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J ULY ISSUE 51
Contents
21
26
Community Insight 8
GIBRALTAR NEWS
Business Insight 11
BUSINESS NEWS
Environmental Insight 21
GIBRALTAR NEWS
History Insight 40 THE WALLS OF GIBRALTAR
Forces Insight 30 ARMED FORCES NEWS
52
Features 15
HOW COULD COVID-19 IMPACT THE TRAVEL MARKET AND TRAVEL INSURANCE?
24
LOCKDOWN STORIES
26
THE LAST OVERLAND
32
ART IN THE TIME OF CRISIS
43
BOOK REVIEW: SMALL THINGS - JODI PICOULT
44 'FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE' LOCKDOWN CONCERTS END 47
THE 2020 SOVEREIGN ASIAN ART PRIZE
52
CALL OF DUTY: WORKING ON THE NHS FRONTLINE
62
A REUNION ROMANCE
64 GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION
Regular Features 19
TECHNOLOGY INSIGHT
35
TAGORE COMPETITION
38
MOTORING INSIGHT
49 A VET'S INSIGHT: TICK BORNE DISEASES 50 MUM ON THE ROCK: LET'S RESIN
Football Insight 29
4
INSIDE LYNX'S ACADEMY
51
PACS: SUMMER IS HERE
54
HEALTH & WELLBEING: LOSE WEIGHT NATURALLY
56
HEALTH & WELLBEING: BE COVID FIT
60 HOROSCOPES 61
MAMA LOTTIES RECIPE
65
WEDDING INSIGHT
66
THE LIGHT & POWER SHOP CROSSWORD
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GRAPHIC DESIGN | SOCIAL MEDIA PODCASTS | AUDIO | VIDEO MUSIC RECORDING & PUBLISHING GBZ Media is headquartered right here on the Rock, with global reach to a team of best-in-class experts in media and the creative arts. We can provide you with a one-stop media portfolio management solution for your business, whether it’s strategic and coordinated social media management, a rebrand, producing podcasts or a corporate video.
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Gibraltar Insight Deputy Editor: Jean King
Gibraltar Insight - the Rock’s longest running magazine.
Accounts & Administration: Rosemary Salah-El-Din
Published by GBZ Media Limited, 5 Governor’s Lane, Gibraltar GX11 1AA.
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Gibraltar Insight places great importance on the accuracy of the information contained within this publication, but cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions. Views expressed by contributors and/or correspondents do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. Neither Gibraltar Insight nor GBZ Media Limited is responsible for any claims made, or material(s) used, in advertisements. For permission to copy cuttings for internal or client use, contact NLA - nlamediaaccess.com or +441892 525273.
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COMMUNITY INSIGHT
NEW GOVERNOR VISITS THE GHA GIBRALTAR’S NEW GOVERNOR, VICE ADMIRAL SIR DAVID STEEL HAS VISITED ST BERNARD’S HOSPITAL AND THE PRIMARY CARE CENTRE, IN ONE OF HIS FIRST DUTIES ON THE ROCK. The Governor met with the Minister for Health and Care the Hon Mr Paul Balban, the Principal Secretary Mrs Evelyn Cervan and the Medical Director (Ag) Doctor Krish Rawal. Sir David also had the opportunity of meeting other senior management staff.
The Minister Mr Paul Balban said, “I am delighted and honoured to receive the new Governor H.E. Sir David Steel at St Bernard’s Hospital where we discussed the functions of the GHA in a community such as Gibraltar and be able to share our recent and ongoing COVID experiences”.
NEW RECRUITS Recruit School 2020: (Back Row) Training Officer Nicholas Balbuena (Middle Row L to R) BCO Steven Link, BCO Michael Ballester, BCO Amy Fortunato, BCO Felix Formica-Corsi, BCO Samara Tavares (Front Row L to R) BCO Allan Matto, Chief Executive Officer Aaron Chipol, Compliance Manager William Recagno, BCO Billie Jean Marin.
ROBERT DAWS' LATEST CRIME NOVEL GIBRALTAR-PHILE AND FRIEND TO MANY ON THE ROCK, ROBERT DAWS, HAS SIGNED WITH A NEW BOOK PUBLISHER, HOBECK BOOKS. His third novel, Killing Rock, will be published this month and features character DS Tamara Sullivan, who’s been forced to take a secondment with the Royal Gibraltar Police after a career-threatening error of judgement as an officer with the London Met. Throw in a new boss, DCI Gus Broderick, battling his own personal demons, and you have the makings for another riveting Rock-based read.
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COMMUNITY INSIGHT GIBRALTAR'S BRANCH OF THE ROUND TABLE IS CELEBRATING A DOUBLE-WHAMMY OF AWARDS AFTER PICKING UP TWO GONGS FROM THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION. Round Table is an international organisation with more than 31,000 members in 67 countries. It raises more than £24 million a year for charity, and carries out many community projects worldwide and in some of the poorest areas. Gibraltar's success was two-fold. Round Table Gibraltar was awarded the prestigious "Community Service Project of the Year" for the Southern Europe and Mediterranean region. This is the first time, since the Gibraltar club was chartered in 1978, that it has received this award. This region includes stiff competition in the form of the likes of France, Italy, Switzerland and Morocco and has more than 4,000 members. The award was given for Round Table Gibraltar’s charitable work throughout the year and specifically for its annual “Texas Hold’em Charity Poker” event, which saw more than 80 participants. GibSams was the beneficiary of the money raised. In addition, local Barrister Nicholas Gomez received the "Round Table International Honour Medal". This is the first time in history that a Gibraltarian Round Tabler has received this award, which has only been awarded 8 times previously in the organisation's existence, as special recognition for exceptional service to the organisation and the movement.
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Round Table International President Sebastian Walter added that the award was “very well deserved”.
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Graham Cornelissen, Treasurer for Round Table International, presented this award for Nicholas’ legal work in respect of the organisation's constitutional review and risk assessment/AML procedures, calling it “of critical importance to the whole of Round Table International” and thanked him for his hard work and insight.
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Nicholas works for Charles Gomez & Company and is a PR officer for Round Table Gibraltar.
Art Exhibition
You are invited To an Exhibition of Original painting s by
Wanda Bush
with poems by Jan et Pardo
Local artist Wanda Bush is exhibiting at John Mackintosh Hall from 1st-10th July in a showing called "For The Glory Of God". Accompanied by poetry from Janet Pardo, the doors are open from 9am-3pm. Entry is free, but donations are encouraged to Clubhouse Gibraltar..
Wed 1 st Friday th 10 July The Gallery John Mackintosh Hall Main Street, Gib raltar
FREE ENTRY Mon-Fri 9am 3pm Enquiries: Gibraltarwanda@ outlook.com
Tel: 54027792 Proceeds to
www.BushArt@G ibraltarleva
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nte.gi / www.Gibr altarArtists.gi
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BUSINESS INSIGHT IN ASSOCIATION WITH SOVEREIGN GROUP
COMMONWEALTH GOVERNOR Gets The Lowdown
CALLING
THE WORDS OF DEPUTY CHIEF MINISTER DR JOSEPH GARCIA HAVE APPEARED IN A PUBLICATION DISTRIBUTED ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH. The 100th anniversary edition of “The Parliamentarian” carried a four page feature on Gibraltar and its links with the organisation. The journal of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) aims to allow Parliamentarians to collaborate on issues of mutual interest and to share good practice. The CPA itself is present at national, state, provincial and territorial levels across the Commonwealth and has 180 individual branches. The CPA was founded in 1911 and is the parliamentary wing of the Commonwealth. Its membership is made up of CPA Branches in 180 Commonwealth Parliaments and Legislatures at national, state, provincial and territorial levels and it offers a vast opportunity for Parliamentarians to collaborate on issues of mutual interest and to share good practice. The Deputy Chief Minister, who is the Minister for relations with the Commonwealth, pointed out that Gibraltar was proud of its long and historic relationship with the institutions and organisations of the Commonwealth. He added, “Like many of our friends across the Commonwealth, Gibraltarians boast a unique cultural identity. We have lived on this Rock for more than three hundred years. We are a British Overseas Territory, a modern nation in our own right".
As part of a whirlwind orientation of Gibraltar, His Excellency the Governor Sir David Steel visited Minister Albert Isola at the offices of the Ministry for Digital and Financial Services. Minister Isola briefed Sir David on all aspects of Gibraltar’s important Financial Services and Gaming Industries including the impact of COVID-19. Sir David probed the Minister on possible new areas of business for the Jurisdiction and the importance of technology and innovation in modern business. In their first formal meeting since the Governor's arrival to Gibraltar, Minister Isola also briefed Sir David on his other areas of responsibility including Digital Services, Broadcasting and Town Planning.
SENSIBLE HM Government of Gibraltar has said that it is ploughing ahead with constructive engagement regarding Brexit and what it means for the Rock.
NEW GibAPP PARTNERSHIP
OCEAN VILLAGE AND WORLD TRADE CENTER GIBRALTAR HAS PARTNERED WITH LOCAL SMARTPHONE APPLICATION AND BUSINESS, GIBAPP. THE BRAINCHILD OF ALAN PEREIRA, IT'S BEEN A MAINSTAY RESOURCE FOR LOCALS AND TOURISTS OVER THE PAST 5 YEARS. In announcing the partnership, Ocean Village will be investing in additional functionality and scale. GibAPP founder and developer, Alan Pereira said: “GibAPP has become a household name in Gibraltar delivering its services free of charge for over 5 years. This partnership is a new and exciting evolution to an app that has become “The Portal for all things Gibraltar” which will build on its ethos of delivering high quality content to the local and tourist market. I am very excited to show off our new developments that will form part of this partnership, allowing the World Trade Center & Ocean Village brand to enter a new dimension in delivering its services to Gibraltar and abroad - promoting its brand and enhancing its business reach”.
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Four years after the seismic vote, and despite COVID-19, efforts have been continuing with the UK Government, the EU - and Spain - to deliver a positive framework after 31st December 2020. The core Brexit team, which remains to this day, consists of the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister, the Attorney General and the Financial Secretary. The huge logistical exercise in respect of EU exit included many other public servants, countless documents and over five hundred meetings in Gibraltar, London, Brussels and Spain. Some of the protocols put in place for Brexit have also actually found themselves being deployed in the face of the challenges created by COVID-19. HMGoG has been keen to stress the raw economic numbers of cross-Frontier interdependence. There are approximately 15,000 people who live in Spain but work in Gibraltar, making the Rock the second largest employer for the region of Andalucia, after their regional administration. Gibraltar residents also spend over £70 million a year in goods and services across the Frontier. Gibraltarians with second homes in Spain make an annual contribution of over £62 million to the Spanish economy, and Gibraltar imports over €1.5 billion a year from Spain. This makes Gibraltar the largest export market for the province of Cadiz, ahead of the UK and France.
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FEATURE
HOW COULD COVID-19 IMPACT THE TRAVEL MARKET AND TRAVEL INSURANCE? WHEN MOST OF US THINK OF TRAVELLING WE THINK OF CHEAP AIR TRAVEL. WHETHER IT BE A WINTER SKI TRIP, CITY BREAK OF SUMMER HOLIDAY, IT USUALLY INVOLVES A FLIGHT OR TWO. Will it ever be the same again? This is a question many of us are asking ourselves, particularly as Europe begins to open its borders on a quarantine-free basis and airlines take to the skies, once again. For the moment though, nobody seems to have the answers.
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FEATURE IN APRIL BILLIONAIRE INVESTOR WARREN BUFFETT ANNOUNCED HIS COMPANY BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HAD SOLD ALL OF ITS SHARES IN THE 4 US LARGEST AIRLINES, SENDING THEIR SHARES TUMBLING AND CITING CORONAVIRUS AS THE REASON AND WHO WOULD BET AGAINST HIS JUDGEMENT?
If travel arrangements are cancelled by the airline, travel or accommodation provider due to Covid-19 then travellers who booked their trip via a tour operator or travel agent or using a credit card, should contact them to see if they can get a refund or have their trip re-arranged.
There are some positives for airlines on the horizon in that low demand for oil has driven oil prices down which should help. But demand for seats is the largest unknown they face and with some cause for concern. It’s likely that many airlines will offer airfares at very low prices to attract the cautious flyers back into their seats, but if seats aren’t filled, or restrictions are put into place to allow for social distancing, then this will drive prices up and this will surely affect demand.
If you are offered an alternative destination and or dates from your travel agent, then you should speak to your travel insurance provider and ask them to shift your insurance policy to fit the new trip. Some insurers will consider this if the new trip is for the same duration and to the same location or geographical area. There may be an additional premium payable depending on the insurer.
The other problem facing travellers and airlines alike is: “what will the experience be like?”. Will people want to travel if the already uncomfortable and irritating security screening, boarding, and disembarking process is added to by the introduction of health screening and questionnaires when exiting and entering borders? Will this mean we have to be at the airport 3 hours before a flight and what will be the increased cost of this borne either by the traveller or airline? So, air travel will most likely not return to normal for some time and many well-known airlines may disappear from our skies. The Covid-19 pandemic has also caused massive disruption to the travel insurance market after the announcement that borders were closing and travel bans, even within countries, were put in place. Like many businesses in other sectors, including the airlines, their sales fell through the floor overnight. This sudden fall in sales coupled with the unprecedented claims levels experienced, which the Association of British Insurers (ABI) puts at a record high and has estimated claims totalling £275m for Coronavirus alone, is a huge burden for these insurers to bear in a product line that has traditionally lived off thin margins. It’s due to these extraordinary levels of pay-outs that some insurers have already announced that they are pulling out of the travel insurance sector all together. This may ultimately lead to less competition and higher premiums. So, what does this mean for the traveller who still wishes to travel and has trips outstanding and insurance purchased before the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) introduced travel restrictions to all other countries? If you haven’t already, you should consider the following:
In the event that you are unable to move the trip to an alternative destination, and are offered a refund from your travel agent or tour operator, then you should also speak to your travel insurer to ask for a premium refund as the cover you originally requested is no longer required. You may be required to complete a form to confirm that no claim will be made against the policy, for your insurer to accept this. BUT WHAT IF YOU DON’T WANT TO TRAVEL BECAUSE OF YOUR FEAR OF CATCHING THE VIRUS? Standard travel insurance policies provide cancellation and curtailment cover for any costs incurred that cannot be recovered from anywhere else for stated reasons only. However, no standard travel insurance policy will cover cancellation and curtailment due to a disinclination to travel and this is usually a standard exclusion on any policy. In such cases, if you have booked a package holiday to a destination affected by Coronavirus and travel restrictions are now lifted, but you no longer wish to travel, in the first instance you could look to contact your travel agent or tour operator to arrange new dates. If this is not possible or is possible but you still choose not to travel you will bear the full cost of this yourself. However, if you are unable to amend your trip and have a medical justification for having to cancel, then this may be a basis where you can make a claim under your policy and in this case should contact your insurer. BUT WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DO TRAVEL AND GET ILL? If you catch Coronavirus whilst on your trip or require medical treatment, then cover may be in place for emergency and necessary treatment under most standard travel insurance policies (subject to the usual policy terms and conditions). Travellers should be aware though, that travel insurance policies are not private medical insurance policies, meaning that there is no cover for any medical expenses incurred in private medical facilities or where treatment could have been received under reciprocal health agreement (unless approved by Underwriters and no other suitable medical facilities are available). If this is the case, then clients must contact the Emergency assistance team noted on their policy schedule as quickly as possible. If you are travelling within Europe it is advisable that you also carry with you your European Health Card. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT 200 44628 / GIBRALTAR@IBEXINSURE.COM OR VISIT WWW. IBEXINSURE.COM
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TECHNOLOGY INSIGHT
Usually there are a couple of surprises, and people travel from all over the world to watch the Keynote speeches from the various Apple executives. For many years, Apple was the outlier for being both a hardware and software company, with the majority of the profit coming from selling computers, phones and tablets.
In a quirk of history, Apple actually helped to found this company in the 1990s with Acorn Computer, and the first designs were manufactured in the Archimedes desktop computer that was particularly popular with British-based schools since it was entirely backwards compatible with the hearty BBC Model B Microcomputer. Apple's well-documented financial instability later in the decade meant that it sold its stake, even though it had been the brains behind the first proper PDA, the Apple Newton.
In 2020, things had to be a little different. There were no attendees. No jamboree of media and enthusiastic fans. Instead, the Worldwide Developer Conference took to Apple TV for the "live" main event in a slickly produced, socially-distant film.
The transition to "Apple Silicon" as they were calling it, is envisaged to take 2 years. And in an almost complete replication of the PowerPC to Intel switch, Universal Binaries will once EVERY YEAR AROUND THIS again be used, plus software (really an instrucTIME, DEVELOPERS FOR APPLE'S tion set) called Rosetta to transparently translate Of course, the next iterations of macOS, tvOS, VARIOUS PLATFORMS NORMALLY Intel code to Apple Silicon compatibility. It's eniPadOS and iOS were front and centre. They GATHER EN MASSE TO HEAR visaged that performance will take a 20% hit in are all natural progressions of the previous verABOUT THE INTENDED ROADMAP doing so for older software. One thing conspicsions, nuanced and refined - and all available uous by its absence, however, was any mention as betas for members of the developer comFOR CUPERTINO'S HARDWARE of using virtualisation software on the new chips. munity. watchOS had a few tricks up its sleeve, AND SOFTWARE OVER THE As this is being written, three OSes are running including a nifty smart hand-washing mode COMING MONTHS. simultaneously on Apple hardware, including that uses the watch's accelerometer and microWindows 10 Pro. This is used for legacy apps that phone to judge whether the wearer is using soap will never be ported to macOS, and some design/ and water, and subsequently display a countdown audio/video professionals and companies will need to have a think to make sure of a hand-wash well-done. Very clever. Also announced about their own application roadmap ahead. All that said, Tim Cook, was the sleep measurement function that the hardware has long Apple's CEO, did say that Intel-powered hardware would continue to been capable of, just never enabled. be supported for some time, and that new hardware with Intel archiBut the killer announcement - and one that's circled the Applesphere tecture is still being developed. for a long time on the web - was the transition from Intel processors So there you have it - a lot to think about certainly for the next 18 to Apple's own CPUs. This wasn't and shouldn't be a surprise given months. Despite all the great announcements, however, the internet that all iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches are powered by Apple did decide to focus on the small-fry iOS 14 home screen evolution. chips. These are based on the RISC (reduced instruction set comC'est la vie. puter) architecture pioneered by a company called ARM Holdings. There were a few standout moments, and embodied the ethos of Steve Jobs on a number of levels.
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THE ENVIRONMENTAL INSIGHT COLUMN IS NEW TO GIBRALTAR INSIGHT THIS MONTH AND WILL GIVE INFORMATION ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN GIBRALTAR AND FURTHER AFIELD, AND SHARE IDEAS AND RESOURCES TO HELP US LIVE MORE SUSTAINABLE LIVES AND ENGAGE WITH CONTINUING EFFORTS FOR CHANGE, FOR LOTS OF LITTLE BITS OF EFFORT ADD UP TO A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT. GIBRALTAR HAS AN AMAZING AND UNIQUE ECOSYSTEM, AND WE WANT TO HELP PROTECT IT IN ANY WAY WE CAN.
ALTAR RECYCLING IN GIBR I’ll be honest, when I came to Gibraltar I was surprised to learn that recycling isn’t collected door to door, though when you spend time here you realise that this may not be practicable with largely apartment living. However, only a small percentage of the population actively recycle, and otherwise environmentally aware people confess time and again that they don’t. Delving a little deeper into this, (and it is anecdotal evidence) you hear lots of resistance seems to be because the bins are not accessible and there’s a
THE ECO PARK
widely held belief that recycling in Gibraltar isn’t actually recycled. Now this isn’t about guilting people, but I was curious to learn if I was actually just wasting energy, bagging up recycling and walking it to the nearest recycling bin and keen to learn what happens to our recycling. So, I popped down to the Eco Park just off Devil’s Tower Road, and was pleasantly surprised by what I found there and to see the wide range of recycling of almost any materials that goes on…
The 5 brightly coloured recycling bins that are dotted in groups around Gibraltar are emptied by Britannia on a daily basis and they bring all the waste to the Eco Park, where it gets put into its respective areas and broken down. Items are sorted in Gibraltar and then they go off to their respective places, for further separation and processing. David Drury, Foreman kindly downed tools and gave me tour of the Eco Park, which is a hive of activity. It was striking how every item gets broken into its materials. For example, copper is stripped out of cables and pipes and cut into chips; their ‘gold’ as David says, as copper fetches the best return. Items are sorted into respective areas and then treated and taken out. A criticism I have heard levied against recycling in Gibraltar was that the bins are collected into one big trough, so there was no point in bothering to post tens into the correct coloured bin when you drop it off. However this is not the case; it is collected by materials type and as the photos here show, kept in its respective groups until being taken away for deeper processing. As David says, “Why would we make so much more for work for ourselves in having to sort the waste again?” Anyone who sees collections not happening correctly is urged to report it.
LTAR? WHERE DOES THE RECYCLING GO WHEN IT LEAVES GIBRA
BLUE BIN PAPER AND CARD BOARD Shredded and bailed and sent to Estepona plant to be processed
YELLOW BIN
GREEN BIN
GLASS PLASTIC, TETRABRIK AND ALL TYPES OF METAL ITEMS, Sent to recycling plant PINK BIN INCLUDING TINS, CANS, ALUMINIUM in Malaga FOIL AND FOIL TRAY WASTE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT Sent to the waste treatment ORANGE BIN (WEEE) ALL SMALL ITEMS plant in Los Barrios EG TOASTERS AND LAPTOPS COOKING OIL THAT RUNS ON ELECTRICITY Recycled into biodiesel Sent to recycling plant in by a local company Seville WORDS BY SOPHIE BLAKE
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ALTAR ACCESSIBILITY OF RECYCLING BINS IN GIBR There are around 300 recycling bins on 70 sites in Gibraltar. It seems there could be more bins in more locations in Gibraltar and this could remove the barriers to many in partaking in recycling. When asked about this HM GoG stated: “Plans have always been to continue increasing though we believe recycling bins are quite accessible to the majority, and that whoever wants to recycle is able to. Having said this, we are continuously working towards improving the service we provide, and always happy to take recommendations from the general public on board. Note however that there are constraints in respect to areas for the positioning of these, as well as that of accessibility to the locations for the servicing trucks.” It would be great to see more bins and we hope this will happen in
future. It is encouraging to learn from the Department of the Environment, Sustainability, Climate Change and Heritage that there is already a requirement as part of the Building Application process for new builds to supply their own recycling bins, which would in turn be serviced by HM GoG. However, it is unclear as to when it is going to be enforced that recycling bins will be installed in bin stores within new buildings.
WHY BOTHER TO RECYCLE ANYWAY? The best thing is of course to avoid single-use plastics and items if you possibly can, by making the switch to reusable drinks bottles and containers and so on. If you do use single use items, then the next best thing is to recycle them. If you just throw your rubbish into the usual trash, it will go into landfill. From there it will take between 400-1000 years to degrade. In the process of doing that, it break down into methane-releasing waste which will make its way into the ground water; so we will gradually pollute our waterways in addition to the micro plastics that are already infecting the water supplies. Also, much of the waste doesn’t actually stay in the ground as the landfill sites become eroded over time by rain, animals or birds, and items get blown away and ends up hundreds or thousands of miles away, polluting coastlines and waterways and becoming a problem for everyone. According to the World Economic Foundation, “32% of the 78 million tons of plastic packaging produced annually is left to flow into our oceans; the equivalent of pouring one garbage truck of plastic into the ocean every minute. If we carry on as usual, this is expected to increase to two per minute by 2030 and four per minute by 2050, meaning there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans.” These are horrifying projections and the fact that only 14% of global plastic packaging is collected for recycling presently, make it clear that we all need to do more.
If we all did a little bit, that would add up to a heck of a lot, and mean that the planet will be there for our grandchildren to enjoy. The situation really is that stark. We have ten years to change things or the climate will be irreversibly changed. As General Assembly President María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés (Ecuador) warned the UN last March: “we are the last generation that can prevent irreparable damage to our planet.” WE WOULD BE INTERESTED TO HEAR ANY OF YOUR COMMENTS OR FEEDBACK ABOUT RECYCLING, SO PLEASE DO GET IN TOUCH: HELLO@GIBRALTARINSIGHT.COM.
In addition to this, the natural resources of the world are of course finite, so recycling items such as plastic metal, glass or paper means that less of these are used. Not only that, raw materials have to be extracted (mined, quarried or logged), refined and processed all of which creates substantial air and water pollution. Recycling on the other hand saves energy: producing new aluminium from old products (including recycled cans and foil) uses 95% less energy than making new ones. The amount of energy saved from recycling one glass bottle could power an old 100-watt light bulb for 4 hours and a new low-energy LED equivalent for a lot longer, Greenpeace report. A reduction in greenhouse gas emissions helps to tackle climate change.
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FEATURE
LOCKDOWN STORIES:
Creativity still thrives JO WARD TALKS TO TWO FRIENDS OF GIBRALTAR, BOTH OF WHOM HAVE APPEARED AT THE GIBUNCO GIBRALTAR INTERNATIONAL LITERARY FESTIVAL IN THE PAST, ABOUT WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN DOING DURING LOCKDOWN AND HOW NEW AND UNEXPECTED AVENUES OF OPPORTUNITY HAVE ARISEN.
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FEATURE Author and publisher Christopher Lloyd is well known to many children, parents and teachers not only for his series of ‘What on Earth?’ books, but also for his exuberant storytelling of fascinating facts that make learning fun. Normally travelling the world giving talks and lectures (he should have been in Australia and South Africa in May); Chris tells me how life has taken a different twist. One of the things that came along was the opportunity to record an audio version of his book ‘Absolutely Everything’. “There are different ways of trying to process knowledge about the world and it is lovely being able to explore some of those. When I am writing, I try to imagine that I am reading out loud to a child because that is such a natural way for them to receive information, and this book lends itself perfectly to that.”
Christopher Lloyd
Something that Chris says will quickly overwhelm his life is a new venture. “My little publishing company signed a partnership last year with Britannica, known for the ‘Encyclopaedia Britannica’,” he explains. In 2012 Britannica gave up printing books to put the whole Encyclopaedia online. “They have realised that in a world of fake news, printing books that fascinate children and appeal to their natural curiosity is a really important part of their development.” Chris and his team have been busy working on building a whole list of ‘What on Earth?’ books, but also on a new imprint - Britannica Books - which will launch this autumn. “This will be the first new ‘Britannica Children's Encyclopaedia’to be produced for a generation,” he states. “The beautifully illustrated books will consist of a large volume with eight chapters, going from the beginning of time to the present day in a big overreaching story.” As if that weren’t enough, Chris has become involved in a new project to create a national online school in the UK. “This is about trying to connect what children do at school with what they can also do at home and to enable the learning experience to be not something that is physically limited by the school proximity and resources,” he tells me. The project will connect children with parents and industry experts to give them a real sense about careers and will show them the different opportunities and possibilities that can develop from whatever fascinates them at an early age. “Most importantly it will connect children with other children so they learn, inspire, criticise and communicate with each other,” Chris says. “Children are interested in different things and if you tell a child that they are going to learn something because it says so in the curriculum, their motivation levels are way down,” he explains. “If you ask a child what interests them and, for example, they say penguins and they go on to do a project about Antarctica, about ice, read and create poems about penguins or do maths through penguins, the child's motivation is much higher because they have a stake in the choice which they don't normally get.” “This paradigm has been missing from traditional education, but I do think there is now a tremendous potential to unleash some of that, and maybe we will look back and see lockdown as a moment where culture and behaviour was forced to change,” Chris comments, going on to say that he is full of optimism for the future of education. “The great strength of our species is how adaptable we are - we adapted to the ice ages by learning how to light and control fire; we adapted to climate change 10,000 years ago by learning how to farm and produce food in a new way rather than just relying on hunting, and we will adapt again, and adaptability in children is the best thing they can learn when they are young because who knows what the jobs of the future are going to be.” Lockdown has meant that Chris has been able to enjoy family time with his wife and two daughters at their home in Kent. “Apart from my undertaking twenty-four years’ worth of gardening in 3 months, we are very lucky to go walking in the countryside with our dogs, have picnics and BBQs and we even had a little rock concert here in the garden - we warned the neighbours, put up the big screen and speakers - and had great fun!” At the 2017 Literary Festival, Chris presented a new timeline book called “The Story of Gibraltar” and worked with some of the teachers here to show them how to integrate the story into history lessons. “I do hope that I can come back to Gibraltar and talk to you about all the exciting projects I have been involved in since then,” he says.
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Tim Bentinck aka David Archer from BBC Radio 4 series, The Archers, came to Gibraltar last year to talk about his autobiography ‘Being David Archer – And Other Unusual Ways of Earning a Living’. Tim tells me he has been very fortunate in that he has been able to work from home in North London. “I’ve got a little studio downstairs underneath the front steps where I am able to do recordings,” he says. These have included audio books, Automated Dialog Replacement (ADR), and a couple of audio dramas - Dr. Who and Space 1999. “I’m busier than ever!”
Tim Bentinck
When it comes to The Archers (celebrating its 70th anniversary this year) due to lockdown restrictions, large cast recordings with interaction between multiple characters had to be scrapped in favour of monologues recorded at the actors' homes. Tim’s character David Archer was the first voice to be heard. “For the first time, listeners get to hear what the characters ‘really think’, he says. “As actors, we're always after the sub-text - what we say is not necessarily what we mean. Now, what we think is not necessarily what we say!" These internal thought processes have enabled the listeners to get inside the head of the denizens of Ambridge as never before. “One revelation that came out is that David Archer plays the guitar, which I think might have been mentioned about 30 years ago,” Tim explains. “The idea is that he has got a guitar in the attic which he’s always wanted to get out and go down and play at the village pub, The Bull, and now on Facebook; they have been calling him Disco Dave!” Luckily, Tim can play the guitar, which is evident by the Fender and acoustic guitars visible on the wall behind him during our Zoom call. Tim has a long list of theatre, television and film credits to his name, and was in the middle of filming a big HBO series called The Nevers, an upcoming science fiction drama television series created by Joss Whedon of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Marvel films fame. “Unfortunately, it packed up because of the pandemic,” he states, “but hopefully we will get going again in the future.” The pandemic is revolutionising the world of performing arts and looking forward Tim knows that for TV and theatre, the ‘new normal’ will be very different to how it has been. “How can you film a realistic drama where people have got to remain two metres away from each other - you can't have intimacy, or people close to each other - it is going to be very weird,” he comments. He is also very concerned about what will happen to theatres when, and if, they are able to reopen. “You can’t have a theatre which is half empty; the idea is that when you are on stage performing to a packed auditorium there is an atmosphere, that's what theatre is all about.”
There is no doubt that the coronavirus crisis has hit the industry in unprecedented ways and Tim says that many of his actor mates are currently out of work. “The only people in the acting profession who are still working are those who are doing voice over work,” he remarks. “I do lots of dubbing and post-syncing and recently took my first foray out into the wide world and went into a studio - and there I was in a recording booth and I looked through the window and there was the engineer in another room, and the director was in another room with the monitor directing me - so it can be done, and what is really interesting is that people are finding ways of making this all work - to begin with they said 'we can't do this' - but they have found ways.” As with many of us, Tim has had time to expand his cooking skills. “I have always done a very good Spaghetti Bolognese and I have now extended that range to Chilli con Carne,” he laughs. “The upside of all this is that it has been really lovely spending time with my wife Judy and son Jasper, not having to rush off to work and then not seeing each other until the evening - with never a cross word being spoken.” As our chat came to an end, Tim’s parting comment was: “We had such a lovely time in Gibraltar and the people we met were great, so I do hope that we can come back again in the near future.”
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FEATURE The Land Rover is a unique creation. Part-quirk, part utility, partly soulful. Modern iterations of the marque sell well and are admired, but they don’t necessarily give off the fuzzy feeling of seeing vintage models, their warts and all. In the 1950s, and with a point to prove that the Land Rover was the all-round, go-anywhere utility vehicle, two sturdy 86” station wagons were lent to the Oxford & Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition. One named after each of the university towns. Fast-forward from 1955 to 2017, and SNX891 was enjoying a somewhat surreal retirement in fellow British Overseas Territory, St Helena. The plan to put her back together and mimic the original journey, the First Overland, was born. The Last Overland was “go”. Gibraltar Insight caught up with Thérèse-Marie Becker, digital editor for this epic trip. WE HAVE TO START BY ASKING, HOW DID YOU FIND AND RESTORE OXFORD, ESPECIALLY ALL THE WAY FROM ST HELENA? When the First Overland drove back from Singapore, the car was then used for another expedition before it was sold on to a team of British biologists who shipped the car to Ascension Island, right next to St Helena. Oxford was there for around a year, and at the end of their mission they gifted the vehicle to and that they decided to gift Oxford and another vehicle to their local guide.
but Tim was fully engaged and energised by the possibility of the expedition. Tim had the idea of taking a new route WHAT WAS THE MOTIVATION BEHIND TAKING A DIFFERENT ROUTE? Two reasons … one is obviously the political situation in some of the countries can be volatile and it didn’t make a lot of sense to go and be in a complicated place with a 65-year-old car. The second reason was that Tim didn't actually want to go through some of the countries he had been through before. Unfortunately, Tim fell ill at the critical departure time, so his grandson Nat George took his place. FOR CLARIFICATION, THAT’S QUITE A BIG TEAM TO FIT INTO AN 86-INCH LAND ROVER … YOU DID HAVE OTHER COMPANION CARS ON THE JOURNEY!? We had in 3 vehicles in total. We had Oxford, PAC - named from the number plate - a Defender 110, and then there was a Defender 90. HAS THIS ADVENTURE BEEN THE BEST THING YOU’VE EVER DONE? I think that this expedition has been one of the most beautiful highlights of my short life so far. Because it has been a true adventure of discovery and true adventure of being in touch with the unknown, and also being in touch with the things that we think that we know - but then discovering that it’s completely different.
This guide was - of course - very happy to accept both cars and
IN THE MISTS OF TIME, THERE IS WHAT YOU’D PROBABLY DESCRIBE AS THE ORIGINS OF AN URBAN MYTH. THAT THE HUMBLE LAND ROVER WAS THE FIRST MECHANICAL VEHICLE THAT SOME OF THE MORE REMOTELY DISTRIBUTED PARTS OF WORLD’S POPULATION CAME INTO CONTACT WITH. ON TOP OF THIS, LIKE ASTON MARTIN CARS, A SIZEABLE CHUNK OF THE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED ARE STILL IN USE, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. he then shipped them over to St Helena where he lived. Oxford was the older model of the two and he decided to make full use of the newer car, and use Oxford for spare parts (given the remoteness of St Helena). Oxford subsequently became a luxury chicken coop. It was no secret among the Land Rover fraternity that Oxford was in St Helena, and many dreamed of being able to ship her back to the UK. Adam Bennett is the person who was pivotal to enabling Oxford to make the journey back to British soil. He managed to convince her owner to trade for another, brand new Land Rover that was shipped to St Helena. Once the trade was done, and Oxford loaded into a container, it was evident that she been battered by time. Having said that, the car still had original paint although none of the mechanicals were functioning. Adam fully restored her in the UK, in what was a long labour of love. HOW DID SHE GET BACK TO THE UK? She came back by boat in a container and then found herself in Adam’s workshop where the restoration took about a year to complete.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SISTER VEHICLE, CAMBRIDGE, FROM THE FIRST OVERLAND? Actually we do you know exactly what happened but we don't know where it is and we don't know if Cambridge still exists. After the original expedition there was another trip, and one of the two vehicles crashed. Cambridge was in the desert and went into a ditch, and the passengers managed to escape. Rumour has it, that Cambridge remains in that ditch to this day. DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS FOR ANOTHER EPIC JOURNEY? I think so far the thing that is complicated is that with the coronavirus everything is put into a different perspective. We are definitely open for new projects! YOU SUPPORTED A FEW CAUSES FOR THIS TRIP - WHICH ONES AND WHY? Those causes were actually chosen by Alex and Marcus. We worked with three: Dementia UK, Walking With The Wounded and the Gurkha Welfare Trust. Alex’s grandfather had been battling with dementia for over ten years.
YOU’VE FOUND THE CAR, YOU’VE HAD THE DREAM - HOW DID YOU PUT THIS MASSIVE LOGISTICAL JIGSAW TOGETHER?
Walking With The Wounded provides venerable veterans independence through employment, and we thought it right to acknowledge and help former British Armed Forces personnel.
It was a very big project. I’m one of the last team members to have joined the expedition. The people who were really responsible for getting it off the ground were film-maker Alex Bescoby and serial overlander Marcus Allender.
Some Gurkhas actually met us along the route when we were in Pokhara, Nepal and we thought this was our way to give back, given their association with the British Army.
The team comprised Alex Bescoby, Marcus Allender, Larry Leong, Adam Bennett, Léopold Belanger, Nat George, David Israeli, Doctor Sil and me, Thérèse-Marie Becker. Alex had been inspired by Tim Slassor’s book The First Overland, which he had read while at university. Alex’s dad, Roger, is a huge Land Rover fan, and they had spoken about putting together an expedition based on what he had read in Tim’s book, which is considered by many as the bible of overlanding. The first stage was Alex making contact with Tim Slassor to get some advice, which then turned into route planning to bring Oxford home. Alex had expected a polite brush-off over a cup of tea,
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CAN WE CATCH-UP WITH WHAT HAPPENED ONLINE? The best place to look is www.thelastoverland.com where you’ll also find the links to our social media account and YouTube channel. A longer version of this interview is available as a podcast search Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google for Gibraltar Insight. Photo credits: The First Overland; The Last Overland; Léopold Belanger; Thérèse-Marie Becker; see more on Instagram @TheLastOverland
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FOOTBALL INSIGHT
INSIDE LYNX’S
YOUTH ACADEMY
THE LYNX YOUTH ACADEMY RETURNS IN FULL THROTTLE RECRUITING BOYS AND GIRLS RANGING FROM AGES 5 - 14 YEARS WITH ONE SIMPLE MESSAGE: "ALL SKILL LEVELS ARE WELCOME". This month we get to meet Joaquin Buhagiar, well known to his friends as "Jeky". Jeky commenced his coaching career in the late '80s whilst playing for a reserve team. Most Youth coaches pushed their youth players to the limit in search of a victory, but Jeky felt it was of great importance for the kids to have fun and enjoy the game. This mindset allowed the players to rediscover themselves and grow a passion for the game in a healthy environment. The kids had also learnt the importance of socializing with others and treating their teammates as equal members. Training every day, learning the basics of passing the ball, holding possession, shooting at goal, giving the kids the required tools to enjoy football, saw a significant improvement in the kids. Later that year, success came naturally to the players, who won the cup by 2-1 in the final. Jeky treasures that moment, as the team had a child with a physical disability and no belief in himself, but not only did Jeky give him the opportunity of being part of the team, he also gave him a taste for victory having made clear that everyone would play in every match. He remembers that moment as if it were yesterday, even though today's first-team players weren't even born in those days. Jeky had substituted one of his players and before going in, he told the player to stay beside the opposing keeper so that he couldn't go out to get the ball. They got a corner and the ball hit him on the head and went into the goal, leading his team to victory and crowned champions of the tournament. From this day on, the kids were like a band of brothers and started to win everything under the sun. Jeky took his youth team to a Liverpool tournament consisting of under 14s and even though they lost in the final 2-1, they brought back an unbelievable experience. They were invited to play the following day at the school of excellence of Liverpool FC, and the kids were all nervous in the changing room, but Jeky calmed them with this message: "Guys we came here to play in a football tournament. We missed out on winning the final but who cares, we have been
invited to play against Liverpool FC, so let's go out there and play football as you know, and don't forget to have fun." This speech was to make history, as the team went out to win the game by an incredible 12 - 0. After the under 15 season Jeky decided to give it a rest, after consecutive top place finishes and a memorable 4 - 1 victory in the Pepe Reyes Cup Final. Jeky was to become a hot prospect within the coaching ranks, boasting a wealth of knowledge bringing out the best in his players throughout his coaching career. Jeky is now Head of the Youth Academy of Lynx F.C., a position previously held by Raymond Gomez. Jeky is very proud to be part of the Academy along with his Youth Coaches Tracey Baglietto, David Costa, Craig Fortunato, Andrew Martinez, Colin Finlayson, Paco Hernández and senior members Albert Parody and Raymond Gomez. Raymond is now placing his full efforts as a Youth Coach of the Lynx Youth Academy and he will always be best remembered for his successful term as Head of the Youth Academy from 2014 2018. His presence was instrumental to the Youth’s growth and took on the mantle of adapting to the major changes implemented from becoming a UEFA member. Raymond had set the foundations for many years to come and we have been very fortunate to have such a strong team. We are forever grateful to know that our children’s futures are in safe hands and we cannot wait to see you join the mighty yellows, by calling us on 200 69695 or 57712000, now.
www.lynxfc.com
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ARMED FORCES INSIGHT
WREATH LAYING SERVICE British Forces Gibraltar personnel recently provided support to the Royal Engineers Association (REA) to mark the 100th anniversary of Sapper Walter Watts. Father Danny Hernandez, the Command Chaplain led a short wreath laying service at North Front Cemetery to support the Gibraltar Branch of the REA. Major Simon Andrews and Warrant Officer 1 (WO1) Chris Hatchard, members of the REA, laid a wreath at the grave of Sapper Watts, on behalf of his great niece Amanda Strutton. Walter was tragically killed on 29 November 1943 following an explosion in Gibraltar.
The Royal Gibraltar Regiment rolled out the red carpet to host His Excellency for the first occasion as Governor and Commander in Chief. The visit by Vice Admiral Sir David Steel allowed him to meet members of the RG in a socially-distanced parade which showcased the Regiment’s various capabilities. On parade were the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team, Recruiting Team, Motor Transport, soldiers and associated weaponry, the ceremonial Light Guns, and a selection of supporting staff.
His Excellency later addressed the troops to express his delight in meeting them and becoming Commander in Chief and looking forward to seeing more of them in the future.
Amanda had planned to travel to Gibraltar to visit Walter’s final resting place for the first time on what would have been his 100th birthday to lay the wreath in person. COVID restrictions, however, meant that this was no longer possible. Instead, video calling was used so that Amanda was able to be present virtually.
Following this part of his visit he signed the visitor's book, before discussions with the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Simon Dyson who updated him on the Regiment's current activities and plans. Others present for the visit were Major Tim Cumming (Second in Command), Major Dominic Collado (Aide De Camp) and Warrant Officer 1 (WO1) Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) Patrick Canepa.
COMMANDER RETIRES British Forces Gibraltar personnel said farewell to a stalwart of the Royal Navy. Commander Mike Maher has left the service after an innings lasting 40 years. During this time, he served on numerous warships, most notably HMS Cardiff during the 1982 Falkland Islands conflict. He joined the Navy as a boy sailor in 1980 and rose through the ranks to Chief Petty Officer. In 1992 he commissioned as an officer, and various sea and shore assignments at home and abroad followed. Commodore Tim Henry, Commander British Forces Gibraltar, Lieutenant
RG REMOTE PEACE KEEPING
Whilst he may have retired from military service, he will be taking up a Civil Servant role at HMNB Portsmouth. We wish you well!
NEW ARRIVALS ON THE ROCK
The Royal Gibraltar Regiment have been supporting peace operations training with Centro Conjunto para Operaciones de Paz de Chile (CECOPAC) since October 2018. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic where travel has been restricted, the Regiment has continued to provide the assistance requested by CECOPAC via remote means.
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Colonel Robert Lindsay, Chief of Staff and members of the Command gathered in the Tower to say farewell to Mike and his wife Julie, during a short (socially distanced) ceremony. Personnel then lined the main road from the Tower to the Naval Base gates to bid their own personal farewells to an extremely influential and charismatic member of the Gibraltar team.
Two Royal Navy P2000 vessels have been deployed in Gibraltar, awaiting active service. The vessels will form the transitional protection and deterrent from unauthorised craft entering British Gibraltar Territorial Waters. HMS Pursuer and HMS Dasher will be taking over duties from HMS Scimitar and HMS Sabre.
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FEATURE
ART
IN TH E T I ME O F C RI S I S Art has always been known to stir up emotions and some of us may have used it as a healing tool to soothe our souls and lift our spirits. How many times have you been engrossed by an artwork that has evoked strong emotions and given you a new insight into your way of dealing with issues in your life?
are and can be societies’ carriers of the virus, yet the teddy and lollipop represent innocence and naivety in this very warped time. My idea is to develop this into a painting dominated by very subtle greys/ earth tones.”
Art can also be a reflection of the artist’s struggles and internal conflicts and this is especially true in times of crisis when they turn to their craft to articulate their feelings.
it and there are numerous online tutorials out there too, so there are no excuses not to try something new.”
Another popular Gibraltarian artist is Gerry Martinez, whose muIn recent times, art has become even more important for some of rals can be spotted around town. “I have felt in control during us than ever before. It can take us out of the ‘new normal’ and into lockdown and I am convinced that it is due to art playing such a world full of possibility. It allows us to explore a pivotal role in my life,” she says. Gerry has been and move around freely in ways that we may not giving weekly art classes online with the Youth physically be able to, giving us the opportunity to Service, attending online life-drawing classes with “ART ENABLES connect to other worlds; foreign countries; times the Fine Arts Association, and has created a new US TO FIND gone by and, sometimes, the exotic and imposmural at a local nursery. Her entrepreneurial spirit sible. doesn’t stop there and she has also found time to OURSELVES AND co-create a new business supporting local artists Lockdown has given some of us the opportuniLOSE OURSELVES and artisans. “Life would be dull without art,” she ty to discover latent artistic talents, spurred on in comments. “Spending at least once a week doing many cases with inspiration from artists such as AT THE SAME TIME.” something creative is so therapeutic mentally; you Turner Prize winner Grayson Perry in his Channel are present in that moment (and nothing else mat4 show ‘Grayson’s Art Club’ where viewers were – THOMAS MERTON ters at that point in time), you can make mistakes encouraged to send in art they had made on a where there are no consequences, you can be theme he had chosen. yourself where there is no judgement and for me it is an extension of my mindfulness and meditation practices.” Gibraltar’s own Christian Hook painted singer Will Young in Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Week, a lockdown edition of the comGerry says that being creative makes you think ‘outside the box’ petition he won six years ago, during which budding artists were and it has allowed her to be flexible and adapt to these challenggiven the chance to paint a different celebrity from home during ing times. “I recommend everyone (especially the cynics) to try a the live weekly paint-along. creative hobby; you will be surprised with what you can get out of
Karl J Ullger is a well-known local artist who has always found art to be cathartic, but even more so recently. “I’ve been fortunate during this period to be working assisting the GHA and HMGoG along with another 4 designers and creatives to design and develop an awareness campaign in regard to the Covid-19 pandemic,” he says. “It is very gratifying during such difficult times to be able to contribute and play a role whereby I can use my creative strengths in aiding the Government and to help people combat this virus locally.”
Twitter or Instagram: @ullger_art / Facebook: Karl J Ullger Artworks Facebook: @geraldinemartinezart
Karl explains that he has been in full creative mode producing sketches and paintings. “Even though I am known for my landscapes, the work produced during this period has been in response to the pandemic and looking closely at portraiture commissioned by clients.” One of these paintings is titled Covid19: The Carrier which Karl says is more of an adapted illustration where we see a young child in army gear with a lollipop in the back pocket and a distressed teddy bear hanging from the back pack. “The child soldier is holding a balloon-like object which is clearly representing the coronavirus. The ink study represents how children
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MOTORING INSIGHT
I KNOW YOU GOT
SOUL! WHEN I FIRST SAW THE KIA SOUL BACK IN 2008, I DID THINK TO MYSELF, ‘WHAT ON EARTH IS THIS, AND WHAT ARE KIA THINKING ABOUT’. I DID THINK THE DESIGN WAS A BIT, OR A LOT TOO DIFFERENT, AND JUST NOT MODERN ENOUGH, TO PUT IT BLUNTLY, IT LOOKED AWFUL, WITH NO APPEAL WHATSOEVER. BUT OVER THE YEARS, KIA HAVE CHANGED THE EXTERIOR STYLING, AND ALTHOUGH IT IS BASICALLY THE SAME DESIGN FORMAT, IT HAS IMPROVED AS THE YEARS HAVE GONE ON, AND HAS BECOME MORE ACCEPTABLE.
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MOTORING INSIGHT The latest version of the Soul does look so much nicer, with a much improved front end, softer lines and a very modern and sleek front end, with some very nice lights. The Soul I drove recently near Henley-on-Thames was the EV version, or to be more precise the ‘First Edition’ which has a UK list-price of circa £33,795. This car is fully loaded with lots of goodies, including: leather upholstery, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, 17” alloy wheels, trip computer, satellite navigation, reversing camera, though I’m not a fan of these, Bluetooth, I am a fan of this, automatic headlight control, and so the list goes on.
To drive the Soul is so easy, you just press the start button, there is no sound, then press the button to go forwards or backwards, and off you go, so silently. The advantage of an electric car is if you are leaving home early in the morning, you do not wake anyone up, but an even bigger advantage is if your home late at night, you can creep up your road, on your drive in complete silence, and no nosy neighbours hear you come and go, no curtains twitching. But with it being so quiet, you do need to be aware that other road users particular pedestrians and cyclist Once out on the road the Soul EV is so easy to drive, you just press the accelerator pedal, and off it goes, all you have to
The EV on the Soul means Electric Vehicle, and that is exactly what it is. It is fully electric with no engine - neither petrol nor diesel. There are positives and negatives with an Electric vehicle, with no pun intended. The positives are the simple fact that there are no tailpipe emissions, so helping the air we breathe, and the planet, but we really don’t know how much pollution is created in the making of electricity to power the thing, I am reliably informed that pollution from power stations is getting less and less as time goes on and these plants get cleaner. The negatives are that Electric Vehicles from all manufacturers are relatively more expensive than the petrol or diesel-powered equivalent, even after any green incentives ar deducted. The range can also be an issue as many only have a range of around 200km on a full charge. The Soul can go up to 450km, so going around Gibraltar, this could last many days. But a return trip to Malaga of around 250km is achievable with some Electric left in reserve, but go further than up the coast and you would need to stop, and find somewhere to recharge and spend some time, and money buying tea or coffee or soft drinks waiting for it to get more kilometres in the battery. With my experience of charging electric cars, it normally takes longer to charge than the advertised time. At home I have a charging box in the garage and although it has a 3-pin plug, it does take a while to get a car fully charged, even an overnight charge generally is not enough. Add to that the fact I need to leave the garage door open, as it will not close with the cable going on the floor, so security overnight is an issue for me.
do is steer it. It is incredibly quick too, it’s off like a rocket, no messing, and unlike a petrol or diesel there is no lag in the acceleration, no waiting for the engine to burst into life, from pressing the pedal to it going quickly is immediate, with more than enough power. Around town it is a dream to drive, so easy and all the controls are in the right place and so intuitive. The sat nav is easy to use and very accurate. We drove the Soul on quite a cold day, so put the heater on as soon as we got in the car, and within literally seconds it was toasty warm, the car was warm immediately. The Electric car revolution is apparently coming, and here in Gibraltar it is the perfect place to use one, providing you can charge it up, and you don’t want to go far, and have plenty of money to buy one. You have to wonder if a small cheap petrol or diesel runabout will do the same job as an expensive EV. The advantage of an EV is there are few, if any running costs apart from buying electricity. As there are no components to fail, the brakes are hardly used as braking is done by the electric system, and the car automatically slows down when you take your foot off the accelerator. It is a very clever system and KIA have got it absolutely spot-on.
KIA have mastered the EV system and are probably now one of the best in the industry for getting maximum range, for minimum cost. The 450km range is class leading, with few other Electric cars being able to offer anything like this range. But the 450km is not guaranteed, it will use much more electric at higher speeds on motorways, it will use more with the air conditioning on at full power, and lights being on will affect range. Now the technical bit, the Soul EV has a 64Kw Electric Motor, with an equivalent power output of 201 bop. It goes from 0-100km in a very quick 7.6 seconds. The battery pack is Lithium-ion polymer, and it has a top speed of 167kph, try doing that between here and Malaga, not a chance. The charging times, according to Kia UK are: 3-pin household plug AC 230v 31 hours, AC 7.2kW 9hrs 35 mins, DC charge 50kW 1hr 15 mins and using a quick charger which are few and far between, 54 mins. I personally don’t understand the AC/DC and kW technology, so won’t try and explain it, I’ve just copied it from their Press Pack, so I assume they know what they are talking about!!
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The Soul still looks a bit odd and not to everyone’s taste, so that goes against it a bit. But others love it, like its quirky design and just how practical and flexible it is. I really enjoyed the time spent in it, and it did everything it was supposed to. But would I buy an electric car? Any electric car? Probably not at the moment, but over time, I may change my mind.
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FEATURE
THE
WALLS OF GIBRALTAR
WORDS BY FREDDIE GOMEZ 40
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THE CITY WALLS OF GIBRALTAR By its very nature and as a fortress, Gibraltar’s walls were for centuries an essential and only means of defense and counter-attack. The main “Line Wall” stretched from north to south along what was, just prior to the turn of this century, the western shore-line. As such the Moors were the first to have started the construction of this wall, whilst the Spaniards build theirs more or less on top of it. And subsequently during the British period of occupation and in particular during the 19th century this same wall was reconstructed and strengthened and it’s this very same wall that stands out as a unique and distinctive feature to modern-day Gibraltar. Apart from the northern and western line of defensive walls, the Moors constructed an east-west wall up the mountain which separated Gibraltar from the north and the south (Very little of this wall is visible today) However the one build by the Spaniards parallel to it in the 16th century, known as Charles V Wall is very much in evidence, which marked the southern boundary limits of the old town. In contrast with the sheer north face of the Rock and the near vertical precipices of the eastern side, is realization enough, why no defensive walls were ever necessary there.
ROSIA ROAD South Jumper’s Bastion, Constructed on top of a previous Spanish Bastion, “Bastion de Santa Cruz” one the first of the Spanish fortifications to have been seized by the British in 1704.
On August 1st 1704 the Spaniards capitulated the Rock of Gibraltar to the British,(which in 1462 had been taken from the Moors) At the time and under the Spanish Present day, a sorry state of affairs when Governor who run affairs in Gibraltar most taking into consideration the amount of of the defense fortifications and Line Walls years of total neglect that this heritage site had been in a state of dilapidation and in has been left for and the state it finds itself need of repairs for sometime, still this same at the present. Governor anticipating the eminent attack upon the Rock, resolved to defend the Rock It wasn’t long after capitulation that the to it’s last extremities and set about rearming Spaniards laid siege to the Rock one again, and making ready the fortifications as best within the preceding 2 following months as it would have been possible. The fortificaSeptember and October of 1704, of which tions at the time consisted of a strong Line both attempts were unsuccessful, since the Wall, which had other fortifications such as British had taken the rock they had added Towers, Fords, Bastions and Batteries with and repaired most of the Batteries, Bastions embrasures for cannon running all along and in particular the Line Wall, together the western fringe, from north to south of with the Land port which was protected by the Rock and terminated at both ends with a Battery of cannon, on the eastern side the 2 moles, the New Mole and Old Mole Head. Devils Both of which were well armed with heavy Tower was armed with a cannon and surordinance (cannons) and also re-enforcing rounded by a double ditch, whilst to the the Land port (which was the only entrance extreme north of the Rock the Inundation into Gibraltar at the time) and the Moorish (present area of the Laguna Estate and Castle which offered a clear view of the bay. Glacis Estate) was laid with a formidable The initial attack was directed upon the New system of advance obstacles in the form of Mole and the ford of Torre del Tuerto (Onedouble ditches, thereby halting any attack eyed man tower) the state of disrepair that that might come form the Isthmus. both these fortifications had suffered was enough so as not to stand the intense cannonade, and these where soon abandoned, CORRAL ROAD to which the British decided on landing and North Bastion and former site of a Spanish seizing both these fortifications. The whole The black lines denote the British Tower. (Torre de la Giralda) of the landing party next advanced northfortifications as they were in 1875, wards along the Line Wall and also seized the the Line Wall that runs from north This wall is one the best examples exposed Bastion de Santa Cruz (later named Jumpto south of the western fringe of as to the actual construction of the Line Wall ers Bastion in memory of Captain Jumper the Rock, was originally build by which starts here and extends further south, the Moors, and later build upon by of H.M.S.Lennox who together with Captain the bottom half and half as much buried unthe Spaniards with added fortifiHicks (also from H.M.S.Lennox) were the der the road level is the Moorish wall with cations, and subsequently by the first to land on Gibraltar, unfortunately both scanty traces of Spanish alterations, whilst British as well as those constructwere blown up with 40 other men when a the British alterations to the height of the ed by the British themselves. mine was detonated upon their landing) at wall are fully appreciated in the different the same time and further north a constant methods of construction using locally quarbarrage of cannonade had been kept on Fort ried material in the form of rectangular or Leandro (Old Mole Head) which resulted in the destruction semi-rectangular blocks. A geological lithology (distinctive of the Fort and the capture of the Mole. With the 2 principal features of rocks such as texture, fabric and composition) of defense position taken, the Line Wall now in total possession the wall is indicative that most of the material that make the 3 of the British, and most of their ordinance destroyed, the bedifferent types of wall, are of local origin, the same source of sieged saw no other option but to capitulate, a flag of truce material can be found in different places on the Rock. was raised and the Governor expressed his desire to capitulate the Rock of Gibraltar to the Crown of Great Britain. Article supplied by History Society Gibraltar. Email: historysocietygibraltar@hotmail.com
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BOOK REVIEW
SMALL GREAT THINGS BY JODI PICOULT Jodi Picoult has been one of my favourite authors for as long as I can remember. She writes with a sensitivity and respect for exceptionally difficult subject matters that truly takes my breath away at times. Small Great Things is no exception. Ruth is a midwife at a Connecticut hospital. She has seen a great deal in the twenty plus years of her career, and a routine checkup on a newborn baby surely does not faze her. However, she is abruptly reassigned to another patient, for no other reason than the fact that she is African American, and the baby’s parents are white supremacists. Ruth is understandably shocked and hurt by this decision, but ultimately respects the hospitals’ wishes and quietly moves along to the next patient, not wishing to cause a fuss. Suddenly, the newborn goes into cardiac distress, whilst Ruth is alone on shift at the nursery. Ruth is faced with a choice, whether to intervene or not, the outcome of which will have severe consequences. As readers, we can almost come to expect that Picoult’s novels can at times become formulaic: a major human rights issue is explored in direct relation to the protagonists, some type of dilemma occurs, and a court-case ensues. I admire the great lengths that Picoult goes to in her research about the legalities of her subject matters, in this case, racism and its impact on institutions. She also delves into medical malpractice, which is a nuanced topic, and the human rights of minors. Picoult is an empathetic and emotionally intelligent writer. She presents her characters in ways that are not judgemental, but rather lay their triumphs and flaws bare for the reader to guzzle up, all at once, and make up their own minds. This book is a challenging read; it made me very uncomfortable in parts. However, I would argue that books, as with any art form, should inspire some type of reaction in the reader, even if it is distressing.
idealistic, but that was the author’s artistic choice and I have to respect her craft. I suggest reading the Author’s Note at the end, to really make sense of the epilogue. This is a divisive book, which has received much mixed opinion on popular book review websites. I will agree that this is not a book for everyone, due to how intense and thought-provoking the content is. Nevertheless, Small Great Things is a powerful and important read, particularly relevant in today’s social climate, and I hope it is one you will enjoy, dear reader.
AVID READER AND BOOK LOVER KIM HAS WORKED AS A LIBRARIAN IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR AS WELL AS SCHOOLS.
I do have a slight gripe with the ending, as I feel it is perhaps too
WORDS BY KIMBERLEY PECINO
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FEATURE The excellent series of Friday Night Live Safe Edition - virtual concerts organized by Dion Mifsud and Nolan Frendo of Jetstream came to a close in early June as the lockdown of the Rock gradually eases back. The last concert on June 5 was introduced by Chief Minister Fabian Picardo, who had warm words in support of the great initiative taken by the music community to help people with weekly live entertainment during the at first dark days of lockdown. What started as modest but good efforts to impress viewers with live performances recorded, was over the weeks refined technically with Zoom split screen presentations and quality video work, matched only by the ‘week on week’ challenges that the artists imposed on themselves to refine their virtual segments and interpretations to benchmark standards. And there were many genres covered and memorable contributions too. Friday Night Live became the highlight of the week for many viewers, who would also then share the video clips online. Every Friday each performer tried harder and the love shown in the live comments during their performances came back with even more warmth and appreciation. Having watched many outstanding performances during the series, I was prompted early on to suggest to the organisers that this feast of good music cannot be lost and should be properly catalogued. It is after all history in the making – illustrating how Gibraltarians came together in a time of crisis, and at every level, we were all in support of a common aim. Our selflessness in order to help others and now that the series has ended the unenviable task to produce perhaps ‘a gift set of the very best of
‘Friday Night Live’ lockdown concerts come to an end FNL’ in aid of charity falls on the organisers. There are copyright issues involved of course but perhaps with a charity angle (Calpe House or RICC - there are many others) the rights to sell the FNL compilation as a keepsake of the lockdown can be waived. Already there are noises of staging a real ‘Live’ concert, whenever that may be possible, to celebrate the FNL artists’ achievements and who knows it might also be the best time to launch the suggested compilation gift set if we manage to get the product ready on time. We have plenty of time because even the autumn doesn’t yet look clear as a time when mass gatherings such as concerts might be allowed locally. There were far too many artistic contributions over the series and it would not be fair to highlight some and ignore all others and so no names have been mentioned here. However the organisers posted a credits list on their Facebook page (@ Friday.Night.Live.Gibraltar) with names of artists, sponsors, technical facilitators and a host of others who together rose to the occasion and put on a weekly showpiece of musical history in the making. Long after the lockdown is forgotten the ‘Friday Night Live’ virtual concerts will live on in the memory of the many who stayed glued to their screens and watched gobsmacked at the sheer quality and professionalism coming from ‘the class of 2020 music community’. They are all in our hearts already and maybe they can be on our shelves too. We have time to flesh out this project and turn it into reality, recorded for posterity.
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The 2020 Sovereign Asian Art Prize receives record number of entries The Sovereign Art Foundation (SAF) Finalists exhibition is currently showing in Hong Kong and features 31 mid-career artists shortlisted for The 2020 Sovereign Asian Art Prize, the 16th edition of Asia’s most prestigious prize for contemporary artists. SAF is a charitable organisation that raises funds for programmes that support disadvantaged children through expressive arts. The Prize is now recognised as one of the most coveted annual awards in the region with a Grand Prize of US$30,000. Nurturing talent from across Asia Pacific, The Prize has acted as a springboard to help artists go on to achieve record prices as well as gain invaluable exposure to wider audiences. This year, over 600 entries from 30 countries and regions were submitted, marking the largest number of entries in the award’s history. A board of 88 independent arts professionals - mostly curators and academics who work closely with artists in their respective regions - nominated 400 mid-career artists into The Prize. The 31 finalists were shortlisted by a panel of five world-class art specialists, namely; writer, curator, and museum director David Elliott, Arts Editor of Financial Times Jan Dalley, art historian, curator, writer and art strategy consultant Jiyoon Lee, artist and Professor at Central Academy of Fine Arts Miao Xiaochun, and contemporary Chinese artist Zhou Li. Visitors to the exhibition and global audiences alike can vote for their favourite artist online, to win the Public Vote Prize, which will be announced on July 17, along with the winner of the Grand Prize. A virtual tour of the exhibition is also available online. The shortlisted artworks are offered for sale through auction by Christie’s Hong Kong, with selected works available to purchase online. Proceeds will be split evenly between the artists and SAF, where they will be used to fund charitable programmes for disadvantaged children. SAF presents a unique model in many ways as the prize not only helps develop and support mid career artists but it also enriches the lives of disadvantaged children with the money it raises.
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In 2003, Howard Bilton, Chairman of The Sovereign Group (which was founded in Gibraltar in 1987), devised a plan to build a Foundation in Hong Kong that used art to fund and promote art programmes. The aim was not only to elevate the profiles of mid-career contemporary artists; but also help disadvantaged children living in Asia. To this end, Howard established The Sovereign Art Foundation (SAF) and consequently, The Sovereign Asian Art Prize. Of the current exhibition, Howard said: “This group of artworks may be the strongest we have ever had. We ask nominators to send us the very best mid-career artists working in their country today, this guarantees artwork of extraordinary quality and means that instead of asking for donations, we can give our supporters an opportunity to buy investment-quality art. Most of the funds raised from the sale of these artworks will be applied locally towards our Make It Better (MIB) programme - an initiative that supports children from low- income backgrounds and with special educational needs in Hong Kong. We are surprised and a little outraged that in one of the richest cities in the world, one person in every five lives below the official government poverty line. There is huge wealth disparity in Hong Kong and this gap needs to be narrowed. We cannot solve this problem on our own, but that will not stop us from trying to make things better. Results of a study conducted by The University of Hong Kong indicate that the MIB programme has a significant positive impact on the children who take part. We hope that our generous supporters will share our beliefs and once again help us raise enough to make a difference.” The Prize and exhibition is supported by a programme of events, including an art forum and live auction. You can view the artworks, register interest and vote for your favourite artwork online at: SovereignArtFoundation.com. Clockwise from top left / Thyitar Marriage / Almagul Menlibayeva - Caspian Palms / Peggy Chan - Specimen Tree / Alex Seton Oilstone - Corrosion / Anniketyni Madian - Begaras / Rushdi Anwar - Placeless Burden Towards.
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OF THE MONTH
OF THE MONTH
INCE He is approximately 5 years old and is a real sweetheart who adores being with people. This poor boy was left to starve but thankfully he was rescued and is now receiving professional training while he waits for his forever home! To adopt Luis or one of the many dogs awaiting their forever home https://www.ainf.gi Facebook: Animals In Need Foundation (Adopt a Rescue Dog Gibraltar)
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FEATURE A VET'S
INSIGHT
TICK BORNE DISEASES Ticks are prevalent in our environment and can potentially cause disease in our pets. In this article I am hoping to overview the various diseases they can transmit in this part of the world. What is common of all the tick borne diseases is that they are often insidious diseases with vague clinical symptoms that are often difficult to recognise. A dog might be slightly off colour and the owner often attributes it to just a bit of malaise that does not need addressing. In many cases when the pet is presented for treatment the disease is so advanced that it is untreatable.
EHRLICHIOSIS AND ANAPLAMOSIS (TICK FEVER) These are diseases spread by the Brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus. What is unique to this species of tick is that it can complete its whole life cycle indoors, so if left unchecked it can become a pest in homes and kennels. Symptoms of these diseases are multiple and varied, enlarged lymph nodes, lethargy, anaemia, tremors, neurological signs, limb oedema, collapse etc. Treatment of these illnesses is protracted and rarely is the dog totally cured of this parasite, an obligate intracellular bacterium, the patient will go into remission with treatment but regular testing must be undertaken throughout the dog’s life to measure the load level of this parasite in the blood. Regular treatments throughout the life of the dog will usually be necessary, so if your pet has been treated for this illness do not assume it is parasite free, regular testing will be required!
BORRELIOSIS (LYME DISEASE) This is a disease caused by a bacteria that is spread by the tick Ixodes. There are various species of Ixodes that live in rodent and wildlife (e.g. deer) reservoirs in which they cause no apparent problems. The main presenting sign for Lyme disease is joint pain and swelling, often the dog is running a fever. Dogs often present as if walking on eggshells, with general pain and malaise. However there are cases where the dog presents with intermittent lameness that resolves spontaneously but then recurs. So if your pet has episodic bouts of lameness and there is a history of tick problems then ask your vet to carry out a test for this disease.
There are a couple of treatment options for this illness and in endemic areas a vaccination is available. However early diagnosis is critical, if your pet has had ticks and is looking pale and is lethargic get it to a vet ‘pronto’.
BARTONELLOSIS IN CATS This is a bacteria that is found in rodent wildlife reservoirs, it causes no illness in these animals. It can be passed to cats by fleas and ticks and usually does not cause clinical disease in them unless they are immune-suppressed. Symptoms can be varied: fever, anaemia and internal organ failure. This bacteria can also cause infections in humans, colloquially known as cat scratch disease, and again can cause serious illness in immune- suppressed individuals. In summary, ticks can cause quite serious, potentially life-threatening illness in your pet. If you walk your dog in the country or he goes to kennels regularly always make sure he has protection against the tick. Prevention is much better than cure and there are a couple of excellent products on the market. If your pet has had ticks in the past and is ‘off colour’, without any apparently serious disease make sure you get it blood tested, you could end up saving your best friend’s life!.
Treatment is also with a prolonged course of antibiotics but often the disease goes into remission and retesting throughout the dog’s life is necessary.
BABESIOSIS This is a protozoal disease spread by various types of ticks that infects red blood cells, can cause an acute anaemia in immune-compromised animals, but more generally the animal presents with jaundice, weakness and general malaise. Infection with babesia is often in tandem with ehrlichia and in these cases the clinical signs can be severe. Thankfully this disease is not seen frequently in our part of the world.
For more information please phone Gibraltar Vetinary Clinic on 200 77334
WORDS BY MARK PIZARRO
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ON THE ROCK
If you are on any social media sites and follow any craft related pages or blogs, the chances are you've seen some amazing creations using casting resin. Resin is the perfect medium for making your own jewellery pendants, earrings, dioramas and so much more. You can colour resin, cast things into it, shape it... the possibilities literally are endless! And the best part is, it's now even easier to do yourself in the comfort of your own home. The two most popular types of resin are: 2-part epoxy resin & UV resin. Epoxy resin is the most common, it consists of two chemical compounds that need to be measured precisely and mixed together. It sets very hard but does take quite some time to cure (harden); usually 12 hours or more. It's also extremely smelly. But there is now an amazing alternative, which is even easier to use (and less offensive on the nose too) called UV curing resin. It's
used in the same way as epoxy resin, except there is no need for measuring or mixing. All you need to cure UV resin is ultraviolet light. The fastest way to cure UV resin is with a UV lamp but you can also leave it out in the sun. Lamp curing takes approx. 3-6 minutes, whereas natural sunlight takes 30-60 minutes.
SO WHAT DO I NEED? Whichever type of resin you chose to use, the first thing you need is a silicone mould, pendant frame or cabochon. You can make these yourself (although it is a little tricky and time consuming) or you can buy a variety of shapes and sizes.
CRAFT CORNER
GETTING STARTED It really is easy to get started, pick your mould and have a think about how you'd like your creation to look and gather your materials. Pour your resin into your mould, then add any extras. Sometimes adding things into your resin can create little air bubbles but you can pop these with a pin, also tapping your mould gently on a hard surface will bring any other bubbles to the surface. If you are using a metal pendant frame, you'll need to stick the frame to a piece of tape first, this makes a seal under your frame, so the resin doesn't leak out. These rolls of blue tape have a special finish so they won't ruin the surface of the resin when cured; you could use ordinary sticky tape, but the adhesive may give an uneven finish.
If you're using a cabochon or silicone mould, all you need to do before beginning, is make sure your mould is clean, free from any dust or debris and dry. Be aware that the resin will start to cure quite soon after pouring so you'll want to work fairly quickly. Once you're happy with your design just pop it under the UV light (if using UV resin). Most small UV lamps are designed to turn off after 1 minute so you may have to turn it back on once or twice to complete the curing process (depending on the thickness of the resin). Lightly touch the resin to check its fully cured before removing from the mould. If you chose to use a pendant frame or cabochon, please note the resin isn't designed to be removed from these.
If using UV resin, the other thing you'll need is a UV light (or plenty of direct sunshine) mini nail lamps work perfectly and are fairly inexpensive.
With epoxy, place the mould somewhere safe to cure for 12-24 hours... it's that simple.
As for inclusions, (the things you put into your creations) you can use pretty much anything as long as it isn't perishable or wet.
TOP TIP!
• Candy usually works though, as do dry foods like dried beans or rice. • Hollow objects like pressed flowers or shells may create air bubbles (which you can pop with a pin when the resin is still liquid) • Fabric and paper need to be coated with a sealer; you can use glue or varnish before casting or they'll turn transparent, which can be a nice effect on its own. If you're in doubt about whether you can put it in resin, research it! Someone has probably tried something similar. You can also colour resin using resin colourant, note that it is highly pigmented though, so a little goes a long way.
If you are casting something a little heavier into your resin such as a metal shape, try putting a thin layer of resin in your mould and curing it first, then add your item along with more resin. This lifts the object from the base of the mould and adds some dimension to your project. So, what are you waiting for? Why not stock up on supplies and let's get casting!
DitzyB Craft Supplies & Workshops, +350 200 44665 www.DitzyB.com
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and DitzyB Images courtesy of Let's Resin
MUM
PACS
EAK?
R A BR
IME FO IS IT T
Normally at the end of June, we are all ready for a break from the daily grind. The summer term is usually a social whirl of parties, end of clubs, sports days etc. This summer term couldn’t have been more different. As we approach the “summer break” it just feels like another few months of entertaining the children. Whilst that is of course fun, it is also a little daunting. Keeping your child’s routine is more important than ever. Now that lockdown has eased somewhat, socialising your child is much easier. Trips to the beach or the park will help keep them entertained. Whilst there, why not try some of the activities that they enjoy at Playgroup. You could go on a “Bear Hunt” in Commonwealth Park. Or take some construction vehicles to the beach and make a construction site. If you are having a day at home, try some finger painting or make something from one of our Cooking Club videos. And if you just want to sit and have a cup of tea whilst they watch some television, that’s fine too!
Now more than ever it’s important that you take time for yourself. It’s been a long few months, some days I’m sure have been more difficult than others. A well-rested parent means a happy parent, which results in a happy child! Don’t forget to keep checking our Facebook Page for updates. We are working hard to plan for our return. We hope to see you all again soon.
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FEATURE
CALL OF DUTY: WORKING ON THE NHS FRONT LINE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC Whilst the world was being ravaged by Covid-19, and we in Gibraltar prepared for a mass outbreak that did not arrive, one local GP decided that she wasn’t going to wait out the worst of the pandemic in the relative comfort of Gibraltar. So April Nilsen Nunn moved herself and her family of five back to the UK and worked solidly for almost 2 months. Here she tells her remarkable story of being on the frontline of the pandemic. “When the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, I signed up for helping the GHA, but never got the call as the health system here wasn’t overstretched. I work at the Specialist Medical Clinic in Gibraltar, but I’m also a UK registered doctor having trained and worked there for 11 years before coming to Gibraltar. The NHS trained me and made me the doctor I am today so I owe it a great deal. As I am General Medical Council registered, I do a certain amount of weeks a year practicing in the UK, to maintain my GMC status and keep up with current guidelines. In early March I went and worked for a week in Leeds, and was shocked by how little normal life had changed, given Spain had just gone into a strict lockdown, and it was worrying to see people still going to bars, shops and supermarkets as if there was no risk out there. I thought, if the UK is like this now and hasn’t shut down like the rest of the world has, it is going to be so baldly hit. I could see the strain starting to show on my colleagues, so I flew back and said to my husband ‘pack your bags, we are going back’; after all, the GHA didn’t need me and the children were off school and I am lucky that David Deardon, my boss fully supported me going back to support the NHS. It started to kick off the week we got back to the UK. My friend found us an apartment in Leeds city centre, they were doing lots of rental deals. The UK went into lockdown on 23 March, but it felt like by then the damage had been done. I work in emergency care when I go back to the UK, on the 111 service in North Manchester, Yorkshire & Norfolk. The 111 is the out-of-hours GP service, non-emergency helpline. Depending on the location, Doctors in this service either see patients in the 111 treatment centres, home visits, or give telephone consultations. After a few weeks in Leeds we moved to Norfolk. April was a brutal time, I struggled and broke down from what I saw there. Norfolk has a lot of elderly people and Covid doesn’t like elderly people. I covered the roving car doing house visits, as well as working in the treatment centre and a lot of our work moved on to the phones, as far fewer people came in person; people did listen to the government advice to stay home.” Despite many news reports from the time, fortunately April did not experience a lack of PPE in her area and as an acute doctor she had to be well kitted out as was visiting multiple residences in a day. However April found going into care homes surreal, as she would go in wearing full PPE, but was shocked that staff in the homes were just dressed in their normal uniform without any PPE. This made April feel uncomfortable and concerned for the care home staffs’ welfare. If there had been a Coronavirus outbreak in a residence it would be certified as Covid - positive and April wouldn’t be allowed in, so would instead consult by phone and leave any required
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FEATURE medicines on the doorstep, such as steroid medicines or inhalers. “It was difficult as a doctor because your every instinct is to help and be able to treat patients. This is why it hit a lot of healthcare professionals so hard; you have all these machines to help patients breathe, but you cannot fight the virus for them. As a doctor, I was powerless against the virus; if you break your leg I will help you mend it, if you have an earache, I can help you, against this virus we had nothing, so that’s way we wanted people to not catch it in the first place.” She also mentions it's worth remembering that 85% of people who caught it recovered well from it. “A lot of our work was managing Covid anxiety at the beginning, and then as things developed, many people did have Coronavirus, we were supporting them at home. We got very good at telephone triage very quickly. If people needed an ambulance we could work out from their symptoms what was needed. We also had the usual emergency calls coming through, because children were still falling over, people were still having heart attacks so we were still attending to these patients, albeit it to a lesser degree. In her typically self-effacing style though, April asserts that the real credit should go to the paramedics, as the ambulances were still going out no matter what and they took the brunt of the cases. “They were the heroes; and would often go out where GPs wouldn’t be allowed to, and have to enter Covid - positive homes. The ambulance crews have to respond to every call. Also the intensivists probably had a horrible pandemic; knowing that 70%if patents wouldn’t get out (which is the case for any intensive care not just Covid) they also had to wear those uncomfortable suits for long shifts. April knew that the necessity for her to be in the UK was starting to come to an end when the calls started to be about anxiety and people saying they didn’t feel right, having had Covid, or were surprised at how long it was taking them to recover. As she says: “it is a very nasty respiratory virus and it can linger for a long time.” Incredibly, April worked 51 out of the 56 days she was back in the UK, having told her husband that they would be there for 4 weeks. She is so grateful for her families’ support: “I couldn't have done it without my family, I needed that normality and on the shifts I wasn’t working we were just in our little bubble; we would go for walks (we were staying in small villages in remote areas, near the sea). It was just like Covid didn't exist, and then 24 hours later you were back in. It was pretty brutal, but at the time you just got on with it.” Bizarrely when staying in a Norfolk village within a day off arriving April’s family had a note posted on their door saying ‘Go Home!’ police later confirmed all NHS staff in the village had received one, from an elderly resident who was concerned about the influx of potentially lockdown rule flouters in the village; little did he know they were healthcare workers there to help, in an area that was short of doctors. Another of her colleagues even had their tyre slashed. When she came back to Gibraltar, April had to take some time to herself, to decompress. “I had to let go of the badness. I saw enough death (in the elderly) to last me a lifetime and I hope I never have to see that again. There was a lot to process but I have dealt with it. Also with so many healthcare professionals having died, it’s very sad to lose colleagues.” The frequency of BAME healthcare workers dying was massively disproportionate and recent figures from the BMA state 95% doctors who died were BAME. When April was on the nightshift, she and her (caucasian) coworker, an advanced nurse practitioner would ensure they were the ones to first treat the patients coming in, so patients wouldn’t see the BAME staff if at all possible, as they assumed everyone had Covid until proven otherwise. “I wanted to protect my BAME colleagues, I worried about what would happen to them when we finished our shifts and every night I was terrified they’d catch it and I’d never see them again. For me, they are the brave ones and I’ll never forget their heroism during the pandemic. They were quite literally risking their life to go to work and serve the general public. I would like people to know how brave some doctors were and their bravery should never be forgotten. Personally I didn’t feel especially threatened because I am relatively young and don’t have any health predispositions to make me higher risks and I was always in PPE.” April wants to pay tribute to all of the healthcare professionals who have died in the pandemic, especially so many of BAME origins. She cites a shocking statistic she heard which is that more healthcare professionals have died in the Covid pandemic than British soldiers died in 8 years of the Iraqi war. Asked if she sees herself as a hero, April shrugs, “there was no way I could have stayed home during this pandemic. I am a doctor, it’s in my training and my blood. The positives I take from this are it has given me a new perspective on life: we only have one life, go live it; remember to see and hug the people you love often. This experience has shown us all how precious life, family and friends are, don’t take a second for granted. Let’s all remember that going forward and just be kind.”
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HEALTH & WELLBEING
HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT
NATURALLY LOSING WEIGHT CAN BE A TOUGH HURDLE TO OVERCOME. THERE IS SO MUCH INFORMATION OUT THERE ABOUT HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT, SOME OF WHICH IS NOT BASED ON SCIENCE, SO IT IS ALWAYS BEST TO BEAR THAT IN MIND. If you want to lose weight safely, there are several ways that you can do that, including adopting healthy eating habits and using natural supplements. Remember, it is not always easy and long-term success requires perseverance, but also remember that sometimes the simplest ways are the best. Holland & Barrett has a selection of natural products that can assist you on your weight loss journey, but there are some things you can do to help kick-start your way to losing those inches. One of these is making sure you get enough sleep, because studies have shown that well-rested people burn more calories while asleep than those who are tired. Taking Holland & Barrett Calcium Magnesium & Zinc Caplets may help with muscle relaxation at bedtime. Your diet is obviously important and including certain ‘good fats’ as part of your reduced-calorie eating plan is essential, and the bonus is that they can help you feel more satisfied. For example, coconut oil contains fatty acids called medium-chain triglycerides, which the body metabolises much faster than the long-chain triglycerides contained in other fats. Perfectly Pure Extra Virgin Pure Coconut Oil can be used in roasting, frying or just add a few teaspoons to a salad, but remember that coconut oil is high in calories so always use in moderation. PROTEIN Protein is often talked about as being the king of nutrients. Don’t think that protein is just for bodybuilders though. When your body is burning calories, adding protein to your diet can help maintain muscle mass while leaving you feeling fuller for longer and helping to reduce your appetite. Diet Whey is a high protein, low sugar, diet and slimming formula for weight control that comes in several different flavours. It is easy to include in your diet. Just add 1 or 2 scoops to 350ml of ice-cold water and shake for 10 seconds for that high-protein kick-start to your metabolism.
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GREEN TEA Green tea has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine to treat various health conditions and studies have suggested that it can help you to lose weight. It’s packed full of nutrients and antioxidants that can boost your immune system and the flavonoids and caffeine in green tea can help elevate metabolic rate, increase fat oxidation and even improve insulin activity. Try Pukka Organic Supreme Matcha Green Tea or Bloom’s Absolute Matcha (100% organic Japanese Matcha*) green tea powder to supplement your weight loss plan - just 2 to 3 cups a day can make a difference. GLUCOMANNAN Have you heard about Glucomannan? It is a natural, water-soluble dietary fibre extracted from the roots of the elephant yam, also known as konjac. Approved by the European Food Standards Agency (EFSA), glucomannan expands in the stomach and makes you feel full so you’re less likely to graze throughout the day. SlimBiome® Original contains glucomannan and chromium to help your body metabolise macronutrients, maintain normal blood glucose levels and support overall weight management. It’s also said to reduce fat absorption from the stomach and small intestines. It can stave off hunger pangs and help you reach your ideal weight quicker when taken as part of a calorie-controlled diet.
‘friendly bacteria’ that helps to ensure our digestive system is working properly. Studies suggest there is a crucial link between taking bacterial cultures such as acidophilus - a type of ‘friendly’ bacteria that lives in the gut, mouth and vagina - and weight loss, with factors including how much fat is absorbed from food, not to mention indirect effects such as regulating mood and energy levels, so you’re less likely to stress eat or binge due to a sugar crash. You can boost your friendly bacteria by eating fermented veg such as sauerkraut and kimchi, fermented dairy such as kefir and yoghurt, or taking one to two acidophilus capsules each day. Try Holland & Barrett‘s Gut Powered Ultimate 50-Billion Capsules which contains over 50 billion live friendly bacteria, including Lactobacillus Acidophilus, to boost your healthy gut. Advisory Information: Food supplements must not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking any medications or are under medical supervision, please consult a doctor or healthcare professional and always read the label before use.
FRIENDLY BACTERIA Our gut health is key to our overall health, and some information suggests that poor gut health has links to obesity. Your gut contains millions of bacteria, and it is the
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HEALTH & WELLBEING
BE COVIDFIT BE A CHAMP FAMILY EXERCISING DURING THE COVID PANDEMIC, MANY OF US HAVE BEEN RESTRICTED IN OUR MOVEMENTS, MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN OUR USUAL LEVEL OF ACTIVITY. Public Health’s next CovidFit campaign is titled ‘Be CovidFit - Be a CHAMP Family’ and is supported by the GHA physiotherapy and occupational therapy teams The campaign draws on principles of the CHAMP initiative which focus primarily on children, using a multi-agency platform. Activity and fitness that can be completed individually or as a family unit is the prime focus Prolonged periods of home isolation can lead to: • Low motivation and energy, coupled with low mood • Reduced muscle strength in the limbs (often observed as weakness and/or reduced strength) • Balance impairment that could lead to more trips or falls • A reduced ability to carry out independent activities of daily life such as shopping, dressing/ bathing or transferring from place to place (from bed to chair, room to room etc.). • Reduced Vitamin D levels which has implications for bone health Two key areas of focus are: Safety and Physical Activity.
Safety In order to exercise safely it is essential to maintain a suitable environment. Important points to consider include: • Warming up your body before any physical activity and cooling it down after a workout to prevent potential injuries. • Removing any trip hazards such as unsuitable footwear, long/trailing clothes, rugs, mats or clutter. • To prevent falls, it is also a good idea to avoid stepping up onto stools or pieces of furniture. • Opening the curtains fully and allowing the opportunity to access natural light when possible. (If you are concerned about your Vitamin D levels, do contact your GP/ healthcare professional for advice). • Drinking plenty of water throughout the day to remain hydrated, and especially when engaging in any vigorous activity. Remember, if you feel thirsty your body is already dehydrated!
• Refraining from exercising if you have a fever, cough, difficulty breathing or any other COVID-19 symptoms; in this case, please call 111, and follow the health care advice. if you are able to exercise outside and choose to do so you will need to: • maintain physical distancing, at least 2 metres (3 steps) between yourself and others; this is especially important if you run into someone you know from another household. • Practice appropriate hand hygiene before you leave your house, when you get to where you are going, and as soon as you return. • Consider the use of walking aids or other equipment if required.
Physical Activity In order to maintain a healthy body, we all require regular activity. Even a short break from sitting, with 5 minutes of physical movement (such as walking or stretching) will ease muscle strain, relieve mental tension and improve blood circulation. Physical activity includes all forms of movement, not just exercise or participating in a sport. Play, dance, house cleaning and even carrying heavy shopping are all ways to keep physically active.
Recommendations: • Build regular physical activity into your daily routine. • Aim for 30 minutes of vigorous activity a day, where you feel slightly out of breath but still able to hold a conversation. [Note, recommendation for children is 1 hour]. • Warm up before starting any activity and gradually ease your body in through the first few minutes. • Opt for activities that you enjoy, and take part with other people to keep up motivation. Grandparents can exercise with grandchildren over Whatsapp/ Facetime to make activities more interactive and fun. • Make use of online exercise videos. The community physiotherapy team have a series that are around 20 minutes’ duration and are suitable for all skill levels.
For more information, see: www.CovidFit.gi
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Cosmetic Surgery with Complete Peace of Mind
FREE ONLINE VIDEO CONSULTATIONS, with Cosmetic Surgeon Dr. Marco Vricella, Aria Medical Group.
See and speak with Dr. Vricella from the privacy of your own home. These online, private consultations are indepth and provide you with the opportunity to ask all the questions you may have about your desired cosmetic surgery procedure. In addition this is the opportunity for Dr. Vricella to discuss your physical suitability, and gain a better understanding of your goals with the surgery. Contact ARIA MEDICAL GROUP now to arrange a FREE ONLINE VIDEO CONSULTATIONS info@ariamedicalgroup.com www.ariamedicalgroup.com
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ARIES (MAR 21 – APR 21) Keep your mind clear and focused this month, Aries. This way you will be able to concentrate on the important issues and not be easily distracted.
TAURUS (APR 21 – MAY 21) The world is full of great opportunities and inspiration, Taurus, and if you are feeling a little overwhelmed then step back and trust that the perfect solution is on its way to you.
GEMINI (MAY 22 – JUNE 22) Keep the faith this month, Gemini. Certain plans may go a bit awry and you may even feel let down by someone. But you will find that it is simply a change of direction, so don’t let it get you down.
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CANCER (JUNE 23 – JULY 22) You need to let go of the reins this month, Cancer, and allow someone else to take control. Make room for another approach and miracles may well happen.
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LEO (JULY 23 – AUG 23) Gratitude is your key word this month, Leo. Just take some time to look around you to notice and appreciate your blessings, of which there are many. Do this and even more good will come to you.
VIRGO TAKEAWAYS
(AUG 24 – SEP 23)
VEHICLE REPAIRS
We tend get what we expect, Virgo, and so it is a good idea to expect good things to happen. Put all thoughts of negativity and fear out of the way and concentrate on all the things that can go right … and they will!
LIBRA (SEP 24 – OCT 23) The Universal energy is looking out for us at all times, Libra. Even when we forget about it, it doesn’t forget about us. So, allow yourself to feel safe, enjoy your life and know that you are here for a reason.
SCORPIO (OCT 24 – NOV 22) You may feel that someone is being less than honest with you, Scorpio, but it is a hunch and so you feel you cannot speak out just yet. However, stay with your own truth and honesty will prevail.
SAGITTARIUS (NOV 23 – DEC 21) Your inner strength will be called upon this month, Sagittarius, and it will be appreciated. Sometimes we have to pull ourselves up and do what needs to be done and you can!
CAPRICORN (DEC 22 – JAN 20)
INDUSTRIAL
You need to relax and be a bit more playful this month, Capricorn. And be kind to yourself … go for a swim or have an aromatherapy massage. You need a bit of pampering so treat yourself..
AQUARIUS (JAN 21 – FEB 19) July is a family month for you, Aquarius. Time spent in the bosom of your family will bring unexpected healing and love from where you least expect it
PISCES (FEB 20 – MAR 20) Stay in touch with your true feelings this month, Pisces. Others may try to steer you in another direction but, for the good of all, you must gently decline and hold firm to what you know in your heart is correct.
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These tasty croquettes are so easy and quick to make you’ll have no excuse. They are perfect for snacking, parties and great for kids to enjoy. INGREDIENTS • 5 MEDIUM POTATOES
• 75G BREADCRUMBS
• 200 G SMOKED BACON
• SALT
• 1/4 RED ONION
• GROUND BLACK PEPPER
• 3 EGGS
• OLIVE OIL
• FRESH CHOPPED PARSLEY
METHOD Dice and boil your potatoes until soft. Whilst your potatoes are boiling, dice your smoked bacon (you can always buy pre diced bacon) and fry without oil until fully cooked but not crispy. When your bacon is ready, remove all the excess fat from your pan. Your potatoes should now be ready, drain all water from your boiled potatoes and mash. Mix your bacon and potatoes together and season with salt, pepper and a pinch of parsley. Allow to cool and add a beaten egg to your mixture. (Allowing it to cool will prevent the egg cooking). The potato mixture should be a pasty consistency. If you feel this is not the case add a handful of breadcrumbs. Prepare two separate bowls, one with 2 beaten eggs and the other with breadcrumbs. Assemble your croquettes by shaping a tablespoon of your potato mixture in your hands and rolling into a flattened ball. Heat a frying pan with enough oil to cover the base of the pan. Fry your croquettes on both flattened sides until golden brown. Place on a paper kitchen towel to drain any excess oil.
For more delicious Mama Lotties recipes visit:
www.mamalotties.com
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FEATURE
A
Reunion ROMANCE
RECONNECTING WITH PEOPLE WE HAVE HAD A PREVIOUS CONNECTION WITH CAN BE COMPLEX, FASCINATING BUT CAN ULTIMATELY PROVIDE CLUES AS TO WHY THE FRIENDSHIP OR PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP DID NOT CONTINUE. HOWEVER, FOR OTHERS, DISCOVERING EACH OTHER AGAIN CAN PROVE NOT ONLY A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE BUT A MOMENTOUS ONE.
WORDS BY KATHLEEN NORTH 62
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TWO INDIVIDUALS WHO FOUND EACH OTHER AGAIN AND CREATED A LIFE TOGETHER ARE FLORENCE AND ASHLEY, BOTH 32 YEARS OLD. THEY LIVE IN SURREY WITH THEIR CAT NALA. FLORENCE DESCRIBES HERE HOW THEY RECONNECTED. “I am a PR & Events Manager at a Charity and my husband is a Primary School teacher in Putney and is the creator of The Shed School. I’ve always been a believer in fate and we actually had a fluke moment where we bumped into each other in Edinburgh. I’d driven to Scotland with a group of friends to watch various shows and see my boyfriend and Ashley had gone to stay with a friend who lived there. I remember walking with my friend into the Pleasance Theatre and seeing Ashley and my stomach somersaulted. It was so bizarre as we’d had various conversations via Snapchat but not really met up or taken it further because I was unavailable. We spent a lot of time together in Edinburgh, which was lovely, but we were both aware I had a boyfriend, which made it tricky. We went our separate ways after that and lost touch for quite a bit of time as Ashley landed the lead role in the Theatre tour version of Cat in the Hat. It wasn’t until a year later we picked back up when he moved to London and I was single. We first met at Bath Spa University in 2006, as we were on the same Performing Arts course. We were always friends and liked one another but grew closer in our third year when we were both in the same show, 'The Importance of being Earnest' by Oscar Wilde, which was our final performance. However, we were both in relationships throughout University, so never really had the opportunity to see if there was anything there. We were also very different people back at University and both had different experiences, and part of me feels we wouldn't have been compatible even if we had given a relationship a go then. After University we went our separate ways and lost touch over the years. However, we would always reconnect every now and then, whether it was a drink here or a message there. We then weirdly reconnected officially over Snapchat back in 2013. Ashley was touring across the UK and would send me quirky pictures in his costume that would always make me smile. I began sending funny pictures back, which opened up a conversation between the two of us. This went on for about a year, but we never took it anywhere as I was in a relationship and Ashley was still touring. After about a year of Snapchatting, we decided to finally meet up. Ashley had moved to London and I was single. The time was finally right for the two us. We had drinks on the Southbank in September 2014
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and talked for hours. Ashley always says that when he looks back on our first date that he felt like he was meeting a completely new person, unlike the girl he remembered. I was quite cautious about us at the beginning. I had just come out of a tricky relationship where I had been kept secret for most of it. So suddenly being with someone who wanted me to meet his family and friends and move in with him was overwhelming. However, it did just feel right, so as soon as I let go of the anxieties I had felt in my previous relationship, I was able to commit fully to Ashley. It was this point I think we both knew we were meant to be together. Everything moved quite quickly from this point. Both our families thoroughly approved of our relationship choice (finally) and Ashley and I were incredibly happy. We moved in together and Ashley decided to pursue a career in teaching so we could start building a proper life together., Ashley and I had different experiences in Bath. I really enjoyed the course we had chosen and the friendship circle I was in, but Ashley struggled. I was sad when I discovered the negative connotations he had with Bath because that's the City that brought us together. However, Ashley proved to me that his time in Bath was fully worth it by taking me for a weekend away there and proposing to me in front of the Bath Abbey in February 2018. We bought our first home the following December and married last May in Tetbury. We have been together nearly 6 years and just celebrated our first wedding anniversary in lockdown. It's strange because there is nothing that should have really kept us in each other's lives, post University. We still swam in different ponds and pursued different careers, we even maintained different friendship groups from the ones we had made back at Bath Spa. So, it was obviously always meant to be for us, we just needed the time to be finally right. Ashley will be running FREE Maths and English lessons, live from 13th July - 21st August 2020. http://www.theshedschool.co.uk
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FEATURE
Give Yourself Permission WHEN YOU GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION – THE WORLD TRULY DOES BECOME YOUR OYSTER! We are taught at a very early age and stage in life that we need to ask permission for most things that we want to do. This, in itself, is no bad thing as it develops basic manners and respect for what is not ours and helps us understand boundaries. And we learn that we can’t have or do everything that we want. However, it also teaches denial which leads to self-denial. This again is not always a bad thing, but when it becomes unbalanced, we forget our own needs and rights and it leads to a breakdown in personal boundaries. As we grow up, and we rightly respect the needs and rights of others, we develop adult responsibilities as to how we should behave in the world. Somehow, we learn that certain behaviours are frivolous or selfish and need to remain in the era of childhood. That we must not give in to whims or fancies as we have to make sure that we are acting in ways that are adult and sensible. We hear terms like ‘childish’ or ‘vivid imagination’, ‘fantasy land’ or ‘unrealistic’. So often, when someone wants to make a living as an artist or actor, sculptor or writer, they are told that it is unrealistic or irresponsible to do this, selfish even, and so they follow a more acceptable route and their sense of creativity gets lost in the mists of time. The effect this often has is that we become anxious, depressed, frustrated, angry and out of sync with just about everything around us. Our relationships suffer because the relationship with ourselves is being suppressed. In order to communicate effectively with others we need to be able to communicate effectively with ourselves. If we cannot express ourselves effectively we become confused and out of touch with our innermost being. This is why the creative arts are widely used as therapy for mental health issues. People need to express themselves in a healthy way or they may become ill - mentally ill, or this manifests in physical illness. It all comes full circle and creativity becomes therapy. If only it was more openly celebrated in the first place, this would be less necessary. So, I believe we need to give ourselves permission! Giving yourself permission is a powerful and liberating thing to do but it is not easy. Particularly when giving ourselves permission to do something that we have been taught is ‘irresponsible’ ‘selfish’ ‘unrealistic’… and that we will probably fail. By the time we have understood about giving ourselves permission, these judgements are so ingrained in us that we don’t need anyone else to remind us. We have that very powerful little voice sitting on the shoulder reminding us in no uncertain terms.
However, once you understand this and you look a little deeper into the effects of not giving yourself permission to follow your dreams and your passions… you realise that the world as you want it to be will forever elude you and that you, and only you, can change that. And to do so, you need to have permission. To be who you truly are you need your own permission… not someone else’s… but your own. And then you take the tentative steps to following through. You take a pencil and a notebook or journal and you date it and you write out: “I ….. (name) give myself permission to……”. And you sign it! You may have to do this several times until you get comfortable with it …. Do it as many times as it takes. The twinges of discomfort are fantastic….. especially as they change into twinges of excitement that get stronger and stronger. And then you find that you have so much more energy and that your whole attitude to life begins to change. You see beauty where you never saw it before… you notice people smiling and you smile back instead of scowling. You pick up the energy of children and get excited about simple things. You feel happy most of the time. You have lots of ideas in your head and you don’t need so much sleep. Getting up in the morning is exciting – in fact you get up earlier because you have things to do that you can’t wait to get started on! You even begin to enjoy the day job… well maybe not entirely… but you find it much more bearable and not all bad!
So, identify the area of your life that has been denied and allow it space. Acknowledge it, own it and protect it. It is this inner you that feeds the outer you and creates quality of life, not just for yourself, but for everyone close to you. To give yourself permission in this way is probably one of the most unselfish things you can do in your lifetime. When you give yourself permission you are sending out a very powerful message to others to do the same and so it becomes a truly win-win situation. Giving yourself permission to be who you are is a supremely unselfish and indeed responsible thing to do. Kate Mchardy, MA(Hons) PGCE MSPH. Spiritual reader, Teacher and Healer, tel: 0044 7712889534
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Maria & Frazan Married 10th October 2019 Photographer Nicky Sanchez
Sarah & Valerio Married 24th Sept 2019 Photographer Radka Horvath
Rocha & Michael married 9th October 2019 Photographer Radka Horvath
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CROSSWORD WIN!!! WIN!!! WIN!!! ACROSS
DOWN
1. To surrender or give up, for the sake of something else. (9)
1. Found on most beaches. (4)
5. A male given name: from a Hebrew word meaning “rest.”. (4) 7. A person who has retired from an occupation or profession. (7) 9. _ _m, a cut and polished precious stone. (2) 11. An implement for sweeping. (5)
A FABULOUS HIMALAYAN SALT LAMP
2. _ _ _ _se, lacking in fineness or delicacy of texture. (4) 3. Something added or gained; addition; increase. (9) 4. Conducive to advantage or interest. (9) 6. A type of fish found in the North Atlantic. (7)
12. _ _ _ _l, to diminish, impair the quality of. (4)
8. Common Russian forename. (4)
13. _ _ _ _ Artois, leading character in the British sitcom “Allo Allo”. (4)
10. Short for “As soon as possible”. (4)
14. the first and lowest whole number. (3)
11. Something to be thankful for. (4)
Fill in the details below and send it, with the completed crossword, to Insight Magazine, First Floor, 77 Main Street, Gibraltar (Tel: 200 40913). Entries to be received before 24th of the month. A winner will be drawn from all correct entries and will receive a Himalayan Salt Lamp from The Light & Power Shop.
Name:.................................................................................... Address:................................................................................ Tel: ............................................
15. An unpleasant smell; stink. (4)
Last month’s lucky winner was: Charles John Martinez
16. Short for statistic. (4)
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