Look Local Magazine, September 2020 Edition, Issue 93 by Look Local Magazine

Sept 2020 Issue 93

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PHOENIX ELECTRICAL FOR SALES, SERVICE & ADVICE Free Delivery Free Connection (Gas & Built-In, chargeable)

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Hello Readers,

11 CONTENTS 06. Editorial IT Support from PCHelp4U. 08. Education Back to School Tips by Total Maths Tutoring. 11. Health & Wellbeing COMPETITION - WIN a Reflexology Session with Jill Roarty of Thame Therapy Clinic. 12/13. The Sound of Music Simon Markland talks us through this months virtual music scene. 14/15. News & Events What’s On in our region. 16. Business Strengthening your foundations. By Chris Harris of Harris Consultancy. 18. home & garden Look locally over the garden gate, by Lucie Ponsford of Mimosa Garden Design. 24. Get the Look The ancient craft of Stone Masonry by Coulon Stone. 30. editorial feature Getting back to business. By Chris Harris of Harris Consultancy.

BOOKING DEADLINE for October 2020 issue:

Friday 11th September

So, it’s a monumental month in the fight against Corona Virus as the schools re-open and children across the country return after 6 months (for most) off!! I don’t know about you, but my little girl, who will be starting Year 3, is feeling a mixed bag of emotions from excitement to nerves and apprehension and I have to say - I’m feeling the same! They need to go back, its so important for their education and mental wellbeing, and for us parents too, who if you’re anything like me, are more than ready to hang up your teaching hat teachers I salute you, you’re unsung heros in my eyes! But, I do worry about how they will adjust to the social distancing and socialising with only the children in their bubble in an environment that was once a hub of social activity and interaction.... To help us parents support our children in their return to school, turn to page 8 for some helpful tips from Craig Patterson of Total Maths Tutoring. Many Beauty Salons and Massage facilities have started practicing again now too and to welcome clients back into her reflexology clinic, Jill Roarty of Thame Therapy Clinic is running a COMPETITION this month to WIN A FREE SESSION with her. Turn to page 11 for details. As always, I ask you to take the time to look through the magazine as you’ll find a great selection of articles and adverts from local businesses who now, more than ever, really need our support. And if you are a local business looking for a place to advertise and promote yourself both on and off line, please do get in touch. Until next month, stay safe and support local...

Love Emma x For Advertising contact 07707 386034 or email info@look-localmagazine.co.uk W: www.look-localmagazine.co.uk Look Local Magazine

7,100 copies of Look Local Magazine are printed on a monthly basis and delivered to households in, Aston Rowant, Bledlow Ridge, Chalgrove, Chinnor, Crowell, Cuxham, Great Haseley, Great Milton, Henton, Kingston Blount, Kingston Stert, Lewknor, Little Milton, Milton Common, Postcombe, Sydenham, Tetsworth, Towersey and Watlington. In addition, the magazine can also be picked up from businesses in these areas and also Thame & Wheatley.

All material appearing in this publication is reproduced as supplied. Although every care is taken to ensure accuracy, the publishers/printers cannot accept responsibility for the content of this publication. All artwork is accepted on the understanding that the description of goods and services are fair and accurate and permission has been given for use in this publication. Inclusion of advertisements does not imply endorsement by the publisher or printer. No part of this publication may be reproduced.

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Photo Credit: Front cover and some images within the publication are courtesy of Freepix.

Welcome to the September 2020 Edition of Look Local Magazine.

September 2020

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Editorial Feature

06 To advertise, call 07707 386034 or email info@look-localmagazine.co.uk

September 2020

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Education Feature

Back to School �ps by Craig Patterson of Total Maths Tutoring The

last 6 months have been some of the most difficult and unpredictable in living memory for all of us, especially for those in education. Students, parents and schools have been left to fend for themselves in a digital world, with very little notice. The efforts of parents in particular during this time have been exceptional, with the large majority having far more involvement in their child’s education than they ever have before. Despite this, nobody can pretend that school closures have not had a significant effect on the development of students and their learning. That makes the next academic year incredibly important, with some students now trying to fit 18 months of education into 12 months, in order to prepare for SATs or GCSE exams. Approaching this year in the right way and making a fast start will be pivotal to the success of students. Here are our top tips to make sure your children succeed: •

Get organised: This year will probably seem overwhelming to your child at first. They are going to need to do some extra work at home, and as their parent you can help make sure they have the time and structure in place to do that. Try and plan out a typical week, add in sporting commitments and other regular appointments, then try and find the gaps when studying could take place. We all work best when in a strong routine, and developing a weekly timetable helps us all know what we’re doing and when. Things will come up and the timetable will not be stuck to militarily, but it certainly helps.

•

Make contact with school: School needs to know that you are willing to help your child this year, and they will be more than happy to give you ways you can help them at home. This also opens a line of communication, making it far more likely that any small problems your child is having will be brought to your attention.

•

Take an interest: Hopefully this year you won’t need to become their teacher again, but having a brief overview of what they are studying, and learning along with your child, shows them that you are in this together, and that you care.

•

Profile subject knowledge: Students have been home schooled for 6 months now so there are going to be gaps in their knowledge. Finding out what these are and addressing them is key. This year’s learning will be building on last year’s knowledge, so if its not there, they will struggle. Maths wise, our website has some great free tools that students and parents can use to identify strengths and weaknesses in knowledge. For any other subjects please contact me and I will be more than happy to help.

•

Fill in the gaps: If private tutoring is an option to help fill in these knowledge gaps, doing this earlier rather than later will have more impact on the student’s learning. If this is not an option, become familiar with some great websites out there that can help students improve.

This academic year is going to be a tough one, but with a supportive parent behind them and the right structure in place, they can do it! If you would like any help with supporting your children this year, please contact me - see advert for details. About Me: I have been a secondary school teacher for 7 years, mainly working with low achieving GCSE students and secondary students who did not achieve the required standards in primary school. During that time I have researched and implemented successful programs to improve pupil attainment. Total Maths Tutoring has been operating for over 5 years and has supported 100’s of students in that time, achieving a 96% pass rate in GCSE exams last year.

08 To advertise, call 07707 386034 or email info@look-localmagazine.co.uk

September 2020

• • • •

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Poor Digestion Stress Arthritis Fatigue

• • • •

Food intolerances Anxiety Poor mobility Low immunity

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Allergies Sleep disruption Migraine Menopause

Nutritional Therapy looks to improve health conditions and symptoms, some of which are highlighted above, through diet and natural solutions. Peter Dewdney - Natural Solutions from Optimal Health Nutritional Therapist - Associate Naturopath mBANT, mANP, mGNG, CNHC Registered Practitioner

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Health & Wellbeing

Thame Therapy Clinic High Quality Complementary Health Therapies from Experienced Practitioners

Therapies include • Physiotherapy • Reﬂexology • Osteopathy • Homeopathy • Acupuncture • Holistic Massage • Counselling • Naturopathic Nutritional Therapy and more... 01844 215555 / 261592 23 Upper High Street, Thame, OX9 3EX

www.thametherapyclinic.co.uk

10 To advertise, call 07707 386034 or email info@look-localmagazine.co.uk

Heallth & Wellbeing

WIN a FREE Reﬂ�ology Session with Jill Roarty, Thame Therapy Clinic

It’s a complete pleasure to be back at work treating my lovely patients. I would like to introduce myself to those of you who haven’t as yet been to our clinic for Reflexology, Massage or Indian Head Massage. I feel all of these treatments have enormous benefit after the stresses we have all been experiencing over the last few months. As you can imagine we are doing things slightly different in clinic to how they were pre Covid 19. All necessary precautions have been strictly implemented to keep us all safe. •

Reﬂexology: A non-invasive complementary therapy that can be effective in promoting deep relaxation and wellbeing. Reducing stress in people’s lives can be key in optimising good health and building resilience. It provides time for relaxation where clients receive one to one attention and supportive touch in an empathetic listening environment.

•

Massage: Many of us have spend the last few months hunched over our phones, computers and various other screens . I am very happy to have the opportunity to be offering back, neck and shoulder massage again. I will be focusing on the build-up of any stress and muscle tension in all areas around the neck, shoulders and across the back. This massage encourages feelings of relaxation, relieves stress, improves circulation and relaxes tight muscles.

•

Indian Head Massage: For those experiencing tension head aches Indian Head Massage can be included in your Massage or Reflexology sessions. This provides the perfect top to toe session.

FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN Simply text the word RELAXATION to 07852 729177 for your chance to WIN a FREE REFLEXOLOGY SESSION Texts must be received by 30th September and a winners will be selected at random by Jill and notiﬁed via text by 7th October. Terms & conditions will apply

For more details about Reflexology and Massage or to book an appointment with Jill call Thame Therapy Clinic on 01844 215555 or visit www.thametherapyclinic.co.uk

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Sound of Music

elcome to our September music page. Here you will ﬁnd information on how to ﬁnd the best musical instrument tuition in the area and what musical activities and workshops are taking place at this time.

Thame has a variety of fantastic opportunities for budding musicians who wish to join together with other like-minded people. From bands to choirs to bell ringing! We also host a huge variety of annual musical event’s, these will all be back to provide a wonderful calendar of live music in 2021! Thame Music Academy TMA is excited to let you know that they will be RE-OPENING from TUESDAY 1ST SEPTEMBER 2020! Their fantastic teaching facility based in the centre of Thame will be welcoming back their existing students along with meeting many new faces! The academy will have all the required temporary measures and procedures in place in order to provide a safe, clean and friendly teaching environment. More information regarding their measures and procedures can be found via the TMA website and social media platforms. Thame Music Academy provides lessons in a large variety of instruments including;

Piano, Keyboard, Singing, Guitar (Acoustic or Electric), Ukulele, Bass Guitar, Drums, Percussion, Violin, Strings, Brass and Music Theory. For further information regarding lessons and to make a booking please contact the academy via the details at the end of this article. Community Choirs in Oxfordshire At the current time it is sadly impossible to join a choir in person, however Oxfordshire has a large variety of community choirs who are currently providing ‘virtual’ sessions for their members. Some of these are listed below, please contact them for further information on how to join this fantastic online singing movement! Afropean Choir - This multi-ethnic choir aims to form a bridge between the Western and African worlds. Visit their website: http://www. afropeanchoir.co.uk/ Blackbird Leys Choir - A mixed voice choir of amateur singers, singing classical pieces. Visit their website: http://www.blackbirdleyschoir.org/ East Oxford Community Choir - A group of singers of all standards, who sing a variety of works which mostly include larger scale choral pieces. Visit their website: http://www. eastoxfordcommunitychoir.co.uk/

Entertainment Headington Singers - A community choir singing the great choral classics. Visit their website: http://www.headingtonsingers.org. uk/ Jericho Singers - A fun friendly openaccess community choir singing a range of great music including folk, rock, pop, jazz and classical: www.jerichosingers.com Joined up Singing - A community choir learning songs by ear, all sung unaccompanied. For more information see the ‘Joined up Singing’ web page. Oxford City Singers - A choir based in the heart of Oxford City. No auditions necessary and they sing all diﬀerent types of music. Visit their website: http://www. oxfordcitysingers.com/home.php Oxford Gospel Choir - Exactly what the name suggests! Visit their website: http:// www.oxfordgospelchoir.co.uk/ OxfordShir Community Choir - Shir is the Hebrew word for song. OxfordShir welcomes members from any backgrounds and their repertoire includes Hebrew and Yiddish melodies, traditional folk song’s and specially arranged music. Visit the ‘OxfordShir’ website. Rising Voices - The oﬃcial choir of Folk Weekend: Oxford; Rising Voices are an acapella group who sing a variety of songs, most of which are from the folk and world music repertoire (although they do throw in the occasional pop song!). For more information see the ‘Rising Voices’ web page. Sea Green Singers - A group who sing to change the world! For more information visit the ‘Sea Green Singers’ web page Singing in the Sticks - We’re a fun and friendly community choir - open to all based in Garsington, just outside Oxford. For more information visit the ‘Singing in the Sticks’ web page. Sounds Fun - The Oxford Community

Choir. They sing all types of songs from all over the world. For more information see the ‘Sounds Fun’ web page. Vox Steady - A rock, pop, soul and jazz choir. Visit their website: http://www. voxsteady.com/

nline live music?

Unfortunately at the current time there can be no live music events taking place within venues. However it doesn’t mean you have to miss out entirely. The first Thursday Music Club Unfortunately at the current time there can be no live music events taking place within venues. However, the First Thursday Music Club is providing fantastic online live sets from some of the countries best musicians, whether local or from further aﬁeld! This totally free service can be found via the FTMC Facebook page where regular virtual events are added. Open Micsolate! - With all of us forced to socially distance ourselves from each other, and with possibly a little more time on our hands, a group of open mic fanatics wondered if any friends or friends several times removed might like to post a video of them having a bash at a song/ performance open mic style! Any style, any standard! Be brave! Feel free to invite anyone you think may enjoy or contribute. Kind comments only, if you hear anything you don’t like, skip on! All copyrights belong to original artists. It is all totally free of course and you can join them by searching ‘Open Micsolate’ via Facebook!

This feature is brought to you by Simon Markland of Thame Music Academy Tel: 07743 032292 Email: info@thamemusicacademy.com Web page: www.thamemusicacademy.com

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NEWS & EVENTS

in our region

Local Thame resident raises £1,750 for Dementia Charity..! Local Thame resident, Helen Johns set herself a challenge

in May – to cycle 100 miles on her indoor exercise bike and raise £100 for the Alzheimer’s Society as part of their Cycle for Dementia Challenge. By the end of May, donations had far exceeded £100, and Helen decided to keep going with another 100 miles cycled during June. By 30th June, Helen had cycled a total of 213 miles! The Just Giving fundraising page remained open for a further month until 31st July, and Helen kept encouraging people to donate. She also kept cycling and achieved a final total of 300 miles.

The final total raised is £1,750, which is fantastic, considering that the original target was £100. Helen said, ‘I would like to thank everyone, family, friends, business contacts and others, who have made generous donations and contributed to this amazing total. Your support has been truly inspiring and spurred me on to achieve this outcome. I am very proud to have been able to help the Alzheimer’s Society fund the cost of care for dementia sufferers and fund research for a disease that affects 850,000 in the UK and for which there is currently no cure’. The Cycle for Dementia campaign is continuing. If anyone would like to take part or make a donation, contact the Alzheimer’s Society www.alzheimers.org.uk on 0330 333 0804, at challenge@alzheimers.org.uk, on facebook.com/alzheimerssocietyuk or on twitter.com/ alzheimerssoc.

Midsomer Tours Return to Thame! The

popular Midsomer guided walking tours of Thame have reopened for the first time since last year. Normally the tour season starts in April, but this hasn’t been possible this year because of the Coronavirus restrictions. The government has since given the tourism and hospitality industry permission to re-open, so Midsomer Tours recommenced on Wednesday 19th August with a view to continue every Wednesday until the season ends on 28th October. Tony Long, tour organiser, commented, ‘Following government advice, we are delighted that the ever-popular Midsomer Tours can start again. We will be ensuring that the now smaller tour groups comply with social distancing guidelines. Participants may wish to wear face masks, but none of the locations involves being indoors, so this is not necessary. Hand sanitiser can be provided on request’. The Midsomer guided walking tour has become a great success since it launched in 2017. Knowledgeable tour guides take small groups on an hour-long tour around

14 To advertise, call 07707 386034 or email info@look-localmagazine.co.uk

News & Events Midsomer filming locations in the town used in episodes of the popular ITV series Midsomer Murders. Thame is one of the most frequently used filming locations, with 22 locations in the town centre. Amongst landmarks featured are Thame Museum, Thame Town Hall, Market House, Rumsey’s Chocolaterie, the Spread Eagle and Swan Hotels, the Coffee House, and the Black Horse Pub & Brasserie. Midsomer Murders is still going strong after more than 20 years. Tony adds, ‘Over 6 million people watch Midsomer Murders in the UK and millions more worldwide. It’s one of our biggest TV exports, and when people see it on TV, they want to come and visit the beautiful towns and villages of Midsomer, such as Thame. When they are here, they spend money in our restaurants, pubs, hotels, and shops – which has got to be good for the town and its economy, especially following the lockdown’. ‘We hope people will join the tours, because the more people there are taking part, the more funds we can donate to worthy causes at the end of the season. Last year we donated over £2,000. The guides themselves don’t take any income, and any funds left go towards next year’s promotion.’ Tours can only be booked online at www.ticketsource.co.uk/thamemidsomer. Tickets are £7.50 per person. Groups will consist of a maximum of five people plus the guide, in line with government guidance. If a tour is full, we are able to offer a second tour for five people on the same day. The second tour will be led by a second guide and will start off five minutes later than the first tour.

New prehistoric hillfort revealed in Chilterns AONB Beacons of the Past – a National Lottery funded project to discover more about the Chilterns Iron Age hillforts – recently flew a bespoke LiDAR survey of the Chilterns, the first of its kind in this area and the largest high-resolution archaeological survey ever flown in the UK. Encompassing 1,400 km2, the survey has revealed thousands of archaeological features across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, and Bedfordshire. Hillforts in the Chilterns seem to have a fairly regular distribution, with a few notable gaps. One of the aspirations of the project was to locate any hillforts that might have been hiding in plain sight or under tree cover. Archaeologist Dr Ed Peveler, Landscape Heritage Officer for the project, and several Citizen Scientists each independently identified an earthwork in the southern Chilterns as a potential hillfort. Following careful assessment of the LiDAR and an extensive walk-over survey by the team, thanks to the full co-operation of the landowner, a significant new hillfort can be added to the Chilterns. The surviving earthwork consists of a bank nine metres wide and an external ditch seven metres wide; running over 500 metres in perimeter, it would have enclosed an area of about 3 hectares (7.5 acres). Project Manager and archaeologist Dr Wendy Morrison said ‘Although one can never be certain of the age of a prehistoric earthwork without excavating for dating evidence, visual inspection of the rampart and ditch, paired with its location, dominating views in the landscape, give me the confidence to say this is very likely to be an Early Iron Age univallate hillfort’. (c.800-500 BC). There is no public access to the site, and the exact location of the hillfort is currently being withheld to protect sensitive archaeology and the landowner’s privacy. The team are now actively engaged with the landowner to protect and preserve what remains. The confirmation of a new hillfort in the AONB coincides with the Online LiDAR Portal’s oneyear anniversary. Launched on 12 August 2019, the Portal now has nearly 3,000 registered users, who have spent hundreds of hours combing the data, and created records of over 10,000 archaeological features. With full training offered, the Online Citizen Science Portal can be found here: http://chilternsbeacons.org

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Business

Strengthen your foundations By Chris Harris, Harris Consultancy This year has seen more and more businesses invest in their online presence; COVID19 has torpedoed the need to have a robust online digital strategy. A strategy that remains vigorous in these uncertain times, that offers flexibility to your client’s requirements along with adaptability in case you ever need to change your offerings. These times have brought about creative business ideas and businesses have adapted to these needs, whilst the future remains uncertain for now, we do know that flexibility and creativity is the key and will steer us through these troubled waters keeping you ahead of the curve. Businesses often come to us for advice, asking what they should do to maintain their online digital presence whilst keeping profit margins high and digital expense low but with a high return. There are a lot of options digitally to enhance your strategy but its important the foundations of your business are aligned and branded ensuring your strategy is strengthened in recognition. These include your social media platforms, are they all branded? Have they been setup correctly? Are you targeting your correct demographic? And it is bringing in conversion? What can you learn from your following to create a more targeted service or product? And your website which is your online storefront, is it responsive on all devices? Is it branded and recognised? Is it easy to use? Does it deliver what you would like it to? Business owners should be thinking about these questions along with many others about how to improve their online digital presence, making the most of the consumer behaviour, which is now more online than ever, and this is expected to continue to grow. Customers need more flexibility in their lives and it is now the time to ensure your online strategy is delivering in line with their needs. Your website is your online storefront and ensuring this is working hard to represent your business online is imperative. Websites should be renewed at least every 2 years. So why is this? •

Changing technology – Technology changes and if your website was built prior to 2014 there is a good chance that it wasn’t built to be mobile responsive. (It doesn’t change its appearance to suit the device on which its being viewed. A mobile/tablet responsive website is vital with now less than 46% of Internet users browsing via a desktop.

•

Design trend – If you do not keep up with the latest design trends your website visitors will assume your business is falling behind and isn’t keeping pace with the market.

•

Change of business strategy and brand – Show off your new products or services, your new logo’s or online offerings. If your products, services and brand has changed then you need to change your website too.

Earlier this year, Harris Consultancy was recognised for our digital marketing work in Oxfordshire when we recieved the accolade of “Best Digital Marketing Agency” Oxfordshire for 2020 - a proud moment! We can build award winning websites from only £39 per month so why not get in touch today to discuss how to strengthen your online digital presence and ensure your business is fit for the future. If you would like to reach out to us to discuss any of the above, or perhaps to look at your strategy in further detail, then please contact us: M: 07799 282042 | E: hello@harris-consultancy.co.uk | W: www.harris-consultancy.co.uk

16 To advertise, call 07707 386034 or email info@look-localmagazine.co.uk

Home & Garden

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Home & Garden

Look locally over the garden gate with Lucie Giselle Ponsford

Been to the beach for your staycation this year, or want to? Bring the joy of a seaside retreat to your backdoor with a coastal themed garden...

elcome again to Look locally over the garden gate today we look to September: ‘season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’: Keats, over quoted, but rarely surpassed in his evocative summing up of our years worth. Finally we are reaping the rewards of our labour but now as gardeners we start again with renewed vigour and verve, all those things that we did not achieve have promise for next year and none more than the humble cutting. This is the time of year for more ambitious propagation: Semi-ripe cuttings, soft wood ripened by the sun of Passion flower, Clematis, Ceanothus, Cistus, Erica, Hebe, Lavender, Thyme, Sage, Mahonia & Viburnum. You see from the list these are woody shrubs & climbers you can even try favourite trees! So try whatever you fancy in this vein. The growth is this year’s; succulent, and rigid, not yet set hard with lignin as will be later, as we progress to winter. The key is the growing medium, which needs to be light and mean on nutrients. The cutting is to be longer than those taken for softwood. Plunge at lease 2/3rds into seed & cutting compost with perlite 50/50. Any leaves are removed below the soil level and halved above. Do not put in direct sunlight to avoid drying out and use a cloche or plastic bag if you don’t have a greenhouse, remove the bag daily for a refresh of the air, to reduce fungal die back. They won’t need plastic once they have ‘taken’. These cuttings will need to stay put for a while so choose a good spot for long term baking! So give it a go! Ask neighbours and friends to do a swap and share and let us know what you are trying on the Look Local Facebook page. For a more expansive explanation into why you do the above or for gardening ideas and inspiration check out my Blog on my website www.mimosagardendesign.com or visit my Facebook Page.

With love, Lucie, Mimosa Design 18 To advertise, call 07707 386034 or email info@look-localmagazine.co.uk

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• Small & large renovations on front and back gardens. • Hard landscaping to improve maintenance of borders. • Plans for you to follow or full installation. Award winning designer, Lucie Ponsford will help you make the best use of your space and create a beautiful outdoor room.

Right plant, right place

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Property Care, Home Improvements & **** Established Since 1981 Maintenance By Paul Costin

References available upon request City and GuildsFor a free quote contact Paul Qualiﬁed Property Care, Home Improvements & Telephone: 07860 400960 Maintenance By Paul Costin Email: pcostinbuilder40@yahoo.co.uk Public Liability Insurance

✓ Established Since 1981 ✓ References available upon request ✓ City and Guilds Qualified ✓ Public Liability Insurance ✓ Checkatrade Approved ✓ Established Since 1981 ✓ References available upon request ✓ City and Guilds Qualified ✓ Public Liability Insurance ✓ Checkatrade Approved

For a free quote contact Paul Telephone: 07860 400960 Email: pcostinbuilder40@yahoo.co.uk

*Kitchens *Bathrooms *Plumbing For*Electrical *Plastering *Brickwork a free quote contact *Roofs & Guttering *Flooring *Decking M: 07860 400960 *Fencing *Paving *Painting *Conservatories *Extensions E: pcostinbuilder40@yahoo.co.uk *Double Glazing *Kitchens *Bathrooms *Plumbing *Electrical *Plastering *Brickwork *Roofs & Guttering *Flooring *Decking *Fencing *Paving *Painting *Conservatories *Extensions *Double Glazing

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Home & Garden

SAME DAY SKIP HIRE AND

GRAB SERVICE

www.bucksrecycling.co.uk

22 To advertise, call 07707 386034 or email info@look-localmagazine.co.uk

Home & Garden The

50 plus

Home Repairs

• Plumbing • Electrical • Handy • Decorating • Gardening • And more from

- Tap washers - To consumer units (fuse boxes) - Fencing and external works - Plus technology and help at home for the elderly

Call or visit our web site for full details of our broad range of services, helpful advice & pricing

01844 392 823 www.the50plus.co.uk

Serving customers for over 20 years

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Home & Garden

Stone Masonry – An Ancient Craft by Coulon Stone

Stone masonry is one of the oldest crafts in history when humans began arranging rocks to create

shelters in the Neolithic Period, (or Stone Age) 12,000 years ago. Stonemasons then began honing and trading the craft, cutting and preparing stone to build and repair structures, often incredibly complex work.

Throughout history stonemasons have built entire cities, monuments that can be seen from space and roads that created nations. Ancient and middle age societies relied heavily on stonemasons to build and defend their civilizations, for example, the Egyptians and their pyramids, the Roman’s and their roads, and Medieval Europeans and their castles. Stonemasons are highly skilled craftsman, and there are many different types, many of which have not changed since stone masonry began. For example Carvers who are able to artistically carve detailed shapes and images in to natural stones, Quarrymen who split huge sheets of rock from the ground and prepare them to be sent all over the world, and Fixer Masons who fix large pieces of stone on to or in buildings, for example cladding, fireplaces, and staircases. They must understand the complex tolerances involved in creating these structures, including lifting huge pieces of stone in to place, often up on to buildings, the sizes and shapes to make the structure strong, and how to fix them safely in to place. Similarly many of the daily tools used by stonemasons have not changed. The earliest tools would have been mallet and chisel type tools, and these are found in every stonemasons tool box today. Other ancient tools that are still used today are the mason’s trowel and levels. Technology has meant some changes, for example lots of stonemasons use CNC machines - computer technology to cut and process stone to a specification. However these machines haven’t made the job of a stonemason simple, you must be highly skilled to use a CNC machine and understand the specifications that each piece of stone needs for the job. Often the stone will then be finished by hand. If you’re interested in seeing how a modern day stonemason works and the tools and machines that are used, contact Coulon Stone using the details below and we can show you around our factory. Email info@coulonstone.com | Showroom (Social Distancing measures are in place): Wycombe Road, Stokenchurch, HP14 3RP - | Call: 01494 484333

24 To advertise, call 07707 386034 or email info@look-localmagazine.co.uk

Home & Garden

CASTLE MOTORS Motoring made easy. Family run business, established in 1980

• • • • • •

Servicing, Repairs, Valeting MOT Work & Welding Batteries, Exhaust, Diagnostics Towbars, Trailers, Horseboxes Commercial Vehicles upto 7.5 tonnes and more

Phone: 01844 352135 Web: www.castlemotorschinnor.com Workshop: Manor Farm, Chinnor Hill, OX39 4BG

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