CLOVE

Those of us of a certain generation will no doubt remember clove oil being a thing for dabbing on toothache! You will remember the vile bitter taste and how is made your mouth water, but you will also remember how it numbed your gum and eased the pain…but what else can this amazing spice do? By Juanita Shield-Laignel

Cloves grow prolifically in India and Madagascar and have been used traditionally in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine. These tiny, but oh so potent, dark brown bulbs have a warming, stimulating and cleansing effect on the body, and they can be used in cooking, as an extract, in herbal tea or as an essential oil.

We are familiar with clove as a cooking ingredient – very popular as an autumn spice…gingerbread, cookies, cakes and pies - pumpkin, apple or otherwise, are all the better for a pinch or two of this little marvel of nature. And being a key component of mulled wine and spiced cabbage, clove comes into its own at the end of year.

But did you know it also has some other amazing medicinal qualities; numbing pain is not the only one?

Cloves are rich in antioxidants and very high on the O.R.A.C. scale (the antioxidant rating scale), as they contain the antioxidant called eugenol, shown to fight free radical damage. This compound can be found in concentrations as high as 80%–90% in clove bud oil! Eugenol is mooted as helping defend against the development of chronic diseases and as being an important component in anti-aging. Maybe it’s traditionally used at this time year as it can also help with Supporting Immune Function and Fighting Infections – as well as reducing inflammation and acting as an antioxidant, eugenol also has antimicrobial and antiviral properties giving it a similar action to raw garlic.

Given clove’s antimicrobial properties it can also help promote good digestive health. Clove contains compounds that have been shown in studies to increase the production of gastric mucus, thus possibly helpful in the prevention of stomach ulcers. It can also help ease bloating and water retention.

In extract form, clove can also contribute to healthy liver function by decreasing inflammation and oxidative stress and there have also been studies to show that clove extract, is rich in polyphenolic compounds that support metabolic health, which may in turn help adults maintain

TOP TIP

For an added punch in cooking – I love this White Label (registered for internal use) Young Living essential oil – 1 or 2 drops is enough to spice up your life!

Mbi’ dii ll d hii i

Clove is one of five ingredients in this amazing Young Living oil designed to support immunity…

W Word of caution…

normal glucose levels.

As mentioned above clove oil, has long been used in dental care due to its natural analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as its antiseptic and antibacterial and antimicrobial effects, so it can help dull aches, reduce swelling and provide relief from discomfort from toothaches, skin breakouts, headaches and other painful conditions. It can also help prevent plaque from forming on teeth, which may cause painful cavities hence being an ingredient in Thieves Mouthwash…

Clove Tea

Steeping a few tiny clove bulbs in hot water and drinking the resultant tea will give you many of the same health benefits as using extract or oil –so the same anti-inflammatory compounds may help reduce sore throats, cold and cough symptoms, and potentially digestive issues, when drunk regularly.

Consumed in small amounts clove is generally safe for most people (those with allergies to spices will know already), however, clove oil should be handled with caution, especially if using it internally and should only be ingested in very small amounts and under the direction of an essential oil practitioner. When applied topically it can cause skin rashes, burning and tingling, so use with caution and mix with a carrier oil.

TOP TIP

Thieves - Alcohol-Free, Fluoride-Free, All-natural, safe for the whole family, even kids, Mouthwash: Provides care for gums, teeth, and the whole mouth

For over 100 years Strathallan School has been doing things di erently. With 153 acres of prime Perthshire countryside to call home and some of the best facilities in the country, Strathallan is known for inspiring excellence, cultivating character and empowering aspirations, whatever they may be. Their tailored curriculum of Highers, Advanced Highers and A-Levels is the broadest available at a Scottish co-educational boarding school and with an extensive list of co-curricular activities available, you’ll find a place for whatever you’re interested in. Strathallan’s aim has always been to bring out the very best in every pupil, and from Olympians to Strictly stars you’ll find some truly impressive role models amongst their alumni. “At my previous school, I remember the careers advisor asked me what I wanted to do when I le school. When I said I wanted to be the number one alpine skier in the world, the advisor smiled and asked me what I really wanted to do. When I started at Strathallan, I was asked the same question, and when I o ered the same answer, the advisor said: ‘That’s amazing! Where do we start?’” – Olympic skier Charlie Guest

Where natural talent becomes international achievement

Sport is a big part of school life at Strathallan, and pupils compete at regional, national and international level across a vast range of disciplines. Many go on to pursue professional careers: the school counts Duncan Scott and Zander Fagerson in their recent leavers.

“I wouldn’t be a rugby player today if it wasn’t for the help and guidance I received during my time at Strathallan School and the facilities and high quality sport I played there. Period.” – Zander Fagerson, British & Irish Lion An extraordinary place to learn

Opportunities for all to excel

Strathallan strives for excellence in all areas, and to nurture a lifelong love of learning for learning’s sake. Students are encouraged to explore their areas of interest and determine how each choice would complement their future pursuits.

Strathallan is the first school in Scotland to o er a rare triple pathway that includes full GCSE and A Level o erings alongside full Highers and Advanced Highers programmes. With a total of 24 subjects to choose from, the country’s broadest curriculum gives students the flexibility to meet the needs for growing, diverse skills gaps in today’s workplaces. The Extended Project Qualification is also available to Sixth Form pupils.

Their academic prowess is backed by their stellar academic results. Last year, 58% of A Level students achieved straight A*/A grades, with 20% of pupils overall achieving A* across the board.

This flexible curriculum and innovative teaching means every pupil can be supported to achieve their best, with leavers going on to Oxbridge and Russell Group universities, international study and specialist arts institutions. In 2021, 88% of leavers were o ered places at their first-choice institution.

Creatively, the school also prides itself on providing an inspiring environment for young visual and performing artists, with opportunities to develop their voice and explore the many and varied roles available within the creative arts. Earlier this year, Strathallian Ciara Elwis was awarded a Creative Arts Emmy in Outstanding Music Supervision for her work on the critically acclaimed series “I May Destroy You”.

With over 560 pupils aged 7-18 divided between the Prep School, the three senior girls’ boarding houses and four senior boys’ houses Strathallan is a friendly, welcoming place with a strong sense of community. At their most recent inspection, The Care Inspectorate rated Strathallan at Grade 6 (Excellent or SectorLeading) for the quality of care and support available. It’s an outstanding environment in which to learn, inside the classroom and out. Young people leave Strathallan with the skills and knowledge to succeed in their chosen career, and the confidence to make their mark on the world.

“I look back at my time at Strathallan with fondness. The quality of education in the classroom, in the creative arts and on the sports field was of the highest possible level. With Strathallan on my CV there are no doors that are not open to me.” – Former pupil Scholarships available at Third Form and Sixth Form entry. Open Morning Saturday 15th January 2021.

Get Your Cob On!

Anyone who like me enjoys the odd back-to-back session of Grand Designs, will have come across some quite extraordinary Cob Houses over the years. Made from nothing more than sand, clay, water and earth and some use straw, some don’t, cob houses sound very basic but add a large dollop of human innovation, ingenuity and creativity and the mud house soon turns into an astonishingly beautiful home…by Juanita Shield-Laignel

All you have to do is google, Grand Designs East Devon Cob House and you will be truly astounded at what pops up. One image refers to the 930 sq m home as a ‘cob castle’ and palatial it certainly is. But cob on this scale is not common, rather research will often proffer cute little forest cottages and occasional modest family homes, but most often, little romantic, personal spaces at the bottom of the garden. I find the whole idea fascinating. Built completely by hand and often called natural buildings, groups of natural builders will travel around and help out – such a beautiful way to live. Often natural building groups ask for nothing more than 3 square meals and will take their tents to camp out on site. Comradery and experience being the thing that binds these people together. There are master cob builders that head up these

teams and are highly sought after.

The very notion that you take elements from the earth, smoosh them all together by dancing on them, much like grape-treading, and then form rudimentary bricks called ‘cobs’ by hand and pile them on top of each other, hand shaping everything – enabling the most beautiful organic shapes just thrills the artist in me. It’s like sculpting your own home, and is sensitive and intimate and oh so creative, adding bits of glass and decorative tiles for interest means that each and every cob house is completely unique.

Cob houses are usually surrounded by fruit and veg gardens, adding to the self-sufficient ethos, are off-grid and contain things such as compost toilets, are topped with solar panels and flanked by domestic wind turbines, owners are often ecoconscious and creative, sometimes single and

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sometimes living with partners and children. Building individual personality into these buildings is a wonderful process for children who really get to stamp their personality on their own spaces.

Who of us as children didn’t enjoy building a den or two in a nearby field or in the garden? Cobbing taps into that childhood romanticism and allows one to explore ones inner-child again.

Cob has been used for thousands of years and yet oddly – could be the way of the future, especially as already mentioned – it is part of a whole lifestyle; permaculture and life-schooling providing everything the family needs.

I’m not aware of any large-scale domestic cob houses locally at the moment – however, the bat house at the zoo is a good example of what can be achieved, and was built by a team of people, who all worked and ate together for the duration of the build – creating a real community spirit.

This idea really excites me – building your own beautiful, sustainable, bio-degradable home, from the earth and with your own hands and surrounding it with a potager and filling it with the people you love…what could be better!

Quote from local eco-architect Jane Blakeley “Old Jersey farmhouse thick external walls are partly cob for thermal reasons, comprised of two outer skins of granite with a narrow cavity in the centre filled with cob/mud. They achieve the 'adobe wall action' ie maintain heat in winter and avoid heat gain in summer, an ancient concept but used in Jersey certainly from the early centuries of house building”

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J Brennan Groundworks Ltd Tel: 07797 730937

jbrennangroundworks@hotmail.co.uk

All aspects of groundworks and excavations undertaken

Acorn’s New Drive-Through

A Product of the Pandemic!

By Caroline Spencer

Acorn’s new drive-through donations centre is a product of the pandemic. It probably wouldn’t have happened but for the new way of working that Covid restrictions brought about…

A new purpose-built drive-through donations centre at Acorn Reuse will create a minimum of 10 paid jobs and 60 training opportunities for people with a disability or long-term health condition.

The social enterprise secured Fiscal Stimulus funding from the Government of Jersey in 2021. Ministers came up with the funding as a way of helping the economy recover from the Covid pandemic.

Many organisations had to develop new and innovative ways of working during the pandemic and Acorn was no different and they found that some of the new methods of working streamlined their processing and productivity. The fact that they had to store donated goods for 72 hours meant that they created a separate temporary donations and collections area away from the main shop. This proved to be better for staff and customers alike.

The new shed is being built on the overflow parking area to the rear of Acorn Reuse. Acorn general manager Steve Pearce said: ‘The new collection, delivery and goods processing depot will provide a streamlined service for customers and improve working conditions for staff. The new building will increase our capacity to receive and process goods by over 30% and it will release 25% more sales floor space within the main reuse shop.

‘In turn, this will increase revenue through sales, enabling Acorn to employ more people with a disability or long-term health condition – at a time when there is more demand for our services than ever. It’s an exciting time for Acorn. This is going to be a huge boost after such a challenging time.’

Steve added: ‘The implementation of this project also supports the issue of waste and reducing the Island’s carbon footprint. Reuse is fundamental to the Island’s waste management strategy and environmental good. This extra facility enables us to increase our ability to divert waste by 30%. We expect to be able to remove an additional 730 tonnes from the waste stream and we anticipate a 3.5% improvement on this amount each month.’

The area currently used for storage and sorting will be freed up for more shopfloor space

both help the local community and have environmental benefits. Acorn Reuse takes reusable items out of the waste stream and directly resells or repurposes them to sell through their store in Trinity.

Just a year after Acorn Reuse opened in September 2018, they came close to their goal of being self-financing, employing 80 people, over 70% of whom have a disability. But then the Covid pandemic hit and they stayed in lockdown slightly longer than some businesses, due to the health vulnerabilities of their staff and clients.

The new facility will also house a purpose-built self-contained area for electrical testing and function testing of goods. All electrical goods are tested before being sold, but a number of items fail these tests. To reduce the amount of waste, Acorn are trialling reclaiming scrap metal from electrical components, which will further reduce its carbon footprint.

Acorn say that these objectives will assist them, and the Government of Jersey, in the goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.

Along with improved traffic flow, the new Acorn building will be part of a community hub for Trinity, offering free space for the parish recycling centre, mobile library and other community initiatives.

As with all its goods, Acorn deliberately sets its prices low, so that low-income families benefit. Steve says that this is more important than ever as Covid-19 had a significant financial impact on many Islanders.

Richard de la Haye of BRB Excavation & Groundworks Ltd, which is undertaking all ground works for the main contractor, WM Staite Ltd

will continue to provide goods at an affordable price which will specifically support that demographic.’

JET executive officer Jocelyn Jacques said: ‘We are very grateful to the Government of Jersey for the Fiscal Stimulus investment of £800,000, which enables Acorn to increase its revenue, thereby creating a minimum of 10 paid jobs and 60 training opportunities for people with disabilities and longterm health conditions.

‘In the short-term, this development both retains and creates employment for people in the local community, with a minimum of 12 local contractors involved. We would like to thank the main contractors who, despite the current demands on their services, have kept to their schedule and honoured their early commitment to the project.’ JET have already seen that the pandemic has had a significant impact on people’s mental health and wellbeing. Acorn is one of very few places in Jersey that offers therapeutic placements to people with significant mental health issues. More than 60% of referrals to Acorn’s Training and Development Service are from people with a mental health issue.

Another aspect of the plans include the use of solar panels and Acorn hopes to generate enough electricity for itself in the summer months.

Building work on the centre started on the Trinity site in August and will be wind- and water-tight by Christmas, with the final internal fit-out completed early in the new year.

TWO AMAZING WOMEN, previously featured in the pages of The Jerseylife were recently bestowed the ‘Woman’s Refuge, Inspirational Woman of the Year’ award

Louise Carson – 1st Prize

“Oh wow! It’s with huge pride and surprise I can say I’ve won the ‘Woman’s Refuge inspirational woman of the year award’. It’s really beautiful that despite 49 other inspirational women being nominated, that I won for environmental projects. It’s so important to me and so encouraging. Thanks to Soroptimist International Jersey and the Woman’s refuge.

The award was really for everyone involved in:

•Recycle for Philip’s Footprints •Potty Eco Pots •Jersey Sustainable Period Products Project •Half Wild Jersey •Journey to Zero Waste Jersey

All of the volunteers who actually make anything happenTHANK YOU, I really feel I’m just a figure head in this.

To my partners in crime Viki Lucas, Kalina Le Marquand, Louise Bamber and Dave Carson - THANK YOU

So glad my brother Philip Le Claire, sister-in-law Alison Bishop, Husband David Carson and long-term friend Stephanie Bass were there to witness me feeling so overwhelmed and humbled by this.

Thanks so much to the person who nominated me Morgan D Helen”

“We are so very proud to announce that Karen Gallichan, super woman and Autism Jersey Boutique Manager was recently awarded a superb second place in the 2021 Inspirational Woman of the Year awards.

Nominated by Dr Helen Miles, Vice-Chairman at Autism Jersey. Helen said “Karen is a single mother of two including a son with autism who has faced a raft of challenges. Karen is an inspiration to all women, her great determination to succeed is matched by her depth of compassion for autistic people and their families in Jersey. As a member, former trustee and latterly as Autism Jersey Boutique Manager, she has helped to create a special place where parents, grandparents, friends and family can pop in, not only to buy clothes, but to talk about how autism impacts their lives. Karen is a listening ear and offers practical support and reassurance from a parent’s perspective.”

Both Louise and Karen are incredible women who have committed themselves wholeheartedly to improving the lives of others in Jersey.

3rd Place was awarded to Lorna Pirozzolo for her tireless work with Cancer.je. Lorna has not featured in The Jerseylife as yet – maybe a subject for another time!

Please join us as we congratulate some of the most inspirational women we know!