The Lancashire & North West Magazine | January 2020 by The Lancashire & North West Magazine

www.lancmag.com

Lakeland Treats

The paintings of Ken Burdon

January 2021

ÂŁ2.45

Cumbriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Living Heritage

Shed 1 Distillery

Jones Homes

Top Ten Famous People

Take a Drive

Craft Gin from Ulverston

But will you know any of them?

Baxter Homes

Over 25 years of building projects in the North West

Shows off stylish new properties

with the Land Rover Experience

Concrete Art

The former architect using concrete design for charity

Southport Pleasureland - A Little Fun for Christmas!

Contents...

102

Bolton

Darwen

Kirkby Lonsdale

Features

Famous part two

The Land Rover experience

A selection of artwork from Orme Fine Arts

How to deal with Covid

What happens when you use a new chocolate fountain

Give nature a place to stay

Cumbrias living heritage

A seasonal box of chocolates full of Lakeland treats

A conversation with Lee Chambers of Essentialise

The importance of getting children walking

A look at an Ulverston distillery

100 A national campaign launched to dispel myths around adoption

110 Nature reserves staying open during Covid 112 Cover My Bubble, an insurance broker with a difference 118 Baxter Homes, a family building stylish homes

124

124 Concrete artist Catherine Gregson is working with a local charity Heartbeat to raise awareness through art.

110 204

142 Manchester Gin - setting up a distillery in your dining room 152 Getting to know Two Stories Design Consultancy 156 Philophobia, an independent film with great reviews 182 Novi Digital, a digital marketing company that can help your business 192 The history of Gainsborough Flooring, 200 Ban single use plastic bottles

52 www.lancmag.com

204 Weather photographer of the year

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Contents Regulars 64

Books

Subscribe to our magazine

January 2021 • Volume 44 Number 1

130

130 PT Health 134 Our food critic 132 Recipe 140 Nicola Parker - Herbalist 158 The life of Di 168 Colour me beautiful 172 Moo style 188 Film Reviews 208 Horoscope 210 Business index

172

134

168

138

188 Photograph: Amazon Studios

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Lakeland Treats

The paintings of Ken Burdon

January 2021

£2.45

Cumbria’s

Living Heritage

Jones Homes

Shed 1 Distillery

Shows off stylish new properties

Craft Gin from Ulverston

Top Ten Famous People

Take a Drive

with the Land Rover Experience

But will you know any of them?

Baxter Homes

Over 25 years of building projects in the North West

Concrete Art

The former architect using concrete design for charity

Southport Pleasureland - A Little Fun for Christmas!

COVER: Southport Pleasureland

Managing Director Natalie Christopher natalie@lancashiremagazine.co.uk Editorial 01253 336588 editorial@lancashiremagazine.co.uk Sales Enquiries • 07918 685673 Design Manager • Hugh Dairy Designers • Maralette Wenham Roget Pode Accounts • 01253 336582

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General enquiries/subscriptions Sharon Henry 01253 336588 sharon@countymags.co.uk The Lancashire & North West Magazine Ltd, Seasiders Way, Blackpool, Lancashire FY1 6NZ Writers Jessica Gregson • Stephen Roberts • Andrew Harris • Duncan Hodgson • Bevan Ridehalgh • Carl Lee • Karen Pennington • Bernard Bale • Tony Burdon • Pam Graham • Mairead Mahon • Stephanie Monk

UK only Subscription rate: 1 year £25 – saving of £4.40 2 year £48 – saving of £10 3 years £73 – saving of £15 5 year £115 – saving of £32 /thelancashiremagazine @lancashiremag

Visit our website at www.lancmag.com

Note to contributors. While every care is taken with manuscripts, drawings, photographs and transparencies, no responsibility is accepted during transmission or while in the Editor’s hands. The contents of this magazine are fully protected and nothing may be used or reproduced without permission.

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For some much-needed festive cheer, get together in your family support bubble and enjoy a safe day out at Southport Pleasureland. We’re planning our

DUE TO LIMITED CAPACITY, TICKETS MUST BE BOOKED ONLINE IN ADVANCE

winter opening for selected days in December and early January, and with limited capacity each day it’s essential to book early. With hand sanitisers

This enables us to manage our restricted

throughout the park and rides cleaned in between

capacity. Each booking is capped to a

each set of guests, you can be assured of a safe and

maximum of six people who must all be

fun day out. So, go on…treat your family to something

in your household or support bubble.

they can really look forward to this winter.

www.southportpleasureland.com • marIne drIVe • southport • pr8 1rX

In this issue...

So with this being our January issue, it has to be the one with ‘new you’ related articles in it. It happens after Christmas, must start the diet, must go to the gym, must eat healthier. So, before you decide on how you are going to approach the creation of the new you for 2021, have a read of what our experts think of the diets, lifestyles and exercise.

Ken Burdon - Tarn Hows winter

Ken Burdon, a regular artist to our magazine, shows us his paintings of the Tarns of the Lake District. Gin has always been popular, and inside we profile two different gin making companies. One is in the Lake District, Shed 1 Distillery and the other is in Manchester, aptly named Manchester Gin. So, continuing with the gin theme, we have some great recipes to create your own. When I think of concrete, I think of my driveway. Catherine Gregson uses concrete to create art. Catherine combines her concrete with wire, resin, pressed flowers, clay and plaster and craft techniques to make interior decorations. Formerly an architect, she founded her business two years ago, the ‘Concrete Craft Company’ and uses her art pieces to raise funds for the charity Heartbeat. 6

Do I have to clean this after...

We have a conversation with Lee Chambers, founder of Essentialise, a life coaching service based in Preston. We ask him about his work, and how he helps individuals and companies. He has achieved a lot, and his mission helping others achieve their goals during covid continues. If you have ever dreamed of driving a Land Rover properly instead of just going to Asda for your shopping, you have to read our own Richard Sagar’s adventures in mud. He takes a crack at driving the Land Rover through a river and down deep descents, and yes, he wants to go back and do it again.

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I know we are trying to get on with our lives, and it has become part of it, but Covid is still here. Noel McDermott, a Psychotherapist with over 25 years’ experience in health, social care, and education, explains how to look after your mental health and ways to boost your wellbeing in these testing times. And so to our regulars - our towns featured are, Bolton, Darwen and Kirkby Lonsdale, always something new to be discovered in our Lancashire towns. A new addition to our writers is Nicola Parker, her article on what to eat come the new year is a reassuring alternative to the diet you may be contemplating. We also have another addition - Suri Krishnamma reviews the latest film releases for us. As usual we have fashion, food (an interesting story of what happens when you buy a new chocolate fountain and test it out at a friends house by Kate Gostick). The beast of Winter Hill. Deborah Hatswell treats us to another eye witness account of two men seeing a pair of reddish eyes and hearing a deep terrible growl while on Winter Hill. And we finish with some great book reviews. All in all another great mix, you will find something in this issue to make you put the kettle on.

Hope you enjoy the magazine. www.lancmag.com

FAMOUS PEOPLE BORN Part 2 IN THE NORTH WEST

By Margaret Brecknell

In last monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s issue Andrew Harris compiled a list of ten famous people born prior to 1900 in the North West, whose lifetime achievements were such that they have left a lasting legacy and have helped to make the world a better place. Using similar criteria, this month I am looking at the period since 1900 and have compiled my own personal list of ten great people born in the North West.

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WILLIAM WALTON

ALFRED WAINWRIGHT

Left: Innominate Tarn near summit of Haystacks (where Alfred Wainwright’s ashes were scattered) – Credit “Michael Graham/ CC BY-SA2.0”

ldham-born William Walton (19021983) is renowned worldwide as one of the 20th century’s greatest composers. Born into a musical family, Walton went to study music at Oxford University aged just 16. Façade, his first great success, was composed in collaboration with Edith Sitwell, who recited her poetry to his accompanying music. Its first performance in June 1923 was not universally well received, being too avant-garde for some tastes. However, within ten years Walton’s reputation was assured, with works such as his Viola Concerto (1929), the oratorio Belshazzar’s Feast (1931) and his First Symphony (1935) bringing him to the forefront of British classical music. He also composed anthems for the coronations of George VI and the present Queen, as well as the scores for several films including The First of the Few (1942) and Laurence Olivier’s adaptations of Shakespeare’s Henry V (1944) and Hamlet (1948). Knighted for his services to music in 1951, Walton, in later life, went to live on the Italian island of Ischia with his Argentinian wife Susana. He died at his home there in March 1983. www.lancmag.com

lfred Wainwright (1907-1991) will forever be remembered for his seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, which has become the standard reference work for walkers and climbers in the Lake District. He also produced the first guidebook for the Coast To Coast route from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin’s Hood Bay on the east coast, as well as a definitive guide to the Pennine Way and much more besides. Born in Blackburn on 17th January 1907, a holiday to the Lake District in 1930 as a young man of 23 changed his life forever. He later spoke of immediately feeling connected to the area. In 1941 he finally achieved his ambition of moving closer to the Lakes when he acquired a job in the Borough Treasurer’s office in Kendal, a position which he held until his retirement in 1967. Wainwright began work on his Pictorial Guide soon afterwards. The seven volumes took 13 years to complete. Each book is written in the author’s own unique style, containing a mixture of his own beautiful pen-andink sketches, maps and comments. He started the project initially for his own enjoyment, not intending the work for publication, and had to be persuaded

to publish the first volume privately. His guides proved immediately popular. He became more widely known in the 1980s when he frequently appeared on BBC TV programmes. Wainwright died on 20th January 1991 and in accordance with his last wishes his ashes were scattered in his favourite spot in the Lake District.

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KATHLEEN FERRIER

LEONORA CARRINGTON

TOM FINNEY

Top: Leonora Carrington’s Crocodile Sculpture in Mexico City – Credit “Carlos Valenzuela/ CC BY-SA4.0”

Top: Tom Finney’s Statue outside Deepdale, home of Preston North End – Credit “Dave Brown/CC BY-SA2.0”

Kathleen Ferrier on stage in 1949 – Credit “Netherlands National Archives”

athleen Ferrier was born on 22nd April 1912 in the South Ribble village of Higher Walton, where her father was the local schoolmaster. She showed early musical promise as a pianist, but rarely sang in public and after leaving school at 14 started work as a telephonist. Following her marriage to Albert Wilson in 1935, the couple moved to Cumbria. Two years later Ferrier entered the Carlisle Festival piano competition and, on a whim, decided to enter the singing contest too. She ended up winning both prizes. That success proved to be the start of an extraordinary singing career. During the war years Ferrier began to enjoy considerable success. As her reputation grew, she began to receive vocal training from some of the country’s leading singing coaches. She appeared regularly on popular radio shows such as Housewives Choice, as well as releasing records and appearing on stage in many leading operatic roles. By the end of the decade she had become a huge star, both at home and abroad, and toured across the globe. She was adored by her public wherever she went. However, at the height of her fame she was tragically struck by ill health when in 1951 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She did not make the news public, but, instead, battled the disease bravely for two years, continuing to perform whenever possible. The news of her death on 8th October 1953, aged just 41, was greeted with great shock and a huge outpouring of grief. At the time of her death she was said to be the second most popular woman in the country after the Queen. 10

eonora Carrington (1917-2011) is best known as one of the leading exponents of the Surrealist art movement, but she was also an accomplished writer and an important figure in the feminist movement in her adopted homeland of Mexico. The daughter of a wealthy textile manufacturer, Carrington was born in Clayton-Le-Woods, near Chorley, on 6th April 1917. She showed her rebellious nature from an early age, being expelled from two schools, before studying art in Florence and London. She set up home with fellow Surrealist German artist, Max Ernst, in southern France in 1938, but the couple were forced to flee the Nazis following the outbreak of World War II. Ernst escaped to USA without her and Carrington suffered a mental breakdown as a result of the stress caused by the episode. After a short spell in Spain, Carrington fled to Mexico where she mostly lived for the rest of her life. In 1947 the first large solo exhibition of her work took place in New York, which firmly established her as an important figure in the Surrealist movement. Many of her paintings are autobiographical and highly symbolic in nature. In her later years she began to produce large bronze sculptures of animals such as the five-ton crocodile figure which she donated to Mexico City in 2000. Carrington died, aged 94, in Mexico on 25th May 2011.

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ir Tom Finney (1922-2014) is widely regarded as one of England’s greatest ever footballers. Born in Preston, he made his debut for his hometown club in August 1946 and remained a one-club player throughout his career, making 433 league appearances for Preston North End. A versatile attacker, he could play in any forward position and proved to be a prolific goal scorer for both club and country. Finney made his England debut in a 7-2 victory over Northern Ireland only 28 days after making his first league appearance for Preston. He went on to play at three World Cups with England and at one point was his country’s leading goal scorer before being overhauled by another north-west footballing legend, Nat Lofthouse. Remarkably, he also ran his own plumbing business throughout his footballing career, which resulted in his nickname, “The Preston Plumber”. Finney retired from the game in 1960, aged 39, having never been booked throughout his long career. In later life he devoted his time to supporting local charities in the Preston area, as well as becoming President of his beloved Preston North End. He was knighted in 1998.

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ERIC MORECAMBE

IAN McKELLEN

he most prolific British architect of his generation, Norman Foster’s iconic designs may be seen across the globe. Born in 1935 in Reddish, two miles north of Stockport, Foster first studied architecture at Manchester University and later at Yale University in the USA. His major breakthrough in the industry came in the early 1970s with his design of the Willis Faber & Dumas office in Ipswich, which was regarded as being highly innovative. He has never looked back since, with a long and impressive list of projects including the iconic glass dome at the Reichstag in Berlin, the Hearst Tower skyscraper in New York, the Sage Gateshead and London’s City Hall and Millennium Bridge. He was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize, often referred to as the Nobel Prize for Architecture, in 1999 and in the same year was given a peerage in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Top: Eric Morecambe’s Statue

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NORMAN FOSTER

n a career of extraordinary longevity Sir Ian McKellen has been delighting stage and screen audiences for nearly six decades, with roles in a wide variety of genres ranging from Shakespeare to fantasy and science fiction. Born in Burnley on 25th May 1939, McKellen was fascinated with the theatre from a young age. After studying English Literature at Cambridge, he made his professional acting debut in 1961 at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry. He made his first appearance on the West End stage four years later and has been a mainstay of British theatre ever since. Over his long career he has played all the leading Shakespearean roles and has won many awards. McKellen has enjoyed an equally successful cinematic career. He received an Oscar nomination for his performance in the 1998 film Gods and Monsters. More recently, he has reached a whole new audience with his recurring role as supervillain Magneto in the X-Men series of films and as Gandalf in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. Away from stage and screen, McKellen has played an important part in campaigning for the gay rights movement over many years. Now 81 years of age, McKellen shows no sign of retiring yet and is rightly regarded as a “national treasure”.

Top: Ian McKellen alongside Jane Seymour in Amadeus c.1981

Top: Hearst Tower New York Designed by Norman Foster

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MICHAEL SMITH

ichael Smith’s pioneering work in the field of biochemistry has led to significant developments in the treatment of a wide range of illnesses such as cystic fibrosis, sicklecell disease and Alzheimer’s. He won

the 1993 Nobel Prize in Chemistry in conjunction with Kary Mullis for his work in developing site-directed mutagenesis. In layman’s terms, this enables specific and intentional changes to be made to the DNA sequence of a gene, a process which has many applications in medicine, agriculture and industry. Smith was born in Blackpool on 26th April 1932. At the age of 11 he won a scholarship to the Arnold School, an independent school in his hometown, and from there he went on to study chemistry at Manchester University. After receiving a PHD in 1956, Smith moved to Canada to take up a research position in Vancouver and this is where he mostly lived for the rest of his life. Smith’s research increasingly focused on molecular biology and specifically how the genes within the DNA molecule act as reservoirs and

transmitters of biological information. This led to his ground-breaking work, for which he would later receive a Nobel Prize. He received many other awards throughout his long and distinguished scientific career. Smith was known for his generosity. He donated half of his Nobel Prize money to researchers working on the genetics of schizophrenia and the other half to other science-based projects. In 1997 Smith became the founding director of a new Genome Sequencing Centre at the British Columbia Cancer Research Centre, a position which he held until his death. He died in October 2000 at the age of 68 in his adopted home city of Vancouver Left: Manchester University where Michael Smith studied for his PHD – Credit “Mike Peel/CC BY-SA4.0”

JOHN LENNON

ohn Winston Lennon was born on 9th October 1940 and was brought up in the Liverpool suburb of Woolton. At the age of 15 Lennon formed a skiffle group called The Quarrymen, which

Paul McCartney and George Harrison joined soon afterwards. The original drummer, Pete Best, was replaced by Ringo Starr in August 1962. Two months later The Beatles enjoyed their first chart success with the release of their first single Love Me Do. By the end of the following year they had become a global phenomenon, with outbreaks of “Beatlemania” across the world. Over the course of the next few years the band’s music became increasingly innovative, releasing albums such as Revolver, Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road. Lennon was always the edgiest of the band members and was not afraid of courting controversy. Following his marriage to Yoko Ono in March 1969, the couple staged a “Bed-in” for peace at their honeymoon hotel in

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Amsterdam. When the band broke up in 1970, Lennon embarked on a successful solo career. His 1971 peace anthem, Imagine, is widely regarded as one of pop music’s greatest ever songs. After a period away from the music business, Lennon released the Double Fantasy album in November 1980. Tragically he was gunned down less than a month later outside the Dakota building in New York where he had lived for several years. Aged just 40, Lennon was a musical genius who still had much to offer. His song writing partnership with Paul McCartney remains the most successful of all-time. Left: John Lennon at King’s Hall, Belfast 1964 – Credit “Public Record Office of Northern Ireland”

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LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE 13

Land Rover Experience (North Yorkshire)

By Richard Sagar

hat are the first things that come to mind when you think of Land Rover? For me, as I was driving along the fabulous roads of the Broughton Hall Estate on my way to the Land Rover Experience (North Yorkshire) base camp, I couldn’t help but think of the brands evolving personality. Gone are the days of the purely utilitarian, off road machines produced in their earlier years, where you probably would get across a muddy field, but the bumps may well have shattered your spine en-route. Now, the Land Rover name to me shouts style, whispers luxury, and oozes sophistication. But,

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whilst comfort and aesthetics are all well and good, I was on my way to an off road day in the countryside – would the modern day Land Rover still be up to the job, or would I find myself in the automobile equivalent of going hiking in a pair of expensive leather loafers? As I arrived at the experience centre, situated in the rolling countryside behind the beautiful Broughton Hall near Skipton, it was glaringly obvious that this wasn’t some kind of back yard operation. An incredibly long row of pure white vehicles from all models within the current Land Rover range, lined up majestically outside a large converted barn

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that many-a-man would aspire one day to live in, let alone garage his car in! I was received into the hub of the centre by a very welcoming lady who took all covid precautions before taking me to my own private table where I would meet my instructor for the day. Within a matter of seconds I was introduced to James who joined me for a coffee and a brief discussion as to what we would be doing for the day. Little did I realise this would be the very man who, in an hours time I would be putting my life in the hands of and praying he really did know his stuff as I balanced precariously on 2 wheels down a, to all intents and purposes, vertical drop. After our coffee, James took me to look at the various vehicles on offer. I was surprised to learn that there were also professional training courses available here too – in driving quad bikes, all terrain buggies, even lessons in towing a trailer. But of course, I was much more interested in finding the vehicle I would be driving for the day – and was delighted to discover it would be the brand new Land Rover Defender. As soon as I spotted it I couldn’t wait to get into it, but before I got chance, my eyes were drawn to the very vehicle I was thinking of on my way to the centre – the capable but bone shaking Land Rover of old. When I asked James what it was doing there, he told me about the heritage package on offer – where you can attend the experience centre and have a day driving through the evolution of Land Rover – starting in www.lancmag.com

the very early and unashamedly primitive offering one would expect to see in a war film, moving onto one of the series Land Rovers, then to the original Defender before finally moving into the brand new one I was about to drive. Sadly I didn’t have time to drive all four on this occasion, but it is definitely something I will be coming back to do. James took some time familiarising me with the new Defender and ensured I was comfortable with all the off-road gadgetry. Having owned a couple of the old Defenders in the past, the level of sophistication in this new model was indeed mindboggling to me – the air suspension and LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE 15

numerous external cameras particularly exciting. As we drove off to the first obstacle, despite being a relative newbie to off road driving, I somehow felt reassured and almost in control. This has to be put down to the expert tuition from James, and without doubt, the level of ability of the machine I was in.

I was conscious that my jaw and cheek muscles were aching from the permanent grin I had across my face

For the next few hours, I went down descents steeper than a rollercoaster, waded through rivers deeper than I am tall, and clambered up hills with more certainty than any mountain goat. The courses here at the Land Rover Experience were absolutely fabulous – they stretched everything I thought was possible, and then some more for good measure. I wanted time to stand still, but as my time here inevitably came to a close, I was conscious that my jaw and cheek muscles were aching from the permanent grin I had across my face, and I had that deep seated feeling of wishing today would never end.

to the course itself, and even the debrief after. And what about the cars. Utterly breathtakingly capable, yet just as adapt at making you supremely comfortable going over ground you wouldn’t think a military tank could! This was truly one of the best days out I have had in a long time – if you fancy a day of endless smiles and fantastic memories, I don’t think I could recommend anywhere better.

Sitting in the debrief room having a great conversation about the day with James, I could see from the corner of my eye the trusty new Defender being washed and the huge quantity of mud accrued during the day tumbling off it. All I could think was how much I wanted to go back out there and do it all again! All in all, wow - what a fantastic day it had been. James had proved to be an absolute gentleman who knew how to create the perfect atmosphere for what should be (and certainly was!) a fun yet challenging day. The entire set up at Land Rover Experience (North Yorkshire) was exceptional – everything from the quality of the coffee on arrival 16

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If you’re interested in a trip to Land Rover Experience (North Yorkshire) yourself, or fancy buying a voucher for an experience for that special somebody, the dedicated team can be contacted on 01756 611 060. www.lancmag.com

Grab some art and help some hearts – Heart Research UK launch art inspired fundraising campaign where YOU can bag a piece of original world-class art National charity Heart Research UK have launched the ‘anonymous heART project’ 2020, an online fundraising campaign that will see hundreds of anonymous one-of-a-kind masterpieces created by huge names from the worlds of art and entertainment, go under eBay’s virtual hammer to raise money for lifesaving research. Easel-436-3

Lot No 13 - A Big Heart

Lot No 16 - Smarts 3 of 3

Lot No 58 - Young at heart

Lot No 118 - Doves #2

Lot No 141 - Nosey Cow!

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Robert Smith (The Cure), Ralph Steadman, Joe Lycett, and Ashley Jackson are just a few of the hundreds of international stars and artists who have created stunning original A5 pieces. Their pieces will be auctioned alongside over 450 others, created by a host celebrities and international artists on eBay from the 6th – 15th November 2020. You can bid on your favourite piece here - https://heartresearch.org.uk/ anonymous-heart/

The twist? Though the list of artists will be available to all bidders, the artist of each individual piece will be kept anonymous, only being revealed once the auction is over. Could you bag yourself an original masterpiece for a bargain price?

Lot No 133 - Mount Moriah (after Rembrandt)

Lot No 160 - untitled

Lot No 145 Lord Terrance Terrier

Lot No 175 - Bottomless pit

All the money raised will fund Heart Research UK’s vital medical research into the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease. Kate Bratt-Farrar, Chief Executive of Heart Research UK, said: “The anonymous heART project is one of the most exciting projects Heart Research UK has ever run. The quantity and quality of the artwork that we have received from artists, designers and celebrities all over the world has been astounding. “At Heart Research UK, we’re always looking for fun and interesting ways to raise money. The anonymous heART project allows people to support ground-breaking medical research but also get a little something back, owning their own mini-masterpiece created by an artist or celeb. “What makes this project so special is that everyone has the chance to own a piece of iconic art; it really is making high class art available to all. “All of the money we raise will help us continue our pioneering medical research, helping us benefit patients as soon as possible.”

Lot No 215 - Ethereal Seascape

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Lot No 218 - Containment

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UK’s Largest Retail Art Gallery and Framers Orme Galleries has now opened the UK’s largest Retail Art Gallery and Framers, at the Bury Retail Park – Park 66, Pilsworth. Christopher Orme started the business almost 25 years ago, (originally under the name of ‘E Anthony Orme Gallery and Framers’) in a small, quaint Gallery on Stand Lane, Radcliffe. The business is now in a great position to develop even further and start what seemingly will be a fantastic venture for the company. Left: E. Anthony Orme artist

Opportunely, as their customer base grew bigger, their working space grew smaller and was primarily the reason for relocating. However, the new 5000 square foot premises not only offers the working space required, it presents much more flexibility that will create a brilliant, art experience for all. The Gallery generates a large space to showcase the wonderful art available – whether this be fine art paintings, exclusive releases on collectable, low edition prints or design-lead framed wall art. This new location also has a cosy yet welcoming Client Lounge, to give an opportunity to choose and exhibit some of your selected art in a calm and comfortable environment. Located right off the M66 motorway at Bury’s newest retail park, with a car park of 2000 spaces (including disabled parking right outside the front doors), access is easy for all

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The business was established back in 1997 and was a natural progression into the art and framing industry for Christopher. Coming from an artistic family, he took inspiration from his father, E Anthony Orme - a professional artist - whose work is exclusively exhibited at the Gallery. On display at the premises and their award-winning website, are E Anthony Orme fine art originals, and fine art prints . Anthony (E Anthony Orme) takes a complete open-minded approach towards his art work. Some of the relatable, nostalgic scenes are inspired by his childhood in and around Greater Manchester. In contrast to this style, Anthony has also painted nudes, semi-nudes, ballerinas, Parisian/Venetian scenes, trains and interpretations of many icons such as; Marylin Monroe, Jimmy Hendrix and John Lennon. Anthony commented on each of the paintings featured in this article:

Above: Christopher Orme GCF (APF)

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General Hardware Store

Pawn Shop

“ This painting depicts a central block of houses, with a cobbled street on both sides. At the end of the block you will see a hardware store selling very important items to the local community – no super stores in those days!”

“This illustration shows a typical, rainy day shimmering reflections on the cobbled street. The Pawn shop is one I remember from my childhood, showing the three brass balls on the corner. Coming into view on the right hand side of the painting, is the all-important chimney sweep.”

How’s that

Cobbles

“How’s that shows children playing a game of cricket in the street, using the lamppost as a set of wickets and the milk floats on the right hand side - free milk was available at school in those days”

“This painting again shows children playing in the street, this time the game of hopscotch – still played today, but an absolute favourite in the 1950’s. On the right hand side, can be seen a man collecting old rags and useful items to put on his cart, which would then be recycled.”

Aside from the fantastic range of art work available, Orme Galleries have a high-quality, professional framing service. Christopher, who is also the main framer at the Gallery, is a fully qualified Fine Art Trade Guild, Certified Framer. Christopher trained at The British Museum, to learn the ‘museum standard’ techniques. Everything is produced in-house by the team, including the production of the frames. Customers have the opportunity to see the frames being produced, which the Gallery proudly demonstrates to the public. The extensive skill and knowledge shared between Christopher and the team gives much flexibility in what they can offer to customers. Bespoke, custom frames up to a museum standard, in all sizes and colours are available. interestingly, this isn’t just for your paintings and prints! You can also www.lancmag.com

have your photographs, 3D objects and memorabilia in showcase frames, with the option of having it illuminated with LED lights. Conservation preservation techniques and materials are used, to keep your valuable art work protected. There is also a wide range of giftware on offer including; mugs, coasters and greetings cards. Finally, the premises has its own designated photography studio whereby the team can scan, digitally restore, reprint and frame any old or

cherished photographs, restoring them back to their former glory. The diverse approach Orme Galleries take with both its custom framing and diverse art work, puts the business in a unique and desirable position, that separates them from a lot of other galleries in the country. Follow their social media for frequent competitions and events!

Orme Galleries,Unit 1A,Park 66,BURY,BL9 8RZ. Tel: 0161 7669991 • Email: enquiries@eanthonyorme.co.uk For gallery’s opening day and opening times, please call tel: 0161 7669991, check out our website www.eanthonyorme.co.uk, or follow our social media accounts: Instagram: @ormegalleries • Facebook: Orme Galleries • Twitter: @OrmeGalleries

LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE 21

lthough it’s been a troublesome year for many businesses, with things being far different this year compared to last, Kia Motors (UK) Ltd. is pleased to have remained strong with record sales in August, after having re-opened at the start of June. The company also scooped the title of ‘Franchise Partner of the Year’ at this year’s AM Awards. Moreover, Kia Motors (UK) Ltd. are proud to have been able to support their customers, whilst ensuring the safety of their team and customers. Bolton Kia is currently the only wholly-owned subsidiary of Kia Motors (UK) Ltd., and Europe’s No.1 Kia Dealer, with its own Business User and Fleet Team who have over seventy years combined experience in the industry, and understand the importance to having the right vehicle to create a great first impression. Businesses, large and small, can benefit from Bolton Kia’s latest fleet offers. Bolton Kia is proud to supply a wide range of Kia vehicles to businesses all over the UK. So whether you are looking for style, economics or reliability, whether you are looking for one car or an entire fleet; our team will go the extra mile to help you find the right car to suit your business needs.

Find your next corporate vehicle with Bolton Kia’s business user and fleet team

Our Fleet Team

Sorento PHEV

e-Niro

The past year has seen Kia Motors (UK) Ltd. shake up its entire line-up of cars, with the expansion of electric and hybrid vehicles. The Kia eco-range now includes the Kia XCeed, Ceed Sportwagon and AllNew Sorento – all of which are available as plug-in hybrids and can be ordered from Bolton Kia. To top it all off, the Kia eco-range is only set grow even more in the coming years.

top spot sales position against all other brands’ all-electric models. Perfectly demonstrating the benefit of the zero per cent benefit-in-kind taxation on BEVs introduced by the Government in April this year, 520 of these e-Niros were sold via fleet channels with the remaining 313 delivered to retail customers. Contact Bolton Kia to find out how your business can benefit by going electric with Kia.

of torque from its petrol and electric engine combination. With its plug-in system, the Sorento Plug-in Hybrid is able to operate in electric-only mode, or a blend of electric and petrol power – providing power to the front wheels or all four wheels, depending on vehicle specification and road conditions.

Topping the EV sales charts is the Kia e-Niro, 833 of which were sold throughout October, representing an astonishing 8.9 per cent share of all EVs sold in the UK that month and a

In addition, the Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid is the most powerful Sorento ever to be sold in Europe, with an impressive 265PS and 350Nm

Bolton Kia stocks a wide range of cars, which are all available on Business Contract Hire. So, if your businesses is looking to stay ahead of the curve, why not visit Bolton Kia’s dedicated Business User and Fleet team to see how they can help you and your business. Contact them today on 01204 664800 (Option 3) or visit kia.co.uk/ bolton. Bolton Kia is proud to be Europe’s No.1 Kia Dealer, conveniently located on Middlebrook Retail Park, off Junction 6 of the M61.

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The Sorento’s clever powertrain packaging means it retains generous space for up to seven passengers. It also offers one of the largest luggage capacities in its class – up to 809 litres with the third row of seats folded down.

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kia.co.uk/bolton

K I A

F R O M £ 2 3 5 . 8 1 A M O N T H + VA T ON BUSINESS CONTRACT HIRE

Kia Sportage ‘GT-Line’ 1.6 CRDi 48V Mild-Hybrid Manual 2-Wheel-Drive ISG

On Business Contract Hire Business Contract Hire Value From £235.81 + VAT per month*

C02 Emissions From 152 g/km

Featuring: 19” Alloys (B-Type), 8” Touchscreen Satellite Navigation with European Mapping, Telematics System with UVO Connect Services, Black & Grey Leather Upholstery, LED Bi-Function Headlights, LED ‘Ice-Cube’ Front Fog Lights, Dual Exhaust (trim on diesel), Heated Front & Outer Rear Seats, Engine Start/Stop Button with Smart Entry System, Reversing Camera System and more.

P11D Value From £27,585.00

36 month term with initial payment of 6 months rental + VAT. 6,000 miles per annum. Excess mileage charge of 6.14p per mile + VAT.

For more details contact our dedicated Business and Fleet team at Bolton Kia – Europe’s No.1 Kia Dealer fleet@boltonkia.co.uk or

01204 664800.

Bolton Kia 79 The Linkway, Middlebrook Retail Park, Horwich, BL6 6JA • 01204 664800 @bolton_kia

YEAR WARRANTY

/boltonkia

Bolton_Kia

QUALITY REDEFINED

Fuel

consumption

mpg

(I/100km)

for

the

model

shown:

Combined

48.7

(5.8),

CO2

emissions

152

g/km.

MPG figures are official EU test figures for comparative purposes and may not reflect real driving results. Fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are tested using WLTP. Only compare fuel consumption, CO2 and electric range figures with other cars tested to the same technical procedures. For more information about WLTP please refer to kia.com/uk. Offer available on Business Contract Hire on orders received before 14th December 2020. Quotation valid at Bolton Kia from 16.11.2020 – 14.12.2020, subject to availability and status. Age 18+ only. Business Contract Hire Terms and conditions apply. *Figures based on model shown: Kia Sportage ‘GT-Line’ 1.6 CRDi 48V Mild-Hybrid Manual 2-Wheel-Drive ISG Including Infra-Red premium paint at £615.00 on Business Contract Hire with advance payment of 6 months rental + VAT (£1,414.86 + VAT), followed by 35 monthly rentals of £235.81 + VAT. Excess miles over contracted mileage of 6,000 miles per year (18,000 total contract mileage) over 36 months charged at 6.14 pence per mile (+VAT). Excess charges also apply if you breach manufacturer servicing or maintenance guidelines or if the car exceeds BVRLA Fair Wear & Tear guidelines for its age/mileage when it is returned to Kia Contract Hire. The total P11D value of the vehicle includes options, extras, manufacturer’s delivery of £495.83 and VAT. Total Effective Rental (applicable to cars only) is £259.39 (this assumes a 50% VAT disallowance on the Finance Rental and VAT). Business Contract Hire Customer Maintenance (inc. RFL). Package includes road fund licence and Kia Contract Hire Assistance. Guarantee/ indemnity may be required. Prices and details are subject to change without notice. For full specification and T&Cs contact your local retailer. Kia reserves the right to amend or withdraw offers at any time without prior notice. You will not own the car. ALD Automotive Ltd., trading as Kia Contract Hire, BS16 7LB. 7 Year / 100,000 mile manufacturer’s Warranty. For full terms and conditions visit kia.com/uk. Kia Motors (UK) Limited trading as Bolton Kia are a broker (not a lender) for the purposes of this financial promotion and can introduce you to a limited number of carefully selected finance providers and may receive a commission from them for the introduction.

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LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE 23

Bolton by Lucy Bullough

Bolton was once a proud Lancastrian mill town, a successful centre for the production of textiles ever since it welcomed Flemish settlers as far back at the 14th century. But under the Local Government Act of 1974, it became a part of Greater Manchester and together with the smaller towns and villages which surround it, is now known as the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton. A change for the better? Perhaps, although the proud residents of Lancashire and no doubt some of the Boltonians will not have been thrilled at this upset to the status quo. Whilst this could have transpired into major identity crisis, the hardy Northern spirit battled on as it always had and a new normal was adopted. And when you consider what the town has been through over its many centuries, it’s not hard to see where this mettle comes from which makes a change such as this small fry. For Bolton has experienced many different challenges over the years and the town’s motto, Supera Moras, even means “overcome difficulties (or delays)”. This is actually a pun on one of the many versions of the name it has held over the years, this one being Bolton-super-Moras which literally means ‘Bolton on the moors’. Other names have included the earliest one, Boelton, which was in the first record of the town in 1185, before it became Bothelton, Bowelton, Botelton, Boulton and finally Bolton in 1307. But the town’s history precedes its earliest recording and there has been evidence of its inhabitation since as far back as the 24

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Middle Stone, New Stone and Bronze Ages. The famous Winter Hill is home to burial mounds from the Bronze Age and there is a stone circle on Cheetham Close above Egerton. Furthermore, a Bronze Age mound outside Haulgh Hall was excavated, however, the residents of the Bronze Age weren’t the only ancient civilisation to have left their mark here. Indeed, the Romans truly got everywhere and Bolton fell within the Empire at one stage. They built some of their famous roads all the way from Manchester to Ribchester. And it is this well-constructed old road that still forms the basis of the A6 which heads west from Bolton today. Artefacts from this period have been uncovered, as have artefacts from the Saxons. Specifically, it was religious objects that were uncovered when the Victorian parish church was being constructed. However, the exact date of the foundations of this church aren’t known.

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The trials and tribulations of Bolton through the years The name ‘Bolton’ which seemed to denote its resilience to overcoming difficulties was actually given to it long before some of the more notable issues arose. The decline of several industries, including textiles and coal mining, were two huge changes which caused great problems for the town as well as war and riots too. It’s a town that has had great success, whilst having faced adversity in several different areas. Let’s take a closer look at some of them...

Winter Hill Television Transmission mast

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The textiles industry The First World War is thought to be the beginning of the end of the textiles industry as Lancashire could no longer export abroad meaning the countries who used to import set up their own factories. The Second World War, however, offered a brief reprieve as the Lancashire mills started to make uniforms and parachutes for the soldiers. But the problems were too deep-rooted by this point. Independence had been sought by Japan, who had launched 24-hour production runs and soon became the largest manufacturer of cotton in the world. India too had called for a boycott of imported Lancashire cotton in a campaign for independence – previously, Britain had accounted for half of India’s cotton imports. After World War II, there was an influx of workers from the Indian sub-continent which allowed the mills to increase their shift pattern and in 1959, the Cotton Industry Act was supposed to modernise and amalgamate the industry. Sadly though, this didn’t do enough to compete with foreign prices and mills began to close in the 60s and 70s at an alarming rate. Bolton itself was badly affected with over 1,000 people left unemployed when half the mills closed in the 50s, later taking an even greater hit

Left: Atlas Mills Geograph.org. uk-729315-byChris-Allen

Coalmining The coalmining industry – once huge in Bolton and all across Lancashire – was to suffer a similar demise. In the Bolton area, including Blackrod, Farnworth and Kearsley, Harwood, Horwich, Rivington, Middle and Over Hulton, Darcy, Great and Little Lever and Westhoughton there were over 110 coal pits and collieries at one time. Whilst almost everyone knows what a pit is, a colliery has subtle differences in that it is more mechanised, of which Bolton had plenty. It was a real force in the cola mining world. Harwood was actually the first home to coal mining where records show it started as long ago as 1765 although apparently the burning of coal was documented as far back as 1538 in the Westhoughton area. The last mine to close was the Victoria Colliery on Wigan Road, employing 135 men and finally closing its doors in 1960. The coal mining industry in Bolton had been diverse, with it being mined in whatever way the landscape dictated. The coal close to the surface was mined using ladders, whereas ‘gins’ were sometimes used to haul it to the surface when required. Were the coal jutting out of the hills horizontally, it was then mined horizontally and called a drift mine but there were of course the more standard pits too. The Industrial Revolution drove the need for more coal and these mines fed the local requirements as well as shipping it down the Mersey Canal to Liverpool too. Coal played an important part in the success of the textiles industry in the area. Working down the pit was one of the more dangerous jobs and working down there was outlawed for women and children under the age 26

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of ten in 1842. There were incidents including one at Unity Brook Colliery on March 12, 1978 which killed 43 miners. And one of England’s worst mining disasters occurred in Bolton when an underground methane gas explosion tragically killed 344 men and boys on December 21st, 1910 at Pretoria Pit. But the industry continued on for many years beyond this, but despite Bolton playing an important role in the unionism of the industry, it was not to survive. Nationalisation took place in 1947 and the 70s saw a couple of strikes as a precursor to the much larger issues seen in 1984/5. The programme of pit closures which ensued saw the final end to the mining industry in Bolton, and across Lancashire, in the early 1990s.

The Chartist Riots The Chartist movement was one which supported the political demands of Chartism, where workers were empowered to stand up to unfair conditions. The People’s Charter set out six demands; universal suffrage, no property qualification, annual parliaments, equal representation, payment of members and vote by ballot all in an attempt to give the British workers more of a say. It came about when the 1832 Reform Act failed to give workers the vote and the Poor Law of 1834 didn’t quite go far enough. When mill owners started to demand pay cuts, riots ensued in 1939 and they got so bad that the Riot Act was read with special constables also being sworn in.

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The Storming of Bolton Bolton has always had a political persuasion and was a strongly Parliamentarian town during the First English Civil War. Prior to the war, there was a great deal of unrest which came as a result of the townsfolk supporting Parliament and therefore clashing with the landed gentry who were typically royalists, supporting the King. Parliamentarians remained in control of Bolton after several failed attempts to overpower them. This led to Prince Rupert, the King’s nephew and foremost field commander, being sent to restore the Royalist fortunes. He marched up from Shrewsbury, gathering troops along the way, and descended on Bolton on May 28th, 1644, without any of the dialogue which usually precedes a battle. This meant the Parliamentarians were unprepared and with the heavy rain, and lack of visibility, it is likely many unarmed residents were caught in the fray. It is thought that over 1,600 people were lost in the battle, also known as the ‘Bolton Massacre’ and a lot more could have also perished afterwards once the town had been plundered.

A town destined for more

Whilst there have been hardships over the years, they have been borne from greater things; a booming textiles industry, started thanks to the early Flemish settlers, a thriving coal mining community and even strong values of the workers who stood up for themselves. Bolton is a town with a backbone, that much is for sure, and it is why it will continue to thrive in many different ways. In terms of retail heritage, it was granted a charter to hold its first market on December 14th, 1251 on the well-known Churchgate. It officially became a market town and borough in early 1253 and a market was held for hundreds of years, right up to the 18th century. Its commercial legacy lives on today in the centre of town where the Victorian market hall remains as a listed building and home to several shops and dining establishments. ‘The Vaults’ are one of the town’s more recent developments and form part of this, in which you can find a variety of ways to entertain yourself. Go shopping, watch a film at the cinema, play a round of golf, take the kids to an exciting play area and when you’ve worked up a hunger, head to one of the many eateries.

The last mine to close was the Victoria Colliery on Wigan Road, employing 135 men and finally closing its doors in 1960. www.lancmag.com

Above: Churchgate in Bolton Town Centre

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The interior of Market Place Shopping Centre

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The interior of Market Place Shopping Centre

Bolton is also a centre of culture where you can see a performance of many different types at the Octagon Theatre. The first theatre to be built in the North West after World War I, its doors opened in 1967 by HRH Princess Margaret. Today it is not only a location at which to enjoy a show, but is also responsible for work in the local community, from storytelling sessions for tiny tots to drama groups for the over 50s, amongst other initiatives. Early 2021 should see it reopen in the new building after a great deal of support from local audiences and the cherished community too. But the Octagon isn’t the only theatre; Bolton Little Theatre, the Phoenix Theatre Company and the Albert Halls are all key parts of the arts scene in Bolton as well. And if you’d prefer a more musical engagement, the Bolton Symphony Orchestra performs concerts at the Albert Halls and Victoria Hall in the town centre. If you’d like to see a different type of spectacle, the famous Bolton Wanderers must be mentioned too! Their home at the University of Bolton Stadium (once the Reebok Stadium when it first opened in 1997) is next door to a large retail park with plenty of dining options too so if football isn’t your thing, then you could always head there.

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Bolton is also a centre of culture where you can see a performance of many different types at the Octagon Theatre.

Above: Entrance to The Albert Halls in Bolton

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Bolton is a diverse town, rich in history and with its very own strength and culture

Above: The University of Bolton Stadium

Learn about the history of the textiles industry by visiting the Bolton Steam Museum and seeing the largest collection of working mill engines in Europe or take in some local and international art at the Bolton Museum and Art Gallery. In it, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find some work by Bolton-born American artist Thomas Moran, a great landscape painter. Bolton is a diverse town, rich in history and with its very own strength and culture, the likes of which you will struggle to find elsewhere. And what about the future? Another attempt at going for city status? Who knows. But the strength of the local Boltonians will surely see them through whatever challenges and opportunities lie in wait. Above: Bolton Steam Museum Geograph.org. uk-4995134-byDavid-Dixon

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YEAR WARRANTY

QUALITY REDEFINED

Bolton Kia Bolton Kia is the only wholly owned subsidiary of Kia Motors UK based on Middlebrook Retail Park, Horwich, Bolton. In terms of sales volume, Bolton Kia is Europe’s No.1 Kia Dealer–selling more vehicles than any other dealer across Europe.

01204 664800 sales@boltonkia.co.uk www.kia.co.uk/bolton @boltonkia @Bolton_kia @Bolton_Kia

A very professional, knowledgeable and friendly team who don’t pressure you to buy. Service department are second to none. Efficient in every way and extremely thorough.

From the energetic Kia Picanto to the awardwinning Kia Sportage, you’re sure to find the right Kia for you. All our new cars come with our industry leading 7 year / 100,000 miles warranty. Our Kia Genius team are happy to show you around the full Kia range.

Car servicing and MOT Testing We have a state-of-the-art service centre, with 10 fully trained technicians and can even service your electric car. Our team can also service and MOT your car whether it be a Kia or not! Used Cars We have a range of Approved Used and Dealer Assured cars. All our Approved Used cars are topped back up to include the full 7 Year Warranty and our Assured Used cars have the balance of the 7 Year Warranty plus benefits. Motability Specialist Dealer We have a number of Motability Specialists, who are trained and accredited by Motability Operations and can help you find the right car to suit your needs. Business Specialist Dealer Our dedicated Business User & Fleet Team have over 70 years of combined experience in the automotive sector, so you can trust them to find the right car to suit your business needs.

79 The Linkway, Middlebrook Retail Park, Horwich, BL6 6JA (Off J6 of the M61)

WHAT IS A GREENHOUSE USED FOR? Hartley Botanic Bespoke Victorian Glasshouse, West Midlands

Every gardener wants a greenhouse, but just what exactly are they used for? A greenhouse in the garden offers a whole new dimension to the garden. Different gardeners use them in different ways. Hartley Botanic Victorian Terrace, Hertfordshire

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Greenhouses have been used for decades by gardeners to extend the growing season at both ends, to cultivate and grow more tender plants and to harness the heat and the light from the sun to bring on their plants. In late winter and spring the protected environment allows gardeners to start sowing seeds long before they can be sown outside. This gives the plants a head start against later sown seeds and provides the gardener with a very valuable earlier harvest. By staggering sowing times, you can create a continuous crop of something, extending its season of harvest and offering fresh ingredients for a longer period under glass. The same applies to later sowings that can continue cropping right into autumn providing precious food crops late in the season.

Tomatoes Ask any gardener what they want to grow in their greenhouse and the chances are tomatoes, chillies and peppers will be mentioned. Now all these crops can be grown out doors too, but a greenhouse gives them more than a head start. These plants all hail from hotter climes and this can be replicated in a greenhouse. You can sow them earlier so they will flower and crop sooner than plants grown outside. The greenhouse is a protected environment that creates the warmth and humidity that these plants require. It also protects them from some pests and diseases such as blight and flying insects. The greenhouse warmth

Hartley Botanic Cottage Greenhouse, Lancashire helps to ripen fruits on the vine so that you can pick them at their peak and enjoy their sun rich flavour.

Drying Power By harnessing the power of the sun under glass the warmth inside your glasshouse can be used in a variety of ways. You can use it to warm your seed compost before sowing so that your seeds get the very best possible start. You can use it to warm the water before you water your plants, to reduce cold shock and stress. You can use the warmth of the greenhouse to dry onions and garlic after harvesting and before storing. You can dry seeds, herbs, and flower heads or even kindling and firewood. You can even hang your gardening coat, hat and gloves inside the greenhouse and allow the warmth to dry them after a rain shower.

Healthy Living A greenhouse is much more than a place to grow plants. It quickly becomes the focal point of the whole garden and a haven away from the hustle and bustle of life. But it can also make huge inroads in the costs of your groceries, not just financially but also

www.hartley-botanic.co.uk • info@hartleybotanic.co.uk

in terms of your health, plus you will be reducing your carbon foot print, lessening your food miles and keeping fit too. You can choose to grow your plants organically, raising not just their inherent value but also increasing their health benefits. And you will have fresh ingredients to hand whenever you need them.

Garden Haven If you are the only gardener in the family then the greenhouse becomes your own special space where you can raise plants, store a few gardening accessories and site a chair for thinking and reading time. The sloping glass harnesses the solar rays and warms the inside of the glasshouse so that the interior is always warmer than outside. The greenhouse protects your plants (and you) from the wind and the rain and keeps them dry. It can also be sectioned off so that an inner area can be kept slightly warmer or used to house a cold frame, heated soil cable or even a heated propagator to raise seeds or cuttings from tender perennials. Even in the cold the greenhouse is still a haven within the garden away from the harsh winter winds and the chaos without.

• 0800 783 8083

Hartley Botanic, Wellington Road, Greenfield, Lancashire OL3 7AG The only aluminium Glasshouses and Greenhouses endorsed by the RHS

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LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE 33

Bolton School: Where Children Enjoy the Very Best Start in Life

very year up to 75 girls and boys set out on their school and, ultimately, career journey when they join the Reception Class at Bolton School Infants’ School. A significant proportion will have progressed up from Bolton School’s adjacent Nursery or Nursery Class for 3 and 4 year olds but many are new to the School. Whatever path lies ahead for them, their parents know that they are giving them the very best start in life as they enjoy the fun, creativity and learning that takes place in this Infant School where the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is consistently ranked as “outstanding” by the Independent Schools’ Inspectorate (ISI). After three years at this exceptional coeducational Infant School, pupils move up to either the Girls’ or Boys’ Division of the Bolton School Foundation, which include Junior and Senior Schools with Sixth Forms. Like the EYFS findings, the latest ISI reports awarded both Divisions with the top mark of “excellent” in all categories. As an academically selective independent day school, there is a clear focus on stretching and challenging every pupil. Students reach their full potential through a wide range of extra-curricular activities, regular visits to the School’s outdoor pursuits centre, volunteering and foreign travel. The curriculum is delivered by a highly qualified, experienced and dedicated teaching staff, who create an industrious and supportive environment where pupils are motivated to learn. Annual GCSE

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and A level results place the School amongst the best independent schools in the North and often within the top 100 nationally. The vast majority of students go on to their first choice university and there is a regular flow of sixth formers to highly competitive courses. Bolton School regularly wins awards for its educational offer. Last year it was the TES’ Independent School of the Year and the Independent School Parent Magazine’s School of the Year. The School became the first school to achieve the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (the MBE for volunteering). Also last year, the school won the Fundraiser of the Year Award, a campaign which helps some pupils pay less or no fees and the year before that, the school won the TES’ Community Initiative Award and the MEN’s Active Community Award. If you are interested in enrolling your child in our Infant School (ages 4-7), you should call 01204 434759. Some places currently exist in our Junior Girls’ School; please call 01204 434761 if you would like to learn more about this school. We also have a few places in Y3 and Y4 of our Junior Boys’ School, which you can learn more about by calling 01204 434735. Our Entrance Testing Day for children looking to join us in Y3 or Y7 in September 2021 is on Thursday 14 January and you should call us on 01204 840201 if you would like to register your child for it. www.lancmag.com

NOTHING ELSE IS A HARTLEY

Victorian Villa, Derbyshire Discover the secret of Hartley Botanic by calling UK - 0800 783 8083 or visit www.hartley-botanic.co.uk

THE FINEST GLASSHOUSES MONEY CAN BUY The only aluminium Glasshouses and Greenhouses endorsed by the RHS Â© The Royal Horticultural Society 2020. Endorsed by the Royal Horticultural Society. Registered Charity No 222879/SC038262. rhs.org.uk

Coping with Covid-19: Cognitive Tools to Look After Your Mental Health

ith Covid-19 still amongst us, many of us have been caught up in a pandemic of terrifying headlines. The language used around coronavirus and the government measures to manage the situation play a major role in the nation’s level of anxiety. Pandemic is panic, fear, overwhelm and the mitigation measures are lockdown, isolation, fight, fear. The announcement that one of the vaccines being trialled has passed its final tests and will be ready for use is welcome news indeed and begins to change the news narrative. Here psychotherapist Noel McDermott advises on how we can manage our own narrative to ensure we manage our psychological needs more effectively. Noel explains: “The dialogue we have with ourselves and the messages we listen to about Covid-19 and the measures being taken to manage it are crucial in terms of how we experience this pandemic and ultimately will have a determinant effect on how we come out of it psychologically”. Increasingly we are all understanding the role of internal and external dialogues in our health and wellbeing, especially in terms of psychological wellbeing. What we tell ourselves matters in terms of how we feel and how we function. The Language of Coronavirus Increasingly we are all understanding how important language is in mental health. As more people experience using cognitive behavioural therapy techniques, we are understanding how we think about ourselves directly affects how we feel, and this leads to behaviour that confirms those thoughts and feelings. If we have depressed 36

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thoughts, such as this is worthless, we have a low mood and may choose not to do something that previously we enjoyed, meaning our ability to get pleasure in life actually decreases. Similarly, we can have thoughts that tell us something is worrying leading to feelings of anxiety and a decision to avoid the things we feel are making us anxious thereby confirming to ourselves it is bad. Here psychotherapist Noel McDermott offers ways to boost your wellbeing at this time and provides cognitive restructuring tips you can do at home. These cognitive restructuring (thinking) tips can help you get through this in a way that will mean not only will you reduce any psychological harm to yourself, but in fact you are more likely to come out of it healthier and better adjusted! Cognitive restructuring tips you can do at home: Reframe the pandemic as part of the natural order of things rather than an alien event or something deliberately designed to attack you personally. It’s a regular and normal part of the natural cycle and as such we have adapted to previous ones and will adapt to this one Opportunities are as much part of this experience as threats and finding the positives will help you reduce stress as the more we feel like agents in our own lives and the less like victims, the better we feel and the more we grow Humanise don’t politicise the pandemic. Don’t create conspiracy theories. We forget the people working to manage the pandemic are people, doing the best they can in extraordinary circumstances www.lancmag.com

Here and now we can make things alright and in fact make them pretty good. We have a lot of internal resources and capacity to make this moment a good one. We have absolutely no capacity to change the future or past. Bringing our focus to now and making now okay is a great skill Connect with those we love and who love us as this reminds us we are safe. Emotional safety helps us reduce stress and manage painful feelings much more effectively. Love connections release reward hormones into the body which make us feel good about ourselves Expand your awareness of the meaning of these times beyond your personal experience of fear and pain and look for the bigger messages you can learn. Messages about what is truly important in life. Finding the big picture messages will encourage a growth mindset meaning you come out of the pandemic better able to deal with life than when you went in Simple following ways to boost your wellbeing in these testing times: Get enough sleep, sleep itself is one of the biggest things that can impact on our happiness, lack of sleep is really stressful. Try meditation, spending a few minutes a day practising mindfulness and meditation can transform your mental health. It is the simplest thing in the world to do, but it can help you deal with the stressful situations’ life throws at us. Spend time with friends, if people are depressed, they are usually socially isolated, one of the key www.lancmag.com

things to help this is to spend time with others, so get outside and go for a walk with a friend when you can. This makes us feel good and produces hormones which make us feel better. Ignore your phone, if you put down your phone to listen properly to a conversation, or even concentrate on a TV programme rather than scrolling through news stories about the virus, it can actually help you to feel more connected. Exercise, walking is fantastic, getting up from your desk and going for a quick walk can have hugely positive effects on our health and well-being. Go outside, being in nature has been shown to have fantastic effects on our mental health. Going to the local park has hugely positive effects! When we engage with natural objects like plants and trees we go into a meditative state, it moves our consciousness from one part of the brain to another, so we get some of the effects of meditation simply from being with nature.

Below: Noel McDermott

Smile, the simple act of smiling has been found to reduce stress and increase happiness. Putting on a happy face actually makes you happier and if you smile at others - friends, family members or even a complete stranger it can actually make them happier too. Noel McDermott is a Psychotherapist with over 25 years’ experience in health, social care, and education. He is the founder and CEO of three organisations, Psychotherapy and Consultancy Ltd, Sober Help Ltd and Mental HealthWorks Ltd. Noel’s company offer at-home mental health care and will source, identify and co-ordinate personalised care teams for the individual. They have recently launched a range of online therapy resources in order to help clients access help without leaving home - https://www.noelmcdermott.net/group-therapy/. LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE 37

10 reasons your forever home is in Hartford

Above: A representative image of the Richmond

THERE are plenty of reasons behind a house move; however, with three chances to live in a Redrow home in Hartford here are 10 reasons why this charming Cheshire village should be your next address…

nna Evans-Kerr, head of sales at Redrow NW, says: “Hartford is a very attractive and aspirational village to live in. It’s got a lovely sense of community spirit but it’s also perfectly placed between Manchester, Liverpool and Chester for commuting and should homebuyers want to experience what a city has to offer.” Whatever is motivating your search for a new home, these are the reasons why you should choose to move to a Redrow home in Hartford: 1. Stay local The leafy Cheshire village of Hartford is as practical as it is desirable. Boasting independent shops, a Co-op, and restaurants that serve everything from breakfasts to evening meals, residents won’t have to go far when they’ve run out of milk. 2. Schools When looking at where to raise a family, having good schools close by is usually top of the list and luckily Hartford has plenty to choose from. It is home to nine primary and secondary schools, including Hartford High School, St Nicholas High School and independent co-ed school The

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Grange, with primary schools such as Hartford Primary School being Ofsted rated ‘Outstanding’. 3. Get outdoors Not only is Hartford surrounded by beautiful Cheshire countryside but it is only a few miles from family favourites Marbury Park and Delamere Forest. Go Ape adventure park can also be found within Delamere Forest for those who like a bit more of a thrill! 4. Commuters For commuters Hartford has fantastic links via Hartford Station that offers trains to Liverpool, Birmingham and London, while nearby Greenbank Station serves Manchester and Chester. Motorways such as the M6 and M56 are within easy reach. 5. Investment in the community Since 2016, Redrow has donated more than £20k from voluntary community funds set up to support small projects at the heart of local life. It has also raised thousands of pounds for local charities through Christmas events held at Hartford Grange. This is in addition to multi-millionpound contributions to community infrastructure including education, travel, open space and affordable housing. www.lancmag.com

Above: The four-bed Marlow is available at Weaver Park

Top right: The Marlow - kitchen Right: The three-bed Letchworth is available at Weaver Park

6. More for your money If you have lived in the suburbs of Manchester in areas such as Didsbury and Chorlton, moving out to Hartford will give you much more for your money. A three-bedroom detached home in Didsbury can cost upwards of £400,000* while four-bedroom detached homes can cost anything from £375,000 to over 1 million**. Prices at Redrow’s three Hartford developments are significantly less.

9. Help along the way Redrow has its own handy scheme designed to assist those with an existing house to sell. Help to Sell helps homeowners sell their current property by working with trusted estate agents to achieve a quick sale while also contributing towards fees. Also, with homes priced under £500,000 at Weaver Park, they are currently Stamp Duty-free.

7. Homes for all stages of life If you’re looking to take the leap onto the property market and want a home that is beautifully laid out and includes open-plan living space plus en-suite facilities to the main bedroom, Weaver Park is for you. It also has homes perfect for second-steppers. If you’re looking for a house that will give you as much space as possible to accommodate a growing family, homes at Hartford Grange come with plenty of practicality, with features like multiple en-suites, designated studies and utility rooms making them ideal for families seeking that little bit more. Coming soon is a third development, Water’s Reach, adjacent to Weaver Park that will include more three and four-bedroom detached homes.

10. Recommend a friend If you love your Redrow home and tell your friends about it and they go on to purchase a Redrow home then you’ll receive a £500 reward upon successful legal completion of their property.

8.Homes for all budgets Currently homes at Weaver Park start at £287,995 for a three-bedroom semi-detached Letchworth and £369,995 for a four-bedroom detached Marlow. The four-bedroom detached Richmond at Hartford Grange is priced from £594,995. www.lancmag.com

See www.redrow.co.uk/Hartford for more. *www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/Didsbury/3bed-houses.html **www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?loc ationIdentifier=REGION%5E8171&maxBedrooms=4&mi nBedrooms=3&propertyTypes=detached&secondaryDis playPropertyType=detachedshouses&mustHave=&dont Show=&furnishTypes=&keywords= LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE 39

Coal tits are among the small birds you see in your garden by Alan Wright

Give nature a place to stay Throughout 2020 wildlife has been here to raise our spirits, so why not start the new year by giving something back and creating your own nature reserve? asks Alan Wright, of Lancashire Wildlife Trust

Cheeky sparrows have been a delight during lockdown by Alan Wright

hen I work from home, I place my laptop so I can look out onto our garden and the busy bird table. Personally, I have never felt isolated throughout the whole lockdown because I am able to go for walks in Lancashire and watch the birds from my window every day. When I am in virtual meetings my gaze often goes off to watch the crazy starlings on the bird table, or sparrows hopping along the wall towards me. My colleagues wonder why I burst out laughing, as a starling squabble starts just yards away from where I am sitting. Tables and feeders help our birds to supplement their diets of berries and insects. And itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not just in winter when feeding the birds in your garden is important. They obviously need food to see them through winter, but spring is important as nesting begins and then there are young to feed in summer and autumn. Feeding the birds is a year-long commitment and make sure that water bowl is full. I must admit that I do feel appreciated when I need to replenish the fat balls in my feeders, one hanging off a bird table, the other in our tree. The one in the tree is close to the washing line making the fat accessible to ground feeders, like the three blackbirds that regularly visit the garden. I cannot imagine my garden without the cheeky blackbirds, 42

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Sparrows will make the most of bird feeders by Alan Wright

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demanding food first thing in the morning and singing from the top of a nearby telegraph pole. I think the song of this wonderful bird is the greatest and most uplifting music I have ever heard. It is definitely a star of any dawn chorus – and the best of those is only a month or so away. The last time I went to London I visited Regents Park. I was told by a colleague to look out for sparrows – I didn’t see one. Apparently house sparrows are now rare in the capital’s parks, and numbers have fallen in the United Kingdom. They are not scarce in my garden and we have a bush at the back which is filled with hustle and bustle of a sparrow haven. The constant chatter is a joy to hear and I would never take these wonderful little birds for granted. I cannot imagine my garden not having that noisy house sparrow soundtrack. The loudest bird in the garden is the tiny wren, one of our most common birds. It might be small and have the ability to pop in and out of nooks and crannies but it certainly has some lungs on it. You will recognise the wren by its sticky up tail, they are quite shy but they do really well all year round. There is a path near to our house and I see them hopping along the walls every day. Another bird, which is struggling

House sparrow bathing by Margaret Holland 2020 Vision

around the UK is the starling. The starling? You must be joking, have you seen the murmurations of tens of thousands of birds flying over Brockholes Nature Reserve? Some of those gatherings numbered hundreds of thousands 50 years ago. Starling numbers have plummeted and we need to make sure they start to rise again. That means work on meadow habitats for the Wildlife Trust and pressure on land owners to cut down on the use of pesticides. The wide-billed house sparrow by Alan Price

Starlings feeding on bird table by Alan Wright

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Starling feeding on bird table by Alan Wright

Murmurations are, of course, one of the natural world’s great spectacles but we have so many more. How many of you watch squirrels bounding around in trees and foiling you when they raid your squirrel-proof bird tables, using amazing acrobatic dexterity? Thinking about where plants are going to grow in spring and summer, means you can create nectar cafes for bees, butterflies and the myriad of other insects that are lying low just now. Gardens are also massively important for hedgehogs, numbers have dropped dramatically of this iconic British mammal. Creating hedgehog highways between gardens – CD-sized holes in your fence – will raise the possibility of having them feed on your plot. Now that is exciting. If you haven’t got a garden, then speak to your neighbours about creating a nature reserve in your community. If you do any work to create natural havens, you will reap the benefits when your visitors start to appear. Be patient, they will come when they are comfortable. And, remember, nature has raised our spirits during the lockdown, so when times get better lets not forget our natural, beautiful friends.

Robins will use bird feeders more in winter by Alan Wright

Blackbirds are generally ground feeders by Alan Wright

Make space for a hedgehog in your garden by Peter Smith NW Wild Images

The Lancashire Wildlife Trust The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside is dedicated to the protection and promotion of the wildlife in Lancashire, seven boroughs of Greater Manchester and four of Merseyside, all lying north of the River Mersey. It manages around 40 nature reserves and 20 Local Nature Reserves covering acres of woodland, wetland, upland and meadow. The Trust has 27,000 members, and over 1,200 volunteers. To become a member of the Trust go to the website at www.lancswt.org.uk or call 01772 324129. For more information about Cheshire Wildlife Trust call 01948 820728 or go to cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk.

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Have a Tree-mendous Cultural Adventure in Cumbria cultural heritage goes outdoors for Autumn

he dynamic group of Cumbrian cultural and historic attractions – Cumbria’s Living Heritage (www.cumbriaslivingheritage.co.uk) – is reminding visitors and local residents that culture is not just an indoor phenomenon, as it highlights tree-mendous cultural experiences to be had outdoors during October. Autumn is the perfect time to let trees take you on a journey to their historical roots that can be illuminating, inspiring and fun, opening up stories you never knew about and, thanks to Lake District tree locations, often views to die for. Heading to Grizedale Forest, near to Coniston, you can not only find sanctuary beneath the forest canopy and enjoy therapeutic scents and incredible sounds but also derive cultural inspiration aplenty, whilst enjoying

stunning views too, if following trails like the Seat How Summit circular walk, with its vistas of the lakes of Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite and the Skiddaw and Helvellyn mountain ranges. As the home to over 50 amazing forest sculptures, exploring Grizedale is joyous, whether you shelter inside the giant megaphone, RUUP, or stumble across a totem pole. but few people are aware of what to find on a beech tree on the Bogle Crag trail - a carving of a helmet, made by a German Prisoner of War held at the Grizedale Hall No 1 POW camp between 1939 and 1945. Many prisoners were elite officers from sunken U-boats but use your own imagination to decide who carved the helmet. Visit www.forestryengland.uk/grizedale for more details.

Above: The Guardians - a sculpture in Grizedale Forest, which is one of the members of Cumbria’s Living Heritage (www. cumbriaslivingheritage.co.uk) Credit:Forestry England: Grizedale Forest

Right: Lady of the Water - a sculpture by Alannah Robins, in Grizedale Forest, which is one of the members of Cumbria’s Living Heritage (www.cumbriaslivingheritage.co.uk) Credit:Forestry England: Grizedale Forest

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Seeking out an ancient 400-yearold lime at Grizedale’s Rainsbarrow Wood can be accompanied by a visit to another such tree, if you head to Holker Hall and Gardens, in Carkin-Cartmel. There, the Holker Great Lime was named one of the Tree Council’s ’50 Great British Trees’ in 1992. Standing 72 feet high, with a fluted trunk 25 feet in circumference, it is easy to see why. Listening to its secrets, whilst sheltering or hiding, is pretty irresistible! With lots going on at Holker, including a Garden Tour with the Head Gardener, on October 21, which includes an afternoon tea within the ticket price of £25, and Winter Markets between November 6 and 8 (£4 including parking or £5 with entrance to the gardens too), it is worth pre-booking your tickets and either visiting when it suits, or heading to an event. Call 015395 58328 for more information or visit www.holker.co.uk

Above: Holker Hall, near Cartmel, Cumbria, with the deer park in the foreground. Credit:Holker Hall & Gardens

Above: Tom Fool’s tree at Muncaster Castle, Cumbria - a member of Cumbria’s Living Heritage (www.cumbriaslivingheritage.co.uk) Credit:Muncaster Castle

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Over on Cumbria’s West Coast, heading to Muncaster Castle can reveal ‘Tom Fool’s Tree’ a magnificent Sweet Chestnut underneath which the last Fool of Muncaster, the 16th century Thomas Skelton, (thought to be the Tom Fool of legend) would purposefully sit to determine the fate of passers-by seeking directions. If he liked the direction seekers, he sent them on a safe route; if he did not, he sent them to their death on the local quicksands! Muncaster’s gardens, Hawk & Owl Centre and Halloween 2020 activities are all available for booking online at www.muncastercastle.co.uk with much to see, do and learn about. Skip a century on and you will discover 17th century tree delights at Levens Hall and Gardens in the South Lakes, where the world’s oldest and most extensive topiary garden can be found. The garden contains 100 pieces of Yew Taxus baccata and Golden Yew Taxus baccata ‘Aurea’, as well as Box Buxus, clipped into unusual designs that include the Umbrella Tree, shortlisted for the Woodland Trust’s ‘Tree of the Year’ in 2016 and planted in the 1690s. Sharing the limelight with designs including chess pieces, a judge’s wig and a jug of Levens’ secretrecipe Morocco Ale, this is well worth seeing for the gardens entrance price of £10.50 for an adult, £4 for a child or 26 for a family, booked at www.levenshall.co.uk The house is also open, if you wish to pay a little extra for admission. Levens Hall and Gardens are open Sunday to Thursday, to October 29 and Levens Kitchen and shop will be open 7 days a week from the end of October, to March 28, 2021 (apart from on certain dates over the festive period). Left: Muncaster Castle & Gardens, based in the Western Lake District. Credit:Muncaster

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At National Trust Sizergh near Kendal, the firework-coloured Japanese maple trees are ablaze with colour in Autumn and who can resist the scent of toffee apples wafting from Japanese katsura in the herbaceous border. Over 65 varieties of apples can be found in the orchard, if you can tear yourself away from the impressive Limestone Rock Garden, the mirror pond and the National Collection of hardy ferns. Entrance costs £8 for an adult and £4 for a child. You can also enjoy a woodland walk from the car park, taking in views of Helsington Barrows and Church Fell, before returning to a treat from the Sizergh café perhaps? Visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sizergh for all details and pre-booking. Note the Scots Pines dating from 1786 as you drive up to Mirehouse near Keswick, where visiting Mirehouse Wood or Castocks Wood or exploring the Family Nature Trail will open up the possibility of a wildlife encounter with roe deer, badgers, red squirrel, rabbits and a wide variety of birds. Take the Lakeshore Walk, on the other hand, and you will tread in the footsteps of Alfred Lord Tennyson, a frequent visitor to the historic home beside stunning Bassenthwaite and with views of Skiddaw. With a terraced Poetry Walk, and even the chance to stroll down Lovers’ Lane, Mirehouse gardens and trails hold much enjoyment and opportunities for memory creation and, if you can’t walk that far, you can always sit and breathe in the scents of the walled Bee Garden. Head to www.mirehouse.co.uk for www.lancmag.com

Above: Sizergh Castle, Cumbria - a National Trust property and member of Cumbria’s Living Heritage (www. cumbriaslivingheritage.co.uk) Credit:National Trust: Sizergh

Left: Lake at Mirehouse near Keswick - a member of Cumbria’s Living Heritage (www. cumbriaslivingheritage.co.uk) Credit:Mirehouse

more details. Gardens entrance, providing access to walks and trails, costs £4 for adults and is free for children. At the volunteer-run Holehird Gardens near Windermere, an explosion of colour awaits in the autumn borders, if you can take your eyes off of the spectactular Gercidophyllum tree at the fork in the drive just before entering the car park. Wandering through the gardens will afford stunning views of England’s largest lake and the uplifting joy of viewing the brown, orange and red leaves of some of the Lake District’s finest trees. With trees including Handkerchief Tree, a giant Californian Redwood and a Tulip tree, there are lots of varieties to explore and note. Just work out what to do ahead of a visit by heading to www.holehirdgardens.org.uk LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE 49

Holehird Gardens, Windermere - a member of Cumbria’s Living Heritage (www. cumbriaslivingheritage.co.uk) Credit:Holehird Gardens

Above: Birdoswald Roman Fort - one of the members of Cumbria’s Living Heritage (www.cumbriaslivingheritage.co.uk) Credit:English Heritage: Birdoswald

Above: Granary at Birdoswald Roman Fort - one of the members of Cumbria’s Living Heritage (www.cumbriaslivingheritage.co.uk) Credit:English Heritage: Birdoswald

In some ways, it is the lack of trees at the former Roman fort of Birdoswald, in the far north of Cumbria, that tells the story of life on the most northern frontier of the Roman Empire, as it was the clear view of the surrounding rolling countryside that was so important to the Empire’s defences. Viewing the longest remaining stretch of Hadrian’s Wall, visiting the remains of the fort, turret and milecastle, and

enjoying the romance of life trodden in Roman shoes, is a great reason to head to this wide-open space and recent award-winning visitor attraction. Visit the Birdoswald page at www.english-heritage.org.uk to book your tickets before your arrival.

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Above: Dog walkers in Whinlatter Forest - one of the members of Cumbria’s Living Heritage - www.cumbriaslivingheritage.co.uk Credit:Forestry England: Whinlatter

Above: Dog at Seat How Summit Trail, Whinlatter Forest, one of the members of Cumbria’s Living Heritage - www.cumbriaslivingheritage.co.uk Credit:Forestry England: Whinlatter

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If you like to have a purpose whilst being out amongst nature, make a beeline for Whinlatter Forest, close to Keswick, and download the iNaturalist App, recording wildlife as you make your way around England’s only true mountain forest, whether that be on any of the nine walking, three cycling or two running trails. Being part of the recording of wildlife through the Forest Find project will provide purpose and help protect habitats at the same time. Alternatively, get your credit or debit card at the ready, buy a Gruffalo Map for £1.50 at the Visitor Centre and test out your map-reading as you seek out 12 Gruffalo markers in the forest. The Visitor Centre is open from 10am to 4pm each day, providing lots of opportunities for family fun. More information is at www.forestryengland.uk/whinlatter

Let Cumbria’s Living Heritage members provide you with plenty of wide-open space, fresh air and a huge variety of outdoor cultural experiences this October and you should have a truly tree-mendous time. More information about all members is at www.cumbriaslivingheritage.co.uk LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE 51

A seasonal box of chocolates, full of Lakeland treats 52

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Tony Burdon uses the watercolour paintings of his father Ken, a well known Lakeland and Dales artist, to reveal his favourite tarns from a box of Lakeland goodies.

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Pic 1 - Little Langdale Tarn surrounded by winter

Although the larger lakes may remain the main course for your visits to the Lakes, regard the tarns as those little sweet indulgences. Once you get to them, they sign off the meal with a flourish, but in a much healthier way. They may not provide the magic treatment for the Covid 19 Virus but the Tarns of the Lake District will certainly provide a boost for those approaching this winter with trepidation. And once you get to them, social distancing is rarely a problem. Fresh air, exercise and great views. Hard to beat!

Coming up to Christmas we all like to indulge in a bit of comfort eating. It helps to satisfy that sweet tooth we have. This winter has the added factor of Covid 19 and all of its ramifications. With the long winter nights and cold days to come it’s enough to make you want to go to bed, pull the covers over your head and hope that it’s all gone away by the time you wake up again. An ability to hibernate looks appealing right now. Tosh to all that! Put those boxes of chocolates back in the cupboard. My box of Lakeland treats is a much better way to shrug off that winter lethargy. www.lancmag.com

The word tarn is derived from the Viking term ‘tjorn,’ used over 1000 years ago when they first came to settle in this part of the world. Many of them were formed high up in the Cumbrian mountains. For example, Red Tarn lies at 2356 ft above sea level. It is cradled in the arms of Striding and Swirral Edges under the overall protection of Helvellyn. My article however, features some other tarns instead. They are much lower down and fairly accessible from nearby roads and car parks. The first two are Little Langdale Tarn and Blea Tarn which like brother and sister are quite close to one another in Little Langdale Valley. Both have been designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Picture 1 looks south westward towards Little Langdale Tarn from an elevated viewpoint on the slopes of Lingmoor Fell. Wetherlam rises dramatically above the tarn and it is on the route from Little Langdale into the Duddon Valley via Wrynose Pass. Continuing west (i.e. towards the right on my father’s painting) there are paths that will take you to Blea Tarn. LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE 53

Above: Pic 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Blea Tarn in Little Langdale Valley Right: Pic 3 - Blea Tarn and Little Langdale Tarn can still be seen from as far back as the fells that surround Mickleden.

Once you reach the side of Blea Tarn, there are impressive views towards Side Pike and the Langdale Pikes beyond (see pic 2). Small as they both may be, seen from the fells surrounding Mickleden and the Pikes, they become the eyes of the valley scanning the sky for the next spell of challenging weather. Lake Windermere can also be seen in the far distance (see pic 3).

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Not that far away and nestling in the lap of a high rising fell, Loughrigg Tarn overlooks Great Langdale Valley (see pic 4). It sits elevated above Skelwith Bridge. Views towards the Langdale Pikes and Bowfell are particularly spectacular. Although the tarn is only 310 ft. above sea level, the mountain tops of the Langdale Pikes and Bowfell make you think you are much higher. This tarn was one of William Wordsworth’s favourites. He compared Loughrigg Tarn to Lake Nemi. This Italian lake was regarded as the looking glass mirror of Diana, the Goddess of Rome, because of its round, clear and heavenly bright appearance. The tarn at 39 ft. is not one of the deepest in the Lakes, but the setting is such that it was used as a location in the 2006 Beatrix Potter film, starring Renee Zellweger. As with many movies, the locations become just as much the stars of a film as the Hollywood actors who deliver the lines. In geological time terms however, movie stardom is a mere fleeting blip. www.lancmag.com

The stardom of the Tarns has lasted for millennia. Maintaining the movie analogies for a moment, Easedale Tarn, near Grasmere, is akin to the wide Cinerama screens of my youth. It is one of the largest tarns in the Lake District. Naturally created, after the ice melted some 20,000 years ago, it is around 1,570ft long, 980ft wide and 910ft above sea level (see pic 5).

Above: Pic 4 – Loughrigg; the tarn with the film star looks

Above: Pic 5 – Easedale Tarn as winter recedes LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE 55

Right: Pic 6 – A Tarn Hows winter

On the way from Grasmere and along Easedale, a pleasant walk starts to rise by the side of the cascading Sourmilk Gill waterfall. This becomes all the more powerful if you catch it after a few days of heavy rain. Its pulsating power provides a kind of drum roll for what you are about to see when you arrive at the tarn itself. Dorothy Wordsworth described it as ‘the Black Quarter’ due to its imposing appearance created by a full ring of fells. Some have foreboding names like Blea Rigg, Slapestone Edge, Tarn Crag and Great Head Crag. The poet Thomas de Quincey described it better when he referred to it as a ‘Chapel within a Cathedral,’ because in my view, once you are by the shore, it retains its intimate feel of a chapel, albeit set inside towering walls of epic proportions. Understandably, it has proved a popular place to visit since Victorian times. Unlike the natural, geological formation of Easedale Tarn, ‘man’ played more of a role in creating Tarn Hows, when three smaller tarns were amalgamated into one. Although managed today by the National Trust, it was once owned by Beatrix Potter. A fairly inauspicious, tree lined approach road, opens out to present one of the best panoramas you could wish to see. From this vantage point (see pic 6), the view takes in the Coniston Range, the Langdale Pikes and the Helvellyn Range. It will take your breath away at any time of the year but in winter it takes on a near mystical appearance. Extensive conifer forests have woven a warm scarf around the neck of this imaginatively created stretch of water. Well designed paths enable the tarn to be circumnavigated on foot with ease. From the better known Tarn Hows; a stark contrast is presented by Harrop Tarn, one of the Lake District’s hidden surprises. (see pic 7) Pic 7 - HarropTarn 56

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In winter, the snow covered peaks and extensive conifer forests heighten the seasonal visual experience of the Tarns.

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Accessed from Dobgill Car Park, this elevated tarn is at the southern end of the western shore of Thirlmere. From the car park, you can walk up to the tarn through a quiet and sheltered Lakeland forest. Your reward for this exertion comes at the top. An almost secret valley is revealed with the tarn laid out before you as its centrepiece. In winter, the snow covered peaks behind Harrop Tarn and Tarn Hows combined with their extensive conifer forests heighten the seasonal visual experience of these Tarns. From Keswick down the eastern shore of Derwent Water, you will come to the Watendlath Valley. Drive upwards into the valley, go over Ashness Bridge, and then onward towards the hamlet by the side of

the tarn. By walking up the fell behind this hamlet and looking south westward, you can absorb the full spectacle of a panoramic vista of the inner sanctum of Borrowdale (see pic 8) Watendlath Tarn is owned by the National Trust. It was given to them by Princess Louise, Queen Victoriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s daughter, in memory of her brother King Edward V11. At 863 ft above sea level and at 56ft deep it is a 7 acre stretch of water sitting in an enchanted valley. Although the tarns may not be as big as their larger Lakeland relatives; on the right day, they can still send tingles down the spine when seen for the first time. If you are lucky to visit a tarn after a light winterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s storm the dusting of

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Pic 8 – Winter descends on Watendlath Tarn snow on the trees will remind you of the dusting on the chocolates in that special box your partner has just given you. I know which tarn is my coffee cream and which one is my chocolate fudge. So, when you go to see them which chocolate filling will you equate with each tarn? But don’t just visit the tarns discussed in this article. Spend many an enjoyable day this

winter and next spring, visiting as many of the Lakeland tarns that you can find. The quite small tarns like Alcock near Grasmere are particularly intriguing because they are usually set amongst some of the most beautiful scenery in the country. And if it’s raw and rugged you want, go in spring to Sty Head Tarn and Sprinkling Tarn on the way up to the Scafells, surrounded as they are by four

At the time of writing you could travel to an open space irrespective of distance. However the regulations may have changed since then. Therefore, before setting off to visit a Lake District Tarn we would strongly recommend that you check the latest situation by going to the government web site on Covid 19.

gnarly old uncles called Great Gable, Glaramara, Allen Crags and Great End. The ones in this article may be my particular favourites in the Lakeland Tarn chocolate box but trying to discover your own favourites will be far more interesting than comfort eating and a movie back home.

The pictures which feature in this article have all been painted by well known Lakeland and Dales’ artist, Ken Burdon. These and over 100 others can be viewed in Windermere. In addition to his originals, there is a selection of signed, framed and unframed, limited and open edition prints available. Please ring 015394 44034 or email contact@orrestpublishing.co.uk or kenburdon38@gmail. com for more details and directions. For those who cannot get to see the pictures in Windermere, over 200 paintings can be seen on his publisher’s site at www.orrestpublishing.co.uk

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WE ARE STILL HERE WORKING ON YOUR BEHALF ONLY IN A DIFFERENT WAY Our teams are working from home, taking calls and answering any questions you have about moving home, family matters, Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney. We can still do all of these things for you and more, just in a slightly different way.

www.vincentssolicitors.co.uk

To find out more call us on 01772 555 176 to speak to any of our team or email enquiries@vslaw.co.uk. We are here for you.

Adam Partridge Auctioneers First World War Medals

Silver War Badge

everal times a year our sales contain militaria sections, which include daggers, swords, helmets, military equipment and, of course, medals, awarded for military service, for bravery and gallantry. Unlike Second World War medals, First World War medals were inscribed with the service number, rank, name and unit of the recipient. The inscriptions can provide valuable information into the background and service history of the recipient, especially interesting where the medals are sold with photographs and other ephemera. The main medals awarded in the First World War for service to country were the trio of the 1914 Star or the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. These were popularly called Pip, Squeak and Wilfred, after three post-war comic strip characters. Miniature versions would usually be worn with formal attire. Each medal has a distinctive ribbon and strips of the ribbons can be worn alone, sewn onto military dress. The most well-known medal is the Victoria Cross which is the highest award for valour. It can be awarded to any military rank and the first Victoria 60

First World War trio of medals

Cross was awarded in 1856 in the Crimean War. The largest number to be awarded in any conflict was the 628 awarded in the First World War. The ribbons of medals may bear clasps or bars to indicate that the recipient was active in particular battles or campaigns or the ribbon may support an oak leaf spray. This means that the recipient has been Mentioned in Dispatches, with his name appearing in an official report describing gallantry or valour in combat. Over a million Silver War Badges were issued to service personnel who had been discharged from the military forces because of sickness or injury caused by their military service in the First World War. The lapel badge, designed to be worn on civilian clothing, was originally issued in 1916 but was retrospectively awarded to those already discharged. The Badges were issued to prevent men of military age who were not in uniform from being accused of cowardice or given a white feather. Each is numbered and the recipient can therefore be traced, though the number bears no relation to the service number of the recipient.

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Bronze Memorial Plaque

After the First World War, Memorial Plaques were issued to the next of kin of military personnel who had died during enemy action. They are named but, unlike medals, bear no rank. Only hundreds of these were awarded to women and their rarity, like medals awarded to women in the First World War, means that they command higher prices. The plaques, like several other medals, were designed by Liverpool sculptor and medallist, Edward Carter Preston, after he anonymously won the design competition. Although Victoria Crosses will sell for many thousands of pounds, it is always surprising how comparatively low a hammer price is achieved for WW1 medal trios, badges and plaques. This is probably because millions were issued. But, as they are named or numbered, a few pounds can buy an opportunity for investigating a history of service to country. Adam Partridge Auctioneers is fortunate to have one of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading studio pottery and 20th century ceramics specialist who regularly attends our Macclesfield auction room and our Preston valuation office. Please call for more information 01772 347 380.

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Lockdown savings equals a family home for the Smiths WITH lockdown preventing them from going on their usual holidays abroad and nights out with friends, Leyland couple Lynsey and James Smith were able to save for a house deposit faster than planned.

James and Lynsey Smith with their sons in their new family home

James and Lynsey Smith

fter renting homes together for 16 years, the first time buyers decided it was time to set aside funds for a house of their own and, when the country went into lockdown back in March, Lynsey and James had the perfect opportunity to save even more than usual.

“In our previous home there was only space for a washer inside and the dryer was kept in a shed outside. James comes home from work muddy sometimes and with three boys’ worth of washing to do, it’s so handy having a room I can do it all in that I can shut the door on too!”

“In previous years, we’d always put holidays, days out and new cars first rather than saving up for a house deposit. I think partly because we knew we’d have to save such a large sum of money when we’d rather use it on doing things as a family,” says 37-yearold Lynsey.

After initially visiting the development and seeing the plans for the Marlow, the couple reserved their home online via My Redrow, the members’ area of Redrow’s website.

“We were incredibly lucky during lockdown in that James continued to work as normal as a tree surgeon and I was furloughed from my job as an administrator, and because days out and holidays were cancelled, we put money we would have spent on them into our house savings pot.” When they had saved enough for a deposit, the couple, who have two sons living at home and one away at university, decided they wanted to find a home Leyland, where Lynsey had lived all her life.

“The fact that we could not only reserve our home online but also see updates and have all our paperwork in one place through My Redrow made the whole process so easy. It just took away the need for us to physically go to the development to complete it all, something that was so useful during lockdown in particular.” The couple were the second customers to move into their home at Worden Gardens, where they say there is already a lovely community feel. Worden Gardens will eventually feature more than 200 homes from the housebuilder’s award-winning Heritage Collection.

“Leyland has some great schools and Worden Gardens really stood out to us because it’s close to a number of schools for the boys, said Lynsey. “We also loved the rural feel that the development has too whilst being close to everything we need like shops and family.”

Currently available at Worden Gardens is a detached fourbedroom Stratford starting from £289,995 and a four-bedroom detached Cambridge from £341,995.

The couple settled on a four-bedroom detached Marlow and it was the character of the home paired with its high ceilings and separate utility room off the kitchen that were real selling points.

To find out more or to book an appointment call 01257 581698 or visit www.redrow.co.uk/wordengardens

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BOOKS Our roundup of this months literary delights

‘ALWAYS IN THE DARK’ BY DIANE HARDING - A HAUNTING MEMOIR OF GROWING UP, UNBEKNOWN TO HER, IN A MENAGE A TROIS This is not an easy read – the pain of the author is tangible – but it is a haunting memoir of a childhood mystery that unfolded painfully and finally with a devastating understanding about the shocking truth of her life.

Diane Harding

Diane Berry was an English schoolgirl growing up in the leafy streets of suburban Cape Town in the 1950s. Her father, Victor, worked for Cadbury’s but he was anything but a sweet man. He went out ahead of his wife, Blanche, to find a home in Cape Town. Soon after their daughter, Diane, was born but her idyllic childhood was ruined when she and her mother returned from a holiday in England to discover Connie his mistress already installed. For the sake of her daughter Blanche accepted the fait accompli with pain and forbearance and then followed 19 years of living a lie. Diane had no idea

that her ‘Godmother’ who lived with them was her father’s lover until she was much older and living in England. This book of surviving in the face of pain and suffering, is a book about courage, of putting others first; and its opposite- a cruelty by her father and his mistress who shared a small intimate space with the mother of a young girl perfectly able to ignore her pain. The neighbours were as much in the dark as was Diane. They believed that the second woman was a friend, an ‘auntie’ a long-term visitor; they had no idea of what was going on under their noses.

At a time when the huge issue of domestic abuse is taking centre stage for much overdue political and legal action this book is a timely reminder of the everyday nature of evil.

The Cockpit of Conscience: Society, Politics, and Religion in Stuart Lancashire, 1603-1714 by J. A. Hilton

attendance at the Sunday services of the Protestant Church of England was compulsory. In Lancashire, however, an obstinate minority remained Roman Catholic. Moreover, some Protestant ministers were Puritans, who believed that the Church of England was not Protestant enough. Meanwhile, many people were ignorant and superstitious, plague was endemic, the county was infested with witches, fairies, and demons, but there were a few alchemists and scientists. Religious differences intensified political tensions, and resulted in the Civil Wars, which tore Lancashire apart. The Puritans abandoned the Church of England, and divided into Presbyterians and Congregationalists, which provided the opportunity for increasingly novel and bizarre sects, not only Baptists and Quakers, but also Seekers, Grindletonians, and Ranters, many of them scribbling away to be read by us. Eventually the Revolution Settlement provided religious toleration for all

Protestants, and provided the excuse for some to absent themselves from both church and chapel.

Seventeenth-century Lancashire, stretching from the Mersey to Coniston Water, seemed a county of religious extremes. Religion was seen as the glue that held society together, so religious uniformity was essential, and 64

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Reviews on Amazon ‘Heartbreaking, powerful and compelling. Beautifully and bravely written.’ ‘A true story, beautifully written from the heart. A real page turner, I didn’t want it to end. So well written.”

J.Anthony Hilton The Cockpit of Conscience is available from J. A. Hilton, 282 Whelley, Wigan, Lancashire, WN2 1DA, for £15 plus £3 post & packing, and also from www.bookcasecarlisle.co.uk

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Darwen by Lucy Bullough

f you are a little unfamiliar with the east of Lancashire, you might make the terrible mistake of believing Darwen is somehow submerged within the identity of better-known Blackburn. You would be wrong to think this and indeed, could upset a few of the locals if you were to make this mistake to their face. So adamant are they of their own presence, the services at Junction 4 of the M65 were even renamed from “Blackburn Services” to “Blackburn with Darwen Services” after a local protest! No, it is much wiser to accept that Darwen has a uniqueness all its own, and why shouldn’t it? With roots established as far back as the Bronze Age and even having a river of the same name, it has as much right to be acknowledged as a town in its own right. And it’s one which is on the up and up. It does form part of the Borough of Blackburn with Darwen (a unitary authority area), that much is true, but it has five wards all its own and stands proud on the River Darwen. This flows south to north and whilst only visible from the edges of the town, when you’re right in the centre you’re literally walking on water as it flows underground. A thriving market town, it is affectionately known as ‘Darren’ by the ‘Darreners’ when using the local dialect, and sits four miles south of Blackburn. 66

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Both entry and exit routes are on the A666 which runs to Blackburn in the north and Bolton in the south, cutting right through the centre of Darwen. It is perfectly situated right on the cusp of the West Pennine Moors so not only do you have the convenience of shops, bars and other amenities, you have the ability to step into the wild and enjoy the great outdoors with ease too. The origin of the name itself isn’t entirely known but its former name of ‘Derewent’ was recorded as far back as 1208 and means ‘river where oak trees grow’. ‘Derwen’ is river in Welsh and so this etymology appears to support this and other sources put its origins in the Brythonic derw, meaning oak. By 1208, Darwen had already become rather well-established, having been inhabited as far back as the Bronze Age. This is known because the remnants of a barrow, including some human remains, were found dating back to 2000BC! The barrow has been partially restored and had ten interments, nine of which were Collared Urn burials. Also found were a flint thumb scraper, a clay bead and a bronze dagger measuring 7.5 inches in length – significant finds given their advanced years. Head to the Darwen Library and you’ll see some of these remnants on display. www.lancmag.com

A view of Darwen from the top of Darwen tower

It was clear Darwen had a Roman presence too as you can see a distinctive Roman road on the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ordnance Survey map. In 2005, the Darwen Archaeological Society excavated in order to find the road but were unsuccessful as it seems there has unfortunately been too much disturbance. Hurtling forwards to Medieval times, and there are very few remains left from this period and certainly no buildings. In fact, the oldest building is thought to be Whitehall, which is now split into three residences and is Grade II listed. It isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t completely clear, but it seems as though elements (such as the chimney piece) date as far back as 1557, whereas the majority of the build was completed in the 17th and 18th centuries. Middle Moss and Higher Moss Farmhouse are thought to have been dated in the early 17th century and Bury Fold is another farmhouse, built in sandstone as the others mentioned also were, and all of them been listed as Grade II. In more modern times, as a true Lancastrian town, Darwen played an important role in the textiles industry, coming to the fore in the Industrial Revolution. The most notable of all the mills was India Mill, and it was possibly one of the most important in all of the north east of Lancashire. It was owned and built by Eccles Shorrock, finished in 1871 when the equipment was finally installed www.lancmag.com

and is well-known for its towering chimney. Unfortunately, this was exceptionally poor timing as the Cotton Famine occurred in 186165; overproduction was coupled not only with a shrinking global market but also the Civil War in America which saw a reduction in the volume of cotton bales available. It led to the dwindling of the industry all across Lancashire and Darwen was badly hurt as was Shorrocks himself, being declared bankrupt.

Path leading through moorland near Darwen tower

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Bringing more textile-industry acclaim to this small town was the inventor of the spinning mule, Samuel Crompton, who chose to live in Darwen for part of his life. Another boom followed and by 1907, Darwen had re-established itself as a textile force with 57 weaving mills and eight spinning mills to be found locally. After Shorrock’s demise, the mill had followed this path and had carried on as the Darwen Cotton Spinning Company until 1933 and Darwen even had a visit from Gandhi himself. India were planning to reduce their shipments of cotton and he visited to hear local opinions from redundant mill workers on the matter where it is safe to say he left a lasting impression. India Mill finally closed as a mill in 1991 and was turned into commercial space which is how it remains today – filled with businesses in this building rich in heritage and still a real stand out feature of the town. Darwen boasts several other focal points, some of which are known more locally and some of which are known far and wide. Take a look to learn a little more...

Right: India Mill Geograph.org. uk - 975474-byAlexander-P-Kapp

Darwen Tower

Certainly, the most famous feature within all of Darwen is what is referred to as ‘Darwen Tower’. Its official name is actually Jubilee Tower, owing to the fact it was built to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. Finished in 1898, the tower is octagon shaped and sits atop Darwen Hill, looking proudly over the town which lies beneath it. A little-known fact though is that the tower is not solely to commemorate the jubilee, but is also a celebration of the victory that the Darreners had in being able to access the moor. It stands 85 feet 68

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in height and is a popular summit for walkers who can take the ultimate Darwen-selfie. That could either be next to it, or right at its very peak – an internal staircase allows you to get an even better view of the surrounding area. Weather-permitting of course, you will be able to see Blackpool Tower, North Yorkshire, Morecambe Bay and even out to sea and the Isle of Man! Cloudier days will limit your view to the surrounding moorland but that’s not so terrible when you see how wild and beautiful it is. www.lancmag.com

Darwen Library

Image: Darwen Library Geograph.org.uk - 4257446-by-Philip-Platt

Previously mentioned as the home to some of the artefacts uncovered from the Bronze Age, Darwen Library is more than just a home to some ancient items. Officially opened in 1908, it is actually a Carnegie Library meaning it was built with a donation from Scottish-American philanthropist and businessman, Andrew Carnegie. Some 2,509 Carnegie libraries were constructed between 1883 and 1929 all across the world (660 were built in the UK and Ireland) and this one was built thanks to a donation of ÂŁ8,000. The impressive domed roof stands out against the skyline of the rest of the town and today, it maintains its place as an integral part of the community. The library is a haven for the local teens to meet and relax and computer games have even been allowed! It also plays host to a number of reading groups, training courses and visits by students from the surrounding schools.

it is actually a Carnegie Library meaning it was built with a donation from Scottish-American philanthropist and businessman, Andrew Carnegie www.lancmag.com

The great outdoors

One of the best features of Darwen, according to many, is the townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proximity to so much open space and greenery. The moors are right on your doorstep and there are plenty of footpaths to wind your way around. The re-opening of these in 1896 was what is celebrated in part by the erection of Darwen Tower as the moors form such an important part of the local identity. In addition to the natural open space, there are also parks to visit such as Whitehall Park and Bold Venture Park. The 16-acre expanse that is Whitehall Park sits at the southern end of Darwen and allows you the ability to wander its grounds, past grass terraces and wooded valleys. At the top of the park, you will gain access to these famous moors once again where you can join a path to head up to the Tower. LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE 69

Bold Venture Park was opened in 1889 and its beautiful surroundings are reminiscent of this era. When spending time there, you’ll find it both historic and picturesque, and it even follows the path of a stream which you can pursue. Waterfalls, ornamental lakes, war memorials and more make impressive features in this park which forms a bridge from the town centre across to the moors. Sunnyhurst Wood is another local treasure just asking to be explored – all 85 acres of it! Take a picnic and you can enjoy the scenery of this stunning valley and take your time to walk plenty of the well-marked paths. You can head up to Darwen Moor and pass the Earnsdale Reservoir, perhaps stopping by the Sunnyhurst Wood Visitor Centre at the old woodman’s cottage. Choose the right time to visit, and you might even see an exhibition from a local photographer or artist. It is certainly worth seeing the Olde England Kiosk too, which opened in 1912 to mark the coronation of George V. Today it serves food and alcoholic drinks so is the perfect place to wind down after a good walk. Some people like it so much they even choose to get married here!

Bold Venture Park War Memorial - Geograph.org.uk - 3905216-by-Philip-Platt

The local retailers making a difference As a traditional market town, it is only right that Darwen still has a key focus on pioneering shops and artisans who make their own products locally and sell them with pride. When wandering the streets and surrounding areas, you will find gems such as Earth Evolution, an eco-refill shop. The concept is becoming better-known but is still a mystery to many – basically, you take your own re-usable containers to the shop, fill them with your chosen produce, weigh, pay and leave. These shops exist in an attempt to reduce the amount of waste we create to help our environment. You’ll also find Erin’s Place which is the perfect haven to spend a couple of hours painting your own pottery to give as a personal gift or keep for yourself. Corkee is where you will find deliciously scented 70

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candles, again the perfect gift for a loved one or yourself. You can even relish in the fact that you are supporting local manufacturing as they make their own candles right in the heart of Darwen. If this appeals to you, then you can also take a look at Vincent & Valerie Skincare who design, manufacture and distribute their cruelty free products all from their hometown. Whilst is may be small, it is fair to say that Darwen is mighty and the future certainly looks bright. The community spirit and warm welcome you will receive will mean any visit you make will leave a lasting impression. And with so much to see and do there, you surely don’t need any more reason to plan your trip!

Above: Sunnyhurst Wood Visitor Centre Geograph.org.uk -3562021-by-PhilipPlatt

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A conversation with Lee Chambers Founder of Essentialise, a life coaching service based in Preston, we asked him about his work, and how he helps individuals and companies.

Having overcome your own mental health challenges, do you think this sets you apart in enabling to help your clients quicker. While my qualifications in psychology and knowledge of neuroscience give me a deep understanding of how we work as humans, both mentally and emotionally, I feel that when fused with my own lived experience it is certainly an advantage. While we all experience mental health challenges in our own way, and have different journeys to follow, my clients get reassurance that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been in a similar place, and optimism that they can overcome their challenges too. It also makes me extremely passionate about helping my clients through times of adversity, supporting them and helping them to explore in a safe and welcoming space. 72

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What does 2021 look like for you and your goals ahead. The future is not the easiest to predict in the current climate, but one thing that is certain is that we are looking to increase the positive impact we make on both sides of our business. Our long term vision is to positively impact 100,000 adults and children in the North West. We will continue to expand our coaching services and our workplace wellbeing programmes, while investing more in our school social enterprise and community programmes. While we feel we do amazing work in the health and wellbeing space, we think that nobody should be left behind. And as Director of Wellbeing Lancashire, we have a plan to bring wellbeing and kindness across the county in a range of new and innovative ways. www.lancmag.com

make, and some have a monthly call to keep an element of accountability and some additional support. Whether you have a few sessions or are in regular contact, I am always your ally and supporter, cheering you on from the sidelines. How do you find time for your many interests. I often get asked this. With me running Essentialise, being heavily involved in both Wellbeing Lancashire and Forward Careers, being an Ambassador for Mindsight and Anytime Gyms, and hosting a radio show on Ribble FM, do I have time for anything else. I manage my energy and attention, so I have the time to spend doing other things I enjoy. I have two young children, and we go exploring in nature and enjoy new experiences every weekend. I coach a disability football team in Blackburn. I love learning, and I’m always studying something, at the moment it is Leadership with the ILM. I’m a big Formula 1 fan and travel to races whenever I can. And I enjoy reading when I get a chance to sit down and relax.

Do you find inspiration in your clients as well as giving it to them. The beauty with coaching is that all the answers are already there inside your clients, and you are helping them to unlock them using a wide range of tools. Every client journey is inspirational in it’s own way, and there is a lot of fulfilment for me assisting my clients to increase their self-awareness, breaking limiting beliefs, creating positive habits and crafting a path towards their potential and vision of success. I’ve had clients achieve milestones which have made me smile inside. A lady I worked with has lost five stones in weight and find the confidence to date again. Another has moved industry and is now thriving in an environment that suits his skills and values. One client even found his passion for travelling and has applied for a visa to move to Australia. It’s hard to put a price on having a clear vision of where you want to go, and a plan to help you get there. Do you cultivate a long lasting relationship with your clients, or is your method to encourage independence. As eluded to previously, the ethos of coaching is to help clients to find the answers that lie inside, and help them to overcome the beliefs and habits that hold them back. I also do work around understanding our psychology and our health, so my clients are better equipped for the plan we create to move towards the life they want. Each coaching journey is different, and the supportive relationship you build while working together is very powerful. Most clients feel confident and equipped to follow the step by step plan we www.lancmag.com

On your website you list a few names that have influenced you in life and your work, Marcus Aurelius amongst them. Is stoicism and certain philosophies a contributor to your approach to your work. I feel it is essential when we work with individuals and businesses to improve wellbeing and performance to look at it from lots of interconnected angles. Stoicism is interesting, as it is the origin point for modern-day cognitive behaviour therapy, and if even more relevant in today’s world with so much noise and being always connected. LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE 73

My work looks to breed resilience which helps in difficult times, helps to embrace change, looks at what we can control, and how to use our mindset to achieve more positivity and happiness in life. Stoicism is very much about empowering yourself and understanding how your mind works, which is excellent for everybody to learn more about. When being invited to speak at a conference or organisation, have you ever been asked a question that was really thought provoking. I shared my story of losing the ability to walk through illness, and the process of relearning with my daughter, as she was born as I was recovering, at a business conference last year. One of the delegates asked me in the Q&A afterwards “Would you say that losing the ability to walk has been the best thing that has happened to you”. After pondering this, I realised that it was the reason I was on stage, the impetus to work in the field that I do, and the passion for helping others, so it was the defining moment in my life, turning negative into positive.

Do you have a life motto Life is one big experiment, and the biggest experiment we ever undertake is learning ourselves. Do you ever feel a bit down yourself and what do you do to cheer yourself up. Like every other human being on the planet, I have times when I feel low, unmotivated and lacking energy. It is a shared human experience, and when I’m feeling that way, so are millions of people across the planet. I do all sorts to keep myself going until I’m feeling positive again. I’ll go walking in nature, I’ll dance to some upbeat music, I’m compassionate with myself and have a rest. My children always cheer me up with their silliness and curiosity. I’ll read something interesting or even treat myself to a slice of cake. I do find having a morning and evening routine has helped to have less of these days than I had before. What has been the best moment in your career. This is a hard one. I’m not always the best at celebrating wins, as I’m so focused on my mission to help as many people as I can. But I have been working on enjoying the journey as much as the mission outcome. I’m going to say becoming Director of Wellbeing Lancashire and being able to work with so many talented and passionate wellbeing practitioners has been the highlight. We are working with the NHS, both Universities, charities and businesses to make wellbeing the priority in Lancashire, and I’m so proud to be right at the front of that. Have you ever had a client that you couldn’t help. The beauty of being an accredited coach is that I have standard and ethics to work from. Before working with any client, we have an initial meeting to access suitability. This allows me to see if firstly,

What is the best advice for someone who would like to progress in business Having run PhenomGames since 2008, selling it in June this year, and building Essentialise, I’ve got a fair amount of business experience. In all that, I have learned more from the failures than I have from the successes. My advice would be to find what is in the middle of these four questions. What do you enjoy doing? What are you good at? What brings value to the world? What can you make money from? In the middle of those four questions is where you bring the most value and purpose. Be courageous and don’t fear failure. Think about mentors who can help you chisel the path. Find your market, study them, learn their language, and target your marketing to the places they frequent. Keep experimenting and be prepared to take advantage of opportunities when they come. 74

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my skill set can help the client, and secondly, that we would be able to build a supportive coaching relationship. I am not the coach for everyone, and I have turned more than half the potential clients to different coaches or services that I feel are more suited and would be more effective for them. I am yet to have a client who didn’t make a change or didn’t find value in working with me, and I get detailed feedback from every client so I can continually improve and evolve my work. Making The Techrounds 50 BAME Entrepreneurs Under 50 is a great accomplishment, how will this set you up for your future. It is a real honour to be featured on such prestigious list, alongside the founders of companies like Zoom, Missguided and Moonpig. It is always nice to be recognised for the good work that you do, and it has led to several companies contacting me to see if I can assist them. I will keep working hard for my clients and making a positive difference in these turbulent times

I deliver workshops and coaching by video and have online programmes, but nothing beats the energy of being in a room with others. I’m looking forward to being able to do both and offer clients the best delivery method for them. Have you had instances of clients coming to you regarding motivation and lack of focus because of having to work from home and not being able to get into the workplace. I have been helping employees since the pandemic started to work more effectively from home, whilst looking after their wellbeing and finding harmony in these difficult times. It usually takes at least six months to transition to remote working, but many people did it in a week, which is impressive when you think about it. The reality is that working from home is not for everyone, and not easy for some, especially those who also had to educate from home. If you’re still working from home and finding it a challenge, get in contact, I’d be happy to help you find a happier balance.

Because of the current situation with covid, have you found an increase in clients coming to you regarding help with their wellbeing. The current climate has been challenging for everyone, and the pandemic has caused a lot of underlying anxiety and uncertainty. I have had an increase in clients reaching out, and I have been helping NHS frontline employees from two trusts for free during the pandemic, to give back for the care I received when I lost my ability to walk. I’m aware that some people can’t access my services due to their circumstances, so I have been getting creative with advice; making monthly wellbeing calendars, appearing on national radio to speak about it, and writing for international media, appearing in the Huffington Post, the Telegraph and the Guardian during 2020. How has Covid affected you doing your job. The pandemic has changed the way I work in some ways, mainly moving the majority of my work remotely, rather than physically. Luckily I’m reasonably digitally literate, especially with running a video game business for 12 years and working within local government, corporate finance and elite sports. www.lancmag.com

Has the process of certain types of lockdown meant you have had to move to a different way of working, for example using zoom to talk to people, has this highlighted any problems you did not think would arise. Before the first lockdown, Essentialise had been working with Lancaster Universities Health Innovation Team to look at a hybrid physical and digital delivery model for wellbeing and coaching. This was extremely helpful as we worked through scenarios which have helped the transition to digital coaching and workshops. LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE 75

Digital can be challenging at times, with potential distraction, technical issues and a difference in non-verbal communication, but it does allow some clients to access my services in the comfort of their home environments. And digital has allowed me to work with clients from the US, Canada and Australia in 2020, further honing my skills. Do you think covid has made people more aware of human interaction that was taken for granted, and then, during national lockdown, taken away. I have seen just how COVID has highlighted how much freedom we have, and how we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t value the power of social connection until it becomes limited. At the same time, many people have slowed down and made intentional time to talk to those close to them. Communities have come together, neighbours communicating and assisting the vulnerable. The challenges we have had around loneliness and isolation are now in the front of our minds. Deep and meaningful social connection is a vital part of the wellbeing and happiness puzzle, and if there is a time to come together against something bigger than ourselves, now is certainly the time to promote that and my delivery looks at communication and relationships as a fundamental part of becoming the best version of yourself. 76

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Address: Suite 4, 9-15 Ribbleton Ln, Preston, PR1 5EZ Telephone: +44 7912690856 Email: lifecoach@essentialise.co.uk www.lancmag.com

Weddings at TOWNELEY HALL

This picture-perfect venue for your wedding can host 80 – 400 guests in the historic rooms of the Hall or in a glittering marquee on the lawns. From beautiful flowers, superb food, champagne, music, pianists, harpists and master of ceremonies to singers; it’s your special day and we’ll help tailor it to your dreams.

A spectacular setting,

for a spectacular day

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The Gift of Difference As an educator specialising in dyslexia, the mother of three dyslexic boys, the wife of a dyslexic and a dyslexic myself, dyslexia brings many joyous moments into my life and is something I consider a gift. By Kate Gostick

nuggling up with Henry, my youngest son, attempting to read about “Mr. Eight the Octopus”, how could one not let out a little giggle as he describes Mr. Eight’s “eight enormous testicles!” My boys are all very confident dyslexics and embrace their mistakes as learning experiences and, as Edward tells me, “the source of some great stories”. By the end of the Mr. Eight book, Henry could read ‘tentacles’ very competently. In fact, his mistake and the comedic emotional response it created helped him remember the word even better. However, this joy of dyslexia was one that took me some time to appreciate. My own schooldays were scared by a 1970’s approach to teaching spelling which really did not work for a dyslexic child and the school’s failure to diagnose my learning difference compounded my difficulties. “C. R. O. A. S. D. A. L. E. “ the headmistress, would yell at me every morning as she tried to teach me to spell “Katherine Croasdale”. Wendy and I were the last two kids in top infants who couldn’t spell their name, so every morning we had to go to the headmistress’s office. She shouted and shouted at us until eventually, Wendy managed to figure it out, but I had to struggle a little longer with the horrific task of remembering all the letters of my very long name. As I progressed on to secondary school one teacher eventually picked up the signs that something was not quite right. In the library, we were expected to pick up a book and then spend the rest of the lesson sitting quietly reading soaking up the story and enjoying the tale, but I didn’t enjoy the story. My eyes moved over the words but they did not string together to give meaning unless I concentrated really really hard on each and every word. This was never enjoyable. It was exhausting. When you are dyslexic you learn ways to hide the

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The Spy who Saved Christmas and Finding a Place to Park my Melon: Memoir of a trailing Spouse both by Katherine Gostick are available from Amazon.

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truth and War and Peace was my solution. A huge book that impressed those around me as I turned the pages moving through the text with deep concentration. It was big enough that nobody would notice it was taking me the whole year to read, but I wasn’t reading it. I was turning the pages at regular intervals but daydreaming about my own stories that I was concocting in my head. Wonderful stories of witches, of fairies of anything really, each story more and more magical than the week before. Eventually, though my trips to dreamworld were brought to an abrupt halt when the teacher noticed it was now May and I was still reading the same book I had begun in September! I was instructed to find something more appropriate and questioned each lesson on what I had just read. Now instead of the fifteen or so pages, I had been whizzing through in War and Peace I was only managing a page or two. Now I was fully aware that English was not my thing. I had been singled out as one of the kids no good at English and I knew I could not spell or add commas in all the correct places. Mrs. Asher, my teacher the following year though saw English as more than spelling and grammar. I did not really understand the different approach until I spoke to, Mrs. Morris, an equally inspirational teacher in my children’s middle school. She described literacy as not just the written word, but communication in general. My final year teacher saw it the same way. When she marked my work she did not just see how I had written it down, but also saw what I had written. Rather than just being a badly spelt stream of letters uninterrupted by punctuation she saw the stories and ideas that had run through my head as I turned the pages of War and Peace. I was a good communicator, a great communicator! I could express my ideas clearly and in interesting and often amusing ways and she valued that contribution. Suddenly, I felt the writing I had always loved creating was something I wanted to continue with and now over 30 years later I am doing just that. She was the spark that reignited a suppressed love of creating literature.

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Now with two books under my belt and several published articles, I see my dyslexia even more as a gift. It makes me an out of the box thinker, a risktaker undaunted by the chance of failure because I spent my whole life failing and finding another way to succeed. This attitude, as my son said, was a great source of stories for my book, “Finding a Place to Park my Melon”, like the time I was arrested on the Slovenian border or when I mistakenly asked for a turtle to protect my son’s nether regions instead of jockstrap in a German sports shop! Growing up I didn’t feel like that. It was tough when it took me so much longer to read and my writing was often dismissed based on my spelling and grammar. Despite inspirational teachers like Mrs. Asher and Mrs. Morris our education system often fails to value creativity, critical thinking, and ingenuity, all skills more common in children with alternative learning styles and all the skills employers crave in their employees. My second book, “The Spy who Saved Christmas”, was written in the hope of showing children with learning differences that their skills may be overlooked at times, but when it comes down to it they can make a difference and change the world, just like Stanley the little elf in the book who saves Christmas when all the other elves get sick. So if you are dyslexic embrace it and enjoy the mishaps it brings. You never know where that out of the box thinking will take you!

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Get the kids walking This year, many children are not attending school due to COVID-19 and they may be missing out on getting in some valuable steps. Regular physical activity in children and young people is associated with improved learning, better mental health, healthier weight status and better cardiovascular fitness. Many children are not getting enough exercise and we provide some ideas for getting your kids walking more, whether they are currently attending school or not.

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Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, by Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion at Heart Research UK

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Not enough time to walk? If you tend to drive your child to school because you are short of time in the mornings, you could look at your schedule to see whether getting up earlier, or moving things around in your diary, could help. If your child is not currently attending school, you could try to squeeze in a short walk at the start of the day. Too cold and wet to walk? If you are put off walking because the weather is too cold or damp, try wrapping up warm and making sure you/your kids are protected from the rain with waterproof clothing, umbrellas and wellies. Younger children can have fun splashing in puddles along the way.

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Kids not willing to â&#x20AC;&#x201C; walk? If your kids are not willing to walk, you could start by encouraging them to walk two or three times a week and increase it gradually until they are walking every day. Try having fun during your walks by singing songs, playing games or spotting birds and insects along the way. If your kids are old enough to walk on their own, you could motivate them by asking them to count their steps using a smartwatch or smartphone and set them daily or weekly targets.

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Did They See The Rivington Pike Werewolf?

The Beast of Winter Hill. Oct 20. Sheep Killed, a 3 Toed Print & a Rumbling Growling Creature.

Two men out Rabbiting See a set of Reddish Eyes watching them in their torch light and they Hear a Terrible Growl. The men stumbled up a fresh kill and whatever had hunted

it was out there watching them from the darkness. The legends of a Bear Human Hybrid haunting the hills of West Lancashire are not as far fetched as they seem.

I was contacted on the 25th October 2020 by a lovely lady named Jackie. Jackie wanted to make a report on behalf of her partner and his friend, who had a terrifying experience the evening before we chatted. Jackie explained her partner Dave and his friend Adam had found “a strange sheep carcass that was still steaming when they approached it up at Winterhill” As they were discussing what animal could have made the kill they both heard a rumbling growling sound. Both men stated “they heard something that night they could not explain” The men were interviewed by BBR Investigators Mick McClaren & Carolan Smith who both heard a similar growl one night close to Edgerton Reservoir in 2019. Which as the crow flies is very close. I would have loved to join them, but due to covid restrictions I was not able to do so. I am very grateful that Mick & Carolan investigated this case as they did a fantastic job of documenting the report and interviewing both men within a few days of the experience happening. That night the men were walking on the road that leads up to Winter Hill, a well known spot here in the NW. They 82

Winter Hill Mast on the hills above Chorley, Lancashire, England

were around ¾ of a mile away from the Chinese Gardens. An area where there is a previous sighting of an upright humanoid figure known as the Bear Man of Rivington. They arrived, got their guns from the car and set off, both had torches and as they walked Dave realised that Adam had almost stepped into a carcass of some kind. Shining their torches on to it they both saw a Sheep that seemed to have been almost pulled in half? The carcass was steaming even with the rain and the cold night air. Whatever had killed

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it, couldn’t be too far away as this was a very fresh kill. Adam described the carcass as unusual, the head was missing and the rib cage was snapped in two. Dave agreed he said it looked as if it had been pulled into two pieces. Alarmed by this both men scanned the area around them with torches looking to see what had growled. Adam thought Dave was maybe messing about with him, but as Dave was speaking the growl came again. They quickly scanned the darkness www.lancmag.com

and Dave saw a dark, stocky shape with reddish eyeshine watching them in his torch light. The shape dipped out of view and was gone.

area. Dave said to cover his fear “I

They both left quickly and got back into the car. Both were really shaken up and were still in bewilderment when Mick went up to meet them to record the event. Adam stated he felt almost hysterical and was laughing due to the fear he was feeling. He is not prepared to return up to the hill at night alone, which has done in the past many, many times. Even though they were both armed the men felt it would have been impossible to shoot whatever was out there with them, due to the sheer size of the dark shape and the sound of the growl. They both felt the growl came from something big. Adam turned his gun into a bat at that point as he knew shooting at it would be pointless.

Adam stated “he felt helpless and nervous and it was a sickening feeling, almost like fighting in the dark”

“The remaining Sheep in the field had flocked together and looked scared and worried. They were acting really strange. The growling continued all through the event. It was a loud, rumbling growling noise”. Adam wondered if this could be paranormal as the growl was so scary. And they both felt watched and stalked all the way back to the car. It was around midnight on a wet night and they saw no humans on the way in or out of the www.lancmag.com

think we need bigger guns” They pulled over at this point and tried to get themselves together.

After the event the men tried to find the growl using google and known animal recordings here in the UK on their phones. They did not find a match with anything. The only sound that matched was the reported noise of a Werewolf on a recording on youtube. Both men agreed the sound was the same as they had heard that evening. They left the area, Dave returned with Jackie a couple of days later and photographed the remains of the Sheep. At this point it is almost picked clean. Mick and Carolan accompanied both men and Jackie back to the area and they were able to see the carcass for themselves. Mick recorded this event and his next visit a couple of days later. Mick and Carolan re-visited with a family member on the next weekend which was Halloween. Being in lockdown no people were up on the hill, that they could see. The group made their way to the area the Sheep was found by Dave and Adam. On

examining the area they spotted a Skull which had been driven forcibly into the wall surrounding the field. A spinal column and vertebrae were also found close to the wall. Next to the wall and visible in Micks video is a strange 3 toed print. Interview with Dave & Adam.

If you would like to see the interviews on youtube go to: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=kxqGMXrkdqU&feature=youtu.be The investigator went back to the site with them and did his own investigation. They did find the remains of the carcass in situ. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=7HTkjfqqgLs&t=203s

If you have experienced anything like this or know of someone who has, please get in touch via debbiehatswell@gmail.com

Until next time...

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Preston, Chester & Keswick Days Out in Lancashire Commemorating VE Day Take a trip to Oswaldtwistle Mill Some Mothers Do Ave’ Em A History of Mills

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BOOKS Our roundup of this months literary delights

The book of witches Lancashire features in new research and stories about witchcraft.

“Dedicated to every woman or person who has suffered persecution or demonisation for who they are.” Lancashire’s traditions in witchcraft are explored in both a critical introduction by Adam J Dalton (of Manchester Metropolitan and Middlesex University) and new stories concerning the Pendle witch trials, in this collection from prize-winning authors. • Dr Adam Dalton wonders why, when the witch of Endor in the Bible is very far from a negative figure, women and others have been persecuted for witchcraft in the UK for centuries. • Learn how the tradition of witchcraft is still alive and well in the UK’s south-west, find out the truth behind the Pendle Witch Trials, discover just why Henry VIII was the first to outlaw witchcraft, and shake your head as you come to understand what drove the maniacal Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins!

• With contributions from authors Adam Lively (Granta Best Young Novelist), A J Dalton (www.ajdalton.eu), and others, this collection remembers the innocent women and individuals who were cruelly sacrificed, examines how particular groups in society are still persecuted, and shows how society and relationships might still be magically transformed.

Available from Amazon and other book outlets. Order your copy today -https://tinyurl.com/yxs4dgfs 88

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New homes across Lancashire How very Redrow We pride ourselves in building quality homes throughout Lancashire

Images typical of Redrow homes. Details correct at time of going to press.

Discover more about the new homes in Lancashire

Visit: redrow.co.uk/lancashire

Redrow strive to create environments that will stand the test of time, where people can appreciate and enjoy their surroundings. We create homes that are designed for the way we live today, yet are rooted in the time-honoured traditions of craftsmanship and care.

When good neighbours become good friends POST-lockdown buyer requirements mean that finding a home within a strong community is now more important than ever. Redrow found out from their customers in Leyland just why it means so much…

Neighbours Monika and Saulius Lapinskas and Sharon and Andy Stewart at The Hedgerows

Neighbours Sharon Stewart and Monika Lapinskas at The Hedgerows

ccording to a recent survey conducted by the housebuilder, a quarter (25%) of respondents agreed that finding a home within a strong community will be more important to them postlockdown. Almost a quarter (23%) also agreed that going forward they will make more of a concerted effort to get to know their neighbours when they move.

to a local restaurant each year too. A lot of residents have dogs so while walking our Border Terrier, Bonnie, we have become close with other dog-walkers.

Sian Pitt, sales director at Redrow Lancashire, says Redrow prides itself on creating thriving communities that provide not only new homes but places for residents to meet, play and enjoy nature: “For many of us, where we want to live and the facilities we want to surround ourselves with have changed post-lockdown and we have also realised just how important it is to live in a community where neighbours can provide support to one another.”

“Redrow build their developments so its residents can make the most of the local area and The Hedgerows is no exception. There is plenty of greenery, so it feels like a well-established development and we have Cuerden Valley Park on our doorstep too which is perfect for dog walks.”

The Hedgerows, in Clayton-le-woods, is just one example of a community that is flourishing with neighbours becoming friends. Sharon Stewart and her husband Andy moved to The Hedgerows from nearby Higher Walton in September 2017. “We’d lived in our previous home for 25 years and we decided we wanted to move to a new build as an alternative to making the huge number of home improvements our last home needed. “Moving to The Hedgerows has literally changed my life. When we first moved in, we were invited to a welcome party held by Redrow so we could meet our new neighbours and we had an instant bond with them all.

“During lockdown we all supported one another and, in a bid to maintain everyone’s well-being, we held a couple of socially distanced fire pit evenings in the middle of the cul-de-sac.

Monika Lapinskas and her husband Saulius moved from a rented property at Buckshaw Village to The Hedgerows because they wanted a new build home of their own. Monika says: “It wasn’t just the development we fell in love with but there was a real sense of community amongst the neighbours. Before lockdown we would regularly meet up and during lockdown it was really comforting to know that we had support close by if we needed it.” Although the Hedgerows is now sold out, Redrow recently launched the neighbouring Willows Green development. Homes currently available at Willows Green include two different styles of four-bedroom detached property; the Cambridge, priced from £349,995, and the Shaftesbury, priced from £354,995.

“Three years down the line we have celebrated births, weddings, birthdays and BBQs together, with us all going for food at Christmas

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Neighbours Sharon Stewart and Monika Lapinskas at The Hedgerows

To find out more about the homes available call Redrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sales team on 01772 340601 or visit www.redrow.co.uk/willowsgreen www.lancmag.com

LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE 91

The Second Chocolate Catastrophe of the Season By Kate Gostick I

t was Christmas Eve and as I peeled back the layers of paper to reveal the chocolate fountain, that my husband, Dominic, had insisted I unwrapped, his eyes lit up as he suggested we took it to dinner at friends that evening. It looked very complicated and I had already made a dessert so I suggested it may be better to try it out at home first, but he convinced me it would be a fun addition to the evening. My nervousness may, in part, have been due to an event only two months earlier when I had prepared a dessert for Rachel and Gary’s leaving party as they headed back to England, leaving the expat community of the Boston suburbs. When the door opened to the host, Karen’s false smile I had no idea of the horrors to come. “Oh do come in” she said in her, “Do I sound like the Queen?” voice. The last place I wanted to be was in Karen’s house. She made me very nervous, probably because there was always a disaster of some kind waiting to befall me whenever she was around. On one occasion I found myself hurtling past her out of control on the ski slope screaming as she nodded, “good morning” and it seemed that Karen was the catalyst to similar embarrassments. This was Rachel and Gary’s leaving party, however, and there would be a couple of people there who were fun to spend time with. To my great delight the evening was made more bearable by a large round table in the centre of the kitchen filled with a mountain of things chocolately or sweet and creamy. I squeezed my meringue between a strawberry cheesecake and a large plate of profiteroles, being careful not to knock off Karen’s best glassware which also occupied the table. Rachel and Gary were circulating and Dominic was talking to Karen’s husband, Alan and I soon found my friend Wendy. Wendy and I then both found cookies on the table and started to nibble them. She had an almost childlike build, like a Peter Pan figure and was so dainty and sweet looking. We started to chat and slightly lean on the round table of desserts. Then total catastrophe as the whole table collapsed with a huge crash and Wendy and I fell back and began to mud wrestle in the resulting heavenly, yet dangerous pile of squashed desserts and broken glass. I struggled to get up because every time I put my hand down glass cut my palm. A tsunami of people rushed to help us up. Some carrying Karen’s union Jack tea-towels to wipe off the chocolate and others just trying to help us up. I

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don’t know who helped me up in the end. I was just so horrified to have endured another disaster in front of Karen that I couldn’t really take in what was going on. I wiped some of the chocolate and cheesecake out of my hair and someone brought plasters to deal with the cuts on our hands and legs. Both Wendy and I were covered head to toe in everything from chocolate to meringue to cheesecake. I looked back at the table, which had been a central pedestal type wooden table. Now however, it was a pile of sticks poking out between the mush of cream, chocolate, assorted fruits and cookies all topped with a layer of broken glass. Everyone was very polite and sympathetic and even Karen told us it was no problem through her gritted teeth. “I don’t know how it happened?” said one woman looking at Wendy’s delicate little frame and then my ”built to carry sheep up mountains” frame, her disbelief far from convincing. She may just as well have shouted out, “It was you you great lump wasn’t it?” It was, however, Wendy who had sat on the table, Wendy who had caused the whole thing to collapse and Wendy who had brought shame on the both of us, but no one was going to believe that! We waited a polite interval, just long enough to see Rachel and Gary presented with a selection of Boston memorabilia as a leaving gift and then made our excuses and left. “Alan was just about to ask if I wanted to join Rotary!” Dominic said indignantly and then added disappointedly “but there’s no chance of that now is there?” No I agreed and nothing more was said. Now, that was just a distance memory as we bundled the two boys into the car and set off to Sam and Abbey’s newly renovated house. As we walked through the front door, we were shown into the kitchen where our friends were very excited to show us their new cream coloured units with its gleaming, beige, granite worktops. They pointed out the walls they had knocked down to open up the space as they put the finishing touches to the dinner and told us what a nightmare the whole installation had been. Another couple, that we did not know, arrived bearing a fruit platter and started to admire the alterations and Sam and Abbey’s new dog. The dog was beige, almost as though he had been chosen to match the kitchen and was just under a year old. He bustled around Abbey’s legs full of anticipation as she finished up the starters and carried them to the table, ushering us all through as she went. www.lancmag.com

We all sat down for dinner. The soup was soon gone and, as we finished the last of our lamb, Dominic decided to go into the kitchen and start setting up the chocolate fountain. It wasn’t that long since we had had the “Karen incident” and a the certain degree of social isolation which followed, but this was a separate friend group and, as Dominic had said, a chocolate fountain could only bring joy to an evening. The kitchen, where Dominic was setting up the fountain, was separated from the dining room, in which we were all sitting, by a wall. The wall did not extend as far as the front wall of the house so the two rooms opened into each other at the far end. Although the wall obscured the view of the kitchen from the dinning room it did allow the noise to travel between them. At first we heard the clunks of metal parts being taken out of the box which was followed by a few reassuring phrases from Dominic as he fitted the individual components together. The sound of crisp chocolate discs falling into the metal bowl at the bottom of the fountain signalled that the assembly was complete. This was perfect timing as Abbey began to stack the plates in front of her on the dining room table ready to carry through to the kitchen. In anticipation of a few tip bits and leftovers from the plates or maybe to see what Dominic was doing there, the dog wandered through to the kitchen, tail wagging furiously as he disappeared around the dividing wall. As we lost sight of that tail we heard the panicked sounds of a man regretting his decision to try out his new toy in the pristine, cream coloured, newly fitted kitchen. The cries of, “No! Oh God please no!” suggested things were not going to plan. I got up to see if I could help and joined in the chorus of “Oh No!” as I rounded the corner to see my husband bent forward over the chocolate fountain trying to contain the chocolate that was being sprayed both upwards and outwards. The now chocolate covered dog was leaping around trying to catch each stream of hot chocolatey gloop as it passed by. Dominic’s chest was successfully preventing further staining of the white ceiling with chocolate from the upward trajectory, but his arms were unable to prevent the sideward spurts from further spaying the now brown and cream mottled cabinet doors. As I reached and pulled out the plug there was an audible intake of breath from Sam and Abbey and the other dinner guests who had now appeared in the kitchen. A deep sigh www.lancmag.com

of relief came from Dominic as the rotor, that was spray painting the kitchen and family pet with chocolate, ground to a halt. His relief was short lived however. He lifted his head to fully appreciate the look of horror on Abbey’s face and the sight of the other female guest lunging forward, clasping a strawberry, from her fruit platter under the misconception that it could be used to clear up the lake of chocolate that had formed on the granite. All the guests grabbed whatever they could find from pineapple, melon and strawberries to paper towels and dish cloths to help with the cleanup. After an appropriate time helping to mop up the debris Dominic scooped up the chocolate fountain under his arm, shouted up a “Merry Christmas” to Sam and Abbey’s son, who was hosing down the dog in the bath upstairs, and we once again, for the second time in two months commenced the drive of shame following a dessert disaster. As we drove back along the icy roads, Christmas lights twinkling in the frosty air we contemplated in silence our likelihood of ever being asked back. We wondered if we were safe in any social situation or if our reputation as the dinner guests from hell had travelled beyond the immediate vicinity. We did not speak, but it was understood that although we would never see Sam and Abbey again and Alan’s invitation to join Rotary would not be forthcoming, our ostracisation from most polite social circles was not entirely my fault and now we were even.

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Shed 1 Distillery Launched in October 2016 by husband and wife team Andy & Zoe Arnold-Bennett in the market town of Ulverston, Cumbria. Shed 1 Distillery produces small batch, classically distilled with a contemporary-style, award-winning, craft gin. We asked Andy & Zoe a few questions about the Distillery, gin and the resulting lifestyle, just to find out more about their unique business.

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We were overwhelmed with the response. By the end of the first day we’d sold out...

taste testers, among our friends and neighbours, encouraged us to take the next step. We launched in the October with three gins: Cuckold’s Revenge, Giggle in the Ginnel and Festive Tipple. In the November we did our first market. This was Ulverston’s Dickensian weekend which attracts thousands of visitors. We were overwhelmed with the response. By the end of the first day we’d sold out so spent the Sunday distilling more for that week’s orders!

Above: The Old Calf Shed with view of Ulverston’s iconic Pepperpot

If you could tell us about yourselves.

When was Shed 1 distillery launched and what was the motivation to do so and who was involved? We, Andy and Zoe Arnold-Bennett, launched Shed 1 Distillery from our 7x7 foot Garden Shed in 2016. The motivation behind it was to be able to spend more time at home and enjoy the beautiful county we live in. Zoe had been making different compound gins like sloe and bramble, using foraged fruits and Andy started experimenting with other botanicals. You can make your own compound (bath tub) gins using vodka and juniper berries and then mixing with various herbs and spices. Doing this led us to think about taking it one stage further so we applied for a compound and rectifiers license which meant we could then start distilling. The resulting gin had a bigger, bolder flavour profile to many on the market and yet was still smooth enough to drink on its own. Our willing band of www.lancmag.com

Andy, originally from Bury, has been a professional actor for over 20 years and has worked for Shakespeare’s Globe, Northern Broadsides and Hull Truck among others. He can also be found in various TV shows including Cold Feet, Ashes to Ashes, Merlin and Tracy Beaker Returns. It was while on tour with Shakeapeare’s Globe that he bumped into Zoe. Zoe started her career as a Special Paint Finisher, painting murals and stencilling, marbling etc. Then she was given the opportunity to go to Japan for a year working to work in a high school as an English teaching assistant. Not knowing where she was going to be sent, she found herself in a town in the Japanese countryside. 1 year led to 3 and then she moved to South Korea. Seven years after moving to Asia a bizarre chance meeting in Seoul brought Andy and Zoe together. A few months later Zoe came back to the UK and joined Andy in Dalton-in-Furness before they moved to Ulverston, which is where they intend to continue to live. “I’ve always been a bit of nomad but since setting up home in Ulverston I no longer have itchy feet,” Zoe says. “It’s a proper market town with a real sense of community and we love being a part of it.” LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE 95

Has there been any moments that stand out during your time producing your gin? Getting our first award, which was a Great Taste (run by the Guild of Fine Food) for our original gin, Cuckold’s Revenge, was a real stand out moment. We knew that we’d created a high quality product and feedback from the public was so positive. But, getting recognized by the world’s largest and most trusted food and drink awards was a real achievement. We have gone on to win 9 more Great Tastes for our other gins, elixir and gin marmalade. Each one feels very special. We also won The Gin Guide’s Environmental Sustainability Award for 2020. Since we began we’ve made a conscious effort to be as green as we can. All our packaging is recyclable/compostable, we use local companies and ingredients whenever we can and we have a bottle return/refill service. Since moving to our bigger premises, The Old Calf Shed, we’ve set up a closed pump system which means we are able to reuse the cooling water needed for the distilling process which saves thousands of litres of water from going down the drain every time we distill. During the first lockdown we were asked by our local hospice if we could produce sanitiser. A different kind of license is needed for this so HMRC fast tracked the licences so we could get on with production. However, our income streams had dried up overnight and we felt this was something we couldn’t charge people in need for. So, we set up a justgiving page and asked the public for £500. 96

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Within a couple of weeks, through the public and a couple of local companies, we’d raised £6,500! To this point we’ve gifted over 5,500 bottles of sanitiser across Cumbria to voluntary groups, NHS, council, mental health services, carers and care homes. We continue to produce it and have been supplying local schools in return for donations to keep the fund going. We also created a Shed 1 Hand Sanitiser for those who can afford to buy and part of each sale goes back to the fund. Any monies left over will be donated to charity through our Marmalade Fund.

Above: Shed 1 Distillery with the water saving closed cooling system

The stylish visitor space and Old Calf Shed Bar

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What different types of Gins and other products do you produce and the story behind them? We describe our gins as having, “bigger, bolder flavours. Smooth enough to sip, bold enough to mix”. The process we use is slightly different to most other distillers so that we are able to retain more flavour during distilling whilst being smooth enough to drink alone. When you do mix with tonic or soda, you can still taste the gin. Our range includes 6 classically distilled, contemporary-style gins: Cuckold’s Revenge, Fancy Frolic, Giggle in the Ginnel, Chilli Fest, Festive Tipple and Shed Loads of Love. Most of the names have a story behind them, for example we created Cuckold’s Revenge when Andy was touring Merry Wives with Northern Broadsides. He played the cuckolded Master Ford! Fresh citrus zest is included in most of our gins so we get left with the fresh citrus fruit. This is how our Marmalade Fund came about. Zoe takes the fruit, mixes with various botanicals and makes jelly marmalade. Then she sploshes in some gin. Part of each sale is donated to charity, through the Marmalade Fund. We support two charities each year as well as donate products to others for raffle prizes and silent auctions. We also produce two traditional-strength (40%abv) gin liqueurs. Festive Bramble Gin Elixir contains blackberries foraged from around Ulverston and organic Heritage Apples grown by a friend in his small orchard. The blackcurrants in our Blackcurrant and Liquorice Gin Elixir are grown on a small holding just outside Ulverston. During the first lockdown we designed our Make Your Own Bath Tub Gin Tin. It includes 10 carefully selected botanicals, an information pamphlet and a link to a How-To video featuring us. For those who can’t get to the Shed, we show you how to make your own bath tub gin at home. All you need to do is add vodka!

Mixing botanicals during a Make Your Own Gin Experience

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Shed 1’s product range including gins, gin elixirs, marmalade and MYO Gin Tin

We support two charities each year as well as donate products to others for raffle prizes and silent auctions.

Do you have special ingredients or methods to produce your unique flavour? As mentioned, we produce our gin a bit differently to most distilleries because we find that it gives the depth of flavour we’re looking for. First, we make a full compound gin and steep the botanicals for 24 hours plus. That is then filtered and distilled in the classic way. Once that process is complete we bring it to the correct abv, which differs depending on which gin, using filtered Cumbrian water. By making a compound gin first, it allows up to load up the flavour before distilling. As for our ingredients, we try to use local botanicals where we can, but quality has to be key. The best, most sustainable juniper is grown in Eastern Europe and so that’s where we source it. Spices generally come from further afield, but we have found a producer in the south of England who is growing coriander. As for our chillies, the actor who played opposite Andy as Mistress Ford, grows them for us just outside Carnforth!

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Above: Wedding reception in The Old Calf Shed Bar Left: Bride and bride’s father at the distillery entrance

If you could tell us about how your company has grown, the gin experiences and the visitor centre & wedding venue. From our 7x7 foot Garden Shed, we moved to The Old Calf Shed in 2019. Here we had enough room to expand our distillery: we have gone from 25 litre stills to 100 litre so we remain very much small batch! What we also created was our visitor bar/space. Before, we would only meet customers at markets and shows, and depending on the weather we may not have chatted for too long! Now, people come and visit us for the shop, the bar and our Gin Experiences. We are the first, and only, in Cumbria to offer Make Your Own Gin experiences and it’s been a pleasure to host them. We are very hands on, and we keep the groups small so we can give individual attention throughout. Once the gin has been made we create a personalized label using your image and gin name. As well as making your own gin, we have Gin Tours and Tastings and Zoe’s created a botanical-inspired Afternoon G&Tea. Lockdown meant we couldn’t have people visiting for the experiences or bar but we continued to offer Click and Collect on our products and Afternoon G&Teas, and we began Virtual Gin Tastings via Zoom. 98

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Another exciting development was acquiring our wedding license! We had our first wedding and reception one year to the day of opening The Old Calf Shed. It was quite emotional watching the couple exchange their vows and it felt very special being part of it all. We look forward to hosting many more in the future. Left: Botanical-inspired Afternoon G&Tea

The Old Calf Shed, North Lonsdale Road, Ulverston, Cumbria. LA12 7JY Please get in touch if you have any questions about our products, or if you would like to become a stockist;

Tel: 07397180486/07794699913

For more information, visit www.shed1distillery.com www.lancmag.com

Adoption Now

• A new nationwide campaign, #YouCanAdopt, is being launched to dispel myths around who is eligible to adopt and encourage more people to consider adoption. • 3000 children in England need an adoptive family every year and many are waiting to find their new family. • Research shows that many adults have considered adoption, or would consider adopting in the future, but 22% believed they would be eligible to in the North West. • A new heart wrenching film featuring adoptive families has been released as part of campaign alongside a podcast series featuring a number of famous voices talking about adoption.

September 2020: A coalition of National, Regional and Voluntary adoption agencies across the country, supported by the Department for Education (DfE), have joined forces to launch a nationwide recruitment campaign to raise awareness of adoption. In the UK, there are almost 3,000 children that are in need of an adoptive family and the number of adoptions in England has fallen by a third in four years. In response, the new #YouCanAdopt campaign will bust myths around who is eligible to adopt and explore what the adoption process involves as well as highlight that especially during the COVID pandemic, there are still children out there who are looking for their new family. Earlier this year, a new report revealed that 37% of adults in the North West have considered adoption or would consider adoption in future. But, despite this,69% of adults do not feel they know much about the adoption process and this lack of knowledge may contribute to many people not taking the important first step. With 43% of people admitting they do not know if they are eligible to adopt and 35% thinking they wouldn’t be able to, the new campaign aims to increase the number of people taking the first steps towards adopting a child. Some of the biggest misconceptions around eligibility are that single people, older people, and those who are LGBTQ+ are not allowed to adopt, which is not the case. The new data revealed that participants felt the following groups would be either ineligible to adopt or were unsure if they were eligible to adopt; over the age of 50 years old 65%, single 45% and LGBTQ+ 34% The #YouCanAdopt campaign also aims to target potential parents from Black, Asian and 100

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Minority Ethnic backgrounds, as these children traditionally wait longer to be matched with a new adoptive family. The campaign aims to encourage potential adoptive parents to also consider adopting older children, sibling groups and those with complex health needs or a disability. To help shine a light on the diverse range of families who have and can adopt, a new emotive film has been released featuring singer Sinitta and TV vocal coaches Carrie and David Grant alongside www.lancmag.com

other families who are joining in encouraging others to consider adoption. In the film, the adoptive families recite a poem written by comedienne, writer and adoptee Joy Carter, which brings to life the stories of each of the families: the highs, lows and realities of adoption. The film also dispels some key misconceptions about adoption using a recurrent theme – you can adopt. It is being released online and across social media during the campaign. A podcast series is also being released, featuring famous voices such as Anna Richardson, Sinitta, Harry Derbidge and Annie Price, who talk to families about the adoption process and the journey they took to adopt their children. A survey of adults who have already adopted showed that collectively, more than two thirds (66%) of people said a loving home and to be able to provide stability are the two most important things a person needs before adopting a child. Almost half (44%) of people said their adopted child felt like part of the family within just a month and of the respondents that had biological children as well as an adopted child, three quarters (75%) reported a strong relationship between the siblings. The adoption process has evolved over the last few years; it is simpler and quicker than it has been previously and there is a lot more support available with over three quarters (76%) of adoptive parents finding the support and resources helpful. Sinitta, singer and mum of two, said: “I would definitely encourage others to consider adoption. I always knew I wanted children and I tried everything from IVF to surrogacy to have them. All of those journeys led to heartbreak, except adoption. The feeling of finally becoming a mother was almost indescribable; it’s just everything. It was everything I wanted and more. I love my children more than anything and I always say that love is thicker than blood.”

#YouCanAdopt. To find out more visit www.youcanadopt.co.uk and begin your journey towards growing your family.

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In the UK, there are almost 3,000 children that are in need of an adoptive family and the number of adoptions in England has fallen by a third in four years. Carrie Grant, vocal coach, TV presenter and mum of four, said: “Our adoption journey began over eight years ago when we adopted our son, Nathan. We already had three biological children, but we had room in our hearts and knew we had the opportunity to offer another child a loving home. Adopting our son wasn’t an easy thing to do, but it was the right thing to do and a fantastic thing to do. He’s a Grant now, every bit as much as his sisters. I’d encourage anyone thinking about adoption to take the first step and find out more. It’s been such an incredible journey for our family.” Joy Carter, writer, comedienne and adoptee, said: “It was a pleasure meeting all the different families and collaborating with them on this project. I was adopted when I was a baby, so the stories they shared with me really resonated. Every child needing adoption has a story and I hope by bringing some of those stories to life, people realise the difference they can make if they choose to adopt. I hope the poem and video will help encourage people to register their interest in adopting and help a child find a forever home. I’m really lucky that my parents gave me mine.”

Kirkby Lonsdale by Lucy Bullough

f you head a little north of Lancashire on the M6, you will of course reach Cumbria, an area that we Northerners truly cherish as a rather large jewel in our very encrusted crown. In fact, Cumbria is made up of so many individual precious areas, that it becomes very difficult to rank any in order of preference satisfactorily. In fact, you’ll no doubt cause a heated debate if you start to extoll the virtues of one enclave over another, causing deep offence in some. The reason is simply that different parts of Cumbria and the Lake District hold personal places in our hearts, with each of us having an affiliation to somewhere different thanks to the memories it conjures and the emotions it evokes. Of course, there are towns and even mountains which are more popular than others and certainly for those visiting from afar. You only need to head to Bowness-onWindermere on a sunny day to see that! But if you spread your wings a little wider, you will uncover the riches of towns you didn’t really register existed. Take, for example,

Kirkby Lonsdale. When you arrive, you have barely made it into Cumbria, let alone the heart of the Lake District, and that reason alone might be enough to prevent many from stopping here. But perhaps it’s time to take a little detour and explore this relatively unspoilt market town and its surrounding area. In the town centre itself, you will find shopping of a calibre so high that it actually warranted being placed as runner-up in the 2016 Great British High Street Awards. So when you wander down it, you’ll be wandering through a historic market place with an ancient history. It is so old, in fact, that the Domesday Book of 1086 mentions it and the mark of Romans, Saxons, Normans and Danes has been left all across the town. Buildings dating back to the 17th and 18th century have been modernised and commercialised to house restaurants, pubs and shops, creating a quaint and inviting ambience throughout which is part of its appeal.

Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria, the marketplace.

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The retailers you will find in Kirkby Lonsdale are as unique as they are diverse. From Chocolat Kirkby Lonsdale who handmake luxury, artisan chocolates, to Sienna Jewellery who sell jewellery crafted also by hand in the local area, you can find unique and stunning gifts for loved ones, or even a treat for yourself. The Crossing Point Café is where fizz connoisseurs will find Elodie. D. Champagne – and as this is the exclusive retailer, you won’t find it anywhere else in the UK. It’s an award-winning café but also a purveyor fine wines and Cuban cigars so when you’re in town, be sure to have a browse. And if you’d like to treat yourself, the lady in your life or perhaps a child to some new clothes or accessories, you can take a look in the proudly independent Boo & Belle. When you have shopped till you drop, you might want to step out into different types of attractions, and there are plenty to choose from in Kirkby Lonsdale and beyond. www.lancmag.com

In the town centre itself, you will find shopping of a calibre so high that it actually warranted being placed as runner-up in the 2016 Great British High Street Awards

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Devil’s Bridge Motorcycle enthusiasts have long-since been heading to Devil’s Bridge to share their interest in all things twowheeled and can often be found in the parking area of a weekend. It’s not hard to see why when you consider how good the region will be for biking, with stunning scenery everywhere, behind every bend of the road. Devil’s Bridge spans the River Lune in three stunning arches which likely date back to the 12th or 13th centuries and at one point, was the only bridge that crossed the river for several miles, making it a major entry way into the town. Today, it is not only perfect for bikers, but for anyone looking to have a picnic in a simply stunning spot, perhaps at the end of the riverside walk which takes you north of the town. The name Devil’s Bridge comes from an indent within the stone itself, which is said to be the handprint of the devil. The myth surrounding it states that there was an old lady who lived on the Lune with her animals. One day, one of her cows simply wouldn’t cross back over the river when the devil appeared. He offered a deal that in exchange for building a bridge with his own hands, he would be rewarded with the soul of the being who first crossed it. When he came to call in his debt, the old lady threw a treat, causing a dog to be the first to cross and in a fit of pure rage at being outsmarted, the devil disappeared in cloud of brimstone. Take a look for yourself and see if you think it has the markings of Lucifer’s hands in its construction.

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Ruskin’s View

“One of the loveliest views in England, therefore in the world” is how John Ruskin described this scene which lay before him in 1875. Ruskin was an art critic, painter, poet and social theorist in the 19th century and his words live on in this glorious area just one mile away from Kirkby Lonsdale. Your walk to the viewpoint starts at the corner of St Mary’s churchyard (and this church is certainly a sight worth seeing too), and is signposted up to your destination. You’ll

meander onto Church Brow which sits high above the River Lune, and it’s from there you’ll see exactly what Ruskin was talking about. Before you is a breath-taking panorama that includes the Lune Valley and Underley Hall. Once you have taken in all you desire, you can continue onwards, descending the Radical Steps to reach the river and follow the path all the way to Devil’s Bridge, seeing two of the key features of Kirkby Lonsdale in one outing. www.lancmag.com

If you are moved by Ruskin’s View, you certainly aren’t the first and won’t be the last and you can even find artworks which try to convey its beauty. Artists such as JMW Turner have been painting the scene for many years, with his in particular completed in 1822. It was this which encouraged Ruskin to declare “I do not know in all my country, still less in France or Italy, a place more naturally divine.”

The Vault: A Story Bank If you’d like to learn a little about the stories which have helped to shape Kirkby Lonsdale into the town it is today, make your way to The Vault: A Story Bank. In it, you’ll be able to unlock the stories of the town kept at the back of the Tourist Information and Gift Shop, behind a robust iron door. This interactive experience will allow you to watch seven different stories, rich in tragedy, love, local history and triumph. After hearing these incredible tales, you are then encouraged to find the associated landmarks throughout the town. See Ruskin’s famed View. Experience life as a child evacuee. See tributes to maids who perished in the fire. Learn of unsung heroes such as Margaret Llewellyn Davies who had a transformational impact on the youth of the area. The Vault is a place of intrigue, mystery and history that will allow you to see Kirkby Lonsdale in a whole new light.

Surrounding areas of outstanding beauty Whilst technically in the South Lakeland District, it actually sits on the edge of three counties – Lancashire, Cumbria and North Yorkshire. A trip there will see you excellently placed for visiting many different and beautiful parts of the North of England. So if you want to use Kirkby Lonsdale as a base from which to explore the area, you certainly won’t be disappointed. Once you decide to venture out of the town itself, you will find that there are many equally as beautiful towns and villages right on the doorstep. Head to the spectacular Ingleton Waterfalls and wander the somewhat-slippery-at-times trail which spans four and a half miles. Along the way, you’ll be treated to some of the most stunning woodland scenery in the UK, comprising of oak trees. If you go in different seasons, you’ll experience a cacophony of colours and see the natural landscape change before your eyes. www.lancmag.com

Heading a little further into Yorkshire and the Yorkshire Dales National Park, you can visit what is known as the longest show cave in the UK. Once you head into its depths, you will be taken on a journey through truly breath-taking wonders that start with the first waterfall. You’ll hear it before you see it and expect to get a little moist from the spray created as the sheer volume of water thunders into the rocky pool at the bottom. Keep walking and you’ll avoid the clutches of the Witch’s Fingers, a geological unconformity that is a result of an ancient sea, slates that are 400 million years old and 100-million-yearold limestone. The Judge’s Head, The Devil’s Tongue and The Carrots are all aptly named features you’ll uncover as you head deeper into the cave before you finally reach The Face... which has to be seen to be understood. The hikers amongst us might enjoy tackling The Three Peaks of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the challenges they offer. If you’re feeling particularly energetic, you could sign up to take part in the world-renowned Three Peaks Race which is a gruelling fell race across all three of these mighty mountains; Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent. Since 1954, runners have been scaling a 1,608 ascent and descent, which peaks at 723 metres above sea level and spans a gruelling 37.4 kilometres. If that sounds a little too hardy (and let’s be honest, it will surely only be the strictly hardcore who attempt this race), you can opt for a gentler pace. A walking challenge is set over 24 hours or alternatively, you can simply walk them at a pace which suits you!

If you go in different seasons, you’ll experience a cacophony of colours and see the natural landscape change before your eyes. LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE 105

A town with a past There is no doubt whatsoever that everywhere you turn in Kirkby Lonsdale is steeped in history. A Victorian Fair is held the first weekend in September and is a fine time to get into the local spirit. Street sellers, demonstrations and entertainment all combine to create a wonderful Victorian ambience that can be enjoyed by all the family. Salt Pie Lane is another part with a story to tell. Previously known as ‘Cattle Market Yard’ it was just here in the adjoining horse market where cattle used to be sold, drawing huge crowds for extended periods of time. It wasn’t long before an enterprising resident of the street spied an opportunity to sell some food to fill the bellies of the hungry bovine merchants. But the pies sold were made of hot salted mutton to alight the thirst, to then be quelled at the adjacent Green Dragon inn…which was owned by a relative of the salted pie seller of course! The church of St Mary the Virgin was built in Normandy times, most likely constructed some time between 1093 and 1130 which replaced the Saxon Church that

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originally stood there. Its stunning architecture is actually somewhat of a mix and includes three grand columns, six bells in the tower and Gothic arches. Throughout the course of 2020, many of us have found that we could seek out new spots closer to home and there is no reason why this trend should not continue into 2021. The North West region has striking spots, including the likes of Kirkby Lonsdale, which are just begging to be explored. You can even see how it compares with Launceston in Cornwall – after all, it was used in Daphne du Maurier’s ‘Jamaica Inn’ as a stand in for it! It’s a small town, rich in beauty and resplendent in its history with stories that could fascinate you for days so take some time, pay a visit and learn about this quaint town almost on your doorstep.

Below: Pen y Ghent, Yorkshire Dales

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Brockholes views of floating visitor village by Alan Wright

Nature reserves to remain open during lockdown Nature reserves belonging to the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside will remain open this month to provide some respite from the national lockdown.

eserves will remain open, with a takeaway-only service in cafés at Brockholes, Mere Sands Wood and Moss Bank Park. It will offer opportunities for people to get out of their homes and into areas of natural beauty to help raise their spirits and give them a brew, loo and a view. Chief Executive Officer Anne Selby said: “We all need nature right now, and nature needs us. We will do everything we can to stay open safely, but potential visitors need to keep an eye out for any changes to opening hours as things progress.” Under the new guidelines, people may visit an outdoor space with their household or support bubble, or on their own with one other person from a different household. Anne said: “In order to keep all of our staff and visitors safe we ask that you only visit us in this way, maintain social distancing at all times and please do not visit if you have any symptoms of COVID. “In order to comply with the new rules, our full range of retail items will unfortunately not be available, but we will continue to offer essential items such as logs for sale. “We will review all the available guidelines, our main mission is to keep nature open, but do so safely. This is an extremely safe environment for people to come and enjoy 110

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Above and Below: Mere Sands Wood by Alan Wright

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being outdoors and in the middle of fantastic nature.” During the first lockdown, many visitors found comfort and solace in local nature. It was recognised as vital to wellbeing. Campaigns Manager Alan Wright said: “In the coming month, many people will feel trapped in their homes by the lockdown and they will know they are missing out on the amazing colours of autumn and the changing scenes as the seasons change to winter. “Wildlife Trust reserves offer an escape from lockdown. It is also an opportunity to see some pretty spectacular natural phenomena, like massive starling murmurations and the bright colours of fungi in our woodlands These are things that lift my spirits sky high.” During November, and December,

Moss Bank Park by Alan Wright

Left: Moss Bank Park by Alan Wright

Left: Heron in front of Visitor Village by Alan Wright

Wildlife Trust staff and volunteers will continue to work on the reserves, in a safe and socially distanced manner, ensuring the habitats are preserved for a massive range of native wild plants and creatures. Toilets and the cafes will be open to provide a limited service and to help raise funds for the Wildlife Trust’s vital work. Anne said: “Whether you’re a member, a volunteer or just someone who loves wildlife, we need your help to keep fighting, for nature and for our own survival. Inevitably, this second period of lockdown brings with it incredible financial challenges, just as it felt we were dusting ourselves off from the rubble. We cannot give up now, nature needs us. “Please keep supporting us, in whatever way you are able to and help us fight for the recovery of nature for now, and for the future.”

Seaforth Nature Reserve, in Liverpool Docks, will close until December, under dock restrictions. Visitors should check websites before visiting reserves at www.lancswt.org.uk or www.brockholes.org. The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside needs your support to protect and conserve wildlife in the region. If you would like to become a member or give a gift member to a nature-loving friend or relative at Christmas, go to the website for details. The Lancashire Wildlife Trust The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside is dedicated to the protection and promotion of the wildlife in Lancashire, seven boroughs of Greater Manchester and four of Merseyside, all lying north of the River Mersey. It manages around 40 nature reserves and 20 Local Nature Reserves covering acres of woodland, wetland, upland and meadow. The Trust has 27,000 members, and over 1,200 volunteers. To become a member of the Trust go to the website at www.lancswt.org.uk or call 01772 324129. For more information about Cheshire Wildlife Trust call 01948 820728 or go to cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk.

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Cover My Bubble “We care. It’s as simple as that.”

family ‘bubble’ is something we have become all too familiar with of late, thanks to the unprecedented events of 2020. But for Emma Astley and her husband Chris, it’s a term they have been using for as long as they can remember. Their ‘bubble’ has always existed of them, their two sons and Lillie. Lillie is their daughter who wasn’t destined to spend much time physically on earth, but who instead has her presence felt through every element of their business, ‘Cover My Bubble’, and who lives on in the work it does every day to help others in situations of crisis. Cover My Bubble is an insurance broker with a difference, and I don’t say that lightly. From the moment I first started researching it, to when I picked up the phone to Emma, I thought there was something worth shouting about and I wasn’t wrong. First and foremost, Cover My Bubble provides a whole range of different insurance services to those who need them. Which in Emma’s eyes is simply everyone. If 2020 taught us anything at all, it is that we really do not know what is around the next corner and protecting our family physically, emotionally and financially should always be of the utmost importance. Family tragedy is always extremely difficult to deal with and the issues are only compounded when huge financial stress is added to the emotional burden. Emma sadly knows this from first-hand experience and is therefore passionate about helping to prevent others be in the same position she was. That’s why Cover My Bubble offers all manner of insurance services but more than that, www.lancmag.com

it’s why all clients get a completely personalised service. When dealing with them, you won’t find a standard call centre with targets to hit but instead, you’re likely to speak to Emma herself. She will listen to your personal circumstances and really understand your requirements to put together a level of insurance that suits not just your needs but your budget too. And it really doesn’t need to be as pricey as you fear it might be. If you’re expecting the hard sell, you won’t find that either. What you will get is her honest opinion – that you never know when difficulty or even tragedy might strike, so the sooner you cover yourself and your ‘bubble’, the better. But you will absolutely be encouraged to make the decision in your own time because you really need to be sure you are doing what is right for your own family’s circumstances. In her own words, Emma is “passionate, personable and approachable” and she loves nothing more than to help others find the right solution for them. With just five team members including Emma’s husband Chris, two of her best friends and a newer starter who has fit into the team with ease, this truly is a family business from start to finish. Set up in September 2018 when premises just behind Oswaldtwistle Mills were found, Emma says “we do everything as a team. We come up with ideas and processes together and collaborate completely so this really is our company with everyone invested.” It’s a refreshing change from the faceless enterprises you find so often in the Financial Services world and it’s that which sets Emma and her team apart. LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE 113

pressure of worrying how to pay their bills. Emma quite rightly says “no one ever thinks these things will happen to them but when they do, financial stress can make everything much harder. I only wish we had someone back then to advise us like we are trying to do to people now. I wanted to share our story as much as possible to help prevent others going through what we did.”

Lillie’s story If you have a moment to visit covermybubble. co.uk, you will be greeted by a very personal and very emotional video put together by Aaron Calvert of Prescription Media. Emma said “working with Aaron was great because he really ‘got’ us and our story which is why we are so happy with the way everything is told on the video”. It tells of how the Astley family, and Emma in particular, were driven to set up this brokerage firm. After ten years in the insurance industry, she decided to fly solo so she could “do it my way”, but there was a heartfelt reason behind it. In 2006, Emma fell pregnant in what would be an addition to their family which already consisted of her, Chris and their eldest son, Cameron, who was four. They were to have a little girl, Lillie, who arrived very early into the world at just 24 and a half weeks and for a month, she appeared to be getting a little stronger. However, Lillie needed an operation and complications then arose which, after a month of fighting, tragically led the Astleys to the most difficult time of their lives; saying goodbye to Lillie. For all the family, this was such a devastation and particularly for Emma who in her own words says “I couldn’t think to do anything because I just wanted my baby. I struggled for a couple of years after we lost her and I’m just glad I had Chris to look after me.” But through this struggle, the family encountered further difficulties in the financial sense. Emma was of course in no position to return to work and the pressure lay solely on Chris and despite working as hard as he could, they could barely make ends meet. He even had to cycle to work as £10 in petrol was a luxury they couldn’t afford. In hindsight, the Astleys could see that had they got the right insurance in place, the challenges they faced would have been eased at least in the financial sense. Of course, the emotional difficulties would have still been there, but they would not have been compounded by having the huge 114

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It was this motivation to help and keep Lillie’s name very much a part of their everyday lives that saw Emma launch Cover My Bubble. Today, you will see her influence in the logo and hear it in every passionate conversation Emma and the team have with customers. Lillie is their rainbow baby who ‘covers their bubble’ and the insurances which will protect others’ families is a positive manifestation of this.

The services on offer

Simply listing the different types of insurance that can be purchased through Cover My Bubble would be doing Emma and the team a great disservice. For it isn’t just what you can protect yourself against that is on offer. What you are really getting when you use them is advice and a completely bespoke solution to meet your individual needs. You could be forgiven for thinking this is an extremely expensive way to buy insurance but you would be mistaken. Emma is so passionate about ensuring families will have any kind of insurance to help in difficult times that her service goes above and beyond, without an astronomical price tag to match. In fact, Emma declares, “there is a popular misconception that getting the right insurance in place will be unaffordable for most people but I challenge that from the outset. Not only are you likely to be pleasantly surprised at the price of cover, I work to understand your individual situation, so I will tailor it to suit your personal circumstances. As so many are limited by budget, I will find competitive policies and can add in as much or as little as you require. I truly believe that any kind of cover is better than none at all and am very mindful of financial www.lancmag.com

positions of those who enquire with me. I deal with many women, aged 20 to 40, who want to ensure their children will be looked after if something were to happen and they are always surprised at the quotations I send through. It doesn’t have to cost the earth so it really isn’t worth not having given how much it could help in tough times.”

98% of claims DO get paid out! When they don’t, it’s usually due to an error in paperwork or the fact that circumstances have changed and the provider hasn’t been informed. Basic admin errors really that could be avoided which is why when you come to Cover My Bubble, you’ll have the peace of mind knowing the experts are handling it all for you.”

Furthermore, Emma says it is surprising how little is known about the different insurances available. Life and critical illness are perhaps the most commonly talked about (and advisable, Emma tells me), but there are many others too. Income protection, over 50s insurance, fracture cover and even business insurance are all on offer, to name but a few. Some policies even include GP services and counselling and can cover children up to the age of 23. You can even get ‘bump’ cover from being 24 weeks pregnant!

It’s true that we’ve all heard the horror stories so it’s time some of the successes were shared too and Emma has many of them. Aegon being the most notable one of late. When a client (now a friend) had thought her mother suffered ovarian cancer years ago, she disclosed it to the insurer and had breast and ovarian cancer cover excluded from her policy. In typical fashion, the client went on to

If it sounds like a minefield, that’s exactly what Emma wants to help with. Her goal is to educate as many people as possible about covering themselves and their loved ones and she has the credentials to back it up. With over ten years of experience in insurance, she truly knows what she is talking about. And given her family’s own experiences, she is perhaps one of the most passionate advocators of insurance around. “It’s really important for me to change some of the stigma around insurance policies to prove their worth. The perception is that most insurers never pay out but the reality is www.lancmag.com

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be diagnosed with ovarian cancer with no hope of a pay out. However, there was a mistake – her mum had only been suspected to have ovarian cancer, it was never diagnosed, and whilst under no obligation to reverse the decision and pay out on the claim, Aegon honoured it after Emma’s intervention. This allowed the client to undergo treatment, becoming immuno-compromised, and have her family isolate with her throughout the various lockdowns of 2020. Having the comfort of a guaranteed income for 12 months allowed her to focus on her health and recovery and she was declared cancer-free in a joyous moment towards the end of last year.

What does the future hold? Emma is keen to keep educating families about the benefits of insurance and urging them to be proactive about getting some cover before it’s too late. She believes sharing her story is key to this because it’s a real account of how some income protection or children’s cover could have helped at least alleviate the financial stress when they were grieving so terribly. Beyond that, Emma is an advocate of giving back to the local communities and takes part in various initiatives to facilitate this. ‘Treat My Bubble’ is where new policy holders are sent a gift to enjoy which will be from one of the local businesses in the area. It might be afternoon tea at Oswaldtwistle Mills or perhaps some macaroons from Lou Lou’s. Whatever it is you are lucky to receive, you can rest assured it is from a local provider who has a similar business ethos to Cover My Bubble.

and teens that they can achieve whatever it is they desire. She visits schools in the surrounding area in the hope that she can give them some inspiration to follow their dreams and has said of it, “words can’t describe how rewarding I find it to ignite the desire to succeed in a young mind or show them that it is possible to achieve whatever they choose. I hope to do much more of this in the years to come and you never know, some of the young people I meet might even end up joining the family at Cover My Bubble!”. Emma’s passion and drive are evident from the moment you speak to her and it’s that which ensures the service she gives is second to none. So if you’ve been questioning whether to go ahead and get some cover, I’d say don’t delay. It can be the first of your New Year’s resolutions for 2021!

Emma has also discovered a passion for educating and mentoring young people in the opportunities that are available to them. Having had a challenging childhood herself, now with a happy family and thriving business, Emma wants to show all children 116

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Baxter Homes Baxter Homes is a local family company, focused on quality and exceeding expectations. The aim when established over 25 years ago, was to be the best locally, and ensure we were competitive on price locally, whilst offering so much more. As other developers have continued to drive down

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costs and any form of personable experience, we have tried to create homes that are built around the customer and their budgets, needs and aspirations. We are both award winning and focused of customer service, with a team focused on making you feel a part of the family.

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“This is our dream home, the service has been exceptional” – The Ollis family

Below: Oak Hill Rise Phase two has now launched and available to reserve.

ur latest development, Oak Hill Rise, is situated within the grounds of Garstang Golf Club. It commands exclusive panoramic views across the fairways and greens. This is the opportunity to be part of something special, and we would of course love for you to visit Carol within the show home complex, to see what makes us stand out from the crowd. There are a mix of homes available, from those suited to first time buyers, retirement bungalows as well as large detached five-bedroom homes. Properties are currently selling at a record speed due to government incentives, as well as our enviable reputation. At the Baxter Group our main objective is to design and build beautiful & stylish homes in enviable locations where people aspire to live. For over 25 years, we have designed and built various projects across the North West and established an excellent reputation for quality, value for money and customer service. We continue to believe in helping to create and support our communities, as well as enabling our people to reach their full potential, through encouragement of a strong family ethos. The Baxter Group prides itself on building homes with character, with www.lancmag.com

every member of our team playing a pivotal role in creating developments that we, our customers and end users can be proud of. We aspire to grow and continually improve as a group of companies, and have a very exciting future ahead of us. We hope you can join us on that journey and look forward to welcoming you to the Baxter family soon.

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Being a family company with a strong family ethic our people are at the heart of what we do. We ensure our colleagues are always supported, enabling them to deliver quality, exceptional customer service which always exceeds their expectations. This has been the driver of our success and allowed us to create both a happy, loyal and proud workforce. The Baxter Group has a clear learning and development strategy for our people in order to ensure continuous improvement and create shared value which all our stakeholders can benefit from. We continue to listen to new ideas to ensure all our employees can reach their full potential. Our desire to do the best for our workforce is shown through our dedication to mental health, including signing the Mindful Employer Charter and creating the position of a trained Mental Health First Aider and Mental Health Champion.

The Baxter Family

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www.lancmag.com

Above: Oakhill Street Scene - Arc Media

We remain committed to instilling quality in all that we do and ensuring that we walk away from a job proud of what we have achieved. This ethos will continue as we grow, both in size of our developments and the size of the overall company. We have demonstrated this commitment through our adherence to standards and accreditations such as ISO 9001, IS0 14001, IS0 27001 and OHSAS 18001. As a group we have also been recognised by the NHBC and LABC, as well as various community and construction awards. We continue to offer value to our customers, through our strong commitment to quality and customer service, whilst ensuring we remain competitive. The Baxter Group have a reputation for doing what we say we are going to do and exceeding expectations. Through this and our commitment to social responsibility in the communities we serve, we have built relationships through trust, and become a company with an enviable reputation within the construction industry.

Windsor Dressing Room

Windsor Master Bed

Windsor Bed

Windsor Study

For more information, do not hesitate to contact us on: 01772 687677 / 07808 910704 callum@baxterltd.co.uk • baxterhomes.co.uk Show Home: 11am – 4pm, Thursday – Monday, PR3 1YE www.lancmag.com

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BOOKS Our roundup of this months literary delights

Everyday Practices for Better Living Tracey Howarth Tomlinson talks about her new book Born and raised in Chorley, Lancashire and now residing in Horwich, I found a love of writing in recent years and sharing my knowledge through the books I write. Everyday Practices for Better Living is my third book. Over the years I have struggled with my own mental health and depression, and my journey dealing with this has led me to discover meditation, mindfulness and other techniques such as positive thinking, which have helped me live a better and more productive life. My book was developed to share techniques, tips and practical exercises with the wider audience and was written during the recent lockdown. In these unusual, stressful and somewhat chaotic times, many have found themselves searching for more calm, peace and meaning in their lives. If the Covid-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it has highlighted the things in our lives that are most precious. For many of us we have discovered that health is of the utmost importance, especially mental health which many people have struggled with during lockdown and the changes in the way we live. Our priorities have suddenly altered; life appears so fragile. We are facing unprecedented times of economic hardships, a loss of human contact by way of closeness to our loved ones and the human contact from socialising with others that we once took for granted. It was out of this that my book, Everyday Practices for Better Living was born. Having struggled with mental health issues myself many years ago, I sought ways to find peace of mind and more meaning in my life. As a child I began life with challenges, starting with my own mother abandoning me when I was still a baby. This was a catalyst for a whole host of issues within the family and had a detrimental effect on my self-esteem and sense of worthiness. As a teenager, I suffered with a lack of self-confidence and never felt good enough. As an adult, I tried to find ways to fill in the void I felt and to gain a sense of self-worth and inner happiness. Through meditation and changing my mindset I got through some of the darkest times in my life. This is why I’m so passionate about meditation and the other topics explored in the book. It was during lockdown that I sat down to write, so that I could share with readers the techniques and practices that I have discovered over time which have helped me in my journey of emotional and mental wellbeing. This book is about changing your mindset and becoming the best version of you. However, it’s not all about meditation and mindfulness. Other topics are explored such as working with the Law of Attraction, which is about attracting into your life what you focus on. Hand in hand with this is a look at the power of positive thinking which can assist with confidence and success. This can help change mindset and thinking to assist with low moods and bring in a more positive outlook.

Everyday Practices for Better Living is available on Amazon, in paperback and Kindle formats, search “Howarth Tomlinson”. You can also follow me on my 122

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Book Signing, Avebury

Some other chapters in the book examine the benefits of journaling, how to maintain harmonious relationships and coping strategies to assist with destructive repetitive thinking and ways to cope in these challenging times that we currently face. But that’s not all, as there are more chapters, exercises and techniques covering other topics that can help the reader live a more balanced, aligned and productive life. All of the practises in this book I use in my life to help me become a more peaceful and productive person. I’m not perfect, far from it, however I carry out most of the strategies presented in the book daily, to put my mindset on a smoother course, to one that is more positive, focussed and aligned. Through my journey searching for inner peace and for the answers to questions, I discovered ways of letting go of the anxiety that tainted my life so inextricably and the illness that it caused. Stress manifested itself in many forms within my mind and my body. I have searched for many ways over the years to live a more meaningful, balanced life, and this book was created to share the things I have discovered along the way. We just need to choose our thoughts each day the same way we would choose our clothes, to be the best version of us. As for a little more insight into my life, in my spare time I like walking my dog on the West Pennine moors near where I live, which helps me enjoy the small pleasures in life and the natural beauty the area holds. I enjoy spending quality family time with my husband, grown-up boys, daughter-in-law and baby grandson. A qualified holistic therapist and Reiki teacher, I’ve still kept my day job as an educational support worker at a local college, where I have worked for nineteen years. I have a love of curries, real ales, looking up at the stars and sniffing books.

Facebook page Tracey Howarth Tomlinson Author and on Instagram @tracey_rachel. For information on my other books and events please go to www.angelreis.com. www.lancmag.com

Concrete Plans For A Good Cause

Concrete artist Catherine Gregson is working with local charity Heartbeat to raise awareness through art.

One positive trend emerging from 2020 was the number of artists seeking to use their creative talents to benefit good causes by teaming up with businesses and charities with a focus on tackling social issues around the world. This year will see this trend continue, with more and more artists and businesses joining forces to offer individual artworks or online collaborations to benefit a range of good causes. Catherine Gregson, a local concrete

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artist based in Chorley is one of these artists and is currently fundraising for charity Heartbeat with her concrete art pieces. Formerly an architect for one of world’s most renowned practices, Catherine discovered a passion for working with concrete and founded her business ‘Concrete Craft Company’ two years ago producing intricate handmade concrete home decorations.

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The use of concrete in interior and architectural design has been popular in households across the country for some time now. The industrial decor has seen concrete styled in the form of furniture, wall tiles, mugs, lamps and even jewellery. Just as trends come and go, Catherine and other concrete artists are constantly looking to reinterpret and transform this liquid stone into something simple yet beautiful.

What makes Catherine’s work stand out, is her ability to integrate various materials (she combines her concrete artwork with wire, resin, pressed flowers, clay and plaster) and craft techniques to make interior decorations. It was for this reason she was selected as one of the finalists for Channel 4’s ‘Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas’ in 2020 “I took park in the ‘Christmas Tree Decoration’ competition. This was a real challenge as I’d never made Christmas Decorations before. I was apprehensive at first but ultimately saw it as a great

Catherine explains why concrete is here to stay. “Concrete is a rather unique material. It has become popular because of its durability and neutral colour. I choose to work with concrete as it is such a versatile craft material and offers endless possibilities. Concrete can be poured into moulds or sculpted, it can be coloured using pigments and various techniques can be used to achieve a number of different finishes.” opportunity to showcase that concrete as a craft material could not only be colourful and playful but also delicate enough to be a tree ornament. It took me nearly three weeks to make about 200 ornaments in 20 different styles. The shoot was great fun and I got to meet some wonderful artists.

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Catherine initially honed her concrete crafting skills making coasters and planters from pre-made moulds. She now creates products using her own designs, with moulds she manufactures herself from silicone and clay, even using 3D prints to create more delicate patterns. “My architectural background and experience in using 3D design programs enabled me to create complex designs and turn these into moulds using a 3D printer”. Catherine studied Architecture at the University of Manchester where she explored her interests in the juxtaposition between old and new materials. During her career she specialised in industrial building design. Witnessing her architectural drawings become reality inspired her to use building materials to create her own unique art pieces. “There are many elements and stages involved in achieving the finished piece. The initial hand drawn designs and making the perfect moulds are often the most complicated parts of the process. The mixing of the cement, getting the ratio of water, aggregate and sand to achieve a smooth finish consistently are also vitally important. This typically comes about through experimentation and trial and error and it is this process, along with creating something new from start to finish, that I really fell in love with.” In Catherine’s catalogue of concrete pieces there is a level of expertise and craftsmanship that makes her a success in concrete craft. “The majority of the concrete pieces are created through castings from silicone moulds. However, each individual cast is in some way unique. They each have their own imperfections, which form a part 126

of their beauty, meaning no two are the same. I prefer to leave the concrete pieces plain, introducing colour through the use of other materials.” Through her work with concrete work, Catherine is hoping to have a social impact. “Art can create a strong sense of powerful emotions in people and artists are very conscious of the influence that their art can hold. Nothing is more rewarding than being able to raise awareness for a good cause by doing something you love.” Heartbeat is the North West’s leading

cardiac rehabilitation charity based in Preston, Lancashire that Catherine has selected to help with their fundraising. Heartbeat is close to Catherine’s heart as her father-in-law, David Gregson, attended and loved his Heartbeat classes for 18 months before he passed away. To assist with Heartbeat’s fundraising, Catherine has already donated her Christmas Tree decorations from the TV show last year and will also be seeking to raise additional money for the charity through sales of a selection of items from her online store.

If you would like to own a piece of concrete art whilst at the same time supporting a good cause, be sure to visit the Concrete Craft Company shop www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ConcreteCraftCompany. Instagram @concretecraftco Email: concretecraftco@hotmail.com Direct donations can also be made to Heartbeat www.heartbeat-nwcc.org.uk

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Heartbeat Heartbeat the most respected and leading cardiac rehabilitation and prevention charity in the North West is based in the heart of Preston within Preston North End Football Club. A truly local charity with no government funding or support from the NHS.

et year on year receives over 600 referrals from the NHS and other leading health professionals for people who need the support both physically and mentally to improve their health and lifestyle. Heartbeat provides services for 1000 people across the North West, including exercise, education, training, mental and social wellbeing for people who have had heart problems but also for people who are at risk. Our exercise and support programme gradually builds confidence and fitness to help people on our programme to return to work or continue to live independently. We currently have 36 GPs referring to us, 4 hospitals and lots of people self-referring into our programme. Not only do we provide these essential services for people who have and are at risk of heart issues we also provide first aid training for the general population and almost all the GP surgeries in Preston. We educate children in schools by providing a PSHE curriculum on heart health, nutrition and exercise to try and reduce future heart health problems. We ensure that many businesses and charities across Preston can access defibrillators and provide free training on their use to help prevent the loss of life when an event sadly occurs. During the difficulties encountered during COVID-19 lockdown we have, very sadly, had to stop many of our services but this has only challenged us to provide everything we do in a different way. We have managed to get some funding to provide Heartbeat at Home, using the grants we accessed we have set up online exercise and mental support sessions on YouTube and sent DVDs out to our less well connected class members. We are in daily and weekly contact with everyone on our programme ensuring we are keeping not only their physical health maintained but that every single one of the 1000 people on www.lancmag.com

our programme is contacted and can talk through any difficulties or hurdles they are facing while self-isolating. Fundraising is still vital to enable Heartbeat to continue supporting the local community during and after the Covid 19 crisis. A whopping £1,000,000 needs to be raised each year to keep our services going. Any donations that you could give would be gratefully received! £5 could go towards saving someone’s life, £1000 could help buy a piece of equipment. Any amount will make a valuable contribution towards achieving positive health outcomes for children, young people, and adults.

For more information or to support your local heart charity contact Heartbeat on 01772 717147 or email info@heartbeat-nwcc.org.uk LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE 127

Cut down on sugar in your drinks

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, by Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion at Heart Research UK

14th November was World Diabetes Day. Consuming too much sugar in your diet can lead to weight-gain as well as increasing your risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Over a quarter of the added sugar in our diets is believed to come from the drinks we consume. The focus of this tip is on reducing the amount of sugar in your drinks.

Choose sugar-free or reduced-sugar drinks

Save sugary drinks for an occasional treat

When you feel thirsty, water is always the best option. Try swapping your sugary soft drink for a glass of water or a sugar-free or reduced-sugar drink. If you are not keen on the taste of water, you could try adding a slice of lemon and/or some mint leaves.

If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to stop drinking your favourite sugary drink permanently, try limiting the amount you drink by consuming it less frequently and in smaller quantities. Unsweetened fruit juices and smoothies also contain sugar, so try to limit your intake to no more than 150ml a day.

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Avoid adding sugar, syrups and honey to hot drinks If you usually add sugar, syrups or honey to hot drinks, why not gradually reduce the amount you add, until you can cut it out altogether. Alternatively, you could use an artificial sweetener, however this will not help you to adjust your taste preference for sweet drinks.

Cut down on sugar from alcoholic drinks Alcoholic drinks can be high in sugar. A pint of cider contains around five teaspoons of sugar. Try to reduce your sugar intake by consuming alcoholic drinks less frequently, in smaller measures and by combining alcoholic drinks with sugar-free or reduced-sugar mixers, such as sugarfree tonic water. A recent report from Action on Sugar identified very high levels of sugar in ready to drink alcoholic beverages, such as cans of ready mixed cocktails (www.actiononsugar.org/media/ actiononsugar/Alcohol-Survey-Report.pdf). For more healthy tips, recipes and advice, please visit heartresearch.org.uk.

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Hi, I’m Paul...

...from PT Health Coaching, a personal health coach based in Darwen in Lancashire. Health coaching isn’t just the traditional personal training. It is personalised approach to all aspects of an individual’s health and wellbeing. Whether you have health goals, such as losing weight or performance goals, such as to run a marathon in a certain time, this is the place to come.

A new year, a new you?

t is generally accepted that those who overindulge on mince pies and chocolate during December will want to diet come January. By the time the New Year rolls around most of us are feeling the effects of weeks of excessive consumption of food and booze. Unless you are the sort of person who can shrug off any hangover and remains untroubled by an expanding waistline, you’ll probably have the ‘D-word’ at the back of your mind. “I’ll start in January” is a common phrase I hear. However, if you ‘stopped’ in November, that’s potentially 4-6 weeks of bad eating, which could have a significant impact. Rather than having the two extremes (overindulgence, then strict dieting), wouldn’t it be more enjoyable and easier to have a more balanced approach?

The average New Year’s resolution only lasts for 2 weeks! My advice is to not go all out for one of the extreme diets or detoxes that are around at this time of year; instead, try to ease yourself into something more balanced. One of my clients used a detox diet last January and although she lost a couple of pounds, her body composition actually deteriorated (increased fat and lost muscle), because she felt too hungry and weak to exercise and from a wellbeing perspective, felt miserable. Does this sound enjoyable or sustainable to you? One of the reasons why diets are difficult in January is the weather. We are in deepest, 130

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darkest winter. The cold and grey is relentless. We can go for weeks without seeing the sun. This is no time for deprivation: we need nourishment and warmth. Even if you feel as though you have stored up enough body fat to see you through until spring, this is not the right time to deprive your body and soul of fuel-rich, comfort foods. Plain salads may feel wonderfully worthy, but on their own they are not enough to sustain. I feed my family with healthy doses of stodge balanced with plenty of veg. Bring on the thick soups and curries, stews with dumplings, bean hotpots enriched with healthy fats and energy giving carbohydrates. www.lancmag.com

Even if you are really careful about what you buy in December, the chances are you will have enough for leftovers. They’re the best thing about Christmas and mine will last beyond January. Remember, you don’t have to eat them all to get them out of the way before January. Freeze your stuffing, Christmas cake and meat. Chocolates last a while – so put them away for a treat later in the year (preferably out of sight). Finally, there’s the cost. January is a time when we need to tighten our belts in more ways than one. Most diets rely on a lot of very expensive ingredients or signing up to expensive meal replacement shakes / supplements. So, my suggestion is to moderate your intake leading up to Christmas, indulge a little on specific days (Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve, for example) and keep of the rest of the days as normal as possible in terms of your eating habits. The less damage you do over Christmas, the less work you have to put in January. Slow and steady wins the race… 90% of diets fail. This is usually because they are too difficult to sustain in the long-term, so in many ways, it’s a wasted effort following a strict diet regime. Our bodies thrive better in situations where they get what they need – that means plenty of vitamins and minerals and healthy varieties of protein, fats and carbohydrates. By eating well, you will likely have less cravings for bad food, feel more satisfied and naturally lose weight (if you are overweight in the first place). You may lose it more slowly, but the research says you are more likely to keep it off. The longest-lived people on the planet eat this way and they have less health problems than the average person in the Western world. The other thing that really helps them and will help you is keeping active. Our bodies are designed to move every day. Just 30 minutes of moderate activity exercise reduces

your risk of type diabetes by half! By exercising regularly, you build healthy muscle tissue, which in turn increases your metabolism (the rate at which you burn calories), both of which are important for weight management. Physical activity helps reduces stress and inoculate against anxiety. The positive brain chemicals that are released during and after exercise, will help stave off depression. With January having what is know as the gloomiest day of the year, ‘Blue Monday’, it’s even more important to keep active this month for your wellbeing.

90% of diets fail

So leading up to and during the Christmas break, plan some time in to do some form of physical activity each day: a winter walk with the family, try out that new piece of exercise equipment that was bought for you over Christmas or try one of my home based online workouts (search for PT Health Coaching on YouTube). Whichever way you choose, choose to be active every day.

Enjoy your Christmas and end the year as you mean to start 2021!

Paul

Paul is a Health and wellbeing coach and consultant for individuals and organisations and is Lancashire Magazine’s resident Health Coach. To find out more or to get some support contact him on: Tel: 07495 89298 Email: paul@pthealthcoaching.com

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NEW Christmas mincemeat recipe by Donna Crous A new Christmas recipe has been created and shot by blogger and food photographer Donna Crous, using sweet and delicious South African raisins. South African by origin, Donna Crous is an awardwinning, UK-based blogger and food photographer, and a finalist of the 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 Pink Lady Food Photography of the Year Competition. Donna’s first book, “A Healthier Family For Life”, is due for release in 2021. www.donnacrous.com/ South African raisins are a ‘natural powerhouse’. These little gems make a sweet, satisfying and healthy snack and are the perfect treat for anyone with a sweet tooth. Despite their small size, raisins are a concentrated source of natural energy and are

packed full of nutrients and antioxidants, they can aid digestion, boost iron levels and keep bones strong. South African raisins are 100% naturally sundried grapes, produced in the Orange and Olifants river regions, which is in the Northern and Western Cape respectively. Varieties to look out for are: Thompson - brown to dark brown in colour with a rich and sweet flavour Golden - light yellow to golden in colour with a soft texture Flame - dark deep red/black in colour, sweet flavour and a soft, chewy texture.

Apple fruit mince When used with a ready made puff pastry, this mincemeat makes the most delicious mince pies. INGREDIENTS 2 small Granny Smith apples, washed and grated (include the peel as it is really nutritious) 2 tbsp coconut oil 1 large orange zest and juice (about 250ml of juice) 300g South African sultanas and or raisins 1-2 tbsp raw local honey 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground nutmeg 1/4 tsp ground cloves 60ml water 2 tbsp brandy (optional)

METHOD 1. Heat a medium sized pot on the stove over a medium to high heat. 2. Melt the coconut oil and fry the apples for a minute to soften. 3. Add the orange zest and juice and mix well. 4. Turn down the heat to low. 5. Add the rest of the ingredients – except the brandy. 6. Mix everything together, cover and leave to gently simmer for about 20-30 minutes. 7. Stir once or twice, but not too often as the raisins can turn to a paste if overworked.

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8. It is ready when the raisins are plump and soft. 9. Stir through the brandy, adding more if desired. 10. Leave to cool, then store in a jar in the fridge. Cook’s tip: Add 200g crushed walnuts or pecans for a nutty crunchy taste.

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Meet the critic! As a new series for the Lancashire and North West Magazine, Barrister-turned-food-writer Richard Sagar takes us through some of the finest culinary venues our historic county and surrounding areas have to offer. Keep an eye out for Richard’s reviews in each edition as he quite literally eats his way through the North West!

Pack Horse Inn – Widdop, Lancashire/Yorkshire border

ince beginning this series of reviews, I have had the pleasure of visiting some of the big names in the North West’s culinary arsenal – establishments well noted and acclaimed both locally and nationally for their historic buildings and eclectic menus. Today however, as I drove the meandering moorland road to the Pack Horse Inn at Widdop, I was less than certain as to what would await me having heard relatively little about it – but my oh my did this, up until now well-kept secret, end up a treat!

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After what has to be described as a quite stunning drive, I fell upon the Pack Horse Inn as if by accident – a white farmstead in the middle of the moors – exposed to the North’s often cruel elements, the years leaving it with a welcoming charm all of its own.

I couldn’t help but think this is somewhere I would want to return to again and again

Crossing the huge original cobbles to the small entrance door, the waft of country cooking enticed me into an evocative stone entrance hall where I was greeted by the welcoming grin of a well-dressed barman. Immediately I knew this was somewhere one visited

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to feel at home – and as I was shown to a simply dressed table adjacent to a roaring fire, I couldn’t help but think this is somewhere I would want to return to again and again. Despite the offering of 4 hand-pulled ales – all of which were in full flow and doubtlessly fine fettle, I couldn’t resist starting my experience of the Pack Horse Inn with a glass of sauvignon blanc (Fault Line, New Zealand). The crisp fruity flavours enticed me to order what has to be considered a gluttonous starter – a mix of king and tiger prawns alongside a black pudding and bacon stack. Whilst on the face of it, this may appear an adventurous combination (and I note each can be ordered separately for those with a smaller appetite than mine), the amalgamation proved exquisite!

The crisp fruity flavours enticed me to order what has to be considered a gluttonous starter – a mix of king and tiger prawns alongside a black pudding and bacon stack

The meaty bacon, the lightly-scented black pudding and the creamy yet firm textured prawns created a synergy of flavours in my mouth which, despite the sizeable nature of the portion, left me craving more! The locally reared bacon had just the right amount of salt to bring out the, on one hand deep, and on the other, heady notes of the thickly sliced black pudding – and the kick of chilli and garlic cocooning the prawns cut through it all magnificently. With a starter so well planned and executed as this, I could barely wait for my main course to arrive – particularly www.lancmag.com

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given I had ordered one of my firm favourites, venison pie. Filling the well placed break between courses however, I marvelled at the plethora of happy faces – locals enjoying a drink and good conversation, discerning visitors enjoying the exceptional food, and well trained canines under many a stool – even mans best friend seemed to appreciate the uniquely friendly atmosphere at the Pack Horse. Before I got carried away with romanticising over the history and atmosphere of this c.400 year old establishment, my pie arrived in all its splendour. Served simply with game chips and veg, the focus was most definitely on the large porcelain dish with a deep yellow crust, blowing and bubbling slightly from the steamy treat within – and what a treat it was! Large chunks of melt in your mouth venison, slowly braised in a rich, velvety red wine sauce. I sensed notes of thyme and rosemary, the undeniable flavour of bacon lardons, and beautifully earthy baby chestnut mushrooms. This was a pie fit for a king – or at the Pack Horse, perhaps more likely a member of the local shooting fraternity ready to refuel his tank after a hard day on the grouse moor. Paired with this indulgent main was a deep, Italian Barolo wine – with all the sophistication and just enough boisterousness to complement the rich venison flavours admirably. It was at this stage I managed to catch a quick chat with Chef and owner, Sara Hollinrake. She explained to me how the Inn had been in her family’s ownership since the late 80’s, with Sara herself taking the helm just three years ago. When I commended her exquisite cooking of the venison, I was surprised to learn that this accomplished meat chef was in fact a vegetarian! This is reflected in a large specials board and seasonal menu with a wide variety of vegetarian and indeed vegan options for both mains and starters, alongside the more traditional fayre I was enjoying. Sara was telling me about her plans for the business going forward – and I believe she is well on her way to opening three boutique bed and breakfast rooms above the Inn, which I have no doubt will be as impressive as the rest of her business. 136

Just before my pudding arrived, I couldn’t help but notice the impressive selection of whisky on display behind the bar. When I enquired about them I was surprised to learn that the Pack Horse stocks over 100 single malts, ranging from your somewhat expected Glenmorangie and Juras, to the sublime 40yr old Brora - and everything in between. Tempted as I was to stay and try a few, my crème brûlée arrived and saved me a sore head. Beautifully light and sweet, with fresh flicks of vanilla running throughout, this was the kind of dessert that almost cuddles you whilst eating it – divine! After three delicious and substantial courses, my appetite was at this point struggling to keep up with my desires, but I managed to find it within myself to order a cheese board – and I was more than pleased with my decision when it arrived! Several large chunks

of different Lancashire and Yorkshire cheeses, all sourced locally – two of particular note were the Blacksticks Blue Lancashire and the Quickies Mature Yorkshire. Accompanying the cheese was a lovely glass of port, which concluded the meal in as comforting and sumptuous fashion as it had begun. So what are my lasting impressions of the Pack Horse Inn – a truly exceptional foodie haven (for meat lovers, vegetarians and vegans alike), combined with all the warmth and integrity of a friendly local, with the occasional old school hint of a moorland shooting lodge. These three facets blend homogenously to deliver a truly authentic rural treat more than capable of holding its own amongst the better-known Northern venues – and perhaps now ready to join them in the limelight!

Should you wish to book a table at this magnificent Inn over the Christmas period and beyond, or perhaps purchase a gift voucher for a special present, the obliging team at the Pack Horse can be contacted on 01422 842803.

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SNOW GLOBE GIN COCKTAIL RECIPES Golden Ginger Martini Ingredients

• 50ml Snow Globe Gin • 25ml Vodka • 15ml White Vermouth • 1 strip of Orange zest

Directions

1. Pour all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker, add cubed ice and shake for 10-15 seconds. 2. Strain into a frozen Martini glass. 3. Release the oils from the orange by pinching the skin and spraying over the glass.

Christmas Mule Ingredients

• 50ml Snow Globe Gin • 150ml Ginger Beer • Orange Garnish • Mint

Directions

1. Fill a copper mug with ice. 2. Pour in the Snow Globe Gin and add a squeeze of orange. 3. Fill the mug with ginger beer and garnish with orange & mint. 138

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Orange & Ginger Hot Chocolate Ingredients

• 50ml Snow Globe Gin • Hot Chocolate • Whipped Cream • Terry’s Chocolate Orange

Directions

1. Stir Snow Globe Gin into a piping hot mug of your favourite hot chocolate. 2. Top with whipped cream, chocolate flakes and garnish with a segment of Terry’s Chocolate Orange.

Ginger Citrus Spritz Ingredients

• 50ml Snow Globe Gin • 50ml Aperol Spritz • 50ml Prosecco • 50ml Soda Water • Orange to Garnish

Directions

1. Fill a large wine glass 2/3 with ice. 2. Add Gin Snow Globe Gin, Aperol, Prosecco and finish with a splash of soda. 3. Garnish with a slice of orange and serve.

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As we welcome in a new decade, you might be feeling a new surge of motivation to start a detox, a weight loss program or take up a challenging new exercise routine. It’s January, right? It’s the thing to do! A brand new year, a brand new you!

anuary is a month that brings with it the novel feeling of a fresh start. It follows on nicely from December celebrations, letting us forgive ourselves any sloth, over indulgence and excessive spending over the Christmas period. It’s a common time to pick up new, healthy habits or to drop any number of bad ones that no longer serve us. Given the year we’ve just said farewell to, I expect I am not the only one to have picked up a few unhealthy coping mechanisms to get through the stress, worry and isolation of lockdown. With uncertainty still brewing on the horizon, I wont be taking up any gruelling routine for the first weeks of January. Instead, I’m going to meet my health goals with nourishment, not punishment. Of all the months to challenge ourselves, there is no worse than January. It is the darkest, longest and statistically the most depressing month of the year. It’s cold. Many of us are still recovering from the stress of the Christmas period. We’re more likely to get ill, since it’s still cold and flu season. Billions of years of evolution written into our genetics tells us, stay home, hibernate, eat lots, the outside is wet, cold and unsafe. Yet, traditional practices and fancy marketing would have us believe that this is a time to eat less calories, to eat more raw foods, to get outside and exercise and to give up the guilty pleasures that give us comfort on stressful of days. It’s no wonder most new year resolutions go out the window within the first week or two. At what point did we start to believe that healthy changes needed to be punishing? Working in a career that prioritises self care, I’m determined to rebuild this

idea of promoting health in the depths of winter. In the face of a continued global pandemic, there is no better time to revolutionise our way of thinking. A fresh start in January, should be formulated of gentle, simple changes that can contribute to our overall wellbeing. Want more energy, better sleep, less bloating, better fat breakdown and improved digestion? One of the best ways to do this, is to look after your gut. Your gut home to a plethora of bacteria that can either benefit or hinder your health. The gut, aptly called “the second brain” has a marked impact on every aspect of our health. So here are my top tips for a smarter way to better health.

Stress, high sugar diets and antibiotics can all wreak havoc on this balance.

1. Avoid sugar. Including fruit juices. Sugar wreaks havoc on the gut. A diet high in sugar contributes to weight gain, bloating, IBS type symptoms, skin problems and fatigue. It’s also sneaky, finding it’s way into all the foods we love that look healthy. Fruit flavoured foods such as fruit yoghurt, cereal bars and low fat ready meals are often loaded with sugar which can contribute to energy crashes and increased sugar cravings throughout the day. 2. Eat lots of soluble fibre. Soluble fibre is found in oats, beans, pulses, nuts and vegetables. Soluble fibre acts like a sponge, soaking up water and carrying it into the bowel so that the bowel can eliminate waste efficiently. It is filling, keeping you fuller for longer as well as keeping your energy levels up through the day. Many foods rich in soluble fibre work well in cooked stews, soups and casseroles, the type of foods that we want to eat in hot steaming bowls on a winter evening while hiding from the dark nights. In contrast, raw salad foods are quite difficult to digest and are not an ideal way to consume nutrients for anyone who has digestive issues. 3. Take a probiotic. Forget the detox and weight loss supplements. Honestly, most of them are no more than flashy marketing. If you want to take something to improve your health, a probiotic capsule is my strongest recommendation. It helps to restore balance to the delicate gut flora that keep us healthy. Stress, high sugar diets and antibiotics can all wreak havoc on this balance. In fact, during the months of February and March I often see people who are exhausted and still suffering from repeated infections after taking antibiotics through the winter. Replacing the good

bacteria with probiotics can help you get back on your feet quicker, by nourishing the roots of your immune system. Poor gut health, means poor immunity which is more important now than ever. 4. Consider using a herbal bitter. Bitters stimulate digestion, by increasing fat break down, through the production of enzymes and healthy bile flow. Bile acts like the body’s washing up liquid, emulsifying fats the way soap and hot water can clean a greasy pan. Poor bile flow can lead to sluggish bowel function and problems breaking down and eliminating dietary fats, leading to indigestion, bloating and elevated cholesterol levels. My favourite bitters are yarrow, gentian, dandelion root and burdock and it’s easy to find these in a bitter complex that can be taken before each meal. We think of detoxing like we think of clearing out the house. Buzz words like toxins and impurities make us feel like our body needs cleaning so it can purge itself of all this pollution. The truth is, that given the right support, your body will do this itself quite efficiently. A healthy gut leads to a healthy immune system and can contribute to a calmer, more resilient mind. If you feel the urge to take on some gruelling dietary challenge as the new year begins, then it could indeed be the start of a whole new you. Personally, I like the old me and given the uncertain nature of the world, I’m going to start my year with self care, some delicious winter food and I’ll save the tougher health challenges for the warmer, less stressful months.

Nicola Parker MNIMH has a herbal medicine clinic located on the picturesque coast Morecambe Bay where she offers face to face and virtual appointments. For more information on the topics she writes about or to book an appointment, contact her clinic on 01524 413733 or via email at helpmebehealthy@gmail.com.

Setting up a Gin Distillery in your dining room

Master Distillers and Manchester Gin co-founders, Seb Heeley and Jen Wiggins, explain their journey – pre- and post-covid, along with what makes a great gin in an insightful Q&A. Q. Please provide a brief overview about Manchester Gin, including your inspiration for s etting up a distillery Seb: “Jen and I met on a gloomy night out in Manchester in a cocktail bar. When I asked her what she was drinking, she obviously said “gin and tonic”, her first words to me! We spent that night and following dates trying to outdo one another with our gin knowledge. “After being together for a few years, we knew we wanted to work together and initially planned to open a bar. While we were researching, visiting other bars, planning the space and what we’d offer, we came across someone making small-batch gin in the back room of a bar. When we saw the setup, we instantly thought ‘we should do that!’” Jen: “You could say we’ve always been a bit geeky about gin. On our first few dates, we’d meet up in a Manchester bar known for having a huge gin 142

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selection. We’d work our way through the menu making notes on every gin. We made tasting notes for so many gins; this one is citrusy, this one is earthy, herbaceous, etc. “We’re both massive foodies and love good drinks. We’d both always wanted to own a bar so that’s where we started! It’s quite nice that it’s now come full circle and after having a highly successful distillery for three years, we opened our own cocktail bar with a wonderful restaurant and an incredible team of bartenders, chefs and servers.”

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Q. What were the first steps you took to set up your business? Jen: “When we know we want to do something, we just do it. The day we discovered gin distillation in the back of a bar, we got started straight away. We started registering domains for manchestergin.co.uk on the train home, applying for licences and looking into exactly what we needed to get started. “Initially, we stayed in our day jobs while distilling gin. We expected to make about 800 bottles of gin a year, so we set up our distillery in our dining room. We had Wendy, our copper pot still named after my mum who sadly passed away before we started the business, with the water pipe leading out through our cat flap, much to the dismay of our poor cat Florence (who we also have a small still named after). “When things started to take off, we’d distil through the night, getting up at 2am, 4am and 6am to check on everything. I left my job in a marketing agency where I worked as an account director and would bottle, label and manage orders throughout the day, then we’d distil again through the night. We ended up making 25,000 bottles in our dining room and won international spirits awards. As far as we’re aware, we have the only dining room to have been awarded a Gold Microdistillery Award from Spirit Masters.” Seb: “Eventually, I left my job in property development and we both went full time with the gin. We were amazed by the demand but it’s part of a still-growing trend of locally-made, independent, craft products. People love to see how their favourite products are made, visit the distillery and meet the makers.”

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Q. Why did you decide on gin? Seb: “We both love gin and it’s what we drank together when we first met – and still drink together now – so it definitely has a sentimental place in our hearts. We both have plenty of favourite gins, but we wanted to create our own perfect gin that hits the spot every time. When we first started out, we thought that if no one else wanted to drink Manchester Gin, we’d have 100 bottles to drink ourselves! “Gin is pretty easy to make but it’s hard to make really well. It requires a spirit tasting predominantly of juniper at an ABV of 37.5 percent or higher. “It was very fortuitous that when we started making gin, it was beginning to really take off and has become almost as popular as vodka in the UK. We’ve also

found that a lot of people are wanting to drink less but drink better. People aren’t looking for the cheapest drink and to have a lot of it; rather they’re after a high-quality spirit with thoughtfully considered botanicals, mixers, garnishes, etc.” Q. How did you create the brand – including appearance, taste, colour etc? Jen: “It was boozy! It all started with the taste; of course, the brand identity is important, but it’s the liquid that keeps people coming back for more. We started with 10 gins that we knew we liked. We sampled them neat, then as double G&Ts, then as single G&Ts. This was all in one sitting so you can imagine the end of the session is a bit of a blur. At each stage, we got rid of some gins and made notes on the ones we loved.” Seb: “Our aim was always to make our perfect gin, so it was really important to us to identify the botanicals that we loved before we started distilling.” Jen: “From a branding point of view, it had to be premium; we always look for the best ingredients and products on offer, so we had to create something that we’d be proud to call our own. The other key element was creating a visual brand that would intrigue gin drinkers. Over the past few years, the gin market has blossomed, which is amazing to see but also makes it very competitive. The striking bottle we had custom made by Allied Glass has definitely helped us to stand out – and the liquid inside keeps people buying us time and time again.”

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Q. What makes a good gin – taste, colour, ingredients? Seb: “This is subjective as everyone’s palate is different but for us, a gin should tell a story – not be one-dimensional in its flavours. The flavours should develop with every sip and leave a nice long finish. When it comes to finding gins that I personally love, citrus-led always wins for me.” Jen: “Balance. I love it when you can tell a gin’s botanicals have been well balanced. It should also take you on a journey of flavours.”

Curiosity is what has helped us launch successful products time and time again, rather than jumping on trends. Q. How have you made yourself unique in a competitive sector? Seb: “We always stay true to ourselves and to the story we tell our customers. Provenance is something that we really value in the brands we buy, so we’ll always be very hands on with the business and ensure that our product and brand is true to our heart. “With gin being such a competitive market and independent producers growing in popularity, it does get difficult to stand out. Introducing our custom bottle made a huge difference. It’s really distinctive and really looks and feels like our brand. It ensures we’re memorable and shines on the shelves, so we hopefully have the “wow” factor before someone has even tasted the gin. “The other thing that helps us stay competitive is our curiosity. Curiosity is what has helped us launch successful products time and time again, rather than jumping on trends. We never release a product for the sake of it, but as we’re always experimenting, we’ve always got something up our sleeves which keeps our customers engaged and excited.” Jen: “The other thing is that we care – not just about the business, but the business’ impact. I think as a society we’re becoming far more aware of our social, environmental and cultural footprint and that is evident from the brands that are successful and seeing strong growth. “We support local charities and people and are working hard to reduce our global impact. We use 55 percent recycled glass for our bottles and have managed to remove almost all plastic from our packaging, send zero percent of our waste to landfill, and have pledged to be carbon neutral by 2021. These are values close to our hearts and we have created a fantastic team of others who share them, which takes us from strength to strength.”

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Q. What hurdles have you overcome and how? Jen: “All of them! Honestly, it feels like there’s a new challenge behind every corner. It was definitely a challenge when we started to grow so quickly as we didn’t have time to figure everything out and just worked it out as we went along. Before we scaled production up, we were working from our tiny dining room, distilling through the night so we had time to bottle, label, ship and get business admin done in the day. “Now, like every single business, we’re faced with a totally different and terrifying challenge that is the uncertainty of Covid... we’re just doing our best to adapt and thrive. We’ve introduced virtual events, which have done really well; we switched production over from gin to hand sanitiser – initially just to support front-line services, but that’s become an income stream itself now; and are continually adapting with the bar and restaurant. “When it comes to hurdles, this is definitely a difficult one, but as with everything else, I think

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our strength is in our ability to adapt. We make decisions quickly and don’t ‘um and ah’ over things that need to get done. We’ve always been ‘no nonsense’. If you want to do something and believe in it, do it!” Q. What is your best piece of advice to those starting out in the same sector? Seb: “As boring as this may sound, make sure you get your safety, duty and licencing sorted. It’s not the sexy bit, but it’s so important and it’ll bite you in the bottom if you don’t handle it properly. You need a distiller’s licence, approval to distil using your premises and processes, and to pay duty on every drop of alcohol you produce. “You need to respect that when you put heat and alcohol together, you’re creating a potentially dangerous situation. Make sure it’s safe – it’s an explosive process. Get sign off from the fire brigade and environmental health. “You’re also dealing with an age-restricted product, so there’s a responsibility with that when it comes to selling, distributing, licencing, etc.” “Moreover, you need to remember that you’re creating a product that’s intended to be consumed by the public, so you need to take their health and safety into account if you want to sell or distribute what you make. “Find someone to work with who you want to spend all day every day with – Jen and I wanted to start a business together so we could spend more time with each other! “We always say, if you think of a great idea and aren’t risking everything – the roof over your head, the dinner on your table – then throw yourself into it wholeheartedly and just give it a shot. We are big believers in backing yourself – if you don’t do it, no one else will.”

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Q. How has your market evolved and how has this impacted your company? Jen: “There’s far more variety in the gin market now than there was when we started out. That variety is broadening the horizons of our consumers, opening up new flavours and styles and breeding some amazing creativity in the industry. “The market has also grown enormously: in 2019 there were three times as many distilleries as there were in 2012. That huge growth has bred competition which has raised the quality of gin even further.”

Q. How have you adapted during 2020 amidst the COVID-19 lockdowns? Initially, we turned over production to sanitiser. We tasked Wonder Wend, our 1,000-litre copper still with the production of thousands of litres of hand sanitiser to supply the NHS Nightingale hospital as well as other NHS trusts and frontline businesses. It was a natural move for us as we’re already used to working in high volumes with alcohol, and Manchester Central, where the NHS Nightingale NW is located is actually our landlord. Once we’d done that, it was the gin side of the business that we had to focus on. Almost 75%

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of our sales are to the on-trade - that’s bars, restaurants, hospitality - so lockdown hit us really hard. We also lost the ability to host distillery tours and tastings in our distillery in Manchester. We were really missing the connection with our customers, so we decided to go virtual. Our first lockdown product was the Live Virtual Tasting, which ran three times via Facebook Live. Our founders and master distillers, Seb and Jen, hosted each one from their home - from the dining room where they started the business from - and we had thousands of viewers join us to drink gin together. Now we’ve cemented the virtual tasting as two permanent products. Firstly, we’ve recorded the virtual tasting for people to watch in their own time. They can purchase a range of our gins and tune in from home to enjoy a tasting exactly as we run it in the distillery. Secondly, we’ve created a virtual event package in which customers have their own hosted session on Zoom. One of our distillers or gin school hosts leads the session and upto 100 participants can join. We send each participant a tasting set, bringing teams together from all around the country. Q. What made the Live Virtual Tastings a success? We were amongst the first to start doing a virtual event that was run live. We ran it on Facebook and Instagram so it was really accessible for our audience, and we launched it a couple of weeks in advance to give people time to plan for a big night in - much as they might normally have planned a big night out. We also ran our third one as a world record attempt - getting the most people drinking a gin and tonic together at the same time. We think we smashed the previous record, which was around 800, with over 1,800 drinkers. This was during the first lockdown, when a lot of people were feeling quite fed up and even isolated, including ourselves, so it was a real

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Our Gin School has become the #1 Thing to Do in Manchester on TripAdvisor.

pleasure to host it. The feedback we received was so heartwarming and people really did seem to feel a sense of togetherness and community, just from signing in all at the same time! I think the other big success comes from Seb and Jen - they are the business owners and founders, but as we’ve grown they remain hands on, still managing the day to day running of things, the distillation, the team - and that really shines through. Their passion for gin is infectious, and their stories behind each spirit give people real context for each one. We were really proud to make it about more than gin but about an experience, which is what we strive to offer in the distillery too. Q. How do the Hosted Virtual Tastings work? Customers simply send us their requirements - eg. budget, date, number of participants and reason for the event - and we help them build something that will be perfect for them. Whether it’s a Christmas party for the office, a get together for friends, a hen do, or even networking, we’ve hosted all sorts of events! Our Gin School has become the #1 Thing to Do in Manchester on TripAdvisor. This is something we’re really proud of and is mostly down to our incredible hosts! They do such a wonderful job at making a gin tasting approachable, fun, and even educational! They’ve got such a passion for what they do, and the comments we receive about them from visitors is overwhelmingly positive. They’re real ambassadors of the brand, so it was natural for them to host the virtual sessions. In each one, they get to know the organiser and what’s required of each event to make it perfect for that occasion. They talk through a range of our gins, pair them with tonics, talk about how gin is made and what makes each one unique, and really encourage interaction and engagement to give people the feeling that they’re actually drinking together. We’ve done everything we can to make the sessions available to everyone, with them starting at £25 per person, with national and international shipping available, and hosted sessions available pretty much 24/7. www.lancmag.com

Q. What does the future look like for Manchester Gin? The immediate future is definitely a question mark right now, as it is for most businesses navigating the pandemic. We’re optimistic about Christmas though because while people might not be drinking Manchester Gin in bars and restaurants right now, we’ve seen online sales increase and loads more engagement on social media from people enjoying our spirits at home. In the longer term, we’re excited to be diversifying our range. This year hasn’t been all doom and gloom - our first vodka, Manchester Spirit, won a prestigious Master at The Spirits Business Vodka Masters Awards. We’re also developing a range of rums and other spirits, all of which will be available to sample in guided tastings in our distillery. If one good thing has come out of this, it’s that we’ve actually been able to reach people from further afield than we expected. The virtual tastings have been shipped all over the country and we’ve got new followers from outside the North West. Usually we meet these people at events and shows, which have very sadly been postponed and cancelled this year. It’s been really nice to still be able to meet some of these people, albeit virtually but I guess that’s just the way things are right now!

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Seb and Jen share two of their Manchester Gin recipes Manchester Gin Haçienda Negroni

Manchester Clover Club

This is a true classic cocktail. Made with equal parts gin, vermouth and bitter, it’s simple to make and beautiful. We’ve created this zesty version with our FAC51 The Haçienda Gin, which is packed with sherbet citrus notes that balance perfectly with the bitterness of Aperol.

Citrus and sweetness are balanced in this crowd-pleasing, pretty cocktail. Raspberry Infused Gin gives it a delicately floral flavour, while egg white and lemon juice give the creamy mouthfeel of a sour..

Ingredients:

25ml Manchester Gin - FAC51 The Haçienda 25ml Dry White Vermouth 25ml Aperol

35ml Raspberry infused Gin 15ml Lillet Rose 20ml Raspberry Syrup / 3-4 fresh raspberries muddled with 10ml sugar syrup 1 egg white

Method: Shake all ingredients with cubed ice. Strain into a tumbler filled with cubed ice and garnish with a twist of orange peel.

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Method: If using fresh raspberries, gently muddle them with the sugar syrup. Add all other ingredients and shake well without ice to emulsify the ingredients - this will give your cocktail a lovely light frothy texture. Add cubed ice and shake well to chill. Strain into a coupe or martini glass and garnish with fresh raspberries. www.lancmag.com

‘Readymade’ home perfect option for new parents WITH a baby on the way, James Crossley and his partner Lisa Gornell needed a home of their own as soon as possible and thanks to Redrow’s ‘Readymade’ homes, they are now settling in at The Grange, Burscough.

James Crossley and Lisa Gornell outside the Oxford show home at The Grange at Yew Tree Park

t’s been a whirlwind few months for the couple. After making the decision to move in the new year, they temporarily put their plans on hold due to lockdown, before welcoming baby Max in June. The couple had always wanted to live in a Redrow home and, after restarting their search shortly after Max’s arrival, they were over the moon to discover there was a ‘Readymade’ home available at The Grange, built and waiting for them to move in to. Readymade homes are ideal for anyone who needs a quick move. They also come with quality finishes and superb interior specification, all selected by Redrow’s expert designers. Sales consultant James says: “We’d lived in an apartment in Altrincham for the last two years but when we found out we were having a baby we knew we wanted to move and be closer to family. Lisa’s family live in Ormskirk so The Grange at Yew Tree Park seemed like the perfect location for us.” “The fact that we bought a Readymade home fitted in perfectly with our timeframe of needing to move as soon as possible. The home also came with great extras such as flooring, turf and upgrades to the kitchen that were all done and dusted before we moved in. We literally had to move furniture in and that’s it.” The couple chose a four-bedroom Oxford, giving the young family plenty of room to grow into. James, 27, and Lisa, 31, used

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James Crossley says the fact that they bought a Readymade home fitted in perfectly with their timeframe of needing to move as soon as possible. the Government-backed Help to Buy scheme, which meant they could secure their home with just a 5% deposit. “We can’t wait to fully settle in. Burscough is an up and coming area so it’ll be great that we can walk into the village with the baby and make use of the local shops and restaurants. Plus, my job can take me all over Lancashire so it’s good that we have easy access to motorways.”

To find out more about homes that are available at The Grange at Yew Tree Park visit www.redrow.co.uk/ yewtreepark or call 01704 740635 to make an appointment with the sales team. www.lancmag.com

A catch up with Peter Rutt Our monthly coloumn by Peter Rutt.

art 1 of 3. Regular readers will know I love weird and wacky stories, even if they are not true. So imagine my pleasure when I came across the sensation of alleged time slips in Liverpool. Various people claim they slipped back in time, usually to the 1950’s or 1960’s. One claimed he slipped back to early 1900’s. He said as he walked down Bold Street the sky went very dark and what had been that year in the decade of the 1990’s changed to early 1900’s judging by the fashion he spied. Also the shops were old fashioned. Gone were the modern day stores as were modern day cars, replaced by horse drawn carriages. There was air there was sound and if he felt more confident What anniversaries/dates will he would have interacted with a person. be celebrated or commiserated Imagine whipping out your smartphone in 2021 and coins to show someone fromto the early 1900’s! commemorate Or go a step furtherthem? and take photos Let’swhat explore historical or film youthese see. What would your anniversaries. phone record?I’m not keen on those thatThere celebrate 275th is thesomething story of a like manthe who anniversary of the battle of Culloden, walked near to Bold Street and he King II is crowned inwas 1661 allegesCharles as he turned a corner, or 200th death of faced withanniversary a dead end.ofAn old wall Napoleon 1821 plus 640th that wasn’tBonaparte there the previous day had anniversary of revolting suddenly appeared. Like peasants the previous man he said the sky became suddenly in 1381! darker priorthey to this obstacle being but there. To some mean something He even touched the construction on the main we prefer stuff that is and it was recent solid. Confused, headed back more or relevant.heThe 125th the way he came. anniversary of the opening of the of the stories centre firstMost modern Olympic Gameson in a1896 period of 1993-1997 apart from the (OK too far back). 30th anniversary one in the next paragraph. They may when Tim Berners-Lee released files well be Urban Tales and tall ones at describing his idea for the World Wide that. But it is thought provoking. But Web in 1991, the same year as the there are three particular stories I will final destruction of the Berlin wall in centre on. November. 150th anniversary of the ThisAlbert one allegedly in 550th 2006 Royal Hall andoccurred finally the when a lad called Sean admitted he anniversary of the Battle of Tewkesbury shoplifted ran of the in the Warsanofitem the and Roses inout 1471. That’s shop pursued by a Security Guard. As not forgetting the 20th anniversary of Sean got to a corner (and the sky went 9/11 in New York. Yes really, twenty dark) he turned and carried on running years ago. but when he looked back he noticed www.lancmag.com

We will see new coin designs depicting anniversaries on British coinage/notes as per usual although the need for small change is decreasing through tap and go plastic cards and electronic transfers. But a phenomenon has gripped some who collect coins. These people are called numismatists. It’s a fine pastime to collect historical and in some cases rare ones. By rare I mean fewer were minted by The Royal Mint (located in Llantrisant, Wales.) Fewer coins in circulation and in up hispeople’s pursuerown was collections nowhere todrive be seen. the value beyond its face and Relieved, he stopped andvalue took in hishas done so for years. surroundings. Everybody was wearing clothes thepeople 1960’sjoined and cars were Morefrom young in with old fashioned from this era. Starting the collecting frenzy when the Royal to worry he brought modern Mint started pressingout fiftyhis pence coins mobile phone, but it displayed no Potter featuring characters from Beatrix signal. Peter As hePan, walked back pastBear the store books, Paddington and he robbed he noticed it wasn’t the one Winnie the Pooh. he entered earlier. As he looked ahead thethe point. Some collectors he Now couldtosee modern world. When look for coins that contain errors he took a look behind him it was as still these are rarer than those thatexperience don’t the 1960’s. Frightened by his contain imperfections in your change. he caught a (modern) bus to get away. There are many online sites where The Security Guard that chased him sellers drive up many asserted thatthe he price was only a few fold paces behindonthe thief ofbutanniversary as he got tofaults, that based pieces corner,missing, the lad and had the vanished. Hehead was words Queens bemused by this. upside down etc. I don’t want to single

out any online auction site so we will call this one Feebay! I watched over a twelve month period where a Victorian sixpence was bought and sold by sellers. It started out at fifty quid and twelve months later that particular coin was selling for just under a grand. It is also based on supply and demand. If someone is willing to pay exorbitant prices there is a seller to exploit this. So before you do bid for a coin with errors ask the seller for its weight and size. Official coin weights and sizes can The other two No stories appear in be sought online. reply from seller May’s edition and a plausible answer when you ask the question equals no to the conundrum. But say going back to coins an bid. So when people they have earlier point, which is of interaction, that are very rare due to minting errors, I pondered onperson this. If sitting you talk think of some in to a shed someone from a long ago era pressing them out to sell on toand some influence them to take a different course poor unsuspecting buyer. Roman coins to one they historically did take, would come to mind but two thousand years that have ramifications on the here and ago they were making fake coins then now? Also if you collect an item from as well! Some minting errors do occur, the 1950’s, does it travel with you back but as many as there are currently to the present day? available? Really? Do you know what security features appear on authentic coins and notes because we hardly handle cash nowadays? The fakers always find a way but will you notice it? LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE 151

The beginning… It’s said that our stories define us. If that’s the case, Two Stories co-founders Bekkie Hull and Rob Ellis’ tale of launching a new business months before a global pandemic hit the UK, will surely be a remarkable part of this successful startup’s first chapter.

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Lancastrians Bekkie and Rob launched independent brand consultancy and design studio Two Stories towards the end of 2019, with a focus on helping businesses grow by creating brands and campaigns that get people talking. Having produced many successful campaigns for local and national brands at design and marketing agencies across the county, the pair noticed an observable shift in the market towards small, boutique design studios and took the leap to form Two Stories. Whether working with established businesses in need of a rebrand or disruptive start-ups on their brand

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identities, the aim of Two Stories was to help businesses with an ambition to grow, through meaningful brand development, design and digital that sets them apart from their competitors. The team’s mix of experience and expertise, alongside a set of shared values, gave them the belief that they could create something different. Creative director Bekkie specialises in branding and design, and her ambition to help businesses grow through strategic and carefully considered design solutions, has seen her create work for some of the biggest and best known brands, as well as smaller-scale, niche and family brands.

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Managing director Rob brings years of experience in marketing, digital design and technology, and delights in looking at businesses from outside in, helping brands to think differently and guiding them through their online storytelling journey. The pair are both passionate about the power of great branding and design in helping businesses to grow. “Design-led storytelling can do wonders for a business - powerful brand stories, get results,” explained Bekkie, “We believe in creating a brand that shows off a business’s personality and brings what that business does and believes to life. Great branding can shape the way people feel about a brand and can win their hearts and minds. It can generate loyalty and connect with audiences, engaging your target customer on a much deeper level than seen before.” Now, just over 16 months on, from its city centre base in the heart of Lancaster, the team’s experience, hard work and passion has meant that Two Stories already works on a host of large clients across Lancashire, the UK and Europe. Brands include Channel 4’s 4 Sales, Wax Lyrical and Lancaster University, as well as well-known regional businesses such as Dennison Trailers, MH Stainton Homes, Butler

Below: Cornvale’s printed stationery

Interiors and Cornvale Fine Foods.

Above: Butler’s Interiors’ website design

“We’ve worked really hard to form partnerships with our clients that are built on honest communication, trust and respect.” says Rob, “Our clients mean a lot to us and we take pride in their work as much as we do our own. We invest time in understanding their business, getting to know them and working together to get the best results.”

The middle… The journey has not been without its obstacles. Less than six months after launching the design studio, Covid-19 hit the UK and caused major disruption to many businesses that Two Stories worked with. The team guided a number of clients through the storm of the coronavirus crisis, helping them to adapt and take advantage of the new “normal” through great design. One such business was Mellingbased butchers and fine food business, Cornvale. The brand had long-held ambitions of shifting into retail, but the surge in “at home” demand sparked by the March lockdown accelerated the businesses need. Whilst continuing to convey Cornvale’s values and ethos, and connection to its business to www.lancmag.com

business market, its website required a new, customer focused e-commerce section, that was attractive and easy to use. Two Stories used accents of Cornvale’s printed stationery through textures on the website to create a cohesive brand that translated from print to digital design seamlessly. Another of its Covid-impacted clients was Butler Interiors, based in Low Bentham. The duo helped the high end kitchen supplier take its business online during the pandemic, making its brand even stronger during the lockdown. 2020 had other highlights for the team, including being chosen to design the brand identity for Channel 4’s annual Diversity in Advertising award, which had a focus on UK black and minority ethnic (BAME) culture.

Entrants to the awards were challenged to address the lack of authentic portrayal of BAME communities in TV advertising, with the winner awarded £1m in airtime. Finalists included big name brands Boots, EA Sports, Lloyds Bank, Royal Navy, Merky Boots and Tesco. “We’re so proud of this work and our relationship with Channel 4. To be trusted by them with such high calibre design work is testament to our hard work and success this year.” Bekkie enthused. Two Stories’ Rob and Bekkie

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To be continued… Two Stories celebrated its first anniversary last September, as the second wave of the pandemic started its ascent, and is continuing to thrive. The Lancaster studio is looking to grow its team this year, hiring a new designer to support its growing workload, and has its sights on working alongside even more exciting and innovative brands as the year progresses. Bekkie says “Our aim is to grow our design studio and make it a creative, inspiring environment for our team and our clients. We want to create a business that is renowned for its design work and the relationships we build.” The award winning Two Stories duo, who were born and bred in the seaside town of Morecambe, are proud of where they have come from and are also keen to give back to the community they live in. Both volunteer their services for Kirkby Lonsdale-based charity Children of Hope, while Bekkie champions females in the design industry and uses her position to encourage more young women to reach a high level within the sector, while Rob is a trustee of Morecambe FC Community Sports. 154

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“We were delighted to have been able to base our business in our home city of Lancaster. We love Lancashire as a county, and the creative and digital industry is such a big part of the regional economy. We are proud to work here and be part of that.” said Rob.

Above: Two Stories take Butler Interiors’ Mark Butler through the company’s website design.

He continued “As a business, if you’re looking at how your company can better utilise its brand and design, we would love to hear from you. Your brand is more than your logo. Your brand is your whole story.”

Let Two Stories tell your story. Visit twostories.studio Two Stories Studio, Castle Chambers, China St, Lancaster, LA1 1EX

01524 928041 www.lancmag.com

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Love in the time of covid — Guy Davies debut young adult romance “philophobia” to brave restrictions with uk theatrical release Philophobia (which means ‘fear of falling in love’) is the debut feature film from young writer / director Guy Davies. Set and filmed in his home town of Stroud in the Gloucestershire countryside it is an authentic coming-of-age romance rooted in experience.

“Scary, Funny, Violent & Raw” — Diandra Reviews “wouldn’t feel out of place in some of the A24 catalog’s brightest gems” — Byte “wonderfully atypical coming of age film” — Unseen films “Engaging performances from its cast of youth serve as a window into the heart of an age where teens are caught between the life they have known and the life they have not yet discovered” — Screenfish Philophobia is a picture of small town adolescence. One week of high school remains for Kai, an aspiring writer, and his friends. How they choose to spend this time awakens sexual desires, costs one of them their life and leaves them all changed forever. A truly independent project, Philophobia was made possible by a dozen Stroud based investors and spearheaded by production company Fablemaze. Continuing in this indi spirit, the filmmakers have decided to launch their own theatrical release into 32 independent UK cinemas starting on October 30th. “From October 2019 right up to the pandemic shutting things down in March 2020 we screened Philophobia to festival audiences who were consistently passionate in their response so we 156

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were determined to give the film a proper cinema release in the UK” said Fablemaze Producer Matt Cook. “We are betting that young audiences in controlled numbers will turn out to see this film on the big screen in spite of the threat of Covid, which, let’s face it could be around for the foreseeable future” said Toby Cook Fablemaze co-founder. “The film is set in my home town and shot in the high school I attended as a teenager — it’s inspired by life experience and is about love, friendship, sex and that uncertain transition period in life before becoming an adult” – Guy Davies (Writer / Director) @guyjdavies Philophobia has won 12 awards on the festival circuit including: San Diego International Film Festival where it won both Best Global Cinema and the Lite Coin Audience Choice award. Best www.lancmag.com

Cinematography at the European Cinematography Awards, Best Feature Film at Lift Off Melbourne Film Festival, Best Feature Film at the Lift Off Global Film Awards in London, Best Film & Best Director at the International Film Festival Wales, The Festival Director’s Award at Cinema on the Bayou and Best Director (Guy Davies) and Best Actor (Joshua Glenister) at The South African Independent Film Festival. Written and directed by Guy Davies, the film stars Joshua Glenister, Harry Lloyd (“The Theory of Everything”, “Legion”), James Faulkner (“Game of Thrones”), Alexander Lincoln (“Emerdale”), Kim www.lancmag.com

Spearman, Jack Gouldbourne, and Grace Englert. Produced by Fablemaze’s Toby Cook and Matt Cook along with Guy Davies. France based sales agency Wide is handling international sales, whilst Fablemaze is handling the UK theatrical release of Philophobia.

Above: PHILOPHOBIA - Director Guy Davies

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The life of Di A monthly column by Di Wade, the author of ‘A Year In Verse’

’m often struck by the glamour of life. On my mum’s setting off to take me for a walk t’other day, (bit like the dog only I’m not forever defecating against stuff), the heavens rudely opened, drenching her in seconds, and putting paid to the grand plan. So she sent my dad round in the car instead to check I’d everything I needed, at which I was pleased as punch as I’d just discovered, firstly, that the shower was blocked, and secondly, that I couldn’t for love nor money shift the plug to unblock it. Since my mum hadn’t been able to shift it either last time, I’d just been wondering how soon I could decently fetch my dad round to take a look when here was the man himself anyway. Whilst here, he also checked the toaster which had two days earlier frightened the life out of me by setting the smoke alarm off, and thus put me off using it since. Even with the back door wide open, it had squealed like a demented pig for two or three minutes, causing me to wonder whether it hadn’t gone the whole hog and set the entire surrounding surface alight. It didn’t appear so, but then as my eyes’re 158

dodgier than a nine pound note, and I’ve zero sense of smell, the matter wasn’t exactly a given. Nor were things probably helped by the impact of any loud noise, particularly alarm or siren, on my hearing-aids, which is apt to send me a bit doolally. However, the toaster was declared fit for use, so that was hopefully that. Finally, my dad spotted a card apparently pushed through the letterbox earlier that day saying that the postman had tried to deliver some braille books, and instead of leaving them in the handy box by the front door as usual, had on this occasion taken them away again. So we established that I’d have to phone up on Monday and get them redelivered, once I’d made a mental note of the number. And that was the Saturday that was. It wasn’t until I was slipping on fluffy slippers and settling down to watch the Six Nations that I realized just how glamorous it’d been. Then again, this whole year has been about downsizing, thinking cosy book-reading

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by the fire rather than hiking across the Himalayas, and trying not to pine too much for scampi and chips at Bispham Kitchen. Not that it’s always been a piece of cake, (Bispham Kitchen-style cake or otherwise). I’m currently on a week’s birthday-based leave, which last year incorporated outings with three separate lots of friends, a couple of days in Edinburgh, and trips to Burnside and Green Drive, and this year is likely to include nothing of the sort. However, I’ve more to be thankful for than not, including a house with which I’m besotted, and the best family and friends in the world ever. I’m also looking forward with particular fondness to Christmas time and Christmas trees and all of that. I’m always a prize sucker for bright lights and cheery tunes, and this year, decking the hall while listening to my 101 Christmas albums is likely to seem a positive diversion.

So merry Christmas and a happy New Year one and all.

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Make 2021 a year to remember

By securing your new Jones home & saving thousands! If you are considering making your move in 2021 time is running out to save up to £15,000 in Stamp Duty during the Chancellors current Stamp Duty holiday†. Property transactions need to be legally complete before 31st March 2021. So to ensure this deadline is not missed you must act quickly. At Jones Homes we have a range of homes available in locations across Lancashire and Kendal in Cumbria that can legally complete before the March deadline. We are pleased to advise that we have created a safe environment for you to visit us and are open for 1-2-1 appointments and personal viewings, so why not contact us today and let us help you to buy your dream home.

Show Home and Sales Office open Thursday to Monday 11am – 5.30pm.

Moorfield Park Stonecross Meadows

jones-homes.co.uk

St Peter’s Park Hesketh Reach

Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire FY6 7SY

Kendal, Cumbria LA9 5HT

Gorsey Lane, Mawdesley, Lancashire L40 3TE

01253 808440

01539 898757 01704 776352

Liverpool Road, Rufford L40 1SA

01704 778435

*On 1 April 2021, a new Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme (2021-2023) for First Time Buyers only replaces the current scheme. To buy a home using the current scheme, available to First Time Buyers and existing homeowners, you must reserve by 15th December 2020. You must legally complete your home purchase by 31st March 2021, to be able to get the equity home funding. Under the current scheme purchasers are required to fund at least 80% of the purchase price by means of a conventional mortgage, savings and any deposit where required. Eligible applicants will be offered an equity loan of 20% of the market price, interest free for the first five years. At the start of year six a fee of 1.75% is payable on the equity loan, which rises annually by RPI inflation plus 1%. Terms and conditions apply and full details will be provided on request. Only available on selected properties in England. Help to Buy: Equity Loan (2021-2023) is also subject to eligibility, terms and conditions apply. YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE.

“We’ve had situations where customers have bought a suite in the morning and had it in their home by the afternoon,”

Come and shop in peace at Vine Mill Furniture’s showroom Accrington’s Vine Mill furniture gives the big retailers a run for their money with its huge collection, top discounts and relaxed shopping experience.

ome and experience this unique way of shopping, you wont be disappointed. Mark Gerrard sales manager at Vine Mill, said “Several customers have commented on their relief at having only a couple of sales staff on our floor to advise them. “When they’ve gone to other stores there have been seven or eight people on the floor, which can make them feel uneasy.” And so far, this ‘no pressure’ approach to customer service has proved successful for the family-run company. Instead of an intimidating sales presence, when you pop into the Brookside Street store, in Accrington, you’ll find a friendly and relaxed service and will be left alone to browse the extensive collection. The grand showroom is 40,000 sq ft, across two floors, displaying a great selection of sofas, three-piece suites, beds, and much more. The stunning furniture shop is also home to some unique pieces that will add that special something to your house. The store regularly stocks unusual pieces, from glasswork to woodwork, all inspired by the owners trips abroad. “We’re not like the standard stores you see on retail parks,” said Mark. “There’s lots of unusual pieces and carved antiquities mixed in with the more contemporary displays and this is what really sets us apart.” The company can also offer a bespoke range through their company Chesterfield Britannia. Surely one of the most 160

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recognisable, classic and luxurious pieces of furniture that anyone can purchase is the Chesterfield suite. This is also a fabulous opportunity if you are struggling to find a suite to fit in to a small space or you even require a suite for a much larger area, as each suite can be made to your exact measurements. In store you can view up to fifty different Chesterfield suites. Plus with a choice of almost a thousand different leathers to choose from, the choice is endless and you can literally customise your suite to suit your choice, size and taste. Where else can you find such a customised opportunity, certainly not on the High Street or at the large retail parks, where large sales team follow your every move? Vine Mill Furniture is proud of their sister company Chesterfield Britannia as they know they can offer something you will not find anywhere else. Bedrooms are also catered for at Vine Mill Furniture, with a wide selection of wardrobes, bedside cabinets and dressing tables to update any bedroom and provide a luxurious French elegant style to your boudoir. The range includes various styles of wardrobes too, whether you want a combination wardrobe or a number of various styles, Vine Mill Furniture have it all waiting for you to peruse at your leisure. However there is plenty more that you will find in Vine Mill Furniture who also sells numerous bespoke beds for you to choose from. That’s not all, As a wholesaler to the big retailers Vine Mill www.lancmag.com

Furniture can pass on these discounted prices to its customersmeaning buyers can save an impressive 30 to 40 percent off the retail price. They also offer a 24-hour delivery service, what more could you ask for. “We’ve had situations where customers have bought a suite in the morning and had it in their home by the afternoon,” explained Mark. “Whatever you see in store, Vine Mill will deliver within 24 hours.” Check out the collections at Vine Mill Furniture, Brookside Street, Oswaldtwistle, BB5 3PX. For more information visit www.vinemillfurniture.co.uk or call 01254 399906. Facebook and Feebo 5 Star Rating. Flexible payment plans to suit all budgets, available on home buy packages. When you have paid for each item ... your order will be delivered in 24hrs.

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BOOKS Our roundup of this months literary delights

Preston author David Hatton talks about his venture into the historic fiction market and his latest novel, The Exhumation. My latest novel, The Exhumation, begins with the true story of the attempted theft of Abraham Lincoln’s body from his tomb in Springfield, Illinois in 1876. It then fast-forwards to 2012 to a looming presidential election and the body has been ransacked again. Detective Darnell Jackson is on the case to find the body, in tow of his new side-kick, Vanessa Jamison, and they are forced to follow the footsteps of the former president to bring him home. Abraham Lincoln is generally considered to be one of the greatest ever presidents as he notably freed the slaves, having fought a bloody civil war to end it. However the detectives soon discover that Lincoln’s legacy as the great emancipator might not be all that it seems. Darnell, an African American who descended from slaves, is really troubled by his findings, all the while trying to manage the family issues unveiling at home. It isn’t helping that whoever took the body has a clear vendetta against Darnell, who is becoming emotionally involved in the case each day. The theories presented in the book are just theories but I have spent years researching the claims. There are lots of textbooks on the darker side of Lincoln, but this novel attempts to present both arguments. It is in no way an attempt to ‘out’ Lincoln, certainly no more than Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code supposedly claimed the decedents of Jesus Christ are still around us. They’re both pieces of fiction and I hope anyone reading either book would treat them as much. The book was inspired when I was living in Chicago back in 2009. Two friends of mine, who looked after me throughout my year over there, 162

took me on this epic adventure down Route 66 to Springfield. It was home to Lincoln’s former house, his offices where he practiced law, and the capital building where he ran as State Senate before taking on the White House in Washington DC. I knew very little about Lincoln prior to this visit but I became instantly fascinated with his story. On the way home, we stopped by his grave at Oak Ridge Cemetery and there was a sign there informing visitors about the attempted theft of his body in 1876. When I later told my friends about my newfound interest in Lincoln, some people raised the theories which I present in my book, claiming ‘Well, Lincoln wasn’t exactly the man everyone says he is.’ I immediately saw a book forming. I later visited Washington DC and Antietam, where the bloodiest battle of the Civil War took place, and I began to form the idea for this story. What if someone attempted to take the body today? I love a good conspiracy theory and I found lots of sources to support the claims made by the characters in the book. Equally there is lots of evidence to support the theory that Lincoln was exactly who history represents and I try to ensure that both sides of the tale are told. I penned this novel ten years ago but left it buried for many years, only picking it up again this year when lock down gave me ample time to write. As I was reviewing what I had written all those years ago, the news was carrying stories of the Black Lives Matter protests knocking down statues both in America and in the UK of those former leaders whose legacy had suddenly been put in the spotlight. Ten years ago, I wrote that if the world found out about the theories regarding Lincoln to be true, his statues would be torn down all over the world, including his notable memorial here in Manchester, England. It was pure coincidence that I picked this book up this year. Ten years on, the issues remain the same sadly, but I hope with this impending election along with the George Floyd tragedy that we will now have extra focus on ensuring we

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have a more inclusive society. Writing about an African American as a lead character wasn’t easy for a white male author and I don’t shy away from the criticism that might lead me to. I know I might not be the best person to write this character but I hope that anyone who may identify with the characters will feel they have been done justice. I acknowledge that I won’t have got everything right in the book, but I don’t believe authors should shy away from writing diverse characters. I read an interview with Dawn French the other day and she amplified this message, which I think is really important. We need diverse characters; if we only wrote about what we had experienced, we’d have very dull stories. As a gay man I never feel misrepresented by straight writers. But either way, it’s fantastic that we’re having this discussion in the first place. You don’t have to be a history buff to enjoy this book. I knew nothing before tackling this story and I’m certainly no expert, but I’ve tried to relay this story as simply as possible because I appreciate a lot of my audience is British and, like me, read for escapism and relaxation. It is a piece of entertainment. I like to write thrillers which are fast paced and can be taken on holiday and read easily by a beach. Where you can pick it up and pop it down at any moment and know exactly where you’ve left off. This novel is no different. Lincoln is only a small part of the story; the true story is with the protagonist, Darnell Jackson, who has one of his idols’ legacy pulled into the spotlight and makes him question his own identity along the way. His family is falling apart and his new side-kick, Vanessa, is half his age but is the same rank as him at work, and it’s fair to say he’s feeling a little threatened by this younger detective. I think most people could resonate with Darnell; how many of us have felt daunted at work by new team members, or have felt let down by our heroes, whether they were political leaders or celebrities impacted by the horrific scandal which was Operation Yewtree. www.lancmag.com

The Abraham Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC where David visited as part of his research for the book

Left: David’s latest novel - The Exhumation

This my second novel this year. Lock down life brought me ample time to write as I couldn’t go to the pub or see friends which I’d usually do over the weekend. The Catfish came out in June and followed the story of a lawyer who is asked to represent a nineteen year old who has been catfished online by a vigilante predator hunter group. The defendant has a development disorder and approached a young girl innocently online, only to be exposed by this all over social media. The story shines the spotlight on trial by media, hugely relevant today, especially after the tragic death of Caroline Flack, who had her private life thrust into the limelight. I was worried about the sensitive nature of the story; it wasn’t easy to write about, but I had positive feedback from those who read it. The Exhumation is the second book I’ve written based in the USA. My debut novel, The Return, was set in New York and followed the story of Marty Hahn, who faked his death in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He returns ten years later to claim the life insurance money, only to find his disgruntled family who are furious that he left them behind. My second novel, The Medium, was set a little closer to home www.lancmag.com

Right: David talking about his debut novel at a literature festival in Preston

in Manchester, where a psychic claims to know the whereabouts of a missing woman. I grew up in Preston and now live down the road in Horwich. My love of writing began in St Andrews Primary School in Ashton, Preston, where a teacher spotted my talent and really encouraged me. I promised her a signed copy of my first novel back in 1999 when I left St Andrews and I kept that promise, posting her a copy in 2018 when I finally released it. I live within walking distance to Rivington, which was a blessing in lock down where I could enjoy long walks. I really did feel for anyone who were cooped up and temporarily made my novels free to download for a short period to offer at least some entertainment during that bleak period. So what’s next for me? Well I’ve exhausted my jot-book of ideas so it’s back to the drawing board now. I’ll have to play around with some ideas but I hope to be back by autumn 2021 with a fresh novel. Although if restrictions are lifted, 2021 might be a year of me having lots of adventures and taking the time for much needed catch-ups with very missed friends.

All of David’s novels are available on Amazon as e-books or paperbacks.

Author, David Hatton

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Denise Mullen is a journalist, writer and entrepreneur. She is chair of www.ladiesofacertainageassassinsclub.com: ‘Life in the Crosshairs’, an online gentlemen’s club for ladies - which also welcomes gentlemen. The Club, which is free to join and launches later this year, is for discerning 40+s who love a spot of wit and repartee and find themselves just a little bit bored with Instagram fakery and Facebook fluff.

Who’s for an edgy new year then? So, bizarre as it may seem, 2021 is going to be a year of self-improvement. Yes, even by mid-January, even by me.

’m not sure how improved I’ll be, but it will be entirely selfish.

Most of us are a work in progress. I’m still no stranger to a bottle of Marlborough Estate Sauvignon and a woman who treats the vacuum like a virus (no improvement there, and nor do I care), so instead of tackling the inconsequential and deeply dull, I’m giving rein to a frivolous little bit of something ‘just because I fancy doing it’. Yep, my New Year’s resolutions diverged from

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the mundane this year. My one resolution was to make only one resolution. And that was not to make any. Apart from this one small thing. I decided I really needed to do something genuinely new. Ideally it would be something I could do indoors or out, wouldn’t require me to travel, wear anything Lycra or wash my hair. There would be no heavy kit to cart around and I wouldn’t break a www.lancmag.com

sweat doing it. It would require skill and focus and it would become a source of personal pride as I gained in confidence and proficiency. I ordered my kit. Imagine my excitement when the package eventually arrived. The set of pink ‘ladies’ throwing knives (in faux croc scabbard) arrived via flying reindeer – from Texas actually – to be unwrapped on Christmas morning. Inside was all kinds of fresh delight. The very throwing knives, and in a delicate shade of Rose Petal Blush. So my man set about project-managing a health & safety compliant knife-throwing booth. I’d need a contained area. Sides. It needs sides, he said. A target (make that a LARGE target) and some form of permeable and soft flooring to prevent the pointy bit breaking when I inevitably ‘wapped’ the floor repeatedly with my wildly inaccurate throwing. OK, fine. So I couldn’t start throwing practise until: 1. I had the booth to prevent injury to various pets, husband, wildlife, passers-by and 2. knew how to do it.

ordering Jablite insulation or polystyrene or other kind of fluffy stuff for lofts. The guy behind the counter asked him what the job was. Oh boy did my husband enjoy explaining it was for his wife’s new knife-throwing booth. I am now, officially, a tart with a dart. A kind and lovely friend helpfully did a little research after my constant whining about there being nowhere (within a 20-minute drive) to get expert help. She found a video guide to knife throwing, hosted by a Russian army chap who looks like he ate Ant whatshisname from SAS Who Dares Wins on the telly. In the video the butch Russian from the KGB with v. v. scary knife has trousers and a gilet with many pockets. I’m now frowning as I consider that I will need special knifethrowing trousers, steel toe-cap biker boots (actually, I may have those already) and possibly oven gloves (got-em). On closer inspection the captions on the video inform me to always keep my ‘spare’ concealed in my sock. Not a good (or achievable) look when you’ve set your heart on a shift dress, footless tights and sandals. Knife-man is grunting as he leans into his throw. His knife is huge and glinty and his hairy hand moves so fast I struggle to follow his grip technique. I try the weight forward stance - although I can’t bring myself to grunt - he’s right though, it does make a difference.

And there was the thing. I spent ages trawling the internet for knife throwing video explainers, classes in my area – you know the drill. However, there was nothing, nada, zip. I checked the packaging again. No instructions. I flipped the box onto its side in a last-ditch attempt to find some kind of nugget of help. There were three illustrations. 1. a target 2. a hand holding a knife by the tip 3. a hand holding a knife by the handle Hmm (raised eyebrow). A friend asked me why I’d decided to take up knife throwing. I considered – and then it just came out. ‘I’ve got a bad knee, I don’t ride or ski anymore because of said joint dislocated during these rufty tufty activities and felt I need a hobby with some edge. Plus, it’ll be a conversation piece at parties.’ Actually, I just really fancy having an out of the ordinary skill. Which is why it’s so galling I can’t find a teacher. Surely someone must teach this. Sort of darts but, like, way more Ninja, innit? And without the pint of bitter (I can just about stomach a half of Peroni) and horrible acrylic XXX4 teeshirt. Meanwhile, my man was down at the building suppliers www.lancmag.com

So the knife-throwing is progressing – well, knifely. Grouping is getting better. When I’m engaged in conversation about my new hobby I can feel a little frisson of pride flushing up my neck. We Ladiesofacertainageassassinsclub.com members are not thugs dearie. We are accomplished, smart and stylish - and fabulously and joyously underestimated, and that suits me just fine. However I do rummage for the odd cutting remark or two when people snigger – REPEATEDLY – with disbelief at my, admittedly, ridiculous new hobby. No one thought I was really taking up knife throwing huh? Imagine their faces when the ‘thunking’ from my new booth in the barn is accompanied by my dulcet tones ringing out: ‘Get In You Beauty!’ In short, I may just have to self-teach and then start classes for other ladies searching for something to take them beyond Bakeoff and see them through the New Year’s Strictly vacuum. Well: if goat yoga is a thing…… LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE 165

Housebuilding undergraduate students have bright future ahead REDROW’S latest recruits in Lancashire are developing career skills after joining the company’s housebuilding degree course.

Jasmine Parker

ndergraduates Natasha Holt, 23, and Jasmine Parker, 18, have started their three-year sponsored Construction Management degree programme at the Chorley headquarters of Redrow’s Lancashire division. The course was launched in 2017 by the housebuilder in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and Coleg Cambria and aims to teach participants the skills needed to work in a range of departments within Redrow. The first of its kind dedicated degree course is available for school leavers with a strong set of A-Level or BTEC Level 3 results and a desire to start a career in the industry, or for those with construction background looking for further qualifications. Aspiring site manager, Natasha, from Oswaldtwistle, had worked in construction for six years prior to starting her degree and the opportunity of future progression within Redrow was one of the reasons why she applied. She has already spent time with Redrow’s customer service and sales departments. “I knew I wanted to work my way up to being a site manager and thought the degree would give me so much wider knowledge of the business,” said Natasha. “It’s going to be really interesting to see how the other side of the company works away from the sites. The mix of spending time at university and being immersed in Redrow’s day to day working is so beneficial. I’m learning every day, especially with the rotation through different departments.” Southport-born Jasmine has always had an interest in property and applied for the degree because she felt it gave her good grounding in many areas within the industry. “The idea of merging a career with something that I had a keen interest in was always something I’d dreamt of,” said Jasmine. “Going down this route will provide me with so much opportunity and I’m excited to see which path I’ll eventually take. 166

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Natasha Holt “Having the ability to learn on the job while studying for my degree is also a massive plus. Everyone I’m surrounded by has so much knowledge that they can pass onto me too.” Natasha and Jasmine will also be supported by three mentors: trainee area sales manager Amy Bates, planner Sally Riley and technical administrator, Natalie Hendry. Amy wanted to become a mentor to further develop her management skills. She said: “Our role as mentors involves checking in with Natasha and Jasmine on their placements and being their direct line manager. We will also be organising their rotation through different departments. I will be checking in via Zoom and phone calls and seeing them when I can.” The new degree course will see Natasha and Jasmine study six modules each year covering different areas of housebuilding, including quality, project management, health and safety, business skills and negotiations, through to aspects of law, mathematics and economics. They will be assessed via a combination of examination, coursework and a final year dissertation project; together with site visits, virtual learning and tutorials, while carrying on with their day-to-day roles. Natasha and Jasmine will benefit from learning the role each individual and department plays within the business and at the end choose the discipline and department they feel suits them best and have an opportunity to develop this. It’s further evidence of how Redrow values its people and demonstrates the commitment which, in 2016, helped Redrow become the first housebuilder to achieve the Quality Mark from the British Institute of Learning and Development. Redrow has also been a Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer for five consecutive years. o find out more about Redrow’s housebuilding degree visit www.redrowcareers.co.uk/redrowhousebuildingdegree www.lancmag.com

Colour and Style

www.sarahharrisstyle.co.uk

Our section on Colour and Style with Sarah Harris from ‘Colour Me Beautiful’

Happy New Year.

I’m Sarah Harris and I’m a Colour and Style Consultant who trained with Colour Me Beautiful the world’s leading Image consultants. My background is in fashion and after leaving school at 16 I travelled to London to work as a Fashion/photographic model, I enjoyed the life and it allowed me to travel the world, during my career I also worked in wholesale/retail within the fashion industry. I learnt all about fabrics, business, international companies and trying all those clothes on – the quality, cut and fabric. I took a break from the business when I married and had our two children. I retrained as an Image consultant with Colour Me Beautiful who have been changing the lives of women and men for over 35 years. I’d like to inspire you with Colour, Style and skincare tips every month, I’m hoping to give you an interesting read. If there is something that you would like to know about please email me and I will do my best to help. Email: sarah@sarahharrisstyle.co.uk www.sarahharrisstyle.co.uk

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Let’s turn a fresh page this year and start with hope that the coming year will be everything that we want it to be!! Wrap up, take a walk and take a look at the beauty of nature. Send yourself positive messages and make your mindset happy! It is good to see faces smiling so don’t hide behind your mask. (unless of course you have to)

What are you wearing for the New Year ? Are you going to go to town with sparkle and shine or tone down with a more relaxed style. Whatever you decide make sure your makeup fits the look. It could be that on New Years Eve you are going to ‘Paint the Town Red’ and go for razzle dazzle!! And why not start the year off with Red Carpet Glamour, I know we could all do with something exciting!! And if you find your dress or jacket is the wrong colour why not add a statement collar!

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Even though we may not be able to gather in groups in person this season we can always have a zoom party with family and friends. It is a fact that getting dressed up makes us feel better and this summer I had fun with my wardrobe!

Let’s GET READY TO PARTY!!!!!! New Years Eve

Time to Get Ready What are you wearing and how are you going to wear your make-up? This depends on your style personality. Creative – You prefer to be your individual self, some creatives create pure art on their faces. Dramatics – you are going to be noticed this New Year and go all out to stand out from the crowd! Maybe add those eye lashes, red lipstick and even gems! Romantic – you want to look beautiful and create that dream look and if you are wearing silk or chiffon your look will be delicate and delightful. Nothing too over powering for a romantic. Classic – your make-up will be how it always is nothing out of place, your eye shadow and eye liner will co-ordinate and your lipstick will compliment it perfectly! Natural – You will wear very little make-up if any at all! You feel at ease with nature and don’t like too much product on your skin. City Chic – Yours will be very continental and perfectly applied like the classic but with something extra added like eyelashes, or maybe a little sparkle! You could be a mix of the above but often we are drawn to one. I have created some eye combinations for evening looks using Colour Me Beautiful make-up, for the different dominants. Start by preparing the eye area and adding Colour Me Beautiful eye base. This will help prevent creasing and keep your eye make-up in place for longer. Anything we can do to make ourselves and those around us feel better is worth the effort. I’ve had great fun looking through my wardrobe and those of my clients this year, we have de cluttered and created great outfits from what we already have! So now is a good time to have more fun and put those great looks to use and what better time than now!! Great look for Christmas and New Year

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Red Carpet Glamour - perfect for New Year’s eve! New Year’s Eve as far back as I can remember has always been a time to celebrate, and as we pause before the clock strikes 12 and the countdown begins, our minds fill with the nostalgia of the year that we are leaving behind and a hope for a happy and healthy new year. LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE 169

Deeps/Warms/Softs - Gold Whisper and intense damson eye shadow, golden sand highlighter, aubergine eye pencil and warm brown mascara. To create this look apply Gold Whisper eye shadow from the lash to the eyebrow, add damson eye shadow on the orbit bone to the outer corner and in a crescent shape at the outer area, blend well with a blending brush. Add the aubergine eye pencil from the centre of the eyelash and sweep outwards and up. Add a little damson eyeshadow under the eye and eye liner close to the lashes. Golden sand highlighter in the inner corner of the eye and under the outer brow. Warm brown mascara to upper and lower lashes.

Lights/Cools/Softs – Champagne and heather eyeshadow, galactic frost highlighter, granite eye pencil and navy mascara. Apply Champagne eyeshadow all over eye area from eyelash to eyebrow, use heather eyeshadow on the orbit bone and at the outer corner in a crescent shape and blend well also a little under the eye. Granite eye liner from the centre of the top lashes and sweep outward and upwards also under the eye but close to the lashes. Add galactic frost highlighter in the inner corner of the eye and just below the eyebrow. Navy mascara to upper and lower lashes. 170

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Softs/Warms/Deeps – Arabian nights and intense olive eye shadow, moss eye pencil, golden sand highlighter, warm brown mascara. To create this look apply the intense olive eyeshadow to the whole eye area then arabian nights eyeshadow onto the eye lid and orbit bone and at the outer corner in a crescent shape then blend well. Sweep the Moss eyeliner from the centre of the eye outwards and upwards and under the eye as close as possible to the lashes. Then apply golden sand highlighter just below the brow bone and inner eye. Then add Warm Brown mascara to the upper and lower lashes to complete this evening look.

Clears/Cools/Deeps – Champagne and Roseberry eye shadow, galactic frost highlighter with marine eye pencil and black mascara. To create this look apply champagne eyeshadow all over the eye area to the brow bone, roseberry eyeshadow to the orbit bone and eye lid and blend in add a little under the eye, then put a touch of galactic frost highlighter just under brow and in the inner corner of the eye. Sweep the marine eye pencil from the centre of the eye lashes outwards to create a flick then apply under the eye close to the lashes. Add lashings of black mascara on the upper and lower lashes. All the make-up is from the Colour Me Beautiful collection. Please remember that every eye shape is different and therefore every application is individual. If you would like any make-up advice please contact me sarah@sarahharrisstyle.co.uk www.lancmag.com

Whatever you are doing this New Year I hope that you enjoy it and remember to be yourself!

Sparkle and Shine this season I wish you all a very Happy and Peaceful Season! Warm Wishes, Sarah x

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Our award-winning style guru, Moo, has worked in television for over 20 years with presenters including Natasha Kaplinsky, Kirsty Young, Kirsty Gallacher and is now a personal stylist to us ‘normal women’ sharing all the inside tricks of the trade. If you’d like any personal styling advice or to see more tips please visit www.moostyle.co.uk Traditionally January means a new start and a chance to hit refresh. The beginning of 2021 may not be the change we are hoping for, yet, but whilst we are having to still be careful about seeing others it can be chance to take stock. Take stock of what we want to prioritise – who and what is important to us and our time. How you feel about yourself is something we each live with in our own heads day in day out. Only we can change that internal dialogue. I have helped hundreds of women (and men!) with that step of feeling more positive about themselves. Style can be seen as frivolous but what you wear each day IS important. It can help you feel more positive about yourself which will impact your interactions, and therefore your relationships; and your work. It also reflects who you are to the outside world so we want it to be our very best version. Again that will impact on how positive we feel and thus our mental health. It’s foolish to consider it mere vanity. So how we can make those steps to finding and feeling the best versions of ourselves? As a qualified personal stylist and colour consultant so my tips are not just thought out in my head, they have come from years of training and testing. I adore the difference changing colour and style can make to a person’s image and how they feel about themselves, I keep all the thank you letters to remind myself the real difference it makes. It is a priority for many now to shun fast fashion for more considered 172

purchases that will last. This can be for reasons of the environment and not using limited resources to make new clothes, reducing chemical impact and/or it can be financial. In order to streamline your purchases you need to make sure each piece that you have in your wardrobe or buy is one that you can wear and wear (and wear and wear). The #30wearschallenge is all about wearing every piece of clothing you buy at least thirty times and will embrace a more sustainable fashion industry. I have to admit that I wear my clothing MANY more times than that. Ridiculously so. I laugh in the face of a mere 30 times! However in order to do so and still feel fabulous you need to ensure that each pieces works for YOU, your life, your shape, your colouring. We can all look at images

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of celebrities looking amazing – like the recent images Vogue showed of Nicole Kidman in the so-called “most divisive coat on TV”. Now unless you’re over 5 foot 6 and with a warm complexion and a touch of a romantic style personality you will not be able to rock that green super long velvety coat when you put it on but she looks amazing in it. So you need to ask yourself important questions for each piece of clothing you buy and that you have in your wardrobe. Oh yes, you do need to clear out the wood for the trees and do a wardrobe edit. There is no point in having clothing there unworn and unloved, pass them on to someone who will wear them. Let’s streamline and you’ll find getting dressed each day so much easier. www.lancmag.com

1. Does this colour suit me? I always like to start with colour. In the drab dark days of winter colour seems even more important especially once the reds, greens and sparkle of Christmas have been packed away. Even the colours you surround yourself in your house can lift your spirits, and near to your face it is transformative. It can help your skin look more even, you look healthier and even younger. You may remember times when you’ve dolled yourself up to go out and person after person has asked how you’re feeling. Soon you want to scream, I was feeling great before you all kept asking! It may be because the colour you’re wearing is washing you out. If I wear a pale pink for instance I look decidedly insipid but put me in a vibrant pumpkin and I rock. However, if you put the gorgeous Reese Witherspoon in that same orange and she would be overpowered by it, yet you can imagine how gorgeous she is in the pale pink. We want to find the colours that flatter your skin tone, hair and eyes to ensure we see how well you look when you enter a room rather than your outfit enter before you. This works equally as well on men as women, particularly men who haven’t thrown out the pale greys that they used to look amazing in when they were younger and now their hair has gone grey, and their skin tone and wow when they put on that pale grey all you see them looking washed out. There are six dominant colour types. And yes you can change which type

you are by changing your hair colour or in fact just by aging. Judi Dench for instance in the ‘60s had gorgeous dark hair and bright blue eyes so she would have been a CLEAR dominant, then through the ‘70s her hair colour was much lighter and she could have been a SOFT dominant (I would need to have tested her to be 100% sure!) and yet now she is a fabulous COOL. The joy of having a colour consultation means that you find out how to wear

colour not simply which colours flatter you. You do walk away with a wallet of your most flattering colours and which are the WOW ones that make you ping, but also how to put them together. We can’t merely say you must never wear X, Y or Z. So back to the pale pink on me…if I really wanted to wear it, I’d keep it away from my face and mix it with a strong red or a deep teal to make it work for me.

2. What shapes flatter me? It’s not about size, it’s about shape. Generally you can go up and down in size but your shape stays the same (until we need to talk the menopause but that’s another fun and longer conversation!) If you have a waist for instance we need to ensure that it’s shown off, but you may want to disguise your tum. A pear shape has a waist but a wider bottom half in proportion to the top, but if we don’t show off her waist then she can end up looking like a triangle. Knowing which style of jacket, coat, dress, trousers, tops is a revelation. This is even down to choosing t-shirts. www.lancmag.com

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In a style consultation we also take into consideration proportions as shorter legs/longer body will suit different shapes to those short in the body. We also look at fabrics as they can make a huge impact. If you’re a fuller hour glass figure, putting you in a stiff linen fabric will make you look larger than you are. Imagine wrapping a vase in stiff brown paper and then think about doing it in tissue paper. That’s what we are looking at – we also think of the patterns on the fabrics with your proportions.

3. What is my style personality?

This is when the real magic happens. Your personal style is influenced by so many factors – where you grew up, what your hobbies are, where you live and work now. Getting clarity on your personal style stops so many wrong purchases. As a bit of a fashion victim I could look at a Chanel style jacket and think YES, but as a creative/natural style personality I would only wear it when it was in fashion, in years to come it would go unworn and to the back of my wardrobe. But if I had a more classic style personality, I’d pull it out again and again. Classics are all the way from Reese Witherspoon and Audrey Hepburn to Princess Anne and Margaret Thatcher. Your style personality can impact everything – the clothes you wear, the fabrics you love (oh yes I’m a leopard print girl as a creative but a classic 174

would prefer a Breton stripe), the shoes and handbags you prefer – even down to the face mask you chose. Knowing it can save you a fortune but also help you express who you are on the inside. Marrying your real ‘inside’ you with how you look on the outside to the world helps you feel your genuine self. And that can only help us feel happier.

person or on zoom then please email me any time moostylist@gmail.com. Here to help! I can also help solve your Christmas present list as well as there are Moo Style vouchers for colour & style consultations, wardrobe edits, personal shopping, make up and skincare.

Here’s to a happy, healthy and stylish 2021!

If you need any help or advice, please do contact me via my website moostyle.co.uk or join my facebook group for style tips and shortcuts Moo Style VIPs. If you’d like to find out more about a 1:1 consultation either in

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Welcome to The Wonderful World of Ruby and Daisy We offer a personal shopping service in store along with refreshments, reserved items, loyalty cards and regular special offers. Our brand new website delivers a helpful shopping experience, as do our Facebook & Instagram Pages. Shop online to build loyalty points and join our friendly community via our Facebook V.I.P page to receive exclusive discounts and offers. Be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for videos, competitions and much more! Come and see us or get in touch for a first-hand ‘Ruby & Daisy Experience’ As a special Ruby & Daisy treat we are giving you 20% off your purchase with code LANCSNWR&D20. Simply apply the code at the checkout on our website www.rubyanddaisy.co.uk or present this magazine feature in store. *T&C’s apply.

www.rubyanddaisy.co.uk 331 Burnley Road, Novak Mill, Crawshawbooth, Rossendale, BB4 8LA

Call Us On: 0808 196 2216 Follow us on Facebook & Instagram! Facebook: Ruby&Daisy / Instagram: rubydaisy1

Antonella Talks Fashion

Well hello F lowerpots, It’s me; your Aunty Nelly, back to welcome you to this month’s edition of my blog, and what a month it is. It’s finally acceptable for me to talk about my second favourite C word, Christmas! It’s been a strange old year, but I have some items to show you that are bound to cheer you up. Before we go into this month’s fabulous edition, I’d like to introduce myself to you if you don’t already know who I am. I am known for being Facebook famous and created the page Antonella the Uncensored Reviewer where I try before you buy, I have now accumulated almost 1.5 million followers on my Facebook page and 258k followers on Instagram! Who’d have thought? Other than becoming an internet sensation, I am a co-owner of a stunning boutique called Ruby and Daisy located in the Rossendale Valley alongside Louie and Helena, and over the years we have become a force in the world of fashion striving towards becoming the UK’s leading brand for onesize clothing in women’s fashion. Our goal at Ruby and Daisy is to provide women with easy to wear, affordable clothing that flatters your figure and gives you that confidence that you have possibly lost over the years shopping on the high street.

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Seeing as it’s the season for giving, let’s talk about all the gifts we have available at Ruby and Daisy this month. What better way to start off than with the incredible range of scarves? The Wild Cat Scarf has been a line that you have literally gone wild for! It’s large multi cat print has been a huge winner this season already and anybody would be delighted to receive that under the tree this Christmas. If you’re looking for something slightly thicker for these colder months why not have a look at the Thread Striped Fringed Scarf? It has such a designer inspired feel and has a stunning edge fringe. Christmas isn’t always about gifting others so why not take some time looking for yourself too and pop one of these in your basket? Available in two colours and at only £15 it would be rude not to really. Now, if you’re a bit of an animal print lover, you’re going to absolutely love the Leopard Splat Wool Scarf. This thick, woollen scarf will carry you through this season perfectly and right into the next, and would make the most perfect gift for someone who loves their animal print. At only £15 this would be a must have for under that Christmas Tree! Following on from our beautiful scarves, why not add a little bit of bling? Our magnetic brooches make a stunning gift to team with our scarves, the magnets are incredibly strong meaning that you can clip your scarves together to adjust how you’d like to wear it. Your scarves have never been so versatile! We have a growing range already including the Tree of Life, the Hammered Star, the Heart and the Angel Wing Brooch and as Louie says these are perfect for the ‘lady who has everything’ because she won’t have one of these! These are only £10 and would make a perfect gift with one of our scarves mentioned earlier. www.lancmag.com

Magnetic brooches £10

Let’s take a trip to our smellies range, we have a massive range of scented items that you’ll fall in love with straight away. All included in our gifts collection on the website there really is a scent for everyone. Our Sweet Grace has been a winner for years, its sweet passionfruit infused smell has won the hearts of many, so why not treat someone special to this range at Christmas? We can guarantee that whoever receives this as a gift will be hooked as we all are! With the prices ranging from £4-9 there really is something for everyone. Whether it’s something to freshen up a room, or a gorgeous votive, perfectly packaged you’ll be able to please everybody. Not only do we offer our sachets in the Sweet Grace range, but we have branched out to new fragrances so you can mix and match. We have of course upped our accessory game with our bags this season. The Wristlet purse is a new line that has multiple colour ways, these can be teamed with any outfit and would be a fabulous gift for one of your favourite friends. It’s such an easy item, get your cards in, get your money in and off you pop to the shop looking classy and straight from the catwalk. Let’s face it, even though we’ve had to stay indoors we all like to look and feel good, especially through the Christmas Season. At only £10 these really are a lovely gift or perfect for treating yourself. www.lancmag.com

It’d be rude not to tell you about the Magic Trousers at Christmas, now I’m not telling you that they don’t make a great gift, because they do. But what I’d be doing is popping a pair in your basket and saving them for Christmas Day. Tear open the wrapping and pop them on, ready for the masses of roast dinner and chocolates that you’ll consume all day.

Let the pants expand with you, no discomfort, no lines and no button marks. Just a full tum and comfy pants. These are a must have item and are just £25! After you’ve attempted to stretch your pants to full capacity (I’m convinced you won’t), why not slip into the Lazy Loungesuit? Now; this lounge set does make a great Christmas present, or put them into one of those Christmas Eve boxes that everyone raves about! You know the ones where you get a Christmas film, a candle and some new PJ’s or a loungesuit? Well this would be a lovely addition to a Christmas Eve Box, or if you’re traditional, save this for Christmas Day. There’s a multiple range of colours available in stock so you’re onto a winner every time and at just £22 and onesize going from a size 10-20 you really can’t go wrong. Well all that’s left to say is happy shopping and I hope you all have a snuggly and cosy Christmas.

Lots of Love Your Aunty Nelly

Stylish Show Home opens its doors in Rufford

Bayswater Show Home

Jones Homes opens the doors to a brand-new Show Home at its Hesketh Reach development in Rufford, featuring exclusive designs from Show Business Interiors. Visitors to the development are now able to view the classically styled four-bedroom detached Bayswater Show Home, but due to Covid-19 social distancing measures this is currently by appointment-only. Following the success of their Roseacre Gardens development in the village, Jones Homes is building 29 new homes at Hesketh Reach, just off Liverpool Road and the first residents were welcomed in to their brand-new home at the end of October. Carol Barlow, Sales Director for Jones Homes Lancashire, said:

“The homes at Hesketh Reach are all built to a high specification, with quality materials and appliances used throughout. The development, which is

being overseen by an award-winning site manager, offers its residents exceptional homes in a picturesque village setting.” “Visitors to the Show Home at Hesketh Reach will not only be able to see the style and quality of the properties we have on offer but will also experience the beautiful designs from Show Business Interiors.” Amie Reeves, Brand and Business Development Manager at Show Business Interiors, said

“The interior of the Bayswater Show Home has a classical style to emphasise the specification and quality of the home so visitors can envision themselves living here.”

“The brief from Jones Homes was to design the Show Home in a way that emphasised this, and through the use of a neutral colour pallet mixed with current interior trends, we have created a sophisticated and elegant design throughout the home.” All of the homes available to purchase at Hesketh Reach are now released for sale, with prices starting from £279,995 for three-bedroom homes, and from £409,995 for fourbedroom properties. To visit the new Show Home please call 01704 778435 or visit Jones-homes.co.uk

Time is running out to make savings

during the Stamp Duty Holiday

†

On 8th July Rishi Sunak, announced a Stamp Duty Holiday which could save home buyers up to £15,000 in Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT). He raised the threshold at which buyers have to start paying stamp duty from £125,000 to £500,000, in England and Northern Ireland. The incentive has been widely regarded as a success and there are calls for the scheme to be extended but at the time of print is due to end on 31st March 2021 with the Stamp Duty liability returning to the usual pre-COVID-19 rates. Whilst this may still sound some time off, in reality the cut-off point to benefit from this scheme is much sooner. The property sale must be ‘legally complete’ by the 31st March. Failure to complete the purchase in time could see the breakdown of chains, with movers potentially financially unable to continue with the purchase, as they would have to find additional funds to pay stamp duty. According to property portal Zoopla, the time it takes between agreeing a sale and completing is normally just under 100 days. Their research also shows that 81% of all sales agreed in December typically complete by the end of March the following year. This fell to just 54% for sales agreed in January. In reality this means you should ideally agree a deal to buy a home before Christmas. The sales pipeline is now 50% bigger than a year ago. There are 140,000 more home sales in the system, creating pressure on estate agents, lenders, valuers, conveyancers and other professionals in the housing market. This sheer volume of business could lead to the buying timeline increasing in the short term.

Andrew Maclean, Sales Manager at Jones Homes (Lancashire) encourages buyers not to delay too much longer. “Whilst we still have a good number of homes that can be reserved and legally completed before the March deadline, the success of the scheme means there are a high number of transactions, some with lengthy chains, being pushed through the conveyancing system. In some instances, this is creating a back log.

without an extension to the scheme, time is certainly running out” To view available homes from Jones Homes, visit jones-homes.co.uk

At Jones Homes our conveyancing and legal partners are working closely with us to ensure our reservations complete before the deadline to offer maximum savings and peace of mind to our customers but

†Stamp Duty threshold at single home rate only available on homes up to the value of £500,000 and until 31st March 2021, please speak to our Sales Advisor for further details. *The government backed Help to Buy scheme requires purchasers to fund at least 80% of the purchase price by means of a conventional mortgage, savings and any deposit where required. Eligible applicants will be offered an equity loan of 20% of the market price, interest free for the first five years. At the start of year six a fee of 1.75% is payable on the equity loan, which rises annually by RPI inflation plus 1%. Terms and conditions apply and full details will be provided on request. Only available on selected properties in England. YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE. Prices and details correct at time of production. Images for illustrative purposes only.

Why buy new? What can buyers expect from a new home in 2021

In a survey by the HBF (Home Builders Federation) over a third of homeowners surveyed who made home improvements spend £10,000 £40,000 upgrading their pre-loved home, with 13% reporting that they spend over £40,000. Additional research suggests that the cost of upgrading an average 3 bedroom, semi-detached secondhand property to the basic level of specifications an owner would be able to expect from a new build can be over £50,000! Improved insulation and building techniques can also mean that your new build home can save you significant amounts on energy bills. Buyers of New Build homes can also be reassured by having a number of warranties included in their purchase such as the Consumer Code for Homebuilders, covering regulatory aspects of the purchasing process, a 2 year Customer Service Warranty when the home is moved into, along with a 10 structural warranty, offered by the National House Building Council.

Just look what’s included As a working example we asked Jones Homes what a buyer of a new build home might be able to expect from one of their new build properties. Sales Director Carol Barlow explained

“At Jones Homes we try to think of everything so our buyers don’t have to, and want to exceed expectations wherever possible. We are rated 5 stars for recommendations from our purchasers when surveyed by the HBF and believe our internal specification means our homes offer buyers a wow factor that is less easy to find in an older home. We also work with some brand names buyers will recognise for their high quality” “St Peter’s Park in Mawdesley, is a good example of our superior specification, that is included as standard” • Choice of fitted kitchen with soft close buffers, and LED light bar • Choice of solid quartz worktops, with matching upstands and window cill*` • Open plan kitchen diner with bi-fold doors for garden access

• Decorative, screwless polished chrome light switches and sockets • LED downlighters in the kitchen and bathrooms • White bathroom porcelain by Villeroy & Boch and chrome taps by Hansgrohe • Fully tiled bathroom walls and floors in a choice of tiles by Porcelanosa • Thermostatic shower by Aqualisa in bathroom and en-suite, remotely operated showers in selected housetypes • Bathroom cabinet with heated mirror, LED light and shaver point • Fitted wardrobes to bedroom one • All floor coverings included (including optional tiles or Amtico to selected areas) • Block Paved Driveway

• Rear garden fully fenced and turfed • Integrated kitchen appliances by Neff • Solid oak handrail, spindles and newel post to stairs • Dedicated study/home office in some house types

For more information about St Peter’s Park in Mawdesley visit jones-homes.co.uk or call 01704 776352

Property Spotlight The Baycliffe Plot 55a - £224,395 A beautiful 3 bedroom semi-detached home with parking. Moorfield Park, Garstang Road East, Poulton-le-Fylde, FY6 7SY.

Upgraded kitchen and flooring included! Help to Buy at a glance,

Buying a £224,400 home

£11,220

Buyer’s 5% deposit

£44,880 Government’s 20% loan

£168,300

75% Mortgage from commercial lender

You’ll be amazed what you can afford with Help to Buy* • You only need a 5% deposit • Qualify for up to a 20% interest-free government loan* • Enjoy better rates on a 75% mortgage • Applies to first time buyers only

At Moorfield Park there really has never been a better time to buy your dream home! Reserve The Baycliffe Plot 55a for £224,395 today PLUS kitchen and

Viewing this home is highly

flooring included!

recommended to appreciate the

This home is available with Help to Buy, PLUS during the Chancellors

space, location and specification

Stamp Duty holiday† you will also make a Stamp Duty saving of £2,060. The Baycliffe is a stunning 943 sq ft 3 bedroom semi-detached home. A separate living

included. A furnished view home is available to visit.

room can be accessed from the entrance hall before leading into a modern open plan kitchen/dining room that spans the rear of the property, bi-fold doors open up onto the patio area and turfed rear garden.

Moorfield Park, Garstang Road East, Poulton-le-Fylde, FY6 7SY.

A downstairs WC completes the ground floor. On the first floor, the 3 bedrooms

For full details, tel 01253 808440

are served by a modern family bathroom. The master bedroom is equipped with

Open 7 days a week

an en-suite shower room. The driveway provides off-road parking. We are pleased to advise that we have created a safe environment for you to visit us and are open for 1-2-1 appointments and personal viewings, so why not contact us today and let us help you to buy your dream home. †Stamp Duty threshold at single home rate only available on homes up to the value of £500,000 and until 31st March 2021, please speak to our Sales Advisor for further details. *The government backed Help to Buy scheme requires purchasers to fund at least 80% of the purchase price by means of a conventional mortgage, savings and any deposit where required. Eligible applicants will be offered an equity loan of 20% of the market price, interest free for the first five years. At the start of year six a fee of 1.75% is payable on the equity loan, which rises annually by RPI inflation plus 1%. Help to buy is applicable to first time buyers only and regional price caps apply. Terms and conditions apply and full details will be provided on request. Only available on selected properties in England. YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE. Prices and details correct at time of production. Images for illustrative purposes only.

‘Digital marketing’ seems to be one of those industries which cropped up almost out of nowhere in recent years. In fact, it has been burgeoning over the past 15 to 20 years to its current levels but spite of this, it’s one of those areas that people tend to know little about. As an ex-Marketer myself, I have a good knowledge of what the principles entail, or so I thought. That was of course until I sat down with Aaron Crewe, Managing Director and Founder of novi.digital, one of the most forward-thinking and pioneering agencies in the North West, if not the UK.

As a nation ever more digitally connected, we spend more time than ever before online and you will no doubt have noticed yourself that this has caused a huge shift in behaviour. Not only in the way we absorb information, but how we actively research, how we interact with others and how companies promote their products and services to us. It is this latter area that novi.digital concerns itself with and works with businesses 182

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to develop long-term responsive strategies that will ensure they get seen by the right people, in the right place, at the right time. But more than the companies they work with, the relationships Aaron fosters within his staff are one of his proudest assets. His novel approach to enterprise is one which needs more looking at, so I chatted with Aaron to find out how novi.digital ticks. Here’s what he had to say… Getting novi.digital to this point took passion and determination. I launched as a sole trader under a different name back in 2009, SEO24/7, and over the years, the proposition and business model has evolved. However, I have always been focused on doing things properly. It sounds simple but you’d be amazed at how many businesses out there don’t do a thorough job and end up letting their clients down. I’ve always been clear that this won’t be the case with our business so clients can trust that processes will be robust and followed to the letter. We have made mistakes along the way, but it is how we evolve from the mistakes and prevent them from happening again in the future that really helps to define us as a marketleading business. I set the business up using a combination of a university grant, bursary and loan (amounting to approximately £7,000) which was all paid back some time ago. The plan was always to try www.lancmag.com

not seek to any further investment. Even in the more challenging periods, I’m proud to say we have managed to stick to this. I simply ensure that the company earnings are reinvested back into the business, which allows us to nourish the team and grow where we need to. novi. digital was founded in Lancashire, and the main operational base remains here – Northerners do tend to be staunchly proud of our backgrounds, after all (I’m actually originally from Yorkshire)! We’ve of course spread our wings and are now an industry-leader in providing digital marketing services to not just locally-based businesses in the North West, but far and wide too. These include global organisations, leading universities and even government organisations. We tend not to specialise in specific industries purely because our technology and principles lend themselves well to a multitude of business types. Whilst we do have specialist expertise in certain sectors, we have a self-proposed, non-compete promise. This means that we promise our clients that we won’t offer the same service(s) to their competitors whilst they are a client. Instead, we take the knowledge from one sector and apply it to others. This approach means that we are always doing something different to the next best agency. We are proud of our unique ethos. Every few years, we sit our teams down in a big meeting to www.lancmag.com

decide on our values. Here are our six values that our current teams work towards: 1. Dedication…to ensure success throughout everything we do. 2. Integrity…to ensure a belief that everything we do is for the right reasons. 3. Progression…by ensuring that we are always focused on future growth, whilst also learning from the past. 4. Collaboration…with you and your company to achieve a greater goal. 5. Support…to both our team and your t eam to give everyone what they need to achieve success. 6. Sustainability…to the world environmentally, to people in terms of wellbeing and to the business financially. Our Mission Statement was decided by our employees. It states “novi.digital is dedicated to sustainable growth for people and organisations”. Sustainability truly resonates not just through the company, but within our clients and the wider world too. Obviously, it has become one of the latest buzz words bandied about and is most often used when talking about the environment. But at novi.digital, we mean it in a more holistic sense. In terms of the environment, we do place a great deal of importance on this and have launched LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE 183

various initiatives including planting a tree every month for each client in a location of their choosing. But like I say, sustainability means much more than the environment and applies also to the relationships we have with clients and our team. We want the organisations we work with to have sustainable business models and practices that will see them reach their goals and objectives, for example, we avoid being sent post and don’t use a printer. When it comes to our employees, we want to ensure we have a workforce who not only stays with us for a long period of time, but is also happy when they start work in a morning. That’s why we have initiatives such as Employee of the Week (voted for solely by colleagues), performance bonuses for individuals who go above and beyond (and which are nominated by the team rather than purely by management) and we also reward the team with 10% commission for the lifetime of a client’s engagement with us. We really do like to bring the words of our Mission Statement to life. Our success stories with both clients and staff are testament to this we have a very low client and employee attrition rate and an exceptionally low absence rate too. I take this as a good sign that people like working with, and for, novi.digital! Take a look at one of our case studies here: Goals

• ↑ users x10 • ↓ in cost-per-conversion by 50%

Solution • Create single AdWord groups to ↑ quality scores & ↓costs-per-click • New ads to ↑ click-through-rates • Specific landing pages created Results highlights • ↑ conversions by 4,871% (from 7 to 348) • ↓ cost of customer enquiry from £100 to sub-£20 • Achieved 85% share of all the views in the related keyword category

What truly sets us apart is our innovation. Unlike agencies with pool tables, slides or beer in the fridge, which ultimately create instant gratification rather than a long-term satisfaction, we focus our efforts on wellbeing and creating purpose. This is where I like to focus my efforts. However, I think our real differentiating asset is our pioneering spirit which fosters innovation. This has enabled us to develop our latest software, CAPTIVISE.com. This belongs entirely to novi. digital and has been five years in the making, with the input of many different software developers to ensure it does exactly what we need it to do for clients. It’s a revolutionary tool which uses the 184

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data held in Google Ads (these keywords are what appears in the adverts at the top of the search when you type in, ‘cordless vacuum cleaners’, for example) to facilitate machine learning and automate key sales. In short, it means that companies don’t have to worry about analysing their own data to ensure they get the most out of their advertising budget. When done manually, this can be incredibly time consuming and you might not always get it quite right. Not only will CAPTIVISE.com analyse the data, it will also allow the company to optimise the accuracy of keyword bidding to achieve maximum profitability. There are many other functions in the tool, but www.lancmag.com

fundamentally it comes down to ensuring the correct cost-per-sale to maximise margin and achieve ROI. Systems like these will change digital marketing because they will make it even more intelligent and intuitive without the clients needing to do anything at all, apart from set their desired margin and target cost-per-sale. Given how much research is done via Google and the volume of traffic driven to websites which comes from Google Ads, this sort of tech can offer an impressive ROI and either save a great deal of money, or improve profitability significantly. It’s something we are extremely proud of and can’t wait for more of our clients to adopt it. The success we have had since our soft launch has been greater than we hoped for and enabled us to win Search Marketing Campaign of the Year at the Northern Marketing Awards! Our partnerships are key to helping us give something back. I know better than anyone that the right team around you will enable your success, which is why I have tried to create such a positive culture within the team. However, it isn’t only our team itself which we need in order to serve our clients in the best way. We also have some key relationships and partnerships with organisations that allow us to help more companies than we otherwise might. Here in the North West, we work particularly closely with the Lancaster & District Chamber of Commerce – with our headquarters actually in Lancaster itself, it makes perfect sense! It gives us the opportunity to reach more businesses in the local area, not just from a services perspective but also on the training side too. In fact, we are launching a range of training events in the not too distant future which won’t just suit businesses. No, we are very mindful of how challenging this year has been for many with jobs being lost and an uncertain future. As such, we will also be offering training to people who have been made redundant in an attempt to get them back into work (see dates & topics in the highlighted box). A thriving economy will help us all and I feel it’s important to help when you’re in a position of strength. In addition to the local Chamber, we’re also proud to work with Prolific North and the London Mayor’s Office which will help us reach a wider audience. Prolific North is a platform for the marketing, media and creative sectors, sharing news, events, jobs and more across the North of England. The London Mayor’s Office will enable us to spread our help across the London region where we have another presence (in Canary Wharf). Awards are a fantastic compliment. Within four years of setting up, we received our first www.lancmag.com

major nomination at the BIBAs, Lancashire’s premier business awards. It actually stands for Be Inspired Business Awards so I was really proud that my agency had been nominated for the Best New Business category as it showed that we were obviously doing something a little different than the rest of the market. Over the years, we’ve been finalists or shortlisted for a whole host of different accolades including from the Red Rose Awards, E3 Business Awards, the EMEA Google Premier Partner Agency Awards in Dublin, the Digital Entrepreneur Awards, the FSB and more recently, The Drum and the Northern Marketing Awards. I’m pleased to say that we were successful in our Northern Marketing Awards category of ‘Best Search Marketing Campaign’ which we won thanks to our work with Property Data. Property Data help investors make the right purchases based on independent market data for the property investment and development sectors and our work together was called ‘a partnership to improving business growth brick-by-click’. Awards are great recognition from our peers that we are not only doing the right thing by clients, but are also respected in the innovations we are developing to improve the industry as a whole. That’s what I have always set out to do, after all.

The future looks very bright for novi.digital. Since the soft launch of CAPTIVISE.com, we have seen huge improvements in the performance of our client’s digital marketing strategies. These success stories have meant we are onboarding more of our existing clients to use it and will also be spreading the word to new clients too. Our industry desperately needs this sort of innovation to stay at the absolute forefront and novi.digital are thrilled to be blazing the trail. We of course won’t stop at CAPTIVISE.com, we will continue to pioneer and innovate with more technological advancements too. But further to that, we are really excited about working with our partners to help train organisations and individuals and LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE 185

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will be focussing more on our sustainability value too, for the good of everyone. So watch this space and keep an eye out for our training schedule in partnership with the Lancaster chamber of Commerce on https://novi.digital/events and see the specific dates in the highlighted box. Novi.digital’s words of advice It’s been a difficult year for many and throughout it, we have come up with a few words of advice to businesses who might have found themselves in a little difficulty… • Take time to reflect and avoid making hasty decisions. It might seem as though you don’t have time, but you do – you can control your own narrative.

Upcoming events • 7th January – SEO in 2021 • 14th January – PPC in 2021 • 21st January – How do I get backlinks? • 28th January – How to choose keywords for SEO? • 4th February – How do I use Google Analytics? • 11th February – How does Google My Business work? • 18th February – Optimising my Wordpress site for SEO? • 25th February – How can I use SEO to drive Ecommerce sales? • 4th March – How to set up, run and manage Google Shopping Ads? • 11th March – How can I guarantee I make a profit on PPC? • 18th March – How to manage SEO in-house? • 25th March – How can I get employed in digital marketing?

• Take the pandemic as a lesson to plan for a rainy day and avoiding running on a shoestring. Margin and savings are crucial. Think ‘sustainability’, not only in terms of environment, but in terms of your wellbeing and the health of your business. • Know your figures and always have a costof-sale figure in mind when running any kind of digital marketing. • Track everything with the aim of using the data one day.

Novi.Digital Ltd - Lancaster | Infolab21, Lancaster University, Lancaster, Lancashire, LA1 4WA Telephone: 01524 566 736 Email: hello@novi.digital Web: www.novi.digital

• Segment your customers so that you aren’t simply bracketing each customer as having the same needs and requirements. 186

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www.lancmag.com

January

reviews

by Suri Krishnamma

The father

Photo: Sundance Film Festival

very so often a film comes along that stands apart from anything else in the field â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Father is one such film. It stars Anthony Hopkins as Anthony and Olivia Colman as Anna in a domestic drama that breaks many narrative conventions in order to present, from the inside, the world of a man and a relationship, blighted by dementia. She is planning to move to Paris but needs to make sure her father will be cared for in her absence, a challenge made all the more difficult not just by his weakening mental faculties, but by his insistence that he needs no help, nor any chaotic changes to his circumstances. Doubting his daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good intentions causes pain for both of them, and his increasing realisation that his once strong and capable mind is beginning to shatter is the driving force for the drama. Although taken from a play this should not give the impression it is either claustrophobic or small-scale. Quite the opposite. Florian Heller, original author of 188

the play and director makes use of the full width of the screen, juxtaposing generous wide shots and close-up details that help to drive home the inner emotional journeys of both main characters. Every frame is lit with exquisite attention to light and shade with the touch of a master painter. Anthony Hopkins is rarely anything other than compelling in all his work but as Anthony in The Father he perhaps digs deeper than ever, creating

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a character that stands on a psychological precipice, tantalisingly near to toppling over, while placing the audience at such close proximity that you feel at once both privileged and afraid. Hopkins has always had that mesmerising ability to surprise, from moment to moment and as his character in this film attempts to put out the burning fire that is destroying his mind, these electrifying changes erupt from the screen. www.lancmag.com

MY OCTOPUS TEACHER If Colman herself didn’t already have a reputation as a versatile, sensitive, hard-working and hard-thinking actor, her role here would be enough to propel her into super-stardom. As her father’s behaviour becomes more unpredictable, she attempts to chase a relationship that is accelerating away in real time, clinging on to whatever dignity she can find that remains for them both. Hopkins never overshadows her well-measured and nuanced performance, close to collapse through the sheer exhaustion of not knowing how her father might react at any given moment, while fearing the worst - that his dementia is going only one way. The less you know about how the film is structured before seeing it, the greater your enjoyment will be. The pace is gentle, but the mystery unfolds with all the energy of a psychological thriller, and there are unexpected twists and turning points around every corner, all leading to a coherent and satisfying conclusion. This is a film for a wide audience, dealing with a subject that will profoundly affect an older generation, but also those with elderly relatives or friends suffering from dementia or other related conditions that can be as frightening for those who are forced to watch the deterioration at close range as they are for the those who suffer this devastating syndrome themselves. If you see only one film in 2021, make sure The Father is it. The Father is released by Lionsgate, January 2021 www.lancmag.com

more accurate title, for My Octopus Teacher might be ‘My Octopus Lover’, because for all intents and purposes, that is what this is – the developing, intimate, romantic relationship between a man attempting to escape the stresses of his human world, and a giant, eight-limbed mollusc. Craig Foster, the ‘student’ of the story, a free-diver trying to rebuild himself after burning out in an obsessive working environment, chooses to break from the intensity of city life and retreat to the quiet, slow-motion environment of an underwater kelp forest near Cape Town. His ‘teacher’, the Octopus, emerges quietly from what at first appears to be a mound of seashells, and over time develops trust and friendship with her human observer. This is an unlikely a premise for any film, let alone a documentary, yet Foster and Blue Planet 2 camera operator Roger Horrocks succeed in telling an engaging, well-structured, magical story, painstakingly put together from months of filmed material. A single interview with Foster punctuates the day-to-day life under the ocean’s surface as he tracks the octopus, sometimes too excited to sleep between visits. Foster’s passion for the natural world and its therapeutic benefits are well articulated through the on-camera interview which at times has the feeling of a confession. And his clear heartbreak when describing the Octopus’s distressing, near fatal encounter with a Pyjama shark apex predators in the kelp forest – is genuinely moving and serves

Photograph: Netflix

to clear away, if only temporarily, any underlying feelings of weirdness or disgust. An octopus’s brains are in their arms, and to watch this one reach out, touch, embrace and meld around Foster’s body, unencumbered by breathing apparatus, is a remarkable sight. And whether identifying intimately with an animal so different to us is possible without extending the imagination, is somehow forgotten in all the excitement of what might be possible. We are familiar with the brutal reality of existence in the natural world, including in the oceans, through ever-vivid documentary material, but this film adds something more intimate, more regional to the power structure of the oceans. Survival for the octopus requires inventiveness on many levels, including the brazen tactic of climbing on a shark’s back to avoid becoming its next meal. Although broadly family friendly, this film may be more problematic than it at first seems to a younger audience who might expect a gentle, Finding Nemolike tale. And in the film’s denouement, it is perhaps the relationship between Craig and his son that holds both the key to accessing Craig’s troubled mind, and the film’s real purpose of suggesting that intimate bonds are essential for all humans, something that we all know perhaps more than we ever did in these Covid times. My Octopus Teacher is available on Netflix LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE 189

BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM Rudy Giuliani, once respected Mayor of New York, more recently Trump-apologist and defender of invented fraud allegations against the Democrats in the 2020 US presidential elections, is the subject of a Borat prank. In the sequel to Sacha Baron Cohen’s original, Giuliani is shown lying back on a bed, reaching into his trousers in front of Borat’s daughter who, like her on-screen father, is pretending to be a journalist. The set-up should be obvious to any casual observer, especially when Borat himself appears in an outlandish disguise, and would have been to Giuliani himself had he not had his lecherous eyes on the young interviewee nearly a quarter of his age. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm picks up the story of the fictitious Kazakhstani journalist after having been incarcerated in his home country for 14 years. His early release is granted by his government on the condition that he take another trip to America to deliver Kazakhstan’s Minister of Culture, Johnny the Monkey, as a gift to President Trump. Arriving in Texas, Borat discovers the monkey has come to a grisly end at the hands of his grubby, feral daughter, Tutar, who was hiding in the monkey’s wooden cate. The stowaway daughter has her own quest – to emulate her Slovenian idol, Melania Trump, and bag a wealthy American beast to help her climb the social ladder and begin a new life. Having lost the monkey that he was meant to present to Trump, Borat is threatened, via Fax, with execution by his government unless he can come up with another plan to satisfy senior US government figures – so he decides he’ll make a gift of his daughter to Vice President Pence instead. The capers that follow involve 190

Photograph: Amazon Studios

Borat adopting a variety of disguises to achieve his aims, because even after a fourteenyear absence, he can’t escape recognition on American streets, such was the fame he achieved following his first visit, back in 2006. Then, as now, Baron Cohen’s purpose is to push Borat ever deeper into the detached clusters of US societies cut adrift from the outside world where real-life Americans truly believe he is a foreign journalist with no understanding of American customs.

mission with unremitting energy and courage. In one sequence that takes place in a ball in Georgia with guests who have all the cliched characteristics of a southern US society, Borat and Tutar become the show-stopping performers in a traditional fatherdaughter dance. It’s an ugly, grotesque performance, that must have taken extraordinary courage to achieve and is perhaps the single most remarkable insight in this film as it puts the audience to their most extreme test.

The film moves at a jaw-dropping pace and is ruthlessly direct, involving stunts and hoaxes that build from simple, everyday beginnings, to outlandish and unimaginable conclusions, including daring to enter a Republican rally wearing a Klansman outfit. And yet it is not the pranks themselves, but the reactions, and more shockingly the lack of reactions, that provide the real drama for the film. That Borat can walk freely among gathered Trump supporters wearing a Klansman outfit says it all.

If you didn’t see the original Borat (2006), or any of Baron Cohen’s other work inspired by his Da Ali G Show, such as Ali G Indahouse (2002), or Bruno (2009) be warned that these are not for the faint-hearted. For fans of the original, Subsequent Moviefilm might not always live up to expectations, given that many of the hero’s antics can now be anticipated, but reimagining Borat as a character within a character, given his many disguises, is a masterstroke, and gives new blood to the creation.

But for all Baron Cohen’s courage and creativity in holding a mirror up to the morally vacuous pockets of American culture, it is the Bulgarian actor Maria Bakalova as Borat’s daughter Tutar Sagdiyev who ultimately steals the show. Dominating the movie, Bakalova pursues her

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Having been so insulted by the original Borat film that they took out adverts in the US media to defend themselves, the government of Kazakhstan have now not only embraced Sacha Baron Cohen’s crude, antisemitic creation, they are even using his famous catchphrase, ‘very nice’ in their publicity. Tourism, it seems, is an industry worth protecting at any price. Release details: Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan is currently on Amazon Prime Video. www.lancmag.com

Quality Knowledge Ser vice

Our customers always come back

Carpets

Amtico

Karndean

Commercial

Gainsborough Flooring, 26 Heatley Street, Preston, PR1 2XB www.gainsboroughflooring.co.uk 01772 250682

Shepherd Street

The history of Gainsborough Flooring T

he roots of family run Gainsborough Flooring stretch all the way back to the 1950s. The Lancashire based business has passed down the generations and is now in the very capable hands of brother and sister team, Vicky and Eddy. The founder of Gainsborough Flooring, Sheila Brown left school and went straight into the flooring trade, working her way up to managing Bond Worth PLC, before being involved in a management buyout of Gainsborough Distribution based in Horwich. Sheila then went on to form Gainsborough Floor Coverings Ltd which was based at Ward Street in Lostock Hall and then moved to Shepherd Street in Avenham in the 1960s. The business was very much wholesale based, supplying flooring products to retailers in the region, as well as a small installation service. Sheila’s son Eddy joined the business straight from school and worked his way up from Warehouse Assistant to the local Customer Rep visiting carpet shops in the area to ensure they were happy with their products, helping build a strong reputation for Gainsborough’s knowledge of the flooring market. Meanwhile Sheila’s daughter Vicky had finished university with a degree in accountancy and was working at a local practice. When she realised the potential of expanding installations at Gainsborough she decided to come into the family 192

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business and initially work alongside her mum Sheila, with the intention to ultimately take over the management of the business. All of this was whilst she was bringing up her three young children, all of whom now work for the business whenever they can in between busy university lives! The business was experiencing rapid growth in retail sales with a greater number of customers visiting Shepherd Street to seek advice and support on flooring for their homes. In a very short period of time the customer base along with turnover had literally doubled. To capitalise on this growth, Vicky had been looking for new premises for ten years as she was keen on larger showroom facilities to display a much wider range of flooring products and increase footfall. Then, one winter whilst her brother Eddy had gone on one of his annual three week trips to India, he came home to discover his sister had moved premises whilst he’d been away! A new showroom facility at Heatley Street in Preston city centre had become available and Vicky literally jumped overnight at the opportunity and relocated the whole business there.

Above: Sheila Brown

Above: Vicky Brown

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The move provided the business with a much more accessible and inspirational showroom facility, which has resulted in a huge increase in domestic sales and installations. Vicky now has a team of highly skilled fitters, an admin team providing marketing, sales and accounting support, Eddy her brother as the Contract Manager project managing and overseeing installations across the county, her mum, though now retired, popping in to help out on a regular basis, as well as the children supporting the business during their breaks from university. A true family business! The business today The family’s strong ethos and values of exceptional customer service, a knowledgeable team and a welcoming showroom are still at the heart of everything Gainsborough Flooring do today. With impressive showroom facilities, the team welcomes customers, old and new, whether they’re looking for a luxurious 100% wool or Axminster carpet for their stairs and landing, or hard-wearing bleach cleanable carpets designed for a family home, or anything in between. In addition to a vast

Showroom

selection of carpets, there is also a comprehensive display of hard flooring options from Amtico, Karndean, Modern Floor Company and many more. The team’s expertise along with their friendly, approachable and professional manner, means they have a hugely loyal customer base who continually recommend Gainsborough Flooring to family, friends and colleagues. The business has exceptionally close links with many leading manufacturers such as Amtico, Karndean, Alternative Flooring, Cormar, Brintons and Ulster Carpets. The business is split into two distinct areas, contracts and domestic. The contracts are for organisations within the NHS, councils, universities, colleges and schools, leisure and hospitality as well as the housing sector. The domestic sector concentrates on people’s flooring requirements for their homes throughout Lancashire. The Contract Business Gainsborough supply and professionally fit a variety of commercial flooring from carpets, wood type flooring and hard-wearing safety flooring to specialist healthcare and industrial flooring. Every installation is carried out efficiently and professionally by a team of skilled and qualified fitters, all of whom are DBS cleared. The company is CHAS registered and adheres to strict health and safety standards on all projects.

Preston GP

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Contract work forms a large proportion of the business with clients ranging from NHS clients to councils such as Preston City Council, Lancashire County Council and Blackpool Council. Gainsborough has worked across the educational sector in Lancashire for many decades and is on the main suppliers list for several institutions. They currently work with UCLan, Lancaster University, Preston’s College, Cardinal Newman College as well as several schools across the region. Key factors the team focus on for all of these sectors include safety standards, durability for heavy footfall, environmental considerations and ensuring the flooring is in keeping with the features and style of the establishment that is being fitted out. Cardinal Newman College Over the summer Cardinal Newman College in Preston asked the team to replace the flooring in the main entrance hall and landing areas including the reception area, the Head’s landing and the administration block in accordance with the period style of the building. To maintain the Victorian style, Origin, a blue tartan from Danfloor’s Evolution range was selected. The main entrance, reception and hallway were fitted out in a 1930s hard linoleum style welded floor which was supplied by Forbo industrial flooring. GP Surgeries The Gainsborough team recently completed 10 installations at GP surgeries in Lancashire. All opted for flooring from Polyflor as it’s absolutely ideal for healthcare, education, retail and leisure environments where hygiene is of paramount importance. The acoustic properties of the Polysafe Wood collection helps reduce the transfer of impact sound and walking noise through the building, helping to create a more peaceful environment for patients and staff alike. Polyflor’s vinyl flooring products meet the strictest hygiene standards and are proven not to harbour dirt and the 100% impervious surface has no joints for bacteria and viruses to congregate in and no fibres for germs to cling to. Partnerships The team also work very closely with numerous interior designers and have fruitful partnerships with local organisations such as Burning Desires and Pringle Homes . 194

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Burning Desires The Gainsborough team work closely with Burning Desires and deliver many successful projects together. They also recently installed Associated Weavers Vivendi Ardour Chimney Pot (aptly named!) carpet recently in the Burning Desires showroom in Fulwood, Preston. The luxurious and durable carpet looks particularly impressive surrounded by all the stunning fires and fireplaces around the showroom.

Above: Cardinal Newman College

Pringle Homes Gainsborough have worked with the Pringle Homes team, supplying and fitting the flooring in their new homes for around ten years now. The Cormar Sensations range has proved very popular with those moving into their new homes, as they deliver the versatility that modern day living requires, providing luxury combined with practical benefits. The Gainsborough team are currently working on the exclusive development of the Northcote Park Langho site in the Ribble Valley https://www. pringlehomes.co.uk/development/northcote-parklangho/

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The Domestic Market Since moving to Heatley Street in 2013 the domestic market has grown by 35% with a vast expansion of visitors to the showroom seeking advice, support and viewing samples from leading flooring manufacturers. During installations, the team guarantee minimum upheaval, arriving at the agreed time, tidying and hoovering up once they have finished and leaving customers with a floor they’re guaranteed to be proud of. Repeat business and recommendations are continually increasing with Gainsborough building a reputation as the local go-to supplier for inspirational flooring whether that’s carpets, hard flooring or rugs. Interior Designer, Petal Interiors Having worked with inspirational Interior Designer Nita Patel from Petal Interiors for several years, Gainsborough were thrilled when she recommended them to one of her clients for a stunning refurbished property in Lancashire. For the master bedroom Jacaranda Santushi Platinum was selected, a high end luxurious hand woven silk looking carpet spun from cellulose with fibres that reflect light to look like silk. The remainder of the bedrooms were carpeted in Alternative Flooring’s Luxx range, featuring soft, thick pile carpet to provide a luxurious feel to the floors. For the lounge, family room and landing areas Amtico Signature Ink Wash Wood was selected which has a very realistic and authentic look that is pretty difficult to differentiate from real hardwood.

Domestic Customer – through neighbour recommendation The customer was looking to have her lounge, stairs, landing and bedroom carpets replaced and having asked several neighbours and friends she discovered that four of her neighbours had had their flooring supplied and fitted by Gainsborough Flooring! She selected Quirky B Fair Isle Annie which was Margo Selby’s first collaboration with Alternative Flooring and was inspired by their woven fabrics and the patterns take inspiration from their silk jacquards, uniform geometric shapes and hand woven structures.

Picture by Roger Moore www.lancmag.com

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Domestic Customer – through recommendation A recommendation led to the fitting of a number of rooms in a new client’s first house, completely transforming the whole property to a much more contemporary home. For the lounge, the client selected the very popular Amtico Spacia Nordic Oak Herringbone Parquet. For the stairs and landing the client opted for Cormar’s Boucle Naturals, with the Stripe Gloucester Grey for the stairs and the Portobello Sliver for the landing. The client chose Sensations Original Shale Grey for the bedroom, made with soft 100% Luxelle Polypropylene it provides a very welcoming and luxurious feel underfoot. Domestic customer A delighted client who loves the impact the new flooring has made to their home, recently had her entrance hall, stairs and landing as well as her living room refitted. The original idea had been to fit out the entrance hall in carpet, but after some discussion she opted for a period Amtico replica parquet wood floor in a herringbone pattern as it would prove far more practical with its exceptional durable characteristics in a busy entrance hall.

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For the stairs, she selected Alternative Flooring’s vivid and colourful Quirky B Margo Selby Fair Isle design in the Annie colour scheme. Alternative Flooring’s Quirky B was also selected for the living room and this time she opted for Honeycomb in Moss which has an eye-catching unique pattern. Local community support The Gainsborough team is passionate about the local community and supports numerous organisations in the region, including: Preston Grasshoppers Rugby Club The team at Gainsborough is very familiar with Preston Grasshoppers Rugby Club as Contracts Manager Eddy Brown plays in their “veterans’ team”! They’ve been associated with the club for many years and sponsor some of their flagship events such as Hopfest, the club’s annual gin and beer festival, as well as events such as Ladies Day. All Preston Grasshoppers flooring requirements for meeting rooms, large event areas, squash courts and the bar area are supplied and installed by the Gainsborough team.

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St Catherine’s Hospice St Catherine’s Hospice is the chosen charity of the business, as like many local families the Gainsborough team has been touched by the fantastic support St Catherine’s provide to so many. Money has been raised through numerous sponsorship challenges such as the Three Peaks Challenge, the Manchester half marathon, as well as supporting numerous events St Catherine’s run by providing the flooring as well as prizes for raffles and goodies for their Christmas hamper. Preston Hockey Club Established in 1903 Preston Hockey Club has been an integral part of the local community for over a century. After watching her children pay matches for several years at the club, Vicky decided to support Preston Hockey Club with perimeter advertising boards on the pitch side. Creative Works Preston Gainsborough Flooring has supported Creative Works Preston, who offer an alternative form of education to people of all ages, since they were established in 2013 through a range of sponsorship schemes and most significantly by providing premises in their building in Shepherd Street, Avenham. British Aerospace Sports and Social Club A close association with the Sports and Social Club has led to the Gainsborough team installing new flooring in the bar area of the club. Services offered Showroom The showroom really is an inspirational and friendly environment. Customers immediately feel comfortable and have the opportunity to browse as well as chat to the team for advice. They’re passionate about flooring and fully understand what type of flooring will work in what situation, and their extensive showroom means customers can actually feel as well as see the products. The team will even make customers a cup of tea whilst they browse the showroom! Design Customers may know exactly what they want when they visit the showroom but they may also be open to suggestions. Whichever is the case, years of experience, product knowledge and a huge range of products, colours and styles will ensure there is something that creates that ‘wow’ factor for any home.

Preston Grasshoppers Rugby Club

Fitting Qualified and professional fitters will install flooring swiftly and efficiently at a time to suit the customer. Their friendly, courteous and helpful approach will ensure there is minimum disruption to the household and it will be left neat, tidy and with a stunning new floor when they have finished! Home sample service As the virus situation has become more challenging, people are finding the home sample service very appealing, especially as the Gainsborough team try and make it as similar as possible to a visit to the showroom. Many customers have utilised Facetime as well as other platforms such as WhatsApp and Zoom to view the showroom and talk through their ideas. Suitable samples are then delivered to the customer’s home so they can see them in situ. Once a new floor has been selected the Gainsborough Flooring team will install the floor ensuring all safety measures are adhered to.

Eddy Brown and Mark Rawson

Gainsborough Flooring 26 Heatley Street, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 2XB Telephone: 01772 250682 www.gainsboroughflooring.co.uk

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Aiming Higher

You can donate to Aiming Higher using the following methods Website | www.aiminghighercharity.org.uk/get-involved/donate/ Just Giving & PayPal | Found on Aiming Higher website

Post | Aiming Higher. 231 – 233 Church Street, Blackpool, Lancashire FY1 3PB. Please ring 01253 206447 further information

Aiming higher announces Hayley Kay as charity manager a new phase of growth as we endeavour to extend the provision of our services to more disabled children and their families in Blackpool and across the Fylde Coast”. Upon leaving school, one of Hayley’s first jobs was as a welfare assistant at Woodlands School in Blackpool where the pupils have a wide range of learning needs including severe, profound and complex learning difficulties and Vitalka Wilson speaking to Aiming Higher’s Development Project The team from Headstart Manager Amy Gunniss special educational needs. She has also held roles at Palatine Community Sports Colege as Pastoral Manager and Bispham High School as Head of Year and Behaviour Manager. She is probably best known for her successful career as presenter for Wave 96.5 and BBC Radio Lancashire. She is an Ambassador for Blackpool Carers Centre and Lancashire Women and organises an annual collection supporting Blackpool Food Bank and Streetlife charities and writes a regular column for a number of regional newspaper titles. Speaking about her appointment Hayley said: “I have always been so impressed by the work of the Aiming Higher team. Spreading the word about our services and facilities is so important. Families with disabled children have been Development Worker Darren Foy with one of the Trustee Andrew Wareing with Mayor of Fylde Councillor disproportionately affected by the impact of the Angela pandemic information boards from the event Jaques and Deputy mayor Richard Redcliffe. and, more than ever, need support and assistance during times. INatalie can’t wait to get started with providing activities andthese days unprecedented out where patron Christopher, trustees iming Higher for Disabled the team, celebrate our 10th Anniversary and look forward families can meet others in similar John Child, Hilary Ainge, Andrew Children & their Families is a to the next decade”. Wareing, Anthea Dawson, Alison lackpool based charity Aiming supports circumstances. Blackpool based charity thatHigher which The team recently held a welcome Gilmore almost and Norry Ascroft well supports hundreds of local children families with disabled children has announced Hayley Aiming Higher was founded 10 years agoasby a as daylead for the other professionals and froma the Blackpool SEND and their families. The charity supports Kay as their new Charity Manager. Hayley will group of local parents who professionals wanted to make difference to the businesses to explain more about what team, Headstart, Portage service, families creates happyHigher memories exisitingand team at Aiming and will be responsible lives of disabled children and their families. It providesBetter Aiming Higher offer and howrange they can Start,Advocacy service, local special for children with life limiting and for the expansion and development of the charity through a wide of help and support services to families, help. The event was well attended and schools and more. complex conditions. Raising a disabled the creation of new, effective partnerships and sourcing including emotional support and counselling, grant and gave all who visited the chance to see Vitalka Wilson, a local resident child can be a wonderful experience, new income streams. Hayley will also represent the charity housing application, education, health and social care the newly refurbished centre and its who is doing a parachute jump for the however it can also be lonely, isolating locally to increase it’s profile, reach and influence. plans (EHC) and benefit advice. also organises a weekly sensory room. charity alsoIt came along to learn more. and overpowering. The friendly and programme of events at it’s Church St centre which includes John Child, Chair of Aiming Higher said “The trustees are In attendance were the Mayor If you’d like to support the charity and professional team at Aiming Higher are learning through andyou sensory delighted toat welcome Hayley tosupport the Aiming of Higher Wyreteam. Councillor Ann Turnerand development reward Vitalkamusic, for hiscraft bravery can always close hand and able to sessions and the opportunity disabled children to and MayoressofCouncillor Andrea do so byfor visiting his justgiving page the registered easing For families many years Hayleywith hasthem, worked alongside a number the sensory andatsoft play areas. It is also serves as a Kay; Mayor of Fylde, enjoy Councillor www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ them through any anxieties. The servicesuccessfully charities in Blackpool and Lancashire, working Jaques mayor hub for parents vitalka-wilson1 provided with projects each families’ community of disabled children where they with themvaries on many and events. SheAngela has been a and Deputy needs – from supporting families to Richard Redcliffe with the Mayor of can meet and talk with other parents as well as accessing champion of community causes for many years and it is attend appointments at school, hospital, Blackpool’s representative Councillor support from the Aiming Higher Team. exciting to have her on board. Aiming Higher is entering social services, benefits and housing to Kim Critchley, along with the charity’s

A B

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Importers & stockists of exceptional tiles, stones & wood flooring

Time to ban sale of single-use plastic bottles at sporting and other events, tried-and-tested solutions exist already says Bluewater

Bluewater water stations served golf fans purified water at key locations at The Open 2019 following the decision by the organisers not to sell single use plastic bottles during the event. Stockholm, Sweden, November 16, 2020 – With microplastics now so pervasive they are found in the food we eat, the air we breathe and the water we drink from taps and bottles, the events industry has a huge opportunity to be change-makers in helping consumers move from single-use plastic water containers to sustainable alternatives, says Bluewater, a world leader in innovative water purification solutions for homes, commercial enterprises and public dispensing. Just a week away from participating as a speaker and panellist at the virtual Sustainability in Licensing Conference 2020, Bluewater called on the events industry to do more to prevent plastic entering the water system in the first place.

“Almost 500 billion plastic bottles are used every year, which adds up to 66 bottles for every human on the planet. And with figures showing less than half of those bottles are recycled that means a heck of a lot of those bottles are ending up in our oceans to ultimately become insidious micro plastics,” said Bluewater spokesperson Dave Noble Noting plastic drinks bottles and cups rank among the biggest waste culprits at festivals, he said solutions do exist to help organisers provide drinking water to event fans without losing potential sources of revenue. Dave Noble cited the example set at The Open 2019 in Portrush, Northern Ireland, where the R&A organisers were able to completely ban the sale of single use plastic bottles during the four days of golf, which were attended by tens of thousands of golfing fans. “Some 19 Bluewater hydration stations were sited at key locations for public use around The Open course as well in player, VIP and other hospitality lounges,” Dave Noble explained. He said the visitors were notified in advance that no water would be sold in plastic containers during the event unlike in previous years and fans were advised to either bring their own container or purchase an Open branded stainless-steel bottle on site for under GBP5 to be able to use the water being dispensed free. “The Open 2019 broke new ground and showed how one of the world’s largest annual sporting events could deliver on a sustainability-driven

Dave Noble

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pledge to end the use of throwaway plastic bottles,” said Dave Noble, who said Bluewater has also proved the efficiency of its water dispensing solutions at other events such as the Volvo Ocean Race, Formula E and Cape Town Marathon. Noble will be representing Bluewater at the Sustainability in Licensing Conference 2020. The conference, which will be staged digitally 24 – 25 November 2020, is aimed at everyone in the brand and licensing arena, from retailers to licensors, licensees to trade suppliers. Being launched by Max Publishing (owners of Licensing Source Book, Licensing.Source.net, The Licensing Awards and the B&LLAs) and Helena MansellStopher, experienced licensing executive and founder of Products of Change, a global educational platform to drive sustainable change within industry www.productsofchange.com, the Sustainability in Licensing Conference (SILC 2020) aims to inspire and inform as to how the dynamic sector, which generates US$272 billion at retail, can continue to innovate and grow commercially while not costing the planet.

plastic drinks bottles and cups rank among the biggest waste culprits at festivals “Sustainability is so much more than a buzzword, it is and will continue to be, a vital driver of business decisions,” states Helena, conference director and curator. “To drive sustainable growth within the licensing industry over the next few decades will require a radical approach to business practices be it through embracing new materials and production techniques, re-engineering packaging or adopting new marketing methods, all without sacrificing financial growth. Our aim with SILC 2020 is to help both future-proof our industry and our world.” For more information about Bluewater and its events activities, please contact Dave Noble, PR & Communications Director, at david.noble@ bluewatergroup.com or +44 7785 302 694. For more information about The Sustainability in Licensing Conference (SILC20) please visit https:// www.sustainabilityinlicensing.com; or email clare@ createvents.co.uk. For more information about Products of Change please visit www.productsofchange.com or email hello@productsofchange.com. Bluewater is a world leading, Swedish water purification company with regional sales offices in the USA, China, South Africa and Europe. Bluewater innovates, manufactures and comercializes compact water purifiers for residential, business and public use that harness the company’s patented reverse osmosis technology to remove virtually all pollutants from tap water, including lead, bacteria, pesticides, medical residues, chlorine, microplastics, and lime-scale. www. bluewatergroup.com Follow us for water-related news on Facebook, Twitter and Wechat (Search ID: Bluewater). Journalists and bloggers can follow our press releases and blogs at http://www.mynewsdesk. com/us/bluewater. And everyone is welcome to enjoy our themed Bluewater music playlist on spotify at BluewaterPure Radio.

Helena Mansell-Stopher

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BOOKS Our roundup of this months literary delights

A Lancashire Life By Suzanne Snow I believe that Lancashire is the landscape which fashioned me into the author and gardener I am today. I was born in the county of the red rose and live here still, its flat, marshy coastal contours and sweeping moorlands bordering the Pennine Hills as familiar a view as my own garden. So why, then, did I choose to set my novels in the Yorkshire Dales, on a Hebridean island and in a Cumbrian village? I’ll come back to that, if I may? Growing up with ponies and spending every spare moment outdoors gave me an appreciation of the countryside I’m sure I took for granted at the time. Could it be this early knowledge of the seasons and the cycle of the growing year that planted a desire to know more and would eventually lead me to study horticulture? I like to think that it was. Summer days on the farm where our ponies lived lengthened into evenings spent helping to gather in the hay, that most precious of crops, needed in winter to replenish what the grass had lost to lowered temperatures and lack of light. We would snatch hurried hacks on days shortened by darkness when riding was something that retained its appeal, no matter what the weather threw at us. Throughout those days I wrote, drawn to capture what I felt and saw. Stories of lively girls and their ponies, far more daring than me as they raced about the countryside and later fell in love. I cannot say when I first knew I was a romantic and as I grew older, this romanticism became a natural theme of the notebooks I filled with my words. I felt it then and I feel it now, the joy of creating characters and drawing out their lives into something that feels as real any other I see around me. But life as a published writer seemed as unreachable then as the summer sky burning blue above me. I had jobs I enjoyed, a family whose love and support encouraged me to study horticulture later, when I hoped to achieve qualifications and see where they took me. Part way through my first year at agricultural college, I was thrilled to secure a role planting redesigned gardens and the formal learning sat well with the knowledge I gained on the job. Gardens through history have taken many different forms and today, in a society short on time and always pressing on, it is a wonderful thing to see people discovering a new-found appreciation in their plot and a desire to be amongst it. Writing remained with me, has always been with me and thoughts of new characters,

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other lives lived, led eventually to my completing two romantic fiction manuscripts. Unsure what to do with them, I was delighted to discover the simply wonderful Romantics Novelists Association. Created in 1960 to raise the prestige and profile of romantic writing, unpublished writers are eligible to join their New Writers Scheme every January and this I promptly did. The scheme enables writers to have a professional author critique their manuscript and a positive, encouraging report of mine followed. Every writer can tell you what happens next and my experience was no different. Rejections followed submissions and still I persevered, until I was eventually offered representation by the Susan Yearwood Agency, leading in turn to a 3-book deal with Canelo. Yes, those calls are as thrilling as everyone imagines and I’ll never forget the moment when, during a one-2-one meeting at the RNA annual conference, Susan first asked to see both of my manuscripts. I was so surprised I could barely hold my pen straight to write down her email address and telephone number, not the most auspicious start! Working with an agent and an editor has been a pleasure, and I was prepared to put in the hours and learn quickly. Decisions about your precious characters and their stories are sometimes taken out of your hands and I have to think now as commercially as everyone else involved, aware that professionals are investing their time and more in writing they believe worthwhile. Seeing that first manuscript become a published book is a moment I will never forget nor take for granted, and it is far from something I achieved on my own. So as an author of romantic fiction and a gardener, it was natural to find my two passions merging in my writing. The Arts & Crafts style of gardening is my favourite, and a garden historian was the perfect choice for the character of Flora in The Garden of Little Rose. Imagine exuberant, colourful planting beautifully balanced by natural materials in hard landscaping, and there is an Arts & Crafts garden, created to celebrate nature, beauty and simplicity through skilled craftsmanship.

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I find inspiration and romance in many places. Perhaps an old stone farmhouse discovered on a walk, sharing its history through the people whose days were shaped by the surrounding landscape and their work. How might this old house fit now into someone else’s future? Or a village glimpsed from the top of a fell, its community formed by those who live there, whether newly arrived or born of generations gone long before. A city such as Lancaster, its streets plunging from the castle above the river, its history entwined with the laws it stood to defend. What life might someone live there now, surrounded by its cobbles and quirks? What would I say to those who believe romance is only make believe, something separate from real life? I would accept that settings in fiction can often be exotic, lives lived larger than our own and perhaps disconnected from the daily drudge we are all familiar with. But most of us have fallen in love at some point in our lives and it is this exhilaration, this belief in new beginnings and a future shared that draws me back to the landscape, and my laptop, time and again. My imagination merges with the stories of love and courage we see around us every day, and I hope to be always writing them. So then, back to my settings, and why my novels are not yet placed in Lancashire, this most beautiful of counties and laden with history and heart. Well, I’m saving it. Saving it for that story lingering in my mind, a picture of a village like Downham, its cottages quaint and curious. The view of Pendle Hill and the bridge across the shallow river, inviting you to linger a while, find a moment of peace. A story of course, of love and a new beginning, of a person who understands that landscape and someone else who doesn’t, a home shared down the generations. The setting of a book is almost another character when I’m writing and I love beautiful places, wherever I happen to find them. In truth each of my settings are linked, both by that beauty and the characters I’ve created, their stories lived with community and people at their heart. I hope you’ll forgive me for diving into the Dales to make Thorndale the first of my new beginnings.

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HEARTS FOR HOMES THE QUAINT SHOP IN THE LOVELY TOWN OF RAMSBOTTOM The concept of Hearts of Homes is to bring affordable yet charming home décor and gifts to our customers.

amsbottom gift shop Hearts for Homes celebrates it’s four year anniversary this April as owner and busy mum of three boys’ Kerry Khan reflects on how life has changed since she opened. When Kerry first launched this beautiful, unique gift emporium back in 2016, little did she know

that within two years she would be outgrowing the original premises on Bolton Street and moving into a shop with three floors right on the corner of Bridge Street. This prime spot formerly the Bridge Street News is now well established as Hearts for Homes and it’s pretty pink window display keeps the crowds coming

MADE IN THE UK, LARGE SELECTION OF COLOURS...

STOCKIST OF THE ORIGINAL ARTISAN RANGE • NEW & IMPROVED LABY RANGE • AL FRESCO INSIDE OUTSIDE RANGE • CHALK WALL PAINT • TRIM PAINT • EASY GRADE WAXES • BRUSHES • FRENSLEEN • FINISHING COAT • FRENCHIC SUGAR COAT • STENCILS • ACCESSORIES & OTHER

w www.heartsforhomes.co.uk e kerry@heartsforhomes.co.uk 47 Bridge Street l Ramsbottom l BL0 9AD t 01706 560462

in as it opens seven days a week in peak seasons. Kerry’s passion for upcycling furniture snowballed into a gift and homeware boutique packed with treasures from floor to ceiling including gifts for mum, dad, baby and even mum to be. From stunning silver jewellery made with real flowers ideal for Mothers Day to elegant scarves by Shruti. Books, Manchester Bee unique giftware, wedding gifts, homewares from the Just Slate Company. From clocks to cushions, pebble frames made to order, quotes on cards by Claire, The Mudlark local pottery by Lynn and artwork by another Ramsbottom artist Julian Cohen. “We have an incredibly loyal local customer base but our customers come from as far as Cheshire to shop here, we source all our suppliers individually and we’re proud to showcase local craftspeople and talent. I am delighted that we have already started holding craft workshops on our newly refurbished top floor too. Local artists have offered their services by popular demand including furniture painting and stained glass craft” adds Kerry. One of the newest additions to the Hearts for Homes range is the environmentally friendly ‘Frenchic’ furniture paint. A firm Pinterest favourite, Frenchic is a chalk and mineral paint, toxin and solvent free with no odour with a creamy and rich coverage. Designed not to peel or chip, the paint can be used literally anywhere including nursery furniture and in bathrooms. “Frenchic has been so popular since we started to stock it” says Kerry. We have sold so much, the colour palette is fantastic and prices start at £8 for a small tin”.

Royal Meteorological Society Weather Photographer of the Year 2020 in association with AccuWeather

he Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS), in association with AccuWeather, has announced the 26 finalists for this year’s ‘Weather Photographer of the Year 2020’, which was put to a public vote. To see the images visit photocrowd.com/wpotyvote Now in its fifth year, this popular competition has attracted entries from around the world. This year’s competition is particularly special as the Society celebrates its 170th Anniversary. The search for the 2020 Weather and Young Weather Photographer of the Year began earlier this year with a call for the best photographs depicting weather from around the world. Entries ranged from weather phenomena such as clouds, lightning, rain, fog or snow through to the impact of weather on humans, cities and the natural landscape. More than 7,700 photographs were submitted by over 2,600 photographers, creating a challenging task for the judging panel to shortlist the best images for prizes and to become part of the Weather Photographer of the Year calendar. The judges were:

Liz Bentley, Chief Executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, said “I look forward to being part of the judging panel for the Weather Photographer of the Year competition every year, but each year it gets tougher with more entries and a wider variety of images that celebrate weather and climate in its many different forms. I actually think the weather is a secret fascination most of us have and this is the perfect opportunity to share it with others and take people on a journey of discovery, at a time when travel is quite challenging.” The winners of ‘Weather Photographer of the Year 2020’, ‘Young Weather Photographer of the Year 2020’, ‘Public Favourite’ and the runners up from each category will be announced at RMetS WeatherLive: Past, Present and Future - Celebrating 170 years of the Royal Meteorological Society. The event will be a virtual event this year providing the perfect opportunity for weather enthusiasts

Liz Bentley; Chief Executive of the Royal Meteorological Society Gareth Mon Jones; winner of Weather Photographer of the Year 2019 Matt Clark; photo editor of RMetS Weather magazine Mark Boardman; Owner of StormHour Ltd Jesse Ferrell; Social Media Manager at AccuWeather “I am thrilled to have the honor of serving as a judge for this year’s competition. As a meteorologist and photographer, myself, I am always impressed with the level of quality, detail and creativity entrants put on display with their submissions from around the world,” said Jesse Ferrell, AccuWeather expert meteorologist and Social Media Manager. “I have no doubt that this year’s entries will be made even more special due to the ongoing challenges presented by COVID-19, but the passion spent on this effort provides some respite from that storm and a reminder of the beauty that weather surrounds us with.”

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from around the world to learn more about the changes that have occurred in weather and climate over the last two centuries, before looking to the future and what we can expect from a changing climate. This unique event will also highlight how improvements in our ability to observe and forecast the weather has developed our meteorological understanding over time. It takes place on Saturday 17 October 2020. For more details and to register, please visit rmets.org/weatherlive-2020

Image above shows a collage of shortlisted entries

The calendar featuring all the winners and finalists of Weather and Young Weather Photographer of the Year 2020 will go on sale via the RMetS online shop later this year.

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Leeds photographer with Wet Sleddale Dam photo is finalist in international photography competition Photographer name: Andrew McCaren From: Leeds, Yorkshire, UK Age: 45 Photo title: Dam Wet Photo location: Wet Sleddale Dam, Shap, Cumbria, UK Date photo taken: 15 March 2019

Story behind the photo: Whilst trying to visualise the heavy rainfall of March 2019 Wet Sleddale came to mind, I have driven past Wet Sleddale dam many times and seen it dry even after prolonged rainfall, but thought I would take a chance. After a 4:30am start and a 2 and a half hour drive from my home in Leeds to Cumbria, I made it to the location and remember shouting yes yes yes as I saw the water pouring down the spillway. Weather caption:

Media interviews: Yes Social media: Twitter: @AndrewMcCaren1 Facebook: @AndrewMcCaren1 Camera

Canon EOS-1D X

Lens model

EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM

Water cascades down the 21m high dam wall of Wet Sleddale reservoir near Shap in Cumbria, after a period of very heavy rain. Rain that falls at a rate greater than 4mm per hour is defined as heavy, whilst anything above 8mm per hour is termed very heavy. Wet Sleddale Reservoir can store 2,300 million litres of water and was constructed to supply Manchester with water.

Shutter speed 1/320 Aperture

f/5

Focal length

200 mm

ISO

400

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LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE 205

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Your star horoscope

Manish Kumar Arora is a renowned KP Astrologer, Numerologist, Tarot Reader & Vastu Consultant. He has been rendering professional advice to clients with a reasonable degree of success. He has been conferred with the title of ‘Jyotish Varahamihir’ and ‘Jyotish Aryabhatt.’ He has been writing monthly astrological columns for many international magazines. Aries: Mar 21 – Apr 19 This period would be bringing illumination to your life in the areas of friends, romance and personal goals. Honours could be yours or recognition for your efforts. Scales may even be drawn towards a path of dedication and spiritual or social commitment. Creative ventures and pleasure pursuits are very highly to occur. There are new avenues that can be rich ones to travel, but such decisions could well affect the balance of friendships around you. There can be heightened emotions surrounding your family or home life. Humanitarian pursuits are also highlighted. Favourable Dates: Jan 3, 9, 12, 18, 21, 27 Favourable Colours: Blue & Black Taurus: Apr 20 – May 20 Artistic or spiritual inspiration will come, sending you off down new paths or allowing you to see the world in new ways. You may choose more compassionate paths, or let your natural compassion find its fullest expression. You may be drawn to metaphysics or spiritual disciplines. You may experience sudden romantic perambulations with detached amusement, but you’ll be ready to experiment and open to new ideas. Friendships may blossom into love. Relationships that survived past turbulence will grow because of the journey and will now have great value and security for you. Favourable Dates: Jan 2, 7, 11, 16, 20, 25 Favourable Colours: Blue & Red Gemini: May 21 – Jun 20 There could be advancement, promotion or interesting changes of direction but these won’t come without a few struggles and some arrivals and departures. Communications and business advance with all the intensity. The battles and disagreements will be offset by the exciting pace of life and the learning situations you encounter. There can be some inclination to manipulate others to further your own goals, which should be avoided. There may be indecision regarding feelings about a relationship. Study or travel could become part of your responsibilities at this point. Favourable Dates: Jan 3, 4, 12, 13, 21, 22 Favourable Colours: Yellow & Red Cancer: Jun 21 – Jul 22 The desire to assert independence and to dominate can be strong. Impulsiveness can be a problem. You can be rebellious and wilful, ignoring others’ needs in the process. It’s important to balance enthusiastic expansion against a realistic idea of what is affordable. If you’ve been focusing too little on your relationships, they can demand your attention now and a balance is sought. There can be quite a bit of preoccupation with your own personal affairs and image. This month can reveal your deeper emotional state and can help you explore the far horizons of possibility. Favourable Dates: Jan 6, 8, 15, 17, 24, 26 Favourable Colours: Yellow & Blue

Leo: Jul 23 – Aug 22 Unusual or unexpected contacts and connections could come into your life and make a considerable difference. You’ll be focusing on balancing your cheque book, beautifying and maintaining your valuables, and tending to matters of personal comfort. This can be a good time for finding lost objects or areas of weakness in a budget. An old flame or contact from the past could come back into you life and you might find yourself with the choice to renew something. You can float through this period with an easy grace, something you generally love to do. Favourable Dates: Jan 3, 8, 12, 17, 21, 26 Favourable Colours: White & Blue Virgo: Aug 23 – Sep 22 It’s a great time for networking, connecting, and group activities. There is also good energy for new projects, idea creation, and goalsetting, which have more chances of success than usual. You can present original and unique ideas in an attractive package right now, and you might want to take advantage of this energy. Friendly energy is in the air, and you easily attract positive attention. Whatever it is that you feel you need, freedom through artistic expression, economic power, lifestyle, love, family and children... this is the time to seek it out. Favourable Dates: Jan 4, 7, 13, 16, 22, 25 Favourable Colours: Red & Yellow Libra: Sep 23 – Oct 22 Your thinking and your style of operation is in the process of change. Keep riding the waves as there is benefit in the impact experiences they provide. It’s also a good time for dealing with problems in close relationships with the goal to heal and move past things, not without first feeling the problems and getting to know them better. It’s a very good time for handling long-standing problems or attitudes that have been keeping you stagnant and hesitant. High hopes and realistic expectations - this is the balance for you to continue to strive for. Favourable Dates: Jan 4, 9, 13, 18, 22, 27 Favourable Colours: Red & Green Scorpio: Oct 23 – Nov 21 This can be a good time for putting your talents and skills to beneficial use. Great energy for strategy, planning, seeing patterns, and developing methods is with you now, particularly related to work, business, and finances. You could find that others are willing to go along with your plans and responsive to your insights, allowing you to take the lead. This creates a theme of powerful action and intense desire, urging you forward, at least as far as work and vocation are concerned. There could be a little uncertainty around love and sexuality at this point. Favourable Dates: Jan 4, 6, 13, 15, 22, 24 Favourable Colours: Yellow & Green

Sagittarius: Nov 22 – Dec 21 You are thinking both resourcefully and intuitively now. There can be strong focus on your resources, money, possessions, skills during this period, although at times, there can be quite a bit of worry and possibly misunderstandings about these things. The workplace is increasingly demanding and you may have to burn the midnight oil to follow your heart’s desire. This can be a strong period for thinking up new money-making ideas, and your conversations tend to be more practical than fanciful. Letting go of unnecessary demands will help you prioritise your time. Favourable Dates: Jan 1, 5, 10, 14, 19, 23 Favourable Colours: White & Yellow Capricorn: Dec 22 – Jan 19 You can be changeable, restless, disruptive and erratic and yet you pride yourself on an easygoing demeanour that takes every eventuality in its stride. You can be aloof, detached and cool and yet with equal ease you can be involved, concerned and compassionate. The pursuit of love could prove exciting. Artists, academics and those of unorthodox habits will set your heart racing. Deep issues are likely to be drawn from the darkness of your subconscious. It is a month when you will also have to know when to step back from action and let a situation reveal itself. Favourable Dates: Jan 3, 8, 12, 17, 21, 26 Favourable Colours: Red & Yellow Aquarius: Jan 20 – Feb 18 Travel, creativity and study call you on a journey of the higher mind. Work or duty can demand your attention, and you can be quite consumed by what you are expected to do. Money matters and especially debts and obligations, require a closer look this month. New ventures or businesses are favoured, especially if they involve communications and overseas connections. There is business to be done through investment or speculation from which you can gain quite handsomely. This will be a fairly exhausting period but it may well sort some things out and bring clarity in the end. Favourable Dates: Jan 2, 4, 11, 13, 20, 22 Favourable Colours: White & Blue Pisces: Feb 19 – Mar 20 You are finding brand new channels for expressing yourself this month and discovering new courage to open up and share. Communications fields can be helpful for connecting you to the right people and places. Success, advancement and growth will all figure in the journey from this point. There may be a promotion or a successful venture. This is a time when you will begin to make change at an emotional and domestic level. If there are issues about money between yourself and someone you’re close to, then they will need attention. Favourable Dates: Jan 1, 4, 10, 13, 19, 22 Favourable Colours: White & Yellow

Manish Kumar Arora, 91-9871062000 | K.P. Astrologer, Numerologist, Tarot Card Reader & Vastu Consultant www.facebook.com/manishastroconsultant | manish@manishastrologer.com

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The May issue of your favourite county magazine, on sale from 5th April

Next Month

Preston, Chester and Keswick

The May issue of your favourite county magazine, on sale from 5th April Preston, Chester and Keswick

ADVERTISER INDEX Rochdale Recycling 111 Global Interiors Orme Fine Arts 58 61 61 Rockform Limited 135 Globeworks 125 Pad 17 209 Rossendale Interiors 186 Grand Theatre 147 Pleasureland Southport 5 117 Plumbs 107 123 Ruby and Daisy 188 Hearts for Homes 211 Redrow 34 105 Scafell Hotel 89 Hope Menswear 173 Rockform 199 87 Si Belle 47 HW Audio 135 Rolex IFC 155 Stokers Limited 111 Joseph and Co 181 Rossendale Interiors 63 71 131 The Grapes Hotel Lindeth Howe 60 111 Rochdale Recycling Global Interiors 58 Ruby & Daisy 175 206 7 Wells and Limited Hewitt Lowlands Farm Alpacas 81 135 Rockform Globeworks 125 Scafell 155 65 125 Wilsons PiesInteriors Midland Hotel 71 186 Rossendale Grand Theatre 147 Shed 1 Distillery 99 199 Wren 8 81 188 Ruby Living and Daisy Hearts for Homes Sleepy Hollow211 45 35/OBC Moshina’s 209 Pad 23 105 Scafell Hotel 7 Hope Menswear 173 Stokers 203 148 Redrow 77 47 Si Belle HW Audio 135 Thai Spice Paradise 137 155 Beaver of Bolton 111 Stokers Limited Joseph and Co Towneley Hall181 77 Jones Homes 159 Two Stories Studio 107 Joseph & Co 167 Beetham Nureries with us please 131 The Grapes Hotel 60 To advertise call Lindeth Howe Vincents Solicitors 59 Kia MotorsInteriors 317 Brinscall Wells and Hewitt Lowlands Farm Alpacas 81 Vine Mill Land Rover 13 Charles Louis Homes & Mortgages 125 Wilsons Pies 160 Midland Hotel 71 Wells & Hewitt 81 Manchester Gin 149 CKR 8 Wren Living IBC Moshina’s or email: info@lancashiremagazine.co.uk Wren Kitchens 40 Moshinas 210 Deacon Scott 209 Pad 23 Novi Digital 187 ESP 148 Redrow 77

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