built in the 1750s

by Elizabeth Aston. At first, Stowe House was home to the Revd Thomas Hinton of Saint Chad’s, who died in 1757.

However, the most famous resident of Stowe House must be Richard Lovell Edgeworth (1744-

Page 42 www.lichfieldgazette.co.uk

Stowe House ... home in the 1770s to Richard Edgeworth, who 1817). Although he never owned Stowe also gave his name to a town in Ireland House, Edgeworth came to live there in (Photograph: Patrick Comerford) 1770 with his large, growing family, and his Sneyd, and fell in love with her although he was a friend Thomas Day, and he stayed on in Lichfield for married man with children. many years.

Edgeworth was a failure as a student at both Trinity College Dublin and Oxford. He was still an undergraduate at Oxford, when he eloped with Anna Maria Elers, and the two were married in Gretna Green in 1763, and a church wedding took place on 21 February 1764. Their first child followed immediately, a son named Dick, who was born on 29 May just before Richard’s twentieth birthday.

Richard first visited Lichfield in 1776 at invitation of Erasmus Darwin, who introduced him to the intellectual and cultural circles centred in the Close.

In Darwin’s house, he saw the doctor revive his drunken brother, found “nearly suffocated in a ditch”.

At dinner with the Seward family in the Bishop’s Palace, he flirted briefly with the poet and biographer of Erasmus Darwin, Anna Seward (1747-1809), the “Swan of Lichfield” – until Darwin’s wife Polly revealed that Edgeworth was married.

Richard’s wife, Anna Maria Edgeworth, who was the mother of four small children, was only 29 when she died in March 1773. On her deathbed, she was attended by Dr Darwin, who tried in vain to save her.

Within weeks, Richard married Honora in the Lady Chapel in Lichfield Cathedral, with Anna’s father, Canon Thomas Seward, officiating at the wedding on 17 July.

Honora, who had earlier rejected Thomas Day’s proposal, had lived with the Sewards in the Close from the age of nine. Richard took her back to live on the large estate he had inherited from his father in Ireland, and there they had two more children.

By 1779, Honora was dying from tuberculosis, but still Richard visited Lichfield alone in 1779, calling on Anna Seward in the Close. Honora died on 30 April

Richard later reminisced: “How much of my future life has depended on this visit to Lichfield”. He returned regularly to Lichfield, and came to live in Stowe House in 1770. He was a tall, dark and handsome Irishman who made friends easily, and

The Edgeworth family’s coat of arms on the Market House in Edgeworthstown (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

The two-storey Market House at the south end of Edgeworthstown, designed by James Bell, bears the Edgeworth family arms (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

befriended other members of the Lunar Society. He channelled his energies into several inventive projects, and was a pioneer in a number of fields, including telegraph communications, agricultural machinery, and transport. He also flirted with Anna Seward’s attractive young ward and cousin, Honora

1780 in Beighterton, near Shifnal, 30 miles west of Lichfield – once again attended by Darwin. Anna blamed Richard’s neglect for her ill-health and her death. By then, Anna was causing scandal though her relationship with John Saville, a married man and a Vicar Choral of Lichfield Cathedral, for whom she bought No 6 The Close.

Oddly, Honora had suggested that Richard should marry her sister Elizabeth. This they did eight months later, on Christmas Day 1780, in Saint Andrew’s Church, Holborn – where no-one knew them and noone could oppose the banns. Elizabeth too had earlier rejected a proposal from Thomas Day.

GazetteFeature

The former Bishop’s Palace … home to Anna Seward and her cousins, Honora and Elizabeth Sneyd (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Richard and Elizabeth – who had six more children between 1781 and 1794 – moved to Ireland in 1782.

Elizabeth died there in 1797, and Richard – never the man to be a heart-broken widower – married for the fourth time a few months later on 31 May 1798, this time marrying Frances Ann Beaufort, the daughter of an Irish archdeacon. But he kept in touch with his friends in the Lunar Society, and when Darwin died in 1802 he wrote his obituary in the Monthly Magazine.

When John Saville died in 1803, Anna erected a monument to his memory in the cathedral. But she never forgave Richard, and she carried that grudge until she died in 1809.

Darwin House … Richard Edgeworth was first invited to Lichfield by Erasmus Darwin in 1766 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Richard died on 13 June 1817, and was buried in the family vault in Edgeworthstown churchyard. He had fathered 22 children in all. His kinsman, the Abbé Edgeworth, attended Louis XVI on the scaffold during the French revolution and later escaped to Russia.

Richard’s widow Frances outlived him by many years, and died in 1865.

Richard’s daughter Maria, who shared his interest in education, was the daughter of his first wife, Anna Maria. Today she is best remembered for her novel Castle Rackrent, but in her day she was recognised as a talented author, respected and admired by writers such as Sir Walter Scott, who wrote her epitaph in the cathedral, and Jane Austen.

Richard Lovell and his third wife, Elizabeth Sneyd, with some of his many children (Adam Buck, 1787)

Edgeworthstown, a small market town in the Irish Midlands, recalls the most famous resident of Stowe House. The town, in east Co Longford, developed on Richard’s large Irish estate. When he was an MP in the Irish Parliament (1798-1800) it was known as St Johnstown, and the Anglican parish church he built there is still known as Saint John’s. In the 19th century, the place became Edgeworthstown.

In a fit of nationalist pique in 1935, Longford County Council changed the town’s name to Mostrim. But local residents refused to cast aside the memory of Richard and his family. The new name was seldom used, and in 1974, a government order restored the name of Edgeworthstown.

Rev Canon Professor Patrick Comerford lives in Dublin, and returns regularly to Lichfield where he has family roots.

Ardmore Cottage, Beacon Street … how did it acquire the name of an Irish seaside village?

(Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Edgeworthstown House … the former Edgeworth family mansion is now a nursing home and has lost much of its character

Donegal House … named after a family that also gives its names to squares, streets and side-streets in Belfast (Photograph: Patrick Comerford) Further Reading

Teresa Barnard, Anna Seward: A Constructed Life: A Critical Biography (Ashgate, 2013).

Howard Clayton, Cathedral city: a look at Victorian Lichfield (Lichfield, ca 1977).

Howard Clayton, Coaching City: A glimpse of Georgian Lichfield

(Lichfield: Abbotsford, 2009, 4th ed).

Maria Edgeworth, Castle Rackrent (1800), (Oxford, 1995).

MW Greenslade (ed), The Victoria History of the County of Stafford (Oxford, 1990), Vol 14, Lichfield.

Wendy Moore, How to Create the Perfect Wife (Hachette, 2013).

Marion Roberts, ‘Close Encounters: Anna Seward, 1742-1809, a woman in provincial cultural life’ (unpublished MLitt thesis, University of Birmingham (December 2010).

Jenny Uglow, The Lunar Men (London: Faber and Faber, 2002).

Philip K Wilson, Collecting the Instruments of Life Around Me: Anna Seward’s Creation of a Life in her Memoirs of Dr Erasmus Darwin (1804) (Lichfield, 2007).

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Page 44 www.lichfieldgazette.co.uk

S

New Sixth Form Centre opened amid deluge.

tudents, staff, Governors and guests braved torrential rain and high winds in November to take part in the official opening of Lichfield Cathedral School’s new Sixth Form Centre, located in the Cathedral Close.

Although the Centre has been in use since the start of term, the official opening offered the opportunity to thank everyone who had been instrumental in its creation.

This included the Dean of Lichfield Cathedral and the Cathedral Chapter for providing the premises, and the City, District and County Councils who enabled its repurposing, to the school facilities team who undertook the conversion, and the academic staff who have designed the space and the curriculum to provide the highest quality education for the school’s most senior students.

The Very Revd Adrian Dorber, Dean of Lichfield Cathedral and Chair of Governors noted: “Our partners in local government have provided tremendous support for the Head Boy Daniel Payne and Head Girl Orla Bradshaw hold the ribbon for The Very Revd Adrian school’s expansion and it is wonderful to see a Listed building that has been part of Dorber, Chair of Governors, to officially open the new Lichfield Cathedral School Sixth Form Centre the Cathedral’s estate for a long time being used for the education of young people.”

Lichfield Factory Specs now ten years old

When Nicola Crutchley opened Lichfield Factory Specs little did she know we were going to experience one of the worst financial recessions this country has ever known. The reasoning behind the business was to provide the people of Lichfield with good quality spectacles, at far below the price customers were paying on the High Street.

Over ten years Lichfield Factory Specs has increased its base of customers and built a reputation for supplying good traditional and contemporary frames with prescription lenses, and at considerably less than they were paying elsewhere. Customers take their regular prescription, (which you receive from any registered ophthalmic optician anywhere in the country) to Lichfield Factory Specs and they do the rest.

The service is friendly and professional and there is a boutique-feel about the shop where you can choose from all leading designer names like Dior, Prada, Versace, Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana and many more. There is as much as 70% savings on some products. You can buy a pair of glasses from only £29.99 with single vision lenses from only £9.99, and NHS vouchers are acceptable. Why not call in and see Nicola and start saving today!

Here are a few Testimonials from our customers Mr Yates of Hanch Going to Lichfield Factory Specs has saved me a fortune over the last 8 or 9 years. I think I started shopping there about 18 months after they first opened and I’ve had reading glasses, intermediate

glasses, even sunglasses from them. I’d recommend them to anyone. Nicola is great, I’ve never had a problem, she just makes any adjustments and it’s job done.

Mrs Myatt of Walsall Happy Anniversary to Lichfield Factory Specs.

Nicola really looked after me. Recently I had some glasses but couldn’t get on with the frames so Nicola changed them for me and didn’t charge me for them.

I’ve been going for a long time and I’m very happy with the service.

Mr Tilt of Sutton Coldfield Congratulations to Nicola! My wife and I both go to Lichfield Factory Specs

and we are a l w a y s impressed by the quality of the service. It’s great to see how Nicola has built such an excellent business. Lichfield Factory Specs provide old fashioned service and value for money.

email: lichfieldfactoryspecs@hotmail.co.uk

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GazetteCompetition

Win

s e n i t n y e a l a D

a Spectacular Bouquet for your loved one this

W

V

Delight your Valentine with Flower Design by Kate

hen you step into Flower Design by Kate the first things that you notice are colour and fragrance. The interior of the shop is richly decorated with gilt mirrors nestling amongst pots of fresh flowers, adding a real feel of luxury to this gem of a shop.

Flower Design by Kate has been in its current location at 5 Bolt Court since June last year, but the business has been established for over 12 years. Flower Design by Kate is run by Kate Miller and Lilly Semple, who describe themselves as “Lichfield born and bred”. While we talked, customers were happily browsing around the displays, and the business has made itself an indispensible part of the City.

Kate and Lilly are highly experienced florists who can create everything from hand-tied vintage and traditional bouquets to quirky, contemporary displays. They have a great eye for shape and colour and are experts in wedding floral design, working on weddings as far afield as London and Manchester.

Kate commented that: “We’ve seen a resurgence in demand for silk wedding flowers over the last few years as the quality of artificial flowers is now quite remarkable. We are always delighted to talk through any bride or groom’s wedding flower ideas, and we offer a no fee and no obligation consultation.”

Kate and Lilly try wherever possible to use English blooms and fair trade suppliers, and the shop is filled with gorgeous examples of traditional cottage garden flowers and more exotic blooms.

Kate continued: “If you’re looking for the perfect Valentine’s Day bouquet, you can’t go wrong with roses, but if you fancy trying something different this year why not pick a hand-tied bouquet

Page 46 www.lichfieldgazette.co.uk

of red tulips? Scented bouquets add another level to any design, and narcissus, hyacinth and freesia are all perfect for Spring. If you’re looking for something contemporary a design of ‘Birds of Paradise’ (Strelitzia) and Protea is a great choice. Add in wine, chocolates and maybe a cuddly bear and any Valentine is sure to be swept off their feet.”

Flower Design by Kate also specialise in Funeral flowers and Corporate floral design. They can be found at 5 Bolt Court, Market Street, Lichfield. Tel: 01543 255311 Further information can be found at www.flowerdesignbykate.co.uk WIN WIN WIN Flower Design by Kate are offering one lucky reader the chance to give to their Valentine (or keep for themselves!) a hand-tied bouquet of 12 red roses mixed with stunning foliage alongside a box of chocolates and bottle of wine, to be delivered to any address in Lichfield or surrounding area on Valentine’s Day. To be in with a chance of winning just answer the following question.

Q. What is an alternative name for the flower ‘Bird of Paradise’?

A. Allium B. Strelitzia C. Bellis perrenis Send your name, answer and contact details to Gazette Valentine’s Bouquet Competition, PO Box 5414, Lichfield WS14 4EZ or email gazetteeditorial@hotmail.co.uk by the competition closing date of Wednesday 12th February 2014. One entry per household, duplicates will be disqualified. Good luck!

GazetteFeature

Local Businessman and High Sherrif in Nomination publishes debut novel.

J

By Joss Musgrove Knibb

ohnny Leavesley is the author of the well received novel ‘Fragile Boundaries’,published by Belgravia Press and released in hardback and eBook in December 2013.

The story, set in Jordan, follows a young Muslim woman from a family that is a true business dynasty. She is a modern and highly literate individual who is very involved in the running of the business, but takes a break to study in England. Whilst a student at Oxford, she meets and falls for a British man which brings into play the conflict between tradition and love.

In this debut novel Johnny draws from his own experiences to expose the clash of cultures that takes place when East meets West. Through a narrative about two young adults falling in love, the book explores the ways in which social status in the Arab world determines women’s choices and opportunities. Issues such as addiction, sin, the cultural role of religion, misogyny, arranged marriages and honour killings are brought to the reader’s imagination through elegant, precise prose. The reader is drawn into an elite’s world, compellingly described by crafted storytelling.

Fragile Boundaries looks at what happens when love breaks historical boundaries, against a backdrop of high finance, high flying affluence and the kind of world that very few of us are ever privy to.

Jordan is a country very close to the heart of the author: “In my job I do a lot of travelling and I’ve visited Jordan many times. I speak a little Arabic and the book looks at those boundaries that effect

Johnny Leavesley

both men and women.”

The Leavesley Group has its head office in Alrewas and is run by a team that includes Johnny (a qualified solicitor) and his brother James, but this internationally renowned conglomerate was started by their great-grandfather in 1919 with the setting up of one of Staffordshire’s first petrol filling stations in Alrewas (a business that they still own). Over the years the Group has also been involved in many areas of trade (even running a Pottery) but specialises in property, agriculture and the trading of plant and equipment worldwide.

Johnny is High Sheriff of Staffordshire in nomination for 2015, a role he is looking forward to greatly, and is also Chair of Lichfield Cathedral Fundraising Committee (see a forthcoming issue for details of the exciting plans afoot). Johnny was born in Needwood and still lives locally with his wife and five children.

Fragile Boundaries is already receiving excellent reviews, and is out in paperback in February. Johnny is now working on a second novel set in Lichfield.

The novel can be ordered at www.belgraviapress.com/fragileboundaries/ for £14.99 (hardback) or via eBook formats on Kindle, Kobo, Nook and ipad.

WIN WIN WIN

We’ve got three signed copies of Fragile Boundaries by Johnny Leavesley for Gazette readers to win in our competition. To be in with a chance, just answer the following question:

Q. Fragile Boundaries is published by:

A. Belle Epoch Press B. Belgravia Press C. Beauchamp Press

Just send your name, answer and contact details to Fragile Boundaries Competition, PO Box 5414, Lichfield, WS14 4EZ or email gazetteeditorial@hotmail.co.uk by the competition closing date of Tuesday 18th Feb 2014. One entry per household please, duplicates will be disqualified. Good Luck!

Page 47

Acorns Thanks Lichfield for 25 years of support

A

s a year of special celebrations draws to an end, Acorns Children’s Hospice is reflecting on being part of the Lichfield community for a quarter of a century.

In the 25 years since Princess Diana officially opened the first Acorns hospice in Selly Oak in Birmingham, 12 life limited and life threatened children and their families from across Lichfield have received care and support from the charity.

David Strudley, Chief Executive explained: “Acorns relies on voluntary donations and fundraising for the majority of the income needed to provide specialist palliative care so we simply wouldn’t have been able to help those 12 children and families without the ongoing support of the local community.

“We know from our records that in the last 25 years individuals, groups, organisations and businesses in Lichfield have helped us to the tune of over half a million pounds. At our current running costs of £750 per child per day, that’s the equivalent of over 700 days of care for local life limited children!...The ways that people find to support Acorns are endless and never cease to amaze and humble us.”

Lichfield has also supported the children’s charity through its network of stores, by either donating unwanted items or shopping for clothing, books and many other goods. The shop in Lichfield city centre has enjoyed 16 years of custom from local shoppers to help raise vital funds.

David continued: “It’s not just financial support that we want to recognise and say thank you for. Acorns depends on an army of volunteers giving up their time to help out in the hospices, shops and out and about in the community. There are currently over 30 active volunteers from Lichfield alone supporting the organisation. Without them, we simply wouldn’t be able to do so much valuable work.”

This look back comes as Acorns enters the first full calendar year of its ambitious five year growth strategy which aims to help to provide palliative care and support to the 2,000 plus estimated life-limited and life-threatened children in the region.

During its 25th anniversary year, the organisation has supported over 640 lifelimited and life-threatened children and almost 900 families, including those that are bereaved. The five year strategy aims to increase the numbers that may use their services by 50% to 960 and 1,290 respectively by 2018.

This extensive increase in provision will mean an overall increase in annual care costs of around £4.2m by the end of the five year plan period. This will require an increase in overall income of almost 50% by 2018 to meet costs.

David Strudley added: “On behalf of everyone at Acorns, I extend a big thank you to the Lichfield community and appeal to supporters past, present and future to make Acorns a part of their plans for 2014 in whatever way they can.”

For further information about Acorns Children’s Hospice visit www.acorns.org.uk, email info@acorns.org.uk or call 01564 825000

www.childlife.org.uk Page 48 www.lichfieldgazette.co.uk

GazetteWoman

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GazetteWoman

Fashion Fit for Purpose

So, like millions of men and women all over the UK you’ve decided that 2014 is the year that you’ll improve your fitness!

By Joss Musgrove Knibb

Jack Wills Ledbrook gym bag £39 Be you planning to take a few more walks, or employing a personal trainer to hone you to perfection, you’ll need to invest in some decent gym or fitness clothing. If you’re heading for the gym for the first time, or after a long break, please don’t drag out those old jogging pants from the back of the cupboard. They’ll probably have faded, the material will have ‘gone’ in a couple of spots, and paired with a comfy t-shirt they’ll leave you feeling awful. It’s odd but looking reasonably good in a new gym outfit has the effect of encouraging you the put the effort in to look even better.

Next racer-back t-shirt £12 - £14

Nike Pro Core Capri pant £25 (Available from JD Sports).

Nike Element half zip top £45 (Available from JD Sports)

Next cuffed joggers £18

Nike Dri-Fit t-shirt £45 (Available from JD Sports).

Shock Absorber ultimate gym bra £35 (Available from ASOS).

Fitness clothing can be as high tech or as basic as you wish.

Here’s our choice of some great pieces that you might even be tempted to wear out of the gym!

Stockists next.co.uk lululemon.co.uk asos.co.uk jdsports.co.uk

Page 50 www.lichfieldgazette.co.uk

Lulu Lemon skinny groove pant £88

Next zip through sweater £20

Repair, Hydrate and Shine!

Here, we share with you specialist hair care tips from the expert team at the Francesco Group salon in Lichfield.

The winter months can take their toll on our hair and in the colder months an effective hair care routine is definitely a must. The combination of harsh weather and excessive styling from the party season often means hair can end up dry and dull.

If your hair needs a little TLC then the SP Repair range is fantastic at intensively restoring over-worked locks. The nourishing ingredients work together to repair and protect your hair to give it an even, healthy and smooth finish, which tames that fly-away frizz that is so often a result of damaged hair and makes it easier to manage.

Our salon on Gresley Row is bright, modern and spacious, with a friendly atmosphere, providing the perfect backdrop to your pampering service. We offer in-depth consultations, complementary refreshments, indulgent head massages, personalised recommendations for products and specialist tips about styling at home, at every appointment. So you will leave the salon not only looking great, but feeling great too!

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GazetteWoman

Skincare that’s Good Enough to Eat

1. Vitamin E

By Joss Musgrove Knibb

The Body Shop has been trading now for 37 years, and their brand of cruelty-free, ethically-traded products have led the way for other Fair Trade brands. I must admit however that in the last few years I had stopped using their products regularly.

This all changed recently when out-of-the-blue I became allergic to a very well know brand of shampoo and conditioner.

Once I’d had that initial reaction, it didn’t seem to matter what product I used (including baby shampoo) – I was allergic to everything I tried. After a little bit of online research I learned that what I was reacting to was the sulphates that many shampoos contain. Body Shop products do not contain these sulphates, I switched brands and have never looked back.

This has led me to ditch many of the expensive creams and moisturisers I previously used in favour of Body Shop versions. For me, their products work brilliantly.

The Body Shop have a plethora of great skincare products available both in-store and online. Below, you’ll find a few of their most popular ranges that include moisturisers, cleansers, toners, facial washes, eye creams, serums and oils, face mists, cleansing bars, skin brighteners and illuminators, lip creams, masks, hand creams and much more.

1. Vitamin E Loved since 1977, the Vitamin E skincare range has stood the test of time. If you’re concerned about the damaging effects of the environment on your skin, the Vitamin E range can help to protect against pollution, cigarette smoke and UVA/UVB rays.

Popular Vitamin E cream and Vitamin E oil are suitable for all skin types and help to protect the skin from premature ageing.

2. Tea Tree Prone to blemishes, blackheads and oily skin? Tea Tree is nature’s alternative to harsh ingredients. Products are made with Community Fair Trade organic Tea Tree oil, clinically proven to give clearer skin from one week. The range also uses Tamanu oil extract which is reputed to help generate new tissue and improve the healing process for skin.

3. Nutriganics™ Skin Care Nutriganics™ was developed for women typically aged 30-40 years to help improve the appearance of the skin and smooth the first signs of ageing. The benefits of the Nutriganics™ organic skincare range will appeal to those who are looking for alternative anti-ageing products. Combining Community Trade Babassu oil with 14 other organic ingredients, Nnutriganics™ is the first certified organic skincare range for addressing the first signs of ageing.

4. Vitamin C This range will help revive dull looking skin by adding Vitamin C for skin to your routine. The ultimate antidote to tired skin, this refreshing range features Vitamin C moisturiser, a brightening microdermabrasion scrub and ground-breaking products like the Vitamin C radiance capsules and facial radiance powder mix.

5. Aloe This range of fragrance-free and alcohol-free Aloe Vera products is clinically proven to be suitable for sensitive skin and help to soothe signs of irritation. Aloe Vera is a natural skin soother and perfect for allergy-prone, itchy or red skin. The Aloe Vera used in products is sourced from Community Fair Trade partners and contains no added preservatives.

6. Seaweed Designed for combination skin, Seaweed skincare helps to restore balance and control excess oil to help give you a shine-free, matte finish. The oil and soap-free Seaweed cleansing facial wash is great for removing impurities, or try the mattifying moisture lotion SPF15 to protect from the sun.

You can also get to work on any problem areas with the facial Page 52 www.lichfieldgazette.co.uk

exfoliator and pore perfector.

7. Pomegranate The Body Shop’s Pomegranate products are especially formulated to address the signs of ageing. The washes, toners, lotions and serums help the skin to feel firmer and soften the appearance of lines and wrinkles. Use the refreshing eye rollon for the delicate eye area, or the Pomegranate cream for a temporary lifting effect to help the skin appear plumper and hydrated. More information on all of the ranges is available at www.thebodyshop.co.uk

7. Pomegranate

WIN WIN WIN

The Lichfield Gazette has got together with the Body Shop to offer our readers the chance to win this fabulous gift set. It includes: Vitamin E Cream Cleanser (200ml), Vitamin E Hydrating Toner (200ml) and Vitamin E Moisture Cream (50ml).

To be in with a chance of winning just answer the following question.

The Body Shop was created by pioneering business-woman Anita...

A. Roddick B. Rogers C. Redwood To enter, send us your answer, name and contact details to Gazette Body Shop Competition, PO Box 5414, Lichfield, WS14 4EZ or email the Deputy Editor, Joss Musgrove Knibb at gazetteeditorial@hotmail.co.uk by the competition closing date of 14th Feb 2014. One entry per household please, duplicates will be disqualified.

Good luck!

6. Seaweed

5. Aloe

4. Vitamin C

2. Tea Tree

3. Nutriganics™ Skin Care

GazetteWoman

Nurse-Led, Pain Free Laser Hair Removal - Hair Free for your holidays!

New The Year saw the launch of the state-of-theart clinic, Xodos Aesthetics Ltd, in Curborough, offering market leading Laser Hair removal. With many years of nursing experience with the Royal Navy, the owner, Sally Wagstaff is very excited to be starting this business: “It’s a fantastic service to be able to offer in this area – there really is nothing like it nearby! I’m so excited to see clients, because I just know what a huge difference it is going to make to them!”

Pain Free This revolutionary machine, the Soprano IceTM, offers safe, pain free hair removal, which permanently removes hair at the root. Imagine no more waxing, plucking, electrolysis or painful IPL laser treatments, just cool, comfortable procedures with no after effects, except long-term smooth skin.* Hair Free for your holiday!

Book now with Xodos, and much of the treatment will be finished by the summer – meaning no hair to worry about on the beach! Most people need just 6-8

treatments for best results, depending on hair and skin type. Just think – no hair, no shaving rash, no ingrowing hair!

Why Xodos?

After having Soprano laser hair removal treatment and having previously experienced painful IPL treatment, Sally quickly realised that this was far superior to any other treatment available. The results have been amazing: ‘“Without a doubt it was the best money I have ever spent on myself – the results were life changing!”

This realisation led to the opening of Xodos.

Treatments Unlike many other methods of hair removal, hair anywhere on the body can be rapidly removed using this system, including sensitive and difficult to reach areas such as nostrils and ears. Also, Soprano offers Unique Facial Tip a far wider range of skin and hair colours that can be treated, from black skin, to reasonably fair hair** and even tanned skin. Men and women will both benefit from this treatment, as it can treat everything from legs to faces, backs and chests,

from arms to ‘Brazilians’ – and even the ‘Hollywood’!

Just ask for a quote for the area that you want treated.

Call now for a FREE PATCH TEST While most other clinics charge for a patch test, Xodos offer free patch tests and consultations for anyone who would like to experience the treatment, and find out more. Call 01543 415942 or 07979 594912 to book yours today! Prices start at £25, and depend on area treated, just ask! *Hair reduction results may differ between individuals. **Very blond and grey/white hair will not respond due to lack of pigment.

Page 53

Just Gorgeous

By Joss Musgrove Knibb

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Stuck for Valentine’s gift ideas? There are so many fabulous retailers in the city, you’re bound to find something your loved one will adore. Need a little inspiration? I took a short stroll with my camera recently and came up with this selection of loveliness....

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1. CC Dress in Midnight £99.99 from CC Viyella 2. Silver cufflinks by Lyn Cooke £50 from Emporium 3. Kiln glass cufflinks by Kim Bramley £14 from Emporium 4. Silver shell and pearl jewellery by Kerrie Chamberlain (selection of prices) from Emporium 5. Fake Fur Stole £21 from Moda of Lichfield 6. Kate HH Studio Flower Fairy jewellery (selection of prices) from Moda of Lichfield 7. Gentlemans silk scarves by Lloyd Attree & Smith and Tootle £39.95 from Michael’s Menswear 8. Trollbeads silver bangle with single bead and 2 stoppers £125, Trollbeads daisy ring £207 individual beads from £23 – from City Jewellers 9. Traverse lightweight Gilet in navy £58 and Grizedale knit in navy £42 from Fat Face 10. World of Chocolate tasting box £47.95 from The Tudor of Lichfield 11. Chanel No.5 (Selection of prices) from Boots

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Stockists Boots, 4 – 8 Tamworth Street CC Viyella, 45 Bore Street City Jewellers, 39 Market Street Emporium, 32 – 34 Bird Street Fat Face, 20 Conduit Street Michael’s Menswear, 12B Market Street Moda of Lichfield, 1A Market Street The Tudor of Lichfield, 32 Bore Street

What’s on

Dining Ou t

YOUR GUIDE TO WHAT’S ON THIS MONTH IN LICHFIELD Something for everyone in February and March

Well 2014 is already truly under way and my first selection of the new year spans a wide theatrical range.

For those who like their boundaries pushed just that little bit further Circus Of Horrors will be returning to the Garrick Theatre’s main house on 12th February with their newest shocker London After Dark which takes the audience through plague-ridden slums to the Great Fire of London. Expect murders mixed with bizarre circus plus the devil-driven rock of Dr. Haze and The Interceptors from Hell. Crikey!

Then there’s the classic farce Boeing Boeing in the Garrick main house from 13th Saturday 15th, plus The Moscow

What’s On February 2014

If you have a community or fund-raising event that you’d like to have included in the monthly What’s On pages, please send an email to caz@lichfieldgazette.co.uk quoting the date, event title, times, venue and brief description. For commercial events please contact a member of the sales team for advertising prices.

Sat 25 Jan Lichfield Wildlife Group Winter Bird Walk 11.00am at Croxall Lakes Wildlife Trust Reserve. A

State Circus on the 17th and 18th with a half-term matinee on the 18th at 2.30pm.

Outstanding new local amateur company Different Animal are back in The Studio from Tuesday 18th to Saturday 22nd with Yasmina Reza’s Tony award-winning God of Carnage about a playground dispute that spirals out of control into the grown-up world – this is one I most definitely won’t be missing. The same week mixes vintage rocker Marty Wilde and his Wildcats on Thursday 20th, kid’s show Old Macdonald Had A Farm on Saturday 22nd at 2pm and veteran national treasure Dr. Jonathan Miller in the main house the same evening.

To close the month there’s Midlands rock legend Roy Wood in conversation with Nick Owen on 26th, an evening with star golfer and sports reporter Peter Allis on the 27th and writer and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth will be presenting his

free 1½ walk, led by Scott Petrek, from Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, looking at the birds to be seen on the lakes at Croxall.

Please meet at the reserve entrance. For more information please contact Ray Allen.

Telephone: 01543 251654.

Sun 26 Jan Middleton Hall Food & Craft Market 10.00am to 4.00pm at Middleton Hall. Now in its 8th month supporting local businesses with an abundance of stalls showcasing the very best of local handcrafted items and locally produced food.

You’ll find artisan crafted

accessories and vintage items and delicious food to enjoy on site or take home. All proceeds go to support the restoration of the hall and grounds to ensure the venue can be enjoyed for generations to come. For more details please contact 01827 283095. £2 donation to park a car

Tue 28 Jan Lichfield Gruesome and Ghostly Tours 7.00pm from various locations -please call 01543 256611. An evening to make your blood curdle and your spine tingle! The tour is rounded off with a visit to a local pub for a

musings on the subject of Looking For Happiness on Friday 28th.

Then from Thursday 6th to Saturday 8th March there’s Hot Flush - The Naughtiest Musical in Town! Starring Lesley Joseph billed as “Sex and the City meets Birds of a Feather”- while Friday 7th sees comic t.v. actor John Challis talking about his experiences with his famous co-stars in “Only Fools and Boycie.” Lastly Walsall Operatic will be bringing their production of Sweeney Todd to the main stage from 11th to the 15th.

So, something for everyone.

See you there!

Phil Preece

glass of mulled wine and a sausage roll. £6.25 per person - tickets must be booked in advance.

Wed 29 Jan Study the life and literature of India through its best writers 10.30am to 12.30pm at Wade Street Church Hall.

A new interesting literary course which runs for 10 weeks, this term studying life and literature in India through some of its best writers. Join a select vibrant reading group, led by a lecturer on Wednesday mornings from 15 Jan to 12 March. £70 (approximately depending on numbers).

Broads Travel & Johnsons Coach Travel’s Coffee Morning 10.30am to 3.30pm at The George Hotel. To find out more about what Johnsons coach holidays have to offer and hear about their wide range of coach holidays and their new and exciting 2014 brochure! Admission is free, by ticket only. Call into Broads Travel in Bird St or 01543 412768 or 0121 250 2211.

Sat 1 Feb The Steve Tilston Trio 8.00pm at the Guildhall.

This talented singer/songwriter makes a Page 55

YOUR GUIDE TO WHAT’S ON THIS MONTH IN LICHFIELD

A Lichfield pub is bringing Britpop back to the City.

M

By Matt Bozeat

usic fans will be partying like it's 1997 in 'the back room' of the George IV on Bore Street after it was confirmed Britpop heroes Chris Helme and Mark Morriss are coming to play gigs there.

Tickets are selling fast for the Helme gig on Saturday, February 1 and Morriss is also expected to fill the 16th-century venue when he plays on Friday, April 25.

Helme joined ex-Stone Roses guitarist John Squire to form The Seahorses and had hits with 'Love Is The Law' and 'Blinded By The Sun,' while Morriss was the lead singer of The Bluetones.

The boy-next-door Britpoppers had a No 2 hit with ‘Slight Return’ in February 1996 and knocked Oasis' finest ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory’ off the No 1 spot in the album charts with their debut 'Expecting To Fly.' The Seahorses and The Bluetones were stars of the Britpop scene remembered for the Oasis-Blur feud and bands such as The Verve, Pulp and Supergrass.

Since the bands split, Helme and Morriss have gone on to have successful solo careers. Morriss has already set off on a massive 33date tour that includes gigs across Europe to support his second solo album and Helme will also have new material out this year. Helme will be supported at the George IV by Nic Bennett. Local favourites, Kissin Kippers Fishin Club, Dudley's, Target By Numbers and well known Lichfield acoustic duo Gal and Al will support Morriss.

Blues guitarist Laurence Jones- just signed to Ruf records, is also booked to play with his band in ' the back room' on Saturday February 15, supported by young Lichfield band, Mr George's Famous Last Words.

Tickets for Chris Helme and Mark Morriss are available from behind the bar and on line via their event link on www.facebook.com/GeorgeIVLichfield/events.

Facebook : www.facebook.com/GeorgeIVLichfield Twitter: @thegeorgeivlich

Mark Morriss

Chris Helme Page 56 www.lichfieldgazette.co.uk

much anticipated appearance. A skilled instrumentalist and great narrator, Steve is an artist at the top of his game.

The Fortunes - Past and Present 7.30pm at Lichfield Garrick. The hit band of the 60s and 70s present a brand new show.

Sun 2 Feb The Proof (featuring Paul Cox) 8.00pm at the Guildhall.

Prepare for an evening of explosive Blues when The Proof – featuring Paul Cox – storm the stage at the Guildhall.

Tue 4 – Sat 8 Feb Classic Ghosts 7.30pm (and 2.30pm Thu & Sat) at Lichfield Garrick.

A brand new double presentation of spinetingling stories starring Jack Shepherd.

Tue 4 Feb Neaten and Natter 11.00am to 1.00pm at Beacon Park. We invite volunteers to help us look after Beacon Park. This could include litter picking and weeding paths. We’ll provide the equipment.

Call 01543 308856 to find out more.

Wed 5 Feb CPCG Watercourse Management 11.00am to 3.00pm at Beacon Park. Help us to improve Beacon Park’s streams at our Countryside & Park Group’s two conservation days in February. The volunteer days are open to anyone over 18. To book your free place, call Lichfield District Council on 01543 308183 or email parks@lichfielddc.gov.uk Lichfield Gruesome and Ghostly Tours See Tues 28 Jan for

details.

The Deer of Cannock Chase 7.45 p.m. at St. Mary’s Centre. A talk given by Rob Davies. There will be refreshments during the Interval and a raffle.

Admission is £3.00 Adults, Children admitted free of charge. For more information please contact Ray Allen. 01543 251654 Andrew Dee 7.30pm at Lichfield Garrick Studio. The Spirit Medium returns to guide you through some of life’s mysteries.

Thu 6 Feb Seth Lakeman 7.30pm at Lichfield Cathedral. Folk singer, songwriter and multiinstrumentalist Seth unearthed hidden histories and unsung everyday heroes to commemorate in song from in and around his native Devon and Cornwall for his new album 'Word of Mouth'.

Fri 7 Feb Murder Mystery Evening 7.30pm to 11.00pm at The George Hotel. Put your investigative skills to the test and enjoy an evening of murder, mystery and intrigue, courtesy of Murder Mystery Productions. The story of ‘The Wrong Track’ will unfold during dinner and it will be up to you to work out “whodunit” by questioning the characters and examining the clues.

The evenings are great fun, but, be warned, they sell out frighteningly fast!

Call 01543 414822 for prices.

Flossie Malavialle plus Enchanté 8.00pm at the Guildhall.

Always hugely popular at Lichfield Arts, Flossie’s

repertoire is open and varied, what could be better in the week before St Valentine's Day than this special cabaret performance?

Sat 8 Feb Jersey Boy! The Frankie Valli Story 7.00pm to 11.59pm at Moor Hall Hotel and Spa. A one-man Jersey Boys show, the talented Stephen James, the nearest thing to Frankie Valli you will ever hear, re-creates the trademark falsetto with absolute perfection. Call 0121 308 3751 for prices which include 3 course meal.

Sun 9 Feb Wedding Fayre 11.00am to 3.00pm at Moor Hall Hotel and Spa. A wide range of exhibitors will be on hand to help you organise your very special day. There are fashion shows at 12pm and 2pm so you can see the very latest wedding dresses, mother of the bride outfits and men’s formal suits.

Free admission & £100 worth of vouchers to be won!

The Straits - The Sound Of Dire Straits 7.30pm at Lichfield Garrick. This unmissable evening of music is an absolute must, not just for fans of the music of Dire Straits but also for anyone who appreciates great musicians playing together.

Tue 11 Feb Lichfield Gruesome and Ghostly Tours See Tue 29 Jan for details.

Wed 12 Feb Lichfield U3A – The History of Alrewas 2.00pm at the Guildhall.

Monthly general meeting.

The speaker will be Lynne Ingram. Lichfield U3A

YOUR GUIDE TO WHAT’S ON THIS MONTH IN LICHFIELD (University of the 3rd Age) is an organization with a local membership of 450 people and is designed for retired or semi-retired people. With over 40 different activity groups there is something for everyone and new members are always welcome. For further details, please look at our website www.u3asites.org.uk/lichfield or call 01543 473189.

The Circus of Horrors 7.30pm at Lichfield Garrick.

Presenting what is undoubtedly its greatest show to date inspired by the legendary and sinister lost movie ‘London after Midnight’.

Thu 13 – Sat 15 Feb Boeing Boeing 7.30pm (and 2.30pm on Sat) at Lichfield Garrick. It all boils down to juggling timetables and a reliable maid who never forgets to change the photographs.

Bernard juggles three flight attendant fiancées successfully convincing each that she is the only one.

Friday 14th February Valentine’s Dinner in the Restaurant The George Hotel, Bird Street, Lichfield T: 01543 414822. Enjoy a fabulous three course dinner in the restaurant on the most romantic evening of the year. £19.95 per person.

Sun 16 Feb Middleton Hall Winter Open Day 11.00am to 3.00pm at Middleton Hall. Blow away the cobwebs and burn off those winter excesses, come and enjoy the beautiful walks around Middleton Hall. With luck you can see the grounds spring to life after the winter months with the first welcome signs of snowdrops. Then come inside and enjoy warming refreshments in the café.

There will be free nature related activities for the children outside and craft activities inside. All proceeds go to support the restoration of the hall and grounds to ensure the venue can be enjoyed for generations to come. For more details please contact 01827 283095. £3 adults, Children Free.

Mon 17 & Tue 18 Feb Moscow State Circus.

7.30pm (and 2.30pm Tue) at Lichfield Garrick. An awe inspiring new show from the worlds, most famous circus.

A place where dreams become reality.

Mon 17 Feb Half Term Rapid Round of Golf 11.00am to 3.00pm at Beacon Park. Play a 9-hole round with prices starting from just £2.60 for children (£3.60/£4.10 adults). Pay and hire clubs at the Ranger Station. Perfect for beginners and children. Call 01543 308867 for more information

WWI Discovery Day at the Staffordshire Regiment Museum The Museum’s uniformed guides will take you on an exciting tour of the fantastic WW1 trench system, and describe what life was like for soldiers during the Great War, complete with the sounds of sniper bullets whizzing past and the crack and rumble of German guns.

Parents and children will also get the chance to try on uniforms, as well as handle weapons and equipment from the time, plus explore the museum and its fascinating collections of medals (including VC’s) weapons, uniforms, recordings of real WW1 soldiers talking about their experiences and much more.

Discovery Day tours start at 11am, 12 noon and 1pm.

Adults £3, children and

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YOUR GUIDE TO WHAT’S ON THIS MONTH IN LICHFIELD Extra Special Valentine’s at the Qmin A fresh new approach to Indian cuisine

Make valentines extra special this year by visiting Qmin, Lichfield’s leading Indian restaurant. Sample Qmin’s wide ranging Indian and fusion cuisine, served in perfect surroundings and by the most attentive staff.

Established in Lichfield for over 11 years, Qmin caters for the most discerning diners. Qmin offers a relaxed, modern and clean dining space and continues to introduce a range of new concepts in its menus. We feature the popular and traditional Indian dishes alongside some contemporary and creative menu items. Many of our customers and food critics view Qmin as ‘one of the finest Indian restaurants in Lichfield’.

We invite you to experience our brand of Indian cuisine and promise you a feast for your senses!

Qmin captures India's diversity, sampling more than 120 authentic recipes from across the country. The recipes are made new for the modern cook, with a contemporary twist, but always remain true to India's ancient culinary wisdom. Make your Valentine’s celebration an occasion to remember, with an intimate meal in Lichfield’s finest Indian restaurant Call Qmin on 01543 255000 www.qmin.co.uk

concessions including OAPs £2.

Tue 18 – Sat 22 Feb God of Carnage by Yazmina Reza 7.30pm at Lichfield Garrick Studio. Different Animal Theatre Company presents this Tony Award winning comedy of manners – without the manners. Following a playground fight between two boys, their parents meet to discuss the incident. This performance contains some strong language.

Tue 18 Feb Made in Birmingham 7.30pm at St Mary’s Centre. Lichfield Civic Society AGM followed by a talk by Ian Braisby. Nonmembers welcome (£3 at the door).

Half Term Rapid Round of Golf See Mon 17 Feb for details.

Wed 19 Feb CPCG Watercourse Management See Weds 5 Feb for details.

Half Term Rapid Round of Golf See Mon 17 Feb for details.

Stephen K Amos - The Spokesman 7.30pm at Lichfield Garrick. Fresh from the Edinburgh Festival, Amos is hitting the road with a brand new show for 2014.

Thu 20 Feb St Pancras Railway Station 7.30pm at St. Mary’s Centre. The South East Staffordshire Association of National Trust presents a talk by Nigel Lowley about how the mid Page 58 www.lichfieldgazette.co.uk

Victorian Gothic Railway Station and Hotel came to be built and restored.

Members £2, non members £4. For more info call 01543 416144.

Half Term Rapid Round of Golf See Mon 17 Feb for details.

Marty Wilde and the Wildcats 7.30pm at Lichfield Garrick. A chance to see live on stage, one of the only performing Rock'n'Roll pioneers in the world today.

Fri 21 Feb The Trent Valley Railway 8.00pm at St. Mary’s

Centre. The Staffordshire Archaeological and Historical Society present a talk by Robin Mathams & David Barrett. Visitors welcome, £3 at the door.

Refreshments available from 7.30pm. For more info call 01543 416144.

Half Term Rapid Round of Golf See Mon 17 Feb for details.

The Jaywalkers 8.00pm at the Guildhall.

The past year has seen this trio, BBC Young Folk Award finalists 2009, cement their place as one of the most exciting, virtuosic and entertaining young bands working on

Countdown to Young Police Cadets Concert

P

eople are being urged to snap up tickets for a major concert to raise thousands of pounds for Staffordshire Young Police Cadets.

Tickets are on sale now for the show by the British Police Symphony Orchestra (BPSO) which will be staged at the Lichfield Garrick Theatre on Saturday 12 April at 7.30pm.

The event will have a Legends and Heroes theme and the orchestra will entertain the audience with music including Rossini’s William Tell Overture and Sibelius’ Finlandia.

The Cadet scheme was a key election pledge for Staffordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis. It aims to strengthen links between the police and young people and promote good citizenship.

Successful Cadets units have already been launched in Stafford and Cannock thanks to funding from Patrons and Sponsors. All proceeds from the concert will help pay for the on-going roll-out of the Cadets programme across Staffordshire in 2014, including the purchasing of uniforms, the allocation of transport and much more.

Tickets are on sale now at www.lichfieldgarrick.com Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Sue Arnold, who is organising the event, said: “Staffordshire Young Police Cadets are already working hard to support their local community.

“The service is all about giving advantages to young people – some from challenging backgrounds – who through a positive and vibrant programme can learn how to become responsible citizens.

“We want to sell 450 tickets to raise money for the Cadet charity and allow new units to be formed, uniforms to be provided, transport allocated and much more.

“Tickets will provide a great experience for friends and family as well as ensuring your hard-earned money goes to a great cause which is making a real difference locally.”

The BPSO is made up of musicians from across the UK, many who are either serving or retired police officers, police staff or other members of the extended police family.

YOUR GUIDE TO WHAT’S ON THIS MONTH IN LICHFIELD the British folk scene.

How To Make A Killing In Bollywood 7.30pm at Lichfield Garrick. The Regal Theatre Bathgate presents a Brand New Comedy about two best friends who decide to quit their jobs in a fast food restaurant and head to Bollywood in search of fame and fortune. Just how far are the boys willing to go to realise their dreams?

Sat 22 Feb Community Drop-in 11.00am to 12 noon at Lakeside Bistro, Beacon

Park. Your chance to talk with members of the parks team to discuss how our local parks could be improved. We want to hear your thoughts, concerns and suggestions.

Old MacDonald Had A Farm 2.00pm at Lichfield Garrick. Old MacDonald had a farm E-I-E-I-O. But Old MacDonald’s animals have gone missing!

Presented and written especially for parents to enjoy with their children.

Seth Lakeman to perform at Cathedral Come and visit the AWARD WINNING

Seth Lakeman’s new album ‘Word of Mouth’ was recorded this summer in a studio set-up in a Cornish church, ‘Kitty Jay’, Seth’s Mercury award-nominated second album, was recorded in his kitchen for £300. His last offering ‘Tales From the Barrel House’ was recorded partly in a copper mine. With those behind him, a church seems a natural choice for this album. As Seth explains, it’s about capturing the sound of the room, a much-forgotten part of the recording process: “I enjoyed the honesty and edginess of that, the instruments, certainly wooden instruments, breathe a bit more.”

“It is the complete opposite to building a record in the studio.

Sometimes just singing some of the lyrics, looking up at the stained glass window - it was a powerful, emotional feeling, I think it adds to the passion. You can hear the birds, something could be tuned here or there but there’s no autotune, reverb or effects added - just the church."

Seth Lakeman has been at the forefront of the re-emergence of British folk. ‘Word of Mouth’ will be released February 3rd 2014 on Cooking Vinyl Records. As part of his 2014 Tour, he will be performing at Lichfield Cathedral at 7.30 on Thursday 6th February.

For more information go to www.sethlakeman.co.uk

Enjoy high class cuisine in a great atmosphere and luxurious surroundings

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Surrounded by 3 car parks.

All free after 6.30pm

Celebrate Chinese New Year 2nd to 4th Feb Book now for St.Valentine’s Day Superb menu with a vast choice selection.

Experienced chefs from Hong Kong & Malaysia.

Open 12 noon till late.

Superb function room, seats up to 65.

Visit our website: www.leegardenrestaurants.co.uk 50 Tamworth Street, Lichfield WS13 6JJ Tel: 01543 418515/01543 254388 Page 59

YOUR GUIDE TO WHAT’S ON THIS MONTH IN LICHFIELD An Audience with Jonathan Miller 8.00pm at Lichfield Garrick. A chance to meet one of Britain’s most intriguing polymaths. His talents and interests encompass many areas, from neuropsychology to the arts, atheism, criticism and comedy.

Sun 23 Feb Johnson Society Winter Lecture Programme

2.30pm to 4.00pm at Martin Heath Hall. Lecture

by Professor Ruth Watts on the 18th Century education, women and science. Admission £3.50 includes splendid tea and cakes. Car parking at the hall.

Kent Duchaine 8.00pm at the Guildhall.

American Blues singer and guitarist, making a much anticipated return to the

Boeing Boeing All-star cast fly into Lichfield for classic French farce

Talking Scarlet’s Boeing Boeing is a new production of the classic French farce which has seen recent success both in the West End and on Broadway.

The play, starring Kim Tiddy (The Bill, Hollyoaks), Zoie Kennedy (The Royal), Ciara Janson (Hollyoaks), Anita Graham, Ben Roddy and Philip Stewart, will run at the Lichfield Garrick from Thursday 13 to Saturday 15 February 2014.

Boeing Boeing follows Bernard as he juggles three flight attendant fiancées, successfully convincing each that she

Circus of Horrors returns to Lichfield theatre

Guildhall, accompanied by his beloved steel guitar ‘Leadbessie’.

The Nick Ross Orchestra Sounds of the Glenn Miller Era 7.30pm at Lichfield Garrick. Recapture the sounds of a bygone era as the Nick Ross Orchestra presents an unmissable evening.

is the only one. However when old school friend Robert arrives unexpectedly, a new, faster Boeing jet is introduced and weather delays occur.

Bernard, Robert and Bertha the maid are forced to desperately try to keep the women separate. The lies told become more and more difficult to reconcile as the trio improvise at breath-taking speed in a near faultless piece of theatrical invention with inevitable, hilarious consequences.

February & March 2014 Lichfield Museum in St. Marys on the Market Square.

Currently exhibiting a display of beautiful Parian Ware (until the end of February), the next temporary exhibition during March is going to be based on the 1960s.

The staff and volunteers are calling out to local people who might have ‘era appropriate’ items

reliable maid who never forgets to change the photographs.

See Boeing Boeing at the Lichfield Garrick from Thursday 13 to Saturday 15 February 2014 from 7.30pm, with a Saturday matinee performance at 2.30pm.

It all boils down to juggling timetables and a

The Circus of Horrors is back at the Lichfield Garrick with a brand new show that promises to be bigger and better.

The new sensation is inspired by the legendary and sinister lost movie

‘London after Midnight’ and is packed with new shocks which will take you on a whirlwind journey though a plague ridden London in 1665 and culminating during the great fire of London in 1666.

The story will twist and turn as five murders are committed, each one becoming more and more horrific and all intermingled with some of the greatest, most daring, bizarre and beautiful circus acts on earth.

From sword swallowers to demon dwarfs, from a pickled person to astounding ariel acts, all performed by an almighty cast and the devil driven rock ‘n' roll of Dr Haze and The Interceptors from Hell.

Don’t miss Circus of Horrors at the Lichfield Garrick on Wednesday 12 February 2014, from 7.30pm.

Page 60 www.lichfieldgazette.co.uk

which could be loaned out as part of the display. For further information about how you can help, please telephone 01543 256611.

Items for the exhibition can be accepted on Sat 15, Tue 18, Sat 22 or Tue 25 February between 10.00am and 3.00pm.

They look forward to mounting an exciting exhibition with your help.

Contact details for listed venues: Beacon Park – Lichfield WS13 6QZ. Tel: 01543 308869 Croxall Lakes Nature Reserve - Nr Alrewas, Staffs WS13 8QX The George Hotel - Bird St, Lichfield WS13 6PR. Tel: 01543 414822 The Guildhall - Bore St, Lichfield WS13 6LU. Tel: 01543 262223 Lichfield Cathedral - The Close, Lichfield WS13 7LD. Tel: 01543 306100 Lichfield Garrick Theatre - Castle Dyke, Lichfield WS13 6HR. Tel: 01543 412121 St Mary's Centre Breadmarket St, Lichfield WS13 6LG. Tel: 01543 255423 Lichfield Tourist Information Centre - St Mary's Heritage Centre, Market Sq, Lichfield. Tel: 01543 412112 Martin Heath Hall Christchurch Lane, Lichfield WS13 8AY Middleton Hall Trust – Middleton, Tamworth B78 2AE Moor Hall Hotel & Spa Moor Hall Drive, Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield B75 6LN The Staffordshire Regiment Museum Whittington Barracks, Lichfield WS14 9PY Wade St Church Hall – Wade St, Lichfield WS13 6HL

Lichfield’s U21s ‘Battle of the Bands’ and ‘Battle Acoustica’

YOUR GUIDE TO WHAT’S ON THIS MONTH IN LICHFIELD

Lichfield Arts is running two competitions this year as fundraising activities for the Fuse Festival, which will be taking place in Beacon Park, Lichfield on Friday 11th to Sunday 13th July 2014. The Fuse Festival is a free festival and attracts around 15,000 visitors over the weekend. They would love more local young musicians and their families to get involved in this event and also the wider work of Lichfield Arts.

If you are a young musician (band or solo/acoustic performer) are all under 21 and live within a 15 mile radius of Lichfield, then why not check out the heat dates and go online to download the application form at www.lichfieldarts.org.uk The entry fee is £10 per band/act. Entrants must be available for one heat, the finals and the Fuse Festival dates.

Battle of the Bands - Heats are being held on Sunday evenings 6.00 – 8.00pm as follows: 9th

March - The King’s Head, 16th March - George IV and 23rd March – The Paradise Lounge.

Battle Acoustica - Heats are being held on Sunday evenings as follows: 2nd March - The Malt Bar 6.30 to 8.30pm, 23rd March - The Paradise Lounge from 8.00 to 10.00pm and 6th April - The Queen’s Head from 6.30 to 8.30pm.

related businesses. Newave Arts has very kindly offered studio time as a prize for the Acousticawinner and other prizes for both winners are in the pipeline, so we are very grateful.”

There will be a maximum of 6 acts per heat. The winner and runner up of each heat will go through to the finals on Sunday 11th May, which will be held early evening at the Guildhall in Lichfield. The overall winners will perform at the Lichfield Fuse Festival on Saturday 12th July 2014.

Organiser, Pam Beale commented: “We are really looking forward to the two competitions this year. We are getting support from local venues and music-

Celebrate Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day at Lichfield’s favourite Chinese Restaurant

Almost Easy

For more than a quarter of a century, the Ruby restaurant in St. John Street, Lichfield, has satisfied the palates of thousands of discerning customers who return time and time again.

With the Chinese New Year almost upon us, celebrations last between Sun 2nd and Fri 7th Feb and Valentine’s Day just around the corner, and also not forgetting Mothering Sunday 30th March, it’s time to make your table reservations.

The Ruby is still offering the popular ‘eat as much as you like’ menu. This cooked to order option is available Monday to Thursday for only £11.95 per head and Friday and Saturday for £14.95 and Sunday all day buffet from £8.95.

The Ruby’s comprehensive menu, using the freshest produce has something for everyone, or choose from their comprehensive a la carte menu.

For full details of menus and facilities telephone 01543 251144 For takeaways and home deliveries telephone 01543 419899 If you are holding a party or special event, the Ruby has a large first floor room for your function.

Page 61

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