Active Magazine // Stamford & Rutland // September 2023

John Clare, the peasant poet Fun on the farm at Rutland Outdoor Education Centre

EDITOR’S LETTER

Editor and Publisher Mary Bremner mary@theactivemag.com

Deputy editor Kate Maxim kate@theactivemag.com

Art editor Matt Tarrant

Contributors

Will Hetherington, Jeremy Smithson-Beswick, Advertisement Sales Director Lisa Chauhan lisa@theactivemag.com

Production assistant Gary Curtis Accounts accounts@theactivemag.com

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ISSN 2059-8513

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THE WASHOUT OF a summer is drawing to a close so let’s hope September brings us an Indian summer with plenty of warm sunshine; I think we all need it.

September to me always means new beginnings, much more than January 1. The new academic year means a fresh start as the children go back to school. Some are going into new schools and all are going into new year groups and different classes, so definitely new beginnings and full of hope. Good luck to everyone starting new schools including those at our featured school, Laxton Junior School in Oundle.

Another place recommended for children is the Rutland Outdoor Learning Centre in Wing. Many children have spent a happy summer looking after the animals on the farm, getting muddy and enjoying sunshine and fresh air, what every child should be able to benefit from. nd this lo ely place is something of a refuge during term times for those who struggle in mainstream education.

And if you are looking for the perfect gift for a newborn, or a child’s birthday present, or your own children want to spend their pocket money, pop along to Bumble and Twig in Oundle. This lovely little shop is full to the brim of ‘loveliness.’

The beginning of autumn means the ‘season of mist and mellow fruitfulness’ and with thoughts turning to poetry, Kate enjoyed a visit to ‘peasant poet’ John Clare’s cottage in elpston. is life was fascinating, albeit difficult and his words re ect his love of nature and the countryside. And visiting his cottage reveals how hard life was for him and his family at times.

September also means The Defender Burghley Horse Trials which always brings a buzz to the area. I enjoyed catching up with Martyn Johnson, the director of the Trials, who has settled into the role and is now on to his second Burghley.

As well as new school terms, new seasons are underway for rugby and football. Stamford RUFC welcomes a new forwards coach, George Cox who, for many of you, will be a well known face as he played for the club as a boy and was at Stamford School. He now plays for Nottingham but will be combining this with his coaching duties at Stamford.

The nights may be beginning to draw in but there is still ample time to get into the garden to enjoy the fruits of your labour and, of course, to head out for a good walk; fresh air and countryside, it’s good for the soul.

Mary - Editor

‘The beginning of autumn means the ‘season of mist and mellow fruitfulness’

Freedom to shine - thrive through tailored learning

ActiveLife

Fun on the farm with Rutland Outdoor Education Centre. Merino wool for the softest socks. Visit John Clare’s cottage. Bumble and twig, the children’s emporium. Will walks in poetic footsteps at Helpston. Travel to Bergen, the city of seven mountains

New chapter for Optimum You

Harry Hewetson, who many people will know from his Hot Yoga with Harry classes and Nutrition with Harry Reset Programmes, is very excited to be taking over Optimum You Yoga, Pilates and Nutrition on St Mary’s Road, Market Harborough.

Neil and Jenny Jenkins have spent the last three years building up a bright, welcoming and popular studio with a wide ariety of yoga classes of different styles catering for all, but are now off to pastures new in the south west.

The timetable will stay much the same, with a few additions, allowing for a seamless change of hands and Optimum You members will now also have access to Harry’s hot yoga classes at the studio at ompass oint off orthampton Road. www.optimumyouyoga.com

New bus route for Spratton Hall

Spratton Hall School is delighted they can now help more families who live in the Market Harborough area. The school has recently taken delivery of another minibus for their morning school runs so can add another route. This will help them support busy parents, as well as reducing the number of car ourneys, emissions and traffic on rural roads. www.sprattonhall.com.

Forty years for the Fitz

Fitzwilliam Hospital, part of the Ramsay Health Care Group, is celebrating four decades of serving Peterborough and the surrounding area with safe, effecti e and well led healthcare. o celebrate this year milestone and to thank the staff and consultants, a Summer Ball was held at The Haycock Hotel in July. pened in as an independent hospital, staff and doctors at the bed facility ha e cared for thousands of patients since its doors opened, and will care for many more in the years to come. www.fitzwilliamhospital.co.uk

Old Oakhamians go head to head

Former Oakham School pupil and Scarlets rugby player Sam ostelow marked his first start for ales with a win o er ngland and his former akham schoolmate Jack an oort liet in the recent odafone summer series match. he e citing young half back duo attended Oakham together, both completing their studies in 2019 before embarking on professional rugby careers. oth players were due to appear in this autumn s rugby world cup but unfortunately Jack has been ruled out because of in ury.

Uppingham are county champions

Uppingham School is celebrating cricket success with both the U14 and U15 sides recently becoming Leicestershire County hampions for . oughborough rammar chool were the unfortunate beaten opponents in both finals. he picture shows U captain illiam acdonald left and U captain homas elch right with their respecti e trophies.

Mallard Point’s first vintage

allard oint ineyard and istillery in ssendine, ha e ust launched their first three wines, the first wines grown and produced in Rutland. n oy a semi sparkling ink et at, a unoaked hardonnay and a delicious ros . he three wines are all bottled in their unique aluminium reusable bottles and can be returned to the winery or free posted in their returns packaging.

lso, since the launch of their gins last year, they ha e e perienced great acclaim in the international gin industry awards and their ondon ry in has recently been awarded a asters medal in he rinks usiness pirit asters, one of only si asters medals awarded uy from www. mallardpoint.co.uk or from akham ines and Uppingham ine ellars.

What’s On!

STAMFORD FLOWER CLUB will be hosting a demonstration on September 11 at Barn Hill at 6pm for a 7pm start. Elizabeth ishop will be creating at least fi e large oral arrangements on the theme utumn at your door. There will be a video screen to enhance details. Tickets are available on the door £6, no need to book.

THERE’S ALWAYS LOTS on at tamford s Corn Exchange and September is no exception. Almost the Bee Gees on September 8, Beyond the Barricade on the 9th which features music from the best of Broadway and the West End, and Grease performed by tamford s howstoppers from September 14-16; not to be missed! www.stamfordcornexchange.co.uk

DISCOVER RUTLAND FOOD and Drink week takes place from September 23-30. There are lots of events going on starting with a wine tasting and light lunch at Hambleton Hall. There are fairs, markets and meals throughout the week.

www.rutland.gov.uk

THE WANDERING MINSTRELS present

The World of Gilbert and Sullivan on Saturday 21 October at 7.30pm in All Saints Church, Oakham in aid of the church. Tickets are £12.50 to include refreshments, from Oakham Wines, Liz Plummer 01572 720506 or on the door.

THE HARBOROUGH DISTRICT walking festival takes place between September 10-17. During the week you can enjoy six walks led by experienced local guides. The walks will vary between 4 ½ and 7 ½ miles and are all circular through beautiful countryside. www.harboroughwalks.org

THERE ARE STILL some lovely autumnal gardens to visit through the NGS scheme this month including Westview in Great Glen on 17 September. And one for your diary on 8 October is the Hammond Arboretum in Market Harborough, a must see garden originally created by the headmaster of Harborough Grammar School.

RUTLAND’S 64 HISTORIC churches will welcome cyclists, runners, walkers and everyone else for their annual ride and stride event which takes place this year on September 9. Everyone is welcome to come and enjoy visiting the historic churches in the county. The last event, held two years ago, raised £20,000 for the repair of Rutland s churches. he churches will be open from 10am to 6pm and many will be serving refreshments. www.rhcpt.co.uk

TO CELEBRATE RUTLAND Food and Drink Week Mallard Point are hosting a Grape Grazing Festival on Saturday 30 September in the vineyard at Essendine. Music, local food and of course Rutland produced still and semi sparkling wines and award winning gins will be available as you relax and take in the beautiful surroundings of the vineyard.

his year s grape har est at allard oint will be taking place from mid October. If you are interested in learning more about viticulture and their wines and would like to take part in picking this year s intage, please get in touch via email hello@mallardpoint.co.uk. A vineyard lunch and a bottle of wine will be included. www.mallardpoint.co.uk

Explore where John Clare lived and worked, a shop with local crafts, beautiful gardens and relaxed café serving homemade scones, cakes and soups

Clare Cottage, 12 Woodgate, Helpston, Peterborough. PE6 7ED.

are Cottage, 12 Woodgate, Helpston, terborough. PE6 7ED. 01733 253330 Email: info@clarecottage.org

Clare Cottage, 12 Woodgate, Helpston, Peterborough. PE6 7ED. Tel: 01733 253330 Email: info@clarecottage.org

Clare Cottage, 12 Woodgate, Helpston, Peterborough. PE6 7ED. Tel: 01733 253330 Email: info@clarecottage.org

Tel: 01733 253330 Email: info@clarecottage.org

Explore where John Clare lived and worked, a shop with local crafts, beautiful gardens and relaxed café serving homemade scones, cakes and soups

Explore where John Clare l and worked, a shop with lo crafts, beautiful gardens an relaxed café serving homem scones, cakes and soups

e

Open Mondays and Thursdays 10am until 3pm.

Open Mondays and Thursdays 10am until 3pm.

Open Mondays and Thursda 10am until 3pm.

Private Hire and Group Bookings

Private Hire and Group Bookings welcome.

Private Hire and Group Bookings welcome.

Private Hire and Group Boo welcome.

www.clarecottage.org

www.clarecottage.org

www.clarecottage.org

Roast rack of venison with gnocchi, sautéed girolles, salsa verde and poached blackberries

Enjoy this autumnal recipe from Frazer King from the Red Lion in West Deeping

September means blackberries so you can go foraging and pick your own for this delicious recipe

Ingredients

• 2 x 3-bone venison racks

• 300g gnocchi

• 100g green beans

• 100g girolles (if you can’t get hold of wild girolles you can use any sort of mushrooms. Most supermarkets will sell oyster or shitake mushrooms which will work well)

• 30g blackberries

• 20g caster sugar

• 100ml red wine sauce

• 10g parsley

• 10g mint

• 10g basil

• 5g capers

• 10ml cold pressed rapeseed oil

• Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Method

• First, make the salsa verde. To do this chop all of the herbs and capers as finely as possible. Mix them together with the oil and lemon and add a pinch of sea salt to taste. et this aside in the fridge until ready to serve.

• Poach the blackberries. Put the caster sugar in a small pan with an equal weight of water. Bring to the boil then pour over the blackberries and allow them to cool.

• To cook the venison, season the meat with salt and a small drizzle of oil.

• Gently lay the venison onto a preheated skillet and turn periodically for about 4 mins until it has browned all over. Then finish cooking in the oven at 200C for 7 minutes (this should come out relatively pink. Cook for longer if you prefer well

done). Remove from the oven and allow the venison to rest for around 10 minutes. or the ne t step you can use the same pan. eat a splash of oil in your pan and add the gnocchi and cook for a couple of minutes each side until golden and crispy. Just before it’s done add the girolles and a generous sprinkle of sea salt.

• Whilst the girolles and gnocchi are cooking bring a pan of water to the boil and blanch the beans for around 3 minutes until they are tender.

nce rested you can slice the enison and place on top of the green beans. Arrange the girolles and gnocchi around the edge and finish with the red wine sauce, cooled blackberries and top with the salsa verde. www.theredlionwestdeeping.co.uk

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Exploding storksbills

PINWEED OR THE more common name, storksbill, is a low growing herbaceous annual or biennial wild plant. It favours the more arid counties such as Norfolk and uffolk and thri es on sunny, chalky grassland, sand dunes and heaths but can also be found further north.

It is a sprawling plant, growing no higher than mm with deeply lobed hairy lea es blossoming with clusters of star shaped, lilac coloured, fi e petalled owers between ay and ctober. ts owers will often close when the weather is hea ily o ercast.

The plant’s name is derived from the long beak shaped seed pods that de elop at the centre of each ower in the autumn and which e plode when ripe and dry, scattering the seeds in the wind. ou may wonder why a stork is credited with the plant s name but they were common in England until around the time of the English Civil war.

he lea es, stems and owers of the storksbill are edible and the plant has uses in traditional medicine, particularly for digestive disorders. But it can be mistaken for hemlock, which is poisonous so be careful. mportantly, storksbill is a food source for butter ies, in particular the Brown Argus.

Autumnal hues

September means autumn colours, but not always, says Tessa Burns

F THE CONVENTIONAL autumn palette of warm earthy tones, rich yellows, golds, oranges and reds is not your choice, we can still use some ery late owering perennials in softer colours. any of these ha e daisy like owers, like full sun, are pretty hardy with long lasting owers which are great for cutting and lo ed by pollinators and birds.

chinacea ha e large daisy owers of white, pink, orange or red with a contrasting cone in the centre. his hardy plant won t re uire staking. lant it in moist, well drained soil in full sun. Dead heading will encourage more owers, then lea e the seed heads for the birds at the end of the season, cutting back the following spring. Another fa ourite of wildlife is ichaelmas daisies, a stalwart of cottage gardens and harvest festivals with shades of white, pink, blue and purple. ut back after owering.

Dahlias come in a range of sizes, shapes and colour combinations. he more you cut the owers, the more will be produced. lo e the single owered arieties but there are so many different si es and shapes from pom poms, spiky petals and others similar to chrysanthemums. hey range from delicate pastels to the most strident shades. The larger ones will need staking and those grown from tubers will usually need to be dug up once frosts arrive.

eleniums need well drained, moist soil in sun or partial shade but mustn’t be allowed to dry out. f you want to introduce some hot yellow, orange or red into your border these won’t disappoint. Cut back after owering.

osmos are easy to grow annuals grown from seed, or buy plants from your garden centre. he daisy like owers are dainty and lo e sun but will tolerate partial shade. hey pro ide a wonderful ariety of colour from white right through to chocolate. Cut back after owering.

What to plant to add a zing of colour?

rocosmia are autumn owering corms with sword shaped foliage and eye catching sprays of brightly coloured, trumpet like owers ranging from yellow to orange to scarlet. ift and di ide clumps occasionally to encourage better owering.

Salvias will also bring a pop of bright colour. Salvia ‘Amistad’ grows to over a metre in height with large, deep purple owers. ost like full sun and are drought tolerant but the less hardy arieties need winter protection.

Buddleia are worth mentioning although their owering season is almost o er. nown as the butter y bush for ob ious reasons their sil ery green foliage hold panicles of white, pink, blue or purple owers. here are now dwarf varieties suitable for small gardens too. uddleia re uire hard pruning in early spring. Cut back to about 30cm from the ground ust abo e a shoot. his may sound drastic but vigorous new growth will soon shoot up ready for owering in the summer.

September is the time to start planning spring bulbs. The choice available is mouth watering and we can ha e bulbs owering from January onwards if we plan carefully. ary shades and heights to gi e a pleasing result. here are bulbs to suit e ery position and condition in your garden. hey can be grown in borders, naturalised under trees, in lawns or grown in containers. For planting in containers use layers whereby the largest bulbs or corms are deepest three times the height of a bulb is the general rule , gradually reducing in si e upwards. ticking to similar colours can be more striking than a patchwork effect.

Alliums, tulips and nerines love full sun, grape hyacinth and epimedium can tolerate dry conditions, whilst snowdrops, cyclamen coum and nenome blanda are happy in shade. f you need an e cuse to isit your fa ourite garden centre, here it is happy pottering!

www.wellandvale.co.uk

Rowan Griffiths talks storks and bills

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Gold!

Garden designer T J Kennedy recently won a gold medal for her garden design and tells us how we can incorporate some of her ideas in our gardens

HAVE JUST returned from the month-long build of our garden for BBC Gardener’s World Live. The garden won a gold medal in its Show Garden category, which was fantastic. We had a lot of media coverage and wonderful interaction from the public who visited and loved it, so if you were one of those, thank you. I’ve pulled together a list of what we did for our design that you can use in your gardens.

Design

ur biggest aim for the garden was to show off the alue of ha ing a designer. We worked with very simple materials; pavers, tiles, gravel, and only had one small level change at ground level. Therefore, it was the strength in the design that made the garden successful. The cohesive design linked the three spaces while giving each one its own identity. It was not possible to see the full garden from one vantage point which was a deliberate part of the design. We encouraged visitors to explore and watch as the garden unveiled itself.

Vertical Plane

Verticals capture light and shadow and movement which brings a new dimension to your outdoor experience. The courtyard in the show garden was completely stripped back to just a seat, a tree and views. The walls then captured the light. There is something very simple and minimal about movement created by light. It doesn’t need maintaining or trimming or cutting back or watering. It costs nothing and is forever delivering.

Tonal colours

We used shades of pink throughout the garden on the hard, landscaping features (benches etc). The gradual change between the areas is subtle and is one of those features that you only notice if you take the time to slow down and take it all in. The colour is soft and complements the terracotta and suits the minimal central space by not being jarring. The planting against the pink coloured walls is enhanced by it, see the Sanguisorba tanna. This garden would work with any planting scheme and any colour. It is the tone that is important.

Seating

Your seating tells you how to feel when you are in your space. Our rear garden seats were low to the ground leaning backwards. These encouraged you to relax. We wanted to bring you lower down close to the planting, forcing you to lie back. In contrast, the front bench had no back to it and was slatted, showing that this was a place to perch and chat for just a short time.

And finally, plant varieties

If salvias do well in your soil and situation then explore the varieties and expand your range. In our front garden we had Salvia Love and Wishes, Salvia Hot Lips and Salvia Crystal Blue; all are visually very different. nd it was the same with the trees which in uence the character of a space. In the front we had the single stem Betula jacquemontii, a strong vertical upright which makes a full stop at your boundary. We also had the multi-stem version which softens and brings the movement from the leaves down to eye-level. Both were etula ac uemontii, but with different characteristics. www.tjkennedy.design

Bergen, city of seven mountains

Bergen offers so much to see and do on and off the water

AS A EUROPEAN City of Culture and a World Heritage ity, ergen has plenty to offer in terms of historical sights, museums, art galleries and shops but as it s surrounded by se en mountains and is situated in the heart of the orwegian f ords there s lots of hiking, cycling and watersports acti ities to en oy too.

oats are king in orway many orwegians own one and spend their free time pottering around the many inlets and islands making up the ast coastline which is the second longest in the world. n total there are , f ords in orway, making it the top choice for cruises, and ergen is located between the ognef ord in the north and the ardangerf ord in the south. here are plenty of opportunities to take a day trip to e plore the local f ords, the Jostedalsbreen glacier, go island hopping or take a shorter harbour tour. here s a f ord tour to suit any time schedule and a choice of essel from iking ships, restored steam boats to small in atable R s for a uicker, more adrenaline filled ride.

iking up one of the se en mountains is a regular pastime for both locals and isitors, and there s a trail to suit e ery age and le el of fitness. he iew from the top of ount l yen or Ulriken gi es you a fantastic perspecti e of ergen and surrounding area. he easiest way is to take the l ibanen funicular from the city centre to the top of ount l yen. part from drinking in the iew there s lots to do once you re up there take a break in the restaurant or caf , kids will en oy the playground, meeting one of orway s ubi uitous trolls who has unfortunately been turned to stone in the sunshine. hen you can

follow one of the trails around the mountain with gra el paths to suit prams and wheelchairs. any people take the funicular up and walk back down and all the hikes are accessible all year round.

ou take a gondola to reach the top of ount Ulriken. s the lower station is not in the city centre, you ha e to take a bus or the light railway but it s definitely worth the trip and public transport is ery efficient. t metres , ft abo e sea le el, the iew from here is second to none.

t city le el, the main attraction is ryggen, a Unesco orld eritage ite, once the centre of the anseatic eague s trading empire. hen you think of ergen, you think of these iconic

colourfully painted wooden houses. In 1360, the German Hanseatic eague set up an import and e port office here and it dominated trade for almost 400 years. When you wander through the narrow alleyways it’s like stepping back in time to the Middle Ages and if you isit he ryggens usuem you ll see the findings made there during the archaeological excavations between 1955 and 1972. Now there are lots of independent jewellery, artist and textile studios to enjoy here including makers of Bunad traditional folk costumes and silver jewellery. Each region of Norway has its own design and many Norwegians wear Bunad on festive occasions but particularly on their national day, 17 May. If you visit then, be prepared for a non-stop round of celebrations including drumming parades by the Buekorps, fourteen different youth brigades who march through the city. There are more than two dozen museums in Bergen covering trade

and fishing, architecture and music including roldhaugen, the home of the world famous composer d ard rieg. any different art galleries house huge collections of contemporary art and masterpieces from Norwegian artists like Edvard Munch.

And don’t forget to visit the Fish Market which has been a meeting place for merchants and fishermen since . onsidered too commercialised now by the local Bergenese, it’s still worth a visit to taste the local fresh fish and seafood, fruit and egetables.

Bergen is not a large city so, despite being rather hilly, it’s easy to walk around and admire the quaint wooden houses particularly in the former worker s uarter. he hop on, hop off bus can t reach all the little side streets but the mini electric bus is nippy enough to get around easily.

Travel to and from the airport is easy once you’ve mastered the ticket machines on the platform (the tickets are sent to your phone). or ust krone about hop on the super efficient ybanen light railway into the city. If you buy the Bergen card, travel is free on the Bybanen and the buses. Also you get free or discounted admission into many museums and attractions.

And if you’d like to extend your stay and experience the relaxed Norwegian lifestyle enjoyed by the locals, why not rent a cabin, preferably with a boat, on one of the inlets or islands just outside the city? You’ll never want to leave.

www.en.visitbergen.com

'The view from the top of Mount Fløyen or Ulriken gives you a fantastic perspective of Bergen and surrounding area.'

FIVE STAR PROGRESS

Martyn Johnson became the director of the Defender Burghley Horse Trials in October 2021 so had to bring it out of Covid hibernation. Mary meets him

IFIRST MET Martyn last year when he was new to Stamford and the Horse Trials so thought I’d wait a year to chat to him properly to let him settle in and make any changes. The Trials hadn’t run for two years because of Covid so Martyn had quite a job on his hands to re-introduce momentum and to bring the town with him.

Martyn is from Northumberland and rode to 4* level as an eventer. As well as riding he started helping organise events and horse trials including Burgham which is a 4* event local to his home in Northumberland. When the Burghley job became available it was a no brainer. ‘Burghley is one of the biggest events in the world, a 5* competition but with so much more going on as well.’

And he duly got it, moving to Stamford and settling into life in the town, which he lo es. tarting in ctober he had ust o er a year to get the Trials back up and running after a two year hiatus.

We all know that the horse trials are a 5* competition with top class riders from around the world competing for the ultimate prize. But Burghley is a lot more than just a three day event competition. It’s a massive social event as well where many people come to do their Christmas shopping, catch up with friends and enjoy the convivial atmosphere last year that meant , people came through the gate during the four days, and nearly half of them came every day. So there has to be a lot to offer them. nd that includes uality products (something Martyn thinks is really important), including the food village (a favourite of mine, particularly the liquorice stall) and high end catering stands. The running of all this, and the competition as well is a huge job.

One of the very few advantages of Covid was that it gave people time to sit back, take stock and plan. And this is what the Horse Trials board did. When Martyn was appointed as director of the Horse Trials he also became part of the senior leadership team at Burghley.

‘Changes so far have been subtle,’ says Martyn,‘ as the Trials have always been well run and extremely successful. The location is unique, the setting historic. To be able to run a 5* competition through magnificent parkland under the watchful eye of such a beautiful

historic house is very special. This obviously creates its own problems as those historic trees are ancient and need protecting. Building the shopping village in the parkland around the trees takes a lot of planning.’ And not just planning. The build up of the site takes four weeks with a large chunk of the park being closed to the public. And then it takes a further two weeks to dismantle it. Imagine the logistics behind all that!

One of the major changes this year is the introduction of e-tickets which should impro e the ow of traffic through the gate. ou can still buy tickets on the gate but advance sales means e-tickets which can only be a good thing as it will alle iate ueues. he bo office has been brought in house this year and e-ticket sales means you can still buy tickets right up to the day of the event, even on your way in.

Another change at Burghley is investment in a permanent infrastructure of fibre throughout the site which means that communication will be hugely improved. The ten entrance gates will all be able to get in touch with each other really easily (no more walkie talkies and stall holders will ha e much better wifi connection for payments which will make a huge difference to them.

his impro ement of fibre infrastructure means that the team has been able to modernise the presentation of the sport on site. There will be more large screens where you can watch the competition and see the scores. A new fanzone has been created with another big screen, seating and catering. ‘I wanted to improve the experience for the onsite audience,’ says Martyn. ‘Burghley TV has been really successful. ou can subscribe to it for a year and watch the competition unfold at home. But I thought it was equally important for those actually onsite to be able to see the competition more easily as well so I’ve made sure that they can.’

Equine competitions are quite unique in the world of sport as men and women compete on level terms, as do all age groups. It’s a diverse sport where you can only admire the courage and skill of both horse and rider. I’m looking forward to seeing some of the top riders in the world competing, including many local ones as well.

f you li e in and around tamford the e tra traffic can, we all know, be an inconvenience. But this is easily outweighed by the benefits the rials bring to the area. ery bed and breakfast, irbnb, hotel and campsite in the area is booked up and pubs, bars, restaurants and cafés do extremely well, some shops too. And there’s no doubt, the extra buzz all the extra visitors bring to the area is very welcome to most businesses. Stamford opens its arms to people from all over the world for the four days, and it’s good to see.

www.burghley-horse.co.uk

‘To be able to run a 5* competition through magnificent parkland under the watchful eye of such a beautiful historic house is very special.'

Soft, sustainable socks

Kate talks to Elisabeth Braddock about building her merino wool sock brand, PITTCH, into the quality, trusted, sustainable business it is now

WHAT DO WE look for when it comes to buying a pair of socks? You can, of course, choose a pair that does the job of keeping your feet covered, or could opt for a versatile, stylish, supremely comfortable, colourful pair that keep your feet warm in the cold and cool in the heat. PITTCH Socks is owned by local designer Elisabeth Braddock who learnt all about merino wool whilst living in the southern hemisphere.

‘My family moved from Melton Mowbray to Australia when our youngest child was six weeks old and whilst living there discovered the benefits of merino wool. he idea of creating my own brand of socks slowly evolved as we moved through Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand and then on to Chicago; we experienced extreme hot and extreme cold weather.’

Unlike other wools, merino is soft yet durable, and is not itchy against skin, even the most sensitive. Merino wool allows your feet to breathe so they’re not sweaty, and wicks away moisture to keep feet dry. It’s also biodegradable and recyclable and has antibacterial qualities which means you don’t have to wash PITTCH socks every time you wear them. You can wash merino socks in the washing machine at 30-40 degrees. Elisabeth recommends washing them for just 15 minutes because, as she says, ‘they don’t need two hours! Less washing saves energy and is better for the environment.’

Elisabeth knows the ins and outs of fabrics because she’s had 25 years’ experience in the fashion industry. Having studied at Lincoln

University, Elisabeth became a designer creating underwear, lingerie, swimwear, suits, trousers and socks for high-street and fashion brands, including a well-known UK sock brand. It was in the days of sourcing globally in huge volume and fast fashion was at its height. ‘New styles were turned round every six weeks creating demand,’ says Elisabeth. ‘People kept on buying garments, but look at the landfill that creates. y goal is to produce a local sustainable product.

Closer to home

‘With PITTCH I decided I didn’t want to

source globally because it’s so complex with constraints of shipping, cost, weather, war, famine, you name it. I wanted to bring everything back to England because it’s more ethical and sustainable. Through British manufacturers, local to me, I have built trusted relationships and a sustainable future for sock ranges as well as packaging materials. I also promote through ‘The Campaign for Wool,’ patroned by HRH Prince of Wales, and am very proud to be 100% manufactured in England.

Elisabeth’s socks are known for their blend of technical know-how and quality materials.

he wool is sourced from different parts of the world and spun in Germany. She would love to be able to use merino wool from England but there is very little here. Therefore she uses sustainable wool from overseas, knitted with a high percentage of merino wool – the maximum is 82 % merino and the lowest is 75%

All the sock ranges, packaging and gift boxes are produced in England within two hours of the design studio; the socks from Derbyshire, the packaging from Nottingham, the bo es from heffield. he s been working with the same companies since starting the brand in 2014.

‘I don’t want everything to be created new

storm at the Defender Burghley Horse Trials where Elisabeth always has a stall at the front of the Country Living marquee.'

each year, I’m more about style than fashion.’ The pink striped unisex socks are the most popular. Men want colour too and ladies often have larger feet and they are sized rather than one si e fits all. hat means they are knitted correctly, you don’t get an intense stretch on the fibres, they wear better so there’s more longevity in each product. Arch and ankle support is knitted in so the socks stay in position but aren’t restrictive and some have cushioning in the base. ‘Imagine owning a pair of socks that are so comfortable you search for them everyday in your sock draw. They are the most comfortable socks you never knew you needed.’

Socks for every individual

The ranges include men’s, women’s, children’s and unisex socks in lightweight, mid weight and thick pile, with ankle styles, mid-calf and knee length socks for all activities. They go down a storm at the Defender Burghley Horse Trials where Elisabeth always has a stall at the front of the Country Living marquee. Five star event rider and trainer Matt Heath, who is competing at Burghley, wears PITTCH socks for different e ents. here s a sock to suit all interests whether that’s equestrian, walking, cycling, golfing, skiing, gardening, playing tennis or just for day-to-day wear. And shortly the ultimate black sock will be on sale. Elisabeth started with solid colours but ‘people were drawn to brighter designs hence the stripes, but now they know the product, they trust it, and want a plain quality sock.’

PITTCH socks can be found in retailers including Cavells in Oakham and The Rutland Nursery. She is particularly busy from September through to Christmas with stands at multiple shows throughout the UK, although the local ones, especially Defender Burghley Horse Trials and Malvern RHS are her favourites. By meeting her customers face to face - there’s nothing better to show the luxury of the sock than the feel of merino in the hand - Elisabeth gets a lot of repeat business as she really gets to know what they want in terms of price, product, packaging, the website and delivery. The socks are delivered through the post in sturdy boxes made from recycled cardboard, sealed in recycled bags. They make a great present as one, two or three pairs will fit in the small box depending on the style of sock, and the larger box is ideal if you want to buy socks for the whole family.

Meet Elisabeth at Burghley Horse Trials at the Country Living Stand, 31 August – 3 September.

www.pittch.co.uk

www.campaignforwool.org

‘They go down a

Fun on the farm

Farm animals and children; the perfect combination. Mary meets Zia Adams who owns Rutland Outdoor Learning Centre

BEING OUTSIDE IN the fresh air is what childhood is supposed to be about, and if it in ol es animals, e en better. any of us li ing fairly rurally take all this for granted, but some children will ha e ne er seen a cow, let alone know that it produces milk or is made into burgers. hey don t necessarily know that a sheep needs shearing and produces wool chickens lay eggs and goat kids can be lo able little monkeys.

orking with farm animals, particularly young ones has been pro en to be ery therapeutic, mindful and rela ing and also teaches responsibility. nd all that fresh air and e ercise helps build strong bones and muscles whilst we all know that itamin is ital for wellbeing and mental health.

etting a child out from behind a computer screen is a game changer.

omeone who knows this is the hard working dams family and their three children. he husband and wife duo run an organic farm in the heart of the Rutland countryside on the edge of ing. hey are first generation farmers ha ing started out initially with a few sheep and pigs. nce getting established on a larger acreage, they

realised that the benefits they all gained from being outdoors through lockdown would benefit so many others. he arms ountryside tewardship scheme enabled them to in ite schools for free farm isits to meet and handle the animals and discuss farm life and farming.

e ha e three young children who lo e being on the farm helping feed the animals, collect eggs and groom the ponies as well as ust generally helping. had been thinking about an outdoor learning centre for many years and knew we could offer something

here that would benefit many more families, e plains ia.

nd this is ust what she has done. he set up a forest school in June and combined this with outdoor learning where youngsters could come and help with the animals. he knows how therapeutic it is to work with animals so partnered with charities and local councils so that she could offer an alternati e pro ision for those youngsters who were struggling in mainstream education.

Rutland utdoor ducation entre uickly became a go to for some children who had

been excluded from mainstream schools, had SEND requirements or just thrived being outside and couldn’t bear to be cooped up in a classroom. Holiday clubs have recently become very popular. By being outside and looking after the animals these children are achieving something, learning as they go along. The family’s love of horses and the acknowledged benefits of e uine therapy meant a local Equine Integrative Wild Therapist joined them to work on site who could help adults and children as well.

The children help collect eggs, clean out the chickens, groom the ponies, feed the lambs, watch the lambs being born - older ones can help, whilst the younger ones are on ‘labour watch.’ They check the water, learn about the animals and how to care for them and do odd jobs around the farm. And they also learn what happens on a farm and to the animals from eating grass to producing milk to making cheese. They also understand that some of the animals are used to produce

meat. As well as the animals the children have grown pumpkins and used the seeds to replant the patch, potatoes are being harvested and attempts are being made to keep the goats off the rest of the egetable patch. Beetroot and carrots have done well this year. Foraging for blackberries is a favourite job and then, as well as eating them, using them as a dye in the forest school.

The children go from the farm animals to the forest school learning skills along the way. When I visited, they were collecting eggs and then going to make pancakes over the camp fire which they had been taught to lay and light.

All children are welcome at the centre. Toddler groups come to the Ducklings forest school and parents learn a lot (and have fun) as well as help ‘the ducklings’ who are aged 0-5 feed and care for the animals too. Local schools come and visit for a morning or afternoon. Home-Ed groups attend regular

sessions and there are overnight residential groups as well. They work with a local charity in Peterborough which provides funding for underprivileged children to come and stay at the camp site (run by the family) on the other side of the farm. The children camp here and then help out on the farm with the animals. They enjoy sessions round the campfire in the e enings and lots of marshmallows are toasted. Local councils and adoption agencies also provide funding for visits and sessions.

During the school holidays there are summer schools which are very popular. Many parents who are working during the holidays do not want their child to spend the summer inside in a sports hall or similar, but want them to be outside getting the benefit of fresh air and exercise and enjoying being busy learning new skills. When I visited, the ponies were being groomed and manes were being plaited. The children happily mix and enjoy an idyllic time outside with the animals. Tanned, happy children enjoying fresh air is what you see (even this summer). Children aged 5-12 are able to join the summer holiday club and all staff are fully trained, DBS Checked and OFSTED registered.

ROEC has been so successful that Zia is now opening a nursery for children aged 2-5 called Wing Wildlings Nursery. Initially it will be based in the village hall in Wing (whilst a new building is being restored) and at the forest school as well. Bookings are being taken now so do go and visit. What Rutland utdoor ducation entre offers is unique, and this is now available for nursery children as well.

The team can help vulnerable children who benefit from being outside and learn from the animals as well as receiving therapy and, as Zia points out, ‘the change you see in some children is extraordinary.’ A muddy child feeding the lambs or playing with goat kids is usually a happy one. And thanks to Zia and her team many children are getting the chance to do just this.

To find out more about the nursery and centre visit www.roec.co.uk

01572 510007

‘The children help collect eggs, clean out the chickens, groom the ponies, feed the lambs, watch the lambs being born - older ones can help, whilst the younger ones are on ‘labour watch.'

A children’s emporium

Oundle has a lovely new children’s shop. Mary popped in

OUNDLE IS A market town full of independent retailers who all support each other which is exactly what Taryn and Oli Moore have found since opening Bumble and Twig in West Street in April this year. Bumble and Twig is a children’s store and was established online in February 2022 with the couple attending various local markets and events as a ‘pop up shop’, with the long-term dream to open a physical store. Having grown up in the area and still living locally Taryn and Oli knew they wanted their shop to be in Oundle. ‘We have found the people of Oundle, as well as the other retailers to be so welcoming and supportive, which is lovely,’ says Taryn. ‘Oundle is a thriving and vibrant community with lots of brilliant small businesses and we’re really proud to have joined them on the high street.’

Taryn and Oli have three children and have carefully selected a range of items from brands they have discovered over the course of a decade of parenting; many of which their own children have enjoyed and loved. They are also passionate about shopping independently as they have ‘always loved supporting independent, small businesses and feel that they bring so much to the high street and the local community,’ says Taryn.

lo e finding gifts that are different and special and the personal experience that comes with shopping small.’

The shop is open from Wednesday to Saturday, 9am to 4pm, and what a lovely shop it is. Housed in a beautiful old building in Oundle’s West Street it is full to the rafters with ‘loveliness,’ everything you could possibly think of for ages 0-10; all high quality, hand selected brands with products that are designed to last which are displayed

Bumble and Twig

beautifully. Bumble and Twig is the place to go if you want a gift, toys, clothes, books, crafts, accessories and a lot more. The little bags are just lovely, as are the wooden toys. There’s even a ‘pocket money’ shelf where children can come in with their parents and spend their birthday money and pocket money. To see farm and zoo animals lined up brought my own childhood back, and that of my children too. And there are books galore.

Neither Taryn nor Oli has a retail background but they have a passion for what they do and are learning as they go, drawing on their own personal experience as parents. ‘Everything we stock is tried and tested by us. Style and quality are important to us in bringing you items that become firm favourites and stand the test of time, make e eryday moments special and fit in with modern family life. Family is at the heart of everything we do and we hope that you will find something that you and your family will love too.’

And customers know this. The little shop is very popular for baby gifts and new customers are finding them all the time. Customers often pop in and ask for advice about what to buy for different age groups and occasions and both Taryn and Oli are very happy to make recommendations.

And one more thing, why Bumble and Twig? The bumble reminds them of happy days spent in the garden with the children in the summer with the bees buzzing around, and of course bees are hard workers. And the twig is because ‘one of our children always finds one when we are out and it offers endless possibilities: a wand, to draw in the mud with and, of course, to play pooh sticks with.’

Pop in and have a look; you’ll be greeted in a friendly manner and I can guarantee you’ll love this little shop.

www.bumbleandtwig.co.uk

@bumbleandtwig

‘Customers often pop in and ask for advice about what to buy for different age groups and occasions and both Taryn and Oli are very happy to make recommendations.'

THE PEASANT POET

Kate visits the John Clare Cottage in Helpston and finds out all about his life and legacy

Image: Will Hetherington

EVEN IF YOU’RE never read a poem in your life or you feel poetry is a bit ‘beyond’ you, I guarantee you’ll have much more of an appreciation of it after a visit to the John Clare Cottage in Helpston near Peterborough.

ake sure you listen to the audio guide which is included in the price of entry while reading the information panels as it brings it all to life and it’s wonderful hearing spoken extracts of his poems.

The cottage is the birthplace in 1793 of the extraordinary local poet John Clare, and since 2005 it has become a literary museum owned and run by The John Clare Trust with the aim of promoting a wider knowledge, study and appreciation of Clare’s writings. It’s more than that though; it’s a great way of seeing what rural life in the 18th and 19th century would have been like. As you wander around the restored cottage, the cottages next door which house the museum, the gardens with plants, owers and vegetables typical of the time he lived, and the dovecote next door, you get a feel of what it would have been like for Clare when he lived there with his parents. And later with his wife artha atty urner and his si surviving children. It was a hard life, crammed into a small cottage with no running water and very little money for food.

Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined the success he would go on to achieve, however short lived, during his life and how much he is revered nowadays, particularly for his nature poetry. His was a life of great highs and lows set against the backdrop of devastating changes to his beloved countryside. He documented that life in over 3,500 poems. His ultimate skill lay in ‘noticing what few of us notice and found the right metaphor or simile to capture its essence.’

INNATE TALENT

But where did this talent come from? His father, a thresher, could read a little and knew the words to plenty of ballads, and his mother was the daughter of an itinerant

AUTUMN

The thistledown’s flying, though the winds are still. On the green grass now lying, now mounting the hill, The spring from the fountain now boils like a pot; Through stones past the counting it bubbles red-hot.

The ground parched and cracked is like overbaked bread. The greensward all wracked is; bents dried up and dead. The fallow fields glitter like water indeed, And gossamers twitter, fl ung from weed unto weed.

Hill-tops like hot iron glitter bright in the sun, And the rivers we’re eying burn to gold as they run: Burning hot is the ground, liquid gold is the air, Whoever looks round sees Eternity there.

schoolteacher. Despite their own lack of learning, they very much encouraged their son’s education sending him to school in Helpston and the nearby village of Glinton. His uncle introduced him to poetry at the age of 11 when he gave him a copy of Pomfret’s poems. And after walking to Stamford to buy a copy of James Thomson’s ‘The Seasons,’ lare wrote his first poem, he orning Walk’ in 1806 aged 13.

And this is where John Clare’s genius lay, observing and recording the minutiae of English nature and rural life. He loved nothing better than rambling in his local countryside and writing about the landscape, birds and animals, wild owers, the seasons and local folklore. As he succinctly put it, he found the poems in the fields nd only wrote them down.’ This was a man truly living in the present, writing down what he observed right in front of him.

ENCLOSURES

Variously named the Northamptonshire peasant poet, the English peasant poet and nature poet, Clare was ‘one of the few people to chronicle England’s enclosures and see the land he worked on and wrote about fenced in.’ Following the 1809 Enclosure Act for Helpston his freedom to roam was brought to an abrupt end. Large open areas of land were split into small fields, enclosed by hedges and stone walls and even the footpaths were often barricaded. His despair at this led to a huge decline in his mental health over the years.

In 1820 his life changed dramatically as he was noticed by high society and achieved great success in London, helped by patrons like Lord Burghley. He was introduced by Edward Drury, a Stamford bookseller to John Taylor, Keats’ publisher. And his volume of poetry ‘Poems descriptive of Rural Life and Scenery’ was published when he was 27 years old. It was an instant success and was reprinted three more times, followed by ‘The illage instrel in . is editors had to

Church Farm, Essendine, Rutland PE9 4LH

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punctuate his writing and regularise his spelling and grammar, but also, to his great dismay, they toned down his dialect.

In London he rubbed shoulders with local luminaries of the day such as William Hazlitt and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He even outsold Keats at one point. Then just as quickly he fell out of fashion and favour and was dropped by his fine friends. he wider public didn’t fully appreciate him until the first complete edition of his poetry was published. Now he’s considered by some to be on the same level as Wordsworth and S T Coleridge.

lare suffered all his life from fits of melancholia. In 1832 he described himself as ‘in as low ebbs as melancholy can reduce me & idle as need be, sulking in the corner from day to day and scribbling by fits. o definiti e e planation has been gi en but he may ha e suffered from bipolar disorder. n 1837 he was admitted to a private asylum at High Beech in Epping Forest but he escaped in to walk the long miles home. i months later he was committed to Northampton General Lunatic Asylum as Patty could no longer cope with him and he remained there for 23 years until his death in May 1864, aged 71. In both asylums he was allowed to write and thankfully roam the countryside. It was in Northampton where he wrote his famous poem ‘I am!’ where he describes being forsaken by his friends in a

place ‘where there is neither sense of life or joys.’

He was buried in St Botolph’s churchyard in Helpston where the epitaph on his grave is poet is orn ot ade. t s definitely worth a walk up there after you’ve visited the cottage. Each July the John Clare Society celebrates his birthday with a festival weekend with folk singers, morris dancers, walks and talks. The local schoolchildren carry on the age-old custom of making Midsummer cushions which they use to decorate his grave. Clare wrote of them himself in 1832 describing the locals ‘sticking a piece of greensward turf full of field owers and placing them as ornaments in their cottages.’

His work has inspired hundreds of artists and musicians to create in response to his words you can find some in the shop, and

also find information about the John lare walks which recreate some of his favourite ambles. The Trust holds poetry nights through the winter and there’s an annual Christmas craft fair in November. Outdoor theatre takes place in the garden in the summer and you can hire the garden for weddings.

The cottage is open from 10am to 3pm Monday and Thursday all year round, and the café is very popular for the hundreds of isitors that ock there from all o er the world. Some of his manuscripts are on show at the cottage but the majority are held in Peterborough Museum and Northampton Central Library.

Physio and fitness

A new physiotherapy and Pilates studio has opened in Easton on the Hill. Mary meets the owner

EMILY THORNHAM WAS based in Yorkshire and working at hysiofit eeds as a physiotherapist and ilates instructor until recently. But after having her daughter she and her husband wanted to return to the Stamford area to be nearer their families. It was a tough decision to leave as she loved her job so she decided to take the ob with her and open hysiofit tamford alongside her colleague and hysiofit eeds owner, Jenny. mily now runs and co owns hysiofit tamford which is based in aston on the Hill and opened in April.

mily offers mat and reformer ilates in a classes based format or as private sessions. Her physiotherapy knowledge gives her clients confidence knowing they are being taught by a health professional with a good understanding of their health and injury status.

Emily uses Pilates as a form of rehab for her physio patients as well as for those who want to maintain and increase fitness le els. he classes have proven popular, particularly the classes that combines both mat and reformer. hysiotherapy appointments are also filling up fast so mily is delighted with the first few months of her new business and really appreciates the welcome she has been given. mily offers physiotherapy treatment for all musculoskeletal conditions and specialises in women’s health physiotherapy,

particularly pre and post natal care. She is experienced in treating conditions including pelvic girdle pain and pregnancy related back pain. She is an expert in pregnancy care and preparing women for labour including offering ad ice about e ercise and how to stay acti e during pregnancy. She also runs Pilates classes for new mums who can bring their baby with them. These classes are a great way to start exercising again after childbirth and, of course, are also very sociable and a great way to meet people.

s well as her post natal ilates classes mily also offers a post natal physio check (new mum MOT) which can be attended from six weeks post birth up until one year. As part of this she can address persisting pelvic girdle pain or back pain as well as assessing the abdominal muscles, discussing pel ic oor health and function and giving guidance on how to return to exercise.

Emily’s studio in Garford Hall in Easton on the Hill is bright and airy with the well equipped treatment room adjacent and Emily herself is friendly, welcoming and obviously very knowledgeable.

www.physiofitstamford.co.uk

Images: Gary Morrison

‘Her physiotherapy knowledge gives her clients confidence knowing they are being taught by a health professional with a good understanding of their health and injury status.'

Helpston

A lovely walk through open countryside in poetic footsteps, as Will Hetherington discovers

Difficulty rating

The route

You can park on Woodgate, right outside John Clare Cottage where the famous peasant poet was born in 1793, and the footpath heads east directly opposite the Blue Bell pub. After about 200 yards turn right just after the little footbridge and after another 200 yards turn left. Follow the footpath posts and you will soon see the path cutting diagonally across a field towards College Cottages. Go through the gap in the trees and turn right to walk south through the farmyard on the farm track.

When you get to the T-junction about 300 yards south of the last farm buildings turn left on to the well-maintained road. This is Maxham’s Green Road, which soon comes to the junction with Woodcroft Road where you turn right. Walk south on the road for a kilometre until you reach a right angle bend to the left at Pellett Hall. Here you turn right onto the bridleway which ultimately leads to Woodcroft Lodge.

After a short distance on the bridleway turn left and follow the path south and around Hayes Wood. Keep going until you come to the clearly marked right turn across a pictures ue field boundary towards Simon’s Wood.

When you reach the woods keep the trees tightly to your left and follow the waymarkers as you keep going back towards Helpston for a kilometre and eventually you will come to a farm track. Turn left on to the farm track and you quickly come to Heath Road. Turn left here and then you can walk back to Broadwheel Road in Helpston down the middle of Rice Wood. Take the right turn at the end of the wood and from here it’s a very short walk back to the car.

The memorial to John Clare in the middle of Helpston.

The route covers a lot of peaceful and open countryside to the south of Helpston.

Established in Peterborough since 2011, we have recently opened a NEW STORE at Fineshade Wood

Natural food & natural treats (Including our buffet cart full of goodies!)

Variety of raw food for cats & dogs

Toys & accessories Harness fittings in store (Stockists of Perfect Fit Harness)

Help & advice always available

Find us at: The Arches Forestry England Visitor Centre Fineshade, Corby NN17 3BB

01780 440846

www.peterboroughposhpetz.co.uk posh.petz@yahoo.co.uk

ACTIVE INFO

The thatched cottage where John Clare was born was bought by the John Clare Trust in 2005 and is now a popular museum. The famous ‘peasant poet’ was born to illiterate farm-labouring parents and went to school in nearby Glinton until the age of 12, where his lyrical talent was first nurtured. Since his death his fame has spread and he is admired far more now than he ever was in life: clarecottage.org

Essential information

WHERE TO PARK

On Woodgate near John Clare Cottage.

DISTANCE

Five and a quarter miles.

HIGHLIGHTS

Attractive woodland and open countryside. Almost completely uninterrupted by stiles. Clare Cottage in Helpston, which is now a museum.

LOWLIGHTS

Try and avoid a day with a cold easterly wind - there’s not much protection.

REFRESHMENTS

The café at John Clare Cottage on Mondays and Thursdays. Also the Bluebell Inn.

DIFFICULTY RATING

Three paws; it’s a decent distance but easy underfoot and very few obstacles.

THE POOCH PERSPECTIVE

This is largely arable farmland so you won’t see much livestock. But you won’t see much fresh water either, with no river or stream to speak of.

For your own safety and navigation make sure you have an OS map with you when you go out walking. You won’t regret it.

START/ FINISH

There are very few stiles on this route.

Active Kids

Lovely Laxton

LAXTON JUNIOR SCHOOL (LJS) in Oundle is an independent day school for boys and girls aged 4 to 11 and an intrinsic part of Oundle School. LJS is a special place; it champions children, and its core focus is on creating a joyful environment where children’s learning and well-being take centre stage. With around 260 pupils, LJS is small enough for everyone to know and look out for each other, but big enough to have great reach and impact. The school is proud of the high academic standard of its children, with the vast majority moving up to Oundle School at the end of year six.

LJS’s philosophy is a guiding principle that shapes every aspect of a child’s educational journey. The school has a deep belief that every child is unique with boundless potential, and it is the school’s responsibility to nurture and unlock that, providing a personalised education and tailoring the curriculum so that each child is empowered to become the best version of themselves. The school understands that children flourish when they feel nurtured, safe and valued and its dedication to their happiness, growth and success is unwavering.

At LJS the development of each child is so much more than their classroom achievements. The school’s extended, innovative

curriculum of digital literacy, outdoor learning, trips and residentials, educational visitors, extra-curricular activities, sporting fixtures, music tuition, charitable fundraising, leadership opportunities and dramatic performances helps its children develop open minds, see the world through many lenses, have confidence in themselves and ensures their readiness to embrace life when they leave.

Five core values sit at the heart of an LJS education: care, a love of learning, opportunity, community and quality. These resonate throughout everything the school does. LJS’s values define the character traits it aspires to instil in its children as well as the qualities they will need to succeed and thrive in their future lives.

The staff at LJS have a collective goal: to instil confidence in the

Laxton Junior School, where every child can flourish

children and empower them to approach all aspects of life and learning with self-belief and positivity, knowing they have a significant contribution to make to not only the school community, but the world beyond.

History and recent developments

LJS celebrates its fiftieth anniversary this year. Opened in 1973 as Oundle School’s preparatory school, its original premises were on North Street in Oundle – now home to Oundle School’s English Department. The school moved to East Road in 2002. The modern and thoughtful design, with extensive outdoor space and sports fields, still has a fresh and contemporary feel twenty years after it opened.

In 2020 the school’s much loved Woodland Garden opened. Being outdoors is part of daily life at LJS and the beautiful, bespoke Woodland Garden is an intrinsic element of learning, whatever the weather. As with everything at LJS, there is great thought behind the planning and use of this space. Children benefit not only from structured outdoor learning days - where they find out more about nature and living outdoors, making fires, building dens and using tools – but teachers use the many spaces to inspire children and energise lessons across the curriculum. A dramatic scene from history might need acting out in the wooden bandstand, or a maths lesson might be enhanced by working calculations out in the fresh air on the art wall. So off the class will march!

Most recently, and as part of Oundle School’s wider ‘Project 24,’ a vision for the long-term success of the schools for all pupils, from the four-year-old joining at Reception to the eighteen-year-old preparing for life beyond Oundle, LJS has made significant investment into two key areas: EYFS and STEAM both of which opened in September 2022.

A new, state-of-the-art early years foundation stage (EYFS) space, designed specifically to place play at the heart of this critical time in a

child’s education, supports LJS’s progressive approach to learning for its youngest children. The school refers to the ‘power of play’ creating an environment where teachers tailor their approach based on their understanding of each individual child, entering their world to build both trust and confidence and responding to their ideas and interests to wonder where, what, why and how. More than any other year at school, the design and use of space is fundamental to a child’s development and the new Reception space allows children to play, interact and learn in a constant flow, moving from one activity to another, sometimes of their own will and sometimes guided by a teacher.

The recent renovation of the school’s science lab and art room to support STEAM education across all year groups saw these spaces remodelled and resourced, including facilities for 3D printing and engineering. Oundle School is a world-leading provider of STEM education, and this investment into LJS’s facilities further aligns both schools and complements the children’s regular visits to Oundle School’s leading SciTec facilities. Here children and staff from LJS work with subject specific staff from Oundle School. STEAM develops the knowledge, skills and understanding children will need to play an active and positive role in a future society. The investment in these spaces recognises the importance these subjects play in the foundation of the schools as well as the future.

LJS is always delighted to welcome visitors to let them see life at the school for themselves. To visit on an Open Day, or to arrange an individual tour, please contact Rachel Waterhouse, or visit www.laxtonjunior.org.uk 01832 277159

‘Five core values sit at the heart of an LJS education: care, a love of learning, opportunity, community and quality. These resonate throughout everything the school does.’

ActiveBody

EDITED BY KATE MAXIM

Swimming sensibly

Swimming, particularly wild swimming, is increasing in popularity. Physio Sarah Babbs recommends ways to stay injury free

THERE HAS BEEN a huge increase in people taking up swimming over the last few years, particularly ‘wild’ swimming. For some this can be the joy of nature combined with the love of swimming, and cold water swimming appears to be beneficial for some people. or others it is the love of a challenge, increasing the time and distance spent in cold water, for others it’s triathlons and competitions.

As with most sports, in clinic we see various levels of swimmers; those who compete, triathletes, and swimmers who use the pool or local rivers and reservoirs for general fitness and impro ing their mental health. As to be expected, people tend to come when they have an injury. This can be when a race is coming up or if it has stopped them enjoying swimming. Or it can be once that injury is interfering with every day activities.

The most common injuries we see are swimmer’s shoulder and neck and knee pain associated with breaststroke in particular. First if we look at the shoulders; it is important to have full, pain free range of movement and strength. Shoulder movement involves the joint between the arm, shoulder blade and the collar bone, working together as the shoulder blade moves around the ribcage. uscles such as the rotator cuff control the stability of the joint as the larger deltoid, pectorals and latissimus dorsi muscles support the larger range of movement and provide power as the swimmer pulls the arm through the water to propel the body. Having good leg strength will assist the body so working on hip and knee e ors and e tensors and training gluteal, quadriceps and hamstring muscles

will help this. When diving it is important to ha e good hip, knee and ankle e ibility and strength. Adding calf work to the leg strengthening will aid this.

As the body turns on its axis for front and back crawl the movement comes mainly from rotation of the thoracic or upper spine. This movement will help the shoulder performance and is also important when turning the neck to breathe. Ideally learning to breathe on both sides can help prevent and manage neck pain and headaches which can trouble swimmers.

Knee pain is often based around the inside of the knee. Doing breaststroke, the leg moves in a wide circular action placing stress on the ligament which runs between the femur and the tibia. Maintaining good mobility at the hips and knees as well as good strength and control through the gluteal, quadriceps and hamstring muscles will help manage this.

Having good connection through the body from head, upper limbs and spine to lower limbs is obviously important. Doing what is often termed core exercise helps this, using planks and Superman type exercises but adding limb movements as well.

Correct swimming technique is important to help prevent injury. Lessons are a good idea and the British Swimming website (and others) has very good tips to help with technique. Traditionally swimmers trained by increasing the length, intensity and frequency of their swims. Work out of the pool is now also done by all elite swimmers. If you are stronger you will be able to convert that strength to increased power in the water, hence faster speed.

Cross training is known to improve sports performance for children who swim, play tennis and rugby. oga for e ibility, or running for aerobic performance and strength work for bone density and power will be useful. Dance or martial arts can be helpful too for balance and body awareness.

And as I always say, over training, sudden increases in training or competitions, too little rest, poor nutrition and, especially poor sleep, are all factors associated with injury so should be part of any discussion. My advice, dive in and enjoy it but make sure you keep strong and e ible to be able to en oy the very best swims.

To contact Sarah ring 07780 900201.

Hermitage House Care Home

Ditching the big five

Kate has always been wary of detoxes, but comes round to the idea after speaking to nutritional therapist

Harry Hewetson

FOR SOME PEOPLE, including me, the idea of a detox conjures up images of a starvation diet of water only leading to fainting fits and wasting away! But having spoken to nutritional therapist Harry Hewetson, owner of Nutrition with Harry, I’m coming round to the idea and am seriously considering signing up for his Nine-day Nutrition and Lifestyle Reset Programme.

I’ve interviewed Harry before as he teaches hot yoga in Market Harborough and has just taken over Optimum You Wellness: Yoga, Pilates and Nutrition on St Mary’s Road. A very exciting new chapter awaits him there, but what he is also extremely passionate about is spreading the word about improving health and wellbeing through optimum nutrition.

Many years ago he was 3.5 stone heavier than he is now, a heavy smoker and drinker and, due to his business restoring old bathtubs, had chronic lead poisoning. He had to seek the help of a nutritional therapist and make some major changes to his lifestyle, going through a four-year detox process in order to clear the lead. ‘My hand was forced,’ he told me. ‘There is indeed a silver lining to lead poisoning.’

He wound up his business in 2010 and took a year off to tra el around the world with his wife, became a yoga teacher then studied for four years with ION, the Institute For Optimum Nutrition and is now a registered nutritional therapist with BANT, the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine.

arry offers one to one consultations and runs online reset programmes which support the liver and the gut, the body’s natural deto ification pathways. he premise is simple: people are asked to remove the forbidden fi e for nine days which are alcohol, caffeine, gluten, dairy and ultra

processed foods (UPF) as they put such a burden on the body. Most people will have some or all of these in their diet.

‘Varied customers come to me,’ says Harry. ‘From people in their mid 20s through to their mid 70s, so a pretty broad age range. A lot of people who drink and eat the wrong stuff like to put in a firebreak for a few days. It blows some people’s minds how simple it is and how amazing they feel at the end of it. Some people go back to their old ways, but many come back and do the programme again and again and they tell me they pick up another healthy habit each time, chipping away on a gradual upward curve of improvement.’

That is very much the message of the

programme, not to try to make too many big changes all at once. ‘You’re doomed to failure that way. It’s about small changes as small changes are achievable and achievable changes are sustainable. Building on them over time works for most people.’

he benefits start with impro ed sleep quality which percolates down to every aspect of a person’s health and wellbeing, from mood and hormonal balance to energy levels and mental clarity. People report having a lot more physical get up and go, brain fog dissipates, skin and complexion impro es and in ammation in the body is reduced. According to some studies, chronic sleep deprivation is now considered as bad as smoking for your health. It’s also harmful for

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cardiovascular health, increases chronic in ammation and it throws your hormones out of whack, particularly blood sugar le els. ccording to arry, you then make bad decisions around food. ou eat more processed carbs for an instant lift which sends your whole day out as you re on a merry go round of sharp energy peaks and troughs. en if you ha e eight hours of sleep after drinking alcohol it s bound to be terrible sleep and you won t feel rested.

e doesn t claim to be a paragon of health himself common knowledge is not always common practice. y social media handle is harrytheimperfectionist, walk the walk, but not all the time. e can impro e our health without ditching all the fun stuff, there s lots of mitigation in my life. talk about yoga, nutrition but also talk about craft beer arry also always ensures he does the programme at the same time as e eryone else.

hen people sign up, they re gi en access to a digital platform of resources a meal plan for nine days, educational resources and a

hats pp group. he meal plan is not compulsory, but it gi es people new recipes to try and as long as they e clude the forbidden fi e they can eat what they like. t is absolutely not a calorie restricted diet in fact arry encourages participants to eat as much as they like especially in the first few days because if people normally include a lot of U s in their diet, blood sugar le els can take a while to balance out. t takes a few days to settle and people can get uite a few cra ings to begin with so encourage them to snack on food that is on plan as much as they need to.

articipants recei e pre loaded educational daily ideos ia the digital platform on the physiology of what people are gi ing up and why, as well as other lifestyle information on topics such as intermittent fasting, cold water therapy and effecti e morning routines.

eryone on the programme is also in ited to oin a hats pp support group which creates a sense of community and accountability, helping people to stay on track and ultimately ensuring success. he

chat in the first few days is normally about cra ings and caffeine withdrawals. hen the cra ings diminish and people often find they re eating half as much as they were at the beginning of the week. encourage people to phase out caffeine in the week leading up to it as going cold turkey can be uite brutal for some people.

arry also offers Reset olo on a one to one basis for people who don t want to be in a hats pp group. raditionally his programmes ha e been on a nine day reset basis but the last one had a three day li uids only bolt on at the end.

offered it because at the end of the nine days, you e reset your blood sugar le els, you feel hormonally balanced, your sleep s great, you feel fabulous, making it a perfect opportunity to step further out of your comfort one. t s not a water fast it includes uices, smoothies and soups so there is more than enough in the way of sustenance, and it takes pressure off the digesti e system, di erting more energy towards the li er, allowing it to stop firefighting and get to the big obs on the list like metabolising latent to icity and isceral fat and potentially leading to weight loss. hink of it as a deeper deto .

ome people who eat and drink a lot of the forbidden fi e prior to the programme may ha e a tough few days at the start, but on the whole people find it ery gentle and accessible. f you don t fancy the li uids only, arry guides participants on their intermittent fasting narrowing down the daily eating window and increasing the fasting window as gi ing your body a rest for hours a day has a similar effect to the li uids only protocol.

he ne t programme starts on eptember and the cost is , although arry would like to offer cti e aga ine readers off with the code . arry runs four to fi e reset programmes per year and there will be another one before hristmas and in January.

For more information visit www.nutritionwithharry.com

‘When people sign up, they’re given access to a digital platform of resources: a meal plan for nine days, educational resources and a WhatsApp group.’

ActiveSport

Coxy the coach

Stamford RFU has a new forwards coach, Mary meets him

GEORGE COX KNEW he wanted to be a professional rugby player when he was eight years old and realised his dream. He’s now playing for Nottingham aged 26 where, last season he won the players’ player award and the supporter’s player award as well.

Going back a few years, George was at Stamford School playing in their team and playing for Stamford RFU. He then progressed to the NLD squad where he was picked to play for Leicester Tigers in their unior academy, playing for them until he was . e was offered a contract to join their Academy but this meant changing schools so he decided he wanted to stay at Stamford ‘and get good A levels as well.’ A week after saying no to Tigers he was signed by Northampton Saints so played for them throughout the sixth form (and the school as well . ut rugby is competiti e and fickle and playing in the back row he was competing against several players who have since gone on to represent England.

George always knew he wanted to get a degree as well as play rugby ‘as you never know what the future holds.’ By now he was playing professionally for Nottingham who are in the Championship league and when Covid struck funding was pulled. So he either had to get a part time ob or fulfil the uni dream, which is what he did. This year George graduated from Nottingham with a geography degree.

Life has changed again now, albeit only slightly. Now that he has graduated George is back in Stamford working for his father but still playing for Nottingham professionally as well. And now that he has returned home his sights have turned to Stamford RFU. ‘A lot of my school friends and club contemporaries are playing for the club and are always at me to join them. I can’t do that but captain Jack Jones (a close friend) persuaded me to think about coaching, which had already been on my radar. I had a chat to Matt Albinson and decided that could fit it in.

So George is now training three days a week with Nottingham (and then playing a match) and on the days when he’s not training he’s coaching the tamford lads who are a lot fitter than thought they would be.’ As Nottingham often play on Fridays or Sundays George will be able to attend a lot of matches to see the results of his coaching.

George has great experience as a professional player and is looking forward to getting stuck in with the coaching. And his experience means he has played against some of the best players in the world as Saracens had a spell in the Championship league meaning that George was up against the Vunipola brothers, Maro Itoje and Jamie George in the scrum as well as Eliot Daly, Owen Farrell and the rest of the team. And when you play against players like that you learn a lot.

And now George can impart that knowledge to Stamford, who I’m quite sure can’t wait. And we can’t wait for the local derbies with Oakham and Bourne!

‘George has great experience as a professional player and is looking forward to getting stuck in with the coaching.’

FOOTBALL COMES FIRST this month, partly in honour of the Lionesses and their heroics at the world cup. They might not have won the trophy but they beat Australia - which is, of course, all that really matters to any true English fan of any sport whatsoever.

Just a tad more parochially, last month we previewed Stamford Daniels’ forthcoming season and mentioned how difficult it was to predict how they’d perform in the table this season after their promotion to non-league tier three. I’m pleased to say the early signs are encouraging with two wins and a draw. They started with a 3-2 home victory against Kettering Town (relegated from above last year and seen by many observers as favourites for promotion) with a side that included new signings Ben Whiting, Ashton er and rey harles. ll ele en starters seemed understandably nervous to begin with, conceding a penalty and two bookings within fifteen minutes as the result of over-eagerness and, to be fair, some rather incessant rain.

fter around half an hour and the ight of those first game butter ies they e ualised through Jack uffy, although they were then to find themsel es behind again within ten minutes. kipper Rob organ e ualised for the second time just before the break and they finally took the lead in the th minute, James Blunden heading in from a corner to the far post. he match finished with Stamford ‘in the ascendancy’ according to club director Richard urtis.

e t up was an away fi ture at Redditch in which they prevailed 3-1 with goals from rey harles, Ricky iller and Jimmy

Blunden and a standout performance from Morgan. The club’s Stephen Breden called it ‘a dominant display’ and all their fans will be hoping he hasn’t tempted destiny by concluding ‘they look to have taken to life back at Step 3 well’. They remain unbeaten, only a last gasp goal from Royston Town in the away midweek game that followed denying them an unblemished record.

arborough own made two mar uee signings in the close season from the league two tiers abo e them onnor ennedy and Isaiah Bazeley - and also recruited a new assistant manager in a id taff from elford United. Manager Mitch Austin declared their

ambition this campaign is to make the play off places ha ing come within two points last time saying ‘unless we’re competing at the top end of leagues or for the play offs and there s something to play for throughout the season, it just doesn’t get me going anymore.’ They lost on the opening day to Anstey Nomads but then redeemed themsel es by beating ambridge ity.

We’re short of space this month to give cricket the prominence it deserves (now that there is some after a very wet few weeks playing ha oc with the fi tures but there ll be more in the next edition. However, for some reason it hasn’t been raining much on Tuesday evenings which has allowed an almost complete fi ture list in the new local competition, which has been won by Oakham. Space enough too to publicise their new women’s section which they tell me is ‘going from strength to strength with more ladies signing up and trying the game for the first time. hey play the softball ersion and training is on unday mornings from am. Local rugby starts again in early September and I can assure you there’s a lot of hard

Football is on everyone’s mind this month, including Jeremy Smithson-Beswick’s

‘Last month we previewed Stamford Daniels’ forthcoming season and mentioned how di cult it was to predict how they’d perform in the table this season after their promotion to non-league tier three.’

work going on behind the scenes all across Rutland and Stamford as returning players try once again to get themselves match ready – a process which only gets more difficult for each individual with every year that passes. Oakham against Stamford on 30 September is one date for your diary (the return fixture on 13 January) and this year the make-up of the league means both have derby games against Bourne and Spalding as well. There will be no lack of commitment in any of those ties (to say the least) so do catch one if you can. Bar open, no entrance fee, what’s not to like?

Rutland Polo Club in Langham is a friendly, family-oriented place - a bit of an undiscovered gem that I am happy to recommend to anyone who’d like to go along

to spectate. Their recent ‘Women in Polo’ weekend was a big success, in spite of the weather doing its best to spoil things and cutting it down to one day rather than two, but at least the champagne teas in the clubhouse ensured an agreeable even coating of wetness, both inside and out, for all those concerned.

Rutland lost their game against Silver Lays Ladies in spite of plenty of possession but it’s fair to say that had several near misses at goal been a fraction more accurate the result may have been different. Although the polo season is now drawing to a close I do recommend you make a mental note to go along to watch next year - if you can’t make the last meet of the year on 16/17 September that is.

Often seen gracing the revered polo lawns

of Midhurst in Sussex is Will Brasher, ace player and the son of local woman Juliette. She is currently organising a chance for all of you horse lovers out there (and I know there are a lot of you) to learn how to capture your own noble steed on canvas for yourselves.

Professional equestrian artist Jennifer Bell will be giving a demonstration – and tutorial for those who’d like to bring along their own easels and paints - on 30 September at a pop up art exhibition on Church Street, Oakham that’s part of our annual Rutland Open Studios event. The exhibition itself will be featuring four or five other horse artists (and much, much more besides) and, following the private viewing on August 31, runs for a month. Search ‘Rutland pop up art’ for details on Facebook.

On your bike!

START AT STAMFORD Garden Centre and turn right to head into Great Casterton. Turn left at the crossroads to Ingthorpe and up the hill to the main road. Cross left and then immediately right and enjoy the downhill stretch into Ketton.

Follow the road into Ketton and then turn right up the hill and take the right turn and keep going until you enter Empingham. Turn right by the church and again at the crossroads and follow the road under the A1 before turning left, and then right to Pickworth. Cross both cattle grids (careful and mind the sheep!), turn right in Pickworth and follow the road back to Great Casterton.

If you need a short cut return to the garden centre after 15 miles. But if you have the time and energy, turn left past Casterton College and follow the road to Ryhall. Turn left at the junction and then first right at the bottom of the hill and follow the road to Belmesthorpe. Turn left at The Blue Bell and then right at the end of

the road to Uffington. Join the main road where you will need to turn left and then right to take the road to Barnack. In Barnack, turn right and pass through Pilsgate to Burghley where you can turn left into the park.

Ride through this magnificent park before heading through Stamford admiring the amazing views around each corner. All too soon you will be back on Casterton Road and back at Stamford Garden Centre which is well suited for cycling stops. The cake and coffee selection are great, and their sausage bap rates in my top three in the area – and I’ve tried a few!

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