Soarvalley junjul14 issuu

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Sileby, Mountsorrel, Seagrave, Cossington, Rothley, Thurcaston & Cropston Edi on 20,000 Copies delivered by GPS Tracked Distribu on team every two months

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Win a Meal for Two Win £25 Cash Country Walk Recipes Puzzles What’s On Trades & Services

Highly Commended Best New Magazine 2012/13 Independent Magazine Publishers Awards October 2013 Member of the Federa on of Small Businesses www.soarvalleylife.co.uk

Copy deadline for July Tuesday 24th June

Issue 27 June/July 2014

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Soar Valley Life

We want to hear from You!

Editors Steve & Mary Johns

Another excellent ar cle this month by our regular writer Phillip Mark McGough offers a warning between the lines: we are losing precious nature around us whilst hardly no cing un l it’s gone. Please have a read, see what you think, and if you have a mind to, drop us a line and we’ll print your views in Soar Valley Life. It’s always been our inten on to incorporate news and views in the magazine and soon we hope to publish your comments. In this vein we’re pu ng together a survey to gather informa on as to how you perceive us.

Ques ons such as, “Are we ge ng it right?” and “ What else would you like to see?”

We’ll begin this project on our Facebook page during the next few weeks. Star ng last month we’re giving away a £25 cash prize each month to one of our Facebook likers, the winner picked at random using our ‘Raffle’ style method. See page 50 for our first winner ­ and watch out for the survey, we’d love to hear from you…

Adver sing Tracy Dixon & Chris Easom

HOW to ADVERTISE: See page 5

Telephone 01509 813125 Email enquiries Adver sing info@soarvalleylife.co.uk Editorial editor@soarvalleylife.co.uk Web www.soarvalleylife.co.uk Facebook www.facebook.com/ SoarValleyLife Address 1 Burton Road, Sileby LE12 7RU

In the mean me enjoy our ever growing magazine with new features ­ our local MP, Nicky Morgan, starts her new column this month ­ regular and new adver sers, compe ons, fascina ng facts and, of course, now and again, more serious ar cles to make us all think...

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Copyright © 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, storedin 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.

Front Cover Photo: © Bill Allsopp April 2014

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page 15

New! Nicky Morgan column

Recipes Glazed Chicken Kebabs Page 42 Peach Galle e Page 44

“Old John” Presiding over the Soar Valley from the top of the hill in Bradgate Park, Leicestershire.

Walking

Top Half Mile Lock

page 46

Contents

The Na onal Garden Scheme Quiz ­ Inven ons Nicky Morgan MP VAT Schemes Easy Sudoku Win £25 Cash Quick Crossword Tapas Night at The White Horse Hay Fever Advice Room with a View New Sawmill Marks 200th Anniversary BioSignature Modula on Five Mysterious Disappearances The Carer Came From Bus Sta on to Gas Sta on Spot the Difference It’s Child’s Play Are you a Clever Bird or an Ostrich?

Win a Sunday Carvery for Two Commercial Landlords – An End to Distress?

Dawn Chorus by Phillip Mark McGough Everything under the Sun Recipe – Glazed Chicked Kebabs Recipe – Peach Galle e Laughter is the Best Medicine Walking – Top Half Mile Lock Business Networking What is Biomechanics?

Compe on Winners What’s On Don’t Look – See!

page 34

7 9 10 11 13 14 15 16 19 20 22 25 26 27 28 30 31 33 34 37 38 40 42 44 45 46 48 49 50 52 53

Win a Sunday Carvery at The View Restaurant WIN £25 CASH

with Soar Valley Life on Facebook Page 14

COMPETITION WINNERS! ALL ON page 50

Everything under the sun page 40

Soar Valley Life is an independent community publica on. Please note that while the publisher takes care to be accurate, no liability will be accepted under any circumstances whatsoever, should any of the contents of the magazine be inaccurate or incorrect.

Page 3

Soar Valley Life Trades and Services Arts and Cra s The Gallery ­ Su on Bonington Handmade for Li le Rascals

36 31

Builders and Builders Merchants Charnwood Oaks Roofing & Building BDI Design and Construct John A. Stephens Ltd

14 12 6

Child Care and Educa on Rothley Park Kindergarten

30

Courier Services MyParcelShop.Com

35

Garden A 2 Z Cleaning Services Charnwood Tree Services Claire Jones Gardens George Walker Tree Care Green Thumb Lawn Treatment Harrison Landscaping

15 6 7 23 55 7

Hair and Beauty Colours Hair and Nails Lanza Hair Design Mansi Beauty & Bridal

14 56 19

Health Care Ac vity 4all Cambridge Weight Plan Charnwood Hearing Aid Centre Clare Satchell Reflexology Gareth Hudson – Foot Health Professional H S Foot Care Services Oooh... My Feet Raw Vitality Nutri on Reed Wellbeing ­ Complementary Health Soul Academy Visual Answers Op cians / Optometrists Walk­in Physio Ltd

49 50 13 26 31 17 12 25 45 19 19 33

Home A 2 Z Cleaning Services Acacia Curtains and Blinds Bunny Appliance Warehouse Carpets of Choice Custom Conservatories & Windows Dave Mi on Electrical DCI Kitchens Delta Aerials Digital.R.Us Ltd Fab Plumbing Fine Finish Furniture Fluid­Fix KR Electrical

15 31 43 8 12 26 12 18 35 18 32 13 18

Informa on is included in our What’s On sec on subject to space being available. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure that the data in this publica on is accurate, Soar Valley Life cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions and neither do we endorse companies or adver sers or their products and services appearing in this magazine.

Page 4

LockXpert Louis Bespoke Kitchens Match Wallcovering & Decora ng Ocean Designs Conservatory Furniture Richard Watson Painter and Decorator SJS Professional Carpet Cleaner SJS Leather Cleaning Expert Soar Valley Aerials The Oven Cleaning Company UK Gas Services Ltd Whelband Windows

14 24 18 45 15 9 35 12 9 29 54

Home Care Services Absolute Care Agency Icare Community Meals

27 2

Motoring and Travel Tech 2 Car Body Repairs

33

Pet Care Posh Dogs Woodside Animal Centre

17 17

Professional Services Baker & Co Accountants Bill Allsopp Photography CP Accountancy Ltd Cat Eley­Gaunt – Wealth Management Intelligent Financial Advice Ltd Moss Solicitors The Loughborough Ladies Business Group

25 53 11 33 17 37 48

Pubs, Restaurants & Catering Cromwell Road Coffee House The Restaurant at The Mountsorrel The View Restaurant The Wedding Cafe The White Horse Inn

49 47 21 34 16

Residen al Care The Abbeyfield

27

Sports and Leisure Cyclops Cycles Great Central Railway Leicestershire County Council ­ Get Cycling Park Hill Golf Club

10 51 11 21

Timber Merchants Barrow Timber Sta on George Walker Ltd

13 23

Wedding Services Brides and Belles The Wedding Café

18 34

Wholesalers Costco Leicester

41

All adver sers appear in our online business directory with a link to their own website – go to www.soarvalleylife.co.uk

Adver sing in the award winning Soar Valley Life QUARTER PAGE ONLY £44 + VAT

1/6th page

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delivered every two months

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We deliver to all of the following Charnwood villages every two months: Loughborough South, Quorn, Barrow, Woodhouse Eaves, Swithland, Walton & Burton on the Wolds, Normanton on Soar, Su on Bonington, Hathern, Long Wha on, Sileby, Mountsorrel, Rothley, Thurcaston, Cropston, Seagrave & Cossington.

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Adver se

in Soar Valley Life and get your message to 26,000 homes and businesses every two months.

In July we’re increasing our distribu on area to include LE11 2 postcodes around Loughborough.

Delivering your message to more homes in Charnwood than any other magazine Prices start from £28 + VAT

It’s simple:

We have professional designers to create the maximum response for your enterprise for a limited period we’ll even design your advert for

FREE!

Leaflets: We can now deliver your leaflet with Soar Valley Life and you can choose an area from as small in number as 500 at a cost of £35.00 Call Steve for more details You can down load all the details from our website www.soarvalleylife.co.uk

Ring 01509 813125 or email steve@soarvalleylife.co.uk Like us on facebook to further promote your business www.facebook.com/SoarValleyLife

Page 5

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The widest range of hard landscaping products from the East Midlands leading independent builders’ merchant Choose from: Marshalls (the UK’s leading landscape product supplier) and Stonemarket (arguably the trendsetters for innovative hard landscape products) Next day delivery for most popular products – large fleet of 20+ vehicles for prompt delivery Professional design and layout guides free to download from our website

www.johnastephens.co.uk Page 6

Want your business featured for free? Email steve@soarvalleylife.co.uk

The Na onal Garden Scheme

Garden Designer and Plants Woman Claire Jones is opening her garden for the Na onal Garden Scheme for the first me...

The garden will be open on Sunday the 22nd of June from 11am to 5pm. It was laid out in 2004 with formal herbaceous borders, yew hedges and David Aus n roses. Set

in a two acre plot with a produc ve vegetable garden, you can walk on mown paths around the grass meadow and enjoy outstanding views of the Leicestershire Wolds.

There will be cream teas and a plant stall. Since its founda on The Na onal Garden Scheme has given more than £40 million to nursing and caring chari es. One hundred percent of the profit made on the day from the entrance, plant sales and teas will go to charity, the main

beneficiaries being MacMillan Cancer Support and Marie Curie Cancer Care. For more informa on or to view photos of the garden visit www.ngs.org.uk The address is 14 New Lane, Walton on the Wolds, LE12 8HY. Admission is £3, children are free!

The Na onal Gardens Scheme www.ngs.org.uk

Adver se in Soar Valley Life from £28 per month plus VAT – See page 5

Page 7

Good choice of rugs always available in store

Quiz – Inven ons 1.

Which toy was invented by accident in 1943 a er a naval mechanical engineer knocked something off a shelf and watched the way it dropped onto a stack of books, a table and the floor?

2. In 1970, inventor Douglas Engelbart received a patent for what he called an “X­Y Posi on Indicator for a Display System”. By what name is this device commonly known today?

3. According to a well known proverb, what “is the mother of inven on”?

4. Invented in the late 19th century by a chemist called John Pemberton, what was once adver sed as a “valuable brain tonic, and a cure for all nervous afflic ons”?

5. In the film Edward Scissorhands, which actor played Edward’s inventor?

6. In 1957, what was accidentally invented by Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes when they were a emp ng to create three­dimensional plas c wallpaper and realised that what they had created had a more prac cal use?

7. Which was invented first? The pop­up toaster or sliced bread?

8. In 1974, a Hungarian with the first name of Erno invented what is considered by many to be the world’s best­selling toy of all me. What was his surname?

9. Invented by Henry Bessemer, the Bessemer process was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass­produc on of which metal?

10. The first commercial version of what was invented in 1884 in Paris, when it was made from deer tallow, castor oil and beeswax, and was covered in silk paper?

Answers on page 53

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Page 9

Nicky Morgan MP I am delighted to write my first column for the excellent Soar Valley Life magazine...

As the Member of Parliament for the Loughborough cons tuency (which covers a lot more than just Loughborough!) I have two main roles: Firstly, and o en most cri cally on a day to day basis, to deal with casework which comes my way. This can involve almost anything but regular examples are when help is needed with benefits queries, housing queries, cases involving the Child Support Agency or HMRC. That is a very brief summary! My second role is to represent you in Westminster – so if necessary, I can raise casework direct with Ministers. But it is also about banging the drum for the Loughborough cons tuency in Government – for example, ensuring that we get our fair share of funding for things like transport infrastructure or hos ng events in London to promote cons tuency based organisa ons. To do this I do lots of visits and events locally so I meet as many residents as possible so I can talk about your concerns to Ministers and anyone else I need to.

I also send out a monthly e­newsle er – if you would like to receive a copy you can register through my website – www.nickymorgan.com I can also arrange tours of Parliament and I was delighted recently to welcome over 70 pupils from Hall Orchard School in Barrow upon Soar to Parliament. I met them for a ques on and answer session and they asked some excellent ques ons showing just how closely they had been listening to the tour.

Since then I have been into the school to answer some more ques ons about what MPs do in their cons tuencies and in Westminster and how we pursue the issues which are raised with us.

I shall try to give you a flavour of my recent ac vi es in future columns. In the mean me if you need assistance please e­mail me nicky.morgan.mp@parliament.uk or call 01509 262723 or you can write to me (or visit my office) at 3/3a No ngham Road, Loughborough LE11 1ER.

Page 10

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Anything of interest you’d like to see in the next issue?

Call 01509 813 125 or email editor@soarvalleylife.co.uk

VAT Schemes Last me we discussed being VAT registered and briefly men oned the different types of VAT schemes that are available to businesses. Are you on the best scheme for your business?

The most common schemes used are Standard VAT Accoun ng, the Cash Accoun ng Scheme and the Flat Rate Scheme.

If using the Standard VAT Accoun ng scheme VAT is paid on the date both the sales and purchase invoices are issued. This compares to the Cash Accoun ng scheme whereby VAT is accounted for on the date your customer pays you and the date you pay your suppliers. This scheme can help with cash flow if you have slow paying customers.

Another popular scheme is the Flat Rate scheme where you pay a fixed percentage of your gross turnover. This can reduce the me spent maintaining records meaning you have more me to run your business.

Not everyone can join these schemes as there are certain condi ons to meet but should you wish to find out if your business is eligible please do not hesitate to contact us.

Caroline Dinsmore

CP Accountancy Ltd End of year accounts, Bookkeeping, VAT, PAYE, CIS, and Tax Returns for Sole-traders, Partnerships and small Limited Companies Office 9 Lazarus Court, Woodgate Rothley, Leicestershire LE7 7NR Tel: 01162 303 973 Mobile: 07749 650129 Email: info@cpaccountancyltd.co.uk

Caroline Dinsmore is licensed and regulated by the AAT under license number 5865

Feature your business in Soar Valley Life – contact steve@soarvalleylife.co.uk

Page 11

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© SVL

Want your business featured for free? Email steve@soarvalleylife.co.uk

Charnwood Hearing Aid Centre Ltd

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Your local hearing specialist 5 Stadon Road, Anstey Leicester, LE7 7AY Existing hearing aid users welcome Hearing protection for both children and adults Friendly and professional service

Telephone: 0116 236 6633 Email: charnwoodhearing@btconnect.com www.charnwoodhearing.co.uk

For people who care about their hearing Mon, Tue, Thu & Fri 9.30am - 4.30pm Wed & Sat 9.30am - 12.30pm

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Page 13

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Colours

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Why not have your Hair and Nails done at the same time?

Summer Highlights, Cut & Blow Dry £45 Full Set of Shellac Nails £17 Every month we’ll pick one of our “Likers” on our Facebook page and they will receive a £25 cash prize.

Please feel free to pop in for a coffee and a chat about a new style

Go to www.facebook.com/SoarValleyLife Cick the thumbs­up “Like” bu on near the top and you’re in!

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Page 14

0116 319 2090 • 07855 962 811

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Anything of interest you’d like to see in the next issue?

Call 01509 813 125 or email editor@soarvalleylife.co.uk

Quick Crossword 1

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1 Type of pudding (7)

1 S cky liquid (5)

5 Trimmed (5)

2 Accompanies (7)

8 Large pebbles (5)

3 Assorted (13)

9 Brutal (7)

4 Split (6)

10 At right angles (13)

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11 Without effort (6)

6 Snarl (5)

12 Grieves for (6)

7 Removes weapons (7)

15 A protest (13)

11 Goes on forever (7)

18 Financial system (7)

13 Fence (7)

19 Beverage (5)

14 Remained (6)

20 Stairs (5)

16 Large deer (5)

21 Hauled (7)

17 Nude (5) Answers on page 53

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Page 15

Tapas Night at The White Horse brings a taste of Spain to Seagrave!

Take a trip to España every Wednesday evening with these authen c ‘li le dishes’...

Some of you may remember Campasinas on Loughborough Market and the recipes from it in Soar Valley Life. Paul Dodds, the owner of Campasinas, le the area last year to move back to his home region in Hampshire, but we enjoyed trying his Spanish goods, food, spices and cookware.

Then, last year, we sampled some more Spanish fare at the White Horse in Seagrave.

Mary and I are by no means seasoned experts on all Spanish meatballs

things Spanish but we can recognise quality and authen city when we taste it!

The White Horse Tapas Nights were extremely popular throughout the summer and, with the good weather that last year brought us, many a Wednesday night had the pub and garden filled to capacity with locals enjoying real Spanish tapas ­ almost as good as being in Spain! The pub’s Head Chef lived and worked in Spain for seven years, so he really does know a thing or two about Spanish food and how it should be cooked and served.

This year the pub’s Tapas Night menu will include 15 tradi onal tapas dishes, available every week, as well as a range of frequently changing tapas specials which may include octopus and even snails! The pub is offering two great meal deals: ‘Taste of Tapas’ (£17.50) is a set menu for

two which combines tradi onal dishes that are perfect for tapas beginners.

‘Top Tapas’ (£19.95) is a more adventurous set menu for two which includes any two of the chef’s specials. Diners can add two glasses of sangria or fino (dry sherry) to these meal deals for just £2.50.

With the return of Tapas Night, summer must surely be on its way.

Viva El Caballo Blanco!

Tradi onal Spanish Paella

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

01509 814715

Tapas Night – back by popular demand every Wednesday!

Booking advisable.

The White Horse is a great pub to visit all year round, whether you choose to enjoy the delightful views in our garden in the summer or relax by the fire with a newspaper during the winter.

Whenever you come to visit, you will always find friendly staff, excellent food and drink and a great atmosphere.

What’s On At The White Horse?

Tuesdays, 6pm-8.45pm – £5 Menu

Choose from a range of fantastic £5 specials!

Wednesdays, 6pm-8.45pm – Tapas Night

Come and enjoy a range of authentic Spanish ‘little dishes’. Try any combination!

Thursdays, 6pm-8.45pm – Steak Night

Two rump steaks or specials with a bottle of house wine for just £25! Individual deal for just £13!

The Stables Shop

Fridays, 6pm-8.45pm – Normal Menu

Open Tuesdays-Saturdays (10am-12pm & 3pm-6pm) and Sundays (10am-12pm).

Buy any two specials and a bottle of house wine for just £25!

Selling a wide range of gifts, tea and coffee, homemade produce and everyday essentials.

The Stables Function Room

Available to hire for parties of up to 60 people (standing) or 30 (seated). Catering and bar also available.

Choose from a wide range of delicious home-cooked meals and daily specials.

Saturdays, 6pm-8.45pm – Specials Night Sundays, 12pm-2.15pm – Sunday Lunch

Enjoy a free bottle of house wine with your Sunday lunch for any table of 4 or more! (Must include at least 2 adults.)

The Stables Shop and Function Room at The White Horse are now open!

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

Page 16

All adver sers appear in our online business directory with a link to their own website – go to www.soarvalleylife.co.uk

© SVL

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T: 0116 210 6413 M: 07976 608 913

Alan Postlethwaite BSc(Hons) Podiatry, DipBMec 34A Halstead Rd., Mountsorrel, Leics. LE12 7HF www.hsfcs.co.uk

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01509 231335 or 07752 312145

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Email:c.barrett@ifalimited.co.uk

Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE. The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate some aspects of commercial mortgages and some aspects of commercial finance.

There will be a fee of £550 for mortgage advice payable on completion; we will offset © SVL this fee against any commission we receive from the lender where available.

Feature your business in Soar Valley Life – contact steve@soarvalleylife.co.uk

Page 17

M.A.T.C.H

Wallcovering and Decorating Specialist Commercial, Private & Insurance Work Undertaken Any reasonable quote will be beaten by 5% 10% discount for OAPs Tel 01509 816 871 Mobile 07768 326 041

142 Seagrave Road Sileby LE12 7TS

01509 768831 • • • •

In business since 1983 5 year warranty We’ll beat any like for like quote High Quality Digital TV, DAB & FM Aerials • LCD/Plasma Wall Mounts • OAP Discounts • Tune-in & System set ups 133 Highgate Road, Sileby LE12 7PW www.deltaaerials.co.uk

cjgreen2109@btinternet.com

Opening times: Monday: 9.00 - 3.00 • Friday: 10.00 - 3.00 Wednesday, Thursday & Saturday: 10.00 - 5.00 • Tuesday & Sunday: Closed Please contact us before you visit as pre booked appointments are given priority Appointments available outside our normal opening hours by prior arrangement

We look forward to welcoming you to our beautiful boutique in Wigston Leicester very soon 88 Leicester Road, Wigston, Leicestershire LE18 1DR info@bridesandbelleswigston.co.uk Independent bridal boutique offering a gorgeous range of carefully chosen quality wedding dresses to suit all tastes and budgets, shapes and sizes.

From traditional wedding dresses to contemporary wedding dresses, fairy-tale weddings to shorter styles, hand beaded wedding dresses to plain satins and silks.

We also have a collection of beautiful tiaras, veils and hair accessories, together with © SVL both brides and bridesmaids’ shoes.

Plumbing or Heating Problem?

A local professional service for all your gas, plumbing and heating requirements Boiler breakdown and upgrade specialists Full range of work undertaken (free quotes) Installations • Breakdowns • Repairs • Service Fully insured • Qualified Engineers Part L • Part P • WRAS • City & Guilds Vented and Unvented heating systems Safety certificates/checks • Power flushing

24 HOUR EMERGENCY CALL OUT Contact Darryl now for obligation free assistance

info@fabplumbing.co.uk

www.fabplumbing.co.uk

0333 456 7080 07867 301862 Page 18

• • • • • •

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS

Re-wires Fuse Board Upgrades Extra Sockets & Lighting New Builds & Extensions Inspection & Testing Garden & Security Lighting • Electric Showers • Burglar Alarms

ALL WORK GUARANTEED

For a FREE quote: M: 07970 893250 T: 0116 2303166 Saxon Drive, Rothley, Leicestershire LE7 7SR www.krelectrical.com Info@krelectrical.com

Want your business featured for free? Email steve@soarvalleylife.co.uk

Local Op cian Gives Hay Fever Advice Optometrist Mohammed Bhojani of Visual Answers Op cians in Quorn and Barrow upon Soar offers 3 simple ps for sufferers to reduce itch and eye allergy symptoms during hay fever season...

1) Start taking an histamine medica on now, either as tablets or in the form of eye drops for itchy eyes which do not cause symptoms of drowsiness. Eye drops are available from pharmacies and optometry prac ces.

An histamine medica ons take a few weeks to work effec vely due to the loading dose that is required so pre­planning for hay fever season is important.

2) Use a cool wet compress (from the fridge) over closed eyes every evening for 5­10 minutes. This is a highly effec ve and natural way to instantly reduce redness and the sensa on of itch and grit in the eyes without the use of any medica on.

3) Use ght fi ng wraparound sunglasses to protect the eyes from pollen and dust outdoors.

‘People with more serious allergy problems may need a specific treatment plan, depending on symptoms, which can be recommended following an eye examina on,’ says Mohammed. ‘There are excellent posi ve solu ons which can make ocular allergy far less of a problem this summer for all sufferers.’

For more informa on call Loughborough (01509) 414151 or go to www.VisualAnswers.co.uk

Stress reduction through Mindfulness Meditation Drop in classes, meditation courses and much more...

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Room with a View At Park Hill Golf club there’s about 180 acres of room with the most complete view I’ve yet seen of our Soar Valley...

The club house sits on the south western slope of an escarpment which has Belvoir Castle at its north eastern end. On a clear day, looking out from the balcony of The View Restaurant on the first floor, you can see all the way down the Soar Valley. The Wanlip wind turbine in the near distance, office blocks of Leicester city in the middle and then, using an old map for reference, I see that the furthest horizon is the southern edge of Charnwood Forest near Desford about fourteen miles away.

A li le to the right, through silver birch trees, you can spot Old John marking Bradgate Park; and further right s ll the view northwest up the Soar Valley past Loughborough Carillon Tower, through Stanford, Normanton and Su on Bonington.

Using my old map again I judge the hazy north­western horizon to be about twenty miles distant beyond the River Trent on the No nghamshire and Derbyshire border.

I had spent some me on the internet, gathering informa on on the posi on of Park Hill and how it relates to the view in different direc ons. I’d tried Google Earth and a few other mapping websites and resources, but in the end resorted to an old John Bartholomew tourist map from the 1930s that had belonged to my late grandfather­in ­law. This wonderful

The club house from the 18th green at Park Hill Golf Club with The View Restaurant on the 1st floor

old document printed onto cloth told me everything I wanted to know at a glance; all the contours colour coded with our special li le valley in verdant green! On this lovely old map golf courses were marked with a special symbol. Park Hill is there, but with no golf course.

That’s because in the 30s it was arable farm land ­ with a private airfield at its south eastern border at 343 feet above sea level.

Park Hill was transformed during 1990s into an 18 hole championship golf course and this year it celebrates its twen eth anniversary.

Constructed to USA PGA standards, it offers excellent all year round playing condi ons on a par 73 course with maximum yardage of 7,219 off the metal tees, a 20 bay driving range with 8 real greens to aim at and lessons from golf pros Ma Ulye and Ma Whelband. If you’re into golf, Park Hill is for you.

But ­ what if you’re not?

New head chef Andy Smith serves up some mouth­watering fare throughout the week with Sunday Carvery topping the bill in The View

Restaurant between noon and 4 pm every Sunday. Tuesday evenings offer you a challenge to beat the clock ­ if you order by 6.30 pm your two course meal costs just £6.30p!

6.45 pm and you pay £6.45 and so on ­ with a new Beat the Clock menu every week. Thursday supper nights offer 2 main courses for just £12 and Friday is large fish and chips at only £6.95. Other days you may order from the menus as normal.

Booking is always essen al for specials nights as they get very busy.

Non­members are welcome to come and enjoy the food, the surroundings, and of course the VIEW! The room is also available for private hire ­ an ideal loca on for weddings, christenings and wakes.

As I finish wri ng and a empt to pack away my precious and rather fragile old map, I am reminded that someone once said ­ maps tell you everything you want to know except how to fold them back up again, grrr...

Long live the internet...

The panorama view from The View Restaurant balcony at Park Hill Golf Club

Page 20

All adver sers appear in our online business directory with a link to their own website – go to www.soarvalleylife.co.uk

PARK HILL GOLF CLUB

Non-members welcome Breakfast served from 9.30am and from 8.00am Saturday & Sunday ~ Lunch from 12 noon Evening Menu from 6pm

T BEA the

K CULEOSC DAY T

at 6.30pm Clock Starts m Finishes at 8p Order at 6.30pm .30 £6 ly on ls ea 2M Order at 6.45pm 5 .4 £6 ly on 2 Meals ... on And so

THURSDAY NIGHT

Booking Essential!

Park Hill Golf Club Sunday Carvery

Supper Even ing 2 Main Meals only

FRIDAY NIGHT

12 - 4pm

Please Call - 01509 8154

£12.00

with mushy peas

54

£7.95

£6.95

Park Hill Golf Club, Park Hill, Seagrave, Leicestershire LE12 7NG

Tel: 01509 815454

E-mail: admin@parkhillgolfclub.co.uk Website: www.parkhillgolfclub.co.uk

New sawmill marks George Walker’s 200th anniversary

Belvoir Castle’s sawmill renovated and managed by George Walker Ltd…

Belvoir Castle ­ home of the Duke & Duchess of Rutland. The sawmill on the estate has been acquired by George Walker Ltd of Syston, Leicester.

Local mber merchants, George Walker Ltd, celebrate their 200th anniversary this year. The business was established in 1814 as a haulage company which soon became involved in handling logs from local country estates and the natural progression into buying and selling mber was made. It was Harry Walker, a descendant of George, who first established a sawmill in the centre of Syston in 1915. From the felling of the tree to the end product, no piece of wood was wasted.

The tree tops were bundled up and used to light the furnaces of heavy industry across the Midlands. The large trunks were cut for planks, pit props, railway sleepers and coffins.

Even the off cuts were used by the joiners to make ca le cribs, pig troughs and wheelbarrows.

In 1976, the mber yard in Syston was subject to a compulsory purchase order to make way for shops and houses, and the business moved to its present loca on on Fosse Way. The growth of high produc on mills in Wales and Scotland had led to a gradual decline in sawmilling on site, although the demand for fencing and landscaping mber was increasing.

sawmill at Belvoir Castle. The aim is to begin sawing on site by the Summer of 2014.

So, the decision was made to remove the cranes and heavy machinery to make way for more stock, and the retail business expanded.

They’ve installed a Serra Africa XE135 horizontal bandmill for the primary conversion of hardwoods and so woods, with the ability to cut logs of up to 1.2 m in diameter and 9.0 m in length. Their primary focus will be the processing of na ve species and special sizes.

And now, to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the company, George Walker Ltd are currently in the process of renova ng the estate

You can follow the progress of George Walker’s new sawmill on the Forest Products page of their website: www.george­walker.co.uk

New Sawmill building ­ April 2014

Page 22

Demoli on begins on the Old Belvoir sawmill in January 2014

Serra Africa XE 135 horizontal bandmill being installed in May 2014

Want your business featured for free? Email steve@soarvalleylife.co.uk

#"! " # "

# " # ! " "

Thinking of a new kitchen? ...then come and see the louis difference* louis kitchens are different - they are simple, they are unpretentious and they have ‘timelessness’ at the heart of their design and creation.

*louis kitchens have painted cabinets, tiled plinths, solid surface

worktops and stone floors - a ‘design mix’ that largely eliminates synthetic materials and offers lasting quality and easy maintenance.

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BioSignature Modula on Is this the ul mate slimming programme?

BioSignature Modula on has been developed in the US over the last 20 years by Charles Poliquin, one of the world’s top strength coaches. Over me he was able to draw and verify some amazing conclusions – where we store fat in our bodies, it seems, is likely to be a direct reflec on of imbalances in our hormonal system...

We can achieve specific body fat reduc on through hormone balance. Rather than concentra ng on the number of calories per day, BioSignature Modula on pays a en on to the nutri onal value inherent in the food choices we make. Nutri onal supplements help provide what may be missing due to hormone imbalance.

Link this with a sensible and achievable morning and evening physical training program, that complements your metabolic condi on, for an easily managed total workout me of 6 hours per week. Programme this with lifestyle adjustments to manage fat levels which have resulted from poor lifestyle, diet, and training choices. O en clients are encouraged to meditate during sauna detox sessions, relaxing as much as possible, rather than increasing ac vity levels leading to more physical and mental stress. A typical program can take as li le as 5 weeks, depending on each individual’s lifestyle and circumstances.

Call or email Rob Willcocks, nutri onal consultant and personal trainer at Raw Vitality’s Sileby studio for more informa on and details of ini al consulta ons: 07531 047 239 email­ robwillcocks@hotmail.co.uk

Baker & Co Accountants & Bookkeepers 6 Brookbridge Court Syston Leicestershire LE7 2JT

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0116 2640889 (also fax) 0116 2695236 Email bakerandcoaccountants@btconnect.com Free initial consultation, and Home/workplace visits if desired Over 65 year experience within the practice Established in Syston for over 27 years

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Then Raw Vitality is for you Exercise plans can also be included Our facility is also available for hire, perfect for nutritionists or sports massage therapists Call or email for Prices and Packages Rob Willcocks – Nutritional Consultant and Personal Trainer

07531 047 239

email – robwillcocks@hotmail.co.uk

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

Around Britain 5 Mysterious Disappearances 1. Eilean Mòr, Outer Hebrides ­ All three of the lighthouse­keepers on Eilean Mòr in the Hebrides disappeared on 15 December 1900, leaving behind their oilskins, a table full of food, and the light prepared to be lit. Why or how the men vanished will never be known.

2. Newhaven, East Sussex ­ Lord Lucan’s car was found at Newhaven three days a er he disappeared from his London home, where the family’s nanny had earlier been found murdered. Despite several unconfirmed sigh ngs across the globe, Lord Lucan was never seen again.

3. Seaton Carew, Cleveland ­ John Darwin infamously ‘disappeared’ while canoeing off Seaton Carew in 2002. Having been declared dead, in 2007 he walked into a London police sta on claiming no memory of the last five years – but when a photograph surfaced of him and his wife shopping for proper es in Panama in 2006 their hoax was discovered.

4. Sunningdale, Berkshire ­ Agatha Chris e disappeared from her home in Sunningdale in December 1926.

She eventually reappeared at a hotel in Harrogate eleven days later, unable to give any explana on for her disappearance. She was later diagnosed with amnesia.

5. The Tower of London ­ The fate of the ‘Princes in the Tower’ remains one of the most alluring mysteries in English history. Imprisoned in The Tower of London in 1483 by their uncle, Richard III, securing his claim to the throne, there is no record of the princes a er this date. © Taken from The Bri sh Isles: A Trivia Gaze eer by Paul Anthony Jones, out now.

CLARE SATCHELL REFLEXOLOGY Specialises in Fertility & Pregnancy

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PROFESSIONAL REFLEXOLOGY

10% off with this voucher

Reflexology is a very relaxing therapy & may help with many ailments, including back problems, stress, hayfever, migraines and many more.

I’m a fully qualified Reflexologist, trained in Fertility & Pregnancy Reflexology/ Reflexology for Sports Injury/ Baby & Children Reflexology and Hopi Ear Candles.

Please give me a call if you would like more information or see my website.

Email: clare@claresatchellreflexology.com www.claresatchellreflexology.com 5 Hogarth Road, Thurcaston, LE4 2SA

0116 4313153 / 07590 775319 Page 26

Adver se in Soar Valley Life from £28 per month plus VAT ­ See page 5

“The carer came today.

She cooked my lunch.”

FREE,

Wendy Pears, Care Manager for Absolute Care Agency, based in West Leake, showed me a poem copied from a local newspaper. It has no tle and was wri en by an old lady called Jeannie Sloman, who lives alone, cared for in her own home by professional carers...

In conversa onal style, Jeannie reminisces about her late husband and then her kids and grandkids, who she only ever sees on high days and holidays ­ but she understands what busy lives they all have now. She says she has good neighbours but they, too, are busy and don’t pop in very o en. Jeannie’s a bit dodgy on her legs but she doesn’t want to be a nuisance to anyone. She grumbles a li le about the phone that hardly ever rings but that one day it could be her lifeline. Near the end of the poem she tells us how much she misses Sooty, her cat that died, and her reply when carer Julie suggested she have another pet: It’s human company I want ­ but that’s too hard to get. Glad when it’s eight o’clock, and bed me, she turns the hea ng off but then remembers: And Julie’s coming tomorrow. Oh, I do look forward to that ­ I do none of this pi ful blea ng ­ I listen to her tales. It’s just so nice to have a chat…

As in most good poetry, we’re le with a hidden unspoken truth: Jeannie’s carer is now the one making all the difference, bringing con nuity to her life...

“That,” said Wendy, “is why we do this job!”

no obligation homecare needs assessment in your own home

Find out how our local, family run Home Care Agency can help you

Loughborough

Specialist Dementia care home The Abbeyfield Society offers a range of care and support solutions which reflect the changing expectations of older people; that we all deserve to enjoy our later years and get the most out of life - whatever our individual circumstances.

As a not for profit organisation we welcome the support of volunteers especially in the following areas: Gardening, Befriending, Craft workshops/demonstrations, Baking, Flower arranging, Christmas Decorations, Fundraising, manning our Christmas Market stall

The Abbeyfield Loughborough Society, 44 Westfield Drive, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3QL 01509 266605 www.abbeyfieldloughborough.co.uk

Feature your business in Soar Valley Life – contact steve@soarvalleylife.co.uk

Page 27

From Bus Sta on to Gas Sta on UK Gas Services, your local hea ng and renewable energy experts, are celebra ng their 20th Anniversary on the same site ­ delivering what the local community require, on me, always with a smile and with pensioner discounts too!

Originally built in the 1940s as the local bus depot, No.13 Leicester Road, Groby, has been home to UK Gas Services for the past 20 years – recycled, as it were, in line with their business ethos towards all things Renewable and Green!

Recently I met with Managing Director Adam Newton, who told me of their exci ng plans for the next 20 years.

“We’re a small privately owned company who’ve grown through serving our local community and providing value for money services to the Borough & County Councils.

Having kept pace with evolving demands for safety and efficiency means we’re in great shape to support the Government’s flagship Green Deal scheme as it’s rolled out this year and beyond. With Green Deal the Government has created a scheme whereby households can benefit from having improved energy efficiency and comfort whilst we, as a na on, can drama cally improve the emissions of domes c proper es to meet our 2020 Kyoto carbon reduc on commitments.”

“Boilers account for around 55% of a typical home’s energy bills, meaning a household could save up to £305 a year. (Data from the Energy Saving Trust). Our new `A rated` condensing boilers are now so efficient that these savings can quite quickly recover the cost of a new system. Any household with a hea ng system more than 7 or 8 years old is likely to see a big improvement. If we were to add our

Page 28

other measures, such as extra insula on or solar panels etc, homeowners also start to qualify for large cash­back Green Deal vouchers to reduce the ini al outlay as well. We’re happy to work through either our own unbeatable tradi onal offers and extended finance plans, or the Green Deal Finance scheme whereby the household’s energy provider pays back the installa on costs over the longer term; whichever op on best suits a customer.”

“We also have an increasing number of people asking us to check their systems as a part of buying or selling their homes.

Recent trends show that having a formal cer ficate confirming the overall condi on can be a real help to both par es. We’re able to provide these along with independent laboratory tests to clearly demonstrate the current status; and of course, complete any cost effec ve improvements if required. This service only costs around £50, depending on the system, and is o en seen as a small investment to give peace of mind and speed up the buying/selling process.”

“Whenever thinking about work on your hea ng system there are two excellent rules of thumb: Never fit a new boiler to an inefficient system ­ although people do it every day ­ and never pay for a Powerflush you don’t need. If it’s really necessary, we’ll do it at an unbeatable price and refund the original cost of the test & cer ficate.”

UK Gas technician Dave Riley checks the CO2 output of a new boiler

If you choose us to work for you, for a basic service or repair, a boiler or central hea ng installa on, or a full mul ­product Green Deal package, you can be assured that our experienced and CRB checked people will be polite, dy, protect your home and belongings, complete most hea ng jobs in a single day and take away any waste.

We only ask for a small deposit and don’t expect the balance un l a er our Contract Manager, Dave or Leon, has been back to check everything meets our exac ng high standards and that you are completely happy.”

As I said, these are exci ng mes for our business and our industry; we can’t wait to get stuck into the next 20 years and beyond!

“Oh yes, another important point: We only employ fully qualified engineers whom we know and trust and 95% of our team have been with us for 10 years or more so we must be doing something right with our people, too.”

Feature your business in Soar Valley Life – contact steve@soarvalleylife.co.uk

Spot Ten Differences

Answers on page 53

Open: 8am - 6pm Mon - Fri 51 Weeks of the year Mon - Fri 51 Weeks

Celebrating Celebrating 10 10Years Years of of Success!

Success!

Rothely is a well RothleyPark ParkKindergarten Kindergarten isvery a well established private day care nursery established dayof care nurseryOur bright, spacious, air-conditioned celebratingprivate 10 years success. celebrating 10 years of success and classrooms are designed and equipped to provide quality childcare in a continuing to deliver an enhancing stimulating and learning environment. We offer 113 childcare places environment to allenjoyable the children and their for children between the ages of 6 weeks to 5 years. parents.

We provide quality maintained standards of such high calibre within the provision.

Nursery manager Narinder Kaur and her team of professional nursery

Our bright spacious and air conditioned classrooms designed and to equipped to practitioners deliver a second-to-none childcare are service tailored your child’s provide a quality child care provision, delivering a stimulating and enjoyable learning individual requirements. environment. We offer 113 childcare places between the ages of 6 weeks to 5 years.

Limited Government funding is available for 3 and 4 year-olds. We also offer full

From the beginning Narinder Kaur, the nursery manager togetherfor with or part-time sessions as required, depending on availability, allher children professional nursery practitioners continue to deliver a quality childcare service, under the age of 5 years throughout the year and during school holidays. tailoring to your child’s individual requirements.

A warmGovernment welcome awaits youis–available no appointments necessary as all new Limited Funding for 3 and 4are Year olds. We also offer fulland and prospective parents are invited to visit us at their own part time sessions as required depending on availability forconvenience. all children under the age

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

Page 30

Adver se in Soar Valley Life from £28 per month plus VAT – See page 5

It’s Child’s Play!

Decking out a nursery or a child’s bedroom can be challenging; it’s the place where they sleep and play and kids enjoy having an area they can call their own which reflects their style and personality.

Made to Measure Curtains, Blinds and Shutters For expert advice and a free, local ‘At Home’ measuring service

Let us create a contemporary yet fun look with the new ' KIDZzz ' range of fabrics from Belfield Furnishings. Available in various colourways and designs for boys and girls, choose from indigo and red stripes, stars and boats, to pre y pastel balloons, posies, bows and bu erflies, all in the sweetest of sherbet shades with woven and embroidery finishes.

All of these fabrics lend themselves to roman blinds, curtains and cushions, whilst allowing your imagina on to run wild crea ng fun items that your kids will love!

For advice and a no obliga on quote please call Acacia Curtains & Blinds on 01509 650832.

Contact Judy Andrews Telephone 01509 650832 Mobile 0788 1681556

www.acaciacurtains.com

Handmade For Little Rascals

Gareth Ga a Hudson MCFHP MAFHP

Foot Fo oo Health Professional Visiting Practice

Beautiful handmade clothes Girls & Boys clothes made and knitted to order.

For all your foot care needs in the comfort of your own home:

Perfect for newborn gift or a treat for your little rascal.

+ Nails

Stock available on our online store including our upcycled range.

Visit Etsy.com - handmade4rascalsUK

We are organising sewing classes soon.

Keep an eye on website & our facebook page for details.

handmade4rascals.wordpress.com Facebook - Handmade For Little Rascals Contact Helen & Gaynor - 07751 739780

+ Corns + Calluses + Ingrown toenails + Fungal infections + Diabetic foot care Registered Member Of The British Association Of Foot Health Professionals

01509 844461 Tel: Mobile: 07896 945156 Email: garethhudson82@live.co.uk

Anything of interest you’d like to see in the next issue?

Call 01509 813 125 or email editor@soarvalleylife.co.uk

Page 31

Huge Selection of Stockist Furniture

Also bespoke furniture to your own requirements including fitted bedrooms and studies View our vast range of “Second Nature Kitchens” on display and in stock.

As a kitchen manufacturer we also offer bespoke elements to suit all customer requirements. The best of both worlds…

We give a unique design without the fully bespoke cost and can also deal with those awkward spaces that some companies leave alone!

Full bespoke manufacturing service at our new factory in Bunny – Next to Bunny Appliance Warehouse.

Bunny Trading Estate, Bunny, Notts, NG11 6QJ Showroom open 6 days a week

F U R N I T U R E

© SVL

Are you a Clever Bird or an Ostrich?

Cat Eley­Gaunt

Independent Financial Advisor

MORTGAGES INSURANCE RETIREMENT PLANNING SAVINGS AND INVESTMENTS 84 Willow Road Barrow upon Soar LE12 8GQ

07975 593464 / 01509 416162 email: cat.eley­gaunt@2plan.com

www.cateley­gaunt.2plan.com YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE.

Will you be sleep walking or flying gracefully into your re rement? How do you avoid the poten al of having to give up things you love when you stop working? A simple and easy way is to have a Pension Review with an Independent Financial Adviser...

Understanding how your pension works can be a daun ng process and ‘s cking your head in the sand’ can seem like the only op on as research shows there are hundreds of people out there that have been orphaned by banks and advisers and have no one looking a er their pensions.

A Pension Review can have a startling impact on your pension value. It will show what you can expect to receive when you re re and if you are paying excessive fees; it will highlight op ons on how to make your pension work be er for you. It can also highlight any ‘lost’ money that you may have in a frozen pension and how you can access it.

By reviewing your current pension you could even increase the value of the plan without any further contribu ons. So take control of your finances and your future; talk to the expert about the best solu on for you and your re rement.

Cat Eley­Gaunt

For appointments call or text: Physiotherapy & Acupuncture

07884493809

www.walk-inphysio.co.uk • info@walk-inphysio.co.uk

Tech2 Body Repairs Classic vehicle restoration Sports and performance car specialists Fleet and commercial vehicles Please call in for your free no obligation quotation

www.tech2bodyrepair.co.uk

have moved to

44 Sparrow Hill, Loughborough

T: 01509 769043 M: 07976 477152 E: paul@tech2bodyrepair.co.uk

Adver se in Soar Valley Life from £28 per month plus VAT – See page 5

© SVL

Page 33

Win a Sunday Carvery for Two

• • • • •

A delightful vintage tearoom well worth a visit!

Father’s Day Photo shoots Chocolate Workshops Full Afternoon Tea just £9pp Filled Picnic Hampers for hire Look out for our evening events B.Y.O.B.

Call or see our facebook page for details.

We provide: • Wedding Consultation • Sweetie Cart Buffet Hire • Venue Dressing • Prop & Accessory Hire • Party Packages • Pop Up Tea Tent Hire We can also cater at your own venue!

8a High Street, Syston, LE7 1GP

theweddingcafeuk

Solve our Wordsearch Puzzle below, sponsored by Park Hill Golf Club, and you could win a Sunday Carvery meal for two in The View Restaurant – see pages 20 and 21.

Find the names associated with Golf in the grid and the remaining le ers will spell out a related nine word phrase once said by Chris Perry.

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. The first correct answer out of the hat a er the closing date of Tuesday 24th June 2014 will win.

Editor’s decision is final. Terms and condi ons apply.

Sponsored by Park Hill Golf Club

Page 34

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Page 35

Commercial Landlords – An End to Distress?

It is an all too familiar scenario for commercial landlords: Your tenant has failed to pay the rent, the premises are s ll open with goods in them, and you are wondering whether you can seize these and use them to pay the rent due.

Tradi onally, a landlord might be advised to use a commercial bailiff to levy what is called “Distress”.

Distress was an ancient remedy da ng back to medieval mes, enabling a bailiff to enter the premises and seize the tenant’s goods, where the tenant was in arrears with any sum payable as rent under their lease.

Whilst Distress could be quite a powerful remedy in appropriate cases, concerns had arisen where the premises were, for example, mixed use ­ i.e. someone’s home as

well as their business. A er a long­running debate, the law rela ng to Distress was finally abolished on 6 April, and a new system called “Commercial Rent Arrears Recovery” introduced.

The new system is designed to strike a balance between the right of the landlord to be paid whilst protec ng the tenant from, for example, a bailiff turning up at the premises without warning and seizing their goods. In par cular, Commercial Rent Arrears Recovery is only available: • For purely commercial (rather than mixed use) premises • For recovering rent arrears, interest and VAT • Where no ce is served on the tenant by a cer fied Enforcement Agent (formerly a commercial

bailiff or High Court Enforcement Officer) It remains to be seen how the new system will work in prac ce.

Unfortunately, for landlords the procedure is complicated and must be followed.

If you have a problem with commercial rent arrears, whether as a landlord or a tenant, Moss Solicitors are able to assist, including instruc ng suitable Enforcement Agents on your behalf, to seek to maximise what you are able to recover.

Contact: 01509 217770 Nick Gay n.gay@moss­solicitors.co.uk Laura Anderson l.anderson@moss­solicitors.co.uk

MOSS SOLICITORS LLP Twice awarded winner of Leicestershire Law Society’s County Law Firm of the Year 80-81 Woodgate, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 2XE

01509 217770 and Unit 11a Whitwick Business Centre, Stenson Road, Coalville, Leicestershire LE67 4JP

01530 815747

www.moss-solicitors.co.uk Anything of interest you’d like to see in the next issue?

Call 01509 813 125 or email editor@soarvalleylife.co.uk

Page 37

Dawn Chorus

Phillip Mark McGough

I have reached that age when the decline of Britain’s birds is obvious just by using my ears.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m s ll in rude health ­ I only got my new teeth last Thursday ­ but even I remember a me when the dawn chorus was an overture for full orchestra, rather than a chamber piece for four or five players...

I men on this because, with summer beginning to mu er among the trees, I le my bed of ruin at 4.30am one recent Sunday morning to a end a dawn chorus bird watching event (or, more accurately, bird listening) at Brierley Forest Park, not far from Mansfield: A deligh ul punctua on of green amid the dreary grammar of North No nghamshire’s post­ industrial moonscape, reclaimed, like so many local nature reserves, from the Page 38

rubble of a former coal mine.

The trip was by and large a success, albeit I was far from impressed when our RSPB guide mistook the unmistakable call of a chiffchaff for the call of a chaffinch, thence the song of a wren for the song of a robin.

Naturally I did the right thing and corrected her: And I note I was the only one of our party not offered a chocolate biscuit on return to base camp. (In all seriousness, how does one mistake the call of a chiffchaff for anything else? That’s why they’re called chiffchaffs; and the song of the wren is an explosive trill, a big noise from such a small bird, quite dis nct from the milder and flu er notes favoured by the robin­ if you’ll forgive this brief digression in the interests of pedantry.)

There was a sort of melancholy about the whole thing, too, however: The collapse in bird numbers ­ especially our noisier and more melodic garden birds ­ was evident compared to, say, just 20 years ago. It was not so much a dawn chorus as a sad dawn coda to a fading symphony, and I would say that we heard perhaps only three or four different species, and perhaps only one or two representa ves of each.

I have always felt that the disappearance of our birds is a sort of na onal disgrace, every bit as ferocious an act of vandalism as the demoli on of some great public monument. The experts tell us that we have lost 44 million breeding birds over the past 40 years. Let those numbers percolate for a bit. 44 million.

Had this calamity happened over a shorter period, the outcry would perhaps have been louder: But like all tragedies which take their me, we seem to adjust to it, scarcely no cing it, un l the trees, hedgerows, and early mornings fall sad and silent.

Imagine our grandchildren asking us what happened to, say, the song thrush, in the same breath as they ask what happened to the ger. It is to shudder.

It goes without saying that a world with an ever­ diminishing bird popula on is likely to be an increasingly dull and joyless one. I remain surprised by our complacency, surprised that we ­ locally and na onally ­ are sa sfied with these li le pockets of nature in the form of reserves, managed habitats, SSSIs, etc; what should be the norm is becoming a geographically isolated excep on, an avian Gulag if you will, where those singing birds that remain

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pursue a curiously ar ficial existence: Imprisoned in a few acres of greenery amid the gloom, u erly dependent on us, surviving because we choose it to be so. Where once we feasted, there is a famine.

And this isn’t a clumsy metaphor. It is ironic that the chief culprit here is the intensifica on and perfec on of agriculture these past 40 years, the turning over of vast and irreplaceable parts of the land to monoculture, and the corresponding destruc on of heath land, forest, and hedgerow. We can eat more interes ngly and more healthily than we ever did: But a simple pleasure in nature is becoming a luxury which all the money in the world cannot buy.

Of course, it’s not all bad news. Trouble is, what li le good news there is seems to involve species that weren’t under threat to begin with, or which, in some cases, don’t really belong here at all: The generalists like magpies, woodpigeons, Canada geese, even parakeets in London, birds which we didn’t ac vely seek to help, but which have nimbly and spectacularly filled the void le by house sparrows, starlings, thrushes ­ all birds which formed the

soundtrack to the gardens of my distant and hirsute youth.

(I generalize about the generalists: The buzzard and the red kite, for example, both of which con nue their advance eastward, are welcome re­addi ons to our skies, even if, once again, their success comes at the expense of the many prey species now struggling to cope with the sudden return of old foes).

Above all, then, I believe we need to keep figh ng for our birds and also figh ng to get the message across that the current set of arrangements ­ where I must get up at an ungodly hour and ac vely plan a trip and a me to listen to birds, rather than wake to

them outside my window ­ is wholly unnatural, and not irreversible. She may not have known her chiffchaffs from her chaffinches, but the RSPB guide previously men oned knew the scale of the problem.

Midway through the walk, we heard a willow warbler­ the first me I’ve heard one in the field for an age.

She cau oned that I shouldn’t get too excited. “There used to be any amount of them here,” she said. “Now we have two pairs. It’s very sad.” I listened to the warbler, and thanked it. Birdsong is never anything we should take for granted. The silence, one day, may be deafening...

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Page 39

Everything under the sun ...and then some!

Sunrise & sunset mes and phases of the moon Date

Sun Rise

Sun Set

Hours of Daylight

09­Jun­14 16­Jun­14 23­Jun­14 30­Jun­14 07­Jul­14 14­Jul­14 21­Jul­14 28­Jul­14 0 04­Aug­14 11­Aug­14 18­Aug­14

04:44 04:43 04:44 04:47 04:52 05:00 05:08 5:18 05:29 05:39 05:50

21:16 21:20 21:22 21:21 21:18 21:12 21:05 20:55 20:44 20:31 20:17

16h 31m 11s 16h 37m 32s 16h 38m 06s 16h 34m 13s 16h 25m 37s 16h 12m 47s 15h 56m 19s 15h 36m 42s 15h 15m 05s 14h 51m 30s 14h 26m 38s

Date

Moonrise

Moonset

13­Jun­14

21:23

05:18

Full Moon@05:12

19­Jun­14

00:32

12:46

Third Quarter@19:39

27­Jun­14

05:15

21:02

New Moon@09:09

5­Jul­14

13:28

00:10

First Quarter@12:59

Phase

12­Jul­14

20:50

05:10

Full Moon@12:25

18/19­Jul­14

23:58

14:13

Third Quarter@03:09

26­Jul­14

05:02

20:13

New Moon@23:42

04­Aug­14

14:36

­­­­­­­­

First Quarter@01:50

10­Aug­14

20:00

05:17

Full moon @19:10

17­Aug­14

23:40

14:15

Third Quarter @13:26

The Planets ­ looking South at 11 pm mid month (take an hour off at the beginning and add an hour on at the end) June: with the long daylight hours this is not the best month for stargazing.

But Jupiter is splendid at the beginning of the month next to the crescent new moon, and Mars is the king of the evenings un l brilliant Venus takes over at about 3 am.

July: Mars sets around midnight mid month and can be found next to the blue white star Spica in the constella on of Virgo. Venus is brilliant from 3 am; and just to its lower le Mercury can be seen as dawn rises.

August: Mars starts the month lower down, se ng by 11pm, and as the days go by tracks towards yellowish Saturn passing underneath by the 26th, and both have the same brightness. Jupiter and Venus make a spectacular sight from 4am on 18th as they pass close at 1/4 of a degree apart. On 10th August look out for the Super full moon ­ full at its closest approach to Earth making it 14% bigger and 30% brighter than when it is furthest away.

In Search of ET

Is anyone out there?

Co­founder of Microso , Paul Allen, is funding a project in California led by the SETI ins tute (Search for Extra­Terrestrial Intelligence) to tune in to those first whispers from ET. For half a century SETI members have been looking and listening to no avail. But there is now renewed hope that with the new Allen Telescope Array (ATA) which will eventually link up to 400 radio telescopes together to form the largest large array telescope in the world that those first vital signals will be heard.

New Planets beyond our Solar System Astronomers using telescopes in Hawaii, California and Texas have found the first Neptune­size planets outside our solar system, far smaller than any planets previously detected. One of them is perhaps only 14 mes the mass of the Earth, which is small enough to have a solid surface and possibly temperatures conducive to life.

Amazing Astronomical Facts: • Saturn would float if you could put it in water.

• If you placed a pinhead sized piece of the Sun on the Earth you would die from standing within 145 km (90 miles) of it.

• Space is not a complete vacuum, there are about 3 atoms per cubic meter of space.

• Only 5% of the universe is made up of normal ma er, 25% is dark ma er and 70% is dark energy.

Sponsored by For everything under the sun (almost!)

Recipe This month’s recipe sponsored by

Bunny Appliance Warehouse

Glazed Chicken Kebabs with Sweet Potato Mash

Makes 4 Ready in 25 minutes

These quick chicken kebabs with a tangy chilli glaze are perfect for a mid­week supper.

Sweet potatoes cook just as quickly as ordinary potatoes, just make sure they are cut into even­sized chunks and take care not to overcook them.

1

Thread the chicken cubes and onion wedges onto four wooden skewers.

Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and brush all over with sunflower oil. Cook under a medium preheated grill for 10­15 minutes, turning occasionally, un l the chicken is just cooked through.

2

Meanwhile, boil the sweet potatoes in a large pan of lightly salted boiling water for 10­15 minutes, or un l tender. Drain well, then mash with the bu er and crème fraiche un l smooth. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

3

Place the chilli sauce, honey and vinegar in a small pan and simmer for 1­2 minutes un l syrupy. Brush half the glaze all over the chicken kebabs and grill for a further 1­2 minutes.

4

Serve the kebabs on the sweet potato mash with the rest of the hot glaze drizzled over. Garnish with fresh chopped coriander.

Tip

For an extra fiery flavour add some finely chopped fresh red chilli pepper to the glaze.

Page 42

Ingredients: • 450g chicken breast fillets, cut into cubes • 2 small red onions, peeled and cut into thin wedges • 2 tsp sunflower oil • 1 kg sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks • 25g bu er • 2 tbsp crème fraiche • 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce • 1 tbsp runny honey • 2 tsp red wine vinegar • 1 tbsp fresh chopped coriander • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Recipe sponsored by Bunny Appliance Warehouse See their full range of fabulous cooking appliances at www.appliancecity.co.uk

Recipe Cake and Bake

Peach Galle e

Serves 6 Ready in 50 minutes plus chilling

This divine summer dessert just couldn’t be easier to make – no flan n and no baking blind! Make sure you have a good solid baking sheet to bake the gale e on as this will ensure a crisp pastry base.

You can replace the fresh peaches with drained canned peaches, if liked.

1

2

3

4

4

Tip

To make the pastry, si the flour into a large bowl. Add the bu er and using your finger ps rub it into the flour un l the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. S r in half the ground almonds and half the sugar.

2 Make a well in the centre and add the egg yolks and water. S r with a round­ bladed knife to form a crumbly dough (add a li le extra cold water if the mix is too dry). Gather the mixture together with your hands and knead gently un l just smooth. Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill in the fridge for about 40 minutes.

3 Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark 6. Lightly grease a large baking sheet. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to a rough circle about 30cm in diameter. Transfer to the baking sheet.

4 Sprinkle the rest of the ground almonds in the centre of the pastry circle, leaving a 7cm border. Arrange the peach slices on top of the almonds. Fold the pastry border inwards – just over the edges of the peach slices.

5 Brush the pastry edge with beaten egg and sprinkle over the chopped pistachios.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25­30 minutes, or un l the pastry is crisp and golden. Sprinkle over the rest of the sugar and serve warm or cold with scoops of vanilla ice cream.

To skin peaches, score a cross in the skin with the p of a knife then cover with boiling water for 1­2 minutes. Drain and cover with cold water for a further minute – the skins should peel off easily.

Page 44

Ingredients: • 225g plain flour, plus extra for dus ng • 150g unsalted bu er, diced • 100g ground almonds • 4 tbsp caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling • 2 large egg yolks blended with 2 tbsp ice cold water • 6 large fresh, ripe peaches, skinned, stoned and sliced • Beaten egg, to glaze • 1 tbsp pistachio nuts, chopped • Vanilla ice cream, to serve

All adver sers appear in our online business directory with a link to their own website – go to www.soarvalleylife.co.uk

‘Laughter is the Best Medicine’ For physical and emotional wellbeing

Complementary Health Practitioner REFLEXOLOGY Relieving stress using gentle pressure strategically applied to your hands and feet, helping to alleviate symptoms and improve overall health - especially where conventional medicine has failed.

REIKI Holistic healing helping to integrate your body’s physical, emotional, mental and spiritual components by balancing your energy centres, stimulating natural immunity and promoting relaxation.

HOPI EAR CANDLING Reduces congestion in the ear and sinus area inducing a feeling of general tranquillity, composure and comfort.

EFT ‘Acupuncture without needles’ creating balance within your body’s energy system, particularly successful with addictions, weight, pain, anger management, severe trauma, stress and phobias.

Paula Reed is a member of the NHS Directory of Complementary and Alternative Practitioners All treatments delivered in my professionally appointed clinic in Barrow-upon-Soar

Telephone: 01509 415125 Email: info@reedwellbeing.co.uk Website: www.reedwellbeing.co.uk

There’s a lot of truth in this old saying; when you laugh the brain assumes you’re happy and responds accordingly. So ­ what else can laughter do?

• Laughter helps the pituitary gland release its own pain­suppressing opiates • It can lower blood pressure • It increases vascular blood flow and oxygena on of the blood • Gives a workout to the diaphragm and abdominal, respiratory, facial and back muscles • Reduces certain stress hormones such as cor sol and adrenaline • Increases the response of tumour and disease killing cells such as Gamma­interferon and T­cells • Defends against respiratory infec ons, even reduces the frequency of colds by immunoglobulin in saliva • Improves alertness, crea vity, and memory; in a study at Johns Hopkins University Medical School, humour during instruc on led to increased test scores.

The effects of laughter are very quick; in less than half a second, electrical waves move through the higher brain func ons of the cerebral cortex. It’s also infec ous so when you laugh others will laugh too. Learn to laugh more o en and see how much be er you feel.

Paula Reed

Adver se in Soar Valley Life from £28 per month plus VAT ­ See page 5

Page 45

Walking ­ Top Half Mile Lock Walk instruc ons 4 Miles

1 3/4 Hours

Use the car park next to the garden centre west of Wistow, south west of the A6 near Great Glen, (not in the garden centre). Refreshments and toilets for use of their customers only.

1 Cross the road from the car park entrance with a ca le grid to one side and go over the ca le grid ahead, follow the road into the dip and around the corners to the church. Con nue over the canal bridge to the wooden steps on the right.

2 Go down the steps and turn right along the towpath with the canal to the le . Carry on past Newton Top Lock and Spinney lock and go under Bridge no 81. Turn right, up to the road.

3 Take the road right, over the bridge to the signpost on the right and go down the steps.

The path goes between fences past Top Half Mile Lock and through a kissing gate. Bear le through the next kissing gate and turn right/ahead along the dirt path.

Keep ahead through a metal kissing gate and the gate ahead in front of the pylon; bear right, through a gate/footbridge/s le and le over the midway footbridge, up to the road.

4 Turn right, into Kilby village, to the signpost at the junc on with Main Street.

Turn le through the gap and up the track passing between the house and the barns.

Keep upslope through the gates and over the s les.

5 Bear right, through a gate and over a s le marked by a yellow topped marker post.

Keep ahead/right over s le/footbridges all the way to a s le with a tall yellow top marker post with one yellow and two blue discs.

6 Cross and turn le along the field edge with the hedge to the le , all the way to the road. Turn le over the ca le grid and right, down the field edge to the car park and your vehicle. © Clive Brown ­ All our walks are compiled by Clive Brown who holds the copyright. You can order any of his 74 walking guides at: www.walkingcloseto.com. Or email Clive directly at walkingcloseto@yahoo.co.uk

Page 46

Email page? this Life Interested per month plus VAT – See page 5 £28steve@soarvalleylife.co.uk from in Soar Valley Adver insesponsoring

The Mountsorrel restaurant now open to non-residents Head chef Joshua Allen offers a fine mix of traditional and contemporary cuisine catering for all tastes.

Open Tuesday to Saturday evenings from 5pm.

Booking advisable to avoid disappointment

THE MOUNTSORREL GUESTHOUSE OPENS ITS RESTAURANT TO NON RESIDENTS 217 Loughborough Road, Mountsorrel, Loughborough Leicestershire LE12 7AR

01509 552 789 Email:info@mountsorrel-guesthouse.co.uk

Š SVL

www.mountsorrel-guesthouse.co.uk

Business Networking

A few good ps to help you on your way When we took our first steps to create Soar Valley Life, back in January 2012, we knew that one of the best ways to get our message across was to meet people in our target area. I, Steve, was asked to a end as a guest at a networking event hosted by BNI in Loughborough. Some of our first adver sers heard about our magazine from those network mee ngs and most have stayed. For us, that’s proof enough that it works. We have since a ended many events, hosted by different par es and have recently joined the UK’s largest business network group ­ The Federa on of Small Businesses. Over the coming months we’ll introduce you to these groups we’ve found, either here in our magazine or on line via our website.

We are also in the early planning stages of crea ng our own monthly networking group for the Soar Valley using the excellent venues we promote in the magazine ­ but more of that next me.

Sue Crookes of SJC Marke ng helped us get on line in our first year, by se ng up our website and Facebook pages and then teaching us how to manage them by ourselves. Sue launched a ladies networking group in Ashby a few years ago which has been incredibly successful and is regularly a ended by thirty or more successful business women from West Leicestershire. Her second ladies business group was opened in Warwickshire last year and June 2nd this year saw the launch of the Loughborough Ladies Business group.

This means that Mary will be business networking on her own for the first me. So here are a few ps I’ll share to help her on her way ­ oh yes, and there’ll be a good few more on our new “Business Networking” sec on on our website: 1.Have confidence in yourself People go to these events with the inten on of mee ng other people—so there’s no reason to be nervous when introducing yourself. Just find a group that looks like they’re having a good me and waltz right up to say hello.

2.Ac vely look for poten al clients You probably already knew this one ­ to some people

Page 48

it just makes sense to look for poten al clients. I do want to emphasize the word ‘ac vely’ however, as it can make a big difference. You’ll find a lot more leads by walking around and really searching for people who will benefit from your services. I don’t mean searching the food table, mind you!!!

3.Ac vely look for referral sources This p is a li le less widely known, though it’s used by the best networkers. Basically, with this, you want to look for anyone who might know people who would want your services. Building a rela onship with a good referral source can mean a constant flow of new leads. Here’s the real p: give them something first—they’re likely to give back even more.

4.Ac vely look for top influencers Every community has a select few who are known by almost everyone, and whose opinions are well respected. It’s these top influencers that you really want to keep an eye out for and build rela onships with. One good word from them could mean a whole lot of business for you.

5.Break off conversa ons that aren’t produc ve Such as the person who is so nervous they just want to find one person to talk with and cling to them for the en re event or compe tors who want to chat all of your secrets out of you. Then there are people who’ve just had too much to drink but, whatever the cause, do your best to politely end conversa ons that aren’t produc ve. At the end of the session, you’ll have more leads to show for it.

Watch this space for more next me...

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What is Biomechanics?

Biomechanics refers to the body's natural movement and posi oning system and the connec on from the top of your head, down your spine, through your legs all the way to your feet...

If anything is out of alignment in your natural biomechanics you are likely to experience pain ­ in your back, hip, foot or knee; for example, if you have ght muscles, pelvis out of line or your foot falls in at the arch and does not move as it should. You may even have pain in your shoulders as you try to rebalance yourself.

Physical ac vity, such as running or playing golf, can exacerbate a problem by causing muscle ghtness.

This can change your normal biomechanics or highlight any underlying issues resul ng in pain or difficulty improving your performance because your feet don’t func on correctly or your pelvis doesn’t move as it should.

Most issues with biomechanics can be corrected with coaching, exercise, muscle release or ortho c prescrip on ­ where insoles can be provided to improve your alignment.

Exercises can strengthen weak muscles, lengthen ght muscles, reduce pain and improve posture and performance.

Claire Lidstone Mountsorrel LE12 7EY

Enjoy a break at your friendly ‘local’ serving delicious coffee made from Lavazza coffee beans

Serving Breakfasts until 12 also a delicious range of Panini, Jacket Potatoes, choice of Salads, Soup, Hot & Cold Cobs and Baguettes.

OPEN Tuesday to Saturday 9 – 4

Adver se in Soar Valley Life from £28 per month plus VAT – See page 5

© SVL

Page 49

No group meetings No joining fee Just one to one support in the privacy of your own home at a day and time to suit you.

Independent Consultant

Janet Humber

Tel: 01509 880 023 Mobile: 07968 726 717 Email: jan.mel@talktalk.net

Ragdale Hall Experience Day Winner Congratula ons to Mark Brend of Sileby whose entry in the above compe on was the first to be drawn out of the hat.

Mark wins a Ragdale Experience Day for two people at the award winning Ragdale Hall Health Hydro and Thermal Spa worth £174. The prize includes light lunch in the Verandah Bar plus use of all Ragdale’s facili es.

£25 Cash Winner Congratula ons to Becky Middleton of Sileby who wins £25 just for ‘liking’ our Soar Valley Life facebook page.

Becky was the first ‘liker’ to be picked at random from all ‘likers’ on our page.

See page 14 for your chance to win!

Page 50

www.cambridgeweightplan.co.uk

Picnic Bench Winner Congratula ons to Mrs A.E. Williams of Barrow upon Soar whose entry was the first to be drawn out of the hat on 27th May 2014 with the correct word, Tanilith E, missing from the following sentence: ‘At George Walker Ltd all of our mber is pressure treated with Tanilith E to protect against fungal decay and insect a ack.’

Mrs Williams wins a picnic bench worth £120 from George Walker of Syston.

Read more about George Walker on pages 22 and 23.

POSH DOGS VOUCHER WINNER

Congratula ons to Eileen Smith of Burton on the Wolds who wins a £25 grooming voucher to spend at Posh Dogs Canine Grooming.

Eileen’s was the first entry to be drawn out of the hat on 30th April 2014 with a correct answer to the ques on: Posh Dogs have moved from Barrow upon Soar – where are they now?

All entries with the answers ’41 Swan Street, Sileby LE12 7NN, Swan Street Sileby, or just Sileby were judged to be correct and included in the draw.

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What’s On in and around The Soar Valley: Compiled by Claire Stevens – Soar Valley Life events and news reporter

Music at The Green Place The Green Place in Sileby is hosting a day full of loads of live music, including Mia and the Moon, Rhett Barrow, Bellatones and many more. The event will also have a BBQ and bar. Open from 12.00pm until 8.00pm, tickets are £4 with children under 12 going free.

Dates: Saturday 14th June 2014 The Green Place, 6 Cossington Road, Sileby, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE12 7RS Telephone: 01509 815 181 Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/TheGreenPlaceSileby Website: www.completewasters.co.uk The Great Model Railway & Engineering Exhibition Join us as we stage our first ever 8 mile long model railway & engineering exhibition ­ it promises to be a totally different experience in the model railway world! The event will be spread over GCR's four stations, with each station specialising in different areas of the hobby.

9am ­ 5pm Adult £15 Senior £13 Child £9 Friday 20 Jun 2014 to Sunday 22 Jun 2014 Great Central Railway Leicestershire LE11 1RW Great War: Living History Weekend The Great Central Railway is hosting a weekend taking you back to the years of Downton Abbey.

You can experience the Edwardian era through nostalgic displays and cameos of Britain during the war. There will be the Suffragette movements, period tents, and military displays, ‘survivors’ of the Titanic with genuine artefacts, the outbreak of war, the ‘Kitchen Goddess’, volunteer nurses and the music hall. Mingle with a host of re­enactors and experience the elegance of this golden age before the coming home finale. A selection of real ales and ciders will also be available. Family tickets (2 adults and 2 children) cost £34, adult tickets £15, seniors £13, children £9, and children under 2 free of charge.

Dates: Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th July 2014 Loughborough Station, Great Central Road, LE11 1RW Quorn and Woodhouse Station, LE12 8AG Rothley Station, LE7 7LD Leicester North Station (Birstall), LE4 3BR Telephone: 01509 632 323 Website: www. gcrailway.co.uk/special­ events/edwardian­weekend Watermead Challenge 2014 The fifth Watermead Challenge charity run will take place in Watermead Country Park. The event is both a five mile and three mile run which will this year be supporting the textellis.com charity in Syston. As with previous years, it has been organised by The Rotary Club of Wreake Valley, and is mostly on off­road flat tracks around the lovely lakes of Watermead Country Park and regularly attracts over two hundred entrants, if you are interested you can apply on the website.

Dates: Tuesday 8th July at 7.00pm Watermead Country Park, Wanlip Road, Leicestershire, LE7 1PD Website: www.wreakevalleyrotary.org.uk Newtown Linford Outdoor Theatre – Much Ado About Nothing and Adventures of Sherlock Holmes On Sunday 15th June the Newtown Linford Outdoor Theatre will be showing Adventures of

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Sherlock Holmes in the ruins of Bradgate Park.

The Outdoor Theatre will also be showing Much Ado About Nothing at the ruins on Sunday 13th July, both shows starting at 6.00pm.

Bradgate Ruins, Bradgate Park, Newtown Linford, Leicester, LE6 0HE Dates: Sunday 15th June and Sunday 13th July 2014 Telephone: 0116 236 2713 Website: estate­office@bradgatepark.org Highcliffe Summer Fair This year’s annual summer fair will this be celebrating 50 years of Highcliffe Primary School.

The fair will have games and competitions, the Great Highcliffe Bake­Off, Birstall’s largest tombola, craft fayre, car boot sales, bouncy castles and lots more. Starts at 1.00pm and finishes at 4.00pm, hosted at the primary school.

Dates: Saturday 21st June 2014 Highcliffe Primary School, Greengate Lane, Birstall, Leicestershire, LE4 3DL Telephone: 0116 210 1112 Website: www.highcliffe.leics.sch.uk Garden Walkabout This annual event is in its 32nd year, and has over 30 varied gardens in Sutton Bonington and Kingston on Soar open to visitors by permission of the owners. The weekend will also have music, stalls, homemade cakes, children's quizzes, tombola, plants for sale, refreshments and cream teas, and a grand prize draw. The event is open from 2.00pm until 6.00pm on both days, admission to the gardens is £3 per adult and covers both Saturday and Sunday, with accompanying children going free.

All proceeds, profits, and donations go to Cancer Research UK. Dates: Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd June 2014 Sutton Bonington and Kingston on Soar (2 miles from J24 of M1, or 5 miles NW of Loughborough) A Midsummer Night’s Dream Chapterhouse Theatre Company presents Shakespeare’s best­loved romantic comedy. Let yourself be whisked away on a thrilling journey to the most magical of forests and meet star­ crossed lovers, playful fairies and raucous travelling players. Picnic with family and friends in the magical surroundings of some of the UK and Ireland’s most stunning open­air venues for the perfect evening of theatre under the stars.

Start Time: 7.30pm Please see our website for further information.

DONINGTON LE HEATH MANOR HOUSE. near Coalville, Leicestershire, Leicestershire LE67 2GF Contact telephone: (01530) 831259 Call to check latest times or cancellations. www.chapterhouse.org Thursday 26 Jun 2014 7.30 pm Birstall Gala 2014 and Birstall’s ‘Proms in the Park’ Concert Birstall’s annual Gala weekend will include lots of stalls, live bands, and fairground attractions. The hugely popular concert will conclude the Gala Weekend, where you can enjoy a picnic and watch the Hathern Band and Soprano Jenny Saunders. The event will be opened by the Chairman of Birstall Parish Council and the Mayor of Charnwood. Join in with the flag waving and watch the event finale which is a spectacular firework display at the end of the concert. The event starts at 12.00pm on

Saturday and with a church service at 11.00am on Sunday.

Dates: Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th June 2014 School Lane Playing Fields, School Lane, Birstall, Leicester, LE4 4EA Telephone: 0116 267 6191 Rempstone Steam A Great Day out for ALL the Family. Held in the heart of the countryside on the Leicester/Nottingham border, this well established show has everything for a wonderful family day out. Working Steam Engines, Vintage Cars, Traditional Crafts, Fairground, Children's Entertainment, Trader's Market, Companion Dog Show, hundreds of exhibits. Arena Events all day.

Licensed Bar and a wide variety of food vendors.

Adults/Concessions, Children, (Prices to be confirmed) FREE PARKING Dogs on a lead are most Welcome Visitor Access via the A6006 from the A60 or A46 July 12th and 13th 2014 Turnpost Farm, East Road, Wymeswold LE12 6ST More information via www.rempstonesteam.org Festival of Archaeology 2014 Join us for the annual celebration of local and national archaeology. Jewry Wall Museum will be hosting an action­packed fortnight filled with a variety of activities including talks, tours, displays, re­enactment and craft activities.

11.30 am – 3.30 pm. Admission free. No booking necessary.

Jewry Wall Museum, St Nicholas Circle, Leicester, Leicestershire LE1 4LB Contact telephone: 0116 225 4971 Call to check latest times or cancellations. www.leicester.gov.uk/museums Sunday 13 Jul 2014 to Sunday 27 Jul 2014 Leicester Music Festival Leicester is hosting a two day festival with some of the UK’s biggest music artists headlining the event. The line­up includes Tinie Tempah, Labrinth, The Saturdays, Katy B, Union J, UB40, and Sam Bailey, plus loads more. The festival will be held at the home of the Leicester Tigers, the Welford Road Stadium, and is set to have crowds of up to 44,000 people. The event is open from midday until 10.30pm on both days. Tickets can be purchased from the website.

Dates: Friday 25th and Saturday 26th July 201 Welford Road Stadium, Aylestone Road, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE2 7TR Website: www.leicestermusicfestival.co.uk Dogs Trust Loughborough Summer Show This year the second annual summer show will be held at Dogs Trust Loughborough in order to raise funds for the dogs being cared for by the charity. There will be crafts and charity stalls, raffles and tombola, bouncy castle and children’s rides, ‘Have a Go’ agility course, doggy dancing acts, a double decker bus bar, plus other refreshments, including the very popular cake stand! Entry is £1 per person with dogs going free, as well as free parking.

Dates: Sunday 27th July 2014 at 11.00am Dogs Trust Loughborough, Hill Farm, Wide Lane, Loughborough, Leics, LE12 6SE Telephone: 01509 882966 Website: www.dogstrust.org.uk

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