West Magazine, May 14 2016

14.05.16

Born to do it Craig David’s back, and headed our way WIN:

+ A COASTAL BREAK WORTH OVER £2000

INSIDE: + SOMERSET’S SUPER SWIMMER

PLUS: + BEDROOMS

FOR KIDS

+ MODERN

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‘Eating enough becomes an obsession. I had a deep-filled pie, gone in five minutes, then another, and yeah – I eat a lot!’

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CHILD’S PLAY Fun decor for the kids in your life

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OUTDOOR SWIMMING Beautiful places to enjoy the water

Beth French on how to prepare for a 20mile swim, p16

[contents[ Inside this week...

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THE WISHLIST Our pick of the best treats this week

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JUST BETWEEN US...

Sh! We have the latest gossip!

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CRAIG DAVID COMES WEST Exclusive interview with the singing star

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THE ULTIMATE CHALLENGE

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MODERN METALLICS Looking lovely in silver and gold

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SIMPLY CITRUS Lemon recipes from Tim Maddams

From a wheelchair to swimming the Channel

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DECOR THAT IS CHILD’S PLAY Cute bedroom schemes for kids

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ANNE SWITHINBANK

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WEEKENDS AWAY Where to go, what to do

Growing your own tomatoes

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FIRST CLASS FACIALS We put the latest products to the test

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MODERN METALLICS Looking lovely in silver and gold

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CULTURE VULTURE What’s on and where to go

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BOOST YOUR WELLBEING Smart ways to feel your best this week

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WESTCOUNTRY WEEKEND Exploring the joys of beach life at Bantham

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A NICE DAY OUT Phil Goodwin takes James to The Jungle Book

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ALL THE GOSSIP

You heard it here first!

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[ BETTER THAN EVER

Craig David is back, in Exeter

[ welcome [

Events Port Eliot Port Eliot

Ready, set festival!

Occom

be Beer

Festiv

al

and pack It’s time to order your tickets of the your wellies - here’s our pick gatherings Westcountry’s finest outdoor

By Catherine Barnes

Port Eliot Festival mind Best for: Feeding yourbohemian, arty won-

Win

If you are in need of inspiration...

3 Wishes Faery Festival Best for: Flights of fantasy fauns from

and Flower fairies, mer-folk celebrating all across the country will be

magical things fey in this award-winning Held close to a The Port Eliot Festival is and musical summer festival. a happy and see famous faces chilling derland. You’re likely to the summer solstice, there’s - it’s a cool place in an environout here as well as performing very family-friendly vibe beautiful grounds of a Frozen fans to be. The festival, in the ment where everyone from can don words, music, comedy, stately home, celebrates to Game of Thrones enthusiasts bright and beautiful.

Little ones fashion, food and all things flowers, face paint and wings. of loveliness. Things Mermaid’s fairy Even the campsite is a thing can enrol at Melody the astronomy walks, an part in a foraging to try include late night school, while parents take and wild cocktail making including sweets, sherbets overnight camp-out for kids, adventure and cook up recipes even a fairy dog show.

Clothes Swap. and the Grand Port Eliot curry from wild food. There’s part in a and writer Noel your wand and tutu to take at This year’s highlight: Comedian This year’s highlight: Bring of exhibition fairies gathered in one place surreal most a the Fielding is set to present world record attempt for space, so nonincluding ‘The Lonely going to be held in a public his watercolour paintings 3pm on Saturday 18. It’s too! and ‘My Little Pony’.

Prince (with giant Owl)’ ticket holders are welcome, When: 28-31 July When: 17-19 June east Cornwall House, Torpoint, Cornwall Where: St Germans, south Where: Mount Edgcumbe to buy in ticket £430, adult day camping pitch £240 (available Tickets: Family weekend Tickets: Family weekend ticket £60, porteliotfestival.com instalments). ticket, worth £430, for this We have a family weekend fairyfestival.co.uk s 3 Wishes enter, tell us where in Cornticket, worth £240, for this year’ year’s Port Eliot Festival. To We have a family weekend Mark its storytelling mermaid what venue. us tell amazing enter, this To . nd fi wall you’ll Faery Festival Festival comp’ and send and send with your entry ‘Port Eliot comp’ is called. Mark your entry ‘Faery phone daytime phone number your name, address and daytime with your name, address and ngngnews.co.uk by midnight number to westmag@westernmorni to westmag@westernmorni May 20. apply. news.co.uk by midnight Friday Friday May 20. Usual T&Cs Usual T&Cs apply.

[

12

Faery Festival

Don’t Wake The Fish festival,

Zennor 17

Win

16

Tweet

his magazine is full of remarkable stories, such as our interview today with Somerset-based endurance swimmer Beth French. At the age of 17, Beth was in a wheelchair after years of misery with the post-viral syndrome Myalgic Encephalopathy (ME). At the time, her doctor told her to “have a dream” and so she told herself that, if she ever did recover, she would swim the English Channel. And guess what, she did just that, followed by a swim from Penzance all the way to the Isles of Scilly.

As if that wasn’t impressive enough, Beth (who

T

[

of the week

trains in the sea in east Devon) is now about to swim the Oceans Seven, a collection of swims around the world, all to be completed within a year. It’s never been done before. You can read all about it in Hannah Mattocks’ fascinating interview with Beth today (p16). And PS, Hannah wrote it with us while on school work experience. She’s only 15! Another star in the making, we think.

Now, if all this is making you feel just a little exhausted, fear not - we also cater for gentler pursuits, such as our garden guru Anne Swithinbank’s excellent advice on growing tomatoes (page 26). Have a lovely weekend.

[

Beth is about to embark on a truly astonishing challenge

@cabolitho

Nice to see National Trust’s first South West Outdoor Festival in @wmnwest @NTSouthWest #SWOF TO ADVERTISE: Contact Lynne Potter: 01752 293027 or 07834 568283, lynne.potter@dc-media.co.uk

Becky Sheaves, Editor

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 do one thing this week...

Win

Why not book a stay at this gorgeous holiday home, right on the water at Salcombe in south Devon? The house, called Underbecks, sleeps 10-12 people and is newly built in an Arts and Crafts style. It has five bedrooms, five bathrooms and the decked balcony has this wonderful view (pictured).

Salcombe is one of the South West’s most desirable holiday spots, a yachting paradise with lovely beaches. Underbecks is available with Helpful Holidays from £1,999 a week.

For details visit www.helpfulholidays.co.uk

You can win a week’s holiday for ten at five-star holiday home Underbecks, thanks to Westcountry company Helpful Holidays and design label Cath Kidston. Winners will also get a selection of Cath Kidston goodies. To enter, visit www.cathkidston.com or pop into a Cath Kidston store – in Salcombe, Exeter and St Ives – before May 30. See www.helpfulholidays.co.uk for details.

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HAPPY DOG Charley Chau oval rattan dog basket £50 www.charleyhall.com

Little Seedlings hand trowel £1.99 www.

LOVELY

dobbies.com

Orange & neroli soap £5 north Devon’s www. hogwashsoap.co.uk

the

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

STREET STYLE STAR SPOTTED BY: HANNAH MATTOCKS

Andrea Nicolin We spotted full-time mum Andrea, 28, out in Exeter the other day – doesn’t she look great? She told us she had bought her coat and trainers in two different places: “But they go so well together”.

She’s a lover of online shopping and says that she is looking for summery dresses for when the weather warms up.

Coat: Romwe.com £20 Top: Boohoo.com £6 Leggings: Boohoo.com £20 Bag: Primark £10

Send your stylish snaps of you or a friend looking fab to westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk

PARTY Flamingo straws £2.99 for 12 www.oakroomshop.co.uk

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Wishlist

fave!

Lily Blanche rose gold feather earrings £55 www.in-spaces.com

BAG IT Keep Smiling cloth bag £13 quinceliving.co.uk

Store we adore...

STORE WE ng ADORE: Millinery, Truro Holly You Hat-maker Holly Young combines her passions for sculpture, fashion and textiles in crafting fabulously glamorous hats and fascinators in many colours and styles.

She offers bespoke bridal hair accessories and occasion hats to order, as well as ready-to-wear collections and hat hire for

weddings or the races. Appointments are recommended at her studio in Truro, so she can give you all the time you need.

Holly Young Millinery is on the first floor, Princes House, Princes Street, Truro, hollyyoungboutique.com, 07968 783320.

Havaianas Crystal Rose slim floral flip flops £25.95 www. flipflopshop.co.uk and shop at Unit 5 Kernick Business Park Penryn 7

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talking points Gillian Molesworth

Story of my life...

It’s barbecue time at last, or isn’t it? aving had a glimpse of sunshine and a hint of warm weather (or maybe it was just a dream?), clearly it’s now time to barbecue. Everything. At every meal.

Whenever the clouds clear. Quick: we only have seconds before the rain clamps in for the rest of the summer!

Sadly, our barbecue is so old it just fry them there? You can do has actually fallen apart. What onions in advance, after all. And a remains is a hulking pile of frying pan isn’t really a barbecue rusty metal, leering at me from thing, is it? the corner of the shed. I think a “I can’t believe you’re going hibernating mammal made a nest for gas – aren’t you American?” in the bottom of it. All the marka friend said to me. “I thought all ings have rubbed off the knobs Americans were barbecue purists so you can’t actually tell where and only used charcoal.” “high” or “light” is.

It’s true, those purists do exist: So, new barbecue. We’re in the but I come from the “quick and market. No garden centre is safe. easy” school of barbecues, which Have you means gas. Honlooked around at estly, it’s so much what you can buy easier. Heats up You don’t go to a in the outdoor in 10 minutes, you grilling departdon’t need to buy barbecue to eat ment recently? charcoal or get your gourmet food Honestly, it’s hands dirty. Turn – mostly you’re worth a browse, it off and wheel it if only to make away. Job done. chatting and you smile.

Is the flavour less trying to balance Gone are the smoky and authendays where a tic? Probably. But your plate on simple rack over by the time you’ve your drink some flames had a few beers, I would do. Now would argue that they’ve got fancy the difference is attachments. You can get a rotisnegligible. You don’t really go to serie spit, a pizza stone, a delicate a barbecue to eat gourmet food fish rack, a flatiron with ridges. anyway: mostly you’re chatting The recent trend in gas barand trying to balance your plate becues seems to be a separate on your drink, which cuts down burner to the side of the main on actually concentrating on the rack. James and I tried to puzzle food.My experience is that as long out what it was for and decided as you’re able to provide some it was probably designed so you meat at a temperature above could fry onions. lukewarm, everyone’s happy.

That seemed to be taking it a Now the trick is not to get bit far. Presumably you still have bogged down at the comparison to store and slice the onions in shopping so that we miss our prethe kitchen. Why wouldn’t you cious window of good weather…

H

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

RASPBERRY

pink coats

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, looked cheery recently in a raspberry coat by her favourite couture design label Anna Valentine – the same designer who made her wedding dress back in 2005. This A-line coat is a very flattering shade for Camilla’s blonde colouring and has a smart, wearable silhouette, too. Last year, pastel pink coats were all the rage, but a deeper, more vibrant shade is very on-trend this spring, offering a chance to stay warm and yet look summery.

Here’s our pick of the best raspberry pink coats on sale right now.

Belted trench £120 Yumi

steal her

style

OR MAKE IT YOUR OWN

OPTION B Practical

Duffle coat £89.95 Seasalt Cornwall

OPTION A Pretty Swing coat £55 Next

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14.05.16

Just

WE’RE ON DAWN’S SIDE! Alison Moyet, Sarah Millican and broadcaster Alice Arnold have leapt to support pal Dawn French. Plymothian Dawn hit out at a snide comments and photos published shortly after she arrived back in the UK from Australia looking just like any of us would do after a long-haul flight.

Dawn tweeted: “Really #mailonline? A 58 year old woman off a long haul flight looks tired? Then same woman early next morning walks her dog make-up

free? BULLYING.” Fellow comedian Sarah Millican described the comments as ‘unacceptable’ tweeting: “So you’re normal, yes?...”

“Despicable,” tweeted Alison Moyet. “‘Forgoing make-up’… like most normal women.”

Well, ‘normal’ in every respect apart from that Dawn, who lives in Fowey, has just toured her one-woman show 30 Million Minutes… AND published a new novel. No wonder she looks a bit tired!

[ [ ‘Eurovision will forever be about Sir Terry, in my mind’

BITTER-SWEET MEMORIES Eurovision host Graham Norton has said tonight’s song contest will bring back “bitter-sweet” memories of his much-loved predecessor Sir Terry Wogan, who died in January. Graham says: “When I am doing the Eurovision commentary I still hear Sir Terry in my head, as I am sure lots of other people do too. I think this year we will all be thinking of [him] and I am sure I will say a few words about him as the night goes on, as it is a night that will forever be associated with Terry Wogan.” West says: We agree – and will be raising a glass of Baileys to the inimitable Sir Terry this evening, too.

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

!

HOW AIDAN NABBED

POLDARK Aidan Turner has confessed that his star-making turn in Poldark was the first role he did not have to audition for.

The Poldark cast and crew have been spotted filming in locations all over Cornwall, with the much-anticipated second series expected to return to our screens in the autumn.

The Dublin-born actor, who has set pulses racing as the shirtless heartthrob reveals: “I usually audition for things but they just sent me the scripts and the books, and asked me if I wanted to play the role.

“It’s the only thing I’ve got offered in my entire life! Everybody else must have been busy.”

Thank goodness for that!

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Mini: A new baby has been born at the Miniature Pony Centre on Dartmoor

in pictures Cute: Silly Old Sea Dog fashion from Newquay now has a pop up shop, which is off to London

A-list: The Mad Max:Fury Road star Tom Hardy is spotted filming the new BBC drama Taboo in Charlestown, Cornwall Our hero: Mary Berry signs books at the Salcombe Crab Festival

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talking points Poetry

Blessed

ONE OF US Famous faces with links to the Westcountry

Ten Anglo Saxon saints: Famous names and meanings in Cockney rhyming slang

1 Hank Marvin / starving 2 Alan Whicker / knickers 3 Ruby Murray / curry 4 Giorgio Armani / sarnie 5 Pete Tong / wrong 6 Sue Lawley / poorly 7 Mariah Carey / scary 8 Britney Spears / beers 9 Lionel Blair / flares 10 Emma Freud / haemorrhoids

1 Rumon of Tavistock 2 Ultan the Scribe 3 Acca of Hexham 4 Mildrith of Thanet 5 Sativola of Exeter 6 Nectan of Hartland 7 Dachuna of Bodmin 8 Decuman of Watchet 9 Brannoc of Braunton 10 Æthelwynn of Sodbury

The happy list

Generously

10 things to make you smile this week 1 Devon County Show Ten Blue Peter collection appeals:

1 Stamps 2 Foil milk bottle tops 3 Keys 4 Toys 5 Wool 6 Paperback books 7 Spoons and forks 8 Buttons, buckles and badges 9 Pre-decimal coins 10 Rags

May 19-21, just can’t wait

2 Half term plans get away...

3 Food festivals try the one at St Ives, May 14-15

4 Matt Cardle singing at Exeter Northcott, June 26

5 Love, Nina new TV show 6 Supper clubs good fun 7 Bude Folk Festival May 27-30 - sing, dance, play...

This week:

Jo Pavey Champion runner Jo Pavey, 42, grew up in Honiton and lives in east Devon

Achievement: Jo Pavey won the most of the running records.

10,000 metres gold medal at the 2014 European Championships, just Family: Jo is very family-minded. ten months after giving birth to her Her husband Gavin is her trainer and second child. She manager, and they is the oldest female have two children European champion together, called Jacob in history, at the age of and Emily. She and DID YOU KNOW? 40 years and 325 days.

Gavin met as teenagers Jo has “To try for so many at Exeter Harriers years and to finally running club. Gavin represented do it at the age of 40 is remembers their Great Britain funny really…I should first run together: in every have learned how it “After three miles do it by now,” she told she dropped me, I Olympics reporters at the time. just remember these from 2000 to blue Lycra tights 2012 Top: On the day of her disappearing.”

European gold, Jo’s husband Gavin had Devon: Jo and Gavin put her running top live quietly in a village in the wash and the colours had run. in east Devon. They do not have child She wore her old club top instead: care and organise Jo’s 100 mile-a “That top is 24 years old – older than week training schedule around most of the girls she was running the children: “I do feel extremely against,” said Gavin. fortunate, because a lot of our friends have got the pressures of going to an Early days: Jo grew up in Honiton office, whereas we’re just based at and attended The King’s School, home because of running, which is a Ottery St Mary – where she still holds lovely side of it for me,” says Jo.

8 Eligible Pride and Prejudice, retold: a terrific read

9 Asparagus with hot butter 10 Finding Dory the Nemo sequel, out this June

Competition winners: The winners of a pair of tickets for Ladies’ Night at Exeter Racecourse on April 21 were: Nicola Carhart, St Issey; Justine Colton, Princetown; Alison Kerslake, Stowford near Okehampton

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People

BACK FOR MORE At the age of 19, he had the world at his feet. Then life got somewhat complicated... Ahead of his Exeter gig this month, we meet Craig David

by Dawn Ellis

t’s been 17 years since singing star Craig David was first catapulted into the limelight, when he crooned on the massive 1999 hit Re-Rewind by the Artful Dodger.

The following year, still aged just 19, he released his debut album Born To Do It. This offering went on to sell more than eight million copies around the globe and spawned hit after hit, including Fill Me In, Seven Days and Walking Away.

Fans will no doubt be hoping he will revisit his hits when he performs this month at the Radio 1 Big Weekend in Devon, on May 28-29.

The iconic album cover showed the singer with his eyes shut wearing big chunky earphones. “I was ahead of the times. Earphones have come so far,” he jokes when we meet in Devon, where Craig is talking to a group of students about the music industry. It’s a subject he is more than usually qualified to explain, both the positive and the negative aspects. So what was he listening to, looking so soulful on that album cover? “I think the wire just went into my pocket,” he says, laughing.

After his early stratospheric success, he went on to release a further five albums and, along the way has worked with big names in the industry including Tinchy Stryder, Rita Ora and Sting.

Indeed Craig, who grew up in Southampton, has certainly lived the dream at times - but it’s fair to say his career has been a bit of a rollercoaster

I

ride. The sweet-voiced star struggled when he was ridiculed on the TV show Bo Selecta. Thirteen years ago, the cult series made fun of him on a weekly basis and he went from being a superstar to being, in some eyes, a national joke.

“Looking back, it was all blown out of proportion,” says Craig.

“Years before Bo Selecta there was Spitting Image where there were puppets of the likes of Prince Charles and a whole load of other famous people.

Now, I see it as a form of flattery to be recognised and imitated.

“In Bo Selecta I was just one of many [caricatures] from Michael Jackson to David Beckham to Mel B.” That’s all behind him now, and he’s now back with a bang, releasing a new album, Following My Intuition. There’s a good buzz around his new music, too. And this time around, he is ready for it: “Talking of cream rising to the top, you have to let the music do the

‘If you don’t know what failure is, then you don’t know what success is.

Some of my hardest times have been the best for me, in hindsight’

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People

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talking. Three minutes of music as a musician can change your life. It changed mine,” he says.

Craig tells the stuidents that he believes you have to embrace opportunity and be focused and driven to succeed in music these days. “Everyone has the opportunity to be extraordinary,” he says. “It’s just a belief thing. The only obstacle you have in life is yourself. You get in your own way and say: ‘It’s hard for me and other people have it easier.’

“I came from a working class family in Southampton. I’ve experienced the most amazing rollercoaster ride in my life and am thankful to have great people with me along the way... I feel like there is no plan and I don’t regret anything I have done.

“If you don’t know what failure is, then you don’t know what success is. Some of my hardest times have been the best for me, in hindsight.”

For the Radio 1 Big Weekend, Craig will return to Devon, taking to the stage alongside the likes of Coldplay, and Ellie Goulding for the two-day music extravaganza.

He says he is hoping to collaborate with Coldplay’s Chris Martin at the event. “I’d love to do it. It’s all about timings, if people are there at the right time that’s great. I do love the spontaneous ones [collaborations]. There are so many good people on the line up. I’d like to go with Chris Martin and break it down.”

Craig says he has not been to the South West “for years” but recalls playing here back in his early days. “The last time I performed in Devon was at Plymouth Pavilions. It will be great coming back to perform in Devon again.

“I came down to the gig today on the train and I don’t think many people realise how beautiful and scenic it is around here.

“When I come up to Exeter I’m going to stay the night before and have a look around,” he says.

One thing he’s not going to do, though, is try a cream tea as he’s not a fan of clotted cream, although admits that, if pressed, he’d eat his “the Cornish way”.

“The jam would have to go on first then the cream,” he says, leading to an outcry from the Devonians present and him jokingly backtracking. We forgive him. After all, this is Craig David, someone who deserves a second chance.

‘It will be great performing here again. I came down today on the train. I don’t think many people realise how beautiful and scenic it is here’ CRAIG IN THE WESTCOUNTRY Craig David appears this summer at Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Exeter and Boardmasters in Newquay with top names including: Mumford & Sons Coldplay Chase & Status Nick Jonas Iggy Azalea Kaiser Chiefs Primal Scream James Bay For details visit www.bbc.co.uk and www.boardmasters.co.uk

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[

BETH FRENCH’S

[

Ultimate challenge

Beth French, 38, from Milverton in Somerset, aims to be the first person ever to complete the Oceans Seven, a collection of gruelling open-water swims around the world, within a single year. She tells Hannah Mattocks how illness and a troubled childhood inspired her remarkable plan

Tell us about the Oceans Seven Challenge... It’s a list including a swim from Northern Ireland to Scotland, and between the north and south islands in New Zealand. I have done several of them already, including a swim in Hawaii that took me 24 hours and ten minutes. It was during that swim that I decided I wanted to tackle the Oceans Seven challenge. To do the lot, not just over my lifetime, but in a single year, starting on September 6. It’s never been done before.

How did all this start? The English Channel was my first endurance swim. I swam that because it was a lifelong dream that I had since I was a kid.

I ended up with ME when I was a teenager. I had glandular fever when I was 10 and never recovered, ending up in a wheelchair when I was 17.

So were you ill throughout your teens? Yes, in peaks and troughs. I was captain of every sports team at school but with random I-couldn’t-getout-of-bed month-long spells. So it was very up and down. By the time I was 17 I couldn’t do my A-levels. I got to the mock exams and ended up 16

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People

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People bedridden and wheelchair-bound for the better part of a year. There was no medical help at the time. I wasn’t diagnosed until I was 17. I was told I was a typical adolescent who liked to lie around when I was going through low phases, until we found a doctor who recognised I wasn’t in a wheelchair by choice.

hysterectomy but I didn’t want major surgery. I wanted to be healthy. So I turned to alternative health, piecing that together, and then I turned 30 and got pregnant with my son Dylan, who is now seven.

by day and I talked to him about it. As he has got older, he will sit in a kayak with my friend alongside, or I tow him in a dinghy as I swim. He points down the coast to where he wants to go and I put a picnic in the dinghy and off we go.

Having a dream My doctor said to me, for symptom relief, that I should make a wish list, a dream list. He said: “You have got to give yourself a reason to get better.” So I started to keep little mental dream list – if I ever got out of this, that’s what I want to do. Swim the Channel!

And is that what started your swimming ambitions?

Unfortunately, within a year of Dylan being born, his dad and I went our separate ways. So being a single mum I thought, well: I can either crack and crumble, never see the light of day and become one of those mums who doesn’t leave the house and struggles. Or I learn to juggle really well.

When were you told you couldn’t have children?

When I was 26, my health was not quite perfect, still a bit fragile, and because of the ME my hormones were not right, leaving me with all sorts of illnesses. It seemed like everything that could go wrong, had. I was encouraged to have a

How did you train when you had a small baby? I wanted my son to grow up knowing how to fulfil his dreams. I know, no matter what life throws at you, you can figure out a way to be the person you want to be. So I trained while he was asleep and when he was in pre-school. I was still a mum

How old is Dylan? Seven and a half now. He has become an intrinsic part of why I do this and how I do it. Being a single mum, you build up stamina for life. You don’t know when you’re going to get any sleep, your body just works differently. That has actually given me a head start in some ways for training. I don’t train the same ways most people do. At work, as a masseuse, I do nine hours of deep tissue massage in a day, which keeps my upper body very strong.

How was the Channel swim? The first ten hours I loved, I actively remember thinking I’m really enjoying this – which was such a shock to me.

I got to France in 17 hours, and that was the

THE OCEANS SEVEN CHALLENGE Oceans Seven consists of seven long-distance open-water swims. Beth French plans to swim them in this order, between September 2016 and August 2017 The North Channel (Northern Ireland-Scotland) 22 miles The Catalina Channel (Santa Catalina Island-California) 20 miles The Molokai Channel (Molokai-Oahu, Hawaii) 26 miles The Cook Strait (North-South Islands, New Zealand) 16 miles The Strait of Gibraltar (Spain-Morocco) 10 miles The Tsugaru Strait (Honshu Island-Hokkaido Island, Japan) 19 miles The English Channel (England-France) 21 miles

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moment when I thought – you know what, I could make it back before Dylan goes to bed.

And I did, we got back and he was still awake and I wasn’t too late and that became, to me, like the complete circle, like I could do this and be a mum. So I promptly signed up for another swim four months later.

You were the first person to swim to the Isles of Scilly? Yes, other people had swum from Scilly to Penzance, but I did it against the current. I loved it!

How are you going to pay for the Oceans Challenge?

It is going to cost around £70,000. I have got £15,000 already of my own and I am looking for corporate sponsorship. A documentary maker wants to track the whole year, too – if he can get a production company behind it then they will contribute. My website also has a big donate button. I might end up doing crowd-funding, too.

of any kind. If you even touch the support boat, your swim is over. Mid-October is The Catalina Channel, which is 20 miles, then the Molokai Channel which is 26, Cook Strait is a short one, only 16 miles and the Strait of Gibraltar is another a very a short one, just ten miles but it has a very strong side current so you have to swim three km an hour otherwise you miss Africa! Then Tsugaru Channel, which is 19 miles. Then finally the English Channel, just to finish off with is 21 miles, which I plan to swim at the end of August 2017, the week I turn 40.

‘ t 17, I was A trapped in a wheelchair. My body was so fatigued that my nerves didn’t function properly’

So what’s the order of the swims, where will you start? So it’s the North Channel in September, 22 miles, between Northern Ireland and Scotland. It’s very cold and you are not allowed wetsuits, insulation or physical assistance

Is Dylan home-schooled?

Yes, he has sensory processing disorder, quite severely, and the first two years of school were so miserable for him, really self-esteem damaging. It’s much easier to parent him now, this year I’m hoping that I will really show Dylan there are so many different ways to live life.

You name it, he will be able to see it.

Has anyone else done this challenge? No one has ever tried to do this in a year, ever; four is the most that have been swum in a year.

There are only seven people who have swum all seven channels over their lifetime.

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People

with malt extract instead of sugar so it has more energy. I end up eating about five times a day.

For example today I had a deepfilled pie, gone in five minutes, then another one at 3pm, and yeah – I eat a lot!

How do you physically prepare for the cold and the effort involved? Keep doing it, essentially.

You can just train your body to stand it. I mostly train at Branscombe beach in east Devon and I have to swim at least once a week in cold water without a wetsuit.

And you know, if you can swim half an hour at 7 or 8 degrees centigrade, by the time it gets to 16C, it feels warm. You have to train your metabolism. Eating becomes an obsession. You get calories wherever you can. So I carry now a stone and a half more than I used to. A stone of that is muscle mass, and then half a stone goes on around my midsection to keep my organs safe. I will put on another half stone between now and when I swim, because I will lose half a stone each time I do a long swim in the water.

How did it feel growing up, finding yourself in a wheelchair? I felt trapped. At my lowest point, I self-harmed because I just needed to feel and I didn’t feel like I was in my body, because it was not functioning. And you do feel trapped, you do go through madness. I would be physically cutting myself, because I was trapped in a wheelchair. My choice to walk out of a room was taken away. My body was so fatigued that my nerves didn’t function properly. I self-harmed to challenge myself to feel alive. But now I challenge myself how to be alive in a good way, and turn it into something positive.

Is it difficult to keep your weight up? I have doctored a lot of recipes. I use malt extract instead of sugar, and coconut oil instead of butter, and I eat a lot of cake. I make a chocolate brownie,

So in terms of being a woman, it’s about being strong: Yes, my bikini body is two stone heavier than it used to be. The first time I did the English Channel, I did go through that mental barrier of

‘Eating enough becomes an obsession. I had a deep-filled pie, gone in five minutes, then another, and yeah – I eat a lot!’

oh, I can feel my thighs and my tummy when I move. It’s such a freeing thing because as a kid I grew up hating my body because of the ME. It’s such a freedom to not care. My body functions and that’s what is important. I go up to a size 12 instead of size 10, and then I know I’m ready.

When my bum looks big in this, that’s a good thing!

For more information and to support Beth French in her challenge, visit www.bethfrench.co.uk

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Interiors o pressure parents, but your children secretly have big dreams when it comes to their bedrooms. If they could wave a magic wand, their rooms would be kitted out with tree houses, slides, swings and a stage - and that’s just for starters.

According to research by paint company Dulux, they would also love a pirate ship, a space rocket or a jungle, not to mention a glass ceiling and a trapdoor.

Granted, most of that wish list is probably beyond the average parent’s budget but, while you may not be able to pander to all their whims, one wish is certainly possible – involving them in choosing their room’s decor, so the space truly feels like their own little kingdom. That doesn’t mean you have to let them loose with a paint pot and brush; just let them give their opinions on a colour scheme and a theme.

You can also help your child tap into their imagination – without even having to open a paintpot – by installing a den or teepee in their bedroom. Former magician Keith Hathaway’s selection at his Devon-based company Canvas and Willow includes a gingerbread cottage, a pirate shack and a fairy cottage playhouse A pretty summer teepee, made in Newton Abbot, is a new addition for the company, and would look great accessorised with bunting in a little girl’s bedroom.

While the dens and tents the company sells are great for adventures in the garden, they are most commonly installed in their young owners’ bedrooms, says Keith.

“Dens are a place of escape for children, somewhere they can hide away and read books, or do their homework and tell their own stories. They are somewhere for children to call their own, as well as encouraging them to use their imaginations.”

Another way to jolly up your child’s bedroom with very little fuss is to use wall stickers, which have taken a huge leap in the sophistication stakes in recent years.

Cowboy riders, zoo animals, vintage planes and elephants are just a few of the cheery designs, all stylish silhouettes in a range of colours, from online company Brume, based in South Brent on the edge of Dartmoor.

Particularly popular are their blackboard stickers which are both decorative and practical, offering somewhere to scribble (apart from the walls!). Pick your creature - from a shark to a pig. Particularly attractive is their safari sticker set, featur-

N

A room of their own Make your little one’s bedroom a magical space they will never forget. Sarah Pitt has some ideas which are genuinely child’s play to achieve

Plan great escapes in this canvas pirate shack £200 from Devon’s www. canvasandwillow.co.uk

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Interiors Brume zoo animal stickers £29/set Devon’s www.brume.co.uk

[[ ‘Interestingly, if children have a say in what their room looks like, they are more likely to spend time in it’

The galaxies in this bedroom are created with Dulux Endurance+ paints

ing a whole zoo of animals. The company’s designs can be personalised with your child’s name and you can even commission a bespoke design, for an extra cost.

“You can have images of things that the kids are into – football or skateboarding, say, or you can choose lines of poetry or nursery rhymes,” says Karen Landsdown of Brume. “All our designs are easy to put up and are a really straightforward way to brighten up a room. They are also simple to remove if you change your mind later on.”

There’s a sticker for all ages, from snippets of nursery rhymes for toddlers to a cowboy rider for a funky feel in a teenager’s room. “If you have older children, they can put them up themselves, and customise them. There’s no limit to the things you can do.”

Marianne Shillingford, creative director at Dulux, agrees it’s a good idea to involve children in the look of their room.

“Interestingly, if kids have a say in what their room looks like, they’re more likely to spend time in it,” she says. “Just as an adult bedroom should be a sanctuary, so should a child’s, and it also

needs to be a place where they can relax and let their imaginations take flight.”

Marianne has come up with easy-to-achieve schemes using Dulux’s Endurance+ paints, which are tougher than normal matt paints. One scheme features clouds painted on a blue sky.

“Clouds are a wonderful feature because they instantly dissolve the walls of a room and allow the imagination to create endless worlds,” she says.

“Once the walls are painted blue, simply add the cloud detail. You don’t have to be precise, as clouds come in all shapes and sizes, but chalking out rough shapes will help, so you have a guide when you apply the white paint. Then use a small sponge to apply soft grey tones to make the edges visually soft – just like the real thing.”

The Dulux ‘Storybook’ room scheme features cloud-covered walls created with Jasmine White, Polished Pebble and Goosedown, all from the Dulux Endurance+ range (£20.99 for 2.5 litres).

Alternatively, if you are not confident about your painting skills, you could cheat by opting for B&Q’s lovely clouds chalk blue wallpaper, for £18 a roll.

Meanwhile, Star Wars fans will love Dulux’s Space bedroom scheme, inspired by far-flung galaxies. “Making the cosmos come to life looks stunning and yet is ridiculously easy to achieve,” says Marianne. “The most difficult thing can be taking a giant leap to paint walls black – but don’t fear. Trust me, your bravery will pay off !

“Create the solar system by simply spattering thinned emulsion tester pot colours, from deep blue to white, over a black background. The wonderful cloudy-shaped star systems literally appear from the end of the brush as if by magic.

“Deep colours in a bedroom have a magical quality that aids restfulness. Blue is both calming and receding, which means the room appears bigger.”

Marianne used splatters of shades including Purple Pout, Striking Cyan and Lost Lake, with White Cotton for the stars, using 250ml sample pots of Dulux Endurance+, around £6 apiece.

Another idea from Dulux is a circus-themed room, using Pepper Red, White Cotton and Banana Split paints, again all from the Dulux Endurance+ range.

“Red and white combinations in a decorating scheme are like a visual sweet shop. Fun, bold, bright stripes of colour instantly conjure excitement,” says Marianne.

“The effect is achieved with stuff that’s easy to get hold of: string, coloured chalk, cardboard, masking tape and red paint. Decide on the position of the red stripes of the big top using string, taken from a central point like an overhead light, and then mark out the shape of the red bands using masking tape.

“The secret to success is avoiding too much clutter in the furnishings, accessories and artwork – allow the imagination to fill the space.”

See www.canvasandwillow.co.uk, www. brume.co.uk and www.dulux.co.uk

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GET THE

Ferg and Form cloud suitcases £29.50 www. andshine.com

LOOK

Imaginative ideas for kids with clouds, rockets and pirate dens Hollywood cloud wall lamp £69 www.made.com

fave!

Playsam rocket toy £42 www. rume.com

Pirate shack, made in Newton Abbot, by www.canvasandwillow.com, £200 Babar elephant table £115 www. frenchbedroomcompany.co.uk 25

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Gardens

ANNE SWITHINBANK

I say tomato Devon’s Anne Swithinbank, panellist on Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time, says the best tomatoes are the homegrown ones ll through a miserably cold April, gardeners will have been nursing tomatoes along in their greenhouses and possibly wondering if they should have sown so early. I think this is always worth the gamble because our growing season is comparatively short and we want the earliest fruits. Tomatoes ripened on the vine and warmed by the sun have the best flavour and there is an awesome range of varieties available (check out the website of Tamar Valleybased www.buttervilla.com for mouth-watering pictures of heritage varieties).

I usually start with a standard, red egg and tomato sandwich type which could be ‘Gardeners’ Delight’ or ‘Nimbus’. Then I’ll stumble across an unusual heritage variety which this year happens to be ‘Noire de Crimee’ found at a Seedy Sunday event.

This is sometimes called ‘Black Krim’ and originates in Crimea.

A handsome beast, the red Tomatoes fruits are topped and striped ripened on by blackish olive green and the vine and promise excellent flavour and texture. warmed by the Both of these were sown sun have the in mid February, thinly and evenly over the prepared sursingly to 9cm/3.5in pots, handled best flavour face of compost in 9cm/3.5in by the leaves and never the delipots. The surface is firmed cate, hairy stems. From then on, gently with a flat wooden pressit is a juggling act between case er, then watered using a fine and unheated greenhouse but rose (sprinkler) on the can so when roots have filled the pots, seeds settle on a moist surface they must be moved on either to and can’t fall down any cracks. They are covered 15cm/6in pots, or permanent growing quarters. by a mere sprinkling of compost and pressed At the beginning of April, three plants were gently again. There’s still time to sow your own set per growing bag customised by the addition toms but be quick. of bottomless 7in pots pushed into the planting After germination in a heated propagating gaps. Into these, each tomato was planted in good case, four seedlings of each were transplanted compost with one end of a length of baler twine

A

[[

buried under the roots and the other fixed to the greenhouse roof above, so the plant or ‘vine’ can be twined around it. These are indeterminate tomatoes, in other words they will be cordontrained with side shoots pinched out, as opposed to being grown as a branching bush (determinate) form.

There have been frosts outside but the tomatoes are tough varieties, their roots are above the growing bags and as they are watered in the mornings, they never go to bed with wet feet.

Lengths of fleece are floated over and around them for extra insulation during cold nights but

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removed in the morning.

Side shoots between leaf and stem are nipped out and once fruits set, a high potash tomato fertilizer is watered in every 2-3 weeks. Overfeeding can affect flavour. As temperatures rise (hopefully), daytime temperatures are controlled by ventilation and damping down but if we are lucky enough to have a long hot spell, a light spray of greenhouse shading will be applied to the south facing side.

Both of these varieties are suitable for outdoor as well as indoor cultivation but along with wanting earlier fruit, I’m motivated to keep them under glass for two reasons. I am scared they will succumb to blight (the same fungal infection that affects potatoes) and I’m also sceptical about the likelihood of a decent summer. Last year I planted blight resistant ‘Crimson Crush’ and though it remained healthy, the fruits never ripened. My advice is if you have a greenhouse, use it.

Now other plants are being moved outside, there’s space under glass for more toms and I’ll be buying in plants of my favourite ‘Sungold’.

This delicious, orange-fruited cherry tom can fill another growing bag but would do equally well in a greenhouse bed or ending up in 38-45cm/1518in pots. Then I’ll have a gorgeous mix of black, red and orange fruits. Maybe I can find room for a yellow-fruited ‘Golden Sunrise’ as well.

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

Question time with Anne West reader queries answered by Anne Swithinbank

Q

We recently laid a turf lawn which has taken well but this spring, patches of wild garlic have appeared. I’m sure there was none there before and would like to get rid of it.

I wonder if this garlic could have arrived with extra topsoil used to create a fine surface for laying the turves? Wild garlic, also known as ramsons, grows from small bulbs, dies back for summer and is very invasive. The best news is that while your lawn can cope with being kept short, regular weekly cutting will eventually (over several years) weaken and drive out the garlic. When the garlic is growing strongly, it may need more than weekly cutting. If you don’t want to get the mower out, or the ground is too wet, invest in long handled shears whose blades run horizontally to the grass. In the meantime, as long as animals don’t use the lawn and no chemicals have been used, you can gather the leaves for wild garlic pesto – delicious!

Q

Our snowball tree (Viburnum opulus ‘Sterile’) is just about to flower but has grown enormous.

I’d like to reduce its size but when and how?

These large shrubs or small trees are impressive when decorated by rounded white flower heads in May and June and the cut stems of immature, greenish heads look great indoors. However on good soil, mature plants can reach a height and spread of 4.5m/15ft. The best time to prune would be after flowering and the worst action would be to chop all around the outside until you have the shape and size you want. This would leave you with a woody base, topped by a thicket of growth and poor flowers. Even thinning a mature plant would be difficult, so I’m going to suggest the radical solution of sawing it all down to within 30-60cm/1-2ft of the ground. We did this to one of ours and it has grown back beautifully. Thereafter, regulate and thin the regrowth every year after flowering.

• Aphids (greenfly and blackfly) will start appearing on rose buds and the tips of broad beans and cherry.

My plea is to trust in the ecosystem of your garden.

Keep watch on the situation through a magnifying glass, looking out for ladybird, hoverfly and lacewing larvae, tiny velvet mites attached to the aphids and husk-like aphids eaten out by parasitic wasp larvae. Let these breed up and they’ll take care of infestations all season. Spray and they’re gone.

• Apply a liquid seaweed pickme-up or other feed to any plants that appear to be struggling. Autumn planted onion sets, spinach struggling after cold nights or hardy annual seedlings would all benefit.

•S ow outdoor ridge cucumbers into pots or modules or, if the soil is warm, directly where they will grow.

•S upport broad beans by earthing up their stems slightly and fixing a system of poles or canes and string for them to lean on.

Tidy

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

ponds by netting out duckweed. Earmark overgrown water iris and marsh marigold (Caltha paulustris) to be lifted out, divided and replaced as smaller portions immediately after flowering.

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Beauty Review

Looking good An innovative Vitamin C-based facial works wonders for West tester Abbie Bray hat comes to mind when you think of having a facial? I generally think of leaving a spa feeling relaxed and my skin looking more radiant.

But have you ever thought about having a proper clinical facial, using cosmeceutical-quality products, that can My face already only be applied by trained profelt amazing and fessionals? when I looked in I always thought that cosmeceutical facials and skin peels the mirror I was were for those with anti-ageing shocked at how skin concerns, and that I was too young to contemplate having one clear and radiant – but I couldn’t have been more my skin looked wrong. felt squeaky clean. The whole The Image I Peel Signature process was quicker than your Facelift Facial at the Revitaliseaverage spa facial, lasting only Rejuvenate salon in Exeter is about 30 minutes. There wasn’t something that everyone needs to know about. any massage involved, as here the products Their signature facial is for all ages and is great themselves do the work. for dehydrated and sensitive skin, as well as The sensation felt very cooling as two face treating other skin concerns such as acne and masks and some Vitamin C serum were layered, rosacea. one on top of the other, onto my skin. Dr Apte I was led in to the treatment room by Dr Pradexplained that, because the products were highly nya Apte, who asked me about my skincare rouconcentrated, they could not stay on for too long. tine before getting to work with the treatment.

My face already felt amazing and I hadn’t even The facial started with a cleanse of my skin looked in the mirror yet, and when I did I was using the Image Vitamin C Hydrating Cleanser, shocked at how clear and radiant my skin looked. which has a gorgeous aroma of oranges – the On the walk back to my car I couldn’t help but facial had only just started and my skin already look at my reflection in the car windows (vain,

W

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Cleanse

Image Vital C hydrating cleanser, £26 A pharmaceuticalgradeVitamin C hydrating cleanser to remove make-up and impurities, for dehydrated and rosacea skin.

I know, but I was amazed at how great my skin felt).

For anyone that knows me, going out of the house without a scrap of make-up on my face is very rare and, for me, my foundation is a mask to cover up my pigmentation and my blotchy skin.

But after this facial I could walk in public feeling confident in the way my skin looked.

After years in the beauty industry, something has to be really good to impress me, and the Image skincare range definitely has. Where has it been all my life? Dr Apte is the sole stockist of Image skincare in the South West and I will definitely be going back for more!

The Facelift Facial costs £95, visit Exeter’s www.revitalise-rejuvenate.co.uk for details

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Vital C hydrating repair creme, £71.50 Ultra-hydrating, this rich emollient formula combats stress, fatigue and other dehydrating environmental factors.

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Silver handbag £219 www.madeleine.co.uk

Modern metallics ne of the hottest trends for spring/ summer this year is metal. Don’t worry, we’re not talking Black Sabbath T-shirts or Deep Purple-inspired tight jeans. You are not required to rock out in studded leather gauntlets or bandanas. No, today’s metallics are pretty and feminine, with shimmery fabrics and silvery leathers creating a flattering and fun look.

We love this pretty dress from Studio 8, with its silver thread embellishments. We’re also very into the current fashion for pleated metallic fabrics, such as this belted top from BHS which could be a great summer staple over a long skirt or jeans – it’s perfect for all ages (and upper arms!). You could also dip a toe in the trend with the latest silver and gold leather sandals, such as these from New Look. And when the sun starts to shine, your outfit will be shining right back.

O

Carlotta dress £150 Studio 8

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Fashion

fave!

Lurex socks £4.50 Oliver Bonas

Biker jacket £195 Topshop

Pleated top £22 BHS

Rocha John Rocha clutch bag £39 Debenhams

Mavala nail varnish £4.75 John Lewis

Silver espadrille sandals £29.99 New Look

Cami top £18 Next 31

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Trend Have you got a fashion question or a trend you’d like to see tackled? @KathrynCMcleod

MAIN PHOTO HAIR: MEGAN AT SAKS, EXETER MAKE-UP: ESTEE LAUDER, DEBENHAMS (BOTH PRINCESSHAY) PHOTOGRAPHY: STEVE HAYWOOD

HOW TO WEAR IT:

Soft tailoring Kathryn Clarke-Mcleod swoons over coats that are perfect for summer here is nothing stiff or stuffy about this season’s tailored pieces.

They’re soft and skimming, loose and long – just about everything you need to achieve a feminine flattering elegance.

My pick of the bunch? A lightweight trench the colour of spring petals. Your wardrobe needs one, for all sorts of reasons. First up, they have some pretty impressive endorsement. My inspiration is courtesy of Jeanne Damas (Parisian blogger, model, designer and all round it-girl) Damas is no stranger to a slouchy trench. She’s recently been seen in a slate blue version, paired with blue jeans and tan espadrilles. She is so French it hurts.

Then there is the fact that they are incredibly useful. Sometimes, even when you’re an independent 30-something career woman, you just feel like being a little bit girly. When this happens, I often find myself without any options Now, I love outside donning a frock. Now, I dresses but love dresses but when a warm day also has a slight drizzle I when a warm don’t feel like getting my legs out. day also has a Also, sometimes part of being an independent 30-something slight drizzle, career woman is being too busy I don’t feel like to shave your legs. This soft pink getting my trench means I don’t have to compromise on my femininity, raise eyebrows in your social circle. legs out while still getting to wear my Especially when the occasion isn’t favourite black jeans. one where you are – or want to be The joy of this style of coat is – the centre of attention (think hen that it is all at once demure, yet full of devil-maynight, best friend’s wedding, work awards event) care irreverence. This playfulness means it can Your birthday only comes once a year and who look at home in a wide variety of situations. I like can wait for that! it for what I call its ‘calming’ qualities. Calming This trench will allow you to wear ‘that’ dress is needed when you have a dress that makes you in a fearless fashion. It will calm your outfit feel like Beyonce. It is a little tighter and a little down to a less attention-seeking level, making it shorter than you would usually wear. But, when so much more wearable. And, when the time is you slip it on, you feel fiercer than your everyday right (amid chorus of ‘It’s Raining Men’, when the self. You long to wear it but are scared it will Clooney-esque best man wants to buy you a drink,

T

Shirt, River Island, Princesshay, £35 Shoes, River Island, Princesshay, £50 Coat, River Island, Princesshay, £60 Bag, River Island, Princesshay, £60 Molly jeans, River Island, Princesshay, £40

or when your name is announced as the awardwinner) you can slip the coat off, drape it over a chair and listen for the sound of angels singing as the spotlight hits your skin.

On a more everyday note, these summery coats have rejuvenated my office wardrobe. Confession, I have one in khaki, too. The tailored nature of the trench means that it adds much-needed smartness to workwear. Now, I can get away with skinny jeans, a simple white tee and strappy sandals to the office. Summer simplicity, a la Damas.

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

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fave!

Sleeveless trench £45 MISS SELFRIDGE

Houndstooth blazer £55 RIVER ISLAND

Grey suedette ankle strap heels £22.99 NEW LOOK

GET THE

look Light grey belted wrap skirt £17.99 NEW LOOK

Kathryn says: Sleeveless varieties are a great option. They’ll see you all the way into Autumn with a chunky turtleneck beneath them and they look great over a simple sleeved dress.

Notch neck sleeveless blouse £17.99 NEW LOOK

Amelie mesh point shoes £25 ACCESSORIZE

Grey sleeveless belted robe coat £80 RIVER ISLAND

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culture vulture Our guide to what’s on in the South West by woman-in-theknow Sarah Pitt A day of drama The fifteenth century was a bloody, precarious time to be King of Scotland – as The James Plays reveal. This critically acclaimed trilogy by Rona Munro comes to The Lyric at Plymouth’s Theatre Royal fresh from sell-out run at the National Theatre in London. You’ll need stamina and a thirst for history to last the distance with all three Stewart Kings James I, II and III – the plays performed one after the other (at 11am, 3pm and 7.30pm) on Saturday and Sunday, May 28 and 29. The verdict from the critics, though, is that you won’t be disappointed. Tickets £18-£75 from www.theatreroyal.com or 01752 267222.

Thriller on the river Celebrated crime writer Sophie Hannah has done it again, with a faultlessly plotted psychological thriller set in south Devon. A Game for All the Family, now out in paperback, was inspired by Sophie’s visit to Agatha Christie’s home on the river Dart, Greenway. In the book, Justine has escaped London to what she hopes will be a life of peace at her beautiful new home in Devon. Soon after the move, though, her daughter Ellen starts to withdraw when her new best friend George is expelled. Justine begs the headteacher to reconsider, only to be told that there was, and is, no George.

A thriller all the creepier for the apparent normality of the domestic setting. A Game for All The Family is published by Hodder and Stoughton, price £7.99

Inspired by the ocean Six artists and ceramicists look at the Cornish coastline with fresh eyes in the Tide Lines exhibition at the Porthminster Gallery in St Ives. Work includes Calm Day, pictured, by Joanne Last, whose experimental canvases feature silver and gold pigment, tissue paper and even sand along with

the paint. Also featured are stunning abstracts by Kathy Ramsay Carr which evoke the salt spray of the waves and winding cliff paths above a translucent sea. Tide Lines is at the Porthminster Gallery, Westcott’s Quay, St Ives until June 25 www. porthminstergallery.co.uk admission free.

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Enjoy

Your stars

by Cassandra Nye Happy birthday to...

This week’s sign:

Zara Tindall

The Taurus personalityis one of the most easily recognisable of the Zodiac. Positive Taurean traits include reliability, practicality, ambition, sensuality and independence. However, the bull can also have some negative traits and can be very lazy, stubborn, materialistic and possessive at times. People born under the sign of Taurus have an eye for beauty. They tend to be good with finances, and hence make efficient financial managers.

Born May 15, 1981 Zara Tindall turns 35 tomorrow. She’s the Queen’s granddaughter but her parents (perhaps rather wisely) decided to forgo the Princess title for her. And Zara is anything but princessy – she’s a top eventer, hands-on mum to Mia Grace (born 2014) and wife to rugby player Mike Tindall – finally getting round to changing her name to his just recently. Zara was the first senior royal to win an honour in her own right – an MBE for services to equestrianism. She was a silver medallist at the London Olympics in 2012 and has high hopes of winning medals for Britain once again this year in Rio.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) Keep on improving your cash flow.

Remember that from small acorns oaks can grow. What does not seem a big deal now is just the beginning. Romantically-speaking, maybe you would like to see more action and less talk? Make the talk good enough and things will shoot ahead.

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) There is cash to be made from unwanted items and small efforts. However, avoid spending more than necessary for the best results. In a fairly quiet week, take the chance to clear out those dusty corners of your life. See what is worth keeping and what needs to go. Feeling a little irritated this weekend?

Try being optimistic and hope that someone changes their approach.

CANCER (June 22 - July 22) A loving and caring backdrop offsets any ‘blips’ this week. Mood and enthusiasm can level off and energy levels need a boost. Do this by looking ahead and planning more for the longer-term future. After the Full Moon at the weekend you see things and attitudes change quite rapidly.

LEO (July 23 - August 23) After getting work ambitions off to a sharp start, a lull in the action could take you by surprise. It is all very natural and will change as quickly as it began. In the meantime, the Full Moon at the weekend is shining a light on your love life. Could this be the time to make that special suggestion or take that romantic break?

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) Generate energy to persuade someone round to your way of thinking. Travel can be fun and will wake your spirit for adventure. There are great notions spinning around your head. Don’t expect everyone to see

the positive side, however. Sometimes you listen too closely to that negative voice. Shout back that it is your time to do what is in your heart.

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) Delightful and affectionate moments pepper this week with joy. Encourage intimate chats and give hugs and encouragement to others. The lean wolf of envy may be circling socially through to the weekend.

Ignore sour comments and greet everyone with a positive attitude. You are on higher ground than those who would irritate you.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) A quieter and more contented week helps boost your wellbeing. Don’t worry about dashing around and getting things done. Bring the evenings to a close with a loving and romantic attitude. At work allow yourself to bring imagination to bear on mundane matters. See how technology can make the everyday more bearable and even exciting.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) A bit of a lull could make you tetchy, but let’s not allow that to take hold. Remember, whatever the planets make you feel, you are in the driving seat. So, rev up your engine and get those juices flowing. It can be a romantic time, with a Full Moon at the weekend firing your imagination.

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) Being at the centre of a loving and progressive time is right for you. A recent

lack of energy and opportunity has you biting on the bit and ready for anything. Colleagues at work can be brought together to bring forward a plan or project involving new technology or a change in attitude. Make this a very special weekend romantically while the Full Moon fires your passions.

AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) Although you may wish for more progress at work, this is less likely at the moment. Home and romantic life, however, are due for a real boost. For those who have a partner, a proposition or amazing news is likely. Make the most of the weekend to be with that special person or, put yourself in the right place to meet that ‘certain someone’.

PISCES (February 20 - March 20) Great expectations are something you don’t have at the moment. That, however, is where you could be wrong!

You are being thrust forward socially and that means meeting lots of new people. Of course, you won’t like many of them (fussy old Pisces!) but someone special is in there somewhere.

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) This week seems to have a lack of colour, so the ball is very much in your court to get things moving. Socially there may not be much to fire your imagination, but here is an opportunity to develop some creativity. Get others together for a chat and some forward thinking. Be pleased that life at home is smooth and stable.

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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

FACE THE FLAX Flax is one of nature’s most versatile plants, used in the production of products as varied as linen and linoleum. The seeds are a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids and important minerals, and are also used in healing compresses. Klorane Laboratories has used flax flowers as a base for a new herbal shampoo (£8), developed to achieve a natural lifting effect on fine hair. It says the plant’s soluble fibres form an imperceptible film around hair, coating and texturising without weighing it down. Look out, too, for this conditioning balm (£8.50, escentual.com).

IT’S TIME TO

DIVE RIGHT IN...

It’s nearly lido season, with two of the nation’s most spectacular vintage outdoor pools set to open later this month here in the South West: Tinside Lido in Plymouth and Penzance’s Jubilee Pool (pictured here, it was saved from closure by a community fundraising campaign). Swimming is great low impact exercise for all ages and abilities. Not only does it work every muscle in the body, it also lowers stress levels. These fabulous heritage pools take the feelgood factor to another level – aren’t we lucky to have them?

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IF GYM IS NOT YOUR TONIC...

Are you avoiding the gym for fear of being judged? According to The British Heart Foundation a quarter of us in the Westcountry do just that, feeling intimidated by fitter, more competitive people. If the gym’s not for you, why not jog, run or walk instead, and raise money for the BHF? The aim is to complete a marathon distance over a month.

Find out more at: www.bhf.org.uk/ mymarathon

PLANT AN IDEA With GCSEs exams looming later this month, it’s revision time! Research by the University of Michigan also suggests that working in the presence of plants improves concentration and productivity by up to 20%. So take a leaf out of their book and get into the garden or to a nursery – Cornwall’s Surreal Succulents has an amazing collection of no-fuss indoor plants from £3.95. www.surrealsucculents.co.uk

GLUTEN-FREE? Up to half a million people are believed to be living with undiagnosed Coeliac Disease. Health organisation Coeliac UK stresses the condition is not a food intolerance but an illness – and cutting gluten from the diet is essential to help avoid long-term complications. Celebrity chef Phil Vickery, who cooked for many years at The Castle in Taunton and is married to Westcountry girl Fern Britton, is author of the gluten-free cookbook, Seriously Good! It has sold more than a quarter of a million copies since 2009 and, if you’re affected, his delicious recipes will help keep you on the right track, without feeling you’re missing out.

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

MIDSUMMER PEACE Mark the summer solstice at Marazion’s Midsummer Peace Gathering on June 24 and 25, a weekend workshop in west Cornwall where you can experience spiritual, transformational and meditative practices including kriya yoga led by gurus who will be journeying from the Himalaya to be there. There will also be a guided spiritual labyrinth walk on Marazion beach, a revival of a centuries-old meditative practice. Tickets for the event are £40 per day, call 07852 365229 for more details.

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

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Wellbeing

Stepfamilies A wedding forges brand new family ties and can create new dynamics for parents with kids

“When I met my husband, he already had a and can’t play one parent off against the other. little girl, who spends most of the week with It sounds as though you and your husband have her mother. I’ve always been mindful that done this with your two daughters. they came as ‘a package’ and we’ve since had two Stepchildren present an extra set of chaldaughters, now six and eight, together. The problem lenges, especially where a child divides her time is that my stepdaughter, now 11, tends to rule the between two different homes; two family groups; roost when she comes to stay and her behaviour’s two sets of rules. Although you have always acbecoming a bit difficult to manage. It’s as though my cepted her as part of the ‘package’, she was not husband has a different set of boundaries when it brought up entirely in the same family group, so comes to his oldest girl and I’m doesn’t have the same undernot sure how to deal with it. I standing of its rules. don’t want to come over as the As her time with you is wicked stepmother but nor do I fairly short each week, perwant my own daughters to feel haps she feels more like a visTeamwork’s I’m being unfair when it comes itor than a family member, essential. Even if to laying down rules and what so doesn’t feel she needs to you don’t always is (and isn’t) expected of them. follow the rules.

Help! SA, St Austell Either way it sounds as agree, back each though she is pushing the other up so the Tricia Moore boundaries to see where says: Parentthey stop, but is currently children feel ing presents not being challenged by your secure and know many chalhusband, who you, quite reatheir boundaries lenges to a sonably feel, is the one who relationship. should discipline her.

Along with He probably doesn’t want lack of ‘us’ time, juggling to cause a rift between him work and family life, deand his daughter. But you mands on the budget etc, comes managing disboth need to acknowledge that this is a real probcipline. Couples who negotiate this successfully lem which could actually cause the rifts he is know that team work is essential. Even if they trying to avoid, among all three of his children, don’t always agree, they back each other up, so and, importantly, between you two. So you need the children feel secure, know their boundaries to get back on the same team over this and then

Q

[[

tackle it as a family, because it affects you all.

First discuss with your husband how this problem is making you feel. Explain that you want his daughter to feel and act the same as the rest of the family. Agree together what is good about how you manage your own two daughters and how you can include his eldest into that.

One thing you could try then is a ‘Circle Time’ family discussion. Arrange so that all five of you sit in a circle, on chairs or on the floor. This creates a setting that is different from casual chatter.

Explain that you want to talk about family rules and that everyone will have their turn to speak, about what is good in this family, what they think is fair or unfair and so on.

You should both go first, to demonstrate how to communicate clearly without accusing. Begin sentences with “I like it when... because...” Or “Sometimes I feel upset when... because…” Later on, sentences beginning “I think it would be good if…” will move the discussion towards an agreed conclusion.

Guided by you both, all three children should feel ownership of a set of guidelines to follow.

You may be pleasantly surprised at how perceptive children can be at understanding the need for balanced and fair boundaries. Also, learning good communication skills now is great training for their future relationships. Good luck!

Tricia Moore is a counsellor for the national charity Marriage Care, based in Plymouth, www.marriagecare.org.uk

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09/05/2016 18:15:40

Drink

Beer of the week At Dynamite Valley Brewing’s first anniversary bash I fell for their Belgian IPA, Big Bang (5.3% ABV), like Rupert spotting a potential new Mrs Murdoch.

Made with Belgian yeast, it offered a fruity, spicy take on a traditional IPA, darker in colour with a mahogany tinge. Date and candy sugar sweetness gave balance.

Ridiculously drinkable.

JUST DESSERT The recent Sausage and Ale Festival at the Driftwood Spars was delightful as ever, with a well-chosen selection of upcountry beers going down well. But as we were heroically battling through, landlady Louise Treseder appeared with panna cotta made by one of the Drifty’s kitchen team using their brewery’s Forest Blonde beer. The beer’s subtle herby, berry notes are an ideal foil to the sweet, creamy texture of the dessert.

Another great addition to the menu!

Bargain brews

Discount supermarket Aldi is adding 18 bottled beers to its range at the end of this month, including old favourites, such as Wadworth 6X (one of my first ever beers), and innovative brews such as a rye grist version of Brains Rev James. The bottles go on sale on May 29 at £1.25 each.

Darren Norbury

talks beer h the golden years, when I not only day, sessionable, lightly hopped, and well balhad hair, I had it parted and flicked anced. At Skinner’s, in Truro, beers such as with blonde highlights, in a sort of Lushington’s and Porthleven have taken a more early George Michael way. That zesty route, offering big refreshment, while from may be the only thing I’ve ever had Sharp’s, in North Cornwall, Cornish Coaster is in common with George Michael, although I did one of my favourite beers due to its big hit of once accidentally drive a Vauxhall Chevette into fruity hop notes with balancing light sweetness. a ditch while under the influence of Doritos.

From Devon lately, I’ve enjoyed Hunter’s colHere come the new golden days, when we think laboration with shaving products firm Blueless of warming barley wines or comforting beard’s Revenge (that’s the name of the beer, stouts and look towards lighter, hoppier brews. too), a bit more pokey at 5.1%, but easy drinking.

Already this month, Dartmoor Brewery has reZesty, pineapple notes dominate Hanlons favourleased Summer Gold, very difite Yellow Hammer, while Speak ferent to the Jail Ale or Legend Easy, from craft-orientated Powfor which it is known. “The beer derkeg Brewery, gives British is both bold and refreshing, and reserve to a zingy AmericanIt’s a perfect is given such strong characterisstyle pale ale. session beer tics from really gorgeous hops, Across the border in Somerfor after you’ve which we chose specifically due set, Quantock Brewery’s Will’s to their taste,” says head brewer Neck is a multi-award winner, mowed the Mike Lunney. and with good reason. Latelawn, or to drink There are zesty grapefruit hopping and a robust malt bill while watching flavours and tropical fruit and offers tasty, but well executed pine notes, coupled with a slight balance. A newcomer, Tapstone someone else bitterness, and at 4.1% ABV it’s Brewery, produces Sea Monster, mow the lawn a perfect session beer for after a crisp, tropical noted session you’ve mowed the lawn, or to golden beer, which delighted me drink while watching someone when it turned up in my local else mow the lawn. last year.

Golden ales dominate the I’m making the assumption session beer market these days. People have that, by the time you read this, spring sunshine gravitated to them, usually, from one of two diwill be filling our lives. Just as likely, of course, rections: traditional amber bitters or mass-prowe’ll have the windows shut, fire on and be reachduced lagers. All converts are welcome. ing for that bottle of stout…

In my local, Penzance Brewing Company’s Darren Norbury edits www.beertoday.co.uk Potion No 9 can disappear at a rate of a cask a @beertoday

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Eat

Ingredient of the Week

Lemons

with Tim Maddams here are lots of alternatives to I have found, though, that I have been getting lemons and I grow and use a fair few an itchy “I’m being wasteful” feeling when I of them – lemon verbena, lemonhave been throwing out the zested and squeezed grass and even lemon balm. If I am remains of these generous citrus. As a result, I making a curd for have been tinkering with ways example or lemon cake, I will to use them up. Maybe I need to often embellish it with some of relax a little more but I don’t like my alternative ingredients, for to throw away food if there is a Try adding a more interesting twist. Try chance it can be used for someadding chopped lemon verbena thing else. chopped lemon to your next lemon drizzle cake, I wasn’t sure they had much verbena to your for example. But there is no getleft to give after I had taken the ting away from the fact that I also zest and the juice but a couple next lemon need real lemons, for both their of things worked out pretty well. drizzle cake, for zest and juice.

There were quite a few disasters, example, for an Like most people, I keep a too, but I’m not going to mention lemon or two in the fruit rack for those. My favourite has to be preinteresting twist general cooking and of course served lemons. Just salt the rethe odd G and T. I get mine via mains of your lemons and pack my organic veg box and so they them down well into a jar. Leave tend to be fairly gnarled and unfor as long as they need to turn waxed, which is just how I like them. Somehow soft and then use in place of preserved lemon they manage to taste more lemony and are virwhenever you like. They are excellent in all sorts tually the same price as “normal” lemons – go of recipes, particularly North African spiced figure. dishes.

T

[[

Ginmoncello To make this thrifty version of the Italian classic limoncello, all you need is the waste from eight lemons, enough gin to cover everything, a handful or two of golden caster sugar and a few sticks of lemon balm.

Place everything in a jar or tub and add the gin. Don’t worry if everything isn’t completely covered, it’s only got to steep for a day or two in the fridge with a regular stir or shake.

Drain off the gin into a bottle though a sieve, making sure to squeeze out the remnants in a muslin or tea towel to extract as much gin as possible. Taste the result and add more sugar if need be. Place a couple of cardamom pods in the bottle with the gin and serve super-chilled. @TimGreenSauce

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

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Enjoy

A WEEKEND IN

BANTHAM

The Vill age Inn , Thu rles tone

antham in south Devon hit the headlines in 2014 when it was sold by the Evans family, who had owned the entire village and beach for 100 years, to new owner Nicholas Johnston. Its spectacular sands were voted among the best beaches in Europe by traveller’s bible Lonely Planet last year and, hugely popular among surfers and kite surfers, idyllic Bantham boasts spectacular views of Bigbury Bay.

B

History:

Bantham was once the home of brandy smuggler Nat Cleverly, with the village’s 17th century cottages known as ‘smuggler’s eyes’ as most of the community was involved, too!

Eat: Bantham’s 14th century Sloop Inn is the hub of the village and just a short walk from the beach. Seafood is, of course, on the menu here: try the Westcountry mussels steamed in white wine, garlic, thyme and Devonshire double cream (£7 as a starter) or go for one of the sharing platters which include Salcombe crab and smokies, as well as home-cured gravadlax. Tasty burgers, traditional pub basket meals and hearty sandwiches are also on offer. The Sloop also has six bright and breezy nautical themed en-suite guest rooms (£45 per adult per night, based on two sharing).

Enjoy:

Fabulous beach food from Claire and

Jim Bishop’s Gastrobus, which serves up superb burgers, delicious cakes and coffee, all made from ingredients sourced from local producers.

Stay: Bantham is the perfect place for a proper old-fashioned summer break; a car boot full of striped deckchairs and windbreaks, cliff top strolls, long lazy lunches and afternoon teas.

Self-catering is a great way to make a proper holiday of it: The Malthouse (www.malthousedevon.co.uk) sleeps up to eight people. A week’s stay here costs between £590 and £780 between now and the end of June, excluding the half term holiday (May 27-June 3) with deals available for shorter stays.

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Thurlestone Hotel

Shop: Stock up on eggs, milk and lots of Westcountry produce at Bantham Village Stores, which is just the kind of traditional shop you would expect in a village as pretty as this. It recently opened a sea-view terrace, where you can enjoy coffee, light lunches, pastries and cooked breakfasts.

Do: Enjoy the stretch of

South West Coast Path from Bantham to dog-friendly Thurlestone beach, a fairly easy three and a half mile circular walk with spectacular views and, at this time of the year, wildflowers coming into bloom.

Children and dogs are welcome at Thurlestone’s lovely 16th century Village Inn, where the ceil-

ing beams were salvaged from wrecked Spanish Armada ships. Inside, it is stylishly contemporary, with cosy log burning stoves and great food, which you can also order to take away.

Indulge: In a spa treatment at the Thurlestone Hotel, available seven days a week. Its Chill Out Sunday (£99) includes a treatment, use of all the spa facilities and lunch. Or bliss out for almost two hours with a Tropical Wanders treatment (£135) including Jasmine Red Rice exfoliation and coconut body massage and scalp treatment.

Enjoy:

Learn to Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) and, when you’ve found your feet, take a trip

around Burgh Island, stopping off for a snorkel session to explore the fascinating waters below the water’s surface. Bantham Surfing Academy’s two-hour SUP voyages of discovery packages cost between £50 and £55 per person, including basic tuition and use of kit including snorkel, mask and wetsuit, www.banthamsurfingacademy.co.uk

Watch: It’s fun to watch The Bantham Swoosh, taking place on July 2 this year. Hundreds of wild swimmers will complete a 6km swim down the river Avon from the village of Aveton Gifford, culminating in a rapid “swoosh” through a narrow section of the river as it empties into the estuary and out to sea.

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My Secret Westcountry

John Bradley Chef John Bradley owns and runs Dunkery Beacon Country House Hotel at Wootton Courtenay on Exmoor with his wife Jane My Favourite‌ Walk: Horner Woods near Porlock in north Somerset is always a great place to walk. In spring the woodland floor is carpeted with snowdrops and, as the season progresses, with bluebells. There are many paths to choose, but my favourite is to head for Stoke Pero which brings you out of the coombe to one of the smallest churches in England. From this point it is only a small walk out onto the moor overlooking The Vale of Porlock and back towards Dunkery Beacon.

Beach: As a boy, I used to love going to beaches that have dunes and were great for playing hide and seek, or just running and jumping off their steep sides to sink ankle-deep into the soft warm sand below. The beautiful sandy swathes around Gwithian have a great appeal and the huge surf rolling in off the Atlantic brings a wild drama as each wave crashes onto the shoreline.

Activity: Cycling is my thing and, although I don’t get out much, I do enjoy the freedom and thrill of powering along under my own steam.

My part of the country is lucky not to have too much traffic, so this makes road cycling on our country lanes so much more enjoyable.

Food: One of my favourite discoveries is local cheeses and in particular Exmoor Jersey Blue made at Lydeard St Lawrence. As blue cheeses go, it is reasonably strong, has great depth and goes beautifully with my homemade fig and ginger chutney.

Tipple: I have always been drawn towards the maltier style of beers and ales. Exmoor Ales has a small but quality range of beers and, having tried most of them, I always find myself ordering an Exmoor Gold.

Pub: The Swan Inn in Bampton. Run by husband and wife chef team Paul and Donna Berry, the atmosphere is always buzzing and they have a fantastic menu. They have won some great accolades for their food too, all richly deserved.

Restaurant: Augustus in Taunton. Set in a quiet courtyard not far from the river, this restaurant has charm, personable staff and beautiful food. We always make a beeline for it whenever we get an opportunity to get over to Taunton. It is a sanctuary from the hubbub of the bustling county town.

Exeter 44

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People

Exmoor Gold

The Swan

Way to relax: When I’m not in my kitchen, working on a new dish, I can usually be found in the garden where I grow herbs, berries, fruits, salads and veggies. Although it can be reasonably physical, gardening does bring fantastic relaxation to the mind.

Brixham seared scallops

Weekend away:

Exeter has a great vibe, good places to eat and lots of entertainment.

The area around the cathedral is particularly stunning and I love the city’s annual Christmas market.

Shop: Mole Valley Farmers – it’s my favourite store. It has everything you need for country living, from tractors to plus-fours.

Treat: Having friends round for dinner. Cooking is part of my work, but I love entertaining and spoiling our friends with my latest dishes.

Luxury: Peace and quiet. It’s the first thing people notice when they come to stay in our hotel and, being in the heart of the country, the loudest it gets is the sounds of nature. dunkerybeaconaccommodation.co.uk

Be dro om at Du nkery

Be aco n

St Ives

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My life

[

man and boy

Moving pictures

[

Phil Goodwin and son James, six, take a trip to the cinema

I

[

[

‘The place was as filthy as you might expect if 200 monkeys had been sitting there’

wrappers all scattered across the floor. You couldn’t help stepping on it all as you left.

Standing at the door was a guy ready with an industrial-size dustpan and brush. How on earth had we made this mess? We had only been sitting down watching a film for two hours.

Now I am not going to launch an angry old man speech (grrr) about the days when dainty usherettes in air-stewardess costumes appeared during the intermission waving pencil torches at their ice creams and chocolates, though. Times change and going to the pictures is not what it was. Most people now prefer to sit at home and watch Netflix and I am no different.

I guess the dwindling crowds coming to experience the thrill of being part of an audience watching a film have forced cinemas to cash in on the food and drink side, popcorn and the rest. I am not immune to their delights. At this show I bought the lad his first tub of popcorn – a kid’s portion, but still loads – and he sat happily munching though the action I also had a strong word when he started trying to scrape the remnants from the empty carton, fearful he was making a mess. Quite a lot of the audience were not so worried, though.

Honestly, when you saw the state of that cinema when the lights came on it was shameful, a real sty. It made me think of the line at the end of George Orwell’s book Animal Farm… when the farmyard creatures are looking from man to pig, and from pig to man and it was ‘impossible to say which was which’.

NEXT WEEK: Chris McGuire on his new life in the Westcountry

main picture: Steve Haywood

took the boy to see the new Jungle Book movie. I am sure I was not the only adult in the audience who was a bit worried it might not live up to the brilliance of the 1960s original. And yes, it is very different from that animated classic. Rather than cartoon characters, the style is photo-real, which means the animals are lifelike – scarily lifelike at times – but I wasn’t disappointed.

The atmosphere was helped by the turnout. It was the first time in ages I have been in a cinema that was so packed. Mums, dads, kids all crammed into the smallish theatre for a teatime performance. The crowd thinned out a little when one character was first introduced in rather surprising and dramatic fashion, giving everybody a pleasant shock, apart from the handful of small children who burst into tears and had to be removed from the auditorium. It is not a violent or scary film by any means but it is not for the very young.

Part of the film’s appeal comes from the fact that the on-screen characters – voiced by big names, including Idris Elba, Christopher Walken (superbly channelling Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now as King Louis) and Scarlett Johanssen – are as believable as any human actor.

But what surprised me most came as the credits rolled at the end. The place was as filthy as you might expect if 200 monkeys had been sitting there instead of the good citizens of Exeter. Cups, cartons, popcorn, chocolates,

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09/05/2016 16:30:40

Why “off the gas grid” needn’t mean “off the shortlist” With many of Cornwall’s most picturesque locations out of the reach of mains gas, Mark Britton of South West Heating examines the options for homebuyers and vendors alike.

From Torpoint to Sennen, and Bude to the Lizard Peninsula, some of Cornwall’s most beautiful places are also among the most remote. In fact, the secluded location is often a big part of the appeal.

What’s more, the Economy 7 energy tariff that night storage uses offsets its night-time discount by making your peak time energy more expensive – costing you more every time you do your ironing, watch television or make a cup of tea.

But life off the beaten track has its challenges, and high on the list for homeowners is finding a reliable, affordable way to heat a property with no mains gas.

Switching to a self-contained “wet” heating system – powered by oil or bottled gas – can be an effective option, but it’s hardly straightforward.

Buyers want efficient heating That presents the region’s home buyers with a dilemma. After all, a 2014 survey found efficient heating is a top priority for 73% of buyers – making it more important than parking, a garden or a shower – but ruling out properties without mains gas can severely limit your buying options.

For vendors, too, it’s a problem. In particular, try selling a property that still relies on night storage heaters. They’re famously hard to control, expensive to run, and always seem to run out of heat just when you need it most.

Oil and LPG: messy and complicated

Even for properties with the luxury of space to store a bulky tank, there’s the hassle, mess and disruption of pipework – not to mention the worry of notoriously volatile prices and, in remote areas, potential difficulties with deliveries.

It’s no wonder that vendors can be reluctant to install new central heating just to sell – or that buyers prefer properties where the heating is already sorted out.

Your secret weapon: ELKAtherm® electric radiators Where replacing ageing, inefficient or inadequate heating with a new “wet” system is not practical or desirable, the new generation of efficient, electric ELKAtherm® radiators are an excellent option.

Slimmer and more attractive than night storage heaters, ELKAtherm® heating is easy to adjust without even leaving your sofa – and because there’s no need for wasteful overnight charging, you can be as warm as you like, at a moment’s notice.

You can switch away from your Economy 7 tariff, too – saving money on your energy overall – as the efficient, German heating technology uses far less power, more than making up for the overnight discount.

Upgrade in a day Crucially, the lack of pipework and storage tanks means ELKAtherm® radiators are no trouble at all to install – here at South West Heating, we usually upgrade an entire property in a single day, and leave the home as pristine as if it were our own.

That’s good to know if you’re trying to sell a property with night storage heaters – and if it’s a sticking point in that perfect property you’re keen to buy, you can safely go ahead and negotiate your discount: we won’t tell how easy it is to fix, if you don’t.

For more advice on efficient, controllable heating, call South West Heating on 01209 714600, visit southwestheatingsolutions.co.uk or write to us at ‘Freepost SOUTH WEST HEATING SOLUTIONS’ no other address details required (not even a postcode). ©LW

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