Ludlow Ledger (Issue #6)

ISSUE 6 – MARCH/APRIL 2015 – FREE

Terry and his four-legged rat catcher Arnie Behind the scenes of Broad Street’s Poyners Football memories from barman Gary Ludlow Smokehouse Liz runs rings around Ludlow Handmade hideaways Henry V reviewed

“Margaret has to take herself into the children’s department... until the lady who just bought the big knickers announces that she’s off to buy a sausage” ONE of the great attractions of BBC period dramas is the fact that, for a short time on Sunday evenings, it’s possible to immerse yourself in a world where porters carry luggage to the train, a new ribbon is cause to throw a party, and spam isn’t emails extolling the benefits of Viagra. From Downton Abbey and Cranford through to Call the Midwife, the period drama not only has the enduring appeal of bonnets or bicycles, but taps into a national longing for an age where values were centred around the community. It’s perhaps no surprise then, that one of the great delights of life in Ludlow is exactly that (minus the bonnets of course).

And, with many of Ludlow’s charms so firmly rooted in the past, E J Poyner, Family Drapers, hardly needs introduction.

Outstripping even Rickards for an authentic, historic shopping experience, replete with ancient drawers and scuffed wooden counter, this iconic Ludlow family business has been trading since 1897. Unmistakable from the street for its original signage and

peg board window displays, to step into Poyners is to experience a curious combination of Are You Being Served, Mr Selfridge and Open All Hours all at once. In fact, “Ground floor perfumery, stationery and leather goods, wigs and haberdashery ….going up” jingles around my head during my entire visit. Yet Margaret Edwards and Jean Parker, the two sisters who together have clocked up over sixty years working at Poyners, are in fact living historians masquerading as a far nicer version of Mrs Slocombe (without the colourful hair).

When I first go in, I find Margaret polishing the mahogany counter with sweet smelling polish and I’m given a very warm welcome and the history of Poyners – related in great detail, right down to the tradition of sweeping the outside of the shop every single morning. It is all quite wonderful and I can’t believe I’ve never stepped inside the shop before.

Standing in the Ladies’ Department next to a box of plastic hair visors (the type my grandmother used to protect her weekly blue rinse from the perils of rain), I’m treated to a

scene of pre and post-war design and ephemera – ranging from a 19th-century hat stretcher, peeling original 1950s wallpaper, drawers carefully labelled Ladies’ Bedsocks and Interlock Pantees (more on these later) and a set of dark oak drawers inscribed Liberty Bodices in worn gold lettering. It’s a set designer’s nightmare – I’m not sure what era I am in at all; but this is what makes Poyners so fascinating.

The evolution of the shop, from 1897 until the clock stopped somewhere around 1956, is all too evident. Yet almost four generations of locals and visitors have shopped here and continue to do so, despite the fact that hair visors and knickers the size of pillow cases might have limited appeal to Generation H&M. Instead, Poyners are still popular enough to supply their regulars with hats, gloves, ladies’ clothing and undies – welcoming locals and an endless stream of intrigued tourists from as far away as the USA alike.

Margaret tells me that they can even boast Fiona Fullerton, Joe Brand and a transvestite as three unforgettable visitors. And there is,

– www.ludlowledger.co.uk –

perhaps, nowhere else on earth that can say that.

So how did the legend that is Poyners begin? In true costumedrama fashion, the history of the shop began with a Pre-Great War romance between a young and lovely milliner and an apprentice draper, Ernest Poyner. Milliner Jane Goodall worked in the previous incarnation of Poyners, under Draper and Dress Maker Charles Gough, whilst Ernest was apprenticed to Bodenhams Drapers and Outfitters.

Ernest and Jane became engaged to be married and, while Ernest was away fighting in the First World War, Jane bought Charles Gough’s business after Charles’ death. This, being 1918, Jane needed her own and Ernest’s father to guarantee the bank loans, and the name E J Poyners was assumed. Ernest returned safely from the trenches, they married, set up home above the shop and, together, built the business using their combined experience in the drapery trade.

Continued on page 10 >

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Contents KITCHEN CHAT

4 5

Chef Karl shows his love for beetroot, Old Downton Lodge and (obviously) his wife

LUDLOW LEGEND

Fringe Festival’s Anita Bigsby: from demonstrations and the National Trust to Ludlow’s controversial staging of Phone Whore

6-7 LETTERS 8 Supermarket proposal, duff sign writing and the paper’s misplaced drawers CROSSWORD 8 25 across: couple of fish are taking it easy OBSERVATIONS 9 Columnist Simon Pease mixes Shropshire’s milk with North Sea oil CONTRIBUTORS 9 Learn a little more about the contributors who made this particular issue possible COVER STORY... continued 10 PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE

War memorial, fountain restoration, 6.5% beer and further planning permission

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Everything you ever wished to know about Broad Street’s beloved Poyners – as told by sisters Margaret and Jean

LOCAL PRODUCT 12

Perch Cabins: Culmington’s Edward and his handmade hideaways

13 Ludlow Spring Festival 2015 PROFILE 14-16 Ludlow Smokehouse: chipped whisky barrels and a chocolate cowboy QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 17 Ludlow Pest Control’s Arnie MY STORY 18

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EVENTS

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“...my old man decided we could dispense with the customary oranges.

Instead, we would bring windfall apples from our garden and dish those out at half time. With Ted’s tea and a belly full of apples it’s a wonder we made it through the 90 minutes”

19 The Rooftop Theatre’s rendition of Henry V gets the once over from Prue SPORT 24 REVIEW

Keeping up with the town’s fascination with running

Editor’s notes, hello again Starting in Ludlow’s Pepper Lane, some years ago, I have found myself careering from one end of town to the other in search of a suitable property for my working day – taking in Broad Street, High Street, Old Street too, as well as many an offering on Corve Street. I can now report that I have secured a lease and have thus spent just as much time in the month of February and the early part of March wielding a screwdriver and a tin of paint remover, as I have a mouse and a pen.

It’s still a way off from slinging wide open the office doors but, rest assured, a hand-painted Ludlow Ledger sign will soon be swinging high and proud out front – a beacon indeed to welcome news stories, advertising enquiries and to serve as an accessible hub to collect copies, whether for one’s self or in bulk for your neighbours or out-of-town distribution.

Buried deeply under rafts of paint swatches and sandpaper, I have seemingly dreamed of nothing other than pig-bristle brushes, paint-speckled dust-sheets and well-worn step ladders

– it surprises me that I ever found the time to get this particular issue off to the printers and then back again into the forever-growing distribution outlets. But glad I am to witness, again, the production of another Ludlow Ledger – from a rough list to beautifully crafted issue, which, I admit, has only been made possible with the involvement of the paper’s loyal contributors (see page 9 for a full run down of thanks). And then there’s the wonderful financial support that has ultimately helped our local newspaper to grow from strength to strength with each issue. It’s rather remarkable that we’re nearly a year in, in which time a solid team of writers and supporting acts for our cartoon and crossword, have further cemented Ludlow Ledger into the town it proposes to represent, promote and protect, in whatever way possible. That’s not to say that the paper can now put its feet up, on both the editorial and advertising sales front, with a constant stream of local stories from now and then graciously welcomed (more than ever). And

much the same for new advertising partners who are keen to support the paper’s vision and, of course, reach a core audience of readers – keen on the printed word and stories relating to the immediate area and its communities.

As always, my details are at the foot of this editorial, if you wish to discuss reaching Ludlow Ledger’s audience with a personal tale or locally-honed product or service.

There are also plans afoot to release a sister title – which shares the ethos of Ludlow Ledger – and which will allow us to stretch our wings a little wider and cast a net into the neighbouring counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire and, indeed, deeper into Shropshire beyond the hyperconcentrated focus of Ludlow. If you’re interested in getting involved, please do drop me a line.

Cheers, Jon Saxon editor@ludlowledger.co.uk 07795 244060

Front cover & Editor’s notes image} Richard Stanton | Print} Guardian Print Centre, Manchester | Letterpress printed masthead} Dulcie Fulton: mostlyflat.co.uk

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Ledger stockists

Aragon’s Cafe Church St Assembly Rooms Mill St Baker’s Cafe Tower St Barber Jacks Lower Galdeford Bentley’s Castle Square Bindery Shop Bull Ring Castle Bookshop Market Square Charlton Arms Ludford Bridge China Garden New Rd Church Inn Church St Cicchetti Bar Broad St Codfather Sandpits Corve Garage Bromfield Rd Countrywide Weeping Cross Lane Crumbs Tower Street Ego’s Wine Bar Quality Square Fish House Bull Ring Guild Hall Mill St Homecare Temeside La Jewellery Parkway Mews Leisure Centre Bromfield Rd Ludlow Brewing Co Station Drive Ludlow Touring Park Ludford Mod Lang The Woodyard (Corve St) Myriad Organics Corve St Olive Branch Bull Ring Poyners Broad St Queens Lower Galdeford Renaissance Centre Tower St Rockspring Centre Sandpits Rose & Crown Church St Sam’s Cafe Lingen Ind Est Silk Hat Gallery Quality Square Swifts Bakery Corve St Tiger Lilly Bull Ring Tourist Information Mill St Unicorn Corve St Vaughan’s Sandwich Bar King St V Cafe New Rd Wheatsheaf Lower Broad St Woodyard Gallery Woodyard ----------------------------------------------Aardvark Books Brampton Bryan Apple Tree Onibury Bennetts End Hope Bagot Brightwells Auction Leominster Cleobury Café Cleobury Mortimer Community Shop Aston-on-Clun Country Centre Cleobury Mortimer Crusty Cob Cleobury Mortimer Discovery Centre Craven Arms Fiddler’s Elbow Leintwardine Ludlow Food Centre Bromfield Market Hall Cleobury Mortimer Nelson Inn Rocks Green Old Downton Lodge Downton Plough Inn Wistanstow Roebuck (pub & shop) Brimfield Sun Inn Leintwardine Tourist Information Tenbury Wells Village Hall Ashford Carbonell Fancy becoming a stockist of Ludlow Ledger? stock@ludlowledger.co.uk

Old Downton Lodge chef, Karl Martin

Beetroot ambassador; wishing on a star interviewed by} Jon Saxon | image} Richard Stanton – KITCHEN CHAT – I STARTED working with my dad, in Wolverhampton, when I was 13 – where I was a pot wash. It started off as a weekend and holiday thing, just to keep me busy and out of trouble.

School was quite a struggle for me – I wish I could go back now and do it again. Even cooking at school – I hated it because it had no relevance to being in an industry; I think this is missing in schools these days – they lack the foresight to actually take someone out into a workplace or out into college, to do some proper cooking. Rather than making cakes (for which the student has to bring in the ingredients) to take home to parents, they should be making stocks, they should be using ingredients properly, they should be taught how to do these things.

Having an owner who wanted me to cook my own food is so rare to find.

It’s usually “my way or the highway”

kind of thing, and it’s not like that here.

Willem (the owner) really lets me run wild with what I want to do and having the AA and Michelin come in on the same night (recently) is huge: I’ve never had such a massive buzz from one thing (apart from getting married…) because the owner is letting me do what I think I need to do to achieve that.

It’s just me in the kitchen. In a sense it’s really enjoyable – because you know, at the end of the day, every element that’s gone on the dish you’ve put on there.

And if I’ve forgotten something, which I do, then it’s my fault. I think they find it quite scary that I shout at myself.

I take myself off to a quiet corner, a little out of the way, call myself a few choice words, then get back on it. It’s all about the focus and self discipline really, and to make sure that all the ingredients are cooked right, as well, can be quite a struggle sometimes, when your own your own – but do you know what, it’s really enjoyable. We’ve got a good front-of-house team, led

by Willem, and they’re so supportive.

There’s never any of that usual friction between front of house and kitchen – here it’s like a little family unit: quite an inspirational place.

We have a lot of business through TripAdvisor so there’s an argument for and against it, but I’d probably go for it being a good thing. I say that through gritted teeth as well, as it swings both ways sometimes. The comments can be quite cutting in what they say but, then again, most of the TripAdvisors I’ve had have been great. We haven’t had a 1 rating since we’ve been open – so I can’t really complain. But that’s the thing with a tasting menu: you can’t pick and choose what you have – it’s an experience. If someone doesn’t like what they’ve had, then they can avoid it in the future I suppose. You put yourself on the line, in that respect.

I did a warm apple jelly recently, with custard and cinnamon ice cream; very simple, with honey-baked oats – and that’s gone down really well.

I think beetroot has a bad name – I think it’s absolutely stunning. I’ve done salt-baked beetroot, carpaccio beetroot, beetroot granita: it’s also been on the menu with chocolate and fennel – it’s such a versatile vegetable.

I don’t think people use enough vegetables in deserts full stop – I think they lend themselves quite nicely to it.

kale on every single main course we did, whether it was on the menu or not: winter, summer, spring, autumn, it was always on. You could have a side of kale too. So the more I cooked it the more I learned to hate it – and it’s unfortunate because it is, actually, quite a nice vegetable: I’m trying to wean myself back on to it… very, very slowly.

Inspiration-wise: I think a chef’s life can be different – depending on where you work and who you work for. And I think your balance in life sometimes is a bit out of synch – where the pub matters more than, maybe, getting a good night’s sleep ready for the next day. Over a longer period of time I’ve learnt that all chefs have limitations and to really respect your job. I think the main thing that’s changed me, as in the way I work and the way I am, is definitely my wife – having the stability at home and having someone to go home to who understands what you do, is absolutely massive. These days, people have changed – people are very focussed on what they want to do and how they want to achieve it from quite a young age, especially in this industry.

I think I could have done this a while back if I’d dedicated myself more to it – my wife, really, has been the catalyst for this.

-------------------------------------------------You can experience the culinary creativity of Karl by booking a table at Old Downton Lodge: bookings@olddowntonlodge.com and 01568 771826

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Anita Bigsby

The artful ‘no art here’ dodger text} Mia Davis | image} Richard Stanton – LUDLOW LEGEND – IF you happened to be in Ludlow for the Festival over four years ago, then you may have wondered if there was indeed a festival on at all. Apart from the presence of Shakespeare fans in the castle and the odd row of limp bunting, the atmosphere during the latter days of the Festival seemed about as festive as a vicar’s front parlour. Sad to say, but the now defunct Ludlow Festival had lost its way.

Step forward Anita Bigsby, who has brought Ludlow to life again throughout the months of June and July. Now in its fourth year, the Ludlow Fringe has contributed burlesque dancers, poets, writers, comics, contemporary artists and musicians, community street parties, and even controversy to the festival watercolour exhibitions and organ recitals of yore.

Contentious as some of her acts may have been (see Phone Whore), Anita feels strongly about opening up the arts in Ludlow to the younger generation, amongst many other things. A self-confessed socialist, some of Anita’s views may be seen as somewhat out of place in a town with traditional conservative values at its core. Yet her convictions stem from a belief that art should be inclusive, that it is largely undervalued (despite being a ÂŁ74.1 billion industry in the UK) and, overall, that there are limited opportunities for young people to work in the Arts in this area. “Another lecturer from Ludlow College once told me we were producing students for export here. And that’s really very sad indeed.â€?

So as the driving force behind the Ludlow Fringe, who is Anita Bigsby?

Personally knowing nothing about her, other than that her son used to skateboard with my own son and that she looks a bit ‘alternative,’ what I find is a softly-spoken, funny and gentle woman who, as well as making art her life, could reasonably be considered to have made her life her art as well.

Reeling off a list of left-field lifestyle choices and jobs, including setting up a music school on a bus, converting a narrow boat into a language school, establishing a pop-up tea room, and working as a teacher, artist, musician, photographer and performer, it’s clear that Anita doesn’t do things by halves, and has worked just as hard as anyone in more conventional fields of employment.

Driven by the need to “do things all the time or I get bored and mischievous,� Anita graduated

from Exeter Art College where she specialised in fine art, photography and mixed media. Then, after a stint working on arts projects, exhibiting and teaching in London, she returned to Devon to work as the regional photographer for the National Trust.

Events then took her to Birmingham, where she helped convert a 70-foot narrow boat with a communist friend who had just returned from working as a radio broadcaster in East Berlin.

Naming the craft The Triumvirate, they established a language school on the boat, ‘English Afloat’, which remains to this day.

Moving on to lecture on photography and art in East Birmingham College, she became involved in various arts projects and also moonlighted as a photographer for West Midlands Arts and the Trades Unions. Capturing campaigns and demonstrations across the UK, some memorable moments include photographing the Support the Miners Rally, Printworkers versus News International during the Wapping disputes with Murdoch, and Upper Heywood after the F111s bombed Libya. “I was regularly on CND rallies and I did a short stint at Greenham whilst I was pregnant with my first child. It seemed the right thing to do. Billie still has the badge I pinned on her buggy: “I want to grow up, not blow up.�

So is Anita the female version of Citizen Smith? “I think going with a camera always gave me a detachment from the actual cause, and I always felt I was an observer rather than a dedicated demonstrator. I was always astounded by other people’s passion and anger and their certainty that they were right. Also, the solidarity that people showed toward each other even when it wasn’t their fight. I’m not sure it would happen again now. We seem to have lost our voice.�

It does have to be said that sedate Ludlow might not have been considered the ideal choice for a “socialist-bordering-on-communist� woman with such free-range ideas.

Yet, bizarrely, she found herself here thanks to the fatwa on Salmon Rushdie back in 1989. Living in a multi-cultural area of Birmingham when the fatwa was issued, Anita recalls the threat of riots in the air. “It was actually a reverse situation of racism. We were the only white family in the area, which was fine, but we were getting racial abuse and stuff daubed on our walls,� she explains. “We had escaped one weekend to stay with friends in Ironbridge and I was reading the Shropshire Star when I saw

this job advertised for an art teacher at Ludlow College. And that was it.�

Having recently completed a PGCE to teach, but hating comprehensive schools, the job seemed heaven sent.

With the opportunity to teach art, ceramics, photography and special needs at the college, Anita applied for and filled in the form, drove it over to Ludlow to meet the deadline, had an interview, and found she’d got the job.

A swift move to Ludlow was necessary, where she found herself working at Ludlow College as an art teacher, at the same time as bringing up two young children, and completing a PG Dip, MA in Art Education and Art Therapy.

Having spent ten years at Ludlow College, Anita left after the birth of her third child but showed no signs of taking it easy, despite now being a single parent. While teaching children in care, she also set up a mobile recording-studio bus (The Buzz), a pop-up vintage tea room (the Rosie Tea Tent), lectured at Shrewsbury College of Arts and Technology, and got involved in various art projects in the region along the way. It seems fairly safe to say she hasn’t been either watching daytime TV or starving in a garret as a result of a lifetime in the arts, which, as any artist will know, is quite an achievement.

Driven by her passion to include everyone in the arts, it’s no surprise then that she introduced a new and dynamic fringe festival to Ludlow. In other words, although chamber music should still have a place, as Anita very tactfully puts it, “They were a bit out of touch with what most people wanted.�

And it is true that a 16-year-old eager to book tickets for an organ recital would be a rare thing indeed. Even though the Ludlow Assembly Rooms provides opportunities to access the arts all year round, it would be fair to say that the young have been largely unrepresented at the Festival until now. As she explains, “Although the arts touch every household in Britain in some way, and Ludlow has so many artists you only have to shake a bush to find them, many people were excluded from it.� Her arts manifesto, then, includes breaking down social prejudices within the community, strengthening local bonds, and widening access to training in creative skills. “I want to raise the profile of the arts in Shropshire, engage a lot more people, promote local talent, and give opportunities to young people and under-represented groups,� she says.

Yet thinking of this only as idealistic, socialist do-gooding would be a mistake, Anita also points out the wider economic value to the area as a whole. Last year’s Fringe brought over 10,000 spectators to the town, involved around 1,000 participants, saw over 100 events and used over 40 venues. According to research by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, for every £1 of salary paid by the arts and culture industry, an additional £2.01 is generated in the wider economy through indirect and induced multiplier impacts. Measuring the social worth of the arts, on the

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other hand, often causes as much debate as Magritte’s Treachery of Images. Ceci n’est pas une pipe. This is not art. Is this art? What is art? What is the point of art? All fascinating and worthy questions, but when you get down to it, even if you struggle with conceptual performance art, and wonder at the value of breakdancing, what use is a town where young people with an interest in the arts defect to find job opportunities and stimulation elsewhere? A creative brain drain leaves us all the poorer as a result.

So is this her default setting? Art for social change? “I’m from a London, Irish, working-class background,� she offers by way of explanation. “My Dad was a painter and decorator but music, singing, dancing and making something from very little was a strong part of my upbringing. I suppose I’m always keen to challenge preconceptions and established attitudes of what art is ... and I hate artistic snobbery. Art is for everyone and people need to recognise that as taxpayers, lottery ticket holders, donors, etc they are stakeholders in the UK Arts and Culture scene and have a right to enjoy, shape and consume it.�

Hugely and justly proud of the fact that her own children earn their living in the arts, Anita has considerably enriched her own and her family’s lives through her passion. And it’s a legacy she has passed on to her

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thousands of students and wants to continue doing so. Ludlow may not be the first place that comes to mind in discussions about social exclusion, but it is nonetheless as prevalent as in any other town in England. As a result, Anita has actively gone out to seek and encourage people, groups and organisations to deliver their work to a wider audience. Some of it may be a tad risquĂŠ for Ludlow – Phone Whore for example, which, for anyone who might have missed it, is a one-woman drama written by phone-sex operator, Cameryn Moore, exploring the difficult truths that pervade the world of phone sex. Taboo, yes, but definitely thought provoking. So was there any outrage? “There was a bit of a negative reaction to Phone Whore from some quarters,â€? Anita explains. “I think they misunderstood, because the posters were torn down. We now have a joke as result. There are no prostitutes in Ludlow.â€? There’s a pause before she laughs, “We just give it away for free.â€?

In reality, Anita’s favourite moniker is “Art Tart.� “If you pay me to do something in the Arts, I’ll do it.�

Though I think an “Art Tart with a heart� might be better.

-------------------------------------------------ludlowfringe.co.uk for further information

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Restored lions, threatened vista and war memorial

Since issue 5 of Ludlow Ledger text} Jon Saxon – PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE – Somehow I can pretty much remember what time I arrived and returned, and with whom I drank, at Ludlow Brewing Co’s Valentines Ale Massacre – held this February just gone. Anchoring myself next to Nelson Inn’s Alan and his drinking fraternity was never going to be a light affair, as my partialness to going ‘half-and-half’ with my beer choices was awakened with the “best beer here” by one of the clan... one part Stairway to another part Snowflake (5 percent and 8 percent respectively), from Ludlow Brewing Co and Sedley’s Sarah Hughes Brewery. At 6.5 percent, and rather sweet to boot, it wasn’t to all tastes. For everyone else there were brews from the likes of Wobbly Brewing Company, Skinners and Liverpool Organic.

Sticking with the Station Drive venue: Charlton Arms Hotel’s Cedric Bosi celebrated his first anniversary at the helm of Ludford Bridge’s drinking and

dining establishment, by throwing on a sip-and-nibbles function (for both regulars and staff) at Ludlow Brewery.

Since then, the Charlton Arms have adopted ex-La-Bécasse-chef, Chris O’Halloran, meaning the redundant Corve Street kitchen is now in the throws of a tart up in anticipation of an old flame of the town, Alan Murchison, who once ran La Bécasse in those heady days of Will Holland and a Michelin star. Alan plans to re-open the doors sometime in April, so reads a press release, in which it also reports that Alan will actually be working the stoves. “I want to get it back to being a wonderful destination restaurant,” so stated a quote from Mr Murchison.

And talking of potential Michelin stars: neighbouring restaurant, Old Downton Lodge, recently entertained diners from both the AA and Michelin (they arrived on the same night) where chef, Karl Martin (p4), wooed enough to secure another rosette. 1Of course it had nothing whatsoever to do with me

peeling spuds in Karl’s kitchen for that evening’s diners ...

Just before going to press we received a request from 2Ludlow Fringe Festival, who wish to invite artists to exhibit their work as part of the Fringe Art Trail (which will run from June 13th to the 5th of July) in abandoned rooms, cafés, galleries, public spaces and historic buildings. The organisers advise that all media is welcomed: painting, photography, sculpture, printmaking, applied arts, film makers, performance and so on.

There is also the opportunity to secure one of the many market stalls at the lively Artists’ Market, which takes place in the town square on the 20th and 21st of June, providing an opportunity to showcase and sell work. For further information and application forms, please visit the Fringe’s website: ludlowfringe.co.uk There are plenty of anniversaries being celebrated in Ludlow this year, including the 60th commemoration of 3Ludlow Civic Society – which is being suitably decorated with the restoration of the dramatic cast-iron drinking fountain, next to the cannon in the Castle Gardens. The fountain, which features lion masks designed to dispense fresh water and set beneath a fish wrapped around an anchor, was built by Glenfields of Kilmarnock and presented to the town by George Woodhouse in 1908 – and still remains the property of the town.

George himself was a prominent businessman – trading as a chemist

at 45 the Bull Ring (which remained a chemist’s shop until the late 1960s, when the lease was taken over by Boots) and also operating as a registered dentist, seedsman and alchemist. George also carried out the duties of the deputy registrar of births and deaths, and was Mayor of Ludlow from 1907 to 1911.

Speaking to committee-member Tony Mahalski, Ludlow Ledger was told that Ludlow Civic Society have been granted permission to undertake this restoration project and have already personally raised and ringfenced the necessary funds to ensure that the work commences this year.

Describing the scale of the work: “The fountain has to be dismantled, dug out from its foundations, lifted and then removed from the site. It will then be taken to a specialist restorer of cast iron. It is expected all work will be carried out by Shropshire craftsmen and it is hoped that the work will take no longer than 16 weeks.” We also hear that the Council have agreed to seek quotations for an interpretation board, which will portray the origins and history of the fountain and its restoration. “The Civic Society would like to thank all those that assisted in funding this project and provided their time and enthusiasm to make it happen.”

Some of the town’s plans are not so celebrated, including the ongoing schedule of proposed building developments on Bromfield Road for 200 or so homes at one end, and a commercial scheme to build a 24-hour

petrol station/convenience store at the other. And let us not forget the Rocks Green supermarket proposal.

Adding to this are two ventures down the Linney, under the shadow cast by the castle.

The first project (west of Castle Meadow) which overlooks the Ludlow Castle Bowling and Tennis Club, proposes something rather different and indeed innovative, with talk of a semi-buried two-storey property slotted into the side of a steep plot of land. Though remarkable in its design, it is not without its objections – such as this one: “I query what the purpose is of having ‘Conservation Areas’?

I suppose that it is to preserve an area against inappropriate building development, yet over the past ten years permission has been granted to build two unsympathetic houses in this sensitive area. One wonders whether we can look forward to further applications for building in the Linney, Flood Plain or not?

Since Conservation Areas appear meaningless it would seem that Flood Plains fall under the same heading.”

You can follow the planning process, as well as make your comments for and against, by visiting: planningpa. shropshire.gov.uk and searching for: 15/00459/FUL – please note you’ll need to sign in to make any comments.

The 4second adventure in construction is a little further down the road, essentially on the tight corner where the road climbs back up past St Leonard’s churchyard with a foot path carrying you directly on and across the Corve Weir and up over

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2 two fields, to pop you, effectively, at the junction of Bromfield Road and Coronation Avenue. It is the field to your left as you approach the tight corner of Lower Linney that has been earmarked for two detached, executive dwellings.

If given the go ahead, these properties will ultimately consume the only remaining aspect of green, and take with them the only real vista along the Linney, as the fields climb up towards Mortimer Forest.

It seems ridiculous that such a delightfully unspoilt landscape within a Conservation Area can be robbed from a town’s folk and their visitors (and the dozens of pheasants, rabbits and other wildlife) and, in effect, donated to two people (perhaps a couple apiece at best) and whomever they happen to invite to their homes.

I believe that Ludlow has many dramatic slithers – sometimes mere key-hole glances – portals if you will, that point your eye towards an inspirational though-captivating landscape. Thankfully most remain intact – and forever will do so, I hope, including the slither in question that invites your attention as you walk towards the Linney from St Leonard’s.

Comments are now closed on this particular planning proposal.

However: you can still read through the 34 comments over three pages – all in strong objection. Search: 14/04328/ FUL within Shropshire Council’s planning site.

The ladies at Poyners, Broad Street (cover and p10) are collecting money

to help fund the names of those who sadly lost their lives in World War 1, World War 2 and the Korean War to be added to the Castle Square 5War Memorial – in addition to the memorial which features in the porch of St Laurence’s church.

By means of sponsorship, we are now being invited to sponsor a name, by paying £1 per letter – ranging from £9 per name to £17, Ludlow Ledger sponsored the names of both William and Arthur Thomas Jukes (the latter of two served with the 5th Battalion from the outbreak of war almost to the end. He took part in the Battle of St. Julien in April 1915, and was wounded and captured towards the end of the war – dying on October 19th 1918 of his wounds, in a German prisoner-ofwar camp). Whoever you sponsor, I do hope you find the time to research their past, war service and of course their ties to Ludlow.

At the last count around 100 names are still available to sponsor – which you can do by popping into Poyners and speaking to Margaret or Jean, who are also keen to learn if any names are missing from their list.

Many other activities have so far helped reach £2,000 of the £6,000 target – including a nudge over £600 raised recently by Ludlow pupil Sophie Everall, who staged a non-uniform day. Another way to get involved is to attend the forthcoming Ludlow Race Night at £5 per ticket (again from Poyners), hosted by Ludlow Fire Brigade on 21st March.

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A small selection of your emails, letters, postcards and social posts from Facebook and Twitter

Letters to the Ledger We’d love to hear from you – editor@ludlowledger.co.uk

– VIEWS & COMMENTS – Ludlow Ledger have done it again: cracking publication (issue number five) and some satire to boot.

Ludlow has a voice.

St Laurence Parish Church, Ludlow -------------------------------------------------Brilliant piece on Ludlow Museum Resource Centre in issue 5 of Ludlow Ledger. It’s a wonderful place with enthusiastic, knowledgeable staff as the article illustrates; and the best caterpillar quote ever: “You have to admire the dedication of someone who’s prepared to blow out the internal organs of a caterpillar, stuff and then hand-paint it in the name of science.”

Rachel Cockett, Birmingham --------------------------------------------------

but informed discussion before a shop assumes its fascia board might encourage many a shopkeeper into good lettering and away from the crude. Good signwriting is a visual treat and is flexible to a building’s needs, in a sympathetic way.

Although Planning does not embrace the quality of lettering (more’s the pity), the Civic Society takes a great interest in anything that visually impacts on our lovely town. Let us hope that Chloe’s excellent article has started the ball rolling. The Society hopes to keep it rolling and to arouse more awareness of the exciting visual effect created by good lettering, with a talk by Tony Lewery, author of the Signwriters Art at a future date.

Juliet Diamond (Secretary of the Civic Society), Ludlow

Great weekend back in my home town of Ludlow and great to see a fighting anti-global/community spirit bubbling in Ludlow Ledger.

Nic Corston, via Twitter -------------------------------------------------I recently read issue 5 of Ludlow Ledger – front to back – and spotted a mistake in the captioning, on p14: “...mammoth tusk and draws full of dinosaur bones.” Surely it should have read ‘drawers’? Sorry for being a nitpick. Love the paper.

Tourist Information Centre, Tenbury Well spotted, indeed it should – there’ll always be something that slips through.

-------------------------------------------------Ludlow remains one of my favourite places in the world – make sure you pick up a copy of Ludlow Ledger next time you’re there.

Michael Hanley Via Twitter -------------------------------------------------In issue 4 (November-December 2014) of the Ludlow Ledger, Chloe Alexander drew the readers’ attention to the hand lettering of Ludlow. As a calligrapher I share her enthusiasm, and I am also dismayed by the poor lettering which blights many of our shop fronts. I hope that some of our shop owners also read the article and, from it, have realized that good signwriting not only enhances a shop front but enhances the shop’s image as well.

It would be good if the Town and County Councils were to take a leaf out of Frinton-on-Sea’s book – they would only allow Sainsburys into the town if their sign was painted in Frinton’s colours. Of course we do not want a dictatorship in Ludlow

The Rocks Green supermarket proposal offers us an excellent opportunity to step up to our 21stcentury obligations and not allow shareholders and clumsy CEOs to use local communities as moneymaking opportunities. I propose that this planning application falls down on a number of levels: A quick read through the Community Engagement document shows that the written English, structure of sentences and word choice alone is poor. This would suggest a distinct lack of attention to detail and thoroughness that no doubt stretches beyond the page. Read it and see for yourself. (Trevor Allison also comments on the inaccuracies of the Transport Plan). Another example: “It would be great to have a footsore and fuel station adjacent to each other.”

If this constitutes a “detailed round of policy compliant pre-submission consultation” I think all sides in this debate should be worried.

Because if this decade is teaching us anything it is that large, multi-national organisations are as unwieldy as an oil tanker, and are not able to conduct themselves in a way that minimises their negative impact. Tesco have had an awful year and are closing 43 stores, Morrisons have announced a 3.5 per cent drop in profits over Christmas and asked their CEO to leave.

I’m not local, but I do have a kind and thoughtful cousin living in Brimfield who sent me issue 4 of Ludlow Ledger when I was laid up in hospital in Naples (where I’ve lived for 30 years).

I devoured it: full marks to the journalist who made the St Laurence organ so interesting. She followed up with issue 5, where one letter writer spoke about local press providing good news, I feel it is also genuine news.

Please could you also give me the answers to the crossword? Perhaps I lack a bit of local knowledge, although I do come to Orleton Common two or three times a year... Sincere congratulations.

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Great to hear that you’ve been digesting Ledger from afar. Best of luck with this issue’s crossword. Anyone else wishing to have the answers emailed, please contact: editor@ludlowledger.co.uk -------------------------------------------------ACROSS 1 Some faint sexed-up declaration (9) 5 Bad flier is kept inside for the duration (5) 8 Stuck on Wenlock Edge (6) 9 Man’s overpowering fear of conquistadors? (8) 10 Alternative art sells in Ezra’s studio (7) 12 Beg opponents to negotiate (7) 13 Party with women’s clothing at Feathers (4) 15 One making cloth headpiece topped with gold (10) 17 British players are philistines (10) 18 Mineral box (4) 21 First lady, new with gin, drunk at soirée (7) 22 Linesman sumo wrestled with Chinese outside (7) 24 Old boy engages southern European (8)

25 Couple of fish are taking it easy (6) 26 Tents rusty when assembled wrongly (5) 27 Own journalist dominated by spirit (9) DOWN 1 Creature’s half fat... that’ll be duck (7) 2 Comfortable place at end of coast road (5) 3 Some erudite officers rise in rank (6) 4 Symbol of peace and love in verbal abuse at church (5,6) 5 Impudence gets punishment – can make red with this (8) 6 Digital conclusion for smartphone

application? (9) 7 Narrator’s diamonds turned up with note in bishop’s custody (7) 11 Spooner’s first hike in aid of better view (7-4) 14 Saucy city? (9) 16 Article of dress worn over another by those in surgery (8) 17 Beverage plant we added to Berry recipe (7) 19 Failed to deliver red topped and green homogenised (7) 20 Cross with inset diamonds in jumble (6) 23 Servants of Frenchman get disease (5)

Ludlow has an obvious unique selling point (in fact several) and if you weigh your local produce after it’s cooked it probably works out a darn sight cheaper than some of those processed deals. On the subject of being unique – you don’t even need to see this supermarket to know what it will be like; they’re all the same... unlike English towns.

I understand that the promise of jobs may be alluring, but those numbers that are put out to win you over?

They’re based on an estimate – an estimate that will change when the wind blows and when costs are cut and self check-outs installed.

Supermarkets are no longer the future. What once promised: Better deals, Cheaper prices, Wider choice and Convenience for customers is now just Horse meat, Made in China, Milkprice fixing, Closing high streets and, above all else, Profit margins, Return on capital invested and Shareholder return. Initial promise is rarely realised.

They are not a safe pair of hands, and certainly not guaranteed to succeed.

Economies of scale have their place but that often heralds bacon that leaks water when cooked, monosodium glutamate and price fixing. Do you know what you’re eating? Hopefully, not the 38 per cent sugar in Tesco Frosted Flakes.

Local businesses know where their food came from – I often ask them.

They know who grew it and what they sprayed it with. They know their produce, their suppliers, their staff and they get to know you too. They are British, as (often) are their suppliers and they could probably tell you where the money goes...because they care.

Whilst I appreciate the comment that Ludlow is becoming “an expensive amusement park,” I hasten to add that this is due to the fact that it is attractive to outsiders in a way that a lot of other towns would be extremely grateful for – it has character. Coach loads of people don’t turn up to most of our neighbouring towns. It’s not as expensive as it seems, either, because somehow those cheap supermarket deals don’t always add up at the check out do they? Don’t take my word for it – ask. Because you can actually ask for more than directions to an aisle when in local independent shops.

But the true cost of favouring supermarkets over local shops won’t be calculable until it’s too late, the land is sold and the historic Shropshire buildings converted to flats. And it will be visible at home too as the stealth manipulation of your diet towards addictive sugar, salt and cheap fat substitutes to boost profit margins will work its magic upon the body.

With the local hospital facing closure we should probably take our health a lot more seriously from now on. And with the economy being wrecked in the hands of multi-national corporations and over-grown organisations we should probably take our community a lot more seriously from now on too.

When it comes to deciding on whether Ludlow should have another supermarket we need to do what is right not just what is convenient. As a community we need to strengthen what belongs to Ludlow not what belongs elsewhere.

I understand I have dealt, in the main, with the supermarket and not the Petrol Filling Station – I firmly believe these are two separate cases that should be examined both as separate options and not just an all or nothing. The life and times of previous fuel stations in Ludlow should probably be taken into account in this instance.

I would encourage all members of the town to consider not just what their town can do for them but what they can do for their town and then step forward and do it. After all, ‘every little helps’....

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Ashley Scott-Edwards, Ludlow I can assure you, Ashley: you are not alone in your thoughts and concerns.

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Who helped make this issue possible?

“89 pence for four pints”

Viewing oil and milk

– CONTRIBUTORS –

text} Simon Pease

NOT wishing to sound like a broken record, I must say the roll call of appreciation appears very much a step-and-repeat of the previous issue.

Essentially it highlights the rather exciting fact that Ludlow Ledger is forming a solid team...

– OBSERVATIONS – IT is a liquid (one most of us use), traded as a commodity on the international market – the price has dropped dramatically in the last few months and producers in this country are suffering as a result. Are you cheering or are you concerned? The answer to that particular question may depend on whether you thought I was referring to the black stuff or the white stuff.

The campaign to do something to protect dairy farmers in this country has gathered quite a lot of support recently. From what I have observed, there are quite a few people living in the Ludlow area who share the concern. If they can afford it, some may have committed themselves to buying local milk, and are prepared to pay a premium for it. I haven’t (so far anyway) heard similar calls to support the oil producers in Aberdeen (still less the frackers in the USA), and I have not heard anyone declare on national radio that they would be prepared to pay a premium to buy ‘our’ North Sea oil at the pump. Yet the mechanisms of the free market that are causing problems for both sets of producers are very similar – falling demand, overcapacity, and some producers who can deliver at a much lower cost than others. In the case of milk from the EU, a Russian ban is also having a significant impact but, even without that, it is still likely that many of the same pressures would be driving the price down.

You may well shrug your shoulders and say “so what?” Oil men, who get very rich when the price is high, are less obvious recipients of our sympathy than dairy farmers, many of whom are in family businesses that have lasted for generations and who, on the whole, never got particularly rich anyway. However, there seems to be an obvious inconsistency in applauding the result of the free market working in one case and not in the other. Moreover, there are many people struggling to make ends meet who will, of course, be glad of the milk at 89 pence for four pints, whatever happens to dairy farmers.

Perhaps the answer is simply that human beings are not always consistent (tending to be partisan and to have favourites), so maybe it doesn’t matter if we want to support one but not the other. On the other hand, there might be other reasons why we do need to make a choice. In the case of milk, there’s food security; it makes good sense to think that we should be able to feed ourselves and not be dependent on others. But you could apply the same argument to energy security and to other arguments you could come up with.

So why do many of us feel that we want to protect one set of producers but not the other? Is there any sense in such a position? Ultimately, I think the answer is yes. It is because we understand at an instinctive level, if nothing else, that the untrammelled operation of the market can produce a result in the short term that meets the requirements of the cold, hard science of economics, but in the long term, leaves society as a whole worse off. It is not easy to put a price on everything that can be justified in economic terms.

Sometimes we only find out what something was really truly worth once it has long gone.

Not so exciting, is that MIA DAVIS is, sadly, having to take a slight step back from her journalistic work load as a taxing new job threatens to take up all of her time. Thankfully, this issue, Mia had time to chat to sisters Margaret and Jean of Poyners (cover and p10), spend time with Perch Cabin’s Edward Griffiths (p12) and get the smouldering low down on Ludlow Smokehouse (p14 through to 16).

Thankfully, as far as I know, LIZ HYDER is staying put, with this issue benefiting from her time on foot (p20) taking us deep into the heart of running in town.

If you ever need a PR professional – with over 10 years’ experience in arts, broadcast and events – why not try: liz@lizhyder.co.uk Thrown into the mix again is Ludlowbased photographer RICHARD STANTON who had his fair share of ‘this and that’ whilst creating this issue: from documenting ladies knickers at Poyners (cover and p10) and clattering around the kitchen of Old Downton Lodge (p4), to recording war memorials (p6-7) and trying to keep up with our Liz, as she dashed around the streets of Ludlow (p20). To find what else Richard has been up to, check: stantonphotographic.com

NAG’S HEAD INN – Since featuring the old pub sign (LL5 p15) that once hung at the foot of Corve Street, the paper has been blessed with many personal stories relating to this once-popular public house; it makes you wonder why it fell out of favour, with so many fond memories. Of the many people who took the time to get in touch it was Judith Randell, of the threatened Ludlow Museum Resource Centre, who kindly dug out the original poster – advertising the 1901 sale, where the then pub’s landlord, Arthur Ward, auctioned off the inn’s brewing plant.

This issue we welcome GARY SEYMOUR (you may know him from his time as landlord of the Sun Inn, Leintwardine and, more recently, serving behind the bar at the Church Inn). He kindly gave us full access to his eBook – I Was Yesterday’s Hero – an excerpt of which we have printed on p18. You can read the full book online by following: http://tiny.cc/seymour SALLY (SUB) NEWMAN-KIDD is still pretending to be a little edgy that Ludlow Ledger may one day go monthly and that a sister title may be joining the publishing ranks – but we don’t believe her, we know how much she likes the adrenaline rush. Sally is always happy to chat if you require some word-ironing of your own: sally@nka.co.uk

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Thanks – once again – must be extended to Ludlow Ledger’s cartoonist ROGER PENWILL from Brimfield (whose work features to your left on p8). For Roger’s other work, please check: penwill.com You may have also noticed that crossword creator JOHN JARVIS is back for a second issue of Ludlow Ledger – and long may his contribution continue... the feedback from those who got in touch was unanimously positive. If you’d like the answers to this or the previous issue’s puzzle, please contact me: editor@ludlowledger.co.uk Appreciation is also extended to SIMON PEASE who, on this page, investigates (amongst other things) milk.

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And last, but not least, a big thank you to the paper’s loyal ADVERTISERS and STOCKISTS who make this whole paper a reality: please support where you can.

-----------------------------------------------If you would like to become a contributor to Ludlow Ledger, whether as a feature’s writer or columnist, please forward examples of your work to: editor@ludlowledger.co.uk

Auction poster image on p9} reproduced with kind permission of Ludlow Museum Resource Centre

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– COVER STORY – < continued from the front page As Margaret explains, they ran a tight ship – no casual conversation between staff was permitted in front of customers, a rigorous routine of cleaning and polishing was the order of the day, and no goods were ever allowed to remain on the counter after having been displayed. Customers were always offered a chair, but staff were not allowed to sit, unless on the discreet wooden folding seat hidden behind a curtain – which remains to this day. Margaret even produces sepia photographs of Jane and Ernest, and tells me that Ernest was known across Ludlow as firm and fair, whilst Jane was energetic, kind and generous.

Known as philanthropists and firm pillars of the community, the couple contributed to Ludlow and national charities through the Lepers’ Medical Mission, the Deaf and Dumb, the Drapers’ Institute, the Ludlow Chamber of Commerce, St Laurence’s Church and the Methodists. All of which makes them sound very much like a local 1930s power couple.

Thankfully, such detail on the history of Poyners can be attributed to the family records and careful preservation of the shop and its contents – yet not all the evidence was strictly official.

Margaret once stumbled upon some writing graffitied on to the bottom of a drawer, describing a wedding, stock cleaning and the arrival of a new milliner. (“Miss M Edwards married Mr Edwards, Wolverhampton, October 12th 1892” reads one inscription.)

All at once, it’s possible to imagine a dreamy shop girl deciding to record this momentous event in secret. “It did make me feel funny when I read that seeing as my name is also M Edwards,” says Margaret.

Also of great interest are the ancient ledgers that they’ve preserved, providing a fascinating insight into domestic life during the early twentieth century. The copperplate writing lists stock and sales items combinations, furs, art silk, maids caps and aprons, ginghams, scent sprays, bed ticks, (coverings for pillows and mattresses) coat clasps, modesty vests, bodices and camisoles as just a few of the luxuries and essentials for the household of 1928. Records from 1939 reveal that Ernest Poyner invested in huge amounts of clothing and fabric to see them through the long years of rationing, with gas masks added to the plentiful petticoats and pants.

They also show how busy the shop was; Monday’s were especially hectic thanks to the Livestock Market, when the wives of farmers would accompany them into town. Known as Pig Mondays, trade was especially brisk across Ludlow as a whole.

With Pig Mondays long gone, however, who on earth really shops here now apart from tourists and Fiona Fullerton? In answer to that, and almost on cue, we’re interrupted first by the arrival of Thurza Sibbons, “Once seen, never forgotten” as she introduces herself, followed by another regular customer in search of new knickers. Jean spreads the drawers (the knickers, not the actual drawer this time) out on the counter for the lady to look at, and all at once the conversation turns to G strings. The jokes get lewder and lewder until everyone is doubled over with laughter and Margaret has to take herself into the Children’s Department to laugh uncontrollably all by herself, until the lady who just bought the big knickers announces that she’s “off to buy a sausage” and again.... well, you can imagine. “Oooh er Missus!” Cranford has deteriorated into Carry On. But if you can’t have a laugh buying three pairs of big knickers, then when can you? I certainly haven’t enjoyed being in a shop so much...ever. And, for the record, no they don’t sell G strings, which is probably a good thing. By this time, intrigued by the content of the drawers (the actual ones), I ask to take a look at the interlock pantees – what are they exactly? Margaret, who has by now gathered herself, unfolds a giant pair of white pants on the counter, complete with legs and a rather thick gusset. Jean tells me that they are

marvellous to wear “if you’ve had an operation.” What type of operation I’m not sure and neither is Jean, but they do look sturdy.

So was it always like this? Did the women who frequented Poyners in 1932 fall about laughing over squeezing into their stays? We’ll never know for sure, but the promise of a new hat or blouse during the days when clothes were patched, darned, mended and repurposed beyond original recognition must have at least made the buying of new goods memorable.

In the wonderfully descriptive booklet written on the history of Poyners, customer recollections of unforgettable purchases from the shop include a life-sized baby doll called Bubbles, “Chilprufe” underwear, and the pleasure of choosing modern fashions after the austerity of the war years.

Ernest and Jane’s son Reg, who took over the business after their death, carried on the business from the 1960s until his death in 1990. An active member of the community and the Caged Birds Society, (even going so far as to build an aviary behind the shop), Reg was something of a character, but took the shop seriously and continued his parents’ legacy with aplomb. In an effort to compete with the clothing catalogues and doorstep sellers of the era, he came up with the idea of a thrift club in 1960. Fortunately for Reg, catalogue pictures of the time were poorly printed and a promisinglooking frock would often result in being a huge regret on arrival. To capitalise on these disappointments, his savings cards were printed with the catchy statement: “Shop in our own town, where you can come and choose your own goods and see what you are getting for your money.” Saatchi and Saatchi marketing it’s not, but the premise wasn’t so different from today’s Local to Ludlow campaign and retailers battling with the competition from supermarkets to the global interweb. And yet, Poyners are, thankfully, not even attempting to compete – they still don’t even have a telephone or a modern till.

Although Reg was known for using the telephone box in Castle Square as his office, Margaret is keen to point out that a lack of telephone doesn’t affect them one bit. “Lots of people tell us how nice it is that we don’t have a phone. And as for the till, well, we always count out the change. So that lady who wrote to the Ledger last time complaining that Ludlow shopkeepers don’t do it, needs to come here; we’ll show her how it’s still done.”

The result of such a charming resistance to the pressures of modern retailing, is visitors often beseeching them to open a shop up in their home towns. One customer even bought her daughter in to experience ‘buying clothes from a drawer,’ which, when you think about it, is indeed a tradition which is long gone. Furthermore, although the original 1950s Ladybird retail-displays in the Children’s Department might be museum pieces, Dents, along with the uberfashionable Spanish Mayoral label in the Children’s Department, does mean that there is something for everyone.

That said, the local community is their true focus. “Oh, we love all of our customers, we meet the most lovely and interesting people every day,” enthuses Margaret. “We hear it all, everyone’s problems. So we always say ‘pull up a chair and tell us all about it.’”

Resisting the urge to do this myself, I ask Margaret if the Poyner’s original philanthropic values are still important to them. “Absolutely! It’s all about giving back to the community isn’t it?

At the moment, we’re raising money to add names of the fallen around the war memorial. When the local independent shops close down, which many of them have, then these big stores don’t have the same interest, do they?” And this dedication to the community as a whole is precisely what Poyners stands for. Sales of hats and gloves almost seem beside the point. Instead, this wonderful shop is a meeting place, counselling service, hub of charitable works, tribute to a gentler age of retail, and last stand against the thong.

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Cover-story text} Mia Davis | images} Richard Stanton

12

Perch Cabins

A chop off the old Scandinavian block text} Mia Davis | image} Edward Fury – LOCAL PRODUCT – ABBA and IKEA may be a matter of personal taste, but if there is one thing that most of us can’t fail to admire about Sweden (apart from Volvos of course), it’s the log cabin. Tucked on the edge of a spectacular forest or on the shores of a Nordic lake, the cabin typifies a secluded backwoods retreat, with a bit of fishing thrown in. So come with me then, if you will, not to Norrtälje but to Culmington on the outskirts of Ludlow, to a unique company in the business of building handmade hideaways Scandi style.

Hidden behind his father’s pottery studio, Edward Griffiths, of Perch Cabins, produces high-quality cabins using traditional Swedish techniques, resulting in a practical and beautifully simple space for your own secret den.

Venturing out from Edward’s toasty warm workshop, heated using his own off-cuts of wood, we brace ourselves against the perishing sleety wind to see one of his cabins under construction in a small back field. Rustic and hand hewn, the cabin awaits windows, flooring, a door and a woodburner at this stage, but it’s not hard to imagine sitting in here with the fire roaring, listening to the wood creaking as a storm rages outside (perhaps with a wood chopper to complete the picture).

I’m sold already and this one isn’t even finished. Constructed using only Douglas Firs, chopped, sawn and hand hewn by Edward himself, its pleasingly unpolished finish gives the cabin character and irregularity in spades.

With a background in tree surgery, green woodwork and energy-efficient heating installation, Edward’s cabinmaking skills were learned from a course in traditional Swedish cabin making that he undertook some three years ago, but his journey began long ago. His family have owned a small amount of woodland, working with and managing the wood, since Edward was young, but his light-bulb moment came from a trip to Sweden. “Everyone is obsessed by oak, and softwoods are considered the poor man’s timber.

But when I saw what they do with them there, and how they use the wood, I thought, ‘that’s what we need to do.’ I just wanted to find a way of using the firs and pines we’ve cut in

the woodland, as not enough is done with it. As soon I saw the cabins I just put the two together.” And so with the help of friend Rudolf Warrilow, who constructs the windows and door frames, Perch Cabins was born.

Traditionally, log cabins were designed to be constructed quickly in remote locations, without the use of nails or spikes, but using notches instead; Scandinavian settlers, setting up home in the New World, took advantage of the abundance of timber and the speed of construction and the cabins became popular. Edward is keen to distance himself from the American, camp-site versions of log cabins: “Before I went to Sweden, my idea of a log cabin was a quite horrible, polished dark cabin, the type you find on holiday sites and the problem is that people instantly think of these types of log cabins. I want to show people that they don’t have to be like that.”

As a result, the hand-finished texture and flaxen timber in Edward’s version makes these cabins truly and selfconsciously rustic, blending into the rural landscape as if grown there. That said, no two cabins need be the same, as Edward offers a bespoke service, including ideas, drawings, textural finishes and advice on planning permission. So is there a problem with planning? “The problems start if you want to live in one,” Edward explains.

“They couldn’t be further from a blot on the landscape, but authorities don’t see it that way.” Edward’s dad, who has his own cabin built for him by Edward in their woodland in West Wales, uses it as a store, for sawing and the occasional overnight stay, which has been allowed after making a formal planning application.

To build a cabin from start to finish takes three months, although seasoning the wood takes around two to three years. So managing the seasoning, selective felling and replenishment of cut trees is all a critical aspect of the business. And for Edward, the forest remains very much a part of the character of the finished item. “I love the fact that the timber, after seasoning and construction, settles and creaks slightly; it makes the cabin a living thing.”

ISSUE #4 Young Farmers Club turns 70 Controversial chef of Broad Street St Laurence’s organist, Shaun Ward Letters from the front Town’s tight wearers of 1968 Kitchen table industries Ludlow Ledger facts Ludlow Legend William Parks Downing pints and dominoes ludlowledger.com/archive

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13

In their own words

Discover Ludlow Spring Festival 2015 text} Jo Gadsby – EVENTS – MENTION Ludlow in most of the UK, and even some farther flung places (such as Singapore or Australia) and people instantly know that it’s a beautiful town renowned for its excellent cuisine. Such has been the publicity over the last twenty years (initially for the UK’s first food festival), that Ludlow is revered for its local, seasonal and exceptional food whether from an artisan producer, an independent retailer or a restaurant, and for the Michelin-star restaurants it attracted.

But its not just the Food Festival which attracts attention, the organisers have another two events that are introducing new audiences to the charms of our medieval town. Did you now that August’s Magnalonga was walked, several years ago, by a group of Japanese tourists who enjoyed it so much that they went home and set up their own version?

And what about the Food Festival’s younger sibling, the Spring Festival – running this year on the weekend of 9-10th May? Growing in popularity, year on year, it also attracts visitors and even volunteers from as far away as the USA. First run in 2009, the event has brought together a number of individual attractions into one.

Phil Maile, Chairman of the Food Festival, reports on what to expect.

We often get asked whether the Spring Festival is a beer festival, a classic car show or a mini food festival. The answer is yes, it’s all three. The Marches Transport Festival was already running and it seemed only logical to combine the two events into one so that people could enjoy both. We started off with fairly humble expectations for the Spring Festival, but its popularity continues to grow each year and that has meant expanding the attractions across the weekend to broaden its appeal. Very few producers were involved in the beginning but now there are around 60 over the weekend, and a further 40+ outside the castle on the Sunday Produce Market.

Beer is undoubtedly one of the main attractions of the Spring Festival.

With around 200 different brews to try, its Shropshire’s largest beer

festival and one of the biggest in the UK. It’s also a significant event for the brewers themselves as it’s the venue for the SIBA Wales & West Region Beer Competition; the winners here go on to the national finals.

Meet the Brewer – Friday 5pm to 9pm: Being local is a real bonus when it comes to the Spring Festival and the evening of Friday, 8th May is the perfect time to unwind with a favourite tipple or try something new. Entry is just £2.00 and, unlike Saturday and Sunday, the Festival Pub usually feels relatively quiet, apart from the live music of course. It also means that you get the first pick of all the ales, including the winners, which get drunk very quickly over the weekend. It’s the perfect antidote to the working week – meet up with a few mates, discover new brews and chat to the guys who are the brewmasters.

Music has always been an important aspect of the Festival Pub. Who can forget Asparagus and the Kilburn Habit getting the crowd singing along to their (now infamous parodies), or the mellow vocals of acousticfavourite Anthony Doyle? Joining them this year are the ever-popular local talents of Libby Gilksman & Dean Ames, Bluzebox, Hot Climate, Pigdaze and, for the finale, the Sultana Brothers. Full details can be found on the Spring Festival website – listed at the foot of this feature.

The Marches Transport Festival: This has been running now for 31 years and is an important part of the Ludlow calendar. It became linked with the Ludlow Spring Festival in 2010, when it became apparent that it needed more financial and administrative support. On the Sunday morning up to 100 vehicles leave Leominster and meander their way across to the castle.

Watching the spectacular vehicles make their way through the castle gate is part of Ludlow history and one we are proud to be able to support.

Inside the castle you will find over 150 vintage and classic cars in all shapes and sizes; all are lovingly cared for and proudly displayed by their owners, who are usually on hand to talk about their pride and joy.

Vehicles that are too big to go through the castle arch will be displayed on the

top square just outside the castle and can include fire engines, steamrollers, tractors and lorries.

The entry price of the Ludlow Spring Festival covers both events and means that visitors can make a real day of it and enjoy both festivals in one.

Local Producers: True to the philosophy of showcasing the best food producers, there will be 60 within the castle in May. Not just beer, bread and bangers, but also plenty of stalls featuring top-quality food and drink from small producers up and down the Marches, the Welsh border country; the products that have been produced on a small scale by people who really care (choose from cheese, breads, meats, pies, ice cream, patisserie, confectionary and much more).

The four Masterclasses at this year’s Spring Festival are run by Danny Silock, whose credits include being the development chef for the Heart of England Fine Foods and the head chef at both Mad Jacks and The Mytton and Mermaid. The classes are: 1) Pork Pie making: how to make the best pork pies and how to personalize them with individual flavour (what could be better with a pint than a pork pie?).

2) Creative Canapes: new combinations to tantalise taste buds and impress friends.

3) Afternoon Tea: for those not ‘here for the beer’, a masterclass that focuses on presentation, sandwich combinations and toppings (making and tasting).

4) Shropshire Brunch: a very special masterclass.....

Places for each class are limited and so must be booked in advance (booking and more information are on the website: see far bottom right) Paté and Pudding trails around the town provide a distraction from the festival pub and a chance to stretch legs (the Paté trail is on Saturday and the Pudding trail on Sunday). A variety of pubs and cafés take part, each preparing their own specialty for the Festival, so tickets are limited to 200 for each event.

And there’s lots of fun for children.

Kidz Kitchen will be providing a series of come-and-have-a-go sessions for children (5 to 12-year olds, accompanied by adults) in the Castle Gardens. Youngsters can get their hands into the mixing bowl and enjoy messy foodie fun. Parents can also watch – making sure they pick

up plenty of useful tips for lunch boxes, interesting dinners and ways of making nutritious vegetables seem like fun. The sessions will be totally interactive and completely health conscious: “The emphasis will be on healthy eating, so we will be cooking with vegetables and lean meats.”

New for 2015, there will be engaging workshops and activities working alongside the Grow, Cook, Learn school’s project.

The Ludlow Spring Festival really is a great weekend right on our doorstep. The official programme will be available locally and as a download from the website in April – it lists the two hundred beers, exhibitors and classic vehicles on show so make sure you have a copy; there’s even a handy tasting notes section so that you can keep a note of your favourite tipples for future reference.

-------------------------------------------------Please check: ludlowspringfestival.co.uk for further information, or give the festival office a call on 01584 873957. Please note though, that in the week of the festival the office is unmanned due to everyone being onsite.

ISSUE #5 Museum Resource Centre Saltmoor Bridge Day at Ludlow races Jack Ahern’s needlework Rooftop Theatre Company Train station facts Dinham Millennium Green Mike Sargent’s history of beer Charlton Arms’ Kev Victory House closure Nag’s Head pub sign found ludlowledger.com/archive

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14

Ludlow Traditional Smokehouse

Leaping into the big smoke text} Mia Davis | images} Richard Stanton – PROFILE – HERE in Ludlow, with the River Teme on our doorstep, we’re lucky enough to see one of the great miracles of nature live in action.

Watching the salmon leap the weir on their epic journey back to their spawning grounds, is a life-affirming sight. There’s no denying that they taste pretty good too – most especially smoked. So it’s good news then, if you want salmon (or even meat or cheese) smoked in the traditional way, that the Ludlow Traditional Smokehouse is keeping alive the centuries-old business of curing and smoking.

Tucked away on a remote farm a few miles from Ludlow, the Smokehouse is the concept of one-time owners of the celebrated Jolly Frog restaurant in Leintwardine, Martyn and Jayne Emsen, who now own and run the Ludlow Cicchetti Bar. Using their experience and knowledge of good food, fish in particular, the Smokehouse, which started as a hobby, now supplies good restaurants, butchers and supermarkets from Ludlow to Spain. Their list of customers even includes Prince Charles, who is very fond of their smoked quails eggs, I am told.

Having arranged to visit the Smokehouse for myself, I arrive and am greeted by Martyn in a pair of wellies, clutching eggs from his hens, and looking every inch not like a farmer at all, but more like a chef in wellies.

After wandering around what looks like Steptoe’s Yard, showing me barns filled with antique furniture, ancient cooking implements and foreign restaurant ephemera, he takes me into the Smokehouse itself to talk me through the process. Using methods based on part science, part primitive alchemy, salt is used to draw out moisture and reduce the weight of fish by around fifty per cent before drying and then adding the element of smoke to enhance the natural flavour of the food. Once essential for preserving meat and fish, before the invention of refrigerators and freezers, this ancient art adds unique and varied flavours to otherwise commonplace foods.

Despite the fact that Martyn describes it as “bloody boring really” all of the produce is smoked to perfection using only natural wood smoke, and every aspect of the fish processing is done by hand here, from the salting, to the filleting and pin-boning, through to the smoking and slicing. One room is dedicated to filleting and another for salting, with two more rooms used for slicing and packing, yet it’s in the kiln room where the real action goes on. Emanating the most delicious, woody aroma (even though the three enormous kilns aren’t on at the time), this slightly sooty outbuilding is where the produce takes on the sublime flavour of smoke. Inside, the kilns are coated with thick black tar, which takes around a year to build up and helps with the flavouring process, when the fish are hung and gently smoked with smouldering wood chippings from the boxes below. Martyn shows me bags of chipped hickory and locally-sourced oak, apple, pine, beech (for bacon) and even a chipped up whisky barrel, all of which give the fish, cheese or meat their differing smoky flavour and aroma. The art of smoking is to produce a lovely balanced flavour, which is far more effective when using this traditional method. Although electrically-powered kilns speed the process, it is said that complexity and depth of flavour is lost. So what does Martyn think? “Customers do say it’s not so good....so no, I don’t think it gives the same effect.”

It’s not every day that someone sets up a smokehouse, so where did the idea come from? “It all got started as a hobby,” Martyn explains. “I worked in Denmark for a while, and everything was smoked. You walk in there and think, that smells good. So when we were at the Jolly Frog, I started doing a bit to put on the menu and as time went on, and we were thinking of other things to do, I thought we could do this after selling the restaurant.”

It really is a family concern, Jayne works hard on the promotions, sales and finances, and their son, George (aged 15) helps out as their young apprentice. Two employees, Simon and Michelle Evans, are also on board, slicing and delivering to local stockists, which include the Ludlow Fish House, Wigmore Community Shop, and Van Doesburg’s Deli in Church Stretton.

And that’s not to mention the smoked salmon on the breakfast menu of the Cicchetti Bar itself.

Heading outside to admire the grounds (and the chair of Bevan, the young heartthrob who sometimes helps Martyn with the Smokehouse and Cicchetti Bar), Martyn points out the stream which helps with the humidity needed for the smoking process. The balance of humidity is complex, with even a basic internet search on the matter revealing Einstein-type equations on the subject but, as I understand it, a certain level of humidity is needed to create the correct conditions for the process – the upside to Britain’s cool climate is that it’s perfect for cold smoking.

Although smoking and curing is an essentially primitive skill, smoked salmon was a rarity in England until the arrival of Eastern European immigrants. Surprisingly, salmon smokeries in Scotland didn’t exist until the introduction of fish farming – the Scots having concentrated on smoking fish such as kippers and haddock instead. Salmon for smoking was first brought to the UK in the late 1800s to London’s East End, where the immigrants cured, pickled and smoked salmon from the Baltic in barrels of brine, for London’s Jewish community who prized smoked salmon as part of their Sunday morning breakfast.

Discovering Billingsgate Market, the immigrants realised that Scottish salmon was far superior for smoking and the smoked salmon trade was born.

Today smoked salmon is an industry all of its own, with factory-farmed fish machine-smoked and sliced in vast quantities to meet demand. Moreover, a loophole in the law allows Norwegian salmon to be labelled as Scottish Salmon when, in fact, it has only been processed in Scotland. Around half of the smoked salmon available to buy in the UK has literally slipped through the net and is only masquerading as Scottish – much like an Englishman wearing a kilt, perhaps. Sadly, too, the now mechanised fish industry means that the traditional methods of curing and smoking fish have long since disappeared, so traditional smokehouses have gone much the same way as stocks of cod. The oldest traditional smokehouses still operating in Britain are generally between 100 – 200 years old, and were normally attached to fishermen’s cottages as a way of preserving any excess catch. A lot of smokeries now resort to brine injection techniques and liquid smoke flavouring.

Martyn and Jayne, however, pride themselves on their traditional methods and use only the real thing.

All of their salmon is sourced from Wester Ross in the Scottish Highlands, who are the oldest independent, owner-operated salmon farm in Scotland. The fish are happy-go-

15

16

lucky natural fish, reared to RSPCA freedom-food standards, with no antibiotics ever having passed their lips. Aside from the oak-smoked Salmon, which is their most popular product, they’ll smoke pretty much anything that can be smoked and have a stock list that includes portmarinated smoked duck breast, smoked Isle of Mull cheddar, junipersmoked mackerel pâté, and smoked venison marinated in port and thyme.

They also smoke to order so, for example, a food producer can send them thirty quail or a round of cheese and they will smoke it. Their contract smoking also includes all the butchers in Ludlow – so the next time you buy some smoked bacon from Walls, you’ll know where it’s come from.

Standing in the packing room with Martyn, and having exhausted the subject of the price of fish, our interview takes a non-smoking related twist, when Martyn produces a carved chocolate cowboy. The detail is extraordinary, and becomes even more surprising when he stands a carved Red Indian with a rippling torso next to the cowboy. Carved to a level even Michelangelo would approve of, these two figures were created by Martyn’s own fair hand ...

out of chocolate – “it’s just something you do when you’re a pastry chef.” Of course ... how long did each one take?

“Oh about 40 or 50 hours. I did them at the Jolly Frog.” My next question then is why a Cowboy, and the Indian?

The Native Americans held salmon in high regard, so could this be why? It turns out that it’s related to a long joke involving American Indians chopping down a forest, with a great punch line. Martyn tells me the joke can go on for weeks but fortunately I get the abridged version, which is just as well considering we’re also standing next to a bottle of rum.

As I leave, Martyn very kindly hands me a box of his oak-smoked salmon and a salmon pate. At home I tried it with a twist of lemon and I can verify that it’s vastly superior to the massproduced version – I’ve yet to come across any quite as tasty as this. The subtle smokiness and the soft flesh melts in the mouth, giving a distinct impression of lochs, woodland and highland air. In the heart of landlocked Shropshire we might be but, with the Smokehouse on our doorstep, we’ve quite a catch indeed.

Ludlow Traditional Smokehouse 07890 412873 – Dickendale Farmhouse, Crookmullen, Wigmore, Nr Ludlow, HR6 9UQ – info@ludlowtraditionalsmokehouse.com

17

Arnie: our townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s terminator

Getting cross with Ludlowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rats interviewed by} Jon Saxon | image} Richard Stanton â&#x20AC;&#x201C; QUESTIONS & ANSWERS â&#x20AC;&#x201C; How old is Arnie? Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nine and a half.

How long has Arnie been with you? I acquired him when he was about 18 months old. I offered around ÂŁ300 for him to a lad but he wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sell him to meâ&#x20AC;Ś and I told him it was for my daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s birthday. A week later the lad tapped on my door and he said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;You can have the dog, but I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want any money because I know youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll look after him.â&#x20AC;?

What breed is Arnie? Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a Patterdale cross Border Lakeland.

Why did you choose Arnie? Years ago I used to breed Patterdales and Border Lakelands myself, and Lurchers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but it was clear he was a one-off. I used to show a lot of dogs too at game fairs (I won at Welsh Game fairs and English Game fairs with my Lurchers) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and when I saw Arnie I thought: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got to have him.â&#x20AC;?

Can you describe Arnieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s working day? I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take him on every job, because it could be flies or something similar and he does get a bit over active. Obviously if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mice or rats I take him. I can take him around the outside of a building and he will tell me from the outside where they are. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unbelievable. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got a hell of a nose on him. Obviously I can go to a place and check for the visible signs (thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s common sense) as itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s usually the same scenario â&#x20AC;&#x201C; where they are getting in and what have you, but heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot quicker at it than me. I can tell by how excited he gets whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rats or mice.

What is his favourite part of the job?

He just likes getting out. You know â&#x20AC;&#x201C; he just loves going to work.

Does he catch rats or flush them out?

He does both. If he sees it, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dead â&#x20AC;&#x201C; heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lightening quick.

How many rats do you catch/collect per year? I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like to think. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know â&#x20AC;&#x201C; how longâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a piece of string?

Thousands and thousands. Usually the poison makes them very thirsty and they go straight to the water and sink.

How far do you travel for work? 25 to 30 mile radius â&#x20AC;&#x201C; something like that.

Does Arnie enjoy being in the van? Ah, loves it. Gets very excited. Up, down â&#x20AC;&#x201C; heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a very excitable dog.

Has he always been quite shy of new people? Yes, which is a good thing.

Once he weighs you up heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll come to you. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a bit wary of people. People

seem to think (actually Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had a few people say to me) â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ah, you hit that dog.â&#x20AC;? No, if anyone hit my dog Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d go mental. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never laid a hand on him, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just the way he is â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a bit skitsy like.

How long has Ludlow Pest Control been running? I started it late 2013. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just me, and (obviously) if Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m doing clearance, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got two trust-worthy lads that come and help me.

What services do you offer?

Everything: rats, mice, squirrels, rabbits, bed bugs, cockroaches, cat fleas and dog fleas. I even had a phone call once, off a chap whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d lost his mum. She was up at Ludlow cemetery and he said his mum was very scared of ants, and there was an antsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; nest on her grave. And he asked me to go and spray it for her. So I met him up there one Sunday morning, around nine of clock, and sprayed the top of grave and all the red ants. It was quite strange really. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got a problem, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got the stuff to sort it out.

Any funny stories? This bloke, down in Ledbury: His mum had died thirty years previously, he was living in the front room and the house was full of rats. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d eaten through the newspapers, the cupboards, the kitchen units â&#x20AC;&#x201C; youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never seen anything like it. I went into his mumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bedroom and it was like something out of the Raiders of the Lost Arc â&#x20AC;&#x201C; cobwebs; nobody had been in that room for years. There were dead rats in the cupboard, in the linen bins. That was really bad.

Any more? There was a lady down this side of Hereford, and she had a mouse problem. She was on this sofa bed, pretty much bed-ridden, as she couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go up the stairs. I said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Where have you seen the mice?â&#x20AC;? And she said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oh they run around.â&#x20AC;? Obviously, she couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get up to do anything about it, so I had to ring her daughter to come help me move her. We put her in a chair, turned the bed sofa over and the mice were living thereâ&#x20AC;Ś she was actually sleeping on top of the mice.

Unbelievable â&#x20AC;&#x201C; eh?

The other one was an old boy over in Bromyard; his bungalow was spotless.

Do you remember those old fireplaces in wood that looked like a gas fire?

He had one of them, like an ornament pushed up against the wall. He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I thought something strange was going on.â&#x20AC;? I had to be a bit patient with him, because he was old like.

And he said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;My sweets have been going missing.â&#x20AC;? So I said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oh ah.â&#x20AC;? I pulled back this side piece and there was a mouse â&#x20AC;&#x201C; he was really big, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d been living well for weeks, nicking the old boyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stuff. And heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d been chewing up the bits of paper to make his nest, behind this thing. I spotted the nest, and went to the door where there was a small gap from his front room into the hallway, so I put a towel down to block the gap. The mouse was running around this room, and the old boy had only gone and moved the towel â&#x20AC;&#x201C; so the mouse was then running around the house. So we ran him out of one room, back in, back out, back in, and every time I tried to do something Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d turn my back and the old boy had tidied the towel away. He was getting in my way more than anything.

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll tell you another: Lawrence Recycling building on the Kidderminster to Stourport Road (I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s since burnt down). The rats there â&#x20AC;&#x201C; you could whistle them and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d come to you â&#x20AC;&#x201C; thousands of them and they were like guinea pigs.

Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d walk straight past you and their bellies were wobbling from side to side â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and the kid with me (from Birmingham â&#x20AC;&#x201C; bit of a townie-type person) was frightened to death. I said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in the wrong job mate, know what I mean?â&#x20AC;? He bent over to service one of the bait boxes and I went up behind him and nipped the back of his leg. He was gone, out of the building.

He never lasted long, no.

What are the biggest mistakes people make, that invite vermin? Feeding the birds, keeping fowl, compost heaps â&#x20AC;&#x201C; things like that. I know we all do our recycling but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s management really. If everyone manages it, you ainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t going to have any problems.

Do you have any tips for people to help keep vermin at bay? Just common sense â&#x20AC;&#x201C; good housekeeping. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t put bread out and things like that. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve gone to places where itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all piled up.

Yes, put seeds out for the birds, but only enough for that day.

Arnie went missing recently: how did that happen and how long was he away for? He was gone for three and half days. It was about seven oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;clock at night and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d come out of my house â&#x20AC;&#x201C; my mum lives about 100 yards away, so I let him off the lead as he runs to my mumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. And two scallies came running around the corner, up to no good â&#x20AC;&#x201C; one had a chainsaw, one had something else. Obviously the dog was in front of them and they kept running and he just ran out of the avenue and he just disappeared. But I knew he hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t gone far and I knew he wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get into anyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s car â&#x20AC;&#x201C; because thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the way he is.

I tell you what, it was a nightmare. I fell asleep on the sofa that night, fully clothed, back door wide open and the front gates left open. I thought: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll come back.â&#x20AC;? I drove around, literally every road in this town; I think I did 84 miles. I knew he hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been knocked over because I would have seen him, and I knew he wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go near the river because I have to drag him into the shower. It was very upsetting, in fact it was torture.

When I got the phone call from the vets, I tell youâ&#x20AC;Ś Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d won the lottery.

Does Arnie chase balls and sticks, or is he a working dog through and through? Give him a ball, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll demolish it. I gave him a cricket ball once. I thought: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll last him.â&#x20AC;? I came back at the end of the day and it was in bits; Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve even tried him on a golf ball.

Does Arnie have treats or a strict diet? He actually eats what I eat.

Steak (obviously I chop it up into bits for him), chicken, boiling bacon, I give him a few nuts in his bowl, for his teeth, now and then. But he knows Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not going to touch them.

-------------------------------------------------Ludlow Control is level 2 qualified by the British Pest Control Association, and takes great pride in delivering a fast and effective service. Whether you have a one-off pest problem or need an on-going pest prevention solution, you can contact Terry by visiting: ludlowpestcontrol.co.uk or trying him on: 0777 221 5626

5HQDLVVDQFH )OHD 0DUNHW

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And much more, downstairs Â&#x192;Â?Â&#x2020; upstairs!

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Celebrating 65 years - 1950 to 2015

Ludlow Castle Motor Club would like to extend an open invitation to past, present & future members and anyone with a passion for cars and motorsport to help us celebrate our 65th birthday.

at Ludlow Brewing Company Sunday 24th May 2015 12 noon - 4pm Car Display x Videos x Pig Roast x Bar

18

Mole hills, rabbit holes and a pair of bullet boots

Believe it or not: I was yesterday’s hero text} Gary Seymour

– MY STORY – THe following is a small extract from a book I wrote (and later, in 2012, published in digital format) full of my football anecdotes. It is dedicated to all those footballers who, like me, can only dream of what it would be like to be a player at the pinnacle of the football world. By this, I don’t mean those who’ve had trials for the likes of Liverpool or Spurs (or claim to have), nor those aspiring professional players who have scaled the dizzy heights of semi-professional football (being paid a few quid to ply their trade). No, this is for the true footballer who loves our national game and has played out their football fantasies week in week out for his local team. And not in the Theatre of Dreams, but on a windswept water-logged local park where, if you’re lucky, the Parkie has unlocked the portacabin changing rooms and cleared the dog crap off the pitch. On these grounds, despite their muddy goal mouths littered with mole hills and rabbit holes to twist your ankle in, we’ve lived out our dreams.

In my early time I was a player in the Kevin Keegan mould, developing, in later years, into a Mark Hateley type player, then on to Alan Shearer and, finally, in the twilight of my playing days, I took on the mantle of Teddy Sheringham. What great players, what great games they were involved in... but, like a million of other park players, I had my great games and great times too.

Look a park player in the eye today and ask them who they think they are – if they are man enough to admit it.

The poser will probably be a Ronaldo whilst the hard nut will fancy himself as a Vinnie Jones or a John Terry.

Anyway, these are a few of my lasting memories of my football days and, although you will see that I’m happy to poke fun at myself and some of my former team mates, managers etc., rest assured that I loved my football.

In my youth, my pre-match ritual often consisted of copious amounts of alcohol, partying and philandering, but I always played to win. I can’t see the point of playing a game any other way but to win; it’s a shame that some of today’s pampered professionals don’t share this simple philosophy.

For someone whose father was a keen all round sportsman (and, in particular, a very good amateur footballer) it would seem inevitable that I would take to football from an early age – wrong. Perhaps I was in awe of my dad’s football achievements and, as such, was almost discouraged from following in his footsteps, or perhaps I was just annoyed that my elder brother, Robert, was keen on football and my early sorties into football were between the sticks, as he belted the ball at me.

My dad is a true northerner (although we left my hometown, Blackpool, when I was at infant school) and, growing up in the Sixties, my old man remained firm to his roots and northern ways. Robert and I had to earn our pocket money and were given chores to do at weekends and during school holidays. Occasionally (once we’d cut the lawn, weeded the drive or painted the shed) dad would join in our kick around but, he didn’t show much interest or encouragement in our sporting prowess – perhaps it was my lack of it.

Also, he was still very actively involved in playing local football and, in his youth, he’d clearly been a decent footballer though, in his own words, he’d “never quite made the grade to be professional.” However, he’d been at Blackpool as a youth player, when they were a top-flight team with the likes of

Matthews and Mortensen, and he went on to play for several top amateur teams in Lancashire and the Fylde district. Amongst others he played for Accrington Stanley Reserves. So he was well placed to judge a player’s potential and probably didn’t rate my chances. Combined with this, and his past history of success, I was initially put off the idea of football. However, looking back, when I finally did take to the game, it inspired me to work hard to make up for lost time and work hard on general aspects in my game. To be fair to the old boy, some years later and in the twilight of his playing days, he dropped to a lower-rated local team – it was not that he needed to, but he did it in order to play in the same side (White Waltham) as his teenage son – my older brother Robert.

Later on, I played in this team alongside my dad too; one of my fondest memories of a match comes from what was a nothing game for White Waltham – playing besides my dad and myself, my old man had blagged a game for his old mate from Blackpool, Vinnie. We were losing one nil, then my dad scored to level the game and set me up to net the winner – real Boy’s Own stuff.

My embracement of football was a minor miracle, as anyone with a more sensitive disposition would have been put off for life. Having not been particularly encouraged at an early age, I also had the indignity of being given a pair of my dad’s ‘bullet boots’ as my first pair of football boots. In the Sixties, unlike today, the kids at school didn’t have designer boots costing more than the average weekly wage, but most had a decent pair resembling those worn by the likes of Bobby Charlton or Bobby Moore. I remember telling dad that I needed a pair of football boots for school sports, upon which he led me to his Aladdin’s cave (his garage as it happens). Being the northerner he is, nothing gets thrown away and, amongst planks of wood, electric heaters, cabling, warped snooker cues and used nails, was an old duffle bag from the which he produced not one, but several pairs of dusty old steel-toe-capped, brown-leather, football boots. “A pair of these is bound to fit you and I’ve got plenty of spare studs I can nail in if any are missing,” he said in all seriousness. Imagine the stick I got at school, even though Billy’s Boots was a cartoon favourite at the time – my bullet boots didn’t carry the same kudos as Billy’s Boots or turn me into a latter-day Nat Lofthouse.

My school house team was the Eagles, but my bullet boots sidelined me as a dodo. Somehow I managed to have my hobnailed boots put down when I went to senior school – my new boots might have been the cheapest Saxone could sell, but at least they looked the part.

Unlike today, out of school there were few boys’ football teams, other than the Scouts or the Boys’ Brigade, and I’d be thrown out of the Boys’ Brigade within a week of joining.

My football during junior school was almost non existent thanks to the embarrassment of my bullet boots, so I had some catching up to do. I was fortunate to pal up with Jem, who became my best mate and, despite the fact he was a Chelsea supporter, some of his love of football rubbed off on me. Saturday night’s Match of the Day was watched religiously and, on Sunday, after Brian Moore and the Big Match, we’d be in the park playing cup finals. My team was, and still is, Blackpool and Alan Suddick was my hero – but all kids are allowed a second team and mine was Manchester United – it had to be, with

the likes of Law, Charlton and, my favourite, George Best.

Jem and I did go on to play alongside each other in my first senior side, but his appearances were few are far between; Jem blamed this on his dodgy cartilage and me. It stemmed back to when he had an accident on his push bike – as kids we used to frequently take a bike journey home, as we lived within spitting distance of each other.

He’d always catch me unawares, race ahead and, at what was the finishing line, he’d scream out in his best, It’s a Knockout Stuart Hall impersonation: “Jeux Sans Frontières”. One day I decided to beat him to it and raced ahead but, despite what seemed like an unassailable lead, my bike chain slipped and I came to an abrupt stop with my goolies crashing on to the cross bar. I tried to flag him down but he wasn’t having any of this and, trying an impossible manoeuvre, he rode his bike up a two-foot-deep curb – he flew into the air and crashed down on to his knee. Within seconds, old ladies appeared from behind their net curtains: the more he screamed in agony the more they scowled at me.

When I left school the first senior side I played for was White Waltham where, as mentioned, I played alongside my old man. White Waltham had a rather unusual pitch, as it was situated on an airdrome and the changing rooms were an old mission hut. Douglas Bader had his private plane in one of the old hangers, along the side of pitch; shame he didn’t show up – I suspect with two tin legs he’d have done a better job at right back than old Ted. Fortunately, Ted realised his limitations and only played when we were short, and instead took up refereeing. He was pretty useless at that as well.

One time my old man’s cautious northern ways helped club funds when he decided we could dispense with the customary oranges. Instead, we would bring windfall apples from our garden and dish those out at half time. With Ted’s tea and a belly full of apples it’s a wonder we made it through the 90 minutes.

One cold wet afternoon in Bracknell White Waltham found themselves without a keeper. Drawing straws Ted’s brother ‘Old Tom’ (he was pushing 50) was elected; half an hour in and three-nil down, a goal mouth scramble left Tom with broken ribs, a punctured lung and us four-nil down.

Manager, Big Ron, tried pulling Tom from the pitch side before being told, in no uncertain terms, that it wasn’t a good idea.

I had a few enjoyable seasons with White Waltham but I was destined for bigger and better teams and, when my parents moved away, I had no family ties with the club. I left to join Maidenhead Wanderers – starting out playing a couple of seasons in their reserve team. Success didn’t come straight away but I was enjoying football more and developing as a player. I finally got a break into the first team when the regular centre forward was away one weekend. I had a good game which we won and I was involved in our winning goal. The following week the regular forward was cheesed off to be left warming the bench by Bob Hussey (plumber by day and football manager by weekend) in the compulsory manager’s sheepskin coat. Bob told me I had earned my chance but needed to get on the score sheet to secure my place; the two goals I scored were scrappy goals but I kept my place in the first team.

We went on to win the East Berkshire League Division One – the first Maidenhead side to do so in 16 years. It was the 1980/81 season and I was 23. Through the Eighties and the early Nineties I went on to win several more trophies but no more with the Wanderers – the East Berkshire League presentation evening was held at a night club in Windsor and I got quite a buzz going up on stage to collect my first trophy.

There were plenty of presentation evenings in the years that followed, most of which were with my Sunday team the Windsor Castle Rowdies.

Following my success in the Saturday league with the Wanderers, I was

Clee Hill’s Dhustone – taking a total of 12 hours, this painting asked (along with Hovis) to sign up for a newly formed team called the Crawford Arms; they had entered the non-affiliated Maidenhead Friendly League, so Hovis and my signing was considered a bit of a coup – within a handful of games we had changed the team considerably. We were earning a nickname on the pitch as the Crunchford Arms following our nononsense tackling. However, we also had drafted in several decent players and moved HQ to our local, the Windsor Castle so, a name change was agreed upon and the league reluctantly approved. I had a Tampa Bay Rowdies shirt, a gift from Keith Walker who was now in the States. If it was good enough for Rodney Marsh it was okay by the rest of the lads, so we were renamed the Windsor Castle Rowdies.

The next thing to change was the kit as they’d bought the cheapest kit possible (plain green shirts shorts and socks) – we looked like a team of goal keepers. With the landlord of the Castle playing in defence, we convinced the brewery to sponsor the team: a dapper yellow kit (our first move closer to the Brazilian look) emblazoned with the brewery name Truman. Next, we dispensed with the customary Mitre ball and proudly played with the Adidas Tango – it was more than twice the price but with twice the kudos.

The following seasons were some of my most enjoyable and added several trophies to my collection. One Rowdies end-of-season bash was held at the rowing club for some reason (probably because it was cheap to hire and we were trying to raise funds).

Unfortunately all the money raised from the raffle and disco tickets went missing, along with our light-fingered

midfield maestro Cough Drop as he was known. Mind you we weren’t the only ones to suffer, as he went through several lockers at Bisham Abbey, before hot tailing it to Scotland in a car belonging to the club steward from Maidenhead Golf Club. We found out later he didn’t have a driving licence, much to our goal keeper, Pete’s, annoyance, as he’d lent him his car on numerous occasions. He couldn’t see the funny side of it like the rest of us – mind you, he didn’t have the best sense of humour Cough Drop, however, did, and could talk his way out of many a situation – although, I hasten to add, the long arm of the law did finally track him down. He’d also been embezzling funds from the accountancy firm he worked at so he did a Tony Adams and was sent down for his troubles. He still retained his sense of humour when I visited him in Winchester nick – greeting me with a smile and the words “like my new digs?” The golf steward’s loss wasn’t as big as ours – Cough Drop was a bloody good player.

-------------------------------------------------Gary’s I Was Yesterday’s Hero is currently available as an e-book, via Amazon.co.uk, which you can then read on your Kindle, phone or, indeed, on your computer via the Kindle app. If you have a spare £2.71 and fancy a laugh, you couldn’t go far wrong. * Not entirely a Ludlow Ledger disclaimer, but please do note that this £2.71 purchase brings with it some rather choice language and lively references that some readers may well find offensive.

19

Henry V

From the Rooftop text} Prue Britton | image} Liz Howard

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; REVIEW â&#x20AC;&#x201C;

by local, George Loades, measures 54cm x 36cm and was created on rough-surfaced watercolour paper

THE Rooftop Theatre Company is, without doubt, a welcomed addition to the cultural life of Ludlow. Following last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most successful production of A Comedy of Errors, this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offering, Henry V did not disappoint. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This wooden Oâ&#x20AC;?, provided once again by the welcoming Ludlow Brewery, was skilfully used. The minimum of scenery and props â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a camouflage net, a bath, a beer cask and broomsticks for swords â&#x20AC;&#x201C; created a well-paced and visually satisfying piece.

Judicious pruning of the script allowed the production to move forward without damaging the overall integrity and structure of the play.

With a cast consisting of professional and amateur actors, there will inevitably be variations in the proficiency of each participant: Morgan Rees-Daviesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chorus was imposing; his physical presence, combined with his ability to give accurate and comprehensible voice to the lines, was masterful. The Chorus introduction to the night scene evoked both the gentleness and the tensions of the eve of battle.

Perhaps the best interpreter of Shakespeareâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lines was Giles Emerson â&#x20AC;&#x201C; notably as Erpingham.

Every syllable was crystal clear and without over-stressing any aspect, his total understanding of pace and commitment was remarkable.

In the unsympathetic role of Montjoy, Paul Sayers excelled, making the character something of a viper

yet almost likeable â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a man proudly doing his job and, finally, shamefully, admitting defeat.

As Henry V, David Scotswood was both energetic and thoughtful, although at times clarity was sacrificed for vocal forcefulness. It seemed that there was more of the childish, rumbustious, carousing Prince Hal of Henry IV, than of the mature King Henry, able to rouse his army to beat the French.

The confirmation and discussion of the death of Falstaff is arguably the gentlest (and briefest) scene in the play. Peter Hayter (Pistol) and Charmian Ingham (Hostess) led the excellent ensemble playing. This was a scene to treasure, with real emotion, tinged with humour and sadness, delivered by accomplished players; these were the lower orders, remembering and regretting the passing of a friend. This contrasts with the numbering of the English dead after Agincourt. Those dead were four members of the upper echelons but â&#x20AC;&#x153;none else of nameâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a mere twenty five â&#x20AC;&#x153;other menâ&#x20AC;?. There is nowhere any expression of regret or sympathy for the widows, orphans or friends of the dead, they are just â&#x20AC;&#x153;a little lossâ&#x20AC;?; today it would be called collateral damage.

Messrs Sayers and Bolton are to be congratulated on their hard work in producing an extremely polished, thought-provoking and entirely enjoyable production.

Stokesay Court, Red Cross Hospital

Centenary Weekend 18- 19 April 2015 1pm - 4.30pm

Step back in time with a programme of house tours, re-enactment and concert to commemorate the opening of Stokesay Court as an Auxiliary Military Hospital in 1915

June Tabor

Saturday/Sunday: 1 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 4.30pm Adult ÂŁ8/Child (under 16) ÂŁ4 Sunday concert: 5 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 7pm ÂŁ15 Limited tickets in advance only Sunday afternoon + concert: ÂŁ18 Limited tickets in advance only

in Concert at Stokesay Court accompanied by Andy Cutting (accordion) & Mark Emerson (viola and piano)

Saturday 9th May - 7pm for 7.30pm Tickets (incl. pre-concert drink) ÂŁ20

Tickets online: www.wegottickets.com Full details www.stokesaycourt.com/events

Sunday 10th May - 3pm Gates open 12.30pm for picnics Tickets (incl. cup of tea) ÂŁ15

Tickets available from www.wegottickets.com www.stokesaycourt.com - info@stokesaycourt.com

BritishRedCross

Stokesay Court, Onibury, Craven Arms, SY7 9BD E: info@stokesaycourt.com

Cheques payable to Son of Saxon Postal orders Ludlow Ledger, Hillkroft, %URPĂ&#x20AC;HOG 5RDG /XGORZ 6< ': Order online ludlowledger.com/shop

Ludlow Pest Control

Terry Burgoyne 07772 215626 Technician terry@ludlowpestcontrol.co.uk

20

advertising: ludlowledger.com/advertising

“...it’s simply an attempt to cancel out my consumption of local cheese”

Running in the streets of Ludlow text} Liz Hyder | image} Richard Stanton

– SPORT – EVERY night in and around Ludlow, as darkness falls, a crowd of nocturnal creatures emerge. You may have caught a fleeting glimpse of them as they stream along the roads, their reflective gear caught in the headlights of your car. I am, of course, referring to the seemingly unstoppable spread of jogging fanatics, often to be spied clad in their trademark leggings.

It may just be my imagination but it seems that, after the Olympics, there’s been a big rise in the number of runners taking to the streets for a health kick. Since November last year, that number includes Ludlow-based animator and illustrator Sandra Salter and her feeble jogging partner – me.

Jon Bruford, a heavy smoker turned super-fit marathon runner, has been running for a decade and, a few years ago, established a 12k race around Ludlow to raise money for Joel’s Wish. He believes the Olympics had an impact on inspiring people to get active. “The 2012 Olympics were quite exceptional and I think they had a huge impact at every level and in every walk of life,” he says.

After a pitch-black evening run in weather so cold that it freezes our faces like cheap Botox, I have to ask – why on Earth are we doing this?

“I want to get a healthier heart, set a better example to my kids and be motivated to make changes, physical and mental,” Sandra says. Admirable.

I’m almost ashamed to confess to her that, for me though, it’s simply an attempt to cancel out my consumption of local cheese.

Lindsay Beasley, a hardcore Ludlow runner who’s already tackled a marathon, started for similar reasons

to Sandra. “Three years ago I started running more regularly,” she says. “I was about to get married, wasn’t far off turning 40 and had done nothing in the way of sport since having my daughter. I’m an ‘old mum’ and I’d like to be able to run around with my kids when I’m older. It’s important to me that they see me doing this sort of stuff, and that it comes naturally to them to want to be outside and running around too.”

Lindsay is a big fan of Ludlow Runners, a running group for everyone at all levels who run every Tuesday and Thursday and meet at the Leisure Centre at 7pm. There’s a walk to run group, coaching for racers and improvers and the group genuinely seems to cater for everyone. And even though I’m too chicken to join them thus far, I give them a friendly wave as they shoot past us so quickly that I’m convinced they’re going to set off the speeding sign on Henley Road.

Hazel and Shayne Adams, who run the eclectic Kaboodle on Corve Street, are also dedicated runners.

They were inspired to get going after they spotted a poster for Jon’s Ludlow 12k race “and thought ‘I could do that!’” says Hazel. Confessing that she hadn’t really done much exercise since school, training was “hellish at first but it didn’t take long to get ‘the bug’ and then the feel-good factor kicks in.” Since then, they’ve run a few half marathons and have five more planned this year alone, with Shayne even training for a full marathon. The pair run for fitness and fun but also to raise money for the charity Classrooms in the Clouds through which they sponsor a teacher in rural Nepal in a classroom built, in part, with money raised from their previous races.

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– May / June – www.ludlowledger.co.uk

Hazel is incredibly encouraging for newbies too. “Anyone can run – you just have to start with a mile or even a half and build up…Easy! Three years ago I would have laughed at any idiot spending their free time running, now I’m the idiot. Ludlow is an ideal place to run, you get a good mix of hills and nice flat roads and countryside, with the option of joining a running club if you want to.”

Jon agrees that Ludlow and the surrounding area has something truly special to offer runners both new and experienced. ”It’s beyond perfect,” he says. “Hills – which will make any runner stronger – and the most beautiful countryside around, plus miles and miles of trails to run.”

There’s definitely something addictive about running or jogging or whatever else you want to call it. Not just the endorphins but something else I can’t quite put my finger on.

Lindsay explains that she sees it as: “a form of meditation in a way, thinking of how my body feels, listening to my footsteps and breathing and forgetting about all the other stuff. That’s even easier around here where the scenery’s just fab.”

Lindsay’s mum (who is in her late sixties) also runs regularly and, ironically, often wins free bottles of wines at races. “I think that’s good motivation,” says Lindsay, and I agree with her whilst idly wondering if there are any races in which you can win wheels of cheese. The other good thing about running, of course, is that it’s free. Most people own a pair of trainers and something scruffy to run in. All you need is to actually get up, get out and get on with it.

Sandra and I have been out jogging twice a week since we started back in November and we both feel a lot better for it. Running for fitness has been a bit of a revelation. “The hardest bit is going from sitting to standing,” says Sandra. “Once you are out of your chair, keep putting one foot in front of the other and there you have it.”

Jon also recommends patience for beginners (a virtue I’m not very good at). “Almost all early injuries come from doing too much too soon; increase the load gradually, and in the long run that patience will make you a lot stronger, “he says, sagely.

For the more self-conscious of us, worried about exposing our wobbly bits out on the streets, Sandra has some more wise words, “Don’t worry about what you look like – go out in the dark, put on a hat, hide behind wheelie bins when necessary.” And, if you’re female, my top tip would be to get a really good sports bra. A really, really good one. Then all you need to do is get going and you can eat as much cheese as you like – guilt free.

What’s not to like about that?

Indulge in the taste of our majestic restaurant.

Reservations essential. Serving dinner Tuesday to Saturday from 6pm till 9pm 5 course tasting menu: £35.00 7 course tasting menu: £45.00

Found just six miles out of Ludlow: Old Downton Lodge, Downton on the Rock, Ludlow, SY8 2HU – The perfect venue for that special occassion – 01568 771 826 – bookings@olddowntonlodge.com www.olddowntonlodge.com FASCINATING INTRIGUING MESMERIC

O

WATCH THE VIDEO ON PAGE 13 Scan the image on page 13 with your mobile device (requires FREE Digimarc Discover app) to watch Laura and Trevor’s time at Ludlow Spring Festival 2014 Please see page 2 for instructions