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September 2013
Issue 33
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Food & drink
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Stein’s Odyssey To mark the release of his long awaited memoirs, TV chef and restaurateur Rick Stein reveals how he overcame personal tragedy in his younger years to build a multimillion pound dining empire. From the North Cornwall coast to the nation’s TV screens and bookshelves, his journey has been one of good fortune and hard work – discover how he did it inside.
Also featured this month Around Britain: Find a Friendship Month event happening near you Culture club: For this month’s reader’s review, we put Rick Stein’s latest cookery book through its paces Travel: One member explains why cruises are the perfect holiday for the solo traveller Home & garden: Professional gardener George answers your questions on fruiting and flowering Health & wellbeing: A guide to navigating through the ever changing NHS
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Friendship Month 1 - 30 September
September is Friendship Month – held by the Oddfellows every year to highlight the importance of lasting friendships in people’s lives. We reveal the exciting things that are happening to mark the campaign.
Win great prizes! WIN: £50 of High Street vouchers in our through the lens photo competition! Send us your best photo inspired by the theme ‘summer days’ to enter.
Sport & leisure: Keeping it in the family – why one man and his father-in-law took on a challenging charity climb Money: There are plenty of good financial reasons to become an Oddfellows member – find out what they are inside
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.
WIN: A luxury Waitrose picnic worth £150 for you and nine of your friends! (See inside for more details) WIN: A brand new pair of gardening gloves! Send George your gardening question for your chance to win. (See inside for more details)
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Culture club “I love going to the theatre once in a while, so when I heard my local Oddfellows Branch was arranging a trip I couldn’t pass it up.” Sharon – Manchester
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The Reader’s Review Book: Rick Stein’s India Author Rick Stein
© James Murphy This entire book is a visual delight. I loved the design and layout. In particular the photos paint a bright and vibrant picture of India and I found I could almost sense the sounds and smells of the street stalls through the pages. The book is split into sections by snacks, veggie options, fish, white and dark meat and sweets. There wasn’t a single recipe that didn’t look delicious and it just might become a personal project to work through them all! I chose to cook the Madras fish curry of snapper, tomato and tamarind that featured in last month’s Friendscene, because it was Rick Stein’s favourite. Being a big fish fan I thought it would be easy, however sourcing the ingredients proved a real challenge, despite living near a city with plenty of big supermarkets. Few alternatives are offered for many foods and spices in the book either. I made do with a mix of gurnard and talapia instead of snapper and left out the curry leaves, which I couldn’t find. It was suggested on the internet that you could use bay or basil leaves or grated lime rind as alternatives. Despite the challenges sourcing some of the ingredients, the finished dish was an amazing mixture of spices that
went down well with me and my family. But for purists and possibly for Rick too, the point might be made that we never really made the dish because we didn’t use all the right ingredients? It is easy to assume nowadays that you can get anything at any time, but this is not always the case. The difficulties I came across would, I think, be an issue for most if they don’t allow enough time to source the ingredients in advance. It is all very well creating a beautiful book full of delicious authentic Indian recipes, but not everyone lives in places where specialist suppliers are easy to find. He does offer a list of online suppliers at the end of the book, but I would like to have seen clear acknowledgement of the issues I came across, and an explanation of how far readers can deviate from the recipes while still keeping the essence of the dish intact. That is my only criticism of a book I will happily include on my list of presents for friends or family at Christmas. By Dawn Walters, Unity Office, Manchester
Culture club Through the lens – photography competition
This month’s theme: Summer days August’s theme was ‘by the sea’ and the winner was Joyce Olney with this photo of Barbados. Congratulations, and thank you to everyone else who entered. With summer almost over, we would like you to send us your favourite summer snaps this month. Make sure you tell us the story behind your entry and why it holds such good memories for you.
If we choose your photo to appear in the next edition you’ll win £50 of High Street vouchers. You can enter by emailing your photo to ezine@oddfellows.co.uk, posting it on our Facebook wall or sending it in a tweet that mentions @OddfellowsUK. Click on the links to visit our social media sites.
Terms and conditions – Friendscene competitions 1) Entries for Through the lens and the Waitrose picnic can be submitted at any time and still be included in this competition. However the cut-off date for each edition will be the first day of the month. For example, this month’s competitions close on 1 October 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 your 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 “I’m always trying to show people that they don’t have to worry about making food that’s perfect. Everything I cook looks deliberately uneven and homemade to show it’s ok to serve food with charm and character.” Nigel Slater, author, broadcaster and cook
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Big Fish For a man whose life and livelihood have been so heavily influenced by the sea, it seems strangely fitting that Rick Stein spent many of his younger years feeling adrift, hampered by self-doubt. Touched by personal tragedy as a young man, only hard work and good fortune enabled him to turn youthful naivety and a love for entertaining into a multi-million pound seafood empire. His memoirs, Under a Mackerel Sky, released this month, reveal this journey in full for the first time, in his own words. Stein is credited, for better or worse, with transforming his hometown of Padstow from a sleepy backwater to Cornwall’s premier dining destination. ‘PadStein’, as the locals dub it, is where his heart is, in the kitchen at his famous Seafood Restaurant. But a world away from the fights and fussy customers of his early years as a restaurateur, the 66-year-old has gone on to win dozens of food awards and travel the world presenting cookery shows – part chef, part explorer. For his recent BBC 2 show Rick Stein’s India, he spent three months travelling the sub-Continent in search of the perfect curry. As in so many of his shows, he met memorable characters along the way. This time they introduced him to the complex and enduring relationships that Indians have with their food. People like Rocky Mohan, who cooked Stein a traditional chicken korma at his home in Lucknow in Northern India. ‘Could he ever find anything like this back in the UK?’ Stein mused, before tucking in and deciding, emphatically, not. Coming from a nation with a taste for anglicised imitations of curry made to be as spicy as possible, Stein found his journey around India to be a steep learning curve; ‘an assault on all the senses’. As well as showcasing his recipes during the show, Stein also reveals his mistakes. From spilling oil down his shirt to forgetting to put the lid on a blender, everything is caught on camera. His passion for putting on a good show seems as strong now as ever. Long before becoming a chef, he wanted to be a writer. He was even promised a job as a reporter for a local paper, only to see the offer withdrawn days before he was due to start. Writing his memoirs has finally allowed him to fulfil that ambition, despite already having 15 books to his name.
© Juliana Johnson “Writing a cookery book is fairly simple, but having to commit yourself to write on a regular basis is like learning a foreign language – you’ve got to get through a pain threshold. “Every morning you’ve got to get up and write in order to enjoy it, but I did, and I do. Writing is second only to cooking for me now… although I’ve never felt like I’ve had to learn to cook at all.” Stein grew up watching his mother in the kitchen, absorbing the skills from her ‘like osmosis’. His childhood was a privileged one, split between the family farm in the Cotswolds, boarding school at Uppingham and his grandparents’ coastal house in Padstow. But behind this seemingly idyllic life, and unbeknown to Stein, his father was suffering from severe manic depression. In 1966 he committed suicide. Stein was just 17 years old. His gut reaction was to run away; first to London, then Australia, New Zealand and the USA. Travelling between countries by boat, he got a string of labouring jobs, made lifelong friends and did his best to win the hearts of the women he met along the way. But he couldn’t keep running forever. (Continued on next page)
Food & drink Two years later he returned home, scraped a degree from Oxford then headed west, back to the family home in Padstow. His first foray into business ended ignominiously when police closed down the nightclub he had opened in the town after one too many fights between well-oiled local fishermen. He was taken to court and deemed to be ‘not a fit and proper person’, a ruling that made him famous locally for all the wrong reasons. Fans of his now famous fish and chips might never have heard of him were it not for an administrative error by the local council during the case. His license to sell alcohol in a nightclub was revoked but, for reasons unbeknown to him, his licence to serve alcohol in a restaurant was left intact. So, in 1975, Stein opened the Seafood Restaurant with his first wife Jill. The rest, as they say, is history. Before long the plaudits were flooding in for his dishes of freshly caught seafood. The restaurant won the RAC/Sunday Times Taste of Britain Best Restaurant Award in 1984 and shortly afterwards he was asked to appear on a TV show featuring a little known TV presenter called Keith Floyd. At first he only agreed to it so he could promote the restaurant, but it wasn’t long before Floyd’s Producer David Pritchard was offering Stein his own shows. Their friendship would take them to the waterways of France, the bustling markets of the Far East and many more places along the way. Stein’s affable, straight talking style, inspired in no small part by Floyd, has won him legions of fans willing to part with their cash for his recipe books, TV shows or a plate of fish and chips. The Rick Stein food empire is now worth more than £30 million, employing more than 450 people in Padstow at five eateries, a deli, fishery, gift shop, patisserie, rental properties and a wine shop. He also has restaurants in nearby Falmouth and in Sydney, Australia, where he now spends half his time with his second wife Sarah and her two children. Not bad for a man who claims, simply, to have just been in the right place at the right time. “Cornwall seems an obvious place to set up now – it holds this strong place in many people’s hearts – but all we had to do was open up a half
Rick in Spain
© Arezoo Farahzad
decent restaurant there and sell local fish. It wasn’t rocket science. “I’m only part of a movement that was going on back then when lots of people who could have been something more intellectual thought, actually, lets put our brains into making nice food instead. I’m not unique in any way. “In fact I feel very privileged to have other people in the restaurants now doing all the hard work. But I’ve been there and I know how hard it is.” It is now the turn of Stein’s middle son Jack, 33, to do the hard work as he takes over more of the day-to-day business from his dad. Stein still plans to stay involved, but is now looking forward to living a little more like the motto that hangs on the front door of his Cornish cottage: ‘Gone Swimming’. “I love restaurants. The people who work there are the best people around. But the problem with being a chef is that by the time you get to 50 it gets hard to keep up physically, particularly in a busy kitchen. I think that all chefs should give it up by 50 and teach, write or go on TV instead.” Under a Mackerel Sky is released in hardback on September 12
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Latest news “It is the everyday examples of charity that make the
Society work today as it has done since 1810, through its founding principles; friendship, love and truth.” Charles Vaughan, Past Chairman of the Board (2011-13)
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Friendship Month goes from strength to strength This September the Oddfellows Society is celebrating its largest ever Friendship Month, with no fewer than 80 open door events being staged across the UK.
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Held annually since 2010, the aim of Friendship Month is to encourage local people to get together and form lasting, caring and rewarding friendships.
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Friendship Month 1 - 30 September
This year’s theme is ‘make time for friendship’; organisers hope that members and non-members alike will get involved in the following ways: Attending one of the open door events to meet new people and try new experiences Reconnecting with absent friends – making that call or writing that letter to an old friend to show they care Incorporating simple acts of friendship into each day and thinking about how they can make a positive impact on other people’s lives. It can be as simple as getting to know a neighbour or paying someone a compliment. Jane Nelson, Oddfellows CEO, said: “We’re often guilty of putting things off until tomorrow, but what better time than Friendship Month to focus on how increasing social interactions can make a real difference to everyone’s lives. Research shows that friendship is good for your health, particularly regular social contact and having caring circles of friends. “The Oddfellows offers life enriching support through its membership – for many people that can come from attending one of our regular events, receiving care or simply having someone to turn to for advice. I hope that people who are new to us and who attend one of our events can experience the value of Oddfellowship firsthand.”
The power of Friendship Month! Lynda Harris (left) and Ruth Funnell (right) first met at an open event four years ago and have remained close friends and Oddfellows members ever since. ‘We just started talking and clicked’ they both said. Find open events in your local area by visiting www.oddfellows.co.uk/events
The Oddfellows takes to the airwaves This month, more than 13 million people living in the north of England and North Wales will be invited to find out more about the Oddfellows as the Society mounts its largest radio recruitment campaign to date. The upbeat 30-second ad is being broadcast on Classic FM, Imagine FM, Stray FM and Smooth Radio for three weeks. With its strapline of ‘there’s always something going on at the Oddfellows’, the advert shares the fun, social side of membership. Diane Burton from the Oddfellows Marketing Department said: “It’s an exciting opportunity for us and we hope it will help raise awareness about who we are and what we can offer as a Society. We’ve already received a number of local enquiries, which is great!”
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Around Britain “Now we see other members around the town and say hello, where as before we’d have just walked past. That sense of community is hard to beat.” Lesley - South Yorkshire
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on pen afterno Craft and o Southport
Friendship Month events There are special open-door events taking place across the UK this month – here are just a few to choose from:
Sept
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ay afternoon Friendship Sund Brass with Oddfellows ockport St e, Cheadle Hulm
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The local Branch is hosting a social afternoon from 2pm at the Cheadle Hulme Conservative Club on Mellor to all and costing £5 Road SK8 5AT. Open t will feature national per person, the even band Oddfellows award winning brass tain guests with a Brass, who will enter oire. popular musical repert ail For more details em ows.co.uk ell df od a@ janis.souz
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Friendship Day Out at Acorn Bank Gardens and Watermill Temple Soweby, Penrith
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aft, or If you love cr g new simply meetin is a people, this rtunity. perfect oppo
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Street Held at Lord Church, ber at West United y 25 Septem a sd e n d e W d on ts of craft an Duke Street nt will have lo ve e ts e n e th , m m sh p 1.30 ht refre , as well as lig hobby stalls to all. and is open r 04 545279 fo tton on 017 a C h it d u J Call s. more detail
Friendship Month 1 - 30 Sep tem ber
Coronation Stre
et Party - Rother
ham Sept To celebrate Frie ndship Month an d the 60th annivers ary of the Coronation of HM The Queen, members of the O ddfellows in Rotherham will be hosting a tea party with a difference – with guests dressing up as th eir favourite Coro nation Street char acter. Cakes, sandwich es and a prize fo r the best costume provided at Oddfe will be llows House, 40 W estgate S60 1AS. Festivities begin at 12 noon. Call Lesley or Lisa on 01709 838673 fo r more details.
Held on Saturday 28 September at 11am, this tour is a must for gardeners and botanists!
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WIN
The National Trust attraction is renowned for having the north of England’s largest collection of culinary and medicinal plants in its impressive herb gard en. The tour involves a gentle stroll through the grounds and a visit to its recently restored mill.
Create your own friendship event! WIN a luxury Waitrose picnic worth £150 for you and nine of your friends!
Call Nigel Stock on 07966 689436 for
In one sentence simply tell us how you would define friendship.
To find an event in your area, visit www.oddfellows.co.uk/events.
more details.
(See page 2 for terms and conditions)
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Travel “There’s something for everyone – whether you want to try something new, enjoy the onboard attractions or just relax in peace and tranquillity.” Wendy, Ipswich (Organiser for Fred Olsen Cruises)
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A Celtic cruise experience
More than 20 million people worldwide choose to take their holidays on cruise ships each year. Isobel Goforth, an Oddfellows member from the Vale of York District, is one of them. Here she explains why. I’ve been holidaying on cruise ships for years. The food is good, I feel safe, I always know where I am and I know I’ll be looked after. Plus, I know there is always the option for me to become involved in as many of the activities during the trip as I like. As a solo traveller, I have always found going on a cruise to be a fantastic option. Other types of holidays can be daunting but because I have signed up to Active Travel Club (ATC) I know that I have my Oddfellows membership in common with other passengers. This makes starting up a conversation that much easier.
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Leaving Dover
To anyone looking to see new places while staying in comfortable surroundings with excellent food, I would definitely recommend choosing a cruise through ATC.
“ A view from the top deck
(Continued on next page)
Travel
Molly Malone sculpture, Dublin I recently went on the Fred Olsen Celtic cruise experience, organised by Wendy Atkins and supported by ATC. As usual it didn’t disappoint. Leaving from Dover, the ten-day cruise took in the stunning scenery of the Irish and Scottish coastlines, as well as sightseeing tours of Dublin and Belfast. I also visited the small fishing village of Ullapool on the west coast of Scotland with two friends that I had made onboard. Other ports of call were Kirkwall, on Orkney, and Invergordon. That was the best thing about the trip – being able to meet new friends everywhere I went. At meal times I was seated with some other solo travellers, while the ship’s regular activities gave me plenty of chances to get to know the other guests. From quiz nights and games like darts and shuffleboard to bucks fizz receptions, there was never a dull moment. It was a trip I will never forget.
St Magnus Cathedral doorway, Kirkwall, Orkney To anyone looking to see new places while staying in comfortable surroundings with excellent food, I would definitely recommend choosing a cruise through ATC. I have already booked through Wendy to go on the D-Day Cruise on 1 June 2014 to mark the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
To find out about future Fred Olsen cruises, contact Wendy Atkins on 01473 251867. Stormont Parliamentary Building, Belfast
Travel
Oddfellows trip to Krakow, Poland Thursday 27 April 2014 Early Booking Offer – £299pp if you book by 1 November 2013, (£349 after 1 November) This trip gives members the chance to see Krakow’s historical buildings that survived the ravages of the Second World War and subsequent Soviet occupation. See the Old Town – now a UNESCO World Heritage Site – climb the tower at the Wawel Cathedral or marvel at the Medieval Cloth Hall and the ancient Market Square. Visit the 900-year-old Wieliczka Salt Mine, one of the wonders of the world. It is like a mysterious underground city with over 200 km of passageways. Everything you see is made of salt, including the chapel’s altar, chandeliers, sculptures and floor paving. There is also a chance to join an optional excursion to Auschwitz concentration camp.
Includes: •
Return flights from East Midlands, London Stansted, Leeds or Edinburgh (Flight times TBC)
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Resort transfers (Approx. 30 minutes)
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3 nights bed & breakfast
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3 Star Polski hotel in Krakow
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Optional visit to Auschwitz & Birkenau (Extra, approx £26)
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Optional visit to Weiliczka Salt Mine (Extra, approx. £28)
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Finesse Travel tour manager Deposit: £120 Single Supplement: £30 Triple Room: £30 discount pp Price: £349pp (if booked after 1 November)
Wieliczka Salt Mine
To Book: Tel: Finesse Travel on 01709 367663 Debit Card: No Surcharge. Credit Card: 2.5%
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Home & garden “Sorting out the garden is how I like to relax. An expert gave a talk at my local Oddfellows Branch – it helped me no end.” Christine - Derbyshire
Ask George
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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. He worked there for nearly 40 years and still lives nearby in retirement, giving expert talks and appearing on gardeners question panels.
Q: I planted a Campsis shrub in my garden seven years ago. While it’s now a vigorous 7ft shrub with plenty of foliage, it has never flowered. Can you help? Nora, Barton-on-Humber A: You could be overfeeding it, or the ground around it could be too rich. Try giving it a top dressing of potash to stimulate the plant to flower. Do this once now, then again in March and by next summer the flowers should arrive. Q: I have several blackcurrant bushes that have recently completed fruiting. Should I allow them to keep growing or should I cut them back? Duncan, Cambridge A: You should prune blackcurrant bushes every year after fruiting, removing the wood that the bush has just fruited on. The bushes never fruit in the same place twice, and cutting back the older wood encourages the new wood to grow. Now is the ideal time to do this – try adding a sprinkling of nitrogen fertiliser like Growmore to the soil afterwards too. Q: I grew an apple tree from a pip five years ago. It’s now 8ft tall and has occasional sparse blossom but has never fruited. Please can you help? Pauline, West Yorkshire
Members with green fingers Oddfellows members are eligible to receive a special 10% discount on anything at www.suttons.co.uk, from seeds and bulbs to gardening equipment and greenhouses. To take advantage of this exclusive offer, click here*. *You will need to be signed in as a member to access the Members' Benefits page.
A: That is quite common for fruit trees grown from pippins – they can be quite hit and miss. Because yours has some blossom already, top dress it with potash each spring. This should help the blossom to pollenate better and give it the best chance of fruiting.
Send your gardening questions to George – email ezine@oddfellows.co.uk. If we publish it we’ll send you a brand new pair of dazzling gardening gloves absolutely free, thanks to Joe’s Garden.
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Sport & leisure “I’ve never really been ‘sporty’, but I try to keep fit. My local Oddfellows Branch now hosts a walking club. It’s great to get some fresh air, and we always have a good time.” Diana – Essex
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Charity climb is a fitting tribute By James Humphreys, Manchester
James and the team brave 40mph winds up Ingleborough The Yorkshire Three Peaks is something I’ve wanted to do for a while. After losing my mum in 2007 and my cousin last year – both to cancer – this was my chance to leave a tribute, and raise money for Manchester’s specialist cancer hospital The Christie; a cause close to my heart and whose staff were amazing when my family needed them. I knew from the start it wouldn’t be easy. Each of the peaks – Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent – stands over 2,200ft high. To scale all three within 12 hours we would have to hike more than 23 miles. My father-in-law and I set off from the Ribblehead Viaduct at 7am on 1 September. Walking in a group of 13 and guided by hill walking expert Mark Reed, we reached the top of Whemside, the first and tallest mountain, within three hours. Far from the heat wave conditions that we had been training in during the summer, the sky was grey and decidedly autumnal, with winds in excess of 40mph on the tops.
The team set off from Ingleton by the Ribblehead Viaduct Next was Ingleborough, with its rocky, near vertical scramble to the summit. The first time we tried this in training we had got lost in the fog and had to abandon the climb. With the wind whipping at us this time, we were afraid we might have to add a second failed attempt to that inglorious record. (Continued on next page)
Sports & Leisure
One down, two to go - Ingleborough in the distant cloud We needn’t have worried. The wind was more exhilarating than frightening, and though we couldn’t hang around at the summit for fear of catching hypothermia, we scaled it before 1.30pm. And we didn’t feel too exhausted either. The final climb to Pen-y-ghent was made easier by the camaraderie of the team around us. We got to know one another well, passing the time by taking turns to come up with the topics of conversation. Then before we knew it we were back in the pub that night feeling a bit sore, but pretty pleased with ourselves. There we were presented with a medal and a certificate for our efforts. The view of Whernside from the top of Ingleborough I’ve had dodgy knees for a few years, but after all this walking they’ve never felt better. I really want to keep up the fitness so I’m planning to do the Lake District Three Peaks next or the Yorkshire Three Peaks again, but this time on a bike!
I loved the whole experience – from learning about the area and the correct way to regulate your body temperature and food intake en route from Mark, to the feeling of togetherness we all had by the end. So far I’ve managed to raise more than £550 too, which has made it even better.
The team celebrate
James with father-in-law Peter Holden
To donate to James’ fundraising efforts, please visit his Just Giving page here
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Health & wellbeing “The Oddfellows give so much. I wish more people knew about the great services they have to offer.” Paul - London
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Finding the NHS service you need Recent health reforms have brought major changes to the shape of many NHS services. Here Mary Atkinson from the Oddfellows Care Department outlines some of the main services available, when they should be used and how they can be accessed.
For non-urgent day to day care Pharmacies: They can help with a range of common conditions and minor injuries, and can provide access to services to help with quitting smoking, alcohol issues or sexual health. Many can also advise you on the safe use of medicines and provide repeat prescription services. If you are taking a number of medicines you can ask for a Medicine Use Review. GP’s surgery: Your GP’s surgery is still the main place to go for help with most illnesses, injuries or on-going health conditions. You can call your GP to book an appointment or get advice on where you should go.
For urgent situations which are not emergencies and/or life threatening Daytime Many areas of the UK now have services you can use without an appointment for healthcare and urgent problems which are not emergencies. You can still call your GP but here are some additional options:
9 Walk In Centres: For urgent but not life-threatening illness or injuries OR if you don’t have a GP
9 Minor Injuries Units: Part of hospital services. They are similar to Walk In Centres but treat a wider range of injuries. Some areas don’t currently offer them
9 Urgent Care Centres: Offer similar services to Minor Injuries Units If you are not sure what is available in your area ring NHS 111 or NHS Direct to find out.
Nighttime (out of hours) Ring either NHS 111 or your GP’s surgery for the GP ‘out of hours’ service. Both can help you to find whichever local arrangement you need during hours when your GP’s surgery is closed. NHS 111*: Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Calls are free from landlines and mobile phones. This is suitable for the following situations: • You urgently need medical help or advice but it's not an emergency • You need health information or reassurance about what to do next • You don’t know which service to access. How it works: An adviser will discuss your symptoms with you and either give you the health care advice you need or direct you to a local service. They can book you an appointment or call an ambulance if needed. *NHS Direct is still operating in some areas. NHS 111 should be operating everywhere by October 2013. Accident and emergency Although NHS 111 should identify emergency situations and call an ambulance, if you know it is an emergency you should ring 999 straightaway. If someone has had a heart attack or stroke, every second counts.
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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Money “When I had money worries the Oddfellows put me in touch with the right people who could help. They were with me every step of the way.” Pam - Cambridgeshire
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Benefits of being a member As any active member will tell you, being part of the Oddfellows Society brings social benefits that money just can’t buy. However, there are plenty of good financial reasons to consider membership too. Over the next two editions, Money highlights a few... Key Facts Oddfellows benefits are non-contractual and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Terms and conditions apply. Call 0800 028 1810 or visit www.oddfellows.co.uk for details.
Active Travel Club (ATC) Available free of charge to any Oddfellows member, the ATC offers exclusive activity breaks, holidays and short trips at competitive prices. To join, simply send your name and membership details to Active Travel Club, The Oddfellows, Abbey House, 32 Booth Street, Manchester, M2 4QP or email active@oddfellows.co.uk.
Dental and optical benefits After two years of national membership, you become eligible to claim for up to £25 per year to go towards dental costs, and £25 every two years for optical costs. Speak to your Branch for more details about the application process.
Money Education Award Every year the Society gives out three education awards to members who are studying for their first degree course. The award consists of a £750 grant for each year of study. It doesn’t have to be paid back and can be spent on anything. To qualify, applicants need to have been a member for five years or more. Applications must be submitted by early September each year - contact your local Branch for more details.
Legal Aid Scheme If you are an Oddfellows member and you or a family member suffer a personal injury that isn’t your fault, including medical negligence, the Society may be able to provide free specialist legal representation for your claim. Free advice, support and, if necessary, legal representation at an Employment Tribunal can also be provided to members in eligible cases. In employment cases the Society can recover some of its legal costs from any compensation awarded. To find out more and to assess your eligibility, contact the Care Department at Unity Office.
Oddfellows archives Being an Oddfellows member gives you access to the Society’s archive of 180,000 documents detailing its 200-year history absolutely free. Non-members can access five documents for free, and then pay £2.99 per week for unlimited access.