West magazine - January 09, 2016

09.01.16

Pyjama party Cosy looks for colder days

21

ways to feel good now

INSIDE: DADS IN THE WILD The new parenting rules + ROCK ROYALTY IN DEVON

DON’T MISS: + WINTER JUICING

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‘ So hello, kale, which in the past 15 years has gone from animal fodder to the hippest green around’ Tim Maddams cooks up the healthy stuff, p41

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THE DAD RULES Discovering fatherhood in Devon

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INTERIORS TRENDS What’s set to shine this New Year?

[contents[ Inside this week...

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THE STORE WE ADORE Gorgeous goodies on sale in Penzance

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A FRESH START Gillian Molesworth’s New Year vows

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ALL THE GOSSIP We have the latest juicy morsels

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THE DAD RULES Wood chopping, wild camping, and more

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FORGET THE TO-DO LIST Smarter ways to feel your best

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NO CORSETS, THANK YOU How Dame Maggie cheated in Downton

OVERCOMING FEAR One woman’s inspirational journey

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ANNE SWITHINBANK How to grow rhubarb in the rain

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CULTURE VULTURE Sarah Pitt’s don’t -miss diary dates

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YOUR STARS Cassandra Nye on the week ahead

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WELLBEING Your bitesize guide to feeling great

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WHAT TO COOK NOW Marvellous mackerel from St Agnes

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INGREDIENT OF THE WEEK Tim Maddams celebrates with... kale

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PHIL GOODWIN Our columnist gets caught speeding again...

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CHECK IT OUT Fashion’s favourite prints

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MY WESTCOUNTRY Secret places to try today 3

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DADS IN CHARGE The inspirational fathers’ group from Devon

[ welcome [ January is always a time of new beginnings... nd this week’s magazine is full of stories that you really will find inspirational. First up, meet Ian Blackwell of south Devon, who – when his daughters were small – decided to set up some sort of group for dads to get together with their children and have fun.

Seven years and a major national award down the line, the Dangerous Dads Network has new groups popping up all over the place, and is supporting dads (and kids) as far afield as Australia and America. It’s quite a tale, as you’ll discover (page 12). The “Dangerous” bit,

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Tweet

of the week

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@LilyWarneWool @WMNWest @ stevenhaywood1 captured our family story just perfect #love #wool

by the way, refers to their habit of taking the kids wild camping, chopping their own wood, cooking over open fires and generally avoiding being overly mumsy. We approve!

Another inspirational story in this week’s West magazine is Hannah Finch’s deeply-moving account of how losing her muchloved cousin in an air crash led to an all-toounderstandable fear of flying. Find out how she was helped to overcome this by a very clever chap from Chudleigh on page 16 today. It’s a sad story but ultimately a very heart-warming one. Enjoy your weekend.

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They go wild camping, chop their own wood and cook over fires

TO ADVERTISE: Contact Lynne Potter: 01752 293027 or 07834 568283, lynne.potter@dc-media.co.uk

Becky Sheaves, Editor

COVER IMAGE: Pyjamas £20 BHS

EDITORIAL: westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk Tel: 01392 442250 Twitter @wmnwest

MEET THE TEAM Becky Sheaves, Editor

Sarah Pitt

Kathryn Clarke-McLeod

Catherine Barnes

Lynne Potter

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If you buy one thing this week...

The French baroque style is always easy on the eye and we love this pretty Faustine bedside table from Out There Interiors (ÂŁ375).

Their treasure trove of a website allows you to customise a range of curvaceous Frenchinspired pieces by choosing the paint colour of your choice. We rather like this flamboyant shade of lilac – but there are plenty more to choose from at www.outthereinteriors.com

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GET AHEAD Floppy hat £25 Accessorize

the

wishlist

CHEERY Marimekko Unikko mug £15.95 www.cloudberryliving.co.uk

West’s picks for spending your time and money this week

STREET STYLE STAR

Mandy Ambrose

Mandy says: “I love to do my own thing, I don’t like to follow others in my style. I go for the leisurely look, but like to look smart at the same time. It’s all about balance!

Recently I’ve been into going a bit more glam and I like brightly coloured dresses to go against my darker clothes.”

Leather jacket: Primark £60 Dress: Debenhams £30 Boots: Shoe Zone £20

INTERVIEW: HANNAH MATTOCKS

Mandy Ambrose, 50, has recently retired and lives in Bideford.

TRIO Rosie holographic belts £8 for three Accessorize

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Wishlist

Elsa beaded purse £10 Accessorize

Pit Stop pizza cutter £14 ww.redcandy.co.uk

Feathery Biba cushion £45 House of Fraser

RAZZLE DAZZLE Beth Lily statement bracelet £19 Accessorize

Store we adore

Cornwall Contemporary, Penzance Brighten up your winter with a trip to this lovely gallery in Penzance, where Sue Lewington’s paintings of the town have been selling like hot cakes. There are still some originals for sale, as well as copies of her Penzance book containing them all. See also still lifes by west Cornwall artist Emma Dunbar and Neil Pinkett’s light-dappled impressionistic seascapes.

Cornwall Contemporary is at 1 Parade Street, Penzance. Visit www.cornwallcontemporary. com or call 01736 874749

BURNISHED 14ct rose gold plated ring £40 www.piajewellery.com

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talking points Gillian Molesworth

Story of my life...

New Year resolutions, and how to keep them o. How are our New Year Resolutions going? We are nine days into 2016.

By my calculations, that’s about the point at which the resolutions start to waver.

I’ve always maintained that January is a crummy time of year to make life changes. It’s chilly and dark. Chances are you have a cold or SAD, and are in sand. financial arrears after Christmas.

“These big stones are the imIt’s a psychological low point of portant things in your life: wheththe year. er they are family, or exercise, or March is a much more sensible financial success, or whatever it time for it: look at pagan reliis that you value most,” he said. gions, from Celtic to Greek. They “The pebbles are the things that all restarted the year near the are also important, but less so – vernal equinox around March 21, they could be a good social life, which is the start of the Zodiac interesting cooking, or a special cycle. Spring is a much more logihobby. The sand represents all cal time for new beginnings. the little things that are not We’ve got important to you, Julius Caesar but nonetheless to thank – or necessary: things blame – for our like servicing the New Year, which car, managing our Maybe the depth has no correlahousehold bills, of winter isn’t a tion to any event shopping for food, in nature. The some types of work bad time to pause Roman Senate of– all the little things and examine ficially honoured that take up time. our lives, past him on January “This big jar 1, 42BC, so that represents a year and future was that. in your life, and I’m Never mind. going to show you There is a lyrical the right way to fill element to the it up,” he said. First Roman contribution. January he put the big stones in. Around is named for Janus, the god of them he placed the pebbles so gates, doors and beginnings. He they settled alongside. Over the has two faces: one which looks top he poured the sand – it all fit. forward, and one which looks He emptied the jar onto the table. backward. Maybe the depth of “Now here’s the wrong way,” winter isn’t a bad time to pause he said. First he put in the sand. and examine our lives, past and On top of this went the pebbles. future.

Only one of the big rocks fit on I once saw a motivational top – the rest had to stay on the speaker do a striking demonstratable. tion. On a table, he had a big glass Here’s to 2016: a year for the big jar surrounded by three types rocks, and doing what we love. of rock: big stones, pebbles, and Amen.

S

SHADES OF

evergreen Model Laura Bailey wears everything so well and this retro-style bolero dress is no exception. If you’re bored with the little black dress and not bold enough to paint it red, then take a tip from her style book and opt for bottle green.

Pretty Eccentric’s frock (£159) has a Forties twist and, like Laura’s dress, is perfect for day-into-evening wear.

Retro dress £159 Pretty Eccentric

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OPTION A Casual OPTION B Celebration

Tunic dress £33 Glamorous.com

Party frock £250 Studio Eight

Gillian Molesworth is a journalist and mum-of-two who grew up in the USA and moved to north Cornwall when she met her husband 8

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09.01.16

Just

CORSETS? NO THANKS! DAME MAGGIE SMITH starred in Downton Abbey for six series but she has yet to find time to actually watch it. However, the actress, 81, plans to do so now it has finished for good. She says: “They gave me the boxed set.

And I’m going to do all sorts of things

now, ‘cause I’m free!”

Maggie also reveals she played the Dowager without ever having to don a corset: “In actual fact, I have to say that I did cheat a bit,” she admits. “I sat up, bolt upright, and made it look as though I were wearing corsets.”

between us Gossip, news, trend setters and more – you heard all the latest juicy stuff here first!

!

BRUNO ON THE BIG SCREEN

BRIDGET’S BACK! RENEE ZELLWEGER says returning to the part of unlucky-in-love Bridget Jones is “like stepping back with an old friend”. The actress has made a long-awaited return to the character in new film Bridget Jones’s Baby, which will catch up with our heroine, now aged 43, single and pregnant. Renee, 46, says: “It’s so right to tell a story about Bridget at this stage of her life. I love this character.” The film’s due out in cinemas in nine months’ time - and we’re already having cravings!

BRUNO TONIOLI is set for the big screen after landing a “top secret” film role.

The Strictly Come Dancing judge says: “I have a part in a film. It’s my first one. It’s very exciting, I’ve already filmed it but I can’t say any more about it. It’s top secret.”

The 60-year-old also reveals he has grand acting ambitions: “My dream role is to be in Star Wars, I don’t care what I’d be, I’d be Chewbacca’s handbag, darling.”

Before Strictly, Bruno had a few acting roles, even appearing in The Bill for one episode. And did you spot him in ELTON JOHN’s music video for I’m Still Standing back in 1983, strutting his stuff in a black leotard and police hat?

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Merry and bright: Rufus took part in a lantern parade at Mousehole

Jurassic pick: Tony Gill found an ammonite after a cliff fall in Charmouth west Dorset revealed a treasure trove of fossils

in pictures

Bargain hunt: Claire Culkin and Dana Cresswell did well in the sales

Ride away: The Spooner’s and West Dartmoor Hunt met for a trail hunt in Tavistock

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talking points In the swim

Puppet pals

ONE OF US Famous faces with links to the Westcountry Lesser known swim strokes:

Give them a big hand:

1. Trudgen

1. Kermit 2. Sooty 3. Orville 4. Gus Honeybun 5. Mr Punch 6. Emu 7. Gordon the Gopher 8. Muffin the Mule 9. Lady Penelope 10. Zippy

2. Survival travel 3. Flutter back finning 4. Corkscrew 5. Turtle 6. Moth 7. Combat sidestroke 8. Head high crawl 9. Inverted butterfly

This week:

Charlie Watts Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, 74, lives in north Devon

10. Dolphin crawl

Seeing double

The happy list

Music: His parents bought him his first drum kit in 1955, when he was 14.

Famous comedy duos

1. (Dawn) French and (Jennifer) Saunders 2. The Chuckle Brothers (Paul and Barry) 3. Mel (Giedroyc) and Sue (Perkins) 4. Matt Lucas and David Walliams 5. (Stephen) Fry and (Hugh) Laurie 6. (Alexander) Armstrong and (Ben) Miller 7. (Stephen) Punt and (Hugh) Dennis 8. (David) Mitchell and (Robert) Webb 9. (Lorna) Watson and (Ingrid) Oliver 10. Ant (McPartlin) and Dec (Donnelly)

Early days: Charlie grew up in Wembley, north London. His family lived in a pre-fabricated house as the area had been badly bombed in the war.

10 things to make you smile this week 1. Sales spend, spend, save!

2. Seaweed tasty supergreens 3. Beowulf gripping new Sunday night TV 4. Snowdrops peeping through 5. Brooches on trend, so dig out your trinkets 6. Knitting purl one, drop one, fun to learn 7. Park Run on Saturday mornings 8. Summer holiday plans looking? Get booking!

9. Soup we’re in the mood 10. Rimmel Extra mascara - a wonder wand

Daughter: Charlie has one daughter, Seraphina, born in 1968, and a granddaughter named Charlotte.

Seraphina was expelled from Millfield public school in Somerset for smoking pot. ‘It’s difficult to DID YOU KNOW? be a good father when you’re away Charlie’s wife from home so much,’ Charlie has said.

Shirley runs a

Rolling Stones: world-famous Initially Charlie Faithful: Charlie says Arabian horse combined playing he hated the rock n with the Rolling Stones roll world of the 60s stud at their with work as a graphic and 70s: “Playing the Devon farm designer. ‘I used to drums was all I was play with loads of ever interested in. bands, and the Stones The rest of it made were just another one. me cringe. The girls I thought they’d last only really loved Mick, three months, then a year, then three Brian and Keith anyway.” years, then I stopped counting.’

Devon: Charlie loves living in north Family: Compared to his fellow band Devon: “[London] isn’t the centre of members, Charlie’s personal life has things for me, and hasn’t been for 30 been harmonious. On 14 October years.”

1964, he married his wife Shirley, whom he had met before the band Horses: His wife Shirley runs a stud became successful and they are still farm at their home - the fee for her together today. best stallion, Star of Antigua, is £3000.

Competition winners: Congratulations to... our competition winners from the magazine on November 21: • A bottle of Devon Distillery DAPPA 2014: Lesley Griffiths, Plympton.

• A Stacie Clark Knitwear scarf: Julie Jones, St Budeaux, Plymouth.

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People

ll too often, when you see a group of parents out for a sociable day together with their children, the people pushing prams and doling out sandwiches will be, overwhelmingly, women. The mothers will be chatting together, supporting each other and generally making childcare more fun, both for their children and – perhaps more importantly – themselves.

But a group of men from Devon is busy changing – and challenging – this mum-centric state of affairs. The Dangerous Dads Network is a team of fathers who get together regularly with their children for activities. The movement started in 2007 as a small group in the south Devon town

A

In south Devon, a small group of fathers have got together to transform parenthood for the better - and their movement is spreading worldwide. Claire Frances meets the Dangerous Dads... of Totnes but the concept has now spread across the South West and even as far afield as USA and Australia.

“We have a lot of fun,” says Ian Blackwell, who is the orginal founder and co-ordinator of The Dangerous Dads Network. “It’s not just for dads either. Mum’s partners, granddads and carers can come along too.

“We work with men from all backgrounds but we have a particular interest in supporting dads facing disadvantage, such as those on low

incomes, facing isolation or with limited access to their children.

“It can be a real lifeline to fathers who need support,” says Ian, who is father to daughters Hannah, 15, and Rosie, 11. “Our groups generally meet once a month, usually on Saturday afternoons in children’s centres and village halls over the winter. But we aim to get outside as much as possible as soon as the weather improves.”

The Dangerous Dads mission is simple – to help build stronger communities where fathers

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Dangerous Dads

[

[

When mum is not the word...

and male carers have the chance to become the best dads in the world for their children.

And they are certainly well on their way to achieving their goal. There are now nine groups in Devon, one in Cornwall as well as groups in Bristol, Chester, London and even Pittsburgh in the USA. This spring will see another seven new groups starting up, as far afield as Falkirk in Scotland and one is also planned in Australia.

So how did it all begin? “I used to take our youngest daughter, Rosie, to the local pre-school in our home town of Totnes. I was usually the only dad there,” says Ian, who is a project manager at Plymouth University. “I was invited to a meeting with Totnes children’s centre staff to discuss how to reach more dads and support 13

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People

[[ ‘There are so many different activities for dads to get involved in.

Cooking pizzas in a wood-fired oven, wild walks, camping...’

Founder Ian Blackwell (second from left) on a Dangerous Dads day out

them as parents, and so, about seven years ago now, Dangerous Dads was born. My wife Sarah has always really supported us – not only did she get a break from childcare, but the children always returned home rosy-cheeked, knackered and ready for bed.”

Since that first group was established, Dangerous Dads has run 90 events in Totnes alone, reaching out to hundreds of local fathers and children. So why the name? Ian says the aim is to entice fathers with the promise that it won’t be a “girly” day: “There are so many different activities for dads to get involved in,” says Ian. “We try bat box making, cooking pizzas in a wood-fired oven, wild walks, camping, beach trips, rockpooling and fishing.

“We also enjoy apple pressing, blackberry picking, making boats so they float, and trips to local farms, zoos and aquariums.”

Ian and his team also organise DadFest, which won the Small Event of the Year award from the National Outdoor Events Association a few months ago. The mini-festival, just for dads and children, features a weekend of camping and fun activities such as den-building and camp-

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Ian Blackwell, above, of Dangerous Dads

CALLING ALL DADS!

fire cooking. It takes place in September in the coastal village of Beeson near Kingsbridge in south Devon.

“It’s fantastic,” says Ian. “We were thrilled to win what is a really major award. The National Outdoor Events Association is the professional body for the whole sector – festivals, venues, country shows, outdoor markets – so to win is a great honour for the organisers of DadFest.

“Somebody nominated us, I’m not sure who, but DadFest will be back in September 2016. And, given the success of DadFest, we have now planned MumFest, which will run in May, again in Beeson.”

While the Dangerous Dads network clearly offers fun activities and lots of laughter, it also helps tackle stress, anxiety and isolation that

Dangerous Dads groups are run by a range of people; children’s centre staff, volunteers and outdoor learning providers.

In Totnes, thanks to the local Dangerous Dads group, the town’s Children’s Centre reaches more fathers than any other town in Devon – 17% above the county average. some fathers and children might be experiencing. The groups provide a positive impact on the health and well-being of families, giving both adults and children the chance to learn new skills, together. To this end, The Dangerous Dads

Events usually attract about ten dads with 20 or more children, but popular events have seen more than 20 dads and 40 children attending.

For more information on The Dangerous Dads Network or to set up your own group, contact Ian Blackwell on 01803 840990 or visit www.dangerousdads.org.uk

Network is launching a Crowdfunding campaign in January, raising money to support existing Dangerous Dads groups and establish new ones.

“It’s not just the children who benefit,” says Ian. “It’s the parents and carers, too. There is no doubt that spending quality time together brings families closer. It creates a bond that can’t be broken. For me, that’s what Dangerous Dads is all about.”

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People The Virtual Jet Centre

Learning to fly When Hannah Finch lost her dearly-loved cousin in an air crash, she developed a phobia of plane travel, until she sought help from a most unusual source...

Portraits by: Rachel Taylor annah says: For years I had flown happily, climbing on board planes as easily as getting on a bus. But then something happened that handed fear a trump card. In August 2010, my cousin Jeremy was killed in a plane crash. He was 31. We were the same age.

While I was setting out on married life, Jeremy was planning on conquering the highest peaks in the world. He had left his natural medicine practice in Cape Town, South Africa, to travel the globe. He spent a year trekking in South America, then toured the Far East before arriving in Nepal.

It was on a flight from Kathmandu to Lukla airport, near Everest base camp and one of the most dangerous landing strips in the world, that he was killed, along with 13 passengers and crew. He had planned to hike the Annapurna mountain circuit to hone his climbing skills for attempts

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Hannah’s cousin, Jeremy, died in an air crash 16

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‘In the aftermath of his death, I promised myself I would never fly again’

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People

‘Jeremy was killed in the crash, along with 13 passengers and crew’

on Mount Kilimanjaro and Everest the following year. But it wasn’t to be.

I knew Jeremy best when we were children.

He lived in Cape Town, South Africa but would spend summers with us in Torquay. Even then he had sprite-ish spirit and eyes shining for adventure. So it came as no surprise when it emerged that he had extended his visa to take the flight that had been grounded for days on end due to poor weather. It was a fateful mistake but one that was so natural to make for a person who was so determined to really live.

I now know that the flight, operated by Agni Air, took off from Kathmandu but was forced to turn back in bad weather. It crashed close to Shikharpur village, 50 miles from Kathmandu.

I first heard what had happened on Radio Four during my lunch hour. The newsreader said a Briton, Jeremy Taylor, living in South Africa, had been killed. It is a reasonably common name, of course. But my gut told me it was him.

And yet, the experience was too extraordinary.

How can you hear of the death of someone you 18

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Captain Andrew Wilkins runs the Virtual Jet Centre in Devon, where Hannah undertook the Fear of Flying course love delivered so flatly and for everyone to digest?

In the aftermath I somehow got to promising myself that I would never fly again, and while I was fractured the fear seeped in. But if I had known what terrible bargain I had made to appease a scared and horrified self, I would have chosen differently.

One reason that I love Jeremy is because he chose to live, right up until the end. And I promised him that I would use his courage to fuel my own adventures. And yet, I have been held back by my irrational fear.

And, though few of us will lose loved ones in this way, a fear of flying affects one in six people. That’s why, five years after losing Jeremy, I went to seek help from Captain Andrew Wilkins, founder of the Virtual Jet Centre in Chudleigh, Devon.

Andrew has worked as a commercial pilot for more than 30 years, flying both Airbus and Boeing Aircraft, and has trained and examined commercial airline pilots.

Every day, he works with professional air

crews, meets enthusiasts and offers a Fear of Flying course to help those of us who are terrified of even peeking around the door of the mockup cabin.

He tells me that whatever I’m feeling is completely normal. I’m not alone. Indeed, Andrew

‘It took two diazepam and a Bloody Mary to face a

morning flight to Edinburgh’ has already helped more than 100 people like me on his courses. They go on to feel more confident about being on an aircraft. He shows that I can achieve the same.

I start by telling him about my anxiety and what happened to Jeremy. But he doesn’t flinch,

like I thought he would. Like I do. Through our discussions, I come to realise that Jeremy’s crash is not the cause of my phobia but a tragedy upon which to hang my anxiety. It is a loss so profound and absolute, it has been hard to disentangle the past event from the ongoing fear.

The key for me, says Andrew, is coming to a place of acceptance of what has happened.

He explains that Jeremy’s small plane was, most likely, caught in a down draught in the most mountainous and volatile flying region in the world. It couldn’t be further from the world of commercial aviation, which is so regulated that the captain and first officer can’t even have the same chocolate bar for fear of poisoning.

But it is only by examining this jumble of thoughts and fear that I can come to a kind of understanding. There is a job to be done, teasing apart the re-occurring anxiety from what is already in the past.

I feel it at the prospect of booking the flights. I have a stomach lurch when I pack the suitcase.

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People

As cousins, Hannah and Jeremy were close friends from childhood until Jeremy’s tragic death in a plane accident The wait at the airport feels grindingly omninous. I feel anxious right now, just writing about it. Andrew explains: “I don’t say that this course is a cure. You can’t cure a fear like this in three hours. But it is a start of the process of managing the fear.”

Seeking help has been a long time coming. It was when downing two diazepam and a Bloody Mary for a morning one-hour flight to Edinburgh that I finally accepted I had a problem. Why is it that people seem so relaxed in the departure lounge when I have a lone tear trickling down my face? Andrew nods his head knowingly. He has heard all this before. “Before 9/11 I used to allow nervous passengers to sit in the jump seat on the flight deck but aviation rules completely changed after that.

“I have always wanted to help people and enjoyed that element in my work. That’s why the Virtual Jet Centre really has been my career highlight. To help people to let go of fear completely opens the world to them and it also helps in tackling other areas of life.”

Success on the course means people go away feeling more confident about flying on an airplane. And the beauty of the simulator is that you get to experience flying from a pilot’s point of

view, the place of control.

The simulator itself is a replica of a Boeing 737-800. I ‘fly’ it from Heathrow to Manchester.

It is very convincing indeed. I am so terrified at take off, even though we are never more than a foot from the ground, that I hold my breath. I am crying.

“You OK?” asks Andrew, putting his hand on my shoulder.

‘And then we are away and I am in control, above

clusters of houses and trees’ “Yes,” I say wiping my tears away, nervously laughing.

I hate take-off. This is the point on a flight when I am waiting for the engines, whirring horribly fast, to burst into flames.

But it doesn’t happen. And then we are away and I am in control, choosing the acceleration, in charge of the height. All is calm. It is a beautiful

sunny day. I can see clusters of houses and miles of fields and hedgerows.

“I noticed that by the time we got to 6,000ft your face changed,” observed Andrew. “You looked like you were smiling.”

It’s true. Flying the thing is definitely more fun than being in the cabin. There are so many switches and dials to think about that by the time we hit our virtual turbulence, I’m settling in.

When I ‘land’ the plane at Manchester, it is hard to believe that 50 minutes have passed.

I know now what all those scary noises are, how the wing flaps create drag and the sound that the engine makes when starting up.

I didn’t tell Andrew this at the time but, for a fleeting moment, when we were in midflight above the world, I had a thought that perhaps I may want to come back to ‘fly’ this plane again. Then there is a little zing of joy when I wonder whether one day, I could learn to fly, really fly. Perhaps it is being a passenger I’m frightened of, rather than flight itself.

Can you imagine that, Jeremy? Would you be proud? As proud of me, I hope, as I always will be of you.

With sincere thanks to the Virtual Jet Centre.

The Fear of Flying course costs £300, 01626 852119 www.virtualjetcentre.co.uk

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05/01/2016 14:06:28

REAL HOMES

Looking to the future The New Year is a great time to reconsider your interiors style.

Gabrielle Fagan looks at the home decor trends that are set to shine in 2016 - and beyond...

ecoristas get as much pleasure from beautifully designed inteHornbeam wallpaper in grey lends a riors as fashionistas get from calm look to this dining room £95 for clothes. But even the most devoted a 10m roll www.farrow-ball.com don’t want (and can’t afford) to be such dedicated followers of fashion that it means redecorating every season.

Thankfully, a little insider knowledge goes a long way. Savvy home bunnies know the styles that won’t have a short shelf-life, because their good looks and design credentials will ensure enduring appeal. Plus, some looks are versatile enough to allow for fresh interpretations, which can easily breathe new life into them.

There are some looks which are set to run for the coming year.

Those of us reduced to a “rabbit-in-theheadlights” standstill when confronted by colour charts hailed the recent passion for grey as a blessed relief. This is surely a “Mr Right” colour – it’s easy-on-the eye, versatile, and can be mean and moody or feminine and delicate, depending on the shade you choose. It’s also the perfect Grey is not so, foil for a multitude of other well, grey any colours, so I predict this more, with colour is a keeper, and our love affair with grey will conAnother surprising trend, many paint tinue for a long time to come. which shows no sign of companies And grey is not so, well, waning, is the passion for all grey any more, with many things tropical – certainly coming up paint companies coming up a good way to brighten up a variations on a with unusual variations on room in the middle of winter. theme the theme. Check out Farrow I fell deep for the brightly and Ball for some wonderfulcoloured birds which were ly subtle, including French must-have accessories as deGray, Manor House Gray and even a lovely signers embraced jungle prints, rich with purple-y grey called Brassica. The company tropical flora and fauna. has also released some beautiful wallpapers Don’t get in a flap if you didn’t catch tropical which use calming greys as the background fever in 2015 though, because it’s still raging. colour, including new Hornbeam, pictured The new interiors collections are filled with above right. beautiful exotic blooms, fruit (pineapples, of

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04/01/2016 10:15:35

Interiors Escape in your bedroom with the Traveller fourposter, coming soon to House of Fraser

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04/01/2016 10:15:48

Interiors This black and white look, perfected

by The French Bedroom Company, features the Mayfair armchair, £395, andfloor lamp, £190 reduced from £260

course) and birds. Monkeys will be 2016’s favourite creature, which is particularly appropriate because it’s also the Chinese Year of the Monkey.

Global influences are constantly reflected in interior trends, and perhaps the strongest theme to emerge in 2015 was boho chic. A bohemiangypsy style – encompassing texture, colour and pieces with a story – will continue to appeal because it has a go with the flow freedom, allowing tastes to wander west or east.

Be inspired by holiday destinations and think Indian sari fabrics, Moroccan jewel-rich patterns or Mexican brights (clashing is cool!) to conjure up an explorer/traveller atmosphere.

This trend is set to run and run, if the latest Moroccan-influenced room schemes by House of Fraser are anything to go by. A sneak preview of one of their room schemes, featured on these pages (see p 23), shows a four-poster bed, surrounded by Moroccan lamps, with bright patterned bedspreads and distressed walls.

The other trend that is set to continue this year is the passion for all things with a bit of shine. I’m an interiors magpie and can’t resist something shiny and glittery. So I was utterly delighted by the copper craze, and in 2016 will be following the metal trail to gold.

There should be a handle with care label on metallics, however, as overdosing on them can all too easily tip into tacky territory. But with a careful less-is-more approach, they’re guaranteed to inject glamour and interest.

Go full-on with metallic-finish tiles, a high-end choice for kitchens and bathrooms, or simply confine burnished metal to glittering accessories.

Finally, timeless black and white never goes out of fashion, and just as a wardrobe should have at least one LBD (little black dress), every home can benefit from one room decorated in monochrome. It’s a style that’s surprised even

Go for gold with Roman Gold tiles, from a selection www.winchestertiles.com the interiors experts with its enduring popularity over the last few years – but not its fans, already well aware of how versatile it is.

For life on the really dark side, you can opt for drama – a black feature wall or ceiling – or my choice; white walls and black paintwork, complemented by black framed photographic prints.

Leave it minimal or dress it up with simple home jewellery, like colourful cushions and lamps.

Frankly, what’s not to like?

Meanwhile, my votes for last year’s fun, achievable looks went to the country lodge look –

think hunting, shooting, fishing, with wood panelling and stag heads (I have one and still love it) – and its wilder cousin, frontier decor, evoking the Wild West in prairie chic, fur throws, buffalo heads and tribal prints.

My prediction? Nature will still rule in 2016 but go easy on the squirrels and cute creatures this time round. Embrace instead, a luxury lodge look, with natural materials from stone to wood and layered faux furs that is more grand mountain retreat than cowboy shack. Here’s to the great escape!

STYLE TIP: Use metallic tiles to inject a touch of

glamour and warmth into a north-facing room 24

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GET THE

LOOK Cheer up winter with unusual greys, fancy metallics and exotic textiles Scarlett cushion £50 sofa.com

Pineapple storage pot £24 Oliver Bonas Hornbeam wallpaper (shade BP 5002) £95 a 10m roll www.farrow-ball.com

Pols Potten mugs £29 for the set Design 55

Romany love seat £285 The French Bedroom Company

Grey rose panelling wallpaper £69 a roll www.farrow-ball.com

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04/01/2016 10:16:23

Gardens

ANNE SWITHINBANK

Rhubarb, rhubarb Devon’s Anne Swithinbank, panellist on Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time, on how to get the best from your rhubarb when the weather is mild and wet entioning the weather is something I tend to avoid because in the small gap between writing and printing, it can change radically. Yet at the tail end of an unseasonably warm midwinter, the climate has been hard to ignore. Gardeners are ruled not by sowing dates or calendars of jobs to be done but by temperature, rainfall, frost and wind. Tropical air blowing in from the Azores, compounded by a strong El Nino are, we are told, to blame for last year’s eternal autumn.

In our garden just before Christmas, a good display of festive burgundy leaves were still clinging to Cotinus ‘Grace’, herbaceous perennials such as Persicaria ‘Red Dragon’ had new growth 45cm/18in high and dwarf Iris reticulata had opened watery blooms. Rhododendrons flowered back in October and the buds on our magnolias are swelling ominously. Lawns have turned into verdant pastures but on soil so saturated, mowing would churn up a mud bath.

There’s nothing we can do about all this except sit tight and watch carefully. Gardeners can have short memories where the weather is concerned and there could be puzzlement when some fruiting plants fail to perform well as the year progresses. Crops like blackcurReceived rants, pears and cherries need wisdom on a cold spell to flower and fruit properly. As I write, our rhuforcing rhubarb barb clump still bears leaves is confusing , and stems along with fat winter based on the crown buds already swelling and bursting to reveal fists of assumption of crinkled, lime green. colder weather Rhubarb is essentially a giant herbaceous perennial which, by rights, should have been levelled

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by frost back in November. Nourished by every drop of goodness from the dying leaves, crowns slumber for a while but in mild east Devon our ‘Timperley Early’ is usually raring to go about now. I watch to notice the new growth buds swelling redly, find a good group to cover and clean away dead leaf. Our old terracotta forcer is missing a lid but this doesn’t seem to matter and helps draw the stems up. A large, upturned pot will do just as well and succulent red stems are soon ready to pull with a sharp tug, so they come cleanly away.

Received wisdom on forcing rhubarb is confusing and seems to be based on the assumption that we still have colder weather and warmer greenhouses. One method involves lifting crowns in late autumn and leaving them on the soil surface to feel the frost (would one count?). They would then be potted, brought into the warm shed or greenhouse and covered to produce an even earlier crop, after which they’d be discarded.

Here, I’ll harvest most of the stems forced in situ, then remove the forcer and allow that section to recover naturally. If you had time and space, you could cut some chunks off an estab-

lished clump during winter, plant them separately and cover them in turn, letting them recuperate in between. Tackling a rhubarb crown is a pretty amazing experience, as they are made of solid tissue. Rather than disturb an entire clump, it is more normal to excavate a section at the edge when soil is neither saturated or frozen. Identify two or three growth buds on the top, then cut the chunk away from the parent plant using an old long-bladed kitchen knife or sharp spade.

To grow rhubarb well, give it really good soil enriched with plenty of well-rotted manure or garden compost. Moisture is needed but also good drainage, as clumps in swampy, low-lying ground will sulk, squirm and almost try to lift themselves above the mire. I know this from experience and now grow ours towards the top end of our veg plot. On clay soil, it pays to make a massive mound of nourished soil and plant your rhubarb in that, so the crown is always above ground level.

What will I do this year? Pull away some leaf and cover an area of new buds as usual I think, then dream of pretty pink cordials, syllabubs and crumbles.

Question time with Anne West reader queries answered by Anne Swithinbank Before Christmas, I noticed whole roundabouts and verges covered in daffodils in full bloom. Why have these flowered early and not the ones in my own garden?

Q

Certain daffodils responded to the mild weather by blooming early but these were probably bred to do this anyway. Personally, I prefer to see bulbs flowering in a more natural succession, so snowdrops and winter aconites, crocus and then daffodils from February onwards. There are varieties such as ‘Rijnveld’s Early Sensation’ whose flowers will open in December or January and these are probably what you saw.

When we moved here 16 years ago we inherited some large fuchsia plants. This year they’ve been severely affected by a curling of the leaves in a canker-like effect which seems to have destroyed their usual prolific flowering. Should we change the soil before planting replacements?

Monica Prall, Kingsteignton

Q

This could be one of several things, so let’s start with the worst case – fuchsia gall mite, an increasing problem. If you have this, disposing of bushes is best, as the mites overwinter under bud scales. Apparently some varieties are less susceptible, including ‘Cinnaborina’ and ‘Space Shuttle’ but I don’t think changing the soil will have much effect.

Sap-sucking capsid bugs can also distort fuchsias.

They are hard to control, but the bug populations fluctuate and the plants often bounce back.

Finally, if the leaves are spotted, with orange pustules beneath it could be fuchsia rust. Clear up infected leaves, pull up any willow herb and if you decide to use a fungicide, test a few shoots first as fuchsias can be damaged by them.

This week’s gardening tips Anne’s advice for your garden

• Check your succulents on windowsills as some (aloe, crassula, kalanchoe) might need a drop of water to stop them wrinkling up.

However don’t be tempted to water pebble plants (lithops) until May. • We look eagerly for the first signs of snowdrops pushing through the soil. Where thick clumps of leaves have collected, clear gently leaving a thin insulating

layer behind so the snowdrops can grow through.

• Cut away old, spotted leaves from Lenten hellebores, but leave healthy ones.

Some people cut all their leaves away because they like them neat,, but I think this makes them look too bare.

• Work through borders gradually, cutting away decaying herbaceous stems, pull any weeds and lift and move unwanted plants ahead of spring.

Start a temporary ‘stock bed’ for impulse buys that don’t have a home and spares to give away or plant later.

Buy a few cheap pots of slightly forced bulbs, pot them into larger containers and display in a cool greenhouse or porch.

Send your questions to Anne at westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk 27

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Beauty

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When something fantastic arrives on the beauty scene, it really stands out

Spray nails Nails Inc Paint Can, £10 (www.nailsinc.com) Gasps of, “Why has this not been invented sooner?!” were heard around the world when Nails Inc unveiled their super-easy spray-on nail varnish in silver and hot pink.

My only complaint? It’s so darn popular they can’t keep it in stock long enough.

Abbie’s

Glow Nars DualIntensity Blush in Frenzy £30 (www. narscosmetics. co.uk) With a shimmering, almost metallic texture and wet or dry formula, Nars twinset blushers offer endless possibilities, from a gentle flush of colour to bold, cheekboneenhancing contouring. Try Frenzy for a pearly-peach glow.

A-flutter Benefit Roller Lash Super-curling & Li ing Mascara, £19.50 (www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk) 2015 was something of a banner year for mascaras, with much-hyped new releases from a bunch of big name brands, but by far and away the best was Benefit’s curvy beauty.

With its patented pink Hook’n’Roll brush, Roller Lash uses imperceptibly tiny grips to yank lashes (gently) skywards.

Beauty Box

Expert advice from beauty guru Abbie Bray of Newton Abbot I’m anticipating a lot of exciting new things (and not a few weird ones) from the beauty industry this coming year. After all, when you think that H&M alone debuted more than 700 new beauty products over the past year, you realise the scale of an industry that churns out a staggering number of new creams, colours and concoctions every year.

Even for beauty writers, it can be hard to keep up. But when something fantastic arrives on the scene, it really stands out.

So, as I clear out my make-up bag and do away with the old and the crumbled and make space for the new, I’ve been thinking about the cosmetic stars I discovered last year that are definitely keepers. What were your favourites?

Exotic Clarins Sun Care Radiant Oil £19.50 (www.clarins.co.uk) A non-greasy sun oil is hard to find, but Clarins nailed it with this lightweight factor 30 spray. It sinks in rapidly leaving skin smooth but not slippery.

Packed with exotic oils, it really smells like a week in the Maldives and protects hair too.

Red alert MAC Viva Glam Miley Cyrus Lipstick, £15.50 (www.maccosmetics.co.uk) If a bright red lip is a mainstay , you’ve got to get your hands on a MAC Viva Glam Miley Cyrus II before the limited-edition lippy disappears. A perfect suede-like texture - you’d better get two.

In the bag Marc Jacobs Decadence Eau de Parfum £41 for 30ml (www. johnlewis.com) A ridiculously cute bottle, but containing a sophisticated designer scent that’s an intoxicating blend of amber, plum and vetiver,

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Ads_Jan09.indd 4

05/01/2016 11:09:15

Flannel pyjamas £25 Lascana

Check it out ith Burns night just around the corner, fashion is most definitely having a little bit of a love affair with all things plaid, tartan or just plain tweedy. And we approve - checks of all sorts are a timeless classic that can be worn again and again. This trend also has a certain cosy, comfy quality - not just because the fabrics are often warm and tactile but also because their eye-deceiving qualities can be extremely flattering to the figure.

We’re very much in favour of this smart coat from La Redoute, which looks great for a trip to the office or town but will also team up well with a pair of jeans and boots for a country walk. And when you’re back home, how about these lovely soft-touch flannel PJs from the online lingerie experts Lascana (www.lascana.co.uk)? Oversized scarves have been everywhere this winter and show no sign of going away any time soon - we really like this tartan one from Oliver Bonas.

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Coat £109 La Redoute 30

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Fashion

Coat £89 Miss Selfridge

Po n ch o £2

0 T u at Sa

in sb u ry ’s Monochrome dress £25 F&F at Tesco

Tartan mules £22 White Stuff

Colette giant scarf £29.50 Oliver Bonas

Wrap £15 Blue Inc

Shift dress £40 Next

Shirt £35 La Redoute

Vivienne Westwood tartan clutch £150 House of Fraser

Wrap skirt £30 Next 31

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Trend

HOW TO WEAR IT:

MAIN PHOTO HAIR: CHARLOTTE AT SAKS, EXETER MAKE-UP: CLARINS, DEBENHAMS (BOTH PRINCESSHAY) PHOTOGRAPHY: STEVE HAYWOOD STILL-LIFE PHOTOGRAPHS: PR SHOTS. SHOOT ASSISTED BY: ELLIE JONES

Outdoors in winter Kathryn Clarke-Mcleod’s style essentials for braving the weather or some of us, it’s the coast path.

For others it’s the full length of the high street. Whatever your preferred winter perambulation, looking good will put a spring in your step. Here are my six key items to take into consideration when you’re planning to spend any length of time on your feet.

Let’s start at the bottom and work our way up. Ankle boots are a win here. They’re always stylish. Look for a broad heel, no higher than 2cm and, if you can stretch to it, make them real leather. Over time they will mould to the shape of your feet and wearing them will feel like you are slipping your feet into butterscotch.

In terms of trousers, look for something with a bit of give and a nice snug high-waisted cut. It’s worth spending a little more for a good quality pair that won’t stretch out of shape after an hour of stretching your legs. There’s nothing more frustrating than constantly hoisting your waistband back up to where it belongs.

A cross-body bag is a real investment too.

Great when you’re out for a constitutional, but just as handy for a day out at a festival, a quick dash to Tesco and even for a cocktail or two. All activities where it is useful to have both hands free, whether it is to snap a quick picture of the sunset or just for the extra big gesticulations that tend to happen after an appletini or two (or is that just me?)

If you only buy one of my recA cross-body ommendations though, make it bag is a real this gorgeous Fat Face gilet. Soft and downy, it cocooned my torso investment in a cloud of windproof cosiness. handy for Bliss. Having my arms uncovered means no matter how brisk constitutionals, my stride, my temperature stays the Tesco nice and regulated. The fur adds dash and even a lovely dash of playfulness to its practical nature. I’m a big fan. cocktail nights A simple long sleeve is right at home underneath your new gilet.

F

Western boots £75 Zip front saddle bag £80 Brushed Aztec scarf £25 Jeggings £40 Gilet £70 Printed jumper, £45 All Fat Face, Princesshay, Exeter

It needn’t even be a knit. Look for breathable fabric and, if you like to make a statement, embrace stripes and geometric shapes. Pattern adds interest and depth to any outfit.

Last, but not least is a sumptuous oversized scarf, essential for your favourite winter activities.

I sported Accessorize’s Fairisle beauty, as seen on the opposite page, while browsing every sale

rail in Princesshay, Exeter. But if you are feeling a tad more outdoorsy, make your scarf a dark coloured patterned affair, and when spring comes it will double as a picnic blanket at a viewpoint of your choice.

There you have them. Now, to get in the spirit of things, go to an online map right away and plot your course. Perhaps you could warm up with a bit of fashion blog browsing, too.

All fashion in these pictures is from Princesshay Shopping Centre, Exeter, www.princesshay.co.uk

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CREW CLOTHING Zara Rugby top £45

NEXT Coat £85

GET THE

look ACCESSORIZE Stripe and diamond Fairisle scarf £35

HOBBS Francesca hat £45

ACCESSORIZE Sheepskin mittens £27

CATH KIDSTON Big stripe jumper £75

ACCESSORIZE Woven cross-body bag £29

NEXT Faux-fur coat £75 33

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05/01/2016 10:31:30

culture vulture Our unmissable guide to what’s on in the Westcountry by arts expert Sarah Pitt

Oh what a night...!

Relive the catchy hits of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, when hit show New Jersey Nights comes to Hall for Cornwall in Truro. The musical, a massive success on Broadway, tells the story of how Italian-American Valli and his friends hit the 1960s big time from humble beginnings in New Jersey. There’s a live band and dancers delivering hits like Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Walk Like a Man and Oh What a Night. You’ll be humming along all night.

From Monday-Saturday, January 25-30, tickets £16.50-£31.50, from www.hallforcornwall. co.uk or 01872 262466

Dance moves

In the woods A celebration of Scandinavian film at Exeter’s Phoenix arts centre kicks off on January 30.

There’s a screening of a horror movie, to be shown deep in the forest on Haldon Hill. Lest this sound a bit scary, rest assured the evening is intended to be fun and there will be Swedish hot dogs and lager to fortify you while you

watch Scandi romantic horror movie Let the Right One In. The Certificate 18 film tells the story of 12-year-old Oskar who befriends the enigmatic Eli, a young girl with a secret...

Tickets are £25, including coach travel from Exeter to Haldon for the 8.30pm screening.

See www.scandifilm.co.uk

Young people with a passion for dance are invited to take part in taster sessions at the Barbican Theatre in Plymouth this week. It’s a project that will develop original choreography to bring to the stage in the spring. There’s a taster for Dance Moves (eight to 11 year olds) on Monday January 11 from 5-6.15pm and Dance Junction, for those aged 12 and upwards, on Thursday January 14 from 5-6.30pm in the theatre auditorium in Castle Street, Plymouth.

Find out more and book by calling 01752 267131 or email btpt@ barbicantheatre.co.uk to book.

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Enjoy

Your stars

by Cassandra Nye

Happy birthday to...

This week’s sign:

Melanie Chisholm

Capricorn-born people are the most determined of the entire Zodiac. The most prominent qualities of the Goats are that they are ambitious, conservative, determined, practical and helpful. They make good team leaders because of their single-minded focus, sense of responsibility and sincerity. They can, however, be pessimistic – and just a little bit stubborn...

born January 12, 1974 The singer formerly known as Sporty Spice celebrates her 42nd birthday this week. Following on from her time as a Spice Girl, Merseysideborn Mel has sold over 12 million solo albums.

Inspirationally open about having suffered depression and her battles with bulimia, she says that becoming a mum to daughter Scarlett, who will be six in February, was a turning point in her life. Mel split with Scarlett’s father, property developer Thomas Starr, in 2012 and has since enjoyed living a low-key life in North London, training for triathlons when her mum pops over to babysit.

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) This time is all about working with others. Teamwork can be everything when you are in demand. Last-minute travel is likely which could be related to a call for help. Get organised for any eventuality and things will soon be back to normal. Staying calm is not always easy but a loved one is providing great backup just when you need it.

Don’t forget to say “thank you!”

AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) A few communication problems make for a frustrating start to the week.

Try to get ahead with work matters by Thursday. Plans for the weekend may need a bit more organisation because of travel blips. With finances in the spotlight you may seek advice. It would be far too easy for you to be parted from your money.

PISCES (February 20 - March 20) Communications may be erratic at the moment. Getting around and seeing people rather than sending messages works better. One particular conversation midweek could centre on your finances. Try to tie this up with producing more income and a balance is made. Being very forward-thinking does not always mean extra cash.

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) Are you still in a party mood? Exciting moments experienced last week have really wound up your mojo! Keeping the mood going needs energy. If you have that, make the most of a sparkling time. The practical world will encroach soon enough. A quiet weekend could give enough power to get you through another fast-moving week.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) Someone who has been out of your sphere of influence for some time, perhaps because they moved away, is likely to return. This can be both unexpected

and confusing. In some ways, you have moved on, but midweek old feelings are stirring again.

From another direction there is a suggestion that really appeals. If you want it, go and get it!

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) In a loving and fast-moving week you really thrive. This is where you want to be. If you are not with the right partner, it is a great time to keep a lookout. Someone with a foreign accent may appeal. New faces come either from travel or a shared interest.

Trying something new and even unconsidered appeals.

CANCER (June 22 - July 22) Be determined to make the most of your attitude and appearance as you could be about to meet someone special.

Look to the weekend for new faces and interests. Basing your decisions, even small ones, on past experience is not always good. Going somewhere fresh and keeping your eyes and ears open yields a very special moment.

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) Keeping the social whirl going may not be first on your list of priorities this week, but others have different ideas. Somehow you are more in demand than ever. Trying to delegate to a loved one may not be working. Are you being too soft on them? Maybe someone needs to be reminded of their responsibilities?

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) Social fun and romance are both in the air this week. As soon as Tuesday or Wednesday a meeting could set you in a different direction. Your heart is involved in more than one encounter of the best kind. Of course, if you are already happily suited, enjoy this romantic time together.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) A few blips in communications make you tetchy as the week begins. You are not alone in feeling frustrations both at work and home. A loved one may be very busy or away for a time, just when you want to talk to them. Look to an old friend to fill the gap.

LEO (July 23 - August 23) This week is about going over old ground. This applies both at work and play. A young relative may wish you to have some input on a hobby or job that they have taken up. You could give just the answer they need. New loves may be apart from you for a few weeks or months. During this time someone from the past may make contact.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) The arts and romance run together for you as this week begins. Someone who wants to get you involved with one or the other shows enthusiasm. That is something you have always found hard to resist. Where it is coupled with high energy, it can be impossible say no to. Should you even try?

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Wellbeing

the boost Life just got better. We’ve handpicked the latest wellness trends, best-body secrets and expert advice to help you be your best self, everyday

THE REVIVER If you’re feeling a little wearied and it’s showing in your skin, seek out a serum that gets to work beneath the surface to repair from within. This Hydrating Milky Serum, £26 (www.pixibeauty.co.uk), melds jojoba oil and aloe vera to deliver heaps of nutrients where they’re needed most.

ONE BY ONE Playing catch-up with your post-holiday to-do list?

Multitasking may not necessarily mean you’re getting more done in less time, experts say. Research suggests shifting your attention from one task to another can actually slow you down, with projects undertaken simultaneously usually taking longer than doing them one after the other. So take your time, and don’t stress!

Fruit boosters Get fresh: Pineapple, avocado, lemon and asparagus are great for cleansing the system and helping to maintain a balanced pH. For a healthy snack, opt for berries which are packed full of antioxidants.

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BAD HABITS? No sweets for treats says nutritionist Zoe Harcombe. She is concerned about childhood obesity and warns parents to avoid doling out unhealthy sugary rewards that are a hard habit to break in later life. She says “The most difficult thing to change in an obese adult is the feeling that food is a comfort, cheers us up, or makes things better, but none of this is true! If only we were taught to see junk for what it is – junk – from the earliest age possible.” What do you think?

Keep it up New Year’s resolutions flagging? Don’t give up (unless you’re giving up the cigs, in which case, do!) Weight loss expert Dr Sally Norton says it can take anywhere between two and eight months of practising a healthier behaviour to make it a habit, but the occasional lapse needn’t hold back your progress. “The message is, good habits take time to form,” she says. “So stick with it – it will get easier.”

Wake up!

If you simply can’t function until you’ve had your morning latte, you’ll love the invigorating effects of Australian brand Frank Body’s caffeine-tastic scrub (£11.95). Newly landed in the UK, it looks like a packet of coffee beans and is actually packed with ground coffee, along with brown sugar, sea salt and almond oil, to leave skin smooth and senses tingling. www. frankbody.com

What’s coming up? Tweet us your wellbeing diary dates

@WMNWest or email westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk 37

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Wellbeing

Drink up your veg Winter juicing for a healthier lifestyle Every winter, I find it so hard to eat in a healthy way. I end up feeling tired and sluggish and going down with colds. In warm weather I eat a lot of salads, but right now I am struggling to eat my five a day. HG, Bridport

Q

Kate Tyler of Platinum Healing says: Winter can often leave us feeling tired and sluggish and our bodies vulnerable to attack. One way to help keep the winter bugs at bay is to ensure you are in tip-top condition to start with.

While our body is equipped with the natural ability to detoxify itself, occasionally our organs need a bit of support. I run four-night juice detox and yoga retreats to help kick-start the detox process and promote a healthier way of living followed by regular juicing back home.

An alkalising juice detox is a great way to rid the body of unwanted toxins, increase energy levels and immunity, while also helping to shed excess pounds, relieve stress, improve brain function and mood. Not to mention giving our digestive systems a well-earned break.

A wide range of winter vegetables can be transformed into delicious juices to enable us to consume our recommended five-a-day - or more.

Juicing is a method of extracting all the goodness from fresh fruits and vegetables such as the vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, in a format that is easy for the body to absorb. I recommend using 80% vegetables to 20% fruit in juices, to ensure that natural sugars are kept to a minimum.

Phytonutrients, or plant chemicals, are at the cutting edge of nutritional research these days and may hold the key to preventing many diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease, as well as conditions such as asthma and allergies.

Some studies have now shown that juicing can aid in the removal of harmful toxins from your body, boosting the immune system as well as aiding weight loss. While our body is equipped with the natural ability to detoxify itself, occasionally our organs need a bit of support. Try some refreshing winter juices and see how you get on.

Platinum Healing runs juice detox and yoga retreats with programmes for wellbeing issues including weight loss, quitting smoking, fertility and men’s health. For more details visit www.platinumhealing.com

Goodness in a glass • Use foods that promote detoxification in your morning juice, such as kale, fennel, celery, spinach, beetroot and carrots.

• Add a warming touch with spices such as ginger, turmeric, cloves and cardamon. These spices work as immune-boosters.

• A dash of garlic is packed with antiinflammatory, antioxidant, antiviral and antibacterial properties.

• Citrus fruits enhance taste and also contain antioxidants.

• To stimulate the digestive system, mix honey, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, ginger and turmeric. For added warmth, add a dash of cayenne pepper or cinnamon - great for balancing blood sugar.

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Eat

Ingredient of the Week

Kale with Tim Maddams t’s my birthday today, and I’m few additional spices, this can form the basis of finding I’m more inclined to veg up a hearty curry. my menus the older I grow. In the I rarely cook kale without garlic – add some early days of the new year, my body mushrooms, too, for a winter savoury combinascreams out for greens, although tion, delicious served up with some nice celeriac the seasonal pickings can be a and potato mash. little thin on the ground.

Or try quick-blanching some So hello, kale, which in the past very fresh sweet green kale, I rarely cook 15 years has gone from animal drizzle with a little olive oil and fodder to the hippest green season with salt and pepper for a kale without around. And rightly so: it has a light side that works with pretty garlic – and rich and iron-y flavour with those much anything. bitter sweet undertones which Never waste the stalks but add some kind of beg you to get stuck in. chop them and allow a few minmushrooms, too, One of the best things about utes longer to soften up and refor a savoury kale is that there is such a trelease their natural sweetness, mendous variety, each with before you add the leaves to combination mildly differing characteristics. I blanch in the pot. Once done, like to use more than one type in drain and dress your greens. a simple dish, to give a little extra Alternatively, if you’re opting depth and complexity. for something a little more slowI can’t really think of a dish that won’t work cooked, try sweating off the chopped stalks with with kale. I love to cook it down slowly with lensome garlic and oil before you start the greens tils and use this mixture to fill pasties. With a themselves on the same journey.

I

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Kale and Mushroom Ragout Wash and de-stalk your kale.

Place the chopped stalks and some thickly-sliced large flat mushrooms in a casserole with a glug of good oil and plenty of chopped garlic. Sweat until the mushrooms have given up their moisture, then add salt and pepper and a glass of red wine.

Cook for a few more minutes, then add the kale leaf and cover.

Once wilted, stir in a little butter and serve with mash or polenta.

Sausages go very well with this.

Tim Maddams is a Devon chef and author of Game: River Cottage Handbook no. 15 (Bloomsbury £14.99) 41

ToW_Tim_Jan09.indd 41

31/12/2015 16:25:58

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Drink

GREEN BREWERS British brewers’ energy efficiency has risen by 11.6 per cent since 2008, according to the British Beer and Pub Association. Water and packaging efficiency increased and carbon emissions fell as the industry stays on target for a 19 per cent reduction by 2020.

Beer of the week The name Winter Pale Ale may seem counterintuitive in a season of darker brews, but Penzance Brewing Company’s new beer has warmth and spiciness and fits the bill perfectly, with a robust ABV of 5.5%. I can vouch that this golden ale, well balanced, is deceptively drinkable. A highquality brew.

Darren Norbury

talks beer ike foodies, serious beer geeks take country brewers. I’m looking forward, for ingreat pleasure in drinking seasonstance, to trying the intriguingly named Opium ally. We enjoy light, golden and reWars (5.6% ABV) from the Tapstone Brewing freshing brews in the summer, for Company in Chard since enjoying their light and instance, and then turn to red ales and milds hoppy Sea Monster a month or two back. Crossed in the autumn. And that is why Anchors Brewing, of Exmouth, it’s always a pleasure when the is a new brewery to me, but their Exeter Festival of Winter Beers beers look really exciting. Their This will be a comes around.

North Star will be at Exeter, a The festival is being staged 5.5% ABV spiced ale with cinnashowcase for next weekend, Friday and Saturmon, ginger, allspice and cloves Westcountry day, January 15 and 16 at Exeter in the recipe. brewers. I’m City Football Club, which is easy From the forward-thinking to get to on the train, and just a South Hams Brewery comes looking forward short walk from Exeter St James Pandemonium, a 5% brew, deto trying the Station. scribed as a “Bacchanalian deintriguingly This is one of my favourite light of vim and vigour” – that festivals of the year, firstly besounds like a ‘rosy cheeks’ beer named Opium cause it is run by a friendly team to me. And I sense that Queen’s Wars of CAMRA (Campaign for Real Speech (4.5%) is going to fulfill Ale) volunteers who are wellthat “Christmas pudding in a organised and knowledgeable. glass” description of a winter And secondly, of course, because of the beers. beer.

Good winter beers on a cold January day can In the spirit of #tryanuary (see www.tryanube a great delight, and they’re not all dark and ary.co.uk) I’ll be sampling beers from brewers I strong, as you might assume (see my Beer of the haven’t come across before, and unlike a normal Week, for example). Sometimes it’s the spiciness Saturday at St James Park, it’ll be a game of of hops that adds the magic touch or warmth more than two halves. from, say, an addition of ginger to the recipe. The variety never ceases to amaze me.

Darren Norbury is editor of beertoday.co.uk This event will be quite a showcase for West@beertoday

L

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04/01/2016 14:06:22

Stover Country Park

Food at Cafe Ode, Shaldon

My Secret Westcountry My favourite...

Walk: A hidden gem is the walk to Mamhead Obelisk, which is part of a circular walk through Haldon Forest to the west of Exeter.

The Obelisk was built in 1742 as a landmark for ships sailing up the river Exe. There are breathtaking views towards the Teign Estuary, Exeter and the coastline.

Beach: I have a big soft spot for Teignmouth’s river beach in the evening – I never tire of watching the sun set over the moors in the distance. Another favourite is Bigbury-on-Sea, a beautiful sandy beach and great for watersports.

Stephanie Cherrett Stephanie Cherrett is the general manager of Westcountry tourism organisation Visit South Devon.

She lives in Teignmouth with her husband Tim, daughter Orla, two, and their Labradoodle Indy.

Festival: There are so many festivals to enjoy in south Devon, but one of my favourites is The Contemporary Craft Festival, which takes place in June at Bovey Tracey. It showcases local makers and there’s live music and great local food, too. The Dartmouth Food Festival is a great event to see local chefs in action and discover wonderful local produce – and try some of it of course.

crab, fish, mussels, oysters and even sand eels!

Activity: Walking the Ted Hughes Poetry Trail

Westcountry tipple: I’m a Somerset girl

at Stover Park in Newton Abbot. I also really enjoy a walk or cycle along the Exe estuary. It’s a lovely flat path which takes you alongside the water’s edge. There’s even the chance to spot the herd of deer in the grounds of Powderham Castle.

originally, so have a soft spot for cider, but the wine from Sharpham Vineyard near Totnes is delicious. They also produce great handmade soft cheeses at Sharpahm, which go brilliantly with the wine of course.

Pub: The Elizabethan Inn in Luton, near Food: I love a meal that includes some of our local seafood. It’s amazing how much wonderful food comes from our estuaries, rivers and seas -

Newton Abbot is a great family pub, while another favourite nearby is The Thatched Tavern in Maidencombe. It has a stunning garden and

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31/12/2015 16:27:31

People Cafe Ode, Shaldon

Bigbury beach, overlooking Burgh Island

Laura Wall’s gallery

Teignmouth

dren’s sized portions of the main meals, rather than a separate children’s menu, meaning my daughter can experience exciting and new tastes rather than the normal sausages, chips and beans.

Way to relax: I try and get out on the water is a short walk from there to Maidencombe beach down some steep steps, a great way to burn off Sunday lunch!

as much as possible. As a family, we’ve taken trips from Totnes to Dartmouth on an old paddle steamer and I’ve kayaked along the River Dart. It was a wonderfully relaxing way to enjoy the scenery.

Restaurant: Cafe Ode in Shaldon. As well as offering lovely regional, seasonal produce, it boasts a great view. A new Ode café has also pened at Gara Rock, which looks fantastic, with great views as well – I can’t wait to visit. One highlight for me here is that they offer chil-

Weekend away: I’m spoilt with so many things to see and do on my doorstep, so most weekends I’ll find something to do close to home. But I recently stayed Bedruthan Hotel overlooking Mawgan Porth beach on the north

Cornwall coast. They cater for families really well and still manage to maintain a feeling of quality.

Shop: I’d love someone to buy me a print from Laura Wall’s gallery in Teignmouth! Laura’s art is based on a young couple and their romance unfolding around harbours, beaches, coves and coast paths of Devon and Cornwall.

Her work is a wonderful representation of the feel of the Westcountry.

Treat: A real treat for me is to have a Devon cream tea. Tim and I recently had a his‘n’hers one at the Buckland Tout-Saints Hotel near Kingsbridge. As well as the traditional cream tea treats, this included local scotch eggs, cheese on toast and more. It was delicious.

Find out more at www.visitsouthdevon.co.uk 45

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31/12/2015 16:27:46

My life man and boy

[

Back to school

[

Phil Goodwin’s set for yet another lesson on the rules of the road y name is Phil. I am a speeding driver. I would like to share my story: you never stop learning, they say. Well, it’s back to school for me in 2016. Driving school.

Thanks to the diligent work of the Devon Safety Camera Unit I am to set to receive a much-needed lesson on the rules of the road – especially on how to obey the speed restrictions.

I could have taken the £100 fine on the chin, accepted the three points. But there is an option to keep your licence clean. And points mean premiums, not prizes, in the car insurance game. All I have to do is undergo a period of speed awareness by way of re-education.

The source of all this woe was a trip to Exmouth and the new soft play area there, back in November. To my shame, I was nine miles above the speed limit while transporting my wife and two young children, my boy James and his mate Hala.

What is doubly annoying is that, as we had been rumbling along the winding road from Exeter, Hala had actually piped up that I was driving too fast. Which I wasn’t. Then. I explained to her, she was just sitting in the back of a big van which made it feel that way. I checked the sign; it said 40, which was what I was doing. Kids, I thought, and carried on.

As we slowed down around the built-up outskirts, however, I was officially clocked at 39mph, just as the national speed limit changes to the 30mph zone. This is signalled by the presence of street lights, if there is no sign.

I know this, because I took one of these halfday refreshers in Manchester in 2012, emerging enlightened and re-committed to the Highway

M

[

main picture: Steve Haywood

[

‘But I was only just above the speed limit,’ I protested.

It cuts no ice

Code. But this time, maybe I was too busy rabbiting or messing about with the kids to notice the sign. I can’t remember. I didn’t even see the camera.

Like most people, I consider myself a pretty safe driver. I run around in a long-wheelbase Mercedes Vito so I am not exactly a boy racer.

Touch wood, I have never had an accident in my 30 years behind the wheel, apart from a rear-ender and a learner who pulled out into me.

But you know what? When I get to the course at the Devon Drivers Centre – where I met Tour de France cyclist Chris Boardman for an interview earlier this year, under happier circumstances – none of this will matter. You can leave your excuses at the door. Everyone in the room is bang to rights. “But I was only just above the speed limit…” I protested last time, as did many others. It cuts no ice.

In fact, they took particular delight in explaining what the extra speed could mean. It is a sobering experience. You come out recruited to the cause. I spent a few weeks telling people, pointing out the dangers. A real pain, probably.

I even started noticing the speed limits by the road markings, rather than just slamming on the anchors when I saw a yellow box.

I entered a sinning speeder, emerged a lawabiding paragon of vehicular virtue. I even learned how to look ahead, anticipate… see danger long before it arrived.

And I never had a single speeding ticket. Until November, when I fell off the safety wagon. I can’t say I am looking forward to spending four hours of my life listening to this stuff. It is not fun. But neither are road deaths, so I will just suck it up and try to be better from now on.

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31/12/2015 16:28:40

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