SPRING 2021
Brought to you by schoolnotices.co.uk
ONES TO WATCH
THE RISE OF THE YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR
Prue Leith A LIFE FULL OF COLOUR
MICHAEL WHITEHALL PUTTING FAMILY FIRST
TECH talks MARTHA LANE FOX ON DIGITAL EQUALITY
WIN! A family holiday to Sani Resort, Greece
Working closely with schools in association with
Let’s get It’s official, it’s time to celebrate! With a road map out of lockdown we’ve got a spring in our step. This edition of Noticed Magazine is bursting with positivity. We catch up with the legendary Michael Whitehall about life, lockdown and the infamous travels with his son, Jack. The extraordinary Prue Leith tells us about her colourful childhood and hopes for the future. Malorie Blackman shares her many inspirations and advice for budding authors. Internet sensation, Martha Lane Fox explains her dreams for digital equality and Lucia Ferrari shows how to spring clean your makeup bag. Helen McGinn reveals her debut novel and the success of her Knackered Mother’s Wine Club and we uncover the next generation of young entrepreneurs and discover how they are getting to the top. Finally, you can win a family holiday to the luxurious Sani Resort in Greece and a day out at the Holland & Holland Shooting Grounds.
Our exciting partnership with My School Portal, the UK’s leading parent portal provider continues to help us to share our fabulous content directly with parents. Over time this will mean that thousands more independent school parents will benefit from all that School Notices has to offer within the secure confines of their own school website. School Notices continues to be the go-to network for schools, parents and alumni within the private school community. You can buy and sell on our fantastic Noticeboard, get the latest in education and lifestyle, read our trusted school reviews, get some great offers, video interviews and exclusive competitions, all designed with you in mind. The School Notices Team Visit: schoolnotices.co.uk Email: info@schoolnotices.co.uk Follow us on:
SPRING 2021
Brought to you by schoolnotices.co.uk
ONES TO WATCH
THE RISE OF THE YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR
Publisher and Editor Katie Wiggin • Artistic Director Ruth Ellis • Contributor Amanda Morison Founder and CEO Gordon Dawson • Advertising Tania Buckley and Lisa Thornton Head of Brand Partnerships Milly Steel • Brand Partnerships Henrietta Moyes Head of Schools Tia May • School Reviews Emma Parkins • Social Media Manager Natasha Minto Cover Millie Pilkington (milliepilkington.co.uk)
For advertising: advertising@schoolnotices.co.uk or call 07884 436210
Prue Leith A LIFE FULL OF COLOUR
MICHAEL WHITEHALL PUTTING FAMILY FIRST
TECH talks MARTHA LANE FOX ON DIGITAL EQUALITY
WIN!
A family holiday to Sani Resort, Greece Working closely with schools in association with
Contents
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26
39
4 28
34
This issue… 04 10 13 16 24 26 28
Sunshine on Leith Prue’s colourful life
ALL PRICES SHOWN CORRECT AT THE TIME OF PUBLICATION (MAR 2021)
Competition time
WIN a family stay at SANI Resort, Greece
Spring Zing
Shop till you drop
Young Entrepreneurs
The ones to watch
Holland & Holland
WIN the ultimate shooting day out
Makeup Marvels
Lucia Ferrari spring cleans our makeup bag
Literary Legend
Malorie Blackman’s illustrious career
34 39 44 46 49 55 60
Michael Whitehall
On fame and family
Digitally Peerless
Martha Lane Fox addresses tech inequality
The Podcast Escape
The SN team divulge their favourites
Knackered Mother’s Wine Club
Helen McGinn talks wine and books
Book Club
Camilla Leask on her top spring picks
Daniel Hannan
The highs and lows of a Covid education
Fun Facts
Dazzle them with your trivia knowledge
SPRING 2021 schoolnotices.co.uk 3
Sunshine on
LEITH From her sunny disposition to her love of colour, food, books and life – the sun always shines on Prue Leith. With a schedule that would floor most of us, Prue continues to swallow up life. We catch up with her for an exclusive one-to-one…
Did you cook as a child and did anyone inspire you? No, I was brought up in South Africa in a very privileged family and we had a wonderful Zulu cook called Charlie. But it never occurred to my parents, or to me, that I should learn to cook. They just thought I’d go to university and do something like be a lawyer or a translator. I got the cooking bug in Paris when I was at Uni there.
Your love of books and writing, did this come at a young age? As a child I was more interested in horses and ponies than in books. All the books I read were about animals. I guess that was the start: Black Beauty, My Friend Flika and the Paul Gallico books like Jennie and The Snow Goose. Did growing up in Cape Town inspire your love of the outdoors and gardening? I think it did subconsciously. I never did any gardening but I think my love of bright colours comes from Africa. We spent most of our time outside, we didn’t have a television but we had a big garden, went on holiday to the game parks and camping up mountains or on wild beaches. What advice would you give to aspiring young chefs?
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PHOTOGRAPH: ©CHS AGENCY
…it never occurred to my parents, or to me, that I should learn to cook…
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I think I’m just lucky, born with a lot of energy and a fair bit of ambition.
Get a Saturday job in a restaurant and find out if that’s what you really enjoy and then work full time before going to catering college. The hours are long and unsociable and the pay is not great, so better to know you really love it before you are too committed. And to young entrepreneurs and authors? To be an entrepreneur you need to have a lot of stamina and determination. Halfheartedness just won’t cut it. To be a writer you have to do two things. Read and write. Read all the great writers, and write all the time. Many would-be writers say they are going to write a book one day, but unless they are writing now, they probably never will. Your enthusiasm for life is inspirational, where does your drive come from? I think I’m just lucky, born with a lot of energy and a fair bit of ambition. I like my life and I’m interested in lots of things and I’m generally optimistic. It’s no great virtue, it’s all about the serotonin levels in your brain. Some people are just more pessimistic and unhappy than others. I’ve been lucky, that’s all. How do you stay looking so young and well? I’d love to say I exercise every day, stick to a beauty regime, never eat the wrong things, but the truth is luck. Also I am very happy, I’ve not had the knocks in life that age one. 6 schoolnotices.co.uk SPRING 2021
From top: Prue’s husband John wearing his homegrown Easter bonnet, Prue shares her passion for all things flora and fauna, her range of colourful glasses in collaboration with Ronit Furst
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From left: Opening Truro School’s Cookery School in 2018, her Japanese knife set from her cookware range at Lakeland, ‘The End’ by Heather Phillipson – in residency on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square, London
Where does your passion for colour originate from? I guess my South African background. I’ve always loved rich vibrant colour but when I met my husband John ten years ago, he encouraged me. He hates beige and grey and the more outrageously colourful I am the more he likes it.
PHOTOGRAPHY: ©GEOFF PUGH, @PRUELEITH (INSTA), TRURO SCHOOL, SHUTTERSTOCK
Favourite necklace from your Prue X range with Lola Rose? It varies, but I’ve always loved Flossie, which has a slightly Japanese looking design and very happy colours. Can’t live without kitchen gadget from your Lakeland range? My Japanese knives. They are beautifully balanced and come in a really striking red cloth case, so I can pack them up safely to take to a TV studio or demonstration. Any more collaborations in the pipe line? I’ve got a new range of my glasses (made by Ronit Furst) coming out and a new range of Lola Rose jewellery. I’m also working on some other fashion stuff, but that’s a secret! What achievement are you most proud of? I think starting and leading the successful initiative to use the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square as an exhibition space
for contemporary works of art. The plinth was originally intended for an equestrian sculpture of William IV but he was so unpopular that when he died no one would pay to erect it. It took me and my committee at the Royal Society of Arts (of which I was the Chair) five years to get it through thirteen committees. It’s been a huge success with the public, and almost every top sculptor you can think of (Anthony Gormley, Anish Kapoor, Rachel Whiteread, Tracey Emin) have all had their year on the plinth. It’s the one thing I’ve done that I think might be here to stay. SPRING 2021 schoolnotices.co.uk 7
upmarket lighting, street market prices www.pooky.com
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PRUE’S EASTER CARROT CAKE TRAY BAKE Ingredients ● 310ml vegetable oil ● 4 eggs ● 1 tsp vanilla extract ● 300g self-raising flour ● 330g caster sugar ● 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda ● 3 tsp ground cinnamon ● Pinch of salt ● 100g sultanas ● 3 carrots, coarsely grated For the cream cheese icing: ● 115g unsalted butter, softened ● 225g cream cheese ● 500g icing sugar ● 1 tsp vanilla extract ● ¼ tsp salt ● 100g Mini Eggs, bashed into bits Method 1 Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas 4. Grease and line a roasting tin with parchment. 2 Whisk the oil, eggs and vanilla in a jug. Sift the flour into a large bowl. Mix in the sugar, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and salt. Then add the oil mixture, sultanas and carrots. Stir to combine. Pour into tin and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool. 3 Make the icing. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Gradually sift in the icing sugar, then add vanilla and salt. Continue to beat until well combined. 4 When the cake is cold, spread the icing over the top evenly and sprinkle with the bashed Mini Eggs.
This super easy carrot cake not only tastes delicious but looks good too! The smashed up chocolate eggs are a perfect way to add a seasonal twist. Enjoy! Recipe taken from Prue’s website where you can also find out more about her cooking, home & garden, fashion and travel inspiration. prue-leith.com #TruePrue SPRING 2021 schoolnotices.co.uk 9
WIN! A family holiday at the luxury Sani Resort in Kassandra, Greece Enter now to have the chance to win a four-night stay at this world-class luxury resort with full board included*
Sani Resort is a world-class luxury holiday destination, featuring five award-winning hotels. Located on the Kassandra peninsula in Greece, it’s nestled in a peaceful 1,000-acre eco-reserve with 7km of soft, sandy beaches, 110 hectares of protected Sani Wetlands to explore, and over 20km of lush forest trails. Sani Resort’s private setting and extensive space offers a Safe Sanctuary for families. Discover more at sani-resort.com
HIGHLIGHTS
Compet t on
ACCOMMODATION With spacious family rooms and bungalows with private gardens or private pools and breathtaking views over the Aegean and Mount Olympus.
Infinity pool overlooking the Aegean and Mount Olympus
THE PRIZE: ★
4-night stay at Sani Resort
★
Complimentary Full-board*
★
‘Dine Around’ Experience at 22 restaurants
★
Airport Transfers (flights not included)
DINING Explore new flavours at one of over 22 restaurants and bars across the resort offering traditional Greek cuisine to Michelin star dining.
To be in with the chance to win this fantastic prize simply
ENTER HERE TERMS AND CONDITIONS Competition closes 15/04/2021. One complimentary 4-night stay at Sani Resort for up to 2 adults and 2 children (under 12 years). **Full-board to include breakfast, lunch and dinner (drinks excl). Valid for travel between 29/4/2021- 30/06/2021 or 01/09/202114/10/2021, subject to availability at the time of reservation. Bank holidays excluded. For full terms and conditions visit blog.schoolnotices.co.uk/category/competitions
WORLD-CLASS ACADEMIES Train with the best at the Rafa Nadal Tennis Centre, the Chelsea Football Academy or the Bear Grylls Survival Academy.
LITTLE GUEST The very best for families: Sani Creche, Kids and Teens Clubs, kids pools, Sani Adventure Park and exclusive baby and kids menus designed by Annabel Karmel.
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2021: The year of the Great British staycation With miles of coastline, it comes as no surprise that the Witterings have become an incredibly popular staycation destination on the south coast. Wellies & Windbreaks share what makes this idyllic location so desirable for families in search of a beach escape. West Wittering beach with its soft white sand dunes is perfect for hide and seek or a long coastal walk. Furry friends are welcome too with the beaches being extremely popular for dog walkers. There’s loads of fun to be had in the water. All watersports kit can be hired locally and coaching sessions are available from 2XS. East Wittering is a vibrant village with trendy shops, restaurants, and a cool surf vibe. Why not try Drifters – a family run restaurant set just back from the beach. Watch the world go by from the front deck and spot the surfers coming back in after a day on the water. If it’s local ales and craft beers you enjoy, then a visit to Dell Quay is a must! The Crown & Anchor enjoys spectacular views across 12 schoolnotices.co.uk SPRING 2021
Chichester Harbour. We also recommend their “Crab & Burger” shack out front or for a special occasion, hire the “Lower Deck” - a unique waterside private dining room. We love helping our guests find the perfect holiday home and manage a growing portfolio of beautiful properties in and around the Witterings. So whether you’re looking for a cosy cottage or a beachfront pad, we’ve got you covered! Demand for our beautiful holiday homes is outstripping supply so if you have a property in the area that you would like to generate income from, please get in touch! To start planning a holiday visit www.welliesandwindbreaks.co.uk or contact amanda@welliesandwindbreaks.co.uk
Shopp ng
Star BUY
SPRING ZING Let the shopping commence!
Ladies From top left clockwise: Drops of Slumber+ £25, LIFE ARMOUR lifearmour.co.uk • NHS Rainbow Hope Bracelet £25, LOLA ROSE lolarose.co.uk • Ere jacquard cushions £85 each, YINKA ILORI selfridges.com • Scattered Sun Cashmere Jumper £150, BODEN boden.co.uk • Emerald Cut Rainbow Ring £90, ROSIE FORTESCUE rosiefortescuejewellery • Circus Stripe Silk Skinny Scarf £48, JESSICA RUSSELL FLINT cleverlywrapped.com • Mini Iris Matte Calf Bag £950, MULBERRY mulberry.com • KyrÖ Pink Gin £24.99, KYRÖ houseofmalt.co.uk • A Fragrance Paintbrush™ £40, JO LOVES joloves.com • Leather Card Holder £34, KURT GEIGER LONDON kurtgeiger.com • ‘Swirl’ Espadrille ‘Carina’ Wedges £155, CASTAÑER X PAUL SMITH paulsmith.com • Gold Watson Sunglasses £825, RALPH & RUSSO ralphhandrusso.com
SPRING 2021 schoolnotices.co.uk 13
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Tax neutral Nonstop flights to London Heathrow 70-minute flight from Miami, Florida Diversified economy Sound governance and juridical system British Overseas Territory Modern infrastructure and reliable telecoms
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Star BUY
Men From top left clockwise: Fast Dry Crew Cap £20, MUSTO musto.com • Xtrainerz Waterproof Mp3 Headphones £139.95, AFTERSHOKZ aftershokz.co.uk • Apple Watch Stainless Steel Case with Leather Link from £699, APPLE apple.com • Checked Boxer Shorts £50, EMMETT LONDON emmettlondon.com • Facial Fuel £24.50, KIEHLS kiehls.co.uk • Ninebot Segway S £445.49, NINEBOT BY SEGWAY xtremeinn.com • The Golden Child/Men Trainer £200, SANS MATIN sansmatin.co.uk • Orange Lensrappa £22, DUNDAS & BURGUN dundasburgun.com • Wireless Folding Keyboard £114.99, ICLEVER amazon.co.uk • Quarter Zip Jumper £89, REEF KNOTS reefknots.com • Theragun PRO Massage Device £549, THERABODY theragun.com • Personalised Duffle Weekend Bag £25, NOT ANOTHER BILL notanotherbill.com
SPRING 2021 schoolnotices.co.uk 15
g n i y l F
H G I H
Step aside the snowflake generation and hats off to the young entrepreneurs! Talented and ambitious, these guys mean business. They know what they want and more importantly they know what their customers want and they’re not afraid to shout about it! The Youngtrepreneur is on the rise… 16 schoolnotices.co.uk SPRING 2021
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JEMIMA MAY
Alumna of Marlborough College Moment of inspiration Sophie and I were at school moaning about our lack of money… our GCSE summer was fast approaching, we had big plans and a nonexistent budget, something had to be done! Describe your brand no emotions is a young brand designing high quality clothes that can be worn day and night. It is split between the ‘no emotions’ label that designs hoodies, tees and beanies and our ‘emotions’ range of silk trousers, tops and pjs. Our ethos is on high quality, affordable clothing. The most important skill you’ve learnt Time management – we are constantly juggling no emotions with our Uni work. Importance of sustainable production It’s essential! We have very close relationships with all our manufacturers to ensure we are involved at every stage of production. We use the emotions silk remnants to make our silk masks, which are very popular. Do most of your sales come via Instagram? Yes, Instagram is an unreal
noemotions.co.uk @__noemotions__ Founded April 2016 Best Seller Navy & Orange Silk Trousers Insta Followers 9.5k Spring/Summer must have Keep an eye out for our new linen collection!
Co Founders Jemima May (front) and Sophie Wheeler
Strapline For Anyone, Anywhere, Always
marketing platform that is free! We love our incredible supportive followers. Any famous endorsements? Romeo Beckham and Lila Moss Best advice for aspiring entrepreneurs Don’t give up! Keep going – there will be highs and lows, but the highs definitely outweigh the lows! If you have an idea, go for it. High point and low point The low is accounts, admin and VAT! But the high is randomly spotting someone wearing your clothes. It’s the best feeling ever. Where do you want to be in five years’ time? Global! Working full time on no emotions in our own office in London, how cool would that be? SPRING 2021 schoolnotices.co.uk 17
BELL HUTLEY
Alumna of Wellington College
bellhutley.com @bellhutley Founded June 2018 Best Seller The Ophelia Placemat £25 (pictured) Insta Followers 12.7k Spring/Summer must have – I can’t say, but keep your eyes peeled this month!
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Moment of inspiration I was sitting on an airplane daydreaming about how I could do art for the rest of my life without having to be a fine artist. I have always loved art, interiors and fashion so I thought why not combine them all. Describe your brand Creating homewares and anything beyond the canvas to tell stories through art, creating work inspired by nature, children’s literature and folklore. The most important skill you’ve learnt Curiosity, always be a sponge and also don’t be afraid to fail! How do you manage stock control? Luckily my best sellers and cash cows are all always fully stocked. Other passion
products are a little more ad hoc – I like one-offs and single run designs as it makes things more special. And product development? I’ll have an idea for a product, then I will wade through the internet until I find a factory that can make my idea for a good price and high quality. Importance of sustainable production I want all my suppliers to be UK based, (I am currently at 80%) and I always look into working with responsibly sourced materials. Do most of your sales come via Instagram? Probably yes, most people would have seen my products and bought later from my website. Any famous endorsements? Demi Moore was a good one! Best advice for aspiring entrepreneurs Walk towards whatever scares you. Also to learn from your failures. High point and low point? When my Instagram was hacked and nearly losing everything. The high point getting my first collection into Liberty. Where do you want to be in five years’ time? Working on new art and new products whilst telling stories through my work.
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TOM HOLMES
Alumnus of Uppingham School Moment of inspiration Whist on holiday in Kenya I found myself with no shorts, so decided to go and buy some and discovered Kenyan kikoy. After wearing them day in day out, people started calling them Tommy’s Trunks. I bought 20 pairs over to the UK and started selling them to friends. Describe your brand Tom’s Trunks creates the most comfortable lounge wear whilst looking after the environment. All our products are made from 100% natural fibres. The most important skill you’ve learnt I learn something new every day, from web development to digital marketing and most of all having to be very organised. Importance of sustainable production This is possibly the most important element of the brand. I want to prove that being sustainable can improve the bottom line, we have shown this by using off cuts to make bucket hats. Do most of your sales come via Instagram? Yes, however we use other platforms such as Depop,
tomstrunks.com @tomstrunks Founded October 2014 Best Seller Blue Lounge and Yoga Pants Insta Followers 14.5k Spring/Summer must have Classic White Shorts Strapline Go where others don’t
Tik Tok and YouTube. Best advice for aspiring entrepreneurs? Work hard! High point and low point? Summer 2019 – surfing with my best friend and now business partner after an amazing day of sales. The low point was opening a shop for it to be shut 30 days later! Did you start your business whilst still in education? I started in 2014, whilst still at school. I was not really your perfect student so Tom’s Trunks gave me a reason to stay focused. Where do you want to be in five years’ time? My goal is for Tom’s Trunks to be a globally recognised lounge wear brand. Who or what company do you aspire to become like? A combination of Patagonia and Calvin Klein. SPRING 2021 schoolnotices.co.uk 19
Vibrant at-home colour, without the damage When colouring hair, it’s hard not to worry about the inevitable long-term damage it might do, however, that’s where colourist-to-the-stars Josh Wood comes in. His latest invention (18 months of careful research in the making) is revolutionising at-home haircare and promises vibrant colour without any of the associated damage. Enter the Miracle Shot, a deep-conditioning treatment that strengthens strands, curbs breakage and can even make our colour last longer. Like a multi-vitamin for our locks, it’s packed with fortifying fatty acids, vitamin E for increased elasticity and hydration, as well as vitamin B3 to stimulate blood flow to the scalp, promoting hair growth.
The Josh Wood Colour Miracle System is £29, available exclusively from joshwoodcolour.com
Here’s the real magic of the Miracle Shot These conditioning ingredients don’t simply sit on the surface of hair, but instead travel deep into the hair fibre, reinforcing and strengthening each strand from within. How does this work? It’s applied at the same time as the Josh Wood Permanent Colour which temporarily alters the pH of our hair. This opens the outer layer of the hair shaft (the cuticle), allowing both the colour and the Miracle Shot to penetrate and work their magic. As soon as we wash this mixture out, our hair rapidly returns to its normal pH and the cuticle is resealed – locking both the colour and conditioning ingredients in. The result? Softer, stronger hair that looks and feels even healthier than it did before colouring.
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LOCKIE CUNNINGHAM
Alumnus of Radley College Moment of inspiration I sensibly tumble-dried and melted my trainers whilst travelling with Charly (cousin & Co-founder), and so went looking for a stylish, comfortable, affordable and versatile trainer from a brand whose ethos we believed in. Nothing we found ticked all the boxes and the idea was born. Describe your brand Whilst style, versatility and unparalleled comfort were key, we have set out our brand to be built on ethical, sustainable and with charitable practices. The most important skill you’ve learnt To be as agile and adaptable as possible at a moment’s notice. No better example of this is the curve ball that COVID has thrown. Importance of sustainable production Sustainability is at the forefront of our minds. We locally source all our materials to minimise our carbon footprint and waste. All our packaging and shoes bags are made from recycled carboard, PET (recycled plastic bottles) and recycled
sansmatin.co.uk @sansmatin Founded E-commence business launched 1st December 2019. Best Seller Women: The Original C20 (pictured top), Men: The Eduardo. (see below)
Co-founders of Sans Matin Lockie (left) and Charly Cunningham
Insta Followers 4.5k Spring/Summer must have Our new Engel & Triple A hightops! (pictured bottom) Strapline The most comfortable and versatile, ethically handmade shoes for the conscious consumer
cottons. We’ve created SMCycle where you can recycle your old SM shoes to complete their lifecycle. Any new products in development? We have just launched our hightop collection and are also developing unisex espadrilles and platforms for the summer. Best advice for aspiring entrepreneurs If you have a dream or a vision, go for it. If you don’t try you’ll never know if you could have made the dream become a reality. Where do you want to be in five years’ time? To become a global household name, reach six figures in donations to charity, and to have launched our campaign to aid the replanting of our rainforests. SPRING 2021 schoolnotices.co.uk 21
Co Founders of Dash Water Jack Scott (left) and Alex Wright
JACK SCOTT
Alumnus of Harrow School
dash-water.com @dashdrinks Founded June 2017 Best Seller Raspberry Dash Insta Followers 35.6k Spring/Summer must have I couldn’t possibly pick one, but I’m really enjoying our new Peach flavour Strapline Water. Bubbles. Wonky Fruit
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Moment of inspiration Growing up on a farm, I saw first hand there is an issue with food waste in the UK. We wanted to do our bit to shine a light on this problem, all fruit that we infuse would otherwise go to waste. Describe your brand We start with freshly sprung spring water, we add bubbles and then we infuse real wonky fruit. It contains no sugar, sweetener or calories and comes in a can. Its water but better. The most important skill you’ve learnt Making sure that we have the correct team around us that can do certain aspects of the job better than me. New product development Our recent round of development came from within the team. Each
member pitched an idea and we ended up creating a new range eight months later. Importance of sustainable production Sustainability is core to our brand, but we know that we aren’t perfect. Dash recently became a B Corp, meaning that we are now ‘mission locked’ to improve on all aspects of sustainability throughout production. How important is social media to your marketing? Instagram is important for shaping our brand identity and interacting with Dash drinkers daily. Any famous endorsements? Victoria and David Beckham cannot go anywhere without a good stash of Dash! High point and low point Becoming a B Corp was a big high point. The low point was having spent time and money on a small manufacturing site, our very first production run went wrong so we had some reassessing to do. Where do you want to be in five years’ time? To have saved 2400kg of wonky produce and inspired millions of Dash drinkers by selling 150m cans by 2025. Who or what company do you aspire to become like? We love the brand and personality of Innocent and the craft story of Sipsmith.
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IZZY BERNER
Alumna of Stowe School Moment of inspiration When I realised I wanted to raise money for wildlife conservation. Describe your brand Rhimani offers bright and beaded jewellery that supports the protection of endangered species. We donate at least 10% of profits towards African wildlife conservation. The most important skill you’ve learnt Accounting for a small business (although it’s touch and go). Any new products? Yes, recently I’ve introduced clothing to my brand. This includes dungarees and beanies! Importance of sustainable production This is incredibly important to me. All of Rhimani’s jewellery is made with glass seed beads covered in a metallic outer layer. I use gold and sterling silver for the necklace clasps. Our packaging is also biodegradable. Do most of your sales come from Instagram? Yes, although this is something I’m trying to edge away from. It scares me
rhimani.co.uk @rhimaniuk Founded 2019 Best seller: White & light gold beaded necklace Insta follows: 12.3k Spring/Summer must have Any of Rhimani’s beaded necklaces! They are gorgeous in the summer
how much Rhimani relies on Instagram. Any famous endorsements? Fearne Cotton. High point and low point? The high point was festival trading (pre-Covid). I bought a bright blue 1969 Volkswagen Campervan and went to six different festivals in a summer. The low point was when Covid first happened and I had no idea if my business would survive. Thankfully, it survived and it’s thriving! Who or what company do you aspire to become like? There are so many... Olivia Rubin, Lucy & Yak, Sophie Tea Art, to name a few. SPRING 2021 schoolnotices.co.uk 23
HOW TO BREAK THE CIRCLE OF STRESS Many people are overwhelmed with pressures from management, colleagues, customers and their own anxieties about Covid-19 in what may feel like a ‘circle of stress’. We’ve all experienced the ramifications of the coronavirus, which have included drastic changes to working life and restricted freedom of movement. However, the last year has also seen a surge in mental ill-health that has had its own effects on people and society. Compared to last year, rates of depression have doubled,1 anxiety has significantly increased, 2 and now 69% of people report that the coronavirus has been the most stressful period of their entire career. 3 We may all be trying to support those around us, whether they’re our customers, friends, family or colleagues, while also coping with the impact of coronavirus on our own lives. Here are some top tips to break the ‘circle of stress’.
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1
Practice detachment from work If you’ve had a bad day at work, you might carry that low mood into your own time even once work has finished. However, instead of ruminating, psychologists recommend practising detachment,4 which creates a mental break between your work and leisure time so work stress can effectively be switched off. This can be done via ‘transition rituals’ of your own choosing, like taking a bath, walking the dog (if you have one), meditating or listening to music or a certain podcast (though news podcasts are not recommended for this).
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2
Free online resources There are many free online resources available if you feel like you’re struggling and need external help. One of the most popular is Mind’s online community which provides a virtual meeting space for anyone who wants a chat, and it’s open 24/7. Anxiety UK provides support in various forms to suit you, including text, live chat and the telephone.
3
Taking care of your physical health Getting outdoors for a walk can be a great way to reduce your stress levels. Even a short burst of 10 minutes’ brisk walking increases our mental alertness, energy and positive mood. 5 Being outside can help you boost your Vitamin D levels. Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that your body needs for many vital processes, including building and maintaining strong bones. Vitamin D is often referred to as “the sunshine vitamin” because the sun is one of the best sources of this nutrient.
FOR LIFESTYLES WORTH PROTECTING
Insurance for families, individual and schools As an industry leader, Towergate delivers personalised insurance solutions to people and organisations, and we’re consistently recognised for the quality of what we offer and the service we provide. We can help with all your insurance needs from private medical insurance, income protection and critical illness to motor and property insurance as well as protection for schools including school fees and cyber.
Towergate is a trading name of Towergate Underwriting Group Limited. Registered in England with company number 4043759. Registered Address: 2 Minster Court, Mincing Lane, London EC3R 7PD. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Life Insurance arrangement is provided by Towergate Health & Protection. Towergate Health & Protection is a trading name of Health and Protection Solutions Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Registered in England and Wales number 4907859. Registered office: West Park House, 23 Cumberland Place, Southampton, SO15 2BB.
The important things are intangible, and the right cover can give peace of mind – giving you one less thing to worry about. We are collaborating with School Notices and will donate £25 to the Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP) for every policy purchased.* MiSP have made children’s mental health a priority, pledging to reach a million children by 2024, to empower them to deal with challenging circumstances and help them to flourish. *subject to minimum spend of £500
Find out more www.towergatepartners.co.uk/towergate Telephone 0330 123 3593 Email schoolnotices@towergate.co.uk
Sources 1. www.ons.gov.uk 2. www.kcl.ac.uk 3. www.businesswire.com 4. umbrella.org.nz 5. www.mentalhealth.org.uk
SPRING 2021 schoolnotices.co.uk 33
Makeup MARVELS
Spring clean your makeup bag with the best new beauty buys (and some old favourites) says Lucia Ferrari Surviving lockdown definitely deserves celebrating and what better way than investing in some new makeup to create the illusion that we may have been in the Alps or enjoyed some Winter sun. In reality most of us were tied to the kitchen sink or clearing up after our children! Here’s my pick of some truly great makeup to look polished, refreshed and rested (even if we don’t feel it!).
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Beauty
Guerlain L’Essentiel High Perfection
Charlotte Tilbury Unisex Health Glow
24 Hour Foundation, £44 – I’m
Hydrating Tinted Moisturiser, £35 –
not normally a fan of matt finish
great for a fresh, natural glow to your
foundations but this one has changed
skin; bringing tired skin to life. It comes
my mind. It’s extremely lightweight
out of the tube almost white but once
yet creates a lovely velvety, peachy
blended releases natural tan pigments
looking skin and more or less stays put
(and moisturisers) and leaves skin
all day. A winner.
looking radiant with a hint of a tan.
Nars Matte Bronzing Powder, £31 – lovely lightweight new formula which is very buildable, so just use the tiniest amount for a subtle glow. I like using along the hairline and jawline for a sunkissed look. There’s no hint of orange in any of the colours – key for a good bronzer.
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette, £61 – this is the perfect finishing powder to transform good skin into incredible skin. It captures the effects of the most flattering light forms (from morning light to candle light) in this lovely buttery powder. Whenever I wear it, people always ask me what makeup I’m wearing.
Clinique Even Better All-Over Concealer and Eraser, £23 – an excellent new concealer particularly good for hiding dark circles. It’s lightweight but gives full coverage and contains Vitamin C and hydrating hyaluronic acid. The colour stays true and doesn’t change once it’s on the skin. Sensai Mascara 38 degree Volumising, £26 – with the focus very much on the eyes when we’re wearing our masks, a good mascara is key for an instant uplift even for a supermarket trip! I love this mascara as it really makes lashes look elegant and glamorous but not over done. Surrat Lid Lacquer, £35 (in Kogecha) – a high gloss eyeshadow for day sounds like something I’d never have gone for but it’s SO easy to apply and is so flattering. You just use a finger to dab it on; no brushes required. It literally takes 30 seconds and looks polished and groomed with minimum effort.
Biossance Squalane Rose Vegan Lip Balm, £16 – this is one of the most beautifully textured and effective lipbalms I’ve tried, melting into the lips leaving them with a pretty glow whilst moisturised and protected. It can also be used on cheekbones as a highlighter. BBBLondon Tinted Brow Gel, £21 – this newly formulated brow styling gel (with a better brush than before) is the next best thing to a professional eyebrow tint. It’s available in three colours with no hint of red and is flattering to all skintones.
With over 25 years’ experience as a beauty journalist working for titles including the Daily Mail, Harpers Bazaar and London’s ES magazine, Lucia is the go-to beauty guru. Passionate about skincare, makeup and the latest tweakments, her many Insta followers love her honest, knowledgeable and of the moment beauty posts and videos. @luciaferraribeauty SPRING 2021 schoolnotices.co.uk 27
A literary
LEGEND From Children’s Laureate to author of the incredible Noughts and Crosses series and screenwriting for Doctor Who, Malorie Blackman is having a wonderfully varied and illustrious literary career. We catch up with her to find out how her love for writing all began…
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Interv ew
Nothing in this world that gets created comes into being without imagination.
What made you decide to become a writer? A love of stories and reading. Reading wonderful stories made me want to create my own. From the age of 7-8, I used to write stories for my own amusement. It was only when I was in my 20s that I first thought about writing as a career. Did school impact on your choice of career? Negatively, I’m afraid. I told my Careers teacher that I wanted to go to university to do an English & Drama degree and become an English teacher and she replied that, ‘Black people don’t do that!’ To her racist mind, black people had no place aspiring to go to university. I ended up working as a computer programmer for a number of years before I decided I needed a complete career change. Have you always had an amazing imagination? Stories and poems have always been a passion of mine – both reading them
and making-up my own. Being an inveterate daydreamer at school led to me frequently getting told-off by my teachers for it. So it’s ironic that daydreaming is now how I make my living! Nothing in this world that gets created comes into being without imagination – and imagination is like a muscle – the more you use it the stronger it gets. Exercise yours! Who was your biggest influence growing up? My parents, and people like Martin Luther King and Muhammad Ali. I’ve always admired people who stand up for what’s right. Was there a moment in your life that was a turning point and made you want to write about racism? The Stephen Laurence case was the catalyst for writing Noughts & Crosses, but a major part of why I became a writer in the first place was the dearth of childrens’ books featuring black protagonists.
Above: Malorie’s proudest publications which tackle risky subject matter SPRING 2021 schoolnotices.co.uk 29
Write from the heart as well as the head. Care about what you write and write what you care about. What’s your favourite book? I have too many I love to pick just one. Among them would be V For Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd, Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and Beloved by Toni Morrison.
And screen plays? I enjoyed co-writing the Doctor Who: Rosa script with Chris Chibnall and the scripts I wrote for one of my books, Whizziwig which was shown on CITV. How involved were you in the TV adaptation of Noughts & Crosses? I was lucky enough to be quite involved in that I was sent all the scripts to read and comment on. The rough and fine cuts of each episode were sent to me for my observations. The production company also sent me audition tapes for some of the younger actors so I could give my feedback.
How long does it take for you to come up with a story idea? I always have story ideas. I usually have about four or five on the go at once. The difficult (but exciting) task is to work out which one to do next.
Do you base any of your characters on people you know? The short answer is no – because I don’t want to get sued. I don’t even use the names of friends because they’ll always believe that you are writing about them, which I would never do!
Which of your books are you most proud of? The ones that were risky in terms of their subject matter: the Noughts and Crosses series, Pig Heart Boy and Boys Don’t Cry. Also Cloud Busting because it was told entirely in narrative verse, which at the time was a lot more unusual than it is now.
Books, TV, radio and stage – which is the most challenging to write for? They are all challenging but in different ways. Novels are a challenge as they are yours until you hand them over to an editor for feedback but scripts are collaborative from the outset.
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Interv ew
PHOTOGRAPHY: ©JAREDD CRAIG (UNSPLASH), LOVEMYREAD.COM
Above: Just some of Malorie’s penned literary treasures from first readers to teenage grit
What did you enjoy most as Children’s Laureate? All the schools and places I visited nationwide and the people I got to meet. At the end of my two year tenure it was worked out that I had spoken to over 30,000 teens nationwide.
Which two books would you take to your desert island? The complete, unabridged works of Jane Austen and Toni Morrison.
When not writing, what do you like doing? Reading and playing the piano – badly. Plus I love watching films, going to the theatre, and playing computer games.
Motto for life? Hold onto hope and never give up.
Any ideas for your next venture? A number actually. Watch this space…
Your advice to aspiring young writers? Write from the heart as well as the head. Care about what you write and write what you care about. Tell us about LoveMyRead and your involvement? LoveMyRead is a subscription-based book club where Frank Cottrell-Boyce and I present the very latest, best books for subscribers each month. We get to read a number of books, sometimes before they are officially published, and we pick the ones we feel will be most enjoyed by the different age range categories catered for by the book club.
A child’s book subscription is just £12.99 a month. After sign-up, simply choose an age category, (0-3), (4-6), (7-9) and (10-12). Then on the day of publication you will receive a hotly anticipated and beautifully packaged new book (with some additional treats included!). www.lovemyread.com
SPRING 2021 schoolnotices.co.uk 31
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It’s a
Family Affair The Whitehall clan are a close knit bunch. No wonder Jack decided to explore the world with his father Michael and in the last episode mum (Hilary) and Winston came too! We caught up with the charming Michael Whitehall about his life, travels and plans for the future. 34 schoolnotices.co.uk SPRING 2021
Prof le
Family memories: A collection of moments captured by the Whitehalls including Michael and Hilary’s wedding, scenes from Travels with My Father, family pics with siblings Jack, Molly and Barnaby and high jinks with newest family member, adopted Thai doll Winston
School for Michael Whitehall was Ampleforth in Yorkshire chosen by his deeply Catholic mother as it was deemed the ‘best’ at the time. Despite having never been north of Watford, he spent seven happy years there and loved it. “I had a really good time and made lots of friends.” On leaving school, it wasn’t all plain sailing for Michael. “My mother wanted me to be a doctor or barrister and she had very grand plans for my career. I was a school teacher at some slightly suspect boys’ prep schools, a solicitor’s articles clerk and a bar student”. Despite this flirtation with the law, Michael found his attention span was just too short for these professions. Then, as fate would have it, Michael met Robin Fox the doyenne of agents who had a fantastic client list. “I started at the bottom and never looked back.” By 28, he was a successful agent in his own right discovering some big names whilst they were still at drama school – Colin Firth, Daniel Day Lewis and Michael Fassbender to name but a few! He also represented Dame Judi Dench and went on to form his own production company with Nigel Havers. One of his clients was the actress Hilary Gish who having “started a romantic moment” subsequently became Mrs Whitehall. Jack is the oldest Whitehall sibling with Molly and Barnaby following closely behind. On enquiring if Jack showed any potential of becoming the mega star that he is today, Michael answers that he was “always a livewire but I didn’t have any idea he was going to go on into that line of business. SPRING 2021 schoolnotices.co.uk 35
Working with Jack has been the absolutely special thing. I’m very lucky to have had my later years filled doing things with him which is a real treat. In fact his great skill was as an artist, he was brilliant at cartoons and doing likenesses of people.” Such was Jack’s artistic flair that following Marlborough College he went to the Chelsea School of Art. Yet, his comedy career seemed to be written in the stars and following a stand-up set at the Edinburgh festival, his path took a different turn. On reflection, Michael remembers him being heavily involved in the drama scene at Marlborough. “He was always involved in the impresario side of drama, coming up with plays that he wanted to do and be in” in short “he was very impressive at Marlborough as an actor, but he was even more impressive as a comedian”. Any assumption that Jack’s success was helped by having a father in the business is quickly put to bed. “It annoys me when people say the reason he did well was because his father was an agent. I was an agent for serious actors and I gave him virtually no help. He found his own way to 36 schoolnotices.co.uk SPRING 2021
the Edinburgh festival and then had his own agent as a comedian.” The million dollar question is how the father/ son collaboration materialised. Michael is quick to point out that the “collaboration was simply that I was his father”! He agreed to do a small set with Jack at the Edinburgh festival called Backchat which later went onto TV and consisted of “Jack interviewing people whilst I sat looking grumpy!” From there, the Netflix series Travels with My Father developed – the rest is history. When asked if he had any idea it would be so successful, Michael defiantly says “no” and “I was surprised at myself because although I have a comedy routine about loathing going on holiday, for me it wasn’t a routine - it was completely true! I’ve never been a traveller. Then suddenly in the last five years we’ve gone almost all around the world to all these places - it’s been very exciting and very nice to do it with Jack at my ripe old age.”
Prof le
Michael is the first to admit that Winston “is very troublesome - he has become a bit of a diva and he has an ego problem – mainly my fault”. Jack makes no secret of the fact he doesn’t like Winston and refers to him as “that doll”. This hasn’t stopped his growing fanbase @Winstonwhitehallofficial which has 146,000 followers and rising.
PHOTOGRAPHY: ©JACKWHITEHALL, @HILARYWHITEHALL, @FATHERWHITEHALL (INSTA)
Life in lockdown has been predictable but there has been plenty of time for writing and reflection and there is talk of a new book. “I’ve been working on it with Jack and Hilary for some time - it’s very much a ‘might’ rather than an ‘is’ but watch this space.”
There are so many priceless moments in Travels with My Father that finding a favourite is a challenge. For Michael the most awkward was the Naked Yoga class in L.A. “Jack always gets very enthusiastic and he said it would be really funny if we went to this yoga place. When we arrived a man came over who wasn’t wearing any clothes.” In true Father Whitehall fashion, he steadfastly refused to remove any of his clothing (unlike Jack) but continued his sun salutation in shirt and tie. “I wasn’t going to take anything off but it was fun!” Despite the glamorous locations and jet set hotels, the real pleasure for Michael was visiting some of the developing countries. “Vegas I thought was awful, I don’t understand the obsession but I loved the poorer places like Cambodia where the people were wonderful and the country beautiful.” Of course, we couldn’t discuss the series without referencing adopted Thai doll, Winston.
With all the many years of experience, what pearls of wisdom can Michael share with the aspirational younger generation? “My advice has always been exactly the same – don’t touch it with a barge pole. Don’t be an actor because you will be out of work most of your life – it’s all about rejection and you need to be very thick skinned.” Luckily for us Jack didn’t listen to his father, a reason why we love their confrontational relationship and adventures together. Despite being in front of the camera latterly in life, it’s not Michael’s default setting. “I get offered things from time to time” but “I don’t want to be a TV star as I know how exhausting it is”. So what’s the attraction? In a nutshell – family. “I enjoy doing things with Jack and Hilary – I don’t really enjoy the rest of it. Working with Jack has been the absolutely special thing. I’m very lucky to have had my later years filled doing things with him which is a real treat.” And it’s that unpretentious love of family life underpinned with humour that gives their relationship its credibility. @fatherwhitehall SPRING 2021 schoolnotices.co.uk 37
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Prof le
Digitally Peerless Amanda Morison speaks to Baroness Martha Lane Fox of Soho, who became famous co-founding lastminute.com in the 90s, and today is a passionate advocate for equal digital access across society When I speak to Baroness Lane-Fox of Soho (“please call me Martha”) she’s on her way back from the vet with a cat who has, apparently, been peeing all over the house. Said cat photobombed a BBC Radio4 Today interview (peeing and interview not related), leading to a feature later in the week with a pet psychologist who helped explain why the
nation’s pets are on red alert the second a Zoom ‘you’re on mute, Derek’ hones into view. Given the number of roles Martha juggles – among them non exec director of Chanel, board member of Twitter and Crossbench Peer in the House of Lords – how does she sound so calm? She’s also the mother of four-year-old twins. Wonderwoman? SPRING 2021 schoolnotices.co.uk 39
The digital world is not an option. Some have benefitted massively and some haven’t. It’s no surprise that digital poverty is linked to actual poverty.
She explains that the lockdowns have made her time easier to manage than usual. Following a serious car accident in 2004 Martha walks with ‘two sticks’ and is registered disabled. Not having to be out and about as much has proved a positive in some ways. She’s taken on two significant roles, at WeTransfer and chairing the Lord’s Select Committee on Covid – and says it’s strange not to be able to meet new colleagues. “You lose the element of being able to read people“. Zoom fatigue is something most can relate to, and Martha also identifies how 40 schoolnotices.co.uk SPRING 2021
hard she finds it to compartmentalise. “Something might be going wrong – or right – with the children downstairs, and it’s difficult to be upstairs working”. However, she also identifies how fabulous it is to have an afternoon when they can all build a crazy Lego structure together. As a passionate advocate for democratising technology, Martha believes that if we have seen anything in the last year it’s that we’ve gone through five years of digitisation at speed. “If you’d told me that I’d be voting on
Prof le
my phone in the House of Lords I’d have said you were smoking crack, but it happened within one month of lockdown”. She argues that progress has revealed inequalities, not least for kids and schooling. Having worked in this area a long time she says it’s not a “sexy bit of tech, but it matters“. And she’s clearly frustrated with progress, arguing that solutions are not complicated – get good hardware and software into homes, and the skills to use it. “The digital world is not an option. Some have benefitted, others haven’t. It’s no surprise that digital poverty is linked to actual poverty. Families have been choosing between buying food or topping up data. “ Is she glad her career has been about technology and entrepreneurship? “Yes. It changed my life.” Though she says she’s not, in fact, very good at tech: “I’m not a technologist but I have a fundamental understanding and curiosity about technology”. It’s this, and her experience building an online business, that helps her ask good questions about the future of society – “Without trying to sound too grand!” – and makes her a useful person to have on a board. She’s also passionate about the role of the Open University, for which she is chancellor. “It’s an incredible digital organisation that realised early on that tech was going to be the enabler for people to have a different experience of learning”. Is Britain a good place for entrepreneurs? “It’s better than it was when I was co-founding lastminute.com, when we were roundly mocked. But she argues that Britain is not as effective at scaling up businesses as in starting them, and that the lack of diversity is an issue. “It’s about gender, class, race
MARTHA LANE FOX how it all happened… 1989
A-Levels at Westminster School
1992
Reads Ancient and Modern History
at Magdalen College, Oxford
1998
Co-founds lastminute.com with
Brent Hoberman
2003
Leaves lastminute.com
2004
Life-changing car crash in Morocco
2007
Board Member M&S
2009-2013 Works as UK’s Digital Champion 2013
Appointed CBE in the New Year
Honours for ‘services to the digital
economy and charity’. Assessed
as one of the 100 most powerful
women in the United Kingdom by
Woman’s Hour. Becomes the
youngest female member of the
House of Lords
2014
Appointed Chancellor of the
Open University
2016
Joins the board of Twitter. Elected
a Distinguished Fellow of BCS, the
Chartered Institute for IT, after being
nominated by the Duke of Kent
2017
Appointed a member of the Joint
Committee on National Security
Strategy 2018
Appointed Non-Executive Director
of Chanel. Becomes a Trustee of
The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust
2019
Named most influential woman in
digital of the past 25 years by The
Drum, in association with the Futures
Network, InnovateHer and WACL
2020
Chairs the panel for the Women’s
Prize for Fiction
2020-2021 Chairs the Lord’s Select Committee
on Covid
SPRING 2021 schoolnotices.co.uk 41
Look ng for a new Toy Story?
Send Woody on his next adventure, post a notice on our noticeboard
Prof le
From left: At the 50th anniverary at the Open University, as an ambassador for climate change at Talanoa Dialogue for climate ambition, offering her wisdom at ‘If I Could Give You One Piece of Advice’, an event by The School of Life
and ethnic background. Those giving out and receiving funding are shockingly white, male, middleclass and metropolitan-centric”. This is partly why she was so interested in becoming a trustee at The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust. “Anything with Royal money can give young people the backing of the establishment.” Other organisations in Martha’s portfolio include non-executive director at Chanel and board member at Twitter. She says privately owned Chanel is fascinating to someone used to working with public companies. “It’s an iconic brand. I’m certainly not a typical consumer, but the symbolism and leadership Chanel can bring to issues is very important, particularly around sustainability and climate change. And I can’t imagine a company more different to Silicon Valley, publicly owned, and very loud Twitter.” I ask if she has any reading tips following being Chair of the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2020. She laughs and says having read 60 novels by women it’s ironic that two of the books currently on her bedside are by men. The Overstory by Richard Powers and George Saunders’ A Swim in the Pond in the Rain. She’s a great fan of poetry. “You can dip in and take something from it in 15 minutes“. She recommends poetryfoundation.org -
Those giving out and receiving funding are shockingly white, male, middle class and metropolitan centric. “it’s wonderful, masses there” and she’s reading a lot of Adrienne Rich. The best piece of advice she’s been given was as part of a chairing role. Things weren’t going right, and she asked someone for honest feedback. “It was bruising to the ego to hear I wasn’t listening, but I’d been trying to bring people with me instead of thinking whether people wanted to come with me. My goal should have been to facilitate everyone to go in the direction they wanted to go in.” The piece of advice she’d like to pass on is based on her own experiences of having a hinterland. She describes herself as a generalist and isn’t a fan of the notion that an entrepreneur has to be about product 24/7. “Have other interests. Read widely, go to the theatre, volunteer. Other aspects to your life add immeasurably to the whole and will make you better at whatever you want to do.” SPRING 2021 schoolnotices.co.uk 43
The Podcast
ESCAPE Lockdown has seen the exponential rise of Podcast Power! When you’ve zoned out of Zoom, escape to your own audio bubble and secretly indulge to your heart’s content. The SN Team divulge their favourites…
LISA
TIA
HENRIETTA
The Rugby Pod
Soul Music
The Rugby Pod is a bit like sitting in the pub with your rugby expert friends and discussing everything to do with the game. Lots of banter and fun, hosted by Andy Goode and with rugby legends, so lots of interesting insight into the decisions made on and off the pitch.
Various individual’s personal experience and connection to one piece of music … often emotive and always thought provoking, you’ll never listen to the song in the same way again!
Desert Island Discs India Hicks & Lady P
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All the episodes are great but this one particularly stands out - Childhood as a Mountbatten; Lions, Coatimundis, Bears and being left in Budapest…
Rev ew
EMMA
DAWS
KIMBO
The High Low by Pandora Sykes and Dolly Alderton
Caliphate
Grounded – Louis Theroux (BBC Radio 4)
PHOTOGRAPHY: SHUTTERSTOCK
Such a funny and light hearted podcast that delves into current trends and affairs, stories in the media and so much more. What I love is the section in each podcast that looks at their top reading recommendations.
Brilliant – amazing story of a journalist tracking down and interviewing a Canadian ISIS recruit – stories of how he was brainwashed, the horrors of life as an ISIS soldier and how he eventually found his way home.
Started in lockdown as he couldn’t do his normal documentaries. Now onto series 2. He manages to get to the real person – both their light and dark sides. He’s done his homework and gets to the nitty gritty. FKA twigs is enthralling.
MILLY
TASH
TANIA
The Battersea Poltergeist (BBC Sounds)
Happy Place – Fearne Cotton
Great Lives
This 8-part series follows the real life spooky goings-on of one of Britain’s most famous hauntings and is definitely not for the fainthearted! It’ll make you question whether the supernatural is real… Probably best not to listen to just before you go to sleep!
Feel good, inclusive and inspirational. A nice escape on my lunch time walks. Hilariously covers life before pregnancy, during childbirth and beyond with actors, comedians and parents alike.
A fascinating biographical series where guests choose someone who has inspired them. Good hearted and funny - find out about the amazing lives of a broad range of people. My favourite so far Bill Bailey on his hero Alfred Russel Wallace!
SPRING 2021 schoolnotices.co.uk 45
Life’s too short to drink bad wine You’re exhausted, fed up with childcare, cooking and multi-tasking and longing for that much deserved glass of wine. A simple solution for a complicated day, and one that Helen McGinn struck upon with the Knackered Mother’s Wine Club and it snowballed from there…
Who was your inspiration? I think it was those who came to talk at that Wine Society, all so enthusiastic about the world of wine. Then I started reading more
books about it, Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnson’s World Atlas was – and still is – one of my favourites. Do you need lots of qualifications as well as a very good nose? I did years of wine exams but really, the more you taste the more you learn. And I think we’re all given a fairly similar sense of smell and set of taste buds, it’s what you do with them that makes the difference. Where did the inspiration come from for the Knackered Mother’s Wine Club? I’d discovered the world of parenting blogs when I had my first baby and loved the idea of getting advice from others I could relate to rather than just a textbook. I used to send emails to friends with news on wine offers when I was a supermarket wine buyer and my lightbulb moment – if you can call it that, I was knackered at the time – was turning it into a blog. I started posting a couple of wines each week and it grew from there. What’s most surprised you? I had no idea that a simple blog would create a whole new career for me. It led to books,
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PHOTOGRAPH: ©SARAH COX
How did you get into the world of wine? I joined the Wine Society at University, primarily because it was the cheapest way to get four half glasses of wine on a Thursday night. But I soon realised I was genuinely interested in the subject, the people, the places and of course what was inside the bottle. So, I thought I’d try and make a living out of it and was lucky enough to get a place on a graduate training scheme at a big supermarket. I then bugged the head of the wine department until they gave me a job.
Interv ew
SPRING 2021 schoolnotices.co.uk 47
Advice for going into the wine business? Do a wine course. The WSET (wsetglobal. com) run a whole raft of them and it’s a great place to start. Any low alcohol wines that you recommend? Alcohol is the backbone of wine and without it, they can taste quite hollow. The Doctors’ Sauvignon Blanc (Waitrose, £8.99) is only 9.5% so make a spritzer with that if you want to cut down on alcohol but still enjoy the taste of wine. Do you have a favourite glass? They’re terribly impractical but I do love a Coupe when it comes to drinking anything with bubbles. Mine are from The Vintage List. Wine snobs would be horrified, I’m sure.
Top left clockwise: Celebrating The Knackered Mother’s Wine Club book launch, filming on Saturday Kitchen, a knackeredmother Instagram quote we can all relate to, the doodle husband Ross drew that became the brand, and enjoying a tipple on the set of This Morning.
a newspaper column, a job as a TV wine expert and now a fiction writer. I’m still in shock to be honest. At heart are you a Red, White or Rosé girl? All three. It depends on my mood, food and what sort of day I’ve had. Any wine taboos that you want to smash? That you should or shouldn’t like certain wines. The only person who can decide if a wine is for you, is you. Ignore anyone who tells you any different. 48 schoolnotices.co.uk SPRING 2021
Does your love and knowledge of wine extend to food? Well, I’m naturally greedy so yes. I’m always reading cookbooks. Not that I always successfully recreate the recipes, but I try. Everything in moderation but do you think ‘clean’ living has been taken too far? I’m definitely all for everything in moderation – including moderation. I want clean and dirty, thanks. You regularly appear on This Morning and Saturday Kitchen how did you get into TV? After my first book, The Knackered Mother’s Wine Club, was published, I was approached by a production company to be the wine expert on The Alan Titchmarsh Show. I did that for about three years, a weekly wine tasting with Alan and his guests. It was such fun and a great place to learn the ropes.
Interv ew
I had an idea for a story that just wouldn’t go away so started writing it, without telling anyone… Do you enjoy being in front of the camera? I used to get nervous but now I genuinely forget I’m even on camera. I just try and focus on what I’m doing and enjoy the conversation. It always goes so quickly. How did your first book, The Knackered Mother’s Wine Club, come about? The blog had been going for two years and had built up quite a following when an editor dropped me an email saying she’d come across it and thought it would make a good book. For six months every Saturday I wrote (I was still working for a wine company at that point) and the book came out the following year. A second updated edition was released last year. And you are now moving into fiction, tell us about your new book? I had an idea for a story that just wouldn’t go away so started writing it, without telling anyone, about four years ago. I would write whenever I found a bit of time in between my normal job and eventually I had a first draft of a book in my drawer. I’d written a few more drinks books by then so when my agent asked, ‘what next?’ I told her about the draft. The last meeting I had before the first lockdown was with publisher Boldwood Books – they offered me a two-book deal.
HELEN’S PICK OF THE BUNCH
12 3
1: Austrian Gruner Veltliner, £6.49, Aldi Guaranteed to put a spring in your step, this perky white is made from one of Austria’s star grapes. Fresh and crisp with a touch of peach. 2: Taste The Difference Saint Chinian, £9, Sainsbury’s Brilliant red from the Languedoc, packed with black fruits and spice. Think baby Rhône but much cheaper. 3: Domaine Barthes Bandol Rosé 2019, £13, Co-op Sun’s out, rosés out! This one’s just hitting Co-op’s shelves now and is an absolute bargain for Bandol.
SPRING 2021 schoolnotices.co.uk 49
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WINTER 2020 schoolnotices.co.uk 10
Interv ew
Which authors do you most admire? I grew up on Jilly Cooper, Rosamunde Pilcher, Maeve Binchy, Mary Wesley… all great storytellers. Marian Keyes can make me laugh and cry at the turn of a page and I love getting lost in a Lucinda Riley every now and again for pure escapism. How do you juggle everything – the TV work, author, journalist, blogger, wine connoisseur and mother? A brilliant husband and lots of wine.
PHOTOGRAPHY: @KNACKEREDMOTHER (INSTA)
The Gurnard’s Head in Cornwall and a honeymoon pic in Rome favourite destinations that inspired the settings for This Changes Everything.
Any life lessons learnt in lockdown? I’d make a terrible teacher. The wine that you’d take to a desert island? A 1988 Krug for sentimental reasons. It was a wedding present and we opened it soon after our first baby was born. Not straight after, obviously. I waited until I got home.
What was the inspiration behind it? It’s a love story of sorts – first love, lost love, eternal love – set mostly in Rome and Cornwall, two of my favourite places on earth. The story is set around a character called Julia and her two daughters Annie and Jess. When Julia decides to go to Rome with her first love, a man she hasn’t seen for fifty years, her daughters follow her out there (they have their own reasons to skip town for a few days). What they discover in Rome changes all their lives forever.
Who are the five people you would most like to do a wine tasting with? Oh god, I’m terrible at things like this. I know I should probably list five very clever, inspirational people but the truth is it would be my family or five of my girlfriends. We’re very good at drinking wine together.
Have you always wanted to write? My husband reminded me the other day that I told him I wanted to be a writer when I was about fifteen (we’ve been together for a long time!). I didn’t think I’d write a novel back then obviously, but I’ve always loved writing. I guess the wine blog was a way of being able to combine two things I love.
Your motto for life? Don’t look down.
What next – any more novels to come? Yes, I’m just working on my second novel now. I’ve been writing this one in lockdown so there’s more wine involved than the last one!
Helen’s much anticipated debut novel This Changes Everything is available now. amazon.co.uk
SPRING 2021 schoolnotices.co.uk 51
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Books
Book CLUB Camilla Leask gives us her top spring picks…
This Can Never Not Be Real by Sera Milano
At the start of Sera Milano’s powerful novel, an annual local music festival quickly descends Best for SENIORS
into terror. Crowds stampede to escape the panic caused by the actions of multiple, deliberately unidentified perpetrators. Five
teenagers tell their version of events, mainly in real time, occasionally on reflection. Their first person narratives criss-cross like rapid gunfire, graphically
This Changes Everything
depicting their hours of hell and the aftermath.
by Helen McGinn
Milano avoids glorifying the novel’s violence.
Should first love be
Best for PARENTS
Through compelling characters and masterful story-telling, she amplifies
left in the past, or is first love,
the words of all survivors of atrocities, who have to ‘go on surviving every
forever love...
day for the rest of their lives.’ Waterstones, (published April 2021) £7.99
In this debut novel from TV wine expert Helen McGinn,
Circus Maximus: Race to the Death by Annelise Gray
The first children’s book from Annelise Gray follows brave 12-year-old Dido, who dreams of becoming Maximus on her horse Procellus. But this is Ancient Rome and girls are forbidden from racing, so Antonius, the trainer of Rome’s most popular racing team. When tragedy strikes, Dido flees
used to their mother Julia being spontaneous. But when she announces she’s flying off to Rome to meet her first love Patrick, whom she
the first female charioteer to race at the Circus
Dido must be content with helping her father
sisters Annie and Jess are
hasn’t seen for fifty years, it’s an adventure too far. Her daughters decide the only
Best for 9-12 YRS
her childhood home and her beloved horse. Now threatened by the powerful, unpredictable new emperor, Caligula, Dido must conceal her true identity to fulfil her dreams and avenge her father’s death. Gray skilfully marries a rip-roaring yarn with meticulously researched detail, transporting the reader to the heart of Ancient Rome. Zephyr, £12.99
way to keep Julia safe, is to go too. As the eternal city of Rome works its magic, old secrets, old friends and old loves become new possibilities and new dreams. And when the four travellers return home, nothing will ever be the same again.
Freelance books publicist and mum of two, Camilla
A timeless, joyous,
has worked predominantly with children’s authors for
unforgettable journey through
14 years. She’s worked with literary giants including
love, family, and long-
Cressida Cowell, Enid Blyton Entertainment and the
forgotten dreams.
Narnia Estate amongst others. @willowpublicity
Amazon from £8.23 SPRING 2021 schoolnotices.co.uk 53
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The r future l es n your hands… Image provided by kind permission of Marlborough College
Get the parent view with our exclusive school reviews
Educat on
Lessons in a Covid climate
As our ‘home schooled’ children re-enter the classroom, Daniel Hannan explores the lockdown educational divide where some schools rose to the challenge and others did not. He also looks at why successful teachers view their job as a vocation. SPRING 2021 schoolnotices.co.uk 55
I was struck by how committed teachers are, how even those in their early twenties feel a palpable sense of responsibility.
56
Educat on
The lockdowns revealed a gap between ambitious and unambitious schools so wide as to be a cause for national shame. Good state schools, and most private schools tried to maintain something close to a normal school timetable. There were morning assemblies, online sports sessions, music lessons – the works. Sure, teachers had to adapt to remote learning. It soon became clear that few of us – children or adults – can maintain a high level of concentration while staring at a laptop. But, very quickly, teachers found workarounds, breaking up the screen time with offline tasks and many insisted that classes keep their cameras on, knowing that it would prevent attention from wandering. How many times were there variants of the following exchange? “Sir, my camera isn’t working.” “Right, so if I check with your housemaster, he’ll tell me that it doesn’t work at all?” “Oh, hang on, it’s working now!” Not for the first time, I was struck by how committed teachers are, how even those in their early twenties feel a palpable sense of responsibility. Peering over my daughter’s shoulder from time to time, I would see her teachers employing every method and device, technical and rhetorical, to make their lessons stick in her memory. They were not recording from home in their slippers. They were, in most cases, sitting at their usual desks, smartly dressed, with their slides and aides carefully prepared. Yet – and you have no doubt guessed where I’m going with this – the experience of some schools was very different. According to a survey by the Children’s Commissioner, half of all secondary school pupils and the majority
Teachers determined to continue lessons whatever it takes.
in primary schools, got no remote teaching at all during the summer term 2020. A primary school near me not only failed to attempt any online lessons; it refused to mark the worksheets it sent out. From the beginning, it elevated producers over consumers – that is, teachers over students. Key-workers’ children were admitted grudgingly, the school making clear that they would get no teaching on site and would have to catch up when their exhausted parents came off shift. One couple, both doing frontline healthcare work, were repeatedly asked why they needed a place when they already had childcare for their pre-school child. How are we to explain this difference in attitude? Seriously, how? It’s clearly not down to a lack of resources: a Zoom or Teams lesson costs nothing once the programme has been installed. Nor is it purely a private/ state division. Plenty of state schools were wonderful while several private schools were not. No, this is a question of attitude, not money. Some schools saw the virus as a challenge to overcome, others as an excuse to do less. SPRING 2021 schoolnotices.co.uk 57
Educat on
To be fair, that division exists in plenty of other areas of life. One of the pubs in my village, for example, has been frantically promoting its new takeaway service, offering to deliver to people who are self-isolating and, at weekends, running a market stall. The other has shut up shop completely. But teaching is – or ought to be – a vocation. No one goes into it for the money. People embark on the career because they derive satisfaction from it. From my own occasional lecturing at university level, I sense how rewarding it can be. When you see students picking up new ideas, infected with enthusiasm for your subject, you feel a very special satisfaction. However it is almost impossible to get that sense through a screen.
PHOTOGRAPHY: ©CHEAM SCHOOL, SHUTTERSTOCK
Some schools saw the virus as a challenge to overcome, others as an excuse to do less. Why, then, have more teachers not been clamouring to return to the classroom? Have they been chastened by their unions, which mounted a campaign from the start to prevent any in-person tuition? Are they unusually risk-averse? Perhaps so and maybe that is no bad thing. We want teachers to
Cheam School: the type of teaching we’ve come to miss, face-to-face and engaging.
be a bit more risk-averse than the rest of us, since part of their job involves telling kids to step away from that window, to leave the socket alone, to come down from up there. Risk-aversion, though, is not the chief explanation. I’m afraid what we’re seeing is something that happens in lots of large bureaucracies: the virtues of the individuals are lost in the collective. In academies, as in most private schools, teachers cheerfully found ways to work through the closures but in many government-run schools, the commitment of individual teachers was somehow filtered out. We need to ask, bluntly, why not every school was able to respond to the lockdowns in the way that most private and some state schools did. The answer has to do with accountability, not resources. Let’s hope it doesn’t take another crisis to force us to fix the problem.
Lord Hannan of Kingsclere is an author and columnist. He serves on the UK Board of Trade and is a Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party responsible for its international relations. He teaches at the University of Buckingham and the University of Francisco Marroquín. He sat as a Conservative MEP for 21 years, and was a founder of Vote Leave. He writes regular columns for The Sunday Telegraph, The Washington Examiner and Conservative Home. www.hannan.co.uk
SPRING 2021 schoolnotices.co.uk 59
Human children GROW FASTER in SPRING than in other seasons
Grasshoppers existed BEFORE dinosaurs
KINGFISHERS close their eyes as they dive into the water, so they are FISHING BLIND!
A group of SPARROWS is called A TRIBE
Caterpillars have 12 EYES
DRAGONFLIES have been on earth for 300 MILLION YEARS
Spider silk is FIVE TIMES STRONGER than STEEL
The UK’s WOODS are home to almost HALF OF ALL BLUEBELLS in the world
You’ll NEVER guess what? We’ve discovered some fascinating facts about nature for you to wow your friends with this spring
ANTS are incredibly strong, they can lift objects 50 TIMES THEIR OWN BODY WEIGHT
Unlike us, COWS and HORSES can SLEEP STANDING UP.
A BLUE TIT weighs the same as a £1 COIN
Broccoli is actually a FLOWER
60 schoolnotices.co.uk SPRING 2021
TULIP BULBS can be substituted for ONIONS in a recipe
A group of OWLS is called a PARLIAMENT
Snails can SLEEP for 3 YEARS There are 12 TIMES MORE TREES on Earth than stars in the Milky Way!
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