Style of Wight issue 70 BIOSPHERE SPECIAL

T H E I S L E O F W I G H T ’ S I N S P I R AT I O N A L L I F E S T Y L E M A G A Z I N E I S S U E 7 0 M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 1

Our Biosphere Island I N T E R V I E W:

CUSH JUMBO THE BEAST MUST DIE

In season:

STYLE SPEAKS

Isle of Wight aspa rag us

lifestyle

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fashion

TO TV SCIENCE PRESENTER MARTY JOPSON

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health

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beauty

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food

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home

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family

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art

L I F E S T Y L E

STEP INTO SUMMER WITH STYLE AT ACACIA BAY

Natural jute, bamboo and hessian home lighting, unique wall art and stylish home furnishings available now.

Opening Hours Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 5pm 14 -16 High Street, Shanklin, PO376LB | Te l : 0 7 9 5 6 3 5 1 3 4 1

@ a ca c i a b a y i ow | a c a c i a b a y i ow. co . u k

Cowes

Guide Price £1,100,000 A stunning, superbly located second floor apartment offering breathtaking panoramic views of the Solent.

EPC Rating B. Cowes Office: (01983) 200880

Cowes

Guide Price £845,000 A stunning waterfront house providing particularly light contemporary accommodation with exceptional views, ample parking and a south facing garden.

EPC Rating TBC. Cowes Office: (01983) 200880

Freshwater Guide Price £425,000

A unique opportunity to acquire an immaculate and substantial, three-bedroom luxury home set within a remarkable Grade I listed former Victorian Fortress known as Golden Hill Fort.

EPC Rating C. Yarmouth Office: (01983) 761005

SO LD Luccombe

Guide Price: £2,500,000 Proud to have sold this fine coastal residence boasting unrivalled sea views, landscaped gardens and spacious accommodation.

Spence Willard offering experience, expertise & exposure for your property sale

Ventnor

Guide Price: £179,950 A site with planning consent for a stunning, contemporary house which shall benefit from panoramic southerly views over the English Cowes Office: (01983) 200880

Cowes Office: 01983 200880 Yarmouth Office: 01983 761005 Bembridge Office: 01983 873000 Freshwater Office: 01983 756575

hello@spencewillard.co.uk www.spencewillard.co.uk @spencewillard

@spencewillardiw

Gadshill St Lawrence £725,000

3 | EPC E

A beautifully presented home and small business in the sought-after location of St Lawrence. Fabulous sea views can be seen from the open living dining room, kitchen and bedrooms as well as from, the decking and rear garden of this pretty house. The property is being sold together with the well renowned local village store which incorporates the Post Office. Not only has business increased dramatically recently there is also a monthly salary paid for the post master.

Pound Farm Bungalow Sandford £650,000

3 | EPC C

Countryside views can be seen to the front and rear of this conveniently placed detached bungalow. With just under 3 acres of land this home has been improved by the current owners benefiting from solar power and subsequent income rewards. The land is well stocked with a mixture of new and mature trees along with its very own orchard.

Our London office is at 21 Park Lane, Mayfair and guarantees our properties are exposed to a vibrant national and international markets.

CLASSIC

CONTEMPORARY

Rillfield House Whiteley Bank £1,395,000

COASTAL

4 | EPC C

Set within a rural location and accessed by a private lane, Rillfield House enjoys far reaching countryside vistas across its beautifully landscaped grounds of approx.2 acres. The main home is an attractive 4 bedroom property with study which is offered in immaculate decorative order. Adjoining the property is a 4 bed self-contained annexe.

Maranatha St Lawrence £790,000

4 | EPC E

South facing and enjoying an elevated spectacular view of the English Channel. Situated in the sought-after village of St Lawrence this four bedroom home nestles into the cliff in a tucked away location.

Rearranged with a new sociable open plan formation to the ground floor, this family home boasts three bathrooms, ambient lighting, utility room and detached garage. Accessed via electric gates the driveway has parking for several cars and the garden is secluded.

Newport 01983 538090

Ryde 01983 617640

Bembridge 01983 875000

More available on Rightmove, OnTheMarket.com and www.hrdthecollection.co.uk

Cowes Town Centre

Guide Price

£950,000

A substantial duplex apartment situated in a sought after location on Cowes waterfront with stunning Solent views from the large roof garden, balcony and waterfront terrace. The accommodation comprises of 5 bedrooms, open plan sitting/dining room with balcony, modern kitchen, utility room, basement which is perfect for storage and mooring buoy.

Cowes

Guide Price

£1,250,000

Amazing opportunity to purchase this detached 4/5 bedroom home on Cowes seafront. Situated on a large plot and in need of renovation. Stunning solent views, roof terrace, garden and parking. Chain free.

www.watersideproperties.com

Lynda Blenkinsop

Paul Booker

Georgie McCarthy

T | 01983 300111 Cowes

Guide Price

£1,100,000

Luxury second floor 2 bedroom apartment located right on Cowes Waterfront with panoramic views across the Solent. Open plan living area with contemporary kitchen, balcony with amazing views and 3 parking spaces. Easy flat walking distance to Cowes town centre.

Gurnard

Guide Price

£1,175,000

A detached 4 bedroom waterfront home in the prime location of Gurnard seafront. Refurbished throughout and providing spacious accommodation with amazing panoramic Solent views.

Garage, off road parking, garden and balcony. Viewing is highly recommended.

Cover Artwork by Lauren Fry

Publisher and Creative Director Christian Warren christian@styleofwight.co.uk Editor Emma Elobeid emma@styleofwight.co.uk Sub Editor Helen Hopper Contributors Ursula Brunetti, Kim Murray, James Rayner, Hannah Rochell, Roz Whistance Design Laura Craven Photography Timi Eross, Christian Warren, Julian Winslow Sales Christian Warren christian@styleofwight.co.uk Distribution office@styleofwight.co.uk 01983 861007

Supported by Acclaim Logistics Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of Style of Wight Magazine, but legal responsibility cannot be accepted for errors, omissions or misleading statements.

Winners at the IW Chamber Awards 2016

Note from the Editor Hello! Welcome to our biosphere edition, marking two years since the Island was recognised as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. It also happens to be our 70th issue, The One Where Hospitality Opens (hurrah!), and – personally significant – my first as Editor.

The biosphere isn’t just one ‘thing’, and we were keen to convey its entirety – as a living, breathing network of people, place and wildlife – in our cover image. Designer and Arts Educator Lauren Fry has done just that, and we’re absolutely thrilled with her threedimensional finished piece. You can read more about Lauren’s creative process on page 47.

We’ve looked back – following in the footsteps of prehistoric giants (page 23) and retracing the early discoveries of the Island’s Victorian naturalists (page 30) – and forwards, talking to the energetic team at Artecology on exporting the Island’s ecological expertise (page 32).

Across the Island, there many exciting rewilding projects underway: from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust’s reintroduction of beavers in the Eastern Yar Valley (see our interview with CEO Debbie Tann on page 18) to the National Trust’s ambitious rewilding project at Luccombe Farm (page 29).

Throughout the issue you will find local businesses and individuals doing wonderful work to strengthen those vital biosphere connections between health and heritage, biodiversity and buildings; all while keeping sustainability at the forefront of their minds whether their business is fashion, fitness or food. We’ve said it before – and, as Editor, I’m almost certain to say it again – but it’s a pretty special place. And (once again) we’re thanking our lucky stars – which shine extra bright in our dark, Dark Skies – we call this Island home.

Emma Elobeid

Get in touch

8 Salisbury Gardens, Dudley Road, Ventnor, Isle of Wight PO38 1EJ 01983 861007 www.styleofwight.co.uk

At the time of going to press we are seeing changes to regulations and social behaviour guidelines due to Covid-19. Some of the content in this magazine was committed and published prior to this guidance being in place.

May and June 2021

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Find The Pieces That Make A House A Home

This & ThaT Our collection of furniture and accessories offer inspiration for every single room in your home. Whatever life throws at you, if you’ve got somewhere that feels homely - somewhere loved and lived - you’ll have a place of your own telephone: 01983 612 152 email: thisandthatseaview@aol.com web thisandthatseaview.co.uk Address: 1 Pier Road Seaview Isle Of Wight PO34-5BL

CCTV Fire Alarms

Protecting your home, so you can focus on what’s important Working with you to look after your individual fire and security needs. Solutions available with 24 hour monitoring, remote viewing and control through smartphones and tablets, with Police, Fire & Keyholder response.

The Island Security Centre, Riverway, Newport, Isle of Wight, PO30 5UX 01983 521621 info@lifeline-security.co.uk lifeline-security.co.uk

Access Control Intruder Alarms Fire Protection Keyholding

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Contents

48

Regulars

Art

Issue 70: May and June 2021

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Style picks: our favourite stylishly sustainable treats for self, soul and sun traps

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Charity and community: Planet Aware

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News from Mountbatten

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Lead interview: Rewilding the Wight with Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust CEO Debbie Tann

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People with style: Fiona Taylor, Island Refillery

114 Style speaks: to TV science

presenter Marty Jopson

Features

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#30dayswild – with the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust

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Tribe and Tide: navigating Island family life

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Supporting spectacular seagrass – with Mermaid Gin

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Luccombe and Dunsbury: a rewilding story – with National Trust Isle of Wight

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Before the biosphere: the Island’s Victorian naturalists

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Beyond the biosphere: team Artecology on exporting the Island’s ecological expertise

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Interview: Cush Jumbo on filming The Beast Must Die

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Style spectrum: Theo Vickers’ underwater photography

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Kids art activity: become an eco- superhero with this fun floral mask

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Foible & Folly: unearthing fantastic tales of bygone Sandown

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Researching rockpools – with children’s author Peta Rainford

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Biosphere book reviews – with Medina Bookshop

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Biosphere from above: Alfie in the Air

46 Photography competition: Biosphere 47

Behind the cover – with designer Lauren Fry

Food

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Recipe inspiration: 10 things to do with Isle of Wight asparagus

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Fresh summer salad: recipe by Balance + Glo

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Seasonal vegetable: sugar snap peas – with Living Larder

59 We’re open! 14-page feature

celebrating the return of Island hospitality

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Fashion 72

Style with substance: fashion choices that don’t cost the earth

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Slowing down: from fast fashion to sustainability – with Hannah Rochell

Health and beauty

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Beauty in the biosphere: green wellbeing and beauty buys

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Play the long game: with Kim Murray

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Natural beauty, inner calm: with Caroline Hurley

Home

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From brownfield barn to beautiful bespoke home – with Modh Design

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Summer in soft-focus: subtle sand-dune styling

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Sustainable spaces – with Rachel Savage, Interior Designer

Business

109 A business plan is not a straitjacket – with Dale Howarth 111 Out and about on Biosphere Island – with Hannah Lisseter, Glanvilles

113 Growth in nature – with

Marnie Janaway

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Stag beetle drop earrings These magnificent beetles are important for our Island biodiversity, and only emerge for a few weeks in summer, though these beautiful pieces from Honeybourne Jewellery can be enjoyed all year round. £64, Honeybourne Jewellery, Ventnor Instagram: @honeybournejewellery

Raw linen cushions Eco-friendly and breathable, from a range of scandi-inspired sunshine-ready décor. £49, Acacia Bay, Shanklin Instagram: @acaciabayiow

Style picks This summer, we’re taking nothing for granted. Rediscover the beauty of an Island in full bloom and celebrate its creative spirit with these stylishly sustainable treats for self, soul and sun traps Soft linen napkins Crisp, clean, and summer-sun ready Beautifully bohemian Using natural textiles hung on locally sourced driftwood, Gemma Squibb crafts bespoke macramé wall hangings.

From £25, commissions taken at Luna Bloom, Bembridge Instagram: @lunabloom.iow

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£35, set of 4, Wooldridge Interiors, Cowes Instagram: @wooldridge.interiors

Ocean sunlight throw

RAW AND RUSTIC

Sustainably produced using Repreve yarns from recycled ocean plastics, we love the stunning textured grid of soft lemon yellow and ecru in this finely woven throw. £120, XV Stripes Instagram: @xvstripes Bring us the olives Rustic picnic-perfect platters.

From £6 at Acacia Bay, Shanklin Instagram: @acaciabayiow

Abundant seas yoga mat Harness the restorative power of the sea with this body and ocean friendly yoga mat illustrated

by Isle of Wight artist Katy Rose. £69, One Happy Yogi Instagram: @one_happyyogi

‘Wild’ embroidery hoop A pretty and perfect daily reminder to seek out the wild – we love Chloe Higgins’ bespoke designs, many of which are inspired by the Isle of Wight biosphere. £36, Stardust and Stitches, hand-stitched to order Instagram: @stardust_and_stitches

Walnut coffee scoop Beauty and purpose combine in this hand-carved range of spoons and scoops. £34 at Thorne & Anchor Instagram: @thorneandanchor

Burl + Lehr cooking spoon Hand-carved by Sam, a true Isle of Wight artisan; the perfect accessory for cooking up an Isle of Wight asparagus storm (see page 53) £18, sold exclusively for The Freshwater Coffee House Instagram: @thefreshwatercoffeehouse

May and June 2021

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STYLE | Community

Corporate Beach Cleans

PLANET AWARE Across the UK, it is estimated that as many as 53 billion nurdles – small plastic pellets about the size of a lentil – could enter our oceans every year, posing a threat to marine wildlife and polluting entire ecosystems. When Island duo Sarah Marshall and Anne Sayer met at an Isle of Wight beach clean in 2017, they decided to do something about it

Sarah Marshall & Anne Sayer

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arah cleaned her first beach 20 years ago and had been moved by the plastic rubbish she’d encountered. “We were keen to run projects to tackle plastic pollution on the beaches,” explains Sarah. “Then Blue Planet 2 aired, and people’s understanding of plastic changed overnight.”

Many wanted to fix the problem with alternatives, such as biodegradable cups and straws, without understanding these came with a cost.

“Planet Aware is more than beach cleans and banning plastic straws – our projects help people understand how they can help our oceans by

Nurdles

cutting consumption of the planet’s resources, repairing more and avoiding waste,” explains Sarah.

Beach cleans are still a big feature of Planet Aware’s activities – during 2019 and 2020 they removed over a tonne of rubbish from Isle of Wight beaches and data on collections is shared with the Marine Conservation Society to help create policy change. Planet Aware also runs the Solent and Isle of Wight Beach Hub – a web resource for people to find out more about beach cleaning and other coastal activities such as nurdle hunting and rock pooling.

Enquire about commissioning Planet Aware to run a beach clean as a corporate day out for your organisation or visit the Solent and Isle of Wight Beach Hub to get involved and find out more: www.planetaware.co.uk

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Planet Aware is using its knowledge and skills in running beach cleans to help generate income for other projects.

“Beach cleaning is still really popular – and we encourage everyone to pick up a few bits of rubbish while they are out,” says Sarah. “A successful group beach clean requires quite a bit more planning. We have run organised beach cleans for nearly four years and in 2020 were thrilled to run our first corporate beach clean at Compton Chine.”

Xavier Baker, Managing Director at Isle of Wight Distillery says: “We were keen to do a good thing, so it was great to work with Planet Aware and the National Trust to get the beach cleared. Members of our team use this stretch of beach for surfing, paddleboarding and strolling, so we’d been aware of the rubbish pile for a while.

Many had previously collected debris from the beach and gathered it at the bottom of the cliff, so the distillery team came along to do the last bit and haul it up!”

Community | STYLE

NEWS

F R O M M O U N T B AT T E N Mountbatten Neighbours Soon is a song of hope that expresses the isolation experienced during the pandemic and the growing optimism of a return to normal life.

‘One Day Soon’ Reflecting our aspirations for a life less restricted, Mountbatten Community Choir has released a song to mark the anniversary of the pandemic’s first lockdown. It was written and recorded remotely through Zoom during the first two months of 2021. One Day

The song has been written by members of a group of young adults with life-limiting conditions who used to gather weekly at Mountbatten Isle of Wight before lockdown and have continued to meet online with the hospice’s music therapist Fraser Simpson who works at Mountbatten through a partnership with national music therapy charity Nordoff Robbins. You can view the video and listen to the song on Mountbatten’s YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/ OUMV4n0REOc

WA L K T H E W I G H T A N D WA L K T H E W I G H T Y O U R WAY It costs £9m a year to keep our services running for Islanders.

Thank you for your support and fundraising — we really do appreciate your efforts. To sign up for the 2021 Walk the Wight Your Way (running now through to September) and Walk the Wight on Sunday 12th September visit mountbatten.org.uk/register-towalk-the-wight to make sure you are a part of this amazing event. If

Mountbatten Neighbours are a group of trained people who offer their time, companionship and support to people living near them who have serious illnesses, or who are older.

It pairs up people living with a long term or terminal illness over the age of 65 with a Mountbatten Neighbour who can offer kindness and support to reconnect them with their community.

To find out more e-mail info@mountbatten.org.uk or call 01983 217368.

Bereavement Helpline Mountbatten Isle of Wight has opened a new Bereavement Helpline available to all those across the Isle of Wight who have been bereaved.

Bereavement is a natural response following the death of a person you have loved or cared for. The death of a friend or relative can be devastating and, at times, seem unbearable.

you don’t have an email address or access to the internet, you can contact the fundraising team for help and support on 01983 217300.

For further information visit mountbatten.org.uk

As part of the psychology and bereavement service provided by Mountbatten, trained and supported volunteers offer a listening ear to those who are bereaved. As well as listening the volunteers will be signposting individuals to other services depending on the nature of the calls they receive.

The service is available between 10am and midnight, seven days a week on 01983 217297.

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STYLE | Interview

Rewilding the Wight Debbie Tann’s job is inherently contradictory - a mixture of urgency and taking the foot off the gas. Of engaging the public, while keeping them at arm’s length. And right now it is about managing expectations of something potentially very exciting for the Isle of Wight...

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By R oz W h ista nce Pictu res Ju l ia n Wi nslow

way for the M25 motorway. “Seeing it being dug and the hedges and trees disappear made me quite upset. The more I learned about the environment the more I yearned to do something positive to help it.”

here’s a sense of suppressed excitement on the spring morning when we meet at Newchurch Moors, one of the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust’s newest nature reserves. Debbie Tann has news about rewilding the Isle of Wight – and this spot in particular.

Debbie is the Chief Executive of the Trust, a charity with the aims of conserving wildlife, and engaging and educating the public about it.

“This is part of a bold plan to put nature into recovery,” she explains as we walk. “We’ve got 13 nature reserves on the Island, but will be adding to that this year. That’s doubled our land holding in the last five years.” The Trust has been buying land throughout the Eastern Yar Valley – from Morton Marsh through to Sandown Meadows – and recently added Newchurch Moors. “Norah Boswell of the Garlic Farm dynasty gave part of this land to the Trust,” Debbie explains, “and the rest, along with some neighbouring land, was purchased from the family after a successful fundraising appeal last year, creating a vital sanctuary for nature – and the Trust’s biggest reserve on the Island. It’s like a big jigsaw puzzle, we put the bits together so the land is more effective.”

‘Being effective’ means improving the area for wildlife. Some of the trees have been opened out to allow

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Image credit: David Parkyn & Cornwall Wildlife Trust

for ground flora, such as sedges and herbs, to thrive. Now, light filters through and improves the water quality. By grazing the land, too, the vigorous plants are kept down to enable wildflowers to flourish. Their nectar feeds insects, which feed the birds.

It’s only when talking to Debbie that you realise not only the scale of the Wildlife Trust’s influence on the Island, but also its huge ambition. “When we started it was in such a small way, but now thanks to our fantastic members – we’ve got about 27,000 now who donate monthly, as well those leaving legacies and even donating land – we are able to acquire areas that can give nature more space,” she says.

“Some wildlife doesn’t cope well with disturbance, and it’s vulnerable to pollution and climate change.”

Debbie has been part of the Trust for 20 years, but an environmentalist since, as a child in Surrey, she saw fields she played in ripped up to make

She gained a place at University College London to study environmental science, and followed her first degree with a Masters in Conservation. “I was really chuffed to get there. There weren’t many courses in the subject then, and famous conservationists and environmentalists like Tony Juniper had studied this course at UCL.” At the time few people thought you could make the environment a career, so Debbie began volunteering, and eventually landed a paid job, surveying all the ponds across Surrey, using old maps to locate many that had disappeared. “My work involved walking around in waders and wellies.

My car always smelled of pond water!”

In 1998 she landed the job as conservation officer with the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and left Surrey for Southampton.

“I was quite good at fundraising and management. I kept getting promoted and eventually got the role of Chief Executive in 2008.”

As we talk we have reached a lake, round which the path goes under willow and other trees and bushes, and the Trust’s vision for the land becomes apparent: “Because it has been used

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STYLE | Interview

‘Our wellbeing depends on a healthy planet. Nature is one big collective web and we’re messing with that.’ by anglers the lake has been managed.

It’s pretty good for wildlife now, but it could be much better.”

Then she adds, in a low key, don’tcount-on-it sort of way: “There’s a lot of interest in bringing beavers back to the UK. A very successful reintroduction trial by the Devon Wildlife Trust showed beavers hugely increased the biodiversity value of the area. They create pools, then lots of other wildlife will come through, such as dragonflies, which in turn attract amphibians.

Then you’ll get birdlife, and more wetland plants. Beavers bring life, bring biodiversity.”

It is an attractive ambition, and while not yet finalised – a licence application needs to be submitted to Natural England, the Government’s advisory body – the success of the Devon model suggests the scheme is likely to go ahead. And this, Newchurch Moors, will be the place. “Feasibility studies have shown it to be highly suitable. It

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is not open to the public, but glimpses can be had from the footpath. In time, when the beavers have settled in, we could have Beaver Discovery Walks, Beaver Watches. I’m excited too about what else will turn up.”

Beavers may not be universally welcomed, however. Emma Hunt, the Trust’s reserves officer on the Island, is well versed in the opposition arguments: “People say beaver dams cause problems, but they are leaky and filter the water, making it cleaner.

Or they don’t want beavers because they eat fish: which they don’t! Actually, they create slow flow areas in the river which helps the spawning of the fish.”

Surely, though, with front teeth like those they are guilty as charged when it comes to felling trees? “Only if there’s not enough food for them low down – and they’ll eat aquatic vegetation.”

Won’t they eat farmers’ crops? “Here, there’s not much cropland, and if that was a problem they could be fenced

off – or an individual beaver could be relocated.”

The main problem she and Debbie anticipate is our reluctance to embrace change. “Humans have had control over the natural environment for so long. We’ve bent it and shaped it for our benefit and nature has suffered.”

Indeed, ignoring the needs of the natural world has led to worrying declines in species, as well as climate change: “While it’s nice to have days like this in February it’s not normal.

Blue Tits, for example, need to emerge when there’s food for them. It’s not just a problem for wildlife, but for us too.

Our wellbeing depends on a healthy planet. Nature is one big collective web and we’re messing with that.”

Hence Wilder Wight – an important initiative launched last year to raise awareness of the dangers of ignoring the environment, and to create momentum for positive change.

Interview | STYLE

“There’s good research showing you get tipping points in society – if 25 per cent of people think and do certain things you get a shift in what is considered normal. Part of our Wilder Wight strategy is to support and empower one in four people to act for nature, and to treat the environment in a sustaining way.” She adds: “The vision is to find the leaders, the champions, and by training them, getting them together, creating the tipping point for social change.”

Wilder Wight is about making nature’s recovery normal, she says. “The Wilder Wight Community Programme will be launched to work with schools and communities, engaging them in our vision to restore habitats and bring back missing species.”

The prospect of bringing back missing species has a wonderfully Jurassic Park feel, and indeed the excitement expressed by Debbie and Emma on the results of rewilding could almost be akin to that of Richard Attenborough’s character in those films. Rewilding is about letting nature lead. “As well as restoring the wetlands through the Eastern Yar valley we

are rewilding former farmland. We’ve bought one farm, and we’re about to work with some other landowners in grazing native breeds and using low density farming with minimum tillage, so carbon stored in the soil is undisturbed.”

By ‘stepping off the gas’ they have already seen near miraculous results.

“In just the first year the birdlife has been astonishing. We found an explosion of arable weeds, too, some of which are critically endangered across the UK, just pop up – species like spreading hedge parsley, hairy tare and field speedwell. How long must the seeds have lain in the ground, just waiting!”

It is a vision of hope that sustains Debbie and the Trust – necessary when they are up against not only climate change and poor land management, but us, humans.

“Last summer we had a lot of problems with antisocial behaviour – vandalism, with gates and fences broken, even a brand new viewing platform set on fire.” Debbie went on local TV saying ‘enjoy the countryside – but please don’t trash it’.

Then there is the constant demand for land. “It’s a finite resource, and we need more of it for nature. But one of the things we’re keen to promote by working with governments and other organisations is the role of naturebased solutions, such as seagrass beds off the coast, which capture carbon at rates 35 times faster than tropical rainforests – making their restoration really important in the fight against climate change. It’s about helping society to recognise that health, beauty, spiritual improvement and finance are all benefits of nature.”

A spring morning in woods flooded with sunshine and birdsong is certainly a mood enhancer, but is Debbie optimistic? “I am. Yes, nature’s in a bad state, the climate is changing. But young people are acting, demanding a better future. That gives me real optimism. They’ve really taken on board that rallying cry: We’re the first generation that really understands we are destroying nature: and the last that can put it right.”

Fi nd out more about Debbie's pla ns for a Wi lder Wig ht at h iw w t.org.u k May and June 2021

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STYLE | Feature

Wa ke up to wi ldli fe with

Image credit: Chris Gomersall/2020VISION

30 Days Wi ld 2021

Learn to recognise the distinctive summer song of the Willow Warbler

Image credit: Evie and Tom photography

Get outside and explore the countryside on your doorstep

Image credit: Matthew Roberts

Make time to stop and smell the blossom

Sign up for 30 Days Wild and get your FREE activity pack at hiwwt.org.uk/30-days-wild

The U K’s biggest and most popu lar nature cha l lenge is back. Last year, a record 650,000 people took part in The Wi ld li fe Trust’s annua l event, which sees participants across the U K sig n up to do a ‘random act of w i ldness’ every day for 30 days in June

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rom listening to birdsong, taking wildlife photographs and planting seeds, to litterpicking, puddle-splashing and feeling the sand between your toes – 30 Days Wild is proven to boost health, happiness and sense of connection to nature.

Marianne Lotter-Jones, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust’s Wilder campaigns and events officer, says: “Here at Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, we love taking part in

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30 Days Wild. It’s a wonderful time of year for all the Wildlife Trusts to get together and it’s an amazing opportunity for us to see what local people are doing for nature and wildlife all across the country. Last year we had over 20,000 people across our two counties taking on the challenge and we cannot wait to see what they, and any 30 Days Wild newbies, all get up to this year. 30 Days Wild is fun, free and easy – and after such a challenging year, we’ve never needed nature more!”

Follow @hantsiwwildlife on social media for top tips and inspiration along the way and join Style of Wight in sharing your daily Random Acts of Wildness photos and wild places using #30dayswild

Interview | STYLE

Tribe and tide

N AV I G AT I N G I S L A N D FA M I LY L I F E

By Em ma Elobeid Pictu res Ti m i Eross

Fossil hunting and rock pooling. Of all the family activities on the Isle of Wight bucket (and spade) list, these two come up trumps. For good reason – our Island is as teeming with the thunderous footprints of long ago as it is with the pitter patter of juvenile crabs and microscopic creatures.

And here, at Compton Bay, an intertidal zone opens up and the two dramatically collide.

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his most recent cross-Island trek to the wilds of West Wight’s most prehistoricpacked beach came about because my eldest is ‘doing’ dinosaurs at school this term.

Although in truth he’s never not ‘done’ dinosaurs, this latest project has reignited his passion. And so it’s with great excitement that we descend the wooden steps to a world that is both primordial and present at the same time.

Stormy skies are no dampener to dinosaur hunting

A trip to Compton allows you to visualise both sides of the extinction

divide: it’s a place where you can stand on the feet of giants and tiptoe through some of their closest living descendants in the shallows of time and tide. Ok, so prehistoric crustaceans may have been rather more fearsome than the toe-ticklers common underfoot today, but there’s something rather dizzying and deep to the thought.

Amid the atmospheric backdrop of Compton’s burnt orange cliffs and the sweet scent of summer rain, we can happily while hours exploring the miniature cliffs, caves and chasms May and June 2021

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Compton’s striking cliffs provide a fitting backdrop for intrepid explorers

of these ancient pools. As we do, observations bubble to the surface: submerged sea anemones remind us of a spiky Spinosaurus; tiny silvery sand eels become shrunken cretaceous swordfish; whelks and periwinkles conjure imaginings of giant prehistoric marine molluscs.

Next, having sufficiently swirled and swished our way through the shallows, we head south towards Brook Bay – an area boasting one of the richest sources of dinosaur footprints and fossils in Europe. More than 120 million years ago, the Isle of Wight supported a rich ecosystem of prehistoric life, from giant herbivorous sauropods to swooping pterosaurs capable of plucking rather more than the flake from your ice cream cone. Once again, scientific realism is somehow far less important than the thrill of discovery.

To a three-year-old, it doesn’t much matter whether the markings on

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“Found one!” Dinosaur footprints are an ageless wonder

his treasured piece of terracotta are truly Jurassic or more likely from the Anthropocene (i.e. a bit of bygone brick). It’s simply his special stone.

Walk far enough, and you’ll soon stumble (literally, if you’re not careful) upon the hardened castings of these magnificent beasts as they walked what was then a series of muddy lagoons rather than a holidaymaker’s paradise. Though not always immediately recognisable, once you know the telltale sign of their tracks (look for the distinctive three-pronged therapod toes) you’ll see them everywhere. The boys bring their walkie talkies, and communicate their finds excitedly to one another – “I’ve found one! Over!” – across the sands.

Photos are taken, memories are made and, as a fresh wave of thunder threatens to wash our footprints clean, we head home and thank our lucky stars we live on Dinosaur Isle.

Microscopic beings belie the monsters of millennia gone by

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seagrass

Supporting spectacular

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The Isle of Wight Disti llery – home of Mermaid Gin – announces a new seagrass restoration partnership with the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wi ld life Trust

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eagrass, which gets its name from green, grass-like leaves which form extensive meadows underwater and is one of only three marine flowering plants in the world, provides a unique ecosystem for the Island’s marine wildlife. It also captures carbon at a rate 35 times faster than tropical rainforests – giving rise to its nickname as ‘the lungs of the ocean’.

And, thanks to phenomenon known as ‘Neptune balls’, seagrass meadows directly sieve millions of pieces of plastic from the ocean. As such, it’s an important natural solution to both the climate change and maritime plastic crises.

Unfortunately, it is estimated that the UK has lost over 92% of its seagrass meadows in the last 100 years.

Which is why the Isle of Wight Distillery is stepping up its environmental efforts by committing to support the restoration and protection of the

Working together for a wilder future: Xavier Baker with Tim Ferrero and Debbie Tann of the HIWWT

Solent strait’s internationally important seagrass meadows.

Part of the ‘#WilderSolent’ initiative run by the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust (HIWWT), the activity will see the Distillery positioned as a marine champion of the Solent and an ambassador for seagrass.

Xavier Baker, Co-Founder of the Isle of Wight Distillery said: “Through our Net Zero initiative, we’re already supporting seagrass meadows abroad, but wanted also to have impact locally.

The Solent is very dear to us all at the distillery, so we’re delighted to be part of the #WilderSolent initiative.

Having gone plastic-free two years ago and then achieving Net Zero, it’s just another step in our journey to being an environmentally responsible business.”

In addition to financial support, the distillery team will take part in the

Image credits: Adrift Visuals

HIWWT’S ‘Marine Ambassador’ training scheme, with staff having the opportunity to become Solent ‘Marine Champions’. This will involve actively supporting activities such as intertidal and seagrass surveys and beach clean-ups.

Dr Tim Ferrero, Senior Marine Biologist at HIWWT commented: “Enabling seagrass to restore to its historical levels needs a multi-faceted approach. Our Solent Seagrass Restoration Project is one part of the puzzle but equally as important is increasing awareness and support for this incredible marine species. This partnership will help inspire others and create a movement of businesses and individuals acting for seagrass, as well as other marine wildlife living in these waters. Together we will create a Wilder Solent”.

Fol low the prog ress of the Solent Seag rass Restoration Project on Instag ra m: @ha ntsiw w i ld l i fe @ isleof w ig htd isti l ler y May and June 2021

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HAND-CRAFTED ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT

FREE YOUR SPIRIT I S L E O F W I G H T D I S T I L L E R Y.C O M | +4 4 (0) 1 9 8 3 61 3 6 5 3 28

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L U C C O M B E A N D D U N S B U RY: A R E W I L D I N G S T O RY with Nationa l Trust Isle of Wight Nestled beneath Ventnor Downs, and looking out over the sea, is Luccombe Farm. In the past it was farmed intensively, but a new management regime introduced by the National Trust will make it a haven for wildflowers and butterflies, bees and birds.

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n 2018 a team of rangers and volunteers painstakingly collected native seed from nearby National Trust land and spread it to the winds at Luccombe to help reseed the landscape. As these fields gradually become more flower-rich, the annual hay cut that takes place each July will be phased out. Instead, the fields will be managed by grazing with Short Horn cattle and Hebridean sheep, maintained at the right levels to improve biodiversity in the long term.

The results have already been seen.

In 2019, several thousand bee orchids and hundreds of pyramidal orchids covered one of the chalky fields in a mass of flowers.

165-hectare Dunsbury Farm in West Wight is undergoing a similar transformation. Intensively farmed until it was purchased by the Trust in 2015, its ploughed fields have been

taken out of crop production and allowed to go fallow, to reduce artificial nutrients and stabilise the soil. Already nature is starting to reclaim the landscape. The first plants to appear were deep-rooted bristly oxtongue, hawkweeds and sow thistles, which broke up the compacted soil, encouraging worms to aerate and enrich the soil. Grazing is next, using herbivores to create a landscape of open grassland, with patches of scrub and woodland. They’ll spread seed in their coats and in their dung, which provides homes for insects and in turn food for birds and bats.

visited by hen harriers and short eared owls, hunting over the fields that are now abundant with small mammals that have set up home in this everwilder landscape.

There’s a good network of paths, so you can see some of the changes if you take a wander. You’ll hear more skylarks and yellow hammers singing, and there is hope that visiting swallows will breed soon. Just like at Luccombe they’re already seeing results: last winter Dunsbury was May and June 2021

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Before the biosphere:

The Island’s Victorian naturalists

By Ja mes R ay ner

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he 19th century was a time when the Isle of Wight was famous for its myrtles, when Charles Darwin began The Origin of Species during his stay at Sandown, and the Irish author and philanthropist Charlotte O’Brien came to study the wild flowers of the Undercliff. The Island’s impressive scenery attracted and inspired all kinds of visitors, including the Empress of Austria who stayed at Steephill Castle in 1874 and declared: “... as to the Isle of Wight, it is a little paradise on earth. Why, dear me, I saw fuschias and heliotropes there as big as trees... the pomegranates and oleanders, would make one believe that one was in Greece, while those great green, velvety lawns that sweep right down to the sea could be found nowhere but in English territory."

Just like today, it was a time of great interest in the environment, but it was

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also a time of change: locals were noticing bee orchids disappearing from the cliff path at Ventnor and watercress no longer growing by the stream in Church Street.

During this period of environmental awakening and appreciation, two Isle of Wight men grew to become wellknown botanists, making remarkable contributions to the understanding of natural history.

The first was William Arnold Bromfield, a native of the New Forest, who settled in Ryde in 1836. For the next 14 years he would explore every corner of the Island in search of its wild plants, amassing a huge collection of dried specimens and recording everything he discovered in incredibly precise detail.

Living in Dover Street, he had one of the richest parts of the Island’s natural life right at the bottom of his road.

“... as to the Isle of Wight, it is a little pa rad ise on ea rth. W hy, dea r me, I saw f usch ias a nd heliotropes there as big as trees... the pomeg ra nates a nd olea nders, wou ld ma ke one believe that one was i n Greece, wh i le those g reat g reen, velvety law ns that sweep right dow n to the sea cou ld be fou nd nowhere but i n English territor y."

Above: Pomegranate

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Brom f ield watched as species li ke sea hol ly a nd cotton th istle d isappea red u nder the new houses that wou ld eventua l ly eng u lf the dover completely.

This undulating, grassy area covered with streams and coastal sand dunes was known locally as the dover - the same dialect word that gave St Helens Duver its name.

Home to feverfew, wild celery, bull rushes and hare’s foot trefoil, it made an important habitat for local wildlife. However, this unique ecosystem was under threat and Bromfield watched as species like sea holly and cotton thistle disappeared under the new houses that would eventually engulf the dover completely.

Myrtle

His studies weren’t only confined to the Island and he made frequent trips abroad, including America and the Caribbean, but his journey of 1850 would prove to be his last. He died from a fever at Damascus in Syria, concerned for the fate of his unpublished research.

However, following his death, two botanist friends ensured Flora Vectensis came out in print - the most accurate and in-depth account of the Isle of Wight’s plant life ever made, recording many species before they disappeared completely. Kew Gardens would receive Bromfield’s 600-book library and collection of dried European plants, whilst his collection of local specimens would eventually pass to Hampshire Council.

Another notable naturalist, Antwerp Edgar Pratt, was born at Ryde just a year after Dr. Bromfield’s death. His

Isle of Wight naturalist Antwerp Edgar Pratt

early career is hard to trace but by the 1890s he was employed by wealthy zoologists, such as the banker Walter Rothschild, to explore uncharted territories and collect rare and exotic plants and insects.

His first big expedition was to China, following the Yangtze River towards Tibet - the experience leading to his first book, at least part of which he wrote at Winton Street in Ryde. Later travels took him to the Amazon, Colombia, Peru and Japan but the unexplored mountains, jungles and islands of New Guinea would become his favoured location.

Pratt discovered a number of new species during his adventures, many of which are named after him, including Pratt’s Rocket Frog from Colombia, as well as a Chinese crab apple, Indonesian butterfly and lizard from Papua New Guinea. He brought back vast collections of insects for study, many of which are now in the Natural History Museum and his work no doubt helped progress 19th century understanding of the natural world.

Today, with its designation as a UNESCO biosphere, the Island strives for a more sustainable future, where its natural beauty and wildlife can be protected and continue to inspire great naturalists of the future, just like it did for Dr. Bromfield and Antwerp Edgar Pratt.

Inset: Cotton Thistle

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Beyond the

biosphere

Sitting on the wa ll of The Bay: Tea m A rtecolog y on ta k ing their un ique blend of practica l conser vation a nd public engagement from their ‘bun ker’ Yaverla nd of f ice out to Brom ley a nd beyond

By Emma Elobeid P ictu re Ju l i a n Wi nslow

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’ve come to the quietly unassuming headquarters of Artecology – a site where lichen is left to live and moss is allowed to multiply – to put faces to the force behind some of the Island’s most feelgood community festivals. From Under the Pier to Discovery Bay and Hullabaloo, bringing people and places together in nature is what Ian Boyd, Nigel George, and Claire Hector (collectively: Artecology) do best. Over a cup of tea, to the call of Casper the Lion and roar of resident sand martins, our conversation leaps from bug hotels to bigger things.

“It’s great that you can walk down to the beach and dip your toes in the biosphere,” explains Nigel, with a nod to the blue beyond. But it’s also about understanding that biodiversity knows no borders, and

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the team are passionate advocates for the biosphere beyond the brand: “It’s important to remember that the biosphere extends so much further out into the sea,” explains Ian. “Yes, it’s parochial – and that’s a good thing – but the Island’s biosphere has leaked out into a whole area around it in a way that’s really quite extraordinary.”

Much of Artecology’s work involves exporting their expertise; as a result, public realm and corporate clients from around the country are increasingly looking to the Island for advice on all things ecology. Over the last ten years Artecology have taken their Island-conceived biodiversity projects to a huge range of urban and built environments: from a giant bio-receptive sculpted graffiti wall in Newcastle city centre and

liveable green space landscapes in Southampton social housing estates to the installation of their awardwinning intertidal habitats along urbanised shorelines, from Gibraltar to Glasgow.

Most recently, the Artecology team delivered Wild Glades, a two-day online family-focused festival themed around biodiversity and sustainability.

Supported through interactive video content by a diverse range of Island contributors, the event centred around the transformation of a once-forgotten rooftop of The Glades – a shopping centre in the London Borough of Bromley – into a thriving wildlife haven.

Collaboration comes easy to the Artecology team; it’s what they do.

Claire explains: “There’s so much talent on the Island. It’s not all about Greta

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“The Island’s Biosphere has leaked out into a whole area around it in a way that’s really quite extraordinary.”

Thunberg or David Attenborough; it’s about real people which is crucial if you’re going to engage. We have this entire raft of artists, makers, inventors, musicians, animators, scientists and naturalists; and they’re all just here.”

Taking this talent and enthusiasm for people and place to a very urban, very busy retail and hospitality complex of The Glades shows just how the biosphere can stretch. “What we do isn’t exclusive, or part of some strange

eco elite,” explains Ian. “Biodiversity is for everyone, not just those already living it.”

an ecosystem of ideas begins to develop around these little tiny bits of interventions.”

And though, surrounded by sea thrift and seagull song, we are living it, Sandown Bay is also the perfect metaphor for the way in which projects like Wild Glades allow biodiversity of thought to grow. “When you provide just enough information in just the right way,” Ian says, “something curious and interesting happens:

Showing, not telling, is the Artecology way. And, in doing so, momentum and thoughts are given space to build and settle of their own accord; much like the sand that shifts in from the Bay behind – restoring and constantly recreating both the roadside dunes of The Lost Duver, and the way we think about the places we live.

Above left to right: Ian Boyd, Claire Hector, and Nigel George

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Style spectrum Theo Vickers

Theo Vickers is a fina l year marine biolog y underg raduate at the University of Portsmouth. Grow ing up, summers were spent snorkel ling, sw imming and rock pooling a l l a long the Island’s coastline.

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“As a child I was obsessed with nature” Theo says. “I would spend hours poring over books and pictures of sharks, whales, dinosaurs and fossils. Today, my main scientific interest is the ecology and zoology of marine vertebrates and megafauna like fish, sharks, seabirds and particularly marine mammals, but I’m fascinated by all marine life.”

Left: Face off with a furious Velvet Swimming Crab (Necora puber) at Bembridge Marine Conservation Zone Right: A compass jellyfish (Chrysaora hysoscella) pulses through the surface waters of the Bembridge Marine Conservation Zone

From spectacular shallows to subtidal seagrass beds, Theo’s stunning photography raises the rich technicolour of our Island’s underwater kingdom to the surface for all to see.

“On the Isle of Wight we are surrounded by a diverse marine world that is teeming with activity, colour and life,” Theo says. “I hope that by capturing underwater films and images from our seas I can help showcase and tell the stories of some of the amazing wildlife, habitats and species beneath our waters that many people may never have encountered.”

Instag ra m: @ theov ickersphotog raphy May and June 2021

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A solar-powered sea slug (Elysia viridis) making its way along a frond of Fucus wrack at Reeth Bay, Niton

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Fucus serratus – also known as serrated wrack – growing rapidly in the spring sunlight at Steel Bay

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A dahlia anemone opens to feed in a sunlit rockpool at Hanover Point, Compton Bay

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Kids activity: eco superhero

Become a n eco-superhero w ith this fun f lora l activ ity

With Lauren Fr y, Arts Educator

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hildren are often discouraged from picking wildflowers because, as adults, we may be unsure of the rules. While it’s always a good idea to err on the side of caution and instil a mantra of ‘look but don’t touch’, kids are very hands-on learners and will relish the opportunity to scavenge and collect safely.

The organisation ‘Plantlife’ has released a list of twelve common wildflowers that are safe to pick due to their abundance and resilience.

And, by following the ‘one in twenty’ rule of picking (and never digging up a plant) children can learn about their local wild flora without disturbing the natural balance.

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Red Ca mpion

1. Use the identi f ication g u ide to ca ref u l ly pick you r w i ld f lowers a nd leaves.

Buttercup Dog Violet

Tr y a nd f i nd a n i nteresti n g ra n ge of colou rs a nd shapes f rom publ ic footpaths a nd hed gerows.

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2. Cut a Superhero ma sk shape out of ca rd or ca rdboa rd: even better, recycle a used box, l i ke a cerea l box or shoebox.

A sk a n a du lt to cut out eye holes, a nd ma ke a sma l l hole on ea ch side to atta ch str i n g or r ibbon.

3. Usi n g g lue or double-sided tape, decorate you r ma sk w ith you r scaven ged w i ld f lowers a nd leaves.

4. T h i n k ca ref u l ly about the patter ns a nd shapes you ca n ma ke w ith you r f i nds: play a rou nd w ith sy m metr y a nd tex tu re.

Sa fe a nd susta i nable f lowers: a n identi f ication g u ide Daisy, Dandelion, Primrose, Common dog violet, Greater stitchwort, Cow parsley, Meadow buttercups, Red Campion, Oxeye daisies, Yarrow, Common knapweed, Meadowsweet 5. Eco wa r r iors a ssemble!

Source: Plantlife

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Foible & Folly A spitef u l don key, rog ue sai lor, and pinched pigeons: desig ner Lauren Fry delves into Isle of Wight newspaper archives to unearth fantastic ta les of bygone Sandow n

John Lowe. Accused, alongside George Cobbett, of stealing two pigeons and a rabbit, the property of James Evans, landlord of the King’s Head Inn, Sandown.

Sentenced to 3 weeks hard labour. Isle of Wight Mercury, 20th March 1858

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oible & Folly, funded by Arts Council England, playfully introduces us to characters whose misdeeds caused quite a stir. Designer Lauren Fry purposely chose to celebrate their stories as part of Sandown’s zany past, creating three striking articulated dolls which are on display in the window of Boojum&Snark.

Designer and Arts educator Lauren Fry was given the herculean task of trawling through the Victorian Isle of Wight newspaper archive to tease out stories and fragments of Sandown history that combine to illustrate the very personality of a place. The resultant exhibition, Foible & Folly, features three large articulated paper dolls that will be displayed in the window of Boojum&Snark over the year.

George Reid, seamen on board HMS Minotaur. Accused of assaulting PC Pauling who attempted to remove him from The King’s Head Hotel for being drunk at the request of the boots and the landlord. Sentenced to 4 months hard labour in Portsmouth.

The Isle of Wight County Press, 10th January 1885

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Lauren Fry says: “When I started looking through the British Newspaper Archives online my only predetermined idea was that I wasn’t interested in celebrity visitors or Royals gracing the town with their presence. I wanted to find stories about people that were the fabric of Sandown and understand a little about their daily experience. Each story that made the cut contained something I couldn’t get out of my mind: the anthropomorphic form of a sailor from HMS Minotaur; a donkey attributed with the human trait of being spiteful; and where did the man who stole two pigeons and a rabbit actually hide them?

“Foible & Folly is a celebration of men (and beasts) that were part of Sandown’s story, and although 30 years apart, one building, The

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“The colour palette developed slowly: starting with Cobalt blue inspired by delft pottery which was a homeware trend of the era,” says Lauren Fry.

Newspaper image © The British Library Board. All rights reserved.

With thanks to The British Newspaper Archive www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

Kings Head, which was the location of their mishaps and misdemeanours.”

Lauren utilised online sources and preprepared activity packs to gain some great community input, including words of wisdom inspired by the often wacky ‘Things Thoughtful’ quotes published in the Isle of Wight Times, as well as working with young people to make thaumatropes, popular Victorian optical toys used to animate the scenes.

Collaborating with local poet King Stammers, they managed to get people contributing comical haikus about the Sandown stories.

Julie Jones-Evans, Co-Founder of picobrewery, taproom and micro-museum Boojum&Snark, says: “Foible & Folly has given us the opportunity to peep back in time. It has got the community exploring their own creativity and has encouraged us to see Sandown through new eyes. Lauren has breathed life into perhaps forgotten stories and people. It’s very clever how the reflections of buildings - when you photograph the characters - place them back once again on the High Street!”

Boojum&Snark is an innovative regeneration project based at 105 High Street, Sandown.

Foible & Folly will be on display there throughout the year. boojumandsnark.co.uk

Unknown. A spiteful donkey mangled a boy without provocation, the boy managed to escape and the donkey was sold to Newport continuing the danger to life. Isle of Wight Observer, 13th May 1854

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Researching rockpools w ith Isle of Wig ht ch i ld ren’s author Peta R a i n ford

Here are Peta’s top tips for anyone entering the Style of Wight children’s writing competition: 1. Write about something you care about: your enthusiasm will shine through. Perhaps, like me, you will be inspired by the natural world of the Isle of Wight Biosphere.

2. Plan your story with a beginning (setting and characters), middle (action and crisis) and end (how the crisis is resolved). I like to have a happy ending!

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ver since she was a child, Peta Rainford has been fascinated by rockpools. “While I love spending time on the beaches of the Isle of Wight, like a lot of people, I get upset when I see the amount of plastic washed up by the tide,” she says. “So I decided to write a picture book that combined creatures in a rockpool with the issue of plastic pollution.

Crab, Dab & Blenny is Peta’s second rhyming picture book to weave an important environmental issue into a children’s story. Her first, Jacob Starke Loves the Dark, isn’t just about a little boy who’s afraid of the dark, but, inspired by the dark skies of the Isle of Wight Biosphere, is also about the harmful effects of light pollution on the natural world.

“Although I have always loved rockpools, I didn’t know the names of all the fish, shellfish and seaweeds I found there, so decided to do some

research,” Peta says. “My story isn’t specifically set in St Helens, but I only wanted to include species that could realistically be found there. I discovered there might be seaweeds including peacock’s tail, bladderwrack, oyster thief, gutweed and sugar kelp.

Doing the research certainly enriched my vocabulary!

3. Research: even if you don’t include the facts in your story, knowing them will make your writing more believable.

4. Once you have your plan and research, just write! Don’t expect to write the perfect story straight off, it’s more important to get the whole story down on paper or screen.

“I discovered I might find scorpion fish, pipe fish, butter fish, blenny and dab. I decided to make Blenny and Dab two of my main characters, mainly because I liked the sound of the words, but also because dab rhymes with crab!

5. Then: edit, edit, edit! What can you do to make your story better?

“My research also looked at the impact of plastic pollution: did you know, for example, that scientists have found that microplastics in the ocean are affecting the ability of hermit crabs to select the best shell to live in? I hope children enjoy Crab, Dab & Blenny and that it inspires them to explore rockpools and do their bit to reduce plastic pollution!”

You can enter your story into the Style of Wight children’s writing competition: by post Style of Wight, 8 Salisbury Gardens, Dudley Road, Ventnor, Isle of Wight, PO38 1EJ by email features@styleofwight.co.uk For more information visit www.styleofwight.co.uk

Win

Style of Wi g ht ha s two copies of Pet a’s new book Crab, Dab & Blen ny to g ive away.

For your chance to win visit www.styleofwight.co.uk

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W hy not sha re you r fa m i ly’s rock pool d iscover ies w ith us on socia l med ia , usi n g the ha shta g #crabdaba ndblen ny

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Medi na Bookshop

Biosphere book rev iews A pole-to-pole journey of self-discovery, scientific explanation of nature’s restorative impact, and a powerf u l col lection of letters that give lang uage to the unspea kable rea lity of the climate crisis. Each of this issue’s selections by the team at Medina Bookshop offer an opportunity to ref lect and respond to our changing world

The Last Migration by Charlotte McConaghy (Fiction)

Losing Eden: Why Our Mind Needs the Wild by Lucy Jones (Non-Fiction)

Letters to the Earth introduced by Emma Thompson (Non-Fiction)

Franny Stone goes in search of the last Arctic terns and follows what is believed to be their final migration from the north to the south pole. Told through changing timelines, we learn of Franny’s haunted past and her deep connection to the world around her.

“.... if we lose our relationship with the natural world, we may, in some way, be losing a part of ourselves…”

When four women, Anna Hope, Jo McInnes, Kay Michael and Grace Pengelly sat around a kitchen table two years ago, they were concerned about the growing amount of information coming out about the ecological emergency. Wanting to utilise their day jobs as creatives to help, they invited people to write a letter to our ‘...planet in crisis’.

McConaghy’s writing is as immersive, vivid and poetic as the cold water Franny swims in. The story will frustrate you and confuse you but will leave you with a very satisfying ending. For only 256 pages, this short read packs a real punch. A perfect illustration of human affinity with nature and its soothing powers in a subtle yet profound way. Soon to be adapted for film produced by Claire Foy and Benedict Cumberbatch.

Journalist Lucy Jones explains how walking in Walthamstow Marshes aided in her recovery from addiction.

This simple act was one of the influences for her own research into nature’s healing effect on our health and wellbeing. She mixes beautiful descriptions with well-researched scientific studies, providing a comprehensive look at the importance of us reconnecting with the natural world.

You will want to drop everything and go to your nearest green space after reading a single chapter. By understanding our collective need for nature, we will hopefully be more galvanised to look after it in the future.

Letters to the Earth is a thoughtprovoking collection of some of those letters. A great starting point on climate crisis literature. You can dip in and out of the 5 main sections (Love, Loss, Emergence, Hope and Action) or read it cover to cover. This book does not attempt to sugar coat anything but instead guides you to use your feelings as an ‘...antidote to despair.’

Medina Bookshop. 50 High Street, Cowes. 01983 300044. medinabookshop.com Facebook @medinabooksiow Instagram @medinabooksiow May and June 2021

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Biosphere from above With A lf ie i n the A i r

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For years, photography was just a hobby for Callum O’Connell. Now, it’s his dream job. Leaving home early in the morning, with camera in hand, drone in rucksack and dog Alfie in tow, he captures some of the Isle of Wight’s most iconic landmarks and landscapes in glorious aerial detail.

Printed on 100% cotton photo rag – acid and lignin free for fantastic colour retention – with a lightly felted structure and matt surface, Callum’s photos are certified age resistant for at least 100 years.

Prices start from £115 and are now available to order via styleofwight.co.uk

A l f ie i n the A i r, 8 Un ion Street , Ryde a l f iei nthea i r.co.u k Instag ra m: @a l f iei nthea i r

Opposite: Bembridge to Beyond: Bembridge Ledge revealed at low tide Clockwise from top left: The Needles Lighthouse Ventnor from above – we can just about spot the Style office!

Sandown Pier – A Whole Day’s Fun in One – as you’ve never seen it before

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Photography competition

BIOSPHERE The winner: Elements

by A lex Mocci (t a ken at Ch i lt on Ch i ne)

The w inner’s photog raph is not on ly featured in this edition of Style of Wight Magazine, but w i l l be displayed on the wa l ls of the prestig ious Quay A r ts Ga l ler y, in New port and the w inner w i l l receive a 20”x16” mounted print from Ava i lable Light Ga l ler y a nd Gi f ts – the Island’s main stock ist for Avai lable Light Photog raphy, by Steve Gascoig ne.

To be one of our next photography competition winners, simply interpret the theme however you wish and send it in to us at office@styleofwight.co.uk, along with your full name, contact telephone number and image title.

Images must be 300dpi and larger than 2MB in file size. Entries should be submitted by Friday 18th June.

For full competition details see our website www.styleofwight.co.uk

Next edition’s theme: Play 46

styleofwight.co.uk

Judging Panel Gary Wallis Esteemed Portrait Photographer Georgia Newman Visual Arts Manager, Quay Arts Steve Gascoigne Available Light Photography Emma Elobeid Editor, Style of Wight Magazine Laura Craven Graphic Designer, Style of Wight Magazine

Art | STYLE

BEHIND THE COVER

By Lau ren Fr y DESIGN ER A N D A RTS EDUCATOR

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I couldn’t resist turning up the natural saturation and adding a bright fluorescent pink, fast emerging as my signature colour – my teenage self would be so disappointed.

Using paint markers, I added white line detail and pattern to plain block colours in the form of asparagus plants and kelp forests – topped off with a velvet swimming crab.

he restrictions of the past year have encouraged me to look again at the natural environment on my doorstep, explore the beauty of the local landscape and seek out undiscovered gems. Designing the front cover of the ‘biosphere’ edition of Style of Wight – something that has been on my wish list for some time – was the perfect opportunity to distill the shapes, colours and textures I discovered into a bold, tactile illustration.

The Style team’s brief called for a papercut view of the Island incorporating elements of the biosphere; there was even mention of a solar-powered sea slug that required some internet research! With such a plethora of inspiration I delved in and went wandering to capture images of the landscape; I view every new project as an opportunity to explore fresh colour schemes and experiment with materials.

Fi nd more of Lau ren’s desig n a nd i l lustration work at: stud iow ren.co.u k Instag ra m @stud io_w ren

Two shadowy figures – representing culture and creativity – explore their environment under the dark star-lit Isle of Wight skies.

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STYLE | Art

“Da rk a nd g ut-tw itch i n g ly exciti n g”

CUSH JUMBO ON FILMING THE BEAST MUST DIE Last autumn, the Isle of Wight played host to the production team of psychological thriller The Beast Must Die, filmed across an array of Island landscapes and locations – including (we’ll be watching closely to see if ‘our view’ made the cut) from the Style of Wight office window

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irected by Dome Karukoski, the story follows secondary school teacher Frances who, in the grip of trauma and grief, decides to take justice into her own hands and embark on a journey of maternal revenge.

Cush Jumbo, who plays Frances, explains how it was filming on the Isle of Wight, where the story is set: “It's always great to do something that's set in the place where you're actually shooting because it makes it a little more creepy. I know all of the people who live on the Isle of Wight were loving it – that it was all happening in the right place, that they were extras in it and that it was all a little macabre. I think a lot of them have said that the storyline about the police was pretty accurate too - that

when you live somewhere where there are fewer people and you know the police in person, then things are done differently. It’s like, ‘Okay, Farmer John, although you've been speeding and I’ve caught you for the fourth time this week, I'm not going to give you a ticket. ‘Cause I know that you've got to take your mum to the chiropractor.’

Stuff like that. Community policing is great, but it’s definitely done a little bit differently in London when you don't know anybody! As for the residents, they were just really welcoming to us.

Considering we showed up with a crew of 200 people in the middle of COVID and were blocking roads and I was sailing boats and desperately trying not to crash them, they were really nice!”

The Beast Must Die is available to stream on BritBox from 27th May.

Above: Sailing features heavily in the storyline. Opposite: Cush Jumbo as grieving secondary school teacher, Frances. Photo credits: Gareth Gatrell

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Cush Ju mbo on sa i li ng “I've loved it. I had all these lessons. It’s all totally alien to me - I'm from South London so I didn’t see a cow until I was about 11. So any time I’m allowed to get outdoors is so great. I can completely see why people like sailing. It's very, very freeing. And once you begin to feel the outdoors, you start to understand where the wind is coming from and how that's going to affect you - you kind of become part of the boat. And I actually really love it. Like, I think I'm going to ask to sail a little bit after this, because I've really enjoyed it.”

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Food | STYLE

Taste the season:

celebrating summer

A n abunda nce of aspa rag us At this time of year, it’s a ll about the asparag us. A nd Isle of Wight asparag us in particu lar is as good as it gets, the crowning glory of seasona l produce at farm shops the leng th and breadth of the Island. Its season – from late spring to June – is short but very, very sweet. Grab it whi le you can.

Make the most of every last bunch of Isle of Wight asparagus with ten of our stem-to-spear suggestions: pages 53 – 55

Ribbons of raw asparagus take centre stage in this crisp and earthy summer salad from the wellness team at Balance + Glo: page 56

The Isla nd opens up

From new menus and new chefs to familiar faces and fresh paint; the Island’s hospitality sector welcomes you back with open arms: pages 59-71

Great texture; satisfying crunch. Living Larder’s Will Steward talks early season sugar snap peas and shares a tasty lunch recipe: page 57

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Our asparagus season has started!

Food | STYLE

10 things to do with

Isle of Wight asparagus Recipe i nspi ration to keep you r brea k fasts light, you r br u nch ga me strong, you r lu nches decadent a nd you r d i n ners a treat

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STYLE | Food

1. Simply steamed No need to over-compl icate: aspa rag us ca n sta nd on its ow n. Ea rly season aspa rag us is tender enoug h to enjoy stea med for 5 m i nutes, adorned on ly w ith a k nob of butter a nd the ti n iest spri n k l i ng of Isle of Wig ht sea sa lt.

2. Breakfast asparagus

3. Soup for summer souls

W hen loca l aspa rag us is th is plenti f u l, why wa it u nti l lu nch?

Aspa rag us is the perfect pa i ri ng for eggs: su n ny, scra mbled, d ippy or poached.

Aspa rag us soup tastes l i ke l iqu id gold, but g reen.

Hig h i n f ibre a nd a nti-i n f la m mator y nutrients, wh izz up w ith a sha l lot base to a smooth sou l f u l bowl of heaven.

4. Fired, flamed, fabulous It’s no coi ncidence that aspa rag us season sta rts at the sa me ti me as BBQ season. G o rustic a nd g ri l l sa nd-side w ith fresh ly caug ht mackerel a nd a squeeze of lemon. Isla nd l iv i ng at its f i nest.

5. Easy peasy Caprese Swap trad itiona l basi l for Isle of Wig ht aspa rag us for a loca l ta ke on th is classic Ita l ia n sa lad. Pa i r w ith Isle of Wig ht tomatoes a nd bu ffa lo mozza rel la a nd season generously w ith Sici l ia n Ol ive Oi l ha ndpicked a nd pressed from the ol ive g roves of Ca ffe Isola’s Viv ia na’s pa rents, a nd Wi ld Isla nd spiced f ig ba lsa m ic d ressi ng.

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Food | STYLE

6. Tasty pasta W hatever you r persona l pasta i ncl i nation – from fresh a nd frag ra nt to rich a nd crea my – aspa rag us w i l l ra ise you r rigaton i a nd add colou r to you r ca rbona ra .

8. Picnic perfection

7. Square parcels

T he possibi l ities a re end less; from pizza toppi ngs to pu ff pastr y pick-me-ups, a ny picn ic that i nvolves aspa rag us is a l ready a pretty perfect one – whatever the weather.

T h is aspa rag us a nd ch ive ta rt is as pretty as a pictu re, a nd ca n be neatly sl iced i nto satisf y i ng ly sy m metrica l squa res a nd w rapped up for lu nch-on-the-go.

9. Summer twins

10. Risotto nights are here

Aspa rag us a nd strawberries (we love new, sma l lsca le g rowers at Freshwater Bay strawberries) were made for each other.

Ea rly su m mer risotto is a n A l Fresco del ig ht: sti r del icate d iagona l ly-sl iced spea rs th roug h you r favou rite A rborio base a nd top w ith plenty of Fa rmer Jack’s pa rmesa n.

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STYLE | Food

Fresh summer salad With Evely n Joyce, Balance + Glo The tea m at Isle of Wight on l i ne wel l ness platform Ba la nce + Glo a re passionate about i nspi ri ng thei r members to eat w ith the seasons a nd suppor t loca l producers – for the benef it of the pla net a nd ou r hea lth.

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he official asparagus season is short – from May until the end of June – so make the most of this delicious seasonal produce with a simple, fresh early summer salad created by co-Founder and Head of Fitness Evelyn Joyce. Using ribbons of raw asparagus to showcase its crisp, earthy flavour and paired with a zingy lime and ginger dressing, this dish is the perfect light lunch or BBQ side dish.

Serves 2 as a lunch or 4-6 as a side Ingredients Salad 160g asparagus (approximately 10 medium spears) 1 medium courgette 5 radishes, finely sliced 80g frozen peas 100g quinoa (I like to use the tricolour to add extra colour to the dish) A few sprigs of fresh mint A handful of lightly toasted almonds Dressing 10g fresh ginger, grated 1 clove of garlic, grated 1 lime, juiced 1 tbsp sesame oil Salt and pepper to taste

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Photo credit: Evelyn Joyce

Method Rinse the quinoa under cold water (this will help to remove some of the bitterness). Place in a pan with 300ml of cold water and bring to the boil.

Once boiling, reduce the heat, and simmer (stirring occasionally) for 10-15 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed and the grains have softened.

Whilst the quinoa is cooking, use a vegetable peeler to finely slice the asparagus and courgette into long strips. Place in a bowl and add the radishes.

Place the peas in a pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and then

simmer for three minutes. Once cooked, rinse under cold water and then add to the bowl of vegetables.

In a small bowl add all the dressing ingredients and stir until well combined. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and, using your hands, gently toss the mixture, until they are evenly coated.

Decant the quinoa onto a large serving plate and gently top with the vegetable mixture. Top with toasted almonds and sprigs of mint.

Food | STYLE

Seasonal vegetable

By Wi l l Stewa rd, Liv i ng La rder

Sugar snap peas

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ike all members of the pea family, sugar snaps are a favourite at any time of summer but are ready early in the season if they receive enough warmth. Known for their great texture and crunch, they are made all the better for the immature pea that is contained inside.

Throughout the growing season we sow sugar snaps whenever and wherever we get the chance. Their contribution to the soil is great as they fix nitrogen below ground, helping any following plants to grow.

As with any edible podded pea or bean, organic should always be the first choice to avoid unwanted nasties that have been sprayed along the way.

Grilled sugar snaps with whipped feta Ingredients 400g of sugar snap peas 1 tbsp olive oil Salt and pepper For the whipped feta: 200g feta cheese 200g plain Greek yoghurt Half a lemon, juice and zest 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil To serve: Slices of toasted sourdough Half a clove of garlic Method

coat with olive oil, season well. Put the sugar snaps under a hot grill and cook until soft and blackened in places – turning occasionally.

Put the cheese and yoghurt in a mixing bowl and whisk until the cheese is completely broken up and becomes creamy. Add the lemon juice and mix again.

Rub the cut side of the garlic clove over the toast – top with the whipped feta and then add the grilled sugar snaps. Dress with a drizzle of olive oil and a little lemon zest.

Line your grill pan with aluminium foil – put the sugar snaps onto the foil and

Image credit: Julian Winslow

Living Larder is a family owned, Soil Association certified Organic farm, supplying local fruit and vegetable boxes. www.livinglarder.co.uk Instagram: @livinglarder May and June 2021

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WELCOME BACK!

thefishbourne.co.uk 01983 882823

newinniow.co.uk 01983 531314

thespinnakeriow.co.uk 01983 872840

theboathouseiow.co.uk 01983 810616

Inns of Distinction are delighted to welcome back our guests for dining and drinks inside and outside from May 17th!

Please visit our websites to view our new menus, wine lists and drinks menus and to book your table DISTINCTIVE DINING IN OUR AA RATED 4 STAR INNS



Visit our website www.innsofdistinction.co.uk

Accommodation Reservations Book Now 01983 873572

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Food | STYLE

We’re open!

The 17th May marks the moment we’ve a l l been waiting for. At long last – and w ith much excitement – restaurants, cafés, bistros and bars a l l over the Island are opening up their doors, unf urling their menus, and ushering in the new season.

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his summer – though it’s only just beginning – we’re soaking up every single experience. From coffeeon-the-go to three-coffeesin-a-row; we’re taking treat-yourself Thursdays all the way into date-night Fridays and lazy weekend lunching. At Cowes’ Bliss Ice Cream Parlour, there’s an Isle of Wight ice cream for every day of the week.

As we reacquaint ourselves with all the delectable details that makes eating,

drinking, and meeting out an occasion worth waiting for – embracing indecision (when in doubt, order both!); choosing a cocktail (currently contemplating a Smoking Lobster Amaretto Wasabi Sour); deliberating over dessert (the Aquitania’s Raspberry bavarois is spoken for); sending compliments to the chef (as The Hambrough welcomes acclaimed Roux scholar Matt Tomkinson) – we promise never to take any of it for granted again.

Bluebells at Briddlesford is back At Bluebells café, delicious local food and drink – and a very warm welcome – awaits. With cushions and blankets to keep you toasty and Island Roasted coffee made with golden milk from their own Guernsey cows, the brandnew pergola is the perfect place to enjoy a café visit at the heart of the farm.

Many will have missed their famous Bluebell breakfasts; now back and available from 9am until 3.30pm daily alongside a range of tasty light bites, main meals, specials, desserts and locally made cakes. Or why not indulge in a decadent cream tea with homemade scones, fruit bowl raspberry and loganberry jam and Briddlesford butter and clotted cream – a well-deserved treat.

Looking ahead, there are big plans afoot for summer BBQs with live music, all with Covid-safe procedures. In the meantime, the baby calves (and staff!) can’t wait to welcome visitors back to the farm. briddlesford.co.uk Instagram: @briddlesford_farm May and June 2021

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THE HAMBROUGH RESTAURANT WITH ROOMS INTRODUCING MULTI-AWARD WINNING EXECUTIVE CHEF Matthew Tomkinson RESTAURANT OPENING 17TH MAY LUNCH

Wednesday to Sunday

DINNER

Tuesday to Saturday

GARDEN Open daily subject to weather BAR

Open daily from 11am

BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL email info@thehambrough.com

Hambrough Road, Ventnor, PO38 1SQ

Tel. 01983 856333

at, drink, m�t friends and stay a while.....

Whether coming to enjoy a lunch, dinner, an overnight stay or a perfectly chilled glass of wine after a busy day, Albert Cottage is the place to be.

Always stylish and elegant, with a vibrant atmosphere and warm friendly service.

∑

Y O R K A V E N U E • E A S T C O W E S • P O 3 2 6 B D • 0 1 9 8 3 2 9 9 3 0 9 • A L B E R T C O T TA G E H O T E L . C O M

www.thehambrough.com

Food | STYLE

Razzle-dazzle at new Seav iew restaura nt

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he Aquitania is the new restaurant at the Seaview Hotel. Located in the former Naval Mess it features images from RMS Aquitania, a British ocean liner of the Cunard Line, and has been decorated to show some of the razzle-dazzle camouflage the ship wore during World War 1.

The Aquitania will be open for dinner service only and the daily changing menu will focus on fresh fish and seafood.

Plaice fillets, turned potatoes, asparagus, marsh samphire, mangetout and parsley sauce

"We have always wanted to create a more intimate restaurant at the hotel where dinner has more of a sense of occasion. The Aquitania can seat around 26 people and will showcase our finest cooking, where carefully selected ingredients are prepared with skill and care," says head chef Bruce Theobald.

Picture credits: Julian Winslow

The Seaview Hotel currently is one of a handful of venues on the Island

Raspberry bavarois, white chocolate cremeux, vanilla sponge and passion fruit

that has a coveted 2 AA Rosettes as well as mentions in The Good Food and Michelin guides. You can reserve online at seaviewhotel.co.uk

seaviewhotel.co.uk Instagram: @seaviewhoteliow May and June 2021

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NEW Opening May 2021

A late night soul food cafe serving Crepes, Waffles and Ice Cream in a fun and vibrant atmosphere OPEN TIMES Sunday to Thursday 10am til 10pm Fridays and Saturdays 10am til Midnight 22 High Street NEWPORT www.sweetcharlies.co.uk Sweet Charlies_70QP.indd 1

28/04/2021 13:51

“If they gave Michelin stars for sausage rolls, this would have three!”

James Martin on “James Martin’s Great British Adventure”

BEMBRIDGE 26 High St PO35 5SE 01983 872717

NEWPORT 1 St. James Street PO30 5HE 01983 522392

Food | STYLE

We are family

In just three years, husband-and-w ife team Stefan and Beck y, a long w ith their two young chi ldren Wi l loughby and Vera , took a bare shel l and transformed it into the award-w inning independent Freshwater Cof fee House Fa m i ly pictu res Ch r istia n Wa r ren Food pictu res Steve Jones

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rom the start, Stefan and Becky have prided themselves on their range of wholesome vegan, gluten-free and vegetarian options; from brunches to home-baked cakes and desserts. Together, the family quickly cultivated an atmosphere of belonging — their space is dog-friendly, childfriendly, remote-worker friendly and bicycle-friendly – creating not only a coffee house, but a hub of the village.

And with award-winning coffee and a host of informal (‘best poached eggs on the Island’) and official accolades (in 2020, The Freshwater Coffee House was awarded a TripAdvisor Traveller’s Choice Award), it’s easy to see why.

During the first lockdown, the local community dug deep and raised a phenomenal £20,000 to help see this much-loved business through to better times. Thanks to their generosity, The Freshwater Coffee House is looking forward to reopening for sit-ins from the 17th May. Behind the scenes, the family has been busy preparing for the new season with a refurbished retail space and gallery wall featuring Stefan’s own artwork.

The Freshwater Coffee House’s eco-game is strong, too; having supported Plastic Free Freshwater from the start and being the first on the Island to collect and commercially compost Vegware takeaway cups, plates and cutlery.

This May, the team is introducing a depositbased loan, purchase and reuse scheme for Huskee takeaway cups, made from recycled coffee husks, and Black + Blum stainless steel picnicware.

Find out more at www.freshwatercoffeehouse.co.uk Instagram: @thefreshwatercoffeehouse May and June 2021

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Caffe Isola &

The

Chapel STreet

Roastery artisan cafe, roastery & independant retail 85a St James St, Newport

info@caffe-isola.co.uk Tel: 01983 524800 the home of

island roasted artisan coffee from the isle of wight

www.islandroasted.co.uk

Food | STYLE

Sunny days are here As the sun bursts through after a long dark winter Bliss Ice Cream Parlour has had a fresh coat of paint and a new Whippy machine. Situated on Bath Road in Cowes, Bliss proudly boasts a full set of ice cream brands, all made on the Isle of Wight using only Isle of Wight milk, plus yummy vegan ice cream too.

reduce plastic consumption, and all of their takeaway cups, lids, straws, tubs, spoons and cutlery items are fully biodegradable/compostable.

New for 2021 - Rex’s Range - the only lactose-free, Isle of Wight-made ice cream especially for dogs, so offer your pooch a special summer treat too!

Enjoy a farm-made clotted cream Calbourne Classics ice cream, an extensive and fun choice of Isle of Wight Ice Cream company flavours or, if Italian is your choice, try their artisan Minghella range. You can also pop in and have a delicious warm Belgium waffle, epic ice cream Sundae or iced coffee – they can’t wait to see you!

At Bliss they always do their best to www.blissicecreamparlour.com Instagram: @blissicecreamparlour

Home sweet home Newport’s newest addition is something a bit different: enticingly decorated in eye-catching pretty pastels, Sweet Charlie’s – opening soon – will be the county town’s only late-night dessert shop, open until midnight every weekend in addition to normal daytime hours.

Preparing for their grand opening on Friday 28th May has been a labour of love for Charlie and husband Dave;

when Charlie’s hugely popular handcrafted chocolate and candy gift bouquets overflowed from every room in the home, they knew the time was right to find premises of their own.

The couple, who had long dreamt of creating their own soul-food style café – selling freshly cooked crepes, waffles, paninis, milkshakes and ice-cream – were thrilled to discover the perfect building on the High

Street, with enough internal space to accommodate both sides of their business. And so, Sweet Charlie’s was born.

As well as an array of sweet treats, the café will sell and serve their very own ‘Sweet Charlie’s’ blend of deliciously responsible Eco Roast coffee. Perfect with a Biscoff Crumble waffle.

sweetcharlies.co.uk Instagram: @sweetcharliesnewport

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We are ...

Serving Artisan barista made coffee and loose leaf tea, healthy and beautiful homemade food and cakes and vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options every day.

We can’t wait to see you and are child and dog friendly.

Check our website for opening times and events Stefan, Becky, Willoughby, Vera and #TeamTFCH

5 SCHOOL GREEN ROAD, FRESHWATER, ISLE OF WIGHT PO40 9AJ www.freshwatercoffeehouse.co.uk

01983 754095

TheFRESHWATERCOFFEEHOUSE

TFWCoffeeHouse

Food | STYLE

Exciting times ahead at The Hambrough As The Hambrough prepares to reopen, excitement is building following the recent appointment of new Executive Chef Matt Tomkinson. The high-profile announcement marks the beginning of what is sure to be an exceptionally busy season ahead for Ventnor’s award-winning boutique bed & breakfast.

Matt brings with him multiple culinary accolades – his 2nd Michelin Star, gained as Head Chef at the highly acclaimed Montague Arms in Beaulieu just across the Solent - was held for eight years.

Chef Matt Tomkinson cooking up a storm

Having visited the Island on numerous occasions, Matt was delighted when the opportunity came up and he is looking forward to working closely with local suppliers to showcase the abundance of fine seasonal produce in his menus. As a former Roux scholar – one of the world’s most prestigious training programmes for the industry’s most acclaimed chefs – Matt is keen

to bring both his relaxed informal style of modern British hospitality and classical French influences to the Hambrough dining experience.

The Hambrough Restaurant will be reopening from 17th May serving lunch from Wednesday to Sunday and dinner from Tuesday to Sunday during the summer season, closing on Mondays.

Bookings are being taken by emailing info@thehambrough.com as the telephone lines are currently not manned full-time.

Hambrough Road, Ventnor, PO38 1SQ thehambrough.com

The doors are open at Inns of Distinction The team at Inns of Distinction are delighted to be able to open their doors again; The Boathouse and The Fishbourne have been welcoming guests in outdoor areas since April and, from May 17th, The New Inn and The Spinnaker will be opening too.

Fresh, local and seasonal produce remains their focus with the Island’s

natural larder being a constant inspiration to their talented team of chefs. Dishes such as their in-house smoked pulled brisket burger, melting applewood cheese and Jack Daniels barbecue sauce from The Boathouse, and crab, avocado and Isle of Wight tomato tian, black olive crumb, split dill and lemon dressing at The Fishbourne have been big hits in the spring

sunshine, with many more new dishes coming every day.

Reservations for dining are essential so please visit innsofdistinction.co.uk to make your booking. They look forward to seeing you this spring and summer! innsofdistinction.co.uk

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Real food, fresh & fast

Take fresh yoghurt from Wiltshire...

A range of flavours...

Add a touch of love from our staff...

And indulge yourself in a...

French Franks fro-yo shake (available at all sites)

Find us across the Island

NEWPORT • COWES • RYDE www.FRENCHFRANKS.co.uk

Food | STYLE

A true taste of Italy According to legend, Renaissance artist Michelangelo was completing a painting that had been commissioned by a Prince when he ran out of red paint: searching the kitchen, he came back with some tomato sauce in a bowl and continued his work to completion and great acclaim. And so, Michelangelo’s Tomato Sauce was born.

will find a delicious range of Italian Renaissance-inspired sauces designed to lift your pasta, meat or fish dish to another level of authenticity and taste. Made with the same love and care as if for their own families, their artisan-made sauces – from classic Bolognese to hot Piccante and Capperi e Olive tapenade – will give you the taste of Italy whatever the season.

At Michelangelo’s, on the bottom corner of Ryde’s Union Street, you ristorantemichelangelo.co.uk Facebook: @Michelangelo Restaurant IOW

Summer at Quarr Abbey

With the long-awaited summer finally here and all areas of the Abbey now open, some things will be returning to normal, and some things will be slightly different this year at Quarr Abbey.

In May they reopen the inside seating area of the popular teashop and start to take lunch bookings once more.

Outside, the tea garden remains open for takeaways and for those who wish to eat their purchases on the grounds

of the Abbey and soak in the peaceful atmosphere. Reservations and table service are available for the inside seating area only during the summer period.

The menus consist of an array of grab-and-go goodies – freshly made baguettes, sausage rolls and pork pies – along with a delicious selection of daily specials created by the chef.

The farm shop remains in its new location opposite the art gallery; in

this courtyard area you will find an array of fresh produce, plants, local Island products and their very own Quarr Abbey products. Meanwhile, the church is open for services with all welcome, and the grounds and woodland walk remain open throughout the day for all to enjoy.

And, of course, the ever-popular pigs are also back in residence and extremely happy to have visitors once more.

Open daily, 10am to 5pm Monday to Saturdays and 11.15am to 5pm Sundays. quarrabbey.org Instagram: @quarrabbeyiow May and June 2021

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Open Monday to Saturday 9.00am - 5.30pm 34, Union Street, Ryde PO33 2LE Tel. 01983 562570 www.gibbsandgurnell.co.uk

new wardrobe...new season...new you

ryde cowes online ryde 63 union street

63 union street

tel. 810581

123 high street

tel. 292966

www.mia-uk.com

newport 20 st. thomas square

Food | STYLE

Smoking Lobster comes to Cowes The popu lar dining experience is bringing its unique brand of panAsian cuisine and seductive cock tai ls to the Island’s north coast

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hen Giancarlo and his team opened the now infamous Smoking Lobster on Ventnor seafront in 2017, it quickly gained popularity with locals and tourists alike. Boasting panoramic views of one of the Island’s most picturesque beaches out towards the English Channel, the small restaurant reimagined seasonal Island produce through a pan-Asian lens, bringing a fresh, contemporary feel to the Island’s food scene.

Then, in 2020, the Smoking Lobster Group proudly opened an alternative to the restaurant on the beach with

their sister venue – Drunken Lobster – in Ventnor town. The Izakaya-style bar swiftly became a Style of Wight favourite where the drinks take centre stage: here, cocktails, sake and Japanese bar food are served in a more casual dining experience.

This May, the final addition to the Smoking Lobster family is about to hit town. Here, in this larger restaurant overlooking the bustling Cowes Marina, the team has taken inspiration from the best of both: its pan-Asian menu and plethora of delicious cocktails and speciality wines combining in perfect harbour-side harmony.

To book your table, visit smokinglobster.co.uk May and June 2021

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STYLE | Fashion

Style with substance

By Ursu la Br u netti

Looking good shouldn’t have to cost the earth. As we all try to move away from fast fashion and mass-produced pieces, we’ve rounded up the fashion choices that are mindfully made and will give your wardrobe sustainable style.

For the g row n-ups...

Visual Impact Visual Impact in Newport has long been established as the destination store for some of our favourite labels and we love that they’re actively sourcing and stocking more environmental brands. visualimpact.co.uk Instagram: @visualimpactiow

Nudie Jeans, £99

Levi Jeans, from £75

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Double denim Visual Impact stock a great selection of jeans for men and women, including Levis which are a sustainable wardrobe staple as their pieces are made to last. Another eco-conscious denim brand you’ll find in store are Nudie Jeans who use clean cotton from organic farmers. They even recycle denim and have a Re-Use collection made exclusively from preloved denim.

Fashion | STYLE

Just for men One line that’s just for men is Farah, another environmentally conscious brand at Visual Impact who create wearable, organic cotton clothing for men. From shirts and trousers to t-shirts and basics, Farah excels in responsibly sourced style.

Part Two striped CINDIE blouse, £90

Farah short sleeved shirt, £65

Part Two white blouse, £23

Cotton soft Part Two craft wearable fashion using sustainable fibres and are constantly working to lower their environmental impact by using organic cotton and recycled polyester and nylon. We love their low-key blouses that are perfect for work or play and can be effortlessly styled up or down.

Fransa dress, £49.99

Mia As we all shift toward a slower fashion philosophy it makes sense to shop for investment pieces that will have lasting appeal in your wardrobe.

Mia is full of quality wardrobe staples that can see you through the seasons, year in year out. Our current favourite is their striped FRANSA summer dress which makes a perfect summer staple with its classic print and easy to wear cut. mia-uk.com Instagram: @miaisleofwight

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STYLE | Fashion

For the littles...

Hunter+Boo Hunter + Boo are our go-to shop for stylish children’s wear that’s ethically made. With pieces from zero to five years old, this multi award-winning brand was founded in Singapore and is now based in Ryde. Hunter + Boo has always had ethical and environmental principles at its heart and is proud to be an Island business as the green values of the community have natural synergy with their own environmental ethos.

Frill Dress, £38

Made with organic cotton and eco dyes, their rompers, trousers and tops are full of personality and practical details. From reversable pieces to fabric durability, their clothes can withstand plenty of childhood adventures while leaving a light footprint behind. Even their buttons are made from biodegradable cozoro nuts from sustainable farms and their packaging is made from recycled materials.

Printed T shirt, £18

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hunterandboo.co.uk Instagram: @hunterandboo

Fashion | STYLE

Slowing down

My journey from fast fashion to sustainability

By Ha n na h R ochel l, En Brog ue

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wo years ago I gave up shopping and didn’t buy any new clothes for a year. As a former fashion journalist writing for glossy magazines and national newspapers, I’d spent a decade encouraging people to do the very thing I had now decided to stop doing, but as I became more educated about the climate emergency and saw the part I was playing in accelerating it (the fashion industry is said to be the third biggest polluter on the

enjoy wearing for years. Brands like Roake, for example, which is based in Ventnor, design with longevity and versatility in mind - think wrap tops in classic prints like gingham - that can be worn multiple ways and fit a wide range of sizes and body types to avoid waste and returns.

But back to vintage, something I first discovered as a teenager growing up in Ryde which has always had a brilliant selection of well-stocked charity shops. My

“[slow fashion]… means not slavishly following trends and instead embracing either the clothes you already own, or sustainably made new ones that you know you will enjoy wearing for years” planet), I decided that enough was enough. I haven’t stepped foot in a chain store or idly browsed a website’s ‘new in’ section since, and I’ve never been happier with my wardrobe.

By the time I started allowing myself to buy a few very carefully considered items of clothing per year, I had moved from London back to the Island, and was thrilled to immerse myself in local vintage stores and slow fashion businesses. If you’re not familiar with the slow fashion movement, it just means not slavishly following trends and instead embracing either the clothes you already own, or sustainably made new ones that you know you will

favourites are Cancer Research UK (my grandmother volunteered there for 20 years so it gets the majority of my own donations) and the Earl Mountbatten Hospice Shop, where we picked up our G-plan sideboard a few years ago.

I love a browse in Dig For Vintage on Lind Street and I’ve been a regular customer at The Velvet Pig on Union Street, a beautifully curated vintage treasure trove brimming with the loud midcentury prints I adore.

So, if you are after a wardrobe refresh as the world starts to open up again, why not embrace slow local fashion and try looking for it a little closer to home instead.

Follow Hannah’s slow fashion journey on Instagram @hannah.rochell

From top: This wool waistcoat, worn over a Justine Tabak floral dress, was hand-knitted for my mum in the 1970s. 1960s wool checked dress (worn as a shirt), The Velvet Pig, Ryde. 1970s floral dress, The Velvet Pig, Ryde; striped top, Beaumont Organic.

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Quality & Style Since 1985 RALPH LAUREN, BARBOUR, TED BAKER, PART TWO, LEVIS, FRENCH CONNECTION, DIESEL, GANT, NUDIE JEANS, LYLE & SCOTT, PRETTY GREEN,YAYA, FRED PERRY, NYDJ, SCOTCH & SODA, NICCE, TAMARIS, HUDSON, SHOE THE BEAR, LOAKES SHOEMAKERS

Ethical • Sustainable • Modern Baby + Kids' Wear from 0-5 Years hunterandboo.co.uk @hunterandboo

Island based - Free UK Delivery

BRINGING ZERO WASTE TO YOUR DOORSTEP

Island Refillery can make it simple and convenient for you to easily reduce your household plastic waste and use sustainably sourced, environmentally friendly products in your home.

Ladieswear

3/4 Watchbell Lane Newport I.O.W. PO30 5XU telephone 01983 525665

• Free from single use plastic • Ethically and sustainably sourced • Closed loop • Vegan • Free from gluten, wheat, milk, soy • Biodegradable

Menswear

Personally tried and tested

21 Holyrood Street Newport I.O.W. PO30 5AZ telephone 01983 821908

• Plant based • Cruelty free • Made in the UK • Free from harmful ingredients

@islandrefillery

www.visualimpact.co.uk

Visual Impact_70.indd 1

Our refill products are:

28/04/2021 13:45

www.islandrefillery.com refill@islandrefillery.com

Health and Beauty | STYLE

Beauty in the biosphere It’s not su r pr isi n g, when su r rou nded by so much natu ra l beauty, that the Isle of Wi g ht ha s i nspi red ma ny home-g row n beauty a nd wel lbei n g bra nds that cha mpion the env i ron ment. From reduci n g or el i m i nati n g the use of pla stic to usi n g eth ica l ly sou rced i n g red ients, we’ve rou nded up g reen wel lbei n g a nd beauty buys that a re good for body, sou l a nd biosphere.

By Ursu la Br u netti

Pla net-f r iend ly bod ies w it h Ea r t h Conscious

More beauty, less pa cka g i n g w it h T he Isla nd R ef i l ler y

Bota n ica l beauty w it h Blue Label le

Ea rth Conscious ma kes natu ra l deodora nts that a re free from plastic, pa rabens, a lu m i n iu m a nd a n i ma l testi ng. Ma de w ith orga n ic, Fa i rtra de i ng red ients a nd su itable for vega ns, they do a l l they ca n to trea d l ig htly.

W hat’s more, they donate 10p from ever y sa le to the Ma ri ne Conser vation Society.

Reduci ng th rowaway cu ltu re a nd encou rag i ng g reener habits a re at the hea rt T he Isla nd Ref i l ler y’s ethos. T hei r doorstop del iver y ser v ice ref i l ls empty bottles so you ca n use less plastic. Ou r favou rites ref i l ls i nclude thei r Fig Ha nd Soap a nd thei r Orga n ic Ha nd a nd Body Lotion.

Instag ra m: @ea rthconsciousu k

Instag ra m: @ isla nd ref i l ler y

Based i n Ventnor but sold a l l over the world, vega n beauty l i ne Blue Label le blends bota n ica l beauty products w ith a mu ltitude of benef its. Sensitive sk i n w i l l love thei r 100% orga n ic Ma ru la A ma ra nth Fa ce Oi l wh ich nou rishes a nd soothes wh i le thei r awa rd-w i n n i ng Glow Powder Clea nser is a n i ncred ible 3 i n 1 ex fol iati ng clea nser a nd mask that leaves sk i n ra d ia nt.

Lavender and Tea Tree Deodorant, £7 from earthconscious.co.uk

500ml Organic Hand Lotion in refillable amber glass bottle, £10.50. 500ml Fig Hand Soap in refillable amber glass bottle, £9.50. From islandrefillery.com.

Instag ra m: @blue_ label le_ sk i nca re

Glow Powder Cleanser £12. Marula Amaranth Face Oil £7.50, from Blue Labelle, 7 Pier Street, Ventnor.

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STYLE | Health and Beauty

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Glow f rom w it h i n w it h Gibbs & Gu r nel l

Double t he feel good fa ctor w it h Du x more Bota n ics

Go outside w it h Ba la nce & Glo

As we sta rt to ventu re out a f ter a leng thy lockdow n why not boost you r natu ra l protection aga i nst colds a nd f lu w ith a l ittle help from Mother Natu re?

A . Vogel’s Ech i na force Drops a re ma de w ith orga n ica l ly g row n ech i na cea , a nd rel ieve cold a nd f lu sy mptoms wh i le streng then i ng you r i m mu ne system.

Du x more Bota n ics ma kes home a nd beauty products w ith i ng red ients that a re responsibly sou rced, fa i rly tra ded a nd benef it the loca l com mu n ities that g row them. We love thei r Bota n ica l Beauty Ba l m, wh ich is deeply nou rish i ng a nd uses u n ref i ned Shea Butter, sou rced from a women’s col lective i n Gha na .

As hay fever season gets sta rted we wou ld n’t be w ithout ou r A .

Vogel Eye Drops, wh ich prov ide i nsta nt rel ief to i rritated eyes.

Su itable for conta ct lens wea rers a nd vega n-friend ly, they’re a must for pol len-heav y days.

Instag ra m: @du x more_bota n ics

O ver the su m mer, the tea m at Ba la nce + Glo a re i nspi ri ng people to move outside a nd ex perience these benef its w ith thei r Su m mer Series. From fresh a i r f itness a nd yoga sessions, sta nd-up pa dd leboa rd yoga a dventu res, on l i ne classes speci f ica l ly desig ned to be ta ken outside, a nd sessions focused on bu i ld i ng streng th, Ba la nce + Glo w i l l i nspi re you to embra ce a nd reap the benef its of mov i ng i n the g reat outdoors.

A. Vogel Echinaforce Drops £10.50. A. Vogel Moisturising Eye Drops £9.99. Available from Gibbs & Gurnell, Union Street, Ryde

Botanical Beauty balm £19. Available from duxmorebotanics.co.uk

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Instag ra m: @ba la ncea ndg lo

For further details on classes, how to book and membership check out balanceandgloonline.com or follow @balanceandglo on social media

Health and Beauty | STYLE

Happy a nd hea lt hy w it h Ha i r Orga n ic

Soot he a nd clea nse w it h Beca l med

R educe f ree ra d ica ls w it h R hodes Sk i nca re

Ventnor sa lon Ha i r Orga n ic is on a m ission to be as vega nfriend ly, cruelty-free a nd env i ron menta l ly conscious as possible. With one hu nd red per cent biodeg ra dable ha i r towels, thermostat-control led wash basi ns a nd a ra nge of vega n ha i r ca re products, ever y choice is considered. For a post lockdow n cut a nd blowd r y, th is is the g reenest pla ce to go.

Beca l med i n Cowes is the isla nd’s on ly stock ists of lu x u r y natu ra l sk i nca re l i ne, ESPA , who a re ded icated to protecti ng natu re. T hei r new Clea n & Green Detox Mask is the perfect way to reboot you r ra d ia nce. Ma de w ith broccol i seed oi l, spi ru l i na a nd ex tra cts of ka le a nd spi na ch, th is deeply clea nsi ng mask feeds sk i n wh i le d raw i ng out i mpu rities.

Isla nd beauty bra nd Rhodes Sk i nca re uses i n novative Pla nt Cel l Tech nolog y to ma x i m ise sk i nca re benef its from natu ra l i ng red ients. By usi ng lab ha r vested i ng red ients they protect ra re species a nd reduce ecolog ica l i mpa ct , helpi ng to m i n i m ise the presence of pol luta nts a nd pesticides.

Instag ra m: @ha i rorga n iciow

Instag ra m: @beca l med med ispa

Power Build Shampoo, Conditioner and Treatment, £13 each from Hair Organic, Ventnor

Clean & Green Detox Mask 55ml, £40 from Becalmed, 8 Birmingham Road, Cowes

Instag ra m: @ rhodes.natu res.sk i nca re

Juniper Berry Cleanser, £23.95 from rhodesskincare.com

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STYLE | Health and Beauty

P L AY T H E LONG GAME

By K i m Mu r ray EX ERCISE PH YSIOLOGIST A N D ATH L ET E

‘Fat burning’ ‘8-week transformation’ ‘#nodaysoff’ Are some things you’ll never hear me say.

WELLBEING & MEDI SPA

Ti m e t o Revi ve, R efr es h & Refocus

I am concerned about whether you can show up and train for 6, 12 or 18 months consistently. I care if you’re sleeping well and have enough energy to get through the day. I am interested in you being able to run a marathon at 35 and then again at 65 years old.

Our obsession with new and the need for instant gratification isn’t only damaging to the environment, it can be detrimental to your health and fitness too.

What is the point in picking up a new class or training plan which promises you x, y and z in six weeks if you give up on week three because it’s not sustainable?

Yo-yoing between exercising and not exercising because your training isn’t sustainable is actually detrimental to health, because it strips you of consistency, which is key.

New for 2021 - The Natural Approach Facial Using Natural, Organic, Vegan Products from ESPA, we have created a wonderfully luxurious bespoke treatment to achieve beautiful skin, naturally.

Consuming less and getting more use out of what you have is a concept we’re all starting to become familiar with.

Exercise and physical activity are not something to dispose of and replace with a new shiny object every other month.

Aim to exercise in a way that is repeatable and sustainable.

This is the best way to get results in fitness and the best thing for long-term health.

My advice?

1. Find something you enjoy, do it often, but not so often you get hurt or bored.

2. Know your why. Hint: dig deep for it.

3. Keep perspective. Your current PB/weight/monthly mileage is just a snapshot in time. You have plenty of time to change it.

Helping to improve your Health and Wellbeing.

Our experts will focus on restoring you to optimum skin health and body wellness.

Come and experience our tranquil oasis in the heart of Cowes

There is only one earth, and we only get one body to live in.

We’re in this for the long haul and we need to look after both.

‘Aim to exercise in a way that is repeatable and sustainable.’

Kim helps people build strong, robust bodies so they can run further and faster without getting injured. To find out more about her Run Strong membership, visit www.thekimfitway.com/home-based-workouts or follow her on Instagram @kimfitbath.

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01983 296655 8 Birmingham Road • Cowes • P031 7BH info@becalmedincowes.co.uk www.becalmedincowes.co.uk

Health and Beauty | STYLE

N AT U R A L B E A U T Y, I N N E R C A L M

By Ca rol i ne Hu rley I.I.H.H.T. A RT( R eg) W EL L BEI NG PR ACTITION ER , H EA LTH W EL L SOLU TIONS & BECA L M ED SPA

Our skin is constantly under attack both internally and externally, therefore maintaining the natural biodiversity of your microbiome is incredibly important.

The microbiome is an ecosystem of microorganisms that live both on, and inside, our body. It is as unique to us as a fingerprint, and is determined by genetics, age, hormones, stress, diet, and environmental factors.

Skin microbiome Most of us are aware of the importance of maintaining a balanced gut microbiome for our overall health. But do you realise how crucial the microbiome of our skin is to its overall health and appearance? It is the first line of defence in protecting our skin against external damage such as heat, moisture, skin pH, skin type, sebum and sweat. The microbiome of our skin works with its own complicated ecosystem, communicating with our immune system. This is one of the reasons why, when there is a problem with our overall bacterial health, our skin shows the signs on the outside How to look after the microbiome The microbiome of the skin works best in an acidic environment with an optimum pH level between 4.5 and 5.5. At this level, our skin inhibits pathogens, limits damage from UV exposure, and keeps the skin protected.

Excessive cleanliness, antibiotics, soaps, and chemicals can damage both the microbiome of the skin and of the gut. This can lead to problems such as acne, eczema, fungal infections, dandruff, rosacea and increase premature signs of ageing.

Therefore, we do not recommend the use of soap or wipes on your skin as they have a high pH level which will damage the skin’s microbiome.

Just as nurturing our mental and physical wellbeing has become an imperative, so too a healthy appearance has become our chosen signifier of youth. Consequently, ESPA Skincare has embraced the new wave of scientific skin care with its pre and probiotic skincare products.

The ESPA Tri-Active™ Resilience ProBiome range respects, nurtures and supports the skin’s delicate microbiome. It is the first line of defence against environmental aggressors while keeping skin hydrated, which maintains effective barrier function.

This range provides your skin with ingredients full of natural antioxidant properties, helping to support your skin’s natural defences against environmental factors and oxidative stress.

Signs you should be using the Resilience range: • Dehydrated, tight, uncomfortable skin.

• Redness • Dull and tired looking skin • Imperfections, visible pores • Unbalanced, reactive and stressed skin.

• Uneven skin tone and texture So how can you achieve natural beauty and inner calm? Make sure you are looking after the natural biodiversity of your microbiomes - both on the inside with a healthy diet and on the outside with skincare designed to protect you.

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Credit: Daisy Brasington

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People with style

CLEAN & GREEN Fiona Taylor - Isla nd R ef i l ler y

Fiona Taylor refers to her pre-Island self as “a bit of a nomad.” She moved a lot as a child and enjoyed a career sailing classic yachts across the world. It was only when she came to the Island that she put down roots. Talking to her it’s clear the Island is where she feels at home, not least because of how the Island has inspired her to launch the Island Refillery.

Based in Bembridge, her zero waste, closed loop enterprise exists to eliminate single-use plastics and encourages sustainable shopping habits by delivering doorstep refills of vegan and plant-based household and personal care products.

The first seeds of the idea were sown when Fiona was competing and living at sea, sailing in competitions such as the Panerai Classic YC. “Sailing a boat offshore makes you value your resources and live sustainably.

Witnessing the effects of plastic pollution in our oceans first-hand is something that has stayed with me, it made me want to do something about it.”

Now Fiona makes environmentally considered business decisions at every stage, from the electric van she uses for deliveries, to the way the business cleans, reuses and recirculates old bottles so they don’t end up in landfill.

Supplying everything from washing up liquid and body wash to shampoos, and everyone’s pandemic staple, hand sanitiser, Fiona’s motivation to build an environmentally conscious business on the Island has in many ways come from the Island itself. She credits its natural beauty with giving her the motivation to put sustainability at the top of her agenda and it’s a good thing she has - since launching last year, she’s been busy with an incredible demand.

“It’s been amazing to speak with customers from a safe distance when we deliver our refills. This is one of my favourite parts of the job. The refill concept is something people feel passionately about, knowing they’re able to make greener choices more easily.”

It’s not lost on Fiona that the Island’s biosphere status was in part awarded because of the relationship between the community and the environment and this synergy is certainly echoed in her business.

Credit: Daisy Brasington

Style is…

Affordable, ethically sourced, cruelty-free and sustainable.

Favourite thing about the Island…

Popping to the beach with the kids after school.

“It’s interesting to me that the Island’s UNESCO Biosphere status considers nature and people and how they work together. That’s what we’re trying to do with Island Refillery – it’s about people and supporting both where and how they live.”

What are you looking forward to?

As well as encouraging customers to buy extra products to donate to the Trussell Trust Foodbank, she also organises monthly beach cleans. It seems Fiona’s holistic vision for Island Refillery has come together beautifully and has inspired hope for things to continue in a greener direction

Tips for going green with style…

“I’ve realised how much people love the Island and want to protect it.”

My business becoming more customer facing and the buzz of summer!

Look out for glass bottles at second-hand stores for pieces you can reuse.

We couldn’t agree more.

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EN N D FI FU N RE E* CO H ID TE IT V N W K CO RA O % UA G

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A WA R D - W I N N I N G H O L I D AY D EST I N AT I O N

FROM LUXURY GLAMPING AND FARM COTTAGES TO A LARGE COUNTRY MANOR HOUSE, ACCOMMODATION TO SUIT EVERYONE

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Also home to Tapnell Farm Park, The Cow Restaurant & Isle of Wight Aqua Park

*Terms & Conditions Apply

Beautiful rural setting with amazing sea views Open all year round Dog friendly Restaurant and attractions onsite Farm Park, Aqua Park and more New luxury geodesic domes opening May

www.tapnellfarm.com/sow Store opening Yarmouth June!

Inspired by life on and off the water

Bedding - Throws - Cushions - Interiors - Sustainable Fibres www.xvstripes.com

Health and Beauty | STYLE

FROM BROWNFIELD BARN TO BEAUTIFUL BESPOKE HOME With Modh Design When clients Sarah and Keith decided to build their own home, they enlisted the expertise of Modh Design to help realise their vision.

Modh took their Class Q barn conversion from inception to completion, turning a dilapidated, agricultural barn into their dream home.

The agricultural barn before the conversion

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usband and wife team, Colman and Emma Cotter of Modh Design took on the project and, just before Christmas 2020, Keith and Sarah received the keys from Isle of Wight building contractors, J R Buckett and Sons and moved into their new bespoke home.

worked with an array of interesting private clients, including some celebrities and the Lord-Lieutenant of the Island. As well as working alongside local contractors to build many oneoff homes, Modh Design have done several commercial projects including Tapnell Farm Park, The Bandstand and Spinlock.

Keith and Sarah both enjoyed creative careers before retirement, and it was easy for Modh to envisage the direction the design was going to take as they worked closely with the clients, and their brief, to develop the project from start to finish.

With Keith and Sarah’s big build, the challenge was to design a home within the constraints of the existing barn’s profile. Class Q planning guidance does not permit an increase in size or deviation from the original form, so the existing asymmetric shape and the agricultural setting were the principal driving force behind developing the project. Emma began to carve out spaces within the existing volume, pushing a few walls inward to generate some interesting outside spaces. She utilised the barn’s positioning within the site to maximise light, solar gain and natural ventilation, whilst introducing

Modh Design was set up in 2015 after Colman and Emma relocated to the Island from Kent in 2009. Since then, the practice has grown to a team of 5 and operates from their office in Calbourne. With a diverse portfolio of award-winning projects under their belt, Colman, Emma, and the team have

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a double height interior space that celebrates the interesting shapes and structures. A large sky light was positioned above the open tread, ply stairs and the wash of natural light picks up the gravelly texture of the central spine wall from which the spaces flow around. With a nod to the agricultural setting, Modh specified exterior materials of steel, timber cladding and rendered concrete blockwork.

Colman developed the many bespoke construction details for Building Regulations and Tender, as well as overseeing the project on-site during construction.

With the repurposing of an existing barn on a brown field site, a conscious commitment to green renewables was made. Technology such as air source heat pump, solar photovoltaics, and sustainably resourced materials were all implemented into the design. The kitchen garden area to the rear of the site shows the working backdrop to a house that demonstrates that sustainably conscious, brown field developments do not have to be ugly, a compromise or half measures and can elevate a design towards a more sustainable conscious future, whilst still being beautiful, grounded in design and creativity. modhdesign.co.uk

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OR !

ED LY T T FI ON

LLY Y FU PPL

SU

...from traditional to contemporary - we have the styles and ranges to suit

THE

KITCHEN WORKSHOP

Project Management Employed Fitters All Cabinets are Made in our Island Workshop No Obligation Design & Quotations ...and a dedicated

Designer / Project Manager to help you every step of the way

Kitchens, Designed & Tailor-made for you!

01983 559333 w w w. i ow k i tc hens .co . u k VISIT OUR SHOWROOM on Long Lane, Newport. PO30 2NW

Mon - Fri 9:00am - 4:30pm Sat 9:00am - 1:00pm

MID-CENTURY SCANDI FRENCH CHATEAU VINTAGE FINDS INSPIRATION

B A Y L I S S B O O T H

@baylissandbooth

01983 528600 B AY L I S S A N D B O O T H . C O . U K

TOP OF LUSHINGTON HILL WOOTTON PO33 4RD

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LI N TOE RVI O RES

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Fantastically functional in bold geometric blues – perfect for work-hard/play-hard kitchen floors

Forever f loors

With Abbott’s Flooring

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he team at Abbott’s Flooring in Sandown are excited to share their new range of Harvey Maria flooring: a vibrant collection of classic and contemporary-inspired tiles designed to stand up to modern home life.

Particularly popular in busy areas around the home, Harvey Maria floors are durable, long lasting and made with materials that have achieved the highest possible sustainability ratings,

Choosing a classic black and white aesthetic will stand the test of time

with a lifetime environmental impact much lower than industry alternatives.

Contrast with green foliage (from houseplants to homegrown herbs) and rustic textures (from natural worktops to wooden shelving and zero-waste accessories) for a stripped back style that feels calming and clean. In sunrooms and hallways, boot rooms and pantries – Harvey Maria offers a beautifully curated range of striking geometric patterns and pigments for a refreshingly bold yet blended style.

Capture the essence of hand-painted Moroccan tiles with colour-rich ceramic blue

To book an appointment in the Sandown showroom visit www.abbotts-flooring.co.uk or call 01983 217896. Instagram: @abbottsflooringiow May and June 2021

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SUMMER IN S O F T- F O C U S Weave warmth into early summer spreads with classic coral comforters and Cali-style charm Styl i n g Susie Herber t-Li g ht Photog raphy Hol l y Jol l i f fe

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Bohemian beach date for six: subtle saltyair styling in a beautiful place

Flowers by Sarah Matthews Flowers. Woven lampshades £95 each, Acacia Bay. Waney edge Acacia wood table £450, Acacia Bay. Waney edge Acacia wood benches, small £175, large £225, Acacia Bay. Fish serving bowls £59.95 each, Bayliss & Booth. Shell glasses £7.95 each, Bayliss & Booth. Wine cooler fish £225, Bayliss & Booth. Cutlery £8.50 piece, Bayliss & Booth. Small dinner candles 75p each, Bayliss & Booth. Zinc pots (with tray) £19.99, Bayliss & Booth. Raffia place mats £2.95 each, Bayliss & Booth. Linen table cloth (folded into a runner) £59.99, Bayliss & Booth. Linen napkins £19.95 set, Bayliss & Booth.

Dinner set (large plate, side plate, bowl) £23.50, This & That. Herringbone blanket £39.99, This & That. Velvet cushion £29.99, This & That. Coral embroidered cushions £26 each, This & That.

Red blanket £59.99, This & That. Grey linen throw (rolled) £45, Bayliss & Booth.

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Next to you: snuggling in the sand dunes + song on the stereo = carefree coastal life

Flowers by Sarah Matthews Flowers. Vintage floral eiderdown £35, Dig For Vintage.1950s sun hat £29.50, Dig For Vintage. Vintage radio £49.50, Dig For Vintage. Vintage bike basket for dogs £32.50, Dig For Vintage. Chopping board £19.99 Hurst. Shell glasses £7.95 each, Bayliss & Booth. Bowls (part of dinner set as before), This & That. Linen napkins £19.95 set, Bayliss & Booth.Portable BBQ £19.99, Hurst. Herringbone throw £39.99, This & That. Red throw £59.99, This & That. Coral cushion £26, This & That. Velvet cushion £29.99, This & That.

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Sustainable spaces As we move into the new season, many of us are look ing to update elements of our homes ready for summer. A nd, w ith us a l l becoming much more aware of the need to ta ke care of the world around us, it’s important to thin k more consciously about the impact the materia ls and products we buy have on the env ironment. Here are some of my persona l recommendations to update your home w ith sustainabi lity in mind.

By R a chel Sava ge Interior Desig ner, R ACH EL SAVAGE ST U DIO

Buy less. Buy well.

My goal always is to design durable and timeless spaces that will avoid the urge to change the whole design every couple of years. To achieve timelessness, choose quality, items you love over trendy, and simplicity over embellishments that might date quickly.

Vintage and second-hand furniture are also becoming more mainstream with people coming up with creative ways to recycle, upcycle and repurpose items, giving them a new life. You can find some gems in the HRD Auctions in Brading which can be updated using Annie Sloan paint, available at Dig For Vintage in Ryde.

Increase your energy efficiency Carpet – sisal, jute and wool are all very hardwearing and long lasting – is an excellent thermal insulator, retaining as much as 10% of a room’s heat, while curtains and sheers keep both cold air and the sun’s heat outside. Window treatments are not only a great way to add colour and style, but also allow you to control the room’s temperature by opening and closing them. My go-to supplier for curtains and blinds are Hallams, a family-run business in Newport.

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Create an indoor jungle Research shows that house plants can improve both your physical and mental well-being. My personal favourites are Spider plants, for their texture, and Ficus or ‘Mother in Law’s tongue’ for its form and structure; happily, both are low maintenance and pretty indestructible.

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Paint healthy Paint is the quickest way to transform any space, but some contain high levels of VOCs, causing indoor air pollution.

Choose environmentally friendly, low VOC options – like ‘Sienna’, Graphenstone Paint’s take on the colour of the year yellow – which actively absorbs CO2, and is both 100% recycled and recyclable.

Make wood work for you and the planet All wood flooring is a natural resource that needs to be treated responsibly; look for sustainable, FSC-certified wood or reclaimed timber such as Ted Todd available from Long Lane Carpets and Flooring. Although technically a grass not a wood, bamboo is the most eco-friendly of all as it’s so fastgrowing; it also gives a luxurious feel and distinctive grain.

Fabrics to feel good about Updating upholstery or fabrics can instantly lift a room, adding texture and softness. I’m really excited about the sustainable range recently introduced by Kirkby Design, available at Anne Ginger soft furnishings.

The colours and textures complement the pared-back aesthetic and the fabric is made entirely from sustainable materials and is fully recyclable.

Give cork a try 100% natural and recyclable, I’m seeing a huge resurgence in cork being used in lots of different ways. One of its great qualities is that it is printable - I really like the Hit the North Superwide Cork Wallpaper. Cork’s natural properties make it a great sound and heat insulator, perfect for busy areas of the house to absorb sound: kitchens, entrance ways or teenagers’ bedrooms.

For more i n formation on Ra chel a nd her ser v ices, v isit Instag ra m @ ra chelsavagestud io or ra chelsavagestud io.com May and June 2021

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DIG FOR VINTAGE

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Floral styling, venue dressing and decor hire specialists for weddings, events, businesses and private homes.

Luxury flower deliveries across the Island.

Flower arranging workshops held throughout the year.

Offering monthly painting technique Vintage lifestyle through Find out more in-store the decades, fashion, iconic workshops. and on our Facebook page. furniture, fabrics, The ceramics, Colonnade, Lind Street, art and classic books.

Book a painting Ryde, Isle of Wight, PO33 2NE

DIG F O RV I N TAG E . C O. U K

Everything you need to create 01983 a gorgeous vintage look for your home.

The Colonnade Ryde PO33 2NE

719433

experience with us today!

T 01983 719433 E info@digforvintage.co.uk

Rectory Mansion, 46-48 High Street, Brading, PO36 0DQ Sarah 07967 808275 / Jodie 07557 147116 hello@sarahmatthewsflowers-styling.co.uk Online ordering available www.sarahmatthewsflowers-styling.co.uk

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S U S TA I N A B L E

styling With Sa ra h Matthews Flowers

As co-owners of their floristry and wedding styling business, Sarah and Jodie always have nature and the seasons in mind and, following the Island’s UNESCO Biosphere status, have been thinking carefully about how to reduce their environmental impact

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tarting with switching to more traditional floristry methods such as using wire and moss instead of oasis, or wrapping flowers in compostable cellophane, the pair are making small shifts in the right direction and have plans to grow their own flowers in Jodie’s cottage garden.

They aim to work with nature rather than against it, guiding couples and clients towards seasonal flowers and reusing as much as possible; such as transporting displays from the church to the reception venue. Dried flowers

are increasingly popular and offer a pocket-friendly and greener option.

Styling props are chosen with reusability and durability in mind, opting for natural materials like glass jars and wooden milk churns, which have a lighter environmental footprint while adding charm and style.

Surplus flowers never go to waste: instead, they are either dried, composted, or – to spread a little extra kindness – left outside their Brading base as a ‘Lonely Bouquet’ for someone to find, take home and enjoy or give to someone who’s in need of a boost.

sarahmatthewsflowers-styling.co.uk Instagram: @sarahmatthewsflowers-styling May and June 2021

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the

Corn Exchange...

Escape the high street for a more relaxed shopping experience.

Shop local for unique and bespoke hand crafted gifts, luxury items and more.

MAIN ROAD, ARRETON, PO30 3AA | 01983 539365 | ARRETONBARNS.CO.UK

Home | STYLE

Return.

Ref ill.

Re-use.

With Pure Wight Soy Candles New in-store refillery makes it easier than ever to reduce packaging waste when you top up your favourite home fragrances

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any will already recognise Pure Wight Soy Candles as the sustainable option for beautifully scented spaces.

Their candles, hand-poured by the sea, combine 100% renewable and sustainable soya bean and soy wax with natural cotton and paper wicks, resulting in a low-temperature, longer-lasting burn and clean, allergen-free fragrance. In-store and online, other products in the Pure Wight range include pure soywax melts – for use in a wax burner – reed diffusers, all-natural botanical room mists, and hand sanitiser spray.

With favourites from ‘Seaside’ (clean and crisp with a coastal fragrance of salty driftwood on a beach breeze) to classic Rosemary & Bay (warm and invigorating with a head-clearing aroma), there is a scent for everyone in this beautiful Ryde independent boutique.

And now, by returning and refilling your used candle glasses, scent bottles and travel tins as part of their new instore Refillery Service, you can reduce waste and save money on your next purchase too.

60a Union Street, Ryde - open 10 till 5, Tuesday-Saturday. purewightsoycandles.com Instagram: @purewightsoycandles May and June 2021

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Anne Ginger soft furnishings

With 40 years experience Anne Ginger and her dedicated team are happy to assist in making the right choice of soft furnishings for you, from helping you choose the perfect product through to installation.

Our service is based around giving excellent advice combined with quality products. Come and see us and turn your dream into reality.

Due to Covid-19 the showroom is operating Monday-Friday on an appointment service so please call to book. info@anneginger.co.uk www.anneginger.co.uk

tel. 01983 407730

Business | STYLE

TA P N E L L FA R M : O U R D I V E R S I F I C AT I O N J O U R N E Y Before Tapnel l Fa r m wa s the Isle of Wi g ht’s lea d i n g eco-tou r ism desti nation, it wa s one of the bi ggest da i r y fa r ms on the Isle of Wi g ht, r u n by the T u r ney fa m i ly for a l most 40 yea rs. Today, led by brothers-i n-law Tom T u r ney a nd Tom Honey ma n Brow n, the fa r m is home to awa rd-w i n n i n g Tom’s Eco Lod ge, fa m i ly attra ction Tapnel l Fa r m Pa rk, Isle of Wi g ht Aqua Pa rk a nd T he Cow R estau ra nt & Ba r.

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he rural farm’s uniquely diverse portfolio of accommodation and activities sits surrounded by glorious countryside, with space to roam, amazing sea views and stunning sunsets. From luxury glamping (safari tents, modulogs, wood cabins, eco pods, geodesic domes) and farm cottages to a large country manor house, there is accommodation to suit everyone and every occasion.

As well as the Farm Park attraction and Aqua Park, visitors can also enjoy archery and axe throwing, clay-pigeon and air rifle shooting, bike hire and amazing country walks. This year will see the addition of the Island’s first Football Golf course opening in June, plus five new en-suite geodesic domes sited in a private area of the farm, commanding the most stunning sea views across to Lymington and beyond.

Where it all began – Tapnell Farm’s original eco lodge Safari Tents remain as popular as ever

From da i r y fa r m to the Isla nd’s lea d i n g eco-tou r ism desti nation i n less tha n 10 yea rs

Tapnell Farm’s diversification from a dairy farm began in 2012 with the opening of “Tom’s Eco Lodge” – a glamping holiday experience, the first of its kind on the Island, purpose-built to have minimum environmental impact.

Since then, the farm has been developed and transformed with sustainability at its heart; from taking water from their bore hole to supply the Farm and accommodation to using the sun to make electricity for surrounding homes, powering their heating systems with their own biomass boiler and growing over 30 acres of new woodland and hedgerows.

The Farm reclaims and repurposes as much as it can; not least the conversion of the former straw barn into The Cow Bar & Restaurant, and former dairy barns into Tapnell Farm Park. Many of the accommodation’s old wooden hot tubs have been reused as planters for trees in the Above: Switch off under starry night skies in a cosy Tapnell Farm modulog

Farm Park, whilst many items of furniture in the accommodation at Tom’s Eco Lodge have been forged from trees that have fallen on site.

Ahead of many national companies, the Farm stopped the use of plastic drinking straws years ago, and compostable cutlery, cups and plates are used in the Farm Park café and The Cow Restaurant. The company was awarded Plastic Free Champion status for their work towards becoming plastic free.

There are also recharge points for electric vehicles and a specialist charging station for Tesla cars, for customers’ use.

The Turney family’s golden rule is to pass on their farm in better environmental and productive health than it was at the beginning of their life’s tenure.

Though there is still much to do, the family is certainly up for the challenge! tapnellfarm.com Instagram: @tapnellfarmpark May and June 2021

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telephone email website

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Property | STYLE

Charm and tranquillity H E AT H C O T TA G E , B R I G H S T O N E

A country cottage set in a quiet village location makes for the dream family home Award winning, charming and beautifully presented. This cottage has undergone rebuilding and restoration by the current owners to a high specification.

Nestled in the heart of the village, it has been sympathetically updated and modernised throughout. Heath Cottage was built in 1855, is Grade II Listed and proudly sits opposite the church in this highly sought-after location.

The plot stands at approximately 0.32 of an acre and enjoys distant countryside and sea views with a driveway and garage to the rear.

The cottage is brimming with local history: in the front garden stands a Prince Albert Yew tree that can be seen in images dating back to Victorian times. Meanwhile, the kitchen worktops are from the original wood removed from the Victorian Pier in Ryde.

Clockwise from left: This stone-built cottage has charm in abundance. Natural materials and a traditional range oven add to the country kitchen style. Cosy yet spacious, the bedrooms echo the country feel.

His-and-hers sinks and a freestanding roll-top bath step up the luxury

Viewings with Hose Rhodes Dickson – The Collection, on 01983 538090 May and June 2021

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STYLE | Property

Sail into Seaview R O B I N H I L L H O U S E , S E AV I E W

Make your home just a gentle walk from Seaview village and surrounding beaches Built in the 1930s as a grand villa, Robin Hill House has recently had a brand new roof, wiring and plumbing as part of a full and extensive refit throughout during the total refurbishment of the property.

Many of the striking internal ‘features’ are from historic sailing architectural salvage specialists and wood formerly from the Victorian Ryde Pier has been up

cycled as design detail. Arranged over three floors and in excess of 2500sq ft the property allows extremely flexible accommodation on all floors.

Currently the top floor has been left open plan but could easily be partitioned off to form two separate double bedrooms if required, whilst retaining not one but two snugs with far reaching views.

Clockwise from left: A generous plot provides the setting for this substantial home. Sea views in Seaview from the versatile top floor. A family kitchen-diner forms the heart of the home.

Viewings with Waterside Properties, on 01983 300111. Visit watersideisleofwight.com

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styleofwight.co.uk

The rear garden offers more stunning views and a summer house to enjoy them from

Property | STYLE

Contemporary Cowes living QUEENS ROAD, COWES

A stunning home with exceptional views, ample parking and south-facing garden At the western end of this prestigious group of houses, this home was extensively remodelled and modernised in around 2002, resulting in a really well-designed contemporary home making the most of the sea views and south facing garden.

A wonderful and rarely occurring opportunity to purchase a beachside retreat with easy access to the water for those

enjoying kayaking and stand up paddle boarding or equally a lovely spot to enjoy the panoramic views and stunning sunsets.

This sought-after waterfront location is within a level walk of Cowes with its vibrant atmosphere, bustling restaurants and boutique shopping as well as the high speed Red Jet service to Southampton.

Clockwise from left: The picture window frames unbeatable views. The living and dining areas are well-planned. A sunny deck is the perfect place to catch some rays.

Stunning waterfront location

Viewings with Spence Willard, on 01983 200880. Visit spencewillard.co.uk May and June 2021

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Harbour Lodge, Sandbanks, Dorset

The J House, Cowes, IOW

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Salterns No.1, Yarmouth, IOW

Contact us now!

07407 645317 hello@swysh.co.uk

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Business | STYLE

A BUSINESS PLAN IS NOT A STRAITJACKET

By Da le Howa r t h BUSI N ESS M EN TOR , SPEA K ER A N D CPD TR A I N ER

which they will. Change can be made more difficult and can lead to bigger problems if you don’t have a plan in the first place.

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unning a business or going through life without a plan is like setting off on a journey to an unknown destination without a map. Whilst you may eventually get there, you are highly likely to get lost along the way and waste a lot of time (and money) in the process.

Planning is a key component in achieving success in business, helping to ensure that you wake up each morning with purpose and eliminate the Decision Dilemma - “What do I do next?” A plan works to identify what you want to achieve, when and how you are going to achieve it.

Having a plan is one thing, however, sticking to it is another. This is a dilemma that everyone has to grapple with at some stage. Whilst we need to stick to the plan to achieve our goals, simply sticking to a plan just because you think sticking to a plan is a good thing may not be the best strategy. It is a contradiction we must manage.

Firstly, it’s a plan, not a straitjacket. It doesn’t narrow your options or remove flexibility; it gives you purpose and focusses you, making obstacles simpler to understand and easier to overcome. It helps you navigate adversity more effectively and manage changes easily - when things change,

In achieving any goal obstacles are inevitable, as is the need to adapt. But we must be careful not to change the plan at the first sign of adversity, as your thoughts may not be clear, and emotions could be running high. If you do, you run the risk of modifying or suspending a perfectly good plan simply to get away from the immediate discomfort of a situation. Changing a plan ‘in the moment’ rarely has the best outcome. A lot can be said for improvisation and adapting, but flying by the seat of your pants rarely works in the long term and can lead to a very chaotic aftermath.

As Theodore Roosevelt said: “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty.” Too many people change or move away from perfectly good plans at the first sign of an obstacle or when something doesn’t quite go as expected. Rather than stopping to evaluate and adapt to the situation or working a little harder to overcome the challenge – persistence really does pay off in the end.

Having a plan is essential to success in business (and life for that matter) but the idea that having a plan means being locked in, forced to stick to it no matter what transpires along the journey, is wrong and leads some to argue against having a plan in the first place.

A plan does not reduce your freedom to change course if the evidence or situation requires it.

A plan and being able to adapt that plan is a key to success and a measure of you and your commitment. Not to have a plan or to have a plan and give up on it is to give up on yourself, your future, your dreams and your aspirations.

Dale Howarth is a Business Mentor, CPD Speaker and Accredited CPD Training Provider. Working with individuals and companies to make the business leaders and businesses successes of tomorrow. To find out more visit www.dalehowarth.com.

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Business | STYLE

OUT AND ABOUT ON BIOSPHERE ISLAND

By Ha n na h Lisseter DI RECTOR , GL A N V I L L ES

The weather is getting warmer, the restrictions are easing, and we are gradually getting out and about a bit more after a tough winter. It is lovely to welcome clients into our office again and to be back out on the road doing home visits.

My role is so varied, and I meet so many amazing people along the way.

In the last few weeks, I have visited many clients in their gardens to help them out with their legal paperwork and have been fortunate enough to get to see parts of the Island that most people don’t get to see.

In my role as a professional attorney and a professional executor I also get to look after many properties, land, farms and businesses set in stunning locations across the Island. It is a huge privilege to be able to carry out the wishes of the client, whether that be bringing back to life old buildings, keeping a business ticking over until a client is well again, or helping bereaved families manage the complex affairs of a loved one.

neighbours, to taking our litter home with us. We are all custodians, and it is our responsibility to look after our community and leave a positive legacy for generations to come.

We all have a role to play in looking after each other and our beautiful Island, from keeping an eye out for our

Hannah Lisseter is a Director specialising in Wills, Probate, Powers of Attorney and Court of Protection matters. Email: hannah.lisseter@gdlegalservices.co.uk Tel: 01983 527878.

Image credit: Visit Isle of Wight

To s p e a k t o o n e o f o u r e x p e r t s p l e a s e c a l l u s o n 0 1 9 8 3 5 2 7 8 7 8

Island knowledge, national expertise At Glanvilles Damant, we are committed to achieving the highest standards and the best results for our clients. We pride ourselves on putting the needs of our clients at the heart of

The Courtyard, St Cross Business Park Newport, Isle of Wight PO30 5BF

t: 01983 527878 f: 01983 821629

DX 56352 Newport IW e: hello@gdlegalservices.co.uk

www.gdlegalservices.co.uk

May and June 2021

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G R O W T H I N N AT U R E

By Ma r n ie Ja naway BR A N D DE V ELOPER , RETA I L M EN TOR , BUSI N ESS CONSU LTA N T

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Cattle fencing installed by Kingsley Hollis at Warren Farm near the Needles

he relationship between living organisms (plants, animals, and us!) and their physical environment is not only more relevant than ever, but absolutely essential to us all. Yes, even to someone involved in business, brand, and product development – arguably doubly so. For these days, we simply cannot afford to prioritise commercial growth above nature: when business makes sense for people and planet, the profit will follow.

College in East Sussex before returning home to his roots. From habitat creation for ground bees to tree planting for carbon capture, much of Kingsley’s work is conservational. Increasing productivity is a key priority too: last year, he was able to invest in a McConnel Robocut – a remote-controlled machine that makes clearing gorse and scrubland in hard-to-reach areas much easier.

Of course, here on the Isle of Wight, our Biosphere designation makes growing and developing ecologically sound businesses an exciting prospect. Plus, of course, there is still much that can be done in traditional businesses to improve practices and facilities in order to leave a positive mark on our built and natural environments.

One of my clients, Kingsley Hollis – of Kingsley Hollis Countryside Services – is a fantastic example of a young and vibrant Islander helping to preserve the countryside for future generations. Working with him as part of a pilot project with the Chamber of Commerce and Isle of Wight Regeneration team, together we are building on opportunities for growth; helping to expand his team via Kickstart, and putting in place structures to future-proof the business.

Born and bred into an Isle of Wight agricultural family, Kingsley studied at Plumpton Agricultural

Clearing brambles and scrub for Gift to Nature at Golden Hill Fort to ensure better public access and improve biodiversity of scrub structure for wildlife

“Having a fresh pair of eyes from Marnie – who has very strong commercial and practical knowledge – is really helping as I build my business on the Island.” - Kingsley Hollis Whatever stage your business is at, I am here to spark ideas and make your journey forward as smooth as possible.

To book a free initial consultation email marnie.janaway@iwchamber.co.uk or call 07770 796524. www.marniejanaway.com May and June 2021

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Style speaks to T V science presenter

On style Style is that which comes over substance. That said, we all know what our own personal aesthetic is, so saying I don’t believe in style is clearly tosh. Style is what happens when you get something right: when I’ve done a live stage show, and the audience is really pumped up and everybody’s excited, I know I’ve done that well – and – stylishly.

On infinite worlds and tiny monsters A lot of people get very excited by deep space and stuff like that. I’ve never been interested. I can appreciate it, but it doesn’t get me excited, because I can’t touch it. A few years ago, we built a garden pond, and now it’s full of the most amazing critters, like Hyrdra, these tiny tentacled, glowin-the-dark immortal monsters that self-regenerate and contain a deadly neurotoxin. These guys are literally in any pond in the country, hanging underneath the weeds.

On school trips and the shock factor Like many children from London, I came to the Island on a school trip and ended up at Blackgang Chine; I had the little bottle of coloured sand on my shelf as a kid for years. Subsequently, of course, I’ve filmed on the Island for various programmes – the One Show and others that preceded it – and been involved in a few festivals, from Hullabaloo to the Isle of Wight Literary Festival. I remember the literary festival as being good, fun, and very peculiar in its own beautiful way – I don’t think they knew what hit them. Most expect you to either stand up and do a straight talk with a book, or sit down on a couch and answer some questions. But that’s not what I do. I said I need three tables, a data projector, a mop and bucket, and all the smoke alarms off. Then in the show itself I did all sorts of crazy stuff and they loved it.

On stinging nettles and All the Small Things One of the most interesting things to look at under a microscope are stinging nettles: the stings themselves are fantastic to look at – a millimetre long needle, razor sharp and full of horrible toxins. Kids love that (wear gloves!) and it’s a great source material. And stone: dinosaur footprints are great, but the Isle of Wight is full of fossiliferous rock, soft sand stones and chalk full of amazing detail right under our noses. And you only need a tiny pebble.

On unsung Island heroes Robert Hooke – born in 1635 in Freshwater – was a fantastic guy, a

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Marty Jopson

styleofwight.co.uk

really important scientist in the 1600s, but he doesn’t get much love. I like him because he’s a complicated character: brilliant, argumentative, wonderfully gregarious and outgoing and also a complete genius. He was a fantastic communicator of science, which is something I’m very passionate about, and published a book called Micrographia which I consider one of the first true popular science books, and the first that allowed ‘ordinary people’ to see the microscopic world, which, at that point, was a hugely new and exciting thing. A lot of what he did was overshadowed by people like Newton, who was the big man of science at the time, a bit like Brian Cox rolled into Robert Winston rolled into Gary Barlow. Hooke probably deserves a bigger part in the history of science, but he doesn’t get it.

On the invention the world needs right now In the last few months we’ve seen – in horrible, stark reality – that we need science and technology to enable our societies to flourish. We need people to understand how science works, because they don’t. We need people to understand that science is messy, and the world is complicated, and that when you see a bunch of scientists arguing it doesn’t mean the science is wrong, it means they are moving towards it being more correct.

S T R AT E X

BRECON WHISPER OAK

WAT E R P ROOF

B RAC K E N OAK

B UI LT- IN U NDERLAY

WE ATH E R E D OA K

WA R EH O U S E OA K

HIGH- S TABILI TY

VA L L EY OA K

G L ACI A L OAK

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT SYDENHAMS Sydenhams Ltd, Forest Road, Newport, Isle of Wight, PO30 5YS T: 01983 532320 | E: sales.newportbm@sydenhams.co.uk |

www.sydenhams.co.uk

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