March & April edition of Soar Valley Life - The Biggest Little Magazine in Charnwood by Soar Valley Life

Celebrating our 8th Birthday

In associa on with

Just Great Music!

Issue 96/97 March/April 2020

www.soarvalleylife.co.uk

Compe ons on pages 8 and 57

Tap & Run, Upper Broughton wins BEST CASUAL DINING EXPERIENCE 2019 see page 56

ton Millinvgel Tra page 3

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065 184

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Please men on Soar Valley Life when responding to adver sers

Soar Valley Life Just Great Music!

Soar Valley Life Editors Steve & Mary Johns Finance and Admin Mary Johns Adver sing Steve Johns (page 58) Distribu on Peter Colle Graphic Design Alison Poole Designs www.alisonpooledesigns.co.uk Business Directory page 60 Telephone 01509 813125 Email enquiries Adver sing info@soarvalleylife.co.uk Editorial & Compe ons editor@soarvalleylife.co.uk Business and other enquiries info@soarvalleylife.co.uk Website www.soarvalleylife.co.uk Facebook www.facebook.com/SoarValleyLife Address 1 Burton Road, Sileby LE12 7RU Copyright © 2020 Fantas c State Limited trading as Soar Valley Life. The Publisher reserves and controls all rights to the work presented in this magazine. Any applica on for any use of any of the work, features, adver sements, quota ons, photographs, images or other work within this publica on must be made directly to the publisher. No part of this publica on may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmi ed, in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Disclaimer: Whilst every eﬀort is made to ensure the accuracy of material in this publica on the publisher can accept no responsibility for the veracity of claims made by contributors in either editorial or adver sing content, or take responsibility for services provided by the adver ser. It is the responsibility of the adver ser to ensure their advert is correct and up to date at the me of publica on. General Data Protec on Regula on GDPR: All personal data collected through compe ons or related correspondence in this magazine are destroyed once the winners have been announced. We do not retain personal data.

Gardening Tips with Derry’s & Claire Jones Page 14

Jack and Jill Quiz Page 35 1

8 9

12 13

18 19

23 24

Page 17

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Page 36 Sponsored by

Find the Robin compe on

Page 8

The Tap & Run, Upper Broughton wins top award as Leicestershire’s BEST Casual Dining Experience Harry and Avril Gurney receiving their award

Contents Find the Robin 8 Protec ng Your Family’s Inheritance 9 Mulch your Borders 14 Quick Crossword 17 HighIncome Child Beneﬁt Charge 19 Ini al Considera ons for Commercial Tenants 21 Creamy Gnocchi Bake 22 Rhubarb Meringue Pie 24 Recipes for Children 26 Integrated Healthcare 29 Frozen Shoulder 31 Fit Friends – Your own Personnel Gym 32 Quiz – Jack and Jill 35 Walking – BreedonontheHill 36 Pain 37 Jane Hunt MP 38 Short Story – The Runaround 40 Thread Veins 43 Using a Travel Agent makes Sense 44 Spot the Diﬀerence 46 Henry Hedgehog’s Puzzle Page 47 Private Tui on – where do you start? 49 Brownies Bounce Onwards 49 Keeping your Dogs and Cats Healthy this Spring me 50 Tracing your Family History 51 Easy & Hard Sudoku 52 Astronomy 54 Win! A two course Sunday Lunch for two 57 Adver sing Prices 58 Local Business Directory 60 Solu ons and Winners 62

Relief from Frozen Shoulder at Angel Yard Osteopaths

page 31

Recipes Creamy Gnocchi Bake Page 22

Rhubarb Meringue Pie Page 24

Recipes for Children Page 26

Your own personal gym and trainer with FIT Friends Centre pages

Business Directory Adverts from only £20 Page 60 A le er from our New MP

Page 38

WIN A two course Sunday Lunch for two Using a travel agent makes sense

at the Three Crowns, Wymeswold or the Tap & Run, Upper Broughton, with this month’s Wordsearch

Page 44

Page 57

Did you know that Soar Valley Life magazine has been voted as the Best Community News publica on in Leicestershire for 2018/19 & 20 by SME News magazine?

Page 6

Soar Valley Life Just Great Music!

The Dreckly Express —an elegant oxymoron! Each September, around the me of our wedding anniversary, Mary and I try to get a few days away to celebrate, reflect, relax and thank our lucky stars for the life we have. Last year was no different except, perhaps, it was when the rain started which doesn’t seem to have stopped since, and we were s ll reeling from the upheaval of the burglary in August whilst in Canada at a family wedding. We had a week in Cornwall, hence the accompanying photo of the Dreckly Express—a short railway on St Michaels Mount. It was built to convey all manner of provisions up from the harbour to the big house on the Mount. It wasn’t called that back in the old days though, but being of Cornish origin on my father’s side I was familiar with the word Dreckly. When we were children, staying with my li le Cornish grandma in the school holidays and pestering for a cake, a drink or whatever, she would usually shoo us off with, “Dreckly!” We’d known almost from birth what the word meant: ‘Not now… In a minute… later’ similar to Manyana in Spanish. On our last day in Cornwall we visited Porthleven on the South Coast where the sun broke through for a few hours. We ambled here and there, stopping for a Cornish clo ed cream tea in a harbourside tearoom and browsing through the gi shops where Mary bought me an anniversary present—a Dreckly clock. It’s a normal round clock but all the numbers on the face have the suffix ‘ish’ a er them! Upon our return home we found our front door lock was broken and we couldn’t get in! There was no “Dreckly” about our need to use the loo a er driving for several hours though, and fortunately our lovely next door neighbour, Tina, came to our rescue and saved the hour! We then realised that we hadn’t got a locksmith in the magazine and we both thought, “We’d be er put that right!” The day a er that was the worst flood our home village of Sileby had seen since we’d moved here in 2005. It was the first me we had seen the brook outside our house burst its banks with the water coming within a few feet of our front door—it’s a bit scary and becomes more than another item on the news about climate change—when it comes that close, it gets real.

So, on we plodded up to Christmas, mee ng our deadlines (ish) with the irony of our two recent returns from holiday not being lost on us. Moving forward to the New Year, we decided to take stock, especially now we have Peter on board, and book a mee ng with the Leicester Council funded Business Growth Hub, to see how we could expand our business safely and I have that ﬁrst mee ng the day we go to print with this edi on. In early February, Ali and Simon, our brilliant graphic design team who live in the North East of England, asked if I could give a bit of advice about star ng up their own magazine. I dug out all the informa on I’d collected when we started 8 years ago (yes, it is our eighth birthday this month) copied it all and sent it up to them. We wish Ali and Simon all the best with their new venture—but they dismissed my sugges on to call the latest magazine in County Durham The Dreckly Express. Also in early February, I organised a lunch for a number of neighbouring magazine owners, so that we could all share ps and ideas, to help us all fare be er in this topsyturvy business world. Networking with other local magazine publishers was something we did in our very early days and it set us on our way. There were 12 of us at the lunch, collec vely delivering the messages of our adver sers to more that a quarter of a million homes every month. We all reported doing good business with no downturn in sight from anyone. Nothing ...ISH about any of us then. Strength in numbers I guess. The Dreckly clock now sits proudly on the wall in my li le oﬃce, but I have no ced the ba ery keeps running out... Oh, yes, and we now have a locksmith in the mag— see page 34.

Steve & Mary Johns

You are reading this because someone delivered it to your door. Would you like to get ﬁt by doing a great service and earn a good wage for spending a few hours in the fresh air? Email peter@soarvalleylife.co.uk for details.

Page 7

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Find the Robin and win a £25 voucher to spend at The Waterside Inn Mountsorrel

Craig Chamberlain

Some where in the magazine we’ve hidden a little robin – he may not be as big as this one though.

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See page 25

If you can find him, let us know where he is and the first correct answer out of the hat after the closing date of Friday 24th April will win. Send your answer, together with your name, address and telephone number to editor@soarvalleylife.co.uk or by post to Soar Valley Life, 1 Burton Road, Sileby, Leicestershire LE12 7RU See page 62 for our latest winners! Psst - it’s not the one on page 6!

Page 8

PLASTERING SPECIALIST

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Protec ng Your Family’s Inheritance Just Great Music!

Most people hope that their estate will pass on to their children and grandchildren eventually. But this will not happen for many, unless careful arrangements have been made to protect their assets from being taken towards the end of their life to pay for care home fees. The solu on to help protect your estate is a Will incorpora ng a Property Protec on Trust (PPT). A testamentary PPT can only be executed whilst both partners remain alive. Upon death of the first partner, their Will specifies that their share of the property is placed into trust and names the ul mate beneficiary of this share, normally the children and

grandchildren of the deceased. The surviving partner, under the terms of the Trust, has the unequivocal right to remain living in the property for the rest of their life. On the death of the second partner the Trust comes to an end and the property passes to the beneficiaries. As the surviving partner does not own the deceased's share of the property it is fully protected for the beneficiaries, so if the surviving partner requires care, or even remarries, this share of the children's inheritance is protected. This last point can be of par cular interest to couples who have come together and have children from different partners.

A PPT can help each person in a rela onship ensure that their children inherit their share of the property, while giving their surviving partner the ability to live in the property for the rest of their life. If the surviving partner wants to move to another property they can s ll sell the property and the proceeds be used to purchase a new property; the terms of the Trust remain over the new property. Kornerstone Wealth Protec on and Legal services will assess your current circumstances and arrange the trust that will provide the best protec on for you, your family and your assets.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” asked the mole. “Kind,” said the boy. Charlie Makesy

Page 9

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“What do you think success is?” asked the boy. “To love,” said the mole. Charlie Makesy

Page 13

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Mulch your Borders Fingers crossed Spring has usually arrived by midMarch. The fairer weather allows for a wider range of gardening jobs. Following the we est winter in my memory I am desperate to get in the garden; however, it is important to allow lawns and borders to dry out before working on them. If they are s ll saturated

Page 14

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working on them will do more harm than good. I generally leave dying up un l the spring as it is be er for wildlife.

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Once I have pruned my roses and cut back herbaceous perennials I will apply a mulch of organic ma er. It is the best single investment of me and money you can do for your garden, it’s the old adage of “Look a er the soil and the plants will look a er themselves”.

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“I see “What trees doofyou green, thinkred is the roses biggest too, I waste see them of me?” bloomasked for methe and boy. you, “Comparing yourself to others” said the mole. Charlie Makesy

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over the top of emerging perennials, leave a small collar around the outside of each plant.

The best mulch to use is homemade compost but most gardeners will not make enough to do the job, other materials such as mushroom compost, u lity compost, wellro ed farmyard manure or ﬁne composted bark can also be used. It must be applied at a minimum depth of 5cm to be eﬀec ve as a weed suppressant. All border ‘housework’ should be done beforehand, such as weeding, dividing perennials and moving plants. Be careful not to mulch

Plant of the Season Omphalodes cappadocica ‘Cherry Ingram’ A long lived perennial forming clumps of evergreen lance shaped leaves, known for its deligh ul loose clusters of gen an blue ﬂowers that appear in early spring. Preferring par al shade in a moisture reten ve soil it makes a stunning addi on to the woodland ﬂoor or shady rockery

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Quick Crossword Just Great Music!

Across 1 Not private (6)

Down 1 Mailed (6)

One belonging to a club (6)

Destroyed by ﬁre (5)

Copy (7)

Endure (7)

Answers on page 62

Precise (5)

10 Book of maps (5)

Accept as true (7)

11 Surplus (5)

Climbing up (6)

12 Design (7)

Fran cally (11)

13 Discon nued (11) 18 Withdraw (7)

14 Interconnected system (7)

20 Living (5)

15 Clearly (7)

22 Concerning (5)

16 Chicken meat (6)

23 Outside light (7)

17 Racket game (6)

24 Removing (6)

19 Consumed (5)

25 Two wheeled vehicles (6)

21 Perfect (5)

“Most of the old moles I know wish they had listened less to their fears and more to their dreams.” Charlie Makesy

Page 17

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HighIncome Child Benefit Charge The highincome child benefit charge (HICBC) applies to unmarried couples living together as well as spouses or civil partners when child benefit is claimed and one or both partner’s adjusted net income exceeds £50,000. Where both partners have income in excess of £50,000 the charge is applied to the higher earner. Note, if both partners earn £49,000, they escape the charge! The charge claws back 1% of child benefit for every £100 where the adjusted net income exceeds £50,000. When adjusted net income is £60,000 or more, the charge is 100% of the child benefit received in the tax year. For example: Cassandra claims child benefit for her two children totalling £1,788.80 for 2019/20. Cassandra earns £25,000 from her employment and her husband Rodney earns £55,000 from his employment. As Rodney’s adjusted net income is more than £50,000, the HICBC applies. It is equal to 50% ((£55,000 £50,000)/100 x 1%) of the child benefit received by Cassandra in the year, i.e. £894.40. If you are liable for the HICBC it must be declared on your selfassessment tax return so please ensure you inform your accountant if you claim child benefit. Caroline Dinsmore

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“What is that over there?” “It’s the wild,” said the mole, “don’t fear it.” Charlie Makesy

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Ini al Considera ons for Commercial Tenants

Just Great Music!

Moss Solicitors are delighted to welcome Jo Showan to their Commercial Property team. Jo is an experienced solicitor, with par cular exper se in commercial lease ma ers. Below, Jo highlights some of the key factors that commercial tenants should raise with the landlord (or their agent) before signing a lease. 1. Costs other than rent – tenants will usually have to pay various sums in addi on to the annual rent. For example, if the landlord has opted to tax the property, then rent will be VATable. If the lease contains an upwardsonly open market rent review, the rent will increase over its term. Tenants should include a realis c projec on of the rise into their business plan. If only part of a building is being leased, you may have to pay a service charge that covers maintenance of common areas; it is sensible to try and agree that this will be capped. Other common costs include business rates, buildings insurance and stamp duty land tax. 2. Repairing obliga ons – a lease of a whole building is o en full repairing and insuring,

making a tenant responsible for keeping the whole of the property in good repair. You may wish to seek to exclude the roof and structure from your obliga ons as these can be costly to repair/maintain. By including a (photographic) schedule of condi on in the lease, you can limit your repairing obliga ons to keeping the property in as good a state as you originally found it, meaning you will not be obliged to improve it. 3. Security of tenure – tenants may have a statutory right to renew their lease, but it can be excluded by agreement. If you want to operate out of the premises for longer than the ini al term, you should retain the statutory renewal right. This will prevent the landlord from refusing a new lease unless certain grounds apply, and this could be crucial to the longerterm future of your business. Moss Solicitors can guide you from the beginning of your nego a ons. Please contact Jo Showan j.showan@mosssolicitors.co.uk or Emma Machowska e.machowska@mosssolicitors.co.uk for more informa on.

Commercial Property • Freehold sales and purchases • Commercial leases • Acquisi on of rights and easements • Op on and overage agreements • Secured lending • Por olio management

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Did you know that Soar Valley Life magazine has been voted as the Page 21 Best Community News publica on in Leicestershire for 2018/19 & 20 by SME News magazine?

Recipe Just Great Music!

Creamy gnocchi bake

This quicktomake supper will be on the table in under an hour – simply serve with a crisp green salad. You’ll ﬁnd packs of potato gnocchi near the fresh pasta in the supermarket.

Tip

Preheat the oven to 200C, 180C fan, Gas Mark 6. Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the gnocchi and boil for 34 minutes un l they rise to the surface. Drain well and transfer to a large ovenproof dish. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry for 45 minutes un l tender. S r in the garlic and spinach and cook for a 23 minutes, s rring, un l the spinach has wilted. Spoon over the gnocchi and s r gently to mix. Spoon over the cheese sauce. Top with the mozzarella cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes un l golden and bubbling. Top with the tomatoes and serve garnished with lemon slices and baby spinach leaves.

Serves 4 Ready in 45 minutes

Ingredients: • 2 x 500g packs fresh gnocchi • 1 tbsp olive oil • 1 onion, ﬁnely chopped • 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed • 100g baby spinach leaves • 2 x 350g tubs fresh cheese sauce • 150g mozzarella cheese ball, drained and sliced • 8 cherry tomatoes, halved • Lemon slices and baby spinach leaves, to garnish

For a lighter dish replace the cheese sauce with 2 x 350g tubs fresh tomato pasta sauce and top with grated reduced fat Cheddar and Parmesan.

Page 22

Do you run a pub? A supermarket? A food shop? A café? Sponsor this page with your branding and details. Call Steve on 01509 813125

Sweet Recipe Just Great Music!

Rhubarb meringue pie A delicious varia on on the classic, this will be a perfect dessert for a special family meal or Sunday roast. Serve with single cream or a spoonful of crème fraiche.

For the pastry case, roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line a 23cm round loosebased fluted flan n. Prick the base all over with a fork. Chill for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200C, 180C fan, Gas Mark 6.

For the ﬁlling, spread the rhubarb in a large shallow roas ng n and sprinkle with 50g of the sugar and the orange zest and juice. Cover with foil and bake for 2025 minutes un l tender. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and leave to cool.

Line the chilled pastry case with baking paper and ﬁll with ceramic baking beans (see Tip). Bake for 10 minutes then remove the lining and beans and bake for a further 510 minutes un l the pastry is crisp and golden. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Place the rhubarb in a large nons ck pan with the rest of the caster sugar, egg yolks, cornﬂour and bu er. Heat gently, s rring all the me, un l the mixture comes to the boil. Simmer for 23 minutes, s rring, un l thickened. Leave to cool then spread in the pastry case.

Tip

To make the meringue, whisk the egg whites in a clean, greasefree bowl un l s ffly peaking. Gradually whisk in the caster sugar, a spoonful at a me, to form a firm, glossy meringue. Spoon over the rhubarb filling and swirl with the back of a spoon. Bake for 1215 minutes un l the meringue is golden. Serve warm or cold. If you don’t have ceramic baking beans then use dried beans or len ls instead.

Page 24

Serves 8 Ready in 1 hour 15 minutes, plus chilling and cooling

Ingredients: FOR THE PASTRY CASE AND FILLING • 350g shortcrust pastry • Flour, for dus ng • 400g rhubarb, trimmed and cut into short lengths • 150g caster sugar • Zest and juice of ½ orange • 2 medium egg yolks • 2 tbsp cornﬂour • 20g unsalted bu er FOR THE MERINGUE • 4 medium egg whites • 225g caster sugar

Do you run a pub? A supermarket? A food shop? A café? Sponsor this page with your branding and details. Call Steve on 01509 813125

ADVANCE NOTICE!

Family Funday Spring Bank Holiday Sunday 24th May from Noon with Ed Sheeran Tribute!

Facebook and Instagram @justaddpa ence www.justaddpa ence.co.uk

Recipes for Children Just Add Pa ence by Kat Gilbert

Slow Cooker

Easter Cookie

Ingredients: • • • • • • • •

350g plain ﬂour 1tsp bicarbonate of soda 1tsp baking powder 200g so ened bu er or margarine 250g caster sugar 1 egg 1tsp vanilla extract 200g chocolate chips/dried fruit

To Decorate • 50g icing sugar • 2 tbsp water • Decora ons of choice

Method: 1. Grease the inside of the slow cooker with bu er. 2. Cut two long strips of baking parchment and put in the slow cooker in the shape of a cross, ensuring the parchment is long enough to

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Just Great Music!

7. Cover and cook on high for 1hr and 45 minutes. Remove the slow cooker bowl using oven gloves and place on a heat proof surface to cool for at least half an hour. 8. Gently remove from the slow cooker using the baking parchment. 9. Once fully cooled, make up the icing by mixing the water and icing sugar and decorate.

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Vinesh and Tanni Patel Principals of Inter Eyecare

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Integrated Healthcare Healthcare in the UK is stretched to the limit and with people living longer and an increased popula on things are only going to get worse… Coupled with the highest rates of chronic disease this is driving the general popula on to take more responsibility for its own health. It is es mated that over 40% of people in the UK are currently using some form of “complementary” or “alterna ve” therapy. As a result a growing number of doctors and healthcare prac oners are referring pa ents to use mind/body approaches – in part because more and more people are demanding it. Using a holis c approach is based on the fundamental principles of healing which promote health rather than focusing on illness. Most enhance the body’s selfhealing ability and address the underlying causes of illness. They also advocate self care, promote a lifestyle of natural healthy foods and exercise and emphasize communica on between pa ent and therapist. We will know that a new paradigm of healthcare has truly emerged when we no longer need to use the terms “complementary“ and “alterna ve” and these approaches are integrated with the best of conven onal health care to become standard. Paula Reed Author of ‘Onion Therapy’ available from Soar Valley Life

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Page 29

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Page 31

Fit Friends – Your Own Personal Gym Just Great Music!

On launching FIT Friends owners Di & Nic combined their professions of exercise physiologist and counsellor to provide a total wellbeing package for their members. What they offer is vastly different from the usual commercial gym and is ideally suited to the older adult market. There are never more than 12 people in the gym, assuring each member receives personal a en on and guidance meaning that a FIT Friends programme appeals to those who may never have set foot in a gym, or those who feel nervous or lack confidence when giving exercise a try. FIT Friends is designed to be inclusive and friendly, so as a member you not only get fit you can also find new friends. There are now 50 small group classes to choose from at the Studio (Ac ve Aims on the Rushes in Loughborough) 15 of which are specifically designed for older adults and with never more than 4 people and 1 Personal Trainer per class, FIT Friends really does feel like your own personal gym! So, whether you are over a certain age, had joint replacement surgery, suffered a stroke or heart a ack, struggle with long term illness or have just never tried exercise, FIT Friends has something to suit you. Janet, a current Fit Friends member explains: “At the age of 72, never having set foot in a gym in my life before, my sister and I joined FIT Friends. We a end the O.p mise sessions, designed to help us remain ac ve and independent. In our small group, we work on strengthening the muscles that support our ageing joints, core strength and balance, helping in the preven on of falls and joint surgery. I suffer from osteoarthri s and my sister has fibromyalgia (a debilita ng condi on which can severely affect mobility) but as we work in such a small group the qualified, friendly personal trainers are able to make small adjustments to the exercises to suit our individual ailments and abili es. Working in a small group with people of a similar age and ability is so much be er than a ending a large, impersonal gym with li le or no guidance and the embarrassment of working out alongside young, fit, bodybuilders! Being pensioners, we did not think having a personal trainer would be affordable, but with FIT Friends we use the ‘Off Peak Credits” and pay only £40 a month, giving us 5 sessions every month. A ending with a

Page 32

Ac ve Aims on The Rushes, Loughborough – Home of Fit Friends

friend gives us the incen ve to keep up the good work, although some of the members come on their own, but all are made welcome. We feel that we are taking posi ve steps and taking control of our own health and wellbeing and we really feel a lot fi er and healthier!” Di & Nic’s top fitness and emo onal wellbeing ps for older adults: 1) Move regularly, try not to sit for more than 1 hour without moving 2) Prac se standing up from a chair without using your hands 3) Try a 10 min walk to blow the cobwebs away most days 4) Talk, chat, share, you don’t have to have deep & meaningful conversa ons a simple chit chat will li your mood. 5) Squeeze a tennis ball 10 mes in each hand twice a day Prices start from £8 per session with discounted membership to older adults (65+) and discounts for friends joining together. What are you wai ng for? Call now to book your free taster session on 01509 437765. Follow us on; Facebook: Fit Friends / Instagram: @fi riends.training / Email: info@fi riends.training 28/29 The Rushes, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 5BG

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Quiz – Jack and Jill 1. In the 1997 film Titanic, Jack wins a game of what to get him and his friend ckets to travel on the Titanic? 2. How is Mildred Hubble be er known in a series of children's books wri en and illustrated by Jill Murphy? 3. Who was shot dead by Jack Ruby live on television? 4. In which 1996 video game could you take control of Jill Valen ne to fight against zombies? 5. How many people are depicted on ar st Jack Ve riano's pain ng The Singing Butler, reproduc ons of which made it the bestselling art print in the UK? 6. The 2011 film Jack And Jill won a record 10 awards at the Golden Raspberry Awards, including both Worst Actor and Worst Actress for which actor, who played both tle roles? 7. In which film does the character of Jill Masterson die from skin asphyxia on? 8. In which US state is Jack Daniel's whisky produced? 9. Which Oscarwinning actress played Rachel's younger sister, Jill, in the TV show "Friends"? 10. Which three actors have played Jack Ryan in the four films based on books by Tom Clancy? Answers on page 62

“Be careful not to fa ll” Charlie Makesy

Page 35

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Walking Breedon on the Hill The Cloud Trail

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Priory church of St. Mary & St. Hardulph. The car park here is where you will park your car to begin this walk

1 Take the narrow road right, passing le of the churchyard, through the gate and the church car park to the yellow top marker post. Go past the barrier and down the path between hedges to a crossroads of paths and turn le . Join the road le /straight on to the Tjunc on. Turn right and immediate le into Worthington Lane, up to the signpost. 2 Turn le to the yellow top post and take the path le of the gate, carry on with the trees to the right, to the road and turn le to the marker post at the corner. 3 Cross the footbridge and the ﬁeld ahead in the arrowed direc on, passing le of the telegraph pole; the ﬁeld may be under cul va on but a path should be well marked within any crop. 4 Go through the metal gate at the hedge, down to the Cloud Trail. Turn le along the hard surface, con nue under the bridges at Tonge and two bridges further on at Wilson. 5 Turn sharp le up the ramp signposted to Wilson village and the farm track at the top; turn right, to the road. Take the road le and follow it right. 6 As the road swings le keep straight on for a third of a mile to the signpost on the le . 7 Turn le and keep direc on across the golf course, con nue slight right and up the narrow path between trees. Go through the kissing gate and over the narrow tarmac road. 8 Turn right, parallel to the road. Bear le upslope with the railings to the le and join the road straight on to the parking area and your vehicle. © Clive Brown All our walks are compiled by Clive Brown You can order any of his walking close to guides from www.walkingcloseto.com See his new book from Bradwell Books Walking for all Ages in Leicestershire & Rutland h p://bradwellbooks.co.uk/walksforallagesleicestershirerutland581p.asp

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PAIN In your feet, heels, knees, back or leg muscles? There could be many causes most common is a shorter leg! – and some mes misaligned bone structure in the feet. Surprisingly, it could have been present for years and is only just becoming painful especially as more people are now exercising or running. Check the soles of your shoes, can you see uneven wear to the sides? And from behind – do they ‘lean’ over? This can be easily ﬁxed within 30 minutes. Consult a Podiatrist specialising in Biomechanics and a simple correc ve insole can be made in minutes transforming your posture and reducing pain. Self help – don’t blindly buy an oﬀtheshelf insole and as most correc ons are made to the forefoot – don’t buy a ¾ length insole. Alan Postlethwaite

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“Being kind to yourself is one of the greatest kindnesses,” said the mole. Charlie Makesy

Page 37

Jane Hunt MP It is a pleasure to be wri ng my first column for Soar Valley Life. I was deeply honoured to be elected as the Member of Parliament for the Loughborough cons tuency in December’s General Elec on. Regardless of how you voted in that elec on (or indeed, if you didn’t vote at all), I promise to serve the whole cons tuency to the very best of my ability. Since being elected, it has been a whirlwind. There is a lot to learn; and despite having worked for my predecessor (now the Baroness Morgan of Cotes) for nine years, I now realise that I saw only a ny part of the work of an MP. But despite the steep learning curve, the one priority I had during the campaign remains the same – the Loughborough cons tuency. In January I made my maiden speech in the House of Commons. In that speech I talked about the generous nature of those who live in our area. It is the cando a tude of those living here and the willingness to help each other out which makes me proud to represent such a fantas c part of the country in the House of Commons. In the first few months as MP I have been focused on a number of issues. Flooding has affected many parts of the cons tuency; Loughborough, Barrow, Sileby, Hathern and other areas have been badly hit. I have held mee ngs with Leicestershire County Council, the Environment Agency and other agencies to mi gate against future wet weather condi ons. I have also focused on bus routes, local businesses and crime.

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Page 38

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Short Story By Jackie Brewster Just Great Music!

The Runaround Excuse me, is this your car?” Barron asked the silverhaired lady leaving the op cians laden with a large parcel. “It just so happens that I’m looking for a reliable runaround for my daughter.” “Lucky girl!” The lady smiled warmly, pu ng the parcel on the back seat. “Would you like to have a look at it at some me?” Barron had been strolling down the high street when he no ced the ‘For Sale’ sign taped to the bonnet. He’d bought and sold enough motors to know the asking price was a frac on of what this car was worth. “How about now?” He didn’t actually have a daughter but knew all the tricks to get his hands on a bargain. “Is there anything wrong with it?” he asked suspiciously. The car seemed immaculate inside and out. “I have to be honest,” the lady grimaced, “it does have one very annoying fault. It makes a dreadful beeping sound when I’m driving,” she said apologe cally. “Have you taken it back to the dealership?” He frowned. “They said there’s nothing wrong with it.” She shrugged. “They said the only way to stop it beeping is to put my seatbelt on.” Barron rubbed his chin. “I might be willing to overlook it if the price is right.” “Perhaps a test drive would help?” she suggested op mis cally. “Are you free now?” Barron pounced. “How about I drive you home and we can go over the paperwork?”

Page 40

“I suppose so!” The lady seemed surprised. “If you’re genuinely interested?” “Perfect!” Indeed it did seem almost too perfect. With a great display of chivalry, Barron helped the lady into the passenger seat. He adjusted the mirror and turned on the igni on. The engine purred like a ki en. “Seatbelts on!” he said cordially. “Before the car starts beeping.” “Very wise,” the lady said. “It really is most annoying.” “I’ll get my man to look at it,” he said, and pulled away. “Though I imagine it will be costly to fix. Where are we heading?” “I live at the end of Barrow Common,” she said. “Do you know it?” “I’m sure I can find it,” Barron said. The tenminute drive was most enjoyable as he contemplated how he was going to knock a few more pounds off the asking price.

“What do you think?” the lady asked, as they pulled up outside her house. “Would she like it?” Barron was about to agree that his imaginary daughter would like it, when he no ced a young man coming out of the house. “Mum you’ve done it again, haven’t you?” the man said. “You can’t keep conning people into driving you home.” “But I’ve taken my driving glasses in for repair,” the lady said, retrieving her parcel from the back seat. “How else was I going to get this home?” “What?” Barron was taken aback. “So isn’t the car for sale a er all?” “Sorry mate,” the man said, “she’s given you the runaround.” “Thank you for the li , very kind.” She smiled. “There’s a bus stop just up the road.”

“O en the hardest person to forgive is yourself.” Charlie Makesy

Page 40

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“I think everyone is just trying to get home,” said the mole. Charlie Makesy

Page 43

The Independent Traveller Just Great Music!

Using a Travel Agent makes Sense You would expect a travel agent to say that travellers should use the services of a fully accredited travel agent rather than book things on line; but let’s just examine some facts and scenarios: It’s always cheaper to book direct From our experience we have found that in most cases it costs no more to book with a travel agent. Especially when you consider the benefits of the financial protec on and the advice based on experience. Am I financially protected when I book with an airline or hotel direct? No for some unknown reason airlines and hotels do not have to be financially protected in the same way as we do. You have limited protec on if you pay on a credit card but they will not help you find an alterna ve flight. We hold an ATOL which requires us to be financially sound. In the event that a supplier collapses we will help manage ge ng your money back and finding an alterna ve travel op on. 24/7 support The recent coronavirus outbreak has brought home the real benefit

of booking through a travel agent. We had clients who were going to be travelling home from Australia via Hong Kong. Having been in some remote areas they had not really become aware of the problems. We were able to re route them back to the UK and get a refund on the unused hotel accommoda on. I would suggest that this would have been hard to do had you booked direct. When can I cancel a holiday due to something like the Coronavirus? For every country in the world the UK Foreign Oﬃce oﬀers travel advice and this is acknowledged as the ‘Gold Standard’ around the world; this is freely available on www.gov.uk/foreigntraveladvice We would always consult that advice for any country with known issues. If your trip moves into the category of ‘Only travel on essen al business’ then a string of events takes place. All reputable tour operators will suspend trips to that loca on.

This has recently happened with China. In addi on, if you look carefully at your Insurance Travel Policy you will see that once the above is issued by the UK government your travel insurance is invalid if you travel against such advice. Trips will then be cancelled, rescheduled or rerouted in discussion with the client. What happens when no warning is issued but you may be unhappy with travel to a loca on? This is more complicated and Hong Kong is a good example. At the me of wri ng the UK Foreign Advice does not say ‘Only travel on essen al business’ although it does urge cau on. If your tour operator s ll decides it is safe to travel then any disinclina on to travel would be treated as a cancella on under the T’s & C’s of the tour operator. However, we can o en arrange to postpone the trip ll a later date. This again is something that is hard to do as an individual. Based on the above why not give us a try on your next holiday? It should cost you no more and help is easily available if needed. Call in or phone 01509 618800.

The Independent Traveller, Devonshire House, Devonshire Lane, Loughborough. LE11 3DF t: 01509 618 800 | e: holidays@unitravel.co.uk www.i ssouthafrica.co.uk | www.i scanada.co.uk

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“Don’t leave anything but your footprints, don’t take anything but your memory.” Epigram at beginning of ‘On Safari’ chapter of the book A Life on Fire by Bill Ford and Steve Johns

There are important dates in recent world history such as VE day which will shortly be with us on Friday 8th May. It is 30 years ago though, that Nelson Mandela was released from prison which started the journey from Apartheid to the founding of the Rainbow Na on. Today we see a mul Â cultural country, struggling at mes, to ďŹ nd a way forward. Tourism is a major posi ve, employing and training many people whilst we can enjoy a fantas c holiday with world class standards. In 2020, discover stunning South Africa.

Ann Haldo Pets ByTen Spot Diﬀerences Just Great Music!

Answers on page 62

Open: 8am - 6pm Mon - Fri 51 Weeks of the year Now in our 15th year, Rothley Park Kindergarten is one of the most modern children's nurseries in Leicestershire perfectly equipped to provide your child with the best care and development in Leicestershire. And that’s not just us saying that. We were inspected on 23rd January 2017 by Ofsted and were judged outstanding in all categories. Nursery manager Narinder Kaur and her team of professional nursery practitioners deliver a second-to-none childcare service tailored to your child’s individual requirements. Limited Government funding is available for 3 and 4 year-olds. We also offer full or part-time sessions as required, depending on availability, for all children under the age of 5 years throughout the year and during school holidays. A warm welcome awaits you – no appointments are necessary as all new and prospective parents are invited to visit us at their own convenience.

Rothley Park Kindergarten, Loughborough Road, Rothley, Leicestershire LE7 7NL T: 0116 230 3888 M: 07813 021410 info@rothleyparkkindergarten.co.uk www.rothleyparkkindergarten.co.uk

Page 46

Get your business ﬂying with an advert in Soar Valley Life

Answers on page 62

Page 48

Get your business ďŹ&#x201A;ying with an advert in Soar Valley Life

Private tui on where do you start? For many parents, it's an internet search "maths tutor near me" for example. Try this and you will see lots of search results, many of which look very similar (to the unini ated ie most of us!) It turns out that most of them are adverts for tui on agencies give them a try and you will receive a list of possible tutors, then it's up to you to select a suitable one that's available at the right me and ﬁngers crossed it all works out. Or you could call us instead I will visit in person to discuss your child's tui on needs and future goals and provide one of our handpicked tutors. That's me, Stephen, in the photograph. We are a local company, employing local tutors to help children at Key Stage 2 and 3, GCSE and A level, to be the best they can be at Maths, English, Sciences, Languages any subject. Great tutors always required. Call us on 01509 767007 to arrange your free consulta on. www.tutordoctor.co.uk/loughborough.

Brownies Bounce Onwards Did you know that across the UK around 70% of all adult women were a Brownie when they were younger? It’s true and Brownies are s ll hugely popular with youngsters across the Soar Valley Life area. Recently Loughborough Brownies joined together for a day of fun and learning where they earned their stage 2 and stage 3 ﬁrst aid badges. That’s almost 50 Brownies who have prac ced: • keeping themselves safe in an emergency • making an emergency phone call • using the recovery posi on to help keep someone breathing • dealing with burns • recognising the signs of diabetes and severe allergies What is most important is that these Brownies had a fantas c me with their friends. Even if they arrived knowing only one other Brownie they certainly le having made lots of friends!

As this magazine goes to print there are just under 14,000 Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Rangers and of course their adult volunteers, from across the Midlands, who are excited to meet together for a day of adventure, fun and friendship at the NEC in Birmingham where we will #Celebrate Thinking Day together. Almost 2,000 of them are travelling from Leicestershire – look out in the next edi on of Soar Valley Life to ﬁnd out what we get up to! If you can’t wait un l the next edi on then why not join in our fun and adventures? To register your daughter visit h ps://bit.ly/2uVOBue To volunteer with us (if you’re aged 14+) visit h ps://bit.ly/2rSbziB

You are reading this because someone delivered to your door. Adver se from £38 perit month + vat Would you like to get ﬁt by doing a great service and earn a good wage for spending a few hours in the fresh air? Email peter@soarvalleylife.co.uk for details.

Page 49

Pets By Ann Haldo Just Great Music!

Keeping Your Dogs and Cats Healthy This Spring me The warmer temperatures and new growth of spring is a welcome me for all of us – me to emerge from hiberna on, whether ﬁgura vely or literally, and enjoy the season to its fullest.

Unfortunately, it’s also a me when your pet is at risk of ill health because of the sheer number of fleas, cks, and other li le visitors that appear. So how can you protect them this spring, and prevent any healthrelated issues? Groom, groom, groom Dogs and cats shed much more in the spring me, so help nature along by gently grooming them on a regular basis. It’ll boost their circula on, encourage the shedding process and help to prevent fur balls. Treat for fleas and cks It’s easy for dogs and cats to become infested with fleas in the warmer weather, so treat them regularly for fleas and cks –

treatments are easy to administer and they protect your pet from unwanted visitors. Worm your pet Hookworms, tapeworms, and roundworms, are all prevalent in the spring me so you need to worm your pet regularly. Talk to your vet about the most suitable treatment, as diﬀerent types of worm may need to be treated diﬀerently. It’s easy to miss the signs of poten al ill health in your pet in the spring, as the main culprits are either minute in size or ingested before you realise it’s happened. So keep a watchful eye when you’re outdoors and you’ll be able to act quickly to stop any serious illnesses developing.

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Get your business ﬂying with an advert in Soar Valley Life

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Tracing Your Family History Emigration may explain why someone is hard to find. Post-WW2, Britons were encouraged to move to Australia under the ‘£10 Poms’ scheme because Australia seriously needed people with specific skills, such as builders, electricians, etc. Many left, escaping post-war battered Britain for opportunities in a warmer climate. Some emigrants had sponsors to help find work and a place to live. These could be family members, perhaps of a previous wave of migrants. Such links may have made settling down to a new life easier. In turn, they may have brought over other family, such as grandparents. Similar patterns of migration occurred into Canada and for both places, searching ships’ passenger lists is a good place to start. Finding folk in their new home usually needs a worldwide subscription to a genealogy site, to research similar records: electoral rolls or trade directories as in Britain. The Loughborough group of the Leicestershire & Rutland Family History Society (LRFHS) meet on the third Tuesday of the month at All Saints Church hall, Thorpe Acre Rd, Loughborough, LE11 4LF, open at 6.45pm with refreshments for 7.30pm start. Meetings: Mar – Enclosure Awards in Leics – John Goodacre Apr – My Ladybird Working Life – Eve Wiltshire © SVL

Email enquiries to jenni@jennidobson.co.uk

A LIFE ON FIRE A Life on Fire tells the story of one of Leicestershire’s best loved and well known businessmen – former president, chairman and managing director of the Great Central Railway, and Chairman of Ford & Slater plc of Narborough Road Leicester.

when responding to adver sers

COMPILED BY STEVEN JOHNS

Limited first edition hard back copies now available from Soar Valley Life at £20 plus £3.50 p&p.

Please men on that you saw their advert in

Soar Valley Life

“Money is life’s fire; an excellent servant, but a terrible master.”

Bill Ford

Please phone Steve or Mary on 01509 813125.

All major credit cards accepted.

“We all need a reason to keep going,” said the horse. What’s yours?” Page 51 “You three,” said the fox. “Ge ng home,” said the boy. “Cake” said the mole. Charlie Makesy

Baker & Co Accountants & Bookkeepers 5 Brookbridge Court Syston Leicestershire LE7 2JT

Telephone 0116 2640889 Email bakerandcoaccountants@btconnect.com Free initial consultation, and Home/workplace visits if desired Over 70 years experience within the practice Established in Syston for over 30 years

Accountancy headaches?? For a personal and jargon free service: SELF-ASSESSMENT TAX RETURNS ACCOUNTS FOR SOLE PROPRIETOR, PARTNERSHIPS, LIMITED COMPANIES, LLP'S. RENTAL INCOME ACCOUNTS, MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTS etc VAT PREPARATION AND FILING VAT AND TAX ENQUIRIES PAYROLL BUREAU AND CIS PERSONAL AND CORPORATE TAXATION © SVL

Easy Sudoku

Hard Sudoku

Answers on page 62

Each row, column and 3 x 3 box must contain the numbers 1 to 9 just once. This can be done by applying logic – you don’t have to guess!

Page 52

Get your business ﬂying with an advert in Soar Valley Life

FOSSE 107 invests in

Local News FOSSE 107, the local radio sta on for Charnwood and Loughborough is pleased to introduce the newest member of the team.

Vickie Clarke joins the sta on as News Editor as the radio sta on looks to invest in more local content. We asked Vickie what brought her to Fosse 107: “From an early age all I wanted was to be was a journalist. As soon as I could read I loved newspapers and news on the TV and Radio and listened to newsreaders whenever I could. When I became a teenager I entered wri ng compe ons and when I was old enough I carried out work experience at newspapers in the area. I studied journalism at University and carried on pursuing work experience over those three years. When

Thank you for suppor ng Fosse 107 your local radio sta on keep listening!

I ﬁnished my degree I then gained my ﬁrst job in broadcast journalism. I love interviewing people, ge ng out into the community and hearing about local folks’ stories. Although I do spend a good por on of the morning wri ng and reading news bulle ns to deadlines, I go out to events, cover stories and interview people. I wanted to work for Fosse 107 because I love working in radio and broadcas ng, I also love local radio and what it means to the community. They are a great team to work with and I am very happy to now be part of it.”

In associa on with Just Great Music!

Phone: 01509 350 107 Text: 07572 831 107 Email: studio@fosse107.co.uk Website: www.fosse107.co.uk

Astronomy Just Great Music!

Sky Notes for Early Spring Brought to you by Roy Gre on, Vice Chairman and Journal Editor of The No ngham Astronomical Society. Everyone is welcome to a end the Society’s monthly mee ngs which take place at The Gotham Memorial Hall, No ngham Road, Gotham, No s. NG11 0HE on the first Thursday of each month. Contact details are on Soar Valley Life’s Website, or go directly to the No ngham Astronomy website: h ps://no nghamastro.org.uk/ What’s that bright star? That’s a ques on you may be asked any evening this spring. The answer is Venus, the nearest planet to Earth, and by far the brightest in our sky. Alfred Lord Tennyson imagined what it would be like to stand on one of our neighbouring planets and see the bluewhite Earth hanging majes cally in their sky, when he wrote, “...Venus – were we na ve to that splendour, or in Mars, we should see the Globe we groan in, fairest of their evening stars. Could we dream of wars and carnage, cra and madness, lust and spite, Roaring London, raving Paris, in that point of peaceful light?...” Space research over the last halfcentury supports Tennyson’s warning that appearances can be decep ve, for as we gaze at our apparently serene sister planet, we are now aware that Venus is indeed a hellish place, with clouds of sulphuric acid dri ing over a surface hot enough to melt lead. Venus is o en thought of as Earth’s twin, especially in terms of size, as it is 7500 miles across compared with Earth’s 7900 miles. But that’s about as far as the likeness goes, for Venus suffers a runaway greenhouse effect, resul ng in that blistering temperature. At the No ngham Astronomical Society mee ng at Gotham Memorial Hall at 7:30pm on June 4th, Dr Richard Ghail will be speaking on ‘VENUS why so different?’ Do come along if you would like to learn more. The Planets in March and April As already noted, Venus is the standout object this spring, par cularly in March and April. You will see it shining with a steady light (not twinkling) high in the west a er the Sun has set. Through a telescope it will show a ‘phase’ rather like the Moon: gibbous un l late March, then a steadily thinning crescent throughout April and May. Looking west Mercury, a much more elusive planet, will become visible low down in the west a er sunset in the second half of May. Meanwhile, the superior planets (those further from the Sun than we are) con nue to be poorly placed for observa on from the UK, as they remain south of the equator throughout the spring. However, a

Page 54

fascina ng spectacle awaits those willing to rise early (before 5am) between midMarch and midApril, as all three planets will be close together in the morning sky. Mars will swoop past the other two during this period, and around March 26th it will be midway between Jupiter and Saturn, in the constella on of Sagi arius. But to see them you will need to pick a spot with a clear south eastern horizon – no houses or trees to spoil the view! A nakedeye comet? This spring a comet is swinging past the Earth on its 350,000year orbit around the Sun. Comet C/2017 T2 Panstarrs will reach its closest point to the Sun on May 4th, and around that me should be at its brightest. Having said that, comets are notoriously diﬃcult to predict, and while this one may become visible to the naked eye, it may also fall short, and require the use of binoculars. A good resource for tracking the comet can be found at h ps://www.heavensabove.com

Phases of the Moon for March and April 2020 Phase First Quarter Full Moon Last Quarter New Moon

Date March 2nd March 9th March 16th March 24th

Date April 1st & 30th April 8th April 14th April 23rd

The arrow poin ng to the bo om right of the crescent moon photo points to the posi on of the Sun. This moon indicates that the Sun has set and shows a new moon be fore its ﬁrst quarter approximately 4 days old

WE NEED A NEW COMMERCIAL SPONSOR FOR OUR ASTRONOMY PAGE! Talk to Steve on 01509 813125

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www.chipsaway.co.uk Birstall Interchange, 4 Meer End, Birstall, Leicester. You are reading this because someone delivered to your door. Adver se from £38 perit month + vat Would you like to get ﬁt by doing a great service and earn a good wage for spending a few hours in the fresh air? Email peter@soarvalleylife.co.uk for details.

Page 55

Have you visited Stuart Broad's pubs yet? Started by Stuart, fellow Nottinghamshire seamer Harry Gurney and experienced publican Dan Cramp. Come and visit us at our quintessentially British gastro pub situated in the picturesque village of Upper Broughton, halfway between Nottingham and Melton on the A606. Whether it is a glass of wine and some dinner in our famous garden room or an ale and a Sunday roast by the fire, we have you covered! @tapandruncw

• Fresh, locally sourced food served all day • Garden room available for private functions • Steak night every Wednesday • Outside garden terrace area

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The Tap and Run, Main Street, Upper Broughton, Melton Mowbray, LE14 3BG • 01664 820407 https://tapandrun.thecatandwickets.com/

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your food bill Monday to Thursday on production of this page from Soar Valley Life Not to be used with any other offer and valid until 31st May 2020.

Settle in at our cosy village pub with a newspaper and a pint, and don't forget one of our famous homemade sausage rolls. • Fresh, locally sourced food served all day • Live Sky and BT Sports across our three screens • Beer garden • Muddy paws and boots welcome • Themed nights and events (check our website for what's coming up) @threecrownscw 45 Far Street , Wymeswold, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE12 6TZ • 01509 880011 https://threecrowns.thecatandwickets.com/ © SVL

WIN!

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Tap & Run at Upper Broughton or

The Three Crowns at Wymeswold HOW TO ENTER Find the foods associated with our menu in the Wordsearch below and send your answer, which is a six word related phrase, together with your full name, address and telephone number, to editor@soarvalleylife.co.uk or by post to Soar Valley Life, 1 Burton Road, Sileby, Leicestershire LE12 7RU. The ﬁrst correct answer out of the hat a er the closing date of Friday 24th April will win. Editor’s decision is ﬁnal. Terms and condi ons apply.

Tap & Run Wordsearch

Bok Choy Burger Celeriac Cheesecake Cherries Chicken Fries Fudge Haddock Ham Hock Mushrooms Parmesan Prawns

Sirloin Sorbet Spinach Sticky Ribs

Stroganoff Tagliatelle Truffle Wasabi

Find the words associated with our menu in the grid and the remaining le ers will spell out a related phrase

You have to £38 be inper it tomonth win it!+ vat Adver se from

Page 57

The White Horse Inn, 6 Church Street, Seagrave, Leicestershire, LE12 7LT

01509 814715

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What’s On At The White Horse?

Weds – Sat 12pm to 1.45pm

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The Stables Function Room Available to hire for parties of up to 60 people (standing) or 30 (seated). Catering and bar also available. Ideal for parties, meetings and more!

Choose from a range of fantastic £6.95 specials!

Wednesdays, 6pm-8.45pm – Tapas Night Enjoy a range of authentic Spanish ‘little dishes’!

Thursdays, 6pm-8.45pm – Steak Night Two rump steaks or specials with a bottle of house wine for just £29.95! Individual deal for just £15!

Fridays, 6pm-8.45pm – Normal Menu Choose from a wide range of delicious home-cooked meals and daily specials.

Saturdays, 6pm-8.45pm – Specials Night Buy any two specials and a bottle of house wine for just £29.95!

Sundays, 12pm-2.15pm – Sunday Lunch Enjoy a free bottle of house wine with your Sunday lunch for any table of 4 adults or more!

Visit www.whitehorseseagrave.co.uk for more details.

Adver sing prices valid from 1st January 2020 VAT to be added to all prices • Minimum booking is two months

Contact our friendly team on 01509 813125 steve@soarvalleylife.co.uk www.soarvalleylife.co.uk Call or email Steve for a copy of our new adver sing informa on pack, with map and village counts.

Page 58

Advert Size Twel h Page

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many of the major advertisers in the region rely on leaflet delivery for immediate, powerful and efficient impact for their promotions.

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Stuart Westmoreland, Green Thumb, Loughborough Schools, Slimming World, Gu er Pro, Kia Loughborough, Great Central Railway, Manor Farm, CostCu ers, Dominos Pizza, etc. etc.

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Steve@soarvalleylife.co.uk

01509 813125 Leaﬂet collec on dates coming are: Monday 23rd March for the South and Monday 4th May for the North

Soar Valley Life Business Directory Just Great Music!

Tel No

Get No ced by 40,000 homes in Charnwood for

£20

per month plus vat Tel No

Page No

Accountants Baker & Co Accountants 0116 264 0889 CP Accountancy Ltd 0116 230 3973 Aerials Delta Aerials 01509 768 831 Hassall Aerials 01509 412 446 Appliance Repair Ovencare Cooker Repair 01509 434 019 Beauty Liberty Hall 01509 890 500 Building & Planning BDI Design and Construct 07877 523 669 / 01509 814 126 Decorum Building Contractors 0116 319 4428 Care Homes Cedar House Care Home Ltd 0116 230 3066 Carpentry & Joinery Simon Hewi Joinery 0797 087 5424 Carpets Carpets of Choice 0116 267 2853 Cleaning

52 19 42 34 8 30 16 11 39 16 63

Dusters Cleaning Services 50

Keith Urry & Son High Class Painter and Decorator since 1995 Telephone 01509 673 898 / 0796 495 5303 See our main advert on page 38 Merz Decor 01509 559 865 / 07762 433 180 Richard Watson 01509 815 753 / 0788 075 4011 Educa on Rothley Park Kindergarten 0116 230 3888 / 0781 302 1410 Tutor Doctor In Home Tutoring 01509 767 007

55 20 16 30 56 56 25 58 42 42 11 14 14 20 18

John A Stephens

Domes c and Commercial Cleaning Telephone 07967 830 890 / 0116 230 4452 SJS The Professional Carpet Cleaner 01509 215 858 / 0782 579 5558 Decorators

Page No

Electrical Intericare Gas & Electrical 0116 319 2800 / 0774 053 0366 John Unwin Electrical Contractors 01509 236 313 Kneller & Kneller Ltd 0116 287 3404 / 0783 673 4828 Financial Advisor Helen Somaiya 0792 867 6675 Food & Drink Tap & Run Upper Broughton 01664 820 407 The Three Crowns Wymeswold 01509 880 011 The Waterside Inn Mountsorrel 0116 230 2758 The White Horse Seagrave 01509 814 715 Furnishings Acacia Curtains & Blinds 01509 821 016 / 0795 161 9046 Ancient & Modern Furniture Restora on 01530 587 537 / 0797 657 1679 Garage Doors Garolla Roller Shu er Doors 0116 340 0635 / 0753 714 9128 Garden Centres Derry's Nurseries 01509 812 815 Garden Design Claire Jones Gardens 01509 881 119 Duﬃeld Construc on 01509 769 342 Harrison Landscaping 01509 842 870 / 0789 415 9414

42 8 46 49

Builders Merchants Telephone 0115 941 2861 See our main advert on page 28 Garden Machinery Red Band UK 0116 360 2601 Garden Maintenance Summer Sunshine Gardening Services 07845 155 049 Healthcare and Wellbeing Angel Yard Osteopaths 01509 812 119 Charnwood Hearing Aid Centre Ltd 0116 236 6633 Core Aqua cs 0705 065 184 Fit Friends Personal Gym 01509 437 765 HS Footcare Services 0116 210 6413 / 0797 660 8913 Pennie Blatchford Electrolysis 01949 869 699 / 0788 786 5419 Reed Wellbeing 01509 415 125

10 16 31 30 4 33 37 43 29

Business directory sponsored by Soar Valley Printsho

All adver sers appear here on our Business directory page and a 1/12th page block a

Tel No

Page No

Home Maintenance BNR Property Services Ltd 01509 276 535 / 0753 484 9950 StripIt' Paint Stripping Service 0116 210 6417 / 0759 981 2073 Kitchen & Bathroom Fi ng Dream Doors 01509 212 333 Solec Luxury Bathrooms & EnSuites 01509 215 352

8 31 23 42

Tebba Kitchens & Electronics

12 43 17 51 37 53 48

41 8 19

Small run/same day prin ng for flyers, leaflets etc Leaflet Distribu on throughout the Soar Valley Call Steve for more details 01509 813125 Roofing Hart Property Services 0800 865 4278 / 0752 553 6764 Hassall Building & Roofing 01509 412 446 / 0780 313 5382 RSJ Roofing 01509 816 759 / 0797 235 3384 Transport

29 9 21 13 34

41 55 35

ADT Taxi Company Telephone 01509 260 000 / 0116 255 5222 See our main advert on page 2

55 16 28 34 51 8

EMC Tiles Crea ve, Inspiring Tiling Ideas. Prince William Rd, L'boro Telephone 01509 210 999 / 01162 834 068 www.emc les.co.uk See our main advert on page 5 JS Plastering 01509 815 839 / 0741 528 1036

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Soar Valley Printshop

Kitchens designed to comple on or supply only – Appliances – Televisions Phone 0116 236 3898 Email: info@tebba .co.uk www.tebba .co.uk TLC Kitchens 0116 356 0234 / 0789 065 8750 Lawn Care Ar ﬁcial Lawn Solu ons 01509 843 982 Green Thumb Lawn Treatment 0116 269 4019 Leisure A Life on Fire Bill Ford's Story 01509 813 125 An ques, Vintage & Collectors Fair www.guildhallan quefairs.co.uk Fosse 107 Just Great Music! 01509 350 107 Great Central Railway 01509 632 323 Legal Services Elvin Moore and Partners 01509 852 454 / 01509 852 195 Kornerstone Legal Services 01509 767 000 /0800 193 7377 Moss Solicitors 01509 217 770 Westminster Law 01509 833 081 Locksmiths DM Locksmiths 01509 843 331 Motoring Chips Away Repairs 0116 319 3950 / 0793 265 4138 Musical Instrument Repairs Mr B Brass & Woodwind Specialist 0798 842 7215 Op cians Inter Eyecare Op cians Ltd 0116 319 2800 / 0800 093 3486 Pilbeam Op cians 01162 375 462 Pet Care Posh Dogs Canine Grooming 01509 767 420 / 0759 259 4000 Plastering and Tiling Craig Chamberlain Plastering 0116 287 8535 / 07717 210 791

Tel No Plumbing GasServwell Boiler Services 01509 839 272 / 0786 073 5066 Hollydan Plumbing & Hea ng 01509 646 689 / 0774 611 5381 Holme Plumbing & Hea ng Ltd 0800 210 0097 / 0776 761 5741 Prin ng

Kinchbus www.kinchbus.co.uk Travel Millington Travel Loughborough 01509 362 000 The Independent Traveller 01509 618 800 Tree Surgeons Canopy Tree Services 01509 590 095 JSB Tree Surgery 01509 261 990 Mar n Page Tree Surgeon 01509 414 169 Mathew Jarram Tree Services 01509 649 453 / 0793 427 2484 Windows & Conservatories Absolute Window Solu ons Ltd 0116 231 4976 / 0116 253 8866 Charnwood Windows 0792 550 7281 Cloudy2Clear 0800 6121 118 Hardwick Heritage Windows 0115 855 6010

op 01509 813125 We come to you and talk it through

advert costs just £20 plus vat per month. Call Steve on 01509 813125 for more details

3 45 18 15 12 38

27 26 4 13

Solu ons to Puzzles Just Great Music!

Spot the Diﬀerence Answers 6. 1. Oil on ﬂoor 7. 2. Rivet 8. 3. Mouth 9. 4. Jumper Pa ern 10. 5. Hair

Jack and Jill Quiz Answers Robot eyes Spanner Trainer Robot ﬁnger Eyebrow

Sudoku Solu ons

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Poker The Worst Witch Lee Harvey Oswald Resident Evil Four (a couple dance on a beach as a maid and a butler hold umbrellas) 6. Adam Sandler

7. Goldﬁnger (her en re body is painted gold) 8. Tennessee 9. Reese Witherspoon 10. Alec Baldwin (The Hunt for Red October) Harrison Ford (Patriot Games and Clear And Present Danger) and Ben Aﬄeck (The Sum Of All Fears)

Henry Hedgehog Solu on There are 16 guitars on the page Noel is the guitarist who is out of tune Easy Quick Crossword Solu on

Hard

Needle & Pin Voucher Winners

Fosse 107 Wordsearch Winner

Congratula ons to Anne Lingard of Shepshed and Ruth Davis of Hathern who both spo ed the bo le of Soar Head beer on a table in Unique Choice Kitchens and Bedrooms advert on page 12.

Congratula ons to Mrs L Sinclair of East Leake whose entry in our Fosse 107 wordsearch was the ﬁrst correct answer to be drawn a er the closing date. The phrase was, “Just really good music throughout the Soar Valley.” Mrs Sinclair wins a Roberts Play10 Portable DAB+/FM Radio from Fosse 107 worth £40.

Anne and Ruth each win a £15 voucher to use at the Needle & Pin micropub at The Rushes in Loughborough. See pages 8 and 57 for more compe ons!

See pages 8 and 57 for more compe ons!

Find the Robin Winner Congratula ons to Ian Lorimer of Loughborough who spo ed our li le robin on page 56 in the Fosse 107 advert. Ian wins a £25 voucher to use at The Waterside Inn Mountsorrel. See pages 8 and 57 for more compe ons!

“Could your business sponsor a compe on? You provide the prize we’ll do the rest. We have hundreds of readers entering with every issue, all men oning and mindful of the sponsors name, product or service”

Page 62

FOR ALL YOUR FLOORING REQUIREMENTS If you’re thinking about flooring… A family run independent flooring retailer with over 30 years experience, offering a wide range of carpets and hard flooring from main manufacturers at affordable prices, including Polyflor luxury vinyl tiling and a large selection of laminate flooring

Our aim is to offer a personal, friendly service with quality and care. As we only use our own fully experienced fitters we can move furniture and uplift your old flooring if required, so you can be assured of a professional service from start to finish.

Visit our showroom for a FREE quotation We supply & fit all the latest styles to give your home the look you are after… To see more photos follow us on facebook

133 Sibson Road, Birstall, LE4 4ND Tel 0116 2672853

www.carpetsofchoice.com

Celebrating our 10 Years Anniversary thanking customers old and new

carpetsofchoice@hotmail.com

March & April edition of Soar Valley Life - The Biggest Little Magazine in Charnwood

Articles inside

Soluons and Winners

Local Business Directory

two

Adversing Prices

Springme

Tracing your Family History

Short Story – The Runaround

Jane Hunt MP

Astronomy

Integrated Healthcare

Brownies Bounce Onwards

Frozen Shoulder

HighIncome Child Benefit Charge

Rhubarb Meringue Pie

Quick Crossword

Creamy Gnocchi Bake

Tenants

Recipes for Children

Contents

Mulch your Borders