Advertiser April21

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The

April 2021

Advertiser Wishing You All A Very

Happy Easter This Month: Richmond Villages The Bell Open 15th Clare Moran Nutrition St Mary’s Church Longcot Stagecoach Performing Arts All Your Business: About You Crafters Emporium Open 13th The Little Goat Shop Open 12th David Johnston MP: Newsletter Churches Together In Faringdon Faringdon Town Council Newsletter

Promoting local business, trade and services.

Advertise! Be Seen! Call Lou 01367 244975 or 07894 554551

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The

|April 2021|

Advertiser Chris Lewis APPLIANCEMAN Electrical DOMESTIC AND COMMERCIAL WORKS FREE QUOTATIONS

SPECIALISTS IN THE REPAIR OF

07834 983 155

● ● ● ●

www.chrislewiselectrical.co.uk Faringdon based electrician Call us today to see how we can help you?

Washing Machines Tumble Dryers Cookers - Fridges Dishwashers

Call or Text George Bowler george@applianceman.co

Wishing You A Very Happy Easter

J GODFREY & SON FUNERAL SERVICES An Independent family run business Spanning four generations ● 24 hour 7 days a week personal service and support ● A private Chapel of Rest, Pre-Paid Funeral plans

Tattoo ARTIST

Marcin Zietek 07590 539396 Opening Hours Monday - Friday 10am-6pm Saturday 10am-2pm Pogo Tattoo

8 Cornmarket Faringdon SN7 7HH

lou@theadvertisermagazine.net

● Memorial Stones & Grave Maintenance

Ware Road Stanford in the Vale Oxon SN7 8NY

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20 Gloucester Street Faringdon Oxon SN7 7HY

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www.jgodfreyandsonfuneralservices.co.uk info@jgodfreyandsonfuneralservices.co.uk

www.theadvertisermagazine.net

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WHO’S NEXT?

I poke my nose into other people’s business and then make up stories about them!

Based in the Cotswolds, I write articles, blogs and PR for the media and on social media for people, businesses and events in Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire and also help to promote businesses large or small about what you do and what you offer. www.facebook.com/ChrisRobertsMBE.PR. Or Chris 01285 712150, 0744 350 0744, www.chrisrobertsmbe.co.uk.

The Dog Studio Dog Grooming and Hydrotherapy Centre Call Trish: 01367 820060 Cowleaze Farm, Woolstone, Oxon SN7 7QS Email: thedogstudio@live.co.uk

579798

Unicorn Oxon Ltd Plumbing & Heating Specialists

All Gas Work All Plumbing Work Bathrooms Gas Appliances Boiler Servicing Central Heating Landlord Cert's QUALITY WITH CARE Locally based - call Steve 07901 772 058

Don’t go through what Laura went through Laura Jordan is a wife and mother of three children and was diagnosed with a neurological condition 13 years ago. She was young and enjoying life without a care in the world one minute but, over the span of just a couple of months, ended up being paralysed from the waist down. This impacted on her ability to protect her home, her family and her income.

When you are young, fit and healthy, you don’t think this will happen to you, but it can, as Laura explains. “I am a Mortgage and Protection Specialist and I want to explain why protection is so important to people’s lives. I am not trying to sell anything, but I just want to help people so they can avoid what I went through. ● Look after your money from a young age! You might not want to leave something behind for someone, but what about yourself? You should ensure that you’re okay financially as health issues can cause adverse effects in years to come. ● Mental health! If you have a current standing policy, it may include free counselling sessions from the lender direct. With NHS waiting lists currently at 8 months, this is too long for many to wait. If you need help, you usually need it now. So check if you have proper cover. ● When you’re off work due to illness, you’ll probably get sick pay. But what about your mental health? The last thing you want is to give yourself additional worry regarding your finances. Protecting your income is about buying you the time to get yourself back on track. ● If you die, will your family still be able to live in your home? If you have a mortgage, can your partner afford to pay it without you? I never want to have to tell a family that they’ll lose their home. Losing someone you love is more than enough to cope with without losing your home too. ● Trusts! If you have a life policy, is it in trust? If not, why not? Trusts mean that the money can be released to whoever needs it within weeks and not months – the usual timescale for probate. Also having money in trust removes it from the estate, meaning that the beneficiary will receive it without having a 40% chunk deducted to pay Inheritance Tax. Laura says: “Please read the above carefully. I’m not asking you to buy anything from me. What I want is to ensure that you and your family are never left in a vulnerable position because you didn’t consider protection.”

For more advice, please get in touch. Laura genuinely wants to help. Contact Laura: 07808 025894, laura.jordan@openworld.uk.com

The Advertiser Magazine Deadline for the May Edition is 23rd April

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A new tattoo parlour is opening in Faringdon on Monday 12th April based at 8 Corn Market.

Pogo Tattoo will be run by Marcin Zietek, who has worked in Oxford as a tattoo artist for over 15 years. Opening hours are: Monday-Friday 10am-6pm and Saturday from 10am-2pm. For more information, contact Marcin: 07590 539396 Visit Pogo Tattoo on Facebook.

Stanford-in-the-Vale resident, Anne Mills, is keeping the flame burning for the dying craft of turning local timber and leather into beautiful and functional fireside bellows.

Anne lives in a stone cottage with a wood-burning fire and decided she needed some bellows, so set about making them herself! She discovered the beauty of oak, ash and elm as well as the deep satisfaction of turning raw timber into beautifully formed bellows. Combined with soft but strong leather, she produces bellows that are not only a joy to look at and feel, but are also full of puff!

Anne is a member of the Crafts Council and Heritage Crafts Association. She says that while there is nothing quite like holding actual bellows in your hands, she is adapting to the current situation and selling online: www.firesidebellows.com Anne: 07592 616130 Jo Fowler, who has lived in Faringdon for over 50 years, is the owner of JEMS Complete Care florist.

Since the first lockdown, Jo’s florist business has seen weddings having to be cancelled, rescheduled and then cancelled again due to a second wave of restrictions. It was a sad time for couples when this should have been the happiest day of their lives – and even sadder that there has also been an increase in funerals.

As an independent business, Jo is taking orders by phone, email or Messenger and has managed to provide many families with funeral tributes and deliver flowers to people in isolation. Jo says it has been a privilege to provide bouquets to people and see so many smiling faces.

Find out more at: www.facebook.com/jemscompletecare Jo: 07557 967314

Crowdy & rose soliCitors of faringdon and leChlade

We have a wealth of local knowledge and are an established part of the local community providing for the needs of our clients

From the beginning of March, Jo Hickling took over Stanford Coffee Shop at 25a High Street in Stanford-in-the-Vale and, under lockdown, was open for takeaways. Post lockdown, the opening times will be 10am-2pm selling coffee, tea, cold drinks, breakfasts, home-made soup, baps, rolls, paninis, sandwiches, afternoon tea boxes, home-made cakes, scones.

For more info, contact: 07880 348436 sitvcoffee@yahoo.com

Thursday 8th April at 2.30pm Timothy Walker will talk about Gardening in the 21st Century. The talk has been devised to meet the many requests of the future of gardening in the UK. This has been stimulated by the changes in our weather and climate. This talk looks at the many ways that gardeners can reduce their impact on the world’s natural resources and at the same time help those plants whose habitat is evolving faster than they can. The talk is about much more than global warming and using peat!

Faringdon Branch

Lechlade Branch

2 Market Place, Faringdon, Oxfordshire SN7 7HW

Tel: 01367 240285 High Street, Lechlade, Gloucestershire GL7 3AE

Tel: 01367 252644 www.crowdyandrose.co.uk

Info@crowdyandrose.co.uk

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Paula Michael & Bob Everything You Know Is Wrong

By Gerry Agar

I’ve gone back into the vault for this month’s book and if you love gossip and contemporary celebrity stories, you’ll really love it.

I’ve long been fascinated with the story of television presenter Paula Yates, her rock star lover Michael Hutchence and her husband, Live-Aid pioneer Bob Geldof. It was a story that had blown up all over the press when I was a teenager in the late 1990s, and interest in it has never left me.

Which was why I was thrilled to find this book, and even more thrilled that I could download it for free on Amazon as I have a Kindle Unlimited subscription.

Win a spring clean For your home We are running a competition this month to win a spring clean for your home, carried out by one of our very own professional cleaners* To enter, simply tag at least two friends who you think deserves this treat, share the post and like our page.

Winners will be announced on Wednesday 31st March 2021.

GOOD LUCK! *Terms and Conditions apply

The author, Gerry Agar, had a front-row seat in this drama. She had first met the vibrant Yates in the 1980s on the London social scene. They were reacquainted when their children attended the same school in Battersea in the early-to-mid 90s.

Yates and her husband Bob Geldof had been together for 18 years and had three children, Fifi, Peaches and Pixie. To the public eye, their relationship was one of the more solid celebrity unions. Until it suddenly wasn’t.

For Yates was infatuated with INXS frontman Michael Hutchence. It was a long standing infatuation; they’d first met when Yates was a presenter on the music show The Tube in the early 80s. She kept a picture of him on her fridge in the home she shared with Geldof.

To the detriment of everyone involved in the story, she began pursuing this infatuation in earnest. They became lovers in secret and then in the public eye with Yates and Hutchence taking part in an extremely tactile show of interest on the Big Breakfast show, where Yates used to interview celebrity guests from her bed. No one watching that show could doubt the chemistry between Yates and her guest.

The Geldof marriage broke down, with the children caught in the middle. Yates surrendered herself to the whims of Hutchence, who was committed sometimes, not all times.

They had a child, Tiger Lily, but even this was not to save them from their descent into drug abuse, court-cases, scandal and finally (perhaps inevitably) death.

Agar’s account of this story is gripping, and even handed. She exposes the flaws of all of the central characters and I was left with a profound sense of sadness for what could have been if Hutchence hadn’t come into the picture.

Paula, Michael & Bob: Everything You Know is Wrong

by Gerry Agar is available to download from Amazon Kindle.

21 Market Place Faringdon SN7 7HU

01367 248369 Catch up with more of Claire Meadows reviews at www.thebooktea.co.uk, @thebooktea

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This regular feature will include highlights from the meetings over the month. Full minutes are available on our website.

The Town Council are the sole trustee for both Tuckers Park and the Old Town Hall, which is a dedicated war memorial.

Both trusts had meetings in March, here are the highlights:

● Members agreed a staged reopening of the Council venues, starting on April 12th, in line with government guidance. ● A plan to revamp the Town Centre with new bollards, in partnership with the County Council who will be resurfacing, will be recommended to the Finance Committee. ● It was agreed to create a recycling bin sculptured in the shape of a pigeon in the Hobble, using s106 arts funding. ● Members agreed to investigate improvements for Town Park – watch this space for consultations coming soon!

●Exciting News - A grant has been received to enable a full refurbishment of the Old Town Hall in 2021; full details will be in next month’s edition. ●The Old Town Hall has remained closed throughout CV-19.

Recommendations from the Parking Working Party were approved: ● The Clerk will write to Town Centre businesses to inform about parking and loading. ● Barrier at bottom of bus lane to be investigated further. ● To investigate staggered, 30min parking on London street ● Faringdon Town Council resolved to support the Climate and Ecology Emergency (CEE) Bill. Faringdon Town Council declared a state of Climate Emergency on 11th September 2019. Since then, the council has focused on making the soundest ecological and environmental decisions possible.

The re-opening plans for Faringdon Information Centre and Town Council were noted, these may change depending on government advice.

Information Centre reopens with restrictions 9am to 12.30pm. Corn Exchange opens for regular hirers providing children’s activities.

Information Centre returns to 9am to 4pm opening. Controlled indoor events can take place with up to 50% capacity in Venues. Foodbank volunteers to return. services return to normal.

Public Meeting in the Corn Exchange 13 planning applications were considered full details of these are available on our website.

It was agreed to make a recommendation to Council that the Faringdon Neighbourhood Plan be reviewed. The project will start after the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted to allow face to face consultation. If you are interested in taking part in the review process, please contact: Marzia@faringdontowncouncil.gov.uk

● The football club are working towards building new changing facilities and have made pitch improvements. ● Scarrott’s Fair have requested to hold their annual fair in June 2021, this was agreed if CV-19 restrictions allow.

The football club requested that special care was taken of newly treated and improved pitches. ● Investigation into a possible multi-use games area at Tuckers Park has discovered that there is no ideal location in the park. Therefore, alternative locations will be investigated. ● A new junior pitch and training area will be investigated.

I became a resident of the United Kingdom in 2010 and moved to Faringdon in 2013 after buying a home in town. In 2017 I became a British citizen and in May 2018, I was elected as a Faringdon town councillor. I am on a number of council committees including Community and Partnerships, Traffic Advisory, and Finance and Audit along with being on the Parking working party. I also represent Faringdon Town Council at our local Neighbourhood Action Group. In addition to being a town councillor, I am also a community governor for Faringdon Infant School, a trustee for Wantage Independent Advice Centre and a member of the White Horse Medical Practice Patient Participation Group.

All of that keeps me very busy but my most treasured role is being a single mother to a young son. Feel free to say hello when you see us out and about in town!

Full Council – April 14th Planning and Highways – April 21st Finance and Audit – 28th April Please join us via Microsoft Teams, details, agendas and links are available on our website.

… Faringdon will be in receipt of funding from developers at the end of 2021. Does you group need funding? A new working party has been set up to consider applications and spending opportunities. Visit the CIL page on our website to find out more. office@faringdontowncouncil.gov.uk 01367 240281 www.faringdontowncouncil.gov.uk

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, your Town Clerk, has been awarded a First in her Community Governance Degree after 6 years of study. The presentation was made virtually at the Society of Local Council Clerks Practitioners conference in February. Sally was also awarded the Blachere prize for the highest average mark.

The course has benefited the Town Council in many ways over the years and ensures that the council remains at the forefront of any legislation changes and changes in the sector. Sally begins a Masters in Public Management in April 2021.

Faringdon Town council has been working with community groups to provide flowers on the War Memorial.

We would like to thank “Flowers from Molly”, Faringdon History Society and Faringdon United Church for the beautiful floral arrangements so far this year.

If your group would like to get involved in this very important community project, please contact adele@faringdontowncouncil.gov.uk

Is set to reopen on the 12th of April once government restrictions are lifted.

We will open Monday to Friday 9am to 12pm and 9:30am to 1pm on Saturdays. Please pop in to see our range of maps, guidebooks, Faringdon souvenirs, local artist gifts, soaps, cards, Uffington Pottery and much more. Our friendly team are happy to help with any questions or queries you may have.

Faringdon Information Centre would like to welcome Tracy Barker as the artist of the month for April. Tracy first discovered the delights of sea glass early in 2020 whilst visiting a friend in Cornwall. Since then, she has managed to amass a rather impressive collection of pieces of broken bottles and suchlike which have somehow found their way into the sea. After decades of being pounded, churned, tumbled and smoothed by the sea and sand, each piece of glass she uses in her creations happened one day to end up on the shore at her feet. During the first lockdown of 2020, Tracy turned her newfound passion into creating one-of-a kind art and sterling silver jewellery and Seaberry Moon was born! As time went on, she created other gifts - sun-catchers, candle holders, wine-glass charms, small Christmas trees and bookmarks to name a few. To see Tracy’s wonderful creations please pop into the Information Centre from 9am to 12pm Monday to Friday and 9:30am to 1pm on Saturdays.

Our Footpath warden packs will soon be ready for collection!

We are looking for volunteers to join the two new schemes in Faringdon, looking to start as soon as restrictions are lifted. People interested in these projects are invited to fill the application form on our website, or from the Information Centre.

Monday and Wednesdays between 10am and 12pm.

The Faringdon Foodbank is aimed at supporting people who are in financial crisis. If you need support, please call:​ 07548 535855 (this number is only accessed during operating hours)​ or email Faringdonfoodbank@gmail.com

For information visit: www.theplace-faringdon.org Email: theplacefaringdon@spurgeons.org Carole: 07973 678837 Lucy: 07973 678827

office@faringdontowncouncil.gov.uk 01367 240281 www.faringdontowncouncil.gov.uk

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Call us on 01865 820088

Wine Made Easy!

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Rivers & Wine Having wandered along the Loire last month, I started looking at other rivers with a lot of wine making along their banks.

When you think of vines growing by a river, you may presume it is so the vines get lots of water, in fact they tend not to get the water as the vine does not need much water to thrive. It is the cooling effect of the nearby water that helps to create a micro climate that enables the vines to thrive, particularly in hotter areas. As rivers tend to twist and turn as they flow along, you get even smaller areas that produce more or better grapes than nearby vineyards.

White Rose Accountancy Let me help you with all your accountancy services for small businesses & charities ● Accountancy and tax support for small businesses, the self-employed and charities. ● Flexible and tailored to the needs of each individual client.

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Along the Rhone river in France, there are several steep sided banks which face mostly West, but a couple of places have South facing slopes and these produce even nicer grapes and more flavourful wines. The Rhone is very long and has a huge amount of vineyards along and near by, but generally you get a nice easy drinking wine with soft berry smell and taste.

In Germany, the Rhine and Mosel are where you get the vineyards. These are usually white wines as the climate is cooler than down in France and white grapes grow better in cooler climates. Apparently Blue Nun (which was one of the first wines I drank - a long time ago) is still one of the biggest selling Liebfraumilch wines. These wines tend to have a citrus fruit and apple flavours, plus they can be fairly sweet.

In Spain and Portugal, you have the river Douro. In Spain the wines are usually Ribera del Duero and are mostly red wines.

This region is gaining a good reputation for quality wines, not as heavy as the Rioja wines of Spain and are readily available in our supermarkets. If you find the heavy tannin of Rioja too much try these instead. Once in Portugal, the river tends to flow through steep sided valleys and here you get the grapes used to make Port. There are wines made from the same grapes, but most heads of to become the fortified wine called Port.

In a few river areas in Europe (I will explore further afield in the next column) you get an interesting affect from the nearby river. Normally grapes are picked in October, though precise timing is done by the wine grower. In the Sauternes area of the Bordeaux region, the grapes are left longer and they are affected by the morning mist coming off the river. This triggers a change in the grape known as noble rot, which concentrates the juices in the grape. The result from these grapes is a strong and very sweet wine. Usually called desert wines as they work well with sweeter food. Nearby is Monbazillac, better value. Also look out for the sweeter Vouvray wines and German Ice Wine - slightly different approach, they wait for the grape to be frozen, which again concentrates the flavours and juices. Most of the desert wines come in half bottle (37.5cl) as you only need a small glass with such sweet food.

I hope you enjoy travelling around the world with wines as we are all stuck at home for now. It seems a good excuse to me.

Please drink responsibly and enjoy your wines.

BATHROOM SHOWROOM Open to the Public & Trade

For your dream bathroom Let us help!…

01367 242666 faringdon@activeplumbingsupplies.co.uk

Ian Lloyd

ian@getwine.co.uk

Unit A&B, Park Road, Faringdon, SN7 7DS

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Country Life

01367 241610

I really can’t believe where this year has gone, we’re already in April which is over a quarter of the way through the year.

This month is an exciting one as things slowly start to open up and we are able to resume some type of normality and hopefully be able to see more of our friends and families.

If you’re planning to grow some vegetables, April is one of the best months to grow simple things such as carrots, tomatoes and other goodies! I’ve already got my carrots, tomatoes and lettuce in as well as trying my hand at spring onions this year (I have not grown these before) so am excited to see how they will do over the coming months. This year instead of growing my vegetables in the ground, I have bought some fantastic hemp and biodegradable pots in different sizes from the local garden centre, filled them with compost / soils and will hopefully (if things go well) grow lots of goodies for salads and eating over the summer months.

Whilst at the garden centre, I also bought lots of strawberries and am hoping to successfully grow them in a strawberry pot this year. Last year I tried growing wild/woodland strawberries which I am pleased to say the birds thoroughly enjoyed, so this year I bought bigger ones, two varieties (one of which is called Lucy) that will be covered as the fruits start to show.

I am really excited to grow straw flowers this year, otherwise known as everlasting flowers. These adorable little things are fantastic for dried flower arrangements, wreaths and pressing, you can do all sorts with them! The best thing of all is they keep their beautiful and bright colours! Once mine have grown I am hoping to create some indoor wreaths with them, I actually remember these being really popular with my Grandmother as a child and she grew them in her garden.

As well as gardening this month, it’ll be fun to be able to get outside and venture a little further (rules permitting) to see friends and family and perhaps visit some National Trust gardens, of which some and their shops are due to open on the 12th of this month. Either way, things are certainly looking up as the days grow longer and the flowers bloom even more - there are so many things to be excited for and look forward to in April.

Should you wish to work with me on social media or are looking for support with digital marketing as shops, restaurants and hotels start to open up feel free to get in touch: hercountryliving@gmail.com or find me on Instagram by searching @hercountryliving.

Manufacturers of Natural Goats Milk Soap, Lotions, Shampoos & More.

www.thelittlegoatsoapsoapcompany.co.uk

01367 810346

Park Farm, Littleworth, Faringdon, SN7 8ED sales@thelittlegoatsoapcompany.co.uk

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Farewell To Lucy & Ben Brown Farewell Faringdon It hasn’t been an easy decision to up sticks and leave Faringdon but we were offered one of those golden opportunities to move to the west coast of Wales and manage a beautiful self-catering accommodation business.

It’s been a difficult, “strange”, “weird” year and our successful dog business has really suffered, so we thought “why not, you only live once!”.

We have lived in Faringdon for over 5 years and must tell you, the people of Faringdon, what an amazing community you are.

There is so much on offer. You have so many skilled trades people; if you need anything, you will find someone who can do it in Faringdon. You care about each other, which is really important in today’s world.

We have made so many lifelong friends in this town, being part of The Pump House Project has been a vital part of those friendships. There is no need for anyone to feel alone with this facility available, one step through the door, and a whole new world will open up.

Find us for a staycation in Wales, www.Cardigan.cc Faringdon, you have been good to us in so many ways and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts, we will truly miss you, Lucy & Ben Brown

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CLARE MORAN NUTRITION Invariably, the conversation turns to food. Who’s eating this, who wishes they could stop eating that…are you fed up with dietary hearsay? If you want to talk to someone about food and nutrition, what can you look for….

First off, it’s logical that someone who feels qualified to speak to you about food, should be eligible to do so. Your first question might be, “when did you complete your nutrition training?” It’s worth doing a little digging to find out if their qualifications match up to what you would expect. Further training is especially important for nutrition since it is a constantly evolving field, so you could ask, “how do you continue to improve your knowledge and practice?” That being said, even those with the highest of nutrition degrees may not be right for you. Either way, expect your potential nutrition guide to be transparent about their training so you can decide for yourself.

Here’s the rub, anyone can call themselves a nutritionist. Unlike ‘dietitian’, ‘nutritionist’ is not a protected title. But having ‘Registered’ in their title means they are registered with a professional body and that usually means adhering to a code of conduct (which is different to being a member of a society which does not place requirements on its members). So, ask specifically, “are you registered with a professional body?” and then have a quick search of who they are associated with.

Presumably, all those working in nutrition have good intentions and are fully aware of their responsibilities, limitations, and scope of practice. This is where professional indemnity insurance and supervision is critical; you could ask, “do you have current professional indemnity insurance? Do you seek support from other health care professionals?” If your prospective nutritionist has sufficient training, is registered with a professional body, has supervision and insurance, then you can be confident of a level of expertise, professionalism, and protection.

That all sounds reasonable, but apply this to the real-world soup of health coaches, dietitians, nutritionists, and nutritional therapists, it is easy to be confused. Should it matter whether you are listening to nutritional advice from a personal trainer or a dietitian? This is where the art of nutrition, food and eating comes in. Yes, I have a master’s degree in Nutrition but what does my education tell you of my lived experience, of my core values, my commitment to person-centred care? Registration with a professional body says nothing about the connection you feel with one nutritionist to another. What a nutritionist says is important, but what will it actually be like working with them?

Will they respect your voice? Will they come alongside you, or is their approach more top-down instruction? What would you prefer? These are the deeper questions you could consider.

You cannot tell from my credentials, but for me, nutritional advice is as much about harm reduction as it is about joy and healing. I do not offer the ‘before and after’ model of body transformation nor do I prescribe the ‘shoulds’ and ‘shouldn’ts’ of eating. Above all, ask yourself, do you feel you have a connection with what the nutritionist is offering and how they are offering it? So, perhaps the questions are, what do you look for in a nutrition professional and what do you really want to ask?

Clare Moran BSc (Hons) MSc ANutr Registered Associate Nutritionist

clare@claremorannutrition.com www.claremorannutrition.com

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FREEDOM MAN & VAN Good news for sellers this Spring. Rightmove’s latest monthly House Price Index reveals the greatest excess of demand over supply over the past ten years, pushing up the average price of property coming to market by 0.8%, +£2,484 this month.

Reporting too a daily average of over seven million visits to Rightmove - 40% up on this time last year – and the number of sales agreed up 12% on the prior year, now really is a great time to bring your property to market.

If you’re thinking about selling your home this spring and want a quick sale, then here are a few tips to help you find a buyer in no time at all.

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● Find the Right Buyer If you’re looking to sell in a hurry, then it may be worth your while choosing a buyer who’s ready to go quickly, even if it costs you a bit of money in the short-term. ● Give Your Home a Lick of Paint Go for neutral colours, such as an off-white or magnolia.

Buyers want to imagine themselves living in the property they’re viewing, so giving them a blank canvas will be far more appealing than jungle-themed wallpaper for example! ● Boost Kerb Appeal Many buyers will make up their mind about a property before they’ve even stepped foot inside. If you’ve allowed the front garden to become overgrown, or your overflowing wheelie bins are blocking the path then it’s time to get the gardening gloves on and tidy it up. ● Show off your Home’s Assets You want to show your property in its best light, so that means highlighting everything that’s good about it.

For example, you may have been using the second bedroom as a dumping ground for all your old coats or magazines, but buyers will want to see how they can use the space as a second bedroom.

So clear all the clutter out of sight, make the bed and let buyers see what it’s meant to be used for. ● Fix any Minor Issues When you’re living in a place it’s easy to overlook a missing lightbulb, a damaged fence or a cracked window.

Before you come to sell, just take some time to sort out those odd jobs that you’ve been putting off. ● Clean Your House

R.J. HARRISON Plumbing & Heating Ltd Tel: 01367 242473 Mobile: 07909 915595

You don’t need to get the professionals in or spend all day doing a deep clean, but before any viewing's just make sure you’ve whizzed round with the vacuum and a duster, emptied the bins and tidied up.

harrison.heating@btinternet.com

Perry Bishop are your local property experts for The Vale of the White Horse. Call us on 01367 240356 or email faringdon@perrybishop.co.uk to chat with a member of our friendly and experienced team.

● Oil, Gas & LPG, boilers & fires, installation and maintenance ● Central Heating System - design, installation maintenance & repairs ● Bathroom Design - sanitary & shower instillation

Sarah Benson Residential Director

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Crafters Emporium Faringdon If you go down to the Town today…you’ll hardly believe your eyes!

Re-Cycles are offering a Free, Fair-Trade Easter Egg (worth £4.70) with every child’s bike sold until Easter. The delicious chocolate may last a day. The bike is a present that will just keep on giving.

In summer 2020, Farcycles set up ‘Re-Cycles’ for basic bike repairs, we restored unwanted bikes for re-sale. The shop complements the work of Faringdon’s unique Cycle Training Park.

We also wanted to bring some positivity to the centre of town during lockdown and satisfy the growing demand for bikes and bike repairs. We want to share our enthusiasm with our community.

For children, cycling is an important life-skill to build up their balance, self-confidence, and independence. We have a large selection of inexpensive children’s bikes. Cycle training classes re-start in April for all ages. For details Google ‘Farcycles’ Age and experience are no barriers for getting on a bike. One of the joys of running the shop has been to help people who haven’t cycled for many years find a bike, and later watch them ‘pop back from the shops - panniers full’. Our oldest successful beginner was 71, so contact us, if learning to cycle is one of your secret desires. There is something in the shop for everyone of all ages: a good variety of children’s and adult bikes of all sizes and types, cycling accessories, clothing, greeting’s cards and more. We are staffed by volunteers, and all proceeds are used for maintenance and development of the Cycle Park and cycling projects in and around the town.

Do come and visit us, just a browse and a chat about cycling!

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By email: craftemporium123@gmail.com Facebook: the crafters emporium Faringdon 8 London Street Faringdon Phone 07497 332916

NMV SERVICES

Call Michael Nash on: 01367 240082 - 07889 197046

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Curtis Property Services Ltd

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On the 11th March Dr Richard Fisher gave Faringdon u3a a talk on Zoom entitled “Three Choirs and a Reformation: The Cathedrals of Hereford, Gloucester and Worcester under Henry VIII”.

After a long career in medicine, Dr Fisher is now an honorary research fellow at Bristol University and lectures in the history of art. His talk was about the survival of the cathedrals during the turbulent years of Henry VIII’s reign.

500 years ago, the Reformation could have removed all English cathedrals and abbeys.

What is the difference between a cathedral and an abbey?

The word cathedral comes from Latin, meaning a seat or throne. Bishops sat in judgement over both doctrine and civil matters, whilst sitting on their throne. They are the principal church of a diocese.

An abbey is a church ruled over by an abbot and staffed by monks. Generally abbeys with self sufficient communities were not subject to the oversight of a Bishop.

The last mediaeval English Cathedral was founded by Henry I at Carlisle in 1133 as a defence against Scottish invasion. The diocesan map of the next 400 years remained wholly unchanged.

The cathedrals of mediaeval England would divide into two very contrasting administrative systems. Half followed a secular arrangement and the other as monasteries.

The secular cathedrals were led by a Dean, spiritual welfare, and three other senior clergymen: Precentor, oversaw the music; Treasurer, relics and shrines; and Chancellor, seals and documents. Each of these four had canons to assist with the work.

The abbeys were run under the Benedictine rules, apart from one Augustinian abbey in Carlisle. The Abbot, or Prior, had absolute control over the monks, who elected him. Senior monks were given specific responsibilities.

In 1534, Henry VIII and his Parliament decided that the King would assume a leading role in the state’s religious affairs, not the Pope. Initially, little changed in the structure and hierarchy of the church.

Cardinal Wolsey created six new dioceses, each with cathedrals using abbeys that had been saved. One of which was the diocese of Oxford in 1541.

Hereford, Worcester and Gloucester were also made cathedrals. They were all saved for different reasons.

Next U3A - meeting on Zoom Thursday 8th April at 2.30pm Timothy Walker will talk about Gardening in the 21st Century.

gardensCaPe

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| The Advertiser | page 21 |

David Johnston MP Newsletter I was delighted that 2,620 people responded to my survey regarding Grove Station within just 2 weeks – thank you if you did. Some 98% of people respondents supported it being reopened! Over 90% said they would prefer it to a new bus service and 89% said they would use their car less if it reopened. We have stiff competition as there are 85 different bids to Government for stations or lines to reopen, but I will keep bashing away until we eventually succeed.

I continue to be frustrated with Royal Mail. Our postmen and women work hard but something is clearly not right as constituents have been complaining to me about mail deliveries for several months and the problem has been reported in the national news too. When I called a meeting with them last year they said they had gone from ‘a letter service delivering parcels to a parcel service delivering letters’ and it does seem to be the parcels they prioritise. Every fortnight I enter the ballot to have a debate in parliament about their service and hope I will be successful soon.

Unauthorised traveller camps were the subject of my speech in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill debate this month. The Bill has wrongly been accused of restricting our right to protest when actually the protest measures target actions we have seen by organised protest groups in the past year such as people gluing themselves to roads and stopping ambulances getting through, or shutting down printing presses because they don’t like the editorial line of the papers involved. It is a wide-ranging bill that increases the sentences or time served for a wide range of violent and sexual offences, but it also clamps down on unauthorised traveller camps which are a regular source of distress in the constituency. At the time of writing, in 20 of the past 34 weeks there has been at least 1 such camp somewhere in the Vale or South Oxfordshire, frequently involving mess, noise, vandalism and other anti-social behaviour. The Bill will allow the police to remove such camps more quickly and impose stiffer penalties.

I had my first appearance on the BBC’s Politics Live on 18th March, an interesting if slightly strange experience. Whereas you can see everyone’s face when you watch on television, each of us panellists look into a black screen on our computers as we can’t see anyone! We discussed various topics including the EU’s latest silly comments regarding the supply and safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has again been confirmed as completely safe. Despite the noise, we shouldn’t worry – we’ve now vaccinated over 25 million people, half the adult population, and remain on course to see every adult offered a jab by the end of July. As ever, if I can help with anything then do email me.

david.johnston.mp@parliament.uk

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HAZEL INTERIORS Specialist Designers & Makers of Curtains & Soft Furnishings

“ Come and see our fabulous new fabric collections or arrange a free home consultation” 1 Mill Street, Wantage T:01235 799914 | www.hazelinteriours.co.uk

GLASS Future of Oxfordshire Village Church assured as fundraising for ‘joint-use’ Community Hub nears completion Longcot Village Trust (LVT) is delighted to announce that it has raised 80% of the total funds required to start work on the long-planned Community Hub in St Mary’s Church, Longcot. The required internal reconstruction work will take six-months to complete, at an estimated cost of £190,000.

Work will commence at the beginning of June, subject to current Pandemic regulations.

Keith Reid, Secretary of LVT, said: “The community started this project some 14 years ago and, in 2017, in St Mary’s 800th year, we gained approval for the joint-use of our church from both the Oxford Diocese and local residents. We are very thankful to all those who have helped us raise enough money for us to ask our builders, ABS Construction, to start the project in June.”

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Homeopathy Society of Homeopaths

Heather Abel BA/BSc RSHom

Tel: 01367 820709 In April, we celebrate Easter and that means chocolate Easter eggs of course but also shaped into little bunny rabbits too! So what’s going on and where did these strange customs come from? And what’s that got to do with Homeopathy? Well ...

The word Easter comes from the Celtic Goddess of fertility and renewal whose name was Eostre. Said to have the shoulders and head of a hare, her festival was traditionally celebrated in spring, around the time of the Equinox and so neatly fitted into Christian tradition too, to represent the re-birth of Christ at Easter. One of the stories of Eostra, involved the gift of a beautifully decorated, coloured egg. You can see where this is going can’t you? And in case you’re wondering, there were no British rabbits in Celtic times. They were only introduced into Britain in the 12th Century by the Normans. Our Easter bunny equivalent was the hare but then rabbits came along and, well…bred like rabbits!

So fertility, Easter, rabbits that funny name…Eostre! (reminds us of oestrogen!) And how does that relate to Homeopathy?

You’ve guessed it! This is the time of year when fertility, procreation and most of all, women’s reproductive cycles are celebrated.

After all, we’ve got the eggs! (Sorry chaps, your turn will come!) Oestrogen is one of a group of hormones, mostly produced by the ovaries (where the eggs come from) and responsible for the control of female development and function at puberty and beyond. It needs to be in balance throughout a woman’s life along with e.g. progesterone; the two, you may have heard of.

For women, the 28 day cycle where hormones and creative potential rise and fall like the tides of the Sea, swelling to fullness and then gently released by the waxing and waning of the Moon each month is the picturesque ideal but not always the reality. If only it was that simple and it is, for some – but not all! When puberty is chaotic; when ‘longed for’ babies fail to arrive; when pregnancy isn’t quite the ‘blooming and blossoming’ we’d imagined and when we reach a certain age at ‘the change of life’; sometimes there are more gentle solutions than you might think. Being a woman is not a medical condition and these rites of passage are to be celebrated and not suffered.

I see women of all ages with difficulties trying to balance their moods, their hormones and their symptoms or unhappy with conventional treatments. So if you’re struggling to be full of the joys of Spring and need help finding your mojo and innerEostre this Easter – get in touch.

All Homeopathic appointments currently on zoom or phone. www.homeopathy-oxfordshire.co.uk heather@homeopathy-oxfordshire.co.uk 01367 820709

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● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Commercial Mowing Gang Mowing Grass and Hedge Cutting Saw Blade Work Tree Surgery and Planting Paddock Maintenance Firewood

email: ben@bgggardenandtreecare.co.uk

split hardwood logs for sale

Offering the complete Gardening and Tree Care service

Faringdon Bell Ringers If you listen very hard in Faringdon this month you may hear a few bells, but hardly the glory of English change ringing.

Tuesday 23rd March was the National Day of Reflection, one year on from the first lockdown. All Saints Church was open for private prayer. Those who have died from Covid were remembered by the National Minutes Silence at 12 Noon and ringers were asked to follow this by tolling a single bell.

Les Butler rang our tenor bell 50 times. We hope those who heard it realised the significance.

Sunday services at 10.00am are starting again on 11th April.

We had hoped to start socially distanced ringing but we are still constrained by the lockdown roadmap. Only members of one family are allowed in the belfry at one time before 17th May. We only have one family containing three ringers, who can make a noise to herald the service, but hardly glorious music. When they are not available we shall probably only ring one bell. Come on 17th May !

The ringers’ organisation, the Oxford Diocesan Guild, ever mindful of our wellbeing has organised a clever quiz on Zoom where each tower team is able to retire to a separate Zoom room to discuss their answers. The wonders of tech ! Wish All Saints Faringdon good luck.

Programmes are being organised for training and retraining as soon as we are allowed back in towers so if you’re enthusiastic and up for something new don’t hesitate to contact us faringdonringers@gmail.com and get in on the best hobby with everything when the Class of 2021 begins. It sounds as though due to the vaccinations it may not be long now.

079 4187 1323

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Three centuries ago, in a famous hymn, Isaac Watts said that: At the risk of sounding a killjoy, I never much feel in the mood for New Year celebrations. After a frenetic Christmas, I personally prefer to lie low, work through the remaining mince pies and wait for normal life to resume. January seems to me more a continuation than a commencement, just more winter weather. In fact, September is much more of a new beginning, heralding the end of summer and the start of the new academic year.

This year, Spring is arriving at the same time as our Covid nightmare is finally drawing to a close with the end-oflockdown timetable and more and more of us being vaccinated. Back in April 2020, we were into our first lockdown and only now, one year later, can we cautiously say that at last we’re irreversibly on our way back to a recognisable normality. For me, this feels much more like a fresh start than January 1st did.

Significant moments in our lives often cause us both to look forward and to look back. These past tumultuous twelve months have been a profound shared experience in many ways we really have been ‘all in this together’.

However, the virus has hit some far harder than others and has even claimed the lives of some in our Faringdon community. For those bereaved, this past year must have been painful and heartbreaking, and the future must be difficult to face.

‘Time like an ever-rolling stream Bears all its sons away They fly forgotten, as a dream Dies at the opening day’ In some ways, he is absolutely wrong – we certainly don’t forget loved ones who have passed away – but it’s true that memories are like dreams in that they exist somewhere in our consciousness, emerging at odd times.

Of course, bad memories can torture us, but precious ones of those we have loved are a source of tremendous comfort.

Spring brings new life and it also coincides with Easter, the climax of which is Easter Sunday when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. St Paul wrote that ‘if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile’, and the belief that Jesus rose again after dying provides Christians with all their hope, and life with both a past and future perspective. Watts summed it up perfectly in his final verse: ‘O God our help in ages past Our hope for years to come Our shelter from the stormy blast And our eternal home’ Happy Easter and a Happy New Year! Here’s to all our churches being full again very soon!

Dominic Bullock, Faringdon Baptist Church

YOUR COMPLETE OXFORDSHIRE SERVICE & REPAIR CENTRE Call Malcolm on: 01367 718698 � � � � � � � �

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Experts - Local Services ● ●

M.P.WHITTLE

●

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All aspects of garden maintenance including grass cutting, strimming, turfing, hedging, decking.

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John Barnes & David Law Would like to thank our loyal customers past and present over the last 40 years Call us for a quote on

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A & L Garden Maintenance

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Experts - Local Services

● ● ●

● ● ● ●

lionheartllp@uwclub.net

01367 244 611 6 Cornmarket, Faringdon From general maintenance to landscaping, watering systems, patios & ponds, we can help.

Any size project/job considered.

Please call on or email robert@gentlegiantgardening.com Based in Faringdon

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The Advertiser is produced by Lou Guthrie published by The Advertiser Magazine Ltd Tel: 07894 554551. All artwork designed by us is the copyright of The Advertiser Magazine Ltd and must not be used by or in any other publication, in whatsoever format, without our prior written consent. No part of this publication, whether advert, pictures or text, may be reproduced in any format whatsoever without the prior written consent of The Advertiser Magazine Ltd . The information published in the advertisements and other articles is supplied and approved by advertisers. The Advertiser Magazine Ltd does not verify or ratify any claims made in such advertisements or text, nor does it accept any claims or liability arising from contact with or use of services advertised. Every effort is made to ensure the accurate reproduction of information supplied by advertisers in their advertisements or other text submitted. Any inaccuracies must be notified to the publisher immediately following the first insertion so that amendments may be made for subsequent issues. The Publisher does not accept responsibility or liability for claims arising for inaccuracies published in advertisements where the advertiser has not advised The Advertiser Magazine Ltd prior to publication.

2

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Healthy Living!

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About Food!

Generic advice about food and exercise.

But why?

I have been working in the fitness industry since 2006. Over the last 15 years I have been lucky enough to work alongside many other professionals in the industry and attended many courses, seminars and workshops as well as reading extensively on the subject. Along with many of my peers I have looked for the key to weight loss, longevity, performance and general wellbeing.

As many of you will know there is a lot of great information out there. New discoveries and updated thinking has started to change the way we eat and exercise and made us question what we do and why we do it. New forms of communication have provided an abundance of real, fake, confusing and quite often contradictory advice, most of which simply doesn’t work, especially in the long term.

‘Quick fixes’ are heavily marketed by companies standing to make money out of you, and if they work it is for some not all, and usually not for long. As we are all individuals and unlikely to be average, what works for one doesn’t necessarily work for everyone. Especially when following prescriptive and ‘average’ guidelines.

With that in mind, I avoid precise instructions when writing articles. I wait until I know more about an individual’s background, experiences, lifestyle, medical situation, habits and concerns before advising them, as we are all different and respond to exercise and food advice in many different ways.

One size does not fit all!

However, I do try to follow some basics which I feel can be built upon by any individual looking to improve their wellbeing: Eat ‘real’ food and as large a range as possible. Eat mostly plants with minimal added chemicals.

Avoid ultra-processed foods, or choose those with fewer ingredients.

Eat the best quality meat and fish you can afford. Choose quality over quantity and consider sustainability.

Experiment with foods, add variety, mix it up, try raw (where appropriate) and use different methods of cooking.

Experiment with meal times, try small meals, large meals or skipping meals. Exercise when suits you best and alter exercise duration to fit in with your lifestyle. Do the exercise you like.

Don’t believe in ‘quick fixes’, question what you read and the science behind it. Avoid being taken in by clever marketing.

Eat what feels best for your gut. Listen to your body.

Remember to train in a way that makes you feel good, energises you and leaves you less stressed and happier.

Be kind to yourself. You’re not average – you are you! You are special. An individual whose requirements are specific to you.

Keep smiling.

Rich Here to support you through Personal Training and Nutritional Advice and Massage Richard Marfell Wellness Coach 07800 636004 richardmarfelluk@gmail.com www.richardmarfell.uk

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Visit our Faringdon Office

Property Sales & Valuations

Lettings and Management

16 Market Place, Faringdon Oxfordshire, SN7 7HP

T: 01367 240356 E: faringdon@perrybishop.co.uk

01367 240356 (option 2) faringdonlettings@perrybishop.co.uk