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Ben Kerslake, Head Chef at Frome Nursing Home, has been announced as a fi nalist in Vegetarian for Life's 2021 Awards for Excellence in Vegetarian and

Vegan Care Catering. After 31 years, the La Fleur de Lys Hotel & Restaurant in Shaftesbury is for sale as owners Mr and Mrs Griffi n-Shepard decide to take a step back from the hospitality industry to concentrate on family.

Complete Childcare

The Cedars School in Aldermaston is a focal point of its community with hundreds of years of history behind it. To the thanks and delight of many, it is being rescued to serve the community once again in an important and wholesome way. Th e well-known site is to be converted into a nursery - continuing its history of nurturing the next generation through their crucial early years. Th e historic building is being taken over by new owners determined to give the nursery an authentic and traditional feel - one that will match the quintessentially British rural village it is situated in. Th e school was acquired by Complete Childcare, a Berkshire centred childcare group with 15 day-nurseries. With renovation plans now well underway, it’s expected that Complete Childcare will welcome local families to look around the new nursery from as soon as Spring. Th e team is looking to recruit new teachers and staff to help bolster their professional resources around Berkshire. For more: completechildcare.co.uk

Free Spirits

The alternative education movement is rapidly growing. Roughly half of all UK alternative schools are Steiner/Waldorf schools; others include Montessori schools, Forest schools and home education co-operatives. Free Spirits Education is a new Community Interest Company registered with Ofsted on the Wiltshire/ Hampshire border in the picturesque village of West Tytherley. Owner Gemma Gammon says "I have worked in education for 19 years, as a state primary school teacher, special needs teacher and a private tutor. I have studied Business Management and am currently working towards a Diploma in Steiner/Waldorf Education, as to me, it feels like the best way to educate children. Steiner/Waldorf education aims to provide an unhurried and creative learning environment in harmony with diff erent phases of a child’s development and children stay in Kindergarten until age 6 or 7, similar to the Scandinavian education system. Many of us have an innate sense that children learn best through free play, exploration, discovery and imaginative experiences, with plenty of time spent outdoors. I am passionate about children having access to natural, meaningful and enriching educational experiences. We respect them as individuals, cater for all aspects of development and allow learning at each child’s pace through play and exploration in a stress-free, aesthetically pleasing, ergonomic environment. Free Spirits Education encompasses the best of all the alternative education approaches into a unique learning environment." To fi nd out more, go to: freespiritseducation.com