Country Child Autumn HW 2016 by Country Child

COUNTRY CHILD

Hampshire/Wiltshire

Your Local FREE Family Magazine

Autumn '16/Issue 26

FIRST DAY NERVES

Helping little ones get settled at school

LIFE'S A BEACH

Discovering aquatic activities for all the family

DOCTOR DOCTOR Expert advice on family health

DAD'S THE WORD

Chris McGuire tells us about the surprise birth of his preterm baby

'LEFTIES' ARE ALRIGHT Helping your left-handed child ﬁt in

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: WHAT’S ON ■ SHOPPING ■ PROPERTY ■ SCHOOLS ■ FOOD ■ DIY ■ HEALTH

REACH THE TOP AT KINGSWOOD! Outstanding academic results with 84% going onto Russell Group and 98% to university Rated ‘excellent’ in all areas of the 2015 Inspection Report Over 100 co-curricular activities available Reputation for sport and links with professional clubs Inspirational music, drama and creative arts Top quality boarding provision with superb pastoral care

Join us for Open Day: SIXTH FORM - Thursday 29 September, 6.30pm to 9.00pm PREP SCHOOL - Thursday 6 October, 9.30am to 12.00 noon SENIOR SCHOOL - Saturday 8 October, 9.00am to 12.00 noon

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Welcome to Autumn

ello and welcome to the Autumn issue of Country Child. I’m delighted and excited to have taken over the role of Editor from Sarah and have thoroughly enjoyed compiling this issue with Jo; we feel it’s packed full of great content and, of course, hope you’re in agreement! For those feeling somewhat daunted by the prospect of their children starting school this September, Rebecca Fletcher is on hand to oﬀer some great advice to help make the whole experience as plain sailing as possible. In a similar vein, our regular Family Matters feature looks at the importance of friendships and what we as parents can do to try and encourage positive relationships between our children and their peers. This issue we’ve welcomed mother of two, Hannah Woolven, to share the reasons behind her brave decision to quit her ‘comfy’ marketing career and follow her heart into the world of gardening. A really interesting and inspiring read! We’d like to congratulate our guest writer, Chris McGuire, on recently becoming a father. He’s somehow found the time, in between nappy changes and…err, more nappy changes, to chart

PUBLISHER

Jo Leigh jo@countrychild.co.uk

his experience of fatherhood to date. Here at Country Child, we’re always keen to encourage families to venture outside, whatever the weather. To that end, we’ve found some great water-based activities to enthral and entertain over the coming months. From kayaking and cable wakeboarding to canoeing and commando ropes, there’s something for everyone. We’ve teamed up with GP Dr Alex Newman to launch our new Doctor Doctor page. In each issue of Country Child, Dr Newman will be answering questions on child-related ailments. If you’ve a question you’d like to ask Dr Newman, please send us an email to info@countrychild.co.uk and we’ll put it to the Doctor! Most excitingly, we have teamed up with Yippie Yo, to oﬀer one lucky Country Child reader the chance of winning one of their fantastic oﬀ road buggies. Take a look on page 11 for more information on how to enter. As always, you’ll find our regular items throughout the magazine, such as Kidzone, Bookworms, Inside Out, DIY Dad and our comprehensive pull out calendar. We’re always keen to hear from those of you with an interesting story to tell, so do drop me a line editor@countrychild.co.uk if you’ve a scoop you’d like to share! Of course, this is one of the most spectacular times of the year, with autumn colour soon to hit the hedgerows and trees. We’d love to see your photos of this natural phenomenon and will put them up on our Facebook page! In the meantime, I hope you all have a lovely autumn.

Meet the team...

EDITOR

Miranda Avis editor@countrychld.co.uk

Neither Country Child Limited (trading as Country Child Magazine) nor any of its predecessors, aﬃliated companies, directors or employees, shall be liable for the accuracy or reliability of any of the content (including advertisements) published in Country Child Magazine or other information accessed directly or indirectly from Country Child Magazine, nor shall they be liable for the quality of any products, information or other materials displayed, purchased or obtained by any consumer, as a result of an advertisement or any other information or offer in connection with the service or products. Country Child Limited shall not be responsible for any errors or omissions contained within any content (including advertisement) published in Country Child Magazine.

Advertising Executive Feature Writer Kelly Matthews 07495 964263 kelly@countrychild.co.uk

Rebecca Fletcher

Guest Writer Chris Mcguire

Cover and feature photography by

Millie Pilkington

CONTRIBUTORS - Orchard Park, Alix Austen, Tammy Hurst, Sandroyd School, Abigail Butt, Bob Fox, Lucy Saunders, Edward Pilkington, Dr Alex Newman, Hannah Woolven, Hannah Brookes, Michelle Purchase, YippeeYo and of course DIY Dad! DISTRIBUTION - Julie Freemantle, Micky and Rick Poyser, Diana Evans and Beth Green-Lowman

What can I do to help Giving Africa and the Barefoot Challenge? Text BAREFOOT to 70660 to donate £5 to Giving Africa Sponsor a child - for £18.75 a month, you can give a child and Bethel School access to life changing education and health care. Sign up to www.thegivingmachine.co.uk and visit the www.givingafrica.org.uk and spread the word! Thank You!

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Contents 41

Autumn 2016

Doctor Doctor Our new Q&A session

Inside Out Autumn Antics

Dad's the Word A journey into fatherhood

Country Child Loves... Our picks for the season

Interior Ideas Designs for Vintage and Retro collectors

What’s In Store Sensory and Science products

7 Family Matters - Looking at the importance of childhood friendships. 10, 11 Life's a Beach - Discovering aquatic activities for all the family. 16 Great Outdoors - Autumn colour with Miranda, gardening tips and products. 17 Garden Angel- One mum's story of getting her work/life balance right. 19 Food Glorious Food - Expert wine advice and food news. 21, 25 Inside Out - Places to go and things to do. 22, 23 Calendar Pull Out - What’s on this quarter. 24 Toddler Timetable - Library times and activities. 26 Kidzone - Readers pet, Comic strip and craft for kids. 27 Show and Tell - Live entertainment for the family. 29 'Lefties' are Alright - Helping your left handed child fit in. 30 Window Shopping - Properties for the family. 32 Barefoot Challenge - Giving Africa's plight to walk a day in a childs life. 33 Bookworms -Book reviews from Sandroyd School 34. 35 Top Marks - News and updates from local schools. 36. 37 Open for Business - News and advice from the business community. 42 DIY Dad - Single handedly taking on the laying of a patio.

First Day Nerves Their first day at school

11 Win a yiPPie yo, Worth £490! 5

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“

Family Matters Friendship

...young people are more likely to keep each other on the straight and narrow than lead each other astray.

“

here are few things more precious than friendship; providing a shoulder to cry on or a partner in crime, good friends help us get through the ups and the downs of life. Unlike family, we choose our mates and this process begins early on in our development. Around the age of three, as children gain more of an awareness of themselves, friendships start to form. It’s at this stage that they begin learning how to interact outside the family; practicing taking turns and recognising and responding to other people’s actions and emotions. Children learn a great deal from each other and love nothing more than comparing almost everything about themselves. Early on, friendship groups are fairly fluid and based largely on shared activities but by five or six, children are beginning to choose their companions by personality and shared interests. As they get older, children get better at communicating and become able to see other people’s point of view, recognising more nuanced and subtle feelings, such as embarrassment or worry. Friendships stabilise and deepen and for a few years, at least, boys and girls pull apart socially. Some children will form close, intense friendships while others prefer a looser set of playmates – there’s no right or wrong as long as your child has someone they are close to. Friends provide emotional support and give us our sense of self-worth so an inability to make friends as a child can be linked to emotional problems later on in life. An inevitable part of your child’s growing social life will be exposure to peer pressure. This can start at an early age – witness how quickly playground crazes spread, from Diablos to Segways. Groups of children exert powerful influences over each other, sharing dress codes and turns of phrase. The desire

to conform to the group reaches its peak in early adolescence. Practically, the strength in numbers provided by a gang of friends creates a safe context in which to practise independence and creates a fun environment for shopping and trips to the cinema. It’s when children hit their teens that parents worry most about the effects of peer pressure – particularly regarding antisocial behaviour. Our susceptibility to the influence of others comes from our own levels of self-confidence: having the strength to do what you believe is right when your friends are doing otherwise is a big ask for anyone, let alone a teenager. Encouragingly, research indicates that young people are more likely to keep each other on the straight and narrow than lead each other astray. Technology plays an inevitable role in our children’s friendships. Social media can intensify peer pressure and create overnight ‘crazes’ with ‘vines’ and ‘memes’ going viral. Friendships are increasingly conducted online, via Snapchat or Instagram, sometimes to the bemusement and frustration of parents. We should be as welcoming as possible to our children’s friends – like so many aspects of parenting, creating a supportive framework with open communication is the best way to ensure our children make good choices about who to spend their time with. While we may have a natural desire to protect them from harmful influences, our children’s choice of friends is an expression of their independence. Open disapproval is likely to be met with rebellion – after all, there’s nothing more alluring than forbidden fruit. Secure family relationships, well-instilled values and good self-esteem will help children stay true to themselves.

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What´s in Store 1

Science and Sensory

5 6 4

7 10

9 1. Eggs wall hanging, £50 berryred.co.uk  2. Veggie volts in a matchbox, £7.99 inamatchbox.com  3. Ever changing liquid, sensory floor tiles, £29.95 each glow.co.uk  4. The Hape Early Melodies Rainbox Xylophone, £11.39 amazon.co.uk  5. Little Blooming Wonder £41.69 olliandash.com.au  6. Poppy Pencil/Storage Box £7.90 kidsconcept.co.uk  7. Transforming Sphere, Rainbow, £18.99 totalsensory.co.uk  8. Mulit Sciences Child Mat, £141.92 ksl-living.fr  9. Aura Sensory Projector, £169 glow.co.uk 10. Alfred the Rainbow Caterpillar, £3.49 cheapdisabilityaids.co.uk  11. Playbulb Bluetooth Candle, £19.95 red5.co.uk  12. Interactive Music Trail, £2,250 totalsensory.co.uk 

Life's A Beach PhotograPhy: Millie Pilkington

Summer may be over, but that doesn’t mean water-based activities need to dry up too. Country Child are here to help you plan your autumnal aqua adventures!

day on the beach conjures up images of sand castles, ice creams, ‘sand’wiches and boogie boards; the perfect location for a family day out. But when summer draws to a close and the autumnal weather takes hold, splashing about in the British waves doesn’t have quite the same appeal as it did a month or so ago! But, of course, regardless of the time of year, the beach is still a fantastic place to explore. Rock pooling, long walks and a wintery game of rounders are just a few activities that can be enjoyed when the water is too chilly to dip a toe…! However, for those who can’t bear the thought of being away from the water during the next few months, fear not, as Dorset will not disappoint. Indeed, this county is home to a host of water-based activities and, what’s more, they’re open all year round. For those seeking a day of autumnal action, the Dorset Waterpark is the place to go. Overlooking Corfe Castle, this huge inflatable woodland waterpark will guarantee hours of fun for all of the family. Whilst the waterpark is suitable for children aged six and up, being a confident swimmer is paramount and all those partaking in the fun must be able to swim 50 metres. 70 metres of inflatable obstacles such as Gladiator Rings, Commando Ropes

and Trampolines will vye for your attention, whilst inter-family competitions are sure to get pulses racing. Families looking for a slightly more relaxing water-based experience need look no further than New Forest Activities (newforestactivities.co.uk). People of all ages can head out on a 90-minute canoe trip on the stunning Bealieu River - what better way to introducing youngsters to the water. With expert guides and plenty of wildlife to spot, this is a wonderful watery pastime to enjoy at any time of the year. Those with older children can take to the water in single seater kayaks and explore the fantastic Beaulieu River Nature Reserve. Over a two-hour period, expert guides will teach the basics of this addictive sport. For the county’s thrill seekers, a day spent at the New Forest water park (newforestwaterpark.co.uk) will be money well spent. Here you can experience the thrill of cable wakeboarding, the first of its kind in the South. Having no wake to contend with helps fill beginners with confidence as they stand up for the first time on glassy flat water. Those new to the sport will learn to wakeboard across a 150m stretch of lake, whilst the more advanced can hone their skills and tricks year round. Whilst having fun out on the water during the colder months may appeal to some, there are those of us who prefer to keep our feet tucked up in warm socks on terra firma, watching from the side lines. The Powerboat P1 ‘Grand Prix of the Sea’ is the fastest growing marine motorsport series in the world and the grand finale is taking place in Bournemouth on the 3rd and 4th September 2016. Races are held close to the shore meaning it’s an exciting opportunity to see these powerful boats in action. The event is free to watch with the beach or the pier offering the best viewing points. So, whether it’s sea or shore, kayaks or cables, there’s so much out there to keep you and yours entertained over the next few months. Enjoy!

Here's your families chance to WIN a YippieYo Crossbuggy, worth £490, to get out and about with ease at the beach, festival or cross country.

ippieYo offer parents freedom and exercise with young children, by providing a wider range of choice to spending time outside. With busy family lifestyles, it's so easy to occupy the kids with an iPad, or the TV, but YippieYo aim to change that and encourage exercise; asking families to engage with nature and enjoy the freedom of being outside. Little legs will walk for a little while, but at some point they will need a rest while mum and dad walk a little further over and through the rough terrain. The YippieYo Crossbuggy could be

your answer to a scenrio such as this. This new, completely safe and highquality off-road buggy for two children aged from one to six is specially designed for off-road usage away from paved roads. While parents can benefit from the immensely enhanced mobility compared to other pushchairs, children can also enjoy the “hop-on, hop-off” roadster feeling. Some standard buggies, can reach their limits when pushed however the YippieYo when pulled can continue to take you over fields, along tracks, across stones, over sand and through shallow river beds. There would seem to be no limitations. With an aluminium construction, a single axle, special suspension system and off road - no maintenance tyres, it is a great vehicle for active families and it's easy to collapse and fit in your car, with three easy steps.

Win!

The YippieYo is very light, weighing in at 12kg when it’s empty; carrying a maximum weight of 40kgs (including luggage) and can fit through all standard doorways. With five point safety harness system, solid disc wheels and guard elements on the armrests, safety and protection against wondering little fingers has all been thought through. Creator Dr. Tanja Ripperger said: "When designing the YippieYo, we not only looked at creating a functional, purpose built vehicle, but we wanted it to be aesthetically pleasing; therefore we offer the ability to personalise your YippieYo Crossbuggy by having a wide range of colours to choose from. With the ample luggage space, the ease of manoeuvrability, the assurance of safety and the unique design; the YippieYo raises the bar on innovative kid transportation." yippieyo.com

o enter this fantastic giveaway competition from YippieYo, just simply answer the following questions and email your answers to info@countrychild.co.uk by no later than the 7th October 2016.

1. How much does the YippieYo weigh? 2. How many children does the YippieYo fit?

TERMS & CONDITIONS: This draw is open to UK residents (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) and residents of the Channel Islands aged 18 or over, excluding employees (and their immediate families) of YippieYo and Country Child Magazine, its agents and anyone else professionally connected with this promotion. No purchase necessary. The closing date for entries is 7th October 2016. One entry per family. Multiple entries will be disqualified. Entries deemed inappropriate, rude or abusive by the Promoter will not be entered into the prize draw. No responsibility can be taken for entries that are not seen or taken into account by the Promoter for technical reasons. The colour can be chosen by the winner. There are no further cash or other prize alternatives available in whole or in part. The prize will only be awarded directly to the winner. The winner will be selected at random and notified via Country Child. Should a winner not acknowledge receipt of their win within 7 days of receiving email notice of the prize, YippeeYo reserves the right to re-award the prize to a reserve winner selected at the same time. The Promoters’ decision in respect of winners is final and binding, and no correspondence will be entered into in respect of the awarding of prizes. Owing to exceptional circumstances outside its reasonable control and only where circumstances make this unavoidable, the Promoter reserves the right to cancel or amend the promotion or these terms and conditions at any stage but will always endeavour to minimize the effect to participants in order to avoid undue disappointment. Entries that do not comply with the Terms and Conditions or entrants found to be abusing the promotion in any way will have all their entries disqualified. By entering the promotion, entrants agree to be bound by, and are deemed to have read, understood and accepted, these Terms and Conditions.

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LEADING THE WAY Allow us to introduce Mr Mortimer, our Headmaster. His passion for education is only matched by his love of sport – a keen rower, he’s twice rowed the Atlantic. At Warminster we don’t only choose the best teachers to educate our pupils – we choose the most interesting ones. From Special Constables to mountaineers, our diverse interests and passions spur us on to do things a little differently. Individually, we are diverse in our interests, driven in our passions and determined to work together to do things a little differently. If you are too, then get in touch.

www.warminsterschool.org.uk admissions@warminsterschool.org.uk 01985 210160

WS056_Leading_CountryChild_Ad_April_v2.indd 1

10/05/2016 15:22

MYSTICAL MOMENTS

New intiative, Emily Jolie launches these amazing mists. Various uses; from calming exciteable children to creating a relaxing atmosphere. £12.95 for 100ml bottle available at emily-jolie.com

FREE FALLING

WINGING IT

Tealights for the Autumn, great for early evenings in the garden or by the fire. £6.26 by MyHiddenPlace on dawanda.com

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This pretty perspex pendant, in a range of colours and opacities is ideal for an understated outfit for Halloween. £15.81 by Neonpolka on dawanda.com

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IT'S A DOGS LIFE

With options to match your Farrow and Ball painted decor to your pets dog bed, these sustainable wood pieces will be well received by our faithful, fluffy family members. Three sizes from £260.00 charleychau.com

HOCUS POCUS

Local interiors and gift shop, La Di Da in Hampshire are bang on the seasonal trend for Halloween with this vintage style Hogwarts Ollivanders Finest Wand Makers Wooden Storage Chest. Great for any Harry Potter fans young and old! £38.00 ladida-andover.com Ideally timed too for the new JK Rowling trilogy; Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, out late November 2016.

First Day Nerves For most children the new school term is exciting but still a nervous undertaking. Rebecca Fletcher talks us through the first day with her second child.

iving with a soundtrack of sibling squabbles throughout the summer holidays, if you’d asked me if I’d be dreading the first day of the new school year, I’d have thought you were mad. Faced with two sets of uniform all laid out and shiny shoes ready for new owners however, I am beginning to wish I could turn the clock back. I thought that I’d be more relaxed when it came to Poppy going off to ‘Big School’, after all I waved goodbye to Primrose three years ago. However, it has all felt rather momentous. She is the last one. My lunchtime companion, afternoon helper, my ‘baby’ is going to school and the house will certainly seem a lot quieter.

Photography: Millie Pilkington

Starting school is a huge leap into the unknown. So many new things to learn, routines to get to grips with, environments to negotiate and a whole lot of information to process. That’s not just for the children either. Moving from the womb-like cosiness of nursery to the rigours of the school day can seem just as much of a transition for you as it is for your child. What’s expected of you? What’s expected of your little one? Is my little one ready? Will other children be at the same stage? How will they cope? Whether it’s your first or last child going to Big School, I’ve learned that keeping some useful tips in mind can really help things to run a little more smoothly.

Get to know the school

time winding down as it’s the best way to get your child interested in reading for themselves. Ask them to help you tell the story through pictures and point to the words as you read.

hether it’s visiting your child’s new school, going to taster sessions or having a home visit, the more familiar the school staff and surroundings are to your little one, the easier it will be on their first day. Find out where they’ll need to hang their coat and where to pop their lunchbox if they have one. This will help with morning routines. We all worry that our children will find it hard to manage without us but if you have concerns about separation anxiety or your child settling in well, then speak to your child’s new teacher. If there are tears when you say goodbye, rest assured they never last long.

Becoming independent

D-day

ocus on helping your child to learn some key life skills such as dressing and undressing by themselves, going to the loo unaided, washing hands and keeping track of their belongings. All these little things make it much easier for children to become more independent in a new environment.

Hit the books

It’ll all be alright

n Primrose’s first morning, I popped a glittery treasure in her bag for good luck, telling her that all she had to do was think of it and remember Mummy was there with her. After her first week, she gave it back to me but the funny thing is, she still tucks it into her blazer when she has a test at school. Knowing that you’re cheering on from the sidelines is a real confidence boost for children.

ave faith that all will be well. Send them off with smiles and cuddles – tell them you can’t wait to hear all about it at hometime and of course, don’t forget to pack the tissues. Me? I shall be taking a deep breath and starting a new chapter all of my own. Just like Poppy, I’m nervous but quite excited about it too.

eading about someone else’s experience can really help to allay your own fears as well as those of your little one. Lauren Child’s I Am Too Absolutely Small for School with Charlie and Lola makes a great bedtime read in the run up to your child’s first day. The favourite in our house is Starting School by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. When it comes to navigating mums at the school gate, supporting learning at home, dealing with headlice and helping your child to make friends in the playground, Sarah Ebner’s The Starting School Survival Guide is a witty read with some thoughtful insights and tips for a safe passage for parents through the first year of school.

Be brave

f you’re new to the school, find out what’s on for parents. Going along to school functions is a great way to meet some of the other mums and dads. As the first weeks of settling in get underway, organise a couple of playdates with children from your child’s class. Getting to know people in the same boat will help you both settle in.

Avoid questions at home time

emember that new routines and surroundings are exhausting so don’t be surprised if your child doesn’t appear very chatty at hometime. Hunger and tiredness usually kick in quickly so giving a rundown of the school day is the last thing on little minds. Wait until they’ve had a chance to relax.

Routines

ticking to regular bedtimes will help combat that first term tiredness. Make reading books part of your night-

The Great Outdoors Autumn Colour: Have you ever found yourself asking how autumn colour happens? Miranda has been investigating… PhotograPhy: Millie Pilkington

t’s often with a heavy heart that we bid farewell to summer; this the season of balmy evenings, freshly cut grass and beautiful morning birdsong. But, as ever, the clock ticks on and autumn soon arrives...and what a stunning sequel to summer this season is. In Britain, we think of ‘Fall’ as the American version of the word ‘Autumn’ but this isn’t actually the case. ‘Fall’ was, in fact, used in England up until the 17th century; a shortening of the phrase ‘fall of the leaf.’ The word Autumn entered the English language from the French 'automne' and didn't become common usage until the 18th century. The word ‘Autumn’ conjures up a host of images; from roaring log fires and warming stews to intricately carved pumpkins and, of course, the phenomenon that is Mother Nature’s beautiful autumn colour. It’s easy to see why this time of year is so popular with artists and poets alike. But how does the magical autumn colour come to fruition? During the summer months, leaves are hard at work turning water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and glucose, a process known as photosynthesis, which literally means ‘putting together with light.’ A chemical found in leaves, known as chlorophyll, not only does a great job at helping this process along but it also gives the plants their green colour. However, as summer draws to a close and the days begin to shorten, the trees start to prepare for the cold months ahead. The

reduction in sunlight means that photosynthesis is no longer possible so the trees batten down the hatches and live off the food they stored during the summer months. As this happens, the green chlorophyll disappears from their leaves and other colours that have been in the leaves all along, like yellow and orange, start to emerge. It’s just that up until now they have been hidden by the green chlorophyll. Brown hues, made from waste left in the leaves, start to join the party as do bright reds and purples. In some trees, glucose becomes trapped in the leaves at the end of the summer and a combination of cool nights and winter sun turn it into a beautiful, deep red colour. It’s this heady mix of colours that gives us the treat that is autumn colour. Now, catching the trees at the just the right time can be a bit and miss but, if you time it right, it’s a real sight to behold – Mother Nature really knows how to impress!

Thinking Ahead! Expert advice from garden centre Orchard Park. B ulbs are the plant world’s clever way of going from one year to the next, and all the new bulbs that will flower in the next year have now arrived at the garden centre. There is a huge range and they can be planted now (although tulips are best planted in November). Planting bulbs in autumn is a magical thing with the bulb producing roots through the winter then sending up green shoots in spring, followed by flowers that welcome back the sun and the new growing season. There are lots to choose from and they present very few problems, which is good news for novice and young gardeners. Pick a sunny spot in the garden and dig out any perennial weeds. Then make small holes with a trowel or a bulb planter and as a general rule plant the bulb quite deeply - in fact in a hole approximately 4 times the height of the bulb. Top Tip! Planting bulbs in bowls is even simpler; choose a shallow bowl put some gravel or broken pots in the bottom then a special bulb compost. Then plant the bulbs either the same sort or a combination of bulb varieties that will flower in sequence. To make a bulb planter that will last over several weeks, use a deep pot and plant in layers with the later flowering bulbs such as tulips, near the bottom. Finally there are bulbs that have been specially treated or ‘prepared’ to flower early and can be brought indoors to flower for Christmas. Hyacinths and Narcissus ‘Paperwhite’ are the classic examples and generally need about 10-12 weeks from planting to flower. They need to start off slowly and can be planted then placed in a cool dark shed, kept moist, until the shoots develop. Then a couple of weeks before you want them to flower bring them into room temperature.

Garden Angel

Hannah Woolven inspires us with her story on being a Marketer Mogul turned Garden Angel.

PhotograPhy: MiranDa aViS

he concept of a guardian angel is prevalent across multiple theologies – the idea of an angel that is assigned to protect and guide a particular person, group, kingdom, or country. Well I don’t know if it was my guardian angel speaking to me during a conference call at work one morning, or whether I had the devil in me, but certainly a growing feeling of unrest had been collecting itself within me for the previous few months, and catalysed a sudden, radical action that day. I resigned from my stable, comfortable, professional, part-time, flexible-working-houred, acceptable-in-the-playground, snazzy-clothes-wearing, maternity-leave-paying, sick-leavegranting, paid-holiday-giving, brain-stretching, award-winning B2B marketing agency job and decided to set up a business of my own. I would no longer be Hannah Woolven, Marketer, but would don gardening gloves and a pair of old boots to become Hannah Woolven, Garden Angel. Crazy? Er, yep. Little bit. After having had my two children (now six and three years old), I’d gone back to work for the brilliant marketing agency I’d worked for before parenthood – but had taken a five-year gap in between. That’s right: Five… Long...Years. Those are precious years that I’d never trade for anything in the world, but, nonetheless, facing the working world again after that time out was tough. On the one hand, my mind felt expanded to new and bright horizons I’d never dreamed of before, with a new and fast-found knowledge of child development and psychology, a cavern of patience I never imagined I’d be able to cultivate, and mediation skills to put hostage negotiators to shame. On the other hand, it seemed to have shrivelled and dissolved into a sort of sleep-deprived, potty cleaning, dinner-making, routine-enslaved soup. So, at the time, I was grateful that anyone would be willing to employ me at all – and pretty sure I would need to keep a firm lid on the brain soup at all times, lest some accidentally dribbled out and showed me for what I really was: a stay-at-home mum at heart, playing dress up as a marketing professional. Fast forward 18 months and you’ll find me, sitting on this conference call, acting for all the world a very convincing marketer. But it just didn’t feel right. I’d changed. And the work wasn’t coming into the agency in the right sized chunks for a 15 -hours-a-week, all hours of the night and day timetable. I began to feel like a drain on the brilliant small company that had done so much for me. And I so desperately wanted to do something that made me feel part of my local community – part of something real – where I could see direct return for my efforts, beyond the pay packet. I needed that sought-after thing that they talk about in surveys and in magazines and at careers fairs: job satisfaction. How I landed on garden maintenance I couldn’t tell you. Perhaps it was the experience of landscaping my own garden and working as a labourer for our builder to save costs. Perhaps it was the hours spent staring out of the window waiting for inspiration

and yearning for the feeling of the sun on my face rather than the unblinking computer screen. Perhaps it was that guardian angel. But something possessed me to post a single, seemingly innocuous message on a local Facebook noticeboard: “Hello Pewsey! I'm thinking of setting myself up as a garden help this summer and just wanted to see if there is much interest? Perfect for people who work full time and don't have the time/ energy to spend in the garden, or perhaps for people who are feeling their years and are ready for a break from all the kneeling and bending! Comment below please if you would be interested or tag someone who you think might be!” Within half an hour I had 23 responses: “When can you start?” “How much do you charge?” “Do you cover Burbage?” That evening I spoke to my husband and we decided it was a goer. The next day I ordered a uniform and some insurance. At the weekend I invested in a petrol strimmer and registered as selfemployed with HMRC. And a fortnight later I was gardening for my first customer. Now, only five weeks down the line from that first fateful message, all my available hours are booked up for the foreseeable – and I’ve even taken on an extra job in the evening just because I liked the customers so much I simply had to squeeze them in. Am I poorer financially? Yup. Am I dreading the day that I am too ill to work and I have to call my customers and tell them I can’t work that day – and suffer the financial consequences? You betcha. Am I worried about the effect of Brexit on people’s pockets, and the knock-on effect for luxury services? Of course. But every single day when I go to work, I go to work with a smile on my face – and I stay smiling while I tackle towers of brambles, I grin my way through entire gardens that seem to be made of nothing but ground elder and nettles, and I beam at every little piece of mother nature that I meet. And I call that a life worth living.

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Ignite the spark for learning

Open Morning Friday 14 October 10:00 – 12:00 St Francis School, Marlborough Road, Pewsey, Wiltshire, SN9 5NT T: 01672 563228 E: admissions@st-francis.wilts.sch.uk www.st-francis.wilts.sch.uk

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F S U O I R S O GL

Food

SHOP

OCUS ARM

iuated just off the A303, Cholderton Farm Shop and Cafe is a delightful pit stop or lunch time destination. Selling a varied range of produce from Jude's Gin and Tonic Ice Cream to Foraging Fox Beetroot Ketchup! Closed Monday otherwise open Tuesday to Saturday 9am to 4.30pm and Saturday 10am to 4pm. Highly recommended. choldertonfarmshop.co.uk

Autumn Reds Tips and recommendations from Edward Pilkington.

L It’s veg that works for everyone!

iverford are inviting schools and nurseries to join their new school scheme, The Veg Pot, which was launched at the Bristol Food Connections Festival in Spring. The Veg Pot (‘School pounds for Riverford potatoes’) is an easy way for schools and nurseries to raise funds through parents and, more importantly, introduce children to healthy organic eating as early as possible, so they know where their food comes from and how wonderful veg can be. In addition to all this, the farmers also offer classroom visits where children can learn about earthworms, farming and, of course, vegetables, in a fun and accessible way. Riverford founder and self-confessed ‘veg nerd’ farmer Guy Watson says, “With the statistics on childhood obesity rising by the year, there is no better time to get children embracing the green stuff. We want to get as many families as possible living life on the veg like we do.” The scheme is simple: each school registers for free, sends out information to parents and families, and the PTA receives £15 per family that becomes a Riverford veg box customer, once they’ve received their third delivery. A further £15 is paid per customer after 12 months. Families get beautiful organic veg and fruit delivered to their homes, and schools and nurseries get funds to spend on whatever they need for the children. Visit riverfordorganics.co.uk to find out how to register.

Pop along to the festival!

iver Cottage willl host their first ever boutique, family-friendly music festival, at RC HQ on the 17-18 September 2016. The farm will be buzzing with live music, sure to get you dancing in the fields. While River Cottage street food amongst others will make sure no-one goes hungry while enjoying the festivities. For the little ones it will be a weekend of daring and discovery, puppet shows, building scrap instruments or Jitterbug circus in the baby big top. Reasonable ticket prices too! rivercottage.net/festival

eaves turning red, grapes being harvested, stews bubbling away. Autumn is my favourite time of year. Bar a late heatwave, the shorter days mean it’s time to start opening reds and forget about rosé for another year. I tend to start using much more spiced, herby ingredients come autumn. And if you’ve got dinners full of flavour you better make sure your wines match up to them. But how can you make sure you’re buying the right wines? One easy way to explore new winemakers and styles is by looking for the region on the bottle. Most winemakers try to create wines with a certain style in order to receive badges of quality from regional bodies. It’s a bit like the difference between Stilton and “Blue cheese”, one is an exact style that has to taste a certain way while the other is kind of the same but probably won’t taste as good. So where does this leave us with wine? As soon as autumn hits, I look to get reacquainted with French wine. It’s a country that often gets forgotten about in the search for new and novelty grape varieties but, especially in autumn, you can’t beat a good Cotes-du-Rhone in the south of France or SaintEmilion in Bordeaux. Both areas have incredibly strict quality control. If you see “Cotes-du-Rhone” or “Saint-Emilion” or indeed anything that looks like a place name on a bottle of French wine it means it’s had to pass a series of tough taste tests. It’s a mark of quality. Why do I always go back to these wines? It’s quite simple actually. These wines are from areas of France where good food is incredibly important. I can almost taste the cassoulet as I write. Though these wines are made from different grape varieties, they both have a similar flavour profile: smooth and spicy. I’d say the most important factor when it comes to food and wine matching is to experiment. And if you don’t manage to drink a whole bottle in one sitting, put the cork back on the bottle and put it in the fridge to slow oxidisation. Yes, even reds...

Quote “Country Child” to get a special autumn offer for CC readers only. edward. pilkington@corneyandbarrow. com or 01258 818 077

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ere are Country Child’s pick of spooky themed places for your little monsters to explore this year, don't be afraid! ■ Mottisfont Abbey Folklore, mystery and crafty activities for little witches and wizards. (Suggested donation £1 for trail). 22 to 30 Oct. ■ Finkley Down Farm Park Lots of themed activities here from a Scooby Doo Trail to Spooky Stables, pumpkin carving (extra charge) competitions, Witch Meet and fancy dress receives a special treat! 22 to 30 Oct ■ Hawk Conservancy Create your own spooky crafts, follow the Halloween passport trail and marvel at the owls as they put on a beautiful flying display against the backdrop of the moonlit Silver Birch Glade Arena. Included in the ticket is a hot dog, pudding and hot drink. 28 Oct at 6pm. Booking essential. ■ Cholderton Charlie's infamous Wiggly Worms Tea Party is sure to serve up a scary selection of sustenance. Or pick a pumpkin to carve, with prizes to be won in the spooky halloween quizzes and fancy dress competition. 29 and 30 Oct ■ Marwell Zoo Win a chance to adopt a tiger in this year's Pumpkin Carving Competition. Whilst around the park you can catch a creepy story told here is a a weekend full by the Spooky Sisters, learn to fly a of creative activities at broomstick or try your hand at some Mottisfont Abbey and Gardens Dracula Skulking. 24 to 31 Oct. this autumn. The weekend will celebrate 25 years of the Test Valley Arts Foundation. Go along and join the drop-in sessions with artists to work with copper and other crafty materials. You can also help create large-scale pieces of or the Lego super fan, the Great temporary art in their popular Western Brick Show is an event Land Art sessions, using natural not to miss. Held at the STEAM materials around the grounds. Museum, Swindon the show Grab a picnic and make it a promises new displays constructed creative day for all the family. 8 by the Brickish Association, and 9 Oct. Free with admission interactive builds and workshops, prices from £34.00 for a family along with competitions galore. 1 and ticket. nationaltrust.org.uk/ 2 Oct. greatwesternbrickshow.com mottisfont

Things to do Places to go

Treasure your Treasures

atron, Loyd Grossman has launched, what he calls, ‘the world’s greatest heritage festival’, rousing visitors to get out and about and ‘treasure your treasures’ at 5000 free events taking place across England during Heritage Open Days between Thursday 8 and Sunday 11 September. The aim is to bring attention to the fear facing our future's heritage. ‘Treasure Your Treasures’ is the theme for this year’s annual four-day festival, which calls on communities to champion their local heritage and show their support for cultural and historic assets on their doorsteps. Visitors are encouraged to capture themselves on camera with the objects, people or places that they treasure and to share their stories online via social media using the hashtag #TreasureYourTreasures. Specially made Heritage Open Days frames will be positioned in each region at some of the free events for people to put themselves in the picture together with or in front of their treasures. To get involved a selection of events from guided tours, workshops and open days in Hampshire and Wiltshire can be found at: heritageopendays.org.uk

Follow your Art

A Wild Ride!

ising with a monstrous roar, the fire burning beneath like a nuclear explosion, a pocket of air drifting into the realms of the atmosphere. This is not an action movie; this is the spectacular scene that you could be witnessing at Longleat’s very own Sky Safari. From the 16th to the 18th September, the sky will be littered with wildlife as over 50 balloons will make their ascension from the park estate. Simulating the vast array of creatures at the park, the balloons will be present in a diverse multitude of shapes and sizes beyond the imagination- not to mention Longleat’s coveted ‘Flying Lion’. Furthermore, the sound waves will be resonating on Saturday the 17th as music and lights will truly bring the event to life. This is an occasion not to be missed. Usual entry price applies, book online at longleat.co.uk/whats-on/sky-safari

SEPTEMBER

PULL OUT EVENT GUIDE MONDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

1 Bat Walk, Lepe 2 Marwells Country Park Zany Zebra's End of the Road Festival, Larmer Tree Marwells Zany Zebra's

3 Whitchurch Silk MIll Masked Ball Weymouth Water Fest Marwells Zany Zebra's

4 Music and Food Festival, The Pig, Brockenhurst Berry Cottage NGS, Alton Stick Man Trail, Boldenwood Park Great Hinton Maze, Hinton Ampner

7 Beatrix Potter, Mottisfont Abbey Marwells Zany Zebra's

8 Bestival, I.O.W Beatrix Potter, Mottisfont Abbey Heritage Open Day

9 Bestival, I.O.W Beatrix Potter, Mottisfont Abbey Heritage Open Day

10 Bestival, I.O.W Romsey Baby and Children's Market Glow in the Park, Longleat Heritage Open Day Ickle Pickles Market, Sarum Academy, Salisbury

11 Pewsey Carnival Red Bull Cliff Diving, Pembrokshire, Wales National Grandparents Day Heritage Open Day

12 Bestival, 13 Marwells I.O.W Marwells Zany Zebra's Zany Zebra's Dream Machines, Poole Quay

14 Marwells Zany Zebra's

15 Cholderton Charlies, Barn Dance

16 Sky Safari Longleat London Shooting Show Spectre, showing at Blenheim Palace

17 Wing Wallk, Compton Abbas Airfield Choldeton Charlies Barn Dance Dirty Dancing, showing at Blenheim Palace Hampshire and I.O.W Ambulance Fun Day, Sandown Airport Moors Valley Gala Weekend of Steam

18 Sky Safari Longleat Stick Man, Corn Exchange Newbury Back to the Future showing at Blenheim Palace Classic cars on the prom at Bournemouth Windsor Festival Ickle Pickles Market, Picket Twenty Comm Ctr, Andover

19 Stick Man, Corn Exchange Newbury Windsor Festival

20 Toddler Trails, Dyrham Park, Bath Windsor Festival

21 Somerset Open Studios, Mendip Triangle Windsor Festival

22 Somerset Open Studios, Mendip Triangle Windsor Festival

23 Compton Marbling Fair

24 Compton Marbling Fair Owls by Moonlight, Hawk Conservancy Farleigh School Open Morning Windsor Festival

25 Andover Festival of Motoring Lots of Trains, Bursledon Brickworks Museum Friends of Whitchurch Silk Mill Country Food & Craft Fair

26 Somerset Open Studios, Mendip Triangle

27 The Early Early Christmas Fair, Tedworth House

28 Somerset Open Studios, Mendip Triangle Windsor Festival

29 Kingswood Sixth Form Open Day, Bath Windsor Festival

30 Bath Childrens Literature Festival

1 Oct Sound Clash Festival, Ringwood Ickle Pickles Market, Tidworth Leisure Centre Shaftesbury Carnival Alresford Craft Sh

2 Oct Great Western Brick Show Ickle Pickles Market, River Park, Winchester Miniature Train Rides, Viables, Basingstoke

OCTOBER

5 Beatrix Potter, Mottisfont Abbey Marwells Zany Zebra's

TUESDAY

6 Toddler Trails, Dyrham Park, Bath Marwells Zany Zebra's

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

3 Bath Childrens Literature Festival Autumn Festival, The Vyne

4 Bath Childrens Literature Festival Autumn Festival, The Vyne

5 Bath Childrens Literature Festival Autumn Festival, The Vyne

6 Bath Childrens Literature Festival Kingswood Prep Open Day, Bath Autumn Festival, The Vyne

7 Stick Man, Anvil Basingstoke Godolphin Snapshot Morning

8 Chafyn Grove Open Day Stick Man, Anvil Basingstoke Owls by Moonlight, Hawk Conservancy Kingswood Senior School Open Day, Bath

9 Salisbury Half Marathon Land Art Sessions, Mottisfont Ickle Pickles Market, Amesbury Sports Ctr Family Bushcraft, Hilliers Romsey

10 Autumn Festival, The Vyne

11 Autumn Festival, The Vyne

12 Truffle Hunting 13 White Horse Experience, English Opera Die Fledermaus, Truffles.co.uk Lavington School

14 Christmas Craft Fair, Breamore House St Francis Open Morning

15 Hanford Open Morning Owls by Moonlight, Hawk Conservancy Christmas Craft Fair, Breamore House

16 Christmas Craft Fair, Breamore House Trowbridge Arts Festival Peppa Pigs Surpirie, Mayflower

17 Trowbridge Arts Festival Autumn Festival, The Vyne

18 Trowbridge Arts Festival Autumn Festival, The Vyne

19 Dorchester Literary Festival Trowbridge Arts Festival Rockbourne Fair

20 Dorchester Literary Festival Kicking and Screaming, Salisbury Playhouse, Season Ticket, Theatre Royal, Winchester

21Salisbury Carnival Dorchester Literary Festival Kicking and Screaming, Salisbury Playhouse,

22 The Baby Show, Olympia Bath Geek Fest Ickle Pickles Market, Warminster Civic Ctr, Longleat's Spooktacular Halloween Festival Stourhead Apple Day Watercress Line Steam

23 The Baby Show, Olympia Wellbeing Expo, Cheese and Grain Dorchester Literary Festival Longleat's Spooktacular Halloween Festival

24 Ssh... Bang! Salisbury Playhouse Awesone Autumn, Boldenwood Park Longleat's Spooktacular Halloween Festival Old Sarum Halloween

25 Halloween Family Night Cycle, Moors Valley Country Park Scooby Doo Trail, Finkley Farm Marwell's Halloween Festival

26 Fairytales Gone Bad, Salisbury Playhouse Gleaming Glass and Gems, Salisbury Cathedral Longleat's Spooktacular Halloween Festival

27 Play in a Day, Salisbury Playhouse Longleat's Spooktacular Halloween Festival Marwell's Halloween Festival Trowbridge Arts Festival

28 Longleat's Spooktacular Halloween Festival Scooby Doo Trail, Finkley Farm Marwell's Halloween Festival Trowbridge Arts Festival

29 The Owl and the Pussycat's Treasury of Nonsense, Salisbury Playhouse Fireworks Spectacular, Beaulieu Longleat's Spooktacular Halloween Festival Wiggley Worms Tea Party, Cholderton Charlie's, Watercress Line Wizard Weekend

30 Longleat's Spooktacular Halloween Festival Marlborough Literature Festival Scooby Doo Trail, Finkley Farm Wiggley Worms Tea Party, Cholderton Charlie's Beaulieu Fireworks Watercress Line Wizard Weekend

CALENDAR AUTUMN 2016 TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

31 Oct Marwell's Halloween Festival New Forest Food and Drink Festival

1 Marlborough Literature Festival New Forest Food and Drink Festival

2 Borden Town 3 New Forest Fireworks Food and Drink and Funfair Festival Marlborough Literature Festival

4 Godolphin Snapshot Morning New Forest Food and Drink Festival

5 Bonfire Night, Avon Tyrrell Activity Centre Cricklade Fireworks, Cricket Club Ickle Pickles Market, Sarum Academy, Salisbury

6 New Forest Food and Drink Festival Family Arts Festival, Hilliers Romsey

7 Family Night Cycling, Moors Valley Country Park

9 Family Night Cycling, Moors Valley Country Park

10 Winchester Christmas LIghts Switch On

11 Longleat in Lights 12 Ickle Pickles Christmas Fair, Waterlooville Comm Ctr Cancer research Christmas Fair, Pewsey

13 Longleat in Lights Ickle Pickles Market, Picket Twenty Comm Centre, Andover

14 Longleat in Lights Southampton Christmas Market

15 Shakespeare Schools Festival, Lights Andover

16 Shakespeare Schools Festival, Lights Andover

17 Longleat in Lights Southampton Christmas Market

18 Longleat in Lights Compton Marbling Fair Southampton Christmas Market

19 Christmas at Marwell Christmas Fair, The Bustard, Rollestone Compton Marbling Fair

20 Christmas at Marwell Longleat in Lights Southampton Christmas Market

21 Christmas at Marwell Longleat in Lights Southampton Christmas Market Winchester Christmas Market

22 Christmas at Marwell Fantastic Mr Fox, Nuffield Theatre Southampton Christmas Market

23 Christmas at Marwell Longleat in Lights Southampton Christmas Market Winchester Christmas Market

24 Christmas at Marwell Longleat in Lights Salisbury Christmas Market Southampton Christmas Market Winchester Christmas Market

25 Christmas at Marwell Longleat in Lights Magical Christmas, Finkley Down Farm Park Wine Festival Winchester Compton Marbling Fair

26 Christmas at Marwell Longleat in Lights Cholderton Charlie's Christmas Craft Fair Wine Festival Winchester Compton Marbling Fair

27 Christmas at Marwell Rapid Play Tournament Trowbridge Magical Christmas, Finkley Down Farm Park Downton Half Marathon

28 Christmas at Marwell Longleat in Lights Magical Christmas, Finkley Down Farm Park

29 Christmas at Marwell Longleat in Lights Magical Christmas, Finkley Down Farm Park

30 Christmas at Marwell Longleat in Lights Magical Christmas, Finkley Down Farm Park

NOVEMBER

MONDAY

Devilish Days Out and Autumnal Adventures!

allowe’en is in full swing with the National Trust in Hampshire this half-term, and there are plenty of ghoulish and ghastly activities for the whole family to enjoy. With autumn providing the backdrop, you’ll also discover some spectacular autumnal landscapes, as their gardens and woods are transformed with canopies of rich leaf colour, and orchards and hedgerows become laden with ripe fruit. Kids can search for shiny conkers and edible chestnuts, run through crunchy leaves, or try some of their ‘50 things to do before you’re 11 ¾’ challenges. Pick up a booklet when you arrive and have some nature-themed fun this autumn.

Winchester City Mill

22 – 30 October, 10am-4pm , normal admission charge only

Apple Harvest Weekend (11am – 4pm)

Munch on various heritage apple varieties, brought to the Mill by apple experts from nearby Sparsholt Agricultural College. Learn about the regional varieties, and how to grow them or if you’re not sure what you’ve got growing, bring your own to be identified.

Hallowe’en family trail

Complete the Mill’s enchanting witches and wizards family trail and win a prize.

Hallowe’en pumpkin carving

25 & 27 October only (11am – 3pm) Bring your own pumpkin to the Mill and, with the help of our expert pumpkin carvers, create a super scary jack-o’ lantern

Hallowe’en Storytelling

28 October only (10:30 – 4pm) Settle down inside this ancient mill and listen to hair-raising tales of witches and beasties with Chris Bennett, storyteller extraordinaire.

22 - 30 October

Mottisfont Witch Craft Trail

Hinton Ampner Half term Hallowe’en Trail 28 October 10.30am–1pm

Join our rangers at Foxbury’s cosy basecamp, right in the heart of the New Forest, to hear spooky stories and make your very own witch’s broom.

Discover folklore, mystery and crafty activities for all your little witches and wizards, at Mottisfont’s Hallowe’en witch craft trail.

22 - 30 October, 10am - 4pm Come on a spooky adventure this half term. Join in the fun on Hinton Ampner's Hallowe'en trail as you search for clues along meandering paths into the nooks and crannies of this large garden.

Spooky storytelling and broom-making workshop

Toddler Timetable Monday

Tuesday

9-11 Baydon Baby and Toddler Grp, Marlborough

9.30-11 Tummies, Tiddlers and 9.30-10.00 Musical Music, (TT) Toddlers, St George’s Primary Piona Lounge, Marlborough School, Bourton 9.45-11.45 Chilbolton P&T Grp, Wherwell Village hall 9.30-11 Jumperoo Bounce

9,30-11.30 Wellow Jellytots, Village Hall 9.30-11 Tiddlers Messy play, Liphook Infant School

n Play, St Gregory’s Sch, Salisbury

10.15-11.30 P&T Grp, Hampshire Collegiate Prep School

9.30-11.00 Stay & Play, Tisbury Children’s Centre

9.45-11.45 Little Acorns Woodland Grp, Groves Fm, Mildenhall, Marlborough

9.45-11.30 Tiddlers & Toddlers, Lecture Hall, Mere

10-11 Music Bugs, Amesbury Baptist Ctr

10-11.30 Breastfeeding Drop In, Overton Library

10.30-11.30 Baby and Toddler 10-12 Mother & Toddler Grp, Rhyme and Story Time, Itchen Abbas Village Hall Wincanton Library 10-12 Caterpillars Parent 9.3-11.45 Fluffy Chicks P&T & Toddler Group, Fovant Grp, Damerham Village Hall Rainbow Centre

10-11.30 Monkey Doodle, Wylye Village Hall, Wylye 10.30-12 Wild Things Hillworth Park Devizes 2pm-3.30 Broughton Under 5's, Village hall, TT only 2.15-2.45 Rhyme Time, Warminster Library 1-3pm Mothers and Others Toddler Grp, Four Marks Gospel Hall (term-time)

Wednesday

10-12 Woodland Imps, Highclere Woods

9.30-11.30 Jumping Beans Toddler Grp, Roundhill Scout Hut, Fordingbridge

10-11.30 Little Cuckoos P&T Grp, Lyes Green, Warminster

10-12 Stockbridge P&T Grp, Town Hall

2-3.30 United Church Grp, Winchester

Friday

9.30-10.00 Musical Music, (TT) Wyvern Club, Devizes

9.30-10.00 Musical Music, (TT), Scout Hut, Pewsey

9.30-11.30 Over Wallop 9.30-11.30 Music and More, Hawk Conservancy (term time) Under 5's Church Hall

9.30-11.00 Stay and Play at Ludwell Primary School 9.45-11.00 Baby Rhymetime,

10-11.45 Longparish P&T Grp, Winch Disc Ctr Village Hall

10-11.30 Breastfeeding Drop In, Whitchurch, Gill Nethercott

1.15-2.45 Busy Bees PreSchool, Ringwood

Thursday

9.45-11.30 Tiddlers & Toddlers, Lecture Hall, Mere

9.30-11.45 Potterne B&T Five Lanes Primary (termtime) 9.30-11.30 Play n Stay, Norman Court, West Tytherley (term time) 9.30-11.30 Weyhill P&T Grp, Weyhill Fairground

9.30-11.30 Little Sparks, Winnall 9.45-12 Bramshaw Bunnies Centre, Winchester 9.30-11 Grateley P&T Grp, Village Hall 10-11.45 Goodworth Clatford P&T Grp, Village Hall 10-11.30 St Mary Bourne P&T Group, Village Hall 1.30-3 Badgers Farm P&T Grp, Winchester

1-3.30 Semley Montessori B&T 3.30-4.30 Magic Tower Grp, Semley Primary School

B&T Grp, Bramshaw Vill Hall 10-11.30 Clatford P&T Grp, King Edward Hall 10.15-11 Emma & The Magic Bag, St Andrew’s Primary School, Fontmell 11-12 Mini Movers at Tisbury Sports Centre 10-11.30 Colden Common Tots, Community Centre 10.15-11.45 Ark P&T Grp, St Paul’s Church Ctr, Salisbury

Montessori Clanville

2.30-3pm Rhymetime 0-2's Petersfield Library (TT only)

10-12 Broad Hinton Kids Club, Marlborough

Library Times

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Salisbury

10am-7pm

9am-7pm

9am-5pm

9am-7pm

9am-5pm

Market Lavington Andover

Closed

2pm-7pm

Closed

10pm- 5pm

Closed

9am-5pm

9am- 5pm

9am-5pm

9am-7pm

9am-5pm

9am- 4pm

Mere

10am-7pm

9.30am-5pm

9.30am-1pm

9.30am-5pm

9.30am-1pm

Wilton Closed Alresford 10am-1pm

10am-2pm & 2am-7pm 2pm-5pm

10am-1pm & 1pm- Closed 5pm Closed 10am-1pm

10am-2pm & 2pm-5pm 10am-7pm

10am-1pm

Devizes

10am-7pm

9.30am-5pm

9.30am-12.30pm

9.30am-7pm

9.30am-5pm

9.30am-4pm

Kingsclere

Closed

1pm-5.30pm

Closed

1pm-5.30pm

Closed

10.30am-3pm

Marlborough

2pm-7pm

Closed

9.30am-5pm

9.30am-7pm

9.30am-5pm

9.30am-1pm

Tisbury

Closed

10am-1pm

Closed

2pm-7pm

10am-5pm

Closed

2-5pm 5.30-7.30pm 10am-5pm

Closed

Bishops Waltham

2-5pm 5.30-7.30pm Closed

Fordingbridge

Closed

9.30am-5pm

Closed

9.30am-5pm

9.30am-1pm

Overton Ringwood Romsey

Closed Closed

2pm-7pm 9am-7pm

Closed 9am-5pm

2pm-7pm 9am-5pm

Closed 9am-5pm

9am-1pm 9am-1pm

9am-5pm

Closed

9am-7pm

9am-5pm

9am-4pm

Whitchurch

1am-5pm

Closed

1am-7pm

Closed

10am-5pm

10am-1pm

Winchester Odiham

9am-7pm 2pm-5pm

9am-7pm 9.30am-12.30pm

9am-7pm 2pm-5pm

Warminster

10am-7pm

9.30am-5pm

9am-12.30pm

9.30am-7pm

9am-7pm 9.30am12.30pm 9.30am-5pm

9am-5pm 9.30am12.30pm 9.30am-4pm

10am-1pm

9.30am-1pm

'Hole in One' Day

Oh Baby!

Inside Out

or those excited and inspired by the huge success of golf at the Olympic games, you'll be pleased to know that Bowood’s resident PGA golf pros have extended their series of ‘Learn Golf in a Day’ lessons, through to the end of October. The lessons are an all-round introduction to golf and will cover the basics of the short game, stance and swing, how to chip, put and navigate bunkers as part of a group of no more than 12 pupils. Bowood’s Head Teaching Professional, Simon Shanks named the PGA’s ‘South West Coach of the Year’ in 2014 has an eye for spotting and nurturing young talent towards greater heights and will be alternating leading the courses with Matt Hacking who joined Bowood as a resident golf pro in 2015. After his amateur career, Matt became a professional golfer in 1999 going to qualify as a PGA Professional in 2004, teaching and playing tournament golf for four years. Paul McLean, Bowood’s Director of Golf/PGA Head Professional adds, “We are particularly keen to welcome more youngsters and ladies as golfers with this series of golfing lessons. The easy-going yet focused approach that Simon and Matt bring to their lessons will ensure that newcomers are inspired rather than overwhelmed. Those joining the classes can borrow golf clubs from the ProShop and with a Clubhouse Brasserie serving meals throughout the day plus stunning surrounding Capability Brown parkland, what better welcome to golf can there be for the newcomer than the one we offer at Bowood?” Priced at £35 per person (lunch included), more details on the ‘Learn Golf in a Day’ lessons can be found at bowood.org

he award winning Little Pickles markets provide families with an opportunity to buy or sell everything needed to raise children, from maternity wear to nursery furniture, bikes, books, DVD’s, games, clothes, toys the list goes on. Costing just £1 to enter (no charge for little ones) you’ll be able to save your family £100’s by shopping nearly new. And hiring a table is easy too, costing £10 with a specialist to advise with tips to help you plan and organise your table and make it a success! Plus you keep all your profits too. Email emilyg@littlepicklesmarkets.co.uk to book a table in Salisbury, Amesbury, Tidworth, Warminster, Andover or Winchester. littlepicklesmarkets.co.uk

Things to do Places to go

rom the 21st to 23rd October the biggest pregnancy and parenting event of the year, the Baby Show will be returning to Olympia, London. The Show is the must-attend event for mums and dads-to-be and new parents, with over 200 exhibitors showcasing all the latest essentials for your new arrival, plus a stage programme jam packed with fashion shows and informative talks by renowned baby care experts as the journey into parenthood, for new or second or even third time mums and dads, is a truly exciting and memorable time; a whirlwind of discovery, learning and experiences so you’re bound to have dozens of questions. As many of the major baby retailers are there, there are plenty of opportunities to try before you buy and get exclusive access to amazing discounts! Shopped till you’ve dropped? The Baby Show offers a free Collect-by-Car service so you don’t need to worry about carrying lots of bags around for the day. For tickets and early bird booking hree of the area's best firework displays for 2016, discounts visit: thebabyshow.co.uk as chosen by the Country Child team.

BANG!

29th Oct: To movie themed music this is one of the largest shows in the south. Beaulieu also extends the fun with a range of entertainment for the whole family. Dare to dress up and you could win a prize for the best dressed. 2nd Nov: Held at Country Market Garden Centre, Bordon the popular event with funfair is back but with an additional earlier display for younger children. Only £2 and under 5's go free. 5th Nov: Cricklade Cricket Field puts on a display for all. Together with a best dressed Guy Competition.

GLOW IN THE PARK

he ultimate nighttime neon fun event for families & friends to dance, walk, jog or run around. Voyage through the six glow zones within the wildlife park at Longleat, presenting electrifying light shows, energising beats and top it all off with a foam and powder paint blast zone. Fun for all the family at any age. A popular event so book quickly. Held on Saturday 19th September. glowinthepark.co.uk/uk

E N O Z ID

TRY THIS!

s the leaves fall, get collecting and have a go at making a natural and really useful leaf bowl. Use it to store pens, pencils, stickers, rubbers, letters, in fact absolutely anything!

DIY LEAF BOWL

➤ A balloon ➤ Leaves, not brittle or dry, just fallen are ideal. ➤ A bowl ➤ Scissors ➤ Paint/Glue Brush ➤ UPVC Glue/Varnish ideally Modge Podge tart by collecting your leaves of any variety and cut any stems very short, then blow your balloon up to the size of the bowl you require, tie it up and pop into the bowl to hold in place. Brush glue on both sides of the leaf and place on top, repeat from top to bottom. Double layer the bottom for durability, then leave to harden. Once hard, pop balloon, remove and your bowl is ready to use. instructables.com

Pets Corner Name: Teacup Owner: Dylan, Age 6 Breed: Albino Pygmy Hedgehog Age: Two years old Party Tricks: Escaping, Spinning her wheel, floating on her back in a ball. Favourite food: Meal worms but doesn't like egg. Do you have a pet that you would like to proudly show off in Country Child? If so send in your photo with the above information on your pet to info@ countrychild.co.uk and we'll get as many or your animals published as possible!

Little brothers worship their big sisters, colour William and Kate in to brighten them up! Send your amazing colouring in, into us at info@countrychild.co.uk

Show and Tell GREAT SCOTT! L una Open Air Cinema comes to Blenheim Palace on the 16th to 18th September and presents three nights of classic films under the stars on the South Lawn. Take a picnic or enjoy the food stalls and full bar on site and watch your favourite films on the big screen in incredible high definition and state of the art sound - it's a completely unique night out. The line-up of films include action, romance and comedy, with scenes from Friday night's movie filmed at Blenheim Palace itself! Fun for the whole family, with an offering everyone will enjoy. Consider booking a directors chair to make your evening extra special. The directors chair package includes a drink from the on-site bar, premier seating and a goodie bag from the event's sponsors. Tickets from £16.50 blenheimpalace.com

A guide to local live entertainment

Playhouse Performances

here are a wide range of family productions in the lead up to and during the October half term for 2016 at Salisbury Playhouse. Here are our favourites: Kicking and Screaming looks at how the world becomes a diﬀerent place when a baby arrives. How do our priorities shift when we become parents? How do we adjust – and what happens if we don’t? This honest, funny and touching show for those aged 14 and over tells the story of two couples whose lives change forever. For the first time there will be a baby-friendly matinee (22 Oct only) where parents can bring babes in arms aged 18 months or younger. 20 to 22 Oct. Shh… Bang! is a special dance theatre-performance for those aged 3 and over where they can journey through a world filled with boings, whooshes and tick-tocks. 24 Oct. Zombie-rella and Blood Red Hood - 25 Oct and Grannylocks and The Monstrous Duckling - 26 Oct. Joseph Coelho unravels familiar fairytales to create fresh contemporary classics in two enchanting performances of Fairytales Gone Bad. Perfect for ilot Theatre and Northern those aged 3 plus. Stage present The Season The Owl and the Pussycat’s Treasury of Nonsense presents Ticket, an incredible staging of Lear’s most loved poems in a delightfully predictable way using the story that inspired the hit clowning, puppetry and magical music. 29 Oct film Purely Belter. The Racehorse Who Wouldn’t Gallop Number one bestselling A play about love, friendship, author and broadcaster Clare Balding talks about her hardship and the priceless inspirational stories to mark the publication of her first children’s currency of hope. Everyone needs a dream. For lads Gerry book. 24 Sept. salisburyplayhouse.com and Sewell, it’s watching their n the wake of its successful Junior Choir, Salisbury Cathedral beloved Newcastle United is launching a new Youth Choir lead by Ian Wicks, Director play for a whole season. To get of Music at Salisbury Cathedral School. indsor into the sacred St James’ Park The Salisbury Cathedral Youth Choir will be a free, four-part Festival where Gazza once graced community choir, open to all youngsters aged between 13 and celebrations, the field of dreams, Shearer 18, without having to take an audition. The new choir’s leader, taking place smashed a total of two Ian Wicks, has run the Junior Choir successfully for nine years, from 18th hundred and six goals, where with the choir taking part in last year’s highly successful Magna Kev was King and Sir Bobby September 2016 to 2nd was a god, they only need one Cantata and BBC Wiltshire’s Carols in the Cathedral, an annual October 2016, are to focus broadcast event. Rehearsals for the Youth Choir will be every thing: a season ticket. on the centenary of the birth Tuesday from 18.00-19.00 in the Cathedral School’s music room. In a world of payday loans of Festival Founder Yehudi Those wishing to join just need to turn up and register at the first and cash-on-credit, how easy Menuhin, The Queen’s 90th rehearsal, which takes place at 18.00 on Tuesday 13th September is it to make a cool grand? Birthday and Shakespeare’s at Salisbury Cathedral School. Can you sell ‘magic pennies’ The 46 strong Junior Choir is also recruiting again as some 400th anniversary. for a pound on the streets of the older singers move on to secondary school. The Salisbury The three anniversaries are of the city? Gerry and Sewell Cathedral Junior choir is led by Susie Lamb, who has 20 years of to be marked with various try every trick in the book experience working with children both as a music teacher and a concerts in the form of violin but find that making money is choral director. Susie runs choirs at Salisbury Cathedral School concertos, choirs, walking much more complicated than and Woodlands Primary as well as singing herself, with the avoiding school. Or home. tours, amongst others and all Cathedral Chamber Choir and Sarum Voices. located within the grounds and 20 to 22 Oct. Age: 14 years If you are interested in joining either choirs, please contact plus. Ticket Prices from £14.00 surrounding areas of Windsor Abigail Bray on scjc@salcath.co.uk or 07929 769311. theatreroyalwinchester.co.uk Castle. windsorfestival.com

Fi BOYLE GARDEN DESIGN

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Practical training courses for people working in property, housing or maintenance. Nuts and Bolts Training deliver a wide range of one day training courses in basic construction related skills; legislation and regulation, customer service and personal development Courses include: * Introduction to building construction * Damp and condensation in buildings * Plumbing and drainage in domestic properties * A guide to HHSRS * CDM regulations 2015 * Understanding energy efficiency

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'Lefties' Are Alright

Did you know that left handers are a rare species? Miranda reveals all...

recently read somewhere that 90% of the world’s population are right handed. I’ve always known that us ‘lefties’ (yes, I’m one of ‘em) are in the minority…but do lefthanders seriously make up just 10% of the world’s population; are we really that rare? In the animal kingdom, creatures considered to be in a minority are afforded a special status; protected, nurtured and encouraged to thrive. Should this not be the case for the left handers amongst us? I am, of course, being somewhat contrary yet quite how a child develops into a leftie has left scientists baffled for years. Many believe that the mother’s DNA plays a key role in her offspring’s rightie/leftie leaning, which is something that I can relate to as both of my boys are lefties, as is my mother and my sister, too. I can’t say I particularly struggled growing up in a rightie’s world. At school, I remember feeling rather special when I was assigned my very own pair of green left-handed scissors. They accompanied me from class to class and, as labels go, they were a rather innocuous indicator of my dextrous persuasion. Nowadays, however, there’s a lot more out there to help children who may be struggling with their left-handedness. For example, my son enjoys using a special left-handed pencil; in theory the triangular tip encourages a good writing position and, provided it’s sharpened regularly, I think his handwriting improves when he’s using it. As children become interested in using computers for school work, parents can easily switch the settings to make the mouse of cursor more leftie friendly. For those with a musical interest, left handed

guitars are readily available. Equally so, there are plenty of online stores awash with leftie gizmo’s such as grips, smudge free pens and even books dedicated to the left-handed cause. For parents with pre-school children eager to know whether their child will be left or right handed, keeping an eye on how they do certain actions can be an early indicator and, gradually over time, a definite picture will start to emerge. Watching what hand youngsters use to pick up food and reach for toys is often deemed a good place to start. It’s believed right-handers stir things in a clockwise direction whereas lefties stir counter clockwise – now that’s something to look out for when the kids are next stirring the cake mix! As strange as it may seem, the right side of the brain not only controls the left side of our bodies, this half of our grey matter also determines certain leftie personality traits. Left handers tend to be emotional, imaginative, creative and musical whilst the right handers of the world lean towards maths, science and logic. From personal experience, I have to say, I think there’s a lot of truth in this; my husband, a right handed medic, and I couldn’t be more different in so many ways; from our chosen career paths right down to who tells the best bedtime story at night – he’s all about car chases, car crushers and the universe whilst I’ll get lost in a world of talking rabbits, enormous strawberries and flying cakes…well, at least my left-handed, melodramatic, imaginative sons can see where I’m coming from…kind of! Photography: Millie Pilkington

WINDOW SHOPPING Country Child seeks out properties for the water babies....

Four Marks, Alton £1,000,000

Set in immaculate and principally south facing landscaped grounds of about 1.5 acres this four bedroom home has a versatile layout, with master suite overlooking its expansive pond with miniture bridge, gardens and the fields beyond from your very own balcony.

hamptons.co.uk

Ringwood, Hampshire £950,000

Built by the present owner some 12 years ago with around 4120 sq. ft. of living accommodation this four bedroom home certainly suits a modern day family. The kitchen stretches across the whole of the rear elevation and gives access to the pool complex; sauna, steam cubicle underfloor heating, dehumidifier, inset tiled jet pool, not to forget the Hot Tub too!

Fareham, Hampshire £995,000

Extended to offer bright contemporary living accommodation all designed to maximise on the stunning views of the Solent and the Isle of Wight beyond. This is a three bedroom home; master with en suite shower room and a glass Juliet balcony to the upper level, with another family room below which could be a forth bedroom.

hamptons.co.uk

Durrington, Salisbury £750,000 Attractive four bedroom brick and flint new home with NHBC

guarantee alongside mature garden plot approaching half an acre that provides delightful rural views including access to the River Avon with single bank fishing.

hearnes.com

martinco.com

eliable, local and experienced with a specialist team...... let Williams and White relocate you and your possessions to your new home with minimal stress and outstanding customer care.

* Full pack removals. * Piano moves. * Overseas export. * Flexible service and relocation packages to suit your needs. www.williamsandwhite.co.uk 30

info@williamsandwhite.co.uk 01380 501693 07938 871783

Interior

IDEAS

Funk up any space with this 60's Retro Pop2 Cushion £58.00 in-spaces.com

RETRO REVIVAL

Crushed velvet low designer chair. Yeah Baby! £1548.00 touchedinteriors.co.uk

Vintage Classics...

Local gift shop and cafe Overton Gallery, stock illuminated letters and numbers. £19.99 overtongallery.co.uk Statement undercounter retro fridge, available in four colours £475.00 husky-lifestyle.co.uk

Rydell Radio is perfect for a 50's decade fan at only £29.95 from online gift store cuckooland.com

Nadia Taylor's 'Tulips' design digitally printed onto 100% cotton. £119.00 in-spaces.com

The Boulder display unit from Bath based Coucoumanou will organise, tidy and give the wow factor. Colour choices flexible. £1595.00 coucoumanou.com

The highly versatile Tram Chair, fits perfectly in any home, anywhere. Colour options available £69.00 cultfurniture.com

These new designs from Bemz, cover various Ikea sofa's for a great revival trick. £469.00 bemz.com

Barefoot Challenge Jo Leigh keeps seeing parents and children in school walking around with no shoes on??! She found out more on the Barefoot Challenge campaign and what it is all about!

ind your shoes, we’re going to be late for school” is the normal call at 8.30am on a Monday morning in the Loden household. But there wasn’t such a call on Monday 27th June. That morning, Joshua (9) and Emily (6) kicked off their shoes and went barefoot for an entire week as part of Giving Africa’s Barefoot Challenge. They walked their usual route to school, down footpaths and across stiles, through horse fields and across roads, with nothing on their feet at all. When asked what inspired them, Joshua said that he wanted to go barefoot to think about how the children in Africa have to walk to school barefoot. “I wanted to raise money for Giving Africa so that the children don’t have to be barefoot and can go to school like I do. The best bit about being barefoot was not wasting time having to put on socks – I miss it a little bit.” Joshua wouldn’t allow anyone to tell him to put shoes on, even when he was told to wear shoes while playing rugby with the risk of being trodden on by studs! “If I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it properly” he added. Joshua also decided to donate £5 of his pocket money to Giving Africa – this is in addition to Joshua and Emily contributing their pocket money to sponsor a girl and boy called Sara and Michel. Emily commented “I didn’t like the walk on the path to school as it was a bit prickly and I wanted a piggy back then. However I loved being able to dip my feet in the stream at the end of the day.” Joshua and Emily joined hundreds of people going barefoot for 24 hours or more to launch the Barefoot Challenge year. Money raised by Britons doing a range of everyday, extraordinary or bizarre activities without shoes and socks will support children’s education in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Currently one in three children in Africa do not receive

a quality education; it’s a tragedy that the charity Giving Africa wants to help fix. The money raised will go towards giving children an environment where it is possible to learn. This includes easing overcrowding and temperatures that can hit over 40 degrees centigrade, rectifying a total lack of basic resources and improving the quality and relevance of education. Another noticable supporter is the 'Barefoot Landlord' of the Lunar Hare and The Plough pubs in Andover, Hampshire. Allen Watts is going one step further by challenging himself to walk for a year with no shoes or socks. Allen says: 'It struck a chord with me that the children in Africa walk miles to get an education, if they are lucky enough to even get the opportunity to get taught. Hopefully I can raise enough money to not only give the children shoes but also a chance at a better life with the priviledge we have in this country of an education.' Going barefoot makes you stop and take note of what is important in your life too. It is fun, healthy for your feet and most importantly connects you with the children you are helping. You can support the charities campaign in various different ways from texting BAREFOOT to 70660 to donate £5 to Giving Africa or you can sponsor a child for £18.75 a month which can give a child at Bethel School access to life changing education and health care. Or join the Food for Thought Programme which costs just £85 to give a child a meal every day for a year. Sign up to thegivingmachine.co.uk and visit the givingafrica.org.uk to spread the word! Join in the with the Barefoot Challenge at barefootchallenge.org.uk and please send in your efforts to Country Child on our social media sites at facebook. com/countrychildmagazine or Twitter and Instagram @countrychildmag.

BOOKWORMS Sandroyd School, Salisbury, Wiltshire Minas Tirith. It is a witty and exciting book of betrail, friendship and loyalty.

t Sandroyd, we work hard to foster a love of reading in our students, providing young Sandroydians with the opportunity to enter new worlds and travel into the realms of imagination through an exciting range of literature. Reading for pleasure is an important part of our curriculum; from personal reading within school and the boarding houses, to library lessons, whole school reading periods and the Breakfast Book Club. Students come to the library for a timetabled session every week and are welcome to visit before, during and after school. It is always open. The library offers a range of fiction texts for all ages and is stocked with a selection of non-fiction to support learning and feed students’ interests. In addition, it is also home to a set of tablets on which students may research and peruse electronic texts, as well as a selection of newspapers and magazines. Our part-time librarian and dedicated Year 7 Library Assistants are on hand to help with any queries and recommendations, not to mention the wealth of reading experience amongst the Sandroydian staff. We also have a specific library area of fiction and non-fiction books designed for the junior children. It is an exciting and stimulating environment offering books that appeal to all tastes. The Junior Reading Challenge inspires children to read, collect points, certificates and rewards. Alistair Speers, Headmaster, Rushmore,Tollard Royal, SP5 5QD sandroyd.org

The Lord of the Rings By J.R.R Tolkien I have immensely enjoyed this book as it is full of never-ending brilliance and fun. It follows the story of Bilbo’s heir Frodo who is trying to destroy the ring of Sauron. It is also about Aragorn, son of Arathorn, returning to

By Ivo AkersDouglas Year 4 How To Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell It is about a Viking boy called Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third. He and ten other Viking boys are trying to pass the dragon initiation programme in order to become full members of the Hairy Hooligan tribe. The test has three parts, first catch your own dragon and second train it. Then the boys have to prove they have trained their dragons at initiation day on Thor‘sday (Thursday). I really liked this book because it was gripping and funny. It had some good jokes. By Jeevan Macro, Year 4 Silver Snaffles by Primrose Cumming This book belonged to my grandmother – she loved it and so did my mother and now I really like the book because of the way it includes horses and ponies. The children in the book consists of Jenny who is the main character and Peter who comes in halfway through the book. Mr. Pymmington is the owner of Tattles who shows Jenny the extraordinary riding school. The ponies consists of Cock Robin who teaches Jenny to walk and trot, Paul who teaches Jenny too canter, Shannon who teaches her too jump and Dragon who along with Cock Robin goes through the fog to the land of the people who have no horse sense with Jenny and Peter so that they can rescue Pippin. This book inspires you to start riding or if you have a pony, jump on it and go for a spin. It also

makes you think “How did she do it? What inspired her?”. You can learn a lot from Silver Snaffles because the way the ponies explain everything from how to ride to what not to do and how to treat a pony or horse. There is also a bit of humour in it that just helps to make it a very special book. It also has a lot of things that jump out at from round a corner or bits that have you suspended in mid-air where you don’t know what will happen next. I LOVE THE BOOK!!!! By Hubert Johnsen, Year 5 The BFG by Roald Dahl There is a little girl called Sophie who meets a giant. She thinks the giant is trying to eat her but actually he is trying to take her away because she saw him. There are some nasty giants who eat people so the BFG tries to keep Sophie safe. This book is really good because I like the way the Giant’s speech is written as it uses lots of made up words. I can’t wait to see the movie of it this summer. By Amelia Blomfield, Year 2 The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games is without doubt an amazing book and film. It is part of the Hunger Games trilogy entitled The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mocking Jay all written by Suzanne Collins. The Hunger Games is a live TV show for the people of the capital. One boy and one girl from each district are picked at random to not just survive in a massive arena but fight to the death for the entertainment of people living within the capital. The winner gets glory for him/her and their district and the losers get death. I think the Hunger Games is a great book and I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes suspense and action. By Edward Fuller, Year 6

The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson The wonderful tale of the Secret of Platform 13 is an adventurous and imaginative story about something called a gump. Meet Odge Gribble a hag, Cornelius a wizard, Gurkintrude a fey and an invisible giant that lurks behind the rest..... They are on a mission to find the King and Queen's lost baby son. It was harder than they thought as they entered a world they couldn't possibly imagine......... I really enjoyed this book and I would give it a five star rating! By Tatiana Welchman, Year 5 Witch Wars by Sibéal Pounder Witch Wars isn’t just one book, it’s a series of three. The fourth book is out in October 2016. The main character is a girl called Tiga Whicabin. In the first novel Tiga thinks she is a normal girl until Fran, the pushy fairy, comes along. She puts Tiga Whicabin’s name in the air, swaps all of the letters around and guess what it says? I AM A BIG WITCH! I really think it’s an amazing series of books because at the end of the third book it leaves you on a real cliffhanger, the way the story is told is gripping. I recommend it for eight year olds and above. I rate it 10 out of 10. By Rebekka Hurley, Year 3.

Be A Bookworm This page provides an opportunity for local schools to promote themselves through their pupils' book reviews. If you would like us to feature your school, please email info@countrychild.co.uk for further details.

TOP

Marks

News In Brief Chafyn Grove Gardening Club raise over £450.  Churchill Insurance are delighted to sponsor the placement of a Lollipopper to Hatherden C of E Primary School in Andover, Hampshire.  Kids Love Nature childcare providers open a NEW nursery at Marwell Zoo this September 2016.  Godolphin School received three Good Schools Awards in Art and Design, Music Performance and Design and Food technology.  David Morton (Year 10) of Leehurst Swan has qualified for the 100m freestyle at the ASA Nationals in Sheffield this Summer. 

A New Chapter for School Library

urrington All Saints Infant School has written a fresh chapter in its history - with the opening of a new library. The children's book illustrator Bridget MacKeith, who was at Durrington leading workshops as part of the school's Art Day, carried out the oﬃcial opening. In keeping with Durrington's Forest School element - which includes the school's logo - the new library has been given a woodland theme with shelves in the shape of trees and stools like toadstools - as well as lots of green! It's hoped it underlines the importance placed on outdoor learning. The whole area has also received a facelift with new carpet and a fresh lick of paint. To complete the makeover parent helpers organised the books ready for use by pupils. "The school hopes the stunning new library with its vibrant colours, fun design and interesting shapes will get our pupils excited about reading and be a special place in the school," explained a delighted principal Lindsay West "This is a library where children will be inspired to choose books and read for pleasure. The Friends of the School (PTA) has been fundraising to buy new books too." she added. Pictured is young Fabian Morrison – Year 2

Village, primary, pre prep, private or state we want to know your school news, email: info@countrychild.co.uk

History Lesson at the Museum D ressed as evacuees, Year 3 children from Leehurst Swan School set off to have an exciting day out at the Museum of Army Flying, in Middle Wallop, as part of their history study about World War Two. After a tour of the museum, learning about the development of flying machines and the important part that aeroplanes, gliders and helicopters had in the different wars, the children got an opportunity to dress up and sit in a real helicopter! Later, the children had a ‘hands on’ session, which included trying on helmets and looking at gas masks and medals from the era. After a well earned lunch, the afternoon was spent doing drama activities, with each group telling part of the story of an evacuee. The Museum of Army Flying was an excellent venue for the children to enjoy learning more about, and getting a real feel for, World War Two.

Chafyn Grove raises £2,500 for local Charity Alabare

he end of last year at Chafyn Grove School saw some serious fundraising, highlighting the problem of homelessness within the community. The students have chosen local homeless charity Alabaré to champion this year and have raised an amazing £2,500 so far. The students have been putting their entrepreneurial hats on and getting their creative juices flowing with some great ideas from a clothes collection which took place at the school and saw children donating their unwanted shoes and clothes. More small business ideas, business plans and sales pitches were presented to a ‘Dragons Den’ style panel where all profits from these business ventures are to be given to Alabaré. Jason Webster, Head of Year 7 and 8 at the school, has been highlighting and teaching the children about homelessness. “To really experience the fundamentals of homelessness and raise awareness rather than cash the children staged their very own Alabaré inspired sleep out. They were visited by The Vulnerable Alan Jeans, the Archdeacon of Sarum, during the evening, where he chatted to the children about homelessness – causes, the reality of living outside and what can be done to relieve the situation.” They also celebrated their Eights (the school name for houses), by dressing in their particular colours of red, yellow, green and blue. The timetable for the day was changed to include making banners for their Eights to use in the schools Centenary Celebrations this new term, planning the contents of a time capsule, (ahead of the school’s 100 year celebrations), and playing mixed cricket matches. Alabaré have said they are delighted to be working with such enthusiastic young people and extremely grateful for all their support.

Cultural Visit

he Year 3 children at Chafyn Grove School had a wonderful afternoon at St Thomas’ Church taking part in a workshop with Tibetan Monks from the monastery of Tashi Lhunpo. The children carried out different activities led by the monks like Sand Mandala Making, Prayer Flag Printing, Sculpture, Dukar Wheel Making and learning some Tibetan words and phrases. The children were completely absorbed in the experience and thoroughly enjoyed their time with the monks.

St Mary's Story so far...

here are exciting new developments at St Mary’s School, Shaftesbury. The school, is rarely seen by the wider community as it is tucked down a long, winding drive. This is set to change, however, when the school begins running swimming lessons and oﬀering membership to the pool, both of which will be open to the public, from September. There are also concerts being held in the Campion Hall, part of the bespoke Music building at St Mary’s, during the 2016-2017 season. These will be classical concerts, one of piano duet music and the other featuring an oboe soloist. In order to share the schools passion for music with all young people, under 18s can attend the concerts for free. Adults will be charged £5. Finally, as well as a brand new uniform for all girls, there are going to be two brand new year groups at St Mary’s from September and welcome Years 5 and 6 back to the school. This cohort will be known as Lower Three and the school is excited about younger girls enjoying the bespoke classrooms and facilities available to the students. The flourishing community at St Mary’s is going from strength to strength!

A Multi Academy Trust is Born

our schools, Durrington Infants, Bulford St Leonard's Primary school, St Michael's Figheldean and Avon Valley College have now become a multi-academy trust aiming to provide 'excellent education,' according to CEO Helen Mathieson. "The schools will deliver all through education, 0 - 18, which will allow shared skills and shared opportunities for professional development of staff and experiences for children." she adds. The Army's decision to move soldiers back to Salisbury Plain has been a key factor in the creation of the multi academy trust. Its rebasing will see a big rise in the numbers of school-aged children over the next four years and beyond, making the need for 'excellent education for all on Salisbury Plain' of importance. The new St Michael's school at Larkhill will be a 420 place, two-form entry primary with a purpose built nursery attached and will be opened in 2018; a new building has just been opened at Bulford St Leonard's to answer the growing demand for places there and building works are due to start at Avon Valley Academy to accommodate the expected growth in numbers. CEO Helen Mathieson says: "The new academy trust, has the potential to become a hub of excellence, a reflective leader of learning, a provider of all-through education that enables children and young people to develop their skills and potential.

Godolphin 'Prep'ared for Success

Orchestral Maneuvers

ast year, Leehurst Swan welcomed Stringissimo, the Woodlands Primary School string orchestra, in the Walker Hall for an afternoon of joint music making. Both schools rehearsed a number of pieces which culminated in a great afternoon concert. The afternoon was such a exhilarating success, with great enthusiasm from the children and high quality performances. Woodlands Primary School is looking forward to hosting the Leehurst Swan string orchestra for a concert next year!

ast year, the newly formed Godolphin Prep cricket team made school history as they played, and won, their first game of competitive cricket. Godolphin introduced cricket for pupils at the Prep School as an after-school club in April, and over 20 girls signed up from years 5 and 6. Godolphin Prep and the opposing team, Salisbury Cathedral School, played during the delightfully warm afternoon against the picturesque backdrop of the Cathedral. Godolphin set the tempo of the game right from the start by taking a wicket with the first ball! Pupils from Godolphin Prep delivered with accurate bowling, good catching and some excellent run-outs. Godolphin started their innings carefully but then started scoring freely and piling on the runs. By the end of their innings Godolphin Prep had won the game handsomely by 101 runs. Mr David Miller, Godolphin Prep’s cricket coach, was incredibly proud of the new team’s tremendous achievement and looks forward to further developing Godolphin’s cricketing prowess.

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National Insurance Contributions

ational Insurance Contributions (NICs) are important because they count towards benefits such as bereavement allowance, maternity allowance and perhaps most importantly the state pension. You need 30 qualifying years of NIC contributions or credits to receive the full state pension, so it is important to ensure that you keep your record up to date. If you are employed and earn over £155 a week, class 1 NICs will automatically be deducted from your salary each month. If you earn between £112 and £155 a week, no deductions will be made but you will still earn a full qualifying year. If you are self-employed, from this year you are no longer required to pay any NICs in advance; they are calculated based on your tax return and collected with your annual income tax. If you aren't currently working and are caring for your children, you are still eligible for qualifying contribution years, however you need to be careful because your NIC record is only updated correctly where you are registered for child benefit. If you are not entitled to child benefit (because your partner earns over £60,000) then it is important that you still register but then stop the payments; this should be sufficient to keep your NIC record up to date. If you aren't sure how many years qualifying years you currently have, you are able to request a state pension forecast from the gov.uk website.

This is only general advice and should not be relied upon; for speciﬁc advice tailored to your personal circumstances please contact:

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NEWS NEWS NEWS ▶ Newly discovered by the CC team is a new shop, Leah's Boutique at Earls Court in Amesbury, selling different and affordable clothes for children. ▶ A new Kids Emporium opened in Guildford this Summer, offering various parenting essentials. ▶ New Contact Centre is now open in Alderbury run by the Chances Gives Choices Team. ▶ Danny Habel retires from his furniture business after 38 years. ▶ Childhood's Dream toy shop in Winchester is now closed, but still selling at childhoodsdream.co.uk ▶ Birdhouse Studio, Winchester now at P&G Wells Booksellers.

Curtain Call for New CEO and Producer

orest Forge Theatre Company has announced the appointment of Sharon Lawless as its new CEO and Creative Producer following the departure in April of Artistic Director, Kirstie Davis. Sharon joins Forest Forge in this newly created role from Reading Rep, where she was Executive Director and also previously worked for two of the south’s flagship producing theatres; the Salisbury Playhouse and the Nuﬃeld Theatre where she was Community Producer for over 10 years. At Forest Forge, Sharon will be responsible for establishing the Ringwood theatre space as a new cultural hub for the region, engaging, supporting and creating new partnerships with local artists across all art forms, as well as producing new work at the venue and on tour. She will also expand Forest Forge’s extensive creative learning and outreach work, developing new community projects across the south-west Lawless originally trained as an actor at Rose Bruford College, toured in TIE and community theatre companies throughout the UK and Vienna, and Recently completed an MA in Cultural and Arts Management at the University of Winchester, graduating in 2014. Forest Forge Chair Dr Miranda Whitehead commented:“We are absolutely delighted to welcome Sharon Lawless to Forest Forge Theatre Company. Sharon has huge experience of local and national arts provision and her connection with Forest Forge goes back to 1994 when she raised the funding to secure our permanent base in Ringwood. We are sure that she is just the person to take the company forward in this new and very exciting phase of our community development.” Sharon Lawless remarked: “It’s really exciting to be returning to Forest Forge especially as the theatre company celebrates its 35th anniversary this year. I’m delighted to be entrusted with continuing the theatre company’s legacy and help to develop our Ringwood home into a vibrant arts venue that all the New Forest community can experience. I’m keen to bring new work to our local audiences, support new writing and develop partnerships with local artists as well as continue to take Forest Forge’s work out on tour across the south and beyond.”

New Local Vineyard Launches in Cholderton

t seems the 40 acre site of the Cholderton Charlie Farm enterprise knows no bounds with another venture to add to their list. A batch of vines has been planted to offer a new sparkling wine from the farm, named Bluestone. Available sometime in 2018, with an additional harvest set to be planted over another 10 year period. The name is taken from the type of stones at nearby English Heritage site Stonehenge. The soil and location have been rigorously measured and tested to provide the right conditions for growing such a grape variety that is needed to produce a quality champagne. The stunning setting in the Wiltshire countryside also includes a barn which is also now available for hire, perfect for private functions such as corporate meetings, weddings or birthdays. For more information in the wines or venue contact: bluestonevineyards.co.uk

Personalised Posessions

ccording to careers organisation She's Back, 70% of women leave the workforce because they find it impossible to combine their career and family life. So what then? One mother has decided to combine her graphic design skills and knowledge of children to kick-start a new venture, 'Little World Of'. Producing stylish, highly personalised books for preschool age children, the innovative start-up is the brainchild of Tara North, a mum of two living in Winchester. 'I am so excited to be finally taking orders for my books, it's taken a lot of work to get this far.’ said Tara. ‘I saw a gap in the market for truly personalised, children's books and the rapid decline in the cost of digital printing allowed me to develop them for sale at very reasonable prices. Her innovative personalised books are beautifully designed, each page showcases the important details that make up a young child's world, with bright illustrations and simple text. These include their name, birthday, where they live, who they live with, what they like to do, eat and sing. Until now personalised books have tended to be a generic story with the child's name and occasionally a few other details inserted into the text. Tara's books are fully personalised throughout and are unlike anything currently on market 'My son Guy loves his book,' says Naomi, one of her first customers 'he's just thrilled to have a book all about himself. He was given another personalised book before but it only featured his name. The level of personalisation makes this book really special!' Price £15 plus P&P. Find out more at littleworldof.com

Salisbury Writer Releases First Book

ndro Donovan, from Britford, Salisbury is set to launch her first book this year, titled, ‘Motivate Yourself – Get the Life You Want, Find Purpose and Achieve Fulfilment’. The book, published by Capstone will be available in all major bookshops and available on line at Amazon. Andro’s book ‘Motivate Yourself ’ is a thorough, practice book for individuals who are asking themselves: Is this it? Where am I going? What’s my purpose? Do I feel fulfilled? What next? Andro shares proven principles that will help readers find purpose and fulfilment by using techniques to pro-actively design their life with the end-goal in mind. Andro began her career teaching English Literature to disengaged school students, getting them to be inspired about their life and future, she then went on to work in a management consulting practice for a number of years and currently facilitates life changing retreats for top level CEOs around the world. The thinking behind ‘Motivate Yourself ’ is grounded in Andro’s wealth of experience not only with disengaged teenagers but also with top-level executives, who, whilst hugely successful in their career, still yearn to be more fully engaged and satisfied. ‘The need for personal development often starts with a niggling feeling, deep down, that something isn’t quite right,’ says Donovan. ‘Sometimes it can be hard to put

your finger on. But, there the feeling is, trying to make itself known. My book, ‘Motivate Yourself ’ is for anyone who has questioned themselves and yearns for more fulfilment in their life.’ Andro is a globally sought after facilitator, speaker, and consultant. She specializes in coaching highperforming CEOs, and Entrepreneur forums to become more effective leaders, with a stronger sense of meaning and purpose in their lives. She combines her 20 years experience as a management consultant with her natural insight and aﬃnity with all types of people, to help her clients gain greater influence, effectiveness and perspective. Andro is known for creating safe environments where deep personal transformation can happen individually and in collaboration. She has worked extensively with cross-cultural groups on a global level, empowering top peer group connection and teamwork.

COUNTRY CH azine

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Issue 18

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Doctor Doctor Country Child has teamed up with GP Dr Alex Newman to answer some common child health related questions. Q. My four-year-old child has been given an inhaler for being wheezy, does it mean they have asthma?

P robably not. Asthma is tricky to diagnose in small children; lots of children have episodes of wheezing associated with upper respiratory tract infections but relatively few go on to get the label of ‘asthma’. A blue (salbutamol) inhaler is often given as a trial to see if it is helpful. If the problem doesn’t go away it’s worth discussing again with your GP.

Q. My baby vomits a lot after feeds, does he have reflux/what is reflux?

I t can be completely normal. The muscles at the top of babies’ stomachs are not very well developed and so it is easy for feeds to come back up. This is called reflux. Often parents are concerned about it but if your baby is putting on weight well and has no other problems it doesn’t usually require any treatment.

Q. My baby has horrible nappy rash, what should I be doing?

Not worrying! It’s unlikely to be doing any harm, most babies have problems with this at some time. Regular nappy changes with a good barrier cream applied at every change is the best way forward. Mentanium stains everything yellow but works brilliantly. Occasionally there can be infection with fungus, or more rarely bacteria. This is worth considering if a week or so of the above is not getting you anywhere or it is getting rapidly worse.

Q. My four year old doesn't poo!

onstipation in young children is really common, however the range of normal C stool habit is wide too. If at age 4 they are going less than every other day that would be worth taking advice on. The mainstay of managing is both behavioural support, for example star charts and rewards for time spent on the toilet, and diet and fluid modification, most commonly with a need to increase fluid intake. If these don’t help then it might be worth discussing with your GP about short term use of laxative medications.

Q. My child has had a cough at night for ages, should I be worried?

Children can have really persistent nocturnal coughs for what feels like ages after fairly mild upper respiratory tract infections (colds), it’s not unusual for them to take up to 3-4 weeks to settle. If it is not causing them any bother then, apart from waking you up, there is no reason to be concerned. Occasionally, a night time cough can be a presenting feature of asthma, in this case usually the cough persist for longer than this or is not associated with a recent infection, in which case discuss it with your GP.

Q. My child has a squint, what should I do?

B efore 3 months of age, children commonly have intermittent squints and this is normal. If the squint is always there, or still noticeable after this age then it needs looking at. The reason for this is that it is important that both eyes work together to allow normal binocular vision to develop. There usually isn’t an underlying cause for concern and is treated with a patch or glasses that are worn until the vision corrects itself. Rarely there can also be other significant causes for squints but these are usually picked up early in the assessment process. Your optician is often the best place to start.

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Dad's the Word

This issue's guest writer Chris McGuire speaks of his journey into fatherhood so far and finds his son Samuel is totally unable to keep to schedules.

o it’s happened. I’m now a father. Me. I have a son called Samuel and I’m his dad. It’s been a bit hard to get my head around, which is strange as I had nine months to get used to the idea. Actually, just under eight months; Samuel came five and a half weeks early. I thought I had the whole ‘birth thing’ planned. My partner had gestational diabetes, so the doctors helpfully announced the date he would be induced. Perfect. Sorted. Booked into the calendar. Done. I had a clear two months to get all those final jobs sorted: paint his room, get up to date with Game of Thrones – that type of thing. As it turned out, Samuel wasn’t completely ‘on board’ with this schedule. Sam’s mum was away from home when her waters broke. I’d decided – as we had plenty of time – to get the bathroom refitted. This meant she was at her parents’ house, away from the dust and chaos, when the big moment happened. A phone call, in the early hours, telling me to get to the hospital heralded the end of my perfect plan. Couldn’t we just un-break the waters and go back to my schedule? Apparently not. Soon we were in the labour ward, and like it or not, the baby was coming early. Let’s face it, dads during labour are a bit of a spare part. There’s only so much hand holding one person can do. I’d planned to get around this by creating roles for myself: ‘Chief DJ’ was to be the main element – I was going to make a track list of all my partner’s favourite songs. Something light for early labour, more up tempo numbers for the pushing. I’d also planned to provide drinks, mood lighting and DVDs. But none of that happened. I just became a rather sweaty sometime hand holder.

The labour came to an impasse when my big headed boy just wouldn’t come out, a Caesarean section was needed. I was handed some scrubs by the midwife. She looked at my six foot five frame and told me “this is the largest size they come in”. I looked like a clown, wearing an ill-fitting mask, low-slung surgical trousers that threatened to fall to my ankles and shoe covers that refused to go anywhere near my size 15 feet. Add to that, as I’m terrified of blood, my partner was comforting me – not the other way around. “Just look at my face and breathe” she said. With Sam’s arrival, I went from spare part to only half of what was needed. He was struggling to breathe and his mum was on the surgeon’s table. My two most precious people were vulnerable and travelling in opposite directions. Who should I be with? I chose Samuel. I’ve never been so scared as when I watched my little boy gasp for air. Yet, the medical staff were amazing and it wasn’t long before Sam was breathing with the help of a machine and placed inside an incubator. It turned out that Samuel, although thankfully healthy, had some further development to do and wouldn’t be leaving hospital any time soon. At least, I consoled myself, this would allow time to sort out the house ready for Sam and my partner’s return. I was about to be a dad in the Neonatal unit, but that’s another story. @MCgUireSki

DIY Dad Lays a Sandstone Patio

t seems the DIY Dad projects not only grow in quantity but in grandeur, too. I pride myself on doing a pretty half decent “respectable” job, but as a design engineer I always find myself overthinking it. And this next challenge was no exception. The necessity to stop everyone bringing the garden into the house was getting a bit too much for the household to cope with and after four years of making do, the time to lay a patio had arrived. We started by getting the usual quotes in from local tradesmen and all came back with a lengthy wait for availability (summer was on the very near horizon) and a hefty price tag to boot, but we felt if we wanted a patio that not only looked professional but would also stand the test of time, we should leave this one with the experts. Then I remembered; I over ‘engineer everything’… I can do this! After useful chats with various tradesmen, I began to do my research; you tube videos a plenty and a chat with Father over a tipple gave me more than I needed. In fact, maybe a little too much. Advice from friends, colleagues and family varied greatly, with some insisting upon 4ft deep footings whilst others warned that stone on sand was the only way to lay. Ok I decided to probably think for myself and make my own judgement calls. Many online suppliers can provide a great stone price, but when you then look into the delivery cost and vat added on, the price escalated. The best compromise we found was a local independent patio store. They were brilliant. Taking into account our patio measurements, their helpful and fancy patio planner worked out exactly how many paving stones we needed. No wastage; we like that! We also bought our scalpings, sand and stones from them and everything was delivered in a matter of days. Quicker than any online service we found, plus we were supporting a local independent family run firm – something we always prefer to do, if we can! So, after digging up the garden by hand and redistributing the soil around every inch of the garden (no skip cost...) we flattened out the ground with an electrical whacker plate, which we rented from a local franchised hire store. Surprisingly good value. This excavation created the flat base for two tons of scalpings, again levelled out with the whacker plate to a height of two inches with a gradual decent for drainage (1 inch to every 1.5 metres, equating to 1 degree gradient).

We were then in a position to mix the mortar to a 10 part shovel sand mix to half a bag of 15kg cement, as suggested by our helpful patio store advisors. We started out mixing by hand but soon realised the mix was not certain to be thorough enough and therefore not guaranteed to set the stones firmly in place (also very slow and exhausting), so again our local hire shop stepped in with a great deal on a cement mixer and transformer (if required) within 24 hours. Great service again. Ok, mix ready and our designed plan in hand, we decided that a dry lay of one/two rows would be wise. All looked good so we started to lay the mortar then the stones on top, one by one. There was no rocket science here, although ensuring you are 150mm under the damp course membrane is essential and that the stones are laid to the accuracy of a spirit level, then you’re off and running. The gradient is set underneath with the scalpings, however once mortar is on top you do need to check the gradient as you go. It is also advised to use a rubber mallet to level out and set the stones (along with a good old size ten boot)! We decided that we'd like to be a bit different with our design and rather than a plain square or rectangle patio we would angle off the garden, which essentially creates a pathway to the garage (Man Shed I think the term is nowadays) and I'll confess, it also saved me having to prep and lay another third of the patio in the garden. Everyone wins. Due to this design idea, I would need to cut the stone at the required angle, therefore a fairly inexpensive angle grinder was bought and, as advised and required with sandstone, a diamond blade was necessary to do the cutting. I was surprised at how both performed; the blade cut through the stone like butter and made the process simple. The angle to cut was pre-measured by fixing a string line from both corners flush with the top of the stone and then using a rule, marking along the string. It worked pretty well. As we had no edging to our patio, we wanted the patio to flow into the grass and this worked fine and makes cutting the lawn a smooth movement too. You may however want edging. Since we laid the patio, we've had the best weather and have enjoyed many nights with friends and family; BBQ's and socialising. I have needed to unwind, enjoy and proudly show of my work. After all, this was a four-week project (weather dependent), consisting of evenings and weekends! Hugely pleased and one that will last, I'm sure. It is over engineered after all.

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A R E YO U P R E PA R E D F O R THE CHANGES AHEAD? In the current climate of uncertainty, it is important to seek face-to-face financial advice. Global markets have been turbulent since the EU referendum, and there is no denying that the Brexit result will continue to create disruption in the short term. Parts of the transition period are likely to continue to be volatile for investors, and markets will not be fully at ease until there is more certainty about the timing and nature of the UK’s exit. Whilst the result may yet alter a great deal about the UK, it does not alter the principles of investing for the long term or the need to build and protect your financial future. Contact us today to gain a clear perspective on the challenges and opportunities that exist in the current climate. The value of an investment with St. James’s Place will be directly linked to the performance of the funds selected and may fall as well as rise.You may get back less than the amount invested.

PETER HARDING WEALTH MANAGEMENT Principal Partner Practice of St. James’s Place Wealth Management Tel: 01747 855554 Email: peterhardingwm@sjpp.co.uk Web: www.peterhardingwm.co.uk The Partner Practice represents only St. James’s Place Wealth Management plc (which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority) for the purpose of advising solely on the Group’s wealth management products and services, more details of which are set out on the Group’s website www.sjp.co.uk/products. The title ‘Partner Practice’ is the marketing term used to describe St. James’s Place representatives.