WEEKLY NEWS | November 29, 2012 | 11
Blaze-hit pub set to host beer festival A YEAR on from a destructive kitchen fire, a village pub is holding a Christmas Real Ale festival to get into the festive spirit. The Crown Inn, in High Street, Linton, will host a total of 11 real ales from December 7 through to December 9 for what has become a popular fixture on the pub’s annual calendar. Mariusz Makowelski, bar manager, will provide tasting notes for the six seasonal racked ales, while guests can also enjoy the Christmas food menu. Last winter, the venue suffered a fire which caused the kitchens to close for several months, and also required other affected rooms to be refurbished. For more information on the festival or to book a table, visit www.crownat linton.co.uk or call (01223) 891759.
Front window broken A STONE was thrown through a family’s front window in an Uttlesford village. Police are trying to track down the culprits following the offence last Monday at an address in Burton End, Stansted Mountfitchet, at about 9.20pm. A stone was found inside the house after the window was broken, but the offenders ran away. Anyone with information should contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Christmas ban theme A TALK about the years when Christmas was banned will be the focus of a society’s next meeting. On Wednesday, local historian Martyn Everett will address the background to the suppression of Christmas during the English Civil War, its reinstatement after the Restoration and how it was transformed in the process at a gathering of the Saffron Walden Town Library Society. The event will get under way in Saffron Walden Library at 8pm and a seasonal glass of wine will be available. Nonmembers are welcome.
Wallet taken at store A WALLET was stolen from a supermarket toilet. The theft happened at Tesco, in Radwinter Road, Saffron Walden, when the victim left it unattended between 10.30am and 11am last Monday. It was not handed in to staff. Anyone with information should contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Weight and see – Jo springs surprise on soldier husband
BY ELLA WALKER
Email: editorial@saffronwaldenweeklynews.co.uk
WHEN Staff Sergeant Kevin Lloyd stepped off his plane after a six-month military stint in Afghanistan he was expecting to see his wife, Jo. But he wasn’t expecting her to look quite so amazing.
For a surprise and in preparation for the couple renewing their vows after 14 years, Jo had slimmed down, toned up and shed more than four stone – with her confidence soaring in the process. The 34-year-old, who lives with her family at Carver Barracks in Wimbish, has struggled with her weight since she was 10 and admitted to an “ongoing battle”. Weighing 17st at her heaviest and having four children to boot – Liam, 14, James, 8, Kieran, 5 and 18-month-old Fearne – Jo had attempted Weight Watchers several times without a great deal of success. She said: “I knew I hadn’t finished having children, I didn’t have the motivation and didn’t stick to it. “I felt horrible and upset. It just wasn’t nice being that big and it made me feel miserable.” After the birth of Fearne, she decided it was time to tackle the baby weight once and for all and joined Newport’s Weight Watchers group. And she hasn’t looked back. Regular trips to the gym and feeding the whole family on Weight Watchers recipes means she has hit two of her main targets – surprising her husband and fitting into the dress she wore when the couple held their renewal ceremony last weekend. She said: “While Kevin was away my shape had changed so much. I was all dressed up when he got back so I’d totally changed from the image he had of me when he left. “He was surprised and said I looked totally different. He was really happy for me. “I wanted to try to get back to the weight I was when I was first married. I’m only half a stone off but I was 20 then. I picked a dress and was determined to wear it. I never thought
Lighter look: Jo Lloyd, from Saffron Walden, who has lost four stones with Weight Watchers is treated to a makeover in Debenhams in the Grafton Centre in Cambridge. She is shown with Debenham’s personal shopper Janet Tilley and, right, Weight Watchers leader Jacqui Cardy. Picture: Warren Gunn 876239 I’d get into it, but I can. I feel motivated and so much healthier than I did 18 months ago.” It hasn’t been an easy journey, though. She added: “There was a time when I’d hide away and didn’t like going out and doing things too much, but recently I’ve been wearing dresses when we go out and feeling a lot more
confident. “I still don’t feel 100 per cent there yet, but it’s a lot nicer not wearing trousers and jumpers and covering myself up. “It’s a lifestyle change that you have to carry on forever. You can still have your treats but you have to be focused and know your limits.” Last week Jo was treated to a
glamorous makeover at Debenhams in Cambridge for being an inspiration to her Weight Watchers group – and to help her get ready for the big day. Newport Weight Watchers meet on Tuesdays from 9.30am to 10.30am at Newport Village Hall. For more information, call 0845 712 3000 or visit www.weightwatchers. co.uk.