Active Magazine // March 2015

!

E

E R F

VOTE NOW FOR YOUR CYCLE STAR Who will win our amazing Rutland Cycling prize?

ISSUE 33 // MARCH 2015

STA M FOR D & RU T L A N D’S SPORT A N D L E I S U R E M AGA Z I N E

ISSUE 33 // MARCH 2015

TAKE A BOW Wo

lf Hall got you all a quiver?

Have a go at archery TAKE A LEAD WITH DOG LESSONS

CALLING RAT FANS!

VISIT THE SPRING LAMBS

Reinventing the walk and teaching your dog new tricks

The dastardly Rat Race is back: all the details here

Latest arrivals at Sacrewell Farm

www.theACTIVEmag.com 03

Free mini consultations for cosmetic surgery “It’s so nice to finally feel happy with the way I look.”

Breast enlargement patient

Coming to your area soon Spire Leicester Hospital are coming to Borderville Sports Centre in Stamford. We are hosting a FREE open evening with Consultant cosmetic and plastic surgeon Mr S Varma on Wednesday 4th March on all aspects of cosmetic surgery.

The talk will start at 7pm but you can arrive from 6.30pm and light refreshments will be available. There will be the opportunity to ask any questions you may have during and after the presentation.

To reserve a place on the evening please call one of Spire Leicester Hospital’s Private Treatment Advisers on 0116 265 3021.

Borderville Sports Centre, Ryhall Road, Stamford, Lincs, PE9 1US

Gartree Road, Oadby, Leicester, LE2 2FF

Editor’s Letter

Publisher Chris Meadows chris@theactivemag.com Editor Steve Moody steve@theactivemag.com Deputy Editor Mary Bremner mary@theactivemag.com

I WAS WATCHING TIGER WOODS PLAYING golf (badly) recently and he had a face like thunder, body language that kept swearing, and gave the overall impression that he would rather be anywhere than forcing a recalcitrant golf ball around the beautifully manicured course, bathed in warm sunshine.

Thinking back over his career, was there ever a sportsman who seemed to enjoy his talent less? Even when he was winning, it seemed the result of a primal urge to grind the opposition to dust, rather than a celebration of what he could do.

For all his personal shortcomings, it’s still a sad sight, but for a character as feverishly driven to win as Tiger I suppose it was always going to end badly, because sport isn’t actually about winning. It’s about losing. And that’s something he just cannot fathom.

For those that play sport of any standard, whether it be major championship golf or a hungover Sunday morning football kickabout, you will lose way more than you win. Only one team wins the league. Only one player lifts the tournament trophy.

Perhaps you might have come a close second or a distant 150th, but defeat is still defeat.

The trick is, of course, what to make of it. As a professional whose MRE LW LV WR ZLQ WKHUH LV RI FRXUVH PRUH SUHVVXUH WR FRPH À UVW %XW nevertheless, even for them, it won’t happen most of the time. For WKH DPDWHXU WKH VPDOO YLFWRULHV DUH HVVHQWLDO LQ À QGLQJ VXFFRXU IRU the vanquished: the perfectly executed cover drive, the spiraled FOHDUDQFH GRZQ WKH WRXFKOLQH WKDW À UVW SLQW WKDW SHUNV XS DQ exhausted body, the gales of laughter at somebody else’s expense.

It sounds a bit Edwardian and idealistic really, but it comes down WR WKH IDFW WKDW À UVW DQG IRUHPRVW VSRUW LV WKHUH WR EH HQMR\HG IRU what it is, a pleasantly diverting pastime, and if you can’t accept that be careful: you might end up like Tiger.

Enjoy the issue, Steve

Twitter // @theACTIVEmag Facebook // www.facebook.com/theACTIVEmag

Production Editor Julian Kirk julian@theactivemag.com Art Editor Mark Sommer mark@theactivemag.com Contributors Martin Johnson, William Hetherington, Sandie Hurford, Jeremy Beswick, Julia Dungworth, Neil Moverley Photographers Nico Morgan, Harry Measures, Jon Clarke, Pip Warters, Andy Balmford Production Assistant Gary Curtis Advertising Sales Lisa Withers lisa@theactivemag.com Rachel Meadows rachel@theactivemag.com 2IĂ€ FH $GPLQLVWUDWLRQ $FFRXQWV Kate Maxim kate@theactivemag.com $FWLYH PDJD]LQH 7KH *UH\ +RXVH %URDG 6WUHHW 6WDPIRUG 3( 3* 7HO A PHPEHU RI WKH 6WDPIRUG &KDPEHU RI 7UDGH DQG &RPPHUFH If you have information on a club then get in touch by emailing editor@theactivemag.com. If you would like to stock Active magazine then email distribution@ theactivemag.com. If you would like to discuss advertising possibilities please email advertise@ theactivemag.com Active magazine is published 12 times per year on a monthly basis. Distributed by Grassroots Publishing Ltd. ISSN 2049-8713 A Grassroots Publishing Limited company. Company registration number 7994437. VAT number 152717318 Disclaimer Copyright (c) Grassroots Publishing Limited (GPL) 2015. 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 GPL. Any views or opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of *3/ RU LWV DIĂ€ OLDWHV 'LVFODLPHU RI /LDELOLW\ :KLOVW HYHU\ HIIRUW KDV EHHQ PDGH WR ensure the quality and accuracy of the information contained in this publication DW WKH WLPH RI JRLQJ WR SUHVV *3/ DQG LWV DIĂ€ OLDWHV DVVXPH QR UHVSRQVLELOLW\ DV WR 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. *3/ DQG LWV DIĂ€ OLDWHV DUH DUH QRW UHVSRQVLEOH IRU DQ\ HUURU RPLVVLRQ RU LQDFFXUDF\ 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 offered nor the organisations sponsoring the advertisement.

/// M A R C H 2 0 1 5

3

R DE ER UN FF O

Stamford, Lincolnshire

£775,000

Maxey, Cambridgeshire

£685,000

^Ğƚ ďĂĐŬ ĨƌŽŵ Ă ůĞĂĨLJ ƌĞƐŝĚĞŶƟĂů ƌŽĂĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŚĞĂƌƚ ŽĨ ^ƚĂŵĨŽƌĚ͕ ƚŚŝƐ ŝŵƉƌĞƐƐŝǀĞ ƉƌŽƉĞƌƚLJ ŚĂƐ ĞůĞŐĂŶƚ ĂŶĚ ĞdžƚĞŶƐŝǀĞ ůŝǀŝŶŐ ƐƉĂĐĞ ĂŶĚ Ă ůĂƌŐĞ ŐĂƌĚĞŶ͘ ZƵŶ ƵŶƟů ƌĞĐĞŶƚůLJ ĂƐ Ă ƐƵĐĐĞƐƐĨƵů Θ ŝƚ ŚĂƐ ƵŶŝƋƵĞ ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ƚŽ ĐƌĞĂƚĞ Ă ůĂƌŐĞ ĨĂŵŝůLJ ŚŽŵĞ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ĨƵƌƚŚĞƌ ďĞŶĞĮƚ ŽĨ Ă ƐĞůĨͲĐŽŶƚĂŝŶĞĚ ŶŶĞdžĞ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƚĞĚ ŽĂĐŚ ,ŽƵƐĞ͘ W ZĂƟŶŐ͗

>ŽĐĂƚĞĚ ŝŶ Ă ƉƌĞƩLJ ǀŝůůĂŐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžĐĞůůĞŶƚ ĂĐĐĞƐƐ ƚŽ WĞƚĞƌďŽƌŽƵŐŚ ĂŶĚ ^ƚĂŵĨŽƌĚ͕ ƚŚŝƐ ŝƐ Ă ƐƵďƐƚĂŶƟĂů ƉƌŽƉĞƌƚLJ ǁŝƚŚ ŇĞdžŝďůĞ ƌĞĐĞƉƟŽŶ ƐƉĂĐĞ ĂŶĚ Ɛŝdž ďĞĚƌŽŽŵƐ͘ ^Ğƚ ŝŶ ĂƩƌĂĐƟǀĞ ŵĂƚƵƌĞ ŐĂƌĚĞŶƐ ǁŝƚŚ ǁŽŶĚĞƌĨƵů ĂĐĐĞƐƐ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ƐƵƌƌŽƵŶĚŝŶŐ ĐŽƵŶƚƌLJƐŝĚĞ͕ ƚŚĞ ŚŽƵƐĞ ŽīĞƌƐ ĂŶ ĞdžĐĞůůĞŶƚ ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƚLJ ƚŽ ĐƌĞĂƚĞ ĂŶ ĞdžƚĞŶƐŝǀĞ ĨĂŵŝůLJ ŚŽŵĞ͖ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ĨƵƌƚŚĞƌ ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ĨŽƌ Ă ƐĞůĨͲĐŽŶƚĂŝŶĞĚ ŶŶĞdžĞ͘ W ZĂƟŶŐ͗

t E Z/ W

EĞǁƚŽŶ͕ EŽƌƚŚĂŵƉƚŽŶƐŚŝƌĞ

άϭ͕ϭϱϬ͕ϬϬϬ

^ƚƌĞƩŽŶ͕ ZƵƚůĂŶĚ

άϯϱϬ͕ϬϬϬ

ƐƉůĞŶĚŝĚ ĐŽƵŶƚƌLJ ƌĞƐŝĚĞŶĐĞ ƐƵƌƌŽƵŶĚĞĚ ďLJ ƌŽůůŝŶŐ ĐŽƵŶƚƌLJƐŝĚĞ͕ ƚŚŝƐ ϭϳ ďĂƌŶ ĐŽŶǀĞƌƐŝŽŶ ǁŽŶ ĂŶ ƌĐŚŝƚĞĐƚƵƌĂů ĞƐŝŐŶ ĂǁĂƌĚ ĂŶĚ ƌĞƚĂŝŶƐ ŵƵĐŚ ŽĨ ŝƚƐ ŽƌŝŐŝŶĂů ĐŚĂƌĂĐƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ĐŚĂƌŵ͕ ǁŝƚŚ ƐƚƵŶŶŝŶŐ ƌĞĐĞƉƟŽŶ ƌŽŽŵƐ ƚŚĂƚ ŚĂǀĞ ĐĂƉƟǀĂƟŶŐ ǀŝĞǁƐ ŽǀĞƌ ŽƉĞŶ ĐŽƵŶƚƌLJƐŝĚĞ͘ džĐĞůůĞŶƚ ĨŽƌ ĞƋƵĞƐƚƌŝĂŶ ƵƐĞ͕ ƚŚĞ ŚŽƵƐĞ ŚĂƐ Ă ƐƚĂďůĞ ďůŽĐŬ ĂŶĚ ƚǁŽ ƉĂĚĚŽĐŬƐ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ĮĞůĚ ƐŚĞůƚĞƌ͘ W ZĂƟŶŐ͗ džĞŵƉƚ 'ƌĂĚĞ //

Ŷ ĞůĞŐĂŶƚ ƚŚƌĞĞ ďĞĚƌŽŽŵ ĂƉĂƌƚŵĞŶƚ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ŐƌŽƵŶĚ ŇŽŽƌ ŽĨ ĂŶ ŝŵƉƌĞƐƐŝǀĞ ϭϳ ŵĂŶƐŝŽŶ ǁŚŝĐŚ ƌĞƚĂŝŶƐ ŵƵĐŚ ŽĨ ŝƚƐ ƉĞƌŝŽĚ ƐƚLJůĞ͘ dŚĞ ƉƌŽƉĞƌƚLJ͛Ɛ ĐĞŶƚƌĞͲƉŝĞĐĞ ŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƐƚƵŶŶŝŶŐ ƌĂǁŝŶŐ ZŽŽŵ ǁŝƚŚ ƐŽƵƚŚͲĨĂĐŝŶŐ ǁŝŶĚŽǁƐ ĂŶĚ Ă ŵĂŐŶŝĮĐĞŶƚ ŚŝŐŚ ĐĞŝůŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ĂƉĂƌƚŵĞŶƚ ĂůƐŽ ŽīĞƌƐ Ă ƐƉĂĐŝŽƵƐ <ŝƚĐŚĞŶ͕ ĐĞůůĂƌ ĂŶĚ ƚŚƌĞĞ ďĂƚŚƌŽŽŵƐ͘ W ZĂƟŶŐ͗ džĞŵƉƚ 'ƌĂĚĞ //

Stamford ÂŁ160,000 Set in a cul-de-sac location, this two bedroom home is an ideal first time buy or investment. The property offers gas fired central heating, a good sized lounge and easy access to the A1. The accommodation comprises of a lounge, fitted kitchen, two bedrooms and a family bathroom. A south facing lawned garden is found to the rear, with two off street parking spaces found to the side. An early viewing is highly Recommended to avoid disappointment.

Colsterworth ÂŁ370,000 Built by the current owners, this four bedroom detached family home is set in a unique, tucked away location with superb access to the A1, Stamford, Grantham and Bourne. The property features three reception rooms, a well appointed breakfast kitchen, utility room, Master bedroom with en-suite and bathroom with stand alone bath and walk-in shower. The driveway to the front provides ample off street parking and leads to a double garage, whilst to the rear is a raised patio and lawned garden. A Viewing is highly recommended.

3 Star Lane, Stamford | 01780 754737 | @sowdenwallis www.sowdenwallis.co.uk | info@sowdenwallis.co.uk

EW

N King’s Cliffe, Northamptonshire An impressive stone village house with predominantly Georgian origins, sympathetically extended to create a substantial and versatile family home and set within walled gardens of approximately 1.03 acres (0.41 ha). The adjoining 3 bedroom cottage with courtyard garden and parking is also available.

Hall, dining room, music room, drawing room, family room, kitchen, WC, cellars and pantry to the ground floor. To the first floor, master bedroom suite, 6 further bedrooms, 2 further bathrooms and second floor sitting room. South facing garden with sweeping lawns, stone walls and off street parking with access to the double garage with integral store area and loft area above. EPC Exempt Guide price £1,295,000 King’s Cliffe House and Cottage Guide price £895,000 King’s Cliffe House

3/7

Werrington, Cambridgeshire

Stamford office t 01780 484 696 e stamford@smithsgore.co.uk

5

2

4

2/4

1.03 ac

Wakerley, Rutland

An imposing detached former rectory which has been sympathetically refurbished, retaining many original features. The property extends to 0.42 acres (0.17 ha) with views over the village green.

Hallway, drawing room, dining room, sitting room, study, kitchen/breakfast room, utility room, WC and cloakroom area. Four superb bedrooms, family bathroom and separate WC. The older part of the house offers a potential master suite with bedroom, en-suite dressing room and en-suite bathroom.

Mature garden with a range of old outhouses and a double car port. EPC E Guide price £650,000

1/4

A charming renovated and extended 4 bedroom stone cottage in the sought after village of Wakerley, with the benefit of a large garden office and exceptional views across protected countryside to the rear.

Hall, sitting room, dining room, kitchen/breakfast room, WC, utility room to the ground floor. To the first floor, 4 bedrooms and 2 bath/shower rooms. Landscaped garden with gravelled courtyard and seating areas, with stunning views to the rear. Integrated garage, external office with conservatory and offstreet parking. EPC D

0.42 ac Guide price £500,000

Annabel Morbey

Lois Simpson

Heather Lemmon

smithsgore.co.uk

4

2

2

0.16 ac

Contents

ISSUE 33 /// MARCH 2015

42 NEWS 12 SPRING HAS SPRUNG Come and meet the new-born lambs at Sacrewell

14-15 WHAT’S ON Some key dates for your diary

18-19 HEALTH AND WELLBEING The latest on looking and feeling great

20 RAT RACE COUNTDOWN Essential information on the tough and muddy event

25 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF...

Rutland Water warden Andy Ainscough

27 MARATHON MEN

38

Locals taking part in the gruelling Marathon des Sables

29 AROUND THE WORLD DIARY The latest from fund-raising cyclist James Peach

30-31 KIT BAG Essential gear for the sporting year ahead

33 MARTIN JOHNSON COLUMN The Sunday Times writer on Formula 1

FEATURES 36-37 NEW SERIES STAY INJURY FREE Essential advice from our sports rehab experts

29

38-41 SKIING Make the most of your time on the slopes

42-49 ARCHERY Jeremy Beswick gives this noble sport a try

REGULARS 50-51 GREAT WALKS Will Hetherington heads to Marholm and the Milton Estate

52-53 DOG HEALTH More great advice to make life with your pooch easier

55 SPORTSMAN’S DINNER We try out The Hare and Hounds in Greatford

56-59 SCHOOL SPORT Our focus on the latest achievements from local pupils

60-66 ROUND-UP How clubs in the Stamford and Rutland area are faring

8 M A RC H 2015 ///

20

In Play

1 0 M A RC H 2015 ///

Stamford through to Lincs Cup semi With a number of regular players absent for Valentine’s Day-related duties, some new faces made their mark in Stamford RFC 1st team’s Lincs Cup quarter-final, beating Sleaford 1sts 34 -12. It’s been a good couple of weeks for the club, with the Colts winning the local derby over Oakham 12 - 0 too.

/// M A RC H 2015 11

Activelife GREAT THINGS TO DO, PLACES TO SEE, PEOPLE TO MEET // Edited by Mary Bremner

EVENT

Spring is in the air!

1 2 M A RC H 2015 ///

Spring is almost here and to welcome it in why not visit Sacrewell Farm to see and feed the lambs? They start their lamb feeding shows on Saturday, March 7, and run through until April 15. This year they will also be feeding goat kids too, so lots of entertainment for everyone!

Activelife EVENTS

What’s on...

MARCH 3: PHOTO JOURNALIST’S JAPES Rutland-based photo journalist Andrew James, with over 25 years experience in the trade, is revealing his secrets on March 3 at Barrowden Village Hall.

Andrew will share his stories and stunning images in a lively evening entertaining you with his exploits, be it photographing Bengal tigers, surfing penguins or Indian street life. Tickets cost £5 to include refreshments and the talk starts at 7.30pm.

For more information about Andrew visit his website www. andrewjamesphotos.co.uk. Tickets are available on the door, or to book in advance (which is recommended) ring Jane Stevenson on 01780 721958 or Carol Harding on 01572 474085 MARCH 27: STAMFORD CONCERT SINGERS A feast of music and songs awaits you on Friday March 27. The Stamford Concert Singers are holding a concert at All Saints Church, Oakham in support of Rutland Sailability a charity that provides sailing on Rutland Water for people with disabilities.

The Singers are a group made up of members from the Stamford Gilbert and Sullivan Society, various choral societies and local choirs who support local charities by giving concerts. The concert will show the different ranges and characteristics of the singers. A er a glass of wine during the interval the second half will feature a full costume performance of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial by Jury.

The Lord Lieutenant of Rutland and the High Sheriff of Rutland will both be in the audience, along with many other guests. The concert begins at 7.30pm. Tickets are £8 in advance (available from Oakham Music Shop or Jim Fleming (flemingjandb@msn.com) or £10 on the door.

APRIL 23: WESTGATE ARCADE PARTY TIME Many of the shops in the Westgate Arcade in Peterborough are getting together to run an event on Thursday, April 23, to promote their businesses.

Each shop will have a special offer and there’ll be a party atmosphere along the Arcade until 9pm. The Occulist, who have a shop there, are running a sunglasses party where they will be showing the 2015 collections from their suppliers.

And there’ll also be a band, pink champagne and Desperado beer on offer as well – remember to put it in your diary.

Above Rutland-based photo journalist Andrew James will be revealing his trade secrets at a talk taking place in Barrowden on March 3

MAY 31: RUTLAND SHOW The 183rd Rutland Show needs you on Sunday, May 31. Clubs, societies and individuals are invited to take part.

Do you want to showcase your group in the new Rutland Ring in front of 13,000 visitors, or what about being part of the Education Zone to promote a childrens’ sport or group?

The show committee want more local food and drink producers to exhibit on the day.

There’s the Local Larder for the smaller artisan and unique producer, and larger caterers and bars can now tender for business. There will also be stands demonstrating dairy farming, chickens, racing pigeons, parrots sheep and bugs.

The committee wants to rekindle the tug of war competition as well, there’s a cash prize available for the strongest team. And they’re always looking for stewards and organisers to help on the day so do offer your services.

To find out more contact the show office on 01572 757110 or email secretary@rutlandcountyshow.com

LEISURE

Dog hosts wanted Are you active, dog friendly and home most days?

Or have you just lost your faithful friend but possibly don’t want the commitment of taking on another dog full time just yet, but still want one to walk and care for occasionally? If so, have you thought about becoming a host for Barking Mad, the dog sitting service?

Kerry Wells, who runs Barking Mad locally, tells us: “I am looking for active, dog-friendly hosts who are either at home all day or working part time but away from home for no more than four

1 4 M A RC H 2015 ///

hours a day. You could be semi-retired or an active retired person, working from home, or a stay at home mum who would like some extra company of the canine kind.”

Kerry wants to recruit more hosts in this area.

You will need a secure garden and, can commit to a couple of weeks a year or take dogs all of the time. There is no outlay for the host, all feed, bedding and medicines are provided.

For more information contact Kerry on 01780 322008 or visit www.barkingmad.uk.com

Above The finest livestock will be on display at the Rutland Show at the end of May

Rug Studio The Simpson family have been running the Rug Studio for 20 years, initially in London but for the past two years at 2 High Street East in Uppingham. They sell and buy antique rugs as well as new ones and semi-old ones.

But they also restore and clean old rugs and do a remarkable job on ones that look like they have seen better days. A fascinating shop that’s well worth a visit.

Nordic walking

Nordic Walking is becoming more competitive! A smart way to cross train it reduces the chance of injury whilst working on the core muscles and cardio fitness.

Jo Douglas, one of the pioneers of Nordic Walking, is looking for people to join her Nordic Walk It group.

This is a group that is training to complete a set of challenges culminating in the British Nordic Walking Challenge Series at Wollaton Park, Nottingham on May 17. This challenge will test your strength, skill and stamina ranging from 1 km sprints to 20 km endurance races. So far the groups quickest 1 km sprint is seven minutes and 5 km took 39 minutes.

So if you think you can match that or do better, albeit with a bit of training first, contact Jo, she’ll be delighted to hear from you: www.igniteability@ icloud.com or 07949 392018.

/// M A R C H 2 0 1 5

15

LJĐůŝŶŐ

'LJŵŶĂƐƟĐƐ 'LJŵŶĂƐƟĐƐ ŝƐŶ͛ƚ ũƵƐƚ ŽŶĞ ƐƉŽƌƚ͖ ŝƚ͛Ɛ Ă ǁŚŽůĞ ƌĂŶŐĞ ŽĨ ĚŝīĞƌĞŶƚ ƚLJƉĞƐ ĂŶĚ ĨŽƌ Ăůů ĂŐĞƐ ĂŶĚ ĂďŝůŝƟĞƐ͘ /Ĩ LJŽƵ͛ƌĞ dŚŝƐ 'ŝƌů ĂŶ ŝƐ Ă ŶĂƟŽŶǁŝĚĞ ĐĂŵƉĂŝŐŶ ůŽŽŬŝŶŐ ĨŽƌ Ă ĨƌĞƐŚ ǁĂLJ ƚŽ ǁŽƌŬ ŽƵƚ ƚŽ ŐĞƚ ǁŽŵĞŶ ĂŶĚ ŐŝƌůƐ ŵŽǀŝŶŐ͕ ƌĞŽƌ Ă ŶĞǁ ĐŚĂůůĞŶŐĞ͕ KĂŬŚĂŵ ƌƟƐƟĐ ŐĂƌĚůĞƐƐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞŝƌ ƐŚĂƉĞ͕ ƐŝnjĞ ĂŶĚ ůĞǀĞů 'LJŵŶĂƐƟĐ ĐĂĚĞŵLJ ĐĂŶ ŚĞůƉ͘ dŚĞLJ ŽĨ ĂďŝůŝƚLJ͘ /ƚ ŝƐ Ă ĐĞůĞďƌĂƟŽŶ ŽĨ ĂĐƟǀĞ ǁŝůů ďĞ ƌĞůŽĐĂƟŶŐ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ĐƟǀĞ ZƵƚǁŽŵĞŶ ǁŚŽ ĂƌĞ ĚŽŝŶŐ ƚŚĞŝƌ ŽǁŶ ƚŚŝŶŐ ůĂŶĚ ,Ƶď ŝŶ ƐŚǁĞůů ĂƐ ŽĨ Ɖƌŝů ϮϬϭϱ ŶŽ ŵĂƩĞƌ ŚŽǁ ǁĞůů ƚŚĞLJ ĚŽ ŝƚ ĂŶĚ ŚŽǁ ŝŶ ŽƌĚĞƌ ƚŽ ŽīĞƌ Ă ǁŝĚĞƌ ƌĂŶŐĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞLJ ůŽŽŬ ĚŽŝŶŐ ŝƚ͘ /ƚ͛Ɛ ƟŵĞ ƚŽ ŚĞůƉ ŝŶƐĞƐƐŝŽŶƐ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJ͘ &Žƌ ŵŽƌĞ ƐƉŝƌĞ ǁŽŵĞŶ ƚŽ ĐŚĂůůĞŶŐĞ ƚŚĞŝƌ ďĂƌƌŝĞƌƐ͕ ŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶ ĂďŽƵƚ ĐůĂƐƐĞƐ͕ ƉůĞĂƐĞ ƉƌŽŵƉƚ Ă ĐŚĂŶŐĞ ŝŶ ĂƫƚƵĚĞ ĂŶĚ ŚĞůƉ ĐŽŶƚĂĐƚ ƚŚĞ ĐƟǀĞ ZƵƚůĂŶĚ ƚĞĂŵ Žƌ ďƵŝůĚ ĐŽŶĮĚĞŶĐĞ ďLJ ƉĂƌƟĐŝƉĂƟŶŐ ŝŶ Ă ůŝŬĞ ƵƐ ŽŶ &ĂĐĞŬ ; ĐƟǀĞͲZƵƚůĂŶĚͿ͘ ƐƉŽƌƚ Žƌ ƉŚLJƐŝĐĂů ĂĐƟǀŝƚLJ͘ &ŝŶĚ ŽƵƚ ŚĞƌĞ ŚŽǁ ĞĂƐLJ ŝƚ ŝƐ ƚŽ ƐƚĂLJ ŚĞĂůƚŚLJ ĂŶĚ ƌĞĂĐŚ LJŽƵƌ ϵϬ ŵŝŶƵƚĞƐ ŽĨ ǁĞĞŬůLJ ƌĞĐŽŵŵĞŶĚĞĚ ĞdžĞƌĐŝƐĞ ŝŶ Ă ǀĂƌŝĞƚLJ ŽĨ ĨŽƌŵƐ ƚŚĂƚ ƐƵŝƚ LJŽƵ͊

DƵŵƐ ĂŶĚ dŽƚƐ LJĐůŝŶŐ 'ƌŽƵƉ͕ &ƌŝĚĂLJ͛Ɛ Ăƚ ϭϬ͗ϬϬĂŵ͕ tŚŝƚǁĞůů͕ &ŝŶĞƐŚĂĚĞ Žƌ EŽƌŵĂŶƚŽŶ͘ ƌĞĞnjĞ ƵƚƵŵŶ ^ƵŶĚĂLJ WĞĚĂů͕ ^ƵŶĚĂLJ͛Ɛ Ăƚ ϵ͗ϭϱĂŵ͕ tŚŝƚǁĞůů Žƌ EŽƌŵĂŶƚŽŶ͘

tĂůŬŝŶŐ ^ŽƵƚŚ >ƵīĞŶŚĂŵ tĂůŬŝŶŐ 'ƌŽƵƉ͕ ^ĂƚƵƌĚĂLJƐͬ^ƵŶĚĂLJƐ ;ĂůƚĞƌŶĂƚĞ ǁĞĞŬƐͿ͕ ϭϬ͗ϬϬĂŵ Ͳ ϭϭ͗ϯϬƉŵ͕ ^ŽƵƚŚ >ƵīĞŶŚĂŵ sŝůůĂŐĞ ,Ăůů͘ KĂŬŚĂŵ ,ĞĂůƚŚLJ tĂůŬŝŶŐ 'ƌŽƵƉ͕ DŽŶĚĂLJƐ͕ ϭϬ͗ϯϬĂŵ Ͳ ϭϭ͗ϯϬĂŵ͕ ŽŵŵŽŶ ZŽŽŵ Ăƚ ^ƚ ŶŶĞ͛Ɛ Θ ^ƚ :ŽŚŶƐ͘ <ĞƩŽŶ ,ĞĂůƚŚLJ tĂůŬŝŶŐ 'ƌŽƵƉ͕ dŚƵƌƐĚĂLJƐ͕ Ϯ͗ϬϬƉŵ Ͳ ϯ͗ϬϬƉŵ͕ <ĞƩŽŶ ^ƉŽƌƚƐ ƐƐŽĐŝĂƟŽŶ͘

ƚŚůĞƟĐƐ KĂŬŚĂŵ ƚŚůĞƟĐ ůƵď͕ tĞĚŶĞƐĚĂLJƐ͕ ϲ͗ϯϬƉŵ Ͳ ϳ͗ϯϬƉŵ͕ ĂƚŵŽƐĞ ^ƉŽƌƚƐ ĞŶƚƌĞ͘

ZƵŐďLJ

&ŽŽƚďĂůů

ZƵŐďLJ ŝƐ Ă ďŽůĚ͕ ĚLJŶĂŵŝĐ ĂŶĚ ǁĞůĐŽŵŝŶŐ ƐƉŽƌƚ ǁŚĞƌĞ ƉůĂLJĞƌƐ ĐŽŵĞ ƚŽŐĞƚŚĞƌ ƚŽ ĐŽŵƉĞƚĞ ŝŶ ƚĞĂŵƐ ŝŶ Ă ĨƵŶ ĞŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚ͘ /ƚƐ ŝŶĐůƵƐŝǀĞ ŶĂƚƵƌĞ ĂƉƉĞĂůƐ ƚŽ ŵĂŶLJ ĂŐĞ ŐƌŽƵƉƐ ĨƌŽŵ ϲ LJĞĂƌƐ ĂŶĚ ĂďŽǀĞ͘ DŝdžĞĚ dŽƵĐŚ ZƵŐďLJ ŝƐ ĐŽŵŝŶŐ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ĐƟǀĞ ZƵƚůĂŶĚ ,Ƶď Ăƚ KĂŬŚĂŵ ŶƚĞƌƉƌŝƐĞ WĂƌŬ ŝŶ Ɖƌŝů ĂŶĚ KĂŬŚĂŵ ZƵŐďLJ ůƵď ǁĞůĐŽŵĞƐ ĂŶLJŽŶĞ ŬĞĞŶ ƚŽ ƉůĂLJ ƌƵŐďLJ ǁŚĂƚĞǀĞƌ LJŽƵƌ ĂďŝůŝƚLJ͊

dŚĞLJ ƚĂŬĞ ŐŝƌůƐ ĨƌŽŵ ĂŐĞ ϲ ʹ ϭϲ ĂŶĚ ƚƌĂŝŶ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶ Ϯ͗ϯϬƉŵ ĂŶĚ ϰ͗ϬϬƉŵ ĞǀĞƌLJ ^ĂƚƵƌĚĂLJ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ EĞǁ ^ŚŽǁŐƌŽƵŶĚ͘

dŚĞ ǁŽƌůĚ͛Ɛ ŵŽƐƚ ƉŽƉƵůĂƌ ƚĞĂŵ ƐƉŽƌƚ ĂŶĚ Ă ŐƌĞĂƚ ǁĂLJ ŽĨ ŚĂǀŝŶŐ ĨƵŶ ĂŶĚ ŬĞĞƉŝŶŐ Įƚ ǁŝƚŚ ĨƌŝĞŶĚƐ͘ ZŽLJĐĞ ZĂŶŐĞƌƐ 'ŝƌůƐ dĞĂŵ ŝƐ ůŽŽŬŝŶŐ ĨŽƌ ŵŽƌĞ ƉůĂLJĞƌƐ ƚŽ ũŽŝŶ ƚŚĞŝƌ hϭϭ͕ hϭϮ͕ hϭϯ ĂŶĚ hϭϱ ƚĞĂŵƐ͘

THESE GIRLS CAN!Can you?

EĞƚďĂůů EĞƚďĂůů ŶĞĞĚŶ͛ƚ ƐƚŽƉ ǁŚĞŶ LJŽƵ ĮŶŝƐŚ ƐĐŚŽŽů͕ ŝƚ͛Ɛ ƐƵŝƚĂďůĞ ĨŽƌ Ăůů ĂŐĞƐ ĂŶĚ ĂďŝůŝƟĞƐ ĂŶĚ LJŽƵ ĚŽŶ͛ƚ ŶĞĞĚ ƚŽ ŚĂǀĞ ƚƌŝĞĚ ŝƚ ďĞĨŽƌĞ͘ dŚĞƌĞ ĂƌĞ ƐĞǀĞƌĂů ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶƐ ƚŚĂƚ ĂƌĞ ƌƵŶ ďLJ ZƵƚůĂŶĚ ZŽĐŬĞƚƐ ŽŶ Ă DŽŶĚĂLJ ĞǀĞŶŝŶŐ Ăƚ ĂƚŵŽƐĞ ^ƉŽƌƚƐ ĞŶƚƌĞ͘

zĞĂƌ ϭϬͬϭϭ ŐŝƌůƐ ĂŶĚ ĂĚƵůƚ͛Ɛ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ ƐƚĂƌƚƐ ĨƌŽŵ ϳ͗ϬϬƉŵ ʹ ϴ͗ϬϬƉŵ ĂŶĚ ĂĐŬ ƚŽ EĞƚďĂůů ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ ĨŽůůŽǁƐ ĨƌŽŵ ϴ͗ϬϬƉŵ ʹ ϵ͗ϬϬƉŵ͘

&/dE ^^ > ^^ ^ DŽŶĚĂLJ ϵ͗ϬϬĂŵ ƋƵĂ &ŝƚ ; ĂƚŵŽƐĞ ^ƉŽƌƚƐ ĞŶƚƌĞͿ • ϭϴ͗ϬϬƉŵ ĂůůĞƚ ZŽĐŬƐ ;hƉƉŝŶŐŚĂŵ ^ĐŚŽŽů ^ƉŽƌƚƐ ĞŶƚƌĞͿ

dƵĞƐĚĂLJ • •

ϭϬ͗ϯϬĂŵ >ŽǀĞ ƚŽ ĂŶĐĞ ;hƉƉŝŶŐŚĂŵ ^ĐŚŽŽů ^ƉŽƌƚƐ ĞŶƚƌĞͿ ϭϳ͗ϰϱƉŵ <ĞƩůĞƌĐŝƐĞ ; ĂƚŵŽƐĞ ^ƉŽƌƚƐ ĞŶƚƌĞͿ

tĞĚŶĞƐĚĂLJ •

ϵ͗ϯϬĂŵ ŽĚLJ WƵŵƉ ;hƉƉŝŶŐŚĂŵ ^ĐŚŽŽů ^ƉŽƌƚƐ ĞŶƚƌĞͿ • ϭϴ͗ϯϬƉŵ ^ƚĞƉ ; ĂƚŵŽƐĞ ^ƉŽƌƚƐ ĞŶƚƌĞͿ

•

ϳ͗ϬϬĂŵ <ĞŝƐĞƌ ^ƉŝŶ ;hƉƉŝŶŐŚĂŵ ^ĐŚŽŽů ^ƉŽƌƚƐ ĞŶƚƌĞͿ • ϭϳ͗ϬϬĂŵ ^ƚĞƉ ƚŽ /ƚ ʹ /ŶĐůƵƐŝǀĞ ^ƚƌĞĞƚ ĂŶĐĞ ; ĂƚŵŽƐĞ ^ƉŽƌƚƐ ĞŶƚƌĞͿ

dŚƵƌƐĚĂLJ

&ƌŝĚĂLJ •

ϭϮ͗ϭϱƉŵ /ŶƐĂŶŝƚLJ ; ĂƚŵŽƐĞ ^ƉŽƌƚƐ ĞŶƚƌĞͿ • ϭϴ͗ϬϬƉŵ WŝůĂƚĞƐ ;hƉƉŝŶŐŚĂŵ ^ĐŚŽŽů ^ƉŽƌƚƐ ĞŶƚƌĞͿ

͞ Ɛ ŚĂŝƌ / ƚŚŝŶŬ ǁĞ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞ ƌĞĂůůLJ ǁĞůů ĨŽƌ ŐŝƌůƐ ĂŶĚ ǁŽŵĞŶ ŝŶ ZƵƚůĂŶĚ͕ ďƵƚ ǁĞ ŵƵƐƚ ŶĞǀĞƌ ƌĞƐƚ ŽŶ ŽƵƌ ůĂƵƌĞůƐ͘ tĞ ŶĞĞĚ ƚŽ ůŽŽŬ ĨŽƌ ĂƐ dŚĞ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ŽĨ ZƵƚůĂŶĚ ŚĂǀĞ ĂůǁĂLJƐ ůĞĚ ƚŚĞ ǁĂLJ ŝŶ ďĞŝŶŐ ĂĐƟǀĞ ŵĂŶLJ ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƟĞƐ ĂƐ ƉŽƐƐŝďůĞ ƚŽ ĂŶĚ ŚĞĂůƚŚLJ͘ ^ŝŶĐĞ ^ƉŽƌƚ ŶŐůĂŶĚ͛Ɛ ŬĞĞƉ ƚŚĞ ŶĞdžƚ ŐĞŶĞƌĂƟŽŶ Įƚ ĂŶĚ ĐƟǀĞ WĞŽƉůĞ ƐƵƌǀĞLJ ďĞŐĂŶ͕ ƚŚĞ ĂĐƟǀĞ ĂƐ ǁĞůů ĂƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚŝŶŐ ĂůƚĞƌŶĂĐŽƵŶƚLJ ůĞĂǀĞƐ ŽƚŚĞƌƐ ŝŶ ŝƚƐ ǁĂŬĞ ƟǀĞ ƉŚLJƐŝĐĂů ĂĐƟǀŝƟĞƐ ŶŽƚ ũƵƐƚ ĨŽƌ ŝŶ ƚĞƌŵƐ ŽĨ ŐĞƫŶŐ ŽƵƚ ĂŶĚ ĂďŽƵƚ ǁŽŵĞŶ ďƵƚ ĨŽƌ Ăůů͘͟

ĂŶĚ ĞdžĞƌĐŝƐŝŶŐ͘ ĞƚǁĞĞŶ ϮϬϭϮ ĂŶĚ ϮϬϭϰ͕ ZƵƚůĂŶĚ ŚĂƐ ďĞĞŶ ĂĐŬŶŽǁůĞĚŐĞĚ ĂƐ ŚĂǀŝŶŐ Ă ƐŝŐŶŝĨ- ; ĂƌďĂƌĂ ƌĞůůŝŶ͕ ZƵƚůĂŶĚ >ŽĐĂů ŝĐĂŶƚ ŝŶĐƌĞĂƐĞ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƉĞƌĐĞŶƚĂŐĞ ^ƉŽƌƚ ůůŝĂŶĐĞ ŚĂŝƌͿ ŽĨ ĂĚƵůƚƐ ǁŚŽ ƉĂƌƟĐŝƉĂƚĞ ŝŶ ƐƉŽƌƚ ĂŶĚ ĂĐƟǀĞ ƌĞĐƌĞĂƟŽŶ͘ ϯϱ͘ϰй ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ĂĚƵůƚ ƉŽƉƵůĂƟŽŶ ŝŶ ZƵƚůĂŶĚ ƉĂƌƟĐŝƉĂƚĞ ŝŶ ƐƉŽƌƚ ĂŶĚ ĂĐƟǀĞ ƌĞĐƌĞĂƟŽŶ Ăƚ ŵŽĚĞƌĂƚĞ ŝŶƚĞŶƐŝƚLJ /Ĩ LJŽƵ ǁŽƵůĚ ůŝŬĞ ƚŽ ƌĞĐĞŝǀĞ ƵƉĚĂƚĞƐ ĂŶĚ ŽīĞƌƐ ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚĞ ĐƟǀĞ ĨŽƌ Ăƚ ůĞĂƐƚ ϯϬ ŵŝŶƵƚĞƐ ŽŶ ϯ Žƌ ŵŽƌĞ ĚĂLJƐ Ă ǁĞĞŬ͕ ĐŽŵƉĂƌĞĚ ǁŝƚŚ ZƵƚůĂŶĚ ƚĞĂŵ Žƌ ǁŽƵůĚ ůŝŬĞ ƐŽŵĞ ϯϬ͘ϳй ďĞƚǁĞĞŶ ϮϬϬϵ ĂŶĚ ϮϬϭϭ͕ ŵŽƌĞ ŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶ ŽŶ ĂĐƟǀŝƟĞƐ ŝŶ ŵĂŬŝŶŐ ƵƐ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ ĂĐƟǀĞ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ƚŚĞ ĂƌĞĂ͕ ƉůĞĂƐĞ ĐŽŶƚĂĐƚ ƵƐ ŽŶ ĂĐƌŽƐƐ ƚŚĞ ŶĂƟŽŶ͘

ĂĐƚŝǀĞƌĞĐƌĞĂƚŝŽŶΛĂĐƚŝǀĞƌƵƚůĂŶĚ͘ŽƌŐ͘ƵŬ ,ŽǁĞǀĞƌ͕ ĚŝĚ LJŽƵ ŬŶŽǁ that… Ϯϲй ŽĨ ǁŽŵĞŶ ĂƌĞ ĐůĂƐƐŝĮĞĚ ĂƐ ͚ƉŚLJƐŝĐĂůůLJ ŝŶĂĐƟǀĞ͛ LJĞƚ ϳϱй ƐĂLJ ƚŚĞLJ ǁĂŶƚ ƚŽ ďĞĐŽŵĞ ŵŽƌĞ Take control and have some ĂĐƟǀĞ͍ ŽŶ͛ƚ ŵŝƐƐ ŽƵƚ͕ ĮŶĚ ŽƵƚ fun...with Active Rutland ŵŽƌĞ ŽŶ ŚŽǁ LJŽƵ ĐĂŶ ŐĞƚ ĂĐƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ƌĞŵĞŵďĞƌ d,/^ '/Z> E ŵĞĂŶƐ LJŽƵ͊ Active- Rutland @ActiveRutland BDUJWFSVUMBOE PSH VL

Activelife

Health and Wellness Everything you need to be fit, healthy and fantastic

// Edited by Sandie Hurford

A recent study by the Priory Group showed that the word ‘depression’ is Googled every two seconds in the UK, points out Rutland counsellor Debbie Haring MSc BSc MBACP. “Even as an experienced counsellor this is an alarming statistic to read, and saddening that so many people may be struggling alone, worried about the stigma of depression, or unable to reach out and connect with those around them, instead of searching for information, help and support online,” she says.

Depression is a complex condition, with many people functioning on a day-to-day basis but still struggling with symptoms that can become very distressing and debilitating, reducing the capacity to carry out even the simplest tasks.

Some of the symptoms of depression are: Q Lack of energy Q Loss of interest or enjoyment Q Low motivation Q Difficulty making decisions Q Forgetfulness Q Feelings of worthlessness Q Sleep difficulties, either sleeping too much or the inability to get a good night’s sleep Q Becoming withdrawn and isolated Q Changes in appetite, either not feeling hungry or over-eating Q Relationship difficulties Q Negative or dark thoughts Q Feeling tearful Q Feeling numb or empty Q Self-harm Q Feeling suicidal Debbie, who has 16 years’ experience, working in universities, health organisations, Relate and her own private practice, adds: “While there is lots of online information and self-help options, which may be helpful, you don’t have to cope alone. If you think you or someone you know may be struggling with depression, contact your GP, who will talk through your treatment options.”

Counselling can be effective in treating depression. You can read the profiles of local counsellors on www. itsgoodtotalk.org.uk or www.counsellingdirectory.org.uk and call or email for an informal chat before making an appointment.

Q Debbie@counsellingin-rutland.co.uk (07961 986 774)

1 8 M A RC H 2 0 1 5 ///

Men are just as likely as women to like the idea of a good springclean

IT’S SPRING: Get out the feather duster Despite the gloomy weather, this month marks the official start of Spring, when the nation’s residents plans to embark on an all-over deep spring-clean of their homes.

Although the idea may seem dated, two-thirds of people like the idea of spring-cleaning and plan to do so this year. This is unsurprising when you take account of the fact that 50% feel calmer and happier when their house is clean and almost 4 in 10 admit they feel embarrassed when their house isn’t clean and would not invite guests over if they felt it wasn’t clean enough.

Of those planning to wield a feather duster, one-third are male, aged 16-24 (43%), and most likely to live in the south-east.

The research, on behalf of Black & Decker, which has just launched its new range of steam mops, consulted over 2,000 Brits on their cleaning habits.

Black & Decker’s David Osborne says: “Despite us being a time-poor nation, it seems that pride in our homes and the need to feel in control of our lives means that a clean and tidy house is extremely important and the start of spring provides the opportunity for a fresh start.”

Although nearly a quarter claim to enjoy cleaning, the same for both males and females, 45% don’t feel they clean as much as they should.

One third admit to feeling constantly guilty or

depressed when they have a dirty house and 1 in 5 feel as if they are letting their family down.

Over a third claim to feel more in control of their lives and more productive when the house is clean, while 1 in 10 are actually nicer to their family as they say it puts them in a better mood.

Those in Scotland are more likely to have someone else clean their house while those in the North East get the biggest kick out of cleaning.

But it’s residents in the north-west that believe they have the cleanest houses, with 17% claiming their house is never dirty.

Although some claim to own up to 20 different cleaning products, most use only three or four of them. This may be due to the fact that 50% of people surveyed don’t like the idea of the chemicals in cleaning products and a further 28% worry about them damaging their surfaces.

Osborne adds: “This is one of the reasons we developed the new steam mop range. All our steam mops use only water and steam to clean a variety of surfaces and still kill 99% of bacteria.”

Q Once you’ve done your spring cleaning, you might also want to think about getting your curtains and duvets dry cleaned or laundered – and Deeping St James’ Swi Laundry (www. swi -laundry.co.uk, 01778 345973) recommends dry cleaning as a way of controlling dust mites for people who suffer from allergies.

Photo: gpointstudio

‘Depression’ Googled every two seconds

STRESS: Rise of the junk food generation as burnt-out Brits struggle to cope Brits’ stress levels are on the increase and we are risking our health by turning to sugary food, takeaways and alcohol to help cope with modern life. A study by the British Acupuncture Council to mark ‘Acupuncture Awareness Week’ (March 2-8) shows that over half of the UK are more stressed now than ten years ago and turn to junk food and booze in a bid to make themselves feel better.

The study of 5,000 adults found that a third of us admit to comfort eating when stressed, a quarter confess to drinking alcohol and as a result 1 in 5 admit they put on weight.

Despite 70% of the UK saying they are aware prolonged periods of stress can have a long-term impact on their health, almost half of people admit they just put up with it and two-thirds say stress is unavoidable in their life. A lack of time (41%), wanting to have it all (25%) and difficulty switching off from work (24%) were cited as the top reasons for the rise of burnt-out Brits.

Jo George and Duncan Ford, qualified members of the British Acupuncture Council, say: “Stress can make it difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle but reaching for your favourite foods or treating yourself to that bottle of wine a er a hectic day may make you feel better in the short term but

won’t tackle the root cause of the problem.

Traditional acupuncture is an effective, evidencebased therapy that can be a positive step for anyone wanting to get their stress levels back under control.”

With 2.3 million acupuncture treatments carried out each year, traditional acupuncture is one of the most popular complementary therapies practised in the UK today. Based on ancient principles which go back nearly 2,000 years, traditional acupuncture involves placing extremely fine, sterile needles painlessly at specific points on the body to trigger a healing response and restore balance.

Despite acupuncture’s widely recognised health benefits, many of us are missing the point when it comes to this ancient Chinese medicine. Statistics show that only 4% of the UK have tried acupuncture to cope with stress and 67% say they didn’t know the therapy could help to release endorphins, the body’s feel-good hormones.

Jo and Duncan, based at Stamford’s Broad Street Practice, continue: “Although the research shows 1 in 10 of us think stress isn’t serious enough to seek help, it’s common to feel exhausted, overwhelmed and even depressed so finding support is vital. A course of traditional

acupuncture helps to target the root cause of the problem as treatment is unique for each individual.

“Typically, the cause could be a deficiency in the body exacerbated by overwork, working long hours, burning the candle at both ends or a lack of proper rest and nourishing food.

“Together with a specific treatment plan which addresses diet, exercise and lifestyle, many of our patients find traditional acupuncture to be a wonderfully relaxing experience.”

In conjunction with Acupuncture Awareness Week, for the whole of this month Duncan and Jo are offering: Q Free short consultations (15 mins) and also an experience of the needles if you then wish—you will be surprised how gentle it is.

Q Reduction on four treatments where the first one takes place in March.

Or just call Duncan or Jo for a chat: “We are always happy to talk and you will not be pressured into coming for treatment. As we are all living longer it is so important to be able to live life to the full. Acupuncture can help us do that.”

Contact The Broad Street Practice on 01780 480889.

Photo: Ryan McVay

Feel you’re rowing against the tide of life’s pressures?

Alternative therapy could help

/// M A R C H 2 0 1 5

19

Activelife EVENT

Rat Race countdown It’s not long now until the Rat Race weekend returns to Burghley, so get training. The world’s largest assault course will take place at Burghley House on May 9. And they’ve got lots on offer that’s bigger and better than last year.

As well as the adult course that covers up to 20 miles with 200 obstacles, they’ve added a race for Young Muckers. Aimed at 8-15 year olds entry is £20 a head with £5 going to the Children with Cancer charity. Everyone gets a medal, a Rat Race Rag and some chocolate. The race will be 1.5 km for the 8-10 year olds and 3km for the 11-15, open to all.

The entertainment line up has now been finalised and the party will finish an hour later than last year at 1am. Ash and DJ Craig Charles will be headlining. If you haven’t entered the race you can still attend the party – tickets are £20 with £5 going to charity.

And this year why not try glamping, or even

better stay on board a luxury converted tour bus.

Be prepared – they’ve made their biggest obstacle even bigger, but there’s method in their madness – they’ve built a bar underneath it and renamed it Last Orders, now there’s an incentive to get over it.

And to cap off all the madness they’re attempting a Guinness World Record on Friday night. They want to beat the largest gathering of people in their underpants.

The Dirty Undies run will take place at 9pm on Friday, starting and finishing at the bar. It’s only a 1.5km dash, so a perfect warm up for the big event – and each entrant gets a free beer!

So calling all locals and campers – this is your chance to join in the fun (without having to compete in the big one). More than 2,200 runners are needed…..

To find out more, visit www. ratracedirtyweekend.com

LEISURE

Retreats in Rutland Ex-Stamford High School girl Lindsay Holden has launched Pure Lifestyles offering retreats in Rutland and Portugal.

Lindsay who is a nutritionist and personal trainer combines her knowledge of the two to provide bespoke health and fitness programmes for her clients. She specialises in dietary manipulation and training to help improve your daily life, be that at work, on the field or in general day to day life.

“My mission is to keep healthy living easy,

2 0 M A RC H 2015 ///

accessible and, most importantly, enjoyable to everyone,” says Lindsay.

Her Relax and Revive and Revive and Strive retreat weekends are set in the beautiful Rutland countryside with accommodation provided in a luxurious private lodge. The longer seven-day Revival Abroad is held in the Algarve in Portugal where guests stay at a private villa. The next available dates in Rutland are March 20-23 and June 7-13 in Portugal. To find out more visit www.purelifestyles.co.uk

Swift

Domestic & Commercial

“LET US TAKE A LOAD OFF YOUR MIND”

10%

OFF

*

• Wash, Dry & Press

• Dry Cleaning

• Service Washes

• Ironing

• Duvet & Pillow Service

• Curtains

• Work Wear

• Sports Kits

• Shirt Service

• Sleeping Bags

*When spending £15.00. Excludes Dry Cleaning. Free delivery within 10 mile radius.

Swift

Domestic & Commercial

For commercial enquiries please contact us

Unit 2 1/3 Horsegate, Deeping St. James, Peterborough PE6 8EN T: 01778 345973 www.swift-laundry.co.uk

Like us on Facebook

A PERFECT FIT www.rutlandcycling.com

Ride the dream this year with & at Rutland Cycling

O VIDTEURE CAP FIT BIKAEVAILABLE

ORE NOW IN ST

Whitwell: 01780 460705 Normanton: 01780 720888 Grafham: 01480 812500 Customer Services: 01572 332032

Activelife OUT AND ABOUT

Five things to do in March Â&#x201E; Whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to win the Six Nations? Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all to play for so enjoy the matches throughout March with the decider played on the 21st.

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hope England triumphâ&#x20AC;Ś. Â&#x201E; Friday the 13th may be unlucky for some, but if you fancy your chances place a bet on the Gold Cup at the Cheltenham Festival â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it could turn out to be your lucky day! The point-point season is also now in full force so for local racing visit Garthorpe on March 8 for the Cottesmore point-to-point and on March 29 for the Belvoir. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always a great day out. Â&#x201E; Or if horse racingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not quite your thing, what about greyhound racing? The stadium at Peterborough hosts some fantastic racing which is great fun and very exciting. You can dine and view the racing at the same time in their purpose built Raceview Restaurant. At the moment they have several deals on offer, visit their website for more details â&#x20AC;&#x201C; www.peterboroughgreyhounds.com

NICO MORGAN

Â&#x201E; 'RQ¡W IRUJHW 0RWKHU¡V 'D\ RQ 0DUFK %RRN HDUO\ LI \RX¡UH JRLQJ RXW IRU OXQFK DQG UHPHPEHU WR RUGHU Ă RZHUV LI WKDW¡V WKH SODQ %XW PRVW of all appreciate your mum. And, of course, on Motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day the fair arrives in Stamfordâ&#x20AC;Ś Â&#x201E; /RRN RXW IRU QHZERUQ ODPEV :KDW¡V PRUH VSULQJ OLNH WKDQ WR VHH ODPEV JDPEROLQJ LQ WKH Ă&#x20AC; HOGV SDUWLFXODUO\ LI WKH GDIIRGLOV DUH LQ Ă RZHU too. To get up close and personal to the lambs visit Pigeons Farm at Thorney, which has a lambing weekend on March 14 and 15 or go to the NFU Farming Day at Manor Farm, Morborne, PE7 3TG. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one of the biggest lambing days in the East of England where you can see lambs being born, hold chicks and ride on a horse and cart, all on a working farm. The Annaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hope Fairies will be there and all proceeds go to the charity.

GARDENING

Spring is springing, but beware of frosty mornings Hopefully March will come in like a lion and out like a lamb. But, beware, frosts can still be very sharp this month and the cold winds are notorious in March so keep vulnerable plants protected and others well supported.

March is the month of preparation so, as itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spring, get spring cleaning your borders. Weed and dig them over and mulch in as much organic matter as you can.

Weed your paths and gravel â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a necessary evil but time spent now will make for a much easier

2 2 M A RC H 2015 ///

summer. Now is the time to li and divide perennials and to cut back any old woody growth le over from the autumn. March is a good time to prune wisteria and clematis and, if you didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do them in the autumn, roses.

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget your garden tools â&#x20AC;&#x201C; declutter, repair and replace, and get the lawn mower serviced. And then itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time for planting, start with summer ďŹ&#x201A;owering bulbs. If the weather permits, and the grass is beginning to grow, it might be time to mow the grass for the ďŹ rst time.

Li the blades high and cut on a dry day, the smell of mown grass evokes the image of spring.

Allotment corner If itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a mild month sowing seeds can begin.

Prepare the seedbeds early on in the month and add organic matter. Rake the seedbeds ready for sowing, breaking down larger lumps. Start weeding, prune the fruit trees and look out for slugs and snails. And donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget to protect your cabbages from pigeons.

FOOD

NATURE

How to spot a cormorant

A delicious warm salad Purple sprouting broccoli, beetroot, orange and caraway salad â&#x20AC;&#x201C; courtesy of Riverford Organic Farms. Serves 4-6. Prep time: 15 minutes, cooking time 70 minutes Caraway works really well with beetroot and adds a warming ďŹ&#x201A;avour to this salad. You can cheat and buy ready cooked packs of puy (green) lentils, but to cook enough dried lentils for this, add a couple of handfuls to a pan, add three times the volume of water, a garlic clove or two, a sprig of thyme and a bay leaf. Boil for approx 25 mins until the lentils are tender, then drain and remove the herbs and garlic. Use blood oranges if they are still in season. Wear rubber gloves when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re handling beetroot to stop your hands turning pink.

Ingredients 4 medium sized beetroot (600-700g), le whole in their skins 2 tsp caraway seeds 2 oranges Olive oil 200g purple sprouting broccoli 2-3 handfuls of cooked puy lentils

Method Preheat the oven to 200°C. Wrap each beetroot in foil. Place in a baking dish and roast until they are tender. This can take 30-40 minutes for small beetroot and about an hour for medium and longer for large ones. Test by inserting a sharp knife.

Remove from the oven, leave until just cool enough to handle, then rub oďŹ&#x20AC; the skins. Cut into wedges.

Zest half of one orange, then peel them and cut out the segments, removing any pith, using a sharp knife over a bowl to catch any juice.

Squeeze the rest of the pulp over the bowl to release any remaining juice.

In a pan of boiling water, cook the purple sprouting broccoli (psb) for 3 minutes until tender.

Drain, refresh in cold water, then drain again.

Add the caraway seeds to a large dry pan. Heat gently for a min, until you can smell them. Add a good glug of olive oil and the orange juice and zest. Warm gently, then toss in the beetroot, orange, psb and lentils.

Season well and stir. Serve on a platter â&#x20AC;&#x201C; delicious!

" " # ) %" $ ' $ ' ) " & ( & " " $ ) %" "

Cormorants are large, long-necked water birds, brownish black with a white thigh patch and white on the chin. Immature birds are paler with a whitish breast.

Originally coastal birds, they are now resident at Eyebrook Reservoir and Rutland Water, where they have been breeding since 1977. In 2012, 67 pairs bred.

One or two visit Fort Henry Ponds and farm ďŹ shing lakes throughout our area where they are generally unwelcome as each adult needs around one pound of ďŹ sh per day and breeding pairs may have up to ďŹ ve young to feed for thirty days.

They sometimes underestimate the size of their prey â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a Rutland Water bird was once found dead, choked by a large zander.

Rutland Water birds are tree nesters and many young have been ďŹ tted with colour rings so their movements can be traced.

They have been reported at Abberton Reservoir in Essex, Paxton Pits and Deeping St James, whilst cormorants from the Isle of Man and the Netherlands have been seen at Rutland Water.

Cormorants are well known for perching with outstretched wings. This may not just be to dry them a er ďŹ shing expeditions, they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the waterprooďŹ ng of wildfowl, but to help them regulate their body temperature as well.

Terry Mitcham

"" $*

!

%! $

$ & ( " % $

$ $ ) %" " ' $ ) %" " " ) %" $ & ( " # !! ) ' # $ " $ #

/// M A R C H 2 0 1 5

23

Massive Tent Sale

EXAMPLE OFFERS

CLEARANCE PRICES TO MAKE WAY FOR 2015 STOCK Lumen AirBeam V500 Was £775 Now £500

www.getlostinrutland.co.uk

Skye 500 Was £440 Now £300

Vist our shop. Open Tuesday-Sunday. Next to Cotton Traders.

e. info@getlostinrutland.co.uk t. 01572 868712 Rutland Village, Ashwell Road, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 7QN – FREE PARKING! Ark 200 Was £90 Now £60

Activelife LOCAL PEOPLE

A day in the life of Andy Ainscough Rutland Water warden on running a fleet of boats and working in a glorious office I’m one of four full-time and two seasonal wardens at Rutland Water and we tend to get into work by 7.30am. We’re here at this time so people can take advantage of the early part of the day which is o en the best time for fishing.

Our first job is to get the boats ready. We have a big fleet of 60 boats, but on an average day in peak season if people are catching well, we’ll probably have about 50 boats out on the water. We have to carry out health and safety checks, and make sure they’re all fuelled up and carrying all the necessary equipment. When a new customer arrives we give them an induction on the boat to show them how to use it, and then we’ll probably take them out for ten minutes to make sure they’ve got the hang of it. They can then go off for a half or full day.

Once most of the boats are out, and before too many other visitors have arrived, I’ll take a break between about 10 and 11am.

The fishing season lasts virtually all year at Rutland Water. We finish at the end of January and re-open this year on March 13. The early season up to June is the best time for fishing because trout don’t like it when the water is too hot – they swim much deeper. This is the first year we’ve extended the season as we normally close at the end of December. But fishing for pike and zander is becoming more popular so we let those fishermen come for longer in the winter now. We do have to give the water a rest at some point and it also gives us the time to do some maintenance on the boats.

We’re responsible for the whole of the park apart from the nature reserve at Egleton. So we look a er all the car parks, the fishing operations on site, the 28 miles of cycle track around the reservoir and its associated land. Site safety is the most important part of my job, then customer service. We’re still the biggest man-made reservoir in Europe with 3,000 acres of water. And we have people visiting us from all over. They come from France, Belgium, Scotland, Wales and Ireland on holiday packages so they can fish with us, then at Grafham Water, Pitsford and

Ravensthorpe reservoirs. We host some of the biggest fly fishing competitions in Europe, too. I know that when you go fishing you want to catch something, but the whole experience is important.

There aren’t many places where you can take a boat out in such beautiful surroundings and have the chance of seeing an osprey.

While some wardens are sending the boats out, others are opening the gates and the car park machines and checking the site is ready. We then start our spot checks. People have to have an Environment Agency rod licence and purchase a ticket from Anglian Water but they can fish anywhere off the banks, apart from the nature reserve. Part of my job is to enforce the water park’s bylaws which can be challenging. Not everyone is going to be happy all the time.

Another important job is restocking. We stock the water with 80,000 trout each year – both rainbow and brown.

We try and encourage children into the sport and we work closely with Rutland Water Fly Fishers who hold a youth day every year. It’s the biggest one in the country and is always really successful. I’ve always been interested in fishing.

I’ve been going with my dad since I was little. And

I’ve also always been interested in water – the ecology of it. So I did a degree in marine and freshwater biology. I’ve lived in Langham all my life and I’m really fortunate to have got this job as they don’t come up very o en. I’ve been here now for five years and last year I got married. I fish to relax too. My favourite place is down at the bottom of the south arm. It’s the best-looking area of the water and it’s a pleasure to be down there. I also play cricket for Oakham when I’m not working at weekends.

In the summer I could be at work until 10pm as we’re dictated to by the light. The lighter it gets in the evenings, the longer people will fish, but the latest they can be on the boats is 9.45pm. If I’m still at work I’ll eat my evening meal here too. It’ll generally be something I’ve heated up from the day before. If I haven’t made something in the morning I might nip out to the café on site.

The best part of my day is getting here when the sun’s not long up and no-one’s about. And I love the end of the day when we’ve closed the site and I stand back and take it all in. I might have been run ragged all day, but then I look out and watch the sun go down over the water and I think it’s not a bad place to be. /// M A R C H 2 0 1 5

25

DS F OR N T M A E T S END EP IND ICIANS OP T

Providing for all of your eye care needs ZEISS OFFICE LENSES. The moment your lenses let your eyes relax so your mind can focus.

is located close to the centre of Peterborough, providing easy access to all of our facilities.

We offer an extensive range of activities throughout our premises to suit the needs and abilities of all our members and guests.

Ham Lane, PE2 5UU

ZEISS office lenses: • Clear visual acuity for near to intermediate distance vision with wide vision zones • Relaxed, natural vision in the office and for any near to mid-range activities • Comfortable head and body posture throughout the workday

01733 889802 www.neneoutdoors.co.uk www.facebook.com/neneoutdoors

Activelife CHALLENGE

Marathon men A group of local men are in training for a gruelling marathon challenge... no, not the 26 miles around London but instead the Marathon des Sables – a seven-day slog across the Sahara desert in temperatures approaching 50 degrees Two different groups from our area are planning to compete in the toughest footrace on Earth, the Marathon des Sables.

More than 1,000 entrants from around the world will race across the Sahara in April, completing a total of 156 miles over sand dunes up to 300 feet high in temperatures up to 50 degrees centigrade.

Meet four intrepid army officers and great friends, Major Al Grant, Major Simon Doherty, Captain Tristan Burwell and Captain Hugh Richardson. Not only have they just returned with their regiment, the 9th/12th Royal Lancers, from a nine-month stint in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, but they’ve set themselves another challenge. They will compete in the Marathon Des Sables to test their mettle against some of the toughest running conditions on the planet.

Most normal people would be delighted to have some down time and a bit of R and R a er their deployment but not these four. They are intending to compete in the seven-day foot race across the Saharan desert running over a marathon a day in blistering heat.

With strong connections to Stamford and Rutland, Tristan is from Stamford and went to the boys’ school and Uppingham and Hugh was also at Uppingham, they intend to raise £20,000 for the Army Benevolent Fund. The idea to compete in the race was inspired by the amazing help that the charity has provided for soldiers from their Regiment who have been injured whilst serving in Afghanistan over the years.

Tristan said: ‘We are very excited to be taking part in such a challenging race and are determined to raise the money. Having served in Afghanistan twice it’s clear to see that this charity provides invaluable support to soldiers, past and present, and their families.”

Training is going well so far. They are training daily mixing running with cycling and rowing to keep injury at bay. And at the weekends running a 20-miler. As they’re based in north Yorkshire coping with very hot temperatures is proving tricky at this time of year! But so far they’ve completed a fell marathon in the North Yorkshire moors, a 40-mile run in the Scottish Highlands, another marathon in Germany and the North Yorkshire three peaks challenge that they ran rather than walked...

We’ll keep you informed how training is going next month and how the race goes in April – best of luck boys!

To support the team and to donate please visit www.justgiving.com/2015MDSteam and follow them on twitter @912MDS

Clockwise, from le Al Grant and Hugh Richardson training in Morocco; Simon Doherty; Tristan Burwell

Local businessman Darren Grigas, right, from Thorney is also up for the challenge. He is racing on behalf of local charity Anna’s Hope that raises funds for children with brain tumours.

Along with the other competitors he will be carrying kit weighing up to 9kg that includes distress flares, water, a medical kit for those blistered feet and an anti-venom pump just in case a snake or scorpion takes in interest. But unlike the other competitors he will be running and sharing a tent with explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes.

Darren has also been training hard running between 50 and 70 miles each week along with many sessions in the gym.

He said: “It’s a massive challenge and finishing it will be an achievement but I’m planning to race as well as I’m just too competitive to take it easy. I’m hoping that my efforts can raise funds and awareness for an amazing local charity.”

To find out how to donate to Darren’s cause contact admin@annashope.co.uk or telephone 01780 740492

/// M A R C H 2 0 1 5

27

5% off any purchase of fabric and haberdashery when accompanied with this advert (copies not allowed)

PAMPER YOURSELF THIS SPRING

For details RI DOO RÍ¿HUV either call the salon or see our Facebook page

Say goodbye to the winter blues! Treat yourself or a loved RQH IRU 0RWKHU·V 'D\ RU (DVWHU WR RQH RI RXU VSHFLDO R;HUV

2;HUV WKLV VSULQJ Â&#x2021; Express facial and a back massage Â&#x2026; Â&#x2021; Set of gel overlays, eyelash tint and brow shape Â&#x2026; Â&#x2021; Pedicure and manicure Â&#x2026;

%RG\PDWWHUVÂ&#x2021;%URZQORZ 6WUHHWÂ&#x2021;6WDPIRUGÂ&#x2021;3( (/ ZZZ ERG\PDWWHUVVWDPIRUG FR XNÂ&#x2021;LQIR#ERG\PDWWHUVVWDPIRUG FR XN C ZZZ IDFHERRN FRP %RG\PDWWHUV6WDPIRUG

)5(( 3$5.,1*

Activelife CHALLENGE

Cycling the world James Peach is on the adventure of his life – to cycle around the world and in the process raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. This month he starts to cross Asia and is loving every minute of it….

I’ve had a wonderful start to the madness of Asia and it’s been just the boost we need to start our journey back home.

Over the past month since landing in Ho Chi Minh we’ve crossed Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand to where I am now in Yangon, south Mayanmar, Asia has presented a whole new set of challenges.

First of all cycling posed lots of new ones but it took only a few minutes to learn the rules – because there aren’t any.

There are people going the wrong way down motorways and animals on roads that have no markings or signs, but it works well. We covered the ground more quickly in Vietnam because, in the cities, the roads are well kept and there are virtually no traffic lights. And when there was one the red light counts down 45 seconds until the green one appears. The sea of mopeds pile up and the time rarely gets lower than 10 seconds before

everyone loses patience and is off. It was so much fun.

Secondly admin; there are potentially 14 countries to cross before reaching Europe. Most of them will require visas or permits that take time to get, and it seems to be much more complicated passing through land borders than airports.

Currently we are waiting in Yangon for 10 days to get visas for both India and Bangladesh, and permits to cycle across west Myanmar and to cross the border into India.

Then there is water, although hard to find in Australia it was normally clean. But here water is both scarcer and less kind on an Englishman’s stomach unless we put in a drop of iodine or do some good old fashioned boiling. Food is another problem. In extremely poor countries such as Cambodia and Myanmar finding hot food by the roadside can be a challenge, and there is always the worry that eating the wrong thing could bring illness that will cause delays. The other problem is getting enough calories. For example Vietnamese pho soup is delicious, filling, hot and available but just doesn’t have enough calories for a grown man trying to cycle 150km a day. That said the food is always fantastic. The street food is beautifully sweet or deliciously spicy.

And then there are the poor road conditions we experienced in Cambodia and Myanmar. Potholes and dust slow the pace but rocks, gravel and steep inclines can make pedalling impossible.

Navigation becomes harder as maps are o en old and inaccurate, so winding across a country and finding a border crossing means asking hundreds of people and taking the advice of the majority. Which of course leads to the hardest challenge, the language barriers.

In one month we’ve experienced four languages so my charades skills have been tested and honed to a highly effective level. Next Christmas I’m expecting to wipe the floor with my family in our annual, hotly contested, game. Whether it’s acting

shivering to ask for cold water or becoming a chicken or pig to order food, I’m quickly becoming quite the skilled mime artist.

Crossing these four countries has been magnificent. They are each extremely diverse, very friendly and hospitable, exciting and charming, whilst all bearing the scars of their recent past.

Children will scream ‘hello’ from everywhere as we pass. O en you will hear the yelp from miles away and not be able to spot the face, so I just yell back in reply. We will be raced by school children on their commute, or be engaged in conversation by moped drivers as they pass, ‘where you from?’ ‘how old are you?’, or simply waved at by huge families sitting outside their houses eating dinner.

It’s exciting, there is little time to relax, the roads are crazy, there is so much to see and so many people to smile at and say hello to. It’s such a huge difference from the past six months, and a really welcome one.

I have visited the war museums in Vietnam, the Killing Fields and torture chambers of Cambodia and seen and discussed the unrest across Thailand and Myanmar. The difficult periods in these countries’ histories are recent and raw, yet the people are so happy, friendly and warm. It’s remarkable, inspiring and excellent.

Crossing the border into Myanmar (which has only been open to tourists for a few months) and cycling across the eastern mountains was spectacular. Cycling up the steep and dusty climbs on roads that vehicles can only pass each way on alternate days because of the dangerous conditions and narrow roads was hard. But the scenery is beyond breathtaking.

Ultimately it was a privilege as very few tourists have been able to experience this corner of Myanmar, so it was extremely special to be seeing places so unique and untouched.

To follow James visit his blog www. thelifecycle.org which will also allow you to donate to the Teenage Cancer Trust. /// M A R C H 2 0 1 5

29

Feature /// Gear

Kitbag

The latest kit to keep you active this spring

Hilco Optical goggles These fabulous modular prescription goggles can be assembled in just seconds with different prescription powers for each eye if need be, and if your prescription changes, you can change one or both lenses without having to purchase another goggle. Lenses offer 100% protection, so they can be used indoors or outdoors, while the goggle uses a silicone seal for no leaks and comfort. Prescription diving masks are also available.

From Stamford Eye Clinic, www.thestamfordeyeclinic.co.uk Price £39 (including prescription lenses)

Zonda windproof jacket The Zonda windproof jacket is designed to combine with the Zonda fleece hoodie (available as a package), providing a really flexible system for demanding walks and active travel. A lightweight, fully windproof and water resistant, hooded and vent-able jacket, it teams perfectly with the fleece. It is very packable and ideal for travel but will also meet the demands of strenuous hill activities.

Price £165 men/£155 womens From Get Lost in Rutland, www.getlostinrutland.com

Kona Precept 2015 full suspension mountain bike The genre-defining Precept takes the rollability, traction and quick handling of 27.5-inch wheels and 120mm of Kona’s Swinger Independent Suspension to create an incredibly efficient climber and a faster, more stable, descender. Outfitted with a Shimano drivetrain highlighted by a Deore Shadow rear derailleur, 130mm RockShox fork and refined trail geometry with excellent standover, the Precept is everything a great mountain bike should be: solid, smooth and full of smiles.

Price £1,098.99 From Rutland Cycling, www.rutlandcycling.com

3 0 M A RC H 2015 ///

Barnett Junior Tomcat archery kit Fancy a spot of archery a er our reading our feature?

This Tomcat archery kit features a right-handed compound bow with so -touch finger rollers on the string. The kit includes quiver, arrows and fibre optic sight. For kids of eight years and older.

Price £69.54 From Mole Valley Farmers, www.molevalleyfarmers.com

Butterfly Slimline outdoor table tennis table This roll-away table tennis table by Butterfly comes accompanied by four bats and three balls so you can get playing straight away. It’s suitable for home, garden, school or club use. It is constructed using the finest quality materials, including a 12mm compreg top impregnated with special resin.

This provides excellent playability. The table top is protected by a strong metal frame.

Price £449 From John Lewis

Stand-up paddle board Sealskinz Norge gloves These lightweight gloves have been inspired by the Nordic region, giving excellent dexterity and control due to their fitted construction. Totally breathable and windproof, with a supple digital leather palm which balances flexibility with grip, a feature on index finger and thumb allows use of touchscreen devices Price £35 From Get Lost in Rutland, www.getlostinrutland.com

The popular Aero SUP 10.6 package includes handy new gadgets like a handle at the tip of the board, D-rings on the tip and tail and a slip knot bungee system so you can carry whatever you want on your next SUP-trip. Fun and relaxation intersect with thiws SUP board, as it’s perfect for beginners and experienced riders alike.

Price £629.99 From Nene Outdoors, www.neneoutdoors.co.uk

/// M A RC H 2015 3 1

PERFORMANCE IS A STATE OF MIND.

FROM â&#x20AC;¢ â&#x20AC;¢ â&#x20AC;¢ â&#x20AC;¢â&#x20AC;¢ â&#x20AC;¢ â&#x20AC;¢ â&#x20AC;¢ TO â&#x20AC;¢ â&#x20AC;¢ â&#x20AC;¢ â&#x20AC;¢ â&#x20AC;¢â&#x20AC;¢ â&#x20AC;¢ â&#x20AC;¢ â&#x20AC;¢ IN â&#x20AC;¢ â&#x20AC;¢â&#x20AC;¢ â&#x20AC;¢ â&#x20AC;¢ â&#x20AC;¢ â&#x20AC;¢ â&#x20AC;¢ â&#x20AC;¢ â&#x20AC;¢ â&#x20AC;¢

DISCOVER THE NEW ABARTH RANGE AT ROCKINGHAM CARS CORBY DIGITAL DISPLAY WITH G FORCE INDICATOR AS STANDARD INCREASED COLOUR RANGE MORE CUSTOMISATION OPTIONS

Cockerell Road, Corby, Northamptonshire NN17 5DU. Tel: 01536 268991 WWW.ROCKINGHAMCARS.CO.UK

The Abarth Range starts from £14,560. Models shown: Abarth 500 Custom at £15,540 OTR including optional Cordolo Red paint (£660), 10 spoke alloys (£320) and the new !BARTH¬ #¬#USTOM¬AT¬a ¬/42¬INCLUDING¬OPTIONAL¬#ORDOLO¬2ED¬PAINT¬ a ¬ ¬ ¬3POKE¬$IAMOND¬lNISH¬ALLOY¬WHEELS¬ a ¬4HE¬OFlCIAL¬FUEL¬CONSUMPTION¬lGURES¬FOR¬THE¬

Abarth 500 range: Urban 33.2 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 33.6 mpg (8.4 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 8.5 l/km); Extra Urban 52.3 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 53.3 mpg (5.3 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 5.4 l/km); Combined 43.5 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 44.1 mpg (6.4 -6.5 l/km), CO2 emissions: 150 -155g/km. Fuel consumption and CO2¬lGURES¬ARE¬OBTAINED¬FOR¬COMPARATIVE¬PURPOSES¬IN¬ACCORDANCE¬WITH¬%#¬DIRECTIVES REGULATIONS¬AND¬MAY¬NOT¬BE¬REPRESENTATIVE¬OF¬REAL LIFE¬DRIVING¬CONDITIONS ¬&ACTORS¬SUCH¬AS¬DRIVING¬STYLE ÂWEATHER¬AND¬ROAD¬CONDITIONS¬MAY¬ALSO¬HAVE¬A¬SIGNIlCANT¬EFFECT¬ON¬FUEL¬CONSUMPTION

Guest column

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know DRS from KERS? F1 might just be beyond you Martin Johnson on the unique attractions of Grand Prix racing room vroom! The end of season break has scarcely been long enough to sew another advertisement on to Lewis Hamiltonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overalls, but Formula One will soon be back with us again with projected television audiences of around half a billion in close on 140 countries.

Not bad for a sport in which most of the excitement revolves around how long it takes to change a wheel, and in which the majority of the contestants â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for all the chance they have of winning â&#x20AC;&#x201C; might just as well be driving a Morris Minor. , DP FRQVWDQWO\ EHPXVHG E\ WKH DXGLHQFH Ă&#x20AC; JXUHV IRU ) ZKLFK DV far as I am concerned is right up there with the Loch Ness Monster, the Marie Celeste, and the whereabouts of Lord Lucan as one of the great unsolved mysteries of the universe.

I was once, while employed by the Daily Telegraph, despatched to Barcelona to write an article on pre-season testing, which was an experience I always relate whenever anyone expresses the view to me that sports journalism is glamorous. It involved spending two entire days watching cars coming out of garages, whizzing around a concrete track for about one and a half minutes, and then returning to the garage to be plugged into some electronic machine.

However, riveting though that was, the undoubted highlight of the entire trip was sitting through a 40-minute press conference hosted by a middle-aged Japanese man blathering on about tyre FRPSRXQGV WUDQVODWHG E\ DQ LQWHUSUHWHU LQWR Ă&#x20AC; YH ODQJXDJHV I am, on the other hand, old enough to remember when F1 was actually exciting. The cars handled like supermarket trollies, the drivers wore goggles and there was none of this guff about two and three stop strategies. When Juan Manuel Fangio came into the pits it ZDV EHFDXVH KH RQO\ KDG RQH ZKHHO OHIW RU KLV HQJLQH ZDV RQ Ă&#x20AC; UH not because the sportâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s administrators had worked out that the only way of getting the lead to change hands was to make it compulsory to come in for petrol, or to change a hard tyre to a soft one.

You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t yet win a Grand Prix with a driver whose skill levels donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t extend much beyond hogging the middle lane on the M6 behind the wheel of a Fiat Tipo, but that day is rapidly approaching.

Apart from pressing a button, modern F1 cars are driven by computers, supervised by programmers whose idea of an idyllic holiday is keeping the sun off his head with while immersing himself in the latest issue of Cylinder Gasket Monthly.

V

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not even dangerous anymore, notwithstanding the tragic but freak accident involving the French driver Jules Bianchi last season.

No-one would argue that safety improvements donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t represent an admirable stride forward, but in another way (and letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not pretend otherwise) it has made F1 less of an attraction. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a bit like watching circus high wire acts. It only really gets your attention if there isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a safety net.

For many years after the inaugural world championship Grand Prix at Silverstone in 1950 was won by Guiseppi Farina in an Alfa Romeo, it was generally held that the title was won by the best driver, but nowadays itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more or less decided on designer drawing boards, in wind tunnels, and which team has shaved crucial hundredths of a second off its lap times with its revolutionary, inverse-ratio, double-torqued wing mirror. And whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll know whether the title is going to Mercedes, or Red Bull, or whoever, EHIRUH WKH Ă&#x20AC; UVW UDFH There will, nonetheless, be acres of newsprint devoted to the build up to the championship opener in Melbourne on March 15, and to whether Hamilton can win the world title for a third time, the same number as Ayrton Senna. Not to mention whether our boy can win back-to-back BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards, which heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s probably a shoo-in to do purely because motor racing is just about the only live sport you can see on the Beeb these days.

Getting up at 5am to watch the Australian Grand Prix might put some people off, but I ask you, who will possibly be able to sleep wondering whether Hamilton has decided to start on the super-soft tyres, or whether his KERS will behave when Nico Rosberg is closing up fast enough to get within DRS range?

Personally I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wait, although I still think the organisers have missed a trick or two when it comes to spicing it up even more. If I was in charge, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d make all the drivers pay for their petrol, preferably by credit card. Imagine the tension as the crowd looks up at the big screen at the Red Bull driver fuming and fretting behind a guy buying two bars of chocolate. And when he gets to the front of the queue, the machine doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t recognise his pin number.

Another improvement to what has frankly become a tired format would be to make all the cars two seaters, and have the driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wife or girlfriend accompany him. We all know how cool these guys are under pressure, but when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve paid for your fuel, and come back WR Ă&#x20AC; QG WKDW WKH ZLIH LV LQ WKH TXHXH DW 6WDUEXFNV RU KDV QLSSHG RII WR powder her nose, the 2015 world championship would not just be all about whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got the fastest car, but whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got the longest fuse.

/// M A R C H 2 0 1 5 3 3

Competition /// Rutland Cycling

Rutland’s got cycling talent!

One lucky entrant is going to win the cycling prize of a lifetime – here’s how you can help to choose the winner

H

3 4 M A RC H 2015 ///

HOW TO VOTE Head to www.theactivemag.com/vote to choose who you think should be the outright winner. All you need to do is click on the vote button of who you want to win, enter your name and a valid email address.

You will be sent an email to confirm your email address and as soon as you do your vote will be counted. If you don’t receive an email confirmation make sure you check your spam or junk mail folder. The closing date for votes is March 25.

Terms and conditions: By voting you consent to Active magazine and Rutland Cycling contacting you for marketing purposes.

REPORTAGE/ARCHIVAL IMAGE

ere are the shortlisted entries in our amazing Rutland Cycling competition. Who will you vote for to win £2,000-worth of cycling equipment and expert advice?

Active has teamed up with Rutland Cycling to offer one lucky winner a fantastic opportunity to fulfill their cycling dream, cycling away with either a Specialized Tarmac or a Specialized Roubaix top spec, carbon frame road bike.

But that’s not the only prize – it’s also the opportunity of a lifetime to benefit from the internationally experienced road cycling staff at Rutland Cycling to help our winner achieve their cycling goal.

Right at the outset Rutland Cycling will get the right fit for them, using the latest in Retul sizing technology and years of good old-fashioned experience.

They will enjoy Rutland Cycling’s all-new Bike Fit process, using the latest Body Geometry video capture technology in the hands of guys who have raced and coached at the highest level.

Then they will be helped with training, with the team getting them out on regular organised rides and tailoring a bespoke race ready program.

Active will be following our winner right through the process and onto the roads to see if they can reach their lofty goals.

1

2

3

4

5

Here’s a rundown of our 10 finalists 1) SCOTT BRYAN Uppingham Land’s End to John-O’Groats for charity My father passed away in 2005 due to complications from diabetes, so I decided to raise money for Diabetes UK, chucking myself straight into the deep end by cycling from London to Paris, raising £1,300. It was a great experience, but a er struggling financially I had to sell my bike, which was a bit heartbreaking.

I would love this opportunity to win a bike of my dreams so I could ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats, raising money for charity. I’m not super-fit so it would take hard work, determination and 100% commitment, and be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

2) MARK TILLEY King’s Cliffe Getting set for sportives I would love the opportunity to be properly fitted for a road bike. There seems to be more road cycling events around Rutland than there are mountain bike events, which is what I currently do, so I’m not able to enter them. It would be great to be able to ride in one and progress my road cycling. I have ridden in the Thetford Winter Series, Thetford Dusk Til Dawn, Mountain Mayhem and Single Speed UK, but I would love to enter the dare2b event from Rutland and train for the 108 miles.

3) ROBERT GOULD Peterborough Taking part in the Grand Fondo I’ve been cycling since May 2014, a er I injured my ankle running, to lose weight and lower my blood pressure. I lost four stone in just over a year, trying to ride 90 miles a week. I currently ride a budget alloy road bike and couldn’t justify buying the dream carbon bike as I have two children, so disposable income is limited for the foreseeable future! At 42, I sometimes think I le it too late to get into cycling, but I can’t see myself stopping and I’d love to use the bike to take part in the Plymouth Gran Fondo event taking place in May this year.

4) MARTYN KELLY Peterborough Climbing the Roof of England I’m approaching the dreaded three-zero (30) this year and I’ve recently became a dad for the first time. Like most new parents my spare time is limited. I would love the opportunity to learn how to train more

6

7

effectively and pick up new skills along the way, in order to prepare myself for the tough challenge of the Roof of England Sportive. With over 88 miles and 9,030 feet of climbing, the Roof of England Sportive would prove to be very challenging for anyone - let alone a cyclist from the edge of the Fens!

5) LEE PATTERSON Eastwell Across the USA for charity I want to cycle from the east to the west coast of the USA: 3,000 miles in 30 days to raise money for the Honeypot and Starlight charities for carers and terminally ill children. I took the stabilisers off my bike in 2006 and in 2007 cycled 350 miles in five days across Death Valley, Nevada, raising more than £5,000 for the Mines Advisory Group. I cycle for pleasure, wearing tracksuit bottoms, woolly jumper and pair of old trainers. I have been planning my USA cycle ride for years and at 57, a new bike and kit would certainly give me some extra, much-needed pedal power!

6) HEIDI CANNIE Stamford Wants to go Dambusting As a child, cycling was the only method of being able to keep up with my parents while they were dog walking! Since completing the London Marathon in April 2014 I have set myself a new challenge - to complete the Dambuster Triathlon based at Rutland Water. Having completed the swim leg as part of a team in the Dambuster in 2014, this year I intend to complete the whole event individually. I currently swim and run five times a week and have competed in both of these sports to a high standard. I now want to push myself further in the multi-sport discipline of triathlon.

7) ANDREW COOPER Empingham Competition in road races and sportives My 20-year-old bike is really only good for transporting our two young children around Rutland Water. I am currently looking for an affordable second-hand bike but have concerns about what I am buying, as well as ensuring I have an optimum setup on the bike. I am very keen to invest some of my time back into the great outdoors, getting fit, commuting and re-exploring the local area. I am sure a change to

8

9 3

a modern, lightweight road bike would give me the opportunity to compete in sportives and road races, such as the ITP/Dare2Be and Loughborough National Forest Autumn sportive this year.

8) BILL HICKIN Hougton-on-the-Hill Coast to coast a er a lifestyle change Two and a half years ago, at 53, I was obese, on tablets for high blood pressure and borderline diabetic. I had to do something, so tried cycling. I got my 20-year-old mountain bike out and commuted the seven miles to work instead of driving. It was difficult, took an hour, the saddle was a pain and I was getting to work tired.

The cycle home was worse. However, I stuck to it: now I do it in 30 minutes, have lost over two stone in weight, have cut my blood pressure medication and have more energy. Now, I would like to tackle the 140-mile coast to coast route across Britain: it would be the ride of my life.

9) ANDRIANNA CURTIS Stamford Improving the bike leg of triathlons Until my mid-twenties I didn’t know what bike gears were for, having grown up in the Fens. Now, having done a few super sprint triathlons I’m getting the hang of it. I will be taking part in four triathlons this summer, the last one being the most challenging in Yorkshire, hosted by the Olympian Brownlee brothers.

I am increasing my distance to challenge myself as the cycle distance will double to over 20k. I usually come out of the swim early but lose places on the bike! I would love to keep my swim position throughout the bike sections.

10) ANDY CHUBB Kettering Losing weight and multiple long rides At just a tad over 22 stone I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol and while losing weight, I have re-discovered my love of cycling, culminating in doing a 50 mile ride for charity.

I’m a bit self-conscious about my weight, and over 20st on skinny wheels worries me, so I haven’t owned a road bike. I don’t have one specific challenge.

I’m aiming the do the following: a 60 mile ride in April, an 80 mile ride in July, 100 miles in September and to cycle the Coast to Coast path from Whitehaven to Tynemouth.

10

/// M A RC H 2015 3 5

Feature /// Sports rehab

Self-myofascial release: How, what, and why?

Max Hartman, senior rehabilitation coach at Function Jigsaw, on how to use foam rolling to get your muscles ready for exercise, and to recover more quickly OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS the health and Ã&#x20AC; WQHVV LQGXVWU\ KDV H[SORGHG 3DUWLFLSDWLRQ LQ UHFUHDWLRQDO VSRUW DQG H[HUFLVH KDV LQFUHDVHG GUDPDWLFDOO\ DQG LQ WKH ZDNH RI DQ HYHU LQFUHDVLQJ SURIHVVLRQDO VSRUWLQJ FXOWXUH LQ IRRWEDOO UXJE\ FULFNHW DQG DWKOHWLFV WKH JHQHUDO SXEOLF DUH FRQVWDQWO\ UHFHLYLQJ WULFNOH GRZQ LQVLJKW LQWR KRZ WR WUDLQ VPDUWHU UHFRYHU IDVWHU DQG SURJUHVV PRUH HIIHFWLYHO\ ,Q UHFHQW \HDUV WKH FRQFHSW RI VHOI P\RIDVFLDO UHOHDVH KDV FRPH WR WKH IRUHIURQW LQ WKH SK\VLRWKHUDS\ DQG LQMXU\ UHKDELOLWDWLRQ PDUNHWV %HQHÃ&#x20AC; WV LQFOXGH LQFUHDVHG UDQJH RI PRWLRQ GHFUHDVHG SDLQ DQG LPSURYHPHQWV LQ SHUIRUPDQFH %XW ZKDW LV WKH VFLHQFH EHKLQG WKH SUDFWLFH" +RZ DQG ZKHQ VKRXOG \RX GR LW" $QG KRZ FDQ LW KHOS \RX"

What is self-myofascial release?

7KH WHUP P\RIDVFLDO UHOHDVH LV D UHIHUHQFH WR WKH FRQQHFWLYH WLVVXH IDVFLD D ULJLG \HW G\QDPLF WKUHH GLPHQVLRQDO WLVVXH WKDW VXUURXQGV DQG HQFDSVXODWHV WKH PXVFOHV WHQGRQV DQG OLJDPHQWV RI WKH VNHOHWRQ IURP KHDG WR WRH 'XH WR LQMXU\ ODFN RI PRYHPHQW RU LQGHHG D KLJK YROXPH RI UHSHWLWLYH PRYHPHQW WLJKWQHVV DQG UHVWULFWLRQV RFFXU ZLWKLQ WKH IDVFLD UHVXOWLQJ LQ D UHGXFWLRQ RI WLVVXH HODVWLFLW\ DQG PRELOLW\ $GKHVLRQV EHWZHHQ OD\HUV RI PXVFOH DQG IDVFLD DUH UHOHDVHG WLJKW EDQGV DQG ¶NQRWV· LQ PXVFOH WLVVXH FDQ EH ORRVHQHG RII RU UHOHDVHG DQG KHDOWK\ IXOO UDQJH RI PRWLRQ UHVWRUHG 6HOI 0\RIDVFLDO UHOHDVH FDQ EH SHUIRUPHG LQ D YDULHW\ RI ZD\V 0RVW FRPPRQO\ IRDP UROOHUV see pictures DUH XVHG DV D VHOI PDVVDJH WRRO DOWKRXJK RWKHU WRROV VRPHWLPHV LQFOXGH JROI EDOOV FULFNHW EDOOV DQG UROOLQJ SLQV )RDP UROOHUV DUH F\OLQGULFDO WRROV URXJKO\ WKH VDPH GLDPHWHU DV D GUDLQSLSH PDGH XS RI D FRPELQDWLRQ RI VRIW IRDP DQG SODVWLFV WR SURYLGH D VHPL Ã&#x20AC; UP WRRO WR UROO WKH ERG\ DFURVV HIIHFWLYHO\ SURYLGLQJ VHOI PDVVDJH 7KH EHQHÃ&#x20AC; WV RI IRDP UROOLQJ KDYH EHHQ H[SORUHG LQ UHFHQW VWXGLHV ZLWK UHVXOWV VKRZLQJ VLJQLÃ&#x20AC; FDQW LQFUHDVHV LQ MRLQW UDQJH RI PRWLRQ GHFUHDVHV LQ SRVW H[HUFLVH PXVFOH VRUHQHVV DQG GHFUHDVHG VHQVDWLRQ RI PXVFXODU IDWLJXH $ IXUWKHU VWXG\ SXEOLVKHG HDUO\ WKLV \HDU DOVR JLYHV VRPH HYLGHQFH WR VXJJHVW LPPHGLDWH LPSURYHPHQWV LQ DWKOHWLF SHUIRUPDQFH WHVWV VXFK DV D PHWUH VSULQW DQG PD[LPDO YHUWLFDO MXPS KHLJKW :KLOVW WKH HYLGHQFH IRU LPPHGLDWH LPSURYHPHQWV LQ SHUIRUPDQFH LV YDULHG LW FDQ EH DUJXHG WKDW UHJXODU SUDFWLFH RI IRDP UROOLQJ DQG

3 6 M A R C H 2 0 1 5 ///

LWV HIIHFW RQ IDWLJXH DQG VWLIIQHVV FDQ RYHU WLPH DOORZ LQGLYLGXDOV WR WUDLQ KDUGHU IRU ORQJHU LQFUHDVLQJ WHUPLQDO JDLQV LQ SHUIRUPDQFH

When? &XUUHQW UHVHDUFK VXJJHVWV LPPHGLDWH LPSURYHPHQWV LQ MRLQW UDQJH RI PRWLRQ DV ZHOO DV PLG WR ORQJ WHUP KRXU UHOLHI IURP SRVW H[HUFLVH PXVFOH VRUHQHVV 6R SUH DFWLYLW\ IRDP UROOLQJ FDQ EH XVHIXO ZKHQ JHWWLQJ LQWR DWKOHWLF SRVLWLRQV WKDW UHTXLUH JRRG MRLQW UDQJH RI PRWLRQ 3UH J\P IRDP UROOLQJ LPSURYHV WKH UDQJH RI PRWLRQ WKURXJK WKH KLS NQHH DQNOH DQG OXPEDU VSLQH DQG KDV LQ RXU H[SHULHQFH VKRZQ FRQVLGHUDEOH LPSURYHPHQWV LQ VTXDW DQG OXQJH IRUP KHOSLQJ WR SURWHFW \RXU ORZHU EDFN DQG NQHHV IURP H[FHVVLYH ORDGLQJ ,I UXQQLQJ DQG F\FOLQJ DUH PRUH \RXU WKLQJ IRDP UROOLQJ WKURXJK WKH FDOYHV DQG TXDGV LQ SDUWLFXODU FDQ EH KHOSIXO LQ WKH SUHYHQWLRQ DQG PDQDJHPHQW RI FRPPRQ RYHUXVH LQMXULHV VXFK DV SDWHOODU DQG $FKLOOHV WHQGLQRSDWK\ %\ LQFUHDVLQJ H[WHQVLELOLW\ WKURXJK WKH PXVFOH WHQGRQ XQLW IRUFH WKURXJK WKH WHQGRQ LV UHGXFHG KHOSLQJ PDQDJH SDLQ DQG OLPLW ORVV RI IXQFWLRQ HQVXULQJ \RX DUH DEOH WR UHJXODUO\ WUDLQ DQG SOD\ SDLQ IUHH :LWK PRUH FRPSOH[

PRYHPHQWV VXFK DV 2O\PSLF OLIWLQJ UDQJH RI PRWLRQ EHFRPHV HYHQ PRUH FUXFLDO JLYLQJ \RX IXUWKHU MXVWLÃ&#x20AC; FDWLRQ IRU LQFOXGLQJ IRDP UROOLQJ LQ \RXU WUDLQLQJ URXWLQH $VLGH IURP IRDP UROOLQJ EHIRUH SK\VLFDO DFWLYLW\ VHOI P\RIDVFLDO UHOHDVH LV D JUHDW UHFRYHU\ WRRO UHGXFLQJ VRUHQHVV DQG SHUFHLYHG IDWLJXH IROORZLQJ ZRUNRXWV KHOSLQJ \RX WR UHFRYHU IDVWHU LQ WLPH IRU \RXU QH[W WUDLQLQJ VHVVLRQ

How? 'HSHQGLQJ RQ WKH DUHD RI WKH ERG\ EHLQJ WDUJHWHG DQG KRZ VRUH WLJKW \RX PD\ EH WKHUH DUH QXPHURXV WHFKQLTXHV WR KHOS \RX FRQWURO KRZ PXFK SUHVVXUH \RX DSSO\ WR WKH UROOHU DV ZHOO DV HQDEOLQJ \RX WR DFFXUDWHO\ WDUJHW VSHFLÃ&#x20AC; F PXVFOH JURXSV %\ XVLQJ WKH DUPV IHHW RU VKRXOGHUV WR WDNH VRPH RI \RXU RZQ ERG\ZHLJKW D FRPIRUWDEOH DQG HIIHFWLYH VHOI WUHDWPHQW LV HDVLO\ DFKLHYHG )RU DQ LQ GHSWK JXLGH RQ KRZ WR IRDP UROO HIIHFWLYHO\ FKHFN RXW WKH )XQFWLRQ -LJVDZ ZHEVLWH IRU KHOSIXO WLSV DQG WHFKQLTXHV RU FRPH DQG YLVLW XV LQ FOLQLF IRU D WXWRULDO

About Function Jigsaw /HLFHVWHU EDVHG )XQFWLRQ -LJVDZ ZRUNV LQ HOLWH OHYHO UXJE\ XQLRQ ZLWK /HLFHVWHU DV /HLFHVWHU 7LJHUV DWKOHWHV LQFOXGLQJ PRWRUVSRUW UDFHUV %ULWLVK VNL DQG VQRZERDUG WHDP ULGHUV DV ZHOO DV 2O\PSLF DQG LQWHUQDWLRQDO DWKOHWHV ,W DOVR SURYLGHV VXSSRUW IRU VSRUWLQJ HYHQWV ,I \RX KDYH DQ\ LVVXHV ZLWK \RXU WUDLQLQJ DQG Ã&#x20AC; WQHVV UHJLPHV )XQFWLRQ -LJVDZ LV DYDLODEOH IRU FRQVXOWDWLRQV 9LVLW WKH ZHEVLWH EHORZ RU FDOO IRU PRUH GHWDLOV www.functionjigsaw.co.uk @FunctionJigsaw www.facebook.com/FunctionJigsaw

ALAMY

/// M A R C H 2 0 1 5 3 7

WESTEND61 GMBH / ALAMY

Feature /// Skiing

COPING ON THE

SLOPES

Rob Marshall of British Military Fitness offers his top tips to get the most from your time on the slopes

3 8 M A R C H 2 0 1 5 ///

hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still a couple of months of the winter sports season left and, with the number of British skiing enthusiasts growing by 5,000 each year, more and more of us are jetting off to the Alps for a late-winter break.

So to help all you high-altitude junkies stay safe and limber, Rob Marshall, British Military Fitness manager and professional ski instructor, offers his eight-step guide on how to make the most of your spell on the slopes.

T

1 BALANCE AND WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION Skiing is all in the stance. Your feet are designed for perfect balance, so distributing your weight evenly between the balls and heel of your feet and both skis, should be easy in theory.

However, most beginners squat too much, straining the quads and knee muscles and applying most of their weight to the back of the skis, which can cause loss of control. Lateral deadlifts, which should be performed on both legs, can increase the strength of the upper and lower back, as well as the glutes and hamstrings, pivotal muscle groups for skiing balance.

2 FLEXIBILITY You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be a gymnast to be a good skier. That said, staying supple will reduce your chances of sustaining an injury on the slopes.

6NLLQJ WDUJHWV VSHFLĂ&#x20AC; F PXVFOH JURXSV SXWWLQJ particular strain on the calves and hips. Try yoga or a couple of pilates sessions, just to get you into the swing of things.

3 CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS Cardio exercise is perhaps the most important when preparing for high-altitude exertion. With less oxygen available, your body needs to have VWURQJ UHVSLUDWRU\ PXVFOHV WR IDFLOLWDWH WKH Ă RZ of air in and out of the lungs. Regular cardio will also slash the time it takes your muscles to recover after a long day on the slopes. This could be running, a bootcamp, swimming, cycling and even roller-blading. Just running up and down the stairs for 10 minutes a day will make a difference!

/// M A R C H 2 0 1 5 3 9

Rutland County Golf Club

Always a friendly welcome!

Putting Golfers First Have you Renewed Your Golf Membership Or Are You Thinking About Taking Up GOLF?

DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T DO EITHER UNTIL YOU HAVE CONTACTED US FIRST! Several Outstanding Membership Deals Are On Offer!

For More Information Call Us On 01780 460330

LADIES FREE TASTER SESSIONS Starting Thursday 5th March at 10am Register your Interest by calling us on 01780 460330 and speak to Tracy or George (we do have indoor facilities in case of bad weather)

Rutland County Golf Club, Pickworth, Stamford, Lincs. PE9 4AQ Web: www.rutlandcountygolf.co.uk Email: info@rutlandcountygolf.co.uk

Ham Lane, PE2 5UU

01733 889802 www.neneoutdoors.co.uk www.facebook.com/neneoutdoors

IMAGEBROKER / ALAMY

Feature /// Skiing

4 ALL THE GEAR So youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve booked your holiday and practiced all the right exercises, whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s next? You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to spend a fortune, but having the right clothing to stay insulated without restricting your movement will really help you get the most out of the skiing experience. Must haves include: thermal layers, goggles, gloves, headwear, ski trousers, gaiters, a neck gaiter, thermal socks, ERRWV D PLG OD\HU Ă HHFH DQG DQ LQVXODWHG VNL jacket.

5 INDOOR SKIING You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to travel far to get a taste of skiing; these days there are indoor centres everywhere. These facilities give people the RSSRUWXQLW\ WR Ă&#x20AC; QG WKHLU VQRZ IHHW RU MXVW refresh themselves, so when they reach their holiday destination they can hit the slopes straightaway, without having to learn the basics from scratch. Though nothing compares to the real thing, these centres are the perfect place for

a practice run. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good opportunity to check \RXU QHZ FORWKHV Ă&#x20AC; W WRR

6 SUN CREAM â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sun cream? Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s snow everywhere, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s IUHH]LQJ :KDW DUH \RX RQ DERXW"Âľ Famous last words. For those of you who didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pay attention in secondary school science classes: darker (or black) objects and materials absorb light and turn it into heat energy, so the object heats up. Conversely, lighter (or white) REMHFWV OLNH VQRZ UHĂ HFW OLJKW 7KLV FDQ FDXVH severe sunburn, particularly in the cold, dry air, which strips your skin of its moisture.

7 STRETCHING IN THE COLD So, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve landed in the Alps, head-to-toe in the Ă&#x20AC; QHVW VNLLQJ JHDU ZLWK VXQFUHDP OLEHUDOO\ applied to your exposed areas and a handful of sessions at the local indoor skiing centre under your belt. Before you get started, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important you stretch the crucial muscle groups one last

time. Emphasis should be placed on the upper and lower back muscles, as well as the quads and calves. Be careful to stretch slowly and gradually - in the cold itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy to pull a muscle.

8 THE COOL DOWN After a successful day on the slopes, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be looking forward to day two, so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to perform stretches after your session to guard DJDLQVW ODWHQW VWLIIQHVV DQG VRUHQHVV 7KH : stretch - which involves sitting on a chair pulling your arms backwards to stretch the core - will help to reduce back pain and tension.

Standing calf stretches, quad stretches and Ă RRU KDPVWULQJ VWUHWFKHV VKRXOG OHDYH \RXU OHJV feeling fresh for the next morning. Nobody wants to spend their holiday stuck in bed EHFDXVH RI LQMXU\ RU IDWLJXH

// 7R Ă&#x20AC; QG RXW PRUH LQIRUPDWLRQ YLVLW ZZZ EULWLVKPLOLWDU\Ă&#x20AC; WQHVV FRP

/// M A R C H 2 0 1 5 41

Feature /// Archery

THE &

A RCHER S THE BOWMEN OF RUTLAND ARE KEEPING AN ANCIENT SKILL ALIVE, AS JEREMY BESWICK DISCOVERS Photography: Stephanie Reynolds Photography: Will Hetherington

4 2 M A RC H 2015 ///

/// M A R C H 2 0 1 5 4 3

Fine quality stationery, handmade in Stamford, England To compliment our beautiful colour print we offer stunning personal, occasion and wedding stationery, produced by our skilled craftsmen to your design and inspiration.

Come and see a full range of examples or visit our website for details. /HWWHUSUHVV 3ULQW (PERVVLQJ 7KHUPRJUDSK\ +RW )RLO %ORFNLQJ 'LHFXWWLQJ

SPIEGL PRESS LIMITED The Craft of Fine Print 42 Guash Way, Ryhall Road, Stamford, Lincs. PE9 1XH Tel. 01780 762550 Email: sales@spiegl.co.uk www.spieglpress.com

Feature /// Archery

F

or the majority of the history of mankind archery was, arguably, an invention that rivalled the wheel in its importance. No-one knows H[DFWO\ ZKHQ DUURZ ZDV Ă&#x20AC; UVW SXW WR bow, but cave drawings and fossilised arrowheads prove they were the primary tools for both hunting and warfare from around 20,000BC, and possibly much earlier.

Only the invention of gunpowder and thence Ă&#x20AC; UHDUPV LQ WKH VHYHQWHHQWK FHQWXU\ ² D PHUH VSOLW VHFRQG DJR LQ FRPSDULVRQ ² VDZ WR[LSKLO\ (my favourite new word for 2015) surpassed as the weapon of choice for what were the two major prehistoric leisure occupations de jour; KXQWLQJ IRRG ² DQG NLOOLQJ HDFK RWKHU Even millennia later whole empires were built, and the capability of the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s archers continued to be so vital to national security that, to ensure England had a bowman talent pool to call upon in times of war, successive rulers banned other sports on Sundays, sponsored tournaments with lavish prizes and made SUDFWLFH FRPSXOVRU\ ZLWK VWLII Ă&#x20AC; QHV IRU WKH dilatory.

Today, archery is a fast growing sport with around eight million adherents worldwide and DIĂ&#x20AC; OLDWHG PHPEHUV LQ WKH 8. RI whom have a disability. We have our own Paralympics double gold medal winner in

Danielle Brown and there are 1,100 archery clubs across the country.

One such organisation is The Bowmen of Rutland, a thriving group of 74 members comprising senior, junior and disabled sections. I went along to meet them and to have a bash myself at Oakhamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Catmose College on a Friday evening.

8QGHU WKH H[SHUW H\H RI &OXE &KDLUPDQ 'DYH Goodwin I was introduced to such exotica as string walking, knocking points, risers, limbs and much more. I was kitted out with a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;bracerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on my left arm, a chest guard and a quiver.

Dave blew the whistle to warn everyone that shooting was about to commence and it was WLPH IRU P\ Ă&#x20AC; UVW VKRW $V , VWRRG VLGH RQ IHHW DW ninety degrees to the target, I placed my arrow precariously on the rest and raised the bow.

Pulling back the string I could feel the latent power strain against my muscles as I struggled to hold it steady. $V , OHW P\ Ă&#x20AC; QJHUV UROO RII WKH VWULQJ DV ,¡G EHHQ WDXJKW WKH DUURZ Ă HZ PXFK IDVWHU WKDQ ,¡G DQWLFLSDWHG DQG WKH GXOO WKXPS DV LW ² PRUH E\ luck than judgment I suspect - found its target, seemed to be immediate as I experienced a heady mix of relief and pleasure.

In the space of a few minutes Dave was able to convert this complete novice from a clear and present danger to the ceiling lights into a

THE LEGEND OF THE LONGBOW The skill of archers decided some of the greatest battles in history 1066 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Hastings Williamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s force of 10,000 men includes 2,500 archers; Haroldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only a few. The battle begins with Norman bowmen attacking the English shield wall.

1346 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Crecy 10,000 on the English side, more than half of them archers, fell 2,000 French men at-arms out of a total force of 30,000 for the loss of around 200 of their own.

1356 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Poitiers An Anglo/Welsh force of 6,000 routs a French one of 11,000 as archers stop the French cavalry with a shower of arrows that fells their horses.

1415 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Agincourt An English force is outnumbered by around 4 to 1 but over three-quarters of them are longbowmen. French casualties number 10,000, English 100.

/// M A RC H 2015 4 5

WĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ tŝůůŝĂŵ ^ĐŽƩ ďďŽƩ dƌƵƐƚ͘ ŚĂƌŝƚLJ ŶŽ͗ ϮϯϯϲϬϯ

Feature /// Archery &

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ARCHERY IS A SPORT FOR ALL, PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES WHATEVER AGE AND ABILITYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; & half-way competent archer, capable of using various techniques to improve my aim â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and to feel the immense satisfaction of getting closer and closer to the centre of the target as I learned WKH URSHV ´:H KDYH IRXU TXDOLĂ&#x20AC; HG FRDFKHV LQ WKH club,â&#x20AC;? said Dave. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So we can help you to progress up the levels should you want to. We also compete against other clubs and in competitionsâ&#x20AC;? he continued â&#x20AC;&#x153;and they are great fun. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be standing next to other archers youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve not met before but by the end of the day you can guarantee youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be the best of friends.â&#x20AC;?

During the winter months most of their meetings are held indoors, both here at Catmose and at Great Casterton, but they also have a picturesque dedicated outdoors facility at Greetham, one of just a handful of clubs in the country to be so fortunate. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Once youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve reached a certain level of competence you can just go down to the club and practice to your heartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s content. On a summerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s day itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great to know youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll not be interrupted by animals or walkers passing through, although we did once have to stop when a football appeared over the fence, followed shortly afterwards by two young lads,â&#x20AC;? said Dave.

I asked Jackie Crane, whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been shooting for three years, what she got out of the sport. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Not having a highly macho personality, I like the element of competing primarily against myself. And itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very good for relieving stress.â&#x20AC;?

Son Harri added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I like it because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s peaceful. You can take your time and relax.â&#x20AC;?

Fellow member Peter Wilkinson is longer in the tooth in archery years, having started in 1983, and heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shot for the county in his time: â&#x20AC;&#x153;You start with a handicap of 100 which gradually decreases as far as your ability will WDNH \RX XOWLPDWHO\ GRZQ WR VLQJOH Ă&#x20AC; JXUHV IRU an Olympian,â&#x20AC;? he told me. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As your skill improves you advance through WKLUG FODVV VHFRQG FODVV Ă&#x20AC; UVW FODVV ERZPDQ master bowman and grandmaster bowman, so thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a sense of achievement as you progress.â&#x20AC;?

The Rutland Bowmen are keen to attract new members, whether individuals or whole families whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to shoot together.

This is an engagingly inclusive sport â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as the national governing body Archery GB puts it: â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is a sport for all, providing opportunities whatever age and ability. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It attracts young and old as well as able and

disabled, all shooting and competing together.

You may even come across a whole family at a club, or at the same tournament, as a large number of parents, children and often grandchildren are members.â&#x20AC;?

If you do decide to give it a spin you might UHĂ HFW DV \RX GUDZ EDFN \RXU Ă&#x20AC; UVW VWULQJ WKDW youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re joining an ancient historical line that, though half forgotten, is still indelibly imprinted on our entire cultural DNA. And as your bolt hits the target youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be experiencing - as I did - exactly the same primaeval feelings and emotions that your distant ancestors lived, fought and died with for tens of thousands of years.

Uta que que nus poribusam, voluptat volupturi blaborem faciet elignis tincim hici dolo endendae laccatium ilignati occae ipsunt eatur, faciet elignis

HOW TO JOIN Should you feel inspired, starting is easy. The club will rent you all the kit you need for a modest monthly fee, so your initial ďŹ nancial commitment will be very manageable. Everything else you need to know is on their website: www.b-o-r.org

/// M A RC H 2015 4 7

Read the magazine first online at: www.theactivemag.com Connect with us on the following social media platforms: facebook.com/theactivemag

google.com/+theactivemag

twitter.com/theactivemag

thinglink.com/theactivemag

1 F E BRUA RY 2 0 14 ///

pinterest.com/theactivemag

linkedin.com/company/ theactivemag

CHURCHILL SUMMER CAMPS MULTI-ACTIVITY HOLIDAYS FOR CHILDREN AGED 4 – 14 Our OFSTED registered Camps, which have been running in the area for well over 20 years, provide a wide range of over 30 fun activities to keep your child entertained in the school holidays.

Bouncy castles | Quad bikes | MegaBall pond | Arts and Crafts | Curling | Fencing Snooker | Badge making | Bread making | Kwik cricket | Archery | Shooting | Football Bouncy slide | Crossbows | Tennis | Swimming | Orienteering | Computer games Disco | Air hockey | Uni-hoc | Adventure playground | Bodyrock | Baking Fun quiz | Fancy dress | Ball games | Golf | Nature trail | And many more!

All staff are DBS/CRB checked and have the necessary experience and training to deliver the extensive range of activities we offer. We pride ourselves on the quality of our childcare and our excellent staff ratios.

BASED AT STAMFORD JUNIOR SCHOOL 6– 10 JULY, 13 – 17 JULY, 20 – 24 JULY, 27 – 31 JULY, 3 – 7 AUGUST, 10 – 14 AUGUST, 17 – 21 AUGUST BASED AT STAMFORD HIGH SCHOOL 30 MARCH – 2 APRIL

BASED AT BROOKE PRIORY SCHOOL, OAKHAM 20 – 24 JULY 27 – 31 JULY

BASED AT THE PETERBOROUGH SCHOOL 30 MARCH – 2 APRIL, 7 – 10 APRIL, 26 – 29 MAY, 6 – 10 JULY, 13 – 17 JULY, 20 – 24 JULY, 27 – 31 JULY 3 – 7 AUGUST, 10 – 14 AUGUST

Monday – Friday 9.30am – 4.30pm. Early and late care available from 8am – 6pm.

WE ACCEPT PAYMENT BY CHILDCARE VOUCHERS. ASK FOR MORE INFORMATION WHEN BOOKING. For further information or to make a booking: Telephone: 01780 753461 | Email:info@churchillsummercamps.co.uk | www.churchillsummercamps.co.uk

B LAWRENCE / ALAMY

Feature /// History

LIVE LIKE HENRY VIII THERE ARE LOTS OF PLACES AROUND AND NEAR RUTLAND WHERE YOU CAN EXPERIENCE THE LIFE AND PASTIMES OF THE TUDORS & SEE HOW THE TUDORS LIVED The remarkable Burghley House was the Tudor mansion built by Queen Elizabethâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lord High Treasurer.

The daughter of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, Elizabeth eventually ascended the throne in 1558, with the building of Burghley having started in 1555 and taking a further 32 years to complete.

The Old Kitchen remains just as it would have in Tudor times, as do the Roman stairs, while the rest of the house is a trip through the greatest SHULRG RI H[SDQVLRQ LQ (QJOLVK KLVWRU\ ZLWK DQ DVWRQLVKLQJ TXDQWLW\ RI Ă&#x20AC; QH art and treasures, lavish state rooms, and stunning architecture. www.burghley.co.uk

JOUSTING AT ROCKINGHAM CASTLE The Knights of Nottingham & the Oxford Household make a thrilling return to Rockingham Castle in June this year. With baronial banners streaming, the glint of the sun on steel bladed swords and axes, the DUPRXUHG NQLJKWV ZLOO Ă&#x20AC; JKW LW RXW RQ KRUVHEDFN DQG RQ IRRW ZKLOH RXW LQ the arena there will be displays by armour clad warriors of sword and pike GULOO VNLOO DW DUPV DQG FRPEDW SULRU WR WKH MRXVWHUV WDNLQJ WKH Ă&#x20AC; HOG $ Ă&#x20AC; UH eating display, jester in the grounds & story telling for children and adults are all set to entertain you. www.rockinghamcastle.com

served in the majestic State Dining Room before retiring to one of the 13 exquisite bedrooms. www.belvoircastle.com

FALCONRY AT STAPLEFORD )DOFRQU\ LV SUREDEO\ WKH ROGHVW DQG PRVW DULVWRFUDWLF Ă&#x20AC; HOG VSRUW LQ WKH world. With the Stapleford School of Falconry you can experience the thrill of handling these majestic birds of prey under the expert guidance RI 6WDSOHIRUG¡V KHDG IDOFRQHU 3HWHU 6LEVRQ ZKR RZQHG KLV Ă&#x20AC; UVW NHVWUHO when he was just six years old. Since then his life has revolved around the ancient hunting bond between man and bird of prey. www.staplefordpark.com

VISIT THE HOME OF HENRYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;SEVENTHâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; WIFE. A book published by historian David Baldwin suggests that Katherine Willoughby, one time owner of Grimsthorpe Castle near Bourne, could have been a contender for the title of the seventh wife of Henry VIII (and Queen of England). After his third wife died, it seems he considered PDUU\LQJ .DWKHULQH ZKR ZDV D FORVH FRQĂ&#x20AC; GDQW RI /RUG %XUJKOH\ EXW LW seems she could be a little too â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;rude and feistyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, which may have been the reason Henry opted for Anne of Cleves instead. www.grimsthorpe.co.uk

HUNTING AT BELVOIR CASTLE

ANNIE EAGLE / ALAMY

The sporty Henry VIII loved hunting with hounds, although itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s believed that when he injured his leg badly when he fell off his horse hunting one day, it was the start of the spiral that led to his more famous portly shape.

Belvoir Castle overlooks the famous grass and hedges in Leicestershire, the home of English Foxhunting, and can organise experienced horses to enjoy a once in a lifetime experience.

Despite the Hunting Act the Belvoir Hunt continues to thrive; enjoying tremendous support at every level. On hunting days the hounds follow trails or the hunt conducts those forms of hunting that are exempt under the Act. Parties of eight or more can enjoy the ultimate experience by staying at Belvoir Castle. After an exhilarating days hunting enjoy a delightful dinner

/// M A R C H 2 0 1 5 4 9

Feature /// Great walks

Marholm & Milton Hall

From stately home to modern urban development, with a golf course and some open farmland thrown in too, there is plenty of variety on this walk for Will Hetherington Photography: Will Hetherington

THE ROUTE Park in Marholm, either somewhere near the village centre or perhaps more conveniently by stunning St Mary the Virgin church to the south of the village.

To get here you have to drive down Castor Road for about 200 yards and take the right turn and up the track to the church. From here the path leads due south across the meadow with the stream on your left hand side.

2QFH \RX KDYH FURVVHG WKH Ă&#x20AC; UVW Ă&#x20AC; HOG ERXQGDU\ turn left up to and across Castor Road. The path then follows a well-maintained road as you enter Milton Estate and Marholm Lodges on the left.

Follow the path east around Park Farm until you reach the western fringe of Bretton. Here you go through the smart whitewashed wooden gates and enter the modern world for 20 minutes.

The footpath bears right and passes a brand new housing development on the right hand

5 0 M A RC H 2015 ///

side before entering some woodland and eventually cutting into Bretton with the allotments on the left.

After the allotments and the Recreation Ground you have to pay close attention here to make sure you take a right turn through the housing estate which starts to take you back westwards towards the open country. The path is actually marked by a brickwork trail in the pavement so just follow that and you should be Ă&#x20AC; QH $OWKRXJK ZH KDG WR DVN D FRXSOH RI RWKHU dog walkers just to make sure.

Soon though you are unmistakeably in the open parkland of the Milton estate, with the misleadingly named The Kennels on your right.

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s put it this way, if these were the kennels then you wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have minded being a dog in WKH KH\GD\ RI WKLV PDJQLĂ&#x20AC; FHQW HVWDWH ZKLFK ZDV one of the homes of the Fitzwilliam family. These days itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s owned by the Naylor-Leylands, who

inherited it when the Fitzwilliam line ran out.

Regardless of ownership itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a beautiful place which sits incongruously close to the heart of Bretton and remains relatively low key.

Once you have passed The Kennels keep an eye out for the path as it tracks west through the park with glimpses of the orangery and the lake to the north. You will soon come to the golf course where there are plenty of signs warning of the dangers of golf balls. The path goes straight across the course offering a splendid view north to massive Milton Hall and before ORQJ \RX ZLOO Ă&#x20AC; QG \RXUVHOI LQ RSHQ IDUPODQG again.

The path crosses Castor Road and out on to exposed land where the wind blows and on a winterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s day goes right through you. I was VXUSULVHG WR Ă&#x20AC; QG D ZHOO PDLQWDLQHG DLUVWULS KHUH complete with landing lights, having never previously known about it. But no doubt it is

Clockwise from far le The attractive parkland of Milton Estate sits somewhat incongruously close to modern urban Bretton to the east; if these were The Kennels then it really was a dogâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life back in the dayâ&#x20AC;Ś, St Mary the Virgin Church is as pretty as they come; there are glimpses of Milton Hall as you cross the golf course

TOP STAT Milton Hall is the house largest private ire and in Cambridgesh 94. dates back to 15

connected to the Milton Estate. In fact the path goes all the way along the airstrip on the right and skirts around the western end of it before cutting back east. Here the path clings to the southern edge of a piece of woodland containing 2OGĂ&#x20AC; HOG 3RQG DQG \RX KDYH WR WDNH FDUH WR WXUQ north immediately at the end of the wood.

2WKHUZLVH \RX ZLOO TXLFNO\ Ă&#x20AC; QG \RXUVHOI EDFN DW Castor Road with more than a mile of dull but TXLHW URDG ZDONLQJ EDFN WR WKH FDU ,I \RX GR Ă&#x20AC; QG the right northward path it leads back to 0DUKROP RYHU WKH Ă&#x20AC; HOGV DQG WKURXJK %HOVL]H Wood and Farm on the way. After that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plain VDLOLQJ EDFN WR WKH YLOODJH DQG LI \RX¡YH JRW WKH WLPH WR WKH )LW]ZLOOLDP $UPV

DifďŹ culty rating (out of ďŹ ve)

ESSENTIAL INFORMATION Where to park Either in Marholm village or perhaps more conveniently by the church just oďŹ&#x20AC; Castor Road on the southern edge of the village.

Distance and time Seven miles/two and a half hours.

Highlights St Mary the Virgin Church must have one of the ďŹ nest settings of any church in the area (although there is some tough competition). A pleasing contrast between the open parkland of Milton Estate and the modern urban sprawl of Bretton. Glimpses of Milton Hall and the grandeur within.

Refreshments The Fizwilliam Arms in Marholm, or stop oďŹ&#x20AC; at the White Hart in UďŹ&#x20AC;ord.

The pooch perspective Take care on the Milton Estate. They do not take kindly to dogs worrying the sheep. There is not a lot of running water on the route so it might not be ideal for a baking hot summerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s day.

Lowlights The latter stages of the walk are fairly exposed and perhaps walking through a corner of Bretton is not everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s idea of a country stroll.

/// M A RC H 2015 5 1

Feature /// Dog training

Six ways to reinvent the dog walk Enjoy the rewards that daily training brings, by making it part of your walk. By Bobs Broadbent

INTRODUCING TRAINING INTO your daily dog walks is a great way of maintaining and progressing general obedience. Dogs love to learn but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not DOZD\V HDV\ Ã&#x20AC; WWLQJ WUDLQLQJ LQWR RXU EXV\ OLYHV 7KDW·V ZK\ UHLQYHQWLQJ \RXU ZDONV LQWR PHDQLQJIXO WUDLQLQJ VHVVLRQV LV VXFK D JUHDW LGHD Create your own interval dog training programme ,W·V EHVW WR WUDLQ ZLWK \RXU GRJ LQ VWUXFWXUHG VKRUW IUHTXHQW VHVVLRQV DV LW SURGXFHV EHWWHU RXWFRPHV DQG KDYLQJ UHOD[DWLRQ WLPH LQ EHWZHHQ WUDLQLQJ VHWV ZRUNV SHUIHFWO\ ZKLOH RXW RQ D ZDON ,W·V LPSRUWDQW WR NHHS WKH VHVVLRQV YDULHG RU \RXU GRJ ZLOO VWDUW WR SUHGLFW ZKHQ WKH\ HQG ZKLFK PLJKW OHDG WR ORZ concentration levels.

Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an example of a training plan: PLQXWH ² GRJ WUDLQLQJ [ PLQXWH UHOD[ WLPH PLQXWHV ² GRJ WUDLQLQJ [ PLQXWHV UHOD[ WLPH PLQXWHV ² GRJ WUDLQLQJ [ PLQXWHV UHOD[ WLPH PLQXWHV ² GRJ WUDLQLQJ [ PLQXWHV UHOD[ WLPH 7KLV LV D PLQXWH SURJUDPPH DQG WLPH ZLOO SDVV UHDOO\ TXLFNO\ ZKHQ \RX SURYLGH WKH ULJKW FRPELQDWLRQ RI WUDLQLQJ DQG IXQ ,I \RX KDYH SOHQW\ RI WLPH DYDLODEOH \RX FDQ UHYHUVH WKH VHVVLRQV %H PLQGIXO RI WKH HQYLURQPHQW DQG DGDSW DFFRUGLQJO\ E\ OHDYLQJ QHZ RU PRUH GLIÃ&#x20AC; FXOW H[HUFLVHV WR TXLHWHU ORFDWLRQV DQG DOZD\V OHDYH WKH KRXVH SUHSDUHG ZLWK VXLWDEOH UHZDUGV 1. ,QWURGXFH D FRQWUROOHG VWDUW WR \RXU ZDON $W WKH EHJLQQLQJ RI \RXU ZDON DVN \RXU GRJ WR VLW DQG ZDLW DV \RX UHPRYH WKH OHDG XQWLO \RX JLYH D UHOHDVH FRPPDQG 3UHYHQW WKH KDELW RI D VSHHG\ HVFDSH DV VRRQ DV KH KHDUV DQG IHHOV WKH OHDG EHLQJ XQFOLSSHG E\ KROGLQJ RQWR KLV FROODU <RX FDQ JUDGXDOO\ OLJKWHQ

5 2 M A RC H 2015 ///

\RXU KROG ZKHQ \RX NQRZ KH ZLOO VWD\ LQ SRVLWLRQ ,QWURGXFH D YHUEDO FXH WKDW VD\V ¶RII \RX JR· $LP WR DVN KLP WR ZDLW IRU D PLQXWH EXW LI \RXU GRJ FDQ·W \HW PDQDJH WKLV DPRXQW RI WLPH MXVW ZRUN WR ZKDW KH FDQ GR DQG H[WHQG GD\ E\ GD\ *LYH KLP WR PLQXWHV WR VQLII DQG H[SORUH VR KH LV UHOD[HG DQG UHDG\ WR GR VRPH WUDLQLQJ ZLWK \RX 2. 3UDFWLFH SRVLWLRQV VLW GRZQ DQG VWDQG 7R PDNH LW PRUH LQWHUHVWLQJ \RX FDQ WUDLQ WKHVH ZKLOVW ZDONLQJ 3XW \RXU GRJ RQ KLV OHDG DQG WDNH D VWHS IRUZDUGV DQG DVN \RXU GRJ WR ´VLWµ E\ \RXU VLGH 7KHQ WDNH DQRWKHU VWHS ZLWK KLP DQG DVN KLP WR ´OLH GRZQµ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·V JD]H IROORZV WKH WUHDW EHQG \RXU KHDG WR JHW H\H FRQWDFW DQG UHZDUG LPPHGLDWHO\ *LYH WKH YRLFH FRPPDQG MXVW DV \RXU GRJ ORRNV DW \RX %XLOG WKLV XS DQG UHZDUG DIWHU VHFRQGV DQG FRQWLQXH RYHU D QXPEHU RI GD\V XQWLO WKLV UHDFKHV VHFRQGV (QVXUH \RX DUH UHOD[HG DQG QRW ORRNLQJ WRR VWHUQ RU LW FRXOG EH D QHJDWLYH H[SHULHQFH IRU \RXU GRJ :KHQ \RXU GRJ GRHV WKLV UHDOO\ ZHOO JUDGXDOO\ H[SRVH KLP WR PRUH GLIÃ&#x20AC; FXOW VLWXDWLRQV VXFK DV ZKHQ WKHUH DUH RWKHU GRJV DQG SHRSOH DURXQG DW Ã&#x20AC; UVW \RX PLJKW ZDQW WR XWLOLVH VRPH RI \RXU VSHFLDO WUHDWV IRU WKLV <RX FDQ DOVR GR WKLV ZKLOVW RQ WKH PRYH VR WKDW \RXU GRJ OHDUQV WR JLYH \RX WKHLU DWWHQWLRQ ZKLOVW ZDONLQJ DQG LQ all situations.

© JUNIORS BILDARCHIV GMBH / ALAMY

You don’t need a bat, racket or expensive kit for this exercise.

Just a ball.

Why not look after someone’s dog while they’re away.

Become a host with Barking Mad It’s great fun, all of the benefits of dog ownership without the emotional or financial commitment.

We carefully match dogs to your home.

Kerry Wells 01780 322008 kerry.wells@barkingmad.uk.com BarkingMad.uk.com

4. Teach staying in a position from a distance: Ask your dog to “sit” or “lie down” and stay whilst you move away as far as you can (you may have to build this up one step at a time). A good way to lengthen the time your dogs stays in position is to throw a reward to your dog so it lands just in between their front paws. Providing it lands in the right place, your dog won’t need to move to get the treat and you can repeat the command to “stay” thereby extending the time in this position. Alternatively you can return quickly to your dog to reward them whilst still in the same position that you began the exercise with. Once your dog has the idea that they need to stay even when you move away, you can begin to extend this further in terms of distance and time and using fewer rewards. Use landmarks around you to measure the distance you have reached. If your dog is moving out of position, go back to the point he can achieve and build up more gradually.

Established 1978

5. Train anything that your dog knows already and progress the exercise or teach something new. Tricks are great and you can start in the home and then introduce them into your outside training sessions.

6. Develop a repertoire of actions that your dog can repeat one after the other and reward and praise at the end (or in between if extra encouragement is needed for newly acquired skills) i.e. sit, down, stand, down, sit, stand, down, wait, sit etc. If your dog can do tricks, incorporate these.

Ensure every training session ends on a good note so if you are reaching the end of your session and your dog is doing really well, stop a little sooner rather than jeopardise that good work!

Bobs Braodbent ADipCBM, APDT UK Facebook: Dogknows - In Step with Your Dog Recommended: www.learntotalkdog.com

web: www.peterboroughroofing.co.uk

Happy March Active Magazine readers!

The Wine Bar are proud to announce the opening of “The Snug” as a perfect location for whiling away an evening and share a bottle of wine and cheeseboard.

The Snug is also perfect for hiring for gatherings be it a special birthday, social gathering or work gathering please contact us for more information.

Please welcome Sam Nicholls to the team at The Wine Bar, Sam has joined us having vast experience in hospitality excellent wine making knowledge and a commitment to making sure you enjoy your evening!

The Wine Bar, 10 St Pauls Street, Stamford 01780 757844 www.stamfordwinebar.co.uk

The Hare and Hounds GREATFORD

We are a family run Country Pub Dogs & Children welcome Our Quirky Menu is all Homemade We stock 8 award winning cask ales We stock largest range locally of draught Belgian Beers Our Staff are friendly & Professional Sunday Roast is a must at £8.95

Email: wishboneinns@gmail.com or give us a call on: 01778 560332.

Main Street, Greatford, Near Stamford, Lincolnshire, PE9 4QA

Feature /// Sportsman's Dinner

The Hare and Hounds, Greatford Will and Matt enjoy some hearty fare and excellent ales at this village favourite Will I grew up in neighbouring Barholm, so Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m pretty familiar with this area. Greatfordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always been a very attractive and peaceful village, and this pub sits right at the heart of it. A little known fact is that the watercress beds in Greatford were IDPRXV QDWLRQDOO\ DQG SURYLGHG VLJQLĂ&#x20AC; FDQW employment in the village until shortly after the Second World War. The beds were fed by the clean water of the West Glen river.

Matt Well I grew up in Bourne and I could bore you with lots of similar information, but as we were here to review the restaurant I think Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll give it a miss. Although I do agree itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a beautiful village and the pub always looks warm and friendly when I drive past. And that is reinforced as soon as you walk through the door, with the gentle sound of village chat in the background and lots of wooden tables and benches.

Will And thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an impressive collection of real ales. The likes of JHB from Oakham Ales and Tribute from St. Austell Brewery are favourites which rarely disappoint, but there are plenty of other choices here including a couple of cracking guest ales: Mompessons Gold from Oakham Ales and Shropshire Gold from Salopian Brewery. On top of that there are some Belgian beers and Staropramen, a really serious Czech lager.

Matt Yes, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a goldmine for real ale lovers and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to easy imagine the cricket team settling in here after a match. With that range of beers we wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t run out of choices. In fact we might have to cancel the match to make an early start.

Will Canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe you suggested that! Anyway, DV ZH ZHUH QLFHO\ VHWWOHG DW D WDEOH E\ WKH Ă&#x20AC; UH , was more than ready to tuck into the meat feast pizza with extra green chillies. The pizzas dominate the menu so they are obviously proud of them. Although there was such a wide range I had to ask for a recommendation or we would have been here all night waiting for me to choose.

Matt As you are trying one of the pizzas I decided to go for the George Burger, as recommended by the landlord. As they say you can often judge a restaurant by the quality of the burger so letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hope itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good oneâ&#x20AC;Ś Will Well, I certainly wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t disappointed by the pizza! I was more than a bit peckish after a very long day at work and needed something VLJQLĂ&#x20AC; FDQW ZKLFK LV H[DFWO\ ZKDW , JRW 7KLQ FUXVW pizzas are OK for those warm summer days when you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need too much food, but this had a proper crust with plenty of chicken, ham, mushrooms, peppers and meatballs. I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sure

, KDG WKH VWDPLQD WR Ă&#x20AC; QLVK LW EXW , VXUSULVHG myself and cleared the plate, or wooden board as it happensâ&#x20AC;Ś Matt I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t doubt you Will. With that physique you were always going to. But never mind your pizza, this was a burger made with care and attention. A really juicy homemade beef patty, served in fresh bread with excellent cheese and salad. I am a happy man after that meal. And the giant chips werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t half bad either.

Will ,W GLG ORRN OLNH D Ă&#x20AC; UVW UDWH EXUJHU DQG , ZRXOG have been jealous if I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t so full after that pizza. Although the landlord was surprised I Ă&#x20AC; QLVKHG LW $SSDUHQWO\ QRW PDQ\ SHRSOH GR , would have loved to have stayed and enjoyed one of the Belgian beers but after a long day and that meal my bed was calling Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m afraid. But Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure we will be back, and when we return I can tell you about Dr Willis who lived in Greatford Hall and was King George IIIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s physician...

The Hare and Hounds, Greatford Main St, Greatford, PE9 4QA, 01778 560332. www.thehareandhoundsgreatford.co.uk

/// M A R C H 2 0 1 5

55

Feature /// School sports

Bourne reach new heights Basketball at Bourne Grammar has risen to a new level, with the Under 18 side re-entered in the Dynamik schools national basketball competition, while all junior EDVNHWEDOO WHDPV Ă&#x20AC; QLVKHG LQ WKH WRS two positions in their leagues.

Opportunities have improved to get on the court, through all key stage 3 students undertaking basketball in lesson time for a six-week block, on top of the extra-curricular clubs which run every lunchtime for each age group, allowing them to improve their skills and bond as a team.

The school is represented at two competitions within the year in a ELG WR Ă&#x20AC; QG WKH QH[W 1%$ professional. Through Years 8 to 11, the local league sees Bourne Grammar School compete in each age group. Five years ago it only

KDG WZR WHDPV Ă&#x20AC; QLVK LQ WKH WRS WZR places in the leagues.

The year 10 basketball team did not lose a game until reaching the Superzone Final, losing by 36-26.

This team three years ago lost all their games against rivals in the local league, but with commitment and technical training they have turned around to only lose one game in the past two years.

The schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Year 9 team played LQ WKH FRXQW\ Ă&#x20AC; QDOV DIWHU ZLQQLQJ their Superzone in Year 8. Playing at Carres Grammar School in 6OHDIRUG WKH WHDP Ă&#x20AC; QLVKHG DV runners-up.

The Under 18 team has played VXSHUEO\ IRU WKH SDVW Ă&#x20AC; YH \HDUV DW the school, winning the accolade of school â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Team of the Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and pushing them to play in the

QDWLRQDO FXS IRU WKH Ă&#x20AC; UVW WLPH LQ years. Competing against an opposition team with squad members who play for International sides and clubs in the British Leagues was a tall order.

With the whole team playing a year down, the squad has taken a lot from the season and learnt how basketball is played at its highest standard.

Emma makes light work of it

Easter sport

,Q KHU Ă&#x20AC; UVW HYHU ZHLJKWOLIWLQJ FRPSHWLWLRQ Oakham School sixth former Emma Peters achieved the highest combined total lifting weight for the U17 Girls category at the 1RWWLQJKDP 2SHQ (PPD OLIWHG D WRWDO RI NJ 55kg on the clean and jerk and 42.5kg on the snatch â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a personal best.

Emma only began training for the sport in September, having previously been a county gymnast. Inspired by the 2014 Commonwealth Games, she asked Oakham Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strength and conditioning coach, Joel Tratt, if there was a sport in which she could potentially become a world-class athlete. He recommended weightlifting, as Emmaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gymnastic background suggested she had the key attributes of a weightlifter. Since then, Emma has followed a VSHFLDOLVHG WUDLQLQJ SURJUDPPH ZLWK Ă&#x20AC; YH KRXUV of one-to-one instruction per week in the gym. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m really pleased with how quickly itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s progressed, and how Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been supported throughout by both academic staff and sports staff,â&#x20AC;? said Emma. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m really enjoying weightlifting and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great to have made it this far already.â&#x20AC;?

On the back of her competition success, Emma was invited to be assessed by British

Uppingham is staging its Summer School Easter Courses this year, with a highlight being the new two-day athletics camp.

Run by James White, the camp will offer a IXOO UDQJH RI WUDFN DQG Ă&#x20AC; HOG HYHQWV LQFOXGLQJ sprinting, hurdling, long jump, triple jump, high jump, shot put and javelin. The course is aimed at 7 to 14 -year olds and will provide an ideal opportunity for children to experience most of the athletics disciplines prior to the school season, as well as working on various training exercises to improve technique. $OVR RQ RIIHU DUH FULFNHW DQG WHQQLV coaching. These sessions are led by former England, Kent and Leicestershire cricket SURIHVVLRQDO 7UHYRU :DUG DQG E\ /7$ &&$ SHUIRUPDQFH TXDOLĂ&#x20AC; HG WHQQLV FRDFK -DPHV Muir. Open to children aged between 7 and 14 they are aimed at all skill levels.

7KH $UW :HHN ODXQFKHG ODVW VXPPHU DW Uppingham Summer School was hugely popular, and so an Easter session is also being run this year. This course is always a sell-out, so early booking is recommended. Â&#x201E; For details see www.uppingham summerschool.co.uk or phone 01572 820800.

5 6 M A RC H 2015 ///

Weightlifting at the weekend, through their WDOHQW LGHQWLĂ&#x20AC; FDWLRQ VFKHPH IRU WR \HDU olds at Loughborough. Emma is awaiting the results from this, and is training in the meantime for her next competition in March.

TEDDY JOINS TOP KARTING TEAM 2014 MSA British Cadet Kart Champion Teddy Wilson, of South LuďŹ&#x20AC;enham, will race for the Strakka Racing Bhai Tech team in Europe in 2015.

Races take place at circuits in Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, the UK and Sweden, starting with the Winter Cup at South Garda Karting in Lonato, Italy. Competing on the international circuit in the KF Junior category for drivers aged 12-15 years old, his racing schedule will include the 2015 WSK Gold Cup, WSK Champions Cup, WSK Super Masters Series, CIK-FIA European and World Championships and CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been testing new chassis, engines and set-up over the winter with my new team and I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wait to get back on track and racing. With 65 drivers from all over Europe taking part Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not really sure what to expect ďŹ rst time out, but am looking forward to the challenge all the same,â&#x20AC;? said 13-year-old Teddy.

Team principal Dino Chiesa is highly experienced in top-level karting and a renowned talent scout.

He managed Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg as young karters in Team MBM (Mercedes-Benz McLaren) in 2000-2001 and had a pivotal inďŹ&#x201A;uence on their careers.

Team manager Rickard Franchini is a unique ďŹ gure in the karting world, known for his ability to combine innovative ideas with solid technical expertise and hands-on experience. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The opportunity to drive under the expert guidance of Dino Chiesa and Rickard Franchini with the Strakka Racing Bhai Tech team is fantastic. The UK kart scene is very competitive and from this some young British karters have gone on to enjoy success at international level. I hope I can continue the trend and will be working hard to make a name for myself on the European circuit,â&#x20AC;? explained Teddy.

Cycling success

Le Stamford School U14s are county champions

Catmose College student Olivia Hunnikin recently attended the Go Gold LRS award ceremony where she received the Podium Athlete Award and was awarded ÂŁ500 funding towards her road cycling.

Olivia had a successful end of last year, winning Rutland Junior Sportswoman of the Year for the second year running as well as the Mallory Prestwold League and coming second in the Mallory Park Youth League.

U14s are county champions Stamford Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s U14 hockey team won the county championship having travelled to Lincoln Minster School for the Lincolnshire round of the Hockey Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s National Cup. 7KH 6WDPIRUG ER\V VWDUWHG WKHLU Ă&#x20AC; UVW Ă&#x20AC; [WXUH against The Priory School very well and scored in WKH Ă&#x20AC; UVW VHFRQGV WKURXJK -RH\ (YLVRQ 6WDPIRUG controlled the game from the start and came away with a comprehensive 7-0 win.

Stamford School continued their success into the second game against Lincoln Minster as Will Leech beat the majority of the Lincoln defence to place a powerful strike into the top left corner.

Once again Stamford controlled the game throughout and ran out 10-0 winners with Will

Leech scoring a double hat-trick. As county champions, the Stamford School team now travel to Bedford for the regional tournament, with a top-two Ă&#x20AC; QLVK VHHLQJ WKH ER\V TXDOLI\LQJ IRU D QDWLRQDO Ă&#x20AC; QDOV tournament. Â&#x201E; Stamford 1st XI remained unbeaten this season, DQG WKURXJK WR WKH WKLUG URXQG RI WKH (QJODQG Hockeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s U18 Schools Cup, with a tight win over Oundle.

7KH JDPH Ă&#x20AC; QLVKHG DW DW IXOO WLPH EXW ZLWK D result needed, the game went straight to penalty strokes. The strokes went well for Stamford with Dan Sproul saving three out the four strokes, leaving 2OLYHU +X[OH\ WR VHFXUH WKH ZLQ ZLWK WKH GHFLGLQJ stroke.

/// M A R C H 2 0 1 5 5 7

Oakham Swim School

JUNIOR SWIMMING LESSONS

Children's Parties 20%F OF

OUT

H L OUG PRI Parties available from £80 THR CH & A R A M with a variety of packages available to suit all ages including:

• • • • •

Prince and Princesses Farm Yard Pirates ZumbaAtomic Big Stars Wet and Wild

• • • • •

Fun and Games All Star Sports Dance Star Water Walkers ZumbaAtomic lil’ Stars

Book your Party on a Friday and get 20% OFF throughout March and April quoting discount code 20Friday.

Contact USSC for more details and to book your child’s party

01572 820830 E: ussc@uppingham.co.uk www.sportscentre.uppingham.co.uk

Easter Holiday Courses at Uppingham

Holiday courses for children and adults during the Easter holidays:Easter Baking for Kids Art Week Easter Cricket 1 Easter Cricket 2 Tennis Athletics – NEW Upholstery

30 March - 1 April 30 March - 2 April 30 March - 2 April 7 - 10 April 7 - 10 April 13 - 14 April 13 - 17 April

www.uppinghamsummerschool.co.uk summerschool@uppingham.co.uk 01572 820800 Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

www.oakham.rutland.sch.uk/swimschool Children ages 4 – 16 • Small class sizes • ASA National Framework for Swimming Lessons • Join at any time and move according to child’s progression • First class free • Lessons from £6 per lesson Contact Conrad at Oakham School on

01572 758754

or cgn@oakham.rutland.sch.uk

Feature /// School sports

National call-ups for OOs Oakham Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reputation as a training ground for professional rugby players has further strengthened, with a total of four Old Oakhamians being selected for national squads in recent weeks.

Both Alex Goode and Tom Croft have been reselected for the England Rugby squad for the forthcoming Six Nations matches. Newcomers Hamish Watson and Ruaraidh Smith have been selected to join the Scottish Rugby squad.

Hamish left Oakham in 2010 after playing in the 1st XV in the same position he still continues to play, number 7. He was selected to play for Scottish U18s during his time at school, and then went on to play for Scotland 7s. During his time playing 7s for Scotland, he was pitched against England and his former Oakham teammate Charlie Walker (who now plays for the Harlequins). Hamish is currently playing for Edinburgh and at the beginning of the season was voted â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Man of the Matchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in a preseason game against Leicester, when he played against another Old Oakhamian, Matt Smith!

Ruaraidh, who has been selected for the Scotland U20 squad, was captain of the Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1st XV. During his time at Oakham, he was also

a part of the Northampton Saints Academy and was chosen to represent Scotlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s U18 team. He currently plays for Currie RFC. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always a great honour when former pupils get called up for their country,â&#x20AC;? says Director of Rugby Ian Smith, who has previously coached England U19s in both Six Nations and World Cup competitions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ruaraidh was an excellent team captain during his school rugby career, and Hamish was arguably one of the PRVW LQĂ XHQWLDO SOD\HUV LQ 2DNKDP¡V Ă&#x20AC; UVW WHDP in recent years, because of his ability to turn over the ball.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x201E; Old Oakhamian Charlie Walker gave the Senior Sevens squad a timely boost when he returned to Oakham and put the boys through their paces. Walker, who now plays for Harlequins, went through the principles of attack, using space and width, and also focused on communicating the press in defence. The former England U20 Grand Slam winner and -XQLRU :RUOG &XS Ă&#x20AC; QDOLVW UHSUHVHQWHG (QJODQG 7s during the Japan and Hong Kong legs of the 2013 World Sevens Series. Walker made his senior debut for Harlequins in 2011 against Gloucester Rugby.

Gymnasts represent county Three Stamford School gymnastic teams will represent the region at the national championships following wins at the East Midlands Schools Floor and Vault Championships.

Hosted at Stamford Junior School, the Under 11 Girls (pictured ULJKW SHUIRUPHG ZLWK Ă DLU DQG H[SHUWLVH DQG Ă&#x20AC; QLVKHG LQ Ă&#x20AC; UVW SODFH with a very comfortable margin over their nearest rivals. Individual medals went to Imogen Foster (3rd), Rachel Harte (2nd) and Isabella Plant (1st).

The Under 11 Mixed team (pictured middle) contained four boys, many of whom had never competed at this level before, and WZR H[SHULHQFHG JLUOV Ă&#x20AC; QLVKLQJ Ă&#x20AC; UVW in the team event. Individual honours went to Ben Goold (2nd) and Daisy Fox (1st).

7KH Ă&#x20AC; QDO 6(6 WHDP WR FRPSHWH were the Under 19 Mixed team (pictured right), who were all relatively young compared to their opposition but performed brilliantly to win their section.

(PLOLH 0RUULV Ă&#x20AC; QLVKHG WKLUG DQG /RWWLH 6PLWK Ă&#x20AC; UVW LQ WKH LQGLYLGXDO event.

Above Ruaraidh Smith has been called up for Scotland

IMPRESSIVE BOUTS FOR AMY Amy Riddlesdell, from Stamford, placed an impressive ďŹ h in a recent Judo Congress beating many other competitors with higher belts and more competition experience.

Amy, aged 11, and an Oakham School pupil, performed brilliantly at the IAPS, HMC & Independent Schools Judo Congress For Girls in High Wycombe.

She ďŹ nished ďŹ h out of ďŹ een in her weight category, winning 3 out of her 5 bouts, losing two, although in one of the bouts she lost to a much more seasoned competitor. It was only a er the competition closed that Amy found out that all the competitors in her weight category were higher belts, with much more experience in competitions.

Amyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s judo instructor has high hopes for Amyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chances in next yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s competition, as a result of more training and competitions completed.

/// M A R C H 2 0 1 5 5 9

Roundup The scores, star performers and stats from a month in Stamford and Rutland sport

Football

Surprise away win edges Daniels towards safety

BY DEAN CORNISH tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been another tough month for Stamford AFC as they keep up the Ă&#x20AC; JKW WR VWD\ DERYH WKH UHOHJDWLRQ SODFHV LQ WKH (YR 6WLN 3UHPLHU GLYLVLRQ , PHQWLRQHG ODVW PRQWK DERXW KRZ WKH\¡G GURSSHG GDQJHURXVO\ GRZQ WKH OHDJXH DIWHU D SRRU UXQ RI IRUP DQG WKLQJV JHQHUDOO\ KDYHQ¡W FKDQJHG DOWKRXJK WKHUH KDYH EHHQ D FRXSOH RI EULJKW PRPHQWV LQ DQ RWKHUZLVH WURXEOHVRPH SHULRG IRU IDQV $IWHU WKH JUHDW ZLQ DW %X[WRQ RQ WKH Ă&#x20AC; UVW 6DWXUGD\ LQ -DQXDU\ WKH ZLQWHU EOXHV WKHQ WUXO\ NLFNHG LQ IRU WKH 'DQLHOV IDLWKIXO ZLWK David Staff¡V PHQ JRLQJ RQ D WKUHH PDWFK UXQ RI GHIHDWV LQ WKH OHDJXH LQFOXGLQJ D KRPH ORVV DJDLQVW SHUHQQLDO VWUXJJOHUV )ULFNOH\ DQG WKHQ DQRWKHU GHIHDW DW KRPH ORVLQJ WR 6WRXUEULGJH The end of the month though saw the UHWXUQ WR DFWLRQ RI LQWHUQDWLRQDO VWULNHU 2N IRU 6W .LWWV EXW VWLOO DQ LQWHUQDWLRQDO VWULNHU

Ryan Robbins DQG KH GXO\ VFRUHG D ODWH ZLQQHU LQ D EHOWHU RI D JDPH DW %HOSHU 7RZQ

I

)HEUXDU\ VWDUWHG PXFK WKH VDPH DV PRVW RI -DQXDU\ KDG JRQH WKRXJK ZLWK DQRWKHU KRPH GHIHDW WKLV WLPH DW KRPH WR +DOHVRZHQ 7RZQ 6R DIWHU Ă&#x20AC; YH GHIHDWV RXW RI VHYHQ VR IDU LQ WKH 'DQLHOV WKHQ WRRN WKH ORQJ WULS XS WR OHDJXH OHDGHUV 6NHOPHUVGDOH 8QLWHG 6R WKDW¡V WKH WHDP VLWWLQJ LQ th LQ WKH OHDJXH ZKR KDYH VOLSSHG GRZQ WKH WDEOH FRQWLQXDOO\ VLQFH 6HSWHPEHU DQG KDG RQH RI WKH ZRUVW UXQV RI IRUP LQ WKH OHDJXH DZD\ DJDLQVW WKH WHDP VLWWLQJ SUHWW\ DW WKH WRS RI WKH OHDJXH +RPH EDQNHU WKHQ VXUHO\" 7KH 'DQLHOV UDQ RXW DZD\ ZLQQHUV LQ DQ RXWVWDQGLQJ ZLQ WKDW VDZ Robbie Savage DQG WKH %%& UDGLR SKRQH LQ GXE WKHP WKH ÂśQRQ OHDJXH WHDP RI WKH ZHHN¡ 7KDW¡V ZK\ ZH DOO ORYH IRRWEDOO 7KH 'DQLHOV WKHQ SLFNHG XS D KRPH GUDZ RQ 9DOHQWLQH¡V 'D\ DJDLQVW 5DPVERWWRP 8QLWHG ZLWK Daniel Clements JLYLQJ WKH 'DQLHOV WKH OHDG RQO\ WKHQ IRU FDSWDLQ Richard Jones WR JHW VHQW RII LQ

FRQWURYHUVLDO IDVKLRQ DQG WKH 5DPV WR HTXDOLVH LQ WKH HQVXLQJ PLQXWHV ,W FRXOG KDYH EHHQ D GLIIHUHQW VWRU\ WKRXJK LI Ryan Robbins KDG EDJJHG KLV SHQDOW\ LQ WKH VHFRQG KDOI 6WLOO WZR JDPHV ZLWKRXW D GHIHDW VWRSV WKH URW DQG ZLWK QLQH SRLQWV QRZ VHSDUDWLQJ WKH 'DQLHOV IURP WKH UHOHJDWLRQ SODFHV \RX¡G KRSH WKH\ ZRQ¡W EH JRLQJ GRZQ D OHYHO HVSHFLDOO\ QRZ WKDW Robbins LV EDFN DQG VFRULQJ +RSHIXOO\ D VWURQJ HQG RI VHDVRQ IURP Staff¡V PHQ ZLOO PHDQ VWDU SOD\HUV OLNH Robbins GHFLGH WR VLJQ RQ DJDLQ QH[W VHDVRQ 7KH RWKHU DLP IRU WKH VHDVRQ ZLOO EH WR ZLQ D SRW RI FRXUVH DQG 6WDPIRUG DUH DOVR ZHOO RQ FRXUVH IRU WKDW DIWHU WZR JUHDW UHFHQW ZLQV LQ WKH /LQFROQVKLUH 6KLHOG +DYLQJ GHVSDWFKHG 6SDOGLQJ DW KRPH LQ -DQXDU\ IRU WKH Ă&#x20AC; UVW ZLQ DW WKH QHZ JURXQG WKH 'DQLHOV WKHQ ZHQW DQG EHDW DUFK ULYDOV *UDQWKDP 7RZQ ZLWK JRDOV WKURXJK Robbins DQG FDSWDLQ Jones $ Ă&#x20AC; QDO DW /LQFROQ &LW\¡V JURXQG DZDLWV

# Building & RooďŹ ng # Patios & Decking # Bricklaying & Plastering # Painting & Decorating # Carpentry & Fencing

6 0 M A RC H 2015 ///

# Plumbing & Maintenance

Call Joseph on:

# Woodburners & Chimneys and Tiling!

01780 764080 or 07749 678011 search mrtile on google

GEOFF ATTON

Right The Daniels drew 1-1 at home to Ramsbottom on Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s certainly not getting any easier down the road at Blackstones though. New manager Neil Cotton is now 11 games without a win, with the manager citing an unsettled side as one of the reasons for their current malaise.

In recent weeks, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve lost 5-0 at Peterborough Sports, 4-2 at home against Buckingham, 2-0 at home against Peterborough Sports, and then another 5-0 reverse, this time away at Northampton Chenecks. During that period, they did manage a 1-1 draw away at lowly Burton Park Wanderers. They should stay up still, but after relegation last year, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have hoped for more from this season. Hopefully the manager gets his wish though, and 6WRQHV EHJLQ Ă&#x20AC; HOGLQJ D PRUH VHWWOHG VLGH and show some promise to get his good players back at Lincoln Road next season.

The title race is hotting up in the Peterborough League Premier Division with Oakham United still very much in the hunt for the top spot. Wayne Oldakerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s side are one point off the top of the league, with a game in hand on their rivals Coates

Athletic. The two sides meet in what could prove to be the title decider at Barleythorpe, which is sure to be a classic. It looked like Oakham had lost a bit of the edge in the title race when they unluckily lost 2-0 at home to Moulton Horrox.

They got back to winning ways the following week in the cup, before then repeating the same scoreline in the league (4-0) the following week, curiously also against Holbeach United reserves. The day was also pivotal for their rivals, who drew 4-4 with Netherton which puts the title back in Oakhamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hands. Win their remaining games, and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be champs.

In the same division, Uppingham are currently 12th in the league, a poor showing after last seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good return. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in reasonable form at the moment though after a couple of good wins recently against Stilton and Peterborough ICA, although a recent 5-1 blip against Sawtry will want to be forgotten quickly.

In the First Division, Ketton FC are still going well, although surely the title is beyond their reach with the unrelenting

form of Coates Athletic reserves. If Ketton were to win their games in hand, they ZRXOG RQO\ EH Ă&#x20AC; YH SRLQWV RII WKH OHDJXH leaders, but youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s too much to ask at this stage. Kettonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s form though bodes well if Coates do let things tumble in a Keegan-like fashion, having won all 4 league games this year.

Ryhall United are also doing well in the First Division, sitting in fourth place in the table, eight points off Ketton. James Sheehanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s men had been in great form in 2015, but slipped up slightly recently with a 3-1 reverse at Sutton Bridge, and a 1-1 draw with lowly Moulton Horrox. ,Q 'LYLVLRQ WKH 6WDPIRUG %HOV Ă&#x20AC; UVW team are probably the form team of the whole league at the moment, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not often you say that!

Martin Coneelyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s men have won their last three games, and in some style as well.

A 6-2 home win against Leverington Sports, a 2-1 away win at Wittering, and another 1-0 away win at Parkside mean the Bels have risen to 11th in the league. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hope they keep up their momentum.

Besizzled Suppliers of the tastiest reduced fat sausages

/// M A RC H 2015

61

Roundup

Rugby

Colts called up for Stamford and Oakham

BY JEREMY BESWICK ast month, Stamford Town club captain Nick McDowell was hopeful that they had turned a corner in what has been a challenging season, citing the impressive team spirit demonstrated in WKHLU PDWFK DJDLQVW 'URQĂ&#x20AC; HOG 7KH\ ZRXOG need that spirit in spades for their next Ă&#x20AC; [WXUH D WRXJK DZD\ JDPH DW Loughborough which was played in FRQGLWLRQV UHVHPEOLQJ D PXG EDWK 7KH DFWLRQ LQ WKH Ă&#x20AC; UVW KDOI ZDV DWWULWLRQDO to say the least, with neither team threatening the try line and penalty after SHQDOW\ FRQFHGHG E\ ERWK VLGHV 7RZQ ORVW veteran Alan Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connor to a yellow card, one of several that might have been awarded, and went into the break 0-3 down EXW ZLWK WKH FRQĂ&#x20AC; GHQFH WKDW FDPH IURP WKH knowledge that they could go toe-to-toe with their hosts and match their physical DSSURDFK The second half began in the same vein

L

6 2 M A RC H 2015 ///

but, once back to full strength, they scored the only try of the game with â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for this PDWFK ² D UDUH LQMHFWLRQ RI Ă DLU DV Robbie Smith ZHQW RYHU IRU D Ă&#x20AC; QH WHDP WU\ Loughborough responded by pinning Stamford back behind their 20-metre line for almost the entire remainder of the 80 minutes, but the Stamford forwards dug in and with a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;they shall not passâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; cussedness DQG VRPH RI WKH Ă&#x20AC; HUFHVW WDFNOLQJ ,¡YH VHHQ this season, resisted wave after wave of DWWDFN WR UXQ RXW ZLQQHUV The victory, and the manner in which it ZDV DFKLHYHG ZDV QRW ZLWKRXW FRVW 6HYHUDO players were on the crocked list for their home match against Market Bosworth, which doubtless contributed to their 12-33 GHIHDW 1H[W XS LQ WKH Ă&#x20AC; UVW URXQG RI WKH /LQFV &XS ZHUH 6OHDIRUG 7RZQ UDQ RXW winners â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an impressive result considering the still reduced pool of talent available to WKHP &DSWDLQ Auz Schwartz said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;With a

few regulars out this weekend it was a good overall performance from a bit of a VFUDWFK VLGH Âľ 7KH OLPLWHG DYDLODELOLW\ RI Ă&#x20AC; UVW WHDP regulars did, however, give an opportunity for 17-year old Ollie Winspear to make his debut alongside elder brother Tom $ JUHDW VWDUW LW ZDV WRR ZLWK D Ă&#x20AC; QH WU\ WR KLV QDPH to add to those from Guy Michelson, Cameron Park, Robbie Smith and Nick McDowell Veteran Pip Warters, who knows a thing or two, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ollie wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t intimidated by KLV VWHS XS IURP WKH FROWV DW DOO +H SXW LQ D great shift all over the park, tireless in tackling and equally dangerous with the EDOO LQ KDQG &HUWDLQO\ RQH WR ZDWFK IRU WKH IXWXUH Âľ $IWHU D ZRUU\LQJ UXQ RI GHIHDWV 2DNKDP will have been relieved to scrape through WKHLU KRPH PDWFK DJDLQVW 2OQH\ Mark Matthews securing the points with a ODVW JDVS GURS JRDO 3UHVLGHQW Keith Crellin

Richard Cockerill seemed somewhat subdued as our latest press conference began, the probable reason for which quickly emerged. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Louis Deacon is announcing his retirement as of nowâ&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a sad day. He epitomises what Leicester are all about and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll miss him. A really good attitude and great value both on and oďŹ&#x20AC; the ďŹ eld â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and a one-club man, which is rare in this eraâ&#x20AC;?.

Louis has been struggling with his back for some seasons now and Cockers continued: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Age and time always catch up with you in the end and his future health is the most important thingâ&#x20AC;?.

He told us Deekers is going into coaching, initially with the Spanish national side. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll go on to be a very good coach. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no opening for him here at the moment but heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be back in the future.â&#x20AC;?

Later I sat down with the man himself. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A er the last operation I felt I could carry on playing to be honest, but I have to weigh up if one more season is worth the risk of having to struggle for the rest of my life. When it was bad my wife had to tie up my shoelaces for me because I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t bend. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I actually made the decision some time ago and I was devastated at ďŹ rst. Rugby is all I know and all I ever wanted to do was play for Leicester.â&#x20AC;?

Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been with the Tigers for 18 years, literally as man and boy having come through the academy. Even the assembled press pack, who are not known for their sentimentality, went strangely silent as he continued: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Each and every game has been special and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve played alongside my heroes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I made my debut there was a little lad at the top of the steps leaning over to high ďŹ ve all of us as we came out. That lad used to be meâ&#x20AC;?. Good luck Louis - and thanks.

On a lighter note, I spent a few minutes with the surprisingly so ly spoken Niki Goneva, who wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t letting on if heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s staying at Leicester or going back to France â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a tough decision at the age of 29. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a

told me: â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was a welcome win to steady the ship somewhat. We played quite well in spasms and were 12-0 up at half-time. The second period wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t quite so good but a winâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a win and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what this match was all about after our recent poor run of form.â&#x20AC;?

6SDUH D WKRXJKW IRU HYHU SUHVHQW Ă DQNHU Martyn Stimson ZKR EURNH KLV OHJ LQ WKH EXLOG XS WR 2DNKDP¡V RSHQLQJ WU\ DQG ZLOO be sorely missed for the rest of the season. $ODV LQ VSLWH RI D KDW WULFN IURP James Beanland 2DNV ZHUH XQDEOH WR NLFN RQ LQ WKH IROORZLQJ Ă&#x20AC; [WXUH DZD\ WR 3HWHUERURXJK going down 35-22. Crellin however UHPDLQHG EXOOLVK ´$W OHDVW Ă&#x20AC; YH Ă&#x20AC; UVW WHDP regulars were out with injury,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It

TIGERS IMAGES

Tigers talk

Above Tigers legend Louis Deacon has announced his retirement with immediate eďŹ&#x20AC;ect

short career and Castres can pay more than Leicester ever could. So we moved on to recent performances where heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been playing at centre â&#x20AC;&#x201C; how does it compare to being on the wing? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll play wherever the coach wants me to, but theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re very diďŹ&#x20AC;erent. You need to think harder and communicate more at centre. On the wing I just catch the ball and run. Yes, to be honest Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m happier out thereâ&#x20AC;?.

As a neutral Fijian, who were his tip for the Six Nations? A straight answer: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Englandâ&#x20AC;?. I warmed to him at once.

just shows we need more strength in depth at the club, but given the team we did put out I was pleased with the performance. At 21-17 just before half time I thought we stood a good chance but in the end our defence let us down.â&#x20AC;?

Among the newcomers, coach Tom Armstrong singled out colt debutants Ed McFarlane and Alex Durno for praise.

6WRQH\JDWH¡V Ă&#x20AC; UVW PDWFK ZDV DW KRPH LQ WKH /HLFHVWHUVKLUH 3UHVLGHQW¡V &XS DJDLQVW Burbage, or should that be â&#x20AC;&#x153;some of %XUEDJHÂľ DV WKH\ SOD\HG WKH Ă&#x20AC; UVW KDOI ZLWK only twelve players.

Not surprisingly Gate ran in try after try eventually amassing 92 points to Burbageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

5, which came in the form of a consolation try by their forwards just before half time.

3HUKDSV WKLV SRLQWV IHVW OXOOHG *DWH LQWR D false sense of security as there followed that most rare of events, a league defeat, by Loughborough 3rds by 25-19.

(OVHZKHUH 6WDPIRUG &ROOHJH 2OG %R\V had a month to forget, losing 64-0 away to Old Newtonians, conceding against St Neots and crashing out of the cup to Bourne. Bourne were victorious against Deepings too in the bottom of the table FODVK DW 0LONLQJ 1RRN 'URYH Deepings had also lost to Bedford Swifts WKH ZHHNHQG EHIRUH EXW WKH\ UHPDLQ VDIHO\ billeted in mid-table.

8LSVTI 'SRWXVYGXMSR 0XH 8IP 7XEQJSVH P )QEMP MRJS$XLSVTIGSRWXVYGXMSRYO GSQ P [[[ XLSVTIGSRWXVYGXMSRYO GSQ *MRH YW SR [[[ JEGIFSSO GSQ XLSVTIGSRWXVYGXMSRYOPXH 'SQTER] VIKMWXIVIH MR )RKPERH 2S

/// M A RC H 2015

63

We are general building contractors based in Stamford, UK that cover a wide range of building work and services, with many years experience in the building trade.

We have been in business since 2002 and are specialists in Building, Extensions, Lofts Conversions and Refurbishment services, Modern and Traditional Extensions, Kitchens and Bathrooms, Interior Design, Landscaping, Gas and Electrical Work.

NEW BUILDS

EXTENSIONS

KITCHENS

OUR SERVICES Architectural Drawings | Basement Conversions Bathrooms | Kitchens | House Extension | Loft Conversions Project Management | New Builds | Renovations | Windows and Doors

Stamford Building And Construction 4 Silver Lane, Stamford, Lincolnshire, PE9 2BT Tel: 01780 427 027 Email: sales@stamfordbuildingandconstruction.co.uk www.stamfordbuildingandconstruction.co.uk

Roundup

Hockey

Both Rutland teams stay in contention for league titles

BY NEIL MOVERLEY he 2014-15 season continues to be a tight affair at the top of Leicestershire Division One and Two with both Rutland teams VWLOO LQ FRQWHQWLRQ IRU Ă&#x20AC; UVW SODFH DV ZH HQWHU WKH Ă&#x20AC; QDO WKLUG RI WKH VHDVRQ Three points split the top three teams in Div One with Rutland Horseshoes in third place on goal difference, level with Market Harborough A and one win away from Leicester Hospitals A (who hold a game in KDQG ,W LV HYHQ FORVHU LQ 'LY 7ZR ZLWK Leicester Mixed only two points clear of 5XWODQG 2DNV

T

Rutland Horseshoes The Horseshoes lost a close game against Loughborough Carillion A at the start of February, for only their second defeat of the VHDVRQ 7KH 5XWODQG VLGH FDPH EDFN strongly from this setback to defeat Market Harborough A 2-1 to ensure the double this season over their rivals with home and DZD\ ZLQV The Horseshoes followed this up with a 4-1 dismantling of Bedouins - team who on their day can beat any side in their division and were out for revenge after a close victory for the Rutland side earlier in the

season, and a game where the Rutland captain Phil Ash accidently hospitalised his RSSRVLWH QXPEHU The Horseshoes had to stretch their strength in depth, with six players against Harborough and Bedouins making only WKHLU Ă&#x20AC; UVW RU VHFRQG DSSHDUDQFH RI WKH VHDVRQ $ VSHFLDO PHQWLRQ PXVW DOVR JR WR Ian Kenyon who has thrown himself into the goalkeeper position with dedication DQG VNLOO Ian has had a real impact and has GHYHORSHG DW D KXJH UDWH IURP KLV Ă&#x20AC; UVW HYHU JDPH LQ -DQXDU\ The next two games will make or break the Horseshoeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seasons with an away game to free scoring Leicester Thursday, still in contention in fourth place, and the OHDJXH OHDGHUV +RVSLWDOV $ DW KRPH %RWK games will be extremely tough but the Rutland side have shown across this season WKDW WKH\ WKULYH LQ GLIĂ&#x20AC; FXOW WLJKW JDPHV VWD\LQJ WUXH WR WKHLU DWWDFNLQJ Ă XLG VW\OH Rutland Oaks 7KH 2DNV FRQWLQXH WR Ă&#x20AC; JKW RQ WZR IURQWV and with a near identical record to the league leaders they are the only team in the division that can realistically challenge /HLFHVWHU IRU WRS SODFH

Springtime at Pigeons farm

Show your support for local sport

Wisbech Road, Thorney, Peterborough PE6 0TD www.pigeonsfarm.co.uk tel 01733 271020

March 14/15 Lambing Weekend.

Visit the lambing barn and see the new lambs.Tractor and trailer rides,Little Bo Peep,baby rabbits ,guinea pigs,piglets and chicks.

Indoor and outdoor play areas.

Restaurant serving delicious homecooked food and picnic areas.

Ideal Mothers Day treat!

Easter Monday 30th-April 6th Easter fun.

Egg hunts, tractor and trailer rides,bottlefeeding the lambs,hold the baby rabbits and guinea pigs,Jumping Pillow,Gobots,sand-barn and lots more.

Having played each other twice already this season (one win each) the run-in and 5XWODQG¡V FDSDFLW\ WR SXW RXW D Ă&#x20AC; UVW FKRLFH WHDP ZLOO GLFWDWH ZKDW KDSSHQV Rutlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attacking formation ensures that whatever happens they will be in with a chance in any game even when outQXPEHUHG 'XH WR D E\H LQ WKH 6HQLRU &XS the Oaks have only played two games this month â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a 5-0 victory over Kibworth and a WKULOOLQJ GUDZ ZLWK 1RPDGV % :LWK captain Tracey Taylor and centre back Ben Chisholm organising, the next two league games against Ducks and Coalville are must-wins if they are to march to the top of WKH OHDJXH 7KH 2DNV KDYH D WRXJK JDPH DW WKH HQG RI WKH PRQWK LQ WKH 6HQLRU &XS IDFLQJ 0DUNHW +DUERURXJK $ 7KH 2DNV with the set piece prowess of Greg Topping and Warren Ginn and free running of Richard Chisholm and Charlie Hamnett are capable of springing a surprise or three but will have to be on top form to beat the 'LY 2QH 7HDP Â&#x201E; Training takes place on Tuesday nights at Oakham Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main hockey AstroTurf off Kilburn Road. See Rutland Mixed Hockey on Facebook or contact Tracey Taylor on 07861967430 or tracey.taylor13@uwclub.net.

EVERY SANDWICH FRESHLY MADE TO ORDER

Email advertise@ theactivemag.com /// M A RC H 2015

65

Roundup

Golf

Golfers hit fund-raising heights for NSPCC enior players at Elton Furze Golf Club have raised more than £1,500 to support the work of the NSPCC in Peterborough.

Seniors’ captain Robin Watts FKRVH WKH FKDULW\ IRU KLV \HDU LQ RIÀ FH DQG raised the £1,583 through competitions and other fund-raising initiatives at the golf club. There are about 100 senior members at Elton Furze.

“Sadly, there are children and young people across the UK including here in Peterborough who do not have a happy childhood.

“They can experience a range of problems from neglect to sexual abuse. Some are able to speak out – others suffer in silence,” said Robin.

“We wanted to help fund the local NSPCC service centre to make life a little easier and safer for vulnerable youngsters in Peterborough.”

S

In addition to the funds raised by the senior golfers, even Robin’s daughter Charlotte got in on the fund-raising act by completing the Great North Run last October and collecting a further £351 for the charity.

“We are hugely grateful for Robin and Charlotte’s generosity and the senior members at Elton Furze for supporting this cause,” said Chris Collier, chairman of the Peterborough Business Support Group of the NSPCC. RUTLAND COUNTY $ VWURQJ À HOG DVVHPEOHG IRU WKH À UVW monthly stableford of 2015 and with cold, frosty conditions coupled with a stiff breeze favouring those players with a lower centre of gravity, Pete Sis came into his own.

After he eventually teed off following two hours of practice on the range, he scored 37 points, and took the win from Alan Shuttleworth on 36.

Cliff Knapp made a welcome return to the winners circle in the January stableford played.

Cliff, renowned for his love of all things frosty, managing to make the best of the icy conditions to record a score that all the others could only dream of – coming back in with 42 points.

NORTH LUFFENHAM Results of the two medal competitions for January were both played in atrocious wintry conditions, affected the scores greatly.

In the Sunday medal, division 1 winner was Dave Baxter scoring a net 79 playing off 18, with Keith Bellamy 91 (off 16) in runners-up spot. Alan Barwell was division 2 leader scoring a net 81 (off 21), followed home by Chris Durrant on 84 (off 19), with Ian Brocklehurst third with a net 85 (off 20).

In the midweek medal, 28 handicapper, Dale Roberts, came out on top with a net 74, followed by Alan Barwell scoring 76 (off 21) pushing John Everitt into third on count back.

The Thursday roll-up winter leagues have now completed four months. In the individual points table, outgoing club captain, Alan Swindley, is leading with 26 points, followed by last year’s winner Graham Ball with 18 points, with Don Lambert in third on 16 points.

In the team competition, where points are awarded to individuals depending on their team position.

Don Lambert is at the top with 39, followed by Steve Moss on 31 and Alan Swindley with 29 points.

24 HOUR CALLOUT

3OXPELQJ *DV +HDWLQJ %LRPDVV :RUFHVWHU %RVFK $FFUHGLWHG ,QVWDOOHU

Tel: 01780 482 039 www.plumbingstamford.co.uk 6 6 M A RC H 2015 ///

MM print services limited

A family run business based in the centre of Stamford, with over 60 years of combined experience providing print procurement solutions for clients worldwide.

MM print services limited can offer solutions for publishing, commercial printing, direct mail, storage and distribution.

By working with an added value approach we develop long term relationships with clients as well as our suppliers.

One of our specialist areas is the production of catalogues and daily magazines at conventions and exhibitions globally.

For more information, a quote or advice on your next project please call us on 01780 751313 or email contact@mmprintservices.com.

MM print services limited, The Grey House, 3 Broad Street, Stamford, Lincolnshire, PE9 1PG Telephone: 01780 751313 Email: contact@mmprintservices.com www.mmprintservices.com

Stamford School & Stamford High School

Stamford School Boys 11-18 Tuesday 10th March 10am-12pm Stamford High School Girls 11-18 Wednesday 11th March 10am-12pm Take a tour, observe lessons, meet the pupils, talk to staff and the Head.

Discover what makes every day at our Schools exceptional.

For everything you need to know about joining our Schools.

To book your place at our Discovery Mornings, please call 01780 750311 or email admissions@ses.lincs.sch.uk Visit www.ses.lincs.sch.uk for more information on our Schools.