Living
WIRRAL WINTER 2015
KICKING DEPRESSION INTO
TOUCH FOR CHRISTMAS Dr. Alex Forsythe tells us how to avoid the dark side of Christmas
TIDES, GUNS AND GUARDIANS
Looking at the amazing history of
Bidston Observatory with Rob Thunder
THE DECEMBER SKIES
Professor Andy Newsam looks at life through a lens
NEW COLUMNISTS We welcome Mandy Molby, Catherine Amos
and Ruby Poland as regular contributors
WE WISH EACH AND EVERY ONE
OF YOU A HAPPY,
HEALTHY AND
PROSPEROUS 2016 THIS MAGAZINE IS FREE WITH OUR COMPLIMENTS
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Living
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CONTENTS
PAGE CONTENTS 5 6 9 10 11
LIVING HOME I HEART THE ARTIST MANDY MOLBY POLYSTYRENE POLICY? KICKING DEPRESSION INTO TOUCH FOR CHRISTMAS MODE-L ME LIVING FEMALE REIKI ENERGY HEALING LASH-IOUS NAILS TIDES, GUNS AND GUARDIANS THE DECEMBER SKY FEED THE BIRDS IMPAIRED VISION? LIVING GADGETS RARE LAMBORGHINI IN TOWN LIVING MALE SOFT LAD NEW BRIGHTON - THE RISE FROM THE ASHES PRETTY AS A PICTURE! GLUTEN FREE WINE O’CLOCK BLACKBERRY GROVE VIP LAUNCH CATHERINE AMOS A VEGGIE CHRISTMAS SPOTLIGHT ON GEOFF JONES
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Living
INFO
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Living Wirral Tel: 0151 558 1007 Email: hello@livingwirral.com Editor: Diane Tremarco Email: diane@livingwirral.com Sales Director: Jade Tremarco Email: jade@livingwirral.com
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Living HOME 5
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I HEART THE ARTIST Jim Fleming
T
he pre-decimal sixpence coin is withdrawn from circulation... Benedikt Taschen opens a comic book store in Cologne which will evolve into the art book publisher Taschen... And John Lennon is shot dead in New York… in Heswall, a new business is about to open its doors for the first time. Dee and John Waite established their gallery in 1980 (did you guess the year correctly?) And after twenty-six years of encouraging local artists to exhibit their work, they passed the reigns onto Sue Webster who has owned the business since 2006. Blue Moon Framing and Gallery is a professional, bespoke framers with vast experience of framing original artworks, prints, needleworks, sports shirts and other 3D items. They have a huge selection of frame options and mount colours to help find the perfect framing solution for
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all their customers. Sue explained, “Choosing the artwork for the gallery is generally a simple process as I choose pieces that work hand in hand with the current work in the gallery to keep a continuous flow throughout and ensure they don’t clash.” In the contemporary art and craft gallery there are two floors of original artworks, limited edition prints, ceramics, glassware and jewellery by local artists; Jim Fleming, Ian Fennelly, Julia Duerden, David Shiers, Leanne Hughes, Bob Goldsborough and international artists. Jim Fleming is the local in-house artist at the Gallery. He discovered his talent whilst scribbling in the back of his school books; often missing the lessons as his drawings would take him on a journey that left him
searching for who he was. Jim said “Everything inspires me; people and what they do, for example, when I sit in a café I have to draw the people around me. I draw inspiration from literature, places and other artists too. I particularly like the children’s illustrators Quentin Blake, Maurice Sendak and Janet & Allan Ahlberg” Graduating from Lancaster University with a first class honour’s degree in Fine Art and Drama, Jim came across a book called ‘Zen of Seeing’ by Dr. Franck. The book is about a way of contemplation by which all things are made new and the world is freshly experienced at each moment. It is the opposite of looking at things from the outside and taking them for granted. For Franck, seeing and drawing is a spiritual discipline and a Zen method, admirably suited to the active temperament of Western people. Jim expressed “That book completely changed my life. I chose a career in art because it shows me for me. I have been a Civil Servant, Chef and Window Dresser and never gained a single qualification at school. I love numbers, words and literature. Intuitively, that is how I became what I am. It was supposed to happen.” Jim is a very approachable artist and gets to know you before delving into a commission piece. I asked Jim what his preference was when drawing and he explained, “I prefer to work from real life although I will work from good photographs too”. His work closely resembles that of Quentin Blake and instantly takes you back to childhood when you read Roald Dahl. You may think that this is a very easy and simple way to draw, but actually it proves quite challenging. We are so used to overcomplicating things in our lives and detailing every little thing. I believe Jim has stripped this back and reminded us of just how simplistic things really are. It’s really rather beautiful. Using mixed media: fine writing pens, pencils, watercolours, acrylics and oils, the illustrations draw you in to an explosion of colour and activity. It is truly fascinating to watch Jim at work and he can be found most days at the gallery working on a commissioned piece of art or one of his own projects. Each time you visit some of his busier pieces you will discover something new, something you haven’t spotted before. The illustration on the left of the Wirral Ukulele Fanatics (WUF) really captures the humour and good nature of the group. They are all depicted enjoying themselves, even the dog! The colours help evoke the mood and it almost makes you want to pick up an instrument and join in. Jim is actually part of the WUF and is also an enthusiastic harmonica player. When you’re a creative person I guess you can turn your hand to most creative things…
There is an art class held upstairs in the gallery every Wednesday morning at 9.30 -12.30pm hosted by Bob Goldsborough welcoming new and established artists in the area.
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MANDY MOLBY
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Fundraiser Extraordinaire!
any people reading this will either know, or know of Mandy Molby, wife of Liverpool F.C. legend, Jan Molby. This column serves as an introduction to Mandy and the tireless charity work she has done for Claire House and is now doing for The Ambassadors of Cash for Kids. We are asked all too often, it seems, to put our hand in our pocket for some charity or other and for the most part, we never know how that money is used or how much of it is actually paid direct to the charity. In each future edition of Living Wirral, we have asked Mandy to outline how much the Ambassador’s have raised, and how the money has been distributed throughout Wirral. Wallasey-born Mandy and Danish born Jan have been together 32 years and have three children, now adults themselves. Fundraising has always been part of this couples life and in fact in Jan’s testimonial year, they raised enough money to buy a Variety Sunshine Coach. Mandy has been involved with many fundraising events across the years, including working as an Ambassador for Radio City’s Cash for Kids, but eight years ago Mandy and her friend Jane Kirkham formed Wirral Witches - a charity set up to raise money for local children’s hospice Claire House. The Charities Commission issued new guidelines that put a bigger emphasis on the administration role, Jane in this case, but Jane wasn’t able to dedicate the time anymore. Her daughters and grandchild have moved out of the area and Jane, the new Grandma, did not want to miss out on too much. Mandy had no interest in taking on the accounting side and so looked for a solution that would allow her to continue doing what she does best. Fundraising. Radio City’s Cash for Kids stepped in. They will now look after the administration, completely free of charge allowing the Ambassador’s Mandy Molby, Trudie Brooks, and Claire Gallagher more time to concentrate on raising money. No cash will be allocated. A grant application is made and anything from a wheelchair to a play area can be given out.
This year the Ambassadors will be paying for the Claire House childrens’ party and also for a party for a further 1000 children. Herbert, the famous hairdresser, pays for 1000 children to have a Christmas party each year, but this year, as some of you will already know, Herbert is recovering from a successful operation to remove a brain tumour and doesn’t feel strong enough to support the event. Enter the Ambassadors, stage right!
The dynamic duo, Mandy and Jane, their friends and family raised an incredble £700,000 in eight years. This amazing sum of money allowed them to: Buy a play area including a wendy house (£68k). Install Thomas Walk, a pleasant walk around the grounds of Claire House (approx £30k). Build the extension on the fund raising department (approx £40k). Supply a Variety mini bus (£55k). Provide a Mini car with wheelchair lift (£35k). Arts and craft equipment including tables that lower and raise. Music teacher and therapy. Nurses. Gardens and new lighting. The car park extended and tarmac relaid. Storage sheds and containers. Counselling for the parents. Refurbishing of all the bedrooms. Benches in the gardens and on Thomas walk . Money towards the refurbishing of the Butterfly Suite. Children’s party every Christmas for eight years and the teenager’s party too Gifts for all the children and their siblings at Christmas. New equipment for the light touch therapy room. Hoists. Wheelchairs. Days out. Paid a nurses wages for a year. Paid for TV’s, computer’s and Game Station’s for the teenagers
Mandy is totally down to earth. You couldn’t meet a kinder, more sincere person if you tried. Her endless charity work gives you the measure of the woman and yet, it only scratches the surface. She is compassionate, understanding and full of fun despite having faced some trying times in her personal life. If we all did a fraction of what Mandy does in a year, the Wirral, no, the world would be a better place.
OFFICIAL AMBASSADOR EVENT
Cash for Kids is part of the Bauer Radio’s network of local charities, which operate across 21 areas around the UK, including Radio City. Their mission is to respond to the needs of children from the North West, Merseyside and across North Wales where it is needed most. Supporting those who are suffering abuse or neglect, who are disabled, or have special needs, to live life to the full and achieve their individual potential. The money raised by Cash for Kids locally, goes to support local children under the age of 18. We have a grantgiving process that organisations, charities and individuals can apply for, support that will make a difference where it is needed most. In 2014, 318 grants including Mission Christmas were approved that helped 38,709 children to the value of £1,087,160 Our Mission Christmas Appeal provided gifts and presents to over 25,500 children this year”
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POLYSTYRENE POLICY?
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by Dave Peddie
few issues ago, I wrote about The New Brighteners’ aim to see New Brighton become Polystyrene free. We always knew it would be a big task. In addition to the environmental issues, there are economic issues. For instance, it is more expensive to use environmentally friendly food containers rather than polystyrene. This is an important issue for small independent food retail outlets, and not to be ignored.
DOG WALKING AND OTHER PET SERVICES
This brings us round to the use of polystyrene containers by event caterers, which inevitably get strewn around the landscape and beaches. Events such as the Rally Stages along Kings Parade, and running events such as the 10K and Half Marathons, leave in their wake polystyrene containers, cardboard boxes, empty sugar and sauce sachets, plastic spoons, forks and bottles and empty gel energy packs, all of which are very bad for the environment, and make New Brighton look a mess. However, we’ve recently discovered that the polystyrene problem cannot begin to be tackled for one major reason. Wirral Council does not have a specific polystyrene policy. Yes, it was a surprise for us as well. The city of Oxford has proposed that Polystyrene take-away food containers should be banned, and similar bans have already been imposed in a number of US cities and towns. The New Brighteners have begun to work with Wirral Council, particularly liaising with our New Brighton Cllrs; Rob Gregson, Pat Hackett and Chris Spriggs and with Cllr Bernie Mooney (Environment and Sustainability), to develop an official Polystyrene Policy. Once this is done, and it will take some time as these things do, then the Council’s event team can instruct caterers concerning no polystyrene use. Then we can begin to see a change in polystyrene use. But why all this Polystyrene Ballyhoo? This is why: In 2014 the National Research Council (NRC) affirmed that the organic compound styrene can “reasonably be anticipated to be a human carcinogen.” Toxic chemicals leak out of styrene products into the food that they contain (especially when heated in a microwave), which threaten human health and reproductive systems. Hydrocarbons are released during polystyrene manufacture, which, in the presence of sunlight, form tropospheric ozone - a serious air pollutant at ground level. Polystyrene is dumped, in significant amounts, into the environment as litter, and is a major component of plastic debris in the ocean. It is notorious for breaking up into very small pieces that choke animals and clog their digestive systems. Furthermore, discarded polystyrene does not biodegrade for hundreds of years and is resistant to photolysis (the breaking down of material through the absorption of [sun] light). There are lots of alternatives to Polystyrene....... Recycled paper, bamboo, corn plastics, etc. are easily renewable resources that can be used instead of Polystyrene for take-out fast food containers, whether for fish & chips, burgers, tea, coffee etc., AND all of these products are biodegrade and easily recycled. So let’s all begin to move away from polystyrene, and all work towards.... The Polystyrene Free State of New Brighton
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For further information please contact Nikki 07725595796 Nikki@muckypawswirral.co.uk www.muckypawswirral.co.uk
KICKING DEPRESSION INTO TOUCH FOR CHRISTMAS
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Dr. Alex Forsythe, Chartered Psychologist University of Liverpool
hristmas is the only event that I can think of that is imposed upon us whether we want it or not. Christmas now plays an enormous role in our economy. Schools close, shops extend opening hours, all for a religious festival, in which these days, the majority of the population worship elves, reindeer and that snowman. In point of fact, even for the religious among us, Jesus didn’t have much to do with Christmas at all. We over-spend, over-eat and over-drink, but we all must take part. A heady combination of excessive expectations for yourself, seasonal affective disorder, spending time with in-laws you don’t much like, or, even worse, loneliness. Debt, feeling guilt about over eating, self-hatred because you cannot fit into that party frock; the full hit really. Tell your family that you don’t want to celebrate your birthday this year and you might be met with a bit of grudging acceptance, tell your family you don’t want to celebrate Christmas and they will be asking you “what is the matter, are you depressed”. I adore Christmas, but I have at least one good friend who does not. She avoids as much of the festival as possible and frequently has her sanity questioned, but she is not depressed and she isn’t Festivalisophobic either (yes that is a word). At Christmas, most people are fortunate enough to have friends and family to share this special time. Most families have some rituals that take place at Christmas: the decoration of the tree, the carol service, the cooking of the mince pies, the time and place that presents are opened, the watching of a favourite movie. We know, as psychologists, that these rituals are important for maintaining the health and wellbeing of families because they bring stability during times of stress and transition. We all need to feel that we have a place in this world and that people value, respect and love us and Christmas provides that symbolic communication. Christmas reinforces to your family and the outside world the identity of your family is as a group. No matter what problems you have during the year with your family and friends, the rituals and routines you perform during Christmas provide continuity and security
across generations, which perhaps do not exist throughout the year. There is a forgetfulness of wrong doing for a few days; good will to all men. Even the binge eating and drinking, which normally promotes selfloathing, is forgiven because it is built into the ritual of Christmas in the January detox diet. The clever folks at Google have a search trends index, aggregated cheerily last year into a “misery index”: an index of search terms which illustrate when we are all more likely to be searching words like, depression, pain and anxiety. According to the misery index we don’t much search for those words at Christmas. Either Christmas day is the least miserable day of the year, or those of us, who are particularly miserable, are unable to escape our formidable families and seek help online. The most miserable times of the year are the autumn and spring. Day-to-day fluctuations suggest we are most anxious on a Monday. Stress and depression doesn’t appear until Tuesday, followed by fatigue on a Wednesday. By the weekend we are happy again, demonstrating how our moods and emotions are really only transitory experiences that we often attach far too much importance to. Sadness and unhappiness is an inherent and unavoidable part of life. Every moment of sadness is just that, a moment that need not become a whole life gone wrong. Despite what some people believe, Christmas doesn’t have much of a relationship with depression and neither does a less than ideal childhood or a traumatic event. If you suffer from depression, it doesn’t mean you are going to be depressed at Christmas. Depression isn’t that straightforward and those who are depressed probably have some degree of additional protection from their families during the festive season. In fact the worst times of the year for chronic depressive episodes are the spring and autumn.
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Eating cake: a brief exercise in Mindfulness We psychologists like hard faced evidence, which means there are only a few things that we are prepared to endorse or support. ‘The Mindful Way’ is a self-help text, but is one actually written by real psychologists with PhDs from Yale, Oxford and Cambridge. The authors take you on an 8-week journey developing invaluable strategies that have been demonstrated as evicting chronic unhappiness, illustrating how important it is to be aware of and attend to your body’s signals before you even get out of bed in the morning, how unpleasant feelings are linked with physical sensations, thoughts, fears and the problems of the day. How to manage befriend those sensations and emotions with a view to reclaiming your life. Although not a cheery stocking filler, a very useful one. The exercise below gives you a taster of Mindfulness training. This food focus exercise turns off the eating autopilot and directs attention to the body’s signals. When you begin to exercise mindfulness practice the exercises can seem somewhat silly and pointless. Exercises are often very simple, but their implications are profound because they demonstrate how to break the record of rumination and calm our chaotic minds by chaining the way we pay attention. Have you ever seen an infant discover their hands for the very first time with wide- eyed wonderment? This is an exercise in capturing that experience through mindful eating. A useful first step to developing mindfulness, this exercise is also pretty good at combating disappearing food. I recommend putting two small slices of cake, or two biscuits onto the plate. Holding: Take a piece of cake, a mince pie, a Christmas sweet. Look at it like it is the first time you have ever seen it. Take it in your hand. Feel its weight and stickiness. Or pierce it with a fork, scraping a morsel from the plate. Seeing: Give this treat your full attention. Look at every crumb, swirl of jam. Notice the granules of sugar. Smelling: Smell your treat. What do you notice? What is its aroma? Notice what is happening in your mouth. Placing: Bring the morsel to your mouth. Slowly place it onto your tongue and hold it here without chewing. Notice what is happening in your mouth. How does the morsel feel on your tongue? Tasting: Take a bite into your treat and notice what happens in your mouth. Without swallowing. What sensations and taste experiences are occurring in your mouth? Swallow: Try and notice when you detect the first reflex to swallow. When you are ready then swallow. Following: How does your stomach feel? What sensations are you experiencing? Now take a few moments before you gaze at the second offering on your plate. Notice it is there and notice your feelings. Start the process again as necessary, or you might feel you have had enough. For those who wish to read more: Teasdale, J.D., Williams, J.M.G., & Segal, Z.V. (2014) The Mindful Way Workbook: An 8-Week Program to Free Yourself from Depression and Emotional Distress. Guilford Publications, New York.
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There is any number of possible triggers for a depressive condition; pain, giving birth, loss of a partner, getting older, thyroid disorders, head injury, family history. Depressive symptoms include a poor sense of self-worth, anger, feeling overwhelmed, anxiousness, sleeplessness and reckless behaviour. Sufferers may struggle with issues of shame, guilt, low self-esteem and worthlessness. In attempt to escape this self-hatred, their emotional lives may become unmanageable. Sufferers may be unable to maintain close relationships, isolating themselves or becoming clingy and possessive. Feelings can become so deadened that the depressed may distrust the intentions of those around them. Others may crave the esteem of others, flaunting superiority and demanding attention. Covert hostility and passive-aggressive behaviour manifests in sulking, withdrawal, forgetting to do things, insults delivered as complements, self-pity and blaming others. The negative words and actions of the depressed can drive those that love and care from them away and they end up feeling, or even worse being, socially isolated at the very time of the year when families are publically cementing their identity. We are all different and psychologists know there are as many triggers for depression, as there are ways in which depression manifests itself. Yet not everyone, after a major life event experiences depression, so what then causes depression? The answer seems to be in the propensity to dwell, ponder and ruminate over life’s events, because those who dwell and ruminate are more likely to suffer depressive symptoms. In 2013, over 32,000 people took part in a study at University of Liverpool. Those who did not engage in rumination over difficult events and experiences where much less likely to experience depression and anxiety, than those who continually rehearsed the playby-play of what took place. This is fairly damming evidence of the role that rumination plays in creating the depressed mind. Hyperfocus, whether it be on a childhood experience, a bad day at work, or a fall out with your friends, intensifies and prolongs distressing emotions because, in your mind, you are able to conjure up all sorts of images and sensations that are hard to describe with just words. The words and pictures we create for ourselves, when we re-run that damming inner monologue, when we revisit playground bullying or that terrible meeting with our boss, influence the operation of our brains because it actually re-shapes the neural structures. This is called, in science speak, neuroplasticity. In ordinary language, we can physically change our brains, by changing our thoughts. The depressed brain has modified the neural pathways in a way that does not serve us well. Dysfunctional pathways have been strengthened through negative thoughts, which trigger and reinforce maladaptive emotions and behaviours. Therefore by changing our thoughts we can tame and regain mastery of our brains, and then, it is entirely possible for you to steady your mind and direct your brain to where you want it to go. There is some truth in the quote from movie Frozen, “The heart is not so easily changed, but the head can be persuaded’. This process involves self-regulating our thoughts, by paying attention to, but not being dragged into, self-hating inner monologues. Through self-regulation we can master our malleable brains and find some peace and happiness. Self-regulation is not achieved through thinking positively or distraction. Nor is it achieved by forcing happy thoughts into our heads and dancing around like Julie Andrews singing “Cream coloured ponies and crisp apple strudels, doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles”. Rather, to develop self-regulation we need to stop all the time travelling, learn to pay attention, real quality attention, to the current moment. Such ‘mindful’ based approaches are based on a combination of Eastern meditative traditions and an approach known as cognitive behavioural therapy, which seeks to reduce the links between the obsessive thoughts and the brains reward systems. Mindfulness is quality awareness to the things around us. Mindfulness is accepting without criticism or judgement, an awareness of the mode of mind to which we have become accustomed to, but which is not serving us well. This is the opposite of rumination. Rumination drags us to a place far removed from current experience. It takes us back in time, or projects us far into the future, worrying about the next day at work, paying for the family holiday or budgeting for Christmas. This holistic approach, which treats both mind and body, is the most effective approach to the management of depression, but in the absence of a qualified psychologist, pills have sadly become the most popular, cost effective, therapeutic course of action. These ‘mothers little helpers’ even had a song written about them by the Rolling Stones, “and although she’s not really ill, there is a little yellow pill”. People find it very difficult to deal with those around them that are depressed. The blanket of myths and stereotypes that surround depression is a convenient way of managing our individual anxieties and lack of knowledge about what to do and how to act. This is called ‘cognitive bias’; a kind of mental shortcut the brain has developed to help us manage problems, in a practical, but not perfect way. People cannot really help it until they are
aware that they are doing it, and the press do a sterling job of reinforcing formulaic ideas about depression at Christmas. Which soap character will this year attempt to destroy their existence, to the tune of “I wish it could be Christmas every day?” There is no doubt about the relationship between depression and suicidal behaviour, but lets be clear, suicide has a few more friends than just depression. Robin Williams’ widow bravely announced that depression was one of Robins many problems, but it had not killed him, it was his fear of the mental decline he was suffering as a result of the condition Dementia with Lewy Bodies, which has a life expectancy of 5-7 years accompanied by among other things, loss of language, judgement and hallucinations. I was stunned to see some of the cruel comments on social media in response to Susan Williams’ announcement. How could she understand or know for sure if she doesn’t suffer from depression? In one sense this response is unsurprising. Around 15% of people in developed countries have been diagnosed as suffering from depression at some time or another, and depression is responsible for 850,000 suicides each year. When a public figure is identified as depressed this act draws an important spotlight towards our beleaguered mental health services. Yet the angry and misinformed missed the point. What Susan Williams was stating was life affirming; depression isn’t a death sentence; it is a treatable manageable disorder. Robin was living with and managing his depression. What he could not live with was the reality of losing his mind. The journalist Anthea Rowan once described depression as a dog always sulking around her back door, casting long, gloomy shadows. Her ‘depression dog’ had wallowing jaws and a stealthy tread, but sometimes she managed to give it a well-placed kick and send it reeling outwards and downwards to wherever it came from in the first place. Depression can be, at least temporarily, kicked into touch and it doesn’t have to come sniffing around at Christmas. If however, you have historically experienced depressive bouts at Christmas, or you are concerned that you might this Christmas, there are things you can do to help yourself. Minimising contact with people, staying indoors away from sunlight and fresh air are the very things that will perpetuate the cycle, but simply relying on your motivation to get you up and moving isn’t any more likely to be successful. Social pressure is enormously effective in getting you moving. Scheduling meaningful things to do over Christmas makes it much more likely that you will get up and out of your home and be active. Being active will help you break out of the negative cycle of thoughts and lethargy. Be honest with people around you what your needs are. We all need other people to meet our needs, but many of us have a difficult time recognising, acknowledging and expressing what it is that we need. Find someone to talk to, express your emotions and worries and perhaps schedule some ‘me’ time to start practicing Mindfulness. If spending time at Christmas with a particular individual really upsets you, stop doing it. Spend time with people you like. Worried about the financial cost of Christmas? Money worries keep people up at night, but they will still spend money at Christmas. It sounds trite, but talk to your family and make a plan based on the reality of your circumstances. Next year does not need to start out with an overdraft, payday loan or unpaid bills. Money management is critically important in managing depressive episodes in the months following Christmas. Discussing your money management within the frame of managing your depression is not a sign of weakness or letting people down; rather it is a sign of strength because you are taking responsibility for your own health and wellbeing. A few less gifts on Christmas day will not be as difficult to manage as days and weeks of low mood. If you find it hard work preparing Christmas lunch, don’t give yourself such a hard time. We are not all a Nigella or a Jamie and remember that the whole point of the Christmas dinner ceremony is to be together, not carry out a critical review of the gravy or the temperature of the plates; something my mother-in-law did one year. Most of all, find or create and focus on your own Christmas rituals and cherish them, even if that means you just don’t do Christmas much at all.
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MODE-L ME
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Review by Living Wirral
needed something different, something professional, something bold, beautiful and dynamic. Where do I go to have my makeup done for a night out? Then it hit me – the new place on Moreton cross. Mode.
I was greeted by Topaz, one of the makeup artists at Mode who sat me down to discuss what it was that I wanted. Truth be told, I didn’t know. I didn’t have anything in mind but I knew I wanted something WOW. I started talking about how I’d normally do my makeup; smokey eyes, red lips, not too heavy on the foundation and how it would usually slide off by the end of the night. I showed Topaz pictures on my phone from Facebook and Instagram picking out my favourite looks; she knew exactly what I wanted. Cleansing my face, Topaz picked out three different foundation tones that matched my skin. I asked why she had chosen a lighter one, a matched one, and a slightly darker one and she explained how the different tones in my skin meant that I should use at least three different foundations to get the exact match I needed for a natural, but full coverage. It’s also good to use as a highlighter for certain areas of your face, for example the cheekbones. The majority of the time was taken up with my eye makeup. I wanted bold, almost gothic-looking black, smokey eyes. I’ve always tried to create this look myself and never done it successfully. What I didn’t realise is how many coats of eye shadow you must apply to create it. I first had the silver/white eye shadow applied under my brow to accentuate it, then I had the natural browns added to form a base for the black. Then carefully, Topaz built up the smoky eye effect layer by layer until it was complete.
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I’ve never had my lips painted before. It turns out, that’s how lipstick is applied when you have your makeup done professionally. Who knew!? The vibrant red that Topaz applied matched my nails perfectly and I was ecstatic to see the finishing touches applied. Needless to say, my makeup stayed on all night and looked flawless. In just one hour I had been transformed from a blank canvas to what felt like a glamorous superstar! MODE MAKE-UP - 16, Upton Road, Moreton Cross, Wirral CH46 0PA T: 0151 345 6761 | M: 07857-778127 Email: modemakeupwirral@gmail.com | modemakeupwirral.com Check out their site www.elegantsteps.co.uk
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WINTER BLUES
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REIKI ENERGY HEALING
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WHAT IS IT? Geniene Reese has the answers
ast issue I talked about the law of attraction and how we can use energy through our thoughts and feelings to attract the things we want into our lives. This time I want to talk about reiki energy healing. Sounds like some new pseudoscience for yoga loving, green tea drinking hippies right? Well actually its been around for longer than you think and comes in many different forms, in the wake of new modern science there is a revival of ancient understandings about energy healing. A reiki revolution if you like. So what is it? Its kind of hard to explain but I’m going to do my best. Reiki means life force energy, which is different than electrical, chemical or other kinds of physical energy as it comes from the higher power, or source energy. Everyone has an aura, the scientific name is a biofield or energy field, Your aura can reach up to 66 feet away from you, I know some people who don’t even like being touched, imagine if they knew they were touching everyone in a 66 foot radius? They would be having energy healing daily! I jest of course, but it was something I found very interesting when I first discovered it. We also have seven main energy centres called chakras, which distribute the energy which supports the functioning of the body, mind and emotions. If there is too much or too little energy flowing through an particular chakra, this will have a negative impact on the function associated with that chakra, I’d love to list the chakras and their functions here but alas I have a word limit check out www.chakraenergy.com to learn more. Whilst you are having an energy healing reiki treatment you can also receive chakra balancing. The chakra system is constantly changing in response to life and all its stresses, for example maybe you spend hours on mental work during the day, this may cause the chakras associated with the functioning of your mind to to be over stimulated due to the amount of energy flowing through them, that in turn could make your mind over active causing you not to be able to sleep at night. Balancing the chakras in this case would help stop so much energy flowing through the overactive chakra. Everything is energy, so it stands to reason that all healing ultimately involves energy. Most healing methods give no focus to the underlying energy, preferring to concentrate on the physical, mental and emotional levels of life. Energy healing works with the energetic level of us, when you work directly with the energy it also has the added benefit of effecting the mental, physical and emotional. Bonus! With more and more people turning to holistic methods of healing, energy healing like reiki is now being offered in some mainstream hospitals. A treatment involves you lying or sitting down while your practitioner lays their hands over your body, the experience is different for everybody but people report feeling warm, tingly, relaxed or dreamy. I think it feels like you are being put directly into a deep state of meditation, which gives your brain a lovely break. Reiki works with your aura and chakras to bring lightness and healing life force energy to areas that need it most. Even though reiki is a spiritual practice, it is non religious and has no dogma. It is a safe, enlightening, self healing method of transferring and sharing energy. It can be used to help cope with a wide range of conditions including cancer, heart disease, ADHD, infertility, depression, chronic pain, Crohn’s disease, IBS, anxiety and end of life care to name a few. Geniene is a certified reiki master and will be holding reiki and quantum healing 20 minute taster sessions at £10 at the following pop up taster days in January 2016. There are limited spaces available on each day. Includes chakra balancing. Beau Belle Beauty, Wallasey 0151 638 2300 Saturday 9th January - www.facebook.com/beau-belle-beauty-salon Kapucia 07519 559213 Saturday 16th January - www.facebook.com/kapucia RENU 0151 668 0345 Saturday 23rd January - www.facebook.con/hot-yoga-wirral www.sassandselfhelp.com
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LASH-IOUS NAILS Review by Living Wirral
A
nne Roberts Hair and Beauty Salon has been in Oxton for 25 years. They have Clarin’s Gold status, exceptionally high standards and great customer service.
There is always a certain amount of trepidation visiting a new salon, don’t you think? What will my therapist be like? Will they be silently judging me? My fears were allayed on entering the front door as I was greeted by the biggest smile from Alisha on reception. I was then taken to meet my beauty therapist, Helena and offered a drink. Sitting down together at the table we discussed the different options of nail treatments like acrylics, gels and traditional nail polish and she mentioned a new treatment ‘NexGen’. This treatment isn’t like any other as it is water resistant but still allows the nail to breathe as normal enabling it to grow strong and long. Like Shellac, they are maintenance free but you can file them down if they do get too long. They are also odour free and non-porous which is great for us environmentallyfriendly types. Oh, did I mention they are calcium and vitamin E fortified too? Naturally, I opted for this. I don’t like the idea of suffocating my nails with acrylics any more. The damage that is done to them when I accidentally rip one off is painful and has actually altered the ridges and contours of my nail bed. I’m not your typical customer when it comes to false nails - usually Shellac will last 2-3 weeks on the average person, but I’d be lucky to get a week out of them! I like my nails to be polished and pretty but at the same time I need to do the practical things we have to do on a daily basis. False nails are usually impractical but NexGen have helped me find a happy medium; I’ve had these nails on for over a week now and there’s no sign of lifting, breaking, chipping or any damage. Once my nails were finished, all shiny and new, I was taken through to a beautiful treatment room where I made myself comfortable and closed my eyes for my lash treatment with Emma. There are several options available including strips, weekend lashes, individual Jinny lashes and the new individual Russian Lashes. Everyone is talking about the ‘Russian Lashes’; they’re supposed to be the next big craze to hit the semi-permanent makeup market, so I decided to try them out. Emma explained how the new multi-lash technique involves adhering synthetic, ultra-fine lashes onto a single natural lash. You get a high impact, glamorous look with maximum natural looking volume. I can honestly say that once they were completed I didn’t even notice that they were on. Usually when you wear false eyelashes you feel your eye lids are much heavier? Well, that doesn’t happen. In fact, I’d go as far as to say I don’t even remember I had them on. Certainly not having to apply mascara every day is a bonus… I don’t wake up looking like a Panda! I would totally recommend you try them, soon. NexGen Nails and Russian Lashes from: Anne Roberts Hair and Beauty. 80 Birch Road, Oxton, Birkenhead. CH43 5UE | T: 0151 653 7979 | www.annerobertsoxton.com
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TIDES,GUNS AND GUARDIANS The fascinating history and current dilemma of the Bidston Observatory by Robert Thunder
R
Bidston Observatory was designed by George Fosbery Lyster, Engineer in Chief to the Liverpool and Birkenhead dock estate, who was responsible for improving and expanding the docks of the Mersey estuary. His life works are vast and include the Woodside Ferry landing stage, Morpeth Dock, the Bidston lighthouse The land was purchased from Robert Charles de and observatory, and not to mention bringing the Liverpool Docks up to the standards of the growing grey Vyner, descendant of Sir Robert Vyner who international steamer trade. was sheriff of London during the Great fire in
ecently purchased by a private development company, the iconic structure on Bidston Hill’s future is uncertain. It’s history on the other hand, is steeped in a fascinating array of scientific study, innovation and indispensible service to mariners.
Even before the Bidston Observatory became the worlds’ foremost authority on tidal prediction and oceanography, its predecessor Liverpool Observatory had established itself as a world-class 1866, later became Lord Mayor of London and The building is made with the same sandstone institute of astronomical observation and accurate was Goldsmith to Charles II. excavated from the site, it’s walls thick and recording of Greenwich Mean Time. In the latter foundations deep. Two levels of cellar provided half of the 19th century, Liverpool’s Waterloo Docks workspace for a wide variety of scientific work, experienced a rapid expansion, resulting in the including the operation of the famous tide machines. Chronometers (ships clocks) unavoidable removal of the Liverpool Observatory. In 1866 the Observatory was were rated and stored in atmospherically designed rooms, a seismometer in the moved to Bidston hill. The Bidston site offered a much clearer view of the stars than sub-basement was adapted to measure the tilting of the Wirral due to tidal forces the increasingly light polluted space around Liverpool and it’s elevation allowed a and an anemometer on the roof recorded wind speed. Inside the domes the greater portion of the sky to be observed.
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Arthur Doodson pictured right telescopes were used for viewing asteroids, comets and to observe the transit of stars in order to record time. This was a valuable service, as before the dawn of satellite led navicgation (GPS) the precise time was required in order to ascertain a ships position at sea. An electronic signal from the Observatory triggered a gun to be fired on Morpeth Dock at precisely 1 o’clock each day. Several guns were used over the years, the first being a veteran of the Crimean War and the final at Hotchkiss from WW2, which can still be seen in its position at Morpeth dock, near to Woodside Ferry Terminal. Many local residents may well remember hearing the gun as it was still fired until the summer of 1969, well after the advent of the more accurate radio signaling. Many may scarce believe that this peculiar looking building on top of Bidston Hill was critical in winning the Second World War. It is in fact, completely true. In order for the allies to mount an effective attack on the beaches of Normandy, an accurate prediction of the tides was essential. During wartime, important tidal information had ceased to flow from countries that had either become our enemies or were subjugated. At the time the building was part of the Liverpool Observatory and Tidal Institute. Directed by Professor Joseph Proudman, tide-predicting machines were operated by human ‘computors’. According to an article from the Liverpool daily post in July 1944, ‘these machines (were) a maze of wheels, pulleys and scales. And the intricate mechanism has to be adjusted to allow for every known condition affecting the tidal motion at the place in question’. Tides were predicted from the Observatory for over 200 ports across the world, quite an accomplishment considering the advent of computerised tidal prediction didn’t come until the late 1960s. One man in particular was instrumental in predicting the tides for the crucial D-Day Landings. Arthur Doodson was a mathematician and oceanographer from Salford. He and his team used data collected from the tide predicting machines to accurately decipher the timing of the lowest tide at first light, allowing the allies to spot an array of treacherous hidden obstacles on the Normandy seabed.
Doodson improved upon the design, creating the most accurate mechanical time predicting machine in history, the ‘Doodson Lege’ which took the number of factors affecting tide (shape of coastline, depth of water, distance of the moon etc) from the mid teens to over 40, resulting in such a precise forecast of tides that he was able to calculate accurate tidal forecasts for years ahead all over the world. His machine took about a day and a half to simulate the factors and predict the tide for any given port and although modern computerized methods are much more instant, they are still based on Doodson’s model. Doodson was awarded the CBE for his work on tidal prediction and received the honour from the Queen in 1956. According to Valerie Doodson, his daughter in law, Arthur was a conscientious objector and a deeply religious man who saw the vital work that he did as simply “doing his bit”. Despite being considerably deaf, Arthur Doodson had become the leading expert on Tidal prediction, cementing his name in the analogs of oceanographic research history. In terms of the current situation of the building, the outlook is somewhat vague. The famous instruments such as the Doodson Lege Tide Predicting machine and the Transit Telescope are now situated in the National Oceanography Centre and the Liverpool Museum respectively. The advent of more efficient means of scientific research resulted in the cessation of activity at the Bidston Observatory and the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory moved to the University of Liverpool campus in 2004. The building has been recently sold to private developers who have not replied to our enquiries about their intentions for the site. Stephen Pickles, owner and resident of the Bidston lighthouse is one of many passionate advocates for the restoration and preservation of the Observatory and is deeply concerned about applications to make the building a residential property. Camelot property management mediate between ‘guardians’ who have been living there for a number of years and the current owners, Bidston Observatory Developments Limited who bought the site from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) earlier this year. Guardians live in empty or disused buildings across the country and act as a form of passive security to prevent the squatting and vandalising of vulnerable properties. The guardians are keen to stay in such a fantastic property but openly admit that the building needs some serious renovation. I myself lived there for a few months last year and remember regular reports of leaks from the roof and according to my ex-housemates there has been serious flooding in recent weeks. Both the Observatory and Lighthouse are grade 2 listed buildings and located on Bidston Hill, an area long preserved for the recreation of local residents. The question of generating income for the maintenance of such a building is of course a major issue. Surely something must be done to preserve not only the building itself but also its historical significance?
Above (top) Valarie Doodson pictured with friends in front of the One O’Clock Gun Above: The Doodson Lege Tidal Predictor Observatory photograph (left) taken by: Pete Marsden
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THE DECEMBER SKY
F
Andy Newsam,Professor of Astronomy Education and Engagement.Director of the National Schools’Observatory. An ESERO-UK Space Ambassador
or many people, the early evenings and long, dark, cold nights of Winter are an excuse to curl up in front of the TV with a nice hot drink. However, for astronomers like myself the long nights are an ideal opportunity to explore some of the best sights the Universe has to offer. So, this December why not make the most of any clear night skies, wrap up warm and try a bit of stargazing?
The best time to look at the fainter objects and stars is the second week in December when the moon is close to new and its bright glare will not swamp out the fainter objects. During this week, try to make your way to somewhere relatively dark - a nearby park, perhaps, or the North or Western coastlines. Let your eyes adjust to the dark, which may take several minutes (resist the temptation to switch on a torch or look at your phone or your eyes may have to start again) and you will gradually see more and more stars appear.
The first thing to do is to get your bearings by finding the North star Polaris. This is not, in fact, a particularly bright star, but it is the only star in the sky that does not move during the night, being fixed directly above the North Pole of the earth and so not affected by the rotation of the globe. The easiest way to find Polaris is to start with the Plough. In the early evening, you should find this distinctive pattern of stars a bit above the horizon towards the North looking a bit like a saucepan with a bent handle (later in the night it will gradually rotate its way around towards the East). When you have found it, imagine drawing a line that continues
the edge of the “saucepan” furthest from the handle “up” and away from the Plough. You will soon cross right next to a moderately bright star - this is Polaris, and due North.
Now that you have your bearings, it is time to try to find two of my favourite objects - the Sword of Orion and the Pleiades. At this time of year, Orion does not really rise significantly above the horizon until after about 8pm, but if you go out late enough and turn East (right) from Polaris, you will see a tight line of three stars inside a “box” formed by four surrounding stars. This is Orion the Hunter, with the line of three forming his “belt”. There are many fascinating objects to see in Orion. A good place to start is the sword hanging below the belt. To the eye, this will probably look like another line of three faint stars, but even with a small pair of binoculars, the central “star” can be seen to be much more interesting - instead of the single “dot” of a star, a glowing, complex cloud should be visible - the Orion Nebula. This is a massive cloud of gas and dust which glows with the light of new stars forming inside. Around 100 thousand billion kilometres (100,000,000,000,000 km) across and more than 10 million billion kilometres (10,000,000,000,000,000 km) away, even light takes well over 1000 years to reach us from the nebula. This means that, rather weirdly, when you look at the nebula, you are not
seeing it as it is now, but as it was more than 1000 years ago! With good binoculars or a telescope, you should also see hints of colour. These colours are created by the different kinds of atom that make up the cloud - atoms that may eventually end up in stars, planets and perhaps even alien life. By studying nebulae like Orion, we are learning more and more about how stars and planets form, and how likely it is that we will eventually find life somewhere else in the Universe.
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If you then continue the imaginary line about the same distance past Polaris you will find a tight “W” of stars. This is another very distinctive constellation - Cassiopeia. Named after a vain Greek queen who boasted of her beauty, it is supposed to resemble her sitting admiring herself, although personally I cannot really see it.
Moving “up” and left from the belt, the top left star in Orion should look slightly reddish (particularly through binoculars). This is Betelgeuse - a Red Supergiant star - more than 1000 times the diameter of the Sun and so more than a billion times its volume. This star is nearing the end of its “life” - the fuel for the nuclear reactions in its core is rapidly running out and it has expanded and cooled ready for the final act - a giant explosion called a supernova. Supernovae are some of the most energetic events in the universe - when Betelgeuse explodes the star will release more energy in its destruction than the Sun will do in it’s entire 9 billion year
Below: Nebulon Below, right: Pleiades
eventually pass by a slightly fuzzy-looking “cloud”. This is the Pleiades or Seven Sisters (although I have counted anywhere between 5 and 12 stars depending on the conditions!) This is another place where stars are relatively young, but here they have been around long enough to “blow away” much of the cloud of dust and gas they were formed in, and the stars themselves are left in a tight group called an Open Cluster. Probably only around 100 million years old (a short time in astronomy) this is another excellent place to study how stars form and evolve. It is also something I look forward to seeing each year - when I can see the Pleiades on my way home from work, I know that Christmas is getting close!
life. Astronomers are particularly interested in Supernovae since, as well as being fascinating ways to study what happens to atoms in extreme circumstances, they are also believed to be where many of the heavier atoms in the Universe are created - including many that are essential to life on earth such as copper and gold. Indeed, almost all the different kinds of atom in your body have been inside a star that exploded - we really are made of stardust. So, Betelgeuse is watched closely for any signs of activity, although it is hard to say exactly when we will see it explode - it might be tomorrow, or it might not be for many thousands of years. Astronomy can require quite a lot of patience! Now let your gaze drift back to the Belt and then follow it in another imaginary line “up” and towards the South (right). If it is fairly dark where you are, and your eyes are properly adjusted you will
With Jupiter rising not long after midnight, Mars following around 3am and Venus visible just before sunrise, not everyone will be awake, but they are worth the effort. It you go out at the right time and look SouthEast, they are likely to be the first things you spot, brighter and “twinkling” a bit less than any other star. Mars should have a reddish tint, and Jupiter and Venus will be very bright. If you have a reasonable pair of binoculars or a telescope, take a good look at them - especially Jupiter where you may see a line of three or four “dots” cutting the planet in half. These dots are the four “Galilean Moons” - Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. Sometimes all four are visible, but often one or more is hidden by Jupiter itself. Also, if you are lucky and look carefully, you might see the famous red spot on Jupiter - a giant storm larger than the entire earth that has been raging for - at least - several 100 years. Later in the month, the moon will be up for a large fraction of the night, making it difficult to see the fainter, fuzzier objects (although the planets will still be very clear). However, that does not mean an end to stargazing as the moon itself is always worth a look. Full moon this December falls
So far, we have not seen any planets in the night sky. Since the planets move around in their own orbits, their “observability” varies from year to year, and it turns out that this December, none of the bright planets are visible in the evening. However, should you find yourself out later in the night, or early morning then a trio of planets should become visible Jupiter, Mars and Venus.
on Christmas day itself, so will be well worth a look, and may make it easier to find your way home from a convivial gathering late at night! However, although to many people the full moon is the most magical time, I personally prefer the phases closer to half (the first week in December or around the 15th to 20th). At these times, with the moon half-illuminated, the dividing line between dark and light (called the terminator) is a fascinating view of craters, plains and mountains, all cast into sharp relief by the long shadows. If you have never looked at this phase of the moon through binoculars or a telescope, then I strongly recommend that you do - it never ceases to enthral me, and I hope you will feel the same.
So, in the run-up to Christmas with the constant distractions of shopping, parties and never-ending re-runs of The Great Escape, do not forget the show that the universe is putting on for you, and perhaps take the time to lose yourself in the wonder of the night sky.
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FEED THE BIRDS
IMPAIRED VISION?
Review by Living Wirral
The Wirral Society of the Blind and Partially Sighted
W
inter is a trying time for our feathered friends especially as much of their natural food is in short supply. Here are some helpful tips to attract a good range of birds to your garden and give them a greater chance of making it through to spring.
Selecting your feeders.
A bird table will be popular with lots of birds but make sure you clean away any old food as you may attract the wrong type of visitor. Robins and blackbirds prefer food on the ground but be careful as we don’t want to inadvertently attract our feline friends with easy bait. Hanging feeders are particularly good for blue tits and great tits, even the odd woodpecker if you are lucky.
Types of food
Different birds like different food and the greater selection you put out, the more birds you will attract. Blue tits, great tits, and nuthatches like peanuts, while robins love meal worms. Mixed seeds are perfect for house sparrows, blue tits and chaffinches. Apart from putting out food for birds, they will need access to fresh water to wash and drink. It will need to have sloped sides and be kept free from ice. Photograph below: Jan Peddie
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he Wirral Society of the Blind and Partially Sighted was established in October 1989 by a group of visually impaired people. Their aim was to create an organisation to offer help, support and advice to those with serious sight problems in Wirral. The group set up a steering committee to plan how the society would be organised; a constitution was written and an application for registration was submitted to the Charities Commission on 24th October 1989 when the society became a registered charity. The group met in a variety of places including the Council for Voluntary Services Building, church halls and even members’ front rooms. It was decided that permanent premises would be needed to offer a full range of services and support for blind and partially sighted people. The local authority were approached and eventually, a disused, single storey building on the corner of Birkenhead Park, was offered for lease. In 1991 The Ashville Lodge became the home of the Wirral Society of the Blind and Partially Sighted. The society has come a long way since 1989; the centre was refurbished and extended in 1999 to accomodate the increase in service use over the years. This was officially opened by The Duchess of Gloucester in 2000. They also launched another appeal to build another extenstion dedicated to arts, crafts and ICT facilities. It took two years to raise these funds opening the building in 2010 with Mike McCartney as the special guest.
In recent months WSBPS received a three year grant from BBC Children In Need that will enable them to further develop services to meet the needs of children and young people with sight loss. For more information please check out the links below: Facebook: www.facebook.com/wsbps Website: www.wirralsociety.org.uk
Registered Charity No. 1147170
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WIRRAL
FIND US, FOLLOW US, KEEP IN TOUCH!
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DR WHO BLUETOOTH K9 ROBOT £50 WWW.THEGREATGIFTCOMPANY.CO.UK Get your very own canine companion, just like The Doctor. The Bluetooth K9 is a robotic K9 which is operated by your smartphone using bluetooth technology to give you your very own travelling companion. Complete with light up eyes, moving ears, extending nose gun and light-up keypad, the faithful K9 will be at your service. He is controlled by a downloadable app via your IOS or Android device. Full instructions included. Requires 4 x 1.5V AA batteries (not included) Fully licenced Doctor Who merchandise. Collectors item Gift boxed
AIR AMP £4.99 WWW.IWANTONEOFTHOSE.COM Simply slot your phone into the top of the Air Amp and start rocking out! This multi-purpose gadget is designed like a guitar amplifier and magically amplifies your music without the need for cables or batteries. At the same time it functions as a phone stand as well as charger storage. It works with most smartphones and chargers so that you can always neatly and securely store away your mobile gadgets
MINI ARCADE MACHINE £24.95 WWW.RED5.CO.UK Let’s take a trip down memory lane, all the way to your local arcades. Styled just like a retro arcade machine, this portable device is jam-packed with 240 old school games, based on all the classics from the past. With precise gameplay, an 8 way control joystick and 2 buttons, you can recreate that authentic arcade machine experience wherever you are. Your favourite childhood 16 bit games are displayed through a full colour 2.5” screen with full sound effects and music too.
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CELESTRON ASTROMASTER 130EQ-MD TELESCOPE £239.95 WWW.JOHNLEWIS.COM The AstroMaster dual-purpose telescope is ideal for both terrestrial and celestial viewing. You’ll enjoy bright, clear images of the moon and planets. Features: Motor drive for the automatic tracking Quick and easy no-tool setup Permanently mounted StarPointer Erect image optics - ideal for terrestrial and astronomical use Quick release dovetail attachment - no tool setup German Equatorial Mount with Setting circles - to accurately locate and track sky objects Rugged pre-assembled tripod with 1.25” steel tube legs - provides a rigid and stable platform All coated glass optics for clear, crisp images Sky Level 1 planetarium software with 10,000 object database and enhanced images 65x magnification Aperture 130mm Focal length 650mm
Living GADGETS
KODAK PIXPRO SP360 ACTION CAM £279 WWW.ARGOS.CO.UK See and experience your world in a whole new light with the world’s first 360 action camera. Introducing the Kodak Pixpro SP360 Action Cam designed not only to capture what you love to do, but much more of it! Immerse yourself and record 360 of HD video without the need for multiple cameras. This extreme kit comes complete with both the Standard Housing and the Waterproof Housing. It is also supplied with the complete set of mounting brackets so that it can be attached to handlebars, crash helmets, surf boards and car windscreens straight out of the box.
LUCKIES SMARTPHONE PROJECTOR £19.95 WWW.JOHNLEWIS.COM Create an intimate cinema experience from the comfort of your own home with this unique gadget. Project movies from your smartphone and make the most of the technology at your fingertips. Portable and hands free, this DIY design will make a perfect gift for the tech savvy.For best results turn your phone to maximum brightness and use in a darkened room, projecting onto a plain white wall.Please note: compatible with iOS and android smart phones.
STAR TREK PHASER REMOTE £119.95 WWW.RED5.CO.UK If you are a Trekkie then first of all we salute you, and secondly you really need this in your life! Quite simply it’s one of the best Star Trek merchandise we have ever seen. Beautifully and painstakingly 3D, scanned from the last prop in existence, it truly is a work of art and every geeks dream! So what’s got everyone at RED5 head office more excited than a Tribble on red bull? Well not only is it a fantastic replica but it also doubles as a remote control. With advanced gesture-based controls that are compatible with most home entertainment equipment (TV’s, DVD players, stereos and iPod docks etc) you can shoot the TV on or off, adjust the volume with a flick of the wrist and so much more. Your existing remote can now be left down the back of the sofa thanks to 9 gestures in 4 memory banks which gives you 36 programmable functions (after all the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few). And the best bit of all, the Star Trek Phaser remote features authentic special FX sounds from the Star Trek universe! So when no one’s home you can run around the house shooting make-believe Klingons and Jem’Hadar to your heart’s content, without the need to ‘pew pew pew’! The Phaser remote will sit proudly on your coffee table thanks to the stand accessory and even the presentation box looks like it’s just been shipped from Star Fleet Academy. We can’t stress enough the fanatical attention to detail of every part. Finally as if all of the above wasn’t enough, the Phaser also features a removable Phaser 1 which is a remote control in its own right, adding a truly authentic TOS touch. Live long and prosper.
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RARE LAMBORGHINI IN TOWN
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Review by Living Wirral
ars.TT purchase both new and used vehicles in both the UK and Japan on behalf of customers and then ship it to them, wherever in the world they may be located. They take care of all aspects of the process, from the purchasing of the vehicle, to shipping, import licence application, UK & local customs clearance, licencing of the vehicle locally and delivery of the vehicle to the customer. A few weeks ago, they took delivery of a new Lamborghini Aventador Pirelli Edition, delivered from the factory in Italy. The vehicle is one of three which has been allotted to the UK by Lamborghini, Italy, of which there is a total of 100 produced worldwide. Cars.tt is situated in Hoylake and is registered in both the UK and Trinidad and Tobago The special series Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 Pirelli Edition celebrates the historical collaboration between the two brands. The partnership began back in 1963, the year the House of the Raging Bull was established and since then all Lamborghini cars have been equipped with Pirelli tyres. The
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two firms share not only their Italian origins but also, and above all, a constant quest for technological innovation. The plucky powertrain providing 515kW (700hp) at 8,250 U/min combined with the ultra-fast ISR transmission enables top-level performance for the Pirelli model: 0 to 100 km/h acceleration in just 2.9 seconds and top speed reaching 350 km/h. The super sports car maintains all it’s unique technical features, first and foremost the carbon fibre monocoque, the V12 engine, pushrod suspensions and the permanent all-wheel drive, which underlie the Aventador’s global success. The special Pirelli series is enhanced by exclusive equipment specifically designed by the Lamborghini Centre Stile. The exterior sports a two-tone colour scheme in two options. The first is matte black for the roof, the pillars, the rearview mirrors, the engine hood and the front, rear side and moving air intakes, in contracts with six glossy finishes for the rest of the body. The second option is glossy black for the upper parts of the car and the air intakes, in contrast with four matte finishes for the rest of the exterior.
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GIFTS FOR THE GUYS
MAINLY BOYS TOYS...WELL IT IS CHRISTMAS!
1. Dressed Egg Cup and Spoon £15.30 JOHNLEWIS.COM | 2. Corkcicle Wine Cooler £9.95 CUCKOOLAND.COM | 3. Luxury Scrabble Set £235 THEGREATGIFTCOMPANY.CO.UK | 4. Mens Grooming Set £35 HOUSINGUNITS.CO.UK | 5. The British Spy Manual £16.99 WHITESTUFF.COM 6. Lego VW Camper Van £79.99 JOHNLEWIS.COM | 7. King of the Garden Mug £8 MARKSANDSPENCER.COM | 8. Desktop Mini Football Table £10 JOHNLEWIS.COM
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MOT Prep / Failures
repaired or
Cambelts Servicing Clutches Exhausts Steering Brakes Suspension Batteries Diagnostics Testing Tyres All Work Considered
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SOFT LAD
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Suzanne Collins tells us about her latest film iving Wirral recently caught up with the lovely Suzanne Collins at her Wirral home to talk about the sucess of her latest film, Soft Lad.
“Softlad is a feature film made last year that I’m very proud to play the female lead role in. It’s written and directed by Liverpool, ex Brookside actor, Leon Lopez. Readers who remember Brookside may recall us both as young lovers; Nikki and Jerome from the close. Softlad is set in Liverpool although we filmed in many locations; lovely Wirral, Liverpool, Leeds and Birmingham. It was shot in just seven days which is incredible for a feature film with a budget of less than £20,000. It truly was a labour of love with family and friends donating locations, cars, food, blood, sweat and tears. Many distribution companies made Leon offers but it was Peccadillo Pictures who signed the deal. The film then went on a tour called PoutFest. We’ve had incredible response from this tour at all the screenings in Thailand, Indonesia, London, Eastend Film Festival, Cheshire Oaks, Manchester, Leeds, Edinburgh, Malta, Cardiff, Liverpool Fact and Travelling Picturehouse for Gay Pride. The cast and Leon often attended the screenings and attended question and answer sessions afterwards. On Monday 9th November it was released on DVD on Amazon and on iTunes and actually on the shelves in HMV. Today its number 3 in the romance section of iTunes, number 10 in the drama section and number 35 overall. It’s a powerful film, a story of love, lust and betrayal and terrible consequences. You may recognise other cast members Daniel Broklebank, the gay vicar from Coronation Street, and Jonny Labey who is the Eastenders newcomer Paul Coker. My role is Jane, wife of Jules (Dan Broklebank) who is having an affair with my brother David (Jonny Labey). He is just about to go to dance college when the love triangle gets incredibly complicated. My daughter, Mya Collins, has a cameo role in the film. The cast also includes Laura Ainsworth, ex Emmerdale, and Robbie Williams’ choreographer Craig Stein. I’m incredibly proud and passionate about this piece of work, the success of it has been above and beyond our wildest dreams already.”
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NEW BRIGHTON - THE RISE FROM THE ASHES
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Tony Franks-Buckley Wallasey Historian and Author talks New Brighton (hiddenwirral.org.uk)
here is once again a feel good factor about our beloved seaside resort New Brighton, something that has been missing since the day it turned into a ghost town virtually overnight in 1969. A new facelift with healthy investment has seen the phoenix rise from the ashes once more. Whilst it still holds many of the values and ideas of a Victorian Seaside Resort, it has also been given a 21st Century facelift, ensuring that once again New Brighton is a popular seaside resort.
Before the days of James Atherton and other Victorian entrepreneurs’ New Brighton was an area that was frequented by the pirates and smugglers linked with the old white-washed, short; stumpy looking building known as Mother Redcaps Inn, which was built by the Mainwaring family in 1595. On the 24th January 1832, William Rowson advanced a deposit of £200 to John Penkett on account of the purchase of the “New Brighton Estate”. The sum represented £100 each for both himself and the visionary James Atherton. Sadly, James Atherton died in 1838 and was unable to see the completion of his vision. During the latter half of the 19th century, New Brighton developed as a very popular seaside resort serving Liverpool and the Lancastrian industrial towns, even areas of North Wales. Many of the large houses were converted to inexpensive hotels. A pier was opened in the 1860s, and the promenade stretching from Seacombe to New Brighton was built by the 1890s. This served both as a recreational amenity in its own right, and to link up the developments along the estuary, and was later extended westwards towards Leasowe. Expansion continued into the 20th Century with the building of the New Brighton Tower, the tallest in the country. The tower was opened in 1900 but closed in 1919, largely due to lack of maintenance during World War I. Dismantling of the tower was completed by 1921. Following the removal of the New Brighton Tower, the fairground remained with the Ballroom and other surrounding features until its final fate during the fire of 1969. The Old English Fairground was on a higher level, which, in later years, became the motor coach park. The Himalayan Switchback Railway was a great favourite, as was the water chute, with the boats travelling down at speed into the lake. By 1961, the New Brighton Fairground had changed significantly, with several new rides and sideshows. The Beatles also around this time played the
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Tower Ballroom; this was proof of how popular New Brighton was at the time. The Beatles final appearance at the Tower Ballroom took place on Friday 14 June 1963 on a special NEMS Enterprises presentation of their ‘Mersey Beat Showcase’ series. Gerry and the Pacemakers and five other groups supported the fab four. The Fire in 1969 was not the only tragedy to hit the Wallasey coast, the storms of February 1990 seen the end to what was considered the final nail in the coffin of the British Seaside Resort of New Brighton. The coastal area was battered with hurricane force winds of almost 100 mph. The storms caused very severe damage to the New Brighton Outdoor Bathing Pool when seas forced a hole into the foundations of the Northwest corner of the complex causing the upper structure to cave in. With the cost of about £4 million to repair the damage it was decided by the authorities to demolish the building. The Merseyside Development Corporation bulldozers levelled the site in the summer of 1990. And so came the dark era in Wallasey’s history, what had begun in 1969 looked to be set in stone for the foreseeable future, but thankfully new talks began about regeneration began and up stepped Neptune Developments in 2007 to begin the cleansing operation at New Brighton. What was once the working class playground for the North-West of England is starting to attract back the crowds that had disappeared in
1969, New Brighton is a giant that has lay dormant for far to long. But thanks to Neptune Developments, the giant has been awakened. Following its transformation from a leisure resort to a nightclub zone, New Brighton has been returned to its natural environment of family friendly and an entertainment zone. The former Chelsea Reach (Originally “The Ferry Hotel”) dance club has been converted into luxury apartments. The Golden Guinea later to be known simply as RJ’S nightclub has been transformed into the J.D Wetherspoon’s venue the Master Mariner and has been a popular venue for visiting families. The Floral Pavilion, the surviving member of the many theatres that was once situated in Wallasey, was given a major redevelopment process and now hosts many artists, shows and also houses a conference centre. The building of a new multi-room state of the art cinema (The
Light) has added a much needed outlet for locals and visitors wishing to view cinematic films in the highest quality, embracing the new age of 3 dimensional films. The entertainment does not stop there, many sports are available to enjoy, such as the ten pin-bowling complex, that has also been redeveloped. This also houses a Laser quest, in which children of all ages can compete in a computerised combat zone. A State of the art Crazy Golf course, which is modelled on the supposed 18 greatest golf holes in the world, is now open to the public and is attracting customers from all over. This complex also offers a Pitch & Putt course and Crown Green Bowling. The model boating lake is also a popular attraction, which during the winter months is invaded by Swans. The New Brighton Palace owned by the Wilkie’s family, has seen many changes occur throughout its existence. One thing for certain is that Wilkie’s have moved in line with the redevelopment of the resort and the return of the fairground rides to the Palace complex is a sign of more things to come. As well as the indoor arcade that the Palace also holds, there is Adventureland an indoor activity centre for children. Further down the promenade is the new state of the art “Bubbles” children’s indoor play centre, which is so popular that advanced bookings over the phone are needed. The Fort Perch Rock which houses a museum, is also a great form of activity for both adults and children. Since it opened its doors in 1833 as a coastal defence for Liverpool, the Fort has become a popular tourist attraction for many seeking to view the interior of the complex, which also holds entertainment events and historical talks. The New Brighton resort has returned to its roots of the 19th Century in a 21st Century outlook, giving families the opportunity to spend time together in a friendly environment, along with many activities and entertainment, a different variety of cuisine outlets are now available, with restaurants such as La Tasca (Spanish), Chimichangas (Mexican), Prezzo (Italian), Hungry Sea Horse and the Marino Lounge which offers a range of different cuisines to the public, making each visit a different experience. There is also a new Ice Cream parlour (Café Crème), which offers a variety of award winning home made ice creams, which became an instant success with those taking walks along the beaches and promenade. The Wallasey coastline is part of one of the longest coastal walks in Europe. Starting from Seacombe ferry terminal, it is possible to walk as far as the other side of the Wirral peninsula to areas as far as West Kirby, Hoylake and Meols.
In days gone by, commuters & tourists had several options of reaching the Wallasey coast from Liverpool across the River Mersey. The most popular has always been via “Ferry Across the Mersey” in which boat rides could reach destinations such as Seacombe, Egremont and New Brighton. This journey was made famous by Merseybeat group Gerry and the Pacemakers who sang about it in the 1960s a time of popularity of the voyage from Liverpool to New Brighton, for many pleasure seekers. (Song was also released in 1989) Following the destruction of the Egremont & New Brighton Piers, it is now only possible to access Wallasey via the Seacombe Terminal from Liverpool Pier head and vice-versa offering a coastal walk along the promenade towards the New Brighton Resort. This remains popular with tourists who can enjoy a 30-minute historical river cruise along the River Mersey. Other transport is also available to reach the resort. The Wirral Railway line connects with the Merseyrail network with changes at Hamilton Square needed if travelling from other parts of the Wirral. The New Brighton line stops in Wallasey Village and Wallasey Grove road before arriving in New Brighton, allowing tourists to view other historical areas of Wallasey. Bus routes can also be obtained from Liverpool, Birkenhead and even Chester. Travel Via Car can be made through the Kingsway Mersey Tunnel or Via the M53 Motorway. The New Brighton Resort is a place for people of all ages, whether you are travelling alone or in a large family. It will once again have you singing “Oh I do like to be beside the seaside” on what is sure to be a welcomed visit or stay for anybody looking for fresh air and entertainment.
New Brighton - A Victorian Seaside Resort Historic Tour Midweek, Friday’s and Saturday’s - See website for more details Tickets: Adults £7 | U16 FREE | Tel: 07525781120
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PRETTY AS A PICTURE! Sandra Mangan shares the delights of Cyprus (Twitter:@OfTheTimesShop)
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t was raining when we left Manchester (nothing new there!). October weather can be so unpredictable in the UK and it seemed a perfect time to get away to the sun. It was a short drive to the airport for our Jet2 flight – and we were looking forward to an even shorter one at the other end.
It was hard to drag ourselves away from the many attractions of Larnaka, but we had a car, courtesy of Nicolas at Anemayia, and we wanted to use it. Cyprus’s excellent motorway network was easily accessible from the Palm Beach Hotel and Bungalows and it made a pleasant change to travel in such light traffic.
Larnaka was our flight destination and also the place we were staying for our week-long Cyprus break. Overshadowed by the hedonistic club culture of Ayia Napa and the cosmopolitan charm of Lefkosia (Nicosia), Larnaka is fighting its corner – and getting results too. After all, the place has been inhabited since 1400 BC, so it’s had plenty of time to learn the ropes.
The narrow roads of Nicosia were a little more taxing, so we parked up and set out on foot to explore this still-divided capital. Nicosia is a great place to shop, whether you are on the lookout for designer names or prefer more local crafts then you’ll find it here. We left the snazzy signs behind and lunched with the locals in a busy little taverna just off the main drag – and were amazed at how small the bill was! October is also a perfect time to visit Ayia Napa. The day was hot and sunny, and any remaining clubgoers were still in their beds when we stopped off for lunch. Don’t dismiss it as a mere clubbing paradise, Ayia Napa has a pretty harbour and an old monastery – and nearby are picturesque Potamos Liopetri and Cape Greco. Both are postcard pretty and eminently Instagrammable. We’d had enough of the cosmopolitan life and headed towards the hills on a visit to Golden Donkeys Farm, at Skarinou, a short drive from Larnaka, which is home to more than 200 of the four-legged friends. They are so cute and we were lucky enough to see a day-old foal on our guided tour. Opened just a year ago, Golden Donkeys is a fascinating stop-off. It boasts several museum set-pieces, with slightly unnerving wax dummies, and some fabulous pieces of historic ephemera – including an ages old olive press and grinding stones. There is a sweet little church (which saw its first wedding in May), and a Cyprus-style village house kitted out with all the ‘mod cons’ of a forgotten age. On our way out I couldn’t resist snapping up a few products from the gift shop – and they were a little different from the norm, because Golden Donkeys milks its animals. Did you know that donkey milk is very good for the skin? History tells us that Cleopatra bathed in it – so the soaps were a must. I sampled the donkey milk chocolate too and can confirm it is very tasty as well as being low in fat.
Compact and eminently walkable, the city of Larnaka has a little treasure around every corner. Tourist guide Maria took us on a two-hour stroll around the older part of town and we barely scratched the surface. We visited St Lazarus Church and the old Fort, stopped off to sample a glass of Commandaria (a dessert wine that knocks sherry into the shade), and took the chance to soak in some history too. The Larnaka Tourist Board offers free guided walks each week and they’re well worth your time. Larnaka by night is filled with neon lights and strolling families and couples, making the most of the balmy climate while choosing a place to eat or drink from the dazzling array on offer. We sampled the menu at Panos Steak House and were mightily impressed by the food, the ambience and the first-class service in a busy restaurant that looks out over the bay. There is plenty of tempting food on offer here – but there’s no need to pile on the pounds, because Larnaka is proud of its reputation as a top class sporting destination, boasting everything from boules to beach volleyball in addition to one of the world’s most popular diving sites. The Zenobia sank in the 1980s, carrying 108 lorries and all their cargo – including a million eggs, most of which remain intact at the bottom of the Mediterranean. It is the largest wreck in the Med and is now an amazing reef, attracting hundreds of species of fish.
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I took so many photographs during my holiday that my iPhone was pleading for mercy and eventually refused to take any more. Cyprus is THAT picture perfect – and they’ll serve as a lasting reminder of a very special holiday. That, and my newly youthful skin, thanks to donkey milk! Please check www.livingwirral.com for links to all amenities
GLUTEN FREE
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An introduction to a regular free from column
luten is the protein that is found in wheat, rye and barley. People commonly assume that oats are part of this group as well, however they contain the protein avenin which is only similar to gluten, not the same.
magazines and on TV. There are a few places you can eat out, gluten-free; we have listed some below. If you know of any others, contact us so we can update the list on our website www.livingwirral.com
An intolerance to wheat is very different from an allergy to gluten. This is a condition known as coeliac disease and is a lifelong, autoimmune disease caused by the body reacting to the gluten protein. Over consumption can cause floating pain and stomach cramps, diarrhoea, nausea, wind, constipation, tiredness, headaches, sudden or unexpected weight loss (but not in all cases), hair loss and anaemia.
Blackberry Grove 3 Grosvenor Road,New Brighton, CH45 2LW Marino Lounge, 5 Marine Point, Wallasey, CH45 2PB Otto Lounge, 139-141 Telegraph Road, Heswall, CH60 7SE Lattetude, 8a Dee Lane, West Kirby CH48 0QA Cafe Enigma, 11 Broadway, Merseyside, CH62 5ND
Modern diets are highly dependant on refined wheat products; the most obvious sources are pasta, bread, flour, pastry, pizza bases, cereals, cakes, biscuits and ready meals. It can also be found in most processed foods like soups, sauces, hotdogs and of course sausages - a food we probably don’t really consider as processed any more! Eating gluten-free doesn’t mean that you have to eat cardboard bread and crackers anymore, nor does it mean you have to sacrifice a decent tasting meal with good nutrition. There are a wide range of gluten-free products available with amazing recipes to be found online, in books and
10 year old Ruby Poland was diagnosed as coeliac when she was just six, following in the footsteps of her mum and grandma. We have asked her to contribute to our magazine, putting forward a recommendation for each edition. We would like to think it will help other young sufferers in some way. To begin with, Ruby has chosen Sainsbury’s Gingerbread Biscuit, because it has a soft texture and a strong ginger taste. It costs £1
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COMPETITION OUR LOVELY FRIENDS AT
WINE O’CLOCK Cabovino with the low down on three vinos Winery: Terra de Asorei Grape: Albariño Region: Rias Baixas, Spain Producers description: Terra de Asorei presents a beautiful straw yellow colour with greenish reflections. On the nose there are aromatic herbs, dill, bay leaf, balsamic, citrus (grapefruit and lemon), tropical (flat peach), stone fruit and peach. On the palate the wine is fresh, rich, with a sweet point, repetition of citrus and stone fruit sensations. Cabovino’s recommendation: Intense aromas of white fruit, apple, citrus & floral notes. This wine has a great intensity. It is fresh, clean, with good acidity & flavours of green apples on the palate. Pairs well with fish, white meats, fresh salads or as an aperitif. We sell this wine for £23.00 a bottle, £6.50 for a 175ml glass, £8.50 for a 250ml glass. A delicious wine which would pair well with a starter such as prawns, salmon or mackerel.
www.manhattanbargrill.co.uk
HAVE GIVEN US A MEAL FOR TWO AT THE MANHATTAN BAR AND GRILL FROM THE DELICIOUS FESTIVE MENU WITH A BOTTLE OF PROSECCO
TO GIVE AWAY TO ONE LUCKY READER!
SIMPLY POP ONTO OUR LIVING WIRRAL FACEBOOK PAGE FOR THE DETAILS facebook.com/livingwirral
facebook.com/livingwirral
Winery: Bodegas Trus Roble Grape: Tempranillo (Tinto Fino) Region: Ribera del Duero, Spain Producers description: Cherry red / purple, with touches of youth. Dense and bright. Impacting the nuances of ripe grapes, sweet, avid, with a smooth barrel. At the beginning we taste red fruit (cherries and sour cherries) followed by a continuous soft spicy vanilla and topped with fresh wal- nuts. Reminiscent in the palate of fruity nuances mingled with oak, so we have vanilla, hazelnuts, smoky background and a spicy finish, with walnut hues. Cabovino’s recommendation: Cherry red / purple in colour. Red fruit flavours on the palate, followed by soft spicy vanilla combined with nutty flavours & a smoky, spicy finish. Aged for 6 months in French oak barrels. We sell this wine for £22.50 a bottle, £6.25 for a 175ml glass, £8.25 for a 250ml glass. This wine would be perfect with your Christmas dinner— pairs especially well with lamb, beef wellington or venison. Winery: Quady Winery Grape: Black Muscat Region: California, USA Producers description: An aroma of roses accompanies dark fruit cherry, strawberry - balanced with fruit acidity to finish clean. Elysium’s violet-crimson colour and litchi-rose aroma develop after the fruit attains full maturity. This requires a warm climate. Cabovino’s recommendation: Cherry red in colour, this dessert wine has intense aromas of dark fruit - blackberries, blackcurrants and dark cherries combined with some lighter, sweeter fruits, which are also in abundance on the palate. A delicious, easily drinkable dessert wine which would pair well with fig bread & butter pudding, rice pudding with cranberries or any other fruity, creamy dessert. Perfect as the cold, dark nights draw in... We sell this wine for £14.49 a bottle retail price and £22.49 in the bar. A unique dessert wine, made with Black Muscat grapes. A dessert in itself.
CONTACT CABOVINO
84 Victoria Road, New Brighton, CH45 2JF T: 0151 345 3232
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E: info@cabovino.co.uk W: cabovino.co.uk Twitter: @Cabovino Facebook: Cabovino
BLACKBERRY GROVE VIP LAUNCH www.blackberry-grove.co.uk
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n exciting new independent Bar/Restaurant have just opened their doors in New Brighton and they put on an exclusive launch party to allow people to sample their menu.
Blackberry Grove is owned by Joanna Jones and although there are a vast amount of meat dishes on their menu, they are developing a keen following from vegans and vegetarians. Joanna is a vegetarian herself and explains that was part of the reason for starting this place, “I’d always wanted to open my own restaurant but just haven’t got round to it until now. My partner is a vegan so eating out can be difficult for us and so I wanted to open a place that caters for all types of diners. There was the option of having no meat on the menu at all but I’m entering a competitive industry and I know there are too many meat eaters out there!” So it has proved. When asked what their most popular dish has been in the four weeks since opening, Joanna admits, “The rump steak goes well, as do the beef and pulled pork burgers with triple cooked chips. The scallops and the prawns starters fly out, but I think the braised Ox cheeks is the top seller. We have some great specials too….” Another group of eaters Blackberry Grove is proving popular with, are people who choose a gluten free diet. Joanna continues, “We make everything from scratch here and every single dish is gluten free – but this is where I don’t want to put people off. People who can eat gluten don’t notice and the people who can’t or don’t wish to, have the luxury of choosing absolutely anything off the menu. At the beginning me and my head chef spoke about having perhaps a few dishes on the menu that were gluten free but the risk of cross contamination in the kitchen was too great. I wanted to go the whole hog, or not at all!” Joanna’s experience has mainly been in Television, and only more recently Marketing and PR for restaurants, so it was no surprise to see a few of her ex-Brookside friends at the event to support her. Steven Pinder, Suzanne Collins and Mickey Starke were all there to celebrate with Jo. “It truly, means so much to me – as it does to have all of my close friends and family here of course, but to have them here is great. They support everything I do, honestly. I started at Mersey TV as a 16
year old kid and there’s a special bond between people who worked there – there really is. We’ve known each other a long time so I’d like to think we’ve all supported each other over the years.” Also enjoying the complimentary Prosecco on offer was Emmerdale Actress Samantha Giles, with her husband Sean, as well as two-time and current British super middleweight champion Boxer Paul Smith and his wife Janine. The evening was a huge success with Joanna having invited guests who she called “regulars, already” as well as local businesses, friends and family. “I’ve got so many plans for Blackberry Grove. Obviously summer is the big one, but there’s so much to do between now and then. We are starting with a selection of new craft ales, we are looking to have open mic nights, acoustic singers on….I can’t say too much at the moment because not everything has been approved but there’s lots to look forward to.” Asked what the general consensus is since opening four short weeks ago, Joanna smiles and shakes her head, “I had specially designed comment cards made to give to customers upon asking for their bill. We tell guests, it will help us channel feedback but obviously stress its only if they’ve got time. People have been so so lovely. Generally everybody loves us but there are the odd few. Look, we can’t please everybody – no matter how hard I try. At the end of the day, it’s personal taste too, how people like their steak or lamb done, if they think the décor is nice, if the music suits etc. It’s strange because 99% of people love the décor and the interior but it’s the 1% that upset you. It’s hard not to take it personally when someone says the “cheap chairs” and interior aren’t to their taste when I’ve bombed half way across the country to collect very expensive old church chairs in between school runs! I’ve got to grow an extra layer of skin it seems!” Find all details on Blackberry Grove at www.blackberry-grove.co.uk and to be kept update with all offers, news and updates like the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/blackberrygrove follow @joannaaicher and @blackberrygrove on Twitter and @blackberrygrove on Instagram.
Steven Pinder, Suzanne Collins, Joanna Jones, Mickey Starke
Emmerdale actress Samantha Giles and husband Sean
Joanna Jones, Paul and Janine Smith
Sample of canapes at the launch
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CATHERINE AMOS
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Trialing,tasting and testing in style!
unday lunch for me is normally a family affair, a time to sit and chat about the week that was with loved ones, good food and wine. Occasionally, it is good, however, to hand over the reins to someone else knowing that the kitchen will stay as clean as it was left Sunday morning. Having been to the races many times and sampled the delights of 1539, the restaurant at Chester Racecourse, it seemed a good idea to sample the Sunday Fayre, and a friends birthday provided the ideal opportunity. The entrance to the restaurant is up a flight of stairs but there is a lift around the back suitable for guests in a wheelchair. Once in our comfortable dining chairs, Rob Massam, our waiter, presented the menu. It was a pleasant surprise to find out how knowledgeable Rob was about the food he was serving. All too often I have encountered serving staff, particularly young serving staff, that know little about the food or their surrounding. With Rob’s help, we chose our courses and our wine and proceeded to catch up with each other, slipping nicely into the low hum of voices from the surrounding tables. Breads with oil and balsamic curbed our appetite whilst our meal was being freshly prepared. Three duck arancini didn’t disappoint. It was served with a Thai salad and a sesame crisp; the flavours and textures complimented each other perfectly. The fourth member of the party was
satisfied with a prawn cocktail, beautifully presented with the wedge of lemon tucked neatly inside a muslin pocket to avert pips on the plate. The main course was eagerly anticipated and did not disappoint. Thick slices of rare sirloin of beef (my preference) accompanied crisp roast potatoes and seasonal vegetables. It was a true delight and a glass of Merlot, served at room temperature, helped everything slide down the right way. I think all told, we sent Rob away three or four times before we could contemplate the desert menu, but contemplate and order, we did! Mulled wine trifle and a duo of cheesecakes rounded the day off very well. I suppose some would say you can’t spoil a roast dinner, but from the rubbish I have been served at quite a few restaurants and the amount I have paid over the years, let me tell you, you can. 1539 is ideal for lunch or a drink with friends or family. There is a lovely atmosphere, comfortable surroundings and quality food and service. It also hosts the trendiest roof top lounge in Chester, nestled above 1539 looking over Chester Racecourse. The lounge expands out into an open terrace, the ideal escape to enjoy drinks and nibbles. When the lights go down, the lounge transforms into a sultry, sophisticated nightspot, complete with resident DJ.
1539 www.restaurant1539.co.uk
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A VEGGIE CHRISTMAS
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Our resident chef Robert Thunder shares his veggie recipes
lthough I am not strictly a vegetarian, I think there is a lot to be said for a diet heavy on the fruit and vegetables. I often go days without eating meat, opting instead for beans and lentils as my protein source. I find that my body thanks me for it, I feel more alert and sprightlier. When it comes to purchasing fresh produce, I feel quite conflicted, especially as a chef. Many restaurants produce exactly the same dishes throughout the year and I find it intriguing at how many countries I can visit by looking at the labels on certain ingredients. For example I cooked a Sunday lunch recently in Manchester and a quick look at the labels on my ingredients took me to Kenya, Peru, Israel, South Africa, the Canary Islands, Morocco, the Netherlands, Argentina and Spain, and that was only the fresh ingredients. Don’t even get me started on packaging! My point is that it would be nice if we were all a bit more conscious about where our ingredients come from, as foods that travel half the world are too commonly sprayed with chemicals to prolong their lifespan, not to mention the fact they are harvested before they ripen, thereby reducing the overall flavour. Beetroot and apple terrine I created this dish in a lovely pub in the Wiltshire countryside owned by the pioneering organic farmer, Helen Browning. We changed the menu daily as we allowed our suppliers to determine the dishes we created simply by providing us with their best produce. In the winter of 2008 we were abounded with apples and beetroot from our local veg man and the head chef tasked me to come up with something. I created this terrine, mostly because it seemed like an easy dish to create that would look fantastic when served. I don’t mind telling you that a Michelin guide inspector turned up the next day, ate the terrine for her starter, followed by a dish created by the head chef and one of my desserts. She left very happy and let us know we would be published in the next Michelin eating out in pubs guide. One word: Chuffed. Ingredients: 1 bunch beetroot 6 tasty apples 100 ml cider Butter, 125g Wrap the beets in foil and bake in a low oven for a couple of hours until tender. Cool, peel and slice thinly. Peel and chop the apples, cook with the cider over a low heat until soft. Puree in a blender and place the mixture back in the pan over a low heat, cook until the mixture has thickened and turned a little darker in colour. Beat in the butter and adjust to taste with a little honey if required. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Line a terrine mould with cling film and build layers starting with beetroot slices then the puree. Ideally there should be 7 layers, 5 beetroot and 3 apple. Cover with cling film and chill overnight. To serve, carefully unmould the terrine onto a chopping board and remove the cling film. Slice and enjoy with the remaining cider. Winter root and cranberry crepe cake This is a dish based on an old Gary Rhodes dish I like to make from time to time. His recipe was with mushrooms, and here I’ve revamped it and given it a Christmassy feel with winter vegetables and cranberry chutney. Ingredients for the crepes: 8 eggs 440g Plain flour Milk Butter Ingredients for the fillings: 1 parsnip 1 small swede 1 turnip 1 butternut squash Thyme 1 jar cranberry sauce 1 jar caramelized red onion chutney
Beat the eggs and flour together with a pinch of salt, then add enough milk to make a batter the consistency of double cream. Heat a little butter in a non-stick frying pan and swirl the pancake mix around to coat the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side until golden. Pile them up on a plate until all the mix is used. Peel and chop the vegetables fairly evenly, heat a little olive oil in a pan and add the vegetables. Sauté for 5 minutes then add a cup of water, cover with a tight fitting lid and cook on a low heat till soft, stirring occasionally. Crush with a potato masher until the mixture binds together. If it is a little dry, add some butter or olive oil. Mix together the two chutneys and begin to build the cake, ideally on an ovenproof serving plate. Put a crepe in the center of the plate and build it up in layers, allowing 2 layers of veg to every 1 of chutney until you run out of either veg or crepes. Cover with foil and reheat in a low oven for service. Nice served with some red cabbage, brussel sprouts and roasted potatoes. Christmas spiced parsnip cake with toffee apples This recipe is basically the same as for a carrot cake. I felt really pleased with myself when I created it, as I fancied making one but had no carrots. As it turns out Parsnip cake is quite a traditional English cake and although I felt a little disappointed that I hadn’t outright invented it, the satisfaction at receiving praise from my customers made up for it (nearly). The apples are fun to make and look great; they can also be made with fresh figs, in which case there is no need to blanch them. Ingredients: 1 cup self-raising flour 1 tbsp. chinese five spice 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda pinch of salt 1 cup grated parsnip ¾ cup dark soft sugar ½ cup light olive oil 2 large eggs finely grated zest of 1 orange a thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, finely grated ½ cup dried cranberries ¼ cup plump sultanas ¼ cup desiccated coconut Sieve the first five ingredients into a bowl and add the remaining ingredients, mix until smooth. Pour into a prepared 8 inch cake tin and bake at 180C for about 55 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Set aside on a cake rack to cool. Ingredients for the Icing: 250g Mascarpone cheese 250 ml Double cream 2 tbsp. honey Beat the icing ingredients until smooth and ice the cake either on the top and sides or slice the cake in half horizontally and divide the icing between the middle and the top. To make the caramel apples, blanch some apple wedges in boiling water for a minute and immediately refresh in cold water to arrest the cooking. Drain on a piece of kitchen paper. Place a heavy chopping board at the edge of the counter and some greaseproof paper on the floor to catch the excess caramel. Place a cup of caster sugar into a clean pan over a low heat until melted and light brown. Insert a kebab skewer into one segment at a time, dip into the caramel and leave the wedges to drain. Be careful not to touch the caramel as it is extremely hot!
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SPOTLIGHT ON GEOFF JONES
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hen it comes to business, few people know more than Geoff Jones. He has an undeniable passion and understanding for the fundamentals of commerce and is willing and able to share his knowledge with anyone who seeks his help. After 30 years in financial services and 15 years in BNI, Geoff’s roles have changed and he is now focused on helping members realise their true potential in their own businesses. Quick Fire Apple or Android? Android for now until my kids tell me different. Ketchup or Mayo? Mayo as it has more uses. Pepsi or Coke? Coke but FULL FAT stuff.
What’s your favourite App? Cam Card purely because it helped clean up my desk. but then showed me how to collate all those cards that I have collected over the years and turn them into making money.
Johnathan Livingstone Seagull by Richard Bach is still my inspiration
What device do you prefer to use it on? Mobile phone or smart phone yes I have one of those too. What’s the last film you watched? Field of Dreams again one of the most powerful films if you are in sales “If you build it they will come” think about your company in the same context. What’s the last thing you downloaded? Windows 10 and unlike most of my members I am having fun with it. Where is your favourite holiday destination? Jumeriah Beach, Dubai as my children are on first name term basis with the staff “Probably the best holiday venue in the world” Carlsberg didn’t build it though.
Cats or Dogs? Dogs. Night in or night out? Night out because the wife gets the remote.
What’s your poison? Scotch because I don’t get a headache the day after.
Facebook or Twitter? Twitter - you have to get to the point quick.
BNI is the largest organisation of its type in the world now going for 30 years helping local businesses grow and develop. With our success on the Wirral last year with over £10,000,000 worth of business banked between our members. This year we are on track to exceed this amount hands down. I hear people saying BNI? “Some sort of American networking thing” How wrong they are but if they don’t come and see for themselves how can they make a judgement? Just like REMAX when I learnt how to get a 29% return from a marketing campaign that most people get only a .05% return from but if you don’t try it how do you really know so successful it can be? They wrote a book about 50 Companies That Changed the World and Remax was number 45
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Field of Dreams
Windows 10
Jumeriah Beach, Dubai
Scotch on the rocks
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CONTACT GEOFF
www.bnimerseyside.com Twitter: @geoffjones605
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