Exeter Living - Issue 238

Food/Arts/Entertainment/Shopping/Property ISSUE 238 / JANUARY 2019 / £3

EXETER AND BEYOND

EAT, BRAY, LOVE ISSUE 238 / JANUARY 2019 / THE HOOF OF TODAY

LIFE AT THE DONKEY SANCTUARY

SOUTH WEST TRAVEL SPECIAL

GETTING HAPPY, HEALTHY & GORGEOUS IN EXETER

MAKING A MARK

YINKA SHONIBARE EXPLORES PATTERN AT RAMM

AND MICHELLE KENNEY / MICHAEL CAINES / JULIE REID

NUZZLE UP TO 2019

EDITOR’S LETTER

ABOVE: Property Showcase, p89; BELOW: Yinka Shonibare’s Food Faerie at RAMM

W

hat is New Year to you?

Whether you’re twerking through the chimes of Big Ben or boxset-bingeing with a plate of leftovers, we wish you a cool and contented one.

Now, we’re not massively sold on the idea of New Year’s resolutions – why embark upon something scary/difficult/important after Christmas, when you’re in far too much of an enfeebled, toxic slump to handle it?

That said, any decision to tackle physical problems at this time of year is a no-brainer – which is why, in this issue, we’ve taken a look at the different ways you can boost your health and wellbeing in and around Exeter, starting with a full-on medical MOT. We learned a new acronym, too: FOFO. Find out what that means on page 21...

We’re all much more than our flesh and bones, of course, which is why we’ve also got wholesome refreshment for your mind, in the form of exciting new art, easy travel ideas and more, including donkeys. We love donkeys.

2019 in Exeter promises even more zest, innovation and colour than its predecessor – and we can’t wait to spend it with you.

ANNA BRITTEN Follow us on Twitter @ExeterLiving

www.mediaclash.co.uk I EXETER LIVING I 3

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Issue 238/January 2019 Cover Hannah and Drizzle at The Donkey Sanctuary

upfront

9 Spotlight All the Exeter news you need this

month

13 julie Reid Let it snow! Let it snow! She is one with

the wind and sky

FEATURES

17 FRIEND REQUEST Find out more about The

Donkey Sanctuary

Nuffield Health Exeter Hospital – and other ways to make 2019 happier, healthier and hotter

21 WELL, WELL, WELL Getting a full body MOT at

the arts

32 WHAT’S ON All the best art, theatre, comedy, music

and whatnot for January

RAMM’s big winter exhibition

Moose Allain up to now?

38 HOLDING PATTERNS Yinka Shonibare presents 44 ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER What’s that

82

17

food & DRINK

47 NEWS Longlasting chefs, new ventures and a

celebration dinner – it’s all happening round here!

21

www.mediaclash.co.uk I exeter LIving I 5

Emergency appointments

Issue 238/January 2019

TRAVEL

59 go west The best cities in the South West (after

Exeter, naturally) for a day trip or weekend

Business

73 business insider Expansions! Investments! And

more great news from the city’s commercial sector

78 meet the winners Exeter Living Awards 2018

MOTORING

82 THE X FACTOR Mercedes allowed Chris Bentley

behind the wheel of a very special truck indeed...

Property

89 showcase Head down to a staggering sunken

home near Sidmouth

59

Regulars

69 society 98 Exeter lives Fantasy author Mich Kenney

44

Editor Anna Britten anna.britten@mediaclash.co.uk Managing Editor Deri Robins deri.robins@mediaclash.co.uk Senior Art Editor Andrew Richmond Graphic Design Megan Allison Cover Design Trevor Gilham Editor’s Photo Emma Solley Contributors Julie Reid, Simon Horn, Lisa Evans, Deri Robins, Emma Dance, Sarah Moolla, Kitty Kane Advertising manager Paul Wiltshire paul.wiltshire@mediaclash.co.uk Account manager Paula Miller paula.miller@mediaclash.co.uk Senior sales executive Craig Wallberg craig.wallberg@mediaclash.co.uk Production/Distribution Manager Sarah Kingston sarah.kingston@mediaclash.co.uk Deputy production manager/ production designer Kirstie Howe kirstie.howe@mediaclash.co.uk Chief Executive Jane Ingham jane.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk Chief Executive Greg Ingham greg. ingham@mediaclash.co.uk Exeter Living MediaClash, Circus Mews House, Circus Mews, Bath BA1 2PW 01225 475800 www.mediaclash.co.uk @The MediaClash © All rights reserved. May not be reproduced without written permission of MediaClash.

We’re a Bath-based publisher, creative agency and event organiser Magazines Our portfolio of regional magazines celebrates the best of local living: Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter and Salisbury. We also publish foodie mag Crumbs (www.crumbsmag.com, @CrumbsMag). Agency From the design and build of websites to digital marketing and creating company magazines, we can help. Events We create, market, promote and operate a wide variety of events both for MediaClash and our clients Contact: info@mediaclash. co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I exeter living I 7

spotlight Everybody’s talking about…

Hot tickets for 2019 Cakes

THE FABULOUS BAKER BOYS Move over Mary Berry. Budge up, Paul Hollywood.

The only celebrity bakers we’re interested in right now are The Cookie Club.

You know – the secret Exeter Chiefs players’ baking club, to which admission is strictly invite-only. It meets regularly throughout the season and players battle for cake-related bragging rights.

Anyway, the official The Cookie Club Cookbook, has just been published, containing 14 recipes for fabulous cakes and bakes from Exeter favourites, and international rugby stars, including Thomas Waldrom, Geoff Parling, Dave Ewers, Tomas Francis, Moray Low, Matt Kvesic, Don Armand, Gareth Steenson, Phil Dollman, Ollie Devoto, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Ben Moon.

And what of Nowellsy, Exeter’s first ever British Lion, you ask? Predictably, he’s part of a rival gang, the Sandwich Club, but has been allowed to submit a guest recipe.

Proceeds will go to Exeter Chiefs Foundation and Devon Air Ambulance, the local charities chosen by Phil Dollman to benefit from his Testimonial Year events.

The Cookie Club Cookbook is available now and can be ordered through your local independent bookshop (direct them to jameswoollam@gmail.com or 07989 234372) or through the usual online channels

Don’t feel jaded when you’re packing up the decorations and freezing the leftover cranberry sauce.

Because as we went to press with this issue, a flurry of big entertainment names suddenly announced they were coming to Exeter in 2019.

First up, the eternally endearing Ardal O’Hanlon, best known as Dougal in Father Ted, brings his The Showing Off Must Go On tour to Exeter Northcott on 15 March. Next, Lee Nelson, the comic alter ego of elite Craig David all over your castle

prankster Simon Brodkin, who’s ingeniously embarrassed everyone from Sepp Blatter to Donald Trump, presents his Serious Joker show at the same venue on 6 April.

Then, across town at Exeter Corn Exchange you’ve a double whammy of comic excellence in May. The “outrageously camp” Julian Clary: Born To Mince is on 22 May while award-winning comedian and bestselling author Adam Kay shares entries from his diaries as a junior doctor, and spoof songs, in live show This Is Going To Hurt on 31 May. Craig David – who is also impossible to watch with a straightface, as even his fiercest fans will concur – is to alight on Powderham Castle on 1 June and promises all his hits, old and new, including 7 Days and Nothing Like This. Support comes superstar DJ from Sigala, Becky Hill and Nathan Dawe.

And finally, (so far at least) Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds have been announced for 30 June, also at Powderham Castle, with support from Exeter band The Loft Club.

For more: www.exetercornexchange.co.uk www.exeternorthcott.co.uk www.powderham.co.uk

Tech

VIRTUAL VOYAGE

Makes a nice change from FIFA...

A team at the University of Exeter has invented 3D gaming technology enabling students and researchers to take virtual field trips from the temperate climes of East Devon to the Arctic Circle and beyond.

The Interactive Virtual Environments for Teaching and Assessment – InVEnTA – was recently nominated for an international award in San Francisco, to which over 1,150 projects were submitted from around the world.

Says Dr Steven Palmer, one of the senior lecturers in physical geography behind the invention: “We’ve used data collected by a fixed-wing drone during a 2017 research field trip to create an immersive environment to show how, from a computer anywhere in the world, lecturers can take students on a virtual field trip to the glacier.

“Instead of controlling weapons in a shoot-em-up game, students can control where they go in the virtual environment.”

For more: www.exeter.ac.uk

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spotlight Exeter Living Awards

LOOK SHARP – NOMINATIONS CLOSE 18 JANUARY! Nominations are flowing in for the Exeter Living Awards, the Judges have been revealed and the entry deadline has been confirmed as 18 January 2019.

In addition, Premier Financial Planning have jumped on board as the latest Silver Sponsor. And with just three months to go until the big night on 7 March, ticket sales are well on track to sell out in advance of the glittering event.

With the deadline for nominations now less than a month away, businesses are urged to check the ‘12 Top Tips’ and ‘How To Win’ presentation on the Awards site, which cover everything from what to include within a nomination to advice on using social media as a supporting tool.

Any company can enter the Exeter Living Awards, big or small, start-up or well-established institution.

Nominations are made via the Awards site and it’s free to enter. Plus, companies can enter multiple categories and there’s something for everyone.

Finalists will be unveiled by email, on the Awards site and on Twitter on Imagine winning an Exeter Living Award...

Charity

NIGHT FLIGHTS

Two years ago, Devon Air Ambulance began flying until midnight every day. Now the charity, which comes to the rescue of almost a thousand patients in Devon every year and is entirely dependent on donations, has reached an afterdark milestone, treating its 100th night-time patient, a woman in Paignton who had been involved in a road traffic collision.

Nigel Hare, operations director for Devon Air Ambulance, explains: “A lot of work went into making flying at night possible, including training of crew, and the addition of equipment both on and in the helicopter. This includes night vision goggles (NVGs) which cost in the region of £18,000 per pair. We need four pairs.”

Adds CEO Heléna Holt: “It’s only thanks to the amazing support we receive from the communities, businesses and friends of Devon that we are able to further increase and improve the service we offer. Everything we do operationally puts our patients at the forefront.

The next step is to extend our night time flying hours further early next year to 2am.”

For more: www.daat.org

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The night’s watch: Pilot Ross White, critical care paramedics Paul Robinson and Dave Huyton

the Grand Reveal Day of 22 January.

Businesses wishing to attend the event are encouraged to secure their tickets before finalists are announced and ticket activity goes into overdrive.

The Awards will take place at The Great Hall on 7 March.

You can also get involved with the Awards through Sponsorship.

Sponsorship is a brilliant way to show your support for Exeter’s independent business community, and benefit from a wide-reaching marketing campaign. For details, contact Rosanna Hood rosanna. hood@mediaclash.co.uk The current roster of sponsors is led by Platinum Sponsor Jelf, along with category sponsors Princesshay, Visit Exeter, Energy Hair, Cathedral Appointments, WBW Solicitors, Wilkinson Grant & Co, Dana Mulligan PR & Marketing, Exeter College, Ashley House Triangle Networks, and Warwick Event Services, with The Oddfellows joining Premier Financial Planning as Silver Sponsors.

For more: www.exeterlivingawards.co.uk Twitter: @exeterlivingawd

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It’s a wrap

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OPINION JULIE REID

Snow surrender Do your worst, winter. As long as she’s in Devon, Julie’s totally up for another blizzard

I

n cities, when the snow comes, it’s beautiful for half an hour then turns to black slush with scary icy patches.

In the country, the snow and frost make everything seem calm and pretty. Everywhere you look there is a scene from a glittery Christmas card.

The snow stays around for longer in rural areas too. During last April’s downfall, my daughters put a bowlful of snowballs in the freezer so they could throw them at me throughout the whole year.

However, bad weather can really only be truly appreciated if you don’t have to travel in it. When England had the big snow in December 2010, I had just moved to East Devon. We’d bought a house at the top of a big hill with a very steep, bendy drive, and when 15 inches of snow arrived there was no way my Kia Picanto was going anywhere safely.

In these situations you have

“My daughters put a bowlful of snowballs in the freezer so they could throw them at me throughout the whole year”

to improvise, so I would get on my children’s sledge outside the front door and ride it all the way down the drive, and road, into town. This is how I had to buy the Christmas dinner. Unfortunately, there was no ski lift to bring me and the turkey back up, and by this stage the turkey couldn’t walk, so it was a long, cold slog to get home. I kept reminding myself that this is the kind of thing the heroines of Thomas Hardy novels had to overcome in the West Country, and generally their lives were more complicated and grotesque than mine.

There have been times where I have watched the huge rush-hour traffic jams on Haldon Hill lasting days, maybe months, and heard about the backlog of flights due to severe weather conditions at local airports from the comfort of my own warm home and wondered how other, colder countries like Greenland cope, but with a population smaller than Torquay I don’t expect they have much of a rush hour.

I once drove through a full-on snowstorm between Exeter and Bristol that lasted an hour and a half. During that time I could see exactly nothing in front of me, except snow pouring down. To the side, I could just make out that the fast lane didn’t exist as it was under about 10 inches of snow.

Yet still my Picanto kept going and somehow eventually got me to Hampstead where my friends had decided to go sledging. Not being that prepared for winter sports, we did what everyone else was doing and went round stealing ‘For Sale’ signs to glide along the snow on.

By contrast, when people come out to play on the frozen hills of East Devon everyone seems to have a beautiful hand-crafted wooden sleigh.

Going anywhere in London in the winter is made even more difficult by the fact that on all public transport the heating is turned up to 11, so when you are stuffed in there wearing three jumpers, a duffle coat and a thermal vest (not always in that order) you feel like you are going to melt all over your fellow commuters.

Even though it presents good photo opportunities I could easily do without the cold. I prefer icy weather from a distance, as when watching the tobogganing events on TV, or reading Russian literature. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow… ■

Julie Reid is a photographer/writer and London exile who moved to Sidmouth with her two children and rock star husband. Instagram: @londondevongirl

www.mediaclash.co.uk I EXETER LIVING I 13

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Lock, stock and barrel Just moved house? Front door playing up? Or do you need advice on making your business secure? EXETER LOCKSMITHS have it all covered

E

xeter Locksmiths was opened in 1997 by Alan May and Steve Hill. When Alan retired in 2014, Tim Steer bought his share of the business and for the last four years he’s worked alongside Steve to build the company’s profile and reputation. 2018 has been an exciting year of change. They have welcomed a new business partner, Lee Austin, who with his 20+ years of locksmithing experience has helped to increase the services that they offer as well as their availability to customers. Tim tells us a little more about the company and their future: So Tim, how did you first get into locksmithing?

It all happened by chance really. I didn’t actually have any locksmithing experience but growing up I’d always been impressed by people picking locks in films! I’d just moved house and came into the shop to buy some new cylinders (you should always change your locks when you move house) where I met Steve. We spoke and he explained that Alan was looking to retire and the rest is history really.

What services do Exeter Locksmiths offer?

We provide such a wide range of services that it’s tricky to list them all. Whether you’re looking to change or upgrade your locks, you’re locked out, or your door’s playing up we’re the people to call.

We provide master key suites no matter how big or small to local business and landlords. We also supply and fit safes, so if you’re just looking for somewhere safe and fireproof to keep important documents like passports or you want somewhere to keep your gold bars we can help. Then of course there’s the key cutting and lock sales service that we offer from our shop in Cowick Street in St Thomas.

“FORCEABLE ENTRY IS NEVER AN OPTION FOR US!” How have you seen your business change as modern technology is implemented into homes and vehicles?

That’s a good question. Vehicle wise, modern technology has really progressed and is improving all the time, however we focus predominantly on the security of homes and businesses. There have been vast improvements recently with companies bringing out app controlled locks, however these are still largely untested and some of the ones which have been released have already been discontinued. So as exciting as this could all be, for the time being we advise our customers to stick to the tried and trusted methods of mechanical locks and physically using a key.

I’ve locked myself out of my house/car, is forceable entry my only hope of getting back in?

Forceable entry is never an option for us! We’re all well trained locksmiths and although on occasions a calculated drill hole is required, we aim to get our customers in as quickly and damage free as possible.

Are all the staff at Exeter Locksmiths DBS checked?

Absolutely. It’s so important for us to represent a safe and honest workforce. We work in individuals’ homes, businesses, schools, and when we go to these places we want our customers to know we are trusted and reliable locksmiths.

Is there any advice you can give me in order to keep my property secure?

The best thing to do on this front would be to call us so we can come out and advise you. We offer free local surveys and quotes.

Each customer’s property needs to be dealt with individually, as I’m sure you can imagine they all have different styled doors, locks and requirements. We would inform the customer if their current locks are up to the latest insurance standards. In addition to this, many people do not realise that it is vital to change your locks when you move house as the previous owners may still have keys, or the house may have been rented out so you never know who could let themselves into your house. This is even important with new builds, as multiple people will have had access to the keys during the construction of the property.

What are your future plans for Exeter Locksmiths?

Our plan is to continue in the direction that we are going, making Exeter Locksmiths a well known trusted and approved company throughout Exeter. One that provides high quality service at a reasonable price.

Exeter Locksmiths, 39 Cowick Street, St Thomas, Exeter, EX4 1AW Phone: 01392 272725 enquiries@exeterlocksmiths.com www.exeterlocksmiths.com www.mediaclash.co.uk I EXETER LIVING I 15

ON THE COVER

FRIEND REQUEST

Not just a cute face...

Gentle natures, enormous strength and extraordinary intelligence – here’s why you should get acquainted with the furry residents of The Donkey Sanctuary this winter

Words by Simon Horn www.mediaclash.co.uk I EXETER LIVING I 17

N

estled in the tranquil East Devon countryside, you may know The Donkey Sanctuary as a family favourite and a leading visitor attraction, but it’s much more than that. In 2019, the organisation celebrates its 50th anniversary – half a century over which it has grown from rescuing neglected and abused donkeys in the UK to the world’s largest equine charity.

The Donkey Sanctuary was founded in 1969, by Dr Elisabeth Svendsen MBE. The visionary dedicated her life to championing donkeys, and it is through her amazing devotion that the sanctuary grew to the international charity it is today.

Set in more than 130 acres, Slade House Farm is the administrative heart of the organisation, and also the main visitor site.

In 2018, it received around 350,000 visitors, establishing itself as a major visitor attraction in the South West.

The sanctuary in Sidmouth is one of six regional centres around the UK, with a network of other sanctuaries and holding bases around the UK and Europe, providing a home to thousands of donkeys.

When a donkey first comes into the care of The Donkey Sanctuary, it is brought to the New Arrivals Unit to be quarantined for a period. Here it receives a veterinary medical assessment and any necessary emergency care.

A state-of-the-art veterinary hospital near Honiton was opened in 2017 and treats sick donkeys, both inside and outside the charity’s care. Here, training is also provided to animal welfare officers and vets from across the world.

The Donkey Sanctuary operates six dedicated therapy centres in the UK. As well

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The donkeys can call 1,200 acres of farmland home

“Give us a kiss”

ON THE COVER as Sidmouth it includes Belfast, Birmingham, Ivybridge, Leeds and Manchester.

The donkey-facilitated learning programme run throughout the UK was developed from Dr Svendsen’s donkey-assisted therapy and now benefits adults as well as children with additional needs, focusing on developing their key life skills such as self-esteem, managing emotions and empathy.

Donkeys have an innate emotional intelligence that can help to develop the psycho-social and emotional skill set of humans. The donkeys are given the freedom to work with people to develop an empathetic relationship, which is mutually beneficial. One of the key aims of this programme is also to raise the status of the donkey to be recognised as a sentient, intelligent being, with a huge capacity to teach us about ourselves.

The charity also works or supports projects in around 40 countries across the world, supporting some of the poorest communities who rely on working donkeys which are essential to their livelihoods.

In rural areas, the traditional beast of burden is often used in farming and transportation: pulling ploughs and carts, delivering goods to market, and collecting water from wells. In urban areas, they are mainly used in construction and transportation of people and goods.

By working with owners, the charity’s work embraces veterinary care, nutrition, housing,

working hours, weight of the load, welfarefriendly harnesses and cart design to improve the welfare of their donkey benefitting both human and donkey.

Those who have visited the sanctuary in Sidmouth would not have failed to notice its delightful setting, with views stretching down to the Jurassic Coast. The Donkey Sanctuary occupies over 1,200 acres of farmland in Devon and Dorset, most of which falls within the rolling hills of the East Devon Area of

“Donkeys have an innate emotional intelligence” Outstanding Natural Beauty.

This land provides the resident donkeys with summer grazing pastures and haylage for the winter, as well as supporting wildlife and semi-natural habitats. Woodlands, ponds, hedgebanks and grassland are used by dormice, farmland birds, at least 11 species of bat, butterflies, bees and many other kinds of wildlife.

Today, ways are being explored how to best integrate the health and wellbeing of donkeys, people and the natural environment on sanctuary land. Led by the dedicated wildlife

and conservation team through sustainable habitat management, species monitoring and volunteer programmes, this will ultimately enrich the lives of the resident donkeys, safeguard the longevity and quality of wildlife habitats, and give people the opportunity to connect with donkeys and nature.

As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations, The Donkey Sanctuary has been awarded an Artisan Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2019. The ‘Donkeys Matter’ garden will act as a focal point to celebrate the milestone year and to showcase its international work.

The ‘Donkeys Matter’ garden will use water as its central theme and will demonstrate how owning a donkey means access to clean, fresh water for some of the poorest and most vulnerable communities in the world.

The Donkey Sanctuary continues to be a free attraction. The new gift shop, restaurant and Exhibition Barn offers even more for visitors to experience, with all profits going back into supporting the work of the charity.

It is fitting that even by enjoying a coffee overlooking the donkeys in their paddocks, you are supporting the vision that Dr Svendsen started all those years ago.

The Donkey Sanctuary, Dunscombe Lane, Sidmouth, Devon EX10 0NU Open 365 days of the year, 9am-5pm (4pm Nov-Feb); free admission and parking; dogs welcome 01395 578222; www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk

These three have secretly formed a band

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M

alen Hea l

th

d ag

MAGDALEN HEALTH,

the new home of Exeter Osteopaths.

Offering a range of effective therapies in the heart of Exeter, to treat all ages, types of pain, injury and health concerns.

Osteopathy | Cranial Osteopathy Acupuncture | Massage | Myofascial Release

OSTEOPATHY & WELLNESS Health House focuses on the treatment and prevention of a wide range of health problems for all ages, with osteopathy and other therapies.

Our wellness studio offers yoga, Pilates, Bike Fit service and workshops.

WINTER WARMER SPECIAL OFFER VOUCHER

Treatments include: Osteopathy, Sports Massage Psychotherapy Aromatherapy Holistic Beauty Therapy

£10 off a Massage Treatment with Faye Take some time out to relax during these winter months with a hot stones or Swedish massage, to ease away any tension and improve your over all well being.

Alternatively if you have any specific aches and pains, have them alleviated with a deep tissue sports massage. *Present voucher on day to redeem. One voucher per person.

Only valid for one treatment. Offer only available on bookings with Faye.

Valid until the 31st January 2019.

Tel: 01392 428141 Easy online booking available visit: www.exeterosteopaths.co.uk

Rosie Russell, Osteopath

The Old Stables, Barrack Road, Exeter EX2 5ED Tel 01392 401260 Email healthhouseltd@gmail.com

www.health-house.co.uk

NEW YEAR, NEW YOU

WELL, WELL, WELL When ANNA BRITTEN was offered a top-to-toe medical assessment at Nuffield Hospital, she jumped at the chance. But what if she heard some bad news?

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Nuffield Health Exeter Hospital on Wonford Road

Y

ou’ve heard FOMO (fear of missing out) but have you heard of FOFO – fear of finding out?

It’s what stops 62% of Brits going to the doctor, according to a study in 2018. We’d rather soldier on with our headaches, fluttering hearts and dicky tummies than risk finding out something serious is afoot. And I’ll wager just as many of us suffer from related phobia FOWTDT (fear of wasting the doctor’s time).

Stupid, right? I thought so. Until I realised FOFO had consumed me.

It was the afternoon of my 360 Health Assessment at Nuffield Hospital on Wonford Road. As instructed, I’d been fasting and avoiding caffeine in preparation – and it hadn’t helped matters. Fears filled my mind. Hadn’t I, just the other day, boasted about taking only one sick day in five years? Obviously, karma was now preparing to destroy me.

As my taxi crawled through a rainy St Leonards, generations of family ailments, reaching back through the generations, seemed poised above my head waiting to drop, from high cholesterol to melanoma to angina.

And worse, much worse.

Private health screening is about prevention. It’s designed to unearth previously undetected conditions before they become a problem. It’s standard procedure for celebrities, chief executives and royals, and is becoming increasingly popular among civilians seeking reassurance without wishing to pile more pressure on the under-resourced NHS. So when I was invited to experience one, it seemed crazy to decline.

The Nuffield 360 Health Assessment takes two hours, and is divided into two parts. Book a morning slot if you want lunch that day.

Part one is with a physiologist – in my case, the softly spoken and ultra zen Dr Tom Whitlock. We discuss my personal medical history and the online lifestyle questionnaire I completed earlier. He extracts

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some blood from my arm, sends me off to collect a urine sample, and then rewards me for my fasting with a piece of fruit.

Impressively, the samples go up to the lab immediately, with results mere minutes afterwards (you send them another, unmentionable sample, which is to detect bowel cancer, at least five days before). The blood test checks for cholesterol, diabetes, anaemia, kidney and liver function and other issues.

Dr Whitlock also weighs me, measures me, calculates my body mass index (BMI), measures my body fat using a small electrical charge, and analyses my flexibility and posture by running a ‘spinal mouse’, which reminds me of one of those old-fashioned price tag guns, up and down my back. I exhale into a tube, like I’m being breathalysed, to discover what my lungs are capable of. Dr Whitlock also takes my blood pressure and carries out an

This is what bad cholesterol (the yellow stuff) can do to your arteries

NEW YEAR, architects NEW YOU

“Generations of family ailments seem poised above my head, waiting to drop, from high cholesterol to melanoma to angina. And worse, much worse� www.mediaclash.co.uk mediaclash.co.uk I EXETER LIVING I 38 23

NEW YEAR, NEW YOU Trying to focus on the doctor, but really distracted by that bowl of snacks

ECG to monitor my heart rate.

During the latter I find that even a casual thought about work makes my heart rate zigzag wildly; and that zoning out makes it steady. More zoning out, clearly, is called for in 2019. I also discover I am 54.9% water, which is rather... humbling.

The word ‘mindfulness’ crops up at one point, but, perhaps seeing my eyes narrow fractionally, Dr Whitlock doesn’t go there. And with that we’re done – and so far, so good.

Part two of the 360 Health Assessment sees you face-to-face with a GP to discuss the findings up to now, and carry out a few final checks. By this point my FOFO has decreased considerably – and as soon as I meet the formidable Dr Neera Bhatia the final vestiges dissipate altogether.

After a brisk but thorough breast and abdomen examination, she concludes I am in good nick: “Tick, v good, gold star.” But, she adds, I could do with some some strength training. She recommends her own, favourite fitness app. I also need to drink more water; and sip it not swig it (because that’s how you avoid peeing a hundred times a day). We talk about stress, and she shares as much about her life as I do. It’s like talking to a friend.

I leave Nuffield Hospital feeling both reassured and clued-up, determined never again to let FOFO decide my health and my future.

I’m planning to study my full report when it’s sent to me in the next few days, and make changes to my lifestyle accordingly (but first, to celebrate, I’m going to make myself 54.9% cava).

What I enjoyed – and I never thought I’d use that verb – was the novelty of having a medical professional’s undivided attention for two hours. To be able to talk about my niggles and worries and ideas, however insubstantial, without stressing that I was making a nuisance of myself, or prolonging the suffering of a waiting room’s worth of genuinely ill people. I feel special. I feel like a member of the royal family, who probably do this on a monthly basis and thus live to 100.

Which brings us to the elephant in the room. Frankly, if you’re not getting it for free through your employer, and you don’t have medical insurance, a private health assessment like this is expensive. However, think of it as a life-saving precautionary measure and it seems like a bargain. For the price of a weekend in a country house hotel, you get a top-to-toe appraisal and a shot at owning medical issues before they get out of hand, land you in hospital and cost you a hell of a lot more.

As Dr Bhatia says, “We think nothing of giving our cars an MOT, so why not our bodies?”

We wouldn’t go so far as to suggest you book one for your beloved this Valentine’s Day but… well, it’d be quite the gesture, wouldn’t it?

A Nuffield 360 Health Assessment costs £564.

Nuffield Health Exeter Hospital, Wonford Road, Exeter; 01392 249131; www.nuffieldhealth.com

24 I EXETER LIVING I www.mediaclash.co.uk

NEW YEAR, NEW JOB?

If you’re dreading your return to work after the festive period, could it be time for a new job?

“The New Year tends to be the time of year when people take stock and look at all the different aspects of their lives that they want to change or improve,” says Sarah Knight, director of Sarah West Recruitment in Exeter. “And thinking about your career tends to be right up there!

“You may also have some time off over Christmas so it’s the perfect time to get ahead and do your preparation for your job search. Revamp your CV to make sure it’s up to date and make some general improvements. You could tweak your personal profile to make it a bit more interesting, or just give your CV a bit of an overhaul to add any new responsibilities or add to your hobbies and interests section. It’s also a good idea to have a look over your social media – is your LinkedIn information up to date, for example?

“We have a number of vacancies where the hiring manager wants to start the process in January, so the New Year looks set to get off to a flying start for us!

“We’re always happy to lend a hand if you have any queries about your job search – we’d love to hear from you if you’re considering a new job for 2019!” www.sarahwest.co.uk

Strength conditioning is highly recommended – we can lose as much as 3% to 5% of muscle mass each decade after the age of 30

“For the price of a weekend in a country house hotel you get a top-to-toe appraisal and a shot at owning medical issues before they get out of hand, land you in hospital and cost you a hell of a lot more” www.mediaclash.co.uk I EXETER LIVING I 25

NEW YEAR, NEW YOU

DIRECTORY

Yes, ‘New Year New You’ is a dusty old cliché but for a good reason. Our bodies and souls crave a bit of TLC when January rolls around – and it needn’t be a full-on medical MOT. A haircut, dental check, or new yoga class can all put a spring in your step and Exeter will provide. So straighten your back, take a deep, cleansing breath and check this lot out…

HAIR Eighteen West (non-surgical male hair replacement) 18 West Street, Exeter; 01392 426854 HQ Hair & Beauty 9 Lower North Street, Exeter; 07988 715491; Facebook: hqhairandbeautyexeter Jeffery’s 162a Sidwell Street, Exeter 01392 498105; Facebook: jefferybarbers Jeff Goodwin Hair 53 Queen Street, Exeter 01392 219855; www. jeffgoodwinhair.co.uk Richard Beaumont Longbrook 58-64 Longbrook Street, Exeter; 01392 272252; www.longbrooksalon.co.uk Smith + Denning (formerly known as Teamworks) 6 Iron Bridge, Exeter; 01392 425542; www.teamworks-hair.co.uk Strands Hair 47 The Strand, Exmouth 01395 271663; www.strandshairdressers.com

BEAUTY Belulino 4 Roberts Road, Exeter;

Get the snip!

01392 410055; www.belulino.co.uk Changing Faces 39 New Bridge St, Exeter; 01392 758644; www.changingfaces.net Lefroy Beauty Therapy Musgrave House, Gandy Street, Exeter; 01392 438516; www.lefroybeautytherapy.co.uk Purity Spa 3 Cathedral Close, Exeter 01392 420027; www. purityboutiquespa.co.uk Skin Southwest 30 Southernhay East, Exeter; 01392 426285; www.skinsouthwest.co.uk Tao 49 Queen Street, Exeter; 01392 273860; www. taoskincareandlaserclinic.co.uk Wear Park Spa Exeter Golf and Country Club, Topsham Road, Exeter 01392 874139; www.exetergcc.co.uk

The Exeter Dental Centre 17 Castle Street, Exeter; 01392 272350; www.exeterdentalcentre.co.uk

BODY Health House The Old Stables, Barrack Road, Exeter; 01392 401260; www.health-house.co.uk Slimming World Exeter www.slimmingworld.co.uk/ slimwithAnnExeter The Exeter Clinic 9 New North Road, Exeter; 0800 9995545; www.exeterclinic.com Viveka Gardens Yoga Retreat Rooks Farm, West Leigh, Crediton 01837 880050; www.vivekagardens.com Exeter Travel Clinic 22 Southernhay W, Exeter 01392 430590; www. travelhealthconsultancy.co.uk

TEETH

Magdalen Health/ Exeter Osteopaths 1Fairpark Road, Exeter 01392 428141; www.exeterosteopaths.co.uk

Inspired Dental Care 246 High Street, Exeter 01392 272385; www.inspireddentalcare.co.uk

Chime Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital, Barrack Road,

26 I EXETER LIVING I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Exeter 01392 402223; www.chimehealth.co.uk

MIND Psychology Associates 4-5 Southernhay West, Exeter; 0845 0267260

ROMANCE Pi Society 07970 825437; www.pisociety.co.uk

PETS Little Valley Animal Shelter Black Hat Lane, Bakers Hill, Exeter 01392 439898; www.rspcalittlevalley.org.uk/adopt-a-dog

CAREERS Cathedral Appointments 33-35 Southernhay East, Exeter; 01392 413577; www.cathedralappointments. co.uk RGB Recruitment Exeter Business Park, 1 Emperor Way, Exeter 01392 314052; www.rgbrec.com Sarah West Recruitment Dart Farm Village, Topsham 01392 873813; www.sarahwest.co.uk

STRANDS H A I R SITUATED ON THE STRAND BOOK TODAY: 01395 271663

At Strands we want you to

LOVE YOUR LOOK

OPEN 9AM - 5.30PM MON TO SAT AN D LATE NIGHTS ON FRIDAY

and constantly strive to offer the very best range of high quality hairdressing services available.

Our Stylists are trained to our high standards to help you define your personal style; giving you beautiful, manageable, healthy hair that stands out.

Visit us at: Strands Hair, 47 The Strand, Exmouth, EX8 1AL

For more information: www.strandshairdressers.com

2017

We create special relationships PI SOCIETY offers an ideal way to find your perfect match, offering you a personal and friendly service to help you fulfil your social and personal lives. We combine a professional and discreet matchmaking service with local social events.

For more information please call us on 07970825437 or visit us on line: www.pisociety.co.uk

a dating agency in Devon with a heart...

TAO

BEAUTY - SKIN CARE - LASER CLINIC

LASER HAIR REMOVAL - SKIN REJUVENATION - CACI NON SURGICAL FACELIFT

Tao Skincare Clinic is situated over two floors of a beautiful Georgian building in Exeter’s city centre. Being Exeter’s longest standing beauty salon we offer the very latest up to date treatments including the celebrity acclaimed CACI Ultra for anti-ageing and toning benefits, the prestigious skincare brand Guinot Paris staring the famous Hydradermie Facials and the original power polish SHELLAC, for a shiny perfect 14 day wear manicure.

Visit us at: 49 Queen Street Exeter, Devon EX4 3SR - Telephone: 01392 273 860 Email Us: info@taoskincare.co.uk - Online: www.taoskincareandlaserclinic.co.uk

advertising feature

Building a reputation Why leading construction and property organisations turn to RGB recruitment

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wo decades specialising in construction recruitment has allowed us to finesse our craft.

An essential part of this has been to constantly strive to best understand our clients and candidates – we’ve gained a deep appreciation of how we can make your recruitment process more enjoyable and rewarding, and this remains at the heart of everything we do.

As part of the Pertemps Network, a global recruitment business, RGB are perfectly positioned to service our clients across the UK. As well as being focused on delivering businesses the best applicants and putting forward appropriate jobs for our huge list of candidates, we’ve been dedicated to maintaining an excellent knowledge of the construction and engineering sector. It’s this knowledge, experience and expertise that makes us the first choice for so many leading construction and property organisations.

Our team are well versed at filling a variety of roles and we will take the time to get to know

your business. If or when the time comes to fill a more specialist role, we are poised, ready to spring into action, delivering the right candidate, exactly when you need them.

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The fabulous team at RGB make our business what it is. We are a company that believes passionately in the importance of employee wellbeing and we all ensure there is a great culture where everyone feels valued and hard work is recognised and appreciated. Our staff retention levels are exceptional in the recruitment sector and this is something we are really proud of.

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Exeter Business Park, Exeter EX1 3QS Tel: 01392 314052 E-mail: Careeers@rgbrec.co.uk

MONDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

Alphington Village Hall 5.30pm & 7.30pm with Ann 07530940000

St Thomas Methodist Church 9.15am & 11.15am with Julie 07786831786

Countess Wear The Church Rooms (opp the Tally Ho Pub) Countess Wear 9.15am, 11.15am & 7pm with Julie 07786 831786

TUESDAY Alphington Village Hall 9am with Ann 07530940000 Heavitree Social Club 10am with Lyndsay 07816223803 St Thomas Methodist Church 3pm, 5pm & 7pm with Laura 07966708709

St Thomas Methodist Church 5.30pm with Julie W 07825751625 St James Church, Mount Pleasant 5.30pm & 7.30pm with Jayne 07846565638

FRIDAY Exminster Victory Hall 9am with Julie W 07825751625 Pinhoe - America Hall 9.30am & 11.30am with Lyndsay 07816223803

What’s on 21 December – 21 January

Put your hands up for Exeter! The fabulous Jack & The Beanstalk runs until 6 Jan

EXHIBITIONS Until 4 January

LOUISE DAVIES & GAIL BRODHOLT: FROM THE CITY TO THE SEA Beautiful works depicting town and countryside/coast.

Brook Gallery, 30 Fore Street, Budleigh Salterton; www.brookgallery.co.uk

Until 6 January

CANADIANS IN DEVON 1914-1918: WAR PHOTOGRAPHS Exhibition exploring Devon’s links with Canada and Canadian soldiers.

RAMM, Queen Street, Exeter; www.exeter.gov.uk/ramm

Until 6 January

DEVON VOICES 1914-1918: HOME FRONT STORIES First-hand accounts of Devon life during World War One, from nurses to farmers to evacuees. Meet the

Researcher talk 16 November.

RAMM, Queen Street, Exeter; www.exeter.gov.uk/ramm

Until 6 January

HOLLIE PAGE: WINK Work exploring the narcissism and seduction of digital communication.

Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street, Exeter; www.exeterphoenix.org.uk

Until 6 January

MAKE2018 Annual Christmas selling exhibition brimming with contemporary work by designer-makers from across the UK. Devon Guild, Riverside Mill, Bovey Tracey; www.crafts.org.uk

Until 9 January

REBELLIOUS SOUNDS Tune into Dreadnought South West’s archive of oral histories about women’s activism in the region.

RAMM, Queen Street, Exeter; www.exeter.gov.uk/ramm

32 I exeter living I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Until 31 January

JOHN SLATER: DOGS & THEIR OWNERS Portraits of good boys/girls and their devoted masters/mistresses.

Bigger Picture Gallery, 100 High Street, Crediton; www.biggerpicture.gallery

Until 3 February

Greenaway and leading horse painter Lucy Kemp-Welch, whose In Sight – Lord Dundonald’s Dash on Ladysmith is on public display for the first time in decades.

RAMM, Queen Street, Exeter; www.exeter.gov.uk/ramm

12 January-9 February

JAMIE FITZPATRICK: BIG DICK Solo exhibition loosely inspired

by Moby Dick and blending sound, video, automation and sculpture.

Artist talk, 19 Jan, 2.30pm (free but booking advised).

Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street, Exeter; www.exeterphoenix.org.uk

SOUTH WEST ACADEMY EXHIBITION Alan Cotton and Ray Balkwill are among the local members of the South West Academy of Fine & Applied Arts on show here.

Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Dowell Street, Honiton; www.thelmahulbert.com

Until 19 May

19 January-17 March

EXETER’S FINE ART COLLECTION: WOMEN ARTISTS Works from the 1770s to 2011 including those by Barbara Hepworth, Gillian Ayres, Exeter’s Olive Wharry, illustrator Kate

CRIMINAL ORNAMENTATION Contemporary art focussed on patterns, selected by Yinka Shonibare from the Arts Council Collection. See also page 38.

RAMM, Queen Street, Exeter; www.exeter.gov.uk/ramm

what’s on Theatre, Comedy & Dance

12 January

BEYOND THE BARRICADE: 20TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR Long-running musical show in which leading performers from past Les Miserables perform over two hours of the best music from Broadway and the West End. Northcott Theatre, Stocker Road, Exeter; www.exeternorthcott.co.uk

Until 24 December

HUMBUG! This atmospheric, immersive show by Wandering Tiger, inspired by Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, was a sell-out last year – hurry!

St Nicholas Priory, The Mint, off Fore Street, Exeter; www.wanderingtiger.com

16-26 January

Until 24 December

PUFFIN ISLAND Quirk Theatre’s cockle-warming new show for families, inspired by Devon’s own Lundy Island puffins.

Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street, Exeter; www.exeterphoenix.org.uk

Music & Opera

Until 1 January

above: Ease into 2019 with Edgelarks on 10 Jan; left: Moby Dick-inspired artworks by Jamie Fitzpatrick at Exeter Phoenix; below: The 1975 are at Westpoint at 21 Jan

LORD OF THE FLIES Exeter University Theatre Company presents a contemporary take on William Golding’s dark parable about humanity’s darkest impulses.

Northcott Theatre, Stocker Road, Exeter; www.exeternorthcott.co.uk

2 January

ALADDIN All-singing, all-dancing, big budget traditional family panto fun ahoy!

Exeter Corn Exchange, Market Street, Exeter; www.exetercornexchange.co.uk

Until 5 January

ROBIN HOOD The Exeter Little Theatre Company promises “the true and unadulterated truth about who really wore the tights in Sherwood Forest.” Ooh! Barnfield Theatre, Barnfield Rd, Exeter; www.barnfieldtheatre.org.uk

BOURNEMOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: NEW YEAR JOHANN STRAUSS GALA It’s not New Year without The Blue Danube, eh? Viennese conductor Thomas Rösner steers the BSO through all your favourite Johann Strauss polkas, marches and waltzes. Featuring soprano Fflur Wyn. The Great Hall, University of Exeter, Streatham Drive, Exeter; www.bsolive.com

10 January

JACK & THE BEANSTALK Cracking classic panto starring everyone’s favourite homegrown dame Steve Bennett alongside a local cast. Northcott Theatre, Stocker Road, Exeter; www.exeternorthcott.co.uk

EDGELARKS As in, new project and album title from BBC Folk Award-winning duo Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin – an innovative blend of traditional British music, Indian classical slide guitar and beatbox harmonica.

Support from Lara Conley.

Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street, Exeter; www.exeterphoenix.org.uk

22-30 December

18 January

Until 6 January

HANSEL & GRETEL Relaxed, interactive adaptation, from Paddleboat Theatre Company, of the classic yarn for little ones. 11am.

Northcott Theatre, Stocker Road, Exeter; www.exeternorthcott.co.uk

11 January

EXETER COMEDY CLUB Start 2019 with a laugh, at this extra ECC date in support of Exeter Respect Festival.

Exeter Corn Exchange, Market Street, Exeter; www.exetercornexchange.co.uk

BOURNEMOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: UNMISTAKABLE VOICES Shostakovich’s First Symphony and Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, with Augustin Hadelich on violin. Kirill Karabits conducts.

The Great Hall, University of Exeter, Streatham Drive, Exeter; www.bsolive.com

20 January

FROM THE JAM Former The Jam bassist Bruce Foxton, vocalist and guitarist Russell Hastings, drummer Mike

www.mediaclash.co.uk I exeter living I 33

WHAT’S ON Randon, and Andy Fairclough on Hammond and piano celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Jam’s All Mod Cons album, playing it in its entirety.

Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street, Exeter; www.exeterphoenix.org.uk

Santa’s toy shop, Christmas market and more festive fun.

Crealy Adventure Park & Resort, Sidmouth Rd, Clyst St Mary; www.crealy.co.uk

Until 5 January

ROSEMOOR GLOW See the garden and lake lit up (from 4pm) with colour-changing illuminations for Christmas.

Thurs-Sat. Winter sculpture exhibition, too.

RHS Garden Rosemoor, Great Torrington; www.rhs.org.uk/ rosemoor

21 January

THE 1975 Chart-bothering Manchester rock band behind hits such as Chocolate and The Sound hit town as part of a 10-date arena tour of UK and Ireland.

Westpoint Centre, Devon Showground, Clyst St Mary; www.westpointexeter.co.uk

31 December

NYE: BACK TO THE FUTURE See the new year in, Marty McFly-style, with fancy dress, bands and DJs, and an actual Flux Capacitor (it says here).

Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street, Exeter; www.exeterphoenix.org.uk

OTHER EVENTS Until 23 December

CREALY CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR Panto-on-ice in heated big top,

LIBRARY LIFE EMILY MACAULAY shares the latest from Exeter Library The magic of books is that they can transport you to far off worlds, different times and take you on adventures you never thought you’d have. This is true of fiction, but there’s magic in non-fiction too.

If you’d like to be inspired to make social change, Michelle Obama’s Becoming was a new release at the end of 2018. Hear how the first black First Lady found her place in the unique environment that is the White House. It’s a book that’s very much in demand, but for a small fee you can get added to the waiting list and borrow your

copy as soon as it becomes (pun intended) available.

Or are you feeling like contemplating life, the universe and everything? In Stephen Hawking’s posthumous publication Brief Answers to the Big Questions, you can consider issues such as if we can predict the future, time travel and the possible future of artificial intelligence.

Perhaps you prefer your non-fiction a little more heartwarming and uplifting? In that case, you may want to consider Noel Fitzpatrick’s (the ‘Supervet’) Listening to the Animals which tells of his journey to where he is now and the animals he has met along the way. Squeeze your own fluffy pet close whilst giving this a read, but by the end you’ll be grinning from the inside out. www.librariesunlimited. org.uk

34 I EXETER LIVING I www.mediaclash.co.uk

WANT MORE? Sign up now for the Exeter Living newsletter...

If you fancy an extra helping of Exeter Living, why not start receiving our popular Friday email newsletter? It’s the best thing you’ll get in your inbox all week, promise.

If you haven’t yet signed up, please do, so that I may gently foist upon you my personal choice of the weekend’s best happenings. You’ll also get some money-saving special offers, the week’s most amusing Exeterbased tweets and a dollop of snoop-able local property. . .

And your data is safe: we won’t share it with third parties!

So if you’d like a friendly distraction in your inbox as the weekend beckons, simply sign up here: mediaclash.co.uk/eln

6 January

DOLLS HOUSE & MINIATURE FAIR Exhibits, displays and demonstrations by some of the leading makers of dinky things.

Westpoint Centre, Devon Showground, Clyst St Mary; www.westpointexeter.co.uk

12 January

RE-IMAGINED JOURNEYS: DIGITAL ANIMATION WORKSHOP Join artist Monica Shanta Brown for an afternoon learning how to create stop-motion animations inspired by RAMM artifacts from all over the globe. Book ahead, bring a smartphone or tablet, and download the free Giphy Cam app.

RAMM, Queen Street, Exeter; www.exeter.gov.uk/ramm

13-16 January

GIVING & LIVING The South West’s largest gift and home trade show, showcasing general gifts and homeware for all occasions and budgets. Aimed at

independent retailers and anyone who fancies becoming one.

Westpoint Centre, Devon Showground, Clyst St Mary; www.westpointexeter.co.uk

16 January

MONTY HALLS: MY FAMILY AND THE GALAPAGOS AND THE FREEDOM TRAILS Marine biologist, travel writer, ex-Royal Marines officer and Devon chap Monty talks about how the migration of animals and humans around the world has shaped cultures and civilisations.

RAMM, Queen Street, Exeter; www.exeter.gov.uk/ramm

20 January

HANS REY: RIDING LIFE Hitch a ride with the superstar mountain biker – he’s a former World Champion, pioneer of Freeride, and Mountain Bike Hall of Famer – on an inspiring journey through his 30 year career.

Exeter Corn Exchange, Market Street, Exeter; www.exetercornexchange.co.uk ■

City centre meeting room and conference venue Exeter Library offers meeting rooms and conference facilities at competitive rates, with in-house catering and free WiFi. Rooms and facilities also available at other libraries across Devon.

Call or email to book.

0333 2342 123 roomhire@librariesunlimited.org.uk librariesunlimited.org.uk Libraries Unlimited is a registered charity. Charity number: 1170092.

BESPOKE CURTAINS, POLES, TRACKS, BLINDS & ACCESSORIES AFFORDABLE LUXURY CALL NOW FOR A FREE CONSULTATION 01392 531117 www.simplyinteriors.co Simply Interiors is located inside S&B. 11 Marsh Barton Road, Exeter, EX2 8NU

Offering friendly, professional beauty treatments in the heart of St Leonard’s, Exeter Monu and Renu facials | Lash and Brow Treatments Jane Iredale make-up sessions | Manicures and Pedicures Shellac Manicures and Pedicures (two week varnish) Electrolysis | Waxing | Massage

Happy Christmas and Relaxing New Year to all my clients!

4 Roberts Road, St Leonard’s, Exeter EX2 4HB. 01392 410055 www.belulino.co.uk

Finalists of 2018 Exeter Living Awards Gastro Pub of the Year

NEW YEARS EVE

COUNTRY COCKTAIL CELEBRATION You are all cordially invited to a terrifically tweed infused knees up!

Theme: Celebratory Country Attire Food: Cocktail Inspired Tapas Drink: Ummmm.... Cocktails!

Music: Devon Dancefloor open from 9pm Limited space – book with the team now!

The Seven Stars, Kennford EX6 7TR www.sevenstarskennford.co.uk 01392 834 887

HOLDING PATTERNS Blast away the drabness of winter with a vivid new exhibition of modern and contemporary art at RAMM, curated by British art star Yinka Shonibare Words by Anna Britten

C

an patterns be more than just pretty? You bet, is the message from a new exhibition curated by Yinka Shonibare – one of the British art world’s most subversive and talked-about talents – that’s coming to Exeter’s RAMM in January.

Criminal Ornamentation takes its name from a 1908 essay, Ornament and Crime, by Viennese architect and theorist Adolf Loos, in which he loftily dismisses pattern as the spawn of bad taste and low culture.

“Adolf Loos was clearly a man of his time in his snobbish revolutionary zeal to abandon ornamentation,” says Yinka Shonibare, “as he saw it as the pre-occupation of the working classes and degenerates.

“Criminal Ornamentation is about the refusal of artists to stay away from vulgar ornamentation and obsessive popular repetition of pattern.

Cheers to all the criminals!!”

Shonibare himself is well placed to curate such a show of defiance. The London-born, Nigeria-raised interdisciplinary artist is known for his use of rich colour and dazzling pattern, which he deploys to raise questions about migration, race, class, history and cultural appropriation. Represented in major museum collections around the world, in 2004 he was both nominated for the Turner Prize and awarded an MBE. In 2010, his first public art commission, Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle, was displayed on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, and was later acquired by the National

38 I EXETER LIVING I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Ecclesia by Bridget Riley, 1985

arts Yinka Shonibare MBE, Food Faerie, 2011. Mannequin, Dutch wax printed cotton textile, leather, fibreglass and goose feathers, 130 x 50 x 130cm. © Yinka Shonibare MBE. Courtesy the artist and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London

“Cheers to all the criminals!”

www.mediaclash.co.uk I EXETER LIVING I 39

arts

Maritime Museum in Greenwich. In 2018, Shonibare’s 23-feet high Wind Sculpture (SG) 1 was erected in Central Park, New York.

Among the artworks on show at RAMM

by Shonibare himself will be Food Faerie, pictured, which uses typically ‘African’ fabric, goosefeather wings, wax fruit and a childsized mannequin to prompt the viewer to reflect on vulnerability, aspiration, hunger and ‘otherness’. This transfixing, other-worldly sculpture will sit alongside some 100 works personally selected by Shonibare from the Arts Council Collection, one of the most outstanding collections of British modern and contemporary art in the world. The 50 artists behind them include Alexander McQueen, Bridget Riley, Susan Derges, Laura Ford, Ed Lipski, Milena Dragicevic, Lis Rhodes, Caragh Thuring, Bedwyr Williams and Timorous Beasties – all embrace colour, ornament and pattern as a means for social and political expression.

Exeter is one of only four UK cities to host the exhibition – the others being Leicester, Wakefield and Southampton – and it’s hard to think of a venue better suited than RAMM to such a stimulating, subversive and varied collection. After all, RAMM’s extensive collections from social history, natural history, decorative art and world cultures all include highly ornamented and patterned objects.

Says Lara Goodband, RAMM’s curator of contemporary art: “If you’re looking to brighten up your day or question the cultural value of decoration then you’ll find inspiration in Criminal Ornamentation.”

Criminal Ornamentation, curated by Yinka Shonibare MBE, is at RAMM, 19 January-17 March 2019; www.rammuseum.org.uk

40 I EXETER LIVING I www.mediaclash.co.uk

above: Milena Dragicevic’s Opet, 2002; left: Olaf Street Study, 1966, by Mark Boyle and Joan Hills

FUN LOVING CRIMINALS Associated events include:

RAMM Lates – Fri 8 Feb, from 6.30pm, £5 After-hours night of exploration and entertainment with performances and music, engaging talks and hands-on making activities. Including an ‘in-conversation’ with exhibiting artist Caragh Thuring and Arts Council Collection curator Beth Hughes.

Double Take – Thu 21 and Fri 22 Feb, 10.30am-12.30pm & 1.30-3.30pm, £3, drop-in, no booking required Family craft activity inviting children to use pattern in surprising ways.

Dementia-friendly tour of the exhibition – Thu 14 Feb, 10.30am-12.30pm, £15 (includes companion and refreshments) Wax Print: From the Cradle to the Grave

– Wed 27 Feb, 7pm, £7/£5, at Exeter Phoenix (www.exeterphoenix.org.uk) Feature documentary screening and discussion with director Aiwan Obinyan Tattoos: A Secret Language – Fri 1 Mar, doors and bar 6pm, talk 6.30pm, £12 (early bird until 15 Feb)/£15 An evening of talks and demonstrations.

Ornament & Pattern – Tue 26 Mar, 11am-12noon. Drop-in, free Dance and textiles performance by Exeter College performing arts and textile design students.

All events are at RAMM and require booking unless otherwise stated: www.rammuseum.org.uk

Looking for great people?

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We specialise in sales, marketing, management, IT, finance and general office recruitment.

We can help you define roles, hit recruitment targets, set salaries, structure interviews and, ultimately, find the best person for the job.

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Whether you’re on the lookout for talent or talent looking for a new opportunity, get in touch! www.sarahwest.co.uk • 01392 873813

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Changing lives across Exeter Much more than football... Find out about the amazing work of CITY COMMUNITY TRUST the dynamic charity partnered with Exeter City Football Club

H

ealth, wellbeing, education, social action – just a few of the words which sum up the extraordinary work of CITY Community Trust, one of our city’s leading charities and winner of the 2018 Exeter Living award for charity of the year.

It’s been a busy year for the organisation, which was formed 25 years ago, and works in partnership with Exeter City Football Club.

With a core staff of 30 the charity works in every corner of our city, whether it is delivering football sessions for homeless and vulnerable people, or running the amazingly successful NCS programme which has seen more than 600 young people take part this year.

And you may have spotted one of the social action projects delivered by one of the NCS groups this year – when their project hit the headlines and looks set to change the lives of hundreds of thousands of people right across the UK. The four-week NCS programme sees groups of youngsters taking part in adventurous activity, life skills and finally the development of a social action project.

One Exeter group worked with Exeter Foodbank and Sainsbury’s in Exeter’s Guildhall, devising a scheme which placed stickers beside the items most needed by the Foodbank. As a result, the number of donations to the Exeter foodbank tripled and this month Sainsbury’s revealed they were rolling out the simple, but genius, scheme across the whole country.

SUPPORTING YOU Charities and causes supported by Exeter NCS this year were: Action to Prevent Suicide, Age UK, Balloons, Bramble Ward at the RD&E, CEDA, Force, Hospiscare, Jay’s Aim, Mind, National Autistic Society, Silenced By Asylum, St Petrocks, ReThink, Step One, Surfers Against Sewage, Trussell Trust (Foodbank), WESC, YMCA, Young Devon and causes include raising awareness of acoustic neuroma, diversity, mental health awareness, young carers, the deaf community, homelessness and also wheelchair access in Exeter. One group also created a sensory garden in a local community centre and another focussed on care packages for children in foster care.

42 I EXETER LIVING I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Although the Sainsbury’s project hit the headlines, the groups of 15-17 year olds worked with more than 30 local charities and raised more than £13,000 for local organisations.

Over the summer the young people delivered a total of 12,706 hours in the community – equating to an estimated worth of an incredible £94,000 of volunteer hours.

For a maximum of £50, the young people can sign up to the programme, which includes a week of adventurous activities in Cornwall, life skills at Bicton College and in the final two weeks, the planning and delivery of a social action project.

As part of the process the participants have to deliver a ‘Dragons’ Den’ style presentation to local leading business owners, this year dragons have included chef Michael Caines and Exeter City FC chairman Julian Tagg.

Danny Harris of CITY Community Trust, who oversees the programme, said they had been hugely impressed by the young people taking part.

He added: ‘The programme has been described as life-changing by lots of our participants. As well as ensuring they have an amazing time, we also aim to help them develop their life skills, strength of character, including

sense of well-being, confidence, self-awareness and sense of social responsibility.

‘We’re so proud of what they achieved, particularly in phase three, which is all about social action and delivering in the community.

The groups all had amazing ideas and raised incredible sums for local charities.’ n

THE NUMBERS 600 x 15-17 year olds took part 4 week programme £50 – cost to take part £13,000 raised for charity 12,706 volunteer hours for the community £94,000 worth volunteer hours in the community.

CITY Community Trust is now signing up participants for next summer. Visit www.exetercitycommunitytrust.co.uk/ncs If you or your business would like to support the NCS programme, contact Danny Harris on 01392 255611.

“I like people to make up their own stories”

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arts

ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER

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s any fan, or follower, of Moose Allain can tell you, he’s all about the larky, silly, sweet and surreal. Whether it’s the Exmouth illustrator and humourist’s wordplaybased cartoons in Private Eye, killer puns on Twitter or made-up worlds full of curious creatures (longtime readers will recall his gorgeous Christmas cover for Exeter Living four years ago) he sends you to a happy place.

So when we spied Moose’s set of somewhat moody new prints, we did a double-take.

The new direction stems from a number of factors, says Moose: “I’ve been doing a lot of drawing on my iPad and I’ve really enjoyed playing around with colour in a way that, as a colourblind person, I sometimes find quite challenging. Drawing digitally gives you a chance to ‘undo’ if things go wrong, or to try different versions until it feels right.

“My work is still about creating imaginary places that suggest stories, but I’ve moved away from populating them with figures towards letting the landscapes and atmospheres speak for themselves. They perhaps have darker

undertones, but that is open to interpretation.”

Pictured here is Watchtower, one of the prints, and a perfect example of the new, melancholy and ambiguous flavour.

“Is the watchtower a sinister, looming presence, or is it where you can go to greet the skeins of geese flying in to winter on the estuary?” asks Moose. “These images are a starting point; I like people to make up their own stories.”

Moose Allain’s new prints cost from £45 and can be found at www.worldofmoose.com

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Rustic charm or modern and contemporary, you choose the design and finish that fits your space – perfectly.

Strong, durable and beautifully crafted tables, benches, chairs, and stools made from the best of reclaimed wood and built to last a lifetime.

Tel: 01392 490590 www.chunkymonkeyfurniture.co.uk Email: sales@chunkymonkeyfurniture.co.uk Visit our Showroom at: Chunky Monkey, Weircliffe Park, St. Andrews Road, Exwick, Exeter. EX4 2AF

food & drink news

Yes we CAINES Award-winning local chef Michael Caines is to

“How are we going to fit this on the griddle?”

25 not out Matthew Mason, head chef at the award-winning Jack in the Green at Rockbeare, near Exeter, is celebrating 25 years in the role.

Says Matthew: “When I started as a young boy on pot wash I never thought I’d end up cooking for a living. That first job developed into the beginnings of my apprenticeship at Gidleigh Park under Shaun Hill. Fast forward over 30 years and I’ve been privileged to be part of something very special here at the Jack – after such a long time at the stoves we’re both now considered Devon institutions… I’m trying not to creak!

“During my 25 years as head chef I’ve seen so many different trends come and go but we’ve always worked hard to put our customers first. Awards have come in from Michelin, the AA, The Good Food Guide, Taste of the West, Exeter Living and many others – our story keeps evolving. Still keen to progress further, I enjoy my role as a mentor to the younger chefs in the kitchen. Even at the ripe old age of 47, nothing can beat the adrenaline high of a busy service – long may that, and the Jack, continue!”

open a new restaurant/bar/café on Exmouth waterfront expected to open in summer 2020.

The venture forms part of the larger development of Exmouth’s seafront – by Exeter-based Grenadier for the Queen’s Drive Exmouth CIC – and is the second key tenant to be announced after Edge Watersports.

The new restaurant will offer a casual dining restaurant complete with an upstairs terrace, and a dog-friendly café offering a lighter menu and serving homemade ice-creams, local coffee and healthy takeaway snacks – together with an environmentally responsible approach.

Says Michael Caines: “The waterfront development will play a pivotal role in the future and regeneration of Exmouth and I’m really excited to be a part of something that celebrates all that this wonderful coastline has to offer.”

For more: www.michaelcaines.com

For more: www.jackinthegreen.uk.com

DART OF THE MATTER

Paul Matthews

Devon foodies gathered for the annual Darts Farm Food Heroes dinner recently, hosted by the three Dart brothers themselves, Michael, James and Paul.

Part of the working farm and shopping centre’s 25th anniversary celebrations, the event celebrated some of the finest local food and drink producers and the seasonal produce they offer, including long-term suppliers such as Quicke’s and Sharpham alongside newer ones including Sutton Lucy Dairy and Salcombe Gin. The latter offered gin tastings before a four-course feast prepared by head chef Paul Matthews, each course paired with a local wine or cider.

Darts Farm was named Best South West Farm Shop at the recent Taste Of The West 2018 Awards.

For more: www.dartsfarm.co.uk

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advertising feature

straight

Talking Hair

A

with Aimee Goodwin, top stylist at Jeff goodwin hair

hairstyle is for life, not just for Christmas! OK, I know it’s usually a dog that’s referred to in that statement but, trust me, there are some similarities. Many people leave their hair too long between cuts, stick with salons they’re not quite happy with, or only have it done for special occasions like Christmas – but let’s face it, surely you would rather have great hair all year round? After all, your hair is the accessory you never take off.

Picture the scene: you’re in your favourite clothes shop, you’re in the changing room trying on the nicest outfit you’ve seen in ages and, as you do up the final button and look up, instead of thinking, “Wow, I feel great in this”, it’s, “Oh God, look at my hair, I really need it doing.” And you put the outfit back on the rail and leave feeling glum.

Well, when being unhappy with your hair gets

in the way of clothes shopping, you know it’s serious, and if you only just did it before you went shopping, then you may even have the wrong style for your hair type or just no idea how to manage it.

My team and I at Jeff Goodwin Hair love to work closely with our clients all year round, giving you a proper consultation every time, getting to know your hair’s quirks, (and yours), teaching you how to care for it at home and finding a shape that really suits your face, reflects your personality and is easy to manage.

Finding a professional hairdresser who listens to you, gives honest advice and wants your hair to be at its best all the time, not just when you leave the salon, is essential. Otherwise, you may find that you always end up with it being a bit of a dog to look after! Happy Christmas! n

Aimee G

For appointments with Aimee call: 01392 219855 For further info visit: www.jeffgoodwinhair.co.uk For careers: e-mail salon@jeffgoodwinhair.co.uk

advertising feature

Meet the Accountant They balance the books, but what else? Plenty!

Find out more from some of Exeter’s finest

Sam Andrews

Phil Mills

What key bit of advice would you give to somebody considering hiring an accountant?

Make sure the firm you choose are a team you think you can work well with; this is key to ensure you get the most out of the relationship with your advisor.

What professional accomplishment has made you most proud?

We helped one of our start-up clients seal a £7m investment round.

What do you specialise in?

Sidaways specialise in start-ups and growing businesses.

What is the biggest mistake you see your clients making?

A common mistake is to try to save costs by doing everything themselves (i.e. HR, legal, bookkeeping etc), instead of maximising revenue/growth by doing what they are so good at and passionate about.

What advice would you give to anyone considering accounting as a career?

Be prepared for hard work and going above and beyond. It’s the only way you will stand out and thrive both as an individual and the firm/business you work for.

What key bit of advice would you give to somebody considering hiring an accountant?

Find someone that you like! The best accountants will challenge people; they are there to help you make the right decision. You won’t always agree on things but, much like a marriage, sometimes a bit of a challenge is good.

Accountants should support you to achieve your goals.

What do you specialise in?

I specialise in helping food and drink businesses.

Having a focus in one area means you’re better placed to deliver insights.

If you weren’t working in accounting what would you be doing?

I’d love to be an England Rugby international player but, recognising I have no ability in that area, I would own a restaurant. I spent 10 years working in restaurants but it made sense for me to combine something I’m good at; accountancy, with something I love, food and drink.

What is the biggest misconception about accounting?

That we all wear grey suits and stare at our feet when somebody talks to us. Actually, accounting is really about getting out and helping businesses. It shouldn’t be about number crunching in the office.

Sidaways 01392 360008; www.sidaways.co.uk

50 I EXETER LIVING I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Old Mill accountants and financial planners 07545 642087; phil.mills@oldmillgroup.co.uk

Phil Mills

Sam Andrews

advertising feature Kate Greenway

Kirsty Manley

Prydis Accounts Limited 01392 432431; kategreenway@prydis.com What do you specialise in?

I head up the firm’s audit department; I oversee the running of all our audit assignments each year for our clients. Our current client base ranges from manufacturing companies to leisure and tourism business and we have quite a lot of property and construction companies at the moment. Overseeing the audit functions means getting out of the office to visit my clients at their premises a lot. I like getting to really know what each client does and how they do it; it’s the best way of being able to find out how best to help them.

What key bit of advice would you give to somebody considering hiring an accountant?

I’d say the best advice is to find an accountant that you trust. You need to be able to talk openly with your accountant, and let them help you with your business decisions from the beginning. It’s frustrating when a client comes to us at the end of a major business transaction, we can help better being involved at the start.

What professional accomplishment has made you most proud?

Attaining my practicing certificate was a great day.

Tell us something about yourself?

I have an identical sister, born 9 minutes apart – my poor mother.

Prydis Accounts Limited 01392 432431; kirstymanley@prydis.com

Kate Greenway

Nick Cross

Kirsty Manley

Prydis Accounts Limited 01392 432431; nickcross@prydis.com What do you specialise in?

I manage the commercial finance function assisting clients with their funding requirements by advising on the right type of finance for their business. This includes reviewing banking facilities, commercial mortgages, bridging finance and development finance for property developers. We have access to a range of lenders to ensure the best deal is achieved. We are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and are proud to be members of the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (NACFB).

What key bit of advice would you give to somebody considering hiring an accountant?

An accountant can be an integral part of the business. At Prydis we consider ourselves more as business advisers able to assist in many areas, not just with the accounts.

What are your favourite part of the job?

Favourite – dealing with clients and building relationships and securing funds for clients, which is crucial to the success of their business.

What professional accomplishment has made you most proud?

Becoming a Chartered Certified Accountant and having been part of the team here at Prydis which has seen the Accounts function grow to what it is today from when I joined in 2001.

What is the biggest mistake you see clients making?

Not engaging with us before making decisions on funding requirements and perhaps just approaching their bank for assistance. It is always worth a chat to see what options are available to ensure it is structured properly.

What do you specialise in?

I manage the accounts department assisting our non-audit clients with all of their accounting needs.

This ranges from annual financial statements, business plans and projections, research and development tax credit claims and proactive business advice throughout the financial year.

What key bit of advice would you give to somebody considering hiring an accountant?

Ask for client testimonials – at Prydis we like to be in regular contact with clients and not just prepare the year end accounts. It is therefore important to ensure you feel you can trust your accountant and that they are someone you can have a good working relationship with.

What professional accomplishment has made you most proud?

Becoming a chartered certified accountant.

What is the biggest misconception surrounding accounting?

That accountants mainly just balance your books.

This is a large part of the job, but we can also help keep businesses compliant with the latest regulations, sort out matters with HMRC or assist creating business plans. Here at Prydis Accounts we also work closely with our colleagues in our wealth and legal departments to assist with pensions or wills queries etc.

Tell us something about yourself that not many people would know?

As a child I competed in swimming on numerous occasions for Devon and South West Schools.

Russell Kilminster

Prydis Accounts Limited 01392 432431; russellkilminster@prydis.com

Nick Cross

Russell Kilminster

What do you specialise in?

I currently head up the bookkeeping team which encompasses VAT and VAT returns.

What key bit of advice would you give to somebody considering hiring an accountant?

Make sure that you take full advantage of the expertise of the accountant – they are there to make life easier for you, giving you time concentrate on your business.

What professional accomplishment has made you most proud?

With Making Tax Digital on the horizon when I joined Prydis in 2016, I implemented moving clients from manual based bookkeeping to cloud-based systems such as Xero. This has made them compliant for the future and given them access to real time information on the go.

How do you feel the accounting industry has changed over the last 12 months?

Making Tax Digital has been widely broadcast and as a result of this many businesses have looked to change their bookkeeping system to a cloud-based system. At Prydis, we are proud to be both Xero and Quickbooks Certified Partners, and assist clients in making the transition to a new software. www.mediaclash.co.uk I EXETER LIVING I 51

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Diagnosis in a heartbeat The Exeter Heart team at NUFFIELD HEALTH, EXETER HOSPITAL is raising awareness of the symptoms of an irregular heartbeat, known as arrhythmia, and what to do if you suspect you or someone you care about is at risk.

T

he Exeter Heart team at Nuffield Health, Exeter Hospital is raising awareness of the symptoms of an irregular heartbeat, known as arrhythmia, and what to do if you suspect you or someone you care about is at risk.

Exeter Heart, based at the Nuffield Hospital, is a unique collaboration formed by leading cardiologists to offer the latest techniques in the diagnosis and treatment of heart conditions.

Consultant cardiologist Professor Bellenger, on behalf of Exeter Heart, explains why the electrics of the heart can go wrong and why it is so important: “There are many reasons why electrical signalling through the heart can go wrong.

These include issues with the heart’s natural pacemaker, the electrical conduction system, and damage to the heart muscle that can block or cause abnormal electrical signal to certain parts of the heart wall. Fortunately, many patients with palpitations have extra heart beats which do not cause any damage or need any treatment beyond reassurance.”

These are some signs and symptoms to look out for: • • • • • •

A fluttering in your chest A racing heartbeat (tachycardia) A slow heartbeat (bradycardia) Chest pain Shortness of breath Lightheadedness, dizziness, fainting (syncope) or near fainting

These symptoms are relatively common and can also be caused by disorders like dehydration and anaemia, but it could be worth getting your heart checked by a GP or cardiologist to make sure there is not a more serious underlying cause as Dr Matt Lovell, a consultant cardiologist who specialises in rhythm disturbances, goes on to explain: “Some patients, however, may have abnormal heart rhythms such as atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation, for example, can cause disabling symptoms including fatigue and shortness of breath, and can increase the risk of suffering from a stroke. Correctly identifying and treating patients with atrial fibrillation is vital to improve quality of life and significantly reduce the number of patients suffering a stroke.”

Exeter Heart offer rapid, convenient and affordable treatment at Nuffield Health Exeter Hospital. Facilities include state of the art cardiac MRI, a new catheter lab offering stents, pacemakers and AF and electrical ablation.

Director of Nuffield Health’s Exeter Hospital, Paul Taylor said: “People can be missing out on major events and activities in their later years, because of waiting for medical tests and treatment. With no waiting lists at our hospital we’re able to help people get on with life as quickly as possible.

Even if you don’t have private medical insurance you can access our care by paying for yourself.” ■

Please get in touch with the team on 01392 262175 or find out more at www.nuffieldhealth/hospitals/exeter

NUFFIELD HEALTH Nuffield Health is one of the leading not-for-profit UK healthcare organisations, looking after people for more than 60 years. Today, we run a network of hospitals, medical clinics, fitness and wellbeing clubs and diagnostic units across the UK. We also support businesses in looking after their employees by operating their fitness and wellbeing facilities services.

As a trading charity, we do not have investors or shareholders to answer to – our customers and patients come first. We invest all our income back into running and developing our health and wellbeing sites and services and pioneering new models of care and delivery so that more people can benefit. Just over 94% of our hospitals have been rated ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ by independent regulators.

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Reach the best in the west Auent, active and inuential and just a call away...

Exeter Living team 01225 475800

Meet the Headteacher

Find out more about the top educators in Exeter and the surrounding area – and the renowned schools they lead Charlotte Johnston

Timothy Harris

St Peter’s Preparatory School 01395 280335; www.stpetersprep.co.uk Describe the sense of community at your school.

St Peter’s has a wonderful community feel, in fact it is one of our core values. We work together – staff, parents and pupils – in a supportive environment with high expectations and a real open door policy. We spend time in the local community: our nursery visits local nursing homes and we perform concerts at churches in Lympstone, Exmouth and Budleigh.

How big is your average class size?

We have a maximum class size of 16 in the Pre-prep and 18 further up the school. We believe that small class sizes benefit all children. There is more time for 1:1 attention and the classrooms are considerably less noisy!

No child is overlooked or forgotten.

What makes you most proud?

At speech day, I stand in front of our school community and feel inordinately proud. The pupils achieve so much, with all children entering their first choice senior schools and many with scholarships (75%). The opportunities we provide are wide-ranging and exciting, from fencing and sailing to cookery and green screen technology.

The children are polite, happy and very engaged in their learning.

Colyton Grammar School 01297 552327; www.colytongrammar.com

Charlotte Johnston Timothy Harris

Henry Price

WELLINGTON school 01823 668800; www.wellington-school.org.uk What do you enjoy most about teaching ?

I enjoy the sense of camaraderie that develops between pupils and teacher in the classroom. It is where I feel most at home and I still find teaching Classics appeals to the all-rounder as it combines language, literature, history, philosophy and much more, all under one umbrella.

What are the qualities and skills of an excellent head teacher?

The best Head I have worked for showed endless energy; knew his school; always appeared calm; put the pupils first and had a real drive to see education work for everyone. An excellent Head probably has to have the business-mind of a CEO, but the heart of a schoolmaster/mistress with a constant eye for what is best for the pupils.

What is the most important piece of advice you would give to a pupil?

Be yourself; be patient; be kind to yourself, your friends and your parents; be willing to try and to fail; if you need to eat an elephant, chop it up first and eat it piece by piece.

What makes you most proud?

I like seeing people succeed and feeling that I may have played a small part in this.

56 I EXETER LIVING I www.mediaclash.co.uk

What was your favourite subject at school and why?

There are two teachers that made school so enjoyable and provided the inspiration for me pursuing a career in education. The first was my history teacher who was so enthusiastic and knowledgeable. He brought the subject alive and made it relevant to my life at that time. Inspirational and exemplary teaching. The second was my classics teacher who brought the subject alive and provided my first taste of an olive!

Do you think GCSE’s have got tougher since you were at school?

They will provide greater challenge and require a greater depth of subject knowledge but this is surely a good thing. I am equally sure students will rise to this challenge.

What is your strategy for the best learning environment?

Free up time for teachers so that they can prepare brilliant lessons full of challenge and extension.

Provide students with the best resources in order that they can satisfy their passion for learning.

What is the most important piece of advice you would give to a pupil?

Be prepared to make mistakes and have the humility to learn from them.

What makes you most proud?

Seeing our students achieve so much in the world of sport, music and academia. It is wonderful to play a small part in their success.

James Featherstone

Exeter Cathedral School 01392 255298; www.exetercathedralschool.co.uk

Henry Price

James Featherstone

What was your favourite subject at school and why?

I come from a long line of French teachers and always found that I was pretty good at French and loved it.

What does your school offer that others don’t?

An unwavering sense of community: we’re a school where people matter. We’re a Choir School too, so music, creativity and a sense of the spiritual runs though the lifeblood of the school. We’re the oldest school in Exeter (founded 1179) and the only school in the city to offer boarding.

How big is your average class size?

About 15.

What is your top tip for parents visiting a school?

How happy and engaged are the children? And how welcoming are the staff? Everything else follows on.

What scholarships and bursaries are available for students?

Our Devon Award: two fully-funded (100% free) places at the School available each year from age 11. We also offer awards in music, sport, academia and visual/ performing arts. Means-tested bursaries are available.

advertising feature Bart Wielenga

Richard Notman

Blundell’s School 01884 252543; www.blundells.org What was your favourite subject at school and why?

Economics – as is often the case, I enjoyed the subject because I had a teacher who I could relate to – and the subject lends itself to curiosity. Economics tends to ask more questions than it answers!

Do you think GCSE’s have got tougher since you were at school?

I was lucky enough to avoid GCSE’s altogether, having grown up in South Africa, but yes, I believe they are becoming denser and increasingly difficult.

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

As a relentless optimist, I love the possibilities teaching has to offer. It is a profession that utilises a diverse set of skills. What I have always found thrilling is watching young people work through challenges on the way to adulthood.

What is your top tip for parents visiting a school?

Listen to the pupils – they tend to be disarmingly honest.

Observe how pupils interact with each other. Explore the aspirations of the leadership team.

What’s your strategy for the best learning environment?

We ensure our pupils feel safe. Fear is utterly debilitating therefore pupils have got to feel safe in lessons and in school whatever it takes – safe to try; safe to explore and safe to express themselves.

Lawrence Coen,

Trinity School, Teignmouth www.trinityschool.co.uk What do you enjoy most about teaching?

The challenge of knowing that every interaction, opportunity and innovation can have a positive impact on the life of a young person. As teachers we are privileged and need to make sure that we do our best every day to give pupils the best experience. Every day brings a new challenge and opportunity – that is what makes it so exciting and rewarding. How this looks varies for each pupil which is why the individual approach is crucial.

What is your strategy for the best learning environment?

The best learning environment is one where pupils feel relaxed, curious and confident – not just about their understanding but confident that if they experience some form of failure it is not the end of the world. This is largely done by inspirational teaching, a sound school vision and teachers that act as role models. It also requires a variety of learning opportunities – not just in the classroom – so that pupils can grow in confidence and experience success. This feeling is then transferred into situations where they feel less confident.

Tell us a bit about your background?

A life in professional sport, international business, youth development charity work abroad, the outdoor pursuits world and teaching has given me the ability to relate to a wide range of pupils and aspirations.

Stover SCHOOL 01626 354505; www.stover.co.uk What does your school offer that others don’t?

A research-based learning curriculum. This makes learning engaging and real for all of our pupils from 3 to 18. The staff ensure lessons are focused on investigation, experimentation and discovery.

Memorable learning is fun and so much more productive both academically and in respect of the pupils’ personal growth.

What are the quality and skills of an excellent headteacher?

Listen. Put the child at the centre of all the schools’ and your decision making. If you deliver excellence for the child you are doing a good job and driving an excellent school.

What makes you most proud?

The fact that our pupils and staff have embraced a new and challenging learning culture in recent years. There is a unity of mission around our research-based learning curriculum. The approach can throw up difficult problems for both the staff and the pupils, but with tenacity, both are experiencing the gains. These amount to interest and engagement in the classroom, an acceleration in growth of essential personal attributes and large gains in our examination outcomes.

Bart Wielenga

Richard Notman

Sarah Dunn

The Maynard School 01392 273417; www.maynard.co.uk

Lawrence Coen

Sarah Dunn

What does your school offer that others don’t?

Obviously our specialism is in educating girls. We provide bespoke timetables, a strong sense of community and excellent teaching that is specifically designed to get the best out of each individual through intuitive debate, detailed discussion and collaboration.

The aim is to promote a deep love of learning, often outside of the classroom, and develop young women with the confidence and ambition to be whoever they want to be.

Why single sex?

Girls’ schools are proven in nurturing the individual and account for a disproportionate percentage of the schools topping the A-level and GCSE performance league tables. The difference is that our girls feel very relaxed and unselfconscious, enabling them to truly flourish in a hugely supportive, warm environment. There is no gender stereotyping – our students are more likely to take the more traditionally male-dominated subjects such as maths and physics at A-level than they would elsewhere. As a day school, their social lives outside of the learning arena are just as mixed, varied and normal as students from a co-ed school. Single sex girls’ schools truly provide the very best of both worlds.

Describe the sense of community at the school?

We place a great deal of emphasis on giving and kindness. The staff-student relationship here is also second to none and together this builds a superbly strong community and is why our school is often described as having a ‘family feel’. www.mediaclash.co.uk I EXETER LIVING I 57

Intruder Alarms | Fire Alarms | CCTV Specialist installers of electronic security systems, tailored to suit your every need Existing systems maintained and updated

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01392 368830

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city special

Go West Exeter Living has four sister magazines across the West Country and, as you’d expect, what our editors don’t know about their cities can be fitted on the back of a postcard. In this special feature, we’ve invited them to be your city guides for a day…

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© OLIVER JORDAN

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© ANDY STEVENS

CITY SPECIAL

Why visit…

BATH?

Broad Street, where you’ll find design-led department store Rossiters; Bartlett Street for fashion, homeware and antiques; and the artisan quarter of Walcot Street, where our favourite shops include furniture store Graham & Green, and The Fine Cheese Co.

Incredible scenery, elegant Georgian architecture and a buzzing independent shopping and food scene put the city on the must-visit list, says Bath Life editor LISA EVANS Bath offers beautiful sights, such as the Roman Baths, Bath Abbey and Pulteney Bridge, it has a fascinating, easily accessible history in which to submerge yourself, and is a indie shopper’s paradise.

AND RELAX…

Built for pleasure and relaxation, Bath has been a wellbeing destination since Roman times. The naturally warm thermal waters are still a massive draw; there’s the ancient Roman Baths, the modern Thermae Bath Spa where you can bathe in the openair rooftop pool while looking out over the city, and the Gainsborough Bath Spa Hotel where even the water that runs out of the taps in some of the bedrooms comes from natural hot springs. There are, of course, plenty of other places to chill, too – one of our favourites being No.15 Great Pulteney hotel’s Hideout Suite, the ultimate private sybaritic sanctuary just for you (and whoever you want to invite) complete with a hot tub, steam room and rainfall shower.

LET’S EAT

So hefty is the foodie offering around these parts that it’s said you could, if you wanted to, eat out for breakfast, lunch and dinner in a different restaurant or café every day for a year and never once return to the same place. And despite its rich historical background, Bath is anything but living in the past when it comes to all things culinary – although we do love a traditional afternoon tea at The Pump Room or The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa. Veggie and vegan eateries are on the rise – try Rooted on Newbridge Road for a towering BBQ pulled jackfruit burger, or go to Acorn on North Parade Passage to see plants transformed into art on a plate – as are pop-up food stalls, farmers’ markets, small-plate eateries and supper clubs. If high-end is what you’re after, we’d suggest a visit to the Olive Tree, on Russell Street, which was recently granted a Michelin star; if you fancy more of a casual and convivial vibe, head to Corkage on Chapel Row, where little bites and well-chosen wines are the order of the day; and if you’re a fan of fish and chips, get a reservation at The Scallop Shell seafood restaurant on Monmouth Place for no-frills, impeccably sourced fare.

“Bath is anything but living in the past when it comes to all things culinary”

FOR THE SHOPPERS...

There are huge amounts of one-of-a-kind independent retailers here, all within easy walking distance. Get off the main drag (Milsom, Union and Stall Streets) to dig out the tucked-away boutiques and specialist small shops. Some of our favourite areas for indie shopping include

The Dark Horse has been voted as one of the best bars in the world

You won’t have to hunt far before stumbling across interesting galleries and museums here. We’re especially big fans of No.1 Royal Crescent – a magnificent townhouse, furnished in period style, which allows visitors to see what life was like for wealthy residents in the 18th century – and the Fashion Museum, at the Assembly Rooms, which houses a world-class collection of famous contemporary and historic garments. ■ For current events and more ideas, check the excellent Visit Bath website at www.visitbath.co.uk

WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT BATH?

We’ve pretty much only told you about the city elements of Bath, but there’s plenty of greenery, parks and countryside to lap up, too. If you love a good view, we’d suggest you take on the Bath Skyline walk, which feels like entering another world, onto the skyline hills above Bath, through six miles of meadows, ancient woodlands and secluded valleys.

BY NIGHT © BONNIE ROSE

CREATIVE CULTURE

When it comes to boozing spots, we’re drawn to The Bell Inn on Walcot Street, the place to go for live music; Kingsmead Square’s The Dark Horse, which has been voted as one of the best bars in the world a number of times; and the civilised Canary Gin Bar

on Queen Street. But if you’re not such a fan of going out-out, then Bath’s alternative after-dark scene could be one for you: think underground cinema screenings, chocolate tastings, comedy clubs, salsa dancing, evening watersports, a spot of gambling, secret gigs in unexpected places, and twilight spa experiences.

WHERE TO STAY

The Bath Priory – Weston Road The Bird – Pulteney Road Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel – Sydney Road The Royal Crescent Hotel and Spa – the Royal Crescent The Queensberry Hotel – Russell Street

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CITY SPECIAL

Why visit…

BRISTOL? It would be quicker to list the reasons not to, says Bristol Life editor DERI ROBINS It’s hard to explain just how much this city – the undisputed capital of the South West – has changed over the last decade. If you haven’t visited for a while, and thought Bristol was mostly a posh village on the hill flanked by grungy suburbs, you’ll be amazed by what it currently has to offer. (There’s still a posh village on the hill, though.)

SHOP LOCAL...

For out and out boutiquery, head to Clifton (the posh village, etc) where designer fashion shops are chummily interspersed with niche little outlets that you won’t find anywhere else – Mexicana specialist Otomi, for example. Get your mesh Frida tote bag for a tenner here.

Clifton merges imperceptibly into the area vaguely known as ‘the city centre’, which takes in Park Street, the steep main thoroughfare topped by the monolithic, neo-Gothic Wills Tower; take a tour to the top and say hi to Great George, the giant bell; he has his own Twitter account. Nearby are the Christmas Steps, the nearest thing Bristol has to Diagon Alley; crammed with little specialist shops, galleries and and cafés, it calls itself Bristol’s Arts Quarter, and nobody’s arguing.

Of course, if you’re hell-bent on visiting chain stores identical to the ones you left at home, you can head to Cabot’s Circus, the compact and attractive mall created ten years ago. There’s a Harvey Nicks.

GORGE ON AMAZING FOOD...

first is Bristol’s most innovative fine-diner, the second an upmarket tapas bar – but both are owned by the Sanchez Iglesias family, and both have Michelin stars. Off the main track, but worth seeking out.

At Cargo, right on the Harbourside, a bunch of tiny independent restaurants, bars and cafés are crammed into converted shipping containers. Choose between fine diners Box-E and Tare, plant-focused Root, porcine Pigsty and Spanish Gambas among many others.

A few of of Bristol’s most popular restaurants are found in Old City – Pata Negra for tapas, The Ox for steaks, while Pasta Ripiena comes from the team behind Pasta Loco. Finally, for a taste of fiercely independent quarter Stokes Croft, try Poco’s Tapas (pictured on the left), Arts Café and The Gallimaufrey, or Bell’s Diner in slightly more genteel Montpelier.

BEHOLD THE HISTORY . . .

A walk along the harbour is the ideal way to soak up a sense of Bristol’s docklands heritage. Wander down to ss Great Britain, beloved by every Bristol child, which wins endless awards for its visitor-savvy attractions.

At Wapping Wharf is M Shed, a museum about Bristol people, while just across the harbour is We The Curious, where you and the kids can get your science on at the imaginative, interactive exhibitions.

Some of the city’s most attractive and historic streets flank Baldwin Street. The upper storeys of King Street’s 16th-century houses bulge over the cobbles, there’s the half-timbered pub where Daniel Defoe is said to have met the model for Robinson Crusoe, and right in the middle is Bristol Old Vic – the oldest theatre in the Englishspeaking world, which has just completed a multi-million pound refurbishment.

North of Baldwin Street is the dignified old commercial heart of the city, where Georgian banks built like cathedrals share street space with bits of Bristol’s mediaeval past. Here too is St Nick’s, an award-winning market with some of the city’s best street food.

“If you get the impression that there’s a festival taking place every weekend, that’s because there is”

Ignore my colleagues on the other titles; Bristol has the best eating-out scene in the UK outside London. In Clifton alone, Nutmeg, Thali Café and Mint Room offer superior Indian cooking; modern-British Wellbourne & Wallfish is patronised by Bristol’s top chefs on their days off, while contemporary Italian Rosemarino is one of the best-loved restaurants in town.

Cotham Hill has become the city’s unofficial tapas quarter, thanks to Bravas, Bellita and Muino; here too is Pasta Loco, where top notch Italian cooking is teamed with the most disarming service you’ll ever encounter. A few streets away on Chandos Road are the excellent Wilsons and Michelin-starred Wilks; a bit further up the hill is Bulrush, a modern British restaurant that’s also just bagged a Michelin star.

In Redcliffe, Casamia and Paco’s Tapas have a different offering – the

LAP UP THE CULTURE. . .

We can’t let you go without mentioning the street art. While Bristol’s world-famous painted walls, including a sprinkling of Banskys, can be admired everywhere from the city centre to Stokes Croft, its spiritual home is south of the river in Bedminster. It’s here that the Urban Art Festival takes place every summer, turning the neighbourhood into one vast outdoor art gallery.

SOAK UP THE FESTIVAL VIBE. . .

If the Visit Bristol website gives you the impression that there’s a festival taking place every weekend, that’s because there generally is; during summer there’s one literally every weekend. For peak Bristol, there’s the balloon fiesta and the harbour fest, while those who love music but detest camping will adore the small, carefully curated outdoor day-long music fests that regularly attract the A-list.

Take home a souvenir Croft China sells beautiful, hand-printed fine-china with Bristol-centric themes and a witty activist attitude that sums up the spirit of the BUT HEY,Stokes DON’T TAKE in tech, though we’re obviously all very clever, IF YOU BUY JUST city. Run by the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft, who famously said ‘No’ to a branch of Tesco, and threw a riot to make the point crystal clear.

OUR WORD FOR IT! ONE SOUVENIR... too) city. It’s been voted the UK’s kindest city; Bristol loves a riot.

Over the past few years Bristol has won www.prscshop.co.uk national and global awards with monotonous regularity. Drumroll….

Best place to live in Britain (The Sunday Times). Europe’s coolest city (Luxury Travel Guides). The best place in the UK to spend a weekend (The Independent). The most inspiring city in the UK, and fourth in the world (Inspiring Cities). The Guardian judged it one of the most colourful cities in the world, one of the happiest cities and the UK’s smartest (as

its most musical city (The Telegraph); the best shopping destination for groups; best for street art (obviously), and its food scene is the best outside London.

WHERE TO STAY

Hotel du Vin – Clifton and the city centre Harbour Hotel – Old City Mercure – Harbourside and Old City Brooks Guesthouse (check out the Airstream caravan rooms on the roof)

Let it be something from Stokes Croft China, which sells beautiful, hand-printed mugs, plates etc with witty, Bristol-centric messages and the chirpy activist attitude that sums up the spirit of the city. It’s run by the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft, who famously said ‘No’ to a branch of Tesco, and threw a riot to make the point crystal clear.

Bristol likes a riot.

For more ideas, check the excellent Visit Bristol website at www.visitbristol.co.uk

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CITY SPECIAL

Why visit…

CARDIFF? Cardiff Life editor EMMA DANCE talks all things Cardiff...

From ancient castles and Victorian shopping arcades, to ultra-modern arts centres and award-winning cocktail bars, Cardiff ’s got all the trappings of any European capital. But luckily for you, this one’s right on your doorstep (and after 14 December you won’t even have to pay the bridge toll). And as one of the UK’s fastest growing cities, it’s time for the Welsh capital to take its turn in the spotlight.

SHOPPING

You won’t be able to miss the behemoth St David’s shopping centre slap bang in the city centre, where you’ll find all the big brands as well as plenty of places to eat and drink. For smaller, quirkier shops though, head to the famous Victorian arcades which are full of all manner of stores tempting you to part with your cash – including Spillers Records, reputed to be the oldest record store in the world. A short walk along the river and through the park will take you to the leafy suburb of Pontcanna – Cardiff ’s answer to Notting Hill – with plenty of independent, upmarket boutiques.

FOOD AND DRINK

Tommy Heaney (off of Great British Menu) is making some major waves in the Cardiff food scene with his recently opened restaurant in Pontcanna garnering rave reviews, while Asador 44 serves some seriously banging steak – and the lunch deals are incredible

St David’s Hotel

value. For fine dining, head to the Michelin-starred Restaurant James Sommerin in Penarth or, on the opposite end of the scale, the Sticky Fingers street food market in the Brewery Quarter is your place for casual eats. If you’ve got a sweet tooth then don’t miss the afternoon tea at the Admiral St David – you might recognise the pastry chefs from Bake Off: The Professionals.

The bar scene in Cardiff is massive, but leading the pack are The Dead Canary and Lab 22 – both named among the UK’s top 50 cocktail bars. If beer’s more your thing, though, then look out for Brains, Tiny Rebel, Pipes and Crafty Devil brews – all produced in the city.

ARTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY

There are some pretty big “must-sees” like historic Cardiff Castle, the National Museum and the architecturally awesome Wales Millennium Centre, but there’s plenty more besides. The Sherman Theatre focuses on new work, Chapter Arts presents international art, performance and film, you can see stars of the future at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and there are ever-changing, intriguing photography exhibitions at Ffotogallery.

SPORT

“On a Wales rugby match day, the city is awash with red, and there’s a real buzz on the streets”

On a Wales rugby match day, the city is awash with red, and there’s a real buzz on the streets.

Contrary to popular belief, it’s not all about the rugby in Cardiff, though – Cardiff City were promoted to the Premier League this season, Cardiff Devils ice hockey team topped their league, and the Cardiff Comets are the only Welsh women’s hockey team playing in the leagues. Come summer, you’ll hear the sound of leather on willow as Glamorgan Cricket play in Sophia Gardens.

MAKING A WEEKEND OF IT? WHERE TO STAY Voco St David’s Hotel Cardiff’s only five-star hotel offers stunning views over the Bay as well as a really rather fabulous spa. www.ihg.com Park Plaza Chic and stylish, with a spa to boot, you won’t go wrong with a stay here. www.parkplazacardiff. com

Hotel Indigo Actually in one of Cardiff’s arcades, you won’t get a better location from which to ignore the city. And we love the décor inspired by local landmarks. www.ihg.com Clayton Hotel Cardiff Cardiff’s biggest hotel neighbours the train station, and offers a smart base from which to explore the city. www.claytonhotelcardiff. com

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CITY SPECIAL

Why visit…

SALISBURY? Salisbury Life editor SARAH MOOLLA talks all things Salisbury….

Let me tell you a few obvious things about Salisbury. It’s the home of the Magna Carta, it has the oldest school in the world established some 1,000 years ago, Salisbury Plain is home to the once extinct Great Bustard bird, and there’s an abundance of intact Jacobean, Tudor, and Regency architecture due to considerate town planning through the centuries and those German bombers missing us (maybe because of those mystical Wiltshire leylines that pass through the county).

The city can be found near some Neolithic wonder of the world stones, called Stonehenge, and, in the immediate surrounds, carved chalk white horses – one of which is whispered to be a commemoration of King Alfred’s victory at the Battle of Ethandun in 878 – gallop over acres and acres of rolling, lush green fields.

TIME TRAVEL

Salisbury may be a small city with a population of just 45,000, yet it is so deep in history, you could lose yourself to another dimension as you time travel through its charming labyrinth of coiled streets and explore England’s most pleasant land.

RESOLUTELY ROBUST

But let me tell you something else about the city of Salisbury. There is a resilience and strength in those ancient stones. While tanks rolled in, a hungry world media camped out in every corner, and the catastrophists were catastrophising their worst, this quietly elegant and resolutely robust corner of south Wiltshire rolled up its metaphorical sleeves, and got on with business as normal.

The Salisbury market, first established 1219, continued to pitch up, the medieval Cathedral kept its doors open, and the 14th-century clock kept ticking. The eclectic, exciting and specialist indies, the bars, the restaurants, the Salisbury Playhouse, and the Salisbury Arts Centre continued to host and entertain. A few smart businesses even managed to expand, and some imaginative and creative, brave new ventures opened up.

“It is so deep in history, you could lose yourself to another dimension”

THAT SPIRE

Salisbury is also a place with a 123-metre spire. You may know this because some of your Russian friends have been suggesting for a long time that you visit this wonderful city, famous not just in Europe, but in the whole world. Yup, this city, which is believed to have evolved from the Old Sarum settlement around 300 BC, has more recently become the contemporary backdrop for a politically volatile episode which has threatened diplomatic relations with the former Soviet superpower.

The world gasped, for a while people were scared, and the city was shunned. Footfall fell by 12.5 per cent, with indies, businesses, and the sights and attractions taking the financial brunt of this.

RICH TAPESTRY

There’s a beating heart to Salisbury that pulses with an invigorating energy – it is too beautiful, too strong and too vibrant a city to be shaped by recent episodes alone. The story will bend to the will of Salisbury and become another thread in the city’s rich tapestry.

SEEK THE UNIQUE

Salisbury is where the traditional and the contemporary sit shoulder to shoulder.

Here’s a quick travel guide to just a few of the lesser-known must-sees…

1. The Haunch of Venison (left) – This 700-year-old pub is full of ghosts, great ales, corkscrew staircases, open hearths, and has the mummified hand of a cheating Victorian poker player on display.

2. The SQUAWK festival – We love a festival in these here parts, from Larmer Tree to End of the Road.

And SQUAWK is our own annual arts celebration of everything lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, and asexual.

3. Fisherton Mill – Located in a restored old mill near the train station, this huge gallery houses multi-arts studio spaces including the exquisitely

beautiful Artisan Studio collection; there’s hands-on workshops; a gift shop stocking unique work from over 200 artists; plus a multi award-winning café.

4. Old Sarum – Rising up from the Salisbury plains, more than 5,000 years of history are told through this enthralling site with breath-taking views and it’s perfect for picnics. The Iron Age hill fort was where the first Cathedral once stood, and the Romans, Normans and Saxons have all left their mark.

5. Cathedral Close – Take your time when visiting the Cathedral, as the Close that surrounds it is the largest in Britain and is home to The Rifles Berkshire & Wiltshire Museum; Salisbury Museum; Arundells; and Mompesson House. The 80 acres sit in the shadow of that magnificent spired, free-to-enter Cathedral, which plays host to ground-breaking art exhibitions, and we think it has the nicest and most helpful volunteer guides in the world.

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advertising feature

Safe business travel Employees have a legal obligation to look after staff working overseas.

Here are a few key safety tips from the EXETER TRAVEL CLINIC...

Planning Ensure the staff travelling are fit, healthy and ready.

• If taking medicines, ensure you have enough for the trip • Obtain a dental check-up • Ensure you have all the necessary vaccines and malaria tablets Reduce stress: • Plan the timetable, including downtime allowing for unforeseen problems • Make sure you and your office have a duplicates file containing personal documents, visas and contact details • Buy a cheap phone to use with a local sim-card • Gain some cultural understanding, basic language and greeting skills

Travel safety Statistically, airline crashes are rare and odds of survival are low. However, odds can be improved by: • Pre-booking seats near the rear of the plane, preferably near an exit • Paying attention to safety briefings.

These focus the mind, reinforcing safety procedures • Keep shoes on during take-off and landing When in-country: • Always use reputable transport or taxis • Always wear seatbelts and avoid travelling after dark • Appear less of a target than the person next to you. Looking smart is not the same as being smart!

• Is what you are carrying vital to work? If so, consider keeping documents off your laptop • Smile – you’ll get far further in life, especially at customs!

Accommodation and food

On return

After your flight and before collapsing on the bed, run through a couple of safety checks: • Book rooms near stairwells and check for any exit obstructions • Pace the distance from your door to the stairwell. In an emergency, you should know the direction and steps to the emergency exit • Avoid hotel rooms above restaurants or bars.

As well as being noisy, these are normally closer to potential terrorist incidents • Try and stay attentive. For instance, when exiting hotels, finish any phone calls in the lobby, so when you walk out you are alert to your surroundings. If travelling as a group, have a list of room numbers and know where individuals are at any given time.

• Pay attention to your diet. Unlike tourists, business travellers seldom have time to be unwell. Therefore cook it, boil it, peel it or forget it!

Occasionally medical problems crop up on return and should be discussed with your GP. Issues can include a level of psychological re-adjustment, as staff work through some of the experiences encountered. This is normal, especially for those who have not travelled widely. Remember – it’s good to talk.

Finally, write down any learning points, so the next team travelling avoid having to re-invent the wheel.

The Exeter Travel Clinic is always happy to work with your business, helping staff to stay healthy whilst overseas. n

When things don’t go to plan: • Create wallet-sized safety cards containing contact details for the office, hotel, insurance, and in-country agent • Consider training one of the team in basic, overseas first-aid • Run through a few scenarios with the team, so people are aware of what to do in an emergency 68 I Exeter living I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Email: enquiries@exetertravelclinic.co.uk ☎ 01392 430590 ✎ 22 Southernhay West, Exeter, Ex1 1PR ⊲ www.exetertravelclinic.co.uk Twitter: @exetravelclinic

SOCIETY

SOCIETY

SEEN! ACROSS E XE TER, ONE S H I N D I G AT A T I M E

Kevin Clarke and Patrick May

Jo Hayes and Joel Moore Carron Headon, Hugo Headon and David Wheaton

Lorraine Bond, Jackie Labdon, Sarah Greenland and Naomi Blackwell David Williams and Louise Garnsey

IT’S ONLY JUST BEGUN...

Tori Pinney and Rhian Huxtable

Old friends and new came together at a glittering event at Deer Park held

by WBW Solicitors to celebrate their merger with Ford Simey LLP. Over 100 guests, including fellow professionals and private clients, were welcomed with fizz and canapés by partners and staff, and listened to senior partner Michael Setter and managing partner Steve Bulman welcome them and outline the firm’s future role across the region.

Under the circumstances, we like to imagine there was a rendition of Auld Lang Syne at some point, too…

Photos by Matt Round

Guests hear about the post-merger future

Donna Rowland, Amy Reed Xxxx and Laura Brutti

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SOCIETY

Cathedral Café Cream Tea Workshop Sarah Turner with Maggie Bonfield

Todd Gray Simon Timms and Jennifer Neville

ALL LIT UP

The inaugural Exeter Literary Festival which took place over the weekend of 16-18th November in many of the city’s most prestigious cultural venues has been officially declared a hit, with all events well attended and some sold out before the festival even began.

Continued top of page 71

Jan Foale and Claire Hadfield Nicola Upson at Exeter Library

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Andy Bourne 3rd Prize winner and Teresa Driscoll

Maggie Bonfield and Teresa Driscoll

Lucy Hounsom and Philip Reeve

Exeter Writers Hub

Flowers by Sophie Millington

Madeleine and Sophie Millington

BLOOMING LOVELY

Milan and Rosie Nick and Alice Guest

Exeter indie traders sure do have each other’s backs. And so it was when businesses in the city’s historic Castle Quarter, including Erin Cox Jewellery, welcomed newcomer Flowers By Sophie Millington with an evening launch.

The artisan florist offers bespoke floral arrangements and unique gifts and is already well-known for her popular seasonal workshops and floral creations for weddings across the region. Welcome, Soph! www.mediaclash.co.uk I EXETER LIVING I 71

businessinsider E XETER AND E A S T DE VON GET TO WORK

Quote of the issue

“It feels like I’ve joined the best club ever!”

Because you have, good sir.

Find out who this happy person is on page 78…

The Big Number

£3.2m Investment just received by Exeter tech firm Lightfoot

ACCESS ALL AREAS

Exeter Racecourse leads the field in providing disabled visitors with detailed accessibility info

E above: Getting to the races just got easier for disabled people

xeter Racecourse has become one of the first sporting venues in Britain to give disabled people and their carers a detailed accessibility guide on its facilities.

The local sporting venue has partnered with AccessAble, a national organisation helping disabled people plan visits depending on how easy, or otherwise, it is to get into and around venues. The in-depth analysis, available on their website or app after a visit from

an AccessAble surveyor, gives a building-by-building breakdown of facilities ranging from car parking spaces and viewing ramps to hearing loops and lighting levels, accompanied by dozens of photos.

The guides are also designed to help others with access needs, such as parents with prams or older people needing information about walking distances or areas to rest.

AccessAble already works with High Street retailers, universities, key leisure and tourist destinations and shopping centres in the UK

– now Exeter Racecourse and 14 other racecourses under the Jockey Club umbrella have become the first sports venues to join the initiative.

Says Paul Fisher, chief executive of Jockey Club Racecourses: “I have no doubt that this will help improve the raceday experience for many of the four million people who visit our courses each year, both on racedays and for conferences and other non-racing events, especially those with very specific access requirements.”

Barry Stevenson, chairman of AccessAble, adds: “We hope other organisations in UK sport will recognise this and be keen to replicate the commitment to accessibility and inclusion demonstrated by The Jockey Club.” n For more: www.exeter.thejockeyclub.co.uk www.AccessAble.co.uk

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business insider The romantic Rockbeare Manor

HIVE OF INDUSTRY Bong! Exeter College reaps even more high praise

ANOTHER GOLD STAR FOR EXETER COLLEGE Exeter College has been shortlisted for the coveted title of ‘Further Education (FE) College of the Year’ in the national 2019 Times Educational Supplement (TES) FE Awards.

The OFTSED ‘Outstanding’-rated college is also a finalist in the same awards’ ‘Professional Services Team of the Year’ category.

The news caps off another record breaking year for Exeter College which has, in 2018, also seen its best ever academic results and record progression of students to high tariff universities; been named national science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) FE College

of the Year by educational organisation Stem Learning; declared best in the South West for FE employer satisfaction according to Department for Education official figures; and been announced one of only 12 Microsoft Showcase Colleges in the UK. “I would like to congratulate the staff and students and thank all of the employers and partners who work with us,” says John Laramy, Exeter College principal and chief executive.

The winners of the TES FE Awards will be revealed in London in March 2019.

For more: www.exe-coll.ac.uk

Rockbeare Manor outside Exeter recently hosted a prestigious wedding industry awards ceremony for the first time.

The 258-year-old manor house played host to 175 guests who were attending the south west regional finals of the Wedding Industry Awards – the only regional and national client-voted awards in the wedding industry.

Says Aimée Spencer, director at Rockbeare Manor: “It has been a huge honour to host The Wedding Industry Awards this year, and to welcome so many industry professionals to our venue, of which we are very proud.

Whilst it’s been a really fun night of celebrating, it’s also been a fantastic opportunity to get to know colleagues from the wedding industry across the south west, many of whom we hope to work with in the future.”

At the event, Rockbeare Manor’s sister venue, Coombe Lodge in Somerset, won a highly commended award for Best Venue.

For more: www.rockbearemanor.co.uk

LIGHTFOOT ACCELERATES Mark Roberts (centre) with BGF investors

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Exeter-based Lightfoot has received £3.2m in funding from BGF, an investor in small and mid-sized businesses in the UK. It has also welcomed former Dyson CEO Martin McCourt as an investor and non-executive chairman, and Ned Dorbin of BGF to the board.

Launched in 2013 by entrepreneur Mark Roberts, Lightfoot are behind what’s been described as the ‘Fitbit for cars’, the first connected car technology to reward fleet drivers for better driving with prizes, discounts and rewards.

The BGF investment will now help the company launch direct to private motorists in the UK, build on plans to expand globally and, having already doubled its headcount in 2018, to do the same again by the end of 2019.

Mark Roberts, Lightfoot’s founder and CEO, says: “We believe that now is the right time to accelerate our expansion by bringing on board more people and increasing our engineering and sales capacity. We’re delighted to be embarking on this new stage with Martin and with the support and funding from BGF as our new minority partner.”

Adds BGF’s Ned Dorbin: “Lightfoot is a vibrant, smart and ambitious business with a first-class management team. After five years of operation, they have established a strong reputation in the market and developed a clear strategy for growth. We’re pleased to be backing another fantastic business in the South West.”

For more: www.lightfoot.co.uk

BUSINESS INSIDER

EXETER CHIEFS NEWS

MOVERS AND SHAKERS ETC

Libraries Unlimited, the charity that runs Devon Libraries and Torbay Libraries, has appointed Professor William Harvey as chair of the board of trustees…

Giles Dunning has relocated from Truro to become the new head of Stephens Scown LLP’s corporate team in Exeter… Exeter Cathedral School’s new director of music is Dylan Quinlivan-Brewer.

JMP PHOTOGRAPHY/E XETER RUGBY CLUB

Giles Dunning

MARK STEVENS brings you the latest from inside Sandy Park

RISING STAR Five Exeter Chiefs line up for England

Saleem and Cara Khadaroo

Northernhay Place-based Star Lettings will be branching out into estate agency as of 2 January 2019 – and changing its name to Star Property Centre.

Owners Cara and Saleem Khadaroo have been trading since 2001. “At Star Property Centre, we want to give the homeowner and investments landlord the comfort of knowing that all property matters will be cared for by our readily available team,” says Cara.

“Contact us to find out what great introductory offers we have for the new year in both sales and lettings, or if you’d like to join our Landlords’ Seminar in March.”

For more: www.starpropertycentre.com

It was only a matter of time before those outside of Devon started to sit up and really take notice of what was happening at Sandy Park.

The sight of eight Exeter Chiefs players lining up for international duty across the autumn period was not only hugely satisfying, but fully justified considering the recent achievements at the Premiership club.

Three successive appearances in the end-of-season final has underlined the growth of the Chiefs, but for many the lack of inclusion in international squads – particularly when the club have been one of the frontrunners in the English game for a number of years – was a note of great debate for supporters.

Now, though, it appears the on-field efforts of Rob Baxter’s side are at last being recognised on a much bigger stage, an important fact with the Rugby World Cup in Japan less than a year away.

The sight of five players – Alec Hepburn, Ben Moon, Jack Nowell, Henry Slade and Harry Williams – all featuring for England this autumn, plus Tomas Francis with Wales, Sam Skinner with Scotland and Onehunga Kaufusi with Tonga, shows that the Chiefs really do have international stars very much within their make-up.

That said, there could easily be more. Injuries to Sam Simmonds and Luke Cowan-Dickie meant they weren’t considered for selection by England head

coach Eddie Jones for the recent games against South Africa, New Zealand, Japan and Australia, while Don Armand continues to miss out, despite consistently producing week after week in the Exeter back-row.

The signs, however, are hugely encouraging for the Chiefs and their director of rugby Rob Baxter: “It’s always fantastic to see any of your players make that next step up to international level,” he says.

“It’s what they all work hard for day in, day out. But, as I’ve said before, if we keep performing to the levels we have been, then at some stage people are going to sit up and take note of what our players are doing.

“Yes, it does test your squad when they are away, but at the same time it’s an opportunity for others to step up and press their own claims. And what we’ve seen during that autumn period is those guys getting to play at Test level against world class opposition – and others back here at the club really standing up and helping to drive us forward in all competitions.

“In a lot of ways, it’s a ‘win-win’ for everyone and something we hope we will see more of in the future.”

Next up at Sandy Park: 5 Jan – Exeter Chiefs v Bristol Bears (Gallagher Premiership) 13 Jan – Exeter Chiefs v Castres (Heineken Champions Cup) For more: www.exeterchiefs.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I EXETER LIVING I 75

EXETER LIVING AWARDS 2018 THE GROCER ON THE GREEN

A much-loved character not just on Magdalen Road but across the city, Daniel Taylor is a greengrocer extraordinaire who walked off with the hotlycontested Retailer gong at the 2018 Exeter Living Awards RETAILER WINNER SPONSORED BY

So how did it feel to win an Exeter Living Award?

Once it sunk in, amazing! I still don’t think I can quite believe it, and keep pinching myself !

Why do you think The Grocer On The Green won?

I think the judges completely understood what I’m all about

(not that I’m very complicated to understand!). They totally got the ethos about supporting local farmers and producers and supporting my local community by keeping an independent greengrocers going.

How did TGOTG come about?

While working at Pipers Farm on Magdalen Road, I got to know very well the greengrocers who were right next door. We found out they were going to close due to retirement and that the landlord had pretty much decided to give the space to a new business. With a lot of customers and businesses saying “Isn’t it a shame?”

I decided to get in touch with the council about setting up as a market stall on the opposite side of the road to the shops. They said yes! And thus, TGOTG was born (thank you to a close friend who came up with the name)!

What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever been given?

This would be from Iain Smith of Smiths Wines who gave me the polite but stern verbal nudge in the right direction in order to take the plunge.

Thank you, Iain!

What’s the most unusual item in your shop right now, and

“MY FAMILY GIVE ME THE MOTIVATION EVERY DAY TO DO THIS” what can people do with it?

That must be the fantastic locally grown kalettes, also known as flower sprouts. They look like mini January king cabbages and taste amazing!

My two favourite ways to cook them are lightly steamed with white wine and crème fraîche or pan-fried with smoked garlic (I stock that too) and pine nuts.

What plans do you have for the business in 2019?

Keep being me and do what I do. My family give me the motivation every day to do this, especially now with our second son, Callum, who was born a week or two before Awards night. Reaching out to more local farms and producers, expanding the range by listening to my customers about their requirements and if I can find room (which is limited!) then I will do my best to stock it. My delivery boxes are also becoming more popular by word of mouth so I will be looking into this too.

Who are your heroes in this industry?

All of the amazing farmers and producers that I work with. They are the ones doing the real hard work in producing all these wonderful things for us to eat. I have the easy bit, really! I’m just so in awe of them all.

What do you love most about Exeter?

Don’t care if this sounds like a cliché but it’s got to be all the other independents. There’s so many of us doing our own thing in various ways but all seem to really care about one another... It feels like I’ve joined the best club ever!

Tell us your favourite bit of fruit/ vegetable-related trivia…

Carrots were originally white or purple. Then a yellow carrot appeared through mutation and the familiar orange carrot was bred.

For more: Facebook: The Grocer On The Green

78 I EXETER LIVING I www.mediaclash.co.uk

BUSINESS INSIDER

BIOSYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY

Inspiring and ethical, BioSystems Technology is a young, Exeter startup that’s easy to get behind. Our judges at the 2018 Exeter Living Awards certainly thought so, crowning them the winners in the exciting Tech & Innovation category.

Here’s founder Olivia Champion...

TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION WINNER SPONSORED BY

So how did it feel to win an Exeter Living Award?

We were delighted. It was a really fun night and we particularly liked our winner’s theme tune, which played as we walked onto the stage to receive the award: Back in Black

by ACDC. Very rock and roll for a bunch of science geeks.

Why do you think Biosystems Technology won?

We’re doing something really simple but clever that has a real impact on the efficiency of scientific research with a positive ethical impact too.

Can you foresee a point when testing on mammals ends completely, around the world?

Not yet. There are currently no substitute non-mammalian research models that provide all the safety information required before researchers start testing new drugs in humans during clinical trails. However, at earlier stages in drug discovery and basic research, our insect larvae can be used to drastically reduce the number of

mammals used, in some cases by up to 80%.

Who are your science heroes?

I’m a big fan of historical female scientists who worked in a male dominated environment and, despite the sexism that was rife, they were still able to make significant contributions to science that have had a lasting impact on society.

Mary Anning, Rosalind Franklin, Dorothy Hodgkin and Marie Curie – impressive and inspirational women.

What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever been given?

Don’t put things off.

What plans do you have for Biosystems Technology heading into 2019?

Big plans. We’ve won some grant funding for R&D into new products and services which we’ll be working on in 2019. We’ll also continue to grow sales of our TruLarv larvae and we look forward to travelling to some international conferences to

“AH YES, BREXIT. WE EXPORT AROUND 50% OF OUR LARVAE TO CUSTOMERS IN EUROPE…” explain to researchers from around the world the value of our larvae for their experiments.

Dare we bring up the B-word?

Ah yes, Brexit. We export around 50% of our larvae to customers in Europe. We do sell to a few countries outside the EU and for each of those customers we’ve found that our packages can get stuck at customs and sometimes the larvae can die in transit as a consequence of the delays. We hope that a Brexit solution can be found that ensures we don’t face trade barriers with Europe such as those we’ve experienced with other non-EU

countries as that would be very problematic for us.

How do you attract and retain staff?

So far we’ve mainly recruited University of Exeter alumni. We’re fortunate to have a highly skilled pool of workers on our doorstep.

I think that staff are attracted to working for BST as we are doing something that is clearly having a positive impact on society and science, it’s new, exciting and we’re getting recognised for our work, and people want to be a part of that. We have retained staff for the same reason. Plus we offer flexible working, which really suits some of our staff.

You’ve just been announced as a judge for the 2019 Exeter Living Awards. Looking forward to it?

Can’t wait. I’m excited to learn about the technology and innovation that is going on in Exeter and to get to meet some of the people involved.

For more: www.biosystemstechnology.com

www.mediaclash.co.uk I EXETER LIVING I 79

advertising feature

Divorce and separation after Christmas

C

By Zoe Porter of ASHFORDS SOLICITORS

hristmas is fast approaching and, for many, the festive period and New Year signals a fresh start.

Resolutions are made (and quickly broken), promises given and 2019 is hoped to be the best year yet.

Festivities and resolutions aside, though – January is traditionally the time when most divorce petitions are sent into the courts. Divorce lawyers refer to the first few days in January after the Christmas break as 'D' day because it’s when the most new enquiries are received and new divorce proceedings are commenced. Perhaps it’s the additional pressures of spending time together over Christmas, or New Year resolutions, that are for an unhappy couple the final straw in a difficult relationship.

As we approach what, for many, will be a difficult time, as a lawyer specialising in this area,

I'd like to offer a few points of advice: • P lease try not to argue in front of your children. It sounds like a simple point but unfortunately it is one ignored by many.

There is nothing to be gained by using your children as 'weapons' against your spouse – only additional upset.

Zoe Porter, is a partner and head of the family team at Ashfords LLP. She advises on divorce and financial matters arising from a relationship breakdown; typically assisting high net worth clients with businesses, pensions, inherited wealth and complicated financial arrangements. n

• T ry to keep communicating with each other.

Hard as it may be, in the longer term you are far more likely to be able to agree over the various issues of your case if you can at least have a civil conversation with one another. o seek the advice of a good divorce lawyer.

• D There are a variety of different ways to try to resolve your issues, and advice early on will help you stay on the right path.

For more information or advice please call us on: 01392 337000, or visit www.ashfords.co.uk/expertise/family

This is the bloke who smugly overtook you on Haldon Hill a few weeks ago...

The X-Factor Exeter petrolhead-in-training CHRIS BENTLEY test-drives the new Mercedes X-Class V6, the first ever pickup from a premium car manufacturer 82 I EXETER LIVING I www.mediaclash.co.uk

W

hen it was first released, I had the chance to drive the F-Type Jaguar. Pulling up at the lights, its almost theatrical engine noise garnered nods of appreciation deserving of the successor to the legendary E-Type.

Accelerating away, it got even better, and I was fully aware of the envy oozing from fellow drivers as the five-litre supercharged engine pushed me to the speed limit in a nanosecond.

For the first time in my life, I got why so many folk go loopy over cars!

That feeling was quite something – but it’s been missing from my life since that fateful weekend as, cards on the table, I’ve never really been that much of a petrolhead. Indeed, with a rather chequered back catalogue of vehicles under my possession (from a Volvo GLSi to Citroën Picasso), I’ve been more about

CAR REVIEW function over form!

So I was taken aback when the guys at Exeter Living asked if I’d like to review a Mercedes X-Class. At this point, I chose not to mention my history or, more pertinently, the monster repair bill when I handed back my most recent company car, and just said yes.

As I sat behind the wheel of the three-litre V6 monster I enjoyed the newness of the truck as anyone does, but in no way expected the exhilaration I felt all those years ago in the £80k Jaguar. Half an hour later, however, as I opened the throttle driving up Haldon Hill, it all came back as I saw incredulity on the faces in the cars it just cruised past effortlessly. This is a truck that is unlike any other truck I’ve been near; it can shift!

I appreciate poke may not be high on the agenda for truck buyers, but I get the feeling Mercedes have made the X-Class for more than your local tree surgeon. As you step inside, it’s clear this vehicle is after a bigger market, as the electric heated seats, five different driving modes and spacious cabin all testify. Merc have added bits you’d not really expect from a truck that has a 965kg payload including 550Mn torque, live traffic alerts and saloon standard handling.

The cabin itself is still a bit ‘industrial’, with a touch too much plastic on the dash and the most peculiar location for a keyless starting button I could think of but, when that’s the only real gripe this scribe can figure, you know that they really are onto something.

“I saw incredulity on the faces in the cars it just cruised past effortlessly” This was evidenced when I had a chat with my mate Tim. He gets cars in a way I perhaps don’t and happens to drive a Navara; pretty much the arch-enemy of the X-Class, which, incidentally, shares its chassis.

Taking Tim for a quick spin I was treated to an informative lecture listing the quality and benefits of the X-Class – he is a potential customer and had done his research. When you add in the tax benefit of driving a ‘commercial vehicle’, the X Class once again stands head and shoulders over the existing options, yet has so many perks of a standard car that have, up till now, not been available in vans.

When I cast my mind back to the ‘wow’ moments I’ve had cars, it doesn’t need to be a very expensive drop top to achieve the feeling, nor does it need to come from a monster price tag. Relax and rest assured, the Mercedes X-Class is a truck you can buy using your head... as well as your heart.

The new Mercedes-Benz X 350 d V6 4MATIC is available now at Mercedes-Benz Van Centre Exeter, Hennock Road Central, Marsh Barton, Exeter, EX2 8NP; 01392 537111; www.snows.co.uk/mercedes-benz-vans The V6 starts from £38,350.

The X 220 d 4MATIC starts from £27,310

www.mediaclash.co.uk I EXETER LIVING I 83

EXETER LIVING SERVICES GUIDE PLUMBING & HEATING

BUILDING PLANNING

BUILDING PLANS

BESPOKE BATHROOMS TO LOVE

• • • •

Extensions, loft conversions & new build Building design & specification Planning & building regulations Over 25 years local experience Call for a FREE initial consultation

Whatever your requirements

01392 666410

we provide a complete design and installation service to turn your dreams into reality.

We can work with you

to design a bathroom or wet room that will delight.

email: bob@woods-design.com

Woods Design

Total Plumbing & Heating 5 Lands Road, Exeter EX4 8PT. T: 01392 681162 M: 07890 001457 E: sales@totalph.co.uk : www.totalph.co.uk

CONSTRUCTION

Exeter • Devon

GARDENING

Garden Development & Maintenance

jays-builders.com

07487648163

HERE TO HELP YOU FROM THE BEGINNING jays-builders.com TO THE END OF YOUR PROJECT. . .

07487648163 Historic preservation | Modern and fresh design | Industrial projects Jays Building Services

77 Thornpark Rise, Exeter, EX1 3HH

Call Rob today for a free quotation

01392 244132 • 07762 392917

phil.jays@jays-builders.com

www.jays-builders.com

WINDOWS & DOORS

www.hartnellgardens.co.uk | rob@harnellgardens.co.uk

DECORATING

Your local, independent experts in a range of Aluminium and PVCu

Traditional Painting Woodwork Restoration Spray Painting Wall Paper Hanging Plastering and Coving Qualified and Insured

Bi-fold doors | glazed extensions windows | doors | conservatories full in-house manufactured aluminium range building works and much more...

TEAM M PS TRIED TESTED , TRUST AND ED F 27 YEA OR RS...

Visit our website for your FREE survey and no obligation quotation.

Or pop in and see us: Swift Units, Pound Lane, Exmouth Devon EX8 4NP T: 01395 268 712 E: enquiries@mpswindows.co.uk

ROOFING

SPECIALIST ROOFING SERVICES FOR THE SOUTHWEST Flat roofing systems Slating and tiling Single Ply systems Guttering and facias Complete re-roofs Lead-work or simple repairs and maintenance.

Award Winning Trust Mark Registered

Devon Select Decorators T 01392 598637

E sales@devonselectdecorators.co.uk

M 07855792750

W www.devonselectdecorators.co.uk

FUNERAL DIRECTORS

For a free quotation or to discuss your roofing needs please call or visit our website:

01884 821514 07737 433869

www.aiirroofing.co.uk aiirroofing@gmail.com

Reliable and Friendly

Sensitive and Courteous

EXETER LIVING SERVICES GUIDE FURNITURE

BATHROOMS & KITCHENS

EXE T E R B AT H R O O M S & K I TC H E N S Pine & Oak Furniture Wardrobes Chests of Drawers Tables & Chairs Dressers Bookcases ...and much more, all available waxed, lacquered or painted finishes

Large Stocks

Mattresses Metal Beds Divans Guest Beds Pine Beds Futons Headboards Pocket Sprung & Memory Foam Mattresses

Free Delivery

69-71 Exeter Road, Exmouth, Devon, EX8 1QD Tel 01395 271920 www.exmouthbedandpine.co.uk

FINANCE

◆ Free design and expert impartial advice ◆ Free delivery within a 10 mile radius of Exeter ◆ Independent living solutions and advice Unit 2, Norman Court, Budlake Road, Marsh Barton, Exeter, Devon EX2 8PY Call Martin: 01392 277727 | www.exeterbathrooms.co.uk Email: contactus@exeterbathrooms.co.uk

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING

Planning to Improve Your Home? Need an Expert Electrician?

• New Consumer Units • Additional Sockets • Lighting Installations • Landlord Safety Checks • Inspection & Testing

• Fault Finding • General Maintenance • Full or Part Rewiring • Renovations • New Builds

Call now for competit ive prices!

0139 4620124

t: 01392 462014 m: 07790 866746 devon.sparks@hotmail.com www.devonsparks.co.uk

BUSINESS INTERIORS

GARDEN DESIGNING www.webstergardens.co.uk

Roger Webster Garden Design

OFFICE REFURBISHMENT • Complete fit out contractors • Office interior design • Refurbishment & renovation undertaken • Surveying & drawing work • Office furniture – all style/budgets • Mezzanine floors

MD Business Interiors, 103 Grace Road West, Marsh Barton, Exeter EX2 8PU; 01392 834980 www.mdinteriorsdevon.com

OUTDOOR LIVING

16a Fore Street, Topsham Exeter EX3 0HF 01392 877717

• Accredited, professional, experienced • Exeter, Devon and the Southwest

EXETER LIVING SERVICES GUIDE TREE CARE & LANDSCAPING

REMOVALS

Nice Little Mover Removals Call 07984 163877 for a FREE quote today!

Property Clearance

Deliveries

Local and National Removals Professional, Friendly, Reliable Removal and Clearance Services at Affordable Prices

www.nicelittlemover.com

MOBILITY

ADVERTISING

Luxury & local

The most sophisticated audience is just a call away Exeter Living Team 01225 475800 WASTE DISPOSAL

BUILDING SUPPLIES

• Construction waste, garden waste and household waste • House and garage clearance • Demolition of sheds, greenhouses, walls etc • All the work done by us at competitive rates, fully insured and registered waste carrier For a free quotation ring Mark on

07944 580 775

www.shiftitwaste.co.uk

COVERING MID DEVON & EXETER | FULLY INSURED

Viveka Gardens Yoga Farm a retreat place where community and visitors can ground themselves through yoga practices, food growing and nature connection

Fiona Sundari Law is a teacher with over 20 years’ experience in the Sivananda tradition.

TERRACES - GARDEN WALLS - STONEWORK - PATHS & STEPS WATER FEATURES - BLOCK PAVING - FENCING - PERGOLAS

TELEPHONE: 01363 773 727 | MOBILE: 07709 206150 WWW.LANDSCAPEGARDENEREXETER.CO.UK

Retreats • Classes • Workshops • One-to-ones • Bespoke groups

Viveka Gardens, West Leigh, EX17 6BL 01837 880050 • 07914 843619 • vivekagardens.com

The Devon Shutter Company Ltd British Made Shutters Since 2007 01395 578506 | www.devonshutters.co.uk

a placeto call home

property a pl ace to c all home

WOOLBROOK RESERVOIR Take the plunge into a truly extraordinary modern home, says KITTY KANE

www.mediaclash.co.uk mediaclash.co.uk I EXETER LIVING I 141 89

90 I EXETER LIVING I www.mediaclash.co.uk

PROPERTY

W

e’ve seen many things converted into a home over the years: barns, chapels, even water towers. But a reservoir?

What? How? Sunk into the circular husk of an underground South West Water reservoir that was decommissioned in 2003, Woolbrook Reservoir just outside Sidmouth took original owners Robert Lester and Ann Hardy three years to convert.

Which, when you consider what they’ve achieved, and how such projects always take much longer than that on Grand Designs, is seriously impressive.

Builders erected steel girders in the reservoir’s 82ft diameter drum to create the skeleton of the house – and you can still see the walls of the underground water tank in the garage and store room. With artificial turf on the roof blending in with the surrounding countryside, the house is perfectly camouflaged and almost undetectable when viewed from above. In fact, James Bond producers should be sizing it up now as the subterranean lair of a sexy international villain.

All very snazzy, you say, but does it feel like a

home? Yes. Because while the property’s industrial origins are obvious, especially in the visible steel framework, they somehow never diminish the place’s safe, relaxing vibe. Indeed, there’s something almost primal about how den-like it feels.

All of the huge, gently curved rooms sit behind two-storey, double-glazed glass walls and look out over a keyhole-shaped central atrium, which can be easily accessed via several sets of French doors. Despite being below ground-level, almost every inch of this place is flooded with natural light.

The living room, magnificent hallway and huge kitchen/dining room (with double oven and chic island unit, kitchen enthusiasts) all flow into one another, creating a space in which it’ll be impossible not to throw weekly shindigs. Also on the ground floor, there’s a utility room, a study/ground floor bedroom with en suite bathroom, and lashings of storage.

From here, a statement spiral staircase rises to the first floor, with its glorious galleried landing overlooking the living room and hallway, central atrium and garden. You’ll also find bedroom one, with its double glazed French door to the outside decking area, en suite shower room and dressing room – and four other bedrooms. A clever system of blinds allows you to hide away from fellow inhabitants while still enjoying daylight/moonlight from the upper part of the window. And, rest assured, from the outside world, the only lifeforms overlooking you have wings.

www.mediaclash.co.uk I EXETER LIVING I 91

PROPERTY

Emerge from this mesmerising hideaway and you’ll find yourself in the decked central atrium with its raised pond and beds, covered barbecue area with power points and a garden store – and the sun all day long. Steps lead up to a higher level of timber decking and then an extensive grassy area encircled by a wide variety of mature trees. There’s even a secret underground shed!

An extensive brick paved parking area sits at the front of the house – with outside doors to a double garage that’s also carved into the earth – and you share a tarmac driveway with just two neighbouring properties.

All this and an idyllic location, too – a pebble’s throw to the south is Sidmouth seafront on the Jurassic Coast; journey about the same distance north and you’re in the stunning woodland of East Hill in the East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). We can scarcely believe this place is real.

But it is, and this is your chance to grab it.

92 I EXETER LIVING I www.mediaclash.co.uk

House numbers Square footage 6,383 Bedrooms 5 Miles from the sea Guide price

1.5 £950k

Bradleys, 119 High Street, Sidmouth, EX10 8LB; 01395 578444; www.bradleysestate-agents.co.uk

EXETER DEVON

Price £550,000

An exceptional Grade II Listed period townhouse which has been lovingly renovated and thoughtfully enhanced by the current owners and enjoys a quiet, tucked away location, centrally located, close to the city centre and quayside.

The spacious accommodation offers much flexibility and features a fantastic kitchen / breakfast room to the rear and an elegant, elevated sitting room with superb views, 4 beds (one en-suite), enclosed garden, store / workshop. EER ‘E’

For further details telephone Giles Hann on 01392 427500 or email g.hann@wilkinsongrant.co.uk

01392 427500 www.wilkinsongrant.co.uk RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL LAND & DEVELOPMENT SALES ACQUISITIONS LETTINGS & PROPERTY MANAGEMENT AUCTIONS SURVEYS PROBATE & VALUATIONS

EXETER LIVES

“I told my mum I was going to be a writer because they always had great hair and cool pens” Do you have a nickname/ nicknames?

MICHELLE KENNEY The local fantasy author shares her real-world passions Picture the scene: it’s 2025, a biochemical war has ravaged the earth and feral twins must navigate a devastated Exeter to save their family. That’s the premise of Book of Fire, a dystopian fantasy trilogy for young adults by local author Michelle Kenney, published

by HarperCollins. Second volume City Of Dust has just hit the streets. So tell us more, Mich…

Whereabouts do you live, and what makes it special?

I live in Combeinteignhead, about 20 minutes from Exeter.

It’s close enough to the local shops to make the milk runs easy (I have two little girls) and rural enough for little egrets and storks to be regular coffee-mates.

Your new book is set in a post-apocalypse Exeter!

Are there giant man-eating rats running up and down Gandy Street?

So, there are no giant maneating rodents as of yet, though you may not want to venture too far into the old Roman tunnels beneath the city without a few friends.

I am, however, still writing book three and can be easily bribed.

Who are your own, favourite fantasy authors?

I’m a huge fan of Laini Taylor, Madeline Miller, Samantha Shannon and Alwyn Hamilton. All four are phenomenal fantasy writers with very distinctive styles.

98 I exeter living I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Yes! But my mum and dad will be reading this, so... Actually, my dad nicknamed me Number Five (I have seven brothers and sisters) which stuck. So I’m either that, or Mich, unless I’ve fallen from grace, in which case my mum reverts to Michelle with a really loooong stress on the ‘Mi’ part.

Who’s your celebrity crush?

I have two. Seth Lakeman and Brian Cox. What’s your earliest childhood memory?

Telling my mum I was going to be a writer because they always had great hair and cool pens.

Priorities.

What’s your most treasured possession?

My old writing notebook. It’s dog-eared and tired but contains all my middle-of-the-night eureka moments, plot outlines, rough sketches, character attributes (mainly eye-colour, my Achilles heel), shopping lists, my girls’ duvet-day doodles and the occasional lost sock.

Who would play you in a film about your life?

Kristen Wiig, because she has a kooky sense of humour. Which

is possibly our only shared attribute.

Favourite places to eat, drink and shop in Exeter and the surrounding area?

During the day we’re fans of the Phoenix or RAMM cafés because they’re relaxed spaces and entertain the littlies too. On a rare night out, Rendezvous wine bar is great! Shopping has to be Gandy Street for trendy gifts and clothes and Darts Farm for treats.

If you had a time machine, which era would you return to and why?

Love this question. I would definitely return to the time of the Renaissance, travel to the Italian birthplace of the Voynich Manuscript and finally discover who penned one of the most incredible ancient books of our time! Written in a language which has never been decoded, and illustrated with wonderful botanical plans and astronomical drawings, the medieval text has evaded the world’s best cryptographers for more than 500 years. I included it in the Book of Fire series.n City of Dust, the second volume in the Book of Fire trilogy is out now www.michellekenney.co.uk www.harpercollins.co.uk