Oddfellows International Membership
Celebrity interview: Robert Redford In this issue: • Robert Redford: Hero out of Hollywood • Prize-winning Oddfellows Rose • Branch profile: Nottingham Trent • Tips from our resident gardener
since 1810
Newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership | July 2011 | Edition 07
Oddfellows International Membership Welcome to the July edition of the monthly online magazine for Oddfellows members. This month movie legend Robert Redford talks to us about his childhood, his career and his transition from ‘golden boy’ of Hollywood to Oscar-winning director. In our Branch profile we visit Nottingham and ask local members to tell us what makes their District so good to be a part of. BBC presenter and eco-expert Penney Poyzer is here with energy-saving tips to make your money go further.
And we introduce George Hill, our new gardening writer, who shares his green-fingered wisdom with you by offering his top tips for a successful summer. We also have some exclusive offers that are open only to Oddfellows’ online members, and there’s even a recipe as well. All of this comes on top of our usual news from home and overseas. We hope you enjoy reading this as much as we enjoyed writing it. If you have a story then why not share it? Email editorial@oddfellows.co.uk
Norwich Jewel awarded to members Members of the City of Norwich Lodge have been presented with a specially designed jewel as part of a double celebration. The Society’s bicentenary year coincided with the 10th anniversary of the merger of two Lodges, Mancroft and Old City of Norwich. To mark both events the Lodge commissioned a unique bicentennial jewel made with a die
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that was created especially for the occasion. Members needed to have a 50 per cent attendance record over an 18-month period to qualify for the award. And every single active member of the Lodge was awarded one – a fantastic achievement.
Newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership | July 2011 | Edition 07
Oddfellows Rose takes Silver at Hampton Court Fans of the much-feted Oddfellows Rose now have even more reason to celebrate after it featured in an award-winning display. It was part of an exhibition that was awarded the prestigious Silver Gilt at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. Two members from the West London District, Yvonne Lyndsey and Heather Pearman, were there to enjoy the show. Delighted experts at Fryers Nursery, which began growing the rose to mark Oddfellows’ bicentenary, said they were always confident it would impress the judges. You can order your own Oddfellows Rose now by calling 01565 755455 and quoting ‘Oddfellows’. Potted plants are available for an exclusive members’ price of £15 including VAT, postage and packing. Alternatively, you can order a bare root bush direct from Unity Office at a cost of £8 + p&p for delivery in November. Please email Ian.Lancashire@oddfellows.co.uk or call 0161 832 9361 for more information. Remember to keep an eye on our next Magazine for more details about our rose-related competition in 2012. Pictured (from top): Yvonne and Heather with the Oddfellows Rose; botanist David Bellamy; Hampton Court; the Oddfellows Rose
New release for Oddfellows Brass Fresh from their fantastic performance at this year’s AMC, Oddfellows Brass are releasing a new album in time for the summer. ‘Perfectly Polished’ will include favourites such as The Oddfellows March, Ticket to Ride, 633 Squadron and many more. The album was named by one of their younger fans, 14-year-old Megan Faulks. After seeing the band in concert this year, she thought that ‘Perfectly Polished’ summed up their performance just right. Fans will be able to get their hands on the album by mid-August, but you can pre-order today. And what’s more, at Megan’s request, £2 from every sale will go to support young people who have dyslexia. To order your copy, send a cheque for £12 made payable to Oddfellows Brass Ltd to Kay Carter, 14 High Street, Packington, Leics, LE65 1WH and don’t forget to include your address.
Newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership | July 2011 | Edition 07
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Events newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership
| March 2011 | Edition 03
Oddfellows International Membership Overseas Oddfellows This month we head to the North Atlantic island of Bermuda to find out what our overseas members are getting up to. Home to just 65,000 people – that’s roughly the same population as St Albans – this tiny island has been a British territory for 400 years. With its golden sands and humid subtropical climate, it sounds like the definition of paradise to many UK members. But what’s it really like to be an Oddfellow in the world’s 27th smallest country? Mrs Marion Tannock, 75, is the current Provincial Corresponding Secretary (Prov CS) for the island, and here we ask her to tell us about her experiences. “I love being an Oddfellow. It helps me to help others, and that’s the philosophy that we live by in Bermuda. Our Lodge meets every other week, apart from in July and August when we only get together monthly for District meetings. There’s at least a dozen very faithful members here who attend the meetings regularly and we have a total of 25 members on the island. We organise all sorts of fun events, like picnic evenings on the beach and dinner cruises, and every year on Emancipation Day we celebrate with lunch and a big display at our Lodge. It’s not all about sitting on the beach, but we do get to do that from time to time! I first thought about joining the Society in 1985, just as my husband was about to be installed as our new Provincial Grand Master (Prov GM/ District Chairman). Because I wasn’t a member at the time, I wouldn’t have been allowed to attend the ceremony under Oddfellows rules, so I quickly signed myself up. Since then I’ve been through all the chairs, including a one-year spell as Prov GM in 1995. I had lots of friends to help me with the role, both here in Bermuda and in the UK. I actually visited there for the 1993 Blackpool AMC as well.
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My friends in the UK were a big help to me, giving me good advice and passing on knowledge. Today I’m the District Prov CS. It’s an exciting challenge, but we’re getting along well and I’m enjoying it. My cousin was the Prov CS before me, so I’ve been lucky to be able to follow my family into the role – something that people in the UK might not usually be able to do. Sometimes it can be difficult to recruit new members here, but we keep trying. Bermuda is a little island, but we’re all so busy and there’s always something going on. We’re very proud of the way we help our brothers and sisters in times of sickness and old age. Younger members pay them regular visits, and we run a benevolence fund to help out in times of hardship. It brings them cheer and lets them know that the good things they’ve done for others in the past never get forgotten. The thing I love most about the Oddfellows is the fellowship of friendship, love and truth. It’s about helping anyone I can; and this, for me, is what it’s Saint George all about.”
The Flatts Village Somerset
Hamilton
Newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership | July 2011 | Edition 07
THE REAL REDFORD Robert Redford will forever be regarded as the golden boy of Tinseltown, but Susan Griffin discovers there’s darkness behind those big blue eyes. Robert Redford is an anomaly in the entertainment industry. Despite being one of the world's most recognisable faces, having starred in movies as varied and entertaining as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Way We Were, All the President's Men, The Sting and Indecent Proposal, he remains an enigmatic figure. In his 50-year career he’s produced 27 films, directed eight, earned four Academy Award nominations and walked off with two golden statuettes (for Best Director for Ordinary People in 1981 and an Honorary Award in 2002). Yet he eschews Hollywood in favour of a ranch in Utah, where he hosts his independent movie showcase - the Sundance Film Festival. Today, he’s granting a rare audience to promote his latest directorial offering, The Conspirator, which tells the story of Mary Surratt, the only female conspirator convicted of killing American president Abraham Lincoln. Redford, known as 'Bob' by colleagues and friends, was drawn to the project for two reasons. “The most important is the story itself, which is a story very few really know. The trial of Mary Surratt. This sits inside the story everyone knows, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln,” he says. The second is the parallel that exists between the present and the past. “History is a series of loops. We keep repeating ourselves and right now we're living in a condition of confusion, anxiety and fear and it was the same 150 years ago.” Wearing jeans, a black sweatshirt and brown jacket, even at the age of 74 Redford exudes movie star charisma.
His blue eyes remain piercing, his hair is still auburn and the streamlined features that earned him heartthrob status appear free from cosmetic enhancement. The late Sydney Pollack, a director who worked with Redford on numerous films, once said of him: “He's a man very much not what he seems. He looks like a golden boy but is actually a very complex, dark personality.” And in person Redford does seem so inclined, though there are glimpses of a lighter side. Asked about Indecent Proposal, in which his moneyed character propositions Demi Moore with a million-dollar offer, and he flashes the movie star smile used to great effect as the charismatic but flawed Jay Gatsby in the 1974 adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby. “It was fun,” he exclaims. “I loved the gimmick and I loved playing a character who was completely, pleasantly ruthless.” But for the most part Redford comes across as a contemplative man. It makes you wonder how much time he spent trying to escape the 'golden boy' tag. “It isn't something I asked for and it was something I began to worry about because I thought I'd only be seen that way, so I've probably gone to some lengths to avoid it,” he admits. He was born in Los Angeles to parents Martha and Charles, a milkman and accountant whom he “didn't see much”. Wishing to “improve the family situation”, his father moved the brood to San Fernando Valley when Redford was a teenager. At school he excelled at art and sports but proved a poor student. “I wasn't inspired. It was more interesting to me to mess around and venture out of the perimeters I was growing up in,” he says and in youthful rebellion he was jailed twice “for prank stuff”, including sneaking into Universal Studios. Then, shortly after he left high school, his mother passed away.
Newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership | July 2011 | Edition 07
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Events newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership
| March 2011 | Edition 03
Oddfellows International Membership He’s since remarked that “loss is a big theme in my life and in my work”, and it can be attributed to this period of his life. “I was young and didn't demonstrate a lot of emotion and I realised I'd never had a chance to say thank you. I think it made me angry,” Redford reveals. The anger manifested itself in a physical outburst while studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. “I'm not proud but everything boiled up. I was angry, this boy wasn't listening and he didn't know what a scene was about. I pulled him out of his chair, shook him and then flung him across the stage.” Redford was ready to walk but a teacher remarked it was “very powerful stuff” and urged him to stay. Soon afterwards he landed his first Broadway play and later earned rave reviews for Barefoot in the Park, a role he reprised in the movie adaptation, which was followed by a raft of films. Then in 1969 his career went into orbit with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid starring the late Paul Newman. “The studio had wanted a name to be with Paul but he said 'Let's do it' and I'll be forever indebted to him,” says Redford. Coincidentally, it was at this point that Redford was seeking more control over his career. “I wanted to make films that dealt with certain themes of my life and experience,” he says. He formed his own production company, Wildwood Enterprises, and produced films such as Downhill Racer and 1976's All the President's Men, which traced the Watergate scandal. He earned his first Oscar nomination for 1973's The Sting, a film he only recently watched for the first time. “I haven't seen all the films. To me it's a part of the past and I didn't spend a lot of time in the past,” he says. The same year he also starred in the doomed romance The Way We Were alongside Barbara Streisand. The film was an instant classic but he almost turned it down. “In the original script, Hubble was a stereotypical character who just had to look good. That's not what I wanted to do, so I said I could do it if there was a flaw. If he was aware that he wasn't the perfect boy,” Redford explains. In 1980, he made his directorial debut with the Oscar-winning Ordinary People. “For quite a while I'd found myself working on sets with directors, and even directors I admired, wanting to make suggestions or ask questions,” he says. “It had gotten to the point where I had a real picture of what I wanted to do and the only thing that would really satisfy me would be to do it myself.” While it wasn't hard evolving from actor to director, he admits that directing himself was tough. “I didn't know what to say to myself. I'd look at the monitor and go, 'That sucks',” he laughs. Whether directing, acting or producing, he has a three-pronged approach to choosing projects: story, character and conflict. “A good story, well told, with characters who drive the narrative will always last,” he says. And few know more about longevity in Hollywood than Redford. 6
Redford with one of his Academy Awards
EXTRA TIME
EXTRA TIME - ROBERT REDFORD :: He was born Charles Robert Redford Junior on August 18, 1936. :: He and his first wife Lola, with whom he has three children, divorced in 1985. :: He married Sibylle Szaggars in 2009. :: Of his Sundance Institute, he says: "I just wanted to put something back into the business and came up with a place where artists could develop their skills." :: Since the early 70s, Redford has been a noted environmentalist and activist. :: Butch Cassidy remains his favourite film. "I loved being an outlaw, which I've felt most of my life," he says. :: The Conspirator is out now on general release.
Newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership | July 2011 | Edition 07
Branch profile: Nottingham Trent This month we travel to the East Midlands to Nottinghamshire, where we discover the hidden gems and local fare that visitors can experience. We also meet Karen Pye-Smith, Secretary of the Nottingham Trent District, who tells us about her Branch’s proud history, and it’s exciting future. Our District has been meeting for over 175 years. In 1836, a member named Thomas Armitt visited the town, and said that our forefathers ‘pilot the vessel of Oddfellowship with zeal and judgement.’ One of the first Branches to open in Nottingham was the Mount Gilead Lodge No 131, which opened on 23 May 1823. Between 1823 and 1976 at least 76 Lodges were opened in the District. Nottingham Trent is very privileged to hold The History of Nottingham District, a 100-paged document typed onto a manual typewriter in 1976 by EH Kaye PPGM, CAMU, which will soon be scanned and available for members to view upon request. We have worked hard to continue this good work ever since. Today our 584 members come from all across Nottinghamshire. Our District stretches from Stapleford in the west to the Vale of Belvoir in the east, and from Keyworth in the south to as far north as Newstead and Southwell. We were awarded the 2009 Recruitment Shield for largest number of new members, and our recent recruitment drive should attract even more. Our events diary is always full, with around 5 events happening every month. So far this year we’ve had historical tours of the city, seen Shakespeare in the open air, and had a flutter during Ladies Evening at the races. As well as this, our regular Branch meetings are well-attended and enjoyable events.
Karen Pye-Smith Our new Active ‘O’ Club makes its debut this month. This is an initiative by one of our own members, Carol Bullock, and it is open to members who want to be a little more energetic and meet new people. We have cycle rides, walks and more planned. The main emphasis will be on developing the fraternal side of the organisation. The group will meet in an informal setting each month, and its open to all (even those who don’t feel that energetic!). As for the rest of 2011, our programme is full of exciting plans, including comedy clubs, cookery demonstrations and BBC studio tours. And most importantly we always welcome new members to come along. For more information about events, membership, or getting more involved in the District please contact Karen on 01949 843727 or email Karen.pye-smith@oddfellows.co.uk
What members in Nottingham Say... “I was originally a Schoolteachers Friendly Society member...so I thought I’ll come along and give it a try to explore some new avenues.” Paul Beard, Schoolteacher’s Friendly Society, Nottingham “We joined 25 years ago through word of mouth, and now we’ve passed all of the degrees. Apart from the fellowship and benefits you get, it’s great that everyone is like you.” Gordon Hyndman, Member of Nottingham District “The best thing about it is the dinner dances. You get to meet other members, and then you all catch up again at the annual conference.” Christine Hyndman, Member of Nottingham District
Newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership | July 2011 | Edition 07
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Events Events newsletter newsletter for for the the Oddfellows Oddfellows International International Membership Membership || March March 2011 2011 || Edition Edition 03 07
Oddfellows International Membership
Focus on: Nottinghamshire To mark this month’s Branch profile – Nottingham Trent – we visit Nottinghamshire to find out about its famous past. And from Robin Hood to Lord Byron, when it comes to famous faces and legends, this County has more than its fair share. The area is steeped in history, from its Roman settlements and Anglo-Saxon origins to the modern-day county of over one million inhabitants it is today. It’s been the home of an outlaw, an Elizabethan hunting ground and is the birthplace of D H Lawrence, Colston Bassett Stilton and the Bramley Apple.
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Creswell Craggs, near Worksop, is home to the UK’s only known example of Ice Age cave art.
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Local tourist attractions include Sherwood Forest, Clumber Park and Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, which, at over 800 years old, claims to be Britain’s oldest pub!
In Anglo-Saxon times the area of Nottingham was known as ‘Tigguo Cobauc’, which means ‘place of caves’.
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So if you and your friends are thinking of booking a trip away, look no further. And we’ve even included a special offer below, just for Oddfellows members.
The city takes its name from a Saxon chieftain named Snot who ruled the town of Snottingham sometime around 700AD.
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During the industrial revolution, large numbers of slums grew in the town. The slum-dwellers rioted in 1831, setting fire to Nottingham Castle.
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At its peak, Sherwood Forest covered over 100,000 acres of the county. Today it covers just 37.
The Strathdon Hotel, Nottingham Theatre breaks for only £60pp * Overnight stay in an executive room * 4 course pre-theatre meal in our restaurant * Best available seats at the Playhouse Theatre (across the road) * Full English and Continental breakfast
To book call 0115 941 8501 and quote ‘Oddfellows’
Robin Hood picture by Olaf1541 from Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Robin_Hood_Memorial.jpg Above picture by Million Moments from Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ye_Olde_Trip_To_Jerusalem.jpg
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Newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership | July 2011 | Edition 07
Local recipe Because we are focusing on Nottinghamshire this month, we have asked a local restaurant to come up with a recipe using locally sourced ingredients. A modern take on the traditional pâté, it tastes fantastic, and is easy to make in your own kitchen. Perkins smokehouse Cheddar, Colston Bassett stilton, mixed nut and brandy pâté, with pear & mustard seed relish. Perkins Restaurant, Nottingham Head chef: Sarah Newham Ingredients • 125g mascarpone cheese • Small pinch cayenne pepper • 200g grated smoked Cheddar • 40ml brandy • Small handful crushed walnuts • 2 tblsp crème fraîche • 50g local Stilton cheese
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100ml sherry vinegar 40ml red wine 2 oz caster sugar ½ onion 2 tsp mustard seeds 3 peeled & cored pears. Cut into 1cm squares.
Preparation Gently combine the Cheddar, mascarpone, Stilton, brandy, crème fraîche and cayenne pepper in a food processor. Empty into a bowl and fold through the walnuts. Season to taste. Leave to set in the fridge in a suitable container/ casserole dish or separate into small ramekins for handy portions. For the chutney: reduce the vinegar, wine and sugar to a light caramel. Add the onions, reduce again, add the mustard seeds and pears, simmer until the pears are soft but still hold their shape. Season to taste and leave to cool. If you wish to keep it for some time, store in a sterile airtight container. Serve the pâté with some warm toast and a few dressed leaves if required. Perkins is a Nottingham-based restaurant that has won awards for its local-sourced produce.
Newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership | July 2011 | Edition 07
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Oddfellows International Membership
George in the garden
July’s top tips from our new resident gardener This is the time of year when flowers are at their very best. They look splendid and give the whole garden some wonderful scents, especially on those long summer evenings. Your strawberries and raspberries are ready for picking, and this is when you should be planting your leeks, spring cabbage and peas. My favourite plant right now Lilies are at their peak in July – beautiful to see and lovely to smell. Regalia is a wonderful variety, and Liberation is also superb. Plant them in spring, preferably near a path so you can enjoy their scent as you walk by. Flower garden Your roses will be in full bloom in July. Now’s the time to remove any deadheads – otherwise seed heads, which waste the plant’s nutrients, may form. Encourage young shoots to grow by tying them to the older wood. This new wood will then replace the old when you prune it next March and will produce a better plant with more flowers next year. This works particularly well for roses growing up walls. You should also sow your biannual plants now, ready for them to flower next spring. Fruit garden Remember to prune back some of the foliage on your fruit trees and let the sun get to your apples, pears and plums. The sun brings out the colour and sweetness in the fruit, so if you don’t prune it will stay green. Raspberries, gooseberries and blackcurrants are ready to harvest. Once you’ve picked them all for your crumbles, prune the bushes back to the young wood. This keeps things nice and compact. If you’re growing strawberries, these are cropping in midJuly. As the plants produce young runners, remove all but those nearest the parent plant.
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Then take these nearest runners and peg them into the soil near the parent. They will form roots very quickly and should be ready to be moved in late August. Vegetables July 15th is traditionally St Swithun’s day and also the time to sow your spring cabbage seeds. If you think of St Swithun you’ll never forget. Spring Hero, Wheeler’s Imperial and Flower of Spring are three good varieties. Sow them thinly and they’ll grow into promising young plants that will be ready to move to fresh soil in September. This is also the time to plant your leeks. I plant the Oarsman variety in rows 15 inches apart, leaving 12 inches between each plant. Dig a hole 10 inches deep and then trim the roots of the plant to leave one inch remaining. Place it in the hole and fill it with water, allowing soil to fall back in and cover the roots. They should grow through the winter until Easter. Finally, it’s the time of year to harvest your spinach and sow another batch elsewhere. Be sure to fork the ground well before planting. The new batch should grow nicely through the winter, ready to crop again next March. Five secrets to improve your patch - Remove deadheads that flowered in June. This will focus the plant’s energy on next year’s new growth. - Blackcurrant bushes never fruit twice on the same wood, so trim back any old wood once the fruit has been picked. - Sow a row of peas now and you’ll get a crop in September, long after other people’s have finished. - Plant your winter cauliflowers and kale now – but don’t feed them until next spring. They should survive the winter to crop nicely next year. - Once you’ve finished cropping your strawberries, don’t remove the plants. One plant will last for up to three years.
Newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership | July 2011 | Edition 07
Penney saves you pounds In the first of a new series, TV environmentalist Penney Poyzer, star of BBC Two’s ‘No Waste Like Home’, shares her top tips for saving cash and the environment. This month, Penney focuses on saving energy in the kitchen. With household energy prices set to soar by 18 per cent, there has never been a better time to really get to grips with saving energy around the home. When it comes to saving money and cutting down on CO2, using less energy whenever we can really does make sense. Our kitchens account for a significant percentage of household energy use – 27 per cent is used by cooking alone – so a few simple lifestyle changes will make a difference to the planet and your bank balance. How many cuppas do you have a day? The average UK household boils the kettle seven times a day, which means together we use the equivalent of over four terawatts every day – that’s about half the output of Sizewell B nuclear power station. Millions of cuppas are thrown away each day because they have gone cold, so we are literally chucking money down the sink. It seems such a small thing, but when you consider that the humble kettle accounts for over a quarter of the energy we use for cooking it shows that little bad habits are big bad news for the household accounts. So next time you fancy a cuppa, don’t let it go cold. Avoid overfilling the kettle and start saving the pennies. If your dear old kettle is on its last legs, consider buying an eco version, which can save you around 33 per cent of the energy of a conventional model – a great idea for a birthday present. But if that seems a bit steep, how about asking for an insulated cup instead and ban tepid tipples forever!
Here are some quick tips that will help to cut cooking times. •
Use the right size pan for the burner.
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Cut food into small pieces and just cover them with water.
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Always use a lid for the saucepan.
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Switch the ring off five minutes before the end of cooking time – the latent heat will continue to cook the food.
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Make use of that great invention, the pressure cooker, and slash your cooking times.
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Batch cooking saves time and money – just pop it into the freezer and enjoy more leisure time.
If your fridge-freezer or washing machine is approaching its tenth birthday, it will likely be using 50 per cent more energy than a new top-rated model and costing you up to £37 a year in extra bills. Go for an AAA-rated washer next time. Fridges and freezers draw on electricity all the time, so make sure you are being as efficient as possible with yours. Try to keep them as full as possible; and if your freezer has empty drawers, stuff them with newspaper. But be warned: even enormous American-style appliances can be A++– rated even though they typically use 50 per cent more energy than a 300-litre model. Kitchens need plenty of lighting, but instead of replacing energy-hungry halogens when they blow, consider installing LED lamps. Their lower energy use and very long life – up to 80,000 hours – will present savings once the higher cost of the LEDs is ‘paid back’. As CO2 levels continue to rise, and with energy prices unlikely to fall, making your kitchen energy-efficient turns the heat down on your finances – and the planet. Do you have a top money-saving or environmental tip to share with other members? Why not tell us about it? Write to ezine@oddfellows.co.uk
Newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership | July 2011 | Edition 07
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Oddfellows International Membership 2011 Christmas Luncheons If you are currently organising your Branch Christmas party or District lunch an ideal solution could be at a Warner’s Christmas Luncheon. All luncheons provide three-course festive meals and include after lunch entertainment at a low cost per member. All luncheons are available to book now. To book your lunch, call your preferred hotel on one of the numbers as listed below (for International members use the UK International dialling code +44).
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Newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership | July 2011 | Edition 07