SPRING 2022
Brought to you by schoolnotices.co.uk
LIZ EARLE OUR QUEEN OF WELLNESS
Canny cooking
WITH PHIL VICKERY
Steve Backshall NATURE’S HERO
CLARE CONNOR CHAMPIONING WOMEN’S CRICKET
WIN! A luxury family holiday to
Let’s get Spring is finally here! It’s time to get outside and say good bye to those winter blues. In this edition, the queen of wellbeing, Liz Earle shares her wealth of knowledge and experience on how to be the best possible you. Steve Backshall shows us the wonder and importance of nature, whilst Phil Vickery discusses his new book and shows us how cooking can be economical and sustainable. Charlie Bigham, spreads light on building a culinary empire and the Double Dutch ‘tonic twins’ shake up the cocktail market. Block print pioneer, Molly Mahon sheds light on her colourful life and exciting interior collaborations and we celebrate womens’ cricket with an exclusive interview with the inspirational Clare Connor, the first female president of the MCC. Finally, our ever popular ‘faces to watch’ are back with yet more extraordinary talent.
clay pigeon shoot is taking place this March and then on 20th May we are running our first girl’s prep school cricket competition at Marlborough College. In addition, our hugely popular webinars on finance, education, mental health and nutrition continue to go from strength to strength. School Notices continues to be the trusted 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, check out our trusted school reviews, as well as some great member rewards, video interviews and exclusive competitions all designed with you in mind – there’s everything you need for independent school life and beyond. Happy Easter to you all! The School Notices Team Visit: schoolnotices.co.uk Email: info@schoolnotices.co.uk
2022 is proving a bumper year for School Notices. The ever popular Holland & Holland
SPRING 2022
Brought to you by schoolnotices.co.uk
LIZ EARLE OUR QUEEN OF WELLNESS
Canny cooking
WITH PHIL VICKERY
Steve Backshall NATURE’S HERO
CLARE CONNOR CHAMPIONING WOMEN’S CRICKET
WIN!
A luxury family holiday to
Publisher and Editor Katie Wiggin • Artistic Director Ruth Ellis Founder and Executive Chairman Gordon Dawson • CEO James Nickson Head of Brand Partnerships Milly Steel • Contributor Amanda Morison Head of Schools Tia May • School Partnerships Mouse Parkins Digital & Data Manager Natasha Minto • Content Editor Monique Ellis Advertising Tania Buckley and Daniela Flower Cover image Millie Pilkington (milliepilkington.co.uk)
For advertising: advertising@schoolnotices.co.uk or call 07884 436210
Contents
20
10
27
4
16
ALL STOCK AND PRICES SHOWN CORRECT AT THE TIME OF PUBLICATION (MARCH 2022)
55
04 08
Shop till you drop
10 16 20 26
The SN team pick their top Spring buys
Exclusive competition Win a once-in-a-lifetime family holiday to Hillside Beach Club, Turkey
It’s all Double Dutch! Meet the glamorous twins taking the mixer market by storm
Fresh face forward Lucia Ferrari on getting a natural Spring glow
Queen of wellness Liz Earle gives her top tips on how to be the best possible you
Book club Our top Spring reads this term
27 35 45 50 55 60 66
Nature’s hero Steve Backshall on the wonders of the ocean
Canny cooking Our favourite chef, Phil Vickery shows us how
Block print genius Inside Molly Mahon’s colourful career
Food for thought How Charlie Bigham built his food empire
Cricket’s heroine Clare Connor on championing female cricket
Faces to watch Inspirational alumni talent reach for the stars
Fun facts Dazzle them with your trivia knowledge! SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 3
SPRING TO THE SHOPS with our latest must-haves
Ladies Star BUY
From top left clockwise: Krista starburst gem inlay statement hoop earrings £22, oliverbonas.com • Vintage mix scrunchie set £23, pinkcityprints.com • Harlequin silk scarf £145, aspinaloflondon.com • Farmacy Deep Sweep 2% BHA Pore Cleaning Toner £27, boots.com • Love rainbow cashmere blend cushion cover £95, orwellausten.com • Sunglasses in acetate and metal £360, loewe.com • Suede bag £99, arket.com • Floral print detachable collar £45, wolfandbadger.com • Lucent ring £175, swarovski.com • Clogs £455, longchamp.com • Double Dutch Cucumber Margarita with Chilli Soda drink £23.15, doubledutchdrinks.com • Lena charm choker £110, uk.missoma.com Isabelle star pointelle jumper £230, wyselondon.com
4 schoolnotices.co.uk SPRING 2022
Shopping
Men
Star BUY
From top left clockwise: Portofino dry gin £36.95, drinkspirited.co.uk • Livall ski and snowboard smart helmet £129.93, amazon.co.uk • Garmin Fenex multisport smartwatch £599.99, johnlewis.com • Linen shirt: lime tree - navy blue £135, pinkhousemustique.com • 19-69 Purple Haze Eau de Parfum £150, mrporter.com • Aspinal golf ball holder £95, aspinaloflondon.com • Tiger matches £32, noblemacmillan.com • Dr. Dennis Gross skincare - Hyaluronic Marine Hydration Booster £68, mrporter.com • Whale tale’ staniel swim shorts £120, lovebrand. com • Cloudflyer running shoes £140, on-running.com • Handmade Pioneros Argentinian polo belt £39.95, houseofbruar.com • Transparent speaker £450, mrporter.com
SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 5
Shopping
Star BUY
Girls & Boys
From top left clockwise: Playstation light up headphone stand £17.99, iwantoneofthose.com • Contrast running trainers £29.99, zara.com Beautiful butterflies biscuit tin £38, biscuiteers.com • Stella McCartney Kids ice cream shorts £110, bambinifashion.com • Hair ties carribean queen £8, milliepink.com • Kenzo Kids elephant cap £52, childrensalon.com • Nasa deluxe telescope £55.99, iwantoneofthose.com • Burberry teal green sunglasses £120, childrensalon.com • Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro and Aston Martin Vantage GT3 £34.99, lego.com • Where’s Bowie? jigsaw £14.99, oliverbonas.com • Mood sprays trio £43, spots-and-stripes.com • Fun trainers 3 strap from £40, boden.co.uk Sunuva swimsuit £50, childrensalon.com • Rainbow neon sign £55, oliverbonas.com • Rectangular sunglasses £10.99, zara.com
SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 7
WIN! An incredible
four-night family stay at Hillside Beach Club If you are dreaming of sunny escapes that offer an idyllic mix of relaxation and adventure in contemporary comfort, then look no further than Hillside Beach Club in Turkey. The luxury hideaway offers guests a home away from home in privately owned Kalemya Bay, surrounded by fragrant pine forests and the twinkling turquoise sea. Discover more at hillsidebeachclub.com/en
ACCOMMODATION
HIGHLIGHTS
Competition
DINING
Designed in harmony with nature, the luxurious rooms create a sense of calm, whilst the beautiful views create a private oasis without compromising on comfort.
Lounge in luxury on the stunning beaches in Kalemya Bay
4-night stay in a Family Room with terrace for a family of four* Complimentary Full-Board** Airport transfers
FAMILY FUN
THE PRIZE:
Choose from three restaurants each guaranteed to excite the senses. From traditional Turkish Mezze’s, to fresh Italian gastronomy to an impressive buffet of world-wide cuisine.
A couple’s spa treatment
ENTER HERE TERMS AND CONDITIONS Competition closes 19/04/2022. *Prize includes a 4-night stay for 2 adults and 2 children (under 12) sharing a Family Room. **Full-board includes breakfast, lunch and dinner at the main restaurants and dinner in the à la carte restaurants. Airport transfers included, flights not included. The prize must be redeemed during the 2022 season. Full terms and conditions
WATER-SPORTS
To be in with the chance to win this amazing prize simply
From football competitions and DJ masterclasses, there’s something for every little traveller at the two dedicated kid’s clubs, Kidside and the Activity Centre.
Boasting three stunning beaches, children and adults looking for activities and adventure are spoilt for choice, with experts on hand at the resort’s impressive water-sports centre.
SPA
A sunset boat tour
If you’re craving relaxation then head to one of the two spas for the ultimate in pampering treatments such as a deep tissue massage in a tree-top treatment room.
All in the
MIX
Noticed meets the dynamic twin sister duo behind the rapidly growing Double Dutch mixers brand.
SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 10
Profile
Make ours a gin with Double Dutch Cucumber & Watermelon. It’s an intriguing blend of flavours, especially if you buy into the rationale behind the Double Dutch mixers brand. Founders Joyce and Raissa De Haas, realised that if you like your gin/tequila/ vodka you’ll want to taste its particular blend of botanicals and not just the fizzy accompaniment. This ‘ta-da’ moment led the duo to devise a range of mixers that allowed the flavour of the spirit to sing, while also being delicious in their own right. The rest of the business backstory pretty much writes its own marketing taglines: ‘glamorous 20-something identical Eurochic twin founders who walked away from careers in finance to embark on postgrads in entrepreneurship’. The De Haas sisters were born in the Netherlands and grew up in Antwerp to parents working in furniture, antiques and
real estate. Their family home just happened to have its own alcohol licence – what was that about marketing taglines? – and the twins describe how their parents, both “super passionate about different types of drinks”, used the licence to import wines, champagnes and spirits for their friends and family. What they say was just a hobby sounded a lot of fun, including parties for 50 being commonplace. During these parties the twins decided that it was such a shame that no one really cared about the mixers, that they started to blend their own. Again, it was only ever a hobby and what followed was a more traditional path, reading Economics at university in Antwerp, then careers in finance. So far so great, but Joyce and Raissa realised that while finance itself was okay they didn’t like banking’s environment and culture, or what they termed the “whole corporateness” of it all. A friend studying at UCL was raving about his time there and when they
L-R: Both girls promoting their drinks, with their parents as children and both together back home in Antwerp, Belgium
SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 11
discovered a course that covered setting up a start-up, it seemed like fate and the sisters moved to London. The course was so tailormade to setting up a brand there was even a ‘Most Promising Start Up’ prize. Inevitably, the twins won.
Cucumber Margarita with Chilli Soda We’ve done a lot of the hard work for you here with our Cucumber Margarita with Chilli Soda cocktail! You can also make this without Cointreau for a Tommy’s twist with a little less alcohol. Watch out for the heat of chilli on the finish. INGREDIENTS • 50ml Tequila • 25ml Cointreau • Lime wedge • Salt • Double Dutch Cucumber Margarita with Chilli Soda ACCESSORIES • Margarita glass • Spirits jigger 1. Pour 50ml Tequila and 25ml Cointreau into a salt-rimmed margarita glass 2. Top with Double Dutch Cucumber Margarita and garnish with a lime wedge SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 12
Asked if they always agree on flavours the twins laugh and say absolutely not, but as they always trial flavours with customers and bartenders, 95% of their recipes change before launch anyway. For Raissa the current favourite has just launched. She loves her Bloody Mary Soda – “fantastic for a quick cocktail”. For Joyce it depends on the time of year and the occasion, and she’s currently loving the Cranberry & Ginger – though both agree it’s hard to choose between their different babies.
If work is your life then it’s 100% of your life and you need to be passionate about it. Already exporting to over 40 other countries, the main focus for Double Dutch this year is the US. They will initially be in five states, including California, New York and Texas and plan to be on the road there every six weeks. Their advice to anyone with an idea is to get on with launching and not wait “until you think the product is perfect.” They feel their own mistakes include “horrible labelling” at the beginning and thinking you can’t be too
Profile
young to start; “if you’re straight out of school or university there’s so much less to give up, such as salary and job security”. They also under-hired in the early days and the business was growing so quickly that they felt they were continually lagging behind with expertise. Raissa also wishes she’d been less chaotic – “If we’d kept business cards at the beginning we would have a database of 15,000 of the most amazing customers”. One resource they highly recommend is mothers. “So many incredible women with amazing careers who have taken a step back after having children and want to be able to work flexible and part-time hours”. They can’t imagine working without the other but admit it’s hard to switch off from business when working with your twin, “We spent all of Christmas Day talking about Double Dutch”. The benefits include being able to fight with someone with no repercussions because you don’t need to be diplomatic with each other. And in meetings the twins admit they know exactly what each other is thinking with the slightest twitch of an eyebrow. They also
Double Dutch Negroni The Double Dutch Pomegranate & Basil mixer brings a slightly lighter twist to a classic Negroni and has all the sweet and bitter notes you could wish for. Play around with garnishes, anything from a dried orange slice to a few basil leaves. Don’t forget the ice! INGREDIENTS • 25ml Red Vermouth • 25ml Campari • Double Dutch Pomegranate & Basil • Fresh basil leaves • Fresh pomegranate seeds ACCESSORIES • Highball glass • Spirits jigger 1. Put a handful of ice in a highball glass 2 Add 25cl red Vermouth and 25cl Campari 3. Top with Double Dutch Pomegranate & Basil 4. Add basil leaves and pomegranate seeds to garnish for added texture SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 13
Do you have a son or daughter who needs our help?
The Employability Experts
www.finito.org.uk
Profile
PHOTOGRAPHY: SIMON. J. HANNA 2017, @DOUBLEDUTCHDRINKS/ (INSTA)
share the same clothes, swapping suitcases full of garments with each other every week. When entertaining their friends Raissa’s current favourite cocktail is a twist on a Negroni: “Vermouth, Campari and top with Double Dutch Pomegranate & Basil – it’s a lighter version of a classic”. The Cucumber Margarita with Chilli Soda is super easy: “Make a salt rim, add tequila and it looks and tastes amazing”. At some point the pair will work on a a cocktail book, something that won’t take long given they’ve been making recipes pretty much their whole lives. As far as a motto for life goes, neither believe in a work life balance – “If work is your life then it’s 100% of your life and you need to be passionate about it”. They both love London and think it’s the best city in the world because you can walk and see so many different neighbourhoods and so much green space. “If it had good weather then we’d never leave!”. For now, it’s all about building their brand so that it’s recognisable around the world. That, and mixing a lot of mean margaritas. Cheers!
Find out more about Double Dutch mixers at doubledutchdrinks.com
SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 15
Fresh face forward Lucia Ferrari meets Caroline Barnes Spring is finally here! Skies are blue-er, the days are longer, hyacinths and daffodils are everywhere (not just in M&S food halls) so let’s celebrate by delving into our makeup bags with some expert advice from the brilliant makeup artist Caroline Barnes.
Caroline’s easy to replicate makeup looks are hugely popular on YouTube and Instagram and she’s also worked with red carpet stars such as Lily James and Kylie Minogue. She is renowned for how she uses skincare and makeup as a catalyst for positivity and confidence boosting. Her approach is not always less is more, but you’ll always come away feeling and looking a million dollars.
16 schoolnotices.co.uk SPRING 2022
Beauty
1
I nvest in a really good SPF – one you’ll actually enjoy putting on. The consistency is key, ideally not too gloopy. I love the Australian brand Ultra Violette Queen Screen Luminising Sun Serum SPF 50+, £36. It’s super sheer and is great under makeup. I can see why it sells out.
2
Warm up your skin tone a tiny bit with a light application self tan. A couple of drops of something like James Read H20 Gradual Tan Drops Face, £30, are ideal because the colour is super light. Plus it’s not remotely drying on the skin. You don’t want to look suntanned. It’s more to even out skin tone and get rid of any redness and leave you looking a bit more healthy and glowing.
3
Try one of the new lighter skin tints instead of your usual foundation. I really like the new Max Factor Miracle Pure Skin Improving Foundation, £13.99. It’s a mix of skincare (hyaluronic acid and collagen boosting vitamin C) with a really lovely, buildable, glowy coverage. It doesn’t look like you’ve got makeup on and has a fine weightless texture.
4
In Spring and Summer, I change from using a shimmery bronzer which I use during the grey Winter months to a matt one. I think it’s much more flattering on the skin. It doesn’t make you look too shimmery in the sunshine! My favourite matt bronzers are Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Bronzer, £39 and Dior Forever Natural Bronze, £40
5
It’s definitely time to add a bit of colour to the cheeks and lips. I love adding a watermelon shade, as it’s so pretty and flattering with a lightly bronzed skin. The new Rose Inc Blush Divine Radiant Lip & Cheek Colour hydration creams are beautiful. I love the colour Anemone. £23
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. lucia-ferrari.com • @luciaferraribeauty SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 17
Personal service. Surprisingly good value. Peace of mind. Now is the time to speak to a human being about your insurance needs In these ever-uncertain times certainty is a speck of gold dust in an otherwise chaotic cauldron. The pandemic taught us many vital lessons, but the best lesson of all is…don’t wait. Life is short and waiting lists for medical treatment are getting ever longer. Apply the don’t wait philosophy to your medical insurance to add that much needed certainty to your life. The perfect medical insurance will ensure your care takes place in a timely manner with a minimum of fuss. Towergate can really help. You get to speak to a human being. A human who feels, much like you, that understanding and certainty are key to you finding the perfect product for your needs. They’ll listen first. This much is certain. Once they understand you they’ll go to work on matching you with the 'perfect fit for you’ policy. This needn’t mean expensive. The good people at Towergate will find you the right policy with an ever-watchful eye on value. That much is certain too. While you’re on the case with all things insurance it would be worth testing the Towergate team with any of your other insurance policy needs. Family holiday cover, equestrian cover, even school bus and key man cover are all in their very large insurance wheel house. Whether you’re an individual, an institution or even seasoned equestrian(!), we all need certainty, don’t wait, call Towergate today.
schoolnotices.co.uk/towergatehealthcare
Promotion
Hear what other School Notices members have to say I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Towergate to anyone looking for health insurance. The wonderful Gerard looked after us superbly, ensuring that he properly understood our health history and our needs going forward. In the end he found us an amazing deal which suited all our individual requirements - not bad given we are a family of seven! Ed (St Mary's Ascot parent) Marlborough College
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School Notices is an Introducer Appointed Representative of Towergate Insurance. Towergate Insurance Brokers and Towergate Insurance are trading names 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. PMI and life insurance are arranged 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.
Our queen of wellness
Liz Earle When you think of phenomenal success stories within the beauty world, the name Liz Earle is right up there. From co-founding the eponymous beauty brand, to writing over 35 books on beauty, nutrition and wellbeing, Liz is the go-to respected voice within this growing industry.
20 schoolnotices.co.uk SPRING 2022
Interview
Combine this with her TV appearances, podcasts and bi-monthly magazine and she really does deserve that wellness crown. We catch up exclusively with Liz, to learn the secrets of the trade so we can all live our very best, healthy and fulfilled lives. As a child were you interested in beauty? I was given a Vogue Beauty book by my grandmother when I was 12 and this really sparked my interest. I was fascinated by pictures of stunning models talking about putting cucumber slices on their eyes. Did school play any role in your future career path? None at all! My careers advice was to become a nurse or secretary! Who inspired you the most? My father was an Admiral in the navy and worked his way up through the ranks by sheer grit and determination. He taught me never to give up and always find a work-around to a tricky problem. He’s an ‘everything is possible’ kind of guy, very inspiring. How did Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare come about? It was the idea of one of my closest friends, Kim Buckland, who was working in the beauty industry at the time. She was aware of my research, book writing and TV work and thought that if we came together, we’d make the dream team. She was right. Together, we sold the brand back in 2010.
Do you see yourself as an entrepreneur? Yes – having founded several brands, from beauty to jewellery, to publishing and wellness. I love the challenge of spotting a gap in the market and aiming to create something that’s better than anyone else! I guess that’s my competitive nature – and I can be quite competitive with myself too. What advice would you give to the next generation following in similar footsteps? Take it slow if you want to build it strong. These days, the temptation is to think everything can be a quick win, an overnight viral sensation. But what goes up fast tends to come down even faster. I always say take the long view… crawl, walk, run. Which of the many books that you’ve written are you most proud? I loved researching and writing my Good Gut Guide at a time when gut health wasn’t mainstream. I know it continues to help many. Even more so the follow-up to that, the Good Menopause Guide – written at a time when the very word was considered a bit of a taboo. I’m so pleased to have been part of the opening up of the discussion around mid-life women’s health and the damage to our physical and mental health that happens when we lose our hormones. Wild Rose earrings £148, promoting her beauty range 1995, Vogue Body and Beauty Book 1977
Which product are you most proud of? Would have to be Cleanse & Polish – the most highly awarded facial cleanser in the world! I still use it, despite no longer having any connection to the brand.
SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 21
L-R: Rose Petal Granola, with favourite podcast interviewee Dr Louise Newson
Any more in the pipeline? I’m writing e-guides at the moment for my Liz Earle Wellbeing website, which I love because they can be produced more quickly than print and updated with new links and downloadable information along the way. It’s great to be able to write something and include a scan-code to go straight to a specific podcast episode or research paper. My recent ones have been on fitness, the immune system and brain health. I’m now researching sleep as a new topic. How did Liz Earle Wellbeing materialise? I started life as a health and beauty journalist, long before the beauty company was created, so I’ve gone back to my roots. I have a passion for passing on evidencebased, genuinely helpful information that is accessible, easy and often inexpensive, to other women. It’s a sisterhood – and I love being able to share the wisdom that 22 schoolnotices.co.uk SPRING 2022
With eldest daughter Lily, magazine March/April 2022, recording the popular Liz Earle Wellbeing Show podcast
comes from many of the world class medics, researchers and academics I’ve developed close contacts with over the decades. And your magazine? My first job was as an editorial junior on a monthly magazine called Woman’s Journal, so I have gone back to my first love – writing and researching. To now be Editor-In-Chief of my own, very special magazine with its unique blend of helpful, friendly wellness content for mid-life women – from food to fitness, beauty to travel, health to home – is my absolute dream job now. Do you feel the printed magazine may have had its day and that the future is online? We actually started out online five years ago, as that was where everyone thought the industry was going, but interestingly, print sales are soaring. I love the immediacy and clickability of online, but you can’t beat
Interview
With a womens’ shea butter cooperative, jewellery from her award-winning Fairtrade range, looking trim in a photoshoot for Liz Earle Wellbeing, food cupboard inspiration, with daughter Brella and middle son Kit
We have trillions of beneficial gut bugs and we need to look after them so they can look after us. the trusted tangibility of something you can actually hold and keep. Otherwise you end up just being a bit of a so-what blog and there are enough of those! Who is your favourite podcast interviewee? I love Dr Louise Newson, aka the Menopause Doctor, and all she and her wide team of medical experts are doing to raise awareness of the usefulness and safety of HRT. She would be top. Also Professor Michael Baum, a world-class breast cancer researcher and surgeon, for de-bunking the myth that HRT causes breast cancer. I was only meant to record one episode with him, but it was so
fascinating it ran into three! I also love talking to epigeneticists about the new-found role of nutrients such as saffron and turmeric for brain health and immunity. Do you see any emerging trends within the beauty and wellness industry? Nutri-genomics and better understanding of our personal epigenetics is one to watch and will be here to stay. Do you have a favourite go-to recipe? I make a lot of fermented foods and drinks – kefir, kimchi, kombucha. How important is gut health to wellbeing? It’s critical. We have trillions of beneficial gut bugs and we need to look after them so they can look after us. We’re mostly made of microbes and it’s important the good bugs outnumber the bad. That means limiting processed foods and sugars and focusing SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 23
What do you do to relax? Family movies, box sets (I’ve been bingeing Grace and Frankie and Succession recently), long walks and kicking back with a gang of friends over too much red wine.
on colourful veggies, unprocessed meat, full-fat dairy, eggs and fermented foods. Any food trends or super foods emerging? I’m liking the newish trend for making shakes and smoothies using concentrated powders, whether casein protein powder, turmeric or a super-green, such as chlorella. Do you have any exciting new collaborations we can look forward to? My podcast, The Liz Earle Wellbeing Show, goes from strength to strength, with over four million downloads and a wide global reach, so I’m excited about being able to grow this with bigger, better guests and more episodes. How do you juggle work with five kids? My children are very spread out in age, ranging from 31 down to 11, so that massively helps. The older ones are brilliant at helping out with their younger siblings. 24 schoolnotices.co.uk SPRING 2022
You’ve championed the importance of recognising and treating the menopause. Do you think at long last we’re getting there? Yes we are – in that menopause is no longer a word uttered in hushed tones, but there is still MUCH to be done, from better education for more GPs to getting access to hormones such as testosterone for women who need it. Any dreams still to be realised? I feel very fortunate to have realised so many through my family, my work and travel. I used to have my own TV show, Liz Earle’s Lifestyle, on ITV – it would be good to do that kind of thing again and open up the wellbeing discussions to an even wider audience. What motto do you live by? Be a little kinder than necessary. Kindness goes a long way – and always comes back to you. @lizearleme
PHOTOGRAPHY: ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF LIZ EARLE WELLBEING
Liz advocates a high-fat, low-carb, balanced diet
Which charities/causes hold your heart? When the beauty company was sold in 2010, I used some of the proceeds to found the humanitarian charity LiveTwice, to offer opportunity to those in most need – from skills training to welfare in developing countries. I have close ties with East Africa, having lived there for many years, and am a Patron of Ace Africa and an Ambassador for Tearfund, Cure International, Compassion in World Farming, The Royal Osteoporosis Society and the Menopause Charity, to name a few. Giving back is vital – it’s extremely important to have a sense of purpose in life. Something I try and give each of my five children too.
Interview
Spring Greens Kimchi Serves: Makes one litle jar Fermentation time: approx one week
INGREDIENTS ● 500g spring greens (or napa cabbage) ● 2 carrots ● Handful of pink radishes ● 5 spring onions (around 5), finely chopped ● 4 garlic cloves, crushed then chopped ● 1 thumb of ginger, grated ● 2 red chillis and 1 green chilli ● 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar ● Korean red chilli flakes (or chilli powder) ● Sea salt METHOD 1 Make up a litre of brine by dissolving four teaspoons of sea salt into one litre of water. Roughly chop the spring greens, carrots and radishes and pop them into the brine. 2 In another bowl, mix together the spring onions, garlic, ginger, chillies, cider vinegar and chilli flakes. Drain the spring greens mixture, saving the brine, then add the greens into the bowl, mixing well with the spring onion and spices (ideally use your hands – gloves help protect against chilli). 3 Pack the spiced veggies into a clean litre jar, pressing down to release liquid. Make sure the liquid is covering the contents of the jar and if not, add a little more brine. Weigh down the vegetables to keep them below liquid level, using a smaller jar. Cover the jar with muslin or a cloth and leave for three to five days. Stir well, then leave for another few days. It should be ready to eat within the week. Put a lid on the jar and refrigerate.
Recipe extracted from lizearlwellbeing.com where you can also subscribe to the bi-monthy print magazine.
SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 25
Books
Book CLUB
Best for JUNIORS
Noticed reviews the top Spring reads…
Leonora Bolt: Secret Inventor by Lucy Brandt
When island-dwelling Leonora learns that someone has been stealing and making a profit from her inventions on the mainland, a cracking quest for justice ensues in this hilarious adventure featuring an inflatable lobster and a singing sea captain. Orphaned Leonora lives on a remote Best for YOUNG JUNIORS
island, spending her days making crazy cool inventions. When a strange boy called Jack washes up on an inflatable lobster and reveals
The Secret of Haven Point
that her evil Uncle Luther has been stealing her
by Lisette Auton
inventions and selling them on the mainland, it
Outsiders never come here –
begins a laugh-out-loud adventure - complete with a furry otter, a singing
the magic doesn’t let them.
sea captain and a very secret society.
When Alpha was a baby, she washed up by the lighthouse at
Ideal for ages seven and up, Leonora’s boldly illustrated wild and whacky
Haven Point, a remote beach
adventures make for a joyous read either alone or out-loud.
alive with wild magic. Alpha
£6.99 (Paperback) Waterstones
was the first foundling – and now the lighthouse at Haven Point has become a ramshackle
The Last Supper
home for any disabled child or adult who has ever felt
by Rosemary Shrager
call themselves the Wrecklings,
is found dead at the Cotswolds manor house
carrying out wreckings and
where she was catering for a prestigious
looting from passing ships with
shooting weekend, Prudence is asked to step
the help of the mermaids who
into the breach. Only too happy to take up the position she soon finds herself working in the kitchens of Farleigh Manor. But Farleigh
Best for ADULTS
is the home to secrets, both old and new. The site of an unsolved murder from the nineteenth century, Farleigh Manor has never quite shaken off its sensationalist past. It’s about to get a sensational present too. Because, the more she scratches beneath the surface of this manor and its guests, the more Prudence becomes certain that Deirdre Shaw’s death was no accident… Celebrity TV chef Rosemary Shrager has cooked up a storm with her witty and light-hearted debut novel – where cosy crime and cookery collide! £16.99 (Hardback) hive.co.uk 26 schoolnotices.co.uk SPRING 2022
live in their waters. Alpha and her gang spend their days adventuring on the shore and getting into trouble with the grown-ups. Then one day, everything changes… An enchanting, atmospheric and inclusive story perfect for ages nine-12 filled with mermaids, mystery and more. £7.99 (Paperback) Amazon
ALL PRICES SHOWN CORRECT AT THE TIME OF PUBLICATION (MARCH 2022)
excluded from society. They
When an old television rival, Deirdre Shaw,
Interview
Nature’s
HERO Steve Backshall on his passion for the great outdoors, his love of the Orca, scary moments and having no regrets…
SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 27
It wasn’t until I was in my 40’s that I went back to university and did a Masters in Biology
Above: Undiscovered Worlds with Steve Backshall, Mexico
Adventurer, presenter, explorer, wildlife enthusiast, dare-devil and writer – which do you most identify with? At my core – I’m a naturalist! I’m someone who loves going out, exploring, getting mud under my fingernails and looking at worms under the microscope. That’s the thing that switches me on more than anything. That’s where I’m most lost and caught up in the moment. When did your love of animals and the great outdoors emerge? I can’t remember ever not having this love. From three years onwards my family tell me that I was going through compost heaps looking for snakes eggs, wandering around picking up bugs and worms and being utterly into everything outside that let me get grubby and dirty. There has never been a point in my life when it hasn’t been my driving passion. Did your school days play a role in shaping your future career? No – actually the opposite. School was a pretty unhappy time for me. I went to a failing comprehensive school, where I lost my love of learning. No-one ever made the connection that with my love of wildlife I should be doing Biology. It wasn’t until I was in my 40’s that I went back to university and did a Masters in Biology. 28 schoolnotices.co.uk SPRING 2022
What advice can you give to aspiring young lovers of nature who want to make a career out of this passion? Be reminded of the words by Frank Sinatra and ‘do it your way’! Looking around at all the people similar to me, like Chris Packham, Liz Bonnin, Lizzie Daly and Gordon Buchanan, not a single one of us has taken an established path. We’ve all found different and innovative ways of getting to where we wanted to go and it’s all been down to individual ingenuity and finding our own path.
Who inspired you the most? There was one particular lecturer when I was doing my A Levels, who came along at the time when I’d lost all burning ambition for learning and could have gone down a totally different path. But he utterly caught my imagination and inspired me. He turned my life around and I went from being a failing student to a straight A student in a couple of months. The most memorable dive you’ve made? I think the first time I dived outside the cage with great white sharks in open water is
Interview
The one sea creature that inspires you the most? I’m a massive fan of the Orca (killer whale). They are so intelligent and have such sophisticated communication. There is still so much we have to learn about their lives and how they interact. There may well be several completely different species that don’t interact and that have different languages and ways of hunting. I find them utterly and endlessly fascinating and I’m definitely doing a big part of the show on the Orca. An Orca whale jumping out of the water, Photographer Adam Ernster
The first time I dived outside the cage with great white sharks in open water is something that I will never forget.
something that I will never forget. It was one of those moments where everything you have learnt about an animal’s behaviour is turned on its head. You have to put your faith in your own learning and experience. It was the most uplifting and surprisingly joyous experience I’d ever had underwater. What is the most challenging series you’ve made to date? The attempt to make the first ever source to sea of the Baliem River in New Guinea was the most challenging. There were so many things that went against us, from a rampaging white water river, to warring tribes in the Highlands. We felt very vulnerable and a long way from help. We were there for two months and it was full on. I was very glad to be home at the end of it.
Clockwise from top left: On expedition in the desert, Ghost River expedition, ‘Shark with Steve Backshall’ video - ©Sky Nature/NOW
TV show you are most proud of? I’m proud of many of my conservation programmes. Deadly 60 has probably had the most impact. Even today I still get young people coming up to me and saying watching Deadly ignited their love of animals. I’m proud to be a role model, to get kids involved in wildlife and if that’s all I achieve I will be very happy. SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 29
Do you have a Deadly No 1? The Orca – deadly in their own world. Their sophisticated way of setting up their hunts and big brain processing power make them the perfect predator. Time you were most afraid? Lots of times. My first descent in Bhutan in the Himalayas when I very nearly drowned and was trapped under water for 4.5 minutes, that’s the closest I’ve come to dying. My life was saved by my paddle partner Sal Montgomery. I’d very recently become a father and my priorities had changed and all of a sudden there I was very close to nearly losing everything. Most proud discovery? There was a cave in Borneo that we re-discovered and inside were hand prints from our early ancestors dating back 40,000 – 50,000 years. This is the oldest figurative art in the world and it had never been seen in modern times until our expedition found it in these remote caves in the middle of the rainforest days from anywhere. It is something that I will never forget.
W W W.W O R L D L A N D T R U S T. O R G
The World Land Trust is a UK registered charity. It raises money to buy and then protect environmentally-threatened land in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America. In 2018 it claimed to have raised more than £25 million and to have bought more than 3000 km² of land in about twenty different countries.
30 schoolnotices.co.uk SPRING 2022
Deadly 60, venomous snake
Three items you’d take to a desert island? A good knife, Super Glue and a big box of matches! When you do have time to relax, what do you like doing? My wife and I have just been out for a two hour, 20km kayak on the river and that, I would say, is my main way of unwinding. It’s really good for clearing your head by just concentrating on your breathing and paddling. We live on a beautiful stretch of the River Thames and it’s just perfect for that. Charity closest to your heart? I work a lot with the World Land Trust – a charity that buys and retires big areas of tropical rainforest around the world. Often the forest will be handed back into the stewardship of the local people who will attach it to National Parks. It’s a really pragmatic and practical way of doing conservation. Over recent years we’ve raised millions and saved ten’s of thousand’s of acres of forest around the world. It’s something that you can really touch, feel and smell and it works really well for young people by getting them involved in buying their own section of rainforest. It changes these kids into conservationists and you can’t underestimate the importance of that. how powerful that is. Can social media and nature work together? It’s so important to get kids outside but at the same time you can’t tell them not to use any screens. You become an old fuddy-duddy without an understanding of the real world
Interview
I’d very recently become a father and all my priorities had changed. and then you lose your power and the ability to get a message across. What you have to do is find ways of making the outdoors, wildlife and adventure cooler than screen time. That’s the trick. Motto you live by? No Regrets! Just get on with it. If things go wrong then learn from it and treasure those mistakes as they will make you a stronger person in the future. Don’t waste your time by saying ‘if only’. That’s the most paralysing and pointless thing to do in life. Get on with it, get stuck in, make your mistakes and keep on going and you’ll find your way to a positive future.
What challenges left to conquer, goals still to realise? Right now in this period of my life I think my priority is with my little ones and how their futures will play out. The challenge is finding adventures that we can all do together. My kids are still young and who knows what they will be like but right now they absolutely come alive when they are outside. Above: Steve exploring a rockpool with his children
Steve Backshall Ocean is a love letter to the most exciting environment on our planet. Inspiration behind the Ocean Tour? In the last decade I’ve done quite a lot of programmes which have been sea themed. I’ve done lots of work with sharks, whales and seals and I felt that really getting beneath the skin of oceanography and marine biology, telling the tales of our seas, (good and bad) could be brought to life by doing a show. The hard thing was finding a way to bring this vast great big blue and wet environment to the stage. It’s been challenging but we’ve come up with all sorts of stunts, tricks and techniques to bring the ocean to life.
2nd April – 8th May 2022 Bringing Marine Dreams to Life For tickets please visit: S T E V E B AC K S H A L L . C O M SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 31
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Financial Awareness Course Understanding more about the World of Finance TOPIC 1 Introduction to Investment
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School Notices, in partnership with abrdn, are delighted once again to offer our member schools the chance to take part in this fully interactive and engaging sixth form programme. Three 45 minute webinars over three consecutive weeks will give a deep dive into the world of finance and investment with industry leaders. On completion of the course, each pupil will receive a certificate to add to their CV and LinkedIn profile with the opportunity to be put forward for an internship at abrdn.
TOPIC 3 Forms of Investment – Past, Present, Future
The Financial Awareness Course arrived at an ideal moment for our Year 13 students. Joining our Life After Marlborough programme, this three part course comprehensively covers an integral part of a young person’s future life and was delivered engagingly, relevantly and tangibly by the experts from abrdn. Thank you School Notices! John Carroll, Head of U6, Marlborough College
Please contact antonia@schoolnotices.co.uk if you would like your school to be included in this initiative. SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 33
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Fabulous
PHIL
With his boundless energy, enthusiasm and laughter, Phil Vickery is everyone’s favourite chef! Whether cooking up a storm on TV or just talking food, his positivity is infectious. We catch up on all things culinary and how his new cookbook, The Canny Cook is topping all the bestseller lists. Phil can’t remember a time when he wasn’t in love with food. Not just the taste and smell, he was also endlessly fascinated by the whole cooking process and the science behind it. He can pinpoint a moment at eight years old when his school caretaker gave him an old jumble sale book - Warne’s Everyday Cookery. He was instantly hooked by the black and white photos of chefs in action and from then onwards his culinary passion was sparked despite his mum saying “You want to be a chef – good luck with that one!”. He has fond memories of his mum endlessly cooking and special birthday treats of a chinese takeaway or Kentucky Fried Chicken,
but with his elder brother going into medicine it was hoped he would also follow in similar footsteps. At primary school he didn’t do any cooking and in secondary school Home Economics was seen as “girly”. So school was not an influencing factor in his choice of career. Like Heston Blumenthal, Phil wanted to know how and why things worked so he brought another book, Cake and Sugar Craft , so he could make the royal iced buns of his childhood. Armed with gum paste and a sugar thermometer he built a church in pastillage and discovered the science behind why a clear fondant then goes white. It’s this endless quest for the ‘why’ and for explanations that he still incorporates into his TV work today. SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 35
…love what you do and be interested and keen to learn. I was working at a fishmongers and bakery and doing courses on coffee and chocolate on my days off. Aged 15, during Wednesday ‘release days’ from school, he started a catering course, this was followed by a chef’s course and with several prizes (more books) under his belt his future looked mapped out. His first job was in a seaside hotel in Folkestone, where he got fired for not cooking breakfast. It was then onto the Lake District where he worked for five years before deciding to up sticks and explore Australia and New Zealand. On his return home, the fun was over and he needed to earn money so it was back into what he knew best, restaurant life. Then followed a stint at the famous Gravetye Manor in East Grinstead, at Ian McAndrews’ Michelin starred ‘74’, before landing his own position as head chef at the Castle Hotel in Taunton following on from Gary Rhodes. Not surprisingly more ‘prizes’ followed in the form of a Michelin Star and 4 AA Rosettes
amongst many other illustrious awards. At the time the Michelin Star meant everything, now Phil is keen to point out they “give them out like confetti!”. Around this time Phil’s TV career also took off. He was approached by Ready Steady Cook which he flatly declined. The producers persevered and after an audition he was hooked and never looked back. “It changed my life and it filled my restaurant overnight”. He realised this commercial decision was the “way ahead”. In a similar way, he ignored the criticism of “selling his soul” when he partnered with Aldi and together they turned it into Supermarket of the Year. Phil is keen to point out that he doesn’t like being told what to do or to plan ahead, in short he has always “ploughed my own furrow”. With regard to advice for the next generation of aspiring chefs, Phil believes it’s all about hard work. “Being a chef is a fabulous job but for a single person.” Phil is the first to admit that he lost his marriage by working too hard. “You need to love what you do and be interested and keen to learn. I was working at
L-R: Phil with Keith Floyd as a young chef, Easy Fish Tacos – The Canny Cook
36 schoolnotices.co.uk SPRING 2022
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Squidgy Creme Egg Brownie –
The Canny Cook
a fishmongers and bakery and doing courses on coffee and chocolate on my days off.” This single-minded dedication to hard work is less tolerated today but Phil is adamant “you’ve got to put yourself out”. As a friend once told him “it’s like a bank account, you only take out what you put in” and this philosophy has continued to under-pin his approach to both work and life. Phil’s simple approach to cooking is hugely popular with his fan base. He doesn’t believe in the ‘Roux Robots’, he wants people to cook from the heart in order to give food ‘soul’. Yes, you need a certain amount of skill but for Phil it’s about artistic flair and imagination and not just talent. “Taste what’s not there, not what is there. Find the easiest and most efficient way of cooking and use stock cubes if they create the taste you want.” For Phil, cooking is about letting your character shine through and not just following the motions. With 23 years of TV cooking, Phil knows that demonstrating in front of a camera is very different to normal cooking and requires certain skills. The legendary Keith Floyd gave him three invaluable pieces of advice. “Be yourself and talk to the camera like it’s a mate, when you start thinking it’s the real world you are in trouble and in TV you don’t get the sack, they just don’t ring you anymore!” To this, Phil adds “keep it simple, listen to the presenters and know your job inside out. Also, give the
More books from Phil Vickery: Save Money Good Diet (May 2019), Diabetes Meal Planner (Jun 2020), Ultimate Diabetes Cookbook (Nov 2017), Essential Gluten Free (May 2016), Seriously Good Gluten-Free Cooking (2nd Edition, Feb 2016) GAME (Aug 2014), Pork ( Oct 2013), Gluten-Free Cooking for Kids (Apr 2012), The Great Outdoors Cookbook (May 2011) Seriously Good Gluten-Free Baking (Oct 2010), Seriously Good! Gluten Free Living App. (Oct 2010), Phil Vickery’s Favourite Food (Mar 2010), Britain the Cookbook (with Steve Lee, 2nd Edition, Nov 2009), Puddings (2nd Edition, May 2009), Seriously Good Gluten-Free Cooking (Apr 2009), The Little Book of Great British Turkey Recipes (Apr 2008), Britain The Cookbook (with Steve Lee, Sep 2007), Ready Steady Cook: The Ten-minute Cookbook (Sep 2006), A Passion for Puddings (Sep 2005),The Complete Gammon Cookbook (Dec 2006), The Proof Of the Pudding (Sep 2004), The Proof of the Pudding (May 2003), Phil & Fern’s Family Food (Jul 2003), Just Food (Sep 1999)
SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 37
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breaking’. He is hopeful that The Canny Cook might also be high on this list as “it bucks the trend” and likewise is ahead of its time.
Waitrose’s
Book of the Month February
Phil’s new book The Canny Cook was Waitrose’s Book of the Month for February. With the cost of living rising extortionately and concerns over sustainability, it seems to be in the right place at the right time. The ethos behind the book is that you don’t need expensive ingredients to
Looking ahead, what other trends can Phil see emerging in the culinary world? For him it’s all about healthy diets, “we’ve done street food, Asian food, foams etc, now we are back to tasty and honest food with humble ingredients that people can afford”.
I love a pilaf, it’s my comfort food... you can add whatever you like.
cook delicious food and that often frozen and canned food can be both healthy and nutritious. A few years ago ‘no one would have touched the book’ but the current climate is ripe for it despite Phil believing that “there’s still a lot of snobbery and I’ll probably get a lot of crap for writing this book”. As a chef, he is the first to say that he often uses tinned and frozen food and the results are just as good – “you can produce really lovely stuff”.
viewers one little nugget of information they won’t ever forget such as one tablespoon of olive oil has 123 calories!”. Being ahead of the curve is something that Phil has mastered – just look at the success of his gluten free cookbook which was published over 10 years ago and has sold over 300,000 copies in 14 different countries. This was followed by a series of books on diabetes, all of which were ahead of their time. Amongst his 18 published cookbooks, he has covered, pork, game and is still stopped all over the world about his turkey recipes. When asked which book he is most proud of, Phil comes back to the gluten free books as they were ‘ground-
Of his many recipes, there is one dish that he always returns to – “I love a pilaf, it’s my comfort food, you just need onions, garlic, rice and stock cubes and then you can add whatever you like”. In his store cupboard, you will always find, Oxo cubes, rice, tinned tomatoes and a tin of Spam. In the freezer there will be mash pellets and frozen chips! For his last meal on earth “it would have to be smoked salmon, cottage pie and meringues with Rodda’s clotted cream”. So what’s left to achieve? Phil is adamant he won’t be doing Strictly or I’m a Celebrity – that’s just not his bag. He doesn’t want to retire but is happy to take his foot off the pedal a bit. He’s found a happy place where “life’s not too shabby”. The key to his life, like his recipes, is simplicity, honesty and a lot of laughter thrown in for good measure. “Get up every day and have a laugh at yourself” and as his brother once told him “I’m here for a good time not a long time”. Hopefully Phil is here for both! vickery.tv SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 39
Green Vegetable Massaman Curry An easy recipe that tastes really good and is really adaptable; add as many different ingredients as you like to enhance the base. Try adding prawns, cooked chicken or even roasted vegetables such as pumpkin, squash and courgettes. If you can, cut the potato using a serrated cutter.
Prep time: 25 minutes Cook time: 25 minutes Serves: 4 INGREDIENTS ● 2 tablespoons any oil ● 200g frozen chopped onions ● 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped ● 1–2 tablespoons green massaman curry paste ● 400g can coconut milk ● 10g vegetable stock cube, crumbled ● 560g can potatoes, drained (345g drained weight), then chopped into walnut-sized chunks ● 1 teaspoon palm or light brown sugar ● juice of 2 limes ● 1 teaspoon fish sauce, or to taste (optional) ● 2–3 tablespoons tamarind paste ● dash of light soy sauce ● 100ml pineapple juice (optional) ● 200g frozen peas ● 200g frozen green beans, cut into 2cm pieces ● 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts, toasted and chopped ● salt 40 schoolnotices.co.uk SPRING 2022
TO SERVE ● 2 tablespoons Thai basil, shredded ● Jasmine or sticky rice ● 1 lime, cut into wedges METHOD 1 Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and fry for 3–4 minutes until nicely golden. 2 Add the curry paste and stir through, then add the coconut milk, stock cube and 150ml of water. Bring to the boil. 3 Add the potatoes, sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, if using, tamarind, soy sauce and pineapple juice, if using, and then simmer for 10 minutes. 4 Taste, then season with a little salt: be careful as a lot of pre-made pastes are highly seasoned. Add the peas, beans and peanuts and warm through. 5 Serve with the shredded Thai basil, Jasmine or sticky rice and wedges of lime.
Recipe extracted from The Canny Cook by Phil Vickery. Photography: Kate Whitaker amazon.co.uk
PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVID LOFTUS
Recipe
SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 41
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BLOCK PARTY There’s nothing beige about fabric and wallpaper designer Molly Mahon. She talks to Noticed about her love of colour, which she brings to life in her beautiful block printed designs. Molly Mahon has always been drawn to colour and recalls a fetching image of herself at university wearing pink dungarees. A sense of feeling uplifted by wearing something bright moved to her surroundings when she bought her first home. But the seeds were sown in childhood by an artist mother who was “always doing things with her hands”. Mahon describes weekends immersed in creativity, trying marbling, upholstery, book binding. “We spent most of our time at home and to me lockdowns felt rather nostalgic because we weren’t doing all the rushing around that’s so much of a feature of modern life”.
Clockwise from top left: Leaf Grass Green, Molly in her studio shot by Alun Callender, Molly’s studio shot by Emma Lewis, Birds & Bees Pea Green, printing process shot by Clare Bosanquet
SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 45
When she graduated from Newcastle University – where she spent as much time hanging around the art department as in her own anthropology department – she set up an events business with a friend. Molly describes a time when she was “young or naïve enough” not to be scared of the concept of working off an ironing board and her need for creativity found an outlet in designing invitations and organising flower arrangements. Then she met and married Rollo and three children followed in quick succession. Babies and parties didn’t combine well, but evening classes continued, in everything from life drawing to pottery. She came across a block printing class, and “for once, didn’t drift away”. Molly was introduced to the teacher’s collection of lino and wooden blocks and printed her first piece of fabric. Back home she started to carve her own designs. Her business began, almost by stealth, at her kitchen table where she made stationery, lampshades and cushions which she sold at fairs.
[nothing compares to] the nuance, energy and the story of something made by hand.
Clockwise from top left: Molly in her studio shot by Sarah Weal, Pattee Oyster Turmeric , Jaipur India, Marwari Horse Pink.
46 schoolnotices.co.uk SPRING 2022
Since then, she’s built an international brand of traditional block-printed fabrics and wallpapers, mainly made in Jaipur, with a more recently created print studio situated near Delhi. Her bestselling design is the hardest to print. “Luna looks incredibly simple, stripes in two different colours side by side, but it’s hard to keep the lines straight.” As demand for her work grows she’s experimented with digital and screen-printing, but nothing compares to “the nuance, energy and the story of something made by hand”.
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She describes the challenges brought by Covid as hard. “I wrote a book and had huge plans and book signings”. She launched with prestigious design house Schumacher in the US and was excited about going to America with her husband. None of that happened either. However, the setbacks proved a good exercise in experimentation. Molly started doing Zoom workshops and realised how powerful Instagram could be. Her IGTV workshops went so well she opened a supply store so customers could create their own designs at home. “This was never in the five-year plan, but sales are really strong”. The art of creation, Molly believes, is just one of the ways Covid has made us look at our homes with fresh eyes. “We’re getting more colourful. In small ways and large - look at lampshades, which always used to be beige and flat. Kitchens are increasingly in bold blues or greens. I always say to break the rules – putting pink and red together has become something of a signature - but start small. You can’t go wrong with a tea towel or patterned lampshade”. Another trend is sustainability: “If we haven’t realised that what we do has to be thoughtful, we must be on another planet”. But Molly admits that working out how to print fabric in India and send it round the world does tend to make her head spin. She works hard to ensure a clean studio by using water-based paints and natural
Clockwise from top left: Block printing process, print samples, lampshade making kit, Strawberry Oyster Grass.
SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 47
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unbleached cloth, but says it’s never going to be a completely organic process. She rationalises the head churn with a desire to create balance: “A joyous piece of printed cloth is uplifting for the soul”. And she’s worked hard to find the right people to work with: “our business is small, personable and the slow process of the hand block keeps production at a gentle pace”. Talking of collaborations, there’s the aforementioned partnership with New Yorkbased design house Schumacher, a brand that’s literally part of the country’s fabric, having been used by everyone from Jackie Kennedy in the White House to the set designers of Gone with
A joyous piece of printed cloth is uplifting for the soul.
Left to right: Fern Mustard, Molly’s dog Bramble, Lani Denim
the Wind. “They are huge but also a perfect fit for us, and they are going to help us take block printing into parts of the world that aren’t so aware of it”. A “fun clothing collection” is on the horizon, but Molly is tight-lipped until its official release date. She can reveal that she’s working with Anthropologie on the Kings Road during London Craft Week in May. Back at home in rural Sussex, it sounds like Molly’s three children are enjoying a similar upbringing to her own. She says she doesn’t push art at them, but that the children are “embroiled” in the process nevertheless because so much of the business happens around the kitchen table. The studio is an idyllic trot through the woods and her oldest child often pops in on her way back from school. Their future, like their mother’s, sounds bright. Left: Molly and family from her book House of Print , shot by Kristin Perers
Buy fabric and wallpaper, book a workshop or simply be inspired at mollymahon.com You can also enrol in a virtual workshop with Molly’s ‘The Art of Block Printing’ at Create Academy (createacademy.com). We also love Molly’s Instagram feed @mollymahonblockprinting – she answers all your messages herself.
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Food for thought Noticed meets Charlie Bigham, the man who has liked making a meal of it since setting up his eponymous food empire in 1996.
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Can you remember eating your first Charlie Bigham pie/lasagne/curry? His range of meals has been trading since 1996, ever since Bigham jacked in a job as a management consultant on projects involving art galleries and theatres. Despite working with “interesting people all over the country”, he didn’t enjoy the theoretical aspect of projects
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that might not come to fruition for five or ten years. “With food, feedback is pretty instant. Besides”, he wryly adds, “I wasn’t terribly good at working for other people”. He and his then girlfriend, now wife, textile designer Claire Worthington (check out her rather covetable range of wallpapers at claireworthington.com) decided that life was short and the world was large, invested in a campervan and headed off to India. While on their travels they discussed the “big questions”: whether to stay together
and what the heck to do with the rest of their lives. The answer was marriage, four children and a food business that Bigham hopes will turnover £100 million in 2022.
Above: Charlie’s best selling lasagne Below: Campaign poster artwork illustrated by Emily Sutton
I certainly didn’t want horrible muck in a plastic bowl that had to go in a microwave which I didn’t own in the first place
Some of the meals from Charlie Bigham’s first batches are still on sale today, including a bestselling lasagne. Bigham’s description of it provides a pretty solid overview of his vision for all his recipes. “Properly made it’s a bloody good dish. But it can be terrible. The food industry in its wisdom destroyed it and
turned it into slop made with horses”. Bigham repeatedly, and often heatedly, explains that his brand is absolutely not part of the aforementioned food industry “obsessed with making things cheaper, faster and longer SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 51
It took a few years to get noticed by a “naturally sceptical” audience, but momentum built and he’s proud of being ahead of the times, not least with signature wooden packaging. Millions of plastic and metal trays have been saved, and an independent report proved that Charlie Bigham packaging was twice as sustainable as their nearest rivals’. “Kind of funny, though in some ways we wish others would copy us, but if they did it would be harder for us to stand out”. As to food trends, Bigham doesn’t believe in following the zeitgeist. “Just because fermented food is terribly fashionable doesn’t mean we are the right people to be making it”. He’s pleased to have earned B Corp certification, which evolved through
L-R: Cherry Bakewell Pudding, Charlie’s hearty Steak & Ale Pie
52 schoolnotices.co.uk SPRING 2022
The beautiful and sustainable Dulcote Quarry kitchens
an innate belief in practices like recycling and buying green electricity. The business has been put under a microscope, resulting in learning a lot of new stuff. “Historically I just made a decision – green energy is the right thing to do so why talk about it? But as a business grows you realise it’s a good idea to take people on the journey with you”. Sustainability is key, with water treatment plants and solar panels installed in his Quarry Kitchen food factory in Somerset, itself a RIBA award winner. Similarly, working with charities is core to the business. “We have various criteria - food and education-based and we like to give decent amounts of money and work closely with the team to grow their ambitions”. Over the years the team has supported, among others, Classrooms in the Clouds in Nepal, City Harvest in London and Chefs in Schools. As to his school days, Bigham says it was “fairly boring” and he always feels sorry for people whose school days were the best of their lives – “Is it downhill from 18?” But this didn’t stop him becoming Entrepreneur in Residence at Milton Abbey for 2020/21, following in the footsteps of Cath Kidston and Johnnie Boden. His advice to young entrepreneurs to start now. “So many people prevaricate because - stuck in a loop of
WORDS: AMANDA MORISON. PHOTOGRAPHY: ©DEAN HEARNE, @CHARLIEBIGHAMS (INSTA)
lasting - all the things that shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near food”. He explains that he started his business as a frustrated consumer who loves cooking but has the odd day when he doesn’t want to cook from scratch – and “I certainly didn’t want horrible muck in a plastic bowl that had to go in a microwave which I didn’t own in the first place”. He acknowledges that selling food in a packet to people who don’t really like buying packaged food provided a few early communication challenges.
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earning a salary and feeling it’s too risky to go alone. If it goes wrong it goes wrong and it can be the spur to try something else. And if you find working for yourself too stressful you can go back into a job”. While he doesn’t have a motto for life he does like to “trot out” to employees to try and be a little bit better every day, because when you look back over a year you discover that you have made advances in your recycling, computer systems and impact on the planet. He identifies Covid as an interesting time with ramifications still to come. “We’ve been very lucky and on the right side of the fence. Friends with brilliant restaurant businesses, through no fault of their own, have been cut off at the knees, while we have grown faster than we normally would.”
Charlie with wife Claire in their garden
So many people prevaricate - stuck in a loop of earning a salary and feeling it’s too risky to go alone. If it goes wrong, it goes wrong and it can be the spur to try something else. And he describes how things have been “unbelievably” hard for the team because making food from home doesn’t work, while suppliers are falling over and prices around the world are going up.
Charlie Bigham’s meals are available in all the UK’s large supermarkets. Find out at bighams.com
As Bigham notes, everybody eats. And as most of us appreciate a night off cooking every now and then, it looks as though our appetite for a home-style meal we haven’t had to chop and sauté ourselves is set to continue – especially knowing that it won’t contain horsemeat. SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 53
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Interview
Here co e the girls Clare Connor CBE is on a mission to make cricket gender-balanced and to champion the game for girls. Having captained England to win back the Ashes, she is also Managing Director of Women’s Cricket for the ECB and the first female President of the MCC. We catch up exclusively with Clare to discover how her stratospheric career continues at full pace! How did your love of cricket emerge? As a little girl, I was obsessed by cricket. I’m not sure where that obsession came from other than a close relationship with my Dad who played club cricket. I was a tomboy who lived for sport. It was strange as I was the only girl in my school, club and community who played cricket. I went to Brighton College and played in the boy’s cricket teams all the way through. I captained the Boys’ under 10’s and then onto the 1st XI in the sixth form where we played against the big schools like Tonbridge and Cranleigh.
Throughout my school career I was the only girl playing. I didn’t come across barriers as I was picked on merit. I was either Captain or Vice-Captain of every team I was in. I was an all-rounder so I batted and bowled and was really welcomed and included by the boys right from the beginning. I didn’t meet any nastiness or criticism throughout those seven to eight years at school. I was really blessed and had nothing but positive experiences despite being such an oddity! SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 55
My overall strategy is that girls can see that cricket is for them and that they don’t have to play in a boys’ team. That there is a playing pathway, that whilst not perfect, has got every step covered. That the sport has role models for them, female coaches, international players, women in the cricket media and leadership positions they can look to.
What do you think are the key skills needed to be a good cricketer? To succeed in anything you need a certain set of skills. Cricket is very technical so you need to have an aptitude for skill development and have the dedication to hone those skills. It’s a unique sport as it has huge emphasis on individual performance at any one time but within a team setting. So you need to have real self-belief as an individual in your own skills but you also need to be a team player. As an individual you fail a lot in cricket but you need to be able to cope with that, whilst also remaining positive for the team.
L to R: Clare regaining the Ashes as England captain in Australia 2005, as Managing Director of Womens’ Cricket for the ECB
56 schoolnotices.co.uk SPRING 2022
From a leadership point of view you are constantly taking decisions, unlike most other captaincy roles. You need to understand how to get the best out of your team, to take decisions and to know when it’s your decision to make alone or collaboratively. These are all important lessons for life and cricket is a good sport to play to understand the realities of the wider world. They are lessons that as a player have served me well throughout my professional life. How has cricket changed for girls? I thinks it’s a very special sport for young people to play, it’s a culturally diverse sport and now 30% of young players are female – which is completely transformational! When I was growing up there were very few clubs that had girls’ sections and now 2,700 clubs have a section for women enabling them to play in their own single gender teams. Also, lots of private prep schools have now decided to swap rounders for cricket as they can see a visible pathway to a profession with more of an infrastructure to progress.
Interview
Do you still think there are barriers for girls to get into sport? Even though we’ve made progress there are still barriers, especially for dual gender team sports like rugby, football and cricket. They are still predominantly led by men and coached by men. Boardrooms are changing, but you are still talking about sports with a male history and this has been reflected in the stories, language and symbols surrounding them. This can act as an immediate barrier for girls to feel part of something. We need to make a concerted effort to reduce the barriers - we are making progress but we still have work to do. Is there now a tried and tested career path for female cricketers? We are in the middle of a transformative strategy for the womens’ and girls’ game. We are investing £50 million over this five year period and we are in the middle of that now. We want to make sure we connect each part of the pathway as best we can. So as a little girl you can start playing in a national programme with boys from the age of five. From there we need to provide a girls only club opportunity with competition and coaching that is localised and inclusive where girls feel part of the club environment. For talented girls, all of our Counties now have girls’ programmes for under 11’s, 13’s, 15’s and under 18’s. So every girl should be able to access the sport recreationally and also professionally along a talent pathway. Then we have the Regional Academies where professional female players can thrive in a competitive environment which is paid.
ECB Action Plan launch Below: Clare batting for England in 2004
The Hundred that we launched last year is our gender balanced professional short format competition for women and men to really grow the game, to play together on the same day and to increase the diversity of our fan base with equal prize money. Salaries may not be equal but prize money is. Then right at the top is the full professional centrally contracted to the ECB England womens’ squad. We have 18 players who are on central contracts with England, some of which have salaries of six figures. This is big progress if you think that women weren’t earning anything from the game until 2014! All my playing days were amateur, I didn’t earn anything even playing for England! Tell us about being President of the MCC It’s an amazing honour I’m really enjoying. It’s a traditional, exclusive and prestigious club, over 230 years old and one of the last bastions of a male environment within sport. By making me President, it’s shown that the MCC has a progressive agenda – this year will see far more womens’ cricket played at Lords. It’s a lovely opportunity for me to dovetail my day job as Managing Director of Womens’ Cricket for the SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 57
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20th May 2022
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Interview
ECB with trying to influence the MCC agenda, to keep pushing a more exclusive game for women and girls. It’s been thoroughly enjoyable and I thought there would be more challenges than there have been. What is your proudest achievement? There are probably two. When I was Captain of England, I retired after we regained the Ashes after 42 years. We’d been completely dominated by Australia for a long time so to lead an England Team as Captain for six years and to achieve that will stay with me forever. It was the pinnacle of my playing days. Then being in this role as President of the MCC for what it represents for the game and its future direction.
PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF DOWNE HOUSE
As a country are we leading the way? Sadly not. We probably were in 2014 and that led to us winning the World Cup at Lords in 2017. Australia has since been playing catch up and has professionalised their women’s domestic game much quicker than us. We are not far off but they do have a few years on us. We are on the right track, we were unbeaten for seven consecutive series, until we lost the Ashes but we are the world champions in the over 50 format and we are defending the World Cup in March. What’s your long term objective for women’s cricket? My overall strategy is that girls can see that cricket is for them and that they don’t have to play in a boys’ team. That there is a playing pathway, that whilst not perfect, has got every step covered. That the sport has role models for them, female coaches, international players, women in the cricket media and leadership positions they can look to.
Cricket’s female influencers Clare Connor Former English all-round cricketer who is the first female President of the MCC as well as Managing Director of Women’s Cricket for the ECB.
Charlotte Edwards Former Captain of England womens’ team. Edwards is now head coach for the female cricket teams, Southern Vipers and Southern Brave.
Heather Knight Current captain of the England womens’ cricket team. She is a righthanded batter and right arm off spin bowler.
Sue Redfern English cricket umpire and former player. She played for the England womens’ team between 1995 and 1999, including at the 1997 World Cup.
Katherine Brunt English cricketer who plays as a right-arm fast bowler and right-handed lower-order batter. She has won two World Cups and one T20 World Cup with England. SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 59
Laurence Kilsby
Classical Tenor, 23 years
Bright young STARS We often dream of the bright lights but landing centre stage requires hard work, determination and above all talent. We follow some extraordinary individuals from within the Independent School network whose talents are taking them to the top. 60 schoolnotices.co.uk SPRING 2022
I had been singing from a young age and my parents could tell I had a musical ear of sorts, but it wasn’t until I attended choral evensong at Gloucester Cathedral that I thought to myself ‘if there are boys my age who are able to sing like that, I want to do it’. For me there’s something transcendental about choral music, a kind of escapism that also feels theatrical. Having performed in the local panto at Chipping Norton, I relished the opportunity to ‘entertain’ and connect with audiences. Despite being nine years (older than the accepted age of seven to eight to start a chorister scholarship) the Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum of Dean Close Preparatory School welcomed me with open arms. My four years of singing with the Schola are the reason I am a classical singer. I was very fortunate to be taught by Bronwen Mills, a wonderful supportive singing teacher and Benjamin Nicholas who directed the Schola. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunities that were afforded to me, with BBC Young Chorister of the Year and the concert work that followed. Following my voice lowering, I immersed myself in drama productions at school, from Shakespeare to Cole Porter as well as Youth Opera Singing as a student at the Royal College of Music
Talent
PHOTOGRAPHY: © © CHRIS CRISTODOULOU, GREG VEIT PHOTOGRAPHY, ELLIE KURTTZ PHOTOGRAPHY
Above L-R: The Fairy Queen (H. Purcell) Waterperry Opera Festival, performing as a student at Dean Close, Così fan tutte (W. A. Mozart) - Nevill Holt Opera
Productions with Welsh National Opera and Longborough Festival Opera. Helen Porter, Head of Music at Dean Close inspired me to pursue a formal training in voice and helped me with all the applications for music college. She is one of the reasons I do what I do and I am continually grateful that she was in my life. These school years prompted me to pursue training in London, where I studied for four years at the Royal College of Music. I now live in Philadelphia, where I am pursuing my masters in Voice and Opera at the Curtis Institute of Music, which is proving extremely rewarding. I’m thrilled I have this time to work on my voice in so much detail. Although I’m still building my career, I would say a highlight so far was working with the incomparable Sir Simon Rattle and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment on a Bach St. John Passion, staged by Peter Sellars. A low point (or points) would probably be the numerous auditions where I feel I’ve let myself down vocally or tried too hard to impress instead of focusing on the music.
What I’ve learnt is that it never gets easier, but then again life would be very boring if everything was easy and the best things in life are awarded from hard work. Art is extremely subjective, so there’s no point trying to please everyone. All you can do is be authentically yourself. My advice for young singers would be that you never stop learning, so never feel that you have to be the finished product. It’s not a race, so enjoy the process. laurencekilsby.com • @laurence_kilsby
STAR STATS School: Dean Close School Inspiration: All those who have supported me Five year dream: Seeing the world, meeting new people and making great music Motto: ‘Play things by ear, you never know what’s round the corner’ and ‘things always happen for a reason’.
SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 61
L-R: Grace performing in her final year at Canford at The Lighthouse, Poole; at Canford’s annual jazz concert; performing the role of Day in a production of Johnathan Dove’s ‘The Enchanted Pig’ at Buxton International Festival, July 2021
Soprano, 23 years
My singing lessons are one of my earliest and happiest memories of my time at school. Apart from a couple of confidence ‘blips’ along the way, I have always known that I wanted to sing. I still have a long way to go but I am determined to give it my best shot. I am certain this is what I should be doing. The music department at Canford played a huge role in my choice of career. They were supportive, knowledgeable and they took the time to nurture me. I sang in the jazz concerts, school musicals, choral ensembles and also got to showcase my solo repertoire. I wish that I’d known the importance of precise and efficient practice. Practising little and often and working it into your daily routine is the most beneficial thing you can do. Not only will you get better, it also builds up strong and important habits. 62 schoolnotices.co.uk SPRING 2022
I’ve learnt that not everything will happen as you hope it will. You’ll be rejected but that is all part of the process. You should always act professionally. You want your directors, producers, assistants and fellow musicians to like working with you. You never know who may give you your next opportunity! I spent August 2021 performing in Mozart’s ‘The Magic Flute’ with Lyric Opera Studio Weimar (Germany). It was a challenge and I was pushed to my limits, but it was fantastic. As far as low points go, I will have to say the pandemic – it halted a lot of performance opportunities but onwards and upwards!
STAR STATS School: Canford School Inspiration: Renee Fleming, Lisette Oropesa, Kiri Te Kanawa, Joyce diDonato Five year dream: To be working in opera houses all over Europe or to be on a Young Artist programme in the UK or abroad Motto: Everything happens for a reason
PHOTOGRAPHY: ©PAUL WEST PHOTOGRAPHY
Grace Gammell
It’s always a great idea to have instrumental lessons as well as singing lessons – I was lucky enough to play the clarinet. It was hugely beneficial for my general musicality.
Talent
George Frederick Thomas Artist, 27 years
I’ve always loved drawing since I picked up a pencil and growing up, my passion for drawing and later painting became ever greater. I started working professionally as a caricature artist at Stroud Farmer’s Market when I was 17. At 20, I moved to London to study traditional drawing and painting techniques as an Art Atelier. Since graduating I’ve travelled and painted all over the world exhibiting in many galleries in London and across the UK. Whilst at school, I was lucky to have fantastic teachers. I was encouraged to follow my dreams and to take risks. The great art facilities at school meant I was able to spend lots of time in the art block outside of lesson time. My art teacher Mrs Evans, suggested studying at an art atelier as I really liked traditional art, and I’m really glad I did!
STAR STATS School: Dean Close School Inspiration: David Shepherd Five year dream: A larger studio, more commissions and art in galleries Motto: Carpe diem
Above: Art of Mark painted in sixth form, painting in the studio Left: portrait of Dean Close Headmaster Jonathan Lancashire
I’ve learnt that being an artist isn’t just painting and exhibitions, there’s a lot of work that needs to go into networking, social media and general PR. You need to be a business person as well as an artist! My career highlight so far was being commissioned to paint the former Headmaster of Dean Close, Jonathan Lancashire. The unveiling was a huge success and I sold various paintings that I had also exhibited. The low points for me so far have been getting paintings rejected from exhibition applications. My advice to young artists would be to spend some time really focusing on your technical skills. Practice every day and copy paintings that you like and try and learn from artists you admire. Once you’ve worked on your skills promote your art on social media and let everyone know what you do, you never know who might give you a good opportunity. georgefrederickthomas.com SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 63
L-R: Francesca on stage, as baby swans for Swan Lake with the Royal Ballet, Francesca (far right) with Cheam friends
Francesca Harvey
Ballerina, 21 years
Following a toddler tantrum after being told I was too young for dance lessons, I was enrolled at ballet school aged three. Dancing has been a huge part of my life ever since. Without the excellent drama and music department at Cheam, and the encouragement I received from all the staff, I likely would not have found and developed my love of performing from such a young age and the confidence to go with it. Confidence that I definitely needed when I started at the Royal Ballet School and was performing in front of 2,000 people at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden! 64 schoolnotices.co.uk SPRING 2022
At eight years old, my ballet teachers at JLD School for Dance in Kingsclere told my parents that I had the talent and potential to go down the professional route. At 10, I auditioned for The Royal Ballet School and, miraculously, out of 1,200 girls, I was one of the 12 selected. After joining, I was immediately chosen to perform with the Royal Ballet in both their productions for La Sylphede and The Nutcracker - experiences that really affirmed my love for ballet and performing. When auditioning for The Royal Ballet School I was blissfully unaware of the hardship, rejection, injury and sacrifice ahead of me, I just danced for the pure joy of dancing. Listening to the music and allowing it seemingly to move through me, I felt complete and total freedom. My time there was extremely challenging, being in such a competitive environment at age 11 was difficult in many ways, but it was incredibly formative and has absolutely helped develop the thick skin I have today. I wouldn’t change anything because it has made me into the artist that I am today and for that I will be eternally grateful. At 13 it was discovered that I had bone spurs in both ankles that had developed due to
Talent
Francesca in full Jeté
overwork, (a common injury in young ballet dancers). I had to leave the Royal Ballet but I decided that I still wanted to undergo surgery to remove the spurs and continue my training privately with Vanessa Palmer, an ex-dancer with the Royal Ballet. In total, the rehab and recovery process was a grueling two year process. Eventually, thanks again to the support from my fantastic ‘Team Chesky’ which included my ballet teacher, physio, surgeon, friends and family, I was accepted into Elmhurst Ballet School. Then after a year I was accepted into my dream school, The School of the Hamburg Ballet John Neumeier in Hamburg, Germany. Aged 17, I moved to Hamburg and completed my last two years of vocational training, before being one of six students (three girls, three boys) to be offered an apprenticeship with the main company, The Hamburg Ballet. six months later I was offered a full corps de ballet contract. Now, two years later, even through the challenges of the pandemic, I am still with the Hamburg Ballet as a professional
ballerina. As cheesy as it sounds, I’m living my dream every day. My advice to the next generation would be to never lose sight of your ‘why?’ To be successful in anything, but especially ballet, you must really love it. For me, there are some days where my body really hurts, or I have had a bad rehearsal, but what gets me up the next morning is reminding myself of my ‘why’: the feeling of complete euphoria when I am on stage and the total freedom of expression that I cannot experience in any other way. @chessharvey
STAR STATS School: School Cheam/Royal Ballet School Inspiration: Sylvie Guillem Five year dream: Performing soloist roles, portraying characters that challenge me technically and artistically Motto: ‘Two things you are in total control of in life are your attitude and your effort’
SPRING 2022 schoolnotices.co.uk 65
Fun facts
The eye muscles are the most active in the body, moving more than
The nose knows: it can remember
50,000
100,000 times a day
different scents
You burn more calories
Z
ZZ
SLEEPING
than you do watching television
The human jaw can close teeth with a force as great as 200 pounds, or
890 newtons
Humans can cough at 60 miles an hour and sneezes can be 100 miles an hour – which is faster than the average car
Right-handed people live, on average,
9 YEARS LONGER
than left-handed people
The body has more than
650
MUSCLES
You are about
1cm taller
in the morning than in the evening
You’ll NEVER guess what? We’ve rounded up our favourite health & wellbeing facts for you to wow your friends with this Spring
During your lifetime, you will eat about 30,000kg of food – that’s the weight of about six African elephants
No matter how flexible you are, you can’t KISS your elbow
The amount of carbon in the human body is enough to fill about
9,000
lead pencils
HUMANS are the only animals with chins
66 schoolnotices.co.uk SPRING 2022
The human brain takes
2%
up about of our total body weight, but uses
20%
of our body’s energy
Fingernails
GROW FASTER
on your dominant hand
Ounce for ounce, green peppers have more vitamin C than oranges
PHOTOGRAPHY: © FREEPIK, PEXELS, PIXABAY, SUBPNG
Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning
Peace of mind… Have you noticed changes in your loved ones recently? Signs such as... Short term memory loss Less stable while walking, including trips and falls Less attention paid to personal care, clothes, and appearance Loss of interest in food and cooking Trouble sleeping and frequently waking in the night While these seem little things, they can be indicative of a larger problem, and an early indicator that some form of support or care may be needed, maybe not immediately, but in the future. Please feel free to call us with any concerns and we can discuss early your options and the best way of planning. Its always better to be prepared and we are always happy to help.
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01494 424222
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