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ISSUE 129 December 2020
Health & Wellbeing
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Health & Wellbeing COVID-19 cases in your area are rising
COVID-19
It’s urgent we stop the spread of infection in your area.
Stay safe, stop the spread and follow the
Request a test nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test or call 119. Find out how to help reduce rates at eastriding.gov.uk/3stepstosafety
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Local News
Campaign to find 100 new foster carers in the East Riding A new campaign has launched aiming to recruit 100 new foster carers to join the East Riding fostering community. A series of videos have been commissioned to hear from East Riding foster carers and young people, aiming to encourage more people to come forward and find out more about the rewards the role brings. The main video has the theme ‘100 foster carers, could you be one?’, and emphasises that fostering changes lives and provides countless memories. Alison Rooks and her husband Lee (pictured), have been foster carers for almost 50 children over the last eight years.
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people, but the East Riding’s existing community come from all walks of life and a variety of backgrounds. As long as you are 21 or over, age is not important. You can be single or in a relationship, a home owner or renting, and gender doesn’t matter. The key factors are that you have a spare room and the time and patience to provide a stable home for a vulnerable child or young person.
“It was something we were always passionate about,” said Alison. “From the moment we first met, it was a topic of conversation.
In return, carers receive a weekly fee to reflect the type of placement and skills they offer, plus a weekly allowance to cover the costs of caring for a child, such as clothing, food and mileage and additional payments to help with birthdays, Christmas and holidays.
“We have looked after newborns, we have looked after teenagers, we have had sibling groups. The satisfaction of seeing a child or young adult stable and secure, and knowing you have been part of that, is wonderful.
Foster carers also receive excellent ongoing training and support, as well as a dedicated supervising social worker. Members of the fostering household also receive free membership to East Riding Leisure centres.
“You need to have the fire in your belly to want to make a difference, and it has changed our own children’s lives. To us, a family is a group of people all living under one roof.
Councillor Julie Abraham, portfolio holder for children, young people, education, health and social care, said: “Our team of foster carers in the East Riding are an incredible and dedicated group of people, who provide life-changing support to children and young people when they need it most.
Foster carers need to be caring and resilient
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“We are always looking for more people to join our wonderful fostering community, and would love to hear from people who are eager to make a difference.” You can watch the new videos on the East Riding of Yorkshire Council website or social media channels. For more information, visit www.eastriding.gov.uk/ fostering or to receive an electronic information pack, email FISH@eastriding.gov.uk For updates and news, follow East Riding Fostering on Facebook.
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Motoring
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Literature
New books for December
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Mantel Pieces: Royal Bodies and Other Writing from the London Review of Books by Hilary Mantel This is the much-anticipated collection of essays and memoir from twice Booker Prize winner and international bestseller Hilary Mantel. In this collection of 20 reviews, essays and pieces of memoir her subjects range far and wide: Saudi Arabia where she lived for four years in the 1980s, the Bulger case, the Virgin Mary, pop icon Madonna, and Helen Duncan, Britain’s last witch. Plus, there are essays about Jane Boleyn, Christopher Marlowe and Margaret Pole, which show her insight into the Tudors – manifested in the bestselling Wolf Hall trilogy. Elsewhere, her famous lecture, ‘Royal Bodies’ – which caused a media frenzy – explores the place of royal women in society and our imagination. Illuminating and often very funny, Mantel Pieces is a must-read selection from one of the UK’s greatest living writers.
Daddy by Emma Cline The stories in Emma Cline’s (The Girls) first collection consider the dark corners of human experience, exploring the fault lines of power between men and women, parents and children, past and present. A man travels to his son’s school to deal with the fallout of a violent attack and to make sure his son will not lose his college place. But what exactly has his son done – and who is to blame? A young woman trying to make it in LA, working in a clothes shop while taking acting classes, turns to a riskier way of making money but will be forced to confront the danger of the game she’s playing. And a family coming together for Christmas struggle to skate over the lingering darkness caused by the very ordinary brutality of a troubled husband and father. These outstanding stories examine masculinity, male power and broken relationships, while revealing those moments of misunderstanding that can have life-changing consequences. Subtle and sophisticated, these stories are unforgettable.
East Riding author launches new crime novel. Anne Wedgwood was born in London but has been proud to call Beverley home for over a decade. Her first writing efforts were musicals for primary aged children, including ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘Peter Pan’, but she has now moved on to less innocent themes. ‘The Botanist’ grew from a short story written for the ‘Tale Spinners’ event at the East Riding Theatre, and Anne is now working on her second ‘Twist in the Tale’ novel, also set in Beverley and featuring Detective Inspector Ronnie Twist. You can order your copy through the Beverley bookshop or online from Blossom Spring Publishing, Amazon or Waterstones.
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Christmas Recipe
Christmas Stollen This delicious bake can be made and stored up to three months in advance. Serves 8-12 Total Time: 2 Hours
Ingredients
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150g of raisins 100g of mixed peel 75g of almonds, coarsely chopped 3 tbsp of rum 1 tbsp of vanilla extract 1 tsp of almond extract 500g of plain flour 75g of golden caster sugar 1 tsp of salt 20g of fresh yeast 1 lemon, zest only 150ml of luke warm milk 1 medium egg 200g of unsalted butter, softened 100g of marzipan 50g of icing sugar and melted butter to coat
Method
Step 1 Mix the raisins, lemon peel and almonds with the rum and vanilla extract and keep aside.
Step 2 If using a food mixer, mix the flour, sugar, salt, crumbled yeast and lemon zest and pour in the milk and the egg. Start kneading using a low to medium speed until it starts to come together as a dough. Step 3 Add the softened butter and the marzipan a little at a time until it is fully incorporated and increase the speed until the dough is smooth and elastic. Step 4 Add the dried fruits and the
chopped almonds and mix in the dough. Transfer the dough to a bowl, cover with cling film and allow to prove until it doubles in size (you can either do this by placing the bowl in a steam oven at 40°C or in a warming drawer using the lowest setting). Step 5 Turn the dough out onto the work surface and shape it into a large oval. Fold the dough in half lengthwise and press the folded side slightly to help the loaf keep its shape. Carefully lift and place onto a baking tray. Step 6 Slide the tray into the oven and cook at 160°C Fan for 30 minutes. Step 7 Remove the stollen from the oven, place on a wire rack and brush all around with melted butter. Finish with a dusting of icing sugar.
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Gardening
Jobs to do in your garden in December As we approach the shortest day of the year in December you will need work to keep you warm outside, such as digging and tree pruning. Check your winter protection and if you have a greenhouse make sure the heater is working. Hopefully there are not too many jobs left to do this year so you will have time for some fireside garden planning.
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Sowing and planting Alpines can be sown from seed this month. They need a period of cold to break the seed dormancy. A sheet of glass can be positioned over the sown area to protect it from excessive wet. Alternatively, the seeds can be stratified in the fridge, for sowing next spring. Cutting back, pruning and dividing Continue to cut back faded herbaceous perennials and add them to the compost heap or alternatively leave these until spring so that they can be used as winter homes for insects. In mild areas, and during dry spells, you can still lift and divide herbaceous perennials. This will increase stocks, and revive tired or poorly flowering clumps.
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Propagation Root cuttings can be taken from now. Papaver (perennial poppies), Verbascum (mullein) and Phlox are suitable examples. General maintenance Helleborus niger (Christmas rose) blooms can look unsightly when splashed with muddy raindrops. Bark chip mulch will reduce this splashing effect, and cloches can always be used where practical. Clear up weedy beds ready for spring mulching. Order bulky organic matter (e.g. well-rotted farmyard manure or mushroom compost) for use as a soil improver or mulch. Protect for the winter Check on tender plants outdoors to ensure winter protection is still in place, especially after storms. Raise patio containers onto feet or bricks to avoid them sitting in the winter wet. Large tubs that are at risk of cracking in the frost should be covered with bubble
wrap, hessian or fleece, to insulate them over the winter. Tender plants and pots can be brought into the greenhouse or conservatory if not done so already. Even in mild areas, the winter usually gets much harder after December. Apply a mulch to protect plants that are borderline hardy. Tidying up Finish the autumn tidy-up of leaves from beds and borders if you have not already done so. It is especially important to clear leaves and debris from alpines, as they will die off if covered in damp for any length of time. Bare patches can be covered with gritty compost to encourage the re-growth of surrounding clumps into that area. Keep tubs and containers tidy too, cutting back and removing debris regularly. They can be mulched with compost. Planning ahead Improve the drainage of heavy clay soils by working in plenty of bulky organic matter, such as composted bark. Order seed catalogues, if you have not done so already, to select next year’s bedding and perennial choices. You will have more chance of finding all your choices in stock if you order well before the spring.
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House & Garden
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Specialist Services
These days most homeowners suffer from a lack of storage space. So many precious items that need to be kept – but where to store it all? That’s where Yorkshire Loft Ladders come in. The company, based locally, offers homeowners the opportunity to maximise their storage space with a loft ladder, 50 sq ft of boarding and a light all fully fitted in less than a day from just £277 + VAT. But it’s not just the affordability of the package the company offers that makes Yorkshire Loft Ladders stand out as manager Warren Ingleson explains: ‘Our watchwords are Quality,
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Integrity and Value. Quality in the materials that we use for all our installations and the fact that all our loft packages are fitted by time served tradesmen so our customers are assured of the best job. Integrity in that we will turn up at the time we say and make sure the house is spotless when we leave, and Value in that we offer our services at a price people can afford. Our business relies on referrals and we got a huge amount of our calls from people who have been referred to us by our existing customers - that simply wouldn’t happen if we didn’t adhere to our overriding principles.
lead to more happy customers is true and we work hard to make that happen for every installation we carry out!’ So, if you want to make use of your loft space, however big or
small, call Warren on 0800 612 8359 and he’ll be happy to pop round and give you a no obligation quote so you too can make use of your loft!
At the end of the day the old adage that happy customers
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Fiona’s Word Fiona Dwyer, broadcast up with people, don’t feel pressured in to doing so. Everyone needs to respect everyone else’s decisions. journalist, PR & media consultant, CINNAMON STICK CHRISTMAS slave to 2 children and TREES a husband. I found this lovely idea on the internet, so I thought A DIFFERENT CHRISTMAS
It’s been great to see so many people putting up their Christmas trees, lights and decorations early this year. It’s been such an uncertain time for everyone, why not brighten up the world, give hope and bring a smile to someone’s face. Normally, I’m a big believer in leaving it all until December but different times call for different measures - and we’re all due some festive cheer!
I’d share it with you! Just get some cinnamon sticks and tie bits of coloured ribbon or glue strips of paper to it so that it forms the shape of a Christmas tree. Don’t forget to add a bow or loop on top so you can hang it on your own tree! Such easy ornaments to make - and they smell good too!
STAY SAFE
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It will be a different Christmas but whether you are able to see family and friends or not, stay safe. Remember how inventive everyone was in the first lockdown with ways to stay in touch over the internet. Social Media Quizzes, Zoom drinks and so on. So this Yule Tide, I’m thinking Board Games via Zoom, festive FaceTime Christmas dinners. You could even watch your favourite Christmas film together virtually of course! The most important thing is to look after each other, check in with anyone you think is alone and, as ever at this time of year when it’s gets colder, make sure your elderly neighbours have everything they need. And remember, if you are anxious about meeting
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And finally......Happy Christmas to you all. I just wanted to say a massive thank you to all our wonderful NHS staff, teachers, bin men, shop assistants and all other key workers who have kept us going this year. You are wonderful - and very much appreciated.
Fiona x Twitter: @fionadwyer • Facebook: Fiona Dwyer PR
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