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GLOUCESTERSHIRE’S BIGGEST LOCAL MAGAZINE APRIL 2019

NORTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE TLA CHARITY GIVEAW WA AY A Y IS BACK! MORE DETTA AILS INSIDE ...

The Loc al

ANSWER North Gloucestershire – 20,000 copies Cheltenham – 43,000 copies Cotswolds – 30,000 copies Gloucester – 46,000 copies Stroud District – 41,000 copies

Managing Director Dave Kingscott dave@thelocalanswer.co.uk

Editorial & Marketing Lois Kingscott editorial@thelocalanswer.co.uk

Helen Kingscott

Sport Roger Jackson sport@thelocalanswer.co.uk

Entertainment Tom Hadfield To entertainment@thelocalanswer.co.uk

Customer Services Kevin Vaughan-Spruce services@thelocalanswer.co.uk

Claudie Francis production@thelocalanswer.co.uk

Distribution John Overton – 01242 541075

leaflets@thelocalanswer.co.uk

Louis Jordan distribution@thelocalanswer.co.uk

Accounts Robert Kingscott accounts@thelocalanswer.co.uk

Unit H, Churchill Industrial Estate, Churchill Road, Leckhampton, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL53 7EG

Telephone 01242 510500 @thelocalanswer

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Aprril’s winning coover photo: Jaade Pollock of Bisshop’s Cleeve

Weelcome l to April A ...

Our TLA Charity Giveaway is back! Yo You have the opportunity to nominate a Gloucestershirebased d charity or not-for-profit organissation to win an a incredible £2,000! Full details of the comp petition can be found inside.

We’v ve also included more details about the fundraising campaigns we’re supportting over the ne ext 12 months for our Charity of the Ye Year, r, Coballt. Read more inside about the w wonderful work they do and how you can donate. donate Eastter is fast approaching and you’re probably lookin ng for things to do to entertain your kids during the school holidays. Our What’s On sectio on is jam-packed with spring and Easter events for the whole family including The Bird & Deer Park’s ‘Te Tea With Alice’ event.

Inside this month ...

TLA Charity Giveaway Delicious Dish Word Search TLA 10th Anniversary Charity Holidays & Travel Motoring Wildlife Matters Pet Care Looking Good, Feeling Great Medical Health Parenting & Guardianship What’s On TLA Entertainment Homes & Gardens Sudoku In the Garden Interior Design Save the Planet Gadgets & Gizmos Quick Crossword Money Matters TLA Sport Index, Competitions, Solutions

4 5 8 9 11 13 14 15 17 19 21 22 26-27 28 33 35 37 39 45 46 47 48-49 50 Page 3

W I N £2,000 FOR YOUR LOCAL CHARITY OR CLUB

courtesy of The Local Answer and our generous Advertisers Our ‘TLA Charity’ competition is back and bigger than June 20119 Jun ever! In our 10th Anniversary Y Ye ear, we’ll be running Yoouur Clu lub or Charit harity several competitions, giving Gloucestershire-based £ 2,00 00 charities and not-for-profit organisations the chance to Two Thousan ousand Pound ounds win £2,000 each time. The first winner will be announced in our July 2019 issue, along with details of T h e L o c a l An s w e r the next draw.

A D VER T I SER S This month, our four brilliant sponsors are Café René, Gloucester Carpet Outlet, Albany Windows and Sherbornes Solicitors Ltd. You can read more about them on our website – thelocalanswer.co.ukk//news/local-information.aspx

It’’ss easy to enter our draw ...

The Local

For your chance to choose which organisation benefits from this prize, send their name (and registered charity number if applicable) along with your name, address (including postcode) and telephone number to ‘TLA Charit y’, The Local Answer, Unit H, Churchill Industrial Estate, Churchill Road, Leckhampton, Cheltenham, GL L53 7EG. Alternatively, enter via email by sending the same information to competitions@thelocalanswer.co.uk stating ‘TLA Charity’ in the subject line. Closing date: Friday 31st May 2019.

In addition to our usual competition rules, by entering you agree to have your name and photograph featured in our magazines and online should you win. Only one entr y per household accepted. The winner will be chosen via a random number generator, but the more times an organisation’s name is submitted, the higher the chance it has of being drawn. The Local Answer reser ves the right to discard any entries it believes do not meet the specified criteria. Good luck!

ANSWER

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Delicious Dish with Helen Kingscott

Salmon and asparagus oven bake If you are entertaining this Easterr,, try this really easy, quick and tasty oven bake – with asparagus at its best and salmon hopefully on offerr,, this is a lovely recipe using seasonal vegetables.

Ingredients: 600/800g baby potatoes 3tbsp olive oil 1 large red onion, chopped into wedges g 1 box (approximately 270g) Vittoria cherry vine tomatoes (these are so sweet when roasted, but you could use others if you prefer) A couple of fresh rosemary sprigs 2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar 4 salmon fillets 1 bundle of fresh asparagus Salt and pepper to season.

Method: 1 Preheat your oven to 200°C, (180°C fan/gas mark 6).

2 Scrub the potatoes then pop in your oven proof dish with

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the olive oil and stir to o evenly coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper then cookk for 15-20 minutes until they y are starting to brown.

3 Add your onion wedges,, tomatoes still on the vine,, rosemary and balsamicc vinegar. Give it all a little mix x around then pop back in the e oven for 10 minutes.

4 Season your salmon then n add this to the dish with the e asparagus and cook for a further 12 minutes or until the salmon is cooked d through.

5 Serve, enjoy and lookk forward to the washing up – you’ve only used one dish so it’ll be nice and easy!

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Tips: • Check out your local supermarket or fishmonger – they often have deals on whole salmon around Easter time, and they will fillet it for you so you can freeze the rest.

• Try growing your own herbs at home, either in your garden or on your windowsill if you’re limited on space. Y Yo ou can use as much or as little as you like, and it just seems to taste better freshly cut.

• Look for thin asparagus spears, otherwise they may not cook through enough.

If you can only find larger spears, cut them in half.

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10th ANNIVERSARY

CHARITY OF THE YEAR

As parrtt of our 10th Anniversary celebrations, we chose to supporrtt Cobalt – a local, Gloucestershire-based charity – by raising vital funds and increasing awareness of their work and current projects.

The money we raise will go towards the two campaigns below.

Supporting T Te eenage and Y Yo oung Adults with Cancer Cobalt parrtt funds TY YA A Nurse Megan Wilsher at a cost of £27 7,,000 per annum.

The impact of a cancer diagnosis on young people and families is immense.

Young cancer patients have unique biological, physiological and social needs during treatment which are distinct from other cancer patients. For teenagers and young adults, traditionally little care has been put into place that delivers according to their specific needs, with patients often either being treated alongside children of a younger age, or with adults. The Cobalt TY YA A Cancer Nurse ensures that the needs of young adult cancer patients are established at a time when they are most vulnerable. Megan’s post is funded through donations to Cobalt and provides an invaluable service.

“My role ensures these patients are supported throughout their cancer journey and beyond, helping them to move forward with their life, as they would have without the intrusion of cancer.” Megan W Wiilsherr,, Cobalt TY YA A Nurs rse “I am grate efful to Megan and to Cobalt for funding the job she does. She has been such a great support.” Samantha (Patientt))

Dementia Futures Fund Cobalt need to raise £150,000+ each year to support this imporrttant work.

One of Cobalt’s objectives is to improve the diagnosis and treatment of dementia. They use state-of-the-art imaging equipment to diagnose dementia and are working to increase patient participation in research trials studying new treatments. Dementia currently affects 850,0 0 0 people in the UK and it is only through research that the causes can be determined, effecti ve treatments developed and care improved for patients, both existing and in the future.

Cobalt are raising funds to support two Dementia Research Nurses who work with doctors and patients to recruit patients onto national trials. They also support many of these trials with the state-of-the-art imaging equipment for patients. Cobalt work with local hospitals and medical professionals to improve the care and facilities for patients with dementia.

One of our fundraising activities is in June when Lois and her boyfriend Jack will be running the Cheltenham Challenge 10k.

If you’d like to sponsor them and help us raise money for Cobalt, please visit the link below. You can also find the link on any of our Social Media pages.

Imagine if every household that received a copy of The Local Answer donated £1 – we’’d d raise enough money to support both of Cobalt’s campaigns for a whole year! https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/TheLocalAnswer10thBirthdayY Ye ear

We care We about the environment Precision Colour Printing Ltd (our printer) are proud to be a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certificate holder, and The Local Answer is proud to have this publication printed on paper compliant with FSC demands to support e n v i r o n m e n t a l l y a p p r o p r i a t e, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world’s forests.

A fully-recyclable product As well as the paper, the inks and varnishes used in producing The Local Answer are biodegradable.

The process used by recycling companies to extract inks and coatings including UV varnishes from the paper render the paper suitable for pulping and recycling.

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The Flying Scotsman & Classic Cambridge From

£219 3 DA AY YS – 25th SEPTEMBER 2019

Enjoy an exclusive trip behind the legendarryy Flying Scotsman, on the heritage Nene V Vaalley Railway this Septemberr.. T Trraavvel behind this magnificent, 1923-built locomotive taking you back to the the golden age of steam. Also visit the city of Cambridge brimming full of culture and historyy..

Includes: • Return coach traavvel from Gloucester, r, Cheltenham, Stroud, Cirencester & T Teewkesburryy • 2 nights at a selected 3 or 4-star hotel with dinner & breakffaast • Exclusive trraain journey behind the Flying Scotsman • En-route visit to Cambridge Single supplement £60pp To book call: 03332 341875 To and quote TLLA A–T Th he Local Answer or visit justgoholidaayys.com/TLA

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Holidays & Travel with Al Hidden

Brilliant Barrcelona It’s hard It’ h d to t believe b li it’ over 30 it’s years since Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé first recorded their duo, ‘Barcelona’. Though decades fly by, Antoni Gaudí’s city – like the song – continues to enchant.

Will you stay beachside in stylish La Barceloneta, off pulsating Las Ramblas, in the historic Barri Gòtic, or in Eixample with its excellent shops and restaurants?

Whether you choose five-star Hotel W, a chic Airbnb, or Best Western Dante on Caller de Mallorca where I stayed last time, you’re well-placed to explore this city of Gaudí’s Catalan Modernism, amazing food and ‘Barça’ – just don’t mention their arch-rivals Real Madrid or A.C. Milan!

Packed with treasures For a weekend or a week, Barcelona is packed d with treasures. With thirty million visitors a year, r, the city y can be busy, but savvy travellers know that March, May and

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autumn promise good weather and smaller crowdss while meeting the barceloné és.

The city is very walkkable, so comfortable shoes and a money-saving Barcelo ona Pass are your keys to exploring – from Port Vell to the Sagrada S Familia, and Plaçça de Catalunya to kaleid doscopic Mercado de La Boqu ueria off Las Ramblas. Don’’t miss Hansel and Gretel-inspired Parc Güell’s stunning g vistas either, or its signatu ure (but smaller than expected)) mosaic ‘el drac’.

Of course you’ll visit Barcelona’s h headline sights: FC Barccelona’s Camp Nou s stadium; buildings such as a Casa Milà/La Pedrera; Frank Gehry’s golden fish; and skyscraping Mirador de Colom Make time Colom. e for the less well-known ge ems too: Museo Nacional de e Arte de Catalunya; picnic--friendly Jardins de Rubió i Lluch where Gaudí die ed after being hit by a tram in 1926; or fourteenth--century Monastir de Pe edralbes along Metro line ‘T Tres’.

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Delicious Cata alan cuisine In between discovering contrasting ‘barrios’ (neiighbourhoods) be sure to sample Barcelona’s delicious cuisine.

Tapas is king, so follow discerning locals to gems like Bar Ramon or Los Torreros. As well as diverse Iberian and international cuisine, savvy gourmets choose Catalan noodle-based fideuà (over ‘standard’ Valencian paella), bunyols de bacallà (cod fritters) and botifarra sausages with romesco sauce – with a glass of Priorat or a Moreneta Blonde craft beer.

There’s enough in Barcelona to occupy the most energetic city explorer for days. But for different perspectives, remember it’s also a great base for excursions to other Catalonian attractions such as Santa Maria de Montserrat.

Visit Barcelona soon Mercury and Caballé will delight forever, and so will Barcelona. But don’t wait; if you’ve never been, make sure to visit soon. It’s brilliant – or as the locals would say, «genial».

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Motoring with Toby Aiken

A big tick for pe erformance and aesthetics ti The Jaguar XE is a good looking car. Let’s get that straight right from the off. I have serious envy about this car and giving it back was only made easier by the fact that it was being swapped for a Jaguar E-Pace… but more about that in a future review.

This is Jaguar’s smaller offering – a low slung sports saloon. It’s sleeker than the XF, slightly smaller but perfectly formed with great lines, and while I usually prefer any colour other than white, this test car looked great from every angle, even in that colour.

Extra bodykit and a few style elements Being the R-Sport model, there’s some extra bodykit and a few style elements around the grill and tread plates. There’s still plenty of space in the back, and headroom is not a problem like it can be in some sports saloons.

The boot is still big – not as cavernous as the XF, but the rear end is so much better looking that it’s perfectly forgivable!

That’s not to say it’s a small boot. The shape is slightly awkward, but you’d fit a few suitcases in it without too much trouble and the footwell space in the back provides some extra stowage if needed.

But ultimately ultimately, y, given this is a Jaguar, Jaguarr, the real test is whether it looks good and whether it moves well.

This one comes out well in both tests. The performance isn’t blisteringly fast, but it moves well and is very well balanced, so cornering is a joy. In dynamic mode with the drivetrain in sport, it pulls well and puts a THE LOCAL ANSWER

smile on your face. I’d possibly drop half a mark off for the automatic gearbox, w which is generally good, but on a few rare occasions I don’t think the change was as smooth ass I would have wanted. Given the e choice, I’d opt for the manual option anyway Regardless off this, anyway. this it get’s a big tick for performance.

Amazing from all angles a As for aesthetics, this is an amazing looking car from f all angles outside, and wh hen you get in, it gets even bettter. The contours on the driver’s door sweep in front of you an nd all the way round to the othe er door.

There’s some lovely chrome touches around too, an nd some great gloss black effect panels.

The quality of a few w areas seems a little lower th han you might hope for, r, but giiven the comfortable seats, greatt driving position, and fantasticc touchscreen interface for the e satnav and stereo, it’s not re eally an issue. And speaking ab bout that stereo, it’s amazing. Gran nted, the unit in my test car wass a £530

upgrade, but if you’re spending around £40k on a saloon, I’d be tempted to go for this.

A big price tag Let’s just take a moment to reflect on that. The price tag for this car was almost £45,000 – and that’s a lot. If I were to pit it against i t a rival i l from f a German G manufacturer, r, it’d probably be the Audi A5 Quattro, which is a similar style of car, r, with a similar power output and spec. Both come with four wheel drive and if you pick the S-Line, you’re looking at a similar amount of kit and comparable spec.

Cards on the table, I love the Audi A5. There’s something about it that has always appealed. But given the choice between the two, what would I choose? Both are great looking cars, with good performance and family-friendly functionality built in, despite being an executive-targeted car.

In reality, y, there’s no contest. I’d make the same choice time and time again. It’s the Jag. Just maybe not in white. And with a manual gearbox.

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Wildliffe e Matters with Maxine Raggatt

The humble honey bee You may be b surprised i d to t learn l that there are over 250 species of bee in the UK alone.

Bumblebees, for example, have 24 different species.

This month’s focus is the honey bee. They can usually be seen between March and October, flitting between flowers and collecting precious nectar. They live in beehives in hollow trees or rock cavities.

Queen bee

A single hive can have 20,00060,000 honey bees with only one queen. The queen bee is the biggest in the colony, measuring about 2cm. Her job Drones is to lay eggs; she can produce Male honey bees are e called up to 2,000 eggs per day. drones and they have no stinger The worker bee so cannot cause harm m. They w weeks Worker bees are female. Their often live for only a few a then role is to produce honeycomb to mate with the queen and by secreting wax from their they will die. Just a few hundred abdomens. They must also go drones are produced in a colony p to the thoussands of out and forage, g , keep p the nest compared clean, feed the larv vae and worker bees. At summer’s end, es are the protect the nest from prredators. the few surviving drone first to be kicked outt of the colony so they cannot consume c the winter stores.

How is honey mad de?

Worker bees will fly within five miles of their hive to o collect pollen and nectar. Th hey will consume what they ne eed first for nourishment and then continue to gather morre, which will be stored in theirr second stomach. When the bee e returns to the hive, a young wo orker bee will suck the nectar ou ut of the foraging bee’s second sstomach.

The nectar will then be chewed for about 30 minutes to add enzymes, which will form a syrup. This syrup will then be deposited into a hon neycomb PAGE 

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segment. By flappin ng their wings, the water in th he syrup will evaporate to reach the right consistency. The honey y is then ready to be capped.

This is when the worrker bees produce wax from m their abdomens to spread over o the honeycomb segment to store the honey while it awaits awa aits later consumption during the winter months.

Help save the honey bee

There are a few simple things you can do to help bees thrive.

You can start by mowing the grass less often and not using pesticides. Planting a beautiful wildflower garden is also hugely beneficial, as such a diverse range of flowers are produced, all with various benefits.

Herbs, flowers, trees, shrubs, fruit and vegetables are all beneficial to many species of bee, which is imperative for their survival. Bees also need water. If you don't have a birdbath, you can place a small tub of water among the flowers or out on a table to help the hard at work species.

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Pet Care with Oliver Wilkinson of Dragon Vet Centre

Arthritis in dogs

Tewke kesbu ury ry New Veterinary y Care in Tewkesbu ury Dragon Vets now has a new Tewkeesbury branch; we have taken over the owneership of 31 Church Street in Tewkesbury. We will be providing the same high quality veeterinary care and advanced treatment that haas been our trademark in Cheltenham for overr 50 years.

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One of the most common remarks I hear from owners of old dogs, is that they don’t think their senior dog is in any pain. However, r, most of these dogs have slowed down considerably from their effervescent y younger g days. y They y are slow to g get up and lie down, they are stiff when they first start moving and many will have an obvious limp or hobble as they walk around.

Just because a dog isn’t yelping, it doesn’t mean it isn’t struggling with joints that are no longer as supple or pain-free as they once were.

It is thought that 80% of dogs over the age of eight will have osteoarthritis. It’s an extremely common condition and one that is often not recognised or appreciated due to the stoic nature of our doggy companions. Most dogs will suffer in silence with chronic joint pain but once you can see your pet is no longer as mobile as they used to be, there are lots of things you can do to make their senior years more comfortable.

1. Weight Loss. The most important thing you can do is to keep your dog at a healthy weight.

Being overweight or even just a few kilograms heavier than ideal has a huge impact on the health of your pet’s joints. In many cases weight loss can have as big an impact on your pet’s mobility than surgery or pain relief medication.

2. Adapt the home environment. A more cushioned or padded bed, rugs on the floor, home-made ramps up steps and limiting access to stairs are all easy things to do to make life easier for older pets.

3. Exercise modification. Just because your dog still has a mad five minutes in the park doesn’t mean it is suddenly pain free. Most dogs will still get excited, they are just not great about selfawareness and the consequences of throwing themselves around. Maintaining exercise is really important, but we need to step in to avoid the older dog from hurting itself or over doing it.

4. Alternative therapies. Acupuncture, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, ultrasound treatment, etc. can all help and offer a non-medicative option to help many old age aches and pains.

5. Ve Veterinary interventions. Anti-inflammatories, analgesics surgery and even ste analgesics, stem m cell therapy are all options for older pets when w the time comes. There is a long list of trea atment options that can be tailored to a pet’s needs and make sure that the senior years of your pet’s life are not blighted by arthritic pain.

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www.2gether.nhs.uk ww

Looking Good, Feeling Great with Will Mbanga

Measuring progress for health and wellbeing As we go through life, it is good to pause every so often and take stock. Life is a journey and in order to take the most scenic, enjoyable and efficient route, we need to look after our health and wellbeing. But what does getting better look like?

How do you know if your efforts are working?

Let’s consider ‘health’ to be the combination of our physical (food and exercise) and mentalemotional needs (belonging, purpose, love, etc.). How do you know whether your training, diet, work, studies or the effort you are making to ‘be better’ is working?

As far as relationships go, you will know what ‘better’ looks like because you feel it in the quality of your interactions and the resultant emotional wellbeing and positivity this brings.

But relationships are the product of human interactions and as we know, people make mistakes, let us down, disappoint us. This can make for tricky interpersonal dynamics and negative mental-emotional health.

Physical metrics alone don’t signify good health A fancy car, r, promotion or performance bonus might signify progress at work, but we know this doesn’t necessarily improve our wellbeing. Focusing on physical metrics such as improved quality or quantity of sleep, your ability to manage stress and hitting your training targets are more easily quantified, but these alone do not THE LOCAL ANSWER

necessarily signify good health.

Good health and wellbeing can be attained through a continual effort to maximise all of these areas, whilst acknowledging that throughout your progression, you are good enough as you are right now This process of now. learning to be comfortable in your own skin and a believing that you are enough is a hugely im mportant mental-emotional shift.

Tony Robbins talks about To being in a state of ‘CAN NI’ – Constant And Nev verending Improvement. I’ve adapted this to ‘CANWIP’ – Consistant And Never-ending • Physical health Work In Progress. g Here e are my y tips to get your ‘CANWIP’ on Those of you who own a car will service it to ensure that it is able track: to pass its MOT. In th he same • Mental-emotional health way, you need to look aafter your Strive to be a good friend to body through regular exercise yourself. Embrace who you are, and good nutrition to give while being open to learning yourself the best chance of new things and chang ging in a passing a medical MOT T. Again, positive way. Constantly y seek to remember to seek medical be a better person, while advice and perhaps consult a accepting that you will never be trainer, r, movement specialist or perfect to everyone. dietician to help optim mise your The continuous pursuit of health. personal improvementt and an Part of being human is acceptability to reflect, learn and a keep going are essential. Som metimes, ing that we are not infallible; the this includes recognissing that key to making progress in any we need help – whethe er that is area of your life lies in your in the form of a friend, a life ability to apply yourself consistcoach, a therapist or me edication ently. It’s better to keep taking is irrelevant. The im mportant small steps and move forwards, thing is to ask for help if you than a few big steps that end up need it. too big for you to handle.

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Medical Health with Holly Hannigan

Awareness of addiction Addiction Addi ti i an illness is ill th t that affects the chemical reward systems in the brain. People often misunderstand it to be someone being selfish and making bad choices, which is simply not true. Addiction is a psychological disorder, r, just like depression or anxiety.

If something in your life, or someone you know, has become of such importance that other areas of life are being neglected g (work, relationships, p health), then this is a big alarm bell that you or they may have a problem and addiction may be in control. Here are some of the main symptoms to be aware of:

Psychological symptoms of addictions: • Mood swings • Increased temper • Tiredness • Paranoia • Defensiveness • Agitation • Inability to focus/concentrate • Poor judgement • Memory problems • Diminished self-esteem and self-worth • Feelings of hopelessness • Exacerbation of any existing mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety.

Behavioural and social signs of addictions: • Secretive/dishonest behaviour • Poor performance and/or attendance at work or school • Withdrawal from responsibility and socialising • Losing interest in activities, hobbies or events that were once important to you THE LOCAL ANSWER

• Continuing to use the t substance, or engage in n certain behaviours, despite th he negative consequences that these cause • Trying but failing to re educe or stop misusing a substtance, or engaging in certain behaviours

Physical y symptoms y p s of addictions: • Lack of concern over physical appearance/personal hygiene • Disrupted sleep patterns, p including insomnia • Extreme weight loss For something to be addictive, it must be characterrised as being reinforcing (increa asing the likelihood that a person will seek repeated exposure to th hem) and intrinsically rewarding (they ( are seen as being positiv ve, desirable, and pleasurable)..

People can form addicctions to substances such as alcohol, drugs, nicotine and sug gar, r, or to behaviours such as ga ambling, shopping, online activitty (social media/gaming) and sex x. While substance addictions may be more visible to the outside TO ADVERTISE CALL  

world, all addictions can be dangerous and life desttroying.

If you have noticed some of the symptoms mention ned, then having a conversation with the person is a good place e to start.

Simply listening withou ut judgement is sometimes all they will want in the early da ays, and perhaps mention local support groups g p or online help. p If the person recognises they have a problem with addiction and they are ready, making an appointment with their GP and even attending with them if they want you to is the best place to start. As hard as it may be, especially if the person has isolated themselves and been dishonest or unkind towards you, try to remember it is the addiction talking, not their true self. The person you know and care about is still in there and trying to get them the right help is vital.

Below are some links to useful websites with more information about addiction: www.nhs.co.uk www.helpguide.org/homepages/addictions www.addictionsandrecovery.org PAGE 

Parenting & Guardianship with Roberta Smart

Acceptance in tim mes of change This month Thi th I wantt to t talk t lk about b t acceptance in times of great change. Traditionally at Easter time we receive a message of rebirth and regeneration – so what about when someone you know and love ‘comes out’ of a closet and asks to be ‘reborn’?

How do you deal with that?

In a world where so many young people are struggling to come to terms with themselves, mental health issues are at an all time high and the conversations are wild, I want to take a gentle look at how we can all ‘do better’ to support young people – and older ones – as they make a journey of self discovery.

Open and accepting conversations with our children No matter what age you are when you first realise you feel ‘different’, the world you grew up in will have had a massive impact p on how well y you can cope with your new w found knowledge. To To this end, I am

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advocating that we have open and accepting conve ersations with our children right from f the start.

You don’t have to be genderYo neutral particularly, but maybe avoiding ramming them m into a pink or blue box at birth is a good start?

Celebrate ‘othern ness’ rather than ‘norm mality’ When discussing the e future, keep options open regarding relationships, hobbies, jobs or ways to live. I think most of us these days know at least one person who would identify as different in some e way or another. Celebrating ‘otherness’ rather than ‘no ormality’ sends a great unspoken message to our chiildren so that if and when th he times comes for them to ‘come out’, they will already know they are in a lov ving and accepting place.

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the most normal thing in the world. I for one am so o glad to live in a time when we can love and support everyon ne – no matter how surprising their t new discoveries may be, an nd at the same time walk through any barriers of discomfort without guilt or shame, becau use, let’s face it, no one is an expert e in change we are all just doing change, d the best we can.

However you identify, you are loved So be you male, female, trans, gay, straight, bi, pan, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or Jewish, person of colour, r, mixed heritage, differently abled or a total alien (but that’s another article!), you are welcome, loved, wanted and needed to be a part of this wonderful school of life we call the earth.

Parents blessed with children get to learn through their eyes and what a lesson we are learning: acceptance, tolerance, patience, true unconditional love.

I believe that being in a family means being willing to learn something new every day. Enjoy the journey: it looks incredible!

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What s On The Local Answer Event Listings are compiled and pre esented in good faith with the kind support of many contributors. We recommend you use the contact details provided to check event information updates prior to planning your visit.

20 MARCH – 20 APRIL JOSEP SUBIRACHS AT AT CHAPEL ARTS

A collection of the Spanish sculptor and painter Josep Subirachs’ works, including bronzes, drawings, paintings and prints. Coffee Shop available.

Wednesday – Saturday, Saturday 10am-4 10am 4pm pm. www.thechapelarts.com UNTIL 28 APRIL LAMBING AT AT COTSWOLD FA FARM M PARK

With the first bleats of new arrivals arrivaals and the anticipation of many more in the air, lambing is our favourite time of year!

Come and share it with us; settle down in the Animal Barn and keep your eyes peeled. Join us for daily talks from our team, access to our lambing shed, bottle feeding our lambs and goat kids,

Farm Safari rides, Adventure Barn and Dolly’s Den soft play and much moore! Full details at www.cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk Cotswold Farm Park, Guiting Pow wer,r, Cheltenham, GL54 5FL. 1-30 APRIL COTSWILD EXPLORERS The Cotswold Wildlife Park’s neew ‘CotsWild Explorer’ activity trail launches in April for children aged 611 years old. The Egg themed trrail pack (available from the gift shop) comes with a pop badge, lanyard and a pencil for £2.50 per pack (pluss normal entrance price) with 10% % going to Penguin conservation. www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uuk 4 APRIL HORRIBLE HISTORIES: BRAND NEW BARMY BRITA TAIN We all want to meet people from history. The trouble is everyone is dead!

Prepare yourselves for Horriblee Histories live on stage with a brrand new West End show! Would yoou be shaken or stirred by Richard III?? Mount a mutiny against King Henry VIII! See Mary Tudor knock the spots off Mary Queen of Scots! It’s the history of Britain with the nasty bits left in! 1.30pm and 6.30pm. £14 (£12). The Bacoon Theatre, Hatherley Road, Cheltenham, GL51 6EP. 6EP P. www.bacontheatre.c b th t o.uk 5 APRIL THE KUDOS FASHION SHOW @kudosdresses presents a Spring/Summer Fashion Show aat the George Watson Hall in Barton S Street, Tewkesbury on Friday 5th April 2019 at 8pm. Join us for a night of fun aand

fashion – just £1 entrance to include a glass of bubbly!

6 APRIL COFFEE MORNING A ATT ALDERMAN KNIGHT SCHOOL A special coffee morning to raise money and awareness for World Autism Awareness Week, a Post 16 Belgium Trip and Friends of Alderman Knight School. There will be refreshments, a raffle and a car wash to help raise funds. 10am-12pm.

Alderman Knight School, Ashchurch Road, Tewkesbury, GL20 8JJ. 01684 295639. aldermanknight.gloucs.sch.uk 6-22 APRIL THE BIG BA ATTSFORD BUNNY HUNT! The Easter Bunny’s helpers have escaped and they’re hopping around the Arboretum – find them to win a prize! The Bunny Hunt costs £2.50 per child (plus Arboretum entrance fee) and all children must be accompanied by an adult. No booking required – just turn up and enjoy! 9am-5pm. Batsford Arboretum, Moreton-in-Marsh, GL56 9QB. www.batsarb.co.uk 6-22 APRIL EGGSPLORE EASTER Do you know what happened on the very first Easter Day? Come and explore this amazing building to find the answer. £1 per copy from the gift shop.

If bought with the Discovery Trail (£4.50), ‘Eggsplore Easter’ will be free.

When you have completed the trail visit the gift shop and claim a tiny egg! (subject to availability) Gloucester Cathedral, 12 College Green, GL1 2LX. www.gloucestercathedral.org.uk

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6-22 APRIL EASTER TRAIL Come to Over Farm to take part in our children’s Easter trail, which will take you on a short walk around the farm in search of the Easter bunny’s giant eggs.

There’s a small prize in store, if you can crack the trail. Make sure you look out for our friendly animals along the way and don’t forget your wellies! £5 per child. No need to book. 9am-5pm. Full details at www.overfarm.co.uk. Over Farm, Over, Gloucester, GL2 8DB. 6-28 APRIL EASTER EGG TRAIL Get into the spring spirit by chasing down all of the naughty pheasant chicks hiding in the Castle rooms. Can you spot them all? Hunt for all of the Giant Easter Eggs that have appeared in the gardens for a chocolatey reward!

Included with admission. Full details at sudeleycastle.co.uk. Sudeley Castle, Winchcombe, GL54 5JD. EASTER EGGSTRAVAGANZA AT COTSWOLD FARM PARK We’ll be skipping and jumping into the spirit of spring with an egg hunt around the Park with a prize for every child.

There will be a puppet show and craft activities to entertain the little ones, and the usual Farm Park fun – stroking bunnies and holding chicks, bottle

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feeding the lambs and the chance to feed those greedy goats! Full details at www.cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk.

Cotswold Farm Park, Guiting Power, Cheltenham, GL54 5FL. SPRING FAMILY TRAIL Follow the trail to find out the secrets behind the Snowshill garden – it’s a magical place at this time of the year.

Come and explore and find out more about Charles Wade’s special garden.

11am-5.30pm. Snowshill Manor and Garden, near Broadway, WR12 7JU. 6-23 APRIL VICTORIAN EASTER FESTIVAL AT THE HOLST BIRTHPLACE MUSEUM A variety of events including Bake Back in Time Easter, Children’s Craft Drop-In, Victorian Spring Clean and Victorian Posies. For full details including dates, times, prices and activities, visit holstmuseum.org.uk Holst Birthplace Museum, 4 Clarence Road, Cheltenham, GL52 2AY. 12 APRIL THE KAST OFF KINKS Three former members of band ‘The Kinks’, back together playing great music and re-living the good times.

This great line-up features Mick Avory, Ian Gibbons and John Dalton alongside Dave Clarke. Expect an evening of iconic hits including ‘You

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Really Got Me’, ‘Sunny Afternoon’, ‘All Day and All of the Night’ and more.

7.30pm. £22.50 (£20). The Bacon Theatre, Hatherley Road, Cheltenham, GL51 6EP. www.bacontheatre.co.uk 12-14 APRIL THE COTSWOLDS DECORATIVE, ANTIQUES & ART FAIR A wide variety of pieces for collectors, home furnishers, interior designers and anyone looking for unusual decorative accessories. 11am-5pm. Admission £5.

Enquiries: 01278 784912. Complimentary tickets: www.cooperevents.com 13 APRIL LONGLEVENS CHURCH AUCTION Viewing starts at 10am and selling at 12 noon. No buyers/sellers premium.

Bargains galore! Refreshments available. Holy Trinity Church Hall, Longlevens, Gloucester GL2 0AJ. Further details from Janet or Eric Chitty on 01452 500229.

14 APRIL OPEN GARDEN & RARE PLANT FAIR Join us in this beautiful spring garden by the River Coln, browse the specialist nurseries for interesting and unusual plants, explore the garden and enjoy light refreshments in the pool side Café in support of Cobalt. 11am-4pm. Entry £5 per adult, under 16s free.

Quenington, Cirencester GL7 5BN.

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14 APRIL STTA ALKING AND HARASSMENT POLICE EVENT An opportunity to talk to the police about stalking and harassment. The police engagement vehicle will also be parked and able to discuss any other policing concerns you have. High Street, Cheltenham. Sunday 144tth April 2019. 10am-3pm.

OPERA ANYWHERE – HMS PINAFORE A tale of mismatched love across different social classes. Josephine is the captain’s daughter and has fallen for lowly sailor Ralph. Yet her father has other ideas – he has promised her to Sir Joseph Porter, the First Lord of the Admiralty. Will love prevail? Climb aboard to find out and enjoy a feast of fun along the way. 2pm. £20 (£17, under 18s £10). The Bacon Theatre, Hatherley Road, Cheltenham, GL51 6EP P.. www.bacontheatre.co.uk 15 APRIL AMAZING BUBBLE MAN

Louis Pearl has been thrilling audiences worldwide for over 30 years with the art, magic, science and fun of bubbles. From square bubbles to rocket bubbles, tornado bubbles to flying saucer bubbles, the Amazing Bubble Man conjures shrieks of laughter and gasps of amazement from all ages. 2pm. £12.50 (£10.50). The Bacon Theatre, Hatherley Road, Cheltenham, GL51 6EP P.. www.bacontheatre.co.uk 15-19 APRIL ALDSWORTH TO BURFORD Art@Aldsworth group of artists are holding an exhibition of original paintings and glasswork. At Warwick Hall, Burford. 15th April: 12-4.30pm.

16th-18th April: 10am-4.30pm. 19th April: 10am-4pm. Come and meet the artists.

16 APRIL – 12 MA AY Y INTO THE BLUE The colour blue is generally associated with the sky and the oceans, but is oddly rare in nature. It has different meanings in different cultures and was the first man-made colour pigment in 2,200 B.C. This selection of work celebrates blue in a varied mix of both 2D and 3D items.

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£5.25 adults, £4.75 conc, £15 fam mily.

Full details at natureinart.org.ukk Nature in Art, Main A38 Tw Twigwoorth, Gloucester, GL2 9PA PA. 18-20 APRIL PAT ATESIAN PLAY AYERS Alan Ayckbourn’s Confusions Local, dedicated actors bring you a short series of plays about our everyday lives: funny, reflectivee, poignant and incisive. Come and join us at two local venues for a memorable matinee or evening. 18th & 19th April, 3pm, Sober Parrot, S St James Square. 19th April, 7.30ppm & 20th April, 3pm, Bethesda Churcch, Great Norwood Street. Tickets ££10, £8.

To book call 07946 418552 from 1sst April.

To 19-22 APRIL CADBURY EASTER EGG HUNT Spring has sprung at Chedworthh Roman Villa. Join us this Easter weekend for the Cadbury Easterr Egg Hunt. Get close to nature while yyou follow the clues on site to claim your prize. There is a small charge for the trail. All ages welcome. £2.50. 100.30am4 30 4.30pm.

Ch d Chedworth th Roman R Vill Villa, Yanworth, near Cheltenham, GL554 3LJ. EASTER WEEKEND AT AT BERKELEY CASTLE Easter would not be the same without w the thrilling Dragon extravaganz x a.

Visitors of all ages will have the opportunity to experience fantasstic dragon puppetry, get face-to-facce with a baby dragon, and take part in the t colourful Chinese Dragon Parade. Join the Easter hunt and don’t’ forget to collect your free treat. Enter the Great Hall and sit captivated by Dragon Tales from the mystical dragon handleers. Full d t il att www.berkeley-castle.c details b k l tl com 20 APRIL THE GREAT AT EASTER EGG TRAILL Come and join the fun! Explore the park, hunt for clues, meet the Eaaster Bunny and win a chocolate prizee! Quiz sheets £2.50 from Sandford Parkk Café.

A joint event for Cobalt and Magggie’s.

1-4pm. Sandford Park, Cheltenhaam.

20-21 APRIL MAD HAT ATTER’S TEA PARTY The Bird & Deer Park is well knoown for hosting its Easter Mad Hatter’s TTea Party but this year it is going to bbe huge fun and totally different. So are yyou ‘Team Team Alice Alice’ or ‘Te Team Mad Hatter Te Hatteer’?? A tough choice but no matter which team you join up with, the two professional dance theatre artists will ensure your children get into character and are transported to another world, with faces painted and raring to go in search of the curious caterpillar, bunny bobtails or pom pom bantams – and goodness knows what everyone will

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find around the park on the hunt! 10am and 12.30pm. For full details and tickets please visit thebirdpark.com. 01452 812727. The Bird and Deer Park, Prinknash, Cranham, GL4 8EX. 21 APRIL EASTER FA FAMILY LY CELEBRAT ATION 10.30am. An Easter Day church service aimed at all the family. At Cambray Baptist Church, Cambray Place, Cheltenham GL50 1JS (near John Lewis).

25 APRIL MAY AYOR OF CHELT LTENHAM’S CHARITY GOLF DAY AY Teams of 4 playing 4BB. Fun competitions throughout the day.

Evening meal, prize giving, auction, bacon rolls on arrival and refreshments on the 10th tee! Only £260 per team. Book your team NOW! Call Graham on 07878 381793 or email at graham_chandler@yahoo.co.uk 25-28 APRIL SPRING HOMES & GARDEN FAIR Join an exclusive homes and gardens sale like no other including indoor and outdoor td f it furniture b bargains, i decorative d ti accessories, gifts, fashion items and more. Please note, tickets to the Spring Grand Sale do not include entry to Sudeley castle and gardens. Tickets £5 (if bought online). Full details at sudeleycastle.co.uk. Sudeley Castle, Winchcombe, GL54 5JD. 27 APRIL RENEGADE FESTIVA VAL 2019 Our annual showcase of all things Gloucester music, ReneGade Festival returns for 2019 with a jam-packed, jump-up lineup! Join us from the afternoon for open-air music, an outdoor bar and BBQ, and good vibes until the early hours. 2pm til late. Free entry. For more details visit www.caferene.co.uk. Café René, 31 Southgate Street, Gloucester GL1 1TP. P. WORLD PENGUIN DAY AY Join us for a day of Penguin related activities and competitions, all located by the Penguin pool, in aid of the ‘Sphenisco’ charity, dedicated to the conservation of Humboldt Penguins.

Penguin talk and feed at 11am and 3pm. Help feed the Penguins at 1pm for £1 donation (subject to availability). www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk 1 MAY AY THE HIDING PLACE 7.30pm. A drama telling the truee story of Corrie Ten Boom and her fam mily’s struggle to save Jews from thee Nazis.

Tickets £10.50 from christianartsfestival.org. At Cam mbray Baptist Church, Cambray Placee, Cheltenham GL50 1JS (near John Lewis).

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4 MA AY Y COBALLTT PLANT SALE Greenway Nurseries are providing wonderful plants for the Cobalt Plant Sale. Come along and buy bedding plants, perennials or shrubs and enjoy coffee and homemade cake in our Linton House pop up café. 10am-1pm.

Cobalt, Linton House, Thirlestaine Road, Cheltenham, GL53 7AS. For more information call 01242 535922.

6-29 MA AY Y THE MA AY Y RACING CARNIV VA AL A ATT WA W ARWICK RACECOURSE Four days of action-packed racing with events including Kids Carnival Day, Ladies Night, Proudly Warwick and Celebration Race Night. For full details of the carnival, please visit www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/warwick 11 MA AY Y WORLD BINTURONG DA AY Y Learn about the unusual Binturong with two keeper talks at 11.30am and 3.30pm. Learn about the conservation work we support through ABConservation. Find us near the Binturong enclosure near the Reptile House. www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk 11-12 MA AY Y SUDELEY CASTLE JOUST The Castle has been invaded by a new band of Knights for our annual, epic

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joust tournament! The Knights of Royal England will be battling it out during this May Bank Holiday weekend. With two dramatic shows per day, come prepared for spectacular action, stunts, falls, fights and galloping horses.

Included within general admission. Full details at sudeleycastle.co.uk. Sudeley C tl Winchcombe, Castle, Wi h b GL54 5JD. 5JD 16-28 MAY AY GIFFORDS CIRCUS – XANADU Much loved Gifford’s Circus returns to Sudeley as they make their annuual tour of the village greens of the Cotsw wolds.

With their magically chaotic fam milyfriendly show, suitable for all agees to enjoy, be sure to book tickets soon as dates sell out fast. For more detaails please visit sudeleycastle.co.uk Sudeley Castle, Winchcombe, GLL54 5JD. 19 MAY AY CITY OF GLOUCESTER 10K, 2K CHILDREN & FA FAMILY LY RUN AND D 10K WHEELCHAIR RACE This event is for runners of all abilities and is supporting Macmillan Cancer Support. The course is flat and fast, traffic free, taking place in the summer. The Children and Family 2K Run is a great day out for all the family and a chance for young, budding athletes to race for top spot. The 2k event sees children of all ages

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running with their mums, dads,, uncles, aunties and grandparents. The Corporate Business Challenge is a team spirit friendly competitionn and all round fun. For more informationn and to enter online please visit cityofgloucester10k.org.uk 25 MAY AY – 2 JUNE THE WILDLIFE ART SOCIETY EXHIBITION

An opportunity to see and purcchase beautiful works of art and to meet artists who are dedicated to promoting conservation of all species. s Daily 10am-5pm and final Sunday 10am-3.30pm. Entry is FREE with good parking. Set in the beautiful groounds of Nature in Art Gallery and Muuseum, Main A38 Tw Twigworth, Gloucester GL2 9PA. SatNav Postcode: GL2 9PG G.

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Entertainment

If you have a story to share, please email full details to TToom. with Tom Hadfield ‒ entertainment@thelocalanswer.co.uk

Winchco ombe set for Blues Weeke end Winchcombe will play host to a whole weekend dedicated to blues music this month. month The organisers of the popular monthly event ‘Winchcombe Live’ have put together the Winchcombe Blues Weekend to celebrate the genre, bring visitors into the town and raise funds and awareness for a good cause.

Dave Wade is one of the organisers behind Winchcombe Blues Weekend and it’s fair to say his love and passion for music is a major driving force behind the event.

“I’ve loved blues music since I was a teenager, r,” he explained.

“We did the Isle of Man Blues Festival 21 years ago now, so the experience has certainly been useful – but getting older hasn’t!”

Winchcombe Live has been running since 2012, but this will

The Rumblestrutters. Picture: Paul Nicholas

be the first ever Win nchcombe Blues Weekend.

The weekend willl feature blues, rockabilly, Americana and folk artists from all over the country, as well as a Jug Band Workshop, which will encourage e participants of all ag ges to go along and learn how w to play traditional improvise ed instruments.

Dave continued: “W We’ve got a

Film Review – Joe Kennett Captain Marvel With ‘Av Avengers: Endgame’ just around the corner, r, Marvel have come at us with a final blockbuster, r, leading straight into the finale of the current series of films.

Brie Larsen enters the Marvel cinematic universe higher, further, faster than ever in the franchise’s first female-led superhero movie.

Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck have created a new generation in Marvel – the pace is fast, the story is solid and the jokes are witty.

It can be hard to keep up with at first, but it will not disappoint.

The film has the elements of a retro alien invasion movie with all the excitement thatt fans of the franchise expect.

Th his origin story gives a new w lease of life to modernday feminism. Captain Marvel is an unstoppable force, and she’’s going to be the perfect addition to the universe.

Full review online.

real spectrum of Blues, from people like the Rumblestrutters who do prohibition era blues, to garage funk and Chicago blues. The ere’s a whole range and great va ariety.”

“We’ve had a lot of interest, we’re hoping for good g crowds like we’ve had at Winchcombe Live recenttly.

“Thanks to support from sponsors Rosie’s Bar, B The Old Bakery Café, Wesston’s Cider and Winchcombe To Town o Council, we’re able to offer free entry to a lot of events.”

The various showss will be held at The Th White Whi Hart H I Inn, R i ’ Rosie’s Bar and The Old Bakery Café over the weekend, which runs from Friday 12th to Sunday 14th April.

For more information you can visit the Winchccombe Live Facebook page.

Full story online.

Book Review – Aloÿse of Daylesford Book Club The e Red Address Book

by Soofia Lundberg How w many of us still use address books?

This novel revolves arou und a “red-leather address book, its bent corn ners revealing the yello owed paper within.”

It belongs b to 96-year-old Doris who lives alone in her Stockholm apartment.

She was given the address book by her father and from that mom ment she kept a note of all the peo ople she met thro oughout her life.

This is a debut novel inspired by the author’s great aunt who had a similar address book.

Through the book Lundberg encourages us to talk to older people to listen to their stories and learn from their experiences. The author portrays old age as it is. Many of us will know a Doris, but the outstanding themes of the book are memories, sorrow and most importantly love.

Full review online.

Above is a selection from local entertainment stories available online ...

Art • Events • Experiences • Film • Lifestyle Literature • Music • Reviews • Theatre • TV

Tewkesbury’s favourite Big Band The Crescendo Big Band have been playing for audiences in Te T ewkesbury since 1981.

1981 Bob Lee, the band manager and presenter, explains how he got involved almost 40 years ago.

“They were originally a rehearsal band for musicians to practice and play for enjoyment without an audience,” he said.

“I was working on the radio on a big band programme, and the person who started the band got in touch to see if I could publicise them. I ended up getting in nvolved as a compere and hav ve been with them ever since.”

Big bands originated in the early twentie eth century, and are known for playing p jazz, blues and all sorts of swing music.

The Crescendo Big Band have performed all over Gloucester-

The Crescendo C Big Band

shire throu ughout the years, and Bob has been b at nearly every performance.

He continued: “We’re a 17piece band d of mainly professional musicians playing music from the 1930s right up to the present day.

“We perrform around seven concerts a year at Gupshill Manor in Te Tewkesbury. The concerts are sp pread throughout the

year to o avoid clashes with any local ev vents or holidays.

“We’r We rre based in Te Tewkesbury so mosst of the musicians are Glouce estershire or Worcestershire based.”

The B Band’s next concert is at Gupshiill Manor Inn on Sunday 7th April at 3pm and will feature an acclaimed vocalist who knows the group very well.

Bob e explained: “At our next concerrt we’ll be joined by a special g guest vocalist Catherine Sykes, w who’s just returned from touring with the Glenn Miller Orchestrra.

“W w “We were actually the first band she e ever sang with, when she mov ved to the area from Yorkshire e.

“Now she’s an international recording artist and we’ve kept in touch. She’s also married to one of our trombone players!”

Full story y online.

Playe ers bring Roaring Tw Twenties tto Cleeve The Bishops Cleeve Players are set to bring their latest production to th he Tithe Barn this month.

Long-time member, director and writer of o the show ‘The Scorpion Affa air’, Sandy Newman, explains whe ere the idea for her latest work came from.

“It’s an original play written by myself, my third in fact,” she said. “It was inspired by a song

by Caro Em merald called ‘The Other Woman’.

“Then as I wrote it morphed p into more off a spy thriller so I renamed it ‘T The Scorpion Affair’ – although th he other woman is still an essen ntial element.

“It’s set in a London Cabaret Club in 19 920s Soho. The Stradivari Clu ub is being used to smuggle diamonds and the newly forme ed MI6 are deter-

‘The Scorpion Affair’ is an original story

mined to catch the perpetrators.”

The performance is set to be a fully immersive one as the hall undergoes a transformation, with the Players also inviting the audience to get into the spirit of the evening by dressing up as if it were the Roaring Tw Twenties.

Sandy continued: “We’d really

like them m to, it would add to the whole e experience and atmosphere, b but of course it’s not compulssory.

“We will set out the hall so the audience e will be sat around tables ra ather than in rows, like in a caba aret club – not that I’ve ever been to one of course! As a bit of ad dded fun there will be non-alco oholic cocktails for all performances with a licensed bar for e evening performances only.

“Rhyth hm Strings are also going to be accompanying us with songs from the 1920s by wonderful composers such as George Gershwin. Rhythm Strings performed with us at our variety show last year where we raised over £1,000 for charity.”

Full story online.

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In the Garden with Julia Smith

Spring garden n growth Who knows Wh k what h t April A il has h i in store weatherwise? We have had snow in April, hot, dry spells and constant rain, so anything is possible!

This is a good time to plant ornamental grasses in freedraining sandy soil, but if your soil doesn’t sound like this you can add plenty of grit to clay soils to improve the drainage.

Alternatively, create a raised bed with bricks or sleepers to aid drainage.

Cascading hummocks of vivid foliage Some grasses look great in pots like the Japanese Hakonachloa macra ‘Alboaurea’, which is an eye-catching small ornamental grass, forming cascading hummocks of vividly striped bright yellow and green foliage. The narrow leaves keep their colour throughout the season – although it loses its leaves in winter – and often when the plant is grow wn in full sun it develops a reddissh tinge.

I prefer it grown in shade s to keep the yellowy-green colour.

Now for ponds, it is a good time to reinstall any pum mps and filters that have been removed r

Picture: The Bressingham Gaardens

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over winter. Thin out oxygenating plants that are ‘taking over’. Divide and repot any marginal plants tha at have become pot bound and a top dress with grit. Don’t add any fertiliser to pond plantss, as this will make algae growth worse.

Encourage the grass to grow nice and green Begin feeding the law wn in April when growth starts again. Use a propriettary spring/summer lawn fe ertiliser in two applications. It should be high in nitrogen to encourag ge the grass to grow nice and green. g If you need to apply a weedkiller on the grasss, do it two or three weekks later when everything is growing strongly.

Don’tt mow for two or Don three days after apply ying, and if you have mown don’t apply weedkiller for tw wo or three days. Also remem mber not to compost the clipping gs, which have been treated d with weedkiller. Personally,, I don’t mind seeing a lawn containing daisies and other flow wers, and

life is easier if you learn to love them!

Now is the time to grow sunflowers If you fancy growing sunflowers with your kids, now is a good time to sow w them.

Plant them in a 9cm pot and provide a little bottom heat just to get them t to germinate. Ke eep them inside on a wiindowsill or greenhou use and tie up to a cane as they grow. They T can be put outside e as soon as the chance of frost has gone and d either planted in nto the garden or repotted into a 15cm pott.

April iss also a good time to plant evergreens, both hedging and d specimen shrubs. P Plant into well-prepared soil w which has had organic matter and a handful of general purpose fertiliser added. Keep w watered, especially in dry spellls as we move into warmer weather.

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Interior Design with Gill Greenwell

Spring refresh It’s Spring at last; the snowdrops have gone, the daffodils are out and the tulips are blooming in all their glorious colours. After the dull and cold winter months, the sun starts to stream in through our windows – a perfect time to think about refreshing and updating our homes. Here are some ideas to help you get started.

Colours that say ‘now’ The simplest and most costeffective way of redecorating is to use paint. There is so much choice of paint colours available now – and you don’t have to stick to grey.

The current trend is for warmer, r, softer tints – think blush pink or soft coral. There’s even talk of beige coming back – you heard it here first! If you fancy trying one of the new stronger hues like teal or forest green you can always use it on a feature wall.

Farrow and Ball is still the goto place for inspiration, or you can have your fa avourite

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colours made up forr you at your local DIY store.

A trend for prints A quick and easy way to brighten up yourr interiors is with new w cushions and throws.

Swap wool and faux fur for cotton and linen fabrics in one of the gorgeous new floral orr botanical prints (greatt f outdoor for td f furniture it too). to ) Add a throw in a soft colour for those cooler evenings..

You could also recove Yo er a tired old chair with a brig ght new fabric which always works. w If you are replacing g your curtains, try something g lighter in a paler shade – think soft voile or textured line en, and partner with shutters or o blinds for extra privacy. Yo ou’ll be amazed how much ligh hter and brighter g your room loo y oks.

The new naturals Natural materials are a great spring/summer option for rugs and furniture, and are ccurrently

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very much h on trend d – good d for f the environment too. Try swapping heavy wool rugs for seagrass or coir. If you are considering upgrading your furniture, think bamboo and rattan for a more relaxed feel.

I was in Australia at the beginning of the year and I noticed lots of beautiful low woven rattan chairs, often styled with neutral or tropical print fabrics and big green plants. I felt I just wanted to sink into them with my favourite cocktail.

An extra stylish touch It’s always good to add that special personal touch to your home. I particularly love coloured glass and textured ceramics. Look out for unusual colours or shapes for glasses and vases to add a dash of style to your scheme.

Smaller interiors shops are a good hunting grou ground und for these. I found a beauttiful pale aqua ribbed vase in a local Nordic interiors shop and I fill it with masses of pink tulips. It lifts my spirits every y time I walk into my sitting ro oom.

Now all you need to t do is pick up your paintbrush and have fun restyling you ur home.

PAGE 

Save the Planet with Grant Mitchell of Severn Trent

Keeping our drains and sewe ers running freely Do we all know what we should and shouldn’t be putting down our sinks, drains and toilets? It’s really important that members of the public are aware of what should and shouldn’t enter the water system, in order to reduce sewer blockages, stop our rivers and streams from being polluted and to help the environment.

Your community

Your local drains and sewers that deal with your waste after you’ve flushed your toilet, or emptied your sink, periodically suffer problems in the form of blockages. This is as a result of the wrong things being poured down the sink or flushed down the toilet. So, to prevent the problem from getting worse, there are a few things you can do.

Your help – spread the word Please can you make a special effort to remember to only ever flush pee, poo and toilet paper down the loo, and always

scrape pots, pans and plates into the bin before washing up? If you already do this, that’s great, thank you.

Wet wipes, nappies, kitchen roll, face wipes, cotton buds and sanitary items should never go down the toilet.

They should instead be put into a bin. And fats, oils and grease (FOG) should never b poured be d down d the h sink. i k When they cool down, they solidify and stick to the water w pipes.

If people put the wrong things down their pipes, sewers get blocked, cau using raw sewage to flood into homes, gardens, roa ads and watercourses. Not only y is this really unpleasant, it can severely pollute rivers and stream ms.

The facts

Did you know that Seve ern Trent are called to resolve e 45,000 sewer blockages each year y and 70% of them are cau used by people putting the wron ng things down the sink or toilet?? And what’s more, this costs a whopping £10m to sort out. Yo You can see from the images in this article what happens when wet wipes and FOG collect in our pipes.

Fine to flush

Did you know that most wipes are not designed to be flushed down d the toilet? As they arre moist toilet tissue, only wipes with the ‘Fine to Flush’ logo on the packet can safely be flushed… but still only one or two t at a time please. Try to keep p an eye THE LOCAL ANSWER

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out for the logo and think twice before flushing any wip pes.

Collect your fat, oil o and grease Why not try using one of Severn Trent Trent’ss Gunkpo ots or an old container to trap any fat you might produce when n you’re cooking. Wait for the fat to cool, then pour it into the po ot, scrape it into the bin – and then reuse it.

If you nee ed more information n about this, please visit the Severn Trent website for some useful tipss on how to prote ect our wonderful water network: www.stwate er.co.uk/ about-us/environ nment/ bag-it-and-bin-it/

Thank you

Finally, thank you for y your help in making sure we kkeep our drains and sewers running freely.

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Gadgets & Gizmos with Laura Nicklin

The sky’s the limit!

IIs it a bird? bi d? Is I it a plane? l ? Is I it a drone causing chaos at Gatwick Airport? Well, whilst it’s hopefully not the latter, there are still some fun flightthemed gizmos you can enjoy.

From the realms of outer space, to the fantastical flying beasts of myth, these winged gadgets can help you to find your inner Buzz Lightyear and go to infinity and beyond!

Toothless & Lightfury g y Soft Toys From the much-loved ‘How to Train Yo Your Dragon’ franchise, come the adorable Toothless and Lightfury, in much smaller, more plush form, compared to their movie counterparts. These ‘Squeeze & Growl’ dragons make for adorable fire-breathing beasts; just squeeze their tummies to unleash a fierce growl.

For kids wanting to te test est their dragon-training skillss, these 10-inch-tall dragons make m for the perfect pal. With h AG13 batteries included, and d priced at just £19.99 each, let your kids take to the skies.

Argos

Spider Drone This gadget is sure to get g your spidey senses tinglin ng, as it looks and sounds like something straight out o of a Marvel movie. Well perhaps p that’s because this drone d is based on one of Tony y Stark’s many tech wonders from Spider-Man: Homecoming; it even includes a voice sample from Karen, Karen the AI from Peter Parker’s spider suit.

This drone is great for beginners, as it includ des auto and manual flight modes, as well as autom matic launch and land ding features, and adjusta able flight sensitivity. It also has Sky Viper firmw ware, meaning you can enha ance its agility. At £49.99 9, it doesn’t matter if you’re a kid or an adult, y you can still feel like an Av Aven nger with this super tech.

our larger universe. Th his 85cm diameter system is designed to give an up-close presentation of the eight plan nets; just hang from the ceiling, and let the gadget rotate.

The solar system, which w is remote-controlled, can also multi-task as a nig ght-light, with its glowing sun orb! At £25 99 this is a fun, stylish £25.99, and educational gift idea to get kids more intereste ed in the solar system.

Remote-Controlled Solar System

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ED W E I V R E T IN l Answer

by The Loca

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Hello Making g Ta Tax Digital (MT TD) Whilst the majority of the coun ntry has been concentrating on Britain’s exit from the EU, HMRC has been quietly preparing us for the arrival of Making Ta Tax Digital (MTD D) for VA VAT. Well it’s here and time to say Hello MT TD. With a small number of ex xceptions, all b i businesses which hi h are VA VAT registered i t d and d whose h turnover is greater than the registration threshold of £85,000 will have to submit their returns digitally. This means direct from your accounting systems to HMRC’s computers, without going through the Government Gateway or any other portal.

We have been working with clients for months now to prepare them for the arrival of MTD. If you run a business and are not aware of what is needed, you need to ‘get your skates on’.

Identify which HMRC-approved software you are going to use The first job is to identify which software you are going to use. There are several cloud accounting systems that are available and most will do the job adequately for a ‘basic’ business.

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Sport

with Roger Jackson

WA W ANT TO SHARE YOUR SPORTING STORY ON OUR WEBSITE? Please email full details to sport@thelocalanswer.co.uk

Chris Den nt upbeat ahe ead of new season Chris Dent has been on ne of the main men at Gloucesterrshire for a good number of years yea ars now even though he only celebrated his 28th birthday at the start of this year.

He first played for the club at the back end of the 2009 season and these days he is very much Gloucestershire’s number one opening batsman, and is also preparing for his second season as captain of both the county championship and 50-over teams.

He is now one of the most experienced players in the squad, having played close on 240 games for the club in all competitions.

And that experience was one of the key factors in earning him the captaincy last season in what is essentially a pretty young squad. Head coach Richard Dawson has promoted a good number of youngsters

Chris Dent

over the past couple of o seasons, peferring to give a you ung player a chance instead of bringing in a journeyman cricketter from outside to fill a hole.

It’s meant regula ar opportunities for the likess of Miles Hammond, Jack Brace ey, George Hankins, Ben Charlesw worth and George Drissell in 2018, chances that they certainly too ok.

London calling Doug Clark has always said that he may run only the one marathon, but if he did he wanted it to be a big one.

And the 51-year-old Tewkesbury Running Club member has got his wish because he will be one of the many thousands lining up for the start of this year’s London Marathon on Sunday 28th April.

It’s not beyond the bounds of possibility that he’ll want to run another, of course, but at this stage he’s certainly not looking that far ahead.

Fortunately he’s got a charity place this year – he’s raising money for the Children’s Trust – and he couldn’t be happier.

The Bobby Dazzler

Bobby George is big and brash and darts fans the world over love him for it.

Throw in all-rou under Ryan Higgins, the 24-ye ear-old who joined from Middlesex at the end of the 2017 sea ason, and it’s not difficult to see the t direction Gloucestershire are heading.

“Ye Yes, we’re a young side, but we’re also a good side.” Dent said. “I think we proved that at the end of the last season s when we had some good results.”

Indeed they did because they ended the campaign with three wins and two draws in the longer format of the e game.

It saw them finish h fifth in the 10-strong Division T Tw wo of the county championsh hip and Dent added: “We want to start the new season the wa ay we ended the last one.”

The 2019 campaign gets under way on Thursday 11th April with a championship ga ame against Derbyshire in Bristo ol.

Full story online.

Gloucestershire for the Cheltenham Masters, an ever-popular e event that this yearr takes place at the Centaur at Cheltenham Racecourse on Frida ay 5th April.

Roll on the sum mmer

Bobby George in his heyday h

His appeal stretche es beyond his chosen sport, of o course, because he is something of a TV star in his own rightt, and has been a big favourite on o the BBC show The Real Marigo old Hotel in recent times. i However, it’s for his darts that the 73-year-old remains best known and he remains in big demand.

These days he’s wanted for his larger than life personality as much as for his darts and as such he will soon be heading to

The bowlers at Bish hop’s Cleeve are eagerly looking g forward to the new summer se eason.

The opening of the e green takes place on Saturday 13 3th April and while that is an imp portant date on the club calendar, don’t for one minute think that the club’s 140-plus members have been sat at home twid ddling their th thumbs b over the th win inter t months. th That’s because Bishop’s Cleeve Bowling Club have e a thriving indoor short mat set-up that keeps members busy from October through to March.

For fu Fo full vers rsions of alll th these stori ries and more please visitt our website: www. w.thelocalanswer.r.co.uk

Above is a selection from local entertainment stories available online ...

The Bugatti Owners’ Clubb are celebrating their 90th anniversary

Whyy it’s a speccial year at P Prescott Chris Rogerss had just returned from a two-week two-week skiing holiday in Canada when he spoke to The Local Answer.

That’s pretty much downhill all the way, of course, but since returning to his day job it’s been very much uphill all the way, although not in a bad sense.

You see, Rogers is general manager and club secretary of Prescott Speed Hill Climb, the home of the well-established Bugatti Owners’ Club, and this year is even more special than normal because the club are celebrating their 90th anniversary.

Not that the Bugatti Owners’ Club have always been based at Prescott, which can be found just a short three-and-a-half mile drive west of Winchcombe, as Rogers explains.

“The club were formed in 1929 but they didn’t have a home at that time,” he said. “They used to hold several meetings all over South East England and one of their more regular venues was at Chalfont St Peter in Buckinghamshire.

“In those days their members were mainly London and South East based.”

That all changed just before the outbreak of World War Tw Two and, as so often happens, it was a case of right place, right time.

“Around 1937/38 the club decided th hey wanted a permanent home e,” continued Rogers.

“The Gloucester Dairy was selling Presscott estate and it was bought by Colonel C Godfrey Giles and his bro other Eric on behalf of the club in 1938.”

These day ys the club has some 2,200 mem mbers and is run as a limited com mpany so it has come a long, long way since those prewar days.

The first ever recorded hill climb at Pre escott was in 1938 and it was won by Arthur Baron in a Bugatti in 50.07 5 seconds.

And if that t seems slow in comparison n with today’s speedsters, it’s ev ven slower when you consider he was competing on the short course, c not the long course thatt is used now.

“It wasn’t until 1960 that the Ettore’s bend was added in and the track increased from 880 yards to 1,227 yards,” Rogers explained.

“To Today the fastest singleseaters are e recording times of 35-point-something – the fastest is by Jos Goodyear who clocked 35.51 in a GWR Raptor Extreme.”

Times are the lifeblood of all competitive motorsport, of course, but Rogers is keen to stress that hill climb provides so much more than that.

“Spectators can get closer to

the carss than in any other motorsport, motorspo ort ” he said. said “Every Every ticket provides them with access all areas, they can touch the cars.

“They can go into the paddocks, talk to the drivers. Yo Young lads can sit in the racing cars, it’s a friendly, no pretensions, day out.

“Yo You can still walk up to the British champion; we’re very grassroots, down to earth.

“There’s an old-fashioned feel about it, it’s not corporate.”

And while that is obviously one of the sport’s big attractions there’ss a competitive side too. there too “The very top cars are Formula 1 standard cars,” continued Rogers, “and they are probably quicker off the mark. The technology is state of the art.

“We’ll kick off this year with the British Championships at the end of April when we’ll have the cream of hill climb completing.

“We’ve also got the Midland Championship in June as well as a good number of themed events.”

Tw T wo of the highlights of the coming season for Rogers are the La Vie En n Bleu/La Vita Rossa and 90th An nniversary Celebration meeting on the weekend of 25th and 26th h May, and the Anglo American n Autumn Classic on the weekend of 5th and 6th October.

Full story y online.

For full articles and more stories visit www.thelocalanswer.co.uk

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Competition Winners The TLA Photography winner for the April 2019 cover is Jade Pollock of Bishop’s Cleeve.

Competition Rules 1 Prizes are as stated and no cash or prize alternative will be offered.

2 Employees of The Local Answer and their fam milies or households are not eligible to enter. 3 The first correct entryy drawn at random after the closing date will win the prize as statedd. 4 The winner will be notified byy telephone p after the closingg date has ppassed. 5 The Editor’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

6 Entrants must be over 18 years, unless stated. 7 Proof of posting is

not regarded as proof of receipt of entry. 8 The Local Answer accepts no responsibility for the provision of the prize, which remains at all times the full responsibility of the prize donor(s). 9 By entering any competition you agree to have your name published in the next issue of The Local Answer should yyou be drawn as a winner of the prize. 10 By entering any competition you agree to have your details passed to a third party. 11 One entry per household.

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