Active Magazine // Stamford & Rutland // February 2020 by Active Magazine

Second helpings, a group helping reduce food waste Meet the founders of WildDog Events Are diamonds a girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best friend? We find out more about gem stones Brentingby Gin, the local company foraging for botanicals ISSUE 92 | FEBRUARY 2020

Will walks in South Africa

! E E R F THE GREEN ISSUE

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle We find ways we can all help the planet

w w w .t h e a c t i ve m a g . c o m

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11+ Testing Information Evening Tuesday 3 March 2020 7pm at Bourne Grammar School

Parents of Year 5 students are invited to attend an Information Evening on the 11+ testing process and applying for a Year 7 place. There will be a short presentation on the format of the 11+ tests, the scoring procedure and the testing arrangements. Refreshments will be served after the presentation and there will be an opportunity to collect an information pack, register your child for the test and to ask any questions of the Headteacher and Admissions StaďŹ&#x20AC;. Pre-registration is not required and parking is available on site.

Bourne Grammar School, South Road, Bourne, PE10 9JE www.bourne-grammar.lincs.sch.uk

Editor and Publisher Mary Bremner mary@theactivemag.com Deputy editor Kate Maxim kate@theactivemag.com Art editor Matt Tarrant Contributors ill etherington, ere y ithson es ick, Advertisement Sales Director Lisa Chauhan lisa@theactivemag.com Production assistant Gary Curtis Accounts accounts@theactivemag.com Active magazine, Eventus Business Centre, Sunderland Road, Northfield Industrial Estate, Market Deeping, PE6 8FD If you have information about a club then please get in touch by emailing editor@theactivemag.com. If you would like to stock Active magazine please email distribution@theactivemag. com. Active magazine is published monthly 12 times per year.

Published by Triangle Publishing Ltd Printed by Warner’s of Bourne

www.theactivemag.com

Disclaimer

Copyright (c) Triangle Publishing Ltd (TPL) 2019. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, or be stored in any retrieval system, of any nature, without prior permission from TPL. Any views or opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the ie s or opinions of or its a liates isclai er of iability hilst e ery e ort has been ade to ensure the quality and accuracy of the information contained in this publication at the time of going to press, TPL and its a liates assu e no responsibility as to the accuracy or completeness of and, to the extent permitted by law, shall not be liable for any errors or omissions or any loss, damage or expense incurred by reliance on information or any statement contained in this publication. Advertisers are solely responsible for the content of the advertising material which they submit and for ensuring the material complies with applicable laws. and its a liates are are not responsible for any error, omission or inaccuracy in any advertisement and will not be liable for any damages arising from any use of products or services or any action or omissions taken in reliance on information or any statement contained in advertising material. Inclusion of any advertisement is not intended to endorse any view expressed, nor products or ser ices o ered nor the organisations sponsoring the advertisement.

E DI TO R ’ S L E T T E R ‘I do not understand why root vegetables such as a swede should be sold wrapped in plastic, it seems to be completely unnecessary.’ ‘WASTE NOT, WANT not,’ a favourite saying of both my grandparents and parents. As people who lived through the war and rationing they were from a generation who really did make use of every scrap, be it food, pieces of string or wrapping paper; because they had to. It was a family joke that any used wrapping paper was squirrelled away into a suitcase and reused time and time again. Today my mother would be admired for her ‘eco friendly’ sentiments, rather than be laughed at. And she was right, why throw away something that can be used again? We are all now starting to embrace this ethos and it really does make sense; there’s no need to buy new when something is perfectly reusable and, of course, as well as reducing waste you are saving money. Very few of us can claim to have perfect green credentials - I certainly can’t but if e all ake an e ort it ill help o this onth e ha e found local people and companies who are all doing their bit to help reduce waste, reuse and recycle and are suggesting ways - without lecturing - we can all do our bit to help save the planet, however small. We don’t have to have Greta Thunberg’s zeal but every little bit helps so why not make small changes in your home to help reduce your carbon footprint and particularly to cut down on single use plastics? I do not understand why root vegetables such as a swede should be sold wrapped in plastic; it seems to be completely unnecessary. can’t bear to see food thro n a ay so ery uch en oyed ﬁnding out ore about ta ford’s econd elpings Also this month Kate has met the founders of WildDog Events and rentingby in nterestingly both en are called ruce, fro outh Africa and enjoy rugby - well they would, wouldn’t they! Antique jewellery is the ultimate in recycling. It can be resized, restyled and resurrected, giving years of pleasure for many generations. I had great fun ith o errone fro egacy in ppingha ﬁnding out ore and ended up wearing Barbara Cartland’s jewellery, as you do! a e a great onth and en oy the issue Mary - Editor

FIND US ONLINE

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February 2020 / theactivemag.com

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in Stamford-Tinwell

01780 238084 MBST CAN WORK EFFECTIVELY ON THE FOLLOWING: OSTEOARTHRITIS SPINAL DISCS OSTEOPOROSIS MUSCLE DAMAGE

Do you suffer from pain? MBST technology therapy, Casterton Lane, Tinwell PE9 3UQ

THREE CASE STUDIES An ageing farmer from Spalding who was told he would not be able to ski again, was able to go on five skiing holidays in one season after his MBST treatment.

A footballer was told she would be out of a major international tournament, until she had MBST and captained the side to bronze.

A lady from Stamford who commuted to London was hit by a car. From February 2017 this lady was in a wheelchair until she had physiotherapy and MBST combined. Six weeks after MBST she is back commuting and even walks without an aid.

SPEEDS UP THE HEALING FOR FRACTURES, LIGAMENT, CARTILAGE, MUSCLE AND TENDON DAMAGE.

HOW DOES IT WORK? MBST promotes the body to heal itself by using Magnetic Resonance, which has been developed from Magnetic Resonance Imagining (MRI). It sounds scientific, which it is, however the process for the patient is simple. A patient will attend a full assessment by a Physiotherapist before being passed onto Cell Regeneration who will look after the treatment process. This consists of lying or sitting in a device for an hour at a time, once a day until the treatment course is completed. The team is friendly and health professionals are on hand for any advice and help while you recover. Treatment times are flexible to fit around work, school, training or just busy lifestyles. MBST communicates to cells in bone, cartilage, ligaments, tendons and muscles. The technology transfers energy directly into the cells of treated tissue to stimulate the regenerative process. This non-invasive therapy treats the cause of pain to promote healing and relieves symptoms associated with osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, sports injuries and injuries caused by accidents.

Contact the team for further information or to book in for your initial consultation. Zeeco House Annexxe, Casterton Lane, Tinwell PE9 3UQ info@cell-regeneration.co.uk I www.mbst-therapy.co.uk I +44 01780 238 084 cell regeneration.indd 1

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I S S U E 92 / F E BRUA RY 2020

ACTIVE LIFE 9 NEWS

Local news updates

Contents

11 WHAT’S ON

Catch up with what’s going on locally

18 REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

ocal businesses o er tips for us all to do our bit to help the planet

28 SECONDS ANYONE?

ary re ner ﬁnds out ore about ta ford’s econd elpings

30 GUIDED WALKS

ate a i disco ers oodland alks in the iddle of to n

32 INTERVIEW

o errone fro ppingha ’s Legacy explains why antique e ellery is the ulti ate in recycling

34 MEET THE FOUNDER OF BRENTINGBY GIN

ruce idgley tells us hat akes the perfect gin and tonic

36 WILL’S WALK

his onth ill tackles able ountain in outh frica

ACTIVE BODY 49 CIRCULATION TIPS

ary rickett reco ends ays to co bat circulation proble s

ACTIVE KIDS 51 LOCAL SCHOOL NEWS

ACTIVE SPORT 58 INTERVIEW

64 THE ROUNDUP

e s fro

our local clubs

Alison Bagley

eet the founders of ild og ents

February 2020 / theactivemag.com

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琀㨀㄀㜀㜀㠀㌀㐀㘀㘀㄀㄀攀㨀椀渀昀漀䀀欀氀漀猀攀渀⸀挀漀⸀甀欀眀㨀眀眀眀⸀欀氀漀猀攀渀⸀挀漀⸀甀欀昀愀挀攀戀漀漀欀⸀挀漀洀⼀欀氀漀猀攀渀甀欀䬀氀漀猀攀渀Ⰰ 吀栀攀匀琀椀爀氀椀渀最䌀攀渀琀爀攀Ⰰ 䴀愀爀欀攀琀䐀攀攀瀀椀渀最Ⰰ 倀䔀㘀㠀䔀儀

Aluminium Bifold Doors

Windows

Front Doors

Rooflights

Sliding Doors

Timber Windows

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ActiveLife Slam Dunk Junk, meet the litter pickers | Sample the local Brentingby Gin Meet antique jewellery expert Mo Cerrone Will conquers Table Mountain in South Africa | Second helpings anyone? E DI T E D BY M A RY B R E M N E R

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle; help to save the planet These fabulous collages were created by mixed media artist Danielle Vaughan, with children from a school in Leicestershire, using back issues of Active magazine. www.dvaughangallery.com

February 2020 / theactivemag.com

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If you are thinking about your future or that of a loved one, now is the time to register your interest in our brand new care home or apartments. With beautiful views, stunning interiors and our usual first-class care coupled with our events and activities programme, this will be the home of ‘excellence in care.’ Contact us today to register for your interest and we’ll make sure you’re kept up to date

Development One features

80 Bedroom Luxury Care Home Development Two features

12 Two-bedroom & 6 One-bedroom Apartments for the Over 55s

Uffington Road, Stamford PE9 3AA alysiacaring.co.uk

Active life

Service for your smile LOCATED OPPOSITE THE doctor’s surgery in Uppingham with easy access and plenty of free parking, Andrews Dental are o ers a cal , uiet, rela ing en iron ent as ell as a ordable, e cellent dentistry ser ices he surgery is a bit of a well kept secret, with loyal patients who have been attending for over 10 years. Twelve months ago Dr Lad took over, she o ers all aspects of general dentistry including cos etic dentistry, clear braces and facial aesthetics. he practice prides itself on its uality of ser ice at fair and a ordable prices, all ithin a cal , friendly en iron ent in an up to date surgery he ﬁrst thing people notice about you is your smile,’ says Dr Lad, ‘and we are here to help take care of yours.’ www.andrewsdentalcare.co.uk

New president for young lawyers group NICK MCCARTHY FROM Hegarty Solicitors is the new President of the Peterborough Young Lawyers Group. His two year tenure will see him continue to grow the group which hosts events for networking and pleasure within a social environment for young lawyers to help them grow their careers and o er support f you ould like to oin the group e ail nick.mccarthy@hegarty.co.uk

Bottom’s up! LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHER ANDREW James has been nominated for the People’s Choice category of the international Travel Photographer of the Year Award for this photo he took at Uppingham’s recent Fatstock show. Voting has now closed and the winner will be announced shortly. www.andrewjamesmedia.co.uk

February 2020 / theactivemag.com

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YOGA STUDIO

IN THE HEART OF MARKET HARBOROUGH

NOW OPEN

Swim, Bike, Run Specialists D o n ’ t j u s t b u y… g e t f i t t e d t o t h e r i g h t equipment by our experts. Whether you a r e a n o c c a s i o n a l c y c l i s t, a c o m p e t i t i v e T r i at h l e t e , o r l o v e a n o u t d o o r s w i m , c o m f o r t i s k e y. C o n ta c t u s f o r b i k e f i t t i n g , w e t s u i t f i t t i n g o r g a i t a n a ly s i s www.speedhub.co.uk info@speedhub.co.uk 01455 558951

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Introductory Offer 15 days Unlimited Yoga £20 or 30 days Unlimited Yoga £35 • • • • • •

Beginners Yoga Hatha Vinyasa Restorative/Yin Meditation Yoga for Seniors

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Drop in classes welcome!! www.optimumyouyoga.com hello@optimumyouyoga.com I

07305 584007

76a St Mary’s Road, Market Harborough, LE16 7DU

Northamptonshire’s first purpose built

Wellbeing Centre

Offering a range of classes and courses from Yoga, Pilates, Hot Yoga and Pilates to Tai Chi, Zumba, Mindfulness and Meditation, Children’s Yoga and more. The perfect place to nourish the mind, body and soul.

Memberships, class packs and pay as you go available. Visit www.ironstone.club for more information.

Active life Image: Fred Cholmeley

What’s on... Great things to see and do in the region

T’S SNOWDROP WEEk at Easton Walled Gardens from February 15-23. Enjoy the snowdrop walk and spot some rare varieties as well as aconites and hellebores. www.visiteaston.co.uk/gardens/snowdrops

Oakham School Activity Camps run throughout the school holidays o ering a multitude of fun activities from dodgeball, rock climbing, hockey, football, cricket, tennis, Pilates and swimming aimed at children aged 8-16 years old. Come and join in the fun during the next half term: 17- 21 ebruary ith early drop o and late pick up available www.oakhamschoolenterprises.co.uk

Market Harborough Rotary club are holding their 10th SwiMarathon on March 7 and 8 at Harborough Leisure Centre. Each team of up to six swimmers has a lane of the pool for 50 minutes to swim in a relay and raise oney through sponsorship o ﬁnd out more email swimarathon@ rotarymarketharborough.org.uk

Leicester Comedy Festival takes place this month starting on February 5 and running to the 23rd. For tickets ring 0116 456 6812 or visit www.comedy-festival.co.uk

Rutland Mainly Organ and Keyboard group are hosting a concert at Market Overton village hall on February 16 with the doors opening at 2pm. There’s a wide variety of usic on o er and ad ission is

Pugs of the Frozen North is on at Stamford Art Centre on February 15. This well loved children’s book has come to the stage with lots of singing and audience participation www.stamfordartscentre.com

Men United in Song is back for 2020 once again raising money for Prostate Cancer UK. They are looking for 40 local men, with or without singing experience, to rehearse over 10 weeks for a charity concert at The Cresset

If you’ve ever wanted to step into one of Van Gogh’s paintings, you can now. A new immersive sound and light show is touring the UK and comes to All Saint’s Church in Leicester from 7 February to 3 May. Book tickets at www.vangoghexpo.co.uk

on May 9. Introductory sessions are on February 27 and 29 and remember, no previous singing experience is necessary and it’s very sociable too. Please call or email to register 01733 425194 menunited@peterboroughsings.org.uk Sign up for the LOROS Tower Run which takes place on arch o in its fifth year runners race up the 351 steps of Leicester’s St George’s Tower and over 400 runners took part last year. To enter go to www.loros.co.uk/tower on’t forget the first riday of the onth is fil night at yddington illage hall, starting with Downton Abbey on the se enth ickets are on the door

February 2020 / theactivemag.com

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Conservatory too hot in the summer and too cold in winter? Classic have the answer to this problem and you do not even have to change the existing windows/doors, although you can. Structurally very strong which means your new sun room meets full Building Regulation Approval.

visit our showroom 12 St Leonardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Street, Stamford, Lincs PE9 2HN Open: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 9am-3pm

Tel: 01780 654321 Email: sales@classicstamford.co.uk www.classicstamford.co.uk

Active life RECIPE

Carrot and peanut butter soup This tasty and nutritious soup is really simple to make and just what you need on a cold, miserable February day. INGREDIENTS onions, ﬁnely chopped • 12 large carrots, sliced large tbsp peanut butter • 750ml boiling water alt and pepper

METHOD oil the carrots, cool and then li uidise in a food processor or ash the ﬁnely • Fry the onion in a large pan until soft then add the peanut butter and stir. dd l of boiling ater, stir in the carrot puree, season to taste then si er for inutes • Serve with fresh crusty bread.

NEWS

Hallaton photography award PETER MASON’S ONGOING photography pro ect docu enting allaton bottle kicking has yielded another a ard ollo ing on fro the ucie international photography a ards in , this i age taken during the oods of on an a ard in the okyo international photo co petition ased in his studio in ppingha , eter has been orking on this pro ect for a nu ber of years ore i ages fro the series can be seen at his ebsite peter-mason.com/journal/hallaton

February 2020 / theactivemag.com

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GP LAWNMOWERS Units 9/10, Station Road Business Park, Barnack, Stamford, Lincs PE9 3DW E: gp-lawnmowers@btconnect.com I T: 01780 749084 www.gplawnmowers.co.uk

For all types of domestic & professional garden machinery. Scarifier hire. Used machines. Collection & delivery service available.

Launde Abbey

Open daily for morning coffee, lunch and afternoon tea

Cyclists and walkers very welcome Why not start your walk or ride at Launde then reward yourself with a delicious lunch at the end? Visit our website for maps and routes at www.laundeabbey.org.uk

Get ready for spring

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New Builds • Commercial Sites • Established Gardens

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Active life

ECO TIPS

Time for a spring freshen up Lizzie Davies looks at how we can keep ourselves and our houses clean more sustainably What to look for when buying products:

• Plastic free product and packaging. • Paraben free: parabens are produced from petrochemicals so are not environmentally friendly. • Sustainably sourced palm oil: palm oil sourcing is a major contributor of mass deforestation. • Biodegradable products: pick those which break down naturally. co products need to be e ecti e as ell as being good for the planet. The cost may be higher but the products often last much longer. It is most economic if you can buy in bulk. Here are a few of my favourite ones:

Washing up & cleaning

• Used lemon slices make a fantastic free scourer u a sponges a dried plant are great for cleaning and last for months. You can grow your o n garden organic lu a • Wood and coconut scourers • I have found Ecover to be the best eco washing up liquid - reduce your bubble expectation!

GARDE NING

A Rose By Name Garden designer Teresa Kennedy recommends roses for winter planting

Hand washing & showering

• Soap, shampoo and conditioner bars are best to help reduce your packaging and transport footprint. • If using liquid soap, Bio D soaps smell lovely, are manufactured in Hull and also work as a shower gel.

Teeth cleaning

• Bamboo toothbrushes are becoming more widely available. eorganics co natural oss orks really ell it co es in a beautiful re ﬁllable glass container and lasts for months.

Local sourcing

i pler ife o er a ide range of reﬁll and eco products at local arkets ee www.asimplerlife.shop for market days ust in eicester ustfairtrade co a social enterprise shop o ering an excellent selection of ethical, sustainable & fair-trade products. You can follow Lizzie on Instagram @lizcatalpa and on Facebook @catalpacloud

VERY WINTER, WITHOUT fail, I buy roses either ﬁnd a ne place in my own garden to plant one which is relatively easy because they can climb, ramble, shrub, hedge, stand alone or be potted so there are many sites that will take one. Or, I gift one. Along with trees, they are my favourite item to gift. If you are yet to browse a rose catalogue then you are in for an indulgent treat of wonderful images and whimsical names. My particular favourite is the David Austin Handbook, it is truly superb and full of guidance and inspiration to help you make the right choices. Why winter? Roses can be bought bare rooted at this time. This ensures a seamless start to the growing season as you are planting them while dormant and when spring arrives they do just that, spring into leaf. Bare rooted is good value for money as well.

FAVOURITES

Borders: I really want the scent here. Princess Alexandra of Kent is a pink David Austin shrub rose which keeps its structure while supporting relatively large, deeply fragrant heads. It sits beautifully within a

cottage style border, paired with purples and deep reds. Potted: I have worked with the wonderful Roald Dahl, another David Austin, when planting for a muted setting. The apricot colouring fits really ell ith our local stone, blending for a classic look and complementing traditional terracotta pots. Walls: Prince’s Trust is a deep crimson which again blends with our local stone but also stands out against a painted wall. The red is perfect, the blooms are well-spaced so the plant suits training. I have seen this rose on a property in Rutland and it catches my eye each time I pass it – a super choice. Garden pergola: think you definitely ant another highly scented rose for a pergola, something to lift your senses as you sit, or walk beneath it. Rambling Rector is eye-catching due to its size and vigorous growth as well as its fabulous fragrance. Its white colouring lifts the eye in your garden which really opens up your peripheral ision definitely so ething to stri e for when building a garden. www.viridisdesign.co.uk 07726 334501

February 2020 / theactivemag.com

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Studio Art Classes & Gallery with working Artists

A jewellers of unrivalled passion and craftsmanship, specialising in repairs and commissions, alterations and remodelling, all carried out on the premises.

• Repairs • Remodelling old jewellery • Resizing in platinum gold and silver • Rhodium plating • Stone matching and replacing • Retipping and new settings • Certified diamonds

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Installers of stylish thermally efficient products. Highly knowledgeable staff who offer excellent advice. Exceptionally high security rating on all products, many achieving PAS 24.

visit our showroom 12 St Leonard’s Street, Stamford, Lincs PE9 2HN Open: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 9am-3pm

Tel: 01780 654321 Email: sales@classicstamford.co.uk www.classicstamford.co.uk

Active life

TR AV E L

Valentine in Verona Bianca Gillam recommends a romantic retreat to the city that was the home of Romeo and Juliet

ITH VALENTINE’S DAY bringing romance to mind, what better place to embark on a ebruary break than erona, the setting of Romeo and Juliet’s timeless love story. Whether you travel with a loved one, or take a solo trip to soak up the quaint cobbled streets and bustling pia as, erona is a beautiful place to visit at this time of year, albeit it slightly on the chilly side. In the spirit of Shakespeare’s play, you can visit Juliet’s balcony — unfortunately, being a ﬁctional character, it’s not her actual house, but it’s certainly a lovely tourist attraction, complete with a Renaissance museum and gift shop. If you’re looking for somewhere to stay, there’s a hotel in the courtyard called ‘Il Sogno di Giulietta’ or ‘Juliet’s dream’, which features beautiful antique furnishings and a spa.

Another attraction to visit while you’re there is the vast amphitheatre, which dates back to Roman times and hosts the city’s summer opera festival. It is one of the best-preserved ancient structures of its kind, so well worth seeing. For breathtaking photo opportunities, travel up the Funiculaire Di Castel San Pietro. It will only cost you €2, and takes you up to a platform with a panoramic view of the city. Once you’ve seen the sights, and maybe taken a trip to the Museo di Castalvecchio — a museum located in a medieval castle you’ll ﬁnd that the rest erona has to o er is best experienced by wandering around. Take a stroll down its winding lanes, and explore some of the city’s many beautiful churches, such as the Basilica di San Zeno Maggiore or Santa Maria Antica. Stop in a pia a for a glass of local alpolicella ine

and a plate of gnocchi (the traditional pasta of the region). For the adventurous among you, the city is only a short train journey from Lake Garda, so you could easily plan a day trip to the medieval lakeside towns of Garda and Sirmione. There are also a variety of sightseeing boat tours available. Although it may be too cold in February, in the summer Sirmione is a popular water sports location. t tends to be uite cheap to y in ebruary, so you might catch a bargain if you book early. If you want to keep your carbon footprint down it is also possible to travel by train via the Eurostar — be warned, though, it will take you 15 hours. www.turismoverona.eu www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/the-veneto/ verona

February 2020 / theactivemag.com

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THE GREEN ISSUE

Reduce, reuse, recycle When it comes to climate change and saving the planet, do individual actions add up to much? We think so and suggest ways to take one small step at a time to help reduce your carbon footprint.

February 2020 / theactivemag.com

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THE GREEN ISSUE

LL OVER THE world governments, businesses and individuals are coming up with ways to reduce carbon emissions in an attempt to slow global warming. Eco cities are springing up in Brazil, the United Arab Emirates and China; we have Poundbury in Dorset devised by The Prince of Wales. Multinationals like Easy Jet are pro ising to o set the carbon e issions fro fuel used on all of their ights and so e energy co panies o er 100% renewable energy options to their customers. But what can the average man on the street do to make a di erence Acres of print and hours of airtime focus on how to live ore sustainably and reduce hat e send to landfill, so reducing our carbon footprint ut it’s a inefield d ice given one day may be superseded the next morning. And what makes sense to one ethical group doesn’t necessarily chime with another. We make hundreds of decisions as consumers so it’s no surprise the average person doesn’t know what to do for the best. So we thought we’d try and help. We have asked various experts in the area for their advice. And what ca e up ti e and ti e again tart s all f e eryone made one or two changes it would begin to add up. Make a small change and keep doing it to make it a habit. Then choose something else and do the same. We can’t reverse decades of bad habits overnight but we can at least make a start. To help us make the change we need to remember the 3 Rs; Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. We would also highlight epair and efill raditionally people ha e thought recycling is the best option, but it’s not, as masses of energy is used to sort the waste which is often then sent to the other side of the world for disposal. And when something is manufactured, energy is required in the production process t’s far better to refuse or reduce hat you consu e in the first place and reuse ite s you’ e already got.

February 2020 / theactivemag.com

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‘The Iceland chain estimated that it will save the use of 10 million plastic bags by not selling bagged bananas.’

Reduce and reuse The good news, according to Lizzie Davies, our regular Eco Tips columnist, is that as well as helping the planet, reducing and reusing usually saves us money as well. Here are a few ideas: • Buy loose rather than pre-packed fruit and veg and use your own bags. Cheap reusable grocery mesh bags are readily available – opt for cotton or bamboo rather than polyester and avoid zips which can limit the life of the bag. The bags can be used to store produce at home and are washable. Many supermarkets are rather naughty and charge more for loose than pre-packed produce so why not vote with your feet and use markets, veg box schemes or local shops when you can. Remember, nature has already provided us with a hygienic protective covering of a thick skin for some fruit and vegetables which we don’t eat. The Iceland chain estimated that it will save the use of 10 million plastic bags by not selling bagged bananas. • Reuse metal tins, glass jars, shoe boxes, etc for storage instead of buying new plastic containers. Looking on sites such as freecycle for sets of pre-used tins and jars is also a good idea. • Reuse elastic bands from mail delivery, onions, etc. • Plastic fruit containers make good seed trays and usually come with ready prepared drainage holes.

20 February 2020 / theactivemag.com

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THE GREEN ISSUE

Refill There are more and more shops and market stalls springing up in the area to help us live more ethically. Elaine from A Simpler Life took a stall on Uppingham, Oakham and Lutterworth markets aiming to help her customers take the small steps needed to change and improve our environment and lifestyles without it costing the Earth. One customer says, “I come along every week and don’t have to worry about making ethical decisions because I know Elaine has done all the hard work for me.” You bring your own tubs, containers and bags and ﬁll the ith loose goods. Reuse what you’ve got rather than buying an eco version of something plastic so, for example, use an old pillowcase to make four drawstring bags you can reuse again and again. Elaine’s stall is a fabric drop o point for ors bags et up in

2007 by Claire and Joe Morsman, morsbaggers are worldwide and concerned about the number of plastic bags used globally (over 500 billion plastic bags annually, that’s about 70 plastic bags per person) so they reuse pieces of fabric, using the same pattern, to make shopping bags. They then give the bags to friends, colleagues, the person queuing in the post o ce or to local shopkeepers for their customers. Many morsbaggers meet up in groups for company and inspiration. The Harborough Morsbaggers have made over 23,000 bags so far o ﬁnd a group in your area go to www.morsbags.com/pods/ Elaine sells loose sweets, pastas, rice, lentils, herbs and spices, loose tea and co ee, nuts and dried fruit, uesli and oats, li uid reﬁlls like shampoo, washing liquid and handwash. Muesli and noodles come

in plastic free cases as she’s keen to source alternatives further up the chain. Another example of plastic free packaging are BoxRolls. Susan Mason and Steve Brown from Rural Trading Ltd are wholesalers with a stall on Market Harborough market selling BoxRoll toilet roll which is UK manufactured, with completely plastic free packaging and shipping, using vegan and cruelty free inks and glue. They sell it by the pallet or a minimum order of three boxes shipped for £31. They also sell Bio D, Ecover and Faith in Nature products in large litre refills Beth Lambert had been looking at alternatives to conventional supermarkets as she couldn’t get the items she wanted like milk from a vending machine (Gates Farm Shop at Cold Overton has one we have found). “As a family we want to be as low impact as possible and support local producers o she set up efill Revolution in Oundle and Market arborough he efill a e is tucked away in a corner of the Nene Valley Brewery store room on Oundle Wharf. It’s currently open three days per week, and she also has a stall on Market Harborough Market. She is also opening The Market Harborough Eco Village in early February in the Old Plumb Center which will include local traders selling meat, fruit and eg as ell as a orist and cafe Going one step further, Alison Freestone from onestop-ecoshop advocates going back to the olden days and making your own products like shampoo. For more inspiration visit her Instagram and facebook pages.

February 2020 / theactivemag.com

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Repair According to research by Origin, homeowners in the East Midlands spend almost £23,100 over their lifetime replacing gadgets and furnishings. From small electrical goods like the kettle - which is boiled a whopping 1,692 times per year - to a sofa, which the average person sits on over 1,471 times during the same time period, residents are spending a small fortune replacing the goods they use the most. So it akes sense to buy the best uality you can a ord hich ill hopefully last longer and end up in landfill less often Alternatively Andrea Wood from the Oundle Repair Café says that first of all you need to ask yourself, do you really need that item? If you do, can you reuse or repair something you have already? Andrea started the Oundle Repair Café as part of the international repair café movement. In 2018 they prevented around 350,000 tonnes of waste globally, equivalent to 58 adult African elephants. o find a local repair cafe go to www.repaircafe.org. “We’re a group of volunteers,” says Andrea, “who tend to have the older generation repair mindset, but we’re not necessarily experts. We ask for donations but it’s not compulsory, and we mend jewellery, holes in clothes, guitars, bicycles, printers and vacuum cleaners. We don’t

‘We’ve found that people often bring in items that don’t have a great monetary value but have great personal value to them, like their grandma’s necklace or handbag.’

do TVs or mobile phones. We carry out PAT electrical testing before and after repair, follow a list of instructions, particularly for electrical items and sign a disclaimer form saying we’re mending the items to the best of our abilities. “We’ve found that people often bring in items that don’t have a great monetary value but have great personal value to them, like their grandma’s necklace or handbag. One beneﬁt e hadn’t e pected as the great sense of co unity e ser e tea, co ee and cakes and people spend ti e chatting hile their ite s are being ﬁ ed “Some people just turn up with their items but it’s much better to book in advance on the website or by telephone. The next repair café is at Fletton House in Oundle on February 15 from 11-2pm. To book phone 07780 780280 or email repaircafe@transitionoundle.org.uk

22 February 2020 / theactivemag.com

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THE GREEN ISSUE

Recycle ach council has a di erent aste anage ent syste so it’s best to read their e act re uire ents on their ebsites e spoke to llr ordon ro n, the abinet e ber for the n iron ent at utland ounty ouncil for his ad ice on recycling e told us they currently recycle ore than half of all the aste that people produce at ho e plastic, glass, card, cans or paper ut e can al ays do better e ga e us the follo ing suggestions

Play it clean, dry and loose

ll your household recycling needs to be clean, dry and placed loose in the bin don’t tie it up in a bag as this akes it harder to sort and process

Recycle all over the house, not just in the kitchen

tudies sho that lots of fa ilies only recycle food packaging and kitchen ite s roducts nor ally found in li ing roo s aga ines and tissue bo es , bathroo s sha poo bottles and soap dispensers and bedroo s perfu e bottles and aerosol cans can all be recycled

Nappies are a no-no!

isposable nappies can’t be recycled but are creeping into recycling bins hich, as you can i agine, can lead to hole batches of recycling beco ing conta inated ake sure they are put in your household bin ry s itching to reusable nappies they’re kinder to the en iron ent and ill sa e you oney utland ounty ouncil o er a free real nappy trial kit ail en iron ent rutland go uk to ﬁnd out ore

No clothes allowed

on’t put te tiles in your recycling bin, or in your household bin either i ic enity ites, charity shops, or charity bag collections that are posted through your letter bo ill all take te tiles, hate er their condition

What about those pesky plastics?

anon rian a is, the chair of co hurch arborough and a e ber of arborough o reen says lastic is actually a fantastic ediu but single use plastic is a di erent atter, and e need to get rid of it hey launched a lastics ledge a year ago for , pledges to raise a areness and to bring it to the attention of the council and super arkets ho need ore encourage ent, and no ha e o er , iscussions ith the leader of arket arborough istrict ouncil hil ing are ongoing, says rian, as e ant to kno here e go fro here he schools are ery green, and children kno far ore about the cli ate crisis than their parents and grandparents arborough o reen has co piled a table on their facebook page ith locations of places to recycle things like baby and cat food pouches and contact lens packaging i ilarly, lastic free ta ford are a co unity group ith the ai of dra atically reducing single use plastic in ta ford e ber led attinson says, e ork on a co unity le el, educating the general public and businesses to o er ore sustainable solutions e in ite businesses to beco e plastic free cha pions ’ or e a ple, o den allis in ta ford are a collection point for crisp packets hich are then

February 2020 / theactivemag.com 23

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THE GREEN ISSUE TerraCycled – cleaned, shredded and made into recycled products. The group is hoping that within a year or so Stamford can become a plastic-free community.

House audit

“We suggest that people do an audit in their house of single-use plastic toothbrushes, sandwich bags, soaps, shampoos, razors and so on. Then pick three and see if you can find a sustainable alternative. After a few months, see if you can change something else. If you’re at a supermarket and you feel there’s unnecessary plastic packaging, take it o and lea e it at the checkout n the UK we use 2.5 billion paper cups for takea ay co ees a year, and only of those are recycled. Buying a reusable co ee cup can help, as can using refillable ater bottles enty businesses have signed up to the app refill org uk in ta ford so far hich sho s you here you can refill a reusable water bottle for free. “Once you start thinking about single-use plastic,” Aled goes on, “you’ll be amazed about how much you use, and how easy it is to make a change. Just replace items one at a time.”

motor and battery which means you can increase your range and not struggle up some of those hills. lectric cars are another ay to help combat your carbon footprint. There’s far too much technical detail to go into here so we suggest you visit a local car dealer for more information. TC Harrison tells us that ord ha e ne electriﬁed odels joining their stable this year including vans, so good to see commercial vehicles joining the fray.

‘Electric cars are another way to help combat your carbon footprint.’

Eco travel

Obviously the best way to negate your carbon footprint is to walk, and for those of us who live in towns it is the easiest way to help the environment, save on fuel and parking costs and to keep ﬁt lectric bikes are an ideal way to commute to work if it’s not too far; exactly the same as a normal bike but with the addition of an electric

Useful sites Go to www.rutland.gov.uk/recycling to see exactly what you can recycle in Rutland www.harborough.gov.uk/info/20007/bins_ and_recycling for Market Harborough www.oadby-wigston.gov.uk/pages/recycling for Oadby and Wigston www.southkesteven.gov.uk for South Kesteven District Council www.east-northamptonshire.gov.uk/ info/200084/recycling_rubbish_and_waste for East Northants 1 Million Women – follow on Facebook or Twitter. Lots of great ideas for living a bit more sustainably.

www.asimplerlife.shop

www.georgehallscycles.co.uk

www.eco-village.co.uk

www.givebackbox.org.uk – free service to gift unwanted items to charity using delivery boxes.

www.facebook.com/catalpacloud and @lizcatalpa on Instagram for Lizzie Davies www.facebook.com/groups/ harboroughgogreen

www.morsbags.com www.onestop-ecoshop.co.uk

www.facebook.com/pg/PlasticFreeStamford

www.refillrevolution.co.uk

www.facebook.com/ruraltradingltd/

www.repaircafe.org

www.freecycle.org – UK network to find and donate unwanted stuff for free. Worth posting unwanted items here before you consign them to landfill.

www.tch.co.uk

February 2020 / theactivemag.com 25

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THE GREEN ISSUE

Slam Dunk the Junk Mary Bremner finds out more about two litter picking groups who are helping to keep the streets of Stamford clean

EIL MCIVOR AND Jayne Hartley started litter picking early on Saturday mornings, in and around Stamford, four years ago after discovering a shared interest born out of an appreciation of their beautiful town. They were soon joined by other like-minded souls and this tradition still continues today. Two groups have since been formed from the initial pairing. Pride of Stamford Litter Pickers (the Ninjas) which includes Neil and Jayne, and Stamford Litter Pickers, with both groups working together collecting litter within the town and routes into it. Both groups have the same mantra: • they hate litter • they have pride in their beautiful town and a desire to keep it tidy • they love their natural environment and are saddened to see the mess humans leave behind •` a realisation that the Council doesn’t have resources to clean the town itself • a desire to get the message across in a non-judgmental way that we are all responsible for looking after the place we live in, keeping it clean and tidy • they enjoy being outside and keeping acti e and ﬁt • a way of getting to know your local area, meeting like-minded people and doing something positive for the community • it can be relaxing and a way to s itch o fro life’s stresses

There are two groups as they pick at di erent ti es, as ell as together The Ninjas have weekly organised picks every Saturday, meeting at 6am to clear the town centre and then focus on a major route in/out of town. They spend a couple of hours together walking about four miles collecting between 10–15 bags of litter. During the summer they often meet in the evenings as well. Stamford Litter Pickers meet monthly on a Sunday morning at a to clear a speciﬁc area of to n and anyone is welcome to join in. Many of the team are active daily pickers too, they always have a bag and a hoop/picker with them and clean as they go.

Both groups are supported by the local council who provide them with bags and clear away the litter they pick, and local businesses fund equipment such as high viz vests and picking hoops. As well as litter picking they trim hedges, sweep leaves and generally tidy any overlooked areas of the town. They also try to reunite lost items with their owners. Both groups like to have fun along the way and don’t take themselves too seriously. Look out for their mascot Tarquin Da Modal (he has his own Facebook page too). Don’t tell him but he’s a mannequin rescued from a skip who appears in lots of group photos. The aim of both groups is to get the message across that we are all responsible for keeping the community we live in clean and tidy. It’s not okay to drop litter nor think it’s the Council’s responsibility to clear up after us. They have occasional mini ninja litter picking sessions for parents and children to help educate and involve the next generation. The ultimate goal is no more litter, but sadly it’s a long ay o To join either, or both groups, follo their facebook pages to ﬁnd out meeting spots. Everyone is always very welcome and it’s a great way to keep ﬁt and ha e fun as ell as keeping the beautiful town of Stamford tidy.

February 2020 / theactivemag.com

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THE GREEN ISSUE

Seconds anyone Mary Bremner finds out more about Second Helpings and their ethos; feeding bellies not bins

28 February 2020 / theactivemag.com

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THE GREEN ISSUE

ECOND HELPINGS IN Stamford, the brainchild of George Hetherington, was set up in 2015. George heard about the Real Junk Food Project, based in Yorkshire which was using food destined for landﬁll to help people in need and decided to set up a similar project in Stamford. In collaboration with Stamford’s Methodist church in Barn Hill Second Helpings was launched as a community project.

The ethos of the charity is to eliminate food waste whilst feeding people at the same time, stopping good useable food ending up in landﬁll ost of the super arkets, and some independents, in town quickly signed up and very soon volunteers were collecting close to use-by dated food from them at the end of each day. This food was taken back to Barn Hill and a team of volunteers would then cook a three course meal every Saturday which anyone could come to and pay as they felt for the food. All that is asked for is a donation, it could be cash, loose change or help with the washing up. The supermarkets were delighted to see their excess produce being put to good use and enthusiastically embraced the idea. ‘Waitrose & Partners are delighted to support Second Helpings. Waitrose is committed to reducing its food waste. The surplus food that goes to Second Helpings helps us to protect the environment whilst feeding so many

people each week. What’s good for Stamford is good for us, and our customers too!’ says John Evans, deputy branch manager. And of course it saves them having to pay to dispose of the excess food, helping with their carbon footprint as well; a win-win situation for everyone. The world produces 30% more food than it needs yet 10% of the population go hungry, why? It’s a question that needs answering. Second Helpings is doing its bit to countermand this by stopping food being wasted and helping those in need. But everyone is welcome at the café, and all walks of life enjoy a hearty meal and good company every Saturday; the company is as important as the food for many guests. 150 volunteers now help run Second Helpings and again are a varied lot. Some are doing it to help those in need through the church, many others have environmental concerns with a passionate desire to reduce food waste; a fascinating blend of people all with a common aim and it works well. Collections are made from the supermarkets six or seven days a week. During the Christmas period over a tonne of food was collected, including a large number of turkeys. Everything is taken back to the bunker in Barn Hill. The ethos of the project has caught people’s imaginations and now up to 300 people are being fed a week in the café. Since its inception Second Helpings has collected over 100 tonnes of food waste, equivalent to the size of a blue whale, so a huge amount sa ed fro landﬁll, and all consu ed A community fridge and food bunker are now available as well. The fridge is open to all and topped up many times a day during busy periods; just pop up and help yourself and leave a donation in the envelope. The food bunker is manned and open from Tuesday to Saturday again following the same ethos, help yourself to what you want and, if you’re able, leave a small donation. But remember it doesn’t have to be cash. Some of the most skilful volunteers are the chefs. At the moment there are 12 regulars who usually work in pairs. Most of them are, or have been, professional chefs at some point in their careers so can cater for large numbers. Guest chefs sometimes make an appearance including Masterchef’s Simon Spooner. The chefs will arrive at 8am on a Saturday morning with no idea what they are working with (the savvy among them

often check the bunker on Friday to have some idea) and by 12pm will have pulled together a three course meal which will always include a vegetarian option as well. It’s tricky as they also have no idea how many they are cooking for. It could be well over 100 or less than 50. No one is ever turned away so everyone is always fed. As well as opening the café every aturday econd elpings no o ers Christmas lunch, this is the only meal that ever has to be booked, and this year was cooked by the chefs from Just So Italian; 100 people enjoyed this. Second Helpings is growing quickly. Last summer they started a Kids’ Lunch Club which quickly became very popular when it was run during the holidays. The Second Helpings community at Barn Hill is a friendly one, everyone is welcome and mixes well, whatever their background or circumstances. A convivial lunch is enjoyed and strong friendships have been made with many guests becoming regulars as well as volunteers. Second Helpings is always looking for more volunteers. You don’t have to be a keen cook. Volunteers’ skills are put to good use, even if they feel they don’t have any! Anyone good at social media or with a business brain will be very welcome, but equally so will someone who is willing to peel potatoes or do the washing up, and front of house people who are happy to chat and usher everyone through the doors will be welcomed with open arms. The ethos of Second Helpings is a good one: food waste minimised as much as possible locally with many people beneﬁtting, hate er their circumstances, and enjoying good, freshly cooked, nutritious food. What’s not to like? www.secondhelpings.org.uk

February 2020 / theactivemag.com 29

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22/01/2020 21:22

You wood not believe it Kate Maxim discovers woodland trails in the heart of town

OT BEING ABLE to see the wood for the trees might actually be a good thing if you’re on a guided walk in our area. I hadn’t appreciated what a large ariety of di erent tree species gro in the middle of our local market towns and surrounds until I picked up a booklet about Uppingham’s Tree Trail. Committee members from Uppingham in Bloom, in association with Uppingham Town Council, have created the Tree Trail which starts and ﬁnishes in the arket place, taking in many old and unusual trees in the churchyard, on Beast Hill, Hog Hill and plenty of other locations as well. Taking less than an hour you’ll see the remains of an 18th century lime avenue, Ginkgo biloba trees which belong to an ancient tree family

that existed during the time of the dinosaurs and trees originating from Japan, China and North America.

Brass rubbings

A second trail has recently been added in memory of Mary Lloyd, a founder member of Uppingham in Bloom. This takes in the Cinder Track, the Uppingham School rboretu ith o er di erent species here you can do brass rubbings of di erent leaves, and a young Quercus robur subsp. endunculi ora, or co on oak, gro n

30 February 2020 / theactivemag.com

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Active life

from an acorn brought back from the Somme by a former local veteran. You can pick up the trail booklet from various locations in the town including the post o ce, the ro n and he alcon otel It’s packed full of interesting facts and quotes including my favourite from American poet Karle Wilson Baker which says: “Today I have grown taller from walking with the trees.” What a lovely thought.

Hammond arboretum

Another tree haven I knew nothing about is the Hammond Arboretum in Market

Harborough. It was planted by Francis Hammond, who was headmaster of the County Grammar School when it moved to Burnmill Road, which is still the site of Robert Smyth Academy. Francis bought the plot of land in 1911 where he created his Dell ark rboretu and ﬁlled the acres ith plants from around the world. As he kept meticulous lists and progress notes it’s still possible to see his original planting scheme in the permanent display on site together with a map. Since 1992 a group of volunteers have restored the woodland which had become neglected and weather damaged and

now you can visit it through the National Garden Scheme and on Sunday mornings and every third Thursday of the month while the working parties are there, weather permitting. Volunteers George and Christina Marshall have written a book on the history and restoration of the Arboretum and full details on opening times including a spring bulb display are available at www.hammondarboretum.org.uk.

Winter walks

During February you can go on a winter guided walk at Burghley House with head gardener Joe Whitehead around the normally closed family South Gardens - with its seasonal o er displays as ell as the Sculpture Garden and Tudor Garden of Surprises which are normally closed from the end of October until March. As well as the sculptures and o er displays there are plenty of trees and shrubs and sweeping vistas to enjoy. The walks will take place on Thursday 6 and Friday 7 February and will cost £12. But remember to book, as each tour will be limited to a maximum of 20 people. Separate dates for group bookings are also available, subject to availability. www.burghley.co.uk or telephone 01780 752451.

February 2020 / theactivemag.com

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INTE RVIEW

Are diamonds a girl’s best friend? Mary Bremner meets Mo Cerrone from Legacy in Uppingham to find out more about gems and antique jewellery

ell me a bit about yourself and how you came to Uppingham I’ve been involved with jewellery all my working life, and have covered every aspect from designing, identifying gems, working at the bench making pieces, through to the final polishing of the finished item. It is a lifelong passion and a joy to be involved with the colour and magic that gems bring to people’s lives. As a child I loved my grandmother’s old button box full of twinkly treasures and my mother’s jewellery box, trying on each brooch, bangle and ring, numerous times! I am a jewellery historian as well as a gemologist but my entry into the world of jewels I put down to serendipity. I was based in London and managing a shop in Tottenham Court Road when my boyfriend (later my husband) rang me to say that a manager in one of his Hatton Garden shops had quit and could I stand in. So that was it, a Baptism of Fire. Once I took over the shop I trained and learnt the trade so can design, make and repair items and made and sold every type of precious e ellery ’ also a ualified jewellery valuer. I did a BA in Fine Art and Antiques and Jewellery Valuation specialising in jewellery. I’m also a gemologist. This is someone who can test stones and knows about the science of gems. A gem is a living, breathing entity and they have been used for their healing properties for many years, particularly in their uncut state; turquoise is worn for protection for example. Remember a gem is a mineral so their elixirs are even used in face creams and aromatherapies. ncient ci ilisations belie ed di erent ge s brought di erent ualities protection, luck, health, strength, that sort of thing.

Jewellery was worn - and still is - to express loss, love, status, friendship, temporal power, religion, fashion and, of course, for self adornment and as a badge of honour. I’m also a director of The Society of Jewellery Historians, the oldest society in the world dedicated to the history of jewellery. My charitable work involves being a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Arts Scholars, a livery company which encourages younger people to pursue a career in the arts, and scholarships are awarded by the company. I came to Uppingham for a change of scenery and friendship really about 20 years ago. I had been based in the south and around London for many years and wanted a di erent ay of life as great chu s ith Wendy Grindley from the antique centre (when it was based behind The Crown Hotel). I took some space in the centre (which I still

have), moved up to the area and then opened my shop, Legacy, 11 years ago. Three years ago I expanded into the shop next door as I needed more space; I’m like a little magpie al ays ﬁnding ore for the shop The shop is fabulous, stuffed to the rafters with the most amazing things. I’ve heard it described as a ‘little box of delights,’ and it really is like Pandora’s Box. What exactly do you sell and where do you get everything from? I mainly sell jewellery - antique, vintage and second hand as well as gem stones. We also make jewellery, alter it and do repairs such as re-stringing necklaces, replacing stones, that sort of thing. A lot of the work is done here but I also still have my workshop in Hatton Garden so can send pieces there for more intricate and detailed work. As well as jewellery I sell designer

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Active life crystal. She had it made as a replica of her aquamarine and diamond set to take on cruises, as the original pieces were extremely aluable o on try it on hese pieces aren’t for sale though so you can’t ha e the It’s fabulous, if a bit too over the top for me. Who are your customers and where are they from? Some people would never contemplate a ‘used’ piece of jewellery so would never enter my shop. But many more are fascinated by antique and vintage jewellery; its look, style, history and provenance. It is, of course, the ultimate in recycling. The beauty of jewellery is that it can always be altered, even crowns are altered to ﬁt the earer’s head, reduce weight or even have stones swapped. I do lots of work with clients who want to alter or redesign family pieces. The shop is a ‘go to’ destination for art, antique and vintage lovers on the Rutland Experience Map so I get a lot of tourists as well as locals from the town and surrounding area, all with a love of ‘vintage.’ As you’ve seen pupils from the school pop in as well as their parents so many of my customers are from overseas, with a connection to the town. I also attend shows such as Burghley and lenhei orse rials and ha e uite a loyal following at these shows.

handbags, coats, furs, vintage gent’s apparel and much more, come and have a look. Much of my jewellery is bought locally and people are always bringing things in to sell, vintage clothing and handbags as well. I often part exchange jewellery. I love the provenance and history and often ask for a photo of the person wearing it when I buy a piece. I check the hallmarks so I know who made the piece and when it was made. Some jewellery comes in with some very sad stories behind it: death, divorce, broken engagements. This jewellery needs cleansing, literally and ﬁgurati ely, before it can be passed on to someone else. My jewellery starts from £25 upwards to a lot more for good quality, high value diamond rings. The romantic novelist Barbara Cartland was a customer of mine and I still have some of her jewellery. This set is made from rock

Tell me a bit more about the stones and their meanings as I understand they all have different properties, what is the most popular for engagement rings? And do you have nervous prospective bridegrooms coming in to pick rings? The ‘fab four’ as they are called are what people usually choose: diamonds, sapphires, rubies and emeralds, but of course other ge s are popular too elping so eone choose stones for a piece of jewellery and with the design is a very personal service which I thoroughly enjoy. Most people go for a cluster unless they can a ord a really good quality, largeish stone. Most coloured stones are put with diamonds. It is unusual to just have the one coloured stand-alone stone, unless it is of exceptional quality.

• Diamonds are the most indestructible of gems and are given with love. The enduring quality of the diamond represents the strength of love. • Sapphires are very popular and is a very spiritual stone representing the Virgin Mary. Steadfast and sincere are the qualities of a sapphire. • Rubies are for passion and love, romance, prosperity and intellect. A good quality ruby from Burma takes some beating. • Emeralds are my favourite and a good quality one is quite rare. They gladden the heart and bring joy; I love wearing them. Pearls represent purity, amethysts are steadfast and calming. The Ancient Greeks believed that they protected them from drunkenness too and, as I said, turquoise o ers protection ach onth has a birthstone; January is garnet, hence me wearing them today. used to y regularly to ndia to buy stones but now they come to me. I love cabouchon cut stones. The rarity of a gem depends on its colour and size. Colours of each gem vary enormously, from the very pale to deep, rich colours. Interestingly e eryone sees colour di erently so taste also varies. Untreated stones are always the best quality, this means they haven’t been heated at any point. I could go into great detail but it does get rather complicated. find that ost couples co e in to choose a ring together but some men do come alone before proposing. The most important thing they ust do is ake sure that the ring fits there’s nothing worse than proposing with a ring that doesn’t fit on her finger oo large is definitely better than too s all t’s a ner e wracking thing deciding on a ring but most potential brides really like what has been chosen. I always agree to swap the ring if she really hates it. Luckily that doesn’t happen very often. Valentine’s Day is good news for jewellers because it reminds the man in a girl’s life to go and buy a little sparkly something which says lo e you, in no uncertain ter s eart shaped stones and jewellery are popular at this time of year, obviously. Women also treat their alentine cu inks and tie pins being particularly popular. Antique and vintage jewellery fascinates me; I could spend hours here with you trying pieces on and learning more about them. What really attracts me is the everlasting property of it, and delving into the history of a piece; who has owned it and their story. Yes, as I said, antique jewellery is the ultimate in recycling. You can change the design, setting and overall look of a piece but are still reusing the stones and metal and the stone could be hundreds of years old, and will last many hundred more, always retaining its lustre and beauty. Legacy is open from Thursday to Saturday. 11 High Street West, Uppingham, LE15 9QB. 01572 822500

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INTE RVIEW

Let the celebrations be-gin Kate Maxim meets Bruce Midgely of Brentingby Gin to find out what makes a perfect gin and tonic

ell me how you got into gin. I came here from South Africa at the age of 18 to play rugby but it didn’t take o , so orked in the gas industry for years started as a pipeﬁtter then beca e an in country operations anager for otal a ongst other co panies, and in sub sea di ing orked in the ongo for a long ti e hen one day on a essel o shore et a gin enthusiast fter one thing and another e decided to set up a distillery together put up the capital but in the end he fell a ay, so branched out on y o n fter t o years of training launched rentingby in near elton o bray on epte ber You make that sound so simple, was it really? ell trained under o icol ho is a aster distiller and one of the best in the country e is in the hall of fa e for his nu erous gins including an ueray and he has i parted kno ledge to e that couldn’t ha e learnt else here de elop the recipes using o ’s ast e perience and no e’re the best of friends pparently ha e a good palette and a nose highly susceptible to s ells a ery practical and like to use y hands so designed and built y still t’s a ten plate copper colu n hich allo s the product to touch ore copper hat’s i portant because copper re o es the

sulphates, softening the alcohol aking it s oother and ore silky in the outh y still is called yanda hich eans to ake greater’ in isi ulu Tell me about your gin. e do e erything in house e ha e di erent si ed stills fro to litres e produce gins at the o ent si of y o n, ﬁ e are contract distillations and e also do recipe de elop ent for people ake ondon olf lub and el oir gin a ongst others nd e’ e ust launched the tapleford state oraged in hich as inspired by alking in the beautiful grounds at tapleford ust do n the road e settled on rose petals, nettles and la ender as our ain botanicals and angelica is the binding agent ou can only buy our tapleford gin if you are staying there as a guest and the

edding parties lo e it e use the litre still at the o ent for he state oraged in and ha e produced bottles in three onths t takes about three hours to distil a batch of tapleford gin and about four hours using yanda to distil litres of other blends, so not uch di erence in ti e e thro a ay the ﬁrst fe litres and only use the hearts, not the tails the dregs in the process e ash the ats ith hot soapy ater and neutral alcohol hich is odka so there are no oils left in the after each distillation standards say there al ays has to be uniper in gin, ith all other botanicals in the background o e gins like rhubarb and ginger are really ore like a oured odkas prefer classic gins like our ondon ry in hich is a uniper for ard, easy drinking gin ur products go all o er the orld but our recipes are kept in house e ne er re eal the uantities of botanicals in each gin or ho it’s ade, and e only use the freshest botanicals nd if e don’t like the result, e bin it Have you always drunk gin? ’ e al ays been a gin drinker at social occasions like s or braai rinking gin brings back e ories of y u ho passed a ay hen as ery young he drank gin ith her friends by the pool and

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Active life was always asked to mix them drinks. My favourite tonic is Schweppes, as it’s got the right levels of carbonation and quinine which allows the gin to shine - you’ve got to be able to taste the gin. I never drink slimline tonic as it’s not natural, it’s full of aspartame and alters the taste. Craft gins are all the rage at the moment. Why is that? Trends are often set by the weight watchers industry. People want drinks with low sugar, therefore fewer calories. And a gin and tonic ﬁts the bill odka and tonic is the lo est in calories and is the highest grossing beverage in terms of sales. Rum and coke has more calories because of the coke but it’s becoming much more popular. I now own the only trademark in the county for a Leicestershire whisky and a spiced rum. My retailers also wanted a gin to highlight

my African connection so I developed my Rooibos and Baobab pink gin. We also do a barrel aged gin/bourbon hybrid. My own gins are 45% proof whilst my contract gins like Matt Hampson’s Get Busy Living Gin and Stapleford are 40%. As a small artisan distiller it’s important to keep my products niche and fresh. We de eloped akki o a li ited edition named after one of the seven gods in Japan - in time for the Rugby World Cup. The nu ber is a lucky nu ber in apan and e are going to be bringing out a new gin in this range each year over the next seven years to cover each of the seven gods. What’s your idea of a perfect gin? A gin and tonic should be aesthetically pleasing. The drinking experience starts from the moment you see it, so I’d use wedges of grapefruit, sprigs of rosemary and a fancy straw. Your nose picks up thousands of a ours, hereas your palate only picks up eight. If you twist fruit peel like orange or grapefruit it releases the oils in the peel and it ill taste co pletely di erent to ust cutting it. People aged 55-65 are the highest users of blood thinners like warfarin and they’ve been told they can’t eat grapefruit with their medication. They can actually

“Our products go all over the world but our recipes are kept in house. We never reveal the quantities of botanicals in each gin or how it’s made.”

drink gin with a wedge of grapefruit, they just can’t eat the wedge. perfect drink is di erent for each individual. When I meet people at trade shows I try to gauge their palate so I’ll ask them what gin they normally like to drink. You have to take time to understand your client and people like all sorts of di erent a ours o adays people like s eet stu so we’re looking at developing mango and cherry a ours t see s the s eeter the product, the more popular it is. Where do you go from here? Together with my business manager Matt we’re growing the brand well but these are still tough times. Craft or artisanal gin means a small based producer is making the product themselves; it’s a manual, hands-on trade or craft, whereas massive producers use automated systems. A lot of people won’t pay the extra money for craft gins but we provide bespoke blends and e don’t use artificial a ourings, s eeteners or sugar e think it’s worth paying that extra cost for a unique a our It’s also really important to us that we are sustainable. We are fully powered by the wind turbine on the farm next door, and we o er refills to locals so they can co e back with their bottles which keeps the price do n for the e’re also the first craft distillery to bring out our gin in ready mixed cans, which can be recycled. We now run bespoke clay pigeon shoots where our guests shoot, have lunch, continue shooting, then have a brief tasting of our range of gins with a selection of local foods to eat. Then we take them back to the train station for their journey home. It’s all in a day’s work. www.brentingbygin.co.uk 07375 535 728 www.staplefordpark.com/estateforagedgin/

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W I L L’ S W A L K

Hitting the heights in Cape Town The steep climbs of Table Mountain and Lion’s Head get the heart rate up for Will Hetherington in this enjoyable departure from the low-lying East Midlands.

APE TOWN IS one of those cities that captures the imagination. With Table Mountain famously presiding over all it surveys, this settlement has long been vital to European explorers heading around the world in search of the ne orld and untold riches t as the ortuguese ho first sailed this way, with Bartholomew Dias discovering the Cape of Good ope in and then asco de a a follo ing in his ake to find the passage to India and beyond. From then on the Europeans have recognised the strategic significance of the ape eninsula of outh frica fro both a military and a commercial perspective. But above it all and unmoved by the human activity below have re ained able ountain, ion’s ead, the e il’s eak, ignal ill and the el e postles hese giant rocks ha e gi en ape o n and the surrounding area an unmistakable outline and presented visitors throughout time with the challenge and the reward of climbing up them.

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Sponsored by

Lion’s Head efore e set o for ape o n so e ise heads had ad ised us that ion’s ead is probably a better alk than able ountain t turns out they ere right his is the conical rock hich sits right on the ater’s edge bet een ape o n proper and a p’s ay to the south t reaches so it’s a good lo er than neighbouring able ountain, hich eans it’s a lot less likely to be co ered in cloud hen you get to the top ence the ad ice fro the ise heads a ing established a clear eather forecast on a sunny aturday afternoon, e dro e up to ignal ill oad hich is only ﬁ e inutes fro the iddle of ape o n and parked ery close to the signposted start point to the alking rail here is only one ay up ion’s ead t’s like an upturned ice crea cone ith a spiral path around it o e set o and soon realised ust ho any people are keen to u p o this rock hilst attached to an e perienced paraglider here is a steady strea of e tre ely ﬁt looking young

Jo at the top of Lion’s Head, with Table Mountain in the background

people carrying the hea y paraphernalia up to the launch point on the south side of the rock about half ay up o be honest it looks like a spectacular ay to en oy this beautiful piece of coastline and suppose once you are strapped in there’s no turning back aybe ne t ti e

TH E STE E P B IT

efore the paragliding launch pad it’s a ide path, hich you could dri e a car up and although it’s uphill it’s really not too de anding ut ine itably it beco es ore of a scra ble the closer to the top you get, and there are plenty of places here iron hand grips and footholds help the any hundreds of people e ery day ho head to the top ou need to concentrate, but anyone ho is obile and oderately ﬁt ill be able to get to the top ithout too uch trouble t took us about an hour and the ie s fro up there really are incredible he hole city lies to the north and you can see a p’s ay to the south ith the peninsula stretching out beyond able ountain stands guard to the east and the ast tlantic cean spreads out to ards ra il to the est ou can easily spend half an hour up here ust en oying the panora a or, if you are organised, you can bring a picnic and settle in for longer t’s probably slightly trickier on the ay back do n because gra ity can take o er on so e of the bigger drops fro one rock to the ne t here’s also the added proble of the odd berk ho co es breathing do n your neck or u ps fro rock to rock generally being a nuisance y ad ice in this scenario is to step aside, count to and let the get ell clear nd they can’t spoil one of the ost e orable short hill cli bs in the orld ould suggest early orning or late afternoon are good ti es because the light is ore interesting, it ill be cooler and it ight be less busy

HIGHLIGHTS Watching the tandem paragliders taking off from the launchpad halfway up at a rate of about one every two minutes on a good day. The achievement of reaching the

top and the stunning panoramic views.

LOWLIGHTS Erratic behaviour of others on the trail.

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BEAUTY

By the hair on my chinny chin chin Kate Maxim braves the laser at the Granary Laser Hair Clinic to defuzz her face

CAN’T BELIEVE I’m going to write this in print, but here we go. I’ve just had my nostril hair removed and apart from the rather unpleasant (but short-lived) smell of singed hair right up my nostrils - obviously, where else - I’m thrilled! I had intended to just have my top lip lasered and any stray whiskers on my chin but hen o ered the chance of per anent nostril hair removal why not leap at the chance to do that as well? It currently isn’t completely permanent as I need to have some follow up treatments, but I fully intend to. Hair on your face, head and body grows in cycles: hair on your head is replaced every 2-10 years; on your body every three months and on your face every 4-6 weeks. That means if you want to have permanent hair removal under your arms you would need 4-6 laser treatments over a period of 18 months and on your chin it would take up to nine treatments on almost a monthly basis. It does vary slightly from person to person, and unfortunately it doesn’t work on people with white or red hair on their bodies because the laser targets the brown melanin in the hair follicle so it needs to be present in the ﬁrst place. Even though lasers have been used during surgical operations for years, it’s an exact process and, therefore, needs to be performed by someone who knows what they’re doing. Hayley Hogg from The Granary Laser Hair Removal Clinic in Tugby is one such person. Trained on the GentleLASE Plus by Gill eeden ho as one of the ﬁrst laser specialists in the UK with clinics in Canary Wharf and Hertfordshire, Hayley works in a non-medical role in the NHS for most of the week and at the Granary Laser Clinic on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Permanent hair removal is currently an unregulated market which is surprising as a

laser with a non-ionising white light and a cryogenic freezing spray has to be measured correctly to suit each client then aimed at some rather sensitive areas including your face and bikini line. Sun exposure and the use of some skin products such as retinol A have also to be considered. If you were to have a treatment then spent time in the sun, or used certain products you could su er from sunburn or reactions in those areas. Hayley wouldn’t laser the arms from May to October for instance as they will always be exposed to sunlight. Similarly post treatment care is taken very seriously: you want to try and cool the skin down directly afterwards, so playing sports straight away or taking a hot bath is not recommended. And don’t wear make-up or deodorant. Once the laser has killed the blood supply to each hair, they fall out either immediately or over the next week or two – this is the shedding process. A warm bath helps with this as it opens the follicle and then you can exfoliate. Keeping the areas moisturised is also important. Clients are usually over 18 years old although some exceptions have been made for younger people with conditions that stop them from doing sport or swimming. It is a particularly e ecti e treat ent for olycystic Ovarian Syndrome and other hormonal conditions which can increase the growth of hair on the face. It doesn’t get rid of hair for those clients completely, but there are much

longer hair-free periods than with waxing, for instance. Name an area of the body, and you can generally have hair lasered from there although Hayley would normally draw the line at the scalp as it could be too painful. he sensation is likened to icking an elastic band at your skin, and the top lip is supposed to be one ofthe most sensitive areas so I must be as hard as nails, as it didn’t hurt at all. Unlike waxing, you don’t have to grow your hair to a certain length to be treated, in fact it’s best to shave – not the face though, unless you already do - as Hayley only needs to see a dot. The more laser treatments you ha e, the ﬁner and ore anageable the result and the longer the hair-free time in between treatments. Ironically the better Hayley does for her clients, the quicker she loses them, but once friends and family see the outcome, the list of recommendations tends to grow. There is a slim chance of an allergic reaction, so you have to have a patch test before the treatment. Considering I react so strongly to waxing, I was expecting some redness, but not a jot. I didn’t wear any make-up for 24 hours but my top lip is now as bare as a baby’s bottom. As for my nostrils, well…. Upper lip, chin and nostrils costs £55 per treatment. For a full price list visit www. thegranary.uk.com 07774205234

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Active life

FASHION

Throwaway Fashion is no more Fast fashion and its wastage is no longer acceptable. Local dress agency owners tell us why pre-owned is best

ASHION IS KNOWN as one of the least eco friendly industries with its mass production in sweatshops around the orld and astly underpaid sta , including children. It is very much the ‘me me’ industry with an ‘I want it now’ attitude encouraging custo er’s pro igate spending and throwaway culture. Scandal after scandal has followed the mass producers and sellers with clothing sadly becoming a cheap and throwaway commodity. But attitudes are changing and customers are beco ing ore discerning, orried about the provenance of their clothing and its longevity. Many of these people are turning to dress agencies, and e ha e any excellent ones in this area. A dress agency is where you can buy pre worn clothing - quite often designer - in excellent condition and at a fraction of its original price. So high quality ite s are kept out of landﬁll and gi en a ne lease of life and you can sell to them too. We’ve been talking to some of the local dress agency proprietors about how they recommend we shop and what their customers are looking for. Susie from Arch says ‘Fast fashion has never appealed to me as it simply does not last and has a high environmental toll. At Arch Label Agency we concentrate on high end brands which really do go the distance. Style and fashion are t o ery di erent things, style

lasts a lifetime and that’s what the high end brands are all about. Preloved is here to stay and getting more and ore popular, especially no as consumers are more environmentally aware and don’t want to feel guilty about shopping; after all what we are really doing is recycling.’ David Stephens says ‘The Closet Dress gency, in the back of y shop, li er’s of ppingha orks slightly di erently to other agencies. We take any brand as long as the ite is di erent, nearly ne and no ore than ﬁ e years old e also o er t o co ission options; you can take 60% and spend it in li er’s or paid into your bank ‘It’s amazing to see who brings in items and the next person will wear it in a co pletely di erent ay it’s great to see these pieces get another lease of life.’

“It’s amazing to see who brings in items and the next person will wear it in a completely different way.”

Felicity from The Attic in Market arborough says, e often get ite s in that are unique which is just what you want. Shopping for pre-owned means that you can often buy a designer item for less than a new high street garment; plus shopping at a dress agency is fun searching for bargains and unique items. ‘In this throwaway society where e erything is disposable, to go’ or rapped in layers of plastic, gi ing so ething a second lease of life is good. If you want quality over quantity buying pre-owned is the ay to go, high uality fabric at a fraction of the price which lasts longer. he dyeing, plastic ﬁbres and general disposable nature of so many clothes are toxic which is why it is so wonderful that there is a huge resurgence in the idea of reduce, reuse and recycle eryone should shop preloved – for the good of the planet!’

Other agencies to consider

Clothes in the Attic at The Windmill in Wymondham is a dress agency for men and women selling day and evening wear as well as accessories and they take items in according to the seasons. Ginger Kate and Arm Candy both in Market Harborough sell ladies pre-owned clothing and designer pre lo ed handbags, hat’s not to love? www.archlabelagency.com www.armcandybagco.com www.gingerkateprelovedclothing.com www.melindadesigns.co.uk Olivers, Queen Street, Uppingham www.theatticdressagency.co.uk

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Sessions in the Harborough, Blaby & Hinckley and Bosworth Districts

ActiveBody E DI T E D BY K AT E M A X I M

Time for tea Herbalist Jo George from Life Rituals explains the benefits of a daily cuppa

HATEVER HAPPENED TO tea? What was once the UK’s national drink has ade ay for its ca einated counterpart a sur ey by Monin showed that 61% of British people prefer co ee to tea, a eraging o er per year on their ca eine fi ut hile co ee culture is certainly booming, there is a quiet revolution in the (boiling) waters. Shops blending their own unique loose teas are cropping up all o er the , o ering their expertise to those searching for an alternati e to the at hite hat’s here co e in ha e been an acupuncturist and herbalist for o er years and a long ti e ad ocate of plants and their benefits to our health and ellbeing started my Life Rituals Organic Tea Blends in akha t o years ago and spend a lot of ti e and e ort sourcing the finest organic tea lea es, herbs, o ers and botanicals from across the globe; an endeavour which helps to support a number of independent growers. ea is an age old drink surrounded by rituals and legacies and spans the globe t is thought to have originated in China as a edicinal drink, then tea lea es ere infused without the addition of other leaves or herbs, as a concentrated, stimulating drink ecords of tea drinking in the date back to the s and our lo e of the ‘nation’s favourite brew’ has grown from

there. Traditionally, loose leaf tea is prepared by pouring hot water over tea leaves and allowing them to infuse; di erent blends ay take any here fro one to fi e inutes to bre n so e countries the ritual of tea aking is al ost as i portant as the drink itself he tea ceremonies in Japan are of huge cultural alue, ranked as one of the three classical arts of refine ent along ith incense appreciation and o er arrange ent n our increasingly fast paced li es the routine of preparing a loose leaf tea can help signal to our brain that it’s time to start slowing down in preparation for sleep. What’s more, a lot of herbal teas are naturally ca eine free, and a great any ore boast significant health benefits that can ork on our bodies o ernight er the last t o years ’ e been developing a range of wellness, organic, loose leaf teas. Each blend of the eight teas created ha e specific health benefits in mind, are 100% organic and created from recipes ’ e de eloped ith re arkable a ours Our most popular herbal blend by far is Life Rituals Bedtime Ritual Organic Tea. alerian, one of the central earthy a ours in this blend has a sedati e e ect hich helps to slow the mind for those prone to anxiety and worry. Another main ingredient

and central a our is cha o ile hich has been used as a natural sleep aid for centuries he other key ingredients, passion o er and linden, ha e been celebrated by any tea drinkers o er the years for their ability to soothe stress and feelings of anxiety. And not forgetting peppermint which helps the digestive system and promotes calm. ’ e also de eloped a blend to relie e poor digestion with dandelion, fennel and ginger to ease bloating and improve the absorption of nutrients from our food. Another blend fortiﬁes and protects the body by boosting the i une syste ith anti iral e ects Sencha green tea, tulsi and lemongrass in our energising blend stimulates the brain, whilst white tea, rose petals, orange peel, linden o ers and le ongrass help to recharge and rebalance the body and mind if you’re feeling out of sorts. There are so many botanicals, leaves, herbs and o ers e can dra on hich signiﬁcantly help to i pro e health, and we’re happy to advise on which blend is best for each individual, or health concern. Why miss the opportunity to add herbal medicine to water (hot or cold) on a daily basis, day or night o, put the kettle on and relax … it’s time for a cup of tea. www.liferituals.co.uk 01572 868579

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ActiveBody

“Plans for skiing trips are mostly full of excitement, enthusiasm, with dreams of emulating racers on Ski Sunday and little actual preparation.”

And breathe... remember to breathe Physiotherapist Sarah Babbs suggests that breathing correctly can help avoid injuries whilst skiing

ATE WINTER AND spring in the physiotherapy clinic can see many skiers coming though the door. Fabulous though the sport is we do see a few people limping in after their trip; some a literal trip, slipping on ice hen they ﬁrst get o the coach, before they even get their skis on! Plans for skiing trips are mostly full of excitement, enthusiasm, with dreams of emulating racers on Ski Sunday - and little actual preparation. Most people go from a fairly sedentary lifestyle to a week of hurtling down slippery slopes with planks on their feet. Good preparation makes most activities e en ore en oyable and deﬁnitely in the case of skiing - safer. Of course, as with most things physicality, good balance and strength are vital. Many of us who ski were brought up with the chair exercise, “seated” against a wall for as long as possible to make the quadriceps ork hard t is uite e ecti e but can be

improved by placing a ball in the small of the back against the wall. By lowering and raising yourself, keeping the ball intact, the exercise is more dynamic and slightly more realistic. Adding arm movements will alter the centre of gravity and improve spatial awareness. Squats and lunges will add further strength and stamina, vital at the end of a day’s skiing for a safe and enjoyable return to base. If cross-country skiing is your thing then a good aerobic capacity is obviously a bonus. I have been lucky enough to take part in the Engadine ski marathon twice. I highly recommend it, so much easier than running one! Balance can be improved by simply standing on one leg, perhaps while cleaning your teeth to save time. Start with eyes open and gradually introduce closing them, helpful for when the ski conditions are not perfect and visibility is poor. One of the most important things when it

comes to skiing is knowing where your feet are and how they connect to the body. This helps to feel the type of snow under the skis so then the best way down the slope. Joanne Elphinstone, a fabulous physiotherapist from whom I have learnt so much, works with ski teams and teaches the best exercise to help with this. She calls it lighting up the feet, or feeling the snow. I use this technique with many of my patients particularly those who have had injuries to the leg and also those with upper limb pain. Here’s the link to the exercise. http://www.jemsmovement.com/ video/ski-body-tip-1-feeling-snow/ I spend a lot of time as a physio talking about, and working with, breathing. Even the ost e perienced skier can ﬁnd the sel es holding their breath, especially if conditions are di cult or surprising a steeper slope than expected or sudden ice underfoot. Holding your breath acts as if wearing a suit of armour causing a tight body and legs, making skiing sharp, jerky and with little responsiveness to the conditions. By softening the breathing, especially on turns, the body becomes more relaxed, improving reactions and so the skiing. It is worth practicing breathing techniques before going skiing, helpful in our daily life too. I am looking forward to hearing the wonderful stories from the slopes should anybody be unlucky enough to need help after a skiing trip. Don’t worry if injured, most people are able to return to the slopes, so just relax, breathe and enjoy the sun, the glorious snow and all that fresh Alpine air. To make an appointment with Sarah ring The Broad Street Practice on 01780 480889 or contact her directly on 07780 900201.

February 2020 / theactivemag.com

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ActiveBody

Too cold for comfort? Gary Trickett, Chairman of the National Association of Health Stores and owner of Healthy Route natural health store in Leicester recommends ways to combat circulation problems

T MAY NOT be the coldest winter on record but the oollies are deﬁnitely still arranted, and especially so if you’re one of the illion people in the ith aynaud’s yndro e, or old ands o plaint aynaud’s, na ed after the rench doctor aurice aynaud ho began in estigating the condition in the late s, pre ents blood fro reaching the e tre ities, ﬁngers, toes and so eti es the ears and nose, and can cause nu bness and tingling, not to ention uite a lot of pain and a burning sensation for any su erers he lack of blood is caused by spas odic contractions of the arteries, hich can be triggered by te perature changes, e posure to the cold or e en ust by touching cold ob ects otional stress can also trigger an episode ypically skin turns hite and blue, before turning red he colder inter onths are ob iously usually orse for aynaud su erers any indi iduals ne er see their doctor about it because they think it is ust ho they are, that they si ply feel the cold’, not kno ing

it is a condition ith a na e and possible treat ent options aynaud’s can also be indicati e of another underlying health co plaint and should al ays be in estigated nce diagnosed, aking ust a fe si ple lifestyle changes can really help or instance, if you’re a s oker, stop topping s oking is the ost e ecti e ay to reduce the sy pto s of poor circulation, not to ention one of the healthiest decisions you’ll e er ake eeping ar and staying a ay fro the cold including draughts can also ake a huge di erence, as can earing ar ther al socks and glo es and using hand ar ers ut do try to keep your hole body ar , not ust your hands and feet eep your clothes and shoes in an airing cupboard o ernight or ar your clothes on a radiator before enturing out, and use shoulder bags here possible hen shopping as bags ith handles can restrict blood o to your ﬁngers egular e ercise can also be beneﬁcial as it helps boost circulation ry to e ercise

three ti es a eek for at least inutes to get the heart racing and the blood o ing around your body, but a oid outdoor acti ities during ery cold eather orrect nutrition can also help educing consu ption of eat, butter and crea , hich contain lots of circulation slo ing saturated fats and cholesterol, is i portant, hereas oily fish or o ega supple ents can help to reduce blood stickiness and i pro e circulation alt hardens your arteries hich need to be elastic so ake sure you stay ithin the reco ended g a day and atch your labels hen buying pre packaged and tinned foods as these often ha e a high salt content oods rich in ita in ki is, blueberries, cherries and ost fruit and eg are good for your circulation, as are foods rich in rutin buck heat, citrus peel and rosehips , hich helps to strengthen s all blood essels s far as herbal re edies are concerned, inkgo biloba is a fir fa ourite ne of the oldest kno n plants on earth ith records dating back to , inkgo is recognised for its beneficial action on arterial circulation t is thought to ork by rela ing the s allest arteries to allo blood o to penetrate the e tre ities, helping to keep fingers and toes nice and ar ry diluting drops of inkgo biloba in a little ater three ti es a day, but do bear in ind it ay not be co patible ith certain prescription drugs f your sy pto s are triggered by stress a fabulous herb to consider is assi ora it has been used for centuries as a ild sedati e and is particularly beneficial hen i ed ith other restorati e herbs such as ena sati a ogether they help to co bat the physical and ental sy pto s of stress, helping to prolong sleep, relie e uscle tension and alle iate ild an iety For further advice, visit Gary and his team at Healthy Route, 18 Silver Street, Leicester 0116 253 9097.

“Regular exercise can also be beneficial as it helps boost circulation. Try to exercise three times a week for at least 20 minutes to get the heart racing and the blood flowing around your body,” February 2020 / theactivemag.com 49

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Active Kids E DI T E D BY M A RY BR E M N E R

Hockey call up for two Oakham girls o talented hockey players, ecca alyon and illy ’ rien, fro akha chool ha e both been selected as e bers of the ngland ational ge roup hockey s uads, and s he girls ill no train ith their prospecti e s uads follo ing in the footsteps of other ld akha ians

Platinum award for Leighfield

Charlotte wins gold again

eighﬁeld pupils and sta ere delighted to recently elco e hris ho as ho presented the ith he chool a es platinu a ard his go ern ent led sche e re ards schools for their co it ent to the de elop ent of co petition nly three schools in utland ha e achie ed platinu status, so ell done

here’s no stopping ta ford igh chool’s harlotte olton ho has added another gold edal to her stash his ti e she on gold, along ith her tea , in the i ed relay at the ritish o ing ndoor ha pionships, and at the sa e ti e they broke their current cha pionship record

February 2020 / theactivemag.com

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Active Kids

Oakham’s clean sweep Oakham’s netball teams completed a clean sweep at the Leicestershire and Rutland County championships recently by winning all three titles: U14, U16 and U19s. All three teams now progress to the Regional tournament.

UCC win silverware UCC in Uppingham have recently been awarded the Ernie White rophy for o it ent to school sport, and not for the ﬁrst ti e and pupils are ustiﬁably proud of the achie e ent

Midwinter fun for everyone in Peterborough The Midwinter Kids’ Festival is coming to Peterborough on the weekend of February 8-9. The festival, to be held at The East of England showground has attractions for children aged 1-14 with a dedicated under ﬁ es area here ill be lots going on and things to try including circus workshops, STEM events, obstacle courses, and much, much more. www. thekidsfest.co.uk

LGS Nativity Leicester Grammar Junior School pupils set audience’s hearts aglow just before Christmas with their nativity play, and we thought you’d love to see the angels in action!

February 2020 / theactivemag.com 53

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Joey Evison selected for England ta ford chool student, oey ison, ho is in year , has been na ed as part of ngland’s uad for the cricket orld cup to be held in outh frica later this year his follo s his debut for ottingha shire last su er

Manor High basketball success he year and boys’ basketball tea s fro eicester’s anor igh have had great success recently and are now Oadby and Wigston cha pions hich eans they no ualify to play in the county ﬁnals

UCC rugby success Congratulations to UCC’s U16 rugby team who have reached the se i ﬁnals of the ounty late hey are hoping to retain the late hich they on last year

Oakham hockey players reach the National Finals akha ’s st has ualified for the ational ndoor ockey inals after being cro ned idlands cha pions recently his is the fifth year in a ro they ha e ualified, and their ninth ti e in total

February 2020 / theactivemag.com 55

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Meet the founders of WildDog Events | Readers step up to the challenge Discover rugby | Local roundup news

ActiveSport On your bike! This month Gary Waterfall samples the delights of Café Ventoux in Tugby after a rewarding, tough, 32 mile ride.

TUGBY START / FINISH

ROLLESTON

HIS IS A great ride that will challenge e en the ﬁttest of riders, , ft of cli b a ongst so e of eicestershire’s pictures ue, uiet rural roads tart fro af entou and head south taking care crossing the busy through ugby and on ard to allaton before passing through edbourne hen ind your ay to the southern point of the loop at reat o den hat’s the ar up co pleted as the ﬁrst iles ha e been ainly do nhill ead north under the through hurch angton he angton r s orth a uick pit stop if needed , looston and ollerston before crossing back o er the again f you ish, take a right turn to cut the route short ust before ollerston, if needed or those co itted to the full ride, once o er the turn right in ilton on the ill and right again at ile to ride south back to af entou he last couple of iles ha e a sting in the tail descend carefully lots of loose gra el at this ti e of year into ugby ood and then tackle the aching cli b before inding do n as the road slopes do n to af entou here’s lots to eat and drink here aninis y fa ourite in a great setting and e en so e cycling gear to o er te ptation

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Find the route at: http://www.strava.com/routes/23099580

February 2020 / theactivemag.com

Join the Wild Dog pack Kate Maxim talks tenacity with Bruce and Lisa from WildDog Events

HEN BRUCE DONALD moved to the UK from South Africa as a young man he decided the best way to meet people was to join a sports team. He arrived on Wednesday and joined Oundle Rugby Club on the Saturday. Northampton Saints subsequently saw him play and he had six fantastic years on the tea e then ualified as a coach but issed the fitness side of things so started training for triathlons, did an Ironman and his pinnacle was completing the Marathon des Sables in 2017. Every April he hankers after going back, but now he has another passion. With his partner Lisa Thipthorp he has set up WildDog Events, an experience company aimed at encouraging people to get outside and try something they haven’t done before - or thought they couldn’t do - making them feel great once they’ve done it. Anyone can take part: an experienced athlete or someone deciding to ha e a go at their first e ent y background in fitness has ade e see that people can always do more than they think,” says Bruce. “When I met Lisa she said she couldn’t run. I said let’s just try and run, and walk when you have to. Now she runs a few times a week and has completed a couple of 10K runs. WildDog Events is all about giving people the opportunity to achieve what they thought they couldn’t. I never thought I could run 155 miles through the desert; it’s about developing the right mindset.” The name comes from watching packs of wild dogs in Bruce’s native South Africa. “The name really sums it up for us; wild dogs work in teams when they’re hunting and we’re trying to get across that team spirit when we’re working with our customers. Wild dogs are so tenacious, as a team, and don’t give up even when things are tough. They’ll run and run, and never stop until they get what they set out for.” Lisa enjoys being with someone who has such faith in his own ability, and it’s caught on. “Bruce has made me want that same level of self esteem. It’s about stopping making excuses for yourself. I’ve been out on runs which have been terrible and I’ve resolved never to do it again. But it’s about dusting yourself o and trying again t’s gi en e a huge boost mentally and I really want other people to feel the same.”

They launched the company in August 2019 after they’d organised two Gretton sportives and a National Three Peaks challenge. “We put a variety of events on and people decide which they want to do and sign up for it,” says Bruce. “For novices we can take them through a training programme so e kno their base le el ﬁtness is up to the challenge. We don’t want people to fail as that would go completely against our aim of helping people to feel great about their achievement, but we do realise people need a bit of hand holding and guidance.” One unusual addition to their calendar last year was a Human V Horse event where runners raced against horses, albeit along a

shorter course. “It seemed a totally crazy idea,” says Lisa. “But a local girl needed to raise funds for her school trip to Nepal and they came to us for help. The girl’s mother has lots of contacts with the landowners around here and we knew we could get our teeth into it. It was scary but great fun and now we’re looking at doing two, possibly three a year: one here in Gretton in September, another in Shropshire and one in Yorkshire. “We’re putting on a Colour Run on March 28 in Gretton which will involve children as we’re keen to get families out exercising together. We did one as a family at RAF Wittering and it was brilliant. It’s a fun run where you get paint chucked at you, and the

“An experience company aimed at encouraging people to get outside and try something they haven’t done before - or thought they couldn’t do - making them feel great once they’ve done it. ”

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ActiveSport

kids love it. The paint is vegetable based so it’s safe and environmentally friendly. “We’re also doing a 3-race series of local trail runs, having got permission from the landowners, and we’ll take the best two results and give them a ranking. We’re so lucky to have all of our rolling hills and beautiful countryside locally but we also want to include some mountain hiking events as this is where we’re the happiest. We love that great feeling of getting to the top then celebrating in the pub before driving home. We did Pen y Fan in the Brecon Beacons at Christmas and we’re putting on a Snowdon experience in October.” This year’s Gretton Sportive will take place in early June and Chase the Rising Moon is on August 1. This is a cycle ride starting at Edale in the Peak District then cycling approximately 120 miles back to Uppingham before the full moon rises! Details for all the events are on the website. This is all on top of their day jobs. Lisa works for the RAF Families Federation, working with the British government and the devolved administration to change policy to

improve the welfare of RAF personnel and families ensuring they’re not disadvantaged by being in the military. The Federation looks at the impact of the mobile Armed Forces lifestyle and assists with securing school places for their children, helping spouses ﬁnd employment, and even how to get out of a mobile phone contract if they can’t get a signal in the new area. Lisa also plays the trumpet with The Top Banana Band. She used to play in the Rutland Big Band with singer and guitarist Mark Thompson, but they wanted to play some funk and soul music so they decided to stop talking about it and just set up another band. The Top Banana Band now plays all sorts of venues and events in the area including weddings, festivals and birthday parties. “We manage it ourselves which is a lot of work but very satisfying. Even if you’ve had a rubbish day and think you haven’t got the energy, as soon as the ﬁrst fe bars starts up, the adrenaline kicks in.” Lisa is also doing a leadership course in her spare time, although with all her other commitments she doesn’t have a lot of that.

ith o er years doing di erent roles within the security industry Bruce now travels round the UK as a manager for Simons-Voss Technologies Ltd, a German manufacturer of battery operated access control locks. He’s always interested in meeting people and hearing about their experiences and adventures. Lisa says, “we do all the activities we suggest other people do for our own fun and relaxation. One of the reasons we’re attracted to each other is that we’re not stay at home people, we want to get out in our amazing countryside, explore and have adventures.” WildDog Events is not just a commercial venture as they donate to various charities. Donations from the Gretton sportive go to the Travers Foundation; the Human V Horse funds will be going to a mental health charity and from the Colour Run they’ll give a donation to the Gretton Primary Academy as they’re hoping many of the families in the village will take part. For more information on their events including free hikes around the Welland Valley visit www.wilddogevents.com and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

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CHALLENGES

Planning routes, fundraising and how to deal with scary hills The Stamford to Swansea group have five months to go before D-day and organising the logistics of a challenge like this is a big task, they tell us how it’s going.

Evesham to Abergavenny, via Ross-on-Wye. Once we cross the Welsh border, the hills start to come thick and fast, or not so fast for us maybe… he final leg of the ride lea es Abergavenny, heading a steady 52 miles to our finish in the centre of ansea This is the shortest leg of the ride but possibly the most challenging. Starting in the Welsh valleys, we’ll be climbing around 3,125ft while encountering gradients up to an eye watering 15%. Then it’ll be ice baths all round before somehow running the 13.1 miles around Swansea. Dean, originally from Swansea, has been tasked with organising the cool down party for the Sunday afternoon, where we’ll be focusing on rehydrating. Training is going really well; with such a big team of people everyone has been doing their o n thing before our first big group training ride. Kit has been acquired and bikes have been serviced, everyone is hitting the spin classes and turbo trainers and heading

out running. Some of us have been really enjoying the parkrun at Rutland water too. We’ve also entered other events to use as training days, including the Cambridgeshire Classic cycle sportive, the Rutland Cicle Tour Sportive and we’re really looking forward to the Burghley 7 mile run in March. Matt has been trying out the Indik8a in the dark of winter. hey are indicators that ﬁt o er your hand and you click a little button on either one for the light to ash hen signalling to make a turn in the road. They’re perfect to stand out on your dark shorter commute rides and will be just as useful if training after dark. We have a fundraising page for donations and social channels to follow our journey, with Facebook, Strava and Instagram accounts named @stamford2swansea, hope to see you on there! Under 5 months to go, we can’t wait! https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Team/ StamfordtoSwansea

PLANS ARE WELL underway for the Stamford to Swansea crew. Fundraising events are in the pipeline, more people are registering to join us on the Swansea half marathon and we’re getting miles under our belts now we’re in 2020. We’ve set ourselves a fundraising target of £10,000, but are aiming to go way past that. The Cavernoma Alliance UK and Scope are our chosen charities, both really close to our hearts and we’ll speak more about why in the coming months. There’s a ball in planning, with a great auction too, a sponsored three hour spin class and various other events in the pipeline, which we’ll announce as soon as we can. The three day, 211 mile cycle route has been planned too. Starting in Stamford early on June 11, we’ll be heading towards akha , then ugby, ﬁnishing the ﬁrst day in Evesham, having cycled around 96 miles. Day two takes us 60 miles further, from

60 February 2019 / theactivemag.com

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ActiveSport

Mission Accomplished! Catherine Searcy has completed her run a mile a day for a year challenge, and she’s celebrating I DID IT! I actually did it! 365 days of running at least one mile every day! I didn’t doubt that I should be able to do it, but in the early days was honest enough to admit that if I couldn’t complete it - for whatever reason - then I’d at least tried and hopefully raised some money in my brother-in-law Steve’s memory. When I began my Couch to 5k journey in January 2019 my target was a 5k in June. I changed that target to a 10k and within days of co pleting that entered y first half arathon he running bug had well and truly struck! During the year I’ve completed four 5k races, two 5 mile races, four 10k and the half marathon as well as 32 parkruns. I’ve dropped my parkrun time from over 42 minutes in January 2019 to just under 30 minutes in November. I’ve lost two stone, dropped numerous dress sizes and my frequent knee pain is now nonexistent. I’ve run 781 miles rather than close to 365, which I expected. I’ve been very fortunate not to pick up any serious injuries over the year which I think is down to the minimum daily distance I set myself. A mile really doesn’t take that long to run and as I’ve been doing longer training runs at weekends and then back down to a few days of just a mile I’ve given my body just enough time to recover. One of the biggest things I have gained from the challenge is new friends. On New Year’s Eve (aka run 365 of 365) I’d arranged with a fe of y running friends to run y final ile of the year around our local park. Unbeknown to me, two of them had been secretly organising my friends, team mates and family to come and cheer me on, bringing banners, bunting, balloons and homemade cakes with them. As I rounded the corner half a mile in to cheers and applause, it was incredibly humbling to see how many people had ade the e ort to co e and run ith us he biggest achie e ent of all though is the oney e’ e raised for he rain u our harity in te e’s e ory, no o er , his as ery uch a group e ort, a tea of us ran the Harborough Carnival 10k in June, my husband completed a 24 hour solo mountain bike race a week later and friends have bought cakes to help fundraise and many have very generously donated their birthday and Christmas presents. I’m running my second half marathon at the end of March and want to run a third one later this year. Now I don’t have to run every day I’m enjoying varying my training with swimming and strength ork and plan to atte pt y first a uathlon s i run in the summer – there’s no stopping me now!

Everest is Ever Closer AS MY PLANNED trek to erest ase a p in ay gets e er closer, elco e to the first of y onthly updates in the run up to this crazy challenge I am undertaking with a group of soon-to-be lifelong friends. Excitement among the 13 of us is mounting as 2020 is now here and we can start to really plan for our trip. Not surprisingly, equipment was high on my Christmas list and I am now the proud owner of a 3 litre water bladder, several merino ool base layers and so e eece lined alking trousers y trip is starting to feel very real now so I need to up my training and incorporate my new kit - it’s all starting to hit home! I already enjoy a pretty acti e fitness routine, but in addition to y eekly yoga session, ta ford triders club run, urghley boot ca p and an evening spin class I need to start putting in the walking miles if I am to be mountain ready. As I write I am preparing for a week’s skiing in Austria with three members of our Everest team. We are a little apprehensive as it is crucial to avoid injury of any type, so we’ll be taking it relatively easy. Some Alpine snow walking will also be included – it will be invaluable for us to sample some high mountain altitude air. Our trip is booked through a company called Evertrek, who give us access to an online members’ area as well as regular podcasts and live videos referring to anything mountain related. My personal trip planner along ith a rather stylish neck bu has arrived, providing lots of valuable information on acclimatisation, equipment, medical information, insurances and lots more. We also receive motivational weekly emails from our head Yeti with any questions and concerns quickly answered – it’s reassuring to feel so well supported. ur ights are booked and acco odation is sorted through Evertrek. We will be staying in Nepalese tea houses, which are very basic as everything is carried up by porters or animals, but pro ises to be friendly and at ospheric hey ha e heated dining areas but our sleeping quarters will be unheated twin rooms with wooden beds and foam mattresses. We will rent sleeping bags from Evertrek but supply our own liners. Another recommendation is to pack ear plugs - can’t think why! here are shared ashing and toilet facilities and so e of the lodges will have solar-powered showers at a cost of $2-3, although this is less likely the higher we get. My understanding is that at this stage you don’t take clothes o but ust keep adding ore layers a ing talked about the trip for years, hen e finally booked it onths ago ay see ed a long ay o ight no it is looming large and I can’t quite believe what lies ahead for our little group of adventure-seeking, lifelong friends; but it promises to be the experience of a lifetime.

ANDREW CARPENTER

Delia Calder is gathering equipment for her trek to Everest’s base camp

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CHALLENGES

Upping the Ultra Training Steve Cole now needs to seriously up his miles to be able run two marathons in two days and then a 50-mile ultra-marathon. Training has well and truly started. AT THE TIME of writing it’s only 12 weeks until I run two marathons in two days (February 29/March 1) as training runs for the M2L (Manchester to Liverpool) 50 mile Ultra Marathon. This sounds like a long time but up until last weekend my furthest run for some time had been 17.5 miles, with me walking like John Wayne the day after. It also dawned on me that it’s just 18 weeks until the actual ultra itself which, when you factor in rest weeks and a taper week, only really leaves 11 weeks of big distance weeks… o this eekend as y ﬁrst proper training eek y ai is to add four or ﬁ e miles to each midweek run (making them a minimum of 10 miles each) as well as doing 20+ miles every Saturday followed by another run on the Sunday when my legs will, undoubtedly, be seriously tired. I’ve done loads of 20 mile runs in the past whilst training for marathons and let’s be frank, they can be quite tedious. But since setting up the running club, Natural Bourne Runners, I’ve started to run with other people for all but one of my weekly runs. This has been a godsend for the long runs in particular. On Saturday I ran three miles

before eeting ﬁ e friends for a ile run, followed by another four afterwards to take me to a total of 20. I can’t recommend group running enough he ti e e by and e stayed at a steady 10 minute mile throughout. I was also trying out a new drink called ail ind for the ﬁrst ti e hilst it tasted awful, I had an amazing run, feeling fresh throughout, and didn’t su er any tu y problems.’ Did the drink contribute to the great run? Who knows, but I’ll certainly be using it again next time!

Taking on a challenge? Active wants to hear from you If you have set yourself a challenge, be it the most simple to the most ambitious, we want to hear from you. Get in touch well before your challenge date then we can follow your training, trials and tribulations as well as your actual triumph. Email mary@theactivemag.com

We have four people from the club, including myself, running ultras in 2020. And we are all called Steve. So, on Saturday we had the four Steves plus two honorary Steves for the day: my wife Natalie and Adam. We really need to give ourselves nicknames. When you read this I should be running around iles a eek spread o er ﬁ e days. For a lot of ultra runners this probably won’t sound a lot but I’m juggling work, family life and organising a running club. As with any sort of training, it’s important that it doesn’t take over your life… Steve is a co-founder of new Bourne-based running club ‘Natural Bourne Runners’. They can be found on Facebook or emailed at naturalbournerunners@gmail.com

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ActiveSport

Spotlight on rugby Market Harborough RUFC Director of Sport James Mckay-Mount takes us through the rules and regs of rugby

Images: alsionbagleyphotography@gmail.com

N JAPAN AT the end of 2019 England impressed the world as they charged to the ugby orld up final n the end South Africa proved too strong but we have the perfect opportunity to get back on the horse with the Six Nations starting in ebruary he i ations is the oldest international rugby tournament stretching back to the s hen cotland first played ngland in dinburgh As well as the men’s Six Nations tournament the women’s game is really gro ing in popularity t is played alongside the men’s tournament and England will be looking to in their th title this season o the untrained eye ugby nion can look like a free-for-all: a combination of fighting ith a bit of sport thro n in n fact there are ery set positions in ugby nion ith ery specific roles

Players

he tea is structured as belo ith the forwards (props to Number 8) generally being the biggest, and the backs (scrum half to full back) generally being the fastest and largely the gla our boys t is said the forwards win matches and the backs decide by ho uch Prop Hooker Prop Second row Second row Flanker Flanker Number 8 Scrum Half

Winger

Fly half Inside Centre Outside Centre Winger Fullback

Rugby is often described as a game for all shapes and si es and this is true rops and hookers tend to be large and strong, second ro s are usually the tallest hile ankers and nu ber s are so e here in bet een n the backs, the scrum half is generally quite small but must have a lot of attitude and not be afraid to get stuck in he y half is the one with the most responsibility as it’s he/she ho calls all the plays entres should be fast and strong, and wingers need to be fast and agile ullbacks are the last line of defence so they should not be afraid to have to face do n a hole pack of for ards if need be

Laws

he ﬁrst thing to notice about rugby is that the ball is not allowed to go forward from the hand pass ust be back ards or le el and if you accidentally drop the ball forward it is called a knock on’ here are se eral set pieces’ in rugby which get the game moving again after a stoppage scru can result fro a knock on’ or a for ard pass’ f the ball goes out on the sideline then the opposition tea ill take a lineout’ his is

where the two sets of forwards line up and the hooker thro s the ball in bet een the Both sets of forwards will try to compete for the ball, and this can often be used to set up an attacking position ugby nion uses a syste of yello and red cards like football but they work in very di erent ays yello card can be sho n for repeat o ences or for foul play and ill result in a player lea ing the ﬁeld of play for inutes red card can be sho n for a serious foul or dangerous play and the player ill lea e the ﬁeld for the rest of the ga e and more than likely receive a ban for a few ga es as ell

Market Harborough Rugby Club

Market Harborough Rugby club are nickna ed the lack ats e currently play in Midlands East 1 after gaining promotion in a dra atic e tra ti e play o ictory at the end of the season o far, e are holding our own in the higher league and are also through to the se i ﬁnal of the county cup, having beaten local rivals Lutterworth in the pre ious round We run Mini and Junior teams from ages to and ladies fro to enior training takes place on uesdays and hursdays at p ini and unior training on undays fro a unior and adies training on ednesdays at p www.pitchero.com/clubs/ marketharboroughrugbyunionfootballclub 01858 464210

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Jeremy Smithson-Beswick catches up with news from some of our local clubs

Alison Bagley

NEW YEAR brings new horizons and 2020 started pretty well on the local sports scene, perhaps most notably with the Daniels. The club continued an unbeaten run – stretching to ﬁfteen ga es at ti e of riting and are challenging for pro otion follo ing ictory in the local derby against Lincoln United, three goals fro a es icks, ec ’ are and lly ro n ill going unans ered s the club’s ichard urtis pointed out, this raised their goals tally abo e the total for the hole of last season ith se enteen atches still remaining. et they also further strengthened in attack by signing obbie arsons in anuary re iously of ortha pton o n and ushden ia onds, arsons has great feet and an eye for goal, according to anager raha rury ta ford is, of course, blessed ith t o football sides and lackstones also had so e good ne s ith a new ground sponsor being announced – orney ealth onsultants ho are part of for ation

ying our ho e ictories on the trot ere co pleted by beating ushden and igha , a notable proof point of their i pro ing for as they’d lost to the sa e side ust a fe eeks ago in their second ga e of this ca paign he atch also sa the return of skipper hil ant after a long lay o to further strengthen their line up. hey did e en better in the follo ing fi ture a ay to t eots by putting a full points on the board, bringing their a erage score to around per ga e in the last fi e hat atch as also notable for the debut of year old ill ndre s son of e coach o ho’ll re e ber his day for a long ti e particularly his first try ithin o ents of coming on as a replacement. ta ford, like akha , shook o the festi e season’s ine itable o er indulgence ith a fast start to the e ear ha ing repelled ourne ust before hrist as hey narrowly beat Dunstablians away in their

ﬁrst ga e back, albeit in a rather dull and attritional ay, and then defeated untingdon o e er, they’ll ha e been a tad disappointed not to gain a bonus point with the others breathing down their necks s o entu builds else here oach ustin ch ar ill kno better than anyone that they need so e sparkle to return to their play soon. ourne rebounded fro a couple of disappointing results to keep the pressure on the top t o by pre ailing against an i pro ing unstablian’s side heir ictory re uired so e grit, ha ing found the sel es t o tries do n before the tie had hardly got into its s ing a hornburn’s try pegged the opposition back before the isitors restored their cushion, only for hornburn to repeat his heroics by setting up ing oe ynch for a run to the corner, ho in turn did ell to set up an easy score for debutant ndre astle

Things are really hotting up in the local rugby orld too ta ford are proudly leading idlands ast, ith free scoring ri als akha surging up the sa e table onto their heels in second ha ing found a rich ein of for s ourne, the re ainder of the local triu irate, are right behind them in third the bragging rights are too close to call. aks had a shaky start to the season, partly do n to player a ailability, but no look to be

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Darren Dolby

22/01/2020 21:36

ActiveSport

“Bourne rebounded from a couple of disappointing results to keep the pressure on the top two by prevailing against an improving Dunstablian’s side.”

Darren Dolby

estcli and lifton oach areth ollins was delighted not only with their results but also their e citing and o ing rugby throughout.”

The second half saw Bourne with the conditions to their advantage and they’d have been buoyed also by the return of Club Captain Tom Dixon for the last 40 minutes. hat an hornburn scored the ﬁrst try of the second period and the conversion drew them level. Shortly afterwards Castle had much more to do to score his second try, but did so with aplomb. From thereon there was an equal exchange of one penalty and one try each to leave Bourne with their hard-fought win. Hopefully followers of Leicester Lions, Oundle, Oadby Wyggs and Market Harborough, looking down from two or

Show your support for local sport Email lisa@theactivemag.com

three levels higher in the rugby tier will forgive us the prominence given above to their lesser lights due to that trio’s titanic tussle. Nevertheless, this more senior foursome are all having notable seasons themselves. Harborough continue to prove themselves in the highest league of their history in Midlands 1 - almost abreast of Oadby in mid-table - whilst Oundle are having a storming time just behind leaders Syston. Lions, consistently one of the best teams in Leicestershire apart from well, Tigers, are ﬁfth in ational eague ha ing recently chalked up a few wins against the likes of

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Finally, two opportunities for readers to get involved. First, Stamford Rugby Club have recently started their Ladies Rugby Warrior Camp. For anyone from fourteen years up they promise “a warm welcome, a strong community and friends for life” calling it fun-packed and commitment free. Twenty hardy souls (all complete novices) showed up in the wind and rain on the inaugural Wednesday evening in January and interest was such that the event was shown on the BBC. A quick web search will get you in touch. Secondly, I’ve recently learnt that some other hardy souls (or perhaps not) from Stamford play casual weekly evening football for anyone who wants to show up. I’ll let them explain. “Monday Night Football was conjured up after a few cold Morettis in Stamford Wine Bar on a summer’s evening in une ery eek t enty or so players get together and play ball for at least an hour. t’s a great ay to kick the eek o and catch up with friends. Age is but a number and the calibre of player somewhat varies. With nearly atches under the belt and only two broken bones it’s been nothing short of a success.” erhaps ﬁttingly for such a casual cre they appear to have no social media presence but, should you wish to join, I believe the Moretti at The Wine Bar is worth the investment.

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Eco kit Bag

February’s environmentally friendly choices

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Made from organic biodegradable bamboo ﬁbre, they are light, practical to take out and about and are dishwasher safe (not the lid or sleeve). PRICE £8.95 FROM Just Fair Trade, 36 Silver St, Leicester, 0116 253 8032

66 February 2020 / theactivemag.com

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