Active Magazine // Stamford & Rutland // July 2020

Celebratiing our first year as owners of Active Will walks the Rutland Round A hiatus in Helsinki Meet some super sporty kids Use it or lose it, now is the time to suppprt local businesses I S S U E 9 7 | J U LY 2 0 2 0

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E E R F

A gradual reawakening Slowly emerging from our cocoons to restart our lives

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THE AL L NEW

FORD PUMA

AVAILABLE TO TEST DRIVE NOW

Call to book your test drive 0333 014 5507 0333 014 5506

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*Models shown are All-New Puma ST-Line 5 Door. Images are for illustration purposes only. 1.0L Ecoboost Hybrid (125PS) Fuel economy mpg (l/100km) (Combined): 48.7 (5.8) *CO2 emissions: 96-99g/km. Figures shown are for comparability purposes; only compare fuel consumption and CO2 figures with other cars tested to the same technical procedures. These figures may not reflect real life driving results, which will depend upon a number of factors including the accessories fitted, variations in weather, driving styles and vehicle load. There is a new test used for fuel consumption and CO2 figures. The CO2 figures shown, however, are based on the outgoing test cycle and will be used to calculate vehicle tax on first registration. T. C. Harrison Group Limited, Milford House, Mill Street, Bakewell, Derbyshire, DE45 1HH acts as a credit broker in relation to financial products and not a lender. We work with a number of carefully selected credit providers who may be able to offer you finance for your purchase. We are only able to offer finance products from these providers who may reward us for introducing you to them. T. C. Harrison Group Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. FCA Reg. No. 312522

Editor and Publisher Mary Bremner mary@theactivemag.com Deputy editor Kate Maxim kate@theactivemag.com Art editor Matt Tarrant Contributors Will Hetherington, Jeremy Smithson-Beswick, Bobby Twidale 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.

ISSN 2059-8513 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 views or opinions of TP or its a liates isclaimer of iability hilst every e ort has been made 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 assume 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.

TP 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 services o ered nor the organisations sponsoring the advertisement.

E DI TO R ’ S L E T T E R “What I didn’t realise at the time is how unusual it is to have three women solely running and owning a company.”

THIS MONTH WE are celebrating as it’s a year since Lisa, Kate and I took over as the new owners of Active.

It’s disappointing that our anniversary has come at a time when we are still battling the coronavirus pandemic but we still think it’s an occasion we should mark.

I will never forget the look on Lisa and Kate’s faces when I suggested that we should take the magazine over and run it ourselves; I think they thought I was mad, but they quickly came on board and we were up and running. That makes it sound a lot easier than it was, it wasn t e are three very di erent characters who all bring something di erent to the trio but it wor s and between us we are very proud of what we have achieved and we’ve had a lot of fun along the way.

What I didn’t realise at the time is how unusual it is to have three women solely running and owning a company. According to statistics only a fth of companies are run by women, and even less than that owned by women which is a disappointing gure as we are e ually capable. So here’s to three old dears; well one old dear (me) and two much younger models (or there might only be two out of the three of us left if I call them that) being here for many more years to come.

We haven’t just been celebrating this month, we’ve all been busy. In this issue we are nding out how businesses are coping with the gradual reopening of high streets as we all slowly emerge from our cocoons.

Some people have been lucky enough to be able to save during lockdown and I would encourage you to plough some of these savings back into the local economy to help keep high streets and hospitality businesses alive, they need the support. We’ve also caught up with some very talented sporting youngsters, Will has walked the Rutland Round, and picked the hottest week of the year so far to do it in, and do enjoy our feature about Helsinki.

A year ago Kate and Lisa made me buy the bottle of prosecco to celebrate our rst issue as they said it was my fault we were in this situation (with big grins). So this year it’s their turn…

Mary - Editor

FIND US ONLINE

FACEBOOK theACTIVEmag

TWITTER @theACTIVEmag

INSTAGRAM theactivemaguk

WEBSITE theactivemag.com

July 2020 / theactivemag.com

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Orbea Gain: E.Bike in disguise

GEORGE HALLS CYCLE CENTRE 10-12 Northampton Road, Market Harborough, Leics, LE16 9HE. 01858 465507 www.georgehallscycles.co.uk georgehallscycle@aol.com

I S S U E 9 7 / J U LY 2020

ACTIVE LIFE

Contents

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10 IT’S OUR FIRST BIRTHDAY The Active team looks back at the rst year as new owners

13 RECIPE

Try this delicious sea bream recipe on the bb

15 GARDENING

ow to have a drought resistant garden

16 TRAVEL

hiatus in

elsin i

20 LOCAL BUSINESSES

any shops and businesses are reopening, we catch up with some of them

22 WILL’S WALKS

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This month ill wal s the utland ound

ACTIVE BODY 30 PHYSIOTHERAPY

Sarah abbs nds that over enthusiastic e ercisers have been the mainstay of her Covid patients

ACTIVE SPORT 32 ON YOUR BIKE

ary aterfall enjoy his rst socially distanced ride with friends

34 ACTIVE, ATHLETIC ADOLESCENTS

e ve caught up with some very talented, sporty, local youngsters

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www innerwolf co uk online and in-store

Healthy from the

Inside Out

Companionship Matters

We are a local care provider who support our customers with independent living whilst remaining in their own home Each care package is tailor made following an assessment to suit the needs and wishes of our customers SERVICES AVAILABLE

Our dedicated team provide the highest care to all our customers.

Call us on 01780 489227

The ‘Pub on the Village Green’

Hourly care calls Personal care (Assistance with bathing & dressing) Meal preparation Assistance with medication

Domestic & household chores Help with appointments and transportation Shopping Companionship and outings

www.wrightcareathome.co.uk admin@wrightcareathome.com

Delicious food, washed down with a wonderful pint or two of ale, or a chilled carefully selected wine just fabulous!

Relax in our ALL NEW outdoor bar and kitchen, with landscaped dining areas and outdoor heating.

Don’t forget we are still offering our hugely popular takeaways!

OPENING HOURS During full restrictions: Wed-Sat 12-8pm, Sun 12-5pm (additional hours when the sunshines)

The Exeter Arms, Barrowden, 28 Main Street, Barrowden, Oakham LE15 8EQ www.exeterarmsbarrowden.co.uk | info@exeterarmsbarrowden.co.uk

Tel: 01572 747 365

When restrictions are eased: Mon/Tues 5-8pm, Wed-Sat 12-9.30pm Sun 12-7pm Please see our website or facebook page for daily opening times as we will respond to daily weather conditions.

ActiveLife Walk the Rutland Round | A hiatus in Helsinki Businesses are busy reopening | Gardening inspiration for dry weather E DI T E D BY M A RY B R E M N E R

Celebrating our first year as owners of Active! p10 July 2020 / theactivemag.com

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Tugby Orchards, Tugby, LE7 9WE I 0116 259 8063 I www.cafe-ventoux.cc By bike follow the Route 64 Cycle way

Cafe Ventoux is now a grocery store supplying local produce including fruit and veg, dairy and a selection of meats. We are also making our own bread, pies, special occasion cakes and much more. We have an extensive home made take away menu too - Wednesday is international cuisine night, Thursday is curry night followed on Friday and Saturday with our homemade pizza and burger menu. If you would like to pre order for collection please just give us a call during opening hours.

OPENING HOURS Monday - Wednesday 9-1pm Thursday - Friday 9 - 1pm and 5 - 8pm (takeaway) Saturday 9-2 and 5 - 8pm (takeaway) Sunday 9-2

FaMiLy FuN JuSt GoT SeRiOuS Rumble brings you an exciting new concept in outdoor family fun – ‘live action gaming’.

LeT tHe bAtTlE cOmMeNcE… BOOK NOW online www.rumblelive.co.uk

THE GARRISON: Grafham Water, Marlow Park Grafham, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE28 0BH

Active life

YDP have been busy

Farndon Fields Farm Shop Celebrates 35 years KEVIN AND MILLY Stokes, along with their great team, are celebrating 35 years at Farndon Fields Farm Shop in Market Harborough. They started out in the summer of 1985 when Kevin put out a sign at the side of the road to sell his homegrown vegetables. Since then the

farm shop has grown massively in size along with the range of products it grows, cooks and sells.

Farndon Fields recently won Shop of the Year 2020 in the Guild of Fine Food Awards. They are looking forward to another successful 35 years.

THROUGHOUT THIS TESTING period the coaches from Peterborough’s Youth Development Project (YDP) have been busy delivering sessions to key workers’ children and helping many schools. They have been using online platforms to reach the children at home - all free services - because they want the children (and parents) to remain motivated, active and healthy. They have created live Q&A sessions with a number of sports ambassadors, police, nurses and mentors to help motivate their followers. YDP is more than a sports coaching business, more of a mentoring team of driven individuals.

YDP Mind Matters has also been launched which focuses on making positive life choices and discusses the safety of the online world.

These assemblies will be delivered to students when they return to school with drop in sessions to check in on the most vulnerable students.

Around the world in 28 days

Pandemic paintings

ELEVATE FITNESS STUDIO in Peterborough has ic ed o a 28-day challenge to circumnavigate the globe in aid of Médecins Sans Frontiéres (MSF). The ‘Elevate Around the World in 28 days’ challenge will consist of a team of 36 people, who will be running, cycling and rowing a total of 41,075 km in a virtual relay around the world. The team will be covering an average distance of 1,467km between them every day to clock up enough kilometres to complete the challenge and meet the fundraising target of £10k. The challenge will see the participants virtually passing through 28 countries.

READER OLIVIER BLUCHE has been choosing artwork for 50 days of lockdown as a way of thinking about the crisis, inspired by doctor James Fox’ ( @doctorjamesfox ) appearance on BBC2 Newsnight in early April.

Each painting he’s chosen he’s captioned such as; taking time to rest, let the fresh air in (above) and how time goes at the same pace during lockdown even if it doesn’t feel like it.

July 2020 / theactivemag.com

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! s u o t y a d h t ir B y p p a H look back and celebrate Mary Bremner and the Active team ners of the magazine Mary, Kate and Lisa’s first year as ow

W

HO WOULD BELIEVE that a year has own by so uic ly Sometimes it only seems a few months since une when we sat in The Crown and shared a bottle of prosecco to celebrate putting our rst issue as new owners to bed nd yet at other times it seems li e years ago t s certainly been an interesting and e citing year to say the least, with the last few months of coronavirus loc down not a welcome addition e all had a long history on the maga ine, me as freelance deputy editor and ate and isa being employed by the previous owners ll of us joined ctive within its rst year of e istence so we new it well and am delighted that we were able to persuade ill and eremy to stic with us and eep writing for the maga ine, as well as designer att and ad designer ary Curtis than you all of you ate, isa and had a strong vision that we wanted the maga ine to become more entrenched within the community and we wanted to play a pivotal part in that o ering lively, interesting editorial supporting local businesses at the same time There is so much going on locally, fabulous independent businesses, fascinating individuals to meet and

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beautiful places to visit and things to do and we wanted to tell everyone about all of this and ve enjoyed some very interesting interviews doing so Than you to all of our advertisers, old and new, who have supported and encouraged us than you to you our readers who have often told us about interesting things going on and have given such encouraging, positive feedbac and than you to all the local businesses who are so pleased to see us when we drop maga ines o t s been a rollercoaster of a year and have thoroughly enjoyed virtually every second of it hat have enjoyed most is wor ing with ate and isa, as well as the e tended ctive team of att, ary, ill and eremy, not forgetting en who does our website e ve had fun along the way all of us getting together for some team building at umble ive at rafham ater my press trip to the Caribbean island of ruba and, of course, the Christmas party at The ine ar in Stamford

we meant to get photographic evidence of the team celebrating, but perhaps it s best that we didn t The highlight for me was pulling that rst issue together e managed to do it under intense time pressure whilst setting up a new company at the same time if we could pull that o and we did we could cope with anything even Covid ere s to many more years to come and as soon as we are allowed the team will all be celebrating in style we might even manage a photo this time

Lisa Chauhan

Advertisement sales director

am very proud to be wor ing alongside ate and ary and getting through our rst year of owning and running the maga ine has been a great achievement etween us we bounce ideas o each other and come up with new and e citing content each month appreciate all of our advertisers that support

It’s been a rollercoaster of a year and I have thoroughly enjoyed virtually every second of it.

July 2020 / theactivemag.com

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Active life Kate Maxim

Deputy editor

the magazine, so thank you everyone!

One of my highlights was when the team visited Rumble Live (Oct 2019) and we all participated in the live action game of shooting each other (pretend of course) in the woods. An embarrassing moment for me was that I cannot close my left eye and I am right handed, so having to hold the gun in the opposite hand was hilarious...why can’t I do this!? It was great team building and fun at the same time.

One of our travel articles that we featured in Nov 2019 has inspired me to visit Iceland to see the Northern Lights, when it’s possible - our front cover was stunning.

I’ve worked at Active for nearly six years, and part owned it for one wonderful year. It’s always been a great magazine but we’re proud of taking it further, bringing loads of energy and enthusiasm to it. We’re most proud of the varied editorial we o er every month; one aspect of the job I love is interviewing interesting local people with great stories to tell. And I get to ask plenty of nosy questions! very wee is di erent devising and writing features; dealing with a wide range of advertisers and their artwork; learning about their di erent industries many previously knew nothing about and, of course, enjoying relaxing treatments for our Finishing Touches pages.

None of it would be half as enjoyable if I wasn t wor ing with ary and isa we re all uite di erent but with a clear vision of how we want our maga ine to be informative, interesting, fun, lively and inspirational. And I’ve been inspired to take up cycling this year, having trialled a Canyon bike. I’m loving yoga, particularly doing it outside. I’m trying to follow some of Will’s Walks with my dogs instead of treading the same paths, and when we’re allowed to travel I want to visit some of the places we’ve featured on our travel pages, particularly Helsinki and South Africa. I can’t wait to see what the next year brings.

Will Hetherington aka Will’s Walks

It’s been an adventurous year for me since Mary, Kate and Lisa took the reins at Active. n their rst issue reported on the mammoth Jurassic Way walk from Banbury to Stamford, which featured a gruelling 30 mile second day from Daventry to Market Harborough. I planned this journey and among my seven

co-walkers my name was mud that day, but the pint of Cobra and curry in Harborough that evening were both unforgettable.

In these pages over the last year I have also reported from a lovely ve hour wal high in the Austrian Alps and last month I wrote about climbing the mighty Mount Triglav, Slovenia’s highest peak and national symbol.

And now this issue you will see my feature on the Rutland Round, every bit as enjoyable as ount Triglav but in a very di erent way Rutland might be small but it’s on the doorstep and has some of the best walking you could hope for.

So it’s been an active year alright but what was my highlight? Well that would have to be the Christmas party in The Wine Bar in Stamford but I can’t tell you any more about that.

Jeremy Smithson-Beswick aka The Roundup

It’s been my pleasure to have contributed to each and every edition of Active magazine since the second issue, nearly eight years ago.

The founding idea was a free magazine with the quality and editorial content of one with a cover price and I think it’s been a tremendous achievement to keep that going in the current environment. I’ve never seen a “freebie” like it.

During those eight years I’ve met countless people giving their time and devotion for no reward other than to contribute to the greater good of our local community and it’s been a delight to give a rare pat on the back to individual members of that army of volunteers who keep our local sports scene ourishing, as well as reporting on the highs and lows of our footballers, cricketers and rugger buggers. It’s been a blast.

July2020 / theactivemag.com

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Indian Inspired Food from a Converted Horsebox all with a homemade taste!

As we are unable to attend events right now, we are making fresh food from our horsebox and delivering every Friday and Saturday (a minimum of two ‘Meal for 2’ on Thursdays in Stamford and Rutland).

READY tols delHEiveAredT

THE BLUE BELL PUB EASTON ON THE HILL

We also offer cookery lessons: During lockdown (Sunday, Monday or Tuesday) - £50 - How to make a proper Punjabi base masala. And then add whatever meat or veg you fancy. To learn more, send us a message and we will send you the online process involved.

After lockdown - £200 - Cooking lesson for up to 5 people in your house and up to 5 dishes – starters, mains, raita, roti. It’s a hands on lesson. We bring everything needed. At the end of lesson, we clean and leave you to enjoy your meal with your family and friends.

Meal for 2 dea

Why not have a night catching up with friends while enjoying our Indian inspired fresh food from the comfort of your own home or garden . Make your wraps the Banjaraa way with our different homemade fillings each week along with homemade chutneys. Vegetarian and Vegan options available.

BOOK TODAY by emailing: info@banjaraa.co.uk Weekly menus available at www.banjaraa.co.uk

The Blue Bell is a delightful combination of a traditional village pub and high quality Italian Restaurant.

Run with Mediterranean Flair and Passion by Alex and Cinzia, it lies at the heart of the picturesque Village of Easton on the Hill.

The Blue Bell looks forward to welcoming customers back as soon as regulations allow with a new pizza oven, large beer garden, and large selection of brilliant local ales, beers, and wines.

Takeaway still available - find us online for details.

Call early to pre-order 01780 763003 email: mail@thebluebellpub.com www.thebluebellpub.com 01780 763003 9 High Street, Easton on the Hill, PE9 3LR

25%

lected off se lines

relaxed stylish living

COV-ID ‘19 update 16th

We are open from the June, shorter hours to start with 10-2pm Tuesday to Saturday and we will be striving to keep us all to STAY SAFE.

W ash/sanitise your hands, before you enter the shop.

O bey social distancing, stay 2 metres apart.

M easure yourself, before you come to the shop.

A llow more time, you may have to queue.

N o fitting rooms.

Thank

you

5, Queen Street, Uppingham, LE15 9QR 01572 868530

THE FARM SHOP IS OPEN

Farndon Fields Farm Farndon Road Market Harborough LE16 9NP Tel: 01858 464838

Opening Hours Monday to Saturday 8am - 6pm Sunday & Bank Holidays 10am - 4pm

www.farndonfields.co.uk

w

Active life

RECIPE

Whole chilli and lemongrass sea bream It’s official, we are now allowed to have up to six people over for a barbecue.

E

VERYONE HAS TO stay outside but, weather permitting we can get together in our gardens or parks and, at long last meet up again - at a suitable social distance of course. And the weather is really lending itself to a barbecue at the moment.

A couple of tips for the barbecue is to light it early and let it burn down before being tempted to start cooking, patience and restraint are the order of the day (go and have a glass of wine) if you want to cook slowly at a low and even temperature. And use a meat thermometer, particularly if cooking larger joints, then you can be sure that it is cooked through properly. Fish is easy to cook on the barbecue and delicious.

Try this simple recipe to give an Asian feel.

INGREDIENTS

METHOD

• whole sea bream, lleted • 8 lemongrass stalks, halved lengthways

• Process the marinade ingredients to a smooth paste.

• Put the sea bream in a baking tray and pour marinade over. Make sure they are covered inside and out.

• Cover and marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours.

• Heat the bbq coals to achieve a consistent medium heat • Tear two sheets of foil large enough to enclose whole sh • Add the eight lemongrass halves in the centre then put a fish on top with half the marinade and season well. Scrunch the foil together to cover and seal the fish.

• epeat for the second sh • Cook directly on the coals for up to 30 minutes with the lid down until the fish is cooked through.

• Serve with a green salad

FOR THE MARINADE • 6 chopped red chillies • 3 chopped shallots • 6 crushed garlic cloves • grated ginger (about the size of two fingers) • 4 limes, grated and juiced • 2 stalks finely chopped lemongrass • 4 tbsp sh sauce • 4 tbsp brown sugar • 4 tbsp soy sauce

July 2020 / theactivemag.com

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Active life

ECO TIPS

Waste not want not Do you have a glut of fruit and veg in your garden or left over in your vegetable box? Lizzie Davies shares her tips for avoiding food waste Too much spinach Chop nely and free e in ice trays or small yogurt pots t s really convenient to then add to curries and sauces Chop basil and store in olive oil in the fridge in a lidded glass jar use on toasted breads with chopped tomatoes, for pi a topping or in pasta sauces Fruit leather a great way to use e cess fruit and ma e a delicious, natural snac see ouTube for tips and recipe ideas Beans and peas should be pic ed often, if growing your own They re great to liven up salads or blanch brie y place in boiling, then chilled water and free e for winter use

GARDE NING

Hot and arid gardening

Pumpkin and squash the esh ma es a delicious soup eave the s in on butternut s uash and roast it The seeds are edible too wash them and roast on a tray in the oven for about minutes when you have it on for something else ou can play around with seasoning Parsnip crisps peel long strips of parsnips into a bowl, add a tablespoon of sun ower oil and toss, scatter over a lined ba ing tray and coo for minutes at C fan until crisp, turning halfway through You can follow Lizzie on Instagram and Facebook @lizcatalpa

It’s been an exceptionally dry and sunny spring so garden designer Teresa Kennedy suggests ways to enjoy a low maintenance, low water, gravel garden to cope with a lack of rainfall

H

ISTORICALLY OUR PART of the country has one of the lowest records for rainfall, so even if we hadn t e perienced a long stretch of dry weather li e we have this spring, now is a perfect time to consider the bene ts of a dry or gravel garden t is a sustainable way to garden and adapt to the changing climate as well as minimum maintenance with self sowing plants that re uire little watering ry gardening is about plant choice, situation and materials ravel is the obvious material choice as it is easily available and good value i with larger stones and boulders to create interest and noo s for planting on t choose a poorly drained, damp corner ou are loo ing for free draining soil in an e posed sunny site with good levels of light where you struggle to eep things going in hot summers Plant choice rought tolerant is the theme so editerranean is your rst choice here, thin those plants which thrive in poor, dry conditions Cistus is a fabulous shrub for structure rasses such as Stipa are perfect for height and movement

interspersed with alliums for a hit of statues ue colour in late spring erbena bonariensis is perfect for summer long purple avenders are always a good choice, mi in with the Santolina cotton lavender for a contrast in leaf colour and te ture and both of these will give you some evergreen cover ring in e otics and architectural plants for a bold viewpoint Planted among some of the traditional cottage style plants they will lift your display to give it the true dry garden loo There is loads of inspiration to be gained from Californian gardens if you ta e a virtual loo at those as well nd nally and once again m going to sing the praises of leaving wild long grass in your garden large e panse of mown lawn during long periods of dry weather can loo very di erent to our perceived perfection of recently mown green stripes ie brown ou either water it copiously which is unsustainable and has a negative impact on water supplies, or you accept that it is not green This is so much easier to swallow if you only have narrow pathways or small clearings that are mown www.viridisdesign.co.uk 07726 334501

July 2020 / theactivemag.com

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TR AV E L

A hiatus in Helskinki Bobby Twidale visited Helsinki way before the pandemic hit and dispelled a few myths; it’s not cold and dark all the time, Finns are not standoffish, and the food isn’t awful, but they do love their saunas

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Active life

F

INLAND IS OFTEN described as the land of a thousand lakes. Actually, that’s untrue as there are 188,000 lakes, 300 of which are in and around Helsinki. You drive past some of them as you take a 30-40 minute bus or taxi ride from Vantaa airport to the city centre. It’ll cost you around 40 euros and yes, Finland is Eurozone!

The second surprise, when I got out of the taxi in front of the striking Art Deco Central Station, was the temperature. In early June, it was really warm and at 8pm, the sun was still high in the sky. In midsummer the days are long and the sun remains visible at midnight. Of course it does get cold in the winter, rarely rising above zero from November to the end of March with daylight hours very restricted too, but in the summer months of June to August temperatures are typically in the mid-twenties.

Another fact people like to quote about Finland is that there are more saunas than cars; this isn’t true but as you stand in front of the station, one that’s easy to believe.

Trams purr regularly through the city centre but you get none of the gridloc of tra c that generally typi es a uropean capital There are tram lines o ering a reliable, clean and inexpensive mode of travel. An adult day ticket costs just €8.

Helsinki is a green, clean, vibrant and friendly place. Although Finnish is unrelated linguistically to most other languages in Europe, Finland ranks sixth in the world for its English-speaking capabilities. Everyone spoke English and the welcome was warm and friendly, but a reserved style of friendly which is ne inns li e their personal space Inside for much of the winter, the residents of Helsinki make a point of enjoying the long,

warm days and every green space on a summer evening will be lled with groups of people sitting on the grass or on café terraces, laughing and chatting. 2020 is the third year in a row Finland has been voted the world’s happiest country.

The sauna is a huge part of Finland’s national culture and said to be as important as bread and vodka. There is a Finnish saying “build the sauna, then build the house,” and in a population of around ve million there are more than two million saunas to be found in most homes, places of work, a branch of Burger King in Helsinki and even on the giant Ferris wheel in Helsinki harbour.

An internet search of what to see and do in Helsinki will generate a list of possibilities so long it’s nigh-on impossible to work out what should ma e the nal cut Culture, architecture, nature, an island Zoo, an amusement park, history, gastronomy, cruises, sport. I decided to put myself in the hands of professionals. My travelling companion, my husband, is a con rmed foodie so I knew he’d want at least one of our activities to be food-based. It would, I hoped, be the ideal opportunity to dispel my concerns about the local cuisine. Saunas would have to feature and as we are both keen walkers we also hoped to get out of the city to explore the countryside. ino Tours o er wal ing and food tours in and around Helsinki so we opted to join one of these which started at Finlandia Hall. This architecturally stunning building was designed by the legendary Alvar Alto and is an iconic e ample of his wor e ic ed o with an aperitif of sparkling wine then our guide Maddalena walked us around the city centre sharing her extensive knowledge of the places we passed, telling stories of the characters who had lived there and giving us insights into the culture of modern-day

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Bluebird Care Stamford & Rutland, Peterborough & Oundle Rutland Care Hub: 01572 729357 Stamford Care Hub: 01780 480881 Peterborough & Oundle Care Hub: 01733 459 907 bluebirdcare.co.uk/stamford-rutland bluebirdcare.co.uk/peterborough-oundle

Active life

elsin i e stopped to ta e in sights including the odi Central ibrary, the iasma Contemporary rt useum and the spar ling white cathedral atop Senate S uare ll were visually stunning and open to everyone s we wal ed we stopped to sample local food at the a aniemi cobbled street mar et including cloudberry jam from a local forager watch out for the very persistent, food stealing seagulls we lingered by the stalls in the ar et all to taste local cheese, cured reindeer and moose and had salted li uorice ice cream for dessert weirdly delicious Then we visited the famous Stoc mann department store food hall to sample the vast range on o er at the sh counter oo out for the revolving cloc above the main entrance to the store The great thing about eating whilst on a wal ing tour is the uantity of food you can consume before you start to feel full highly recommended The ne t morning we visited the vibrant South arbour area with its ama ing llas

Sea Pool This oating sea dec o ers a natural sea water pool that eeps a comfortable degrees year round along with a children s pool and of course the ubi uitous saunas fter this we spent a couple of hours window shopping and had lunch in the esign istrict or anyone with an interest in Scandi design it s a must as there are more than creatives o ering interiors, fashion, culture, art, accommodation and restaurants in a cool, urban innish setting That evening we joined arri from the appy uide elsin i company for a cycle tour to the former wor ing class now hipster district of allio The sauna we would be visiting as part of our tour was a traditional sauna, ie se es segregated and no costumes The oldest in elsin i, the sauna had basic facilities and was blac ened from years of use but the showers were scrupulously clean nce over my initial reticence about public nudity it was a liberating e perience to sit and chat with the

other women in the female sauna who spo e impeccable nglish alfway through we adjourned wrapped in a towel to tables and chairs in the sunny outdoor courtyard for a beer e arrived bac at our hotel chilled, cleansed and ready for the best night s sleep in a long time e t morning was an early start e were pic ed up from our hotel by Co y osey Tours who would be our guide for a day outside the capital e ploring the local landscape and culture, going rst to Sipoo ational Par for a forest tre e were e pertly led through the forest with interesting ora and fauna pointed out and veryman s ights e plained which allows everyone the freedom to roam, forage, sh and camp in the innish countryside e had co ee prepared over a wood re with traditional pulla cardamom rolls and a shot of vod a unch was eaten with locals in Porvoo then we were given a couple of hours to wander through the streets of the medieval ld Town The year old cathedral at the top of the hill is well worth the climb The homeward journey was bro en by a stop o at the beautiful la e uusij rvi for what else a sauna This one was wood red and the heat was intense but being unise swimwear is compulsory e cooled o by running along the jetty outside the sauna to dive into the la e elsin i was not what e pected but has become my favourite uropean city t has so much to o er and the locals are a chilled bunch with no airs and graces ou ll receive a genuinely warm welcome ere three days enough es, but we didn t see and do everything we wanted e missed the innanm i amusement par constructed in the s and now a not for pro t organisation that in donated 4 million euros to innish child welfare projects Sounds li e an e cellent reason to return and ne t time ll ta e a bigger, empty suitcase with me to ll with salted li uorice and purchases from the design district www.vinotours.fi www.happyguidehelsinki.com www.cozynoseytours.com

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Use it or lose it At long last non essential shops and businesses are open again, now is the time to support our high streets

W

E ARE ALL slowly emerging from our homes blinking in the daylight and now that non essential shops and businesses have been o cially allowed to open they are waiting for us with open arms chec out #shopstamford on Instagram to see some images of delighted shop owners. Now really is the moment when ‘use it or lose it’ is so pertinent. We all need to support our high streets and the local independents rather than buy online. Virtually every shop has a hand sanitiser at the door so make sure you use it (they will make sure you do) and you can then browse safely e ve caught up with some local businesses who have had to adapt and ma e changes to reopen in this new world of the ‘new normal.’ jay Sabharwal launched his ndian inspired street food company Banjaraa at the end of building a strong following at local food fairs including urghley ouse ine ood markets. And then Covid-19 hit. ll events and festivals were cancelled so Ajay had to think fast how to save his start up e started a crowdfunding campaign with payitforward rewards and then managed to nd a location to operate from within weeks. Through the crowdfunder customers bought reward vouchers to use either for his home delivery

service or to ban and use later at one of the many fairs he attends in our area. Currently he is delivering ready to heat anjaraa style meal its to his customers in and around Peterborough. The £25 ready made kit consists of wraps, brioche buns, three delicious llings and chutneys for two people, but jay rec ons it will easily feed two children too e is getting delivery re uests from local villages and mar et towns around Peterborough and is able to deliver in small numbers. jay also gives coo ing lessons over oom to teach people how to ma e the perfect ndian masala e sends a list of ingredients, and with the customer having done the chopping and dicing beforehand he says the rst 4 minutes are ey e needs to be able to see your stove so he can ascertain when the onions are perfectly browned and e actly when to put in the garlic, ginger and spices After a two hour online lesson you’ll never forget his tric s of the trade The coo ery lesson over oom hatsapp costs hen restrictions ease, he will also be o ering coo ery lessons in your homes for up to ve people jay will bring everything needed and at the end of the session he cleans up and leaves his customers to enjoy the meal. A few people bought this as a reward during the crowdfunding and jay is e tending this service to future customers www.banjaraa.co.uk

Brampton Valley Cycles has recently relocated to the lendon odge arm Comple near ettering stablished in this independent bi e shop specialises in repairs to all bikes and is an authorised osch e i e Service Centre They stoc new bi es from rgon , rro i es, apierre and Cube as well as parts and accessories for many leading brands including a e cycling shoes visit their website for more details They also o er bi e tting and have a range of saddles that you can try before you buy or a personal service and friendly, approachable, e perienced sta go and visit their showroom and workshop. There is plenty of free par ing available, a cycle friendly caf and other artisan businesses on the comple www.bvcycles.co.uk

Ajay also gives cooking lessons over Zoom to teach people how to make the perfect Indian masala.

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Active life They want to thank the community for their contributions to help the sta source this protective e uipment ocal groups, Helping with Headbands and For the Love of Scrubs Stamford have worked tirelessly to support them. Covid hasn’t stopped this frontline team delivering a fantastic care service. www.wrightcareathome.co.uk

The Exeter Arms in Barrowden is under new ownership and now boasts a completely refurbished interior and outside barn and terrace with bar and kitchen. Owner Mark Symes can’t wait to open fully when government guidance says it’s safe. At the moment customers can buy takeaway beer and food.

The pub’s been providing welcome relief for villagers who can enjoy their beer in a delightful setting on the village green with views of the duck pond. The menu incorporates the best in season and includes fresh sh and vegetarian specials and, with their own in house butcher, you can select the size and thickness of your individual cuts. They can’t wait to welcome everyone back properly once restrictions ease. www.exeterarmsbarrowden.co.uk

measures They uic ly found di erent ways to prevent this from happening.

Their carers have been on the frontline carrying out extra duties to ensure customers got their shopping and were able to connect with friends and family using video links.

Carers have given families peace of mind by ta ing over duties such as cleaning, collecting prescriptions and essentials. They also enjoy carrying out small acts of kindness delivering isolation and pamper packages. owever, safety has been paramount The care team are wearing full protective clothing including medical face mas s, face shields, shoe covers, gloves and aprons which are changed between each task and disposed of safely. They pride themselves on keeping everyone safe.

Rumble Live Action Gaming, an adventure activity at Grafham Water had a good week recently winning ‘Best Outdoor Activity Company of the Year’ at the Cambridgeshire Prestige Awards and reopening for business following weeks of closure due to the lockdown.

The judges remarked on Rumble’s innovative approach to live gaming allowing players to complete missions in a real-world environment. They described the live action gaming arenas as perfect for players of all s ill levels aged eight and above o ering the ideal opportunity for children and grandparents alike to enjoy an adventure.

The outdoor arenas are set in eight acres of woodland and the weapons have an e ective range of over metres This, combined with the new rules, ma e it an e citing and safe activity for social distancing. All equipment will be fully sanitised between sessions.

Rumble Live Action Gaming will initially operate on Saturdays and Sundays only but the owners will be continually reviewing the situation and adding more weekday sessions over the next few weeks. The number of contenders per session has been temporarily reduced to accommodate social distancing so people are urged to book ahead to avoid disappointment rumblelive.co.uk.

Wright Care at Home provides a community care service supporting adults in their own homes with personal hygiene, dressing, meal preparation, medication support and wor s alongside social services. Covid-19 brought new challenges as many of their customers could become socially isolated and their mental health impacted due to the lockdown

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With the nation in the grip of coronavirus and a heatwave, Will Hetherington took the opportunity to circumnavigate England’s smallest county, on foot of course. Along the way a stream of idyllic villages and tales of 19th century bare-knuckle boxers and peasant poets made it worth the weary legs

The Rutland Round

W I L L’ S W A L K

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I

T’S A WELL nown and oft repeated fact that utland is the smallest county in ngland Therefore wal ing around the boundary is not necessarily that daunting t its widest east to west it s miles across and a mere miles from north to south nd with 4 s uare miles of largely bucolic rolling hills it is fractionally smaller than the sle of ight when the tide is out n the year the Campaign to Protect ural ngland CP and utland County Council teamed up to fund the way mar ing of a wal ing route around the perimeter of this beautiful little piece of ngland t that point ohn illiams was the ights of ay cer and he wrote an e tremely thorough guide to the route purchased my copy of this guide bac in the autumn of when was loo ing to organise a multi day wal for a group of li e minded wal ers and pub enthusiasts ut we then chose to venture further a eld to the or shire ales ut once an idea has been sown it can be rather hard to sha e o , and the utland ound idea was niggling away at me Therefore when our Prime inister instructed us all to get out and e ercise as much as possible on ay this little adventure suddenly seemed li e a very sensible option ohn illiams guide suggests doing it in ve days but m afraid m an impatient wal er and having underta en a lot of long wal s in the last few years, gured three days was manageable e were now also permitted to meet one other person from another household for outdoor e ercise so found a willing volunteer, and with a wonderful weather forecast for ay Tuesday, ednesday, Thursday there wasn t much else to discuss t s not li e we have had many other options recently and this seemed li e the closest was going to get to a holiday this year

DAY ON E GREAT CASTE RTON TO OAKHAM • • •• •• •• • • live in Stamford which is of course in incolnshire and the closest the route gets to the town is the Stamford eterinary Centre in reat Casterton, so that was the obvious starting point ow do you choose which way round to wal a circular route ccasionally there are factors which a ect the decision the view of a particular castle or bridge is better from one direction, or one way gets you to the right pub at lunchtime ormally though it s just gut instinct so went with anti cloc wise had wal ed most of the paths in utland before so thought the rst miles this way round might be the least interesting terrain wise so why not get that out of the way rst drove to reat Casterton, met my wal ing companion and we set o at am on the Tuesday morning t s uphill from the Primary School on Pic worth oad the most easterly point of utland ound for the rst mile and a half before a left turn at ounts odge ta es you o the road ithin metres there is a turn to the remote north and we started to gain a little height on an ancient drover s trac passing the site of oodhead Castle and then Taylor s arm to the east eep heading north and after a few more undulations peaceful little Pic worth comes into view with its small collection of rather grand houses There s a handy bench in front of the church and here you can learn from the useful information board about ohn Clare, the peasant poet who lived here in his early

days Pic worth might be the very de nition of tran uillity today but when the battle of osecoat ield was raging nearby on arch , 4 in the ars of the oses it clearly was not ead west out of Pic worth on the road and then follow the utland ound signs on to the farm trac which bears round to the north through the very edge of Pic worth reat ood rom here it s a short wal via the uarry and then into Clipsham, home to the famous live ranch and our rst depressing sight of a closed pub There is then a tedious section along the main road to Stretton ou can at least get o the road halfway along and wal behind the hedge adjacent to the oodland Trust ature eserve at eorge enry wood e barely noticed Stretton as we passed through on the main road, although we reminisced about the ac son Stops nn and how it came to be named after the estate agents because it was on the mar et for so long fter Stretton it s underneath the and pic up the utland ound signpost o the northbound slipway to the ts about si miles to here and, apart from the historical interest at Pic worth, there s not much else of note on this stretch.

Bare-knuckle boxing and eerie runways

rom this point by the until north of ar et verton we were on new ground for me, and it seems few others wal this way either ne or two of the stiles are non e istent and at the end of ay it was clear that nobody else had been through recently from the abundant and undisturbed stinging nettles surrounding some of the gateways fter a few big elds, one short section on the road and then another road crossing, the route goes through ooby odge, an idyllic nid lyton sort of farmstead with horses and geese appearing to be the primary residents etween here and the little village of Thistleton the most remar able feature is the northern end of the runway at what was Cottesmore and is now endrew arrac s There s something really uite blea about this spot, but suppose the site of a large runway indicates it s probably a at, featureless bit of land actually lived on the base for a couple of years in the late s when my father was a navigator in the Tri national Tornado Training stablishment nd it later became the home to the arrier So in some ways this was a trip down memory lane but, with no jets ying from here these days, it all seems a bit eerie

Heading towards Pickworth

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At Thistleton the church wall provided the best opportunity for a rest and elevenses as the sun was starting to do its work. We had covered 10 miles in three hours so sustenance was de nitely re uired The church was undergoing renovations and a brief chat with a longstanding local resident con rmed they actually and rather surprisingly miss the noise of the jets in the village. lthough the constant rumble of uarry lorries ensures that peace does not prevail entirely in the absence of the RAF. From Thistleton to Teigh it’s four and a half miles and the rst three are almost entirely unremar able, apart from one astonishing piece of history. Nearly a mile north west of the village is Thistleton ap which is the junction of utland, Leicestershire and Lincolnshire. This meant that in the early days of the 19th century it became a venue for prestigious bare-knuckle boxing bouts. These were illegal so the pro imity to three di erent counties made it an attractive spot for an easy getaway should the law appear.

But what is really amazing is there is evidence that on September , a crowd of some , people watched Tom Cribb beat American Thomas Molyneux in the World eavyweight o ing Championship Strangely, as wal ed past the very spot in ay could envisage the scene t s high, at and remote with two distinctive barns mar ing the spot could almost hear the crowds baying for blood and perhaps John Clare was one of them – it’s not impossible.

A Thankful Village

The memorial stone in the ‘Thankful Village’ of Teigh

From Thistleton Gap it’s another two miles along the northern perimeter of Rutland and past Cribbs Lodge before anything remotely interesting happens nd then, nally, half a mile north of Market Overton on the southern edge of Woodwell Head the view changes as the Vale of Catmose comes into view. After the best part of 13 miles in the bare knuckle boxing badlands of northeast Rutland this sweeping vista is a sight for sore eyes.

With the likes of Langham and Burley on the Hill visible in the distance it’s certainly a grand view n some ways it s a shame the utland Round doesn’t pass through Market Overton and take in the wonderful Black Bull pub. You could make the detour yourself though if you had the time and the inclination (and it was open).

Once we dropped down into the Vale it wasn’t far along the clearly mar ed way to Teigh, which is prettier than Pic worth or Thistleton, just as uiet and with its own remarkable story. Near the church is the memorial stone marking it as ‘A Thankful Village.’ Now forgive me if you all now this already, but what this means is that nobody from the village died in the First World War. And on the stone are the names of all those who served. There are only such villages in all of ngland and ales and it s just as poignant as a list of the fallen in other places t was a timely reminder of how fortunate we were to be strolling this county in peace, even during these strange times

A worthy detour but no naan bread

The route heads west over the elds out of Teigh from near the church and, within a mile, crosses the a ham to Melton Mowbray railway line. With Teigh Gate House in attendance this really does feel like a walk back into a di erent era, evo ing The ailway Children and an age of no doubt apocryphal innocence. You can either walk along the tarmac lane or over the elds to hissendine only another mile away, and we chose the latter t s glorious approaching the village from this angle as

the church is one of the rst buildings you reach There is a convenient little paddock just before the church with an even more convenient hilloc to sit on and eat one s lunch, safe in the knowledge that the lion’s share of the day’s walking has been done (17 of 24 miles). hissendine is a large, fairly linear settlement and the Rutland Round really only touches the eastern end of it so we didn t e plore much ut gather the village shop is famous for its naan breads so maybe we missed out there.

The ne t stop is angham two miles south over the elds and then there are two ways to walk from Langham to a ham the short, at and easy way along the road on one side of a triangle, or the really steep and di cult way up Mill Hill and along two sides of that cursed triangle. You can guess which route the utland ound ta es, and after more than miles, in the heat of the afternoon, it wasn t entirely welcome. owever, the view from anor ane of utland ater to the east made it worthwhile after all. From here head downhill to the main road in arleythorpe, turn right and it’s less than a mile into Oakham. We arrived at about 4 pm, so just over eight hours since the start nd for us that meant the end of the rst day and welcome refreshment followed by the short train ride on the 6 46 bac to Stamford t s just a shame then had to wal up one more hill to my house, but was home by pm having wal ed the best part of 4 miles through nine villages and one mar et town with , feet of elevation along the way. t was always going to be the longest day and was glad we had got through it without any hiccups.

DAY TWO OAKHAM TO LYDDI NGTON •• •• •• •• • • f you put this route into oogle maps it will tell you it s about eight miles on the road, but that s not the point of the Rutland Round is it? Catching the 7.07am train from Stamford to Oakham meant we were striding eastwards through the town centre by am ust after the Swooning Bridge on Uppingham Road the path leaves the road and heads out towards gleton by crossing the bypass n this beautiful morning in late ay gleton could not have looked better with its collection of old houses and proximity to Rutland Water.

The route leaves gleton on ambleton oad and crosses the A6003 again before heading uphill towards Brooke Covert ast rom this hill there are some e hilarating morning views back towards Hambleton and Oakham which almost make the whole three day adventure worth it. Nobody would claim that Rutland has the dramatic landscape of Cornwall, the a e istrict or the or shire ales, but it has a hilly and rural charm of its own Sometimes it’s hard to resist the cheesy truth behind its Latin motto ‘Multum in parvo’ (much in little) and this was one of those moments. And that was just the beginning.

From the hilltop we descended into the Gwash valley and the almost lost paradise that is roo e village, tuc ed into one of the county s greenest and most uintessentially nglish settings The church is almost ridiculous in its uaintness and with hardly any passing tra c life is uiet here.

From Brooke it’s only a mile or so west to Braunston-inutland, another jewel in the utland crown, and the route alongside the wash is pure bliss n better times the lue Ball pub by the church in Braunston would be a magnet for walkers on the Rutland Round but it wasn’t to be for us on this occasion lso, it was about am

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Thistleton

Clipsham

Teigh

Whissendine

Pickworth

Langham

THE ROUTE

Oakham Great Casterton

Empingham Braunston -in-Rutland

Egleton Edith Weston

Belton-inRutland

Duddington

Morcott Uppingham

Ketton

Tixover Barrowden

Lyddington

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The heat of the day

From Braunston the Rutland Round heads south past Priors Coppice Nature Reserve down into the wide Chater valley before marching with the Macmillan Way for a while. (Now there’s an idea; that one is 290 miles from Abbotsbury in Dorset to Boston in Lincolnshire.)

We stopped on a convenient bridge just past Leigh Lodge in the bottom of the valley for our rst refuelling brea This was shaping up to be the warmest day of the year with temperatures reaching 28 degrees, but with hats, sun cream, sunglasses and litres of water we were well prepared.

After the next long climb and equivalent descent Belton-in-Rutland is approached via a short but steep hill.

The church here is the most westerly point on the whole route y now we had done nine miles and climbed ve hills but the beauty of this village was not lost on us. fter elton there is a ddly stretch up the old 4 before crossing the present incarnation of this major east-west road and then sleepy little Wardley passes in a ash The warm southerly bree e meant there was no tra c noise and we were able to enjoy the view of what must be one of the smallest churches in the county. alf a mile after this little settlement the path turns bac on itself into the woods, but for the sa e of a yard detour there s a lovely stretch of the babbling ye roo which is worth a loo t 6 acres ardley ood provides the longest piece of woodland wal ing on the utland Round and gave us some very welcome shade for the mile we were under its canopy. When we emerged into sunlight on the north eastern edge we had the long steady climb

through some tightly pac ed contour lines towards eicester oad which joins ppingham to the 4 t is then about a mile down Leicester Road into the lovely centre of Uppingham where there are amenities aplenty. We only made it to the One Stop shop on High Street West before the desire for a suitable treat became irresistible. Sitting on the school wall with that ice cream was just reward for the hilly and hot miles we had already underta en

The view over Oakham to Rutland Water

A wrong turn and a smart decision

But there were still seven miles to go and it was getting hotter and hotter so we didn t tarry long ot for the rst (or last) time the route is slightly counter-intuitive here.

Lyddington is to the south east of Uppingham but we left on Stoc erston oad which heads west aving left the road there are then a series of small elds with attendant stiles and gates to negotiate before arriving at King’s Hill Lodge with stunning views of Beaumont Chase beyond. e too our only wrong turn of the three days here and got more views than the utland ound usually o ers This also meant wal ing bac up the hill but it s boring if you don t ta e a wrong turn every now and again That was my defence, anyway.

What you should do is turn left at King’s Hill Lodge and then right shortly afterwards to pic up the meandering and undulating path south east fter Sto e ry ood there are spectacular views of yebroo eservoir to the south before the path reaches the northern edge of Sto e Dry. This is where the Rutland Round throws its strangest curve ball The ne t settlement is yddington, our nishing point for the day f you ta e the lovely path down the hill

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The view from Uppingham

The magnificent views of the Welland Valley which lay before us

Wardley Church

DAY TH RE E LYDDINGTON TO GREAT CASTE RTON • • •• •• • • The Vale of Catmose

into the elland alley with the magni cent views it s one mile away ut if you ta e the utland ound to the south on the busy 6 with no footpath for half a ilometre, in near degree heat, then bac north over at elds with no nice views then it s three miles m pleading the fth on which route we too but can tell you we enjoyed some lovely views of uite possibly utland s nest village as we approached yddington and nished wal ing for the day just before pm e had covered miles over seven and a half hours, with umpteen hills amounting to ,6 4 feet of climbing and it was hot and glorious was home by 4 pm and feeling pretty fresh considering the last two days

n the nal morning we reconvened in lovely yddington for an am start and soon left this gorgeous collection of ironstone cottages behind as we headed east towards Seaton The route curves around the northern edge of a large mound called The arrows before ta ing the straight line uphill on range ane into Seaton rom Seaton the utland ound heads north east through one steep valley before crossing the 4 into orcott t then turns east and bac over the 4 towards arrowden along the rather tedious high hedged orcott oad would suggest it s more pleasant and interesting to head south out of Seaton to enjoy wonderful views of the arch railway viaduct Cross the elland before going under the viaduct and in to arringworth rom here you can pic up the urassic ay and rejoin the utland ound in arrowden The purists may nd this problematic, because you do stray into orthamptonshire t s your choice but they are both similar distances have done both and now which one prefer ither way you will ultimately end up at the duc pond and the picnic benches by the village green in arrowden This was the perfect place for us to ta e our mid morning snac after about seven miles of wal ing rom the duc pond we headed east to the pretty old stone bridge over the elland just by a erley t s a left turn here on to road then soon there is a right turn on to a long trac which ultimately brings you to Ti over, passing the isolated village church out to the right along the way The village

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Friday Lunchtime Special

2 Portions of Cod, Chips and Mushy Peas for £10

07726 334501 teresa@viridisdesign.co.uk

www.viridisdesign.co.uk

Tuesday, Wednesday 4pm - 11pm (Food 6.30pm - 9.30pm) Thursday 4pm - 11pm (Food 6.30pm - 9.30pm) Friday, Saturday 12pm - 12am (Food 12pm - 2.30pm/6.30pm - 9.30pm) Sunday 12pm - 6pm (Food 12.30pm - 3pm)

LAST ORDERS WILL BE TAKEN 30 MINUTES BEFORE FOOD IS STOPPED SERVING

14 Arnhill Road, Gretton | Northants, NN17 3DN

Tel: 01536 770268 www.thehattonarms.com

ACTIVE RUTLAND We’re now spending more time at home, which is why staying physically active and looking after your wellbeing is more important than ever. There are many ways that we can remain active in our homes and outside in your local area, whilst following social distancing guidelines.

There are lots of local instructors, clubs and organisations delivering virtual classes to help you stay active at home. Visit www.activerutland.org.uk/activeathome to see what local online classes you can get involved in, including fitness, dance and pilates.

It’s the perfect time to stay connected with regular sessions or to try something new.

Sponsored by

Stunning view at Lyddington

Lyddington is a strong contender for best village in the county.

Apporaching Seaton

used to be nearer the church and it’s not clear why it migrated but it may have had something to do with the plague, which incredibly we can now relate to in 2020.

A looming church

After Tixover The Rutland Round heads east alongside the A47 for half a mile before turning back north west from the old Welland bridge in Duddington, which is pretty. Or you can just cross the A47 at Tixover and walk down the quiet lane to Tixover Grange and avoid the time next to the noisy main road. Either way you will end up at Tixover Grange to take the mile long farm track to Geeston (part of Ketton) to the north. have wal ed this path many times and it s ne in isolation, but on a hot day after 10 miles it can be tough. It’s often sheltered from any refreshing breeze and hard underfoot with the heat bouncing o the dusty trac Plus Collyweston church looms to the east, never getting any closer or more distant. Every time you look up it’s just there in a mocking sort of way, as if to say: “Are you still there?”

It’s the only church that’s ever bullied me.

However, we just plodded on and ultimately reached Geeston where the path goes around the back of some houses before winding its way over the railway and through lovely Aldgate. We then crossed the river Chater and went up Bull Lane to the Ketton village shop where a cold drink and a seat on the bench was tonic for weary legs and dusty throats.

A well placed bench

The only thing is it was getting hotter all the time (it was about midday) and we knew it was a long uphill, dusty and stony track through the Ketton quarry next. But we also new we weren t too far o the home straight so we had the

motivation to get the weary legs moving again. And the quarry was made a bit more interesting by the giant trucks passing under the green metal bridge as we crossed. This section of the Rutland Round certainly provides a stark contrast to some of the more peaceful and ancient stretches like Wardley Wood and the Gwash valley, but it’s all part of Rutland.

Not too far north of the quarry there is a footpath junction where the Rutland Round heads west to Edith Weston then along the eastern shore of the reservoir and the dam into Empingham. We knew Rutland Water was closed to visitors so we carried straight on here until we reached the quiet country lane just north of Woodside Farm. From here we took the road into Empingham, stopping at the perfectly positioned bench on Bunker’s Hill to enjoy our last lunch of the walk. After this pit-stop we walked past the church in Empingham then turned right on to Main Street downhill passing a series of idyllic village houses along the way.

Just after the bridge over the North Brook the Rutland ound heads o the road to the right and up through Chapel Spinney. From here it’s two miles along the ridgeline towards Tickencote with lovely views to the south. At Tickencote it’s just a short stroll through the village and to the OK Diner beyond. We turned right here, walked glumly under the A1 and arrived back at the cars at about 3pm, with an inevitable sense of sadness at the end of an adventure.

Although there was also a palpable sense of achievement.

Another seven hours of walking and 20 miles had seen us climb the least amount of feet (just 965) of the three days.

We missed the pubs…

nd spea ing of feet, mine were de nitely ready for a rest It’s not ridiculous to walk 65 miles in three days but I would suggest when the pubs are open again that you allow a little more time to get the very most out of this walk. It doesn’t take in every village in Rutland but I think it sees some of the best. With the two lovely market towns of Oakham and Uppingham and countless stunning valleys (particularly in the south western areas) it’s an absolute cracker. And you might be surprised just how big England’s smallest county seems when you journey around the edge of it on your own two feet. If only the pubs had been open, but then we might still be out there.

July 2020 / the activemag.com 29

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17/06/2020 23:25

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

RICE becomes PRICE Physiotherapist Sarah Babbs finds that over-enthusiastic exercisers have been the mainstay of her patients during lockdown

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S PHYSIOTHERAPISTS DURING lockdown we have mostly been contacted by people who have increased their exercise and are asking for advice as well as from others who have gone a step too far for their bodies and su ered because of it. Google searches for knee pain have increased by 471% and ankle sprain by 267%. And it’s not just the adults; in one hospital trampoline injuries were half of all the fractures seen in one morning’s fracture clinic (although it didn’t actually distinguish between bouncing adults and children).

As you know I am a keen advocate of being strong and having good enough balance and co-ordination to manage the exercises we wish to do, and so helping avoid injury. However, if you have hurt yourself then there are a few simple rules to follow. The old adage RICE has been updated to PRICE.

COMPRESSION Using a bandage around an injury may help minimise swelling as well as protect and support the area.

ELEVATION This can help speed up recovery time by minimising the swelling making movement easier. Ideally the limb should be elevated above the heart, resting an ankle on the arm (or back) of a sofa works nicely.

For a sprained ankle (providing there is no brea , often identi ed by pain on weight bearing and tenderness in speci c areas around the ankle and swelling) applying a strap, using ice if there is major swelling and beginning to walk - possibly with the aid of crutches but taking some weight through the limb - will help keep up blood circulation and muscle movement which will help speed recovery, allow walking within days and even running within

weeks. Gradual heel raises and other pain free exercises to maintain and improve strength can also be done. We have a great example of this on our Facebook page (Stamford Physiotherapy and Pilates) as my colleague Emily sprained her ankle a few weeks ago.

Back pain searches have increased by 157% over the last six weeks. This may be down to more people using laptops at their kitchen table and moving less than you would in an o ce no getting up to go to the photocopier or chat to colleagues). The most important thing is to keep moving and change your position at least every 20 minutes. Have the computer screen at eye level if using a remote keyboard. A fantastic exercise to keep the spine moving is the JEMS thigh slide http://www. jemsmovement.com/video/spinal-mobility1-thigh-slides/ Keep safe and well - both physically and mentally - as we muddle our way through this extraordinary time. Ideally keep walking, keep strong and keep making the most of the time we have been made to take.

To contact Sarah ring 01780 480889 or direct on 07780 900201.

PROTECTION This may mean using

strapping or even crutches until the acute symptoms settle.

REST But relative rest, rarely stopping everything. It means to manage symptoms to allow healing while not losing any gains made. Movement around the damaged area and some muscle contractions are important to prevent sti ness and help speed recovery ICE This is helpful short term as pain relief.

owever in ammation lasts many wee s The rst part swelling, pain is from damage to the tissues with the second being the repair, remodelling over time to replace the damaged tissue making it viable and strong again nti in ammatory medication and prolonged icing can stop that second part taking place leaving the tissue vulnerable to repeated injury.

“Google searches for knee pain have increased by 471% and ankle sprain by 267%”

30 July 2020 / the activemag.com

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17/06/2020 23:29

ActiveBody

Too many sleepless nights?

Why you can’t sleep and what’s keeping you awake by Gary Trickett

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LEEPLESSNESS HAS BECOME one of society’s biggest problems. Most of us have busy, hectic lives and it can be hard to tell if stress is keeping you awake or if exhaustion is making stress unmanageable.

From worries about work, money, to your sleeping environment and now lockdown and coronavirus there are many contributing factors that can mean sleepless nights.

It’s as important to have a regular sleep routine as it is to get the hours of rest because of something called circadian rhythm, which is our 24-hour body clock. Interestingly, this will change slightly as you get older which is why teenagers like to stay up late and an older person may do better with an earlier bedtime. You may notice that you feel tired around the same time every day and maybe full of beans at other times. This is worth paying attention to as it gives you a clue about your own body clock.

The hypothalamus (the most primitive part of the brain, our lizard brain) controls the circadian rhythm and keeps the body on

a cycle of tasks: repair, sleep, digestion and many other jobs are all lined up for speci c times over the course of the day. The hypothalamus uses daylight and darkness to regulate itself, so spending time outside in the bright light during the daylight hours and then dimming lights in the hour or so before bed are good steps to take. This rhythm and routine are essential to respect if you want to function as well as you can.

Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day will make the hours that you sleep more productive and will help you establish a sleep routine. For those who have to work unsociable hours keeping as regular a routine as possible for your sleeping and eating habits may mitigate some of the negative e ects Keeping all electronic devices, including mobile phones, out of your bedroom is good sleep hygiene. The blue light that phones and tablets emit inhibit the sleep hormone melatonin, and this can cause insomnia.

Too hot? Overheating in bed can disturb

your sleep. The ideal temperature for a bedroom is between 16 and 18°C. When your body is cool and rested, it triggers the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone.

During the evening, your body temperature naturally drops, and as morning approaches it rises again, getting ready for the day. This is all part of the shutdown and repair process. If you are waking up in a pool of sweat then your bedroom may be too hot or you need to ditch that high TOG duvet.

Chronic stress (stress that is ongoing and long-term) has been linked to many health conditions, including sleep problems.

As far as sleep-supportive nutrients are concerned B vitamins and magnesium can help to support the nervous system during stressful periods. Magnesium is a mineral that is needed for over 300 biochemical reactions in the body: we need heaps of it! It has a role to play in nerve and muscle function as well as energy production and it helps keep our bones, glucose levels and immune system healthy. It is also important for maintaining energy and aiding sleep.

B vitamins are important for the health of the nervous system as well as many other essential functions. Because they are water-soluble they are not stored the way fat-soluble nutrients like vitamin D are. If the diet or digestive system is poor, or if there are extra demands on the mind and body, it may be necessary to increase the intake of B vitamins to avoid running low. Foods that are rich in these vital nutrients include green leafy vegetables, wholegrains, beans, meat, dairy and eggs.

A natural sleep remedy can also help.

Dormeasan® Sleep is a fresh herb tincture made of valerian and hops. It is non-addictive and fast-acting, and is not known to cause drowsiness.

For further advice visit Gary and his team at Healthy Route, 18 Silver Street, Leicester or call 0116 253 9097.

“It’s as important to have a regular sleep routine as it is to get the hours of rest because of something called circadian rhythm, which is our 24-hour body clock.”

July 2020 / theactivemag.com

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17/06/2020 23:28

Meet some successful sporty kids Spotlight on netball | 28 not out | The roundup

ActiveSport Little Bytham

Clipsham

Distance: 36.23 miles Elevation: 1,606ft Ride type: Road

Witham on the Hill

Manthorpe

Pickworth

On your bike!

Braceborough

Gary Waterfall is back out on the road again and is relishing riding with friends on this 36 mile ride, although he stuck close to home to avoid unnecessary travel.

Greatford

Great Casterton Uffington

Burghley House Ketton

Barnack Easton on the Hill START / FINISH

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T’S SO GOOD to be bac in the fresh air nally after months of indoor turbo training for the oyal ir orces ssociation Charity ride miles on a Turbo trainer This month s ride is a scenic 6 mile route ta ing in ne views of Stamford and surrounding villages There are lots of shortcut options throughout if you are getting bac into the saddle li e me and want to reduce the miles slightly Starting n aston n the ill, ta e care crossing the busy 4 and follow acecourse oad to the and cross over the bridge before easing o for a scenic ride through the beautiful urghley Par we are so luc y to enjoy this national treasure and than you to them for eeping the par open for us all to enjoy during loc down oining the 44 you ll ride up into Pilsgate before passing

through arnac and ngton over the beautiful bridge by Copthill School entle roads for a while as you wind your way through reatford, raceborough, ilsthorpe and anthorpe before climbing into itham on the ill and enjoy the views as you descend into ittle ytham not a bad place to stop at asell s for a mid ride co ee nward for the rolling road to Clipsham then Pic worth and down the hill into reat Casterton before climbing up to cross the busy Stamford a ham road and enjoying the downhill brea into etton ust one punishing hill up to Collyweston before returning to The lue ell at aston so good to see them still thriving during loc down with an e cellent ta e out service and delivery which they run through the village initiative elp on the ill phone 6 to chec times so you can ma e the most of it http://www.strava.com/routes/28226050

32 July 2020/ theactivemag.com

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18/06/2020 17:34

Active• • • •• CHALLENGES

#28notout They’ve had to adapt the #28notout challenge because of the restrictions but Rachael Templeton is still planning to do her 28 mile run

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’M STILL TRAINING and upping my miles for the 28 mile run but we now want to encourage as many people as possible to contribute to a 2,800km target in 28 hours as we’ve had to adapt a lot of our programme to t in with guidelines. This distance is Land’s End to John O’Groats, and then back again and of course ties in with Max’s age which was 28.

This distance can be done by running, cycling, scooting, driving a tractor, walking the dog (Max’s dog Monty will be adding his miles), dribbling a hockey ball, throwing a rugby ball, bouncing a tennis ball for any distance, sprinting the length of a football pitch, the perimeter of a cricket boundary 28 times, walking the golf course or any other crazy sporting activity. It needs to be done between 18:00 on July 10 and 22:00 on July 11. Anyone, anywhere in the world can get involved with their own activity within the 28 hour period to raise funds.

I’ve continued training for running 28 miles which, all being well, will contribute 45km towards the 2,800km

’ Monty will be playing his part!

challenge. I tend to run four times a week, three shorter runs of up to six miles with a longer one once a week. The furthest I’ve managed so far is 20 miles, so I just need to nd another eight miles in the tan I’ve quite enjoyed running in the recent heatwave. It’s surprising that you seem to get a bit of breeze when you run, even on the hottest days. I did get caught out with my pale skin though and ended up looking like a drumstick squashy sweet; lesson learnt, factor 30 has been applied ever since Other committee members have been busy training too, with Chesca Martin and Alison Smith getting their miles in on their bi es an ri n hitting the Stamford roads running and Alex Wallace is practicing her dribbling skills ready to dribble a hockey ball 2.8 miles.

To nd out more about T T and donate towards the Max Hunter fund, please visit https://themintridgefoundation. charitycheckout.co.uk/cf/28-not-out--the-max-hunter-fund

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)

2800

“Run, cycle, scoot, drive your tractor, walk your dog, dribble a hockey ball, bounce a tennis ball, throw a rugby ball, sprint the length of a rugby pitch, run around the boundary of your cricket field or walk a golf course”

6

28 10 J & 10 11 J 2020

Record your distance, however big or small, on any tracking app and send a screenshot to alex@mintridge.org.uk

To take part, please donate £2.80 with reference LEJOG to: https://themintridgefoundation.charitycheckout.co.uk/cf/ 28-not-out---the-max-hunter-fund or Text 28NOTOUT to 70085 to donate £3.

Texts cost £3 plus one standard rate message.

Scan to Donate

www.mintridgefoundation.org.uk @MintridgeFDN

submit photos and video clips of you completing your distance by tagging #28notout and #LEJOG2800 on social media

32-33 bikeroutenotokKM.indd 33

Stamford2Swansea Plans have had to change but the Stamford2Swansea crew still managed to cover some socially distanced #milesformovement

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OVID-19 HAS SCUPPERED many plans and those of the Stamford2Swansea crew were no exception. On June 11, the team should have been setting o on a mile cycle to Swansea, followed by the Swansea half marathon. Given all the planning and preparation the challenge was cancelled with a very heavy heart.

But to keep the legs moving and fundraising e orts going they decided to cover the miles that weekend in a more local and socially distanced fashion; 500 of them between them. Some cycled, others ran and some walked. The only requirements were that miles were logged, sel es ta en and the hashtag milesformovement used to contribute to the total. undraising e orts were for something very speci c this time around Thea has Cerebral Palsy meaning she is unable to walk unaided. One thing Thea would like more than anything else is her own bike, which needs to be fully adapted for her needs. As these bi es are not provided by the S fundraising went towards the cost of the bike, with any additional money raised going to their chosen charities; Scope and the Cavernoma Alliance.

The warm weather, poor navigational skills and a distinct lack of training certainly meant it was a challenge. But despite all that, the team managed to cover well over 800 miles, raising a lot of money for one very happy little lady. https://justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ milesformovement

July 2020 / theactivemag.com 33

18/06/2020 17:35

Active, athletic, adolescents Our area is home to some very talented sporting youngsters, we’ve caught up with a few of them

THE COMPOU ND ARCHE R

BRITISH E PE E CHAMPION

Will Ferguson is the 2019 under 16 British Epee champion. Unfortunately he can’t claim to be current champion, as despite there not being a competition this year, he’s now 17!

But he is the undefeated champion of two years in a row.

Will lives in Carlby and goes to Bourne Grammar School. Always a keen rugby player, being captain of the U18 Deeping s uad, and from a rugby family he rst saw a fencing match at the London Olympics in 2012. thought d li e to have a go at that, says ill so my dad and found a club in Peterborough in was when rst picked up a foil and really enjoyed it. After a year entered my rst competition and got absolutely thrashed! But it made me want to get better so I trained more and kept at it.’

And it’s worked. Until this year Will was training three times a week and competing up to 30 times a year travelling all over the country e ful lled his initial ambition of getting a place on the GB squad and competing in an international competition.

He’s now gone up an age group into the seniors and will be competing at U18 and so initially it s going to be harder as ll be competing against grown men.’ d love to compete at the lympics one

34 July 2020 / theactivemag.com

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day, every fencer wants to do that. I shall have to work hard and push myself to the limit to get there. I’ll also need sponsorship so am always on the look out for some.’

Fencers need speed, stamina and to be competitive. Unfortunately Covid has seen to the competition this year but Will is making sure he eeps his tness levels up by going on fre uent ve mile runs, it gets me out of the house too,’ and is skipping and working out using old gym equipment he has at home.

He’s also using a homemade coaching arm which means he can practice hitting, but obviously has had no sparring practice for quite a few months. uture plans for ill once he has nished school are to see the world and travel want to spend a year in America where I can train with Olympic coaches. It’s a much bigger sport out there so I have set myself a goal for the year to improve enough to get to the Olympics. I want a GBR mask, that’s what I’m aiming for.’

Grace Coulam is nearly 13 and lives just outside Stamford. Grace’s sport is compound archery and she’s rather good at it having plenty of trophies and medals, numerous titles and a high ranking in the country in her age group. Grace is also currently Rutland’s junior sportswoman of the year.

Grace did a beginner’s course at the Bowmen of Rutland Archery Club in 2018 and loved it and now trains at three di erent places. Still loyal to the Bowmen of Rutland, she goes at least twice a week, she is also training with the JeDis which is the junior development squad in Leicestershire and Rutland and EMAS which is the East Midlands Junior Archery squad. rchery is a sport that re uires a lot of balance and upper body strength. If it’s super windy a competition only gets called o if the arrow comes o the rest or if there is a thunderstorm) you need the strength and balance to keep you and the bow up. And you need upper body strength so you can draw the bow. My draw weight (the amount I pull back) is around 32lbs and my bow weighs about 4.5lbs. It gets harder as you move up the age categories as the distances increase. Each category is split into age group, gender and bow type. I am in the under 14 ladies’ compound. was eager to compete from the beginning fter the rst couple of competitions got noticed by the L&RCAA (Leicestershire and utland team and then sent scores o to EMAS and got into their team as well. Since my rst competition ve won gold medals and one silver and have a cupboard full of trophies and cups. You can do archery all year round but most of the competitions are outside in the spring and summer. The outside

18/06/2020 17:35

Active• • • ••

season is the competitive season, inside is the preparation for the outdoor so you will make modi cations to your shooting style and to your bow then.

‘Since the lockdown Archery GB have said we cannot shoot at home because we are not insured and all competitions are cancelled so m really missing it ‘My ambition is to win the world archery championships. I hope that compound archery will soon be allowed into the Olympics and would love to be able to compete there. I want to carry on with rchery and hope to do so for a long time

BASKETBALL PL AYE RS

Sam urton aged and bi ray aged from a ham won gold and bron e medals at last year’s World Special Needs lympics oth youngsters were nominated for the Rutland disabled sportsperson of the year award, which Sam won with Abbie as runner up They, along with 6 other local athletes have been supported by The Travers Foundation.

Based in Gretton, this volunteer-run charity assists with funding for youngsters aged between and living in Northamptonshire, Leicestershire and utland, helping them to realise their dreams in sport, music and arts. oing to the lympics made such a di erence to both of us, say Sam and bi e made new friends, gained more social s ills and grew in con dence The Travers oundation was a big part in helping get us there, so a big than you from both of us www.travers-foundation.org.uk

RUGBY PL AYE RS

Two of a ham School s talented rugby players have been awarded contracts with eicester Tigers following a successful season in their nder cademy arry lynn y half and it Smith bac row , who were both part of the Tigers nder eague winning cademy, will step up to senior rugby ne t season as members of the club’s Development Squad.

July 2020 / theactivemag.com 35

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19/06/2020 09:12

Jeremy Smithson-Beswick finds that sports stars, like us, are becoming a little less sane with every passing day of lockdown and it appears to be catching

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AST MONTH WE shared with you some of the imaginative, not to say downright bonkers things professional sportspeople are doing to eep their s ills honed and bodies t in the absence of competition and the closure of gymnasia. Well, it seems they’re pretty much like the rest of us. Just as we are all becoming a little bit less sane with every passing day of lockdown, so they also have continued to gently and gracefully descend further into utter madness.

Granted, you’d have to go some to beat our June edition’s hero Paul Chelimo (the Olympic silver medallist who – deprived of his running machine - put washing up liquid in his bath so he could run on the spot) but believe it or not he has his imitators. Adam

Instagram @hollypv

Gemmill, who was fourth in the 200m at the 2016 Olympics, Tweeted a photo of himself doing the same thing, saying that he saw it in a video and “thought it was a good idea.”

Don’t these people realise the dentists are still closed and they’re just one slip away from a distinct lack of that all-important media friendly smile? But it’s not just him.

All over the world other athletes are showing a burning ambition to try to reach ever dizzier heights of eccentricity. They’re a competitive lot after all...

Worthy of at least a podium position is another Olympian, pole vaulter Holly Bradshaw. As if it were the most logical thing in the world she rst e plained her conundrum. “When you do pole drills and pick up a pole it’s quite heavy because a lot of

the pole is out in front of you, but if you’re at home and replicate it with a broom or a mop, it’s really light.” So, Holly, you’ve found a heavier pole or used proper weights? No? Thought not. “I’ve been taping two cans of baked beans to the end of the mop and that is like a replica pole.” Of course you have – it must be almost indistinguishable from the real thing and baked beans are undoubtedly the only sensible way to go. Canned tomatoes just wouldn’t hack it. Holly then quickly added, to show she wasn’t going screwy or anything, “I haven’t actually run with the mop and beans because that would be a bit chaotic.” That’s alright then. No embarrassment there at all.

Also completely normal is England cricketer Jos Butler who posted a video of his

Instagram @ian_bell

36 July 2020 / theactivemag.com

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17/06/2020 23:32

Active• • • •• Instagram @josbuttler

“England cricketer Jos Butler who posted a video of his latest Pilates session. In his whites. With his pads on.

And helmet. And gloves.

Don’t know about his box – couldn’t really tell – but I wouldn’t be surprised.”

latest Pilates session. In his whites. With his pads on. And helmet. And gloves. Don’t know about his box – couldn’t really tell – but I wouldn’t be surprised. No point in going for half measures. Talking of balls, who’d have thought world champion pentathlete Jo Muir would be using the tennis variety. They don’t usually feature in the event but if you dangle them from string they’re ideal for fencing practice, apparently. Meanwhile shot putter Scotty Lincoln and champion swimmer Ryan Murphy are both to be found out on the road – pushing a 20 ton truck and a 4X4 respectively – to “get some burn in the legs.”

Leave the engine on and the exhaust pipe should help with that lads.

You can add into the mix swimmers in paddling pools with ropes tied around their waist, marathons around dining tables and on balconies and the ever-growing fascination with toilet rolls. Emulating the footballers’ keepy-up challenge, cricket has leapt onto the bandwagon. I particularly liked Ian Bell’s stern admonishment to his son as he cracked the white cylinder through what would have been the covers if he’d had any in his hallway. “Don’t bowl it there lad.”

I suspect our local heroes are not immune.

Oakham rugby club’s Facebook page seems to be full of “glamour” photos of their players modelling new strips. Let’s just say I don’t think Brad Pitt has anything to worry about, these are faces that are ideal for seeing from no closer than two metres away. Hopefully their recent return to training will keep them on the straight and narrow, although they reported that there were more forwards than bac s at the rst session That is almost

unheard of in any amateur club in history.

However, as they pointed out themselves, the pubs are closed.

Rivals Stamford have helpfully tweeted some useful advice on social distancing, recommending the maximum possible gap between you and anyone who supports uncontested scrums. Equally community minded is their Darren Gray (self-described as an ageing overweight rugby prop that used to be scrum half) who is at least using his time productively, cycling and walking 1,000km in aid of Mindfulness in the NHS. Virgin Giving for details and donations please ats o too to ourne running club for their Natural Bourne Runners initiative – running for a full 24 hours in one hour slots in aid of Don’t Lose Hope and Bourne Lions.

Two rare glimpses of good works amongst the general self-obsession.

Talking of self-obsession, the cricketers at Burghley Park (with too much spare time on their hands obviously) have launched a series of individual player pro les on social media and jolly professional they look too. The sort of thing you might see on a major club’s website at rst glance owever, a closer inspection will reveal some interesting facts that you might not associate with this most gentlemanly of sports. No names, no pack drill but the responses to “Funniest thing you ve ever seen on a playing eld include a player throwing up, another batting after downing a magnum of red wine (not the same occasion, remarkably) and a third experiencing, shall we say, wind problems whilst elding at slip and much else that can’t share in a family magazine. Answers to

“favourite food” include kebabs, bar snacks, Big Macs, pizza and “Scotch egg, a Cadbury’s Double Decker and a bag of Doritos washed down with Irn Bru.” So in summary the Olympics are postponed, there will be no Wimbledon, urghley orse Trials are o , all summer rugby tours are cancelled and we have no chance of going to watch football or cricket.

Yet, at least we know our dedicated sports folk will be in tip top physical condition on their return. What their mental state will be is anyone’s guess.

July 2020 / theactivemag.com

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17/06/2020 23:33

Active• • • ••

Spotlight on netball Beth Shine, club coach at Charnwood Rutland Warriors Netball Club shines a light on the game of netball

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VER SINCE ENGLAND won gold at the 2018 commonwealth Games netball has been having a bit of a moment. By breaking the dominance of Australia and New Zealand the England Roses thrust their sport into a whole new spotlight and earned a new legion of fans. This was followed by a World Cup on home soil in Liverpool last year. Whilst the Roses were unable to match their Commonwealth Games success they did win the bronze medal and continued to raise the pro le of the game fter the orld Cup England Netball has calculated that a staggering 160,000 women were inspired to start playing netball, or more netball; and of course men can play too, often in mixed teams.

Players

In a team there are seven players, and all have a speci c role to play the ultimate team sport, you need every single team member to do their job to be successful. Positions fall into three general areas defence, mid court and your shooting circle.

Your defence are usually the taller players, with great elevation and vision to read the game and win those game changing intercepts and rebounds. A successful defence must work as a team to shut down the opposition’s attack. Goalkeeper and goal defence will work to defend the circle whilst wing defence works to disrupt play in mid court id courters are usually the runners, those with endless energy who work the ball down court to goal. Wing attack is likely to be fast and a dab hand at getting free from their opponent, their relationship with the centre, goal attack and goal shooter is crucial as they often will receive most of the centre passes and feed the

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ball to the shooters. Centre is the link between the team’s attack and defence – relentless and determined they will run all day and play a vital role across the whole court.

Your shooting circle tend to be the divas of the team! Your goal shooter will often be tall and dominate a circle with their height, but don’t underestimate the small, nippy goal shooter who outfoxes the most experienced of defences. Often the Robin to the shooter’s Batman, the goal attack works to carve up the court and create space for their shooter in the circle. They’re often pretty handy at sinking a long range shot as if it s no e ort at all

Rules

The main rules in netball are pretty simple, as the game progresses and gets faster advantage is played more and more by umpires to let the game ow The court is split into thirds and players are allowed in certain areas of the court. Whilst netball is o cially a non contact sport, anyone who has played or just watched a game of netball knows that’s not quite the case.

Once a player has caught the ball and

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grounded what is known as their ‘landing foot’ they then can’t move that foot until they have released the ball, if they do they will be penalised for footwork, or stepping. When defending a player with the ball you must be one metre away. You can try and jump to tip or intercept a pass or a shot but if you are closer than a metre you will be penalised for obstruction. There are more rules as to how far you can throw the ball (the ball must be touched in each third of the court) and you aren’t allowed to bounce the ball like in bas etball n terms of sendings o we operate a level system so the rst level is a caution, escalating to a formal warning before players can be sent o for two minutes. In serious cases, players can be ordered o for the remainder of the game

Charnwood Rutland Warriors

Charnwood Rutland Warriors has over 250 members with a thriving junior and senior section. The senior teams play in England Netball’s National Premier League, having recently been promoted to Division 2 and in ast idlands egional ivision e have had considerable success at U16 level coming third in the country at the U16 National Championships in 2018 and 2019 and a number of our players are now in the England Roses system at U19 and U17 level. e o er opportunities for everyone from age eight up to our ladies’ session. We train across two venues, Catmose College in Oakham and Loughborough High School, everyone is welcome. www.charnwoodrutlandnc.co.uk

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38 July 2020 / theactivemag.com

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