Chiswick February & March out&about Magazine

FREE CHISWICK, ISLEWORTH, BRENTFORD & OSTERLEY

FEBRUARY-MARCH 2017

Camellias at Chiswick House

VALENTINE’S DAY

handbags ALL ABOUT

Swans

with Swan Lifeline

BUSINESS MATTERS with

Grow Chiswick — making a start in the garden � Spring Season at Watermans � Valentine’s Day designer handbag sale at Chiswick Auctions � Swan Lifeline � Chiswick House Camellia Show � Learning French with Les copains d`abord � Volunteering in Brentford � Help for litigants at West London Family Court

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19 CONTENTS

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Regulars

Features

4 Letter from the Editor & Editor’s Tips 15 Hen Corner Winter at Hen Corner 21 Coffee Break Crossword & Quiz 28 Guest writer An excerpt from award-winning writer Jane Davis’ novel, An Unknown Woman 31 Business Matters Hounslow Chamber of Commerce Member news & events

5 Blooming Camellias Chiswick House Camellia Show 6 In the Garden Thinking about making a start?

8 All is fair in Love and Fashion Valentine’s Day handbag sale 16 Spring Season at Watermans Children’s theatre & Cabaret 18 Save Our Swans The work of Swan Lifeline

16 19 Volunteer foresters wanted Help maintain Isleworth Ait 20 West London Family Court Support is at hand in civil cases 25 Les copains d’abord The fun way to learn French

5 ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

PUBLISHER

EDITOR

FHW Events & Marketing Ltd 1 Times Square, Sutton, Surrey SM1 1LF www.fhwem.com Tel: 020 8770 3177

Gerry Devine | gerry@fhwem.com Tel: 020 8770 3177 Mob: 07710 574 479 Bridget Osborne | bridget@fhwem.com

HOUNSLOW CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Sally Smith - Chief Operating Officer Hounslow Chamber of Commerce Ltd sallysmith@hounslowchamber.org.uk Tel: 020 8326 6416

Published by: FHW Events & Marketing | Printed by Direct Colour | ©2017 FHW & out&about magazine.

While we endeavour to make sure that all published information is accurate, the publishers cannot be held responsible for mistakes or omissions or any loss resulting from non-publication of an advertisement. While all reasonable care is made to ensure accuracy of information, the publisher accepts no responsibility for the views or claims made by any of the contributors, advertising or editorial content included. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of ‘out&about’ or the editor. Terms and conditions apply. Please recycle your magazine.

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Welcome to the February / March issue of Out & About.

Inevitably this issue is a bit horticultural. It’s that time of year when you look out the kitchen window at the dismal state of the back garden and think to yourself that you really should make a start on it.

Grow Chiswick, the Chiswick Horticultural and Allotment Society are happy to trade gardening tips on P6, and can tell you exactly what to do with your seed potatoes, as indeed could Sara Ward, who’s busily baking bread and looking forward to the first asparagus shooting up through the soil at Hen Corner. P15 February is Valentine’s Day, when desperate men make a grab for the last bunch of flowers at the petrol station. If you have a bob or two to spare, a visit to Chiswick Auctions' designer fashion and handbag sale might do the trick. P8 If you don’t, you can still do better than flowers from the petrol station, trust me. Maybe try out Watermans Arts Centre’s new Cabaret Nights. Throughout February and March expect gorgeous costumes, outrageous wit and sexy vocals on Friday nights. P16 If you want real romance, look no further than the river.

Mute swans, the beautiful white birds we see on the Thames, mate for life. Very rarely do they change mates. Sadly they’re under threat from dogs, fishing tackle and other man made hazards. Lucinda MacPherson talks to Kay Webb of Swan Lifeline. P18 They, like so many worthwhile organisations, rely on volunteers. Volunteering is alive and well in our

neighbourhood. Alison Dawson is one of the stalwarts who goes over to Isleworth Ait nature reserve in all weathers to keep it in good shape. P19 There’s also a new group which supports people having to go to the West London Family Court on matters to do with divorce, arrangements for children, housing and employment.

P20 February we also celebrate Pancake Day, which marks the beginning of Lent. This year Shrove Tuesday falls on 28th February. The French make crêpes for La Chandleur, (Candlemas) and if you’re interested in your children learning a bit about French culture and the French language, you might like to try out Marina and Angelique’s crêpes on February 25th. P25 March is the Camellia show at Chiswick House. What’s special about these flowers is that they are ‘heritage’ blooms.

Many of the plants are over 150 years old, yet they’re still going strong, a riot of reds and pinks and a joy to behold. P5 We finish, as always, with Hounslow Chamber’s news P30. In this issue they take a look at the year ahead and see how one local firm is weathering the Brexit storms.

Keep warm and safe

Bridget bridget@fhwem.com

EDITOR’S TIPS

Bridget

Cover Image Girl with Swan – Bridget Osborne

• The Magical Lantern Festival at Chiswick House.

On until Sunday 26th February • Tea Dances at the Musical Museum at Kew Bridge. Join in a social afternoon of Ballroom, Latin and Sequence dancing, All levels of ability are welcome and a partner is not necessary. 11th February, 4th March, 25th March • Chiswick Food Market every Sunday morning 10.00 am – 2.00 pm. Good quality food straight from the food producers. Market Drive, Chiswick, W4 2RX. The market is behind the flats on the A316, opposite Chiswick School.

• For a daily update of what’s on in the area go to www.thechiswickcalendar.co.uk

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FEATURE

Blooming CAMELLIAS

Lucinda MacPherson enjoys the Camellia Show at Chiswick House Chiswick House and Gardens are holding their annual Camellia Show from Friday 3rd March to Sunday 2nd April.

The show brings a burst of colour to the 65-acre park which has won a string of awards in the past year.

What’s unique about the Camellias is that they are ‘heritage’ blooms. Of the 33 varieties on show, 16 are over 150 years old, the oldest plant dating back to 1804. Imported from Japan, they were introduced by the Duke of Devonshire so he could offer the rare and expensive flowers to the ladies who came to his extravagant parties. Today the collection, which is thought to be the oldest under glass in the Western world, is available for the public to enjoy for free, though donations to the upkeep of the park are welcome. Among the examples on show you can see some rare and historically important plants, including Middlemist’s Red, one of the rarest Camellias in the world.

The Conservatory itself has an interesting history. Designed by the architect Samuel Ware (who later designed the Burlington Arcade, Piccadilly) and completed in 1813, it was one of the earliest large glass houses to be built; a forerunner of Decimus Burton’s glass house at Kew and Joseph Paxton’s

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Crystal Palace. It gained a new notoriety when, 50 years ago, The Beatles recorded the video for Paperback Writer there.

Chiswick House and the gardens are also worth visiting.

The house, open Saturdays and Sundays during the Camellia show, has a small entrance fee of £6.70 for adults, £4.00 for children. The gardens, for which entry is free, were recently awarded Gold and Overall Winner of the London in Bloom “Heritage Parks & Garden Award for 2016”. There’s a play area for children and a café open all day.

You don’t have to be a gardener to appreciate the beauty of the Camellias on show, but should you wish to take one of these heritage plants away with you, you can. An on-site propagation programme, run by the gardeners in the newly restored Melon House, means you can buy a choice of varieties from Chiswick’s original collection and grow your very own heritage Camellia at home.

Conservatory opening hours: Daily 10am – 4pm (Closed Mondays)

chgt.org.uk

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FEATURE

IN THE

garden

Bridget Osborne seeks a bit of help with growing vegetables

March is the time when gardeners begin to get busy, digging in well-rotted manure or general purpose fertiliser, planting herbaceous perennials and summer flowering bulbs like gladioli and lilies and sowing flower seeds for planting out in June. If you grow your own vegetables you’ll be thinking about planting your potatoes and maybe onions, shallots and garlic.

I’ve just read that off the internet and it sounds reasonable enough, but personally I find vegetables a bit daunting, so much can go wrong with moulds and aphids and then there’s the whole business of the acidity of the soil and how deep to plant. There’s such a mystique about vegetable growing. You only have to listen to Gardeners’ Question Time to realise it’s a minefield. Much better to get gardening advice in person.

Step forth the Chiswick Horticultural and Allotment Society, which has the distinction of being second only to the RHS in venerability, having been set up in 1915. They have just over 300 members, half of whom don’t have allotments and some of whom don’t even have gardens but merely a window box, or an interest.

The society runs a Traders Hut, an old Nissen hut from WWII on Staveley Road opposite Chiswick School, open for business every Sunday morning except the first of the month (when the car boot sale is on) from 10.00 am – 12.30 pm

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where they sell “anything you could ever want for gardening” – tools, compost, poles, even greenhouses more cheaply than you would buy them at a garden centre. You have to be a member, but membership costs a mere £8 per year and although ‘Chiswick’ is in the title their members come from a much wider area.

There you can meet like-minded souls, some of whom have a great deal of experience which they are happy to pass on over a cup of tea and a biscuit. The society organises talks and trips to well-known public gardens, it encourages children in local schools to get interested in gardening and holds twice yearly produce shows in the summer and autumn. They also have a waiting list for people wanting to share allotments.

So if you’re peering out at your garden thinking you really ought to do something about it and need a bit of encouragement, wander along one Sunday morning and meet some local gardeners. It might be just the inspiration you need.

growchiswick.org

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NightRun Discover Osterley Park in a whole new light

Saturday 11 February Take on our Adventurer course (7km) or Explorer course (2km), running through the park and gardens as dusk turns to darkness

Adventurer course (7km) starts at 6:15pm Explorer course (2km) starts at 6:30pm In partnership with

Book you place online at nationaltrust.org.uk/osterley Š National Trust 2015. The National Trust is an independent registered charity, number 205846.

FEATURE EDITORIAL

ALL IS FAIR IN LOVE AND

fashion

Bridget Osborne meets Chiswick Auctions’ fashion specialist Meg Randell

Meg is the fashion specialist at Chiswick Auctions who has put together a special sale of designer bags and clothes for a pre-Valentine’s Day sale on Tuesday 7th February. The idea is that you go and have a look over a glass of bubbly and a slice of angel cake on Sunday 5th or Monday 6th and come to the auction prepared to bid, rather like a knight going in to battle for his lady.

Meg Randell prefers cycling gear to designer wear – which is not to say she doesn’t like gorgeous clothes and quality handbags, she just cycles to work, which is not something you’d want to do in a £1,000 jacket.

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Or maybe a man with a guilty conscience. The thing Meg likes best about clothes sales is the stories that come with them. Having studied History of Art at Birmingham University and worked at various auction houses selling ceramics, she settled on fashion and says because clothes are personal, people like to talk about them. There’s the woman who dresses exclusively in Chanel because her mother was a seamstress in Paris and a contemporary of Coco Chanel, and the old lady in her eighties who told Meg that she was going to cut up her Lacroix dress because she wore it on a night of passion with a man who “turned out to be a scoundrel” but in the end she liked the dress too much to do it.

Most women sell their clothes because they’re having a clear out or they’re getting divorced, they need the money or they

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FEATURE are no longer a size 8 and have reconciled themselves to the fact that they never will be again. Some are selling expensive bags which were given to them as guilt presents by errant husbands to say sorry. One woman who dressed in nothing but the best designer labels was moving to the Isle of Wight, where she realised such things would just not be required.

The main point of wearing designer clothes is that other people should realise that your outfit cost several thousand pounds and Meg is at pains to point out that she deals with designer wear, not just vintage.

So whether you’re interested in the Lacroix dress and jacket for its eighties quirkiness, or the Chanel boucle suit for its timeless elegance, or the Hermes Birkin bag for its value (some handbags have increased more in value than gold), you won’t be just buying designer labels but the histories which come with them.

IMAGES

CREAM SUIT — Chanel Cream Boucle skirt suit, dated 2007, size 42 (UK 14) BRIGHT PINK PATTERNED JACKET & DRESS — Bazar de Christian Lacroix pink bustier dress and jacket, early 2000s, size 36 (UK 8) LUCKY CHARMS BAG — Chanel ‘Lucky Charms’ reissue 224 classic flap bag, 2015. Guide price £3,000 -£5000 RED BAG — Hermes Birkin bag which sold in a previous auction for £6,000

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Without using the old cliché of New Year’s resolutions perhaps now is the right time to think about a career in beauty, hairdressing or barbering? The London Hairdressing Apprenticeship Academy [LHAA] and London Beauty Training Academy [LBTA], based on Chiswick High Road, offer learners of all ages the opportunity to think about a career in this vibrant and exciting industry. Francine Luker, MD at the LHAA & LBTA points out, ‘We are able to offer Apprenticeships for 16–18-year-olds and 19+ in Hairdressing & Barbering as well as those learners who wish to retrain or might be unemployed and looking to get back in to work with a new career. Our programmes are designed to meet the needs of all learners and study days reflect this.

In our beauty academy, we offer the opportunity for learners 19+ to study Beauty Therapy, Nail Technology and Media Hair and Make-up. Classes in beauty are small and intimate and designed to meet the needs of adult learners’.

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If you are looking to start a career in the hair & beauty industry, the LHAA and LBTA offers students a range of career pathways to gain an ITEC Internationally accredited qualification to enable you to work as a Hairdresser, Barber, Beauty Therapist, Nail Technician, or as a Hair, Fashion & Media Make-up Artist. You can study via an Apprenticeship programme or via courses funded by an Advanced Learner Loan for learners 19+. Check out the Academy Open Days as listed on the website.

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How are you planning to drive your business forward in 2017?

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PICCOLO PRE SCHOOL 22:Layout 1 27/01/2016 10:32 Page 1

Piccolo Pre school a loving, safe and simulating environment Quality affordable childcare in the heart of Chiswick,

Hours available 8am – 5.30pm Open 50 weeks of the year 12 months to 5 Years Childcare vouchers accepted Registered to accept 2-4 year old free entitlement Full and Part time places Ofsted registered Fully qualified staff

If you would like more info or to book a visit please contact Telephone: 0203

643 2574 / 07525 773 659

Email: info@piccoloplaycentre.co.uk Address: Piccolo Play Centre, Duke Road, Chiswick, W4 2JR

FEATURE

WINTER AT HEN CORNER Sara Ward on what they do at Hen Corner in the gap between sprouts and asparagus We are so fortunate here in the UK that our supermarket shelves are laden with every kind of food that we could possibly want throughout the year. If it can’t be found produced locally, then it can be shipped in or flown over.

However, this time of year from January through to May is traditionally known as ‘The Hungry Gap’ for the allotment holder and those of us that grow their own fruit and vegetables. We are starting to run out of winter veg (sprouts and parsnips) and the spring crops are not yet ready to harvest.

Here at Hen Corner, we planted our broad beans back in December and hope that they’ll flower while it’s warm enough for our honey bees to pollinate then, then we can eat the beans before the aphids find them in May! Our first crop of the year is the regal asparagus, tall strong spears that push through the soil with bold determination. These can start late March and should be perfectly timed to coincide with maximum egg production from our growing flock of hens.

In the winter a few of us from Hen Corner get up early to cook a hot breakfast for The Shelter Project, which provides dinner, bed & breakfast to homeless men in Hounslow through the coldest months of December to March. Churches provide the venues while volunteers cook, befriend, launder sheets and tell guests about other services which can support them. This small charity relies on annual fundraising. If you can help in any way please contact them through their website, www.tsph.org

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We’re also supporting Fairtrade Fortnight (27th Feb – 12th March) which this year has the theme ‘Put Fair Trade in your break’ encouraging us to choose drinks and snacks that support producers in the most ethical way. Fair Trade products ensure that the farmers and producers around the world get a better deal both financially and with their working conditions, allowing them to feed their families, educate their children and plan for their future.

As for your own daily bread, if you want it to be as fresh as possible, made with well-chosen ethical ingredients, we bake here at Hen Corner every Friday and run regular bread courses equipping you to bake your own. www.tsph.org FairTrade.org.uk

HenCorner.com

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FEATURE

SPRING SEASON AT WATERMANS: CABARET, COMEDY & KIDS Erica Weston introduces the arts centre’s spring programme 2017 is well underway at Watermans and, after a busy January full of Oscartipped films, we’re moving into the spring season with cabaret, comedy and children’s theatre.

Wondering what to make of our post-modern, post-Brexit, post-gender world? Critically acclaimed cabaret duo Bourgeois and Maurice bring their new Edinburgh Fringe smash hit How to Save the World Without

Really Trying to our stage on Friday 24th February. It’s their most hilarious, scathing and joyfully cynical show yet.

Cabaret Nights continue for three more Fridays until 7th April: firstly gorgeous cabaret gem Lili La Scala with her stunning voice swooping between sexy and operatic. Then the outrageous and acid-tongued Myra DuBois returns with her Variety Nighty featuring four different cabaret acts: riotous and probably very rude.

And finally Dusty Limits, who Time Out London called the ‘trailblazer’ of the new-cabaret scene, joins us with his own unique brand of mordant wit: because sharing is caring.

Watermans has long supported artists and new writing, and in March we

24 FEB – 7 A PR BOOK NOW!

CABARET NIGHTS For full listings visit watermans.org.uk

Four sparkling live cabaret acts this Spring: Bourgeois & Maurice Lili La Scala Myra DuBois’ Variety Nighty Dusty Limits

Bourgeois & Maurice Photo © Christa Holka

FRIDAY NIGHTS ARE

FEATURE bring you a new one-man comedy from writer Anjali Mya Chadha.

Dadism! explores the perils of becoming a dad, lifting the lid on gender politics, double standards… and nappies. Anjali is a successful writer and actor who lives in Hounslow.

Her last show The Dateless Wonder was a brilliantly insightful and funny look at singledom and was awardnominated. Where better to go next than the joys of parenthood? Anjali has received Arts Council funding

for this new show and we’re delighted she’s producing and premiering it at Watermans. Come and give it a try.

And if the parents among you aren’t too busy with cabaret and comedy date nights, come along to Family Theatre every Sunday in February and March, a brilliant way to handle those dark afternoons. At Half Term we have Raymond Briggs’ The Bear from the same company that brought you Father Christmas at The Lyric.

This funny and touching production features giant puppetry and will be a real treat to brighten up February Half Term.

Remember Watermans is a registered charity so we’d love you to become a Friend to support our work.

Visit our website for full listings www.watermans.org.uk

YOUR

Book now! watermans.org.uk

Independent cinema and bar showing the latest films. Tickets are always under £10, so come and give us a go!

Jackie

LOCAL CINEMA

FEATURE

Save

OUR SWANS Lucinda MacPherson talks to Kay Webb of Swan Lifeline

When you think of swans, what do you think of ? The classic Valentine’s Day love pose or maybe Hans Christian Andersen’s story of The Ugly Duckling? The sight of these beautiful birds in our parks and rivers has been inspiring artists for centuries.

The Mute swan is the white swan most commonly seen in the British Isles. References to these majestic birds in classical literature include the belief that upon death the otherwisesilent Mute swan would sing beautifully — hence the phrase “Swan Song”. The Mute swan is also one of the sacred birds of Apollo, who is often shown riding a chariot pulled by or composed of swans.

Kay Webb, Chair of Swan Lifeline in Eton will talk about swans from all over the world including those much nearer to home in West London and their Royal connections.

Doors open at 7pm and the illustrated talk will start at 7.30pm. Tickets are £3, or free to members of the Chiswick Pier Trust.

For further information on the Pier and how to get there, contact the Chiswick Pier Trust 020 8742 2713, or visit

www.chiswickpier.org.uk

Swans sustain long-lasting, apparently monogamous relationships, and are often a symbol of love or fidelity, such as in the famous ballet Swan Lake or the operas Lohengrin and Parsifal.

To discover how living swans are faring, there is an annual Swan Upping ceremony on the Thames in July, when Mute swans with cygnets are rounded up, caught, ringed, and then released. This gives a yearly snapshot as to how well swans on the river are breeding.

Sadly, it looks like these birds are endangered, and numbers are decreasing. Risks include careless dog owners who let their animals roam near nests, fishing tackle which the swans eat, mink attacks and even shootings.

You can find out more about these fascinating creatures and the valuable work Swan Lifeline are doing to keep them safe on the Thames at Chiswick Pier Trust’s talk entitled “Swans, Royal Birds on the Thames”, on Tuesday 28th March.

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FEATURE

VOLUNTEER FORESTERS WANTED Alison Dawson on the mission to make Isleworth Ait a welcoming environment for wildlife Our team of volunteers looks after the Isleworth Ait Nature reserve, a tree-covered island in the Thames about half a mile long. You may have seen the Ait from the Old Isleworth riverside near All Saints Church, the Town Wharf or the London Apprentice.

Isleworth Ait is owned by Thames Water and managed by the London Wildlife Trust. It is home to rare species of snails, foxes, herons, woodpeckers, parakeets and many other birds. With so much development going on in the area it is wonderful to have such an oasis of nature in our midst.

We visit the Ait by boat on the second Saturday morning each month to do work to maintain the reserve. Regular jobs include cutting willows, cleaning nest boxes and maintaining the path. One repeated task is removing Himalayan balsam plants that appear every year. While these look pretty, this is an invasive species that can drive out the mixture of native plants that we want to flourish.

Kingfishers are heard and occasionally seen around the Ait so we have recently done work to encourage them to nest on the island. Large trees on the island have been battered by high winds in recent years. However, fallen trees provide natural habitats for fungi, insects and other creatures and smaller

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trees are growing up. In January we planted two black poplar saplings, to supplement the large poplars already on the Ait. The Isleworth Ait team is looking for new volunteers, over 18, who would like to work with us. As well as general helpers, we would be interested to hear of anyone who has some power boat experience, as all visits to the Ait are by boat. If you are interested in joining us, please contact Mandy Timpson on 07756 262437.

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FEATURE

DREADING GOING THROUGH A LEGAL BATTLE FOR CUSTODY OF YOUR CHILDREN? Personal Support Unit now open at West London Family Court It can be terrifying going to court alone. The circumstances which lead to a court appearance in the first place generally mean that something has gone badly wrong in your life, and the formality and unfamiliarity of the court environment together with the impact the court’s decisions may have on your future can make you feel anxious and automatically at a disadvantage.

Legal aid for civil and family cases, involving divorce, arrangements for children, housing and employment, is now largely unavailable. The Personal Support Unit (PSU) is a charity which has been set up to provide support to people in civil proceedings so that they don’t have to face them alone. Their trained volunteers give practical and emotional support to people who are going through civil and family court proceedings without a lawyer.

There is now a branch of PSU at West London Family Court in Feltham, the family court which serves the whole West London area including Chiswick, Brentford, Isleworth and Osterley.

The charity began 15 years ago, with just three volunteers in one court in London. Now more than 550 volunteers help people in 20 courts across England and Wales. In the last year, the PSU has helped people more than 44,000 times. The volunteers are there to give one-to-one assistance, helping each person to represent themselves to the best of their ability. Volunteers can help in many ways without giving legal advice: describing what might happen in court, helping to complete (or find the right) forms, sorting through paperwork to prepare it for a trained legal eye, guiding people around unfamiliar court buildings and sitting next to them in court to steady their nerves.

District Judge Paul Middleton-Roy is very supportive of the service and said, “Having a PSU volunteer in Court hugely assists in aiding the understanding of vulnerable Court users of the complex legal system and its processes, empowering them, helping them to feel less disadvantaged, reducing the prospects of disrupting the process and assisting in facilitating that party in engaging effectively in the dispute.”

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PSU Volunteers at their fundraising bake sale, West London Family Court (Dec 2016)

There is a real need for PSU volunteers at the West London Family Court, where approximately 70% of all private law children act cases involve at least one parent who does not have the benefit of any legal advice. Volunteers can help people without an appointment, free of charge, every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9.30am to 4.30pm.

The PSU is the only organisation providing this service in the civil and family courts on a daily basis. It opened its doors in West London on 18th October last year.

To find out more contact Klara Slater, the PSU Manager in West London, on 020 8831 3573 or wlfc@thepsu.org.uk

www.thepsu.org.uk

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COFFEE BREAK

COFFEE BREAK

Š KEVIN STONE WWW.BRAINBASHERS.COM

VALENTINE’S QUIZ

Across

Down

1 Slice of bacon (6) 5 Packet (6) 8 Private feud (8) 9 Defence organisation (1,1,1,1) 10 Unfavourably (3) 11 Malady (8) 13 Forgiveness (6) 16 Worn on a necklace (6) 19 Adolescent (8) 23 Quick-fire talk music (3) 24 Increase in size (4) 25 Gesture of approval (6,2) 26 Die from lack of food (6) 27 Make more intense (6)

2 The New World (7) 3 Nestled together (7) 4 Charges (5) 5 Space surrounding an altar (7) 6 Argument (3-2) 7 Vows (5) 12 North American deer (3) 14 Cereal grass (3) 15 Bedtime lingerie (7) 17 Responsive to drugs (7) 18 Marry (7) 20 White heron (5) 21 More recent (5) 22 Circular (5)

Turn to Pg 29 for the answers L@outandabout_mag

1. What kind of flowers are traditionally given to symbolise love?

2. Which Roman god was either depicted as a plump cherub with a bow and arrow, or as a handsome teenager?

3. Which Shakespeare play features the characters Valentine and Proteus?

4. Who led the Chicago gangsters behind the St Valentine's Day Massacre in 1929?

5. If you’re quick to show your feelings, where are you said to wear your heart?

6. Who famously said “Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all�?

7. St Valentine is indeed the patron saint of love, but what else is he the patron saint of?

8. The British Museum has a letter that is regarded as the oldest valentine in existence. It was written by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife. When was it written?

9. We associate love with the heart, but in Shakespeare’s time it was not always the case. In what other organ did love reside?

10. In early 19th-century Britain, a new type of valentine became trendy. Nicknamed the “vinegar valentine�, it was characterised by a particular type of message.

What type?

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21

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Located on the banks of the Thames, next to Kew Bridge, and with river views from the balcony, extensive wine lists, fresh dishes from Charlie and his team, along with the service that Fuller’s prides itself in, One Over the Ait can cater to all of your needs and exceed your expectations.

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Calendar THE CHISWICK

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FEATURE

LES COPAINS D’ABORD

playing games. They charge £12 per hour for the first child and £11 for siblings. Occasionally they venture out on a trip so the children can experience French culture, as they did when they visited Paul’s bakery and were shown how to make croissants and pains aux chocolat.

Learning French the fun way

On week days Angelique is still a nanny while Marina is now a secondary school teacher, so they know what works with kids. On 4th and 25th February they will be making crêpes with the children, a sure fire hit, in celebration of La Chandleur or Candlemas. These two-hour cooking lessons are free taster sessions (pun intended) so that parents can come along and sample what they have to offer. Bon appetit!

Boris Johnson used to joke that he was mayor of France’s sixth biggest city, as there were more than 250,000 French people living in London. Many come for employment opportunities but Marina Sylla and Angelique Laviolette live here just because they enjoy it. Both of them came ‘for a few months’, Marina four years ago, Angelique ten years ago and both of them stayed, says Marina, “because we love the city and its culture. It’s dynamic and creative. We just love London”.

Contact Les copains d’abord by email: clublcd@yahoo.co.uk or through their Facebook page: Les copains d’abord Chiswick

They’ve just celebrated the first birthday of their company, Les copains d’abord (translation: ‘friends first’), which runs a French club at Chiswick School on Saturday mornings. For two hours each weekend they teach 4 to 11 year olds French through arts and crafts, singing songs, telling stories and

L@outandabout_mag

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14/11/16 16:08:40

GUEST WRITER

AN UNKNOWN WOMAN If we are what we own, who are we when we own nothing?

“What’s that noise?” Anita sat upright in bed, blinking blindly in the dark.

Ed rolled onto his side, dragging the duvet with him and groaning, “What noise?”

“That banging.”

Ed insisted, “I can’t hear anything. Go back to sleep.”

But Anita knew she hadn’t imagined it. She willed it to come again.

“There!” She grabbed at it, her lungs so tight with fear that she could barely breathe.

“Someone’s trying to break in!”

“No.” All attention now, Ed was up on his elbows, staring at the ceiling. “It’s coming from the loft.” Then a shrieking sound pierced the silence, relentless, heart-stopping, almost paralysing. The sideways leap from burglar to what else this might mean was almost too much to take on board.

In disbelief, Anita asked, “Is that -?”

“It’s the smoke alarm.” Already on his feet, Ed commanded, “Get up!” His hands were fists. Perhaps he imagined an intruder might have deliberately set the alarm off, intending to draw them downstairs.

She saw a drift of air, cloudy and powder-grey, nothing so substantial that it fitted the description of smoke. Anita followed Ed out onto the landing. The door of the spare room was edged with a reddish glow. Before she could yell “Stop!”, Ed had reached for the doorknob. He yanked his hand away, shaking it violently, cursing loudly. Just as he hid it in the opposite armpit, the door swung inwards on its hinges. Slapped in the face by a fierce concentration of heat, they stepped back. The sight of flames devouring the wall was mesmerising, the sounds of snapping and popping surreal. A lungful of toxic black smoke escaped, then the door sucked closed. There was a moment when all she could do was blink, then Anita found herself being pushed in front of Ed, ordered downstairs.

“Passports and birth certificates,” Ed said.

“I’ll get those.”

It seemed so urgent, the need to make the right decisions about what to save. At the foot of the staircase Anita grabbed her handbag from the banister, shrugged on her coat. Venturing into the dining room, she checked that her route to the French windows was clear. Her laptop lay on the table. She had worked late into the evening, until her eyes protested. Anita ripped out the lead, ready to pick it up on her way out. About to pull out the plug, she stopped short. An inch more and she would have been touching the live electrics.

28

Calm down.

Think.

How long did she have? A minute, perhaps. She checked over her shoulder: Ed was going between the front room and the hall, throwing things out of the front door.

“Shut the door!” she yelled at him.

“What?”

“Oxygen feeds fire.” Didn’t everybody know that? “Go out the front and shut the door behind you.”

On hearing a slam, she bent over the oriental chest. In it, household documents were stored in manila folders, their edges torn from regular use. Ed thought her filing system obsessive, but they never had to search for passports. She found them quickly.

Important documents stowed in her handbag, she clutched her laptop under one arm. “I said, I’ll go out the back!” She instinctively covered her nostrils and mouth as she skirted the table. Black smoke rolled the length of the ceiling, determined to ambush her. Memory urged: crouch low.

Moments later she was standing on the patio, relieved to find herself breathing untainted air, marvelling at the miracle that was the night sky. It would have been a good night for star-gazing. Ed pointing and spouting facts about distant constellations whose names Anita would forget; trying to explain that they were seeing light from stars that no longer existed. “How can we see something that doesn’t exist?” Anita protested against a concept so mind-bending, though she enjoyed Ed’s enthusiasm, seeing his eyes light up. But tonight there was no time. “You need to keep moving,” she scolded herself.

“Anita! Anita! You need to get out!”

Jane Davis is the author of seven novels. Her debut, Halftruths and White Lies, won the Daily Mail First Novel Award and was described by Joanne Harris as ‘A story of secrets, lies, grief and, ultimately, redemption, charmingly handled by this very promising new writer.’

The Bookseller featured her in their ‘One to Watch’ section.

Six further novels have earned her a loyal fan base and wide spread praise. Her 2016 novel, An Unknown Woman, won Writing Magazine’s Self-Published Book of the Year Award. Her favourite description of fiction is ‘made-up truth’.

Jane lives in Carshalton, with her Formula 1-obsessed, beer-brewing partner, surrounded by growing piles of paperbacks, CDs and general chaos. When she is not writing, you may spot Jane disappearing up the side of a mountain with a camera in hand.

Images: Matthew Martin

L@outandabout_mag

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S.20640 Banana Moon Hounslow Press 154x224.indd 1

04/11/2016 09:29

HOUNSLOW CHAMBER

MEMBER NEWS Hounslow Chamber’s busy start to 2017 Sally Smith, Hounslow Chamber COO

Fresh from the success of the first Hounslow Festival of Business in January, Hounslow Chamber is planning a number of sector specific workshops: a summit on Energy on 23rd February, one on Regeneration on 29th March and one on Cargo and Logistics on 18th May. The summits take the format of workshops with a variety of informative and stimulating speakers, ending with drinks and canapés so delegates at the meeting have a chance to meet each other and talk through what they have learned. If any company within the above sectors is interested in sponsorship, in whatever form, please contact me on sallysmith@ hounslowchamber.org.uk or 020 8326 6416.

The year ahead

Looking ahead, a summer party is scheduled for June, closely followed by an International Trade event in July.

The 2017 Table Football tournament, now in its fourth year, will take place in September. We’re also planning a number of events aimed at helping businesses maximise the opportunity of having Britain’s biggest airport on our doorstep. In the year that Heathrow is expecting the government decision on expansion to be approved, we will be organising procurement workshops in October, prior to the Heathrow Summit in November. The Heathrow Business Summit is designed to connect small and medium-sized businesses such as yourselves with new business opportunities from the airport. It’s an opportunity for SMEs to forge sustainable business relationships and win contracts. Heathrow is proud that more than 30% of its Tier 1 suppliers are SMEs. Make the most of this opportunity if you would like to be one of them. We will of course end the year with a Christmas ‘jolly’ in December.

These special events run alongside the four regular meetups we hold each month: the Chiswick and Hounslow Business Lunches, the Chiswick Park Business Breakfast and the Bulldog Business Breakfast in Ashford. The latter is a joint event with Surrey Chambers, Spelthorne Business Forum and Ashford Chamber of Commerce.

www.hounslowchamber.org.uk

31

HOUNSLOW CHAMBER

Other plans in the pipeline

We are hoping to hold some property summits in Ealing in conjunction with estate agents Colin Bibra, and a number of ‘Conversations’ with key business figures in the region. The first in this series, on 30th March, is with Justin Urquhart Stewart, the well-known economist who runs Seven Investment Management, who you may recognise from TV appearances in his trademark red braces. He is a brilliant speaker and is passionate about demystifying finance and educating people about finance management.

We will also be running some Brentford Dealership evenings with the numerous car showrooms along the Great West Road in Brentford. The idea is that these should be networking events while also celebrating the latest in new motoring technology.

All that to come in an exciting year for Hounslow Chamber of Commerce, but firstly and most importantly, get your nominations in for the 2017 Hounslow Business Awards.

The launch at a drinks reception in March marks the start of

Hounslow Council helping local small businesses to thrive A fully-funded training and mentoring support programme is being made available to local small businesses across the Borough of Hounslow.

Funded by Hounslow Council and run in association with Branduin Business Support and Hounslow Chamber of Commerce, it is designed to help small businesses in the borough who employ fewer than 10 people.

The package, worth £2,000, is available for qualifying companies to apply for and take part in, free. It will offer workshops and individual advice on creating a business strategy and planning, advice and support on financial management, marketing and online presence, growing a business, and sessions on the company and its employers and women in business.

Councillor Steve Curran, Leader of Hounslow Council, said: “This programme is just one of the ways we are helping to boost small local business as part of our manifesto pledge to achieve the regeneration and economic development objectives in our Borough.”

Here’s what some satisfied businesses had to say about their experience of the fully-funded programme of Workshops and 1:1 Mentoring Sessions:

session well”. Ginette Kentish — Manager, The Musical Museum “Very good presenter, I have gained good business tips”.

Brijesh Patel — MD, Valradio Electronics Ltd “Branduin advisors not only understood the key issues that are holding my business back but also offered practical routes to solving them”. Simon Cohen — MD, Simon Inc. Branding Agency For more details and to register for the programme visit

www.hounslowchamber.org.uk www.businesssupporthounslow.co.uk

“Presenter was easy to listen to, knowledgeable and ran the

32

www.hounslowchamber.org.uk

HOUNSLOW CHAMBER the nomination period, with the glittering Awards dinner in October.

More details about all the above will be e-mailed/publicised so please do look out for information or contact Sally Smith direct if you’d like to know more.

sallysmith@hounslowchamber.org.uk 020 8326 6416

EVENT SCHEDULE 1st Feb

8.30 – 10.00am

Chiswick Park Business Breakfast Moot Bar, Chiswick Park, 566 Chiswick High Road, London W4 5YA £5 for networking, coffee and breakfast Parking needs to be pre-booked via Sally Smith

8th Feb

12.45 – 2.15pm

Hounslow Business Lunch Indian Gymkhana Club, Thornbury Ave, Osterley TW7 4NQ Free lunch

16th Feb

9 - 10.30am

Business Breakfast at the Bulldog 556 London Road, Ashford, TW15 3AF (large car park!) £5 for a full breakfast including tea and coffee Joint event with Ashford Chamber, Spelthorne Business Forum & Surrey Chambers

22nd Feb

12.45 – 2.15pm

Chiswick Business Lunch The Roebuck, 122 Chiswick High Road, W4 1PU Lunch sponsored by London Borough of Hounslow and includes a presentation on the Council budget for 2017/18

1st Mar

8.30 – 10.00am

Chiswick Park Business Breakfast Moot Bar, Chiswick Park, 566 Chiswick High Road, London W4 5YA £5 for networking, coffee and breakfast Parking needs to be pre-booked via Sally Smith

8th Mar

12.45 – 2.15pm

Hounslow Business Lunch Indian Gymkhana Club, Thornbury Ave, Osterley TW7 4NQ Free lunch

29th Mar

12.45 – 2.15pm

Chiswick Business Lunch The Roebuck, 122 Chiswick High Road, W4 1PU

If you would like to attend any event please contact Sally Smith on 020 8326 6416 or sallysmith@hounslowchamber.org.uk or visit www.hounslowchamber.org.uk

www.hounslowchamber.org.uk

33

HOUNSLOW CHAMBER

MEMBER NEWS Brexit vote will cost Prestige £100,000 Eight months on from the vote to leave the European Union, how the new landscape for trade will look is still far from clear, but the impact of the vote on Hounslow businesses is becoming clearer. Here’s how one local company is weathering the Brexit storms.

Prestige Food and Wine Ltd is an importer and distributor of Italian food and wine, based in Hounslow. Adjusting to the weaker pound and trying not to pass on the full impact of increased costs to customers is proving a major challenge, one which they estimate will cost the company around £100,000.

In response to this situation Prestige’s strategy has been to focus on optimising the service they offer to existing customers, investing in marketing and advertising, pushing online sales, engaging more in social media and joining Hounslow Chamber of Commerce to foster new business opportunities and gain support to grow further. In other words, accentuate the positive rather than dwell on potential losses and difficulties.

The company is also planning to join industry-related associations in an attempt to improve its operations further with the guidance and support of certifying bodies such as the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

Prestige Food and Wine is looking to expand its product portfolio, premises, and its team. It aims to stay in Hounslow as it is in a strategic location — close to central London, the South East and Heathrow Airport.

“We see the expansion of Heathrow as an opportunity for growth as it inevitably will attract new business to the area.

Prestige Food and Wine will create new jobs locally and money will be invested in the borough, especially in local street markets as the company wants to sell its fantastic Italian wines and food to the end consumer”. says Pedro Santos.

They hope that, whatever happens with the Brexit negotiations over the next few years, Prestige will be in an advantageous position thanks to its positive, forward thinking, motivated and dedicated team and of course the loyalty of its customers. Prestige Food and Wine values doing business face to face. If you are a restaurant, pizzeria, bar or coffee shop they would like to come and see you.

Call Pedro on 0208 099 3949.

www.prestigefoodandwine.com pedro@prestigefoodandwine.com

www.hounslowchamber.org.uk

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