Iver March 18 by In and Around Publishing

Dear Readers Welcome to the March issue of In and Around Iver And one of my most favourite months of the year. Aside from it being my birthday (which at this point is not so much of a celebration), In and Around Iver has reached the grand age of 12 years old and in this industry, that’s something I’m particularly proud of. I’m hoping that this month will see the end of the snow and cold weather and I for one will be thankful for any sunshine and more daylight hours. For me it’s like coming out of hibernation. Ditching the comfy pjs and slippers and spending time outdoors. Bliss! Having done the Valentines thing and eaten the obligatory pancakes, March gives us the ideal excuse to hit the pub for St Patrick’s Day. Although having tried Guinness in the past and discovering that whilst it resembled a giant Irish Coffee, it actually tasted nothing like one at all, so I’ll be sticking to the Pinot. Both Sammy and I will be celebrating Mothers Day this year, no doubt accompanied by our new little family addition, before commencing the big chocolate Easter egg fest. Until next month... Angela & Sammy

You can advertise in this magazine from as little as £22.00 per month “Ask us about our affordable advertising rates or visit our website for more information” Tel: 0800 038 5001 Mob: 07759 536494 In and Around Magazines cover: Iver: Thorney, Richings Park, Village, Iver Heath Denham: New Denham, Village, Denham Green, Tatling End, Bakers Wood, South Harefield

Publisher: Angela Fisher Phone: 0800 038 5001 / 07759 536494 Email: info@inandaroundpublishing.co.uk Information and Details of Rates at

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Inside this month’s Bumper issue Wildlife Zone 6 Tech: Don’t have Mad March Hair 8 Citizens Advice Bureau 10 Pets: What should you feed your new puppy? 10 The Great British Spring Clean 12 Mark My Words 14 A Drop of the Black Stuff 16 Coffee Break Puzzles 20 National Apprenticeship Week 22 Cake & Bake: Banana and Walnut Loaf 24 Short Story: Magnus 26 Beauty: Gorgeous Gifts and Tempting Treats 28 Ace that Interview 30 News from your Local Neighbourhood Police 32 RSPCA Re-homing Appeal 34 Books: Hidden Gems 38 St Patrick’s Day 36 Books: March Medley 38 PC Snippet: Beware of Bargains 40 Easter Eggs and Easter Bunnies 42 Karen Munro: Careers 44 Richings Park Residents Association 46 Is your friend a short-trip show-off? 50 Health: World Bipolar Day 52 Finance: Has your local bank closed down? 54 The history of Alice 56 Interiors: Spring Clean with Style 58 And another thing 60 Richings Park - Playground update 62 Children’s Puzzle Page 64 Parenting: moving home with children 66 Write an A* Essay 68 Six things people hate about Lamborghini Urus 70 Driving: Do you look up before you go under? 72 Recipe: Cajun Meatballs 74 Gardening: Spring has Sprung 76 Gardening: Get your soil into shape 78 Pets Corner 80 Crufts 81 A Wrose by any other name 82 Health: No milk today 84 Puzzle Solutions 85 Travel: Madagascar 86 Clubs, Groups & Classes 88, 90 & 92 Wordsearch 94

APRIL COPY DEADLINE 15TH MARCH We are grateful for the support of local businesses whose adverts appear in this publication and whilst every care is taken to ensure accuracy, the publishers cannot accept responsibility for any errors, omissions, claims made by advertisers or endorse companies, products or services. This publication, its contents and advert designs are © of In and Around Publishing. Any copying or reproduction in part or fully, is strictly forbidden without our prior consent.

News from your local Neighbourhood Policing Team

Your neighbourhood team at Iver are Sgt Anna Davison, PC Will Ranford, PCSO Kam Benawra and PCSO Roy Fisher.

Team Updates There have been some changes to the Iver neighbourhood team. PC Will Ranford has joined us replacing PC Phil Thomson. Will has a passion for neighbourhood policing and is keen to get to grips with his new neighbourhood. PCSO Rav Lewis is also leaving the team on a temporary transfer to the Slough policing area. We wish both Rav and Phil every success in their new roles.

Private CCTV CCTV is often something that people ask the Police for advice around. From a crime prevention point of view CCTV is a great asset however there are certain legal requirements if your camera captures footage outside your property. For detailed information around Data Protection and registering your CCTV with the Information Commissionerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office please see this link - https://ico.org.uk/ for-the-public/cctv-on-your-property/ If you want to contact the neighbourhood team you can email us at IverStokePogesWexhamNHPT@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

Whisky & Tiddles

Dave (now Yogi) in his new home

The RSPCA Hillingdon, Slough, Windsor, Kingston and District Branch Registered Charity No: 263515

course, the all-important love and attention of their human family. There is more to caring for a rabbit than many people realise – for more information visit rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/rabbits.

Dave lands on his paws

You may remember Brave Dave, our little kitten who following an injury, had to undergo surgery to remove an eye. We were overwhelmed by the genIt is always sad when cats lose their homes and erous response to our appeal for help in funding his loved ones, usually through no fault of their own. operation, which raised more than £700 – many However, it is particularly hard on some of the older thanks to you all! cats who are bewildered and frightened to find themselves in a rescue cattery, away from the only A month ago, Dave (now Yogi bear) started his life they have ever known and in the company of 2 new life with a wonderful family who got in touch recently to let us know how our boy was getting on: and 4-legged strangers.

Please give senior cats a chance

Such is the case with Whisky (9 year old male) and Tiddles (12 year old female), whose owner sadly was no longer able to care for them due to illhealth. This lovely pair have been with us for over two months now, overlooked time and again by potential adopters who are more drawn to the cute and playful youngsters. They have come a long way in overcoming their nervousness, and a little time and patience spent helping them settle into a new home, would be repaid with much unconditional love and companionship. Whisky and Tiddles would like a peaceful home together, with no other pets or young children. Being long-haired, the cats will require daily brushing to keep their coats in good condition.

“Yogi bear has settled in so well and is living up to his namesake, mischievous, fearless and a hungry little food thief. He is doted on by all who meet him and loves everyone right back. My dogs are Yogi fans and his favourite place to sleep. The cats are tolerant but trying to teach him manners. Thank you for letting us adopt this little cutie”

With the correct care, cats can typically live on well into their teens and even beyond, remaining active throughout their lives albeit at a more relaxed pace as time goes on! Whisky and Tiddles just want the chance to live out their years in the comfort of a loving home and a warm lap. Could you be the special someone to give them that chance?

If you can offer a loving home to any of our animals, please call us on 01895 833417 or visit www.rspcahillingdonclinic.org.uk to apply online. Thank you as always for your support.

Bunnies needing homes We have a number of adorable rabbits currently looking for homes, so please get in touch if you can help. All rabbits require a spacious hutch and a generous sized run with plenty of room to play, stretch and exercise as well as a healthy and nutritious diet to help them thrive. Not forgetting of 34

We do love a happy ending! If you would like to help us make sure lots of other animals continue to find their happily-ever-afters, please take a look at our website for ways you can help or give us a call on the number below. Every donation of money / goods for sale / pet food , or help through volunteering or support for our events makes a difference to local animals in need.

We are always grateful for any donations of old sheets and blankets to use for bedding for the animals & food and toys for the animals to play with. These can be brought into our Clinic at 16 Crescent Parade, Hillingdon UB10 0LG.

Tel: 01753 654010 Sally Munn

WHO ARE WE? : The RPRA is a non-profit organisation made up of local residents of Richings Park and Thorney. We are all listed on the Residents’ Association Noticeboard, next to the Residents’ Garden. The Committee meet each month at Richings Park Sports Club to address issues and act as a voice for the local community. Please come along for the first 20 minutes and bring us your concerns. The next meeting is Tuesday 20th March Heathrow : Public Consultation event at the RP Sports Club 2nd March from 12pm to 8pm. We urge all residents to attend Thorney Country Park : The next meeting on the 12th February was postponed regarding landfill. As this went to press we did not have a new date. Defibrillator : This is now on order. Once we have a go live date there will be events to support awareness and confidence to use the defibrillator. The equipment is easy to use and designed for the untrained to potentially save a life. Iver Station: Transport for London have confirmed that they will build a new ticket office at Iver. The building, which will be to the west of the current office,includes two lifts to enable access to the platforms. A new ticket machine has already been installed; Crossrail will eventually accept Oyster cards only. Our section of Crossrail will be opened in the final phase: December 2019. Pavement Resurfacing: As you will have seen Bathurst Walk pavement from Thorney Lane South to Wellesley Avenue

Reasons to be cheerful! : Richings Sparkles (Litter Picking): well done to all those who braved the weather on Saturday 20 January to clear up the litter around our village. The next Richings Sparkles will take place on Sunday 18 March. Put the date in your diary and please come along to make Richings Park Sparkle! Richings Pints: This is informal drinks for the Residents of Richings Park organised by the RPVAG, open to all. On the 2nd February everyone had a great night with many new faces and on Friday 23 March we will be doing the same again. Starting at 7.30pm at the Tower Arms. Get In Touch! : If you are happy to go on-line our website is: www.richingspark.com. Look there for past minutes and further information on our meetings. Day to day updates may be found on the Richings Park Village Action Group Facebook Page and on Twitter@Richings_Park. Subscriptions : We are now ending the 2017/2018 subscriptions. From April you will still be able to pay to your local road steward, or via CostCutter however we will be offering an online payment service to make it easier for Residents. Remember each £5 paid (per household, per annum) makes an essential contribution to the hard, and voluntary, work the Residents Association undertake on your behalf.

Richings Park achieves its dream to build a Playground

Residents in the Village of Richings Park in the heart of Buckinghamshire are planning to build their first ever Playground for the benefit of young families and children within the Richings Park Community. At the start of 2017 a group of residents formed the ‘Richings Park Village Action Group’(RPVAG) with the purpose of galvanizing the community for the betterment of all. The first project in conjunction with the Richings Park Residents Association & Richings Park Sports Club was to raise the funds to build a Playground. Richings Park Village was originally built in the 1920’s. Due to the lack of public land there has never been a playground for the children living across over 700 family homes in the village. The combined groups successfully raised significant funds through raffles, charity events, fireworks and the generosity of residents and local businesses such as Flowerland. This was supported through grant applications. The first success was through Heart of Bucks and in November 2017 the village was awarded a grant for £39,960 from HS2’s Community Environment Fund (CEF). The CEF fund has been created by HS2 to add benefit to communities along the route that are demonstrably disrupted by the construction of Phase One of HS2 from London to 62

West Midlands. The objective is to have the Playground up and running before the start of the Summer. Graham Young, Chairman of Richings Park Residents' Association said ‘The families of Richings Park Village have been crying out for a Playground for years. The hard work and commitment to fund raising of the residents through the RPVAG has shown how important the Playground will be to the future of Richings Park. We need a Playground to promote an active and social upbringing for children in the village. This is an important cornerstone in making Richings Park a better place to live, and should connect even more families in the local area. We are all over the moon with HS2’s CEF support for our community.’ The land has kindly been donated by Richings Park Sports Club and the Playground will be maintained by the Iver Parish Council ensuring that it will be used by future generations as a sustainable long term asset for the community.

How the new playground could look

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