Cheltenham Magazine December 2014

CHELTENHAM MAGAZINE www.cheltenham-magazine.co.uk

December 2014

Inside this issue 'Tis the season to be jolly!

How to get through the Festive Season Puzzles &Crosswords

Listings & Local Businesses & much more!

LOCAL EVENTS Martin Lewis

WINTER MONEY SAVING

Pippa Greenwood I'm dreaming of a green Christmas

HOME & INTERIORS Scandinavian Christmas

by Katherine Sorrell

smart and smart and stylisH stylisH carpets, rugs carpets, rugs & runners & runners from from

deca design flooring deca design flooring

Har tley & H a r tl e y & t i s s i er • B rintons • alternative flooring • Jacaranda H ar t l e y & t i ss i er • Brinto ns • alte rnative flooring • Jacaranda carp

carpets Wood amtico n at u r a l s3 3 p r e s t B c a r p e t s W o o d a m t i c o n at01242 u r 3a7 5857 l0 2s0 3 3 p r e s t B u ry r o a d | c H e lt e n H a m | g l o u c e s t e r s H i r e | g l 5 2 2 p p | 0 1 2 4 2257

3 32p r e sTo tBu ry r o a d | 07939 c H e lt802 e n H384 a mor | 01242 g l o u500 c e s028 t e ror s Hvisit ire | gl52 2pp | 01242 375020 Page advertise call www.cheltenham-magazine.co.uk

elcome W

to the December 2014 edition of Cheltenham Magazine Dear Reader, Due to our Indian Summer, one moment we were still basking in our summer clothes and then all of a sudden November arrived, bringing rain and strong gusty winds that caught most of us out who were still in our shorts and t-shirt mode.

December is now well and truly with us with an early visit from Santa who switched on Cheltenham’s Christmas lights, giving us that glow of Christmas warmth. Both The Regent Arcade and Beechwood Shopping Centre have done Cheltenham proud with their lovely decorations and trees.

One of my favourite things to do at this time of year is to stand outside of The Queens Hotel and look at the lights in the trees towards the Promenade, before heading to The Christmas Market for a glass or two of mulled wine.

December usually flies by in a blur with so many events happening, putting up the Christmas tree, attending school nativity plays, squeezing in a Panto trip, and then there's always the last-minute Christmas shopping to be done in our household, even though I promise myself each year I’ll be more organised next time! We have three pages of events towards the back of the magazine to keep you up to date with what’s on in Cheltenham this month, so get involved!

As the year comes to a close, I thought I would remind you of a few things that we hadn’t heard of this time last year, but 2014 will be remembered for them. It has been the year of ‘Loom Bands’, ‘Selfies’ and 'The Ice Bucket Challenge'. The people of Cheltenham will also remember The Human Poppy at GCHQ, and the big talking point of the year was receiving our own Banksy. Let’s hope that The Spy Booth is restored to its former glory in 2015.

Cheltenham Magazine prints 10,000 copies per month.

All our magazines are also available to view online.

Visit www.cheltenham-magazine.co.uk for local events or advertising information, or visit www.glosdirectories.co.uk for information on all the publications which we publish in Gloucestershire or call us on 01242 500 028.

Follow us on Twitter

@CheltenhamMag

Please like us on

Facebook.com/CheltenhamMagazine

On behalf of all of us here at Cheltenham Magazine, may we wish you a wonderful Cheltenham Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Be safe and see you in 2015.

Best wishes, Vicky (Editor)

Tel: 01242 500 028

www.cheltenham-magazine.co.uk a price list online callIssue. to book your space in Aug/Sept BookRequest now to be included in the or next Submit your advert online Magazine or contact us.

Please mention Cheltenham Magazine when responding to advertisers.

Page 3

Need a Website?

Cheltenham Magazine can help!

Call Vicky today to discuss your requirements.

Option to manage your own content.

Quality Websites.

Affordable Prices.

lPubs

lShops

lSalons

lServices

Call Vicky on 07939 802384 or email info@cheltenham-magazine.co.uk

positive exchange hypnotherapy - EFT - reiki healing p o s i t i ve e x c h a n g e create the life you want!

hypnotherapy

Rachel create the Berry life you want!DHP MAPHP MAAMET

Advanced Clinical Hypnotherapist & Hypnoanalyst Rachel Berr y DHP LAPHP MAAMET Advanced EFT Practitioner

Advanced Clinical Hypnotherapist Hypnoanalyst && Reiki Master offering People, Equine Animal Healing Advanced EF T- Practitioner & Reiki Master Reiki Teacher COURSES AVAILABLE

• • • • • •

weight management stop smoking fears / phobias addictions insomnia depression

FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION

07855 700968

www.positiveexchange.co.uk rachel@positiveexchange.co.uk

• • • • • •

anxiety & stress childbirth unresolved grief sports performance low self-esteem confidence

The Acupuncture Clinic, Park Farm Cottage, Kemerton, Tewkesbury, GL20 7HY

The Association for Professional Hypnosis and Psychotherapy Page 4

To advertise call 07939 802 384 or 01242 500 028 or visit www.cheltenham-magazine.co.uk

The Cheltenham Big Draw At the beginning of November a public drawing event took place at Cheltenham library.The event was part of the world’s biggest drawing festival ‘The Big Draw‘ which aims to raise the profile of drawing as a tool for thought, creativity, and social and cultural engagement. It is for those who love to draw, as well as for those who think they can‘t.

The Cheltenham ‘Big Draw‘, hosted by Art Playground in collaboration with local illustrator James Dighton, was all about the popular Cheltenham landmark Pittville Pump Room. Dighton had lent an illustration of the former spa building to the event where it was being projected onto several sheets of paper that were mounted onto a wall. Each sheet, representing a section of the illustration, could be taken off and re-designed by members of the public before it went back into place to form a colourful new version of the landmark.

It was a fun filled afternoon with dragons and penguins going for a stroll in Pittville Park, goldfish enjoying a swim with a shark in the lake, seagulls chasing a hot air balloon over Cheltenham, a monkey casually dangling from the trees andYoda himself posing in front of the Pump Room.

For more information about the Big Draw visit www.thebigdraw.org/the-big-draw - by Anne Golldack

Original illustration of Pittville Pump Room by James Dighton

About Art Playground Art Playground is a new locally-based social enterprise that creates interactive art projects and spaces around Cheltenham, to be enjoyed by adults and children alike.

Christina Poulton, who set up the enterprise, describes its aim as follows: “We want to create projects which get people excited about art - projects that surprise them. A lot of people enjoyed art as a child but don‘t see themselves as creative any more or think that art is only about silent galleries with paintings on the wall. Our projects try and challenge that.

The best things we do are where young families, teenagers and retired couples are getting stuck in side by side. It‘s why we do a lot of drop in events in the town centre, to get people involved who wouldn‘t normally think about coming along to an arts activity.“ As a social enterprise, Art Playground also aims to support unemployed young people, vulnerable families and young artists through projects working alongside Jobcentre Plus, local schools and Cheltenham Borough Council.

To find out more about Art Playground and the exciting projects they do please visit www. artplayground.org.uk One of their highlights this year was an interactive art exhibition entitled ‘Please DO touch the artwork‘that was held in an empty retail unit in The Brewery.

Currently they offer, amongst others, ‘Cake and Crafts‘ afternoons and weekly art sessions for 12-18 year olds called ‘Create Collective‘. New projects in the pipeline for next year include an art maze in the town centre that will be free for the public to explore.

Please mention Cheltenham Magazine when responding to advertisers.

Page 5

Waste collectors face daily risks from road users Road users in Gloucestershire are being asked to think twice about their conduct on the county’s roads following a rise in incidents involving waste collection crews across the region, which are potentially putting lives at risk.

The most recent accident ended in a refuse operative requiring hospital treatment having been struck by a passing car. The case has since been referred to the local Police as the car failed to stop.

The number of ‘near-misses’ from poor driving in close proximity to collections crews in Gloucestershire has increased.

Vehicles mounting pavements, cars driving too close to collection vehicles and crews, drivers revving engines, honking horns and verbal abuse are just some of the issues faced daily by those tasked with collecting waste and recycling from households.

More worryingly incidents of waste operatives being struck by passing cars have become more common according to the GloucestershireWaste Safety and Health (GWASH) partnership.

Tammy Beach, Chair of GWASH said: ‘We take these cases extremely seriously and every effort is made to ensure the safety of our staff, those of our waste contractors and the public. All recycling and refuse collection vehicles are fitted with warning beacons and operatives are required to wear

high visibility clothing so they are easily seen by other road users. Yet even with these measures in place, instances of crews being hit are being reported with increased frequency.’

‘The majority of road users are patient and respectful of the valuable job our waste collectors have to do, however, there is a small minority who think that it’s acceptable to intimidate the crews, whether verbally or physically, to complete their tasks as quickly as possible. We would ask anyone coming across a vehicle which is undertaking collections in the road to be more tolerant, slow down, think twice and pass only when it is safe to do so.’

Overall last year, there were over 50 reports of bad driving incidents and ‘near-misses’ reported across the county, with a total of 7 employees being hit by vehicles. All incidents of aggression are now logged, along with the vehicle registration plate, and passed on to Gloucestershire Police who actively follow-up the case with the member of the public involved.

The waste and recycling sector remains one of the most dangerous in which to work with a combined fatal and major injury rate of four times the average for industry according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and a third of all waste sector fatalities in the past 5 years being due to employees being struck by vehicles.

There are 267,900 households across the county with over 53,000 being visited for recycling or refuse collections on any given week day.

Mon-Friday 6am-10am Paul Ellery 10am-2pm Mark Edwards 2pm-7pm Ian Davies (Friday Only) 7pm-10pm Friday Night Floorfillers Mark Baker

Saturday 7am-10am Mark Edwards 10am-2pm Gregg Upwards 2pm-6pm Ian Davies 6pm-8pm Totally 90's Gary King

Sunday 7am-12pm Mark Baker 12pm-5pm Leon Oldman 5pm-7pm Totally 80's Gary King 7pm-10pm The Rock Show Jeff Collins

Page 6

To advertise call 07939 802 384 or 01242 500 028 or visit www.cheltenham-magazine.co.uk

Martin

LEWIS Winter money saving Brrrr... The mercury has started to tumble, summer’s warmth seems a distant memory and the central heating is starting to kick into gear. As it'll only get colder, now's the time to ensure you're set up for winter to keep the cost down and the heat up. Here’s my checklist…

Find out where your stopcock is. Everyone should know where their mains water off switch is. Frozen pipe bursts create an average £7,000 of damage, made worse if you can't find the off switch as your home floods.

As Angie wrote on my Facebook page: "I know where mine is but only due to a burst pipe and collapsed floor a few years ago. Took us & the council 2hrs to find."

So find it now before you’ve problems. Mine is behind a kitchen cupboard, but you’ll also typically find yours in bathrooms, shared corridors in flats, boiler cupboards and more. To help locate yours there’s a nice Thames Water video at www.mse.me/stopcock.

Switch energy now and you could get £100s back. This is a great time to switch energy supplier if you pay by direct debit, as it's likely you're in credit after the low use summer months. Therefore switch now, and provided you ask for it – so ask - you'll likely be given cash too (switch after winter and you may be in debt).

Yet while the switch-over takes time, the work to compare and activate a switch doesn't. For fun, I put a stopwatch on four new members of my team trying to compare and switch - the quickest took 202 seconds, the longest 376 seconds. The average was 310 seconds with a £226 saving.

When comparing you may’ve heard of the recent scandal about ‘hiding top deals’ on some comparison sites. This is true – though my own www.cheapenergyclub.co.uk always shows all tariffs. Yet it means if you are using a different www.ofgem.gov.uk approved comparison site, when you get to the “Do you only want to see tariffs you can switch to today” question – say ‘no’ – that way all will display.

Switching isn't a big deal, it's the same pipes, gas, meter and safety scheme - the only difference is price and customer service. You can do it even if you're on a prepayment meter/ electricity only/ Eco 7.

Paying energy by monthly direct debit is cheaper. It discounts your bill by up to 6%. Firms then estimate your annual usage and divide it by 12 so you're likely to build up credit after summer and be a little in debt after winter. Always do regular meter readings for accuracy, as your bill is estimated. And if they try to push your direct debit up unfairly (eg, you're heavily in credit) you've a right for it to

be fair, just call and ask for it to be lowered.

Full service car breakdown cover £40. Breakdown is more likely at winter, and the consequences more severe. Yet policies can be very cheap.

For breakdown, home start and onward travel www.autoaidbreakdown.co.uk is £40 a year, though it’s a ‘pay and claim’ policy so here it sends a local pick-up truck that you have to pay, then you can reclaim the cash later. Feedback and call out times are good, though you need to remember to claim.

If you’ve got cover and are at renewal, then HAGGLE - 90% of AA customers and 78% with the RAC lowered their rates by bartering. For more deals see www.mse.me/breakdown.

Cut boiler costs by £100s - you don't need your energy firm's cover. Many energy firms use our fear of losing heating to charge hefty insurance costs. They also want us to think there's some link between our energy provider and our boiler cover. There isn't - you're not locked in. In short… a) Renters usually don't need it, as their landlord's likely responsible. Check. b) Ensure you know what cover you need, choose between boiler-only, or central heating cover. c) To find the cheapest compare via www.uswitch.com and if you have more time add www.energyhelpline.com and www.moneysupermarket.com for a wider comparison.

More help in www.mse.me/boilercover.

Are you entitled to any extra winter help. Winter is a tough time for many as the cold sets in. Therefore there are some funds which may help... a) Winter fuel payments. If anyone in your house was born on or before 6 Jul 1952 and gets a state pension, pension credit or jobseekers allowance you automatically get the up to £300 winter fuel payment (providing you met this qualifying criteria by 21 Sept 2014). Some on other benefits may be eligible too, but will need to claim if new to it. b) Cold weather payments. Anyone on specific income support/jobseeker's allowance/pension credit gets £25 for every 7 days it's sub-zero. It's paid automatically from 1 Nov 2014. c) Choosing between heating and eating? If you're seriously behind, or in general financial hardship, you may be eligible for special tariffs/help. Try the Home Heat Helpline on 0800 33 66 99.

Please mention Cheltenham Magazine when responding to advertisers.

@MoneySavingExpert Page 7

SWIFT

Swift Removals and Storage offer professional, reliable removals and storage solutions in Cheltenham.

Removals & Storage

Call Us Today

01242 300301

15% Off With This Advert

Mobile: 07909 684745 www.swift-removalsandstorage.co.uk

love ... a slimmer C hristmas with

Slimming World Join a friendly group near you to make your weight loss dreams come true

Highbury Church Free cookbook worth £4.95 plus two FREE weeks*

*When you buy a 12-week Countdown course 13th October – 1st November 2014

Priory Walk (Top of Oxford Street), Charlton Kings, GL52 6DU Wednesdays 9:30am

The Holy Apostles Hall London Road, Charlton Kings, GL52 6HW Wednesdays 6:00pm

The Prestbury Centre 236 Prestbury Road, Prestbury, GL52 3EY Thursdays 6.30pm

slimmingworld.com 0844 897 8000

Page 8

Call Teresa

01242 571660

bit & Hare b a R bespoke Roman blind specialist wood Venetian blinds, wood shutters free quotations

T: 01452 731315 M: 07530 510656 E: rabbitandhareblinds@gmail.com

AJH Chauffeurs 07866 603 521

• Airport Transfers • Seaports • Train Stations • Sporting Events • Business and Private Travel ajhchauffeurs@gmail.com www.ajhchauffeurs.co.uk

To advertise call 07939 802 384 or 01242 500 028 or visit www.cheltenham-magazine.co.uk

Cheltenham war memorial links Canadian visitor with WW2 family history A shopping and sight-seeing trip to Cheltenham turned into a whole lot more for Canadian visitor, David Jackson, when he happened to walk through the Promenade and spot his grandfather’s name on the war memorial.

David was on a trip to the UK with his 10 year old son, Charlie, when they decided to explore the county as they knew there were family connections, particularly in Cheltenham. They took the train into the borough and walked via the Promenade into the centre, which was when David made the discovery. His grandfather, Reginald John Richard Jackson was born in Cheltenham in 1908 and served in the Air Transport Auxiliary.

David said: “We always stop and look at war memorials as we both have an interest in military history. I served as a Canadian Artillery Officer and Charlie is currently in a pipe band the 78th Fraser Highlanders. I was very surprised to find my grandfather’s name on the memorial as I had no idea it was there although I knew of his background.’’

David has researched his grandfather’s file at the RAF Museum in Hendon. It is quite extensive and contains some interesting material. As his grandfather disappeared 20 years before he was born he has no memory of him and he is not talked about much by the family. Some of the items in the file did bring David much closer to him and gave David an idea of what he was like as a person.

David said: “There is a list of personal items kept at his billet including 11 ½ pairs of socks, a bicycle and a Fiat Topolino Car. His estate included property in Eldon Road, Cheltenham where he lived, as well as rental properties in Brooklyn Road, Cheltenham and Howard Street, Gloucester.

He owed the coal merchant 1 pound 19 shillings and sixpence and the Cheltenham Gas Co. 1 pound 18 shillings and four pence. There is a hand written letter from my grandfather to a friend offering to buy him a drink in the mess next time they met up as my grandfather had left some personal items in the gun bay of a Hurricane fighter that he had been flying and his friend retrieved them.There is a claim for a new overcoat as the one he had had become oil stained while flying an open cockpit Walrus aircraft and there was an accident report when he overshot a runway in a Defiant fighter which he was cleared of due to faulty pilots’ notes with respect to the landing speed.’’

During the 1930s David’s grandfather ran a transportation business in the Cheltenham area. He gained a Private Flying License in April 1939. From June 1941 to December 1941 he served as a sergeant with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. He joined the Air Transport Auxiliary after being assigned to elementary flight training school in July 1942.

Sadly, David’s grandfather went missing on 23 May 1945, flying HawkerTempest MkV NV666, two weeks afterVE Day.

An extensive search was carried out but nothing was ever found.

David said: ‘’My father was always a great lover of conspiracy theories. He took my grandfather’s gold pocket watch to a psychic fair for a reading. Careful not to provide any clues that would give any information he handed the watch to a clairvoyant. She held it for a moment and then said, ‘he died in an aircraft accident but not when you think. It was several years after the war and the wing came off an aircraft he was flying.’ This just adds to the mystery.’’

Cheltenham Borough Council cabinet member for finance John Rawson said: “People in Cheltenham will be delighted that Mr Jackson has been able to find out more about his grandfather after discovering his name on the Cheltenham war memorial. The discovery he made reminds us that the world wars were not just huge impersonal conflicts, but were the story of countless thousands of individual men and women who played their part bravely and whose lives were either cut short or changed completely. It is these people whom we still have a duty to remember with admiration and respect.”

PJ Property Home Improvements & Garden

MAINTENANCE

LOCAL FAMILY RUN BUSINESS

Friendly & Reliable No job too big or too small! üRoof Repairs üHedge Trimming üTree Topping üGarden Maintenance 15% off üGutter Cleaning with this üPVC Fascias, Soffits & Guttering advert üHigh Pressure Washing üChimney Repairs & Repointing

Tel 0800 6965563 Mobile 07733832082

Please mention Cheltenham Magazine when responding to advertisers.

Page 9

Cheltenham CheltenhamGreat Great Western WesternModellers Modellersevent event onon6th 6thofofDecember December Cheltenham Great Western Cheltenham Great WesternModellers Modellers Group disbanded Group disbandedinin1996.

1996.However, However, Mike Walker decided Mike Walker decidedhehewould would continue organisethe theexhibitions exhibitions continue to to organise giving all the profits to the children’s giving all the profits to the children’s cancer charity CLICSargent.

Sargent.To To cancer charity CLIC date 33 have taken place with over date 33 have taken place with over £30,000 being giventotothem. them.After After £30,000 being given being asked to do a show for Cobalts being asked to do a show for Cobalts 50th anniversary it was decided to 50th anniversary it was decided to hire the Tithe Barn in Bishop’s Cleeve hirewhich the Tithe Bishop’s wouldBarn allowinfor a muchCleeve larger which would allow for a much larger show to be done. show to be done.





MODEL RAILWAY EXHIBITION

MODEL RAILWAY EXHIBITION All profits to All profits to



 





 Sponsored by Cheltenham Model Centre Sponsored by Cheltenham Model Centre

Saturday 6th December 2014

Saturday  6th December 2014    

 

5 STAR PROPERTY maintenance LOCAL FAMILY RUN BUSINESS

We love the jobs you hate!

Our services include: l Roof Repairs Book before l Storm Damage Dec 31st & l Hedge Trimming receive 25% l Tree Topping discount l Garden Maintenance l Chimney Repairs & Repointing l High Pressure Washing l Gutter Cleaning l uPVC Fascias, Soffits & Guttering Supplied and Installed

Normally £1200

Rubber Roofing Specialist

Book now and Save £300* *£900 Single car garage supplied & fitted

Freephone 0800 7471787 Office 01452 676 399 Mobile 07920 484235 Page 10

Proud Member of ratedpeople.com with 5 Star rating

To advertise call 07939 802 384 or 01242 500 028 or visit www.cheltenham-magazine.co.uk

Health the

HARCOMBE WAY How to get through the festive season...

by Zoe Harcombe

... without ending up the size of Santa!

alone remember.

Introduction It is not uncommon for British adults to gain up to half a stone over the Christmas and New Year period.

Americans tend to start the party season even earlier, with Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November, and, as a result, they can gain around 10 pounds before the New Year diet starts.

Don’t eat your normal meal AND cheat If you are going to have a couple of mince pies for lunch then make that your lunch. Don’t have a turkey sandwich as well, as your body will just store the fat in the turkey when you eat carbohydrates (bread and pastry).

Never forget that insulin is the fattening hormone Every time you eat a carbohydrate your body will produce a substance called insulin, to get your blood sugar back to normal. Insulin is also known as the fattening hormone, so you want to minimise the number of times that you eat carbohydrates during a day. If you want some chocolates, therefore, pick some really high quality/high cocoa content chocolates and eat them all at once (enjoying every one). Don’t have one every now and again Don’t waste cheating throughout the day, or you will keep messing around Don’t eat everything in sight – eat what you really with your blood sugar. want. Don’t eat the white bread at the start of the meal and fill yourself up on something that isn’t even Just because you can cheat doesn’t mean you have that tasty. Save your cheating for the meal and enjoy to a delicious dessert, if that’s what you love. Don’t pick Yes, there's junk around at times of celebration but at left overs, don’t eat a handful of nuts when you there's also a lot of good stuff too. We tend to have could have a meal of your choice for a similar number treats like roast beef, smoked salmon, avocados, of calories. Don’t eat anything you aren’t fussed asparagus and exotic fruits at festive gatherings. You about. won't miss out on anything by not eating processed foods again so, if you don’t have any urge to ‘cheat’, Eat as few ingredients as possible then don’t.

The fewer processed ingredients you can attack your body with the better. If you really fancy a bag of crisps/chips then have a bag, but pick the one that has the simple ingredients potatoes and vegetable oil (you don’t even need salt). There are some packets of crisps that have more than one hundred ingredients in them – avoid these like the plague!

Top Tips for not putting on weight during this time You can continue to lose weight during the holiday period. Stick to the turkey and vegetables, smoked salmon and Satsumas – the real food on offer – and you can actually lose weight while others are gaining.

However, if you just want to enjoy treats at Christmas, but without paying the price on the scales, here is how to ‘cheat’ and not put on weight:

If you want ice cream then choose a quality brand with very few ingredients. A posh vanilla ice cream has (in order) fresh cream, skimmed milk, sugar, egg yolk and natural vanilla flavouring and tastes as good as ice cream can possibly get. Don’t pick the carton with more ingredients than you can recognise let

Zoë’s books (“Stop Counting Calories & Start Losing Weight”, “The Harcombe Diet Recipe Book”, “The Harcombe Diet For Men”, Why do you overeat? When all you want is to be slim” and “The Obesity Epidemic: What caused it? How can we stop it”) are published by Columbus Publishing Ltd and are available: on Amazon; in all good book shops and online at www.theharcombedietclub.com Zoë writes regularly on her blog at www.zoeharcombe.com

Please mention Cheltenham Magazine when responding to advertisers.

Page 11

THE PLOUGH wins CAMRA award On November 5 Cheltenham CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) members presented the Plough in Prestbury with the Pub of the Summer Season award.

Landlady Cathy Richards, who was over the moon, said: “It took the pub 400 years to win this award - here is to the next 400!”

The hand over of the award was followed by a buffet and Barbershop music sung by the Wassalers, a local singing group that rehearses at the pub every Wednesday and that will perform a Christmas gig at the Plough on December 23.

Their repertoire includes Christmas music, traditional barbershop, 50’s and 60’s music, all the way through to modern day pop.

- by Anne Golldack

TheWassalers singing after the award had been presented to Cathy Richards, Keith Fagen, Nathalie Richards, Martin Howkins and Jamie Martell

Dates l a t s o P s a m t s i Chr Last Post

Page 12

LAST RVICE RECOMMENDED SE S TE DA G LAST POSTIN RVICE L STANDARD RECOMMENDED SE ail) INTERNATIONA (formerly Airm STING DATES PO g Asia, Far East (includin UK Wed 3rd Dec Japan), New Zealand Second Class & Australia Royal Mail Signed Thurs 4th Dec c tral Thurs 18th De Africa, Caribbean, Cenddle For® & South America, Mi Fri 5th Dec First Class & Royal East 20th Dec e, Sat Mail Signed For® rop Eu n ter Eas , rus Cyp Mon 8th Dec Greece Royal Mail Special Delivery c Poland a, De ad rd 23 Can es Tu Guaranteed® Tues 9th Dec A US c De th Fri 12 Western Europe Poland) Sat 13th Dec (excluding Greece,

To advertise call 07939 802 384 or 01242 500 028 or visit www.cheltenham-magazine.co.uk

Finance Using Christmas Money Gifts to Start a Savings Pot money gifts this Christmas?

Would you rather give and receive money at Christmas, or do you prefer traditional gifts?

People give money as a gift for various reasons. Maybe they’re not sure of the recipient’s taste, or particularly in the case of teenagers, think they might prefer to spend the money on something of their own choosing.

Christmas is an ideal opportunity to start a small savings pot for a friend or family member, using money that they might otherwise spend frivolously, or on everyday expenses such as food and petrol.

It shows thought and consideration and has the potential to grow over the years.

It could provide funds towards a summer holiday, a new car, or something long-term.

Using the same reasoning it’s in your own best interests to save the Christmas money gifts you receive, rather than put them to one side to be swallowed up by everyday needs.

So what are the best options for starting a savings pot for a loved one, or saving your

Tax-free savings are the obvious choice The old cash ISAs have now been replaced

by NISAs (new ISA), and anyone over the age of 16 can deposit a maximum of £15,000 each year. This is a significant increase on the old cash limit of £5,600 although the interest rates may be lower, but this type of savings account is still the best option for easy access.

The Junior ISA is available to under-18s but can only be opened by parents or legal guardians, so if you’re giving money to a member of your extended family or a friend’s child, you’ll need to physically give them the money to pay in.

Each year from 6th April, you can open a new NISA with the same limit, so this is a great way to save long-term too. For those looking for an investment rather than cash savings, Stocks and Shares NISAs are also available.

Regular savings accounts As the name suggests, you’ll need to drip-feed these accounts on a monthly basis.

Regular savers generally offer a much better interest rate than standard savings accounts, but tax may be payable on the interest depending on your circumstances.

By Ann Haldon

Interest rates of around 6% are not unheard of, and some accounts may even beat the NISA for interest. Banks often offer regular savings accounts as a promotional tool, however, in the hope that you will take up some of their other products once you’re a customer.

Saving ad-hoc Not everyone is able to save on a regular basis, but a separate place to put spare cash as and when you get it is very useful.

Standard savings accounts usually run alongside current accounts, making it easy to either pay in money directly or transfer it from the current account.

The Mason jar savings method Often started on the 1st January each year, this involves saving £1 the first week, £2 in week two, and so on throughout the year. Although there’ll be no interest, it’s surprising how motivating it can be to literally see your money grow, and you’re still saving for a purpose rather than frittering it away.

So if you are offering money gifts for Christmas this year, it’s worthwhile giving a little more thought to how they are offered.

On the other side of the coin, receiving money for Christmas could provide you with the start of a useful nest-egg. https://www.gov.uk/juniorindividual-savings-accounts/ opening-an-account http://www.moneysavingexpert. com/savings/junior-isa http://frugalbeautiful.com/blog/ mason-jar-money-method-start1-save-1300-year/

Please mention Cheltenham Magazine when responding to advertisers.

Page 13

Ubico Ltd delivers substantial savings for the second year running Ubico Ltd, the local authority owned environmental services company is celebrating another successful year of trading, following the release of the 2013/14 audited accounts.

The company, owned jointly by Cotswold District and Cheltenham Borough councils has saved the council tax payers another £734,000, without any cuts to the delivery of services.

Since it began trading in 2012 Ubico has delivered savings of £2.5 million and the company is on target to achieve the forecast saving of £5 million in the first five years of trading.

Cllr John Rawson, cabinet member for finance for Cheltenham Borough Council, says: “Ubico has been one of our most successful ventures in sharing services with other councils to cut costs. The company deserves congratulations not just for its financial performance but for the huge contribution

it makes to keeping Cheltenham clean and green.”

Cllr Lynden Stowe, Leader of Cotswold District Council says: “The Council achieved a budget underspend of nearly £500,000 for the 2013/14 financial year and I have acknowledged in public that the performance of Ubico Ltd played a key part in making this possible. Rob Bell and his staff continue to exceed expectations, and I would like to thank them all for their exemplary work ethic and ‘can do’ attitude.

“We are always looking to see how Ubico can help us make even more savings. As an example, the Council was facing pressure to increase its funding for car park gritting and we transferred this service to Ubico because we knew they could do it more costeffectively.This has enabled us to maintain the gritting service without going over budget, saving council tax payers £60,000 per annum. There are other cost-saving ideas in the pipeline and we have every confidence that Ubico will rise to the challenge.”

Rob Bell, Managing Director Ubico Ltd added: “Everyone at Ubico has worked so hard to deliver this success and thanks to them we have again exceeded our financial targets.

This provides us with an excellent platform to expand the business and deliver further efficiencies.”

Registered charity England and Wales 216401.

Scotland SC037717. © 2014 Illustrations by Jason Chapman.

e h t agic begin... t e L th a Lem t wi

ter fro m Santa

Request your Letter by 15 December, visit: nspcc.org.uk/santa

4309 14 LFS_Ad_A6_landscape_AW.indd 1 05/09/2014 16:36 Page To advertise call 07939 802 384 or 01242 500 028 or visit www.cheltenham-magazine.co.uk

I’m Dreaming Of A Green Christmas

by Pippa Greenwood

I love giving presents, whether that gift is a thing of beauty or something totally practical.

With gardening as one of the nation’s top pastimes, here are a few ideas for things which I am sure most green fingered friends would be delighted to receive.

If you know a newish gardener then the basic tools are always well received, especially if you choose good quality, sturdy ones. So think fork, spade and rake – yes, they are difficult to wrap but worth the effort.

For anyone gripped by the Grow Your Own bug you could give one of my ‘Grow Your Own with Pippa Greenwood ‘ gift cards – they choose the veg they want to grow and I send them out, at the right time for planting and accompanied by weekly advice and tips emails….it couldn’t be simpler! Find out more at www. pippagreenwood.com Weeding is always an issue so a hoe is useful or for smaller spaces (such as in between plants, in gravel, between paving, or to tackle weeds within planters) try the hand held red-handled weeders – I think they’re indispensable.

A few packets of vegetable

seeds are always appreciated and most garden centres already have a good variety in stock. If you want to spend a bit more, a heated propagator makes a fantastic gift. With tomatoes, peppers, aubergines and many of the fancier ornamentals needing to be sown soon, it’ll be a gift put to use straight away.

Gardening gloves too are something we can always have more of. Some of the gauntlet style gloves are perfect if you have to tackle a pruning job on a thorny plant or one with really rough or sharp leaves. Alternatively, there are many lower-priced types available with gripping pads on the fingers or with leather toughened strips across the knuckles. Classic greens, ravishing reds or funky florals, gloves are definitely not boring.

Birds in the garden not only help to keep pest numbers down, but they also add charm which everybody appreciates.

A peanut feeder, nest box or perhaps even a bird table will attract them in and there are many designs available from modern to rustic.

For the ‘other half’ who is less inclined to help with the tough jobs in the garden, admit defeat

and give them a garden lounger or even a hammock.

As container gardening continues to rise in popularity, another idea is to give a few gorgeous looking containers - either empty for the friend or relative to decide what to put in it themselves, or make them into a complete gift by planting them up with a selection of plants and under planting them with bulbs which you know will bring extra delight next year.

Finally, houseplants such as poinsettias, cyclamen, indoor azaleas and jasmines are perfect for providing bright colour indoors at this time of year. But remember when you buy any indoor plant during cold weather, it is essential that you protect it thoroughly on the journey from the shop to your car and from your car into your house as even a tiny exposure to cold drafts and low temperatures can cause damage.

Visit www.pippagreenwood. com for a great rate of Gardening-related Gifts including stylish ‘Grow Your Own with Pippa Greenwood’ gift cards, Pippa’s favourite weeding tool, signed books and lots of useful garden items for your friends & family…or for yourself!

Please mention Cheltenham Magazine when responding to advertisers.

Page 15

Constantly repairing your leaky flat roof?

Looking for a long-term solution?

Specialising in rubber & fibre glass roofing.

Both EPDM & GRP systems have a proven life expectancy of over 50 years!

All work carries 20 or 25 year guarantees l Fully insured and qualified l Both commercial and residential properties l Possible renewal of fascias, sofits and gutters l General house maintenance l

50

YEARS LIFE EXPECTANCY

For a free, friendly inspection and quote contact

Liam Mellor 07590191700 / 01684 770074 liam@lcmflatroofing.co.uk www.lcmflatroofing.co.uk

STEAMED UP DOUBLE GLAZING? Don’t replace the Frames... just the Panes!

Broken or Damaged Windows?

Faulty Hinges, Handles or Locks?

Want the latest energy saving glass?

5 year guarantee on new double glazing.

Cheltenham tax accountants Local, professional and approachable accountants.

Small business specialists and individuals. requiring self assessment tax returns.

Prices from £195 per annum.

Why pay Free meetings available. big firm fees Fixed fees. when we can take Stephen Edwards www.cheltenhamtaxaccountants.co.uk care of everything for you?

01242 528412 info@cheltenhamtaxaccountants.co.uk

Matt Grimshaw Carpentry Your Local Carpenter / Kitchen Fitting Specialist

...we make saving money perfectly clear...

Call Freephone

0800 61 21118

www.cloudy2clear.com Page 16

All aspects of Carpentry undertaken Kitchens  Doors Stairs Timber Flooring Roofing Fascia Soffits Decking Fencing

 

01242 604423 / 07792 088822 mattgrimshawcarpentry@live.co.uk

10% discount on any works when quoting this advert

To advertise call 07939 802 384 or 01242 500 028 or visit www.cheltenham-magazine.co.uk

Mixed plastic recycling is now permanent for Cheltenham Following an overwhelming response to its recent trial, Cheltenham Borough Council now offers permanent facilities to recycle mixed plastics at their most popular recycling sites.

A pilot project over the summer meant that residents could go along to 12 of the borough’s most popular ‘bring bank’ sites to recycle a range of mixed plastics.

This included items such as; yoghurt pots, margarine tubs, ice cream tubs, ready-meal trays, plastic fruit punnets as well as a whole range of plastic bottles.

Officers soon realised how well the trial had been received as the banks were being emptied once and sometimes twice as often.

Scott Williams, strategic client officer, said: “Before the trial was launched, residents could recycle plastic bottles but no other type of plastic at these banks.

Almost as soon as we promoted the trial, the bring banks were being filled more quickly with a mixture of different plastics.There is an increasing demand for this service as people become more aware of the action they can take to reduce their carbon footprint.’’

Councillor Chris Coleman, cabinet member for clean and green environment, added: “I am delighted that we are in a position to permanently increase the recycling provisions available to residents. Prior to the trial, we were aware of the number of residents who said they wanted to recycle mixed plastics.We acted on that feedback and it’s because of the great response to the recent trial that we feel it’s only right to permanently enhance our services in this way.’’

Residents can recycle their mixed plastics at the following 12 sites: Caernarvon Road, Morrisons Priors Road, Sainsbury’s Manor Road, Sainsbury’s Bath Terrace car park Hatherley Lane, Asda Church Piece car park Edinburgh Place car park St James Street car park Sixways car park Everest Road, Old Patesians Swindon Road recycling centre Whaddon Road, CTFC Mixed plastics include items such as; plastic bottles, yoghurt pots, margarine tubs, ice cream tubs, readymeal trays and plastic fruit punnets.

However, this does not include any black-coloured plastic, plastic bags or cling film (or any other kind of film).

Other materials which can be collected at the bring bank sites include cardboard, paper, glass, cans, textiles and shoes.

Bulky plastic recycling, also known as mixed hard plastics can be recycled at the Swindon Road Recycling Centre.This means people wishing to recycle items such as plastic toys, plastic garden furniture and plastic buckets can do so at the container located on site at the recycling centre.

For more information on how you can recycle in Cheltenham please visit our website or contact out customer service team on the dedicated waste hotline 01242 264244.

A&R STOVE INSTALLERS A&R A&R STOVE STOVE INSTALLERS INSTALLERS A&R STOVE INSTALLERS A&R STOVE INSTALLERS • Installation & Service • Chimney Sweeping • Expert Advice • Installation & Service •Friendly Installation & Service & Reliable Installation Service •• •Installation & &Service Chimney Sweeping •• Chimney Sweeping Installation & Service Chimney Sweeping •01684 Chimney Sweeping 296078 Expert Advice •• Expert Advice Chimney Sweeping ExpertAdvice Advice •stoveintstallers@gmail.com Expert Friendly & Reliable • Friendly & Reliable Expert Advice Friendly& &Reliable • •Supplying Friendly ofReliable Stoves 01684 296078 •01684 Friendly & Reliable 296078 01684296078 296078 01684 stoveintstallers@gmail.com 01684 296078 stoveintstallers@gmail.com stoveintstallers@gmail.com stoveintstallers@gmail.com stoveintstallers@gmail.com

A&R STOVE INSTALLERS

Installation & Service JOIN•• OUR TEAM! ChimneyDISTRIBUTION Sweeping • Expert Advice

Local Distributors wanted to • Friendly & Reliable assist with distribution 01684 296078 of stoveintstallers@gmail.com magazines in Cheltenham.

Call Vicky on Tel: 07939 802384 Email: info@cheltenham-magazine.co.uk

Please mention Cheltenham Magazine when responding to advertisers.

Page 17

Learn to Scuba Dive Learn to scuba dive safely with Dive 90, a PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Centre established for more than 20 years. All our courses, from novice to professional level, are accredited by PADI, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, the world’s largest diving organisation. This means that you will receive high-quality, structured training and gain a qualification that is recognized worldwide.

Dive 90’s scuba instructors and divemasters have between them many thousands of logged dives and a knowledge of diving that is second to none. So whether your aim is to explore coral reefs and observe their diverse marine life or research and dive a shipwreck, our training will give you the knowledge and confidence to get the most out of every dive.

Our courses are supported by weekly club meetings and a well-stocked dive shop where we offer expert guidance and advice. We also arrange regular trips to some of the best dive locations in the UK and worldwide.

In addition to scuba certification training, we offer a wide range of speciality courses. As well as the more usual specialities – see the navigation list to the right – we also offer training in: Aware Coral Reef Conservation Aware Fish Identification Boat Diver Diver Propulsion Vehicle Drift Diver Master Scuba Diver

Multilevel Diver Night Diver Peak Performance Buoyancy Project Aware Search and Recovery Diver Underwater Videographer

Tel: 01242 680003 www.dive90.co.uk Dive 90 Ltd, Knightsbridge Business Centre, Cheltenham GL51 9TA Page 18

To advertise call 07939 802 384 or 01242 500 028 or visit www.cheltenham-magazine.co.uk

Positive review for Cheltenham Borough Council Positive findings from a ‘peer challenge’ have been presented to Cheltenham Borough Council.

The review – facilitated by the Local Government Association (LGA) – was conducted by colleagues from neighbouring authorities with the aim of helping to shape and improve future plans.

Their feedback has been very positive, saying how the council has clear ambitions in place which are driven by the needs of the customer and community.The findings from the peer review team will be considered by overview and scrutiny committee at their meeting on 3 November and cabinet on 11 November.

A peer review is when colleagues from other local authorities, use their experience and knowledge of local government to reflect on the information presented to them by people they met, things they saw and material that they read. Peer challenges are improvementfocussed and tailored to meet individual council’s needs.

They are designed to complement and add value to a council’s own performance and improvement focus.

There are a number of positive observations which the peer team identified and it is important that the council maintains these strengths whilst undergoing a period of change. Some of these include: MARKETING Clear ambitions for place and council INNOVATIVE council that is outcome and is recognised &APR FOR YOUR focused BUSINESS by partners in delivering big projects focus - Pink £2.9mElephant pa Stronginpartnership Based Cheltenham, Collaborative working with communities

Marketing & PR offers cost effective, Clear political leadership from leader and cabinet imaginative marketing solutionsleadership to enableby Clear demonstration of community

members you to drive your business forward.

A determined focus on regeneration and growth empowered organisational culture An By getting to know how your organisation Sound financial planning operates and listening to your business The team did also make a number of suggestions as objectives, we look ways to achieve to how the council could for improve its performance those aimsbearing within yourtheavailable budget. particularly in mind pace of change and challenges that the council faces.These findings have been reviewed by theyour seniorcompany's leadership team and an From planning action plan has been prepared to address these issues. marketing/brand Some of these include:strategy, creating strong visual identities to website design, Align strategies and plans in line with the council’s new advertising and we aim to all corporate plan andnewsletters, then effectively communicate longer term financial planning, greater to offer you creative and appropriate Consider level of sensitivity analysis and scenario planning marketing and PR solutions to help Reflect how the council utilises the considerable grow your At Pink Elephant talents thatbusiness. members bring Consider how Scrutiny might reappraise its work Marketing & PR, we never forget that

programmecustomer with particular referenceand to theproject opportunity first-class service to play a part in scrutinising the progress of critical projects management are essential elements too.

Consider a fundamental review of project management, risk management and procurement Consider ways to engage and consult more widely the public and customer through consultation Andrew North, chief executive at Cheltenham Borough Council, said: “We are grateful for the work of the review team, and were impressed with the way in which they managed the review. We would also like to thank all those individuals who gave up their time to meet with the peer review team.

“The peers reviewed a range of information to ensure that they were familiar with the council, the challenges it is facing and its plans for the future. During the 3.5 days they spoke to over 90 people including a range of council staff together with councillors and external stakeholders, they gathered information and views from more than 30 meetings, telephone calls, visits to key sites and additional research and reading.”

“They collectively spent more than 220 hours to determine their findings.The peer review has been a positive experience and has provided the council will an opportunity to reflect on what it is doing.We welcome hearing the positive outcomes as well as where improvements can be made.The recommendations within the report have been considered by cabinet and officers and a response to the recommendations along with proposed actions has been drawn up.”

You can read the cabinet report and findings on the council’s website under agenda item eight.

Providing innovative MARKETING & PR solutions to help drive your business forward

Contact Pink Elephant Marketing & PR on

Tel: 07710 723075

info@pinkelephantmarketing.co.uk www.pinkelephantmarketing.co.uk

mention Cheltenham when responding to advertisers.

IfPlease you are a business, schoolMagazine or

Page 19

www.berudman.com

B. E. RUDMAN PAVING SPECIALISTS l l l l l l l

Driveways Patios Fencing Landscaping Turfing Decking Repair Work

Dave Dowell

BEFORE

Free Estimates / Advice l Fully Insured l 24hr Emergency Repairs l 7 Days a week l

AFTER

FREE Quotations, Advice, Samples & Brochures 5 Year Guarantee with all works. Many local references available.

Mob: 07843 277723 Tel: 01242 255043 COVERING GLOUCESTERSHIRE

HANDYMAN & GARDENING SERVICES Tel: 01684 276326 Mob: 07846 421767 Email: dave@cheltenhamhandyman.co.uk Website: www.cheltenhamhandyman.co.uk

SUPPLYING & MAINTAINING GARDEN, ESTATE AND FORESTRY MACHINERY FOR OVER 40 YEARS

TEL 01452 790305 FAX 01452 790693 EMAIL info@bucklandgardenmachinery.com

KUBOTA l STIHL l HUSQVARNA l HONDA l VIKING l ATCO l HYUNDAI l CUB CADET Page 20

To advertise call 07939 802 384 or 01242 500 028 or visit www.cheltenham-magazine.co.uk

EDWARD PRICE

Tree & Garden Services

WARD & GardenServices Services RD PRICEPRICE TreeTree & Garden Garden

Design Grass Cutting Garden Maintenance Turfing

den Design • Garden Maintenance • Grass Cutting

ing

Hedge

Cutting Hedge Laying • Fencing • Hedge Cutting • Hedge Laying Tree Felling Tree Care

Tree Planting odland Management • Tree Felling

e Care

Woodland

Management

• Tree Planting

Sarah Harrop

PIANO TUTOR

Friendly, fun and enthusiastic piano tutoring.

Specialising in teaching beginners.

Contact for a FREE QUOTE

Mobile: 07890 033247 Telephone: 01242 602945

Fully Insured & Qualified

Special offer: first lesson free, then two further lessons for half price!

Teaching in my own home, in Prestbury.

Tel: 01242 527 493 or 07872 583 335 Email: sarah@prestburypiano.co.uk E: sarah.harrop@freewheelmedia.co.uk Sarah Harrop Sarah Harrop, BA, Grade 8 ABRSM Website: www.prestburypiano.co.uk Sarah Harrop

PIANO PIANO Around Britain TUTOR TUTOR Sarah Harrop Sarah Harrop Sarah Sarah Harrop Harrop

Extreme Points

Friendly, fun fun and and enthusiastic enthusiastic piano piano tutoring. tutoring.

Friendly, 1. Lady Park Wood - Chepstow is the easternmost town in Wales, butenthusiastic the Friendly, fun and piano tutoring.

Friendly, fun and enthusiastic piano tutoring.

Friendly, fun and enthusiastic piano Specialising in teaching beginners. actual easternmost point is found in Lady Park Wood, a nature reserve Friendly, fun fun in and enthusiastic piano tutoring. tutoring.

Specialising teaching beginners.

Friendly, and enthusiastic piano tutoring.

Specialising in teaching beginners.

Specialising in teaching teaching beginners. in the Wye Valley. In fact the Welsh border is drawnSpecialising in such offer: a way that lesson in beginners.

Special first free, then two Specialising in teaching beginners.

Special offer: first lesson free, then two in and teaching beginners. much of the wood stands further east than the citiesSpecialising of Liverpool Special offer: first lesson free, then two further lessons for half price!

Special offer: first lesson free, then Special offer: first first lesson free, then then two two further lessons for half price!

Special offer: lesson free, two Shrewsbury. further lessons for half price!

Special offer: first lesson free, then two further lessons lessons for half half price! further for price!

Teaching in my own home, in Prestbury. further lessons for half price!

Teaching in my own home, in Prestbury.

2. Land’s End - Land’s End is the westernmost point in mainland England, lying a whole 5° west further lessons for half price!

Teaching in my own home, in Prestbury.

Teaching in my my own home, in Prestbury.

Prestbury.

Tel: 01242 527 or 07872 583 335 Teaching in own home, in of the Greenwich Meridian. Despite its name, however, Land’s End is493 neither the westernmost Tel: 01242 527 493 or 07872 583 335 Teaching in my own home, in Prestbury.

Tel: 01242 527 493 or 07872 583 335 Teaching in western my own home, in Prestbury. or E: sarah.harrop@freewheelmedia.co.uk point in all of Great Britain (which is in fact Corrachadh Mòr, in Scotland), nor the Tel: 01242 527 493 or 07872 583 335 E: sarah.harrop@freewheelmedia.co.uk Tel: 01242 527 493 or 07872 583 335 E: sarah.harrop@freewheelmedia.co.uk sarah.harrop@freewheelmedia.co.uk Tel: 01242 527 493 or 07872 583 335 Sarah Harrop, BA, Grade 8 ABRSM southernmost point in England mainland, which is nearby Lizard Point.

E: Sarah Harrop, BA, Grade 8 ABRSM E: sarah.harrop@freewheelmedia.co.uk E: sarah.harrop@freewheelmedia.co.uk Sarah Harrop, BA, Grade 8 ABRSM E: sarah.harrop@freewheelmedia.co.uk Sarah Harrop, BA, Grade 8 8 ABRSM ABRSM Sarah Harrop, BA, Grade 3. Lowestoft - Suffolk’s second-largest town, Lowestoft is also the easternmost settlement in all Sarah BA, Sarah Harrop, Harrop, BA, Grade Grade 8 8 ABRSM ABRSM of Britain, standing almost a full 2° east of the Greenwich Meridian.

4. Manger - County Fermanagh is the westernmost of the counties of Northern Ireland and as such contains the westernmost point in the entire United Kingdom, Manger or ‘Manger Beg’, a townland in the far west of the old parish of Inishmacsaint. Manger lies even further west than Donegal in the Republic of Ireland, and almost as far west as Cork and Limerick.

5. Marshall Meadows Bay - The cliffs overlooking Marshall Meadows Bay, a small inlet on the North Sea coast of Northumberland, mark the northernmost point in all of England. The nearby Georgian mansion of Marshall Meadows House and its adjacent farm in turn comprise England’s northernmost settlement, standing roughly more than a mile further north than Berwick and barely 500m from the Scottish border. © Taken from The British Isles: A Trivia Gazetteer by Paul Anthony Jones

Please mention Cheltenham Magazine when responding to advertisers.

Page 21

Boat Moorings The Old Rectory Bredon - Moorings from £825 per year

✓ Private, safe, water and electricity ✓ Drive to your boat dorothy@richarddenny.co.uk

www.bredonoldrectorymoorings.co.uk

Page 22

01684 773196

To advertise call 07939 802 384 or 01242 500 028 or visit www.cheltenham-magazine.co.uk

What happened in...

...December 1966?

By Patrick D Cousins

For billions of children worldwide, from the Twenties until…well, for happy ever after, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a special piece of magic from Walt Disney. Born in December 1901, this entrepreneur, business magnate, cartoonist, animator, voice actor (a big thank you from Mickey Mouse), producer, director and screenwriter spent most of his life not just fulfilling his own dreams but creating dreams for countless generations to come.

Part-way through producing The Jungle Book, on December 15 1966, Walt Disney died of lung cancer.

According to rumour his body was cryogenically

frozen pending a cure for the disease. Well, who wouldn’t want to believe that Walt Disney is in suspended animation?

1st: Following the declaration of independence from Britain, Rhodesia’s Prime Minister, Ian Smith, and Harold Wilson held talks aboard HMS Tiger, in the Mediterranean, with no positive outcome.

8th: The USA and the USSR signed a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons in outer space.

21st: Russia launched Luna 13, which made a soft landing on the moon three days later (Is another atmosphere, eg the moon’s, technically ‘outer space’? I just wondered).

23rd: The final episode of Ready Steady Go! was broadcast. This programme had been a regular feature

Petrol was about 5/- 3d a gallon The average price of a house was about £3,840

Three of the bestselling singles this year were: Green Green Grass Of Home, Tom Jones What Would I Be, Val Doonican Good Vibrations, The Beach Boys

of Friday evenings since August 1963 and the viewing figures peaked on 20 March 1964, when the Beatles were interviewed, before performing their then current hit Can’t Buy Me Love, as well as It Won’t Be Long and You Can’t Do That.

The first screening of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, starring Clint Eastwood, took place in Italy. American audiences would have to wait another twelve months to see it and it didn’t premiere in London until ’68.

This film was memorable as much for its evocative music as anything else.

24th: I bought my first threepiece suit, off-the-peg from Burton, for £14.10/-. It was a bit short in the arms but as long as I kept my hands in the pockets it didn’t show.

31st: I went swimming in the Thames at midnight. Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Fortunately I was rescued by a passing police launch and spent the first few hours of 1967 in A&E. My three-piece-suit was ruined.

A very merry Christmas to both of my readers; and please buy my books from Amazon: Rainbows, Dreams and Angels is a double novella and Short Shorts is a collection of short stories and humorous articles.

Please mention Cheltenham Magazine when responding to advertisers.

Page 23

Does your Does your Annual Boiler Annual Boiler Does your Insurance tick Insurance tick Annual Boiler all the Insurance tick all the boxes? boxes? all the boxes?

A Fixed Low Cost

Compare your current heating cover with our

Compare current HomePlanyour policy ……. heating cover with our HomeCare policy...

Compare your currentPlan heating cover with our

HomePlan policy ……. equipped to deal with all makes

Without a maintenance contract in place, there’s always the risk that a Without a maintenance breakdown will quickly lead contract in place, there’s to unwelcome expense. always the Tempted to risk skipthat youra annual breakdown willDon’t quickly lead boiler service?

- it’s to unwelcome false economy expense.

- plus a Tempted to skip will yourincrease annual regular overhaul boiler service?

Don’t it’s efficiency, reduce bills- and false economy prolong its life. - plus a regular overhaul will increase efficiency, reduce bills and prolong Fast, its life.Reliable Service From An Expert Local Fast, Reliable Provider.

Service From Expert Local JohnstonAn Scotia has been installingProvider. and maintaining

Of £7.99 A Month, For The First 12 Months.

A Fixed Low Cost £7.99 A there Month, Joining isOfeasy and areFor The First It12only Months. no hidden extras. takes a

few minutes to complete our Joiningform. is easy thereare are simple All and we need no hidden extras.

It only your contact details, basictakes a few minutesabout to complete our information your boiler simple form. All we need are and a completed direct debit your contact details, basic it to mandate.

Then just return information aboutenvelope your boiler us in the prepaid and and are a completed you covered. direct debit mandate. Then just return it to us in the Complete prepaid envelope Peace and you are covered.

Of Mind – For Your Boiler, Heating, Hot Complete Peace Water, Plumbing & Electrics.

Of Mind – For Your Boiler,HomePlan Heating, Hot A ScotiaCare Water, Plumbing & Electrics. protects your boiler, heating

system and controls, hot water A ScotiaCare HomePlan system, radiators, internal protects your heating plumbing and boiler, household system and controls, hot water electrics.

It even includes a system, radiators, internal in FREE BOILER SERVICE plumbing household each year and of the policy. electrics. It even includes a FREE BOILER SERVICE in Boiler each year ofProduct the policy.

Company

boilers locally for 32 years.

Johnston Scotia been of Experienced in allhas aspects installing andwe maintaining the industry, are agents boilers locally forboiler 32 years. for several large Experienced inand all aspects of manufacturers suppliers thespare industry, weOur areengineers agents of parts. for several large boiler are highly trained Gas Safe manufacturers and suppliers registered tradesmen, of spare parts. Our engineers are highly trained Gas Safe registered External tradesmen, System

Breakdown

Controls Covered

Radiator Cover

and models, and supported by a team of in house technical equipped to deal with all allow makes support staff.

We always andtime models, andtosupported the needed completeby a a team of in and house technical job properly charge No support staff.

We always allow Excess fees. the time needed to complete a job properly and charge No Fixed Ongoing Excess A fees.

Cost Guaranteed Frozen At £16.99 A Fixed Ongoing For 2 Years.

Cost Guaranteed Frozen £16.99 Only available to At local For Years. customers to 2keep our overheads low, our policy is Only available excellent value to forlocal money. It customers enables us to to keep makeour full and overheads ourhighly policy is efficient uselow, of our excellent value money. It skilled team andfor suppliers. enables us to make full and efficient use ofmore? our highly Like to know skilled team and suppliers.

Call us on 01684 773747 or Likewww.johnstonscotia.com to know more? visit to request your application Call us on 01684 773747 or pack today. visit www.johnstonscotia.com to request your application pack today.

Plumbing

Pipe work Electrics Covered Cover

System Covered

Cost with a Boiler Service

Boiler Manufacturer

Warranty Maintenance

✓

✓

x

x

x

x

Homeserve

Central Heating Breakdown Cover plus Plumbing & Electrical

✓

✓

x

x

✓

✓

£26.99/mth

British Gas

Central Heating Breakdown Cover plus Plumbing & Electrical

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

£27.00/mth

£14.99/mth

£7.99 /mth ✓ – You ✓ pay ✓ ✓ charges ✓ for✓callouts, no hidden

Johnston ScotiaCare HomePlan charges ScotiaNo EXCESS

*

parts or labour. It is all covered by our policy.

No EXCESS No EXCESS charges charges– You pay no hidden charges for callouts, Check your existing policy to see what excess you are charged for repairs – it could be as much as £50! parts or labour. It is all covered by our policy.

Page 24 To advertise call 01684 772572 or 07912 575741 or visit www.glosdirectories.co.uk Check your To existing policy to see what excess you charged for repairs couldbebeasas much £50! your existing policy to see what excess youare are charged repairs – -itItcould much asas £50!

PageCheck 24 advertise call 07939 802 384 or 01242 500 028 orfor visit www.cheltenham-magazine.co.uk

Join Us TODAY!

3 Great Products for the cost of a Boiler Service!

The Johnston Scotia HomeCare Plan rewards local residents with a GL or WR postcode. We provide cover for your boiler, heating system and controls, hot water system, radiators, internal plumbing & household electrical system at a great value rate. *£7.99 per month for the first year rising to £16.99 frozen for two years.

£7.99

Boiler Cover - Repairs & Service Plumbing & Heating Cover Electrical Cover

*

per month

Plus a FREE £10 Costa Coffee Gift Card if you apply before 31/12/2014

Call 01684 773 747

www.johnstonscotia.com Scott Johnston & all at Johnston Scotia would like to wish our customers and Cheltenham Magazine readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

"The response to our HomePlan policy increases each year. We've been able to offer this policy at a price that works for us and for the customer.

People have realised that our ScotiaCare HomePlan is great value for money with no hidden extras and the word has spread! Thank you to all our customers for your support during 2014." - Scott Johnston, M.D.

Please mention Cheltenham Magazine when responding to advertisers.

Page 25

Home & Interiors Scandinavian Christmas

By Katherine Sorrell

decorations in delicate wooden furniture bright, rustic folk with tapering legs and subtly style provide relief carved details. from the long hours Another major influence, of night and the a century or so later, was expanses of snow.

Swedish artist Carl Larsson Carved wooden and his wife, Karin. In the spoons, bowls, 1890s the couple decorated cups and chests, their rural cottage, Lilla strongly coloured, Hyttnås, in a unique and woven rugs, blankets innovative way, combining and cushions, and folk and Gustavian styles beautifully painted with contemporary European furniture in ochres, influences: Arts & Crafts, Art reds and yellows are Nouveau and Japonisme. the timeless tradition.

Light and airy, pretty and Appealing as it is, functional, the look was all there is much more gingham and geraniums, to Scandinavian bread crocks and baskets, style than colourful rag rugs and sprigged china. rusticity, however.

When Carl’s watercolours of What we now called the house were published, the ‘Gustavian’ style public response, in Sweden became popular in and further afield, was the late 18th century, overwhelming; his books, in Who doesn’t love encouraged by the young the early 20th century, did a Scandinavian style? It King Gustav III of Sweden, great deal to popularise what By Katherine Sorrell under whose patronage we now see as the typically combines classic with the grandeur of Versailles Scandinavian style of easycontemporary, pretty with and the skilled creations of going Gustavian, folk arts and decorations in delicate wooden furniture practical. And it’s the master furniture-makers like with an open-plan love subtly of light and bright, rustic folk tapering legs and Hepplewhite and Chippendale space.

And what he started, perfect look with which to style provide relief carved details. were from interpreted byhours native a certain Swedish flat-pack the long dress up your home for Another major influence, craftsmen in a gentler furniture giant continued. of night and the and a century or so later, was moreexpanses restrainedofway, blending Christmas Ikea opened its first UK store snow.

Swedish artist Carl Larsson neo-classicism and in 1987 and then – who can Carved wooden In the Scandinavian countries and his wife, Karin. In the romantic Rococo forget? – in 1994 launched spoons, bowls, extremes of landscape, from 1890s the couple decorated into a unique, its Gustavian-style furniture cups and chests, forests and fjords to boiling their rural cottage, Lilla northern European range, accompanied by strongly coloured, geysers and the Aurora Hyttnås, in a unique and decorative an advertising campaign wovenstyle. rugs, blankets Borealis, are all around you. innovative way, combining Thinkand symmetry, pale that urged usstyles all to ‘chuck cushions, and In winter, daylight is fleeting, folk and Gustavian colours (buttermilk out your chintz’.

It sold like beautifully painted and keeping warm is a vital with contemporary European and Baltic blue, hot glogg, the rest furniture in grey ochres, part of life. No surprise, then, influences: Arts &and Crafts, Art is and peppermint), history now we all crave reds and yellows are that typical homes feature Nouveau and –Japonisme. thefloorboards, timeless tradition. painted clean-lined, thick log walls, small, southLight andthe airy, pretty andbright and ribbons and swags, uncluttered Appealing as it is, functional, the look was look, all styled facing doors and windows, glassthere chandeliers, pretty colours and is much more gingham andwith geraniums, and thatched or birch-bark gilding, mirrors and of folk art. to Scandinavian bread crocksdashes and baskets, roofs. Inside, vividly coloured style than colourful rag rugs and sprigged china.

Page 26 To advertise call 07939 802 384rusticity, or 01242 500 028 or visitWhen www.cheltenham-magazine.co.uk however.

Carl’s watercolours of

Home & Interiors Scandinavian Christmas

Create a Scandinavian feel is, of course, the centrepiece this Christmas by combining (clip-on Scandi-style candles folk and sophistication, cosy optional). and minimalism. Keep it In general, materials should simple – too much clutter is be as natural as definitely not a part of this possible, from bark to particular look. Your colour hessian, felt to Fair palette is, of course, mainly Isle, emphasising all red and white, with green, sorts of appealing brown and black for contrast, textures. If you can knit, and the occasional dusting sew or otherwise make of glitter or artificial snow. your own decorations, Natural accessories such so much the better but, as twigs, branches and fir if not, there are plenty of cones are a great starting gorgeous accessories in the point, with generously shops and online sized garlands created by talented and wreaths craftspeople. made from Perfection is not woven greenery. required: simply A sprinkling of that appealingly metal lanterns homespun look.

The Country Garden Centre, with flickering row of knitted The Rosscreates Road, Huntley, Glos, GL19 3EYAstockings, candles for atmosphere, example, would be and a real just perfect, while Christmas tree linen sacks with

Conservatory Furniture

folk-style embroidery are ideal for larger presents. A gingham table runner is delightful, as are wooden or woven willow stars, berry garlands, miniature trees, appliquéd bunting and reindeer baubles.

You’ve got the idea?

Then raise a cup of schnapps and fill your home with festive Scandinavian cheer.

DECEMBER SALE NOW ON!

Visit us in store or online. tel 01452 830229

www.countrygardencentre.co.uk Create a Scandinavian feel this Christmas by combining folk and sophistication, cosy and minimalism. Keep it simple – too much clutter is definitely not a part of this particular look. Your colour palette is, of course, mainly red and white, with green, brown and black for contrast, and the occasional dusting of glitter or artificial snow.

Natural accessories such as twigs, branches and fir cones are a great starting point, with generously sized garlands and wreaths made from woven greenery.

A sprinkling of metal lanterns with flickering candles creates atmosphere, and a real Christmas tree

is, of course, the centrepiece (clip-on Scandi-style candles optional).

In general, materials should be as natural as possible, from bark to hessian, felt to Fair Isle, emphasising all sorts of appealing textures. If you can knit, sew or otherwise make your own decorations, so much the better but, if not, there are plenty of gorgeous accessories in the shops and online created by talented craftspeople.

Perfection is not required: simply that appealingly homespun look.

A row of knitted stockings, for example, would be just perfect, while linen sacks with

Images: Far left top -Christmas stockings, hand-embroidered on wool felt, £48, Jan Constantine, Tel 01270 821194; www.janconstantine.com; Far left bottom - Embroidered birds stocking, £30, House of Fraser, Tel 0345 602 1073; www.houseoffraser.co.uk; Left bottom - Linen Scandi reusable Christmas crackers, £12.50 each, Kate Sproston Design. Tel 07765 675624; www.katesprostondesign.com; AboveScandi Merry Christmas decoration (set of four) £16, House of Fraser. Tel 0345 602 1073; www.houseoffraser.co.uk.

quality furniture at discounted prices

folk-style embroidery are ideal for larger presents. A gingham table runner is delightful, as are wooden or woven willow stars, berry garlands, miniature trees, appliquéd bunting and reindeer baubles.

You’ve got the idea?

Then raise a cup of schnapps and fill your home with festive Scandinavian cheer.

Images: Far left top -Christmas stockings, hand-embroidered on wool felt, £48, Jan Constantine, Tel 01270 821194; www.janconstantine.com; Far left bottom - Embroidered birds stocking, £30, House of Fraser, Tel 0345 602 1073; www.houseoffraser.co.uk; Left bottom - Linen Scandi reusable Christmas crackers, £12.50 each, Kate Sproston Design. Tel 07765 675624; www.katesprostondesign.com; AboveScandi Merry Christmas decoration (set of four) £16, House of Fraser. Tel 0345 602 1073; www.houseoffraser.co.uk.

Please mention Cheltenham Magazine when responding to advertisers.

Page 27

Funding available for initiatives to shape Cheltenham’s night time economy Monies raised by the late night levy in Cheltenham have been set aside to enable the funding of night time economy initiatives.

From Monday 1 December 2014 community groups, organisations and businesses are being invited to bid for a share of up to £80k to reduce the demand on policing and management of the night time economy.

The Late Night Levy fund will assist projects that support the following outcomes: Promoting a greater diversity in the night time economy Supporting better management of licensed premises and public spaces Working together to support safe movement through the night time economy Working together to reduce alcohol related health harms by preventing vulnerability, promoting safe drinking limits and reducing pre-loading Working together to promote a clean environment The aim is to support a range of projects and activities across Cheltenham and funding will vary based upon the nature of each application. Grants can cover a range of costs such as practical work, equipment and materials as well as awareness raising, marketing and promotion and training.

Application forms will be available on request by contacting the Police and Crime Commissioner’s commissioning team from 1 December 2014 with the deadline for applications being 5pm Friday 30 January 2015.

Cheltenham was the second town in England to introduce a late night levy in April 2014. New legislation in 2012 permitted councils to adopt such a levy and to use the money it raises from it to contribute towards the costs of managing the late night economy.

Councillor Andrew McKinlay, cabinet member for development and safety, said: “Cheltenham has a vibrant night-time economy that far exceeds other towns of similar sizes. An active night-time economy demands additional resource and cost for the council, police and other partners to deal with associated crime, disorder and other anti-social behaviour.

“Both the council and PCC have agreed that rather than using the levy funds to support existing services, the levy will be used to fund preventative activities that will reduce demand both on policing and management of the night time economy.”

“We are looking for some really innovative approaches and proposals to deal with some of the issues associated with the management of the night time economy.”

Gloucestershire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Martin Surl, said: “Cheltenham’s night-life is one of the most active in the region and keeping its communities safe while people are out and about having a good time puts pressure on both police and council resources.

“I think that businesses benefitting from Cheltenham’s buoyant night-time economy should share in the cost of achieving our goal of safer days and nights for all and I’m pleased that the implementation of the late night levy is finally getting under way.”

There are no restrictions on who can apply for the late night levy fund.The maximum term for funding will not exceed one year however funded projects may reapply the following year if further funding is required.To find out more see the LNL Funding FAQs. From 1 December you can request an application form by emailing the Police and Crime Commissioner’s commissioning team.

Longer opening hours for Christmas Shops have extended their opening times to give us more time to get our shopping done. Many shops now stay open later every Thursday until Christmas.

In addition, there will be extended trading every day (except Sunday) during the week before Christmas (15 - 20 December).

On Monday 22 andTuesday 23 December many shops will also be open longer.

On New Year’s Day some shops will be open Bank Holiday hours (normally 11.00 – 17.00). However, in all cases it’s best to check beforehand with your favourite store as opening hours are subject to change.

Page 28

To advertise call 07939 802 384 or 01242 500 028 or visit www.cheltenham-magazine.co.uk

“Everything you could wish for in a pantomime” BBC RADIO GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Written and directed by Ben Crocker, Director of Jack And The Beanstalk 2013

Saturday 29 November - Saturday 3 January Tickets: £10 - £23

Booking fee: 60p per ticket (capped at £2.40, excludes cash)

Sponsored by

Please mention Cheltenham Magazine when responding to advertisers.

Page 29

INN

Open 7 days a week Breakfast: 9:00 - 11:30 Lunch: 12:00 - 2:30 Dinner 6:00 - 9:30 Booking advisable

sBreakfast sEn Suite Accommodation sQuality Fresh Food sGarden

Tel: 01989 720707

Kilcot, Ross Road, Newent, Glos. GL18 1NA

www.kilcotinn.com

Page 30

info@kilcotinn.com

To advertise call 07939 802 384 or 01242 500 028 or visit www.cheltenham-magazine.co.uk

Cake and Bake Panforte di Siena This sweetmeat is a traditional Italian Christmas treat packed with nuts, figs, honey and warming spices. It can be made a couple of weeks before Christmas just wrap well in greaseproof paper and store in an airtight container.

Ingredients: • • • • • • • • • • •

150g whole blanched almonds 125g pistachio nuts 175g dried figs, chopped Grated zest of 1 orange 75g plain flour 2 tbsp cocoa powder 2 tsp ground cinnamon � tsp ground cloves 115g caster sugar 175g runny honey Icing sugar, for dusting

TIP

You can vary the fruits and nuts used in this recipe - replace the figs with chopped candied peel, dried apricots or glace pineapple and instead of pistachios try toasted hazelnuts.

Makes 25 squares Ready in 1½ hours, plus cooling

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C/130°C fan/gas 2.

Grease a deep 18cm square tin and line the base with baking parchment. Toast the almonds under a medium grill until just golden then roughly chop.

Mix in a bowl with the pistachios, figs and orange zest.

2. Sift over the flour and cocoa powder and stir well then stir in the cinnamon and ground cloves. Set aside.

3. Put the caster sugar and honey in a heavy-based pan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved.

Bring to the boil then let the syrup bubble gently for about 5 minutes, without stirring the mixture, until it begins to thicken.

4. Remove the pan from the heat and quickly add the nut and flour mixture stirring well with a wooden spoon. Spoon into the prepared tin and smooth the surface using the back of a damp spoon.

5. Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour then remove the cake from the oven and leave in the tin until completely cold. Remove the cake from the tin, peel off the lining paper and dust thickly with icing sugar. Use a sharp knife to cut into squares to serve.

Please mention Cheltenham Magazine when responding to advertisers.

Page 31

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

New roof installations

✓

All aspects of flat roofing

Inspections and reports, with photographic evidence if required Advice and recommendations Regular maintenance contracts Embergency repairs (subject to a standard £75 call out charge) Specialists in lead work, lead burning and heritage buildings Other related services, including guttering, chimneys, rainwater systems, bargeboards, fascias, Velux windows, etc.

How to get in touch:

Tel: 01452 731988

Mobile: 07966 151556

www.robertmyattroofing.co.uk

info@robertmyattroofing.co.uk

LH HandymanLH Services Volunteers Needed!

Handyman Services For all your Painting & Decorating

Change someone’s life and enrich your own

Garden Maintenance

We are looking for special people who can

Household Repairs/Odd Jobs

gC

irc in Prices. give ild a few hours a month to support and offer

Quality Service at Affordable

Bu

s le

friendship to isolated and lonely people with Over 15 years’ experience. all your Painting & decorating Learning Disabilities throughout Gloucestershire.

Flexible, friendly Service, DBSFor Checked & Insured Garden Maintenance We are also looking for Volunteers to help us at For a Free no obligation quote call Lewis on r

in

e

e

e

loouucc e st eerrs hi es Logo Logo Idea Idea 25

G

e

e

Building Circles in Gloucestershire n r i

ent

ir

GGl

Bu

BBu

Bu

i

es

ss llee

i

Logo Idea 4

Page 32

o u c e st e rs h

ing Circ Tel: 01242 244998 l ild

ne i z a g Ma n

iin

n

Gl

ir

Ciirrcc inngg C ldi ilid

Mobile Ten Tonne Container Loading Ramp - Now Available For more information please phone John Stallard ir Gl 01531 820568 o ucestersh

u ce st e rs h

Email: admin@buildingcirclesglos.org.uk Logo Idea 3 Original Logo Logo Idea 1 www.buildingcirclesglos.org.uk

s le

CCTV On Site

Glo

in

i

in

r

e st e Storage / Distribution / Officeu cWorkshops Logo Idea 2 Refurbished and Insulated Premises Do Not Flood ing Circ Single / Three PhaseildElectrics

e

Bu

Bu

If you would like further information about becoming an volunteer we would be delighted to hear from you: r

Various Size Units To ir Let Gl sh o

of someone who needs your friendship. es

Redmarley Road, Newent

s le

s le

07702078132 / 01452610013 Compton Green Business Park

Bu

07702078132 / 01452610013

e

i Gl Household Repairs/Odd Jobs. o u c e st e rs h Quality Service at Affordable Prices.our quarterly social events, and to help with our Original Logo Logo Idea 1 Over 15 years’ experience. ongoing fundraising activities.

Flexible, friendly Service, DBS Checked and Insured.

Circto the life For iang Free obligation quote call Lewis Cirno ga Creal Make ingand irc difference to your life inOn c l ild ild ild

i

charityloregistration u c e s t e r s h no: 1119570 Logo Idea 3

To advertise call 07939 802 384 or 01242 500 028 or visit www.cheltenham-magazine.co.uk

The Better Life Here’s Looking At Yule, Kid

Even though we’ve had it planned for months, Christmas is always a magical time.

Our decorations go up late - sometime between the Winter Solstice and Christmas Eve - apart from the wreath that Anne makes from anything seasonal in the garden or the woods. It’s a Heath Robinson affair with holly, hebe, laurel, pinecones, acorns, or anything else we see on our travels.

(One year it included a little plastic helicopter, until Anne made me take it off.) In lieu of an indoor tree, I’ve started hanging baubles on the silver birch in the garden.

We’ll skip the village carol service - you may recall ‘Carolgate’, where we ended up sitting in the pulpit due to a scarcity of seats - but we’re certainly not of the “Bah! Humbug!” brigade. (A bar of chocolate would be a different matter altogether) I know I’ll wake up early on the

by Derek Thompson

big day like an excitable child. We’ll begin with the ceremonial unwrapping of the cat’s present, accompanied by tea. After that it’s a small present each, quite possibly swapping packets of heritage seeds, and then off to the beach. If the tides are with us we’ll hunt beach glass for that mosaic we’ve been saving up for, along with any weathered crockery pieces.

After a bracing walk across the sand, it’s back home for festive (cinnamon) porridge and present time again. This year I’ll surprise Anne with a new addition to her charm bracelet - an Irish thruppenny bit, sporting a hare. It’s nostalgic recycling, as it was once a part of my boyhood coin collection.

Both of us have a thing for hares.

work (I think we all realise that Anne will probably need to rescue it). Similarly, the veg is either homegrown or produced in the area. We’ve skipped festive crackers so that I can read from a list of jokes I wrote and couldn’t sell.

For example: This year, due to cutback, Father Christmas is only making ‘Made in China’ stickers.

We’ve gone back down the sloe gin route this year, after I promised not to say that it tastes like medicine again (don’t worry, she never reads these columns until the following month). In fact, this year it’s a Better Life Christmas altogether. Anne’s chicken is locally sourced, while my nutroast is my own

In the evening there’ll be cards or a Scrabble tournament, as we watch the Yule log burning and argue over whether you’re allowed to put down ‘zo’ if you can’t say what it is. Then, after victory and defeat, we’ll raise a glass of sloe gin by candlelight and start thinking about the Boxing Day garden tidy-up.

Cheers!

The eagerly awaited Christmas pud is Anne’s pet project; she’s been feeding it with a monthly sup of brandy since last December, so it’ll definitely flambé! She has also promised icecream (we got the machine cheaply through an ad in the local paper) using some blackberries from the freezer.

And Anne’s big present?

Well, in the past we’ve had a fox, bats, a toad, shrews, moles and at the very least a hedgehog poo in the front garden, so I thought it’d be fun to capture some evidence. The new wildlife camera can take pictures in daylight or at nighttime, so at the very least we’ll see just how active the cat is nowadays.

Please mention Cheltenham Magazine when responding to advertisers.

Page 33

ALEXANDER BURN FUNERAL DIRECTORS

Alexander Burn is an independent family business with three offices in the Cheltenham area.

COURTEOUS, EFFICIENT AND RESPECTFUL 24 hour personal service Private chapels of rest

www.alexanderburn.com Bishops Cleeve 22 Church Road 01242 673300

Cheltenham 436 High Street 01242 245350

Winchcombe 11 North Street 01242 604888

Crossword

Across

9 Motion sickness (7) 10 Query (7) 11 Trouble (7) 12 Army squad (7) 13 Winners (9) 15 Also known as (5) 16 Smiled contemptuously (7) 19 Car pilots (7) 20 Italian lawn bowling (5) 21 Categories (9) 25 The joined continents of Europe and Asia (7) 26 Exposes (7) 28 Duo (7) 29 Correction to a printed mistake (7)

Down

1 Micro______ = something very small (6) 2 The circle of colour around a nipple (6) 3 The lowest timber in a structure (4) 4 Elbows pointed outwards (6) 5 Threw away (8) 6 Greenish blue (10)

Page 34

7 A black flavoured candy (8) 8 Mesmerism (8) 14 Approval to do something (10) 16 Branches of knowledge (8) 17 Snails (8) 18 Diverged (8)

22 Ship's steering mechanism (6) 23 Inborn (6) 24 Big Bird's street (6) 27 City in Italy (4)

To advertise call 07939 802 384 or 01242 500 028 or visit www.cheltenham-magazine.co.uk

The Best Christmas Gadgets For Her

Some tech firms haven’t quite got the hang of making products for women: a quick look around the shops shows that for some, making gadgets for girls of any age simply involves taking an existing model and making it pink.

Thankfully not everybody thinks that way, and there are lots of decent products around that don’t look like they should belong to Barbie.

If the person you’re buying for already has a Kindle, a tablet, a laptop or a smartphone, a luxury case makes a good gift - but beware of supposedly leather cases that come with bargain basement price tags, as that leather is the kind you only find on plastic cows. Think designers such as Barbour (available from John Lewis), or beautiful Italian leather cases from Maxwell Scott. They’re not cheap - Maxwell Scott’s iPad case is £85 - but they’re pretty and useful, as are the £149 luxury iPad cases available from notonthehighstreet.com. If she’s just got herself an iPhone 6, Apple’s £35 genuine leather cases are good value too.

One good gift for smartphone or tablet owners is a wireless speaker, such as Bose’s excellent SoundLink Mini (£179), Sony’s SRS-BTM8

(£85) or JBL’s Flip (£100).

Cheaper speakers are available, but you do get what you pay for.

If she doesn’t already have a tablet, there are stacks of options including the latest iPad Mini (from £229) and the larger, more expensive iPad Air (£399), Amazon’s newly updated Kindle Fire HD (from £79) and a whole bunch of cheap tablets such as the heavily discounted Asus MeMO Pad, which is down to around £80. Don’t forget Tesco’s Hudl, too, especially if you’re a regular shopper: Tesco regularly runs promotions that double your Clubcard points when you buy a Hudl or accessories.

Kindles make great gifts too, and there’s a brand new one at the top of the range: the Kindle Voyage (£169) has a better screen and automatic brightness. The Kindle Paperwhite is still a great buy at £109, and the cheapest Kindle is now just £59.

Many women’s letters to Santa will include the initials GHD, whose hair straighteners have been tucked under Christmas trees for several years now.

The firm’s latest range is the GHD Curve, a collection of curling wands and tongs that cost £110.

For sporty types there are stacks of gadget gifts, such as the Fitbit Flex activity tracker (£75), the Zepp motion sensor for tennis players (£129), Garmin’s Forerunner GPS watches (£89) and the TomTom Multi-Sport GPS Watch (£149).

Don’t forget headphones, either: Philips’ ActionFit Sports (£30), Sennheiser’s PMX 685i Sports (£35), Monster’s iSport Victory (£130) and Pioneer’s SE-E721 (£40) have been specifically designed for runners and won’t pop out or fall off.

If you really want to delight a gadget fan, this year’s hot technology is the smartwatch - of which LG’s G Watch R is one of the nicest. The price hadn’t been announced as we went to press but the Androidcompatible smartwatch is likely to be keenly priced. Sadly the one smartwatch many of us were really hoping to see in our Christmas stockings, the Apple Watch, isn’t going to appear in 2014 after all: its launch has been put back to some point in 2015.

Images left to right: Maxwell Scott iPad case; Amazon Kindle Voyage (lifestyle press shot); GHD Curve curling wand; Philips ActionFit Sports headphones

Please mention Cheltenham Magazine when responding to advertisers.

Page 35

Q.

Who was

Scrooge’s dead business partner?

Q.

What colour are

the berries on Mistletoe?

Q.

How many points

does a snowflake have?

A. Jacob Marley A White A. Six Page 36

To advertise call 07939 802 384 or 01242 500 028 or visit www.cheltenham-magazine.co.uk

insomnia l confidence / self esteem l panic attacks/phobias l dealing with nerves (exams, interviews etc.) l wellbeing in pregnancy and childbirth l sports performance l support to stop smoking l weight management

l

stress / anxiety

l

Contact Katie for a FREE

INITIAL CONSULTATION

to discuss how hypnotherapy works and whether it’s right for you.

Tel: 01242 681015 www.advancepractice.co.uk Stoke Orchard Cheltenham Cheltenham, GL52 7SJ GL52 7SJ

THE ASSOCIATION FOR PROFESSIONAL HYPNOSIS AND PSYCHOTHERAPY

5 3

1

TRUEISM TURNING TONGUED

8

6

7

4 9

1

T

4

2 2 9 6

9

4 8

6

T

7 5

T

8 2

6

7 5

Please mention Cheltenham Magazine when responding to advertisers.

Page 37

plumbing solutions This Month’s Special Offer Upto 20% off boiler installations Combination Boilers supplied and fitted from £1200+vat Standard heat only boilers from £1100+vat Back boilers removed Cylinder upgrades Combination boiler conversion specialist Boiler warranties from 2-10 years

Call Morgan: 07515005331 Office: 01242 248146 Email: mjtaylorplumbing@live.co.uk Website: www.mjtaylor-plumbing.co.uk

We carry out a wide range of plumbing work including: l 24 hour call out service, seven days per week l Complete central heating design installation and repair l Combination boiler installation specialists l Boiler servicing l Power flushing l Domestic and commercial gas installation l Blocked drains and sinks-baths-showers l Saniflows and other macerator problems solved l Leaks, overflows and burst pipes l Full underfloor heating service carried out l Electric and wet systems installed l Low water pressure problems solved l Supply and installation of showers & booster pumps l Labour only service available l Insurance work undertaken l Landlords safety certificates

We are a fully Gas Safe registered business and our engineers hold the relevant qualifications. You can be assured of safety at all times.

SELF ASSESSMENT TAX RETURN SERVICE PRICES FROM £100 £85

• Bookkeeping • Payroll • VAT/CIS • Uniform & Small Tools Rebates for Employees Free Consultation and free paperwork collection/postal service

he’s watching... are you?

Digital TV & Satellite Systems Your Local Aerial, Satellite & CCTV Installation Specialists

Specialists in fixing reception problems CCTV & HD Distribution Systems Sky, Freesat & Euro satellite systems Storm damage and insurance work New house installations Domestic and commercial installations

C.1602

The BooksAngel

07845 540 500

sally@thebooksangel.com Page 38

NO CALL-OUT CHARGE FULLY INSURED ALL WORK GUARANTEED FREE ON-SITE QUOTATIONS

Reg No:18265341

C.1602

01242 790016 01451 670015 HD

www.digitaltvsystems.co.uk

To advertise call 07939 802 384 or 01242 500 028 or visit www.cheltenham-magazine.co.uk

Time to

PAUSE How to defeat the end of year blues

by Danielle Marchant, www.lifebydanielle.com

So it happened again. You set yourself a challenge to improve yourself in some way this year and you didn’t make it. You’re looking around at your counterparts and feeling like they’ve achieved so much more than you did. Perhaps you feel like you let yourself down.

started because the leap is too far. If this goal is still important to you, revisit it for the year ahead. Break it down into small manageable chunks. Remember ’small steps lead to quantum leaps”.

Be kind.

Keep your mind in check. Often we can criticise ourselves as being lazy, uncommitted, slow and get really hard on ourselves. Be kind and loving! Treat yourself like your own best friend. Would you talk to them like that? What would you say that would be truthful and supportive to them if they were talking to you? Change the critical tape for a kinder more loving one and watch your spirit rise. Every time you start to get critical grab a pen and paper and write a letter to yourself as if you were a dear friend. Getting Here are three tips to help you defeat the end of year into the mindset of someone else can help you blues: understand all of the positives that you may be missing.

Celebrate!

Look at what you have achieved this year. Often End of year blues is common. Don’t beat yourself up, when our minds are busy chastising us for not instead use this as a way to work out what you achieving it becomes impossible to see what has haven’t achieved, why, and then set more realistic, been achieved. Be rigorous with this step. Get your balanced goals for 2015! diary out; look back at photos, review your social media feeds. There will have been many successes, small and large over the year. Experiment with capturing one for every month and watch your mood lift instantly! Also a quick tip – in order to avoid missing out on your positive experiences next year, get a jar and every time something great happens in 2015 write it down on a piece of paper, fold it up and put it in the jar. Then on New Years Eve of 2015 take them out and read over.

As the year ends it’s often a time of celebration, but all too often I hear my friends and clients beating themselves up because they didn’t achieve the things they had hoped for that year. A new partner, losing weight, a career change, study, getting fit, spending more time with family. Often our good intentions get overlooked and we end up feeling disheartened and disappointed. But I want you to know there is a way to put this aside and look to the future with renewed zest!

Get real.

Be completely honest with yourself about what you didn’t achieve. How realistic was your goal in the first place? Often our minds can create an extraordinary jump from where we are to where we want to be because we hear everyone talking about ‘dreaming big’ and ‘not settling for less’. Although this has positive intention, it often means we never really get

Danielle is an unconventional coach, with more than ten years’ experience working with clients in over twenty different countries.

Working internationally from her home in Cornwall, Danielle coaches senior leaders, individuals in crisis and also develops coaches. Danielle is committed to helping people reconnect with their hearts and feel good again.

Please mention Cheltenham Magazine when responding to advertisers.

Page 39

COMING SOON IN

2015 GYM FACILITIES & WINCHCOMBE DANCE STUDIO

CURRENTLY RUNNING 50

DANCE AND FITNESS

CLASSES A WEEK

Withy Tree Trading Centre, Broadway Road, Winchcombe, GL54 5NT

07792 666569 or email info@welove2burpee.com

KIDS CLASSES FOR ALL AGES FROM 6 WEEKS TO 15 YEARS SPIN CLASSES FOR ADULTS

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS SUPPORTED US IN OUR FIRST YEAR & GREAT TO SEE THE PROGRESS PEOPLE HAVE MADE!

PRE-SCHOOL BALLET FROM AGE 2½ TO 4 YEARS

LOOKING FORWARD TO ALL THE NEW

NEW INSTRUCTORS

THINGS TO COME

NEW TIMETABLE

IN 2015

Pittville Gates restoration complete The two year project to restore Pittville Gates, the ‘grand entrance’ to the new town planned by Joseph Pitt, has been finished.

The recent installation of the six opening gates and the new lamp in the central overthrow has completed the second phase of the restoration project.

The original gates were removed in 1921 to avoid damage to vehicles passing through the gateway, and the lamp disappeared sometime in the 1960s. The new gates have been cast using patterns made from the surviving central screen and posts, and the lamp, based on late nineteenth century designs, has been made by hand.

In the first phase of the project, completed earlier this year, the six stone pillars were replaced and the surviving ironwork restored, with the surroundings landscaped and the length of railings along Prestbury Road put back.

The project has been a partnership between Cheltenham Borough Council and Friends of Pittville. The Friends raised the funds required, nearly £290,000, mainly through grants from the Gloucestershire Environmental Trust/Cory Environmental, the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Summerfield Charitable trust, the Cheltenham Page 40

Borough Council Environmental Fund, Gloucestershire County Council and donations from other charitable trusts and many generous individuals.

Garrie Dowling, senior property services surveyor, said: “The gates look magnificent and have transformed the appearance of a prominent corner of the townscape. I really would like to congratulate the Friends of Pittville for all their hard work throughout the restoration process.This project has been facilitated through a successful partnership between the borough council and the Friends of Pittville, whereby the council has managed contract procurement and partnership arrangements, and the Friends of Pittville provided funding and community involvement.Through collaborative working on this restoration, the council now has a robust working model for future community-led built environment projects.”

Judie Hodsdon, Friends of Pittville, added: “We are delighted that the gateway is now fully restored and looking as magnificent as we hoped it would.We are very grateful to all those who have helped with the transformation, whether by providing funding, giving their time or using their skills to achieve the restoration.”

For more information about the project visit the Friends of Pittville website.

To advertise call 07939 802 384 or 01242 500 028 or visit www.cheltenham-magazine.co.uk

What's On in Dec/Jan Meet Father Christmas Saturday 29 November - Sunday 21 December, 11am-3.30pm Adam Henson’s Cotswold Farm Park, Bemborough Farm, Kineton, Cheltenham, Guiting Power, Glos GL54 5UG Every Saturday and Sunday from Saturday 29 November to Sunday 21 December 2014, Father Christmas will set up his grotto at the Cotswold Farm Park and listen to all the children’s Christmas wishes.With a sack full of presents, each child, naughty or nice, will receive an early Christmas gift and will be able to hand deliver their Christmas list to the man himself.The visit is included in normal admission price, with events such as biscuit and chocolate decorating, festive crafts and nativity productions also taking place throughout the Christmas period.Tel: 01451 850307

Living Nativity Monday 1 - Sunday 21 December, 10.30am - 4pm Adam Henson’s Cotswold Farm Park, Bemborough Farm, Kineton, Cheltenham, Guiting Power, Glos GL54 5UG Once again, we will be acting out the story of the Nativity every day throughout December, with the help of our friendly animals and some audience participation. Included in the cost of normal admission. For more information call: 01451 850307.

Cheltenham Christmas Market Thursday 4 - Saturday 20 Dec Cheltenham Promenade Monday - Wednesday: 10am-5pm Thursday - Saturday: 10am-8pm Sundays: 11am-5pm. Now in it’s twelfth year, 2014 offers an excellent opportunity for those with an eye for quality to experience one of the best Christmas Markets in the UK. Charlton Kings Christmas Lights Switch On Friday 5 December, 3pm 7pm, Church Piece, Charlton Kings, Gloucestershire GL53 8JN Join us for a great family Christmas event. The Charlton Kings Christmas Lights Switch On and Christmas Gift Fair will take place at Church Piece in Charlton Kings. Children’s rides and entertainment, food and mulled wine, lots of Christmas gift stalls, carols, candy floss, roasted chestnuts and lots of Christmas spirit! Stall holders please email charltonkingsevents@hotmail.com Bourton Christmas Lights & Late Night Shopping Friday 5 December, 6pm Bourton on theWater The Christmas festivities begin in Bourton on the Water with a late night shopping event.The Christmas lights (including the famous tree in the river) will be switched on at 6pm. Late night shopping until 9pm.There will also be carol singing, street entertainment, children’s rides, Christmas stalls and Street food. Quaint tea rooms, stylish restaurants and bistro’s will be open till late.

Festive Evening at Cheltenham Animal Shelter Friday 5 December, 6 - 8.30pm Cheltenham Animal Shelter, Gardner’s Lane, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL51 9JW Join us for a Festive Evening at Cheltenham Animal Shelter. Patron of the Shelter, Pam Ayres will be turning on the Christmas tree lights at 6.15pm and you are invited to join us and celebrate.Visitors can enjoy a delicious hog roast and warm mulled wine whilst listening to festive tunes played by local brass group ‘Winds of Change’.We will also have a raffle and tombola as well as pet gifts and crafts for sale. Children’s activities include Santa’s grotto, face painting, Christmas crafts and festive themed games. Cheltenham Animal Shelters’ kennels and cattery will also

be open for late night viewing and staff will be available to offer any advice.

Free entry.

Cheltenham Civil Service Club Over 30s Disco Friday 5 December, 8pm – 12am Cheltenham Civil Service Club, Tewkesbury Road, Uckington, Cheltenham, GL51 9SL Over 30s disco on the first Friday of every month. All types of music played from the 50s to the present day - disco, jive, motown, rock n roll etc. Friendly group, all welcome. Dress code is small casual (no jeans please). Bar and large car park. Admission: £5

Model Railway Exhibition Saturday 6 December, 10am - 4.30pm, The Tithe Barn 15 layouts steam & diesel demonstrations, model road vehicles, trade stands and refreshments. Adults: £4, children: £2, family tickets (2 adults & 2 children under 14): £11 Traditional Victorian Christmas Saturday 6 December, 10am-6pm The Holst Birthplace Museum Drop into the Holst Birthplace Museum for a cosy, traditional Victorian Christmas. There will be children’s activities such as card making, stirring the Christmas pudding, making peppermint creams and pinecone robins and some carol singing around the piano. Tickets cost £5, £4.50 for concessions. Tel: 01242 524846 The Joy of Christmas Saturday 6 December, 6pm Cheltenham Town Hall A wonderful festive treat of seasonal music and readings, featuring Present Vernon Harwood (BBC), Conductor Ian Higginson, Jubilate Chamber Choir, University

Please mention Cheltenham Magazine when responding to advertisers.

events cont'd on p42...

Page 41

...events cont'd from p41 of Gloucestershire & Community Choir, English Concertante Orchestra, Holy Apostles’ School Choir, Charlton Kings Junior School Choir, St Edward’s School Senior Choir, St Edward’s Preparatory School Choir and Richard Pate School Choir.

Carols by Steam Train at GWR Saturday 6 December, 7pm GloucestershireWarwickshire Railway, Toddington, GL54 5DT Get into the true spirit of Christmas with the GWR’s annual open air ‘Christmas Carols by Steam’ service.

The service this year will be in aid of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. It takes place under the Christmas lights at Winchcombe station following arrival of the special train, which departs at 7pm from Toddington. Return to the Flag and Whistle Restaurant at Toddington Station after the service for mulled wine and mince pies. Adults: £7.50, Under 12s: £5, Infants: free,Tickets available from Fay on 01242 261330.

N.B.There will be no car parking at Winchcombe station and the service can only be reached using the special train from Toddington.

Santa and his live reindeer in Cheltenham Sat 6 - Sat 13 December, 12 - 4pm The Brewery, off St Margarets Road, Cheltenham, Gl50 4FA Santa and two reindeer are coming to town for two days this December.

Children are being invited to come Page 42

and give the reindeer a cuddle, have their photograph taken with them and whisper their Christmas wishes into their ears.Then they can hop up onto Santa’s sleigh and tell the jolly man in red what they want for Christmas before he flies back to the North Pole to get working on all those presents.This year The Brewery is supporting Macmillan Cancer Care, with visitors being invited to leave at least a £1 donation with Santa and his reindeer for the worthy cause.

Tel: 01242 574373 Festive Craft Weekends Saturdays & Sundays between 6 and 21 December , all day Adam Henson’s Cotswold Farm Park, Bemborough Farm, Kineton, Cheltenham, Guiting Power, Glos GL54 5UG Every weekend in December, there will be a host of activities on offer to get the creative juices flowing at the Cotswolds Farm Park. All activities are included in the standard cost of admission to the park.

Santa Specials on the GWR 6, 7, 13, 14 December and Sat 20 - Wed 24 December Cheltenham Race Course Station Go by steam train all the way from Cheltenham Race Course to Winchcombe (or the North Pole!) to visit Santa and his elves in his grotto.

When you arrive inWinchcombe the elves will meet you off the train, and make sure you have plenty of time to visit Santa and receive excellent presents before your train returns to Cheltenham.

Free parking at the station. Book now - seats get sold very quickly. For more information visit: http://www.gwsr. com/planning-your-visit/2014-eventscalendar/santa-specials.aspx A Christmas Tapestry Tuesday 9 December, 7.30pm Pitville Pump Room, Cheltenham Cheltenham Choral Society: Deerhurst & Apperley CofE, Primary School Choir and Major Pipework Recorder Ensemble.Tickets: £10, Under 13s: £5, all unsreserved from Cheltenham Town Hall Box Office: 0844 576 2210.

Christmas with The Choirs at All Saints Wednesday 10 December, 7.30 9.30pm, All Saints Church, All Saints Road, Cheltenham, GL52 2HA Come and enjoy a celebration of choral

music and Christmas songs from two of Gloucestershire’s most popular choirs: the Cotswold MaleVoice Choir and the MilitaryWives Choir from Innsworth.

It’s a repeat of last year’s successful concert when the choirs sang together for the first time.The choirs sing popular songs from every genre but will, of course, include some carols in which everyone can join in! Tickets £8, pay at the door or call 01684 294851 or email secretary@cotswoldmvc.org For more information visit www.cotswoldmvc. org/html/concerts.html The International Friday 12 - Saturday 13 December, gates open at 10am Cheltenham Racecourse, Evesham Road, Cheltenham, GL50 4SH Wrap up warm and get your last racing fix for 2014, when Cheltenham Racecourse hosts The International this December, including a Brightwells Bloodstock Sale.Ticket prices range between £9 and £22 per day in advance, and £12 and £27 on the day, with packages and group discounts available.Tel: 0844 579 3003

Christmas Carols & Market at Gloucester Cathedral Sat 13 December, 10am - 4pm Gloucester Cathedral, College Green, Gloucester, GL1 2LX Come and enjoy Christmas Carols at Gloucester Cathedral. Sung on the hour by Choirs of the Cathedral, each service lasts just 30 minutes.

Then visit the Cathedral Cloisters to browse the stalls of the Christmas market. Mince pies, mulled wine and festive refreshments are available in the Chapter House and Cathedral Coffee Shop. Outside the Cathedral will be a live Nativity scene. Free admission.

Festive Family Fi lm Wednesday 17 December, 4pm Bacon Theatre Santa Claus will be surprising children with gifts before settling

To advertise call 07939 802 384 or 01242 500 028 or visit www.cheltenham-magazine.co.uk

down to watch Disney’s mammoth hit, Frozen, at Bacon Theatre.

Tickets cost £7 and include a gift from Santa. Tel: 01242 258002 Charity Christmas Carols Friday 19 December, 18.30pm Sudeley Castle,Winchcombe, GL54 5JD The spectacular ruins at Sudeley will be lit up for a magical evening of Christmas Carols on the evening of 19th December. There will be a Nativity scene on display, and refreshments (including mulled wine and mince pies) will be available. Tickets: £5 per person (under 5’s free), available on the door and Wychwood Trading in Bull Lane, Winchcombe. All proceeds from the evening will be donated to the Winchcombe Day Care Centre and Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice.

Christmas Carols on the hour Saturday 20 Dec, 11am - 4pm Gloucester Cathedral, College Green, Gloucester, GL1 2LX Come and enjoy Christmas Carols sung on the hour by adult choirs.

Each service lasts just 30 minutes.

Free admission.

Christmas Carol Service at Gloucester Cathedral Tuesday 23 December , 6pm Gloucester Cathedral, College Green, Gloucester, GL1 2LX Traditional service of readings and carols with the acclaimed Cathedral choir.

Sandford Parks Lido Christmas Swim Thurs 25 December, gates open from 10.30am, Sandford Parks Lido The very brave will have the chance to take a dip in Sandford Parks Lido’s chilly waters in Cheltenham on Christmas Day 2014. This freezing cold adultsonly event has been going for more than 50 years. It’s not for the faint-hearted and ‘All participants must sign a waiver form prior to entering the very cold water and attempting to swim a width or even a length,’ warn organisers.

Free of charge, with a charity collection for Sandford Lido Ltd. Tel: 01242 524430

Boxing Day Challenge for Winston’s Wish Friday 26 December, 9am for 10.30am start, Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham, GL50 4SH Banish that Belly this Boxing Day! Whether racing at the front, jogging with friends or walking off the Christmas excess, come and take up the boxing Day Challenge in aid ofWinstonsWish, the charity for bereaved children. 2 or 4 mile course. Mince pie for all finishers. £5 entry fee. Sign up online: http:// www.boxingdaychallenge.com/Home. html or call 01242 515157 for more information.

Christmas Cracker at GWR Monday 29 -Tuesday 30 December GloucesterWarwickshire Railway,The Railway,Toddington, GL54 5DT An exciting two day steam and diesel mixed traction gala: there will be 2 steam locos and 3 diesels plus a diesel rail car operating on both days. So whether you are a steam enthusiast or a diesel fan or you just want to see the beauty of the Cotswolds rolling by, this event will be for you.

Admission: In advance Adult £16, senior £15, child £7 (5 - 15yrs). For tickets, times or more information visit: http://www.gwsr.com/ planning-your-visit/2014-eventscalendar/christmas-cracker.aspx New Year’s racing Thursday 1 January, gates open at 10.30am, Cheltenham Racecourse, Evesham Road, GL50 4SH Toast to 2015 at Cheltenham Racecourse, where no less than seven races and a chance to continue the NewYear celebrations with family and friends awaits this New Year’s Day.There’s seven compelling contests lined up on the track from 12.10pm. Pony Club members and their families will have the chance to get an exclusive peek behind the scenes in a series of special racecourse tours.There’s usually also children’s

entertainment.Ticket prices range between £12 and £25 in advance, or £15 and £30 on the day, with packages and group discounts also available.Tel: 0844 579 3003 Philharmonia Orchestra concert Sunday 11 January, 3pm Cheltenham Town Hall Often hailed as one of Britain’s greatest orchestras, the Philharmonia Orchestra will once again be returning to CheltenhamTown Hall much to the delight of the concertgoers across the county.The concert will be led byVenezuelan conductor, Domingo Hindoyan, who is currently Barenboim’s right-hand man at the Berlin State Opera, with rising Russian pianist, Pavel Kolesnikov, completing the star line-up.

Music aficionados will have the chance to hear Kolesnikov deliver an exuberant performance of Beethoven’s final and greatest piano concerto,‘No.5’ in E flat major, followed by his‘Symphony No. 7’ in A major.The orchestra will also be treating the afternoon crowd to a performance of Grieg’s‘Holberg Suite, Op. 40’.Tickets from £11.50.

Cheltenham Festival Trials Day Sat 24 January, gates open at 10.30am, Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham, GL50 4SH Find your future winner at the Festival Trials Day 2015 in Cheltenham. Canny punters hoping to pick up a clue or two on who to back at The Festival and Gold Cup will be heading to Cheltenham Racecourse for the annual Festival Trials Day. A grand total of seven races will be taking place from 12.40pm. The races will be followed by a Brightwells Bloodstock Sale, which is expected to include a limited number of quality horses in training, point to pointers and bumper horses. Ticket prices range between £12 and £25 per day in advance, or £15 and £30 on the day, with packages and group discounts available. Tel: 0844 579 3003

Please mention Cheltenham Magazine when responding to advertisers.

Page 43

● Nightlife ● News & Weather ● T

● Offers & Vouchers ● Maps & Dire

www.cheltenhamlocalapp.co.uk

www.cheltenha

01242 500 028 info@ch

facebook.com/Cheltenha twitter.com/CheltenhamA

Get involved!

FREE DOWNLOAD

→

Available on the

Android Market

Available on

Page 44

iPad

To advertise call 07939 802 384 or 01242 500 028 or visit www.cheltenham-magazine.co.uk ● Business Directory

useful information DOCTORS SURGERIES Springbank Surgery

01242 234306

TRAVEL

Underwood Surgery

01242 580644

Bus Information

01242 544120

Overton Park Surgery

01242 580511

Train Information

08457 484950

Yorkleigh Surgery

01242 519049

COUNCIL

The Royal Crescent Surgery 01242 580248

Cheltenham Borough Council 01242 262626

St Georges Surgery

01242 215015

Sixways Clinic

08444 772551

UTILITIES

Seven Posts Surgery

01242 246549

Electricty -足Power Loss

0800 365 900

Jeremy Field

01242 831010

Gas Emergency

0800 111 999

Water Leaks

0800 169 1144

Water Severn Trent

0800 783 4444

HOSPITALS Gloucestershire Royal Hospital 0300 422 2222 Nuffield Health Hospital

01242 802897

Cheltenham General

03004 222222

Charlton Lane Hospital

01242 634100

LIBRARIES Cheltenham Library

0845 2305420

Hesters Way Library

0845 2305420

Prestbury Library

0845 2305420

Upper Hatherley Library

0845 2305420

POST OFFICES Cheltenham Post Office

08457 223344

Bath Road Post Office, 170 Bath Road, GL53 7NF

HELPLINES Alcoholics Anonymous 0845 769 7555 Childline 0800 1111 Citizens Advice Bureau 0870 120 4040 Crimestoppers 0800 555 111 Directory Enquiries 118 500 Drugs Helpline 0800 776 600 Floodline 0845 988 1188 Parentline Plus 0808 800 2222 RSPCA 0300 123 4999 Samaritans 01452 306333 National Missing Persons 0500 700 700 Martin Horwood MP 01242 224889

Charlton Church, 19 Lyefield Road West, GL53 8EZ Hesters Way, 8 - 10 Hesters Way Road, GL51 0DA Prestbury, 6 High Street, Prestbury, GL52 3AS 107 Salisbury Avenue, Warden Hill, GL51 3DA Shurdington, 2 Yarnolds, Shurdington, GL51 4SH

EMERGENCY NUMBERS Ambulance (Emergency Only) 999 Fire (Emergency Only)

999

Gas Emergency

0800 111 999

St Marks, 255 - 257 Gloucester Road, GL51 8NW

Police (Emergency Only)

999

Tewkesbury Road, 93 Tewkesbury Road, GL51 9DB

Police (non-emergency)

101

Up Hatherley, 238 Hatherley Road, GL51 6HB

NHS Direct

111

Whaddon Road, 112 Whaddon Road, GL52 5NQ Please mention Cheltenham Magazine when responding to advertisers.

Page 45

advertisers index Accountants Cheltenham Tax Accountants Aerials & Satellites Digital TV & Satellite Systems

16 38

Entertainment / Theatre Roses Theatre Panto Sunshine Radio

29 6

Exhibitions Bishop's Cleeve Model Railway

10

Plumbing, Heating & Boiler Services Johnston Scotia 24-25 MJ Taylor 38 Removals Swift Removals & Storage

8

Roofing Five Star Property Services LCM Flat Roofing Robert Myatt

10 16 32

Schools, Classes Dive 90 Dive School

18

Storage Compton Green Business Park Swift Removals & Storage

32 8

Stoves & Fireplaces A&R Stove Installers

17

Television Aerials & Satellites Digital TV & Satellite Systems

38

Airport Transfers & Taxis AJH Chauffeurs

8

Blinds, Curtains & Soft Furnishings Rabbit & Hare

Fencing & Sheds B.E. Rudman

20

8

Boat Moorings The Old Rectory

Flooring Deca Design Flooring

2

22

Bookkeepers The BooksAngel

38

Food & Drink The Hunters Inn Kilcot Inn The Red Lion Wainlode Wiltshire Farm Foods

Building, Maintenance, Repair, Carpentry & Handyman Services, Painters & Decorators B.E. Rudman 20 Five Star Property Services 10 Dave Dowell 20 LH Handyman Services 32 Matt Grimshaw Carpentry 16 PJ Home Improvements 9

Funeral Directories Alexander Burn

30 30 30 back page

Garden Centres Country Garden Centre

34 27

Garden and Estate Services & Maintenance Edward Price

21

Building Supplies JJ Fabrication & Powder Coating 28

Garden Machinery E. Buckland Garden Machinery

20

Business The BooksAngel 26 Cheltenham Magazine Websites 4 Pink Elephant Marketing & PR 19 Your Local App Cheltenham 44

Health & Fitness Slimming World T24:7 Fitness

8 40

Hypnotherapy & Reiki Advance Practice Positive Exchange

37 4

Charities Building Circles 32 Cheltenham Animal Shelter 22 NSPCC 14 Electrical services Pro Electrical

16

Music Tuition Prestbury Piano

www.cheltenham-magazine.co.uk

Deadline 15th Jan for Cheltenham Feburary issue.

34

Website Design

Cheltenham Magazine Websites

Windows, Door & Conservatories Cloudy 2 Clear

Mr DeMister

4 16 22

Motoring, MOT’s & Vehicle Sales Cotswold Mini 47

Request advertising prices online via the website or call Vicky today to discuss your advertising.

Free advert design & free online listing included.

Deadline 5th Dec for Cheltenham January issue.

Photography Mouse about Town

21

Read The Online Editions Follow us on Twitter

@CheltenhamMag

Please like us on

Facebook.com/CheltenhamMagazine

Tel: 01242 500 028 or 07939802384 to promote your business Advertising: info@cheltenham-magazine.co.uk in Cheltenham Magazine.

Website: www.cheltenham-magazine.co.uk Page 46 To advertise call 07939 802 384 or 01242 500 028 or visit www.cheltenham-magazine.co.uk CALL 01242 500 028

MORE DOORS, MORE FUN. THE NEW MINI 5-DOOR HATCH. FROM £199 A MONTH AND £1,499 DEPOSIT.

MINI PERFORMANCE - Improved ‘Go-Kart Feeling’ and enhanced driving experience with new Automatic Transmissions and low CO2 emissions.

BIGGER BOOT SPACE, INCREASED LEG AND HEAD ROOM - Get more out of your urban adventures.

MINI TECHNOLOGY - Innovative cheeky options to enhance your drive.

MINI Select representative example for a new MINI One 5-door Hatch.

Term of agreement 48 months 47 monthly payments £199 On the road cash price* £14,699 Customer deposit £1,499

Dealer contribution £302 Optional final payment^ £6,115 Total deposit £1,801 Total amount payable £17,269 Amount of credit £12,898 Rate of interest 6.9% fixed Optional to purchase fee^ £1 Representative 6.9% APR

For more information pop in and see our MINI Specialists.

THE NEW MINI 5-DOOR HATCH. GET IN!

COTSWOLD CHELTENHAM

Tewkesbury Road,Cheltenham GL51 9SG 01242 587029 www.cotswoldcheltenhammini.co.uk

COTSWOLD GLOUCESTER Cole Avenue, Gloucester GL2 5ER 01452 872626 www.cotswoldgloucestermini.co.uk

Official Fuel Economy Figures for the new MINI 5-door Hatch Range: Urban 36.7-64.2 mpg (7.7-4.4 l/100km). Extra Urban 58.9-88.3 mpg (4.8-3.2 l/100km). Combined 47.9-78.5 mpg (5.9-3.6 l/100km). CO2 Emissions 136-95 g/km.

Figures may vary depending on driving style and conditions.Finance example is for a MINI Select agreement for a MINI One 5-door Hatch with a contract mileage of 32,000 miles and excess mileage charge of 4.37p per mile. Applies to new vehicles ordered between 21 November and 31 Decemberer 2014 and registered by 31 December 2014, (subject to availability). Retail customers only. *On the road cash price includes 3 year MINI Dealer Warranty, MINI Emergency Service, 12 months’ road fund licence, vehicle first registration fee, delivery, number plates and VAT. ^Optional final payment and option to purchase fee not payable if you opt to return the vehicle at the end of the agreement (vehicle condition, excess mileage and other charges may b payable). Finance available subject to credit acceptance to UK residents aged 18 or over. Guarantees and indemnities may be required. Terms and conditions apply. Offer may be varied, withdrawn or extended at any time. ‘MINI Select’ is a form of hire-purchase agreement provided by MINI Financial Services, a trading name of BMW Financial Services (GB) Limited, Bartley Way, Hook, Hampshire RG27 9UF. We commonly introduce customers to MINI Financial Services, for which we may receive payment if you enter into an agreement with them. This introduction doenot amount to independent financial advice.

Please mention Cheltenham Magazine when responding to advertisers.

Page 47

A full festive menu, delivered to your door.

Relax.

It’s Christmas.

CHRISTMAS SELECTION PACK

for only £29.95 + FREE Tea Towel

Christmas is a time for relaxing with your loved ones. So this year, why not leave mealtimes to Wiltshire Farm Foods?

With over 260 individually portioned dishes to choose from, including Christmas options, you can put your feet up as delicious meals are delivered direct to your freezer. When you’re ready to eat, simply pop your meal in the microwave or oven and enjoy.

Ask for your FREE brochure today, and order over the phone or online.

This Christmas, let Wiltshire Farm Foods do the dishes.

FREE *

CHRISTMAS TEA TOWEL

FREE DELIVERY

worth £3.95

6 Main Courses, all with vegetables: • Gammon in

Cranberry & Orange Sauce • Honey Roast Turkey Breast • Beef with Roast Potatoes & Yorkshire Pudding • Roast Pork with Cranberry Stuffing • Steak & Mushroom Casserole • Chicken, Bacon & Thyme Hotpot 4 Desserts: • Luxury Christmas Pudding • Sherry Trifle • Brandy in Clotted Cream Ice Cream • Mincemeat & Apple Crumble Available to order from 13/10/14 to 31/12/14 *With every Christmas selection pack, while stocks last.

Tasty meals from only £2.95

For a FREE brochure or to order your Christmas Selection Pack call us on

01242 820764

wiltshirefarmfoods.com