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October 2013
Issue 34
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Travel
Sport & leisure
Global go-getter Turning his back on the monotony of the nine-to-five, Mark Shand, brother of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, tells us how he shunned the prospect of a mundane life and seized one of global exploration. From catching the adventure bug at 18 in India, to fulfilling a whimsical desire to travel 800 miles on the back of an Asian elephant, Mark is living proof of what you can do with an idea and some get up and go. Read all in this month’s Travel interview.
Also featured this month Culture club: Can you simply think yourself thinner? One reader puts a weight loss self-help book to the test Food & drink: Spice up your Bonfire Night with Daphne’s Parkin cake
Professional photographer Eric Ferbrache shares insider tricks on how to liven up family pictures.
Enter & win Photo Competition If you can capture the theme of Changing Seasons in a photo, send it to friendscene for your chance to win £30 in High Street vouchers in our next Through the lens competition. Take a look at October’s winning entry. (See Culture club)
Book reviews
Home & garden: Three readers have their gardening conundrums solved
If you’ve read a good book recently, tell us about it. If it’s published we’ll send you a £20 National Book Token to say thank you and to cover the cost of your next read. (See Culture club)
Health & wellbeing: The Oddfellows Care and Welfare Department explain how they are there for you
Ask George
Latest news: Leeds District hosts a special celebration – plus a Q & A with Grand Master (Chairman) George Lickess Around Britain: Inspired by National Poetry Day, we explore the UK’s network of waterways
Money: Tax-free savings for children with the Oddfellows Junior ISA The Oddfellows is the trading name of The Independent Order of Oddfellows Manchester Unity Friendly Society Limited, Incorporated and registered in England and Wales No. 223F. Registered Office 32 Booth Street, Manchester M2 4QP.
If your garden’s getting the better of you – just ask George. Send him your questions and if it’s printed, we’ll post you some Joe’s Garden Gloves (RRP £5.99). (See Home & garden)
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Culture club “People have more spare time nowadays...they’ve got more energy in retirement, more time to develop their interests and more desire to enjoy themselves.” Jean, Yorkshire
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The Reader’s Review Book: Think – Use Your Mind to Shrink Your Waistline Author David Meine This book was of real interest to me as I’m currently studying hypnotherapy and counselling skills. The premise of the book is to show readers how the subconscious mind plays a major role in either helping or hindering weight loss goals. The author, who is a trained hypnotherapist, uses first-hand experiences to highlight 10 negative behaviours that can affect how successful someone is in losing weight. These behaviours include: not getting a good night’s sleep, not dealing with stress appropriately, not being able to visualise the ideal body shape, not drinking enough water, allowing sabotage from yourself and others, eating too infrequently, eating too quickly, eating beyond fullness, eating too much sugar and lacking motivation to exercise. The book encourages the reader to set their own weight loss goal and put the necessary steps in place to achieve it. The author explains some of the more technical details about the subconscious mind and the dangers of excess sugar in a very simple and easy to understand way so that it’s accessible to all. While I found the book interesting and easy to follow, I think the reader would have to be fairly motivated to lose weight already for this to help. What I think it does do though, is highlight how important it is to have the right mind set before embarking on a new healthy lifestyle regime that lasts. Now, time for a cuppa and a cream cake! By Aimee Hesp, Manchester Available on Amazon. Published by AuthorHouse.
Join our reader panel We are looking for new recruits. Read a good book recently? Why not tell us what you thought about it. A new release, or bookshelf classic, it doesn’t matter. Send in your 150-200 word reader reviews to ezine@oddfellows.co.uk. And we’ll send you a £20 National Book Token for each one we publish.
The Allotment Almanac, by Terry Walton
Jeeves and the Wedding Bells, by Sebastian Faulks
Published by: Bantam Press Format: Hardback Published: 10 October 2013 Price: £15
Published by: Hutchinson Format: Hardback/audiobook/eBook Published: 7 November 2013 Price: £16.99/£17.98/£9.98
You may have heard Terry Walton’s allotment updates on BBC Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine Show. This expert gardener has been cultivating the same hillside plot since the age of four and has just released his guide to organic vegetable growing and allotment life in general. The book takes you through what you need to do and look out for month by month, as well as his hints and tips.
Described as a delightfully witty story of mistaken identity, a midsummer village festival, a cricket match and love triumphant, this soon-to-be released novel from Sebastian Faulks takes you on a journey with PG Wodehouse’s muchloved characters Jeeves and Wooster, and promises to evoke the sunlit days of time gone by.
Culture club
p
Love hy? grap hoto ‘Eric in t k ou rt Chec s’ in Spo u Foc eisure &l
Through the lens – photography competition We thought this picture captured the fun of Summer Days perfectly. Thank you Phil Read for your winning photo of your wife, son and two friends enjoying a boat trip in Stratford-upon-Avon. Your prize is on its way. November’s Through the lens topic is Changing Seasons. If you have a photo that fits the theme, send it through to us at ezine@oddfellows.co.uk. If it’s published we will send you a £30 High Street voucher. You can also enter by posting it on our Facebook page or by tweeting it to @OddfellowsUK. Good luck!
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Friendship is a sharing of mutual interests, together with humour, compassion and respect
Congratulations to Marlene Hesp from Manchester. This was her definition of friendship and the winning entry to our Friendship Month Waitrose picnic for 10 competition. Have great fun entertaining your friends.
Friendscene competitions – Terms and conditions – open to the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man 1) Entries for our Through the lens competition can be submitted at any time. However, the cut-off date for each competition will be the first day of the month. For example, this month’s competition closes on 1 November 2013. 2) Entries will be judged by friendscene’s editorial panel. If successful, you will be contacted by the Oddfellows to arrange delivery of your prize. 3) If your photograph contains an image of a person, building or private location please ensure you get permission from the person/building owner before submitting your entry. Any competition entry, including personal views, photos, recipes or articles, must be the work of the entrant and be entirely their own work. 4) By submitting a photograph or personal view for a competition, you are confirming that you have given permission for the Oddfellows to use and reproduce the entry in future publications and marketing material, both online and printed. 5) The Oddfellows will assume your consent has been given once your entry is submitted unless you directly state otherwise at the time of entering the competition.
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Food & drink Dining events are some of the Society’s most popular social gatherings. Search for food-themed activities in your local area at www.oddfellows.co.uk/events.
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Spice up your bonfire bash Up and down the UK, back gardens and local parks alike will be playing host to one of Britain’s noisiest of annual celebrations – Bonfire Night. The spectacular, which dates back to 1605 when Guy Fawkes and his associates failed in their plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament, often features the ceremonial burning of a ‘Guy’ on a bonfire. However, for many today it’s simply an occasion to wrap up warm and bring friends together for an alfresco feast and fireworks. Alongside the night’s usual food suspects of hot dogs, mugs of soup and toffee apples, batches of Parkin are traditionally baked and shared around. Its precise ingredients and north of England origin are both widely disputed, but the soft cake is often made with oatmeal and treacle. Friendscene discovered that Parkin is an event staple within the Vale of York District, so we asked Daphne Stephenson, Past Chairman of the Society and current Social Organiser, if she would share her much-loved recipe...
Daphne’s Parkin Cake
Method
Ingredients
1) Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl
250g Self-raising flour
2) Gently melt the syrup and fat in a pan
90g
3) Pour the melted mixture on to the dry ingredients, mix well then add the beaten egg
Sugar (brown or white)
250g Golden Syrup (or treacle for a darker looking cake) 1
Egg
125g Medium oatmeal 2 tsp Ground ginger 150g Margarine 60g
Lard (or substitute the margarine and lard with 210g butter)
4) Put the mixture into a greased tin measuring 200 x 300mm (or line the tin with greaseproof paper) 5) Bake in a small oven on 150℃ for 1½ to 1¾ hours, or until the top has a firm spring when touched 6) Leave in the tin to cool 7) Divide into squares and serve
Daphne’s decorative tip Before dividing the cake into individual squares, cover the surface with glacé icing and crystalised ginger.
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Did you know, until 1959 it was illegal not to celebrate Bonfire Night in Britain and that the Houses of Parliament are still ceremoniously ‘searched’ by the Yeomen of the Guard just before the State Opening (normally held in November since 1928).
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Latest news Join the conversation and keep up-to-date with the latest Oddfellows news at facebook.com/OddfellowsUK and twitter @OddfellowsUK.
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New Grand Master extends warm Leeds welcome In recognition of George Lickess’ election as Grand Master (Chairman) of the Society, and customary to Oddfellows tradition, the Leeds District arranged two days of special celebratory events. On Friday 13 September, the Oddfellows Board held a meeting, while their consorts enjoyed a visit to the Harrogate Flower Show. In the evening, invited guests attended a relaxed function at the city’s Thackray Medical Museum. The weekend’s keynote event took place on Saturday evening, as 160 people attended a black-tie dinner dance to celebrate George’s appointment. The Leeds District welcomed the Society’s Board of Directors, Past Grand Masters and consorts and members from many Branches throughout the country. Speaking about the weekend, George said: “It was a wonderful opportunity for Leeds District to extend a warm welcome to members from across the Society. I’m also incredibly proud of Leeds District as their support has been an important part of my reaching this position.” Succeeding Charles Vaughan in the post, George was appointed at the annual conference in Llandudno in May. George is active in the Society, serving for many years in Branch, District, Regional, and Unity committees. This is his fifth year as a Board member. George’s wife Margaret was Grand Master in 2005 and by following her footsteps he has created history – they are the first couple to have held the highest office in the organisation.
Latest news
Q & A with George Lickess When did you first join the Oddfellows? “I joined shortly after my marriage nearly 40 years ago. My father-inlaw was prominent within the Leeds District so it was natural that he should recruit me. He had a great influence on my involvement with the Society.” What is the most important issue you look to influence during your time in office? “My longstanding ambition has been to see the strengthening of the Branches. I believe that with various initiatives that have been introduced, now is the perfect time to realise this.”
What do you love to do when you’re not ‘Oddfellowing’? “‘Oddfellowing’ is a strange word! Oddfellowship is not something you do or don’t do, but more of a way of life. For my hobbies I enjoy travelling, gardening, cooking and art. I have been known to enjoy the odd glass of wine.” How do you want to be remembered as Grand Master of the Society? “I would like to be thought of as a Grand Master who cared about the Society and worked to improve it.” What’s the most important piece of advice you’ve been given by past post holders? “I have been given many pieces of advice. Probably the most important is not for public consumption, however the advice to ‘just be yourself and enjoy it’ is significant.”
Our biggest Friendship Month to date We hosted more than 100 events up and down the UK during Friendship Month this September. Here are some of the events that helped shape 2013 to be our most successful year yet.
St Edmu ndsbu Open Dary Branch’s y & Heritage Exhibitio n.
shire & S. Yorkire District’sy. art ysh N. Derabtion Street P n o Cor
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Stepn ey & Distr South E ic Comp s etitio t’s Art sex n & S how.
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Friendship Month 1 - 30 September
Stock Friendsphort District’s with Od ip Afternoo n dfellows Brass.
trict’s Deeside Dis session. n Crafternoo
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Around Britain Want to travel with like-minded people? If you’re a member, don’t forget to sign up to Active Travel Club. Click here for info.
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UK waterways inspire poetry to flow An unusual collaboration between the UK’s Canal & River Trust and The Poetry Society called ‘Waterlines’ has inspired this month’s Around Britain feature. With the theme of 2013’s National Poetry Day (3 Oct) being ‘water’, what better place to contemplate a sonnet or two than on Britain’s cherished 2,000-mile network of canals and rivers.
To the north
To the east
Lancaster Canal
River Witham
Only recently connected to the waterway network via the Ribble Link in 2002, it joins Preston to Kendal and is one of the country’s few contour canals (built to follow the land’s natural water-level contour). The stretch provides stunning views of the Silverdale Coast, Forest of Bowland and Wyre countryside.
Flowing through quiet and flat Lincolnshire countryside, the river passes the striking Boston Stump church tower and Fiskerton Fen Nature Reserve. There are plenty of visitor moorings in calm and picturesque spots. Walkers and cyclists can follow the river’s course along the Water Rail Way track.
Insider tip: Marvel at John Rennie’s Grade I listed Lune Aqueduct, which carries the canal 664 feet across the River Lune at a height of 61 feet. It’s currently undergoing a £2.25 million renovation.
Insider tip: Bird watchers should look out for bittern and marsh harriers, while botanists can get a glimpse of the almost extinct greater water parsnip.
To the south Bridgwater and Taunton Canal Cut off from the rest of the canal system, this beautiful stretch connects the two towns of Bridgwater and Taunton and has a well maintained towpath and fascinating lock structures. Insider tip: Look out for the Somerset Space Walk at Maunsel Lock – a scale model of the sun, with solar system planets set along the towpath for six miles in both directions. Cathouse Bridge Garstang Image by Chris Kirk, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
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Around Britain In the centre
To the west
Birmingham Canal Navigations
The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal
England’s ‘Venice’, the canal system stretches for 100 miles and is considered one of the most intricate in the world. Become part of the cosmopolitan bustle as you pass the Gas Street Basin, or get away from it all on some of its rarely explored suburban stretches.
Traversing the Blaenavon World Heritage Site, this almost entirely rural canal flows through the stunning scenery of the Brecon Beacons National Park. It’s not connected to the rest of the waterway network, but you can still enjoy cruising it by hire boat.
Insider tip: Moor at Gas Street Basin or Brindleyplace and head to The Mailbox for some serious retail therapy. Or, simply rest canal-faring legs at one of the many waterside bars and restaurants.
Insider tip: Moor and recharge at the Theatr Brycheiniog’s Tipple n’ Tiffin canal-side restaurant. It was awarded a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence in 2013.
Brindleyplace at night
Canal Basin at Brecon
© VisitBirmingham
As part of last year’s National Poetry Day celebrations, the first ever Canal Laureate was appointed. Boating poet Jo Bell has been given the brief of bringing a new perspective to the nation's historic canals and rivers, and to encourage more people to see their local waterways in a new light.
Frozen In By Jo Bell, Canal Laureate You wake, and know. The boat is still as bones and you, its red heart beating. The canal was taken in its sleep and paved with cold; the chilled air gathers round your feet. The ice, disgruntled, shifts itself and chews a little on the hull, sets itself to set again. Beneath the glaze fish flicker like grey flames, silent, watchful. Inside, you go on with the business of making tea, waiting for crocuses.
©Andy Pratt Find out more about the Waterlines collaboration by visiting www.waterlines.org.uk or the Canal & River Trust at canalrivertrust.co.uk. DISCLAIMER: Links to third-party sites do not constitute an endorsement by the Oddfellows and use of the advertised products and services is entirely at your risk. The Oddfellows does not accept any liability or responsibility for any third-party material on other websites.
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Travel Oddfellows Active Travel Club has a trip to Krakow, Poland (27-30 April 2014). Book before 1 Nov and pay £299 (£349 afterwards). Return flights from several airports, resort transfers and optional tours. For more information call 0161 8329361.
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© Aditya Patankar
A life less ordinary He grew up with every opportunity to become a leading figure in the business world. But that was never the world Mark Shand wanted to conquer. The explorer, travel writer and brother of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, knew he could never settle for the monotony of the nine-to-five – the suit, the desk, the repetitive commute day after day. He was sent out to Australia when he was just 18 by his father, the decorated WWII veteran Major Bruce Shand, in the hope that it would ‘straighten him out’.
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There are still extraordinary things to do and see. If you’ve got it in you, go out and get it. It’s out there to find.
En route he passed through India, where he was supposed to stay for two days. He stayed for a month. There he fell in love with the place, and with the lifestyle of the eternal traveller. It was then that he knew he would never be satisfied with a ‘normal’ job ever again. After a brief spell spent dealing in vintage Cartier jewellery, drawing on a passion for the history of art and some partially completed Sotherby’s training, he decided to go out and explore. “I’ve been lucky enough to see some of the world’s most remote places while they were still unscarred,” says Shand, now 62. “All sorts of things have gone wrong along the way – for instance when I bought a boat and decided to sail around the world only to get caught in a hurricane. But all of my journeys took me away from London and helped me to understand how other cultures live. They shaped me and made me realise just what an amazing world there is out there.” (Continued on next page)
Travel
Mark Shand and Tara He first went to Indonesia with his friend the famous war photographer Don McCullin. They set out to discover what happened to Michael Rockefeller, the famous American who disappeared in 1961 and was reportedly eaten by cannibals. The trip became the subject of his first book Skulduggery. In the author’s own words, it ‘wasn’t exactly a success’. The one review it received renamed the book ‘Carry On Up The Jungle’, and urged Shand to give up on travel writing altogether. He ignored the advice and travelled with Don more and more. They visited remote islands off Sumatra that no one had ever visited before. They met the Wapi tribe of Irian Jaya, living in complete isolation from the outside world. He later became the first person in fifty years to travel along the McMahon Line, following in the footsteps of the great tribal anthropologist Verrier Elwin and he traced the course of the Brahmaputra River from Tibet down to Bangladesh, across politically sensitive borders and untouched wilderness. Shand has been described as a throwback to the 19th century adventurers he so idolised as a child – ‘a grizzled old swashbuckler’ who is both a daredevil and a playboy. It is true that he enjoyed his fair share of good living in late ’70s during the decadent, hedonistic days of New York’s Studio 54 nightclub. He later settled down and married Clio Goldsmith – now his ex-wife and with whom he has a daughter, 18-year-old Ayesha. Then in 1988, a return visit to India changed his life. Shand admits he made the trip based on the whimsical idea of travelling across the subcontinent on the back of an elephant.
© Aditya Patankar Loving animals but knowing very little about that particular species, he found an Asian elephant called Tara on a street corner in Orissa in Eastern India. He bought her and together they set off on an 800-mile journey. It was to be a defining encounter for Shand – providing the story for his best-selling book Travels on My Elephant and instilling in him a renewed sense of purpose as a campaigner for the plight of this majestic, endangered creature.
Travel Although smaller and lighter than its better-known African cousin, the Asian elephant is up to 9ft tall and weighs up to 4 tonnes. Its greatest strength, its size, is also its biggest weakness; each one needs space and food to graze over vast areas that are increasingly dominated by people. In 2003 Shand founded the charity Elephant Family. Ten years on, he has put the Asian elephant firmly on the map and secured eight ‘elephant corridors’ along ancient migratory routes that are protected from future development – the greatest threat to their long-term survival. “Someone once asked me ‘what’s the most frightening encounter you’ve ever had with an animal?’ and I said, ‘well of course it’s human beings’. “Governments are now finally waking up to the fact that the biggest challenge facing lots of endangered species, not just elephants, is people. We have turned a peaceful herbivore into a very dangerous animal and, while it’s not going to win, it isn’t going to go quietly either. “Corridors that are safe from people are the only way to save them from extinction.” His charity is now targeting 22 more corridors over the next ten years at a cost of £50m – there is much work still to be done to save the remaining 25,000 Asian elephants. Shand has even managed to get used to having a desk in an office and wearing a suit. “I don’t mind it now because it’s for a cause I really believe in – what we’re doing ultimately is saving the forests.” Tara turned 50 last year and now lives in Kipling Camp in Southern India where her every need is met. “She’s a pampered princess these days. She’s incredibly healthy and very happy, and she remembers me every time I visit. In fact she’s always suspicious for a while when I arrive until she realises I’m not going to take her away on another adventure! “Elephants are up there with the apes and the dolphins when it comes to intelligence. They’re short sighted but they remember your smell and your voice. Even if I’m standing in a group of 20 people, as soon as I call Tara’s name she knows it’s me.” Despite decades of exploring now finally catching up with him – he’s due his third hip replacement soon – Shand isn’t done just yet. He still feels 21 and is yearning for one last big journey before he goes back to writing. Along with his old friend Don he is thinking of North East India, maybe Tibet – the places that capture his idea of perfection. “In Arunachal Pradesh, or high up in the Himalayas, sitting around a campfire in the middle of nowhere with a bottle of rum and total silence – it doesn’t get much better than that for me. Maybe there would be a few elephants snorting away happily in the background too.
Mark Shand - Today
“Up there the skies are so big you feel like you can grab the stars and use them as a light. “I’m not particularly religious but I get very affected by big mountains and big seas. The architect Frank Lloyd Wright, when asked about his religion, once said: ‘I believe in God only I spell it nature’. That’s really how it is for me. “I wake up every morning and believe there is something new out there. Exploring might not be quite like the old days but there are still extraordinary things to do and see. If you’ve got it in you, go out and get it. It’s out there to find and it’ll be the best lesson you’ve ever had in your life.”
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Home & garden Oddfellows members receive a 10% discount on any purchase through www.suttons.co.uk. Click here to take advantage of the offer. (You need to sign in as a member to access the Members’ Benefits page.)
Ask George
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Thank you to our readers who sent in questions for expert gardener George Hill to answer. If we publish yours, we will send you a free pair of Joe’s Garden gloves. Send your gardening conundrums to ezine@oddfellows.co.uk Q: What is blackspot and how can it be treated? Also for mildew? I have a climbing rose against the house and each year it suffers from both of these. I remove as many leaves as I can and use a spray but it still returns. Liz, Bingley A: Blackspot’s a fungus and unfortunately there’s no real cure. If I could find one I’d become a millionaire overnight! Mildew too. In winter, spores move to the soil around the base of the bush. What I find works well is Jeyes Fluid. Mix one tablespoon with a gallon of water and apply it to the ground immediately under the bush – about one square metre around. Prune the bush back in March, removing all the foliage, and spray it on to the bush and the wall behind it to kill the spores. Don’t do this if the area has flowers like pansies, polyanths or primroses around or they’ll perish.
George’s tips for October •
Make sure your greenhouse is well ventilated to prevent anything decaying and causing fungal problems next spring
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Tidy up. Burn old plants, cut down herbaceous plants to six inches above the ground and sweep leaves from lawns so they don’t kill your grass
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Tomatoes need picking off now. If they’re still green you can make delicious chutneys
George Hill was a professional gardener by trade, serving as Head Gardener at Burwarton House; a 22,500-acre estate near Bridgenorth owned by Lord Boyne, cousin and Lord in waiting to HM The Queen.
Q: I planted some potatoes (15 plants) and forgot to harvest them. I pulled them out, but only after the haulms had died back and I unearthed only eight potatoes. Why were there hardly any there? Carolyn, Cheshire A: They were left too long and were probably eaten by eelworm or it could have been potato blight. You can start lifting them out once the plant’s in flower – usually September time.
Q: I have a potted apple tree on my terrace. It’s about four feet tall now. When’s the best time to prune it and how do I do it? Mark, St Albans A: Prune it from the end of November through to the end of December. Leave about two inches of new growth and prune to an outward-facing bud. Always make sure that any pot-grown plants never dry out, as it causes stress within the plant and increases the chance of disease.
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Sport & leisure If you love photography, why not enter our Through the lens competition. This month’s theme is Changing Seasons. See Culture club for details or click here.
Eric in Focus
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Framing fantastic family photos Photos of family and friends are taken whatever the time of year, to celebrate birthdays, Christmas, holidays, social events or visits from distant relatives. Here are some tricks the professionals use to liven up otherwise ordinary photos.
Show activity A photo of some activity introduces an extra element other than the person being photographed. Find a shot of the person doing something – rehearsing, playing a sport or so on – with just enough content to make it clear what they are doing. This way the subject is not simply staring at the camera.
Add a closer viewpoint Photos often work well when the camera is moved closer to the subject – here it is looking upwards slightly to her face. Choosing a background without distractions helps too, if possible.
Make use of backlighting A rather more candid picture here. Backlighting highlights the hat and the hair while bright reflections in the spectacles draw attention to the face and eyes.
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Sports & Leisure Eyes that follow Close up portraits can be formal or casual. Having the subject look directly towards the camera makes for a strong visual link with the viewer – no matter where they look at the photo from, his eyes will follow.
Watch out for shadows Taking photos with the sun shining towards the camera often results in faces looking dark and shadowed. Use a flash to brighten the shadows without being too overpowering. Advanced cameras even give a choice of how much flash to use (full, ½, ⅓).
Photos that hold together
Practice with the flash Become familiar with the flash by taking several shots with different flash settings. Don’t forget to set the flash to ‘red eye’ to remove ‘red cherry’ eyes as well.
Casual group pictures often look more interesting than posed ones. Take several photos and you will find one that holds together, with no one looking awkward or posed. Once again, an opportunity to photograph a group doing an activity will add to the overall interest.
The finished result Here all the techniques mentioned above have been combined. The fiddler is set against a neutral background with a little sunlight from behind shaping the body. A flash has softened the facial shadows too, which focuses the picture on the eyes and draws the viewer’s eyes finally to his face.
Make photos of small groups fun Remember to print out some of your photos for the album, as digital ones left on a disk may eventually get lost. At the time you might remember who took the photo, but in 20 years’ time having a reference on the back to the date, place and people involved in the photo will be appreciated by you and your family as part of your history.
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Health & wellbeing “Being a welfare officer is a two-way thing. I go and support someone in their choices and in return I get shared experiences, anecdotes and friendships that enhance my experience as an Oddfellows member.” Karen, North London
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Oddfellows care and welfare – here when you need us The Oddfellows has been looking out for its members for over 200 years. In 2013, the on-going care, health and welfare of the Society’s 280,000 strong community are more important than ever. Below are just a few of the benefits that current membership provides.
Oddfellows Advice Line Members can call a free general advice helpline run exclusively for them by the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB). Open Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 4.30pm, it provides specialist information, advice and support on more than 15,000 different subjects, with the aim of helping people make informed decisions by understanding their rights.
Care and Welfare Helpline Run by staff in the Oddfellows Care and Welfare Department, this helpline is available to members looking for professional advice, information, a listening ear or support on issues such as accessing health or care services. Lines are open Monday to Thursday, 9am to 5pm, and Friday, 9am to 4pm. Voicemails can be left with either the Oddfellows Advice Line or Helpline service and someone will respond by the next working day. Calls from landlines are charged at local rates.
Convalescent breaks and short term home care If you are recovering from an illness, hospital stay, accident or other trauma after two or more years of membership the Society may be able to provide you with a two-week break in a convalescence facility. If your application is approved, the Oddfellows will meet the basic cost of your stay and pay travel costs. Alternatively, the benefit can provide a short period of care at home or other help to aid recovery if that is more appropriate. Carers can also apply for the benefit to enable them to have a short break from caring. To apply, contact your Branch Secretary. Additional information can be obtained from the Oddfellows Care and Welfare Department. Only one convalescence application can be made every two years.
Orphan Gift Fund This was first established by the Society after World War One to help children who had lost one or both parents. Today the fund still provides financial support to younger members in this situation in the form of gifts. This ensures that, as far as possible, recipients have the same access to opportunities as their peers. From textbooks and musical instruments to school trips and specialist equipment – help is at hand for school, university or in developing a trade or a first business. For full details on eligibility, contact the Oddfellows Care and Welfare Department. The Department also runs the Society’s Legal Aid scheme, as featured in the Money section of last month’s friendscene. It also oversees the Branch Visitor scheme through which Branches offer a network of more than 300 volunteer Welfare Visitors across the UK to provide local support and visits. Please note: Oddfellows benefits are non-contractual and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Terms and conditions apply. Contact the Oddfellows Care and Welfare Department for details.
Contacting Oddfellows Care and Welfare Services Non-members – call 0800 028 1810 or email info@oddfellows.co.uk Members – call the Care and Welfare Helpline on 0845 606 3102 or email care@oddfellows.co.uk www.oddfellows.co.uk/CareAndAdvice
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Money
Money Oddfellows members have been raising money for the RNLI since 1961. They donated £28,500 that year – more than half a million pounds in today’s money to buy a new lifeboat for Sheringham in Norfolk.
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Saving for our son’s future Alison and Matt Holroyd from Sale, Cheshire, were two of the first people to begin investing in the Oddfellows’ Junior Stocks and Shares ISA (Individual Savings Account) when the product was launched earlier this year. They opened it on behalf of their two-year-old son, Logan. Alison explains how it works for them: “We were looking for something that was easy for us to set up and maintain, as well as have an account that we could direct family members to if they wanted to help out in putting a little bit of money away for Logan’s future. We put in the basic £10 each month by direct debit and then we know that we have the opportunity to top this up as and when we like, say on his birthday. We don’t have a lot of money spare at the end of the month, but we do want to put something away for him. I arrange for it to come out by Direct Debit when I get paid, so I don’t really notice it.
It’s reassuring to know that he’ll have his own little pot of money waiting for him when he turns 18, so he’ll have a head start in being able to pay for things like driving lessons, university expenses or buying himself a car. In a nutshell, we want to put a little money away regularly with the hope of it making a big difference to Logan down the line.”
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It’s reassuring to know that he’ll have his own little pot of money waiting for him when he turns 18, so he’ll have a head start in being able to pay for things like driving lessons, university expenses or buying himself a car.
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Money
Junior
Don’t miss out on tax-free savings for children There is still time to set up an Oddfellows Junior Stocks and Shares ISA and take advantage of putting away up to £3,720 in tax-free savings for your child during the tax year 2013-14. Opening this style of medium to long-term investment account is easy and there are no joining fees. However you must have parental responsibility for the child (becoming a ‘Registered Contact’) and commit to contributing at least £10 per month, or make an initial lump sum saving of £50. Being a ‘Registered Contact’ does not affect your personal ISA tax-free savings allowance, as the account is in the name of the nominated child. “Once opened, other adults can easily make payments in, such as grandparents looking to contribute along the way or family wanting to give financial gifts at times such as Christmas or birthdays,” explained Steve Code, Insurance Director for the Oddfellows.
Transfer your Junior ISA to the Oddfellows “As a friendly society, we’ve more than 200 years’ heritage in helping people with their financial investments and in making preparations for the future. “So if you’ve got a Junior ISA with someone else, you can contact us and we can transfer it over on your behalf at no charge. However, do note that you can only have one Junior Cash ISA and one Junior Stocks and Shares ISA running at any one time.”
For an application pack, or for full Junior ISA key features and terms and conditions, visit
www.oddfellows.co.uk/financialservices or call 0161 832 9361.
Key points to consider • Accounts can be opened on behalf of any UK child born after 2 January 2011, or under the age of 18 but born before 1 September 2002 • Contributions can be stopped and started at any time without any penalty or hidden charges • Money held in the account can only be accessed by the child when they turn 18 – not before • The value of stocks and shares can fall as well as rise and the child could get back less than has been paid in. It is unlikely that an investment for a period of less than five years would return any real growth • The Oddfellows Junior Stocks and Shares ISA invests in the Oddfellows All Share Tracker Fund, which tracks the FTSE All-Share Index • There is an annual management charge of 1.5%
The Oddfellows Junior ISA is marketed (sold) on an execution only basis, no advice given or sought (self-sold). The Oddfellows is here to help. While we can provide you with factual information, we cannot advise you on what to do. If you are unsure whether the Oddfellows Junior ISA could be suitable for your circumstances you should contact your financial advisor. If you do not have one you can find details of a local financial advisor by telephoning IFA Promotion on 020 7833 3131 or via www.unbiased.co.uk.
The Oddfellows is the trading name of The Independent Order of Oddfellows Manchester Unity Friendly Society Limited, Incorporated and registered in England and Wales No. 223F. Registered Office 32 Booth Street, Manchester M2 4QP. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, registration No. 109995.